History of the Britons | Page 3

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This Etext prepared by Bert Olton [email protected]

History Of The Britons (Historia Brittonum) by Nennius
Translated by J. A. Giles

I. The Prologue.

1. Nennius, the lowly minister and servant of the servants of God, by
the grace of God, disciple of St. Elbotus,* to all the followers of truth
sendeth health. * Or Elvod, bishop of Bangor, A.D. 755, who first
adopted in the Cambrian church the new cycle for regulating Easter.
Be it known to your charity, that being dull in intellect and rude of
speech, I have presumed to deliver these things in the Latin tongue, not
trusting to my own learning, which is little or none at all, but partly
from traditions of our ancestors, partly from writings and monuments
of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the
Romans, and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymus,
Prosper, Eusebius, and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons,
although our enemies, not following my own inclinations, but, to the
best of my ability, obeying the commands of my seniors; I have
lispingly put together this history from various sources, and have
endeavored, from shame, to deliver down to posterity the few
remaining ears of corn about past transactions, that they might not be
trodden under foot, seeing that an ample crop has been snatched away
already by the hostile reapers of foreign nations. For many things have
been in my way, and I, to this day, have hardly been able to understand,
even superficially, as was necessary, the sayings of other men; much
less was I able in my own strength, but like a barbarian, have I

murdered and defiled the language of others. But I bore about with me
an inward wound, and I was indignant, that the name of my own people,
formerly famous and distinguished, should sink into oblivion, and like
smoke be dissipated. But since, however, I had rather myself be the
historian of the Britons than nobody, although so many are to be found
who might much more satisfactorily discharge the labour thus imposed
on me; I humbly entreat my readers, whose ears I may offend by the
inelegance of my words, that they will fulfil the wish of my seniors,
and grant me the easy task of listening with candour to my history. For
zealous efforts very often fail: but bold enthusiasm, were it in its power,
would not suffer me to fail. May, therefore, candour be shown where
the inelegance of my words is insufficient, and may the truth of this
history, which my rustic tongue has ventured, as a kind of plough, to
trace out in furrows, lose none of its influence from that cause, in the
ears of my hearers. For it is better to drink a wholesome draught of
truth from the humble vessel, than poison mixed with honey from a