The Chronicle of John of Worcester, Previously Assigned to Florence of Worcester

I omit saying anything of the bloodshed of many others above mentioned, for I am ignorant on this point, but this I pray, that what Christian man soever will rest in perfect peace may correct these things as he reads, if John offends in aught.' (Nam ignoro, hoc tamen oro, Quisquis Christicola sub summa pace quiescet Corrigat ista legens offendit si qua Johannes.)after the word ' episcopum ' the clause ' cum sancto Lupo Trecassinae urbis antistite,' which is not found in M. Sc.It is dated in 430 in A.S.C. : MSS.A, B, C and F say Palladius; MSf.Ε say3 Patricius.431.The clause this year about St. Patrick in M. Sc. is divided between the years 431 and 432 in J. W.446.This considerable annal about the Picts and Scots in M. Sc. is in substance in J. W. He, however, does not follow M. Sc. verbatim but, as is often the case, changes the phraseology a good deal, and it is plain that he had recourse directly to the text of Bede, which was the authority followed by M. Sc. but not so closely.In 450 J. W. has the first detailed notice of the arrival of the Saxons.This is given in a very short epitome in M. Sc.where it is dated in 452 and consists only of three lines from Bede.The much longer notice in J. W. is taken directly from Bede, and not from M. Sc. ' Beda teste ' being his phrase.Bede, however, dates the passage in 449.J. W. takes it from the Ecclesiastical History, which was apparently not accessible to M. Sc. as he never quotes it.In this case the latter takes it from Bede's chronicle.Petrie and Thorpe begin their editions of Florence with the year 450.455.In this year there is no notice of Britain in M. Sc.J. W. for the first time uses the English chronicle which was not known to M. Sc.In this year the five copies of the chronicle, A, B, C, Ε and F are practically alike, and it is virtually certain that D, which has a long lacuna from A.D. 189 to A.D. 693, was the same.457.The greater part of this annal in J. W. is copied from M. Sc.A very large portion of it is from a note in the second hand in the margin, showing that the copy of M. Sc. used by J. W. contained the marginal glosses of both glossators.To this long entry Florence adds a second extract from the A.S.C.This is not from Ε or F, since Ε has a mistake in the date and F has not the second clause.A dates the entry in 457, and B, C, Ε and F date it in 456.It almost certainly came from D. when it was perfect.From 458 to 464 inclusive J. W. follows M. Sc

Archaeology · Art · Byzantine Studies and History · Classics · Historical and Archaeological Studies · History · Medicine · Medieval Literature and History · Gerontology

• The early section of the Worcester chronicle

  Cyril Hart•Journal of Medieval History•1983

  Add to list