A.D. 673. A COUNCIL CONTENED AT HERTFORD. 315 A.D . 669. The emperor Constane was most wickedly murdered in a bath by his servants. And after his death the soldiers took an Armenian of the name of Mezentius, and made him emperor. But a few days afterwards, Constantine, the son of the deceased Constane, coming up with his friends, condemned the before-named Mezentius and the assassins of his father to a terrible death. About this time the false prophet Mahomet, of whom we have spoken before, died, and was buried in Hell.1 A.D. 670. Deodatus was elected pope, and occupied the Roman chair four years, two months, and five days, and the see was vacant four months and fifteen days. The same year, Conetantinus, the son of Constane, obtained the empire of Rome, and reigned seventeen years. He restored the churches which had been destroyed ever since the time of Heraclius, his great grandfather, and endeavoured to extirpate the heresy of the Monothelites, and to put down its favourers. The same year, Oswy,' the noble king of Northumberland, died, worn out with sickness and old age, and was buried in the church at & tremai) ale, where king Edwin had been buried before, and his son, Egfrid, became king in his stead, and reigned fifteen years. · But Oswy was the son of Ethelfrid, who was the son of Ethelric, who was the son of Ida, the first king of Northumberland, of the nation of the Angles. A.D . 671. There was a great battle of birds in England, so that many thousands were found slain, and the foreign birds seemed to be leaving the kingdom. A.D . 672. Kiniwalc, king of the West Saxons, died, when he had reigned thirty-one years, and his wife Sexburga reigned in his stead, and reigned one year ; but as the nobles of the kingdom were indignant, she was expelled from the kingdom, as they would not serve under a female commander. A.D. 673. While Lothaire was king of Kent, and Eascwino king of West Saxony, Theodore, archbishop of Canterbury, convened a council at Hertford of all the bishops and kings and nobles of England who were present in the island. The archbishop of York, Wilfrid, was present, and Bosa, bishop of the East Angles, and Leutherius, bishop of the West Saxons, and Putta, bishop of Rochester, and Winfrid, bishop of Mercia. And when they were all seated, Theodore proposed before j The real date of the death of Mahomet is June 7th, A.D. 632, in his aixty-third year ; the date of the H egira is A.D. 622.—GIBBON, ch. L