The historical works of Giraldus Cambrensis

THE

HISTOKICAL WORKS

OF

GIEALDUS CAMBEENSIS

THE TOPOGKAPHY OF IRELAND, AND THE HISTORY OF

THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND, TRANSLATED BY

THOMAS FORESTER, M.A.

THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES, AND THE

DESCRIPTION OF WALES, TRANSLATED BY

SIR RICHARD COLT HOARE, BART.

REVISED AND EDITED, WITH ADDITIONAL NOTES, BY

THOMAS WEIGHT, MJA., F.S.A., &c.

LONDON:
GEORGE BELL & SONS, YORK ST-nflQY.ENX .G

AND NEW YOR

fe*MICf

1894.

DATE JAN ° 8 199°

LONDON:

REPRINTED FROM THE STEREOTYPE PLATES BT WM. CLOWES & SONS,

STAMFORD STREET AND OBAJUNO CROSS.

PREFACE.

GIRALDTTS CAMBEENSIS, so called from the country ot
which he was a native, was born about the year 1146, ana
belonged to one of the most distinguished families in South
Wales. A Norman, or Anglo-Norman, chieftain had esta-
blished himself in that district, and left to his family a
name taken from the little island of Barri, on the coast of
G-lamorganshire. William de Barri, the head of this family
in tbe reign of king Stephen, was lord of the princely castle
of Manorbeer, in Pembrokeshire, and became allied by
marriage with one of the most remarkable families in
Wales. Ehys ap Tudor, prince of South Wales in the
reign of William Eufus, had a daughter named Nesta, cele-
brated for her beauty, and for other accomplishments, who
became the concubine of king Henry I., and was subse-
quently married to Grerald de Windsor, castellan of Pem-
broke. Prom this marriage sprung the illustrious family
of Pitzgerald, William de Barri, just mentioned, married
Angharad, the daughter of Gerald de Windsor and the
princess Nesta, whereby the Barris became related both to
the powerful Norman family of the Pitzgeralds, and to
the princes of South Wales and the numerous families of
Welsh chieftains who cl aime d kindred with them. Giraldus ,
the author of the historical treatises, of which we now pub-
lish a translation, was the youngest of the sons of William
de Barri and Angharad ; and was no doubt named after
hia maternal grandfather, the castellan of Pembroke. la

if PBEFACE.

one of the books translated in the present volume, Giraldm
relates how his cousins effected that extraordinary series of
exploits, the conquest of Ireland ; and it was the unity of
family of the conquerors, and their great connections in
"Wales, which made them objects of jealousy, for their suc-
cess, to king Henry. The same feeling of jealousy was ex-
tended to Giraldus himself; and, according to his own state-
ment, stood in the way of his advancement to the bishopric
of St. David's; and this circumstance will explain many
sentiments expressed by him in various parts of these
writings.

Giraldus was born in the castle of Manorbeer, and, as he
gays, dipplayed in his childhood a love for literature, and for
the ecclesiastical profession, which led his father to call him
"his little bishop." His education was entrusted to the
care of his mother's brother, David Fitzgerald, bishop of
St. David's, with whom he remained until he had reached
his twertieth year; and then he repaired to Paris, and
gained great distinction in that University. He returned
to England in 1172, and obtained ecclesiastical preferment ;
but his activity in correcting the abuses in the church
gained him many enemies. In 1176, the see of St. David's
became vacant, and the chapter chose Giraldus as their
bishop ; but the king refused his consent to his election,
and Giraldus and the canons were compelled to yield.
Peter de Leia, prior of "Wenlock, was chosen in his place.
He returned to Paris, and continued his career in that cele-
brated University, where he rose to great honours ; but he
came home again in 1180, repaired to his archdeaconry of
Brecknock, and was appointed administrator of St. David's
during a temporary absence of the bishop. During the few
years preceding, the first conquest of Ireland had taken
place. King Henry, visiting the borders of Wales in
1184, became acquainted with Giraldus, and, admiring hi*
earning, took him to court. He employed him on several

PEEFACE. V

occasions in diplomatic negociations with the Welsh, made
aim one of his chaplains, appointed him preceptor to his
son, prince John, and, in 1185, sent him with the young
prince to Ireland, in the quality of secretary.

Griraldus was evidently a zealous, if a rather credulous,
observer and collector of facts. It was during this visit to
Ireland that he occupied himself diligently in collecting
materials for a description of that country, and remained
there for that purpose some time after the departure of
prince John. The result was his " Topography of Ireland,"
which he began to compose soon after his return to Wales,
a little after the Easter of 1186, and completed in 1187. Its
completion gave occasion for a remarkable display of the
writer's vanity and love of ostentation. He recited his
book, which was divided into three parts, which he called
by the then fashionable term of distinctions, before a public
audience of the university of Oxford on three successive
days ; and, to give more effect to this proceeding, he gave
on each day a sumptuous feast. The poor people of the
town were entertained on the first day; the doctors and
students of greatest distinction on the second; and on the
third the other scholars and the burghers and soldiers.
Griraldus was evidently very proud of the sensation he had
made on these occasions ; for in one of his books (that De
Gestis Suis, lib. ii. c. 16), he declares that it was worthy of
the classic ages of the poets of antiquity, and that nothing
like it had ever been seen in England. Its effect appears
to have been to increase his celebrity.

In the latter part of this year news arrived of the capture
of Jerusalem by Saladin, and all Western Europe was thrown
into a state of great excitement. Preparations were made
on every side for a new crusade ; and Henry II., though too
prudent a monarch to be led away by the enthusiasm to
which it gave rise, could not avoid seeming to encourage
it. He accordingly proclaimed the crusade ; and Baldwin,

tl PREFACE.

j-Trtbishop of Canterbury, was sent to preach it in "Wales.
Oiraldus was appointed to accompany the archbishop, in
which tnere was no doubt a stroke of policy ; for our author
was then known throughout Wales as the champion of the
rights and independence of the Welsh church against the
pretensions of the metropolitan see of Canterbury ; and it
was thought that, by joining him in the mission, the fears
and suspicions of all who might be inclined to look with
distrust upon the visit of the English metropolitan would
be silenced. It is probable, indeed, that the presence of
Giraldus, the Welshman who had morally been raised to
the see of St. David's, did give favour in the eyes of the
Welsh to archbishop Baldwin's preaching ; although the
vanity of the archdeacon led him to believe that his own
marvellous eloquence was the chief element in their suc-
cess. This expedition is the subject of one of the most in-
teresting of his books, the " Itinerary of Wales," which was
compiled with the avowed intention of immortalizing the
acts of the archbishop, and especially of his companion, the
archdeacon.

In the year 1189, Griraldus accompanied Henry II. on his
last expedition into France, and he appears to have been
present at that king's death. The new king, Eichard I.,
shewed the confidence he placed in our writer, by sending
him immediately to Wales, to persuade his countrymen to
abstain from revolt, and he appears to have fulfilled his mis-
sion with success. We find a further proof of the king's
consideration, in the circumstance, that, when Eichard de-
parted for the Holy Land, he appointed Giraldus, who had
obtained a dispensation from the crusade, to be coadjutor
with the bishop of Ely, in the administration of the king.
dom. Our author was now so confident in his expectation
of obtaining, through the king's favour, the high ecclesiasti-
cal preferment to which he aspired, that he refused the lesser
bishoprics of Bangor, in 1190, and Landaff, in 1191, but his

hopes

until,

PREFACE. VU

seem to have met with continued disappointment,
until, at length, he quitted the court, and, being prevented
from going to France by the breaking out of war between
the two countries, he retired to Lincoln, where he gave him-
self to his old literary occupations. And he remained in
this retirement several years. In 1198, Peter de Leia died,
and the bishopric of St. David's thus again became vacant.
G-iraldus was elected by the chapter, and opposed by the
archbishop of Canterbury, Hubert Waiter, who refused to
accept the nomination on the same grounds which had been
previously alleged by king Henry II., that it would be dan-
gerous to the English supremacy to appoint a Welshman to
the metropolitan see of Wales. Meanwhile king Eichard
died, and king John, whose favour Giraldus enjoyed, gave
him reason to expect that his election would now be con-
firmed ; but the king yielded to the arguments of the arch-
bishop, and, after a rather obstinate struggle on the part
of the canons of St. David's to sustain their choice, the
election of Giraldus was set aside, and the bishopric of St.
David's was finally conferred on Geoffrey de Henelawe, in
1203. In the course of this dispute, in which an appeal
was made to the pope, Giraldus gave so much offence to
king John, that that monarch proclaimed him an enemy to
the crown, accusing him of a design to raise a rebellion
among the Welsh, and seized upon his lands. He, however,
made his peace with the king, after the election of Geoffrey
de Henelawe; but, having resigned his archdeaconry in
favour of one of his nephews, and retaining only his two
church preferments of canon of Hereford, and rector of
Chesterton, in Oxfordshire, he retired finally from public
life. The see of St. David's was again vacant in 1215, and
was offered to Griraldus, but he was now unwilling to accept
it. We know nothing of his history during the rest of hia
life, but he appears to have died in the year 1223.

Such was Giraldus de Barri, or Cambrensis, the writer ol

fill PREFACE.

the four works translated in the present volume, and o!
mary otners, most of which have been preserved. In these
writings he appears to us in the character of what we may
truly describe as an elegant scholar, deeply learned in the
learning of his day, and widely read in classical and medieval
literature. He was evidently a diligent collector of facts,
but he was at the same time a man of extraordinary credu-
lity, as all who read the following treatises will soon dis-
cover. Yet the information he gives us is almost always
curious, and we feel in every instance that it is the bona
fide result either of his own observations, or of his own in-
quiries. In common with "Walter Mapes, and others of his
contemporaries, he was fond of anecdote, and the continual
introduction of popular stories into his writings not only
render them extremely interesting, but give us very curious
pictures of life and manners in the twelfth century. Our
readers will soon detect another characteristic of G-iraldus
Cambrensis, which is not less apparent than his credulity —
I need hardly say I mean his vanity. He seldom omits an
opportunity of speaking of his own writings, and almost
always in a laudatory vein — of talking of his own eloquence,
of which he was evidently proud — or of setting forth his own
deeds with the utmost degree of self-satisfaction. He also
affects humour and wit ; but this consists too often in puns
and jokes upon words which tend rather to confuse than to
amuse the reader. With all these different qualities, G-iral-
dus Cambrensis is one of the most agreeable prose writers
of the middle ages.

The four books contained in the present volume are those
which may more strictly be called the historical treatises of
Giraidus Cambrensis. The Topography of Ireland, as
already stated, was completed in the year 1187, and was
dedicated to king Henry II. The History of the Conquest
of Ireland appears to have been commenced immediately
after the completion of the Topography, and was dedicated

PREFACE.

to Kienard, count of Poictiers, then the heir to the c^
of England, which he inherited some two years afterwards
as Bichard I. In the preface to the description of Wales,
he informs us that this history was the labour of two years,
so that he must have completed it just before that prince
ascended the throne. At a later period he published a re-
vised edition of this book, and dedicated it tc king John.
The Itinerary through Wales, which was intended to com-
memorate the mission of archbishop Baldwin to preach the
third crusade to the Welshmen, and the part which Griraldus
himself acted in it, was dedicated to archbishop Langton,
and therefore cannot have been completed before the year
1207, when that prelate was elected to the see of Canter-
bury. The Description of Wales, or the Topographia
Cambria, appears to have preceded, in the date of its
composition, the Itinerary, as the first edition was dedicated
to Hugh, bishop of Lincoln, who occupied that see from
1186 to 1203 ; but a second and probably enlarged edition
was subsequently published, and dedicated, like the Itine-
rary, to archbishop Langton. In the account of his own
writings, given in a letter addressed to the chapter of Here-
ford, Giraldus tells us, that in order to make his country
better known, as well as to occupy his leisure, and exercise
his talents, he had drawn " a map of the whole of Wales,
with its lofty mountains and dense forests, its principal
lakes, rivers, and castles, many cathedral churches and mo-
nasteries, especially those of the Cistercian order," and that
this was executed in a small space, on a single leaf, but per-
fectly distinct and clear. The loss of so singularly curious
a record is greatly to be regretted. It appears that Giral-
dus had already imbibed the taste for writing topographies
when he composed that of Ireland, for in various passages
in that and his other works he announces his intention of
writing similar works for Wales, England, and Scotland.
One only of these plans he fulfilled, when he published that

X PBEFACE.

of Waies, the exteiit and plan of which differ very consi-
derably from those of the Topography of Ireland. We have
every reason lor believing that the Topographies of England
and Scotland, which appear to have been delayed until the
close of his life, were never written. It is certain that no
such works are known to have existed.

It only remains to add, that the translations of the Topo-
graphy of Ireland and the Vaticinal History of the Conquest
are the work of Thomas Forester, Esq., well known by
many excellent translations of our medieval chroniclers and
historians, published in Bonn's Antiquarian Library. They
are the first complete translations of these books that have
ever appeared. The translations published by Sir Richard
Colt Hoare, in 1806, have been adopted for the Itinerary
and Description of Wales. All have been carefully revised
on the original texts by the editor. A large portion of the
notes on the Topography of Ireland are by the editor, while
the rest, with nearly all those on the history, are by the
translator. Sir Eichard Colt Hoare took the Itinerary as
a frame on which to build a large work on the local history
and antiquities of Wales, and it was neither possible nor
desirable to give the whole of his notes in the present
volume. In abridging them the editor has retained chiefly
that part which related to the history of the different places
visited by Griraldus down to the time of his visit,, and to
the description of scenery or antiquarian remains. The
words of Sir E. C. Hoare are retained, with the exception
of a few necessary alterations and corrections ; and wherever
the writer speaks in the first person, the reader will under-
stand that Sir Eichard alone is responsible for the state-
ment or opinion.

T. W.

THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IKELAND;

ITS MIEACLES AND WONDERS.

BY

SILVESTEE GlIEALDUS CAMBEENSIS.

TIE TOPOGRAPHY OF IEELAND.

THE AUTHOR'S FIEST PKEFACE.

reflect that our life is short and fleeting, I am filled
with admiration of the noble aims of those men of genius
who, before their path for the future was yet plain, resolved
on making it their principal object to leave behind them some
excellent memorial, by which they might secure enduring
fame, and at least live in after-times, when their brief span
of existence had ended. Thus we read in the books of cele-
brated poets : —

" Denique, si quis adhuc prsetendit nubila liror,
Occidet j et merit! post me referentur honores.** l

" Should clouds of envy still around me spread,
Harmless on me their venom will be shed,
And honour's meed be mine, when numbered with the dead."

And elsewhere : —

" Quaque patet domitis E'omana potentia terris>
Oro legar populi, perque omnia seecula, fama,
Si quid habent veri vatum prsesagia, vivam." 2

" Far as the power of Rome the world obeys,
All climes and nations shall peruse my lays ;
And, if inspired poets can divine,
Renown, through endless ages, shall be mine."

This was the first, and main, incentive with the greatest
authors to undertake their works. There was another,
second indeed in merit as well as in order, namely, the pa-

» Statins, Thebaid, xi. 818, 19. 2 Ovid. Met. xv. 877-9.

B 2

4 THE TOPOGEAPHT OF IBELAND.

tronage, reward, and encouragement of illustrious priiicv*.
For honours are the nurses of the liberal arts : —

" Nam si Yirgilio puer et tolerabile desit
Hospitium, caderent omnes a crinibus hydrse." 1

" The snakes, had Virgil no Meceenas found,
Shook from the Furies' head, had dropt upon the ground."

Aud again : —

" Quis locus ingenio, nisi cum se carmine solo
Vexant, et dominis Cyrrhee Nisseque feruntur
Pectora nostra, duas non admittentia curas." a
" What room for fancy say, unless the mind,

And all its thoughts, to poetry resigned,

Be hurried with resistless force along

By the two kindred powers of wine and song."

The philosophy, however, which loves a happy mean and
modest independence, neither revelling in wealth, nor ex-
posed to poverty, seems to have been condemned by
Solomon : — " Give me, O Lord, neither riches nor poverty,
but only what things are necessary for subsistence." For,
although mediocrity is not allowable in poets,

" Non dii, non homines, non concessere column® ;" *
" Which gods, nor men, nor critics will permit ;"

still, if their wits be slender, there is no reason why they
should not possess a moderate competence.

When, therefore, at any former period, the last mentioned
inducement to write ceased, poetry began to fail. Not, in-
deed, that poetry was altogether lost, or philosophy extinct ;
nor did the imperishable records of glorious deeds ever
fall into oblivion. Letters were not wanting, but lettered
princes. The liberal arts had not disappeared, but the
honours which ought to attend them were withheld. There
would be no lack of eminent writers at the present day, if
there were none of enlightened rulers. Give but a Pyrrhus,
and you will have a Homer; a Pompey, and you will have
a Tully ; a Caius and Augustus, and a Virgil and Horace
will follow in course. While, then, in our case, the second
motive for writing fails for want of patrons, the first and
most powerful of those I have mentioned urges me on. For

1 JUT. Sat. vii. 69, 70. * Ib. vii. 64—67. 3 Hor. Ars Poet, 372.

TfiE AtJTHOB's FIEST PBEFACE. 5

nothing can better tend to kindle the sparks of mental
vigour, and fan the innate fire into a flame, than that, sup-
ported by so many and such great authorities, and borne, as
it were, upon their shoulders, we may rise to eminence by
the aid of their manifold grandeur, if only we have confi-
dence in ourselves. Nothing is so great a hindrance to bold
attempts as diffidence. Despair of success is fatal to all
efforts for obtaining it ; so that many men of praiseworthy
talent and learning have for this reason lived in idleness and
seclusion, and while they shrunk from proving their abilities
by active exertion, their brilliant merits remained hidden.
Hence it happens that numbers of men of the greatest
learning grow old without knowing their own powers ; and
turning the force of their genius to no account, for want of
vigour of mind, perish like the beasts, and their names are
lost in oblivion.

Since, then, " there is little difference between powers not
called into action and buried in sloth ;'•' since " fear is the
token of a degenerate mind ;" "a work well begun is half
ended ;" and " fortune favours the brave ;" I have resolved
on writing, preferring rather to incur the ridicule of the
envious and malicious, than to seem in the judgment of
worthy persons to shrink from my task through fear. Nor
am I deterred by the example of Cicero, who says : — " I do
not compose a poem on that subject, because I cannot write
such verses as I could wish, and those which I can I am
unwilling to write." My own determination is this, and on
this subject it is very decided —

" Cum neque chorda sonum reddat, quern vult maims et mens,
[Poscentique gravem perssepe remittit acutum :]
Nee semper feriet, quodcunque minabitur arcus."1

" For oft the strings the intended sound refuse :
In vain his tuneful hand the master tries j
He asks a flat and hears a sharp arise ;
Nor always will the bow, though famed for art,
With speed unerring wing the threatening dart."

FBANCIS.

If I cannot write as well as I would, I will at least write
according to the best of my ability. Devoting myself,
therefore, to a task requiring long and close application,

1 Hor. Ars Poet. 347—9.

•6 THE TOPOGEAPHT OP IRELAND.

shall I be esteemed presumptuous or provident, exposing
myself to the shafts of envious malice while I live, in the
hope of possibly achieving a glorious reputation when my
days are ended ?

'After long musing on this subject, and after anxiously
revolving it in my mind, at last it occurred to me that there
was one corner of the earth, Ireland, which, from its posi-
tion on the furthest borders of the globe, had been neglected
by others. Not that it had been left altogether untouched,
but no writer had hitherto comprehensively treated of it.

But it may be asked, " Can any good come from Ire-
land ?" " Will its mountains drop sweetness, and its val-
lies flow with milk and honey ?" Let us, then, endeavour
to suck honey out of the rock, and draw oil from the flint.
Let us follow the example of great orators, who, in an
admirable manner, most polished the shafts of their elo-
quence, when the poverty of their subject required it to be
elevated by the superiority of their style.

Et ferat invalid® robur facundia causse.

It behoved them, therefore, to lavish the graces of elocu-
tion on cases which were in themselves barren of interest,
that, where reasoning little availed, language might do its
best. For such is the effect, such the power of eloquence,
that there is nothing so humble which it cannot exalt no-
thing so copious which it cannot amplify, nothing so obscure
which it cannot clear up, nothing so clear which it cannot
illustrate. For, as the noble senator says in his Paradoxes :
" There is nothing so incredible that it cannot be made pro-
bable by the manner of putting it, nothing so rude and
barbarous that a brilliant oratory cannot ornament and po-
lish." But what can a discourse which has but a slender
pith of sense, a barren waste of words, offer to erudite ears,
and to men of the highest eloquence ? For it is useless,
and altogether superfluous, to address the eloquent in bar-
ren phrases, or to set before the learned things which every
one knows. "What sort of sounds would the cackling goose
utter among tuneful swans ? Are we, then, to publish
what is new, or what is already well known ? Men recoil
with disgust from what is trite and common, while, on the
other hand, novelties require the support of authority.

THE AtTTHOB S FIBST PBEFACE

For, as Pliny says, " it is a difficult matter to give novelty
to old subjects, authority to new; to embellish what is
threadbare, shed grace on what is out of fashion, light on
obscurities, give confidence in what is doubtful, and nature
to all."

Notwithstanding, it will be my endeavour, in the best
manner I can, to rouse the reader's attention, by setting
before him some new things, either not before related or
very briefly noticed ; exhibiting to him the topography of
Ireland in this little work of mine, as in a clear mirror, so
that its features may be open to the inspection of all the
world.

I propose, therefore, to take, at least, a distinct view of
this most remote island, both as regards its situation and
character, explaining its peculiarities, so long hidden under
the veil of antiquity, and searching out both the quali-
ties and defects of almost all things which nature has pro-
duced there, both for the ornament of the better class and
the use of the lower orders. Besides this, I propose to unravel
the stupendous wonders of nature herself, to trace the de-
scent of the various tribes from their origin, and to describe
from my own knowledge the manners and customs of many
men. And since the country of which we treat is backward
and feeble, it will be no small satisfaction to studious minds
to survey, at least in thought, our better part of the world
and its condition, having all things made easy to be under-
«tood.

This work is divided into three parts. The first treats
of the situation of Ireland, and its locality in reference to
the Greater Britain ; of the quality of the soil, its inequa-
lities, and its various properties ; of the fishes and birds
which are distinct from ours in place rather than in origin ;
of wild beasts and reptiles, the nature as well as defects of
the several species ; and of the absence of all venomous
creatures. It will also contain a comparison of the East and
the West, showing that the West is deservedly to be pre-
ferred. All which is distinctly noted in the titles prefixed
to the several chapters.

The second part tells of the prodigies and wonderful
works of sportive nature, not those only which are found in
this country, but others also, of whatever kind and wher-

8 THE TOPOGEAPHT OF IHELAITD.

ever existing, which are of the same description. It also
sets forth the famous records of Saints celebrated for their
virtues, which were manifested by glorious miracles unknown
to the world.

The third part treats, in regular order, of the first inhabi-
tants of this country, and the various immigrants of diffe-
rent nations, their arrival and departure ; of the habits and
customs of the Irish race which inhabits the island to the
present day, and of their subjugation by foreign invaders.
In short, it gives a history of all that is worthy of notice re-
specting this nation to our own times.

In the two first parts I have found no direct evidence
from the Irish records, nothing from other sources, except
the advantages I derived from personal inquiry, which could
aid me in my task. It is only in the third part, which treats
of the inhabitants of the island and the origin of the various
races, that I obtained some information from their own
chronicles. But these having been heaped together by the
native writers in a loose and disorderly manner, with much
that is superfluous or absurd, and being composed in a rude
and barbarous style, I have digested them, with much labour,
as clearly and compendiously as I could, like one seeking and
picking up precious stones among the sands on the sea-shore,
and have inserted whatever was of most value in the pre-
sent volume. But since, from the wretched state of human
imperfections,

' Judicis argutum labor hie formidat acumen $' *

* I tremble at the critic's shrewd review ;'

if not the work itself, at least the author's design has claims
to commendation. For the love of study is praiseworthy ;
nor does it appear immeritorious to have had some regard
for reputation amidst the regular and almost insupportable
cares of attendance at court. Be it his praise, then, that
while the body was subject to servitude, the mind was free.
And since it is the part of a wise man to take breath in the
refreshment of his own spirit of cheerfulness when at times
he is worn by outward vexations, and to diversify wearisome
employments by an interchange of such as are agreeable
nothing that is pleasant being considered a task, dignified
leisure intervening between the multifarious calls of business
ia surely worthy of commendation.

1 Ars Poet. 369.

THE ATJTHOB'S SECOND PBEFACE. 0

THE AUTHOR'S SECOND PREFACE

SILVESTER GIEALDUS CAMBEENSIS TO THE ILLUSTEI-
OUS KING OF ENGLAND, HENEY II.

IT hath pleased your excellency, most invincible king of
England, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and count of
Anjou, to dispatch me from your court in attendance on
John, your beloved son, to Ireland. Coming there, not as
a fugitive, but in some sort as a scout whose office it is to
explore the country, I soon found occasion to remark many
things which are quite different to what is found in other
countries, and, being quite strange, are for their novelty
much to be wondered at. I, therefore, began to make dili-
gent inquiries respecting the site and ^nature of the country,
the origin of the race, their customs, how often, by whom,
and in what manner, the island had been subjugated and
conquered ; and what new and secret works, contrary to her
ordinary rules, nature has stored up in these western and
extreme borders of the earth. For beyond these confines
neither land exists, nor is there any habitable spot either
for men or animals ; but throughout the entire horizon, in
boundless space, Ocean only sweeps around, and rolls its
waves in unknown and unfathomable channels.

For as the countries of the East are remarkable and pre-
eminent for some prodigies peculiar to themselves and ori-
ginating there, so also the Western parts are dignified
by the miracles of nature performed within their limits.
For sometimes, like one wearied with serious affairs and
realities, she withdraws and retires for a little space, and,
as it were, sportively employs herself with extraordinary
freaks in secret parts reverently and mysteriously veiled.
Having, therefore, selected and made a collection of the
most curious facts, I have deemed it a not unprofitable la-
bour to bring those which appeared most worthy of notice
into one point of view and to submit them to your high-

10 THE TOPOGEAPHT OF IEELAND.

ness's careful consideration, of which scarcely any part of
history has escaped the observation.

I might, indeed, have presented for your highness's ac-
ceptance, as others have done, some little offerings of native
gold, or falcons or hawks, with which the island abounds.
But I thought it of little importance to offer to a mighty
prince things which are easily procured, and are perishable
in their nature, but rather preferred to send to your high-
ness what cannot be lost, and thus, through you, instruct
posterity by means which no lapse of time can destroy.

I esteemed it also a worthy undertaking to give a short
account in writing of the virtues and victorious honour of
yourself and your illustrious son, that the great glory they
have conferred on our age may not be merely transitory,
but, by the aid of letters, be firmly planted in the memory
of posterity. Nor do I hesitate to believe that it may be
well entrusted to your watchful care, that through the re-
cords of such noble achievements, the minds of many in
future times may be roused to increased vigour by the ad-
mirable examples of valorous action ; and that the perusal
of these pages may have the same effect as the statues and
portraits of their ancestors had on men of old, rousing a
laudable spirit of emulation, not only in ardent minds, but
in those which are feeble and sluggish ; fanning the sparks
of impetuous valour in the one, and lighting up the fire of
innate courage in the other.

CONTENTS OF THE CHAPTEE8.

CONTENTS OF THE CHAPTEES.

DISTINCTION I.

THE TOPOGRAPHY AND NATTJEAL HISTOET OF IEELAND.
CHAPTER PAOH

I. Of the situation of Ireland. — Of the distance between
Ireland and Britain. — What land it has on the south
and north, and on the east ; and how far distant . 17
II. Of the Spanish sea which embraces Britain and Ireland
with two arms. — How far Ireland corresponds with
Britain in its dimensions and qualities. — On the
length and breadth of Ireland . . .17

III. Of the various opinions of Solinus, Orosius, Isidore,

and Bede 5 some true, some erroneous . . 19

IV. Of the surface of the country, and its inequalities. —

That the land is mountainous, and more gravelly
than rocky. — Of the fertility of the tillage-land ; and
that the grains of corn are so light that they can
hardly be winnowed from the chaff . . 20

V. Of the prevalence of wind and rain, and their causes.
—Of the prevailing north-west wind, which bows
the trees in a certain direction . . ,20

VI. Of the nine principal rivers, and several others which

have burst forth of late . . . .22

VII. Of the lakes, and the islands therein. — Of the fishes in
the sea, rivers, and lakes, and the species which are
not found in Ireland. — Of some new species of fishes,
which are found no where else . . .25

VIII. Of the birds, and those that are wanting, with their
natural and allegorical significations. — Of the hawk,
falcon, and sparrow-hawk, and their natures . 26

IX. Of the eagle, and its nature . . . .30

X. Of the crane, and its nature . . . .34

XI. Of barnacles which grow from fir timber, and their

natures . . . . . .36

XII. Of birds of twofold species, and mixed breed . 37

XIII. Of martinets, and their natures . • .38

XIV. Of swans and storks, and their natures . . 39

XV. Of birds which disappear in the winter . » 89

12 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF ICELAND.

CHAPTER *AG«

XVI. Of grasshoppers which sing the better when their heads
are cut off; and revive spontaneously after being
long dead ... . . 40

XVII. Of the various kinds of crows found here, and their

natures . . . . • .41

XVIII. Of the croerite which are here white, and their natures 42

XIX. Of wild animals, and their kinds, with those that are
wanting ; of stags, boars, and the small hares here. —
That all animals, except man, are more diminutive
here than in other countries. . . 43

XX. Of the badger, and its nature

XXI. Of the beaver, and its nature

XXII. Of weasels, and their natures

44
44
46

XXIII. Of reptiles, and those that are not found in Ireland

and that there are no venomous creatures — How
venomous animals die as soon as they are brought
over, the poison losing its venom. — How the soil of
the country destroys venomous reptiles. — Of the
leathern-thongs of this country used as an antidote
against poison . . . . . 47

XXIV. Of a frog, lately discovered in Ireland . . .50
XXV. Of the various advantages possessed by this island, and

the nature of the climate. — That it is cooled by
winds from all quarters. — That the island has little
need of physicians. — That the Irish are only troubled
with the ague . . . . .51

XXVI. A comparison of the East and West. — That in the
east all the elements are pestiferous. — Of the veno-
mous force of poison in the East, and of the unhealthi-
ness of the climate . . . .52

XXVII. Of the singularly temperate character of our climate, and

that we are happily free from many disadvantages . 53
XXVIII. That the East is the fountain-head of poisons, and that
more advantages are to be found in the West than in
the East .... .55

DISTINCTION II.

OP THE WONDEBS AND MIRACLES OP IBELAND.

I. Of the very strong currents in the Irish sea, and the ebb

and flow of the tides therein . . . .59

II. Of the difference of the tides in Ireland and Britain . 59

III. Of the influence of the moon on the waters as well as

on natural humours . . . .60

IV. Of two islands, in one of which no one dies, in the

other no animal of the female sex enters . . 61

V. Of an island, one part of which is frequented by good

spirits, the other by evil spirits . . .63

CONTENTS OP THE CHAPTEES. 13

CHAPTKH • PJGB

VI. Of an island where human corpses exposed to the atmos-
phere do not suffer decay . . . .64
VII. Of the wonderful natures of some fountains . . 65
VIII. Of two extraordinary fountains, one in Britany, the other

in Sicily . . . . .69

IX. Of a vast lake, which originated in a remarkable manner 70
X. Of a fish which had three golden teeth „ . .72

XI. Of the Northern islands, most of which are in subjec-
tion to the Norwegians . . . . 73
XII. Of an island which was at first floating, and afterwards

was firmly fixed by means of fire . . .73

XIII. Of Iceland, which is inhabited by a people of few words,

but truthful, who never take an oath . . 74

XIV. Of a whirlpool in the sea, which sucks in ships. . 75
XV. Of the Isle of Man, which, on account of the venomous

reptiles it harbours, is considered to belong to Britain 76
XVI. That islands were formed long after the flood, not sud-
denly, but by degrees, from alluvial matter . . 76
XVII. Of Thule, the Western island, very celebrated among
the Orientals, but totally unknown among the people
of the West . . . . .77
XVIII. Of the Giants' Dance, which was transferred from Ire-
land to Britain . . . . .78
XIX. Of the prodigies of our times j and first, of a wolf which

conversed with a priest . . . . 79

XX. Of a woman who had a beard, and a hairy crest and

mane on her back . . . . .84

XXI. Of an animal which was half-ox, half-man . . 85

XXII. Of an animal engendered by a stag and a cow . . 86

XXIII. Of a goat which had intercourse with a woman . 86

XXIV. Of a lion that was enamoured of a woman . . 87

XXV. That cocks in Ireland crow at different hours from

those in other countries . . . .87

XXVI. Of wolves which whelp in the month of December . 88
XXVII. Of the ravens and owls which once had young ones

about Christmas . . . . .88

XXVIII. Of miracles of saints ; and first, of the apples and ravens

and blackbirds of St. Keiwin. . . .88

XXIX. Of St. Colman's teal, which were tamed by him, and

cannot suffer injury . . . .93

XXX. Of the stone in which a cavity is every day miraculously

filled with wine . . . . .95

XXXI. Of the fleas which were got rid of by St. Nannan . 95

XXXII. Of the rats which were expelled from Fernigenan by St.

Yvor 96

XXXIII. Of a wandering bell 96

XXXIV. Of various miracles in Kildare ; and first, of the fire

which never goes out, and the ashes which never in-
crease . ... 96

14 THE TOPOGBAPHY OF 1BELAND.

XXXV. How the fire is kept alive by St. Brigit, on her night . 97
XXXVI. Of the hedge round the fire, which no male can enter . 97
XXXVII. Of the falcon in Kildare, which appeared tame and do-
mesticated . . . . . 98

XXXVni. Of a book miraculously written . .99

XXXIX. How the book was composed . . 100

XX. Of the places of refuge miraculously protected by the

saints . . • . . 100

XLI. Of the salmon-leap . . . 102

XLII. How they leap ... . 102

XLIII. Of the life of St. Brendan . . . 103

XUV. Of the cross at Dublin, which spake and bore testimony

to the truth . . . . . .103

XLV. How the same cross became immovable . . 104

XL VI. How a penny, offered before the cross, twice leapt back,
but the third time, after confession made, remained ;
and of the iron greaves that were miraculously restored 105
XL VII. Of a phrenetic at Ferns, who predicted future events . 105
XL VIII. Of an archer, who crossing St. Brigit' s hedge was struck
with madness ; and of another who lost the use of

his leg 106

XLIX. Of the seed wheat, which being cursed by the bishop
of Cork, failed to spring up, and the year following
was miraculously produced from rye . . 106

L. How Philip of Worcester was struck with sickness at

Armagh, and Hugh Tyrrell divinely scourged . 107

LI. Of the mill which will not work on Sundays, nor grind

any corn which has been pilfered or pillaged . 108

LII. Of the mill of St. Fechin, which no woman may enter 108
LIII. How two horses, having fed on oats pillaged from this

mill, immediately died . . . .108

LIV. How some archers at Finglass were punished by heaven 109
LV. That the saints of this country appear to be of a vindic-
tive temper ...... Ill

DISTINCTION in.

OP THE INHABITANTS O» IEELAND

I. Of the first arrival of Csesara, granddaughter of Noah,.

before the flood .... 113

II. How Bartholanus was the second immigrant, 300 years

after the flood . . . . 114

III. How Nemedus, the third settler, came from Scythia,

with his four sons ..... 116

IV. Of the fourth immigration, by the brothers and sons

of Dela, who first divided Ireland into five equal
parts ... ... 117

V. How Slane was the first sole king of Ireland . 118

CONTENTS OF THE CHAPTEBS. 15

GBAPTEB PAGB

VI. Of the fifth immigration, when the four sons of king
Milesius came over from Spain, and how Herimon
and Heber divided the kingdom between them . 118

TIL How the brothers quarreled, and Heber having been
slain, Heiimon was the first sole king of the Irish
people . . . . . .119

VIII. Of G-urguntius, king of the Britons, who brought over
the Baselenses to Ireland,, and settled them in the
country ...... 120

IX. Of the triple and new rights of the British kings . 121

X. Of the character, customs, and habits of the people of

Ireland . . . . . .121

XI. Of the incomparable skill of the Irish in playing upon

musical instruments , 126

XII. Of the beneficial effects of music . . . 127

XIII. Of the first inventors of the art of music . 131

XIV. Of an eminent patron and improver of musical instru-

ments ...... 131

XV. Whence music derived its name . . . 132

XVI. How many kings reigned from Herimoa to the coming
of Patrick, by whom the island was converted to the

faith 132

XVII. That there were no archbishops in Ireland before the
arrival of John Papyrio, who planted there four
archiepiscopal sees in the year of our Lord, 1152 . 133
XVIII. How the bodies of three saints, Patrick, Columbus, and
Bridget, were found in these our days at the city of
Down, in Ulster, and translated . . .134

XIX. How the Irish are very ignorant of the rudiments of

the faith ...... 134

XX. Of their abominable treachery .... 135

XXI. How they always carry an axe in their hands instead of

a staff ...... 135

XXII. Of a new mode of making a . league, a proof of their

wickedness ...*.. 136

XXIII. How they love their foster-children and foster-brothers,

and hate their own brothers and kindred . . 137

XXIV. How new-comers are stained with the same vices . 137
XXV. Of a new and monstrous way of inaugurating their kings 138

XXVI. How numbers in the island are not baptized, and have

never come to the knowledge of the faith . . 139

XXVII. Of many laudable qualities in the Irish clergy . . 141

XXVIII. Of the neglect of the prelates in pastoral discipline . 142
XXIX. How nearly all the bishops of Ireland are elected from

the monasteries ..... 143
XXX. How the clergy differ from monks, and are to be pre-
ferred to them ..... 144
XXXI. That many seem to be in the fold who shall be shut

out j and the contrary . . . ; 145

16 THE TOPOGEAPHT OF IBELAND.

CHAPTER PAUB

XXXII. A sarcastic reply of the archbishop of Cashel . . 145

XXXIH. How bells and pastoral staves, and other such relics
of the saints, are held in great reverence by the
people both of Ireland, Scotland, and of Wales . 146
XXXIV. Concerning the great virtues of the pastoral staff called
the staff of Jesus ; and how a priest had a two -fold
disease inflicted on him • 146

XXXV. Of *he number of persons in this nation who have

bodily defects . . . . .'147

XXXVI. How many kings reigned from the time of St. Patrick

to the coming of Turgesius . . . 148

XXXVII. How in the time of king Fedlimidius, the Norwegians,

under their chief, Turgesius, subjugated Ireland . 148

XXXVIII. How the English say that it was G-urmundus, the Irish

that it was Turgesius, who conquered the Island . 149
XXXIX. Whence Gurmund came into Ireland or Britain . 150

XL. How, when Q-urmund was slain in Gaul, Turgesius
perished in Ireland by the hands of young men dis-
guised as girls ..... 151

XLI. How the Norwegians were driven out of Ireland, after

reigning there about thirty years . . . 151

XLII. A subtle question of the king of Meath . . 151

XXIII. Of the arrival of the Ostmen . . . .152

XLIV. How many kings reigned in Ireland from the death of

Turgesius to Roderic the last sole king of Ireland . 153
XLV. How many kings reigned from Herimon the first to
Roderic the last .....

XL VI. How from its first immigration to the time of Tur-
gesius, and from his death to the expedition of Henry
II., king of England, the Irish race maintained its
independence ..... 154

XLVII. Of the victories of Henrv TL, king of England . 155
XL VIII. A short recapitulation of the titles and triumphs of

the same king . . . . . 155

XLIX. Of the characters of his sons j and first of Henry III.,

king of England ..... 157

L. Of the character of the count of Poitou , . 159

Of the difference in person and character between the
two brothers ...... 161

Of the princes of Britany and Ireland . . 162

How the brothers quarrelled between themselves, and
with their father . . . . . 154

Of the Saxon, Spaniard, and Sicilian • . . 164

DISTINCTION I,

CHAPTER I.

OF THE SITUATION OF IRELAND.

IRELAND, the largest of islands after Britain, lies in the
Western ocean, a short day's sail beyond "Wales, in Bri-
tain ; but between Ulster and Galway, in Scotland, the sea
contracts into a narrower strait of about half the breadth.
There are, moreover, promontories on the coasts of both
islands, which may be seen and made out from the opposite
side more or less distinctly, but in all cases clearly enough
in favourable weather. Ireland is the most remote of the
western islands, having Spain parallel to it on the south, afc
the distance of three ordinary days' sail, Great Britain on
the east, and the ocean alone on the west. On the north
lies Iceland, the largest of the northern islands, at a dis-
tance of about three days' sailing.1

CHAPTEE II.

OF THE SPANISH SEA, WHICH EMBRACES BRITAIN AN£
IRELAND WITH ITS TWO ARMS.

?HE Spanish sea, named also the Iberian sea, either from
the river Iberus, or because Spain presents the form of a
dsphere, receiving the waters of the ocean from the

1 As the distance between the two islands cannot be less than eight
degrees of latitude, the estimate given by G-iraldus of the length of time"
occupied in the voyage by a sailing ship of those days, though possible,
must be taken with some reserve. In some of the Icelandic sagas it is
computed at about eight days.

C

18 THE TOPOGEAPHT OF IBELAWD.

west, between Ireland and Spain, is divided into two arms.
One of these flows between Spain and Britain, and then,
verging to the north, divides France from Britain. But
although the mouth of this channel on both sides touches
lands from which it might be named, it is most commonly
called the French sea, taking its name from France only.
The other branch of the Iberian sea, taking its course
northward, flows between Ireland and Britain, and extends
in length as much as it expands in breadth towards the
north, until it mingles its waters with the Northern ocean
at the Orkney islands. Thus separated from the rest of
the known world, and in some sort to be distinguished as
another world, not only by its situation, but by the objects
out of the ordinary course of nature contained in it, Ireland
Beems to be nature's especial repository, where she stores
up her most remarkable and precious treasures. Collate-
rally, Ireland thus occupies such a position in regard to the
adjacent coast of Britain, that from whatever British port
any one sails westward, he will have before him some part
of it. Britain, however, is twice as large as Ireland ; for,
the greatest length of both islands running north and south,
Britain is eight hundred miles long, and about two hundred
miles broad, while Ireland extends from the Brandane
mountains1 to the island of Columba, called Thorach,2 the
length of eight good Irish days' journey, which is forty
miles to the day ; and from Dublin to St. Patrick's hills
and the sea of Connaught it is four such days' journey in
breadth. The surface of Ireland may be, therefore, about
as large as Wales and Scotland, the better part of the island
of Britain, which was in ancient times annexed by its kings
to their own dominions, and called by the Britons Loegria,

1 A Brendanicis montibus, perhaps Mount Brandon, in Kerry, which
would not be a measure of the extreme length from S.W. to N.E.

2 We take this to be Rathlin island, off the coast of Antrim, which
was in the early ages the chief station for the passage from Ireland to
Scotland, and as such the rendezvous for a number of merchants and
other travellers. It may be concluded from its Scandinavian name,
Thorach, that it was also the point of departure for Norway and
Iceland, although Malin Head, on the N.W. point of Donegal, is the
point of the Irish coast nearest to Iceland; and it has been supposed
that the station mentioned in the sagas for the intercourse between the
two islands must be sought for in that neighbourhood.

YABIOUS OPINIONS OF IEELAND. 19

from Locrine, the eldest son of Brute, to whom it was
assigned.

CHAPTEE III.

OF THE VABIOTJS OPINIONS OF SOLINUS, OBOSIUS, ISI-
DORE, AND BEDE; SOME TRUE, SOME EBBONEOUS.

SOLINUS describes Ireland with sufficient accuracy as one
hundred and twenty miles in breadth ; but he says nothing
of its length. Hence I conclude that the island was un-
known to him, especially as he asserts that it was of enor-
mous magnitude. Orosius, better informed, represents
Ireland as the nearest island to Britain, with a much
smaller surface, and a climate the temperature of which
was more favourable. Isidore agrees with Orosius, saying
that Ireland is the island lying nearest to Britain, infe-
rior in size, but, from its situation, of greater fertility.
Bede, also, states that Ireland is much superior to Bri-
tain both in the salubrity and serenity of the atmosphere.
He is right as to its salubrity ; but, with due respect to his
opinion, he is in error with regard to its serenity, as will
appear in the sequel of this book. For, as France excels
Britain, so by far does Britain surpass Ireland, in the sere-
nity and pureness of its air. For the further you go
towards the East, the brighter and clearer is the face of
the sky, the more penetrating and inclement is the at-
mosphere ; but when you turn your steps nearer and
nearer to the extremity of the West, you find that, the air
being more cloudy and thick, as well as milder and more
wholesome, it renders the land more fruitful. Ireland, in-
deed, lying at equal distances between the cold of Iceland
and the heat of Spain, with its temperature moderated from
these opposite quarters, the country is happily favoured
both in having a temperate climate and a wholesome air.
In shape Ireland is much rounder than Britain, but rather
narrow in the middle, and spreading in breadth towards
the heads, while Britain is remarkable for being more ob-
long and narrow ; and, as the north of Ireland is, as it were,
broken off" and much shortened, compared with Britain,
BO its southern extremity is so far from being shorter, that,
according to Bede's statement, it extends much beyond the
parallel of Britain.

o 2

20 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

CHAPTEE IV.

OF THE SURFACE OF IRELAND, AND ITS INEQUALITIES }
AND OF THE FERTILITY OF THE SOIL.

IRELAND is a country of uneven surface, and mountainous;
the soil is friable and moist, well wooded, and marshy ; it is
truly a desert land, without roads, but well watered. Here
you may see standing waters on the tops of the mountains,
for pools and lakes are found on the summits of lofty and
steep hills. There are, however, in some places very beau-
tiful plains, though of limited extent in comparison with
the woods. On almost all sides, and towards the sea-coast,
the land is very low, but in the interior it rises into hills of
various elevations and mountains of vast height ; not only
the surrounding country, but also the central districts, being
rather sandy than rocky.

The tillage land is exuberantly rich, the fields yielding
large crops of corn ; and herds of cattle are fed on the
mountains. The woods abound with wild animals ; but
this island is more productive in pasture than in corn, in
grass than in grain. The crops give great promise when in
the blade, still more in the straw, but less in the ear ; for
the grains of wheat are shrivelled and small, and can hardly
be separated from the chaff by dint of winnowing. The
fields are luxuriantly covered, and the barns loaded with
the produce. The granaries only show scanty returns.

CHAPTEE Y.

ON THE PREVALENCE OF WINDS AND RAIN; AND THEIR

CATJSES.

THE crops which the spring brings forth, and the summer
nourishes and advances, are harvested with difficulty, on
account of the autumnal rains. For this country is
exposed more than others to storms of wind and deluges
of rain. A wind blowing transversely from, the north-
west, and more frequent and violent than any other winds,
prevails here ; the blast either bending or uprooting all
the trees standing on high ground in the western dis-
tricts, which are exposed to its sweep. This arises from

PBETALE^CE OF WINB ANB HAlff. 21

the land, surrounded on all sides by a vast sea and
open to the winds, not having in those parts any solid
shelter and protection, either distant or near. Add to
this, that the waters attracted in clouds, and collected to-
gether by the high temperature of that region, and yet
neither exhaled by fiery atmospheric heat, nor congealed by
the coldness of the air and converted into snow or hail, at
last burst in copious showers of rain. In short, this country,
like other mountainous regions, generates and nourishes
most abundant rains. For the heat evaporating from the
high lands by excessive wet, the moisture which they attract
is easily converted into its native element. And it is usu-
ally distinguished by various names, according to its various
elevations. While yet hanging about the hills, it is called
mist ; when it rises higher, and, floating in the atmosphere,
is quite disengaged from the earth, it becomes clouds ;
again descending in drops or particles, it is called snow or
rain, according as it is solid or liquid. Thus, Ireland,
"Wales, and Scotland are subject to much rain.

The island is rich in pastures and meadows, honey and
milk, and also in wine, although not in vineyards. Bede,
indeed, among his other commendations of Ireland, says,
"that it does not lack vineyards;" while Solinus and
Isidore affirm, " that there are no bees." But, with all
respect for them, they might have written just the contrary,
that vineyards do not exist in the island, but that bees are
found there. Vines it never possessed, nor any cultivators
of them. Still, foreign commerce supplies it with wine in
such plenty that the want of the growth of vines, and their
natural production, is scarcely felt. Poitou, out of its
superabundance, exports vast quantities of wine to Ireland,
which willingly gives in return its ox-hides and the skins of
cattle and wild beasts. Like other countries, it has bees
producing honey, and I think it would flow from their cells
more abundantly, if the increase of the swarms were not
checked by the bitter and poisonous yews1 with which the
woods of the island abound ; or rather, if the violent winds,
and the moisture of the climate, in Ireland, did not disperse

1 GKraldus adopts what Virgil says of Corsica :—

"Fugiunt examina taxos." — Eel. ix, 30.

22 THE TOPOGBAPHY OF IBELAITD.

the swarms of so minute an animal, or cause them to
perish.

It may be alleged, indeed, in favour of contrary opinions,
that in Bede's time there were possibly some few vineyards
in Ireland, and that St. Dominic of Ossory, as some say,
introduced bees there long after the times of Solinus. But
I can scarcely excuse those who assert that the soil is so
noxious to bees, that if any one scatters dust or gravel
brought from it among the beehives in any other country,
the swarms desert their cells. Bede also affirms, that this
island is famous for the hunting of stags and wild goats.
"Whereas it is a fact, that it never possessed any wild goats,
and is still without them. Nor can it be wondered that
these writers occasionally deviated from the truth, when
they knew nothing but what they learnt at second-hand
and from a distance, in which they placed implicit faith.
Any statement rests on a certain foundation of truth, when
the person who makes it has been also an eyewitness of
what he affirms. Still, these writers are entitled to their
due share of praise for their careful and generally correct
investigation of subjects placed by distance so far beyond
their observation. And, since nothing human is altogether
perfect, and universal knowledge and freedom from error is
the attribute of divinity, and not of mortals, any mistakes
which may have crept into their statements must be con-
sidered pardonable, as arising both from human imperfec-
tions, and the remoteness of the country of which they treat.
This indulgence we ask for ourselves, while we grant it to
others, thinking nothing that concerns the human race
foreign to our object.3

CHAPTEE VI.

OF THE NINE PEINCIPAL EIVEES, AND SEVEEAL OTHEBS
WHICH HAYE BUEST FOETH OF LATE.

THE island is intersected and watered by nine noble
rivers, which have been celebrated from the earliest ages,
even from the time of Bartholanus, who first settled in it
after the flood. Their names are these : the Avenlifius,

1 " Hanc etiam veniam petimusque danmeque vicissim,
Nihil unquam human! a nobis alienutn esse putantes."

THE NINE PEINCIPAL EIVEES. 23

At Dublin;1 the Banna runs through Ulster;2 the Moadus,
through Connaught ;3 the Slichenis and Samarius, through
Kenelcunnill ;4 the Modarnus and Phinnus, through Kenel-
eonia;5 and the Saverennus and Luvius, through Cork.6
There are also several other rivers flowing through Ireland,
but they are, so to speak, new, and, compared with the
others, of recent origin, though not inferior to them, except
in respect of their age. Some of these take their rise from
springs which have their sources in the bowels of the earth ;
others bursting suddenly from lakes in well-known parts,
divide the island into separate districts during their long
course.

I think it not superfluous to enumerate some of these.
Three noble rivers, then, rise at the foot of the Blandine
mountain :7 they are called The Three Sisters, because they
received their names from three sisters. These are the
Beriia, which runs through Leighlin ;8 the Eyrus, which
runs through Ossory ;9 and the Suyrus, which, after run-
ning through Archfinia and Tribarccia, falls into the
sea at Waterford.10 The Slana runs through Wexford ;u

1 The Liffey, which rises in the Wicklow mountains, and, as here in-
timated, flows into the bay of Dublin.

2 The Bann, a river of the north of Ireland, which passes through
Lough Neagh, and enters the sea near Coleraine.

3 The Moy, a well-known river of Connaught, which rises in Sligo,
and enters the bay of Killala. * The Sligrach and Samar, the
latter of which runs through Tyrconnell. 5 The Morne and
Finn, in Tyrone. 6 The Bandon and Lee, in the county of Cork.

7 Sliabh Bladhwa, or Slieve Bloom, an extensive mountain range,
stretching across the King's and Queen's counties. The Three Sisters
were the Barrow, Nore, and Suir. See Spenser, F. Q. lib. iv. cant, xi
42,43.

" The first the gentle Shure, that making way

By sweete Clonmell, adornes rich Waterford j
The next the stubborne Newre, whose waters gray

By faire Kilkenny and Rosseponte boord ;

The third the goodly Barow, which doth hoord
Great heapes of salmons in his deepe bosome ;

All which long sundred, doe at last accord
To joyne in one ere to the sea they come ;
So, flowing all from one, all one at last become."

8 The Barrow, which rises in the north of Queen's County, ana
empties itself into the bay of Waterford. 9 The Nore is a tribu-
tary of the Barrow. 10 The Suir rises in Tipperary, and flows
into Waterford harbour. » The river of Slaney runa
through the county of Wicklow, and flows into Wexford harbour.

24 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IEELA37D.

the Boandus, through Meath ;J the Avonmore,2 through
Lignioria ; and the Sinnenus, through Limerick.*

Of all the rivers in Ireland, new or old, the Sinnenus
deservedly claims the first rank, both for its full and ma-
jestic stream, which flows through vast tracts of country,
and for the abundance of fish contained in its waters. It
has its source in a lake which divides Connaught from
Munster, and forms two branches which take opposite
courses ; one branch flowing eastward, and washing the
city of Killaloe in its course, after embracing Limerick, and
separating for one hundred miles and more the two parts
of Munster, falls into the sea of Brandon. The other branch,
of equal importance, divides Meath and the further districts
of Ulster from Connaught, and after various windings falls
into the Northern Ocean.* Thus, flowing from sea to sea,
it separates the fourth and western part of the island from
the three others. For this country was formerly divided
into five equal provinces ; namely, the two Munsters, north
and south, Leinster, Ulster, and Connaught. Merlin's
prophecy predicted that they would be reduced to one ;
but of that I shall speak more fully in the proper place.
It may, however, be as well to remark, that the two
Munsters embraced the southern parts of Ireland;
Ulster, the north ; Leinster, the east ; and Connaught, the
west.

1 The Boyne, which rises in Queen's County , flows north-east through
Trion and Cavan, and enters the sea below Drogheda.

2 Lignioria is probably a misreading of the manuscript by the copy-
ist for Ltsmoria. Avonmore is the Irish name for the Blackwater,
which rises among the mountains on the borders of Cork and Kerry,
passes by Lismore, and enters the sea at Youghal. •

3 The Shannon, called in Irish, Sinain. It is not easy to account for
the singular error into which Giraldus has fallen with regard to the
course of this celebrated river. He seems to have imagined that it
was a branch of the river Shannon which discharges itself into the sea
at Bally shannon, in the bay of Donegal. The Shannon, as is well known,
takes its rise in Lough Allen, in the county of Leitrim, and takes first 3
southern and then a south-western course, till it discharges itself into
the Atlantic, which was sometimes called St. Brandan's sea, because it
was the supposed scene of his marvellous voyages.

4 The river which empties itself into the sea, at Ballyshaunon, is
merely the outlet of the waters of kke Earne.

LAKES AND FISHES. 25

CHAPTEE VII.

Or THE LAKES, AND THE ISLANDS THEEEIN ; OF THE
FISHES IN THE SEA, EIVEES, AND LAKES ; AND OF THOSE
WHICH AEE NOT FOUND THEEE ; AND OF SOME NEW
SPECIES OF FISH NOT FOUND ELSEWHEEE.

THIS island is also especially remarkable for a great
number of beautiful lakes, abounding in fish, and surpassing
in size those of any other countries I have visited. These
lakes encompass some slightly elevated spots, most delight-
fully situated, which, for the sake of security, and because
they are inaccessible except by boats, the lords of the soil
appropriate as their places of refuge and seats of residence,
where they raise their harvest.

Sea-fishes are found in considerable abundance on all the
coasts. The rivers and lakes, also, are plentifully stored
with the sorts of fish peculiar to those waters, and especi-
ally three species : salmon and trout, muddy eels, and oily
shad.1 The Sinnenus (Shannon) abounds in lampreys,2 a
dangerous delicacy indulged in by the wealthy.

This country, however, does not produce some fine fishes
found in other countries, and some excellent fresh- water
fishes, such as the pike, the perch, the roach, the barbel,
the gardon,3 and the gudgeon. Minnows, also, bullheads,
and verones,4 are not found there, also, no loches, or they
are very rare. Thus, every country is deficient in some
particular products. In Great Britain there are no tortoises
or scorpions. Cisalpine G-aul produces no leopards or
lions ; Italy has no perch ; Palestine no pikes ; and both
are without salmon. So also, Italy, Apulia, Calabria, and
Sicily, have no salmon ; and no part of Spain produces pikes,
perch, or pheasants. Crete has no owls ; the Mediterranean
sea, no herrings ; and the kingdom of Hungary, no eels.

1 Alosisqua prcvpinguilus. The shad, the clupea alosa of modern natu-
ralists, called in France an alose. It is not a fresh-water fish, but ascends
the larger rivers from the sea, and is most delicate when caught in the
rivers. 2 The unwholesome character of the lamprey is proverbial.

Henry of Huntingdon informs us, that king Henry II.'s death was caused
by indulgence in this favourite dish. See his History, in Bohn's Antiq.
Lib. p. 259. 3 One of the roach family, the leuciscus idus.

4 One of the smaller members of the genus leuciscus, in modern
French veron, is supposed to answer to our minnow j but Giralduf
dearly distinguishes it from the minuta, the old French menuise.

26 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

On the other hand, the lakes of this country contain
three species of fish which are found nowhere else. One
is a sort of trout, called also salares, which are longer
and rounder than trout, and which are white, close-grained,
and good-flavoured.1 The tymal, commonly called the
umber,2 resembles the former kind of fishes, except that it
is distinguished by a larger head. There are others which
very much resemble the sea herring both in shape and
quality, and in colour and taste. A third sort exactly re-
sembles the trout, except that it has no spots. The first
sort is called Glassans, the second, Cafes, the third, Brits.3
These three species of fishes make their appearance in the
summer only, and are never seen in the winter. In Meath,
near Fovera,4 are three lakes, not far from each other, each
of which has its own distinct and peculiar species of fish,
and which are frequented by no other, although they are
connected by streams affording communications between
them ; and if a fish of one kind is carried down into the
water frequented by another, it either perishes or finds its
way back to its first abode.

CHAPTEE VIII.

OF BIRDS, AND THOSE THAT ARE WANTING, WITH THEIR
NATURES AND ALLEGORICAL SIGNIFICATIONS ; OF THE
HAWK, THE FALCON, AND THE SPARROW-HAWK, AND
THEIR NATURES.

IRELAND has some aquatic birds, which build their nests
in high crags, of the same species as are found in other
countries ; but some other species have never been found
there from the most ancient times.

This country produces in greater numbers than any other,
hawks, falcons, and sparrow-hawks,6 a class of birds which
nature has endowed with courageous instincts and armed

1 Salares. This word is only found in this passage of Giraldus, and
it is not quite clear to what fish it refers. 2 The name umber is

now given to the mallus vulgaris, better known as the graylin.

3 Glassanos — catos—britios. These appear to have been old local
names for the fishes alluded to, and are not found in any other writers.

4 Foure, a small town in Westmeath, situated on Lough Lein.

5 Nitos. This is the English interpretation of the Latin nisus g' ren
in the early Anglo-Latin vocabularies,

BIBDS, THEIE NATURES. 27

with curved and powerful beaks and sharp talons, to fit them
as birds of prey. It is, however, a remarkable fact in the
history of this tribe of birds, that their nests are not more
numerous than they were many centuries ago j and, although
they have broods every year, their numbers do not increase.
When one pair perishes by any accident, another takes its
place. The nests diminish in number from a variety of
circumstances, but nothing occasions them to increase.
According to Cassiodorus, birds of this class, which live
by prey, allow their young no rest in their infancy, that
they may not acquire indolent habits ; they beat the tender
brood with their wings, and compel them to fly as soon as
they are fledged, that they may rear them to habits on which
the parents may rely. And when, in process of time, they
are strong on the wing, with the help of their natural in-
stinct they are taught to seek their prey, and then are driven
by their cruel parents from their native seats, to which they
are not allowed to return.

Since, then, it is a much easier task to teach the ignorant
than to reclaim the froward, prudent parents will breed up
and educate their sons after the example set them by these
birds. And, as idleness engenders instability of character,
they will rouse and sharpen their will by constant exercise,
lest embued with the vices attendant on listless sloth in
their riper years, they may find it difficult to unlearn them.
Moreover, the Lord chastens the sons whom he loves ; and,
in order to set their minds more earnestly on eternal felicity,
secures their happiness by present calamities. St. Augus-
tine says, " Nothing is more unhappy than the happiness of
sinners, which nourishes in them a fatal sense of impunity,
and a foe within confirms their propensity to evil." Hence,
Gregory remarks, that " oxen intended for slaughter have
the free run of the pastures, while those that are reserved
for labour are put under the yoke."

