Chronicles : The Historie of England | Page 2

countries ouer and beyond
Humber. And with this partition [Sidenote: Polyd. saith 5.] were they

contented by the tearme of six or seuen yéeres, after which [Sidenote:
Brennus not content with his portion.] time expired, Brennus coueting
to haue more than his portion came to, first thought to purchase
himselfe aid in forreine parties, & therefore by the prouocation and
counsell of yong vnquiet heads, [Sidenote: Elsingius.] sailed ouer into
Norway, and there married the daughter of Elsung or Elsing, as then
duke or ruler of that countrie. Beline, offended with his brother, that he
should thus without his aduice marrie with a stranger, now in his
absence seized all his lands, townes, and fortresses into his owne hands,
placing garisons of men of warre where he thought conuenient.
In the meane time, Brenne aduertised hereof, assembled a great nauie
of ships, well furnished with people and souldiers of the Norwegians,
with the which he tooke his course homewards, but in the waie he
[Sidenote: Guilthdacus king of Denmarke.] was encountred by
Guilthdacus king of Denmarke, the which had laid long in wait for him,
bicause of the yoong ladie which Brenne had maried, for whome he had
béene a sutor to hir father Elsing of long time. When these two fléetes
of the Danes and Norwegians met, there was a sore battell betwixt them,
but finallie the Danes ouercame them of Norway, and tooke the ship
wherein the new bride was conueied, and then was she brought aboord
the ship of Guilthdacus. Brenne escaped by flight as well as he might.
But when Guilthdacus had thus obtained the [Sidenote: A tempest.]
victorie and prey, suddenlie therevpon arose a sore tempest of wind and
weather, which scattered the Danish fleete, and put the king in danger
to haue béene lost: but finallie within fiue daies after, [Sidenote:
Guilthdacus landed in the north.] being driuen by force of wind, he
landed in Northumberland, with a few such ships as kept togither with
him.
Beline being then in that countrie, prouiding for defense against his
brother, vpon knowledge of the king of Denmarks arriuall, caused him
to be staied. Shortlie after, Brenne hauing recouered and gotten togither
the most part of his ships that were dispersed by the discomfiture, and
then newlie rigged and furnished of all things necessarie, sent word to
his brother Beline, both to restore vnto him his wife wrongfullie
rauished by Guilthdacus, and also his lands iniuriouslie by him seized

into his possession. These requests being plainlie and shortlie denied,
Brenne made no long delaie, but spéedilie made toward Albania, and
landing with his armie in a part thereof, incountred with his brother
Beline néere vnto a wood named [Sidenote: Calater wood is in
Scotland.] as then Calater, where (after cruell fight, and mortall battell
betwixt them) at length the victorie abode with the Britains, and the
discomfiture did light so on the Norwegians, that the most of them
were wounded, slaine, and left dead vpon the ground.
Hereby Brenne being forced to flée, made shift, and got ouer into
Gallia, where after he had sued to this prince, at length he [Sidenote:
Seguinus or Seginus duke of the Allobrogs, now the Delphinat of
Sauoy.] abode, and was well receiued of one Seguinus or Seginus duke
of the people called then Allobrogs (as Galfrid of Monmouth saith) or
rather Armorica, which now is called Britaine, as Polychronicon, and
the english historie printed by Caxton, more trulie maie seeme to
affirme. But Beline hauing got the vpper hand of his enimies,
assembling his councell at Caerbranke, now called York, tooke aduise
what he should doo with the king of Denmarke: where it was ordeined,
that he should be set at libertie, with condition and vnder couenant, to
acknowledge himselfe by dooing homage, to hold his land of the king
of [Sidenote: The Danes tributarie of the Britains.] Britaine, and to paie
him a yéerelie tribute. These couenants being agréed vpon, and
hostages taken for assurance, he was set at libertie, and so returned into
his countrie. The tribute that he couenanted to paie, was a thousand
pounds, as the English chronicle saith.
[Sidenote: The foure high waies finished.] When Beline had thus
expelled his brother, and was alone possessed of all the land of Britaine,
he first confirmed the lawes made by his father: and for so much as the
foure waies begun by his father were not brought to perfection, he
therefore caused workmen to be called foorth and assembled, whom he
set in hand to paue the said waies with stone, for the better passage and
ease of all that should trauell through the countries from place to place,
as occasion should require.
[Sidenote: The Fosse.] The first of these foure waies is named Fosse,

and stretcheth from the south