first fifteen or twenty lines of Bede's Poetical Martyrology above mentioned. As the Editor has not

been able to meet with any manuscript copies of these hymns, he has endeavoured to correct the text of the preceding editions as far as he was able, though they are still far from perfect, and indeed their value is hardly sufficient to cause the reader to regret this deficiency.

The last of the Hymns published by Cassander is entitled De die Judicii [see p. 99]. Among the Collectanea et Flores, found in the folio editions, are two hymns on the same subject, but certainly not genuine : they are written in a style which here and there appears to be metrical. In some passages they appear to have been imitated from the well known hymn Dies iræ dies illa, &c. Thus, miser ergo quid facio, aut quid respondebo, may have been copied from

Quid sum miser tunc dicturus;

Quem patronum rogaturus? &c.

The poem before us is found in Simeon of Durham's De gestis Regum Anglorum [ap. Hist. Ang. Scrip. x. See Mabillon's Act. Ben. p. 562, no. 34] from a MS. formerly in the library of Dethou, now of Colbert. VI. De duodecim signis Zodiaci.

VII. De ætatibus.

These two short poems are found among the tracts published in the folio editions. The latter appears to be a translation or imitation of a short Greek poem on the same subject. They most probably are not genuine, but may be retained in the present edition, as they occupy a page which otherwise would have been

blank.

EPISTOLÆ.

In no particular are we so different from our forefathers as in the manner in which we treat the characters and memories of great men when they are no more. Whilst in former times departed genius was accounted as something sacred, and not to be lightly exposed to

the censure or criticism of the public, at present our sole aim seems to be to bring down the great man, who is no more, from the pedestal on which he has been exalted, to examine with the utmost minuteness into every particular of his private life and conduct, and reduce him, as far as possible, to the level of the rest of the world. We see this change of times and circumstances borne out by the different character of writings which have given pleasure in different ages of the world. Familiar letters and domestic memoirs are rife amongst us but how few of them have been handed down to us from former ages. The only exception to this are the collections of letters published by Gregory, Leo, and other fathers of the church: and these, being somewhat of a pastoral or synodical nature, are not precisely of the kind alluded to. It might, however, have been expected that Bede would have left behind him more letters than those which we have at present; but the explanation above given, relating to the taste for such compositions, may account not only for the fact of his having written so few letters, but also for there being none of a spurious description ascribed to him. The only letters which Bede himself mentions in the list of his writings are the five contained in Liber Epistolarum ad Diversos, of which three have until now been considered as lost.

The following are all the letters of Bede that remain. The historical interest attached to the first two has induced the Editor to add a translation for the benefit of the English reader.

I. Epistola ad Albinum.

This short epistle was sent by the hands of Nothelm, a priest of London, to Albinus, Abbot of Canterbury, and a private friend of Bede, thanking him for certain documents which had been lent to aid him in his Ecclesiastical History, and sending him in return a copy of his treatise, De templo Salomonis, and his

Ecclesiastical History, to be transcribed. It is important to distinguish this Albinus from the celebrated Albinus Flaccus, or Alcuin, as the similarity of name has already led some writers to confound these two together.

The letter was published by Mabillon in his Analecta, I. p. 9, ed. nov. p. 398, and afterwards separately, 8vo. Paris. It has since been printed by Smith and Stevenson, but is not found in the folio editions of the works. The date of this epistle must be after 731. It is, therefore, not mentioned in the author's own list. II. Epistola ad Egbertum Episcopum.

This letter, so valuable for the notices which it gives us of Ecclesiastical affairs, is neither found in the folio editions, not included in the author's list of his writings. It was first published by Ware [Dubl. 1664], and afterwards by Wharton [Lond. 1693], but much more correctly by Smith, from the Merton MS. In Stevenson's edition it is reprinted from Smith's text.

The date, at which this letter was written, is ascertained from the mention of King Alfred, who is said to have been dead thirty years. Now we know that he died in A.D. 705. Consequently the date of this letter must be A. D. 734 or 735, just before Bede's death. The letter is addressed to Egbert, Archbishop of York, and not the Bishop of Lindisfarne of the same name, who had died thirteen years before. It was written in consequence of the Bishop's having invited Bede to visit him, as he had done on a previous occasion, but Bede was now ill, and, instead of going to see his friend, sent him this letter of advice.

