to such extremities, mutilated and subdivided his authors to such a degree, and so encumbered his pages with references, stars, accents, and brackets, that it is doubtful whether the learned and laborious folio, which he superintended to its completion, will ever see the light of publication. It remains in the possession of the Master of the Rolls, a mighty storehouse of collations for all future editions of Gildas, Nennius, Bede, the Saxon Chronicle, Florence of Worcester, Henry of Huntingdon, &c., &c.

In 1830 appeared a small anonymous volume, entitled, Ancient History, English and French, exemplified in a regular dissection of the Saxon Chronicle, &c., &c., London, Hatchard, 1830; containing some lively dissertations in which much genius is displayed, unhappily not leading to clear or satisfactory results.

Such being the editions and translations already in existence, it became a serious question with the publisher and editor of the present volume, what would be the best plan to be pursued, in order that the work might be placed before the public in a form the best adapted to secure general approbation. As the result of this deliberation, it was judged expedient to take the edition of Petrie as a basis, because it was found to contain the most perfect collations of all the six existing manuscripts, and therefore to present a more complete text than any other printed volume. The style of the translation is as literal as the idiom of our language will allow.

But, as the edition of Mr. Petrie extends only to the year 1066, it has been necessary to form a text for the latter portion of the Chronicle from other sources. To effect this the translation of Miss Gurney, has, with the consent of that amiable lady, been taken as a ground-work, and numerous additions, variations, and notes, have been introduced by a collation of her text with that of Dr. Ingram.

As the result of these various modes, the public have now the advantage of reading the whole of this very interesting chronicle, not only in a perfect form, but even to an extent that might, perhaps, by some be deemed superfluous, with all the variations which can be gathered from all the manuscript copies now known to be in existence.

Bampton, Oxfordshire, July, 1847.

J. A. G.

THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY

OF THE

ENGLISH NATION.

BY VENERABLE BEDE.

BOOK I.

PREFACE.

To the most glorious king Ceolwulph,* Bede, the servant of Christ and Priest.

I FORMERLY, at your request, most readily transmitted to you the Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, which I had newly published, for you to read, and give it your approbation; and I now send it again to be transcribed, and more fully considered at your leisure. And I cannot but commend the sincerity and zeal, with which you not only diligently give ear to hear the words of the Holy Scripture, but also industriously take care to become acquainted with the actions and sayings of former men of renown, especially of our own nation. For if history relates good things of good men, the attentive hearer is excited to imitate that which is good; or if it mentions evil things of wicked persons, nevertheless the religious and pious hearer or reader, shunning that which is hurtful and perverse, is the more earnestly excited to perform those things which he knows to be good, and worthy of God. Of which you also being deeply sensible, are desirous that the said history should be more fully made familiar to yourself, and to those over whom

Ceolwulph king of Northumberland, not the king of Wessex, who reigned about A.D. 527; nor the king of Mercia, who reigned about A.D. 819.

B

1

the Divine Authority has appointed you governor, from your great regard to their general welfare. But to the end that I may remove all occasion of doubting what I have written, both from yourself and other readers or hearers of this history, I will take care briefly to intimate from what authors I chiefly learned the same.

My principal authority and aid in this work was the learned and reverend Abbot Albinus; who, educated in the Church of Canterbury by those venerable and learned men, Archbishop Theodore of blessed memory, and the Abbot Adrian, transmitted to me by Nothelm, the pious priest of the Church of London,* either in writing, or by word of mouth of the same Nothelm, all that he thought worthy of memory, that had been done in the province of Kent, or the adjacent parts, by the disciples of the blessed Pope Gregory, as he had learned the same either from written records, or the traditions of his ancestors. The same Nothelm, afterwards going to Rome, having, with leave of the present Pope Gregory,t searched into the archives of the holy Roman Church, found there some epistles of the blessed Pope Gregory, and other popes; and returning home, by the advice of the aforesaid most reverend father Albinus, brought them to me, to be inserted in my history. Thus, from the beginning of this volume to the time when the English nation received the faith of Christ, have we collected the writings of our predecessors, and from them gathered matter for our history; but from that time till the present, what was transacted in the Church of Canterbury, by the disciples of St. Gregory or their successors, and under what kings the same happened, has been conveyed to us by Nothelm through the industry of the aforesaid Abbot Albinus. They also partly informed me by what bishops and under what kings the provinces of the East and West Saxons, as also of the East Angles, and of the Northumbrians, received the faith of Christ. In short I was chiefly encouraged to undertake this work by the persuasions of the same Albinus. In like manner, Daniel, the most reverend Bishop of the West Saxons, who is still living, communicated to me in writing some things relating to the Ecclesiastical History of that province, and the next adjoin

Afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, A.D. 736.

