After that bishop Wilfrid was expelled out of his diocesse and prouince of the Northumbers, he went to Rome, and returning from thence, came into the kingdome of the Southsaxons, the which conteining seuen thousand housholds or families, as yet was not [Sidenote:  Wilfrid by licence of king Edilwalke preacheth the gospel to them of Sussex.] conuerted to the christian faith.  Wherefore the said Wilfrid began there to preach the gospell with licence of king Edilwalke, who (as before is mentioned) was conuerted and baptised in Mercia by the procurement of king Wolfher, that then became his godfather, and gaue him at the same time the Ile of Wight, and the prouince of the people ancientlie called Meanuari, which he had woon from the Westsaxons.  Bishop Wilfrid then by king Edilwalke his furtherance and helpe baptised the chiefest lords and gentlemen of that prouince.  But certein priests baptised the residue of the people, either then or in the time following.

[Sidenote:  Lacke of raine.] ¶ It chanced that for the space of three yeeres (as it is said) before the comming thither of bishop Wilfrid, there had fallen no raine from the aire within that prouince of the Southsaxons, so that the people were brought into great miserie by reson of famine, which through want of necessarie fruits of the earth sore afflicted the whole countrie, insomuch that no small numbers threw themselues hedlong into the sea, despairing of life in such lacke of necessarie vittels.  But as God would, the same day that Wilfrid began to minister the sacrament of baptisme, there came downe sweet and plentifull showers of raine, so watering the earth, that thereby great store of all fruits plentifullie tooke root, and yeelded full increase in growth, to the great comfort and reliefe of all the people, which before were in maner starued and lost through want of food.

[Sidenote:  Catching of fish with nets.] Bishop Wilfrid also taught them in that countrie the maner how to catch fish with nets, where before that time, they had no great skill in anie kind of fishing, except it were in catching eeles.  Hereby the said bishop grew there in great estimation with the people, so that his words were the better credited amongst them, for that through him they receiued so great benefits, God by such meanes working in the peoples hearts a desire to come to the vnderstanding of his lawes.  The king also gaue vnto Wilfrid a place called Sealesew, compassed about on each side (except on the west halfe) with the sea, conteining 87 housholds or families, where he built an abbeie, and baptised all his tenants there, amounting to the number of 250 bondmen and [Sidenote:  Bondmen made trulie free.] bondwomen, whome he made free both in bodie and soule:  for he did not onelie baptise them, but also infranchised them of all bodilie seruitude and bondage.