“Sed dē Hengistō et Horsā” inquit “nōn [1] cōgitābam cum [2] interrogāvī. Quis alius vir clārus hīc praecipuō honōre [3] habētur?” Aqua iterum [4] haesit: nōs nihil [5] respondimus. Sed ille “Abhinc annōs duōs saecula tredecim [6] fuerant, ex quō Sānctus Augustīnus, nūntius verbī dīvīnī, cum parvā manū ministrōrum fīdōrum hūc cursum [7] tenuit. Nam annō quīngentēsimō nōnāgēsimō septimō post Chrīstum nātum Gregōrius Prīmus, pontifex Rōmānus, Augustīnum nōtitiam Deī vērī in Angliā [8] docēre [9] iusserat. Itaque Augustīnus ex Galliā in Britanniam [10] nāvigāvit, et nāvem suam ad īnsulam Tanatim [11] applicāvit. Eō tempore Aedilberctus rēx Cantiī [12] erat, quī uxōrem Chrīstiānam, nōmine Berctam, [13] habēbat, fīliam rēgis Francōrum. Itaque rēx Chrīstiānīs benignus [14] fuit, atque Durovernī, in capite rēgnī suī, eīs domum [15] praebuit.”
Exercise
Find the Latin; focus on the verbs but also look at the
words and phrases in italics, and note that, at this level, some of the
translations are less literal:
- (he) maintained a direct course (to) here
- Æthelberht was the king at that time
- again we were at a loss
- He brought his ship to land
- he offered his palace to them
- He sailed to Britain
- I was not thinking about …
- is considered particularly honourable
- it had been two centuries since …
- the king was kind to the Christians
- the Pontiff of Rome had ordered Augustine ¦ to teach …
- we said nothing in reply [literally: we replied nothing]
- when I asked
- who had a wife by the name of …
Background
[1] Gregory I, Bishop of Rome; also known as Gregory the
Great (Sanctus Gregorius Magnus) was responsible for the first documented
large-scale mission to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_I
[2] Augustine of Canterbury, 6th century monk and
later the first Archbishop of Canterbury; he was chosen by Pope Gregory to lead
the mission referred to in [1] above
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Canterbury
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Augustine-of-Canterbury
[3] Aethelberht, the first English King to be converted to
Christianity
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aethelberht_of_Kent
Miniature
of Gregory the Great writing, in a 12th-century copy of his Dialogues
19th
century stained glass image of Saint Augustine in Canterbury Cathedral
Sculpture of Aethelbert at Canterbury Cathedral
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