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The gunarchie of queene Cordeilla, how she was vanquished, of hir imprisonment and selfe-murther:  the contention betweene Cunedag and Margan nephewes for gouernement, and the euill end thereof.

THE SIXT CHAPTER.

[Sidenote:  QUEENE CORDEILLA] Cordeilla the yoongest daughter of Leir was admitted Q. and supreme gouernesse of Britaine, in the yeere of the world 3155, before the bylding of Rome 54, Vzia then reigning in Iuda, and Ieroboam ouer Israell.  This Cordeilla after hir fathers deceasse ruled the land of Britaine right worthilie during the space of fiue yeeres, in which meane time hir husband died, and then about the end of those fiue yeeres, hir two nephewes Margan and Cunedag, sonnes to hir aforesaid sisters, disdaining to be vnder the gouernment of a woman, leuied warre against hir, and destroied a great part of the land, and finallie tooke hir prisoner, and laid hir fast in ward, wherewith she tooke such griefe, being a woman of a manlie courage, and despairing to recouer libertie, there she slue hirselfe, when she had reigned (as before is mentioned) the tearme of fiue yeeres.

[Sidenote:  CUNEDAG AND MARGAN.] Cunedagius and Marganus nephewes to Cordeilla, hauing recouered the land out of hir hands, diuided the same betwixt them, that is to saie, the countrie ouer and beyond Humber fell to Margan, as it stretcheth euen to Catnesse, and the other part lieng south and by-west, was assigned to Cunedagius.  This partition chanced in the yeere of the world 3170, before the building of Rome 47, Uzia as then reigning in Iuda, and Ieroboam in Israell.  Afterwards, these two cousins, Cunedag and Margan, had not reigned thus past a two yeeres, but thorough some seditious persons, Margan was persuaded to raise warre against Cunedag, telling him in his eare, how it was a shame for him being come of the elder sister, not to haue the rule of the whole Ile in his hand.  Herevpon ouercome with pride, [Sidenote:  Margan inuadeth his cousine Cunedag.] ambition, and couetousnesse, he raised an armie, and entring into the land of Cunedag, he burned and destroied the countrie before him in miserable maner.

Cunedag in all hast to resist his aduersarie, assembled also all the power he could make, and comming with the same against Margan, gaue him battell, in the which he slue a great number of Margans people, and put the residue to flight, and furthermore pursued him from countrie to countrie, till he came into Cambria, now called Wales, where the said Margan gaue him eftsoones a new battell:  but being too weake in number of men, he was there ouercome and slaine in the field, by reason whereof [Sidenote:  Margan is slaine. Matt.  West.] that countrie tooke name of him, being there slaine, and so is called to this daie Glau Margan, which is to meane in our English toong, Margans land.  This was the end of that Margan, after he had reigned with his brother two yeeres, or thereabouts.