Chapter XXX: Book V (6)
Tobias, Bishop of Rochester, disciple of Theodore and Hadrian, xxxi, 314,
316, 377, 387;
account of, 316 n.;
his learning, 377;
death, 316 n., 377;
burial, 377, 378.
Toledo, Council of, 256 n.
Tomene, or Tomianus, Abbot and Bishop of Armagh, 128, 129 n.
Tondbert, first husband of Ethelthryth, 259, 266 n.
Tondhere, Oswin’s thegn, 164.
Tonsure, the, 85 n., 201, 214, 215, 370-373, 386.
Tours, 141 n., 259;
battle of, 378 n.
Tours, Bishop of, _see_ Martin.
Torksey, 123 n.
Tortgyth, a nun of Barking, 235, 236, 237.
Torthere, Bishop of Hereford, 380 n.
Tovecester, or Towcester, 268 n.
Trajectum, _see_ Wiltaburg.
Trent, The River, 45, 115 n., 123;
the battle of the, xxix, 267, 268.
Trèves, or the Treveri, 40, 324 n.
Trèves, Bishop of, _see_ Severus.
Trinity, Invocation of the, xxxiv, 87 n.
Trinovantes, 10.
Tripolis, 12.
Troyes, Bishop of, _see_ Lupus.
Trumbert, one of Bede’s teachers, his account of Ceadda, xxxv, 222, 223.
Trumhere, Abbot of Gilling, Bishop of Mid-Anglia and Mercia, 181, 191,
192, 212.
Trumwine, Bishop of the Picts, xxix, 244;
account of, 244 n.;
retires to Whitby, 244 n., 286;
assists Elfled with his counsels, 287;
at the Synod of Twyford, 292;
death and burial at Whitby, 286.
Tuam, Archbishopric of, 226 n.
Tuda, Bishop of Lindisfarne after Colman, 201;
dies of the Plague, 204, 206, 350 n.;
buried at Paegnalaech, 204.
Tunbert, Abbot of Gilling, Bishop of Hexham, 244;
appointed and deposed by Theodore, 244, 293.
Tunna, Abbot of Tunnacaestir, his prayers miraculously release his brother
Imma, 268, 269, 270.
Tunnacaestir, 268.
Tweed, The River (“Tuidi flumen”), 202 n., 288, 326.
Twickenham, 239 n.
Twyford, Adtuifyrdi, or At the Two Fords, Synod at, 292.
Tyne, The River, 13 n., 82 n., 136 n., 303, 309, 359.
Tynemouth, Monasteries at, 309.
Tynemouth, Abbot of, _see_ Herebald.
Tyrhtel, Bishop of Hereford, 380 n.
Tytilus, father of Redwald, King of East Anglia, 121.
Ulster, 8 n.
“Ulster, the Annals of,” editorial references to, 225 n., 385 n.
Ultan, a hermit, Abbot of Fosse and Péronne, brother of Fursa, 177.
Undalum, _see_ Oundle.
Urbs Giudi, 23 n.
Urbs Iudeu, 23 n.
Utrecht, 320 n., 324 n.
Utrecht, Archbishop of, _see_ Wilbrord.
Utta, Abbot of Gateshead, 166, 180;
sent to fetch Eanfled from Kent, 166, 167;
calms a storm with oil, 167.
Uuffa, grandfather of Redwald, King of East Anglia, 121.
Uuffings, _i.e._, Kings of East Anglia, 121.
Uurtigern, _see_ Vortigern.
Vaeclingacaestir, _see_ St. Albans.
Valens, Emperor, 20.
Valentinian II, Emperor, 20;
expelled from Italy, 20;
restored, 20;
kills Maximus, 20.
Valentinian III, Emperor, 29, 383;
murders Aetius, 27 n., 41;
murdered, 41.
Valerian, Emperor, 388 n.
Vandals, the, 22.
Vecta, 30.
Venantius Fortunatus, _see_ Fortunatus.
Venta, _see_ Winchester.
Vergil, quoted, 113, 118, 159, 286, 327.
Vergilius, Archbishop of Arles, 49 n., 54, 55, 63, 64.
Verlamacaestir, or Verulam, _see_ St. Albans.
Vespasian conquers the Isle of Wight, 11.
Vestments, Ecclesiastical, 65.
Viaticum, the, 249 n., 275, 280.
Victgilsus, Father of Hengist and Horsa, 30.
Victorinus, St., 99 n.
Victorius, or Victorinus of Aquitaine, his Paschal Cycle, 369 n.
Vienne, 22.
Vines in Britain, 5;
in Ireland, 9.
Virgil, _see_ Vergil.
Virginity, poem in honour of, 264, 265, 266, 267;
Aldhelm’s work on, 237 n., 344.
Visions, xxx, 248, 249, 250, 332, 333, 334, 335, 336;
seen by Adamnan, 281, 282, 283, 284;
by Begu, 275, 276;
by a nun at Whitby, 277;
by Bregusuid, 274;
by Caedmon, 278, 279;
by Drythelm, 325-331;
at Barking, 232-237;
by Earcongota, 152, 153;
by Edwin, 112, 113, 114;
by a disciple of Boisil, 224, 317, 318, 319;
by Fursa, 173-177;
by Sebbi, 239;
by Theodore, 314;
by Tilmon, 322;
by Wilfrid, 355.
Vitalian, Pope, xxvii, 2 n., 216;
his letter to Oswy, 208, 209, 210, 211;
seeks a suitable Archbishop for Canterbury, 213, 214;
ordains Theodore, 215;
sends Theodore and Hadrian to Britain, 357.
Vitta, 30.
Voyage Provision, _i.e._, the Viaticum, 249, 275.
Vortigern, or Uurtigern, King of Britain, calls in the Saxons, 29, 95.
Vulgate, the, quoted, 80, 107, 174, 209, 282, 361-372.
Wagele, perhaps Whalley, 204 n.
Wahlstod, Bishop of Hereford, 379 n., 380.
Walbottle, 180 n.
Waldhere, Bishop of London, 239.
Wales, 33 n.
Wall, At the, 180, 182.
Walls, Roman, 12, 13, 24, 25, 26, 183.
Wallsend-on-Tyne, 25 n.
Walton, near Newcastle, 180 n.
Wantsum, the River, 45.
Wash, the, 3.
Watling Street, 18 n., 120 n.
Watton, Betendune, or Wetadun, Monastery of, 305.
Watton, Abbess of, _see_ Heriburg.
Welsh, The, 7 n., 336 n.
Wear, The River, 271, 359.
Wearmouth and Jarrow, Monastery, of, xxiii, xxx, xxxiii, xxxiv, xxxv, 137
n., 167, 177, 257, 284, 359;
its library, xxxv.
Wearmouth and Jarrow, Abbot of, _see_ Benedict, Ceolfrid, Cuthbert,
Huaetbert.
Went, the River, 189 n.
Wergild, the, 267.
