1300, here printed in full.

Just at the very end of the century we meet with two Southern poems
of vast length. _The Metrical Chronicle_ of Robert of Gloucester,
comprising the History of Britain from the Siege of Troy to the year
1272, the date of the accession of Edward I, and written in the
dialect of Gloucester, was completed in 1298. It must seem strange to
many to find that our history is thus connected with the Siege of
Troy; but it must be remembered that our old histories, including
Layamon's poem of _The Brut_ mentioned above, usually included the
fabulous history of very early Britain as narrated by Geoffrey
of Monmouth; and it is useful to remember that we owe to this
circumstance such important works as Shakespeare's _King Lear_ and
_Cymbeline_, as well as the old play of _Locrine_, once attributed
to Shakespeare. According to Robert's version of Geoffrey's story,
Britain was originally called Brutain, after Brut or Brutus, the son
of Æneas. Locrin was the eldest son of Brutus and his wife Innogen,
and defeated Humber, king of Hungary, in a great battle; after which
Humber was drowned in the river which still bears his name. Locrin's
daughter Averne (or Sabre in Geoffrey) was drowned likewise, in the
river which was consequently called Severn. The British king Bathulf
(or, in Geoffrey, Bladud) was the builder of Bath; and the son of
Bladud was Leir, who had three daughters, named Gornorille, Began, and
Cordeille. Kymbel (in Geoffrey, Kymbelinus), who had been brought up
by Augustus Cæsar, was king of Britain at the time of the birth of
Christ; his sons were Guider and Arvirag (Guiderius and Arviragus).
Another king of Britain was King Cole, who gave name (says Geoffrey
falsely) to Colchester. We come into touch with authentic history with
the reign of Vortigern, when Hengist and Horsa sailed over to Britain.
An extract from Robert of Gloucester is given in _Specimens of Early