ACCA’S STORY

The scene shifts to Selsey Abbey, Sussex, founded in 681 by Bishop Wilfrid, on land granted by King Æthelwealh of Sussex, the first Christian king of Sussex (see 4.13). Sussex was the last Anglo-Saxon kingdom to be converted to Christianity. This chapter shows the extent of the Northumbrian influence on Anglo-Saxon Christianity; the abbey was founded by a Northumbrian (Wilfrid), and Bede ends with a story connected with the veneration of the Northumbrian St. Oswald.

(1) In quō … monastēriō: Selsey Abbey

nōnnulla … dōna: nōnnulla goes with dōna, and caelestis (genitive) with grātiae

expulsā … tyrannide: ablative absolute

relātum: understand relātum esse, the infinitive introduced by asserere solēbat (“which he used to assert had been related to him…”)

commodum dūximus: “I reckoned it appropriate” (LS, ducō II.B.4.β). The “editorial we” is a common, and polite, way of stating a preference in Latin.

THE MONKS OF SELSEY PRAY TO BE SAVED FROM THE PLAGUE

(2) provincia: Sussex

mortālitās saeva: the plague of 664

(3) As often when discussing miracles, Bede indulges in a long, impressive periodic sentence setting the scene. See articulated text.

Quae: connecting relative, referring back to the plague (mortālitās)

cui … regendō: dative with praefuit

visum est: “it seemed right to,” with dative and infinitive (“it seemed right to the brothers to conduct…”)

sibi: “on them” (referring to the monks)

hōc morbō: ablative with perīclitantēs (“in danger from this sickness”)

perpetuā … damnātiōne: ablative of separation with servāret (“save from”)

THE APOSTLES APPEAR TO A SMALL BOY

(4) tunc temporis: “at that time”; temporis is a partitive genitive (AG 346.4) with tunc.

nōn paucō tempore: ablative of extent of time; paucus in the singular (= parvus) is quite rare, but classical (LS, paucus).

(5) secunda: with diēs, which is the subject of the verb agerētur

contigit … puerum … sōlum invenīrī: accusative-infinitive construction with contigit (“it happened that…”); sōlum is a predicate after invenīrī.

hōrā … secundā: ablative of time when

(6) multum: adverbial, “very”

sincērāque dēvōtiōne: ablative of manner

(7) hodiernā diē: = hodiē

(8) expectāre habēs: a rare infinitive of purpose (AG 460.a) with habeō (“you have to wait…”)

dōnec: introduced by expectāre, see AG 553, and Note 1.

(9) Another massively complex period adds weight to the content of the vision itself: the plague will end with the death of the small boy, a miracle brought about through intercession with God by King Oswald. See articulated text part 1 and part 2. The first part predicts the miraculous abatement of the plague and the death of the boy; the second part emphasizes the role of Oswald as intecessor.

quod … dignāta est: re-order: quod dīvīna misericordia dignāta est conferre vōbis per intercessiōnem religiōsī ac Deō dīlēctī rēgis Osvaldī, quī quondam sublīmiter praefuit gentī Nordanhymbrōrum et auctoritāte temporālis rēgnī et dēvōtiōne Chrīstiānae pietātis, quae dūcit ad perenne rēgnum. Both auctoritāte and dēvōtiōne are ablatives of means. quod (“a thing which”) is the object of conferre.

(10) extīnctus … adsūmptus … sociātus: take est with each of these

et … agminibus: re-order: et sociātus est agminibus ēlēctōrum

(11) Quaerant: jussive subjunctive (“let them search”), as are celebrent, commūnicent, and reficiant, below.

in suīs cōdicibus: possibly the librī memoriālēs, or “memorial books,” which contained “lists of deceased benefactors, clerics, monks and noteworthy lay persons for whom the resident monks were expected to say mass” (Kleinschmidt 2000, 21 note 8)

(12) prō grātiārum āctiōne: “as an expression of thanks for” (+ genitive)

ipsōrum gentī: the people of the monks, i.e., the South Saxons

prō eīs, quasi prō suae gentis advenīs: literally, “for them, as if for strangers (advenīs) of his own people”; the sense seems to be: “he prayed for them as if they were his own people, although they were strangers.” According to Bede (HE 3.6) Oswald of Northumbria (c. 604–642) was overlord (bretwalda in Anglo-Saxon) of all of England, which means he would have ruled Sussex, though he was himself a “stranger” (not a South Saxon)

MIRACLE ON OSWALD’S FEAST DAY

(13) vocātō ad sē presbyterō: indirect object of nārrāsset

qualēs essent: indirect question, introduced by interrogāvit

(14) aliquōs hominum: partitive genitive

tantī decōris ac venustātis: genitives of quality (AG 345)

(15) ad tuitiōnem: ad indicates purpose: “for the protection”

(16) in annāle suō: in the memorial book

vocātīsque frātribus: ablative absolute

parārī prandium … commūnicāre: accusative-infinitive construction of indirect discourse after praecēpit. communicāre = “take holy communion” (DMLBS, communicāre 5)

dē eōdem sacrificiō dominicae oblātiōnis particulam: literally, “a portion from the same sacrifice of the Lord’s Supper”; i.e., Communion is taken to the boy.

(17) nōn multō post: “not much later”

(18) et hoc … quod: “this too … the fact that”

ex eōdem … mundō: re-order: [nēmō] ex eōdem monastēriō raptus est dē mundō

(19) The positive results of this vision included more common recourse to prayer and fasting in times of crisis at the monastery and, more generally, the spread of the celebration of Oswald’s birthday in Sussex.

ad exōrandum … ad … subeunda: ad + gerundive to express purpose (AG 506) introduced by the verb accēnsī sunt

coepit … venerārī: re-order: nātālicius diēs eiusdem rēgis ac mīlitis Chrīstī coepit venerārī annuātim celebrātiōne missārum.

eiusdem rēgis: Oswald