Anglo-Saxon Literature Part 16

[100] "Doc.u.ments Ill.u.s.trative of English History," p. 60.

[101] "Ancient Law," chap. x. init.

[102] Palgrave, "Anglo-Saxon Commonwealth;" Stubbs, "Const.i.tutional History;" Heinrich Brunner, "Die Entstehung der Schwurgerichte," Berlin, 1872.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE CHRONICLES.

Of the historical writings that remain from the Anglian period--namely, those of aeddi and Bede, we have already spoken; the subject of the present chapter will be the Saxon Chronicles and the Latin histories which are more or less related to these Chronicles.

The habit of putting together annals began to be formed very early. In our Chronicles there are some entries that may perhaps be older than the conversion of our people. The contributors to Bede's "History" would appear to have sent in their parts more or less in the annalistic form.

That form is even now but slightly veiled in the grouped arrangement into which the venerable historian has, with little reconstruction but considerable skill, cast his materials. Annal-writing, we may venture to say, had by his time become a recognised habit in literature, and there is extant a brief Northumbrian Chronicle which ends soon after Bede's death.[103] Continuous with this we have a series of annals which were produced in the north, and which are now imbedded in the West Saxon Chronicles; but the traces of their birth are not obliterated. Such vernacular annals were probably at first designed as little more than notes and memoranda to serve for a Latin history to be written another day; but the Danish wars broke the tradition of Latin learning, and made a wide opening which gave opportunity for the elevation of a vernacular literature. There is no part of Anglo-Saxon literature more characterised by spontaneity than are the Saxon Chronicles. Nowhere can we better see how the mother-tongue received the devolution of the literary office in an unexpected way when the learned literature was suddenly and violently displaced.

One of the strong features of these Chronicles is the genealogies of the kings, ascending mostly to Woden as their mythical ancestor. The most complete of these is that of the West Saxon kings, which is prefixed to the Parker ma.n.u.script in manner of a preface. This genealogy was originally made for Ecgbryht, who reigned from 800 to 836,--it was made at his death, and it comprised the accession of his son, aethelwulf.

Subsequently an addition was made, which continued the line of kings down to Alfred, and closed with the date of his accession. This, when combined with the fact that the first hand in this book ends with 891, seems to fix the date of the Winchester Chronicle. This interesting appendix is as follows:--

Ond tha feng aethelbald his sunu to rice and heold v gear.

Tha feng aethelbryht his brother to and heold v gear. Tha feng aethered hiera brothur to rice and heold v gear. Tha feng aelfred hiera brothur to rice and tha waes agan his ielde xxiii wintra, and ccc and xcvi wintra thaes the his cyn aerest Wess.e.xana lond on Wealum geodon.

And then aethelbald his son took to the realm and held it 5 years. Then succeeded aethelbryht his brother, and held 5 years. Then aethered their brother took to the realm, and held 5 years. Then took Alfred their brother to the realm, and then was agone of his age 23 years; and 396 years from that his race erst took Wess.e.x from the Welsh.

These Chronicles are remarkable for a certain unconscious ease and homeliness. Even when, in the course of their progress, they grow more copious and mature, they hardly discover any consciousness of literary dignity. Of the Latin writings of the Anglo-Saxon period this could not be said. This _navete_ is naturally more observable in the earlier parts, which seem like rescued antiquities, which might have been built into their place when, in the latter end of the eighth or beginning of the ninth century, the importance of the national and vernacular chronicle began to be realised.

Some of the brief entries concerning the various settlements on the coasts and the early contests with the Britons have the appearance of traditional reminiscences that had been preserved in popular songs. Such is that of 473, that the Welsh flew the English like fire; 491, that aelle and Cissa besieged Andredescester, and slew all those that therein dwelt--there was not so much as one Bret left; 584, how that Ceawlin, in his expedition up the Vale of Severn, where his brother fell, took many towns and untold spoils, and, angry, he turned away to his own.

