mpared by St. Gregory the Great to the celebrated St.
Helen.[1] Divine providence, by these means, mercifully prepared the
heart of a great king to entertain a favorable opinion of our holy
religion, when St. Augustine landed in his dominions: to whose life the
reader is referred for all account of this monarch's happy conversion to
the faith. From that time he appeared quite changed into another man, it
being for the remaining twenty years of his life his only ambition and
endeavor to establish the perfect reign of Christ, both in his own soul
and in the hearts of all his subjects. His ardor in the exercises of
penance and devotion never suffered any abatement, this being a property
of true virtue, which is not to be acquired without much labor and
pains, self-denial and watchfulness, resolution and constancy. Great
were, doubtless, the difficulties and dangers which he had to encounter
in subduing his passions, and in vanquishing many obstacles which the
world and devil failed not to raise: but these trials were infinitely
subservient to his spiritual advancement, by rousing him continually to
greater vigilance and fervor, and by the many victories and the exercise
of all heroic virtues of which they furnished the occasions. In the
government of his kingdom, his thoughts were altogether turned upon the
means of best promoting the {463} welfare of his people. He enacted most
wholesome laws, which were held in high esteem in succeeding ages in
this island: he abolished the worship of idols throughout his kingdom,
and shut up their temples, or turned them into churches. His royal
palace at Canterbury he gave for the use of the archbishop St. Austin:
he founded in that city the cathedral called Christ Church, and built
without the walls the abbey and church of SS. Peter and Paul, afterwards
called St. Austin's. The foundation of St. Andrew's at Rochester, St.
Paul's at London, and many other churches, affords many standing proofs
of his munificence to the church, and the servants of God. He was
instrumental in bringing over to the faith of Christ, Sebert, king of
the East-Saxons, with his people, and Redwald, king of the East-Angles,
though the latter afterwards relapsing, pretended to join the worship of
idols with that of Christ. King Ethelbert, after having reigned
fifty-six years, exchanged his temporal diadem for an eternal crown, in
616, and was buried in the church of SS. Peter and Paul. His remains
were afterwards d