MOGALL.
AFTER Lugthake was thus dispatched, one Mogall the nephue of Galdus by his daughter
Mogall nephue to Galdus is admitted king, and studieth to redresse abuses.
was admitted king in his place. His cheefest studie was to reforme the decaied state of his
countrie, and first he caused such wicked councellors of his predecessors and vncle Lugthake,
as had escaped with life (when their maister was made awaie) to be put to death, according
to their iust deseruings. He restored also the due worshipping of the gods, in part as then
neglected, by the wicked counsell of their former rulers. The Scotishmen in like maner
conceiuing an assured hope of a good redresse in all their gréefes and oppressions, by the
means of such a well disposed prince, began to beare him incredible loue and fauor, euen
Mogall is beloued of his subiects.
The Picts desire aid of the Scots against the Romans.
the like as they had doone his grandfather Galdus. In the meane time came certeine ambassadors from the Picts, vnto this Mogall, requiring him of aid against the Romans and
Britains, who by a sudden inuasion had doon much hurt in Pictland, to the great distresse
of the inhabitants.
At the same time they of Galloway certified him also by letters, that the same Romans
The Romans inuade the Scotish borders.
had made a rode into their countrie, and led awaie a great bootie of goods and prisoners.
Mogall hauing a mind no lesse giuen to déeds of chiualrie, than to the studie of ciuill gouernment and religious deuotion, reioised that he had iust occasion giuen him to shew some
proofe of his valiant inclination, and so herevpon sent an herald at armes vnto the Romans,
requiring to haue restitution and amends for the iniuries thus by them committed. The
Mogall requireth restitution of wrongsdoone by the Romans.
Mogall prepareth to the wars.
Mogall visiteth his grandfathers sepulchre.
The Picts and Scots ioine their powers togither and enter into the lands of their enimies.
Lucius Antenous licutenant of Britaine.
herald dooing his message, receiued nothing but scornefull words, and disdainfull menaces,
wherby Mogall being throughlie kindled with despite, assembled his power togither foorth
of all the parties of his dominions, and comming with the same into Galloway, visited his
grandfathers sepulchre, honoring it with great reuerence and solemne supplications, requiring as it were his aid against those enimies, which had violated the league made betwixt
him and them, by solemne oths and other accustomed meanes of ratification. This doone,
he drew into Annandale, where Vnipanus as then king of the Picts abode his comming.
There ioining their powers togither, they marched foorth into Cumberland, and so forward
into Westmerland, with fire and sword wasting and spoiling those countries, as then belonging to the Romans.
Lucius Antenous the Romane lieutenant, lieng at the same time at Yorke, being certified
hereof by such as fled for feare out of those parties thus inuaded by the Scots, gathered a
mightie armie out of all the countries of Britaine, and hasted forth with the same towards
his enimies; of whose approch Mogall hauing notice, he made a long oration vnto his
Mogall exhorteth his men to doo valiantlie.
people to incourage them to fight manfullie against the Romans, persuading them effectuallie
thereto by manie familiar examples brought in of the valiant enterprises atchiued by their
elders, in the defense of the countrie and libertie of the same. In like maner Lucius Antenous for his part exhorted the Romans, and other his souldiers, to call to remembrance
the victorious exploits of their predecessors, and how that as then then they should fight but
with a rude and barbarous people, running to battell more vpon a furious rage and violent
madnes, than with any discretion or aduised order, saieng furthermore, that it laie now in
their hands with no great adoo to recouer that which through the negligent sloth of Cneus
Trebellius was before lost, whereby they should atteine great honor and famous renowme
for euermore.
