three winters of his age and three hundred and ninety-six winters since first his kin conquered the land of the WestSaxons from the Welsh.'

Sixty winters before Christ's incarnation, Gaius Julius the Emperor first of the Romans sought Briton-land; and crushed the Britons in battle and overcame them and nevertheless might not win a kingdom there.

[LAUD MS.]

THE island of Britain is eight hundred miles long and two hundred miles broad; and here in this island are five languages-English and British and Welsh and Scottish and Pictish and Book-Latin." The first inhabitants of this land were Britons; they came from Armenia3 and first settled in the south of Britain. Then it befel that the Picts came from the south from Scythia with long ships-not many-and first landed in North Ireland and there entreated the Scots that they might dwell there. But they would not permit them for they said that they might not all dwell there together. And

1 P omits the last sentence ("at the time . . . Welsh ") and continues-and held [the kingdom] a year and a half less than thirty winters. Then Edward, son of Alfred, succeeded thereto and held it twenty-four winters. When he died, Æthelstan his son succeeded to [the kingdom] and held it fourteen years and seven weeks and three days. Then Edmund his brother succeeded thereto and held [the kingdom] six and a half years save two nights. Then Eadred his brother succeeded thereto, and held it nine years and six weeks. Then Eadwig, son of king Edmund, succeeded to [the kingdom] and held it three years and thirtysix weeks save two days. When he died, Edgar his brother succeeded thereto and held [the kingdom] sixteen years and eight weeks and two nights. When he died, Edward, son of Edgar, succeeded thereto, and held . . . The writing stops at the beginning of a line; so that there never was any more of this preface.

2 Apparently six tongues are here enumerated; but possibly we are meant to understand only one language in "British and Welsh." MS. D has "English, Brito-Welsh, Scottish, Pictish, and Book-Latin.' It is noteworthy that the Laud MS.-from which the above introduction is taken—has the phrase Brito-Welsh a little lower down. F follows E but omits "Book-Latin."

3 Misreading of Bede's Armorica; cf. note.

then the Scots said-we may nevertheless give you counsel; we know another island here to the east where you may take up your abode if you will, and if anyone withstand you, we will help you so that you may subdue it. Then fared the Picts and subdued the northern part of this land; the southern part the Britons had as we said before. And the Picts obtained them wives from the Scots on the condition' that they always chose their royal race on the woman's side—which they held so long afterwards. And then it happened, after a course of years, that some deal of the Scots departed from Ireland into Britain and conquered some portion of the land. And their leader was called Reoda, from whom they are named Dalreodi.

2

Sixty winters ere Christ was born, Gaius Julius, emperor of the Romans, with eighty ships sought Britain. There he was at first distressed by a fierce battle and lost a great deal of his host. And then he left his host to abide among the Scots and departed into Gaul and there gathered six hundred ships with which he departed again into Britain. And as they first rushed together, the emperor's reeve was slain-he was named Labienus. Then the Welsh took great sharp piles and planted a certain river's ford entirely with them under the waterthat river was called Thames. When the Romans discovered this, they would not fare over the ford. Then the Brito-Welsh fled to the wood-fastnesses; and the emperor conquered very many of the chief towns after great struggles and departed again into Gaul.

Anno

3

I [A]. Octavianus reigned fifty-six winters; and in the forty-second year of his reign Christ was born.

2 [A]. The star-prophets came from the east for the purpose of worshipping Christ; and the children were

1 Agreement.-F.

2 This is an error, arising from inaccurately written MSS. of Bede; where "in Hibernia" occurs often for "in hiberna" (winterquarters).

3 Stakes.-D.

• Wood-wastes, i.e., wild forests.-D.

slain in Bethlehem because of the persecution of Christ by Herod.1

3 [A]. Here died Herod, having stabbed himself; and

Archelaus his son succeeded to the realm.

3 [F]. Here Herod died, and the child Christ was carried back from Egypt.

6 [A]. From the beginning of the world to this year five thousand and two hundred winters were completed.2

11 [A]. Here Herod, son of Antipater, succeeded to the realm in Judea.

12 [A]. Philip and Herod divided Lysia and Judea into

four realms.3

12 [E]. Philip and Herod divided Judea into four realms. 16 A Here Tiberius succeeded to the realm.

26 [E]. Here Pilate began to rule over the Jews.* 30 [A]. Here Christ was baptized and Peter and Andrew converted and James and John and Philip and the twelve Apostles.

33 [A]. Here Christ was hanged-from the beginning of the world about five thousand, two hundred and twenty-six winters.

