THE FIRST INHABI|tation of Ireland, &c.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 _IN the yeare of the world, 1525: the patriarch Noah began to admonish the people of ven|geance to fol|lowe for their wickednesse and detestable sins, to build his arke to foreshew his kinstolkes and friends of that vniuersall floud which was to come, wherewith the whole face of the earth should be couered with wa|ter; & that within few yeares, except they amended in time. This did he before the generall floud, one hundred & fiue and twentie yeares. But when euerie Cesara néece to Noah. man séemed to neglect this wholesome admonition, one Cesara that was néece to Noah, hearing hir vn|cles prophesie, doubted least the same should come to passe; and therefore determined with certeine hir ad|herents to séeke aduentures in some forren region, persuading hir selfe, that if she might find a countrie neuer yet inhabited, and so with sin vnspotted, the generall sentence of Gods wrath should not there take effect. Wherevpon rigging a nauie, she com|mitted hir selfe to the seas, sailing foorth, till at length she arriued in Ireland onelie with three men, & fif|tie women, hauing lost the residue of hir companie by misfortune of sundrie shipwracks made in that hir long & troublesome iourneie. The names of the men were these, Bithi, Laigria, and Fintan. The coast where she first set foot on land, and where also she lieth buried, is called Nauiculare littus, that is, the ship|ping riuage or shore. The stones wherein the me|morie here of was preserued from violence of wa|ters, haue béene seene of some (as they themselues An. mundi. 1556 haue reported) but how trulie I haue not to say: within fortie daies after hir comming on land there, the vniuersall floud came & ouerflowed all that coast as well as all other parts of the world. But where as this tale be wraieth it selfe too manifestlie to be a meere vntruth, if the time and other circumstances be throughlie examined, I will not stand longer a|bout the proofe or disproofe thereof; sauing that it is sufficient (as I thin [...]e) to bring it out of credit, to consider, how that the art of sailing was vnknowne to the world before the vniuersall floud; and no part inhabited except the continent of Syria, and there|abouts. But to [...] such a forged fable, with the Reb. Isaac in Gene. 5. record thereof grauen in a stone (a deuise borowed from Iosephus, as some thinke) it shall be sufficient for the glorie of the Irish antiquitie to grant that Ireland was discouered and peopled by some of No|ahs kinred, euen with the first Ilands of the world (if they will needs haue it so, as the likelihood is great) according to that which is set foorth in their An. mundi. 1557 After the best authors make 300 yeares, and not 100 betwéene Noahs floud and Babell. histories, when about thrée hundred yeares after the generall floud immediatlie vpon the confusion of toongs, Iaphet & his posteritie imboldened by Noahs example, aduentured to commit themselues by ship to passe the seas, & to search out the vnknowne cor|ners of the world, and so finding out diuerse Iles in these west parts of the world.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 There was (saie they) in that retinue one of Bartolenus, or Bastole|nus. Clem. lib. 4. Cambreid. lib. 3. the same progenie named Bartolenus or Bastole|nus, who incouraged with the late attempt and suc|cesse of Nimrod kinsman to Ninus (then newlie in|truded vpon the monarchie of Assyria) searched so far west, intending to atteine to some gouernement, where he might rule without anie partner in authori|tie, till at length fortune brought him and his people vpon the coast of Ireland. Here he settled himselfe with his three sonnes Languina, Salamis, and Ru|thurgus, right actiue and stout gentlemen, who sear|ching the land from side to side, and from end to end, left remembrances of their names in certeine nota|ble places named after them; as Languinie, Stra|gruus, and mount Salanga, since named saint Do|miniks hill, and Ruthurgus his poole. Little is re|membred Ruthurgi stag|num. of Bartolenus, sauing that in short space with manie hands working at once, he rid and made plaine a great part of the countrie ouergrowen with woods and thickets.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Thus was Ireland inhabited by this people vn|der Ireland first inhabited. the gouernment of those thrée sons of Bartole|nus and their ofspring, about the space of thrée hun|dred yeares. Togither with Bartolenus arriued Ireland certeine godles people of Nimrods stocke, woorthilie termed giants, as those that in botille Giants. shape excéeded the common proportion of others, and vsed their strength to gaine souereigntie, and to op|presse Bergon the sonne of Nep|tune and bro|ther to Albion (as Iohn Bale hath) conque|red Ireland and the Ork|neis. Euill exam|ples soone fol|lowed. the weake with rapine and violence. That li|nage (Chams brood) did grow in short while to great numbers, and alwaie indeuored themselues where soeuer they came to beare the rule ouer others. One cause hereof was their bodilie strength, answerable to their hugenesse of stature; another, the examples of Cham or Zoroastres the magician, and Nimrod grandfather to Ninus. Which two persons in them|selues and their progenies were renowmed through the world as victorious princes, ruling ouer two mightie kingdoms Egypt and Assyria. A third cause there was, as this: they repined at the blessings be|stowed vpon Sem and Iaphet, thinking it necessarie to withstand and preuent all lawfull rule and domi|nion, least the cursse of slauerie prophesied by Noah should light vpon them, as at length it did. Here|vpon EEBO page image 48 rebelliouslie withdrawing their due obedience from their lawfull gouernors here in Ireland, and taking head, set vp a king of their owne faction, and mainteining his estate to the oppression of the Rebe [...]ion a|gainst gouer|nors. subiects, by bringing them into continuall bondage. The successe was variable on both sides betwixt the lawfull gouernors & these vsurpers, with dailie rai|ses and skirmishes, so much to the griefe of them that couered to liue in quiet vnder their rightfull princes, that they determined with the chance of one gene|rall A woorthie resolution. battell, either wholie to subdue those proud rebel|lious tyrants, or else to end their liues in fréedome, and so [...] be rid of further miserie. But first, where there had growen certeine debates and enimitie a|mong themselues, whereby they had infeebled their owne forces, they thought good to make peace togi|ther, before they put their whole state in hazard of one battell against the giants, concluding therefore an agréement, and ioining in league with promise to as|sis [...] ech other to subdue their common eni [...]ies, they Assemble their power foorth of all parts of the land, and comming to ioine battell with the giants, after th [...] had fought right fiercelie togither for the space [...] certeine houres, the victorie inclined to the right| [...] part; so that the lawfull kings preuailing against Uictorie [...] cruellie vsed. the wicked tyrants, great slaughter was made on the whole brood of that mischeefous generation. For the kings meaning to deliuer themselues of all dan|ger in time to come, vsed their happie victorie with great crueltie, which turned to their owne confusion: for where they neither spared man, woman, nor child that came in the waie for more despite, & fuller satisfi|eng of their whole reuenge, they did not vouchsafe to burie the carcasses of their slaine enimies; but cast Anno mundi. 2257 them out like a sort of dead dogs: whereof through [...]ench of the same, such an infectiue pestilence insu|ed in all places through corruption of aire, that few escaped with life, beside those that got them awaie by sea.