Iohn Leland in his booke intituled Assertio Arthuri, hath for the woorthie memorie of so noble a prince, honored him with a learned epitaph, as heere followeth.

Saxonicas toties qui fudit Marte cruento Who vanquisht Saxon troops so oft, with battels bloudie broiles, Turmas, & peperit spolijs sibi nomen opimis, And purchast to himselfe a name with warlike wealthie spoiles, Fulmineo toties Pictos qui contudit ense, Who hath with shiuering shining swoord, the Picts so oft dismaid, Imposuitque iugum Scoti ceruicibus ingens:  And eke vnweldie seruile yoke on necke of Scots hath laid: Qui tumidos Gallos, Germanos quique feroces Who Frenchmen puft with pride, and who the Germans fierce in fight Perculit, & Dacos bello confregit aperto:  Discomfited, and danted Danes with maine and martiall might: Denique Mordredum e medio qui sustulit illud Who of that murdring Mordred did the vitall breath expell, Monstrum, horrendum, ingens, dirum, saeuumque tyrannum, That monster grislie, lothsome, huge, that diresome tyrant fell, Hoc iacet extinctus monumento Arthurius alto, Heere liuelesse Arthur lies intoomd, within this statelie hearse, Militiae clarum decus, & virtutis alumnus:  Of chiualrie the bright renowme, and vertues nursling fearse: Gloria nunc cuius terram circumuolat omnem, Whose glorie great now ouer all the world dooth compasse flie, Aetherijque petit sublimia tecta Tonantis. And of the airie thunder skales the loftie building hie.  Vos igitur gentis proles generosa Britannae, Therefore you noble progenie of Britaine line and race, Induperatori ter magno assurgite vestro, Arise vnto your emperour great, of thrice renowmed grace, Et tumulo sacro roseas inferte corollas, And cast vpon his sacred toome the roseall garlands gaie, Officij testes redolentia munera vestri. That fragrant smell may witnesse well, your duties you displaie.

¶ These verses I haue the more willinglie inserted, for that I had the same deliuered to me turned into English by maister Nicholas Roscarocke, both right aptlie yeelding the sense, and also properlie answering the Latine, verse for verse.

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Vpon what occasion the graue of king Arthur was sought for, the follie of such discouered as beleeued that he should returne and reigne againe as king in Britaine, whether it be a fiction or a veritie that there was such an Arthur or no; discordance among writers about the place of Gawains buriall and Arthurs death; of queene Gueneuer the wife of king Arthur, hir beautie and dishonest life, great disagreement among writers touching Arthur and his wiues to the impeachment of the historie, of his life and death.

THE XIIIJ.  CHAPTER.