[Sidenote:  Beda lib. 3. ca. 7.  Birinus conuerteth the Westsaxons to the christian faith.] About the same time, the Westsaxons were conuerted to the christian faith, by the preaching of one Birinus a bishop, who came into this land at the exhortation of pope Honorius, to set foorth the gospell vnto those people which as yet were not baptised.  By whose diligent [Sidenote:  Kinigils king of Westsaxon becommeth a christian. Polydor.] trauell in the Lords haruest, Kingils or Kinigils, one of the kings of that countrie receiued the faith, and was baptised about the fiue & twentith yeere of his reigne.  K. Oswald that should haue had his daughter in mariage, was present the same time, who first yer he became a sonne in law, was made a godfather vnto Kinigils (that should be his father in law) by receiuing him at the fontstone, in that his second birth of regeneration.  To this Birinus, who was an Italian, king Kinigils (now that he was become a conuert or christian) [Sidenote:  Dorcester ordeined a bishops see.] appointed and assigned the citie of Dorcester, situat by the Thames, distant from Oxford about seuen miles, to be the see of his bishoprike, where he procured churches to be built, and by his earnest trauell & setting foorth the woord of life, conuerted much people to the right beliefe.  In the yeere following, Quichelmus the other king of the Westsaxons, and sonne to Kinigils was also christened, and died the same yeere, and so Cinigilsus or Kinigils reigned alone.

[Sidenote:  Henr.  Hunt.] In this meane while Penda king of Mercia that succeeded next after [Sidenote:  This chanced in the yeere 620, as Matth.  West. saith.] Ciarlus, being a man giuen to seeke trouble in one place or other, leauied warre against the kings of Westsaxon, Kinigils and Quichelmus, the which gathering their power, gaue him battell at Cirenchester, where both the parties fought it out to the vttermost, as though they had forsworne to giue place one to another, insomuch that they continued in fight and making of cruell slaughter till the night parted them in sunder.  And in the morning, when they saw that if they shuld buckle togither againe, the one part should vtterlie destroie the other, they fell to agreement in moderating ech others demands.

[Sidenote:  640. Beda lib. 3. cap. 7. Matth.  West.] After this, in the yeere of our Lord 640, Eadbald king of Kent departed this life, after he had reigned 24 yeeres, leauing his kingdome to his sonne Ercombert.  This Ercombert was the first of the English kings, which tooke order for the vtter destroieng of all idols [Sidenote:  Lent first ordeined to be kept in England.] throughout his whole kingdome.  He also by his roiall authoritie commanded the fast of fortie daies in the Lent season to be kept and obserued, appointing woorthie and competent punishment against the [Sidenote:  Segburga.  Aimoinus.] transgressors of that commandement.  He had by his wife Segburga, that was daughter vnto Anna king