The Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation

Table of contents

• Title Page v
• Preface vii
• The Life of Bede xi
• Summary of the History xxxi
• To the Most Glorious King Ceolwulph, Bede - The Servant of Christ, and Priest 1
• Book I. 5
• Chapter I - Of the Situation of Britain and Ireland, and of Their Ancient Inhabitants 5
• Chapter II - Caius Julius CÆsar, the First Roman That Came into Britain 9
• Chapter III - 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 Their Dominion 10
• Chapter IV - Lucius, King of Britain, Writing to Pope Eleutherus, Desires to Be Made a Christian 11
• Chapter V - How the Emperor Severus Divided That Part of Britain Which He Subdued, from the Rest by a Rampart 12
• Chapter VI - The Reign of Dioclesian, and How He Persecuted the Christians 13
• Chapter VII - The Passion of St. Alban and His Companions, Who at That Time Shed Their Blood for Our Lord 14
• Chapter VIII - The Persecution Ceasing, the Church in Britain Enjoys Peace till the Time of the Arian Heresy 18
• Chapter IX - How during the Reign of Gratian, Maximus Being Created Emperor in Britain, Returned into Gaul with a Mighty Army 19
• Chapter X - How in the Reign of Arcadius, Pelagius, a Briton, Insolently Impugned the Grace of God 19
• Chapter 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 20
• Chapter XII - 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 the Britons Being Again Invaded by the Aforesaid Enemies, Were Reduced to Greater Distress Than before 21
• Chapter XIII - In the Reign of Theodosius, the Younger, Palladius Was Sent to the Scots That Believed in Christ; the Britons Begging Assistance of Ætius, the Consul, Could Not Obtain It 24
• Chapter XIV - The Britons, Compelled by Famine, Drove the Barbarians out of Their Territories; Soon after There Ensued Plenty of Corn, Luxury, Plague, and the Subversion of the Nation 25
• Chapter XV - The Angles Being Invited into Britain, at First Obliged the Enemy to Retire to a Distance; but Not Long After, Joining in League with Them, Turned Their Weapons upon Their Confederates 27
• Chapter XVI - The Britons Obtained Their First Victory over the Angles, under the Command of Ambrosius, a Roman 29
• Chapter 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 30
• Chapter XVIII - The Same Holy Man Gave Sight to the Blind Daughter of a Tribune, and Then Coming to St. Albans, There Received Some Relics of His, and Left Others of the Blessed Apostles, and Other Martyrs 32
• Chapter XIX - How the Same Holy Man, Being Detained There by an Indisposition, by His Prayers Quenched a Fire That Had Broken out among the Houses, and Was Himself Cured of His Distemper by a Vision 34
• Chapter XX - How the Same Bishops Procured the Britons Assistance from Heaven in a Battle, and Then Returned Home 35
• Chapter XXI - The Pelagian Heresy Again Reviving, Germanus, Returning into Britain with Severus, First Healed a Lame Youth, Then Having Condemned, or Converted the Heretics, They Restored Spiritual Health to the People of God 37
• Chapter XXII - The Britons, Being for a Time Delivered from Foreign Invasions, Wasted Themselves by Civil Wars, and Then Gave Themselves Up to More Heinous Crimes 38
• Chapter XXIII - How Pope Gregory Sent Augustine, with Other Monks, to Preach to the English, and Encouraged Them by a Letter of Exhortation, Not to Cease from Their Labour 39
• Chapter XXIV - How He Wrote to the Bishop of Arles to Entertain Them 41
• Chapter XXV - Augustine, Coming into Britain, First Preached in the Isle of Thanet to the King of Kent, and Having Obtained Licence, Entered That County in Order to Preach Therein 42
