< Dē sitū Brittāniae vel Hiberniae et prīscīs eārum incolīs >

[1] Brittānia Ōceanī īnsula, cui quondam Albiōn nōmen fuit, inter septentriōnem et occidentem locāta est, Germāniae, Galliae, Hispāniae, maximīs Eurōpae partibus, multō intervāllō adversa. [2] Quae per mīlia passuum DCCC in boream longa, lātitūdinis habet mīlia CC, exceptīs dumtaxat prōlixiōribus dīversōrum promontoriōrum tractibus, quibus efficitur, ut circuitus eius quadrāgiēs octiēs LXXV mīlia compleat. [3] Habet ā merīdiē Galliam Belgicam, cuius proximum lītus trānsmeantibus aperit cīvitās, quae dīcitur Rutubī portus, ā gente Anglōrum nunc corruptē Reptacæstir vocāta, interpositō marī ā Gessoriacō Morynōrum gentis lītore proximō, trāiectū mīlium L sīve, ut quīdam scrīpsēre, stadiōrum CCCCL. [4] Ā tergō autem, unde Ōceanō īnfīnītō patet, Orcadās īnsulās habet.

[5] Opīma frugibus atque arboribus īnsula, et alendīs apta pecoribus ac iūmentīs; vīneās etiam quibusdam in locīs germināns, sed et āvium ferāx terrā marīque generis dīversī; fluviīs quoque multum piscōsīs ac fontibus praeclāra cōpiōsīs, et quidem praecipuē issicīō abundat et anguillā. [6] Capiuntur autem saepissimē et vitulī marīnī et delphinēs nec nōn et bālaenae, exceptīs variōrum generibus concyliōrum, in quibus sunt et mūsculae, quibus inclūsam saepe margarītam omnis quidem colōris optimam inveniunt, id est et rubicundī et purpureī et iacintīnī et prasinī sed maximē candidī. [7] Sunt et cocleae satis superque abundantēs, quibus tīnctūra coccineī colōris cōnficitur, cuius rubor pulcherrimus nūllō umquam sōlis ārdōre, nūllā valet pluviārum iniūriā pallēscere, sed quō vetustior eō solet esse venustior. [8] Habet fontēs salīnārum, habet et fontēs calidōs, et ex eīs fluviōs balneārum calidārum omnī aetātī et sexuī per distīncta loca iuxtā suum cuique modum accommodōs. [9] Aqua enim, ut sānctus Basilius dīcit, fervidam quālitātem recipit, cum per certa quaedam metalla trānscurrit, et fit nōn sōlum calida sed et ārdēns. [10] Quae etiam vēnīs metallōrum—aeris, ferrī, et plumbī, et argentī—fēcunda, gignit et lapidem gagātēm plūrimum optimumque; est autem nigrogemmeus, et ārdēns ignī admōtus, incēnsus serpentēs fugat, adtrītū calefactus adplicita dētinet, aequē ut sūcinum. [11] Erat et cīvitātibus quondam XX et VIII nōbilissimīs īnsignīta, praeter castella innumera, quae et ipsa mūrīs turribus portīs ac sērīs erant īnstrūcta firmissimīs.

[12] Et quia prope sub ipsō septentriōnālī vertice mundī iacet, lūcidās aestāte noctēs habet, ita ut mediō saepe tempore noctis in quaestiōnem veniat intuentibus, utrum crepusculum adhūc permaneat vespertīnum an iam advēnerit mātūtīnum, utpote nocturnō sōle nōn longē sub terrīs ad orientem boreālēs per plāgās redeunte; unde etiam plūrimae longitūdinis habet diēs aestāte, sīcut et noctēs contrā in brūmā, sōle nīmīrum tunc Lybicās in partēs sēcēdente, id est hōrārum XVIII; plūrimae item brevitātis noctēs aestāte et diēs habet in brūmā, hoc est sex sōlummodo aequinoctiālium hōrārum, cum in Armeniā Macedoniā Ītaliā cēterīsque eiusdem līneae regiōnibus longissima diēs sīve nox XV, brevissima VIIII compleat hōrās.

[13] Haec in praesentī iuxtā numerum librōrum quibus lēx dīvīna scrīpta est, quīnque gentium linguīs, ūnam eandemque summae vēritātis et vērae sublīmitātis scientiam scrūtātur et cōnfitētur, Anglōrum vidēlicet Brettōnum Scottōrum Pictōrum et Latīnōrum, quae meditātiōne scrīptūrārum cēterīs omnibus est facta commūnis.

 

[14] In prīmīs autem īnsula Brettōnēs sōlum, ā quibus nōmen accēpit, incolās habuit; quī dē tractū Armoricanō, ut fertur, Brittāniam advectī austrālēs sibi partēs illīus vindicārunt.

