The chronicles of England from Brute vnto this present yeare of Christ. 1580. Collected by Iohn Stow citizen of London.

HOnorius, the sonne of Theodosius, succéeded in the Em∣pire,* 1.1 in whose time Pelagius, a Brytaine borne, disparckled the venome of his faithlesse Doctrine very farre abroade, holding, that a man might liue well without the help of the grace of God: vsing héerein the ayde of Iulianus of Campania, who was intemperately stirred with the losse of his Bishop∣rike, to whome Saint Austen, and other Fathers also haue answered in most ample maner, but yet they would not be a∣mended thereby, but being conuicted of their falsehoode, they rather would encrease it by defending and maynteyning it, than amend it by returning to the truth.

This time Marcus was chosen Emperoure by the Soul∣dyoures* 1.2 in Brytaine, fearing the inuasion of the Vandales, but immediately they slewe him, and elected Gratianus, whome also they murthered within foure monethes.

Then Constantine, a Souldiour of base estate, onely vp∣on confidence of his name, was elected héere Emperoure, who passing hence into France, with all the youth of Brytaine, gote all the men of warre there to take part with him. Ho∣norius sent therefore Sarus to withstand him, who in a fough∣ten field slew Iustinian, Constantines Captayne, and so pur∣sued Constantine, that he made him take Valentia, wherein he sharply beséeged him, vntill Gerentias with his Brytaines, and Edebrichus with the francks raysed the séege.

Then Constantine fortifyed the Alpes, and Rhene with Garrisons, sent Constans his sonne (whome of a Monke he had made a Caesar) with a great Armie into Spayne, where he tooke, and afterward slew certayne noble personages a••lyed to Honorius, and returning to his Father, left Gerontius to gouerne Spayne. Constantius himselfe then craued pardon of Honorius for vsurping the Empire, saying, that he did it by compulsion, which when Honorius heard, he so wel liked, that he sent an Imperiall Roabe vnto him.

In these troubles, Brytaine was greatly endangered by Pictes and Scottes, and sued to Honorius for succoure, but he sending them only Letters, willed them to looke to their

owne state. Shortly after Constance, that was Monke, was slayne by Gerontius his owne Captayne, at Vienna in France: and Constantine himselfe being beséeged at Arles by Honorius Souldiers, entred into holy orders, and fled into the Church, thinking thereby to saue himselfe, but was dra∣wen out from thence, and slayne. Gerontius who had tray∣terously killed his Maister, was besette rounde aboute with* 1.3 Spanyards in his Lodging, wherefore he first slew Allanus his tryed friend, then Nunichia his wife, and lastly himselfe, and now Honorius recouered Brytaine. In his time (saith Beade)* 1.4 Rome was destroyed of the Gothes, the 1164. yeare after it was buylded: after which time the Romanes left to rule in Bri∣taine, after almost 470. yeares, that Iulius Caesar first entered the sayd Ile. The Romanes dwelt within y^e french, which as we haue sayd, Seuerus drew ouerthwart y^e Iland at y^e South part, which thing may appeare by y^e Cities, Temples, Brid∣ges, & paued stréetes to this day remayning, notwithstāding they had in possession, & vnder their dominiō y^• farther parts of Britaine, and also the Ilands which are about Brytaine. By meanes (as is afore sayd) y^e Romanes had vsed to trāsport with them ouer into France the floure of al the youth of Brytaine, to serue thē in their foraigne warres, their men of warre were consumed, & was not now able to defende thēselues against the inuasions of their enimies: wherevpon many yeares to∣gither they liued vnder the oppression of two most cruel Na∣tions, the Scottes, & Pictes, which were of y^e circuite of Britaine, but deuided from the lande of Britaine by two armes of the Sea, running betwixt them, of the which one from the East Sea, the other from the Weast, runneth in farre and wide into the land, though they may one reake to the other. In the middle of the East créeke, there is a Citie builded called Guidi. Aboue the Weast créeke toward the right hand stan∣deth a Citie called Alcluith, which in their language is as* 1.5 much to say, as the Rocke Cluith, for it standeth by a Floud of the fame name. The Britaines then being thus afflicted by the said nations, sent their Embassadors with Letters vnto

