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PARISH CHURCHES.-No. VIII.

CHURCH OF ST. MARTIN, CANTERBURY.

[With an Engraving.]

HOWEVER humble may be the architectural pretension of the little church of St. Martin, it possesses no ordinary claims upon our veneration. It is associated closely with the introduction of the greatest of all blessings, the gospel of Jesus Christ, into this country. It is asserted by some that this was the first Christian church; and though others seem disposed to give the priority to Glastonbury, the generality of our ecclesiastical historians concur in attributing the first building of a church on this site to the second century. After this the light of Christianity appears to have been obscured in the kingdoms of the Heptarchy till the sixth century. In the revival of Christianity at least, (whatever question may be raised upon the claims of priority with respect to its first introduction,) there is no doubt or dispute that St. Martin had the honour of taking the lead. In reference to the time, then, from which we have any certain or continued account of the history, public existence, and progress of the Church of Christ in this kingdom, St. Martin is undoubtedly to be called the first Christian church. "This venerable edifice," says a late industrious and able antiquarian* of Canterbury, whose unpretending, but valuable, remarks were published in a newspaper, and a few copies on a loose sheet, under the signature of Curo Cantuariensis,' " dedicated to St. Martin, and so justly celebrated in the early periods of Christianity, is situated on the brow of the hill, called after its name, a little beyond the south-east wall of St. Augustine's Abbey, at the distance of about three furlongs from the walls of the city of Canterbury, eastward from the road leading from thence to Sandwich, and is within the suburbs and liberty of the city. Historians mention it to have been built by the Christians of the Roman soldiery, about the year of our Lord 200, in the time of Lucius, the first Christian king; and speak of it as one of the oldest structures of that kind now in constant use in the kingdom. But this applies to the chancel only, which bears evident marks of high antiquity, both in regard to its workmanship and materials; the latter of which are composed chiefly of Roman or British bricks, placed in a regular order, in like manner as is observed in other buildings of the Romans in this island. The nave, or body of the church, and the square tower at the west end of it, are in a different style of workmanship from the chancel, and their materials composed of a variety of flint and other stones, irregularly thrown together, with the Roman brick interspersed, so as to carry the appearance of having been constructed long since the chancel, and

C. Bunce, Esq. These copies, I believe, have now become somewhat scarce; I am indebted for the one from which I make this extract to the kindness of a lady, who takes great interest in preserving documents and memorials illustrative of the antiquities of her native city.

principally with the materials of some decayed part of the original building; but as to the times when these more modern parts of the church were erected, history is silent.

"In the sixth century, and time of the Anglo-Saxons, Ethelbert, who had succeeded his father, Hermenric, in the kingdom of Kent, and was one of the most celebrated kings of the heptarchy, demanded in marriage Bertha, daughter of Cherebert, King of Paris, who was a princess of great mental and personal accomplishments, and, from her birth and inclinations, a Christian. Ethelbert being an idolator, objections were at first made to him on that account; but he, however, found means to remove every obstacle of that kind, by proposing to the princess, that she should bring with her ecclesiastics of her own persuasion, and enjoy the free exercise of her religion in the same manner as she had been accustomed to do. Upon these terms, Bertha came to England, accompanied by Luidhard, Bishop of Soissons, her Confessor, and was given in marriage to Ethelbert. Soon after which, by her affable and condescending demeanor, she so gained upon the King's affections, as to obtain a very great ascendency over him; and, possessing the most amiable qualities, the King's attention became entirely devoted to her, and he had all the value and love for her she could desire. In this situation, Bertha justly hoped to bring the King to have favourable thoughts of the Christian religion; and, with that view, took all occasions to display, in his presence, the gospel truths in the most forcible and affecting manner; in which the Queen was aided by Luidhard, who contributed much to her designs, so that, very shortly, Ethelbert was so far wrought upon, that, if he had not yet respect enough for the Christian religion to embrace it, at least he had not an aversion to the gospel, or those who professed it.

