< Vt Paulīnus in prōvinciā Lindisssī praedicāverit, et dē quālitāte rēgnī Eduīnī >

[1] Praedicābat autem Paulīnus verbum etiam prōvinciae Lindissī, quae est prīma ad merīdiānam Humbrae flūminis rīpam, pertingēns usque ad mare, praefectumque Lindocolinae cīvitātis, cui nōmen erat Blaecca, prīmum cum domū suā convertit ad Dominum. [2] In quā vidēlicet cīvitāte et ecclēsiam operis ēgregiī dē lapide fēcit, cuius tēctō vel longā incūriā vel hostīlī manū dēiectō, parietēs hāctenus stāre videntur, et omnibus annīs aliqua sānitātum mīrācula in eōdem locō solent ad ūtilitātem eōrum quī fidēliter quaerunt ostendī. [3] In quā ecclēsiā Paulīnus, trānseunte ad Christum Iūstō, Honōrium prō eō cōnsecrāvit episcopum, ut in sequentibus suō locō dīcēmus.

[4] Dē huius fide prōvinciae nārrāvit mihi presbyter et abbās quīdam vir vērācissimus dē monastēriō Peartaneu, vocābulō Dēdā, retulisse sibi quendam seniōrem, baptīzātum sē fuisse diē mediā ā Paulīnō episcopō, praesente rēge Eduīnō, et multam populī turbam, in fluviō Treenta iuxtā cīvitātem quae linguā Anglōrum Tiovulfingacӕstir vocātur; quī etiam effigiem eiusdem Paulīnī referre esset solitus, quod esset vir longae statūrae, paululum incurvus, nigrō capillō, faciē macilentā, nāsō aduncō pertenuī, venerābilis simul et terribilis aspectū. [5] Habuit autem sēcum in ministeriō et Iācōbum diāconum, virum utique industrium ac nōbilem in Christō et in ecclēsiā, quī ad nostra usque tempora permānsit.

[6] Tanta autem eō tempore pāx in Brittaniā, quāquāversum imperium rēgis Eduīnī pervēnerat, fuisse perhibētur ut, sīcut usque hodiē in prōverbiō dīcitur, etiam sī mulier ūna cum recēns nātō parvulō vellet tōtam perambulāre īnsulam ā marī ad mare, nūllō sē lēdente valēret. [7] Tantum rēx īdem ūtilitātī suae gentis cōnsuluit, ut plērīsque in locīs, ubi fontēs lūcidōs iuxtā pūplicōs viārum trānsitūs cōnspexit, ibi ob refrīgerium viantium ērēctīs stīpitibus aereōs caucōs suspendī iubēret, neque hōs quisquam, nisi ad ūsum necessārium, contingere prae magnitūdine vel timōris eius audēret, vel amōris vellet. [8] Tantum vērō in rēgnō excellentiae habuit, ut nōn sōlum in pugnā ante illum vēxilla gestārentur, sed et tempore pācis equitantem inter cīvitātēs sīve vīllās aut prōvinciās suās cum ministrīs, semper antecēdere signifer cōnsuēsset, necnōn et incēdente illō ubilibet per platēās illud genus vēxillī, quod Rōmānī tufam, Anglī appellant thuuf, ante eum ferrī solēbat.

    PAULINUS'S PREACHING IN LINDSEY

    (1) prōvinciae Lindissī: locative: “in the kingdom of Lindsey.”

    prīma: i.e., prima prōvincia

    ad merīdiānam: ad = “on” the west shore.

    praefectum Lindocolīnae cīvitātis: “the reeve of Lincoln.” A reeve was a chief magistrate.

    (2) operis ēgregiī: genitive of quality (AG 345): “of remarkable workmanship”

    tēctō … dēiectō: ablative absolute, probably to be taken as concessive: “although the roof had fallen...”

    longā incūriā, vel hostīlī manū: ablatives of means

    hāctenus: “still, up to the present”

    omnibus annīs: “every year”

    ad ūtilitātem: “for the benefit of” + genitive

    (3) trānseunte ad Chrīstum Iūstō: ablative absolute; trānsīre ad Chrīstum is another euphemism for “to die.” Justus was the fourth Archbishop of Canterbury (624–627)

    Honōrium: Honorius, fifth Archbishop of Canterbury (627–655), consecrated by Paulinus at Lincoln.

    ut in sequentibus suō locō dīcēmus: “as we will relate in its place in the following [chapters].” The consecration of Honorius is the subject of Chapter 2.18.

