Postquam ueridicus hystoriographus & doctor eximius - decus & gloria nostrę gentis Beda uenera
bilis scribere cessauit non inuenti sunt aliqui quantum perpendere potuimus certi uel continui
relatores, qui in annorum & temporum euentibus recitandis, & ad instruendam posteritatis
nostrę ignorantiam - & dubietates ętatis huius omninotollendas qualem deceret operam
impenderent. Quod animaduertentes - quantum pigricia nostra permittit - aliquantulam dedimus
operam, rei ueritatem quantum sufficere potuimus diligenter indagare. Ab eo igitur tempore id est ab his
tribus annis quibus predictus & uenerabilis Gyruensis siue Weretnuthensis monasterii presbyter & mona
chus Beda finem fecit recitare seriem & statum temporum breuissime tamen decurrere aggredimur, & ab ipsius Bede
uerbis exordium sumimus, quorum hanc esse formam certissime constat.
Anno dominicę incarnationis septingentesimo xxxoio Berhctwaldus archiepiscopus
longa consump
tus ętate defunctus est die vo iduum
Ianuarii, qui sedit annos xxxvii menses vi dies xiiii.
Pro quo anno eodem factus
est archiepiscopus uocabulo Tatwinus de prouintia Merciorum, cum fuisset presbyter
in monasterio quod uocatur Briodun. Consecratus est in Dorouerni ciuitate a uiris
uenerabilibus Da
niele Wentano, & Ingwaldo Lundoniensi, & Alwido
Lichesfeldensi & Aldulfo Rofensi,
antistitibus die xa Iunii mensis dominica, uir relligione & prudentia insignis sacris quoque
litteris
nobiliter instructus. Itaque in presenti ęcclesiis Cantuariorum Tatwinus
& Aldulfus episcopi presunt. Por
ro prouintię Orientalium Saxonum Hingwaldus
episcopus, prouintię Orientalium Anglorum Eadbertus &
Eadhelacus episcopi,
prouintię Occidentalium Saxonum Daniel & Fortherus episcopi, prouintię Merciorum
Alwi
nus episcopus, & eis populis qui ultra amnem Sabrinam ad occidentem
habitant Walstodus episcopus, prouintię
Wictiorum Wilfridus episcopus, prouintię
Lindisfarorum Cimberhctus episcopus preest. Episcopatus Uectę insule ad
Daniel\l/em pertinet episcopum Wente ciuitatis. Prouintia
australium Saxonum iam aliquot annis abs
que episcopo manens - ministerium sibi
episcopale ab Occidentalium Saxonum antistite querit. & hęe omnes pro
uintię
ceteręque australes ad confinium ▬ usque
Humbrę fluminis cum suis quoque regibus regi Merciorum
Ethelbaldo subiectę sunt.
At uero prouintię Northamimbrorum cui rex Ceowlfus praeest iiiior nunc episcopi
presulatum tenent Wilfridus in Eboracensi ęcclesia,
Ethelwaldusus1 in
Lindisfarnensi ęcclesia,
Acca in Hagustaldensi ęcclesia, Pictelmus in ea que
Candida Casa uocatur, quę nuper multiplicatis fideli
um plebibus in sedem
pontificatus addita ipsum primum habet antistitem. Pictorum quoque nacio tempore hoc
& fędus habet pacis cum gente Anglorum & catholicę pacis ac ueritatis cum
uniuersali ęcclesia particeps
existere gaudet. Scotti qui Britanniam incolunt suis
contenti finibus - nichil contra gentem Anglo
rum insidiarum moliuntur aut fraudium.
Britones quamuis & maxima ex parte domesticos sibi odio
gentem
Anglorum & totius catholicę statum ęcclesie moribus improbis impugnent tamen &
diuina sibi
& humana prorsus resistente uirtute - in neutro cupitum possunt
obtinere propositum, quippe qui
quamuis ex parte sui sint iuris nonnulla tamen ex
parte Anglorum sunt seruicio mancipati. Qua
arrident[e]2 pace ac serenitate temporum
plures in gente Northamimbrorum tam nobiles quam pri
uati se suosque liberos
depositis armis satagunt magis accepta tonsura monasterialibus as
scribere3 uotis, quam bellicis exercere
studiis. Quę res quem sit habitura finem posterior ętas uidebit.
