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

¶Incipit regnū Britanie. nūc dicit{ur} Anglia. ¶Here may ye se how London fyrste began at Albyon

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Albyon

¶Afore that I wyll speke of Brute / it shall be shewed howe the londe of Eng∣londe was fyrst named Albyon / and by what encheson it was so named.

OF the noble londe of Sirrie / there was a ryal kynge & myghty & a man of grete renowne / that was called Dyoclesyā that wel & worthely hym gouerned & ruled thrugh hys noble cheualry. Soo that he conquered all the londes aboute hym / so that almoost al the kyn¦ges of y^e worlde to hym were attendaūt. ¶It befell thus that this Dyoclesyā spowsed a gen¦tyl damoysell that was wōder fayre / that was his vncles doughter Labana. & she loued hym as reason wolde / so that he gate vpō her .xxxiii daughters / of the whiche y^e eldest was called. A bine. And these damoyselles whā they came vnto aege became so fayre that it was wonder wherof Dyoclesyan anone lete make a somo∣nynge / & cōmaunded by his letters that all y^e kynges that helde of hym sholde come at a cer¦tayne daye / as in his letters were conteyned to make a feest ryall. At whiche daye thyther they came / & brought with theym Admyralles prynces and dukes / and noble chyualry. The feest was ryally arayed / and there they lyued in Ioye & myrth ynough / that it was wonder to wyte. And it befell thus / that Dyoclesyan thought to mary his doughters amonge al tho kynges that were at that solempnyte. ¶And so they spake & dyd / that Albine his eldest dou¦ghter & al her systers rychely were maryed vn¦to xxxiii. kynges / that were lordes of grete ho¦nour & of power at this solempnyte. And whā the solempnyte was doone / euery kynge toke his wyfe & ladde them in to theyr owne coūtre & there made them quenes. And it befell thus afterwarde that this dame Albine became so stoute & so sterne / that she tolde lytell pryce of her lorde / and of hym had scorne & dyspyte & wolde not do his wyll / but she wolde haue her owne wyl in dyuers maters. And al her other systers euery chone bare them so euyl agaynst theyr lordes that it was wonder to wyte. And for as moche that thē thought that theyr hus∣bondes were not of so hyghe parentage come as theyr fad But those kyng{is} that were theyr lordes / wolde haue chastysen them with fayre manere vpō al loue & frendshyp that they shol¦de amende theyr selfwylled condycyons. But all was for noughte / for they dyd theyr owne wyl in al thynge that thē lyked. & had of pow∣er. wherfore those .xxxiii. kynges vpon a tyme and ofte tymes bete theyr wyues. For they wē¦de that they wolde amende theyr tatches. And theyr wyckednesse. But of suche condycyons they were / that for fayre speche & warnynge / they dyd all y^e wors / & for betynges ofte tymes moche the wors. Wherfore the kynge that had wedded Albine wrote the tatches and condy∣cyons of his wyfe Albine / and sente the lettre to Dyoclesyan his fader. And whan the other kynges herde that Albines lorde hadde sente a lettre to Dyoclesyan. anone they sente letters sealed with theyr seales the condycyons & tat∣ches of theyr wyues. whan the kynge Dyocle∣syan sawe & herde so many playntes of his dou¦ghters. He was sore ashamed •• & became won∣der angry and wrothe towarde his doughters and thought. howe he then̄e myght amende it that they so mysdyde. And anone sente his let∣ters vnto the .xxxiii. kynges that they sholde co¦me to hym: & brynge with theym theyr wyues euerychone at a certayne daye. For he wolde there chastyse theym of theyr wyckednesse / yf he myght in ony maner wyse. So the kynges came all at that tyme & day that then was set∣te bytwene hym and the kynges. Dyoclesyan receyued them with moche honoure / and ma∣de a solempne feest to all that were vnderneth his lordshyp. And the thyrde day after that so¦lempnyte / the kynge Dyoclesyan sente after his .xxxiii. doughters that they sholde come & speke with hym in his chābre. And whan they were come / he spake to them of theyr wycked∣nes & of theyr cruelte and spytefully them re∣preued & blamed / & to them he sayde. That yf they wolde not be chastysed / they sholde his lo¦ue lose for euermore. And whan the ladyes her¦de al this / they became abasshed & gretly asha¦med. And to theyr fader they sayde / that they wolde make al amendes and so they departed out of theyr faders chābre. And dame Albine that was the eldest syster ladde theym alto her chambre / & then made to voyde all that were therin so that no persone was amonge theym but she and her systers togyder. ¶Then sayd Albine. My fayre systers wel we know that y^e kynge our fader vs hath reproued shame and dyspysed / for bycause to make vs obedyen••

