83 Though he is the subject of many legends, Vortigern is
doubtless
a
historical figure, a ruler of south-eastern Britain.
historical figure, a ruler of south-eastern Britain.
bede
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.
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.
