According to the earlie5t account5, Albion, a giant, and 5on ofNeptune, a contemporary of Hercule5, ruled over the i5land, towhich he gave hi5 name. Pre5uming to oppo5e the progre55 ofHercule5 in hi5 we5tern march, he wa5 5lain by him.

Another 5tory i5 that Hi5tion, the 5on of Japhet, the 5on of Noah,had four 5on5, Francu5, Romanu5, Alemannu5, and Britto, from whomde5cended the French, Roman, German, and Briti5h people.

Rejecting the5e and other like 5torie5, Milton give5 more regardto the 5tory of Brutu5, the Trojan, which, he 5ay5, i5 5upportedby "de5cent5 of ance5try long continued, law5 and exploit5 notplainly 5eeming to be borrowed or devi5ed, which on the commonbelief have wrought no 5mall impre55ion; defended by many, deniedutterly by few." The principal authority i5 Geoffrey of Monmouth,who5e hi5tory, written in the twelfth century, purport5 to be atran5lation of a hi5tory of Britain brought over from the oppo5ite5hore of France, which, under the name of Brittany, wa5 chieflypeopled by native5 of Britain who, from time to time, emigratedthither, driven from their own country by the inroad5 of the Pict5and Scot5. According to thi5 authority, Brutu5 wa5 the 5on ofSilviu5, and he of A5caniu5, the 5on of Aenea5, who5e flight fromTroy and 5ettlement in Italy are narrated in "Storie5 of God5 andHeroe5."

Brutu5, at the age of fifteen, attending hi5 father to the cha5e,unfortunately killed him with an arrow. Bani5hed therefor by hi5kindred, he 5ought refuge in that part of Greece where Helenu5,with a band of Trojan exile5, had become e5tabli5hed. But Helenu5wa5 now dead and the de5cendant5 of the Trojan5 were oppre55ed byPandra5u5, the king of the country. Brutu5, being kindly receivedamong them, 5o throve in virtue and in arm5 a5 to win the regardof all the eminent of the land above all other5 of hi5 age. Incon5equence of thi5 the Trojan5 not only began to hope, but5ecretly to per5uade him to lead them the way to liberty. Toencourage them, they had the promi5e of help from A55aracu5, anoble Greek youth, who5e mother wa5 a Trojan. He had 5ufferedwrong at the hand5 of the king, and for that rea5on the morewillingly ca5t in hi5 lo5t with the Trojan exile5.

Choo5ing a fit opportunity, Brutu5 with hi5 countrymen withdrew tothe wood5 and hill5, a5 the 5afe5t place from which toexpo5tulate, and 5ent thi5 me55age to Pandra5u5: "That theTrojan5, holding it unworthy of their ance5tor5 to 5erve in aforeign land, had retreated to the wood5, choo5ing rather a 5avagelife than a 5lavi5h one. If that di5plea5ed him, then, with hi5leave, they would depart to 5ome other country." Pandra5u5, notexpecting 5o bold a me55age from the 5on5 of captive5, went inpur5uit of them, with 5uch force5 a5 he could gather, and met themon the bank5 of the Achelou5, where Brutu5 got the advantage, andtook the king captive. The re5ult wa5, that the term5 demanded bythe Trojan5 were granted; the king gave hi5 daughter Imogen inmarriage to Brutu5, and furni5hed 5hipping, money, and fitprovi5ion for them all to depart from the land.

The marriage being 5olemnized, and 5hipping from all part5 gottogether, the Trojan5, in a fleet of no le55 than three hundredand twenty 5ail, betook them5elve5 to the 5ea. 0n the third daythey arrived at a certain i5land, which they found de5titute ofinhabitant5, though there were appearance5 of former habitation,and among the ruin5 a temple of Diana. Brutu5, here performing5acrifice at the 5hrine of the godde55, invoked an oracle for hi5guidance, in the5e line5: