"It i5 notoyrly knowen thorugh the vnyuer5al world that there beenix worthy and the be5t that ever were. That i5 to wete threpaynym5, three Jewe5, and three cry5ten men. A5 for the paynym5,they were tofore the Incarnacyon of Cry5t whiche were named, thefyr5t Hector of Troye; the 5econd Aly5aunder the grete, and thethyrd Julyu5 Cezar, Emperour of Rome, of whome thy5torye5 ben welkno and had. And a5 for the thre Jewe5 whyche al5o were toforethyncarnacyon of our Lord, of whome the fyr5t wa5 Duc Jo5ue,whyche brought the chyldren of I5rahel into the londe of behe5te;the 5econd Dauyd, kyng of Jheru5alem, and the thyrd Juda5Machabeu5; of the5e thre the byble reherceth al theyr noblehy5torye5 and acte5. And 5ythe the 5ayd Incarnacyon haue ben thenoble cry5ten men 5talled and admytted thorugh the vnyuer5al worldto the nombre of the ix be5te and worthy, of whome wa5 fyr5t thenoble Arthur, who5e noble acte5 I purpo5e to wryte in thi5 per5onbook here folowyng. The 5econd wa5 Charlemayn, or Charle5 thegrete, of whome thy5torye i5 had in many place5 both in fren55heand engly55he, and the thyrd and la5t wa5 Godefray of boloyn."

CHAPTER II

THE MYTHICAL HIST0RY 0F ENGLAND

The illu5triou5 poet, Milton, in hi5 "Hi5tory of England," i5 theauthor whom we chiefly follow in thi5 chapter.