Chronicles (1 of 6): The Description of BritaineHolinshed, Raphael
History
Chronicles (1 of 6): The Description of Britaine
Holinshed, Raphael
Great Britain -- History -- To 1485; Great Britain -- History -- Tudors, 1485-1603
Hauing (as you haue séene) attempted to set downe a full discourse of
all the Ilands, that are situat vpon the coast of Britaine, and finding
the successe not correspondent to mine intent, it hath caused me
somewhat to restreine my purpose in this description also of our riuers.
For whereas I intended at the first to haue written at large, of the
number, situation, names, quantities, townes, villages, castels,
mounteines, fresh waters, plashes or lakes, salt waters, and other
commodities of the aforesaid Iles, mine expectation of information from
all parts of England, was so deceiued in the end, that I was faine at
last onelie to leane to that which I knew my selfe either by reading, or
such other helpe as I had alreadie purchased and gotten of the same. And
euen so it happeneth in this my tractation of waters, of whose heads,
courses, length, bredth, depth of chanell (for burden) ebs, flowings,
and falles, I had thought to haue made a perfect description vnder the
report also of an imagined course taken by them all. But now for want of
instruction, which hath béene largelie promised, & slacklie perfourmed,
and other sudden and iniurious deniall of helpe voluntarilie offered,
without occasion giuen on my part, I must needs content my selfe with
such obseruations as I haue either obteined by mine owne experience, or
gathered from time to time out of other mens writings: whereby the full
discourse of the whole is vtterlie cut off, and in steed of the same a
mangled rehearsall of the residue set downe and left in memorie.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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