[Sidenote:  CONSTANTINE.] After the death of Arthur, his coosine Constantine the sonne [Sidenote:  542.] of Cador, duke or earle of Cornewall began his reigne ouer the Britains, in the yere of our Lord 542, which was about the 15 yeere of the emperour Iustinianus almost ended, the 29 of Childebert king of France, and the first yeere well neere complet of the reigne of [Sidenote:  Galfrid. Matth.  West.] Totilas king of the Goths in Italie.  Arthur when he perceiued that he shuld die, ordeined this Constantine to succeed him, and so by the consent of the more part of the Britains he was crowned king:  but the sonnes of Mordred sore repined thereat, as they that claimed the rule of the land by iust title and claime of inheritance to them from their [Sidenote:  Ciuill warre.] father descended.  Herevpon followed ciuill warre, so that diuers battels were striken betweene them and in the end the two brethren were constreined to withdraw for refuge, the one to London, and the other to Winchester:  but Constantine pursuing them, first came to Winchester, and by force entered the citie, and slue the one brother that was fled thither within the church of saint Amphibalus:  and after comming to London, entered that citie also, and finding the other brother within a church there, slue him in like maner as he had doone the other.  And so hauing dispatched his aduersaries, he thought to haue purchased to himselfe safetie:  but shortlie after, his owne [Sidenote:  Aurelius Conanus.  Constantine slaine.] kinsman, one Aurelius Conanus arrered warre against him, who ioining with him in battell slue him in the field, after he had reigned foure yeeres.  His bodie was conueied to Stonheng, and there buried beside [Sidenote:  Gyldas.] his ancestour Vter Pendragon.  Of this Constantine that seemeth to be ment, which Gyldas writeth in his booke intituled “De excidio Britanniae,” where inueieng against the rulers of the Britains in his time, he writeth thus:  “Britaine hath kings, but the same be tyrants; iudges it hath, but they be wicked, oftentimes peeling and harming the innocent people, reuenging and defending, but whom? such as be guiltie persons and robbers; hauing manie wiues, but yet breaking wedlocke; oftentimes swearing, and yet forswearing themselues; vowing, and for the more part lieng; warring, but mainteining ciuill & vniust warres; pursuing indeed theeues that are abroad in the countrie, and yet not onelie cherishing those that sit euen at table with them, but also highlie rewarding them:  giuing almesse largelie, but on the other part heaping vp a mightie mount of sinnes; sitting in the seat of sentence, but seldome seeking the rule of righteous iudgement; despising the innocent and humble persons, and exalting so farre as in them lieth, euen vp to the heauens, most bloudie and proud murtherers, theeues and adulterers, yea the verie professed enimies of God; if he would so permit:  keeping manie in prison, whome they oppresse, in loding them with irons, through craft rather to serue their owne purpose, than for anie gilt of the persons so imprisoned:  taking solemne oths before the altars, and shortlie after, despising the same altars as vile and filthie stones.