of name for residence of him and his knights were deriving Tuiscon or Tuiston (for so Tacitus calls this Caer-leon, Winchester (where his table is yet him) from the hoodt-son, i. e. the eldest son. supposed to be, but that seems of later date) and Others (as the author here) suppose him son to Camelot, in Somersetshire. Some put his number Gomer, and take (6) him for Aschenaz (rememtwelve. I have seen them anciently pictured bered by Moses as first son to Gomer, and from twenty-four, in a poetical story of him; and in whom the Hebrews call the Germans (c) AscheDenbighshire, Stow tells us, in the parish of Lan-nazim) whose relics probably indeed seem to be sannan, on the side of a stony hill, in a circular in Tuisco, which hath been made of Aschen, plain, cut out of a main rock, with some twenty-either by the Dutch prepositive article tie or lie, four seats unequal, which they call Arthur's as our the (according to Derceto for Atergatis (d), round table. Some catalogues of arms have the which should be Adardaga, in Ctesias; and Dacoats of the knights blazoned; but I think with nubius for Adubenus in Festus, perhaps therein as good warrant as Rabelais (1) can justify that corrupted, as Joseph Scaliger observes; as Theu sir Lancelot du Lac flays horses in Hell, and that, dibald for lldibald, in Procopius, and Diceneus "Tous les chevaliers de la table ronde estoient for Ceneus among the Getes) or through mistakpouvres gaigné deniers, tirans la rame pur passering of or or in the Hebrew, as in Rhodanim les riveres de Cocyte, Phlegeton, Styx, Acheron, for 7(e) being Dodauin, and in Chalibes and & Lethe, quand messieurs les diables se veulent Alybes for Thalybes, from Tubal, by taking or esbatre sur l'eau, come font les basteliers de Lyon & for ; for in ruder manuscripts, by an imperfect et gondoliers de Venise. Mais pour chacune pas- reader, the first mistaking might be as soon as the sade ils n'ont qu'un nazarde, & sur le soir quel-rest. I conjecture it the rather, for that in most hisque morceau de pain chaumeny (u). Of them, their number, exploits, and prodigious performances, you may read Caxton's published volume, digested by him into twenty-one books, out of divers French and Italian fables. From such I abstain, as I may.

And for Caermardhin's sake

Two Merlins (w) have our stories: One of Scotland, commonly titled Sylvester, or Caledonius, living under Arthur; the other Ambrosius (of whom before) born of a nun (daughter to the king of South-Wales) in Caermardhin, not naming the place (for rather in British his name is Merihin) but the place (which in Ptolemy is Maridunum) naming him; begotten, as the vulgar, by an incubus. For his burial (in supposition as uncertain as his birth, actions, and all of those too fabulously mixt stories) and his lady of the lake, it is by liberty of profession laid in France by that Italian Ariosto (r): which perhaps is as credible as some more of his attributes, seeing no persuading authority, in any of them, rectifies the uncertainty. But for his birth are the next song, and

to it more.

Tuisco Gomer's son from unbuilt Babel brought. According to the text (y), the Jews affirm that all the sons of Noah were dispersed through the Earth, and every one's name left to the land he possessed. Upon this tradition, and false Berosus' testimony, it is affirmed that Yuisco (son of Noah, gotten with others after the flood (2) upon his wife Arezia) took to his part the coast about Rhine, and that thence came the name of Teutschland and Teutsch, which we call Dutch, through Germany. Some (a) make him the same with Gomer, eldest son to Japhet (by whom these parts of Europe were peopled) out of notation of his name,

(1) Livre 2. cap. 30.

(u) "The knights of the round table used to ferry spirits over Styx, Acheron, and other rivers, and for their fare have a fillip on the nose and a | piece of mouldy bread."

(w) Giral. Itiner. Camb. 2. cap. 8.

(r) Orland. Furios. cant. 3. See Spenser's
Faery Qu. lib. 3. cant. 3.
(y) Gen. 10.

