6. Three excerpts from Albion's England, by William Warner (1586)

6.1. On Brutus[William Warner's Albion's England(1586) presents here a verse history of the origins of Britain, whose name supposedly comes from "Brutus," legendary son of Posthumus Silvius and grandson of Aeneas. Besides the shared name of "Posthumus," the strong association of Jupiter with Posthumus's family (Jupiter being an ancestor of Brutus's on his father's side, Warner shows) links this work to Cymbeline. In addition, although the detail is not mentioned in this work, the name "Imogen" may derive from the name given elsewhere for Brutus's wife, "Innogen." As a result, many associate Cymbeline with a larger early modern impetus to create a national origins myth affiliated with the classical myths of Rome.]

Aeneas dead, Ascanius reigned; Ascanius dead, his brother
Posthumus Silvius did succeed. Lavinia was his mother;
Her sire, Latinus; Faunus, his; and Picus him begot;
And Saturn him: from mother thus Posthumus lacked not
The noblest blood. On father's side, his pedigree was thus:
Jove had Dardanus, and the same begot Erictheus;
He, Tros; Tros, Assaracus; he, Capus; and the same
Anchises; he Aeneas had; of him Posthumus came;
And he was father unto Brut: and thus the Brutons bring
Their pedigree from Jupiter, of Pagan gods the king--
And add they may that Brut his sire of Venus' son did spring.
Thrice five degrees from Noah was Brut, and four times six was he
From Adam, and from Japheth's house doth fetch his pedigree.
Posthumus Silvius, perishing in chase amongst the brakes,
Mistook for game by Brut, his son, Brut Italy forsakes.
And to associate his exile, a many Trojans moe{more}
At all adventures{recklessly or randomly} put to seas, uncertain where to go;
To whom did Fortune, Fortune-like, become a friend and foe,
Till Brut, with no less pain and praise than had his grandsire{i.e., Aeneas} late
Achievèd Latium, landing here, suppressèd so the state
Of all the fiend-bred Albinests, huge giants fierce and strong,
Or race of Albion, Neptune's son (else some derive them wrong)
That of this isle (un-Scotted yet) he empire had ere long.

6.2. On Lud's-Town[In this excerpt from Albion's England (1586), William Warner makes explicit the noble Roman origins of Britain (from the name of "Brutus," who was the grandson of Aeneas) and details the early supposed history of London. First built by Brutus and called Troynovant, the city was then re-named Lud's-Town after King Lud, which is the name by which Shakespeare refers to London in Cymbeline.]

Now, of the Conqueror, this isle had "Brutain"{Britain} unto name,
And with his Trojans Brut began manurage{occupation} of the same.
For rasèd Troy, to rear a Troy, fit place he searchèd then,
And views the mounting northern parts: "These fit," quoth he, "for men
That trust as much to flight as fight; our bulwarks are our breasts.
The next arrivals here, perchance, will gladlier build their nests.
A Trojan's courage is to him a fortress of defense."
And leaving so, where Scots be now, he southward maketh thence,
Whereas the earth more plenty gave, and air more temperature{mildness of climate},
And nothing wanted that by wealth or pleasure might allure.
And more, the lady flood of floods, the river Thamis{Thames}, it
Did seem to Brut against the foe and with himself to fit,
Upon whose fruitful banks, therefore, whose bounds are chiefly said,
The want-less counties, Essex, Kent, Surrey, and wealthy glade
Of Hertfordshire for cities' store participating{sharing} aid,
Did Brut build up his Troynovant, enclosing it with wall,
Which Lud did after beautify, and Lud's-Town it did call
That now is London, evermore to rightful princes true,
Yay, prince and people still to it as to their storehouse drew,
For plenty and for populace the like we nowhere view.
Howbeit many neighbor towns as much ere now could say,
But place for people; people, place, and all for sin decay.
When Brut should die thus to his sons he did the isle convey.
To Camber, Wales; to Albanact, he Albany did leave;
To Locrine, Britain: whom his queen of life did thus bereave.

6.3. On Julius Caesar[In general, this passage from William Warner's Albion's England(1586) covers Caesar's first, unsuccessful, attack in 55 BCE and his successful return in 54 BCE. In addition, a few lines find faint echoes in Cymbeline; for instance, the Queen, like Warner, notes that Britain is not the occasion of Caesar's bragging that he "came and saw and overcame" (3.1.23-24), and the couplet pairing an old man and a boy carries a distant resemblance to Posthumus's couplet at 5.3.58-59.]

