The third language apparantlie knowne is the Scithian or high Dutch,
induced at the first by the Saxons (which the Britons call Saysonaec,
as they doo the speakers Sayson) an hard and rough kind of speach, God
wot, when our nation was brought first into acquaintance withall, but
now changed with vs into a farre more fine and easie kind of
vtterance, and so polished and helped with new and milder words, that
it is to be aduouched how there is no one speach vnder the sunne
spoken in our time, that hath or can haue more varietie of words,
copie of phrases, or figures and floures of eloquence, than hath our
English toong, although some haue affirmed vs rather to barke as dogs,
than talke like men, bicause the most of our words (as they doo
indéed) incline vnto one syllable. This also is to be noted as a
testimonie remaining still of our language, deriued from the Saxons,
that the generall name for the most part of euerie skilfull artificer
in his trade endeth in Here with vs, albeit the H be left out, and er
onlie inserted, as Scriuenhere, writehere, shiphere, &c: for
scriuener, writer, and shipper, &c: beside manie other relikes of that
spéech, neuer to be abolished.
[Sidenote: The French toong.]
After the Saxon toong, came the Norman or French language ouer into
our countrie, and therein were our lawes written for a long time. Our
children also were by an especiall decrée taught first to speake the
same, and therevnto inforced to learne their constructions in the
French, whensoeuer they were set to the Grammar schoole. In like sort
few bishops, abbats, or other clergie men, were admitted vnto anie
ecclesiasticall function here among vs, but such as came out of
religious houses from beyond the seas, to the end they should not vse
the English toong in their sermons to the people. In the court also it
grew into such contempt, that most men thought it no small dishonor to
speake any English there. Which brauerie tooke his hold at the last
likewise in the countrie with euerie plowman, that euen the verie
carters began to wax wearie of there mother toong, & laboured to
speake French, which as then was counted no small token of gentilitie.
And no maruell, for euerie French rascall, when he came once hither,
was taken for a gentleman, onelie bicause he was proud, and could vse
his owne language, and all this (I say) to exile the English and
British speaches quite out of the countrie. But in vaine, for in the
time of king Edward the first, to wit, toward the latter end of his
reigne, the French it selfe ceased to be spoken generallie, but most
of all and by law in the midst of Edward the third, and then began the
English to recouer and grow in more estimation than before;
notwithstanding that among our artificers, the most part of their
implements, tooles and words of art reteine still their French
denominations euen to these our daies, as the language it selfe is
vsed likewise in sundrie courts, bookes of record, and matters of law;
whereof here is no place to make any particular rehearsall. Afterward
[Sidenote: The helpers of our English toong.]
also, by diligent trauell of Geffray Chaucer, and Iohn Gowre, in the
time of Richard the second, and after them of Iohn Scogan, and Iohn
Lydgate monke of Berrie, our said toong was brought to an excellent
passe, notwithstanding that it neuer came vnto the type of perfection,
vntill the time of Quéene Elizabeth, wherein Iohn Iewell B. of Sarum,
Iohn Fox, and sundrie learned & excellent writers haue fullie
accomplished the ornature of the same, to their great praise and
immortall commendation; although not a few other doo greatlie séeke to
staine the same, by fond affectation of forren and strange words,
presuming that to be the best English, which is most corrupted with
externall termes of eloquence, and sound of manie syllables. But as
this excellencie of the English toong is found in one, and the south
part of this Iland; so in Wales the greatest number (as I said)
retaine still their owne ancient language, that of the north part of
the said countrie being lesse corrupted than the other, and therefore
reputed for the better in their owne estimation and iudgement. This
[Sidenote: Englishmen apt to learne any forren toong.]
also is proper to vs Englishmen, that sith ours is a meane language,
and neither too rough nor too smooth in vtterance, we may with much
facilitie learne any other language, beside Hebrue, Gréeke & Latine,
and speake it naturallie, as if we were home-borne in those countries;
& yet on the other side it falleth out, I wot not by what other
meanes, that few forren nations can rightlie pronounce ours, without
some and that great note of imperfection, especiallie the French men,
who also seldome write any thing that sauoreth of English trulie. It
is a pastime to read how Natalis Comes in like maner, speaking of our
affaires, dooth clip the names of our English lords. But this of all
the rest dooth bréed most admiration with me, that if any stranger doo
hit vpon some likelie pronuntiation of our toong, yet in age he
swarueth so much from the same, that he is woorse therein than euer he
was, and thereto peraduenture halteth not a litle also in his owne, as
I haue séene by experience in Reginald Wolfe, and other, whereof I
haue iustlie maruelled.
