[WILFRID IN MERCIA AND KENT.]

A.D. 667. Foundation of an Anglo-Saxon Monastery by Colman in Ireland, and succession of Bishops there a.

a See Vol. II. at the date, under the Irish Church.

A.D. 666–669. Wilfrid returning from Gaul remains at Ripon; and performs episcopal functions in Mercia a and Kent during the vacancy of the See of Canterbury, and until Theodore's arrival.

EDD. V. Wilfr. c. XIV.---Revertens quippe ad sedem cœnobialem Abbatis, humiliter in HRypis III. annis resedit, nisi quod frequenter ab Wlfario rege Merciorum ad officia diversa Episcopalia in regione sua cum vera dilectione invitatus est. Suscitavit enim Dominus sibi regem hunc mitissimum, qui inter alia bona in diversis locis multa spatia terrarum pro animæ suæ remedio Episcopo nostro concessit, in quibus mox monasteria servorum Dei constituit. Ecgberhtus quoque Rex Cantwariorum religiosus, Pontificem nostrum ad se accersivit, et illic presbyteros multos (ex quibus unus erat Putta, qui postea Episcopatum accepit), et non paucos diacones ordinavit. Deusdedit enim Episcopus post Honorium Archiepiscopum [diem obiit]. Ideo autem venerabiliter vivens, omnibus carus, Episcopalia officia per plura spatia agens cum cantoribus Ædde et Æonan, et cæmentariis, omnisque pene artis institoribus regionem suam rediens cum Regula Sancti Benedicti b, instituta Ecclesiarum Dei bene meliorabat. [Ed. Gale, p. 58, collated with the Bodleian MS. Fell. 1; and see B. IV. 2.]

BÆD. III. 28.—Veniens quoque Brittaniam Vilfrid jam Episcopus factus, et ipse perplura catholicæ observationis moderamina Ecclesiis Anglorum sua doctrina contulit. Unde factum est, ut crescente per dies institutione catholica, Scotti omnes qui inter Anglos morabantur, aut his manus darent, aut suam redirent ad patriam. [M. H. B. 206.]

a After the death of Jaruman, in A.D. 667 (Wharton, A. S. I. 425), the see of Mercia was vacant two years until Chad came to Lichfield from York in A.D. 669.

b Wilfrid when Bishop of York introduced the rule of S. Benedict into his monasteries (W. Malm. G. P. lib. III. fo. 151, Savile), supplanting that of Columba.

VOL. III.

I

[THEODORE ARCHBISHOP.]

VII. THEODORE. A.D. 668-690.

"Natus Tharso Cilicia, vir et sæculari et divina literatura et Græce instructus et Latine" (B. IV. 1). Doruvernensis Ecclesiæ Episcopus" (Conc. Herutf. A.D. 673. B. IV. 5). "Dei gratia Archi

66

episcopus Brittaniæ insulæ et civitatis Doruvernis" (Conc. Hathf. A.D. 680. B. IV. 17). "Primus in Archiepiscopis cui omnis Anglorum Ecclesia manus dare consentiret " (B. IV. 2).

A.D. 668. Nominated by Pope Vitalian, and consecrated by him, Mar. 26 (B. IV. 1).
A.D. 669. May 27. Arrives at Canterbury (B. IV. 2).

A.D. 669–672. Visits the whole of England, establishing the Roman rule of Easter
throughout the Church; and settles Bishops in all the sees except London;
viz., in East Anglia, Northumbria, Mercia, at Rochester, and in Wessex.
A.D. 673. Sept. 24. Council of Hertford, the first Council, properly so called, of the
English Church, settles the organization of the Church.

A.D. 673-681. Division of dioceses throughout all England, except those of Wessex,
Kent, and London '.

A.D. 680. Sept. 17. Council of Hatfield, to declare the faith of the Church.

A.D. 678-686. First exile and restoration of Wilfrid, arising out of the forcible division
of his diocese.

A.D. 681 x 686. Conversion by Wilfrid of the last heathens in England, viz. the South
Saxons; and of the people of the Isle of Wight, A.D. 686.

A.D. 689, 690. First foreign mission of the Anglo-Saxon Church attempted by Egbert,
A.D. 689; executed by Victberct, A.D. 690, and Willibrord, A.D. 692;
to the mother country of the Saxons and to Frisia (B. V. 9, 10), whither
accident had also taken Wilfrid himself in A. D. 678 (B. V. 19; Edd.
XXV.).

