Tanet, called in Brytish, Inis Rhuo∣chym, of the Shore Rutupi: it is named of some writers, in Latine (or rather Greeke) Thana∣tos, in Saxon, tenet, in stead of ƿaenet.

*IVlius Solinus (in his description of England) saith thus of Tanet: Thana∣natos nullo serpitur angue, & asportata inde terra angues necat. There be no snakes in Tanet (saith he) & the earth that is brought from thence will kill them. But whether he wrote this of any sure vnderstanding that he had of the quality of the soyle, or onely by coniecture at the woord 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 which in Gréeke signifieth death, or killing, I wote not, & much lesse dare I determine, bycause hitherto neither I my selfe haue heard of any Region hereabout (onely Ireland excepted) which beareth not both snakes and o∣ther venemous wormes, neither am I yet persuaded, that this place borowed the name out of the Gréeke, but rather tooke it of the propre language, of this oure natiue countrie: For ƿaenet, in the Saxon, or olde Eng∣glishe tongue, soundeth as muche as, moysted, or wa∣tered, whiche deriuation, howe well it standeth with the situation of Tanet, being Peninsula, and watered (in manner) round about, I had rather without reasoning, referre to euery mans iudgement, then by debate of many woordes, eyther to trouble the reader, or to in∣terrupt mine owne order. Leauing the name there∣fore, I will resorte to the thing, and shewe you out of Beda, and others, the content and stoarie of this Ile.

There lyeth (saieth Beda, speaking of the place, where King Ethelbert entertained Augustine) in the East part of Kent, an Iland, called Tanet, con∣teining (after the manner of the Englishe accompte) sixe hundred families, or Hides of land (as the Saxon booke of Beda hath) whiche be in deede after the opinion of auncient writers, plough landes: It is diuided from the continent, or mayne land, by the riuer called Want∣sume, whiche is about thrée furlongs broade, and to bee passed ouer in two places onely: Hereunto if you adde the opinion of Polydore, the description wilbe the more euident. It conteyneth (saith he) about nyne myles in length, and not muche lesse in breadth, and it was some time diuorced from the continent, by a water, but nowe it is almoste vnited againe. Thus muche for the de∣scription.

As touching y^e hystorie, you may read in Geffray of Mō∣mouth, that after such time as the Brytons had deposed Vortiger their King, for that he brought in the Saxons, whiche beganne soone after theyr entrie to shewe themselues in déede, suche as they were in name,* (not shieldes against the Pictes and Scots, but swords to shead the Brittan bloud) Vortimer his sonne (whome they places in his seate) so streightned the Saxons in this Ile, (the whiche, as William of Malmesbury wri∣teth, Vortiger had giuen them to inhabite, at their first Arriuall) that for a colour they sent Vortiger to treate with him of peace, and in the meane whyle for feare, conueyed them selues into theyr Shippes, and Sayled homewarde againe. The same Au∣thour reporteth, that after this, Cador, (the Duke of Cornewall) by commaundemente of King Ar∣thur, chased the Saxons into Tanet, where he slewe Childric their leader, and receiued many of the residue Page  80 to grace and mercy.

Howbeit the Saxons themselues, after that in pro∣cesse of time, they had gotten the dominion ouer the Bri∣tons, enioyed not the possession of Tanet in much better quiet then the Britons had done before them. For in the dayes of King Athulf, (the father of Alfred) the Danes fought in Tanet against Ealhere, (the Duke, or captain [ 853] of Kent) and Huda, (the Duke of Surrey) & slaying them bothe ouerthrewe their powers, and possessed the Ile. [ 864] After this, in the time of the same King, they soiourned with theyr armie a whole wynter in Tanet: and lastly [ 890] (in the reigne of King Etheldred) they herried, spoyled, and sacked it in suche sort, that the religious persons were constrained to abandon the place, for I finde, that shortly after, King Canutus gaue the body of Mildred, and all the landes belonging to Mynster Abbay (that thē was in this Ile) to the Monkes of saint Augustines at Canterbury.

But, for asmuche as good order requireth, that I should tell you of the foundation, before I speake of the fall, you shall heare out of William Thorne, (one that made an appendix to the hystorie of Thomas Spot, both Monkes of Saint Augustines) the occasion of the first fabulous beginning of this Abbay.

*Certain seruaunts, or officers (saith he) of Egbright (the third King of Kent after Ethelbert) had done great iniurie to a noble woman (called Domneua, the mother of Saint Mildred) in recompence of whiche wrongs the King made an Herodian othe, and promised vpon [ 596] his honour, to giue her whatsoeuer she would aske him.

The woman (instructed belike by some Menkishe coun∣selour) begged of him so muche ground to build an Ab∣bay vpon, as a tame déere (y^t she nourished) would runne Page  81 ouer at a breathe: Hereto the King had consented forth∣with, sauing that one Tymor (a counseler of his) stan∣ding by, blamed him of great inconsideration, for that he woulde vpon the vncertaine course of a Deare, departe to his certaine losse, with any part of so good a soyle, but the earth (sayth William Thorne) immediatly opened, and swalowed him aliue, in memorie whereof, the place till his time, was called Tymor sleape. Well, the King and this Gentlewoman procéeded in their bargaine, the Hynde was put foorth, and it ranne the quantitie of fourtie and eight ploughlands, before it returned.

