On The Ruin of Britain | Page 3

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Etext prepared by Bert Olton [email protected]

On The Ruin of Britain (De Excidio Britanniae) by Gildas Translation
by J.A. Giles
The Works of Gildas surnamed "Sapiens", or The Wise.

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 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 them the reprehensions of the prophets and also of Jeremiah,
with his fourfold Lamentations written in alphabetical 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