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 p167  Some Works of Reference and Sources

Primary Authorities

Continental

The Notitia Dignitatum ('Register of Officials'), fifth century, relates to the organisation of the late Roman Empire, comprising lists of officials, civil and military, and the troops and forts which they held. Ed. Otto Seeck (Berlin, 1876); see Stevens, AJ XCVII (1940), 125; Birley, TCWS, XXXIX (193), 190; White, LS

Two contemporary Latin Chronicles, the Epitoma Chronicon of Prospect of Aquitaine, and the anonymous Gaulish Chronicle. Ed. J. Mommsen, in Mon. Germ. Hist.: Auct. Antiq., IX, Chronica Minora (Berlin, 1892).

Vegetius, Epitoma Rei Militaris, fourth century, an account of the Roman army. Ammianus Marcellinus, later fourth century; Zosimus, late fifth century; and Procopius mid-sixth century, all have incidental references specified in the text above.

Roman panegyrists and poets of Gaul from the third to the fifth century. See spy W. Baehrens XII Panegyrici Latini (Leipzig, 1911): E. Galletier, Panégyriquesº Latins, I (Paris, 1949), with French translation. See references also in the works of Ausonius (fourth century), Rutilius Namatianus (early fifth century), Claudian (late fourth and early fifth century), Sidonius Apollinaris (late fifth century).

The Life of St Germanus, ed. W. Levison in Mon. Germ. Hist.: Script. Rer. Merov. VII (Berlin, 1920), 225.

British

Inscriptions on stone, from the fifth to the seventh century: Macalister, CIIC; Nash-Williams, ECMW.

Gildas, De Excidio Britannia: ed. and transl. by H. Williams (London, 1899). The text claims to be of the sixth century.

 p168  The Historia Brittonum, 'The History of the Britons', early ninth century: ed. F. Lot (French edition and translation, Paris, 1934); A. W. Wade-Evans, Nennius's History of the Britons (London, 1938), an English translation of the above, including also the Annales Cambriae and other matter from MS. Brit. Mus., Harley 3859 — a very useful and important compendium.

Genealogies of the Welsh princes, those from MS. Harley 3859 (the South Welsh version) edited by Wade-Evans, as above; also by J. Loth, Les Mabinogion, II (Paris, 1913), 326. Those in MS. XX, Jesus College, Oxford (the North Welsh version), ed. M. E. Phillimore, Y Cymmrodo VIII (1887), IX (1888). Twelve genealogies of the North British princes, contained in MS. Hegwrt 536, are edited by Skene, FABW II (Edinburgh, 1868), 454. Genealogies of the Welsh saints, mostly related to the princes, are edited by Wade-Evans, VSBG, 320.

The Welsh Laws, ed. and transl. by Wade-Evans, WML; English translation of the 'Dimetian Code' by Melville Richards, LHD (See p180 for bibliographical references.)

Lives of British saints. The chief edition, with English translation, of the Lives of the Welsh saints is that of A. W. Wade-Evans, VSBG; cf. further Ch. IX, note 16 above. Adamnán's Life of St Columba, ed. Reeves; also ed. and transl. by A. O. and M. O. Anderson.

Early Welsh bardic poetry. These early poems were published with an English translation by Skene, in FABW More scholar­ly and reliable texts have been published recently by Sir Ifor Williams. See the references in Ch. VI above.

Collections of verses composed for mnemonic purposes, such as the Beddau ('the Graves'), which lists the final resting-places of the great heroes of the past: ed. and transl. by Skene, FABW I, p309; II, p28: now in process of being re-edited. A number of collections of a form of literature known as Triads, ed. and transl. by R. Bromwich, Triads.

A valuable incidental source is Asser's Life of King Alfred, ed. and transl. by W. H. Stevenson (Oxford, 1904, new impression, 1959); the Historia Ecclesiastica, by the Venerable Bede; ed. Charles Plummer  p169 (Oxford, 1896); transl. John Stevenson (London, 1910); revised edition, 1954; also transl. L. Sherley-Price (Harmondsworth, 1955).

The Irish annals contain much of importance for Celtic Britain, especially the Annals of Ulster, ed. and transl. in 4 vols. by W. M. Hennessy (Dublin, 1887‑1901); the Annals of Tigernach, ed. and partly transl. by Whitley Stokes, in RC XVI, XVII, XVIII; the Annals of Inisfallen, ed. and transl. Seán Mac Airt (Dublin, 1951).

Key to Selected Periodicals referred to in the Notes on the Text

General

General Works of Reference, with Abbreviations

Note. Where only one work of an author is mentioned the author's name alone is generally cited. References to the works of Bede are confined to the Historia Ecclesiastica, and these are cited in the text briefly as Bede, and followed by the number of the Book and chapter of this work.

 p174  Books and Articles relevant to the Chapters, with Abbreviations

Note. The majority of references to books will be found in the preceding list. Those cited in the lists relating to the following chapters are of more immediate reference, and here the title of a book is followed by its appropriate abbreviation where necessary.

Chapter I. The End of Roman Britain

Chapter II. Celtic Rule in Britain

Chapter III. The Foundation of the Kingdom of Scotland

Chapter IV. The Foundation of the Kingdom of Wales

 p179  Chapter V. Institutions and Way of Life

Chapter VI. Literature

Chapter VII. Art and Inscriptions

Chapter VIII. The Church

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