Thither  they  also  took  letters  sent  by  the  Pope ;
among  them  was  one  addressed  to  King  iCthelberht
himself,  whom  he  calls  Adilbertus — surely  a  romantic
document,  the  first  one  in  which  a  Pope  addressed
an  English  sovereign.  In  this  letter,  which  is  dated
22nd  June  601,  Gregory  addresses  the  King  as
"  Glorious  Son  "  {gloriose  fili)  and  **  Your  Glory  "
{vestra  gloria),  and  tells  him  to  keep  the  Grace
which  had  been  given  him  by  God  {earn  quam
accepisti  divinitus  gratiam  sollicita  mente  custodt),
and  how  he  had  been  set  over  the  nation  of  the
Angles  in  order  that  benefits  might  be  conferred
on  the  nation  subject  to  him.  He  bade  him  make
haste  to  extend  the  Faith  among  the  people  subject
to  him,  to  put  down  the  worship  of  idols,  to  over-
turn their  temples,  and  to  build  up  his  subjects  in
the  Faith  by  exhortation,  terror,  enticement,  cor-
rection, and  example.  He  reminded  him  of  Con-
stantine,  when  he  recalled  the  Roman  world  from
the  worship  of  idols,  and  subjected  it  with  himself
to  Christ,  and  of  the  fame  he  thereby  acquired;
and  he  similarly  urged  him  to  infuse  into  the
kings  and  peoples  subject  to  him  the  knowledge  of
God  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  that  he  might
surpass  the  ancient  kings  of  his  race  in  renown
and  deserts.  He  then  went  on  to  commend
to  him  ''Augustine  the  Bishop,"  as  learned  in
monastic  rule  {in  monasterii  regula  edoctus),  full
of  knowledge  of   Holy   Scripture,   and  endowed


136     SAINT  AUGUSTINE  OF  CANTERBURY

with  good  works,  and  bade  him  listen  to  and
follow  his  admonitions.  He  reminded  him  that
the  end  of  the  present  world  was  at  hand,,  and
that  of  the  saints  about  to  begin — as  witnessed  by
terrors  in  the  air,  terrors  from  heaven,  contrary
seasons,  wars,  famine,  pestilence,  and  earthquakes
in  divers  places;  and  that  though  the  end  would
not  come  in  their  days,  it  would  come  later.  He
must  not  therefore  be  disturbed  by  such  portents,
which  were  meant  to  make  us  more  zealous  in  good
works.  He  promised  to  write  to  him  presently  at
greater  length  after  the  more  perfected  conversion
of  his  nation.