It appears from William of Malmesbury [G. Reg. An. I, 24.] that this Egbert was first cousin of King Ceolwuph.

III. Epistola ad Plegwinum Apologetica, eo quod insimularetur a quibusdam de ætatibus mundi non recte sensisse. This was the first of five letters named

in Bede's index under the title of Liber Epistolarum ad diversos quarum de sex aetatibus seculi, una est; de mansionibus filiorum Israel, una; una de eo, quod ait ISAIAS: "Et claudentur ibi in carcerem, et post multos visitabuntur;" de ratione Bissexti, una; de Aequinoctio, juxta ANATOLIUM, una. Cave considered that they were all lost (Hist. Lit. I. i. p. 616), but this is not the case: at least four of them are still extant. The first was first published by Ware from an old Manuscript, Dublin, 1664, and afterwards by Wharton, Lond. 1698, p. 241–251, under the title Epistola Beda Presbyteri Apologetica, eo quod insimularetur a quibusdam de ætatibus sæculi non recte sensisse. In the Codex Mertonensis is added this sentence, Explicit Epistola Bedæ Presbyteri ad Plegwinum, de sex ætatibus sæculi. The occasion of Bede's writing this letter was as follows-A former treatise of his De Temporibus did not give universal satisfaction, and at an entertainment given by Wilfrid, Bishop of York, the author was charged with heresy. Bede was informed of this accusation by the monk Plegwin, and immediately wrote back to him this letter, in which he attempts to justify himself by stating that he had followed the Hebrew text, and not the version of the Septuagint. Having adduced authorities from the Fathers, he requests of Plegwin to deliver his letter to a certain monk David, that it might be read to Bishop Wilfrid. Cave (pag. 615) seems to think that this David himself was the author of the calumny.

IV. Epistola ad Wicredam. De Pascha celebratione, sive de Equinoctio vernali.

This was the fifth letter of the collection ad diversos. It is found in the folio edition [B. II. 343-347, Colon. II. 230-232]. In the latter part of this epistle occurred the following passage, "Ut te exemplis ad inveniendam instruam feriam, qua XIV. occurrat luna,.

ut puta anno præsenti Dominicæ Incarnationis 776, sume Epactas hujus anni XXVI." &c. from which Baronius contended that Bede lived as late as that year; and Usher, on the other hand, made it the ground of denying the authenticity of the treatise. Petavius (Epist. p. 157. MSS.) attributed it to the Priest Philippus. But Mabillon (Elog. Bed. in Act. Ben. I. 1. No. 29, et Anal. Vet. I. 398, ed. Paris) says, that this passage is wanting in the Codex Laubiensis. It is also not found in Chifflet's edition [Bed. H. E. Paris, 1681. p. 13]. The letter is here printed from the Basle edition, collated with a MS. [12 DIV.] preserved in the British Museum, of the eleventh century. Other MSS. preserved in the King's Library at Paris have since been collated, and their concurrent testimony proves the passage above quoted to be spurious. V. Epistola ad Accam de Principio Genesis. VI. Epistola ad eundem Accam de templo Salomonis. VII. Epistola ad Nothelmum Presbyterum de triginta Quæstionibus.

VIII. Epistola ad Accam Episcopum, in Expositionem Evangelii secundum Marcum.

IX. Epistola ad Accam de Evangelio Lucæ. X. Epistola ad Accam de Expositione Actuum. XI. Epistola Præfatoria de Retractatione Actuum. XII. Epistola ad Eusebium de Expositione Apocalypsis.

XIII. Epistola ad Accam de libri Samuelis allegorica interpretatione.

XIV. Epistola ad Accam de Mansionibus filiorum Israel [nunc primum edita].

XV. Epistola ad Accam de eo quod ait Esaias, et claudentur ibi in carcere et per dies multos visitabuntur [nunc primum edita].

These letters, with the exception of Nos. XIV. and XV. are found at the beginning of the several Theological Commentaries. Though they are to be consi