(z) Munster. Cosm. 1. 3.
(a) Goropius in Ind. Scythic.

tories diversity with affinity betwixt the same, meant
proper names (especially eastern as this was) is
ordinary; as Megabyzus, in Ctesias, is Bacaba-
sus, in Justin, who calls Aaron, Aruas, and Hero-
dotus his Smerdis, Mergidis; Asarhaddon, Coras
and Esther in the scriptures, are thus, Sardana-
palus, Cyrus, and Amestris in the Greek stories;
Eporedorix, Ambiorix, Ariminius, in Cæsar and
Sueton, supposed to have been Frederic, Henry,
Herman: divers like examples occur; and in com-
parison of Arrian with Q. Curtius, very many; like
as also in the life of saint John the evangelist, an-
ciently written (f) in Arabic, you have Asuba-
sianuusu, Thithimse, Damthianuusu, for Vespa-
sian, Titus, Domitian; and in our stories Andro-
geus for Cæsar's Mandubratius. From Tuisco is
our name of Tuesday; and in that too, taking the
place of Mars (the most fiery star, and observe
withal that against the vulgar opinion, the planet-
ary account of days is (g) very ancient) discovers
affinity with Aschenaz, in whose notation (as some
body (b) observes) VR signifies fire.

They Saxons first were call'd-
So a Latin rhyme in Engelhuse (1) also ;

Quippe brevis gladius apud illos Saxa vocatur, Unde sibi Saxo nomen traxisse putatur. Although from the Sacans, or Sagans, a populous nation in Asia (which were also Scythians, and of whom an old poet (4), as most others in their epithets and passages of the Scythians,

Τόξα Σακαι φορέοντες & μηκέτις ἄλλος ἐλέγχει Τοξευτής, οὐ γάρ σφι θέμις ανεμώλια βάλλειν. * (b) Jodoc. Willich. comm. ad Tacit. Germaniam, & Pantaleon lib. 1. prosopogr.

(c) Elias Levit. in Thisb. Arias Mont. in Peleg. (d) Strab. lib. Z. ß & 5. de aliis quae hic congerimus.

(e) Broughton in concent. præf.

(f) Pet. Kirstenius. Grammaticæ Arabicæ subjunxit.

(g) Scalig. in prolegom. ad emendat. temp. (h) Melancthon ap. Becan. in Indoscyth.

(i) Ap. Camdenum.

(k) Dionys. Afer in Пging

*The shooting Sacæ none can teach them arte For what they loos'd at, never escapes their dart.

|

sion, thereby omitting twenty-two. For although
Marian's published chronicle (which is but a de-
floration () by Robert of Lorrain, bishop of Here-
ford, under Henry the First, and an epitome of
Marian) goes near from the ordinary time of
incarnation under Augustus, yet he lays it also,
according to the Roman abbot, Dionysius, in the
twenty-third year following, which was rather by

A faculty for which the English have had no small
honour in their later wars with the French) both
Goropius, with long argument in his Becceselana,
our judicious Camden, and others, will have them,
as it were, Sacai's sons. According hereto is that
name of Sacaseua ('), which a colony of them
gave to part of Armenia, and the Sasones (m) in
Scythia, on this side of Imaus. Howsoever, the
author's conceit thus chosen is very apt, nor dis-taking advantage of Dionysius's errour, than fol-
agreeing to this other, in that some community
was betwixt the name of Sacæ or Sage, and a
certain sharp weapon called sagaris, used by the
Amazons, Sacans, and Persians, as the Greek
stories inform us (n).

lowing his opinion. For when he (about Justinian's
time) made his period of D.XXXII. years of the
golden number and cycle of the sun multiplied,
it fell out so in his computation, that the fifteenth
moon following the Jews' passover, the dominical
letter, Friday, and other concurrents according
to ecclesiastical tradition supposed for the pas-
sion, could not be but in the twelfth (s) year
after his birth (a lapse by himself much repented)
and then supposing Christ lived thirty-four years,
twenty-two must needs be omitted; a collection
directly against his meaning; having only forgotten
to fit those concurrents. This account (in itself,
but with some little difference) erroneously follow-
and by the abbot's purpose, as our vulgar is now,

