Chapter XXXIII: Book V (9)

860 Nevertheless he quotes his own book rather than Adamnan’s.

861 Cf. Warren and Conder, “Survey of Western Palestine”: “Bethlehem, a
well-built stone town, standing on a narrow ridge which runs east
and west ... towards the east is the open market place, and, beyond
this, the convent in which is the fourth century church of St. Mary,
including the Grotto of the Nativity beneath the main apse.”

862 “Vulturnus” seems to be distinguished from its Greek equivalent,
“Eurus.”

863 The Basilica of the Anastasis was completed by Constantine in 335
A.D., and destroyed in 614 by Chosroes II, King of Persia. Other
ancient travellers besides Arculf describe the Holy Places.
Eucherius, writing about 427-440, mentions the Martyrium, Golgotha
and the Anastasis, and describes their respective sites in similar
terms. Theodorus (about 530 A.D.) alludes to the Invention of the
Holy Cross by Helena, but the earliest authorities do not connect
her with it.

864 “Brucosa.” The adjective is not found in the dictionaries. But
Ducange has the following words from which one may, perhaps, infer
an adjective of kindred meaning: “_Brua_, idem quod supra _Brossa_,
silvula, dumetum,” “_Bruarium_, ericetum,” and “_Broca_, ager
incultus, dumetum.”

865 The Basilica of the Ascension, on the summit of Mount Olivet, is
mentioned by the Pilgrim of Bordeaux who was in Jerusalem in 333
A.D. No traces of the church have been found. He also speaks of the
Anastasis, which was being built at the time.

866 Saewulf (1102 A.D.) writes: “Below is the place called Golgotha,
where Adam is said to have been raised to life by the Blood of our
Lord which fell upon him, as is said in the Passion, ‘And many
bodies of the saints which slept arose.’ But in the sentences of St.
Augustine we read that he was buried in Hebron, where also the three
patriarchs were afterwards buried with their wives, Abraham with
Sarah, Isaac with Rebecca, and Jacob with Leah, as well as the bones
of Joseph which the children of Israel carried with them from
Egypt.”

867 He died at Driffield (supposed to mean the “field of Deira”), in the
East Riding of Yorkshire, on 14th December, 705 (Saxon Chronicle).

868 Bede and the Chronicle do not mention the usurper Eadwulf, who held
the sovereignty for eight weeks. With Aldfrid the greatness of
Northumbria, which had begun to decline after Egfrid’s defeat and
death, passed away, except for a brief revival in the time of
Eadbert and his brother, Archbishop Egbert. Osred was a tyrannical
and lawless boy, and a period of political and ecclesiastical
trouble set in (cf. Bede, “Epistola ad Egbertum”; Boniface, Ep. 62,
etc.).

869 III, 7; IV, 12.

_ 870 Infra_ c. 23. He has been mentioned, c. 13, _ad fin._ He studied
under Aldhelm at Malmesbury (_v. infra_).

871 The greatest scholar of his time and the man of widest influence as
a teacher. He was a West Saxon, of royal blood, born about 639; he
studied first under Hadrian in the School of Canterbury, then under
Maildufus (_v. infra_), was ordained priest by Bishop Hlothere
(Leutherius, _v._ III, 7), and about the year 675 became Abbot of
Malmesbury, which under his rule grew to be a place of importance
and attracted crowds of students. On one occasion he went by
invitation of Pope Sergius to Rome. He became Bishop of Sherborne,
when in 705 the West Saxon diocese was divided (_v. infra_). He died
in 709 in the little church of Doulting in Somerset and was buried
in St. Michael’s Church at Malmesbury. He greatly strengthened the
Church in Wessex by his influence with King Ini and his zeal in
building churches and monasteries in various places. His widespread
influence, as well as his generous use of it, is shown by his letter
to Wilfrid’s clergy after the Council of Estrefeld, exhorting them
to remain faithful to their bishop (v. Haddan and Stubbs, III, 254).

872 In 705. The bishopric of the West Saxons was the only one which
Theodore did not subdivide. The delay may have been due to the
political disturbances of the time, and these had come to an end
under the rule of Ini. Haedde’s death removed a further difficulty.
He seems to have resisted Bertwald’s attempt to divide the diocese,
for we find in 704 a council threatening the West Saxons with
excommunication if the division is not carried out. Hampshire,
Surrey, and, for a time, Sussex, were assigned to Winchester;
Berkshire, Wiltshire, Dorsetshire, and Somersetshire to Sherborne
(Haddan and Stubbs, III, 276), but the authorities differ on this
point. After the Conquest, the combined bishoprics of Sherborne and
Ramsbury (founded in 909 for Wiltshire) had their see established at
Old Sarum.

