eng: 
/hip, and fiich churches as had been fuftered to decay 
were repaired. The more to facilitate the reception of 
Chriftianity, the pope enjoined his miffioner'to remove 
the pagan idols, but not to tlirow down the altars, ob- 
ferving, that the people would be allured to frequent 
thofe places which they had formerly been accuftomed 
to revere. He alfo permitted thofe feats and cheerful en¬ 
tertainments which they had been formerly accwftomed to 
celebrate near the places of their idolatrous worfhip. The 
people thus exchanged their ancient opinions with readi- 
nefs, fince they found themfelves indulged in thofe inno¬ 
cent relaxations which are only immoral when carried to 
excels. Auguftine was confecrated arc.hbiftipp of Can¬ 
terbury, endowed with authority over all the Britifli 
churches, and his alfociates, having fpread themfelves 
throughout the country, foon completed that converfion 
which was fo happily begun. 
The kingdom of the heptarchy which next embraced 
tl'.e Chriftian faith, was that of Northumberland. Edwin, 
a wife, brave, and active, prince, then king of that dif- 
tridl, was married to Elthelburga, the daughter of Ethel- 
bert, who had been fo lately converted. This princefs, 
emulating the glory of her mother, who had been the 
inftrument of converting her hufband and his fubjedfs to 
Chriftianity, carried Paulinijs, a learned bilhop, -with her 
into Northumberland, having previoufly (lipulated for 
the free exercife of her religion. Edwin, whom his queen 
uncealingly folicited to embrace Chriftianity, for a long 
time helitated on the propofal, willing to examine its 
doftrines before he declared in their favour. Accord¬ 
ingly he held feveral conferences with Paulinus, difputed 
with his counfellors, meditated alone, and, after a (erious 
difeuflion, declared himfelf a Chriftian. The high pried 
alfo of the pagan fuperftition foon after declaring himfelf 
a convert to the arguments of Paulinus, the whole body 
of the people unanimoufty followed their example. The 
authority of Edwin, who was thus converted, foon after 
prevailed upon Earpwold, king of the Eaft Angles, alfo 
to embrace Chriftianity. This monarch, however, after 
the death of Edwin, relapfed into his former idolatry, at 
the perfuafion of his wife. But upon his deceafe, Sige- 
bert, his half brother, who had beemeducated in France, 
reftored Chriftianity, and began to introduce literature 
among the Angles. 
Mercia, the mod powerful kingdom of all the Saxon 
heptarchy, owed its converfion, like th,e former, to a 
woman. The wdfe of Peada, who was the daughter of 
Oftwy, king of Northumberland, having been bred in the 
Chriftian faith, employed her influence in converting her 
hufband and his fubjefts. But it feems the new religion 
was attended with fmall influence on the,manners of that 
fierce people, as we find Otto, one of their new-converted 
kings, in a few reigns after, treacheroiifly deftroying Ethel- 
bert, king of the Eaft Angles, at an entertainment to 
which he had been invited. However, to make-atone¬ 
ment for this tranfgreflion, we find him paying great court 
to the clergy, giving the tenth of his goods to the church, 
and making a pilgrimage to Rome, where his riches, more 
than his penitence, procured him the papal abfo'lution. 
It was upon this occalion, the better to ingratiate him¬ 
felf with the pope, that he engaged to pay him a yearly 
donation for the fupport of an Englifh college at Rome ; 
and, in order to raife the film, he impofed a tax of a 
penny on each houfe poffefled of thirty pence a-year. This 
impofition being.afterwards'generally levied throughout 
the kingdom, went by the name of Peter.pence, and in fuc- 
ceeding" times gave rife to many eccleliaftical abules. 
In the kingdom of Efiex., Sebert, who was nephew to 
Ethelberf, king of Kent, was alfo prevailed upon by his 
uncle to embrace the Chriftian religion. His ions, how¬ 
ever, relapfed into paganifm and idolatry, and banifhed 
Melitus, the Chriftian bifliop, from their territories, be- 
caufe he refufed to let them eat the white bread which 
was diftributed at the communion. - But Chriftianity was 
reftored two or three reigns after, by Sigebert the Good j 
^ A N D. 547 
and fitch was the influence of its dudlrines upon Qffa, the 
third in fticceftion from him, that he. alfo went upon a 
pilgrimage to Rome,, and Ihut himfelf up during the reft 
of his life in a cloifter. 
