Then pardon whats amisse, a while giue eare, So shall you heare the rest that I recite, Describing next what Princes did appeare: When I had ended these are past to wrighte. In slomber as I chaunst to lye one night, Was Somnus prest, whom I desyrde to sende His Morpheus ayde, these Tragedies to ende. Wherewith he graunted my request and calde For Morpheus straight: which knew wherto he came I will (quoth he) the rest, whom Fortune thralde Of Britaynes shewe: thy selfe to heare them frame. And therewithall he set forth one like Fame. In fethers all with winges so finely dight, As twere a birde, in humaine shape of flight. Yet twas not Fame that femme of painted plume, He rather seemed Icarus deceau’de, With winges to flye nighe Phœbus did presume. At length in deede I plainly well perceau’de, It was some king of vitall breath bereaude, From flight he fell presuming farre to hye: Giue eare take heede and learne not so to flye. ed. 1575. [407] “Mempricius the _fyrst_ king of Brytons regned X yere.” _Polychronicon._ [408] Bladud is represented as a prince eager in the pursuit of learning, and of unusual mental acquirements. Having travelled to Athens he had sufficient address to obtain a visit to his native land of four of the most eminent scholars, or philosophers; for whom he founded an University at Stamford with many liberal endowments, and which flourished until the time of St. Augustine, who got the same suppressed on a presumption of heresy among the scholars, He also reputedly discovered the medicinal virtues of the hot-baths at Bath, a circumstance alone sufficient in that remote age to add a fabulous portion in the emblazonment of his character, and a belief, as the Chronicle of St. Albans hath it, that “thrugh his craft of nygromancy he made a meruaylous hote bathe, as the geste telleth.” This same “geste” seems the foundation of the tale in all the Chronicles, which, though often repeated, was early disbelieved. It is best descanted on by the enlightened Treuisa in the Polychronicon. “Bladud, Leyles sone, a nygromancer was the IX kyng of Brytons, he buylded Bathe and called it Caerbadum. Englysshmen called it after Athamannes cyte, but atte last men called it Bathonia that is Bathe.--W[illelmus Malmel.] de pontificum. li. ii. In this cyte welleth vp and spryngeth hote bathes and men wene that Julius Cezar made there suche bathes.--R[anulphus of Chestre]. But Ganfr. Monemutensis in his Brytons book sayth that Bladud made thylkes Bathes: by cause that William [of Malm.] had not seen that brytons book, wrote so, by telling of other men, or by his owne ghessing; as he wrote other thynges, not best aduisedly. Therfore it semeth more sothly that Bladud made not the hote bathes, ne Julius Cezar dyde suche a deede, though Bladud buylded and made the cyte. But it acordeth better to kendly reason that the water renneth in the erthe