A tale of tvvo swannes VVherein is comprehended the original and increase of the riuer Lee commonly called Ware-riuer: together, with the antiquitie of sundrie places and townes seated vpon the same. Pleasant to be read, and not altogether vnprofitable to bee vnderstood. By W.V.

TO HIS BELOUED FATHER IOHN Valans, W. U. wisheth the grace of God with health and prosperitie.

THe dutie (deare Father) I owe vn∣to you, the regard of my promise, to∣gether with the remēbrance of your reasonable request, doo not a litle mooue me to write a few words con∣cerning the matter whereof, at my being with you last, we•…•…th cer∣taine of our friendes talked, A•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉 am well assured that you re•…•…∣member what a styr N. B. kept, when I said that shippe•…•… had bene at Ware, affyrming, how it was vnpossible that that riuer which but of late was scarce able to beare a smal whyrrie, shold in times past beare: big and mighty ships. Truly his wordes were many & great, but his reasons were smal. And since that, at that time I promised to send you in a letter a plaine and eui∣dent prooffe of those words which there I vttered, I doubt not but in these few lines fully to satisfie, not only your request, but also your mind, and confirme you in that opinion which fewe men (vnlesse such as be altogether ignorant of the matter, and of the place) wil denie. And for so much as the cause for which the ships went thether, and what they did there, then will I plainly prooue both by auchoritie and examples, that it is like∣y that they were ther. Lastly, I wil (as my promise was) shew you about what time and by whome Ware was builded.

That Shippes haue bene at Ware

THe Danes (who as Polidor Virgill saith) dwelled in olde time beyond Ister, but now be they inhabitants of the Ger∣mane Ocean or Denmark, perceiuing how that their Coun∣try was ouermuch pressed with the great multitude of people y^t in habited y^e same, determined to subdue the land, to driue out y^e

Englishmen, and to plant themselues and th•…•…ir posterity for e∣uer 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the same: for perfourming and accomplishing. whereof, they armed great store of chosen souldiers: who about the yeare 832. in 34. shippes entered the riuer of Thames, landed by great force, spoiled, fired, & wasted the country so far, that Eg∣bert who then was king of the more part of England, was fame with an hoast of men to succour and relieue h•…•…s d•…•…stressed subiectes. But such was the will of God for the punishment of sinne that then was rise, that the kinge ioining battaile with the Danes, was by them discomfited and put to flight. After this batt•…•…ile, the Danes were so encouraged, that they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 out of the•…•…e countrie like f•…•…armes of Bees, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 that if 〈◊〉〈◊〉 one weeke there were fiue thousand of thei•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉, yet in the werke following ther would come eight thousand more to supply their roomes. They were oftentime discomfited, and the greater part of them driuen b•…•…ke by diuers •…•…akant kinges and princes, bu•…•… yet by reason of their often arriuall, therr force was still in∣creased and maintained. One while they arriued in one place, & then in another, spoiling, burning, & killing all they could come by. I•…•… were too long to tell, and verie grieuous it is to thinke how religion was decaied, learning forgotten, all partes & quar∣ters of the Realme wasted and spoiled: howe cities, townes, churches, abbe•…•…s & religious •…•…ouses were consumed with fire & flame, how miserablie the Commons were afflicted, how piti∣fully men, women and children, and all fortes of people went to wracke, how wonderfully the kinges themselues were amased, the con•…•…ing of their enemies being both suddaine and violent: how cr•…•…elly fire and sword, famine and death raged thorow out the land heauen and earth intending as it were the fatall destru∣ction and vtter dcay of the realme. This miserie continued the space of 300 and ddde yeares, within which yeares, namely a∣bout the yeare of our Lord 217 the 23 yeare of King▪ Alfreds r•…•…ns a great armie of Danes hauing re•…•…eiued an ouerthrow at a place ca•…•…ed Bu•…•…tington beside Seuethe, fled into east Eng∣land, and there wintered, and prepared a great hoast againe out of Northumberland and other places, leauing there their wiues and children, together with their money, shippes and munition,