Hic est in
presentiarum uniuersę status Britannię, anno aduentus Anglorum in Britanniam circiter
ccolxxxo
vo dominicę incarnationis dccoxxxio in cuius regno perpetuo exultet terra &
congratulante
in fide eius Britannia, letentur insule4 multę.
Anno dccoxxxoiiio eclipsis
facta est solis xviiio kalendarum Septembrium circa horam
diei terciam
After the venerable Bede, truthful historian and
distinguished teacher—the honour and glory of our people—stopped writing, other sure and
seamless narrators have not been found who, as far as we are able to estimate, by
reciting the happenings of the years and times, might have expended labour of such a
kind that it would be fitting both for the instruction of our posterity’s ignorance and
for removing entirely the doubts of this age. Perceiving this, we have, as far as our
indolence allows, given a little effort as far as we are able to meet the need to
investigate carefully the truth of the matter. Accordingly, we begin, nevertheless, to
run through the course and condition of the times very briefly from that period—that is,
from these three years which the aforesaid and venerable Bede, priest and monk of the
monastery Jarrow or Wearmonth, made the end of his account—, and we adopt the beginning
from the words of Bede himself. He most assuredly fixes the form of these words to be
this:
In the 731st year of Our Lord’s incarnation
Archbishop Berhtwald, overcome by great age, died on 9 January. He held the see for 37
years, 6 months and 14 days. In his place, in the same year, Tatwine, from the province
of Mercia, was made archbishop by designation, when he was a priest in the monastery
which is called Bredon. He was consecrated at Canterbury by the venerable men Bishops
Daniel of Winchester, Ingwald of London, Aldwine of Lichfield, and Aldwulf of Rochester,
on Sunday 10 June: a man distinguished in religion and wisdom, and also famously
well-informed in sacred texts. And so at the moment Bishops Tatwine and Aldwulf preside
over the churches of the Kentishmen. Also, Bishop Hingwald presides over the province of
the East Saxons; Bishops Aldberht and Heathulac preside over the province of the East
Angles; Bishops Daniel and Forthhere preside over the province of the West Saxons;
Bishop Aldwine presides over the province of the Mercians, and Bishop Walhstod presides
over the people who live in the west beyond the River Severn; Bishop Wilfred presides
over the province of the Hwicce; and Bishop Cyneberht presides over the province of
Lindsey. The bishopric of the Isle of Wight pertains to Daniel, bishop of Winchester.
The province of the South Saxons, for a number of years remaining still without a
bishop, seeks episcopal administration for itself from a bishop of the West Saxons. And
all these provinces, and others in the southern region ▬ as far as
the River Humber, with their kings also, are subject to Æthelbald, king of the Mercians.
But in the province of the Northumbrians, however, over which King Ceolwulf presides, 4
bishops now hold office: Wilfred in the church of York, Æthelwald in the church of
Lindisfarne, Acca in the church of Hexham, and Pehthelm in the church which is called
‘the White House’—this was recently raised to an episcopal seat after the numbers of
believers increased, and has him as its first bishop. Also at this moment the Pictish
nation has a peace agreement with the English, and rejoices to become a partaker of
catholic peace and truth with the universal church. The Gaels who inhabit Britain,
satisfied with their own bounds, attempt nothing against the English people by way of
plots or deceptions. The Britons, although they oppose both the English—for the most
part with an inherent hatred—and the state of the whole of the catholic church with
wrong-headed customs, nevertheless are unable in either to attain their desired
objective, with both divine and human strength thwarting them utterly; since, although
in part they are under their own rule, in some part they are subjected by servitude to
the English. As a result, with peace and stability smiling at this time, many among the
Northumbrians, as much the nobles as the rank-and-file, along with their children,
having laid down their arms, are more happy to receive the tonsure and ascribe to
monastic vows than to practice the skills of war. What end this matter may be wont to
have, a later age will see. This is the state of all Britain at the present day, about
the 285th year of the arrival of the English in Britain, the
731st of the Lord’s incarnation. May the world revel in
His perpetual kingdom; and may the many islands be made joyful, with Britain rejoicing
in His faith.
In the 733rd year an eclipse of the sun
occurred on 15 August at about the third hour of the day