222 
N O R T H UMBERLAN D. 
Bernicia; and was fucceeded by his 1 'on Adda. In the 
firft year of this prince’s reign, Atila, a noble chieftain 
of Saxony, who had accompanied Ida in his expedition, 
made war upon the Britons in the province of Dei’ra, 
drove them from their territories, and, fettling his fol¬ 
lowers therein, alTumed the regal authority. Adda, king 
of Bernicia, dying in the feventh year of his fovereignty, 
was fucceeded by four princes, Glappa, Theolwald, Fret- 
hulf, andTheodric; of whom nothing is known but their 
names, and the number of years they refpeftively fwayed 
the fceptre. On the death of the Inft of thefe monarchs, 
FElla acquired the fovereignty of both kingdoms, which 
he united under the name of the Kingdom of Northum¬ 
berland. This prince enjoyed his conjunct rule only 
three years, when he died, leaving iiTue a foil and a daugh¬ 
ter, Edwin and Acca ; but, as the former was yet too 
young to take upon himfelf the government, Ethelric, the 
fecond fon of Ida, was raifed to the throne. His reign 
lafted during five years of profound peace, at the end of 
which time he departed this life, and left the kingdom to 
bis fon Ethelfrith, who, the better to infure the liability 
of his fway over Dei'ra, which of right ftiould have de- 
fcended to Edwin, efpoufed Acca, the lifter of that prince. 
Ethelfrith, ambitious of military renown, was conftantly 
engaged in war, and at length fell in battle, when Edwin 
found little difficulty in obtaining pofleflion of the North¬ 
umbrian crown. 
Of all the princes of the heptarchy at this period, Edwin 
was undoubtedly the greateft, being no lefs diftinguilhed 
for his influence abroad, than for his rigid and impartial 
adminiftration of juftice within his own dominions. He 
reclaimed his fubjeCts from the licentious life to which 
they had hitherto been accuftomed ; and ellabliflied fo 
excellent a fyftcm of police in every part of his kingdom, 
that it became proverbial to fay, a perfon might do any 
a6t with as much fafety as a woman or child could pals 
through Northumberland with a purfe of gold in their 
hand. Every individual placed near his throne loved 
him; and he was one of thofe few monarchs who could 
boaft of the fincere attachment of his minifters and fa¬ 
vourites. 
Hitherto the Northumbrian Saxons continued to w'or- 
fhip idols ; and, though fome attempts had been made to 
convert them to Chriftianity, all had failed to effeCt that 
defirable objeCt. The period, however, was now arrived 
in which they were deftined to receive the Gofpel. Ed¬ 
win’s firft wife having died while he refided at the court 
of Redwald, he married, for his fecond, Ethelburga, the 
daughter of Ethelbert king of Kent, who was already 
converted, and had eftabliftied Chriftianity throughout 
his dominions. That lady, emulating the glory of her 
mother Bertha, by whofezeal this had been accomplilhed, 
carried Paulinus, a learned biftiop, along with her; and, 
befides ftipulating a toleration for the exercife of her own 
vvorfhip, ufed every effort in her power to induce her huf- 
band to adopt it alfo. Edwin held feveral conferences 
with Paulinus ; canvaffed the arguments with the wifeft 
of his counfellors ; and, after a ferious and long enquiry, 
decided in favour of Chriftianity ; and the Northumbrians, 
almoft to a man, threw off the ftiackles of idolatry, and 
embraced the new religion. Unhappily, however, the 
fucceflion of events which followed this important era 
proved hoftile to the immediate confummation of the glo¬ 
rious deftiny fo aufpicioufly begun. Penda, the pagan 
king of Mercia, ftimulating Ceadwallo, king of the Bri¬ 
tons, to take up arms, and throw off the Northumbrian 
yoke; the two monarchs joined ths,ir forces, and waited 
the advance of Edwin, who had already taken the field 
with a powerful force to quell the infurre&ion. A place 
called Hatfield Chace, in Yorkftiire, was the fcene of con- 
teft. Both armies performed prodigies of valour ; bur, 
Edwin and his fon being killed in the aftion, the North¬ 
umbrians, lofing confidence, immediately gave way, and 
in the end were defeated with immenfe daughter. Penda 
and Ceadwallo now penetrated into the kingdom of 
Northumberland, and fpread death and defolation every* 
where around them.* Penda in particular, if belief can be 
given to the monkilh hiftorians, directed his favage ven¬ 
geance with ten-fold cruelty againft the Chriftian inhabit¬ 
ants; till at length, fated with blood, both he and the 
Britifli monarch retired to their own dominions. 