• Chapter XXVI - St. Augustine in Kent Followed the Doctrine and Manner of Living of the Primitive Church, and Settled His Episcopal See in the Royal City 44
• Chapter XXVII - St. Augustine, Being Made Bishop, Sends to Acquaint Pope Gregory with What Had Been Done, and Receives His Answer to the Doubts He Had Proposed to Him 45
• Chapter XXVIII - Pope Gregory Writes to the Bishop of Arles to Assist Augustine in the Work of God 61
• Chapter XXIX - The Same Pope Sends Augustine the Pall, an Epistle, and Several Ministers of the Word 62
• Chapter XXX - A Copy of the Letter Which Pope Gregory Sent to the Abbot Mellitus Then Going into Britain 64
• Chapter XXXI - Pope Gregory, by Letter, Exhorts Augustine Not to Glory in His Miracles 65
• Chapter XXXII - Pope Gregory Sends Letters and Presents to King Ethelbert 67
• Chapter XXXIII - Augustine Repairs the Church of Our Saviour, and Builds the Monastery of St. Peter the Apostle; Peter the First Abbot of the Same 70
• Chapter XXXIV - Ethelfrid, King of the Northumbrians, Having Vanquished the Nations of the Scots, Expels Them from the Territories of the English 71
• Book II 72
• Chapter I - Of the Death of the Blessed Pope Gregory 72
• Chapter II - Augustine Admonished the Bishops of the Britons to Catholic Peace and Unity, and to That Effect Wrought a Heavenly Miracle in Their Presence; of the Vengeance That Pursued Them for Their Contempt 80
• Chapter III - How St. Augustine Made Mellitus and Justus, Bishops; and of His Death 84
• Chapter IV - Laurentius and His Bishops Admonish the Scots to Observe the Unity of the Holy Church, Particularly in Keeping of Easter; Mellitus Goes to Rome 85
• Chapter V - How, after the Death of the Kings Ethelbert and Seberht, Their Successors Restored Idolatry; for Which Reason, Both Mellitus and Justus Departed out of Britain 88
• Chapter VI - Laurentius, Being Reproved by the Apostle, Converts King Eadbald to Christ; Mellitus and Justus Are Recalled 91
• Chapter VII - Bishop Mellitus by Prayer Quenches a Fire in His City 92
• Chapter VIII - Pope Boniface Sends the Pall and an Epistle to Justus, Successor to Mellitus 94
• Chapter IX - The Reign of King Edwin, and How Paulinus, Coming to Preach the Gospel, First Converted His Daughter and Others to the Faith of Christ 96
• Chapter X - Pope Boniface, by Letter, Exhorts the Same King to Embrace the Faith 99
• Chapter XI - Pope Boniface Advises Queen Ethelburga to Use Her Best Endeavours for the Salvation of Her Consort, King Edwin 102
• Chapter XII - King Edwin is Persuaded to Believe, by a Vision He Had Been When He Was in Exile 105
• Chapter XIII - Of the Council He Held with His Prime Men about Embracing the Faith of Christ, and How His High Priest Propaned His Altars 109
• Chapter XIV - King Edwin and His Nation Become Christians; Paulinus Baptizes Theem 111
• Chapter XV - The Province of the East Angles Receives the Faith of Christ 113
• Chapter XVI - How Paulinus Preached in the Province of Lindsey, and of the Reign of Edwin 114
• Chapter XVII - Edwin Receives Letters of Exhortation from Pope Honorius, Who Also Sends Paulinus the Pall 116
• Chapter XVIII - Honorius, Who Succeeded Justus in the Bishopric of Canterbury, Receives the Pall and Letters from Pope Honorius 118
• Chapter XIX - How the Aforesaid Honorius First, and Afterwards John, Wrote Letters to the Nation of the Scots, concerning the Observance of Easter, and the Pelagian Heresy 120
• Chapter XX - Edwin Being Slain, Paulinus Returns into Kent, and Has the Bishopric of Rochester Conferred on Him 122
• Book Iii. 125
• Chapter I - How King Edwin's Next Successors Lost Both the Faith of Their Nation and the Kingdom; but the Most Christian King Oswald Retrieved Both 125
