




                 Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England

                          A Revised Translation

                    With Introduction, Life, and Notes

                                    By

                               A. M. Sellar

            Late Vice-Principal of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford

                                  London

                           George Bell and Sons

                                   1907





CONTENTS


Editor's Preface
Introduction
Life Of Bede
Errata
Preface
Book I
   Chap. I. Of the Situation of Britain and Ireland, and of their ancient
   inhabitants.
   Chap. II. How Caius Julius Caesar was the first Roman that came into
   Britain.
   Chap. III. How Claudius, the second of the Romans who came into
   Britain, brought the islands Orcades into subjection to the Roman
   empire; and Vespasian, sent by him, reduced the Isle of Wight under the
   dominion of the Romans.
   Chap. IV. How Lucius, king of Britain, writing to Pope Eleutherus,
   desired to be made a Christian.
   Chap. V. How the Emperor Severus divided from the rest by a rampart
   that part of Britain which had been recovered.
   Chap. VI. Of the reign of Diocletian, and how he persecuted the
   Christians.
   Chap. VII. The Passion of St. Alban and his companions, who at that
   time shed their blood for our Lord.
   Chap. VIII. How, when the persecution ceased, the Church in Britain
   enjoyed peace till the time of the Arian heresy.
   Chap. IX. How during the reign of Gratian, Maximus, being created
   Emperor in Britain, returned into Gaul with a mighty army.
   Chap. X. How, in the reign of Arcadius, Pelagius, a Briton, insolently
   impugned the Grace of God.
   Chap. XI. How during the reign of Honorius, Gratian and Constantine
   were created tyrants in Britain; and soon after the former was slain in
   Britain, and the latter in Gaul.
   Chap. XII. How the Britons, being ravaged by the Scots and Picts,
   sought succour from the Romans, who coming a second time, built a wall
   across the island; but when this was broken down at once by the
   aforesaid enemies, they were reduced to greater distress than before.
   Chap. XIII. How in the reign of Theodosius the younger, in whose time
   Palladius was sent to the Scots that believed in Christ, the Britons
   begging assistance of AEtius, the consul, could not obtain it. [446
   A.D.]
   Chap. XIV. How the Britons, compelled by the great famine, drove the
   barbarians out of their territories; and soon after there ensued, along
   with abundance of corn, decay of morals, pestilence, and the downfall
   of the nation.
   Chap. XV. How the Angles, being invited into Britain, at first drove
   off the enemy; but not long after, making a league with them, turned
   their weapons against their allies.
   Chap. XVI. How the Britons obtained their first victory over the
   Angles, under the command of Ambrosius, a Roman.
   Chap. XVII. How Germanus the Bishop, sailing into Britain with Lupus,
   first quelled the tempest of the sea, and afterwards that of the
   Pelagians, by Divine power. [429 A.D.]
   Chap. XVIII. How the some holy man gave sight to the blind daughter of
   a tribune, and then coming to St. Alban, there received of his relics,
   and left other relics of the blessed Apostles and other martyrs. [429
   A.D.]
   Chap. XIX. How the same holy man, being detained there by sickness, by
   his prayers quenched a fire that had broken out among the houses, and
   was himself cured of his infirmity by a vision. [429 A.D.]
   Chap. XX. How the same Bishops brought help from Heaven to the Britons
   in a battle, and then returned home. [430 A.D.]
   Chap. XXI. How, when the Pelagian heresy began to spring up afresh,
   Germanus, returning to Britain with Severus, first restored bodily
   strength to a lame youth, then spiritual health to the people of God,
   having condemned or converted the Heretics. [447 A.D.]
   Chap. XXII. How the Britons, being for a time at rest from foreign
   invasions, wore themselves out by civil wars, and at the same time gave
   themselves up to more heinous crimes.
   Chap. XXIII. How the holy Pope Gregory sent Augustine, with other
   monks, to preach to the English nation, and encouraged them by a letter
   of exhortation, not to desist from their labour. [596 A.D.]
   Chap. XXIV. How he wrote to the bishop of Arles to entertain them. [596
   A.D.]
   Chap. XXV. How Augustine, coming into Britain, first preached in the
   Isle of Thanet to the King of Kent, and having obtained licence from
   him, went into Kent, in order