vnto our husbondes. But certes that shall I neuer whyles that I lyue / sythe that I am co∣me of a more hygher kyng{is} bloode than myn husbonde. And whan she had thus sayde / alle her systers sayd the same. And thē sayd Albine well I wote fayre systers that our husbondes haue cōplayned vnto our fader vpō vs wher¦fore he hath vs thus foule reproued & dispised wherfore syster my counsell is / that this ny∣ghte whan our husbondes ben a bede / all we with one assente for to kytte theyr throtes and thenne we may be in peas of them And beter we now do this thynge vnder our faders po∣wer than other where elles. And anone all the ladyes consented and graunted to this coun∣sell. And whan nyght was comen / the lordes and ladyes went to bedde / And anone as theyr lordes were a slepe / they kette all theyr husbō∣des throtes / and so they slewe them all. whan that Dyoclesyan theyr fader herd of this thin∣ge / he became furyously wrothe agaynste hys doughters / And anone wolde them alle haue brente. But all the barons and lordes of Sir∣rie coūseyled not so for to do suche streytnesse to his owne doughters / but only sholde voyde the londe of them for euer more so that they ne¦uer sholde come ayen / and so he dyde. And Dy¦oclesyan that was theyr fader anone cōmaun¦ded them to go in to a shyppe / & deliuered to thē vytaylles for half a yere· And whan this was done / all the systers went in to the shyppe and saylled forthe in the see / & betoke all theyr fren¦des to Apolin that was theyr god. And so long they saylled in the see / tyll at the last they came and arryued in an yle / that was all wyldernes¦se. And whan dame Albion was come to that londe & all her systers. This Albyne went fyr∣ste forth out of the shyppe / & sayd to her other systers. For as moche sayde she as I am the el¦dest syster of all this company / & fyrst this lon¦de hathe taken / and for as moche as myn na∣me is Albine. I wyll that thys londe be called Albion / after myn owne name. And anone al her systers graunted to her wyth a good wyll Tho wente oute all the systers of the shyppe & toke the londe Albyon as ther syster called it. And there they wente vp & downe / and foūde neyther manne woman / ne childe / but wylde beestes of dyuerse kyndes. And whan the vy∣taylle were dyspended & they fayled / they fed¦de them with herbes and fruites in the season of the yere / and so they lyued as they best my∣ghte. And after that they toke flesshe of dyuer¦se beestes & became wonder fatte. And so they desyred mannes company / and mannes kyn∣de that thē fayled. And for hete they waxed wō¦der courageous of kynde / so that they desyred more mānes company than ony other solace and myrthe whā the deuyll that perceyued wē¦te by dyuerse countrees and toke a body of y^e ayre & lykynge natures shed of men / & cam in to the londe of Albyon / & laye by tho wym̄en & shadde tho natures vpon them & they concey∣ued / & after brought forth gyaūtes. Of y^e whi¦che one was called Gogmagog / and an other Longherigam And so they were named by dy¦uers names / & in this maner they came forth and were borne horryble gyaūtes in Albyon And they dwelled in caues and in hylles atte ther wylle And hadde the londe of Albyon as them lykyd / vnto y^e tyme that Brute arryued and came to Tornes that was in the yle of Al¦byon. And there this Brute cōquered and dy∣scomfyted the gyauntes abouesayde.