of Britaine in France, and obteine their
sute._
THE XXXIIJ. CHAPTER.
[Sidenote: GRATIANUS.]
Gratianus then, whome Maximus or Maximinus had sent into Britaine
(as before ye haue heard) hearing that his maister was slaine, tooke
[Sidenote: 390.]
vpon him the rule of this our Britaine, and made himselfe king
therof, in the yeare 390. He was a Britaine borne, as Polydor writeth,
coniecturing so, by that he is named of authors to be Municeps, that
[Sidenote: Of the Romane souldiers as _Blondus_ saith.]
is to saie, a free man of the countrie or citie where he inhabited.
For his sternenesse and rough gouernement, he was of the Britains (as
the histories alledge) slaine and dispatched out of the waie, after
he had reigned the space of foure yeares, or rather foure moneths, as
should seeme by that which is found in autentike writers. Then the
[Sidenote: _Galfrid. Caxton_.]
forenamed kings Guantius and Melga, which (as some write) were
brethren, returned into this land with their armies increased with
new supplies of men of warre, as Scots, Danes, the Norwegians, and
destroied the countrie from side to side. For the Britains in this
season were sore infeebled, and were not able to make anie great
[Sidenote: _Galfrid. Matth. West. Caxton_.]
numbers of souldiers, by reason that Maximus had led foorth of the
land the floure and chiefest choise of all the British youth into
Gallia, as before ye haue heard.
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