Ancient funerall monuments within the vnited monarchie of Great Britaine, Ireland, and the islands adiacent with the dissolued monasteries therein contained: their founders, and what eminent persons haue beene in the same interred. As also the death and buriall of certaine of the bloud royall; the nobilitie and gentrie of these kingdomes entombed in forraine nations. A worke reuiuing the dead memory of the royall progenie, the nobilitie, gentrie, and communaltie, of these his Maiesties dominions. Intermixed and illustrated with variety of historicall obseruations, annotations, and briefe notes, extracted out of approued authors ... Whereunto is prefixed a discourse of funerall monuments ... Composed by the studie and trauels of Iohn Weeuer.

Certaine Burials of British Kings in and about London, the places of their interments vncertaine.

And first to begin with Guentoline,* 1.1 the sonne of Gurgunstus, King of Britaine, who flourished about the yeare of the world, 3614. Who was a wise Prince, graue in counsell, and sober in behauiour, and studied, with great care and diligence, to reforme anew, and to adorne with iustice, lawes, and good orders, the British commonwealth; by other Kings not so framed as stood with the greatnesse thereof. But as he was busie in hand herewith, death tooke him away from these worldly employments, when hee had raigned 27. yeares.

He had a wife named Martia Proba, a woman of perfect beautie, and wisedome incomparable, as by her prudent gouernment, and equall admi∣nistration of iustice, after her husbands decease, during her sonnes minori∣tie, it most manifestly appeared.

She was a woman expert and skilfull in diuers sciences, but chiefely, be∣ing admitted to the gouernment of the Realme, she studied to preserue the common wealth in good, quiet, and decent order; and therefore deuised, established, and writ a booke in the British tongue of profitable and conue∣nient Lawes, the which after her name were called Martian Lawes. These Lawes afterwards Gildas Cambrius, the Historicall Welch Poet, transla∣ted into Latine: and a long time after him, Alured, King of the West Saxons, holding these lawes necessarie for the preseruation of the common wealth, put them into English Saxon speech, and then they were called af∣ter that translation, Marchenclagh, that is to meane, the Lawes of Martia; adding thereunto a Booke of his owne writing of the Lawes of England, which he called, A certaine Breuiarie extracted out of diuers Lawes of the Troians, Grecians, Britaines, Saxons, and Danes. She flourished before the birth of our Lord and Sauiour, 348. yeares, or thereabouts.

Her sonnes name was Sicilius,* 1.2 who vpon the death of his Father was but young: for I reade that Martia his mother, deliuered vp the gouern∣ment of the kingdome to her sonne when he came to lawfull age, which she had right politiquely guided, and highly for her perpetuall renowne and commendation, the space of fourteene yeares. He died when hee had raigned seuen yeares, some say fifteene yeares.

Of Bladud, king of Britaine, the sonne of Lud hurdibras, many incredible passages are deliuered by our old British writers, and followed by sundrie Authors of succeeding ages, which say, that he was so well seene in the Sci∣ences of Astronomie and Necromancie, that thereby hee made the hote

springs in the Citie of Bathe: that he built the Citie of Bathe: that he went to Athens and brought with him foure Philosophers, and by them insti∣tuted an Vniuersitie at Stanford in Lincolnshire. And further to shew his Art and cunning, that he tooke vpon him to flie into the aire; and that hee broke his necke by a fall from the Temple of Apollo in Troynouant, before the incarnation of Christ 852. yeares, in the twentieth yeare of his raigne. Geffrey of Monmouth, and Mathew of Westminster would approue as much as here is spoken of him;* 1.3 And learned Selden in his Illustrations vp∣on Draytons Polyolbion, sets downe an ancient fragment of rimes, wherein these strange things of him are exprest.* 1.4 But of him here in this place, will it please you take a peece out of Harding, and you shall haue more hereafter.

Bladud his sonne after him did succede, And reigned after then full xx. yere, Cair Bladud so that now is Bath I rede, He made anone the hote bathes there infere When at Athens he had studied clere He brought with hym iiii Philosophers wise Schole to hold in Brytaine and exercyse.

