THE HEPTARCHY.

59

kingdom of Northumberland in the year 634, c H a r.and restored the Christian religion in his domi- I.nions. He gained a bloody and well - disputedbattle against Cædwalla; the last vigorous effortwhich the Britons made agajnst the Saxons.

Oswald is much celebrated for his sanctity andcharity by the Monkish historians; and they pre-tend, that his reliques wrought miracles, parti-cularly the curing ot .. sick horse, which hadapproached the place of his interment’ 7 .

He died in battle against Penda, king of Mer-cia, and was succeeded by his brother, Ofwy;who established himself in the government of allthe Northumbrian kingdom, by putting to deathOswin , the son of Osric, the last king of therace of Herri. His son Egsrid succeeded him;who perishing in battle against the Picts , withoutleaving any children, because Adelthrid, his wife,refused to violate her vow of chastity, Alfred,his natural brother, acquired possession of thekingdom , which he governed for nineteen years;and he left it to Osred, his son, a boy of eightyears of age. This prince, after a reign of elevenyears, was murdered by Kenred his kinsman,who, after enjoying the crown only a year,perished by a like fate. Osric, and aster himCelwulph the son of Kenred , next mounted thethrone, which the latter relinquished in the year738, in favour of Eadbert his cousin - german ,who, imitating his predecessor, abdicated the

* r Bede, lib. 3. cap. 9.