enfranchise villaines sondrie other things whiche bycause they be to long to be rehearsed at large and lye not fitly in the way of my purpose I will omit and descend to the Wardeins of the Portes reciting in a short Catalogue the names of so many of them as I haue found to gouern sithence the arriuall of King William the Conquerour And although it be no doubt but that the Portes were vnder the gouernement of some before the tyme of the conquest also yet bycause King William was the first so farre as I haue read that made the office perpetuall and gaue it the title whiche it now beareth the name Wardein I meane whiche came from Normandie and was not at all knowen to the Saxons I thinke best to begin at his time Againe for asmuche as the Constableship of the Castle of Douer and this office haue ben alwayes inseperably matched together and for that I shal haue fitte place to speake of that hereafter when I shall come to Douer I will respit the rehersall of bothe their originalles til then and here in the meane season set down the race of the Wardeins by name only Iohn Fynes created by William the Conquerour Wardein of the Portes and Constable of Douer by gifte of inheritance Iames Fines his Sonne whiche dyed ot Folkston Iohn Fynes his Sonne Walkelm who deliuered it to King Stephan and immediatly after his death abandoned the charge and fled into Normandie Allen Fynes restored by King Henrie the second Iames Fynes his Eldest Sonne Mathew Clere as it should séeme by Mat. Par. Williā Petite who imprisoned Godfrey the Archbyshop of Yorke in Douer castle as vnder that title shal appeare William of Wrotham Hubert of Burgh the Earle of Kent who being deposed Bartram of Cryol succéeded Richard Gray appointed by the Barons that warred against King Henrie the third who was depriued of his office by Hugh Bigot bicause he let in the Popes legate by the Kings licence and against the minde of the Nobles Henrie Braybrooke Edward the first in the lyfe of his father who made Henrie Cobham his deputie whose Sonne Heire called Iohn founded Cobham College Roger Leyborne in the tyme of King Edward the first Stephan Penchester in the tyme of Edward the first Syr Robert Asheton Hugh Spenser the younger in the tyme of Edward the second Edmund of Woodstock the Earle of Kent Reginald Cobham in the time of Edward the third Bartholmew Burwhasse or Burgehersh one of the first companions of the ordre of the Garter Iohn Beauchampe the Earle of Warwike Syr Robert Herle in the latter ende of King Edward the third Edmund the Earle of Cambridge Syr Simon Barley whome Thomas of Woodstocke beheaded Lord Henrie Cobham the Sonne of Reginald Cobhā Syr Iohn Enros Syr Thomas Beaumont Edward the Duke of Aumarle and Yorke whom King Henrie the fourth remoued and substituted in place Syr Thomas Erpingham for a season but afterward he gaue the office to Prince Edward his Sonne who when he was King in possession bestowed it vpon Humfrey the Duke of Gloucester Iames Fines Lord Saye whom Iacke Cade beheaded Edmond the Duke of Somerset Humfrey the Duke of Buckingham Simon Mountford vnder King Henrie the sixt Richard Neuel the Earle of Warwike William the Earle of Arundel Richard the Duke of Gloucester called afterward King Richard the third Sir William Scotte Henrie the Duke of Yorke Iames Fines the Lord Saye Henrie in his Fathers lyfe afterward the eight King of that name Arthur Plantagenet Vicount Lisle Bastard Sonne to King Edward the fourth Sir Edward Poynings Henrie the younge Earle of Richemond Sir Edward Guldeford George Boleyn Vicount Rocheford Sir Thomas Cheynie Treasurour of the houshold Sir Wiliam Cobham Lord Cobham Thus much of the v. Portes in general Now of Sandwiche the first of them in the order of my iourney and then orderly of so many of the residue as lye within the Shyre that I haue presently in hand Sandwiche is called in Latine Sabulouicum or Portus Rutupinus in Saxon Sondƿic that is to say the Sandie Towne because the coast therabout aboundeth withe Sande THis Towne as it appeareth by the report of Leland and as it may séeme also by the name it selfe being méere Saxon began by the Saxons after the fall of poore Richeborowe which was in price while the honour of the Britons stood vpright and was eyther abated dy the furie of the Saxons when they wonne that coast from them or els came to ruine by the alteration and vicissitude of the Sea whiche peraduenture choked the hauen thereof with light sande as it hathe since that time done this at Sandwiche also King Canutus gaue as some write to Christes church in Canterbury Sainct Bartholmews arme if happely it were not a chaungeling for Kings great men were oftentymes after that sort deluded though they in the meane time bought such reliques dearely and thought that kinde of gifte moste princely he gaue also a riche Pall a Crowne of Golde and this hauen of Sandwiche together with the royaltie of the water on eache side so farre as a shippe being on flote at the full Sea a man might caste