See also:

• GILDAS, or GILDUS (c. 516–J70)

GILDAS, or GILDUS (c. 516–J70)  , the earliest of See also:

• BRITISH

British historians (see See also:

• CELT
• CELT, or KELT

CELT: Literature, " Welsh"), surnamed by some Sapiens, and by others Badonicus, seems to have been See also:

• BORN, IGNAZ, EDLER VON (1742–1791)

born in the See also:

• YEAR

year 516 . Regarding him little certain is known, beyond some isolated particulars that may be gathered from hints dropped in the course of his See also:

• WORK

work . Two See also:

• SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short See also:

• TREATISES

treatises exist, purporting to be lives of See also:

• GILDAS, or GILDUS (c. 516–J70)

Gildas, and ascribed respectively to the rith and 12th centuries; but the writers of both are believed to have confounded two, if not more, persons that had See also:

• BORNE, KARL LUDWIG (1786–1837)

borne the name . It is from an incidental remark of his own, namely, that the year of the See also:

• SIEGE (0. Fr. sege, siege, mod. siege, seat, ultimately from sedere, to sit, cf. Class. Lat. obsidium, a siege)

siege of See also:

• MOUNT, WILLIAM SIDNEY (1807-1868)

Mount Badon—one of the battles fought between the See also:

• SAXONS

Saxons and the Britons—was also the year of his own nativity, that the date of his See also:

• BIRTH (a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages from the root of the verb " to bear ")

birth has been derived; the See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place, however, is not mentioned . His assertion that he was moved to undertake his task mainly by "zeal for See also:

• GOD

God's See also:

• HOUSE
• HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in Gothic it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

house and for His See also:

• HOLY

holy See also:

• LAW
• LAW (0. Eng. lagu, M. Eng. lawe; from an old Teutonic root lag, " lie," what lies fixed or evenly; cf. Lat. lex, Fr. loi)
• LAW, JOHN (1671—1729)
• LAW, WILLIAM (1686-1761)

law," and the very See also:

• FREE

free use he has made of quotations from the See also:

• BIBLE
• BIBLE, ENGLISH

Bible, leave scarcely a doubt that he was an ecclesiastic of some See also:

• ORDER
• ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
• ORDER, HOLY

order or other . In addition, we learn that he went abroad, probably to See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France, in his See also:

• THIRTY

thirty-See also:

• FOURTH

fourth year, where, after 10 years of hesitation and preparation, he composed, about 56o, the work bearing his name . His materials, he tells us, were collected from See also:

• FOREIGN

foreign rather than native See also:

• SOURCES

sources, the latter of which had been put beyond his reach by circumstances . The See also:

• CAMBRIAN

Cambrian See also:

• ANNALS (Annales, from annus, a year)

Annals. give 570 as the year of his See also:

• DEATH

death . The writings of Gildas have come down to us under the See also:

• TITLE (0. Fr. title, mod. titre, from Lat. titulus)

title of Gildae Sapientis de excidio Britanniae See also:

• LIBER

liber querulus . Though at first written consecutively, the work is new usually divided into three portions,-a See also:

• PREFACE (Med. Lat. prefatia, for classical praefatio, praefari, to speak beforehand)

preface, the See also:

• HISTORY

history proper, and an See also:

• EPISTLE

epistle,—the last, which is largely made up of passages and° texts of Scripture brought together for the purpose of condemning ' the vices of his countrymen and their rulers, being the least important, though by far the longest of the three . In the second he passes in brief See also:

• REVIEW (Fr. revue, from revoir, to see again, Lat. re and videre)

review the history of See also:

• BRITAIN (Gr. Hperavuml vi7vot, Bperravia; Lat. Britannia, rarely Britannia)

Britain from its invasion by the See also:

• ROMANS
• ROMANS, EPISTLE TO THE

Romans till his own times . Among other matters reference is made to the introduction of See also:

• CHRISTIANITY

Christianity in the reign of Tiberius; the persecution under See also:

• DIOCLETIAN (GAIUs AURELIUS VALERIUS DIOCLETIANUS) (A.D. 245–313)
• DIOCLETIAN, EDICT OF (De Pretiis rerum venalium)

Diocletian; the spread of the Arian See also:

• HERESY

heresy; the See also:

• ELECTION
• ELECTION (from Lat. eligere, to pick out)

election of See also:

• MAXIMUS
• MAXIMUS, ST (c. 58o-662)

Maximus as See also:

• EMPEROR (Fr. empereur, from the Lat. imperator)

emperor by the legions in Britain, and his subsequent death at See also:

• AQUILEIA

Aquileia; the incursions of the Picts and Scots into the See also:

• SOUTHERN

southern See also:

• PART

part of the See also:

• ISLAND (O.E. ieg =isle, +land')

island; the temporary assistance rendered to the harassed Britons by the Romans; the final See also:

• ABANDONMENT (Fr. abandonnement, from abandonner, to abandon, relinquish; abandonner was originally equivalent to mettred banddn, to leave to the jurisdiction, i.e. of another, bandon being from Low Latin bandum, bannum, order, decree, " ban ")

abandonment of the island by the latter; the coming of the Saxons and their reception by Guortigern (See also:

• VORTIGERN (GUORTHIGIRNUS, WYRTGEORN)

Vortigern); and, finally, the conflicts between the Britons, led by a See also:

• NOBLE, SIR ANDREW (1832- )

noble See also:

• ROMAN

Roman, Ambrosius See also:

• AURELIANUS, CAELIUS

Aurelianus, and the new invaders .

