5.15. The decaie of christian religion and re|ceiuing of the Pelagian heresie in Britaine by what meanes they were procured and by whom redressed: Constantine succeedeth Arthur in the kingdome, ciuill warre about succession to the crowne, the chalengers are pursued and slaine, Constantine is vnkindlie killed of his kinsman, a bitter and reprochfull in|uectiue of Gyldas against the British rulers of his time, and namelie against Constantine, Conan that slue Constan|tine reigneth in Britaine, his vertues and vices, his two yeeres regiment, the seuere reprehensions of Gyldas vttered against Conan, discouering the course of his life, and a secret pro|phesie of his death. The xv. Chapter.

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The decaie of christian religion and re|ceiuing of the Pelagian heresie in Britaine by what meanes they were procured and by whom redressed: Constantine succeedeth Arthur in the kingdome, ciuill warre about succession to the crowne, the chalengers are pursued and slaine, Constantine is vnkindlie killed of his kinsman, a bitter and reprochfull in|uectiue of Gyldas against the British rulers of his time, and namelie against Constantine, Conan that slue Constan|tine reigneth in Britaine, his vertues and vices, his two yeeres regiment, the seuere reprehensions of Gyldas vttered against Conan, discouering the course of his life, and a secret pro|phesie of his death. The xv. Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 _IN this meane while that the realme was disquieted with sore & continuall warres betwixt the Britains and Saxons (as before ye haue heard) the christian religion was not onelie abolished in places where the Saxons got habitations, but also among the Britains the right faith was brought into danger, by the remnant of the Pelagian heresie,The heresie of the Pelagi|ans reuiued, Hist. Mag. Dubritius & Dauid lerned bishops. which began againe to be bro|ched by diuers naughtie persons. But Dubritius that was first bishop of Landaffe, and after archbi|shop of Caerleon Arwiske, and his successour Da|uid, with other learned men earnestlie both by prea|ching and writing defended the contrarie cause, to the confuting of those errors, and restablishing of the truth.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 AFter the death of Arthur,Constan|tine. his coosine Constan|tine the sonne of Cador, duke or earle of Corne|wall began his reigne ouer the Britains, in the yere of our Lord 542,542 which was about the 15 yéere of the emperour Iustinianus almost ended, the 29 of Childebert king of France, and the first yéere well néere complet of the reigne of Totilas king of the Goths in Italie.Galfrid. Matth. West. Arthur when he perceiued that he shuld die, ordeined this Constantine to succéed him, and so by the consent of the more part of the Bri|tains he was crowned king: but the sonnes of Mor|dred sore repined thereat, as they that claimed the rule of the land by iust title and claime of inheri|tance to them from their father descended. Here|vpon followed ciuill warre,Ciuill warre. so that diuers battels were striken betwéene them, and in the end the two brethren were constreined to withdraw for refuge, the one to London, and the other to Winchester: but Constantine pursuing them, first came to Winche|ster, and by force entered the citie, and slue the one brother that was fled thither within the church of saint Amphibalus: and after comming to London, entered that citie also, and finding the other brother within a church there, slue him in like maner as he had doone the other. And so hauing dispatched his ad|uersaries, he thought to haue purchased to himselfe safetie: but shortlie after, his owne kinsman, one Aurelius Conanus arrered warre against him,Aurelius Co|nanus. Constantine slaine. who ioining with him in battell slue him in the field, after he had reigned foure yéeres. His bodie was conueied to Stonheng, and there buried beside his ancestour Uter Pendragon.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Of this Constantine that seemeth to be ment, which Gyldas writeth in his booke intituled De exci|dio Britanniae, Gyldas. where inueieng against the rulers of the Britains in his time, he writeth thus:

Britaine hath kings, but the same be tyrants; iudges it hath, but they be wicked, oftentines péeling and harming the innocent people, reuenging and defending, but whom? such as be gu [...]ltie persons and robbers; ha|uing manie wiues, but yet breaking wedlocke; of|tentimes swearing, and yet for swearing themselues; vowing, and for the more part lieng; warring, but mainteining ciuill & vniust warres; pursuing indéed théeues that are abroad in the countrie, and yet not onelie cherishing those that sit euen at table with them, but also highlie rewarding them: giuing al|messe largelie, but on the other part heaping vp a mightie mount of sinnes; sitting in the seat of sen|tence, but seldome séeking the rule of righteous iudgement; despising the innocent and humble per|sons, and exalting so farre as in them lieth, euen vp to the heauens, most bloudie and proud murtherers, théeues and adulterers, yea the verie professed eni|mies of God; if he would so permit: kéeping manie in prison, whome they oppresse, in loding them with irons, through craft rather to serue their owne pur|pose, than for anie gilt of the persons so imprisoned: taking solemne oths before the altars, and shortlie after, despising the same altars as vile and filthie stones.

