blessed with health and leisure sufficient to overcome them; and
he may now say with Gervase the monk at the end of his first
chronicle,

"Finito libro reddatur gratia Christo." (36)

Of the translation it is enough to observe, that it is made as
literal as possible, with a view of rendering the original easy
to those who are at present unacquainted with the Saxon language.
By this method also the connection between the ancient and modern
language will be more obvious. The same method has been adopted
in an unpublished translation of Gibson's "Chronicle" by the late
Mr. Cough, now in the Bodleian Library. But the honour of having
printed the first literal version of the "Saxon Annals" was
reserved for a learned LADY, the Elstob of her age (37); whose
Work was finished in the year 1819. These translations, however,
do not interfere with that in the present edition; because they
contain nothing but what is found in the printed texts, and are
neither accompanied with the original, nor with any collation of
MSS.

ENDNOTES:
(1) Whatever was the origin of this title, by which it is now
distinguished, in an appendix to the work itself it is
called "Liber de Wintonia," or "The Winchester-Book," from
its first place of custody.
(2) This title is retained, in compliance with custom, though it
is a collection of chronicles, rather than one uniform work,
as the received appellation seems to imply.
(3) In two volumes folio, with the following title: "Domesday-Book,
seu Liber Censualis Willelmi Primi Regis Angliae,
inter Archlyos Regni in Domo Capitulari Westmonasterii
asservatus: jubente rege augustissimo Georgio Tertio praelo
mandatus typis MDCCLXXXIII"
(4) Gerard Langbaine had projected such a work, and had made
considerable progress in the collation of MSS., when he
found himself anticipated by Wheloc.
(5) "Nunc primum integrum edidit" is Gibson's expression in the
title-page. He considers Wheloc's MSS. as fragments, rather
than entire chronicles: "quod integrum nacti jam discimus."
These MSS., however, were of the first authority, and not
less entire, as far as they went, than his own favourite
"Laud". But the candid critic will make allowance for the
zeal of a young Bachelor of Queen's, who, it must be
remembered, had scarcely attained the age of twenty-three
when this extraordinary work was produced.
(6)