Fabyans cronycle newly prynted, wyth the cronycle, actes, and dedes done in the tyme of the reygne of the moste excellent prynce kynge Henry the vii. father vnto our most drad souerayne lord kynge Henry the .viii. To whom be all honour, reuere[n]ce, and ioyfull contynaunce of his prosperous reygne, to the pleasure of god and weale of this his realme amen

FOR THAT IN the accomptynge of the yeres of the worlde; from the creacyon of Adam vnto the incarna∣cyon of Criste; ben many & sondery opynyons / as the Hebrewes, whych accompt for the sayde terme .iii. thou¦sande .ix. hundred .lxiii. yeres / the se∣uenty interpretours reken .v.M.C.lxxx. and .xix. yeres. Some there be, that reken v.M.lxxx. and .xix. yeres / and some v. thousande .CC. & .xxviii. yeres. In the thyrde boke & fyrste chapyter of Polycronycon ben also shewed dyuers opinyons, wherof the gretest nomber and most certayne is v. thousande and .CC. yeres. And in other places also, some rekē mo, and some haue lesse / by reason wherof the tymes ben diuersly sette and accomp¦ted / as the fyrst foūdacyon of Rome / the subuersyon of the famouse cytye of Troye / the fyrst buyldynge of the cytye of London / & dyuerse other old thinges. But for I se, y^t the accōpt of y^e seuenty interp̄tours is of holy Be∣da, and many other holy wryters al∣lowed and folowyd: therfore I entē¦dynge to shew in this rude worke fo∣lowyng, what yere of y^e world Brute entred fyrste thys ile, then called Al∣byon, and now England / purpose to kepe the sayde accompte, wherof the partyculers ensewe: that is to wyt, fyrste from Adam to Noeflowyd .xxii hundred and xlii. yeres

From Noe to Abraham flowed .ix hundred and .xlii. yeres.

From Abrahā to Dauid flowyd ix. hundred and xl. yeres.

From Dauid to the captyuyte of the Iewys passed .iiii. hundred .lxxx. and v. yeres.

And from the captyuyte to the co∣mynge of Christe .v. hundred .lxxx. & tenne yeres.

The whyche in all make .v. thou¦sande, a hundred, lxxx. and xix. yeres.

AFter which accōpt moste accordynge to the purpose of thys worke, all be yt that dyuerse opynyons thereof ben left in writyng and of dyuerse au¦tours: the famous cytye of Troye was subuerted of y^e Grekes, as wyt∣nessyth holy Eusebius and other, in the yere of y^e world .iiii.M. and .xxiii.

Also folowyng the sayd accompt, as wytnessyth the forsayde Euseby & dyuerse other, the cyte of Rome was begon to be buylded in the xi. yere of Ezechias then kynge of Iuda / the whyche yere maketh after the sayde auctours, the yere of the worlde .iiii. thousande; foure hundred, lxx. And y^e sayd auctours afferme, that the sayd cytye of Rome was edifyed after the subuersion of Troye, iiii. hūdred and xlvii. yeres. By whych reason it must folowe, that is was buylded in the ye¦re of the world, as ys aboue sayde.

Peter pictauiensis and other testi¦fye, that Brute entred fyrste the ile of Albyon, now called Englande, in the .xviii. yere of the preste & iudge of Israel named Hely. And as after myth dyuers auctours / the sayde He¦ly beganne to rule the Israelites, the yere of the thyrde age: that is from Abraham to Dauid .viii. hūdred, lxi. whych maketh the yeres of y^e worlde foure thousande and .xlv.

wherunto yf there be ioyned the aboue sayd .••xviii. yeres: then muste yt folow, that Brute shuld entre this lande, in the yere of the worlde foure thousand .lxiii. To this agreeth y^e au¦ctour of Polycronicon / whych sayth, that Brute entred Albion .xl. yeres af¦ter

the subuersyon of Troye. whych xl. yeres ioyned to the former sayeng of Eusebius, maketh y^e sayd nomber of .iiii. thousande and .lxiii. yeres.

Also a wryter of hystoryes called Iacobus Philippus, affermeth that Troye was taken by the Grekes, in the thyrde yere y^t Abdon or Labdon, iudged the Israelytes. whych began his rule ouer the sayde Israelytes, af¦ter the accorde of moste wryters / in the yere of the worlde .iiii. thousande and .xx. wherunto yf there be ioyned thre yeres for y^e third yere of his rule, in whyche yere Troye (as before ys sayde) was taken / and .xl. yeres that passed or Brute percyd Albyon: yt muste folowe, y^e Brute entred fyrst. thys ile of Albyon (as before is sayd) in the yere of the world .iiii. thousand and .lxiii.

Then by these foresayd reasons Brute toke possession of this ile of Al¦byon / in the yere of the worlde, as be¦fore is sayde, before the buyldyng of the cytye of Rome, as by the foresayd reasons may be also prouyd .iiii. hun¦dred and .vii. yeres: and before the in¦carnacyon of our blessyd sauyour fo∣lowynge the same accompte / a thou∣sande an hundred .xxx. and vi. yeres.

¶Thus endeth thaccomptynge of the yeres of the worlde, from the crea¦cyon of Adam vnto the incarnacyon of Chryste.

THE PROLOGE

WHan I aduertyse in my remembraunce The manyfolde storyes, in order duely sette Of kyng•• & princes, y^e whilom had gouernaūce Of Rome and Italye, and other further fette As of Iewes & Grekes, the whyche haue no let But that men may se in order seryously How longe they reygned, & how successyuely.

Of Fraunce and other I myght lykewyse reporte To theyr great honour, as of them doth appere, But to Englande yf I shall resorte Ryght mysty storyes, doutfull and vnclere Of names, of tymes, and of the duraunt yere That kynges or prynces ruled that famouse yle Almoste vncertayne how I shuld guyde my style.

And for of cunnynge I am full destytute To brynge to frame so great a mystery: I nyll presume wythout other refute To ioyne suche a worke, or yt to rectyfye To me yt semyth so farre sette awrye In tyme of yeres, to other dyscordaunt That to my dull wytte yt is not atteynaunt

To brynge in order a thynge of suche weyght And cause yt to agre wyth other olde storyes,

But yt to remytte to them that ben sleyght And sharpe in lecture, and haue kepte theyr studyes And sought the bokes of many olde hystoryes And haue in cronycles full experyence To frame suche a worke by theyr great prudence.

And I lyke y^e prētyse, that hewyth the rough stone And bryngeth yt to square wyth hard strokes & many That the mayster after may it ouergone And prynte therin his fygures and his storye Any so to worke yt after his proporcynary That yt may appere to all that shall yt se A thynge ryght perfyte, and well in eche degre.

So haue I now sette out this rude warke As rough as the stone not cōmen to the square That the lerned, and the studyed clerke May yt ouer polyshe, and clene do yt pare Flowryshe yt wyth eloquence, wherof yt is bare And frame yt in order, that yet is out of ioynt That it with olde authours may gree in euery poynt.

Besechynge hym, that wyll so take the payne Or any other, that lyste on this to loke where any errour in this by hym is sayne It to correcte and mende this rude boke For by hym that neuer yet any order toke Or gre of scole, or sought for great cunnynge This worke is gaderyd wyth small vnderstandynge.

