Ecclesiastical History of the English People

Beda was buried at Jarrow, where the following inscription was placed over his tomb:—

‘Here the priest Beda rests, buried in the flesh,
Grant, O Christ, that his soul may rejoice in the heavens for an age.
And grant him to be inebriated by the fountain of wisdom, for which he now
Sighed, rejoicing, always with intent love.’

A few words must be added about the sources from which the texts of the documents printed in this volume are derived.

The text of the Church History is that of Smith, corrected in a few places by that of the Monumenta Historica Britannica, the Introduction of which however testifies in the strongest manner to the general correctness of Smith’s text. On questions as to one or two isolated words I have referred directly to the great Moore MS. in the University Library at Cambridge This MS. seems to have been written A.D. 737, two years after Beda’s own death. This appears from certain chronological notes which are made at the end of the MS. which, without actually giving the date, state the number of years since various events happened, thus—

‘Paulinus baptized 111 years ago.
Eclipse 73 years ago.
Penda dies 79 years ago.
Battle of Ecgfrith 63 years ago.
Ælfwine 58 years ago.
Monastery at Wearmouth 64 years ago.
Comets seen 8 years ago.
In the same year father Ecgberht passed to Christ.
The English in Britain 292 years ago.’
We know the dates of all these nine events. Assuming the starting-point to be A.D. 737, the great eclipse is properly dated A.D. 664 (p. 202), Ælfwine’s death A.D. 679 (p. 258), and Ecgberht’s death A.D. 729 (p. 357). Paulinus was consecrated bishop of York A.D. 625, and so no doubt baptized A.D. 626, though Eadwine’s baptism was not till the next year. In A.D. 684 Ecgfrith made war on the Irish (p. 275), not in A.D. 674; but as no other ‘Battle of Ecgfrith’ is mentioned, perhaps ‘63 years ago’ may be a misreading for ‘53 years ago.’ There remain only the foundation of Wearmouth Abbey, which really took place A.D. 674 instead of A.D. 673 (p. 374); and Penda’s death, which is clearly dated four years too late—A.D. 658 instead of A.D. 654.
This MS. was preserved in France till the Peace of Ryswick, A.D. 1697, when it passed into the hands of Bishop Moore [Morus] of Ely, who gave it to the elder Smith to use for his edition, which appeared in A.D. 1722 under the auspices of his son., which I have been enabled to consult through