"At this fortunate conjuncture it was that Pope Gregory's missionaries, with Augustine as their chief abbot and leader, arrived in England from Rome, where they had sojourned with a design to instruct the English, who were then for the most part heathens, in the knowledge of the gospel; and having, in their way through France, provided themselves with interpreters, they arrived in the Isle of Thanet in the year of the Christian æra 596. Immediately after they were landed, Augustine dispatched a messenger to the King, intimating that he was come into his dominions, with a company of honest men, to bring him a message of the greatest importance, and instruct him in what would procure him everlasting happiness. Upon this information, Ethelbert ordered the missionaries to stay where they were; designing to go himself, and hear from their own mouths the occasion of their journey. Some few days after, the King went to the Isle of Thanet, in company with the Queen, and, on their arrival, the King seated himself in the open air; and, ordering the strangers to be called before him, he asked them what they had to propose, when Augustine, coming into the presence of the King, bearing a cross of silver, and the image of our Saviour in a picture, preached to him the gospel in an earnest and zealous manner. Ethelbert, being informed by the interpreters of what Augustine had said, returned him this answer: Your proposals are noble, and your promises inviting. But VOL. II.-Dec. 1832.

2 Y

I cannot resolve upon quitting the religion of my ancestors for one that appears to me supported only by the testimony of persons who are entire strangers to me; however, since I perceive you have undertaken so long a journey, on purpose to impart to us what you deem most important and valuable, you shall not be sent away without some satisfaction. I will take care you are treated civilly in my dominions, and supplied with all things necessary and convenient; and if any of my subjects, by what you shall say to them, desire to embrace your religion, I shall not be against it.' This first and great step being taken, the Queen obtained leave for the missionaries to settle at Canterbury, the capital of Kent; where she took care to provide them with convenient lodgings, and procured them the liberty of preaching to as many as might be desirous to hear them. Being thus favourably received and accommodated, the missionaries made so good use of their time, that shortly several of the principal Saxons embraced the Christian faith and were baptized. The swift progress of the gospel, at Canterbury, raised in Ethelbert a desire to be more particularly instructed in the nature of the religion those strangers preached; and, accordingly, he had frequent conferences with Augustine; the Queen being likewise importunate in her endeavours with the King to remove all his prejudices in favour of idolatry, and win him over to the principles of Christianity, her great leading object was at length carried, and Ethelbert became a Christian, and was baptized; it being then about a year after the coming of the missionaries into Britain. On the arrival of Bertha in England, Ethelbert allotted to the Queen this church in the neighbourhood of his city, then dedicated to the Virgin Mary; but, it having lain desolate upwards of a hundred years, Luidhard, by the King's order, caused it to be repaired and re-consecrated, and dedicated it anew to Saint Martin (who was Bishop of Tours, and died A. D. 395); and the Queen resorted to it for her devotions; as, with the leave of the King and Queen, did Augustine and his companions, on their first coming hither, who celebrated all the offices of their religion at this church."

The font of this church has particularly attracted the attention and admiration of the antiquarian. The peculiarity of its ornaments and construction at once invest it with the characters of remote antiquity, and with considerable architectural beauty. Whether we are to admit the statement of ecclesiastical antiquarians, that Ethelbert actually was baptized by the hand of Augustine in this very font, or not, the most unpractised observer will, at the first glance, attribute its origin to a very early period.

"From the very antique appearance of the font," observes Mr. Bunce, 66 now standing in the nave of that church, and its being of a Saxon construction, but of which little is said in the general history of the church, and nothing to shew when it was first placed there, it is not altogether improbable, nor is it too much to suppose that the ceremony of the King's baptism was performed at it. It is of a most curious fabrication, and much enriched with ornamental sculpture, consisting, says Mr. Hasted, in his History of Canterbury, of a cylindrical stone, of near two feet six inches high, and as much in diameter;