The History of the Kings of Britain

“Lastly, Britain is inhabited by five races of people, the Norman-French, the Britons, the Saxons, the Picts and the Scots. Of these the Britons once occupied the land from sea to sea, before the others came. Then the vengeance of God overtook them because of their arrogance and they submitted to the Picts and the Saxons.” 

Geoffrey begins (and ends) his account of Britain’s kings by affirming the Britons as the island's original inhabitants. It is only because of their own mistakes and flaws that they have incurred God’s displeasure and been overrun by other tribes of people. In this sense, Geoffrey may be using history to warn Britons of the present to take care not to make the same mistakes as their ancestors.

“[Y]ou will never enjoy lasting peace as long as the brothers, son and grandsons of those on whom you have inflicted decisive defeat remain intermingled with you or as your neighbours [sic]. They will always remember the slaughter of their relatives and they will hate your for ever [sic].” 

Having subdued Greek king Pandrasus and freed the enslaved Trojans, Brutus ponders his next course of action. He considers demanding a portion of Pandrasus’ kingdom, but many Trojans want only to emigrate and be given supplies for their journey. The above speech is words of advice from Membritius to Brutus. Membritius warns Brutus that a conquered people will inevitably rise up against their oppressors. If Brutus demands part of Pandrasus’ kingdom, he will be setting himself up for future uprisings. The more prudent action is for Brutus to leave Greece and found a new land of his own.

This passage can serve two purposes. One is to craft the mythical origins of the British and represent them as the original, legitimate inhabitants of the island. The second is to subtly convey the message that Britons should not accept a secondary, subdued position on the island that their own ancestors founded.