instruct and informe his Reader MarginaliaBede cōmended for integrity of lyfe.simplely and without all curiousnes of stile, in the sincere loue of God, & of his neighbour. As touchyng the holynes and integritie of his lyfe, it is not to be doubted: for how could it be, that he should attend to any vicious idlenes, or had any laisure to the same, who in readyng and digesting so many volumes, consumed all his whole cogitations in writyng vpon the Scriptures: for so he testifieth of him selfe in the iij. booke vpon Samuell, saying in these wordes. If my treatises and expositiōs, sayth he, bryng with them no other vtilitie to the Readers therof: yet to my selfe they conduce not a litle in this, that while all my study and cogitation was set vpon them, in the meane while of the slyperie inticementes & vayne cogitatiōs of this world I had little mynde. Thus in this trauaile of study he cōtinued till the age of. 62. yeares.Marginalia735. At length drawyng to his later end, beyng sicke vij. Weekes together, besides other occupiynges of his mynde, and other studyes whiche he did not intermit: he translated also the Gospell of S. Iohn into English.MarginaliaS. Iohns Gospell translated into Englishe by Bede. At length with great comfort of spirite departed this lyfe, pronouncyng many comfortable sayinges to them that stode about hym, vpon the Ascension day, the same yeare whē Nothelinus was instituted Archbyshop of Caunterbury. And thus much concernyng the story of Bede.

MarginaliaCelulfus a kyng made a Monke. This Celulfus kyng of Northumberland afore mentioned, after he had reigned viij. yeares, was made a Monke in the Abbey of Farne, otherwise called Lindefar, or holy Ilād: where by his means, licence was geuen to the mōkes of the house to drinke wyne or ale, which before by the institution of Aidanus aboue mentioned, dronke nothyng but milke and water. After whom succeded Egbert his cosin, brother to Egbert (the same tyme beyng Byshop of Yorke) whiche brought agayne thether the palle that his predecessors had forgone, since the tyme that Paulinus had left the sea, and fled to Rochester, as is before declared. The sayd Egbert also erected a noble Library in Yorke, whose example I would other Byshops now would follow.

MarginaliaEgbert king of Northumberland.
747.
Ex Malmesb. lib. de gestis pontifi. Anglor.
Cutbert Archbish. of Caūterbury.

About the begynning of the raigne of this Egbert, was Cutbert Archbyshop of Canterbury: who collected a great Synode of Byshoppes and Prelates, in the yeare of our Lord. 747. in the moneth of September, neare to the placed called Clonesho. In the which Synode assembled, these decrees were enacted.

1. First, that Byshops should be more diligent in seyng to their office, and in admonishing the people of their faultes.

2. That they should lyue in a peaceable mynde together, notwithstandyng they were in place disseuered a sunder.

3. That euery Byshop once a yeare should go about all the Parishes of his Dioces.

4. That the sayd Byshops euery one in his dioces should monish their Abbots & Monkes to lyue regularly: and that Prelates should not oppresse their inferiours, but loue thē.

5. That they should teach the Monasteries which the secular men had inuaded, & could not then be takē from them, to liue regularly.

6. That none should be admitted to orders, before his lyfe should be examined.

7. That in Monasteries the readyng of holy Scripture should be more frequented.

8. That Priests should be no disposers of secular busines.

9. That they should take no money for baptising infantes.

10. That they should both learne and teache the Lords Prayer and Creede in the English toung.

11. That all should ioyne together in their ministery after one vniforme rite and maner.

12. That in a modest voyce they should sing in the church.

13. That all holy and festiuall dayes should be celebrate at one tyme together.

14. That the Sabboth day be reuerently obserued & kept.

15. That the. vij. houres Canonical euery day be obserued.

MarginaliaThe rogatiō dayes had not thē that superstition in them as they had afterward. 16. That the Rogation dayes both the greater and lesser should not be omitted.