Not for any pompe, nor yet for great mede This worke haue I taken on hande to compyle But onely bycause that I wolde sprede The famouse honour of this fertyle yle That hath contynued by many a longe whyle In excellent honour wyth many a royall guyde Of whom the dedes haue sprong to the world wyde.

But of those dedes me lyste not here to shewe For in the sequele they shall well appere And in shorte processe, and in as wordes fewe As I goodly may, I shall lynke in fere The storyes of Englande, and fraunce so dere That to the reader yt may well be say••e what kynges to gyder ruled these landes twayne.

And in the pryncypyll of the reygne of euery kyng

As well of one and other more and lesse what yere of the worlde he toke begynnynge To guyde his realme: and farther besynesse I wyll eke take, to shewe and expresse what terme of yeres euery prynce dyd reygne. And in what honour he dyd his tyme maynteyne.

The tyme also how longe the Brytons ruled, And how by Saxons they lastely were put oute. Then of Danes / whyche both landes defoyled By theyr outrage / and of theyr fury stoute: Of whom both nacyons stode longe in great doute, Tyll Fraunce wyth them allyed by maryage And Englande lastely voyded that lynage.

Then how the Normayns, by wyllyā cōquerour, Entrede this lande, and helde the seygnory A certayne of tyme, tyll the hygh gouernour Restored the blode of Saxons enterly And of the Scottes, that neuer coude apply To kepe theyr allegeaunce / but many a tyme rebelled And to be true were full often compelled.

The fatall warre, that hath dured so longe Twene Fraūce and Englande, to both theyr damage And of the peace, that hath ben vnderfonge Both by great othes / and eke by maryage. Of walys geryshenesse / and of theyr lyght dotage How they were scourged for theyr vnstedfastnesse, wyth dyuers other, whyche I shall after expresse.

And for that London, that auncyent cytye Hath euer perseueryd in vertuous noblesse To the great honour, as may consydred be, Of all this lande / in welth and great largesse Therfore I thynke somwhat to expresse Of theyr good order, and cyuyle polycy That they so longe haue ruled theyr cytye by.

And of theyr rulers / as they are yerely chosen To rule the cōmonte by theyr dyscrecyon, I shall you shewe, and to you dysclosen The names of mayres and shyryffes of that towne And all suche actes / as by reuolucyone In theyr dayes fyll / so that there shall appere The prynces actes, whyche chaunged yere by yere.

Of Fraunce also the cronycle shall ensew In his dewe order / so that ye may knowe, when they beganne theyr prynces to renewe And from the seruage when they were kept lowe Of the Romayns / whom they dyd ouerthrowe And of theyr names that they whylom dyd chaunge Of theyr fyrst baptysme, and of theyr names straūge.

Thus in this boke maye you here and se Of bothe landes the cronycles entyere, wyth other maters / whyche regystred be Of olde wryters, suche as wrote full clere Actes of prynces done both farre and nere, And them engrosed wyth great dylygence: wherby to theyr folowers myght growe experyence.

Into .vii. partes I haue this boke dyuyded So that the reder may chose where he wyll. The fyrste conteyneth, how the Brytons guyded This lande from Brute, Moliuncius vntyll. And from Moliuncius I have sette for skyll To the nynthe yere of kynge Cassibelan The seconde parte / for that the Romaynes than

Conquered Brytayne. And thens to Seueryne The thyrde parte I haue also assygned. The fourth endyth then at Constantyne. The fyfte at Cadwalader I haue also dyffned. At the conquest I have eke determyned The .vi. parte. And of the Seuenth or laste At our redoubted prynce I haue the ende caste.

Henry the .vii. whom god preserue and saue, And hym defende from all aduersyte, Besechynge them that wyll the laboure haue This boke to rede / or any parte to se That where defaute is / yt may corrected be wythout dysdayne / and that they wyll supporte And ayde this worke wyth all theyr comforte.

And for this boke includeth storyes fele, And to wchyth thynges done in sondry place So that one tyme muste wyth an other dele To kepe the yeres, the tyme, and the space Therfore this name yt shall now purchace (Concordaunce of storyes) by me prouyded The auctor sans nome fynally deuysed.

And for thys worke may haue the better spede To prayer me thynketh yt is ryght necessarye That I shulde fall, consyderynge my nede That I must haue, for lacke of due studye, where through that connynge and perfyte memory Of thynges taken, when I was yonge and hynde Ben farre sette of, and putte from my mynde.

By this is ignoraunce now comen in place And oblyuyon hath sette in hys fote So that knowlege from me they done race, wherby in olde auctours I myght fynde some boot In latyn and frenche, that in theyr dytees swoot These olde wryters haue so compendyously Sette the olde storyes in order dylygently.

But in this prayer I thynke nought to be vsed As dyddyn these poetys in theyr olde dayes, whyche made theyr prayers to goddes abused As Iupiter and Mars, that in theyr olde lawes, were named goddes, and fayned in theyr sawes, That they were goddes of batayll and rychesse And hadde in them great vertue and prowesse.

For what may helpe these fayned goddes all As Saturne or Mercury, or yet bryght Apollo, Bacchus, or Neptune, or Pluto the thrall, Eolus, Morynos, or blynde Cupido, Or yet that goddesse, the fayre Iuno, Diana, or Pallas, or Ceres the fre, Or yet the Musys that ben thryes thre?

wherto shulde I call vnto Caliope Moder of Orpheus, wyth swete armony That of eloquence hath the soueraynte, Or to Carmentis, whyche by her fyrste studye The latyne letters foūde out perfytly Syns all these were mynystres of god immortall And hadde in them no power dyuynall?

wherfore to the lorde, that is celestyall I wyll now crye, that of hys influence Of grace and mercy, he wyll a droppe lette fall, And sharpe my wytte wyth suche experience, That this may fynyshe wyth his assystence, wyth fauour of the virgyn, his moder moste excellent, To whom I thus pray, wyth mynde and hole entent.

Assit principio sancta Maria meo.

Moste blessyd lady, comforte to suche as calle To the for helpe, in eche necessyte, And what thou aydest, may in no wyse apalle But to the best is formyd in ylke degre: wherfore good lady, I praye yt may please the At my begynnynge my penne so to lede That by thyne ayde this worke may haue good spede

THE FYRST CHAPITER.

Syns that I haue shewed vnto you, what season and tyme of the yeres of y^e world Brute entred fyrste this yle of Albyon: me semyth yt is cōue¦nyent, that I also shew how and for what cause yt was fyrste named Al∣byon. The whych so toke fyrst name, as wytnessyth Strabo and other wri¦ters, of the whyte clyues or rockes, y^t stande vppon the sees syde, and are farre seen in clere wether and bryght dayes. wherof it was of olde wryters named Albyon, as yt were the whyte lande. whyche sayenge affermyth al∣so Ranulphe & dyuerse other: so that yt may certaynly be knowen, that yt toke not that fyrste name of Albyne doughter of Dioclecyan kyng of Si¦rye, as in the englyshe cronycle is af¦fermyd. For in all olde storyes or cro¦nycles is not founde, that any suche kynge of that name reygned ouer the Syriens, or yet Assyriens: nor yet any suche storye, that his .xxx. dough∣ters shuld slee theyr .xxx. husbandes, as there is surmysed, was put in wri¦tynge. whyche, yf eny such wonder hadde ben there wrought, shulde not haue ben vnremembred of the wry∣ters & auctours of that partyes: con¦syderynge that many lesse wonders are put in writynge by the sayde wry¦ters. wherfore it ys more apparant, y^t yt toke that fyrst name of Albyon, as aboue is sayde / then of Albyne dou∣ghter of the sayde Dioclecyon.

