Britain, or a chorographicall description of the most flourishing kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the Ilands adioyning, out of the depth of antiqvitie : beavtified with mappes of the severall Shires of England / written first in Latine by William Camden ; Translated newly into English by Philémon Holland.

  • William Camden
Date:
1610
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Britain, or a chorographicall description of the most flourishing kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the Ilands adioyning, out of the depth of antiqvitie : beavtified with mappes of the severall Shires of England / written first in Latine by William Camden ; Translated newly into English by Philémon Holland. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    143/1348 page 115
    Se naturall Britaps them{elves, even.the right. progenie ofthe. moft, ancient Britans : thofe Dbritans;I mean¢, aud none other, who: before the comming inof theRom Ans; were {eatedin the North partof the Hand, and of.thofe who afterwards, cafting oft athe yoke of bondage (asthey are a nation moft impatient of fervilitie) repaired unto thele in,thg North.) Like aswhenthe Saxons over-ran the Ifle,, thofe Britans: which, wouldnot forgoe their libertie, conveied themfelves into. the VVefterné parts.of the Hand, fullof :craggi¢ hils,.as Wales and Comwall: even fo, doubtleffe; when, the Romanae grew hot, the Britans.left they (hould undergoe.feryitude, (which is the bitter cold of the aire, fullof rough and rugged paflages ; and full of wathes and ftanding meeres. . VYhere, being armed not {o much with weapons, as with a fharpe aire and climate of their owne,they grew. vp. together with the native Inha- bitants whom there they found, unto a mightie and populous nation; For, Tacitus reporteth, that the enemies of the Romans were by his wives father À gricola, driven into this part, asit were, into anotherlland : and noman doubteth, but Britans they were wach inhabited thefe remoteft partsof the Iland., For, (hallwee dreame, that all thofe Britans, enemies tothe Romans, which bro ught out thirtiethoufand armed meninto thefield againft Agricola, who gave unto,Severus fo great overthrowes, led up every mothers fonne,.andnone left for feed, and procreation, that they might give roome unto forrainers out of Scythia and Thracia? So farre am] from belee- wing this, although Beda hath written fomuch by relation from others, that would rather affine, they were fo multiplied, that the veriefoile was notable either to re- leeveorreceive them, and were enforced therefore to over-flow and overwhelme, asit were, the Romane Province, which. came.to. paffe weeknow afterwards, when the Scots came in unto them; Butbecaufe Beda hath fo written,as othersin that time reported, I may eafily bee. brought to beleeve, that fome alfo outof Scandia, called in times paft Scythia, (asallthe Northerne tract befide) came by the Hles, that bya fhould imagine, that Ifeeketo countenance alie, carrying likelihood and probabili- tieof a truth, me thinksTam able toproove, that the Picts were very Britans indeed, by the demeanor, name and language of the Picts, wherein we fhall fee they agreed paffing wellsvith Britans. ... i; And to let paffe among otherreafons , that neither the Pids, according to Beda, nor the Brirans, as Tacitus writeth, made any diftin&ion of fex for government;in chiefe, or excluded women from bearing fcepter, that ,cuftome of painting andftai- ning themfelves with colours, was common to both nations... As touching the Bri- tans, we have provedit before : and for the Picts C/audian proveth itfor us,who wxi- —XNec falfo nomine Pittos Edomuit.———— ThePi&shetam'd ins wor vinis Sotrulynamd. | iod And in another place;.. +... ———Ferrog, notatas . | Perlegit exanimes Pitto moriente figuras: — -And doth perufe with eie. . Thofe iron-brent marks in Picts well feene all bloudleffe,as they die. drawne evenfrom their bodies, for that b » the artificial pricking therein of {mall holes with a n'edle t^e werkman wringing out the juice of greene graffe ; enclofeth the fame within, thattiexr Nobilitie and Gentry thus (potted, may carrie thefe starres about them, in their painted pownsed limmes, as badges to bec knowen by. Shall wee thinkenow, that thefe Picts were Germans, whonever ufed this maner of painting ? or the Agathyrfi of hracia fo farre diftant fom hence;or rather the very Britans themfelvest{ecing they | fu. ooo, o oe K 2 were Their ma- ners and des meanour, Theis name;
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