Wessex, History of, xxix, xxx, 3, 45, 84, 96, 97, 147, 148, 179, 191 n.,
206, 241, 245 n., 247 n., 251, 336 n., 342, 344, 352 n., 380,
392 n.;
diocese of, xxx, 3 n., 149, 150, 251, 342, 343, 344, 345, 350, 379 n.,
380.
Wessex, King of, _see_ Aescwine, Caedwalla, Caelin, Centwine, Coinwalch,
Cuichelm, Cuthred, Cynegils, Cyniwulf, Edilhart, Ini.
Wessex, Bishop of, _see_ Agilbert, Birinus, Daniel, Haedde, Leutherius,
Wini.
Westphalia, 317 n.
West Saxons, called Gewissae or Gewissi, 30, 96, 147, 148;
history and province of, _see_ Wessex.
Wetadun, _see_ Watton.
Whales in Britain, 5.
Whalley, 204 n.
Wharfe, The River, 271 n.
Whelock, Abraham, his edition of the “Ecclesiastical History,” xix.
Whitby, Bay of the Lighthouse or Streanaeshalch, xxix, 195, 275 n., 349
n.;
monastery of, built by Hilda, 190, 243 n., 244 n., 270, 272-281, 286,
306 n., 385;
Synod of, xxvii, xxviii, 84 n., 194 n., 195, 196-201, 350 n.
Whitby, Abbess of, _see_ Eanfled, Elfled, Hilda.
Whitby, a monk of, editorial references to his “Life of Gregory,” 75 n.,
190 n.
Whitern or White House, 141, 244 n.;
diocese of, 381 n.
Whitern, Bishop of, _see_ Frithwald, Ninian, Pechthelm.
Whitsuntide, xli n., 206.
Whittingham, 292 n.
Wicklow, 92 n.
Wictbert, Irish hermit, his unsuccessful mission to Frisland, 319, 320,
323 n.
Wictred, King of Kent, son of Egbert, xxix, xxxi, 287, 315, 316 n.;
his sons, 377;
death, 377, 386.
Wighard, a disciple of Gregory’s, sent to Rome to be ordained Archbishop,
dies there, xxvii, 208, 210, 211, 213.
Wight, Isle of, history, xxix, 3, 11, 30, 245, 252, 253;
Christianity introduced into, 252, 253;
described, 253;
bishopric of, 380.
Wight, the Isle of, King of, _see_ Arwald.
Wigton Bay, 141 n.
Wilbert, a boy to whom Bede dictates the last sentences of his
translations, xliii.
Wilbrord, Missionary, Archbishop of Frisland, xxx, 143 n., 161, 319 n.;
account of, 161 n., 320 n.;
at Rome, 323;
his mission to Frisland, 320, 321 n., 323, 351, 375 n.;
destroys idols and kills the sacred cattle of Fosite, 323;
his consecration, 324;
given the name of Clement in religion, 324;
his see at Utrecht, 324;
his monastery near Trèves, 324 n.;
calendar said to contain an entry by him, 324 n.;
builds St. Saviour’s, and rebuilds St. Martin’s Church, Utrecht, 324 n.;
date of his death, 325 n.;
“Life of,” _see_ Alcuin.
Wilfaraesdun or Wilfar’s Hill, 164.
Wilfrid, St., Bishop, xxx, 137 n., 161, 163 n., 227, 257 n., 343 n.;
account of his life and character, 347-357;
his birth and family, 347 n.;
educated at Lindisfarne, 347;
sent to the Court of Oswy, 347 n.;
to Lindisfarne, 347;
resolves to go to Rome, 347;
assisted by Queen Eanfled, 347, 348;
starts with Benedict Biscop, 348;
detained at Lyons by Annemundus, 348;
in Rome, 348, 349;
on his way home stays at Lyons, 349;
his fidelity to Annemundus, 349;
wins the friendship of Alchfrid, 194, 350;
given land at Stanford, 350;
made Abbot of Ripon, 194, 350, 351 n.;
at the Whitby Synod, xxvii, 195-200, 217 n.;
made Bishop of Northumbria, xxvii, 218, 219, 350, 351, 384;
consecrated in Gaul by Agilbert, 206, 218, 350;
superseded by Ceadda, xxvii, 207 n., 351;
returns to Britain, 351;
shipwrecked on the coast of Sussex, 351 n.;
discharges episcopal functions for Mercia and Kent, 218, 219 n., 351 n.;
restored by Theodore, 351;
his relations with Ethelthryth, 242 n., 260, 262;
his relations with Theodore, 228 n., 229 n., 231 n., 244 n., 353 n.;
represented at Hertford by proxy, 228;
his Catholic teaching, xxvii, 208, 217;
invites Eddi from Kent to teach church singing, 217;
expelled from his see by Egfrid, 242, 243 n., 244, 245, 267 n., 351,
385;
foretells the battle of the Trent, 267 n.;
demands an explanation from the King and Archbishop, 242 n.;
goes to Rome to plead his cause, 243 n., 245, 351;
Ebroin’s plot against his life, 192 n., 351 n.;
on his way to Rome driven by the wind to Frisland, 351;
visits Dagobert II of Austrasia, and Perctarit, King of the Lombards,
351 n.;
acquitted by Agatho and the Lateran Council, 352;
his confession of faith on behalf of the English Church, 254 n., 352;
returns to Britain, 352, accused of bribery, 352 n.;
imprisoned at Bromnis, 352 n.;
at Dunbar, 352 n.;
released at Aebba’s request, 260 n., 352 n.;
takes refuge in Mercia, 267 n., 323, 352 n.;
expelled from Mercia, 267 n., 352 n.;
converts the South Saxons and the Isle of Wight, 179 n., 245-248, 252,
352, 353;
founds the Monastery of Selsey, 247, 345;
his restoration to York, Hexham, and Ripon, 243 n., 247 n., 296, 353 n.,
356 n.;
administers Lindisfarne, 296;
his second expulsion, 274 n., 296 n., 323, 353;
second sojourn in Mercia, 353 n.;
consecrates Oftfor, 274;
consecrates Suidbert, 323;
excommunicated by the Council of Ouestraefelda, 353 n.;
second visit to Frisland, 161;
again goes to Rome to plead his cause, 353;
acquitted by Pope John and the Council, 353, 354;
taken ill at Meaux on his way back to Britain, 354, 355;
his vision, 355;
arrives in Britain, 355;
reconciled to Bertwald, Ethelred and Coenred, 355, 356;
Aldfrid refuses to receive him, 356;
Elfled’s influence in his favour, 189 n.;
restored to his bishopric of Hexham by the Synod on the Nidd, 356;
dies at Oundle, 346, 356, 391;
buried at St. Peter’s, Ripon, 346, 356;
his epitaph, 356, 357;
length of his episcopate, 346;
his relics, 346 n.;
his character, 347;
churches built by him, 351;
“Life of,” _see_ Eddius.
Wilfrid II, Bishop of York, 273, 346 n., 379 n., 380 n., 381, 390;
account of, 273;
ordained by John, 312.
Wilfrid, Bishop of Worcester, 379 n., 380.
Wilgils, father of Wilbrord, 320 n.
William III, xix.
