[Sidenote: MARIUS. _Hector Boetius_ saith that his Marius was a
Romane. 73.]
After the decease of Aruiragus, this sonne Marius succeeded him in
the estate, and began his reigne in the yeare of our Lord 73. In the
old English chronicle he is fondlie called Westmer, & was a verie wise
man, gouerning the Britains in great prosperitie, honour and wealth.
In the time of this mans reigne, the people called Picts inuaded
[Sidenote: Of these you maie reade more in pag. _Matth. West._]
this land, who are iudged to be descended of the nation of the
Scithians, neare kinsmen to the Goths, both by countrie and maners,
a cruell kind of men and much giuen to the warres. This people with
their ringleader Roderike, or (as some name him) Londorike, entering
the Ocean sea after the maner of rouers, arriued on the coasts of
Ireland, where they required of the Scots new seats to inhabit in: for
the Scots which (as some thinke) were also descended of the Scithians,
did as then inhabit in Ireland: but doubting that it should not be for
their profit to receiue so warlike a nation into that Ile, feining as
it were a friendship, and excusing the matter by the narrownesse of
the countrie, declared to the Picts, that the Ile of Britaine was not
farre from thence, being a large countrie and a plentifull, and not
greatly inhabited: wherefore they counselled them to go thither,
promising vnto them all the aid that might be.
The Picts more desirous of spoile than of rule or gouernment without
delaie returned to the sea, and sailed towards Britaine, where being
arriued, they first inuaded the north parts thereof, and finding
there but few inhabiters, they began to wast and forrey the countrie:
whereof when king Marius was aduertised, with all speed he assembled
[Sidenote: Roderike king of Picts slaine.]
his people, and made towards his enimies, and giuing them battell,
obtained the victorie, so that Roderike was there slaine in the field,
and his people vanquished.
Vnto those that escaped with life, Marius granted licence that they
might inhabit in the north part of Scotland called Catnesse, being as
then a countrie in maner desolate without habitation: wherevpon they
withdrew thither, and setled themselues in those parties. And bicause
the Britains disdained to grant vnto them their daughters in mariage,
they sent vnto the Scots into Ireland, requiring to haue wiues of
their nation. The Scots agréed to their request, with this condition,
that where there wanted lawfull issue of the kings linage to succéed
in the kingdome of the Picts, then should they name one of the womans
side to be their king: which ordinance was receiued and obserued euer
after amongst the Picts, so long as their kingdome endured.
Thus the Picts next after the Romans were the first of anie strangers
that came into this land to inhabit as most writers affirme, although
the Scotish chronicles auouch the Picts to be inhabiters here before
[Sidenote: _Polydor. Matth. West._]
the incarnation of our sauiour. But the victorie which Marius obteined
against their king Roderike, chanced in the yéere after the
incarnation 87. In remembrance of which victorie, Marius caused a
stone to be erected in the same place where the battell was fought, in
which stone was grauen these words, _Marij victoria_. The English
chronicle saith that this stone was set vp on Stanesmoore, and that
the whole countrie thereabout taking name of this Marius, was
Westmaria, now called Westmerland.
King Marius hauing thus subdued his enimies, and escaped the danger of
their dreadfull inuasion, gaue his mind to the good gouernement of
his people, and the aduancement of the common wealth of the realme,
continuing the residue of his life in great tranquillitie, and
[Sidenote: _Matt. West._ Thus find we in the British and English
histories touching this Marius.]
finallie departed this life, after he had reigned (as most writers
say) 52, or 53 yéeres. Howbeit there be that write, that he died in
the yéere of our Lord 78, and so reigned not past fiue or six yéeres
at the most. He was buried at Caerleill, leauing a sonne behind him
called Coill.
Humfrey Lhoyd séemeth to take this man and his father Aruiragus to be
all one person, whether mooued thereto by some catalog of kings which
he saw, or otherwise, I cannot affirme: but speaking of the time when
the Picts and Scots should first come to settle themselues in this
land, he hath these words; Neither was there anie writers of name,
that made mention either of Scots or Picts before Vespasianus time,
about the yeere of the incarnation 72: at what time Meurig or Maw, or
Aruiragus reigned in Britaine, in which time our annales doo report,
that a certeine kind of people liuing by pirasie and rouing on the
sea, came foorth of Sueden, or Norwaie, vnder the guiding of one
Rhithercus, who landed in Albania, wasting all the countrie with
robbing and spoiling so farre as Caerleill, where he was vanquished in
battell, and slaine by Muragus, with a great part of his people; the
residue that escaped by flight, fled to their ships, and so conueied
themselues into the Iles of Orkney and Scotland, where they abode
quietlie a great while after.
Thus farre haue I thought good to shew of the foresaid Lhoyds booke,
for that it seemeth to carie a great likelihood of truth with it, for
the historie of the Picts, which vndoubtedlie I thinke were not as yet
inhabiting in Britaine, but rather first placing themselues in
the Iles of Orkney, made inuasion into the maine Ile of Britaine
afterwards, as occasion was offred. In the British toong they are
called Pightiaid, that is Pightians, and so likewise were they called
in the Scotish, and in their owne toong. Now will we shew what chanced
in this Ile, during the time of the foresaid Marius his supposed
reigne, as is found in the Romane histories.
* * * * *
_Iulius Agricola is deputed by Vespasian to gouerne Britaine, he
inuadeth the Ile of Anglesey, the inhabitants yeeld vp them selues,
the commendable gouernement of Agricola, his worthie practises to
traine the Britains to ciuilitie, his exploits fortunatelie atchiued
against diuerse people, as the Irish, &c._