ly to pronounce, but that I may suspect the truth thereof, which was about the yere of our Lord. 490. Henr. Huntyng. Galfr. cum aliis.MarginaliaEx henric. huntingtonensi.
Galfrido.

MarginaliaEx Chronico quodā Cariensi.
The vncertaintie of our old Britayn storiesA certayne auncient written history I haue in Latin, compiled in the. xiiii. yeare of kyng Richarde the second, and by him caused to be written as the title declareth: which because it beareth no name of the author: I call it by the name of him of whō I borowed this boke, with many other likewise without name, Historia Cariana. This history recordeth that Hēgistus died in Kent the xxii. yeare of his raigne: which if it bee true, then is it false that he was taken at Cunynburgh, and slaine in the North. MarginaliaAurelius,
Ambrosius Brit. kingThis Aurelius Ambrosius before mentioned, is thought of Polidorus Vergilius cityng the authoritie of Bede, to descend of the stock of the Romains: which as it is not vnpossible to be true: so this is certain by the full accord of all our olde written stories, þ^t both the said Aurelius, and his brother Vterpendragon beyng the sonnes of Constantinus, brother to Andoenus kyng of litle Britayne, were nursed and brought vp in England, in their tender age, and instructed by Guitelinus Archbishop of London, and after the murder of Constans their elder brother, were conueyed frō hence to litle Britayne: wherby it is manifest that they were borne in this land, & though their father wer a Romain as Polydorus pretendeth, yet like it is that they were Britaynes borne, and had a Britaine to their mother.

After the death of Aurelius, who (as the story sayth) was poysoned by the craftye meanes of Pascensius, Vortigernus sonne (suborning one, vnder the weede of a Moonke to play the Phisician, and so to poyson hym) nexte succeded his brother MarginaliaVter pēdragon Brit. king.Vter, surnamed Pendragō, about the yere of our Lord. 497., who fighting against Octa and Cosa, tooke them and brought them to London ther to be kept. But they breaking out of prison returned into Germanie for more ayde. In this meane tyme dayly recourse was of Saxons, with great companies comming out of Saxonie: MarginaliaRemember the wordes of Gildas 33. hist. Caria.with whom the Britaynes had diuers and sundrye conflictes, some tymes winning, sometimes loosing. Not long after Octa and Cosa, reneuing their power in Germanie, in al most spedie haste did returne again, & ioyne w^t the other Saxons against the Brytaines. Here beganne the state of miserable Brytaine daily more and more to decay, while the idolatrous Saxons preuayled in number and strength against the Christian Britaines: MarginaliaThe christian Britayns persecuted by the heathen Saxōsoppressing the people, throwing down Churches and Monastries, murdering the prelates, sparing neyther age nor person, but wasting Christianitie almost through the whole Realme. To these miseries it fell moreouer that Vter their kyng was sicke and could not come out. Notwithstanding being greued with the lamentable destruction of hys people, caused his bed to be brought into the campe, where God gaue him the victorie: Octa and Cosa there being slaine. After thys victorie in shorte space Vter dyed of poyson (as is said) put into a fountaine of water, wherof the king was woont to drinke, about the yeare of our Lorde. 516. Flor. hist.

