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CONVERSION OF PEADA. 39
Roman practice was urgently pressed upon Finan,
chiefly by an ecclesiastic named Ronan, of Scottish
birth, but who had been trained in either Gaul or
Italy. Finan was a man of stern and unyielding
temper, and refused to recognise the arguments so
pertinaciously forced upon him, though backed by
the authority of James the Deacon, the venerable
representative of Paulinus' teaching. But nothing
carried conviction to Finan's mind, and for the
remainder of his lifetime the contest about Easter
was unrenewed. It will shortly meet us again.
An interesting conversion took place during I'inan's
episcopate. Penda, the old pagan tyrant, had a son
called Peada, to whom his father had committed the
rule of the Mid-Angles. Peada sought an alliance
with Alchfled, Oswy's daughter. His suit was
rejected, just as Edwin's had been by Eadbald, and
for the same reason. But Peada had acquired some
knowledge of Christianity from Alchfrid, Oswy's son,
who had married Kyniberga, Peada's sister, and he
announced that even though the maiden's hand were
refused him, he should still embrace the faith of
Christ. He was accordingly baptised by Finan in
that "famous royal town," as Bede calls it, "called
'
At the Wall.' " This was probably Newcasde. All
his followers were baptised with him, and when he
took his homeward journey, Finan sent along with
him four priests, Cedd, Addi, Betti, and Diuma, by
name, to commence a mission work amongst the
people whom Peada ruled. " They preached the
word amongst them," says Bede, " and were willingly
heard." Multitudes renounced their idols and were