III. 617. BOOK person advance to him, who promised him present deliverance and great future prosperity, if he should listen to what would be afterwards taught him. The vision laid his hand on his head, and, adjuring him to remember this interview, disappeared'; or else Edwin waked. But he had a more substantial friend than the apparition of a dream. Redwald protects efeats THE queen of Redwald secretly pleaded for the Lim, and youthful exile, and with noble sentiments: "A Ethelfrith. king should not sell a distressed friend, nor violate his faith for gold: no ornament is so ennobling as good faith." Interested by her intercession, and inspired with her fortitude, Redwald resolved to keep sacred the duties of hospitality; and Edwin was informed by his watchful, though unknown, friend of the generous determination. THE preparations of Ethelfrith, disappointed of his prey, compelled him to arm; Redwald acted with judicious vigour; and he attacked Ethelfrith, before he had collected all his troops, on the east bank of the Idel in Nottinghamshire." The Northumbrian king, by his experienced valour and veteran soldiers, supplied the disparity of his troops, and balanced the contest. The East Anglians advanced in three divisions; one of these, Rainer, the son of Redwald, led. The ancient fortune of Ethelfrith befriended him; he attacked this wing, and the prince and his warriors were destroyed. This disaster only stimulated Redwald to more determined exertions; he still outnumbered his opponent, and his other divisions were firm. Ethelfrith, unused to such resistance, and impatient for the event, rushed on the East Anglians 6 CHAP. VII. 617. Ethelfrith stored. with a dangerous impetuosity. His friends did not follow his injudicious courage; he was separated from them, and perished among the swords of the surrounding East Anglians. Edwin also signalised the himself. Redwald not only re-instated him in Deira, but enabled him to subject Bernicia to his Edwin repower. Thus the hexarchy continued. The sons of the slain usurper fled into Scotland', where they imbibed Christianity. Redwald ascended to the national pre-eminence which Ella, Ceawlin, and Ethelbert had possessed under the title of the Bretwalda; and, on his death it was assumed by Edwin. 8 THE three brothers who governed Essex perished in a conflict with the West Saxons. Redwald was succeeded in East Anglia by Eorpwald. Redwald, during a visit to Ethelbert in Kent, had adopted Christianity for his religion; but returning to his own country, his wife and the East Anglian priests opposing his impressions, he attempted to unite it with the Saxon idolatry. He built an altar to Christ in the same temple where the sacrifices to Odin were performed. 10 But even this strange combination of worship had the effect of drawing the attention of his East Anglians to the Christian faith. THE vicissitudes of Edwin's life had endued his mind with a contemplative temper, which made him more intellectual than any of the Anglo-Saxon 6 Hunting. lib. ii. p. 316. Sax. Chron. 27. 7 Sax Chron. 27. Bede, lib. iii. c. 1. Polychron. 3 Gale, 229. 10 Ibid. lib. ii. c. 15. This altar, Bede says, lasted to the time of Aldulf, the King of East Anglia, his contemporary, who mentioned that he had seen it when a boy. 623. III. BOOK kings that had preceded him, and which fitted him for the reception of Christianity. His progress towards this revolution of mind was gradual, and the steps have been clearly narrated by his countryman Bede. 623. 625. HE solicited in marriage Tata Edilberga, the daughter of Ethelbert in Kent. Her brother, who had abandoned his idolatry, objected to her alliance with a worshipper of Odin. Edwin promised that he would not interfere with her religion, but would allow the free exercise of it both to herself and her friends. He also intimated that if, on the examination of it by his wise men, it was found to be more holy and worthier of God than his native faith, he might himself adopt it. The Saxon princess became his wife, and Paulinus, one of those whom Gregory had last selected to assist Augustin, went with her as her priest and bishop." THE first care of Paulinus was to prevent the queen and the noble persons in her train from relapsing into their idolatry. His next, to convert some of the natives; but they were impenetrable to his exertions. Odin continued still to be their favourite. AT this period the life of Edwin was attacked by an assassin. Cwichhelm, the pagan king of Wessex, commissioned one of his subjects to visit Edwin's court, and watch his opportunity to stab him with a poisoned dagger. The wretch reached the royal residence on the Derwent, and introduced himself as a messenger from his king. Edwin was then about to be made a father by his 11 Bede, lib. ii. c. 9. VII. 625. queen. The name of Cwichhelm procured an im- CHAP. mediate admission for the intended assassin, who had abilities and firmness sufficient to begin the delivery of a fictitious message, when suddenly starting up, he clenched his weapon and rushed upon the king. The attack was so sudden that Edwin was off his guard, and defenceless; but a thegn to whom he was greatly attached, Lilla, was near him he saw the rising dagger and Edwin's danger; he had no shield; but with the impulse of a generous heart he threw himself before his king, and received in his own body the blow, which it was impossible to avert. So vehement was the stroke that it went through Lilla and slightly wounded the king. The swords of the attendants were instantly drawn upon the murderer; but he stood on his defence, and was not hewn down till he had stabbed another knight with the weapon which he had withdrawn from his first victim's 12 body. On this same night the queen was delivered of her daughter Eanfleda. The king thanked his idols for her birth; and when Paulinus directed his attention to the Christian Saviour, Edwin, like Clovis, who had established in France the kingdom of the Francs, promised that he would adopt the faith of the Bishop, if heaven should give victory to his arms against the king, who had sent the assassin to destroy him. As a pledge of his own determination to fulfil this engagement, he consented to the baptism of the new-born babe. ELEVEN others of the household at the same time received the Christian rite. 13 12 Bede, lib. ii. c. 9. 13 Bede, lib. ii. c. 9. Fl. Wig. 232. Fl. Wig. 232. Sax. Chron. 27. BOOK 625. Introduc EDWIN assembled his forces and advanced against Cwichhelm. His expedition was successful. But on his return from his victory into Northumbria1, he delayed to embrace the new reliChristianity gion. He had become dissatisfied with his idols, thumbria. but he was of that class of mind, which requires tion of into Nor the conviction of its reason before it decides on its BONIFACE at the same time sent an epistle to his queen, reminding her of the duty of interesting her husband with Christianity; and urging her to 14 Sax. Chron. 28. 15 Bede, lib. ii. c. 9. The feelings which a respectable Hindoo of Delhi expressed in 1826 to the Christian missionary there, may perhaps illustrate the state of Edwin's mind, at this period, on this momentous subject. "I say truly, that I have a love for the things contained in your books; but I have little faith yet: when I have more faith, I will say more to you." Miss. Reg. Feb. 1827, p. 82. 16 Bede, lib. ii. c. 10. |