Help us create a biggest collection of medieval chronicles and manuscripts on line.
#   A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V   W   X   Y   Z 
Medieval chronicles, historical sources, history of middle ages, texts and studies

History Of The Britons
Nennius

 
uses Google technology and indexes only and selectively internet - libraries having books with free public access
 
  Previousall pages

Next  

History Of The Britons
Nennius
page 2

6. The first age of the world is from Adam to Noah; the second from Noah to Abraham; the third from Abraham to David; the fourth from David to Daniel; the fifth to John the Baptist; the sixth from John to the judgment, when our Lord Jesus Christ will come to judge the living and the dead, and the world by fire. The first Julius. The second Claudius. The third Severus. The fourth Carinus. The fifth Constantius. The sixth Maximus. The seventh Maximianus. The eighth another Severus Aequantius. The ninth Constantius.(3)

(3) This list of the Roman emperors who visited Britain, is omitted in many of the MSS.

Here beginneth the history of the Britons, edited by Mark the anchorite, a holy bishop of that people. 7. The island of Britain derives its name from Brutus, a Roman consul. Taken from the south-west point it inclines a little towards the west, and to its northern extremity measures eight hundred miles, and is in breadth two hundred. It contains thirty three cities, (4) viz.

1. Cair ebrauc (York). 2. Cair ceint (Canterbury). 3. Cair gurcoc (Anglesey?). 4. Cair guorthegern (5) 5. Cair custeint (Carnarvon). 6. Cair guoranegon (Worcester). 7. Cair segeint (Silchester). 8. Cair guin truis (Norwich, or Winwick). 9. Cair merdin (Caermarthen). 10. Cair peris (Porchester). 11. Cair lion (Caerleon-upon-Usk). 12. Cair mencipit (Verulam). 13. Cair caratauc (Catterick). 14. Cair ceri (Cirencester). 15. Cair glout (Gloucester). 16. Cair luillid (Carlisle). 17. Cair grant (Grantchester, now Cambridge). 18. Cair daun (Doncaster), or Cair dauri (Dorchester). 19. Cair britoc (Bristol). 20. Cair meguaid (Meivod). 21. Cair mauiguid (Manchester). 22. Cair ligion (Chester). 23. Cair guent (Winchester, or Caerwent, in Monmouthshire). 24. Cair collon (Colchester, or St. Colon, Cornwall). 25. Cair londein (London). 26. Cair guorcon (Worren, or Woran, in Pembrokeshire). 27. Cair lerion (Leicester). 28. Cair draithou (Drayton). 29. Cair pensavelcoit (Pevensey, in Sussex). 30. Cairtelm (Teyn-Grace, in Devonshire). 31. Cair Urnahc (Wroxeter, in Shropshire). 32. Cair colemion (Camelet, in Somersetshire). 33. Cair loit coit (Lincoln).

(4) V.R. Twenty-eight, twenty-one.
(5) Site unknown.


These are the names of the ancient cities of the island of Britain. it has also a vast many promontories, and castles innumerable, built of brick and stone. Its inhabitants consist of four different people; the Scots, the Picts, the Saxons and the ancient Britons. 8. Three considerable islands belong to it; one, on the south, opposite the Armorican shore, called Wight;(6) another between Ireland and Britain, called Eubonia or Man; and another directly north, beyond the Picts, named Orkney; and hence it was anciently a proverbial expression, in reference to its kings and rulers, "He reigned over Britain and its three islands."

(6) Inis-gueith, or Gueith.

6. It is fertilized by several rivers, which traverse it in all directions, to the east and west, to the south and north; but there are two pre-eminently distinguished among the rest, the Thames and the Severn, which formerly, like the two arms of Britain, bore the ships employed in the conveyance of riches acquired by commerce. The Britons were once very populous, and exercised extensive dominion from sea to sea. 10.(7) Respecting the period when this island became inhabited subsequently to the flood, I have seen two distinct relations. According to the annals of the Roman history, the Britons deduce their origin both from the Greeks and Romans. On the side of the mother, from Lavinia, the daughter of Latinus, king of Italy, and of the race of Silvanus, the son of Inachus, the son of Dardanus; who was the son of Saturn, king of the Greeks, and who, having possessed himself of a part of Asia, built the city of Troy. Dardanus was the father of Troius, who was the father of Priam and Anchises; Anchises was the father of Aeneas, who was the father of Ascanius and Silvius; and this Silvius was the son of Aeneas and Lavinia, the daughter of the king of Italy. From the sons of Aeneas and Lavinia descended Romulus and Remus, who were the sons of the holy queen Rhea, and the founders of Rome. Brutus was consul when he conquered Spain, and reduced that country to a Roman province. He afterwards subdued the island of Britain, whose inhabitants were the descendants of the Romans, from


  Previous First Next  
 
 

"Medievalist" is an educational project designed as a digital collection of chronicles, documents and studies related to the middle age history. All materials from this site are permitted for non commersial use unless otherwise indicated. If you reduplicate documents from here you have to indicate "Medievalist" as a source and place link to us.