History Of The Britons.docx
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History Of The Britons.docx
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HistoryOfTheBritons
HistoryOfTheBritons(HistoriaBrittonum)
byNenniusTranslatedbyJ.A.GilesI.ThePrologue.
1.Nennius,thelowlyministerandservantoftheservantsofGod,bythegraceofGod,discipleofSt.Elbotus,*toallthefollowersoftruthsendethhealth.
*OrElvod,bishopofBangor,A.D.755,whofirstadoptedintheCambrianchurchthenewcycleforregulatingEaster.
Beitknowntoyourcharity,thatbeingdullinintellectandrudeofspeech,IhavepresumedtodeliverthesethingsintheLatintongue,nottrustingtomyownlearning,whichislittleornoneatall,butpartlyfromtraditionsofourancestors,partlyfromwritingsandmonumentsoftheancientinhabitantsofBritain,partlyfromtheannalsoftheRomans,andthechroniclesofthesacredfathers,Isidore,Hieronymus,Prosper,Eusebius,andfromthehistoriesoftheScotsandSaxons,althoughourenemies,notfollowingmyowninclinations,but,tothebestofmyability,obeyingthecommandsofmyseniors;Ihavelispinglyputtogetherthishistoryfromvarioussources,andhaveendeavored,fromshame,todeliverdowntoposteritythefewremainingearsofcornaboutpasttransactions,thattheymightnotbetroddenunderfoot,seeingthatanamplecrophasbeensnatchedawayalreadybythehostilereapersofforeignnations.Formanythingshavebeeninmyway,andI,tothisday,havehardlybeenabletounderstand,evensuperficially,aswasnecessary,thesayingsofothermen;muchlesswasIableinmyownstrength,butlikeabarbarian,haveImurderedanddefiledthelanguageofothers.ButIboreaboutwithmeaninwardwound,andIwasindignant,thatthenameofmyownpeople,formerlyfamousanddistinguished,shouldsinkintooblivion,andlikesmokebedissipated.Butsince,however,IhadrathermyselfbethehistorianoftheBritonsthannobody,althoughsomanyaretobefoundwhomightmuchmoresatisfactorilydischargethelabourthusimposedonme;Ihumblyentreatmyreaders,whoseearsImayoffendbytheineleganceofmywords,thattheywillfulfilthewishofmyseniors,andgrantmetheeasytaskoflisteningwithcandourtomyhistory.Forzealouseffortsveryoftenfail:
butboldenthusiasm,wereitinitspower,wouldnotsuffermetofail.May,therefore,candourbeshownwheretheineleganceofmywordsisinsufficient,andmaythetruthofthishistory,whichmyrustictonguehasventured,asakindofplough,totraceoutinfurrows,losenoneofitsinfluencefromthatcause,intheearsofmyhearers.Foritisbettertodrinkawholesomedraughtoftruthfromthehumblevessel,thanpoisonmixedwithhoneyfromagoldengoblet.
2.Anddonotbeloath,diligentreader,towinnowmychaff,andlayupthewheatinthestorehouseofyourmemory:
fortruthregardsnotwhoisthespeaker,norinwhatmanneritisspoken,butthatthethingbetrue;andshedoesnotdespisethejewelwhichshehasrescuedfromthemud,butsheaddsittoherformertreasures.
ForIyieldtothosewhoaregreaterandmoreeloquentthanmyself,who,kindledwithgenerousardour,haveendeavouredbyRomaneloquencetosmooththejarringelementsoftheirtongue,iftheyhaveleftunshakenanypillarofhistorywhichIwishedtoseeremain.Thishistorythereforehasbeencompiledfromawishtobenefitmyinferiors,notfromenvyofthosewhoaresuperiortome,inthe858thyearofourLord'sincarnation,andinthe24thyearofMervin,kingoftheBritons,andIhopethattheprayersofmybetterswillbeofferedupformeinrecompenceofmylabour.
Butthisissufficientbywayofpreface.Ishallobedientlyaccomplishtheresttotheutmostofmypower.
II.TheApologyofNenniusHerebeginstheapologyofNennius,thehistoriographeroftheBritons,oftheraceoftheBritons.
3.I,Nennius,discipleofSt.Elbotus,haveendeavouredtowritesomeextractswhichthedulnessoftheBritishnationhadcastaway,becauseteachershadnoknowledge,norgaveanyinformationintheirbooksaboutthisislandofBritain.ButIhavegottogetherallthatIcouldfindaswellfromtheannalsoftheRomansasfromthechroniclesofthesacredfathers,Hieronymus,Eusebius,Isidorus,Prosper,andfromtheannalsoftheScotsandSaxons,andfromourancienttraditions.Manyteachersandscribeshaveattemptedtowritethis,butsomehoworotherhaveabandoneditfromitsdifficulty,eitheronaccountoffrequentdeaths,ortheoftenrecurringcalamitiesofwar.Ipraythateveryreaderwhoshallreadthisbook,maypardonme,forhavingattempted,likeachatteringjay,orlikesomeweakwitness,towritethesethings,aftertheyhadfailed.IyieldtohimwhoknowsmoreofthesethingsthanIdo.
III.TheHistory.
4,5.FromAdamtotheflood,aretwothousandandforty-twoyears.FromthefloodofAbraham,ninehundredandforty-two.
>FromAbrahamtoMoses,sixhundred.*FromMosestoSolomon,andthefirstbuildingofthetemple,fourhundredandforty-eight.