Unfortunately, on almost every point on which he touches, the statements of Gildas are vague and obscure . With one exception already alluded to, no See also:

• DATES

dates are given, and events are not always taken up in the order of their occurrence . These faults are of less importance during the See also:

• PERIOD
• PERIOD (Gr. irepioSos, a going or way round, circuit, aepi, round, and &Sis, way, road)

period when See also:

• GREEK
• GREEK, ETRUSCAN AND

Greek and Roman writers See also:

• NOTICE

notice the affairs of Britain; but they become more serious when, as is the See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case from nearly the beginning of the 5th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century to the date of his death, Gildas's brief narrative is our only authority for most of what passes current as the history of our island during those years . Thus it is on his See also:

• SOLE (Solea)

sole, though in this instance perhaps trustworthy, testimony that the famous See also:

• LETTER (through Fr. lettre from Lat. littera or litera, letter of the alphabet; the origin of the Latin word is obscure; it has probably no connexion with the root of linere, to smear, i.e. with wax, for an inscription with a stilus)

letter rests, said to have been sent to See also:

• ROME
• ROME (Roma)

Rome in 446 by the despairing Britons, commencing: " To Agitius (See also:

• AETIUS
• AETIUS (d. 454)
• AETIUS (fl. 350)

Aetius), See also:

• CONSUL
• CONSUL (in Gr. generally ihraros,ashortened form of errpavgybs 8hraeos, i.e. praetor maximus)

consul for the third See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time, the groans of the Britons." Gildas's See also:

• TREATISE

treatise was first published in 1525 by Polydore Vergil, but with many avowed alterations and omissions . In 1568 See also:

• JOHN
• JOHN (1167–1216)
• JOHN (1290-c. 1320)
• JOHN (1296-1346)
• JOHN (1371–1419)
• JOHN (1468-1532)
• JOHN (1801-1873)
• JOHN (Heb. llni')
• JOHN (ZAPOLYA) (1487-1540)
• JOHN, 4TH MARQUESS OF TWEEDDALE (c. 1695-1762)
• JOHN, DON (1545-1578)
• JOHN, DON (1629–1679)
• JOHN, GOSPEL OF ST
• JOHN, or HAYS (1513–1571)
• JOHN, THE APOSTLE
• JOHN, THE EPISTLES OF

John Josseline, secretary to See also:

• ARCHBISHOP (Lat. archiepiscopus, from Gr. apxceatorcoros)

Archbishop See also:

• PARKER, JOHN HENRY (1806-1884)
• PARKER, JOSEPH (183o-1902)
• PARKER, MARTIN (c. 1600-c. 1656)
• PARKER, MATTHEW (1504-1575)
• PARKER, SAMUEL (164o-1688)
• PARKER, SIR GILBERT (1862— )
• PARKER, SIR HYDE, BART
• PARKER, THEODORE (1810-186o)

Parker, issued a new edition of it more in conformity with See also:

• MANUSCRIPT

manuscript authority; and in 1691 a still more carefully revised edition appeared at See also:

• OXFORD
• OXFORD, EARLS OF
• OXFORD, EDWARD DE VERE, 17TH EARL
• OXFORD, JOHN DE VERE, 13TH EARL OF (1443-1513)
• OXFORD, PROVISIONS OF
• OXFORD, ROBERT DE VERE, 9TH EARL OF (1362-1392)
• OXFORD, ROBERT HARLEY, 1ST

Oxford by See also:

• THOMAS
• THOMAS (c. 1654-1720)
• THOMAS (d. 110o)
• THOMAS, ARTHUR GORING (1850-1892)
• THOMAS, CHARLES LOUIS AMBROISE (1811-1896)
• THOMAS, GEORGE (c. 1756-1802)
• THOMAS, GEORGE HENRY (1816-187o)
• THOMAS, ISAIAH (1749-1831)
• THOMAS, PIERRE (1634-1698)
• THOMAS, SIDNEY GILCHRIST (1850-1885)
• THOMAS, ST
• THOMAS, THEODORE (1835-1905)
• THOMAS, WILLIAM (d. 1554)

Thomas See also:

• GALE
• GALE, THEOPHILUS (1628-1678)
• GALE, THOMAS (?1636-17o2)

Gale . It was frequently reprinted on the See also:

• CONTINENT (from Lat. continere, "to hold together "; hence " connected," " continuous ")

Continent during the 16th century, and once or twice since . The next See also:

• ENGLISH

English edition, described by See also:

• POTTHAST, AUGUST (1824—1898)

Potthast as editio pessima, was that published by the English See also:

• HISTORICAL

Historical Society in 1838, and edited by the Rev . J . Steven-son . The See also:

• TEXT (Lat. textum, woven fabric, from texere, to weave)

text of Gildas founded on Gale's edition collated with two other See also:

• MSS

MSS., with elaborate introductions, is included in the Monumenta historica Britannica, edited by See also:

• PETRIE, GEORGE (179o-1866)
• PETRIE, WILLIAM MATTHEW FLINDERS (1853– )

Petrie and See also:

• SHARPE, DANIEL (18o6-1856)

Sharpe ,(See also:

• LONDON

London, 1848) . Another edition is in A . W .

Haddan and W . See also:

• STUBBS [STUBBES], PHILIP (c. 1555-c. 161o)
• STUBBS [STUnnE], JOHN
• STUBBS, WILLIAM (1825-1901)

Stubbs, See also:

• COUNCILS

Councils and See also:

• ECCLES

Eccles . Documents See also:

• RELATING

relating to See also:

• GREAT

Great Britain (Oxford, 1869); the latest edition is that by Theodor See also:

• MOMMSEN, THEODOR (1817–1903)

Mommsen in Monum . Germ. hist. auct. antiq. xiii . (Chronica See also:

• MIN

min. iii.), 1894 .