Druidism and Christianity

I. DRUIDISM AND CHRISTIANITY. 

The first glimpse that history affords of the ancient Britons is of their religion under the Druid Priests. If, as tradition indicates, the immediate descendants of Noah emigrated to this country, it may be presumed that they brought with them the religion of the primitive Patriarchs, the main features of which were sacrifice and worship. Those features, debased and distorted, had helped to make Druidism a strong controlling power in Britain. When Julius Caesar landed in Kent he determined to overthrow the Druidical altars, which he deemed to be the main obstacle to his subjugation of the country. The Romans succeeded in uprooting Druidism, and although they do not appear to have considered it part of their mission to introduce any other religion in its place, they cleared the ground for the introduction of Christianity. 

The Church in the Roman Oval at Dover Castle is believed to be on the site, if not partly the actual fabric, of the Christian Church built during the Roman occupation — probably about the year i8o. Soon after the building of that Church, which is attributed to King Lucius, there commenced three centuries of heathen darkness, during which time that Church became a ruin. In the Sixth Century there came a revival of Christianity. Ethelbert, King of Kent, married Bertha, the Christian daughter of Charibert, King of the Prankish tribe ; and that opened the way for the Mission of St. Augustine in the year 597. About that time the Church in the Castle was restored ; but after the death of King Ethelbert, in 616, nis son, Eadbald, relapsed into idolatry. On that point the Chronicle of the Dover Monastery says: — " Of King Eadbald, son of Ethel- bert, who, after his baptism, returned to paganism, and sent away the Bishops and priests, many things may be found in the life of St. Mildred; and his re-conversion to the faith by Laurentius, the Archbishop, who enjoined him, for the remission of his sins, to rebuild the churches which he had destroyed, and cherish the clergy whom he had persecuted. That he settled Canons in the Castle may be conjectured from hence ; it was an ancient tradition that there were Canons in the Castle a hundred years, or more, and much time elapsed from the reign of this King to that of Withred, who removed the Canons to the Church of St. Martin in Dover; and as this King Eadbald, who had a long reign, was, after his repentance, constantly employed in repairing and building churches, it is highly probable that he endowed his Chapel, in the Castle, amongst the rest." In another part of the same Chronicle it is stated that it was by the advice of Archbishop Lawrence that he instituted the Canons in the Church at the Castle.