[Sidenote:  COELUS. 262.] Coelus earle of Colchester began his dominion ouer the Britains in the yeere of our Lord 262.  This Coelus or Coell ruled the land for a certeine time, so as the Britains were well content with his gouernement, and liued the longer in rest from inuasion of the Romans, bicause they were occupied in other places:  but finallie they finding [Sidenote:  Fabian.] time for their purpose, appointed one Constantius to passe ouer into this Ile with an armie, the which Constantius put Coelus in such dread, that immediatlie vpon his arriuall Coelus sent to him an ambassage, and concluded a peace with him, couenanting to pay the [Sidenote:_Gal.  Mon._ Fabian. Caxton.] accustomed tribute, & gaue to Constantius his daughter in mariage called Helen, a noble ladie and a learned.  Shortlie after king Coell died, when he had reigned (as some write) 27 yeeres or (as other haue) but 13 yeeres.

¶ But by the way touching this Coelus, I will not denie, but assuredly such a prince there was:  howbeit that he had a daughter named Helen, whom he maried vnto Constantius the Romane lieutenant that was after emperor, I leaue that to be decided of the learned.  For if the whole course of the liues, as well of the father and the sonne Constantius and Constantine, as likewise of the mother Helen, be consideratelie marked from time to time, and yeere to yeere, as out of authors both [Sidenote:  Lib. 7. cap. 18.] Greeke and Latine the same may be gathered, I feare least such doubt maie rise in this matter, that it will be harder to prooue Helen a Britane, than Constantine to be borne in Bithynia (as Nicephorus auoucheth.) But forsomuch as I meane not to step from the course of our countrie writers in such points, where the receiued opinion may seeme to warrant the credit of the historie, I will with other admit both the mother and sonne to be Britains in the whole discourse of the historie following, as though I had forgot what in this place I haue said.

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A further discourse of the forenamed Constantius and Helen, his regiment ouer this Iland, his behauiour and talke to his sonne and councellors as he lay on his death-bed, a deuise that he put in practise to vnderstand what true Christians he had in his court, his commendable vertues, that the Britains in his time imbraced the christian faith is prooued.

THE XXVIJ.  CHAPTER.

[Sidenote:  CONSTANTIUS. Matth.  West. saith 302. 289.] Constantius a senatour of Rome began to reigne ouer the Britains, in the yeere of our Lord 289, as our histories report.  This Constantius (as before ye haue heard) had to wife Helen the daughter of the foresaid king Coel, of whome he begat a sonne named Constantinus, which after was emperour, and for his woorthie dooings surnamed Constantine the great.  S. Ambrose following the common [Sidenote:  Orosius.  Beda.] report, writeth that this