or ADELHE, Sr, 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 of one Maldulph, a learned Scot, he travelled into France and Italy for his improvement. On 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. The fame of his learning soon spread, not only in England, but in foreign countries. Learned men sent him their writings for his criticism; among others, Prince Arcivil, a son of the king of Scotland, who sent him his compositions 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. Bede says that Aldhelm "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 proper instruction, Aldhelm was a very extraordinary man. From one of his letters to Heda, 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 Aldhelm 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. He was a musician as well as a poet, and made his own songs the medium of instruction and refinement to his barbarous countrymen. After having governed the monastery of Malmesbury, of which he was the founder, about thirty years, he was made bishop of Shireburn, where he died A.D. 709.—He wrote, 1. De octo Vitiis principalibus. This treatise is extant in the Bibliotheca Patronum de Canisins. 2. Enigmatum versus mille. This, with several others of his poems, was published by Martin Delrio at Mentz, 1701, 8vo. 3. A book addressed to a certain king of Northumberland, named Alfrid, on various subjects. 4. De Vita Monachorum. 5. De Laude Sanctorum. 7. 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 these, he wrote many sonnets, epistles, and homilies in the Saxon language.