The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Annals to A.D. 381
The island Britain1 is 800 miles long, and 200
miles broad. And there are in the island five nations;
English, Welsh (or British),2 Scottish, Pictish,
and Latin. The first inhabitants were the Britons, who came
from Armenia,3 and first peopled Britain
southward. Then happened it, that the Picts came south from
Scythia, with long ships, not many; and, landing first in
the northern part of Ireland, they told the Scots that they
must dwell there. But they would not give them leave; for
the Scots told them that they could not all dwell there
together; "But," said the Scots, "we can nevertheless give
you advice. We know another island here to the east. There
you may dwell, if you will; and whosoever withstandeth you,
we will assist you, that you may gain it." Then went the
Picts and entered this land northward. Southward the Britons
possessed it, as we before said. And the Picts obtained
wives of the Scots, on condition that they chose their kings
always on the female side;4 which they have
continued to do, so long since. And it happened, in the run
of years, that some party of Scots went from Ireland into
Britain, and acquired some portion of this land. Their
leader was called Reoda,5 from whom they are
named Dalreodi (or Dalreathians).
Sixty winters ere that Christ was born, Caius Julius,
emperor of the Romans, with eighty ships sought Britain.
There he was first beaten in a dreadful fight, and lost a
great part of his army. Then he let his army abide with the
Scots,6 and went south into Gaul. There he
gathered six hundred ships, with which he went back into
Britain. When they first rushed together, Caesar's tribune,
whose name was Labienus,7 was slain. Then took
the Welsh sharp piles, and drove them with great clubs into
the water, at a certain ford of the river called Thames.
When the Romans found that, they would not go over the ford.
Then fled the Britons to the fastnesses of the woods; and
Caesar, having after much fighting gained many of the chief
towns, went back into Gaul.8
B.C. 60.
Before the incarnation of Christ sixty years, Gaius
Julius the emperor, first of the Romans, sought the land
of Britain; and he crushed the Britons in battle, and
overcame them; and nevertheless he was unable to gain any
empire there.
A.D. 1.
Octavianus reigned fifty-six winters; and in the forty-
second year of his reign Christ was born. Then three
astrologers from the east came to worship Christ; and the
children in Bethlehem were slain by Herod in persecution of
Christ.
A.D. 3.
This year died Herod, stabbed by his own hand; and Archelaus
his son succeeded him. The child Christ was also this year
brought back again from Egypt.
A.D. 6.
From the beginning of the world to this year were agone five
thousand and two hundred winters.
A.D. 11.
This year Herod the son of Antipater undertook the
government in Judea.
A.D. 12.
This year Philip and Herod divided Judea into four
kingdoms.
A.D. 12.
This year Judea was divided into four tetrarchies.
A.D. 16.
This year Tiberius succeeded to the empire.
A.D. 26.
This year Pilate began to reign over the Jews.
A.D. 30.
This year was Christ baptized; and Peter and Andrew were
converted, together with James, and John, and Philip, and
all the twelve apostles.
A.D. 33.
This year was Christ crucified;9 about five
thousand two hundred and twenty six winters from the
beginning of the world.10
A.D. 34.
This year was St. Paul converted, and St. Stephen
stoned.
A.D. 35.
This year the blessed Peter the apostle settled an episcopal
see in the city of Antioch.
A.D. 37.
This year11 Pilate slew himself with his own
hand.
A.D. 39.
This year Caius undertook the empire.
A.D. 44.
This year the blessed Peter the apostle settled an episcopal
see at Rome; and James, the brother of John, was slain by
Herod.
A.D. 45.
This year died Herod, who slew James one year ere his own
death.
A.D. 46.
This year Claudius, the second of the Roman emperors who
invaded Britain, took the greater part of the island into
his power, and added the Orkneys to rite dominion of the
Romans. This was in the fourth year of his reign. And in the
same year12 happened the great famine in Syria
which Luke mentions in the book called "The Acts of the
Apostles". After Claudius Nero succeeded to the empire, who
almost lost the island Britain through his incapacity.
A.D. 46.
This year the Emperor Claudius came to Britain, and
subdued a large part of the island; and he also added the
island of Orkney to the dominion of the Romans.
A.D. 47.
This year Mark, the evangelist in Egypt beginneth to write
the gospel.
A.D. 47.
This was in the fourth year of his reign, and in this
same year was the great famine in Syria which Luke speaks
of in the book called "Actus Apostolorum".
A.D. 47.
This year Claudius, king of the Romans, went with an army
into Britain, and subdued the island, and subjected all
the Picts and Welsh to the rule of the Romans.
A.D. 50.
This year Paul was sent bound to Rome.
A.D. 62.
This year James, the brother of Christ, suffered.
A.D. 63.
This year Mark the evangelist departed this life.
A.D. 69.
This year Peter and Paul suffered.
A.D. 70.
This year Vespasian undertook the empire.
A.D. 71.
This year Titus, son of Vespasian, slew in Jerusalem eleven
hundred thousand Jews.
A.D. 81.