a shorte hatchet out of the vessell vnto the Banke The place it selfe grewe in tyme to be wel peopled and of worthynesse to be one of those Portes that foūd fauour of priuilege in consideration of their seruice at the Sea for it appeareth by the booke of Domesday that this was the estate of Sandwiche It laye in a hundreth belonginge to it selfe it did to the King suche like seruice by tenure as Douer did It was of the possessiōs of Christes Churche as I haue shewed and was appointed for the apparell of the Monkes of that house to the whiche it yealded fourtie thousand herrings besides certaine money and had in it thrée hundreth and seuen houses inhabited And I finde not but that the Towne continued in the like plight long after the Conquest being somewhat amended also by the Staple whiche King Edward the first for a season remoued thither euen vntil the time of King Henrie the sixt in whose dayes Peter Brice the Steward of Normandie landed at Sandwiche and with fire and sworde wasted the Towne in manner to ashes and slewe the inhabitants almoste to the last man Since whiche time partly by the smarte of that wounde but chiefly by the aboundaunce of the light Sande wherewith the Sea hath glutted the hauen it is declined to great decay and were like to fall to extreme ruine were it not that nowe presently it is somewhat relieued by the repaire of suche as haue abandoned their Countrie for the fréedome of their consciences whose aboade howe long it will bée the Lorde onely knoweth for whose cause they suffer banishment There was in this Towne before the generall suppression a house of Carmelites whereof I read none other good thing saue that it brought foorthe one learned man called
abiured should not be molested while they be in the highe wayes may euidently appeare I finde in Hystorie that this Watlingstreete hath heretofore not onely serued for the frée passage of the people but that it hath béen at times also a marke and bounder betwéene some Kings for the limits of their iurisdictions and authoritie For so it was betwéene Edmund and Anlaf Alfred and Guthrum and others But bycause these matters reache further then this Shyre extendeth I will reserue them to fit place and shew you in the meane while what I count note worthy on both sides of this way till I come to the Diocesse of Rochester Lyminge ON the South side of Watlingstreete and vnder the Downes Lyminge is the first that offereth it selfe concerning the which I haue found a note or twaine that make more for the antiquitie then for the estimation of the place for I reade in the Annales of S. Augustines of Canterbury that Eadbald the sonne of King Ethelbert the firste Christened King of Kent gaue it to Edburge his sister who foorthwith clocked together a sorte of simple women whiche vnder her wing there tooke vpon them the Popishe veile of widowhood But that order in time waxed colde and therefore Lanfranc the Archebishop at suche time as he builded Sainct Gregories in Canterbury as we haue touched in Tanet before reckoning it no small ornamēt of his dotation to bestowe some renouned Relique that might procure estimation to his worke translated the olde bones of Edburge from Lyminge to Sainct Gregories and verefied in Papistrie the olde Maxime of Philosophie Corruptio vnius generatio alterius Baramdowne in the Saxon BarHamdune That is to say the hill where the Bores do abide AS this place is of it selfe very fit by reason of the flat leuel and playnesse therof to array an heast of men vpon So haue we testimonie of thrée great armies that haue mustred at it The one vnder the conduict of Iulius Caesar who landing at Dele as we haue before shewed surueyed his hoast at Baramdowne and marching from thence against the Britons so daunted their forces that he compelled them to become tributarie No lesse infortunate but muche more infamous to this countrie was the time of the seconde muster whiche happened in the reigne of King Iohn who hearing that Philip the king of Fraunce had by incitation of the Pope as hath already appeared in Douer prepared a great army to inuade him and that he was ready at Calaice to take shipping determined to incounter him vpon the Sea and if that assay succéeded not then to giue him a battaile on the lande also For whiche seruice he rigged vp his shippes of warre and sent to the Sea the Earle of Salisburie whome he ordeined Admirall and calling together fit men from al the parts of the Realme he found by view taken at this place an armie of sixtie thousande men to incounter his enemies besides a sufficient number of able and armed souldiours to defende the lande withal Now whilest he thus awaited at Baramdown to heare further of his aduersaries comming Pandulph the Popes Legate sent vnto him two Knightes of the order of the Temple by whose mouthe he earnestly desired the King to graunt him audience The King assented and the Legate came vnto him and sayde in summe as followeth Beholde O Prince the King of Fraunce is in armes