defatigable in the Pursuit of Learning, and improving his Country, in order to which he travell'd feveral Times, and introduc'd not only foreign Literature, but foreign Arts, into our Land, being the firft who brought over Mafon's and Glafiers. Travelling feveral times to Rome, and being intimate with Pope Agatho, he was much taken with the Liturgy of the Roman Church, and their Manner of Singing and Chaunting, for till then the Gallican or Mozarabick Liturgy was us'd in Britain and England, as appears by Auguftin's Questions. Under the Care of this Man, Bede was educated in the Monaftery of Weremouth for fome Time, where befide the Example of To great a Mafter, he had the Advantage of a large and curious Library which Bifcop brought into England: how long he continu'd in this Monaftery he has not inform'd us, but from being under his Care, he was afterwards remov'd to the Care of Ceolfrid, Fellow Traveller with Bifcop, nor inferior to him in Chara&ter; he was then Abbat of Girwy or Farrow, which Monaftery, Mr. Cambden, from a mistaken Infcription, thinks he founded. In this Monaftery of Jarrow he profecuted his Studies, and made no fmall Progrefs under the finifhing Hand of fuch a Tutor; altho' he had feveral other Inftructors; as one Trumbert, a Brother of his Monaftery, who had been Scholar to St. Cedd the Bishop, as his Inftructor in Divinity. And in the Knowledge of the Greek Tongue, of which he was a Mafter, as appears by his Ars Metrica, his Translation of the Life of Anaftafius, &c. he was inftructed by the Archbishop Theodore, a Greek by Birth,

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and the great Planter of that Language in our Country, being affiffed by the Abbat Adrian; for which End they travell'd to feveral Parts of England, and by their Inftructions that Language grew as familiar to fome of their Scholars as their native Tongue, which he inftances in the Cafe of Tobias, Bishop of Rochefter, and others; to thefe Preceptors we may add John the Arch-Chaunter, brought over by Bifcop, who inftructed him in finging in the Church and others add John, the Archbishop, of whom hereafter.

About the 19th Year of his Age, viz. 691. he was ordain'd Deacon by Bishop John, at the Command (jubente) of the Abbat Ceolfrid; this John was Bishop of Hagulftad, now Hexham in Northumberland, in whofe Diocese those Monafteries then were, (for the Bishoprick of Durham, in which Territories they now ftand, was not then erected.) This is that famous John, Surnamed of Beverly, of whom he has given us fuch an Account in his Hiftory. This Ordination, though, earlier than the Church allows, fhows that there were fome extraordi nary Qualifications in the Perfon, which could influence them to recede f from a general Canon. From this Time he continued conftantly in his Studies, till the Age of thirty Years, when he was ordain'd Prieft by the aforefaid Bishop John; the Verfion of King Elfrid calls him merr fheort, Mafs Prieft, his Employment being daily to fing in the Church; and now at the Intervals between his Duty and the Offices and Employments of the Monaftery, which, by the way, were numerous, as well as laborious, for himfelf inftancing, Bifcop the Founder,

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phy,

Founder, fays, He, like the reft of the Brothers, to winnow the Corn, and thrash it, to give Milk to the Lambs and Calfs, in the Bakehoufe, in the Garden, in the Kitchen, and in the other Employments of the Monaftery, chearful and obedient, delighted to exercife himself. He began to apply himself to Writing, incited thereto by the Bishop Acca of Hagulftad, (in whofe Diocese he was,) ás appears by an obliging Epiftle from that Prelate to him, prefix'd to his Annotations upon St. Luke. Befides the Study and writing Comments on the Scriptures, he treated on feveral Subjects, on Hiftory, Aftrology, Orthogra Rhetorick and Poetry; in the latter of which he was no Imall Mafter, as appears by what he has left us on the Life of St. Cuthbert, and fome Places in his Ecclefiaftical Hiftory; he Wrote likewife two Books of the Art of Poetry, which are not now extant; a Book of Hymns, and another of Epigrams. Thus this ftudious and venerable Man employ'd all that little Time he could fave from the Call of his Duty, in improving the Souls and Understandings of Men; which he did not only to Mankind in general, but more particularly to thofe Pupils immediately under his Care; which were no lefs than 600, the Number of the Brothers of that Convent. Of these, feveral by the Influence of his Teaching, came to make confiderable Figures in the World, as Eufebius or Huethbert to whom he wrote his Book De ratione temporum, and his Interpretation on the Apocalypfe, who was afterwards Abbat of Weremouth. Cuthbert, call'd likewife Antonius, to

whom he wrote his Book, De Arte Metrica, who fucceeded Huethbert, and was afterwards Abbat of Farrow: This Man wrote of his Master's Death, of which hereafter. Conftantine, to whom he wrote his Book De divifione numerorum, and Nothelmus, then Prieft at London, and afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, to whom he wrote, Lib. xxx Queftionum in Libros Regum,to which we may add feveral in other Monafteries, and fome have join'd Alcuinus, afterwards Preceptor to Charles the Great.

Thus was the Time of that excellent Man employ'd in doing good to Mankind, feldom or never moving beyond the Limits of his own Monaftery, and yet in the dark Cloyster of it furveying the whole World, and difpenfing to it the Gifts intrufted to him; it feems not a little furprizing, that one who had scare mov'd farther than the Place of his Nativity, fhould fo accurately defcribe thofe at Distance, and defcribe them fo particularly, no lefs familiarly then if he had refided upon the Spot, and been a Spectator of the Affairs there a&ted. But this Wonder will ceafe when we confider the great Efteem in which he was held, which occafion'd curious and learned Men to flock from all Parts to vifit him; and the Exactnefs of oral Accounts receiv'd fromthem.Nor need we wonder at this Efteem fhown him by our own Nation, fince Foreigners, and thofe the greatest of that Age, courted his Acquaintance, particularly Pope Sergius fent him an earnest Invitation to come to Rome, as appears by a Letter which Malmsbury has given us. The learnned Spelman tell us he was actually there, and feeing this Infcription, which none could un

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and Affurance, that as no Men of Senfe, or Learning will come into it, fo it is not worth time to difprove it, fince his own Words direct us to the very Place, which was the Kingdom of the Northumbrians, now Northumberland, and in that Province of it call'd Bernicia, not Deirds which extends from Tees to Tweed, in which Province, had he been born, Scotland had as little right to claim the Honour of him, as to claim that Province; which (however) fome of their Hiftorians have attempted. In this obfcure Corner of the World, then (to use Malmsbury's Words) this great Man was born, whence he extended his Learning to the whole. The Village which produc'd him, tho' long fince, even long before Turgot's Time, gain'd upon by the Sea, was in the Territories of the Monaftery of St. Peter and St. Paul, which were indeed two, one of them ftanding at Gyrwy, on Lyppum, on the Banks of the River Tine, below the Capra Caput, or Laetrheves of the Saxons, now Gates-head, (oppofite to Newcaftle) and call'd Farrow, which was dedicated to St. Paul, the other at Weremouth or Wiran mouth, near the Mouth of the River Were therefore by Bede call'd, Ad Oftium Vieris, which River runs through the City of Dur ham, it was call'd by the Saxons, þiɲamuð, and now Monsks weremouth, the Founder of them was one Benedict, furnam'd Bifcop or Bishop, and the Order they profefs'd, that of the Bene dicines, as appears by the dying Words of their Founder, that they should follow the Rules of the once great Abbat Benedict; and Alcuinus in his 49 Ep. to the Monks of Weres mouth, mentions the fame; from which Injun

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