179 
Stray Notes on Bath Books. By F. Suum, ae. 
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(Read March 18th, 1891.) 
It is singular that although Bath is noted for its antiquities and 
distinguished by its connection with the earliest English writers 
there are no early Bath-printed books. 
The connection of this city with ancient English literature is 
no idle boast for the first English author was undoubtedly Gildas, 
who flourished in the 6th century and was known by two 
surnames; sometimes he was styled Sapiens, at other times 
Badonicus, the last indicating either his birth or his residence in 
this locality. 
In the 10th century within a stone’s throw of the building in 
which we are now assembled there was a well endowed monastery 
over which the celebrated Elphege held sway and the rules of 
which he rigidly reformed. He was born in the village of Weston 
hard by ; from this Bath monastery he was summoned to preside 
over the see of Canterbury, and while holding that high office, 
and in discharging its duties, he was cruelly murdered by the 
Danes. In the reign of Henry VI. lived a distinguished writer 
Thomas Chandler, the author of a work on the two cities of Bath 
and Wells, which was known in Leland’s time, but is not now 
extant. It was entitled ‘‘De Laudibus Bairorum et Fonticulorum 
Civitatum.” In addition to these there were three notable 
names about the 12th century, John de Villula, Adelard styled 
Athelardus Bathoniensis, a great traveller and linguist as well as 
a mathematician, and Peter of Blois better known perhaps as 
Peter Blessensis , who for 26 years was Archdeacon of Bath, and 
afterwards Archdeacon of London. Learned, but poor all his 
life long, he was anxious at the close of life to retire to his native 
city of Blois; he appealed in vain to the Pope, in whose 
defence he had employed his pen, for pecuniary aid; he died in 
Vou. VIIL., Na. 3. 