against thée not as against a priuate enemie to him self alone but as an open and common aduersarie bothe to the Catholike Church to the Popes holynesse to whole Christendome and to God him self Neyther commeth he vpon opinion of his owne power and strength but is armed with great confidence of Gods fauourable ayde accompanied with the consent of many great Princes furnished with the presence of suche as thou haste banished out of thy Realme and assured by the faythful promises of sundry of thyne owne Nobilitie whiche nowe are present in person with thée Consider therefore in what daunger thou standest and spare not to submit thée while space is leaste if thou persist there be no place left of further fauour The King hearing this and being vpon causes knowne to him selfe more distrustfull of Traitours at home then fearefull of enemies abroade agréed to serue the time and taking the Legate to Douer with him sealed the Golden Bull of submission whereby Englande was once againe made a tributarie Prouince to the Citie of Rome and that in so muche the more vile condition then it was before as an vsurped Ierarchie is inferiour to a noble lawfull and renoumed Monarchie For it is truely sayd Dignitate domini minus turpis est conditio serui Now when the Frenche King on the other side of the Seas had worde hereof he retired with his armie in a great choler partely for that he was thus deluded but chiefly bycause he had lost his Nauie whiche the Earle of Salisbury had set on fire in the hauen at Calaice Simon Mountfort the Earle of Leycester that was elected by the Barons of this Realme general of that armie which they raysed against King Henrie the thirde arrayed thirdly a very great hoast of men here at suche time as he feared the arriuall of Eleonar the Quéene who being daughter to the Earle of Prouince and then lefte in Fraunce behinde the King and the Earle whiche also had béen bothe there a litle before to receiue the Frenche Kings rewarde touching their controuersie ceassed not by all possible meanes to sollicite the King of Fraunce and to incite other her friendes and allies to ayde King Henrie against the Nobilitie But whether it were that presently they could not for their owne affaires or that at al they durst not knowing that their comming was awayted they serued not her desire by meanes whereof the Lordes waxed strong and soone after gaue the King a battayle in Sussex wherein they bothe tooke him and his brother Richard and his eldest sonne prisoners But as touching the originall procéeding and euent of these warres I willingly spare to speake muche in this place knowing that I shall haue opportunitie often hereafter to discourse them Nowe therefore let vs consider a few other places and then haste vs to Canterbury Charteham AFter suche time as King Iohn had made him selfe the Popes tenant of the Crown and Realme of England as euen now I tolde you the Clergie of this countrie was so oppressed with Romishe exactions that they were become not onely vnable but thereby vnwilling also to relieue the necessitie of the Prince with any prest of money as in times paste they had accustomed to do Wherat the King on the one side taking offence pressed them many times very hard not ceasing till he had wroong somewhat from them And on the other side appealing to their holy fathers ayde procured by their great coste many sharp prohibitions and proud menacies against him So that sundry times in the reigne of King Henrie the thirde this Balle
retent doth reteine no seruice deuers sey sauuet nequedent as autres Seigneurages fees fermes to himselfe but saueth neuerthelesse to the other Lords their fees e les rentes dont les auant diz tenemenz de Gauylekende fermes and the rentes wherewith the aforesaide tenementes of ensi rendus auaunt furent charges per ceux ou Gauelkind so rendred were before charged by him or theim per celuy que le charger poent ou poeyt which might charge them Eclament auxi que si And they claime also that if any nul tenant en Gauylekende reteine sa rent e son seruice del tenant in Gauelkind reteine withholde his rent and his seruices of the tenement tenement quil tient de son Seign querge le Seign per whiche he holdeth of his Lorde let the Lorde seeke by the agard de sa court de treys semeynes en treys semeynes truue award of his courte from .3 weekes to .3 weekes to find some distresse destreâ—se sur cel tenement tant que a la quart court a totefet vpon that tenement vntill the fourth court alwayes with per tesmoynage Et si dedens cel temps ne trusse destresse on ce witnesses And if within that time he can find no distresse in theÌ„ tenement per queux il puisse son tenant iustiser tenement whereby he may haue iustice of his tenant Donc a la Then at the quart court seit fourth court let it be agard awarded quil pregne cel tenement en that he shall take that tenement into sa mein en noum de destress his hand in the name of a distresse ausi come boef ou vache as if it were an oxe or a cow e le tiene