So also sons of ripe age are sometimes sent forth from
the homes of their parents, for kind and prudent ends ;
that, left to themselves, they may learn caution instead of
carelessness, diligence instead of idleness, activity instead
of sloth, courage instead of cowardice. For he seldom fails
who is not wanting to himself; while those who depend
upon the assistance of others, appear very often to fall

28 THE TOPOGBAPHY OF

short of their aims. Por this cause the fathers and pastors
of the church gradually admit their sons as they become
capable of receiving higher instruction, to seek their meat
boldly in the Lord's pastures ; for "the kingdom of heaven
suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." They
teach them also to despise and eschew the troublesome
paths of this life, and its sinful gulf, and to direct all their
efforts towards that which is their true and permanent
country ; thus compelling them by a most merciful severity
to be mortified to the world, and become exiles from it.

Moreover, as in all kinds of animals the males are natu-
rally stronger than the females, so also in these birds,
and all others which live by prey and have to pursue their
game, and therefore particularly need for their subsistence
strength and force, the female sex is bolder and stronger
than in other kinds, though the males lose something of
their superior privileges. Perhaps this may signify that
the female sex is more resolute in all evil than the male.
Tor, as Tully says, " Men will sometimes, to gain a single
object, perpetrate one crime; but women will stick at
nothing to satisfy their desires in a single instance." So it
is said, in Ecclesiasticus, " The wrath of a man is shorter
than the wrath of a woman." Nor are they ever wanting
in efforts to establish their power over the men in a variety

of ways ; j1 and Grod makes use of the

weak things of the world to confound the strong. Thus,
nature has so deprived the males of these birds of the
privilege of their sex, that as they grow old they almost
always degenerate ; while in the other sex years only add
to their vigour and swiftness.

We find it remarkable in sparrow-hawks, that some are dis-
tinguished by white spots, some by red, and some by parti-
coloured. Hence, it has been conjectured that they con-
tracted this variety from the trees in which they were bred.
But as this difference is perceived in broods from the same
trees, and even from the same nests, it seems to be the
better opinion that this variety in their plumage is derived
from the parent birds. It is also reported of the sparrow-
hawk, that when the frost of winter is very severe, it seizes
a bat towards evening, and nestling to it the whole of

1 The sequel of this sentence is here printed in the original Latin :—
* Et effceminatos a fceminis viros debita yirilitate foeminee deprsedantur."

BIRDS, THEIR yATURES. 29

tlie night for the sake of the warmth, lets it go free in the
morning uninjured, in return for its service. Hawks and
sparrow-hawks, differing in size rather than instinct, pounce
on their prey with great velocity, and either fail in their
first attack, or carry it off.

There are several kinds of falcons, both large and small,
high bred, and kestrels ; merlins (meruli) also, small and
summer birds, though sluggish at first when fat, afterwards
swoop suddenly on their prey, and soaring on high in wide
circles, pounce from above on the quarry, and having struck
it and crushed it with the force of their breasts, pierce it
and tear it to pieces with their extended claws. Their flight
is so rapid and unwearied that, pursuing the bird which
endeavours to escape, and flits from side to side, now high,
now low, while all the spectators are filled with delight ; no
length of flight in the vast aerial amphitheatre, no artifice
of the fugitive, can save it from its relentless foe. Hawks
and sparrow-hawks are of a more delicate nature, requiring
choicer food and more careful keepers. Falcons are both more
pertinacious in their attacks, and more ready to return to
their keeper when he raises his hand, or even at his call.
May we not compare to the first class of birds, those who,
indulging in sumptuous banquets, equipages, and clothing,
and the various other allurements of the flesh, are so won
by their charms, that they study only earthly things, and
give themselves up to them ; and as they do not soar on
high to gain the prize by resolute and persevering efforts,
their conversation is on earth, and not in heaven.

Those, again, may be compared to the other class of
birds, who, rejecting altogether a delicate diet and all the
other delights of the flesh, choose rather, by Divine inspi-
ration, to suffer hardships and privations. And, since all
virtue soars high, struggling upwards with all their efforts,
their aim and object is that recompense and reward for
their labours above, which the violent take by force.

Falcons derive their name from a sickle (falce)> because
they whirl their flight in a circle ; gerfalcons are so called
from their gyrations (ffyrofariendo) ; sparrow-hawks (nisi),
from their swoop (nisu) ; and hawks (accipitres) from their
greed of prey (accipiendo).1

1 It may be right to remark, that most of these derivations are more
fanciful than correct.

80 THE TOPOOBAPHY OF IRELAND.

CHAPTER IX.

OF THE EAGLE, AND ITS NATTJEE.

EAGLES are as numerous here as kites are in other coun-
tries. These birds eye with fixed gaze the full effulgence of
the solar rays ; and it is reported that they teach their
young to do the same, though unwilling. Hence, eagles
(aquilat) are so called from their piercing eyes (acu-
mine). Thus, contemplative men strive to fix the whole
powers of their mind without distractions on the very
essence of the Divine majesty, and on the true sun of right-
eousness, and, putting their hands to the plough of the
heavenly paradise, do not look backward. The fathers of
the church also, in order to accustom their sons in tender
age to that which is good, teach them to turn the eyes of
the soul to the intuition and the desire of the light divine.

Eagles also live for so many ages, that, enjoying renewed
youth, they seem to contend with eternity itself. So also the
saints, renewed with the innocence of childhood, having
put off the old man, and put on the new man, obtain the
blessed fruit of everlasting life. Again, eagles often soar
so high in their night, that their wings are scorched with
the fiery rays of the sun. So those who in the Holy Scrip-
tures strive to unravel the deep and hidden secrets of the
heavenly mysteries, beyond what is allowed, and those limits
which it is not permitted us to pass, returning to themselves
halt below as if the wings of the presumptuous imagination
on which they were borne were scorched in their flight.
But since a subject of great importance here incidentally
occurs — for I have both read and observed myself that
numbers in many parts of the world have erred in this
matter — I think I shall be pardoned for dwelling upon it a
little longer, and with more attention.

Bocks and stones, and masses of earth, which of themselves
are incapable of motion, being only ponderous bodies which
tend to the centre,1 are vastly excelled by trees and herbs,
1 Ad centrum tendunt. The tendency of heavy bodies to a centre was
an article of the higher science doctrines of the age of Giraldus, and
is stated still more fully by his contemporary, Alexander Neckam, in
his treatise De Naturis Rerum. It was a foreshadowing of the Newto-
nian doctrine.

THE EAGLE. 31

which have, as it plainly appears, a certain living vegetation
and vegetable life, by which they sensibly, though without
sense, move and grow, and increase and multiply. Again,
trees and herbs are far surpassed by brute animals, which
have the power of moving themselves from place to place,
and by some instinct know their own stalls, and have some
memory of the past. On this account, several of them are
even esteemed higher than rational creatures ; " for where
reason abounds, there imagination yields." All these,
however, are far surpassed by the microcosm man, who,
richly gifted with intellect and reason, lifting his face
to heaven, and having the use of speech, worships his Cre-
ator, and is the most perfect of all terrestrial creatures.
But, as far as man excels all others, so are angelical beings
pre-eminent, being as far above man in their subtle
essence, and in their dwelling on high, in familiar inter-
course with the Creator, in whose presence they always
stand, as they are his superiors in intellect. Finally, the
Almighty and All-creating God, as the potter is superior to
the clay he moulds, and the artificer to the material on
which he works, incomparably transcends all creatures with
a pre-excellence surpassing all powers of language or
thought. For He formed all things according to his will ;
He spake, and they were made; He commanded, and they
were created. From Him is all wisdom, and out of His
fullness we all receive. From Him it is that we exist, and
are intelligent beings, as from the source from which all
intellect flows, as the stream from its fountain. Since then
human nature is so much inferior and less worthy than the
angelical, tell us, O man, with what face, with what temerity
thou presumest to scrutinize and trace out those mysteries,
to the investigation of which the very angels esteem them-
selves wholly incompetent ? By what arrogance dost thou
aspire to embrace with the powers of thy intellect things
which no intelligence can grasp or comprehend ? As He is
incomprehensible before whose majesty dominations adore
and powers tremble,1 so His judgments are incomprehensible,
and His ways past finding out. My thoughts are not as
your thoughts, nor my ways as your ways, saith the Lord.
1 Dominationes, potestates. Terms in the mediaeval theology indicating
different orders of the angels in heaven. Both the dominations and th«
potestates and powers formed the second rank of the angelic hierarchy.

32 THE TOPOGEAPHT OF IRELAND.

For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my
ways above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.
"Why is your heart so lifted up, and your eyes raised on
high, that you are conversant with wonders and with mira-
cles which are above you ? Does your pride so separate
you from the love of G-od, that while you are wise in that
which is above knowledge, and aspire to still higher attain-
ments, you turn aside from the path of the humble ? Not-
withstanding, it becomes us best not to know more than
we ought to know, but to be wise with soberness.

"Beware then, lest in thus employing your intelligence you
become as though you had no understanding. Beware, lest
abusing the privileges of reason and intellect, through which,
by the merciful goodness of the Creator, you excel all beings
under the sun, you justly forfeit them. Fix not your seat
in the North, and seek in vain to be equal with the Most
Highest. Beware, lest, lifting up your horn, you speak evil
against the Lord. Beware, lest exalting yourself, you fall from
on high. Beware, I say, lest, being so immeasureably exalted,
your fall be equally great. Be wise, therefore, ye foolish
among the people, and, ye unwise, have some understanding.
He that planted the ear, shall He not hear ? and He that made
the eye, shall He not see ? He that proveth man, shall He
not chastise ? and He that teacheth man wisdom ? The
Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are but vain.
Hear, rather, how humbly the man whom Grod himself tes-
tifies to have found after his own heart : I mean David the
king and prophet, sings in the Psalms : " Lord, I am not
high-minded, nor are my eyes lifted up ; nor have I exercised
myself in great matters, nor in wonders that are above
me." Listen to what Solomon, the wisest of the kings of the
earth, said to his son : My son, search not into things that
are above thee, nor inquire into those that are mightier
than thee ; but meditate always on what the Lord hath
commanded thee, and in many of his works be not too
curious. Also, to one who eateth too much honey, it is
bitter and evil ; and elsewhere, if thou findest honey, eat
that which shall satisfy thee, lest if thou eat too much
thou vomit it up. Again, to quote, in part, the words of Job :
How can man be more just than Grod, or purer than his
Maker ? Behold, his servants are not to be trusted, and

THE EAGLE. 38

his angels he charged with folly. How much more those
who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the
dust, while they lift their face to heaven, they shall perish
and be consumed as it were by the moth. And again, in
the same : Man shall not be justified when compared with
God.

Tell me then, thou frail potsherd, with what face, against
reason and against faith, thou presumest to give an account
of all things above and below, and especially of those which
are above all reason ? For what can be more contrary to
reason, than by the use of reason to strive to master that
which transcends reason ? And what is more contrary to
faith than to refuse to believe whatever reason cannot
grasp ? " He who is swift to believe is light-minded ;" as
much as to say, that faith is to be controlled by reason.
But understand, that Solomon did not speak of faith in
God, but of mutual confidence amongst ourselves. Gregory
distinctly denies the merit of faifh in God which is founded
on the experience of human reason. The Apostles are
commended for having followed their Master in obedience
to his simple summons. It was said in praise of one : " At
the hearing of the ear he obeyed me." On the other hand,
those disciples are rebuked who were slow to believe.
Finally, Mary was commended for having preferred faith to
reason, and Zacharias was punished because he tried faith
by the test of reason. And again, Abraham was com-
mended because against hope he believed in hope.

To return, however, to natural objects. What master
ever intrusted to his servant all the secrets of his heart ?
or, did even Euryalus to Nisus, Tydeus to Polynices, Orestes
to Pylades, without reserving in the inmost recesses of his
soul many which he would never unfold or make known to
anyone ? How much more must He who is most infinite,
reserve to himself things that are infinite ? Will He who
is the Maker and Ruler of the universe entirely reveal
Himself to the lowest of his servants, who are but dust,
so that all that relates or can relate to the lofty, the in-
scrutable, the ineffable nature of the Divinity, should be
open to the ken of a being so frail, so corruptible, so vile
in his nature, as man ? Who ever saw a picture rival the
art of the painter ? Shall the vessel say to the potter,

34 THE TOPOGBAPHY OF IBELA2CD.

Why did you mould me in a shape which is narrow at tha
mouth and swells out below ? Thus, it is said in the Book
of Wisdom, Who hath measured the sand of the sea, the
drops of rain, and the days of eternity ? Who hath meted
the height of the heavens, the breadth of the earth,
and the depth of the abyss ? Who hath searched out
the wisdom of Grod, which was before all things ? And
again, to whom is the root of wisdom revealed, and who
hath known all her secrets ? To whom is the discipline of
wisdom revealed and made manifest, and who hath under-
stood the numbers of her goings out ? There is one Most
High and Omnipotent Creator. God, who sits and rules on
his throne, is a mighty king, and greatly to be feared. He
created wisdom by the Holy Spirit, and saw it, and counted
and meted it out, and poured it forth over all his works, and
in all flesh bestowed it on those who love him. Thus, on his
people He has shed wisdom, not in entirety, but in portions,
and as it were in rivulets, that in all their wants they may
recur to him as the fountain-head, the well of living waters,
inexhaustible and never-failing. Since then, the wisdom of
the Lord is a deep abyss, the heaven of heavens is His, and
what remains He will have destroyed by fire, we ought to
remember with thanks that we are admitted to the know-
ledge of things in part only, and not to the fulness of intelli-
gence and comprehension. Hence, when some one irreve-
rently inquired, " What Grod did before the world was cre-
ated ?" Augustine replied, " He prepared hell for those
who ask foolish questions." It is in vain, therefore, to tor-
ment ourselves with such inquiries, and I shall finally
conclude with the positive axiom, that a well-disposed
mind does not search into such things. Into a malevolent
mind wisdom will not enter. To use the words of the
prophet : " How great are thy works, O Lord : thy thoughts
are very deep ; an unwise man doth not know this, and a
fool doth not understand it."

CHAPTEE X.

OP THE CBANE, AND ITS tfATUBE.

CBANES assemble in such numbers, that a hundred, or about
that number, are often seen in one flock. By natural in*

THE CBANE. 35

gtinct they keep watch in turns at night for their common
safety, perched on one foot, and holding a stone in the other
featherless claw, that if they should fall asleep, the fall of
the stone may rouse them to renew their watch.

These birds are emblems of the bishops of the church,
whose office it is to keep watch over their flock, not know-
ing at what hour the thief will come. And any sacred duty
should employ the mind, and be like the stone, ready to drop.
It should utterly shake off all sloth, and allow nothing to
be thought of but itself. And if by any chance it should
sometimes fail, the mind, being inured to its habitual occu-
pation, resumes it like one awakened out of sleep.

This bird also gives notice of danger by its cries. In
like manner the pastors of the church drive the wolves
from the fold by sounding the alarm from the holy oracles,
and with unwearied diligence lift up their voice like a trum-
pet. The liver of this bird is also of such a fiery heat, that,
when by any chance it swallows iron, its stomach digests it.
So bowels 'inflamed with the fire of charity subdue and
soften iron hearts which were before indurate, and reduce
them to soft concord in brotherly love.

Wild peacocks here abound in the woods,1 but wild hens,
which the common people call grutes, (y rut as) are here
small and scarce, being both in shape and colour very like
partridges. There are immense nights of snipes,2 also
called kardioli, both the larger species of the woods, and
the smaller of the marshes ; but the latter are the more
abundant. Quails are found in considerable numbers ; ra-
tul<B* also, with their hoarse cries, are innumerable ; and
clouds of larks singing praise to God.

1 The bird here mentioned is probably the capercailzie, or cock of the
wood, a noble bird of the size of a turkey, called in Norway " ticer,"
which is met with in the pine forests of that country, but seldom in any
gi'eat numbers.

2 Aceta. This Latin word is explained in the Anglo-Saxon glossaries
by snite, the old form of snipe, or rude-coco, perhaps an error for wiide
coce, the woodcock, so that the latter are here probably meant by " the
larger species of the woods," and "the smaller of the marshes" is no
doubt the ordinary snipe.

* It has been suggested that we ought to read ranulce for ratulas in
the text of Giraldus ; but it is evident that he intended to speak of a
bird, though of what kind is uncertain.

D 2

gg THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

CHAPTER XI.

OF BAENACLES, WHICH &BOW FBOH FIB- T1MBEB, AIO?-
THEIB NATURE.

THEBE are likewise here many birds called barnacles, which
nature produces in a wonderful manner, out of her ordinary
course. They resemble the marsh-geese, but are smaller.
Being at first gummy excrescences from pine-beams floating
on the waters, and then enclosed in shells to secure their
free growth, they hang by their beaks, like seaweeds attached
to the timber. Being in process of time well covered with
feathers, they either fall into the water or take their flight
in the free air, their nourishment and growth being supplied,
while they are bred in this very unaccountable and curious
manner, from the juices of the wood in the sea-water. I
have often seen with my own eyes more than a thousand
minute embryos of birds of this species on the seashore,
hanging from one piece of timber, covered with shells, and
already formed. No eggs are laid by these birds after copu-
lation, as is the case with birds in general ; the hen never
sits on eggs in order to hatch them ; in no corner of the
world are they seen either to pair, or build nests. Hence,
in some parts of Ireland, bishops and men of religion make
no scruple of eating these birds on fasting days, as not
being flesh, because they are not born of flesh. But these men
are curiously drawn into error. For, if any one had eaten
part of the thigh of our first parent, which was really flesh,
although not born of flesh, I should think him not guiltless
of having eaten flesh.1 Repent, 0 unhappy Jew, recollect,
though late, that man was first generated from clay without
being procreated by male and female ; nor will your venera-
tion for the law allow you to deny that. In the second place,
woman was generated of the man, without the intervention
of the other sex. The third mode of generation only by male
and female, as it is the ordinary one, obstinate as you are, you
admit and approve. But the fourth, from which alone came
salvation, namely, birth from a woman, without union with

1 Another curious case of casuistry, arising out of what was an im-
portant question in those days, the distinction between fish and flesh,
with reference to the diet allowed on days of abstinence, will be found
in Chap. XXI. following.

BIRDS OF TWOFOLD SPECIES. 37

a man, yon utterly reject with perverse obstinacy, to your
own perdition. Blush, O wretched man, blush ! At least,
recur to nature, which, in confirmation of the faith for our
best teaching, continually produces and gives birth to new
animals, without union of male and female. The first crea-
ture was begotten of clay ; this last is engendered of wood.
The one, proceeding from the God of nature for once only,
was a stupendous miracle ; the other, though not less ad-
mirable, is less to be wondered at, because imitative nature
often performs it. But human nature is so constituted,
that it holds nothing to be precious and admirable but
what is uncommon and of rare occurrence. The rising and
setting of the sun, than which there is nothing in the world
more beautiful, nothing more fit to excite our wonder, we pass
by without any admiration, because they are daily presented
to our eyes ; while an eclipse of the sun fills the whole
world with astonishment, because it rarely occurs.1 The
procreation of bees from the honeycomb, by some mys-
terious inspiration of the breath of life, appears to be
a fact of the same kind [as the origin of barnacles].

CHAPTEE XII

OF BIRDS OF TWOFOLD SPECIES AND MIXED BREED.

THERE are also many birds here of a twofold nature,
which are called ospreys, in size less than eagles, and larger
than hawks. By an extraordinary contrivance of sportive
nature, one of their feet spreads open, armed with talons
and adapted for taking their prey ; the other is close, harm-
less, and only fit for swimming. It is wonderful how these
birds — and I have often witnessed it myself — hover in the
air over the waves supported by their wings, remaining still,
that they may command a better view of the depths below ;
and when, with a penetrating glance, they discover through
the great space of turbulent air and water small fishes
lurking in the sand beneath the waves, they pounce upon,
them from on high with headlong speed, and diving and
coming to the surface, use their web-foot in swimming,
while with the other armed with talons they seize and
1 A truly just and philosophical remark; a grain of wheat which we
may well winnow from the chaff of our author's absurdities

38 THE TOPOGEAPHT OF IRELAND.

carry off their prey. In like manner, the old enemy of
mankind fixes his keen eyes on us, however we may try
to conceal ourselves in the troublesome waves of this
present world ; and ingratiating himself with us by tempo-
ral prosperity, which may be compared to the peaceable
foot, the cruel spoiler then puts forth his ravenous claws to
clutch miserable souls, and drag them to perdition.

It must be remarked that, in both kinds of birds, some
are found which much resemble the other ; but they are
mongrels, and not true to their kind, differing very much
in some things, though they possess the common nature of
birds. But the careful observer will discriminate these dif-
ferences in animals having a general resemblance, as well
as certain resemblances in those which differ.

CHAPTER XIH.

OF MARTINETS AND THEIE NATTTEES.

THERE are also found in this country the small birds called
martinets,1 which are less than the blackbird, and here, as
elsewhere, rare, frequenting the rivers. They are short,
like quails, and dive in the water after the small fish on
which they feed ; and though in other respects they retain
their general character, their colour varies. For degene-
rating here, they have the belly white with a dark-coloured
back, while in other countries the belly is red, with red
beak and feet. Like parrots and peacocks, the back and
wings are distinguished by their brilliant shade of green,
which is very lustrous and beautiful. It is remarkable in
these little birds that, if they are preserved in a dry place,
when dead, they never decay ; and if they are put among
clothes and other articles, they preserve them from the
moth and give them a pleasant odour. "What is still
more wonderful, if, when dead, they are hung up by their
beaks in a dry situation, they change their plumage every
year, as if they were restored to life, as though the vital
spark still survived and vegetated through some mysterious
remains of its energy.

Thus holy men, who are dead to the world, and, as it
were, laid up in a dry place, and inflamed with the ardour

: The martinet (martineta) was the kingEsher. It is still called in
French the martinet-pechenr.

BIBDS WHICH DISAPPEAR DURING WINTER. 39

of charity, purify and perfect themselves and those who are
united to them from being vitiated by the corruption of
sin, and render them conspicuous by the good odour of
their virtues. And while they hang from above by the
most intimate union of soul, casting off the old garment of
the flesh, and clothed in new virtues, they are changed and
renewed for the better from time to time, putting off the
old man, and putting on the new. For that is the highest
pitch of excellence, when the former acts are surpassed by
being followed by those which are better.

CHAPTER XIV.

OF SWANS AND STORKS AND THEIR NATURES.

SWANS abound in the northern part of Ireland ; but storks
are very rare throughout the island, and their colour is
black. It is remarkable in swans that they teach us not to
grieve at the fate of death ; for in their last moments,
making a virtue of necessity, they exhibit by their funeral
songs contempt for the loss of life. So men, who are clothed
in white by the merits of their virtues, depart joyfully from
the troubles of the present world, and thirsting for God,
the only fountain of life, desire to be dissolved, freed from
this body of death, and to be with Christ.

It is remarkable in storks that they desert places where
the waters are warm, and frequent those where they are
cold. For throughout the winter they harbour about the
beds of streams, but in the first opening of spring change
the temperature, betaking themselves to a free current of
air. So the saints, who now sleep in the dust of the earth,
during the wintry season of this world, which now is, when
it is renovated and changed into a better state, enjoying for
ever a serene atmosphere, will rise from their hiding-places
at the first sound of the archangel's voice, and being carried
up to meet Christ in the air, shall be summoned to his
right hand, and translated into the true liberty of his sons.

CHAPTER XV.

OF BIRDS WHICH DISAPPEAR DURING THE WINTER.

IT is also remarkable in birds of these and other similar spe-
cies, which the rigour of winter is wont to drive away, that

40 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

during this period they are neither living nor dead, but
vegetating, without the breath of life being extinct, they
appear wrapt in a long trance, and, remaining without the
nourishment by which animal life is wont to be sustained,
are yet supported by some kind and secret process of na-
ture, until, roused from their sleep, they come back with
the zephyrs and the first swallow. In like manner the
animals called dormice, because sleep makes them fat (for the
word from which they derive their name, gliscere, signifies to
grow fat, as well as to long after), sleep all the winter, and,
after lying motionless as if they were dead, revive in the
summer. This led some one, speaking in the person of this
little animal, to say : —

" Tota mihi dormitur hyems, et pinguior illo
Tempore sum, quo me nil nisi somnus alit."

Those seem to fall into a similar trance whose spirits are
on some occasions, by divine permission, wafted to the
heavenly mansions above, or to the spectacle of hell below,
returning at last, when their mission is completed, to their
bodies on earth, which meanwhile have remained in an
extraordinary state of destitution, breathing without a spi-
rit, and living without life, and thus neither entirely dead
or alive.

CHAPTEE XVI.

OF GBASSHOPPERS WHICH SING THE BETTER WHEN THEIB
HEADS ARE CUT OFF, AND REVIVE SPONTANEOUSLY AFTER
BEING LONG DEAD.

IN the districts of Apulia and Calabria there are grass-
hoppers with wings, which spring from place to place not
by any effort of their legs, but by the use of their win^s,
and have orifices under their throats by which they utter
tuneful sounds. It is also reported that 'they sing sweetest
when their heads are cut off, and when they are dead better
than when they are alive. Hence the shepherds in that
country have a custom of depriving them of their heads,
that at least they may extract sweetness from them even by
their death. For the residue of the life-giving spirit, until
it has escaped by these apertures from the dying body, gives
forth wonderful harmony. These grasshoppers, also, being

THE YAEIOUS KINDS OP CROWS FOUND HEEE. 41

congealed by the frost in the beginning of winter, shrivei
up, and many of them putrify. But when warm weather
returns in spring, the brealh of life returns to them, and
they revivify and recover their strength. That the dead
sing better than the living 'may be exemplified in the case
of the Christian martyrs, who, having been decapitated for
Christ's sake, preach, when dead, better than they did when
alive, so that the church is more edified by their death than
by their life. In what follows concerning resuscitation and
revival, we have a sign of our own resurrection. For thus
the Creator, for our instruction and confirmation in the truth,
corroborates the less probable articles of the received faith
by familiar examples in the natural world. "What else can
be the meaning of that prodigious increase from their dust
of the little worms which produce silk ? What the astonish-
ing reproduction of the phoenix from its own ashes ?

CHAPTER XVII.

OP THE VAEIOTJS KINDS OF CEOWS FOUND HEEE, AND OP
THETE NATUEES.

ALSO there are no black crows in this country, or they are
very rare; they are all parti-coloured. These birds carry
up small shell-fish into the air, and let them fall on the rocks
by the sea shore, that, not being able to crush the shells
with their beaks, they may be fractured by collision with
Jie stones, after falling from a great height. Thus the old
feiemy, with malicious guile, after raising to the highest
pitch of honour those whom he was unable to pervert when
m a humble condition, boldly assails them, in order that,
neglecting the duties of their station, or wavering, from
being puffed up with arrogance, the higher they have been
lifted up the greater may be their fall into the depths of
sin, and the more severely he may bruise and crush them.

It is a remarkable fact respecting these birds, that although
in other things they are the most cunning of all fowls, their
natural instinct fails them in choosing suitable situations
for their nests, in which other birds, however silly, manifest
great ingenuity. For they build their nests in a public
road, or any other frequented place, or on a fallen tree, or a
Stone ; never thinking of the winds, or apprehensive oi

42 THE TOPOGEAPHY OF IRELAND.

the access of snakes or men. Thus, however a man maj
be distinguished by vigour of genius and the endowments
of wisdom, if he abandons himself to licentiousness, and is
ensnared by lust, he pays little regard to temperance and
modesty. This was exemplified in David and Solomon, one
of whom incurred the guilt of murder, and the other of
apostacy, through their violent passion for women.

CHAPTEE XVIII.

OF THE CBOEBL3G WHICH ABE HEBE WHITE, AND OF OTHEK
SPECIES OF BIBDS.

As in Crete all the merles are white, so the Irish croerice1
are also white. It is the instinct of these birds to impale
beetles on a thorn, so that the thorn is impregnated by
venom. How remarkable is it that the mischief which
we find in neither of the three by itself, is effected through
the union of the three. Thus the Creator, by a won-
derful union of things contrary, joins the spirit to the flesh,
and so the evil of sin is forthwith contracted, although it is
to be found in neither of the three of itself.

Ireland produces no falcons but those of noble breed.
The ignoble species, vulgarly called layner,2 are not found
here. The gerfalcons, which are bred in the Northern and
Arctic regions, and supplied from thence, are not produced
in this country ; nor are there partridges and pheasants.
There are no magpies or nightingales; indeed, of birds
in general, and especially of the smaller species, fewer are

1 This word, as far as I know, has not been found elsewhere, and
it is uncertain to what bird it is intended to apply. As it fed upon
beetles, it must have been busiest towards nightfall. Ducange has the
word croerola, as occurring in the Alemanic Laws, and conjectured to
be the French crecerelle, a kestrel. But this can hardly be the mean-
ing here.

* In old books of falconry, we find hawks formerly appropriated in
a sort of fanciful order, according to the gradations of rank, and
among them the "layner and layneret" were assigned to an esquire.
Thus, also, the gerfalcon was counted a royal bird, the peregrine falcon
was appropriated to an earl or lord, the "sakyr and sakyret" to a
knight, a lease of merlins to a lady, a hoby to a gentleman " of the first
heag," a goss-hawk to a yeoman, a sparrow-hawk to a priest, and a
kestrel to a knave (in the old sense of the word). See Latham's Birds,
vol. i. p. 109. As to the gerfalcon, see the note to c. 13, Distinction IL
la this Topography.

WILD ANIMALS, AND THEIR NATURES. 43

found here than in other countries. This did not escape
the notice of Orosius, when speaking of Ireland, for he
observes, " No kind of snake is found there ; birds are
scarce ; and there are no bees." In the two first instances
his account is correct, in the third he is mistaken.

We may add to the list of birds a smaller species of
white geese, also called gantes (wild geese), which are wont
to arrive in great flocks, with a prodigious cackling. But
they seldom migrate to these remote regions, and when they
do, in very small numbers. The larger species, called by
the vulgar bysice, and also grisia, come over in the depth of
winter in vast flocks, when the north wind blows, and after
the frosts are past, return with the south wind at the season
for building their nests.

CHAPTER XIX.

OF WILD ANIMALS, AND THEIR NATTJRES.

THIS island contains nearly all the species of wild animals
which are bred in the western countries. It produces
stags so fat that they lose their speed, and the more slender
they are in shape, the more nobly they carry their heads
and branching antlers.1 In no part of the world are such
vast herds of boars and wild pigs to be found ; but they
are a small, ill-shaped, and cowardly breed, no less degene-
rate in boldness and ferocity than in their growth and
shape. There are a great number of hares, but they are a
small breed, much resembling rabbits both in size and the
softness of their fur. In short, it will be found that the
bodies of all animals, wild beasts, and birds, each in its
kind, are smaller here than in other countries ; while the
men alone retain their full dimensions. It is remarkable in

1 The elk, the largest of the genus Cervus of which there are any
traces in Europe, and akin to the moose-deer of America, must have
been extinct in Ireland long before the age of Giraldus, or he could
hardly have failed to notice it. Still, from its remains being discovered
in considerable numbers in the Irish bogs, and often in groups, it
would appear that the elk co-existed in Ireland with the present state
of organized nature. The species seems to have died off from some
change of the climate, the destruction of the forests, or the loss of its
natural food, just as attempts to acclimatize in Scotland the reindeer,
kindred species, have failed from similar causes.

44 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

these hares, that, contrary to the usual instincts of thatani«
mal, when found by the dogs, they keep to cover like foxes,
running in the woods instead of in the open country, and
never taking to the plains and beaten paths, unless they are
driven to it. This difference in their habits is, I think,
caused by the rankness of the herbage in the plains, check-
ing their speed. Martins are very plentiful in the woods ;
in hunting which the day is prolonged through the
night by means of fires, For night coming on, a fire is
lighted under the tree in which the hunted animal has taken
refuge from the dogs, and being kept burning all night, the
martin eyeing its brightness from the boughs above, with-
out quitting its post, either is so fascinated by it, or, rather,
so much afraid of it, that when morning comes the hunters
find him on the same spot.

CHAPTEE XX.

OF THE BADGER AND ITS NATURE.

THERE is also here the badger or melot, an unclean animal,
which bites sharply, frequenting the mountains and rocks.
It makes holes under ground for its refuge and protection,
scratching and digging them out with its feet. Some of
them, whose natural instinct it is to serve the rest, have been
seen, to the great admiration of the observers, lying on
their backs with the earth dug out heaped on their bellies,
and held together by their four claws, while others dragged
them backward by a stick held in their mouth, fastening
their teeth in which, they drew them out of the hole, with
their burthens.

CHAPTEE XXI.

OF THE BEAVER AND ITS NATURE.

THE beavers, also, have a similar practice, through the kind
provision of nature. When they are building their fortress
in the bed of a river, they make servants of some of their
own species and use them as vehicles in a very extraordi-
nary manner, for collecting and conveying oak boughs from
the woods to the water. In both these kinds of animals
some of these servants are to be found remarkable both for
their degeneracy and uncouth shape, and for the manner in
which the shaggy fur on their backs has been rubbed and

THE BEAVER AND ITS NATURE. 45

worn off. Ireland produces badgers, but not beavers. They
are, however, found in Wales, but only in the river Teivy,
near Cardigan (Kairdygan) ; and likewise in Scotland, but
very rarely there also.1

It must be noted that beavers have broad tails, but they
are not long ; and being spread out like a man's hand, they
supply the place of oars when they are swimming. Though
they have a thick coat of fur over all the rest of their
bodies, their tails are quite bare and smooth, and slip-
pery like seals. Hence in Germany and the northern re-
gions, where beavers are plentiful, even the great, and men
of religion, eat the tails during fasting seasons instead of
fish, of the nature of which they partake both in taste and
colour. It would appear, however, that what is true of the
whole, as a whole, is true of a part, considered as a part ;
nor is it usual that a part differs essentially from the
whole.3

I propose to describe more fully in another work the
habits and character of beavers,3 how and with what skill
they construct their fortresses in the middle of the rivers,
and how, with such admirable instinct for an animal, when
they are pursued by their enemies, they redeem the whole
by the sacrifice of a part.4 This I shall do when I come to
treat of the geography and natural history of Wales and
Scotland, and of the origin and characteristics of the two

1 It would appear from this passage that the beaver, a native of the
northern parts of Europe and Asia, was become extinct in Ireland be-
fore the time of Giraldus, and had then become very rare in Wales,
though still found on the river Tivy in Cardiganshire. Beavers still
exist in Norway, where we have seen their dykes in the province of
Telemarken ; but they are becoming rare in that country also, and a
law was passed not long since, prohibiting their being killed for a term
of seven years, in order to preserve the breed. Even in the solitudes
of North America, when the beaver remained unmolested for ages
after the value of its furs had caused it to be almost exterminated in
other countries, it is fast disappearing before the persevering enter-
prise and cupidity of the trapper.

8 An amusing specimen of the casuistry of ecclesiastics, who
sought to vary their Lenten diet, and as curious an application of our
author's shrewd logic to the case. 8 Giraldus mentions the

beaver again in Chapter III. of his Itinerary of Wales.

4 The following scholium is printed in the margin of the Frankfort
edition of Giraldus : " that is, by gnawing off, or rather cutting off,
their own testicles."

46 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

nations.1 But we shall find a place for this elsewhere, and
for another purpose, under Grod's guidance, if life be spared.
There are some other wild animals which are not found
in Ireland, such as roebucks, goats, hedgehogs, hermins, and
polecats (putacii).

CHAPTEE XXII.

OF WEASELS AND THEIR FATUBE.

THERE are here a vast number of weasels, but they are very-
small, and are of a reddish colour. This little animal has
more spirit than body, and its courage supplying the defi-
ciency of its strength, with a great heart actuating a slender
frame, it is vindictive and relentless in its wrath, however
it may hide it for a time. When injured it dissembles its
resentment and defers its revenge ; it is the tyrant of the
larger sorts of mice, and commits great ravages by gnawing
clothes. It preys also on hares and rabbits, nor does it
shrink from engaging in single combat with the snake, in
which conflict, often pretending to run away, it betakes
itself to some mound of earth which it has noted before,
and having a hole through the middle as well as one per-
forated above in the form of a cross. The snake gliding
after it, and being entangled in the narrow passage without
the power of wriggling out, the weasel darts upon it from
the upper orifice with its natural agility, and seizes it
with its teeth, without suffering any injury. Thus, by
an innate impulse and ingenuity, not to call it a won-
derful instinct, the weasel, avoiding its terrible enemy's
venomous head, triumphs over it more by art than by
prowess.

The weasel also, when its young are dying from any hurt,
recovers and restores them to life by the use of a yellow
flower. We are told by persons who have witnessed the
fact, having put the whelp to death to make the experi-
ment, that the weasel brought the flower in its mouth,
and first applied it to the wound, and then to the- mouth,

1 It appears from this to have been the intention of Giraldus Cam-
brensisto write similar topographies of Wales and Scotland. The Cam-
escriptto, of which a translation is given in the present volume
nay, perhaps, be considered as the fulfilment of one part of this design!
but no escription of Scotland by our writer is at present known to

REPTILES. 47

nostrils, and other orifices of the little animal, that it might
inhale the odour, by which, through the efficacious touch
of the plant, breath was restored, though life seemed ex-
tinct, some slight and imperceptible vestiges of it only having
remained.

Moreover, as death destroys every thing else by its mere
glance, such is the weasel to the basilisk. In like manner,
the hya3na subdues the lordly lion with the smallest drop of
its urine. The mouse, too, is formidable to the elephant,
the largest of animals. Thus, by the wise disposition of
Providence, the greater are sometimes conquered by the
less, that at least we may learn from them that there is
nothing on earth so mighty or so favoured, as to enjoy entire
felicity. What is there under heaven loftier than man ?
What more insignificant than an adder, a spider, or a gnat ?
The Creator has introduced among his creatures nothing
without reason, no evil without a remedy.

There are very few or no moles in Ireland, either because
they have never existed, or on account of the extreme humi-
dity of the soil. As the sun blinds the mole, so a single
day sees the birth and death of the grasshopper, on which
account some one has thus apostrophized the little insect :
" Mora et vita dies una tibi est."

The larger species of mouse is found here in great num-
bers, and the smaller kind swarm to such an amazing de-
gree that they consume more enormous quantities of grain
than anywhere else, and are very destructive to clothes,
which they gnaw and tear, however carefully they may be
locked up in chests. Bede describes the island as possessing
only two sorts of ravenous animals.1 To these I have added
this third, which is most destructive.

CHAPTEK XXIII.

OP REPTILES, AND THOSE WHICH ABE NOT FOUND IN THE
ISLAND ; AND THAT THERE ARE NO YENOMOUS CREA-
TURES, TOR THOSE THAT ARE BROUGHT OVER IMMEDI-
ATELY DIE, AND THEIR POISON LOSES ITS VENOM ; AND
OF THE DUST OF THIS LAND AND LEATHERN THONGS
BEING ANTIDOTES FOR POISON.

0* all sorts of reptiles, Ireland possesses those only which
ij "namely, wol~?s and foxes." Giraldus introduce* •

48 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IEELAKD.

are harmless, and does not produce any that are venomous/
There are neither snakes nor adders, toads nor irogs, tortoises
nor scorpions, nor dragons. It produces, however, spiders,
leeches, and lizards; but they are quite harmless. Hence
it may be said, or even written, pleasantly, as well as with
historical truth :— " In France and Italy the frogs fill the
air with their croakings ; in Britain they are mute : in Ire-
land there are none." Some indeed conjecture, with what
seems a flattering fiction, that St. Patrick and the other
saints of that country cleared the island of all pestiferous
animals ; but history asserts, with more probability, that
from the earliest ages, and long before it was favoured with
the light of revealed truth, this was one of the things which
never°existed here, from some natural deficiency in the pro-
duce of the island.

Nor does it appear to me much to be wondered at that
the country does not naturally produce these reptiles, no
more than some kinds of fishes, birds, and wild animals which
are not found there. But it does appear very wonderful
that, when any thing venomous is brought there from other
lands, it never could exist in Ireland. For we read in the
ancient books of the saints of that country, that sometimes,
for the sake of experiment, serpents have been shipped over
in brazen vessels, but were found lifeless and dead as soon
as the middle of the Irish sea was crossed. Poison also
similarly conveyed was found to lose its venom, when mid-
way on the waters, disinfected by a purer air. Bede, in

wolf in a curious legend, Distinction II. c. 19, and in c. 26 ; we find that
wolves were not totally extirpated from the neighbourhood of Glen-
dalough until 1710.

1 It is difficult to comprehend how the assertion, that no venomoub
animals existed in Ireland, could have been so generally current without
some basis of truth ; particularly as Giraldus, who was three years in
the island, and appears to have been generally well informed on its
zoology, not only strips the statement of its fabulous element, calling
that " a nattering fiction," but affirms it on his own authority as a fact
in natural history, offering the very plausible solution, that species oil
animals existing in some countries are not produced in others. The
account he gives, in the next chapter, of the great surprise publicly mani-
fested, when a frog or toad was found in the neighbourhood of Water-
ford, and brought to court, is so circumstantial, that the fact of its dis-
ooTery being considered an extraordinary occurrence seems hardlv tc
be doubted. 9

EEPTILES. 49

speaking of Ireland, writes on this subject as follows : — " .No
reptile is found there ; no serpent can live there ; for, though
often carried thither out of Britain, as soon as the ship
draws near the land, and the scent of the air from off the
shore reaches them, they die. On the contrary, almost all
things produced in the island have virtues against poison.1

I have also heard it said by merchants, who pursued their
adventures in the ocean, that on some occasions, having un-
loaded their ships in an Irish port, they found toads in the
bottom of the hold ; and having thrown them on shore in a
living state, they immediately turned on their backs, and
bursting their bellies, died, to the astonishment of many
who witnessed it. It appears, therefore, that either through
the merits of the saints, as report goes throughout the
world, or some strange and unheard of, but most kindly,
influence of the air, or some occult property of the soil itself
inimical to poison, no venomous animal can exist here, and
every kind of poison introduced from other countries forth-
with loses its malignant effect.

Indeed the soil of Ireland is so hostile to poison, that,
if gardens or any other spots in foreign countries are
sprinkled with its dust, all venomous reptiles are imme-
diately driven far away.

Thongs also, which are the real produce of the island,
and made of the skins of animals born there, being grated
in waters which is drunk, the potion is an efficacious remedy
against the bites of toads and serpents. I have seen with my
own eyes one of these thongs drawn tight in a circle round
a toad, for the sake of the experiment. Coming to the
thong, and trying to cross over it, the animal fell backwards
as if it were stunned. It then tried the opposite side of the
circle, but meeting with the thong all round, it shrunk from
it, as if it were pestiferous. At last, digging a hole in the
mud with its feet in the centre of the circle, it crept into
it in the presence of many persons.

Nay more, according to Bede's statement, almost all
things produced in the island have virtues against poison.
He gives an instance which he witnessed himself. Some
persons having been bitten by serpents, water in which the
scrapings of the leaves of books brought from Ireland had

1 Eccles. Hist. b. i. c. 1.

E

50 THE TOPOGBAPHI OF IBELAND.

been mixed was given them to drink and it extracted all
the venom of the spreading poison, reduced the swelling of
their bodies, and assuaged the tumor. It happened also,
within my time, on the northern borders of England, that a
Tnake crept into the mouth of a boy while he was asleep,
and passed through his gullet into his belly. The reptile
making a very ill return to his host for the lodgings with
which it had been unconsciously supplied, began to gnaw
and tear the lad's intestines, and threw him into such ago-
nies that he would have preferred death at once to such a
dying life. After satisfying his hunger, however, the snake
allowed him some respite from his sufferings, but before
that none at all. After the boy had resorted to the shrines
of the saints of God throughout England for a long time,
but all in vain, at length, better advised, he crossed over to
Ireland, where, as soon as he had drank of the salubrious
waters of that country and partaken of its food, his deadly
enemy expired, and was voided through his intestines.
Then rejoicing in renovated health, he returned to his own
country.

CHAPTEE XXIV.

OF A FBOG LATELY FOUND IN IBELAND.

NEVEBTHELESS, a frog was found, within my time, in the
grassy meadows near Waterford, and brought to court alive
before Robert Poer, who was at that time warden there, and
many others, both English and Irish. And when numbers
of both nations, and particularly the Irish, had beheld it
with great astonishment, at last Duvenold,1 king of Ossory,
a man of sense among his people, and faithful, who hap-
pened to be present, beating his head, and having deep grief
at heart, spoke thus : — " That reptile is the bearer of dole-
ful news to Ireland." And uttering a sort of prognostic, he
further said, that it portended, without doubt, the coming
of the English, their threatened conquest, and the subjuga-
tion of his own nation. No man, however, will venture to
suppose that this reptile was ever born in Ireland ; for the

1 Duvenold, or Donald, king or prince of Ossory, is introduced more
fcilly by GKraldus, as an ally of the English, in the Vaticinal History of
the Conquest of Ireland.

ADVANTAGES POSSESSED BY THE ISLAND. 51

mud there does not, as in other countries, contain the germs
from which green frogs are bred. If that had been the
case, they would have been found more frequently, and in
greater numbers, both before and after the time mentioned.
It may have happened that some particle of the germ, hid
in the moist soil, had been exhaled into the clouds by the
heat of the atmosphere, and wafted hither by the force of
the winds ; or, perhaps, that the embryo reptile had been
swept into the hollow of a descending cloud, and, being by
chance deposited here, was lodged in an inhospitable and
ungenial soil. But the better opinion is, that the frog was
brought over by accident in a ship from some neighbouring
port, and being cast on shore, succeeded in subsisting and
maintaining life for a time, as it is not a venomous animal.

CHAPTER XXV.

ON SEYEEAL ADVANTAGES POSSESSED BY THE ISLAND ;
AND THE NATURE OF THE CLIMATE.

IRELAND is the most temperate of all countries. The
burning heat of Cancer does not drive the inhabitants to
the cool shades, nor the freezing blasts of Capricorn urgently
invite them to the fire. You seldom observe snow here, and
then only for a short time. Cold weather sometimes comes
with every wind, no less from the east and west, than from
the south or north. From all quarters they are moderate, and
from none tempestuous. The grass in the fields is green
in the winter as well as in the summer ; so that they neither
cut hay for fodder, nor ever build stalls for the cattle. In
consequence of the agreeable temperature of the climate, it
is warm at almost all seasons. The air also is so healthy, that
no clouds bring infection, and there are no pestilent vapours,
or tainted breezes. The islanders have little need of phy-
sicians, for you will find few sick persons, except those who
are at the point of death. There is little medium between
perfect health and the last end. Strangers here are troubled
only with one disorder ; they suffer from a single ailment.
At first, hardly anyone escapes a violent flux of the bowels,
from the succulent qualities of the food they take. How-
ever, flesh and the produce of cows are to be had almost at
all seasons ; but pork meat is unwholesome. Moreover, no

52 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

natives of the island, who have never quitted its salubrious
soil and climate, suffer at any time from either of three
sorts of fever ; the only one which attacks them is the
ague, and that very seldom.

This was the course of things in due order of nature ;
but as the world grows older, and is falling as it were into
the decrepitude of old age, and draws to an end, the nature
of almost all things is corrupted and deteriorated. For
now such floods of rain inundate the country, such dense
clouds and fogs overspread it, that you will hardly see three
clear days together, even during summer. Notwithstanding,
no disturbance of the atmosphere, no seasonableness of the
weather, either troubles those who are in health and spirits,
or affects the nerves of delicate persons.

CHAPTEE XXVI.

A COMPARISON OP THE EAST AND WEST; AND THAT IN
THE EAST ALL THE ELEMENTS ARE PESTIFEROUS, AND
OF THE MALIGNITY OF POISONS THERE.

WHAT wealth then can Eastern lands boast which is com-
parable to these advantages ? They possess, indeed, those
silken fabrics, the produce of a little worm, which glow
with colours of various dyes ? They have the precious
metals, and sparkling gems, and odoriferous trees. But
what are these, procured at the cost of life and health ? Are
they not attended with the presence of a familiar enemy,
— the air the Orientals breathe, and which constantly sur-
rounds them ?

In those countries all the elements, though created for
the use of man, threaten wretched mortals with death, under-
mine health, and bring life to an end. Plant your naked
foot on the earth, death is at hand ; incautiously seat your-
self on a rock, death is at hand ; drink pure water unmixed,
or smell it when it is putrid, death is at hand. Expose
your head uncovered to the free air, if it be cold it pierces
you through, if it be hot you languish ; death is at hand.
The heavens terrify you with their thunders, and flash their
lightnings in your eyes. The blazing sun allows you no
rest. If you eat too much, death is at the gate ; if you
drink wine undiluted with water, death is at the gate.

MALIGNITY OF POISONS IN THE EAST. 53

Besides this, poison threatens on all hands : the mother-in-
law gives it to her step-son, the exasperated wife to her
husband, the corrupt cook to his master. You may suspect
poison not only in the dish and in the cup, but in your
clothes, your seats, your saddles. It insidiously creeps into
your veins of itself ; you are subject to its insidious attacks
from venomous animals ; man, of all noxious creatures the
most noxious, insidiously gives it to man.

Besides all the more common annoyances which abound
in these regions, the safety of man is threatened and endan-
gered by swift panthers of various kinds ; by rhinoceroses,
allured by love of virgins j1 crocodiles, fearful by their
breath ;2 hippopotami frequenting the rivers ; lynxes, with
piercing eyes ; and lions that fear nothing but the hyaena's
urine. The country is infested by asps and vipers, by dra-
gons, and by the basilisk, whose very glance is fatal. It is
infested by the ' seps,' a little reptile whose malignity makes
up for its diminutive size. Its venom not only wastes the
flesh, but the very bones. Of which the poet sings :
Ossaque consumit cum corpore tabificus seps.2

There is also the dipsa, a small species of snake, whose
venom destroys life before it is even perceived, and is so
powerful that its bite occasions death before any pain is felt.

It happened, within my own memory, that a man having
gone on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, as is the custom, from
Britain, one morning, as he happened to be sifting with his
hand the corn for his horses, he had his finger bitten by a
little reptile which was lurking in the corn. Immedi-
ately his whole body, flesh and bone, was converted into
a shapeless mass like pitch. His companions, making in-
quiry into the cause of his death, or rather of his trans-
formation, and the nature of the reptile, discovered a very
minute snake having the appearance of a black eel. They
learnt from the natives that this species of snake is called
Ga/eia, and that it was wont, rarely indeed, but yet too often,

1 It was the unicorn, which, according to the mediaeval fable, could
only be caught by the means of a pure virgin, to whom, when exposed
in the places the animal haunted, he came and became perfectly tame,
and the hunters took this opportunity of attacking and killing it

2 It was the old notion relating to crocodiles, that they drew to them
their prey by the effect of their breath.

3 Lucan's Pharsalia, lib. ix. 1. 723.

54 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

within the last thirty years to visit that country from the
deserts of Babylonia, and by its attacks on man and beast,
with such violent and incurable malignity, gave notice of
its arrival. Of reptiles of this description, which abound
in the East, each genus has its own peculiar poison, each
species its own power of destruction. Their colours are as
varied as the dolors they cause ; their varieties as great
as the sufferings they occasion. In such peril of death,
what security is there for life ? or rather, among so many
deaths, what is life ?

CHAPTEE XXVII.

OP THE SINGULARLY TEMPERATE CHARACTER OF OUR
CLIMATE ; AND THAT WE ARE HAPPILY FREE FROM
MANY DISADVANTAGES.

LET the East then have its abundant stores of venom and
poison, while we, possessing in golden moderation whatever
is necessary for decent use and the wants of nature, are com-
pensated for Oriental pomps by th^ single circumstance of
our temperate climate. 0 incomparable gift bestowed on the
land by Grod ! 0 inestimable favour — one not sufficiently ap-
preciated, conferred on mortals from above ! We sleep secure
in the open air, secure on the bare rock. We fear no wind
piercing us with cold, prostrating our strength with heat, or
carrying pestilence in its blast. The air we breathe, and
with which we are surrounded, lends us its beneficent and
salutary support. The nearer, indeed, we go to the regions
of the East, and warmer climates, the greater is the fer-
tility of the soil, and the more plentifully does the earth
pour forth her fruits. There also are found in abundance
the precious metals and gems, with silk and cotton wools ;
and wealth of all kinds is overflowing. The people also,
thanks to a brighter atmosphere, although slender in person,
are of a more subtle intellect. Hence, they have recourse
to poison rather than to violence for success in their
schemes, and gain their purposes more by their arts than
by their arms. But when we come to the Western parts
of the world, we find the soil more sterile, the air more
salubrious, and the people less acute, but more robust ; for
where the atmosphere is heavy, the fields are less fertile than
the wits. And, as each race, bred among Arctic frosts,

THE CLIMATE. 55

Naacitur indomitus bellis, et martis amator ;
Gens hsec ingerites anirnos ingenti corpore versant.

Is born to war, and filled with martial fire —
So here brave souls gigantic frames inspire.

Bacchus and Ceres, therefore, rule in the East, with their
attendant Venus, who, deprived of them, is chilled ; Miner-
va, also, who was always nursed and attracted by a purer
sky. Here [in the West] reigns Mars, Mercury, and the
Arcadian god. In the East is accumulated a superabun-
dance of wealth ; here we have a modest and honourable
competence. There the atmosphere is serene, here it is
salubrious. There the natives are fine witted ; here, their
understandings are robust. There they arm themselves
with poisons, here with manly vigour. There, they are
crafty, here bold in war. There men cultivate wisdom, here
eloquence. There Apollo rules, Mercury here ; there Mi-
nerva, here Pallas and Diana.

Many other things are wanting here much to our advan-
tage, such as vermin. Here there are no earthquakes, you
scarcely hear thunder once in a year ; thunder-claps do not
terrify, nor flashes of lightning strike. Here are no ca-
taracts to overwhelm, no earthquake to swallow you up ; no
lions to carry you off, no panthers to mangle you, no bears
to devour you, no tigers to destroy you. Moreover, no
suspicion of poison makes you recoil from food, even offered
by an enemy. No stepson fears the poison cup of his
mother-in-law, no matron that of a jealous mistress.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THAT THE EAST IS THE FOUNTAIN-HEAD OP POISONS, AND
THAT THE ADVANTAGES IN THE WEST AEE PEEFEBABLE
TO THOSE IN THE EAST.

THE East is the well-spring of poisons, and the further the
stream flows from the fountain-head, the less is its na-
tural force. Weakening gradually during its long course
through such vast distances, the strength of the venom has
wholly evaporated in these extreme parts of the world.

The further from the zodiac the sun's rays penetrate, the
less is the influence of its warmth on objects exposed to it, so

56 THE TOPO GRAPH! OF IEELAND.

that some extreme parts of the Arctic regions are entirely
deprived of the benefit of its heat. But you will say, " The
East is super-eminent for precious stones and medicinal roots."
It is, indeed, a wise provision of nature, that where evils
abound, there remedies for the evils should spring up.
"Where many diseases are rife, they require medicines to be
discovered for their cure ; but here, where the danger is less,
the remedies are more scarce.

As much then as ease of mind is more desirable than
anxiety, as preservation is better than cure, and as it is
better to enjoy constant health than, after much suffering,
to seek for remedies, so in the same degree, the advantages
of the West are to be preferred to those of the East ; and
so far nature has cast a more favourable eye on the regions
fanned by the west, than those swept by east winds. It
appears to be very probable that as moisture tempers and
softens the morning and evening of day, while noon is
scorching, and the earliest and latest years of man are mel-
lowed by a moist temperament, while his middle age is fer-
vid, so while, in respect of the regions on the meridian
and its confines, the sun raging in those parts as if in the
prime of youth, infects the air with disease, so a more
humid climate renders the boundaries of its rising and
setting temperate.

WONDEES A2TD MIRACLES. 57

DISTINCTION II.

OF THE WOKDEES AND MIEACLES OF
IEELAND.

I COME now to those facts which, being contrary to the
course of nature, call forth our wonder and amazement.
From among these I have thought it not superfluous
to employ my pen in relating such as nature has pro-
duced in these remote lands, remarkable and novel in
themselves, and such also as have been most eminently
and miraculously wrought through the merits of the
saints ; the memorials of which are extant in authentic rs-
cords, and most worthy of notice. As then the prodigies
of the Eastern regions have already been brought to the
light of public attention through the labours of industrious
authors, so those of the West, which have hitherto been
almost hidden and unknown, may at length, in these latter
days, find an editor through my labours. I know, however,
and am persuaded, that I shall have to write some accounts
which will seem to the reader either utterly impossible, or
quite ridiculous. But, with the help of G-od, I will insert
nothing in my book the truth of which I have not elicited
with the greatest diligence either from my own firm belief
or the authentic testimony of most trustworthy men, who
have lived in the districts of which I write. Let me not,
however, be involved in a cloud of malicious slander. What
I have witnessed with my own eyes, that I assert firmly
and without any hesitation. But what has only reached
my ear through others, which I am slower to believe, that I
do not affirm, but only relate. To all those of which I
received authentic accounts from many persons who were
eye-witnesses of them, I give full credence ; and I accept
those given by others, whose truth and assertions I find no
"eason to doubt.

It is not surprising that wonders should be discovered,
Delated, and written concerning His works, who made all

58 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IEELATO).

things according to his will ; with whom nothing is impoa*
eible ; who, as the (rod of Nature, moulds nature as he
pleases, and makes that natural which appears unnatural.
Moreover, how can any thing be said to be done contrary
to primitive and true nature, which is Grod, when it is cer-
tain that he is the doer of it ? Those things, therefore, are,
in common phrase, rather than properly, said to be done
contrary to nature, which appear to happen, not contrary
to his power, but to his usual proceeding. Since, therefore,
God is wonderful in his saints, and great in all his doings,
come and behold the works of the Lord, who hath shown his
wonders in the earth.

Some countries, islands especially, and parts remote from
the centre of the earth, are remarkable for prodigies which
are peculiarly their own. For nature always, and purposely
as it were, interlards her works with some new ones, that
she may thus plainly teach and declare, that although her
usual operations may be comprehended by the human un-
derstanding, her mighty power cannot be understood. Let
the careful reader also remark that history must not be
sparing of truth, and that it rather chooses what is certain
than what is probable. If, therefore, anything should escape
me which is new and unheard of, let it not be condemned
and struck out even by the malicious, but sometimes par-
doning, sometimes approving, let my task proceed. For
as the poet sings : —

" Si patribus nostris novitas invisa fuisset,
Ut nobis, quid nunc esset vetus, aut quid haberet
Quod legeret, tereretque viritim publicus usus?"1

Let no one, therefore, condemn anything because it is
new, which, as time passes on, while it is accused of no-
velty, ceases to be new. Let there be found here both what
the present age may blame, and posterity applaud ; what the
one may rail at, the other read ; what the one may con-
demn, the other love; what the one may reprove, the
other approve.

1 Hor. Epist. II., 1. 90. 3. Giraldus has altered the beginning of
the first line, which is in the original ;

" Quod si tarn Grans novitas," &c.

THE TIDES IN IRELAND AND BRITAIN.

CHAPTEE I.

Or THE STRONG CURRENTS IN THE IRISH SEA, AND THB
EBB AND FLOW OF THE TIDES THEREIN.

THE Irish Sea, being agitated by opposing currents, is almost
always troubled, so that navigators scarcely ever find it
tranquil even for a few days in summer.

CHAPTEE II.

OF THE DIFFERENCE OF THE TIDES IN IRELAND AND
BRITAIN.

WHENEVER the water is low in the port of Dublin, the tide
being at half-ebb, the returning tide has already risen to
half-flood at Milford, the most excellent harbour in Britain
for ships to enter. At the same time the flood-tide gradu-
ally runs up to the farthest coast about Bristol, which had
been left dry by the receding waters. The same rule applies
to the tides on the opposite shores. There is also a port at
AVicklow, on the coast of Ireland, lying opposite to France,1
into which the tide sets when it is ebbing at most other
places, but when the flood returns, this port is left dry.
There is another thing remarkable in this locality ; when
the sea has receded and left the whole bay dry, still a
stream flows in through the entire channel to the harbour,
which makes the water salt and brackish. On the contrary,
at Arklow, which is the nearest port, not only when the
tide is setting in and filling the bay, but also at its reflux,
when the sea has entirely ebbed, the stream which runa
down retains its purity and freshness, and discharges its
waters into the sea without any mixture of saltness.

CHAPTEE III.

OF THE INFLUENCE OF THE SEA ON THE WATERS, AS
WELL AS ON NATURAL HUMOURS.