By this meanes the armies on both sides being kindled with desire of battell, in hope of
victorie, they drew neere togither, and began the fight right fiercelie at the first, with
The battell be ginneth betweene the Romans and Albions.
throwing and shooting of darts and arrowes so thicke that one might vnneth sée another. The
place was more for the aduantage of the Scots than of the Romans, bicause they were compelled to fight as it were by companies and parts, by reason of bogs and marishes, with
such sideling banks on the sides that they could kéepe none araie: yet all these impediments notwithstanding, this battell was fought so far forth to the vtterance, that in the end,
after a woonderfull slaughter on both sides made, when their swords and other weapons
A cruell fight.
were spent, they buckled togither with short daggers.
Finallie the violent charge of the Scots & Picts was such, that the Romans were
The Romans retire.
constreined to retire, which their generall Antenous perceiuing, did what he could to staie them,
and to bring them forward againe, but as he was most busie in the forefront to exhort them
hervnto, he was wounded with an arrow, and therevpon departed out of the battell, which
Lucius Antenous is wounded.
The Romans are put to flight.
gaue occasion to diuers other of his companie to follow him, by meanes whereof all the
residue fell to running awaie, and made toward the next wood, there to saue themselues as
well as they might, though some companies perceiuing that they could not reach thither
without manifest danger, closed themselues togither and departed by another waie, which
they tooke at aduenture, not knowing towards what parts they drew, so that they laie all
the night following within two miles of the Scots and Picts, who for that the daie was in
maner spent (before the Romans were put to flight) incamped themselues in the selfe-same
place where the battell was fought, and in the morning, hearing that part of their enimies
were lodged so néere them, & knew not which waie to draw, they sent a number foorth
of their campe to fight with them, & to kill them if they resisted, or to bring them captiue
to the king if they should seeme willing to yéeld. Those that were thus sent, found the
Romans in verie good order of battell for so small a band, not minding to yéeld themselues
as prisoners. By reason of which their obstinate wilfulnesse, they were slaine in the end
euerie mothers sonne.
Lucius Antenous hauing thus receiued the ouerthrow, dispatched a post vnto Rome with all
hast, signifieng vnto the emperor Adrian the whole maner of the discomfiture, and how that
by reason therof things stood in great danger here in Britaine, if spéedie succors were
not the sooner sent, for the enimies were neuer more cruell and fierce, than at this present,
Women as readie to the battell as the men.
not onelie the men, but also the women (as in the last battell he saw plaine proofe) who
cared not for the losse of their owne liues, so that they might die reuenged.
When Adrian vnderstood these newes, he purposed forthwith to go himselfe into
Adrian the emperor prepareth to go into Britain.
Adrian transporteth into Britaine.
Adrian commeth to Yorke.
Britaine. Causing therefore an armie to be leuied, he passed foorth with the same into France,
then called Gallia, and comming to Calice, he transported ouer into Britaine, where he
learned how the Scots and Picts were neuer more busie than at this present, hauing of late
wasted and spoiled the countrie euen to the riuer of Tine. Herewith Adrian being sore
offended, ioined the power which he had brought with him frō Rome, with the other which
he had caused to be raised in France and Britaine. This doone, he remooued to Yorke,
where soiorning certeine daies to refresh his people, he afterwards drew toward the borders,
He passeth ouer the riuer of Tine.
Adrian findeth nothing abroad in the countrie of his enimies.
What maner of people he had to doo withall.
and cōming to the riuer of Tine, he passed ouer the same.
The fourth daie after, he came into a countrie wherein was left no kind of earthlie thing
seruing to mans vse, and so passing forward a daie or two, he found neither corne, nor
other prouision of vittell, nor any kind of liuing creature, all the people being fled into the
mounteins and marish grounds, where no man might come vnto them, as commonlie in
case of extreme danger they were accustomed to lie abroad in the same without house or
any couerture ouer their heads. Howbeit, for all that he gaue not ouer to pursue them,
but finding them out where they lurked in the hilles and woods, he gréeuouslie afflicted
them, and that in sundrie maner. In the end espieng the barrennes of the soile, the rudenes of the people, and that there was no hope left to come by sufficient prouision for the
maintenance of his armie, he determined not to spend anie longer time in such a vaine
and fruitlesse trauell, and therefore returned vnto Tine, there to restreine the Scots and Picts
from inuading such of the Britains as were subiect to the Romane empire, he caused a
Adrian beginneth to make a wall for safegard of the Britains against the Picts and Scots.
