Chronicles 1: The Historie of England | Page 5

day some smacke of the Gréeke. Among other abuses of the Druides,
they had (according to Diodorus) one custome to kill men, and by the falling, bleeding,
and dismembring of them, to diuine of things to come: for the which and other wicked
practises, their sect was first condemned for abhominable (as some haue written) and
dissolued in Gallia (as Auentinus witnesseth) by Tiberius and Claudius the emperours;
and [Sidenote: _Anna. Boiorum. lib._ 22.] lastlie abolished here in Britaine (by the report
of Caius) when the gospell of Christ by the preaching of Fugatius and Damianus was
receiued [Sidenote: _De ant. Cant._] among the Britaines, vnder Lucius king of Britaine,
about the yeare of our sauior, 179.
[Sidenote: BARDUS THE SONNE OF DRUIS. _Berosus ant. lib._ 2. _Annius in
commen. super eundem_. _Ant. Cant li._ 1. _script. Britan. cent._ 1. Nonnius. _Marcel._
Strabo. _Diodor. Sicul. lib._ 6. _Carol. Stepha. in dict. hist._ Bale.
Iohn Prise.] Bardus

the sonne of Druis succéeded his father in the kingdome of Celtica, and was the fift king
ouer the Celtes and Samotheans, amongst whom he was highlie renoumed (as appeareth
by Berosus) for inuention of dities and musicke, wherein Annius of Viterbo writeth, that
he trained his people: and of such as excelled in this knowledge, he made an order of
philosophicall poets or heraulds, calling them by his owne name Bardi. And it should
séeme by doctor Caius and master Bale, that Cæsar found some of them here at his
arriuall in this Ile, and reported that they had also their first begining in the same. The
profession and vsages of these Bardi, Nonnius, Strabo, Diodorus, Stephanus, Bale, and sir
Iohn Prise, are in effect reported after this sort. They did vse to record the noble exploits
of the ancient capteins, and to drawe the pedegrées and genealogies of such as were
liuing. They would frame pleasant dities and songs, learne the same by heart, and sing
them to instruments at solemne feasts and assemblies of noble men and gentlemen.
Wherefore they were had in so high estimation, that if two hosts had bene readie ranged
to ioine in battell, and that any of them had fortuned to enter among them, both the hosts
(as well the enimies as the friends) would haue holden their hands, giuen eare vnto them,
and ceassed from fight, vntill these Bards [Sidenote: _Lucan. lib._ 1.] had gone out of the
battell. Of these Bards Lucane saith,
Vos quoq; qui fortes animas bellóq; peremptas, Laudius in longum vares dimittítis æuum,
Plurima securi fudistis carmina Bardi:
[Sidenote: _II. F._] And you ô poet Bards from danger void that dities sound, Of soules
of dreadlesse men, whom rage of battell would confound, And make their lasting praise
to time of later age rebound.
Because the names of these poets were neither discrepant from the ciuilitie of the Romans,
nor repugnant to the religion of the Christians, they (of all the other sects before specified)
were suffered onlie to continue vnabolished in all ages, insomuch that there flourished of
them among the Britains (according to Bale) before the birth of Christ, [Sidenote: _Iohn
Bale script. Britan. cent._ 2. _John Prise defen hist. Brit._ _Caius de ant._ _Cant. lib._ 1.
Iohn Leland _syllab. ant dict._ _Hum. Lloyd de Mona insula_] Plenidius and Oronius:
after Christ (as Prise recounteth) Thalestine, and the two Merlins, Melkin, Elaskirion, and
others: and of late daies among the Welshmen, Dauid Die, Ioslo Gough, Dauid ap
William, with an infinite number more. And in Wales there are sundrie of them (as Caius
reporteth) remaining vnto this day, where they are in their language called (as Leland
writeth) Barthes. Also by the witnes of Humfrey Llhoyd, there is an Iland néere vnto
Wales, called Insula Bardorum, and Bardsey, whereof the one name in Latine, and the
other in Saxon or old English, signifieth the Iland of the Bardes or Barthes.
_Thus farré the gouernement of the Celts in this Ile._
* * * * *

AN APPENDIX TO THE FORMER CHAPTER.
[Sidenote: _Bale_] After Bardus, the Celts (as Bale saith) loathing the streict ordinances

of their ancient kings, and betaking themselues to pleasure and idlenesse, were in short
time, and with small labour brought vnder the subiection of the giant Albion, the sonne of
Neptune, who altering the state of things in this Iland, streicted the name of Celtica and
the Celts within the bounds of Gallia, from whence they came first to inhabit this land
vnder the conduct of Samothes, as before ye haue heard, accordinglie as Annius
[Sidenote: Annius.] hath gathered out of Berosus the Chaldean, who therein agréeth also
with [Sidenote: Theophilus.] the scripture, the saieng of Theophilus the doctor, and the
generall consent of all writers, which fullie consent, that the first inhabitants of this Ile