THE SECOND BOOKE of the Historie of England.
2.1. Of Brute and his descent, how he slue his father in hunting, his banishment, his letter to king Pan|drasus, against whom he wageth battell, taketh him prisoner, and concludeth peace vpon conditions. The first Chapter.
Of Brute and his descent, how he slue his father in hunting, his banishment, his letter to king Pan|drasus, against whom he wageth battell, taketh him prisoner, and concludeth peace vpon conditions. The first Chapter.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 _HItherto haue we spoken of the inha|bitants of this Ile before the com|ming of Brute, al|though some will néeds haue it, that he was the first which inhabited the same with his peo|ple descended of the Troians, some few giants onelie excepted whom he vtterlie destroied, and left not one of them aliue through the whole Ile. But as we shall not doubt of Brutes comming hither, so may we assuredly thinke, that he found the Ile peopled either with the generation of those which Albion the giant had placed here, or some other kind of people whom he did subdue,Humfr. Lhoyd. and so reigned as well ouer them as o|uer those which he brought with him.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 This Brutus, or Brytus [for this letter (Y) hath of ancient time had the sounds both of V and I) (as the author of the booke which Geffrey of Monmouth translated dooth affirme) was the sonne of Siluius, the sonne of Ascanius, the sonne of Aeneas the Trio|an, begotten of his wife Creusa, & borne in Troie, before the citie was destroied. But as other doo take it,Harding Alex. Neuil. W. Har. the author of that booke (whatsoeuer he was) and such other as follow him, are deceiued onelie in this point, mistaking the matter, in that Posthumus the sonne of Aeneas (begotten of his wife Lauinia, and borne after his fathers deceasse in Italie) was called Ascanius, who had issue a sonne named Iulius, who (as these others doo coniecture) was the father of Brute, that noble chieftaine and aduenturous lea|der of those people, which being descended (for the more part in the fourth generation) from those Troi|ans that escaped with life, when that roiall citie was destroied by the Gréekes, got possession of this woor|thie and most famous Ile.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 To this opinion Giouan Villani a Florentine in his vniuersall historie, speaking of Aeneas and his ofspring kings of Italie, séemeth to agrée, where he saith:
Siluius (the sonne of Aeneas by his wife Lauinia) fell in loue with a néece of his mother La|uinia, and by hir had a sonne, of whom she died in tra|uell, and therefore was called Brutus, who after as he grew in some stature, and hunting in a forrest slue his father vnwares, and therevpon for feare of his grandfather Siluius Posthumus he fled the coun|trie, and with a retinue of such as followed him, pas|sing through diuers seas, at length he arriued in the Ile of Britaine.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 Concerning therefore our Brute, whether his fa|ther Iulius was sonne to Ascanius the sonne of Ae|neas by his wife Creusa, or sonne to Posthumus called also Aseanius, and sonne to Aeaneas by his wife Lauinia, we will not further stand. But this, we find, that when he came to the age of 15. yéeres, so that he was now able to ride abrode with his father into the forrests and chases, he fortuned (either by mishap, or by Gods prouidence) to strike his father with an arrow,Brute killeth his father. in shooting at a déere, of which wound he also died. His grandfather (whether the same was Posthumus, or his elder brother) hearing of this great misfortune that had chanced to his sonne Sil|uius, liued not long after, but died for verie greefe and sorow (as is supposed) which he conceiued thereof. And the yoong gentleman, immediatlie after he had slaine his father (in maner before alledged) was ba|nished his countrie, and therevpon got him into Grecia, where trauelling the countrie, he lighted by chance among some of the Troian ofspring, and asso|ciating himselfe with them, grew by meanes of the linage (whereof he was descended) in proces of time into great reputation among them: chieflie by rea|son ther were yet diuers of the Troian race, and that of great authoritie in that countrie. For Pyr|rhus the sonne of Achilles,Pausanias. hauing no issue by his wife Hermione, maried Andromache, late wife vnto Hector: and by hir had thrée sonnes, Molossus, Pile|us, and Pergamus, who in their time grew to be of great power in those places and countries, and their ofspring likewise: whereby Brutus or Brytus wan|ted no friendship. For euen at his first comming thither, diuers of the Troians that remained in ser|uitude, being desirous of libertie, by flocke resorted vnto him. And amongst other, Assaracus was one, whom Brute intertained, receiuing at his hands the possession of sundrie forts and places of defense, be|fore that the king of those parties could haue vnder|standing or knowledge of any such thing. Herewith also such as were readie to make the aduenture with him, repaired to him on ech side, wherevpon he first placed garisons in those townes which had bene thus deliuered vnto him, and afterwards with Assaracus and the residue of the multitude he withdrew into the mountains néere adioining. And thus being made strong with such assistance, by consultation had with them that were of most authoritie about EEBO page image 8 him, wrote vnto the king of that countrie called Pandrasus, in forme as followeth.