34 [A]. Here was Paul converted and St. Stephen stoned.

35 [A]. Here the blessed Peter the apostle established the bishop's see in the city of Antioch.

38 [F]. Here Pilate slew himself with his own hand. 39 A Here Gaius succeeded to the realm.

40 [F. Matthew in Judea began to write his gospel. 45 [A]. Here the blessed Peter the apostle established the bishop's see in Rome."

45 [F]. Here James, brother of John, was slain by Herod.

1 E continues-and he died, having stabbed himself; and Archelaus his son succeeded to the realm.

2 Same annal entered under year 11 of MS. E.

3 Four tetrarchies.-F. This must rest on a misunderstanding of Luke iii; Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene being transferred into the county of Lycia.-Plummer.

4 Same annal entered under 27 A by a later hand.

5 Same annal under 44 F.

46 [A]. Here Herod died—he who slew James one year before his own death.

46 [F]. Here Claudius the emperor came to Britain and conquered a great deal of the island; and also the islands of Orkney he added to the dominion of the Romans.

47 [A]. Here Claudius, second of the kings of the Romans, sought Britain and brought under his power the most part of the island and also subjected the islands of Orkney to the kingdom of the Romans. This was in the fourth year of his reign, and in the same year was the great famine in Syria of which Luke tells in the book, Acts of the Apostles.

47 [E] Here Claudius, king of the Romans, departed with a host into Britain and subdued the island and subjected all the Picts and Welsh to the kingdom of the Romans. This war he waged in the fourth year of his reign. That year was the great famine in Syria which was foretold in the Acts of the Apostles by Agabus the prophet. Then Nero succeeded to the kingdom after Claudius, who nearly lost the island of Britain on account of his sloth.

47 [F]. Mark the Evangelist began to write his gospel in Egypt.

48 [F] In this year was a very severe famine. Here Nero began to reign.

49 [F].

50 F

62 A.

Here Paul was sent in bonds to Rome.

Here James, frater Domini,' suffered [martyrdom].

63 [A]. Here Mark the Evangelist died.

69 A Here Peter and Paul suffered [martyrdom]. 69 [F]. Here Peter suffered on the cross and Paul was slain (beheaded). .

70 [A]. Here Vespasian succeeded to the realm.

71 A A. Here Titus, son of Vespasian, slew one hundred and eleven thousand Jews in Jerusalem.

81 [A]. Here Titus succeeded to the realm-he who said that he lost the day on which he did no good.

1 Christ's brother.-F.

84 [A]. Here Domitian, brother of Titus, succeeded to the realm.

1

871 [A]. Here John the Evangelist wrote the book of Apocalypse on the island of Patmos.

3

992 [A]. Here Simon the Apostle was hanged, and John the Evangelist rested him in Ephesus.*

IOI [A]. Here Pope Clement died.

110 [A]. Here bishop Ignatius suffered [martyrdom]. 114 [E]. Alexander hic constituit aquam benedictam

fieri.

116 [F]. Here Adrian the emperor began to reign. 124 [E]. Sixtus papa hic constituit ymnum decantare. Scs. Scs. Scs. in officio missae.

134 [E]. Telesphorus papa hic constituit ymnum angelicum cantari Gloria in Excelsis Deo diebus festis. 155 [A]. Here Marcus Antoninus and Aurelius his brother succeeded to the realm.

5

167 [A]. Here Eleutherius succeeded to the bishopric in Rome and held it gloriously for fifteen winters. To him Lucius king of Britain sent letters praying that he might be made a Christian; and he fulfilled what he requested. And afterwards they continued in the right faith until the reign of Diocletian. 167 [E]. Here Eleutherius succeeded to the bishopric in Rome and held it worthily for fifteen winters. To him Lucius, king of the Brito-Welsh, sent men and prayed for baptism; and straightway he sent to him; and afterwards they continued in the right faith until the reign of Diocletian.

189 [A]. Here Severus succeeded to the realm and reigned seventeen winters. He surrounded Britain with a dike from sea to sea, and then ended his days at York; and Bassianus his son succeeded to the realm. 189 [E]. Here Severus succeeded to the realm and fared with a host into Britain and subdued a great part of the island by battle; and then for the protection of the Britons he wrought a wall of turf, and a rampart 1 Altered in MS. A from 83 and 84 respectively. 2 100 E. 3 Christ's kinsman.-F. 5 Viriliter regit.—F Lat.

On that day-add B, C.