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Of this hainous and wicked offense Constantine the tyrannicall whelpe of the lionesse of Deuonshire is not ignorant, who this yeare, after the receiuing of his dreadfull oth, whereby he bound himselfe that in no wise he should hurt his subiects (God first, and then his oth, with the companie of saints, and his mother being there present) did notwithstanding in the reuerent laps of the two mothers, as the church, and their carnall mother, vnder the coule of the ho|lie abbat, deuoure with sword and speare in stead of téeth, the tender sides, yea and the entrailes of two children of noble and kinglie race, and likewise of their two gouernours, yea and that (as I said) a|mongest the sacred altars: the armes of which persons so slaine, not stretched foorth to defend them|selues with weapons (the which few in those daies handled more valiantlie than they) but stretched foorth (I saie) to God and to his altar in the day of iudgement, shall set vp the reuerent ensignes of their patience and faith at the gates of the citie of Christ, which so haue couered the seat of the celesti|all sacrifice, as it were with the red mantle of their cluttered bloud.

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These things he did not after anie good déeds doone by him deseruing praise: for manie yeares before, ouercome with the often and changeable filths of adulterie, & forsaking his lawfull wife contrarie to the lawes of God, &c: he now brought foorth this crime of quelling his owne kinsmen, and violating the church, but neither being loosed from the snares of his former euils, he increaseth the new with the old.

¶Thus in effect hath Gyldas written of this Constantine, with more: for turning his tale to him, he reproueth him of his faults, and counselleth him to repent.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 5 AFter that Aurelius Conanus had slaine the foresad Constantine,Conanus. as in the British histories is mentioned, the same Conan was made king of Britaine in the yeare of our Lord 546,546. in the 20 yeare of Iustinianus, and in the 33 of the reigne of Childebert king of the Frenchmen. This Aure|lius Conanus (as is recorded by some writers) was of a noble heart, frée and liberall, but giuen much to the maintenance of strife and discord amongst his people, light of credit, and namelie had an o|pen eare to receiue and heare the reports of such as accused other. Moreouer he was noted of crueltie, as he that tooke his vncle, Matth. West. writeth that he reigned 30. yeares. who of right should haue béene king, and kept him in prison, and not so satis|fied slue in tyrannous maner the two sons of his said vncle. But God would not suffer him long to inioy the rule of the land in such vniust dealing, for EEBO page image 95 he died after he had reigned the space of two yeares, and left a sonne behind him called Uortiporus, which succéeded him in the kingdome, as authors doo re|cord. Of this Aurelius Conanus Gyldas writeth, calling vnto him after he had made an end with his predecessor Constantine, saieng in this wise:

And thou lions whelpe, as saith the prophet, Aurelius Conanus what doost thou? Art thou not swallowed vp in the filthie mire of murthering thy kinsmen, of committing fornications and adulteries like to the other before mentioned, if not more deadlie, as it were with the waues and surges of the drenching seas ouerwhelming thée with hir vnmercifull rage? Dooest thou not in hating the peace of thy countrie as a deadlie serpent, and thirsting after ciuill wars and spoiles (oftentimes vniustlie gotten) shut vp a|gainst thy soule the gates of celestiall peace and re|freshment? Thou being left alone as a withering trée in the middle of a field, call to remembrance (I praie thée) the vaine youthfull fantasie and ouer|timelie death of thy fathers and thy brethren. Shalt thou being set apart, and chosen foorth of all thy li|nage for thy godlie deserts, be reserued to liue an hundred yeares, or remaine on earth till thou be as old as Methusalem? No no.

And after these re|prehensions, with further threatnings of Gods ven|geance, he exhorted him to amendment of life, and so proceedeth to talke with Uortiporus, whome he nameth the king, or rather the tyrant of South|wales, as after shall be rehearsed.