2.1.1. A letter of Brute to Pandrasus, as I find it set downe in Galfride Monumetensis.
A letter of Brute to Pandrasus, as I find it set downe in Galfride Monumetensis.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 _BRute leader of the remnant of the Troian people, to Pandrasus king of the Greekes, sendeth greeting. Bi|cause it hath beene thought a thing vnworthie, that the people descended of the noble linage of Dardanus should be otherwise dealt with than the honour of their nobilitie dooth require: they haue withdrawne them|selues within the close couert of the woods. For they haue chosen rather (after the maner of wild beasts) to liue on flesh and herbs in di|bertie, than furnished with all the riches in the world to continue vnder the yoke of seruile thraldome. But if this their dooing offend thy mightie highnesse, they are not to be blamed, but rather in this behalfe to be pardoned, sith euerie captiue prisoner is desirous to be resto|red vnto his former estate and dignitie. You therefore pitieng their case, vouchsafe to grant them their abridged libertie, and suffer them to remaine in quiet within these woods which thay haue got into their possession: if not so, yet giue them licence to depart forth of this coun|trie into some other parts.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 The sight of these letters, and request in them con|temed, made Pandrasus at the first somewhat ama|zed, howbeit deliberating further of the matter, and considering their small number, he made no great account of them, but determined out of hand to sup|presse them by force,Pandrasus prepareth an armie to sup|presse the Troian of|spring. before they should grow to a greater multitude.Sparatinum. And to bring his intention the better to passe, he passed by a towne called Sparati|num, & marching toward the woods where he thoght to haue found his enimies, he was suddenlie assal|ted by Brute, who with thrée thousand men came foorth of the woods, and fiercelie setting vpon his eni|mies, made great slaughter of them, so that they were vtterlie discomfited, & sought by flight to saue themselues in passing a riuer néere hand called A|kalon. Brute with his men following fast vpon the aduersaries, caused them to plunge into the water at aduenture,Peraduen|ture Achelous so that manie of them were drowned. Howbeit Antigonus the brother of Prandrasus did what he could to stay the Grecians from fléeing,Antigonus, the brother of Pandrasus. and calling them backe againe did get some of them to|gither, placed them in order, and began a new field: but it nothing auailed,He is taken prisoner. for the Troians preasing vp|on him, tooke him prisoner, slue and scattred his com|panie, and ceased not till they had rid the fields of all their aduersaries.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 This doone, Brute entering the towne,Brute en|treth into Sparatinum. furnished it with six hundred able souldiours, and afterwards went backe to the residue of his people that were incamped in the woods, where he was receiued with unspeakeable ioy for this prosperous atchieued en|terprise. But although this euill successe at the first beginning sore troubled Pandrasus, as well for the losse of the field, as for the taking of his brother, yet was he rather kindled in desire to séeke reuenge, than otherwise discouraged. And therefore assem|bling his people againe togither that were scattered here and there, he came the next day before the towne of Sparatinum, where he thought to haue found Brute inclosed togither with the prisoners, and ther|fore he shewed his whole endeuour by hard siege and fierce assaults to force them within to yeeld.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 To conclude, so long he continued the siege, till victuals began to waxe scant within, so that there was no way but to yeeld, if present succour came not to remoue the siege: wherevpon they signified their necessitie vnto Brute, who for that he had not power sufficient to fight with the enimies in open field, he ment to giue them a camifado in the night season, and so ordered his businesse, that inforsing a prisoner (named Anacletus whome he had taken in the last battell) to serue his turne, by constreining him to take an oth (which he durst not for conscience sake breake) he found means to encounter with his eni|mies vpon the aduantage,Pandrasus taken prisoner that he did not onelie o|uerthrowe their whole power, but also tooke Pan+drasus prisoner, whereby all the trouble was ended: and shortlie after a perfect peace concluded, vpon these conditinos following.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 First that Pandrasus should giue his daugther Innogen vnto Brute in mariage,The condin|ons of the a|gréement be|twixt Brute & Pandrasus. with a competent summe of gold and siluer for hir dowrie.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 Secondlie, to furnish him and his people with a nauie of ships, and to store the same with victuals and all other necessaries.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 Thirdlie, that Brute with his people should haue licence to depart the countrie, to séeke aduentures whither so euer it should please them to direct their course, without let, impeachment, or trouble to be of|fered anie waies by the Gréekes.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 To all these conditions (bicause they touched not the prerogatiue of his kingdome) Pandrasus did willinglie agrée, and likewise performed.