A chronicle at large and meere history of the affayres of Englande and kinges of the same deduced from the Creation of the vvorlde, vnto the first habitation of thys islande: and so by contynuance vnto the first yere of the reigne of our most deere and souereigne Lady Queene Elizabeth: collected out of sundry aucthors, whose names are expressed in the next page of this leafe.

¶ Here beginneth the Kinges of Israell.

SAul the sonne of Cis being of the Tribe of Beniamin, [unspec 2289/1074] * 1.1 was at the importunate sute, peticion and request of the people, made and ordeined the first king vniuersall ouer all Israell. He was a mighty man and great and high of stature, and was so high that being a∣mong all the people, his shoulders were sene aboue any mans head. And as he was beu∣tifull and comely in shape and proporcion of bodye, so was he also adorned and beutified with many singuler vertues, for he was pru∣dent, sage and wise, and there was not found in all Israell one that did loue, feare, and obey God and his commaunde∣ments, more then he did. And for this cause God did those him out before all the rest.

¶ After that Samuell by the commaundement of almightie GOD had brought Oyle to annoynt the King, hee called together the people, and speciallye all the Trybes of Israell. To whome after he had declared vn∣to them the aucthoritie, right, power, prerogatiues, commaundementes, and executions that kynges shall dayly and from tyme to tyme haue ouer eue∣ry of them, as his Vassalles and subiectes, and also that their request to haue a King was against the will and minde of God, and many other persuasions he vsed to haue remoued them from that opinion, but they would not, but still cryed out they would haue a king. Then he caused lots to be cast out, to know who should be King, and the lot fell vpon the Tribe of Beniamin, and to con∣clude, in the ende it fell vpon Saule the sonne of Cis: by reason whereof he was immediately sought out, and annointed and confirmed King.

¶ Saule continued and perseuered in his former vertues the space of two yeres, as it may apeere in the .iij. Chapter of the first booke of Kynges:* 1.2 But

afterward he despysed and brake the Commaundementes of almightie God, geuen vnto him by Samuell the Prophet. Wherefore it was declared vnto him that his reigne and continuance should not be perpetual, but that it should be taken from his lyne and issue, and geuen vnto another. Finally, after ma∣ny great iniuries, vexations, persecutions, and wronges by him done to Da∣uid, which had maryed his Daughter, he was ouerthrowne in a battaile a∣gaynst the Philistines in the mountaynes of Gelboe, in the which his whole armie perished. Three of his sonnes, that is to say, Ionathas, Abinadab, and Mechisne, with manye other were also slaine and murthered. And because Saule would not dye by the handes of the Philistines,* 1.3 after he had reigned xx. yeres, he fell vpon his awne sworde and flue himselfe, as appereth in the xxxj. Chapter of the first booke of Kinges.

NOw that we are come vnto the tyme that this our natiue country now called England was as the cōmon opinion is first inhabited by Brute, and called of his name Britaine. It were not amisse that we shewed how this land hath bene heretofore called, and by whom the same hath bene before time inhabited: But for y^e herein the wryters of the Histories of this Realme do so greatly vary & are of sundry opinions, & also that almost no one of them all but speaketh doubtfully and di∣uersly therof. I thought it best to passe ouer the vaine & fonde story written by the wryter of the English Historie, who sayth, that this Realme was first na∣med Albion of Albine, the Daughter of Dioclesian King of Syria, who had xxxij. daughters and were maried vnto .xxxij. Kings, and in one night they did cut all their Husbandes throtes: And that then Dioclesian their father beyng wrath with them for those cruell murthers, did therefore cause them all to be put into a Ship, without any person with them and turned them to the aduen∣ture of the Sea, and so by chaunce they arriued in this lande, and called the same Albion,* 1.4 of Albine the eldest Sister: And that afterwarde Deuilles did accompanie with them, and begat Gyauntes and Monsters of them, and so this land was first inhabited: which story as it is most fabulous and foolishe, so is it also false and slaunderous to shew that this noble Realme should haue so lewde a beginning. But sundrie other writers, wryte otherwise: saiyng, that it was called Albion of the whyte Clifes that are seene vpon the East costes. But I will passe forwarde with the report of the Historians that haue written in this our latter tyme, which say that Brute discending of the aunci∣ent blood of the Troyans, and beyng the sonne of Syluius Pos••humus king of Troy, [unspec 2855/1108] did ariue in this Iland in the yere of the World, two thousand eight hundreth fiftie and fiue, and the .xj.C.viij. yeres before the comming of our Sauior Iesu Christ, accompting the yeres after the accompt of the Hebrues contynued in the holy Scriptures, which accompt I obserue throughout this whole Story.* 1.5 But Policronicon and Fabian say that Brute was the sonne of Siluius Aeneas, for they say Aeneas begat first vpon his wife Lauina, a sonne who was called Ascanius, & he had a sonne also by his first wife whom he named Siluius Aeneas, and this Siluius Aeneas was father to Brute: But other say otherwise, wherefore I refer it to the iudgement of the reader. But now returning to the story of Brute, this following, I find written in an olde Pamplet which hath no name.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Saul y^e first king of Is∣raell.
• * 1.2

  1. Regum. 3.
• * 1.3

  Saul, Mur∣dred himself
• * 1.4

  Albion.
• * 1.5

  Polichron. Fabian.