so, for your soules, whatsoeuer at his admonitiō ye shall do. Almighty God with his grace defend you, and graunt me to see in the eternall countrey the fruite of your labour: that although I can not labour as I would with you, yet I may be founde partaker of your retribution, for that my will is good to labour in the same fellowshyp with you together. The Lord God keepe you safe, most deare and welbeloued children. Dated the. x. before the Calendes of August, in the raigne of our soueraigne Lord MauritiusMarginaliaThe Byshop of Rome calleth the Emperour his Lord. most vertuous Emperour, the. xiiij. of hys Empire.

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MarginaliaAusten & his company cōmeth to England. Thus they emboldened and cōforted through the good wordes of Gregory, sped forth their iourney till they came at length to the Isle of Thenet: lying vpon the East side of Kent. Neare to the whiche landyng place, was then the Manory or palace of the kyng, not farre from Sandwyche (Eastward frō Caunterbury) which þ^e inhabitaūts of the Ile, then called Richbourgh: wherof some part of the ruinous walles is yet to be seene.MarginaliaEthelbert king of Kent. The kyng then raignyng in Kent, was Ethelbert, as aboue appeareth, the fift kyng of that prouince: who at that tyme had maried to wife a French woman beyng Christened, named Berda: whom he had receaued of her parentes vpon this condition, that he should permitte her with her Byshop committed vnto her, called Lebardus, to enioy the freedome of her fayth and Religion:MarginaliaWhat goodnes cōmeth to haue a good & a godly wyfe. by the meanes wherof, he was the more flexible, and sooner induced to embrace the preachyng and doctrine of Christ. Thus Austen beyng arriued, sent forth certaine messingers and interpreters to the kyng, signifying that such one was come from Rome, bringyng with hym glad tidynges to him and all his people, of life and saluation eternally to reigne in heauē, with the onely true & liuyng God, for euer: if he would so willingly harken to the same, as he was gladly come to preach and teach it vnto hym.

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The kyng, who had heard of this Religion before by meanes of his wife, within a few dayes after commeth to the place where Austen was to speake with hym: but that should be without the house, after the maner of his law. Austen agaynst his commyng, as stories affirme, erected vp a banner of the Crucifixe (such was thē the grossenes of that tyme) and preached to hym the word of God. The kyng aūswering againe sayth in effect, as followeth:MarginaliaThe kynges aunswere to Austen. The wordes be very fayre that you preach and promise.MarginaliaThe kyng stayeth vppō old custome. Neuerthelesse, because it is to be vncowth and new, I can not soone start away from my coūtrey lawe wherewith I haue bene so lōg inured, & assent to you. Albeit yet notwithstandyng for that ye are come, as ye say, so farre for my sake: ye shall not be molested by me, but shall be right well entreated, hauyng all thynges to you ministred necessary for your supportation. Besides this, neither do we debarre you, but to haue free leaue to preach to our people and subiectes, to conuert whō ye may to the fayth of your Religion.

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When they had receaued this comfort of the kyng, they went with procession to the Citie of Dorobernia, or Caunterbury, singyng Alleluya with the Letanie, which then by Gregory had bene vsed at Rome in the tyme of the great plague, reignyng then at Rome, mentioned in old histories: The wordes of the Letany were these:MarginaliaThe Letany of Austen. Deprecamur te Domine in omni misericordia tua, vt auferatur furor tuus & ira tua a ciuitate ista, & de domo sancta tua: quoniam peccauimus. Alleluya. That is. We beseech thee O Lord in all thy mercyes, that thy furie and anger may cease from this Citie, and from thy holy house, for we haue sinned. Alleluya. Thus they entryng in the Citie of Dorobernia, the head Citie of all that dominion at that time, where the kyng had geuen them a mansion for their abode: there they continued preachyng and baptising such as they had conuerted in the East side of the citie, in the old church of S. Martine (where the Queene was wont to resort) vnto the tyme that the kyng was conuerted him selfe to Christ. At length when the king had well considered the honest conuersatiō of their lyfe,MarginaliaMiracles wrought by God for the conuersion of the land. and moued with the miracles wrought through Gods hād by them, he heard them more gladly: and lastly by their wholesome exhortations, and example of godly lyfe, he was by them conuerted and Christened in the yeare aboue specified. 586. and the. 36. yeare of his reigne. After the kyng was thus conuerted, innumerable other dayly came in, and were adioyned to the Church of Christ: whom the kyng did specially embrace, but cōpellyng none: for so he had learned that the fayth and seruice of Christ ought to be voluntarie, and not coacted. Then he gaue to Austē a place for his bishops see at Christes Church in Dorobernia, and builded the Abbey of S. Peter and Paule, in the Eastside of the sayd Citie, where after Austen, and all the kynges of Kent were buryed, and that place is now called S. Austen.