vn an and let him keepe it a yeare e vn iour en sa mein sance meyn and a daye in his hande without manuring ouerir dens quel terme it within which terme si le tenant vent e rend ses if the tenaunt come and paye his arrerages arrerages e feit renables amendes de la detenue and make reasonable amendes for the withholding a donc eit e ioise son tenement sicom ses auncestors e Then let him haue and enioye his tenement as his auncetors and ly auant le tyndront Et sil ne vent deuant lan he before held it And if he do not come before the yeare e le tour and the day passe donc auge le Seign al prochein Counte suiant oue resmoynage paste then let the Lord goe to the next countie court with the witnesses de sa court e face la pronuncier cel proces pur of his owne courte pronounce there this processe to haue tesmoynage auer further witnesse Et per agard de sa court apres ceo Counte And by the award of his court after that couÌ„tie tenue entra e meynouera en celes terres e tenemenz courte holden he shal enter manure in those lands tenemeÌ„ts sicome en son demeyne Et si le tenant vent apres e voillâ— as in his demeanes owne And if the tenant come afterwarde and will ces tenemenz reauer e tener sicome il fist deuaunt face rehaue his tenements hold them as he did before let him make gree al Seigneur sicome il est auncyenement dist agreement with the Lord according as it is aunciently sayde NegHe syþe selde and neg He syþ gelde and fif pond for þe Æ¿ere er He bicome Healder Aussi il cleyment que nul home deit serment sur liure fere Also they claime that no maÌ„ ought to make an othe vpon a booke per destress ne per poer de Seigneur neither by distresse nor by the power of the Lord ne de Baylif nor his bailyfe encountre sa volunte saunz bref le Roy sinon pur feaute against his wil without the writ of the King vnlesse it be for fealtie fere a son Seigneur meske per deuaunt Coronner ou auter to be done to his Lord but only before the Coroner or suche other minister le Roy qui Real poer eyont de enquerer de minister of the King as hathe Royall power to enquire of trespas fet encountre la Coronne nostre Seigneur le Roy. trespasse committed against the crowne of our Lord the king Ecleyment And auxi que checun Kenteys put autre assonier en they clayme also that euerie Kentishe man may essoine an other la court le Roy en Counte en hundreth e en la either in the Kings court or in the countie or in the huÌ„dreth or in the court son Seigneur la ou assoigne gist aussi bien de commune Court of his Lord where essoine lieth the aswel in case of coÌ„muÌ„e sute come de play Estre ceo il cleyment per especial fet le Roy sute as of plea. Moreouer they claime by an especiall deed of king Henrie pere le Roy Edward que ore est que dieu Garde que Henry the 3 father of King E. which now is whoÌ„ god saue that of de tenementz que sont tenus en Gauylekende ne scit prise battaille the tenements which are holden in Gauelkind ther shal no battail ne graund assise per xij chiuallers sicome aillours be ioyned nor graund Assise taken by .xii. Knights as it is vsed in est prise en le reaume ceo est a sauoir la ou tenaÌ„t e le demauÌ„dant other places of the realme this is to weet where the tenant demauÌ„dant teneÌ„t per Gauylekende mes en lu de ces grandes assises holde by Gauelkinde But in place of these ground assises seieÌ„t prises Iurees per xii homes tenaÌ„tz en GauylekeÌ„d Issi let Iuries be taken by .xii. men being tenants in Gauelkind so the que quatre tenaÌ„tz de GauylekeÌ„d elisent .xij. tenaÌ„tz de Gauyle foure tenants of Gauelkinde choose .xii. tenants of Gauelkinde to kende iurours E la chartre le Roy de ceste especiaute est en la be Iurors And the chartre of the King of this especialtie is in the garde Sire Iohan de Norwode le tour S. Elphegh en CaÌ„terbyre custodie of Sir Ihon of Norwood the day of S. Alphey in Canterburie le an le Roy Edward le Fiz le Roy Henrie .xxi. the yere of King Edward the sonne of king Henrie the xxi Ces sont les vsages de Gauilekend e de Gauylekendeys en KeÌ„t These be the vsages of Gauelkind of Gauelkinde men in Kent que furent deuaunt le conquest e en le Conquest e totes houres whiche were before the conquest and at the Conquest and euer teskes en ca since till now The names of such persons as procured their possessions to be altered from the nature of Gauelkinde by acte of Parleament made .31 H. 8. Cap. 3. Thomas Lord Cromwell Thomas Lord Burghe George Lord Cobham Andrew Lord Windsore Syr Thomas Cheyne Syr Christopher Hales S. Thomas Willoughbie S. Anthonie Seintleger S. Edward Wootton S. Edward Bowton S. Roger Cholmley