And as to the Geaūtes that Brute founde in this yle at his arryuayll, they myght be brought into this lāde by some meane of shyppes or other wyse, rather then to be borne of those women, as there also is imagyned.

Of this yle the auctours Alpherd and Beda tell many wonders / which in the fyrst boke of Policronycon are suffyciētly towched, where it is sayd, y^t this yle is called an other worlde. For as sayth Solinus, the edge of the Frenche cliffe shuld be the ende of the world, yf this yland ne were not. Many other thynges ben there specy¦fyed, the whyche I passe ouer.

Thys yle is closyd on all sydes with y^e see / & stretcheth in length out of the sowth into the north / hauynge in the sowthest syde Fraunce / in the south y^e land of Spayne / in the north y^e coūtre of Norway / & in y^e weste the coūtre of Irland. And hath in length from Totnesse to Catenessey .xv. my¦les beyonde Mychell Stowe in Cor¦newayle vpon .viii. hundred myles. And to reken the brede from saynte Dauyds lande in walys called Me∣nema to Douer clyffes: it cōteyneth after moste wryters .iii. hundred my∣les. And yf yt be rekened from y^e sayd place in walys, vnto parmouthe in Norfolk, not so much, but lesse by .lx. myles, after some wryters. And Be∣da saith it cōteineth ouer .CC. miles.

And this ile was fyrste as aboue ys sayde, named Albyon: and secunda∣ryly Britayne after Brute: & thyrde 〈…〉〈…〉 of Anglis by cōmaūdmēt of Egberte kynge of Anglys, and of westsaxons: all be yt that after some wryters yt was called Anglia, after the name of the quene of this lande name Anglia: albe it that therof is founde lytell authoryte.

This ile was fyrst cōqueryd by y^e Romayns / and so contynued vnto them as trybutary, and vnder theyr rule, as after in the ende of the story of Gracianus shall appere, ouer .iiii. hūdred yeres: secondely by the Sa∣xōs: thyrdely by y^e Danys: & fourth∣ly by the Normans: and was deuy∣ded fyrst by Brute in thre partes / as in the storie shall appere folowynge.

THE .II. CHAPITER.

BRute of the auncyent and no∣ble blode of Troyans, dyscen¦dyd of Eneas a Troyan and of the doughter of Pryame kynge of the Troyans: whyche Eneas receyued of his sayde wyfe a sonne named As∣canius, the whych was kynge of the countre of Italye nexte after hys fa∣ther Eneas.

For so yt was, that after the fore∣sayde cytye of Troy was, as before is sayde, by the Grekes subuertyd: Eneas, whyche entendyd to haue sa¦uyd from dethe the fayre Polixena doughter of kynge Pryam / was for that dede by Agamemnon, duke or chyefe leder of the Grekes, exyled frō Troy: the whyche accōpanyed wyth a great nomber of Troyans, wythin iii. yeres after his departynge from Troye, landed in y^e coūtre of Italye. And there after dyuerse conflyctys and bataylles hadde wyth Latynus then kynge of Italye: he maryed by the agrement of the sayde Latinus, hys doughter named Lauina. Up∣pon y^e which he gatte a sonne, and na¦med hym Syluius Posthumus: of the whych after some wryters descen¦dyd Brutus fyrste kynge of Albyon. But for a more concordaunce of this worke and conuenyencye of yeres, As testyfyeth Policronia, Guydo de Colūna, wryter of storyes, & other: Ascanius the fyrste sonne of Eneas, gotten vppon hys fyrste wyfe, hadde a sonne named Siluius / whyche af∣ter some wryters is named Siluius Eneas: this Siluius Eneas was fa¦ther to Brute. Of this is dyuers opi¦nyons, whereof some are manyfestly shewed in the .xxvii. chapyter of the seconde boke of Polycronycon.

Then yt foloweth in y^e story: this Brute beyng of the age of .xv. yeres, slewe his father in shotyng at a wyld beste. And as some authours haue / he slewe also hys moder in tyme of his byrth. But for the laste dede, by agrement of all wryters, he was ba∣nyshed the countre: and after by for¦tune landed wyth his conpanye in a prouynce of Grece / where at y^e tyme reygned a kyng named Pandrasus, or after some wryters Pandarus: y^e whyche kynge, as affermyth Geffrey of Monmouth, was lynyally descen¦dyd of the blode of Achylles.

In this prouynce Brute founde many Troyans, as captiuys & thrall to the Grekes, wyth the whyche he conspyred & faughte wyth y^e Grekes sondry tymes: & lastely for a fynall concorde toke to wyfe the doughter of the sayd Pandrasus, name Igno¦gen. After whyche maryage solemny¦syd: the sayde Brute, by coūsayle of y^e Troyans, with a certayne of shyp∣pes well vytaylled / departed out of Grece, and soughte his aduenture. whyche after many daungers of the

passed / he landed wyth his company in a parte or yle of Affrica named (as sayth Guydo and other) Lergesia. wythin whyche yle at those dayes stode an old temple dedycate in y^e ho¦noure of Diua or Diana a goddesse of mysbyleued people. The whyche temple, when Brute had ap{per}ceyuyd anon he yode into yt / where knelyng before the aulter, wyth great deuocy¦on, sayde these versys folowynge.

Diua potens nemorum: terror syluestribus apris, Cui licet amfractus ire per aethereos. Infernas{que} domos, terestria iura resolue, Et dic quas terras nos habitare velis. Dic certam sedem qua te venerabor in aemon, Qua tibi virgineis templa dicabo choris.

The whyche versys are to be vnder¦standen in our moder tonge as after is expowned.

Celestyall goddesse, that weldest fryth a woode The wylde bore & bestes thou feryst by thy myght Guyder of shypmen passynge the ragyone flode. The infernall howses, for and the erth of ryght, Beholde, and serche, and shewe where I shall fyght Tell the certayne place, where euerlastyngly A temple of virgyne to the I••Balledyfpe.

After whyche prayer & obseruaun∣ces after y^e pagan ryte, with great de¦uocyon done and exercysed aboute y^e auter of y^e sayd goddesse or idolle in those days vsed: Brute fill in a slepe. In tyme of whyche slepe apperyd to hym the sayd goddesse, and sayd to hym in maner & forme as foloweth.

Brute sub occasum solis trans Gallica regna Insula in oceano est vnde{que} clausa mari: Insula in oceano est habitata gigantibus olins, Nunc deserta quidem, gentibus apta tuit. Hic de prose tua reges nascentur, & ipsis Totius terrae subditus orbis erit. Hanc pete, nan{que} tibi sedes erit in illa perhennis: Hic fiet natis altera Troia tuis.

The whyche versys may be englys∣shed as here after foloweth.

Brute, farre by wef••e, ouer the l••nde of Fraunce An yle in occean there is, all closed wyth the see This yle with gyaūtes whilom inhabyt by chaūce Now beynge defe••••e, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 apte for thy people & the. In this of th•• body kynges borne shalbe And of this yle. thou shall be lorde and kynge Serche this, for here a perpetuall see to the And here to thy childern a new City shal spryng.

THE .III. CHAPITER.