William of Malmesbury, editorial references to, xxxvi, 86 n., 87 n., 125
n., 232 n., 239 n., 287 n., 346 n., 377 n., 392 n.
Wiltaburg, Wiltenburg, the Town of the Wilts, or Trajectum, now Utrecht,
324.
Wiltshire, 343 n.
Wincanheale, 204 n.
Winchester, Venta, or Wintancaestir, 228 n.;
churches at, 149;
diocese of, xxvi, xxx, 3 n., 148, 149, 150, 251, 343 n., 345.
Winchester, Bishop of, _see_ Daniel, Haedde, Leutherius, Wini.
Winfrid, _see_ Boniface.
Wini, Bishop of Winchester, 150, 241;
consecrates Ceadda, 207;
expelled from Winchester, purchases the bishopric of London, 150, 231
n.;
returns to Winchester, 228 n.
Wintancaestir, _see_ Winchester.
“Winter’s Tale, The,” editorial reference to, 263 n.
Winwaed, Battle of the, xxvii, 185 n., 188, 189.
Winwaed, The River, 189.
Witberg, daughter of Anna, 149 n.
Witenagemot, The, xxv, 94, 95, 116, 151 n., 231 n., 242 n., 251 n., 316 n.
Woden, 30;
the sons of, 83 n.
Wooler, 119.
Worcester, diocese of the Hwiccas, 273 n., 379 n., 380.
Worcester, Bishop of, _see_ Bosel, Egwin, Oftfor, Tatfrid, Wilfrid.
Worcestershire, 84 n., 379 n.
Worr, _see_ Aldwin.
Wulfhere, King of Mercia, son of Penda, xxvii, xxviii, 149 n., 150, 181,
218, 226 n., 241 n., 261 n., 332 n.;
account of, 191 n.;
with the aid of Immin, Eafa, and Eadbert, recovers Mercia from Oswy,
191;
his reign, 192;
his realm, 225;
conquers Lindsey, 243 n.;
sends Jaruman to the East Saxons, 212, 245 n.;
brings about the conversion of Ethelwalch, 245;
endows monasteries, 219, 346 n.;
invades Northumbria, 191 n.;
defeated by Egfrid, 191 n.;
death, 191 n., 384 n., 385.
Wulfram, St., Archbishop of Sens, 319 n.
Wuscfrea, son of Edwin, baptized, 119;
taken by his mother into Kent, and sent into Gaul, where he dies in
infancy, 132.
Wynfrid, Bishop of Lichfield, 192, 224, 225;
account of, 192 n.;
deacon under Ceadda, 225;
at the Hertford Synod, 228;
deposed by Theodore, 231, 244 n.;
retires to Ad Barvae, 231;
death, 231.
Yeavering or Adgefrin, 119, 120.
Yellow pest, a bubonic plague, 203, 204.
Yffi, first King of Deira, 83 n.
Yffi, son of Osfrid, 119, 132.
York, xxxvi, 13, 118, 131, 132, 135, 244, 293, 354;
diocese of, xxv, 65, 66, 243 n., 351 n.;
Cathedral, 119.
York, Archbishop of, _see_ Egbert, Paulinus;
Bishop of, _see_ Bosa, Ceadda, John, Wilfrid, Wilfrid II.
Yorkshire, 3 n., 118 n., 204 n., 305 n., 342 n.
Ythancaestir, Monastery of, 183, 187.
Zacharias, Pope, letter to Boniface, 87 n.
Zeuss, his “Die Deutschen und die Nachbarstämme,” 317 n.
Zozimus, Pope, 21 n.
FOOTNOTES
1 The St. Gallen MS. (ninth century) has, however, “VII Id. Mai.”
Messrs. Mayor and Lumby, adopting this reading, place his death as
late as 742, in which year the eve of Ascension Day fell on May 9th.
For their argument, _v._ Mayor and Lumby, pp. 401, 402.
2 The phrase is the present Bishop of Oxford’s in “Studies in the
Christian Character.”
3 Stevenson, “Church Historians,” vol. i.
4 From Easter to Whitsuntide.
5 Rogation Wednesday.
6 King of Northumbria, cf. V, 23. He succeeded Osric, 729 A.D. In a
revolt he was forcibly tonsured, 731, but restored. He voluntarily
became a monk in Lindisfarne in 737. The fact that Bede submitted
the Ecclesiastical History to him for revision bears witness to his
piety and learning.
7 Albinus, the first English abbot of the monastery of SS. Peter and
Paul at Canterbury, succeeded Hadrian in 709 or 710. On his
scholarship, cf. V, 20.
8 Theodore, the great archbishop, noted for his organization of the
English Church and his services to education, consecrated in 668, at
the age of sixty-five, by Pope Vitalian, on the recommendation of
Hadrian, who had himself twice declined the office of archbishop.
Theodore was a native of Tarsus, in Cilicia, a man of great learning
and scholarly attainments. Cf. IV, 1.
9 Hadrian (_v._ previous note, cf. IV, 1), an African by birth, sent
to England by Pope Vitalian along with Theodore, became Abbot of SS.
Peter and Paul, Canterbury. He co-operated with Theodore in his
educational work.
10 A presbyter of London, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, 735.
Received the _pallium_ (_v._ I, 27, p. 54, note) in 736.
11 Gregory I (the Great), who sent the Roman mission to England.
12 Gregory II, _v._ Plummer _ad loc._ for arguments showing
conclusively that Gregory III cannot be meant.
13 Cf. IV, 16, and V, 18. In V, 23 he is more accurately described as
“Ventanus antistes.” He was consecrated Bishop of Winchester when
the West Saxon bishopric was divided in 705; and his diocese
comprised only the smaller part of Wessex. He was the friend and
counsellor of St. Boniface.
14 Bishop of the East Saxons, cf. III, 21 foll.
15 St. Chad, Bishop of the Northumbrians, afterwards of Lichfield;
brother of Cedd: _v._ III, 23, 28; IV, 2, 3; V, 19.
16 Lastingham, near Pickering in Yorkshire N.R., _v._ III, 23.
17 Nothing further is known of him.
18 The district to the north of the Wash.
19 Bishop of Sidnacester, in the province of Lindsey. He died in 732:
_v._ IV, 12; V, 23.
20 The saint and hermit who was for two years Bishop of Lindisfarne,
685-687: _v._ IV, 26-32. Bede wrote his life both in prose and
verse.
21 Holy Island, off the coast of Northumberland. Aidan chose it as the
place of his see and monastery in 635: _v._ III, 3.
22 This total varies in different authors. The first few pages of Bede
are to a great extent copied out of Pliny, Solinus, Orosius, and
Gildas.
23 Richborough, Kent.
24 Boulogne.
25 Cf. Caes., B.G., _passim_; Verg., Aen., VIII, 727.
26 In his Hexameron.
27 Latin is included as being the ecclesiastical language common to
all. Bede does not imply that there was a Latin-speaking race still
in the island.
28 In Caesar’s time, the whole district lying along the north-western
coast of Gaul, afterwards narrowed down to the modern Brittany. That
the Britons (or Brythons) came from Gaul is doubtless a fact.
