5.18. The begining of the kingdome of Mer|cia, the bounds of the same, the heptarchie or seuen regiments of the Saxons, how they grew to that perfection, and by whom they were reduced and drawne into a monar [...]ie; Careticus is created king of Britaine, the Saxons take occasion by the ciuill dissentions of the Britains to make a full conquest of the land they procure forren power to further them in their enterprise, Gurmundus king of the Africans arriueth in Britaine, the Bri|tish king is driuen to his hard shifts, the politike practise of Gurmundus in taking Chichester & setting the towne on fire, he deliuereth the whole land in possession to the Saxons, the English and Saxon kings put Careticus to flight, the Britains haue onelie three prouinces left of all their countrie which before they inhabited, their religion, church, and com|monwealth is in decaie, they are gouerned by three kings, Cheulings death is con|spired of his owne sub|iects. The xviij. Chapter.

The begining of the kingdome of Mer|cia, the bounds of the same, the heptarchie or seuen regiments of the Saxons, how they grew to that perfection, and by whom they were reduced and drawne into a monar [...]ie; Careticus is created king of Britaine, the Saxons take occasion by the ciuill dissentions of the Britains to make a full conquest of the land they procure forren power to further them in their enterprise, Gurmundus king of the Africans arriueth in Britaine, the Bri|tish king is driuen to his hard shifts, the politike practise of Gurmundus in taking Chichester & setting the towne on fire, he deliuereth the whole land in possession to the Saxons, the English and Saxon kings put Careticus to flight, the Britains haue onelie three prouinces left of all their countrie which before they inhabited, their religion, church, and com|monwealth is in decaie, they are gouerned by three kings, Cheulings death is con|spired of his owne sub|iects. The xviij. Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 _ABout the same time also, Crida. H. Hunt. This king|dome began in the yeere 585, as Matt. VVestm. saith. Ran Cest. and 585 of Christ, the king|dome of Mercia began vn|der one Crida, who was des|cended from Woden, and the tenth from him by lineall ex|traction. The bounds of this kingdome were of great di|stance, hauing on the east the sea vnto Humber, and so on the north the said riuer of Humber, and after the riuer of Mercia, which falleth into the west sea at the corner of Wirhall, and so comming about to the riuer of Dee that passeth by Chester, the same riuer bounded it on the west from Wales, and likewise Seuerne vp to Bristow: on the south it had the ri|uer of Thames, till it came almost to London. And in this sort it conteined Lincolneshire, Notingam|shire, Derbishire, Chesshire, Shropshire, Worcester|shire, Glocestershire, Oxfordshire, Buckingham|shire, Hertefordshire, Bedfordshire, Huntington|shire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, and War|wikeshire.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 ¶Thus haue ye heard how the Saxons in processe of time remoouing the Britains out of their [...]eats, dailie wan ground of them, till at length they got possession of the best part of this Ile, and erected within the same seuen kingdoms, which were gouer|ned by seuen seuerall kings, who continued vntill the kings of Westsaxon brought them all at length into one monarchie, as after shall appeere. Matth. Westmin. reckoneth eight kingdoms as thus; The kingdom of Kent, the kingdom of Sussex, the king|dom of Essex, the kingdom of Eastangle, the king|dom of Mercia, the kingdom of Westsex, and the kingdom of Northumberland, which was diuided into two kingdoms, that is to say, into Deira and into Bernicia: wherevnto W. Harison addeth the ninth in the first part of his chronologie, and calleth it Wales.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 AFter that Malgo or Maglocune was departed this life,Careticus 586 one Careticus, or (as some write him) Caretius, was made king of the Britains, and be|gan his reigne in the yéere of our Lord, 586, which was in the third yéere of the emperour Mauricius, and thirtéenth of Chilperike king of France. This Careticus was a nourisher of ciuill warre and dis|sention amongst his owne people the Britains, so that he was hated both of God and man, as writers testifie. The Saxons vnderstanding that the Bri|tains were not of one mind, but diuided in parta|kings, so as one was readie to deuoure an other, thought it good time for them to aduance their con|quests, and ceassed not to pursue the Britains by force and continuall warre, till they had constreined them EEBO page image 98 for refuge to withdraw into Wales. Gal. Mon. See more of this Gur|mundus in Ireland. Ranulf. Cest. And as some haue written, the Saxons meaning to make a full conquest of the land, sent ouer into Ireland, requi|ring one Gurmundus a king of the Affricans to come ouer into Britaine to helpe them against the Britains.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 This Gurmundus appointing his brother Turge|sius to pursue the conquest of Ireland, came and ar|riued heere in Britaine, making such cruell warre in aid of the Saxons against the Britains, that Care|ticus was constreined to kéepe him within the citie of Chicester or Cirencester, and was there besieged, and at length by continuall assalts and skirmishes, when he had lost manie of his men, he was glad to forsake that citie, and fled into Wales. This Gur|mundus tooke Cirencester or Chichester, and destroi|ed it in most cruell maner. Some write, that he tooke this citie by a policie of warre, in binding to the féet of sparrowes which his people had caught, certeine clewes of thred or matches, finelie wrought & tem|pered with matter readie to take fixe, so that the spar|rowes being suffered to go out of hand, flue into the towne to lodge themselues within their neasts which they had made in stacks of corne, and eues of houses, so that the towne was thereby set on fire, and then the Britains issuing foorth, fought with their eni|mies, and were ouercome and discomfited.