WHEN the moon is at the meridian, the ocean, withdrawing
its attendant waves, leaves the northern coasts of Britain

1 Wicklow and Arklow (called by Giraldus Gwykingelo and Archelo)
are sea-ports on the Irish channel, incorrectly described by Giraldua
aa opposite to the coast of France

60 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IKELAFD.

entirely dry. The reflux then produces high tides on thf
Irish shore at Dublin. The coast about Wexford, however
has not the Irish tides of Dublin, but the British as they
flow at Milford. What is still more remarkable, there is a
rock in the sea, not far from Arklow, where the tide cornea
in on one side, while it ebbs on the other.

When the moon is at half her growth, as her light re-
turns, the Western seas, from some unknown natural cause,
begin to be rough and agitated, and, till she is in her full,
swell more and more from day to day, overflowing the shore
far beyond their usual bounds. But when the moon wanes,
and her light failing, she, as it were, turns away her face,
the swelling of the waters gradually declines, and when the
moon's face is no longer seen, the sea returns into its proper
channels, its overflow subsiding. Indeed, the moon is the
entire source and cause of motion in liquids, so that it not
only regulates the waters of the ocean, but, in animal life,
influences the marrow in the bones, the brains in the head,
and the juices of trees and plants, in proportion to its in-
crease or decrease.1 Hence, when the moon ceases to be lu-
minous you will find all animate nature shrink, but when
she is again round and shining at the full, the marrow fills
the bones, the brains the head, and the juices of vegetables
swell. Hence it is, that those are called lunatics, who
suffer every month by the excessive action of the brain, as
the moon increases ; and the word mensis (a month) is derived
from mene, which signifies decrease,2 because it decrease?
with the moon, and with her increase fills and completes ite
course.

It may be observed that a commentator on that part of
the Gospel which speaks of our Lord's curing lunatics and
paralytics, writes to the following effect. He calls those
lunatics whose disorder augmented with the increase of the
moon, not that their madness is caused by the moon, but
the devil, who is the author of it, takes advantage of the
moon's seasons to shame the creature to the blasphemy of his
Creator. The commentator might, however, have said with

1 The extraordinary influence of the moon on the earth and its in-
habitants was one of the foundation stones of mediaeval science, and
was the origin of numerous superstitions, some of which have hardlj
jet become obsolete, 2 From tninuo, to drminish P

PECULIARITIES OP TWO ISLANDS. 61

equal truth, if I may be allowed to correct him, that vale-
tudinarians are affected in this manner on account of the
humours increasing in an extraordinary degree at the full-
moon. But matters of this sort, and why the Western
ocean attracts the flux and reflux of the tides by some lively
influence, which is regular and unfailing, and acts more
powerfully than the Mediterranean Sea ; and how all this is
affected through the influence of the moon on liquids ; it
would be a more serious task to explain. I have clearly,
though briefly, treated on these subjects in my little metrical
work called " The Flowers of Philosophy." 1

In order, however, shortly to direct the readers' attention
to the more evident causes of these great changes, and to a
fuller investigation of their subtle principles, let him bear in
mind these four points. Rivers, and the springs which
feed them, from which the sea in some degree derives life
and motion, are always more abundant towards the extre-
mities of the earth. From the four conflicting and most
distant parts of the ocean, there is a certain violent attrac-
tion of the sea, with alternate absorption and ebullition, and
the disorder immediately occasioned by the decrease as well
as by the increase of humidity, towards the extremities of
the earth, is very apparent. Add to this, that there the ocean
has freer course for its flux and reflux without impedi-
ment. When, however, the land embraces it on all sides,
and it is reduced by so many obstacles to the conditions
of standing water in a lake, it has no scope for flowing freely.

CHAPTEE IY.

OF TWO ISLANDS, IN ONE OF WHICH NO ONE DIES, AND
IN THE OTHEE, NO ANIMAL OF THE FEMALE SEX ENTEES.

THEEE is a lake in the northern parts of Munster,2 contain-
ing two islands, one large, the other small. In the larger
island there is a church held in great veneration from the

1 De philosophicisflosculis. This work of Giraldus Cambrensis is not
now known to exist.

2 These islands were situated in a lake called Loch Cre, now dried
up, in the parish of Corbally, three miles from Roscrea, in Tipperary.
The bog, which has taken the place of the lake, is called Monaincha,
i. e. the bog of the island ; and on the latter, which is supposed to con-
sist of the two islands spoken of by Giraldus, there are the ruins of a
monastic house.

62 THE 10POGRAPHT OF IRELAND.

earliest times ; the smaller island contains a chapel, which
is devoutly served by a few celibates, called Heaven-wor-
shippers, or Grod-worshippers. No woman, nor any animal
of the female sex, could ever enter the larger island with-
out instant death. This has been often proved by dogs and
cats, and other animals, of the female sex, which, having
been carried over for sake of the experiment, immediately
expired. It is an extraordinary fact, that while male birds
perch on the bushes on all parts of the island in great num-
bers, the female birds with whom they pair, fly back, avoiding
the island from some natural instinct of its qualities, as if it
were infested with the plague. In the smaller island no one
ever dies, was ever known to die, or could die a natural death.
It is consequently called the Isle of the Living. Notwithstand-
ing, its inhabitants are sometimes severely afflicted with
mortal diseases, and languish in misery till life is nearly
exhausted. But when no hope remains, all expectation of
the powers of life being restored becomes extinct, and they
are reduced by their increasing malady to such a degree of
suffering that they would rather die than live a life of
death, the natives cause themselves to be ferried over in a
boat to the larger island, where they breathe their last as
soon as they touch the land. I have thought it right to
notice this because it is mentioned in the first pages of the
Scholastic History, which treats of the inhabitants of islands
of this description. The tree of the sun is also there spoken
of, concerning which king Alexander writes to Aristotle,
that whoever eats of the fruit prolongs his life to an immense
period.

There is also in Ulster a cemetery, with a station, conse-
crated by the long resort of holy men. Here, also, the female
sex is not admitted; the bride cannot follow her husband, but a
local divorce takes place ; they cannot join in their devotions,
and on this spot they are adjudged to an early separation.
The cock enters here without the hen, and, strange to ob-
serve, it calls its mate without avail when it finds a place to
feed in the island.

There is likewise, in the northern parts of Britain, an
island called the Holy Isle, where women cannot bring forth
Children, yet they conceive, becoming pregnant, and increase
ID size according to the natural order of things, till the time

ST. PATRICK'S PURGATORY. 63

of delivery. "When that is near at hand, if they are carried
to another island, nature takes its free course ; but if they
are detained, as sometimes is done for the sake of experi-
ment, they are tortured with excruciating pains, and re-
duced to the door of death by their sufferings, until they
are sent away.

CHAPTER V.

OF AN ISLAND, ONE PART OF WHICH IS FREQUENTED BY
GOOD SPIRITS, THE OTHER BY EYIL SPIRITS.

THERE is a lake in Ulster containing an island divided
into two parts. In one of these stands a church of espe-
cial sanctity, and it is most agreeable and delightful, as
well as beyond measure glorious for the visitations of angels
and the multitude of the saints who visibly frequent it.
The other part, being covered with rugged crags, is
reported to be the resort of devils only, and to be almost
always the theatre on which crowds of evil spirits visibly
perform their rites. This part of the island contains nine
pits, and should any one perchance venture to spend the
night in one of them (which has been done, we know, at
times, by some rash men), he is immediately seized by the
malignant spirits, who so severely torture him during the
whole night, inflicting on him such unutterable sufferings by
fire and water, and other torments of various kinds, that
when morning comes scarcely any spark of life is found left
in his wretched body. It is said that any one who has once
submitted to these torments as a penance imposed upon him,
will not afterwards undergo the pains of hell, unless he com-
mit some sin of a deeper dye.

This place is called by the natives the Purgatory of
St. Patrick.1 For he having to argue with a heathen

1 Tradition places St. Patrick's Purgatory, as Giraldus describes it,
on an island in a lake in the province of Ulster, Lough Derg, in Done-
negal, near the town and bay of the same name, and about three-quarters
of an Irish mile in extent j but Giraldus is the only writer who speaks
of its division into paradisaic and purgatorial regions. The text-book
on St. Patrick's Purgatory, in the middle ages, was a Latin narrative by
Henry of Saltery, which is dated 1152, and is common in old manu-
scripts j it was translated into various languages. Giraldus had evidently
not seen this book, as his account differs very much from it. See fo*

64 THE TOPOGEAPHY OF IEELA1TD.

race concerning the torments of hell reserved for the
reprobate, and the real nature and eternal duration of the
future life, in order to impress on the rude minds of the
unbelievers a mysterious faith in doctrines so new, so
strange, so opposed to their prejudices, procured by the
efficacy of his prayers an exemplification of both states
even on earth, as a salutary lesson to the stubborn minds
of the people.

CHAPTEE VI.

OF AN ISLAND WHEEE HUMAN COEPSES EXPOSED TO THE
ATMOSPHEEE DO NOT STJFFEE DECAY.

THEEE is an island called Aren,1 situated in the western
part of Connaught, and consecrated, as it is said, to St.
Brendan, where human corpses are neither buried nor de-
cay, but, deposited in the open air, remain uncorrupted.
Here men can behold, and recognise with wonder, grand-
fathers, great-grandfathers, and great-great-grandfathers,
and the long series of their ancestors to a remote period of
past time.

There is another thing remarkable in this island. Al-
though mice2 swarm in vast numbers in other parts of
Ireland, here not a single one is found. No mouse is bred
here, nor does it live if it be introduced ; when brought
over, it runs immediately away and leaps into the sea. If
it be stopped, it instantly dies.

full information on the subject, the volume on " St. Patrick's Purgatory,"
by the editor of the present volume. It appears that the penitents were
immured in a low and dark cell cut in the rock, and capable of holding
six or eight persons, where, with their heads half- turned by preparatory
fastings and watchings, they were in a state to place implicit faith in
the visions which superstition presented to their distempered imagina-
tion through a narrow window, the only aperture left in the stifling cell.

1 These legends belong to an island called Inisgluair, off the coast of
Erris, co. Mayo, which was sacred to St. Brandan, and which OHraldus
seems to have confounded with Aran. According to the legend, the
latter island was visited by St. Brandan when he set out on his grand
voyage. St. Bean is supposed to be the saint of that name commemo-
rated in the Romish calendar on the 16th of December.

2 Giraldus uses the word mures, but some of the Irish antiquaries
Delieve that by this word he meant the small black rat which abound*
in Ireland.

WONDERFUL NATURES OP FOUNTAINS. 65

CHAPTER VII.

OF THE WONDERFUL NATURES OF SOME FOUNTAINS.

THERE is a well in Munster, in the waters of which whoever
bathes has his hair immediately turned grey. I have seen
a man, part of whose beard, having been washed in this
water, had become white, while the other part retained its
dark natural colour. On the contrary, there is a spring in
Ulster, which prevents people who wash in its waters from
ever becoming grey-haired. It is frequented by women, and
by men who are desirous of avoiding grey hairs. l

There is also a spring of fresh water in Connaught, at
the top of a high mountain, and far from the coast, which
ebbs twice a day, and flows over as often, like the tides in
the sea. There is also in Wales, not far from the castle of
Dinevur,2 in the province of Canterbochan, a spring whose
waters have similar changes. Trojus Pompeius mentions a
town of the Graramantes, in which a fountain bursts forth,
which is alternately cold by night and warm by day.3

In the southern part of Britain also, which takes its
name from that of its lord, several springs bubbling out
from the naked rocks not far from each other, but at a great
distance from the sea, are of a very changeable nature.
The waters of these are neither sweet nor salt, but brackish.
One of them, which springs out on the summit of a high
rock having the appearance of a lofty tower, at the full
tides of every month, which accompany the moon's increase,
throws up a much larger volume of water than usual, to the
admiration^ of all beholders.

Likewise^, in the Chiltern district of Britain,4 there are
many springs which are entirely dried up when the crops
are abundant, the earth being parched for want of their

1 It is not at present known to what wells Giraldus here refers. A
well, the water of which turned the hair grey, is mentioned as being in
the parish of Gallorn, in the county of Monaghan, and therefore in
Ulster, while that spoken of by Giraldus was in Munster. But holy
and legendary wells are abundant in Ireland.

2 This spring is again mentioned in the Itinerary of Giraldus, lib. 1,
c. x. 3 This statement is taken from Solinus, c. 29.

4 The Chiltern hills are in Buckinghamshire, on the borders
Berkshire and Oxfordshire, deriving their name from " chilt," or " cylt,'
the old English word for chalk, of which the district is composed.

66 TOPOGKRAPHI OF IRELAND.

refreshing streams. Against a time of dearth and famine,
howeyer, the waters bubble up freely from the veins of the
earth, and bursting their channels, the precursors of evil,
are seen to overflow. There is a fountain equally remark-
able for the same prognostics at the village of Nicbatensis,1
in the territory of Vimoux, in the kingdom of Erance.

In some parts of Normandy, however, it happens just the
contrary. The springs are full in seasons of plenty, and
fail when the crops are deficient. There is a spring in the
most northern part of Ulster, which is so excessively cold
that it hardens wood, which has been immersed in it for
seven years, into stone. We find in Norway another spring
having the same property, only being nearer the Frigid
Zone, it is still more powerful ; for not only timber, but
flax and woollen webs, are congealed into the hardest stone
when they have been immersed in this spring a single year.
In consequence, Oxippale, a Norwegian bishop, brought to
Walderaar, king of Denmark in our time, an object which
he had received from him the year before, for the purpose
of making the experiment. It had now two different parts,
as far as the middle, having been immersed in the water, it
was stone ; the other part, which had lain out of the water,
retained its original nature.

In Great Britain, near the monastery of Wimborn, stands
a grove of fruit trees, the wood of which, when it happens
to fall into the water, or on the earth at that spot, is at a
year's end converted to stone ; so that stakes fixed in a
hedge and planted in the soil, have different properties above
and below the surface of the ground. Moreover, any
articles carved in wood, and deposited either in the water,
or in the earth, at that place for a year, are taken out by
the inhabitants changed into stone.2 "What Palladius says

1 We have not been able to identify this place.

2 What Griraldus relates of the petrifaction of wood and other sub-
stances immersed in certain springs, was probably derived from reports
which had reached him of the calcareous and silicious incrustations
produced by the deposits of these waters. There are none more active
than the stream wnich flows into the lake of the Solfatara, between
Eome and Tivoli, where we have gathered reeds and aquatic plants, crys-
tallized during the process of vegetation. Sir Humphrey Davey, in his
u Consolations of Travel," says that he fixed a stick iu a mass of tra-
vertin, covered by the water, in the month of May, and in April fol-
lowing he had sou*e difficulty in breaking with a sharp-pointed hammer

WONDERFUL NATURES OF FOUNTAIN'S. 67

on this subject I think worth quoting here. "There is in
Cappadocia an extensive lake, situated on the road between
Mazaca and Tuana. When reeds or other things are partially
immersed in this lake, on their being drawn forth the next
day, the part which is taken out is found stony, but that
which remained out of the water retains its natural con-
dition." Lo ! how potent are the effects of the water of that
lake, which accomplishes in the space of one day what else-
where it requires one year, or even seven years, to perform.
In Hungary, there is a fountain, the streams of which, not
far from their source, are congealed to crystal ice. And
what is still more remarkable, when the sun's rays first
strike the ice, it is condensed into a solid mass of stone,
impervious to the sight, although it might rather be ex-
pected that the ice would be dissolved by the sun. Hence
a rocky mount has been formed of considerable size from
liquids suddenly converted into solid matter, contrary to
the usual course of nature.1 In Switzerland, in the province
called Suitis (Schwytz), there is a spring on the top of a high
mountain which never flows except when the sun is above the
horizon. As soon as the sun descends below the horizon it
ceases to flow, until the sun has performed its revolution and
appears to us again the next day. In the morning, not at day-
break, but when the sun has just risen and emerged from be-
low the horizon, it pours forth its waters in great quantity.
During the entire night it does not yield a drop, although
it is the general character of night, being humid and cold,
to be congenial to the production of water.2
There is a fountain in Poitou, at St. Jean d'Angeli,3

the mass which adhered to the stick, and which was several inches in
thickness. The principal edifices of ancient and modern Rome are
built of travertin from the quarries, composed of solid calcareous tufa,
the deposit from such springs which abound in the Campagna di Roma.

1 Our author appears to have received some accounts of the effects
of glacial action in the formation of Moranies in Alpine countries. See
Lyell's Elements, chap, xx., and Forester's Norway.

2 It can be no wonder that in one of the most elevated cantons of
Switzerland, the streams fed by the melting of the snow under the
influence of the sun's rays in the day-time should cease to flow during
the night.

3 St. Jean d'Angeli is a town in the 8.W. of France, in the depart-
ment of La Charente Inferieure. The fine fagade of the Benedictinfl
Abbey, from whence the town derived its name, is still standing.

£ 2

68 THE TOPOGEAPHT OF IRELAND.

where the head of St. John the Baptist is preserved, from
which no water issues in winter, while, contrary to the usual
nature of springs, it pours forth copious streams during the
summer. In Cornwall there is wood, the timber of which
thrown into the water, even in very small pieces, will not
float. There is also in France, not far from the city of
Paris, a wood adjoining the bank of the river Seine, and in-
tersected by a public road. If you throw into the water a
piece of timber taken from one side of this road, such is
its peculiar gravity from occult causes, that, quite contrary
to the usual nature of wood, it instantly sinks to the bot-
tom like a mass of stone. On the other side of the road
the timber preserves its natural lightness. This wood,
therefore, presents a stupendous prodigy of two sorts. We
have to wonder at the unnatural gravity of light substances
contained in it, and also at the wonderful difference exhi-
bited in a small space of ground.

In Auvergne, in the same kingdom of France, there is a
forest, very thickly wooded, and exhibiting a nature quite
contrary to the usual character. Part of it, when by
some accident it has taken fire and burnt down to the
roots of the trees, spontaneously shoots up again with-
out any labour bestowed on its cultivation.1 But who
shall presume to investigate or to assign the causes of such
occurrences, when it is plain that the use of the elements is
common to all classes of animated nature ? In Connaught
there is a fountain whose waters are salubrious to man
only, but pestilential to beasts of burden, cattle, and ani-
mals of all sorts, when they venture to taste them. Pebbles
taken from this fountain allay thirst, if held in the mouth
when it is parched. There is a fountain in Hungary still
more noxious than the former, inasmuch as it is more uni-
versally injurious, its stream being poisonous to mankind as

1 Any one who has travelled in forest districts may have had oppor-
tunities of observing that the growth of young underwood from the
stools of the burnt trees, after a conflagration, is no uncommon occur-
rence; but had Giraldus known that sometimes the young wood which
springs up consists of species of trees wholly different from those which
covered the ground before, he might well have classed the fact among
the " wonders " of nature. We are not aware in what part of Auvergne
the forest alluded to is situated. It would have been more to our author's
purpose to have noticed the calcareous springs of that district, which
U»YS formed limestone elevations of surprising magnitude.

TWO EXTBAORDINARY FOUNTAINS. 69

well as to all kinds of animals. There is also in the kingdom
of France, not far from the castle of Pascensis,1 a fountain,
the waters of which only suit males, being unserviceable for
women, either as a beverage or for exterior use. It is re-
ported that these waters retain their cold temperature in
spite of all applications of heat ; no contrivance will change
their natural properties, and neither by art or by accident
can they be disguised or got rid of, even for a single hour.

In the kingdom of Germany and province of Cambray, on
the frontiers of France, there is a river with a ford staked
out across the stream, with two rows of stakes, one above,
one below the ford. Within these bounds the water is
always pestiferous to horses ; but outside the boundary
both horses and all other sorts of animals come to drink in
common without injury. There is a fountain in Munster
which, being touched or even looked at by any human
being, will immediately inundate the whole province with
rain.2 Nor will it cease until a priest, specially appointed,
and who has been continent from his birth, has appeased
the fountain by performing mass in a chapel, which is
known to have been founded not far off for this purpose,
and by sprinkling holy water and the milk of a cow having
only one colour — a rite, indeed, extremely barbarous, and
void of all reason.

CHAPTEE YIII.

OF TWO EXTKAOKDTNAKY FOUNTAINS, ONE IN BEITANT,
THE OTHER IN SICILY.

THEEE is a fountain in Armorican Britain of a somewhat
similar nature ; for if you draw its water in the horn of an
ox, and happen to spill it on the nearest road, however
serene the sky may be and contrary to rain, you will not
avoid its immediately falling. In Sicily there is a most
wonderful fountain. If any one approaches it dressed in a
red garment, its waters, bubbling up, suddenly rise to the
height of the man's stature, although other colours produce
no agitation of the surface. On the man's departure, the

1 It would be difficult to ascertain what was the place here alluded
to by Giraldus.

2 According to other authorities, this well was in the mountain of
Slieve-Bloom, in Leinster, and was, in fact, identical with the spring
which forms the source of the river Barrow.

70 THE TOPOGRAPHY OP IRELAND.

waters, sinking to their usual level, return into their ft rinef
channels.

" Felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas,

Et ibi.tem lustrasse boni."
" 'Tis blest to learn the principles of nature,
And scan the source of good."

But since bounds are set to the powers of the human mind,
and everything mortal is far from perfection, the causes of
such occurrences

" Dicite Pierides : — Non omnia possumus omnes."

'• Ye Muses tell ; we cannot master all."

Envious nature has locked up the causes of these and
other unusual occurrences among her own mysterious won-
ders. There is on the sea-shore of Connaught a rocky point
of considerable size, which, when the tide is out, appears
to rise above the strand no higher than it does above the
returning waves which cover all larger objects when the
tide is full. There is also in Connaught a walled place,
having the appearance of a large castle, consecrated,
they say, by St. Patrick. Into this inclosure they never
drive so many cattle (although the booty of the whole pro-
vince is very often shut up in this place of refuge), but that
it would contain many more, until by chance it is reported
that it is full, or supposed to be full.

CHAPTEE IX.

OF A GKEAT LAKE WHICH ORIGINATED IN A REMARKABLE
MANNER.

THERE is a lake in Ulster of vast size, being thirty miles
long and fifteen broad,1 from which a very beautiful river,
called the Banna, flows into the Northern ocean. The fisher-
men in this lake make more frequent complaints of the
quantity of fish inclosed in their nets and breaking them
than of the want of fish. In our time a fish was caught
here which had not come up from the sea, but was taken

1 Giraldus refers to Lough Neagh, in the N.W. of Ulster, from which
the river Bann issues, forming the boundary between the counties of
Londonderry and Antrim in its course northward. The legend given by
Giraldus, from ancient traditions, of the inundation which formed this
Tast la!je. is recorded by Tigernach, the oldest of the Irish annalists j
and the names of the tribes who occupied the plain so covered are given
in ancient documents. The date of the catastrophe is fixed to A.D. 62.

THE LEGEND OF LOCH XEAGH. 71

descending the lake, and was in shape very like a salmon,
but it was so large that it could neither be dragged
out or conveyed whole, and therefore was carried through
the province 'cut in pieces. It is reported that this lake
had 'its origin in an extraordinary calamity. The land now
covered by the lake was inhabited from the most ancient
times by a tribe sunk in vice, and more especially incorri-
gibly addicted to the sin of carnal intercourse with beasts
more than any other people of Ireland. Now there was a
common proverb in the mouths of the tribe, that whenever
the well-spring of that country wras left uncovered (for out of
reverence shown to it, from a barbarous superstition, the
spring was kept covered and sealed), it would immediately
overflow and inundate the whole province, drowning and de-
stroying all the population. It happened, however, on some
occasion that a young woman, who had come to the spring to
draw water, after filling her pitcher, but before she had closed
the well, ran in great haste to her little boy, whom she heard
crying at aspotnot far from the spring, where she had left him.
But the voice of the people is the voice of God ; and on her
way back, she met such a flood of water from the spring
that it swept off her and the boy, and the inundation was
so violent that they both, and the whole tribe, with their
cattle, wrere drowned in an hour in this partial and local
deluge. The waters, having covered the whole surface of
that fertile district, were converted into a permanent lake,
as if the Author of nature judged the land which had been
witness to such unnatural bestialities against the order of
nature to be unfit for the habitation of men, either then or
thereafter.

A not improbable confirmation of this occurrence is found
in the fact, that the fishermen in that lake see distinctly
under the water, in calm weather, ecclesiastical towers,1
which, according to the custom of the country, are slender
and lofty, and moreover round; and they frequently point
them out to strangers travelling through those parts, who
wonder what could have caused such a catastrophe. In a

1 The round towers of Ireland have given rise to a multitude of
opinions, and to many very wild speculations ; but the most recent and
careful researches seem to confirm the account of Giraldus, and to show
that they were erected for ecclesiastical purposes, and at a comparatively
late period. The reader is referred to Mr. Petrie's able work on thi*
subject.

72 THE TOPOG11APHT OF IRELAND.

manner not very dissimilar, and for the same detestable
crime, the region of the Pentapolis was converted into
a bituminous lake, called the Dead, or Barren, Sea ; be-
cause neither birds, nor fishes, nor anything else can live
there. It was first burnt up by sulphureous fire sent down
from heaven, and then overwhelmed with an inundation
which for ever covered it ; suffering thus for the enormity of
its wickedness a double fate.

It must, however, be observed that the river before men-
tioned (the Bann), which now flows out of the lake in full
stream, had its source in the aforesaid spring from the
time of Bartholanus, who lived soon after the flood, when it
was fed also by other rivulets, and took its course through
the same district, but with a far less volume of water ; and
it was one of the nine principal rivers of Ireland.

CHAPTEE X.

OF A FISH WHICH HAD THEEE GOLDEN TEETH.

NOT1 long before the time when the English came over to
Ireland, a fish was found at Carl enford (Carlingford), in Ul-
ster, of an immense size and an uncommon species. Among
its other prodigies, it is reported that it had three golden
teeth of fifty pounds weight. I should suppose that these
teeth had rather the outward appearance of gold than that
they were really such ; and that the colour they assumed
was a presage of the golden times of the future conquest
immediately impending. Moreover, within our time a stag
was found and taken in Great Britain, in the forest of Dur-
ham, all the teeth of which were of a golden hue.

1 Another MS. reads, Non Biennio elapso, not two years ago. Lynch,
in his Cambrensis Eversus, chap, vi., has given us an older legend, which
was perhaps the origin of this story of Giraldus. *' Not two, but more
than four hundred years before the English invasion, and while Fiacha
Dubhadrochtech, the son of Aid Ronius.was king of Ulster, an enormous
whale was drifted along by the tide, and cast up on the shore in Ulster.
It had three teeth of gold, one of which was given by Fiacha as wages
to some men whom he had employed in erecting a bridge over the rivers
Fersus and Monidamh ; the other two were presented to the church to
make a reliquary case, on which the inhabitants of that country were
accustomed to purge or bind themselves by oath." These teeth are
•tated in the Irish chronicles to have weighed fifty ounces.

A FLOATING ISLAND FIXED BY FIRE. 73

CHAPTEE XL

OF THE NORTHERN ISLANDS, MOST OF WHICH ARE IN
SUBJECTION TO THE NORWEGIANS.

IN the Northern ocean, beyond Ulster and Galway, there
are various islands, for instance, the Orcades and Inchades,
and many others, of nearly all of which the Norwegians
have obtained the dominion and lordship.1 For, although
these islands lie far nearer to other countries, the Norwe-
gian people, exploring the ocean, are addicted to piratical
enterprises far more than any other nation. Hence all
their expeditions and wars are conducted by naval arma-
ments. It should be observed that both Orosius and Isidore
reckon that there are thirty-three islands in the Orcades,
of which twenty were uninhabited and thirteen inhabited ;
but at the present time the greater part are inhabited.

CHAPTEE XII.

OF AN ISLAND WHICH AT FIRST FLOATED, AND AFTER-
WARDS WAS FIRMLY FIXED BY MEANS OF FIRE.

AMONG the other islands is one newly formed, which they
call the phantom isle, which had its origin in this manner.
One calm day, a large mass of earth rose to the surface of
the sea, where no land had ever been seen before, to the
great amazement of the islanders who observed it. Some
of them said that it was a whale, or other immense sea-
monster; others, remarking that it continued motionless,
said, "No; it is land." ]n order, therefore, to reduce their
doubts to certainty, some picked young men of the island
determined to approach nearer the spot in a boat.
When, however, they came so near to it that they thought
they should go on shore, the island sank in the water and
entirely vanished from sight. The next day it re-appeared,
and again mocked the same youths with the like delusion.
At length, upon their rowing towards it on the third day,
they followed the advice of an older man, and let fly an

1 The Orkney and Shetland islands were colonized by the Norwegian
vikings in the ninth century, and completely subjugated hy Harold
Harfaager in 895. By degrees the Norwegians also subdued and colo-
nized the Hebrides and all the islands on the west coast, from Lewis to
the Isle of Man, which they called the Sudrijar, or Southern islands,
from their situation as respects the Orkneys.

M. THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

arrow, barbed with red-hot steel, against the island ; and
then landing, found it stationary and habitable. This
adds one to the many proofs that fire is the greatest of
enemies to every sort of phantom ; insomuch that those
who have seen apparitions fall into a swoon as soon as they
are sensible of the brightness of fire. For fire, both from
its position and nature, is the noblest of elements, being a
witness of the secrets of the heavens. The sky is fiery ;
the planets are fiery ; the bush burnt with fire, but was
not consumed; the Holy Grhost sat upon the apostlea
in tongues of fire.

CHAPTEE XIII.

OF ICELAND, WHICH IS INHABITED BY A PEOPLE OF FEW
WORDS, WHO SPEAK THE TETTTH, AND NEVER TAKE AN
OATH.

ICELAND, the largest of the northern islands, lies at the
distance of three natural days' sail from Ireland, towards
the north. It is inhabited by a race of people who use
very few words, and speak the truth. They seldom converse,
and then briefly, and take no oaths, because they do not know
what it is to lie ; for they detest nothing more than falsehood.
Among this people the ofiices of king and priest are united
in the same person. Their prince is their pontiff. Their
bishop performs the functions of government as well as
of the priesthood.1 Here never or very seldom lightnings
flash, thunder-bolts fall, or the crash of thunder terrifies
But they are troubled with another, and still more grievous
calamity ; for once in a ye"ar, or two years, a fiery stream

1 The chiefs, or petty kings, of the territories into which Norway was
divided, before the reign of Harald Harfaager, in the ninth century,
united the functions of civil and military government with the sacer-
dotal office, and continued to exercise the same joint authority in
their colonies in Iceland. After the introduction of Christianity, the
bishops succeeded to the spiritual, and in some measure shared the
temporal authority of the Godar, or pontiff-chiefs. In 925, the Ice-
landers, in their Al- Thing, or national assembly, enacted a very strict
code of laws, containing many excellent regulations, one especially pro-
riding for the maintenance of the poor ; but it would appear that the
people were more distinguished for legal chicanery than for the vir-
tues attributed to them by Giraldus. — See the Supplement to
Northern Antiquities chaps, ii. and iii.

A WHIELPOOL IN THE SEA. 75

bursts forth in some quarter of the island, boiling up like a
whirlpool, and the hissing flood, rushing violently on, burns
up whatever lies in its way. But whether this fire has its
origin casually, from below or above, is not known with
any certainty.1 Gerfalcons and goss-hawks are bred in the
island and exported.2

CHAPTER XIV.

OF A WHIELPOOL IN THE SEA WHICH SUCKS IN SHIPS.

NOT far from the islands, towards the north, there is an
astonishing whirlpool in the sea, towards which there is a
set current of the waves from all quarters, until, pouring
themselves into nature's secret recesses, they are swallowed
up, as it were, in the abyss. Should a vessel chance to pass
in that direction, it is caught and drawn along by the force
of the waves, and sucked by the vortex without chance of
escape.3 There are four of these whirlpools in the ocean,
described by philosophers as existing in the four different
quarters of the world ; whence it has been conjectured that
the currents of the sea, as well as the winds, are regulated
by fixed principles.

1 Giraldus seems to have blended in this description the phenomena,
of which he may have heard a confused account, of the volcanic erup-
tions and boiling fountains, the Geysers, of Iceland. See Henderson's
Journal of a Residence in Iceland, pp. 74 and 229 j and Sir William
Hooker's Tour in Iceland, vol. i. pp. 128 and 149.

2 The gerfalcon was in great request in times when falconry was one
of the principal sports of our ancestors ; and Iceland had always the
reputation of furnishing the most generous breed. Those whose plu-
mage was white were most highly esteemed, and bore a great price.
Gerfalcons do not appear to have been ever found wild in Britain, or
in Ireland. See before, Distinction I., c. 18. They are still common
in Norway. The goss-hawk is a native of England, but they are now
rare, though plentiful in Scotland.

3 Giraldus speaks of the maelstrom, a whirlpool in the northern
ocean, on the coast of Norway, between the island of Wero and the
southern part of the Loffoden island. Some Latin writers fancifully
called it umbilicus marts, the navel of the sea ; while our author de-
scribes the vortex as secreta naturae penetralia. This whirlpool, for-
merly painted in the most frightful colours, is only a strong current of
the sea, which roars loudly, as it rises every day during six hours, after
which it is more calm for the same period.

76 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

CHAPTEE XY.

OP THE ISLE OP MAN, WHICH, ON ACCOUNT OF THE VE-
NOMOUS REPTILES IT HARBOURS, IS CONSIDERED TO
BELONG TO BRITAIN.

THERE is an island, not the least of the smaller islands,
which is now called Man, but had in old times the name of
Ewania, and lies, they say, in the mid-channel between the
northern shores of Ireland and Britain. Which country it
rightly belonged to was a matter of great doubt among
the ancients ; but the controversy was settled in this way.
Since the island allowed venomous reptiles, brought over
for the sake of experiment, to exist in it, it was agreed by
common consent that it belonged to Britain.1

CHAPTEE XVI.

THAT ISLANDS WERE FORMED LONG AFTER THE FLOOD,
NOT SUDDENLY, BUT BY DEGREES, FROM ALLUVIAL
MATTER.

WHETHER islands were formed before the flood, or during
the flood, when the parents of all living creatures were shut
up in the ark, there seems reason to doubt how noxious ani-
mals, and especially venomous reptiles, replenished the re-
moter islands, as it is quite clear that no sane person would
ever have wished to transport them thither. "With respect
to this, it may be reasonably suggested that long after the
flood, when living things multiplied, and the earth was
replenished with them in all parts, the islands were formed
not by any violent or sudden action, but gradually by allu-
vial deposits.2

1 Whatever may be thought of this experiment to determine the
relative geographical position of the Isle of Man, we know that the
island had an intimate political union with Ireland long before its
sovereignty became a dependency on Britain. Colonized by the Nor-
wegians in the eighth and ninth centuries, and governed by a succession
of independent kings, nominally, perhaps, tributary to Norway, the
connection between the kings of Man and the Scandinavian kings of
Dublin was so close in the eleventh century that either the same, or, at
all events, nearly related kings reigned both in Dublin and Man.

2 Although islands and deltas are formed by diluvial deposits at the
mouths of rivers, the theory that such islands as those on the north
coast of Scotland, of which Giraldus is treating, had such origin, is only
suited to the state of science in the times of our author. These inlands

THTJLE, THE WESTERN ISLAND. 77

CHAPTER XVII.

OP THTJLE, THE WESTERN ISLAND, VERY CELEBRATED AMONG
THE ORIENTALS, THOUGH IT BE TOTALLY UNKNOWN TO
THE PEOPLE OP THE WEST.

THULE, which is said to be the furthest of the "Western
islands, is very remarkable for having been well known
among the Orientals both in name and position, although
entirely unknown to the people of the West.1 Virgil says
to Augustus : —

" et tibi serviat ultima Thule."

"And furthest Thule own thy rule."

And Solinus mentions Thule as the furthest among the
islands which surround Britain. He says that at the
summer solstice there is no night there, and at the winter
solstice no day ; and both Solinus and Isidore relate that
beyond Thule lies the thick and frozen ocean.

Solinus places Thule, the most remote island in the ocean,
between the Northern and Western regions beyond Britain,
and says it derives its name from the sun, because the sun
causes the summer solstice there, and beyond it there is no
day. But this island is so unknown to the people of the
West, that It appears that no one of the western or northern
islands have the same name or character. We find, how-
ever, that in the furthest parts of the Arctic regions, the
sun in summer is seen by the inhabitants revolving con-
stantly for several nights about the edge of the earth, but

were more probably severed from the mainland by the action of the
strong currents and the storms of the Northern Ocean, through a pro-
cess of disintegration, which is still going on. See LyelTs Elements of
G-eology, pp. 299 — 301. Giraldus raises in this chapter another curious
question, which, on received opinions, we are as little able to solve as
he was, how, not to say venomous creatures only, but all animals
replenished (impleverunt) not only the remoter islands, but, we may
add, continents.

1 It is a question full of doubt, to what island the ancients applied
the name of Thule, or rather, it is probable that at different times they
applied it to different islands, for they seem to have wished to indicate
by it the most distant land towards the North-west of which they had
any intelligence. Some have supposed that it was Iceland ; others,
that it was some one of the most distant islands off the northern coast
of Scotland ; arid others, again, have held that by Thule the Romans
meant Norway.

78 THE TOPOGEAPHY OF IEELAND.

above the horizon ; and when it returns from the constella-
tion of Capricorn, as though under the dark confines of the
Antarctic pole, the cheerful beams of that luminary vanish
during the same space of days. Either, therefore, Thule is
an island as fabulous as it was famous, or it must be looked
for in the most remote and distant recesses of the northern
ocean, far off under the Arctic pole. Hence Orosius,
speaking with more certainty than others respecting doubt-
ful points, says that Thule, which is separated on all sides
by boundless space from the rest of the world, and faces
towards the south in the midst of the ocean, is known but
to few persons, and to them imperfectly. Augustine, how-
ever, in his twenty first book, De Civitate Dei, says that
Thule, an island in India, is to be preferred to other lands,
because there the trees which it produces keep their
leaves all the whole year round. So that it appears to be
situated in India. But he was led astray by a doubtful
meaning, which is more apparent than real ; for Tylis is
the name of the one, Tyle (Thule) of the other. Hence
Isidore also says, Tylis is an island of India, where the
leaves are always green. And, again, Solinus says, Tylis is
an island in India,1 which bears palms, produces oil, and
abounds in vines, and it excels all lands in the miracle
that every tree which grows there is clothed with perpetual
verdure.

CHAPTER XVIII.
or THE GIANTS' DANCE, WHICH WAS TEANSFEEBED FEOM

IEELAND TO BEITAIN.

IN ancient times there was in Ireland a remarkable pile of
stones, called the Giants' Dance,2 because the giants brought
it from the furthest parts of Africa into Ireland, and set it
up, partly by main strength, partly by artificial contrivances,
in an extraordinary way, on the plains of Kildare, near
Naas. Hence, certain stones exactly resembling the rest,
and erected in the same manner, are seen there to the pre-

1 Pliny, b. xii. c. 11, mentions an island called Tylos in the Persian
Gulf ; and Arrian, b. vii., one of the same name in the Indian Ocean.

Chorea Gigantum," from x°(>^f » a dance, or company of dancers
or singers. Giraldus refers, of course, to the celebrated monument on
Salisbury Plain, called Stonehenge, which the old legends represent as
Laving been brought from Ireland.

MEN TRANSFORMED TO WOLYE8. 79

sent day. It is wonderful bow these stones, in such num-
bers and of such vast size, couid ever be collected together
on one spot, and raised upright, as well as by what mecha-
nical contrivance others, not inferior in dimensions, were
placed as lintels on top of the other massive and lofty piles,
so that they appear suspended, and, as it were, hanging in
the air, rather by some artificial contrivance than resting on
the columns supporting them. According to the British His-
tory,1 Aurelius Ambrosius, king of Britain, caused these
stones to be transported from Ireland to Britain by the
divine aid of Merlin ; and in order to leave some memorial
of so great a deed, they were erected on the spot where, be-
fore that time, the flower of the youth of Britain died by the
concealed knives of the Saxons, who fell upon them and slew
them, under the guise of peace, with their treacherous
weapons.

CHAPTEK XIX.

OF THE PRODIGIES OP OUR TIMES, AND FIRST OF A WOLF
WHICH CONTERSED WITH A PRIEST.2

I NOW proceed to relate some wonderful occurrences which
have happened within our times. About three years be-
fore the arrival of earl John in Ireland, it chanced that
a priest, who was journeying from Ulster towards
Meath, was benighted in a certain wood on the borders
of Meath. "While, in company with only a young lad,
he was watching by a fire which he had kindled under the
branches of a spreading tree, lo ! a wolf came up to them,
and immediately addressed them to this effect : *' Rest se-
cure, and be not afraid, for there is no reason you should
fear, where no fear is !" The travellers being struck with
astonishment and alarm, the wolf added some orthodox

1 By " the British History," Giraldus of course means Geoffrey of
Monmouth, from whom, in fact, this account of the removal of the
stones from Ireland to England is taken. See Geoffrey's British His-
tory, book viii. chapters x. to xii. 2 The belief in men who
could transform themselves into wolves, was a very prevalent super-
stition, not only in the middle ages, but it continued in force to much
more recent times, and formed part of the witchcraft superstitions,
from which plenty of stories like this told by Giraldus might be col-
lected. In England, where wolves have long disappeared, the witchei
of later times turned themselves into hares.

80 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IEELANT).

words referring to God. The priest then implored him,
and adjured him by Almighty God and faith in the Trinity,
not to hurt them, but to inform them what creature it was
that in the shape of a beast uttered human words. The
wolf, after giving catholic replies to all questions, added at
last : " There are two of us, a man and a woman, natives
of Ossory, who, through the curse of one Natalis, saint and
abbot, are compelled every seven years to put oft' the human
form, and depart from the dwellings of men. Quitting
entirely the human form, we assume that of wolves. At the
end of the seven years, if they chance to survive, two others
being substituted in the.ir places, they return to their coun-
try and their former shape. And now, she who is my part-
ner in this visitation lies dangerously sick not far from
hence, and, as she is at the point of death, I beseech you,
inspired by divine charity, to give her the consolations of
your priestly office."

At this word the priest followed the wolf trembling, as
he led the way to a tree at no great distance, in the hol-
low of which he beheld a she-wolf, who under that shape was
pouring forth human sighs and groans. On seeing the
priest, having saluted him with human courtesy, she gave
thanks to God, who in this extremity had vouchsafed to
visit her with such consolation. She then received from
the priest all the rites of the church duly performed, as
far as the last communion. This also she importunately
demanded, earnestly supplicating him to complete his good
offices by giving her the viaticum. The priest stoutly
asserting that he was not provided with it, the he- wolf, who
had withdrawn to a short distance, came back and pointed
out a small missal-book, containing some consecrated wafers,
which the priest carried on his journey, suspended from his
neck, under his garment, after the fashion of the country.
He then intreated him not to deny them the gift of God,
and the aid destined for them by Divine Providence ; and,
to remove all doubt, using his claw for a hand, he tore off
the skin of the she-wolf, from the head down to the navel,
folding it back. Thus she immediately presented the form
of an old woman. The priest, seeing this, and compelled
by his fear more than his reason, gave the communion ; the
recipient having earnestly implored it, and devoutly par-

MEN TBAXSrOBMED TO WOLVES. 81

taking of it. Immediately afterwards, the lie- wolf rolled
back the skin, and fitted it to its original form.

These rites having been duly, rather than rightly, per-
formed, the he-wolf gave them his company during the
whole night at their little fire, behaving more like a man
than a beast. "When morning came, he led them out of
the wood, and, leaving the priest to pursue his journey,
pointed out to him the direct road for a long distance. At
his departure, he also gave him many thanks for the benefit
he had conferred, promising him still greater returns of
gratitude, if the Lord should call him back from his present
exile, two parts of which he had already completed. At
the close of their conversation, the priest inquired of the
wolf whether the hostile race which had now landed in the
island would continue there for the time to come, and be
long established in it. To which the wolf replied : — " Eor
the sins of our nation, and their enormous vices, the anger
of the Lord, falling on an evil generation, hath given them
into the hands of their enemies. Therefore, as long as this
foreign race shall keep the commandments of the Lord, and
walk in his ways, it will be secure and invincible : but if, as
the downward path to illicit pleasures is easy, and nature is
prone to follow vicious examples, this people shall chance,
from living among us, to adopt our depraved habits, doubt-
less they will provoke the divine vengeance on themselves
also."

The like judgment is recorded in Leviticus : — " All these
abominations have the inhabitants of the land done, which
were before you, and the land is defiled. Beware, there-
fore, that the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it,
as it spi.ed out the nation which was before you." l All
this was afterwards brought to pass, first by the Chaldeans,
and then by the Romans. Likewise it is written in Eccle-
siasticus : — " The kingdom is made over from one nation to
another, by reason of their unjust and injurious deeds, their
proud words, and divers deceits."

It chanced, about two years afterwards, that I was

passing through Meath, at the time when the bishop of

that land had convoked a synod, having also invited the

assistance of the neighbouring bishops and abbots, in order

1 Levit. xviii. 27, 28.

82 THE TOPOGEAPHT OF lEELAKD.

to have their joint counsels on what was to be done in the
affair which had come to his knowledge by the priest's con-
fession. The bishop, hearing that I was passing through
those parts, sent me a message by two of his clerks, re-
questing me, if possible, to be personally present when a
matter of so much importance was under consideration ;
but if I could not attend, he begged me at least to signify
my opinion in writing. The clerks detailed to me all
the circumstances, which indeed I had heard before from
other persons ; and, as I was prevented by urgent business
from being present at the synod, I made up for my absence
by giving them the benefit of my advice in a letter. The
bishop and synod, yielding to it, ordered the priest to ap-
pear before the pope with letters from them, setting forth
what had occurred, with the priest's confession, to which
instrument the bishops and abbots who were present at the
synod affixed their seals.

It cannot be disputed, but must be believed with the
most assured faith, that the divine nature assumed human
nature for the salvation of the world ; while in the present
case, by no less a miracle, we find that at Grod's bidding, to
exhibit his power and righteous judgment, human nature
assumed that of a wolf. But is such an animal to be called
a brute or a man ? A rational animal appears to be far
above the level of a brute ; but who will venture to assign
a quadruped, which inclines to the earth, and is not a laugh-
ing animal, to the species of man ? Again, if any one should
slay this animal, would he be called a homicide ? "We reply>
that divine miracles are not to be made the subjects of dis-
putation by human reason, but to be admired. However,
Augustine, in the 16th book of his Civit. Dei, chapter 8, in
speaking of some monsters of the human race, born in the
East, some of which had the heads of dogs, others had no
heads at all, their eyes being placed in their breasts, and
others had various deformities, raises the question whether
these were really men, descended from the first parents of
mankind. At last, he concludes, " We must think the same
of them as we do of those monstrous births in the human
species of which we often hear ; and true reason declares
that whatever answers to the definition of man, as a rational
and mortal animal, whatever be its form, is to be considered
a man." The same author, in the 18th book of the Civit,

•SOUS' TRANSFORMED TO ASSES. 83

Dei, chapter 18, refers to the Arcadians, who, chosen by
lot, swam across a lake and were there changed into wolves,
living with wild beasts of the same species in the deserts
of that country. If, however, they did not devour human
flesh, after nine years they swam back across the lake, and
re-assumed the human form. Having thus further treated
of various transformations of man into the shape of wolves,
he at length adds, " I myself, at the time I was in Italy,
heard it said of some district in those parts, that there the
stable-women, who had learnt magical arts, were wont to
give something to travellers in their cheese which trans-
formed them into beasts of burthen, so that they carried
all sorts of burdens, and after they had performed their
tasks resumed their own forms.1 Meanwhile, their minds
did not become bestial, but remained human and rational."
.So in the Book which Apuleius wrote, with the title of
the Grolden Ass, he tells us that it happened to himself, on
taking some potion, to be changed into an ass, retaining his
human mind.

In our own time, also, we have seen persons who, by magi-
cal arts, turned any substance about them into fat pigs, as
they appeared (but they were always red), and sold them
in the markets. However, they disappeared as soon as they
crossed any water, returning to their real nature ; and with
whatever care they were kept, their assumed form did not
last beyond three days. It has also been a frequent com-
plaint, from old times as well as in the present, that certain
hags in Wales, as well as in Ireland and Scotland, changed
themselves into the shape of hares, that, sucking teats
under this counterfeit form, they might stealthily rob other
people's milk. "We agree, then, with Augustine, that nei-
.ther demons nor wicked men can either create or really
change their natures; but those whom God has created
can, to outward appearance, by his permission, become
transformed, so that they appear to be what they are not ;
the senses of men being deceived and laid asleep by a
strange illusion, so that things are not seen as they actually

r Similar stories are told by other old writers ; see William of
Malmesbury, book ii. ch. 10. It is rather amusing to find Giraldua
believing that, in the metamorphosis of the ass, Apuleius was giving a
bona fide relation of what had happened to himself.

G 2

84 THE TOPOGEAPHY OP IBELAND.

exist, but are strangely drawn by the power of some phan-
tom or magical incantation to rest their eyes on unreal and
fictitious forms.

It is, however, believed as an undoubted truth, that the
Almighty Q-od, who is the Creator of natures, can, when he
pleases, change one into another, either for vindicating his
judgments, or exhibiting his divine power ; as in the case of
Lot's wife, who, looking back contrary to her lord's com-
mand, was turned into a pillar of salt ; and as the water
was changed into wine ; or that, the nature within remain-
ing the same, he can transform the exterior only, as is plain
from the examples before given.

Of that apparent change of the bread into the body of
Christ (which I ought not to call apparent only, but with
more truth transubstantial, because, while the outward ap-
pearance remains the same, the substance only is changed),
I have thought it safest not to treat; its comprehension
being far beyond the powers of the human intellect.

CHAPTEE XX.

OF A WOMAN WHO HAD A BEAED, AND A HAIET CEEST
AND MANE ON HEB BACK.

DUYENALD, king of Limerick, had a woman with a beard
down to her navel, and, also, a crest like a colt of a year
old, which reached from the top of her neck down her back-
bone, and was covered with hair. The woman, thus re-
markable for two monstrous deformities, was, however, not
an hermaphrodite, but in other respects had the parts of a
woman ; and she constantly attended the court, an object of
ridicule as well as of wonder. The fact of her spine being
covered with hair neither determined her gender to be male
or female ; and in wearing a long beard she followed the
customs of her country, though it was unnatural in her.
Also, within our time, a woman was seen attending the court
in Connaught, who partook of the nature of both sexes, and
was an hermaphrodite. On the right side of her face she
had a long and thick beard, which covered both sides of her
lips to the middle of her chin, like a man ; on the left, her
lips and chin were smooth and hairless, like a woman.

*

AIT ANIMAL WHICH WAS HALF-OX, HALF-MAN. 85

CHAPTEE XXI.

OF AN ANIMAL WHICH WAS HALF-OX, HALF-MAN.

Wicklow (Gwykingelo), at the time Maurice Fitzgerald
held possession of that territory and castle, there was seen
a mau-monster, if he may be called a man, the whole of
whose body was human, except the extremities, which were
those of an ox ; they having the shape of hoofs, from the
joints by which the hands are connected with the arms and
the feet with the legs. His whole head was deformed by
baldness, there being no hair either behind or before ; but
instead of it there was down in a few places. He had large
eyes, round and of the colour of those of an ox. His face
was flat down to the mouth, there being no protuberance of
the nose, but only two orifices to serve for nostrils. He could
not speak, the sounds he uttered resembling the lowing of
an ox. He frequented for some time the court of Maurice,
coming daily to dinner ; and the food which was served he
took up between the fissures of his cloven hoofs, which he
used as hands. He was at last secretly put to death, a fate
of which he was not deserving, in consequence of the jibes
with which the young men about the castle assailed the
natives of the country for begetting such monsters by inter-
course with cows.

It is a fact, that shortly before the arrival of the English
in the island, a cow gave birth to a man-calf, the fruit of an
union between a man and a cow, in the mountains of Grlen-
dalough (Grlindelachan), that tribe being especially addicted
to such abominations ; so that you may be perfectly con-
vinced that there is another instance of a progeny half-ox
half- man, half-man half-ox. This creature, having followed
his mother with the rest of the calves, sucking her teats
for nearly a year, was afterwards admitted into human
society, as it had more of the man in it than of the beast.
Shall the slayer of this creature be called a homicide ? Who
can associate such a monster, an irrational animal, wanting
altogether speech as well as reason, with the family of ra-
tional beings? On the other hand, who can disallow the
claims of a creature which stands erect, laughs, and goes on
two feet, to belong to the I uman species ? Is it not true that

86 THE TOPOGRAPHY OP IRELAND,

" Os homirii sublime dedit coelumque tueri

Jussit ?"

In nature's mould, to man the stamp is given,
Which lifts his face from earth and points his eyes to l.eaveEi-

But nature's eccentricities of this kind must be excused,
and her judgments are rather to be dreaded, than made the
subject of discussion and disputation.

CHAPTER XXII.

OF AN ANIMAL ENGENDERED BY A STAG AND A COW,

WITHIN our time, a stag had intercourse with a cow,
at Chester, in Britain, and their offspring was a doe-calf,
In the fore-parts, as far as the groin, it had entirely the form
of a cow ; but the thighs, tail, hind-legs, and feet were
exactly those of a deer, with the same fur and colour.
Having more of the nature of cattle about it than of a wild
animal, it found its place in the herd.

CHAPTER XXIII.

OP A GOAT WHICH HAD INTERCOURSE WITH A WOMAN.

RODERIC, king of Connaught, had a white tame goat, re-
markable • for its flowing hair and the length of its horns.
This goat had intercourse, bestially, with the woman to
whose care it had been committed ; the wretched creature
having seduced it to become the instrument of gratifying
her unnatural lust, rather than that the animal was the
guilty actor. O foul and disgraceful deed! How dread-
fully has reason given the reins to sensuality ! How brutally
does the lord of brutes, discarding his natural privileges,
descend to the level of brutes, when he, rational animal,
submits to such intercourse with a beast ! For although
on both sides it is detestable and abominable, it is by far
the least that brutes should be entirely submissive to
rational creatures. But though brutes are destined by
nature for the service of men, they were created for use,
not abuse. The indignation of nature, strongly repudiating
it, thus vents itself in verse :

" Omnia jam novitate placent, nova grata voluptas,

Et naturalis inveterata Venus.
Arte minus natura placet, consmnitur usus ;
In reprobos ratio, jam ratione carens.

A LION ENAMOURED OF A "WOMAN. 87

Vis genitiva gemit, violata cupidinis arte j

Et violans vindex publicat ira scelus.
Pandit enim natura nefas, proditque pudorem

Criminis infandi, prodigiosa creans."

CHAPTER XXIV.

OF A LION THAT WAS ENAMOURED OF A WOMAN.

I SAW at Paris a lion which some cardinal had presented,
.when it was a whelp, to Philip, the son of king Louis.1
This lion was in the habit of having bestial intercourse with
,a silly girl, whose name was Joan. If, by any chance, it
broke out of its den, and became so infuriated that no one
dared to approach it, Joan was called, and instantly disarmed
its malice and pacified its rage. Soothed by female allure-
ments, it followed her where she pleased, and immediately
changed its fury to love. Both of these brutes merited a
shameful death. But not only in modern times have these
abominations been attempted, but in the earliest ages, re-
markable for their greater innocence and simplicity of man-
ners, society was polluted by these infamous vices. Thus
we find it written in Leviticus : — " If a woman approach
unto auy beast and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the
woman, and the beast shall be put to death. Their blood
shall be upon them."3 The beast was commanded to be
slain, not for its guilt, of which its nature as a brute excul-
pated it, but as a memorial, to recall to the mind the enor-
mity of the sin. It is also the opinion of many persons,
that the story of Pasiphae being leaped by a bull was not a
mere fable, but an actual fact.

CHAPTER XXV.

THAT COCKS IN IRELAND CROW AT DIFFERENT HOUB8
FROM THOSE IN OTHER COUNTRIES.

COCKS at roost in Ireland do not, as in other countries,
divide the third and last watches of the night by crowing
at three successive periods in the interval. Here they are
heard a little before dawn ; and the day is known to be as

1 The celebrated Philippe Auguste, son of Louis VII. or Louis le
Jeune. Philippe reigned over France from 1180 to 1223, but at the time
Giraldus wrote this book he had not yet succeeded to the throne.

2 Levit. xx. 16.

88 THE TOPOGEAPHY OP IBELAND.

far off from the first cock- crowing here as it is elsewhere
from the third. Nor is it to be supposed that they have
here a different nature from those in other countries;
for cocks which are brought over to the island from
other parts crow here at these periods. As Britain is
satisfied with a short night, so is Ireland ; and it is all the
shorter for the sun's setting so much nearer the west. But
the shorter the night is here, so much faster the day breaks
after cock-crow. Hence always in the summer-time the
rising morn, as it were, soon brings on day ; and as the sun
dips its rays but little under the earth, all night long there
is light in the sky about the horizon.

CHAPTER XXYI,

OF WOLYES WHICH WHELPED IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBEB.

IN Ireland, the wolves often have whelps in the month of
December, either in consequence of the great mildness of
the climate, or, rather, in token of the evils of treason and
rapine, which are rife here before their proper season.

CHAPTEE XXVII.

OF THE EAYENS AND OWLS WHICH ONCE HAD TOTING ONES
AT CHEISTMAS.

AT the Christmas when earl John first quitted the island,
the ravens and owls had young ones in several parts of
Ireland, and particularly in Meath, prognosticating, per-
chance, the occurrence of some new and premature event.
Thus was proclaimed the fatal death, in the same year,
of Hugh de Lacy, the lord of that territory, through the
treachery of his subjects.1

CHAPTEE XXYIII.

OF MIEACLES ; AND, FIEST, OF THE APPLES, AND EAYENS,
AND BLACKBIEDS OF ST. KEIWIN.

LET us now pass to the miracles, beginning with those of
St. Keiwin, the illustrious confessor and abbot.2 When St.

1 For Hugh de Lacy see afterwards b. ii. cc. 18 — 20, and 22 of the
" Conquest of Ireland."

a St. Kevin was born, according to the legend, soon after St. Patrick,
in the year 498, being related to the O'Tooles, the ancient kings of thi*

ST. KEVINS APPLES. 89

Keiwin had become celebrated for his life and sanctity at
Grlindelachan,1 a noble boy, one of his scholars, happened to
fall sick, and had a craving for some apples. The saint,
taking compassion on him, and having prayed to the Lord,
a willow-tree, which stood near the church, bore apples, to
the relief of the boy as well as of other sick persons. And
even to the present day that willow, and other sets from it,
planted in the neighbouring cemetery, produce apples every
year, as if it were an orchard, although in other respects,
such as their boughs and leaves, the trees retain their na-
tural properties.2 These apples are white, and of an oblong
shape, and more wholesome than pleasant to the taste.
They are held in great reverence by the natives, who call
them St. Keiwin's apples ; and many carry them to the most
distant parts of Ireland, as remedies for various diseases.

On the feast-day of the same saint, the ravens at Glinde-
lachan, in consequence of his curse for his scholars having
accidentally spilt their milk, neither come on the ground
nor taste food ; but, flying round the village and church^
and making a loud cawing, enjoy no rest or refreshment on
that day.3

part of Ireland. He was baptized by St. Cronan, educated by Petroo
a Briton, and went into a monastery, from which he visited St. Columba
and many other famous contemporary saints. Retiring to the wilder-
ness of Glendalough, he is said to have founded there the abbey and
cathedral, and other churches, the remains of which are still seen. St.
Kevin lived a hundred and twenty years, and died on the 3rd June,
618, which day is commemorated by a " patron," or festival, held in
the Valley of the Seven Churches.

1 Glen-da-lough, or the Valley of the Two Lakes, lies in a hollow of
the Wicklow mountains, about twenty-two Irish miles from Dublin.
It is almost surrounded by lofty and precipitous mountains, the highest
summit of which stands 2,268 feet above the level of the sea. Two
dark lakes wind in the bottom of the valley ; and the principal ruins
are finely grouped on a green knoll, which slopes gradually from the
breast of a mountain ridge, in the lower part of the valley. The most in-
teresting of these buildings is the church called " St. Kevin's Kitchen,"
one of the few remaining stone-roofed buildings in Ireland, and a
" Kound Tower."

2 The tradition of St. Kevin's willow-apples is still current at Glen-
dalough, but the trees have disappeared, and the veneration paid to them
appears to be transferred to a group of ancient thorn-bushes standing
between the cathedral and the lake, and supposed to have been planted
by the hands of the saint.

3 We have not met with any explanation of the cause of St. Kevin's

90 THE TOPOGBAPHY OJT 1BELAKD.

In Italy likewise, at the famous city of E-avenna, on the
feast-day of St. Apollinaris, the ravens, crows, and jackdaws
flock together every year from all parts of Italy, as if by
appointment. By ancient custom, the carcase of a horse is
given them on that day. If you ask a question respecting
this fact, and demand the reason, I do not venture to assign
any, unless that from long use, through an extended period
of time, custom has become a second nature, and " where
the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together."
More probably, however, the matter is connected with some
miracle of the saint. Hence, from this gathering of the
ravens, the city was called at first Ravensburgh, which
means the Town of Ravens, from which, as some conjecture,
the name was altered to Ravenna.

