¶ Now here is to be noted, that Cesar did not vanquish all the Britains:  for he came not amongst the northerne men, onlie discouering and subduing that part which lieth towards the French seas:  so that sith other of the Roman emperors did most earnestlie trauell to [Sidenote:  Cornelius Tacitus.  In vit.  Agr.  Dion Cassius.] bring the Britains vnder their subiection (which were euer redie to rebell so manie sundrie times) Cesar might seeme rather to haue shewed Britaine to the Romans, than to haue deliuered the possession of the same.  This subiection, to the which he brought this Ile (what maner of one soeuer it was) chanced about the yeare of the world 3913, after the building of Rome 698, before the birth of our sauior 53, the first and second yeare of the 181 Olympiad, after the comming of Brute 1060, before the conquest made by William duke of Normandie 1120, and 1638 yeres before this present yere of our Lord 1585, after Harisons account.

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The state of Britaine when Caesar offered to conquer it, and the maner of their gouernement, as diuerse authors report the same in their bookes:  where the contrarietie of their opinions is to be obserued.

THE XVIJ.  CHAPTER.

After that Iulius Cesar had thus made the Britains tributaries to the Romans, and was returned into Gallia, Cassibellane reigned 7 yeares, and was vanquished in the ninth or tenth yeare after he began first to reigne so that he reigned in the whole about 15 or as some haue 17 yeares, and then died, leauing no issue behind him.  There hath bin an [Sidenote:  Fabian.] old chronicle (as Fabian recordeth) which he saw and followeth much in his booke, wherein is conteined, that this Cassibellane was not brother to Lud, but eldest sonne to him:  for otherwise as may be thought (saith he) Cesar hauing the vpper hand, would haue displaced him from the gouernement, and set vp Androgeus the right heire to the crowne, as sonne to the said Lud.  But whatsoeuer our chronicles or the British histories report of this matter, it should appere by that which Cesar writeth (as partlie ye haue heard) that Britaine in those [Sidenote:  Caesar.] daies was not gouerned by one sole prince, but by diuers, and that diuers cities were estates of themselues, so that the land was diuided into sundrie gouernements, much after the forme and maner as Germanie and Italie are in our time, where some cities are gouerned by one onelie prince, some by the nobilitie, and some by the people.  And whereas diuers of the rulers in those daies here in this land were called kings, those had more large seigniories than the other, as [Sidenote:  Cassibellane a King.] Cassibellane, who was therefore called a king.