440 



Settlement of the Anglo-Saxoyis in Britain. [Dec. 1 , 



Mcegla, went over to Britain in two very 

 large fliips. They Uimied at a place 

 which after Porta was called Portfmouth, 

 where they ilew a y<5ung Briton of arcat 

 family who governed there, put the in- 

 habitants to flight, and poffcUed iheni- 

 felves of the territory ; wiiich as we 

 find to have been peopled by Jutes, it is 

 probable that Porta and his fon were 

 of that nation. In the fame year, Cer- 

 dic ciicumnavigated the whole of that 

 part of Britain, which afterwards was 

 called VVeirex. Some years after Cerdic 

 and liis fon Ccnric, Porta and his fins, 

 Ofca king of Kent, and OUaking of Suf- 

 :t"rx, Avlio ^vab then confidered as the fu- 

 premc head of all the Angles, Saxons, 

 nnd Jnt(s in Britain, raifed a great unit- 

 ed army, with which (A. D. 508) they 

 advanced airainil thcBritilli kingNatau- 

 leog, who was flain, with 5000 of his 

 Brifons. Thencefoith that part of the 

 counlry as far asCerdiccsford, was called 

 Natanicog. The ilVue of t!ie battle was, 

 however, dubious for fome time; for 

 iNatanleog pi.' the right wing, which was 

 cnramaiided by Cerdic, to flight : but the 

 left, conducted by Cenric, ftU upon his 

 back and flew him. In addition to this 

 misfortune of the Britons, the fugitive 

 princes, (J6(a and F.ofa, came the next 

 ;^ear (A. D. 500) v.irh a very great fleet, 

 and a numberlefs holl from Anglia, to 

 the northern parts of Britain, commit- 

 ting great ravages in Albain, or Scotland. 

 i\iirciius was then confined by illnefs, 

 on vhich account he fent againft them 

 Lot, alderman of Liur, from the county 

 of Louthan* in Scotland, a man of con- 



whit'h is to follow immediately after the laft 

 wordi : carried devajiution before item ^vcry 

 v;bere. 



[dtftroying the churches, murdering 



the ptiefts 2t the altars, buniirii; the facred 

 looks, and filling up die tombs of the m.ir- 

 tyrs with CJrth. Yd the IVitons again made 

 head iigainft them, and a battle was fought 

 (A. 1). 4(;5) at WyppedtsFlcod in Kent, lo 

 r.amed after the valorous Angle VVypped who 

 fei! there ; notuithftanding which, Hcngft 

 dnd hii fon Oica were viftorious, and tuelve 

 ISritiCi aldermen, or liaderr, were lel'ton the 

 field. HengA was fo much alJeded by the 

 death of Wyppcd. th.it for foiiic years he de- 

 fifte'.i from iioiliiiicics, with whieh the Britons, 

 svere well falitficd. Perhaps alfo his inten- 

 tion was internally to cftablift and flrcngthen 

 his ftate. But at length he and Oua again 

 attacked the Britons, obtained a complete 

 viftort, iiud jri.ide d great booty (A. D. 



* Now Louthian, the anc:er.t feat of the 



duft and valour. lie was married to 

 Anna, the daughter of Aurelius. lie 

 had many (kirmiihcs vvith the Angles, and 

 fousrht with various fortune. .Sometimes 

 he loft ; fonietimes the advantage was 

 equal on both fides ; fometinics he coui- 

 pclled them to retretit to their Ihips, or 

 to the woods. In this manner the war 

 \^•as carried on for three years ; when 

 tlie Angles at length puflied forward to 

 Verolamium*. In this extremity Aure- 

 lius colle'-icd ;dl his forces, and, liimielf 

 carried upon ;i clniu', advanced againft 

 thofc foriniduble enemies, (A. D. 51 'i). 

 The Ang!c>, hea'iug of his illnefs, de- 

 fpifcri him, and entered the city, leaving 

 the gates open. But for this contempt 

 they had likely to Lave paid dear ; for 

 the Britons were very near forcing their 

 wav into the city, and were repelled 

 with the greatelt dilhculty. Therefore, 

 on the next day the Angles withdrew 

 from the city, and a dcfperate battle 

 was fought, in which the Britons were 

 at lengtii victorious, after Octa and Eofa 

 had been flain. Nevcriliclefs, the An- 

 gles contimied to fway the northern parts 

 of Britain, whither Aurelius would have 

 purfned them, but was prevented by his 

 illnefs. (Vol. i. p. 32'2-3'24.) 



There lived at this time (A. D. 512) 

 one Guitlach, a fubordinate king in 

 Punci), whofc name has been ftrangely 

 perverted by foreign hiftorians : they 

 have called him Cochilaicus, Bhodolai- 

 cus, Cochilagus, and Chodilaicus. This 

 (iuitlach was engaged m war with tlic 

 Britons and the Frenchf, which was oc- 

 cafioncd in th.e following manner. Beri- 

 nus, or Belin, the brother of the Brililh 

 king Aurelius, went to Alfrcc, king of 

 Flordcland in NorAvay, who lived at Al- 

 frek-ltad, to court his daughter, whom 

 he obtained, and carried with him to 

 Britain, (iuitlach, who was in love 

 with her, purfued him, and took away 

 his bride, foeether with the fliip in 

 which flie was. But a fiorm dilperfmg 

 his fleet, he with diflficnlty faved hijufelf 

 on the coaft of Northumberland with 

 three fliips, where he and all his people 

 and the queen were taken pnloners bv 

 Auicliub ; and the latter not being will- 



Picts, where Edinburgh lies. — Camdem Bri- 

 f..?;.a. p. (J87.tiil0. 



♦ This city is known from the time of tlie 

 Romans, it lies in Hertfordfhire, ne.ir St. 

 Albans.— C<J,-;</t-H; Jirit p. '.'9'.', 



f His exp'vlition to France has nothing to 

 do with tlie hillory ot Engl.md, it is therefore 

 e;3jitted in this ci.Ua.tX.'-'Tr ar'Jljtir, 



