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Life of St Wilfrid
Eddius Stephanus, tr. Colgrave, 1927
26. How He Came to Friesland in His Voyage
On the contrary, however, our holy bishop, with a west wind blowing gently according to his wish, and with the vessels heading eastward, came after a prosperous voyage to Friesland with all his companions. There he found great crowds of heathen and was honourably received by Aldgisl their king. Immediately our holy prelate, with the consent of the king, preached the word of God daily to the people, telling them of the true God, the Almighty Father, Jesus Christ His only Son, and the Holy Spirit coeternal with them, and of one baptism for the remission of sins; he also taught them clearly about life everlasting after death in the resurrection. And he greatly confirmed all his teaching in the eyes of the pagans, for, at the time of their coming, the catch of fish was unusually large and the year was more than usually fruitful in every kind of produce. They attributed all this to the glory of the Lord whom the holy man of God had been preaching to them. So that year they accepted his teaching and with a few exceptions all the chiefs were baptized by him in the name of the Lord, as well as many thousands of common people. Like the Apostle he first laid the foundation of the faith there, and his son who was brought up at Ripon, Willibrord, bishop by the grace of God, is still building upon it, toiling very laboriously, and his reward awaits him in eternity.