Another branch of the Celtic race, the Goidels or Gaels, appears to
have been in possession in Britain before them.
29 By Scythia Bede means Scandinavia. He only mentions this account as
a tradition. The problem of the Picts has not been solved yet.
According to one view, they belonged to the pre-Aryan inhabitants of
Britain, pushed westward and northward by the Celtic invaders. In
Scotland they held their own for a considerable time in a wide tract
of country, and they may have to some extent amalgamated with the
Celts who dispossessed them (Rhŷs). Others regard them as Celts of
the same branch as Welsh, Cornish, and Britons, being probably
nearest to Cornish. The absence of all but the scantiest remains of
their language makes the question of their origin one of great
difficulty.
30 The legend is an attempt to account for the law of Pictish
succession, which was vested in the mother, _v._ Rhŷs, “Celtic
Britain,” pp. 170-171.
31 “Dal,” a division or part, is common in Irish names. Dalriada was a
district in the north-eastern part of Ulster. From there, a tribe of
Scots (a Celtic race who settled in Ireland at some unknown period)
came to Kintyre and spread along the coasts of Argyll, which took
from them the name of Dalriada (probably _circ._ 500 A.D.). They
brought the Christian religion with them. Bede follows that version
of the legend which makes Cairbre Riada, the eponymous hero of the
Irish Dalriada (_circ._ 200 A.D.), himself found the colony in
Scotland.
32 Dumbarton; _v. infra_ c. 12, p. 24 and note.
33 Caesar’s invasion took place A.U.C. 699 and 700; B.C. 55 and 54.
34 Cf. Caes., B.G., V, 11, 18 ff. A powerful British chief. His
territory lay north and north-east of the Thames, roughly comprising
Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire, but the exact limits
are uncertain. His people were the Catuvellauni (the name is Gaulish
in form).
35 Cf. Caes., B.G., V, 20. The Trinovantes occupied Essex and part of
Middlesex.
36 Variations of this name given by ancient authors are Andragius and
Androgorius. Caesar calls him Mandubracius.
37 The position of this place is unknown.
38 Claudius came to Britain A.U.C. 796, 43 A.D.
39 He can only have done so in name; it was probably Agricola who first
conquered the Orkneys. Cf. Tac., Agric., 10.
40 Cf. Tac., Agric., 13.
41 Marcus Antoninus Verus, commonly called Marcus Aurelius, succeeded
in 161 A.D. His colleague in the empire was his adopted brother,
Lucius Verus, whose full adoptive name was Lucius Aurelius Antoninus
Verus Commodus. He died in 169. Eleutherus became Pope between 171
and 177. Bede’s chronology is therefore wrong.
42 Most modern authorities consider the story fabulous. But cf. Bright,
“Early English Church History,” pp. 3-5.
43 Severus succeeded in 193 A.D. He died in 211.
44 This is the earthwork which runs parallel to the wall of Hadrian,
between the Solway and the Tyne, at an interval of from 30 to 1,300
yards from it. Its origin and purpose are doubtful. Ancient
authorities afford conflicting evidence with regard to the Roman
walls in Britain. Modern research seems to show that Severus built
no wall or rampart, though some ancient historians assert that he
did (_v._ Haverfield, quoted by Plummer, _ad loc._; cf. _infra_ c.
12 and note).
45 Bassianus Antoninus, surnamed Caracalla. Geta was murdered by
Caracalla.
46 Diocletian succeeded in 284.
47 Carausius was a native of Menapia, in Belgium, appointed to command
the Roman fleet stationed at Boulogne to guard the coasts. He took
the fleet with him when he usurped imperial authority in Britain.
Maximian, failing to reduce him, recognized his authority and gave
him the title of Augustus. He governed vigorously and prosperously.
48 Allectus was a follower of Carausius. His revolt was apparently
supported by the independent tribes, probably Caledonians.
49 Asclepiodotus was serving under Constantius Chlorus (one of the
reigning Caesars), who sailed to Britain and marched against
Allectus.
50 The statement that the Diocletian persecution extended to Britain
rests on no trustworthy evidence at all. Yet though the time
assigned is probably wrong, there seems to be no reason to doubt the
existence of the British Protomartyr. The story rests upon a local
tradition traceable up to the visit of Germanus in 429 A.D., _v.
infra_ c. 18.
51 Venantius Fortunatus, a Christian poet, Bishop of Poitiers, b. 530
A.D. He was the last Latin poet of any note in Gaul.
52 In the lives of St. Alban (all later than Bede) this clerk is called
St. Amphibalus, a name probably invented from his cloak
(_amphibalus_).
53 The text of this passage is probably corrupt, but all the MSS.
agree. I believe the above gives the intended meaning.
54 There is again probably some confusion in the text.
55 Now St. Albans in Hertfordshire, on the Watling Street, hence
probably the name, Vaeclingacaestir.
56 The place was afterwards called Holmhurst. The church mentioned by
Bede was superseded by the monastery of St. Alban, the foundation of
which is attributed to Offa, _circ._ 793 A.D. Certain extraordinary
privileges were granted to it, and its abbot obtained a superiority
over all other English abbots (Dugdale, “Monasticon”).
57 The evidence for their martyrdom is very doubtful.
58 Caerleon-on-Usk, the headquarters of the Second legion, is here
meant (_v._ Merivale, H.R., vi, 248), though the name was also
applied to Chester, seat of the Twentieth legion (cf. II, 2, p. 87,
“civitas legionum”).
59 Constantine the Great. For the legality of the marriage, _v._ Dict.
of Christian Biography, article “Helena.”
60 The First General Council, 325 A.D. It asserted the doctrine of the
ὁμοούσιον against Arius. For a short account of the heresy, _v._
Gore, Bampton Lectures, pp. 89-92. All the evidence goes to show
that this heresy affected Britain much less than Bede, on the
authority of Gildas, here implies.
61 Valens died 378.
62 Another of the insular usurpers (cf. c. 6). He had served under the
elder Theodosius in Britain. He revolted from Rome, successfully
repressed incursions of Picts and Scots, then crossed to Gaul, where
he maintained himself for four years, but was killed by the Emperor,
the younger Theodosius, at Aquileia, in 388.
63 The real date is 395.
64 Pelagius, the founder of the heresy known as Pelagianism, was
probably born in 370 A.D., and is said to have been a Briton, but
the tradition that his real name was Morgan (Marigena, Graecised
Πελάγιος), and that he was a native of Bangor, rests on very
doubtful authority. His great opponent, St. Augustine, speaks of him
as a good and holy man; later slanders are to be attributed to
Jerome’s abusive language. The cardinal point in his doctrine is his
denial of original sin, involving a too great reliance on the human
will in achieving holiness, and a limitation of the action of the
grace of God.
65 Julianus of Campania is regarded as the founder of semi-Pelagianism,
_i.e._, an intermediate position between the orthodox view and the
heresy of Pelagius. He was Bishop of Eclanum, near Beneventum, and
was along with seventeen other Italian bishops deposed in 418 A.D.
for refusing to sign the circular letter of Pope Zosimus condemning
the heresy.
