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MATTHEW OF WESTMINSTER
The flowers of history, especially such as relate to the affairs of Britain. Vol. I. B.C. 4004 to A.D. 1066.
page 301
swer to king Edwin, he replied that if, after being investigated by learned men, the religion of the damsel should be found to be more holy and more worthy of God, he would not refuse to receive it on the conditions before-mentioned. And accordingly, the damsel was immediately sent to him, and Paulinus with her, that she might not be contaminated by intercourse with pagans, and that he might strengthen her with daily exhortations and the administration of the heavenly sacraments.
But when she arrived in Northumberland, the king granted that all persons, whether men, women, or priests, who had come with her, might observe their faith and the worship of their religion in Christian fashion. And thus Paulinus came with the virgin to king Edwin as a sort of companion in this carnal union ; but his object was rather to strive with all the energy of his mind to bring over the nation among which he came, to a knowledge of the truth.
A.D. 626. A certain assassin, named Eumerus, came (having been sent by Quichelin, king of the West Saxons, who was reigning as partner with his father Kinegilf) in order to kill king Edwin. And he, pretending to have come on an embassy from his master, rushed upon the king with a poisoned axe near the river Derwent, intending at least to kill him with the poison, if the axe failed. But a servant of the king, named Lilla, seeing him, interposed himself to receive the wound, and was pierced by it, and by the same blow the king was slightly wounded. And aiterà knight had been subsequently slam, the assassin himself was slain with the sword, and entirely cut to pieces. The king was much disturbed by the occurrence, but a daughter whom his queen bore him the next night somewhat mitigated his grief. And when the king had given thanks to his gods, Paulinus reproved him, saying that it was owing to his prayers that the queen had been delivered without suffering. So the king, being delighted at his words, promised to believe in the God of Paulinus if he would grant him the victory over Quichelin, and as a pledge of the fulfilment of his promise, he ordered his daughter to be baptized. And she, being baptized with thirty of Ins family, was named Eanfled. Then, having levied an army, the king marched against Quichelin, and having declared war against all those whom he had discovered in conspiring against his life, he either slew them, or compelled them to surrender ; and he
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