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Britains of ARMORICA.
* 1.1IN these miserable, and most woful times, some remains of the poor Britains being found in the mountains, were there butchered in great numbers; others, pinched with famine, surrendered themselves to the enemy as their slaves for ever, provided they might not presently be put to death, which was to be taken for a very great favor. Some retired beyond sea, singing under their spread sails after a howling manner, instead of a parting song, to this purpose: Thou hast given us [O Lord] as sheep to be devoured, and scattered us a∣mong the heathen. Yet others remained in their native country, though with great fear, trusting their lives to vast mountains, dreadful precipices, intrenched places, to woody forrests, and rocks in the sea. Some of those who passed beyond sea, were they without question, who to secure themselves, went in great numbers to Armorica in France, where they were received very kindly by the Armoricans. Which (a 1.2 not to menti∣on a community of language, that of Armorica being almost the same with our British or Welch, nor other Authors who agree in this point) is proved by an Au∣thor in the next age to it, and born in Armorica, who has writ the life of S. Wingualof the Confessor. A race of Britains (says he) imbarked in little vessels, were transported over the British sea to this land, a barba∣rous nation of the Saxons, terrible and warlike, and all of like manners, having possessed themselves of their native Country. Then that dear race shut themselves within this corner, where being wore out with fatigue, they are set∣led in a quiet country. Yet our Historians tell us, that the Britains were long before this seated on that coast. Malmesbury says, That Constantine the Great was salu∣ted Emperor by his army, and order'd an expedition for the* 1.3 higher parts, brought away with him many British Souldiers; by whose means, having obtained the Empire with successful victories, he planted such of them, as had run through the full course of Souldiery, in a certain part of Gaul towards the west upon the shore; where to this day their posterity are prodigiously increased, and some∣what altered in modes and language from our Britains. This was certainly an order of Constantine the Emperor: Let the old souldiers enter upon the vacant lands, and hold them freely for ever.* 1.4 Likewise Ninius, Maxi∣mus the Emperor, who slew Gratian, would not send home the souldiers that had followed him out of Britain, but gave them many countreys, from the Poole above Mons Jovis, to the city called Cantguic, and to the western heap, or Cruc-occhidient. He that writes notes upon Ninnius, adds falsly, That the Armorican Bishops beyond sea, went from hence in an expedition with Maximus the Tyrant, and when they could not return, lay the western parts of France level with the ground; and taking their wives and daughters to marriage, cut out all their tongues, lest the children should speak their language. And upon this ac∣count, we call them in our language Lhet Vydion, i.e. half silent, because they speak confusedly. I cannot gain∣say the authority of these men; but yet am of opini∣on, that the children of these veterans willingly re∣ceiv'd the Britains that fled out of their own Coun∣try. However, the name of Britains does not ap∣pear by the Writers of that age to have been in these parts, before the Saxons came into Britain; unless those be they, whom Pliny seems to place in Picar∣dy, and who are called Brinani in some Copies. For whoever imagines with Volaterranus, from the fourth book of Strabo, that Britannia was a city of France; let him but look upon the Greek Text, and he may easily learn that Strabo speaks there of the Island Bri∣tain, and not of a City. As for that verse of Diony∣sius Afer, which I have already cited, some are in∣clined rather to understand it (as Stephanus does) of our Britains, then (as Eustathius does) of them in Armori∣ca, especially seeing Festus Avienus, an ancient Wri∣ter, has thus rendered it:
—Cauris nimiùm vicina* 1.5 Britannis: Flavaque caesariem Germania porrigit ora. Cold Britain, plac'd too near the Northern winds, And yellow hair'd Germany her coast extends.
Nor let any man think that the Britanniciani* 1.6 men∣tioned in the Notitia, came originally from hence; who were really those troops of Souldiers that were raised in our Britain.
Before the arrival of our Britains, this Country was called Armorica,* 1.7 i.e. situated by the sea side; after that, to the same sense, in our British tongue, Llydaw,* 1.8 that is, upon the shore; and by our Latin writers of the middle age, Letavia.* 1.9 And therefore I suppose them to be the Laeti which Zosimus talks of in Gaul, when he takes notice that Magnentius the Tyrant was born among the Laeti there, and that his father was a Bri∣tain. These* 1.10 Armorici (during the reign of Constan∣tine, who was chosen for the sake of his name; and the time the Barbarians quite over-ran France, turn∣ed out the Roman Garisons) made themselves a di∣stinct Commonwealth. But Valentinian the Younger, by the assistance of Aetius, and the mediation of St. German, reduced them. At that time Exuperan∣tius seems to have reigned over them. Of whom, Claudius Rutilius, thus:
Cujus Aremoricas pater Exuperantius oras Nunc post liminium pacis amore docet: Leges restituit, libertatemque reducit, Et servos famulis non sinit esse suis. Where great Exuperantius gently sways, And makes the Natives love return in peace; Restores their laws, and grateful freedom gives, Nor basely lets them be his servant's slaves.
From these verses, I cannot tell but Aegidius Ma∣serius might conclude that the Britains were servants to the Armorici, and ••egained their freedom in spight of them. The first mention of the Britains inb 1.11 Armorica that I know of, was in the year 461, a∣bout thirty years after the Saxons were call'd into Britain; for then Mansuetus a British Bishop (among others of that dignity in France and Armorica) first subscribed in the Council of Tours. In the ninth year after, these new Inhabitants of France, seeing the Visigoths possess themselves of the fertile coun∣treys of Anjou and Poictou, set upon them, and were the only men that stopped them from seising all France into their own hands. For they sided with Anthemius, the Roman Emperor, against the Goths; so that Arvandus was condemned of high treason,* 1.12 for writing letters to the King of the Goths, advising him to conquer the Britains who lived upon the Loire, and to divide France between the Goths and Burgun∣dians. These Britains were a cunning sort of people,* 1.13 warlike, seditious, and stubborn upon the account of their valour, numbers, and allies, says Sidonius Appollinaris in his complaint of them to his friend Riothimus, as he himself calls him (but Jornandes stiles him King of the Britains,) who being afterwards sent for by Anthemius, went with a supply of 12000 men to the Romans; but before he could joyn them, was defeat∣ed in a fair engagement by the Goths, and so fled to the Burgundians, who were then Confederates with the Romans. From that time, the Armorici being subdued by little and little, the name of Bri∣tains grew so great in this new countrey, that the whole body of inhabitants began to fall under it,