Holinshed Chronicles: England, Scotland, and Ireland. Volume 1, CompleteHolinshed, Raphael
History
Holinshed Chronicles: England, Scotland, and Ireland. Volume 1, Complete
Holinshed, Raphael
Great Britain -- History -- To 1485; Great Britain -- History -- Tudors, 1485-1603
[Sidenote: Sauerne.]
The Sauerne which Ptolomie calleth Sabriana, Tacitus Sabrina, diuideth
England or that part of the Iland, which sometime was called Lhoegres
from Cambria, so called of Camber, the second sonne of Brute, as our
histories doo report. But now that region hight Wales, of the Germane
word Walsh, whereby that nation dooth vse to call all strangers
without respect of countrie. This riuer tooke the name of a certeine
ladie, called Habren or Hafren, base daughter to Locrinus begotten
vpon Estrildis daughter to Humber otherwise called Cumbrus or Vmar,
and for which some write Chonibrus king of Scithia, that sometime
inuaded this Island, and was ouerthrowne here in the daies of this
Locrinus, as shall be shewed at hand: although I suppose rather that
this ladie was called Ine, and that the word Sabrina is compounded of
Aber and Ine, and the letter S added "Propter euphoniam:" for the
mouth or fall of euerie riuer in the British spéech is called Aber,
whereby Aber Ine is so much to saie as, the fall of Ine. But let vs
returne againe to our discourse of Humber or Vmar, which is worthie to
be remembred.
For after the death of Locrinus, it came to passe that Guendolena his
wife ruled the kingdome in the nonage of hir sonne: and then getting
the said Estrildis and Habren hir daughter into hir hands, she drowned
them both in this riuer. And in perpetuall remembrance of hir husbands
disloialtie towards hir, she caused the streame to be called Habren of
the yoong ladie, for which the Romans in processe of time for
readinesse and mildnesse of pronunciation, wrote Sabrina, and we at
this time doo pronounce the Sauerne. Of the drowning of the said Abren
also I find these verses insuing:
In fluuium præcipitatur Abren,
Nomen Abren, fluuio de virgine, nomen eidem
Nomine corrupto deinde Sabrina datur.
But to returne to our Sauerne. It falleth into the maine sea betweene
Wales and Cornewall, which is and shall be called the Sauerne sea, so
long as the riuer dooth keepe hir name. But as the said streame in
length of course, bountie of water, and depth of chanell commeth farre
behind the Thames: so for other commodities, as trade of merchandize,
plentie of cariage, & store of all kind of fish, as salmon, trouts,
breames, pikerell, tench, perch, &c: it is nothing at all inferiour or
second to the same. Finallie, there is nothing to be discommended in
this riuer, but the opennesse thereof in manie places to the weather,
whereby sundrie perils oft ouertake such as fish or saile in small
vessels on the same.
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