The historie of Great Britannie declaring the successe of times and affaires in that iland, from the Romans first entrance, vntill the raigne of Egbert, the West-Saxon prince; who reduced the severall principalities of the Saxons and English, into a monarchie, and changed the name of Britannie into England.

CHAP. XX.

The distressed Britans flie into Wales, Cornewall, and Bri∣tannie in France. The end of the Roman governement in the Iland.

WIthin few yeares after, the Britans were againe hotly pursued by the Scottishmen and Picts, who swarmed over a great part of the Land, taking from the Britans for a time, all oportunities of convening and assembling themselves together, as in former dangers they had beene accustomed; whereby no small number of the Inhabitants of the Province (despairing of better successe) retired themselves, gi∣ving way to the present necessitie, while each man (as in common calamities oft times it falleth out) laying a∣side the care of the publike, made provision for his own safetie: leaving the enemie in the meane time to take and kill such as resisted.

Some of the Britans being driven out of their owne houses and possessions, fell to robbing one of another, encreasing their outward troubles with inward tu∣mults and civill dissention; by which meanes, a great number of them had nothing left to sustaine them, but what they got by hunting and killing of wilde beasts. Others burying their treasure vnder ground, (whereof great store hath beene found in this age) did flie (them∣selves) either into the Countries of thea 1.1 Silures and b 1.2Ordovices, or into the West part of the Ile, (where the c 1.3Danmonians then inhabited) or else to their owne Countrymen in Armorica in France: the rest being hemmed in with the sea on the one side, and their ene∣mies

on the other, sent to the Emperor for aide, which they could not obtaine; for that the Goths and Huns in∣vading Gallia and Italie, the greatest part of the forces of the Empire was drawne thither for defence of those places. By reason whereof, (the state of Britannie now declining with the Empire, and shrinking vnder the burden of barbarous oppression) the Britans sent Ambassadours againe to Aetius the President in Gallia, desiring him to releeve their necessities, declaring with∣all, that themselves were the small remnant which sur∣vived after the slaughter of so many thousands, whom either the sword, or the sea had consumed; for the bar∣barous enemie drave them vpon the sea, the sea againe vpon the enemie; betweene both which, they suffered two kinds of death, as being either killed, or drowned: that it imported the majestie of the Roman Empire to protect them, who had so many hundred yeares, lived vnder their obedience, and were now plunged into the depth of intolerable miseries: for besides the cala∣mities of war, both civill and forraigne at one instant, they were afflicted with dearth and famine, which for∣ced them sometimes to yeelde themselves to the mer∣cilesse enemie. But their complaints availed nothing: for the Romans plainely denyed to send them any more succour: whereof the Scottishmen and Picts being cer∣tainely advertised, and knowing how small a number of ablemen remained in the Province, to withstand their attempts, assailed first such places of strength as garded the borders, and afterwards entred the Pro∣vince it selfe, where, by continuall course of conquests, they found a passage into the heart of the Ile, spoiled the people of their wealth, burnt their Cities, and brought the inhabitants thereof vnder a miserable ser∣vitude.

Thus, about five hundred yeares after the Romans first entrance, and foure hundred fortie and six after the birth of our Saviour Christ, the Ile of Britannie, (which had beene, not onely a principall member of the Em∣pire, but also the seate of the Empire it selfe, and the Seminarie of Souldiers, sent out into most parts of the world) was now, in the time of Honorius berea∣ved of the greatest part of her antient in∣habitants, and left as a prey to barba∣rous Nations.

Notes

• a 1.1

  South-wales.
• b 1.2

  North-wales.
• c 1.3

  The antient inhabitants of Cornwall and Devonshire.