• Chapter II - How among Innumerable Other Miraculous Cures Wrought by the Cross, Which King Oswald, Being Ready to Engage against the Barbarians, Erected, a Certain Youth Had His Lame Arm Healed 126
• Chapter III - The Same King Oswald, Asking a Bishop of the Scottish Nation, Had Aidan Sent Him, and Granted. Him an Episcopal See in the Isle of Lindisfarn 128
• Chapter IV - When the Nation of the Picts Received the Faith 130
• Chapter V - Of the Life of Bishop Aidan 132
• Chapter VI - Of King Oswald's Wonderful Piety 134
• Chapter VII - How the West Saxons Received the Word of God by the Preaching of Birinus; and of His Successors, Agilbert and Leutherius 136
• Chapter VIII - How Earconbert, King of Kent, Ordered the Idols to Be Destroyed; and of His Daughter Earcongota, and His Kinswoman Ethilberga, Virgins Consecrated to God 138
• Chapter IX - That Miraculous Cures Have Been Frequently Done in the Place Where King Oswald Was Killed; and That First, a Traveller's Horse, and Afterwards a Young Girl Was Cured of a Palsy 141
• Chapter X - The Power of the Earth of That Place against Fire 143
• Chapter XI - Of the Heavenly Ltght That Appeared All the Night over the Bones of King Oswald, and That Persons Possessed with Devils Were Delivered by Them 144
• Chapter XII - Of a Boy Cured of an Ague at St. Oswald's Tomb 146
• Chapter XIII - Of a Certain Person in Ireland That Was Recovered, When at the Point of Death, by the Bones of King Oswald 148
• Chapter XIV - On the Death of Paulinus, Ithamar Was Made Bishop of Rochester in His Stead, of the Wonderful Humility of King Oswin, Who Was Cruelly Slain by Oswi 149
• Chapter XV - How Bishop Aidan Foretold to Certain Seamen a Storm That Would Happen, and Gave Them Some Holy Oil to Lay It 152
• Chapter XVI - How the Same Aidan, by His Prayers, Saved the Royal City When Fired by the Enemy 154
• Chapter XVII - How the Post of the Church on Which Bishop Aidan Was Leaning When He Died, Could Not Be Burnt When the Rest of the Church Was Consumed by Fire; and of His Inward Life 155
• Chapter XVIII - Of the Life and Death of the Religious King Sigbercht 157
• Chapter XIX - How Fursius Built a Monastery among the East Angles, and or His Visions and Sanctity, of Which, His Flesh Remaining Uncorrupted after Death, Bore Testimony 158
• Chapter XX - Honorius Dying, Deusdedit is Chosen Archbishop of Canterbury. of Those Who Were at That Time Bishops of the East Angles, and of the Church of Rochester 164
• Chapter XXI - How the Province of the Midland Angles Became Christian under King Peada 164
• Chapter XXII - How the East Saxons Again Received the Faith, Which They Had before Cast off under King Sigbercht, through the Preaching of Cedda 166
• Chapter XXIII - Bishop Cedd, Having a Place Given Him by King Ethilwald, Consecrates the Same to Our Lord with Prayer and Fasting. of His Death 169
• Chapter XXIV - King Penda Being Slain, the Mercians Received the Faith of Christ, and Oswy Gave Possessions and Territories to God, for Building Monasteries, in Acknowledgment for the Victory Obtained 171
• Chapter XXV - How the Controversy Arose about the Due Time of Keeping Easter, with Those That Came out of Scotland 175
• Chapter XXVI - Colman, Being Worsted, Returned Home; Tuda Succeeded Him in the Bishopric; the State of the Church under Those Teachers 182
• Chapter XXVII - Egbercht, a Holy Man of the English Nation, Led a Monastic Life in Ireland 185
• Chapter XXVIII - Tuda Being Dead, Wilfrid Was Ordained, in France, and Ceadd, in the Province of the West Saxons, to Be Bishops of the Northumbrians 187
• Chapter XXIX - How the Priest Wighard Was Sent from Britain to Rome, to Be Consecrated Archbishop, of His Death There, and of the Letters of the Apostolic Pope Giving an Account Thereof 188