We know but little of the propagation of Chriftianity 
in the kingdom of Sulfex ; but this being the (mailed 
principality of the Saxon heptarchy, it is probable that 
it was governed in its opinions by fotne of its more pow¬ 
erful neighbours.. It is faid, that, during the reign of 
Cilia, one of its kings, which continued feventy-lix years, 
the kingdom fell into'a total-dependence upon that of 
Welfex, and to this it is probable that it owed its coii- 
verfton. The kingdom of Welfex, which eventually 
fwallowed up all t lie reft, deferves more particular'atten¬ 
tion. This principality, which, as already related, was 
founded by Cerdic, • was, of all the Saxon eftabliftiments 
in Britain, the moft active and warlike. The great op¬ 
position the invaders of this province originally met with 
from the natives, ferved to carry their martial fpirit to 
the high eft pitch. Ceaulin, a prince equally ambitious 
and enterprifing, not fatisfied with conqucfts over the 
Britons, attacked the Saxons themfelves, till, becom¬ 
ing terrible to all, he provoked a general confederacy 
againft him ; fo that he was at laft expelled the throne, 
and died in exile and mifery. His two fons fucceeded; 
and, after a fucceffion of two more, Kynegils inherited 
the crown. This prince embraced Chriftianity through 
the perfuafion of Ofwald, the king of Northumberland, 
his 1'on-ih-law. After fome fucceeding obfeure reigns, 
Ceodwalla afcended the throne, an enterprifing, warlike, 
and fuccefsful, prince. He fubdued entirely the king¬ 
dom of Sulfex, and annexed it to his own dominions. He 
made alfo fome attempts upon Kent, but was repulfed 
with vigour. Ina, his fuccelfor, was tlie moft renowned 
and illuftrious of all the kings who reigned during the 
heptarchy. This monarch inherited all the military vir¬ 
tues of Ceodwalla, improved by policy, juftice, and pru¬ 
dence. He made war upon the Britons, who yet remained 
in Somei fetlhire ; and having totally fubdued that pro¬ 
vince, he treated the vanquilhed with a humanity be¬ 
fore unknown to the Saxon conquerors. In lefs than a 
year after he had afcended the throne of Welfex, he was 
declared monarch of the Anglo-Saxons, a remarkable 
proof of the great character he had acquired. He com¬ 
piled a body of laws, which ferved as the ground-work 
of thofe which were afterwards publilhed by Alfred. He 
alfo aftembled a general council of the clergy, in which 
it was determined, that all churches, monafteries, and 
places of religious worfhip, which had gone to decay, 
ihould be rebuilt or repaired. At length, after a diftin- 
guifhed reign of thirty-feven years, and in the decline.of 
life, he made a pilgrimage to Rome ; and, on his return, 
he .-(hut himfelf up in a cloifter, where he died. To him 
fucceeded Ofwald, Cudred, Sigebert,Cenulpli, and Brith- 
ric; all thefe claiming the crown, not entirely by heredi¬ 
tary right, nor yet totally rejecting their family pretenfions. 
It was in the reign of the laft-named monarch, that Eg¬ 
bert, a grand nephew of king Ina, began to grow popu¬ 
lar among the Weft Saxons, both on a count of his family 
and perlpnal accomplilhments. Being fenfible, however, 
of the danger of popularity under Inch a jealous mo¬ 
narch as Brithric, he withdrew fecretly into France, to 
the court of Charlemagne, the mod celebrious prince in 
Europe. This was a iciiool in which young Egbert failed 
not to make a rapid proficiency ; and he foon acquired 
fuch accomplilhments, both in arts and in arms, as railed 
him greatly fuperior to any of his countrymen at home. 
Nor was it long before this prince had an opportunity of 
difplaying his natural and acquired talents; for, Brithric 
being poifoned by his wife Eadburga, the nobility re¬ 
called him from France, in order to fill the throne of his 
anceftors. About that time alfo, a fortunate concurrence 
of events feemed to prepare the way for his becoming 
foie monarch ot the whole country. In all the kingdoms 
of the heptarchy, an exaft rule of fucceffion was but little 
a ' regarded; 
