But now in the meane time, whilest Paulinus was abroad about this
enterprise, the Britains began to conferre togither of they great and
importable miseries, of their grieuous state of seruitude, of their
iniuries and wrongs, which they dailie susteined: how that by
sufferance they profited nothing, but still were oppressed with more
[Sidenote: Lieutenant & procurator.]
heauie burthens. Ech countrie in times past had onelie one king
to rule them: now had they two, the lieutenant by his capteins and
souldiers spilling their bloud, and the procurator or receiuer (as we
may call him) bereauing them of their goods and substance. The concord
or discord betwixt those that were appointed to rule ouer them, was
all alike hurtfull vnto the subiects, the lieutenant oppressing them
by his capteins and men of warre, and the procurator or receiuer
by force and reprochfull demeanours, polling them by insufferable
exactions.
There was nothing free from the couetous extortion and filthie
concupiscence of these vnsatiable persons, for in these daies (say
they) the greatest spoiler is the valiantest man, and most commonlie
our houses are robbed and ransacked by a sort of cowardlie raskals
that haue no knowledge of anie warlike feats at all. Our children are
taken from us, we are forced to go to the musters, and are set foorth
to serue in forren parties, as those that are ignorant which way to
spend our liues in the quarell of our owne countrie.
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