both Naval and Land supplies to his Enemies and entertaining such as run from him took up a resolution to make the Puissance of Rome known to these Islanders which being discovered by Merchants some particular States sent Ambassadors to him promising to put in Pledges and yeild obedience to the Roman Empire Caesar commending their Prudence and exherting them to continue in the same mind sends them back with Comius in their company whom he had made King of Artois giving him instructions to work them to a suller submission and prepare them to give him a quiet admission with his forces into their Countrey Hereupon the British Princes joyn to oppose him of whom Geffrey nameth these Caswallan Androgeus and Tenerantius with Crederus King of Albania Guitellus of Venedotia and Britael of Demetia Lhud as he writes though falsely was dead some years before and therefore is not here mentioned and King Belinus as I said before is only brought in to be his Son's General Caesar having gained what knowledge he could of the British coast from C. Volusenus whom he had sent out to descry it embarques two Legions in eighty Ships of burthen and some Gallies and endeavours to land in Kent Here Dolobellus General to King Belinus as appears by Nennius who calls him his Proconful stood ready to receive him and performed his part so bravely that the noble Roman confessed the terror of such resolute opposition made his Veteran Soldiers forget their wonted valour But in the end they gained the Shore and put the Britans to flight with extraordinary slaughter In Caesar â—â— Caesar is brought in by Julian attributing to himself the honour if it be at all an honour to that person which he suâ—â—ained of being the first that left his Ship and 〈◊〉 Land but this were to make him not understand what became him and he acknowledges it was the Eagle-bearer of the tenth Legion Lib. 4. de bello Galliâ—â—o Caesar marching forwards encamps upon a great Plain supposed to be Barham-Down where he beheld the dispersion and loss of a considerable part of his Flect by the violence of an unexpected storm Comius found not such entertainment as he expected being imprisoned as a Spy by the Britans who were wise enough to perceive that the Romans aimed at more than they should be willing to grant yet finding by the late conflict that there was an apparent inequality in the match between the Roman and Britain Arms and discipline they judged it convenient to make their best termes and submit to which end they dispatcht Ambassadors to him and with them sent back Comius thinking by the one to moderate his anger and by the other in consequence to procure a peace which they obtained the â—aslier by reason of the late Wrack and the approach of Winter yet were enjoyned to deliver Hostages But understanding his want of Horsemen and the losses he had sustamed by the Tempest they took courage again and slew to Arms. About a thousand Horsemen were coming after him in eighteen Ships which being got within view of the Camp were driven by a sudden storm some back to the Gallick coast others upon the Western part of the Island from whence they had much adoe to recover the Continent again and those Ships that were with him fared as ill for the Gallies which were drawn up to the Shore were filled with the Tide and the Ships of burden that lay at Anchor were so shaken with the Tempest that they were almost rendred unserviceable The seventh Legion being sent out to fetch in Corn was set upon by the Britans and in danger of being cut off if Caesar had not seasonably come to the rescue who contenting himself with putting his Enemies to a stand considering it was not now a fit time to offer Battel while his men were scarce recovered of so late a fear only keeps his ground for a while and soon after returns to his Camp The Britans giving themselves out for Victors sent straight to all the neigbouring States for more forces and getting together a great multitude drew towards the Romans but Caesar encouraging his Soldiers received these Guests with a battel before his Camp put them to rout with slaughter and burnt and laid wast all round about Daunted with this ill success they again crave peace which he granted them but withal severely reproved them for their breach of faith and imposed a double number of Hostages to be sent after him into Gaul whither the season of the year required him to hasten so that all his Ships but twelve being by this time made able to abide the Sea by incessant labour of the Soldiers he hoisted sail about midnight and arrived safely with all but eleven Ships of burden upon the Continent these not keeping their course landed at a Port of the Morini who would have put them to the sword in hopes of prey if Caesar hearing of their peril had not sent his Horsemen to fetch them off The Senate advertised of these passages by his Letters decreed a solemn Procession and Supplication of twenty dayes and himself ordering Labienus to chastise the rebellious Morini went to Rome as he used to do every Winter to look after his concernments there About this time died King