The Holinshed Project

Holinshed Project Home

The Texts
1577

Previous | Next

5.12. Mempricius the fourth Ruler.

Mempricius the fourth Ruler.

Compare 1587 edition: 1 [figure appears here on page 17] MEmpricius the el|deſt ſonne of Ma|dan,Mem|pritius. Fabian. began to raigne o|uer the Britaynes in the yere of the world .2949. hee continued not long in peace. For his brother Manlius vpon an am|bitious minde prouoked the Britaynes to rebell againſt him, ſo that ſore and deadly warre continued long betweene thẽ. But finally, vnder colour of a treatie,Manlius is ſlayne. Gal. Mon. Manlius was ſlaine by his brother Mempricius, ſo that then he liued in more tranquilitie and reſt. How|beit, being deliuered thus from trouble of warres, he fell into ſlouth, and ſo into vnlawfull luſt of lecherie, and thereby into the hatred of his people,Slouth engen|dred Lechery. by forcing of their wiues and daughters. And fi|nally became ſo beaſtly, that he forſooke his law|full wife and all his concubines, and fell into the abhominable ſinne of Sodomy. And thus from one vice he fell into another, till he became odible to God and man, and at length,Mempritius is deuoured of beaſts. going on hun|ting, was loſt of his people, and deſtroyed of wilde beaſtes, when he had raigned twentie yeares, lea|uing behinde him a noble yong ſonne named E|branke, begotten of his lawfull wife.

5.13. Ebranke the fifth Ruler.

Ebranke the fifth Ruler.

Compare 1587 edition: 1 [figure appears here on page 17] EBranke the ſon of Mempricius,Ebrãck began to rule ouer the Britaynes in ye yere of the Worlde 2969. He had as writers doe of hym record, one & twẽty wiues,Ebranck had xxi wiues. Thirty daugh+ters ſent into Italy. on whome he begote .xx. ſonnes and thirtie daugh|ters, of the whiche the eldeſt hight Guales, or Gualea. Theſe daughters he ſent to Alba Silui|us, which was the eleuenth king of Italy, or the ſixth King of the Latines, to the end they might be married to his noble men of the bloud of Troi|ans, bycauſe the Sabines refuſed to ioyne their daughters with them in marriage. Furthermore,Bergomas lib. 6. he was the firſt Prince of his lande that euer in|uaded Fraunce after Brute, and is commended as author and originall builder of many Cities, both in his owne kingdome, and elſe where. Hys EEBO page image 18 ſonnes alſo vnder the conduct of Aſſaracus, one of their eldeſt brethren, returning out of Italy, af|ter they had conducted their ſiſters thither, inua|ded Germany, being firſt moleſted by the people of that countrey in their rage, and by the helpe of the ſayd Alba, ſubdued a great part of that coun|trey, and there planted themſelues. Our hiſtories ſay, that Ebracus their father married them in their returne, and ayded them in their conqueſts, and that he builded the Citie of Caerbrank,The Citie of Caerbranke builded. Mat. VVeſt. now called Yorke, about. the 14. yeare of his raigne. He builded alſo in Albania now called Scotland, the Caſtel of Maydens, afterward called Eden|burgh of Aidan one of their kings. The Citie of Alclud was builded likewiſe by hym as (ſome write) now decayed. After which cities thus buil|ded, he ſayled ouer into Gallia, now called Frãce with a great army, and ſubduing the Guilles as is aforeſayde, he returned home with great riches and triumph.Fortie yeeres hath. Math. Weſt. and Gal. Monume. And when he had guided the lande of Britayne in noble wiſe by the tearme of fortie yeares, he died, and was buried at Yorke.

5.14. Brute Greeneſhielde the .6. Ruler.

Brute Greeneſhielde the .6. Ruler.

Compare 1587 edition: 1 [figure appears here on page 18] BRute Greeneſhielde, the ſonne of Ebrank,Brute Grene|ſhielde. was made gouernor of this lande in the yeere of ye world .3009. Aſa raig|ning in Iuda, and Ba|aſa in Iſraell. Thys Prince bare alwayes in the field a greene ſhielde, whereof he toke hys ſur|name,Iacobus Lef. and of him ſome forraine authors affirme, yt he made an attempte to bring the whole Realme of Fraunce vnder his ſubiection, which he performed, bycauſe his father ſuſteined ſome diſhonor and loſſe in his laſt voy|age into that countrey. Howbeit they ſay, yt whẽ he came into Henand,Strabo lib. 4. Brinchild a Prince of ye quarter gaue him alſo a greate ouerthrowe, and compelled him to retire home agayne into hys countrey. This I borrow out of William Har|riſon, who in his chronologie toucheth the ſame at large, concluding in the end, that the ſaid paſ|ſage of this Prince into France is very likely to be true, and that he named a percell of Armorica lying on the South, and in manner vpon the ve|ry loyne after his owne name, and alſo a Citie which he builded there Britayne. For (ſayth he) it ſhould ſeeme by Strabo. lib. 4. that there was a noble Citie of that name long before his time in the ſayde countrey, whereof Plinie alſo ſpeaketh lib. 4. cap. 7. albeit that he aſcribe it vnto France after a diſordred maner. More I finde not of this aforeſaid Brute, ſauing that he ruled the lande a certaine time, his father yet liuing, and after hys deceſſe the tearme of twelue yeeres, and then dy|ed, and was buried at Caerbranke nowe called Yorke.

Previous | Next