Chronicles : The Historie of England | Page 3

his reigne.
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_Aruiragus the Britaine & Claudius the Romane with their armies doo
incounter, a composition concerning mariage concluded betweene them,
Claudius returneth to Rome_.
THE THIRD CHAPTER.
[Sidenote: ARUIRAGUS. _Hector Boet._] Aruiragus the yoongest son
of Kymbeline, and brother to Guinderius (bicause the same Guinderius
left no issue to succéed him) was admitted king of Britaine in the yeere
of our Lord 45, or rather 46.
This Aruiragus, otherwise called by the Britains Meuricus or Mauus, of
[Sidenote: Caxton.] Tacitus Prasutagus, is also named Armiger in the
English chronicle, by which chronicle (as appéereth) he bare himselfe
right manfullie against Claudius and his Romans in the war which they
made against [Sidenote: _Gal. Mon_.] him: in so much that when
Claudius had renewed his force and woone Porchester, and after came
to besiege Winchester (in the which Aruiragus as then was inclosed)
Aruiragus assembling his power, was readie to come foorth and giue
Claudius battell: wherevpon Claudius doubting the sequele of the thing,
sent messengers vnto Aruiragus to treat of concord, and so by
composition the matter was taken vp, with condition, that Claudius
should giue his daughter Genissa in marriage vnto Aruiragus, &
Aruiragus should acknowledge to hold his kingdome of the Romans.
[Sidenote: Ranulfus Cestrensis.] Some write that Claudius in fauour of
the valiant prowesse which he saw & found in Aruiragus, honored not
onlie him with the mariage of his daughter the said Genissa, but also to
the end to make the towne more famous where this marriage was
solemnized, he therefore called it Claudiocestria, after his name, the
which in the British toong was called before that daie Caerleon, and
after Glouernia, of a duke that ruled in Demetia that hight Glunie, but
now it is called Glocester.
Other there be that write, how Claudius being vanquished in battell by
Aruiragus, was compelled by the said Aruiragus to giue vnto him his

said daughter to wife, with condition as before is mentioned: and that
then Aruiragus was crowned king of Britaine. But Suetonius maie
[Sidenote: _Sueton._] séeme to reprooue this part of the British historie,
which in the life of Claudius witnesseth, that he had by thrée wiues
onlie three daughters, that is to saie, Claudia, Antonia, and Octauia: and
further, that reputing Claudia not to be his, caused hir to be cast downe
at the doore of his wife Herculanilla, whome he had forsaken by waie
of diuorcement: & that he bestowed his daughter Antonia first on C.
Pompeius Magnus, and after on Faustus Silla, verie noble yoong
gentlemen; and Octauia he matched with Nero his wiues son. Whereby
it should appéere, that this supposed marriage betwixt Aruiragus and
the daughter of Claudius is but a feined tale.
¶ And héere to speake my fansie also what I thinke of this Aruiragus,
and other the kings (whome Galfrid and such as haue followed him doo
register in order, to succéed one after another) I will not denie but such
persons there were, and the same happilie bearing verie great rule in the
land, but that they reigned as absolute kings ouer the whole, or that
they succéeded one after another in manner as is auouched by the same
writers, it seemeth most vnlike to be true: for rather it maie be gessed
by that, which as well Gyldas as the old approoued Romane writers
haue written, that diuerse of these kings liued about one time, or in
times greatlie differing from those times which in our writers we find
noted. As for example, Iuuenal maketh this Aruiragus, of whom we
now intreat, to reigne about Domitians time. For my part therefore, sith
this order of the British kinglie succession in this place is more easie to
be flatlie denied and vtterlie reprooued, than either wiselie defended or
trulie amended, I will referre the reforming therof vnto those that haue
perhaps séene more than I haue, or more déepelie considered the thing,
to trie out an vndoubted truth: in the meane time, I haue thought good,
both to shew what I find in our histories, and likewise in forren writers,
to the which we thinke (namelie in this behalfe, whilest the Romans
gouerned there) we maie safelie giue most credit, doo we otherwise
neuer so much content our selues with other vaine and fond conceits.
To procéed yet with the historie as we find it by our writers set foorth:
it is reported, that after the solemnization of this marriage, which was

doone with all honour that might be deuised, Claudius [Sidenote:
Legions of souldiers sent into Ireland.] sent certeine legions of
souldiers foorth to go into Ireland to subdue that countrie, and returned
himselfe to Rome.
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_Aruiragus denieth subiection to the Romans, Vespasian is sent to