Cosmographie in four bookes : containing the chorographie and historie of the whole vvorld, and all the principall kingdomes, provinces, seas and isles thereof / by Peter Heylyn.

BRETAGNE.

BRETAGNE is bounded on the East with Normandie and the Countie of Maine;* 1.1 on the South with Anjou and Poictou; on all other parts with the English or Gallick Ocean. Ware∣red upon the South side with the Loir, which divides it from Anjou; but so as part of this Duke∣dom, called the County of Raiz, lieth on the South side of that River, betwixt it and Poictou.

It was first called Armorica from its situation on the Sea, as the word importeth in the old Language of that People. But how it came by this new name, is not well agreed on. The generall opinion is, that it took this name from the neighbouring Britans brought over hither by the Ty∣rant Maximus, rebelling against the Emperour Gratian, Anno 385. by whom this Province was subdued, and from them named Britannia Minor, Little Britain: An Argument whereof may be, that the Language of this People hath still no small affinitie with the Welch or British; there being a tradition also, that the Britans who first came over hither and maried the Women of this Coun∣trie, cut out their tongues for fear they should corrupt the Language of their posterity. And to this Conquest by the Britans these old Verses give some further Countenance,

Vicit Aremoricas animosa Britannia Gentes, Et dedit imposito nomina prisca jugo. That is to say, Gaul-Armorick, the Britans overcame, And to the conquered Province gave their name.

Which notwithstanding, the most probable opinion seemeth to be that it took this name from the Britanni, an old Gallick People, mentioned by Plinie in Gaul-Belgick, retiring hither on the invasi∣ons and incursions of the barbarous Nations: though possibly those Britanni of Gallia-Belgica might be aswell some Colonie of the Iland-Britans, as the Belgae a great Nation in the Isle of Britain, are said to have been a People of Gallia-Belgica. The reason is, because there was no Author before Geofric of Monmouth who takes notice of this transporting of the Insular-Britans by the Tyrant Maximus: no antient Author Greek or Latine making mention of it. And for the Welch or British words which are still remaining in the language, they are conceived to be no other than a remainder of the old Gallick tongue; which was originally the same with the antient British, as is elswhere proved.

The Province is in compass 200 French Leagues: Pleasant and fruitfull, beautified with many shadie woods, and spacious Downs; sufficiently well stored with all manner of grain, but destitute of Wine and the choicer fruites by reason of the Northerly situation of it. Divided commonly into Hault or High Bretagne, and Basse or Low Bretagne: the first containing the more Eastern, and the last the Western parts hereof. Neither of the two much furnished with navigable or notable Rivers, the defect of which the neighbourhood of the Sea supplieth, affording more capacious Havens, and convenient Ports, than any one Province in this Kingdom.

To begin therefore with the Havens, those of most note in the Higher Bretagne, are 1 S. Malo, built on a Rock within the Sea, wherewith at every high water it is incompassed. A Bishops See, and a Port very much frequented by the French and Spanish, who use here to barter their Commo∣dities; oftentimes spoyled by the English in their Wars with ••rance, especially since the time of King Henry the seventh. 2 Blavet, a safe but little Haven, on the mouth of a little River of the same name also. 3 S. Briene, (by the Litines called Fanum Sancti Brioci) a Bishops See, and a well-traded Port, seated upon the English Channel. 4 Vanne••, a Bishops See also, situate on a capacious Bay, at the mouth of the Vilain; the chief Town of the Veneti, whom Caesar placeth in this tract, and makes them to be the mightiest People of all the Armoricans, strongest in Shipping, and best seen in Affairs at Sea. 5 Croissie, a little Haven at the mouth of the Loir, and the onely Haven of this Part on the Gallick Ocean. Then in Low B••••tagne, or the more Western parts here∣of, there is 6 B••est, seated upon a spacious Bay of the Western Ocean, the Key and Bulwark of this Countrie, and the goodliest Harbour of all France. 7 Morlais, a convenient Port, and well frequented. 8 S. Pol de Leon, and 9 Treguer, both Bishops Sees, both situate on the Sea-shore, and both the chief Towns of the Ossismi, whom Ptolomie and Strabo place upon this Coast: the first of them neighboured by the Promontorie which they call L•• Four, the Govaeum of Ptolomie. 10 K••m∣per Corentin, a Bishops See also, the chief Town of that part hereof which is called Cournovaille, situate not far from the Foreland which they call Penmarch, opposite to Le Four spoken of before. A Sea Town this, but not much talked of for the Haven, for ought I can find. 11 Conquet, a well-frequented Road, not far from Beest.