WHen Brute awoke and remēbred hym of this vysyon: a∣nō he called to hym such as he most tru¦sted / and shewed to them what he had seen & harde. wherof they all beynge greatly reioysed: caused great fa∣res to be made, in the whyche they cast wyne, mylke, and other lycours, wyth dyuerse aromate and spyces of moste swettest odour, as in the olde pagan lawes and rytes were vsed.

whyche obseruaunce wyth other done: wyth great ioye and myrthe they entryd into theyr shyppes, and pulled vp theyr sayles, & toke theyr course westwarde. And so sayled by the space of .xxx. dayes passynge by many auentures and daungers / as of Philenes, y^e lake called Lacus sa∣linarum or salte lake, or the place where salte is made, the ryuer called Malea, & Hercules pyllers / & came lastly to the see Tyrrhen or Turon, where he encoūtred wyth a small na¦uy of shyppes / of the whyche a Tro∣yane and neuew to Brute called Co∣rineus was captayne. whē eyther of them had saluted other, & reioysed of theyr metynge: they to gyder made towarde land, and landyd in the pro¦uynce of Gallia, now called Guyan: of whyche prouynce at that daye a prynce named Groffari{us} was ruler. The whyche hauyng knowlege of y^e landynge of these straunges: wyth his power made towarde them, & to

them gaue batayll. But the Troyās were victours and ouercame Groffa¦rius wyth all his knyghtes.

In this batayll was slayne a no∣ble Troyane & neuewe to Brute na¦med Turonus, and there buryed. wherfore in remembraunce of y^e sayd Turonus Brute buylded there a cy¦tye, and named yt Turon as some authours testyfye. But it shuld seme by the sayenge of Polycronyca / that thylke cytye Turon was buylded a∣fore: all be yt that y^e authour of Cro¦nica cronica{rum} affermyth it to be buyl¦ded by Brute in remembraūce of his sayd cosyn Turonus, whych citye at this daye is yet great fame wyth in the realme of Fraunce.

This done, the sayde Brutes & Co¦••ineus wyth theyr Troyans toke a∣gayne shyppynge / the whyche after iii. dayes or fewe dayes saylyng, lan¦dyd at an hauen or porte in Corne∣wayll, named at this day Totnesse: & from thens yode serchyng the land and coūtre, the yere as before is sayd iiii. thousande .lxiii / before the buyl∣dynge of Rome folowynge the fore∣sayde accompte .iiii. hundred and .xx. before the incarnacyon of Cryste .xi. hundred, & .xxxvi: and before Alexan¦der the great conquered the worlde, eyght hundred and .xi: also before any kynge reygned ouer the Frenshe men / or that they were clere quyte of theyr trewage agayne y^e Romayns, xv. hundred and .lvi.

THE .IIII. CHAPITER.

REtourne we then to Brute / whyche after his landyng in this ile of Alby¦on: circuyd & ser¦chyd y^e land ouer all / and foūde yt full fertyle & plen¦teous of wode and of grasse, and gar¦nysshed with many fayre ryuers and stremes. And in his trauaylynge the lande / he was encountred wyth ma∣ny great and myghty gyauntes / the whych he destroyed. Among y^e which as reherseth that Englyshe cronicle: was one of passyng strength named Gogmagog / the whyche he caused to wrestle wyth Cormeus or Coryne his neuewe besyde Douer: in which wrestlinge that gyaūt brake a rybbe in the syde of Cormeus. where tho∣rough Corine{us} beyng sore amoued, wyth great strength supprysed that gyaunt, & cast hym downe the rocke of Douer. By reason wherof as affer¦myth y^e said englyshe cronicle, y^e place was named the fall of Gogmagog.

But after that y^e name was chaū¦ged & called the fall of Douer / which to this daye enduryth. For this dede and other Brute gaue vnto his sayd neuewe Corineus or Coryn the hole countre of Cornewayll.

And whē Brute had thus destroy¦ed the gyauntes, & serchyd the sayde yle of Albyō thoroughly: he cōmyng by y^e ryuer of Thamis, for pleasure y^e he had in that ryuer, with also the cō¦modytyes therunto adioynynge / be∣gan there to buylde a cytye in y^e remē¦braunce of the cytye of Troye lately subuerted, & named it Troynouant / whyche is as myche to saye as newe Troy: whych name endured tyll the cōmynge of Lud after kynge of Bry¦tayne vpon the tyme of a thousande lxviii. yere. But y^e sayd kyng cōmaun¦dyd yt to be called Luddys towne / which by shortnesse of speche is now called London.

Then whē Brute had thus buyl∣ded his cytye, & saw y^t he was stablys¦shed in his realme quyetly: he thē by thaduise of his lordes / cōmaunded y^e sayd ile & coūtre to be called Britayn and his people Brytons / and so con¦tynued his reygne prosperousely.

In the whyche tyme he stablysshed and ordred his people to lyue in tyl∣lynge of theyr lande and otherwyse.

This Brute had receyued of his wyfe thre sonnes, wherof the fyrste was named Locrinus or Locryne / y^e seconde Cambrius or Cambre / and y^e third Albanactus or Albanakt. To the fyrst and eldest, he besette this yle of Brytayne, the whyche after was na¦med myddell Englande / whych is to meane Troynouant, wyth all y^e coū∣tres there about lyenge, cōteynynge est, west, & sowth. And for this cause, and for yt shuld sounde towarde the name of the sayd Locryne: this parte of Brytayne was longe after called Loegria or Logiers.

To the seconde sonne Cambre, he beset or appoynted to hym the coū¦tre of walys / the whyche was fyrste named after hym Cambria. This in the eest syde was somtyme departed from Englande by the ryuer of Se∣uerne: But now in the north syde the ryuer named Dee at Chester depar∣teth England and walys: and in the sowth the ryuer that is called Uaga at the castell of Strynglyng parteth Englande and walys.

To the thyrde sonne Albanakt, he besette the north parte of this yle, and named yt Albyon / or more very¦ly the sayd countre toke after y^e name of the sayd thirde sonne, and was cal¦led Albania. This coūtre was after named Scotlande / and is deuyded from Loegria or Logiers, as saythe holy Beda by two armys of y^e see, but they mete not. The eest arme of these two begynneth about ii. myles from the mynster of Eburcurynge, in the west syde of Penulton̄. The weste arme of those twayne hath in y^e ryght syde or somtyme hadde, a stronge cy¦tye named Acliud, whych in y^e Bret∣tysshe tunge was called Clynt••ton, & stādeth vppon the ryuer called Clynt

Thus whē Brute had diuided this yle of Brytayne, as before is shewed in thre partes, and hadde holden the pryncypate therof nobly by the terme of .xxiiii. yeres after most cōcordaūce of writers: he dyed, and was enteryd or buryed at Troynouāt or London.

THE .V. CHAPITER.

