Vespasian therefore withdrew from thence, and coasting westward, landed at Totnesse, and comming to Excester, besieged that citie:  but about the seuenth day after he had planted his siege, came Aruiragus, and gaue him battell, in the which both the armies sustained great losse of men, and neither part got anie aduantage of the other.  On the morrow after queene Genissa made them friends, and so the warres ceassed for that time, by hir good mediation.

¶ But seeing (as before I haue said) the truth of this historie maie be greatlie mistrusted, ye shall heare what the Romane writers saie of Vespasianus being heere in Britaine, beside that which we haue alreadie recited out of Dion in the life of Guiderius. [Sidenote:  Vespasian. Suetonius.  Salcellicus.] In the daies of the emperor Claudius, through fauour of Narcissus (one that might doo all with Claudius) the said Vespasian was sent as coronell or lieutenant of a legion of souldiers into Germanie, and being remooued from thence into Britaine, he fought thirtie seuerall times with the enimies, and brought vnto the Romane obeisance two most mightie nations, and aboue twentie townes, togither with the Ile of Wight; and these exploits he atchiued, partlie vnder the conduct of Aulus Plautius ruler of Britaine for the emperor Claudius, and partlie vnder the same emperor himselfe.  For as it is euident by writers of good credit, he came first ouer into Britaine with the said Aulus Plautius, and serued verie valiantlie vnder him, as before in place we haue partlie touched.  By Tacitus it appeareth, that he was called to be partener in the gouernment of things in Britaine with Claudius, and had such successe, as it appeered to what estate of honour he was predestinate, hauing conquered nations, and taken kings prisoners.  But now to make an end with Aruiragus:  when he perceiued that his force was too weake to preuaile against the Romane empire, and that he [Sidenote:  Gal.  Mon.] should striue but in vaine to shake the yoke of subiection from the necks of the Britains, he made a finall peace with them in his old age, and so continued in quiet the residue of his reigne, which he lastlie ended by death, after he had gouerned the land by the space [Sidenote:  73.] of thirtie yeeres, or but eight and twentie, as some other imagine.  He died in the yeere of Grace 73, as one author affirmeth, and was buried [Sidenote:  Matth.  West.] at Glocester.

* * * * *

Ioseph of Aramathia came into Britaine and Simon Zelotes, the antiquitie of christian religion, Britaine gouerned by Lieutenants and treasurers of the Romane emperors, the exploits of Ostorius Scapula and the men of Oxfordshire, he vanquisheth the Welshmen, appeaseth the Yorkshiremen, and brideleth the rage of the Silures.

THE FIFT CHAPTER.