the title of Bretwalda, the wielder or sovereign of Britain. Whether this title was obtained by the influence of power, or given by the spontaneous suffrage of the other kings, is doubtful; nor do we know whether any duties or prerogatives were attached to this dignity. By Venerable Bede the title is given to seven of the Saxon princes, whose reigns, as might be expected, include the most important events in the early history of the Saxon nations.

ELLA, BRETWALDA I.--This monarch was the founder of the kingdom of Wessex, the smallest and the least powerful of the Anglo-Saxon states. By what means he contrived to become supreme lord of Britain, is as little known as are the events of his reign; and as he ruled at a time when the Britons were still masters of the greater part of the country, it is conjectured that the title of Bretwalda was conceded to him from some pre-eminence which he enjoyed in his native country, or for some exploit of which the memory has perished.

CEAWLIN, BRETWALDA II.-Ceawlin is mentioned in the ancient chronicles as a man of singular valour; the astonishment of the Angles, the detestation of the Britons, and eventually the destruction of both. He was king of Wessex, and during his government Ethelbert of Kent, aspiring to the supreme authority, led an army to Wimbledon, and had the temerity to confront the West Saxon. But his ambition was signally chestised; his two caldormen, Oslac and Chebba, fell in the conflict, and he himself escaped with difficulty from the pursuit of Ceawlin. The Bretwalda, content with the humiliation of the Kentish monarch, turned his arms against the Britons, whom he defeated at the battle of Bedford, and added to his dominions the towns of Leighton, Ailesbury, Bensington, and Eynsham. Six years afterwards (A.D. 577) he gained the victory of Derham, defeating the British kings Conmail, Condidan, and Farinmail, and acquiring the important cities of Gloucester, Cirencester, and Bath. On the demise of Cissa, the son of Ælla, Ceawlin added Sussex to his other dominions. But fortune deserted him in the midst of his power, and at Wodensburgh, in Wiltshire, he was overthrown and deposed by his own subjects. He survived his deposition but two years, and died in 593, when he was succeeded by his nephew Cerdic. Whether Ethelbert of Kent was present at the battle of Wodensburgh, we are not informed; but it is certain that the defeat of Ceawlin, and the acquisition of the dignity of Bretwalda by the ruler of Kent, were simul

taneous events.

ETHELBERT, BRETWALDA III.-If the early part of the reign of Ethelbert was clouded by defeat, the remainder was glorious and prosperous; and at the death of Ceawlin, his authority was acknowledged by all the princes south of the Humber While in the plenitude of his power, intelligence was one day brought him, that forty strangers in foreign garb had lauded on the Isle of Thanet, and requested an audience. They spoke none of the German dialects, but they had brought some of the Frankish clergy as their interpreters, and at once disclosed the object of their mission. They had come, they said, from Rome, with good tidings to those that would obey them,nothing less than joy and dominion that would never pass away. Ethelbert heard them patiently, ordered them to abide in the adjacent isle till he should decide what course to adopt, and commanded that everything necessary for their support should be abundantly provided. After a few days, he expressed his willingness to hear them, and having taken his seat in the open air, in order to baffle the power of magic, awaited their arrival. Bearing a silver cross and a painted representation of the Redeemer, and chanting the litanies in slow and solemn procession, the holy band drew near, and once more, but with fuller explanation, announced their important mission. "Your promises," replied the king, "are great indeed, but they are new and uncertain; I cannot then abandon for them what I and the whole race of the Angles have so long followed. As, however, you have come from so great a distance to make known to us what you believe to be true and excellent, we are willing to treat you with all kindness and consideration." He then appointed them a residence in Canterbury, and told them that they might preach without fear of molestation. They withdrew in the same order as they came, singing as they moved along, "We beseech thee, O Lord, in thy great mercy, remove thy indignation and wrath from this city, and from thy holy house, for we are sinners, Alleluia."

We cannot refrain from giving Wordsworth's fine sonnet on this inspiring theme, though the touching simplicity of the monk of Jarrow can scarcely be heighterred in its effect upon the mind :

"For ever hallowed be this morning fair;

Blest be the unconscious shore on which ye tread;
And blest the silver Cross which ye, instead
Of martial banner, in procession bear;
The Cross preceding Him who floats in air,
The pictured Saviour! By Augustine led,
They come-and onward travel without dread,
Chanting in barb'rous ears a tuneful prayer,
Sung for themselves, and those whom they would frce.
Rich conquest waits them: the tempestuous sea
Of ignorance, that ran so rough and high,
And heeded not the voice of clashing swords,
Those good men humble by a few bare words,
And calm with fear of God's divinity."

The care of Ethelbert's queen had already prepared a residence for the missionaries. They were lodged in the ancient church of St. Martin, which had originally belonged to the Britons, and had lately been repaired for the use of Liudhard, a Christian prelate, who accompanied Bertha from Gaul. Curiosity led the Saxons to visit the strangers; they admired the ceremonies of their worship, compared their lives with those of the pagan priests, and learned to approve a religion which could inspire so much piety, austerity, and disinterestedness. Ethelbert, moved at length by the example and preaching of the strangers, declared himself a convert. Thousands followed his example; and as each district embraced the Christian faith, its old ruined British churches were repaired; or where these were wanting, the heathen temples were purified and consecrated.

