discomfited and slaine, yet the name that he gaue unto this Iland died
not, but still remained vnto the time of Brute, who arriuing héere in
the 1116. before Christ, and 2850. after the creation of the world,
not onelie changed it into Britaine (after it had beene called Albion,
by the space of about 600. yeares) but to declare his souereigntie
ouer the rest of the Ilands also that lie scattered round about it, he
called them all after the same maner, so that Albion was said in time
to be Britanniarum insula maxima, that is, The greatest of those Iles
that beare the name of Britaine, which Plinie also confirmeth, and
Strabo in his first and second bookes denieth not. There are some,
which vtterlie denieng that this Iland tooke hir name of Brute, doo
affirme it rather to be so called of the rich mettals sometime carried
from the mines there into all the world as growing in the same. Vibius
Sequester also saith that Calabria was sometime called Britannia, Ob
immensam affluentiam totius delitiæ atque vbertatis, that was to be
found heerein. Other contend that it should be written with P
(Pritannia.) All which opinions as I absolutelie denie not, so I
willinglie leane vnto none of them in peremptorie maner, sith the
antiquitie of our historie carrieth me withall vnto the former
iudgements. And for the same cause I reiect them also, which deriue
the aforesaid denomination from Britona the nymph, in following Textor
(or Prutus or Prytus the sonne of Araxa) which Britona was borne in
Creta daughter to Mars, and fled by sea from thence onelie to escape
the villanie of Minos, who attempted to rauish and make hir one of his
paramours: but if I should forsake the authoritie of Galfride, I would
rather leane to the report of Parthenius, whereof elsewhere I haue
made a more large rehersall.
It is altogither impertinent, to discusse whether Hercules came into
this Iland after the death of Albion, or not, although that by an
ancient monument seene of late, as I heare, and the cape of Hartland
or Harcland in the West countrie (called Promontorium Herculis in old
time) diuers of our British antiquaries doo gather great likelihood
that he should also be here. But sith his presence or absence maketh
nothing with the alteration of the name of this our region and
countrie, and to search out whether the said monument was but some
token erected in his honour of later times (as some haue beene
elsewhere, among the Celts framed, & those like an old criple with a
bow bent in one hand & a club in the other, a rough skin on his backe,
the haire of his head all to be matted like that of the Irishmens, and
drawing manie men captiue after him in chaines) is but smallie
auailable, and therefore I passe it ouer as not incident to my
purpose. Neither will I spend any time in the determination, whether
Britaine had beene sometime a parcell of the maine, although it should
well séeme so to haue beene, bicause that before the generall floud of
Noah, we doo not read of Ilands, more than of hils and vallies.
Wherfore as Wilden Arguis also noteth in his philosophie and
tractation of meteors, it is verie likelie that they were onelie
caused by the violent motion and working of the sea, in the time of
the floud, which if S. Augustine had well considered, he would neuer
haue asked how such creatures as liued in Ilands far distant from the
maine could come into the arke, De ciuit. lib. 16. cap. 7. howbeit in
the end he concludeth with another matter more profitable than his
demand.
As for the speedie and timelie inhabitation thereof, this is mine
opinion, to wit, that it was inhabited shortlie after the diuision of
the earth. For I read that when each capteine and his companie had
their portions assigned vnto them by Noah in the partition that he
made of the whole among his posteritie, they neuer ceased to trauell
and search out the vttermost parts of the same, vntill they found out
their bounds allotted, and had seene and vewed their limits, euen vnto
the verie poles. It shall suffice therefore onelie to haue touched
these things in this manner a farre off, and in returning to our
purpose, to proceed with the rest concerning the denomination of our
[Sidenote: Yet _Timeus_, _Ephorus_, and some of the Grecians,
know the name Britannia, as appeareth also by _Diodorus_, &c.
before the comming of Cesar.]
Iland, which was knowne vnto most of the Gréekes for a long time, by
none other name than Albion, and to saie the truth, euen vnto
Alexanders daies, as appeareth by the words of Aristotle in his De
mundo, and to the time of Ptolomie: notwithstanding that Brute, as I
haue said, had changed the same into Britaine, manie hundred yeares
before.
