The chronicle of Iohn Hardyng. Containing an account of public transactions from the earliest period of English history to the beginning of the reign of King Edward the Fourth. Together with the continuation by Richard Grafton, to the thirty fourth year of King Henry the Eighth. The former part collated with two manuscripts of the author's own time; the last, with Grafton's duplicate edition. To which are added a biographical and literary preface, and an index, by Henry Ellis.

The. iiii. Chapiter.

¶ Howe these ladies had this Isle in the yere of Aioth. lxxii. in the third age of the world, and she called it Albion of hir name, and toke feauty & seruice of theim all, as souerayne ladie of this Isle, that nowe is En∣glande, Scotlande and Walis, as Hugh Genesis wryteth in his Dyaloge.

THese ladies so ay dwellyng in this Isle, The yeres of Aioth seuenty & two [sixty and twelve.] no lees, Dame Albyne was, as men̄e can compile, The eldest sister, and thought she would encrees Hir self aboue theim all: apon the dees Sittyng, she tooke feauty then of theim all, Trewe to hir to bee, for aught that might bee fall.

¶ And then she gaue this Isle a propre name, Of Albion, out of hir name as chief, And called it so, frome thens forward the same: She ordained then bowes to their relief, Arowes & boltes, and bowstrynges made in brief, To slee the dere, the bull, and also the bore, The beer and byrdes, that were therin before.

¶ With pitfalles great & trappes thei did begile The beastes and byrdes to theyr sustenaunce; They gatte eche daye with nettes, and other wile, The fyshe in stagnes [stankes.] and waters sufficiaunce: Eche daye they made wyttye cheuesaunce, To helpe them selfe at their necessitee For hungre, that they shulde not perished bee.