306 Journal of Philology. it unfolds. Thus, on noticing a spurious work entitled "Re- velatio [al. Apocalypsis] Pauli," he adds : " Sed fas Divinum vetet catholicae fidei sequipedas plus quippiam quam canonical veritatis censura promulgat credere; et caetera apocryphorum deliramenta vel ut horrisona verborum tonitrua penitus abdicare, et procul eliminare, orthodoxorum patrum scita scriptis decre- talibus sanxerunt" (p. 26). In like manner after alluding to an old Hebrew tradition which identifies Melchisedec and Shem, he cautiously subjoins : " Sed plurimum differt inter ambiguas Pha- risaeorum traditiones et elucubratam Sacrce Scripturce definitio- nem. Apocryphorum enim naenias et incertas frivolorum fabulas nequaquam catholica receptat Ecclesia" (p. 73). Nor can we trace in him the slightest disposition to restrain the general study of the Bible. In writing to a sisterhood of nuns he congratulates them because their letters prove not only the genuineness of their piety, but their devotion to sacred literature (pp. 2 4). He compares them to bees feeding on the flowery pastures of Holy Writ ; and in a letter " ad Osgitham sororem," this commendation is repeated in the strongest terms (p. 90: cf. his poem De Octo Principalibus Vitiis, p. 212). So firm indeed was his conviction as to the necessity of biblical knowledge, that he discouraged the cultivation of " profane" literature, at least for its own sake. His advice to Wilfrith was, that on his expulsion from Northumbria he should go to Ireland and prosecute his studies there (p. 337): "Sacrosancta potis- simum praesagmina [i.e. "writings of the prophets:" cf. p. 340], refutatis philosophorum commentitiis, legito." The reason then follows : " Absurdum enim arbitror, spreta rudis [i. c. Novi] ac Veteris Instrumenti inextricabili [i. e. " mysterious :" cf. p. 348] norma, per dumosi ruris diverticula, immo per dyscolos philoso- phorum anfractus, iter capere." The same exalted view of the holy Scriptures will be found in what we may consider the least amiable of his works. Beda terms it (v. 18), " liber egregius adversus errorem Britonum." It was addressed to king Gerun- tius (pp. 83 sq.), in the hope of drawing over the British Chris- tians and securing their assent to usages imported by the foreign missionaries. These he vindicated almost entirely on the ground that they were " secundum Scriptures preeceptum," and " secundum sacrosanctam Scriptural auctoritatem : " but when some of the Nonconformists pleaded in self-defence that they
