Gildas, Surnamed: "SAPIENS," OR THE WISE (c.500-570): The Ruin of Britain

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I. THE PREFACE

1. WHATEVER in this my epistle I may write in my humble but
well-meaning manner, rather by way of lamentation than for
display, let no one suppose that it springs from contempt of
others, or that I foolishly esteem myself as better than they;
-for, alas! the subject of my complaint is the general destruction
of every thing that is good, and the general growth of evil
throughout the land;- but that I would condole with my country in
her distress and rejoice to see her revive therefrom: for it is my
present purpose to relate the deeds of an indolent and slothful
race, rather than the exploits of those who have been valiant in
the field. I have kept silence, I confess, with much mental
anguish, compunction of feeling and contrition of heart, whilst I
revolved all these things within myself; and, as God the searcher
of the reins is witness, for the space of even ten years or more,
my inexperience, as at present also, and my unworthiness
preventing me from taking upon myself the character of a censor.
But I read how the illustrious lawgiver, for one word's doubting,
was not allowed to enter the desired land; that the sons of the
high-priest, for placing strange fire upon God's altar, were cut
off by a speedy death; that God's people, for breaking the law of
God, save two only, were slain by wild beasts, by fire and sword
in the deserts of Arabia, though God had so loved them that he had
made a way for them through the Red Sea, had fed them with bread
from heaven, and water from the rock, and by the lifting up of a
hand merely had made their armies invincible; and then, when they
had crossed the Jordan and entered the unknown land, and the walls
of the city had fallen down flat at the sound only of a trumpet,
the taking of a cloak and a little gold from the accursed things
caused the deaths of many: and again the breach of their treaty
with the Gibeonites, though that treaty had been obtained by
fraud, brought destruction upon many, and I took warning from the
sins of the people which called down upon then the reprehensions
of the prophets and also of Jeremiah, with his fourfold
Lamentations written in alphabetic order. I saw moreover in my own
time, as that prophet also had complained, that the city had sat
down lone and widowed, which before was full of people; that the
queen of nations and the princess of provinces (i. e. the church),
had been made tributary; that the gold was obscured, and the most
excellent colour (which is the brightness of God's word) changed;
that the sons of Sion (i. e. of holy mother church), once famous
and clothed in the finest gold, grovelled in dung; and what added
intolerably to the weight of grief of that illustrious man, and to
mine, though but an abject whilst he had thus mourned them in
their happy and prosperous condition, "Her Nazarites were fairer
than snow, more ruddy than old ivory, more beautiful than the
sapphire." These and many other passages in the ancient Scriptures
I regarded as a kind of mirror of human life, and I turned also to
the New, wherein I read more clearly what perhaps to me before was
dark, for the darkness deaf, and truth shed her steady light -I
read therein that the Lord had said, "I came not but to the lost
sheep of the house of Israel;" and on the other hand, "But the
children of this kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness;
there shal1 be weeping and gnashing of teeth:" and again, "It is
not good to take the children's meat and to give it to dogs:"
also, "Woe to you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites!" I heard how
"many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down
with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven:" and on
the contrary, "I will then say to them, 'Depart from me, ye
workers of iniquity!'" I read, "Blessed are the barren, and the
teats which have not given suck;" and on the contrary, "Those, who
were ready, entered with him to the wedding; afterwards came the
other virgins also, saying 'Lord, Lord, open to us:' to whom it
was answered, 'I do not know you.'" I heard, forsooth, "Whoever
shall believe and be baptized, shall be saved, but whoever shall
not believe shall be damned." I read in the words of the apostle
that the branch of the wild olive was grafted upon the good olive,
but should nevertheless be cut off from the communion of the root
of its fatness, if it did not hold itself in fear, but entertained
lofty thoughts. I knew the mercy of the Lord, but I also feared
his judgment: I praised his grace, but I feared the rendering to
every man according to his works: perceiving the sheep of the same
fold to be different, I deservedly commended Peter for his entire
confession of Christ, but called Judas most wretched, for his love
of covetousness: I thought Stephen most glorious on account of the
palm of martyrdom, but Nicholas wretched for his mark of unclean
heresy: I read assuredly, "They had all things common:" but
likewise also, as it is written, "Why have ye conspired to tempt
the Spirit of God ?" I saw, on the other hand, how much security
had grown upon the men of our time, as if there were nothing to
cause them fear. These things, therefore, and many more which for
brevity's sake we have determined to omit, I revolved again and
again in my amazed mind with compunction in my heart, and I
thought to myself, "If God's peculiar people, chosen from all the
people of the world, the royal seed, and holy nation, to whom he
had said, 'My first begotten Israel,' its priests, prophets, and
kings, throughout many ages, his servant and apostle, and the
members of his primitive church, were not spared when they
deviated from the right path, what will he do to the darkness of
this our age, in which, besides all the huge and heinous sins,
which it has in common with all the wicked of the world committed,
is found an innate, indelible, and irremediable load of folly and
inconstancy ?" "What, wretched man (I say to myself) is it given
to you, as if you were an illustrious and learned teacher, to
oppose the force of so violent a torrent, and keep the charge
committed to you against such a series of inveterate crimes which
has spread far and wide, without interruption, for so many years.
Hold thy peace: to do otherwise, is to tell the foot to see, and
the hand to speak. Britain has rulers, and she has watchmen: why
dost thou incline thyself thus uselessly to prate?" She has such,
I say, not too many, perhaps, but surely not too few: but because
they are bent down and pressed beneath so heavy a burden, they
have not time allowed them to take breath. My senses, therefore,
as if feeling a portion of my debt and obligation, preoccupied
themselves with such objections and with others yet more strong.
They struggled, as I said, no short time, in a fearful strait,
whilst I read, "There is a time for speaking, and a time for
keeping silence. At length, the creditor's side prevailed and bore
off the victory: if (said he) thou art not bold enough to be
marked with the comely mark of golden liberty among the prophetic
creatures, who enjoy the rank as reasoning beings next to the
angels, refuse not the inspiration of the understanding ass, to
that day dumb, which would not carry forward the tiara'd magician
who was going to curse God's people, but in the narrow pass of the
vineyard crushed his loosened foot, and thereby felt the lash; and
though he was, with his ungrateful and furious hand, against right
justice, beating her innocent sides, she pointed out to him the
heavenly messenger behold the naked sword, and standing in his
way, though he had not seen him.

Wherefore in zeal for the house of God and for his holy law,
constrained either by the reasonings of my own thoughts or by the
pious entreaties of my brethren, I now discharge the debt so long
exacted of me; humble, indeed, in style but faithful, as I think,
and friendly to all Christ's youthful soldiers, but severe and
insupportable to foolish apostates; the former of whom, if I am
not deceived, will receive the same with tears flowing from God's
love; but the others will sorrow, such as is extorted from the
indignation and pusillanimity of a convicted conscience.

2. I will, therefore, if God be willing, endeavour to say a few
words about the situation of Britain, her disobedience and
subjection, her rebellion, second subjection and dreadful
slavery-of her religion persecution, holy martyrs, heresies of
different kinds-of her tyrants, her two hostile and ravaging
nations-of her first devastation, her defence, her second
devastation and second taking vengeance-of her third devastation,
of her famine, and the letters to Agitius-of her victory and her
crimes-of the sudden rumour of enemies-of her famous pestilence-of
her counsels-of her last enemy, far more cruel than the first-of
the subversion of her cities, and of the remnant that escaped; and
finally, of the peace which, by the will of God, has been granted
her in these our times.