XXV. 8.) Where is Peter's spirit, by whose power covetousness is destroyed, and

simoniacal heresy is condemned ? (Acts iv. 4.) Be earnest, ye priests ! be earnest to follow the ways of the Lord, and the righteousness of our God. (Dcut. V. 33.) It is time to do against them that have broken the law of God. I have Constantine's sword, and ye have Peter's sword in your hands ; let us join right hands, let us couple sword to sword, that the lepers may be cast out of the temples, that the holy place of the Lord may be purged, and the sons of Levi may minister in his temple, who said to his father and mother, " I know you not," and to his brothers, " I know not you." Go to diligently, I pray you, lest we repent to have done that we have done, and to have given that we give, if we shall see that to be spent not in God's service, but on the riotousness of wicked men, through vile and corrupt liberty of life, for lack of chastisement. Let the relics of holy saints, which they despise, and the holy altars before which they play the madmen, move you. Let the great devotion of our ancestors move you, whose alms the madness of tlie clerks doth abuse. My great great grandfather, as ye know, gave the tenth part of all his lands to churches and abbies. My great grandfather, Alfred, of holy memory, thought it not meet to spare his treasures, his goods, or costs, or rents, that he might enrich the church. My grandfather, the elder Edward, your fatherhood is not ignorant how great things lie gave to the churches. It becometh you to remember with what gifts my father and his brothers did enrich Christ's altars. O father of fathers, Dunstan ! behold, I pray thee, the eyes of my father looking on thee, from that bright place of heaven ; hearken to his complaining words sounding in thine cars, thus pitifully lamenting : " O father Dunstan, thou, thou I say, gavest me counsel to build abbies and churches, thou wast ni}^ helper and fellow-worker in all things ; I chose thee as a shepherd and bishop of my soul, and a keeper of my manners. W^hen did I not obey thee ? What treasures did I prefer in respect of thy counsels ? What possessions did I not despise, if thou badest me? If thou thoughtest meet to give any thing to the poor, I was ready. If thou thoughtest meet to give any thing to churches, I deferred not. If thou com- plainedst that monks or clerks wanted anj^ thing, I supplied. Thou saidst that alms lasted for ever, and that there was none more fniitfvd than that which was given to abbies or clnu'ches ; for with that both God's servants are sustained, and that which remaineth is given to the poor. O worthy alms ! O worthy price of the soul! O wholesome remedy for our sins, wlrich now doth stink in the sweet furs of priests' lemans,' wherewith they adorn their ears and deck their fingers, apparelling their delicate bodies M'ith silk and pui-ple ! 0 father, is this the fniit of my alms, is this the effect of my desire, and of thy promise ? What wilt thou answer to this complaint of my fathers ? I know, I know : when thou didst see a thief, thou lomnest not with him, neither hast thou put thy portion with adidterers. Thou hast rebuked, thou hast exhorted, thou hast blamed them ; ])ut words have been des^iised, now we must come to stripes of correction. Thou hast here with thee the worshipfid father Ethelwold, bishop of Winches- ter. Thou hast the reverend prelate, Oswald, bishop of Worcester. I conmiit this business to you, that both by bishoply correction, and the king's authority, the filthy livers may be cast out of the churches, and they that live orderly may be brought in, &c.
isno- In this oration of King Edgar, above prefixed, tlirce things are
super-^"' chiefly to be noted and considered of them that have judgment to stiti-jii of j^^ark and imdcrstand : to wit, the religious zeal and devotion of kinffs,
the time ^ ■ o o '
(if King both in giving to tlic church, and also in correcting the manners of
^'^^' churchmen. Secondly, the dissolute behaviour and wantonness of the
clergy, in then abusing the great donations and patrimonies of princes
bestowed upon them. Thirdly, the blind ignorance and superstition
(1) " Leivaiis", paramours. — En.
THE DOCTRINE OK JUSTIFICATION. 103
of that time in both states, as Avell ecclesiastical as temporal, in Eccu^ias- esteeming Christ's religion chiefly to consist in giving to churches, ap^urs. and in maintaining of monkery ; falsely being persuaded that rem is- .j.,,,. j^^., sion of their sins, and remedy of their souls therein, did lie in build- '"-'"eof ing monasteries, erecting churches and cloisters, and in placing monks tum by' in the same, and such other alms-deeds and works of devotion. chHst" Wherein appeareth how ignorant that time was of the true doctrine unknown. of Christ''s faith, and of the free grace of the gospel, which promiseth life, remedy, and justification, not by any devout merits of ours, nor by any works either of the law of God, or of the inventions of man, but only and freely by our faith in Christ Jesus, the Son of God, in whom only consist all the promises of God.' Amen.
Now remaineth, as in the fomier Book before, so in this likewise, to prosecute the order and race of archbishops of Canterbury, as we have done the race of kings, beginning with Ethelred, who succeeded next after Celnocke, the seventeenth archbishop of that see, mentioned where we left before.^
The Names and Order of the Archbishops of Canterbury, from the time of King Egbert to William the Conqueror.