Belinus having reigned forty years yet did not his death hinder the Britans from celebrating a solemn Festival in Trinovant for joy of Caesar's departure But here fell out an unlucky accident which proved of very ill consequence As the Youth were exercising themselves at Martial sports it chanced that two young Noblemen fell out the one named Hireldas is by Geffrey of Monmouth said to be Nophew to Caswallan the other named Evelinus to Mandubratius Henry of Huntington saith they were their Sons In this quarrel Hireldas was slain by Evelinus whem Caswallan would therefore have had to be put to death but Mandubratius prevailed with his Father Immanuentius to protect him Caswallan thought it too difficult a matter to contest at that time with his Brother in his own Royal City he departs therefore but quickly returns with strong Forces which he had in readiness kills Immanuentius seizes the greatest part of his Kingdom and compells Mandubratius to flee for safety of his life into Gaul Nennius who adhered so saithfully to him in his war against the Romans may seem likely to have sided with him now there being a grudg between him and Immanuentius for going about to change the name of Trinovant to Caer Lud as the * Lib. 1. cap. 10. Monmouth Writer tells us These proceedings of Caswallan allarm'd the Neighbour-States who thereupon took up Arms against him And thus were the Britans embroiled in Civil wars not fearing belike Caesar's return whose hasty departure they looked upon as little better than flight and thought he was as desirous to leave them as they were to have him and therefore all the States but two neglected the sending of their Hostages after him Here now
Royal Prophet Thou lovest Righteousness and hatest wickedness Ps 45.7 therefore God thy God hath anointed thee with the oyl of gladness above thy fellows And again according to the same Royal Prophet Ps 72.1 Give the King thy Judgments O God c. for he said not the Judgments nor the Righteousness of Caesar For the King's Sons are the Christian Nations and people of the Realm who live and abide in the Kingdom under your Protection and Peace according to the Gospel Mat. 23.37 even as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings The Nations and people of Britain are your people whom however divided you ought to gather into one to reclaim to Concord and Peace and the Faith and Law of Christ and to the Holy Church to cherish maintain or to lead by hand protect govern and always defend them from injurious and malitious Folks and from their Enemies Eccl. 10.16 Wo to the Kingdom whose King is a Child and whose Princes eat in the morning I do not term a King a Child for Infant-age but for Folly Iniquity and Madness according to the Royal Prophet Ps 55.23 Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their dayes By Eating we understand Gluttony by Gluttony Luxury by Luxury all filthy perverse and wicked things according to King Solomon Into a malicious Soul Wisdom shall not enter nor dwell in the body that is subject unto sin Rex dicitur à Regendo non à Regno A King hath his name from his Ruling not from his Kingdom As long as you govern well you shall be a King which if you do not the Name of King will not be evidenced in you and you will lose that Name which God forbid Almighty God grant you so to govern the Kingdom of Britain that you may reign for ever with him whose Vicegerent you are in the said Realm This Letter was written in the year one Hundred seventy nine when the Emperour Commodus was Consul with Vespronius and is to be seen in Lambard's Archaeonomia Printed at London in the years 1560 and 1644 among Edward the Confessor's Laws and in a Copy of our old Laws written in Edward the fourths time now kept in Sr. John Cotton's famous Library and likewise in an Ancient Manuscript Chronicle called Brutus and Breton William Harrison hath inserted it into his description of Britain Lib. 1. c. 9. having translated it into English out of sundry ancient Copies Theon Bishop of London is said to have built St. Peter's Church in Cornhil London with the help of Ciranus the King 's Cup-bearer which Lucius liberally endowed and made it to be the Episcopal Sea for the Diocess of London But Fagan and Dwywan not confining their endeavours only to Lucius his Kingdom converted the greatest part of Britain with the assistance of Elvan and Medwin of whom the former had been made a Bishop at Rome the other a Doctor as Johannes Tinmuthensis and Capgrave in the life of Dubricius and an old Tract concerning the first state of the Church of Landaffe assirm meaning Presbyter or Priest as I suppose by Doctor for the title of Doctor doth not appear to have been so ancient in the Church in the sence wherein it hath been since used Divers other Bishopricks are reported to have been erected about this time as York Carleon upon Vske Winchester Gloucester Congresbury Landaffe and other places Philippus Berterius and Archbishop Vsher of Armagh take York to have been the Metropolis of Britain at that time as being a Roman Colony and honoured with the Emperour's Palace and the