873 Cf. Preface, p. 3, and note, and IV, 16. In 744 he resigned his see
and died in 745. It appears from a letter of Boniface to him that he
became blind in his old age.

874 Malmesbury. It was founded by an Irish monk and scholar, Maildufus
(Irish “Maelduib”), as a small settlement living under monastic rule
(_v.s._ note on Aldhelm).

875 His letter to Geraint or Gerontius, king of Dumnonia (Devon and
Cornwall). A West Saxon synod in 705 appointed Aldhelm to write a
book, “quo maligna haeresis Britonum destrueretur” (Faricius, Life
of Aldhelm). He appears to have influenced only those Britons who
were subject to the West Saxons. Devon and Cornwall did not finally
conform to the Catholic Easter till early in the tenth century.

876 Cf. IV, 10 (note on Hildilid).

877 A poet of the fifth century (circ. 450), author of a poem called
“Carmen Paschale.” He translated it into prose and called it “Opus
Paschale.” Aldhelm wrote his prose work first.

878 His style is turgid and grandiloquent, and, owing to the high
estimation in which he was held, his influence in this respect on
contemporary writing was harmful.

879 Cf. _infra_ c. 23. A letter to him from Archbishop Bertwald is
extant. We do not know how long he lived. We have his signature to a
charter of 739.

880 Cf. IV, 15. The see was established at Selsey. The date of this
event is not known (Matthew of Westminster is the only authority for
711). Bede indicates it very vaguely (“quibus administrantibus”),
and does not make it clear to whose administration he alludes. The
more obvious reference is surely to Daniel and Aldhelm, the passage
about Forthere being parenthetical, but the other view has the
authority of Haddan and Stubbs (III, 296), viz., that he means
Daniel and Forthere, and that thus the date is fixed to some time
after Aldhelm’s death (709).

881 Selsey, cf. IV, 13, 14.

882 The vacancy was filled in 733 by the appointment of Sigfrid (_v._
Continuation).

883 Cf. c. 18, _ad init._ His fourth year was 709.

884 C. 13 and _infra_ c. 19 _ad fin._, and c. 24. For a similar action,
cf. Caedwalla and Ini (_v.s._ c. 7) and (_infra_) Offa.

885 Constantine I, 708-715.

886 709-716. St. Boniface (Letter to Ethelbald) gives Ceolred a very bad
character, and says that he died impenitent at a banquet, seized
with sudden madness. He alludes to him and Osred of Northumbria as
the first kings who tampered with the privileges of the Church.

887 III, 30, and IV, 6. Sighere reigned jointly with Sebbi. They were
succeeded by Sebbi’s sons, Sighard and Swefred (IV, 11). Offa
probably succeeded them just before this time (709); William of
Malmesbury says he reigned for a short time. He was succeeded by
Selred (d. 746).

888 St. Matt., xix, 29; St. Mark, x, 30; St. Luke, xviii, 30.

889 Oundle in Northamptonshire, where he had a monastery on land given
him by Wulfhere of Mercia. For the form of the name, cf. _infra_,
“in provincia Undalum.” Here the preposition is prefixed as often;
_v._ II, 14, note. Wilfrid died on a Thursday in October: there is
some uncertainty about the day of the month.

890 Cf. the epitaph (_infra_) and c. 24, where Bede places his
consecration in 664. This is supported by William of Malmesbury, but
Eddius says he was bishop for forty-six years.

891 Ripon, _v. infra_, p. 56. In the tenth century, Odo, Archbishop of
Canterbury, removed certain relics to Canterbury, believing them to
be the body of Wilfrid. At Ripon it was maintained that the relics
were those of Wilfrid II.

892 Our main authority for the life of Wilfrid is Eddius (_v._ IV, 2).
Bede’s account is remarkable for its omissions, though it gives a
few facts which Eddius omits.

893 His birth must be placed in 634 (cf. _infra_, his consecration at
the age of thirty). His father was a Northumbrian thegn. He is said
to have had an unkind stepmother. He was sent by his father to the
court of Oswy, thence, by Eanfled (cf. II, 9, 20; III, 15, 24, _et
saep._) to Lindisfarne, at that time under the rule of Aidan.

894 III, 8. He was the son of Eadbald (II, 5, 6, 9, _et saep._).
Eanfled’s mother was the sister of Eadbald, the Kentish princess
Ethelberg (“Tata”), wife of Edwin (II, 9, 11, 20).

