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.
Conan then placing himselfe and his Britains in that quarter of
Gallia, auoided all the old inhabitants, peopling that countrie onelie
with Britains, which abhorring to ioine themselues with women borne in
Gallia, Conan was counselled to send into Britaine for maids to be
[Sidenote: Dionethius duke of Cornwall.]
coupled with his people in mariage. Herevpon a messenger was
dispatched vnto Dionethus at that time duke of Cornwall, and gouernour
of Britaine vnder Maximianus, requiring him to send ouer into
[Sidenote: Maids sent foorth.]
little Britaine 11000 maids, that is to say, 8000 to be bestowed vpon
the meaner sort of Conans people, and 3000 to be ioined in mariage
with the nobles and gentlemen. Dionethus at Conans request, assembled
the appointed number of maids, and amongst them he also appointed his
daughter Vrsula, a ladie of excellent beautie, to go ouer and to be
giuen in mariage to the foresaid Conan Meridoc, as he had earnestlie
requested.
[Sidenote: Vrsula the daughter of Dionethus.]
These number of maids were shipped in Thames, and passing forward
toward Britaine, were by force of weather and rage of wind scattered
abroad, and part of them drowned, and the residue (among whom was the
foresaid Vrsula) were slaine by Guanius king of the Hunnes, and Melga
king of the Picts, into whose hands they fell, the which Guanius and
Melga were sent by the emperour Gracian to the sea coasts of Germanie,
to oppresse and subdue all such as were friends and mainteiners of the
part of Maximianus. We find in some bookes, that there were sent ouer
at that time 51000 maids, that is to say, 11000 gentlewomen, and 40000
other.
[Sidenote: Guanius and Melga.]
After that Guanius and Melga had murthered the foresaid virgins,
they entred into the north parts of Britaine, where the Scots now
inhabit, and began to make sore warre on the Britains, whereof when
Maximus was aduertised, he sent into Britaine one Gratianus with thrée
legions of souldiers, who bare himselfe so manfullie against the
enimies, that he constreined the said Guanius and Melga to flie out of
the land, and to withdraw into Ireland. In this meane while, Maximus
hauing slaine the emperor Gratian at Lions in France, and after
entring into Italie, was slaine himselfe at Aquilia (after he had
gouerned the Britains eight yéeres) by the emperour Theodosius, who
came in aid of Valentinian, brother to the said emperor Gratian, as ye
may find in the abridgement of the histories of Italie.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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