valiant youth, became a prey to hir next neighbours the Scots and
Picts.

Héere is yet to be considered, in what price the souldiers of the
British nation were had in those daies, with whose onelie puissance
Maximus durst take vpon him to go against all other the forces of the
whole Romane empire: and how he prospered in that dangerous aduenture,
it is expressed sufficientlie in the Romane histories, by whose report
[Sidenote: _W.H._ out of _Paulus Diaco. lib. 12. & alijs_.]
it appéereth, that he did not onlie conquer all the hither parts of
France and Germanie, namelie on this side the Rhine, but also found
meanes to intrap the emperour Gratian by this kind of policie. He had
a faithfull friend called Andragatius, who was admirall of the seas
perteining to the empire. It was therefore agréed betwixt them, that
this Andragatius (with a chosen companie of the armie) should be
carried in secret wise in a coch toward Lions, as if it had béene
[Sidenote: _Tripart. hist. lib. 9. cap. 21_.]
Constantia Posthumia the empresse, wife to the emperour Gratian,
bruting abroad there withall, that the said empresse was comming
forwards on hir waie to Lions, there to méet with hir husband, for
that vpon occasion she was verie desirous to commune with him about
certeine earnest businesse.

When Gratian heard héereof, as one mistrusting no such dissimulation,
he made hast to meete his wife, and comming at length without anie
great gard about him, as one not in doubt of anie treason, approched
the coch, where supposing to find his wife, he found those that
streightwaies murthered him: & so was he there dispatched quite of
life by the said Andragatius, who leapt foorth of the coch to woorke
that feate when he had him once within his danger.