• Chapter XXX - The East Saxons, during a Pestilence, Returning to Idolatry, Are Immediately Brought Back from Their Error by the Bishop Jaruman 192
• Book Iv. 193
• Chapter I - Deusdedit, Archbishop of Canterbury, Dying, Wighard Was Sent to Rome to Succeed Him in That Dignity; but He Dying There, Theodore Was Ordained Archbishop, and Sent into Britain with the Abbot Adrian 193
• Chapter II - Theodore Visits All Places; the Churches of the English Begin to Be Instructed in Holy Literature, and in the Catholic Truth; Putta, is Made Bishop of the Church of Rochester in the Room of Damianus 196
• Chapter III - How Ceadd, Above-Mentioned, Was Made Bishop of the Mercians. of His Life, Death, and Burial 198
• Chapter IV - Bishop Colman, Having Left Britain, Built Two Monasteries in Scotland; the One for the Scots, the Other for the English He Had Taken along with Him 203
• Chapter V - Of the Death of the Kings Oswy and Egbercht, and of the Synod Held at Heorutford, in Which Archbishop Theodore Presided 205
• Chapter VI - Winfrid Being Deposed, Sexulf Was Put into His See, and Made Bishop of the East Saxons 208
• Chapter VII - That a Heavenly Light Showed Where the Bodies of the Nuns Should Be Buried in the Monastery of Berking 209
• Chapter VIII - A Little Boy, Dying in the Same Monastery, Called upon a Virgin That Was to Follow Him; Another at the Point of Leaving Her Body, Saw Some Small Part of the Future Glory 211
• Chapter IX - Of the Signs Shown from Heaven When the Mother of That Congregation Departed This Life 212
• Chapter X - A Blind Woman, Praying in the Burial-Place of That Monastery, Was Restored to Her Sight 214
• Chapter XI - Sebbi, King of the Same Province, Ended His Life in Monastical Conversation 215
• Chapter XII - Haeddi Succeeds Leutherius in the Bishopric of the West Saxons; Quichelm Succeeds Putta in That of Rochester, and is Himself Succeeded by Gebmund; and Who Were Then Bishops of the Northumbrians 217
• Chapter XIII - Bishop Wilfrid Converted the Province of the South Saxons to Christ 219
• Chapter XIV - How a Pestilential Mortality Ceased through the Intercession of King Oswald 222
• Chapter XV - King Ceadwall Having Slain Edilwalch, King of the West Saxons, Wasted That Province with Rapine and Slaughter 225
• Chapter XVI - How the Isle of Wight Received Christian Inhabitants, and Two Royal Youths of That Island Were Killed Immediately after Baptism 225
• Chapter XVII - Of the Synod Held in the Plain of Haethfeld, Where Archbishop Theodore Presided 227
• Chapter XVIII - Of John, the Singer of the Apostolic See, Who Came into Britain to Teach 229
• Chapter XIX - How Queen Etheldrid Always Preserved Her Virginity, and Her Body Suffered No Corruption in the Grave 231
• Chapter XX - An Hymn on the Aforesaid Holy Virgin 235
• Chapter XXI - Bishop Theodore Made Peace between the Kings Ecgfrid and Ethilred 238
• Chapter XXII - How a Certain Captive's Chains Fell off When Masses Were Sung for Him 239
• Chapter XXIII - Of the Life and Death of the Abbess Hilda 241
• Chapter XXIV - There Was in the Said Abbess's Monastery a Brother, on Whom the Gift of Writing Verses Was Bestowed by Heaven 246
• Chapter XXV - Of the Vision That Appeared to a Certain Man of God before the Monastery of the City Coludi Was Burned Down 250
• Chapter XXVI - Of the Death of the Kings Ecgfrid and Lothere 254
• Chapter XXVII - Cuthbert, a Man of God, is Made Bishop; and How He Lives and Teaches Whilst Still in a Monastic Life 256
• Chapter XXVIII - The Same St. Cuthbert, Being an Anchorite, by His Prayers Obtained a Spring in a Dry Soil, and Had a Crop from Seed Sown by Himself out of Season 258