About which tyme and yeare, came in Stuph and Wigarus two nephewes of Certhice king of West saxons, with their companyes so violentlye vpon the Brytaines, that they of the west parte of the Realme, were not able to resiste them. MarginaliaKyng Arthur.Then the mercifull prouidence of almightie God, raysed vp for them King Arthur the sonne of Vter: who was then crowned after hym and victoriouslye reigned. To thys Arthure the olde Brytaine historyes do ascribe. xij. great victories against the heathen Saxons: whose notorious & famous conquests, mentioned in the Britaine storyes, I leaue them as I finde them: referring them to the credit of their authors in whom they are found. Notwithstanding as I do not thinke contrary, but God by the foresaid Arthure, gaueto the Brytaines some staye and quietnes during hys life, and certaine of his successors: MarginaliaThe tales of kyng Arthurso touching certaine of great victories & conquestes, not only ouer this land, but also ouer all Europe, I iudge them more fabulous, then that any credit shoulde be geuen vnto them, more worthye to be ioyned with the Iliades of Homere, then to haue place in any ecclesiastical history. MarginaliaConstātinus 3.After Arthur next king of the Britains, was Cōstantinus the. 3. MarginaliaAurelius Cona.
Vortiporius.
Malgo,
Carecius
kyngs of Brit.After hym Aurelius Conanus. Thē Vortiporius, after whom folowed Malgo, noted in storyes to be a Sodomite. And after him þ^e last king of the Britains, was Carecius, all geuen to Ciuil war, execrable to God & man. Who being chased out by the Britains thēselues, þ^e land fell to þ^e possessiō of the Saxons: about þ^e yere of our Lord. 568. by whom all the clergie and the Christian ministers of the Brytaines, where then vtterly driuen out: MarginaliaThe Archbishop of Londō and the Archbishoppe of Yorke flee into Wales.Insomuch that Theonus Archbishop of London, and Thadeoseus Archbishop of Yorke, seing their churches all wasted, and parishes disparsed, with their cariages and monumentes: left their seas in Britanie, & fled into Cambria, which we now call Wales. Touching which matter, and touching also the cause of this desolatiō and ruine of the Britains kingdō, the first fountain & origine therof partly before is declared, wher was shewed in þ^e time of Constantinus Magnus & Maximinianus pag. 148. how these noble princes w^t other moe, achiuing their vētrous affayres in other coūtryes, toke w^t thē great multitudes and armies out of Britain: through the occasiō wherof, þ^e land was greatly empayred & depriued of his most chief and principall nobles, being caried away to serue in foren warres. Which was no small cause, why the Realme of Britaine (being so wasted) was the lesse able to helpe it self agaynst their enemies. Although this was not the chief occasion, but other causes there were greater, wherfore God by his iust iudgement, suffered this plage and ouerthrowe to fall vpon that people, as here out of an olde author, MarginaliaEx historia quadā cariēsi.and partly out of Gildas, as I haue found it, so I thought to annexe it in hys owne wordes, first in latin, then afterward englishing þ^e same, for the more credite of that which shall be alleaged, in tenor as followeth.

MarginaliaThe causes of the destructiō of the Britains declared.Nobiliores totius regni prædictos duces sequti fuerūt, et ignobiles remanebant, qui cum vicem nobilium optinere cœpissent, extulerunt se vltra quod dignitas expetebat. Et ob affluenciam diuitiarum superbi cœperunt tali & tantæ fornicationi indulgere, qualis nec inter gentes audita est. Et, vt Gildas historicus testatur, non solum hoc vitium sed omnia quæ humanæ naturæ accidere solent, et præcipue quod totius boni euertit statum, odium veritatis, amor mendacii, susceptio mali pro bono, ueneratio nequiciæ pro benignitate, exceptatio Sathanæ pro angelo, lucis: vingebantur reges, non propter dominium, sed qui cæteris crudeliores essent. Si quis vero eorum mitior, et veritati ali quatenus propior videretur, in hunc quasi Britanniæ subuersorem omnia odia, telaq; torquebātur. Omnia quæ deo placebant & displicebant æquali lance inter eos pendebantur. Et non solum hoc seculares viri, sed & ipse grex domini, eiusq; pastores sine discretione faciebant. Non igitur admirandum est degeneres tales patriam illam amittere quā prædictor modo maculabant.

MarginaliaIn english thusIn English thus: The nobles of this realme folowing the princes & captaynes aboue named: by the reason therof the vulgar and raskal sorte remayned behind at home. Who when they had gotten the roomes & places of þ^e nobles, the auāced themselues aboue that their dignitie required. And through their aboundaunce of riches, they supprised with pride, began to fall into suche and so great fornication, as was neuer heard of euen among the Gentiles. And as Gildas the Historiographer witnesseth, not into this vice onely, but also into all maner of wickednes, wherto mans nature is inclined: and especiallye into that which is the ouerthrowe of all good