The Phœnician origin of Britons, Scots & Anglo-Saxons : discovered by Phœnician & Sumerian inscriptions in Britain, by preroman Briton coins & a mass of new history : with over one hundred illustrations and maps

COMING OF ARYAN BRITONS 1103 B.C. 143

Gildas Albanius (fifth century A.p.)! Nennius (about 822 A.D.)? and Bishop Geofirey of Monmouth (about 1140 A.D.),? and the Welsh and Irish-Scot fragmentary versions of the same.‘ These Ancient Chronicles are stated by their various editors to have been translated or compiled from _ earlier versions—‘in the (ancient) British tongue” says Geoffrey—which, being presumably on parchment, have now perished.

The ancient tradition was thus handed down in writing from generation to generation by the Britons, who, we shall find, were familiar with writing long before their arrival in Britain. And, as usual, it would be modernized from time to time into the vernacular of the period by later transcribers, just as modern writers modernize Chaucer and the early versions of the Arthur Legend. This tradition was universally regarded as genuine history down till about a century ago. The Brut or “ Brutus’”’ tradition was current in early Welsh bardic literature and formed a class styled “ The Bruts,” including Layamon’s. And Geoffrey's version was a mine from which our great poets and dramatists have drawn materials and inspiration for many of their romances on British hfe in the preRoman period, such as Shakespeare's King Leary and Cymbeline.

The arbitrary rejection of these traditional Ancient British Chronicles as a source of pre-Roman British History by

: The title "* Gildas ” is said to have been borne by two monks, and both princes, sons of King Gawolon or Caw, King of Strathclyde, with capital at Dunbarton. “ Gil-das” or “ Gilli-tasc *’ means “ Prince of the Church.” (P.A.B, 69). The elder, surnamed Albanus, called his history of Early Britain “‘ Cambreis”’ or ‘‘ History of the Cambrias,” a title tor Britain. Only fragments ofitremain. He died at Glastonbury in 512. The younger, surnamed Badonius or “ of Bath,’’ wrote a scurrilous and non-trustworthy history commencing only with the Anglo-Saxon period (J. 69, etc.).

On his date and personality, see P.A.B. 43, etc. Several MSS. are dated 976 a.b. For antiquity of the Nennius tradition before age of Nennius, see H. Zimmer, Nennius Vindicatus, Berlin, 1893 ; and Mommsen, Mon. German. Hist. Chronica Minora, 3, 14, etc.

> He became bishop of St. Asaph in 1152.

‘The Irish “ Nennius”’ is ascribed to a British bishop of Ireland named Marcus and dates to 822, see P.A./?. 40, etc.

* See G.O.C. xi, etc. ; S$.C.P. clxix, 57, 118, 378, etc. The wide prevalence of the version by Nennius is evident from there being no less than 33 copies of the old MSS. of about the tenth century still existing.