• Chapter XXIX - St. Cuthbert Foretold to the Anchorite, Hereberht, That His Death Was at Hand 261
• Chapter XXX - St. Cuthbert's Body Was Found Altogether Uncorrupted after It Had Been Buried Eleven Years; His Succfssor in the Bishopric Departed This World Not Long after 263
• Chapter XXXI - Of One That Was Cured of a Palsy at the Tomb of St. Cuthbert 265
• Chapter XXXII - Of One Who Was Cured of a Distemper in His Eye at the Relics of St. Cuthbert 266
• Book V. 268
• Chapter I - Oidilwald, Successor to Cuthbert, Leading an Eremitical Life, Quelled a Tempest When the Brethren Were in Danger at Sea 268
• Chapter II - How Bishop John Cured a Dumb Man by Blessing Him 270
• Chapter III - The Same Bishop, John, by His Prayers, Healed a Sick Maiden 271
• Chapter IV - The Same Bishop Healed an Earl's Wife That Was Sick, with Holy Water 273
• Chapter V - The Same Bishop Recovered One of the Earl's Servants from Death 274
• Chapter VI - The Same Bishop, by His Prayers and Blessing, Delivered from Death One of His Clerks, Who Had Bruised Himself by a Fall 275
• Chapter VII - Ceadwal, King of the West-Saxons, Went to Rome to Be Baptised; His Successor Also Devoutly Repaired to the Same Church of the Holy Apostles 278
• Chapter VIII - Archbishop Theodore Dies, Berthwald Succeeds Him as Archbishop, and among Many Others Whom He Ordained, He Made Tobias, a Most Learned Man, Bishop of the Church of Rochester 281
• Chapter IX - Ecgberht, a Holy Man, Would Have Gone into Germany to Preach, but Could Not; Wicberht Went, but Meeting with No Success, Returned into Ireland, from Whence He Came 283
• Chapter X - Wilblod, Preaching in Friseland, Converted Many to Christ; His Two Companions, the Hewalds, Suffered Martyrdom 285
• Chapter XI - How the Venerable Suidbercht in Britain, and Wilbrod at Rome, Were Ordained Bishops for Friseland 288
• Chapter XII - Of One among the Northumbrians, Who Rose from the Dead, and Related the Things Which He Had Seen, Some Exciting Terror, Others Delight 290
• Chapter XIII - Of Another, Who before His Death Saw a Book Containing All His Sins, Which Was Showed Him by Devils 296
• Chapter XIV - Of Another, Who Being at the Point of Death, Saw the Place of Punishment Appointed for Him in Hell 298
• Chapter XV - Several Churches of the Scots, at the Instance of Adamnan, Conformed to the Catholic Easter; the Same Person Wrote a Book about the Holy Places 300
• Chapter XVI - The Account Given by the Aforesaid Book of the Place of Our Lord's Nativity, Passion and Resurrection 302
• Chapter XVII - Of the Place of Our Lord's Ascension, and the Tombs of the Patriarchs 304
• Chapter XVIII - The South-Saxons Received Eadberht and Eolla, and the West-Saxons, Daniel and Aldhelm, for Their Bishops. of the Writings of the Same Aldhelm 305
• Chapter XIX - Coinred, King of the Mercians, and Offa, of the East-Saxons, Ended Their Days at Rome, in the Monastic Habit. of the Life and Death of Bishop Wilfrid 307
• Chapter XX - Albinus Succeeded to the Religious Abbot Adrian, and Acca to Bishop Wilfrid 315
• Chapter XXI - Abbot Ceolfrid Sent the King of the Picts Architects to Build a Church, and with Them an Epistle concerning the Catholic Easter and Tonsure 317
• Chapter XXII - The Monks of Hii, and the Monasteries Subject to Them, Begin to Celebrate the Canonical Easter at the Prraching of Egbercht 331
• Chapter XXIII - Of the Present State of the English Nation, or of All Britain, with an Historical Recapitulation of the Whole Work, and Something concerning the Person of the Author 333
• Chapter XXIV - A Chronological Summary of the Foregoing History, and of the Author Himself 336
• Notes 345
• Index of Proper Names 369

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