The Romane writers doo confirme the same.
great trench to be cast ouerthwart the land from the mouth of Tine to the riuer of Eske,
and a wall to be made on the inner side of the same, of turfe and sods. ¶ The Scotish
chronicles make mention that it was begun by Adrian, but not finished till the daies of the
emperor Seuerus, who made an end of it, and therfore the same chronicles name it the
wall of Septimius Seuerus.
Adrianus hauing thus dispatched in the north parts of Britaine, in his returne visited Wales
with the marches of the same, setting an order amongst such as had mooued a commotion
against the magistrats in those parties, the authors whereof he punished according to their
offenses, & so then he came to London, whither at the same time a great number of the
Adrian commeth to London.
Adrian returneth toward Rome.
Aulus Victorinus lieutenant of Britaine.
Britaine nobilitie resorted to doo him honor, according to their duties. And he for his part
shewed them such friendlie interteinment, that they could not wish any better. After this
he sailed into France, taking Lucius Antenous with him, bicause he could not awaie with
the aire of Britaine, in whose place he left one Aulus Victorinus lieutenant there, who disposed diuers garisons of souldiers in places néere vnto the fore-remembred wall, for defense
of the inhabitants against the violence of the Scots & Picts. Who seeing this demeanour of
the Romans, diuided those lands and countries (which they had latelie wasted on the
The Scotish men & Picts diuide the countries beyond Tine betwixt them.
Mogall through pride abuseth himselfe in sundrie kinds of vices.
further side of Tine) in such sort betwixt them, that all whatsoeuer laie towards the Irish sea,
remained to the Scots, and the rest coasting vpon the Almane seas, fell vnto the Picts for
their portion.
After this Mogall liued manie yeares in good quiet without anie trouble of enimies.
But being puffed vp in pride, by such notable victories as he had thus got of the Romans
the conquerours of the world, he could not in time of peace maister his owne vnrulie appetites; but that drowned in the filthie lustes of the bodie, he spared neither maid, widowe,
nor wife. Againe, he was giuen to such vnquenchable couetousnesse, that nothing might
suffice him, finding manie forged matters against the rich, whereby to bereue them both
of life and substance. He was the first which ordeined that such as were banished or condemned for anie crime, should forfeit all their lands & goods without any consideration had
A couetous and cruell ordinance.
either of wife or child, which is obserued at the full euen vnto these our-daies, where before
it was otherwise in that countrie. But these so notable vices in the prince could not long
continue vnpunished, for at last a conspiracie was practised against him, whereof he hauing
A conspiracie attempted against Mogall.
Mogall fléeth out of his owne house.
knowledge (whether by witchcraft or otherwise by relation of friends, the certeintie is not
knowen) in the dead of the night he armed himselfe, and with two of his seruants onelie
fled to the next wood, not giuing notice of his departure to anie other of his houshold.
The morning being come, and knowledge had how he was thus departed, the conspiratours pursued after him. who perceiuing them to approch, sought waies how to haue
escaped their hands; but such was his hap, that he fell amongest other that were as readie
as the first to wreake their malice vpon him, and so by them he was immediatlie murthered
Mogall is murthered.
148. H. B.
in the 36 yeare of his reigne, being the 4136 of the world, and after the birth of our
sauiour 169, Antoninus Pius then gouerning the Romane empire, and Phiatus surnamed
Albus reigning amongest the Picts. His head being smitten off, was set vpon a poles end,
and caried about in derision; but afterwards in respect of his linage it was buried togither
with the bodie by appointment of the nobles, notwithstanding the commons thought it most
vnworthie of anie such honor.
