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 a3nd
seamless narrators have not been found who, as far as we are able to estimate, by
recounting the events of the years and times, might have devoted their energy as 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 undertake, therefore, to
run through the course and condition of the times very briefly from that period—that is,
from the three years which the aforesaid and venerable Bede, priest and monk of the
monastery of Jarrow or Wearmonth, made the end of his account—, and we take the beginning
from the words of Bede himself, whose form he most certainly establishes to be this:1
In the 731st year of Our Lord’s incarnation
Archbishop Berhtwald, worn out by great old age, died on 9 January,2 after he held the see for 37
years, 6 months and 14 days. In his place, in the same year, Tatwine by name, from the kingdom
of Mercia, was made archbishop, when he was a priest in the monastery
which is called Breedon. He was consecrated at Canterbury by the venerable men Bishops
Daniel of Winchester, Ingwold of London, Ealdwine of Lichfield, and Ealdwulf of Rochester,
on Sunday 10 June: a man distinguished in religious devotion and wisdom, and also outstandingly
well-informed in sacred texts. And so at the moment Bishops Tatwine and Ealdwulf preside
over the churches of the Kentishmen. Also, Bishop Ingwold is bishop of the kingdom of
the East Saxons; Bishops Ealdberht and ‘Eathulac’3 bishops of the kingdom of the East
Angles; Bishops Daniel and Forthhere bishops of the kingdom of the West Saxons;
Bishop Ealdwine is bishop of the kingdom of the Mercians, and Wealhstod bishop of the people who live in the west beyond the River Severn; Wilfred is bishop of the kingdom of the Hwicce; and Cyneberht bishop of the kingdom of
Lindsey. The bishopric of the Isle of Wight pertains to Daniel, bishop of Winchester.
The kingdom of the South Saxons, for a number of years remaining still without a
bishop, requires episcopal administration for itself from a bishop of the West Saxons. And
all these kingdoms, and others in the south ▬ as far as
the River Humber, with their kings also, are subject to Æthelbald, king of the Mercians.
But in the kingdom of the Northumbrians, however, over which King Ceolwulf presides, 4
bishops now hold office: Wilfred in the church of York, Æthelwold in the church of
Lindisfarne, Acca in the church of Hexham, and Pehthelm in the church which is called
‘the White House’4—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 people, 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 people—for the most
part with an inherent hatred—and the state of the whole of the catholic church with5
wrong-headed customs, nevertheless are unable in either to attain their desired
objective, with both divine and human strength thwarting them utterly; since, although
they are in part under their own rule, nevertheless no small part have been handed over to English servitude. As a result, with peace and stability smiling at this time, many among the
Northumbrian people, 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 result will come of this, 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. Let the world rejoice in
His perpetual kingdom with Britain delighting in His faith; and ‘let many islands be glad’.6
In the 733rd year an eclipse of the sun
occurred on 15 August at about the third hour of the day