Here begynneth a shorte and abreue table on the Cronycles ...

¶wylhel. de pon .li.iii.

YOrke is a strete cyte in eyther sy¦de of the water of Ouse y^t semed as fayr as Rome vnto y^e tgme y^t the kyng wy••liam had with brē∣nynge & fyre defoulde it & y^e coō∣tre about. So y^t a pylgryme wol¦de now wepe & h•• sawe it / yf he had knowen it tofore. ¶Gaufre. Ebraneus y^e .v. kyng of bry¦tons buylded yorke & called it after his owne name Caerbranck he baylded also two other cytees one in scotlond & is called Edenburgh & an other towarde Scotlond in thend of En¦glond & called Edenburgh / & an other toward Scotlond in thend of Englonde & is called Al∣cliud. ¶R. Edenburth is a cytee in y^e londe of Pictes bytwene y^e Ryuer of Twede & the scot¦tesshe see & hee•• sōtyme the castell of Maydens & was called afterward Edenburgh of Edan kyng of Pictes y^e regned there in eg••rid{us} tyme kyng of Northūber••ond. Alcliud was sōtyme a noble cyte / & ys now well nygh vnknowe to all Englysshmen. for vnder y^e Brytons & pyc¦tes & Englysshmen it was a noble cyte to y^e co¦mynge of y^e Danes. But after ward about the yere of oure lorde ·viii.c.lxx. it was destroyed whan y^e danes destryed y^e coūtrees of Northū¦berlōd. but ī what place of Brytayn y^e cyte Al¦cliud was buylded. Ductours tellē dyuersely ¶Beda .li.i. sayth y^t it was buylded by west y^e arme of y^e see y^t departed bytwene the Brytōs & the Pyctes sōtyme there Souer{us} ••amo{us} wall endeth westward / & so it semeth by hym that it is not fer frō Caerleyl for y^e cyte is set at y^e ende of that wall. Other wryters of storyes wryten y^t the cyte of Alcliud is y^e cyte that now is caled Alōburgh / y^t is to say an olde towne / & standeth vpō y^e Ryuer Ous not fer fro barghbrydge / y^t is .xv. myle westward out of yorke / & it semeth y^t he preueth that by Gaufride in his boke of de¦des of Brytons / he wryteth y^t Elidur{us} kyng of brytōs was lodged at y^e cyte Alcliud bycause of solace & hūtynge / & founde his brode•• Argalon maskynge in a wode nygh ther besyde that hy∣ght Calatery / but that wood Calatery whyche is caltres ī englysshe recheth almost to yorke & stretcheth towarde y^e north by Aldburgh in len¦gth by space of .xx. myle / y^e moost dele of that wo¦de is now drawen downe & y^e lōde ytylled other mē wolde suppose that Alcliud was y^e cyte that now is called Burgham in the north coūtre of westmerlonde fast by Comberlond / & stadeth vpon the Ryuer Eden / the cyte is ther wonder¦ly seen. Deme ye nowe where it is buylded. ¶Treuysa. It is not harde to assoyle yf men take hede / y^e many townes bere one name / as Cartage / in Affrica & Cartago in spayn. new porte in wales & Newporte in the parysshe of Barkeleye / wottonne vnder / egge and wotton passeth / wyk warwyk payne. & wyk in the pa∣rysshe of Barkelye. And two shyre towne ey∣there is called Hampton / as Southampton & Northehamptō so it semeth by y^e storyes y^e one Alcliud was in yorkshyre / an other ī westmer¦londe / & one fast by y^e right syde of y^e west arme of the see y^t departeth Englonde & Scotlonde / but y^e Alcliud was a right strōge cyte as Beda sayth. & y^e cyte standeth fast by a Ryuer y^t is cal¦led Cliud. & there is no suche Ryuer ī yorkshy∣re in westmer lond as of the coūtre tell me. So¦me men say y^t the Ryuer Cliud is now named sulwach. Sulwa••che is but .v. myle fro Caer¦leyl whiche is a cyte in the coūtre of nor••h En¦londe toward y^e north west & hath an other na¦me whiche is Luguball. Leyil y^e .vii. kynge of brytōs buylded caerleyll. ¶R. In this cyte ys sōwhat of y^e famous wall y^t passeth northūber¦lōde. ¶wilhel. de pon. in this cyte is yet a the•• chambred hous made of vawt stones y^t neuer myght bee destroyed wyth tempeste of weder