LOcrinus or Lo∣cryne y^e fyrst or el∣dest son of Brute was made kynge of Brytayne of y^e countre of Logi∣ers / the yere of the worlde .iiii. thousande .lxxx. and .vii. The whych helde to his parte, as sayth Policro∣nicon, and also Guydo de Columna, the countre that stretcheth from the south see vnto the ryuer of Humbre, as before is expressyd.

whyle this Locrinus thus reyg∣ned in Logiers: his brother Albana¦ctus beynge ruler, as before is sayd of Albania or Scotlande, was war∣reyd by a duke, whome the cronycle of Engāld nameth Humbre / y^e which slewe Albanakt in playne batayll.

ye shall vnderstande y^t this Hum¦ber at the daye of his commynge in¦to Albania was not named Humber / but after olde wryters he was called kynge of Hunnys or kyng of Sithia without other addicyon. This kyng as before is sayde, after he thus sub∣duyd Albanactus / held the lande of Albania, tyll after y^e Locrinus wyth his brother Cambre, gathered a gret power of men of armys, and yode a∣gaynst the sayde kynge of Hunnys / and by strength of theyr Britons cha¦syd and subduyd the sayde Hūnys so sharpely, that many of thē with theyr kyng were drowned in a ryuer, which departyth England and Scotland. And for so myche as to the wryter of

the storye of Brytons, his name was declared to be Humber: therfore the sayde auctor affermyth, that the sayd Humber y^e ryuer toke the fyrste name of hym / whyche yet contynueth to this daye.

Furthermore testyfyeth the sayde auctour, that after this victory thus obteyned by these two forsayde bro∣therne: this Locrinus enamowred hym selfe vppon a fayre wenche na∣med Estrylde, and doughter of the forenamed Humber / and her kept vn¦lefully by a certayne of tyme. where wyth his wyfe named Guendoloena beynge sore dyscontent / excyted her fader and frēdes to make warre vp∣pon the sayde Locryne her husbande. In the whyche warre lastly he was slayne / when he hadde reygned or ru¦led Loegria or Logiers after the con¦cordaunce of moste writers .xx. yeres: and was buryed by his fader in the cytye of Troynouaunt / leuyng after hym a yonge sonne gottē vppon his wyfe named Madan.

THE VI. CHAPITER.

GUēdoloena or Guē¦doleyne the wyfe of Locrinus, & dough¦ter of Corine{us} duke of Cornewayle / for so myche as Ma∣dan her sonne was yonge to gouerne the lande: was by cōmune assent of all y^e Brytōs made ruler of the yle of Brytayne, the yere of the world .iiii. thousande, a hūdred and .vii. And so hauyng possession of the sayde yle, wele and dyscretly she ruled yt, to the comfort of her subiec∣tes / tyll the tyme her sonne Madan came vnto hys lawfull age. At the whiche season she gaue ouer the rule and domynyon to hym / after she had ruled (as before ys sayde) thys yle xv. yeres.

THE VII. CHAPITER.

MAdan the sonne of Locryne & of Guē∣dolyne before na∣med: was made ru¦ler of Britayne, in the yere of y^e world iiii. thousande .C. and .xxii. Of thys is lytell or no memory made by any wryters / excepte that some wryte of hym, that he vsed great tyranny a∣monge his Brytons. Neuerthelesse all or the more {per}te of writers agreen / that he ruled this ile of Britayn by y^e terme of .xl. yeres. At y^e ende of which terme, he beynge at his dysporte or huntyng, was of wyld bestes or wol¦uys slayne or deuouryd: and left af∣ter him two sonnes, as sayth Policro¦nica, named Menprecius & Manli{us}.

THE VIII. CHAPITER.

MEnprecius the el∣dest sonne of Ma¦dan was made ru¦ler of Brytayne / in the yere of the worlde .iiii thou∣sande .C.lxii. But he reygned not lōge in peace. For his yonger broder Manlius, of a malycyous and coue¦tyse mynde entendynge to be kynge, and to expell or subdue his brother: excyted the Britons, in such wyse to rebell agayne Menprecius, y^e great and dedly warre contynued longe amonge them. Howe be yt lastely by mediacyons of frendes, a daye of communycacyon in louynge maner ner attwene these two bretherne was appoynted. At whyche daye of as∣semble Menprici{us} by treason slewe his brother Manlius / after whose deth he lyued in more tranquylite and rest. where through he fyll into slowth, and by meane of slowth into vnlefull lykynge and lechery / and by

that vyce into hatered of his subiec∣tes by takynge of theyre wyues and chylder: and fynally became so vn∣happy, y^t he forsoke his lefull wyfe and concudynes, and fyll into the synne of Sodomye. Thus from one vice he grew into a nother / so that he became odyble to god and man: and lastely goyng on huntynge, and lost of his people / was distroyed of wyld bestes, when he had reygned .xx. ye∣res: leuyng after hym a goodly yon¦lynge begoten of his lefull wyfe na∣med Ebranke.

THE .IX. CHAPITER.

EBranke the sonne of Menpre∣cius was made ruler of this lande of Brytayne / in the yere of the worlde foure thousande a hundred, lxxx. and .ii: and had, as testyfyeth Policronica, Gaufryde, & other wry¦ters .xxi. wyues: of the whych he re∣ceyued .xx. sonnes and .xxx. dough∣ters / wherof the fayrest was named Gwales, or after some Gualea. He sent these doughters to Albia Silui¦us, whych was the .xi. kynge of Ita¦lye, or the .vii kynge of Latynes / to the ende to haue them maryed to the blood of Troyans. This Ebranke was also a man of fayre statute, & of great strengthe, & by his power and myght he enlarged his domynyon / in so myche that he wanne and occu¦pyed a great parte of Germania by y^e ayde and helpe of the Latynes / and retourned thēs wyth great pray & ry¦ches. After whych retourne, he buyl¦ded the cytye of Caerbrank now cal∣led yorke: whych shulde be, as sayth the authour named Flos historiarū, or the Floure of historyes wryten in frenche / in the .xxiii. yere of y^e reygne of the sayd Ebranke. which accompt to folow, yt shuld seme that Troyno¦uant or Lōdon was buylded before the sayd cytye of yorke, about an hun¦dred and .xl. yeres: supposyng the cy¦tye of London to be begonne in the seconde yere of Brutes reygne.

Also he buylded ī Albania or Scot¦lande the castell of Maydens, the whych is called Edynborgh. After which edyfyces ended and made: he wyth a great armye sayled into Gal¦lia nowe Fraunce, and subdued the Gallis, and retourned wyth great triumphe and rychesse. And when he had guyded this lande of Brytayne nobly by the terme of .lx. yeres, after moste concordaunce of wryters, he dyed, and was buryed at Caerbrank or yorke / leuynge after hym for hys heyre his eldest sonne (as sayth Gau¦fryde) named Brute Greneshyelde.

THE .X. CHAPITER.

BRute Greneshyelde, the sonne of Ebranke, was made gouer¦nour of this lande of Brytayne / the yere of the worlde .iiii. thousande .ii. hūdred and xlii. Of this Brute is no memory made touchynge any fame / excepte y^e Gaufryde sayth that he ru∣led this lande of Brytayne (his fader lyuynge) a certayne tyme / & after his fader by the terme of .xii. yeres. The whyche yeres expyred or endyd: he dyed, and lyeth buryed at Caerbrāk or yorke, leuynge after hym a sonne named Leyll.

THE .XI. CHAPITER.

LEillus or Leyr son of Brute Greneshielde / was made ru∣ler of Brytayne, in y^e yere of y^e world iiii.M.CC. & liiii. This was a iuste mā & a louer of peace & equyte / & in his tyme made the town of Caerleyr or Carlyle, and ruled this lande well and honourably by the terme of .xxv. yeres, as testyfyeth the forenamed Gaufryde: and after dyed, and was buryed at Caerleyr be foresayde.