[Sidenote: The Cornish toong.]
The Cornish and Deuonshire men, whose countrie the Britons call
Cerniw, haue a speach in like sort of their owne, and such as hath in
déed more affinitie with the Armoricane toong than I can well discusse
of. Yet in mine opinion, they are both but a corrupted kind of
Brittish, albeit so far degenerating in these daies from the old, that
if either of them doo méete with a Welshman, they are not able at the
first to vnderstand one an other, except here and there in some od
words, without the helpe of interpretors. And no maruell in mine
opinion that the British of Cornewall is thus corrupted, sith the
Welsh toong that is spoken in the north & south part of Wales, doth
differ so much in it selfe, as the English vsed in Scotland dooth from
that which is spoken among vs here in this side of the Iland, as I
haue said alreadie.
[Sidenote: Scottish english.]
The Scottish english hath beene much broader and lesse pleasant in
vtterance than ours, because that nation hath not till of late
indeuored to bring the same to any perfect order, and yet it was such
in maner, as Englishmen themselues did speake for the most part beyond
the Trent, whither any great amendement of our language had not as
then extended it selfe. Howbeit in our time the Scottish language
endeuoreth to come neere, if not altogither to match our toong in
finenesse of phrase, and copie of words, and this may in part appeare
by an historie of the Apocripha translated into Scottish verse by
Hudson, dedicated to the king of that countrie, and conteining sixe
books, except my memorie doo faile me.
Thus we sée how that vnder the dominion of the king of England, and in
the south parts of the realme, we haue thrée seuerall toongs, that is
to saie, English, British, and Cornish, and euen so manie are in
Scotland, if you accompt the English speach for one: notwithstanding
that for bredth and quantitie of the region, I meane onelie of the
soile of the maine Iland, it be somewhat lesse to see to than the
[Sidenote: The wild Scots.]
[Sidenote: Redshanks.]
[Sidenote: Rough footed Scots.]
[Sidenote: Irish Scots.]
[Sidenote: Irish speech.]
other. For in the north part of the region, where the wild Scots,
otherwise called the Redshanks, or rough footed Scots (because they go
bare footed and clad in mantels ouer their saffron shirts after the
Irish maner) doo inhabit, they speake good Irish which they call
Gachtlet, as they saie of one Gathelus, whereby they shew their
originall to haue in times past béene fetched out of Ireland: as I
noted also in the chapiter precedent, and wherevnto Vincentius cap. de
insulis Oceani dooth yéeld his assent, saieng that Ireland was in time
past called Scotia; "Scotia eadem (saith he) & Hibernia, proxima
Britanniæ insula, spatio terrarum angustior, sed situ f[oe]cundior;
Scotia autem à Scotorum gentibus traditur appellata, &c." Out of the
14. booke of Isidorus intituled Originum, where he also addeth that it
is called Hybernia, because it bendeth toward Iberia. But I find
elsewhere that it is so called by certeine Spaniards which came to
seeke and plant their inhabitation in the same, wherof in my
Chronologie I haue spoken more at large.
In the Iles of the Orchades, or Orkeney, as we now call them, & such
coasts of Britaine as doo abbut vpon the same, the Gottish or Danish
speach is altogither in vse, and also in Shetland, by reason (as I
take it) that the princes of Norwaie held those Ilands so long vnder
their subiection, albeit they were otherwise reputed as rather to
belong to Ireland, bicause that the verie soile of them is enimie to
poison, as some write, although for my part I had neuer any sound
experience of the truth hereof. And thus much haue I thought good to
speake of our old speaches, and those fiue languages now vsuallie
spoken within the limits of our Iland.
INTO HOW MANIE KINGDOMS THIS ILAND HATH BEENE DIUIDED.
CAP. VII.
[Sidenote: Britaine at the first one entire kingdome.]
