CHRONICLE, a history recounting in order of time all details which observation or tradition has furnished the author. It may be a universal history, or may deal with a single epoch, nation, city or individual. Some chron icles have been preserved from early ages; the Old Testament Chronicles (q.v.) are a type of such. An important ancient chronicle, discovered on the island of Paros in 1627, and known as the 'Chronicle of Paros,' is an out line of Greek history, originally covering the period from the reign of the legendary Ce crops, king of Athens (1582 ac.) to 264 s.c. The last part, from 355 a.c.,.is now lost. It omits many important political and military events, and deals more fully with the art and festivities of the people. In the early Christian ages, ecclesiastics were generally the authors of the chronicles; for example, Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea, collected from other his torical works his 'Chronicle of Ancient His tory.' Hieronymus of Stridon translated it into Latin in the 4th century, and others con tinued it. Many historical works of the Byzan tine historians are also chronicles. Most of the mediaeval chronicles were by monks, especially by the Benedictines who usually began their story with the creation of the world, and gave an abridged history of the events from the first chapter of Genesis to the immediate sub ject of their narrative. In their statement of facts they in general knew little distinction be tween fabulous and true history, were not in clined to question much either visions or mira cles, and were accustomed to dwell as long on unimportant as on momentous events. Chroni cles are valuable for determining historical facts when, like that of Eusebius, they con tain materials from older works which are now lost, or when they relate events contemporary with a writer, and of which he was a witness; and they are always valuable as an illustration of the spirit of an age and the sentiments of a people. It is through them that nearly all the history of the Middle Ages has been preserved. Every European people has numerous mediae val chronicles.
Among the German chronicles may be men tinned that of Regino, abbot of a monastery in the forest of Ardennes, whose work extends from the Christian era to 907; that of Her mannus Contractus, entitled 'A Chronicle of the Six Ages of the World,' to the year 1054; that of Lambert von Aschaffenburg, which re counts the period from the beginning of the world to 1050 in brief, and from 1050 to 1077 in detail; that of Godfrey of Viterbo, giving a universal history to the year 1186, written partly in prose andpartly in verse, and enti tled 'Pantheon' ; and a chronicle found in the collection of Pistorius, composed by an Augus tinian monk, which extends from the Christian era to 1474. These were written in Latin and,
with many other Latin chronicles, were col lected and published at Hanover in a series of volumes entitled 'Monumenta Germanise His torica.' The oldest historical book in the Ger man language is a rhyming chronicle, consist ing of 83,000 verses, written by Ottokar von Horneck, in the 13th century, and of nearly the same antiquity are the chriiiiicles of Rudolf von Ems and Jansen EnekeI 1th having the form of poems and furnish with notes by their authors. Frame is mil in chronicles, universal and written in Latin, French and various provincial dialects. It was the fancy of the earliest chroniclers to give to France a Trojan origin. Eginhard, the son-in law of Charlemagne, chronicled the deeds and talents of that emperor in his 'History of Charlemagne.' The first of the chroniclers who wrote in the popular language of France was Geoffroi de Ville-Hardoum, who lived in the 12th century, and was an actor in the events which he describes. The 'Chronicles' of Froissart (q.v.) embrace the events occurring from 1325 to 1400 in England, Scotland, France, Spain, Brittany and the Low Countries, set ting forth in detail the feasts, spectacles and all the pageantry of feudal times, and enlivened throughout by Froissart's shrewd comments and observations. Of the strictly English chronicles, the earliest is that by Geoffrey of Monmouth, a monk of the 12th century, trac ing the history of Britain through a series of imaginary kings, from Brutus, a son of the Trojan /Eneas, who founded the British state many centuries before the Christian era, to Cadwallader, who was said to have lived 689 a.n. There is also the 'Anglo-Saxon Chroni cle,' extending from the beginning of the Christian era to the death of King Stephen (see ANGLO-SAXON LITERATURE). The collec tion of chronicles edited by Holinshed in 1577 embraces a history of England to that year, a history and description of Ireland by Stani hurst, and a history of Scotland translated by Hector Bcethius 'The Chronicle of the Kings of England,' b' Sir Richard Baker. published in 1643, is a history of England from Roman times to the death of King James I. It was a very popular work and was afterward con tinued to the death of George I, but is not now considered accurate history.