[15] Et cum plūrimam īnsulae partem incipientēs ab Austrō possēdissent, contigit gentem Pictōrum dē Scythiā, ut perhibent, longīs nāvibus nōn multīs Ōceanum ingressam, circumagente flātū ventōrum, extrā fīnēs omnēs Brittāniae Hiberniam pervēnisse, eiusque septentriōnālēs ōrās intrāsse atque, inventā ibi gente Scottōrum, sibi quoque in partibus illīs sēdēs petīsse, nec impetrāre potuisse. [16] Est autem Hibernia īnsula omnium post Brittāniam maxima, ad occidentem quidem Brittāniae sita, sed, sīcut contrā Aquilōnem eā brevior, ita in merīdiem sē trāns illīus fīnēs plūrimum prōtendēns, usque contrā Hispāniae septentriōnālia quamvīs magnō aequore interiacente pervenit. [17] Ad hanc ergō usque pervenientēs nāvigiō Pictī, ut dīximus, petiērunt in eā sibi quoque sēdēs et habitātiōnem dōnārī. [18] Respondēbant Scottī quia nōn ambōs eōs caperet īnsula, ‘sed possumus,’ inquiunt, ‘salūbre vōbīs dare cōnsilium, quid agere valeātis. [19] Nōvimus īnsulam aliam esse nōn procul ā nostrā contrā ortum sōlis, quam saepe lūcidiōribus diēbus dē longē aspicere solēmus. [20] Hanc adīre sī vultis, habitābilem vōbīs facere valētis; vel, sīquī restiterit, nōbīs auxiliāriīs ūtiminī.’ [21] Itaque petentēs Brittāniam Pictī habitāre per septentriōnālēs īnsulae partēs coepērunt; nam austrīna Brettōnēs occupāverant. [22] Cumque uxōrēs Pictī nōn habentēs peterent ā Scottīs, eā sōlum condiciōne dare cōnsēnsērunt, ut ubi rēs venīret in dubium, magis dē fēmineā rēgum prōsāpiā quam dē masculīnā rēgem sibi ēligerent; quod usque hodiē apud Pictōs cōnstat esse servātum.

[23] Prōcēdente autem tempore Brittānia post Brettōnēs et Pictōs tertiam Scottōrum nātiōnem in Pictōrum parte recēpit, quī duce Reūdā dē Hiberniā prōgressī vel amīcitiā vel ferrō sibimet inter eōs sēdēs quās hāctenus habent, vindicārunt; ā quō vidēlicet duce usque hodiē Dalreudinī vocantur, nam linguā eōrum daal partem significat.

[24] Hibernia autem et lātitūdine suī statūs et salūbritāte ac serēnitāte āerum multum Brittaniae praestat, ita ut rārō ibi nix plūs quam trīduāna remaneat; nēmō propter hiemem aut faena secet aestāte aut stabula fabricet iūmentīs; nūllum ibi reptile vidērī soleat, nūllus vīvere serpēns valeat; nam saepe illō dē Brittāniā adlātī serpentēs, mox ut proximante terrīs nāvigiō odōre āeris illīus adtāctī fuerint, intereunt; quīn potius omnia paene, quae dē eādem īnsulā sunt contrā venēnum valent. [25] Dēnique vīdimus, quibusdam ā serpente percussīs, rāsa folia cōdicum quī dē Hiberniā fuerant, et ipsam rāsūram aquae inmissam ac potuī datam, tālibus prōtinus tōtam vim venēnī grassantis, tōtum īnflātī corporis absūmsisse ac sēdāsse tumōrem. [26] Dīves lactis ac mellis īnsula nec vīneārum expers; piscium volūcrumque sed et cervōrum capreārumque vēnātū īnsignis. [27] Haec autem propriē patria Scottōrum est; ab hāc ēgressī, ut dīximus, tertiam in Brittāniā Brettōnibus et Pictīs gentem addidērunt.

[28] Est autem sinus maris permaximus, quī antīquitus gentem Brettōnum ā Pictīs sēcernēbat, quī ab occidente in terrās longō spatiō ērumpit, ubi est cīvitās Brettōnum mūnītissima usque hodiē, quae vocātur Alcluith; ad cuius vidēlicet sinūs partem septentriōnālem Scottī, quōs dīximus, advenientēs sibi locum patriae fēcērunt.

    A DESCRIPTION OF BRITAIN

    Bede derived his description of Britain from a number of sources, including Pliny the Elder, Isidore of Seville, Orosius, and Gildas.

    (1) Brittānia Ōceanī īnsula: īnsula Ōceanī is in apposition to Brittānia (“Britain, an island...”).

    Germāniae … adversa: “opposite to (across from) Germany…” Germāniae, Galliae, Hispāniae, maximīs…partibus are all dative, dependent on adversa, which agrees with Brittānia.

    multō intervallō: ablative of degree of difference (AG 414).

