The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Cædmon

CÆDMON, kăd'môn, the first Anglo-Saxon poet: d. 680. According to Bede's 'Ecclesiastical History' Cædmon was a swineherd to the monks of Whitby, and never gave evidence of any poetical talent until one night a vision appeared to him, and commanded him to sing. When he awoke, he found the words of a poem in praise of the Creator of the world impressed upon his memory. This manifestation of talent obtained for him admission into the monastery at Whitby, where he continued to compose devotional poems. An edition of his paraphrase of parts of the Scriptures was printed at Amsterdam in 1655, edited by Junius. Thorpe published an edition of it (London 1832) for the Society of Antiquaries. It has been assumed by some that Milton took some ideas of ‘Paradise Lost’ from the poems of Cædmon. It is certain, that they were very popular among the English and the Saxon part of the Scottish nation, and furnish plentiful materials to the makers of mysteries and miracle plays. In the Bodleian Library at Oxford is a manuscript the contents of which are ascribed to Cædmon, but the best authorities do not consider it to be his. Consult Ten Brink, ‘Early English Literature’; Morley, ‘English Writers,’ Vol. II (1888); and the bibliograph in the “Cambridge History of English Literature.”