the Saxon mole of computation this system of chronology was implicitly followed. We mention this circumstance, however, not with a view of settling the point of difference, which would not be easy, but merely to account for those variations observable in different MSS.; which arose, not only from the common mistakes or inadvertencies of transcribers, but from the liberty, which the original writers themselves sometimes assumed in this country, of computing the current year according to their own ephemeral or local custom. Some began with the incarnation or Nativity of Christ; some with the Circumcision, which accords with the solar year of the Romans as now restored; whilst others commenced with the Annunciation; a custom which became very prevalent in honour of the Virgin Mary, and was not formally abolished here till the year 1752; when the Gregorian calendar, commonly called the New Style, was substituted by Act of Parliament for the Dionysian. This diversity of computation would alone occasion some confusion; but in addition to this, the INDICTION, or cycle of fifteen years, which is mentioned in the latter part of the Saxon Chronicle, was carried back three years before the vulgar era, and commenced in different places at four different periods of the year! But it is very remarkable that, whatever was the commencement of the year in the early part of the Saxon Chronicle, in the latter part the year invariably opens with Midwinter-day or the Nativity. Gervase of Canterbury, whose Latin Chronicle ends in 1199, the era of legal memory, had formed a design, as he tells us, of regulating his chronology, by the Annunciation ; but from an honest fear of falsifying dates he abandoned his first intention, and acquiesced in the practice of his predecessors; who for the most part, he says, began the new year with the Nativity."* Let us now see what has been done by previous editors and translators of this valuable national document. Gerard Langbaine was the first who entertained thoughts of publishing this Chronicle; but he relinquished his design, as appears from his papers in the Bodleian library, becausc Wheloc had anticipated him. The first edition therefore of the original text of this • “Vid. Prol. in Chron. Gervas. ap. X. Script. p. 1338.” work is due to Wheloc, professor of Arabic at Cambridge. His work entitled Chronologia Anglo-Saxonica, [A.D. 1644], occupying about sixty folio pages, forms a supplement to his edition of Bede's Ecclesiastical History. But as Wheloc had the use of only the Bennet or Plegmund MS. [No. 1 in our summary of the MSS.], and of an original, now lost, or which our No. 7, the Dublin transcript, is supposed to be a copy, it is manifest that the editor had no opportunity of inserting those parts of the Chronicle-forming about one half of the whole-which do not occur in those two manuscripts. Forty-eight years after Wheloc, Gibson, a young man of Queen's College, Oxford, and afterwards bishop of London, published a more complete edition of the Chronicle, for which he used three additional MSS. which had come into notice since the time of Wheloc. More than 120 years passed before this historical record again attracted the notice of the public, or the labours of an editor. It was then translated into English throughout from the text of Gibson by a learned lady still living, Miss Gurney; to whom, both my enterprising publisher and myself are largely indebted for her kindness in facilitating the present edition, and to whom we gladly take this opportunity of acknowledging the debt. Miss Gurney's translation was printed for private circulation, and did not receive the final polish of the fair translator, who was deterred from bestowing further labour upon a work which was shortly to be undertaken by one of our ablest antiquaries. In 1823 appeared an edition of the Saxon Chronicle by Dr. Ingram, now President of Trinity College, accompanied with an English translation, a map of Saxon-England, coins of the Saxon kings, &c., &c. At the same time that this learned work made its appearance, it was understood that the late Mr. Petrie, keeper of the records in the Tower, was devoting his laborious attention to prepare the Chronicle for publication at the expense of the Record Commission. Accuracy and laborious research were shining features in the literary character of Petrie : but he was less remarkable for discriminating how far an author's text may be illustrated without being overlaid by various readings, and he carried his mode of arrangement 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, whe reigned about A.D. 527; nor the king of Mercia, who reigned about A.D. 819. B 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,† 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 prede. cessors, 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. |