Moreover, when St. Vincent was beheaded in Spain, the
ravens which pounced upon his body, as they would on a
Carcass, all fell dead. And as the misdoings of an individual
generally react on those of his kind, so here, as a punish*
ment for this daring act, by the interposition of divine
grace, which He wonderfully shows forth in his saints, from
that hour ravens constantly settle and keep watch about the
body of the martyr. Hence, when it was translated by sea
from Carthage, ! (I mean the Spanish and not the African town
of that name) to Lisbon, even then ravens constantly hovered
about the ship in which the body was conveyed. Moreover,
in the church of St. Vincent, at Lisbon, where the remains of

wrath against the ravens at Glendalough, which forms a contrast with
his humane conduct to a blackbird, related at the close of this chapter.
According to a story which rests only on the legends of tradition, the
skylark also fell under the saint's ban. When St. Kevin was building
the churches in the valley, he observed that the masons and labourers
employed in the pious work were gradually losing their health and
vigour ; and on his inquiring the cause, it was found that their hours
of labour were regulated by the maxim, " to rise with the lark and lie
down with the lamb." Now the lark in the valley used to rise so un-
conscionably early, that the labourers were insensibly led into insup-
portable hardships ; and to remove this evil the saint prayed that the
lark might never be permitted to sing in the valley of Glendalough ;
which petition was accordingly granted. This tradition is alluded to ic
one of Moore's Irish Melodies, while the subject is taken from anothef
legend of St. Kevin, the love of the hapless Cathleen ; —
"By that lake, whose gloomy shore

Skylark never warbles o'er," &c.
1 Carthagena, in Spain.

ST. FIKHIN'S BEAR. 91

the saint are deposited in a splendid shrine, ravens were wont
to roost round the altar, even to almost modern times. There
were about six of them, not always the same, but different
ones in succession. In token of this, the signs1 which
pilgrims bring away from thence, impressed with the mar-:
tyr's image, have also on them the effigy of a raven. In
common phrase this martyr is also called St. Vincent de
Corvo, so that an occurrence after his death gave him a sur-
name, which did not belong to him when he was alive.

"When the body of St. Firmin, bishop of Auch,2 and a
native of Narbonne, was carried through some parts of
the province to Auch, the oxen which drew the vehicle
being unyoked and turned out to graze, one of them was
suddenly devoured by a bear. On discovering this, St.:
Ferreolus, who was nephew of St. Eirmin, and the conduc-
tor of the noble procession, as well as St. Eirmin's imme-,
diate successor in his episcopal see, instantly calling on the,
name of Grod, summoned the bear before him, who, making,
his appearance, forthwith submitted his neck to the yoke,
and devoutly took the place of the ox he had slain as his
successor in drawing the load. The body of St. Eirmin hav-,
ing been thus miraculously drawn from that spot for several
miles to the city of Auch, and his obsequies celebrated there
with great pomp, the bear, having obtained, as it were, the
permission of St. Eirmin, returned unhurt to his mountain
lair. Moreover, every year afterwards, as long as he lived,
he regularly came to the church on the festival of St. Eir-
min, and, laying aside for the time all the ferocity of a
beast of prey, he shewed himself to the people as a tame
animal, allowing them to touch and stroke him ; as if he
were ready to undergo the punishment merited by his atro-
cious act, and the offence he had committed. WhereT
fore, his skin, carefully preserved in the church of St.

1 The medieval practice of pilgrims bringing away signs or tokens,
generally cast in lead, of the saints whose shrines they had visited, is
now well known to antiquaries, and abundance of these pilgrims' signs
are found in collections. They generally represent figures or emblems
of the particular saint visited, and often both.

2 Auch is a very ancient city, the seat of an archbishop, in the S.W.
of France, twenty leagues from Toulouse. The ancient cathedral and
best part of the place stand on an elevated ridge, commanding a view
of the Pyrenees, and washed at its foot by the river Gers, which, running
northward, falls into the Garonne.

92 THE TOPOGRAPHY OP IRELAND.

ITirmin to the present day, is held in great veneration, and
is shewn to travellers and pilgrims as a memorial of this
great miracle.

In the region of Constantinople, in the province of
the Chersonese, where the body of St. Clement was
miraculously discovered in the sea,1 the festival of the
saint is held every year, and, during about eight days,
the waters recede from the shore further than was ever
known for ages before, and leave the bed of the sea dry,
a miraculous road for the people and pilgrims who
devoutly come to the feast. The solemnities ended, the
wide sea flows all around, returning to its ancient bounds,
and immediately occupies the whole space ; nor can any
traces of the road be discovered until the return of the
same period in the revolving year. Thus, even in our days,
on whom the ends of the world are come, the glorious mi-
racle of the Red Sea is wont to be represented, in some
sort, every year. Blessed, therefore, be the Lord G-od of
Israel, who alone doeth wondrous things, and blessed be the
name of his Majesty for ever. For to set forth the merits
of his saints, and still to glorify on earth those who are glo-
rified in heaven, birds and seas obey his commands. But
enough of these : let us now return to our Keiwin.

St. Keiwin, then, upon some occasion, when, during the
season of Lent, he had fled, as he was wont, from converse
with men, retired to a little cabin in the wilderness,
•where, sheltered only from the sun and rain, he gave himself

1 St. Clement, the second or third Bishop of Rome, is said to have
been banished by a rescript of the Emperor Trajan, " to the city of
Cherson, beyond the Euxine Sea." According to the legend, after
making numerous converts there, Clement, in a general massacre of the
Christians, was cast into the sea with an anchor attached to his neck.
In the midst of the grief of the survivors of his flock, a strange spec-
tacle was presented to their view. The sea receded for almost three
miles from the shore, and the people, walking on dry land, discovered
a small building, having the appearance of a marble chapel, built by
angelic hands, and the body of St. Clement deposited therein in a
stone coffin by the ministry of angels, with the anchor by which the body
had been sunk laid near. It was revealed to the disciples that they
should not remove the body, as on the recurrence of the anniversary of
St. Clement's martyrdom, the sea would again recede, and for seven
days permit approach to the tomb. — Orderic. Vital., B. II. c. XYin.
(vol. j. p. 316, in Bohrfs Antiq.Lib.)

THE TEALS OF ST. COLMAN. 93

up to contemplation, and spent all his time in reading and
prayer.1 One morning, having raised his hand to heaven,
as was his custom, through the window, it chanced
that a blackbird pitched upon it and laid her eggs in hia
palm, treating it as her nest. The saint, taking pity on the
bird, shewed so much gentleness and patience that he
neither drew in nor closed his hand, but kept it extended
and adapted it to the purpose of a nest, without wearying,
until the young brood was entirely hatched. In perpetual
memory of this wonderful occurrence, all the images of St.
Keiwin throughout Ireland represent him with a blackbird
in his extended hand.

CHAPTEE XXIX.

OF ST. COLMAN'S TEAL, WHICH WEEE TAMED BY HIM, AND
CANNOT BE INJURED.

THEEE is in Leinster a small pool frequented by the birds
of St. Colman,2 a species of small ducks, vulgarly called teal
(cercellce). Since the time of the saint, these birds have be-
come so tame that they take food from the hand, and until
the present day exhibit no signs of alarm when approached
by men. They are always about thirteen in number, as if
they formed the society of a convent.3 As often as any evil
chances to befall the church or clergy, or the little birds
themselves, or any molestation is offered them, they directly

1 The site assigned to this retreat of St. Kevin is one of the most
romantic spots in the valley of G-lendalough. Beneath the dark and
frowning cliff of Lugduff, on a little patch of arable land, are the low
ruins of the church of Rhefeart, the sepulchre of kings, overgrown with

. ivy and wild shrubbery, beneath which a slab of grey marble marks the
tombs of the great O'Tooles, the former kings of this territory, seven of
whom are supposed to lie there. The church is also called Teampull-
na-Skellig, the temple of the desert or rock, and St. Kevin's cell. It
must not be confounded with " St. Kevin's Bed," a narrow cave in the
face of an escarped rock, hanging perpendicularly thirty feet over the
waters of the upper lake.

2 Colman was an Irish ecclesiastic of the seventh century, who suc-
ceeded Finan as bishop of Lindisfarne, but in consequence of the great
dispute on the subject of Easter, he abandoned his bishopric, and re-
turned to Ireland, where he established a monastery in the isle of Inis-
bofinde. He died there in 676.

8 A religious convent, strictly speaking, consisted of thirteen monk»
Of nuns, of whom one was prior or prioress.

94 THE TOPOGBAPHY OP IBELAND.

fly away, and, betaking themselves to some lake far re-
moved from thence, do not return to their former haunts
until condign punishment has overtaken the offenders.
Meanwhile, during their absence, the waters of the pond,
which were before very limpid and clear, become stinking
and putrid, unfit for the use either of men or cattle. It
has happened occasionally that some person fetching water
from this pond in the night-time, has drawn up with it one
of the birds, not purposely but by chance, and having
cooked his meat in the water for a long time without being
able to boil it, at last he has found the bird swimming in
the pot, quite unhurt ; and having carried it back to the
pond, his meat was boiled without further delay.

It happened, also, in our time, that as Robert Fitz-
Stephen, with Dermot, king of Leinster, was passing
through that country,1 an archer shot one of these birds
with an arrow. Carrying it with him to his quarters, he
put it in a pot to be cooked with his meat, but after thrice
supplying the fire with wood, and waiting till midnight, he
did not succeed in making the pot boil, so that after taking
out the meat for the third time, he found it as raw as when
he first placed it in the pot. At last, his host observing
the little bird among the pieces of meat, and hearing that
it was taken out of this pond, exclaimed with tears : " Alas
me, that ever such a misfortune should have befallen my
house, and have happened in it ! For this is one of St. Col-
man's birds." Thereupon the meat being put alone into the
pot, was cooked without further difficulty. The archer soon
afterwards miserably expired.

Moreover, it chanced that a kite, having carried off one
of these little birds, and perched with it in a neighbouring
tree, behold, all his limbs immediately stiffened in the
sight of many persons, nor did the robber regard the prey
which he held in his claws. It also happened that one
frosty season a fox carried off one of these birds, and
when the morning came, the beast was found in a little hut
on the shore ot the lake which was held in veneration
from its having been formerly the resort of St. Colman, the
bird being in the fox's jaws, and having choked him. In
both cases the spoiler suffered the penalty of death, while
1 See afterwards, " Conquest of Ireland," Part I. c. iy.

ST. NANNAN'S FLJEAS. 95

his prey was unhurt, the birds returning to the lake
without the slightest injury, under the protection of their
holy patron.

CHAPTEE XXX.

OP THE STONE IN WHICH A CAYITT IS EYEBY DAT Mt-
BACULOUSLY FILLED WITH WINE.

IN the southern part of Munster, in the neighbourhood of
Cork, there is an island with a church dedicated to St. Mi-
chael, famed for its orthodox sanctity from very ancient times.
There is a stone outside the porch of this church, on the
right hand, and partly fixed in the wall, with a hollow in its
surface, which, every morning, through the merits of the saint
to whom the church is dedicated, is filled with as much
wine as will conveniently suffice for the service of the
masses on the day ensuing, according to the number of
priests there who have to celebrate them. A like miracle
is mentioned in the Dialogues of St. Gregory, where he
speaks of a certain Campanian monk named Martin, who
secluded himself for many years in a narrow cave of Mount
Marisco. The first miracle he wrought was that, on closing
the hole in the mountain in which he shut himself up, he
caused a fresh rill of water to gush forth from the hollow
of the rock in which he had dug out his narrow cave. It
dropped just enough for the daily use of the servant of
G-od, with none to spare, nor was a sufficiency ever wanting.

CHAPTEE XXXI.

OF THE FLEAS WHICH WEBE GOT HID OF BY ST. NANNAK.

THERE is a village in Connaught celebrated for a church
dedicated to St. Nannan, where swarms of fleas had so
multiplied during a long course of years, that the plague
with which they were infested drove nearly all the inhabi-
tants away, and the place became deserted. At length, by
the intercession of St. Nannan, they were expelled into a
neighbouring meadow, and not a single one could afterwards
be found in the village, so largely did the Divine influence
overflow in that place through the merits of the saint.
The fleas, however, swarmed in the meadow in such num«
bers, that neither man nor beast could venture to enter it.

96 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

CHAPTER XXXII.

OP THE BATS WHICH WEBE EXPELLED BY ST. YYOBFS.

THEBE is in the province of Leinster a district called Fer-
nigenan (Ferns), which is only separated from Wexford
by the river Slaney. From this district the larger species
of mice, commonly called rats, were so entirely expelled by
the curse of St. Yvorus, the bishop, whose books they had
probably gnawed, that none were afterwards bred there, or
could exist if they were introduced.

CHAPTEE

OF A WANDEBINO BELL.

IN Leinster, in the land of Mactalewi, there is a bell, which,
unless it is adjured by its keeper every night with an exor-
cism composed for the purpose, and fastened by some cord,
however slight, is found next morning at Clunarech, in
Meath, in the church of St. Finnan, from which it had
come. It is certain that this occurred on several occa-
sions.

CHAPTEE XXXIY.

OF YABIOTJS MIBACLES IN KILDABE ; AND FIBST, OF THE
FIBE WHICH NEYEB GOES OUT, AND THE ASHES WHICH
NEYEB INCBEASE.

AT Kildare, in Leinster, celebrated for the glorious Brigit,
many miracles have been wrought worthy of memory.
Among these, the first that occurs is the fire of St. Bri-
git, which is reported never to go out. Not that it can-
not be extinguished, but the nuns and holy women tend
and feed it, adding fuel, with such watchful and diligent
care, that from the time of the Virgin, it has continued
burning through a long course of years ; and although such
heaps of wood have been consumed during this long period,
there has been no accumulation of ashes.1

1 St. Brigit, or Bridget, the illegitimate daughter of an Irish chieftain,
was born, according to the legend, in 453, and at the age of fourteen re-
ceived the veil from the hands of St. Patrick, or one of his immediate dis-
ciples. Shefoiu>d«d a nunnery at Kildare, over which she presided, and

ST. BRIGIT'S FIBE. 97

CHAPTER XXXV.

HOW THE FIRE IS KEPT ALIVE BY ST. BBIGIT ON HEB
NIGHT.

As in the time of St. Brigit twenty nuns were here en-
gaged in the Lord's warfare, she herself being the twen-
tieth, after her glorious departure, nineteen have always
formed the society, the number having never been increased.
Each of them has the care of the fire for a single night in
turn, and, on the evening before the twentieth night, the
last nun, having heaped wood upon the fire, says, " Brigit,
take charge of your own fire ; for this night belongs to you."
She then leaves the fire, and. in the morning it is found
that the fire has not gone out, and that the usual quantity
of fuel has been used.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

OF THE HEDGE BOUND THE FIRE, WHICH NO MALE CAN
ENTER.

THIS fire is surrounded by a hedge, made of stakes and
brushwood, and forming a circle, within which no male can
enter ; and if any one should presume to enter, which has
been sometimes attempted by rash men, he will not es-
cape the divine vengeance. Moreover, it is only lawful for
women to blow the fire, fanning it or using bellows only,
and not with their breath. Moreover, by virtue of a curse
pronounced by the virgin, goats here never have any young.
In this neighbourhood there are some very beautiful mea-
dows called St. Brigit's pastures, in which no plough is ever
suffered to turn a furrow. Respecting these meadows, it is

where she was buried on her death, in the odour of sanctity, and having
wrought many miracles, in 523. Her remains were afterwards removed, as
Giraldus informs us, under his own superintendence, to Down. See Dist.
iii. c. 18. In a sanctuary attached to, or near the Abbey, a perpetual fire,
instituted by St. Brigit, was kept up by the nuns, like that of Vesta, by
her virgins at Rome. It will be seen in the ensuing chapters what
veneration was paid to this sacred fire, which General Valiancy supposes
to have been a tradition of Eastern origin. Henry de Londres, arch-
bishop of Dublin, caused it to be extinguished in 1220 ; but it was
afterwards renewed, and continued till the suppression of monasteriea
by Henry VIII.

H

98 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

held as a miracle that although all the cattle in the province
should graze the herbage from morning till night, the next
day the grass would be as luxuriant as ever. It may be said,
indeed, of them,

" Et quantum longis carpunt armenta diebus,
Exigua tantum gelidus ros nocte reponit."1

" Cropt in a summer's day by herds, the dew's
Refreshing moisture verdure still renews."

CHAPTEB XXXVII.

OP THE FALCON IN KILDARE "WHICH APPEARED TAME
AND DOMESTICATED.

FROM the time of Brigit, a beautiful falcon frequented that
spot, and was accustomed to perch on the top of the church
tower.2 Hence it was popularly called Brigit's bird, and held
by all in great veneration. At the beck of the townspeople
or of the knights in the castle, just as if it was tamed and
trained for the purpose, it would chase ducks and other birds,
both those which frequent the plains and the rivers in the plain
of Kildare, to the great delight of the spectators, pouncing
upon them in the air, and striking them to the ground with
its instinctive velocity. What chance of escape was left to
these poor birds, when the ground and the waters were
beset by man, and their cruel tyrant had possession of the
air ! It was remarkable in this falcon, that it never suffered
any bird to pair with it in the neighbourhood of the church
which it frequented, but at the proper season withdrew to
the mountains of Grlendalough (Grlindelachan),3and pairing
there, in the usual manner, indulged its natural instinct.
This ended, it returned to the church without its mate ;
thus setting a good example to ecclesiastical persons, and
especially to those engaged in divine offices within the re-
cesses and precincts of a church. At the time of earl John's
first departure from Ireland, this bird, after existing so
many centuries, and affording so much delight, as well as

1 Virg. Georg. ii. 201, 2.

2 One of the finest round towers in Ireland is still standing at Kil-
dare, and it is supposed to be the same which Giraldus here calls ecclt*
tiastica turris. See the note to D. ii. c. 9.

3 See before, c. xxviii. .' :

THE MIRACULOUS BOOK. 99

adding glory to St. Brigit's shrine, at length, incautiously
settling on a quarry it had pierced, and fearless of the foot-
steps of man, was killed by the staff of some passing rustic:
Hence it is evident, that in prosperity we ought to be pre*
pared for misfortune, and that we must not trust in the
prospect of long life and cherished happiness.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

OF A BOOK MIRACULOUSLY WRITTEN.

AMONG all the miracles in Kildare, none appears to me more
wonderful than that marvellous book which they say was
written in the time of the Virgin [St. Brigit] at the dictation
of an angel. It contains the Four Gospels according to
St. Jerom, and almost every page is illustrated by drawings
illuminated with a variety of brilliant colours. In cue page
you see the countenance of the Divine Majesty supernatu-
ral ly pictured ; in another, the mystic forms of the evan-
gelists, with either six, four, or two wings ; here are de-
picted the eagle, there the calf; here the face of a man,
there of a lion ; with other figures in almost endless variety.
If you observe them superficially, and in the usual careless
manner, you would imagine them to be daubs, rather than
careful compositions ; expecting to find nothing exquisite,
where, in truth, there is nothing which is not exquisite.
But if you apply yourself to a more close examination, and
are able to penetrate the secrets of the art displayed in
these pictures, you will find them so delicate and exquisite,
so finely drawn, and the work of interlacing so elaborate,
while the colours with which they are illuminated are
so blended, and still so fresh, that you will be ready to
assert that all this is the work of angelic, and not human,
skill. The more often and closely I scrutinize them, the
more I am surprised, and always find them new, discovering
fresh causes for increased admiration.1

1 If the manuscript were written in the time of St. Brigit, who
flourished in the fifth century, having been born in the year 439, its
rich style of ornament might well be supposed miraculous among a
people so little conversant with art as the Irish of that age. The Book
of Kildare is unfortunately lost ; but there is preserved in the library
of Trinity College, Dublin, an early copy of the Gospels, called the
"Book of Kells," which for the beauty and splendour of its calligra-

H 2

100 THE TOPOGRAPHY OP IRELAND.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

HOW THE BOOK WAS COMPOSED.

EARLY in the night before the morning on which the scribe
was to begin the book, an angel stood before him in a dream,
and, showing him a picture drawn on a tablet which he had
in his hand, said to him, " Do you think that you can draw
this picture on the first page of the volume which you pro-
pose to copy ?" The scribe, who doubted his skill in such
exquisite art, in which he was uninstructed and had no
practice, replied that he could not. Upon this the angel
said, " On the morrow, intreat your Lady to offer prayers
for you to the Lord, that he would vouchsafe to open your
bodily eyes, and give you spiritual vision, which may enable
you to see more clearly, and understand with more intelli-
gence, and employ your hands in drawing with accuracy."
The scribe having done as he was commanded, the night
following the angel came to him again, and presented to
him the same picture, with a number of others. All these,
aided by divine grace, the scribe made himself master of,
and faithfully committing them to his memory, exactly
copied in his book in their proper places. In this manner
the book was composed, an angel furnishing the designs,
St. Brigit praying, and the scribe copying.

CHAPTER XL.

OF THE PLACES OF REFUGE MIRACULOUSLY PROTECTED BY
THE SAINTS.

IN the farthest part of Ulster, there are some mountains in
which cranes and^n^,1 and various other birds, build their
nests during the season in vast numbers, on account of the
peaceful asylum it offers not only to men, but also to beasts
and birds, who are unmolested by the natives out of reverence

phy and illuminations is not surpassed by any of its age that is known
to exist. Indeed, as Mr. Petrie remarks, on looking at this exquisite
piece of penmanship, it is difficult to avoid thinking that it is the very
manuscript so elaborately described by Giraldus.

1 In a previous chapter, p. 35, this word has occurred, and in the
note it is stated to have not been yet explained. It ought to be re-
marked, that some of the Irish antiquaries have translated it by ' grouse,'
though this interpretation does not appear to rest on very positife
grounds;

THE PLACES OF BEFUGE. 10i

for St.Beanus, whose church gives celebrity to the place. The
saint protects not only the birds, but their eggs, in a wonder-
ful and unheard-of manner. Eor if you put forth your hand
to rob them of their eggs, you instantly see a brood of young
birds, but red and flaccid, as if they had been hatched that
same hour. "Withdraw your hand spontaneously, and, either
by a miracle or some phantasm, you will see the brood again
changed to eggs, contrary to the course of nature. Let two
approach, the robber and a companion who is only a witness,
and one will see chicks while the other sees eggs.

In the north of Munster, between Brendan's hill1 and the
wide sea which flows between Spain and Ireland, there is a
large tract bounded on one side by a river, full of fish, and
on the other by a rivulet, which, out of reverence to St.
Brendan and the other saints of that place, affords a
wonderful refuge, not only to men and cattle, but to
the very animals which run wild, whether bred there, or
migrated from some other district. Hence, both stags, wild
boars, and hares, and other beasts of chace, when, pursued
by the hounds following in their tracks, they perceive that
they cannot otherwise escape, make for this asylum from a
great distance with the utmost speed. As soon as they
have crossed the rivulet, the hounds stop their running and
chace them no further ; so that they find themselves in-
stantly out of danger. How wonderful is the power of
Grod, which, through the merits of his saints, stops the
impious and persevering devourers from seizing their ready
prey, although their instinct is voracious, the hunters cheer
them on, and the game is at their feet.

In these two places of refuge, birds and wild animals
have so long enjoyed tranquillity, and become almost tame,
that they do not flee from the footsteps of man. On the
other side of this tract of land, there flows a river which is
full of fish, and especially of salmon, in marvellous abun-
dance. This great supply of fish was granted for the sake
of supplying, in the cause of charity, sufficient means for
that unwearied hospitality which the saints were in the
custom of exhibiting in this place, to the utmost of their
power, and beyond it, towards pilgrims and strangers. And
lest this very abundance should provoke the covetous minds
of men, tempted by avarice, which is so common, to turn it
1 Query, Mount Brandon, in Kerry ?

102 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

to gain, a remedy was divinely provided, as in the case of
the manna ; for the fish can never be kept to be eatable
after the first night they are taken. Even if salted, they
are always liable to become putrid, and are insipid and
tasteless ; and if by any means they are reserved for the
morrow, they can neither be eaten or used.

CHAPTEE XLI.

OF THE SALMON-LEAP.

MOREOYER, this river flows through and over a great rock,
and falls with great force, as usual in such cases, from the
top to the bottom. On the summit of the rock is a small
cavity, hollowed out in old times by holy men, into which
the salmons leap in great numbers from below, the distance
of the length of a full-sized spear, in a manner so wonderful
that it might be thought miraculous, unless such were the
habits of the fish ; for this species has the natural instinct
to take such leaps. Hence the place derives its name ot
the salmon-leap.

CHAPTER XLII.

HOW THE SALMON LEAP.

THEIR peculiar mode of leaping is as follows. Pishes of
this sort naturally struggle against the stream ; for as birds
fly against the wind, so fishes swim up the current. Upon
meeting, however, with any very precipitous obstacle, they
bend their tails backward towards their mouths, and some-
times, in order to gain more power for their leap, firmly
compress their tails in their mouths. Then suddenly re-
leasing themselves from the sort of circle thus formed, with
a particular jerk, like the sudden reaction of a bent rod,
they spring from the bottom to the top of the leap, to the
great astonishment of the beholders. There is a similar
leap in the river Lifly, not far from Dublin, but it is not
so great.1 A third of these salmon-leaps is to be seen in
the river Teivy in South Wales, and it is the highest of the
three.2

1 Leixlip, about eight miles above Dublin. Leax, or lex, was the
Anglo-Saxon name for the salmon. 2 Giraldus mentions the

•ftlmon-leap on the Teivy, in his Itinerary of Wales, lib. ii. c. 3.

YOTAGE OF ST. BRENDAN. 103

CHAPTER XLIII

OF THE LIFE OF ST. BRENDAN.

AMONG the miracles which are related of St. Brendan,1 which
have been reduced to writing, it is told with what toils he
wandered over the sea during a voyage which lasted seven
years. There is also an account of the various appearances of
angels ; of his having celebrated the feast of Easter annually
during seven years on an enormous sea monster ; how the
most miserable, but not pitiable, traitor Judas is chained
to a rock in the sea, and deprived of the blessing of light ;
and, finally, how after Brendan's long and indefatigable
labours, and his having attained to the blissful vision of
the terrestrial paradise, he, by the aid of divine grace, re-
turned happily to his own country. These things might
truly be thought incredible, except that, to those who be-
lieve, all things are possible ; and that the Lord hath done
whatever he would in the heaven and in the earth, in the
sea, and in the depths ; and that Grod is wonderful in his
saints, and great in all his works ; and that the ends of the
world are always producing some new wonder. Nature,
who in a sort of way maintains her dignity in public, sports
with more freedom in private. If any one, however, should
desire to have fuller accounts of these matters, let him read
the book which is written of the life of Brendan.

CHAPTEE XLIV.

OF THE CROSS AT DUBLIN WHICH SPAKE AND BOEE TES-
TIMONY TO THE TRUTH.

WE come now to treat of occurrences in modern times.
There is a cross possessed of great virtues in the church

1 St. Brendan, or Brandan, was the legendary navigator of the
Middle Ages, and was made to be an Irishman, because Ireland pre-
sented a bold front to the Western Ocean. His legend appears to be
made up of various traditionary stories of adventures of men who
were carried out to sea, or ventured out to sea, to a great distance
westward, and some of whom, perhaps, reached the Canary islands, and
even the coast of America. The legend of St. Brandan was very popu-
lar from the twelfth century downwards, and was published first in a
Jjatin narrative, and subsequently in translations in all the languages
of Western Europe. The original Latin text, and several of the trans-
Utions, have been printed.

THE TOPOGEAPHT OF IBELAND.

of the Holy Trinity at Dublin, and having the features 01
a crucifix. Not many years before the arrival of the En-
glish, namely, in the time of the Ostmen,1 this crucifix
opened its sacred mouth and spoke in the presence of many
persons who heard the words. The circumstances were
these : one of the citizens had invoked the crucifix as the
sole witness, and a kind of surety, in a contract which
he had entered into. In process of time, however, the
party with whom he had contracted repudiating his en-
gagements, and persisting in denying his obligation for the
money which the other had lent him on his credit, his fel-
low citizens, rather ironically than seriously, tried the case
before the cross, and having assembled in the church for
that purpose, the crucifix, on being adjured and called to
witness, gave testimony to the truth in the presence of many
persons who heard the words.

CHAPTEE XLY.

HOW THE SAME CROSS BECAME IMMOYEABLE.

A.T the time that earl Eichard2 came first with an army to
Dublin, the citizens, having a presage in their minds of the
many evils which were impending, and fearing that the city
would be taken, as they despaired of its defence, were con-
triving how they could make their escape by sea, and wished
to carry away this cross with them to the islands. They
used every effort in their power to effect this ; but the whole
population of the city failed to move it from its place either
by force or contrivance.

CHAPTEE XLVI.

HOW A PENNY, OFFERED BEFORE THE CROSS, TWICE LEAPT
BACK, BUT THE THIRD TIME, AFTER CONFESSION MADE,
REMAINED, AND OF THE IRON GREAVES THAT WERE
MIRACULOUSLY RESTORED.

AFTER the city was taken, as a certain archer, among
others, was offering a penny before the cross, when he re«

1 See afterwards, Distinction iii., c. 43.

2 Richard Strongbow, earl of Strigul. See afterwards, in B. i
CC. 2 and 12 of our author's History of the Conquest of Ireland.

A PHRENETIC MAN AT FERNS. 105

tired, it flew back behind him ; and upon his taking it up
and again carrying it back to the cross, the same thing
happened a second time, to the surprise of many beholders.
He then confessed, in the presence of the multitude, that
he had that day pillaged the bishop's residence within the
precincts of that same church. Upon this, being enjoined
to give up the money, and having restored everything
which he had pillaged, he brought back the same penny
for the third time, with great fear and reverence, to the
foot of the cross, where at length it remained motionless.

Moreover, some young man in the household of earl
Richard, when Raymond l was constable, having stole a
pair of iron greaves, the whole of the household purged
themselves of the guilt upon their oaths, before the crucifix
already mentioned, in the church of the Holy Trinity. Not
long afterwards, this young man, on his return from Eng-
land, where he had gone under no suspicion of the robbery,
threw himself at the feet of Raymond, worn to a skeleton,
and in great misery on account of the crime he had com-
mitted, and offered to make satisfaction and implored for-
giveness. He also made public confession that he had
suffered such severe persecution from the cross, which from
the time of his perjury had seemed to hang constantly
about his neck with a heavy weight, that he could never
afterwards sleep or enjoy any rest. Thus, at the period of
our first arrival, this cross, so generally venerated for these
and other various virtues and signs, shewed itself to be
worthy of the reverence it here receives.

CHAPTER XLVII.

OF A PHRENETIC MAN AT PERNS, WHO PREDICTED FUTURE
EVENTS.

WHEN the Fitz-Maurices had obtained possession of the
castle of Ferns, a young man of their household, who had
received the surname of " The Phantastic," having pillaged
the church of St. Maidoc, immediately, fell into a phrenzy
and became mad. Inspired also by some spirit, I know
not of what kind, he began to prophesy, and foretold fu-

1 See History of the Conquest of Ireland, B. ii. c. 2.

106 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

ture events. " I behold," he said, " our men slain with
the sword," mentioning several by name, " and the castle
laid in ruins ; and it is no longer here." This he shouted
from day to day, to the great astonishment of every body; nor
did he cease until there came an attack by the enemy, and
in a short time all that he had predicted came to pass.

CHAPTER XL VIII.

OF AN ARCHER WHO CROSSING ST. BRTGIT's HEDGE WAS
STRUCK WITH MADNESS ; AND OF ANOTHER WHO LOST
THE USE 021 HIS LEG.

AT Kildare, an archer belonging to the household of earl
Richard leapt over the hedge of St Brigit and blew the fire
with his mouth.1 On leaping back over the hedge, he began
to lose his senses, and blew into every one's mouth he met,
exclaiming, " See how I blew St. Brigit's fire." In the same
way, running from house to house, through the city, wher-
ever he found a fire, he began to blow it, using the same
words. At last, having been seized by his comrades and
bound, he entreated to be taken to the nearest water. Being
conducted there, and parched with thirst, he took such deep
draughts that he burst in the midst of them, and died in
their hands. Another, who attempted to enter the circle
round the fire, and with that intention had already planted
one of his legs across the hedge, though he was dragged back
and held by his companions, had his leg and foot instantly
withered ; whence afterwards, as long as he lived, he was
lame and an idiot.

CHAPTER XLIX.

OF THE SEED WHEAT WHICH, CURSED BY THE BISHOP OF
CORK, FAILED TO SPRING UP, AND THE NEXT YEAR WAS
MIRACULOUSLY PRODUCED FROM RYE.

A CERTAIN knight, at Cork, having taken possession of the
land of St. Finbar, and ploughed it, without the consent
of the bishop, was sowing it with seed wheat, when the
bishop of that see, coming to the spot, prohibited him in
the name of G-od and the saints of his church from any
longer forcibly occupying, or sowing the land. The knight
* See before, cc. xxxv., xxxvi.

PHILIP OF WORCESTER AND HUGH TYRRELL. 107

obstinately refusing to desist from his purpose, the bishop
turning back, and shedding tears, said, " I pray the Al-
mighty that this seed may never produce you a crop.'*
And it happened that year, to the great astonishment of
all the people in the city, that those fields did not produce
a single ear of corn, nor did one grain of seed germinate
and spring into blade. Others having in the following
year sown rye in the fields, with the bishop's consent, when
autumn came they harvested ordinary wheat, having very
little rye mixed with it ; the grains of the rye being either
miraculously changed into wheat, or rather the seed of the
former year, which did not then vegetate, being reserved for
the harvest of the second year, through the merits of the
holy man.

CHAPTEE L.

HOW PHILIP OP WORCESTER WAS SI RUCK WITH SUDDEN
ILLNESS AT ARMAGH, AND HUGH TYRRELL DIVINELY
SCOURGED.

PHILIP of "Worcester having led troops during the season
of Lent to Armagh, the see of St. Patrick, and the special
seat of the primacy of all Ireland, and during those holy days
having extorted by violence a large tribute from the sacred
clergy, he was struck with a sudden illness as he returned
with the spoils, and hardly escaped with his life. Moreover,
Hugh Tyrrell having carried off with him to Louth a great
boiler which belonged to the convent of clerks, pursued by
the maledictions of the whole body of clergy, the same night
a fire broke out in his lodgings, in which the two horses
which had drawn the boiler, and many other things, were
burnt. Great part of the town became also a prey to the
flames on that occasion. Hugh Tyrrell, finding in the
morning that the boiler had received no injury, sent it back
to Armagh, in a fit of penitence. The bishop of Louth,
who was there at that time, said of this Hugh, in the hear-
ing of many persons belonging to the army, " some great
misfortune will certainly happen to that man during the
present year ; for the lamentations of so many good men,
and so many maledictions, can never be uttered in vain.**
And this, as we have seen, came to pass before the yeat

108 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

was ended, through the quarrel between Hugh Tyrrell and
Hugh de Lacy, fomented by their followers, which plunged
nearly the whole kingdom into confusion and ruin.

CHAPTER LI.

OF THE MILL WHICH WILL NOT WORK ON SUNDAYS, OB
GRIND ANT CORN WHICH HAS BEEN PILFERED OR PIL-
LAGED.

AT Ossory is the mill of St. Lucherinus, the abbot, which
does not work on Sundays, and never grinds any corn which
has been obtained by thieving or pillage.

CHAPTEE LIL

OF THE MILL WHICH NO WOMEN ENTER,

THERE is a mill at Foure, in Meath, which St. Fechin made
most miraculously with his own hands, in the side of a
certain rock. No women are allowed to enter either this
mill or the church of the saint ; and the mill is held in as
much reverence by the natives as any of the churches dedi-
cated to the saint. It happened that when Hugh de Lacy
was leading his troops through this place, an archer dragged
a girl into the mill and there violated her. Sudden punish-
ment overtook him ; for, being struck with infernal fire
in the offending parts, it spread through his whole body,
and he died the same night.

CHAPTEE Lin.

HOW TWO HORSES, HAVING FED ON OATS PILLAGED FROM
THIS MILL, IMMEDIATELY DIED.

MOREOVER, the army having quartered for the night in
this place, Hugh de Lacy caused all the corn which they
had pillaged from the churches and the mill to be restored ;
but a small quantity of oats which had been pilfered from
the mill by two of the soldiers was surreptitiously placed by
them before their steeds. One of these men became insane,
and dashed his brains out the same night in the stable.
The other, after a comrade had jeered those who made re-
stitution of the corn, for their hypocritical pretences to
religion, fell suddenly chad the next morning, by the side of

AECHEES AT FINGLASS PUJS1SHED. 100

Hugh de Lacy, in sight of the greatest part of the troopg;
who were filled with amazement.

CHAPTER LIV.

HOW SOME AECHEES AT FINGLASS WEEE PUNISHED BT
HEAVEN.

IT happened in our time, during an unusually violent thun-
der-storm, while king Henry was engaged in his expedition to
Ireland, that several troops of archers were quartered for a
time at a town of the archbishop of Dublin, called Finglass.
The illustrious abbot Kenach and other holy men in succes-
sion, through whose fervent piety the place became cele-
brated, had formerly planted with their own hands ash trees
and yews, and various other kinds of trees, round the ceme-
tery for the ornament of the church.1 On these the archers
began to lay violent hands in the most irreverent and
atrocious manner. For there being no woods near at hand,
they fell on these trees with the usual insolence and reck-
lessness of a depraved people and the license of soldiers,
and lopping off the boughs of some of them, and tearing up
others by the roots, speedily consumed nearly the whole in
their fires.2 But they were forthwith smitten by God,
whose divine indignation reserves vengeance to himself, and
condescends to vindicate the injuries offered to his saints,
on earth, by a sudden and singular pestilence ; so that
most of them miserably perished within a very few days in
the same village, being brought to judgment by a severe in-
quisitor in the same court wherein they had offended. The

1 It is a pleasant relief to the dark shades of the ascetic life of these
old recluses, to picture them planting trees, qua alteri sceculo prosint,
for shelter and ornament in future ages, about their churches and
religious houses. Finglas, an agreeable village, about two miles from
Dublin, is still remarkable for its shady groves. Besides the modern
cemetery, it possesses at Glassnevin the most picturesque of botanical
gardens, in the grounds of which are old trees, that we may almost
fancy coeval with the plantations of abbot Kenach or his successors.

2 The sentence following is omitted, it not being material to the sense,
and so full of alliterations and antithesis, that it is impossible to give
it point in a translation : — " Et vere afficium illud et ab officiendo, non
per antiphrasin sed proprie dictum est. Talibus enim ascripti officiis^
Hfficiociasime semper potius officere parati sunt, quam proficere"

110 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

rest endeavoured to save themselves by flight, but the ship
in which they embarked being wrecked, they found in their
extremity that He who rules the land rules the sea also.
Who, indeed, can flee from his presence, who can escape ?

" Quo fugis ergo manum Regis, gens impia, regum P
An nescis longas regibus esse manus ?"

For—

" Quo fugis ex illo, qui claudit cuncta, pugillo ?"

But among a thousand kinds of deaths, that is most to be
dreaded which is only the beginning of death. Thus we
find that the wrath of the only true and mighty Thunderer,
which had been provoked by wickedness on the earth, was
vindicated by Neptune in the waves. Hear what the prophet
Amos says : " He that fleeth of them shall not escape, and
he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered. Though
they go down to hell, thence shall my hand bring them up ;
though they climb up to heaven, thence I will bring them
down ; and though they hide themselves on the top of Car-
mel, I will search and take them out thence. And though
they hide themselves from my eyes in the bottom of the sea,
there will I command my serpent, and he shall bite them.
And though they go into captivity before their enemies, there
will I command the sword, and it shall slay them ; and I will
set my eyes upon them for evil and not for good." l

Listen also to Obadiah : " Though thou exalt thyself as
the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars,
thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord." 2 Hear also
Jonah, who fled from the face of the Lord, and yet he says,
" I fear the Lord, the Grod of heaven, who made the sea and
the dry land."3 On which St. Jerom thus comments:
" Since he confesses him the Creator of the sea and the dry
land, why should he suppose that quitting the dry laud he
could avoid his Maker in the sea ?" Hear also the words
of the Psalmist : " If I ascend up to heaven thou art there ;
if I go down to hell thou art there also. If I take the
wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of
the sea, even there also shall thy hand lead me, and thy
right hand shall hold me."4

1 Araos, ix. 1 — 4. - Obadiah, v 4.

» Jonah, i. 9. * Psalm cxxxix. 9.

THE SAINTS OF IRELAND.

Ill

CHAPTER LY.

THAT THE SAINTS OF THIS COUNTRY APPEAR TO BE OP
A VINDICTIVE TEMPER.

IT appears to me very remarkable, and deserving of notice,
that, as in the present life the people of this nation are be-
yond all others irascible and prompt to revenge, so also in
the life that is after death, the saints of this country, exalted
by their merits above those of other lands, appear to be of a
vindictive temper. There appears to me no other way of ac-
counting for this circumstance, but this : — As the Irish people
possessed no castles, while the country is full of marauders
who live by plunder, the people, and more especially the
ecclesiastics, made it their practice to have recourse to the
churches, instead of fortified places, as refuges for them-
selves and their property ; and, by divine Providence and
permission, there was frequent need that the church should
visit her enemies with the severest chastisements ; this
being the only mode by which evil-doers and impious men
could be deterred from breaking the peace of ecclesiastical
societies, and for securing even to a servile submission the
reverence due to the very churches themselves, froir a rude
and irreligious people.

DISTINCTION III.

OF THE INHABITANTS OF THIS COUNTKY.

/OR the rest, it seems now time for me to employ my pen
on the first inhabitants of this country, and the various
arrivals of other races, successively, in the island; and I
shall relate as briefly and clearly as I can, how and from
what parts they came hither, how long they stayed, or in what
manner they disappeared. For a due attention to method
requires that, having fixed the site of the island as lying in
the ocean ; having described its surface and character, and
the peculiarities of the various animals which inhabit it,
noticing those that are not found there ; and having mention-
ed several new and strange objects, I should now introduce
man himself, the noblest part of the creation, and for whose
sake I have treated of the rest ; and that I should give an
account of the manner and customs of the people, the
various events in their history, and their changes of fortune
until the present time. So that even as the subjects
of our studies in the present age are enriched by the laud-
able industry of ancient writers, my labours also may make
some additions to the stores • of knowledge handed down
to posterity, although I am sensible that in comparison with
theirs, I strike a weak-toned lyre, and use a feeble pen :
such is the difference between us ; and in speaking of my
own labours I follow the example of comparing little things
to great. However, I am unwilling to lead my life in idle-
ness and sloth, as if it were not given me for the common
good, but to be spent uselessly in utter selfishness, without
motives for action — a mere animal existence. How far

THE FIRST 1RRIVAL OP CJESARA, 113

•nore admirable and excellent is their spirit, who do not
lock up the inestimable treasure of knowledge, that noble
gift of God, but with a large and commendable liberality
open it gratuitously to all, freely giving with increase what
they freely receive, and offering to public view the light of
wisdom burning clearly and carefully trimmed, that it may
shine the brighter when brought into common use. So
also their designs are most laudable, who, remembering how
short the days of man are, and how transitory his life, watch
and labour diligently to accomplish some noble task which
shall hand their names to future ages, and perpetuate their
renown by works worthy of their virtues.

CHAPTEE I.

OF THE FIRST ARRIVAL OF C^ESARA, THE GRANDDAUGHTER
OF NOAH, BEFORE THE FLOOD.

ACCORDING to the most ancient histories of the Irish,
Csesara, a granddaughter of iNoah,1 hearing that the flood was
near at hand, resolved, to escape by sailing with her compa-
nions to the farthest islands of the west, as yet uninhabited
by any human being, hoping that, where sin had never been
committed, the flood, its avenger, would not come. The ships
in company with her having been lost by shipwreck, that in
which she herself sailed, with three men and fifty women,
was saved, and thrown by chance on the coast of Ireland
in the year before the flood. But although, with ingenuity
laudable in a woman, she had planned to escape the destined
visitation, it was not in her power by any means to avoid
the common and almost universal fate. The shore where
the ship first came to land was called the bay of small ships,
and the mound of earth in which she was buried is called
the tomb of Csesara to this day. But it appears to be mat-

1 It is. perhaps, hardly necessary to say that all these stories relating
to the first inhabitants of Ireland are in the highest degree fabulous.
They are told fully in Keating's History of Ireland, which, indeed,
forms the best commentary on this part of the " Topography" of
Giraldus Cambrensis. According to some of the Irish legends, long be-
fore the arrival of Ceesara, Ireland had received a colony, consisting
chiefly of beautiful women, led by three daughters of Cain and their
husbands.

114 THE TOPOQBAPHT OP IBELAIH).

ter of doubt how, if nearly all perished in the flood, the
memory of these events and of their arrival could have been
preserved. However, those who first committed to writing
these accounts must be answerable for them. For myself,
1 compile history: it is not my business to impugn it.
Perhaps some record of these events was found, inscribed
on a stone or a tile, as we read was the case with the art of
music before the flood.

CHAPTEE II.

HOW BAETHOLANUS WAS THE SECOND TMMIGEAKT, THBEE
HIJNDEED TEAES AFTEK THE FLOOD.

Iff the three-hundredth year after the flood, Bartholanus,1
the son of Terah, a descendant from Japhet, the son of
Noah, with his three sons arid their wives, is reported to
huve landed on the coast of Ireland, either by chance or
design ; having either erred in their course, or, aa the better
opinion is, mistaken the country. He had three sons,
Languinus,2 Salanus, and Ruturugus; whose names having
been conferred on localities where they are still extant,
their memories have been thus perpetuated, so that they
seem still to live among us. Lake Lagini3 derived its name
from the eldest son ; and a very high mountain, towering
over the sea which flows between Britain and Ireland, is
named after the second son. St. Dominic having many
ages afterwards built a noble monastery at the foot of this
mountain, it is now better known by the name of Mount
Dominic. Ruturugus, who succeeded his two brothers,
gave his name to Lake Ruturugus.

We find few remarkable occurrences in the time of Bar-

1 He is called in the Irish annals Partholan, and is said to have been
the ninth in descent from Noah. Some MSS of Giraldus read Serah,
instead of Terah, as the name of his father. According to the Irish
legend, he was driven from Greece on account of his wickedness, and
passing by Sicily, and along the coasts of ipain, reached Ireland, and
landed at Inber-Sceine, on the coast of Kerry, on a Wednesday, tha
14th day of May. This event is said to have taken place three hun-
dred years after the deluge.

8 Another reading of the MSS. is Languriu$t

* Layurini, according to another reading.

BARTHOLANUS THE SECOND IMMIGRANT. 115

tholanus ; indeed not any, except that four1 vast lakes burst
suddenly out of the bowels of the earth, and four woods
were felled and grubbed up, as agriculture made progress,
and having been cleared with great toil, were turned into open
country. For at that period the whole country, except some
of the mountains, and generally even these, was overspread
by immense forests and dense thickets, so that an open
plain, suitable for tillage, could scarcely be found. Even
to the present day such spots are very rare in comparison
with the woods. However, Bartholanus and his SODS and
grandsons were no less fortunate in their affairs than in
having a numerous posterity ; for in three hundred years
after their arrival, his descendants are said to have already
increased to the number of nine thousand men. At length,
having gained the victory in a great battle he fought with
the Giants, since human prosperity is never durable, and

" Et quoniam faciles dare summa decs, eademque tueri
Difficiles ; et quia summis hunc nurnina rebus
Crescendi posuere modum ;
In se magna ruunt, summisque negatum
Stare diu, nimiumque graves sub pondere lapsus."

" Although the gods their bounties freely send,
Slow are their aids such favours to defend,
And highest fortunes find the speediest end.
Thus great things soonest fall, the noblest die,
The loftiest totter, and in ruins lie."

Bartholanus, with nearly all his people, was carried off by a
sudden pestilence, which probably was produced by the air
being corrupted by the putrifying carcases of the slain
giants. Euanus alone is said to have escaped the mortality,
and to have lived, as ancient chronicles inform us, for avast
number of years (more indeed than it is easy to believe),
surviving till the time of St. Patrick, by whom he was bap-
tized.2 It is reported that he gave a faithful account of

1 According to the Irish legends, seven lakes burst forth on the ar-
rival of Partholan.

• A different account of the long existence of Kuanus, who is else-
where called Tuan, is given in the Ogygia, p. 4 : — "In varias brutorum
ibrmas per multa ssecula trarismutatus, tandem circa A.D. 527, e sal-
n one, filius Carelli regis Ultoniee evasit." [After having been for
it«i.i>v ages transmuted iuto the shape of various animals, at last, about

I 2

116 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

the history of Ireland, having related to St. Patrick all the
national events, the memory of which had faded, from their
great antiquity. For there is nothing so firmly fixed in the
mind that it is not lost by neglect and the lapse of time.
Notwithstanding Euanus had extorted from death a long
truce, he could not succeed in making a permanent peace
with him ; for, although he had warded off his attacks for
a term far exceeding the common and usual bounds of this
mortal life, he could not escape the fate which awaits all
miserable flesh. As far as can be collected from Irish an-
nals, Euanus is stated to have had his life prolonged for many
years beyond the utmost longevity of the ancient patriarchs,
although this account may appear very incredible and open
to objection.

CHAPTEE III.

HOW, THIRDLY, NEMEDUS CAME FROM THE COUNTRY OF
SCYTHIA, WITH HIS FOUR SONS.

BARTOLANUS and all his descendants having thus perished
under the stroke of a prolonged and severe pestilence, the land
remained for some time uncolonized, until Nemedus,1 son of
Agnominius, a Scythian, was with his four sons conveyed
over to the shores of the desolated country. The names of
his sons were Starius, Gerbaueles, Antimus, and Fergusius.
In the time of Nemedus, four lakes suddenly burst their
bounds, and the inundations swept off many thickets and
woods, and cleared the ground, so that it was converted into
open fields. He fought four battles with the pirates2 who
were continually making devastations in Ireland, and was
always victorious. He died in an island on the south of

the year of our Lord 527, he came out from that of a salmon, as the
son of Carell, king of Ulster.] It appears that the earliest Irish races
held the eastern doctrine of the transmigration of souls ; and fabulous
accounts of the transmutation of the human species into animals re-
ceived credit in Ireland even as late as the time of Giraldus. See be-
fore, Distinct, ii. c. 19.

1 Nemedus, according to the legends, was the eleventh in descent
from Noah, and came from the shores of the Euxine Sea, with his four
sons.

" These were the Fomorians, powerful sea-rovers from Africa, who
are oeleWated in the old Irish poetry.

THE FOURTH IMMIGRATION. 117

Ireland, to which he bequeathed his name, which it still
bears. Nemedus's sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons,
with their posterity, increased so fast and in such numbers,
that they soon peopled the whole island, and every corner
of it, to an extent never before known. But since

" Plus gravitatis habent res quse cum tempore crescunt, et
Rara solet subitis rebus inesse fides ;"

" Things that are slow of growth, the longest last j
What springs up suddenly, decays as fast ;"

as their numbers had suddenly increased, so they sunk
under sudden and unexpected calamities, and their fall was
quicker than their rise. The greater part soon perished in
the war with the Giants,1 who were then numerous in the
island, and by various sufferings and misfortunes. The
rest, determining to take refuge in flight from the number-
less evils with which they were threatened at that time,
embarked in ships, and part of them sailed to Scythia, the
rest to Greece. The descendants of Nemedus held posses-
sion of Ireland during two hundred and sixteen years ; and
for two hundred years afterwards it was uninhabited.

CHAPTER IV.

OF THE FOURTH IMMIGRATION BY THE FIVE BROTHERS AND
SONS OF DELA.

THESE events having occurred in the order related, at length
five chiefs, all brothers, who were the sons of Dela, and
among the descendants of Nemedus, who had taken refuge
in Greece, arrived in Ireland, and, finding it uninhabited,
divided the country into five equal parts, of which each took
one.J Their bounds meet at a stone standing near the
castle of Kyilari, in Meath, which stone is called the navel
of Ireland, because it stands in the middle of the country.3

1 The Nemedians, according to the Irish annals, were driven from
Ireland not by giants, but by the invasion of the piratic Fomorians.

2 The colony brought by Dela were those known in Irish legend by
the name of the Firbolgs. They are said to have arrived in Ireland in
the year 1024 after the Deluge. Some antiquaries have identified them
with the Belgse, and pretend that they went from Britain to Ireland.

3 This spot was called Usneach, now Usny Hill, in the parish of
KilJare, Westmeath. It was a celebrated place of pagan worship.

118 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND

Hence that part of Ireland is called Meath (Media), because
it lies in the middle of the island ; but it formed neither of
the five famous provinces whose names I have before men-
tioned. For when the aforesaid five brothers, Grandius,
Genandius, Sagandius, Eutherrargus,and Slanius, had divided
the island into five parts, each of those parts had a small
portion of Meath, abutting on the stone just mentioned ;
inasmuch as that territory had from the earliest times been
the richest part of the country, having a level plain, and
being very fertile and productive of corn. Hence none of
the five brothers wished to be shut out from it.

CHAPTEE Y.

OF SLANIUS, THE FIEST SOLE KING OF IRELAND.

IN process of time, as fortune changed, and according to
wont caused many disasters, Slanius alone obtained the mo-
narchy of the whole of Ireland. Hence he is called the
first king of Ireland. He first reunited the five por-
tions of Meath, and forming them into one province, ap-
propriated the whole of Meath to the royal table. Hence
Meath continues to this day a separate province, since the
time that Slanius, as already stated, detached it from the
other five ; nor does it contain as much land as one of the
other five, but only one-half. For as even in the time of
Slanius each of those provinces contained thirty-two cantreds,
Meath was content with sixteen only. The number of all
the cantreds in Ireland is one hundred and seventy-six.
Cantred is a word common to both languages, British and
Irish, and signifies a quantity of land usually containing
one hundred vills. Including these brothers and their suc-
cessors, nine kings succeeded each other ; but their reigns
were short, and altogether lasted only thirty years. Sla-
nius was buried on a hill in Meath,1 which takes its name
from him.

CHAPTEE YI.

OF THE FIFTH IMMIGRATION, WHEN THE SONS OF KING
MILESIUS CAME OVER FROM SPAIN; AND HOW HERI-
MON AND HEBER DIVIDED THE LAND BETWEEN THEM.

THE nation being much enfeebled, and almost extermi-
1 Slieve Slange, now called Slieve Donard, in the county Down.

HEEIMOIT FIEST KING OF THE IRISH. 119

nated, by various hostilities among themselves, and still
more by the war they waged, with great loss, against another
branch of the posterity of Nemedus,1 which had also come
over from Scythia ; at last, four nobles, sons of king
Milesius,2 arrived from Spain with a fleet of sixty ships,
and quickly reduced the whole island under their do-
minion, no one opposing them. In process of time, the
i wo most distinguished of these nobles, namely, Heber and
Herimon, divided the kingdom between them in two equal
portions, the southern part falling to Herimon, and the
northern to Heber.

CHAPTER VII.

HOW THE BEOTHEES QUAEEELLED, AND HEBEE HAVING
BEEN SLAIN, HKEIMON WAS THE FIEST SOLE KING OP
THE 1EISH PEOPLE.

AFTER reigning jointly for some time prosperously and hap-
pily enough, as no faith can be put in a kingly consort, and
power is always impatient of being shared, reckless ambi-
tion, the mother of mischief, tore asunder by degrees the
ties of brotherly concord, soon broke every bond of peace,
and the prosperous state of affairs was alloyed by discord,
which perverts and disturbs everything. After several en-
gagements between the brothers, with the doubtful issues
common to war, victory at last declared in favour of Heri-
mon ; and his brother Heber being slain in a battle,8
Herimon obtained the sole possession of the entire kingdom
of Ireland, and became the first monarch of the Irish race
who inhabit the island to the present day. According to
some statements, the Irish (Hibernienses') derived their
name from the aforesaid Heber; or rather, according to
others, they were so named from the Hiberus (the Ebrp).
a river in Spain. They are likewise called Graideli, and also
Scots. Ancient histories relate that one Gaidelus, a grand-

1 These were the Tuatha-de-Danaan, who, according to the Irish an-
tiquaries, came from the north of Scotland to the north of Ireland.
They were, according to tradition, far more civilized than any of the
colonies who preceded them.

2 The Milesians are the most celebrated of all the legendaiy colonies
of Ireland, and those from whom the modern Irish claim descent.

* This battle is said to have taken place near GUashill, in Of&ly.

120 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

son of Phsenius,1 after the confusion of tongues at the tower
of Nimrod, was deeply skilled in various languages. On
account of this skill, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, gave him his
daughter Scota for wife. Since, therefore, the Irish, as
they say, derive their original lineage from these two, Grai-
delus and Scota, as they were born, so are they called Gaideli
and Scots. This Graidelus, they assert, formed the Irish
tongue, which is therefore called G-aidelach, as if it were
collected from all languages. The northern part of the
British island is also called Scotia, because a tribe which
sprung from them is understood to inhabit that country.
This is proved by the affinity of the two nations in lan-
guage and habits, in arms as well as in customs, even to
the present day.

CHAPTER VIII.

OF GTJRGTJNTITJS, KING OP THE BRITONS, WHO BROUGHT
OYER THE BASCLENSES TO IRELAND, AND SETTLED THEM
IN THE COUNTRY.

ACCORDING to the British History,2 Gurguntius, king of
the Britons, the noble son of Belinus, and grandson of the
famous Brennus, as he was returning from Denmark, which
his father had formerly subdued, and, on its rebelling, he
had again subjugated, met with a fleet in the Orkney islands,
on board which the Basclenses had sailed thither from
Spain. Their chieftains having presented themselves to the
king, and told him whence they came, and the object of
their expedition, namely, to settle in some country in the
western parts, earnestly intreated him to give them land to

1 Phsenius, king of the Scythians, was the grand ancestor of the
Milesian race, and the first purifier of the Irish tongue, which, ac-
cording to the legend, was the general language of the human race be-
fore the confusion of tongues at Babel. He also invented the Ogham
characters. Nial, Phsenius's younger son, went to Egypt, married the
princess Scota, and had a son, Gaidel, from whom came the name Gael.
From Scota the Irish of the Milesian race were called Scoti, or Scots,
and to them this name belonged, xmtil it, as well as that of Gael, waa
carried by the Irish colonies into Scotland. Their leaders were Hebor
(Eiber) and Herimon, or Heremon (Eireamon).

2 This chapter is taken from Geoffrey of Monmouth, lib. iii. o. 12.
The Basclenses are evidently the Basques, but this colony .does not ap*
pear to be admitted by the Irish writers.

CHARACTER AND HABITS OF THE IRISH. 121

dwell in. At length the king, by the advice of his coun-
sellors, granted them the island, now called Ireland, which
was then almost deserted, or thinly peopled, that they
might settle there. He also gave them pilots from his
own fleet to steer them to the island. Hence it appears
that the kings of Britain have claims to Ireland by some
right, although it be ancient. "We read also that Arthur,
the famous king of the Britons, had the kings of Ireland
tributary to him, and that some of them came to his court
at the great city of Caerleon.

CHAPTER IX.

OP THE TRIPLE, AND NEW, CLAIM.

THE city of Bayonne stands on the frontier of Grasccay, and'
is under the same government. It is also the capital of
Basclonia (Biscay), from whence the Irish came. At the
present day, Gascony and the whole of Aquitaine are
under the same rule as Britain.1 The kings of Britain,
besides this claim, have also new claims of two sorts in this
respect. One is the voluntary cession and spontaneous offer
of fealty by the princes of Ireland (for every one is free to
renounce his own rights) ; the other is the confirmation of
the title by the Pope.2 For Jove thundering on the western
confines of the ocean, and Henry II., king of England,
directing an expedition into those parts, the petty kings of
the West, alarmed at his tbunderings, warded off the bolt
by means of a treaty of peace.3 But we shall treat of
this more fully in the proper place.

CHAPTER X.

OF THE CHARACTER, CUSTOMS, AND HABITS OF THIS PEOPLE.

I HA YE considered it not superfluous to give a short account
of the condition of this nation, both bodily and mentally ;

1 Henry II , by his marriage with Eleanor of Guienne, acquired the
duchy of Aquitaine and the county of Poitou, embracing, with their
dependencies, the whole of the south-west of France, as far as the
Pyrenees.

. 2 G-iraldus has preserved the bulls of Popes Adrian and Alexander.
See hereafter, Conquest of Ireland, B. ii. c. 6.
3 Ib. B. i. c. 32.

