Clergy and the Christian ministers of the Britaines, where then vtterly driuen out:MarginaliaThe Archbyshop of London and the Archbysh. of Yorke flee into Wales. Insomuch that Theonus Archbishop of London, & Thadeoseus Archbishop of Yorke, seyng their Churches all wasted, and Parishes dispersed, with their cariages and monumentes: left their seas in Britaine, and fled into Cambria, which we now call Wales. Touchyng which matter, and touchyng also the cause of this desolatiō and ruine of the Britaines kyngdme, the first foūtaine & origine therof partly before is declared, where was shewed in the tyme of Constantinus Magnus and Maximinian, pag. 109. how these noble Princes with other moe, achieuing their venturous affayies in other countreys, toke with them great multitudes and armyes out of Britayne: through the occasion wherof, the land was greatly empayred and depriued of his most chief and principall nobles, beyng caried away to serue in foreine warres. Which was no small cause, why the realme of Britaine (beyng so wasted) was the lesse able to helpe it selfe agaynst their enemyes. Although this was not the chief occasion, but other causes there were greater, wherfore God by his iust iudgement, suffered this plague and ouerthrow to fall vpon that people, as here out of an old authour,MarginaliaEx historia quadā Cariensi. and partly out of Gildas, as I haue found it, so I thought to annexe it in his owne wordes, first in Latin, then afterward Englishyng the same, for the more credite of that which shall be alleaged, in tenour as followeth.

MarginaliaThe causes of the destruction of the Brit. declared. Nobiliores totius regni prædictos duces sequuti fuerunt & 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 gētes audita est. Et, vt Gildas historicus testatur, non solum hoc vitium sed omnia quæ humanæ naturæ accidere solent, & præcipue quod totius boni euertit statum, odium veritatis, amor mendacij, susceptio mali pro bono, veneratio nequitiæ pro benignitate: exceptatio Sathanæ pro angelo lucis: vngebantur reges, non propter dominium, sed qui cæteris crudeliores essent. Si quis verò eorū mitior, & 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 faciebāt. Non igitur admirandum est degeneres tales patriam illam amittere quam prædicto modo maculabant.

MarginaliaIn Englishe thus. In English thus: The nobles of this Realme folowyng the Princes and Captaines aboue named: by the reason thereof the vulgare and rascall sorte remayned behinde at home. Who whē they had gotten the roWmes and places of the nobles, the aduauced them selues aboue that their dignitie required. And through their aboundaūce of riches, they supprised with pride, begā to fall into such 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 especially into that whiche is the ouerthrow of all good estates, the hatred of the truth, loue of lyes, imbracyng of euill in stead of goodnesse, regardyng of mischief in stead of vertue, receauyng of the deuil in stead of an Aungell of lyght. They annoynted kynges not such as could well rule a common wealth, but those which exceeded all other in cruelty. And if any might be perceaued to be somwhat more humble or meeke, or to be more inclined to fauour the truth then the residue, hym did euery one hate and backbyte as the ouerthrower and destroyer of Britain. All thynges, whether they pleased or displeased God, they regarded alike. And not secular men onely did thus, but also the congregatiō of the Lord and their Bishops, and teachers without any difference at all. Therfore it is not to be marueiled, that such people so degeneratyng and goyng out of kinde should lose that countrey, which they had after this maner defiled.

And thus much hetherto concernyng the history of the Britaines, till, by the grace of Christ, the order of tyme shall bring vs hereafter to the treatise of Cedwalla and Calwalladrus. Now remayneth, in returnyng agayne to the matter of the Saxōs, to discourse particularly, that which before in the table aboue we haue summarely comprehended.