Praetorium of Britain in regard whereof Spartianus terms it by way of Excellency In vita Severi The City And in the Council of Arles Eborius of York subscribed before Restitutus of London He that in the year one Thousand four hundred and sixty wrote the History of the Archbishops of York makes Fagan the first Archbishop of that Sea but Harrison in his description of Britain saith Lib. 1. cap. 7. that one Theodosius was Bishop there in the time of Lucius who might be so indeed in the latter end of Lucius his Reign after Fagan's death The Church of Winchester being finished in the fifth year of Lucius his Conversion viz. in the year one Hundred and eighty was then Dedicated by Fagan and Dwywan at which time also one Devotus was made Abbot of the Monastery which the King had founded for certain Monks professing the Egyptian Rule of St. Mark And about the same time was also founded the renowned Abbey of Bangor And now the Northern men are up in arms again and passing Lollius his Fence were come as far as Adrian's Wall which they broke down putting most of the Soldiers that defended it with their commander to the sword and entring the Province wasted and spoiled it at their pleasure against whom Vlpius Marcelius was sent who valiantly beat them back to their own homes and governed the country with such same and reputation that the Emperour Commodus whose Vices were as notorious as his Lieutenant's Virtues fearing the growth of his Credit with the Romans in an envious mood sent him Letters of Discharge After his departure the Army which he had kept in excellent Discipline fell to mutinying and civil Dissensions the Officers abusing and defrauding the common Soldiers whereupon fifteen Hundred of them went to Rome and complained against the Emperour's grand Favourite Perennis as the cause of those and many other distempers in the State for which he was put to death Yet did not this compliance so appease the British Army but that they would have set up another Emperour and Helvins Pertinax who here succeeded in the Lieutenancy endeavouring to suppress their insolency by severe means provoked them to an Insurrection in which divers were slain and himself left for dead whereupon he was glad for his own safety to get himself revoked In his place came Clodius Albinus who so worthily demeaned himself that Commodus either for fear or favour honoured him with the Title of Caesar which yet he accepted not but upon a false report of the Emperour's death having in a set speech discovered himself to be better affected to the old Government of the Senate and Consuls than to Monarchical Empire he was commanded to resign to Junius Severus But Pertinax suceeding Commodus was not long after murdered by the Praetorian Guards who sold the Empire to Didius Julianus who enjoyed his Purchase but a very little time being soon after slain by Septimius Severus This Emperour to keep Albinus who during the late Broils had made bold to keep his place from attempting any thing against him during his Wars with Pescennius Niger created him his Caesar which he now accepted as having a greater esteem for him than for Commodus But Niger being defeated and slain Severus falls to practising the death of his new Caesar and therein failing proclaims him Traitour and publick Enemy and comes in person
against him with the strength of the Empire Albinus hereupon bestirs himself and encreasing his Army with the Flower of the British Youth crosses over into Gaul where near Lyons a Battel was fought between them in which at first Albinus had the better but was at last overthrown and killed his Head being sent to Rome by the Conquerour as a token of the Victory After which Severus divided the Roman Province here into two Prefectures of which the Southern part was termed the Higher and the Northern was termed the Lower About the beginning of Albinus his Government here Fagan and Dwywan went to Glastonbury where they found nothing but ruine and desolation for the Hermits who took care of the Church were all dead long ago This Church they repaired and placed there twelve of their Associates procuring King Lucius to confirm to them and their Successors by Charter the Donation of such Lands as had been given by his three Predecessors to Joseph and his Companions Nine years they are said to have spent in this place and then having visited their Converts and confirmed them in the Faith to have deceased in Britain where divers Churches were afterwards erected and consecrated to their memory After Theon's death Elvan was Bishop of London and is said to have built a Library adjoyning to his Cathedral and to have converted many of the Druids to Christianity King Lucius having built St. Peter's Church at Westminster St. Maries at Dover and a Church at Canterbury which was afterwards called St. Martins dyed and was buried in the Cathedral of Gloucester as Geffrey saith in the year two Hundred and eight as Hollinshed out of ancient Writers tells us having reigned three and forty years according to the Author of the Genealogicon de Gestis Anglorum I know there is great