ALDHELM, or Adelm, St, bishop of Shireburn in the time of the Saxon Heptarchy. He is said to have been the son of Kenred, brother to Ina, king of the West Saxons; but in the opinion of William of Malmesbury, his father was no more than a distant relation to the king. Having received the first part of his education in the school which one Maldulph, a learned Scot, had set up in the place where Malmesbury now stands, he travelled into France and Italy for his improvement. At his return home he studied some time under Adrian, abbot of St Augustin’s, in Canterbury, the most learned professor of the sciences who had ever been in England. In these different seminaries he acquired a very uncommon stock of knowledge, and became famous for his learning, not only in England, but in foreign countries; whence several learned men sent him their writings for his perusal and correction; particularly Prince Arcivil, a son of the king of Scotland, who wrote many pieces, which he sent to Aldhelm, “entreating him to give them the last polish, by rubbing off their Scotch rust.” He was the first Englishman who wrote in the Latin language, both in prose and verse, and composed a book for the instruction of his countrymen in the prosody of that language. Besides this, he wrote several other treatises on various subjects, some of which are lost, and others published by Martin Delrio and Canisius. Venerable Bede, who flourished in the end of this and the beginning of the next century, gives the following character of Aldhelm: “He was a man of universal erudition, having an elegant style, and being wonderfully well acquainted with books, both on philosophical and religious subjects.” In fact, considering the cloud of ignorance by which he was surrounded, and the great difficulty of acquiring knowledge without prpper instruction, Aldhelm was a very extraordinary man. From one of his letters to Hedda, bishop of Winchester, concerning the nature of his studies whilst at Canterbury, he appears to have been indefatigably determined to acquire every species of learning in his power. For a copy of this curious epistle, see Henry’s History, vol. ii. p. 320. King Alfred the Great declared that Aidhelm was the best of all the Saxon poets; and that a favourite song, which was universally sung in his time,near 200 years after its author’s death, was of his composition. When he was abbot of Malmesbury, having a fine voice, and great skill in music as well as poetry, and observing the backwardness of his barbarous countrymen to listen to grave instructions, he composed a number of little poems, which he sung to them after mass in the sweetest manner, by which they were gradually instructed and civilized. After this excellent person had governed the monastery of Malmesbury, of which he was the founder, about 30 years, he was made bishop of Shirebum, where he died A. d. 709.—He wrote, 1. De octo Vitiis principalibus. This treatise is extant in the Bibliotheca Patrum of Canisius. 2. Aenigmatum versus mille. This, with several others of his poems, was published by Martin Delrio at Mentz, 1601, 8vo. 3. A book addressed to a certain king of Northumberland, named Alfrid, on various subjects. 4. De Vita Monachorum. 5. De Laude Sanctorum. 6. De Arithmetica. 7. De Astrologia. 8. A book against the mistake of the Britons concerning the celebration of Easter; printed by Sonius, 1576. 9. De Laude Virginitatis; manuscript, in Bennet College, Cambridge; published among Bede’s Opuscula. Besides many sonnets, epistles, and homilies in the Saxon language.