Rome, with lamentable supplications, requiring of them ayd and succour, promising them their continuall fealtie, so that they would rescue thē against y^e oppression of their enimies: wherevpon there was sent vnto them a legiō of armed soul∣diers from Rome, which comming into the Iland, & encoun∣tring with the enimies, ouerthrew a great number of them, & draue the rest out of the frontiers of the countrey, & so setting them at liberty, & frée from the miserie with which they were before so gréeuously ouercharged, counselled them to make a wall betwéene the two Seas, which might be of force to kéep out their euill neyghbours: and y^t done, they returned home with great triumph. But the Britaines building y^• wall which they were bid to make, not of stone as they were willed, but of turffe, as hauing none amōg thē that had skil therin, made it so slender, y^• it serued thē to little purpose. This wall they made betwene y^e two said armes or créekes of the Sea, many miles long, that where the fence of the water lacked, there by the help of y^e trench they might kéepe their country from y^• breaking in of their enimies, of which péece of worke, there remayneth euen vnto this day most assured tokens yet to be séene. This trench beginneth about two miles frō the mona∣stery of Abercuring, in a place which in the Pictes language is called Penuahil, and in English is called Panwell, and running* 1.6 out Westward, is ended by the City of Alcluith. But the for∣mer enimies, whē they had once perceiued y^t the Romane Le∣gion was returned home againe, forthwith being set on land by boates, inuaded the borders, ouercame y^e countrey, & as it were beate downe all before thē: whervpon Embassadors be sent again to Rome, beséeching thē they would not suffer their miserable countrey to be vtterly destroyed. Againe, there is sent another legion, which cōming vpon a suddaine, made a great slaughter of y^• enimies, & chased thē ouer into their own country. Then y^e Romanes told the Britaines, y^t it was not their ease to take any more such trauellous iourneys for their de∣fence, and therefore bade thē to practise their armoure them∣selues, and learne to withstand their enimies.

They builded vp a Wall of hard stone from Sea to Sea, right betwéene the two Cities, whiche there were made to kéepe out the Enimie, in the selfesame place where Seuerus before had cast his Trench with publike and priuate char∣ges: the Brytaines also putting too their helping handes, they then builded it eyght foote broade, and twelue foote high, right as it were by a line, from East, to Weast, as it doth to this day appeare, which being perfected, they giue the people straight warning to looke well to themselues, they teach them to handle their weapen, and instruct them in warlike feates. Also by the Sea side Southward, where their Shippes lay at harbor, least their Enimies should land there aboutes, they made vp Bulwarkes along, one some∣what distant from another, and this done, bid them farewel,* 1.7 as minded no more to returne. At this time almost all the treasure of Brytaine was hidde vnder ground, or transported ouer into France.

As soone as they were gone, the Scottes and Pictes hauing intelligence that they had made promise they woulde come no more, they taking heart of grace, returne agayne to their businesse: and first, all that was without the wall, they tooke for their owne. After that, they giue assault vnto the wall, where the Britaynes were with Graples pulled downe, and otherwise so assaulted, that they leauing both the Cities and the wall also, were dispersed and put to flight, the enimies following, killed and slayed more cruelly, than euer they did before, wherevpon being driuen out of their owne hou∣ses, and possessions, they fall a robbing and spoyling one the other of them, so farre foorth, that all the whole Countrey was brought to that exigent, that they had none other suste∣nance, but that they gote by hunting, and killing of wilde Beastes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  365 Bede. Pelagius Heresie.
• * 1.2

  L••zi••••••.
• * 1.3

  Nicephorus.
• * 1.4

  Beade.
• * 1.5

  Alcluith.
• * 1.6

  Penuahil.
• * 1.7

  Gildas Sapiens.