was easily touched and responded to such teach-
ings when brought into contact with them, and
thus from the start developed in isolation from the
stiffening and contracting influences which came to
dominate the Latin Church on the Continent gener-
ally. This learning of Ireland passed in turn in the
seventh century into Northumbria, the Anglo-Saxon
kingdom of North Britain. To the south, Gregory
the Great had sent the zealous monk Augustine
in 596 to evangelize Britain from Canterbury as a
centre. To the same place Theodore of Tarsus came
in 669, soon to become its first archbishop. This
strict and capable ecclesiastic succeeded in impress-
ing on the Anglo-Saxon Church the Roman disci-
pline and organization to a marked degree. But
though a determined promoter of papal influence,
he was yet a Greek by birth, and under his auspices
the study of Greek was introduced in Canterbury.
To the north the great twin monastery of Wear-
mouth and Yarrow had been founded and enriched
with books from Lerins and other continental mon-
asteries, and even from Rome itself. Benedict
Biscop ( 628-690), its noble founder, also became its
abbat. His greatest pupil was Bede ( 673-735),
who at the age of seven began his education under
Benedict and continued it under his successor,
Coelfrith. He there "enjoyed advantages which
could not perhaps have been found anywhere else
in Europe at the time; perfect access to all the
existing sources of learning in the West. Nowhere
else could he acquire at once the Irish, the Roman,

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