Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 04.djvu/108

Bede Documents,' iii. 326; the 'Liber de Remediis Peccatorum,' printed at Venice, 1684, and in the collective editions, is a compilation ( and ).

Mr. Stevenson in his Introduction has given an exhaustive account of the sources from which the 'Historia Ecclesiastica' (30) is derived. Up to the coming of St. Augustine in 596 the work is compiled from former writers, e.g. Eutropius and Gildas, from legends and popular traditions, and from the 'Life of St. Germanus' by Constantius of Lyons. From 596 Bæda used both written documents and oral intelligence. His extracts from books now become few. Among these books Stevenson reckons (Introd. xxiv) the 'Life of Gregory the Great' by Paul the Deacon. As, however, Paul was born 720-725 (, Prœf. Paul. Diac.) it is probable that he and Bæda went to some common source. Paul certainly had the 'Hisitoria Ecclesiastica' (30) at hand when he was writing his 'History of the Lombards.' Bæda made considerable use of local records. Albinus and Nothelm seem to have furnished him with materials for the history of the kingdom of Kent, of the archbishops of Canterbury, of the diocese of Rochester, and of East Anglia. From Bishop Daniel he derived his knowledge of the history of the West and South Saxons, and from the monks of Læstingaeu of the work of Cedd and Ceadda. Bishop Cyneberht gave him a few materials concerning his diocese of Lindesey. His account of Northumbrian history is naturally full, and in some parts, e.g. the history of Eadwine, records details which show that he must have used important local annals. The official documents contained in the 'Historia Ecclesiastica' consist of copies made from the papal registers for Bæda by Nothelm (Ann. Baron. xii. 364) and of the proceedings of English councils. Bæda constantly refers to oral communications. He is particular in recording the name and description of any one from whom he received information. He evidently weighed the credibility of his informants, and distinguished between the value of the reports of eye-witnesses and of those who only repeated what they had heard. The earliest edition of 'Historia Ecclesiastica' is a folio, without pagination, catch-words, date, place, or name of printer. It has been assigned to H. Eggesteyn, Strasburg, cir. 1473 . Two other editions were put out before the end of the century, at Strasburg in 1483 and at Spires in 1490. Next come the Strasburg edition of 1500, and the Hagenau edition by J. Rynman, 1506 (M. H. B. 71). All these are in small folio, double columns, and Gothic letters, and are mainly reprints of the first edition. The 'Historia Ecclesiastica' was again printed at Antwerp by Gravius in 1550. Although this is to a large extent a reprint of the 1500 edition, it supplies the hitherto unprinted conclusion of v. 24, and is a fine and scarce book. It was reprinted at Louvain, 1566; at Heidelberg, 1587, by Commeline, who corrected several errors by collating a good manuscript; at Cologne, 1601; and in the Basle and Cologne collective editions. The first edition brought out in England was by A. Whelo, Cambridge, 1644, together with the Anglo-Saxon version attributed to King Ælfred. A critical edition was produced by P. F. Chifflet, S.J., Paris, 1681. In 1722 all former editions were superseded by that of Canon J. Smith, printed at Cambridge, chiefly founded on the manuscript of Bishop More in the Cambridge Library. It contains the Anglo-Saxon version and other historical works, and is a very noble volume. Another edition of the historical works was brought out by J. Stevenson in 2 vols. 8vo, for the Eng. Hist. Soc., London, 1838, with an excellent introduction. The 'Historia Ecclesiastica' has also been edited by B. Hussey, Oxford, 1846, by G. H. Moberly, Oxford, 1869, and lib. iii. and iv. by Mayor and Lumby, Pitt Press, 1879. The 'Ep. ad Ecgberhtum 'contains interesting information as to the condition of the English church at the time, together with the plan of Bæda for the improvement of its discipline. It has been edited by Ware, Dublin, 1664; Wharton, London, 1693; Smith and Stevenson.

The treatise 'De Natura Rerum' (34) contains such physical science as was then known. It collects the wisdom of the ancient world on this subject, and has the special merit of referring phenomena to natural causes. It was published together with the two works on chronology at Basle, 1529. 'Liber de Orthographia' (36) was printed in the 'Gramm. Lat. Auct. Ant.,' Han. 1605. The 'De Arte Metrica' (37) contains a large number of quotations, not only from the better known, but from obscure Latin poets, and has many references to Greek examples. It was printed by Putsch in 'Vet. Gramm.,' Paris, 1616, and is contained in 'Gramm. Lat.' of H. Keil, Leip. 1857. The short treatises 'De Schematibus et Tropis' (37) were published at Milan by Ant. Zarotus, 1473, with two other grammatical works. This book is without signatures, catch-words, or pagination, and is very scarce. It has also been published at Venice, 1522; at Basle, 1527, &c. It is included in the 'Rhetores Lat. Min.' of C. Halm, Leip., 1863. Bæda took his 'Libellus de situ