122 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

I mean their state of cultivation, both interior and exterior.
This people are not tenderly nursed from their birth, as
others are ; for besides the rude fare they receive from their
parents, which is only just sufficient for their sustenance,
as to the rest, almost all is Jeft to nature. They are not
placed in cradles, or swathed, nor are their tender limbs
either fomented by constant bathings, or adjusted with art.
For the midwives make no use of warm water, nor raise
their noses, nor depress the face, nor stretch the legs;
but nature alone, with very slight aids from art, disposes
and adjusts the limbs to which she has given birth, just as
she pleases. As if to prove that what she is able to form
she does not cease to shape also, she gives growth and pro-
portions to these people, until they arrive at perfect vigour,
tall and handsome in person, and with agreeable and ruddy
countenances. But although they are richly endowed with
the gifts of nature, their want of civilization, shown both ill
their dress and mental culture, makes them a barbarous
people. For they wear but little woollen, and nearly all
they use is black, that being the colour of the sheep in this
country. Their clothes are also made after a barbarous
fashion.

Their custom is to wear small, close-fitting hoods, hang-
ing below the shoulders a cubit's length, and generally made
of parti-coloured strips sewn together. Under these, they
use woollen rugs instead of cloaks, with breeches and hose
of one piece, or hose and breeches joined together, which
are usually dyed of some colour.1 Likewise, in riding, they

1 Seu braccis caligatis, sen caligis braccalis. The account given by Gi-
raldus of the ancient dress of the Irish, in a language which supplied no
equivalent terms, is necessarily obscure ; but, connecting it with other
sources of information, we find that it consisted of the following articles :
— 1. What our author calls caputium, was a sort of bonnet and hood, pro-
tecting not only the head, but the neck and shoulders from the weather.
It was of a conical form, and probably made of the same sort of stuff
as the mantle. 2. The cloak or mantle ; to describe which Griraldus
has framed the Latin word phalinyium, from the Irish falach, which
signifies a rug or covering of any sort. This cloak had a fringed border
sown or wove down the edges. It was worn almost as low as the
ancles, and was usually made of frieze, or some such coarse material.
It was worn by the higher classes of the same fashion, but of better
quality, according to their rank and means ; and was sometimes made
of the finest cloth, with a silken or woollen fringe, and of scarlet or

CHARACTER AND HABITS OF THE IRISH. 123

neither use saddles, nor boots, nor spurs, but only carry a
rod in their hand, having a crook at the upper end, with
which they both urge forward and guide their horses. They
use reins which serve the purpose both of a bridle and a
bit, and do not prevent the horses from feeding, as they
always live on grass. Moreover, they go to battle without
armour, considering it a burthen, and esteeming it brave
and honourable to fight without it.

But they are armed with three kinds of weapons :
namely, short spears, and two darts ; in which they follow
the customs of the Basclenses (Basques); and they also carry
heavy battle-axes of iron, exceedingly well wrought and
tempered. These they borrowed from the Norwegians and
Ostmen,1 of whom we shall speak hereafter. But in striking
with the battle-axe they use only one hand, instead of both,
clasping the haft firmly, and raising it above the head, so as

other colours. Many rows of the shag, or fringe, were sown on the
upper part of the mantle, partly for ornament and partly to defend the
neck from the cold ; and along the edges ran a narrow fringe of the
same texture as the outward garment. 3. The covering for the lower
part of the body, the thighs and legs, consisted of close breeches, with
hose or stockings made in one, or sewn to them. It was a garment
common to the Celtic nations, and is often mentioned by Roman
writers. One of the provinces of Gaul had the name of Gallia
Braccata from this distinguishing article of the native dress. The
word -might be translated "trowsers" (Fr., trusser, to truss), or
"trews," with which and the plaid, both used, by the Scots, there
seems to have been a great similarity in shape, material, and the
particolour. The Irish were so much attached to this national costume,
that, in order to break down the line of demarcation between the natives
and the English settlers, they were forbidden to wear it by laws passed
in the 5 Edw. IV., 10 Henry VII., and 28 Henry VIII., just as the
distinguishing dress of the Scotch Highlanders was prohibited, in order
to break the spirit of the clans, after their faithful adhesion to the
Stuart princes had drawn upon them the severities of the English go-
vernment. Giraldus might have added to the list of articles formerly
worn by the Irish the brogues, made of dried skins, or half-tanned
leather, and fastened with latchets, or thongs of the same material.

1 *' Danish battle-axes are usually mentioned in the old English and
Frankish chronicles as excellent and dangerous weapons of attack.
Nay, even from the distant Myklegaard, or Constantinople, where the
northerners, under the name of Varangians, served for a long series of
years as the Greek emperors' body-guards, stories have reached us of
the particular kinds of battle axes which they wielded with such
•trength."— Worsaae's Danes in England, 8fc.t p. 46.

124 , THE TOPOGRAPHY OE IEELAND.

to direct the blow with such force that neither the helmeta
which protect our heads, nor the platting of the coat of mail
which defends the rest of our bodies, can resist the stroke. Thug
it has happened, in my own time, that one blow of the axe
has cut off a knight's thigh, although it was incased in.
iron, the thigh and leg falling ou one side of his horse,
and the body of the dying horseman on the other. When
other weapons fail, they hurl stones against the enemy in
battle with such quickness and dexterity, that they do more
execution than the slingers of any other nation.

The Irish are a rude people, subsisting on the produce of
their cattle only, and living themselves like beasts — a people
that has not yet departed from the primitive habits of pastoral
life. In the common course of things, mankind progresse8
from the forest to the field, from the field to the town, and
to the social condition of citizens j1 but this nation, holding
agricultural labour in contempt, and little covering the
wealth of towns, as well as being exceedingly averse
to civil institutions — lead the same life their fathers
did in the woods and open pastures, neither willing to
abandon their old habits or learn anything new. They,
therefore, only make patches of tillage ; their pastures are
short of herbage ; cultivation is very rare, and there is
scarcely any land sown. This want of tilled fields arises
from the neglect of those who should cultivate them ; for
there are large tracts which are naturally fertile and pro-
ductive. The whole habits of the people are contrary to
agricultural pursuits, so that the rich glebe is barren for
want of husbandmen, the fields demanding labour whicji is
not forthcoming.

Very few sorts of fruit-trees are found in this country, a
defect arising not from the nature of the soil, but from

1 We have here the progress from the pastoral to the agricultural
life, and social state, very justly described, and we find that the Irish
in the time of Giraldus had not advanced beyond the earliest stage.
Ihis may have resulted in part from other causes besides the natural
bent of the people. Britain owed the first rudiments of progress to
the Roman civilization ; other races were successively mingled with
her population ; and she had powerful kings, and a wealthy aristocracy,
while Ireland was still parcelled out under a number of petty princes,
and a prey to internal feuds.

CHABACTEB AND HABITS OF THE IRISH. 125

want of industry in planting them ; for the lazy husband-
man does not take the trouble to plant the foreign sorts
which would grow very well here. There are four kinds of
trees indigenous in Britain which are wanting here. Two of
them are fruit-bearing trees, the chesnut and beech ; the
other two, the arulna1 and the box. though they bear no
fruit, are serviceable for making cups and handles. Yews,
with their bitter sap, are more frequently to be found
in this country than in any other I have visited ; but you
will see them principally in old cemeteries and sacred places,
where they were planted in ancient times by the hands of
holy men, to give them what ornament and beauty they
could.2 The forests of Ireland also abound with fir-trees,
producing frankincense and incense.3 There are also veins
of various kinds of metals ramifying in the bowels of the
earth, which, from the same idle habits, are not worked
and turned to account. Even gold, which the people re-
quire in large quantities, and still covet in a way that
speaks their Spanish origin, is brought here by the mer-
chants who traverse the ocean for the purposes of commerce.
They neither employ themselves in the manufacture of flax
or wool, or in any kind of trade or mechanical art ; but
abandoning themselves to idleness, and immersed in
fcloth, their greatest delight is to be exempt from toil, their
richest possession the enjoyment of liberty.

This people, then, is truly barbarous, being not only
barbarous in their dress, but suffering their hair and beards
(Larbis) to grow enormously in an uncouth manner, just
like the modern fashion recently introduced ;4 indeed, all
their habits are barbarisms. But habits are formed by

* Other MSS. reaAalarus; but it is uncertain to what tree he alludes.
8 See before, B. ii. c. 54.

3 " Abundat et abiete sylvositas Biberniee, thuris et incensi matre."
Giraldus means, no doubt, the pinutt sylvestris, which is also indigenous
in Scotland, whence it has acquired its common name of the Scotch
fir. He speaks somewhat poeticaDy of its inflammable products in
resin and pitch.

4 Giraldus alludes probably to the fashion of wearing the hair and
beard long, which came into vogue in the reign of Henry I., to the great
scandal of the clergy ; so that our author slily classes it with the bar-
barisms of an uncivilized race. See Orderic. Vital, vol. iii. p. 363-4,
111 Bukus Aiitiq^ Lib., and the notes.

126 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

mutual intercourse ; and as this people inhabit a country so
remote from the rest of the world, and lying at its furthest
extremity, forming, as it were, another world, and are thus
secluded from civilized nations, they learn nothing, and
practise nothing but the barbarism in. which they are born
and bred, and which sticks to them like a second nature.
Whatever natural gifts they possess are excellent, in what-
ever requires industry they are worthless.

CHAPTER XI.

OF THE INCOMPARABLE SKILL OF THE IRISH IN PLAYING
UPON MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

THE only thing to which I find that this people apply a
commendable industry is playing upon musical instruments ;
in which they are incomparably more skilful than any other
nation 1 have ever seen. For their modulation on these
instruments, unlike that of the Britons to which I am ac-
customed, is not slow and harsh, but lively and rapid, while
the harmony is both sweet and gay. It is astonishing that
in so complex and rapid a movement of the fingers,, the
musical proportions can be preserved, and that throughout
the difficult modulations on their various instruments, the
harmony is completed with such a sweet velocity, so unequal
an equality, so discordant a concord, as if the chords
sounded together fourths or fifths.1 They always begin
from B fiat, and return to the same, that the whole may be
completed under the sweetness of a pleasing sound. They
enter into a movement, and conclude it in so delicate a
manner, and play the little notes so sportively under the
blunter sounds of the base strings, enlivening with wanton
levity, or communicating a deeper internal sensation of plea-
sure, so that the perfection of their art appears in the
concealment of it.

Si lateat prosit ; . . . ferat ars deprensa pudorem.
From this cause, those very strains which afford deep and
unspeakable mental delight to those who have skilfully

1 Seu diateperon, teu diapente. " The antients acknowledged no
other concords than the diapason, the diapente, and the diateperon." —
Haw/kins' History of Music, i. 273. Giraldus repeats this account o
the Irish instrumental music in his Description of Wales, B. i. c. 12.

BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF MUSIC. 127

penetrated into the mysteries of the art, fatigue rather thai;
gratify the ears of others, who seeing do not perceive, and
hearing do not understand j1 and by whom the finest music
is esteemed no better than a confused and disorderly noise,
and will be heard with unwillingness and disgust. It
must be remarked, however, that both Scotland and Wales
strive to rival Ireland in the art of music ; the former from
its community of race, the latter from its contiguity and
facility of communication. Ireland only uses and delights
in two instruments, the harp and the tabor. Scotland
has three, the harp, the tabor, and the crowth or crowd ;
and Wales, the harp, the pipes, and the crowd.2 The Irish
also used strings of brass instead of leather. Scotland at
the present day, in the opinion of many persons, is not only
equal to Ireland, her teacher, in musical skill, but excels
her ; so that they now look to that country as the foun-
tain head of this science.

CHAPTEE XII.

ON THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF MUSIC.

THE sweet harmony of music not only affords us pleasures,
but renders us important services. It greatly cheers the
drooping spirit, clears the face from clouds, smooths the
wrinkled brow, checks moroseness, promotes hilarity ; of all
the most pleasant things in the world, nothing more delights
and enlivens the human heart. There are two things which,

1 Caradoc of Llancarvan, in his Chronicle of Wales, says, that
Griffith ap Conan, king of Wales, being by his mother and grand-
mother an Irishman, and also born in Ireland, carried with him from
thence into Wales 'divers cunning musicians, who devised in a manner
all the instrumental music there, as appears both by the books written
of the same, and by the tunes and measures used among them to this
day.

2 Choro, the crowth or crowd, which was played upon by a sort of
bow, and is supposed to have been the origin of the violin. The
clairseach of the Irish, and harp of the Britons, differed in form and
the number of strings from the lyra or ciihara of the ancients. The
shape of the former is preserved in the national escutcheon. Venan-
tius Fortunatus appears to draw a distinction between these several in-
struments—

44 Roman usque lyra plaudat tibi, Barbarus harpa,
Grsecus achillea, crotta Brittana canat."

B. vii. c 8.

128 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

more than any other, refresh and delight the mind, namely,
sweet odours and music. Man, as it were, feeds upon
sweet odours and sweet music. In whatever pursuit the
mind is engaged, it draws forth the genius, and by means of
insensible things quickens the senses with sensible effect.
Hence in bold men it excites courage, and in the religious
it nourishes and promotes good feeling. Hence it hap-
pened that bishops and abbots and holy men in ]reland
were in the habit ot carrying their harps with them in their
peregrinations, and found pious delight in playing upon
them. In consequence of this, St. Keivin's harp was held
in great reverence by the natives, and to this day is con-
sidered a valuable relic, possessed of great virtues.1

Further, the war-trumpet, with its blast, shows the cor-
responding effect of music, inasmuch as when its loud
alarm gives the signal for battle, its echo raises the spirit of
the brave to the highest pitch. Sometimes music has the
contrary effect, for its influence may be used to heighten
the pleasures of the vicious, as well as to animate the vir-
tuous and brave. It is written of Alexander of Macedon,
that when on some occasion he heard the sweet tones of a
harp, while at table with his friends, he had the strings
broken. Upon being asked why he had done this, he re-

flied, " It is better that chords should be broken than hearts
?orda~\" For he was sensible, from his knowledge oi
uman weakness, that his mind was highly excited, however
he might struggle against it, by what he pointed out to
them ; and that such soft strains inclined him rather to
pleasure (to which, perhaps, he was already disposed) than
to war; to indulgence than to hardship; to Yenus than to
virtue ; to voluptuousness, rather than to voluntary sacri-
fices of his ease. For our passions are by no means in our
own power.

Moreover, music soothes disease and pain ; the sounds
which strike the ear operating within, and either healing our
maladies, or enabling us to bear them with greater patience.
It is a comfort to all, and an effectual remedy to many ; tor
there are no sufferings which it will not mitigate, and* there

1 This relic is lost ; but the harp of king Brian Boroimhe is still
preserved in the library of Trin. Col. Dublin. See a description of th«
IrLsh harp in Lynch, " Cambrensis E versus," c. iv. p. 37.

EFFECTS OF MUSIC. 129

are some which it cures. David's lyre restrained the un-
clean spirit from vexing Saul, and while he played his
trouble ceased ; hut as soon as the strains ceased, he was
vexed again. What Solomon says may, however, appear
opposed to this : " Music is out of season in time of afflic-
tion." For the man who can amuse himself with singing
when he is in trouble, and affect to be gay and lift his voice
in jocund strains at the moment he is suffering from severe
pain, must be either a stoic or a fool. But although any
sort of trouble, while it is fresh and on the increase, refuses
comfort, still under the alleviating influence of time it loses
its sting and admits of consolation. Grief which can neither
be mitigated by reason, nor cured by medicine, yields to
the softening effects of time, which brings all evils to an
end. For such is the constitution of human nature, that
things are always either on the increase or decrease, are
getting better or growing worse, and never stand still.
"When they have reached their summit, the fall is far more
rapid than the rise. If, therefore, you discern the times and
observe moderation, having a mind well toned and regulated
under all circumstances, you may turn to' good account what
would be otherwise out of season.

*' Quis matrem, nisi mentis inops, in funere nati
Flere neget ? Non hoc ilia monenda loco est."

"Wherefore —

" Dum dolor in cursu est, currenti cede dolori j
Tempore cum residet, turn medicina valet."

It appears, then, that music acts in contrary ways ; when
employed to give intensity to the feelings, it inflames,
when to abate them, it lulls. Hence the Irish and Spani-
ards, and some other nations, mix plaintive music with
their funereal wailings,1 giving poignancy to their present
grief, as well as, perhaps, tranquillizing the mind when the
worst is past. Music also alleviates toil, and in labour of
various kinds the fatigue is cheered by sounds uttered in
measured time. Hence, artificers of all sorts relieve the
weariness of their tasks by songs. The very beasts, not
wO speak of serpents, and birds, and porpoises, are attracted

1 Every one Imowe that among the Irish this custom has laeted till
the present day.

130 THE TOPOGRAPHT OF IKELAND.

by musical harmony to listen to its melody ; and what is
still more remarkable, swarms of bees are recalled to their
hives, and induced to settle, by musical sounds. I have
sometimes observed, when on a voyage, shoals of porpoises
long following in the wake of the ship when she pursuing her
course, and how they leaped above the surface, and erected
their ears to listen to the tones of the harp or the trumpet.
Moreover, as Isidore remarks, " No teaching can be perfect
without harmony. Indeed, there is nothing in which it is
not found. The world itself is said to be harmoniously
formed, and the very heavens revolve amidst the harmony
of the spheres. Sounds, the materials of which melodies
are composed, are threefold; first, they are harmonic, being
produced by the voices of singers ; secondly, they are organic,
being produced by wind; thirdly, they are rythmical, pro-
duced by the touch of the fingers. For sounds are either
produced by the voice, through the throat, or by wind, as
a trumpet or pipe ; or by the touch, as by the harp, or any
other instrument the melody of which is produced by the
finger." "What Cassiodorus says in favour of the harp, well
deserves a place here. He writes thus: "These are the benefits
which the harp confers : —It changes grief and melancholy
to mirth ; assuages the effervescence of rage ; charms away
the most savage cruelty; effaces cowardice; rouses the languid
and sleepy ; and sheds a soothing repose on the wakeful. It
recalls man from foul lusts to the love of chastity ; and heals
that weariness of the mind which is always adverse to good
thoughts. It converts pernicious sloth into kindly succour ;
and, what is the most blessed sort of cure, expels the pas-
sions of the mind by its sweetest of pleasures. It soothes
the spirit through the body, and by the mere sense of
hearing moulds it to its will, making use of insensible
things to exercise dominion over the senses. The
divine mercy has scattered abroad its favours, and made
all its works to be highly praised. David's lyre ex-
pelled the devil ; the evil spirit obeyed its sound ; and
while the minstrel sung to the harp, thrice was the king
released from the foul bondage to which he had been sub-
jected by his spiritual enemy." I have made a delightful
digression, but to the purpose ; for it is always pleasant to
•converse of science with those who are skilled in it.

AIT EMINENT PATRON OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 131

CHAPTEE XIII.

OF THE FIRST INVENTORS OF THE ART OF MUSIC.

WE read in the Book of Genesis, that Tubal, a descendant
of Cain, who lived before the flood, was the inventor of
music ; and he is called " the father of all such as handle
the harp and organ."1 And, as Adam had heard some pro-
phecy of two judgments to come, in order that the art
which had been invented might not be lost, he inscribed it
on two columns, one of stone, the other of brick ; that the
one might not be dissolved by the flood, nor the other
melted in the fire. In the teaching of the philosophers we
are told that the rudiments of this science were introduced
by Pythagoras, from the sounds given by the stroke of
hammers, and by strings struck while they were stretched.
Some, however, say that Linus of Thebes, Zetus, and Anxeos,
were the first who were celebrated for their musical skill ;
after whom the science gradually made such progress, that
it became as disgraceful to know nothing of music as not to
have learned to read.

CHAPTEE XIV.

OF AN EMINENT PATRON AND IMPROVER OF MUSICAL
1NSTRUMENIS.

KING DAVID was an eminent patron and improver of musi-
cal instruments, many of which he invented, as well as
made additions to all. He was the inventor of the psaltery
with ten strings, and of several other instruments. Know-
ing well the influence of music, he exhorted the people to
praise the Lord with musical instruments, that the Creator
might receive the praises of his creatures in manifold ways ;
and that the feelings of the performers in acts of melody
might be inflamed to higher degrees of divine love. Hence
Augustine says, in his book ot Confessions, " As often as I
take more pleasure in the sound than in the sense, I confess
that I am guilty of mortal sin. But it is well appointed by
the church, that her services in praise of God shall be per-
formed with musical chaunts, that so, by the influence of
internal melody, the hearts of the faithful should be xaora
1 Gen. iv. 21

132 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

powerfully led to the duties of piety." And again, in the
same book. — " How often have I shed tears, deeply moved
by the sweet sounds of hymns and canticles in the church.
My ears drank in the voices of the singers, and my heart
was melted to receive the truth ; it glowed with pious
emotions, while my tears flowed, and it was well for me to
be there." l

CHAPTEE XV.

WHENCE MUSIC DEBITED ITS NAME.

Music derived its name from the Muses ; and the Muses
are so called from the Greek word mazo? which means to
investigate, because by them, as the ancients supposed, the
powers of the human voice in singing were first discovered.
But enough of this ; let us now return to our history.

CHAPTEE XVI.

HOW MANY KINGS REIGNED FROM HERIMON TO THE COMING
OF PATRICK, BY WHOM THE ISLAND WAS CONVERTED TO
THE FAITH.

FROM the first arrival, then, of this king, namely, Herimon, to
the coming of Patrick, one hundred and thirty-one kings of
the same race reigned in Ireland. Patrick, a native of Bri-
tain, and a man eminent for the sanctity of his life, came
over to the island during the reign of Laegerius, the son of
Kellus the Great ;3 and finding the nation sunk in idolatry,
and immersed in all kinds of superstitions, he was the first
who, aided by divine grace, preached the faith of Christ, and
planted it among them. The people flocking in crowds to

' Conf. 1. ix. c. 6. The Ambrosian chant was established in the
Church, of Milan, of which St. Augustine speaks in this beautiful
passage. On the introduction of music into the church, see Bumey's
History, vol ii. c. i.

3 The Greek word is fida) or ftai'w, vehenienter cupio, ut Eustathius
expon. etiam £»7rw, qusero.

J Laeghaire, the son of Nial ; the latter, popularly called Nial of the
Nine Hostages, was one of the most powerful monarchs of the Milesian
race. Laeghaire is said to have ascended the throne in the year 428,
and St. Patrick is reported to have come to Ireland in the fourth year ol
this reign, that is in A.D. 432. The saint is said to have died in AJX

FOUR ARCHIEPISCOPAL SEES IN 1152. 133

be baptized by him, and the whole island having been eon-
verted to Christianity, he chose Armagh for his see, making it
the [ecclesiastical] metropolis, and fixing there the primacy
over the whole of Ireland. He also established bishops in
suitable places, that, being called to share his labours, they
might water what he had planted, and so God might give
the increase.

It seems proper to remark in this place, that when the
before-mentioned Nellus became sole king of Ireland, the
six sons of Muredus, king of Ulster, sailed with a numerous
fleet and took possession of the northern parts of Britain;1
and their posterity, known by the special name of Scots,
inhabit that corner of Britain to the present day.

What caused them to migrate there, and how and with
what treachery, rather than force, they expelled from those
parts the nation of the Picts, long so powerful, and vastly
excelling them in arms and valour, it will be my business
to relate, when I come to treat of the remarkable topogra-
phy of that part of Britain.2 Another benefit, worthy, per-
haps, of the dignity of the subject, and attractive to studious
minds, will then be conferred by the author on his own age.

CHAPTER XVII.

THAT THERE WERE NO ARCHBISHOPS IN IRELAND BEFORE
THE ARRITAL OF JOHN PAPYRIO, WHO PLANTED THERE
FOUR ARCHIEPISCOPAL SEES, IN THE TEAR OF OUR LORD
1152.

THERE were no archbishops in Ireland, but the bishops con-
secrated each other mutually, until John Papyrio came as
legate from the see of Borne not many years ago.3 He

1 This was the celebrated Dalreadic colony, but Giraldus has made
some confusion of dates and circumstances. It was in the course of
the fifth century that the Irish tribe of Dalreada in Ulster began to
settle on the promontory of Carityre, whence they gradually spread
theiiiselves over the surrounding districts. There was no Muredus, or
Muireadhach, king of Ulster, in the time of Nial, but a king of that
name began to reign in 451.

2 Giraldus speaks elsewhere of his intention to write a Topography
of Scotland, but nothing is known of it. See the present book, Dia-
tine. i. c. 21.

3 John Papyro was sent as legate to Ireland by Pope Eugtnios
who occupied the papal chair from 1145 to 1153.

134 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

brought four palls to Ireland, one of which he conferred on
Armagh ; another he gave to Dublin, where Gregory was
then bishop ; the third to Cashel ; the fourth to Tuam (Toe-
niam), in Connaught. St. Patrick died and rested in the Lord
in the one hundred and twentieth year of his age, in the year
of our Lord 485, and from the arrival of the Irish 1800. l

CHAPTEE XVIII.

HOW THE BODIES OF THEEE SAINTS, PATRICK, COLUMBA,
AND BRIGHT, WERE FOUND IN THESE OUR DAYS AT THE
CITY OF DOWN, IN ULSTER, AND TRANSLATED.

ST. COLUMBA and St. Brigit were contemporaries with St.
Patrick ; and the bodies of all three were deposited in Ulster
in the same city, namely, Down, where they were discovered
in my time, that is, in the year that the lord earl John
first came to Ireland. They were lying in a vault, contain-
ing three recesses, the body of St. Patrick lying in the
centre, and those of the two others, one on each side. John
de Courcy was then governor,2 and under his directions
these three noble treasures were discovered, through a divine
revelation, and translated. The following verses were
written on the occasion : —

" In burgo Duno, tumulo tumulantur in uno
Brigida, Patritius, atque Columba plus."

" Patrick, Columba, Brigit, rest in glorious Down ;
Lie in one tomb, and consecrate the town."

CHAPTEE XIX.

HOW THE IRISH ARE YERT IGNORANT OF THE RUDIMENTS
OF THE FAITH.

THE faith having been planted in the island from the time
of St. Patrick, so many ages ago, and propagated almost
ever since, it is wonderful that this nation should remain to
this day so very ignorant of the rudiments of Christianity.
It is indeed a most filthy race, a race sunk in vice, a race

1 The following scholium, or various reading, is given in the margin
of our printed edition : — " Elsewhere, in the year of his age 123, in the
year of our Lord 493, when Felix I. was pope, Anasfcasius eniporor,
Aurelius Ambrosius ruling in Britain, and Forkerus in Ireland.1*

* St-e afterwards, " Conquest of Ireland," B. i. cc. 15, 16, 17.

ABOMINABLE TREACHERY OF THE IRISH. 135

more ignorant than all other nations of the first principles
of the faith. Hitherto they neither pay tithes nor first
fruits ; they do not contract marriages, nor shun incestuous
connections ; they frequent not the church of God with
proper reverence. Nay, what is most detestable, and not
only contrary to the Gospel, but to every thing that is
right, in many parts of Ireland brothers (I will not say
marry) seduce and debauch the wives of their brothers
deceased, and have incestuous intercourse with them ; ad-
hering in this to the letter, and not to the spirit, of the Old
Testament ;* and following the example of men of old in
their vices more willingly than in their virtues.

CHAPTER XX.

OF THEIR ABOMINABLE TREACHERY.

THEY are given to treachery more than any other nation, and
never keep the faith they have pledged, neither shame nor fear
withholding them from constantly violating the most solemn
obligations, which, when entered into with themselves, they
are above all things anxious to have observed. So that,
when you have used the utmost precaution, when you have
been most vigilant, for your own security and safety, by
requiring oaths and hostages, by treaties of alliance firmly
made, and by benefits of all kinds conferred, then begins
your time to fear; for then especially their treachery is
awake, when they suppose that, relying in the fulness of
your security, you are off your guard. That is the moment
for them to fly to their citadel of wickedness, turn against
you their weapons of deceit, and endeavour to do you injury,
by taking the opportunity of catching you unawares.

CHAPTER XXI.

HOW THEY ALWAYS CARRY AN AXE IK THEIR HANDS
INSTEAD OF A STAFF.

FROM an ancient and wicked custom, they always carry
an axe in their hands instead of a staff, that they may be
ready promptly to execute whatever iniquity their minds
suggest. Wherever they go they carry this weapon wilt

1 See Deut. xxv. 5 ; Mark xii. 19 j arid Luke xx. 28.

13(5 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

them, and watching their opportunity as occasion offers, it
has not to be unsheathed like a sword, nor bent like a bow,
or thrust out like a spear. Raised a little, without any
preparation, it deals a deadly wound. They have, there-
fore, always at hand, nay, in their hands, that which is suf-
ficient to inflict death. From these axes [securibus] there
is no security : while you fancy yourself secure, you will
feel the axe [securim]. You put yourself heedlessly in dan-
ger, if you permit the axe, and omit to take precautions for
your security. This race is inconstant, changeable, wily,
and cunning. It is an unstable race, stable only in its insta-
bility, faithful only in its unfaithfulness.

" Hoc solum servans, quod nunquam firraa, fidele j
Hoc solum retinens, quod nesciat ease fideles."

" Firm only in their faithless levity,
And true in nought but infidelity."

Their arts are, therefore, more to be feared than their
arms, their friendship than their fire-brands, their sweets
than their bitters, their malignity than their martial spirit,
their treachery than their open attacks, their specious friend-
ship than their spiteful enmity.1 Eor this is their opinion : —

" Dolus an virtus quis in hoste requirat ?"

" Who will be prompt to ask a foe,
If fraud or valour deal the blow ?"

CHAPTER XXII.

OP A NEW MODE OF MAKING A LEAGUE: A PROOF OP
THEIR WICKEDNESS.

AMONG many other inventions of their abominable guile,
there is one which especially proves it. When they wish to
take off any one, they assemble in company with him at
some holy place, under the guise of religious and peaceful
meeting ; then they go in procession round the church, and
afterwards, entering within its walls, they confederate them-
selves in an indissoluble alliance before the altar, with oaths
prodigally multiplied upon the relics of the saints, and con-

1 In the original the whole of this chapter consists of a play upon
words, which cannot be effectually represented in the translation.

TICES OP THE IRISH INFECTIOUS. 137

firmed by the celebration of the mass and prayers of the
holy priests, as if it were a solemn affiance. At length, as
a still stronger ratification of their league, and, as it were>
the completion of the affair, they drink each others' blood,
which is shed for the purpose. This custom has been handed
down to them from the rites of the heathens, who were wont
to seal their treaties with blood. How often, in the very
act of such an alliance being made by bloody and deceitful
men, has so much blood been fraudulently and iniquitously
spilt, that one or other of them has fainted on the spot !
How often has the same hour which witnessed the contract,
or that which followed it, seen it broken in an unheard-of
manner by a bloody divorce !

CHAPTER XXIII.

HOW THEY LOYE THEIR FOSTER-CHILDREN AND FOSTER-
BROTHERS, AND HATE THEIR OWN BROTHERS AND KIN-
DRED.

WOE to brothers among a barbarous race! Woe also to
kinsmen ! While alive, they pursue them to destruction ;
and even when dead they leave it to others to avenge their
murder. If they have any feeling of love or attachment, it
is all spent on their foster-children and foster-brothers.1

CHAPTER XXIV.

HOW NEW-COMERS ARE STAINED WITH THE SAME YICES.

THUS it appears that every one may do just as he pleases ;
and that the question is not what is right, but what suits
his purpose : although nothing is really expedient but what
is right. However, the pest of treachery has here grown to
such a height — it has so taken root, and long abuse has so
succeeded in turning it into a second nature— habits are so
formed by mutual intercourse, as he who handles pitch can-
not escape its stains — that the evil has acquired great force.
A little wormwood, mixed with a large quantity of honey,
quickly makes the whole bitter; but if the mixture contains
twice as much honey as it does wormwood, the honey fails

1 The custom of fostering prevailed among the Celtic and Teutonic
races, and was the means of forming alliances which were, as Giraldus
intimates, kept much more firmly and pertinaciously than those of
blood. The ties of the latter were seldom regarded, while a man was
rarely deserted by his foster-son, or even by his foster- brother.

138 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

to sweeten it. Thus, I say, " evil communications corrupt
good manners ;" and even strangers who land here from
other countries become generally imbued with this national
crime, which seems to be innate and very contagious. It
either adopts holy places for its purposes, or makes them ;
for, as the path of pleasure leads easily downwards, and
nature readily imitates vice, who will doubt the sacredness
of its sanctions who is predisposed and foretaught by so
many sacrilegious examples, by so many records of evil
deeds, by such frequent forfeitures of oaths, by the want of
all obligations to honesty ?

CHAPTER XXY.

OF A NEW AND MONSTROUS WAT OF INAUGURATING THEIR
KINGS.

THERE are some things which shame would prevent my
relating, unless the course of my subject required it. For
a filthy story seems to reflect a stain on the author, although
it may display his skill. But the severity of history does
not allow us either to sacrifice truth or affect modesty ; and
what is shameful in itself may be related by pure lips in
decent words. There is, then, in the northern and most
remote part of Ulster, namely, at Kenel Cunil,1 a nation
which practises a most barbarous and abominable rite in
creating their king. The whole people of that country
being gathered in one place, a white mare is led into the
midst of them, and he who is to be inaugurated, not as a
prince but as a brute, not as a king but as an outlaw, comes
before the people on all fours, confessing himself a beast
with no less impudence than imprudence. The mare
being immediately killed, and cut in pieces and boiled, a
bath is prepared for him from the broth. Sitting in
this, he eats of the flesh which is brought to him, the people
standing round and partaking of it also. He is also re-
quired to drink of the broth in which he is bathed, not
drawing it in any vessel, nor even in his hand, but lapping
it with his mouth. These unrighteous rites being duly
accomplished, his royal authority and dominion are ratified.

1 Tirconnell, now the county of Donegal. Irish antiquaries utterly
repudiate the disgusting account here given by Giraldus of the inaugu-
ration of the kings of this territory. See Ware, vol. ii. p. 64.

MANY IN THE ISLAND NOT BAPTIZED. 139

CHAPTEE XXVI.

MOW NUMBERS IN THE ISLAND ARE NOT BAPTIZED, AND
HATE NEVER COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE FAITH.

MOREOVER, though the faith has been planted for so .ong
a period in this country that it has grown to maturity,
there are some corners of the land in which many are still
unbaptized, and to whom, through the negligence of their
pastors, the knowledge of the truth has never penetrated.
I heard some sailors relate that, having been once
driven by a violent storm, during Lent, to the northern
islands and the unexplored expanse of the sea of Con-
naught, they at last took shelter under a small island.
Here they could hardly hold their ground, by the help of
their anchor, though they had three cables out, or more.
After three days, the storm abating, the sky becoming again
clear, and the sea calm, they beheld at no great distance the
features of a land which was before entirely unknown
to them. From this land not long afterwards they saw a
small boat rowing towards them. It was narrow and ob-
long, and made of wattled boughs, covered and sewn with
the hides of beasts.1 In it were two men, stark naked,
except that they wore broad belts of the skin of some ani-
mal fastened round their waists. They had long yellow
hair, like the Irish, falling below the shoulders, and covering
great part of their bodies. The sailors, finding that these
men were from some part of Connaught, and spoke the Irish
language, took them into the ship. All that they saw there
was new to them, and a subject of wonder. They said that
they had never seen before a large ship, built of timber, or
anything belonging to civilized man. Bread and cheese
being offered to them, they refused to eat them, having no

1 These coracles, or corraghs — wicker boats covered with hidey, and
so light that a man can carry one of them on his back — are still used in
Ireland and Wales. Though adapted only to quiet waters, such as
rivers, lakes, and bays on the coast, the men of old times are paid
to have been venturous enough to put to sea in them. In the Chro-
nicle of Marranius, under the year 892, we are told that three pilgrims
embarked from Ireland in such a boat, taking with them a week'f
provisions, and that they reached Cornwall after an extraordinary
Toy age of seven days, without sails or tackling, and afterwards paH
a Tisit to king Alfred.

140 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

knowledge of either. Flesh, fish, and milk, they said, were
their only food. Nor did they wear any clothes, except
sometimes the skins of beasts, in cases of great necessity.
Having inquired of the sailors whether they had on board
any flesh with which they could satisfy their hunger, and
being told in reply, that it was not lawful to eat flesh during
Lent, they were utterly ignorant what Lent was. Neither
did they know anything about the year, the month, or the
week; and by what names the days of the week were called
was entirely beyond their conception. Being asked whether
they were Christians, and had been baptized, they replied
that to the present hour they had never heard of the name
of Christ, and knew nothing about him. On their return,
they carried back a loaf and a cheese, that they might be
able to astonish their countrymen by the sight of the pro-
visions which the strangers ate.

It must be observed also, that the men who enjoy eccle-
siastical immunity, and are called ecclesiastical men, al-
though they be laics, and have wives, and wear long hair
hanging down below their shoulders, but only do not bear
arms, wear for their protection, by authority of the Pope,
fillets on the crown of their heads, as a mark of distinction.
Moreover, these people, who have customs so very different
from others, and so opposite to them, on making signs
either with the hands or the head, beckon when they mean
that you should go away, and nod backward as often as they
wish to be rid of you. Likewise, in this nation, the men
pass their water sitting, the women standing. They are
also prone to the failing of jealousy beyond any other na-
tion.1 The women, also, as well as the men, ride astride,
with their legs stuck out on each side of the horse.

1 The Irish annalists tell us that jealousy was brought into Ireland
by Partholan or Bartholanus. This primeval colonizer, not long after
his arrival in the island, detected his wife, the beautiful Dealgnait, in an
intrigue with one of his domestics, and, summoning them to his pre-
sence, he wreaked his vengeance, not on the lady or her paramour, but
on Dealgnait's favourite greyhound, which he seized and dashed to
pieces on the ground. This, we are told, was the first case of jealousy
that erer occurred in Ireland,

CHARACTER OF THE IEISH CLEHGY. J.4J

CHAPTEE XXVII.

OF MANY LAUDABLE QUALITIES IN THE IEISH CLEEGKF.

WE come now to the clerical order. The clergy, then, of
this country are commendable enough for their piety ; and
among many other virtues in which they excel, are especially
eminent for that of continence. They also perform with
great regularity the services of the psalms, hours, lessons,
and prayers, and, confining themselves to the precincts of
the churches, employ their whole time in the offices to
which they are appointed. They also pay due attention to
the rules of abstinence and a spare diet, the greatest part
of them fasting almost every day till dusk, when by singing
complines they have finished the offices of the several hours
for the day. Would that, after these long fasts, they were
as sober as they are serious, as true as they are severe,
as pure as they are enduring, such in reality as they are
in appearance. But among so many thousands you will
scarcely find one who, after his devotion to long fastings
and prayers, does not make up by night for his privations
during the day by the enormous quantities of wine and
other liquors in which he indulges more than is becoming.

Dividing the day of twenty-four hours into two equal
parts, they devote the hours of light to spiritual offices, and
those of night to the flesh ; so that in the light they apply
themselves to the works of the light, and in the dark they
turn to the works of darkness. Hence it may be considered
almost a miracle, that where wine has the dominion lust
does not reign also. This appears to have been thought
difficult by St. Jerome ; still more so by the apostle : one oi
whom forbids men to be drunken with wine, wherein there
is excess : the other teaches that the belly, when it is in-
flamed by drink, easily vents itself in lust.

There are, however, some among the clergy who are most
excellent men, and have no leaven of impurity. Indeed
this people are intemperate in all their actions, and most
vehement in all their feelings. Thus the bad are bad in-
deed— there are nowhere worse; and than the good you
cannot find better. But there is not much wheat among
the oats and the tares. Many, you find, are called, but few
chosen : there is very little grain, but rnucL chaff.

M2 THE TOPOGBAPHY OF IEELAND.

CHAPTEE XXVIII.

OF THE NEGLECT OF THE PEELATES IN PASTORAL DISCIPLINE.

1 FIND it especially worthy of reproach in the bishops and
prelates, that they are very slothful and negligent in their
duty of correcting a people guilty of such enormous delin-
quencies. As they neither preach nor correct, I predict
that they will be corrected themselves ; as they do not
reprove others, I reprove them ; as they neglect to censure
others, I censure them. For, as St. Gregory says, who-
soever is raised to the priesthood takes on himself the office
of a preacher.

If, therefore, a priest neglects preaching, what sort of
proclamation can such a dumb herald make. But if the
prelates, during the many ages which have elapsed from the
time of Patrick, had steadfastly devoted themselves to the
duties of preaching and teaching, of censure and of correction,
which their office- required, and had in some degree rooted
out the enormities of this people, already mentioned, doubt-
less they would have imprinted on them some form of re-
ligion and honesty. But there was no one among them to
exalt his voice like a trumpet ; there was no one to take the
contrary part, and be as a wall of defence to the house of
Israel : there was no one to contend even unto exile and
death for the church of Christ, which he hath purchased to
himself with his precious blood. Hence all the saints of
this country were confessors, and none martyrs ; a thing
which it would be difficult to find in any other Christian
kingdom.

It is wonderful therefore, that in a nation so cruel and
blood-thirsty, in which the faith had been planted in very
early times, and was always very flourishing, there should
be no crown of martyrdom for the church of Christ. No
one was found in those parts to cement the foundations of
the rising church by shedding his blood ; there was none to
do it this service ; no, not one. For there are pastors whose
object it is, not to feed others, but to be fed themselves ;
there are prelates who aim not at doing good, but at pre-
eminence ; there are bishops who assume the name without
the virtues, the honour without the burthens of the office.

ELECTION OF THE BISHOPS. 143

Thus the prelates of this country, secluding themselves
according to ancient custom within the inclosures of their
churches, are generally content with indulging in a contem-
plative life, and are so smitten with delight in the beauty
of Rachel, that they turn away from the blear-eyed Leah.
Hence it happens that they neither preach to the people
the word of the Lord, nor tell them of their sins ; neither
extirpate vices nor implant virtues in the flock committed
to their charge.

CHAPTEE XXIX.

HOW NEARLY ALL THE BISHOPS OF IRELAND ABE ELECTED
FEOM THE MONASTERIES.

FOR as nearly all the prelates of Ireland are elected from
the monasteries over the clergy, they scrupulously perform
all the duties of a monk, but pass by all those which belong
to the clergy and bishops.1 An anxious care for the good
of the flock committed to them is little cultivated, or made
a secondary concern. They are either entirely ignorant of
what St. Jerom addressed to Rusticus the monk, or they
pretend to be so : " So live in your monastery, that you may
be worthy to become one of the clergy ; devote a long time
to learning yourself what you may have to teach ; among
good men always be a follower of the best : and when you
are elected into the number of the clergy, fulfil all the
clerical duties." And again he writes to the same person :
" If you covet the office of a clerk, learn first what you may
teach ; be not a soldier before you have learnt discipline,
nor a master before you have been a scholar." But they
take little heed to themselves, they ill provide for their own
welfare, when, through their own unconcern and negli-
gence, they withhold that careful superintendence which the
office they have undertaken requires over those who are
committed to their charge. They ruin themselves even
more fatally than their flocks.

1 In England there was, and had been from Anglo-Saxon times, a
strong feeling of hostility between the monks and the secular clergy,
the latter being far less bigotted, as well as better informed, and more
identified in life and sentiment with the laity. G-iralrlus had a strong
leaning to the secular clergy, and, as will be seen in many parts of hia
writing^, a hostile feeling towards the monks.

144 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND

CHAPTER XXX.

HOW THE CLERGY DIFFER FROM MONKS, AND ARE TO BE
PREFERRED TO THEM.

THEY ought to know, as Jerome reminds Eleutherius,
that as the care of the monks differs from that of the
clergy, the clergy feeding the sheep, and the monks being
fed ; the monks are in the same relation to the clergy as
the flock to the shepherds. The monk has only the guar-
dianship of a single person, he has to take care of him-
self; the clerk is bound to have a deep concern for the
welfare of many. The monk is therefore like a single
grain of wheat deposited in the ground, the clerk like a
grain that sprouts up and brings an abundant crop into the
granary of the Lord.

Prelates of this sort have a double character; in some
things they are monkish, in others clerical. As monks, they
learn a dove-like simplicity ; as clerks, the wisdom of the
serpent; as the one, prudence, as the other, eloquence; as
the one, words, as the other, deeds: as the one, to know
themselves, as the other, to know others. In the one they
cultivate fruitful thoughts, in the other fluency of speech ;
that being admitted into the tabernacle among the priests,
the bells on their vestments may tinkle, and the words of
instruction and reproof may be heard from their mouths.
For Jerome rebukes in clear terms those foolish and dumb
prelates, who have more of the monk than the clergy ; saying :
" A life of innocence and silence, though it may profit as an
example, is rendered useless by its taciturnity; for the
wolves are to be driven away by the baying of the dogs and
the staves of the shepherds." He speaks in like manner in
the first Prologue to the Bible : " A life of retirement,
though holy, is profitable only to him who leads it; and,
however his worth may edify the church of God, he injures
it when he does not resist its destroyers. For error, when
it is not opposed, is confirmed, and truth is stifled when it
is not boldly defended." Jerome also writes thus to Eleu-
therius : "Neglect in confounding the perverse, when you
have opportunity, is nothing else than encouragement of
them ; and he who hesitates to make head against open

SARCASTIC BEPLT OF THE ABCHBISHOP OF CASHEL. 145

wickedness, especially when the duties of his office require
it, has the failings of a recluse."

CHAPTEE XXXI.

THAT MANY SEEM TO BE IN THE FOLD WHO SHALL BE
SHUT OUT ; AND THE CONTBABY.

IT is wonderful, however, that as the prelates have always
been thus slothful in their duties, and negligent of the wel-
fare of their people, so many of them have been reputed
holy men while on earth, and are so devoutly reverenced
and worshipped as saints. One of two things evidently
results from this. Either that our writers of the lives of
saints have omitted many accounts of a repulsive nature,
both concerning the due exercise of the pastoral office, and
other matters, and that as the earth is full of the
mercy of the Lord, more is to be hoped from His clemency
than feared from His justice, or rather, that the church
militant is deceived in many things. The church triumphant,
however, cannot be mocked ; so that some who are accepted
by the one are refused by the other, and those whose praises
are sounded by the one are rejected by the other ; and the
contrary. The one raises to the rank of the elect, not with-
out reason, many who are wholly discarded by the other.
For many appear to be within the doors who are cast out,
and many who are cast out, are within — for often what is
highly esteemed among men is offensive to God.

CHAPTEE XXXII.

A SAECASTIC BEPLY OF THE ABCHBISHOP OF CASHEL.

I ONCE made objections of this kind to Maurice, archbishop
of Cashel, a discreet and learned man, in the presence of
Gerald, a clerk of the Eoman church, who formerly came as
legate into those parts ; and throwing the blame of the
enormous delinquencies of this country principally on the
prelates, I drew a powerful argument from the fact that no
one in that kingdom had ever obtained the crown of mar-
tyrdom for the church of God. Upon this the archbishop
replied sarcastically, avoiding the point of my proposition,
and answering it by a home-thrust : " It is true," he said,

146 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

that although our nation may seem barbarous, uncivilized,
and cruel, they have always shewn great honour and reve-
rence to their ecclesiastics, and never on any occasion raised
their hands against G-od's saints.1 But there is now come
into our land a people who know how to make martyrs, and
have frequently done it. Henceforth Ireland will have its
martyrs, as well as other countries.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

HOW BELLS AND PASTOEAL STATES, AND OTHER SUCH
RELICS OF THE SAINTS, ARE HELD IN GREAT REYERENCE
BY THE PEOPLE BOTH OF IRELAND, SCOTLAND, AND OF
WALES.

I MUST not omit that the portable bells, and the staves of
the saints having their upper ends curved and inlaid with
gold, silver, or brass, were held in great reverence by the
people and clergy both of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales ;
insomuch that they had much greater regard for oaths
sworn on these, than on the gospels. For by some occult
virtue, with which they were in a manner divinely imbued,
to say nothing of a vindictive power after which their saints
seem to have had a great hankering, those who forfeited
such oaths have often been severely punished, and the
chastisement inflicted on transgressors have been severe.

CHAPTER XXXIY.

CONCERNING THE GREAT YIRTUES OF THE PASTORAL STAFF
CALLED THE STAFF OF JESUS ; AND HOW A PRIEST HAD A
TWOFOLD DISEASE INFLICTED ON HIM.

OF all the croziers in Ireland, and other relics in wood of
the saints, the famous staff, which is called the Staff of
Jesus, seems deservedly to hold the first place. It was with
this, according to the vulgar belief, that St. Patrick expelled
all venomous reptiles from the island. Its origin is as un-
certain as its virtues are notorious. This great treasure
was transferred from Armagh to Dublin, in our time, and
by the means of our people.

I also saw in Wales, which made it the more remarkable,

i There was probably in this reply an allusion to the death of Thomaa
d Canterbury.

NUMBER OF PERSONS WHO HAVE BODILY DEFECTS. 147

a mendicant who wore round his neck, as a relic, a horn of
brass which was said to have belonged to St. Patrick. He
told me that, out of reverence to the saint, no one dared to
sound it. But having handed round the horn, according to
the custom in Ireland, to be kissed by the byestanders, a
certain priest, Bernard by name, snatched it out of his
hands, and, placing it in the corner of his mouth, attempted
to blow it and draw sounds from it. But at the same
moment his mouth was twisted towards his ear by a para-
lytic stroke ; nor did his punishment end there. He
had before a burning eloquence, and a slanderer's foul
tongue ; but he instantly lost the use of speech ; and so
lasting was the injury, that he has stammered ever since.
Besides which, he fell into a lethargy, and so totally forgot
everything that he scarcely remembered his own name : such
was his total loss of memory, that the psalms which he be-
fore knew by heart, I found him many days afterwards
learning afresh, and wondered to see him again picking up
the rudiments of letters when an old man, of which, in his
youth he had acquired a considerable knowledge. However
at last, having crossed over to Ireland, on a pilgrimage to
St. Patrick, in expiation of his rash attempt, he returned
with better health, though it was not entirely restored.

CHAPTEK XXXV.

OF THE NUMBER OF PERSONS IN THIS NATION WHO HAVE
BODILY DEFECTS.

MOREOVER, I have never seen in any other nation so many
individuals who were born blind, so many lame, maimed,1 or
having some natural defect. The persons of those who are
well-formed are indeed remarkably fine, nowhere better ;
but as those who are favoured with the gifts of nature grow
up exceedingly handsome, those from whom she withholds
them are frightfully ugly. No wonder if among an adul-
terous and incestuous people, in which both births and
marriages are illegitimate, a nation out of the pale of the
laws, nature herself should be foully corrupted by perverse
habits. It should seem that by the just judgments of God,
nature sometimes produces such objects, contrary to her
own laws, in order that those who will not regard Him

148 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

duly by the light of their own consciences, should often
have to lament their privations of the exterior and bodily
gift of sight.

CHAPTEE XXXVI.

HOW MANY KINGS REIGNED FROM THE TIME OF LT. PATRICK
TO THE COMING OF TURGESIUS.

THIRTY-THREE kings of this race reigned in Ireland, from
the arrival of St. Patrick to the tims of king Fedlimidius,1
during a period of four hundred years ; during whose days
the Christian faith diffused here remained unshaken.

CHAPTEE XXXYII.

HOW IN THE TIME OF KING FEDLIMIDIUS, THE NORWEGIANS,
UNDER THEIR CHIEF TURGESIUS, SUBJUGATED IRELAND.

IN the time of this king Fedlimidius, in the year 838, the
Norwegians landed on the coast of Ireland from a large
fleet, and taking possession of the country with a strong
hand, in the excesses of their heathen rage, destroyed almost
all the churches. Their leader, whose name was Turgesius,2
after many conflicts and fierce battles, in a short time re-

1 In the text of the printed edition this king is called Felmidius, but
the various reading of other manuscripts is adopted here, as being
more correct. He was, in fact, Feidlim-mac-Criomthan, king of Mun-
ster, one of the celebrated monarchs in Irish history. According to
the Irish annalists, his eagerness in following up domestic feuds gave an
advantage to the nothern invaders.

2 Turgesius is a corruption of the Scandinavian name Thorgils, a son of
Harald Haarfager, who succeeded Halfdan the Black about the year 861,
and was king of all Norway from about 900 or 910, to 931 or 936.
The date assigned by Giraldus to the invasion of Thorgils is therefore
incorrect. Thorgils had the fine province of Telemarken conferred
upon him as an appanage by his father, but in the adventurous spirit
of his race, he undertook an expedition to Ireland, where he perished.
It is thus described in Harald Haarfager 's Saga : " King Harald gave
ships of war to Thorgils and Frode — another of his sons — with which
they went westward on a viking cruise, and plundered in Ireland,
Scotland, and Bretland (Briton-land or Wales). They were the first
of the Northmen who took Dublin. It is said that Frode got poisoned
drink there ; but Thorgils was a long time king over Dublin, until he
fell into a snare of the Irish and was killed." — Snorro Sturleson't

, by Laing, vol. i. p. 304.

TTJRGESIUS SLAIN IN IRELAND. 149

dticed the whole island under his dominion, and making a
circuit through the kingdom erected castles in suitable sit-
uations all over the country. They were surrounded with
deep ditches, and very lofty ; being also round, and most of
them having three lines of defences.1 Walled castles, the re-
mains of them, and vestiges of an early age, are to be found
to the present day, still entire, but empty and deserted.
For the Irish people attach no importance to castles ; they
make the woods their stronghold, and the bogs their
trenches. After this, Turgesius governed the Irish kingdom
in peace for some time ; until at last he fell into a snare
laid for him by girls, and lost his life.2

CHAPTEE XXXYI1L

HOW THE ENGLISH SAT THAT IT WAS GURMUND, THE IRISH
THAT IT WAS TURGESIUS, WHO CONQUERED THE ISLAND.

IT appears, however, to me very extraordinary that our
English people proclaim that Grurmund conquered the is-
land, and built the castles and sunk the ditches I have just
referred to, making no mention whatever of Turgesius ; while
the Irish and their written annals attribute these to Turgesius,
and are altogether silent respecting Ghirmund. Hence some
say that the island was once subjugated by Grurmund, and
again, the second time, by Turgesius. This, however, is quite
contrary to the Irish histories, which assert that the Irish
nation was never subdued but once before these times and
that it was by Turgesius.

1 It must not be supposed that the Northmen of this age erected in
Ireland stone fortresses such as their descendants, the Normans, con-
structed every where two centuries later. The "castles "of which Giraldus
speaks were inclosures, surrounded with trenches and ramparts, many
of which are still seen on elevated spots in England as well as Ireland
in which latter country they are called by the common people Danes-
forts, or raths. Some of them include subterranean vaulted chambers,
and they are of various sizes, with one or more lines of circumvallation.
There is one at Donaghadee which answers the description of Giraldus,
having three great artificial ramparts surrounding it, and the largest
fosse is 30 feet broad. Its conical height is 60 feet, raised by an artifi-
cial mound of the earth thrown up, and the circumference of the
whole is 2100 feet. See Ware's Ant. of Ireland, vol. ii., p. 139.

2 See afterwards, c. 40.

150 THE TOPOGRAPHY OE IRELAND.

Others say that the conqueror was one and the same, but
that he had two names ; the English calling him Grurmund,
and the Irish Turgesius : but the difference in their respective
fates, and their dissimilar ends, forbid our accepting this
solution.

The more truthful and probable account seems to be,
that when Grurmund held the sceptre of the kingdom of
Britain, which he had reduced under his own dominion, he
sent over Turgesius with the flower of his army and a con-
siderable part of his fleet to subdue this island. "Which
Turgesius, having been the commander of the expedition,
remained here after the country had been subdued, as
governor of the kingdom and Grurmund's seneschal Thus
the Irish nation handed down to future ages the name and
glory of him only whom they had personally seen and
known, and at whose hands they had suffered such great
misfortunes.

CHAPTEE XXXIX.

WHENCE GURMTJND CAME INTO IRELAND OR BRITAIN.

WE read in the British History1 that Grurmund came to Ire-
land from Africa; and that, having been invited by the
Saxons to pass over to Britain, he laid siege to Cirencester ;
which being at length taken, and, as it is said, reduced to
ashes by the instrumentality of sparrows,2 and Keredith,
who was then the ignoble king of the Britons, being driven
into "Wales, he obtained the dominion of the whole kingdom
in a short time. "Whether, however, he was an African, or,
what appears nearer the truth, a Norwegian, he never was
in Ireland at all, or, having made a short stay there, left
Turgesius as his seneschal.

1 This is taken from Geoffrey of Monmouth, Hist. Brit. lib. xi. c. 8.
Kereditius, in Giraldus Cambrensis, is the Careticus of Geoffrey.

a This legend of the destruction of the Roman town by the means
of sparrows is a common one. The people of Wroxeter in Shrop-
shire still tell how, when the barbarians laid siege to the Roman city of
TJriconium (of which Wroxeter is the site), and could make no im-
pression on its walls, they collected all the sparrows from the surround-
ing country, and having tied burning matches to their legs, set them at
liberty. The sparrows flew into the city, and settled on the roofs of the
houses, which, being thatched with straw, took fire immediately, and
during the confusion caused by the general conflagration, the besiegers
forced their way into the city. The same story is told of Silchester,
the Roman Calleva. Cirencester was the Corinium of the Romans.

DEATH OF TURGESIUS. 151

CHAPTEE XL.

HOW WHEN GURMUND WAS SLAIN IN GAUL, TURGESIUS PE-
RISHED IN IRELAND BY THE HANDS OF TOTING MEN DIS-
GUISED AS GIRLS.

WHEN G-urmund was slain in Gaul, and the Britons
had taken that opportunity to shake off the yoke of the
barbarians, the Irish nation lost no time in resorting to
their accustomed arts of treachery, with complete success.
For Turgesius being at that time deeply enamoured of
the daughter of Omachlachelin,1 king of Meath, the king,
dissembling his vindictive feelings, promised to give him
his daughter, and to send, her to a certain island in Meath, in
the lake called Lochyrenus, attended by fifteen damsels of high
rank. Turgesius, being highly pleased at this, went to meet
them at the appointed day and place, accompanied by the
same, number of the nobles of his own nation. On his
arrival in the island, he was met by fifteen courageous, but
beardless youths, who had been selected for the enterprise,
and were dressed as young women, with daggers secreted
under their mantles ; and as soon as Turgesius and his com-
panions advanced to embrace them, they fell upon them and
slew them.

CHAPTEE XLI.

HOW THE NORWEGIANS WERE DRIYEN OUT OF IRELAND,
AFTER REIGNING THERE ABOUT THIRTY YEARS.

FAME on her swift wings having quickly taken her flight
over the whole island, and spread abroad, according to cus-
tom, the success of the enterprise, the Norwegians were
massacred in all quarters, and in a short time all of them
were put to the sword by force or fraud, or compelled to
take ship and return again to Norway or to the islands from
whence they had come.

CHAPTEE XLII.

A SUBTLE QUESTION OF THE KING OF MEATH.

THE before-mentioned king of Meath, after he had planned in
his mind the treacherous enterprise, having cunningly en-

1 O'Melachlin, king of Meath. The lake alluded to was Loch-V«.

152 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

quired of Turgesius by what contrivance or art certain
birds which had lately migrated into the kingdom, and were
very destructive throughout the country, could be got rid
of and exterminated, he received for reply, that their nests
should be everywhere destroyed, if it should be found that
they had already built them. The Irish interpreting this
of the castles of the Norwegians, rose to a man through
the whole island, on the death of Turgesius, and laid the
castles in ruins. The power of the Norwegians, and the
tyranny of Turgesius in Ireland, lasted about thirty years,
after which, the Irish race, having delivered themselves from
slavery and recovered their ancient liberty, again succeeded
to the government of the kingdom.

CHAPTEE XLIII.

OF THE ARRIVAL OF THE OSTMEN.

NOT long afterwards, some adventurers arrived again in the
island from Norway and the Northern islands, who were
either the remains of the former immigrants of that race
who had seen with their own eyes, or their sons who had
learnt from the reports of their parents, the wealth of the
land. They did not come in ships armed for war, but in
guise of peace, and under the pretext of being merchant
adventurers j1 so that having first established themselves in
the seaports of Ireland, at length, with the consent of the
lords of the territory, they built several cities in these
places. For as the inherent sloth of the Irish race pre-
vented them, as we have before observed, from making any
efforts to explore the seas or engage in commerce, it was
deemed advisable, in a general council of the whole king-
dom, that some people should be admitted into parts of the
kingdom, by whose commercial industry the products of
other lands might be brought into the country, in order to

1 The Northmen, sometimes called Ostmen, because their country lay
to the east of the British isles, were at this time, and long before, not
only distinguished for their piratical or viking expeditions, but for their
commercial enterprise. Almost all the trade of the north of Europe
was in their hands, and as merchants they founded colonies in the prin-
cipal seaports of England as well as of Ireland which long subsisted
as independent communities. See Worsaae's Danes in England, &o.
•ect. x. p. 99.

