The occasion that mooued king Henrie the second to cause his nephue the foresaid abbat to search for the graue of king Arthur, was, for that he vnderstood by a Welsh minstrell or Bardh (as they call him) that could sing manie histories in the Welsh language of the acts of the ancient Britains, that in the forsaid churchyard at Glastenburie, betwixt the said two pillers the bodie of Arthur was to be found sixteene foot deepe vnder the ground.  Gyraldus Cambrensis affirmeth, that the tree in the which Arthurs bodie was found so inclosed, was an oke, but other suppose that it was an alder tree, bicause that in the same place a great number of that kind of trees doo grow, and also for that it is not vnknowne, that an alder lieng vnder ground where moisture is, will long continue without rotting.

¶ By the finding thus of the bodie of Arthur buried (as before ye haue [Sidenote:  As for example in a caue neere a water called pond perilous at Salisburie, where he and his knights should sleepe armed, till an other knight should be borne that should come and awake them. Will.  Malmes. lib. 1. de regibus Ang.] heard) such as hitherto beleeued that he was not dead, but conueied awaie by the fairies into some pleasant place, where he should remaine for a time, and then to returne againe, and reigne in as great authoritie as euer he did before, might well perceiue themselues deceiued in crediting so vaine a fable.  But yet (where it might otherwise be doubted, whether anie such Arthur was at all, as the British histories mention, bicause neither Gyldas nor Beda in their woorks speake anie thing of him) it may appeere, the circumstances considered, that suerly such one there was of that name, hardie and valiant in armes, though not in diuerse points so famous as some writers paint him out.  William Malmesburie a writer of good credit and authoritie amongst the learned, hath these woords in his first booke intituled “De regibus Anglorum,” saieng:  “But he being dead [meaning Vortimer] the force of the Britains waxed feeble, their decaied hope went backward apace:  and euen then suerlie had they gon to destruction, if Ambrosius (who alone of the Romans remained yet aliue, and was king after Vortigerne) had not kept vnder and staied the loftie barbarous people, that is to say the Saxons, by the notable aid and assistance of the valiant Arthur.”

This is the same Arthur, of whom the trifling tales of the Britains euen to this day fantasticallie doo descant and report woonders:  but woorthie was he doubtlesse, of whom feined fables should not haue so dreamed, but rather that true histories might haue set foorth his woorthie praises, as he that did for a long season susteine and hold vp his countrie that was readie to go to vtter ruine and decaie, incouraging the bold harts of the Britains vnto the warre, and finallie in the siege of Badon hill, he set vpon nine hundred of the enimies, and with incredible slaughter did put them all to flight.  On the contrarie