are, The old Danmonii dwelt: so hard again at hand, The Durotriges sat on the Dorsetian sand: And where from sea to sea the Belgae forth were let, [Somerset, Even from Southampton's shore, through Wilt and The Atrebates in Bark unto the bank of Thames, Betwixt the Celtic sleeve and the Sabrinian streams) The Saxons there set down one kingdom: which install'd, [call'd, And being west, they it their western kingdom So eastward where by Thames the Trinobants were set, [debt, To Trinovant their town, for that their name in That London now we term, the Saxons did possess, And their east kingdom call'd, as Essex' doth express; [hear; The greatest part thereof, and still their name doth Though Middlesex therein, and part of Hartford were ; From Coln upon the west, upon the east to Stour*, Where mighty Thames himself doth into Neptune pour. [lean, As to our farthest rise, where forth those fore-lands Which bear their chalky brows into the German main, The Angles, which arose out of the Saxon race, Allured with delights and fitness of that place, Where the Iceni liv'd did set their kingdom down, From where the wallowing seas those queachy washes drown That Ely do inisle, to martyr'd Edmond's ditch, Till those Norfolcian shores vast Neptune doth enrich : Which (farthest to the east of this divided isle) Th' East-Angles' kingdom, then, those English did instile. [mouth, "And Sussex seemeth still, as with an open Those Saxons' rule to show, that of the utmost south The name to them assum'd, who rigorously expell'd The Kentish Britons thence, and those rough woodlands held [doth sweep, From where the goodly Thames the Surryan grounds Until the smiling downs salute the Celtic deep. "Where the Dobuni dwelt, their neighbouring Cateuchlani, Cornavii more remote, and where the Coritani, Where Dee and Mersey shoot into the Irish sea; (Which well-near o'er this part, now called England, lay, [plain, From Severn to the ditch that cuts New-market And from the banks of Thames to Humber, which contain For a more plain division of the English king doms see to the XI. song. "So call'd, of the East-Saxons. So many goodly shires of Mersey, Mercia height) Their mightier empire, there, the middle English pight. [not end: Which farthest though it raught, yet there it did But Offa, king thereof, it after did extend Beyond the bank of Dee; and by a ditch he cut Through Wales from north to south, into wide Mercia put [there, Well near the half thereof, and from three peoples To whom three special parts divided justly were (The Ordovices, now which North-Wales people be, From Cheshire which of old divided was by Dee: And from our Marchers now, that were Demetæ then; (men) And those Silures call'd, by us the South-Wales Beyond the Severn, much the English Offa took, To shut the Britons up within a little nook. From whence, by Mersey's banks, the rest a kingdom made: [sway'd; Where in the Britons' rule (before) the Brigants The powerful English there establish'd were to stand: [Northumberland; Which, north from Humber set, they term'd Two kingdoms which had been with several thrones enstall'd: Bernitia hight the one; Diera th' other call'd. The first from Humber stretch'd unto the bank of Tine: Which river and the Frith the other did confine. Diera beareth through the spacious Yorkish bounds, From Durham down along to the Lancastrian sounds 10 With Mersey and clear Tine continuing to their fall, To England-ward within the Picts' renowned wall, And did the greater part of Cumberland" contain: With whom the Britons' name for ever shall re main; [long, Who there amongst the rocks and mountains lived When they Loëgria left, enforc'd through powerful Bernitia over Tine into Albania lay, [wrong, To where the Frith 12 falls out into the German sea." This said, the aged street sagg'd sadly on alone: And Ver upon his course, now hasted to be gone T'accompany his Coln: which as she gently glides, Doth kindly him embrace: whom soon this hap betides; As Coln come on along, and chanc'd to cast her eye Upon that neighbouring hill where Harrow stands so high, [of wheat, She Peryvale" perceiv'd prank'd up with wreaths And with exulting terms thus glorying in her seat; "Why should not I be coy, and of my beauties nice, [price? Since this my goodly grain is held of greatest No manchet can so well the courtly palate please, As that made of the meal fetch'd from my fertile leaze. Their finest of that kind, compared with my wheat, For whiteness of the bread doth look like common cheat. *A river upon the confines of Suffolk and Essex. meal of England, What barley is there found, whose fair and bearded But I, distressed Lee, whose