[Sidenote: Dis, Samothes.]
In the diligent perusall of their treatises, who haue written of the
state of this our Iland, I find that at the first it séemed to be a
parcell of the Celtike kingdome, whereof Dis otherwise called
Samothes, one of the sonnes of Japhet was the Saturne or originall
beginner, and of him thencefoorth for a long while called Samothea.
Afterward in processe of time, when desire of rule began to take hold
in the minds of men, and ech prince endeuoured to enlarge his owne
[Sidenote: Neptunus Marioticus.]
dominions: Albion the sonne of Neptune, Amphitrite surnamed Marioticus
(bicause his dominions laie among the ilands of the Mediterran sea, as
those of Plutus did on the lower grounds neere vnto shore, as
contrariwise his father Jupiter dwelled on the high hils néerer to
heauen) hearing of the commodities of the countrie, and plentifulnesse
[Sidenote: The first conquest of Britaine.]
of soile here, made a voiage ouer, and finding the thing not onelie
correspondent vnto, but also farre surmounting the report that went of
this Iland, it was not long after yer he inuaded the same by force of
armes, brought it to his subiection in the 29. yeare after his
grandfathers decease, and finallie changed the name thereof into
Albion, whereby the former denomination after Samothes did grow out of
mind, and fall into vtter forgetfulnesse. And thus was this Iland
bereft at on time both of hir ancient name, and also of hir lawfull
succession of princes descended of the line of Japhet, vnder whom it
[Sidenote: Britaine under the Celts 341. yeares.]
had continued by the space of 341. yeres and nine princes, as by the
Chronologie following shall easilie appeere.
Goropius our neighbor being verie nice in the denomination of our
Iland, as in most other points of his huge volume of the originall of
Antwarpe lib. 6. (whom Buchanan also followeth in part) is brought
into great doubt, whether Britaine was called Albion of the word Alb,
white; or Alp an hill; as Bodinus is no lesse troubled with fetching
the same ab Oibijs, or as he wresteth it, ab Albijs gallis. But here
his inconstancie appeareth, in that in his Gotthadamca liber. 7. he
taketh no lesse paines to bring the Britaines out of Denmarke, whereby
the name of the Iland should be called Vridania, Freedania, Brithania,
or Bridania, tanquam libera Dania, as another also dooth to fetch the
originall out of Spaine, where Breta signifieth soile or earth. But as
such as walke in darkenesse doo often straie, bicause they wot not
whither they go: euen so doo these men, whilest they séeke to
extenuate the certeintie of our histories, and bring vs altogither to
uncerteinties & their coniectures. They in like maner, which will haue
the Welshmen come from the French with this one question, vnde Walli
nisi a Gallis, or from some Spanish colonie, doo greatlie bewraie
their oversights; but most of all they erre that endeuour to fetch it
from Albine the imagined daughter of a forged Dioclesian, wherewith
our ignorant writers haue of late not a little stained our historie,
and brought the sound part thereof into some discredit and mistrust:
but more of this hereafter.
[Sidenote: Neptune God of the sea.]
Now to speake somewhat also of Neptune as by the waie (sith I haue
made mention of him in this place) it shall not be altogither
impertinent. Wherfore you shall vnderstand, that for his excellent
knowledge in the art of nauigation (as nauigation then went) he was
reputed the most skilfull prince that liued in his time. And therfore,
and likewise for his courage & boldnesse in aduenturing to and fro, he
was after his decease honoured as a god, and the protection of such as
[Sidenote: The maner of dressing of ships in old time.]
trauelled by sea committed to his charge. So rude also was the making
of ships wherewith to saile in his time (which were for the most part
flat bottomed and broad) that for lacke of better experience to calke
and trim the same after they were builded, they vsed to naile them
ouer with rawe hides of bulles, buffles, and such like, and with such
a kind of nauie (as they say) first Samothes, & then Albion arriued in
this Iland, which vnto me doth not séeme a thing impossible. The
northerlie or artike regions, doo not naile their ships with iron,
which they vtterly want, but with wooden pins, or els they bind the
planks togither verie artificiallie with bast ropes, osiers, rinds of
trées, or twigs of popler, the substance of those vessels being either
of fir or pine, sith oke is verie deintie & hard to be had amongst
them. Of their wooden anchors I speake not (which neuerthelesse are
common to them, and to the Gothlanders) more than of ships wrought of
wickers, sometime vsed in our Britaine, and couered with leather euen
in the time of Plinie, lib. 7. cap. 56. as also botes made of rushes
and réeds, &c. Neither haue I iust occasion to speake of ships made of
canes, of which sort Staurobates, king of India fighting against
Semiramis, brought 4000. with him and fought with hir the first
battell on the water that euer I read of, and vpon the riuer Indus,
but to his losse, for he was ouercome by hir power, & his nauie either
drowned or burned by the furie of hir souldiers.