Eanfred, the fon of Ethelfrith, now returned with his 
brothers Ofwald and Ofwy from Scotland, and took pof- 
feffion of Bernicia, his paternal kingdom ; and Ofric, the 
coufin-german of Edwin, eftabliftied himfelf in Dei'ra, the 
inheritance of his family. Hence the monarchy of North¬ 
umberland was again divided into two diftinCt fovereign- 
ties; and, as the kings of each renounced the doftrines 
of Chriftianity, which they had embraced during their 
exile, Paganilin once more became the court-worlhip in 
both kingdoms. This apoftacy however, did not ftiield 
them from the rage of Ceadwallo ; but molt probably gave 
a keener edge to his fword, as he himfelf was profeffedly 
a Chriftian. Again entering Northumbria, he ravaged 
the country with ftill more ferocious barbarity than be¬ 
fore. Ofric fell in the defence of his own city; and Ean¬ 
fred, terrified at his fate, went in perfon to the camp of 
the Welfti king to fue for peace, and implore his cle¬ 
mency; but, notwithftanding thefacred purpofeofhis vifir, 
he was arrefted and put to death by the murderous tyrant. 
Upon this event Ofwald, the only furviving legitimate 
brother of the murdered prince, refolving to revenge the 
wrongs of his family, and taking advantage of the hatred 
with which the treachery of Ceadwallo had infpired his 
countrymen, raifed a confiderable army, and marched to 
offer battle to the execrable oppreffor. A moft languinary 
adtion enfued, in which, notwithftanding his inferiority 
in numbers to his enemy, Ofwald was completely fuc- 
cefsful, Ceadwallo and the chief of his nobility being fiain 
on the field, and the reft of his army routed and difperfed. 
This glorious engagement was fought at Dennis, on 
the borders of the county; and eventually enabled Of¬ 
wald to affume the crown of Northumberland, by a re¬ 
union of the kingdoms of Bernicia and Dei’ra. Ofwald 
likewife reftored the Chriftian religion, and fucceeded, by 
his judicious condudt, in wholly extirpating Paganifm 
from his dominions. He is much celebrated by the monkith 
writers for his fandtity and charity, which procured him 
the honours of canonization. Ofwald died in battle 
againft Penda king of Mercia; and was fucceeded by his 
natural brother Ofwy, wdio eftabliftied himfelf on the 
Northumbrian throne by putting to death Ofvvin, the 
fon of Ofric, the laft king of the race of Dei’ri. His fon 
Egfrid fucceeded him, who was (lain in an engagement 
with the PiCts, without leaving any children ; becaufe 
Adelthrid, his queen, refuted to violate her vow of chaf- 
tity. Alfred, his natural brother, confequently acquired 
pofleflion of the kingdom, which lie governed for nine¬ 
teen years, and left it to Ofred, his fon, a boy only eight 
years of age. This prince reigned eleven years, and was 
murdered by his kinfman Kenred, who enjoyed hisufurped 
dignity little more than a year, having fuffered the punith- 
ment of his barbarity by a fimilar fate. Ofric, and after 
him Celwulph, the fon of Kenred, next mounted fhe 
throne; which the latter relinquiflied in favour of Ead- 
bert, his coufin-german. He, imitating his predeceffor, 
abdicated the throne alfo, and retired into a monaftery. 
Ofwolf, fon to Eadbert, periftied in an infurreftion foon 
after his acceffion, when the fovereignty was feized by a 
nobleman named Mollo, who reigned ten years, and was 
flain by the treachery of Alured. This prince, a defcend- 
ant from Ida, firft king of Northumberland, now ob¬ 
tained the fceptre; but, conducting himfelf tyrannically, 
was expelled by his fubjeCts. Ethelred, his fucceflor, was 
likewife compelled to renounce his authority; and Cel- 
wald, the next king, was depofed and flain by the people, 
and his place filled by Ofred, who, after reigning one 
year, made way again for Ethelred, whofe death was 
equally tragical as that of almoft all his predeceffors. An 
univerfal anarchy now prevailed in Northumberland for 
feveral 