66 A native of Aquitaine, born probably about 403 A.D., a strong
opponent of the Pelagians. It is uncertain whether he was in Holy
Orders or not. He wrote in prose and verse; his longest poem is
called “De Ingratis” (_i.e._, opponents of the grace of God). His
best known work is a Chronicle, not to be confused with the shorter
chronicle of Prosper Tiro.
67 Bede includes elegiacs under this term, cf. V, 8.
68 The date of Honorius is correct, but the invasion of Alaric is put a
year too late, if Bede refers to the first siege of Rome, in 408.
69 The British army, alarmed by the inroads of barbarians, and actuated
by a spirit of revolt against Roman authority, set up three local
emperors in rapid succession: Marcus, Gratian, and Constantine. The
first two they summarily deposed and killed, but Constantine by a
great victory made himself master of Gaul and Britain and extorted
from the Emperor Honorius a share in the Imperial authority.
Meanwhile, the Britons expelled the few remaining Roman officials,
and Honorius avenged himself on Constantine for the loss of Britain
in the manner described in the text.
70 A Roman general, afterwards associated with Honorius in the empire
for a few months.
71 Gerontius (Welsh _Geraint_, akin to Irish _Gerat_ or _Gerait_, a
champion), was a Briton, one of Constantine’s generals. Turning
against his master, he invited the Germans to invade Gaul and
Britain, probably intending to secure Britain for himself. But his
own men conspired against him and he died by his own hand.
72 Rome was taken 1163 A.U.C.; 410 A.D.
73 Possibly “light-houses.”
74 Probably Inchkeith in the Forth. The Irish called the Firth of Forth
the “Sea of Giudan” (_v._ Reeves’ “Culdees,” p. 124). But Professor
Rhŷs is inclined to think that Bede has confused the island Giudi
with Urbs Giudi, which may perhaps be identified with the Urbs Iudeu
of Nennius, probably either Carriden or Edinburgh (Rhŷs, “Celtic
Britain”).
75 Alcluith is the Welsh name (Ail = a rock). The Goidels called it
Dúnbrettan = the fortress of the Britons. Hence its modern name,
Dumbarton. The river is, of course, the Clyde.
76 This is the earthen rampart, about thirty-five miles in length,
between the Clyde and the Forth, now attributed to Antoninus Pius.
Little is known about it, and it is probable that it was soon
abandoned.
77 Abercorn, a village on the south bank of the Firth of Forth.
78 The name is probably Celtic (Goidelic), though, if the view which
regards the Picts as a non-Celtic people be correct, it may show
traces of Pictish influence. It seems to be connected with the Latin
term “penna valli” = wing of (_i.e._, pinnacle or turret at end of)
the _vallum_. Readers of Scott’s “Antiquary” will remember the
celebrated dispute with regard to this word. The Anglian _Penneltun_
is derived from the Goidelic name.
79 This probably refers to the wall now attributed to Hadrian (_v.s._
c. 5 note). It ran for a distance of about eighty-five miles from
Bowness-on-Solway to Wallsend-on-Tyne. Bede’s authorities are
Orosius and Gildas. The accounts he gives here and in c. 5 are an
attempt to explain the difficulties and conflicting evidence with
regard to these walls.
80 In 431 A.D. There is much confusion with regard to the mission of
Palladius. According to later accounts, he was an unsuccessful
forerunner of St. Patrick, but Bede here, following Prosper of
Aquitaine, represents the Irish (Scotti) as in part already
Christian. The origin of Irish Christianity is very obscure, and
some have even doubted the existence of St. Patrick. Bede only
mentions him once, viz., in the “Martyrology,” which has been
largely interpolated, and is, perhaps, not his genuine work. St.
Patrick’s latest biographer, Professor Bury, has, however, clearly
established a certain amount of fact underlying much legendary
matter. Some later authorities represent Palladius as preaching to
the Scots (in the modern sense) and Patrick to the Irish.
81 The great Roman general who preserved the Western Empire against the
invasions of the barbarians for many years. He was assassinated by
Valentinian in 454 A.D.
82 Really two years before, 444 A.D.
83 Though he is the subject of many legends, Vortigern is doubtless a
historical figure, a ruler of south-eastern Britain. Bede’s form of
the name, Uurtigernus, is right. It is a British word, meaning
“supreme lord” (Rhŷs).
84 The date of Marcian’s succession is 450.
85 Bede only professes to give the date of the invasion approximately:
cf. V, 24 (“quorum tempore”), I, 23; II, 14; V, 23 (“circiter”),
calculating in round numbers apparently. He refers here to their
first settlement, which, of course, does not preclude earlier
attacks.
_ 86 I.e._, Vortigern.
_ 87 Anglia_ was believed to be derived from _Angulus_. The country is
the modern Schleswig, which the Angles appear to have almost
entirely evacuated. For the Continental Saxons, cf. V, 9. It has
been supposed that the Jutes came from Jutland, where, at a later
period, they mingled with the Danes (_ibid._), but this is now
regarded as doubtful.
88 At Aylesford, in Kent. Horsted is the traditional burial-place of
Horsa.
_ 89 I.e._, in Thanet.
90 The most probable view is that he was the last of those Romans who
usurped imperial authority in Britain (_v.s._ cc. 6, 9).
91 The identification of this place with Badbury, in Dorsetshire
(Guest, followed by Freeman and Green) seems to be disproved (W. H.
Stevenson, in the “English Historical Review,” xvii, pp. 633, 634).
The locality is quite uncertain; Skene actually places it near
Linlithgow. According to Bede’s reckoning the date of the battle
would be 493 approximately. The “Annales Cambriae” give 516. For a
full discussion of the question, _v._ Plummer, _ad loc._ Cf. also
Mr. Stevenson’s article.
92 Nothing more is known of them. Pelagius left Britain in early life
and did not himself spread his heresy there.
93 The life of Germanus was written by Constantius, a priest of Lyons,
who is Bede’s authority for cc. 17-21. According to him, these
bishops were sent to Britain by a Gallican Synod. Prosper of
Aquitaine attributes the origin of the mission to Pope Celestine,
“acting on the advice of the deacon Palladius” (probably the
missionary to the Irish mentioned c. 13). The two statements are not
irreconcilable (cf. Bright, p. 18). There are churches dedicated to
SS. Germanus and Lupus in Wales and Cornwall. Both had been trained
in the school of Lérins, a monastery in the group of islands off the
coast at Cannes.
94 This conference is said to have been held at Verulam.
95 Bede’s authority, Constantius, shows here the first trace of any
acquaintance of early historians with the story of St. Alban. The
last sentence is somewhat obscure. Probably the idea is that the
blood of the martyrs continues to cry aloud for vengeance.
96 Reading “reserato.” The reading “reservato” is perhaps easier and
has some MS. authority.
97 Reading “castitatis,” from which it is difficult to extract any
meaning. The above strains the Latin unduly. Constantius has
“castrorum,” which gives a better sense.