>FromSolomontotherebuildingofthetemple,whichwasunderDarius,kingofthePersians,sixhundredandtwelveyearsarecomputed.FromDariustotheministryofourLordJesusChrist,andtothefifteenthyearoftheemperorTiberius,arefivehundredandforty-eightyears.SothatfromAdamtotheministryofChristandthefifteenthyearoftheemperorTiberius,arefivethousandtwohundredandtwenty-eightyears.FromthepassionofChristarecompletedninehundredandforty-six;fromhisincarnation,ninehundredandseventy-six:
beingthefifthyearofEdmund,kingoftheAngles.
*Andforty,accordingtoStevenson'snewedition.Therestofthischronologyismuchcontractedinseveralofthemanuscripts,andhardlytwoofthemcontainitexactlythesame.
6.ThefirstageoftheworldisfromAdamtoNoah;thesecondfromNoahtoAbraham;thethirdfromAbrahamtoDavid;thefourthfromDavidtoDaniel;thefifthtoJohntheBaptist;thesixthfromJohntothejudgment,whenourLordJesusChristwillcometojudgethelivingandthedead,andtheworldbyfire.
ThefirstJulius.ThesecondClaudius.ThethirdSeverus.ThefourthCarinus.ThefifthConstantius.ThesixthMaximus.TheseventhMaximianus.TheeighthanotherSeverusAequantius.TheninthConstantius.**ThislistoftheRomanemperorswhovisitedBritain,isomittedinmanyoftheMSS.
HerebeginneththehistoryoftheBritons,editedbyMarktheanchorite,aholybishopofthatpeople.
7.TheislandofBritainderivesitsnamefromBrutus,aRomanconsul.Takenfromthesouth-westpointitinclinesalittletowardsthewest,andtoitsnorthernextremitymeasureseighthundredmiles,andisinbreadthtwohundred.Itcontainsthirtythreecities,[1]viz.
1.Cairebrauc(York).
2.Cairceint(Canterbury).
3.Cairgurcoc(Anglesey?
).
4.Cairguorthegern[2]
5.Caircusteint(Carnarvon).
6.Cairguoranegon(Worcester).
7.Cairsegeint(Silchester).
8.Cairguintruis(Norwich,orWinwick).
9.Cairmerdin(Caermarthen).
10.Cairperis(Porchester).
11.Cairlion(Caerleon-upon-Usk).
12.Cairmencipit(Verulam).
13.Caircaratauc(Catterick).
14.Cairceri(Cirencester).
15.Cairglout(Gloucester).
16.Cairluillid(Carlisle).
17.Cairgrant(Grantchester,nowCambridge).
18.Cairdaun(Doncaster),orCairdauri(Dorchester).
19.Cairbritoc(Bristol).
20.Cairmeguaid(Meivod).
21.Cairmauiguid(Manchester).
22.Cairligion(Chester).
23.Cairguent(Winchester,orCaerwent,inMonmouthshire).
24.Caircollon(Colchester,orSt.Colon,Cornwall).
25.Cairlondein(London).
26.Cairguorcon(Worren,orWoran,inPembrokeshire).
27.Cairlerion(Leicester).
28.Cairdraithou(Drayton).
29.Cairpensavelcoit(Pevensey,inSussex).
30.Cairtelm(Teyn-Grace,inDevonshire).
31.CairUrnahc(Wroxeter,inShropshire).
32.Caircolemion(Camelet,inSomersetshire).
33.Cairloitcoit(Lincoln).
[1]V.R.Twenty-eight,twenty-one.
[2]Siteunknown.
ThesearethenamesoftheancientcitiesoftheislandofBritain.
ithasalsoavastmanypromontories,andcastlesinnumerable,builtofbrickandstone.Itsinhabitantsconsistoffourdifferentpeople;theScots,thePicts,theSaxonsandtheancientBritons.
8.Threeconsiderableislandsbelongtoit;one,onthesouth,oppositetheArmoricanshore,calledWight;*anotherbetweenIrelandandBritain,calledEuboniaorMan;andanotherdirectlynorth,beyondthePicts,namedOrkney;andhenceitwasancientlyaproverbialexpression,inreferencetoitskingsandrulers,"HereignedoverBritainanditsthreeislands."*Inis-gueith,orGueith.
6.Itisfertilizedbyseveralrivers,whichtraverseitinalldirections,totheeastandwest,tothesouthandnorth;buttherearetwopre-eminentlydistinguishedamongtherest,theThamesandtheSevern,whichformerly,likethetwoarmsofBritain,boretheshipsemployedintheconveyanceofrichesacquiredbycommerce.TheBritonswereonceverypopulous,andexercisedextensivedominionfromseatosea.
10.*Respectingtheperiodwhenthisislandbecameinhabitedsubsequentlytotheflood,Ihaveseentwodistinctrelations.
AccordingtotheannalsoftheRomanhistory,theBritonsdeducetheiroriginbothfromtheGreeksandRomans.Onthesideofthemother,fromLavinia,thedaughterofLatinus,kingofItaly,andoftheraceofSilvanus,thesonofInachus,thesonofDardanus;whowasthesonofSaturn,kingoftheGreeks,andwho,havingpossessedhimselfofapartofAsia,builtthecityofTroy.
DardanuswasthefatherofTroius,whowasthefatherofPriamandAnchises;AnchiseswasthefatherofAeneas,whowasthefatherofAscaniusandSilvius;andthisSilviuswasthesonofAeneasandLavinia,thedaughterofthekingofItaly.FromthesonsofAeneasandLaviniadescendedRomulusandRemus,whowerethesonsofthehol
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