    (2) Quae: i.e., Brittānia

    mīlia passuum: partitive genitive. “800 [of] miles.” The figure 800 is from Gildas; the actual length is about 600 miles.

    in Boream: “to the north” (i.e., from south to north).

    exceptīs … tractibus: ablative absolute. The description is taken from Gildas §1: exceptīs diversōrum prolixiōribus promontōrium tractibus.

    dumtaxat: “at least”

    quadrāgiēs octiēs LXXV: 48 x 75 = 3,600. The actual length of the coastline of the U.K. (England, Scotland, and Wales) is 7,723 miles.

    (3) ā merīdiē: “to the south”

    cuius … cīvitās: “to those traveling along the nearest shore of which a city appears (aperit)”: i.e., someone standing at the nearest point on coast of Belgian Gaul (Gessoriacum, or Boulogne) is able to see the city of Reptacæstir (Richborough) on the British coast.

    interpositō marī ... stadiōrum CCCCL: interpositō marī is an ablative absolute, with trāiectū as an ablative of specification (AG 418) and ā Gessoriacō as an ablative of separation (AG 401): “with the sea intervening by a distance of ... from Gessoriacum ...”

    Gessoriacō Morynōrum gentis: understand urbe: “from Gessoriacum, a city of the tribe of the Morīnī.”

    lītore proximō: locative: “on the near shore” (i.e., the shore on which Gessoriacum is located).

    Morynōrum gentis: the Morini were the Belgic tribe who lived along the English Channel, in the vicinity of present-day Calais.

    stadiōrum CCCCL: A stadium (“stade”) equals about 607 feet (or 185 meters); 450 stadia is about 52 miles or 84 km.

    (4) ā tergō: “on the far side”

    Ōceanō īnfīnītō patet: the ablative (Oceānō infinītō) is treated as locative with the verb pateō: “it stretches out in the boundless sea.”

    Orcadās īnsulās: Orkney.

    FLORA, FAUNA, AND MINERALS OF BRITAIN

    (5) āvium ferāx terrā marīque generis dīversī: “productive of a diverse kind of birds by land and by sea” (i.e., producing a variety of land birds and waterfowl). For the phrase terrā marīque, which functions as a locative, see AG 427.3a.

    multum: adverbial, “very”

    (6) vitulī marīnī: seals

    exceptīs: “in addition,” “besides”

    (7) cocleae: in fact, red (or purple) dye is made from whelks, not cockles.

    cuius rubor … pallēscere: the verb valeō + the infinitive means “has the power (or ability) to.” In translating, it’s easiest to transfer the negative force of nullō and nullā to umquam (i.e., read ullō, ullā, and numquam). Translate: “whose most beautiful red has the power never to fade by any heat of the sun [or] by any rain damage.”

    quō … eō: ablative of degree of difference (AG 414); for this correlative pair, see AG 414.a.

    (8) fluviōs: “springs”

    accommodōs: adjective agreeing with fluviōs, and taking the dative (omnī aetātī et sexuī): “springs ... appropriate to…”

    per distīncta loca iuxtā suum cuique modum: “through the use of (per) separate quarters according to (iuxtā) the requirement for each.” In other words, there are separate facilities for men and women.

    (9) sānctus Basilius: Bede quotes here from Hexaemeron by Basil of Caesarea an account of the six days of creation, written in the fourth century.

    (10) Quae: = quae īnsula

    lapidem gagātem: jet, a black stone found in the vicinity of Whitby along the coast of Yorkshire.

    est autem nigrogemmeus: “it (jet) is sparkly black.” Autem (“however,” “now”) is the weakest of the adversatives, and often marks a mere transition and has hardly any adversative force perceptible (AG 324.d).

    ignī admōtus: admovēre + dat. = “to bring into contact with”; so, “brought into contact with fire” (i.e., when heated).

    adplicita: neuter plural (substantive), “things brought near,” “things applied (to it).”

    (11) Erat: the subject is still īnsula (i.e., Britain).

    īnsignīta: “famous (for)” (+ dative).

    THE LENGTH OF DAYS AND NIGHTS

    (12) sub ipsō septentriōnālī vertice mundī: “under the North Pole” (literally, “under the very northern pole of the world”)

    habet: the subject is Britain.

    ita ut: “such that” (introducing a result clause)

    in quaestiōnem veniat: “it raises the question.”

    utpote … redeunte: utpote reinforces the ablative absolute: “as you might expect when the sun is returning to the east at night not far below the lands [i.e., the horizon] through the northern zone.”

    plūrimae longitūdinis: genitive of quality or measure (AG 345.b), after diēs: “days of greatest length.”

    habet: the subject is Britain: “It has days…”

    aestāte: ablative of time when: “in summer”

    sicut et: “just as likewise”

    noctēs: the syntax is condensed here; read: sicut et [habet] noctēs [plūrimae longitūdinis] contrā in brumā.

    contrā: adverbial, “conversely”

    nīmīrum: “presumably,” qualifying the causal ablative absolute: “presumably because the sun…”

    tunc: “at that time” (i.e., in winter)