895 II, 18 _et saep._

896 IV, 18, and note.

897 Cf. III, 25. Annemundus was the name of the Archbishop. Dalfinus,
Count of Lyons, was his brother. Eddius makes the same mistake.

898 A daughter of the Count.

899 He presented Wilfrid to the Pope, Eugenius I. A leaden “bulla” with
the name of Boniface, Archdeacon, inscribed upon it was found at
Whitby not long ago.

_ 900 I.e._, to Annemundus.

901 This seems to be another mistake in which Bede follows Eddius. It
was probably Ebroin (_v._ IV, 1, note), Mayor of the Palace to her
infant son Clothaire III, who put Annemundus to death. Baldhild was,
however, regent at the time. Eddius calls her a Jezebel, but all
that we know of her shows her to have been a most pious and
charitable lady, and she has been canonized by the Church. She was
especially active in her efforts to stop the traffic in slaves. She
herself, though she is said to have been of noble English birth, had
been sold as a slave into Gaul. She was married first to Ercinwald,
Mayor of the Palace, the predecessor of Ebroin (_v._ III, 19), and
afterwards to Clovis II, King of Neustria and Burgundy, 638-656.
Baldhild ended her life in the monastery of Chelles (_v._ III, 8,
and note).

902 III, 14, 21, 24, 25, 28. He was a friend of Coinwalch of Wessex,
from whom, as Eddius says, he learned to love the Roman rules.

903 Possibly Stamford, in Lincolnshire; more probably, since the land
belonged to Alchfrid, Stamford Bridge, on the Derwent, in Yorkshire.

904 Cf. III, 25, where the extent is given as forty families, _i.e._,
“hides.”

905 Cf. III, 7, 25, 28; IV, 1, 12. For the Gewissae, _v._ II, 5 and
note.

906 At the synod of Whitby, 664 (III, 25).

907 Tuda (III, 26) had died of the plague of 664. For Wilfrid’s
consecration, _v._ III, 28, _ad init._, and note. Agilbert was not
Bishop of Paris till 666 (cf. III, 25, p. 194, note).

908 Cf. III, 28, and note. Wilfrid did not return to Britain till 666.
Bede omits the story of his shipwreck on the coast of Sussex, and
says nothing of the three years spent as Abbot of Ripon, whither he
retired on finding Ceadda installed in his place. During this time
he acted occasionally as Bishop for Mercia, where the see was vacant
by the death of Jaruman in 667, and for Kent, during part of the
vacancy between the death of Deusdedit in 664 and Theodore’s arrival
in 669.

909 The same Witan which elected Wilfrid decided to transfer the
Northumbrian see from Lindisfarne back to York, where Paulinus had
originally established it.

910 In 678, _v._ IV, 12, and note. Bede passes over nine years of
ceaseless activity in the diocese. It was during this time that
Wilfrid built his great churches.

911 Eddius says that he went there by his own wish. This is not the
occasion referred to in III, 13 (_v._ note, _ad loc._). Ebroin, from
motives of private enmity (Wilfrid had helped his enemy, Dagobert II
of Austrasia), attempted to bribe Aldgils to kill or surrender
Wilfrid, but his offer was indignantly rejected.

912 Cc. 10, 11; cf. III, 13.

913 On the way he visited Dagobert II of Austrasia, and Perctarit, king
of the Lombards.

914 At a council of fifty bishops held in the Lateran in 679. Theodore
had sent documents stating his side of the case in charge of a monk
named Coenwald. For Agatho, _v._ IV, 18. The decision was that
Wilfrid should be reinstated in his bishopric and the intruding
bishops removed, but that afterwards he should appoint coadjutors
who should be consecrated by the Archbishop.

915 This council was held in 680 in preparation for the Council at
Constantinople in 680-681, against the Monothelites (cf. IV, 17, 18,
and notes).

916 In 680. Here Bede strangely omits important events. On Wilfrid’s
return to Northumbria he was accused of having procured his
acquittal by bribery and was imprisoned for nine months, first at
Bromnis (unidentified) and then at Dunbar. Being released at the
request of Aebba, Abbess of Coldingham (_v._ IV, 19, 25), who was
Egfrid’s aunt, he went first to Mercia and then to Wessex, but was
expelled from both provinces. Egfrid’s sister Osthryth was the wife
of Ethelred of Mercia, and in Wessex the king, Centwine, had married
a sister of the Northumbrian queen, Eormenburg.