But of this Leyr speketh some dele the aboue named authour Floure of

historyes sayeng, y^t in the ende of his reygne he fyll to slowth and vnlefull lykyng of his body: by meane wher¦of cyuyle stryfe began to grow with in this realme / y^e which was not paci¦fyed by some termes after his dayes: the whyche sayenge is not denyed by the foresayd authour Gaufrid. This Leyll lefte after hym a sonne named Lud, or after some wryters he was named Lud Hurdibras.

THE .XII. CHAPITER.

LUd or Lud Hurdibras y^e son of Leyll, was made ruler of the lande of Brytayne, in the yere of the worlde .iiii. thousande .ii. hūdred and .ixxix. This also of Gaufryde is called Hurdibras: the whyche after he was stablyshed in his reygne / ap¦peasyd and drewe to accorde of the dyscorde and varyaunce that hadde spronge in his fathers lyues tyme. The whych discretely appeasyd and endyd / he buylded the towne of Kaer¦kyn, nowe called Caunterbury: the towne also of Kaerguen, now callyd wynton or wynchester: and also a towne called Moūt Paladour, now named Septon or Shaftisbury. In the tyme of buyldyng, of which town of Septon, as affermyth myne au∣thour Gaufride, an egle there spake certayn wordes, y^e which he sayth he wyll not declare or wryte for any cer¦taynte. Thus when this sayde Lud hadde ruled this lande nobly by the terme of .xxxix. yeres, he dyed, & lefte after hym a sonne named Baldud.

THE .XIII. CHAPITER.

BAldud y^e sonne of Lud Hurdi¦bras, was made gouernoure of Brytayne in the yere of the world iiii. thousand .iii. hundred and .xviii. This as testyfyed Gaufryde, Poly∣cronica, and other, was well and suf¦fycyently instructe in the connynges or scyēces of astronomy & nigroman¦cye. By thē he made the hote bathes wythin the town of Caerbadon, now named Bathe: the whyche towne or cytye he also buyldyd. But to that re¦pugnyth wyllyam de Malmesbury, saynge that the foresayd hote bathes were made by the industrye, or of the industry of Iulius cesar fyrste empe¦rour of Rome. This Baldud as af¦fermyth the foresayd authour Gau∣fride: taught this lore of nigromācy thorough his realme: & fynally toke in yt such pryde & presumpsyon / y^t he toke vpō him to fle in y^e ayer. But he fyll vpon the temple of his god Apo¦lyn, & theron was all to torne / when he had ruled Brytayne by the space of .xx. yeres, leuynge after hym a son named Leyr.

THE .XIIII. CHAPITER.

LEyr y^e sonne of Baldud was made ruler ouer y^e Britōs, the yere of y^e world .iiii.M.ccc. & xxxviii. This Leyr was noble of cōdicyōs, & guyded his land & subiectes in great welth. He made y^e towne of Caerleyr nowe called Leyceter or Leycester. And all be yt y^t this man helde longe the pryncypate of Brytayne: yet of hym is nothynge left worthy memo∣ry, excepte that Gaufryde sayth, y^t he receyued of his wyfe .iii. doughters onely wythout any son / whych were named Gonorilla, Ragan, and Cor∣deilla, the whych he mych loued / but moste specially he loued the yongest, Cordeilla by name.

whē this Leyr or Leyth after some wryters, was fallen in competente age, to knowe the mynde of his thre doughters, he fyrst asked Gonorilla the eldeste howe well she loued hym: the whych callyng her goddes to re∣corde, sayd she loued hym more then her owne soule. wyth this answere the father beynge well contented, de¦maunded of Ragan the seconde dou¦ghter, howe well she loued hym.

To whom she answered, and affer∣mynge wyth great othes, sayde that she coude not wyth her tong expresse the great loue that she bare to hym: affermynge furthermore, that she lo¦ued hym aboue all creatures. After these pleasaūt answeres had of those two doughters, he called before hym Cordeilla y^e yongest. The whych vn∣derstādyng y^e dyssymulacyō of her .ii. susters, entēdyng to proue her fader, sayd: most reuerent fader where my ii. systers haue dyssymuled wyth the with their pleasaūt word fruteles, I knowyng y^e great loue & faderly zele, that toward me euer before this time thou hast borne (for y^e whych I may not speke to the otherwyse thē my cō¦scyence ledyth me) therfore I saye to the father I haue loued the euer as my fader, & shall cōtynually whyle I lyue, loue the as my naturall father. And yf thou wylt further be inquisy¦tyfe of the loue that I to the bere: I ascertayne the, that asmyche as thou arte worthy to be beloued / euen so myche I loue the and no more.

The fader wyth this answere be∣ynge discōtent: maryed his .ii. elder doughters, that one vnto the duke of Cornewayll, & that other vnto the duke of Albania or Scotlande & de¦uyded wyth thē two in maryage his lande of Britayne after his deth, and the one halfe in hand duryng his na¦turall lyfe. And for the thyrde Cor∣deilla reserued nothynge.

It so fortuned after / that Aganip¦pus, whych the cronycle of England named Agamp and kyng of Fraūce / harde of y^e beaute and womāhode of Cordeilla, and sent vnto her fader, & axyd her in maryage. To whome yt was answered, that the kynge wold gladly gyue to hym his doughter, but for dowar he wolde not departe with: for he had all promysed vnto hys other two doughters.

Aganippus thus by his messagy∣ers enfourmed: remembred the ver¦tues of the forenamed Cordeilla / & wythoute promesse of dowar maried the sayde Cordeilla.

But here is to be noted / y^t where this Aganippus or Agamp is called in dyuerse cronicles kyng of Fraūce: yt can not agre with other hystories, nor wyth the cronycle of Fraunce. For yt is testyfyed by Polycronica, by Peter Pictauyēce, by mayster Ro¦bert Gagwyne, by byshop Antonyne and many other cronicles: that lōge after thys daye was no kynge in Fraunce / nor longe after yt was cal¦led Frauce: but at this daye the in¦habytauntes therof were called Gal¦li, and were trybutaryes vnto Rome wythoute kynge, tyll the tyme of Ua¦lentinianus emperour of Rome / as hereafter in this worke shall be ma∣nyfestly shewed.

The storye of Britons sayth, that in the tyme that Leyr reygned in Bri¦tayne: the land of Fraunce was vn¦der the domynyon of .xii. kynges, of the whych Aganippus shuld be one. The whyche sayenge is full vnlyke to be trew, whych myght be prouyd by many reasons, which I passe ouer for length of tyme.

THE .XV. CHAPITER.

tHen yt foloweth in the story, after this Leyr was fallen in age, these forsayde two du∣kes thynkyng longe or the lordshyp of Brytayne was fallen to theyr han¦des: arrose agayne theyr father (as testifyeth Gaufryde) and beraft hym the gouernaunce of the land vppon certayne cōdycyons to be contynued for terme of lyfe: the whyche in pro∣cesse of tyme more and more were mi¦nyshyd, as well by Maglaunus as by Hēninus husbādes of the forena∣med Gonorild & Ragan. But moste

dyspleased Leyr the vnkyndnesse of his two doughters, consyderynge theyr wordes to hym before spoken and sworne / and now founde & pro∣uyd them all contrarye.

For the whyche he beyng of neces¦syte constrayned: fledde his lande, & sayled into Gallia, for to be comfor∣ted of his doughter Cordeilla, wher∣of she hauyng knowlege, of naturall kyndnesse cōforted hī: & after shew∣ynge all the maner to her husbande, by his agrement receyuyd hym & his to her lordes courte / where he was cherished after her beste maner.