    Lybicās in partēs: “into the Lybian regions” (i.e., the south)

    horārum X et VIII: the genitive modifies noctēs, parallel to plūrimae longitūdinis: “that is, of 18 hours.”

    plīrimae item … in brūmā: the syntax is condensed: plūrimae item brevitātis noctēs aestāte, et [plūrimae brevitātis] diēs habet in brūmā

    sōlummodo: = sōlum

    aequinoctiālium horārum: Because Romans divided the day into twelve equal parts (hours), those parts were longer in the summer when the days were longer, and shorter in the winter when the days were shorter. The average length of an hour would be that of an hour measured at the equinox, when the days and nights were roughly of equal length. These are the equinoctial hours Bede refers to here.

    eiusdem līneae: “of the same latitude”

    THE LANGUAGES OF BRITAIN

    (13) Haec: i.e., Haec īnsula (Britain). Haec is the subject of the verbs scrutātur and confitētur.

    iuxtā: “in proportion to”

    lēx dīvīna: the Pentateuch, or first five books of the Bible. Bede notes that, just as the Pentateuch comprises five books, so five languages are spoken in Britain: English, British, Irish, Pictish, and Latin (the languages of the five main peoples: Anglōrum … Brettōnum Scottōrum Pictōrum et Latīnōrum).

    quīnque gentium linguīs … confitētur: “by means of the five languages of its peoples, this island [haec] examines and confesses one and the same….”

    Anglōrum vidēlicet: the genitives are apposition to gentium: “five languages of its peoples…, namely, of the Angles….”

    quae: i.e., Latin. Latin is the common language because all of the peoples of Britain use it to study Scripture.

    THE PEOPLES OF BRITAIN

    Bede recounts the origin legends of how three of the four main peoples arrived in Britain: the Britons (Brettonēs) in the south, the Picts (Pictī) in the north, and the Irish (Scottī), some of whom settled north of the Clyde. The Angles (Anglī) arrived later (see 1.15).

    (14) incolās: “as inhabitants” (predicate accusative, AG 392).

    dē tractū Armoricānō: Armorica is the north-western part of Gaul known subsequently as Brittany.

    Brittāniam: “to Britain” (see Bede’s Latin §A.2.1)

    sibi … vindicārunt: “claimed [for themselves]” vindicārunt = vindicavērunt

    contigit: “it came about that” (with accusative and infinitive). The infinitives (pervēnisse, intrā(vi)sse, petīsse, potuisse) are governed by contigit.

    (15) Scythiā: Bede may be confusing Scythia with Scandia, a Roman term covering the southern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The Picts were not, in fact, Scandinavian, but seem to have been a Celtic people.

    ingressam: agrees with gentem, “the Pictish people…having set out on the Ocean….”

    Hiberniam: “to Ireland.” “Bede gives another legend, concerning the Picts’ arrival in Ireland and their settlement in northern Britain, including a rationale for the origin of what he thought was a Pictish practice in his own day, that of female succession to kingship in exceptional circumstances. No such Pictish ruling queens are known; so this was probably a misunderstanding of Pictish matrilineal succession” (McClure and Collins, p. 362).

    inventā ibi gente Scottōrum: ablative absolute, probably causal (“since the Irish people were found there”). In Bede, Scottī, refers to the Irish, some of whom later settled in what is now Scotland.

    sibi … sedēs petīsse: “sought a place for themselves”

    (16) contrā Aquilōnem: “to the north” (literally, “facing North”)

    in merīdiem: “to the south”

    sē trāns illīus fīnēs plūrimum prōtendēns: “extending a long way beyond its [i.e., Britain’s] borders.”

    usque contrā Hispāniae septentriōnālia … pervenit: “it extends up to the level of the northern parts of Spain.” “This implies that Spain projects very much further to the west than is really the case; a mistake very common in ancient writers, e.g. Tac. Agr. c.10: Britannia ... in occidentem Hispāniae obtenditur” (Plummer). Septentriōnālia is substantive (“northern parts”).

    (17) petiērunt … sēdēs et habitātiōnem dōnārī: petō + accusative-infinitive: “request”: “They requested that a homeland and a place to live be given….”

    (18) quia: introduces indirect statement with subjunctive (“They responded that…”). See “Bede’s Latin” 6.3.

    caperet: capere, here, means “hold, have room for” (“the island did not have room for…”). See LS, capio II.A.

    (19) contrā ortum sōlis: “in an easterly direction.”

    (20) quid agere valeātis: indirect deliberative question (AG 575b): “concerning what you would be able to do.” Valēre, here and below, means “to be able.”

    sīquī: sī quis

    ūtiminī: imperative (“make use of”)

    (21) austrina: i.e., austrina loca

    (22) condiciōne … ut: “on the condition that” (with ut + subjunctive).

    cōnsēnsērunt: the subject is Scottī.