Chief places in the Midlands, 1 Nantes, the principall Citie of the Nann••tes, (by Ptolomie called Condivincinum) a large, fair, strong, and populous Citie, seated upon the Loir, a Bishops See, and the Metropolis of Bretagne. 2 Re••e••, antiently the chief Town of the Rhedones (called Conda••e by Ptolomie) now a Bishops See, and the Parliament Citie for this Countie, established here Anno 1553, which maketh it very populous, and of great Resort, though not fully two miles in compass. 3 D••l, an Episcopall Citie also, but unwholesomely seated amongst Marishes. 4 Dinan, a rich and pleasant Town on the River Rance. 5 L'Amballe, the chief Town of the L'Ambiliates, spoken

of by Caesar. 6 Rohar, the title and inheritan••e of the Dukes of Ro••an, descended from a branch of the Ducall ••amilie of B••e••agne, by Mary the second Daughter of Duke Francis the first, and Wife of Iohn then Viscount of Rohan. 7 Ansenis, the chief Seat of the now Duke of Vend••sme, and the head of his Estates in Bretagne. Of which possessed in the right of his Wife, the Daughter of the Duke of Me••cocur by the Heir of Martignes, another of the branches of this Ducall Familie. 8 Chast••au-Briant, a strong Peece on the borders of Normandie. 9 Clisson, the chief Town of the Dutchie of Raiz, being that part of Bretagne which lieth on the South-side of the Loir, a strong ••own, and fortified with a very good Castle.

The Britans, whosoever they were in their first Originall, were questionless one of the first Nati∣ons that possessed any part of Gaul, after the Conquest of the Romans. Governed at first by their own Kings, the most considerable of which was that Aldroenus or Auldran, the Sonne of Solomon, who at the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the Insular-Britans, then distressed by the Scots and Picts, (as Geofrie or•• Mon∣〈◊〉〈◊〉 telleth the storie) sent over Constantine his Brother with a complete Army to their aid; who having valiantly repulsed the Enemy, was made King of Britain, Anno 433. Of whose posterity more there. Those of Armorica being broken by the puissance of Charles the Great, abandoned the name of Kings, and satisfied themselves with the title of Earls, assumed first by Alain le Re∣bre, Anno 874. but as some say, Anno 859. which was somewhat sooner. By Peter of Dre••x the 16th Earl, chalenging his Estate in right of Alice his Wife, the half Sister of Arthur, and Daughter of Constance, by Guy of Thouars her 3d Husband, the better to secure his title, this Earldom was made subject to the Vassallage of the Crown of France, in the time of Lewis the 9th, by whom Iohn called the R••d, the Sonne of this Peter, was created the first Duke of Bretagne. Yet notwith∣standing this subjection to the Kings of France, the Dukes hereof reserved unto themselves the So∣vereign powers, as to write themselves By the Grace of God, the privilege of coyning Gold, &c. and stood so high upon their termes, that Francis the last Duke, denyed to do his Homage to Charles the 7th, either upon his Knees, or without his Sword, according to the former custome. For which being quarrelled by Lewis the eleventh, the Sonne of Charles, who was at better leisure to pursue the business than his Father was, he joyned himself with Charles Duke of Berry, and Charles Duke of Burgundie in a War against him; and thereby drew upon himself that ruine, which he in∣deavoured to avoid. For in Conclusion, Charles of Berry, as it was thought, was poysoned; Charles of Burgundie lost his life at the Battle of Nancie, 1476. and a great part of his Estate was conquered by the French King. And Francis this Duke having embarked himself in the same troublous Ocean, must needs suffer shipwrack with his Copartners. The French King invadeth Bretagno; The Duke overcharged with melancholy, dies, 1488. leaving Anne, his Daughter and Heir, in the power of Charles the 8th, the Sonne and Successour of that Lewis: who contracts a mariage with the Or∣phan, and uniteth Bretagne to France. There were many impediments which might have hindred this mariage, but Charles breaketh through them all. First, Charles himself had been formerly con∣tracted to the Archduke Max milians Daughter: but this he held void, because the young Lady was not of age at the time of the Contract. 2 Anne the Dutchess was also contracted to Maximili∣an; and this he held unvalid also, because that being his Homager, she could not bestow her self without his consent. 3 Maximilian had by proxic maried her, which mariage he consummated by a Ceremonie in those dayes unusuall. For his Ambassadour attended with a great Train of Lords and Ladies, bared his Leg unto the Knee, and put the same within the Sheets of the Dutchess, ta∣king possession thereby of her Bed and Bodie. But Charles consulting with his Divines, was told, That this pretended Consummation was rather an invention of Court, than any way firm by the Lawes of the Church, and therefore of no power to hinder his pursute of this mariage, so advantagi∣ons to his Crown. What else remains touching the union of this Dukedom to the Realm of France, we shall see anon: having first looked over the Succession of those Princes, who under severall Titles have governed the Estate thereof, according to the best light we can get from Storie.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Bretagne,