In this order and rase of the Saxon kinges, aboue specified which had thus thrust out the Britons, and now deuided their land in seuen kyngdomes: as there were many noughty and wicked kynges (whose pernicious examples, being all set on warre and bloudshed, are greatly to be detested and eschued of all true godly Princes) so some there were agayne (although but few) very sincere & good. But none almost from the first to the last, which was not either slayne in warre, or murdered in peace, or els constrayned to make him selfe a Monke. Such was the rage then and tyranny of that time. Whether we should impute it to the corruption of mans nature, or to the iust iudgement of Gods hād, so disposing the matter, that as they had violently and falsely dispossessed the Britons of their right: so they most miserably were not onely vexed of the Danes, and conquered at last by the Normans: but also more cruelly deuoured them selues, one warryng stil agaynst an other, till they were neither able to helpe them selues, nor yet to resist others. Of them which are noted for good among these Saxon kinges, the first and principall is Ethelbertus, or Ethelbrict the first kyng of Kent aboue specified: who by the meanes of Austen and partly through his wife, named Berda,MarginaliaThis Berda beyng a Christian was maryed vnto Ethelbert vpon the condition that she should be suffered to enioy her religion.
Ethelbertus kyng of Kent. first receiued and preferred the Christiā fayth, in all this land of the English Saxons, wherof more foloweth hereafter to be sayd (the Lord so permitting) as place and oportunitie shall require.MarginaliaOswaldus kyng of Northumberlād. The next place I geue to Oswaldus of Northumberland, who not onely did his endeuour in furtheryng the fayth of Christ amongst his people: but also beyng kyng, disdayned not himselfe to stand vp and interpreate to his nobles and subiectes the preachyng of Aidanus, preachyng Christ to them in his Scottish lāguage.MarginaliaEdwinus kyng of Northumberlād. In the same commendation also, like as in the same lyne, commeth his vncle Edwin, kyng of Northumberland, a good Prince, and the first receauer of Christes fayth in that land, by the meanes of his wife, and Paulinus Byshop.MarginaliaSigebertus of Eastangles. Adde to these also Sigebert, first Christened king of the Eastangles, & Sebert, first Christned kyng of Essex: of whom the one was a great furtherer of Religion, and setter vp of scholes:MarginaliaSebert or Sexbrickt of Essex the other which is Sebert or Sexbricth, was neuew to Ethelbert of Kent, vnder whom he ruled in Essex. Byt the which Ethelbert, in the tyme of the sayd SebertMarginaliaThe first building of the Church of Paules in Lōdō. the Churche of Paules was builded at London, and Christiā fayth much enlarged. &c.MarginaliaEthelbert kyng of the Eastangles. Of the same name there was also an other Ethelbert kyng of the Eastangles, a good prince: who by the aduise of his counsaile perswaded to mariage (though agaynst his will) went peaceably to kyng Offa for despousage of Althride his daughter, where the good kyng meanyng innocently through the sinister and deuilish counsayle of kyng Offa his wife, was secretly beheaded and made away.MarginaliaPeter pence how they first came to be payde to Rome. Wherupon Offa through repentaūce therof, made the first Peter pence to be geuē to S. Peters church in Rome.

MarginaliaKenelmus king of the Mercians. In the Catalogue of these good kynges is also to be numbered Kenelmus kyng of the Mercians, & Edmundus kyng of the Eastangles: of the which ij. the first was falsely & abhominably circumuēted and beheaded, by the meanes of his cruell sister and his tutor, as he was in his huntyng at Corfcastle.Marginalia S. Edmund king of Eastangles The other which is called kyng Edmund the Martyr, was slayne at Bury, or as some write at the Castel of Halesdon by the Danes: vpon what occasion, histories do vary. The author of Flores Historiarū sayth, it was by reason of one Lothebrocus a Dane: who beyng of the kynges blood, & beyng with his Hawke on the Sea side in a litle boate, was driuen by force of weather into the coast of Northfolke, wher he being presēted to king Edmund, was retained in his Court with great fauour: till at length one Bericke the the kynges Fawkner, enuying and despityng him, for his great dexteritie in that facultie, priuily did murder him in a wood. This beyng at last spyed (as murder lightly will come out) Bericke was set in Lothbrockes boate alone without all tackling, to be committed vnto the Sea: and as it chaūced so was driuen into Denmarke, who there beyng seene in Lothebrockes boate, was straitly examined of the partie. He then to excuse himselfe, falsely sayd he was slayne by the commaundemēt of the king. Vpon the occasion wherof Inguar and Hubba sonnes to the said Lothebroke gatheryng an army of Danes, inuaded first Northumberland: after that brustyng into Northfolke on euery side, sent this message to king Edmūd after this tenour:MarginaliaThe message of Ingnar to kyng Edmund. Signifieng that kyng Inguar the victorious Prince (dread both by sea and land) as he had subiect diuers other landes vnder hym, so arriuyng now to the coastes of Northfolke, where he intēdeth to wynter: chargeth and commaundeth him to deuide with him his old treasures and his fathers riches, and so to rule vnder him: which if he would not do, but would contemne his power so strongly furnished with such an army, he should be iudged as vnworthy both of kingdome and life. &c. The king hearing this message, astonied not a litle therat, calling his counsaile about him, consulted with them, especially with one of his Byshops, beyng then his Secretary, what was best to be done: who fearyng the kynges life, exhorteth him by wordes and diuers examples to agree to the message. At this a while the kyng holdyng his peace, at length thereto made aunswere agayne in these wordes saying: Go (sayth he) tell your Lord, and let him know that Edmundus the Christened kyng, for the loue of this tempo-