ƿaes Haile Hlaford cynyng wessail Lord King that is to say be merie Lord King wyth which her daliance the King was so delighted that he not onely vouchesafed to pledge her but desired also to perfourm it in the right manner of her owne countrey And therefore he answered as he was taught vnto her againe drinc Haeile drinke merely Which when she had done himselfe tooke the cuppe and pledged her so hartely that from thenceforth he could neuer be in rest vntil he had obtained her to wife litle weighing eyther howe déeply he had endaungered his conscience in matching him selfe with a heathen wooman or how greatly he had hazarded his Crowne by ioyning handes with so mightie a forein Nation At the time of this mariage Hengist labouring by all meanes to bring in his owne Countrie men begged of the King the territories of Kent Essex Midlesex and Suffolke then knowen by other names pretending in woord that he would in consideration thereof kéep out Aurel. Ambrose a competitor of the crowne whose arriual King Vortiger much feared But meaning in déede to make thereby a key to let into the Realme multitudes of Germanes for furtherance of his ambitious desire and purpose which thing in processe of time he brought to passe not onely creating himselfe and his posteritie Kings of a large quarter but also thereby shewing the way and entrie howe others of his nation might follow and doe the like And thus Kent being once againe as I saide reduced into a Kingdome continued in that estate by the space of thrée hundreth thrée score and eight yeares or thereabouts in the handes of fiftéene successours as the moste credible authours do reporte Some others adde Edbert and Alric and so make seuentéene in all whose names doe followe 1. Hengist the first Germane 2. Oesc 3. Occa. 4. Hermenric or Ermenric 5. Ethelbert the first christened 6. Eadbald 7. Erconbert the first that commaunded the obseruation of Lent in this shire 8. Egbert 9. Lothar 10. Eadric After his death Nidred and Wibbard vsurped by the space of seuen yeares and therfore are not registred in the Catalogue of the lawfull Kings 11. Wightred he built Sainct Martines at Douer 12. Edbert added by some 13. Ethelbert 14. Alric added also by some 15. Eadbert Pren or Edelbert Pren. 16. Cuthred 17. Baldred Now although it might here séeme conuenient before I passed any further to disclose suche memorable things as haue chaunced during the reignes of al these forenamed Kings yet for asmuche as my purpose specially is to write a Topographie or description of places and no Chronographie or storie of times although I must now and then vse bothe since the one can not fully be perfourmed without enterlacing the other and for that also I shal haue iust occasion hereafter in the particulars of this Shyre to disclose many of the same I will at this present and that by way of digression only make report of one or two occurrents that happened vnder Ethelbert Eadric two Kings of this countrey This Ethelbert besides that he mightely enlarged the boundes of his owne Kingdome extending the same euen to the riuer of Humber was also the first King amongst the Saxons inhabiting this land that promoted the kingdome of Christ as to whome it pleased almighty God to break the bread of his holy woord and gospel through the ministerie and preaching of Augustine the Moncke that was sent from Rome by Pope Gregorie surnamed the great amongst the Saxons I saide least any man should thinke that eyther the faith of Christe was not heare at all or not so purely preached before the comming of that Augustine For it is past all doubt by the stoaries of all Countries and by the testimonie of Beda him selfe being a Saxon that the Britons embraced the religion of Christ within this Iland many hundreth yeares before Gregories time whether in purer sorte then he sent it hither or no let them iudge that knowe that he was called worthely Pater Caeremoniarum and that may yet sée in Beda and others what trūpery crept into the church of God in his time and by his permission Eadric the other King succéeded in Kent after Lotharius who because he rather reigned by luste then ruled by lawe incurred the hatred of his people and was inuaded by Ceadwalla King of Westsex and Mull his brother whiche entring the countrie and finding no resistance herryed it from the one end to the other not thus contented Ceadwalla in reuenge of his brother Muls death whome the countrie people had cruelly slaine in a house that he had taken for his succour entred this countrie the second time and sleying the people spoiled it without all pitie And yet not satisfied with all this he suffered the quarrell to discend to Ina his successour who ceased not to vnquiet the people of this Shyre till they agréed to pay him 30000. Markes in golde for his desired amendes These be the matters that I had to note in the reignes of these two Kings as for the rest I passe them ouer to their fit titles as things rather perteining to some peculiar places then incident to the body of the whole Shire and will now prosecute the residue In the time of this Baldred that standeth last in the table of the Kings Kent was vnited by King Egbert who last of all chaunged the name of the people and called them Englishmen vnto the Westsaxon Kingdome which in the ende became Ladie and maistres of al the rest of the kingdomes also and it was from thenceforth