[Sidenote:  ARTHUR.] After the deceasse of Vter Pendragon (as we doo find in the British histories) his sonne Arthur, a yoong towardlie gentleman, of the age of 15 yeeres or thereabouts, began his reigne ouer the Britains in [Sidenote:  516.] [Sidenote:  Matth.  West. hath noted 518.] the yeere of our Lord 516, or as Matt.  Westmin. saith 517, in the 28 yeere of the emperour Anastasius, and in the third yeere of the reignes of Childebert, Clothare, Clodamire, and Theodorike, brethren that were kings of the Frenchmen.  Of this Arthur manie things are written beyond credit, for that there is no ancient author of authoritie that confirmeth the same:  but surelie as may be thought he was some woorthie man, and by all likelihood a great enimie to the Saxons, by reason whereof the Welshmen which are the verie Britains in deed, haue him in famous remembrance.  He fought (as the common report goeth of him) 12 notable battels against the Saxons, & in euerie of them went away with the victorie, but yet he could not driue them quite out of the land, but that they kept still the countries which they had in possession, as Kent, Sutherie, Norfolke, and others:  howbeit some writers testifie, that they held these countries as tributaries to Arthur.

But truth it is (as diuers authors agree) that he held continuall warre against them, and also against the Picts, the which were allied with the Saxons:  for as in the Scotish histories is conteined, euen at the first beginning of his reigne, the two kings of the Scots and Picts seemed to enuie his aduancement to the crowne of Britaine, bicause they had maried the two sisters of the two brethren, Aurelius Ambrosius, and Vter Pendragon, that is to say, Loth king of Picts had married Anne their eldest sister, and Conran king of Scots had in mariage Alda their yoonger sister, so that bicause Arthur was begotten out of wedlocke, they thought it stood with more reason, that the kingdome of the Britains should haue descended vnto the sisters sonnes, rather than to a bastard, namelie Loth the Pictish king, which had issue by his wife Anna, sore repined at the matter.

Wherefore at the first, when he saw that by suit he could not preuaile, he ioined in league with the Saxons, and aiding them against Arthur, lost many of his men of warre being ouerthrowne in battell, which he had sent vnto the succours of Colgerne the Saxon prince that ruled as then in the north parts.  But finallie a league was concluded betwixt Arthur and the foresaid Loth king of Picts, vpon certeine conditions, as in the Scotish historie is expressed, where ye may read the same, with many other things touching the acts of Arthur, somewhat in other order than our writers haue recorded.