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

CHAP. III.

How St. Augustin made Mellitus and Justus, Bishops; and of bis Death.

I

N the Year of the Incarnation of our Lord, 604. Augustin, Archbishop of Britain, ordain'd two Bishops, viz. Mellitus and Justus; Mellitus to preach to the Province of the EastSaxons, who are divided from Kent by the River Thames, and Border on the East Sea, whose Metropolis is the City of London, seated on the Bank of the aforefaid River, and the Mart of many Nations resorting to it by Sea and Land. Over which Nation at that Time, Seberht, Nephew to Ethelbert, by his Sister Ricula, reign'd, tho under Subjection to Ethelbert, who, as has been said above, had Command over all the Nations of the English, as far as the River Humber. But when this Province also 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 Successors should have their Epifcopal See. As for Justus, 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 almost 24 Miles diftant from the City of Canterbury to the Westward, where King Ethelbert built the Church of St. Andreu, the Apoftle, and bestow'a many Gifts on the Bishops of both those Churches, as well as on that of Canterbury, adding Lands and Poslessions for the use of those who were with the Bishops. The Beloved of God, Father & Augustin dy'd, and his Body was deposited without, close by the Church of the Apostles, Pe-ter and Paul, above spoken of, by reason that the fame was not yet finished, nor confecrated, but as foon as it was d dedicated, the Body was brought in, and decently buried in the North Porch thereof; wherein also were interr'd the Bodies of all the fucceeding Archbishops, 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, Caertep, and afterwards bporecaerten, in the Saxon Annals, Hoopercaerter, now Rochester.

1

This Derivation Mr. Cambden seems 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 seems to intimate it as the Castle of one Hrof, as he is likewise 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. Splém. Con. T. 1. p. 250.

:

Which was in 613, and in that same Lear he was there Buried.

and Berthwald, whose Bodies are within that Church, by reason that the aforesaid Porch could contain no more. Almost in the midst of this Church is an Altar dedicated in Honour of the blessed Pope Gregory, at which every Saturday 'their Service is folemnly perform'd by the Priest of that Place. On the Tomb of the said Auguftin is written this f Epitaph.

Here vests the Lord Augustin, first Archbishop of Canterbury, who being formerly fent hither by the Blessed 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.

:

• Tho. Spott by what Authority I know not, (suppose his own) has given us this Epitaph for genuine.

Inclytus Anglorum præful pius & decus altum
Hic Auguftinus requiefcit corpore fanctus.

f This in Bede is likewise disputed, from the Word Archbishop occurring in it, no such Title being in the Western Church at that Time. See Dr. Stillingfleet Orig. Sac P. 21, 22.

i

CHAP.

CHAP. IV.

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

Aurence a succeeded Auguftin in the Bi

LAmerick, Wom

he had therefore ordain'd

in his Life time, lest upon his Death, the State of the Church as yet so unsettled, might begin to faulter, if it should be destitute of a Paftor, tho' but for one Hour. Wherein he also follow'd the Example of the first Paftor of the Church, that is, of the most blesled Prince of the Apostles, Peter, who having founded the

"

the Church of CHRIST at Rome, is faid to have confecrated Clement, his Affiftant in preaching the Gospel, and at the same 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 saw did still advance. In short, he not only took care of the new Church, collected among the English, but endeavour'd also to employ his Pastoral Solicitude among the ancient Inhabitants of Britain, as also the Scots, who inhabit the Island of Ireland, which is next to Britain. For when he understood that the course of Life and Profession of the Scots in their aforesaid Country, as well as of the Britons in Britain, was not truly Ecclesiastical; 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 said 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 observe Unity of Peace, and Conformity with the Church of CHRIST spread 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 Justus, Servants to the Servants of God. When the See Apoftolick, according to its Custom, as it does to all Parts of the World, Sent us to these Western Parts to preach to the Pagan Nations,

A