917 IV, 13.

918 IV, 13, 16. His connection with Caedwalla of Wessex is to be placed
here (IV, 16).

919 In 686 he was restored to the bishopric of York and the monastery of
Ripon. The diocese over which he was now placed was greatly
circumscribed. Lindsey and Abercorn, besides having been detached by
the subdivision, had both ceased to belong to Northumbria;
Lindisfarne and Hexham were separate bishoprics and were merely
administered by Wilfrid till the appointment of Eadbert to
Lindisfarne and of John to Hexham. The restoration of Wilfrid was
brought about by Theodore who had become reconciled to him and
induced Aldfrid to allow him to be reinstated.

920 This was his second expulsion, in 691. Dissensions had arisen about
various matters. The most important were the attempt, resisted by
Wilfrid, to form Ripon into a separate see, and the requirement that
he should accept the decrees of Theodore of 678. To accept these
would have been equivalent to a rejection of the Pope’s judgement in
his case.

921 Bede omits here Wilfrid’s second sojourn in Mercia (eleven years),
when he acted temporarily as Bishop of the Middle English (he
alludes to it in IV, 23), and the great Council, representative of
the whole English Church, summoned by Aldfrid in 702 and held at a
place in Northumbria (unidentified; possibly Austerfield in the West
Riding of Yorkshire) called by Eddius “Ouestraefelda” and
“Aetswinapathe” (supposed to mean “at the swine’s path,” or
“Edwinspath”). At this Council Wilfrid was excommunicated and
deprived of all his possessions except the monastery of Ripon. He
appealed again to the Apostolic see and returned to Mercia. Probably
in the following year he set out for Rome, visiting Wilbrord in
Frisia by the way (cf. III, 13).

922 John VI, 701-705. Bertwald had sent envoys to represent Wilfrid’s
opponents. The investigation took four months, during which seventy
sittings of the Council were held.

923 Bertwald was admonished to hold a synod and come to an agreement
with Wilfrid. In the event of failure, both parties were to appear
in Rome. The letter is cautious and conciliatory in tone.

924 Cf. _supra_, p. 352.

925 Cf. _supra_, p. 349.

926 Meaux, cf. IV, 1 (Meldi).

927 III, 13, and note; _infra_ c. 20.

928 Ethelred of Mercia had resigned his throne and was now Abbot of
Bardney; cf. III, 11, and IV, 12, p. 241, note.

929 Cc. 13 and 19, _ad init._; cf. c. 24.

930 Cf. c. 18, _ad init._ He received his envoys courteously, but
refused to alter his decision for any “alleged writings from the
Apostolic see.” But Eddius says he repented on his deathbed.

_ 931 Ibid._

932 In 705. It was a Northumbrian council, not, like Estrefeld,
representative of the whole Church. Bertwald was present and adopted
a conciliatory line.

933 He was restored only to Hexham and to his monastery at Ripon. Bishop
John, on the death of Bosa about this time, was transferred to York;
_v.s._ c. 3, _ad init._

934 Oundle, _v.s._ p. 346, note 4.

935 Or Cudwald. A Cuthbald succeeded Sexwulf (IV, 6) as Abbot at
Medeshamstead. He is, perhaps, identical with the Abbot of Oundle.

936 Cf. _supra_, p. 346, and III, 25.

_ 937 I.e._ 710. But Hadrian left Rome in 668 (_v._ IV, 1), and Bede says
he died forty-one years after that event. This would be in 709.

938 Cf. Preface and IV, 1.

_ 939 Ibid._

940 St. Augustine’s, Canterbury; cf. IV, 1, _ad fin._

941 Cf. Preface and note.

942 III, 13, and note.

943 A.S. version: Mafa. For the Roman style of Church music, cf. II, 20,
_ad fin._

944 IV, 12, 23; V, 3.

945 In 710. Naiton, or Nechtan mac Derili, succeeded in 706. The
northern Picts had received Christianity through Columba (III, 4).
Naiton is said to have been converted to Roman usages by a
missionary named Boniface, who was probably an Irishman, St.
Cuiritin. Naiton did not succeed in forcing all his people to adopt
them, but in 717 he expelled the Columban clergy who refused to
conform.

946 IV, 18 and note.

947 Wearmouth (_ibid._) and Jarrow, Bede’s own monastery (_v. infra_, c.
24). Though they were some distance apart, Wearmouth and Jarrow
formed together one monastery.

948 IV, 18.

949 II, 2, p. 85, note.

950 Wood being the usual material, cf. III, 4, “Candida Casa.” The
locality of the church is not known. Rosemarkie, on the Moray Frith,
and, more probably, Restennet, near Forfar, have been suggested.