    A PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF PAULINUS

    Bede draws upon oral tradition to provide a description of Paulinus's appearance: Bede heard from Deda, abbot of Partney, who heard it from an old man who had been baptized by Paulinus himself. Bede was writing roughly 100 years after the events related in this chapter.

    (4) presbyter: originally, an elder; here, a priest

    narrāvit … sē fuisse: double indirect statement with accusative-infinitive construction; the kernel of the sentence is [Dēdā] narrāvit mihi quendam seniōrem retulisse sibi sē baptīzātum fuisse (“Deda told me that a certain old man recounted to him that he had been baptized…).

    Peartaneu: Partney, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire

    multam populī turbam: understand baptīzātam fuisse.

    in fluviō Treenta: the River Trent

    Tiovulfingacæstir: Littleborough, Nottinghamshire, northwest of Lincoln on the western side of the River Trent

    effigiem: “appearance”

    (5) ad nostra usque tempora permānsit: this is taken to mean the James the Deacon, as he is known, lived at least until the time of Bede’s own birth, which was probably between 671 and 673. For more on James the Deacon, see 2.20.13–14.

    THE PEACE OF EDWIN'S REIGN

    (6) quāquāversum: “wherever”

    sīcut usque hodiē in prōverbiō dīcitur: in other words, “as has become proverbial”

    recēns nātō: “newborn”: recens is adverbial (“recently born”)

    lēdente: laedente; nūllō sē lēdente, ablative absolute, “with no one harming her”

    (7) Tantum: adverbial, “to so great a degree”

    iuxtā pūplicōs viārum trānsitūs: pūplicōs = pūblicōs; “next to the public passages of the roads.” Colgrave-Mynors translates “near the highway.”

    ob refrīgerium viantium: ob, “with a view to,” “for”: “for the refreshment of travelers”

    ērēctīs … iubēret: ērēctīs stīpitibus could be taken as an ablative absolute (“once poles had been raised”), but works best as the ablative expressing the place from which something is hung (with suspendere); so, rearrange as: ut ... iubēret aereōs caucōs suspendī ērēctīs stīpitibus (“that he ordered bronze drinking cups to be hung from raised poles”). Caucus is a Late Latin word for “cup.”

    quisquam … amōris vellet: the syntax is a bit compressed here; fill it out as: neque quisquam vel audēret contingere hōs, nisi ad ūsum necessārium, prae magnitūdine timōris eius, vel vellet contingere hōs, nisi ad ūsum necessārium, prae magnitūdine amōris eius. Prae, here means, “on account of,” and takes the ablative; eius is an objective genitive: “on account of the greatness of [their] love of him.”

    (8) Tantum … excellentiae: excellentiae is a partitive genitive after tantum (AG 346, note 1).

    sed et: sed etiam (correlative with nōn sōlum)

    equitantem: understand eum, as the object of antecēdere cōnsuēsset (“was accustomed to go before him as he rode”).

    nec nōn: “and furthermore”

    tufam … thuuf: most likely a kind of sceptre

    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


    praedicō –āre –āvī –ātum: to preach

    Paulīnus –ī m.: Paulinus, Bishop of York, 625-633; bishop of Rochester, 633-644

    Lindissi: Lindsey

    merīdiānus –a –um: southern

    Humbra –ae f.: the Humber

    pertingō –tingere: arrive at, extend to, reach

    praefectus praefectī m.: prefect

    Lindocolina (Lindocolinum) : the Roman Colonia of Lindum, modern Lincoln

    Blaecca — m.: Blæcca, Praefectus of Lincoln

    dominus dominī m.: lord; Lord (of Jesus Christ)

    vidēlicet: clearly

    ecclēsia –ae f.: church

    incūria –ae f.: negligence

    hostīlis hostīlis hostīle: hostile

    dēiciō dēicere dēiēci deīctum: to throw down, eject

    pariēs parietis m.: wall

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

    sānitās –ātis f.: health

    mīrāculum –ī n.: miracle

    ūtilitās ūtilitātis f.: usefulness

    ecclēsia –ae f.: church

    Paulīnus –ī m.: Paulinus, Bishop of York, 625-633; bishop of Rochester, 633-644

    Christus –ī m.: Christ

    Honōrius –ī m.: Honorius, Archbishop of Canterbury, 627x631-653

    cōnsecrō cōnsecrāre cōnsecrāvī cōnsecrātus: to consecrate

    episcopus –ī m.: bishop

    presbyter –erī m.: a priest

    abba (indecl.): father

    vērāx –ācis : speaking truly, true, veracious; adv. vērāciter, truthfully.

