p. 56.]

PRIMA1 AETAS MUNDI.

A. Prima etas mundi. Ab Adám usque ad 'Noé fuerunt anni. III. DC LXXVI. Her ongino ymbe þyses middangeardes ylde hpæt pæs fram Adame or Noé. þæt is ponne preo pusend pintra 7 syx hund 7 six 7 hund 5 seofantig pintra.

B. Secunda a Noé. usque ad Abraham fuerunt anni. CCC. XCVII. ponne pas seo oder yld from Noé oð Abraham. þæt is ponne preo hund pintra 7 seofan 7 hund nygan tig pintra .

C. Tertia ab Abraham usque ad Moysen. fuerunt anni DCCCCLXX. ponne pas seo pridde yld fram Abrahame of Moyses þæt is ponne nygan hund pintra. 7 hund seofantig pintra.

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D. Quarta etas a Moyse usque ad David fuerunt 15 anni. CCCCXCIII. usque in transmigrationem Babylonis . ponne pas seo feorde yld fram Moyse of Dauid. þæt is ponne feoper hund pintra. 7 preo 7 hund nygantig pintra. þære forð ge pitenesse pære micclan burge Babilonię.

E. Quinta etas mundi fuit a Dauid usque ad Christum 20 fuerunt anni. DLXXXVIIII. Ponne pas seo fifte yld fram

1 This list of the "Ages of the World" may be compared with the following corresponding list in the little Newminster MS., Cotton, Titus D. xxvi, f. 3, of almost contemporary date:-

A principio usque ad diluvium anni mille sexcenti. lvi.

A diluvio usque ad Abraham anni. ccxcv. et fiant simul anni duarum
ætatum mille. dccccxlviii .

Ab Abraham usque ad David anni dccccxlii. et fiunt simul anni trium
aetatum duo milia. dcccxc.

A David usque ad Circum [? Cyrum] anni. ccclxxxiii. & fiunt simul
anni. iiiior aetatum simul tria milia.

A Ciro usque ad nativitatem domini anni. dlxxx. & fiunt simul anni.
v. aetatum. iiijor. milia dcccclii.

A nativitate domini usque adventum antechristi anni. dccccxcx.

The computation seems to vary according to individual caprice. It was a favourite theme with the medieval writers, and many examples might be quoted. The whole idea rests, of course, upon Beda's treatise, entitled "Chronicon sive de sex hujus seculi aetatibus." See Smith's edit., p. 1. But neither the computations of the Hyde Register nor of this Cotton MS. agree with those of Beda.

G

Dauide of Crist. þæt is ponne fif hund pintra. 7 nygan

7

hund eahtatig pintra.

F. Sexta aetas a natiuatate domini preteritum

.i. annorum.

mundi. I. pintra . & . XXXI.

ponne is seo syxte yld fram Cristes acennednesse agán an þusend pintra 7 5 án and prittig - - pintra3.

G. Ab initio mundi usque in nativitate Christi fuerunt anni. VI. C. XXV. & menses. VIIII. ponne fram middangeardes fruman of Cristes acennednesse synd syx pusend pintra. 7 fif 7 tpentig 7 an hundpintra 10 7 nygan mondas.

H. Ab origine mundi usque in passionem domini fuerunt anni. VI CL. VIII. Ponne fram þisse porulde p. 57.] frymde of Cristes propung tide pæran syx þusend pintra. 7 eahta 7 fiftig. 7 hund pintra.

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I. Etas domini nostri Ihesu Christi quam secundum humanitatem in hoc seculo habebat. hoc est anni. xxxta & menses trés . horum quippe annorum sunt. XI milia. & DCCCXX dies. pis is seo yld þe ure drihten hælend Crist æfter menniscnesse her on porulde ge bád . þæt is 20 ponne prittig pintra. 7 þry monðas. 7 feopertig `daga' 7 monða syndon endlufan þusend daga 7 cahta hund daga 7 tpentig daga.