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In this while Austen sayled into Fraunce to the Byshop Arelatensis, called Ethereus:MarginaliaAusten made Archbyshop. by him to be consecrated Archbyshop, by the cōommaundement of Gregory, and so was. Also the sayd Austen sent to Rome, Laurentius one of his company, to declare to Gregory how they had sped, and what they had done in England: sendyng withall, to haue the counsaile and aduise of Gregory, concernyng. ix. or. x. questions, wherof some are partly touched before.

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The tenour of his questions or interrogations, with the aunsweres of Gregory to the same: here follow in Englishe briefly translated.

MarginaliaEx decretis Gregorij prim. lib. concil. tom. 2.
1. interrogation. MY first question (reuerend father) is cōcernyng Byshops, howe they ought to behaue them selues toward their Clerkes. Or of such oblations as the faythfull offer vpō the altar: what portiōs or diuidentes ought to be made therof.

MarginaliaThe answere. How a Byshop ought to behaue himselfe in the Congregration, the holy Scripture testifieth: which I doubt not but you know rightwell, especially in the Epistles of S. Paule to Timothe: wherein he laboureth to informe the sayd Timothe, how to behaue his conuersation in the house of the Lord. The maner is of the sea Apostolike, to warne and charge all such as be ordained Byshops: of all their stipende or that which is geuen, to make foure partitiōs. One to the Byshop for hospitalitie, and receauyng commers in. An other to the Clergy. The third to the poore. The fourth to the repayring of Churches.MarginaliaDistribution of Church goods. But because your brotherhode instructed with rules of Monasticall discipline, cānot liue seperated from your Clerkes about you: therfore in the English Churche (whiche now through the prouidence of God is brought to the fayth of Christ) you must obserue this institution, concernyng your conuersation: which was in the first fathers in the begynnyng of the primitiue Church, among whom there was not one whiche counted any thyng to be his owne proper, of all that he did possesse: but all was common among them. Marginalia2. interrogatiō. I desire to know and to be instructed, whether Clerkes that cānot contayne, may marry. And if they do marry, whether then they ought to returne to the secular state agayne or no? MarginaliaThe aunswere. If there be any Clerkes out of holy orders, which cannot containe, let them haue their wiues, and take their stipendes or wages without.MarginaliaThe glose vppon the 12. q. 1. parag. Si qui sayth that this now holdeth not, and allegeth the extran.
De cler. comming ca Ioh. &c.
Wherby note how the Popes decrees be repugnaunt to themselues.
Luke. 11. For we read it so written of the foresayd fathers, that they deuided to euery person, accordyng as their worke was. Therfore as concernyng the stipend of such, it must be prouided and thought vpon. And they must also be holden vnder Ecclesiastical discipline, to lyue a godly conuersation: to employ themselues in singyng Psalmes, and to refrayne their toung, hart and body (by the grace of God) from all thynges vnseemely and vnlawfull. As for the vulgare and commonsort, whiche lyue after the common condition of men: to describe what particions to make, what hospitalitie to keepe, or what workes of mercy to exhibite to such: I haue nothing to say, but to geue (as our maister teacheth) in all our deedes of mercy, of that whiche aboundeth. Of that (sayth he) which aboundeth or is ouerplus, geue almes, and behold all thynges be cleane vnto you. Marginalia3. interrog. Seyng there is but one fayth, how happeneth then, the ceremonies and customes of Churches to be so diuers. As in the Church of Rome there is one custome and maner of Masse: and the French church hath an other? MarginaliaThe answere. The custome of the Churche of Rome, what it is you know: wherin ye remember that you haue bene brought vp frō your youth. But rather it pleaseth me better, that whether it be in the Church of Rome, or in any Frēch church: where ye finde any thyng that seemeth better to the seruice and pleasing of God, that ye chuse the same: and so to inferre and bryng into the English church (which is yet new in the fayth) the best & pikedst thynges chosen out of many Churches.MarginaliaNote a worthy saying of Gregory. For thyngs are not to be beloued for þ^e place sake, but the place is to be beloued for the things that be good. Wherfore such thynges as be good, godly, and religious: those chuse out out of all Churches, and induce to your people, that they may take roote in the myndes of Englishmen.

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