SELECTIONS FROM BEDE'S ECCLESIASTICAL

HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH PEOPLE

The chief source of our knowledge of the life of Bede is his own account of himself at the close of his Ecclesiastical History: 'I, Bede, the servant of God, and priest of the monastery of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul, which is at Wearmouth and Jarrow, being born in the territory of that same monastery, was given at seven years of age to be educated by the most reverend Abbot Benedict, and afterwards by Ceolfrith; and spending all the remaining time of my life in that monastery, I wholly applied myself to the study of Scripture, and, amidst the observance of regular discipline, and the daily care of singing in the church, I always took delight in learning, teaching, and writing.1 In the nineteenth year of my age, I received deacon's orders; in the thirtieth, those of the priesthood-both of them by the ministry of the most reverend Bishop John, and by order of the Abbot Ceolfrith. From which time till this fifty-ninth year of my age, I have made it my business, for the use of me and mine, to compile out of the works of the venerable Fathers, and to interpret and explain according to their meaning, these following pieces.' [A list of his works follows.] Bede apparently spent his entire youth and manhood at Jarrow, though it is not impossible that this quiet life was interrupted by a journey to Rome. For the story of his death, which probably occurred May 26, 735, see pp. 255 ff. An excellent account of him may be found in Plummer's edition of the Ecclesiastical History 1. ix-lxxix.

Benedict Biscop (? 628-690. Cf. pp. 243 ff.), above referred to, is noted as the founder and systematic governor of the Benedictine monasteries at Wearmouth (founded 674) and Jarrow (founded 682). He endowed these with an excellent library of patristic literature, much of which he had himself bought at Rome, and in the days of Bede Jarrow became one of the chief seats of learning in all Europe. It has been often pointed out that its 1 See Wordsworth, Eccl. Sonnets 23.

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situation contributed to produce its fame, for it sustained relations more or less intimate with the Celtic church in Northumbria, with the Gallic church, and with Canterbury (whence Bede may have obtained his acquaintance with the Greek language). Bede became the principal scholar of Jarrow, and through his influence the famous School of York was founded by Egbert, one of his pupils. At York the works of Bede were studied not only by English, but by Continental pupils. Finally by Alcuin (see pp. 260 ff.) their influence was transferred to the court-schools of Charlemagne.

The list of Bede's complete works is surprisingly large, including commentaries on the various books of the Old and New Testaments, homilies, lives of saints and abbots, a translation of the Gospel of St. John (now lost), sundry scientific works, and a history of the world, De Sex Etatibus Sæculi. The complete works of Bede may be consulted not only in Migne's Patrologia Latina (Vols. 90–95, Paris, 1844), but also in the edition of J. A. Giles, London, 1843-44.

The Ecclesiastical History of the English People is the most famous of Bede's works. It is divided into five books. The earlier chapters, descriptive of England and its history before the coming of Augustine, are based on previous Latin works, such as those of Orosius (see pp. 108 ff.), Eutropius, and Gildas. From 1. 23 on, the sources are more independent. Bede drew much from local annals, oral and written communication, and personal recollection. A tendency to sift evidence is noticeable here and there (cf. pp. 5 ff., 43, 64). The history closes with the year 731.

A translation of Bede's History into Old English was made by King Alfred, or by scholars working under his direction. For theories concerning its authorship, see Miller's edition (London, 1890-91), and Plummer's Life and Times of Alfred the Great (Oxford, 1902), chap. 6.

The original Latin text may be consulted in Plummer's edition (Oxford, 1896). An excellent edition of Books 3 and 4 has been made by Mayor and Lumby (3d ed., Cambridge, 1881). Moberly's edition (Oxford, 1869) is also valuable. Still worthy of honor is the splendid folio edition of Smith (Cambridge, 1722), containing both the Latin and the Old English, besides other historical works of Bede.

1. PREFACE

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.... 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 Hadrian, 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, 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 of the South Saxons, next adjoining to it, as also of the Isle of Wight. But how, by the pious ministry of Cedd and Chad, 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 Ledd + Chadd built by them, and is called Lastingham. What ecclesiastical 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 Esi. 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 Bishop Cynibert, 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 labored sincerely to commit to writing such things as I could gather from common report, for the instruction of posterity.

2. BEDE'S DESCRIPTION OF BRITAIN AND IRELAND

Bk. 1, chap. 1

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 eight hundred miles in length towards the north, and is two hundred miles in breadth, except where several promontories extend further in breadth, by which its compass is made to be 4875 miles. . . .

The island excels in fruits 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 waterfowl of various 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