Chronicles 1 (of 6): The Historie of England 5 (of 8) eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 223 pages of information about Chronicles 1 (of 6).

Chronicles 1 (of 6): The Historie of England 5 (of 8) eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 223 pages of information about Chronicles 1 (of 6).
after at Winchester aforesaid, when he had reigned after most accord of writers ninteene yeeres:  his bodie was conueied to Stoneheng and there buried. ¶ Thus find we in the British and common English histories of the dooings of Aurelius Ambrosius, who (as ye haue hard) makes him a Britaine borne, and descended of the bloud of the ancient Britains, But Gyldas and Beda report him to be a Romane by descent, as before is mentioned.

[Sidenote:  Polydor.] Polydor Virgil writeth in this sort of the victorious acts atchiued by the foresaid Aurelius Ambrosius.  Then (saith he) the Saxons hauing alreadie gotten the whole rule of the Ile, practised their outragious cruelties speciallie against the princes of the Britains, to the end that the said princes being ouercome and destroied, they might with more ease obteine possession of the whole Ile, which thing they onlie sought.  But the fauour of almightie God was not wanting to the miserable Britains in that great necessitie.  For behold, Aurelius Ambrosius was at hand, who had no sooner caused the trumpet to sound to armor, but euerie man for himselfe prepared and repaired vnto him, praieng & beseeching him to helpe to defend them, and that it might stand with his pleasure to go foorth with them against the enimies in all speed.

Thus an armie being assembled, Aurelius Ambrosius went against them, and valiantlie assailed them, so that within the space of a few daies they fought three battels with great fiercenesse on both sides, in triall of their high displeasures and vttermost forces, in which at length the Britains put the Saxons to flight, Horsus the brother of Hengist being slaine with a great number of his people.  But yet notwithstanding the enimies rage was little abated hereby, for within a few daies after receiuing out of Germanie a new supplie of men, they brake foorth vpon the Britains with great confidence of victorie.  Aurelius Ambrosius was no sooner aduertised thereof, but that without delaie he set forward towards Yorke, from whence the enimies should come, and hearing by the way that Hengist was incamped about seuen & twentie miles distant from that citie, neere to the banke of a riuer at this day called Dune, in the place where Doncaster now standeth, he returned out of his waie, and marched towards that place, and the next day set on the enimie and vanquished him, Hengist at the first [Sidenote:  Hengist is slaine.] meeting of the battell being slaine, with a great number of the Germans.  The fame of this victorie (saith Polydor) is had in memorie with the inhabitants of those parties euen vnto this day, which victorie did sore diminish the power of the Saxons, insomuch that they began now to thinke it should be more for their profit to sit in rest with that dishonour, than to make anie new warres to their great disaduantage and likelihood of present losse.

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Chronicles 1 (of 6): The Historie of England 5 (of 8) from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.