wholy gouerned after the Westsaxon law as in the Mappe of the tripartite lawes of this Realme hathe appeared vntil suche time as King Alfred first diuided the whole Realme into particular Shires vpon this occasion following The Danes bothe in his time and before had flocked by sea to the coastes of this land in great numbers some times wasting and spoiling with sword and fire wheresoeuer they might arriue and sometymes taking with them greate booties to their Ships without doing any further harme which thing continuing for many yeares togeather caused the husbandmen to abandon their tillage and gaue occasion and hardinesse to euill disposed persons to fall to the like pillage and robberie The whiche the better to cloke their mischief withall feigned them selues to bee Danishe Pirates and would some time come on land in one part and some time in an other driuing great spoyles as the Danes had done to theire shippes before theim The good king Alfred therefore that had merueilously traueiled in repulsing the barbarous Danes espying this outrage and thinking it no lesse the parte of a politique Prince to roote out the noisome subiect then to hold out the forein enemie by aduice of his counsail and by the example of Moses which followed the counsaile of Ietro his father in law diuided the whole Realme into certein parts or Sections being two and thirtie in number as
Dert Stourmouth in this Shyre of Stowre and such other like And no lesse common with vs of later time is it to corrupt by contraction the true names almoste of al places but especially of so many of the same as consisted at the first of thrée sillables or aboue For of Medweys Towne we make Maidstone of Eglesford Ailsford of Ottanford Otford of Seuennocke Sennock and so foorth infinitely bothe throughout this Shire and the whole Realme and that so rudely in a great many that hardly a man may know them to be the same For Maildulphesbyrig we call Malmesbury Eouesham Esham and Hagustaldsham we cut of by the waste and nickname it Hexam Neyther hath this our manner of abbreuiation corrupted the names of townes contagion almoste our whole speache language calling that which in old time was Heofod now Head Kyning King Hlaford Lord Sunu Sonne and in numerable suche other so that our spéech at this day for the moste part consisteth of wordes of one sillable Whiche thing Erasmus obseruing merily in his Ecclesiast Compareth the Englishe tongue to a Dogges barking that soundeth nothing els but Baw waw waw in Monosillable If this roueing arrow of mine own coniecture haue missed the marke of Glademouth wherat I directed my shotte yet will I pricke at Yenlade with an other out of the same quiuer and happely go nearer it Beda speaketh there of the Northeast mouth of the floud Genlade whiche speache of his were ydle if that water had none other mouthe but that one And therefore hauing read that the Northwest month of the same water running betwéene Shepey Hoo is called Yenlade also though our Statute bookes misplacing some letters name it corruptly Yendal I suppose that Yenlade is a name proper to the whole streame that passeth betwéene Shepey and the maine Land hauing the two mouths Eastswale and Westswale well inough knowne Reculuers in Saxon Raculf Mynster deriued as I gesse of the Brittish woord Racor that signifieth forward for so it standeth toward the Sea. THe present estate of Reculuers deserueth not many words As touching the antiquitie therefore and beginning of the place I read first that Ethelbert â—he first King of Kent hauing placed Augustine at Canterbury withdrewe himselfe to Reculuer and there erected a Palaice for him self and his successours Furthermore that Ecgbrighte the seuenth King of Kent in succession after Hengist gaue to one Bassa the land at Reculuer to builde him a Mynster vpon whiche stoode at the one side of the water Wantsume that ranne two sundrie ways into the Sea and made Tanet an Iland And finally that not long after the same time one Brightwald being Abbat there was aduaunced to the Archebishopricke of Canterbury was the first o al the SaxoÌ„ Nation that aspired to that dignitie In which behalf Reculuers how poore and simple soeuer otherwise hath as you sée somewhat whereof to vaunt it selfe As it may also of the body of Ethelbert the second a King of Kent whiche as the Annales of Saint Augustines report remaineth likewise interred there Thus haue I walked about this whole Diocoese now therefore let me cutte ouer to Watlingstreete whiche I will vse for my way to Rochester and tell you of the places that lye on eche side But first heare I pray you of Stouremouthe and Wyngham which be in my way to Watlingstreate Stouremouthe in Latine Ostium Sturae that is to say the mouth of the Riuer Stoure KIng Alfred hauing many times and that with much losse more dauÌ„ger encountred his enemies the Danes finding that by reason of the sundrie swarmes of them arriuing in diuers parts of his Realme at once he was not able to repulse them