18. Ethelred Avas archbishop of Canterbury for nineteen years.
19. Pleimund, who was schoolmaster to King Alfred, possessed the see of Canterbury for twenty-nine years.
20. Athelm was archbishop for twelve years. £1. Ulfelm for thirteen years.
22. Odo for twenty years. By the prayers of Odo, the monkish stories say that the sword of King Athelstan was brought again into his scabbard, as is noted before in that king's time.
23. Elsius or Elsine, first ^ bishop of Winchester, came to the see of Canterbury, which he occupied one year, by the commandment of King Edgar, some say by bribes, contrary to the mind of Odo. Whereupon, on the first day of his consecration, he insulting the tomb of Odo with despite, shortly after went to Rome for his pall, where in his journey upon the Alps he died for cold, insomuch that though his horses were killed, and he put in their warm bellies, yet could he get no heat.'*
24. Dunstan,^ who was archbishop for twenty years. Of Dunstan many monkish miracles be feigned, as of the harp^ upon the wall playing by itself, " Gaudent in coelis,'" &c.'^ Of our Lady -svith her company appearing to him singing, " Cantemus Domino socise, cantemus honorem ; dulcis amor Christi personet ore pio." Also of the angels singing " Kyrie elcison.'" Item, of holding the devil by the nose witli a pair of tongs, for tempting him with women.' Item,
(1) The reader can hardly fail to observe the sound and scriptural principles of our author here expressed, and how admirably they harmonize with the received doctrines of the protestant church of England. Vid. Art XVIIL— Ed.
(2) See the names and order of the archbishops of Canterbury at the close of Vol. I. — En.
(3) "First," i. c. previously. (4) Malmesbury.
(5) Polydore maketh Dunstan to be the twenty-third archbishop. [See infra, p. 717.— Ed.] (()) " St. Duustan's harp upon the wall Fast by a pin did hang a. Without man's help, with lie and all, And by itself did twang a." (7) See supr^, pa;;e 64.— Ed. (8) Malmesbury.
104! TlIK ARCHUISIIOI'S OF CANTEUBURV.
Eceieiiai- of sccinn; tlic Holy Ghost at his mass in likeness of a dove. Item, JffhiL in delivcrinfj tlie soul of Edwin from the devil. Item, in foreseeing
the death of King Edred by the death and falling of his horse.
Item, of his mother being great with Dunstan : when all the candles of others went out, her only candle remained a-liglit : and many other like fables.
25. Ethelgar sat for one year.
26. Siric was archbishop for five years, and was the counsellor to King Egehcd, to redeem peace of the Danes with a great tribute.
27. Elfric' for eleven years.
28. Elphege for six years. Elphege, because he denied to pay to the Danes a tribute, was stoned to death at Greenwich, and of some is called a martyr.
29. Livingus for seven years.
30. Egelnoth for seventeen years.
31. Edsius for eleven years.
32. Robert, who sat for two years, caused Godwin and his sons to be banished, accusing them of treason ; but afterward they being restored, he went to Rome, and at his return died.
33. Stigand, being an Englishman, in the time of William the Conqueror, the Norman, after being archbishop for seventeen years, was, by the craft of the said William, conveyed into Normandy, where a while with great honour he was entertained. At length, the said William procured secretly the pope's letters to depose him, that he might place Lanfranc in his room. This Stigand died at length in prison.
34. Lanfranc held the see for nineteen years.^
(1) At p. 717, infra, Foxe desires the reader to insert " Alured" after "Siricius ;" he should have said " Aluric," who is identical with " Elfric"or "^Ifric," whom Foxe here places before "Siricius:" the transposition, therefore, which has been made of Elfric's name answers Foxe's object. — Ed.
(2) It appears that during the Anglo-Saxon period, or from a.d. 803 to a.d. 1070, nineteen arch- bishops occupied the chair of Canterbury, giving an average of fourteen years to each. The rapid succession of popes during nearly the same period presents a striking difference : from A.o. 795 to A.D. lOfil fifty-nine individuals occupied the papal chair. Of these, a few, either voluntarily or by constraint, had vacated it ; but the short average of four years and a half, allotted to fifty-nine popes in succession, leads lis reluctantly to conclude, that as our author records, it was not always the progress of disease, or the hand of old age, which caused the vacancy in that high and envied office. See page 96 of this volume.
Subjoined is a table of the names and order of the archbishops of Canterbury, continued from that in vol. i. p. 385, the dates of their accession being taken from Richardson's Godwin " De praesulibus," &c.
A.D.
871 18 Ethelred.
891 19 Pleimund
923 20 Athelm.
928 21 Ulfelm.
941 22 Odo.
958 23 Elsine.
959 24 Dunstan.
25 Ethelgar.
996 27 Elfric.
1005 28 Alphage.
1013 29 Livingus.
1020 30 Egelnoth.
1038 31 Edsius.
1050 .32 Robert.
1052 .33 Stigand.
1070 34 Lanfranc.
989 26 Siric. I —Ed.
ENU OF BOOK THE THIRD.
ACTS AND MONUMENTS.