    monastērium –ī n.: a monastery

    Peartaneu: Partney, near Spilsby, Lincolnshire

    vocābulum –ī n.: a designation, name

    Deda — m.: Deda, Abbot of Partney

    senex senis: old, aged

    baptīzo –āre –āvī –ātum: to baptize

    Paulīnus –ī m.: Paulinus, Bishop of York, 625-633; bishop of Rochester, 633-644

    episcopus –ī m.: bishop

    Aeduini –ī m.: Edwin, King of the Northumbrians, 616-633

    fluvius fluvi(ī) m.: river

    Treenta: the river Trent

    iūxtā: according to

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

    Tiouulfingacaestir: Littleborough?, Nottinghamshire

    effigiēs –ēī f.: something molded or fashioned; a figure

    Paulīnus –ī m.: Paulinus, Bishop of York, 625-633; bishop of Rochester, 633-644

    statūra –ae f.: height, stature

    paululum: a little

    incurvus –a –um: bent, curved

    capillus capillī m.: hair

    macilentus –a –um: thin

    nāsus nāsī m.: nose

    aduncus –a –um : hooked, bent

    pertenuis m,f pertenue n.: very thin

    venerābilis –e: venerable, deserving of respect

    terribilis terribile: terrifying

    aspectus aspectūs m.: sight

    ministerium –ī n.: service, ministry

    Iācōbus –ī m.: James, the Deacon

    diāconus –ī m.: deacon

    utīque: certainly

    industrius –a –um: industrious

    Christus –ī m.: Christ

    ecclēsia –ae f.: church

    permaneō permanēre permānsī permānsum: to remain

    Britannia –ae f.: Britain

    quaquaversum: wherever

    Aeduini –ī m.: Edwin, King of the Northumbrians, 616-633

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

    prōverbium –ī n.: a proverb

    nātus –a –um: born

    parvulus –a –um: very small

    perambulō perambulāre perambulāvī perambulātus: to go through

    ūtilitās ūtilitātis f.: usefulness

    plērus –a –um: very many

    lūcidus –a –um: bright, shining

    iūxtā: according to

    cōnspiciō cōnspicere cōnspexī cōnspectus: to catch sight of, behold

    refrīgerium –ī n.: refreshment, cooling

    viō –āre –āvī –ātus : to travel

    ērigō ērigere ērēxī ērēctus: to set up, erect

    stīpes –itis m.: log or post

    aereus –a –um: made of copper or bronze

    caucus –ī m. : drinking vessel

    suspendō suspendere suspendī suspēnsum: to hang

    necessārius –a –um: necessary, essential

    prae: before (+ abl.)

    excellentia –ae f.: excellence

    vexillum –ī n.: a military ensign, standard

    gestō gestāre gestāvī gestātus: to carry, bear

    equitō equitāre equitāvī equitātus: to be a horseman; to ride

    vīlla vīllae f.: estate

    minister ministrī m.: attendant, servant

    antecēdō –cēdere –cessī –cessum: to go before

    signifer –ferī m.: a standard–bearer

    cōnsuēscō cōnsuescere cōnsuēvī cōnsuētus: to accustom

    incēdō incēdere incessī incessus: to go, happen

    ubilibet: anywhere; in any place

    platēa –ae f.: street

    vexillum –ī n.: a military ensign, standard

    Rōmānus –a –um: Roman

    tūfa –ae f.: a kind of military standard

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

    thuuf (Old English): a kind of military standard, cp. Latin tufa –ae f.

    Aeduini –ī m.: Edwin, King of the Northumbrians, 616-633

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    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-2/chapter-2-16