eir
quietness and contentedness attracted the population amidst which they
had settled. The religion of the heathen English was a religion which
favoured bravery and endurance, counting the warrior who slaughtered
most enemies as most highly favoured by the gods. The religion of
Augustine was one of peace and self-denial. Its symbol was the cross,
to be borne in the heart of the believer. The message brought by
Augustine was very hard to learn. If Augustine had expected the whole
English population to forsake entirely its evil ways and to walk in
paths of peace, he would probably have been rejected at once. It was
perhaps because he was a monk that he did not expect so much. A monk
was accustomed to judge laymen by a lower standard of self-denial than
that by which he judged himself. He would, therefore, not ask too much
of the new converts. They must forsake the heathen temples and
sacrifices, and must give up some particularly evil habits. The rest
must be left to time and the example of the monks.
6. =The Archbishopric of Canterbury.=--After a short stay Augustine
revisited Gaul and came back as Archbishop of the English. AEthelberht
gave to him a ruined church at Canterbury, and that poor church was
named Christ Church, and became the mother church of England. From
that day the Archbishop's See has been fixed at Canterbury. If
Augustine in his character of monk led men by example, in his
character of Archbishop he had to organise the Church. With
AEthelberht's help he set up a bishopric at Rochester and another in
London. London was now again an important trading city, which, though
not in AEthelberht's own kingdom of Kent, formed part of the kingdom of
Essex, which was dependent on Kent. More than these three Sees
Augustine was unable to establish. An attempt to obtain the friendly
co-operation of the Welsh bishops broke down because Augustine
insisted on their adoption of Roman customs; and Lawrence, who
succeeded to the archbishopric after Augustine's death, could do no
more than his predecessor had done.
7. =Death of AEthelberht. 616.=--In =616= AEthelberht died. The
over-lordship of the kings of Kent ended with him, and Augustine's
church, which had largely depended upon his influence, very nearly
ended as well. Essex relapsed into heathenism, and it was only by
terrifying AEthelberht's son with the vengeance of St. Peter that
Lawrence kept him from relapsing also. On the other hand, Raedwald,
king of the
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