also w^t our benefites, to thend, they may be more encouraged, to go forward in the studye of their spiritual worke. And for asmuch, now as the new church of English mē is brought to the grace of almightie God, through hys mighty helpe, and your trauaile: therfore we haue graūted to you the vse of the palle, onely to be vsed at the solemnitie of your Masse: so that it shal be lawful for you, to ordayne. 12. Byshops, such as shall be subiecte to your prouince or dition. So that hereafter alwaies the bishop of the Citie of London, shall be ordayned and consecrate by his owne proper Sinode and so to receaue the palle of honour, from the holy and Apostolike seate, wherin I, here (by the permission of God) doe serue. And as touching the citie of Yorke, we will send also a bishop thither, whom you shall thinke meete to ordayne. So that, if that citie with other places bordering therby, shall receaue the worde of God, he shall haue power likewise to ordayne. xij. Byshops, & shall haue the honour of a Metropolitane: to whom also, if God spare me life, I entende, by the fauour of God, to send a palle: thys prouided, that notwithstanding he shal be subiect to your brotherly appoyntment. But after your decease, the same Metropolitane, so to be ouer the Byshops whom he ordereth, that he be no wyse subiect to the Metropolitane of Lōdō after you. And here after betwixt these two Metropolitanes, of London, & Yorke, let there be had such distinction of honour, that he shall haue the prioritie, which shall in tyme fyrst be ordayned: with cōmon coūsell, and affection of hart, let them both goe together, disposing, with one accorde suche thinges as be to be done, for the zeale of Christ. Let them forethinke and deliberate together prudently, and what they deliberate wiselye, let thē accomplish concordly, not gerring, nor swaruing, one from the other. But as for your part, you shall be indued with autoritie, not onely ouer those bishops, that you constitute, and ouer the other, constituted by the byshop of Yorke. but also you to haue all other priestes of whome Britaine, subiect to our lord Iesus Christ: to the end that through your preaching & holines of life, they may learne both to beleue rightly, and to liue purelye, and so in directing their life, both by the rule of true fayth and vertuous maners, they may attaine, whē God shall call them, the fruition & kingdome of heauen. God preserue you in health reuerend brother: the. x. before the Kalend of Iulye, in the reigne of our soueraigne Lorde Mauritius, MarginaliaGregory calleth the Emperour hys Lorde.most vertuous Emperour.

MarginaliaA letter of Gregory to MelitusBesides this, the sayd Gregory sendeth also an other letter to Melitus, concerning his iudgement what is to be done with the idolatrous temples and Phanes of the English men newly conuerted: which Phanes he thinketh not best to plucke downe, but to conuert the vse therof, and to let them stand. And lykewise of their sacrifices and killing of Oxen, how the same ought to be ordered, and how to be altered: disputing by the occasions therof, of the sacrifices of the old Egiptians, permitted of God vnto the Israelites, the ende and vse thereof being altered. &c.

MarginaliaA letter of Gregory to Austen.He sendeth also an other letter to the foresayde Austen, wherin he warneth him not to be proude nor pufte vp, for the myracles wrought of God by hym, in conuerting the people of England: but rather to feare & tremble, least so muche as he were puft vp by the outwarde worke of myracles, so much he shoulde fall inwardlye through the vayne glory of hys hart: and therfore wisely exhorteth him to represse the swelling glorye of hart, with the remembraunce of hys sinnes rather agaynste God, wherby he rather hath cause to lament, then to reioyce for the other. Not al the elect of God (sayth he) worketh myracles, and yet haue they their names writē in þ^e booke of lyfe. And therfore he should not count so much of those myracles done, but reioyce rather with the disciples of Christ: and labour to haue his name written in the booke of life, where all the electe of God bee contained, neither is there any ende of that reioysing. And what soeuer miracles it hath pleased God by hym to haue been done, he should remember they wer not done for him, but for their conuersion, whose saluation God sought therby. &c.

