A chronicle of Briton kings,
From Brute to Uthers rayne;
And rolles of Elfin emperours,
Till time of Gloriane.
I WHO now shall give unto me words and sound
Equall unto this haughtie enterprise?
Or who shal lend me wings, with which from ground
My lowly verse may loftily arise,
And lift it selfe unto the highest skies?
More ample spirit, then hitherto was wount
Here needes me, whiles the famous auncestries
Of my most dreaded soveraigne I recount,
By which all earthly princes she doth farre surmount.
2 Ne under sunne, that shines so wide and faire,
Whence all that lives does borrow life and light,
Lives ought that to her linage may compaire;
Which though from earth it be derived right,
Yet doth it selfe stretch forth to heavens hight,
And all the world with wonder overspred;
A labor huge, exceeding far my might:
How shall fraile pen, with feare disparaged,
Conceive such soveraine glory and great bountihed?
3 Argument worthy of Maeonian quill;
Or rather worthy of great Phoebus rote,
Whereon the ruines of great Ossa hill,
And triumphes of Phlegraean Jove, he wrote,
That all the gods admird his loftie note.
But if some relish of that heavenly lay
His learned daughters would to me report
To decke my song withall, I would assay
Thy name, O soveraine Queene, to blazon farre away.
4 Thy name, O soveraine Queene, thy realme and race, From this renowmed prince derived arre,
Who mightily upheld that royall mace
Which now thou bear'st, to thee descended farre
From mightie kings and conquerours in warre,
Thy fathers and great grandfathers of old,
Whose noble deedes above the northerne starre
Immortall Fame for ever hath enrold;
As in that old mans booke they were in order told
5 The land, which warlike Britons now possesse,
And therein have their mightie empire raysd,
In antique times was salvage wildernesse,
Unpeopled, unmannurd, unprovd, unpraysd;
Ne was it island then, ne was it paysd
Amid the ocean waves, ne was it sought
Of merchants farre for profits therein praysd;
But was all desolate, and of some thought
By sea to have bene from the Celticke mayn-land brought.
6 Ne did it then deserve a name to have,
Till that the venturous mariner that way
Learning his ship from those white rocks to save,
Which all along the southerne sea-coast lay
Threatning unheedie wrecke and rash decay,
For safeties sake that same his sea-marke made,
And nam'd it Albion. But later day,
Finding in it fit ports for fishers trade,
Gan more the same frequent, and further to invade.
7 But farre in land a salvage nation dwelt
Of hideous giants, and halfe beastly men,
That never tasted grace, nor goodnesse felt,
But wild like beasts lurking in loathsome den,
And flying fast as roebucke through the fen,
All naked without shame, or care of cold,
By hunting and by spoiling lived then;
Of stature huge, and eke of courage bold,
That sonnes of men amazd their sternesse to behold.
8 But whence they sprong, or how they were begot, Uneath is to assure; uneath to wene
That monstrous error which doth some assot,
That Dioclesians fiftie daughters shene
Into this land by chaunce have driven bene,
Where companing with feends and filthy sprights
They brought forth giants, and such dreadfull wights
As farre exceeded men in their immeasurd mights.
9 They held this land, and with their filthinesse
Polluted this same gentle soyle long time;
That their owne mother loathd their beastlinesse,
And gan abhorre her broods unkindly crime.
All were they borne of her owne native slime;
Until that Brutus anciently deriv'd
From royall stocke of old Assaracs line,
Driven by fatall error, here arriv'd,
And them of their unjust possession depriv'd.
10 But ere he had established his throne,
And spred his empire to the utmost shore,
He fought great battels with his salvage fone;
In which he them defeated evermore,
And many giants left on groning flore:
That well can witness yet unto this day
The westerne Hogh, besprincled with the gore
Of mighty Goëmot, whom in stout fray
Corineus conquered, and cruelly did slay.
11 And eke that ample pit, yet farre renownd
For the large leape, which Debon did compell
Coulin to make, being eight lugs of grownd,
Into the which returning backe he fell:
But those three monstrous stones doe most excell
Which that huge sonne of hideous Albion,
Whose father Hercules in Fraunce did quell,
Great Godmer threw, in fierce contention,
At bold Canutus; but of him was slaine anon.
12 In meed of these great conquests by them got,
Corineus had that province utmost west
To him assigned for his worthy lot,
Which of his name and memorable gest
He called Cornewaile, yet so called best;
And Debons shayre was that is Devonshyre:
But Canute had his portion from the rest,
The which he cald Canutium, for his hyre;
Now Cantium, which Kent we commenly inquire.
13 Thus Brute this realme unto his rule subdewd,
And raigned long in great felicitie,
Lov'd of his friends, and of his foes eschewd:
He left three sonnes, his famous progeny,
Borne of faire Inogene of Italy;
Mongst whom he parted his imperiall state,
And Locrine left chiefe lord of Britany.
At last ripe age bad him surrender late
His life, and long good fortune unto finall fate.
14 Locrine was left the soveraine lord of all;
But Albanact had all the northerne part,
Which of himselfe Albania he did call;
And Camber did possesse the westerne quart,
Which Severne now from Logris doth depart :
And each his portion peaceably enjoyd,
Ne was there outward breach, nor grudge in hart,
That once their quiet government annoyd;
But each his paines to others profit still employd.
15 Untill a nation straung, with visage swart,
And courage fierce, that all men did affray,
Which through the world then swarmd in every part,
And overflowd all countries far away,
Like Noyes great flood, with their importune sway,
This land invaded with like violence,
And did themselves through all the north display:
Until that Locrine for his realmes defence,
Did head against them make, and strong munifience.
16 He them encountred, a confused rout,
Foreby the river that whylome was hight
The auncient Abus, where with courage stout
He them defeated in victorious fight,
And chaste so fiercely after fearefull flight,
That forst their chiefetaine, for his safeties sake,
(Their chiefetaine Humber named was aright,)
Unto the mightie streame him to betake,
Where he an end of battell and of life did make.
17 The king returned proud of victorie,
And insolent wox through unwonted ease,
That shortly he forgot the jeopardie,
Which in his land he lately did appease
And fell to vaine voluptuous disease:
He lov'd faire Ladie Estrild, lewdly lov'd,
Whose wanton pleasures him too much did please,
That quite his hart from Guendolene remov'd,
From Guendolene his wife, though alwaies faithful prov'd.
18 The noble daughter of Corinëus
Would not endure to be so vile disdaind,
But, gathering force, and courage valorous,
Encountred him in battell well ordaind,
In which him vanquisht she to fly constraind:
But she so fast pursewd, that him she tooke
And threw in bands, where he till death remaind;
Als his faire leman flying through a brooke
She overhent, nought moved with her piteous looke.
19 But both her selfe, and eke her daughter deare
Begotten by her kingly paramoure,
The faire Sabrina almost dead with feare,
She there attached, far from all succoure:
The one she slew in that impatient stoure,
But the sad virgin innocent of all,
Adowne the rolling river she did poure,
Which of her name now Severne men do call: Such was the end that to disloyall love did fall.
|