The Online Library of Liberty A Project Of Liberty Fund, Inc. Saint Bede, The Complete Works of Venerable Bede, 8 vols. [1843] The Online Library Of Liberty This E-Book (PDF format) is published by Liberty Fund, Inc., a private, non-profit, educational foundation established in 1960 to encourage study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals. 2010 was the 50th anniversary year of the founding of Liberty Fund. It is part of the Online Library of Liberty web site http://oll.libertyfund.org, which was established in 2004 in order to further the educational goals of Liberty Fund, Inc. To find out more about the author or title, to use the site's powerful search engine, to see other titles in other formats (HTML, facsimile PDF), or to make use of the hundreds of essays, educational aids, and study guides, please visit the OLL web site. 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Edition Used: The Complete Works of Venerable Bede, in the original Latin, collated with the Manuscripts, and various printed editions, and accompanied by a new English translation of the Historical Works, and a Life of the Author. By the Rev. J.A. Giles (London: Whittaker and Co., 1843). 8 vols. Author: Saint Bede Translator: Rev. J.A. Giles About This Title: An 8 volume collection of the works of Bede including his poetry, letters, Ecclesiastical history, historical and scientific tracts, homilies, and commentaries on the scriptures. Vol. 4 contains several historical tracts in Latin and English. PLL v6.0 (generated September, 2011) 2 http://oll.libertyfund.org/title/1915 Online Library of Liberty: The Complete Works of Venerable Bede, 8 vols. About Liberty Fund: Liberty Fund, Inc. is a private, educational foundation established to encourage the study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals. Copyright Information: The text is in the public domain. Fair Use Statement: This material is put online to further the educational goals of Liberty Fund, Inc. Unless otherwise stated in the Copyright Information section above, this material may be used freely for educational and academic purposes. It may not be used in any way for profit. PLL v6.0 (generated September, 2011) 3 http://oll.libertyfund.org/title/1915 Online Library of Liberty: The Complete Works of Venerable Bede, 8 vols. Table Of Contents Preface. De Septem Mundi Miraculis, Manu Hominum Factis & of the Seven Wonders of the World. De Septem Mundi Miraculis, Manu Hominum Factis. Of the Seven Wonders of the World. Martyrologium De Natalitiis Sanctorum; Cum Auctario Flori Et Aliorum. Beati Felicis Confessoris Vita. The Life of the Holy Confessor Saint Felix. De Vita Et Miraculis Sancti Cuthberti, Episcopi Lindisfarnensis. The Life and Miracles of Saint Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne. Vita Beatorum Abbatum Wiremuthensium Et Girvensium, Benedicti, Ceolfridi, Easterwini, Sigfridi, Atque Huetberti. The Lives of the Holy Abbots of Weremouth and Jarrow, Benedict, Ceolfrid, Easterwine, Sigfrid, and Huetberht. De Locis Sanctis Libellus, Quem De Opusculis Majorum Abbreviando Beda Composuit. The Book of the Holy Places, Abridged By Bede From the Works of the Ancients. VariÆ Lectiones Ad Opuscula Historica. VENERABILIS BEDÆ OPERA QUÆ SUPERSUNT OMNIA, NUNC PRIMUM IN ANGLIA, OPE CODICUM MANUSCRIPTORUM, EDITIONUMQUE OPTIMARUM EDIDIT J. A. GILES, LL.D., ECCLESIÆ ANGLICANÆ PRESBYTER, et coll. corp. chr. oxon. olim socius. VOL. IV. OPUSCULA HISTORICA. LONDINI: VENEUNT APUD WHITTAKER ET SOCIOS PLL v6.0 (generated September, 2011) 4 http://oll.libertyfund.org/title/1915 Online Library of Liberty: The Complete Works of Venerable Bede, 8 vols. MDCCCXLIII. THE MISCELLANEOUS WORKS of VENERABLE BEDE, IN THE ORIGINAL LATIN, COLLATED WITH THE MANUSCRIPTS, AND VARIOUS PRINTED EDITIONS, accompanied by A NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE HISTORICAL WORKS, and A LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. BY THE REV J. A GILES. D.C.L. late fellow of c.c.c., oxford. VOL. IV. HISTORICAL TRACTS. LONDON: WHITTAKER AND CO. AVE MARIA LANE. MDCCCXLIII. LONDON: william stevens, printer, bell yard, temple bar. PLL v6.0 (generated September, 2011) 5 http://oll.libertyfund.org/title/1915 Online Library of Liberty: The Complete Works of Venerable Bede, 8 vols. [Back to Table of Contents] PREFACE. This volume contains all the other Historical Works, besides the Ecclesiastical History, written by the Venerable Bede. They are as follows: I. DE SEPTEM MUNDI MIRACULIS.