    ēligerent: the subject is Pictī.

    magis … eligerent: rearrange as: ēligerent sibi rēgem dē fēmineā prōsapiā rēgum magis quam dē masculīnā [prōsapiā]. Feminea prosapia means “the female (i.e., matrilineal) line.” The imperfect subjunctive follows the secondary main verb (consēnsērunt).

    (23) Dalreudini: the kingdom of Dál Riata comprised Argyll, the islands off the west coast of Scotland, and the northeast coast of Ulster, Ireland. In Old English, dæl means “part.”

    A DESCRIPTION OF IRELAND

    (24) latitūdine suī statūs: “by the breadth of its stature.”

    multum: adverbial.

    rarō: adverbial (“rarely”).

    propter hiemem: “for winter use,” “for the winter”

    aut … aut: “either … or”

    secet … valeat: the subjunctives all follow ita ut (result clause).

    illō: “to that place,” i.e., Ireland

    mox ut … adtāctī fuerint: “as soon as they (will) have been touched.” Future perfect passive indicative (fuerint for erunt; see Reading Bede §A.4.1). In classical Latin the perfect tense would probably be used (AG 543).

    quīn potius: “as a matter of fact…”

    (25) vīdimus: introducing indirect discourse (accusative-infinitive construction). The structure is: vīdimus … folia … et … rāsūram … tōtam vim …, tōtum … absūmsisse ac sēdāsse tumōrem: “we have seen that leaves … and scrapings … have absorbed and assuaged the entire force, the entire swelling.” The asyndeton, and the postponement of tumōrem in hyperbaton, raise the stylistic level. Isidore writes that “if dust or pebbles from Ireland were sprinkled in a bee-hive, the swarms deserted their honey-combs” (Etymologies XIV.6.6); Mayr-Harting suggests that Bede’s passage is a deliberate parody “of this sort of nonsense” (50).

    quibusdam … percussīs: circumstantial ablative absolute (“when someone has been struck…”)

    datam pōtuī: “given for (i.e., as) a drink” (“dative of purpose,” AG 382).

    tālibus: “for such people”

    venēnī grassantis: “of the attacking poison”

    absūmsisse: absūmpsisse (< absūmō).

    (26) piscium volūcrumque: probably with vēnātū īnsignis rather than with expers: “famous for the hunting of fish and birds, as well as of ....”

    (28) sinus maris … quī ab occidente in terrās longō spatiō ērumpit: “an arm of the sea … which runs far into the land from the west.” The Firth of Clyde.

    Alcluith: or Alt Clut (from Scottish Gaelic Alt Chluaidh, “Rock of the Clyde”), present-day Dumbarton.

    NOTE: Lemmatization of Anglo-Saxon Names
    —: declined forms unattested
    [ ]: nominative forms unattested (back-formed for purposes of lemmatization)
    *: form unattested but hypothesized based on existing patterns


    Britannia –ae f.: Britain

    ōceanus –ī m.: the ocean

    Albiōn –ōnis f.: Britain

    septentriōnes –um m.: the north (wind, stars)

    occidēns –entis: western; west

    locō locāre locāvī locātus: to place, put

    Germānia –ae f.: Germany

    Gallia Galliae f.: Gaul

    Hispānia –ae f.: Spain

    māximus –a –um: greatest; maxime: most, especially, very much

    Eurōpa –ae f.: Europa (name)

    intervāllum –ī n.: the space between two stakes; an interval

    mīle passus mīlia passuum pl.: mile; miles

    octingentī –ae –a; octingentēsimus –a –um: 800, 800th

    Boreas –ae m.: the north

    lātitūdō lātitūdinis f.: breadth

    mīlle pl. mīlia: mile, miles

    ducentī –ae –a; ducentēsimus –a –um: 200; 200th

    dumtaxat: at least

    prolixus –a –um: long, extensive

    prōmontōrium or prōmunturium –ī n.: a headland (in the sea), a promontory

    trāctus –ūs m.: dragging

    circuitus –ūs m.: circuit, circle

    quādrāgiēs: forty times

    octies: 8 times

    septuāgintā; septuāgēsimus –a –um: 70; 70th

    quīnque; quīntus –a –um: 5; 5th

    mīlle pl. mīlia: mile, miles

    compleō complere complēvī complētus: to fill up

    merīdiēs merīdiēī m.: midday

    Gallia Galliae f.: Gaul

    Belgium –ī n. or Belgica –ae f.: Belgium, a part of Gallia Belgica

    proximus proximī m.: neighbor

    transmeō or trāmeō –āre –āvī –ātum: to go over or across, to go through

    Rutubi Portus: Richborough, Kent

    portus portūs m.: port

    Anglī –ōrum m.: the Angles, a Germanic tribe; the English

    Reptacaestir: Richborough, Kent

    interpōnō interpōnere interposuī interposītus: to place between

    Gesoriacum –ī m.: Boulogne-sur-Mer, France

    Morinī –ōrum: the Morini

    proximus proximī m.: neighbor

    trāiciō –icere –iēcī –iectum: to transport

    quīnquāgintā; quīnquāgēsimus –a –um: 50; 50th

    stadium –iī n.: a stade (a distance equalling 625 Roman feet or 606 3/4 English feet)

