[Sidenote:  GRATIANUS.] Gratianus then, whome Maximus or Maximinus had sent into Britaine (as before ye haue heard) hearing that his maister was slaine, tooke [Sidenote:  390.] vpon him the rule of this our Britaine, and made himselfe king therof, in the yeare 390.  He was a Britaine borne, as Polydor writeth, coniecturing so, by that he is named of authors to be Municeps, that [Sidenote:  Of the Romane souldiers as Blondus saith.] is to saie, a free man of the countrie or citie where he inhabited.  For his sternenesse and rough gouernement, he was of the Britains (as the histories alledge) slaine and dispatched out of the waie, after he had reigned the space of foure yeares, or rather foure moneths, as should seeme by that which is found in autentike writers.  Then the [Sidenote:  Galfrid.  Caxton.] forenamed kings Guantius and Melga, which (as some write) were brethren, returned into this land with their armies increased with new supplies of men of warre, as Scots, Danes, the Norwegians, and destroied the countrie from side to side.  For the Britains in this season were sore infeebled, and were not able to make anie great [Sidenote:  Galfrid.  Matth.  West.  Caxton.] numbers of souldiers, by reason that Maximus had led foorth of the land the floure and chiefest choise of all the British youth into Gallia, as before ye haue heard.

[Sidenote:  Gyldas.] Gyldas maketh no mention of these two kings Guanius and Melga of the Hunnes, but rehearsing this great destruction of the land, declareth (as before ye haue heard) that the Scots and Picts were the same that did all the mischiefe, whome he calleth two nations of beyond the seas, the Scots comming out of the northwest, and the Picts out of the northeast, by whome (as he saith) the land was ouerrun, and brought vnder foot manie yeares after.  Therefore the Britains being thus vexed, spoiled, and cruellie persecuted by the Scots and Picts (if we shall so take them) sent messengers with all speed vnto Rome to make sute for some aid of men of war to be sent into Britaine.  Wherevpon immediatlie a legion of souldiers was sent thither in the [Sidenote:  414.] yeere 414, which easilie repelled the enimies, and chased them backe with great slaughter, to the great comfort of the Britains, the which by this meanes were deliuered from danger of vtter destruction, as they thought.

But the Romans being occasioned to depart againe out of the land, appointed the Britains to make a wall (as had beene aforetime by the emperours Adrian, Antoninus and Seuerus) ouerthwart the countrie [Sidenote:  Beda and Polychron.] from sea to sea, stretching from Penuelton vnto the citie of Aclud, whereby the enimies might be staid from entring the land:  but this wall being made of turfs and sods, rather than with stones, after the departure of the Romans was easilie ouerthrowne by the Scots and Picts, which eftsoones returned to inuade the confines of the Britains, and so entring the countrie, wasted