This year Titus came to the empire, after Vespasian, who
said that he considered the day lost in which he did no
good.
A.D. 83.
This year Domitian, the brother of Titus, assumed the
government.
A.D. 84.
This year John the evangelist in the island Patmos wrote the
book called "The Apocalypse".
A.D. 90.
This year Simon, the apostle, a relation of Christ, was
crucified: and John the evangelist rested at Ephesus.
A.D. 92.
This year died Pope Clement.
A.D. 110.
This year Bishop Ignatius suffered.
A.D. 116.
This year Hadrian the Caesar began to reign.
A.D. 145.
This year Marcus Antoninus and Aurelius his brother
succeeded to the empire.
A.D. 167.
This year Eleutherius succeeded to the popedom, and held
it fifteen years; and in the same year Lucius, king of
the Britons, sent and begged baptism of him. And he soon
sent it him, and they continued in the true faith until
the time of Diocletian.
A.D. 189.
This year Severus came to the empire; and went with his army
into Britain, and subdued in battle a great part of the
island. Then wrought he a mound of turf, with a broad wall
thereupon, from sea to sea, for the defence of the Britons.
He reigned seventeen years; and then ended his days at York.
His son Bassianus succeeded him in the empire. His other
son, who perished, was called Geta. This year Eleutherius
undertook the bishopric of Rome, and held it honourably for
fifteen winters. To him Lucius, king of the Britons, sent
letters, and prayed that he might be made a Christian. He
obtained his request; and they continued afterwards in the
right belief until the reign of Diocletian.
A.D. 199.
In this year was found the holy rood.13
A.D. 283.
This year suffered Saint Alban the Martyr.
A.D. 343.
This year died St. Nicolaus.
A.D. 379.
This year Gratian succeeded to the empire.
A.D. 381.
This year Maximus the Caesar came to the empire. He was born
in the land of Britain, whence he passed over into Gaul. He
there slew the Emperor Gratian; and drove his brother, whose
name was Valentinian, from his country (Italy). The same
Valentinian afterwards collected an army, and slew Maximus;
whereby he gained the empire. About this time arose the
error of Pelagius over the world.
Notes
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1
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This introductory part of the
"Chronicle" to An. I. first printed by Gibson from
the Laud MS. only, has been corrected by a
collation of two additional MSS. in the British
Museum, "Cotton Tiberius B" lv. and "Domitianus A"
viii. Some defects are also here supplied. The
materials of this part are to be found in Pliny,
Solinus, Orosius, Gildas, and Bede. The
admeasurement of the island, however inaccurate, is
from the best authorities of those times, and
followed by much later historians.
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2
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Gibson, following the Laud MS.
has made six nations of five, by introducing the
British and Welsh as two distinct
tribes.
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3
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"De tractu Armoricano." -- Bede,
"Ecclesiastical History" i. I. The word Armenia
occurring a few lines above in Bede, it was perhaps
inadvertently written by the Saxon compiler of the
"Chronicle" instead of Armorica.
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4
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In case of a disputed
succession, "Ubi res veniret in dabium," etc. --
Bede, "Ecclesiastical History" i. I.
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5
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Reada, Aelfr.; Reuda, Bede,
Hunt. etc. Perhaps it was originally Reutha or
Reotha.
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6
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This is an error, arising from
the inaccurately written MSS. of Orosius and Bede;
where "in Hybernia" and "in Hiberniam" occur for
"in hiberna". The error is retained in Wheloc's
Bede.
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7
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Labienus = Laberius. Venerable
Bede also, and Orosius, whom he follows verbatim,
have "Labienus". It is probably a mistake of some
very ancient scribe, who improperly supplied the
abbreviation "Labius" (for "Laberius") by
"Labienus".
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8
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Of these early transactions in
Britain King Alfred supplies us with a brief but
circumstantial account in his Saxon paraphrase of
"Orosius".
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9
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"8 die Aprilis", Flor. M.
West.
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10
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Gibbon regrets this chronology,
i.e. from the creation of the world, which he
thinks preferable to the vulgar mode from the
Christian aera. But how vague and uncertain the
scale which depends on a point so remote and
undetermined as the precise time when the world was
created. If we examine the chronometers of
different writers we shall find a difference,
between the maximum and the minimum, of 3368 years.
The Saxon chronology seems to be founded on that of
Eusebius, which approaches the medium between the
two extremes.
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11
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An. 42, Flor. This act is
attributed by Orosius, and Bede who follows him, to
the threatening conduct of Caligula, with a remark,
that it was he (Pilate) who condemned our Lord to
death.
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12
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An. 48, Flor. See the account of
this famine in King Alfred's "Orosius".
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13
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Those writers who mention this
discovery of the holy cross, by Helena the mother
of Constantine, disagree so much in their
chronology, that it is a vain attempt to reconcile
them to truth or to each other. This and the other
notices of ecclesiastical matters, whether Latin or
Saxon, from the year 190 to the year 380 of the
Laud MS. and 381 of the printed Chronicle, may be
safely considered as interpolations, probably
posterior to the Norman Conquest.
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