1.3. Of the giant Albion, of his comming into this
Iland, diuers opinions why it was called Albion: why
Albion and Bergion were slaine by Hercules: of Danaus
and of his 50. daughters. The third Chapter.
EEBO page image 4
Of the giant Albion, of his comming into this
Iland, diuers opinions why it was called Albion: why
Albion and Bergion were slaine by Hercules: of Danaus
and of his 50. daughters. The third Chapter.
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1 _NEptunus called by Mo|ses (as
some take it) Nepthu|im,Bale. the sixt sonne of Osiris, after the
account of Annius, and the brother of
Hercules,Annius de Vi|terbo.
Diodorus Si|culus. had appointed him of his
fa|ther (as Diodorus writeth) the gouernement
of the ocean sea: wherefore he furnished himselfe of
sundrie light ships for the more redie
pas|sage by water,Pinnesses or gallies. which in
the end grew to the number of a full nauie: &
so by continuall exercise he became so skilfull, and
therewith so mightie vpon the wa|ters (as
Higinus & Pictonius doo
write) that he was not onelie called the king,Higinus. Pictonius. but also
estéemed the god of the seas. He had to wife a ladie
called Am|phitrita, who was also honored as goddesse
of the seas, of whose bodie he begat sundrie children:
and (as Bale reporteth) he made euerie one of
them king of an Iland.Scrip. Bri.
cens. 1. In the Ile of Britaine he landed
his fourth son called Albion the
giant, who brought the same vnder his subiection. And
herevpon it resteth, that Iohn Textor, and
Polydor Virgil made men|tion, that light
shippes were first inuented in the British seas,Ioh. Textor. Polydor. and that
the same were couered round with the hides of beasts,
for defending them from the surges and waues of the
water.
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1 This Albion being put by his father in possession of
this Ile of Britaine, within short time subdued the
Samotheans, the first inhabitantes thereof, without finding any great resistance, for
that (as be|fore ye haue heard) they had giuen ouer
the practise of all warlike and other painefull
exercises, and through vse of effeminate pleasures,
whereunto they had giuen themselues ouer, they were
become now vnapt to withstand the force of their
enimies: and so (by the testimonie of Nicholaus
Perottus, Rigma|nus Philesius, Aristotle,
Nichol. Perot. Rigmanus Philesius.
Aristotle. Hum. Lhoyd. and Humfrey
Llhoyd, with diuers other, both forraine
& home-writers) this I|land was first called
by the name of Albion, hauing at
one time both the name and inhabitants changed from
the line of Iaphet vnto the accursed race of Cham.
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1 This Albion (that thus changed the name of this Ile)
and his companie, are called giants, which sig|nifieth
none other than a tall kind of men, of that vn|corrupt
stature and highnesse naturallie incident to the first
age (which Berosus also séemeth to
allow,Berosus. where he
writeth, that Noah was one of the gi|ants) and were
not so called only of their monstrous greatnesse, as the common people thinke (although
in deed they exceeded the vsuall stature of men now in
these daies) but also for that they tooke their name
of the soile where they were borne:What Gigantes signifie. for
Gigantes signi|fieth the sons of the earth:
the Aborigines, or (as Ce|sar calleth them)
Indigenae) that is, borne and bred out of
the earth were they inhabited.
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1 Thus some thinke, but verelie although that their
opinion is not to be allowed in any condition, which
maintaine that there should be any Aborigines,Against the o|pinion of the
Aborigines. or o|ther kind of men than those of
Adams line; yet that there haue béene men of far
greater stature than are now to be found, is
sufficientlie prooued by the huge bones of those that
haue beene found in our time, or lately before:
whereof here to make further relation it shall not
need, sith in the description of Britaine ye shall
find it sufficientlie declared.
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1 But now to our purpose. As Albion held Britaine in
subiection,
Bale. Bergion
[...] ther to [...] Hercules [...]bicus. so
his brother Bergion kept Ireland and the Orkenies
vnder his rule and dominion, and hearing that their
coosine Hercules Lybicus ha|uing finished his
conquests in Spaine, meant to passe through Gallia
into Italie, against their bro|ther Lestrigo that
oppressed Italie, vnder subiection of him &
other of his brethren the sons also of Nep|tune; as
well Albion as Bergion assembling their powers
togither, passed ouer into Gallia, to stoppe the
passage of Hercules, whose intention was to vanquish
and destroie those tyrants the sonnes of Neptune,
& their complices that kept diuers coun|tries
and regions vnder the painefull yoke of their heauie
thraldome.
