, or Edmer, the faithful friend and historian of archbishop Anselm, was an Englishman, who flourished in the twelfth century, but we have no information
, or Edmer, the faithful friend and historian of archbishop Anselm, was an Englishman, who flourished in the twelfth century, but we have no information
respecting his parents, or the particular time and place of
his nativity. He received a learned education, and very
early discovered a taste for history, by recording every
remarkable event that came to his knowledge. Being a
monk in the cathedral of Canterbury, he had the happiness
to become the bosom friend and inseparable companion of
the two archbishops of that see, St. Anselm, and his successor Ralph. To the former of these he was appointed
spiritual director by the pope; and that prelate would do
nothing without his permission. In 1120 he was elected
bishop of St. Andrew’s, by the particular desire of Alexander I. king of Scotland; but on the very day after his
election, an unhappy dispute arose between the king and
him respecting his consecration. Eadmer would be consecrated by the archbishop of Canterbury, whom he regarded as primate of all Britain, while Alexander contended that the see of Canterbury had no pre-eminence
over that of St. Andrew’s. After many conferences, their
dispute becoming more warm, Eadmer abandoned his
bishopric, and returned to England, where he was kindly
received by the archbishop and clergy of Canterbury, who
yet thought him too precipitate in leaving his bishopric.
Eadmer at last appears to have been of the same opinion,
and wrote a long and submissive letter to the king of Scotland, but without producing the desired effect. Whartort
fixes his death in 1124, which was not long after this
affair, and the very year in which the bishopric of St. Andrew’s was tilled up. Eadmer is now best known for his
history of the affairs of England in his own time, from
1066 to 1122, in which he has inserted many original
papers, and preserved many important facts that are nowhere else to be found. This work has been highly commended, both by ancient and modern writers, for its authenticity, as well as for regularity of composition and purity of style. It is indeed more free from legendary tales
than any other work of this period, and affords many proofs
of the learning, good sense, sincerity and candour of its
author. The best edition is that by Selden, under the title
of “Eadmeri monachi Cantuarensis Historiac Novorum,
give sui Saeculi, Libri Sex,
” Lond. Anglia Sacra.
” 2. The Lives of St. Wilfrid, St.
Oswald, St. Dunstan, &c. &c. and others inserted in the
“Anglia Sacra,
” or enumerated by his biographers, as in
print or manuscript.
, an ancient English historian, who flourished in the twelfth century, was born in Somersetshire,
, an ancient English historian, who flourished in the twelfth century, was born in
Somersetshire, and, on that account, as Bale and Pits inform us, was called Somersetanus. When a child, he himself says, he discovered a fondness for learning, which was
encouraged by his parents, and increased with his years.
Some have supposed Oxford to have been the place of his
education. He became, however, a monk of Malmsbury,
and it reflects no small honour on his fraternity, that they
elected him their librarian. He had studied several
sciences, as they could then be acquired, logic, physic,
and ethics, but history appears to have been his favourite
pursuit. After studying that of countries abroad, he began to inquire into the memorable transactions of his own
nation but not finding any satisfactory history already
written, he resolved, as he says, to write one, not to display his learning, “which is no great matter, but to bring
to light things that are covered with the rubbish of antiquity.
” This resolution produced his valuable work “De
regibus Anglorum,
” a general history of England in five
books, from the arrival of the Saxons, in the year 449 to
the 26 Henry I. in 1126; and a modern history, in two
books, from that year to the escape of the empress Maud
out of Oxford in 1143 with a church history of England
in four books, published in sir H. Savile’s collection, 1596.
His merits as a historian have been justly displayed and
recommended by lord Lyttelton in his “History of Henry
II.
” In all his works (the Latin style of which is more pure than that of any of his contemporaries), he discovers
great diligence, much good sense, and a sacred regard to
truth, accompanied with uncommon modesty. He says
that he can scarcely expect the applause of his contemporaries, but he hopes that when both favour and malevolence are dead, he shall obtain from posterity the character of an industrious, though not of an eloquent historian.
Besides what we have mentioned, Gale has printed his
“Antiquities of Glastonbury,
” and Wharton his “Life of
St. Adhelm.
” But his abilities were not confined to prose.
He wrote many pieces of Latin poetry; and it is remarkable, says Warton, that almost all the professed prose
writers of this age made experiments in verse. William of
Malmsbury died in that abbey in 1143.
, who flourished in the twelfth century, was probably born, and certainly
,
who flourished in the twelfth century, was probably born,
and certainly educated at St. Alban’s abbey, of which period of his life he speaks with pleasing recollection in his
poem “De Laude sapientiae Divinae.
” He completed his
education at Paris, and took the order of St. Augustine.
He became the friend, associate, and correspondent of
Peter of Blois, or Petrus Blesensis, and was afterwards
abbot of Cirencester, in which office he died in 1217. He
was much attached to the studious repose of the monastic
life, yet he frequently travelled into Italy. His compositions are various, and, as Mr. Warton observes, crowd
the department of Mss. in our public libraries. He has left
numerous treatises of divinity, philosophy, and morality,
and was also a poet, a philologist, and a grammarian. He
wrote a tract on the mythology of the ancient poets, Esopian fables, and a system of 'grammar and rhetoric. Mr.
Warton, who examined his elegiac poem “De vita motiastica,
” says it contains some finished lines; but gives
the highest praise to the poem already mentioned, “De
divina sapientia.
”
, an English cardinal who flourished in the twelfth century, was distinguished as a zealous
, an English cardinal
who flourished in the twelfth century, was distinguished as
a zealous friend to the interests of literature. He is placed
by Fuller as a native of Oxfordshire, perhaps from his ciditnectioa with the university. In his youth he studied at
1?aris, and about 1130 returned to England, where he
found the university of Oxford ravaged and nearly ruined
by the Danes, under the reign of Harold I. and by his
indefatigable exertions contributed to itsv restoration. The
Chronicle of Osny records him as having begun in the
reign of Henry I. to read the Scriptures at Oxford, which
were grown obsolete, and it is supposed he commented on
Aristotle. Rouse, the Warwick antiquary, mentions his
reading the Holy Scriptures, probably about 1134, about
which time he had a patron in Henry I. who had built his
palace near the university. For some years he taught daily
in the schools, and was rewarded with the archdeaconry
of Rochester. After this he returned to Paris, where he
filled the chair of professor of divinity. He was, however,
recalled by his metropolitan, and the revenues of his benefice sequestered till he obeyed the summons. The archdeacon appealed to the see of Rome, and sentence was
given in his favour. The fame of his learning induced
pope Innocent II. to invite him to Rome, where he was
received with great marks of honour; and in 1144 was
created cardinal by Celestine II. and afterwards chancellor
of the Roman church, by pope Lucius II. He died in
1150. He was author of several works; but the only one
of them now extant is his “Sententiarum Liber,
” which
was published at Paris in