951 The letter has been supposed to have been written by Bede himself.

952 Plato, Rep. 473, D.

953 Exod., xii, 1-3. (The quotations are from the Vulgate.)

954 Exod., xii, 6.

_ 955 Ibid._, xii, 15.

956 Exod., xii, 15.

_ 957 Ibid._, xii, 17.

958 Numbers, xxxiii, 13.

959 Exod., xii, 17-19.

960 1 Cor., v, 7.

961 St. John, i, 29.

962 Levit., xxiii, 5-7.

963 Cf. Bede’s “Expositio in Marci Evangelium” (Opp. X, 2), where he
says that St. Mark founded the Church in Alexandria, and taught the
canonical observance of Easter; and Opp. VI, 235 (De Temp. Rat.).

964 Levit., xxiii, 8.

965 This was an error of the Latins in the fifth century. The object was
to make it possible for Good Friday to fall on the fourteenth of the
month Nisan, which they believed to be the actual day of the
Crucifixion, and to keep Easter Day entirely clear of the Jewish
festival.

_ 966 I.e._ Alexandrians.

967 Gen., i, 16.

968 The Itala.

969 Mal., iv, 2.

970 Habak., iii, 11 (from the Itala).

971 The Pelagians; I, 10, and note; cf. I, 17.

972 The reference must be to p. 364, “the apostolic tradition.” For the
nineteen years’ cycle, cf. III, 3 (Anatolius).

973 The celebrated Bishop of Caesarea, called also Eusebius Pamphili, a
name which he adopted from devotion to his friend, Pamphilus. How
much he had to do with the nineteen years’ cycle seems altogether
uncertain. He took a leading part in the Council of Nicaea (325
A.D.), but there is no proof that the Council formally adopted the
cycle, as has been supposed. It had been in use long before, but it
may have received authoritative sanction at Nicaea. Eusebius wrote a
treatise on Easter, of which a fragment is extant.

974 A presbyter of Caesarea, the founder of the famous library in that
place. He was martyred in 309 A.D. Eusebius wrote his life, but the
work is lost.

975 Archbishop of Alexandria, 385-412. He made a cycle of 418 years (19
× 22) for Theodosius, and reckoned the days on which Easter would
fall for 100 years from the first year of the consulate of
Theodosius (380 A.D.).

976 The great Archbishop of Alexandria, 412-444. He shortened the cycle
of Theophilus, making a cycle of ninety-five years (19 × 5), for the
sake of convenience. Part of his “Computus Paschalis” remains.

977 A monk of the Western Church in the sixth century. The surname,
“Exiguus,” refers, not to his stature, but to his humbleness of
heart. Our method of dating from the Birth of Christ was begun by
him. He revived the cycle of Victorius (or Victorinus) of Aquitaine
(463 A.D.), hence called Dionysian. It was a cycle of 532 years,
_i.e._ the lunar cycle of 19 × the solar cycle of 28.

978 Cf. p. 369, note 5.

979 Job, i, 20.

980 Gen., xli, 14.

981 St. Matt., xvi, 18.

982 Acts, viii, 20 (Vulgate). The origin of this form of tonsure was
attributed to Simon Magus.

983 Gal., v, 24.

984 St. James, i, 12.

985 Cf. c. 15 and notes. It is uncertain whether this incident is to be
connected with Adamnan’s first or second visit to King Aldfrid.

_ 986 I.e._, Ireland; cf. c. 15.

987 Cf. _supra_, p. 359, note 1.

988 Cf. c. 18 and note; cc. 19, 20, 24. He was killed in battle, but
neither the locality nor the war is known.

989 He reigned two years, _v. infra_ c. 23. He belonged to a younger
branch of the royal house of Northumbria. His father’s name was
Cuthwine, and Ceolwulf, who succeeded Osric (c. 23), was his
brother.

990 Or, perhaps, “bishop;” cf. III, 4, note. For the circumstances which
led Egbert to undertake his work among the Columban monasteries,
_v.s._ c. 9. As the events narrated there were prior to 690
(Wilbrord’s mission to Frisia), we may, perhaps, assume that he had
been labouring during this long interval among the Columban
monasteries in Ireland. In III, 4, Bede places Egbert’s arrival in
Iona a year earlier.

991 Rom., x, 2.

992 Cf. p. 372. This seems to be the meaning of the somewhat obscure
sentence, “... celebrationem, ut diximus, praecipuae solemnitatis
sub figura coronae perpetis agere perdocuit.”

