to the Heavenly Kingdom, that those perfidious Men might feel the Vengeance of temporal Death, because they had defpis'd the Coun fel of eternal Salvation offer'd them.

CHA P. III.

How St. Auguftin made Mellitus and Juftus, Bifhops; and of his Death.

N the Year of the Incarnation of our Lord, 604. Auguftin, Archbishop of Britain, ordain'd two Bishops, viz. Mellitus and Juftus; Mellitus to preach to the Province of the EaftSaxons, who are divided from Kent by the River Thames, and Border on the East Sea, whose Metropolis is the City of London, feated on the Bank of the aforefaid River, and the Mart of many Nations reforting to it by Sea and Land. Over which Nation at that Time, Seberht, Nephew to Ethelbert, by his Sifter Ricula, reign'd, tho under Subjection to Ethelbert, who, as has been faid above, had Command over all the Nations of the English, as far as the River Humber. But when this Province alfo receiv'd the Word of Truth, by the Preaching of Mellitus, King Ethelbert built the Church of St. Paul, in the City of London, where he and his Succeffors fhould have their Epifcopal See. As for Juftus, Augustin ordain'd him Bishop in Kent, at the City there, which

the

Rochester. the English Nation nam'd a Rofeceftre, from one that was formerly the chief Man of it, call'd b Rof. It is almoft 24 Miles diftant from the City of Canterbury to the Weftward, where King Ethelbert built the Church of St. Andreu, the Apostle, and beftow'a many Gifts on the Bishops of both thofe Churches, as well as on that of Canterbury, adding Lands and Poffeffions for the ufe of those who were with the Bishops. The Beloved of God, Father Auguftin dy'd, and his Body was depofited without, clofe by the Church of the Apoftles, Peter and Paul, above fpoken of, by reafon that the fame was not yet finifh'd, nor confecrated, but as foon as it was dedicated, the Body was brought in, and decently buried in the North Porch thereof; wherein alfo were interr'd the Bodies of all the fuccceding Archbifhops, except only two, that is, Theodorus and

a Durobrus--Durobrovis and Duroprovis, in Antoninus's Itinery; in Bede Durobrevis, and at the Decline of the Roman Empire, call'd by Contraction Roibis, to which was adjoin'd the Saxon, Caercep, and afterwards Horecaesten, in the Saxon Annals, HpoperCaerter, now Rochester.

This Derivation Mr. Cambden feems to doubt when he imagines it to be a Contraction, as before-mentioned, to which agree fome Charters of that Church, but the Name is the Saxon Annals feems to intimate it as the Castle of one Hrof, as he is likewife call'd by Bede, and in English, Rhoff. Harpsfield fays, that in his Time was a Family in Kent of that Name, Hrof.

On the 7th Kalend of June, as appears by bis Epitaph, and Decree of the Council of Cloveshoe. Splem. Con. T. L P. 250.

Which was in 513 and in that fame Tear he was there buried.

and Berthwald, whofe Bodies are within that Church, by reafon that the aforefaid Porch could contain no more. Almost in the midst of this Church is an Altar dedicated in Honour of the bleffed Pope Gregory, at which every Saturday their Service is folemnly perform'd by the Prieft of that Place. On the Tomb of the faid Auguftin is written this f Epitaph.

Here refts the Lord Auguftin, first Archbishop of Canterbury, who being formerly fent hither by the Bleed Gregory, Bishop of the City of Rome, and by God cooperating, Supported with Miracles, reduc'd King Ethelbert and his Nation from the Worship of Idols to the Faith of CHRIST, and having ended the Days of his Office in Peace, dy'd the feventh Day of the Kalends of June, in the Reign of the fame King.

CHAP. IV.

How Laurence and his Bishops admonish'd the Scots, to obferve the Unity the Holy Church, and particularly in keeping of Eafter; and how Mellitus went to Rome.

Aurence a fucceeded Auguftin in the Bifhoprick, whom he had therefore ordain'd in his Life time, left upon his Death, the State of the Church as yet fo unfettled, might begin to faulter, if it fhould be deftitute of a Paftor, tho' but for one Hour. Wherein he alfo follow'd the Example of the first Paftor of the Church, that is, of the most bleffed Prince of the Apoftles, Peter, who having founded the

a The following Bishops were thefe, Laurentius, Mellitus, Juftus, Honorius, Deusdedit and Theodofius, with this Infcription in Marble,

Septem funt angli Primates & Protopatres,
Septem Rectores feptem coloque Triones,
Septem Cisternæ vitæ fepremque lucernæ,
Et Septem palmæ Regni, feptemque coronæ,
Septem funt Stellæ quas hæc tenet Acracella.

of England Primates (even, and Patriarchs seven,
Seven Governors, and seven Labourers in Heaven,
Seven Wells of endless Life, feven Candles light,
Seven Palms of this our Land, seven Diadems bright,
Seven Shining Stars this vaulted Floor contains.

the Church of CHRIST at Rome, is faid to have confecrated Clement, his Affiftant in preaching the Gospel, and at the fame time his Succeflor.

Laurence being advanc'd to the Degree of an Archbishop, most indefatigably labour'd both by frequent Exhortations and Examples of Piety, to raise to the height of Perfection, the Foundations of the Church, which being nobly laid, he faw did still advance. In fhort, he not only took care of the new Church, collected among the English, but endeavour'd alfo to employ his Paftoral Solicitude among the ancient Inhabitants of Britain, as alfo the Scots, who inhabit the Island of Ireland, which is next to Britain. For when he understood that the courfe of Life and Profeffion of the Scots in their aforefaid Country, as well as of the Britons in Britain, was not truly Ecclefiaftical; especially that they did not celebrate the Solemnity of Eafter at the due Time, but thought that the Day of the Refurrection of our Lord, was, as has been faid above, to be celebrated between the 14th and the 20th of the Moon; he writ jointly with his Fellow Bishops, an Exhortatory Epiftle, intreating and conjuring them to obferve Unity of Peace, and Conformity with the Church of CHRIST fpread throughout the World. The beginning of which Epistle here follows.

*

To the Lords our most dear Brothers the Bishops or Abbats throughout all Scotland, Laurence, Ireland. Mellitus, and Juftus, Servants to the Servants of God. When the See Apoftolick, according to its Cuftom, as it does to all Parts of the World, Sent us to thefe Western Parts to preach to the Pagan Nations,