5.11. Porth the Saxon arriueth at Portes|mouth, warre betweene Nazaleod king of the Britains and the Saxons, the Britains are ouethrowen and slaine, the kingdome of the west Saxons beginneth, the com|passe or continent thereof, the meanes whereby it was inlarged. The eleuenth Chapter.

Porth the Saxon arriueth at Portes|mouth, warre betweene Nazaleod king of the Britains and the Saxons, the Britains are ouethrowen and slaine, the kingdome of the west Saxons beginneth, the com|passe or continent thereof, the meanes whereby it was inlarged. The eleuenth Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 5 _NOw will we breefelie dis|course vpon the incidents which first happened during the reigne of Uter Pendra|gon. We find that one Porth a Saxon with his two sons Megla and Beda came on land at Portesmouth in Sus|sex,Porth entred this land a|bout the yeare of our Lord 501 as Matth. West. noteth. about the beginning of the said Uters reigne, and slue a noble yoong man of the Britains, and ma|nie other of the meaner sort with him. Of this Porth the towne & hauen of Portesmouth tooke the name, Harison sup|poseth the ri|uer to be cal|led Pores, as for the word mouth, is the fall of anie fresh riuer in|to the sea. as some haue thought. Moreouer, about 40 yeares after the comming of the Saxons into this land with their leader Hengist, one Nazaleod, a mightie king amongst the Britains, assembled all the power he could make to fight with Certicus king of the West saxons, who vnderstanding of the great power of his enimies, required aid of Osca king of Kent, also of Elle king of Sussex, and of Porth and his sonnes which were latelie before arriued as ye haue heard. Certicus being then furnished with a con|uenient armie, diuided the same into two battels, reseruing the one to himselfe, and the other he ap|pointed to his sonne Kenrike. King Nazaleod per|ceiuing that the wing which Certicus led, was of more strength than the other which Kenrike gouer|ned, he set first vpon Certicus, thinking that if he might distresse that part of the enimies armie, he should easilie ouercome the other. Herevpon he gaue such a fierce charge vpon that wing, that by verie force he opened the same, and so ouerthrew the Saxons on that side, making great slaughter of them as they were scattered. Which maner of dea|ling when Kenrike saw, he made forward with all spéed to succour his father, and rushing in a|mongst the Britains on their backs,The Bri|tains ouer|throwne. he brake their armie in péeces, and slue their king Nazaleod, and withall put his people to flight. There died of the Britains that daie 5000 men, Matth. West. Henr. Hunt. Stuff and Wightgar. Matth. West. noteth the yeare of their arriuall to be 514. and the residue esca|ped by fléeing as well as they might. In the sixt yeare after this battell, Stuff and Wightgar that were nephues to Certicus, came with three ships, and landed at Certicesford, and ouerthrew a num|ber of Britains that came against them in order of battell, and so by the comming of those his nephues being valiant and hardie capteins, the part of Cer|ticus became much stronger. About the same time Elle king of the Southsaxons departed this life, after whome succéeded his sonne Cissa, of whome we find little left in writing to be made account of.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 About the yeare of our Lord 519, Henr. Hunt. Britains o|uerthrowne by the Sax|ons. and in the yeare after the comming of the Saxons 71, which was in the 26 yeare of the emperour Anastasius, the Bri|tains fought with Certicus and his sonne Kenrike at Certicesford, where the capteins of the Britains stood to it manfullie: but in the end they were dis|comfited, and great slaughter was made there of them by the Saxons, and greater had béene, if the night comming on had not parted them, and so ma|nie were saued.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 From that day forward Certicus was reputed & taken for king of Westsaxons,The kingdom of Westsaxons & so began the same kingdome at that time, which was (as W. Harison noteth) in the yéere of Christ 519, after the building of Rome 1270, of the world 4485, of the comming of the Saxons 70, of Iustinus Anicius emperour of the east, the first and third of the renowmed prince Patricius Arthurus then reigning ouer the Bri|tains. The said kingdome also conteined the coun|tries of Wiltshire, Summersetshire, Barkeshire, Dorsetshire, and Cornewall, hauing on the east Hamshire, on the north the riuer of Thames, and on the south and west the Ocean sea. Howbeit, at the first the kings of the Westsaxons had not so large dominions, but they dailie wan ground vpon the Britains, and so in the end by inlarging their con|fines, they came to inioy all the foresaid countries, and the whole at the last.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 In the ninth yéere of the reigne of Certicus, he eftsoones sought with the Saxons at Certicesford a|foresaid,Certicesford. where great slaughter was made on both parts. This Certicesford was in times past called Nazaleoy of the late remembred Nazaleod king of the Britains. About this season at sundrie times diuers great companies of the Saxons came ouer into Britaine out of Germanie, and got possession of the countries of Mercia and Eastangle: but as yet those of Mercia had no one king that gouerned them, but were vnder certeine noble men that got possession of diuers parts in that countrie, by means wherof great warres and manie incounters insued, with a common waste of land both arable and ha|bitable, whiles each one being ambitiouslie minded, & heaping to themselues such powers as they were able to make, by swoord and bloudshed chose rather to haue their fortune decided, than by reason to sup|presse the rage of their vnrulie affections. For such is the nature of men in gouernement, whether they be interessed to it by succession, or possessed of it by vsurpation, or placed in it by lawfull constitution, (vnlesse they be guided by some supernaturall in|fluence of diuine conceit) if they be more than one, they cannot away with equalitie, for regiment ad|mitteth no companion: but euerie one séeketh to ad|uance himselfe to a singularitie of honour, wherein he will not (to die for it) participate with another, which maie easilie be obserued in this our historicall discourse.