Gregory the Great, who then was bishop of Rome, watched with joy the progress of conversion. He himself, before his elevation to the popedom, had been anxious to preach to the English. His attention had been arrested by the fair countenances of some northern youth that were exposed for sale in the Roman market. To the observation of a bystander, that they were Angles from the Island of Britain, he replied, "Non Angli sed angeli," not Angles but angels; and from that moment a strong desire for the conversion of England seized upon his heart. Prevented from going in person, by the remonstrances of the Roman people, he still thought of the noble features and benighted souls of the Angles in the marketplace. The absence of his personal exertions he could easily supply by those of other missionaries, and from his high position in the church,

he might direct their operations, and second their endeavours. His original intention was to purchase a number of Saxon slaves, and have them educated under his own eye, and at his own expense, and at à convenient time, raise them to the priesthood, and employ them in the conversion of their countrymen. But their progress was slow, and his zeal was ardent. After a short time he resolved to try the courage of his monks, ignorant as they were of the language and manners of the barbarians. Having selected the most learned and virtuous of the community, he explained to them his views, elevated their hopes with the prospect of eternal rewards, and confirmed their consent with his apostolic benediction. The monks, in obedience to his command, went forth on the all-important mission, under the guidance of Augustine, prior of St. Andrew's monastery. Their courage faltered on their long and toilsome journey, but Gregory's letters and exhortations urged them onwards, until at length they arrived at the Isle of Thanet; and the result, as we have seen, was the conversion of the Kentish monarch, and many of his subjects.

Ethelbert reigned fifty-six years, and before his death, published a code of laws to regulate the administration of justice. In this code we find the crimes which appeared most repugnant to the well-being of society, scrupulously enumerated; theft in its different branches, murder, sacrilege, insults offered to female chastity, and infractions of the peace of the king and the church; and to each was attached a proportionate fine, which rose in amount according to the dignity of the person against whom the offence was committed.

REDWALD, BRETWALDA IV.-Ethelbert died in 616, and the authority of Bretwalda passed to Redwald, who at that time filled the East Anglian throne. This reign is of little importance, except for its connection with Edwin and Edilfrid, the two princes of Northumbria. Edilfrid was grandson of Ida, and chief of Bernicia. He was a restless and sanguinary prince, whose valour and ferocity were dreaded by all his neighbours. At the death of Ælla, the founder of the kingdom of Deira, Edilfrid, who had married his daughter, took unceremonious possession of his dominions. Ælla had left an infant son of the name of Edwin, about three years old, who was conveyed beyond the reach of Edilfrid, and intrusted to the protection of Cadvan, the king of North Wales. The hospitality of the Briton drew on him the vengeance of the Northumbrian, and the two armies met in the vicinity of Chester. The city was taken (A.D. 613), and Bangor on the Dee, celebrated for its monastery of two thousand four hundred monks, was reduced to ashes.

After Cadvan's defeat, the fugitive prince of Deira wandered for a long time without any settled habitation; and at length came to the court of Redwald, who, pitying his misfortunes, received him into his protection. Shortly after there came messengers from Edilfrid, demanding either the surrender of Edwin or denouncing hostilities. Determined, by the advice of his queen, not to violate, through intimidation, the laws of friendship, Redwald raised an army, and resolved to assail the Northumbrian before he could collect his forces. Edilfrid was himself hastening with a small but select army to surprise the East Anglian, and was already in the neighbourhood of Retford, in Nottinghamshire, when the bannersand innumerable spears that rose in endless succession upon the distant horizon warned him to prepare for a very different combat. The Northumbrian, disdaining to retreat, rushed forward and destroyed the first division of Redwald's army, but, overpowered by numbers, sank at length upon a heap of slaughtered enemies. The conquerors hastened to improve their advantage. By the men of Deira, Edwin was received with acclamations of joy, the children of Edilfrid fled into the north of the island, and the Bernicians cheerfully submitted to the good fortune of the son of Ælla. Redwald having placed his friend upon the throne, returned in triumph to his own dominions, and died in 627.

EDWIN, BRETWALDA V.-Edilfrid, by his martial genius, had raised Northumbria to an equality with the most powerful of the Saxon states, and under Edwin it assumed a marked pre-eminence, conferring the title of Bretwalda upon him and his immediate successors. History is silent with regard to the manner in which this supremacy was gained by Edwin, but Bede has preserved the account of his conversion to Christianity, which, we have no doubt, will be interesting to many of our readers. Edwin, in the ninth year of his reign, married Ethelberga, the daughter of Ethelbert, king of Kent. This princess, having been promised the free exercise of her religion, and having at heart the conversion of her husband, brought with her, as her chaplain, Paulinus, a Roman missionary, who had just received the episcopal consecration. Edwin made no objection to the practice of Christianity by Ethelberga, but he himself showed no inclination to embrace it. It was in vain that Paulinus preached, that the queen entreated, that Pope Boniface V. sent letters and presents, the king seemed immovably attached to the religion of his ancestors. That attachment was weakened by unforeseen occurrences, which prepared the way for Edwin's conversion. The kingdom of Wessex was, at that time, governed by two princes, who bore with impatience the yoke of the Northumbrian; and, unable to cope with him in the field, attempted to remove him by means of an assassin, whom they sent to Edwin in the character of an envoy. Introduced into the royal presence, the messenger drew a twoedged poisoned dagger, and aimed a desperate blow at the heart of the king. Lilla, one of the thanes, perceiving his design, threw himself between Edwin and the dagger, which reached the king through the heart of the noble thane. Every sword was instantly drawn, but the assassin defended himself with such desperate courage, that he made another victim before he was overpowered by numbers.