It is not to be doubted, but that at the first, the whole Iland was
ruled by one onelie prince, and so continued from time to time, vntill
ciuill discord, grounded vp[=o] ambitious desire to reigne, caused the
same to be gouerned by diuerse. And this I meane so well of the time
before the comming of Brute, as after the extinction of his whole race
& posteritie. Howbeit, as it is vncerteine into how manie regions it
was seuered, after the first partition; so it is most sure that this
latter disturbed estate of regiment, continued in the same, not onelie
vntill the time of Cæsar, but also in maner vnto the daies of Lucius,
with whome the whole race of the Britons had an end, and the Romans
full possession of this Iland, who gouerned it by Legats after the
maner of a prouince. It should séeme also that within a while after
the time of Dunwallon (who rather brought those foure princes that
vsurped in his time to obedience, than extinguished their titles, &
such partition as they had made of the Iland among themselues) each
great citie had hir fréedome and seuerall kind of regiment, proper
vnto hir selfe, beside a large circuit of the countrie appertinent
vnto the same, wherein were sundrie other cities also of lesse name,
which owght homage and all subiection vnto the greater sort. And to
saie truth, hereof it came to passe, that each of these regions,
whereinto this Iland was then diuided, tooke his name of some one of
these cities; although Ciuitas after Cæsar doth sometime signifie an
whole continent or kingdome, whereby there were in old time Tot
ciuitates quot regna, and contrariwise as may appeare by that of the
Trinobantes, which was so called of Trinobantum the chiefe citie of
that portion, whose territories conteined all Essex, Middlesex, and
part of Hertfordshire, euen as the iurisdiction of the bishop of
London is now extended, for the ouersight of such things as belong
vnto the church. Ech of the gouernors also of these regions, called
themselues kings, and therevnto either of them dailie made warre vpon
other, for the inlarging of their limits. But for somuch as I am not
able to saie how manie did challenge this authoritie at once, and how
long they reigned ouer their seuerall portions, I will passe ouer
these ancient times, and come néerer vnto our owne, I meane the 600.
yéere of Christ, whereof we haue more certeine notice, & at which
season there is euident proofe, that there were twelue or thirtéene
kings reigning in this Iland.
[Sidenote: Wales diuided into three kingdomes.]
We find therefore for the first, how that Wales had hir thrée seuerall
kingdomes, which being accompted togither conteined (as Giraldus
saith) 49. cantreds or cantons (whereof thrée were in his time
possessed by the French and English) although that whole portion of
the Iland extended in those daies no farder than about 200. miles in
length, and one hundred in bredth, and was cut from Lhoegres by the
riuers Sauerne and Dee, of which two streames this dooth fall into the
Irish sea at Westchester, the other into the maine Ocean, betwixt
Somersetshire and Southwales, as their seuerall courses shall witnesse
more at large.
[Sidenote: Gwinhed.]
In the begining it was diuided into two kingdoms onelie, that is to
saie, Venedotia or Gwynhedh (otherwise called Dehenbarth) and Demetia,
for which we now vse most c[=o]monlie the names of South & Northwales.
But in a short processe of time a third sprung vp in the verie middest
betwéene them both, which from thence-foorth was called Powisy, as
shalbe shewed hereafter. For Roderijc the great, who flourished 850.
of Christ, and was king of all Wales (which then conteined onlie six
regions) leauing thrée sons behind him, by his last will & testament
diuided the countrie into thrée portions, according to the number of
his children, of which he assigned one vnto either of them, wherby
Morwing or Morwinner had Gwynhedh or Northwales, Cadelh Demetia or
Southwales, and Anaralt Powisy, as Giraldus and other doo remember.
Howbeit it came to passe that after this diuision, Cadelh suruiued all
his brethren, and thereby became lord of both their portions, and his
successors after him vntill the time of Teuther or Theodor (all is
one) after which they were contented to kéepe themselues within the
compasse of Demetia, which (as I said) conteined 29. of those 49.
cantreds before mentioned, as Powisy did six, and Gwinhedh fourtéene,
except my memorie doo faile me.
[Sidenote: Venedotia.]
The first of these thrée, being called (as I said) Northwales or
Venedotia (or as Paulus Iouius saith Malfabrene, for he diuideth Wales
also into thrée regions, of which he calleth the first Dumbera, the
second Berfrona, and the third Malfabrene) lieth directlie ouer
[Sidenote: Anglesei.]
against the Ile of Anglesei, the chiefe citie whereof stood in the Ile
of Anglesei and was called Aberfraw. It conteineth 4. regions, of
which the said Iland is the first, and whereof in the chapter insuing
[Sidenote: Arfon.]
I wille intreat more at large. The second is called Arfon, and situate
[Sidenote: Merioneth.]
betweene two riuers, the Segwy and the Conwy. The third is Merioneth,
and as it is seuered from Arfon by the Conwy, so is it separated from
[Sidenote: Stradcluyd or Tegenia.]
Tegenia (otherwise called Stradcluyd and Igenia the fourth region) by
the riuer Cluda. Finallie, the limits of this latter are extended also
euen vnto the Dée it selfe, and of these foure regions consisteth the
kingdome of Venedotia, whereof in times past the region of the Canges
was not the smallest portion.
[Sidenote: Powisy.]