    quadringentī –ae –a; quādrāgentesimus –a –um: 400; 400th

    ōceanus –ī m.: the ocean

    īnfinītus –a –um: infinite, endless

    Orcades –um f.: Orkney Islands, off of Scotland

    opīmus –a –um: rich, fertile

    frūx frūgis f.: fruit

    iūmentum –ī n.: a beast of burden

    vīnea –ae f.: grapevines

    geminō gemināre –āvī –ātum: to double

    ferāx –ācis: fertile

    fluvius fluvi(ī) m.: river

    multum: much, a lot

    piscōsus –a –um: abounding in fish

    praeclārus –a –um: very clear

    cōpiōsus –a –um: plentiful

    praecipuē: especially, particularly

    esicius –ī m.: salmon

    abundō abundāre abundāvī abundātus: to abound with

    anguilla –ae f. : an eel

    vitulus –ī m.: young bullock

    marīnus –a –um: of the sea

    delphīn –īnis and delphīnus –ī m.: dolphin

    bālaena –ae f.: a whale or other marine animal

    conchÿlium –ī n.: a mollusk, a shellfish that yields a costly purple dye; purple dye from the mollusk

    mūsculus –ī m.: mussel

    inclūdō inclūdere inclūsī inclūsus: to enclose

    margarita –ae f.: a pearl

    rubicundus –a –um: red, ruddy

    purpureus –a –um: purple

    hyacinthinus –a –um: hyacinth-colored

    prasinus –a –um: leek-green

    maximē: most greatly

    coclea or cochlea –ae f.: a cockle (see note)

    abundō abundāre abundāvī abundātus: to abound with

    tingō tingere tinxī tinctum: to wet, moisten; dye, color

    coccinus –a –um: scarlet, red

    rubor rubōris m.: redness

    ārdor ārdōris m.: burning, heat

    pluvia –ae (sc. aqua) f.: rain

    pallēscō –ere palluī –us: to grow pale

    vetustus –a –um: old

    venustus –a –um: charming

    salīnae –ārum f.: salt-water

    calidus –a –um: warm, hot

    fluvius fluvi(ī) m.: river

    balneārius –a –um: of the baths

    calidus –a –um: warm, hot

    sexus –ūs m.: a sex (male or female)

    distinguō distinguere distīnxī distīnctum: to separate, divide

    iūxtā: near, close

    accommodus –a –um: fit

    Basilius –ī m.: Basil of Caesarea, Saint Basil the Great, 329–379 AD

    fervidus –a –um: intensely hot, blazing

    quālitās –ātis f.: a quality

    metallum –ī n.: mine; metal

    trānscurrō –ere –currī or cucurrī –cursus: to run across; flash or shoot across

    calidus –a –um: warm, hot

    vēna vēnae f.: vein

    metallum –ī n.: mine; metal

    plumbum plumbī n.: lead

    fēcundus –a –um: fruitful; productive

    gagātēs –ae m.: jet

    plūrimus –a –um: very many

    optimus –a –um: best, excellent

    nigrogemmeus –a –um: black-sparkling

    admoveō admovēre admōvī admōtus: to move to, bring to

    incendō incendere incendī incensus: to set fire to, burn

    serpēns –entis (gen. pl. serpentum) m./f.: creeping thing; snake

    atterō atterere atterīvī atterītus: to rub againt

    calefaciō –ere –fēcī –factus ; (pass.) –calefīō –factus sum –fierī: to make hot

    applicō applicāre applicāvī applicātus: to apply to, place to/near

    dētineō –ēre –uī –tentus: to hold from or back; hold

    sūcinum –ī n.: amber

    vīgintī; vīcēsimus –a –um: 20; 20th

    octō; octāvus –a –um: 8; 8th

    īnsīgniō –īre –īvī or iī –ītus: to decorate with a mark; adorn

    castellum castellī n.: castle, fort

    innumerus –a –um: countless

    turris turris f.: tower

    portus portūs m.: port

    sera –ae f.: bar, bolt

    īnstruō īnstruere īnstrūxī īnstrūctus: to build upon; furnish; arrange

    fīrmus –a –um: firm, strong

    septentriōnālis –e: northern

    vertex verticis m.: whirlpool

    lūcidus –a –um: bright, shining

    aestās aestātis f.: summer

    quaestiō quaestiōnis f. (rarely quaesitiō): inquiry

    intueor intuērī intuitus sum: to look at

    uter utra utrum: either which (of two)

