5.8. Aurelius Ambrosius the brother to Constantius created king of Britaine, he incountereth with the Saxons, Hengist their generall is beheaded, Occa his sonne submit|teth himselfe to Aurelius, he putteth all the Saxons out of the land, repaireth places decaied, and restoreth religion, the memorable monument of the stones that are so much spo|ken of on Salisburie plaine, the exploits of Pascentius Vorti|gerns yongest sonne, Aurelius lieth sicke, Vter goeth against Pascentius and giueth him the ouerthrow, Aurelius is poiso|ned of a counterfet moonke, the place of his buriall, Poly|dor Virgils report of the acts and deeds of Aurelius against the Saxons, Hengist is slaine, Osca and Occa his two sonnes make a fowle spoile of the west part of the land, Vortimer dieth, the disa|greement of writers touching matters interchangeablie passed betwene the Britains and Saxons. The eight Chapter.

Aurelius Ambrosius the brother to Constantius created king of Britaine, he incountereth with the Saxons, Hengist their generall is beheaded, Occa his sonne submit|teth himselfe to Aurelius, he putteth all the Saxons out of the land, repaireth places decaied, and restoreth religion, the memorable monument of the stones that are so much spo|ken of on Salisburie plaine, the exploits of Pascentius Vorti|gerns yongest sonne, Aurelius lieth sicke, Vter goeth against Pascentius and giueth him the ouerthrow, Aurelius is poiso|ned of a counterfet moonke, the place of his buriall, Poly|dor Virgils report of the acts and deeds of Aurelius against the Saxons, Hengist is slaine, Osca and Occa his two sonnes make a fowle spoile of the west part of the land, Vortimer dieth, the disa|greement of writers touching matters interchangeablie passed betwene the Britains and Saxons. The eight Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 _AUrelius Ambrose,Aurelius Ambro|sius. the se|cond sonne of king Constan|tine, brother to Constantius, and murthered by the trea|son of Uortigerne (as before ye haue heard) was made king of Britaine in the yéere of our Lord 481, which was about the third yéere of the reigne of the emperour Zen [...],Matt. West. saith 466. and the 23 of Childericus king of France, Odocer king of the Herulians then vsurping the gouernment of Italie. When this Aurelius Ambro|sius had dispatched Uortigerne, and was now esta|blished king of the Britains,Gal. Mon. he made towards Yorke, and passing the riuer of Humber, incountred with the Saxons at a place called Maesbell, and o|uerthrew them in a strong battell, from the which as Hengist was fléeing to haue saued himselfe,Hengist taken and beheaded. he was taken by Edoll earle of Glocester, or (as some say) Chester, and by him led to Conningsborrow, where he was beheaded by the counsell of Eldad then bishop of Colchester.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Howbeit there be some that write,Matth. We [...]. how that Hen|gist was taken at another battell fought vpon the riuer of Dune, in the yéere of our Lord 489, and not in the chase of the battell which was fought at Maes|bell in the yéere 487, as the same authors doo alledge. Occa the son of Hengist by flight escaped to Yorke, and being there besieged,Occa. at length was constreined to yéeld himselfe to Aurelius: who dealing fauou|rablie with him, assigned vnto him and other of the Saxons a countrie bordering neere to the Scots, which (as some affirme) was Galloway, where the said Occa and the Saxons began to inhabit. Then did Aurelius Ambrosius put the Saxons out of all other parts of the land, & repaired such cities, townes and also churches, as by them had beene destroied or defaced, and placed againe priests, and such other as should attend on the ministerie and seruice of God in the same churches.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Also for a perpetuall memorie of those Britains that were slaine on the plaine of Salisburie by the treason of Hengist, he caused stones to be fetched out of Ireland, and to be set vp in the same place where that slaughter was committed, and called the place Stoneheng,Stoneheng. which name continueth vnto this day. Fiftéene thousand men (as Galfrid [...] saith) were sent for those stones,Gal. Mon. vnder the leading of Uter Pendra|gon the kings brother, who giuing battell vnto Gil|lomanus king of Ireland that went about to resist the Britains, and would not permit them to fetch a|way the same stones out of his countrie, discomfited him and his people, and so (maugre his hart) brought the stones away with him.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 EEBO page image 85 Shortlie after, Pascentius that was Uortigerns yoongest sonne, and had escaped into Ireland (when Aurelius Ambrosius came into Britaine) returned with a great power of strange nations, and tooke the citie of Meneuia in Wales, afterwards called saint Dauids, and did much hurt in the countrie with fire and swoord. At which time the same Aurelius Ambro|sius lay sicke at Winchester, and being not able to go foorth himselfe, desired his brother Uter Pendra|gon to assemble an armie of Britains, and to go a|gainst Pascentius and his adherents. Uter, accor|ding to his brothers request, gathering his people, went foorth, and incountering with the enimies gaue them the ouerthrow, slue Pascentius and Gillomare or Gilloman king of Ireland, that was come ouer with him in aid against the Britains.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 In the meane while, [...] a Saxon or some other stran|ger, whose name was Eopa or Copa, not long before procured thereto by Pascentius, fained himselfe to be a Britaine, and for a colour counterfeiting him|selfe a moonke, and to haue great knowledge in phy|sicke, was admitted to minister as it were medi|cins to Aurelius: but in stead of that which should haue brought him health, he gaue him poison, wherof he died shortlie after at Winchester aforesaid, [...] when he had reigned after most accord of writers nintéene yeeres: his bodie was conueied to Stoneheng and there buried. ¶Thus find we in the British and com|mon English histories of the dooings of Aurelius Ambrosius, who (as ye haue hard) makes him a Bri|taine borne, and descended of the bloud of the ancient Britains. But Gyldas and Beda report him to be a Romane by descent, as before is mentioned.