4.29. Of Octauius a British lord, his reigne ouer the Britains, he incountereth with Traherne first neere Winchester, and after|wards in Westmerland: Octauius being discomfi|ted fleeth into Norway, Traherne is slaine, Octauius sendeth for Maximianus, on whom he bestoweth his daughter and the kingdome of Britaine: the death of Octauius, Helena builded the wals of Colchester and London, she dieth and is buried, Constantine departeth this life, Britaine reckoned a|mong the prouinces that reteined the christian faith, Paulus a Spaniard is sent into Britaine, he dealeth roughlie with the people, Martinus the lieutenant excuseth them as innocent, his vnluckie end, Paulus retur|neth into Italie. The xxix. Chapter.

Of Octauius a British lord, his reigne ouer the Britains, he incountereth with Traherne first neere Winchester, and after|wards in Westmerland: Octauius being discomfi|ted fleeth into Norway, Traherne is slaine, Octauius sendeth for Maximianus, on whom he bestoweth his daughter and the kingdome of Britaine: the death of Octauius, Helena builded the wals of Colchester and London, she dieth and is buried, Constantine departeth this life, Britaine reckoned a|mong the prouinces that reteined the christian faith, Paulus a Spaniard is sent into Britaine, he dealeth roughlie with the people, Martinus the lieutenant excuseth them as innocent, his vnluckie end, Paulus retur|neth into Italie. The xxix. Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 _NOw in the meane time that Constantine had obetei|ned and ruled the whole em|pire, Britaine as it were ha|uing recouered libertie, in that one of hir children being hir king, had got the gouern|ment of the whole earth, re|mained in better quiet tan afore time she had doone. But yet in the meane season,Octauius. Caxton. Gewisses in|habited the countrie which the west Saxons after held. The name of Gewisses came in with the Saxons of Guuy. &c. if we shall credit the British chronicle and Geffrey of Monmouth the in|terpretor thereof; there was a British lord, named Octauius or Octauian, as the old English chronicle nameth him, that was duke of the Gewisses, and ap|pointed by Constantine to be ruler of the land in his absence the which Octauius (after that Constantine had recouered Rome and Italie, and was so busied in the affaires of the empire iu those parts, that as was thought, he could not returne backe into Bri|taine) seized into his hands the whole dominion of Britaine, and held himselfe for king.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 THis Octauius then beginning his reigne ouer the Britains in the yéere of our Lord 329,Octauius. pro|uoked Constantine to send against him one of his mothers vncles, the foresaid Traherne.Galfridus. 329 Fabian. This Tra|hernus, or as some name him Traherne, entred this land with three legions of souldiers, & in a field néere vnto Winchester, was incountered by Octauius and his Britains, Galfridus. This agréeth not altogither with that which Hector Boetius wri|teth, as in the Scotish chro|nicle appée|reth. by whome after a sore battell there striken betwixt them, in the end Traherne was put to flight an [...]chased, insomuch that he was constrei|ned to forsake that part of the land, and to draw to|wards Scotland. Octauius hauing knowledge of his passage, followed him, & in the countrie of West|merland eftsoones gaue him battell, but in that bat|tell Octauius was put to the woorsse, and constreined to forsake the land, fled into Norway, there to pur|chase aid: and being readie with such power as he there gathered, what of Britains and Norwegians, to returne into Britaine. Before his landing, he was aduertised that an earle of Britaine which bare him heartie good will, had by treason slaine Tra|herne.Traherne slaine. See in the Scotish chronicles more of these matters. Matth. West. saith 316. Octauius then comming to land, eftsoones got possession of Britaine, which should be (as Fabian gathereth) about the yéere of our Lord 329, in the 20 yéere of the reigne of the emperour Constantine, and about two yéeres after that the said Octauius first tooke vpon him to rule as king.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 After this (as the British chronicle affirmeth) Oc|tauius gouerned the land right noblie, and greatlie to the contentation of the Britains. At length when he was fallen in age, and had no issue but one daugh|ter, he was counselled to send vnto Rome for one Maximianus,Maximianus is sent for. a noble yoong man, coosine to the em|perour Constantine, on the part of his mother He|lena, to come into Britaine, and to take to his wife the said daughter of Octauius, and so with hir to haue the kingdome.Conan Me|ridoc duke of Cornewall. Octauius at the first meant to haue giuen hir in mariage vnto one Conan Meri|doc duke of Cornewall, which was his nephue: but wen the lords would not thereto agrée,This agréeth not with that which is found in the Scotish chro|nicles. at the length he appointed one Maurice sonne to the said C [...]an to go to Rome to fetch the forenamed Maximianus.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Maurice according to his commission and instruc|tion in that behalfe receiued, came to rome, and declared his message in such effectuall sort, that Maximianus consented to go with him into Bri|taine, and so taking with him a conuenient number, set forward,Maximianus commeth into Britains. and did so much by his iournies, that fi|nallie he landed here in Britaine. And notwithstan|ding that Conan Meridoc past not so much to haue béene dooing with him, for malice that he conceiued towards him, because he saw that by his meanes he should be put beside the crowne, yet at length was Maximianus safelie brought to the kings presence, and of him honorablie receiued, and finallie the ma|riage was knit vp, and solemnized in all princelie maner. Shortlie after,Octauius de|parteth this life. Octauius departed out of this life, after he had reigned the terme of fiftie and foure yeares, as Fabian gathereth by that which diuers au|thors doo write, how he reigned till the daies that Gratian and Ualentinian ruled the Roman empire which began to gouerne in the yeare of our Lord (as he saith) 382, which is to be vnderstood of Gratian his reigne after the deceasse his vncle Ualens, for otherwise a doubt maie rise,382. because Ualentine the father of Gratian admitted the said Gratian to the title of Augustus in the yeare of our Lord 351.