SECOND EDITION 1598 



king Edgar, mentioned by Florentius Wigorniensis, 

 Roger Hoveden, Rainulph of Chester, Matthew of 

 Westminster, Flores historiarum, & in the libel of 

 English policie, pag. 202. and 203. of this present 

 volume. Of which Authors some affirme the sayd 

 Fleet to have consisted of 4800. others of 4000. some 

 others of 3600. ships : howbeit (if I may presume to 

 gloze upon the text) I verily thinke that they were not 

 comparable, either for burthen, strength, building, or 

 nimble stirrage unto the ships of later times, and 

 specially of this age. But howsoever it be, they all 

 agree in this, that by meanes of the sayd huge Fleet 

 he was a most puissant prince ; yea, and some of them 

 affirme together with William of Malmesbury, that he 

 was not onely soveraigne lord of all the British seas, 

 and of the whole Isle of Britaine it selfe, but also that 

 he brought under his yoke of subjection, most of the 

 Isles and some of the maine lands adjacent. And for 

 that most of our Navigators at this time bee (for want 

 of trade and practise that way) either utterly ignorant, 

 or but meanely skilful!, in the true state of the Seas, 

 Shoulds, and Islands, lying between the North part of 

 Ireland and of Scotland ; I have for their better en- 

 couragement (if any weightie action shall hereafter 

 chance to drawe them into those quarters) translated 

 into English a briefe treatise called, A Chronicle of 

 the Kings of Man. Wherein they may behold as well 

 the tragical and dolefull historie of those parts, for the 

 space almost of 300. yeeres, as also the most ordinarie 

 and accustomed navigations, through those very seas, 

 and amidst those Northwesterne Isles called the Hebrides, 

 so many hundred yeeres agoe. For they shall there 

 read, that even then (when men were but rude in sea- 

 causes in regard of the great knowledge which we now 

 have) first Godredus Crovan with a whole Fleet of 

 ships, throughly haunted some places in that sea : 

 secondly, that one Ingemundus setting saile out of 

 Norway, arrived upon the Isle of Lewis : then, that 



ly 