After Brutus I doo not find that anie men attempted to change it
againe, vntill the time that Theodosius, in the daies of Valentinianus
and Valens endeuoured, in the remembrance of the two aforesaid
Emperours, to call it Valentia, as Marcellinus saith. But as this
deuise tooke no hold among the common sort, so it retained still the
name of Britaine, vntill the reigne of Ecbert, who about the 800.
yeare of Grace, and first of his reigne, gaue foorth an especiall
edict, dated at Winchester, that it should be called Angles land, or
Angel-landt, for which in our time we doo pronounce it England. And
this is all (right honorable) that I haue to say, touching the
seuerall names of this Iland, vtterlie misliking in the meane season
their deuises, which make Hengist the onlie parent of the later
denomination, whereas Ecbert, bicause his ancestours descended from
the Angles one of the sixe nations that came with the Saxons into
Britaine (for they were not all of one, but of diuers countries, as
Angles, Saxons, Germans, Switzers, Norwegiens, Jutes otherwise called
Jutons, Vites, Gothes or Getes, and Vandals, and all comprehended
vnder the name of Saxons, bicause of Hengist the Saxon and his
companie that first arriued here before anie of the other) and therto
hauing now the monarchie and preheminence in maner of this whole
[Sidenote: Of this opinion is _Belforest, lib. 3. cap. 44_.]
Iland, called the same after the name of the countrie from whence he
derived his originall, neither Hengist, neither anie Queene named
Angla, neither whatsoeuer deriuation ab Angulo, as from a corner of
the world bearing swaie, or hauing ought to doo at all in that
behalfe.
WHAT SUNDRIE NATIONS HAUE DWELLED IN ALBION.
CAP. IV.
As few or no nations can iustlie boast themselues to haue continued
sithence their countrie was first replenished, without any mixture,
more or lesse, of forreine inhabitants; no more can this our Iland,
whose manifold commodities haue oft allured sundrie princes and famous
capteines of the world to conquer and subdue the same vnto their owne
subiection. Manie sorts of people therfore haue come in hither and
settled themselues here in this Ile, and first of all other, a parcell
[Sidenote: Samotheans.]
of the linage and posteritie of Japhet, brought in by Samothes in the
1910. after the creation of Adam. Howbeit in processe of time, and
after they had indifferentlie replenished and furnished this Iland
with people (which was doone in the space of 335. yeares) Albion the
giant afore mentioned, repaired hither with a companie of his owne
race procéeding from Cham, and not onelie annexed the same to his owne
dominion, but brought all such in like sort as he found here of the
line of Japhet, into miserable seruitude and most extreame thraldome.
After him also, and within lesse than sixe hundred and two yeares,
[Sidenote: Britains.]
[Sidenote: Chemminits.]
came Brute the sonne of Syluius with a great traine of the posteritie
of the dispersed Troians in 324. ships: who rendering the like
courtesie vnto the Chemminits as they had doone before unto the séed
of Japhet, brought them also wholie vnder his rule and gouernance, and
dispossessing the peeres & inferior owners of their lands and
possessions, he diuided the countrie among such princes and capteines
as he in his arriuall here had led out of Grecia with him.
[Sidenote: Romans.]
From hencefoorth I doo not find any sound report of other nation
whatsoeuer, that should aduenture hither to dwell, and alter the state
of the land, vntill the Romane emperours subdued it to their dominion,
sauing of a few Galles, (and those peraduenture of Belgie) who first
comming ouer to rob and pilfer vpon the coasts, did afterward plant
themselues for altogither neere vnto the shore, and there builded
sundrie cities and townes which they named after those of the maine,
from whence they came vnto vs. And this is not onelie to be gathered
out of Cesar where he writeth of Britaine of set purpose, but also
elsewhere, as in his second booke a little after the beginning: for
speaking of Deuiaticus king of the Swessions liuing in his time, he
affirmeth him not onelie to be the mightiest prince of all the Galles,
but also to hold vnder his subiection the Ile of Britaine, of which
his sonne Galba was afterward dispossessed. But after the comming of
the Romans, it is hard to say with how manie sorts of people we were
dailie pestered, almost in euery steed. For as they planted their
forworne legions in the most fertile places of the realme, and where
they might best lie for the safegard of their conquests: so their
armies did commonlie consist of manie sorts of people, and were (as I
may call them) a confused mixture of all other countries and nations
then liuing in the world. Howbeit, I thinke it best, bicause they did
all beare the title of Romans, to reteine onelie that name for them
all, albeit they were wofull ghests to this our Iland: sith that with
them came all maner of vice and vicious liuing, all riot and excesse
of behauiour into our countrie, which their legions brought hither
from each corner of their dominions; for there was no prouince vnder
them from whence they had not seruitours.
[Sidenote: Scots.]
