[1] [2] [figure appears here on page 140] VOrtiporus,Vorti|porus. ye ſonne of Au|relius Conanus ſucceeded his fa|ther, and began to reygne ouer the Britons,Math. VVe [...]. noteth. 57 [...]. in the yeare of oure Lorde fiue hun|dred ſeuentie and ſixe, in the ele|uenth yeare of the Emperoure Flauius Anicius Iuſtinus, in the fourthe yeare of the reigne of [page 147] Childerike king of Fraunce, and in the fourth yeare of Ciephis the Gotiſhe king in Italy. This Vortiporus vanquiſhed the Saxons in batayle, as the Britiſhe hiſtories make menti|on, and valiantly defended his lande and ſub|iectes the Brytons, from the daunger of them & other their alies. In the tyme of this ky [...]g [...] reigne the foreſayde Ella began to rule in the ſouth parte of the kingdome of Northumber|lande called De [...]ra, as before is mencioned, according to the accõpt of ſome authors, who alſo take this Vortiporus to begin his reigne in the yeare . [...]48. [...]th. VVeſt. [...]th. 3. yeres. Fynally after that Vortipo|rus hadde ruled the Britons the ſpace of .iiij. yeares, he departed this lyfe, and left no iſſue behynde him to ſuccede him in the kingdome: Againſt whome alſo Gildas turning his tale beginneth with him thus: [...]da And why ſtandeſt thou as one ſtarke amazed, thou (I ſay) Vor|tiporus, the tyraunt of Southwales, lyke to the Panther in manners and wickedneſſe, dy|uerſly ſpotted as it were with many colours, with thy hore head in thy throne full of decey|tes, craftes, and wyles, and defiled euen from the loweſt part of thy bodie vp to the crowne of the heade, with diuers ſundrye murthers committed in thyne owne kinne, and filthye adulteries, thus prouing a naughtie ſonne of a good king, as Manaſſes was to Ezechias: how chanceth it that the violente ſtreames of ſinnes, which thou ſwalloweſt vp lyke plea|ſant wyne, or rather arte deuoured of them, (the ende of thy lyfe by little and little nowe drawyng neere,) can not yet ſatiſfye thee? What meaneſt thou that with fornication of all euyls, as it were the ful heape, thyne owne wyfe beeing putte awaye, and by hir honeſte death doeſt oppreſſe thy ſoule wyth a certayne burdeyn that can not bee auoyded, of thyne vnſhamefaſt daughter? Conſume not (I pray ther) the reſydue of thy [...]ayes to the offence of God, and ſo foorth, exhorting him to repen|taunce, wyth admonitions taken oute of the Scriptures, bothe for his comforte and war|nyng.
[1] If the circumſtaunce of thys that Gildas writeth of Vortiporus bee marked, it maye bee perceyued, that Geffrey of Monmouthe, and alſo Mathewe of Weſtminſter, the Au|thour of the Floures of hiſtories, are decey|ued in that they take hym to bee the ſonne of Aurelius Conanus: and rather it maye hee gathered, that not onely the ſame Aurelius Conanus and Vortiporus, but alſo Conſtan|tinus, yea and Cuneg [...]aſus, and Maglocu|nus, of the whiche he alſo intreateth (as part|ly ſhall bee hereafter touched) liued, and reig|ned all at one tyme in ſeuerall partes of thys Iſle, and not as Monarkes of the whole Bri|tiſhe nation but as rulers eche of them in his quarier, after the manner as the ſtate of I [...]|lande hath bin in tymes paſſe before the coun|trey came vnder the Engliſhe ſubiection, if my coniecture herein doe not deceyue me.