XXXIX.

Whereat Cadwallin, wroth, fhall forth iffue,
And an huge hoft into Northumber lead,
With which he godly Ofwald fhall fubdue,
And crown with martyrdom his facred head,
Whose brother Ofwin, daunted with like dread,
With price of filver fhall his kingdom buy;
And Penda seeking him adown to tread,
Shall tread adown, and do him foully die,
But fhall with gifts his Lord Cadwallin pacifie.

XL.

Then fhall Cadwallin dye, and then the reign.
Of Britons eke with him attonce fhall die
e;
Ne fhall the good Cadwallader with pain,
Or powre, be able it to remedy,
When the full time prefixt by destiny,
Shall be expir'd of Britons regiment.

For heaven it felf fhall their fuccefs envy,
And them with plagues and murrins peftilent
Confume, till all their warlike puiffance be spent.
XLI.

Yet after all these forrows, and huge hills
Of dying people, during eight years space,
Cadwallader not yielding to his ills,
From Armorick, where long in wretched cafe
He liv'd, returning to his native place,
Shall be by vifion ftayd from his intent:
For th' heavens have decreed to displace
The Britons, for their fins due punishment,
And to the Saxons over-give their government.
XLII.

Then woe, and woe, and everlasting woe,
Be to the Briton babe that fhall be born,
To live in thraldome of his fathers foe;
Late King, now captive, late Lord, now forlorn,
The worlds reproach, the cruel victors fcorn,
Banifht from Princely bowre to wasteful wood:
O who fhall help me to lament, and mourn
The royal feed, the antique Trojan blood!
Whofe empire longer here than ever any stood.

XLIII.

The Damzel was full deep empaffioned,
Both for his grief, and for her peoples fake,
Whofe future woes fo plain he fashioned,
And fighing fore at length him thus bespake
Ah! but will heavens fury never flake,
Nor vengeance huge relent it felf at laft?
Will not long mifery late mercy make,

But fhall their name for ever be defafte.
And quite from off the earth their memory be rafte.
XLIV.

Nay but the term (faid he) is limited,

That in this thraldom Britons shall abide,
And the just revolution meatured,

That they as ftrangers fhall be notifide.

For twice four hundred years fhall be fupplide,
Ere they to former rule reftor'd fhall be,
And their importune fates all fatisfide:
Yet during this their moft obfcurity,

[fee.

Their beams fhall oft break forth, that men them fair may
XLV.

For Rhodorick, whofe firname fhall be great,
Shall of himself a brave enfample fhew,
That Saxon Kings his friendship fhall intreat;
And Howell Dha fhall goodly well endue
The falvage minds with skill of juft and true,
Then Griffyth Conan alfo fhall up-rear
His dreaded head, and the old fparks renew
Of native courage, that his foes fhall fear,

Left back again the Kingdom he from them should bear.
XLVI.

Ne fhall the Saxons felves all peaceably

Enjoy the crown, which they from Britons won
Firft ill, and after ruled wickedly:

For ere two hundred years be full out-run,
There shall a Raven far from rifing fun,
With his wide wings upon them fiercely fly,
And bid his faithlefs chickens over-run
The fruitful plains, and with fell cruelty,

In their avenge, tread down the victours furquedry.

XLVII.

Yet fhall a third both these, and thine fubdew;
There fhall a Lion from the fea-bord wood
Of Neuftria come roring, with a crew
Of hungry whelps, his battailous bold brood,
Whose claws were newly dipt in cruddy blood,
That from the Danish tyrants head fhall rend
Th'ufurped crown, as if that he were wood,
And the fpoil of the country conquered
Emongst his young ones fhall divide with bounty hed.
tight an XLVIII.

Though when the term is full accomplished,
There shall a spark of fire, which hath long-while
Been in his afhes raked up and hid,

Be freshly kindled in the fruitful Inle

Of Mona, where it lurked in exile;

Which shall break forth into bright burning flame,
And reach into the house that bears the ftile
Of royal Majefty and foveraine name;

So fhall the Briton blood their crown again reclame.
XLIX.

