61. Woden begat Beldeg, Brond begat Siggar, who begat Sibald, who begat
Zegulf, who begat Soemil, who first separated(1) Deur from Berneich
(Deira from Bernicia.) Soemil begat Sguerthing, who begat Giulglis, who
begat Ulfrea, who begat Iffi, who begat Ulli, Edwin, Osfrid and Eanfrid.
There were two sons of Edwin, who fell with him in battle at Meicen,(2)
and the kingdom was never renewed in his family, because not one of his
race escaped from that war; but all were slain with him by the army of
Catguollaunus,(3) king of the Guendota. Oswy begat Egfrid, the same is
Ailguin, who begat Oslach, sho begat Alhun, who begat Adlsing, who begat
Echun, who begat Oslaph. Ida begat Eadric, who begat Ecgulf, who begat
Leodwald, who begat Eata, the same is Glinmaur, who begat Eadbert and
Egbert, who was the first bishop of their nation.
(1) V.R. Conquered.
(2) Hatfield, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. See Bede's
Eccles. Hist.
(3) Cadwalla, king of the Western Britons.
Ida, the son of Eoppa, possessed countries on the left-hand side of
Britain, i.e. of the Humbrian sea, and reigned twelve years, and united*
Dynguayth Guarth-Berneich.
* V.R. United the castle, i.e. Dinguerin and Gurdbernech,
which two countries were in one country, i.e. Deurabernech;
Anglice Diera and Bernicia. Another MS. Built Dinguayrh
Guarth Berneich.
62. Then Dutgirn at that time fought bravely against the nation of the
Angles. At that time, Talhaiarn Cataguen* was famed for poetry, and
Neirin, and Taliesin and Bluchbard, and Cian, who is called Guenith
Guaut, were all famous at the same time in British poetry.
* Talhaiarn was a descendant of Coel Godebog, and chaplain
to Ambrosius.
The great king, Mailcun,* reigned among the Britons, i.e. in the
district of Guenedota, because his great-great-grandfather, Cunedda,
with his twelve sons, had come before from the left-hand part, i.e. from
the country which is called Manau Gustodin, one hundred and forty-six
years before Mailcun reigned, and expelled the Scots with much slaughter
from those countries, and they never returned again to inhabit them.
* Better known as Maelgwn.
63. Adda, son of Ida, reigned eight years; Ethelric, son of Adda,
reigned four years. Theodoric, son of Ida, reigned seven years.
Freothwulf reigned six years. In whose time the kingdom of Kent, by the
mission of Gregory, received baptism. Hussa reigned seven years. Against
him fought four kings, Urien, and Ryderthen, and Guallauc, and Morcant.
Theodoric fought bravely, together with his sons, against that Urien.
But at that time sometimes the enemy and sometimes our countrymen were
defeated, and he shut them up three days and three nights in the island
of Metcaut; and whilst he was on an expedition he was murdered, at
the instance of Morcant, out of envy, because he possessed so much
superiority over all the kings in military science. Eadfered Flesaurs
reigned twelve years in Bernicia, and twelve others in Deira, and gave
to his wife Bebba, the town of Dynguaroy, which from her is called
Bebbanburg.*
* Bambrough. See Bede, iii. 6, and Sax. Chron. A.D. 547.
Edwin, son of Alla, reigned seventeen years, seized on Elmete, and
expelled Cerdic, its king. Eanfled, his daughter, received baptism, on
the twelfth day after Pentecost, with all her followers, both men and
women. The following Easter Edwin himself received baptism, and twelve
thousand of his subjects with him. If any one wishes to know who
baptized them, it was Rum Map Urbgen:* he was engaged forty days in
baptizing all classes of the Saxons, and by his preaching many believed
on Christ.
* See Bede's Eccles. Hist. From the share which Paulinus
had in the conversion of the Northumbrian king, it has been
inferred that he actually baptized him; but Nennius
expressly states, that the holy sacrament was administered
by Rhun, the son of Urien. The Welsh name of Paulinus is
Pawl Hen, or Polin Eagob.
64. Oswald son of Ethelfrid, reigned nine years; the same is Oswald
Llauiguin;(1) he slew Catgublaun (Cadwalla),(2) king of Guenedot,(3) in
the battle of Catscaul,(4) with much loss to his own army. Oswy, son of
Ethelfrid, reigned twenty-eight years and six months. During his reign,
there was a dreadful mortality among his subjects, when Catgualart
(Cadwallader) was king among the Britons, succeeding his father, and he
himself died amongst the rest.(5) He slew Penda in the field of Gai, and
now took place the slaughter of Gai Campi, and the kings of the Britons,
who went out with Penda on the expedition as far as the city of Judeu,
were slain.
(1) Llauiguin, means the "fair," or the "bounteous hand."
(2) This name has been variously written; Bede spells it
Caedualla (Cadwalla); Nennius, Catgublaun; the Saxon
Chronicle, Ceadwalla; and the Welsh writers, Cadwallon and
Kalwallawn: and though the identity of the person may be
clearly proved, it is necessary to observe these particulars
to distinguish him from Cadwaladr, and from another
Caedualla or Caedwalla, a king of the West Saxons; all of
whom, as they lived within a short time of each other, have
been frequently confounded together.--Rees's Welsh Saints.
(3) Gwynedd, North Wales.
(4) Bede says at Denis's brook.
(5) The British chronicles assert that Cadwallader died at
Rome, whilst Nennius would lead us to conclude that he
perished in the pestilence at home.
65. Then Oswy restored all the wealth, which was with him in the city,
to Penda; who distributed it among the kings of the Britons, that is
Atbert Judeu. But Catgabail alone, king of Guenedot, rising up in
the night, excaped, together with his army, wherefore he was called
Catgabail Catguommed. Egfrid, son of Oswy, reigned nine years. In his
time the holy bishop Cuthbert died in the island of Medcaut.* It was he
who made war against the Picts, and was by them slain.
* The isle of Farne.
Penda, son of Pybba, reigned ten years; he first separated the kingdom
of Mercia from that of the North-men, and slew by treachery Anna, king
of the East Anglians, and St. Oswald, king of the North Men. He fought
the battle of Cocboy, in which fell Eawa, son of Pybba, his brother,
king of the Mercians, and Oswald, king of the North-men, and he gained
the victory by diabolical agency. He was not baptized, and never
believed in God.
66. From the beginning of the world to Constantinus and Rufus, are found
to be five thousand six hundred and fifty-eight years.
Also from the two consuls, Rufus and Rubelius, to the consul Stilicho,
are three hundred and seventy-three years.
Also from Stilicho to Valentinian, son of Placida, and the reign of
Vortigern, are twenty-eight years.
And from the reign of Vortigern to the quarrel between Guitolinus and
Ambrosius, are twelve years, which is Guoloppum, that is Catgwaloph.*
Vortigern reigned in Britain when Theodosius and Valentinian were
consuls, and in the fourth year of his reign the Saxons came to Britain,
in the consulship of Felix and Taurus, in the four hundredth year from
the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
* In Carmarthenshire. Perhaps the town now called Kidwelly.
From the year in which the Saxons came into Britain, and were received
by Vortigern, to the time of Decius and Valerian, are sixty-nine years.