Mingled with these are entries which, though ingenious, are hardly less spontaneous. Such are those in which there is a manifest rationalising upon the names of historical sites, and a fanciful discovery of their heroes or founders. Thus, in 501, we read that Port landed in Britain at the place called Portsmouth. Now, we know that the first syllable in Portsmouth is the Latin _portus_, a harbour, and it seems plain that here we have a name made into a personage. In 534 we read how Cynric gave the Isle of Wight to Stuf and Wihtgar, and how Wihtgar died in 544, and was buried at Wihtgaraburg, also called Wihtgaraesburh. Here the person of Wihtgar has been made out of the name of the place, because that name was understood as meaning Castle of Wihtgar. But it meant the Burgh "of" Wihtgar only in the sense of the Burgh which was called Wihtgar. The last syllable, _gar_, is the British word for burg, fortress, castle, which the Welsh call _Caer_ to this day. And the Saxons, having often to use the word _gar_ in this sense--much as our reporters of New Zealand affairs have to speak of a _pa_--distinguished the _gar_ that was in Wiht, as Wihtgar, and then they added their own word, _burh_, as the interpretation of _gar_, and after a time the historian, finding the name of Wihtgarburh, took Wihtgar for a man, and called it Wihtgar's Burg, Wihtgaresburh, a genitive form which still lives in "Carisbrooke."

The originals of the Chronicles are preserved in seven different books.

They are known by the signatures A, B, C, D, E, F, G.

A, the famous book in Archbishop Parker's library, preserved in Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. The structure of this book indicates that it was made in 891, and, indeed, the penmans.h.i.+p of this copy--at least, of the compilation--may possibly be as old as the lifetime of King Alfred.

It bears the local impress of Winchester, except in the latest continuation, 1005-1070, which appears to belong to Canterbury. It seems to have pa.s.sed from Canterbury to the place where it is now deposited; but that it was a Winchester book in its basis seems indicated by the regular notices of the bishops of Wess.e.x from 634 to 754, by the diction of the compilation to 891, and especially by that of the remarkable continuation, 893-897.

B, British Museum, Cotton Library, Tiberius A. vi. Closes with the year 977, and was probably written at St. Augustine's, Canterbury.

C, British Museum, Cotton Library, Tiberius B. i. The first handwriting stops at 1046, and is probably of that date. Closes with 1066.

Apparently a work of the monks of Abingdon.

D, British Museum, Cotton Library, Tiberius B. iv. The first hand, which stops at 1016, may well be of that date. Closes with 1079. This book contains strong internal evidence of being a product of Worcester Abbey.

E, Bodleian Library, Laud, 636. This is the fullest of all extant Chronicles; it embodies most of the contents of the others, and it adds the largest quant.i.ty of new and original history. It gives seventy-five years' history beyond any of the others, and closes with the death of Stephen in 1154. The local relations of this book are unmistakable. The first hand ends with 1121, and all the evidence goes to prove that this book was prepared at that date in the abbey of Peterborough. On Friday, August 3, 1116, a great fire had occurred at Peterborough which had destroyed the town and a large part of the abbey, and this book was apparently undertaken among the acts of restoration. The varying shades of Saxon which this book contains, both in the compilation and in the several continuations, render it of great value for the history of the English language, especially in the obscure period of the twelfth century.

F, British Museum, Cotton Library, Domitian A. viij. A bilingual Chronicle, Latin and Saxon, which, by internal evidence, is a.s.signed to Christ Church, Canterbury. The abrupt ending at 1058 is no indication of the book's date: it was written late in the twelfth century.

G, British Museum, Cotton Library, Otho B. xi. A late copy of A, made probably in the twelfth century. It nearly perished in the fire of 1731, and only three leaves have been rescued; but happily the book had, before this disaster, been published entire and without intermixture by Wheloc; and, consequently, his edition is now the chief representative of this authority.

Of these books there are three which are distinguished above the rest by individuality of character. These are the Parker book (A); the Worcester book (D); and the Peterborough book (E). A Chronicle may have a marked individuality in two ways--that is to say, either in its compilation or in its continuation. I will give an example of each kind.

The first shall be from the Worcester Chronicle, which combines with the former stock of southern history a valuable body of northern history between the years 737 and 806. The following are selected as being annals which, either wholly or in part, are derived from a northern source. The new matter is indicated by inverted commas:--

737. Her Forthhere biscop . and Freothogith cwen ferdon to Rome . "and Ceolwulf cyning feng to Petres scaere . and sealde his rice Eadberhte his faederan sunu . se ricsade xxi wintra . And aethelwold biscop . and Acca forthferdon . and Cynwulf man gehalG.o.de to biscop . And thy ilcan gaere aethelbald cyning herG.o.de Northhymbra land."

737. Here Forthere bishop (of Sherborne) and Freothogith queen (of Wess.e.x) went to Rome; "and Ceolwulf, king (of Northumbria) received St. Peter's tonsure, and gave his realm to Eadberht, his father's brother's son; who reigned 21 years. And aethelwold, bishop (of Lindisfarne) and Acca died, and Cynwulf was consecrated bishop. And that same year aethelbald, king (of Mercia) ravaged the Northumbrians'

land."

