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Os tho Historia Britonum stero aro tWo prerious oditions; tho latior of Whicli, by Commolin, is containedin a volume, ontilled Rerum Britanniearum, id est Anglim, Scottoe, Vicinarumque Insularum ac Restionum: Scriptorta vetuMiorre ac principui. GALFREDI ΜΟΝU-ΜETENSIS, cognomento Arturi de origine et gratis Regum
Britanniae, Libri XII. PONTIci VIRUNNII, Britanni e Historion Libri VI., qui a G. Monuniete is Librosseae priores in Epitomen redegit. GILDAE SAPIENTIA GUoidio et Conquestu Britanniae Epistola. BEDAE ANGLOsAXONis Historion Ecclesiasticin Gentis Anglorum Libri V. Continuistio ejusdem historice, incerto auctore, GuLiELΜΟ ΜALΜESB. J Libris III. comprehenm, ac jam primum publicata. GULI ELΜI NEUBRIOENsis de Rebus Anglietis Libri V. JOANNIs FuossARDI Historia MEpitome, in qua de bellis inter Anglos et Gallos gratis principue agitur; midemergi, fol. 1587. This oditionis much supcrior to the formor, is Asconsius, publishodat Paris, in 4to. 1508, roprintod 1517, Whicli aboundswith abbreviations, that somotimes throw ambiguity ovorino meming, and dividos the wOrk into sevon books only.
Tho Prophetia Merlini is found in both tho oditions of Historia Britonum, and was also publishod separatob, togothor With a learnod conrinenta , by Alanus do Insulis. 8vo. Francolarii, 1608.JΤhose Who admire the poetices logonds of Walos milllaci an intorost in theso prophecies, which sorvcd sooston to stir up tho Wolfh to war against tho Englisti:
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l880, and also by Michol and Wright, 8vo. Paris, 1837.
blo a record to bo suffercit to remain any longer Without being placed in a convenient foran boforo tho student os English History. Tho serios of our Chroni olers may, it is truo, bo considered as completo without the addition of this morti. It is not for historices necura iliat the book before usis valvabio : sor tho great in s of scholars have cometo tho dccidod conviction iliat it is fuit os fabies. Butit is tho romantio character Which pervades the narrative, togother With iis acknowlodged antiquit , whichmino ii dosirablo that tho book inould not sink into Oblivion. Tlioso Who destro to possess it as a venerable relic os an early age, Will now have an Opportuniu of gratisying their Wish; Whil si others, who despiso it usualueless, in their roscarches astor historio truth, may, nevertholoss, find Some litile pleas e in tho tales of imagination whieli it contains. In tho prosoni odition, tho tori has hocn caro ullyrevised, and in caeli particular case, that reading has bcenchoson whicli appeared to bo tho bost; but alterations of tho texi, foundod on conjecturo and adoptod in hasto,
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os Whicli sevon ars in illo Cottonian Collection, eight intho Arundolian, seven in the Κing's Library. and eight in tho Hariolan. A largo number of manuscripta limeboon et ther Wholly or in pari collatod for this odition :and a list of thom mill bo found at the end of tho volumo ; but, excepi in imo Or three instances, where awholo sentenco has Mon replaeed, and in others Wheretho corrections stro so docidod as to leave no doubt
That nothing might bo wanting, in those neW oditions os our ancient historians, Wo have addod to this volumo tho abridgmont of GeoMoy of Μonmouin by Ponticus Virunnius Τarrisinus, Whodied 1520. Among tho Arundot ΜSS., in the British ΜuSeum, aro trans- Iations, by the samo author, of Τheophilus Protosp tharius do Urinis and Philarotus do Pulsibus, Which of courso are of no valuo. Even his British History is oflittio importanco, as it is generalty a more copy Os GeoLDoy of Μonmouth, and frequently in ulmost the samo Words ; but, in ono or two instances, he has departod om this uniformity, and introducos a sew observations Os his own. It has, moreovor, been thought destrabioto rotain him in this placo, in ordor that tho wholo ostho Holdoiborg Seriptores Nerum Britannicarum miratbo reprinted, and nothing omittod Mitch might rondorit necossary for tho reador to purchaso the old oditionlikowiso. Tho Work of Ponticus Virrunnius has been twico publishod separatoly, in smali 8vo. Aug. Vin. 1534, and again per D. Povelum S. Τhool. Prosess. Londini, 1585. In the latior is found a Catalogus Regum less fuit than ibat rivon in this volume.
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very smali; and I must confoss, that I finit tho most Ioarnod antiquarios tho most modost in ilicir opinions concerning it, and that it seonis to mo to bo a picce of great rastiness, to judge peremptortly uPon a matter, whereos at this groat distance of time thoro are nocompotent Minossos ori ei ther fide. At loast I cannot
book, to consider only, that though it socms to sufferundor a gonorat Prejudice at present, yot it has notiong dono so; but that upon iis first appearing in thoworid, it met With an universat approbation, und thattoo, Dom thogo Who had botter opportunities of examining tho truth of it, res there Wore thon moro monumenta extant, and tho traditions more fresti induncorrupted concorning tho ancient British assairs,
kingdom, in a controversy of the greatost importaneo, beforo Bonifaco tho Eighth; that ovon in this Icarnodage, that is so industrious to dotect any impostures, whi in through tho Oroduli ty of formor timos had passod
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advorsaries, havo writton in savour of it; that vorylaw havo at last spolion decisively against it, Or abSO-lutob condomnod it; and that it is stili most froquontly quotcd by our most lcarnod historians and antiquarios. All thoso considerations, I say, is thoy do not amountio an apolora for tho Isistory itself, show at Ioast thalit deserves to bo bottor linown than ut prosoni it is ;
rospecting ilio histo of whicli ho profossod to botho translator ; and it may bo rcadily conccived that hodiit no morothan fulsit tho task whioli ho had undortalion, of rondering tho book into Latin out of tho original
truth of it, as thoro Woro thon more monui nonis extant, and tho traditions Woro more Desii and uncorruptod,
concerning tho ancioni Britisti assairs, than any crities of the prosunt age cari protend to.
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honourabio mention, bcing a man very curious in illo study of antiquiu, and a diligent se chor into ancient librarios, and Ospecialty astor tho works of ancient authors, happenod While ho was in Armorica to lightupon a History of Brittan, writton in ilio Britishtonguo, and carrying mulis of great antiqui . Andbcing ovo oyod ut it, as is he had found a vast
Εngland; Whore onquiring sor a proper person to translato this curious but historto unknown book,
was not his sauit: his hiasinoss as a translator was to
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roadors, Othor urguments Would perhaps bo moro convincing.
Tho passagos which we have horo quoted at longili, will furnish tho most amplo information concerning tho nature of tho question, and it only remians toinform tho rcador at is my Own opinion on this long-agitatod literary controverSy. ΤΟ inoso who havo road tho plain and simplo state-monis of Julius Caesar and the octor Classio Historians who havo doscribod tho Oarly stato os Britain, it millbo morally certain that ali suoh accounts of Caesar sinuasion as me find in GooMoy of Μonmouth aro purob
Τho uncertainw of evcry thing save tho baro facts connected With tho si ego of Troy, is so great, that toconnect iis fortunes With those of a distant and at that time unlieard-of island like Britain, mn bo admissibio onb in the pages of romaneo. But in tho latior part of tho Work whicli contains tho histo of Britain, during iis conquesis and civiligationby tho Romans, We may possibIy find tho germs of