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1 The cause that moned Hercules thus to pursue vpon
those tyrants now reigning thus in the world,The cause why Hercu|les purs [...]
his coosins. was, for that not long before,
the greatest part of them had conspired togither and
slaine his father. O|siris, not withstanding that they
were nephues to the same Osiris, as sonnes to his
brother Neptune, and not contented with his slaughter,
they diuided his carcase also amongst them, so that
each of them got a peece in token of reioising at
their murtherous atchiued enterprise.
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1
2 For this cause Hercules (whome Moses calleth Laabin)
proclamed warres against them all in re|uenge of his
fathers death: and first he killed Tri|phon and
Bustris in Aegypt, then Anteus in Mau|ritania,
& the Garions in Spaine, which enterprise
atchiued, he led his armie towardes Italie, and by the
way passed, through a part of Gallia, where Al|bion
and Bergion hauing vnited their powers togi|ther,Pomp Me [...]
were
readie to receiue him with battell: and so néere to
the mouth of the riuer called Rhosne, in Latine
Rhodanus, they met & fought. At the
first there was a right terrible and cruell conflict
betwixt them. And albeit that Hercules had the
greatest number of men, yet was it verie doubtfull a
great while, to whether part the glorie of that daies
worke would bend. whereupon when the victorie began
outright to turne vnto Albion, and to his brother
Bergion, Hercules perceiuing the danger and likelihood
of vtter loose of that battell, speciallie for that
his men had wasted their weapons, he caused those that
stood still and were not otherwise occupied, to stoope
downe, and to gather vp stones,Hercules [...] conifite [...]h [...]
enimies. whereof in that place there was
great plentie, which by his commande|ment they
bestowed so fréelie vpon their enimies, that in the
end hée obteined the victorie, and did not only put
his aduersaries to flight,Albion is
slaine. but also slue Al|bion there in the
field, togither with his brother Ber|gion, and the
most part of all their whole armie. This was the end
of Albion, and his brother Bergion, by the valiant
prowesse of Hercules, who as one ap|pointed by Gods
prouidence to subdue the cruell & vnmercifull
tyrants, spent his time to the benefit of mankind,
deliuering the oppressed from the hea|uie yoke of
miserable thraldome, in euerie place where he came.
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1
2 And by the order of this battell wée maye learne
whereof the poets had their inuention,The occ [...] of the fables
Iupiters [...]ping his s [...] Hercules. How
this [...] was called Albion, [...]
giant Ilbe [...]
Iohn Bale.
when they faine in their
writings, that Iupiter holpe his sonne Hercules, by
throwing downe stones from heauen in this battell
against Albion and Bergion. More|ouer, from henceforth
was this Ile of Britaine cal|led Albion (as before we
haue said) after the name of the said Albion: because
he was established chiefe ruler and king thereof both
by his grandfather Osi|ris, and his father Neptune
that cunning sailour reigning therein (as
Bale saith) by the space of 44. EEBO page image 5 yeares, till finally he was slaine in
maner afore re|membred by his vncle Hercules Libicus.
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1
2 After that Hercules had thus vanquished and
de|stroied his enimies, hée passed to and fro thorough
Gallia, suppressing the tyrants in euerie part where
he came, and restoring the people vnto a reasonable
kinde of libertie, vnder lawfull gouernours. This
Hercules (as we find) builded the citie Alexia in
Burgongne, nowe called Alize. Moreouer, by Li|lius
Giraldus in the life of Hercules it is
auouched, that the same Hercules
came ouer hither into Bri|taine. And this dooth
Giraldus writer by warrant of such Britons
as (saith he) haue so written them|selues, which thing
peraduenture he hath read in Gil|das the
ancient Briton poet: a booke that (as he confesseth in
the 5. dialog of his histories of po|ets) he hath
séene. The same thing also is confirmed by the name of
an head of land in Britaine called Promontorium
Herculis, as in Ptolomie ye may read,
which is thought to take name of his arriuall at
that place. Thus much for Albion
and Hercules.
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1 But now,Diuers opi|nions why this
Ile was called Albion. See more hereof in the
description. whereas it is not denied of
anie, that this Ile was called ancientlie by the name
of Al|bion: yet there be diuers opinions how it came
by that name: for manie doo not allow of this historie
of Albion the giant. But for so much as it
appertei|neth rather to the description than to the
historie of this Ile, to rip vp and lay foorth the
secret mysteries of such matters: and because I thinke
that this opi|nion which is here auouched, how it
tooke that name of the forsaid
Albion, sonne to Neptune, may be con|firmed with as
good authoritie as some of the other, I here passe
ouer the rest, & procéed with the historie.
