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William of Malmesbury Quotes (1095-1143)
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About William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury (c. 1095 or '96 – c. 1143), English historian of the 12th century, was born about the year 1095 or '96, in Wiltshire. His father was Norman and mother English. He spent his whole life in England with his best working years as a monk at Malmesbury Abbey.
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“That fatal day for England, the sad destruction of our dear country [dulcis patrie].”
“This Arthur is the hero of many wild tales among the Britons even in our own day, but assuredly deserves to be the object of reliable history rather than of false and dreaming fable.”
“We have experienced the truth of this prophecy, for England has become the habitation of outsiders and the dominion of foreigners. Today, no Englishman is earl, bishop, or abbott, and newcomers gnaw away at the riches and very innards of England; nor is there any hope for an end of this misery.”
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William of Malmesbury on England
“That fatal day for England, the sad destruction of our dear country [dulcis patrie].”
What William of Malmesbury Said About Others
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William of Malmesbury on Henry I of England
“He was of middle stature, exceeding the diminutive, but exceeded by the very tall: his hair was black, but scanty near the forehead; his eyes mildly bright; his chest brawny; his body fleshy: he was facetious in proper season, nor did multiplicity of business cause him to be less pleasant when he mixed in society. Not prone to personal combat, he verified the saying of Scipio Africanus, "My mother bore me a commander, not a soldier;" wherefore he was inferior in wisdom to no king of modern time; and, as I may almost say, he clearly surpassed all his predecessors in England, and preferred contending by counsel, rather than by the sword. If he could, he conquered without bloodshed; if it was unavoidable, with as little as possible.”
Quotes About William of Malmesbury
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Edward Augustus Freeman on William of Malmesbury
“I must confess that I have never read W. Malmsb. de Pont. His Kings are enough to make me thoroughly despise him as a lying affected French scoundrel.”
About William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury (c. 1095 or '96 – c. 1143), English historian of the 12th century, was born about the year 1095 or '96, in Wiltshire. His father was Norman and mother English. He spent his whole life in England with his best working years as a monk at Malmesbury Abbey.