Longe yt were to shew vnto you y^e circumstaunce of y^e vtterans of the vnkyndnesse of his two doughters, and of the wordes of comfort gyuen to hym by Aganippus and Cordeil¦la, or of the coūsaile and purueyaūce made by the sayde Aganippus & his lordes for restorynge of Leyr agayn to his dominyō. But fynally he was by the helpe of the sayde Aganippus restored agayne to his lordshyp / and so possessed, lyued as ruler & gouer∣nour therof by the space of .iii. yeres after. In whych season dyed Aganip¦pus. And when this Leyr had ruled this lande by the terme of .xl. yeres, as affermeth dyuerse cronycles, he dyed and was buryed at his towne of Caerleir or Leycestre: leuynge af¦ter hym for to inheryte the lande his doughter Cordeilla.

THE .XVI. CHAPITER.

COrdeilla the yongeste dough¦ter of Leyr / was by assente of the Brytons made lady of Brytayn / in the yere of y^e world .iiii. thousande iii. hundred & .lxxxxviii: the whyche guyded the lande full wysely by the tyme or space of .v. yeres complete. The whyche tyme expyred and rōne her .ii. neuewes called Margan and Cunedagi{us}, sonnes of her .ii. susters came vpon her land / and made ther∣in great waste and destruccyon / and at the laste toke her and cast her into a stronge pryson / where she beynge dyspayred of y^e recouery of her estate (as testyfyeth Gaufryde) slewe her selfe, whenne she hadde reygned as before is declared, by the terme of fyue yeres.

THE .XVII. CHAPITER.

CUnedagius and Marganus neuewes as before is sayde, of Cordeilla, departyd this lande of Brytayne betwene them, in the yere of the worlde .iiii. thousand .iiii. hun¦dred and .iii. That is to wyt the coū¦trey ouer and beyond Humber fyll to Margan towarde Catenessey: and the other parte of the lande towarde weste as reherseth Gaufride, fyll to Cunedagius.

After two yeres were ronne & en∣ded / some euyll dysposyd came vnto Margan, and sayde, that to hym yt was great reproche and dyshonour (consyderynge that he was comen of Gonorilla the elder suster, & of Ma¦glaunus her husbande / & Cunedag was descended of Ragan the yonger and Hemnius her husbande) that he had not y^e rule of all y^e land: to which sedycyous {per}sons Margan gyuynge credence, was supprysed with pryde and couetyse / and anon by theyr coū¦sayle assembled a great hoste & made warre vpon his sayde brother / bren∣nynge and destroyeng his land with out mercy. wherof Cunedag beynge ware, in all hast gaderyd his people: & after certayne message sent to hym of the reconcylyacyon / seynge there was no peace to be made, but by the iudgement of batayll, he mette wyth his brother in playne felde: where y^e goddes were to hym so fauourable, that he slewe myche of the people of

his brother, and cōpellyd hym to fle. After whyche vyctory thus had, he pursued Margan from coūtre to coū¦tre, tyll he came wythin the countre or prouynce of Cambria or walys: in the whyche coūtre the sayde Mar¦gan gaue one other batayll vnto his brother Cunedag: but for he was farre the weker, he there was ouerco¦men and slayne in the felde. whyche felde or coūtre, where the sayd Mar¦gan fought & was slayne, is to thys daye called Glaumargan / whych is to meane in our vulgare tung, Mar¦gan lande. And thus was Margan slayne, whan he hadde regned wyth his brother two yeres.

THE .XVIII. CHAPITER.

CUnedagius before named the sonne of Hemnius and Ra∣gan yōger doughter or myddell dou¦ghter of Leyr, was made ruler and lorde of all Brytayne, in the yere of the worlde .iiii. thousande .iiii. hun∣dred & .v. Of the whyche is nothyng worthy memorye lefte in wrytyng: but that he guyded y^e lande after the deth of his brother well and honora¦bly by the terme of .xxxiii. yeres. After which terme ended, he dyed and was buryed at Troynouant or London: leuynge for his heyre a sonne (as te∣styfyeth Gaufryde) named Riuallo or Rinallo / or after some wryters Reyngnolde.

THE .XIX. CHAPITER.

BIuallus the sonne of Cune∣dagius, was made gouer∣noure of the Brytons / in the yere of the world .iiii. thousand .iiii. hundred and .xxxviii: the whyche of wryters is called fortunat and restfull. This Riuallus ruled y^e Brytōs with great sobernesse, & kepte the lande in great welthe and prosperyte / all be yt that of hym is lefte no specyall memorye of acte done in his tyme / except myn authour sayth, that in y^e tyme of his, reygne yt reyned blood by the space of .iii. days contynually wythin the lande of Brytayne. After the whych reyne ensued so great excedynge nō∣ber of multitude of flyes / the which were to the people so noyous and cō¦tagyous, that they slewe myche peo¦ple. And after that (as sayth an olde authour, whose name is vnknowē) ensued great sykenesse and mortally¦tie, to the great desolacyon of thys sayde lande.

Then yt foloweth in the story, whē this Riuallus hadde reygned, after moste cōcordaunce of writers, by the terme of .xlvi. yeres: he dyed, & was buryed, as testyfyeth the sayde olde authour, at Caerbrank or yorke / le∣uynge after hym a sonne (as wytnes∣syth Gaufride) named Gurgustius.

In the tyme of the reygne of thys kynge, after moste concorde of wry∣ters: y^e famous cytye of Rome shuld be buylded / as is shewed more playn¦ly in the treatyse in the begynnyng of this warke.

THE .XX. CHAPITER.

GUrgustius the sonne of y^e fore named Riuallus, was made ruler of Brytayne / in the yere of the worlde .iiii. thousane .iiii. hundred lxxxiii. This in y^e cronicle of Englād is named Gorbodiam sonne of Reyg¦nold, Of the which is lytell memory made, other of his regne or of his de∣des by any authours or wryters of y^e hystorye of Brytayne / excepte the a∣boue named olde authoure, and the authoure called the floure of hysto∣ryes, wytnessyth, that he reygned xxxviii. yeres: leuynge after hym none heyre of his bodye begotten / and lastely dyed and was buryed by his fader at Caerbrank or yorke.

Rome as aboue ys towched, was fyrst buylded & edyfyed in the tyme

of Riuallus / and after moste writers In the yere of the worlde .iiii. thou∣sande .iiii. hundred .lxx: after the buyl¦dyng of Troynouāt or London .iiii. hūdred .vii. yeres: whych folowyng that accompte shulde be in the .xxxii. yere of the forsayde Riuallus.

THE .XXI. CHAPITER.

SIsillius, or after some wry∣ters, Siluius the brother of Gurgustius, as affermeth the fore∣sayde olde cronycle, was made chyef ruler of Brytayne / in the yere of the worlde .iiii. thousande .v. hundred and .xxi.

This in y^e englyshe boke is named Seyzill. Of the whych is no mency∣on made nother of his reygne nor de¦des, excepte that Geffrey of Mon∣mouth wryter of y^e hystoryes of Bry¦tons, sayth that he reygned two ye∣res. whyche sayenge is not accor∣daunte wyth other wryters. But more to the cōuenyency of tyme and agrement of other cronyclers, accor∣dyng to the sayeng of the forenamed old authour: he reygned by y^e terme of .xlix. yeres / and after dyed & was buryed at Caerbadon or Bathe / and lefte after hym none heyre of his bo¦dye begotten.