The Britons here allur'd to call them to her aid.
Most suppose them sent to by the Britons, much
subject to the irruptions of Picts and Scots, and
so invited hither for aid: but the stories of Gildas
and Nennius have no such thing, but only that
there landed of them (as banished their country,
which Geffery of Monmouth expresses also) three
long boats in Kent, with Horsa and Hergist, cap-
tains. They afterward were most willingly re-
quested to multiply their number by sending fored, I conjecture, made them, which too much desired
more of their countrymen to help king Vortigern; correction, add the supposed evangelical twenty-two
and under that colour, and by Ronix (daughter years to such times as were before true; and so
to Hengist, and wife to Vortigern) her womanish
came CCCC.XXVIII. to be CCCC.XLIX. and
subtilty, in greater number were here planted. CCCC.L. which White, of Basingstoke (although
Of this, more large in every common story. But aiming to be accurate) unjustly follows. Subtrac-
to believe their first arrival rather for new place tion of this number, and, iu some, addition (of
of habitation, than upon embassage of the Britons, addition you shall have perhaps example in
I am persuaded by this, that among the Cim-amendment of the C.I. VI. year for king Lucius'
brians, Gauls, Goths, Dacians, Scythians, and letters to pope Fleutherius) will rectify many
especially the Sacans(o) (if Strabo deceive not, from gross absurdities in our chronologies, which are by
whom our Saxons) with other northern people, it transcribing, interpolation, misprinting, and creep-
was a custom upon numerous abundance, to trans-ing in of antichronisms now and then, strangely
plant colonies; from which use the Parthians
disordered.
(sent out of Scythia, as the Romans did their Ver
(p) Sacrum) retain that name, signifying banished
(says Trogus ;) not unlikely, from the Hebrew
paratz (q), which is to separate, and also to mul-
tiply in this kind of propagation, as it is used in
the promise to Abraham, and in Isaiah's consola-
tion to the church. Here being the main change
of the British name and state, a word or two of
the time and year is not untimely. Most put it
under CD. XL IX. (according to Bedc's copies
and their followers) or CD. L. of Christ: whereas
indeed, by apparent proof, it was in CD.XXVIII.
and the fourth of Valentinian, the emperor.
Prise and Camden (out of an old fragment an-
nexed to Nennins) and, before them, the author
of Fasciculus Temporum have placed it. The
errour I imagine to be from restoring of worn-out
times, in Bede and others, by those which fell
into the same errour with Florence of Worcester,
and Marian the Scot, who begin the received
Christian account but twelve years before the pas-

(7) Strabo. 1. a.

So

To get their seat in Gaul, which on Nuestria light.
And a little after,

Call'd North-men, from the north of Germany

that came.

What is now Normandy is, in some, stiled Neustria and Nuestria, corruptly, as most think, for Westria, that is, West-rich, i. e. the West kingdom (confined anciently betwixt the Meuse and Loire) in respect of Austrich or Oostrich, i. e. the East kingdom, now Lorrain, upon such reason as the archdukedom bath his name at this day. Rollo (t), son of a Danish potentate, accompanied with divers Danes, Norwegians, Scythians, Goths, and a supplement of English, which he had of king Athelstan, about the year D.CCCC. made transmigration into France, and there, after some martial discords, honoured in holy tincture of Christianity with the name of Robert, received(n) of Charles the Simple, with his daughter (or sister) Gilla, this tract as her dower, containing (as before) more than Normandy. It is reported (v), that when the bishops at this donation re

(a) Ptolem. geograph. lib. 5. can. id. (2) Herodot. Polyhyinn. Xenoph. ávaßár. d. Stra- quired him to kiss the king's foot for homage bo, lib. See the eighth song.

(0) Justin. lib. 24. & 41. Herodot. Clio Walngh. Hypodig. Neust. Gemetiscens. lib. 1. cap. 4. Sabinis & Græcis morem hunc fuisse memini leListe me apud Varronem & Columellam. (b) Festus in eud. & Mamertinis. ) Gen. 28. 14. Isai. 54. 3.

after scornful refusal, he commanded one of his

(7) Malmesb. lib. 4. de Pontificib.
(s) Paul. de Midleburgo part. 2. jib. 5.
(4) See Song XIII.