757. "Her Eadberht Northhymbra cyning feng to scaere . and Oswulf his sunu feng to tham rice, and ricsade an gaer . and hine ofslogon his hiwan . on viii Kl. Augustus."

757. "Here Eadberht, king of the Northumbrians, became a monk; and Oswulf, his son, took to the realm, and reigned one year, and him his domestics slew, on July 25."

762. Her Ianbryht was gehadod to arcebiscop . on thone XL daeg ofer midne winter . "and Frithuweald biscop aet Hwiterne forthferde . on Nonas Maius. se waes gehalG.o.d on Ceastre on xviii Kl. September . tham vi Ceolwulfes rices .

and he waes biscop xxix wintra. Tha man halG.o.de Pehtwine to biscop aet aelfet ee on xvi Kl. Agustus . to Hwiterne."

762. Here Ianbryht was ordained archbishop (of Canterbury) on the fortieth day after Midwinter (Christmas). "And Frithuweald, bishop of Whitehorne, died on May 7th. He was consecrated at York, on the 15th of August, in the sixth year of Ceolwulf's reign; and he was bishop 29 years. Then was Pehtwine consecrated to be bishop of Whitehorne at aelfet Island on the 17th of July."

777. Her Cynewulf and Offa gefliton ymb Benesingtun . and Offa genom thone tun . "and tha ilcan geare man gehalG.o.de aethelberht to biscop to Hwiterne in Eoforwic . on xvii Kl.

Jul'."

777. Here Cynewulf and Offa fought about Bensington (Benson, Oxf.), and Offa took the town. "And that same year was aethelberht hallowed for bishop of Whitehorne, at York on the 15th of June."

779. Her Ealdseaxe and Francan gefuhton. "and Northhymbra heahgerefan forbaerndon Beorn ealdorman on Seletune . on viii Kl. Janr. and aethelberht arcebiscop forthferde in Caestre . in thaes steal Eanbald waes aer gehalG.o.d . and Cynewulf biscop gesaet in Lindisfarna ee."

779. Here the Old Saxons and the Franks fought. "And Northumbrian high-reeves burned Beorn the alderman at Silton on the 25th of December. And aethelberht, the archbishop, died at York, into whose place Eanbald had been previously consecrated; and bishop Cynewulf sate on Lindisfarne island."

782. "Her forthferde Werburh . Ceolredes cwen . and Cynewulf biscop on Lindisfarna ee . and seonoth waes aet Aclae."

782. "Here died Werburh, queen of Ceolred (king of Mercia): and Cynewulf, bishop of Lindisfarne Island. And synod was at Aclea."

788. "Her waes sinoth gegaderad on Northhymbra lande aet Pincanheale . on iiii Non. Septemb. and Aldberht abb .

forthferde in Hripum."

788. "Here was a synod gathered in the land of the Northumbrians at Finchale, on 2nd September. And abbot Aldberht died at Ripon."

793. "Her waeron rethe forebecna c.u.mene ofer Northhymbra land . and thaet folc earmlice bregdon . thaet waeron ormete thodenas . and ligraescas . and fyrenne dracan waeron gesewene on tham lifte fleogende. Tham tacnum sona fyligde mycel hunger . and litel aefter tham . thaes ilcan geares .

on vi Id. Janv. earmlice haethenra manna hergung adileG.o.de G.o.des cyrican in Lindisfarna ee . thurh hreaflac and mansliht . and Sicga forthferde on viii Kl. Martius."

793. "Here came dire portents over the land of the Northumbrians, and miserably terrified the people; these were tremendous whirlwinds, and lightning-strokes; and fiery dragons were seen flying in the air. Upon these tokens quickly followed a great famine:--and a little thereafter, in that same year, on January 8, pitifully did the invasion of heathen men devastate G.o.d's church in Lindisfarne Island, with plundering and manslaughter. And Sicga died on Feb. 22."

806. "Her se mona athystrode on Kl. Septemb. and Eardwulf Northhymbra cyning waes of his rice adrifen . and Eanberht Hagestaldes biscop forthferde."

806. "Here the moon eclipsed on Sept. 1; and Eardwulf, king of the Northumbrians, was driven from his realm: and Eanberht, bishop of Hexham, died."

In these few selections the orthography shows occasional relics of the northern dialect; and an expression here and there, such as "Ceaster"

for York, indicates the writer's locality. Apart, however, from such traces, the contents and the domestic interest would sufficiently declare the home of these annals. They are specimens of the vernacular annals of the north, which are now best seen in bulk in Simeon of Durham's Latin Chronicle.