And thus Domneua (by the help of the King) builded at Mynster (within that precinct) a Monasterie of Non∣nes, vpon suche like discretion, (you may be sure) as Ramsey Abbay was pitched, euen where a Bull by chaunce scraped with his foote, and as Rome it selfe (for whose fauour these follies be deuised) was edified, where the she Woulfe gaue Romulus and Remus sucke.*

Ouer this Abbay, Mildred (of whome we spake) the daughter of Meruaile, (that was sonne to Penda, King of midle England) became the Lady and Abbasse: who bicause she was of noble linage, and had gotten together [ 680] seuentie women, (all whiche Theodorus the seuenth Bishop) veiled for Nonnes, she easily obteyned to be re∣gistred in our Englishe Kalender, & to be worshipped for a Saint, both at Tanet, while her body lay there, and at S. Augustines, after that it was translated: And no maruell at all, for if you will beléeue the authour of the worke called (Noua Legenda Angliae) your self wil easily vouchsafe her the honour.

This woman (sayth he) was so mightily defended with diuine power,* that lying in a hote ouē thrée houres together, she suffered not of the flame: She was also en∣dued with suche godlyke vertue, that comming out of Page  82 Fraunce, the very stone whereon she first stepped at Ip∣pedsflete in this Isle, receiued the impression of her foote, and reteined it for euer, hauing besides this propertie, that whether so euer you remoued the same, it woulde within short time, and without helpe of mans hande, re∣turne to the former place againe: And finally, she was so diligently garded with Gods Angel, attending vpon her, that when the diuell (finding her at prayers) had put out the candel that was before her, the Angel forth∣with lighted it for her againe.

And this (no doubte) was the cause, that the Religi∣ous persons of S. Augustines, and of S. Gregories at Cā∣terbury, fell at great dissention for her, eche affirming, that after the spoyle of Tanet, her bones were remoued to their Monasterie: the one clayming by King Canutus, [ 1085] as we sayd before, and the other deriuing from Archebi∣shop Lanfranc, who (as they affirmed) at the dotation of their house, bestowed vpon it (amongest other things of great price) the translated reliques of Mildred, and Ed∣burgaes bodyes.

Howsoeuer that were, they bothe made marchan∣dize of her myracles, and the Monkes of S Augustines perceiuing, that by the dissolution of the Monasterie, and the absence of the Saintes, their towne of Minster, [ 1116] in Tanet was falne to decay, of verie conscience, and for pities sake, by the meane of Hughe their Abbat, procu∣red at the handes of King Henrie the first, the graunt of a Market, to be holden there, whiche I wote not whe∣ther it inioyeth to this day, or no.

Thus much of the Isle and Mynster Abbay. Now a worde or two touching Ippedsflete, wherof I spake be∣fore, and of Stonor another place within the Isle, and then I will leaue Tanet, and procéede in my iourney. This Ippedsflete,* is the place wher Hengist and Hors• Page  83 (the Saxon captaines) came first on lande, and it is of di∣uers Chronicles diuersly termed, some calling it Ip∣pinesflete, others Heoppinesflete, and others Wippeds∣flete, These of the last sorte write, that it tooke the name of one Wipped, (a noble man amongest the Saxons) who onely was slaine on that parte, when Aurel. Am∣brose (the leader of the Britons) lost twelue of his prin∣cipall chiefteins in one conflict. In déede, the name soun∣deth, the place where Wipped, or Ipped swymmed, [ 473] whiche I coulde haue agréed to be the same, that is at this day called, Wapflete in Essex, (the rather for that Ralph Higdē writeth, that the Britons neuer inuaded Kent, after the battayle at Craforde, whiche was before this ouerthrowe that I last spake of.) Howbeit since the writer of our holy Legend layeth it in Tanet, I am con∣tented to subscribe.

In this Isle lyeth Stonor,* sometime a hauen towne also: for in the reigne of William Rufus, there arose a suite in lawe, betwéene the Londoners, and the Abbat of S Augustines (then owner of the place) as touching the right of the hauen of Stonor, wherein by the fauou∣rable [ 1090] aide of the Prince, the Monkes (as Thomas Spot, their own Chronicler reporteth) preuayled, and the Ci∣tizens had the ouerthrowe. Not long after whiche time, they obteined of King Henrie the first, a fayre to be hol∣den yerely at this towne, fiue dayes together, before and [ 1104] after the feast of the translation of S. Augustine.

Nowe woulde I foorthwith leade you from the Isle of Tanet, to the ruines of Richeborow, sauing that the Goodwine is before myne eye, whereof I pray you first hearken what I haue to say.