ARRIVAL OP THE OSTMEN. 153

supply them with such articles as their own land did not
furnish. These foreigners had for leaders three brothers,
whose names were Amelaus, Sytaracus, and Yvorus.1
They built first the three cities of Dublin, Waterford,
and Limerick, of which Dublin fell to the share and was
under the government of Amelaus, Waterford of Sytaracus,
and Limerick of Yvorus ; and from them colonies were sent
in process of time to found other cities in Ireland.

This people, who are now called Ostmen, were at first
submissive to the kings of the land, and peaceably disposed ;
but as soon as their numbers were increased to a great mul-
titude, and they had fortified their cities with walls and
ditches, they called to mind, at times, the ancient ani-
mosities buried in their bosoms, and began to rebel.
They are called Ostmen in their own tongue, from a
word corrupted in the Saxon language which means East-
ern-men ; for, as regards this country, they arrived here
from the East. From these new settlers, and the former
immigration of the Norwegians (against whom they found
little security), the natives learnt the use of the axe (securis};
and as knowledge brings evil in its train, the mischief which
they thus learnt from the foreigners was often poured forth
on others.

CHAPTEE XLIV.

HOW MANY KINGS REIGNED IN IRELAND FROM THE DEATH
OF TURGESIUS TO BODERIC, THE LAST SOLE KING OF
IRELAND.

THE kingdom of Connaught subsisted from the time of
king Fedlimidius and the death of Turgesius to the time of
Koderic,2 who was the last king of that nation, and go-
verns Connaught to the present day ; and by whom Dermitius,
king of Leinster, the son of Murchard, was expelled from
his kingdom. During this period, seventeen kings reigned
in Ireland.

1 The Norwegian names of these chiefs, by Giraldus latinized, were
Anlaf or Olaf, who became king of Dublin ; Sihtric, or Sigtryg, of
Waterford ; and Ifar, or Ivar, of Limerick.

2 Roderic Mac Tirdelvae O'Connor, king of Connaught, and last
monarch of Ireland of the Milesian race, died A.D. 1198, and was
buried in the abbey of Cong. Details of his history will be found in
the " Conquest of Ireland," which forms a part of the present volume

154 THE TOPOGRAPHY OP IRELAND.

CHAPTER XLV.

HOW MANY KINGS REIGNED FROM HERIMON, THE F1TJST,
TO RODERIC, THE LAST.

THE number of all the kings who reigned in Ireland from
Herimon, the first king of this nation, to Roderic, the
last, was one hundred and eighty-one ; whose names, acts,
and times I here omit, both because I find little remarkable
and worthy of record in their annals, and also that I may
not incumber my compilation by a useless prolixity. The
abovementioned kings acquired the monarchy of the en-^
tire island without the sanctions of a solemn coronation,
and the sacrament of unction, nor even by hereditary right
or any just claims to the succession, but by force of arms
alone, and seized the reins of power after their own:
fashion.1

CHAPTER XL VI.

HOW PROM ITS PIRST IMMIGRATION TO THE TIME O?
TTTRGESIUS, AND PROM HIS DEATH TO THE EXPEDITION
OF HENRY II., KING OP ENGLAND, THE IRISH RACE MAIN-
TAINED ITS INDEPENDENCE.

THE Irish race continued free and independent from the
period of its first immigration, and of Herimon its first
king, to the times of Grurmund and Turgesius, by whom its
peace was disturbed and its tranquillity suffered a short
interruption ; and again from their death to these our
times. During all this period it was unshaken by any in-

1 This is denied by Irish antiquaries, who inform us that the kings
of Ireland, in battle and other public solemnities, appeared crowned
with a diadem. At the memorable battle of Clontarf king Brian
Boroimhe was recognised by the crown he wore, and such an ancient
ornament was discovered in 1692, in a bog in the county of Tipperary.
It appears also, that although the Irish kingdoms were elective, like
those of the English Heptarchy and others, an hereditary right in the
royal line was respected, except in a few cases of usurpation, during the
long successions of Irish kings, although in those turbulent ages the
most powerful and ambitious of the royal race often succeeded.

TITLES AND TRIUMPHS OF HENRY II. 155

cursions of foreign nations, until at last, in these our days,
it has been subjugated by you, most invincible king, and
your intrepid courage, in the forty-first year of your age,
the seventeenth of your reign, and the year of our Lord
1172.

CHAPTER XLVII.

OF THE VICTORIES OF HENRY II., KING OF ENGLAND.

EOR your victories vie with the world itself, since you, our
Alexander of the "West, have stretched out your arms
from the Pyrenean mountains to the farthest and most
western borders of the ocean. In these parts you have
spread your triumphs as far as nature has spread her
lands. If the bounds of your expeditious be sought, we
reach the ends of the earth before we find their limits.
For though your brave spirit may find no more lands to con-
quer, victory never deserts it ; and its triumphs will never
fail but with the want of materials for triumph.

CHAPTEE XLYIII.

A SHORT RECAPITULATION OF THE TITLES AND TRIUMPHS
OF THE SAME KING.

How then has the Irish world been added to your titles and
triumphs ? By what great and glorious inspiration were
you able to penetrate into the secrets of the ocean, and
nature's hidden recesses ? How prematurely, unreasonably,
and iniquitously, were you recalled by an intestine con-
spiracy from your noble enterprise, when your triumph,
indeed, was complete, but before you had restored order in
the country ? When your lightnings flashed, how did the
petty kings of the West fly to your feet, dazzled at the
light of your presence here, like moths to a candle ? How
unnaturally and scandalously has the conspiracy hatched
in the bowels of your land, with such wicked and perfidious
designs, much to the detriment of all Christendom, inter-
rupted your victories both in the East, in Asia, and in Spain ;
which your noble mind proposed to extend to the West,
and thereby notably enlarge the fold of Christ. What
mercy and what laudable clemency, worthy of imitation

156 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IEELAND.

and of everlasting remembrance, did you, a prince and
mortally offended king, exercise towards your proud and
haughty foes, on whose necks you trod with extraordinary
vigour, and over whom you everywhere triumphed ; you, a
conqueror and king, ruling your spirit with temper, and
subduing your wrath with moderation. For you did not
forget the verse : —

" Vince animos iramque tuam, qui csetera vincis."

You revolved also in your lofty mind that noble eulogium
of Caius Caesar : " The whole world had perished, if mercy
had not extinguished wrath." You had also frequently in
your hands the book which Seneca addressed to Nero " On
Clemency ;" nor were you mindless of the counsel he so
worthily gave to the emperor : " Follow," he said, " the
practice of physicians, who, when their usual remedies fail
of success, try their contraries." How nobly and exactly
have you fulfilled the words of that great senator and ex-
cellent orator ? " It is the part of a brave man to consi-
der those as his enemies who contend with him for victory,
but to judge the conquered as men ; so that his courage
may tend to diminish wars, while his clemency extends
peace." With how much pains, and with what laudable
diligence for one of royal blood, did you apply yourself to
the study of learning, from your earliest years and in the
days of your youth ? You did not forget the words of
Jerome : " the root of learning is bitter, but the fruit is very
sweet ;" and those of David, the king and prophet : " Be
learned ye that are judges of the earth." You also, who
are a second Solomon, called to your recollection the words
of that king : " Learning prepareth food for old age, and
discipline in youth maketh age fruitful." Following such
examples as these, you became a learned prince, and being
tolerably versed in profane literature, you shone like a bril-
liant gem among all the princes of the world ; and would
have soon excelled the greatest philosophers, both by your
high natural endowments, and by the aids of instruction
and study, if you had not been so unseasonably drawn
from the pursuits of learning to earthly cares. Having
gained renown, during your tender years, in both services,
namely, those of Mars and of Minerva, premature success

CHAEACTEE OF PEINCE HENET. 157

attended your high genius and royal birth. "With a grace
that has no parallel on earth, but which was divinely con-
ferred on you from above, you, the friend and promoter of
concord, restored peace in your own dominions by your
power, in foreign kingdoms by your counsels and authority.
How has the terror of your incomparable valour and great
name, and your threatened attacks, and your renown blazing
through the wrorld, though less than it merited, curbed
the raging fury of the heathens, both in Europe and Asia,
and secured peace and tranquillity to the church of Christ.
"What prodigal liberality and profuse kindness have you
ever shown to foreigners and strangers, to your own great
glory, and sometimes to the loss of those about you : how
indiscriminating has been your bounty to aliens. And
since no one is born without fault, and he is best who has
the least, the few spots which darken your fair fame are to
be regarde'd with indulgence, like clouds which pass over
the face of the sun. Since th en, from your earliest years,
you have made your paths straight, and trodden down
rough places, laying a heavy hand on those who withheld
your crown, and disturbed your peace, how all things have
prospered, and the divine favour has attended so pacific a
king, and one so serviceable to all Christian people ; all this,
I say, who shall fully relate ?

CHAPTEE XLIX,

OF THE CTTAEACTERS OF HIS SONS ; AND FIEST OF
HENBY III., KING OF ENGLAND.

BUT since

Semper adest homini quo pectoris ima gemiscant,

Ne possit plena prosperitate frui ;
Gaudia nunc luctu, nunc mutat amara secundis,

Versans humanas sors inopina vices.
Sola venire solent et vix, et sero, secunda ;

Et simul, et subito, semper amara fluunt :

So, I say, the divine mercy has always smiled on you in
almost all affairs, giving a prosperous issue to events ; and
I wish that it had so continued to the end, that (like one
cutting to the quick, and a too powerful dose of medicine)

158 THE TOPOGEAPHT OF IEELATTD.

when the sons were in arms against their father, and
counted his years before the time, it had spared the father
more than, out of favour to the father, those who were
dearest to him. The most illustrious of these, and, after
one was taken, the eldest,1 who enjoyed his father's name
and style, like another Hector, son of Priam, was an
honour to his friends, the terror of his enemies, and the de-
light of all. In arms he was like the thunderbolt winged
by lightning, the only hope or fear of all.

Omnis honoris honos decoret, decus urbis et orbia,

Militiae splendor, gloria, lumen, apex.
Julius ingenio, virtutibus Hector, Achilles

Viribus, Augustus moribus, ore Paris.

In peace, and in private life, he was courteous, affable,
gentle, and amiable, kindly indulgent to those by whom
he chances to be injured, and far more disposed to forgive
than to punish the offenders. His disposition was so
good that he could never refuse to give anything that
was fitting, thinking that no one ought to leave his pre-
sence sorrowful, or disappointed of his hopes. In short,
he considered that he had lost a day when he had not
secured the attachment of many by various acts of libe-
rality, and bound them to him, body and soul, by multiplied
favours conferred.

When in arms and engaged in war, no sooner was the
helmet on his head than he assumed a lofty air, and became
impetuous, bold, and fiercer than any wild beast. His
triumphs were often gained more by his valour than by
fortune ; and he was in all respects another Hector, son
of Priam, except that the one fought on behalf of his
father and his country, and the other, alas! was led by
evil counsels to fight against both. It was his only desire,
and the summit of his wishes, to have the means and oppor-
tunity of employing his great valour, so that his martial
genius might be fully displayed. Nothing human, how-
ever, can be entirely perfect, and so, envious nature, loth
that so many good qualities should be united in one person

1 Henry, the eldest son of Henry II., was crowned at Westminster
on the 13th July, 1170, in his father's lifetime. He was usually spoke
of as Henry 111.,, until the son of king John ascended the throne.

CHARACTER OF THE COUNT OF POITOU. 159

without alloy, added one most signal blemish ; making him
only notorious for his ingratitude, and for the trouble he
caused to his excellent father.1 Wonderful as was his ca-
reer, one thing appears almost miraculous, namely, that
almost all the world attached themselves to a man who was
totally without resources, either in money or territory. It
was hoped that, before long, he would have restored order
in the government of the world, had not the envious course
of fate suddenly, prematurely, and unexpectedly, carried
him off in the flower of his youth, and in the spring-time
of the year. He died in the twenty- ninth year of his age,
the fourteenth of his coronation, and the year of our Lord
1182.

CHAPTEB L.

OF THE CHARACTER OF THE COTJFT OF POITOU.

THE crier's voice shall not be silent on the merits of one
who is worthy of praise. By his father's wise provision,
he bore a name belonging to his father's family, and been
invested with his mother's territories,2 although still young,
he speedily reduced to obedience a country hitherto ungo-
vernable, and ruled it with so much prudence, that he not only
brought its wildest parts to a state of tranquillity unknown,
before, but re-annexed to it many districts which had been
long detached and dismembered from it. Introducing
order amongst a disorderly people, establishing law where
all was lawless, beating down opposing obstacles, and level-
ling all that was rough, he restored the ancient boundaries
and rights of Aquitaine. Like another Caesar, he pushed
his fortune to the utmost, anticipated future, and was equal
to present emergencies, and lost no time in following up
his successes. Thinking "nothing done while aught re-
mained undone," and fierce in his encounters in arms, he was

1 Roger de Hoveden gives particular details of the unhnppy dissen-
sions between Henry II. and his sons. See vol, i. p. 3(17, &c. in /»«/;»/'.%•
Antiq. Lib.

2 Richard appears to have had that Christian name conferred on him
in consequence of his descent from the dukes of IN'ormnndy of the
•ame name. His father invested him with hia mother's territories in
Poitou, <fec.

160 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IEELAND.

only happy when lie marked his steps with blood ; nor could
inaccessible cliffs, crowned with towers which art and situa-
tion had rendered hitherto impregnable, withstand his bold
assaults ; whether thy were made by force of arms or strata-
gem ; whether they were directed against the battlements, or
sapped the foundations of the fortresses. But evil follows
on the heels of good, and virtue itself is often led into error
and crime. Thus the over zealous assertor of the rights of
peace and justice, was led to execute the laws with furious
rigour against evil-doers, in order to curb the audacity of a
stubborn people, and make the innocent secure in the
midst of the guilty. This ought to have earned for him due
praise from those who were right-minded ; but the railings
of the disaffected raised against him a popular cry accusing
him of cruelty. It appears, however, that he incurred
this imputation without any sufficient grounds ; as, the de-
mands for such severity soon abating, he reassumed his na-
tural gentleness and clemency, and his rigid administration
gradually settled into the golden mean, as far from cruelty
as it was from being remiss.

Besides, the author of nature has joined suffering to the
nature it has called into existence. Thus our lion-hearted
prince,1 who is more than a lion, is troubled with a quartan
ague, as lions are, as a means of subduing the fierce im-
pulses of his spirit. Quaking under continual accesses of
this disorder, but not from fear, his quaking makes the whole
world to tremble and to fear likewise. In short, among the
several virtues for which he is distinguished, there are three
which are incomparably eminent, and shed a peculiar lustre
on his character. These are, his brilliant courage ; his
boundless liberality so worthy of a prince, and gracing so
well his other virtues ; and his resolute firmness both of
mind and word. In conclusion, to sum up much that might
be said, in a brief eulogy, he is second to his illustrious
brother in age only, and not in merit.

Bi chard Cceur ie Lion,

DIFFERENT CHARACTERS OF THE BROTHERS. 16]

OF THE DIFFERENCE IN PERSON AND CHARACTER BE-
TWEEN THE TWO BROTHERS.

DIFFERENT as were the habits and pursuits of the twobro
thers,1 sprung from the same stock and the same root, each
has merited everlasting glory and endless fame. They were
both tall in stature, rather above the middle size, and of
commanding aspect. In courage and magnanimity they
were nearly equal ; but in the character of their virtues
there was a great disparity. One was admirable for gentle-
ness and liberality, the other distinguished himself by his
severity and firmness. The one had a commendable suavity,
the other gravity. One was commended for his easy tem-
per, the other for his determined spirit. One was remark-
able for his clemency, the other for his justice. The vile and
undeserving found their refuge in the one, their punishment
from the other. One was the shield of bad men, the other the
hammer to crush them. The one was bent on martial sports,
the other on serious conflicts. The one bestowed his tavours
on foreigners, the other on his own people ; the one on all the
world, the other on the worthy only. The one's ambition
magnanimously compassed the world ; the other coveted, to
good purpose, what was rightfully his own.

But why should I dwell on such details ? Neither the
present age, nor any former times, have seen two princes
born of the same king, so noble, and yet so different. Yet
the germs of their great and various virtues, and of far
greater still, if it were possible, might all be derived, differ-
ent as they were, in rich abundance, from their illustrious
stock. Whatever good qualities you find in either of them,
you know were transfused from tne root into the branches.
For who was ever more merciful to the meek, or more cruel
to the fierce, than their right noble father ? But still his
tendency was to mercy. After every victory, thinking it his
supreme revenge to have had it in his power to take ven-
geance. Who was braver in arms — who more subtle in
counsel ? Who could ever be more cheerful with the light-
hearted, or more serious with the grave ? I must not de-

l Henry, the young titular king, and Eichard, who succeeded to tht
throne on their father's death.

M

162 THE TOPOGRAPHY OF IRELAND.

fraud history of its truth, although there is sometimes dan-
ger in telling all that is true; for it is a perilous thing on
any occasion to use your pen against one who can proscribe
you by a stroke of his ; it is hazardous to bring charges
against one who can send you into banishment. Still, I
will ask, who carried himself more nobly among the lower
orders ? who lowered himself so much among the nobility ?
Who more exalted the humble ? who more humbled the
proud ? Again, who was ever more favourable to foreign-
ers ? who more burthensome to his own people ? Who, I
say, held himself more aloof from his friends, or was more
friendly to aliens ? For at one time pretending to a cha-
racter not his own, at another dissembling what belonged to
himself, he rendered his disposition so flexible in his great
prudence, that filling different characters to different per-
sons, and becoming all things to all men, he made all things
conform to his own will, as time and place required

OF THE PRINCES OP BRITANY AND IRELAND.1

THE Armorican-British and the Irish dominions proclaim
the well-merited praises of the two others. Both of
them were of rather short stature, a little below the middle
height; and for their size were well- shaped enough. Of
these, the one is already distinguished by his virtues, and
has attained the highest honours ; the other will. The one
is well versed in military affairs ; the other has to be in-
structed in them. The one is corn in the ear, the other in
the blade. The one is already great in action, the other
leads us to expect he will be "great ; for not degenerating
from his high origin, he has equalled his most noble brothers
in worth as far as his powers admit. Hence whether he
originally derived it from the parent stock or from parity
[with his brothers], it could not degenerate in his time.
The one is an eloquent and astute man, and as he could not
easily be deceived, is most prudent, if he would not deceive.
In two wars, and in various ways imitating Ulysses as well
as Achilles, he has been ever, alas ! ungrateful to his father,
and in this has trod in the footsteps of his elder brother,
too plainly marked. He has more aloes than honey in him ;

1 Geoffrey, count of Britany, and John, on whom his father conferred
the dominion of Ireland.

THE PRINCES Oif B JUT ANY AND IHELAND. 1G3

his tongue is smoother than oil ; his sweet and persuasive
eloquence has enabled him to dissolve the firmest alliances ;
and his powers of language to throw two kingdoms into con-
fusion ; for with wonderful industry he assumes all shapes,
and dissembles all his designs. But as a man of many
words will not be guided in his ways on the earth, the Lord
hath not directed his goings, nor multiplied his days.

The other,1 led away by the fervour of youth and en-
snared by its passions, is prone to vice, and rude to his mo-
nitors ; lending himself to the seductions of his time of
life, instead of resisting the impulses of nature. Hitherto,
therefore, by reason of his age, he is more given to plea-
sures than to arms, to dalliance than to endurance ; to juve-
nile levity, more as yet, than to manly maturity, which he
has not attained. He employs most of his time in those
evil courses which gallants pursue, by which even youths
who are naturally good are often roused to feats of arms,
and soar from the camp of Cupid to the arts and towers of
Pallas. As, then, he has obeyed the laws of green youth,
so he will conform to those of subsequent age. Since,
therefore, it is no disgrace to have enjoyed the pleasures of
youth, but the shame lies in not bringing them to an end,
juvenile levity is excusable if the mature age be commend-
able ; and that stage of life is blameless, if age sets bounds
to indulgence. The tree which bends its boughs downwards
cannnot strike deep roots.

This is the last of the three brothers ; may he not be the
last in virtue ; but being always dutiful to both his parents,
may his days be long and prosperous on earth ! May he
as truly conform to the description given by Merlinus
Ambrosius, in a prophecy much noised abroad, of the man
before whom the walls of Ireland shall fall, as he appears
to answer to it. " His beginning," it says, " shall be aban-
doned to loose living, but his end shall waft him to heaven."

1 Prince John, afterwards king of England, and lord of Ireland.

M 2

164 THE TOPOGEAPHY OF IRELAND.

HOW THE BEOTHEES QUAEEELLED BETWEEN THEMSELVES.
AND WITH THEIE FATHEE.

0 YE gods, if these illustrious brothers had been united
by the ties of fraternal love, and had regarded their father
with filial affection, if they had been bound together by the
twofold cords of good-will and of nature, how great, how in-
estimable, how splendid and incomparable in the present
age, would have been the glory of the father, and the tri-
umphs of the sons ? How worthy would have been their
history, worthy of the genius of a Maro, to be given to
memory ? What valour could resist their prowess ; what
kings, such princes ; what realms, such warlike chiefs ?
The world itself is too small to allow scope for the exercise
of so much bravery ; and the surface of the earth would
scarcely suffice to contain the triumphal annals of such
valour. To what a magnitude, and height, and strength the
tree would have grown, if the branches had been naturally
knit together, and had drawn their sap from the roots, is mani-
fest from the premature decay and heavy fall of what was
so precious. For as branches lopped from the stem of a tree
cannot reunite, so the tree stripped of its boughs, a treason-
able outrage, is shorn both of its dignity and gracefulness.

OF THE SAXON, SPANIAED, AND SICILIAN.1

How three noble shoots sprung from one weak root in the
west, or rather, how three most brilliant rays of one sun
which rose in the West, shone brightly on three opposite
parts of Europe, would be a fitting sequel to my present
theme. I shall endeavour to compile a full and true, but
short, history of this important and difficult matter, which
is worthy the pen of a far higher genius, if I have your
commands to employ mine on the subject. For nothing
can or ought to be thought a heavy task which is enjoined
by so high a Majesty.

1 The husbands of king Henry's three daughters, of whom the eldest,
Maud, was married to Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony, the second,
named Eleanor, to Alfonso VIII., king of Castile, and Joan, the
youngest, to William II., king of Sicily. The last, after her husband's
death, married Raymond, count of Toulouse.

THL END OF THE TOPOGBAPHT OF lEELAND.

THE VATICINAL

HISTOKY OF THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

THE AUTHOR'S FIRST PREFACE.

FORASMUCH as in my Topography of Ireland I have de-
scribed at large the site of the island, its singularities, and
those of sundry things contained in it, the marvels in which
nature has there indulged out of her ordinary course, and
the origin of the various races settled in it from the earliest
ages until these our own days, I have now undertaken, at
the earnest request of many persons of high rank, to set
forth in a separate volume the annals of events which have
occurred in our own days relating to the last and recent
conquest of Ireland. For if I have been able to give a to-
lerably clear account of times long past, and of things
which happened in ages so far preceding our own, how
much more exact will be my narrative of transactions which
have taken place under my own observation, of the greatest
part of which I have been an eye-witness, and which are so
fresh in my memory that I cannot have any doubt about
them. The Topography treats of localities and events con-
nected with ancient times, the History deals with the pre-
sent.

But methinks I see some one turn up his nose, and, dis-
gusted with my book, hand it to another, or throw it aside,
because the reader will find all things in it plain, clear, and
easy of apprehension. But let him^know that I have writ-
ten chiefly for the use of the laity, and of princes who have

166 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

but little learning, and desire things to be related in so
simple and easy a style, that all may understand them. For
we may be permitted to use popular language when the acts
of the people, as well as of their superiors, are to be re-
duced to writing. Besides, it has been my endeavour to
compose all my works in a popular style, easy of apprehen-
sion, however I may have added to it some ornament from
my own stores ; and I have therefore entirely rejected the
old and dry method of writing used by some authors. And,
inasmuch as new times require new fashions, and the philo-
sopher bids us follow the examples of the old men in our
lives, and of the younger men in our words, I have earnestly
aimed to adopt the mode of speech which is now in use,
and the modern style of eloquence. For since words only
give expression to what is in the mind, and man is endowed
with the gift of speech for the purpose of uttering his
thoughts, what can be a greater folly than to lock up and
conceal things we wish to be clearly understood, in a tissue
of unintelligible phrases and intricate sentences ? To shew
ourselves sciolists in a knowledge of our own, shall we take
pains so to write, that others may see without comprehend-
ing, and hear without understanding ? Is it not better, as
Seneca says, to be dumb, than to speak so as not to be un-
derstood ? The more, then, language is suited to the under-
standing, though framed with a certain elegance of style,
the more useful it will be, as well as more suited to the
tastes of men of letters. Wherefore the poet says,

Dixeris egregie notum si callida verbum
Keddiderit juncturanovum.

Inasmuch also as some malevolent person has made slan-
derous attacks on my Topography, a work not to be de-
spised, I have thought it worth my while to introduce here
a few words in its defence.1 The elegance of its scholastic
style has obtained uniform praise from all quarters ; and
though it is contrary to my detractor's nature to commend
anything, he is ashamed and afraid to cavil at my First and
Third Distinctions. But it is no easy matter to act a coun-
terfeit part, and my critic, not being able quite to change

l This book against Giraldus's Topography of Ireland appears to be
lost, and even the author's name is unknown.

THE AUTHOR'S FIRST PREFACE. 167

his natural disposition, that he might at least do some mis-
chief, and vent the malignity with which he was bursting, he
boldly cavils at the Second Distinction, hoping that by con-
victing me of falsehood in that he shall discredit the whole.
His objections are of this sort : — the author, he says, " in-
troduces a wolf talking with a priest ; he draws a picture of
a creature with the body of a man, and the extremities of an
ox ; he tells us of a bearded woman ; and of a goat and a
lion which had intercourse with women." Let him, how-
ever, if he is so shocked at these stories, read in the
Book of Numbers how Baalam's ass spoke, and the prophet
chid the ass. Let him read the lives of the Fathers, and he
will find Anthony conversing with a satyr ; and that Paul
the hermit was fed in the desert by a raven. Let him also
read the other voluminous works of Jerome, the Hexameron
of Ambrose, and the Dialogues of Gregory. He will find
Augustine's volume "De Civitate Dei," and especially
Books 16 and 21, full of prodigies. Let him also read the
eleventh Book of Isidore's Etymologies, concerning mar-
vels ; his twelfth Book, respecting beasts ; and his sixteenth,
respecting precious stones and their virtues. Let him also
examine the works of Valerius Maximus, Trogus Pompeius,
Pliny, and Solinus; and in all these he will find many
things at which he may cavil in the same manner. After
reading these, I say, will be condemn the whole works of
these great writers on account of some extraordinary ac-
counts which they have inserted in them ? But let him be
better advised, and consider well the remark of St. Jerome,
that there are many things contained in the Scriptures
which, though they seem to be incredible, are nevertheless
true. For nature cannot prevail against the God of nature ;
and every creature ought not to abhor, but to admire and
hold in reverence, the works of the Creator. To adopt also
the words of Augustine on this subject : " How can any-
thing be against nature which exists by the will of the great
Creator ?" A prodigy therefore is not contrary to nature,
but contrary to the common course of nature ; and therefore,
as it is not impossible for God to ordain and create whatso-
ever things he listeth, no more is it impossible for him to
alter and change into what forms he listeth the things he
has already created.

1G8 THE CONQUEST OF IEELAND.

Still I do not desire that every thing I have stated should
be blindly received as an undoubted truth ; for I myself do
not so firmly believe in all of them that I have no sort of
doubt in my own mind concerning them, those only excepted
of which I have myself had proof by personal experience, or
which may easily be made the subject of experiment by any
man. Eor the rest, I so account of them, as neither affirming
nor denying their truth. Those who possess and know the
value of precious stones from India, do not wonder at them
so much as those who never saw them before ; and if they
had never seen them, they probably would not believe that
such things existed, or if they did believe it, would marvel
at that of which they had no experience. But repeated obser-
vation removes the incentives to wonder; for things of which
we have ocular proofs every day come by use to be lightly
esteemed, although in themselves they are as wonderful as
ever. Thus the Indians set little value on their commodi-
ties, which when brought here are objects of admiration.
Hence Augustine, when speaking of the gospel, where water
was changed into wine, saith : "Marvellous is the power of
God in the creation and government of the heaven and the
earth, and in the daily conversion of the water, which the
vines imbibe from rain, into wine, and in the growth of corn
and trees from a grain of seed ; and yet, because these are
natural occurrences, we make no account of them. "Where-
fore God hath reserved to himself some things out of the
common course of nature, though they be of less import-
ance, in order to bring to the memory the power which he
exercises on a larger scale."

Let, then, my detractor see and acknowledge that the
Lord of nature hath purposedly done many things before
the eyes of man contrary to the common course of nature,
in order that it may be very evident that God's power far
exceedeth man's knowledge, and His divinity surpasseth
man's understanding. Cassiodorus therefore saith : " It is a
great point of knowledge in man to understand that God
can and does perform such great and wonderful things as
far transcend the capacity of the human intellect to compre-
hend. For nature doth always, and as it were purposely,
interlard her regular operations with some new forms, in
order that although her ordinary works may be in some

THE AUTHOR'S SECOND PBEFACE. 169

measure within man's comprehension, nevertheless he may
be unable to comprehend the whole of her powers. If,
then, these old writers have so carefully inserted in their
works accounts of the wonders which occurred in their
days, setting us the example of using the same freedom in
recording what is strange and contrary to the usual course
of nature in our time and in our country, why should I,
unless the whole world is given up to wickedness, be cen-
sured and maligned? And if any new and strange thing
be brought to light through my work, let not the malicious
forthwith cavil at and condemn it ; but excusing some
things, and approving others, suffer us to proceed with our
undertaking. For, as the poet says : —

" Si patribus nostris novitas invita fuisset,
Ut nobis, quid nunc esset vetus ? Aut quid haberet,
Quod legeret, tereretque viritim publicus usus ?"1

Let them, therefore, cease to condemn anything because
it is new, because in the lapse of time the novelty ends, and
it becomes old. In such matters, the present age may find
things it cannot explain, and which yet posterity may glory
in. The one may be offended by what the other will read ;
the one may find reason to condemn what the other will
esteem ; the one may reject what the other will accept.

THE SECOND PKEFACE

OF SILVESTEE GIEALDUS CAMBEENSIS.
HAYING been often requested, and that by many persons,
to write the history of such of the memorable acts per-
formed in my own times as I have either heard reported by
credible witnesses, or seen with my own eyes, I was wont
to allege in excuse the wickedness of the age. For, cer-
tainly, luxury and wantonness have so much increased, and
become so riotous and absorbing, that men are only careful
to pamper their bodies, and the mind is held in total thral-
dom. Nevertheless, reflecting and carefully considering
how very useful the knowledge of these matters will be to

1 Hor. Epist. ii. 1, 90.

170 THE CONQUEST OF IEELAND.

posterity, and that nothing is more pernicious and hurtful
to a laudable genius and studious mind than the idleness
contracted by a slothful disposition, I at length persuaded
myself, though not without much difficulty, to yield to these
requests, and take my pen in hand. Yet what can be more
presumptuous than to write when leisure is wanting ; to
publish books which are to be in everyone's hands, when we
nave no time to read them over ourselves ; to submit them
to the criticism of a crowd of envious and malignant judges,
without having ourselves revised them ? Tally, that well-
spring of eloquence, being on some occasion asked to
make an oration, excused himself on the ground that he had
not prepared himself by reading the day before. If so
great a master of language is found requiring the advan-
tages of study, what must be the case with others ? And truly,
the powers of the human mind are apt to decay, unless
they are refreshed by continual exercise ; for reading is, as
it were, the daily food and aliment by which eloquence is
fed and nourished. As the stock gathered in the barns is
soon exhausted if it be not kept up by fresh supplies, and
stores of wealth are soon spent, if they are not renewed ; so
man's imperfect knowledge is speedily exhausted, unless it
have recourse to foreign aids. We are constituted of two
natures — one temporal, the other eternal ; and, having res-
pect to both, must devote the earthly and transitory part
of our existence to things trifling and temporal, while, as
to that within us which is permanent, we aspire to glory
that fadeth not away. The cares attending a place at court
may for a time engage the bodily powers, but those of the
mind are free, and cannot be stifled or enthralled ; and
though sometimes acting under our own impulse, and some-
times under the influence of others, should always take
their own course, and glory in their freedom. As for the
outward man, let it wander abroad and be troubled about
many things, and amuse itself with vain and trifling toys,
following the variable dictates of the wills, and subject to
the wretched and humiliating laws of the flesh ; but let the
treasure within, like the kernel in the shell, enjoy the in-
nate privilege which G-od has bestowed upon it, and be so
fenced round, that in a crowd it be not bewildered, in trouble
it be not disturbed, in solitude it be not lonesome.

THE AUTHOR'S SECOND PREFACE. 171

Gk>d and the king have each their several rights of power
and authority over us. The king can only exercise domi-
nion over the body, but He alone possesses the subtle and
incomprehensive part within us, who only can search and
know it. For the soul is a most noble and excellent thing,
surpassing all the other gifts of God under heaven. In-
comprehensible itself, it comprehends all things, and ex-
hibits its divinity by its marvellous powers embracing
in the glance of a moment the four quarters of the
globe. Penetrating with wonderful acuteness as well
as rapidity into all that the world contains, its structures,
its arts and sciences, it is only known to Him who is un-
known, seen of Him who is unseen, and measured bv Him
who is infinite. Grod forbid, therefore, that the continual
exercises of this soul should be hindered by vain and worldly
cares, so that they fail by omission, or become languid from
interruption. For what is the body to the soul, but a bur-
then and a punishment ; a prison which though it cannot
enthral, yet fetters. What the shell is to the kernel, the
same is the flesh to the spirit ; each of them encumbera
what it invests.

Wherefore, right noble count of Poictiers,1 the future
duke of Normandy and king of England, relying on its
gifts and influences, I have determined to compile a His-
tory of the Conquest of Ireland, and the subjugation of the
fierce and barbarous Irish nation, in these our days, and to
dedicate my work to your highness ; in order that the record
of the glorious achievements performed by your father may
augment your own glory ; and as you are the heir to your
father's territories, so you may be his successor both in law-
ful right and commendable rivalry of his triumphs and virtue,
I have therefore employed myself on this theme, though the
scene of events is narrow, barren, rough, and unprofitable ;
hoping, perhaps, to grace it by my style, and making it a
sort of exercise for my unpractised pen, as a prelude to

1 Giraldus, having dedicated his Topography to Henry II., takes this
opportunity of complimenting his son Richard, who at that time held
the county of Poictiers, his mother's inheritance, hy addressing this
History to him. This was in 1187, about two years before Henry's
death. Soon after king John's accession to the throne, GHraldus pub-
lished a revised edition of his History, which, as we shall presently
find, he dedicated to that king.

172 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

another work. For I have planned, though from a distance
and with much diffidence, to write hereafter a history of
your noble achievements, which, great in their first begin-
nings, have already shed the brightest lustre on your riper
years, and of the future increase, of which it shall be more
fully and adequately related.

THE AUTHOK'S PEEFACE

TO THE SECOND AND EEYISED EDITION OF HIS HISTOET,
DEDICATED TO JOHN KING OF ENGLAND.

To his most revered lord, and beloved in Christ, John, the
noble and illustrious king of England, lord of Ireland,
duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and count of Anjou :
Giraldus dedicates his work, wishing him all health in body
and soul, and the prosperous issue of all his worldly affairs.

It pleased your excellent and noble father, king Henry,
some time ago, when I was in attendance on himself, to send
me over to Ireland in your company. Having noted while
I was there sundry notable things which were strange and
unknown in other countries, I made a collection of mate-
rials with great industry, from which, on my return to Eng-
land, after three years' labour, I published a Topography of
Ireland, describing the country and the wonders of it ; not
forgetting the honour your father had gained from that
land. The work so pleased him — for, a rare thing in our
times, he was a prince of great literary attainments — that at
his instance, I afterwards renewed or rather continued my
labours, and composed the present work on the recent con-
quest of that kingdom, made by him and those under him.
But, as worth is more commended than rewarded, I received
no remuneration for either of these books.

But since, through neglect or rather your many occu-
pations, the recollection of that land, not the least among
the islands of the West, which you visited long since, seems
to have faded from your mind, I have undertaken to re-
fresh it, by dedicating to your highness a corrected and
fuller edition of my work. The history commences from
the time when prince Dermitius, driven into exile by his sub-
jects, took refuge with your father in Normandy, and

THE ATJTHOK'S LAST PEEFACE. 173

obtained aid from him, and is continued until your first
arrival in the island, when I attended you ; and I have
honestly related all that was done, whether for good or evil,
by the several leaders of expeditions and nobles who went
over to Ireland, in regular order from the first to the last.

Here then, as in a bright mirror, and far more clearly,
and certainly by the light of historical truth, it may be as-
certained, seen, and reflected to whom the greatest share of
glory of this conquest ought justly to be attributed ; whe-
ther to the men of the diocese of St. David's, my own kins-
men, who were the first adventurers, or to those of Llandaif,
men truly of better descent than enterprise, for they went
over on the invitation of the first conquerors, and tempted
by the example of their success to embark in a similar
adventure1 — or lastly, whether it be due to the third expedi-
tion, which consisted of a large force, amply supplied with
arms, provisions, and everything necessary.

Much was assuredly done by him who made the beginning,
much by him who went over with additional forces and
added strength to the first enterprise ; but far more by him
who gave his whole authority to the two former expeditions,
and sanctioned them by his license, and at last, by going
over himself, reduced the whole country to submission, and
resolutely completed the whole undertaking, though his too
hasty return from the island, caused by the unnatural con-
spiracy of his sons, prevented order being fully settled on a
firm foundation.

Do not undervalue then, noble king, what cost your father
and yourself so much toil, and do not part with so much
glory and honour to strangers who are both unworthy and
ungrateful ; nor for the sake of an island of silver hazard
the loss of one of gold ; for the one does not exclude the
other, but both together become doubly valuable. The
gold of Arabia and the silver of Achaia enrich the same
treasury, though in different heaps. Besides, other con-
siderations may induce you not to be unmindful of your

4 It need scarcely be remarked, that the " men of St David's," Giral-
uus's own kinsmen, were the Fitzgeralds, Fitzstephens, and De Barris,
the first adventurers ni the conquest of Ireland, who figure so conspi-
cuously in the following History. The men of Llandaff were Kichard,
earl Strongbow. whose castles of Strigul and Chepstow stood in that
diocese, and his followers.

174* THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

dominion of Ireland. It lias pleased (rod and your good
fortune to send you several sons, both natural and legiti-
mate, and you may have more hereafter. Two of these you
may raise to the thrones of two kingdoms, and under them
you amply provide for numbers of your followers by new
grants of lands, especially in Ireland, a country which is
still in a wild and unsettled state, a very small part of it
being yet occupied and inhabited by our people.

But if neither the desire of augmenting your own glory,
nor of royally endowing and elevating one of your sons, will
induce you to extend your fostering care to your dominions
of Ireland, you ought at least to protect and reinstate in
their rights those veteran warriors who have served your
father and yourself with so much devoted fidelity, by whose
enterprise that land was first taken possession of, and by
whose valour it is still retained, but who are constantly
supplanted by new-comers, reaping the fruits of other men's
labours, and advanced more by their good luck than by their
valour. It should be your care to abate the pride and
humble the insolence of such men as these ; for, if report
speaks true, their folly is risen to such a pitch of arrogance
and presumption, that they even aspire to usurp in their own
persons all the rights of dominion belonging to the princes
of that kingdom.

Wherefore you should take the greatest care that when
you have any designs of extending your conquests in the in-
terior of the country, you should keep a close watch on what
is passing in the Eastern districts, and use your utmost
efforts to recover, by God's grace, what has been unjustly
alienated there ; for you have nothing to fear in the West
if you leave no danger in your rear. It would doubtless be
a sign not only of great negligence, but of idle folly, and a
great reproach, were you to harbour in your own towns and
castles, and on your own lands, which although they may
be iii the West, would lie close on your rear, domestic ene-
mies, who are for ever plotting treason, and only wait for
time and opportunity to break into open revolt. It would
be like wrapping snakes in the folds of your robe, or nou-
rishing fire in your bosom which was ready to burst into
Ha me. It is unsafe for princes to foster any hydra-heads
in their dominions. It is especially unsafe for island princes

THE AUTHOR'S LAST PREFACE. 175

to have in their territories any other frontier marches than
the sea itself.

Moreover, if for these reasons, or any of them, you should
be induced to pity and relieve your land so often mentioned,
which is now desolate and in a manner deserted, and to re-
duce it to a state of order, not unprofitable to you and
yours, permit me to offer your royal majesty some advice,
though it may savour of the freedom of speech which is
natural to "Welshmen like myself, and which we can neither
alter or get rid of. I refer to the two pledges which your
father gave to pope Adrian, when he obtained his permission
to invade and conquer Ireland, and acted most prudently
and discreetly for his own interest, and those of his family
and people, when he secured the sanction of the highest
earthly authority to an enterprise of so much magnitude,
and which involved the shedding of Christian blood. One
was, that he would raise up the church of Grod in that
country, and cause a penny to be paid to St. Peter for every
house in Ireland, as it is done in England ; according to
the tenor of the bull of privilege granted by the said Pope,
and obtained from him by your father's prudence and policy,
and now laid up in the archives at Winchester, as is here-
after clearly set forth in the present History. But
Solomon says in the Proverbs, " Nothing less becomes a
prince than lying lips ;'M and it is especially dangerous to lie
to Grod, and for a creature to take upon himself to set at
nought his Creator. In order, therefore, to deliver the soul
of your father who made these promises, and your own soul
and those of your children, it is highly fitting that you,
having no other shield of defence against the anger of the
righteous judge for so much Christian blood already shed,
and perhaps still to be shed, should be very careful to fulfil
your father's vows. And if by so doing Grod be honoured
in this conquest, as is becoming and right, you may expect
that the earthly prosperity of you and yours will be aug-
mented, and above all, that eternal happiness will be your
portion at last.

These promises not having hitherto been performed, the
divine justice has therefore, we may well believe, suffered
calamities cf two kinds to happen by way of punishment.
1 Prov. xvii. 7.

176 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

The one is that the completion of this conquest, and the
profit to be drawn from it, have been deferred ; the other that
the first and principal invaders of Ireland, namely, Robert
Fitzstephcn,1 who was the first of our countrymen who
landed there, and as it were opened and shewed the way to
others, as also Hervey de Mont-Maurise, Eaymonde, John
de Courcy, and Meyler, never had any lawful issue of their
bodies begotten. Nor is it any marvel. The poor clergy
in the island are reduced to beggary. The cathedral churches,
which were richly endowed with broad lands, by the piety
of the faithful in old times, now echo with lamentations for
the loss of their possessions, of which they have been robbed
by these men and others who came over with them, or after
them ; so that to uphold the church is turned into spoiling
and robbing it.

It is the part of a good prince to redress these evils ; for
it concerns his honour, to say nothing of his duty to Grod,
that the clergy throughout his dominions, whose place it is
to assist him jfaithfully in his counsels, and in all the more
weighty affairs and principal acts of his government, should
be relieved of their grievances, and enjoy the honours and
privileges which are their due. Moreover, in order that
some acknowledgment and propitiation may be made to
Grod for this bloody conquest and the profits of it, the pro-
mised tax of the Peter-pence should be paid in future. It
is but small, and this moderate payment frees all, while it ia
not a burthen to any.

I would further add, with your permission, that in memory
of this conquest of Ireland made by the English, and be-
cause, in the course of years, there are great changes in the
succession of lords, so that in process of time the right of
inheritance often devolves on heirs by descent in remote
degrees, and even on utter strangers in'blood, a fixed annual
tribute in gold or birds,2 or perhaps in timber, should be
reserved by some written instrument, in order to show to all

1 Giraldus mentions in his History, on several occasions, a son of
Eobert Fitz-Stephen's, named Ralph ; but perhaps he was illegitimate.

2 By the birds may be intended some of the nobler breeds of hawks
for sporting. We shall find, in the course of tho History, that the tri-
bute of Roderic O'Connor, king of Connaught- was reserved to'bt
paid in skins.

THE AITTHOB'S LAST PREFACE. 177

future times that the realm of Ireland is subject to the
crown of England by an indissoluble bond.

Considering also that annals of events, heard through an
interpreter, are not so well understood, and do not fix them-
selves in the mind so firmly as when they are published in
the vernacular tongue, it would be well, if such be your
pleasure, that some man of learning, who is also skilled in
the French language, be employed to translate the work of
mine, which has cost me much labour, into French ;' and
then, as it would be better understood, I might reap the
fruits of my toil, which hitherto, under illiterate princes,
have been lost because there were few who could under-
stand my works. Hence a man of great eloquence, Walter
Mapes, archdeacon of Oxford,2 has often said to me in con-
versation, with his usual faeetiousness, and that urbanity
for which he was remarkable : " You have written a great
deal, Master Griraldus, and you will write much more ; and
I have discoursed much : you have employed writing ; I
speech. But though your writings are far better, and much
more likely to be handed down to future ages than my dis-
courses, yet, as all the world could understand what I said,
speaking as I did in the vulgar tongue, while your works,
being written in Latin, are understood by only a very few
persons, I have reaped some advantage from my sermons ;
but you, addressing yourself to princes, who were, doubt-
less, both* learned and liberal, but are now out of date, and
have passed from the world, have not been able to secure
any sort of reward for your excellent works, which so richly

1 French or Gorman was the language commonly used by the higher
classes in England at this period ; Latin, in which all the chronicles
were composed, being confined to the ecclesiastics, the only men of
learning ; and the good old Anglo-Saxon tongue, in which the first of
chronicles is written, being out of vogue, the language only of the vul-
gar, who could not read, or for whose instruction Giraldus, with all
his love of popularity, felt no concern. It need not be added that,
as far as we know, Giraldus did not succeed in his petition to have his
History translated.

2 Walter Mapes, a name celebrated in our literary history of the
latter half of the twelfth century, was the intimate friend of Giraldus
Cambrensis. He possessed much pungent humour, which he employed
in inveighing bitterly against the profligacy of the monks.

178 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

merited it." It is true, indeed, that my be4 years, and the
prime of my life, have been spent without any remunera-
tion or advancement arising out of my literary labours, and
I am now growing old, and standing, as it were, on the
threshold of death ; but I neither ask, nor expect, worldly
recompense from any one. My only desire is, and it is all
I ought to desire, that, first, and above all, I may partake
of the divine mercy vouchsafed to me by Him who giveth
all things freely, through good works ; his grace co-operat-
ing, nay, being the sole efficient cause ; and next, that
through my poor literary works I may obtain favour with
the world, if ever the pursuits of learning should again be
held in esteem, and recover their former eminence ; although
my reward may be deferred till further times, when poste-
rity is sure to award honour to every man, according to hia
just deserts.

CONTEXTS OF THE CHAPTERS. 179

CONTENTS CF THE CHAPTERS.

BOOK I.

J. How Dermitius, prince of Leinster, took refuge in Eng-
land, and was restored to his dominions by Henry
II., king of England . 184

J.I. How Dermitius returned through Great Britain; and of
his stay in Bristol, and afterwards in some parts of
Wales. . . . . . 186

III. Of the landing of Fitz-Stephen in Ireland, and the

taking of the town of Wexford _. . 189

IV. The conquest of Ossory r' . . . . 193
V. The whole of Ireland in league against Dermitius and

Fitz-Stephen ...... 195

VI. The description of Dermitius, son of Murchard . 196

VII The speech of Roderic . . . . .197

VIII. The speech of Dermitius .... 199

IX. The speech of Robert Fitz-Stephen . . . 200

X. How peace was restored . . . 201

XI. The coming over of Maurice Fitzgerald, and the con-
quest of Dublin . . . . . 202

XII. Of the preparations of Richard, earl of Strigul . 204

XIII. Of the coming over of Raymond, and defeat of the

men of Waterford at Dundunolf . . . 206

XIV. The speech of Raymond "*. . . 208
XV. The speech of Hervey .... 209

XVI. The coming over of earl Richard, and his taking the

city of Waterford, and marrying Dermot's daughter 211
XVII. How the city of Dublin was besieged and taken . 213

XVJII. Of the synod of Armagh . . . .215

XIX. How the king of England issued a proclamation
against the earl, and Raymond was sent over to the

king 216

XX. How Thomas, the illustrious archbishop of Canter-
bury, was martyred in England about this time . 217
XXI. Of the defeat of the Norwegians and Islanders at Dub-
lin, under their chiefs, Hasculf and John the Mad . 219

180 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

CH'PTKR PAO»

XXII. How Dublin was besieged by Roderic, king of Con-
naught, and the Islanders .... 22]

XXIII. The speech of Maurice Fitzgerald . . . 222

XXIV. The defeat of Roderic at Dublin . . .223
XXV. How Fitz-Stephen was treacherously made prisoner by

the men of Wexford .... 224

XXVI. The character of Fitz-Stephen. . . .225

XXVII. The description and character of earl Strongbow . 226
XXVIII. How the earl met the king of England in the neigh-
bourhood of Gloucester, and peace was restored be-
tween them ...... 227

XXIX. How, meanwhile, O'Roric, king of Meath, was de-
feated at Dublin. King Henry at Pembroke . 227
XXX. Of the coming of Henry II., king of England, to Ire-
land . . . . . .229

XXXI. How Fitz-Stephen was brought a prisoner to the king
at Waterford, and soon afterwards released ; and how
Dermitius, prince of Cork, and Duvenald, prince of
Limerick, and all the princes of the south of Ireland,
submitted to the king .... 229

XXXII. How all the princes of the north of Ireland, and Ro-
deric, king of Connaught, made voluntary submis-
sion to the king at Dublin . . . 230
XXXIII. Of the synod summoned by the king at Cashel, and

held with great pomp . . .232

XXXIV. Of the royal constitutions promulgated at the synod . 232
XXXV. Of the tempestuous and stormy winter . . 234

XXXVI. How the king was recalled by an intestine conspiracy.

Legates arrive from the court of Rome . . 236

XXXVII. How the king crossed over to Wales, arid from Wales

to England. The Lechlawar, or speaking-stone . 237

XXXVIII. How the king made terms of peace with the pope's

legates at Coutances, and with Lewis, king of France,
on the frontier-marches of his dominions, with his
usual prudence ..... 239

XXXIX. Of the vision, or rather visitation, made to king

Henry at Cardiff, and the revelation he received . 240
XL. How O'Roric, king of Meath, was betrayed, and slain

by the troops from Dublin .... 242
XLI. Of visions and their various fulfilments . . 244

XLII. The character of Maurice Fitzgerald . . .246

XLIII. How the king's sons, having openly rebelled against
him, the garrison he had left in Ireland was recalled,
and he committed the government then to earl

Richard 247

XLIV. Of the events of the two years' war, and how the king
was everywhere victorious over his sons ; and of his
great and commendable clemency to the vanquished 248
XLV. The character of Henry II., king of England 249

CONTENTS OF THE CHAPTERS. 181

BOOK II.

OTAPTRB PJ|<M|

I. How the earl was sent back to Ireland by the king, and

Raymond was again made commander of the army . 255
II. How the territory of Ophelan was laid waste and Lis-
more plundered, and the naval fight in the port of
Limerick ...... 255

III. How Raymond having returned into Wales, his troops
under Hervey were again defeated and slain by the
men of Dublin in Ossory ; and how the earl was shut
up in Waterford . . . . 256

IV. Of the return of Raymond on the earl's summons, and
his marriage to the earl's sister, Basilia ; and how
Roderic, king of Connaught, was driven from the
territory of Dublin, which he had invaded . . 257

V. Of the connexion of families by intermarriages; and
how Maurice, as well as Meyler, obtained grants of
land in Ireland . . ... . 259

VI. Of the privileges obtained in the meantime by the king
of England from the pope, and published at the
synod of Waterford .... 260

VII. Of the five titles, two old and three new, by which the

kings of Britain laid claim to Ireland . . 262

VIII. Of the famous siege of Limerick . . . 263

IX. The character of Raymond .... 265

X. The character of Meyler, and praise of his family . 266
XI. The character of "Hervey, and his accusation of

Raymond . . . . . . 268

XII. How succour was nobly rendered to the garrison of

Limerick by Raymond and Meyler . . . 269

XIII. The speech of Duvenald, prince of Ossory . . 270

XIV. How tidings of earl Strongbow's death were in the

meantime conveyed to Raymond ; and how in con-
sequence he evacuated Limerick, and drew off the gar-
rison to Dublin ..... 271
XV. How William Fitz-Aldelm was made chief governor of
Ireland, after the earl's death ; and how he inces-
santly troubled Raymond and Meyler. the sons of
Maurice, and all his race .... 273
XVI. The character of Fitz-Aldelm ; and how John De Courcy
(without the authority of his superior) was the
first who invaded Ulster, and after many battles
manfully subdued it .... 276

XVII. The character of John De Courcy ; and how Vivianus,
a legate of the see of Rome, held a synod at Dublin,
in which the king of England's right to Ireland was

182 THE CONQUEST OF IEBLAND.

CHAPTER PA<»«

publicly declared, and liberty was given of taking
provisions from churches on payment of the value . 281
XVTII. The recall of Fitz-Aldelin and the appointment of Hugh
De Lacy as his successor ; also the confederacy and
establishment of Fitz- Stephen, Milo de Cogan, and
Philip De Braose, in the territories of Cork and
Limerick, and various occurrences in those parts . 283
XIX. How Hugh De Lacy reduced to order the kingdom of
Ireland, and built castles; and how he fell into sus-
picion for having the Irish in-too much favour . 288
XX. The character of Hugh De Lacy, and an eulogium on

some young men of eminence . . . 289

XXI. How John, constable of Chester, and Richard De Pec
were sent over ; and several castles were built in
Leinster after Hugh De Lacy was recalled . . 290

XXII. How Hugh De Lacy was again s-ent over as governor . 291
XXIII. How Laurence, archbishop of Dublin, dies at Chateau
D'Eu, and how John Comyn was appointed his
successor ...... 292

XXIV. How John, archbishop of Dublin, was sent to Ireland
by the king, to prepare the way for his son (John) ;
and how Philip of Worcester came over as constable 294
XXY. How Heraclius, patriarch of Jerusalem, came by sea
from the East into the West, and crossed over to
England to entreat succour from Henry II., king of
England, for the Holy Land .... 295

XXYI. The king's reply to the patriarch, who threatens him
in a sort of prophetical spirit ; and of the princes
who joined the crusade .... 296

XXVII. Of the quarrel which broke out suddenly between the

kings ....... 3^0

XXVIII Of the emperor Frederick . . . .301

XXIX. A vision seen by the author of this book, and the

explanation of it . . . ' .- . 301

XXX. Of the memorable events in England during our time 304
XXXI. The first expedition of John, the king's son, to Ireland 309
XXXII. The praises of Fitz-Stephen and earl Strongbow, and

also their defence ..... 311

XXXIII. Of the delays and hindrances which prevented the

completion of the conquest of Ireland . . 311

XXXIV. A brief recapitulation of transactions in Ireland, when

the dominion of the kingdom was vested in John . 313
XXXV. For what reasons the king's son did not fully succeed
in his first enterprise. How three sorts of people
served in Ireland ..... 315
XXXVI. How the Irish nation may be entirely subjugated . 320
XXXVII. How the Irish people o:ig\t to be governed . 323

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THE HISTOET

OP

THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

BOOK I.

CHAPTEE I.

HOW DERMITITJS, PRINCE OF LEINSTER, TOOK REFUGE IS
ENGLAND, AND WAS RESTORED TO HIS DOMINIONS BY THE
KING OF ENGLAND.

jthe son of Mur chard,1 and prince of Leinster,who
ruled over that fifth part of Ireland, possessed in our times
the maritime districts in the east of the island, separated
only from Great Britain by the sea which flowed between.
His youth and inexperience in government led him to be-
come the oppressor of the nobility, and to impose a cruel
and intolerable tyranny on the chiefs of the land. Thia
brought him into trouble, and it was not the only one ; for
O'Eoric,2 prince of Meath, having gone on an expedition
into a distant quarter, left his wife, the daughter of Omach-
lacherlin,3 in a certain island of Meath during his absence ; and
she, who had long entertained a passion for Dermitius, took
advantage of the absence of her husband, and allowed her-
self to be ravished, not against her will. As the nature
of women is fickle and given to change, she thus became
the prey of the spoiler by her own contrivance. For as
Mark Anthony and Troy are witnesses, almost all the
greatest evils in the world have arisen from women. King
O'Eoric being moved by this to great wrath, but more for
the shame than the loss he suffered, was fully bent on re-

1 Dermot mac Murchard, or, more correctly, Mac Murrough, p
of Leinster. 2 Called in Irish, Tiernan O'K

or king

* Murtough O'Melaghlin, king of Meath.
Ihe heroine of this story, was Dervorgilla.

rince
uarc.
The name of his daughter.

DEBMITITTS TAKES BEFUGE IN ENGLAND. 185

venge, and forthwith gathered the whole force of his own
people and the neighbouring tribes, calling besides to
his aid Eoderic, prince of Connaught, then monarch of all
Ireland. The people of Leinster, considering in what a
strait their prince was, and seeing him beset on every side
by bands of enemies, began to call to mind their own long-
smothered grievances, and their chiefs leagued themselves
with the foes of Mac Murchard, and deserted him in his
desperate fortunes.

Dermitius, seeing himself thus forsaken and left destitute,
fortune frowning upon him, and his affairs being now des-
perate, after many fierce conflicts with the enemy, in which
he was always worsted, at length resolved, as his last refuge,
to take ship and flee beyond sea. It is therefore apparent
from many occurrences, that it is safer to govern willing
subjects than those who are disobedient. Nero learnt this,
and Domitian also, while in our times, Henry, duke of Sax-
ony and Bavaria,1 was made sensible of it. It is better for
a prince to be loved than to be feared ; but it is expedient
that he should be feared also, so that the fear proceeds
rather from good- will than from coercion. For whatever is
outwardly loved, it necessarily follows that the same must be
also feared. "Wherefore fear must be so tempered with love,
that neither a lax freedom degenerate into coldness, nor ter-
ror extorted by a rash insolence be turned into tyranny.
Love lengthened the reign of Augustus, but fear cut short
the life and rule of the emperor Julius.

Meanwhile, Mac Murchard, submitting to his change of
fortune, and confidently hoping for some favourable turn,
crossed the sea with a favourable wind, and came to Henry
II., king of England, for the purpose of earnestly imploring
his succour. Although the king was at that time beyond
sea, far away in Aquitaine, in France, and much engaged
in business, he received Murchard with great kindness,
and the liberality and courtesy which was natural *o him ;
and having heard the causes of his exile and coming
over, and received his bond of allegiance and oath of fealty,
granted him letters patent to the effect following : " Henry,
king of England, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and

1 Henry the Lion, duke of Bavaria and Saxony, who reigned from
1180 to 1195, and was deposed for his turbulence and violence.

186 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

count of Anjou, to all his liegemen, English, Normans, Welsh,
and Scots, and to all other nations subject to his dominion,
Sendeth, greeting, Whensoever these our letters shall come
unto you, know ye that we have received Dermitius, prince of
Leinster, into our grace and favour, — Wherefore, whosoever
within the bounds of our territories shall be willing to give
him aid, as our vassal and liegeman, in recovering his
territories, let him be assured of our favour and licence
on that behalf."

CHAPTEE II.

THE RETURN OF DERMITIUS THROUGH GREAT BRITAIN.

DERMITIUS, returning through Great Britain, loaded with
honourable gifts by the royal munificence, but encouraged
more by hope for the future than any aid he had yet ob-
tained, reached at last the noble town of Bristol. Here
he sojourned for some time, making a liberal expenditure,
as on account of the ships which made frequent voyages
from Ireland to that port, he had opportunities of hearing
the state of affairs in his own country and among his people.
During his stay he caused the royal letters patent to be
read several times in public, and made liberal offers of pay
and lands to many persons, but in vain. At length, however,
Richard, surnamed Strongbow,1 earl of Strigul, the son of
earl Gilbert, came and had a conference with him ; and
after a prolonged treaty it was agreed between them that in

1 Richard Strongbow was the representative of the great family of
Clare, whose ancestors, descended from Godfrey, a natural son oi
Eichard I., duke of Normandy, were counts of Brionne, which fief was
exchanged for the castle of Tunbridge, iri England. Gilbert de Clare,
earl of Strigul, Strongbow's father, made extensive conquests in South
Wales, with licence from Henry I., and was created earl of Pembroke
in the third year of Stephen, 1138. Eichard Strongbow, his son and
heir, succeeded to his father's titles, but was stripped of his inheritance
by Henry II., who, as some compensation, reluctantly permitted him
to improve his fortunes in Ireland. Striguil, or Strigul, has been con-
sidered synonimous with Chepstow, but it was a small castle, built by
earl Gilbert, and stood on the brow of the forest of Wentwood, about
four miles from Chepstow, commanding a pass in the road over the
hills from Abergavenny to Chepstow, which was still used by public
vehicles in our younger days. Some ruins of it are still to be seen. It
is probable, however, that both castles bore the name of Strigulia,
being the common property of th? Clares.

