filius_, The sonne of the earth: and so the giants whom the poets faine
to haue sought to make battell against heauen, are called the sonnes of
the earth: and the first inhabitants generally of euery countrie were of
the Greekes called _Gigines_, or _Gegines_, and of the Latines
[Sidenote: _Aborigines_.
_Indigenae_.]
_Aborigines_, and _Indigenae_, that is, People borne of the earth from the
beginning, and comming from no other countrie, but bred within the same.

These giants and first inhabitants of this Ile continued in their
beastlie kind of life vnto the arriuall of the ladies, which some of our
chronicles ignorantly write to be the daughters of Dioclesian the king
of Assyria, whereas in deed they haue beene deceiued, in taking the
[Sidenote: The mistaking of the name of Dioclesianus for Danaus.]
word _Danaus_ to be short written for _Dioclesianus_: and by the same
meanes haue diuers words and names beene mistaken, both in our chronicles,
and in diuers other ancient written woorks. But this is a fault that
learned men should not so much trouble themselues about, considering the
[Sidenote: _Hugh the Italian_.
_Harding_.
Iohn Rous_ out of _Dauid Pencair_.]
same hath bin alreadie found by sundrie authors ling sithens, as Hugh the
Italian, Iohn Harding, Iohn Rouse of Warwike, and others,
speciallie by the helpe of Dauid Pencair a British historie, who recite
the historie vnder the name of Danaus and his daughters. And because we
would not any man to thinke, that the historie of these daughters
of Danaus is onelie of purpose deuised, and brought in place of
Dioclesianus, to excuse the imperfection of our writers, whereas
there was either no such historie (or at the least no such women that
[Sidenote: _Nennius_.]
arriued in this Ile) the authoritie of Nennius a Briton writer may be
auouched, who wrote aboue 900. yeares past, and maketh mention of the
arriuall of such ladies.

[Sidenote: Belus priscus.
_Danaidarium porticani_.](text unclear)
To be short, the historie is thus. Belus the sonne of Epaphus, or (as
some writers haue) of Neptune and Libies (whome Isis after the death
of Apis maried) had issue two sonnes: the first Danaus, called also
Armeus; and Aegyptus called also Rameses: these two were kings among
the Aegyptians, Danaus the elder of the two, hauing in his rule the
[Sidenote: Danaus.
Aegyptus.
_Higinus_.]
vpper region of Aegypt, had by sundrie wiues 50. daughters, with whome
his brother Aegyptus, gap