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Richard de Wiche. So called from a village in Worcestershire, the place of his birth; a pious fcholar, and exemplary divine. He ftudied at Oxford, Paris, and Bononia, where he became profeffor of the Canon Law. On his return to England, he was.confecrated to the bishoprick of Chichester, A.D. 1245, by the influence of the archbishop, in oppofition to the wifh of the king. He is celebrated, abfurdly, for his miracles; but feems to have really deferved commendation for his zeal and example. He died April 3d, 1253, and was canonized by Urban IV. 1262.

+ St. Ambrofe was born A. D. 340. Shortly after his birth a swarm of bees is faid to have fettled on his cradle, an omen of his future eloquence. His father was Prætorian Prefect of Gaul, with whom Ambrofe received his education. On the decease of his father he attended his mother to Rome, and after ftudying and practifing the civil law, he was promoted to the dignity of governor of Milan, and its furrounding jurifdiction. It was here that the omen at his birth received its confirmation; for confiderable oppofition and disturbance being excited in the city by different competitors for the bifhoprick of Milan, vacant by the death of Auxentius, St. Ambrofe exhorted the citizens to quiet and order with fo bewitching an eloquence as occationed them unanimoufly to request he would fill the vacant fee. He had the honour of converting St. Austin to Christianity. He died A. D. 396.

1 Alphege. Archbishop of Canterbury, an Englishman of high family, but of more exalted piety. He was fucceffively abbot of Bath, bishop of Winchester, and archbishop of Canterbury. In the year 1012 he fell a victim to the fury of the Danes, who, under the pretence of part of their tribute being withheld, attacked and plundered Canterbury, put the greater part of its citizens to death, and threw the archbishop into prifon. Seven months afterwards he was ftoned to death at Greenwich, in the church of which place is the following infcription: "This church was erected and "dedicated to the glory of GoD, and the memory of St. Alphege, arch "bishop of Canterbury, here flain by the Danes." He was fhortly after canonized, and the 19th of April was appointed for his feftival.

St. George, the patron faint of England, fuffered martyrdom under the Emperor Dioclefian, A. D. 290, for the alleged crime of pulling down the edict against the Chriftians which that emperor had caused to be affixed to the church doors. According to Mr. Gibbon, he was an Arian bishop, who lived in the reign of Conftantius and Julian. His hiftory, if not his existence, is very doubtful. The occafion of his being chofen the patron faint of England was (as it is faid) his miraculous appearance, with a vast tifonary army, in behalf of Robert of Normandy, (William the Conqueror's fon) when he was befieging Antioch, and threatened by a vast body of Saracens, who came to relieve the place. The Saracens beheld the innumerable hoft of St. George, were panic-ftruck, and fled.

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* Invention of the Crofs; or the finding of the cross on which Chrift was crucified, by Helena, the mother of Conftantine the Great. Admo nifhed in a dream to this effect, she journeyed to Jerufalem, in order to Search for the facred tree on mount Calvary; and having directed labourers to dig there, they after a time discovered three crosses; that on which our Saviour and the two thieves had been crucified. Uncertain, however, which had borne the body of Jefus, the directed each of them fucceffively to be applied to the corpfe of a dead woman. The two first produced no effect on the defunct; but upon the application of the third to the body it was immediately restored to life.

+ St. John ante Portam Latinam; fo called because he was miracu loufly preferved before the gate of Rome called Porta Latina. The account of his danger and efcape is thus given in the Lives of the Saints: "The emperour Domycyan commanded Johan fhould be brought to "Rome; and whan he was there, they broughte him to fore the gate called "Porte Latyn, and put him in a tunne ful of brennyng oyle; but he never "felte harme ne payne. And wythout fuffering any harme he yffued out. "In that place cryften men dyd make a faire chyrche, and thys daye made a folemne feafte, as it were the day of his marterdom."

Dunstan, archbishop. Born at Glaftonbury; made abbot of that monaftery, A. D. 941; and raised afterwards to the fee of Canterbury. He feems to have been a zealous but imprudent prelate; devoted to the monks, and by them induced to do many things inconfiftent with his dignity and the religion he profeffed. Amongft which may be reckoned the abominable means he adopted (which were but too fuccefsful) of making the married fecular clergy put away their wives, and preventing the fingle ones from marrying. He died May 19, 4. D. 988,

Auguftine was the famous monk, already mentioned, fent by Gregory I. with forty companions to Britain, for the purpose of converting the natives to Christianity, which he happily effected. He was made archbishop of Canterbury, A. D. 596. The obfervation of the day of his death, May 26th, 607, was enjoined by Cuthbert archbishop of Canter. bury, and by the Pope's bull, in the reign of Edward III.

Venerable Bede, an ecclefiaftic, born in Northumberland, A.D. 672; and ftyled venerable from his great acquirements, profound piety, and exemplary virtue. His literary merit is attefted by his numerous works the chief of which is his Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, which remains to this day. This he published in 731, and furvived its publication only four years. He was buried at Yarrow, and his bones afterwards removed to Durham. His works were first published at Paris in 1544 in feven volumes folio...

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WITH THE TABLE OF LESSONS.

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Nicomede, a priest of Rome, a scholar of St. Peter: he suffered martyrdom under the Emperor Domitian, by being beaten to death with. clubs, for burying with decency another martyr called Felicula.

Boniface, bishop of Mentz; a Saxon born in England, and called in early life Wilfrid. Being commiffioned by Pope Gregory II. to preach the gospel in Germany, he converted many provinces there, and on that account was ftyled the Apostle of Germany. A refemblance of pursuits and character produced a ftrict friendship between Bede and Boniface, which was cultivated with great warmth till the death of the former. Boniface, endeavouring to convert the Frifians, was killed by them, A. D. 755

St. Alban. The first Christian martyr in England. He was born at Verulam, now St. Alban's, in the third century; ferved seven years in the army of Dioclefian, became a Chriftian, and was put to death under that Emperor's perfecution of the Chriftians. Offa king of Mercia, built the ftately monaftery of St. Alban's to the memory of this martyr.

Tranflation of Edward, king of the Weft-Saxons. This prince, having been murdered by his ftep-mother Elfrida, was firft interred at Wareham in a private manner. But at the fuggeftion of the monks about three years afterwards, Duke Alferus caufed his remains to be tranflated in a public and pompous manner to the minster of Shaftesbury.

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