+ Gregory the Third, who began to reign, A.D. 731.

ing to it of the South Saxons, as also of the Isle of Wight. But how, by the pious ministry of Cedd and Ceadda, the province of the Mercians was brought to the faith of Christ, which they knew not before, and how that of the East Saxons recovered the same, after having expelled it, and how those fathers lived and died, we learned from the brethren of the monastery, which was built by them, and is called Lastingham. What ecclesistical transactions took place in the province of the East Angles, was partly made known to us from the writings and tradition of our ancestors, and partly by relation of the most reverend Abbot Esius. What was done towards promoting the faith, and what was the sacerdotal succession in the province of Lindsey, we had either from the letters of the most reverend prelate Cunebert,* or by word of mouth from other persons of good credit. But what was done in the Church throughout the province of the Northumbrians, from the time when they received the faith of Christ till this present, I received not from any particular author, but by the faithful testimony of innumerable witnesses, who might know or remember the same; besides what I had of my own knowledge. Wherein it is to be observed, that what I have written concerning our most holy father, Bishop Cuthbert, either in this volume, or in my treatise on his life and actions, I partly took, and faithfully copied from what I found written of him by the brethren of the Church of Lindisfarne ;† but at the same time took care to add such things as I could myself have knowledge of by the faithful testimony of such as knew him, And I humbly entreat the reader, that if he shall in this that we have written find anything not delivered according to the truth, he will not impute the same to me, who, as the true rule of history requires, have laboured sincerely to commit to writing such things as I could gather from common report, for the instruction of posterity.

Moreover, I beseech all men who shall hear or read this history of our nation, that for my manifold infirmities both of mind and body, they will offer up frequent supplications

* Bishop of Sidnacester, the present see of Lincoln.

Lindisfarne, now called Holy Island, is situated on the north of Northumberland, in its southern extremity. Here stood a monastery in Bede's time, and it was for four centuries the seat of the present see of Durham.

to the throne of Grace. And I further pray, that in recompense for the labour wherewith I have recorded in the several countries and cities those events which were most worthy of note, and most grateful to the ears of their inhabitants, I may for my reward have the benefit of their pious prayers.

CHAP. 1.

Of the Situation of Britain and Ireland, and of their ancient inhabitants. BRITAIN, an island in the ocean,* formerly called Albion, is situated between the north and west, facing, though at a considerable distance, the coasts of Germany, France, and Spain, which form the greatest part of Europe. It extends 800 miles in length towards the north, and is 200 miles in breadth, except where several promontories extend further in breadth, by which its compass is made to be 3675 miles.† To the south, as you pass along the nearest shore of the Belgic Gaul, the first place in Britain which opens to the eye, is the city of Rutubi Portus, by the English corrupted into Reptacestir. The distance from hence across the sea to Gessoriacum, § the nearest shore of the Morini, is fifty miles, or as some writers say, 450 furlongs. On the back of the island, where it opens upon the boundless ocean, it has the islands called Orcades. Britain excels for grain and trees, and is well adapted for feeding cattle and beasts of burden. It also produces vines in some places, and has plenty of land and water-fowls of several sorts; it is remarkable also for rivers abounding in fish, and plentiful springs. It has the greatest plenty of salmon and eels; seals are also frequently taken, and dolphins, as also whales; besides many sorts of shell-fish, such as muscles, in which are often found excellent

* The expression, "an island in the ocean," seems to be used to distinguish Britain from the other islands known to the ancients, almost all of which were in the Mediterranean sea.

This total varies in different authors: some make it 4875. The first few pages of Bede are of not much value, being copied out of Pliny, Solinus, and other Roman authors. See the Appendix to my History of the Ancient Britons.