The kingdome of Powisy, last of all erected, as I said, hath on the
north side Gwinhedh, on the east (from Chester to Hereford, or rather
to Deane forest) England, on the south and west the riuer Wy and verie
high hilles, whereby it is notablie seuered from Southwales, the
chiefe citie thereof being at the first Salopsburg, in old time
Pengwerne, and Ynwithig, but now Shrowesburie, a citie or towne raised
out of the ruines of Vricouium, which (standing 4. miles from thence,
and by the Saxons called Wrekencester and Wrokecester, before they
ouerthrew it) is now inhabited with méere English, and where in old
time the kings of Powisy did dwell and hold their palaces, till
Englishmen draue them from thence to Matrauall in the same prouince,
where they from thencefoorth aboad. Vpon the limits of this kingdome,
and not far from Holt castell, vpon ech side of the riuer, as the
[Sidenote: Bangor.]
chanell now runneth, stood sometime the famous monasterie of Bangor,
whilest the abated glorie of the Britons yet remained vnextinguished,
and herein were 2100. monkes, of which, the learned sort did preach
the Gospell, and the vnlearned labored with their hands, thereby to
mainteine themselues, and to sustaine their preachers. This region was
in like sort diuided afterward in twaine, of which, the one was called
[Sidenote: Mailrosse.]
Mailor or Mailrosse, the other reteined still hir old denomination,
and of these the first laie by south, & the latter by north of the
Sauerne.
[Sidenote: Fowkes de Warren.]
As touching Mailrosse, I read moreouer in the gests of Fowkes de
Warren, how that one William sonne to a certeine ladie sister to Paine
Peuerell, the first lord of Whittington, after the conquest did win a
part of the same, and the hundred of Ellesmore from the Welshmen, in
which enterprise he was so desperatlie wounded, that no man hight him
life; yet at the last by eating of the shield of a wild bore, he got
an appetite and recouered his health. This William had issue two
[Sidenote: Helene.]
[Sidenote: Mellent.]
daughters, to wit, Helene maried to the heir of the Alans, and Mellent
which refused mariage with anie man, except he were first tried to be
a knight of prowesse. Herevpon hir father made proclamation, that
against such a daie & at such a place, whatsoeuer Gentleman could shew
himselfe most valiant in the field, should marrie Mellent his
daughter, & haue with hir his castell of Whittington with sufficient
liueliehood to mainteine their estates for euer. This report being
spred, Fowkes de Warren came thither all in red, with a shield of
siluer and pecocke for his crest, whereof he was called the red
knight, and there ouercomming the kings sonne of Scotland, and a Baron
of Burgundie, he maried the maid, and by hir had issue as in the
treatise appeareth. There is yet great mention of the red knight in
the countrie there about; and much like vnto this Mellent was the
daughter sometime of one of the lord Rosses, called Kudall, who bare
[Sidenote: The originall of Fitz Henries.]
such good will to Fitz-Henrie clarke of hir fathers kitchen, that she
made him carie hir awaie on horssebacke behind him, onlie for his
manhood sake, which presentlie was tried. For being pursued & ouer
taken, she made him light, & held his cloke whilest he killed and
draue hir fathers men to flight: and then awaie they go, till hir
father conceiuing a good opinion of Fitz-Henrie for this act, receiued
him to his fauour, whereby that familie came vp. And thus much (by the
waie) of Mailrosse, whereof this may suffice, sith mine intent is not
as now to make anie precise description of the particulars of Wales;
but onelie to shew how those regions laie, which sometime were knowne
[Sidenote: Demetia.]
to be gouerned in that countrie. The third kingdome is Demetia, or
Southwales, sometime knowne for the region of the Syllures, wherevnto
I also am persuaded, that the Ordolukes laie in the east part thereof,
and extended their region euen vnto the Sauerne: but howsoeuer that
matter falleth out, Demetia hath the Sauerne on hir south, the Irish
sea on hir west parts, on the east the Sauerne onelie, and by north
the land of Powisy, whereof I spake of late.
[Sidenote: Cair Maridunum.]
Of this region also Caermarden, which the old writers call Maridunum,
was the chéefe citie and palace belonging to the kings of Southwales,
vntill at the last through forren and ciuill inuasions of enimies, the
princes thereof were constrained to remooue their courts to Dinefar
(which is in Cantermawr, and situate neuerthelesse vpon the same riuer
Tewy, wheron Caermarden standeth) in which place it is far better
defended with high hils, thicke woods, craggie rocks, and déepe
marises. In this region also lieth Pembroke aliàs Penmoroc shire,
whose fawcons haue béene in old time very much regarded, and therein
likewise is Milford hauen, whereof the Welsh wisards doo yet dreame
strange toies, which they beleeue shall one daie come to passe. For
they are a nation much giuen to fortelling of things to come, but more
to beléeue such blind prophesies as haue béene made of old time, and
no man is accompted for learned in Wales that is not supposed to haue
the spirit of prophesie.