A.D. 690. Sept. 19. Death of Theodore; he is buried within the church of S. Peter (S. Augustin's), Canterbury (B. II. 3, V. 8).

For the alleged origination, at this time, of parishes in the modern sense of the word, see below, on the Council of Hertford, A.D. 673.

b Not in the porch, but inside the church, merely, however, "quod prædicta porticus plura capere nequivit " (B. II. 3).

[CONSECRATION OF THEODORE.]

A.D. 668. Nomination and Consecration of Theodore by Pope Vitalian at Rome, March 26.

BÆD. IV. 1.—Apostolicus Papa habito de his consilio, quæsivit sedulus quem Ecclesiis Anglorum Archiepiscopum mitteret. Erat autem in Monasterio Hiridano quod est non longe a Neapoli Campaniæ, Abbas Hadrianus, vir natione Afer, sacris literis diligenter imbutus, monasterialibus simul et ecclesiasticis disciplinis institutus, Græcæ pariter et Latinæ linguæ peritissimus. Hunc ad se accitum Papa jussit Episcopatu accepto Brittaniam venire. Qui indignum se tanto gradui respondens, ostendere posse se dixit alium, cujus magis ad suscipiendum Episcopatum et eruditio conveniret, et ætas. Cumque monachum quemdam de vicino virginum monasterio, nomine Andream, Pontifici offerret, hic ab omnibus qui novere, dignus Episcopatu judicatus est. Verum pondus corporeæ infirmitatis, ne Episcopus fieri posset, obstitit. Et rursum Hadrianus ad suscipiendum Episcopatum actus est: qui petens inducias, si forte alium, qui Episcopus ordinaretur ex tempore posset invenire.

Erat ipso tempore Romæ monachus Hadriano notus, nomine Theodorus, natus Tharso Ciliciæ, vir et sæculari et divina literatura, et Græce instructus et Latine, probus moribus, et ætate venerandus, id est, annos habens ætatis sexaginta et sex. Hunc offerens Hadrianus Pontifici, ut Episcopus ordinaretur obtinuit: his tamen conditionibus interpositis, ut ipse eum perduceret Brittaniam, eo quod jam bis partes Galliarum diversis ex causis adiisset; et ob id majorem hujus itineris peragendi notitiam haberet, sufficiensque esset in possessione hominum propriorum: et ut ei doctrinæ cooperator existens, diligenter adtenderet ne quid ille contrarium veritati fidei, Græcorum more, in ecclesiam cui præesset, introduceret. Qui subdiaconus ordinatus, quatuor exspectavit menses, donec illi coma cresceret, quo in coronam tonderi posset. Habuerat enim tonsuram more Orientalium sancti apostoli Pauli. Qui ordinatus est a Vitaliano Papa anno Dominicæ incarnationis sexcentesimo sexagesimo octavo, sub die septima kalendarum Aprilium, Dominica. [M. H. B. 209, 210.]

[LETTER OF POPE VITALIAN TO THEODORE.]

1. A.D. 668, May. Commendatory Letter of Pope Vitalian to John Archbishop of Arles on Theodore's behalf; not preserved. (B. IV. 1.)

a

a Theodore left Rome with Hadrian and Benedict Biscop (B. Hist. Abb. 3), May 27, A.D. 668, and was detained at Arles by Archbishop John, in obedience to the order of Ebroin, Mayor of the Palace to Clothaire III., upon political suspicions. Thence he passed to Paris, where he was entertained by Bishop

Agilbert, Hadrian visiting the Bishops of Sens and Meaux. At length, at the request of King Egbert, Theodore was allowed to embark at Quentavic (Etaples), and he arrived at Canterbury May 27, A.D. 669. Hadrian, after being detained some time longer, was allowed to follow him.