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1 When Albion chiefe capteine of the giants was slaine,
the residue that remained at home in the Ile,
continued without any rule or restraint of law, in so
much that they fell to such a dissolute order of life,
that they séemed little or nothing to differ from
brute beasts: and those are they which our ancient
chro|nicles call the giants, who were so named, as
well for the huge proportion of
their stature (sithens as be|fore is said, that age
brought foorth far greater men than are now liuing) as
also for that they were the first, or at the least the
furthest in remembrance of any that had inhabited this
countrie. For this word Gigines, or
Gegines, from whence our word giant (as
some take it) is deriued, is a Gréeke word, and
signifieth, Borne or bred of or in the earth,
for our fore-elders, specially the Gentiles, being
ignorant o the true beginning of mankind, were
persua|ded, that the first
inhabitants of any countrie were bred out of the
earth, and therefore when they could go no higher,
reckoning the descents of their prede|cessours,
Terrae filius what it
signi|fieth. they would name him Terrae
filius, The sonne of the earth: and so the
giants whom the poets faine to haue sought to make
battell against heauen are called the sonnes of the
earth: and the first inha|bitants generally of euery
countrie were of the Gréekes called Gigines,
or Gegines, and of the La|tines
Aborigines,
Aborigines.
Indigenae. and Indigenae, that is,
People borne of earth from the
beginning, and comming from no other countrie, but
bred within the same.
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1 These giants and first inhabitants of this Ile
con|tinued in their beastlie kind of life vnto the
arriuall of the ladies,The
mista|king of the name of Dio|clesianus for
Danaus. which some of our chronicles ignorantly
write to be the daughters of Dioclesian the
king of Assyria, whereas in déed they haue béene
deceiued, in taking the word Danaus to be
short written for Dioclesianus: and by the
same meanes haue diuers words and names beene
mistaken, both in our chro|nicles, and in diuers other
ancient written woorks. But this is a fault that
learned men should not so much trouble themselues
about, considering the same hath bin alreadie found by
sundrie authors ling sithens, as Hugh the
Italian, Iohn-Harding, Iohn Rouse of
Warwike,Hugh the I|talian.
Harding. Iohn Rous out of Dauid Pencair. and
others, speciallie by the helpe of Dauid
Pencair. a British historie, who recite the
historie vnder the name of Danaus and his daugthers.
And because we would not any man to thinke, that the
historie of these daughters of Da|naus is onelie of
purpose deuised, and brought in place of Dioclesianus,
to excuse the imperfection of our writers, whereas
there as either no such histo|rie (or at the least no
such women that arriued in this Ile)Nennius. the authoritie of Nennius
a Briton writer may be auouched who wrote aboue 900.
yeares past, and maketh mention of the arriuall of
such ladies.
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1
2
3 To be short,
Belus
priscus. Dictionarium poeticum. the
historie is thus. Belus the sonne of Epaphus, or (as
some writers haue) of Neptune and L [...]bies
(whome Isis after the death of Apis ma|ried) had issue
two sonnes: the first Danaus, called also Armeus; and
Aegyptus called also Rameses: these two were kings
among the Aegyptians. Da|naus the elder of the
two,Danaus. Aegyprus.
Higinus. hauing in his rule the vp|per region
of Aegypt, had by sundrie wiues 50. daughters, with
whome his brother Aegyptus, ga|ping for the dominion
of the whole, did instantlie labour, that his sonnes
being also 50. in number, might match. But Danaus
hauing knowledge by some prophesie or oracle, that a
sonne in law of his should be his death, refused so to
bestow his daugh|ters. Hereupon grew warre betwixt the
brethren, in the end whereof, Danaus being the weaker,
was inforced to flée his countrie, and so prepared a
nauie, imbarked himselfe and his daughters, and with
them passed ouer into Gréece, where he found meanes to
dispossesse Gelenor (sonne to Stenelas king of Argos)
of his rightfull inheritance, driuing him out of his
countrie, and reigned in his place by the assistance
of the Argiues that had conceiued an hatred towardes
Gelenor, and a great liking to|wardes Danaus, who in
verie deed did so farr ex|cell the kings that had
reigned there before him, that the Gréekes in
remembrance of him were after called Danai.
