Dele. Dela in Latine, after Leland: I coniecture that it tooke the name of the Saxon woord þille, whiche is a (plaine flooer) or leuel, by rea∣son that it lyeth flat and leuel to the Sea.

THe Chronicles of Douer (as Leland reporteth, for I neuer sawe them) haue mencion, that Iulius Caesar be∣ing repulsed from Douer, arriued at this place, and arraied his armie at Baramdowne: whiche thing how wel it may stand with Caesars owne re∣porte in his cōmentaries, I had rather leaue to others to decide, then take vpon me to dispute: being wel con∣tented where certentie is not euident, to allowe of con∣iectures, not altogether vehement,

Only of this I am well assured, that King Henrie the eight, hauing shaken of the intollerable yoke of the [ 1536] Popishe tyrannie,* and espying that the Emperour was offended, for the diuorce of Queene Katherine his wife, and that the Frenche King had coupled the Dolphine his Sonne to the Popes Niece, and maried his daugh∣ter to the King of Scots, so that he might more iustly sus∣pect them all, then safely trust any one: determined by the aide of God to stand vpon his owne gardes and de∣fence, and therefore with all spéede, and without sparing any cost, he builded Castles, platfourmes, and blocke-houses, in all néedefull places of the Realme: And a∣mongest other, fearing least the ease, and aduauntage of descending on land at this part, should giue occasion and hardinesse to the enemies to inuade him, he erected (neare together) thrée fortifications, whiche might at all Page  118 tymes kéepe and beate the landing place,* that is to say, Sandowne, Dele, and Wamere. This whole matter of Dele, Iohn Leland in Cygnea cantione, com∣prehendeth feately in these two verses.

But what make I so long at Dele, since Douer (the impreignable Porte, and place so muche renouned for antiquitie) is not many myles of? I will haste me thither therefore, and in the sight thereof vnfolde the singularities of the place.