beeing landed he rigged vp a royall Nauie and determined to kéep the highe Seas hoping thereby either to beate them vpon the water or to burne their vessels if they should fortune to arriue Soone after this it fortuned his Nauie to meete with the Danish fléete at the mouth of the Riuer Stoure where at the first enccunter the Danes lost sixtéene saile of their ships But as many times it falleth out that securitie foloweth victory so the Kings armie kept no watch by reason whereof the Danes hauing repaired their forces came freshly vpon the Englishe Mariners at vnwares and finding them fast a sléepe gaue them a great and bloudie ouerthrowe The likenesse or rather the agréement of the names would leade a man to thinke that the true place of this conflict should be Stouremouthe in this Shyre the rather for that it is deriued of the mouth of the riuer Stoure and that by the circumstance of the storie it appeareth that King Alfred was in Kent when he made determination of this iourney Howbeit he that shall aduisedly read the storie as it is set downe by Asserus shall confesse it to haue béen in Eastangle whiche conteined Norfolke and Suffolke c. And for the more certeinty I take it to haue chaunced at the same place whiche we nowe call Harwiche Hauen For that Riuer diuideth Essex from Suffolk and not farre from the head therof in Essex there standeth a Towne yet called Sturmere whiche in my fantasie sufficiently mainteineth the knowledge of this matter Thus muche I thought fitte to say of the name Stowremouth least otherwise the Reader whome I would kéepe within the limits of Kent might be shipped in the boate of this errour and be soudainly caried from me Againe it shall not be amisse for the better vnderstanding of this selfe same Hystorie penned by Henrie Huntingdon to note that in this place he calleth the Danes not Paganos as in the rest of his book he vseth but by a strange name Wicingas as the Saxon Chronicles in report of the same matter do terme theÌ„ which word I thinke he tooke out of some Saxon Chronicle that he followed and happely vnderstood not what it signified For if he had why should he not rather since he wrote Latine haue called them Piratas as the woord in deede meaneth and as Asserus in the rehersall of the same fight had done before him It may be that he was a Norman borne but truly I suppose rather that the Saxon speach was well nighe worne out of vre in the reigne of King Stephan vnder whome he liued seeing that euen immediatly after the comming in of the Conquerour it began to decline For it is plaine that the Normans at the very first entrie laboured by al means to supplant the English and to plante their owne language amongst vs and for that purpose they both gaue vs the lawes and all manner of pastimes in the French tongue as he that will peruse the Lawes of the Conquerour and consider the termes of Hawking Hunting Tenise Dice playe and other disportes shall easily perceaue They reiected also the Saxons Characters all that their wonted manner of writing as writeth Ingulphus the Abbat of Croyland whiche came ouer with them and as a man
distrust the infallible Scriptures of God concerning the creation and propagation of mankynde and to trust the wretched vanitie of opinion that the Gentiles had and namely the Atheniens who the better to aduance their antiquitie were wont to vaunt That they only forsooth of al the Grecians were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say Satiui indigenae terrae parentis The very natural seeds stocks ymps springing out of their good mother the same earth where they dwelt and not brought from elswhere We reade likewise in the same book of Moses that the Iles of the Gentiles were diuided into their Kingdoms and nations by suche as descended of the children of Iapheth wherevpon as the Italians in their histories deriue themselues from Gomer the first sonne of Iapheth the Spaniardes from Tubal his fifte Sonne and the Germanes from Thuysco whom as they say Moses calleth Ascenas the eldest sonne of Gomer Euen so the late learned and yet best trauayled in the histories of our countrey reiecting the fonde dreames of doting Monkes and fabling Frears do collect out of Herodotus Berosus and others the most graue and auncient authors that one Samothes the sixth sonne of Iapheth whome Caesar in his commentaries calleth Dis and Moses nameth Mesech did about 250. yeares after the generall inundation of the world take vpon him the first dominion of these countreis in Europe which are now known by the names of Fraunce and Britaine and the inhabitantes thereof of long time called Celtae or rather 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for theyr speciall skill in ryding Of this mans name say they the first inhabiters of England weare called Samothaei by the space of 300. yeares or more About which time Albion Mareoticus the sonne of Neptune or rather Nepthuim as Moses writeth it and descended of the race of Cham inuaded the Ile conquered the