But to proceed, when the said Albion had gouerned here in this
countrie by the space of seauen yeares, it came to passe that both he
and his brother Bergion were killed by Hercules at the mouth of
Rhodanus, as the said Hercules passed out of Spaine by the Celtes to
go ouer into Italie, and vpon this occasion (as I gather among the
writers) not vnworthie to be remembred. It happened in time of Lucus
[Sidenote: Lestrigo.]
king of the Celts, that Lestrigo and his issue (whom Osyris his
[Sidenote: Janigenes were the posteritie of Noah in Italie.]
grandfather had placed ouer the Janigenes) did exercise great
tyrannie, not onelie ouer his owne kingdome, but also in molestation
of such princes as inhabited round about him in most intollerable
maner. Moreouer he was not a little incouraged in these his dooings by
[Sidenote: Neptune had xxxiii. sonnes.]
Neptune his father, who thirsted greatly to leaue his xxxiii. sonnes
settled in the mightiest kingdoms of the world, as men of whom he had
alreadie conceiued this opinion, that if they had once gotten foot
into any region whatsoeuer, it would not be long yer they did by some
meanes or other, not onelie establish their seats, but also increase
their limits to the better maintenance of themselues and their
posteritie for euermore. To be short therefore, after the giants, and
great princes, or mightie men of the world had conspired and slaine
the aforsaid Osyris, onlie for that he was an obstacle vnto them in
their tyrannous dealing; Hercules his sonne, surnamed Laabin, Lubim,
or Libius, in the reuenge of his fathers death, proclaimed open warres
against them all, and going from place to place, he ceased not to
spoile their kingdomes, and therewithall to kill them with great
courage that fell into his hands. Finallie, hauing among sundrie other
[Sidenote: Lomnimi. Geriones.]
ouercome the Lomnimi or Geriones in Spaine, and vnderstanding that
Lestrigo and his sonnes did yet remaine in Italie, he directed his
viage into those parts, and taking the kingdome of the Celts in his
waie, he remained for a season with Lucus the king of that countrie,
[Sidenote: Galathea. Galates, or Kelts.]
where he also maried his daughter Galathea, and begat a sonne by hir,
calling him after his mothers name Galates, of whom in my said
Chronologie I haue spoken more at large.
In the meane time Albion vnderstanding how Hercules intended to make
warres against his brother Lestrigo, he thought good if it were
possible to stop him that tide, and therefore sending for his brother
[Sidenote: Bergion.]
Bergion out of the Orchades (where he also reigned as supreame lord
and gouernour) they ioined their powers, and sailed ouer into France.
[Sidenote: _Pomponius Mela cap. de Gallia._]
Being arriued there, it was not long yer they met with Hercules and
his armie, neare vnto the mouth of the riuer called Roen (or the
Rhodanus) where happened a cruell conflict betwéene them, in which
Hercules and his men were like to haue lost the day, for that they
were in maner wearied with long warres, and their munition sore wasted
in the last viage that he had made for Spaine. Herevpon Hercules
perceiuing the courages of his souldiours somewhat to abate, and
seeing the want of artillerie like to be the cause of his fatall daie
and present ouerthrowe at hand, it came suddenlie into his mind to
will each of them to defend himselfe by throwing stones at his enimie,
whereof there laie great store then scattered in the place. The
[Sidenote: _Strabo, lib._ 4.]
policie was no sooner published than hearkened vnto and put in
execution, whereby they so preuailed in the end, that Hercules wan the
field, their enimies were put to flight, and Albion and his brother
both slaine, and buried in that plot. Thus was Britaine rid of a
tyrant, Lucus king of the Celts deliuered from an vsurper (that dailie
incroched vpon him, building sundrie cities and holds, of which some
were placed among the Alps & called after his owne name, and other
also euen in his owne kingdome on that side) and Lestrigo greatlie
weakened by the slaughter of his brethren. Of this inuention of
Hercules in like sort it commeth, that Jupiter father vnto Hercules
(who indeed was none other but Osyris) is feigned to throw downe
stones from heauen vpon Albion and Bergion, in the defense of his
sonne: which came so thicke vpon them, as if great drops of raine or
haile should haue descended from aboue, no man well knowing which waie
to turne him from their force, they came so fast and with so great a
violence.
But to go forward, albeit that Albion and his power were thus
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.