58 HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

CHAP. Britons That event, which happened in theI. forty-eighth year of Edwin’s age and seventeenthof his reign ", divided the monarchy of Northum-berland , which that prince had united in his per-son. Eanfrid, the son of Adelfrid, returnedwith his brothers , Oswald and Oswy, fromScotland, and took possession of Bernicia, hispaternal kingdom: Osric, Edwin’s cousin-ger-man, established himself in Deiri, the inheritanceof his family; but to which the sons of Edwinhad a preferable title. Eanfrid, the eldest sur-viving son, fled to Penda, by whom he wastreacherously slain. The younger son, Vuscfræa,with Yffi , the grandson of Edwin, by Osfrid,sought protection in Kent, and not finding them-selves in safety there, retired into France to KingDagobert, where they died

Osric, King of Deiri, and Eanfrid of Ber-nicia returned to Paganism ; and the whole peo-ple seem to have returned with them; since Paul-linus, who was the first archbishop of York, andwho had converted them, thought proper toretire with Ethelburga, the Queen Dowager,into Kent. Both these Northumbrian kings pe-rished soon after, the first in battle against Cæd-walla, the Briton; the second by the treacheryof that prince. Oswald, the brother of Ean-frid, of the race of Bernicia, united again the

"* Matth. West. p. 114. Chron. Sax. p. 29.

95 W. Malmes. lib. 1. cap. 3.

" Bede , lib. 2- cap. 20.