in east England, and with great speed got to the Citie of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 (which at that •…•…e was de•…•…late, the inhab•…•…tes ha∣uing for feare of the Danes forsa•…•…en it) or euer king Alfred & Ethered the vnder king with their armies could ouertake the•…•…. And yet such was the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 that king Alfred 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉this purs•…•…, that or euer his enem•…•…es had 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉〈◊〉, he w•…•…th h•…•…s companie tooke a great deale of their c•…•…riage with all the boo∣ties of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and other thinges that they in their iourney by robbing and spoyling had obtained and driuen away. Hee also besieged the citie two or three daies, but perce•…•…uing it woulde finally auaile, he was fa•…•…ne (a grieuous thing to heare) to burn vp the greatest pate of the corne that grewe there aboutes and bestow the rest amongst his horses, least his enemies shoulde haue the fruit and commoditie thereof. The Danes perceiuing that, and seeing there was nothing left whereof they might liue in those partes, departed from thence, and in great has•…•…e got them to north Wales, where they spoyled and hartied the countrie farre and neere, driuing away great booties of Cartel, and carrieng with them rich spoiles. From hence they departed And because for feare of the Mercians they durst not traueile that way, they coasted along the countrie till they came to Nor∣thumberland, and so through middle England, taking the•…•… shippes their w•…•…ues & children out of cast England with them, they arriued at a little Island sc•…•…uate in the Sea, in the east part of Essex called Merseyge. From thence they departed and came into the riuer of Thames, and seeing that Winter was now at hand, they drew or rowed their shippes vp the riuer Lygean. And twentie miles from London they began to buylde a Fort, which being finished, they taried there all that wynter, spoyling, robbing and burning those quarters without mercy. When Winter was past, a great part of the Citizens of Lon∣don, with those that inhabited neere thereaboutes traueiled thether, and by force minded to breake downe the Fort or mu∣nition which they had there buylded. But the Danes stoutlye resisted them, and not far from the place gaue them a sharpe battaile, where the Christians were put to flight, and foure of King Alfreds men were slaine.

Thus the pagane or heathen Danes remained Lordes or maisters of those quarters, compelling the husbandmen to eare and till the ground, meaning themselues to reape the commo∣ditie of it. But the good King Alfred, who alwaies was care∣full for the welfare of his subiectes, gathered an armie, and be∣fore haruest time pitched his tents neer to the place of their a∣bode. By whose comming, the enemies were so affraid, that they durst not once peepe out of their hold to fetch either cattell or corne out of the fields by force. In this space, it happened on a time, as the King rode alongst by the riuer side, he viewed the water, and perceiued how that in some places of it, the cha∣nell might easily bee stopped, and the streame made lesse. Whereupon he (as Huntington writeth) caused it to bee cut in∣to three seuerall braunches or armes: but howsoeuer it was, hee so weakened the streame, that the Danes could not bring back their ships the same way they came. Which thing the Danes perceiuing, and knowing well it was in vaine for them to abide any longer there, they left their Shippes, and fled by land as fast as they could to Quatbridge, sending their wiues and chil∣dren againe into east England. After this the king departed, and the Londoners and Countrimen seeing the Danes were gone, burst downe their Holde•…•…, and got some of their ships backe againe to London, and the rest they burned and brake all to peeces.

But here peraduenture you will aske me, howe I shoulde come by the knowledge of these thinges, beeing done so many hundred yeares agoe. To this I answere, that in things that were done long before any man that is now liuing can remem∣ber, wee must credit that our Fathers haue committed to wri∣ting concerning the same. And in my opinion, the neerer the re∣porter liueth to those times in which the thinges he speaketh or writeth of were done, the more credite is to bee geuen to him.

And as concerning this matter, it is confirmed by the reporte of a verie auncient, reuerent and and learned Wry∣ter, namely Asserus Meneuensis, Bishop of Saint Da∣uies, that liued in the verie selfe same time when these thinges

were done, and Maryanus Scotus who liued and wrote a chro∣nicle at least 500. yeares ago, as Florentinus a Monk of Wor∣cester, who continued it, doth witnesse and declare. Besides di∣uers others of great antiquitie and credite as Henry of Hun∣tington, Mathew of Westminster, and manie moe, who d•…•…e all confirme that which is before declared. Besides there remay∣neth yet the ruines of an old Castle or Fort betweene Hartford Castle and the Mill, which I doe vndoubtedly beleeue was the verie selfe same Fort that the Danes builded.

