The firste [laste] volume of the chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande conteyning the description and chronicles of England, from the first inhabiting vnto the conquest : the description and chronicles of Scotland, from the first original of the Scottes nation till the yeare of our Lorde 1571 : the description and chronicles of Yrelande, likewise from the first originall of that nation untill the yeare 1571 / faithfully gathered and set forth by Raphaell Holinshed.

Leir the .10. Ruler.

[illustration]

LEir the son of Baldud, was admitted Ruler ouer the Britaynes,* 1.1 in the yeere of the world .3105. at [ 50] what time Io∣as raigned as yet in Iuda.

This Leir was a Prince of righte noble demeanor, gouer∣ning his land and subiects in great wealth.

* 1.2Hee made the towne of Caerleir nowe called Leicester, which standeth vpon y^e Riuer of Sore. It is writtē that he had by his wife three daugh∣ters without other issue, whose names were Go∣norilla, R•…•…gan, and C•…•…rdilla, whiche daughters he greatly loued, but specially the yongest Cor∣deilla farre aboue the two elder.* 1.3 When this 〈◊〉〈◊〉 therefore was come to great yeeres, and beganne to 〈…〉〈…〉 through age, he thought to vn∣derstand the affections of his daughters towards him, and preferre hir whome hee best loued,* 1.4 to the succession ouer the kingdome•…•… therefore hee firste asked Gonorilla the eldest, howe well shee loued him: the which calling hir Gods to record, prote∣sted, that she loued him more than hir owne life, which by righte and reason shoulde be most deere vnto hir. With whiche answer the father ••••••yng well pleased, turned to the second, and demanded of hir how well she loued him whiche answered (confirming hir saying•…•… with greate othes) that she loued him more than t•…•…ng could expresse, and farre aboue all other creatures of the world. Thē called he his yongest daughter Cordeilla before him, and asked of hir what accompt she made of him:* 1.5 vnto whome she made this answer as follo∣weth: Knowing the great loue and fatherly zeale that towards me you haue always borne, (for the whiche I may not answere you otherwise than I thinke, and as my cōscience leadeth me) I pro∣test vnto you, that I haue loued you euer, and shall continually while I liue, loue you as my naturall father, and if you woulde more vnder∣stand of the loue that I beare you, assertayn your selfe, that so much as you haue, so muche you are worth, and so much I loue you, and no more. The father being nothing content with this an∣swere, married his two eldest daughters,* 1.6 the one vnto the Duke of Cornewale named Henninus, and the other vnto the Duke of Albania, called Maglanus and betwixt them after his death, hee willed and ordeyned that his land should be deui∣ded, and the one halfe thereof immediately should be assigned to them in hande: but for the thirde daughter Cordeilla, he reserued nothing.

Yet it fortuned, that one of the Princes of Gallia (which now is called France) whose name was Aganippus, hearing of the beautie, woman∣hoode, and good conditions of the sayd Cordeilla, desired to haue hir in marriage, and sente ouer to hir father, requiring that he myghte haue hir to wife: to whome aunswere was made, that hee mighte haue hys daughter, but for any dower hee coulde haue none, for all was promised and as∣sured to hir other sisters already.

Aganippus notwithstanding this aunswere of denyall to receyue any thyng by way of do∣wer with Cordeilla, toke hir to wife, only moued thereto (I saye) for respecte of hir person and amiable vertues.* 1.7 Thys Aganippus was one of the twelue Kyngs that ruled Gallia

in those dayes, as in the Brittish historie it is re∣corded. But to proceede, after that Leir was fal∣len into age, the two Dukes that had married his two eldest daughters, thinking long ere the go∣uernemente of the land did come to their handes, arose against him in armour, & rest from him the gouernance of the land, vpō conditions to be cō∣tinued for tearme of life: by y^e whiche he was put to his portion, that is, to liue after a rate assigned to him for the maintenance of his estate, whyche [ 10] in proces of time was diminished as well by Magbanus, as by Henninus. But the greatest griefe that Leir toke, was to see the vnkindnesse of his daughters, which seemed to thinke that all was too much which their father hadde, the same being neuer so little: in so muche, that going from y^e one to y^e other, he was brought to that miserie, that vnneth would they allow him one seruaunt to waite vpon him. In the end such was the vn∣kindnesse, or (as I may saye) the vnnaturalnesse [ 20] which he founde in his two daughters, notwith∣standing their faire & pleasante wordes vttered in time past, that being constreyned of necessitie, he fled y^e land, & sayled into Gallia, there to seke some comfort of his yōgest daughter Cordeilla whom before time he hated. The Lady Cordeill hearing y^t he was arriued in pore estate, she first sēt to him priuily a certayne summe of money to apparrell himselfe withal, & to reteyne a certayn number of seruants that mighte attende vpon him in hono∣rable [ 30] wise, as apperteyned to the estate whiche he had borne: and then so accompanyed, she appoin∣ted him to come to y^e Court, which he did, & was so ioyfully, honorably, and louingly receiued, both by his son in law Aganippus, & also by his daugh¦ter Cordeilla, that his hart was greatly comfor∣ted: For he was no lesse honored, than if he hadde bin king of y^e whole countrey himselfe. Also after y^t he had enformed his son in law & his daughter in what sort he had bin vsed by his other daugh∣ters, [ 40] Aganippus caused a mightie army to be put in a readinesse, & likewise a greate nauie of Ships to bee rigged, to passe ouer into Britayne with Leir his father in law, to see him againe restored to his kingdome. It was accorded, that Cordeil∣la should also goe with him to take possession of y^e land▪ y^t whche he promised to leaue vnto hir, as hir rightfull inheritour after his decesse, notwith∣standing any former graunte made to hir sisters or to their husbāds in any manner of wise. Here∣vpō, [ 50] whē this army & nauie of Ships wer ready, Leir & his daughter Cordeilla w^t hir husbād toke y^e sea, & arriuing in Britaine, fought w^t their eni∣mies, and discomfited them in battaile, in y^e whi∣che Maglanus & Henninus were slaine: and then was Leir restored to his kingdome, which he ru∣led after this by the space of two yeeres, and then died, fortie yeres after he first began to raigne. His body was buried at Leycester in a vault vnder y^e channel of the Riuer of Sore beneath the towne.* 1.8

Notes

• * 1.1

  Leir. Mat. VVest.
• * 1.2

  Mat. VVest. Leycester is builded.
• * 1.3

  Gal. Mo•…•….
• * 1.4

  A trial of loue.
• * 1.5

  The answere of the yongest daughter.
• * 1.6

  The two el∣dest daugh∣ters are mar∣ried.

  The Realme is promised to his two daughters.
• * 1.7

  He gouerned the third parte of Gallia as Gal. Mon. hath
• * 1.8

  〈…〉〈…〉