98 Maes-y-Garmon (“The Field of Germanus”), near Mold, in Flintshire,
has been fixed upon as the scene of the Hallelujah Victory, and the
river in which the army was baptized is said to be the Alyn (Ussher,
“Antiqq.”). The story is generally regarded as legendary.
99 Thirteenth bishop of Trèves. This account sums up nearly all that is
known of him.
100 This second voyage of St. Germanus is supposed to have taken place
about eighteen years after the first, _i.e._, in 447.
101 The Armoricans had revolted, and Aetius (_v.s._ c. 13 and note) had
enlisted the services of the Alani against them. Germanus, who had
at one time been duke of the Armoricans, went to the Imperial Court
at Ravenna to intercede for them.
102 Really the fifth (16th March, 455 A.D.). Romulus Augustulus is
usually regarded as the last emperor of the west. He was overthrown
in 476 A.D.
103 The British historian, author of the “De Excidio Liber Querulus,” so
called from the historian’s denunciations of the sins of the
Britons. He himself tells us that he was born in the year of the
battle of Badon Hill (Mons Badonicus), and that he wrote his History
forty-four years after that date. According to Bede (cf. c. 15, _ad
init._, and c. 16, _ad fin._) this would place his birth
approximately in the year 493, but see note on c. 16.
104 Gregory the Great. Cf. Preface. Bede places the date of his
accession a year too late as well as that of his death (_v._, II, 1,
_ad init._, but in the same chapter he rightly places his death in
the second year of Phocas, _i.e._, 604).
105 Augustine was prior of St. Gregory’s Monastery dedicated to St.
Andrew in Rome.
106 Cf. IV, 5, p. 227, note.
107 This is a mistake. Aetherius was archbishop of Lyons. Vergilius was
archbishop of Arles. The letter given here, however, is the letter
sent to Aetherius. Similar letters were despatched to other bishops
at this time; among them one to Vergilius of Arles.
108 A presbyter sent into Gaul by Gregory in 595 A.D. to administer the
little patrimony of St. Peter in Gaul, to collect its revenues and
to invest them in raiment for the poor, or in English slave lads to
serve in the monasteries and receive a Christian education.
109 Ethelbert was the third Bretwalda or dominant king. He had
established a practical hegemony over the East Anglians, the
Mercians of the Trent Valley, the South Saxons, East Saxons, and
even the West Saxons (cf. II, 5, p. 94).
110 Families, _i.e._, _hides_. The hide, probably, was as much land as
would support a family, hence the extent must have varied with the
different conditions in different parts of the country.
111 In Bede’s time Thanet was divided from the rest of Kent by a broad
channel called the Wantsum, now partly represented by the River
Stour.
112 The conjecture that they landed at Ebbsfleet, which is also
traditionally regarded as the landing-place of Hengist, has been
generally adopted. Other possible landing-places are Stonar and
Richborough. For a full discussion of the question, _v._ “The
Mission of St. Augustine,” ed. Rev. A. T. Mason, D.D.
113 It has been supposed, on the strength of this passage, that the
speech of the Franks and the English was still mutually
intelligible. This is supported by a statement of Gregory (letter to
Theoderic and Theodebert) that he had desired Augustine to take some
Frankish priests with him. It is assumed that these priests were the
interpreters. On the other hand, in view of the fact that only fifty
years later we find the language of the Franks regarded in England
as a “barbara loquella” (III, 7), it has been inferred that the
interpreters were men who had acquired a knowledge of the dialect of
Kent through commerce or otherwise.
114 Daughter of Charibert, king of Paris.
115 Said (on doubtful authority) to have been bishop of Senlis. He acted
as the queen’s private chaplain. There is nothing to show that
either he or Bertha attempted to spread their religion in England,
though probably their influence may not have been without effect on
Ethelbert.
116 The old Roman town of Doruvernis, which is the name Bede gives to it
throughout the History.
117 St. Martin was regarded with special reverence in Britain and
Ireland. Possibly some of the earliest missionaries may have been
his disciples, _e.g._, St. Ninian and St. Patrick. The Roman church
of St. Martin at Canterbury has been frequently altered and partly
rebuilt, so that “small portions only of the Roman walls remain.
Roman bricks are used as old materials in the parts rebuilt”
(Parker).
118 Augustine was not consecrated as archbishop either of London or
Canterbury, but by the general title of “Archbishop of the English.”
According to Gregory’s original scheme, London, not Canterbury, was
to have been the seat of the primacy of southern England (cf. c.
29), London and York being doubtless the most important cities of
south and north known to him from their history during the Roman
occupation. But Christianity was not permanently established in
London till it was too late to remove the see from Canterbury, which
would obviously commend itself to Augustine as the most suitable
place to be the metropolitan city.
119 For Aetherius read Vergilius (_v._ c. 24, note). “The occupant of
the see of Arles was in some sense primate of France at this time,
and, as such, Vergilius received the _pallium_ and the papal
vice-gerentship in the kingdom of Childebert” (Dict. Christ. Biog.).
120 He succeeded Augustine as archbishop. For his history, _v._ II, 6,
7.
121 Cf. _infra_ c. 33.
_ 122 I.e._, those in minor orders; all below the subdiaconate.
123 St. Luke, xi, 41. _Quod superest_ (Vulgate) = πλήν (R.V.,“Howbeit”;
A.V., “But rather”), adverbial. Gregory takes it to mean “what is
over.”
124 Augustine must have observed these differences of ritual as he
travelled through Gaul. Presumably also he found the Gallic use
adopted at St. Martin’s, Canterbury, by Liudhard. Dr. Bright
summarizes these differences, “Early English Church History,” p. 64.
125 Reading “fratris et sororis” (for “frater et soror”), as the sense
requires, but there is no MS. authority for the change.
126 The text of this passage is corrupt, but no very satisfactory
emendations have been suggested.
127 The _Pallium_ is a long strip of fine cloth ornamented with crosses.
It is made from wool of lambs reared in the convent of St. Agnes at
Rome, and is laid for a night on the tomb of St. Peter. It is worn
passing over the shoulders, with the ends hanging down in front and
behind, somewhat in the form of the letter Y. (The form has varied
at different times.) In the east it is called “omophorion:” the
bishops wear it during the celebration of the Eucharist. It
originally formed part of the imperial habit and was granted by the
emperor as a special mark of honour. Afterwards the pope claimed the
exclusive right of bestowing it, and its possession became
restricted to metropolitans, and was considered necessary for the
exercise of their functions.
128 Deut., xxiii, 25.
129 The reference may be to the third General Council held at Ephesus in
431 A.D., at which the rule was laid down “that no bishop may act in
any province which has not always been subject to him.”
130 This is Bede’s attempt to reconcile the discrepancy created by his
mistake in cc. 24 and 27.
131 Mellitus was consecrated Bishop of London in 604, and succeeded
Laurentius in the see of Canterbury in 619. Justus was consecrated
Bishop of Rochester in 604, and succeeded Mellitus as Primate in 624
(_v._ II, 3, foll.). Paulinus was the great missionary bishop of the
Northumbrians (_v._ II, 9, foll.). Rufinianus was the third abbot of
St. Augustine’s monastery (SS. Peter and Paul).