Moreouer, O. Crosse did credibly en•…•…rine me that at y^e buil∣ding of Stansted bridge, there were found within the riuer, pee∣ces of broken ships or Craets, nayles and other thinges which seemed to belong to some great shippes or vessels. All which thinges considered, together with the parting of the streame before remembred, me thinkes should be sufficient to confirme your minde, and cause you to beleeue that there haue bene ships at Ware and Hartford.

Hereunto may bee added that it was a common vse of the Danes to row or drawe vp their ships into some smaller creeke or riuer where that they might ride all winter with least dan∣ger. And time worketh some alteration both by water and by land, y^t where great riuers did somtimes run, nowe it is vtterlie drie, and in stead of maine waters we haue goodly & florishing Meades. And in like sort, where goodly cities and castels some times did stand, there now groweth corne. For examples of this we need not seeke farre, since y^t in London not aboue 277. yeeres ago namely in the yeere of our Lord 1300. when Henry Waleys was Mayor of the citie there ran a riuer through Walbrook w^t two bridges ouer it, whereof William Iordan and Iohn de Be∣uer were maisters and gouernours. What is become of the ri∣uer Wer. that ran by S. Albons of which the great city that in old time stood there, took the name and was called Werlamche∣ster, whereof Leland in his cōmentaries maketh mention, con∣cerning cities the diligent reader of chronicles shal meet with y^e names of many, of which ther is at this day no rubbish nor ruin to be seen, as Andres Chester▪ y^t stood in Sussex on y^e edge of the great wood called Andreds weale of I•…•…hancester, y^t stood in the

〈◊〉〈◊〉 Panta i•…•… Essex; 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of in•…•…nite •…•…e, of which as I sayd, ther•…•… is left n•…•… t•…•…ken, but as the Poet saith Est 〈◊〉〈◊〉 vb•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉. Thus haue you heard (deare father) both the doings of the Danes not only in Engl▪ •…•…ut •…•…lso what they made in those 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the •…•…d wherof •…•…e talked, and where you dwel. There 〈◊〉〈◊〉 now to write 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…ou as 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉〈◊〉〈◊〉, how k•…•…g 〈◊〉〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Ware was built, •…•…nd in what •…•…ges d•…•…ies the same was •…•…e, of which I 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to say no more then that which hath bene alreadie written by such as haue in their histories and chro∣•…•…les made me•…•…tion o•…•… s•…•…h 〈◊〉〈◊〉 as were builded by king Edward 〈◊〉〈◊〉 aboute•…•…; 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉I cannot but much mislik•…•… 〈◊◊◊〉〈◊◊◊〉that affirme that the towne of Hartford was 〈◊〉〈◊〉 by king Edward the •…•…rst before the conquesh: Seem•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉 by the very wordes of Huntington it appeareth that it was •…•…ut the Castell that he builded, for we read in Beda his histo•…•…y 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a counsel of Bishops that was b•…•… at Hartford l•…•…g bef•…•… Edwardes time, this castle I meane of Hartford was builded 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the yeare of our Lord •…•…12, by Edward the s•…•…e of king Al∣•…•…, and two yeares after hee builded a tow•…•…e •…•…n the North 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of Lee which is the same th•…•…t I doe take 〈◊〉〈◊〉 be Ware and w•…•…s in hand when Witham in Essex was also beg•…•… 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉ye•…•…res since. Thus much (father) for this time. I thoug•…•… 〈◊◊◊〉〈◊◊◊〉vnto you concerning this matter; •…•…thing doub∣•…•… bu•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉 herereafter when all thinges be finished that by 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the Lord Treasurer, maister Fanshaw and other 〈◊〉〈◊〉 m•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in hard for the amendement and sc•…•…ing 〈◊〉〈◊〉 riuer, you and I both shall see, though not shippes, yet 〈◊〉〈◊〉 b•…•…g boates and vessels passe too and fro betw•…•…xt London 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Ware to the commoditie and profite of the whole countrey, wh•…•…h God graunt.

Your obedient sonne W. Vallans,

FINIS.