The result of the council was however altogether unfavourable to the Irish party, the Roman customs being now received by authority into the Northumbrian realm, and the only choice for those who had opposed them, being either now to submit to them, or quit their places. St. Colman preferred the latter alternative, and resigned his bishopric; being "influenced through fear of his country, to regard with contempt the tonsure and method of observing Easter" used by the Romans; and "perceiving that his doctrine was despised, and his sect looked down upon, taking with him those who would follow him, that is to say, such as would not receive the Catholic Easter and the tonsure of the crown (for of that also there was then no small question) he returned back again to the Scots' country." Such was the respect which an Irish saint of the seventh century had for the authority of the Church of Rome, and such the reverence with which he bowed to her dictates when this council decided in her favour, against the traditions which he had received from the first Christian teachers of his own people. The Scottish monks also that

* Steph. in Vit. Wilfrid. cap. x. † Bede. H. E. iii. 26.

were at Ripon in Yorkshire, (as well as those above mentioned, whom Colman had gathered together in Lindisfarne) "being offered their choice, preferred to quit their place rather than to receive the Catholic Easter and other canonical rites, according to the custom of the Roman and Apostolic Church." And so did matters remain among the Irish about forty years after that, until their own countryman Adamnanus persuaded most of them to yield to the custom of the Churches abroad in this particular. †

The Picts likewise conformed soon after under King Naitan, who "by his royal authority commanded Easter to be observed throughout all the provinces of the Picts according to the cycle of nineteen years, abolishing the erroneous period of eighty-four years" which they before used; and also caused" all priests and monks to be shorn crownwise" after the Roman manner. ‡

The monks of Iona or Y-Columbkille in like manner were induced in A.D. 716, by the persuasion of Egbert, an English priest that had been educated in Ireland, to give up the mode of calculating Easter and the tonsure which they had received

*Bed. H. E. iii. 25. et iv. 4. et v. 20. † ib. iii. 16. et 22. ib. iii. 22.

from Columbkille one hundred and fifty years before, and to follow the Roman rite about eighty years after the time of Pope Honorius, and the sending of Bishop Aidan from thence into England.

The Britons in the time of Bede still retained their old usage, until Elbodus, chief bishop of North Wales, who died in A.D. 809, brought in the Roman Easter; but we have reason to believe that West Wales stood out still longer, and adhered to the old system until A.D. 842, or even later.

Before passing from this part of our subject we should notice the circumstance that Wilfrid was the person chosen in St. Colman's place to be archbishop of York, and that he was able afterwards to boast, "that he was the first who taught the true Easter in Northumberland, having turned out the Irish; who arranged that the Church singing should be parted on sides; and who ordered the rule of St. Benedict to be observed by monks." * We have already seen that he was at first unwilling to accept the high office proposed to him, lest he should be obliged to receive his consecration from

* Gulielm. Malmesb. Lib. iii. de Gestis Pontific. Angl.

British or Scottish divines; to avoid which he was at his own request allowed to go beyond sea to France, in order to make sure of canonical ordination. But while Wilfrid protracted time abroad, King Oswy "induced by the advice of the Quartodecimans,* appointed another person named Ceadda or Chad, a most religious servant of God and an admirable doctor that came from Ireland," to be ordained bishop of York in his

room.

Ceadda was a scholar of Bishop Aidan.

This

Wilfrid however after some time returned home and had his bishopric restored to him, while St. Chad was removed to the newly founded bishopric of Lichfield. Wilfrid's after life is not wanting in many interesting particulars, but it is less intimately connected with the Church history of Ireland, and my readers are already sufficiently informed of all that concerns the subject immediately under consideration.

* Gul. Malmes. lib. iii. de Gest. Pont. Angl.-Steph. Presb. Vit. Wilf. cap. 14.

14.OF THE NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF THE POINTS DISPUTED BETWEEN THE CHURCH OF ROME AND THE ANCIENT BRITISH CHURCHES.

When we see that the peace of the Christian body in these islands was so disturbed in early times by strife and dissension; that so great a want of sympathy and brotherly kindness existed between our bishops and those who were in communion with the Church of Rome; that the two parties were so much at variance with each other, that those of the one side were unwilling to receive holy orders from those of the other side, or to join in prayers with them at church, or even at meat in a public lodging; we are naturally led to ask, what were the exact points about which they contended, or were they of such great importance as to justify the extreme and vehement zeal which both parties manifested in behalf of their own peculiar systems and opinions.

Now the question about Easter being that which was most argued between these two parties, I shall first explain what their difference was with regard to this point, in as few words as may suffice for a clear statement of the controversy.

The Resurrection of our Blessed Lord from the