ne with brennynge of fyre / also in the countree fast by westmerlōde in the fronte of a thre chan¦bre place is writtē in this manere / Marii. vic¦tory / what this writtinge is to say I doute som¦what but yf it were some of the Combres laye here some tyme whan the counseyll Mari{us} had put hym out of ytalye / But it semeth better y^t it is wrytten in mynde of Marius kyng of bry¦tons that was Aruiragus sone / This marius ouercome in that place Roderyke kynge of pyc¦tes So sayth Gaufre in his brytysshe booke / Wyllyam malmesbury sawe neuer that booke Att Hagustaldes chyrche is a place .lxxx. myle / out of yorke Nor westewarde the place is as. were dystroyed / so sayth wylhel / li.iii. de pony. That place longed somtyme to the bysshopry∣che of yorke / there were somtyme houses wyth vyce arches and voutes in the manere of Ro∣me / Nowe that place is called Hestoldeshame and heglesham also / ¶Beda .li.iii. ca. i. sayth Than that place is faste by the longe walle of the werke of Rome in the north halfe / ¶R / There is dyfference bytwene the pryuynce of Lyndeffare and the chyrche Lyndefarne / For the prouynce of Lyndeffare & Lyndeseye is alle one / and lyethe by eest lyncolne and lyncolne is the hede therof / of the whiche saythe Beda .li.iiii. ca. xi. that Sex wulfus was fyrste bysshop there / but Beda .li.iiii. ca. xiii sayth / That lyn∣deffar chyrche is an ylonde that is called holy ylonde in the ryuer of Twede next Barwyke And so it is gadred of Bedaes sawes that twe∣de renneth in to the famous arme of the see y^t nowe departed Englysshmē and Scottes in y^e eest half and in that arme bē thre ylondes. that one is Maylros that nowe is called menros / Then̄e about towarde the west is Lyndeffarn chyrche that is called holy ylonde / Thenne the chyrche is aboue vpwarde & his the Ilondefarn and is called also ferny ylonde. Thenne vp warde aboute that two myle is a ryall Cyte vp¦pon the brynke of twede / that somtyme hyght Bebanburgh that is Bobbes cyte and nowe is called Bamburgh and hath a ryght stronge castell. ¶Gir. initenere / twoo cytees ther ben eyther is called Charlegyon and caerleon also one ys Demycia in south wales that is named caeruske / also there the Ryuer of Vske falyeth into Seuerne faste by glamorgan Bellynus kynge of Brytons somtyme buyled the cytye and was somtyme the chyef cyte of Demecya in south wales. Afterwarde in Claudi{us} cezar•• tyme it was called the cyte Legyons whan at prayer of Genius the quene Vespiciauus and Aruiragus were accorded and / legyons of Ro∣me were sente in to Irlonde. tho was Caerleon a noble cyte and a grete auctoryte / & by the Ro¦mayns ryally buylded and walled about wyth walles of brent tyle. Greate nobley that was there in olde tyme is there yet in many places seen as the grete palayses gyauntes toures no∣ble bathes / releef of the temples places hyghe and ryall to stande and syte in / and to beholde aboute the places were ryally closed with ryall walles that yet somdele stondeth ryght nyghe cloos / And within the walles and wythoute is grete buyldynge vnder erthe / water conduy¦tes and wayes vnder erthe and stewes ¶Also thou shalt see wonderly made. wyth strayte sy¦de wayes of brethynge that wonderly caste vp heete. In this Cytie were somtyme thre noble chyrches. one was of saynt Iulius the martyr & therin a greate companye of vyrgynes that other was of saynt Aaron that was of the or∣dre of blacke Chanon that chyrche was ryght nobly adourned / The thyrde chyrche was the chyf moder chyrche of all wales and the chyef se. But afterwarde the chyef see was tourned out of the cyte into meneuya that is saynt Da¦uyds londe in west wales. In this Caerleon was amphybalus born thaught saynt Albon There the messagers of Rome come to greate Arthurs courte. yf it is leefull to trowe. Treui¦sa. yf Giraldus was in doubte whether it w••¦re leefull for to trowe or not •• yt were a wonder shewynge as men wolde went for too haue e∣uermore in mynde & euer bee in doubte yf alle his bokes were suche what lorde were therin & namely whyle he maketh none euydence for in neyther syde he telleth what meueth hym soo to ¶R. There is another cyte of Legyons there his Cronycles were by trauaylled as it is cler¦ly knowen by the fyrste chapytre of thys booke ¶Treuysa. That is to vnderstondynge in y^e latyn wryttynge. For he y^t made it in latyn tor¦ned it not into Englysshe ne it was torned into Englisshe in the same place y^t it was fyrste in la¦tyn· The vnderstondynge of hym y^t made this Cronycles is thus the begnnyng of this booke. ¶Presentem cronicam compliauit frater Ra¦nulphus Cestrēsis monachus. That is to sa¦ye in Englysshe. Broder Ranuiphe monke of

