Chronicles (1 of 6): The Historie of England (4 of 8): The Fovrth Booke Of The Historie Of EnglandHolinshed, Raphael
History
Chronicles (1 of 6): The Historie of England (4 of 8): The Fovrth Booke Of The Historie Of England
Holinshed, Raphael
Great Britain -- History -- Roman period, 55 B.C.-449 A.D.
The same praise giueth he to Stilico the sonne in law of Honorius, and
maketh mention of a legion of souldiers sent for out of Britaine in
the periphrasis or circumlocution of the Gotish bloudie warres:
Venit & extremis legio prætenta Britannis,
Quas Scoto dat fræna truci, ferróq; notatas
Perleget exanimes Picto moriente figuras.
A legion eke there came from out
the farthest Britains bent,
Which brideled hath the Scots so sterne:
and marks with iron brent
Vpon their liuelesse lims dooth read,
whiles Picts their liues relent.
He rehearseth the like in his second "Panegerycus" of Stilico, in most
ample and pithie manner insuing:
Inde Calidonio velata Britannia monstro,
Ferro Picta genas, cuius vestigia verrit
Cærulus, Oceaniq; æstum mentitur amictus,
Me quoq; vicinis pereuntem gentibus inquit,
Muniuit Stilico, totam quum Scotus Hybernam
Mouit, & infesto spumauit remige Thetis,
Illius effectum curis, ne bella timerem
Scotica, ne Pictum tremerem, ne littore toto
Prospicerem dubijs venturum Saxona ventis.
Then Britaine whom the monsters did
of Calidone surround,
Whose cheekes were pearst with scorching steele,
whose garments swept the ground,
Resembling much the marble hew
of ocean seas that boile,
Said, She whom neighbour nations did
conspire to bring to spoile,
Hath Stilico munited strong, when
raised by Scots entice
All Ireland was, and enimies ores
the salt sea fome did slice,
His care hath causd, that I all feare
of Scotish broiles haue bard,
Ne doo I dread the Picts, ne looke
my countrie coasts to gard
Gainst Saxon troops, whom changing winds
sent sailing hitherward.
[Sidenote: Britaine afflicted by inuasion of barbarous nations.]
Thus maie it appéere, that in the time when the Romane empire began to
decaie, in like manner as other parts of the same empire were inuaded
by barbarous nations, so was that part of Britaine which was subiect
to the Romane emperors grieuouslie assailed by the Scots and Picts,
and also by the Saxons, the which in those daies inhabiting all
alongst the sea coasts of low Germanie, euen from the Elbe vnto the
Rhine, did not onelie trouble the sea by continuall rouing, but also
vsed to come on land into diuerse parts of Britaine and Gallia,
inuading the countries, and robbing the same with great rage and
crueltie.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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