While Edwin lay ill of his wound, the words of Paulinus began to take effect; and, on his recovery, previous to his marching against the perfidious kings of Wessex, he declared that if he returned victorious, he would become a Christian. He triumphed, and from that moment abstained from the worship of his gods, though he still hesitated to embrace Christianity. He consulted alternately his priests and the missionary, and, revolving in his mind during his hours of solitude their opposite arguments, formed, at length, the resolution of embracing Christianity. Having made this resolve, he called an assembly of his witan, or counsellors, and required each to state his sentiments on the subject. The first who ventured to speak was Coiffi, the high-priest, who, instead of opposing, advised the adoption of the religion of the missionary. His motive, as recorded by Bede, was certainly a strange one. "None," said he "have served the gods more diligently than I have, and yet there are many who receive greater favours from you, are more preferred than I am, and are more prosperous in all their undertakings. Now, if the gods were good for anything, they would rather forward me, from whom they have received the most attentive service. It remains, therefore, that if upon examination you find these new doctrines, which are now preached to us, better and more efficacious, we immediately receive them without delay." On the conclusion of Coiffi's speech, another chieftain arose, whose

discourse, while it proves the good sense of the speaker, is valuable as exhibiting a striking picture of national manners. He sought for information respecting the origin and destiny of man. "Often," said he "O king, in the depth of winter, while you are feasting with your thanes, and the fire is blazing on the hearth in the midst of the hall, you have seen a bird, pelted by the wintry storm, enter at one door, and escape at the other. During its passage it was visible, but whence it came, or whither it went, you know not. Such to me appears the life of man. He walks the earth for a few short years, but what precedes his birth, or what is to follow after his death, we cannot tell. Undoubtedly, if the new religion can unfold these important secrets, it must be worthy our attention." At the common request Paulinus was now introduced, and explained the principles and doctrines of Christianity. When he had finished Coiffi declared himself a convert, and, to prove his sincerity, offered to set fire to the neighbouring temple of Godmundingham. With the permission of Edwin, he called for a horse and arms, both of which were forbidden to the priests of the Augles. As he rode along, he was followed by crowds, who attributed his conduct to temporary insanity. To their astonishment, bidding defiance to the gods of his fathers, he struck his spear into the wall of the temple. They had expected that the fires of heaven would have avenged the sacrilege. The impunity of the apostate dissipated their alarms, and urged by his example and exhortations, they united in kindling the flames, which, with the temple, consumed the deities, that had been so long the objects of their terror and veneration.

Gregory the Great had directed, that upon the conversion of the northern Angles, their metropolitan should fix his see at York. Edwin accordingly bestowed upon Paulinus a house and possessions in that city, and was baptised in a church hastily erected for that purpose. The happiest effects followed the conversion of the hitherto ferocious Northumbrians. The petty British tribes that still held out in Yorkshire were subdued, internal security was well preserved, and open robbery was so effectually suppressed, that it was a common saying among the Northumbrians for centuries, that, in the days of Edwin, a woman with a babe at her breast, could pass from one end of his dominions to another without harm. Edwin's power, however, was doomed to sink moro rapidly than it had risen. Penda, an expert and savage warrior now occupied the Mercian throne, and scorning to acknowledge a superior, determined to win by the sword the dignity of Bretwalda, which Edwin had for many years enjoyed. Uniting his army with that of Ceadwalla, king of North Wales, he burst into Northumbria, and on Hatfield Chase, in Yorkshire, encountered the mighty Bretwalda. Edwin, his eldest son, and a great part of his

followers were slain.

OSWALD, BRETWALDA VI. On the death of Edwin, the Northumbrian kingdom was again divided; and Osric succeeded to the throne of Deira, while Eanred succeeded to that of Bernicia. Each of these princes had formerly professed Christianity, and each of them relapsed into the errors of paganism. Neither of them enjoyed long the possession of royalty, but quickly paid the price of it with their blood, being perfidiously destroyed by Ceadwalla. By their deaths the duty of revenging his family and country devolved on Oswald, the younger of the sons of Edilfrid. Impelled by despair, he sought, with a small but resolute band, the Britons, and at the dawn of day found them carelessly encamped in the neighbourhood of Hexham. His soldiers rushed with resistless energy upon the spoilers of their homes; Ceadwalla was slain,