    crepusculum –ī n.: evening, twilight

    permaneō permanēre permānsī permānsum: to remain

    vespertinus –a –um: of or belonging to evening or even-tide

    mātūtīnus –a –um: pertaining to Mantua

    utpote: namely

    nocturnus –a –um: nocturnal

    Oriēns –entis m.: east

    boreālis –e: northern; pertaining to the north wind

    plaga –ae f.: tract

    longitūdō longitūdinis f.: length

    aestās aestātis f.: summer

    brūma –ae f.: the winter solstice; winter

    nīmīrum: undoubtedly

    Libycus –a –um: Libyan, i.e. northern Africa

    sēcēdō sēcēdere sēcessī sēcessus: to withdraw

    octō; octāvus –a –um: 8; 8th

    brevitās –ātis f.: shortness

    aestās aestātis f.: summer

    brūma –ae f.: the winter solstice; winter

    sex; sextus –a –um: 6; 6th

    sōlummodo: only, merely, just

    aequinoctiālis aequinoctiālis aequinoctiāle: equinoctial, connected with the equinox

    Armenia –ae: Armenia, a country of Asia

    Macedonia –ae f.: Macedonia

    Italia Italiae f.: Italy

    līnea or līnia –ae f.: a string

    quīndecim; quintus –a –um decimus –a –um: 15; 15th

    novem; nōnus –a –um: 9, 9th

    compleō complere complēvī complētus: to fill up

    iūxtā: near, close

    dīvīnus –a –um: divine

    quīnque; quīntus –a –um: 5; 5th

    summus –a –um: highest

    vēritās vēritātis f.: truth

    sublīmitās –ātis f.: height, loftiness

    scrūtor scrūtārī scrūtātus sum: examine thoroughly, search

    Anglī –ōrum m.: the Angles, a Germanic tribe; the English

    vidēlicet: clearly

    Britannī –ōrum m.: Britons

    Scōtī –ōrum m.: Gaelic-speaking peoples of Ireland and later Scotland

    Pictī –ōrum m.: the Picts, a Celtic people of northern Britain

    Latīnī –ōrum m.: Latini

    meditātiō –ōnis f.: a thinking over, contemplation, meditation

    Britannī –ōrum m.: Britons

    incola incolae m. or f.: inhabitant

    trāctus –ūs m.: dragging

    Aremoricus –a –um: near the sea

    Britannia –ae f.: Britain

    advehō –ere –vexī –vectus: to carry or convey to

    austrālis –e: southern

    vindicō vindicāre vindicāvī vindicātus: to claim

    Auster –trī m.: the southerly or south wind

    possideō –ēre –sēdī –sessus: to hold, possess

    Pictī –ōrum m.: the Picts, a Celtic people of northern Britain

    Scythia –ae f: Scythia

    perhibeō –ēre –uī –itus: to hold persistently; maintain

    ōceanus –ī m.: the ocean

    circumagō –ere –ēgī –āctum: to drive or turn in a circle, turn round

    flātus –ūs m.: blowing; wind; blast

    extrā: outside, beyond

    Britannia –ae f.: Britain

    Hibernia –ae f.: the island now called Ireland

    septentriōnālis –e: northern

    ōra –ae f.: shore, coast

    Scōtī –ōrum m.: Gaelic-speaking peoples of Ireland and later Scotland

    impetrō impetrāre impetrāvī impetrātus: to obtain

    Hibernia –ae f.: the island now called Ireland

    Britannia –ae f.: Britain

    māximus –a –um: greatest; maxime: most, especially, very much

    occidēns –entis: western

    Britannia –ae f.: Britain

    Aquilō –ōnis m.: north

    merīdiēs merīdiēī m.: midday

    trāns: across

    plūrimus –a –um: very many

    prōtendō –ere –tendī –tēnsus or tentus: to stretch forth or out; extend

    Hispānia –ae f.: Spain

    septentriōnālis –e: northern

    interiaceō –iacēre — —: to lie between

    nāvigium –iī n.: boat

    Pictī –ōrum m.: the Picts, a Celtic people of northern Britain

    habitātiō –ōnis f.: a dwelling

    Scōtī –ōrum m.: Gaelic-speaking peoples of Ireland and later Scotland

    ambō ambae ambō: both

    salūber salūbris salūbre: healthy

    ortus ortūs m.: birth, rising

    lūcidus –a –um: bright, shining

    habitābilis –e : habitable

    sīquis or sīquī sīqua sīquid: if any (one)