course doth plainly tell, That what of Coln is said, of me none could refell, Whom Alfred but too wise (poor river!) I may ear [beer? Makes stouter English ale or stronger English The oat, the bean, and pease, with me but pulses are; [and tare. The coarse and browner rye, no more than fitch What seed doth any soil in England bring, that I Beyond her most increase yet cannot multiply? Besides, my sure abode next goodly London is, To vent my fruitful store, that me doth never miss. And those poor baser things, they cannot put away, Howe'er I set my price, ne'er on my chapmen stay. When presently the hill that maketh her a vale, With things he had in hand did interrupt her tale, With Hampstead being fall'n and High-gate at debate; [state, As one before them both that would advance his And therefore by desert to be the noblest hill; A forest for her pride, though titled but a chase. Her purlieus, and her parks, her circuit full as large, [charge. As some (perhaps) whose state requires a greater Whose holts that view the east, do wistly stand to look Upon the winding course of Lee's delightful brook. Where Mimer coming in, invites her sister Bean, Amongst the chalky banks t' increase their mistress' train; Whom by the dainty hand obsequiously they lead (By Hartford gliding on, through many a pleasant mead. And coming in her course to cross the common fare, Or 1, poor silly brook, take pleasure in her sight? for true) Dare loudly lie for Coln, that sometimes ships did To Ver❜lam by her stream, when Ver❜lam famous 14 High woody banks. And whom, of all her train, Lee most entirely lov'd) Lest so excessive grief her mistress might invade, Thus (by fair gentle speech) to patience doth per suade : [fore, "Though you be not so great to others as beYet not a jot for that dislike yourself the more. Your case is not alone, nor is (at all) so strange; Sith every thing on Earth subjects itself to change. Where rivers sometime ran, is firm and certain ground: [are found. And where before were hills, now standing lakes And that which most you urge, your beauty to despoil, Doth recompense your bank with quantity of soil, Beset with ranks of swans; that, in their wonted As in the fittest place by man that could be thought, stands. Nor any haven lies to which is more resort, Fre idle gentry up in such abundance sprung, The public wealth so dry, and only is the cause Before the costly coach, and silken stock came in ; Sith every thing therein consisteth in extremes; Here of this present song she briefly makes an end. 16 Tobacco. ILLUSTRATIONS. In wandering passage the Muse returns from the wedding, somewhat into the land, and first to Hartford; whence, after matter of description, to London. Thou saw'st when Ver❜lam once her head aloft did bear. For, under Nero, the Britons, intolerably loaden with weight of the Roman government, and espepecially the Icens, (now Norfolk and Suffolk men) provoked by that cruel servitude, into which not themselves only, but the wife also and posterity of their king Prasutagus were, even beyond right of victory, constrained, at length breathing for liberty, (and in a farther continuance of war, having for their general R. Boudicea, Bunduica, or as the difference of her name is) rebelled against their foreign conqueror, and in martial opposition committing a slaughter of no less than 80,000, (as Dio bath, although Tacitus miss 10,000 of this number) ransacked and spoiled Maldon. (then Camalodunum) and also this Verulam, near St. Alban's) which were the two chief towns of the isle (a); the first a colony, (whereof the 8th song) (a) Suet. lib. 6. cap. 39. this a municipal city (), called expressly, in a I was that city, which the garland wore As under the Romans, so in the Saxon times afterward, it endured a second ruin; and, out of its corruption, after the abbey erected by king Offa, was generated that of St. Alban's; whither, in later times (d), most of the stone-works, and what. soever fit for building, was by the abbots translated. So that, -Now remains no memory, Nor any little monument to see, By which the traveller that fares that way, The name hath been thought, from the river there running called Ver, and Humphrey Lhaid (^) makes it, as if it were Uer-lhan, i. e. a church upon Ver. Thou saw'st great burden'd ships through these thy vallies pass. Lay not here unlikelihoods to the author's charge; he tells you more judiciously towards the end of the song. But the cause why some have thought so is, for that, Gildas (g), speaking of St. Alban's martyrdom, and his miraculous passing through the river at Verlamcestre, cal!s it iter ignotum trans Thamesis fiuvii alveum: so by collection they guessed that Thames had then his full course this way, being thereto farther moved by anchors and such like here digged up. This conjecture hath been followed by that noble Muse (h) thus in the person of Verlam: And where the crystal Thamis wont to slide (b) Municipium Tacit. Annal. 