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1
2 But his brother Aegyptus, taking great disdaine for
that he and his sonnes were in such sort despised of
Danaus, sent his sonnes with a great armie to make
warre against their vncle, giuing them in charge not
to returne, till they had either slaine Danaus, or
obteined his daugthers in mariage. he yoong gentlemen
according to their fathers com|mandement, being
arriued in Greece, made such warre against Danaus,
that in the end he was con|strained to giue vnto those
his 50. nephues his 50. daughters, to ioine with them
in mariage, and so they were. But as the prouerbe
saith, In trust appea|red treacherie. For on
the first night of the mariage, Danaus deliuered to
ech of his daughters a sword, charging them that when
their husbands after their bankets and pastimes were
once brought into a sound sléepe, ech of them should
slea hir husband, me|nacing them with death vnlesse
they fulfilled his commandement. They all therefore
obeied the will of their father, Hypermnestra onely
excepted, with whom preuailed more the loue of kinred
and wed|locke, than the feare of hir fathers
displeasure: for shee alone spared the life of hir
husband Lynceus, waking him out of his sléepe, and
warning him to depart and flée into Aegypt to his
father. He there|fore hauing all the wicked practises
reuealed to him by his wife, followed hir aduice, and
so escaped.
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1
2 Now when Danaus perceiued how all his daughters had
accomplished his commandement,Pausanias. sauing onelie Hypermnestra, he
caused hir to be brought forth into iudgement, for
disobeing him in a matter wherein both the safetie and
losse of his life rested: but she was acquitted by the
Argiues, & EEBO page image 6 discharged.
Howbeit hir father kept hir in prison, and séeking to
find out other husbands for his other daughters that
had obeied his pleasure in sleaing their first
husbands, long it was yer he could find any to match
with them: for the heinous offense com|mitted in the
slaughter of their late husbands, was yet too fresh in
memorie, and their bloud not wiped out of mind.
Neuerthelesse, to bring his purpose the better to
passe, he made proclamation, that his daughhters
should demand no ioinctures, and euerie suter should take his choise without
respect to the age of the ladie, or abilitie of him
that came to make his choise, but so as first come
best serued, according to their owne phantasies and
likings. Howbeit when this policie also failed,
& would not serue his turne, he deuised a game
of running, ordeining therewith, that whosoeuer got
the best price should haue the first choise among all
the sisters; and he that got the se|cond, should
choose next to the first; and so foorth, ech one after
an other, according to the triall of their swiftnesse of foote.
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1 How much this practise auailed, I know not: but
certeine it is, diuers of them were bestowed, either
by this or some other meanes, for we find that
Auto|nomes was maried to Architeles, Chrysanta or (as
Pausanias saith) Scea was matched with
Archan|drus, Amaome with Neptunus Equestris, on whome
he begat Nauplius.
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1
2 But now to returne vnto Lynceus,Higinus, whome his wife Hypermnestra
preserued, as before ye haue heard.
After he was once got out of the reach and danger of
his father in law king Danaus, he gaue knowledge
thereof to his wife,Pausanias. in raising a fire on heigth
beaconwise, accordingly as she had requested him to
doo at his departure from hir: and this was at a place
which afterwards tooke name of him, and was called
Lyncea. Upon his returne into Aegypt, he gaue his
father to vnderstand the whole circum|stance of the
treacherous crueltie vsed by his vncle and his
daughters in the murder of his brethren, and how hardly he himselfe had escaped death
out of his vncles handes. Wherevpon at time conuenient
he was furnished foorth with men and ships by his
fa|ther, for the spéedie reuenge of that heinous,
vnnatu|rall and most disloiall murder, in which
enterprise he sped him foorth with such diligence,
that in short time he found meanes to dispatch his
vncle Dana|us, set his wife Hypermnestra at libertie,
and sub|dued the whole kingdome of the Argiues.
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1
2 This done, he caused the daughters of Danaus
(so many as remained within the
limits of his domini|on) to be sent for, whome he
thought not worthie to liue, bicause of the cruell
murther which they had committed on his brethren: but
yet for that they were his wiues sisters, he would not
put them to death, but commanded them to be thrust
into a ship, without maister, mate or mariner, and so
to be tur|ned into the maine ocean sea, and to take
and abide such fortune as should chance vnto them.
These la|dies thus imbarked and left to the mercy of
the seas, by hap were brought to
the coasts of this Ile then called Albion,Harding and Iohn Rous out of
Dauid Pen|cair. where they tooke land, and in
sée|king to prouide themselues of victuals by pursute
of wilde beasts, met with no other inhabitants, than
the rude and sauage giants mentioined before, whome
our historiens for their beastlie kind of life doo
call diuells. With these monsters did these ladies
(fin|ding none other to satisfie the motions the
motions of their sen|suall lust) ioine in the act of
venerie, and ingendred a race of people in proportion
nothing differing from their fathers that begat them,
nor in conditions from their mothers that bare them.