2. Letter of Pope Vitalian to Theodore respecting the See of Canterbury. [Of questionable authenticity a.]

Giving supre

all

Dilectissimo fratri Theodoro VITALIANUS EPISCOPUS, SERmacy to CanterVus servorum DEI. Inter plurima quæ nobis per vestras bury over England. syllabas intimari jussisti, cognovimus etiam desiderium vestrum pro confirmatione diocesis, quæ tuæ subjectioni subjacet, quia in omnibus ex nostro apostolicæ auctoritatis privilegio splendescere desideras. Nos vero vestræ petitioni annuentes, quia congruit pastorali sollicitudini, circa ecclesias Dei, quæ a priscis temporibus ab hac apostolica sede statuta intelligimus, irrefragabili ratione volumus, ut sicut a nobis ita et a nostris successoribus perpetua stabilitate muniantur. Unde nobis visum est te exhortari, ac in præsenti conimendare tuæ sagacissimæ sanctitati omnes ecclesias in insula Britanniæ positas; omnia ergo quæ a sancto Gregorio prædecessore nostro Augustino, sincello suo, statuta sunt atque firmata, vel etiam per sacrum usum pallii concessa, nos tibi in ævum concedimus, et Doroberniam civitatem, ubi primitus per revelationem Jesu Christi Domini nostri fides catholica secundum institutionem sacrorum canonum suscepta est, habetote. Ex auctoritate autem beati Petri apostolorum principis, cui a Domino Deo potestas data est ligandi atque solvendi, in cælo ac in terra, nos licet immeriti ejusdem beati Petri clavigeri regni cælorum vicem tenentes, tibi, Theodore, tuisque successoribus, sicut ab olitanis temporibus fuerunt condonata in perpetuum, ita in ipsa tua metropolitana sede, quæ sita est in civitate Dorobernia, immutilanda concedimus obtinenda. Si quis vero, quod non optamus, contra hanc nostræ apostolicæ diffinitionis et privilegii auctoritatem venire temptaverit, si quidem Episcopus, aut presbyter, aut diaconus fuerit, ex hac Apostolica auctoritate decernimus, ut Episcopus ordine præsulatus careat, et presbyter vel

[THEODORE'S MEASURES OF ORGANIZATION.]

diaconus a suis ordinibus se noverint dejectos. Ex numero autem laicorum tam ex regibus quam ex principibus, sive magna vel parva persona fuerit, sciat se alienatum a participatione corporis Domini nostri Jesu Christi. Hanc autem privilegii paginam suffultam auctoritate beati Petri Apostolorum principis, cujus ministerio fungimur, tibi, Theodore, tuisque successoribus in perpetuum obtinendam delegamus. Deus te incolumem custodiat, dilectissime frater. [W. Malm. G. P. I. fo. 113, ed. Savile, (collated with the MS. Bodl. 357); W. I. 41.]

This is the fourth of William of Malmesbury's series of letters; see above, p. 65.

Easter, ecclesiastical learning,

A.D. 669. Visitation by Theodore of all England.

Ordains Bishops, BÆD. IV. 2.-Peragrata insula tota, quaquaversum and disseminates Anglorum gentes morabantur, nam et libentissime ab through all England the Roman omnibus suscipiebatur atque audiebatur, rectum vivendi ordinem, ritum Pascha celebrandi canonicum, per omnia and choral sing- comitante et cooperante Hadriano disseminabat. Isque ing after the Roman or Can- primus erat in Archiepiscopis, cui omnis Anglorum Ecterbury fashion. clesia manus dare consentiret. Et quia literis sacris simul et sæcularibus, ut diximus, abundanter ambo erant instructi, congregata discipulorum caterva, scientiæ salutaris quotidie flumina irrigandis eorum cordibus emanabant: ita ut etiam metricæ artis, astronomiæ et arithmeticæ ecclesiasticæ disciplinam inter sacrorum apicum volumina suis auditoribus contraderent. Indicio est quod usque hodie supersunt de eorum discipulis, qui Latinam Græcamque linguam æque ut propriam in qua nati sunt, norunt. Neque unquam prorsus ex quo Brittaniam petierunt Angli, feliciora fuere tempora; dum et fortissimos, Christianosque habentes reges cunctis barbaris nationibus essent terrori, et omnium vota ad nuper audita cælestis regni gaudia penderent, et quicumque lectionibus sacris cuperent erudiri, haberent in promptu magistros qui docerent.

Sed et sonos cantandi in Ecclesia, quos eatenus in Cantia tantum noverant, ab hoc tempore per omnes Anglorum ecclesias discere cœperunt: primusque, excepto Jacobo de quo supra diximus, cantandi magister Nordanhymbrorum ecclesiis, Æddi cognomento Stephanus fuit, invitatus de Cantia a reverentissimo viro Vilfrido, qui primus inter Episcopos qui de Anglorum gente essent, catholicum vivendi morem ecclesiis Anglorum tradere didicit.