Page:The parochial history of Cornwall.djvu/368

326 So would our Arthur in contest o'ercome The mightiest heroes bred in Greece and Rome. The only prince that hears this just applause, Greatest that e'er shall be, and best that ever was.

From which words it is evident Joseph had seen Merlin's prophecy of King Arthur.

The History of King Arthur and his progenitors is this:

After the death of Ambrosius Aurelius, anno Dom. 497, succeeded to the dominion of Britain, some say his brother, others a Britain named Uter, alias Uter Pen-dragon; that is to say in British the terrible or dreadful head or chief dragon, so called, as our historians tells us, from a direful, bloody, or red dragon, pourtrayed in his banners of war with a golden head, as is to this day borne in our imperial standards of war, in memory doubtless of the red dragon mentioned in Merlin's Prophecy, by which the British nation is figured. For his paternal coat armour, as Upton saith, was, in a field Vert, a plain cross Argent; in the dexter quarter the image of the blessed Virgin Mary, holding the image of her blessed Son in her right hand, Proper. He likewise gave for his cognizance of Britain, d'Or, deux dragons Verd, coronés de Goules, contrelés, or endorsed.

Which prince, about the fourth year of his reign, having had divers notable victories over his enemies the Saxons, killing Pascentrus, the son of Hengist, and Gwellimoore King of Ireland, taken Octa and another son of Hengist, and Cossa, his nephew, prisoners, and routed their forces; he resolved the Easter after to make a kind of triumphal feast and solemnity for the principal nobility, gentry, and soldiers, of his kingdom; and ordered likewise that their wives and daughters should also be invited to his court, to congratulate his victories against his Pagan enemies. Now this feast was to be kept at Caer-Segont, id est, the city or castle of conquest or victory, afterwards called, by the Saxons, Cell-Cester, id est, Great Castle, now Winn-Chester, as much as to say, the overcoming, conquering, or winning castle, as before; the very place where the Em-