may mooue you to passe further, except the ends of
the Ocean sea, which nature forbiddeth should be sought
for. All is yours (most inuincible princes) which
are accounted woorthie of you, and thereof commeth
it, that you may equallie prouide for euerie one,
sith you haue the whole in your maiesties hands.
And therefore as heretofore (most excellent emperour
Dioclesian) by your commandement Asia did supplie the
desert places of Thracia with inhabitants transported
thither, as afterward (most excellent emperour Maximian)
by your appointment, the Frankeners at length brought
to a pleasant subiection, and admitted to liue vnder
[Sidenote: The printed booke hath Heruij, but
I take the H, to be thrust in for N.] lawes, hath
peopled and manured the vacant fields of the Neruians,
and those about the citie of Trier. And so now
by your victories (inuincible Constantius Cesar) whatsoeuer
did lie vacant about Amiens, Beauois, Trois, and Langres,
beginneth to florish with inhabitants of sundrie nations:
yea and moreouer that your most obedient citie of
Autun, for whose sake I haue a peculiar cause to reioise,
by meanes of this triumphant victorie in Britaine,
it hath receiued manie & [Sidenote: Artificers
foorth of Britaine.] diuerse artificers, of whom those
prouinces were ful, and now by their workemanship
the same citie riseth vp by repairing of ancient houses,
and restoring of publike buildings and temples, so
that now it accounteth that the old name of brotherlie
incorporation to Rome, is againe to hir restored,
when she hath you eftsoones for hir founder. I
haue said (inuincible emperour) almost more than I
haue beene able, & not so much as I ought, that I
may haue most iust cause by your clemencies licence,
both now to end, & often hereafter to speake:
and thus I ceasse.”
* * * *
*
What is to be observed and noted out of the panegyrike
oration of Mamertinus afore remembred, with necessarie
collections out of other Antiquaries.
THE XXV. CHAPTER.
Now let vs consider what is to be noted out of this
part of the foresaid oration. It should seeme
that when the emperour Maximian was sent into Gallia
by appointment taken betwixt him and Dioclesian, after
he had quieted things there, he set his mind foorthwith
to reduce Britaine vnder the obedience of the empire,
which was at that present kept vnder subiection of
such princes as mainteined their state, by the mightie
forces of such number of ships as they had got togither,
furnished with all things necessarie, & namelie of
able [Sidenote: Franci, or Frankeneres, people
of Germanie.] seamen, as well Britains as strangers,
among whome the Frankeners were chiefe, a nation of
Germanie, as then highly renowmed for their puissance
by sea, neere to the which they inhabited, so that
there were no rouers comparable to them.