14. (g) In Epist. de Excid. Britan There also where the winged ships were seen, But, for this matter of the Thames, those two grand antiquaries, Leland and Camden, have joined in judgment against it: and for the anchors, they may be supposed of fish-boats in large pools, which have here been; and yet are left telics of their naine. Since us his kingly ways Molmutius first began. of the statute (as I have seen in a fair MS. examined by the exemplification, for the record itself is with many other lost) had not those words, as the register (1) also specially admonishes, nor is any part of that chapter in soine MSS. which I marvel at, secing we have a formal writ grounded upon it. Not much amiss were it here to rememcharter of the forest, article VII. where you read ber a worse fault, but continually received, in the Nullus forestarius, &c. aliquam collectam faciat nisi per visum & sacramentuin XII. regardatoruch quando faciunt regardum. Tot forestarii, &c. the truth of the best copies (and so was the record) being in this digestion: Nullus forestarius, &c. aliquam collectam faciat. Et per visum sacramentum XII. regardatorum, quando faciunt regardum, tot forestarii pouantur, &c. as, beside authentic MSS. it is expressly in the like charter, almost word for word, given first by king John, and printed in Matthew Paris; 'twixt which, and that of ours commonly read, he may be made a time-deserving comparison. Were it not for digression, I would speak of the senseless making of Boniface, archbishop of Canterbury, witness to the grand charter in 9th Henry III. when as it is plain that he was not bishop until the 25th. The best copy that ever I saw had Simon, archbishop of Canterbury; which indeed was worse, there being no such prelate of that see in those times; but the mistake was by the transcriber's turning the single S. (according to the form of Near 500 years before our Saviour, this king Molmutius (take it upon credit of the British story) constituted divers laws; especially that churches, ploughs, and highways, should have liberties of sanctuary, by no authority violable. That churches should be free, and enjoy liberty for refuge, consenting allowance of most nations have tolerated, and in this kingdom (it being affirmed also by constitution of king Lucius (1), a Christian) every church-yard was a sanctuary, until by act of parliament (4) under Henry VIII that licence, for protection of offences, being too much abused, was taken away; but, whether now re stored in the last parliament (), wherein all statutes concerning abjuration or sanctuary made before 35th Elizabeth are repealed, I examine not. The plough and husbandmen have by our sta-writing in that age) into S.mon for Stephen, tutes (m), and so especially by civil (n) and Persian law (0), great freedoms. Highways being, without exception, necessary, as well for peace as war, have been defended in the Romas laws (p), and are taken in ours, to be in that respect (as they are by implication of the name) the king's highways, and res sacræ (q): & qui aliquid inde occupaverit excedendo fines & terminos terræ suæ, dicitur fecisse purpresturam super ipsum regem. According to this privilege of Molmutius in the statute of Marlbridge (r) it is enacted, that none should distrain in the king's highway, or the common street, but the king and his ministers, specialem authoritatem ad hoc habentibus; which I particularly transcribe, because the printed hooks are therein so generally corrupted by addi-Romans also. But their courses are diffetion of this here cited in Latin: you see it alters the law much, and we have divers judgments, that in behalf of the king by common bailiffs, without special authority, distress may be taken (s), as for an amerciament in the sheriff's torn or leet, or for parliament knights' fees. But the old rolls (i) Florilegus. (4) 22 Hen. 8. cap. 14. (1) Jacob. Sess. 1. c. 25. (m) Westm. 2. c. 20 & 21 Ed. 1. District. Scaccarii. (n) C. Quæ res pignori oblig. 1. 