A. D. 5 64. 



^35 



564 — When Gildas who is, next to Patric, the mofl antient Britiflr 

 writer extant, wrote his lamentable hiflory of the ruin, or excifion 

 (' excidium') of Britain, Conftantine, Aurelius, Vortipor, Cuneglas, and 

 Maglocun, were kings of fome tribes or communities of the Britons. It 

 feems probable from their names, that the two firft were of Roman 

 origin, and perhaps Conftantine was of the family of that Conftantine, 

 who was eleded emperor by the army in Britain in the beginning of 

 the fifth century. [Gilda Epi/iola.'] 



Gildas fays, [_Hi/i. c. i] that there were twenty-eight cities in Britain, 

 befides fome caftles flrongly fortified. An authentic lift of the principal 

 cities or towns of Britain in the fixth century would be curious, and 

 would throw much important light on the ftate of the country. But 

 Gildas, who delights in declamation, is very fparing of fads, and total- 

 ly negledful of geography. Nennius, the next oldeft Britifti author, or 

 more probably his continuator, in a work which ufed to pafs under the 

 name of Gildas, has given a bare lift of cities, which, being much cor- 

 rupted by tranfcribers, affords very little information. However, as 

 there is no other, after the Romans, equally antient, I fliall here gitQ 

 it, as extraded from two very old manufcripts by Archbifhop Ufher, 

 with the modern names agreeable to the fame learned writer : and I 

 fliall fet oppofite to it the Britifti names handed down to us by Henry 

 of Huntingdon, together with his modern names, as being the oldeft and 

 fuUeft lift after that of Nennius. 



Carlile. 



Cities from Nennius, by Uftier, 

 Cair-Guntuig, Wiriwik in Lanca- 



fliire. 

 Cair-Municip, F'erulam at St. Al- 

 bans. 

 Cair-Lualid, or 7 

 Ligualid, 3 

 Cair-Meguaid, 1 Meivod in Mont- 



or Meiguod, ^ gomery. 

 Cair-Colon, Colchejler. 



Cair-Ebrauc, York. 



Cair-Cufteint, Cair-Seiont near 



Carnarvon *. 

 Cair-Caratauc 



Cities from Henry of Huntingdon. 



Kair-Mercipit. 



Kair-Lion, 



Kair-Meguaid. 



Kair-CoUon, 

 Kair-Ebranc, 



Kair-Cucerat. 



C/irlile. 



Colchejler. 

 York. 



* The Britilh monk« in the dark ages having 

 d'lfcovered, that Conftantine, the firll Chriftian em- 

 peror, was of Britifh birth and parentage, and 

 prcfuming that othert were as ignorant as them- 

 ielves, they refolved alfo to provide a burying place 

 for him, or his fatiier Conftantius, near Carnarvon, 

 where in the year 1283 they even found his body. 



{_UJfirni Brit, ecclef. atitlq. p. 6c.'\ But, as thefe 

 are very grofs fiftions, it is at lead as probable, 

 that Conftanton in Cornwall near Falmouth, which 

 in the time of Gildas was fubjeiS to Conftantine, 

 a Britilh petty king (not a Roman emperor) is 

 the place here called Cair-Cufteint. 



Gg2 



