Chronicles (1 of 6): The Historie of England (4 of 8): The Fovrth Booke Of The Historie Of England — John Shaqi
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.
"Glorie you therefore, inuincible emperour, for that you haue as it
were got an other world, & in restoring to the Romane puissance the
glory of conquest by sea, haue added to the Romane empire an element
greater than all the compasse of the earth, that is, the mightie maine
ocean. You haue made an end of the warre (inuincible emperour) that
seemed as present to threaten all prouinces, and might haue spred
abroad and burst out in a flame, euen so largelie as the ocean seas
stretch, and the mediterrane gulfs doo reach. Neither are we ignorant,
although through feare of you that infection did fester within the
bowels of Britaine onelie, and proceeded no further, with what furie
it would haue aduanced it selfe else where, if it might haue beene
assured of means to haue ranged abroad so far as it wished. For it was
bounded in with no border of mounteine, nor riuer, which garrisons
appointed were garded and defended but euen so as the ships, although
we had your martiall prowes and prosperous fortune redie to releeue
vs, & was still at our elbowes to put vs in feare, so farre as either
sea reacheth or wind bloweth.
"For that incredible boldnesse and vnwoorthie good hap of a few sillie
[Sidenote: The piracie of the Frankeners called _Franci_ or _Francones_.]
captiues of the Frankeners in time of the emperour Probus came to our
remembrance, which Frankeners in that season, conueieng awaie certeine
vessels from the coasts of Pontus, wasted both Grecia and Asia, and
not without great hurt and damage, ariuing vpon diuers parts of the
shore of Libia, at length tooke the citie of Saragose in Sicile (an
hauen towne in times past highlie renowmed for victories gotten by
sea:) & after this passing thorough the streicts of Giberalterra,
came into the Ocean, and so with the fortunate successe of their rash
presumptuous attempt, shewed how nothing is shut vp in safetie from
the desperate boldnesse of pirats, where ships maie come and haue
accesse. And so therefore by this your victorie, not Britaine alone
is deliuered from bondage, but vnto all nations is safetie restored,
which might by the vse of the seas come to as great perils in time of
warre, as to gaine of commodities in time of peace.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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