K. Ex quo autem die baptizatus est dominus usque in diem passionis sue. sunt dies juxta numerum 25 mensium. DCCCXX.

L. Of3 pam dæge pe drihten ge fullod però. of his

1 This paragraph has been seriously tampered with in order to bring the date down to the year 1031. The original entries, both Latin and Saxon, recording an earlier year, have been erased; and nothing can now be read which would afford a clue to the first state of the writing.

2 A marginal note in Astle's handwriting states that :-"This leaf was written A. D. 1031.

3 This paragraph L is only a translation of paragraph K, and probably should not have had a distinguishing initial prefixed to it.

propung dæge. syndon eahta hund daga 7 tpentig daga æfter para monða ge tele.

M. Sancta1 Maria pas on preo 7 sixtigan pintra þa heo of middan gearde ferde. 7 heo pæs feopertyne geara eald þa heo Crist acende. 7 heo pæs mid him . xxxiii 5 geara on middan gearde. 7 heo pas syxtyne gear æfter him on porulde. Amen;

p. 58.] HER CYÐ YMBE þA HALGAN þE ON ANGEL CYNNE RESTAÐ.

On 2 ures drihtnes naman hælendes Cristes. Sanctus 10 Augustinus ge fullode Æpelbyrht Cantpara cyningc 7 ealle his peode. ponne pas Eadbald3 Æðelbyrhtes sunu cyninges. 7 Byrhtan hatte his cpén. Ædelburh hatte

heora dohtor. oprum naman Táte. heo pæs forgyfen Eadpine Norohymbra cyninge to cpene 7 Sanctus 15 Paulinus se bisceop fór mid hyre 7 ge fullode✩ pone cyningc. 7 ealle his peode. 7 heo þa eft æfter Eadpines dæge ge sohte Cantpara byrig 5. 7 hyre broðor Eadbald. pæs þa Cantpara cyningc. 7 he hyre pa for geaf þæt land on Limmingc'e' 7 heo pa þæt mynster ge timbrade 7 20 þær nu rested. 7 sancta Eadburh mid hyre .

ponne pæs Imme Eadbaldes cpén Francena cyningces

1 The birth of our Lord when the B. V. Mary was fourteen years old seems to agree with some of the legendary accounts of her childhood, but her assumption is placed in the twenty-second year after the ascension of our Lord by the same authorities.

2 The first half of this article treats, almost exclusively, of the royal family of the Kentish kings, and their saintly character and claims. For a genealogical table, see Mon. Hist. Brit., p. 627. Hickes, in his Dissert. Epist., p. 115, prints another copy of this treatise, which he considers "incerti auctoris," from MS. 284 in Corp. Chr. Coll. Cambr., p. 147; it is very different towards the end. cf. also Brit. Mus. MS. Cotton, Vitell. A. II, f. 46, (12th cent. Latin); Arundel MS. 74. f. 100b, with title "Hee sunt notaciones de Sanctis qui in Anglica patria requiescunt"; and Harl. MSS. 464, 4660. Although Smith has not included this treatise among Beda's works, it seems likely to have been generally considered to be Beda's or compiled from Beda.

• Lyminge Minster, near Hythe and Folkestone, co. Kent.

A.D. 633 (ib.).

2

dohtor1. 7 hi be geaton Sanctę Eánspide pe æt Folcanstane rested. 7 Earcanbyrhts Cantpara cyningc. 7 Eormenræd æpelingc. 7 Eormenbeorgan

7 sancte Eormenburge. 7 sancte Eormengyde. 7 sancte Æpelred. 7 sancte Æbelbyrht . pis paron Eormenrædes bearn 7 5 Oslaue ponne pæs Ecgbyrht cyningc. 7 7 Lochere p. 59.] cyningc. 7 sancta Eormenhild. 7 sancta Ercengota pæron Eorcenbyr'h'tes bearn. 7 Sexburge his cpene. ponne pas sancte Eormenbeorge oder naman Domne Eue. heo pas for gyfen Merpale Penda sunu cyningces. 10 7 þær hi begeaton Sancte Mildburge. 7 sancte Mildryde. 7 sancte Mildgyde. 7 sancte Merefin.

