BRITAIN had never been visited by the Romans, and was, indeed, entirely
unknown to them before the time of Caius Julius Caesar, who, in the year
693 after the building of Rome, but the sixtieth year before the
incarnation of our Lord, was consul with Lucius Bibulus, and afterwards
while he made war upon the Germans and the Gauls, which were divided
only by the river Rhine, came into the province of the Morini, from
whence is the nearest and shortest passage into Britain.
Here, having
provided about eighty ships of burden and vessels with oars, he sailed
over into Britain; where, being first roughly handled in a battle, and
then meeting with a violent storm, he lost a considerable part of his
fleet, no small number of soldiers, and almost all his horses. Returning
into Gaul, he put his legions into winter quarters, and gave orders for
building six hundred sail of both sorts. With these he again passed over
early in spring into Britain, but, whilst he was marching with a large
army towards the enemy, the ships, riding at anchor, were, by a tempest
either dashed one against another, or driven upon the sands and wrecked.
Forty of them perished, the rest were, with much difficulty, repaired.
Caesar's cavalry was, at the first charge, defeated by the Britons, and Labienus, the tribune, slain. In the second engagement, he, with great
hazard to his men, put the Britons to flight. Thence he proceeded to the
river Thames, where an immense multitude of the enemy had posted
themselves on the farthest side of the river, under the command of
Cassibellaun, and fenced the bank of the river and almost all the ford
under water with sharp stakes: the remains of these are to be seen to
this day, apparently about the thickness of a man's thigh, and being
cased with lead, remain fixed immovably in the bottom of the river.
This, being perceived and avoided by the Romans, the barbarians not able
to stand the shock of the legions, hid themselves in the woods, whence
they grievously galled the Romans with repeated sallies.
In the
meantime, the strong city of Trinovantum, with its commander Androgeus,
surrendered to Caesar, giving him forty hostages. Many other cities,
following their example, made a treaty with the Romans. By their
assistance, Caesar at length, with much difficulty, took Cassibellaun's
town, situated between two marshes, fortified by the adjacent woods, and
plentifully furnished with all necessaries. After this, Caesar returned
into Gaul, but he had no sooner put his legions into winter quarters,
than he was suddenly beset and distracted with wars and tumults raised
against him on every side.
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THERE was in this abbess's monastery a certain brother, particularly
remarkable for the grace of God, who was wont to make pious and
religious verses, so that whatever was interpreted to him out of
Scripture, he soon after put the same into poetical expressions of much
sweetness and humility, in English, which was his native language. By
his verses the minds of many were often excited to despise the world,
and to aspire to heaven. Others after him attempted, in the English
nation, to compose religious poems, but none could ever compare with
him, for he did not learn the art of poetry from men, but from God; for
which reason he never could compose any trivial or vain poem, but only
those which relate to religion suited his religious tongue; for having
lived in a secular
habit till he was well advanced in years, he had never learned anything
of versifying; for which reason being sometimes at entertainments, when
it was agreed for the sake of mirth that all present should sing in
their turns, when he saw the instrument come towards him, he rose up
from table and returned home.
Having done so at a certain time, and gone out of the house where the
entertainment was, to the stable, where he had to take care of the
horses that night, he there composed himself to rest at the proper time;
a person appeared to him in his sleep, and saluting him by his name,
said, "Caedmon, sing some song to me." He answered, "I cannot sing; for
that was the reason why I left the entertainment, and retired to this
place because I could not sing." The other who talked to him, replied,
"However, you shall sing." "What shall I sing?" rejoined he. "Sing the
beginning of created beings," said the other. Hereupon he presently
began to sing verses to the praise of God, which he had never heard, the
purport whereof was thus: We are now to praise the Maker of the heavenly
kingdom, the power of the Creator and his counsel, the deeds of the
Father of glory. How He, being the eternal God, became the author of all
miracles, who first, as almighty preserver of the human race, created
heaven for the sons of men as the roof of the house, and next the earth.
This is the sense, but not the words in order as he sang them in his
sleep; for verses, though never so well composed, cannot be literally
translated out of one language into another, without losing much of
their beauty and loftiness. Awaking from his sleep, he remembered all
that he had sung in his dream, and soon added much more to the same
effect in verse worthy of the Deity.
In the morning he came to the steward, his superior, and having
acquainted him with the gift he had received, was conducted to the
abbess, by whom he was ordered, in the presence of many learned men, to
tell his dream, and repeat the verses, that they might all give their
judgment what it was, and whence his verse proceeded. They all
concluded, that heavenly grace had been conferred on him by our Lord.
They expounded to him a passage in holy writ, either historical, or
doctrinal, ordering him, if he could, to put the same into verse.
Having undertaken it, he went away, and returning the next morning, gave
it to them composed in most excellent verse; whereupon the abbess,
embracing the grace of God in the man, instructed him to quit the
secular habit, and take upon him the monastic life; which being
accordingly done, she associated him to the rest of the brethren
in her monastery, and ordered that he should be taught the whole series
of sacred history.
Thus Caedmon keeping in mind all he heard, and as it
were chewing the cud, converted the same into most harmonious verse; and
sweetly repeating the same, made his masters in their turn his hearers.
He sang the creation of the world, the origin of man, and all the
history of Genesis: and made many verses on the departure of the
children of Israel out of Egypt, and their entering into the land of
promise, with many other histories from holy writ; the incarnation,
passion, resurrection of our Lord, and his ascension into heaven; the
coming of the Holy Ghost, and the preaching of the apostles; also the
terror of future judgment, the horror of the pains of hell, and the
delights of heaven; besides many more about the Divine benefits and
judgments, by which he endeavored to turn away all men from the love of
vice, and to excite in them the love of, and application to, good
actions; for he was a very religious man, humbly submissive to
regular discipline, but full of zeal against those who behaved
themselves otherwise; for which reason he ended his life happily.
For when the time of his departure drew near, he laboured for the space
of fourteen days under a bodily infirmity which seemed to prepare
the way, yet so moderate that he could talk and walk the whole time. In
his neighbourhood was the house to which those that were sick, and like
shortly to die, were carried. He desired the person that attended him,
in the evening, as the night came on in which he was to depart this
life, to make ready a place there for him to take his rest. This person,
wondering why he should desire it, because there was as yet no sign of
his dying soon, did what he had ordered. He accordingly went there, and
conversing pleasantly in a joyful manner with the rest that were in the
house before, when it was past midnight, he asked them, whether they had
the Eucharist there?
They answered, "What need of the Eucharist? for you
are not likely to die, since you talk so merrily with us, as if you were
in perfect health." "However," said he, "bring me the Eucharist." Having
received the same into his hand, he asked, whether they were all in
charity with him, and without any enmity or rancour? They answered, that
they were all in perfect charity, and free from anger; and in their turn
asked him, whether he was in the same mind towards them?
He answered, "I
am in charity, my children, with all the servants of God." Then
strengthening himself with the heavenly viaticum, he prepared for
the entrance into another life, and asked, how near the time was when
the brothers were to be awakened to sing the nocturnal praises of
our Lord? They answered, "It is not far off." Then he said, "Well, let
us wait that hour;" and signing himself with the sign of the cross, he
laid his head on the pillow, and falling into a slumber, ended his life
so in silence.
Thus it came to pass, that as he had served God with a simple and pure
mind, and undisturbed devotion, so he now departed to his presence,
leaving the world by a quiet death; and that tongue, which had composed
so many holy words in praise of the Creator, uttered its last words
whilst he was in the act of signing himself with the cross, and
recommending himself into his hands, and by what has been here said, he
seems to have had foreknowledge of his death.
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