Thenceforth eternal union shall be made
Between the nations different afore,
And facred peace fhall lovingly perfuade
The warlike minds, to learn her goodly lore,
And civil arms to exercise no more:

Then fhall a royal virgin reign, which shall
Stretch her white rod over the Belgick fhore,
And the great caftle fmite fo fore withall,

That it shall make him shake, and fhortly learn to fall.

But yet the end is not.

L.

There Merlin ftayd, As over-comen of the fpirits powre,

Or other ghaftly spectacle difmayd,

That fecretly he faw, yet n'ote discoure :

Which fuddain fit, and half extatick ftoure
When the two fearful women faw, they grew

Greatly confused in behaviour;

At laft the fury paft, to former hue

He turn'd again, and chearful looks as earft did fhew..

LI.

Then, when themselves they well inftructed had'
Of all, that needed them to be inquir'd,
They both conceiving hope of comfort glad,
With lighter hearts unto their home retir'd,
Where they in fecret counfel clofe confpir'd
How to effect fo hard an enterprize,

And to poffefs the purpose they defir'd:

Now this, now that, twixt them they did devife, And diverfe plots did frame, to mask in ftrange disguise. LII.

At last, the Nurfe in her foolhardy wit

Conceiv'd a bold device, and thus bespake;
Daughter, I deem that counsel aye most fit,
That of the time doth due advantage take;
Ye fee that good King Uther now doth make
Strong war upon the Paynim brethren, hight
Oda and Oza, whom he lately brake
Befide Caryl Verd lame, in victorious fight,
That now all Britany doth burn in armës bright.
LIII.

That therefore nought our paffage may empeach,
Let us in feigned arms our felves difguife,
And our weak hands, whom need new ftrength shall teach
The dreadful spear and shield to exercise:
Ne certes daughter that fame warlike wife,
I ween, would you misfeem; for ye been tall,
And large of limb, t'atchieve an hard emprise,
Ne ought ye want, but skill, which practice small
Will bring, and shortly make you a maid martiall.
LIV.

And footh, it ought your courage much inflame,
To hear fo often, in that royal house,
From whence to none inferiour ye came,
Bards tell of many women valorous
Which have full many feats adventurous
Perform'd, in paragon of proudest men :
The bold Bonduca, whofe victorious

Exploits made Rome to quake, ftout Guendolen,
Renowned Martia, and redoubted Emmilen.

LV.

And that, which more than all the reft may fway,
Late days enfample, which thefe eyes beheld,
In the last field before Menevia

Which Uther with those foreign Pagans held,
I faw a Saxon virgin, the which felld
Great Ulfin thrice upon the bloody plain,
And had not Carados her hand with-held
From rafh revenge, fhe had him surely flain,
Yet Carados himself from her escapt with pain.
LVI.

Ah read, quoth Britomart, how is the hight?
Fair Angela, quoth fhe, men do her call,
No whit lefs fair, than terrible in fight:
She hath the leading of a martiall

And mighty people, dreaded more than all
The other Saxons, which do for her fake
And love, themselves of her name Angles call
Therefore fair Infant her enfample make
Unto thy felf, and equal courage to thee take.
LVII.

Her hearty words fo deep into the mind

Of the young Damzel funk, that great defire
Of warlike arms in her forthwith they tyn'd,
And generous ftout courage did infpire;
That the refolv'd, unweeting to her Sire,
Advent'rous knighthood on herself to don,
And counsel'd with her Nurfe her maids attire
To turn into a maffie habergeon,

And bade her all things put in readiness anon.
LVIII.

Th' old woman nought, that needed, did omit;
But all things did conveniently purvay:
It fortuned (fo time their turn did fit)
A band of Britons riding on forray
Few days before, had gotten a great prey
Of Saxon goods, emongst the which was feen
A goodly armour, and full rich array,
Which long'd to Angela, the Saxon Queen,
All fretted round with gold, and goodly well befeen.