Tracts written by John Selden of the Inner-Temple, Esquire ; the first entituled, Jani Anglorvm facies altera, rendred into English, with large notes thereupon, by Redman Westcot, Gent. ; the second, England's epinomis ; the third, Of the original of ecclesiastical jurisdictions of testaments ; the fourth, Of the disposition or administration of intestates goods ; the three last never before extant.

CHAP. VII.

Pag. 10. lin. 24. Locrinus, Camber and Albanactus.] From the first of these three Brethren, to wit, Locrinus, it is said, that the Welsh call En∣gland Lhoegr, that falling to the eldest Sons share; from the second Camber, that a Welsh-man is named Cumra, and the Countrey Cam∣bria;

and from the third Albanactus, that Scotland, or at least good part of it retains the term of Albania, a title still belonging to the King of Britain's second Brother, the Duke of York. Though for my part for this last name of Albanactus I am somewhat of opinion, that it might be devised by some smattering Monk purposely in favour of the Trojan Sto∣ry, as much as to say in a mungrel word Alba 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 King of Alba, a City of Italy built by one of Aeneas his Sons.

L. 29. Gavelkind.] From the Saxon gafel or gafol, a Debt or Tri∣bute, and cyn or kynd, the Kindred or Children; or, as Mr. Lambard, gif eal cyn, i. e. given to all who are next of Kin; or, as Vorstegan, give all kind, i. e. give to each Child his part. An ancient custom of the Saxons, whereby the Fathers Estate was equally divided amongst his Sons; as it is still amongst the Daughters, if there be no Sons. It obtains still in several places, especially in Kent by the concessions of the Conqueror.

Pag. 11. lin. 22. The Laws of second Venus.] Not having Plato by me, nor any other means to inform my self better, I imagine that by the first Venus they mean the force of Lust and Beauty, which doth so naturally incline people to a desire of union and copulation; and by the second Venus consequently is intended that prudential reason, by which men according to wholsome and equal Laws easily suffer themselves to be gathered into Societies, and to comply with one another in mutual in∣dearments.

P. 12. lin. 12. Jupiter's Register.] 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in the Greek Proverb, is the skin of that Goat, which nursed him in his Childhood, of which after her Death in honour of her memory, and reward of her services, he made his Register, to enroll therein and set down upon record all the concerns of mankind.

Lin. 15. Of some Aethalides.] He was the Son of Mercury, and had the priviledge allowed him to be one while among the living, another while among the dead, and by that means knew all that was done among either of them. The Moral is plain, that he was a great Scholar, who what with his refin'd meditation and study of Books, which is being among the dead, and what by his conversation with men, had attained great knowledge and prudence: So that Pythagoras himself, as modest as he was to refuse the Title of Wise man, and to content himself with that of a Philosopher, that is, a Lover of Wisdom, yet was fond of the coun∣terfeit reputation of being thought to be He, giving out according to his own Doctrine of Transmigration, that he was the man.