Page:A biographical dictionary of eminent Scotsmen, vol 1.djvu/66

 debate; "and in this time," says the old chronicler Fabyan, "was so great peace in the kingdom of Edwin, that a woman might have gone from one town to another without grief or noyaunce; and, for the refreshing of way-goers, this Edwin ordained, at clear wells, cups, or dishes of brass or iron, to be fastened to posts standing by the said wells' sides; and no man was so hardy as to take away those cups, he kept so good justice." In short, he seems to have been the Alfred of an earlier and ruder period. But, in the height of his power and usefulness, the terrible Penda, king of Mercia, and great champion of the ancient paganism, came against him in arms, and Edwin was defeated and slain in a great battle, fought at Hatfield or Heathfield, near the river Trent. The consequence was, that the Northumbrians relapsed into their former barbarism so rapidly, that every trace of Christianity would soon have been effaced from among them, had it not been that Oswald, the nephew of Edwin, came forward to vindicate the liberties of his falling country. This brave young prince, who headed the Christian cause against the Pagan, advanced to give battle to Cadwallader, king of North Wales, in whom his people had found the most relentless of their enemies. The Christian army which Oswald headed was very small, while that of Cadwallader was numerous, and its king was an able leader and successful conqueror. Aware of the disparity, and conscious of their own weakness, Oswald and his soldiers knelt in prayer, and humbly committed themselves to the God of the Christians, after which they assailed the enemy with full confidence, near Hexham. The Welsh were completely routed, their king was slain, and the victorious prince was received as king by the two united states of Deira and Bernicia.

The piety of Oswald attributed this signal success to the aid of the true God, whom he had invoked; and the first movement of his reign was to arrest the growing heathenism of his people, and recal [sic] them to the Christian faith. For this purpose he applied, however, not to the Italian monks, as his uncle had done, but to the Culdees of Iona; among whom he had been sheltered in his early youth, during the disasters of his family, and by whom he had been carefully educated. The message was gladly received by the Culdee brethren, and Gorman, a learned monk of their order, was forthwith sent to Northumbria. But the savage manners of the people appalled him, their inability to comprehend his instructions disgusted him, so that, despairing of their conversion, he speedily returned home. While he was giving an account of his mission, and describing the Northumbrians as a race of impracticable savages, a voice of rebuke was suddenly heard in the assembly: "Brother, it seems to me that your want of success was owing to a want of condescension to your hearers. You should first have fed them with milk, according to the apostolic rule, until they were fitted to receive stronger food." All eyes were turned upon the speaker, who was Aidan. It was unanimously agreed by the assembly that he was the fittest person to attempt the conversion of the Northumbrians, and, on the charge being proposed to him, he cordially agreed. He arrived in England A.D. 634, and repaired to the court of king Oswald. And now a missionary work commenced in the Northumbrian kingdom such as missionary annals can seldom parallel, for both king and monk went hand in hand in the duty. Aidan, being a Celt, was either wholly ignorant of the Saxon language of his hearers or imperfectly acquainted with it; but, when he preached, Oswald was ready to interpret his addresses. The happiest results attended these joint labours. The ancient idolatry was utterly thrown aside, and Christianity established