[Sidenote:  Hen.  Hunt. Beda. lib. 5.  Suebhard and Nidred kings by vsurpation and not by succession, as Henr.  Hunt. writeth.] A little before that Withred was confirmed in the kingdome of Kent, there reigned two kings in that countrie, Suebhard and Nidred, or rather the same Withred, if the printed copie of Bedas booke intituled “Ecclesiastica historia gentis Anglorum” haue not that name corrupted:  for where he sheweth that the archbishop Theodorus being of the age of 88 yeares, departed this life in the yeare of our Lord 690, in the next chapter he declareth, that in the yeare 692, the first daie of Iulie one Brightwald was chosen to succeed in the archbishops see of Canturburie, Withredus and Suebhardus as then reigning in Kent:  but whether Withredus gouerned as then with Suebhardus, or that some other named Nidred, it forceth not:  for certeine it is by the agreement of other writers, that till Withred obteined the whole rule, there was great strife and contention moued about the gouernement, and [Sidenote:  Brightwald the first archbishop of the English nation.] diuers there were that sought and fought for it.  But this ought to be noted, that the forenamed Brightwald was the eight archbishop in number, and first of the English nation that sat in the see of Canturburie:  for the other seuen that were predecessors to him, were strangers borne, and sent hither from Rome.

¶ Here endeth the line and gouernement of the Britains, now called Welshmen, which tooke that name of their duke or leader Wallo or Gallo; or else of a queene of Wales named Gales or Wales.  But howsoeuer that name fell first vnto them, now they are called Welshmen, which sometime were called Britains or Brutons, and descended first of the Troians, and after of Brute, and lastlie of Mulmucius Dunwallo:  albeit they were mingled with sundrie other nations, as Romans, Picts, &c.  And now they be called English that in their beginning were named Saxons or Angles.  To conclude therefore with this gouernement, so manie times intercepted by forren power, it appeareth by course of histories treating of these matters, that the last yeare of Cadwallader was the yeare of our Lord 686, which makes the yere of the world 4647.  So that (as Fabian saith) the Britains had the greater part of this land in rule (reckoning from Brute till this time) 1822 yeares.  Which terme being expired, the whole dominion of this realme was Saxonish.

Thus farre the interrupted regiment of the Britains, ending at the fift booke.

[Transcriber’s note:  The following words appear to be typos, but were left as they appeared in this book.

whreof => whereof (chapter 8, para. 5) buruished => burnished (chapter 13, para. 3) shost => short (chapter 25, para. 4) Grogories => Gregories (chapter 33, para. 10) abaoad => abroad (chapter 37, para. 6)]

  by little little => little by little (chapter 3, para. 1)