difference in Writers about the time of his Reign and Conversion which I conceive was partly occasioned through the variety of Computations of the years both of Christ's Nativity and Passion As for his Reign some allot him but twelve years as Caxton Bale Grafton Stow and Basing stochius too short a space by far for the many memorable works done in his time others allow him seventy seven years as Matthew Westminster the Chronicle of Salisbury and the Pensile-Table of St. Peter's Church in London but these then take from the years of his Predecessors and make his Great Grandfather Arviragus and his Grandfather Marius to be dead before Domitian's time They generally give him the Character of a Religious and Munificent Prince and say that he did very liberally give Possessions and Territories to Churches and Church-men which he confirmed to them by Charters and that he priviledged Churches and Churchyards to be Sanctuaries and places of Refuge for such Offenders as fled to them He was the first Europaean King that we read of who received the Christian Faith and Britain the first Land in which it was by Publick Authority professed A high and singular Honour for our Country and which next to Divine Providence is in a great measure to be ascribed to the clemency of the Emperour Aurelius to the Christians upon his miraculous victory over the Germans Some with a manifest Antichronisme confound this King with Lucius the Apostle of the Rhetians and Bavarians but Achilles Cassarus in his description of Augspurg as we have him in Munster's Cosmography and Archbishop Vsher of Armagh Cap. 6. in his Treatise De Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Primordiis do judiciously distinguish the one from the other Again others in opposition to a whole cloud of Eminent Witnesses make him a meer Larva denying that ever there was any such King because Britain was then subject to the Romans But these do not consider that it was customary with the Romans to permit Kings to reign in several Countreys which they had subdued as in Judaea Herod in Cilicia Tarcondemus in Cappadocia Archelaus in Pontus Polemon in Mauritania Juba and here in Britain Cogidunus and that even at this time the Emperour Lucius Verus having finished the Parthian War did as Julius Capitolinus saith distribute Kingdoms to Kings and Provincial Governments to his Counts I do not fondly suppose that he was King of all Britain as Geffrey would perswade us nor yet of the greater part of it but I rather think that after Arviragus was driven out of Siluria by Frontinus and out of Ordovicia by Agricola the Province of the Belgae with part of the Province of the Dobuni might upon his submission be granted to him as places not so difficult to be reconquered if he or his Successors should revolt being an open Champaine Countrey of easie access and surrounded in a manner with Roman Garrisons That Arviragus Marius Coelus and Lucius bore some sway in this part of the Island I am the rather inclined to believe because I read of their Sepulture at Gloucester and their Bounty to Glastonbury besides the last King's Liberality to Winchester and Congresbury all which places stand within this Territory Neither did Lucius restrain his Beneficence within the limits of his own Kingdom but piously extended it to several other parts of Britain where Christianity had taken any footing This we find written of him by Bale Lucium pium Coeli filium unicum Romanorum fautorem Caesaris Marci Antonini Veri tum benevolentiâ tum autoritate Britannis post patrem imperâsse That Lucius the Godly the onely Son of Coelus a friend to the Romans by the favour and authority of the Emperour Marcus Antoninus Verus reigned over the Britains And Archbishop Vsher in his Primordia saith Cap. 3. that there were found here in England two ancient pieces of Coin one of Silver which was in the keeping of M. Josephus Hollandus the other of Gold which himself saw among the Cimelia in Sr. Robert Cotton's Library stamped with the effigies of a Christian King as appeared by the Cross upon which these three Letters LVC were inscribed In the mean time Virius Lupus was so overmatched by the Maeatae and Caledonians that he was constrained to buy his Peace and the liberty of some Prisoners with great Sums of Money but understanding that Severus had now ended his other Wars he sends him an account of the British Affairs who thereupon taking with him his two Sons Bassianus and Geta sets forward with a mighty Army to revenge his Lieutenant's disgrace he arrives in Britain in the same year that Lucius dyed and finding divers Competitors striving to succeed him puts an end to the Conquest by laying the Kingdom to the Higher Province The Northern people terrified with his coming crave peace but in vain whereupon the Prince of the Caledonians whom Fordon Boetius and Lesley call Fulgentius though Geffrey names him Fulgenius and saith that he was Brother to Martia the first wife of Severus sails over to Scandia to procure a fresh Supply of Picts with which and his own Subjects and Confederates by the advantage of Loughs Bogs Mears