993 For the conversion of the Britons to Roman usages, _v._ cc. 15 and
18, notes.

994 This is accurate enough in round numbers. Aidan’s mission (_v._ III,
3) was probably in 635.

_ 995 I.e._, 24th April. According to the Celtic rule, Easter Day could
never have been so late, 21st April being the latest possible day,
while the Romans might celebrate as late as 25th April.

996 Osric had succeeded in 718. Simeon of Durham says he was a son of
King “Alfrid.” It has been suggested (Dr. Stubbs, in Dict. of
Christian Biog.) that this may mean Alchfrid, son of Oswy (III, 14,
_et saep._), further, that this Osric is to be identified with the
Hwiccian sub-king, mentioned in IV, 23, who may have found a refuge
in Mercia, when Alchfrid was disinherited. Against this it has been
maintained that the statement of Simeon of Durham may, with greater
probability, be referred to Aldfrid, the successor of Egfrid and
father of Osred.

997 Cf. IV, 26, and V, 8.

998 From Bede we should infer that they all succeeded in 725, and the
evidence of charters goes to show that Eadbert and Ethelbert began
to reign jointly in that year. Florence of Worcester makes Eadbert
and Ethelbert reign successively, and William of Malmesbury gives
successive reigns of considerable length to all three brothers. This
prolongs Alric’s life beyond probability, and as his reign rests on
no early evidence, Dr. Stubbs is inclined to set it aside
altogether.

999 Cf. c. 8.

1000 Cf. II, 3 and note; III, 14.

1001 Consecrated in 727 (Saxon Chronicle) and died in 739 (Simeon of
Durham).

1002 This must refer to the battle of Tours in 732, in which Charles
Martel defeated the Saracens. As the Ecclesiastical History was
finished in 731, this passage must be regarded as a later insertion.
For Bede’s view with regard to the Saracens, _v._ his theological
works _passim_. He believed them to be the descendants of Ishmael.

1003 In 729; _v.s._ c. 22.

1004 Cf. _supra_, this chapter, _ad init._

1005 Cf. Preface, note 1, and the Continuation.

1006 Cf. c. 22, _ad init_ and note.

_ 1007 I.e._, since 29th June, 693; _v.s._ c. 8, _ad fin._

1008 He received the pall in 733 and died in 734; cf. Continuation.

1009 Bredon in Worcestershire.

1010 Cf. Preface; IV, 16; V, 18.

_ 1011 I.e._, of the East Saxons. He died in 745; _v._ Continuation.

1012 Called also Worr. In the Act of the Council of Clovesho in 716 he
signs as Bishop of Lichfield (to which at this time Leicester was
united) along with his predecessor, Hedda, but the authenticity of
the Act is not fully established, and it is generally supposed that
he succeeded in 721. At his death in 737 (Simeon of Durham)
Leicester was finally separated from Lichfield.

1013 Cf. _supra_, p. 378.

1014 The following list of the English bishoprics at the time when Bede
closed his history [731 A.D.], will enable the reader to recognize
those which belonged to each separate kingdom:

KINGDOMS; SEES; PRELATES.
Kent; Canterbury; Tatwine.
Rochester; Aldwulf.
East Saxons; London; Ingwald.
East Angles; Dunwich; Aldbert.
Elmham; Hadulac.
West Saxons; Winchester; Daniel.
Sherborne; Forthere.
Mercia; Lichfield (to which Leicester had been reunited in 705);
Aldwin.
Hereford; Walhstod.
Worcester; Wilfrid.
Lindsey (Sidnacester); Cynibert.
South Saxons; Selsey; Vacant.
Northumbria; York; Wilfrid II.
Lindisfarne; Ethelwald.
Hexham; Acca.
Whitern; Pechthelm.

1015 Aldbert was Bishop of Dunwich, Hadulac of Elmham.

1016 Cf. c. 18.

1017 Cf. _supra_, p. 379, note 6.

_ 1018 I.e._, in Herefordshire. It is not certain when the see of Hereford
was founded. Besides Putta (_v._ IV, 2, and note), Florence of
Worcester mentions Tyrhtel and Torthere as predecessors of Walhstod.

1019 This is Wilfrid, Bishop of Worcester, contemporary with Wilfrid II
of York (_v._ IV, 23; V, 6). He succeeded St. Egwin, whom Bede
strangely omits to mention, the successor of Oftfor (IV, 23). For
the Hwiccas, _v._ II, 2, p. 84, and for the see of Worcester, IV,
23, p. 273, note 7.