17. That the feast of S. Gregory, and S. Austen our Patron, should be obserued.

18. That the fast of the foure tymes should be kept and obserued.

19. That Monkes and Nunnes should go regularly apparelled.

20. That Byshops should see, these decrees not to be neglected.

21. That the Churchmen should not geue themselues to dronkennes.

22. That the Communion should not be neglected of the Churchmen.

23. Item, that the same also should be obserued of the laye men, as tyme required.

24. That laye men first should be well tryed, before they entred in Monkery.

25. That almes be not neglected.

26. That Byshops should see these decrees to be notified to the people.

27. They disputed of the profit of Almes.

28. They disputed of the profit of singyng Psalmes.

29. That the Congregation should be cōstitute, after the habilitie of their goods.

30. That Monkes should not dwell amongest lay men.

31. That publike prayer should be made for Kynges and Princes.

These decrees and ordinaunces beyng thus among the Byshops concluded: Cutbert the Archbyshop, sendeth the copy therof to Boniface,MarginaliaBoniface an Englishe man Archb. of Mentz. whiche Boniface otherwise named Winfride, an Englishman borne, was then the Archbishop of Mentz, and after made a Martyr, as the Popish stories terme him.

This Boniface beyng, as is sayd, Archbishop of Mentz in the tyme of this foresayd Syonde, wrote a letter to Ethelbald kyng of Merceland:MarginaliaEthelwold kyng of Merceland. whiche Ethelbald was allso present in the same Synode, of whom Bede maketh mention in his history, calling him proude Ethelbald, & the greatest of the Saxon kynges in his tyme. First this Ethelbald after the departyng of kyng Ceolulphe into his Monkery, inuaded & spoyled the countrey of Northumberland. Moreouer he exercised mortall & horrible warre a longe space with Cudred, otherwise of some named Cutbert, kyng of Westsaxons. Furthermore he with other Saxon kynges, so impugned the Britaines, that from that time they neuer durst prouoke the Saxons any more. At length the sayd Cudred refusing the intollerable exactiōs of proude Ethelbald, doth incounter with him in battaile: Where notwithstanding the greate power that Ethelbald had to hym adioyned, of the Mercians, of the Eastsaxons, of the Eastangles, & of Cantuarites: yet the sayd Cudred through Gods power, and the meanes of a certaine valiaunt warriour calledMarginaliaEdelhim a strong and valiant warriour.
Pride ouer throwne. Edelhim a Consul, ouerthrew the pride of Ethelbald, after a sore and terrible conflict. Which Ethelbald notwithstandyng repayring his power agayne the next yeare after, renued battayle with the foresayd Cudred. In the which battaile Ethelbald after he had raigned. xli. yeares in Mercia, was slayne by one Beornered, who after raigned in that dition, but a small tyme. For Offa nephew to the sayd Ethelbald expulsed the sayd Beornered, & succeeded kyng in that prouince of Mercia, where he reigned. xxxix. yeares: of whom more followeth hereafter (the Lord Iesu speedyng therein our purpose) to be declared, as place & time shall require. In the meane season not to forget the letter before, mentioned of Boniface Archbyshop of Mentz, sent vnto this Ethelbald: I thought the same not vnworthy here to be inserted (at the least the effect therof) not so much for the authors sake, as for the same good matter peraduenture may be picked thereout, for other Princes to behold and consider.

MarginaliaA letter of Boniface, otherwise called VVinfride sent to kyng Ethelbalde. R Egi et filio charissimo, & in Christi amore cæteris regibus Anglorum præfereudo Ethelbaldo, Bonifacius Archiepiscopus legatus Germanicus Romanæ Ecclesiæ perpetuam in Christo charitatis salutem. Consistemus coram Deo, qui nouit an verè atq; ex animo dicam: Quando prosperitatem vestram, & fidem, & bona opera audimus, lætamur. Quando autem aliquid aduersum vel in euentu bellorum, vel de periculo animarum de vobis cognoscimus, tristamur. Audiuimus enim quod eleemosinis intentus: furta & rapinas prohibes, & pacem diligis, & defensor viduarum & pauperum es, & inde gratias Deo agimus. Quòd verò ligitimum matrimonium spernis, si pro castitate faceres, esset laudabile. Sed quia in luxu & adulterio & cum sactimonialibus volutaris, est vituperabile, & damnabile. Nam & famam gloriæ vestræ, corā Deo & hominibus confundit, & inter indololatras constituit, quia templum Dei violasti. Quapropter fili Charissime pœnitere, & memorare oportet, quam turpe sit, vt tu qui multis gentibus, dono Dei, dominaris, ad iniuriam eius sis libidinis seruus. Audiuimus præterea quòd optimates pene omnes, gentis Merciorum, tuo exemplo legitimas vxores deferant, & adulteras & sanctimoniales constuprēt. Quod quàm sit peregrinum ab honestate, doceat vos alienæ gentis institutio. Nam in antiqua Saxonia, vbi nulla est Christi cognitio: si virgo in materna domo, vel maritata sub coniuge fuerit adul-