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
From Brute to the extinction of his posteritie
in Ferrex and Porrex, and pentarchie of Britaine, are 630. yeares, or
70. nouenaries, than the which where shall a man find a more precise
period after this method or prescription, for manie and diuers
considerations. The time of the pentarchie indured likewise 49.
yeares, or seauen septenaries, which being expired Dunwallo brought
all the princes vnder his subiection, and ruled ouer them as monarch
of this Ile. After the pentarchie ended, we find againe, that in the
98. yeare, Brennus rebelled against Beline his brother, wherevpon
insued cruell bloodshed betwéene them. So that here you haue 14.
septenaries, as you haue from those warres ended, which indured a full
yeare & more before Brennus was reconciled to his brother, to the
comming of Cæsar into this Iland (whereat our seruitude and miserable
thraldome to the Romans may worthilie take his entrance) 48. or 336.
yeares, than the which concurrences I know not how a man should
imagine a more exact.
After the comming of Cæsar we haue 54. or sixe nouenaries to Christ,
whose death and passion redoundeth generallie to all that by firme and
sure faith take hold of the same, and applie it vnto their comfort.
From the birth of Christ to our countrie deliuered from the Romane
yoke, are 446. yeares, at which time the Britains chose them a king,
and betooke themselues to his obedience. But neither they nor their
king being then able to hold out the Scots and Picts, which dailie
made hauocke of their countrie; the said Vortiger in the third yeare
of his reigne (which was the 63. septenarie after Christ) did send for
the Saxons, who arriued here in the 449. and 450. yeares of Grace, in
great companies, for our aid and succour, although that in the end
their entrances turned to our vtter decaie and ruine, in that they
made a conquest of the whole Ile, and draue vs out of our liuings.
Hereby we sée therefore how the preparatiue began in the 449. but how
it was finished in the tenth nouenarie, the sequele is too too plaine.
In like sort in the 43. nouenarie or 387. after the comming of the
Saxons, the Danes entred, who miserablie afflicted this Ile by the
space of 182. yeares or 46. septenaries, which being expired, they
established themselues in the kingdome by Canutus. But their time
lasting not long, the Normans followed in the end of the 49. yeare,
and thus you sée how these numbers do hold exactlie vnto the conquest.
The like also we find of the continuance of the Normans or succession
of the Conquerour, which indured but 89. yeares, being extinguished in
Stephen, and that of the Saxons restored in Henrie the second,
although it lacke one whole yeare of ten nouenaries, which is a small
thing, sith vpon diuers occasions the time of the execution of any
accident may be preuented or proroged, as in direction and progression
astronomicall is oftentimes perceiued. From hence to the infamous
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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