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 EEBO page image 66 But to leaue the credit of the long reigne of Oc|tauius, with all his and others gouernement and rule ouer the Britains since the time of Constan|tius, vnto our British and Scotish writers, let vs make an end with the gouernement of that noble emperour Constantine, an assured branch of the Britains race, as borne of that worthie ladie the empresse Helen, daughter to Coell earle of Colche|ster, and after king of Britaine (as our histories doo witnesse.) Unto the which empresse Constantine bare such dutifull reuerence, that he did not onelie honour hir with the name of empresse, but also made hir as it were partaker with him of all his wealth, and in manie things was led and ruled by hir vertu|ous and godlie admonitions, to the aduancement of Gods honour, and maintenance of those that pro|fessed the true christian religion. For the loue that she bare vnto Colchester and London, she walled them about, and caused great bricke and huge tiles to be made for the performance of the same, where|of there is great store to be séene eyuen yet to this present, both in the walls of the towne and castell of Colchester, as a testimonie of the woorkemanship of those daies. She liued 79 yeares, and then de|parted this life about the 21 yeare of hir sonnes reigne.Nicephorus. The empresse Helen depar|teth this life. First she was buried at Rome without the walls of the citie with all funerall pompe, as to hir estate apperteined: but after his corps was remo|ued and brought to Constantinople, where it was eftsoones interred. Hir sonne the emperour Con|stantine liued till about the yeare of Christ 340,340 The deceasse of the empe|rour Constan|tine. and then deceassed at Nicomedia in Asia, after he had ruled the empire 32 yeares and od moneths.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 We find not in the Romane writers of anie great stur here in Britaine during his reigne more than the British and Scotish writers haue recorded: so that after Traherne had reduced this land to quiet|nesse, it maie be supposed, that the Britains liued in rest vnder his gouernement, and likewise after vnder his sonnes that succéeded him in the empire, till about the yeare 360,360. [...] at what time the Picts and Scots inuaded the south parts of the land.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 But now to end with Octauius, that the christian faith remained still in Britaine, during the supposed time of this pretended kings reigne, it maie appeare, in that amongst the 36 prouinces, out of the which there were assembled aboue 300 bishops in the citie of Sardica in Dacia, at a synod held there against the Eusebians,Synodus anno. 351. Britaine is numbred by Athana|sius in his second apologie to be one. And againe, the said Athanasius in an epistle which he writeth to the emperour Iouinianus reciteth, that the churches in Britaine did consent with the churches of other nations in the confession of faith articuled in the Ni|cene councell. Also mention is made by writers of certeine godlie & learned men, which liued in offices in the church in those daies, as Restitutus bishop of London, which went ouer to the synod held at Arles in France, and also one Kibius Corinnius sonne to Salomon duke of Cornewall, and bishop of An|glesey, who instructed the people that inhabited the parts now called Northwales, and them of Angle|sey aforesaid verie diligentlie.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 But now to speake somewhat of things chancing in Britaine about this season (as we find recorded by the Romane writers) some trouble was likelie to haue growne vnto the Britains by receiuing cer|teine men of warre that fled out of Italie into Bri|taine, whome the emperour Constantius would haue punished, Marcellinus. lib. 14. Paulus a no|tarie. because they had taken part with Maxentius his aduersarie. Paulus a Spaniard and notarie was sent ouer by him, with commission to make inquirie of them, and to sée them brought to light to answere their transgressions: which Pau|lus began to deale roughlie in the matter, whereof he was called Catera, and to rage against the Bri|tains and partakers with the fugitiues, in that they had receiued and mainteined them,Martinus lieutenant. as he alledged: but in the [...]nd being certified by Martinus the lieu|tenant of their innocencie, and fearing least his extreame rigour might alienate the hearts of the in|habitants altogither, and cause them to withdraw their obedience from the Romane empire, he tur|ned the execution of his furie from them vnto the Romans, and made hauocke of those that he suspec|ted, till the said Martinus fell at square with him, & thinking on a time to kill him, he drew his sword and smote at him. But such was his age and weake|nesse, that he was not able to kill him or giue him a|nie deadlie wound: wherefore he turned the point of his sword against himselfe, and so ended his life, being contented rather to die than sée his countrie|men and subiects of the empire so to be abused. Af|ter this the said Paulus returned backe againe into Italie from whence he came, after whose departure, it was not long yer he also was slaine, and then all the Scots and Picts sore disquieted the Romane subiects, for the suppressing of whose attempts Lu|picinus was sent ouer out of Gallia by Iulianus, as shall be declared out of Amianus Marcellinus, after we haue first shewed what we find written in our owne writers concerning the Scots and Picts, who now began to rob and spoile the British inha|bitants within the Romane prouinces here in this Ile, and that euen in most outragious maner.