matter on which critics are still divided; but, upon the whole the evidence goes largely to prove that to him indeed we owe the inception of this great idea. From his day onwards we do find that in many parts of England such a chronicle of current events was kept by more than one of the greater abbeys, and that all are from a common exemplar dating from his reign. This Chronicle forms the foundation on which every one of our earlier historians has built, and it only ceased to be compiled when the wonderful galaxy of such historians which shone out in the twelfth century seemed to render its continuance superfluous. The latest entry in any surviving copy is that of 1154, just about the time when Gaimar was writing on Alfred, to tell how he had begun the work: 'Il fist escrivere un livre Engleis, Des aventures, e des leis, E de batailles de la terre, E des reis ki firent la guere.' [Made he write an English book, Of adventures and of law, And of battles in the land, And of kings who wagèd war.] § 10. Alfred's edition of the Pastoral Care of St. Gregory and his 'Flowrets from St. Augustine' are chiefly noteworthy for the prefaces which he has prefixed to them. The latter consists of a series of extracts, mostly from the saint's 'Soliloquies,' a work compared by Alfred to a wood full of goodly trees, from amid which he cut beams and joists and planks--yea, and helves to haft my tools withal,' for the building of a palace for his soul. In every tree saw I something needful for my home. Therefore rede I every man that can ... that he fare to that same wood to fetch more for himself. . . and build therewith many a comely house, and thereby may dwell merrily and softly, so as I yet have not done. But He Who taught me, He to Whom this wood was dear, He may make me to dwell softer in this shifting cot. while that I am in this world, and eke in the everlasting home 1 Line 3451. which He hath promised us by St. Augustine and St. Gregory and St. Jerome and many another holy Father. Yea, and I trow that, through the merits of all these, He will both make this my path here smoother than heretofore, and chiefly that he will enlighten the eyes of my mind, that I may seek out the rightwise road to the everlasting home and the everlasting glory which, through these holy Fathers, is promised unto us. So be it.' . . . § II. No wonder is it, though men swink in their timberworking and in their building. Yet would every man, when he has built him a cot on his lord's lease, fain sometimes rest him therein, and hunt, and fowl, and fish, and use it all ways according to the lease, until the day that he may earn bookland' and perpetual holding, through his lord's grace. Even so may the great Giver, Whose are both these shifting cots and the everlasting homes, Who shaped both and wieldeth both,— may He grant me that I be meet for each, both here to be useful and thither to come.' 12. The preface to Gregory's 'Pastoral Care' is better known. Alfred begins by lamenting the decline of education in England through the Danish wars. 'What wise men of old were there in Angle-kin . . . and how happy were then the times. How earnest were the religious . . . and how did outland men then seek wisdom and learning in this land! And now we must get these from without if we would have them. So clean was learning fallen off among English folk, that few there were on this side Humber that could understand the Service in English, or even turn an errand-writing from Latin into English. And not many were there, I ween, beyond Humber. So few they were that I cannot bethink me of so much as one south of Thames, when first I took the kingdom. 'Then I minded me how I saw, ere all was wasted and burnt, how the churches throughout all Angle-kin stood filled with hoard and books, and eke a great press of God's ministers. 1 I.e. copyhold. Yet full little fruit wist they of those books, for that they were not written in their own land-speech. § 13. Then wondered I greatly of those good and wise men of old, who had well learnt all those books, that they were not fain to turn them into their own land-speech. Yet soon did I answer myself, and said, "They weened not that ever would men become so reckless, and our learning so fall off; . . . and of set purpose did they let this alone, weening there should be the more wisdom in the land the more tongues we knew." § 14. Then did I mind me how the Law was first found in the Hebrew tongue, and how, when the Greeks had learnt it, then did they turn it all into their tongue, and eke all the other books. And the Latins again, in like manner, when they had learnt it, turned it all into their own tongue. And likewise have all other Christian folk turned some part to their own speech. § 15. 'Wherefore I think it meet . . . that we, too, should turn some books, which are most needful for all . . . into that tongue we all do know; and so bring it to pass (as well we may, by God's help, if we have rest), that every youth that now is in Angle-kin, of free men and men of wealth to seek to such things, may be given over to teachers, while they have no strength for other work, till such time as they may know well to read English writing. After, let men further teach them. Latin, those whom they would bring forward to a higher class § 16. And he ends by commending this book-'in Latin Pastoralis, and in English the "Hinds-book,”—to each of his Bishops, to be kept in the minster. For we know not how long there may be such learned Bishops, as now, thank God, there be everywhere. Therefore would I that the books be always in their place, save only the Bishop have them with him, or they be lent that others be written by them.' Then he breaks into song: This errand-writing Bring from the southward As him afore-time [This ærendgewrit Ofer sealtne sæ Suthan brohte legbuendum. Swæ him ærfore Adihtode Dryhtnes cempa § 17. Alfred adds that he sends with each copy of this 'Liber Pastoralis' an 'astel,' worth 50 'mancuses' (= £7 10s), which in God's Name, he forbids to be taken from the book. The word astilla in Low Latin means splinter; so that these æstels were probably pointers to assist reading, akin to those supplied to day in the Bodleian Library for the use of MSS. students. The price (equivalent to some £250 in modern currency) shows the material and workmanship to have been exceedingly rich. It is highly probable that we have the handle of one of these æstels in the Alfred Jewel' (see p. 33); the shape of which is clearly adapted for holding in the hand, while the open end is as clearly designed for the insertion of some small pointer of wood, horn, bone, or ivory. § 18. Nor must we pass over the fact that Alfred supplied chapter-headings and prefixed tables of contents to each of his authors, an improvement hitherto unheard of in literary work, which, simple as it seems now to us, betokened, in its first conception, no small literary genius. CHAPTER XI. Alfred and Rome-Alms to Jerusalem and India-Home charities-Alfred's devotional life-His lantern. § I. OF F Alfred's early devotion to Rome we have already spoken; and through life the Eternal City and its ruler remained special objects of his veneration. Year by year, even in the most troublous times, special envoys passed between him and the Sovereign Pontiff, carrying 'the alms of the West Saxons and King Alfred,' to Rome, and returning with special blessings and privileges and holy relics, including a portion of the True Cross sent by Pope Marinus. So regular were these embassies that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle finds it worth while to note as its sole entry for 889: 'This year was there no errand to Rome, save that King Alfred sent thither two runners with letters.' 2 , 1 § 2. Yet while thus devoted to the Holy See, Alfred's Christian sympathies were not bounded by the horizon of Rome. He established like communication with more distant Christian communities, 'in the Tyrrhenian [Mediterranean] sea to the utmost bounds of Iberia.' He interchanged letters and presents with the Patriarch of Jerusalem; and in 883, as a signal mark of gratitude to God for the Peace of Wedmore, even sent alms to the Christian churches of India which claim to have been founded by St. Thomas. 'And there, thanks be to God, full largely gained they the end of their prayer, even after their vow to St. Thomas and St. Bartholomew,' 'when they sat down against the foeman's host wintered in London's [881]. The envoys brought back 'many a strange and brilliant jewel, and of the aromatic juice [? sugar] wherein that land aboundeth." 1 See note there. 2 Asser, § 114. 4 William of Malmesbury, § 122. 3 A.S. Chronicle. |