1020 Cf. Preface, p. 4, and IV, 12. For Lindsey as a separate bishopric,
_ibid._

1021 Cf. IV, 16.

1022 Cf. c. 18, _ad fin._, and notes.

1023 He was a son of Penda’s brother, Alweo. He had lived at one time in
retirement near the hermitage of St. Guthlac, flying from the enmity
of Ceolred, but on the death of the latter in 716, he succeeded to
the throne. Though he is not included in Bede’s list of Bretwaldas
(II, 5), he established the supremacy of Mercia for twenty years
over all England south of the Humber, till in 754 Wessex freed
itself in the battle of Burford. For his wars with Wessex and
Northumbria, _v._ Continuation, _sub_ 740 and 750. There is a
charter of his dated 749 in which he grants certain ecclesiastical
privileges, “pro expiatione delictorum suorum.” His oppression of
the Church and his private life are rebuked in the letter of
Boniface and five German bishops addressed to him (_v._ Haddan and
Stubbs, III, 350).

1024 Wilfrid II, _v._ IV, 23, and note; cf. V, 6.

1025 Cf. c. 12, p. 331, and note.

1026 III, 13, and note; cf. IV, 14; V, 20.

1027 Cf. cc. 13, 18. For the “White House” (Whitern), _v._ III, 4, and
note. About this time (the exact date is not known) it became an
Anglian see, a fact which indicates that in spite of the defeat of
Egfrid in 685, which freed the Northern Picts, the Picts of Galloway
were still subject to Northumbria. The bishopric came to an end
about the close of the century, when the Northumbrian power had
fallen into decay.

1028 The Scots of Dalriada (I, 1). They had recovered their liberty after
the defeat and death of Egfrid; cf. IV, 26.

1029 Cf. _ibid._, and p. 376, note 1.

1030 External peace apparently. For the internal state of Northumbria,
_v.s._ p. 378.

1031 For the accuracy of these dates, cf. the notes on the events as they
occur in the narrative.

1032 The length of his pontificate is not mentioned in the narrative.

1033 This and the two following entries are not in the narrative.

1034 Ida was the first king of Bernicia, and one of the leaders of the
English invasion. He conquered the country about Bamborough, which
he is said to have founded (cf. III, 6), and settled his people
here. Deira, which was for a time a separate kingdom, was finally
united to Bernicia under the strong rule of Oswald, Ida’s great
grandson (_ib. ad fin._), who through his mother, Acha, was
descended also from the royal house of Deira.

1035 By Scotland, as usual, Ireland is meant.

1036 Wulfhere’s death is not mentioned in the narrative.

1037 This is not in the narrative. For Osthryth cf. III, 11; IV, 21.

1038 Not in the narrative. Berctred is probably to be identified with
Berct in IV, 26 _ad init_. (Ulster Annals: “Brectrid”; Sax. Chron.:
“Briht.”)

1039 Above it is said that he succeeded in 675, making his reign
twenty-nine years, and this agrees with the Saxon Chronicle.
Wilfrid, on his return to England in 705, found him already an
abbot. (V, 19.)

1040 Not in the narrative. Bertfrid was Osred’s chief ealdorman, and was
besieged with him in Bamborough by the usurper Eadwulf; cf. p. 342,
note 2. We find him acting as spokesman in the Council on the Nidd
(V, 19, p. 356) in demanding to have the Papal letters translated
into English.

1041 For Bede’s life, _v._ Introduction.

1042 IV, 18, p. 257, note 3.

_ 1043 Ibid._

_ 1044 Ibid._, note 4, cf. V, 21.

1045 John of Beverley, IV, 23; V, 2-6.

1046 For a full account of Bede’s works, _v._ Plummer, vol. I,
Introduction, or Dictionary of Christian Biography, _s.v._ “Beda.”
Besides the works mentioned in this list, the following are
certainly genuine:

The short “Epistola ad Albinum” (sent with a copy of the
Ecclesiastical History).

“Retractationes in Acta.”

“Epistola ad Egberctum.”

“De locis Sanctis” (to which Bede alludes in V. 17). A number of
other works, some certainly, others probably spurious, and a few
possibly genuine, have been attributed to him.

1047 An answer to questions put to him by Nothelm (_v._ Preface, p. 2,
note 4, and Continuation, _sub_ 735).

1048 “Parabolae” = comparisons. “Parabolae Salomonis” are the first words
of the Book of Proverbs in the Vulgate.

_ 1049 I.e._, St. Paul.

1050 Isa., xxiv, 22.

1051 III, 3, note; cf. III, 25, p. 198.

1052 A priest of Nola in Campania. He was of Syrian extraction, but born
at Nola, and ordained priest _circ._ 250 A.D. He was persecuted
under Decius, and again under Valerian, but escaped. His history is
told in the poems of Paulinus, Bishop of Nola (409-431).

