us'd, pray, what Chriftian will not immedi 'ately deteft and caft it off with his Magick? S The which looking upon the Top of the • Forehead, does feem indeed to resemble a 'Crown; but when you come to look upon the Neck, you will find the Crown you thought you had feen cut off fhort; that you may be fatisfy'd fuch a Diftinction properly belongs not to Chriftians but to Simoniacs, fuch as were indeed in this Life thought worthy of a perpetual Crown of Glory by Men that were deceiv'd; but in that Life which is to follow this, are not only depriv'd of all Hopes of a Crown, but are moreover condemned to eternal Punishment. But do not think that I have faid thus much, as judging those who "ufe this Tonfure, are to be damn'd, in cafe 4 they favour the Catholick Unity in Faith and < Actions; no, I confidently declare, that many of them have been holy and worthy of God. Of which Number is Adamannus, the Abbat, and renowned Priest of Columb, who, when fent Embaflador by his Nation to King Aldfrid, coming to fee our Monastery, and difcovering wonderful Wifdom, Humility and Religion in his Words and Behaviour, among other Things I faid to him in Difcourfe, I beseech you, holy Brother, who think you are advancing to the Crown of Life, which knows no, Period, why do you contrary to the Habit of your Faith, wear on your Head a Crown that is terminated, or bounded? And if you aim at the Society of St. Peter, why do you imitate the Tonfure of him, whom he anathematiz'd; and why do you not rather even now fhow you, to your ut

moft Affect the Habit of him with whom you defire to live happy for ever. He anfwer'd, Be affur'd, my dear Brother, that tho' I have Simon's Tonfure, according to the Custom of my Country, yet I utterly deteft and abhor 6 the Simoniacal Wickedness; and I defire, as far as my Littleness is capable of doing it, to follow the Footsteps of the most Bleffed 'Prince of the Apoftles. I reply'd, Iverily believe it is as you fay; but let it appear by showing in your Faces fuch Things as you know to be his, that you in your Hearts embrace whatsoever is of Peter the Apostle. For I believe your Wifdom does eafily judge, C that it is much more proper to eftrange your Countenance already dedicated to God from the Resemblance of his Afpect, whom from your Heart you abhor, and of whofe hideous Face you would fhun the Sight; and, on the other hand, that it becomes you to imitate C the outward Refemblance of him, whom you' 'feek to have your Advocate with God, as you 'defire to follow his Actions, or Inftructions. This I then faid to Adamannus, who indeed 'fhow'd how much he had improv'd upon feeing the Statutes of our Churches, when returning into Scotland, he afterwards by his preaching brought great Numbers of that Nation over to the Catholick Obfervance of the Pafchal Time; tho' he was not yet able to reduce to a better Way the Monks that liv'd in the Inland of Hii, over whom he prefided as their Ruler. He would alfo have 'been mindful to amend the Tonfure, if his Authority had extended fo far. I alfo admonifh your Wisdom, O King, that you endea

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vour in all Points, with your Nation, over which the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. has plac'd you to obferve thofe Things which appertain to the Unity of the Catholick and Apoftolick Church; for by that means it will come to pass, that after the Power of your Temporal Kingdom, the moft Bleffed Prince of the Apostles will readily lay open to you and yours the Entrance into the Heavenly Kingdom, with the rest of the Elect. The Grace of the eternal King preferve thee in Safety, long reigning, for the Peace of us all, my moft beloved Son in CHRIST..

This Letter having been read in the Prefence of King Naiton, and many more of the best learned, and carefully interpreted into his own Language by thofe who could understand it, he is faid to have much rejoic'd at the Exhortation; infomuch, that rifing from among his great Men that fate about him, he knelt on the Ground, giving Thanks to God, for that he had been found worthy to receive fuch a Prefent from the Land of the English, and, faid he, I knew indeed before, that this was the true Celebration of Eafter, but now, I fo fully know the Reafon for obferving of this Time, that I feem convinced that I knew little of it before. Therefore I publickly declare, and do próteft to you, that are here prefent, that I will for ever continually obferve this Time of Eafter, with all my Nation; and I do decree, that this Tonfure, which we have heard is most reasonable, shall be receiv'd by all the Clergy in my Kingdom. Accordingly he immediately perform'd by his Regal Authority, what he had faid. For the nineteen Years

Circles

.Circles or Revolutions were presently, by publick Command, fent throughout all the Provinces of the Pits to be tranfcrib'd, learnt and obferv'd, the erroneous Revolutions of eighty four Years being every where fupprefs'd. All the Ministers of the Altar and Monks had the Crown fhorn, and the corrected Nation rejoic'd, as being newly put under the Direction of Peter the moft bleffed Prince of the Apostles, and to be fecur'd under his Protection.

CHA P. XXIII.

How the Monks of Hii, and the Monafteries that were fubject to them, began to celebrate the Canonical Eafter, at the Preaching of Ecgbercht.

N

OT long after thofe Monks alfo of the Scotish Nation, who liv'd in the Ifie of Hii, with the other Monafteries that were fubject to them, were by the Affistance of our Lord reduc'd to the Canonical Obfervation of Eafter, and Tonfure. For in the Year after the Incarnation of our Lord 716, when Ofred being flain, Coenred took upon him the Government of the Kingdom of the Northum brians, the Beloved of God, and worthy to be nam'd with all Honour, the Father and Prieft Ecgberht, whom we have often mention'd be fore, coming to them, he was honourably receiv'd, and with much Joy. Who being a

moft agreeable Teacher, and a most devout Practifer of thofe Things which he taught, ought to be perform'd, and being most willingly heard by all, by his pious and frequent Exhortations, chang'd that inveterate Tradition of their Ancestors, of whom may be faid those Words of the Apostle, That they had the Zeal of God, but not according to Knowledge. He taught them to perform the principal Solemnity after the Catholick and Apoftolical Manner, as has been faid, under the Figure of a perpetual Circle; the which appears to have been done through a wonderful Difpenfation of the Divine Goodness; to the end, that by reafon the fame Nation had taken care willingly and without Envy, to communicate to the English People the Knowledge they have of the true Deity, it fhould afterwards by means of the English Nation be reduc'd where it was defective to the perfect Rule of Life. Even as, on the contrary, the Britons, who would not acquaint the English with the Knowledge they had of the Chriftian Faith, now the English People do believe, and are thoroughly inftructed in the Rule of the Catholick Faith, do ftill continue inveterate and halting in their Ways, expofe their Heads without a Crown, and keep the Solemnity of CHRIST without the Society of the Church. The Monks of Hii, by the Inftruction of Ecgbert, receiv'd the Catholick Rites of Life, under the Abbat Dunchad, about eighty Years after they had fent Aidan to preach to the English Nation. The Man of God Ecgbercht remain'd thirteen Years in the aforefaid Ifland, which he had confecrated to CHRIST, as it were with a

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