5.62. Conſtantinus.
Conſtantinus.
Compare 1587 edition: 1 Conſtan|tinus. [figure appears here on page 108] COnſtantinus, the brother of Aldroe|nus king of little Bry|taine, at the ſute and earneſt requeſt of the Archbiſhop of London,Gal. [...] Mat. VV [...] made in name of all the Brytaines in the Ile of great Brytaine, was ſent into the ſame Ile by his ſayde brother Al|droenus vpon couenants ratified in maner as be|fore is recited, and brought with him a conueni|ent power,Ca [...] [...] 12000. [...] Gal. and [...] haue [...] landing with the ſame at Totnesin Deuonſhire. Immediately after his comming a lande, he gathered to him a great power of Bry|taynes, the which before his landing were hyd in dyuerſe places of the Ile.
Compare 1587 edition: 1 Then went hee forth with them,The [...] the Sco [...] and gaue battaile to the enimies, whom he vanquiſhed: and ſlue that tyrãt king Guanius there in the field (as ſome bookes haue.)
[figure appears here on page 108]
Compare 1587 edition: 1 But this agreeth not with the Scottiſh wri|ters, the which affyrme that they got the field, but yet loſt their king named Dongarde, (as in theyr Hyſtorie ye may reade.)
Compare 1587 edition: 1 But to proceed as our writers report the mat|ter. When the Britains had thus ouercome their enimies, they conueyed their captaine the ſayde Conſtantine vnto Ciceſter, and there in fulfilling their promiſe and couenant made to his brother, crowned him K. of great Britain, in the yeare of our lord .433. which was about the .v. yeare of the Emperor Valentinianus the ſecond,435. hath Mat. Weſt. & third yere of Clodius K. of ye Frãkners after called French|mẽ, which thẽ began to ſettle thẽſelues in Gallia, wherby the name of that cuntry was afterwards changed & called France. Cõſtantine being thus eſtabliſhed king, ruled the land wel & nobly, & de|fended it frõ all inuaſiõ of enimies during his life.
Compare 1587 edition: 1 EEBO page image 109He begat of his wife three ſonnes (as the Bri|tiſh Hiſtorie affyrmeth) Conſtantius, Aurelius Ambroſius, and Vter ſurnamed Pendragon.
Compare 1587 edition: 1 The eldeſt, bycauſe bee perceyued him to bee but dull of witte, and not verie towarde, he made a Monke, placing him within the Abbay of Am|phibalus in Wincheſter.
Compare 1587 edition: 1 Finally, this Conſtantine, after he had raig|ned ten yeares, was trayterouſly ſlaine one day [figure appears here on page 109] in his owne chamber (as ſome write) by a Pict, the which was in ſuch fauour with him, [...] a groue of [...]ſhes, as Gal. [...]th with ath. Weſt. [...]da. [...]ſius. [...]dus. that hee might at all tymes haue free acceſſe to him at his pleſure. Neither the Romaine writers, nor Beda, make any mention of this Cõſtantine, but of the other Conſtantine they write, which immediate|ly after that the vſurper Gracian was diſpatched out of the way (as before ye haue heard) was ad|uaunced to the rule of this land, and title of Em|peror, onely in hope of his name, and for no other reſpect of towardneſſe in him, afore time being but a meane ſouldier, without any degree of honor.
Compare 1587 edition: 1 The ſame Conſtantine (as wryters recorde) going ouer into Gallia, adourned his ſonne Con|ſtantius with the tytle and dignitie of Ceſar, the which before was a Monke, and finally as well the one as the other were ſlain, the father at Arles by Earle Conſtantius that was ſent againſt him by the Emperor Honorius, and the ſonne at Vi|enna (as before ye haue heard) by one of his owne Court cleped Gerontius (as in the Italian Hy|ſtorie ye may ſee more at large.)
Compare 1587 edition: 1 415This chaunced about the yeare of our lord .415.
Compare 1587 edition: 1 This haue wee thought good to repeate in this place, for that ſome maye ſuppoſe that thys Conſtantine is the ſame whom our writers take to be the brother of Aldroenus king of little Bry|tayne [...], as the circumſtaunce of the time and o|ther things to be cõſidered may giue thẽ occaſion to thinke, for that there is not ſo much credit to be yelded to thẽ that haue writen the Brytiſh hy|ſtories, but that in ſome part men may with iuſt cauſe doubt of ſundrye matters conteyned in the ſame: & therfore haue we in this boke bin the more diligent to ſhewe what the Romaine and other forreyne wryters haue regyſtred in their bookes of hyſtories touching the affayres of Brytain, that the reader may bee the better ſatiſfied in the truth.
Compare 1587 edition: 1 But now to returne to the ſequele of the Hy|ſtorie as we finde the ſame wrytten by the Bry|tiſh Chronicles.
Compare 1587 edition: 1 After that Conſtantine was murthered (as be|fore ye haue heard) one Vortigerus,This Vorti|gern was duke of the Geuiſſes and Cornwall, as Rad. Ceſtr. reporteth. Galf. Mon. or Vortiger|nus, a man of great authoritie amongs the Bry|teynes, wrought ſo with the reſidue of the Bry|tiſh nobilitie, that Conſtantius the eldeſt ſonne of their king the foreremembred Conſtantine, was taken out of the Abbey of Wincheſter, where hee remayned, and was ſtreyght wayes created king, as lawfull inheritor to his father.
Compare 1587 edition: 1 Ye haue heard howe Conſtantius was made a Monke in his fathers lyfe time, bycauſe he was thought to be too ſoft and childiſh in wit, to haue any publike rule committed to his handes: but for that cauſe ſpecially did Vorteger ſeeke to ad|uaunce him, to the ende that the King beeing not able to gouerne of himſelfe, he might haue the chiefeſt ſway, and ſo rule all things as it were vnder him, preparing thereby a way for hym|ſelfe to attayne at length to the Kingdome, as by that which followed was more apparauntly perceyued.