    restō restāre restitī: to resist

    auxiliārius –a –um: helping, auxiliary

    Britannia –ae f.: Britain

    Pictī –ōrum m.: the Picts, a Celtic people of northern Britain

    habitō habitāre habitāvī habitātus: to inhabit

    septentriōnālis –e: northern

    austrīnus –a –um: southern

    Britannī –ōrum m.: Britons

    cumque: whenever, always

    Pictī –ōrum m.: the Picts, a Celtic people of northern Britain

    Scōtī –ōrum m.: Gaelic-speaking peoples of Ireland and later Scotland

    cōnsentiō cōnsentīre cōnsēnsī cōnsēnsus: a

    dubium dubiī n.: doubt, hesitation

    fēmineus –a –um: feminine

    prōsāpia –ae f.: a stock, race, family

    masculīnus –a –um: masculine

    Pictī –ōrum m.: the Picts, a Celtic people of northern Britain

    Britannia –ae f.: Britain

    Britannī –ōrum m.: Britons

    Pictī –ōrum m.: the Picts, a Celtic people of northern Britain

    Scōtī –ōrum m.: Gaelic-speaking peoples of Ireland and later Scotland

    nātiō nātiōnis f.: race

    Pictī –ōrum m.: the Picts, a Celtic people of northern Britain

    Reuda m.: Cairbre Riada, the legendary eponymous founder of Dál Riata

    Hibernia –ae f.: the island now called Ireland

    prōgredior prōgredī prōgressus sum: to go forward

    hāctenus: thus far, so far, of space and time

    vindicō vindicāre vindicāvī vindicātus: to claim

    vidēlicet: clearly

    Dalreudini –orum* m.: the people of Dál Riata, inhabiting modern-day south-west Scotland and north-east Ireland

    daal m.: Dal, Irish term

    significō significāre significāvī significātus: to indicate

    Hibernia –ae f.: the island now called Ireland

    lātitūdō lātitūdinis f.: breadth

    salūbritās –ātis f.: healthfulness

    serēnitās –ātis f.: clearness, serenity, fair weather

    Britannia –ae f.: Britain

    nix nivis f.: snow

    trīduānus –a –um: three days' duration, lasting three days

    remaneō remanēre remānsī remānsus: to stay behind

    hiemō hiemāre hiemāvī hiemātus: to spend the winter

    "

    faenum –ī n. : hay, straw

    "

    secō secāre secuī sectum: to cut

    aestās aestātis f.: summer

    stabulum –ī n.: stable

    fabricō fabricāre fabricāvī fabricātus: to construct

    iūmentum –ī n.: a beast of burden

    rēptilis –e n.: reptile

    serpēns –entis (gen. pl. serpentum) m./f.: creeping thing; snake

    Britannia –ae f.: Britain

    serpēns –entis (gen. pl. serpentum) m./f.: creeping thing; snake

    proximō –āre –āvī –ātus: draw near, approaoch; be near

    nāvigium –iī n.: boat

    odor –ōris m.: scent

    attingō attingere attigī attāctus: to touch

    intereō interīre interīvī/interiī interitūrus: to perish

    potius: rather, more

    venēnum venēnī n.: poison

    serpēns –entis (gen. pl. serpentum) m./f.: creeping thing; snake

    percutiō percutere percussī percussum: to strike

    rādō rādere rāsī rāsum: to scratch; inscribe

    folium foli(ī) n.: leaf

    cōdex –icis m.: book, account book

    Hibernia –ae f.: the island now called Ireland

    rāsūra –ae f.: a scraping, an erasure

    immittō immittere immīsī immīssus: to send in

    venēnum venēnī n.: poison

    grassor –grassārī: to go about, loiter, attack, riot

    īnflō īnflāre īnflāvī īnflātus: to blow into; fill

    absūmō absumere absūmpsī absūmptum: to reduce, consume

    sēdō sēdāre sēdāvī sēdātus: to soothe

    tumor –ōris m.: swelling; of the mind

    lac –lactis n.: milk

    mel mellis n.: honey

    vīnea –ae f.: grapevines

    expers expertis: lacking

    piscis piscis m.: fish

    cervus –ī m.: stag

    caprea –ae f.: a kind of wild goat

    venōr venārī venātus sum: to hunt, go hunting

    īnsīgnis īnsīgne: distinguished

    propriē: properly; particularly, especially; in the strictest or truest sense

    Scōtī –ōrum m.: Gaelic-speaking peoples of Ireland and later Scotland

    Britannia –ae f.: Britain

    Britannī –ōrum m.: Britons

    Pictī –ōrum m.: the Picts, a Celtic people of northern Britain

    permaximus –a –um: very great or large

    antīquitus: in former times

    Britannī –ōrum m.: Britons

    Pictī –ōrum m.: the Picts, a Celtic people of northern Britain

    sēcernō sēcernere sēcrēvī sēcrētum: to separate

    occidēns –entis: western

    ērumpō ērumpere ērūpī ēruptus: to break out, burst out

    Britannī –ōrum m.: Britons

    mūnītus –a –um: defended, fortified

    Alcluith: Dumbarton

    vidēlicet: clearly

    septentriōnālis –e: northern

    Scōtī –ōrum m.: Gaelic-speaking peoples of Ireland and later Scotland

    Suggested Citation

    Rob Hardy. Bede: Historia Ecclesiastica Selections. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2017. ISBN: 978-1-947822-20-7. https://dcc.dickinson.edu/bede-historia-ecclesiastica/book-1/chapter-1-1