Item, he directed an other epistle to king EthelbertMarginaliaA letter of Gregory to kyng Ethelbert.as is expressed at large in the Chronicle of Henry Huntington. lib. 3. in the which epistle first he prayseth God, then commendeth the goodnes of the king, by whom it pleased God so to worke such goodnes to the people. Secondly, exhorteth him to persist and continue in the godly profession of Christes faith, and to be feruent and zealous in the same: in conuerting the multitude, in destroying the temples and workes of idolatrye, in ruling and gouerning the people in al holynes and godlye conuersation, after the godly example of the Emperor Constantinus the great. Lastlye, comforting him with the promises of life and reward to come, with the Lord that raigneth and liueth for euer: promonishing him besides, of the terrours and distresses that shal happen (thoughe not in his daies) yet before þ^e terrible day of Gods iudgement: wherfore he willeth him alwaies to be sollicitous for his soule, and suspectfull of the houre of his death, & watchful of the iudgement, that he may be alwaies prepared for the same, when that iudgement shal come. In the end he desireth him to accept such presents as giftes which he thought good to send vnto him from Rome. &c.

MarginaliaAn. 600Austen thus receiuing his palle from Gregory, as is aboue said, and now of a Moonke being made an Archbishop, after he had baptised a great part of Kent: he after made two Archbishops or Metrapolitanes, by þ^e cōmaundement of Gregory, as witnesseth Polychronicō, MarginaliaPolychron. lib. 5. cap. 9.
Fabia. part. 5 cap. 119.
Archbishops of London and of Yorke, made by Austen.the one at London, the other at Yorke.

MarginaliaMellitus bish. of London.Mellitus, of whom mention is made before, was sēt speciallye to the Eastsaxons in the prouince of Essex, whereafter he was made bishop of Londō, vnder Sigebert king of Essex: which Sigebert together wyth hys vncle Ethelbert, first built the church and Minster of S. Paule in London, and appointed it to Mellitus for the bishops see. Austen associate with this Mellitus and Iustus, through the helpe of Ethelbert assembled and gathered together the bishops and Doctors of Britaine in a place, which taking the name of the sayd Austen, was called Austens Oke. In this assemble he charged the said bishops, that they should preach with him the word of God to the English men: and also that they should among themselues reforme certaine rites and vsages in their church, specially for keeping of their Eastertyde: baptising after the maner of Rome, and such other like. MarginaliaThe Britaynes and Scots vsed not the rites of Rome.To these the Scots and Britons woulde not agree, refusing to leaue the custom, which they so long time had continued, without the assent of them all, which vsed the same. Here the stories both of Bede, Cestrensis in Polychron. Huntingtonensis, Iornalēsis, Fabianus, & other mo write of a certain miracle wrought vpō a blind English man: whom when the Britons coulde not helpe, Austen kneeling downe and praying, restored the blinde mā to his sight before them all: for a confirmation (as these autors say) of his opinion in keeping the Easter. But concerning the credite of this miracle, that I leaue, to the autors of whom I had it. MarginaliaAn. 602Then Austen gathered an other Synode, to the which came seuen Bishops of Britons, with the wisest men of MarginaliaAbbey of Bangor.
Ex libro Iornalēsi, Fabiāo & alijs.that famous Abbey of Bāgor. But first they tooke counsel of a certaine wyse and holy man amongest them, what to do: and whether they should be obedient to Austen or not? And he sayde: if he be the seruaunt of God, agree vnto him. But howe shall we know that, sayde they? To whom he aunswered againe: If he be meeke and humble of hart, by that know that he is the seruaunt of God. To this they said again: and how shal we know him to be humble and meeke of hart? By this (quoth he) seing you are the greater number, if he at your comming into the Synode rise vp, and courteously receaue you, perceaue him to be an humble and a meeke man. But if he shall contemne and despise you (being as ye are) the greater part, despise you hym againe. Thus the Britaine bishops entring into the coūcell, Austen after the Romish manner keeping his chair