| The Historium Britonum Nennius (a Welshman) c. 835 A.D. Tracts on the History of the Gaedil |
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"Much later came the Scots from parts of Spain to Ireland. First came Partholomus with a thousand persons, both men and women, and they increased to four thousand persons, and there came a pestilence upon them, and in one week they all persihed, and there remained not even one of them. Second came Nimeth (or Nimech) to Ireland, son of Agnomen, who is reported to have navigated on the ewa for a year and a half, and afterwards took port in Ireland with his vessels broken, and there abode for many years, and again set sail with his followers and returned to Spain. And afterwards came three sons of a soldier of Spain with thirty keels with them and with thirty wives in every keel, and there they remained for the space of one year. And afterwards they saw a glassy tower in the midst of the sea, and they used to see persons on the tower and sought to speak to them, and never did they reply. And after one year they hastened to attack the tower with all their keels and with all their women, except one keel which was broken in shipwreck, wherein were thirty men and so many women. And the other ships sailed to attack the tower, and when all had disembarked on the shore which was about the tower, the sea overwhelmed them and they were drowned, and none of them escaped. And from the household of that keel which was left owing to the wreck the whole of Ireland was filled even to this day. And afterwards they arrived by degrees from parts of Spain and held very many regions. 14 Last of all came one Hoctor, who continued there, and whose descendants rmain there to this day. Istoreth, the son of Istorinus, with his fallowers, held Dalrieta; Builc had the is- land Eubonia, and other adjacent places. The sons of Liethali obtained the country of the Dimetae, where is a city called Manavia and the province of Giheir and Cequell, which they held till they were expelled from every part of Britain by Ceunedda and his sons. 15 If anyone would wish to know when or at what time Ireland was uninhabited and waste, thus have the most learned of the Scots informed me. When the children of Israel came through the Red Sea, the Egyptians arrived and pursued them and were drowned, as is read in the law. There was a nobleman of Scythia among the Egyptians with a great house-host, and he was driven from his kingdom, and was there when the Egyptians were drowned, and went not forth to pursue the people of God. Those who survived took counsel to expel him, lest he should attack and seize their kingdom, because their strong men had been drowned in the Red Sea; and he was expelled. And he for forty-two years wandered in Africa, and they came to the altars of the Philistines through the Lake of the Salt-pits, and came between Rusicada and the mountains of Azaria, and came by the river Malva and crossed over through Maritana to the Pillars of Hercules; and they sailed the Tyrrhene Sea and arrived as far as Spain, and dwelt there for many years and increased and multiplied exceedingly and their race was multiplied exceedingly. And afterwards they came to Ireland after a thousand and two years from when the Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea, and to the regions of Dalrieta in the time when Brutus was reigning among the Romans, from whom the consuls began to be, then the tribunes of the people and the dictators. "Historiam Britonum" Nennius Trojan legend of the Britons 10. Respecting the period when this island became inhabited subsequently to the flood, I have seen two distinct relations. According to the annals of the Roman History, the Britons deduce their origin both from the Greeks and Romans. On the side of the mother, from Lavinia, the daughter of Latinus, king of Italy, and of the race of Silvanus, the son of Inachus, the son of Dardanus; who was the son of Saturn, king of the Greeks, and who, having possessed himself of a part of Asia, built the city of Troy. Dardanus was the father of Troius, who was the father of Priam and Anchises; Anchises was the father of Aeneas, who was the father of Ascanius and Silvius; and this Silvius was the son of Aeneas and Lavinia, the daughter of the king of Italy. From the sons of Aeneas and Lavinia descended Romulus and Remus, who were the sons of the holy queen Rhea, and the foundrs of Rome. Brutus was consul when he conquered Spain, and reduced that country to a Roman province. He afterwards subdued the island of Britain, whose inhabitants were the descendants of