() Paul. Am. hist. Franc. 3.

(-) Guil. Geneticens. lib. 2. cap. 17,

knights to do it; the knight took up the king's
leg, and in straining it to his mouth, overturned
him; yet nothing but honourable respect followed
on either part.

befleu and Southampton, was cast away, so that Heaven only spared him this issue, Maud, the empress, married, at last, to Geffrey Plantagenet, earl of Anjou, from whom, in a continued race through Henry the Second (son to this Maud)

That as the conquerors' blood did to the conquer'd until Richard the Third, that most noble surname

run.

Object not that duke Robert got the Conqueror upon Arletta (from whom perhaps came our name of harlot) his concubine, nor that consanguinitatis & agnotionis jura à patre tantum & legitimis nuptiis oriuntur (y), as the civil law, and upon the matter the English also defines; but rather allow it by law of nature and nobility, which jus. tifies the bastard's bearing of his father's coat, distinguished with a bend sinister: Nicolas Upton calls it, fissura, eò quod finditur à patriâ hæreditate (2); which is but his conceit and read Heuter's tract de liberâ hominis nativitate, where you shall find a kind of legitimation of that now disgraceful name bastard: which in more antique times was, as a proud title, inserted in the style of great and most honourable princes. Pretending this consanguinity, saint Edward's adoption, and king Harold's oath, aided by successful arms, the Norman acquired the English crown; although William of Poicters affirms (a), that on his death bed he made protestation, that his right was not hereditary, but by effusion of blood, and loss of many lives.

possessed the royal throne of England.

POLY-OLBION.

THE FIFTH SONG.

THE ARGUMENT.

In this song, Severn gives the doom
What of her Lundy should become.
And whilst the nimble Cambrian rills
Dance hy-da-gies amongst the hills,
The Muse them to Camarden brings;
Where Merlin's wondrous birth she sings.
From thence to Pembrook she doth make,
To see how Milford state doth take:
The scattered islands there doth tell:
And, visiting saint David's cell,
Doth sport her all the shores along,
Preparing the ensuing song.

Now Sabrine, as a queen, miraculously fair,
Is absolutely plac'd in her imperial chair
Of crystal richly wrought, that gloriously did shine,
Her grace becoming well, a creature so divine:
And as her godlike self, so glorious was her throne,
In which himself to sit great Neptune had been
known;
[god had woo'd,
Whereon there were engrav'd those nymphs the
And every several shape wherein for love he su'd;
Each daughter, her estate and beauty, every son;
What nations he had rul'd, what countries he had

won.

[cost

No fish in this wide waste, but with exceeding
Was there in antique work most curiously embost.
She, in a watchet weed, with many a curious wave,
Which as a princely gift great Amphitrite gave;
Whose skirts were to the knee, with coral fring'd
below,
[to go,

To grace her goodly steps. And where she meant The path was strew'd with pearl: which though they orient were, [rous clear; Yet scarce known from her feet, they were so wondTo whom the mermaids hold her glass, that she Who him a daughter brought, which Heaven did Before all other floods how far her beauties be: [wise, may see Who was by Nereus taught, the most profoundly After composition of French troubles, Henry That learned her the skill of hidden prophecies, the first returning into England, the ship wherein By Thetis' special care; as Chiron erst had done his sous William and Richard were, betwixt Bar-To that proud bane of Troy, her god-resembling

strangely spare.

[flood For her wise censure now, whilst ev'ry list'ning (When reason somewhat cool'dtheir late distemper'd mood) Inclosed Severn in; before this mighty rout, She sitting well prepar'd, with count'nance_grave and stout, [cause, Like some great learned judge, to end a weighty Well furnish'd with the force of arguments and laws,

! Chiron brought up Achilles, son to Thetis.

"Near Denevoir, the seat of the Demetian king | Being those immortals long before the Heaven, that Whilst Cambria was herself, full, strong, and flourishing,