THE THIRD CHAPTER.


[Sidenote: _Bale_.
_Annius de Viterbo_.
_Diodorus Sicubis_.
Pinnesses or gallies.
_Higinus_.
_Pictonius_.]
Neptunus called by Moses (as some take it) Nepthuim, the sixt sonne of
Osiris, after the account of Annius, and the brother of Hercules, had
appointed him of his father (as Diodorus writeth) the gouernement of the
ocean sea: wherefore he furnished himselfe of sundrie light ships for the
more redie passage by water, which in the end grew to the number of a
full nauie: & so by continuall exercise he became so skilfull, and
therewith so mightie vpon the waters (as Higinus & Pictonius doo write)
that he was not onelie called the king, but also estéemed the god of the
seas. He had to wife a ladie called Amphitrita, who was also honored as
goddesse of the seas, of whose bodie he begat sundrie children: and (as
Bale reporteth) he made euerie one of them king of an Iland. In the Ile
[Sidenote: _Scrip. Bri. cent._ 1.]
of Britaine he landed his fourth son called Albion the giant, who brought
the same vnder his subjection. And herevpon it resteth, that Iohn Textor,
[Sidenote: _Ioh. Textor_.
_Polydor_.]
and Polydor Virgil made mention, that light shippes were first inuented
in the British seas, and that the same were couered round with the hides
of beasts, for defending them from the surges and waues of the water.

This Albion being put by his father in possession of this Ile of