64 LLANYDLOE.S TO NEWTOWN. 



entered the ifland along with Brutus from Troy. 

 The chieftain fearing that Locrine's reported attach- 

 ment to EfTyllt might break off the intended mar- 

 riage with his daughter, threatened with his army 

 to compel the fulfilment of his promife. Locrine. 

 thus circumftanced, was under the neceffity of con- 

 cealing Eflylit in a cavern, declaring that fhe had 

 left the kingdom, and, greatly againft his inclination,, 

 was married to Gwendolen. On the death of Cori- 

 neus, which appears to have taken place but a fliort 

 time after the nuptials, he immediately divorced 

 Gwendolen, and acknowledged Effyllt to be his 

 queen. When he died, Gwendolen affumed the 

 government, and fhe revenged herfelf for the in- 

 juries fhe had fuftained, by caufing EiTyllt and her 

 daughter Abren to be cad into the river. From 

 this circumflance, the old writers fay, the flream 

 affumed the name of Abren ; which afterwards, 

 by a flight alteration, became Sabrina, and then 

 Severn *. 



Sabrina is her name, a virgin pure, 

 Whilome (he was the daughter of Locrlne, 



* This event is faid to have taken place above loco years 

 before the birth of Chrift. The moft ancient account of it ex- 

 tant is found in Tyfi'io's Hiilory of Britain from the fettlement 

 of the Trojan colony to the teign of Cadwaladr, the lall king of 

 rile Britons. This work is intitled Bml y Bt cii/jinocdJ ; it was 

 written about the year 6.0, and is the fame that Geoffry of 

 Monmouth afterwards pubhflicd, but with innumerable altera- 

 tions, in Latm. See alfo Matt. Weftm. p. 20. Speed's Maps, 

 ch. X. fol. 115., and Whitelock's Memorials from Brutus, p. 2. 



That 