1053 This work is not known to exist. Probably the saint is Anastasius
the Younger, Patriarch of Antioch, killed in 610 by the Jews in a
sedition on 21st December, and in the Roman martyrology honoured on
that day as a martyr (_v._ Butler, “Lives of the Saints”).

1054 Cf. IV, 26-32.

1055 For Benedict and Ceolfrid, _v._ IV, 18. Huaetbert belonged to the
monastery of Wearmouth and Jarrow from his earliest childhood, and
succeeded Ceolfrid as abbot in 716. He survived Bede. The latter
dedicated his commentary on the Apocalypse and the De temp. Rat. to
him under his name of Eusebius given him for his piety (_v._ Bede’s
Hist. Abb. and Anon., Hist. Abb.).

1056 (Only names which have not occurred in the narrative are annotated;
references for those already mentioned will be found in the Index.)
The Continuation is by a later hand. But Mr. Plummer considers that
the entries under the years 731, 732, 733 and 734, may have been
added by Bede himself. They appear in the great Moore MS., and those
for 733 and 734 also in another eighth century MS. The entries
enclosed in square brackets are found in a fifteenth century MS.

1057 He succeeded Wilfrid II, and two years later became Archbishop of
York (_v. infra_ under 735). It was to him that Bede addressed the
“Epist. ad Egberctum.”

1058 Bishop of Lindsey.

1059 Bishop of Selsey.

_ 1060 I.e._, of York.

1061 Bishop of Hexham.

1062 Bishop of Whitern.

1063 The early authorities differ as to the year, but this is the
traditional date, and is usually accepted.

1064 King of Northumbria 737-758 (_v. infra_); died in 768. He was a son
of Eata, called by Nennius, Eata “Glinmaur,” a descendant of Ida,
and was the brother of Archbishop Egbert. Under him the Northumbrian
power revived for a period.

1065 He was the kinsman and predecessor of Cuthred (_v. infra_).

1066 Archbishop of Canterbury in succession to Nothelm. The first
archbishop not buried in St. Augustine’s, _v._ II, 3, p. 90, note.

1067 Bishop of Lindisfarne in succession to Ethelwald (V, 12, _ad fin._,
note).

1068 Probably a son of that Eadwulf who usurped the throne of Northumbria
at Aldfrid’s death (V, 18); cf. Simeon of Durham, II, 38 (Rolls
Series), “Arwine filius Eadulfi.”

1069 Not known.

1070 Charles Martel.

1071 Pippin the Short. Carloman resigned in 747, and became a monk.

1072 There is a letter of Boniface (_v._ Haddan and Stubbs III, 358) to a
priest, Herefrid, who is supposed to be the man mentioned here.

1073 This seems confused and obscure. The West Saxons under Cuthred threw
off the Mercian yoke in the insurrection which culminated in the
battle of Burford (_v._ V. 23, p. 380, note 9). Oengus or Angus (the
Brythonic form is Ungust), son of Fergus, was a Pictish king who
crushed the Dalriadic Scots, and, in alliance with Eadbert of
Northumbria, conquered the Britons of Strathclyde. But this does not
explain the strange statement which brings him into connection with
Ethelbald of Mercia. Nor is it told who Eanred was. Theudor was a
king of the Britons of Strathclyde. Kyle is a district in Ayrshire.

1074 Adopting the emendation “quinto Idus” (Hussey). The date is thus
right for the eclipses, but the year is the sixteenth of Eadbert.
Probably the numeral (XVI) has fallen out, and the passage ought to
run: “anno regni Eadbercti XVI, quinto Id. Ian.”

1075 The great missionary bishop of Germany, a West Saxon by birth. He
crossed to the Continent _circ._ 716, and, supported by Charles
Martel and his sons, evangelized Central Europe, became Archbishop
of Mainz, and founded sees throughout Germany. Finally he was
martyred in Frisland. Lul, a West Saxon, was his successor, not
Redger, but it has been suggested that this may be another name for
him. The pope is Stephen III.

1076 He is said by William of Malmesbury to have been the murderer of
Ethelbald. After a year of anarchy Offa succeeded, and retrieved the
position of Mercia.

1077 He was killed in an insurrection in 784. (Sax. Chron.)

1078 St. Matt. xi, 12. After Eadbert, Northumbria fell into a state of
anarchy, obscure kings contending for the throne.

1079 Cf. _supra, sub_ 750.

1080 An aetheling killed by Moll, king of Northumbria, at a place called
Edwin’s Cliff (Sax. Chron.).

1081 Of Northumbria.