e
valuable estates were alienated, this particular donation was reserved
for the fabric fund; and in consequence the Dean and Chapter are by
far the oldest county family in Essex.[5]

Sabert and Ethelbert were gathered to their fathers; and both were
succeeded by pagan sons. London and the East Saxon province or
kingdom--let us say Middlesex and Essex, with perhaps Herts--seem to
have been ruled by the three sons of Sabert in commission, who,
disregarding whatever thin veneer of Christianity they had found it
convenient to adopt during their father's lifetime, boldly
apostatised, and the East Saxons readily followed. Entering St.
Paul's, as the bishop was celebrating, the three scoffed and mocked,
"We will not enter into that laver, because we do not know we stand in
need of it; but eat of that bread we will." Giving the bishop the
alternative of compliance or expulsion, he withdrew after an
episcopate of twelve years and retired across the Channel. Returning
in answer to the entreaties of Laurentius, "the Londoners would not
receive Bishop Mellitus, choosing rather to be under their idolatrous
high priests." Eventually he succeeded Laurentius at Canterbury. And
for a second time London relapsed into paganism.

Thus the good fruits of the mission of Augustine were completely lost.
An interval occurs, and then Sigebert the Good, on a visit to King
Oswy of Northumbria, was converted by the reasoning of his host, and
baptised by Bishop Finan of Lindisfarne. Finan had no connection with
Rome, but belonged to that remarkable body who traced their origin to
Ireland and Iona. Sigebert took south with him two brothers, English
by race, recommended by Finan, of whom one was CEDD; a third
brother was the more famous Chad. The work of re-planting was at once
set about with the help of Sigebert's example and protection. Up and
down the province they went, and gained so many converts that Finan
felt justified in consecrating Cedd bishop of the East Saxons. The new
bishop now employed much of his time in training converts, natives of
the province, for the priesthood, both at Ythancester, near
Tillingham, and at Tilbury.[6] He acted as interpreter at the Whitby
Conference, where he was won over to the continental method of
reckoning Easter, and died shortly after of the plague (664). A later
visitation of the pestilence is assigned as a cause of half of the
diocese relapsing, while the other half, governed by Sebbe, remained
faithf