This conqueror of Gallia{Julius Caesar} found his victory prolonged
By British succors, and for{because of} it, pretending to be wronged,
Did send for tribute, threatening else to bring the Britons war.
The former going forward first, the Albinests{inhabitants of Albion} to bar
A common foe, concur as friends, and now was come the spring,
When Caesar out of war-won France victorious troops did bring.
But easier won the Grecians land at Pergamon by much
Than got the Latins footing here, their contraries{enemies} were such.
Ye might have seen of Hector's race ten thousand Hectors here
With policy{cunning} on either part, the Romans buying dear
The bloody shore, the water yet less dearer than the land
To them, whom valiantly to proof{to the test} the islanders withstand.
Oft battle they, the Britons still victorious, and in vain
Their foes were valiant: only here was Caesar's force in wane.
And as our men unto his men were as tempestuous thunder,
So did his anchored ships on seas by tempest dash in sunder.
"But twice," quoth Caesar, "Fortune, thou wert opposite to mine,
But thirdly here, to Caesar's self thou wontless{unexpectedly} dost decline."
Conveying then his weary men into his wasted{badly damaged} ships,
To Gallia, there to winter them, he miscontented slips.Of this same victory did spring security and strife:
The Scots and Picts did sunder hence; the Britons, over rife
In largesse, making frolic{glad} cheer, a quarrel then arose
Betwixt the king and Lud's false son{Androgeus, also known as Mandubracius or Mandubratius in some accounts}, and they disjoin{separate} as foes.
That Caesar slips{neglects} advantage such were{would be} error to suppose!
Even of the Britons, some there were recalling back the foe,
And winter past, with doubled power he back again did row.The Romans more, the Britons they far fewer than before,
Offend, defend, fight for, fence from, to win and ward the shore.
But Caesar landed and ensued continual cruel fight.
Thrice put the fierce Cassivellauns{followers of Cassibelan} the Caesarines{followers of Caesar} to flight,
And still the king encouraging in every wing appears:
So giving needless spurs to fight, his soldiers brooked not fears;
Nor little did the Cornish bells offend the Roman ears.
When Caesar's oft successless fight had tired him and his,
Enringèd with his mayhemmed camp, the Roman speaketh this:
"Are these same bands those self-same bands that never fought in vain?
And ye the men that following still my standard, still did gain?
Even these, and ye, are very those: nor can I discommend
Your manhoods that with lesser work brought greater wars to end.
But not, as was my wont to write, the Senate now shall read,
'I came, I saw, I overcame': such foes forbid such speed.
Nor let the Senate muse, for Troy with Troy doth here contend:
This warlike people (fame is so) from whence sprung we descend.
Yea, if Aeneas had not left the Phrygian gods{Penates Publici} to us,
And Greeks Palladium{statue of Athena held to be protective to the city housing it} shipped to Greece, this Fortune foiling thus,
I would have thought those very gods had followed our annoy:
But them have we; these only have undaunted hearts from Troy.
But what? Shall Caesar doubt{fear} to fight against so brave a foe?
No, Caesar's triumphs{triumphal parades in Rome} with their spoils shall give the braver{better-looking} show.
Ye gods that guide our capitol, Mount Palatine, thou throne
Of stately Rome, ye followers too of her affairs each one,
Delay not but deprive me quite my triumphs now in hand
Nor let me live if so I leave unconquerèd this land--
This land, the last of western isles, an isle unknown ere this,
Which famous now, through Caesar's fight, and our misfortune is.
Enough, my fellow friends in arms, enough we Romans have
To seek revenge. Your conquest is a country rich and brave,
And (which persuadeth victory) in Troynovant there be
That hold that city to our use. The Britons disagree:
No Scot or Pict assisting them in these our wars I see.
Their civil strife will prove their scourge, how stout soe'er they seem,
And perpetuity doth fail in every thing extreme.
Not Fortune still is good or bad, and now let be our day:
Too long we live if that so long we shall on trifles stay,"
Said Caesar, and with such his words did so inflame his men
That with less patience did they live than linger battle then.
The Romans bid the base{challenged}, and then did cruel war begin,
And little wanted that the Brits the better did not win.
But Caesar so foresaw supplies and succors here and there,
Persuading this, dissuading that, controlling flight and fear,
That after many Romans slain, the Britons took their flight
To southern shores, whereas to proof Cassibelan did fight
With oft eruptions out of woods until the trait'rous knight{Androgeus, also known as Mandubracius or Mandubratius in some accounts},
The Earl of London yields his charge and city to the foe,
Through which disloyal precedent did other cities so,
And then with hard-won tribute hence the conqueror did go.But he that won in every war at Rome in civil robe
Was stabbed to death: no certainty is underneath the globe.
The good are envied of the bad, and glory finds disdain,
And people are in constancy as April is in rain:
Whereof, amidst our serious pen, this fable entertain.
An ass, an old man, and a boy did through a city pass,
And whilst the wanton boy did ride, the old man led the ass. . .