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Polydor Virgil writeth in this sort of the victorious acts atchiued by the foresaid Aurelius Ambrosius.Polydor. Then (saith he) the Saxons hauing alreadie gotten the whole rule of the Ile, practised their outragious cruelties speciallie against the princes of the Bri|tains, to the end that the said princes being ouer|come and destroied, they might with more ease ob|teine possession of the whole Ile, which thing they on|like sought. But the fauour of almightie God was not wanting to the miserable Britains in that great necessitie. For behold, Aurelius Ambrosius was at hand, who had no sooner caused the trumpet to sound to armor, but euerie man for himselfe prepared and repaired vnto him, praieng & beseeching him to helpe to defend them, and that it might stand with his plea|sure to go foorth with them against the enimies in all speed.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Thus an armie being assembled, Aurelius Am|brosius went against them, and valiantlie assailed them, so that within the space of a few daies they fought thrée battels with great fiercenesse on both sides, in triall of their high displeasures and vtter|most forces, in which at length the Britains put the Saxons to flight, Horsus the brother of Hengist be|ing slaine with a great number of his people. But yet notwithstanding the enimies rage was little a|bated hereby, for within a few daies after receiuing out of Germanie a new supplie of men, they brake foorth vpon the Britains with great confidence of victorie. Aurelius Ambrosius was no sooner aduer|tised thereof, but that without delaie he set forward towards Yorke, from whence the enimies should come, and hearing by the way that Hengist was in|camped about seuen & twentie miles distant from that citie, néere to the banke of a riuer at this day called Dune, in the place where Doncaster now standeth, he returned out of his waie, and marched towards that place, and the next day set on the eni|mie and vanquished him,Hengist is slaine. Hengist at the first mée|ting of the battell being slaine, with a [...] number of the Germans. The fame of this [...] (saith Po|lydor) is had in memorie with the inhabitants of those parties euen vnto this day, which victorie did sore diminish the power of the Saxons, insomuch that they began now to thinke it should be more for their profit to sit in rest with that dishonour, than to make anie new warres to their great disaduantage and likelihood of present losse.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 Hengist left behind him two sonnes, Osca and and Occa, which as men most sorowfull for the ouer|throw of fate receiued, assembled such power as they could togither, and remooued therewith towards the west part of the Ile, supposing it to be better for them to draw that way foorth, than to returne into Kent, where they thought was alreadie a sufficient num|ber of their people to resist the Britains on that side. Now therefore when they came into the west parts of the land, they wasted the countrie, burnt villages, and absteined from no maner of crueltie that might be shewed. These things being reported vnto Aure|lius Ambrosius, he straightwaies hasted thither to resist those enimies, and so giuing them battell, eft|soones discomfited them:Aurelius di|eth of a wound but he himselfe receiuing a wound, died thereof within a few daies after. The English Saxons hauing thus susteined so manie losses within a few moneths togither, were conten|ted to be quiet now that the Britains stirred nothing against them, by reason they were brought into some trouble by the death of such a noble capteine as they had now lost.Uortimer de|parteth this life. In the meane time Uortimer died, whome Uier surnamed Pendragon succéeded.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Thus hath Polydor written of the forsaid Aureli|us Ambrosius, not naming him to be king of Bri|taine, and differing in déed in sundrie points in this behalfe from diuerse ancient writers of the English histories: for where he attributeth the victorie to the Britains in the battell fought, wherein Horsus the brother of Hengist was slaine, by the report of Poly|chronicon, and others, the Saxons had the victorie in that reincounter: and William of Malmesburie saith,Wil. Malm. that they departed from that batell with equall fortune, the Saxons losing their capteine Horsus, and the Britains their capteine Katigerne (as be|fore ye haue heard.)Katigerne. But there is such contrarietie in writers touching the dooings betwixt the Britains and Saxons in those daies, as well in account of yéeres, as in report of things doone, that setting af|fection aside, hard it is to iudge to which part a man should giue credit.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 For Fabian and other authors write, that Aureli|us. Ambrosius began his reigne ouer the Britains about the yéere of our Lord 481, and Horsus was slaine about the yéere 458,458 during the reigne of Uortimer, as aboue is mentioned, so that it can|not stand with the truth of the British histories (the which Fabian followeth) that Horsus was slaine by Aurelius Ambrosius, if according to the same histo|ries he returned not into Britaine, till the time there supposed. But diuerse such maner oh contrarieties shall ye find, in perusing of those writers that haue written the chronicles of the Britains and Saxons, the which in euerie point to recite would be too tedi|ous and combersome a matter, and therefore we are forced to passe the same ouer, not knowing how to bring them to anie lust accord for the satisfieng of all mens minds, speciallie the curious, which may with diligent search satisfie themselues happilie much bet|ter, than anie other shall be able to doo in vttering his opinion neuer so much at large, and agreeable to a truth. This therefore haue we thought good as it were by the waie to touch what diuerse authors doo write, leauing it so to euerie mans iudgement to construe thereof, as his affection leadeth him. We find in the writings of those that haue registred the dooings of these times,Sigebertus. that Aurelius hauing van|quished EEBO page image 86 the Saxons, restored churches to the furthe|rance of the christian religion,Matth. West. saith 488. which by the inuasion of the Saxons was greatlie decaied in diuerse parts of Britaine, and this chanced in the daies of the em|perour Theodosius the yoonger.