Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland ..

J80 THE FIFT BOOKE OF The sLale of the Biitains
Douer, so that his bones remained there to be shewed a long time after : yet by that which
irii.Mmm. the foresaid WiUiam Malmesburie writeth in the third booke of his volume intituled " Dc
f.a.ieiest .
^^gji^^jg Anglorum," the contrarie maie sceme true: hi=; woords are these. " Then (saith
he) in the prouince of Wales, which is called Rosse, the sepulture of Gallowine was found,
who was nephue to Arthur by his sister, not going out of kind from so woorthie an vncle.
He reigned in that part of Britaine which vnto this day is called Walwichia, a knight for his
high prowesse most highlie renowmcd, but expelled out of his kingdome by the brother
and nephue of Hcngist, of whome in the first booke we haue made mention, first requiting
his banishment with great detriment and losse to those his erimies, wherein he was partaker
by iust desert of his vncles woorthie praise, for that he staied (for a great manie yeeres)
the destruction of his countrie, which was now running headlong into vtter ruine and decaie.
But Arthurs graue no where appcercth : yet the others toome (as I haue said) was found
in the daies of William the conqueror, king of England, vpon the sea si 'e, and conteined in
length fouretc'ene foot, where he was (as some say) wounded by his enimies, and cast vp
by shipwracke. But other write, that he was slaine at a publike feast or banket by his owne
countriemen." Thus saith William Malmesburie.
^ But heere you must consider, that the said Malmesburie departed this life about the
beginning of the reigne of king Henrie the second, certeine yeers before the bones of Arthur
were found (as ye haue heard.) But omitting this point as needles to be controuerssed,
& letting all dissonant opinions of writers passe, as a matter of no such moment that we
should need to sticke therein as in a glewpot ; we will proceed in the residue of such
collections as we find necessarilie pertinent to the continuation of this historie; and now
we will say somewhat of queene Guenhera or Guenouer, the wife of the foresaid king
Arthur.
Some iudge that she tooke hir name of hir excellent beautie, bicause Guinnc or Guenne
in the Welsh toong signifieth faire, so t'^at she was named Guennere or rather Guenlhean,
cuen (as you would say) the faire or beautifull Elenor or Helen. She was brought vp in
the house of one Cador earle of Cornewall before Arthur maried hir : and as it appeareth
by writers, she was euill reported of, as noted of incontinencie & breach of faith to hir husband,
in maner as for the more pait women of excellent beautie hardlie escape the venemous
blast of euill toongs, and the sharpe assaults of the followers of Venus. The British
historie affirmeth, that she did not onelie abuse hir selfe by vnlawfull companie with Mordred,
but that also in Arthurs absence she consented to take him to husband. It is likewise found
recorded by an old writer, that Arthur besieged on a time the marishes neere to Glastenburie,
for displeasure tliat he bare to a certeine lord called Melua, who had rauished Gueneuer,
and led hir into those marishes, and there did keepe hir. Hir corps notwithstanding
(as before is recited) was interred togither with Arthurs, so that it is thought she lined not
long after his deceasse.
Arthur had two wiucs (as Gyraldus Cambrensis aflirmeth) of which the latter (saith he)
was buried with him, and hir bones found with his in one sepulchre, but yet so diuided, that
two parts of the toome towards the head were appointed to receiue the bones of the man,
and the third part towards the feet conteined the womans bones, apart by themsclucs. Here
is to be rcmembred, that Hector Boetius writeth otherwise of the death of Arthur than
before in this booke is mentioned, h also that Gueneuer being taking prisoner by the Picts,
was conueied into Scotland, where finallie she died, and was there buried in A.ngus, as in
the Scotish chronicles further appeareth. And this may be true, if he had three sundrie
wiues, each of them bearing the name of Gueneuer, as sir lohn Price dooth auouch that
he had. Now bicause of contrarietie in writers touching the great acts atchiued by this
Arthur, and also for that some difference there is amongst them, about the time in which
he should reigne, manie haue doubted of the whole historie which of him is written (as
before ye haue heard.) ^ But others there be of a constant bele'efe, who hold it for a
Dmid Pow. grounded truth, that such a prince there was ; and among all other a late writer, who falling
/""&'• 238, U39. into