¶Anno mundi ·iiii.M.lx••v. Et ante xp̄i natiuitatem .M.C.xiiii.
IEsse sone to Obeth of the lyne of cryste otherwyse called ysay fad to dauyd this tyme lyued a notable man ī honeste. No kyng ••egrete gouernour. But of hym many times is made mēcyon ī holy scrypture. For of hym descēded cryst our sauyour. ¶This tyme Ely was Iuge & bysshop of Israel the whiche had two sones Ophni & Phinees. & for he correc∣ted thē not suffycyently / he & they were punys∣shed both of our lorde. For they were slayne of the Philistiens. And Ely felle of his sete & bra¦ke his necke. This Ely was Iuge nexte after sampson & not of ye lygnage of Aran: that was fyrst bysshop of god electe / but of ythamar / ye lygnage dured an hundred & .xx. yere. In the whiche lygnage Ely was fyrste bysshop / and Abiathar the last (Vide plura primo regum)
THys tyme Saul was kynge in Israell after ye mayster in his hystoryes / & Io∣seph{us} in his ·viii. boke. This Saul was fyrste kynge in Israel / & regned .xx. yere / the whiche or he was kyng was a good mā & electe of god but after warde wretchedly he fayled: & he was slayne & his thre sones in the hylles of Gylboy ¶In the tyme of Saull Samuel was Iuge & prophete in Israel / an holy man / & borne of a barayne moder many a daye. And he mynys∣tred afore our lorde from a chylde to his aege. And was not hyghe bysshop / but he Iuged Is∣rael al the dayes of his lyfe. And was the very prophete of god. Two kynges he anoynted. Saul fyrst / & after Dauyd. This samuel alo∣ne / & Moyses are radde. that they prayed for theyr enemyes in al ye olde testamēt. Of this sa¦muel & Saul be dyuers oppynyons. ¶Isyder sayth / that Samuel & Saul ruled Israel .xl. ye¦re. ¶And Iosepus in his .viii boke / & ye may∣ster in his storyes sayth. Samuel to be Iuge .xii. yere alone. And after hym Saul to regne .xx. yere (Plura vide primo regū)
AScanius the .vii. kynge of ytaly was sonne to Eneas / & buylded the cyte of Alby••n. And he was called ye kynge of Albano rū. This ascanius gate Siluius the .viii. kyn¦ge of ytaly / the whiche Siluius was fader vn¦to Brute kynge of brytayne / nowe called En∣glōde. And I leue of ye kynges of ytaly: for they dyd but lytell noble thynges / tyll it be comen to Romulus & Remus yt buylded Rome. And then shall those kynges come agayne / & nowe to procede to ye cronycles of Englonde / for the whiche namely this boke is made. ¶And Ve¦nes & Padua were buylded aboute this tyme / of the resydue of the Troyans. ¶Homere the grete poete aboute this tyme was / the whiche wrote & fayned gloryously many a lesynge.