ра

6

Hi þa for Godes lufon hi ge dældon be him lybbendan. 7 heo pa Domne Eue for eft to Centlande 5. 7 hyre broðra pergildes onfengc binnan Tenetlande æt 15 Ecgbyrhte pam cyningce pe hi ær acpellan het. punor hatte his ge reua þe hi acpellan hét. 7 he hi be byrigde under pæs cyningces heahsetle on Eastrege innan his healle 7 hi pa purdon purh Godes naman ge cydde spa þæt purh Godes mihte se leoma stód ymbe midde 20 niht up purh þære healle hróf spylce þær sunne scine . 7 þæt se cyningc him sylf ge seah. 7 he pæs spiðe afýrht 7 he pa be pam piste pæt he hæfde Gode abolgen. 7 he pa het heora spustor Domne Euan him to ge fecc'e'an þæt heo heora pergyld on fon mihte. 7 heo 25 pa spa dyde. þæt is ponne. LXXX. sulunga landes. þæt hi þæt mynster on arærdon pam saplum to ge bed

1 Daughter of Clotaire II;
2 Folkestone, co. Kent.

5 Kent.

married to Eadbald after A.D. 616 (A.S. Chr.). 3 A.D. 640 (A.S. Chr.). 4 Dies A.D. 685 (ib.)

6 Isle of Thanet, co. Kent.

7 For an account of this murder see Will. Malm. Gesta Pontif., Ed. Hamilton, p. 318. 8 Eastry, co. Kent.

A common event, thought to be supernatural and to indicate the sanctity of the deceased, was the appearance of a gleam of light over the burial-place: probably, however, due to the chemical result of decomposition of the body.

p. 60.] rædenne pe hit heora pergyld pæs. 7 se Ecgbyrht hyre þær to pel ge fylstel. 7 heo pa sancte Mildryde hire dohtor ofer sæ sende heo ponne pisdom þær ge leornode pe man on þam mynstre healdan sceolde . 7 heo pa spa dyde. 7 þær micelne haligdom beget pe mon 5 nu gyt to dæg sceapian mæg. 7 heo pa sancte Mildryð eft to hyre meder ham cóm 7 heo hyre pa þæt mynster for geaf þa hit ge staðolad pæs. 7 heo pa sancta Mildryð haligryfte on fengc æt Theodore arcebisceope 2. 7 LXX. mædena mid hyre pe se cyningc 7 hyre modor begyten 10 hæfdon 7 ge læred pæt hi æt þære stope nytte beon mihton 7 heo pa þær Gode to pillan ge peah. 7ece lif ge earnode. 7 spa oft sydðan heora mihta cude syndon 7 sancte Ermengyo hyre moddrie mid hyre punode of hyre lifes ende. 7 heo sylf þær hyre líc reste 15 ge ceas be hyre lybbendre. þæt is ponne án míl be eastan Sancte Mildry de mynstre. 7 hyre mihta þær oft pæron 7 gyt a cude synd. 7 Sancte Eadburh 'pa' to pam mynstre feng æfter sancte Mildryde. 7 heo pa cyricean ge sette pe hyre lichama nu on rested 3.

p. 61.]

ponne pæs Sexburh Cantpara cpén. heo ge staðolade Sancta Marian mynster on Sceapige 5. 7 þa Godes peopas þær to gesette. 7 þa Lodhere cyningc hyre sunu him þære land are ge ude þe hi gyt big lybbað 7 heora ge bedrædenne þær arærdon.

ponne pas sancta Sexburh. 7 sancta Æðeldryp. 7 sancta Pihtburh Annan dohtra east Engla cingces . Ponne pæs sancta peldry for gyfen Ecgfride Nordhymbra cyningce to cpene. 7 heo hræðere hyre mægðhad

1 17 se cyninge hire dar to pel fylste, Hickes.

2 A.D. 668-690.

4 A.D. 640.

3 Cf. Will. Malm.. Gesta Pontif., p. 306.

5 Sheppy Isle, co. Kent.

6 St. Etheldreda of Ely, A.D. 673, of whom a mediæval seal relates that "Etheldreda duos frustratur virgo maritos."

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