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

THE .LXXI. CHAPITER.

OCtaui{us} duke of y^e Iessis, other∣wyse westsaxons / beganne his reygne ouer the Brytons, in the yere of our lorde .iii. hundred .xxix. This in the englyshe boke is called Octa∣uian / the whych as testyfyeth Gau∣fryde, gaderyd in shorte whyle after so great plentye of treasoure and ry∣chesse, that he feryd no man / and ru¦led this lande in peasyble wyse. So that of hym or of his actes is left ly∣tell memorye / excepte that when he was fallen into age, by the counsayll of Brytons he sent vnto Rome for a noble yonge man of the aliy of He∣leyne, moder vnto Constantyne cal¦led Maximian{us}, as after more playn¦ly shalbe shewed: all be yt that some aduysed hym to make one Conan Meryadok his cosyne, kynge after hym. But by the instāt labour of Ca¦radok then duke of Cornewayll / Oc¦tauius lastly sent vnto Rome Mau∣ryce the sonne of the forenamed Ca∣radok / to brynge or conuey the sayd Maximianus into Brytayne, for to mary the onely doughter of Octaui∣us / and by reason therof, to enioy y^e realme of Brytayne. This Maximi¦an{us} is of some auctour named Maxi¦mius / the whych as wytnessyth Gau¦fride, was the sonne of Leonyne, bro¦ther to Heleyne, and vncle vnto Cō¦stantyne the great. whych saynge af∣fermeth also Iacobus Philipp{us} au∣thour of a boke called Supplemen∣tum cronicarum / wherin he nameth the sayde Maximianus a knyght of the Bryton blood.

Then it foloweth, when the forena¦med Maurice had spedde his nedes, so y^t he came to the presence of Maxi¦mian{us}, & shewed theffecte of his Mes¦sage: the sayd Maximianus to hym graunted, & in all haste prepared for his voyage into Brytayne / & shortly after with cōuenient cūpany landed at Southampton. wherof beynge warned Conan Meryadok: he wyth a certayne of knyghtes of his affiny¦tye, was purposed to haue frayed with the sayd Maximian{us}, & to haue destressed hym / for so mych as he wel knewe, that by hym he shuld be pu•• from the rule of the lande. But thys

purpose was let by the commaunde∣ment of the kynge or otherwyse, so y^t the sayd Maximianus was cōueyed safely to the kynges presence, & short¦ly after wyth consent of the more par¦tye of his lordes, gaue his doughter vnto the sayde Maximianus wyth possessyon of this yle of Brytayne. The whyche mariage solemnysed & endyd, the sayde Octaui{us} dyed short¦ly after. But howe long he reygned, none of the foresayde authours testy¦stye / excepte dyuers of them agre, y^t he contynued his reygne tyll y^e tyme that Gracyan and Ualentinyan ru∣led the empyre / the whyche beganne to reygne the yere of our lorde .iii. hū¦dred .lxxx. and .ii. By whyche reason yt muste folowe, that the sayd Octa¦uius reygned at the leest .liiii. yeres.