[Sidenote: Picts.]
How and when the Scots, a people mixed of the Scithian and Spanish
blood, should arriue here out of Ireland, & when the Picts should come
vnto vs out of Sarmatia, or from further toward the north & the
Scithian Hyperboreans, as yet it is vncerteine. For though the Scotish
histories doo carrie great countenance of their antiquitie in this
Iland: yet (to saie fréelie what I thinke) I iudge them rather to haue
stolne in hither within the space of 100. yeares before Christ, than
to haue continued here so long as they themselues pretend, if my
coniecture be any thing. Yet I denie not, but that as the Picts were
long planted in this Iland before the Scots aduentured to settle
themselues also in Britaine; so the Scots did often aduenture hither
to rob and steale out of Ireland, and were finallie called in by the
Meats or Picts (as the Romans named them, because they painted their
bodies) to helpe them against the Britains, after the which they so
planted themselues in these parts, that vnto our time that portion of
the land cannot be cleansed of them. I find also that as these Scots
were reputed for the most Scithian-like and barbarous nation, and
longest without letters; so they vsed commonlie to steale ouer into
Britaine in leather skewes, and began to helpe the Picts about or not
long before the beginning of Cesars time. For both Diodorus lib. 6.
and Strabo lib. 4. doo seeme to speake of a parcell of the Irish
nation that should inhabit Britaine in their time, which were giuen to
the eating of mans flesh, and therefore called Anthropophagi.
Mamertinus in like sort dooth note the Redshanks and the Irish (which
are properlie the Scots) to be the onelie enimies of our nation,
before the comming of Cæsar, as appeareth in his panegyricall oration,
so that hereby it is found that they are no new ghestes in Britaine.
Wherefore all the controuersie dooth rest in the time of their first
attempt to inhabit in this Iland. Certeinlie I maruell much whie they
trauell not to come in with Cantaber and Partholonus: but I see
perfectlie that this shift should be too grosse for the maintenance of
their desired antiquitie. Now, as concerning their name, the Saxons
translated the word Scotus for Irish: whereby it appeareth that those
Irish, of whom Strabo and Diodorus doo speake, are none other than
those Scots, of whom Ierome speaketh Aduersus Iouinianum, lib. 2. who
vsed to feed on the buttocks of boies and womens paps, as delicate
dishes. Aethicus writing of the Ile of Man, affirmeth it to be
inhabited with Scots so well as Ireland euen in his time. Which is
another proofe that the Scots and Irish are all one people. They were
also called Scoti by the Romans, bicause their Iland & originall
inhabitation thereof were vnknowne, and they themselues an obscure
[Sidenote: Of the Picts.]
nation in the sight of all the world. Now as concerning the Picts,
whatsoeuer Ranulphus Hygden imagineth to the contrarie of their latter
enterance, it is easie to find by Herodian and Mamertinus (of which
the one calleth them Meates, the other Redshankes and Pictones) that
they were setled in this Ile long before the time of Seuerus, yea of
Cæsar, and comming of the Scots. Which is proofe sufficient, if no
further authoritie remained extant for the same. So that the
controuersie lieth not in their comming also, but in the true time of
their repaire and aduenture into this Iland out of the Orchades (out
of which they gat ouer into the North parts of our countrie, as the
writers doo report) and from whence they came at the first into the
aforsaid Ilands. For my part I suppose with other, that they came
hither out of Sarmatia or Scythia: for that nation hauing had alwaies
an eie vnto the commodities of our countrie, hath sent out manie
companies to inuade and spoile the same. It may be that some will
gather, those to be the Picts, of whom Cæsar saith that they stained
their faces with wad and madder, to the end they might appeare
terrible and feareful to their enimies; and so inferre that the Picts
were naturall Britans. But it is one thing to staine the face onelie
as the Britans did, of whom Propertius saith,
Nunc etiam infectos demum mutare Britannos,
And to paint the images and portraitures of beasts, fish and foules
ouer the whole bodie, as the Picts did, of whom Martial saith,
Barbara depictis veni Bascauda Britannis.
