[1] [figure appears here on page 88] COellus,Coell [...] Earle of Colcheſter, began hys dominion ouer the Brytons in the yeare of our Lord .262.262. [...]. This Coellus or Coell ruled the lande for a certayne tyme, ſo as the Bry|tons were well conten|tented with his gouer|nement, and lyued the longer in reſt from inuaſion of the Romains, bi|cauſe they were occupied in other places: but fi|nally they findyng tyme for their purpoſe, apoin|ted one Conſtantius to paſſe ouer into this Iſle with an armie, the which Conſtantius put Coe|lus in ſuche dread, that immediatly vpon his ar|riuall Coellus ſent to him an ambaſſade and cõ|cluded a peace with him, couenãting to pay ye ac|cuſtomed tribute,Ca [...] Galfrid. and gaue to Conſtantius his daughter in mariage called Helene, a noble Lady and a lerned. Shortly after king Coell dyed, af|ter he had reigned (as ſome write) .27. yeares, [...]. Ca [...]. or as other haue, but 13. yeares. Of the regiment of thys Prince, Harriſon maketh no mention in his Chronologie.
[1] But verily if I ſhall ſpeake what I thinke, I will not denye but aſſuredly ſuche a Prince there was: howbeit that he had a daughter named He|lene, whome hee maried vnto Conſtantius the Romain lieutenant that was after Emperour, I leaue that to be decided of the learned: For if the whole courſe of the lyues, as well of the fa|ther and ſonne, Conſtantius and Conſtantine, as lykewyſe of the mother Helena, bee conſide|rately marked from tyme to tyme, and yeare to yeare, as out of authors both Greeke and latine, ye ſame may be gathered, I feare leaſt ſuch doubt may ryſe in this matter, that it wil be harder to proue Helene a Britayne, than Conſtantine to be borne in Bithynia (as Nicephorus auon|cheth) but for ſomuche as I meane not to ſteppe from the courſe of oure countreye writers in ſuche poynts, Lib. 7. cap. 1. where the receyued opinion maye ſeeme to warrant the credite of the hiſtorie, I [...] with other admit bothe the mother and ſonne to be Britons in the whole diſcourſe of the hiſtorie following, as thoughe I hadde forgot what i [...] this place I haue ſayd.