KETUBN OF DERMITIUS. 187

the ensuing spring the earl should lend him aid in recover-
ing his territories, Dermitius solemnly promising to give him
his eldest daughter for wife, with the succession to his king-
dom. This treaty having been duly concluded, Dermitius, in-
flamed with the natural desire, which is so universal, of
seeing his native land, lost no time in journeying to St.
David's, in South Wales. The passage from hence to Lein-
ster, by sea, may be accomplished in one day's sailing, and
the distance is so short that one coast may be seen from the
other. At that time, Ehys-ap-Grryffith was prince of that
country, under fealty to the king, and David the second
was bishop of St. David's ; both of whom treated the unfor-
tunate exile with great kindness.

Thus snuffing from the Welsh coast the air of Ireland
wafted on the western breezes, and, as it were, inhaling the
scent of his beloved country,1 Dermitius had the no small
consolation of sometimes feasting his eyes with the sight of
his own land, though the distance was such that it was diffi-
cult to distinguish between mountains and clouds. At that
time Hobert Fitz-Stephen, who had been made prisoner
tli rough the treachery of his followers at Aberteivy, the
chief place in the district of Cardigan, of which he was
castellan,2 and delivered up to Rhys, having been kept in
close confinement for three years, was released from prison

1 We may almost suppose that Griraldus had in view the beautiful
lines in which another princely exile is described as eagerly scanning
the intervening space of waters for any indications of his native land.

'I«ju«i>0£ Kai Kfnrvbv aiTod()(iJffKovra vofjffai

'lie yaij]Q. ODYSS. a. 58.

Ulysses, happy might he but behold

The smoke ascending from his native land. — COWPEK.

2 Robert Fitz Stephen was the son of Stephen, castellan of Abertivy,
or Cardigan, by Nesta, daughter of Rhys-ap-Tudor, prince of South
Wales, and sister of Griffyth-ap-RhyB. This extraordinary woman, ot
whom we shall learn more in the Itinerary of Griraldus, after being a
concubine of Henry II., had for her first husband Grerald de Windsor,
castellan of Pembroke, by whom she had three sons, the Fitzgeralds,
whose names frequently occur in the following History, and a daughter
named Angharad, who married William de Barri, the father of Sylves-
ter Griraldus, our historian, and several of whose other sons and grand-
sons distinguished themselves in the Conquest of Ireland. The Fita-
.geralds were, therefore, as they are here represented, half-brothers of
llobert Fitz-Stephen. See the Pedigree at the beginning of this Beck.

188 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

on condition of his joining Rhys in taking arms against
the king of England. But Eobert, considering that, on
the father's side, he was naturally bound in fealty to the
king his lord, although by his mother, Nesta, a lady of
high birth, the daughter of Ehys the Great, he was
cousin-german to Rhys-ap-Grinyth, preferred committing
himself to the chances of fortune and fate, at the hazard of
his life, in a foreign country, than to undergo the charge of
disloyalty, to the no small stain on his honour and reputa-
tion and those of his adherents and posterity. Through
the mediation, therefore, of David, bishop of St. David's,
and Maurice Fitzgerald,1 his half-brothers, who negotiated
between him and Dermitius, after licence obtained from Rhys,
a contract was entered into that Dermitius should grant to
Eobert and Maurice the town of Wexford, with two adjoin-
ing cantreds of land, to be held in fee ; in consideration
whereof the said Eobert and Maurice engaged to succour him
in recovering his territories, as soon as spring should come
and the winds be favourable.

Meanwhile, Dermitius, being impatient of the sufferings of
his continued exile, resolved on endeavouring to restore
his fortunes in his own country, which he had vainly sought
to mend in a foreign land. He therefore went about the
calends of August (1st August) to St. David's, the ancient
and rightful metropolitan church of Wales,2 proposing to
embark from that neighbourhood. The weather being fair,
and the wind favourable, it blowing from the east, he set
sail, and encountering the dangers of the passage, and the
landing, disembarked on a hostile coast, and, in his impa-
tience, passed unattended through the quarters of his nu-

1 David II., bishop of St. David's, 1149—1176, under whose care
our author was educated and first advanced in the church, and Maurice
Fitzgerald were his uncles. The first conquerors of Ireland were
nearly all descendants of Nesta, either by her two husbands, or through
a son she had by Henry II., and their degrees of relationship are so
constantly referred to by their kinsman, Giraldus, that it has been
thought advisable to subjoin a Pedigree of the family to make it clear.
This is inserted at the beginning of this History.

2 Giraldus was a stout supporter of the metropolitan rights of the
see of St. David's against the pretensions of the archbishops of Can-
terbury. Further reference to St. David's will be found in B. ii. c. 1
of our author's Itinerary of Wales.

TAKING OF WEXFORD. 189

merous enemies. Arriving at Ferns,1 be was honourably
received by tbe clergy of that place, wbo entertained him
to the best of their ability ; and for a time laying aside his
princely dignity, he spent the winter there in privacy.

CHAPTEE III.

THE COMING OVER OF ROBERT FITZ-STEPHEN, AND THE
TABLING OF WEXFORD.

IN the meantime, Robert Fitz-Stephen, mindful of his en-
gagement and true to his plighted faith, had mustered
thirty men-at-arms,3 of his own kindred and retainers, to-
gether with sixty men in half- arm our, and about three hun-
dred archers and foot soldiers, the flower of the youth of
"Wales, and embarking them in three ships, landed at the
Banne, about the calends of May, [A.D. 1170]. Then was
the old prophecy of Merlin the Wild3 fulfilled : " A knight,
bipartite,4 shall first break the bonds of Ireland." If you
wish to understand this mysterious prediction, you must
have respect to the descent of Robert Fitz-Stephen by both
his parents. On the father's side he was an Anglo-Norman,
on the mother's a Cambro-Briton, being the son of the noble
lady Nesta.

In his company there also came over a man of fallen for-
tunes, Hervey de Montmaurice, who, having neither ar-
mour nor money, was a spy5 rather than a soldier, and

1 Dermot landed at Glass- Carrig, a small creek and promontory on
the open coast of Wexford, about twelve miles south of Arklow Head,
and the same distance from Ferns, the see of a bishop, with his chapter,
by whom he was hospitably entertained. This city appears to have
been also the principal seat of the native princes of Leinster ; Dublin
being in the hands of the Ostmen or Norwegians, under kings, so called,
of their own race, who exercised an independent jurisdiction.

2 Milites. See a note to c. xi. on the rank and class of persons in-
cluded in this term.

3 Merlini Sylvestris. See on this personage B ii. c. 8 of the Itinerary.
* Not only was the blood of two races mingled in Fitz-Stephen, but

his armorial ensigns were, in the language of heraldry, bipartite ; parti
per pale, gules and ermine, with a saltier countercharged of the same.
5 Explorator. Though the word is translated spy, it is not meant to
convey that he was to act as such on his countrymen. Hervey's busi-
ness was to enquire into the resources of the country, and its capabili-
ties, in order to report to the earl, while making preparations for his

190 THE CONQUEST OF IEELAND.

as such acting for earl Bichard, whose uncle he was. On
the following day, Maurice de Prendergast,1 a stout and
brave soldier, from the district of Eos, in South "Wales,
following Fitz-Stephen, and having embarked at the port of
Milford, with ten men-at-arms, and a large body of archers,
in two ships, landed also at the Banne.2 All these forces
having disembarked on the island of the Banne, and finding
themselves in a position far from secure, the news of their
landing having been spread abroad, they sent messengers to
Dermitius, apprizing him of their arrival. Meanwhile, some
of the people who dwelt on the coast, although they had

invasion. It does not appear from the genealogy of the Clares, in
Duquesne, nor in any other we have seen, how this Hervey was related
to earl Richard Strongbow.

1 The family of Prendergast took their name from a vill, formerly
belonging to them, which is now a suburb of Haverfordwest. This
town was the chief place in the district of Ros, in which a colony of
Flemings was planted in the time of Henry I. See afterwards, in the
" Itinerary of Wales," B i. c. 11.

2 " It is by no means a question devoid of interest to identify the
spot where these first Anglo-Norman invaders set foot on the soil of
Ireland. There is a tradition which places it at a small peninsula or pro-
montory on the coast of Wexford, now called Bagabun, which, consisting
altogether of about thirty acres, forms a bold projection towards the
Welsh coast. On one side of the greater headland is a lesser promon-
tory stretching out to the east, about two hundred yards long, and
seventy broad, accessible only at its extreme point ; behind which rises
a lofty insulated rock, forming a breakwater to the surf on the point,
and imperfectly joined to the mainland by several smaller rocks which
are just seen above water, and are described as forming a kind of cause-
way to the point of the promontory itself. Here it is pretended that
Robert Fitz-Stephen ran in his ships, mooring them under the protec-
tion ot the larger rock, and landing his men by means of the low ridge.
The cut between the last of these rocks, across which he is said to have
jumped, is called popularly ' Fitz-Stephen' s Stride.' The invaders are
supposed to have first occupied the esplanade of the smaller peninsula,
where there are still traces of hasty fortifications, which command the
approaches and overlook the ground in the vicinity. In the middle of
the rude encampment is a space like the foundations of a house, which
is called ' Fitz-Stephen's Tent.' Others, however, have been inclined to
disbelieve the tradition which made the Anglo-Normans land on the
promontory of Bagabun, and they think, from the identity of the
name, arid its position with regard to Wexford, that the place now
called Bannow, which may, from the known encroachments of the sea
on this coast, have formerly been a peninsula, is the Banne of the au-
Cient writers."— Wright's History oj Ireland, vol. i. p. 71.

TAKIXf} OF WEXFORD. 191

deserted Dermitius when fortune frowned upon him, when
she changed her aspect nocked together to support him ;
according to the words of the poet :

Sic cum fortuna statque caditque fides.

Thus loyalty, with fortune, ebbs and flows.
Mac Murchard, as soon as he heard of their coming, sent
forward his natural son, Duvenald, who, though not legiti-
mate, was a man of consequence in his country, to join the En-
glish expedition, and followed himself, without loss of time,
and in great joy, at the head of five hundred men. Having
renewed their former engagements and confirmed them by-
many oaths mutually exchanged for security on both sides,
they joined their forces, and the combined troops of the
different races being united in one common object, marched
to the attack of the town of Wexford, distant about twelve
miles from the Banne. The people of the town, when they
heard of this, were so confident in their wonted good for-
tune, having been hitherto independent, that they sallied
forth, to the number of about two thousand men, and meet-
ing the enemy near their camp, resolved on giving them
battle. But when they perceived the troops to which they
were opposed, arrayed in a manner they had never before
witnessed, and a body of horsemen, with their bright ar-
mour, helmets, and shields, they adopted new plans with a
new state of aifairs, and having set fire to, and burnt the
suburbs, forthwith retired within their walls.

Fitz-Stephen lost no time in preparing for the attack ; and
lining the trenches with those of his troops who wore ar-
mour, while the archers were posted so as to command the
advanced towers, an assault was made on the walls with
loud cries and desperate vigour. But the townsmen were
ready to stand on their defence, and casting down from the
battlements large stones and beams, repulsed the attack for
a while, and caused numerous losses. Among the wounded
was Eobert de Barri,1 a young soldier, who, inflamed with
ardent valour, and dauntless in the face of death, was among
the first who scaled the walls ; but being struck upon his
helmet by a great stone, and falling headlong into the ditch

1 Eobert de Barri was an elder brother of Giraldus, being the son
of William de Barri, who married Angharad, daughter of Nesta, by
Gerald de Windsor. See the Pedigree at the beginning of this history

192 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

below, narrowly escaped with his life, his comrades with
some difficulty drawing him out. Sixteen years afterwards
all his jaw-teeth fell out from the effects of this stroke, and,
what is more strange, new teeth grew in their places. Upon
this repulse, withdrawing from the walls, they gathered in
haste on the neighbouring strand, and forthwith set fire to
all the ships they found lying there. Among these, a mer-
chant-ship, lately arrived 'from the coast of Britain with a
cargo of corn and wine, was moored in the harbour ; and a
band of the boldest youths rowing out in boats, got on
board the vessel, but were carried out to sea, the sailors
having cut the hawsers from the anchors, and the wind
blowing from the west ; so that it was not without great
risk, and hard rowing after taking to their boats again, that
they regained the land.

Thus fortune, constant only in her instability, almost
deserted not only Mac Murchard, but Eitz-Stephen also.
However, on the 'following morning, after mass had been
celebrated throughout the army, they proceeded to renew
the assault with more circumspection and order, relying on
their skill as well as their courage ; and when they drew
near to the walls, the townsmen, despairing of being able
to defend them, and reflecting that they were disloyally re-
sisting their prince, sent envoys to Dermitius commissioned
to treat of the terms of peace. At length, by the media-
tion of two bishops, who chanced to be in the town at that
time, and other worthy and peaceable men, peace was re-
stored, the townsmen submitting to Dermitius, and delivering
four of their chief men as hostages for their fealty to him.
And the more to animate the courage of his adherents, and
reward their chiefs for their first success, he forthwith
granted the town, with the whole territory appertaining to
it, to Fitz-Stephen and Maurice, according to the stipula-
tions in their original treaty. He also conferred on Hervey
de Montmaurice two cantreds lying between the towns of
"Wexford and "Waterford, to hold to him and his heirs in fee.

COSQUEST OF OSS1RT. 19Jf

CHAPTEE IV.

THE CONQUEST OF OSSOBY.

THESE things having been accomplished according to their
desires, and their troops having been reinforced by the
townsmen of Wexford, they directed their march towards
Ossory,1 with an army numbering about three thousand
men. Duvenald, the prince of Ossory, was the most implac-
able of all the enemies of Dermitius ; and some time be-
fore, when the son of Dermitius was his prisoner, having
become jealous of him, he carried his vengeance to such a
pitch, that he put out jiis eyes. When, therefore, the
combined forces first entered Ossory, they did not pene-
trate far into the province; for it being intricate and
full of difficult passes, woods, and bogs, they found that
the people were able to make a stout resistance in defence
of their country. Whereupon, elated by their frequent suc-
cesses, they pursued their enemies even as far as the cpen
plains. There, however, the horsemen of Eitz-Stephen
turned upon them, and charging them fiercely, defeated
them with great slaughter, and scattering the fugitives over
the country, slew them with their lances, and those who
were dashed to the ground by the charge of horse had their
heads quickly cut off by the broad-axes of the Irish foot
soldiers. The victory being thus gained, about two hun-
dred of the enemies' heads were collected and laid at the
feet of Dermitius, who, turning them over one by one, in
order to recognize them, thrice lifted his hands to heaven
in the excess of his joy, and with a loud voice returned
thanks to Grod most High. Among them was the head of
one he mortally hated above all the rest, and taking it up
by the ears and hair, he tore the nostrils and lips with his
teeth in a most savage and inhuman manner.

After this, they made several inroads through the farthest

1 The progress of their enterprise for reinstating Dermot mac Mur-
rough in his principality of Leinster, would naturally lead his foreign
allies, uniting their forces with his, to march northwards from Wex-
ford, following the course of the Nore or the Barrow, into the districts
of Ossory, one of which lay in the diocese of Leighlin, and the other iu
that of Kilkenny. These Vere probably the two bishops who assisted
in negotiating the treaty.

O

194 THE CONQUEST OF IBELANl).

parts of the country, which they ravaged and devastated
with fire and sword, until at length the prince of Ossory,
by the advice of his counsellors, sued for peace, which was
granted, although it was false on both sides, and, giving
hostages and taking solemn oaths, he did fealty to Dermitius.

In these encounters, as in all others, Robert de Barri and
Meyler1 distinguished themselves above the rest by their
eminent courage. Both these young men were nephews of
Fitz-Stephen, the one being his brother's son, the other his
sister's. They differed in their tempers and dispositions,
and agreed only in their valour. Meyler being ambitious
of honour and glory, all his acts had especial reference to
that end, and he lost no opportunity of doing anything
which could add to his fame ; but he was more desirous of
appearing brave than of being so. The other was naturally
a person of distinguished courage, who neither coveted
praise nor affected popularity, and strove rather to be always
among the first than to appear so. Such was his natural
disposition, that with a modesty becoming a maiden, he
neither boasted of or proclaimed his own doings, nor would
he suffer others to sound his praises. Hence it happened,
that the less he coveted honour, the more it clung to him ; for
honour follows virtuo, like a shadow the substance ; but it
deserts those who are most ambitious of it, and clings to
those who despise it, often more than they would wish, and
many men are more liked because they take no pains to
please ; praise being gained in an extraordinary manner
when it is avoided.

It happened, while the army was in Ossory, that they en-
camped one night in a certain old fortification, and these
two young men lying, as they were wont, in the same tent,

1 Of these two cousins, Robert de Barri has been already noticed.
Meyler, sometimes called, though not by our author. Meyler Fitz-
Henry, was the younger of the three sons of Henry, an illegitimate son
of Henry I., by Nesta. Meyler is a prominent character in this His-
tory ; but though Griraldus dwells with satisfaction on the renown of 'his
kinsman, and describes him as the nephew of Robert Fitz-Stephen
an i Maurice Fitzgerald, and consequently cousin-german of the De
B arris, he does not, for obvious reasons/ as a churchman, trace his
lineage through his own grandmother Nesta, to her royal paramour.
See the pedigree.

LEAGUE AGAINST DERMITIUS AND FITZ- STEPHEN. 195

suddenly there was a great noise, as it were, of many thou-
sand men rushing in upon them from all sides, with a great
rattling of their arms and clashing of their battle-axes. Sucli
spectral appearances frequently occur in Ireland to those who
are engaged in hostile excursions. The alarm was so general
that the greatest part of the army took to flight and hid
themselves in the woods and marshes ; but the two cousins,
snatching up their arms, ran to the tents of Eitz-Stephen,
loudly calling on their scattered comrades to rally for the
defence of the camp. Amidst the general confusion, Eobert
de Barri exerted himself actively, to the admiration as well
as the envy of many, for the safety of any of his retainers
who might happen to be there. For among his various ex-
cellent qualities, this one was especially noted, that in no
attack, however unexpected, in no sudden surprise, was he
ever known to fear or despair, or to flee shamefully, or to
exhibit any consternation of mind. He was always himself,
always prepared to stand on his guard, always ready to fly
to arms. He truly is the bravest man,

Qui promptus metuenda pati, si cominus instent ;
Et deferre potens.

Who to the rescue springs, when dangers press,
And stoutly wards them off.

This Robert de Barri was the first man-at arms who was
struck down and wounded in this invasion of Ireland.

CHAPTEE V.

THE WHOLE OF IRELAND IN LEAGUE AGAINST DERMITIUS
AND FITZ- STEPHEN.

IN the mean time, the wheel of fortune turns, and those
who were at the top are threatened with a sudden fall.
For as soon as the late successes of Dermitius, and the arrival
of a formidable band of foreign troops, were known through-
out the island, Roderic, prince of Connaught, and monarch
of all Ireland,1 considering how great things arise from

1 Roderic O'Connor, prince or king of Connauglit, was also "mo-
narch " or paramount lord of all Ireland. This high dignity, eorre«
•ponding with that of the Brstwalda in the axon Heptarchy, was con-

o 2

196 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

email beginnings, and foreseeing the evils which threatened
himself and his country from the coming in of strangers,
sent round messengers, and convoked an assembly of the
chief men from all parts of the island. These having taken
counsel with him, it was unanimously resolved to make war
against Dermitius, and several bodies of troops, with a vast
multitude of the people, were gathered together at Kente-
leia in Leinster.

Meanwhile Dermitius,in the time of his utmost need, found
that he had very few firm supporters, except Fitz-Stephen
and his followers ; some of his other reed-like friends aban-
doning his cause, and withdrawing privately from his stan-
dard, and the rest openly joining his enemies, and so break-
ing their oaths of fealty to him. He therefore retreated
with his remaining force to a position not far from Ferns,
which was surrounded by thick woods and steep mountains,
with waters and bogs, which made it naturally very inac-
cessible. Here, under Fitz-Stephen's direction, they felled
trees, plashed the underwood, broke up the surface of the
level ground by digging deep holes and trenches, and cut
secret and narrow passages through the thickets in several
places for the purpose of egress and ingress in case of at-
tack, so that having thus added to the natural strength of
the position by these defences, on which they bestowed
great industry, they succeeded in completely shutting out
the enemy, while means of access were open to themselves
and their friends.

CHAPTER VI.

THE DESCRIPTION OF DERMITIUS, SON OF MURCHARD.

DERMITIUS was tall in stature, and of large proportions, and,
being a great warrior and valiant in his nation, his voice had

ferred by election, in a national assembly of the Irish, on one of the
four kings or princes of the provinces into which the island was
divided ; the fifth, Meath. being assigned for the .-upport of the house-
hold of the paramount king for the time being. The other princes did
homage to him, and were bound to submit to his commands in peace and
war The supremacy was usually conferred on one or other of the
reigning princes of the Mac Carthies of Munster, the Mac Murrorghs
of Leineter, or the O'Connors of Connaught.

197

become hoarse by constantly shouting and raising his war-
cry in battle. Bent more on inspiring fear than love, he op-
pressed his nobles, though he advanced the lowly. A tyrant
to his own people, he was hated by strangers ; his hand was
against every man, and the hands of every man against him.
Meanwhile, Eoderic1 sent messengers to Fitz-Stephen, with
great presents and offers, to endeavour to persuade him to
depart in peace and amity, from a country in which he could
challenge no sort of right ; but the message was fruitless.
The envoys then applied to Mac Murchard, exhorting him to
unite his forces with theirs in exterminating the foreigners,
and promising that on his so doing the whole of Leinster
should be peaceably restored to him, and that Eoderic would
enter into a treaty of close alliance with him ; they alleged
many reasons concerning their common country and nation,
and used much speech to induce him to take this course ;
but all to no purpose.

CHAPTEE VII.

EODEEIC'S SPEECH.

EODERIC, perceiving that these proposals were of no avail,
and being convinced that he must have recourse to arms as
his last refuge, assembled his forces, and thus addressed
them : —

" Eight noble and valiant defenders of your country
and liberty, let us consider with what nations and for what
causes we are now about to wage battle. That enemy of
his country, that tyrant of his people, and foe of all men,
who was formerly driven out of the land, is now returned
with the support of foreign troops, and bent on the general
ruin of the state. Envious of his country's welfare, he has
brought in a foreign race, that, by the aid of a fierce and de-
tested nation, he may be able to inflict upon us the mischief
to which his own strength was unequal. Himself an enemy,
he has called in our greatest national enemy ; a people who
have long aimed at being lords over him as well as over all
of us, and give out that the dominion of our land justly be-

1 Eoderic O'Connor, prince of Connaught.

198 THE CONQUEST OF IBELAIO).

longs to them, and is even destined to them by ancient pro
phecies. Nay, he has so universally diffused his venom that,
while all are contaminated with it, he has not even spared
himself. 0 cruel, and far more cruel than ever beast
was ! For to satisfy his insatiable malice in the blood of
his own people, he spares neither himself nor his country,
nor sex, nor age. This is he who formerly was a most cruel
tyrant over his own subjects ; this is he who, supported by
bands of armed foreigners, is preparing to revel in the
blood of us all. He deserves therefore to be treated as a
public enemy, who proves himself to be the enemy of all.
Mark, my countrymen, mark well, how most states have been
overthrown in this way ; I mean by civil discord. Julius
Caesar, after having twice shewn his back to the Britons, re-
turned the third time, and subdued the country on the invi-
tation of Androgius, who was a victim to his own thirst for
revenge.1 This same Julius, after having, at length, con-
quered the western parts of the world, ambitious of su-
preme power, did not hesitate to bring foreign nations to
shed the blood of the Roman people, in a worse than civil
war. To come to examples nearer home and our own times,
we find Grurmund the terror of the isles, bringing in the
Saxons for the subjugation of the Britons, though it turned
out to his own ruin and humiliation. Soon afterwards,
Isembard, the king of the Franks, but the enemy of his
people, called in the aid of Grurmund to conquer France,
but without success. Let us then, following the example
of the Franks, and fighting bravely for our country, rush
against our enemies ; and, as these foreigners have come
over few in numbers, let us crush them by a general attack.
Fire, while it only sparkles, may be speedily quenched ; but
when it has burst into a flame, being fed with fresh ma-
terials, its power increases with their bulk, and it cannot be
easily extinguished. It is always best to meet difficulties
half-way, and check the first approaches of disease ; for,

sero medicina paratur,

Cum mala per longas invaluere moras.

Too late is medicine, after long delay,

To stop the lingering course of slow decay.

1 All this " British" history is of course taken from Geoffrey of Moo*
mouth.

SPEECH OF DEEM1TIUS. . 199

Wherefore, defending our country and liberty, and acquir-
ing for ourselves eternal renown, let us by a resolute attack
and the extermination of our enemies, though they are but
few in number, strike terror into many, and by their fate for
ever deter foreign nations from such nefarious attempts."

CHAPTEE VIII.

THE SPEECH OF DEEMITIUS.

MUBCHAED, perceiving that his troops were disheart-
ened, and apparently in a state of consternation, reanimated
them in the best manner he could. " Ye men of Leinster,"
,he said, " my tried comrades, whose faithful allegiance and
resolute spirit have been my support under all changes of
fortune, now is the time for us to stand boldly on our de-
fence. That bold contriver of wicked devices and ambi-
tious prince, Eoderic, who is aiming to subject all of us to
.a universal tyranny, threatens now to drive us again from
our country, or even, which God forbid, to massacre us
in it, and the danger is imminent. Arrogant in his num-
bers, he measures his ambition by the strength of his arm;
but a small and well-armed band, if brave, have often dis-
comfited an unarmed and ill-organized rabble. Does he
lay claim to Leinster, because some of its princes have been
occasionally subject to the kings of Connaught ? By the
same reason, I may challenge a right to Connaught, because
it has been sometimes held under my ancestors when they
were monarchs of all Ireland. But he does not merely seek
to rule as a monarch, but to condemn, to destroy, to drive
us out of the country, and, succeeding in h's own person to
all our rights and inheritance, to become sole master of all.
Many there are who boast of their great numbers and
trust therein, but let them be well assured that the men of
.Leinster never shrank from engaging a host of men ; for
victory is not won by numbers, but by valour and resolution.
"We, on our side, have humility against pride, right and equity
against injustice, moderation against arrogance; men gain
the victory by numerous virtues, not by innumerable forces.
Law and right allows us to repel force and injury by
force. It is a favourable cause to contend at once for our

200 . THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

country and our inheritance. They fight for gain, we to
avoid loss. Moreover, we occupy ground which is strongly
fortified both by nature and art, where excessive numbers
would be inconvenient, and a small force, full of courage and
acting in concert, may suffice to secure success."

CHAPTEE IX.

THE SPEECH OF EGBERT FITZ- STEPHEN.

WHEN Dermitius had ended his speech, Fitz-Stephen thus
addressed his followers : " Ye brave youths, my comrades
in war, who have gone through so many perils with me,
and been ever courageous and indomitable, if we now con-
sider what we are, under what leader, and for what purpose
we encounter our present dangers, our wonted valour will
still be in the ascendant, and the good fortune of our for-
mer wars will not desert us. We derive our descent, ori-
ginally, in part from the blood of the Trojans, and partly
we are of the French race.1 From the one we have our
native courage, from the other the use of armour. Since,
then, inheriting such generous blood on both sides, we
are not only brave, but well armed, can it be supposed that
an unarmed multitude and mere rabble are able to resist
us?

" Recollect, besides, that we have left behind in our na-
tive land ample patrimonies which we lost through domestic
frauds and intestine mischiefs. "Wherefore, we are come
hither, not for the sake of pay or plunder, but induced by
the promise of towns and lands, to be granted to us and our
heirs for ever. We are not come as pirates or freebooters,
but to reinstate this illustrious, generous, and liberal
prince in his own territories, of which he has been despoiled
by the treason of his followers. We have compassion on
the distressed, we succour the oppressed, we restore the des-
titute to his country and his inheritance. He loves our
nation, he it is who hath invited us here, and proposed to

1 Alluding to the tradition or fable, of the Trojans, under Brute, the
grandson of Dardanus, having established themselves in Britain. The
admixture of Norman blood in these Cambrian adventurers is less quea-

HOW PEACE WAS EESTOEED. 201

plant our race, and for ever settle it, in this island. It may
be the consequence of this enterprise that the five portions
into which it is divided may be reduced into one, and the
dominion of the whole kingdom devolve on our posterity.
If the victory be won by our prowess, and Mac Murchard
be restored, and the realm of Ireland be secured by our en-
terprise for us and our heirs for ever, how great will be our
glory, how worthy of being achieved even by the loss of life
and the contempt of death.

" For what is death, but a momentary interval of time,
a brief delay, and, as it were, a short sleep between this
fleeting life and that which is enduring ? What is death,
but a short passage from things transitory to things eternal ?
"We must all die, because that is the inevitable and common
fate of mankind ; and though no splendid or glorious actions
may have made us illustrious during life, by our deaths, at
least, we may make our names memorable in future ages.
Death is only to be feared by those who when they die ap-
pear as though all had perished with them ; but it has no
terror for such as have gained honour which can never fall
into oblivion. "Wherefore, ye valiant men, whose renown
is already known to fame, let us strive to shew this day that
our race has not degenerated, but in this conflict, either by
victory or death, gain immortal fame as the reward of your
valour."

CHAPTEE X.

HOW PEACE WAS EESTOEED.

EODEEIC well knowing the uncertainty of events in war,
and that, as it is justly said, " A wise man should try every
means before he has recourse to arms," and also greatly
dreading to join battle with foreigners who were completely
armed, he sent envoys to endeavour by all manner of means
to obtain terms of peace. Wherefore, by the mediation of
good men, with the assistance of the Divine mercy, peace
was at length agreed to upon the following conditions : ^ that
all Leinster should be left under the dominion of Dermitius,
and that he should acknowledge Eoderic to be the para-
mount king and monarch of Ireland, and yield him due sub-

202 THE CONQUEST OF IEELAND.

mission. For the performance of this, Dermitius delivered
his son Cnuth as an hostage, and B/oderic promised that if
in the course of time the peace should continue firmly es-
tablished, he would give his daughter in marriage to this
young prince. These conditions were publicly proclaimed,
and confirmed by oaths sworn by both parties ; but there was
also a secret agreement between them that Dermitius should
not bring any more foreigners into the island; and should
even send away those he had called in, as soon as he had
reduced Leinster to a state of order.

CHAPTER XI.

THE COMING OYEB OF MAURICE FITZGEBALD, AND THE
CONQUEST OF DUBLIN.

THESE matters being settled, and fortune appearing again
to smile upon them with a more favourable aspect, behold,
Maurice Fitzgerald, of whom I have already spoken in the
Second Chapter, and who was half-brother by the mother's
aide to Eobert Fitz-Stephen, landed at Wexford with ten
men-at-arms,1 thirty mounted retainers, and about one hun-

1 There being no equivalent terms in Latin for describing the different
classes of military men in the middle ages, the chroniclers often applied
the word milites to soldiers of all ranks, and especially to those of the
higher classes. This has led to some confusion, the word having been
often indiscriminately translated knights. The order of knighthood
was, however, a very high distinction, and conferred with much cere-
mony in chivalrous times, and it is plain that the number of " milites "
described by Giraldus as going over in the several expeditions to Ire-
land is much too great to be of this high rank. But the term included
not only knights, but all who were armed, cap-a-pied, or in complete ar-
mour, and who of course served on horseback. Grose (Mil. Antiq. vol.
i. c. 5) says that this force was chiefly composed of the tenants in
capite. Now every tenant by knight-service was required to find a
certain number of horsemen in complete armour, in proportion to the
fees he held, and the number was made up of his kinsmen and his
mesne-tenants owing him feudal service. In the case of these Welsh
levies for the invasion of Ireland, the service was voluntary ; personal
attachment to a tried and brave leader, the ties of kindred, so strong
and extensive in Wales, the love of adventure, and the prospect of
carving out an inheritance by the sword, drew numbers to the standard.
Generally, then, this class of military men represented what we should
BOW call the landed gentry of the country j a class below barons and

AREIYAL OF MAURICE FITZGERALD. 2G3

dred archers and foot-soldiers, who came over in two ships.
This Maurice was a man much distinguished for his honour
and courage, of an almost maidenish modesty, true to his
word, and firm in his resolution. Mac Murchard was much
delighted and encouraged by the tidings of this new arrival,
and calling to mind, with the desire of vengeance, the deep
injuries which the people of Dublin had done both to his
father and himself, he assembled an army and prepared to
march towards Dublin.

In the mean time, Fitz- Stephen was building a fort upon
a steep rock, commonly called the Karrec, situated about
two miles from Wexford, a place strong by nature, but
which art made still stronger.1 Maurice Ktzgerald, how-
ever, with the English troops, joined the army under
Dermitius, who took the command and acted as guide. In a
short time, the whole territory belonging to Dublin, with the
adjacent districts, were almost laid waste, and reduced to
the last extremity, by the ravages of the enemy, and by fire
and sword; so that at length the townsmen sued for peace,
and gave security for keeping their allegiance to their

knights, but of sufficient substance to provide themselves with a war
horse and complete armour, a very costly equipment in those days.
We have usually adopted the phrase " man-at-arms " to describe this
class of combatants, the milites of our author. Hooker, his old trans-
lator, whose version is not only quaint, but often very incorrect, calls
them " gentlemen of service ;" but the phrase here adopted is, we think,
preferable, it being understood to what class in society the " men-at-
arms" belonged. The immediate body-guard of the sovereign in the
present day, composed of men of a certain birth and standing, are
called " gentlemen at arms," as distinguished from the " yeomen of the
guard 5" but, although that designation would very nearly convey the
idea intended, it is scarcely suited to a translation of a work of the age
of G-iraldus.

The men-at-arms were attended by their servants and retainers, wha
wore half-armour, and formed an additional body of cavalry, in the pro-
portion, we find, of two or three to each man-at-arms. The infantry
consisted of spear and bill-men, cross-bowmen, and archers, in the pro-
portion of ten or more, according to the nature of the service.

1 Fitz- Stephen' s party threw up a slight rampart of sods and stakes
to fortify their camp on the Carrig, an elevated position, washed on two
Bides by the harbour of Wexford, and about two miles from the town.
A strong fort was afterwards erected on the spot.

204 THE CONQUEST OF IEELAND.

prince in time to come, and paying him due homage and
service.

Meanwhile, quarrels having broken out between Eoderic
of Connaught and Duvenald of Limerick, as soon as Eoderic
with his troops made an irruption on the borders of Limerick,
Dermitius despatched Fitz-Stephen and his followers to the
relief of Duvenald, who was his son-in-law. Duvenald thus
supported, after several battles, in all of which he was vic-
torious, compelled Eoderic to retreat with disgrace into
his own territories, and freed himself altogether from any
acknowledgment of his supremacy. In this expedition,
as in all others, Meyler and Eobert de Barri distinguished
themselves by their extraordinary valour. It was at this
time that the woman was seen who had a beard, and a mane
upon her back, like a horse, of whom I have already spoken
in Distinct, ii. c. 20 of my Topography.

CHAPTEE XII.

THE PEEPAEATIONS OF EAEL BICHAED.

MAC MUECHAED, elated with his late successes, raised his
hopes still higher, and having now recovered all his patri-
monial territories, became ambitious of regaining the rights
of his ancestors in old times, and formed the design of seiz-
ing by force Connaught and the monarchy of all Ireland.
With a view to this, he sought a private conference with
Fitz-Stephen and Maurice, and having opened to them all
that was passing in his mind, received for answer that what
he proposed could be easily accomplished if he could procure
strong reinforcements of English troops to support his pre-
tensions. Thereupon Dermitius used all manner of entreaties
to induce them to invite over more numerous bands of their
kindred and countrymen into the island, and take measures
for carrying his project into execution; and at last, the
better to persuade them, he offered to either of them his
eldest daughter in marriage, with the right of succession
to his kingdom. But as it chanced that both were already in
the bonds of lawful wedlock, they came at last, after much,
deliberation, to the conclusion that Dermitius should forth-
with despatch messengers to earl Eichard, who has been

PEEPAEATIONS OF EAEL EICHAED. 205

mentioned before in chapter 2, and to whom he had for-
merly promised to give this daughter when he was in Bristol ;
the messengers being the bearer of a letter to the following
effect.

" Dermitius, son of Murchard, prince of Leinster, to
Richard, earl of Strigul, son of earl Gilbert, sends greeting.

Tempora si numeres bene quee numeramus egentes,
Non venit ante suum nostra querela diem.

Were you, like those who wait your aid, to count the weary days,
You would not wonder that I chide these lingering delays.

We have watched the storks and swallows ; the summer
birds have come, and are gone again with the southerly
wind ; but neither winds from the east nor the west have
brought us your much desired and long expected presence.
Let your present activity make up for this delay, and prove
by your deeds that you have not forgotten your engage-
ments, but only deferred their performance. The whole of
Leiuster has been already recovered, and if you come in
time with a strong force, the other four parts of the king-
dom will be easily united to the fifth. You will add to the
favour of your coming if it be speedy ; it will turn out
famous if it be not delayed, and the sooner, the better wel-
come. The wound in our regards which has been partly
caused by neglect will be healed by your presence; for
friendship is secured by good offices, and grows by benefits
to greater strength."

Earl Richard having heard these tidings, and, after taking
much counsel, being encouraged by Eitz-Stephen's success,
of which he had been at first doubtful, resolved on pursu-
ing the same course as the others had done ; and, bending
every effort towards one object, on which his most earnest
desire wns set, he made all kinds of preparations for the
conquest of Ireland. This earl was descended from a very

1 See before, note to chap. ii. The Clares, notwithstanding their
high lineage and great alliances, had not been a prosperous family.
For joining in the league of the disaffected nobles, king Stephen seized
their castles in Kent and Sussex (Geata Stephani, B. ii.) ; and Henry I.
stripped this earl Kichard of his father's inheritance, ana refused
him that of his nephews ; so that he had great titles with
means.

206 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

noble stock, being of the famous race of the Clares : but his
name was greater than his means, his descent than his ta-
lents, his rights of inheritance than his property in posses-
sion.1 He addressed himself, therefore, to Henry II., king
of England, and earnestly prayed and entreated him that he
would either put him in possession of the lands which
justly belonged to him by right of inheritance, or grant
him licence to seek his fortune, trusting to fate, in foreign
countries.

CHAPTEE XIII.

THE COMING OVER OF RAYMOND, AND DEFEAT OF THE
MEN OF WATERFORD AT DUNDTTNOLF.

HAVING obtained the king's licence, although it was given
in jest rather than in earnest, earl Richard, suffering the
winter to elapse, sent forward to Ireland about the calends
(the first) of May, a young man of his own household,
whose name was Raymond,1 with ten men-at-arms and
seventy archers. He was a brave and stout soldier, expert
in the practice of arms, and nephew both of Fitz-Stephen
and Maurice, being the son of their elder brother. Land-
ing at the rock of Dundunolf,2 which lies on the sea-coast,
about four miles from Waterford, and to the south of "Wei-
ford, they threw up a rather slight fortification, made of turf
and boughs of trees. The townsmen of Waterford, and with
them Mac Lacheline of Ophelan (Offaly), quickly received
intelligence of their arrival, and suspecting mischief from the
neighbourhood of such strangers, they held a council, and
thinking it best to nip the evil in the bud, resolved on

1 Other historians call him Kaymond-le-Gros, which answers to our
author's description of his person in B. ii. c. 9. Throughout this his-
tory, in which he plays so distinguished a part, and perhaps shines the
most, he is simply called Eaymond. But he was a Fitzgerald, being
the youngest son of William Fitzgerald, the elder brother of Maurice
arid the bishop, and therefore nephew, by the half-blood, to Eobert
Fitz- Stephen. See the Pedigree.

8 Dundonolf or Dundrone, is a rocky promontory on the coast,
about eight miles from Waterford and twelve from Wexford. A strong
castle was afterwards erected on the spot where Raymond's hastily for-
tified camp stood.

BAYMOND'S VICTOST AT BUNDTJNOLF. 207

marching out in a body against them. Mustering, there-
fore, about three thousand men, they crossed the river Suir,
which runs under the walls of the town on the east side, di-
viding Desmonia [Munster] from Leinster, and being formed
into three bodies, boldly marched up to the intrenchments,
prepared to make the assault.1

But it is scarcely possible that courage will not shew
itself, or the ardour of valour be extinguished or daunted;
and therefore, Raymond and his followers, inferior as they
Avere in numbers, with surpassing gallantry sallied forth to
meet their assailants and engaged in the too unequal con-
flict. Their small band of soldiers was, however, unable to
resist the attack of the multitudes to which they were op-
posed ; and retreating to their camp, they were so hotly
.pursued by the enemy, that some of them entered pell-mell
with the fugitives before the barricade could be closed. .. .;

Eaymond, perceiving the strait to which his party was
reduced, and, in short, that the peril was imminent, faced
about boldly, and cut down with his sword, on the very
threshold, the foremost of the enemy who were forcing an
entrance. Thus nobly retracing his steps, while he dealt a
terrible blow, and shouted his war-cry, he encouraged his
followers to stand on their defence, and struck terror into
the enemies' ranks.

Thus, in the ever-doubtful fortune of war, those who to
all appearance were conquered, became in a moment the
victors ; and the enemy took to flight, and, dispersing them-
selves over the country, were pursued and slaughtered in
such numbers that upwards of live hundred quickly fell by
the sword ; and when the pursuers ceased striking from sheer
weariness, they threw vast numbers from the edge of the
cliffs into the sea underneath.

In this engagement a certain inan-at-arms, whose name
was William Ferrand, exhibited undaunted courage. His
'body was weak, but his spirit resolute ; for being diseased
with leprosy, which threatened his life, he sought to anti-

1 It must be recollected that the townsmen of Waterford and other
IHsli sea-ports were Norwegian settlers, who not only inherited the old
Northern blood, but were better armed and organized than the natives.
'Indeed, they appear to have opposed the only really formidable resist-
ance to the invaders.

208 THE COtfQTJEST OF IRELAND,

cipate the effects of a disease by a premature, though gl<*
rious, death.

Thus fell the pride of Waterford, thus its power was lost;
and from hence began the overthrow of the city, while the
hopes of the English were raised and encouraged, and their
enemies were struck with terror and despair. It was a
thing unheard-of in those parts that so great a slaughter
should be made by so small a band. But the English abused
their good fortune by evil and detestable counsels and inhu-
man cruelty; for having gained the victory, they kept
seventy of the principal townsmen prisoners in the camp,
for whose ransom they might have obtained the city itself
or an immense sum of money. Hervey de Montmaurice,
who with three men-at arms had joined them on their first
landing, and Raymond, took opposite sides of the question
during the deliberations.

CHAPTER XIV.
BAYMOKD'S SPEECH.

RAYMOND, contending earnestly for the liberation of the
prisoners, spoke thus : — " Brave comrades, to enhance whose
glory their fortune and courage seem to be enormous, let
us now consider what is to be done with our captives. For
my part, I see no reason for showing any favour to our
enemies ; but we must look on these citizens now, not as
foes, but as men : they are not resisting, but vanquished,
who have suffered adverse fortune while defending their
country. Their enterprise was honourable, and they are
not to be treated as thieves, insurgents, traitors, or free-
booters. They are now in such a position that mercy
ought rather to be shown them for example's sake, than
cruelty to torture them. It is, indeed, a difficult thing, as
was practised in old time, to moderate prosperity, when
spirits are apt to be extravagant and unruly, by submission
to some disagreeable occurrences. Let our clemency, there-
fore, procure for us the noble distinction that we who have
conquered others can conquer our own fury and wrath. It
is the part of temperance and moderation to check precipi-
tate resolutions, and soothe angry passions. How wortlrf

SPEECH OF HEEVEY. 209

fe it of a great man, in the midst of his triumphs, to count
it for sufficient revenge, that vengeance is in his power.

" Julius Caesar, for whose victories the world was not large
enough, when in the possession of unbounded power, caused
only one man, Domitius, to be put to death, and him he had
before pardoned, when his life was at stake. How inhuman,
how brutal is that cruelty, when mercy does not follow vic-
tory ! It is the part of a brave man to consider those as
his enemies with whom he is contending for victory, but to
Consider the vanquished as fellow-men ; that while courage
brings war to an end, humanity may add to the blessings of
peace. Mercy is, therefore, much more worthy of a noble
man than victory ; the one is a virtue, the other the effect of
fortune. Had these men fallen by our swords in battle,
doubtless that would have augmented our success and added
to our glory ; but as they were made prisoners, their lives
were granted, and they have been readmitted from the rank
of our enemies to the common fellowship of men, it would
be a great stain on our honour, and bring us to great dis-
grace, if we were now to inflict on them the punishment of
death. Since, therefore, their execution will not give us
possession of the country, their ransom, which will at once
augment the resources of the troops, and be an example of
virtue, must be thought preferable to their death. It is,
indeed, the duty of a soldier, fighting in battle, with the
helmet on his head, to thirst for blood, to give no quarter,
to think of nothing but cutting down his enemy, and with
more than brutal ferocity to be inexorable in all his acts ;
but when the tumult of battle is ended, and he has put off
his armour, his fierceness should also be laid aside, humanity
should then take its place, pity actuate a noble mind, and
gentle feelings revive."

CHAPTEE XV.

THE SPEECH OF HEETET.

RAYMOND having concluded his discourse, which was re-
ceived by a murmur of applause from the people, Hervey
stood up, and addressing the chiefs, thus began : — " Eay-
mond has discoursed to us very cleverly concerning mercy,

p

210 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

and perhaps has shewn us what is passing in his mind in
well-set phrases ; as if a foreign land was to be subdued by
merciful deeds rather than by fire and sword. Was that
the way by which Julius Caesar and Alexander of Macedou
conquered the world ? Did the nations voluntarily flock
together from all parts to such spectacles of mercy, or were
they not rather compelled to submit to the yoke by force
of arms and the terrors of cruelty ? "While people are yet
proud and rebellious, they must be subdued by all manner
of means, without regard to feelings of pity ; but when
they have submitted, and are ready to obey, then they may
be treated with all kindness, so that due order be taken for
their government. In this case mercy may be shewn, in
the other cruelty ; in the one there is room for pity — the
other only admits of severity. Eaymond argues with won-
derful mildness, as if we had already subjugated these na-
tions, and we had only to do with treating them kindly, or
as if our enemies were so few, that, with such valour as
ours, it matters not that we augment their numbers, whereas
the whole population of Ireland are leagued for our de-
struction, and not without reason. He seems to me to be
inconsistent, and contradicts himself. He comes here to
conquer and subdue the people, and he reasons in favour of
sparing them. What a specimen of false pity he exhibits
when he persuades us to neglect our own safety, and to be
moved to tenderness at the calamities of our enemies.
Besides, we have already more enemies than guards in our
camp ; we are surrounded with perils on every side ; is it
not enough that we are exposed to them from without, arid
must we also have them within ? Outside our trenches the
enemy's host is innumerable, within there are numbers who
plot our destruction.

What if it should happen that the prisoners should break
their bonds, which are but weak, and suddenly seize our
arms ? The mouse is in the pouch, the fire in the home,
the snake in the bosom ; the foe in quarters where he
is likely to shew small courtesy to his host. Tell me, I
pray you, whether Bayrnond's acts are not inconsistent with
his words. Let him answer me whether, if the enemy should
advance to storm our camp, and by any chance should sue*

THE CAPTURE OF WATEEFOED. 211

ceod, they would deal mercifully with us ? Would they al-
low the vanquished to purchase their lives ? Would" any
ransom induce them to release the captives ? But there is
no need of multiplying words when the thing is plain. We
must so employ our victory that the death of these men
may strike terror into others, and that, taking warning from
their example, a wild and rebellious people may beware of
encountering us again. Of two things, we must make
choice of one : we must either resolutely accomplish what
we have undertaken, and stifling all emotions of pity,
utterly subjugate this rebellious nation by the strong hand
and the power of our arms, or yielding to indulging in deeds
of mercy, as Raymond proposes, set sail homewards, and
leave both the country aud patrimony to this miserable
people."

Hervey's opinion was approved by his comrades, and the
wretched captives, as men condemned, had their limbs
broken, and were cast headlong into the sea, and drowned.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE AEEIVAL OF THE EAEL, AND THE CAPTUEE OP
WATEEFOED.

MEANWHILE earl Richard, having prepared all things ne-
cessary for so great an enterprise, took his journey to St
David's along the coast of South Wales,1 adding to his
numbers picked youths from the districts through which he
passed. When all was ready for the important voyage, he
betook himself to the port of Milford, and embarking there
with about two hundred men-at-arms, and other troops to
the number of a thousand, sailed over to Waterford with a
fair wind, and landed there on the tenth of the calends of
September [the 23rd of August], being the eve of the feast
of St. Bartholomew. On the morrow of the feast, being

1 The earl, proceeding from his castles of Chepstow and Strigul to
Milford Haven, would naturally take the road through Cardiff, Swan-
sea, and Carmarthen, subsequently described in the Itinerary of GHral-
dus. He constantly calls it " the coast-road through South Wales?"
and it is still described as such, the other road being through Aberga«
veuny and Brecon.

212 THE CONQUEST or IRELAND.

Tuesday, they joined their forces to those of Raymond,
whose banners were already displayed against the walls of
the town, and advanced together to make the assault. But
having been twice repulsed by the townsmen, and the rest
who had escaped the slaughter at Dundunolf, Eaymoiul,
discovering a little house of timber standing upon a post,
outside the wall, to which it also hung, loudly called on the
assailants from all quarters to renew the assault, and sent
men in armour to hew down the post. As soon as it was
done, the house fell, and carried with it a great piece of the
wall, and the assailants entering manfully through the breach,
rushed into the town, and slaughtering the citizens in heaps
along the streets, gained a very bloody victory. The two
Sytaracs being taken in the tower called Reginald's tower,1
were put to the sword, but Reginald and Machlachelin of
Ophelan, being also taken prisoners in the same place, their
lives were spared through the intervention of DermitiuH,
who just then came up with Maurice and Fitz-Stephen, as
well as Raymond. A garrison was placed in the town, and
the daughter of Dermitius, called Eva, having been then
given to the earl by her father, and their marriage solem-
nized, according to, and in confirmation of, the treaty be-
fore made,2 the whole army marched towards Dublin, with
banners displayed.

1 Reginald's Tower stood at an angle of the old city walls of Water-
ford, where it is still to be seen, in good preservation. The tower is
round, and of rude but massive construction, and a curious relic of the
architecture of the Ostmen or Norwegians, by whom it was built to
defend their mercantile colony at Waterford. [Reginald (Kegnald),
who was taken prisoner in it, was the chief magistrate, ruler, or king of
that people in Waterford. The two Sytaracs (Sihtrics or Sygtre) appear
from their names to have belonged to that hardy and enterprising race.
They seem to have held out to the last in the tower, their principal
stronghold.

2 It is scarcely necessary to remark that the marriage of the earl
Strongbow with Kva forms one of the subjects, illustrative of the na-
tional history, selected for fresco paintings on the walls of the new
palace at Westminster.

SIEGE OP THE C.TT OF DUBLIN. 213

CHAPTER XVII.

BIEGE AND SURRENDER OF THE CTTT OF DUBLIN.

DERMITIUS having received intelligence that the citizens of
Dublin had summoned the people from all parts of Ireland
to succour them in defending the place, and that all the
roads through the woods and other difficult passes were beset
with armed men, was careful to avoid his father's mischance,
and leading his army by the ridges of the mountains of
Giyndelachan (Grlendalough),1 he conducted it in safety to
the walls of the city. Dermitius had a mortal hatred for the
citizens of Dublin, and not without reason ; for they had
murdered his father, while sitting in the hall of the house
of one of the chief men, which he used for his court of jus-
tice ; and they added insult to the foul deed by burying his
corpse with a dog.

Now, however, on their sending envoys to Dermitius, and
through the powerful mediation of Laurence, of blessed
memory, who was at that time archbishop of Dublin,2 a

1 See the Topography, Distinct, ii. c. 28. There appears to have
been good strategical reasons for approaching Dublin through the
mountainous districts of Wexford and Wicklow, debouching in the
valley of Glendalough ; as Dermot thereby not only kept within his
own territories, but outflanked the hostile septs of Ossory and Meath,
who, combined with the powerful tribes in the west of Ireland, might
have disputed his passage through the country of woods and bogs which
lay in his direct road.

2 Laiirence O'Toole, archbishop of Dublin, 1162 — ]180, was son of
Maurice O'Toole, petty prince of Smaly. He was educated at G-lenda-
lough, which lay in his father's territories, and frequently in after-life re-
tired to its sacred recesses. When Dublin was first threatened by foreign
invaders, he interposed his mediation between the citizens and Dermot,
considering him probably as their paramount prince, though the Ostmen
of Dublin were in some degree independent. But his patriotic zeal after-
wards induced him to join the league of the native princes against the
rising power of the Anglo or Cambro-Normans, and even to head one
body of the forces which laid siege to Dublin. Finding, however, that
resistance to the English power was hopeless, and perhaps hoping that
the reform and advancement of the church, to which Henry was
pledged, would be carried into effect, he submitted to the English king.
Notwithstanding this, we find in the sequel of the History (B. ii. cu
23), that his patriotic conduct at the council of Lateran, towards th*
close of his life, gave umbrage to Henry, and that in consequence hs,
found a grave in a foreign land.

THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

truce was agreed upon, during which the terms of a treaty
of peace might be settled. Notwithstanding this, Kay-
mond on one side of the city, and on the other a brave
soldier, whose name was Milo de Cogan, (of whom we shall
speak further in the 21st chapter), rushed to the walls with
bands of youths, eager for the fight, and greedy of plunder,
and making a resolute assault, got possession of the place
after a great slaughter of the citizens. The better part
of them, however, under their king Hasculf,1 embarked in
ships and boats with their most valuable effects, and sailed
to the northern islands.2

On the same day two great miracles occurred in the city.
One was that the crucifix which the citizens struggled hard
to carry away with them to the islands remained immove-
ably fixed ; the other, that of the penny offered before it
having twice leapt back ; both of which are related in my
Topography.3

1 Giraldus has informed us in his Topography (Distinct, iii. c. 43),
that the Ostmen, who were Danes and Norwegians, but principally the
latter, founded colonies in Dublin, Waterford, and other places, on the
coast of Ireland, including Limerick and Cork, ostensibly for the pur-
pose of trade, but that they soon surrounded their towns with strong
fortifications, and became formidable to the native princes. We also
find from various indications in our author, and from other sources,
that their numbers were very considerable, and that they formed, as in
England, separate communities under their own laws, and kings of
their own race, of whom there are records of a succession during three
centuries from Anlaf or Olaf, the first king of Dublin mentioned by
Giraldus, to Ansculf or Asgal, whom we here find opposing the En-
glish, and in Waterford from Sihtric, who was contemporary with Anlaf,
to Reginald or Regnald, who is referred to in a preceding chapter.
These Scandinavian kings in Ireland, particularly those of Dublin, gra-
dually extended their power, not only by their arms, taking advantage
of the intestine divisions of the Irish princes, but by forming alliances
and intermarriages with them.

2 All the islands on the north and west of Scotland, and as far
south as the Isle of Man, were at this time occupied by Norwegian co-
lonies, with which their countrymen in Ireland had frequent commu-
nications, both political and commercial. It was therefore perfectly
natural that Asgal and his people, when driven out by the united forces
of Dermot and the English, should take refuge in the Isles, and ob-
taining reinforcements, return thence with the powerful armament by
which they endeavoured to regain their ascendancy in Dublin j as we
find in chap. 21.

3 Distinct, ii. cc. 45, 46.

THE SYNOD Or AEHAGH. 215

The earl then, having spent a few days in settling order-
in the city, left Milo de Cogan there as constable, and at
the instigation of Mac Murchard, who had not forgotten
an ancient feud with O'E-oric, king of Meath, made a hos-
tile irruption into the territories of that prince, and the
whole of Meath was plundered and laid waste with fire and
sword.

Roderic, king of Connaught, perceiving that he was in
jeopardy, " when his neighbour's house was on fire," sent
envoys to Dermitius, with this message : " Contrary to the
conditions of our treaty of peace, you have invited a host of
foreigners into this island, and yet, as long as you kept within
the bounds of Leinster, we bore it patiently. But now,
forasmuch as, regardless of your solemn oaths, and having
no concern for the fate of the hostage you gave, you have
broken the bounds agreed on, and insolently crossed the
frontiers of your own territory ; either restrain in future
the irruptions of your foreign bands, or I will certainly
have your son's head cut off, and send it to you." Der-
mitius, having received this message, made an arrogant
reply, adding also that he would not desist from the enter-
prise he had undertaken, until he had reduced Connaught
to subjection, which he claimed as his ancient inheritance,
and obtained with it the monarchy of the whole of Ireland.
Boderic was so indignant at this reply, that he caused
the son of Dermitius, who had been delivered to him for
an hostage (as mentioned before, chap. 10), to be put to
death.

CHAPTEE XVIII.

THE SYNOD OF AEMAGH.

AFTER these events, a synod of all the clergy of Ireland was
convoked at Armagh, in which the arrival of the foreigners
in the island was the subject of long debates and much de-
liberation. At length it was unanimously resolved, that it
appeared to the synod that the Divine vengeance had
brought upon them this severe judgment for the sins of the
people, and especially for this, that they had long been wont
to purchase natives of England as well from traders as from

216 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

robbers and pirates, and reduce them to slavery ; and that
now they also, by reciprocal justice, were reduced to servi-
tude by that very nation.1 For it was the common practice
of the Anglo-Saxon people, while their kingdom was entire,
to sell their children, and they used to send their own sons
and kinsmen for sale in Ireland, at a time when they were
not suffering from poverty or famine. Hence it might well
be believed that by so enormous a sin the buyers had justly
merited to undergo the yoke of servitude, as the sellers
had done in former times. It was therefore decreed by the
before-mentioned synod, and proclaimed publicly by uni-
versal accord, that all Englishmen throughout the island who
were in a state of bondage should be restored to freedom.

CHAPTEE XIX.

THE PROCLAMATION" OF THE KING OF ENGLAND.

REPORTS having been spread abroad of these events, which
were much exaggerated, and the earl having made himself
master not only of Leinster, but of other territories to which
he had no just claims in right of his wife, the king of Eng-
land made a proclamation that in future no ship sailing
from any part of his dominions should carry any thing to
Ireland, and that all his subjects who had been at any time
conveyed there should return before the ensuing Easter, on
pain of forfeiting all their lands, and being banished from
the kingdom for ever.

The earl finding himself in great straits, and that his
followers were much cast down at the loss of reinforcements
and the want of necessary supplies, after consulting his
friends, dispatched Raymond to the king, who was then in
the most distant parts of Aquitaine, with the following

1 The existence of a considerable slave-trade among the Anglo-Saxons
is a well-known fact. According to William of Malmsbury, book iii.,
c. 1, Bristol was a great mart for this trade, from whence, no doubt,
the unfortunate victims were transported to Ireland ; but the traffic was
considerably diminished, if not suppressed, by the zealous exertions of
Wulstan, bishop of Worcester, who died A.D. 1095. Yet, according
to this statement of Giraldus, it must have continued after that time.

THE MAKTYEDOM OF ST. THOMAS, 217

letter: "My lord and ting, It was with your licence, as I
understood, that I came over to Ireland for the purpose of
aiding your faithful vassal Dermitius in the recovery of his
territories. Whatever lauds, therefore, I have had the good
fortune to acquire in this country, either in right of his
patrimony, or from any other person, I consider to be
owing to your gracious favour, and I shall hold them at
your free disposal."

CHAPTEE XX.

THE MAETYEDOM OF ST. THOMAS.

RAYMOND pursuing his journey and having arrived at court
with the earl's letter, the king received him with great cold
ness, and being as usual much occupied with business,
deferred his reply.