Certes the times of Samothes and Albion, haue some likelie limitation;
and so we may gather of the comming in of Brute, of Cæsar, the Saxons,
the Danes, the Normans, and finallie of the Flemmings, (who had the
Rosse in Wales assigned vnto them 1066. after the drowning of their
countrie.) But when first the Picts, & then the Scots should come ouer
into our Iland, as they were obscure people, so the time of their
arriuall is as far to me vnknowne. Wherefore the resolution of this
point must still remaine In tenebris. This neuerthelesse is certeine,
that Maximus first Legate of Britaine, and afterward emperour, draue
the Scots out of Britaine, and compelled them to get habitation in
Ireland, the out Iles, and the North part of the maine, and finallie
diuided their region betwéene the Britaines and the Picts. He
denounced warre also against the Irishmen, for receiuing them into
their land: but they crauing the peace, yéelded to subscribe, that
from thence-foorth they would not receiue any Scot into their
dominions; and so much the more, for that they were pronounced enimies
to the Romans, and disturbers of the common peace and quietnesse of
their prouinces here in England.
The Saxons became first acquainted with this Ile, by meanes of the
piracie which they dailie practised vpon our coastes (after they had
once begun to aduenture themselues also vpon the seas, thereby to
seeke out more wealth than was now to be gotten in the West parts of
the maine, which they and their neighbours had alreadie spoiled in
most lamentable and barbarous maner) howbeit they neuer durst presume
[Sidenote: The hurt by forren aid.]
to inhabit in this Iland, vntill they were sent for by Vortiger to
serue him in his warres against the Picts and Scots, after that the
Romans had giuen vs ouer, and left vs wholie to our owne defense and
regiment. Being therefore come vnder Hengist in three bottoms or
kéeles, and in short time espieng the idle and negligent behauiour of
the Britaines, and fertilitie of our soile, they were not a little
inflamed to make a full conquest of such as at the first they came to
aid and succour. Herevpon also they fell by little and little to the
winding in of greater numbers of their countrimen and neighbours, with
their wiues and children into this region, so that within a while
these new comlings began to molest the homelings, and ceased not from
time to time to continue their purpose, vntill they had gotten
possession of the whole, or at the leastwise the greatest part of our
countrie; the Britons in the meane season being driuen either into
Wales and Cornewall, or altogither out of the Iland to séeke new
habitations.
[Sidenote: Danes.]
In like maner the Danes (the next nation that succéeded) came at the
first onelie to pilfer and robbe vpon the frontiers of our Iland, till
that in the end, being let in by the Welshmen or Britons through an
earnest desire to be reuenged vpon the Saxons, they no lesse plagued
the one than the other, their fréends than their aduersaries, seeking
by all meanes possible to establish themselues also in the sure
possession of Britaine. But such was their successe, that they
prospered not long in their deuise: for so great was their
lordlinesse, crueltie, and insatiable desire of riches, beside their
detestable abusing of chast matrons, and yoong virgins (whose husbands
and parents were dailie inforced to become their drudges and slaues,
whilest they sat at home and fed like drone bées of the sweet of their
trauell and labours) that God I say would not suffer them to continue
any while ouer vs, but when he saw his time he remooued their yoke,
and gaue vs liberty as it were to breath vs, thereby to see whether
this his sharpe scourge could haue mooued vs to repentance and
amendment of our lewd and sinfull liues, or not. But when no signe
thereof appeared in our hearts, he called in an other nation to vex
[Sidenote: The Normans.]
vs, I meane the Normans, a people mixed with Danes, and of whom it is
worthilie doubted, whether they were more hard and cruell to our
countrimen than the Danes, or more heauie and intollerable to our
Iland than the Saxons or the Romans. This nation came out of Newstria,
the people thereof were called Normans by the French, bicause the
Danes which subdued that region, came out of the North parts of the
world: neuerthelesse, I suppose that the ancient word Newstria, is
corrupted from West-rijc, bicause that if you marke the situation, it
lieth opposite from Austria or Ost-rijc, which is called the East
region, as Newstria is the Weast: for Rijc in the old Scithian toong
dooth signifie a region or kingdome, as in Franc-rijc, or Franc-reich,
Westsaxon-reich, Ost saxon-reich, Su-rijc, Angel-rijc, &c, is else to
be séene. But howsoeuer this falleth out, these Normans or Danish
French, were dedlie aduersaries to the English Saxons, first by meane
of a quarell that grew betwéene them in the daies of Edward the
Confessour, at such time as the Earle of Bullen, and William Duke of
Normandie, arriued in this land to visit him, & their freends; such
Normans (I meane) as came ouer with him and Emma his mother before
him, in the time of Canutus and Ethelred. For the first footing that
euer the French did set in this Iland, sithence the time of Ethelbert
& Sigebert, was with Emma, which Ladie brought ouer a traine of French
Gentlemen and Ladies with hir into England.