—OF THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD. This short tract is found in the folio editions of the works [Bas. i. 474. Col. i. 401—7], from which it has been reprinted. Manuscripts of it are either not in existence,or are scarce. It may well be doubted whether it is a genuine work of Bede; indeed, the contrary is by far the most probable. It is retained in this edition, on account of the curious information which it contains. II. MARTYROLOGIUM DE NATALITIIS SANCTORUM. This work was first discovered by Henschenius, and published in the Acta Sanctorum [Præf. tom. i. Jan. p. 40. et Proleg. ad Mens. Mart. tom. ii. § 5 seqq.] from six MSS. Henschenius was aware that the Martyrology which occurs in the folio editions is spurious, because Ado and Usuardus both say that Bede’s geniune work was left incomplete to a considerable extent. He was consequently better prepared to recognize a fragment of Bede’s real production in Queen Christina’s library at Rome; and afterwards he found at Dijon the whole work, with additions by a later hand inserted in the parts which Bede was known not to have filled up. Henschenius at first attributed it to Florus, but afterwards to Bede. Smith published it cum Auctario Flori, in his folio edition, and Eckarthus published a continuation to it from a Wirceburg MS. in Comm. de Rebus Franciæ Orientalis et Episcopis Wirceburg. tom. i. p. 829, 830. Wirceb. 1729. See Mabillon, Act. Ben. sec. iii. pt. i. p. 560. and Oudin. Comment. tom. i. p. 1692. The Martyrology published in the folio editions, [Bas. iii. 380—487. Col. iii. 277—360.] and separately Antwerpiæ, 1565, is, as has been before stated, spurious, and is taken from Ado. Bede’s second Martyrology, in hexameter verse, found in D’Achery’s Spicilegium, tom. x. p. 126, ed. nov. ii. 23. [see also Mabillon, Acta Bened. sec. iii. i. p. 560. and sec. iv. ii. p. 85.] will be found among Bede’s poetical works in the first volume of this series. Another Martyrology, forming a sort of almanac, and entitled Ephemerissive Computus Vulgaris, found in the folio editions [Bas. i. 242—266. Col. i. 191—213] was written by Wandelbertus Prumiensis. See Oudin. Comment. tom. i. p. 1683. PLL v6.0 (generated September, 2011) 6 http://oll.libertyfund.org/title/1915 Online Library of Liberty: The Complete Works of Venerable Bede, 8 vols. Two other tracts, entitled Liber Annalis, and forming a kind of Martyrology, are found in Martene and Durand’s Collectio Veterum Scriptorum, vol. vi.; but they are of no importance, and the editors themselves allow that very little of them can claim to be the production of Bede. III. VITA BEATI FELICIS CONFESSORIS. — THE LIFE OF THE HOLY ST. FELIX. The Saint and Confessor Felix was a priest of the Church of Nola in the fifth century. His life was first composed by Paullinus in verse, which was turned by Bede into the prose narrative now before us. The work is found in the folio editions [Bas. iii. 255—262. Col. iii. 185—190] and in the Acta Sanctorum ad Jan. 14, tom. i. p. 943, ed. Ant. 1643. It is inserted in Smith’s edition, corrected from a careful revision of the two previous editions, but Smith was unable to discover any MS. copies of it. In the Harleian Collection at the British Museum is a splendid Passionale, in three very large volumes, Nos. 2800—2802, of the thirteenth century, in which occurs this life of Felix. It is not found in Stevenson’s edition, which relates to English history only. It is here printed from an accurate collation of the texts of Smith, of the Basil edition, and the Harleian Passionale. The variations are given at the end of the volume. IV. VITA SANCTI CUTHBERTI.—THE LIFE OF ST. CUTHBERT. This is in substance the same as the metrical legend De Miraculis Sancti Cuthberti, which will be given among the poetical remains of Bede in the first volume. It is, however, much more valuable than the other. It is dedicated to Eadfrid, bishop of Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, who died 721. It is found in the folio editions, [Bas. iii. 209—254. Col. iii. 152—185.] and in Mabillon’s Acta Bened. sec. ii. Smith gives a text based on five MSS. viz. a Benedictine, Harleian, two in the Bodleian, and one in the possession of a friend. Stevenson used Smith’s edition, together with two MSS. [Harl. 1117, fol.