Stanforde he made that Stanforde hight this daye In which he made an Vniuersitee, His Philosophers, as Merlin doth saye Had scholers fele of grete habilitee, Studyng euer alwaye in vnitee, In all the seuen liberall science, For to purchase wysedome and sapience▪

In Cair Bladim he made a temple right And sette a Flamyne therein to gouerne, And afterward a * 1.5 Fetherham he dight, To flye with winges, as he could best discerne, Aboue the aire nothyng him to werne, He flyed on high to the temple Apoline, And ther brake his necke for all his grete doctrine.

* 1.6Likewise the vncertaine buriall of Vortimer, that victorious British king, was in some part of this Citie; he was the eldest sonne of Vortigern king of the Britaines, and raigned as king in his fathers dayes; who demeaned him∣selfe towards his sonne, then his Soueraigne, in all dutifull obedience and faithfull counsell; for the space of foure yeares, euen vntill Vortimer was poysoned by the subtiltie of Rowena the heathen, daughter of Hengist the Saxon, the wife or concubine of his Brother, and the mother of the Bri∣taines mischiefe, which happened about the yeare of Grace 464.

* 1.7This Vortimer was a man of great valour, which altogether he employ∣ed for the redresse of his countrey, according to the testimonie of William Malmesbury, whose words are these.

Vortimer (saith he) thinking not good to dissemble the matter, for that he saw himselfe and countrey daily surprised by the craft of the Saxons, set

his full purpose to driue them out, and from the seuenth yeare after their first entrance, for twentie yeares continuance, fought many battailes with them, and foure of them with great puissance in the open field; in the first whereof, they departed with like fortune, and losse of the Generals bre∣thren Horsa and Latigern: in the other three, the Britaines went away with victory, and so long, vntill Vortimer was taken away by fatall death.

It is recorded of him,* 1.8 that after he had vanquished the Saxons, and dis∣possessed them of all their footing in the Continent, yea, and often assailed them in the Isle of Tannet: the Church of Christianitie being ruinated by the Pagan marriage of Rowena with his Brother, as aforesaid, that he resto∣red the Christian Religion, as then sorely decaied, and new built the Chur∣ches that his enemies, the misbeleeuing Saxons had destroied.

It is also reported by Nennius of Bangor, in the historie of his countrie, that after his last victorie ouer the Saxons, he caused his monument to be erected at the entrance into Tanet, and in the same place of that great ouer∣throw, which by the said Author, is called Lapis Tituli, of vs the Stonar; where for certaine, it seemes, hath beene an hauen. In this monument, hee commanded his body to be buried, to the further terror of the Saxons, that in beholding this his Trophie, their spirits might be daunted at the remem∣brance of their great ouerthrow. As Scipio Africanus conceited the like, who commanded his Sepulchre to be so set, that it might ouerlooke Africa, supposing that his very Tombe would be a terror to the Carthaginians. But how that desire of Vortimer was performed,* 1.9 I finde not, saith a late writer: but rather the contrarie; for an old Manuscript I haue, that confidently af∣firmeth him to be buried in London, which agreeth with these old Rimes of my reuerend Monke of Glocester.* 1.10

Aftur his deth he badde anon his body yat * 1.11 me nome, And bury hit at an hauene wher ye hethen men vp come, In a Tombe swithe an heigh yat me myght hit fer yse, That * 1.12 hii for drede of yat syght ayen hom sholde fle. Hare was herte to hem whan he wolde hit hadde Drede of his body dede as they aliue hadde. Ther was deol and So••we enogh, tho this man was ded, As natheles me buryed him nought ther as yat he * 1.13 ked For hit was but of a will, as hii hem bethoughte In London wythe gret honor that body an erthe broughte.

Harding hath it thus.* 1.14

In a pyller of brasse he laid on hyght, At the gate where Saxons had landed afore, He bad his men for also farre as he myght Hym se, he truste they wolde not nerre come thore But neuerthelesse they letted not therfore, But buried hym at Troynouant Citee, As he them bade with all solempnitee,

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.2

  Sicilius king of Britaine.
• * 1.3

  Song 3.
• * 1.4

  Cap 25.
• * 1.5

  a man decked in fe••hers.
• * 1.6

  Vo••t••mer king of Britaine.
• * 1.7

  Speed. Hist. cap. 12.
• * 1.8

  Sigibert.
• * 1.9

  I Speed Hist. ca. xi.
• * 1.10

  Rob Glocest.
• * 1.11

  men taken.
• * 1.12

  they.
• * 1.13

  commanded.
• * 1.14

  Ca. 68.