renoumed (as appeareth by Berosus) for inuention of dities and musicke, wherein Annius of Viterbo writeth, that he trained his people:  and of such as excelled in this knowledge, he made an order of philosophicall poets or heraulds, calling them by his owne name Bardi.  And it should seeme by doctor Caius and master Bale, that Caesar found some of them here at his arriuall in this Ile, and reported that they had also their first begining in the same.  The profession and vsages of these Bardi, Nonnius, Strabo, Diodorus, Stephanus, Bale, and sir Iohn Prise, are in effect reported after this sort.  They did vse to record the noble exploits of the ancient capteins, and to drawe the pedegrees and genealogies of such as were liuing.  They would frame pleasant dities and songs, learne the same by heart, and sing them to instruments at solemne feasts and assemblies of noble men and gentlemen.  Wherefore they were had in so high estimation, that if two hosts had bene readie ranged to ioine in battell, and that any of them had fortuned to enter among them, both the hosts (as well the enimies as the friends) would haue holden their hands, giuen eare vnto them, and ceassed from fight, vntill these Bards [Sidenote:  Lucan. lib. 1.] had gone out of the battell.  Of these Bards Lucane saith,

  Vos quoq; qui fortes animas belloq; peremptas,
  Laudius in longum vares dimittitis aeuum,
  Plurima securi fudistis carmina Bardi: 

  [Sidenote:  II.  F.]
  And you o poet Bards from danger
    void that dities sound,
  Of soules of dreadlesse men, whom rage
    of battell would confound,
  And make their lasting praise to time
    of later age rebound.

Because the names of these poets were neither discrepant from the ciuilitie of the Romans, nor repugnant to the religion of the Christians, they (of all the other sects before specified) were suffered onlie to continue vnabolished in all ages, insomuch that there flourished of them among the Britains (according to Bale) before the birth of Christ, [Sidenote:  Iohn Bale script.  Britan. cent. 2. John Prise defen hist.  Brit. Caius de ant. Cant. lib. 1. Iohn Leland syllab. ant dict. Hum.  Lloyd de Mona insula] Plenidius and Oronius:  after Christ (as Prise recounteth) Thalestine, and the two Merlins, Melkin, Elaskirion, and others:  and of late daies among the Welshmen, Dauid Die, Ioslo Gough, Dauid ap William, with an infinite number more.  And in Wales there are sundrie of them (as Caius reporteth) remaining vnto this day, where they are in their language called (as Leland writeth) Barthes.  Also by the witnes of Humfrey Llhoyd, there is an Iland neere vnto Wales, called Insula Bardorum, and Bardsey, whereof the one name in Latine, and the other in Saxon or old English, signifieth the Iland of the Bardes or Barthes.

Thus farre the gouernement of the Celts in this Ile.