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Historia Britonum (c.800) English Version Pseudo-Nennius This English translation of chapters 56 and 73 of Pseudo-Nennius' Historia Britonum is taken from Arthur King of Britain: History, Chronicle, Romance & Criticism, edited by Richard l. Brengle and published by Appleton-Century-Crofts (New York) in 1964. From chapter 56: At that time the Saxons grew powerful in great numbers and increased in Britain. But now that Hengist was dead, his son Octha crossed over from the left side of Britain to the kingdom of the Kentishmen, and from him are sprung the kinds of the Kentishmen. Then Arthur fought against them [the Saxons] in those days together with the kings of Britain, but he was himself the leader of battles. The first battle was [238] at the mouth of the river which is called Glein; the second, third, fourth, and fifth on another river, which is called Bassas. The seventh was the battle in the wood of Celidon, that is Cat Coit Celidon. The eighth battle was the battle at the castle Guinnion, in which Arthur carried the image of Saint Mary, the perpetual Virgin, on his shoulders and the pagans were put to flight on that day, and there was great slaughter of them by the virtue of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and by the virtue of Saint Mary the Virgin, His Mother. The ninth battle was fought in the city of the Legion. The tenth battle he fought on the shore of the river, which is called Tribuit. The eleventh was the battle waged on the mountain, which called Agned. The twelfth was the battle at Mount Badon, in which on one day nine hundred and sixty men fell to the ground during one onset of Arthur; and no one overthrew them save himself alone, and in all the battles he emerged the victor. [239] From chapter 73: There is another marvelous thing in the region which is called Buelt. There is at that place a pile of stones and one stone placed over and above this heap with the footprint of a dog on it. When he was hunting the boar Troynt, Cabal, who was the dog Arthur [239] the soldier, impressed his footprint on the stone, and Arthur afterwards gathered together a pile of stones undr the one on which was the footprint of his dog, and it is called Carn Cabal. And men come and carry the stone away in their hands for the space of a day and a night, and on the next day it is found back on its pile. There is another marvel in the region which is called Ercing. There is found at that place a tomb near a fountain, which is called Licat Anir, and the name of the man who is buried in the sepulchral mound was thus designated Anir. He was the son of Arthur the soldier, and he was the one who killed him in the same place and buried him. And men come to measure the sepulchral mound, sometimes six, sometimes nine, sometimes twelve, sometimes fifteen feet in length. Whatever way you measure it in alternation, the second time you will not find its measurement the same and I have tested it myself. [240] |
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