the Romans, Silvius Posthumous. He was called Posthumous because he was born after the death of Aeneas his father; and his mother Lavinia concealed herself during her pregnancy; he was called Silvius, because he was born in a wood. Hence the Roman kings were called Silvan, and the Britons who sprang from him; but they were called Britons from Brutus, and rose from the family of Brutus. Aeneas, after the Trojan war, arrived with his son in Italy; and having vanquished Turnus, married Lavinia, the daughter of King Latinus, who was the son of Faunus, the son of Picus, the son of Saturn. After the death of Latinus, Aeneas obtained the kingdom of the Romans, and Lavinia brought forth a son, who was named Slivius. Ascanius founded Alba, and afterwrads married. And Lavinia bore to Aeneas a son, named Silvius; but Ascanius married a wife, who conceived and became pregnant. And Aeneas, having been informed that his daughter-in-law was pregnant, ordered his son to send his magician to ecamine his wife, whether the child conceived were male or female. The magician came and examined the wife and pronounced it to be a son, who should become the most valiant among the Italians, and the most beloved of all men (other Mss. Who should slay his father and mother, and be hated by all mankind). In consequence of this prediction, the magician was put to death by Ascanius, but it happened that the mother of the child dying at its birth, he was named Brutus; and after a certain interval, agreeably to what the magician had foretold, whilst he was playing with some others he shot his father with an arrow, not intentionally, but by accident. He was, for this cause, expelled from Italy, and came to the islands of the Tyrrhene Sea, when he was exiled on account of the death of Turnus, slain by Aeneas. He then went among the Gauls, and built the city of the Torones, called Turnia. At length he came to this island, named from him Britania, dwelt there, and filled it with his own descendants, and it has been inhabited from that time to the present period. 12. After an interval of not less than eight hundred years, came the Picts, and occupied the Orkney Islands; whence they laid waste many regions, and seized those on the left hand side of Britain, where they still remain, keeping possession of a third part of Britain to this day. 17. I have learned another account of this Brutus from the ancient books of our ancestors. After the deluge, the three sons of Noah severally occupied three different parts of the earth: Shem extended his borders into Asia, Ham into Africa, and Japheth into Europe. The first man that dwelt in Europe was Alanus, with his three sons, Hisicion, Armenon, and Neugio. Hisicion had four sons, Francus, Romanus, Alamanus, and Brutus. Armenon had five sons, Gothus, Valagothus, Cibidus, Burgundus, and Longobardus. Neugio had three sons, Vandalus, Saxo, and Boganus. From Hisicion arose four nations - the Franks, the Latins, the Germans, and the Britons; from Armenon, the gothi, Valagothi, Cividi, Brudundi, and Longobardi; from Neugio, the Bogari, Vandali, Saxones, and Tarinegi. The whole of Europe was subdivided into these tribes. Alanus is said to have been the son of Fethuir; Fethuir, the son of Ogomuin, who ws the son of Thoi; Thoi was the son of Boibus, Boibus of Semion, Semion of Mair, Mair of Bethactus, Bethactus of Aurthack, Aurthack of Ethec, Ethec of Aoth, Aoth of Aber, Aber of Ra, Ra of Esraa, Esraa of Hisrau, Hisrau of Bath, Bath of Jobath, Jobath of Joham, Joham of Japheth, Japheth of Noah, Noah of Lamech, Lamech of Mathusalem, Mathusalem of Enoch, Enoch of Jared, Jared of Malalehel, Malalehal of Cainan, Cainan of Enos, Enos of Seth, Seth of Adam, and Adam was forned by the living God. We have obtained this information respecting the original inhabitants of Britain from ancient tradition. 18. The Britons were thus called from Brutus; Brutus was the son of Hisicion, Hisicion was the son of Alanus, Alanus was the son of Rhea Silvia, Rhea Silvia was the daughter of Numa Pompilius, Numa was the son of Ascanius, Ascanius of Eneas, Eneas of Anchises, Anchises of Troius, Troius of Dardanus, Dardanus of Flisa, Flisa of Juuin, Juuin of Japheth; but Japheth had seven sons; from the first, named Magog, the Scythia and Gothi; from the third, Madian, the Medi; from the fourth, Juuan, the Greeks; fromt he fifth, Tubal, arose the Hebrei, Hispani and Itali; from the sixth, Mosoch, sprung the Cappadocces; and from the seventh, named Tiras, descended the Thraces; these are the sons of Japheth, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech. |