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 But whilest the battell continued, Careticus stale away, and got him into Wales. After this, the fore|said Gurmundus destroied this land throughout in pitifull wise, and then deliuered it in possession to the Saxons, the which thankfullie receiued it: and be|cause they were descended of those that first came o|uer with Hengist, they changed the name of the land, and called it Hengistland, accordinglie as the same Hengist had in times past ordeined: the which name after for shortnesse of spéech was somewhat altered, and so lastlie called England, and the people En|glishmen. But rather it may be thought, that sith a great part of those people which came ouer into this land out of Germanie with the said Hengist, and o|ther capteins, were of those Englishmen which inha|bited Germanie, about the parts of Thoringhen, they called this land England, after their name, when they had first got habitation within it:Matt. VVest. and so both the land and people tooke name of them, being called Angli, a long time before they entered into this Ile (as before is shewed out of Cornelius Tacitus and others.) But now to returne where we left.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Of this Gurmundus the old English writers make no mention, nor also anie ancient authors of forren parties: and yet saith the British booke, that after he had conquered this land, and giuen it to the Saxons, he passed ouer into France, and there de|stroied much of that land, as an enimie to the faith of Christ. For which consideration he was the more rea|die to come to the aid of the Saxons, who as yet had not receiued the christian faith, but warred against the Britains, as well to destroie the faith of Christ within this land, as to establish to themselues conti|nuall habitations in the same.It should séeme that this historie of Gurmun|dus is but some fained tale except it may be that he was some Dane, Nor|wegian or Germane. There be, that omit|ting to make mention of Gurmundus, write thus of the expelling of the Britains out of this land at that time, when with their king Careticus they got them into Wales.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 In the yéere of Grace 586,586 Matt. VVest. Careticus a louer of ciuill warre succéeded Malgo an enimie to God and to the Britains, whose inconstancie when the Eng|lish and Saxon kings perceiued, with one consent they rose against him, and after manie battels chased him from citie to citie, till at length incountering with him in a pight field, they droue him beyond Se|uerne into Wales. Héerevpon clerks and priests were driuen out of their places with bright swoords brandishing in all parts, and fire crackling in chur|ches, wherewith the same were consumed. The rem|nant of the Britains therefore withdrew into the west parts of the land, that is to say, into Cornwall, and into Wales, out of which countries they often|times brake out, and made insurrections vpon the Saxons, the which in maner aforsaid got possession of the chiefest parts of the land, leauing to the Bri|tains onlie three prouinces, that is to say, Cornwall, Southwales, and Northwales, which countries were not easie to be woone, by reason of the thicke woods inuironed with déepe mareshes and waters, and full of high craggie rocks and mounteins.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 The English and Saxon kings hauing thus remoo|ued the Britains, inlarged the bounds of their domi|nions. There reigned in that season within this land, beside the Britaine kings, eight kings of the En|glish and Saxon nations, as Ethelbert in Kent, Cis|sa in Sussex, Ceauline in Westsex, Creda or Crida in Mercia, Erkenwine in Essex, Titila in Estan|gle, Elle in Deira, and Alfrid in Bernicia. In this sort the Britains lost the possession of the more part of their ancient seats, and the faith of Christ thereby was greatlie decaied: for the churches were destroi|ed; and the archbishops of Caerleon Arwiske, Lon|don and Yorke withdrew togither with their clear|gie into the mounteins and woods within Wales, taking with them the reliks of saints, doubting the same should be destroied by the enimies, and them|selues put to death if they should abide in their old habitations. Manie also fled into Britaine Armo|rike with a great fléete of ships, so that the whole church or congregation (as ye may call it) of the two prouinces, Loegria and Northumberland, was left desolate in that season, to the great hinderance and decaie of the christian religion. Careticus was dri|uen into Wales (as before is rehearsed) about the second or third yéere of his reigne, and there continu|ed with his Britains, the which ceassed not to inda|mage the Saxons from time to time as occasion still serued.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 But here is to be noted, that the Britains being thus remoued into Wales and Cornwall, were go|uerned afterwards by thrée kings, or rather tyrants, the which ceased not with ciuill warre to seeke others destruction,Wil. Mol [...]. till finallie (as saith the British booke) they became all subiect vnto Cadwallo, whome Be|da nameth Cedwallo. In the meane time, Ceauli|nus or Cheuling king of the Westsaxons, through his owne misgouernance and tyrannie, which to|wards his latter daies he practised, did procure not onelie the Britains, but also his owne subiects to conspire his death, so that ioining in battell with his aduersaries at Wodensdic, in the 33 yeare of his reigne, his armie was discomfited, and he himselfe constreined to depart into exile, and shortlie after ended his life before he could find meanes to be re|stored.

¶So that we haue here a mirror or liuelie view of a tyrant and a king, wherein there is no lesse ods in the manner of their gouernement, than there is re|pugnance in their names, or difference in their states. For he seeth but little into the knowledge of toongs, that vnderstandeth not what the office of a king should be, by the composition of his name, the same sounding in Gréeke [...], which being resolued is in effect [...], that is, the founda|tion or stay of the people; from which qualitie when he resulteth, he maketh shipwracke of that goodlie ti|tle, and degenerateth into a tyrant, than the which violent and inforced gouernement as there is none more perillous, so is it of all other the least in conti|nuance: this is prooued by historicall obseruation through the course of this historie.