[Sidenote: Pictland.]
[Sidenote: Scotland.]
[Sidenote: Picts.]
[Sidenote: Scots.]
That Scotland had in those daies two kingdoms, (besides that of the
Orchades) whereof the one consisted of the Picts, and was called
Pightland or Pictland, the other of the Irish race, and named
Scotland: I hope no wise man will readilie denie. The whole region or
portion of the Ile beyond the Scotish sea also was so diuided, that
the Picts laie on the east side, and the Scots on the west, ech of
them being seuered from other, either by huge hils or great lakes and
riuers, that ran out of the south into the north betwéene them. It
séemeth also that at the first these two kingdoms were diuided from
the rest of those of the Britons by the riuers Cluda and Forth, till
both of them desirous to inlarge their dominions, draue the Britons
ouer the Solue and the Twede, which then became march betweene both
the nations. Wherefore the case being so plaine, I will saie no more
of these two, but procéed in order with the rehersall of the rest of
the particular kingdoms of this our south part of the Ile, limiting
out the same by shires as they now lie, so néere as I can, for
otherwise it shall be vnpossible for me to leaue certaine notice of
the likeliest quantities of these their seuerall portions.
[Sidenote: Kent Henghist.]
The first of these kingdoms therefore was begunne in Kent by Henghist
in the 456. of Christ, and thereof called the kingdome of Kent or
Cantwarland, and as the limits thereof extended it selfe no farther
than the said countie (the cheefe citie whereof was Dorobernia or
Cantwarbyry now Canturburie) so it indured well néere by the space of
400. yeares, before it was made an earledome or Heretochie, and vnited
by Inas vnto that of the West Saxons, Athelstane his sonne, being the
first Earle or Heretoch of the same. Maister Lambert in his historie
of Kent dooth gather, by verie probable coniectures, that this part of
the Iland was first inhabited by Samothes, and afterward by Albion.
But howsoeuer that case standeth, sure it is that it hath béen the
onelie doore, whereby the Romans and Saxons made their entrie vnto the
conquest of the region, but first of all Cæsar, who entred into this
Iland vpon the eightéenth Cal. or 14. of September, which was foure
daies before the full of the moone, as he himselfe confesseth, and
then fell out about the 17. or 18. of that moneth, twelue daies before
the equinoctiall (apparant) so that he did not tarrie at that time
aboue eight or ten daies in Britaine. And as this platforme cannot be
denied for his entrance, so the said region and east part of Kent, was
the onelie place by which the knowledge of Christ was first brought
ouer vnto vs, whereby we became partakers of saluation, and from the
darkenesse of mistie errour, true conuerts vnto the light and bright
beames of the shining truth, to our eternall benefit and euerlasting
comforts.
[Sidenote: Southsax.]
[Sidenote: Ella.]
The second kingdome conteined onelie Sussex, and a part of (or as some
saie all) Surrie, which Ella the Saxon first held: who also erected
his chéefe palace at Chichester, when he had destroied Andredswald in
the 492. of Christ. And after it had continued by the space of 232.
years, it ceased, being the verie least kingdome of all the rest,
which were founded in this Ile after the comming of the Saxons (for to
saie truth, it conteined little aboue 7000. families) & within a while
after the erection of the kingdome of the Gewisses or Westsaxons,
notwithstanding that before the kings of Sussex pretended and made
claime to all that which laie west of Kent, and south of the Thames,
vnto the point of Corinwall, as I haue often read.
[Sidenote: Eastsax.]
[Sidenote: Erkenwiin.]
The third regiment was of the East Saxons, or Tribonantes. This
kingdome began vnder Erkenwijn, whose chéefe seat was in London (or
rather Colchester) and conteined whole Essex, Middlesex, and part of
Herfordshire. It indured also much about the pricke of 303. yeares,
and was diuided from that of the East Angles onlie by the riuer
Stoure, as Houeden and others doo report, & so it continueth separated
from Suffolke euen vnto our times, although the said riuer be now
growne verie small, and not of such greatnesse as it hath béene in
times past, by reason that our countriemen make small accompt of
riuers, thinking carriage made by horsse and cart to be the lesse
chargeable waie. But herin how far they are deceiued, I will
else-where make manifest declaration.