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1
2
3 But now peraduenture ye wil thinke that I haue
forgotten my selfe, in rehearsing this historie of the
ladies arriuall here, bicause I make no mention of
Albina, which should be the eldest of the sisters, of
whome this land should also take the name of Albi|on.
To this we answer, that as the name of their fa|ther
hath bene mistaken, so likewise hath the whole course
of the historie in this behalfe. For though we shall
admit that to be true which is rehearsed (in ma|ner as
before ye haue heard) of the arriuall here of those
ladies; yet certeine it is that none of them bare the
name of Albina, from whome this land might be called
Albion. For further assurance whereof, if any man be
desirous to know all their names,Higinus. we haue thought good bere to
rehearse them as they be found in Higinus,
Pausanias,
The names of the
daughters of Danaus. and others, 1 Idea, 2
Philo|mela, 3 Scillo, 4 Phicomene, 5 Euippe, 6
Demodi|tas, 7 Hyale, 8 Trite, 9 Damone, 10 Hippothoe,
11 Mirmidone, 12 Euridice, 13 Chleo, 14 Urania, 15
Cleopatra, 16 Phylea, 17 Hypareta, 18 Chrysothe|mis,
19 Heranta, 20 Armoaste, 21 Danaes, 22 Scea, 23
Glaucippe, 24 Demophile, 25 Autodice, 26 Polyxena, 27
Hecate, 28 Achamantis, 29 Ar|salte, 30 Monuste, 31
Amimone, 32 Helice, 33 A|maome, 34 Polybe, 35 Helicte,
36 Electra, 37 Eu|bule, 38 Daphildice, 39 Hero, 40
Europomene, 41 Critomedia, 42 Pyrene, 43 Eupheno, 44
Themista|gora, 45 Paleno, 46 Erato, 47 Autonomes, 48
I|tea, 49 Chrysanta, 50 Hypermnestra. These were the
names of those ladies the daughters of Dana|us:
howbeit, which they were that should arriue in this
Ile, we cannot say: but it sufficeth to vnder|stand,
that none of them hight Albina. So that, whe|ther the
historie of their landing here should be true or not,
it is all one for the matter concerning the name of
this Ile, which vndoubtedlie was called Al|bion,
either of Albion the giant (as before I haue said) or
by some other occasion.See more in
the descripti|on.
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1 And thus much for the ladies, whose strange
ad|uenture of their arriuall here, as it may séeme to
manie & (with good cause) incredible, so
without fur|ther auouching it for truth, I leaue it to
the conside|ration of the reader, to thinke thereof as
reason shall moue him; sith I sée niot how either in
this, or in other things of such antiquitie, we cannot
haue sufficient warrant otherwise than by likelie
coniectures. Which as in this historie of the ladies
they are not most probable, yet haue we shewed the
likeliest, that (as we thinke) may be déemed to agrée
with those au|thors that haue written of their comming
into this Ile. But as for an assured proofe that this
Ile was inhabited with people before the comming of
Brute, I trust it may suffice which before is recited
out of Annius de Viterbo, Theophilus, Gildas,
and other, al|though much more might be said: as of
the comming hither of Osiris, as well as in the other
parties of the world: and likewise of Ulysses his
being here,Ulysses in
Britaine. who in performing some vow which he
either then did make, or before had made, erected an
altar in that part of Scotland which was ancientlie
called Cali|donia, as Iulius Solinus
Polyhistor in plaine words dooth record.Iulius Solinus.
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1 ¶Upon these considerations I haue no doubt to
de|liuer vnto the reader, the opinion of those that
thinke this land to haue bene inhabited before the
arriuall here of Brute, trusting it may be taken in
good part, sith we haue but shewed the coniectures of
others, till time that some sufficient learned man
shall take vpon him to decipher the doubts of all
these mat|ters. Neuerthelesse, I thinke good to
aduertise the reader that these stories of Samothes,
Magus, Sar|ron, Druis, and Bardus, doo relie onelie
vpon the au|thoritie of Berosus, whom most
diligent antiquaries doo reiect as a fabulous and
counterfet author, and Vacerius hath laboured
to prooue the same by a spe|ciall treatise latelie
published at Rome.