7. Executores & alibi. (0) Xenoph. Cyropæd. t. (p) ff. de via public. who was (Stephen of Langton) archbishop at that time. But I forget myself in following matter of my more particular study, and return to Molmutins. His constitution being general for liberty of highways, controversy grew about the course and limits of thein; whereupon his son, king Belin, to quit the subject of that doubt, caused more especially these four, here presently spoken of, to be made, which might be for interrupted passage, both in war and peace; and hence by the author they are called military, (a name given by the Romans to such highways as were for their marching armies) and indeed by more polite conceit (u) and judicious authority, these our ways have been thought a work of the rently reported, and in some part their names also. The author calls them Watling-street, the Fosse, Ikinild, and Rickeneld. This name of Rickeneld is in Randall of Chester, and by him derived from Saint Dewy's in Pembroke into Hereford, and so through Worcester, Warwick, Derby, and York shires to Tinmouth, which (upon the author's credit reporting it to me) is also justifiable by a very ancient deed of lands, bounded near Birmingham, in Warwickshire, by Rickeneld. To endeavour certainty in them, were but to obtrude unwarrantable conjecture, and abuse time and you. Of Watling (who is here personated, and so much the more proper, because Verlam was called also by the English (9) Bract. lib. 4. tract. Assis. Nov. diss. c. 16. (r) Watling-chester) it is said that it went from §. 8. (r) 52 Hen. 3, cap. 16. & V. Art. Cler. cap. 9. Statutum Marlbridge sibi restitutum. (s) 34 Ed. 1. Avoury 232. 8. Rich. 2. ibid. 194. 11 Hen. 4. fol. 1. 19. Ed, 2. Avoury, 221. & 225. alibi, Dover, in Kent, and so by west of London (yet (1) Original. fol. 97. b. Charta de Foresta ad MS. emendat. (u) V. Camden Roman. power ; That of so great descent, and of so large a dower, His breast adorn'd with swans, oft wash'd with silver They send him to the court of great Oceanus, To woo the lovely nymph, fair Medway, as he part of the name seems to this day left in the middle of the city) to this place, and thence in a erooked line through Shropshire by Wrekin hil into Cerdigan (y); but others (2) say from Verlam to Chester; and where all is referred to Belin by Geffrey ap Arthur, and Polychronicon, another (a) tells you that the sons of (I know not what) king Wethle made, and denominated it. The Fosse is derived, by one consent out of Cornwall into Devonshire, through Somerset, over Coteswold by Tewkesbury, along near Coventry, to Leicester, through Lincoln to Berwick, and thence to Caithness, the utmost of Scotland. Of restitution of the other you may be desperate; Rickeneld I have told you of; in Henry of Huntingdon no such name is found, but with the first two, Ickenild and Erming-street. Ickenild, saith be, goes from east to west: Erming-street, from south to north: another tells me, that Erming-street begins at St. Dewy's, and conveys itself to Southampton; which As still his goodly train yet every hour increas'd, the author hath attributed to Ichning, begun upon And from the Surrian shores clear Wey came down the word's community with Icens) in the eastern [greet, parts. It is not in my power to reconcile all His greatness, whom the Thames so graciously doth these, or elect the best; I only add, that Erming- | That with the fern-crown'd flood1 he minion-like street, which, being of English idiom, seems to doth play: have had its name from Iɲmunrull in that signifi-Yet is not this the brook, enticeth him to stay. cation, whereby it interprets (b) an universal pillar | But as they thus, in pomp, came sporting on the worshipped for Mercury, president of ways, is like shoal, [Mole. enough (if Huntingdon be in the right, making it 'Gainst Hampton-court he meets the soft and gentle from south to north) to have left its part in Stan- Whose eyes so pierc'd his breast, that seeming to street, in Surrey, where a way made with stones foreslow and gravel, in a soil on both sides very different, continues near a mile; and thence towards the eastern shore, in Sussex, are some places seen ing às other relics of it. But I here determine nothing. (y) Polychron. lib. 1. cap. de Plat. reg. (z) Henric. Huntingd. hist. 1. (a) Roger. Hoveden, part 1. fol. 248. (b) Adam. Bremens. hist. Eccles. cap. 5. and Bee to the 3d song. POLY-OLBION. THE SEVENTEENTH SONG. THE ARGUMENT. To Medway, Thames a suitor goes; Ar length it came to pass, that Isis and her Thame to meet The way which he so long intended was to go, And that he in her sight transparent might appear, sped Kent) And sending to inquire, had news return'd again How this their only heir, the isle's imperial flood, No marvail (at the news) though Ouse and More comfort of their son expecting to have had. Who fearing lest he might thus meanly be bestow'd, From his much-loved Mole how loth he was to go. Th' affection of her child, as ill as they do theirs : content |