THE .XXII. CHAPITER.

IAgo or Lago / y^e cosyne of Gur¦gustius, as wytnesseth Gau∣fryde, as nexte inherytoure, was made gouernour of Britayne / in the yere of the worlde .iiii. thousande .v. hundred .lxx. This also ys vnmyn∣ded of wryters, other for restfulnesse of tyme, or ellys for rudenesse of his dedes, that clerkes lyste not to spēde any tyme in wrytynge of such dedes. Of hym is nothynge specyfyed, sa∣uynge the forenamed olde authoure ioyneth to his tyme of reygne .xxv. ye¦res: and also he sayth he dyed wyth∣oute issue, and was buryed by hys cosyn at Caerbrank or yorke.

THE .XXIII. CHAPITER

BInimacus the sonne of Sisil¦li{us} as some wryters haue, but more verytably as sayth the olde cro¦nycle, y^e brother of Lago, was made ruler of Brytayne / in the yere of the world .iiii. thousand .iiii. hūdred .lxxx and xv: the whyche (as his brother before hym) passed his tyme without any notable actes or dedes: so that of hym is no more memorye made, thē of his brother. For the more par∣ty they that wrote the faytes & dedes of Brytons, make but a shorte reher¦sayll of these .v. kynges / y^t is to saye, from Ryuallo to Gorbodug / sayeng that after Ryuallo succedyd Gurgu¦stius / after hym succedyd Lago, to Lago succedyd Kinimacus / & after Kinimacus succeded Gorbodug. Of these .v. kynges or rulers is made ly¦tell other mencyon. Thenne yt fo∣loweth in the sayd olde cronicle / that when this Kinimacus had reygned liiii. yeres: he dyed and was buryed by his brother at Caerbrāk or york: leuynge after hym a sonne, as testy∣fyeth Flos historiarū / whych sonne was named Gorbodug.

THE .XXIIII. CHAPITER.

GOrbodug the sonne of Kini∣mac{us}, was made ruler of Bry¦tayne / in the yere of the worlde fo∣lowynge the foresayde accompt .iiii. thousande .v. hundred and .xlix. whych all so passed his tyme lyke vn¦to the forenamed dukes or kynges / wythout any specyall memory of ho∣nour noted by writers. This by most lykelyhode to brynge historyes to ac¦corde: shulde reygne ouer the Bry∣tons the terme of .lxiii. yeres. whych terme endyd, he dyed and lyeth bu∣ryed at new Troy or Lōdon / leuyng

after hym two sonnes named Ferrex and Porrex / or after some wryters Ferreus and Porreus.

THE .XXV. CHAPITER.

FErrex wyth Porrex hys bro∣ther, sonnes of Gorbodug: were ioyntly made gouernours and dukes of Britayne / in the yere of the worlde foure thousande .vii. hun∣dred and .xi / and contynued in amy¦tye a certayne tyme. After whyche tyme expyred, as witnessyth Policro¦nica and also Gaufride, Porrex be∣ynge couetouse of lordeshyp: gade∣ryd his peple, vnwetynge Ferrex his brother / entendynge to destroy hym. wherof he beynge warned, for lacke of space to assemble his people / for sa¦uegard of his persone, fled sodeynly into Gallia or Fraūce, and axyd ayd of a duke of Gallia named by Gau∣fryde Gunhardus or Suardus: the the whych duke hym ayded and sent hym agayne into Brytayne with his hoste of Gallis. After whose lādynge his brother Porrex with his Brytōs hym mete, and gaue to hym batayll: in the whyche batayll Ferrex was slayne with y^e more part of his peple.

But here dyscordeth myn authour wyth some other wryters, and wyth the cronycle of Englande: for they te¦styfye, that Porrex was slayne, and Ferrex suruyuyd. But whether of them was lyuyng, the moder of these two brethern named widen settynge a parte all moderly pytye: with help of her women entred the chambre (of hym so lyuynge) by nyght / and hym there slepynge slew cruelly, and cut into small peces. And thus dyed the two foresayde bretherne / after they had thus ruled Brytayne in warre and peace to the agrement of moste wryters .v. yeres.

THE .XXVI. CHAPITER.

HEre now endeth the lyne or of sprynge of Brute / after the affermaunce of moste wryters. For Gaufride saith after the deth of these forenamed bretherne / great discorde arose amonge the Brytons / y^• which longe tyme among them continued: by meane wherof the people and coū¦tre was sore vexed and noyed vnder v. kynges. And further saith Guydo de Columna, that the Brytons ab∣horred the lynage of Gorbodug / for so myche as fyrste that one brother slew that other / and more for the in∣naturall dysposycyon of the morder, that so cruelly slew her owne chylde.

The cronycle of Englande sayth, that after the deth of the two forena¦med bretherne / no ryghtfull enhery∣tour was lefte on lyue. wherfore the the people were brought in great dis¦corde / in so myche that the land was deuydyd in foure partyes. So that in Albania was one ruler / in Loe∣gria or Logiers one other ruler / in Cambria the thyrde duke or ruler / & in Cornewayle the .iiii. duke or ru∣ler. But of these .iiii. dukes the en∣glish cronicle alloweth Cloton̄ duke of Cornewayll for moste ryghtefull heyre.

Policronyca sayth that after y^e deth of the foresayde two bretherne, great dyscorde was in the lande / whyche greuyd the people sore vnder .v. kyn¦ges. But he nother reheseth the na∣mes nor the tymes of theyr regnes / excepte he addeth to, that the sayde dyscorde contynued tyll the tyme of Moliuncius Dumuallo. So y^t here appereth no tyme certayn, how lōge this varyaunce and dyscorde amōg the Brytons contynued. But who so lyst to loke vpon a draught made by me in english in y^e beginnyng of this boke: he shall se there (yf he please to

caste ouer the tymes and yeres there expressed) that this forsayde discorde contynued nere to the terme of .li. ye∣res. In whyche draught or conceyte yf any man here fynde erroure: of his goodnes lette hym amende & cor¦recte yt / and all other places where he shall by good profe fynde place of correccyon.

THE XXVII. CHAPITER.

THus here endyth y^e fyrst parte of this worke, conteynynge or dyuyded in .vii. partes, as before is shewed. And in a waye of a thank to be gyuen to our moste blessyd ad∣uocate & helper of all wretches, that to her lyste to call / I meane y^e moste blessyd vyrgyne our lady saynt Ma¦ry moder of Cryste / for y^t her grace hath fortheryd this worke hytherto / and for to impetrate of her the grace and ayde of her moste mercyfull con¦tynuaūce to accomplysh this worke begonne as before is shewed, vnder supporte of her most boūteous grace here wyll I wyth humble mynde sa∣lute her wyth the fyrste ioye of y^e .vii. ioyes whych begynneth,

Gaude flore virginali &c. Moste virgynall floure of all moste excellent Persynge of angelles the hyest Hierarchy Ioye and be glad, for god omnipotent Hath the lyft vp, and sette moste worthily Aboue the nomber and gloryous company Of his blessyd sayntes, wyth moste hye dignite Nexte after hym moste honoured to be.

This fyrst parte to be accompted from the fyrste yere of Brute, vnto the laste yere of the foresayde dys∣corde, or vnto the fyrste yere of Mul∣mutius: includyth of yeres .vii. hun¦dred and foure.

¶Thus endeth the fyrste parte