I. Anglia, his wife and friends induced him to palter C HA P. with his Christianity. Defirous to please them, and to fatisfy himself, he ufed two altars; one for his idols, and one for Chrift. Eorpwald, on his death, received and profeffed it with more constancy and understanding; but, on his death the province relapsed into paganism for three years, till his brother, Sigeberht, who had been banished into France, and there imbibed Christianity, restored it on his acceffion 20. In the reign of Cynegils, it was introduced into Weffex ", which became the afcendant kingdom in the Saxon octarchy. Birinus obtained a commiffion from the pope to preach it to that part of the English who were still uninformed of it. His efforts feem to have been favoured by Ofwald, King of Northum. bria, who stood fponfor to Cynegils upon his baptism. Cenwalch, his son, was lefs favourable at first, but returning from his exile, he adopted it again. THE midland Angles, a branch of Mercia, were led into Chriftianity under Peada 22. His friend Alfrid impreffed him with favourable fentiments of the Chriftian worship. The charms of Alhfleda, the daughter of Ofwy, were refused to a pagan prince, and Peada may have liftened to the Chriftian teachers with more earneftness as fhe was to be his reward; but he declared that his acceptance of Christianity was fincere, even though he should be punished by her lofs. d His father, Penda, was hoftile to Christianity. His ferocious mind could not estimate the value of 21 Bede, 3.7. 19 Bede, 2. 15. 22 Bede, 3. 21. 20 Bede, 2. 15. VII. BOOK а fyftem fo benevolent; but he had the manly feeling of the virtue of confiftency. From those who affumed the Christian faith he expected the Chriftian virtues. "I defpife thofe miferable beings, who "do not obey the God in whom they believe," was a just and rational fatire 23. The death of Penda removed the principal object to the general converfion of Mercia, and the election of Wulfhere completed its establishment 24. THE people of Effex, at the request of Ofwy, King of Northumbria, again admitted the Chrif tian teachers. Sigbercht the Little ocasionally visited his friend in Northumbria, and Ofwy held familiar colloquy with him on the fublime topic. He fatirifed the gods whom man could fabricate and deftroy. He prefented to his royal friend's contemplation the invifible Almighty and Eternal Being who created the univerfe, and governs it by his righteous providence; whofe will it was the delight of reafon to know, and the everlafting happiness of mankind to obey 25. His mind, enlarged by these conferences, Sigbercht began to feel the value of Chriftianity. Cedd, a devout man, was, with another, invited out of Mercia to accompany him to Effex, and the nation yielded to their zeal. Some little variation enfued in a fucceeding reign; but it was neither univerfal nor permanent, SUSSEX was the laft province in England which acceded to the revolution of its religious fyftem. It 23 Bede, 3. 21. 24 Bede, 3. 24. as Bede, 3.22. 1. then contained 7000 families. Wulfhere, King of CHA P. Mercia, influenced the mind of Edilwalch, the Sovereign of Suffex, by his example and converfation; and, on his baptifm, prefented him with the Isle of Wight. CHAP. II. The Anglo-Saxon Te Deum and Jubilate. S the propofed limits of the work allow but a contracted space for this and the remaining article, we fhall not detain the mind of the reader on this fubject longer than to present to him the Te Deum and the Jubilate in the AngloSaxon. THE TE DEUM. THE, God, we heriath, the, Drihten we andettath. The acne fæder eal eorth ewurthath. The calle englas, the heofenas and ealle anwealdum. The, cherubim and feraphim unablinnendlice ftefne clypath, Halig! Halig! Halig! drihten, God wereda! Fulle fynt heofenas and eorthe mægenthrymmes wuldres thines. The, wuldorful erndracena wered, The, witigena hergendlic getel, The cythra fcyned herath here, Thee mbhwyrft eorthena halig andet gefomnung, Fæder, ormætes mægen-thrymmes ! Arwurthne thinne fothne and anlicne funu; Haligne witodlice frefrigendre Gast. Thu, cyng wuldres cyninges' Christe, Thu, fæderes ece thu eart funu.' Tha to alyfenne thu anfenge mann thu ne afounedoft fæmnan innath. Thu oferfwithedum deathes angan; Thu on. lyfdeft gelyfedum ricu heofena. Thu on tha fwithran healfe Godes setst on wuldre fæderes. Dema thu eart gelyfed wefan toweard, The eornoftlice we halfiath thinum theowum gehelp, tha of deorwyrthum blode thu alysdest. Ece do mid halgum thinum wuldor beon forgyfen. Hal do folc thin; and bletfa yrfeweardnyffe thine. And we heriath naman thinne on worulde and a world. Gemedema dæge thifum buton fynne us gehealdan. Gemiltfa ure, Gemiltfa. Sy mildheortnys thin ofer us fwa fwa we hyhtath on the. On the ic hihte; ic ne beo gefcynd on ecnyffe 29. THE JUBILATE, DRYMATH drihtne ealle eorthan; theowiath drihtne on bliffe; Ingath on gefihthe his on blithneffe. Witath fortham the drihten he is God; he worhte us, and na we fylfe us; folc his and sceap foftornothes his 28 MS. Cott. Lib. Vefpafian, A. I. CHAP. II. |