inhabitantes mixed them with his owne people and called them all after his owne name Albionees and the countrey it selfe Albion Sixe hundreth and eight yeares or theraboutes after this also Brutus Iuhus as all our common historiens haue it entered this Iland with 324. ships laden with the remaines of Troye and he likewise both subdued all the former peoples that he found heere to his owne obedience and also altered their name after his owne calling So that from thenceforth they were named Britaines the termes of Samothees and Albionees being quite and cleane abolished Now out of these things thus alledged I might as mee thinketh draw probable coniecture that Kent which we haue in hand was the first inhabited part of all this our Iland For if it be true that maister Bale in his Centuries confesseth namely that Samothes began his dominion ouer this Realme almost 150. yeres after suche tyme as he first arriued in that part of Fraunce which is called Celtique and had planted his people there what can be more likely then that he came out of Fraunce first into Kent séeing that parte of all others was moste neare vnto him and only of all the Iland might be discerned out of the countrie where he was And the selfe same reason Caesar vseth to proue that the borderers on the South Sea side of this land were Aduenae and brought out of Fraunce although he was perswaded that the dwellers within the midle partes of the Countrie were Indigenae as we haue already touched But I will procéede in the hystorie Howsoeuer that bee therefore Caesar himselfe witnesseth that at the time of his arriuall in this Iland the people were by one common name called Britaines And that Kent was then diuided into foure petite Kingdomes which were gouerned by Carnillus Taximagul Cingetorix and Segonax who hauing seuerally subiect to their Dominions certain Cities with the territories adioyning vnto them after the manner of the Dukedomes or Estates of Italie at this day extended their boundes as it may be gathered ouer the whole countries of Kent Sussex and Surrey at the least This kind of Regalitie Kent retained not many yeares after bicause the Britain Kings succéeding Caesars conquest yéelding tribute to the Romanes reduced not only these partes but in manner the whole Realme also into one entier Monarchie .. So that in course of time and vnder the reigne of King Vortiger Kent was ruled by a Lieutenant or Viceroy called Guorongus as William of Malmesbury witnesseth But it was not long before these Britaines were so weakned partly by intestine dissentiō amongst themselues and partly by incursions of their neighbours the Scots Picts that the periode of this their estate also drawing on Vortiger their King was compelled to inuite for ayde the Saxons Iutes and Angles thrée sortes of the Germane nation who in steade of dooing that which they came for and of deliuering the Britaines from their former oppression ioyned with their enemies Thessala fide as the adage is brought vpon them a more gréeuous calamity and conquest subduing the people suppressing relligion and departing in manner the whole land amongest them selues So that now Kent recouered the title of a seueral Kingdome againe although not al one and the verie same in limittes with the former foure yet nothing inferiour in power estimation or compasse Of whiche this newly reuiued regiment Hengist the chief leader of the Germanes became the first author and patrone For he finding him selfe placed by King Vortiger for his owne habitation at Thanet in this Shire and séeing a great part of his power bestowed in Garrison against the Scottes vnder Ohtha his Brother and Ebusa his Sonne in the North Countrey and perceyuing moreouer that he was arryued out of a moste barren Countrie into this plentifull Iland with the commodities wherof he was inestimablie delighted he abandoned al care of returne to his natiue soyle and determined to make here a seate for him selfe and his posteritie For helpes wherunto although he had on th one side his owne prowesse the manhode of his warlike nation their nomber and necessitie and on the other side the effeminate cowardise and voluptuousnes of King Vortiger the weakenes of the Britains themselues and the aduauntage of the Scottes and Pictes their auncient enemies so that he might with plaine force haue brought his purpose to passe yet he chose rather to atchieue his desire by faire meanes and colour of amitie a way though not so hastie as the former yet more spéedie then that or any other Espying therfore that king Vortiger was muche delighted in womens companie and knowing wel that Sine Cerere Libero friget Venus he had him to a solemn Banket and after that he had according to the manner of Germanie yet continuing well plied him with pots he let slippe before him a faire gentlewoman his owne daughter called Roxena or Rowen which being instructed before handhow to behaue her self most amiablie presented him with a goblet of wine saying in her owne language