Chestre conpyled and made this Booke of the Cronycles / ¶R. The of Legyons that is che∣stre stondeth in y^e marche of Englonde towar¦de wales bytwene two armes of the see y^t been namedde and Mersee \ This Cytie in tyme of Brytons was heed and cheyf cyte of all Vene¦docia / that is North wales The foūder of this cyte is vnknowen· For who that seeth the foū¦dementes of the grete stones wolde rather we∣ne that it were Romayns werke or wercke off Gyauntes / than it were sette by werkynge of Brytons. This cyte somtyme in brytysshe spe¦che heet Caerthleon Legecestria in latin And Chestre in Englisshe and the cite of Legyons also / ¶Forther delaye a wynter the legyons of knyghten that Iulius Cezar sente for to wyn∣ne Irlonde. And after Claudius cezar sente le¦gyons out of that cyte for to wynne the ylonde that be called Orcades / what euer wyllyam Malmeshury by tellynge of other men mente of this cyte. This cyte hathe plente of lyuelode of corn of flesshe of fysshe / and specially of pry¦ce of samon / This cytie receyueth moche mar¦chaundyse and sendeth oute also. Also nyghe this cyte ben salte welles. metell and oor / Nor thumbres dystroyed thys cyte somtyme / But after warde Elfleda lady of Marcia buylded it agayne and made it moche more. ¶In this sa¦me cyte ben wayes vnder the erth wyth vow¦tes and stone werke wonderly ywrought. ther chabre werkes / grete stones ygrauen wyth ol∣de mennys names ther in / There is also Iuli{us} Cezar name wonderly in stones ygraue / and other mennes also wyth the wryteynge about This is the cyte that Edelfryde kynge of nor∣thumberlonde. distroyed / and slewe there fast by nyghe two thusande monkes of the mynst of Bangor / This is the cyte that king Edgar come theder somtyme wyth .vii. kynges that were subgette to hym / Ametre breketh out in thys maner in praysynge thys cyte / Chestre ca¦stel towne as it were. name taketh of a castell It is knowen what man bylded this cyte new Tho Lengecestria these heet nowe towne of le∣gyones Nowe walsshe & Englisshe holde this Cyte of greate pryce / stones on walle. semeth werke Hercules al. There longe wyth myght todure that hepe is a hyght. Saxon small sto∣nes / set vpon grete ben attones. Ther vnder grounde. lotynge double voute is fonde / that helpeth wyth sondes. many men of western lō¦des / Fysshe flesshe and corne lowe. This cytie towne hath yonwe Shyppes and chaffare. see water bryngeth ynowe there. Godestall there is that was emperourer this. And forthe Hen¦ry kynge / Erth is there ryght dwellynge / Off kynge Haralde. poudre is there yet halde / Ba∣chus and marcurious. Mers and venus also Lauerna Protheus and plura. regnen therin the towne. ¶Treuysa. God wote what this is to mene / dut poetes in theyr manere speche faynen as though euery kynde crafte & lyuyng had dyuerse god eueryche from other / And soo they fayned a god of bataylle and of fyghtyng called hym Mars and a god of couetyse and ry¦chesse and marchaundyse and called hym mer¦curius / And soo Bachus is called god of wyne Venus goddesse of loue and beaute. Lauerna god of thefte and of robberyf Protheus god of falshede and of gyle and Pluto god of helle. & so it semeth that these verses wolde meane that these forsayd goddes regne and been serued in Chestre / Mars with fyghtynge and tockyn∣ge / Marcurius wyth couetyse and rychesse / Bachus wyth grete drynkynge. Venus with loue lewdly. Lauerna with thefte and robbe∣ry Procheus with falshede and gyle. Thenne is pluto not vnserued that is god of hell. ¶R. Ther babylon lore more myght hathe trouth the more /