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 .LXXII. CHAPITER.

MAximian{us} or Maximi{us} y^e son of Leonine & cosyn Germayn of Constantyne the great / was made kynge of Bryton, in the yere of oure lorde .iii. hundred .lxxx. and .ii. Thys in the englyshe boke is named Maxi¦mian / the whych as testyfyeth Gau∣fryde and other, was stalworth and myghty of his handes.

But for he was cruell and pursued somdele the cristen: he therfore of all wryters is called Maximian{us} the ty¦rant. Attwene this & Conan before named, was stryfe and debate / and dyuers conflyctes attwene thē was foughten, in the whyche eyther of them spedde dyuersly / all be yt that lastely they were made frendes. So that Maximian{us} reygned a season in quyete, and gaderyd rychesse, & trea¦sour not all wyth out grudge. Laste¦ly he was moued & exyted to warre vpon the Galles / thorow whych coū¦cell he wyth a great hoste of Brytōs sayled into Armorica that now is cal¦led lytell Brytayne / and bare hym so knyghtly, that he subdued that coun¦tre vnto his lordshyp / & after gaue the sayde countre to Conan Merya¦dok, to hold of hym and of the kynge{is} of great Brytayn for euer. And then commaunded the sayde lande to be called lytell Brytayne.

For this vyctory his knyghtes pro¦clamed hym emperour. where tho∣rough he beynge the more exaltyd in pryde / passed farther in the landes of the emprye, & vyctoryously subdued a great parte of Gallia or Fraunce, and all Germania. For thys dede / dyuers authours accompt hym false and periuryd. wherfore yt shulde seme that before his departynge frō Rome, he was sworne vnto Gracian and Ualentynyane emperours, that he shuld neuer after clayme any part of the empyre. And also for the bre∣kynge of this othe / he was after cha¦lengyd or blamed of saynt Martyne byshop of Turon. To whom he an∣swered that he was compelled of his knyghtes to take vppon hym as em¦perour / or ellys he shuld of thē haue ben slayne. Neuerthelesse the sayde byshoppe shewed vnto hym, that for his vntrouth he shuld not longe pro¦spere or reygne.

After that worde was brought vn¦to the emperours, that Maximian{us} had wyth harde bataylles thus sub∣dued Gallia and Germania: Gra∣cian{us} wyth a great hoste came down to resyste hym. But when he harde of y^e marciall dedes of Maximian{us} / he was a drade and fled backe to the citye of Lugdun or Lyōs in Fraūce. where after the sayde Gracian{us} was slayne / and his brother Ualentinian was compelled to flee to Constan∣tyne the noble. Then Maximian{us} to haue the more strength to wythstāde his enimyes: made his sonne named Uictour felowe of the emperour. In

this whyle that Maximian{us} warred thus in Italy: Conan Meryadoke, to whom as before is sayde Maximi¦an{us} had gyuen the land of lytell Bry¦tayne / for so mych as he & his knygh¦tes had no wyll to mary the dough∣ters of Frenschmen, but rather to haue wyues of theyr owne blood: therfore this Conan sent messagers vnto Dionotus then duke of Corne¦wayll, and chyfe ruler of Brytayne / wyllynge hym to sende his dough∣ter Ursula wyth a certayne nomber of virgyns, to be coupled to hym & to his knightes in maryage. The which soone after prepared accordyng y^e re∣quest of Conan, the foresayd Ursula accōpanyed wyth .xi. thousande vyr∣gyns, and were sent by her sayde fa∣ther towarde lytell Brytayne / as wit¦nesseth the englyshe cronycle, Gau∣fryde, and also Policronica.

But yt shuld appere by the sayeng of Antoninus, Iacob{us} Philippus, and other writers / that this Ursula with her company shulde not be sent forth of mych Brytayne, nor maryed aboute this tyme / but in the tyme of Marcianus beynge emperoure / the whyche began his empyre after most accorde of wryters, in the yere of our lord .iiii. hundred & .li. Of the martyr¦dome of these maydens dyuers au∣thours wryte dyuersly. wherfore I remytte them that wyll haue farther vnderstādyng in this mater, vnto y^e legende of saynts redde yerely in the chyrche, where they maye be suffycy¦enly taught and enformed.