Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation.
PREFACE. 
TO THE MOST GLORIOUS KING CEOLWULPH, BEDE, THE SERVANT OF CHRIST AND PRIEST. 
FORMERLY, at your request, most readily transmitted to you the Ecclesiastical 
History of the English Nation, which I had newly published, for you to read, 
and give it your approbation; and I now send it again to be transcribed and 
more fully considered at your leisure. And I cannot but recommend the 
sincerity and zeal, with which you not only diligently give ear to hear the 
words of the Holy Scripture, but also industriously take care to become 
acquainted with the actions and sayings of former men of renown, especially of 
our own nation. For if history relates good things of good men, the attentive 
hearer is excited to imitate that which is good; or if it mentions evil things 
of wicked persons, nevertheless the religious and pious hearer or reader, 
shunning that which is hurtful and perverse, is the more earnestly excited to 
perform those things which he knows to be good, and worthy of God. Of which 
you also being deeply sensible, are desirous that the said history should be 
more fully made familiar to yourself, and to those over whom the Divine 
Authority has appointed you governor, from your great regard to their general 
welfare. But to the end that I may remove all occasion of doubting what I have 
written, both from yourself and other readers or hearers of this history, I 
will take care briefly to intimate from what authors I chiefly learned the 
same. 
My principal authority and aid in this work was the learned and reverend Abbot 
Albinus; who, educated in the Church of Canterbury by those venerable and 
learned men, Archbishop Theodore of blessed memory, and the Abbot Adrian, 
transmitted to me by Nothelm, the pious priest of the Church of London, either 
in writing, or word of mouth of the same Nothelm, all that he though worthy of 
memory, that had been done in the province of Kent, or the adjacent parts, by 
the disciples of the blessed Pope Gregory, as he had learned the same either 
from written records, or the traditions of his ancestors. The same Notheim, 
afterwards going to Rome, having, with leave of the present Pope Gregory, 
searched into the archives of the holy Roman Church, found there some epistles 
of the blessed Pope Gregory, and other popes and returning home, by the advice 
of the aforesaid most reverend father Albinus, brought them to me, to be 
inserted in my history. Thus, from the beginning of this volume to the time 
when the English nation received the the faith of Christ, have we collected 
the writings of our predecessors and from them gathered matter for our 
history; but from that time till the present, what was transacted in Church of 
Canterbury, by the disciples of St. Gregory or their successors, and under 
what kings the same happened, has been conveyed to us by Nothelm through the 
industry of the aforesaid Abbot Albinus. They also partly informed me by what 
bishops and under what kings the provinces of the East and West Saxons, as 
also of the East Angles, and of the Northumbrians, received the faith of 
Christ. In short I was chiefly encouraged to undertake this work by the 
persuasions of the same Albinus. In like manner, Daniel, the most reverend 
Bishop of the West Saxons, who is still living, communicated to me in writing 
some things relating to the Ecclesiastical History of that province, and the 
next adjoining to it of the South Saxons, as also of the Isle of Wight. But 
now, by the pious ministry of Cedd and Ceadda, the province of the Mercians 
was brought to the faith of Christ, which they knew not before, and how that 
of the East Saxons recovered the same, after having expelled it, and how those 
fathers lived and died, we learned from the brethren of the monastery, which 
was built by them, and is called Lastingham. What ecclesiastical transactions 
took place in the province of the East Angles, was partly made known to us 
from the writings and tradition of our ancestors, and partly by relation of 
the most reverend Abbot Esius. What was done towards promoting the faith, and 
what was the sacerdotal succession in the province of Lindsey, we had either 
from the letters of the most reverend prelate Cunebert, or by word of mouth 
from other persons of good credit. But what was done in the Church throughout 
the province of the Northumbians, from the time when they received the faith 
of Christ till this present, I received not from any particular author, but by 
the faithful testimony of innumerable witnesses, who might know or remember 
the same, besides what I had of my own knowledge. Wherein it is to be 
observed, that what I have written concerning our most holy father, Bishop 
Cuthbert, either in this volume, or in my treatise on his life and actions, I 
partly took, and faithfully copied from what I found written of him by the 
brethren of the Church of Lindisfarne; but at the same time took care to add 
such things as I could myself have knowledge of by the faithful testimony of 
such as knew him. And I humbly entreat the reader, that, if he shall in this 
that we have written find anything not delivered according to the truth, he 
will not impute the same to me, who, as the true rule of history requires, 
have laboured sincerely to commit to writing such things as I could gather 
from common report, for the instruction of posterity. 
Moreover, I beseech all men who shall hear or read this history of our nation, 
that for my manifold infirmities both of mind and body, they will offer up 
frequent supplications to the throne of Grace. And I further pray, that in 
recompense for the labour wherewith I have recorded in the several countries 
and cities those events which were most worthy of note, and most grateful to 
the ears of their inhabitants, I may for my reward have the benefit of their 
pious prayers.