1 22 PORTLAND. 



" the Church Yarde Banks almost of an incredible height, 

 " soe that it even afrighte one to look downe. ISTeare the 

 " Church but at least fiftie steppes of stone above it stands 

 " the walls of the olde Castelle, for scite before the 

 " invention of Ordnance, in man's judgment impregnable ; 

 " yet was it both forced and wonne by Robert Earle of 

 " Gloucester, base brother to Maude the Empress and in 

 " her behalfe, what time shee waged Warre with King 

 " Stephen for her right. At this place in the year 1588 

 " the Spaniards with there supposed invincible Arnrie 

 " shewed to land ; but being prevented by the English 

 " between them there begun in the sight of a!l the Coast 

 " such a fight that they were forced to acknowledge their 

 " Arniie vincible and to shift for themselves, though many 

 " hundreds of them came short home and two of their great 

 " shippes brought into Weymouth. 



" Portland hath plentie of excellent Quarries of stone that 

 "for solidnesse and durablenesse it is transported into 

 " London and that in great plentie. Sithence it pleased the 

 "King Anno 1610 by the advice of his Architecturers to 

 " make choice of Portland stone for the re-edifieing of his 

 " Banquetting House at Whitehall. 



" Concerning the name controversie hath arisen, some 

 " thinkeing it took name by reasons of the scite opposite 

 " to the Port of Weymouth, which opinion I cannot but 

 ' reject. In that I believe it had to name Portland before 

 " the other had anie being. And therefore I will content 

 "my selfe with the opinion of the judicious Cambden, 

 " which is that it took name from one Port, a noble Saxon 

 " who in the yeare of our Salvation 703 arriveing there, 

 " much infested and annoyed these Coasts. After in the 

 " declineing age of Saxon's Empire, Portland felt often the 

 " violent and furious rage of the Danes, who when they 

 " came as Scoutes Anno 783 to discover the goodeness of 



