_Licentia Abbatis Westmonasterii concessa fratri Ricardo Circestre, de peregrinatione ad Curiam Romanam._ The abbot here is William de Colcestre, created 1386. —— de Litlyngton preceded him; in whose time our Richard was admitted into the Abbey, above thirty years ago. Observe we, in his chorography of Britain he is a little more particular upon Cirencester; as a genius is naturally inclined to show regard to the place of his nativity. _Et cui reliquæ (urbes) nomen, laudemque debent, Corinum; urbs perspicabilis: Opus, ut tradunt, Vespasiani Ducis._ Again, we may believe, Richard was of a good family, and had a fortune of his own, to support the charge of travelling. Hence we need not wonder to see the produce of his eager thirst in learning. He was not content to write the transactions in his own convent, or of those of his own time, but penetrated far and deep in his researches: for we shall find, that he wrote the English history to his own time; the Saxon history complete; above that, the British history, from the time the Romans left us: and, to crown all, we learn from the present work, now happily preserved, the completest account of the Roman state of Britain, and of the most ancient inhabitants thereof; and the geography thereof admirably depicted in a most excellent map. Such was this truly great man, Richard of Cirencester! What was his family, name, and origin, we know not: but it was the fashion of the ecclesiastics of those days, and so down to Henry the VIIIth’s time, to take local names from the place of their nativity; probably, as more honourable: for most of the names then were what we call _sobriquets_, travelling names; a custom learnt from the expeditions into the Holy Land; what we call _nick-names_: for instance, some were taken from offices, as _pope_, _bishop_, _priest_, _deacon_; some from animals, as _bull_, _doe_, _hog_, some from birds, as _bat_, _kite_, _peacock_; some from fishes, as _salmon_, _herring_, _pike_; some diminutive names of mere contempt, as _peasecod_, _scattergood_, _mist_, _farthing_; and the very family-royal, the celebrated _Plantagenet_, means no more than _broomstick_. * * * * * But, to leave this, we will recite what we find of our author’s works. Thus Gerard John Vossius, _de historicis Latinis_, L. III. quarto, p. 532, englished: “About the year 1340, lived Richard of Cirencester, an Englishman, monk of Westminster, Benedictine. He used much industry in compiling the history of the Anglo-Saxons, in five books of _Chronica_: that work begins from the arrival of Hengist the Saxon into Britain, A. D. 448. thence, through a series of nine centuries, he ends at the year 1348, 32 Ed. III. and this work is divided into two. The first part begins,” _Post primum Insulæ Brittaniæ regem_, &c. This is called by the author _Speculum historiale_, and contains four books.