History of the Kings of Britain - York University

1 Geoffrey of MonmouthHistory of the Kings of Britaintranslated byAaron Thompsonwith revisions byJ. A. GilesIn parentheses PublicationsMedieval Latin SeriesCambridge, Ontario 1999 Book 1. The epistle dedicatory to Robert earl of GloucesterWhilst occupied on many and various studies, I happened to lightupon the History of the Kings of Britain , and wondered that in theaccount which Gildas and Bede, in their elegant treatises, had given ofthem, I found nothing said of those Kings who lived here before theIncarnation of Christ, nor of Arthur and many others who succeededafter the Incarnation, though their actions both deserved immortal fame.

2 And were also celebrated by many people in a pleasant manner and byheart, as if they had been written. Whilst I was intent upon these andsuch like thoughts, Walter, archdeacon of Oxford, a man of greateloquence, and learned in foreign histories, offered me a very ancientbook in the British tongue, which, in a continued regular story andelegant style, related the actions of them all, from Brutus the first king ofthe Britons, down to Cadwallader the son of Cadwallo. At his request,therefore, though I had not made fine language my study, by collectingflorid expressions from other authors, yet contented with my ownhomely style, I undertook the translation of that book into Latin.

3 For if Ihad swelled the pages with rhetorical flourishes, I must have tired myreaders, by employing their attention more upon my words than uponthe History . To you, therefore, Robert earl of Gloucester, this workhumbly sues for the favour of being so corrected by your advice, that itmay not be thought to be the poor offspring of Geoffrey of Monmouth,but when polished by your refined wit and judgment, the production ofhim who had Henry the glorious king of England for his father, andwhom we see an accomplished scholar and philosopher, as well as a2 Geoffrey of Monmouthbrave soldier and expert commander.

4 So that Britain with joyacknowledges, that in you she possesses another 2. The first inhabitants of , the best of islands, is situated in the Western Ocean, betweenFrance and Ireland, being eight hundred miles long, and two hundredbroad. It produces every thing that is useful to man, with a plenty thatnever fails. It abounds with all kinds of metal, and has plains of largeextent, and hills fit for the finest tillage, the richness of whose soilaffords variety of fruits in their proper seasons.

5 It has also forests wellstored with all kinds of wild beasts; in its lawns cattle find good changeof pasture, and bees variety of flowers for honey. Under its loftymountains lie green meadows pleasantly situated, in which the gentlemurmurs of crystal springs gliding along clear channels, give those thatpass an agreeable invitation to lie down on their banks and slumber. It islikewise well watered with lakes and rivers abounding with fish; andbesides the narrow sea which is on the Southern coast towards France,there are three noble rivers, stretching out like three arms, namely, theThames, the Severn, and the Humber; by which foreign commoditiesfrom all countries are brought into it.

6 It was formerly adorned with eightand twenty cities, of which some are in ruins and desolate, others arestill standing, beautified with lofty church-towers, wherein religiousworship is performed according to the Christian institution. It is lastlyinhabited by five different nations, the Britons, Romans, Saxons, Picts,and Scots; whereof the Britons before the rest did formerly possess thewhole island from sea to sea, till divine vengeance, punishing them fortheir pride, made them give way to the Picts and Saxons.

7 But in whatmanner, and from whence, they first arrived here, remains now to berelated in what of MonmouthChapter 3. Brutus being banished after the killing of his parent,goes into the Trojan war, Aeneas, flying with Ascanius from thedestruction of their city, sailed to Italy. There he was honourablyreceived by king Latinus, which raised against him the envy of Turnus,king of the Rutuli, who thereupon made war against him. Upon theirengaging in battle, Aeneas got the victory, and having killed Turnus,obtained the kingdom of Italy, and with it Lavinia the daughter ofLatinus.

8 After his death, Ascanius, succeeding in the kingdom, built Albaupon the Tiber, and begat a son named Sylvius, who, in pursuit of aprivate amour, took to wife a niece of Lavinia. The damsel soon afterconceived, and the father Ascanius, coming to the knowledge of it,commanded his magicians to consult of what sex the child should they had satisfied themselves in the matter, they told him shewould give birth to a boy, who would kill his father and mother, andafter travelling over many countries in banishment, would at last arriveat the highest pitch of glory.

9 Nor were they mistaken in their prediction;for at the proper time the woman brought forth a son, and died of hisbirth; but the child was delivered to a nurse and called length, after fifteen years were expired, the youth accompanied hisfather in hunting, and killed him undesignedly by the shot of an , as the servants were driving up the deer towards them, Brutus, inshooting at them, smote his father under the breast. Upon his death, hewas expelled from Italy, his kinsmen being enraged at him for so heinousa deed.

10 Thus banished he went into Greece, where he found theposterity of Helenus, son of Priamus, kept in slavery by Pandrasus, kingof the Greeks. For, after the destruction of Troy, Pyrrhus, the son ofAchilles, had brought hither in chains Helenus and many others; and torevenge on them the death of his father, had given command that theyshould be held in captivity. Brutus, finding they were by descent his oldcountrymen, took up his abode among them, and began to distinguishhimself by his conduct and bravery in war, so as to gain the affection ofkings and commanders, and above all the young men of the country.