132 Cf. c. 27 _ad init._, note. Gregory’s symmetrical scheme was never
carried out, and it was not till 735 that York became a metropolitan
see.
133 The date is obviously wrong, as it makes this letter earlier than
that in c. 29. The name of the month is omitted in two of the oldest
MSS. A satisfactory emendation (_v._ Plummer, _ad loc._) is
_Augustarum_ (for _Juliarum_), the last month in Maurice’s reign (XV
Kal. Aug., _i.e._ 18th July).
134 St. Luke, x, 17-20.
135 The Cathedral: Christchurch, Canterbury; but the original structure
was destroyed by fire about 1067. It was rebuilt by Lanfranc, and
enlarged under his successor, St. Anselm. Prior Conrad finished and
decorated the chancel, and the Church was dedicated in 1130. The
choir was again burnt down in 1174, but at once rebuilt. It was
completed in 1184. A new nave and transept were built between 1378
and 1410, and the great central tower was carried up to its present
height by the end of the fifteenth century.
136 Afterwards called St. Augustine’s Abbey.
137 Cf. c. 27 _ad init._
138 Ambleteuse, a small sea-port, about six miles to the north of
Boulogne.
139 II, 2, 12; III, 1. He was the grandson of Ida, first king of
Bernicia (V, 24, and note). His father, Ethelric, seized Deira on
the death of Aelli (II, 1, p. 83), and Ethelfrid ruled over both the
Northumbrian kingdoms from 593 to 617.
140 Gen., xlix, 27.
_ 141 I.e._, the Dalriadic Scots, _v.s._ c. 1, and note. For Aedan and
his wars, _v._ Rhŷs, “Celtic Britain,” pp. 157-159.
142 Perhaps Dalston, near Carlisle; more probably, on philological
grounds, Dawstane Rig in Liddesdale; _v._ Skene, “Celtic Scotland,”
I, p. 162.
143 For a detailed study of St. Gregory, _v._ “Gregory the Great, his
place in History and Thought,” by F. Homes Dudden, B.D. (1905). The
oldest biographies are: (1) a Life of Gregory, written by a monk of
Whitby, probably about 713 A.D., recently discovered in a MS.
belonging to the Monastery of St. Gallen; (2) the Life by Paul the
Deacon, written towards the end of the eighth century; (3) the Life
by John the Deacon, written about the end of the ninth century.
144 Cf. I, 23. Gregory’s pontificate extended from 590 to 604.
145 1 Cor., ix, 2.
146 We cannot be certain which Felix is meant. The choice seems to lie
between Felix III, Bishop of Rome, 483-492, and Felix IV, 526-530.
Mr. Homes Dudden decides in favour of the latter, on the authority
of John the Deacon. In either case, the word _atavus_ cannot be used
in its strict sense.
_ 147 Apocrisiarius_, official representative of the see of Rome at the
Imperial Court of Constantinople (Latin: _responsalis_). Ducange
explains the word as: “nomen inditum legatis, quod ἀποκρίσεις seu
responsa principum deferrent.”
148 His “Moralia,” a commentary on the Book of Job, expounding it
historically, allegorically, and in its practical bearing on morals.
His other undoubtedly genuine works are those mentioned in the text:
Twenty-two homilies on Ezekiel; forty homilies on the Gospels for
the day, preached by himself at various times; the “Liber Regulae
Pastoralis,” on the duties and responsibilities of the pastoral
office, a very widely studied book; four books of Dialogues, “De
vita et miraculis patrum Italicorum et de aeternitate animae,” also
one of his most famous works; and fourteen books of letters to
various persons on many subjects. There are also some doubtful
works. Of these, the “Liber Sacramentorum” (_v. infra_), the “Liber
Antiphonarius” (a collection of Antiphons for Mass), and the Hymns
have been generally regarded as genuine, but recent research seems
to show that they cannot be attributed to Gregory. That he
introduced the “Cantus Gregorianus” can also probably be no longer
maintained; _v. infra_ c. 20, _ad fin._ note.
149 Patriarch of Constantinople, celebrated as a saint by the Greeks. He
was born at Theium in Phrygia, _circ._ 512 A.D. Towards the end of
his life he maintained the above theory in a book on the
Resurrection. He was opposed by Gregory, and the book was burnt by
order of the Emperor Tiberius, who, however, visited him when he
fell ill soon after, and received his blessing. He died on Easter
Day, 582, and the “heresy” was suffered to rest. (He is, of course,
not to be confused with Eutyches, author of the heresy known as
“Eutychianism,” _v._ IV, 17.)
150 St. Luke, xxiv, 39.
151 Tiberius II, emperor of the East, 578-582 A.D.
152 I, 27.
153 A Synodical epistle, such as newly-elected bishops were in the habit
of sending to other bishops. The subject-matter is the same as that
of the “Pastoral Care.”
154 Heb., xii, 6.
155 Job, xxix, 11-17.
156 The quotation is from the Vulgate (Job, xxxi, 16-18). The sentence
is finished in v. 22: “Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder
blade....”
157 John the Deacon attributes to Gregory the “Liber Sacramentorum,” or
Gregorian Sacramentary, a revision of the Gelasian Sacramentary. It
seems probable, however, that it is of much later date. Only a few
alterations in the Liturgy and in the ceremonial of the Mass are
proved to have been effected by Gregory. In the Canon of the Mass he
introduced two changes, viz.: (1) he inserted the words here quoted;
(2) he altered the position of the Lord’s Prayer (_v._ Homes Dudden,
pp. 264-271).
_ 158 I.e._, 604 A.D., cf. I, 23; II, 1, _ad init._, note.
159 Deira was the southern part of the province of Northumbria, the
northern part being Bernicia. Deira was bounded on the south by the
Humber; on the north, according to some authorities, by the Tyne,
according to others, by the Tees. The discrepancy doubtless arose
from the fact that the part between the two latter rivers was a
desert subject to no authority. To the west lay the British
kingdoms.
160 The son of Yffi, the first king of Deira. The ancient pedigrees
trace the descent of the royal houses of Deira and Bernicia from two
sons of Woden.
161 This pope was either Benedict I (574-578) or Pelagius II (578-590),
the immediate predecessor of Gregory. The oldest extant life of
Gregory (_v.s._ p. 75, note) makes him Benedict, and is followed by
John the Deacon. If this is right, the incident related in the text
must be placed before Gregory’s departure to Constantinople in 579.
Paul the Deacon places it after his return in 585 or 586, and
asserts that the pope was Pelagius II.
162 The date of the synod is uncertain. It was probably about 602 or 603
A.D., after the arrival of Gregory’s “Responsa.” The “nearest
province” must mean what we call South Wales, though it is possible
that the Britons of Cornwall were also represented. The scene of the
conference has been generally supposed to be Aust, on the Severn,
opposite Chepstow, and the name may possibly preserve the memory of
Augustine, though more probably it is derived from “Trajectus
Augusti” (Haddan and Stubbs). Other possible sites are Malmesbury
(Green, “Making of England”), and a spot called “the Oak,” near
Cricklade, on the Upper Thames, which would be on the borders of the
Hwiccas and West Saxons (_v._ Plummer, _ad loc._).
