Now it is somewhat remarkable that of six manuscripts in which this passage occurs, one only reads Bretwalda: of the remaining five, four have Bryten-walda or-wealda, and one Breten-anweald, which is precisely synonymous with Brytenwealda. All the rules of orderly criticism would therefore compel us to look upon this as the right reading, and we are confirmed in so doing by finding that Æðelstán in one of his charters[20] calls himself also “Brytenwealda ealles ðyses ealondes,”—ruler or monarch of all this island. Now the true meaning of this word, which is compounded of _wealda_, a ruler, and the adjective _bryten_, is totally unconnected with Bret or Bretwealh, the name of the British aborigines, the resemblance to which is merely accidental: _bryten_ is derived from _breótan_, to distribute, to divide, to break into small portions, to disperse: it is a common prefix to words denoting wide or general dispersion[21], and when coupled with _wealda_ means no more than an extensive, powerful king, a king whose power is widely extended. We must therefore give up the most attractive and seducing part of all this theory, the name, which rests upon nothing but the passage in one manuscript of the Chronicle,—and that, far from equal to the rest in antiquity or correctness of language: and as for anything beyond the name, I again repeat that we are indebted for it to nothing but the ingenuity of modern scholars, deceived by what they fancied the name itself; that there is not the slightest evidence of a king exercising a central authority, and very little at any time, of a combined action among the Saxons; and that it is quite as improbable that any Saxon king should ever have had a federal army to command, as it is certainly false that there ever was a general Witena gemót for him to preside over. I must therefore in conclusion declare my disbelief as well in a college of kings, as in an officer, elected or otherwise appointed, whom they considered as their head. The development of all the Anglosaxon kingdoms was of far too independent and fortuitous a character for us to assume any general concert among them, especially as that independence is manifested upon those points particularly, where a central and combined action would have been most certain to show itself[22]. ----- Footnote 20: Cod. Dipl. No. 1110. “Ongolsaxna cyning ⁊ brytænwalda ealles ðyses iglandæs;” and, in the corresponding Latin, “Rex et rector totius huius Britanniae insulae.” an. 34. Footnote 21: The following words compounded with _Bryten_ will explain my meaning to the Saxon scholar: _Bryten-cyning_ (exactly equivalent to _bryten-wealda_), a powerful king. Cod. Exon. p. 331. _Bryten-grund_, the wide expense of earth. Ibid. p. 22. _Bryten-ríce_, a spacious realm. Ibid. p. 192. _Bryten-wong_, the spacious plain of earth. Ibid. p. 24. The adjective is used in the same sense, but uncompounded, thus; _breotone bold_, a spacious dwelling. Cædm. p. 308.