[BUCH I.]
ALBON UND AMPHABEL.
123
Mars in armes, 1 with Mercury eloquent
6 95 Amonge Romaine knightes | rekened
yonge & olde;
For whiche the Emperour by great
aduisement
Of prouidence (toforne as I haue tolde)
Before all other | Albon he hath
withholde,
On hym to awaite and abide day and
night,
700 Of his empire | as for moost worthy
knight.
Whan Bassian had his leue take
Of Dioclecian, | with knightes of Bri-
taine,
The Emperour for Albons sake
At theyr departyngelist nat for to faine
7°s To make hem chere. 1 and after, in
certaine,
For his pleasaunce, | as saith the cro -
niclere,
F ully complete] Albon abodeseuen yere.
This mean-while (myne author
writeth thus)
When this prince was come home in
dede
7«o Into his contree: A knight, Carauseus,
Greatly disposed to kyll and blood
to shede,
Of the Romains gate licence (as I rede)
And of the Cenate by great auctorite,
To be made keper of the Brittisshe see.
715 Bassianus by iust succession
At his comyng-home to Britaine, |
anon right
Was crowned kynge of that region,
His father dede, | a full notable knight,
Called Seuerus,) whiche in the peoples
sightes
720 Great fauour had. | but Bassian in
that He
(The story saith) reigned but a while:
By Carauseus (of whome I tolde
beforne)
This Bassian was slaine traitrously;
724 Ed. borne st. lorne.
Ceptre and crowne this yonge prince
hath lorne,
725 Carauseus vsurpyng moost falsly
To be crowned kynge of that party,
Hauyng no title to the regally
But a fals traine of murderand tiranny.
On Bassian thus when he was awroke
730 By intrusion the kyngdom vsurpynge,
To the Romains had his othe broke
And in Britaine toke vpon hym to
be kynge,
The Romaine tribute, the whiche was
hangynge
To themperour, j he falsly can deny;
735 Graunted also within Albany
To the pictes for to haue a dwel-
lynge-place —
The whiche now is called Scotlonde.
And from Rome they bode no longer
space,
A Cenatour cam downe with mighty
honde,
740 Called Allectus, ] the malice to with-
stande
Of Carauseus, with Romaine cham
pions —
Brought in nombre fully thre legions.
This Carauseus — instory as I fynde—
Whiche traitrously had murdred
Bassian,
745 Slaine by Allectus, ] his name put out
of mynde;
Romaine knightes | with many a manly
man,
For to accomplisshe theyr purpose
they began,
Brought Britons thrugh theyr renowne
Almoost by force vnto subiection.
750 To theyr socour, | hopynge it shulde
auaile
Against Romanies to make resistence,
Asclcpeodot, | duke of Cornewaile,
They chose of new | to Stande at
defence.
697) yow st. haue. 698) To foie, holde st. withholde, 699) abide and wayte. 700) for the
most worthiest. 701) I-take. 703) Alboones, 704 seyne. 70B) write. 711) sleen st. kyll. T 713) senate.
714) kepar. 716) home-comynge, 718) fadre. 719) sight. 722) aforne, 723) traytourisly. 724) lorne.
726) of st. in. 731) y-broke. 733) the which that. 734) gan. 737) is now callid. 738) fro. lengur.
739) with a m. 747) complcssh. tho st. they. 749) to. 750) that it. 751) ageyne. 752) Asclepiodet.
