3.2. The ioint-gouernment of Belinus and Brennus the two sonnes of Mulmucius, their discontentment, the stratagems of the one against the other, the expulsion of Brennus out of Britaine. The second Chapter.

The ioint-gouernment of Belinus and Brennus the two sonnes of Mulmucius, their discontentment, the stratagems of the one against the other, the expulsion of Brennus out of Britaine. The second Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 _BRennus and Belinus began to reigne iointlie as kings in Britaine,Belinus and Brennus. in the yéere of the world 3574, af|ter the building of the citie of Rome 355, and after the de|liuerance of the Israelites out of captiuitie 142,3574 which was about the seuenth yéere of Artaxerxes surna|med Mnenon, the seuenth king of the Persians. Be|linus held vnder his gouernment Loegria,Matth. West. Wales, and Cornwall: and Brennus all those countries o|uer and beyond Humber. And with this partition were they contented by the tearme of six or seuen yéeres, Polyd. saith 5. Brennus not content with his portion. after which time expired, Brennus coueting to haue more than his portion came to, first thought to purchase himselfe aid in forreine parties, & there|fore by the prouocation and counsell of yong vnquiet heads, sailed ouer into Norway, and there married the daughter of Elsung or Elsing,Elsingius. as then duke or ruler of that countrie. Beline offended with his bro|ther, that he should thus without his aduice marrie with a stranger, now in his absence seized all his lands, townes, and fortresses into his owne hands, placing garisons of men of warre where he thought conuenient.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 In the meane time, Brenne aduertised hereof, as|sembled a great nauie of ships, well furnished with people and souldiers of the Norwegians, with the which he tooke his course homewards, but in the waie he was encountred by Guilthdacus king of Den|marke,Guilthdacus king of Den|marke. the which had laid long in wait for him, bi|cause of the yoong ladie which Brenne had maried, for whome he had béene a sutor to hir father Elsing of long time. When these two fléetes of the Danes and Norwegians met, there was a sore battell betwixt them, but finallie the Danes ouercame them of Norway, and tooke the ship wherein the new bride was conueied, and then was she brought aboord the ship of Guilthdacus. Brenne escaped by flight as well as he might. But when Guilthdacus had thus obtained the victorie and prey, suddenlie therevpon arose a sore tempest of wind and weather,A tempest. which scattered the Danish fleete, and put the king in dan|gers to haue béene lost [...] but finallie within fiue daies after, being driuen by force of wind, he landed in Northumberland, with a few such ships as kept togi|ther with him.Guilthdacus landed in the north.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Beline being then in that countrie, prouiding for defense against his brother, vpon knowledge of the king of Denmarks arriuall, caused him to be staied. Shortlie after, Brenne hauing recouered and gotten togither the most part of his ships that were disper|sed by the discomfiture, and then newlie rigged and furnished of all things necessarie, sent word to his brother Beline, both to restore vnto him his wife wrongfullie rauished by Guilthdacus, and also his lands iniuriouslie by him seized and his possession. These requests being plainlie and shortlie denied, Brenne made no long delaie, but spéedilie made to|ward Albania, and landing with his armie in a part thereof, incountred with his brother Beline néere vnto a wood named as then Calater, where (after cru|ell fight,Calater wood is in Scotland. and mortall battell betwixt them) at length the victorie abode with the Britains, and the discomfi|ture did light so on the Norwegians, that the most of them were wounded, slaine, and left dead vpon the ground.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Hereby Brenne being forced to flée, made shift, and got ouer into Gallia, where after he had sued to this prince, at length he abode, and was well receiued of one Seguinus or Seginus duke of the people called then Allobrogs (as Galfrid of Monmouth saith) or rather Armorica,Seguinus or Seginus duke of the Allobrogs, now the D [...]|phinat or Sauoy. which now is called Britaine, as Polychronicon, and the english historie printed by Caxton, more trulie maie seeme to affirme. But Be|line hauing got the vpper hand of his enimies, assem|bling his councell at Caerbranke, now called York, tooke aduise what he should doo with the king of Den|marke: where it was ordeined, that he should be set at libertie, with condition and vnder couenant, to ac|knowledge himselfe by dooing homage, to hold his land of the king of Britaine, and to paie him a yéere|lie tribute. These couenants being agréed vpon,The Danes tributarie to the Britains. and hostages taken for assurance, he was set at libertie, and so returned into his countrie. The tribute that he couenanted to paie, was a thousand pounds, as the English chronicle saith.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 When Beline had thus expelled his brother, and was alone possessed of all the land of Britaine, he first confirmed the lawes made by his father: and for so much as the foure waies begun by his father were not brought to perfection,The foure high waies fi|nished. he therefore caused workmen to be called foorth and assembled, whom he set in hand to paue the said waies with stone, for the better passage and ease of all that should trauell through the countries from place to place, as occasi|on should require.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 The first of these foure waies is named Fosse,The fosse. and stretcheth from the south into the north, beginning at the corner of Totnesse in Cornewall, and so passing foorth by Deuonshire, and Somersetshire, by Tuthe|rie, on Cotteswold, and then forward beside Couen|trie vnto Leicester, and from thence by wild plaines towards Newarke, and endeth at the citie of Lin|colne. The second waie was named Watling stréete, the which stretcheth ouerthwart the Fosse,Watling street out of the southeast into the northeast, beginning at Douer, and passing by the middle of Kent ouer Tha|mes beside London, by-west of Westminster, as some haue thought, and so foorth by S. Albons, and by the west side of Dunstable, Stratford, Toucester, and Wedon by-south of Lilleborne, by Atherston, Gilberts hill, that now is called the Wreken, and so foorth by Seuerne, passing beside Worcester, vnto Stratton to the middle of Wales, and so vnto a EEBO page image 17 place called Cardigan, at the Irish sea. The third way was named Ermingstréet,Ermingstréet which stretched out of the west northwest, vnto the east southeast, and be|ginneth at Meneuia, the which is in Saint Dauids land in west Wales, and so vnto Southampton. The fourth and last waie hight Hiknelstréete,Hiknelstréete. which lea|deth by Worcester, Winchcombe, Birmingham, Lichfield, Darbie, Chesterfield, and by Yorke, and so foorth vnto Tinmouth. After he had caused these waies to be well and sufficientlie raised and made,Priuileges granted to the waies. he confirmed vnto them all such priuileges as were granted by his father.