163 The Hwiccas were in the present Gloucestershire and Worcestershire,
north-west of Wessex.
164 Cf. especially III, 25, and V, 21. (Other references are: II, 4, 19;
III, 3, 4, 26, 29; V, 15, 22.)
A full discussion of this involved question is beyond our scope.
Readers are referred to Plummer (Excursus on Paschal Controversy),
Bright, or Hunt. Here, the point at issue may be briefly stated. It
was regarded as essential by the Roman Church that Easter Day should
be kept on a Sunday, in the third week of the first month, _i.e._,
the month in which the full moon occurred on or after the vernal
equinox. The Celts observed the Feast on Sunday, and were,
therefore, not rightly called “Quartodecimans” (the name given to
those who observed it on the 14th of the month Nisan, the day of the
Jewish Passover, without regard to the day of the week). They
differed from the Romans in fixing the vernal equinox at March 25th,
instead of March 21st, and in their reckoning of the third week,
holding it to be from the 14th to the 20th of the moon inclusive.
The Roman Church originally reckoned it from the 16th to the 22nd,
but ultimately fixed it from the 15th to the 21st (cf. V, 21, p.
365).
There was a further divergence in the “cycles” adopted to ascertain
the day in each year on which the Paschal moon would fall. The Celts
retained an old cycle of eighty-four years, while the Romans had
finally adopted one of nineteen. It is obvious that these
differences must necessarily lead to great divergence in practice
and consequently serious inconvenience. The real importance of this
and the other points of difference, settled afterwards at the Synod
of Whitby, lay in the question whether England was to conform to the
practice of the Catholic Church, or to isolate herself from it by
local peculiarities (cf. the reply of the British to Augustine:
“They would do none of those things nor receive him as their
archbishop”).
_ 165 E.g._, Consecration of bishops by a single bishop, certain
differences of ritual (Gregory’s “Responsa” admit of some latitude
in these matters), and the tonsure, which was a more controversial
point (cf. III, 26, and V, 21). The Romans shaved only the top of
the head, letting the hair grow in the form of a crown. The Celts
shaved the whole front of the head from ear to ear, leaving the hair
at the back. A third method was the Oriental, which consisted in
shaving the whole head (cf. IV, 1).
166 The place of the second conference is not mentioned. It is generally
assumed that it was the same as that of the first. All attempts to
determine the names and sees of these bishops rest upon the most
uncertain evidence.
167 Probably Bangor-is-Coed, in Flintshire, from which it appears that
North Wales was represented at the second conference. The size and
importance of the monastery are inferred by William of Malmesbury,
writing in the twelfth century, from the extent of the ruins, which
were all that was left of it in his time.
168 Dunawd, or Dunod; Latin: Donatus (Rhŷs).
169 It is not known in what way the practice of the British Church
differed from that of the Romans in the rite of Baptism. It may have
been by the neglect of Confirmation as the completion of Baptism
(cf. “compleatis” in the text). Other suggestions are: single
immersion (but this was permitted in Spain); the omission of chrism,
an omission which was affirmed of the Irish at a later period; some
defect in the invocation of the Trinity. This conjecture rests on a
canon respecting Baptism established in the English Church from the
time of Augustine (quoted by Haddan and Stubbs from a letter of Pope
Zacharias to Boniface), which enforces the full invocation.
170 I, 34.
171 Chester, the seat of the Twentieth legion. “Legionum civitas, quae
nunc simpliciter Cestra vocatur.” (William of Malmesbury.) Cf. note
on I, 7, p. 18. The date of the battle cannot be accurately fixed.
The “Annales Cambriae” give 613, but it may have been a few years
later. Bede only tells us that it was a considerable time after
Augustine’s death, which was probably in 604 or 605.
172 Cf. _supra_ p. 86, note 2.
173 Nothing certain is known of this Welsh prince.
174 I, 29, and note.
175 The site is covered by the present cathedral.
176 Rochester. The new see was closely dependent on Canterbury, and till
1148 the archbishop had the appointment to this bishopric.
177 Probably in memory of his monastery on the Coelian (cf. I, 23).
According to Rochester tradition, Ethelbert gave to the church some
land called Priestfield to the south of the city, and other lands to
the north. There exists a charter of Ethelbert to the city of
Rochester, believed to be genuine.
178 The year is not given, and is not certainly known. It is generally
assumed to have been 604 or 605.
179 This was in 613, by Laurentius. St. Augustine’s body was translated
on September 13th. It was moved again in the twelfth century and
placed under the high altar.
180 “Porticus”; variously translated: “porch,” “aisle,” “transept,” and
“chapel.” Ducange explains it as “aedis sacrae propylaeum in
porticus formam exstructum,” and says it was also used improperly
for the sanctuary. Plummer (_ad loc._) says it means side chapel, as
often. The mention of the altar just below seems to support this
meaning (if, indeed, _haec_ refers to the “porticus,” and not to the
church itself, as is assumed in the A.S. version).
181 For Theodore _v._ Preface, p. 2, note 2; IV, 1; V, 8, _et saep._;
and for Bertwald, V, 8. Cuthbert (740-758) was the first archbishop
buried in Christ Church, Canterbury, instead of at St. Augustine’s.
182 Cf. I, 27, _ad init._
183 Bede thus distinguishes them from the colony in Scotland. Cf. I, 1,
and note.
184 Ireland. Iona may be included, as may be inferred from a comparison
of III, 21 (“reversus est ad insulam Hii”) with III, 24 (“ad
Scottiam rediit”). But Bede does not use “Scottia” for Scotland.
185 Bishop of Inver Daeile (Ennereilly) in Wicklow.
186 The most famous of the great Irish missionaries who laboured on the
Continent. He was born in Leinster about 540, went to Gaul about
574, founded three monasteries (Annegray, Luxeuil, and Fontaines),
worked for twenty years among the Franks and Burgundians, afterwards
among the Suevi and Alemanni, and finally in Italy, where he founded
a monastery at Bobbio and died there in 615. He was a vigorous
supporter of the Celtic usages and an active opponent of Arianism.
He instituted a monastic rule of great severity.
187 Nothing more is known of this council. The pope was Boniface IV,
608-615.
188 610 A.D.
189 To commemorate the dedication the pope introduced into the Western
Church the Festival of All Saints, celebrated at first probably on
13th May. The Eastern Church had from early times observed a
Festival of All Martyrs, which became later the Festival of All
Saints, kept by them on the Sunday after Whitsunday.
190 As Bretwalda, or paramount sovereign (_v._ Stubbs, “Constitutional
History,” I, pp. 162-163). Aelli and Ceaulin are not elsewhere
mentioned in this work. For Redwald, _v. infra_ c. 12; for Edwin, c.
9, foll.; for Oswald, III, 1, foll.; and for Oswy, III, 14, foll.
191 Anglesea and Man.
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Bede's Ecclesiastical History of EnglandChapter XXX: Book V (6)
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