Page:Elizabeth Elstob - An English-Saxon homily on the birth-day of St. Gregory.djvu/35

 ''were more remote, and beyond the Sea. And it is plain, as to the Britains, even from their Behaviour at that most celebrated Pambritannick Council at ', in which one of Augustines Demands was, That they wou'd assist him in preaching to the English''. They were not found so compliant as might well have been expected, but were more obstinate, in maintainmg their old Customs, than studious, to promote the common Cause of Christianity. For the sake of which, all other Respects and Disputes, about Complement and Precedency, might out of Charity have been waved. So that I wonder, that the Maligners of St. Augustine should charge him with Haughtyness, when, according to their own whole Account of the Transaction, they make St. Augustine to comply with the Britains, almost in every thing. And the Britains, to oppose him with such an obstinate Resolution, as not to joyn with him in one Particular; and that for fear, as they gave out, that if they submitted in the least, he would exercise the greatest Tyranny over them. A popular Argument, which is never wanting to those for their Excuse, who wou'd avoid concurring with those Proposals, which they are unwilling, and many times with Reason little enough, to approve. How far St. Augustine might discover any thing of an assuming Disposition, seems to depend as much upon Conjecture, as some other Circumstances of the History, which are urged to his Disadvantage; certain it is, that it agrees not at all, with the general Character which was given''