About that time, Thomas, archbishop of Canterbury, in
England, perished by the hands of impious men, to the dis-
may of the great men of the realm, both lay and clerical ; after
having undergone the sufferings of banishment for nearly
seven years in much grief, wearing sackcloth on every part
of his body, and giving himself up to reading and prayer,
besides, the most severe of all afflictions, a grievous proscrip-
tion which spared no one, of whatever age or sex, his mar-
tyrdom at last filled up the measure of his sufferings and
glory. He himself threw open the doors of the sanctuary
to his furious enemies, and meeting boldly their drawn
swords, bowed his consecrated head to their violence. This
took place in the mother and metropolitan church, and
before the altar. There he received four wounds on the
crown of his head, the shaven crown which used to be re-
garded as a token of the protection due to the clergy,
inflicted by four brutal retainers of the court, with more
than brutal rage.1 The illustrious soldier and martyr of
Christ was thus distinguished by intrepidly suffering in that
part of the body which betokened Christ's sufferings during
his passion, and exchanged a corruptible for an incorruptible
crown. He also hallowed the holy week of Christmas by

1 A quatuor aulicis canibus, rabie plusquam canina furentilmt*

218

THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

then shedding his blood ; and as the fifth day before Christ-
mas is consecrated to the memory of the first Thomas, so the
second Thomas shed glory on the fifth day after Christmas.1
The one was the light of the East, the other of the West ;
one illuminated the infant church, the other the church of
the latter days ; and as the one cemented the foundations
of the rising church with his blood, so the other, by shed-
ding his blood, renewed the primitive virtues, and restored
the edifice which in the lapse of so many ages had fallen to
decay by the injuries of time, and the violence of the storms
to which it had been exposed. The first Thomas was actu-
ated by an ardent faith, the second was more than fervent
when faith was now growing old. The one submitted to
cruel torments while erecting the frame of the church, the
other did not shrink from meeting death in order to preserve
that frame uninjured. His triumphant claims to such glory
are well summed up in the two following verses :

Pro Christi sponsa, Christ! sub tempore, Christi
In templo Christi verus amator obit.

In Christ church, and at Christmas tide,

For Christ's spouse, Christ's true servant died.

Among his numerous miracles, there was one which was
very memorable, and is well worthy of being mentioned ;
namely, the marvellous way in which he restored organs
which had been actually lost ; for by this novel kind of
miracle it plainly appeared that he was a new martyr.
Hence some one has said,

Miratur rediisse virum neutratus, ocelli
Succedunt oculis, albus hie, ille niger.

In order that no caviller might object that they were the
same eyes which the sufferer had before, and to shew that they
were not merely injured but actually plucked out, the new
organs of sight were smaller and of" a different colour, and
had the power of seeing not only in the li^ht of day, but in
the dark.

This grain of wheat falling on the ground produced an

1 The feast of St. Thomas, the apostle, is held on the 21st December,
and that of St. Thomas a Becket on the 29th December.

OYERTHEOW OF THE DANES AT DUBLIN. 219

abundant harvest. St. Thomas was cut off in the forty-
eighth year of his age, the eighth of his consecration, and
the seventh of his exile ; finishing his course happily to-
wards the close of December, and thus ending his life with
the year, and entering on a new life in the year of our Lord
1171, when Alexander was pope of Rome, Frederick was
emperor, and Louis, king of France. Hence some one
says :

Annus millenus centenus septuagenus

Primus erat, primas quo ruit ense Thomas.

" In the year one thousand one hundred and seventy-one, the primate
Thomas fell by the sword."

Meanwhile, when the winter was passed, Dermitius mac
Murchard died at Ferns, full of years, on the calends (the
first) of May.

CHAPTER XXI.

THE OYEETHEOW OE THE DANES AT DUBLIN.

AT this time, about the feast of "Whitsuntide, Hasculf, who
had been king of Dublin, sailed into the Liny with sixty
ships full of Norwegians and men of the isles,1 and burning
with revenge for his former discomfiture. Landing from
their ships, in all haste, they sat down before the east gate
of the city, prepared to assault it. They were under the com-
mand of John the Woode, or John the Mad, for such is the
signification of the word, and were all warriors, armed in the
Danish fashion, some having long breast-plates, and others
shirts of mail ; their shields were round, and coloured red,2
and were bound about with iron. They were iron-hearted
as well as iron-armed men.
Milo de Cogan,3 who was then governor of the city, with

1 See note 3, c. xvii.

2 We find in Ordericus Yitalis (B. x. c. 7), that when the expedition of
Magnus, king of Norway, appeared off the Welsh coast in the eleventh
century, a red shield was hoisted at the mast-head of the admiral's
ship. Red was not only the national colour of the Scandinavian
nations, but of the kindred Anglo-Norman race, and so continues to
the present day, both in Denmark and England.

3 Milo de Cogan, who is afterwards (B. ii. c. 10) called Milo of St,

220 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

his natural intrepidity boldly dared to march out to attack
them, though his force was unequal to theirs. Bat not
being able with inferior numbers to withstand the enemy's
attack, he was compelled to retreat inside the gate, after
losing some of his men, one of whom had his leg cut off by
a single stroke of a battle axe, though it was cased in iron
armour on both sides. At length, Eichard de Cogan,
Milo's brother, sallying unobserved from the east postern
at the head of a small body of troops, fell on the enemy's
rear with loud shouts ; by which unexpected and sudden
attack they were thrown into confusion, having to face
their assailants both behind and before, and, such is the
doubtful fortune of war, were quickly routed and took to
flight.

They were nearly all put to the sword, and among them
John the Mad, who was captured and slain by the aid of
"Walter de Ridenesford and some others. Hasculf fell into
their hands while seeking to make his escape over the strand
to his ships ; and, to do more honour to the victory, he was
brought back in triumph to the city of which he had been the
ruler not long before. He was therefore reserved for ransom ;
but being brought before Milo de Cogan, was imprudent
enough to vent his indignation before the crowded court in
these words : " "We are come now," he said, " with a small
band, but this is only the commencement of our enterprise ;
and if life be spared me, it will soon be followed by much
more formidable attempts." Upon hearing this, Milo
ordered him to be beheaded : for on the tongue resteth life
and death, and God humbleth the proud. It is an ill
remedy for trouble to vent grief in such a manner as to

David's, was one of the most distinguished men engaged in the con-
quest of Ireland, exhibiting great prudence as well as bravery, and
filling important offices. We find that he married a daughter of Robert
Fitz-Stephen, and there is no doubt of his having been a Welshman,
and ho was probably connected by blood with the other adventurers.
Perhaps Cogan is the same name as Gwgan or Wogan, belonging to
a family of high standing in Pembrokeshire, where they were lords
of Wilton, and who also acquired great eminence in Ireland. The con-
jecture is confirmed by finding that Sir John Wogan, who was chief
justice there in the time of Edward L. founded a chauntry in the
cathedral of St. David's.

SIEGE OF DUBLIN. 221

aggravate it. Thus, Hasculf, whose life had been pardoned,
lost it for an arrogant speech.

CHAPTEE XXII.

THE SIEGE OP DUBLIN BY EODEEIC OF COtfNATTGKET
AND THE MEN OF THE ISLES.

AFTER this, the Irish finding that the resources of the
earl were failing both by the loss of men and scarcity of
victuals, with which the island had hitherto been plentifully
supplied from England, the princes assembling their forces
from all quarters, laid siege to Dublin, at the head of nearly
all the people of Ireland. They were moved to this, as it
is reported, by the patriotic zeal of Laurence, archbishop of
Dublin, who joined with Eoderic, king of Connaught, in
sending letters to G-ottred, prince of Man,1 and to other
lords of the isles, inviting them to blockade the city on the
sea-side ; for which good reasons were assigned, and ample
pay was promised. These princes were more ready to en-
gage in this enterprise, from the alarm they felt that the
successes of the English were putting their own indepen-
dence in danger, and they therefore lost no time in sailing
with a favourable wind from the east, in about thirty ships
full of men trained to war, and speedily entered the port
of Avenliffy.2

The earl and his followers had now been confined within
the walls of the city for nearly two months, and having
received no supplies of food, either by land or sea, were
in great want of provisions. And as evil seldom comes
alone, and one misfortune is heaped upon another, just then,

1 In 1077, Godred (Gudrod), a Norwegian, conquered the Isle of
Man, and the other Sudreyjar islands, which were tributary to the
crown of Norway, as well as Dublin and great part of Leinster. This
occasioned the expeditions of king Magnus Barfod and his son Sigurd,
related in the Chronicles and Sagas. Godred was deposed, but after-
wards regained the Manx throne, and his successors reigned there till
the time of Magnus, the last of his descendants, and the last Norwegian
king of Man. The reigning king of this race, probably Godred Ola-
veson, very naturally came to the aid of his countrymen in Dublin OB
this occasion.

8 The mouth of the Liffy— in fact, the bay of Dublin.

222 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAJTD.

lo ! Duvenald,1 son of Dermitius, arrived from Kinsale,
bringing intelligence that Fitz-Stephen, with a small force,
was beleaguered in his camp at Carrig by the townsmen of
Wexford, joined by the men of Kinsale, to the number of
about three thousand ; and that unless they were succoured
by a strong body of troops within three days, they must sur-
render at discretion.

At that time there were with the earl, besieged within the
walls of Dublin, Fitzgerald, Maurice, and Raymond, who
was just returned from court, all of whom were greatly
troubled at the position in which not only themselves, but
their friends, were placed. Maurice, especially, much as he
was concerned on his own account, was still more anxious
for his excellent brother, Robert Fitz-Stephen and his wife
and children, who, surrounded by the enemy, were in a very
ill-fortified hold, constructed of only turf and stakes. He
therefore rose and thus addressed the earl and the other
chief commanders.

CHAPTER XXIH.

THE SPEECH OP MAURICE FITZGERALD.

" WE did not come into this remote part of the world for
our pleasure, and to enjoy repose, but to try our fortunes
and prove our valour at the risk of our lives. For awhile
we were in the ascendant, but now the wheel is turned, and
we are in a low estate. Such is the mutability of human
affairs, that prosperity is always chequered by 'adverse cir-
cumstances. After the day comes night, and when the
night is spent the day returns again. "We, whose triumphs
had gained us such abundance of everything that a success-
ful fortune could bestow, are now beleaguered by the enemy
on all sides, both by sea and land, and our provisions have
failed. We get no supplies by sea, which is commanded by
the enemy's fleet. Fitz-Stephen, likewise, whose valour and
noble enterprise opened to us the way into this island, is

O'Donnell ? A natural son of Dermot mac Morrough, as we may
suppose, from his daughter Eva having conveyed the inheritance of hia
territories to earl Strongbow.

DEFEAT OF RODEKIC. 223

shut up in a sorry fortress, which is strictly watched by a
hostile people. "What then do we look for ? Is it suc-
cour from our own country that we expect ? Nay, such
is our lot, that what the Irish are to the English, we too,
being now considered as Irish, are the same. The one
island does not hold us in greater detestation than the
other. Away then with hesitation and cowardice, and let
us boldly attack the enemy, while our short stock of pro-
visions yet supplies us with sufficient strength. Fortune
helps the brave, and a well-armed though scanty force,
inured to war, and animated by the recollection of former
triumphs, may yet crush this rude and disorderly rabble."

Talia vooe refert, curisque ingentibus seger,
Spem simulat vultu, premit alto corde dolorem.

Maurice having finished his speech, Eaymond, who shared
his anxiety and distress, delivered his opinion to the same
effect ; and all joined in approving it. He also added that
they ought first to attack the king of Connaught, as the
chief and greatest of their enemies; for having defeated
him, they would have little difficulty in dealing with the
other armies.

CHAPTEE XXIV.

THE DEFEAT OF EODEEIC AT PUBLIC.

THEKEtrpoisr the brave youths flew to arms, and their small
force, having been divided into three troops, they immedi-
ately arranged themselves in separate divisions. In the
first was Eaymond, with twenty men-at-arms; in the
centre, Milo, with thirty ; in the third and last were the
earl and Maurice with forty. Some horse-soldiers and a
few citizens were joined to each division, and besides these
a small number were left to guard the walls. After
some contention whether the governor of the city or the
Commander of the troops was entitled to lead in the first
battle, they issued forth from the gates about an hour after
nones, and this small band fell boldly on the enemy's army
of thirty thousand men, taking them by surprise, and oif

224 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAN1*.

their guard, for they expected no attack at that time, in con-
sequence of some skirmishes having taken place in the
morning of the same day. Raymond, ever first among the
foremost, threw himself on the enemy long before the rest
came up, and pierced two of them through with his lance.
Meyler also, and the two sons of Fitz-Maurice, Gerald and
Alexander, although they were stationed in the last troop,
suddenly rushed to the front, prompted by their innate
valour, and being rapidly followed by others distinguished
for their bravery and skill in arms, made great slaughter of
the enemy. Numbers having been slain, and the whole
army put to the rout, Roderic himself, who was bathing,
having escaped with difficulty, they pursued the vanquished
fugitives, putting them to the sword, until the evening.
Then at length they returned in triumph to the city, driving
before them cars full of provisions, and loaded with arms
and other booty. The other troops immediately dispersed,
as well those of the archbishop, who were posted on the
south side of the city, as all the forces of Leinster, namely,
those of Machelonus (Mac Lachlin), Machaleney (Mac El-
wyn), Grillemolmoc, and Othnethel, and others also who
were equally dismayed, save only the men of Kinsale and
Wexford. Likewise O'Roric of Meath, O'Carvel of Uriel,
and Mac Saline of Ochadese, who were posted on the north
side, with a vast multitude, broke up their camps. On the
morrow, the English, leaving a garrison in the city, unfurled
their standards, and, flushed with victory, marched by the
upper road through Odrone towards Wexford.

CHAPTER XXV.

FITZ-STEPHEN IS TREACHEROUSLY TAKEN PRISONER.

MEANWHILE, as fortune is continually changing, and suc-
cess always attended by some adverse event, the men of
"Wexford and Kinsale, to the number of about three thou-
sand, regardless of their oaths and the faith they had
pledged, marched against Fitz-Stephen, and taking him
unawares, when he apprehended nothing of the kind, and
had only a few men-at-arms and archers to defend his fort,

or FITZ-STEPHEN. 225

they harassed him with incessant attacks. But finding that
ail their efforts were fruitless, for his men, though few, were
at all times ready to stand on their guard, and one particu-
larly, whose name was William Not, much distinguished
himself by his brilliant courage in this defence, they had
recourse to their usual falsehood and cunning. Bringing
with them to the entrenchments the bishops of Wexford
and Kildare, and other ecclesiastics, in their sacred vest-
ments, they took solemn oaths on the holy relics that Dublin
was taken, and that the earl, with Maurice and Eaymond, and
all the English were slain ; also, that the king of Connaught
and his army, with the Leinster troops, were on their march,
and drawing near to "Wexford. They also asserted that what
they proposed was for the advantage of Fitz-Stephen ; for
as he had treated them like a courteous and liberal prince,
they wished to send him and his followers back to Wales
in safety, before the arrival of the vast army which was iii-
censed against him. At length, Fitz-Stephen gave credit to
their assertions, and committed himself and his people to
their pledged faith. Whereupon they suddenly fell upon
the English, and killing some of them, and cruelly beating
and wounding others, threw them into dungeons. A true
report, however, being soon received that the siege of Dublin
was raised, and that the earl was near at hand, the traitors
set fire to the town with their own hands, and crossed in
boats to the island of Begeri, also called the Holy Isle,
which lies at the mouth of the harbour, taking with them
the captives and all their effects.

CHAPTEE XXVI.

DESCRIPTION OF FITZ-STEPHEN.

O EXCELLENT man, the true pattern of singular courage, and
unparalleled enterprise, whose lot it was to be obnoxious to
fickle fortune, and suffer adversity with few intervals of
prosperity ! O, worthy man, who both in Ireland and in
Wales experienced so many changes of fortune, and bore
them all with equanimity.

QUJC pejor fortuna potest, atque omnibus usum,
QutB melior.

226 THE CONQUEST OF IKELAKD.

0, Fitz- Stephen ! Thou wert indeed another Marius ; fo*
if you consider his prosperity, no one was more fortunate ;
if you consider his misfortunes, he was of all men most
miserable. Robert Fitz-Stephen was stout in person, with
a handsome countenance, and in stature somewhat above
the middle height ; he was bountiful, generous, and pleasant,
but too fond of wine and women.

Meanwhile, as the earl was on his march towards Wex-
ford, the Leinster forces encountered him near 0 drone,1 at
a spot which opposed natural obstacles to his passage, and
which was besides strongly fortified by a number of trees
being felled across it. Here then was a sharp engagement,
but the earl forced his way through to the open country,
with the loss of only one of his followers ; Meyler distin-
guishing himself with his usual bravery.

CHAPTER XXVII.

THE DESCEIPTION OF THE EAKL.

As to the earl's portrait, his complexion was somewhat
ruddy, and his skin freckled ; he had grey eyes, feminine fea-
tures, a weak voice, and short neck. For the rest, he was
tall in stature, and a man of great generosity, and of cour-
teous manner. What he failed of accomplishing by force,
he succeeded in by gentle words. In time of peace he
was more disposed to be led by others than to command.
Out of the camp he had more the air of an ordinary rnan-
at-arms, than of a general- in chief ; but in action the mere
soldier was forgotten in the commander. With the advice
of those about him he was ready to dare anything ; but he
.never ordered any attack relying on his own judgment, or
rashly presuming on his personal courage. The post he
occupied in battle was a sure rallying point for his troops.
His equanimity and firmness in all the vicissitudes of war
were remarkable, being neither driven to despair in adver-
sity, nor puffed up by success.

1 Odrone is a barony in the neighbourhood of Leighlin, in the county
of Carlow. It was the inheritance of the Carews, descended from ibis
eldest son of Q-erald and Nesta.

PEACE BETWEEN THE KING AND THE EARL. 227

CHAPTEE XXVIII.

HOW PEACE AND AMITY WERE RESTORED BETWEEN TITS
KINO AND THE EARL IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF GLOU-
CESTER.

THE earl, continuing his march without loss of time, de-
scended into the low country about Wexford, where he
was met by envoys, who announced to him the calamity
which had befallen Eitz-Stephen, and the burning of the
town. They also conveyed to him a message from the
traitors, that it was their firm resolution to cut off the pri-
soners' heads, and send them to him, if he should venture to
advance against them. On receiving this intelligence, they
wheeled to the right, in great bitterness of spirit, and took
the road to "Waterford, where they found Hervey just re-
turned from executing his commission to the king of Eng-
land, and bringing letters, inviting the earl to come over to
England, which were seconded by a verbal message.

Accordingly the earl took shipping as soon as the wind
was favourable, and, crossing the sea, met the king at ISTewn-
ham, near Gloucester, where he was making preparations to
pass over to Ireland, with a large army. While there, after
much altercation, he succeeded at last, by the address and
mediation of Hervey, in appeasing the royal displeasure,
upon the terms that he should renew his oath of fealty to
the king, and surrender to him Dublin, the capital of the
kingdom, and the adjacent cantreds, with the towns on the
sea coast, and all the fortresses ; holding the rest of his con-
quests to him and his heirs of the king and his heirs. This
matter being thus settled, the king proceeded on his march
towards St. David's, by the road along the coast, and coming
to Pembroke, quickly assembled a splendid fleet in the port
of Milford.

CHAPTEE XXIX.

THE DEFEAT OF o'RORIC AT DUBLIN. KING HENBT AT
PEMBROKE.

IN the meantime, O'Boric, the one-eyed king of Meath,
taking advantage of the absence of the earl, and of Kay-

Q 2

228 THE CONQUEST OP IRELAND.

mo tid, who remained at Waterford, advanced to Dublin
about the calends (the 1st) of September, with a great host of
men. Finding a very small garrison in the place, though
they were brave soldiers, he instantly made an assault on
the walls and trenches with great fury and loud shouts.
But as valour breaks through all bounds, and stifled fire
will burst into name, Milo de Cogan and his troops, suddenly
sallying forth, made such slaughter of the enemy that they
were speedily routed, O'Eoric's son, a gallant youth, with
a vast number of others, being slain.

"While the king of England lay at Pembroke, he threat-
ened with his severest indignation the princes and lords of
South Wales, for having allowed earl Richard to take his
passage from thence to Ireland ; but at last the storm sub-
sided on their allowing him to place royal garrisons in all
their castles ; and though the mutterings of the thunder
were loud, the deadly bolt did not fall. It occurred at this
time that while the king was amusing himself in the country
with the sport of hawking, he chanced to espy a noble falcon
perched on a crag,1 and making a circuit round the rocks,
he let loose upon it a large high-bred Norway hawk, which
he carried on his left wrist. The falcon, though its flight
was at first slower than the other bird's, having at last
mounted above it, became in turn the assailant, and pouncing
from aloft with great fury on the hawk, and striking it on
the breast with her talons, laid it dead at the king's feet.
From that time the king used to send every year in the
proper season for the young falcons which are bred in the
cliffs on the coast of South Wales ; for in all his land he
could not find better or more noble hawks.

1 Fuller in his " Worthies," quoting this anecdote, says : " There is a
very good breed in this county, of that kind of falcon they call pere-
grine, which name bespeaks them to be no indigense, but foreigners, at
first alighting here by some casualty ;" and he says that the king's
hawk was a Norway goss-hawk. The cliffs on the Pembrokeshire
coast and the neighbouring rocky islands still abound with eyesses of
species of hawk

•RELEASE OF FITZ-STEPEEK. 229

CHAPTEE XXX.

THE ARRIVAL OF THE KING- OP ENGLAND.

THE preparations for his great enterprise detaining the king
for some time in the district of Menevia,1 he went to the
church of St. David's, and having paid his devotions with all
due solemnity, when the weather was fair and wind favour-
able, embarked his troops,2 consisting of as many as five hun-
dred men-at-arms, and a large body of horsemen and archers ;
and crossing the sea, arrived at Waterford about the fifteenth
of the calends of November (the 18th of October), being
St. Luke's day. The valiant king landed in Ireland there-
fore in the seventeenth year of his reign, and the forty-first
year of his age, being the year of our Lord 1172 ; when
Alexander III. was pope, Frederic emperor, and Louis
king of France.

CHAPTEE XXXI.

HOW FITZ-STEPHEN WAS RELEASED AT WATERFORD, AND
THE PRINCES OF THE WEST OF IRELAND MADE THEIR
VOLUNTARY SUBMISSION.

WHILE the king was resting a few days at Waterford,3 the
men of Wexford, to court his favour, brought to him in
fetters their prisoner Eitz-Btephen, excusing themselves
because he had been the first to invade Ireland without *ne
royal licence, and had set others a bad example. The king
having loudly rated him, and threatened him with his indig-
nation for his rash enterprise, at last sent him back loaded
with fetters, and chained to another prisoner, to be kept in
safe custody in Eeginald's Tower.

1 Menevia is the ancient name of the see of St. David's, and in-
cluded all the western part of South Wales.

2 Hoveden informs us that king Henry's fleet contained four hundred
large ships laden with warriors, horses, arms, and provisions. He landau
at the Carrig as he had done before.

3 Hoveden states that the king stayed at Waterford fifteen days, ani
that he found there William Fitz-Aldelm, his seneschal, and Robert
Fitz-Bernard, with some other persona of his household, whom he h&d
sent before him from England.

230 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

Soon afterwards, Dermitius, king of Cork, came of his
free will and made his submission to the king of England,
doing homage and swearing fealty to him as his lord, and
giving hostages for the regular payment of a yearly tribute.
The king of England then moved his army, and coming first
to Lismore, halted there for two days ; and thence he marched
to Cashel on the morrow. There Duvenald, king of Lim-
erick, came to meet hiivj at the water of Suir, and having
asked for peace, which was granted, became also tributary
to the king of England, and did him fealty, which he
promised faithfully to observe. The king also appointed
his own governors and officers in Cork and Limerick.

Even Duvenald, prince of Ossory, Mac Lachelin, prince of
Ophelan, and others, in the south of Ireland, who, although
not princes, were men of consequence in their respective
nations, also made their voluntary submission;1 and the
king having sent them back into their own country with
honour and liberal gifts, returned to Waterford, through
Tybrach. While there, Fitz-Stephen was again brought be-
fore him, and being touched with compassion for a brave
man who had been so often exposed to such great perils,
and pitying his case, at the intercession of some persons of
rank about his court, he heartily forgave and pardoned him,
and freely restored him to his former state and liberty,
reserving to himself only the town of Wexford with the
lands adjoining.

CHAFTEE XXXII.

HOW THE PRINCES OF THE NORTH OF IRELAND, AND
RODERIC OF CONNAUGHT, MADE VOLUNTARY SUBMISSION
AT DUBLIN.

AFTER these occurrences, the king, leaving Eobert Fitzl
Bernard with a garrison at Waterford, moved his army
towards Dublin, through Ossory. Making some stay on the
road, the chief men of those parts came and swore fealty
and allegiance to him, obtaining from the merciful king as-

Among these we may include, on the authority of Hoveden, Re-
ginald (or Regnald), the chief of the Ostmeu in Waterford, mentioned
before in c. xvi.

SUBMISSION OF THE IEISH PRINCES. 231

Burance of peace and favour. Among these were Machelan
of Ophelan, Mac Talewy, Othwetel, Grillemoholmoch, O'Ead-
hese, 0' Carvel of Uriel, and O'Eoric of Meath. But Eoderic
of Connaught only met the king's messengers, Hugh De
Lacy and William Eitz-Aldelm, at the water of Shannon,
which divides Meath from Connaught. He also sued for
peace, and acknowledging the king of England as his su-
preme lord, became tributary to him, and bound himself by
the most solemn oatbs of alliance and fealty.1 Thus did all
the princes of Ireland, except those of Ulster, severally
make their submission for themselves ; and thus, also, in
the person of Soderic, prince of Connaught, and the titu-
lar head of the Irish and monarch of the whole island,
they all became vassals to the king of England. Indeed,
there was scarcely any one of name or rank in ihe island,
who did not, either in person or otherwise, pay to the king's
majesty the homage due from a liege-man to his lord.

Then was fulfilled that ancient and well-known prophecy
of Merlinus Ambrosius (I do not vouch for its authen-
ticity):— "The sixth shall overthrow the walls of Ireland ;"
and another prediction of the same prophet : " The five
portions shall be reduced to one."

The feast of Christmas drawing near, very many of the
princes of the land repaired to Dublin to visit the king's
court, and were much astonished at the sumptuousness of
his entertainments and the splendour of his household ; and

1 "We find Roderic O'Connor, king of Connaught, again in arm*
against the English, taking advantage of the defeat of the Ostmen of
Dublin, related in B. ii. c. 3. Roger de Hoveden has, however, pre-
served the record of a transaction unnoticed by Griraldus, which may be
considered as a record of the ultimate submission of this powerful and
turbulent Irish prince. It purports to be a treaty made between Henry
II. and Eoderic, king of Connaught, by his envoys, at Windsor, in 1175,
whereby the king of England grants to Roderic the kingdom of Cou-
naught, to hold under fealty and payment of an annual tribute of one
ekm for every ten animals slaughtered, " such as may be approved by
dealers." This instrument reserves to king Henry all Meath, with
Public, Waterford, and other places in Leinster, in which it does r.ot
appear that Roderic of Connaught could have possessed any interest,
unless, on the death of Dermot Mac Morrough, he had, as the para-
mount Irish king, in some way succeeded to Mac Morrough's rights
in Leinster. See Hoveden, vol. i. p. 402. Antiy. Lib

232 THE CONQUEST OP IRELAND.

having places assigned them at the tables in the hall,' by the
king's command, they learnt to eat cranes which were served
up, a food they before loathed. It was at this time that the
archers laid violent hands on the trees planted by the hands
of the saints in old times round the cemetery at Finglass.
and were carried off by a new sort of pestilence, as I have
related in my Topography.2

CHAPTEE XXXIII.

THE SYNOD OF CASHEL.

THE king having now silenced all opposition by Kis pre-
sence, and the island enjoying peace and tranquillity, he was
the more inflamed with zeal to advance the honour of the
church of Grod and the Christian religion in those parts, for
which purpose he convoked a synod of the clergy of the whole
of Ireland at Cashel. At this synod enquiry was publicly
made into the enormous offences and foul lives of the people
of that land ; which having been recounted and carefully re-
duced to writing under the seal of the bishop of Lismore, who,
as the Pope's legate, presided at the synod, many godly
constitutions, which are yet extant, were made with regard
to contracting marriages, the payment of tithes, the reve-
rence due to churches, and the duty of frequenting them.
These constitutions the king promulgated, being very de-
sirous of bringing the church of Ireland in all respects into
conformity with the English church ; and I have considered
it not out of place to insert cnem here, verbatim, as they
were published.

CHAPTER XXXIY,

THE CONSTITUTIONS OF THE SYNOD OF CASHEL.

IN the year of our Lord 1172, being the first year in which
the most illustrious Henry, king of England and conqueror

1 "ft is said that the king received the homage of the Irish princes in
a hnli constructed of wicker work, after the fashion of the country.
Hoveden says that it was a royal palace constructed for the occasion,
•with wonderful skill, of peeled osiers. Henry remained in Dublin
from the feast of St. Martin, llth November, to the beginning of Lent,

2 See the Topog., D. ii. c. 54.

STOOD OF CASHEL. 233

of Ireland, obtained the dominion of that island ; Christian,,
bishop of Lismore and legate of the apostolical see, Do-
natus, archbishop of Cashel, Laurence, archbishop of Dublin,
and Catholicus, archbishop of Tuaxn, with their suffragans
and fellow-bishops, together with the abbots, archdeacons,
priors, and deans, and many other Irish prelates, assembled
by the conqueror's command at the city of Cashel, and
there held a synod concerning the well-being of the Church
and the reformation thereof.

At this synod were present, on the king's behalf, the ve-
nerable Ealph, abbot of Buildewas, Kalph, archdeacon of
Llandaff, Nicholas the chaplain, and other clerks, having
the commission of our lord the king. The decrees of the
synod were subscribed by the prelates, and confirmed by
the royal authority ; as follows.

First. It is decreed that all the faithful throughout Ire-
land shall eschew concubinage with their cousins and kins-
folk, and contract and adhere to lawful marriages.

Second. That children be catechised outside the church
doors, and infants baptized at the consecrated fonts in the
baptisteries of the churches.

Third. That all good Christians do pay the tithes of
beasts, corn, and other produce, to the chiirch of the parish
in which they live.

Fourth. That all the lands and possessions of the church be
entirely free from all exactions of secular men ; and espe-
cially, that neither the petty kings (reguli), nor earls, or other
great men in Ireland, nor their sons, nor any of their
household, shall exact provisions and lodgings on any
ecclesiastical territories, as the custom is, nor under any
pretence presume to extort them by violent means ; and
that the detestable practice of extorting a loaf four times a
year from the vills belonging to the churches, by neigh-
bouring lords, shall henceforth be utterly abolished.

Fifth. That in the case of a homicide committed by
laics, when it is compounded for by the adverse parties,
none of the clergy, though of kindred to the perpetrators
of the crime, shall contribute anything ; that, as they were
free from the guilt of the homicide, so they shalJ be also
exonerated from any payment in satisfaction for it/.

Sixth. That every good Christian, being sick and weak,

234 THE CONQUEST OF IEELAKD.

shall solemnly make his last will and testament in the pre-
sence of his confessor and neighbours, and that, if he have
any wife and children, all his moveahle goods (his debts and
servants' wages being first paid) shall be divided into three
parts, one of which he shall bequeath to his children,
another to his lawful wife, and the third to such uses as
he shall declare. And if it shall happen that there be no
lawful child or children, then his goods shall be equally
divided between his wife and legatees. And if his wife die
before him, then his goods shall be divided into two parts,
of which the children shall take one, and his residuary
legatees the other.

Seventh. That those who depart this life after a good
confession shall be buried with masses and vigils and all
due ceremonies.

Finally. Thai divine offices shall be henceforth cele-
brated in every part of Ireland according to the forms and
usages of the church of England. For it is right and just
that, as by divine Providence Ireland has received her lord
and king from England, she should also submit to a refor-
mation from the same source. Indeed both the realm and
church of Ireland are indebted to this mighty king for
•whatever they enjoy of the blessings of peace and the
growth of religion ; as before his coming to Ireland all sorts
of wickedness had prevailed among this people for a long
series of years, which now, by his authority and care of the
administration, are abolished.

The primate of Armagh was not present at this synod
by reason of his infirmities and advanced age, but he after-
wards came to Dublin and gave his assent to the royal will
in all these matters. This holy man, as he was commonly
esteemed, had a white cow, and took no other nourishment
than this cow's milk, and therefore wherever he went she
was taken with him.

CHAPTER XXXV.

A TEMPESTUOUS WINTER.

THE winds raged so furiously, the sea was so rough, and
storms succeeded each other with so much violence, that

A TEMPESTTTOTIS WTNTEB. 235

during the whole winter scarcely a single ship made her
passage over to the island, and no intelligence could in any
way be obtained from England. Wherefore all men began
to think that the wrath of Grod was impending over them
for the sins of which they were guilty.

About the same time the sands were washed away on
the coast of South Wales by the extraordinary violence of
the prevailing storms, and the surface of the dry land, which
had been for many long years covered by the waves, was
laid bare to view.1 Trunks of trees also appeared from
place to place standing erect in the bed of the sea, and
bearing on them the marks of the axe, as if they had beeL
cut but yesterday. The soil was also very black, and the

1 There can be no doubt that, at some remote period, though be-
yond the reach of any records, a vast tract of low ground extended
round the coast of Pembrokeshire and the adjoining counties, washed
by the Severn sea. The great storms of the memorable winter of 1172
aeain laid bars some parts of the coast in Pembrokeshire, and disclosed
objects which are here faithfully described by Giraldus. He repeats
this account in his Itinerary, B. i. c. 13, connecting it with his obser-
vations in crossing Newgill sands, near St. David's. But it equally
applies to those of Ear-weare, near Tenby, which he must have known
quite as well, as they lie within ten miles of Manorbeer, the place of his
birth. Here there was a great forest, called Coed-Traeth, the wood
on the strand, or beach, some remains of which still clothe the valleys
which open out on the shore, at the verge of the buried tract. In both
instances the stools and roots of trees are seen in their natural posi-
tion, the trunks having been broken short off, and imbedded with their
branches and leaves. Many of them are of large girth; and we have
discovered many sorts, such as oak, elm, alder, and sallow, which, as
G-iraldus states, bear the marks of the axe. The wood is not only, as
he says, black as ebony, but some of it is still so sound that it is con-
verted into gate-posts. The strand is still below high-water mark ; but
•when the tide is out, the black earth here mentioned, consisting of de-
composed vegetable matter, is carted away by the farmers of the neigh-
bourhood for manure.

Remote as the period of this catastrophe must have been, the circum-
stances are very different from those of the forest embedded on the
Norfolk coast, near Cromer, presenting in some respects the same ap-
pearances. For there the forest lies buried under a mass of drift two
hundred feet in thickness ; and Lyell considers that its situation imp];^
a subsidence of that depth since the commencement of the Post- Plio-
cene period, and a subsequent upheaval, as the forest bed of Norfolk is
now again so high as to be exposed to view at many points at low
water, like those in South Wales. See Elements of Geology, c. x.

236 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

TI

rood of the trees resembled ebony. Such are the wonder-
ful revolutions in the natural world, that, where once ships
sailed, they could no now longer float, and what was a strand
seemed now a grove of trees. Perhaps it was buried in the
waters at the time of Noah's flood, or it may rather be sup-
posed that it was gradually prostrated and absorbed long
afterwards, but still in very ancient times, by the violence
of the sea always overflowing its bounds and encroaching
on the land.

Meanwhile, the king remained at "Wexford, extremely
anxious to hear news from his dominions beyond the sea.
Under these circumstances he formed his household of the
best men he found in these parts, such as Raymond, Milo de
Cogan, William Mascarel, and some others whom he drew
about him, in order to strengthen his own and weaken the
earl's party.

CHAPTEK XXXVI.

A CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE KING. LEGATES ARRIVE FKOM
THE COURT OF ROME.

AFTER the middle of Lent, the wind changing at last to the
east, ships arrived both from England and the coast of
Aquitaine, bringing ill news of deep importance. For two
cardinals, by name Albert and Theotimus,1 had arrived in
Normandy, commissioned by the Pope, Alexander III., to
make inquisitions respecting the murder of our martyred
archbishop of Canterbury. These prelates were, it was
supposed, just and good men, chosen for this mission on
that account ; but for all that they were Romans, and they
threatened to lay the whole kingdom of England and the
rest of the king's dominions under an interdict, unless he
forthwith came over to .meet them. And, as ill luck never
comes alone, while fortune's favours are showered sparingly,
intelligence was received of a still more serious and dan-
gerous character. The king's sons, namely, the eldest, for

1 Roger de Hoveden calls this cardinal Theodimus. He gives full
details, and has preserved a great number of documents relating to the
quarrel between Henry It and Becket, the archbishop's murder, and tha
proceedings which arose out of it.

THE SPEAKING-STONE. 237

lie had such a regard that he caused him to be
crowned king, and his two younger sons also, led by the
foily of youth to follow their brother's bad example, had
taken advantage of the king's absence to form a conspiracy
against him, in which they were abetted by many of the
nobles of England and of the king's foreign dominions.

On receiving this intelligence, disclosing such serious
and unexpected evils, the king was overwhelmed with per-
plexities. First, it grieved him that he should be suspected
of a crime of which he was guiltless. Next, he was appre-
hensive that his kingdom and other dominions would be
thrown into a disturbed state by these wicked plots. And,
moreover, he was much vexed at being compelled so inop-
portunely to leave his Irish kingdom ; having intended
during the ensuing summer to build castles for securing its
submission, and to establish peace and good order through-
out the country. His first care was, therefore, to send
some of his trusty servants to England ; and then he turned
bis thoughts and took deliberate counsel as to what was to
be done for the security of Ireland.

CHAPTEE XXXVII.

OF THE KINO'S EETURN, BY WAT OF ST. DAVID'S, AND THE
LECHLAWAE, OE SPEAKING-STONE.

BEEOEE he left Ireland, the king appointed these follow-
ing to be constables or governors of cities and strong-
holds ; namely, in Dublin, Hugh de Lacy, to whom he had
granted Meath, to be held in fee, and who had with him
twenty men-at-arms ; also Fitz- Stephen and Maurice Fitz-
gerald, with twenty more ; in Waterford, Humphrey de
Bohun, Eobert Fitz-Bernard, and Hugh de Gundeville,
with forty men-at-arms ; in Wexford, William Fitz-Aldelm,
Philip de Hastings, and Philip de Braose, with twenty.
At length, on the Monday of Easter week, at sunrise, he
took boat, and getting on board ship in the outer harbour
of Wexford, reached St. David's bay about noon, after a
quick voyage, a strong wind blowing from the westward.
Having landed, the king proceeded to St. David's with great
devotion, in the guise of a pilgrim, on foot, and staff in

238 THE CONQUEST OF IEELAND.

hand, and was met by the canons of the cathedral in solemn
procession, who received him with due honour and reve-
rence at the White Grate.

While the solemn procession was orderly passing onward,
a Welsh woman suddenly threw herself at the king's feet,
and made some complaint against the bishop of the diocese,
which was explained to the king by an interpreter. Re-
ceiving, however, no redress, the woman became abusive,
and raising her voice, and loudly clapping her hands, she
repeatedly shouted, in the presence of all the company,
*' Avenge us this day, Lechlawar, avenge our race and nation
on this man."1 And, being stopped and thrust forth by the
people of the country who understood British (Welsh), she
still continued to vociferate the same words with increased
violence, alluding to a certain prophecy of Merlin's, which,
though current among the vulgar, was not authentic, to
the purport that a king of England, returning through
Menevia, after the conquest of Ireland, where he had been
wounded by a man with a bloody hand, should die on
Lechlawar. For this was the name given to a stone which
was placed across the stream, dividing the cemetery of St.
David's from the north side of the church, to form a bridge.
The stone was of beautiful marble, and the surface was
worn smooth by the feet of those who passed over it. Its
length was ten feet, its breadth six, and it was one foot thick.
In the British (Welsh) language the word Lechlawar
means " the speaking-stone ;" for there is an ancient tradi-
tion, that on some occasion, when a corpse was carried over
it, the stone spoke at that very moment, but in the effort
cracked in the middle, which crack is still to be seen. This
gave rise to a barbarous superstition, which from that time
to the present day forbids any dead bodies being carried to
their burial over the bridge.

The king coming to the stone paused for a moment,
having, perhaps, heard the prophecy mentioned ; but having
glanced keenly at it, he summoned up his resolution, and
without further delay walked across. Then turning back, and
looking at the stone, he said with some indignation, "Who
now will have any faith in that liar, Merlin ?" and so enter-

1 This anecdote is repeated by G-iraldus in his Itinerary. See B. ii. c. 1.

CONFERENCE WITH THE KINO OF FRANCE. 239

irg the church founded in honour of St. Andrew and St.
David, having pa-id his devotions and heard a mass solemnly
celebrated by a certain chaplain, the only one of all the
numerous priests attached to the church who had fasted to
that hour, and who seemed to have been reserved for tha
occasion by Divine Providence, the king, after he had
supped, went on to the castle of Haverford, about twelve
miles distant.

CHAPTEE XXXVIII.

TEEMS ARE SPEEDILY MADE WITH THE POPE'S LEGATES
AND THE KING OF FRANCE.

THE king, in returning to England out of "Wales, took tho
road on the sea coast by which he had journeyed thither,
and going on board ship in great haste, and crossing over to.
Normandy, showed his deference for the pope by losing
no time in presenting himself to the Roman cardinals at
Coutances. There, after much altercation, he cleared hia
innocence by a solemn oath ; but a penance was enjoined
him, because, although he was not privy to the murder,
it was through him the martyr suffered. Having then
honourably dismissed the legates, he hastened to Marehe,
to hold a conference with Louis, king of France ; and by
the mediation of some men of worth, and especially of
Philip count of Flanders, just then returned from a" pil-
grimage to St. James [of Compostella], means were found
of restoring amity between them, and allaying the resent-
ment which the French king entertained for the murder of
the archbishop of Canterbury before named, because the
king of England had pledged himself to him on his own
oath and the oaths of other great and powerful men for the
archbishop's safety when he was about to return to Eng-
land. By this peace, so wonderfully brought about, the
wicked and clandestine plot of the king's sons and their
confederates was defeated until the year following.

240 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

OF THE VISION, OR BATHER, THE VISITATION, WHICH
KING HAD AT CARDIFF.

BEFORE we proceed further, it may not be superfluous or
unprofitable to relate in this place what happened to the
king on his return from Ireland by the sea coast of South
"Wales. On the Saturday in Easter week he spent the night
at the town of Cardiff', and on the morrow, being the day
commonly called Low Sunday, he heard early mass in the
chapel of St. Perian ;l and after all had departed except the
king, who continued his devotions longer than usual, when
at length he came forth, as he was mounting his horse a*:
the chapel door, a man stood before him, holding a stake k.
his hand, on which he supported himself. His hair was
yellow, and it was cropped round ; his face was emaciated ;
he was rather tall, appeared to be about forty years old,
and wore a white tunic fitting close and girded about him,
descending to his ancles ; it was girded about him with a
belt, and his feet were bare. This man addressed the king
in the Teutonic tongue, as follows : " Grot holde the,
cuning " — " God keep thee ! O king !" and afterwards
added in the same language, " Christ and his Holy Mo-
ther, John the Baptist, and Peter the Apostle, salute
thee, and do charge and command thee strictly to pro-
hibit any kind of traffic, or markets, or fairs, to be held
throughout thy dominions on the Lord's day, or any sort
of work or labour to be done, save only in preparing neces-
sary food, but that divine offices be duly and devoutly per-
formed and heard on that day. If thou wilt do this, all
that thou shalt take in hand shall prosper, and thou shalt
have a happy life."

The king then said in French to one Philip de Mercros,2
who was holding his horse's bridle, a person of good cou-

1 See the Itinerary of Wales, B. i c. 6.

2 Philip de Mercros, or Marcros, derived his name from a place on f be
coast of Glamorganshire, near St. Donat's castle. Giraldus repeats this
anecdote in his Itinerary, lib. i. c. 6. It is the earliest notice we have
met with of the movement against the desecration of the Lord's day,
which became very general in the beginning of the reign of king John,
•about thirty years after this period. Wendover, vol. ii. pp. 188—192

YISION OF THE KINO AT CARDIFF. 241

dition, born in those parts, and who gave me an exact
account of this occurrence * " Ask the clown whether he
dreamt this." Philip having interpreted this in English,
the man replied : " Whether I dreamt this or not, mark
well," he said, addressing himself to the king and not to the
interpreter, " what day this is ; for unless thou doest this,
and shalt amend thy life before the end of the present
year, thou shalt hear such tidings of those thou lovest best
in the world, and shalt have from them so much trouble,
that it shall last for all the rest of thy life." On hearing
tins, the king put spurs to his horse and went forward a
little, as much as eight paces towards the town gate ; but
having reflected a moment on what was said, he reined in
his horse, and said, " Call back that good man." Upon this,
Philip de Mercros and a youth named William, the only
two of the royal attendants who had remained in the town,
called after him, and, on his not appearing, searched for him
in the chapel, and afterwards in the court, and in all the
inns of the town, but could not find him. The king waited
alone for some time in the town while the others thus
sought out the man in vain ; and then sorrowing much,
and in great dudgeon because he had not talked to him
more at large, crossing the bridge at Rempni,1 pursued
his journey towards Newbury. , ... '.,,.,, •

What this man predicted and threatened came to pass
before the year was ended. The king's three sons, Henry,,
the eldest, and the other two, the earls of Poitou and
Brittany, leagued against him in the Lent following, and
went over to Louis, king of France ; occasioning him sa
much disquietude as he had never experienced before, and
which incessantly troubled him, from one or other of his
sons, to the last day of his life. And it may be supposed to
have been a just judgment of Grod, that as he had been a
disobedient son to his spiritual father, his sons in the flesh
should be disobedient to him. The king also received about

(Antlq. Ltb.\ and Hoveden, vol. ii. pp. 526—530, give some exceedingly
curious details respecting it.

1 The Khumney river runs into the sea about four miles from Cardiff.
In its course from the North it divides Monmouthshire from Glamor-
ganshire, and it therefore forms the boundary between IWland aud
Wales.

242 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

the same period, and towards the close of his life, many
other forewarnings, through the Divine mercy, which pre-
fers the conversion and repentance of sinners, to their ruin.
Would to Grod that his obstinate mind and hard heart had
not despised these monitions, but that he had received them
penitently, and corrected his misdeeds, to his endless hap-
piness. On this subject I propose to enlarge, with God's
permission, in the book I have so often promised to write
concerning the " Instruction of a Prince." 1

CHAPTEE XL.

MEANWHILE, Ireland enjoyed tranquillity and peace under
the governors to whom the custody of the realm was com-
mitted. However, some dispute arising between Hugh de
Lacy and O'Roric, the one-eyed king of Meath, a day and
place was assigned for a parley respecting it. But in the
night before the day appointed, one of the men-at-arms,
whose name was Griffyth, a nephew of Maurice and Eitz-
Stephen,2 had a dream, in which he saw a herd of wild boars
rush pell-mell on High and Maurice, and one larger and
more ferocious than the rest, the leader of the herd, would
have rent them asunder with its tusks, unless he (Griffyth)
had rescued them with the strong hand and killed the boar.
On the morrow they proceeded towards the place appointed
for the conference, which is called O'Roric's hill,3 and having
first, by the exchange of messages at a distance, and after-
wards in person when they met, taken security on both
sides by their solemn oaths, they came to the parley. It
had been stipulated that only a very few should be present

1 The book De Instructione Principle, here alluded to, is preserved,
and has been printed.

2 See the Pedigree inserted at the beginning of this History. We
find in B. ii. c. xxi., that Griffyth was brother to Raymond le Groe,
and therefore a son of William, the eldest of the Fitzgeralds.

3 This is the celebrated hill of Tarah, in Meath, on which the
national assemblies were held, and where once stood the habheireg, or
etone of destiny, on which the Irish kings were inaugurated. They
had afterwards a palace on this spot, in the courts of which the estates
of the kingdom are said to have assembled till the time of Brian
Boroimhe, 995.

DEATH or O'EOEIC. 243

on each part, and those in equal numbers, and unarmed,
except with their swords on the one side and their battle-
axes on the other, while the rest of the people remained at
some little distance. Meanwhile G-riffyth, who had come
to the parley in company with Maurice, and was full of
anxiety in consequence of his dream, had selected seven of
his kinsmen, in whose courage he had the strongest confi-
dence, and drew them apart to one side of the hill, but as
near as they were allowed to the place of conference. They
then took their shields in hand, and putting their lances in
rest, made show of being engaged in tilting according to the
French fashion, in order that, however the parley ended,
they might be ready in arms for any emergency, under the
pretext of the sport in which they were amusing themselves.

In the meantime, O'Roric and Hugh de Lacy had much
altercation on the questions in dispute between them ; and so
far from coming to an agreement, things tending to an open
rupture, the one-eyed villain, meditating treachery, went
aside for a short space under a ready pretence, and beckoned
to his friends to come up with all speed. He was hasten-
ing with long strides, his face pale with revenge, and his
axe raised, towards those who were engaged in the parley,
when Maurice Fitzgerald, being on his guard, and having
closely watched all that had taken place, in consequence
of his having chanced to hear his nephew's dream men-
tioned, find during the parley had constantly kept his sword
lying across his knees, with his hand on the hilt, now drew
it, and rising up, warned Hugh de Lacy also to stand on his
defence. The traitor then made a desperate stroke at
Hugh, but it fell on the interpreter, who, faithful to his
lord, thrust himself forward to shield him, and cut off his
arm, giving him a mortal wound.

Maurice now called aloud to his friends to make a
hasty retreat, while sword encountered battle-axe, and
Hugh de Lacy, being twice felled to the ground, was saved
by Fitzgerald's prowess. Meanwhile, the Irish rushed
in great numbers from the valleys at the traitor's signal,
armed with two edged broad-axes, and there would soon
have been an end of Maurice and Hugh, had not Griffyth
and his small band rode up at full speed, when they heard
Fitzgerald's cries calling them to aid. O'Eoric, seeing them

B 2

244 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

coming, thought that it was time to seek safety in flight,
and was in the act of mounting a horse which was brought
up for him, when Griffyth, putting spurs to his own, ran
his spear both through O'Roric and the horse he was
mounting. There were slain with him three of his fol-
lowers, who at the risk of their lives had brought the horse.
His head was cut off, and afterwards sent to the king in
England ; and the rest of the Irish lied in confusion and
scattered themselves over the open country, till they reached
the far-distant woods ; the English pursuing them without
respite, and making great slaughter amongst them. Ralph,
Eitz-Stephen's son, a young and valiant soldier, much dis-
tinguished himself in this skirmish.

CHAPTER XLT.

CONCERNING VISIONS.

As there are many different opinions concerning visions, it
may not be amiss on this occasion to introduce some true
and authentic accounts of them which have been handed
down to us. Valerius Maximus relates that two Arcadians
facing on a journey together, when they came to a cer-
tain town, one of them lodged with a friend, and the other
went to a common inn. The one who lodged in his friend's
house dreamed that his fellow-traveller came to him and
begged help against his host who was grievously assaulting
him ; wherewith he awoke, but fell asleep again, and dreamed
that his companion appeared to him a second time, and im-
plored him that although he would not come and help him
while he was living, he would at least have him buried. He
added that his host was then taking his corpse in a cart
outside the town gate, to conceal it in a dunghill. . The
man's friend waking up, and having made search, found this
account to be true, and causing the inkeeper to be appre-
hended, he was condemned and executed.

Arcerius Rufus dreamed that he was killed by a gladiator,
which came to pass the day following. Simonides, the
poet, having buried the corpse of a man which he found
lying on the sea-shore, was warned by him in a dream the
same night not to go to sea on the day following, and a*>

CONCERNING VISIONS. 245

cordingly he remained on shore. The mariners, with whom
he was to ombark, set sail, and were buried in the waves be-
fore his eyes. Calphurnia, Julius Caesar's wife, dreamed the
night before he was assassinated, that he lay in her bosom co-
vered with mortal wounds ; at which she was so terrified that
she awoke and entreated him not to go to the senate-house
the next morning. But he, not liking to have it said that he
put any faith in a woman's dream, put her oft' with excuses.

Not to go so far for examples, let us seek them at home,
and in modern times. My brother, Walter de Barri,1 a man
of condition, and a gallant soldier, having made prepara-
tions for an expedition against the enemy, the night before
he was to set forward, my own mother, who had died long
before, appeared to him in a dream, and earnestly admonished
him, as he valued his life, to find some means of not joining
in the expedition intended on the morrow. I should men-
tion that she was not his mother, but his step-mother ; but
she loved him as much as if he were her own son.1 He re-
lated what had occurred to his father, who was mine also,
we being his sons by different mothers, and therefore half-
brothers, and our father gave him the same advice. How-
ever, disregarding these admonitions, with the presumption
natural to man, and being ashamed of appearing to be
frightened by an idle dream, the next morning he went out
on the expedition, and was slain by the enemy the same
day. "We find also an instance in which the event turned
out otherwise. Valerius relates that on the eve of the
battle between Augustus and Brutus, Minerva appeared in
a dream to the emperor's physician Artorius, and enjoined
him to prevent his engaging in the battle, because he was
sick ; but Augustus, notwithstanding he was informed of
this, caused himself to be carried to the field in a litter, and
gained the battle.

Again, shortly before our own times, it happened in the
district called Kemmeis,in the province of Demetia,in Wales,
that a certain wealthy man, whose mansion stood on the

1 It is probable that this Walter de Barri was the author's eldest
brother, though by the half-blood ; and that he met his untimely end
before the expedition to Ireland.

2 Giraldus' mother, of whom he records this excellent trait, wai
Angharad, daughter of Nesta, by Gerald de Windsor.

246 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

north side of the mountains, of Presseli,1 had dreams for
three successive nights, in which he was admonished that if
he went to a fountain in the neighbourhood, called St. Ber-
nac's well, and put his hand down to the stone which lay
over the spring, he would draw out a collar of gold. On
the third day the man did as he was bidden, and putting his
hand into the hole, a viper bit his finger, and he died in
consequence.

From these and various other examples, whatever others
may think of dreams (de somniis somnient), my opinion is
that, like rumours, they may be sometimes credited and
sometimes ought to be treated as idle tales. But of visions,
such as those which are wont to be revealed by angels to
men gifted with prophecy, the case is very different, for we
know the events following them prove their truth on un-
doubted authority.

CHAPTER XLII.

A DESCRIPTION OF MAURICE FITZGERALD.

THIS Maurice was a man of dignified aspect and modest
bearing, of a ruddy complexion and good features. He was
of the middle height, neither tall nor short. In him, both
in person and temper, moderation was the rule ; the one
was well proportioned, the other equable. Maurice was
naturally of an excellent disposition, but he was much more
anxious to be good than to appear such. He so governed
all his conduct that both in morals and courtesy he may be
considered the pattern and model of his country and times.2
He was a man of few words, but his language was polished
and there was more sense than sound, more reason than
eloquence, in what he said ; and when the occasion demanded
it, he gave his opinion, though deliberately, with great in-
telligence. In war he was intrepid, and second to no man

1 The Prescelly Mountains, in Pembrokeshire. Giraldus repeats this
anecdote in the Itinerary, B. ii. c. 2, where notes will be found on the
localities.

2 Maurice Fitzgerald, of whom his nephew Giraldus draws this high
character, was, as already mentioned, the second son of Gerald de Wind-
sor and Nesta, and ancestor of the earls of Kildare, afterwards dukes
of Leinster, and of the earls of Desmond.

DISSENSION BETWEEN THE KING AND HIS SONS. 247

in valour ; but he did not run headlong into danger, and
though prudent in making attacks was resolute in defence.
He was sober, modest, chaste, constant, firm, and faithful ; a
man not altogether without fault, but not stained by any-
great and notorious crime.

CHAPTEE XLIII.

THE FIRST DISSENSION BETWEEN THE KING AND HIS SONS.

IN the month of April following, the younger king of Eng-
land, I mean Henry, son of king Henry,1 being no longer
able to conceal the wickedness he had long devised against
his father through evil counsels, withdrew to the court of
Louis, king of France, whose daughter he had married,
taking with him his two brothers, the earls of Poictiers and
Britany, and hoping, with his father-in-law's assistance, to
supplant his father before his time. He had also many ac-
complices in his designs among the nobles of England and
foreign dominions, as well as many more who were his se-
cret abettors. The elder king, the father, was thrown into
great perplexity by the unexpected difficulties with which
he found himself surrounded ; but assuming a cheerful coun-
tenance, he gave every sign of hope and comfort, and col-
lected succours from all quarters. Among the rest, he re-
called from Ireland, by special messengers, the veteran
troops he had left there ; and when he was at Rouen, com-
mitted the entire charge of that kingdom to earl Richard,
joining Raymond with him in the commission, as the earl
had refused to accept the government without his assistance.
The king also, as a mark of his favour, granted the earl at
that time the town of Wexford, with the castle of Grinkel.

* Henry, " the younger king of England," as he was called, having
been crowned in his father's life-time, married Margaret, daughter of
Lewis, king of France, and in August, 1172, brought her to England,
where she was crowned at Winchester. Early in the year following,
the young Henry withdrew to his father-in -law's court, and, supported
by him, commenced that unhappy series of revolts, which, with short
intervals, embittered the remainder of the life of Henry II. See
HoTeden, vol. i. pp. 367, &c. Aniiq. Lib.

248* THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

CHAPTEE XLIV.

THE VICTOBIES OF HENBY II., KING OF ENGLAND.

THE king had to wage, during two years, worse than civil
wars, both in England and Aquitaine,1 at the cost of so
many hurried expeditions, such watchings and careful
labours, and he foiled the enterprises of his many powerful
enemies with so much vigour, that it would seem he had
more than human aid, divine Providence giving him success
over the unnatural rebellion of his sons. But as a man's
household are his worst adversaries, and of all plagues, in-
ternal enemies are the greatest, he was almost reduced to
despair by the conduct of the gentlemen of his privy
chamber, a chosen band, on whose fidelity his life or death
depended, who would nearly every night disloyally go over
to his sons, and when their services were wanted in the
morning, could not be found. But although the war was
almost, hopeless in the outset, his better fortune prevailed,
and victory crowning him in the end, he acquired such glory,
and so augmented his power, that while at first all men
thought that the divine indignation had suddenly marked
him out for vengeance, so at last he seemed to be mercifully
spared through that goodness which rejoiceth more in the
conversion than in the destruction of a sinner. After deep
grief at the capture of Dol,2 St. Edmund having showered
his favours on the kingdom, and the blessed martyr Thomas
being appeased by the tears and supplications of the king,
who went in pilgrimage to Canterbury,3 and did penance in
the night, peace and a long season of prosperity were

1 See full details of this campaign, both in France and England, in
Hoveden's History, vol. i. pp. 368—390.

2 Dol, a strong castle in Britany, was taken by stratagem, on the
20th September, 1 173, but recovered by king Henry a few days after-
wards.

3 St. Edmund, king and martyr, was highly venerated at this period,
and his shrine at Bury visited with great devotion. Florence of Wor-
cester frequently mentions the pilgrimages made to it by Henry III.
The famous pilgrimage to Canterbury here referred to by Giraldus,
took place on the 13th June, 1174, and is described both by Hoveden
arid Wendover.

DESCRIPTION OF HENRY II. 249

restored to England, at the castle of Amboise,1 of which
lianulf de Glanville was governor, an upright and prudent
man, who had been faithful under all changes of fortune.

In these wars the king had taken prisoner the king of
Scotland and the earls of Chester and Leicester, besides so
many nobles, knights, and officers, on- both sides of the
French sea, that they could hardly find fetters and dun-
geons to hold them. But as the triumph of a prince over
his enemies is little worth unless he triumphs over himself,
the king, after the many victories with which fortune had
favoured him, set the example of ruling himself, and sub-
duing his own spirit and indignation, as he had triumphed
over others, and restored their lives and honours to his van-
quished enemies. And such was his rare equanimity, that
in victory he did not forget clemency, nor moderation in
adversity. Then, after all the trouble and weariness of this
two years' war, endured to no purpose, his sons submitted
and came back, having made professions of amity, which
turned out to be false.

CHAPTER XLY.

A DESCRIPTION OF HENRY II., KING OF ENGLAND.

IT were not amiss in this -place to draw the portrait of the
king, that so his person as well as his character may
be familiar to posterity ; and those who in future ages shall
hear and read of his great achievements, may be able to
picture him to themselves as he was. For the history on
which I am employed must not suffer so noble an ornament
of our times to pass away with only a slight notice. But
herein we crave pardon for speaking the exact truth, for
without it, history not only loses all authority, but does not
even merit the name. It is the business of art to copy na-
ture, and the painter is not to be trusted who exaggerates
graces and conceals blemishes.

No man indeed is born without faults, but he is best who

The treaty which restored peace to Henry's foreign dominions, was
made between Tours and Amboise, on the 30th September, 1174. It
is preserved by Wendover, vol. i. p. 385. It is, perhaps, hardly nece»-
»ary to state that Ranulf de Glanville was one of the most celebrated
of king Henry's ministers.

250 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

has the least ; and the wise will think that nothing which
concerns mankind is devoid of interest. There is no cer-
tainty in worldly matters, and no perfect happiness ; good
is mixed with evi], and virtue with vice. Wherefore, if
things spoken in commendation of a man's disposition or
conduct are pleasant to the ear, it should not be taken
amiss if his faults are told. It was the remark of a philo-
sopher, that princes ought to be treated with deference, and
not exasperated by severe things being said of them ; and a
comic writer tells us that smooth words make friends, but
the language of truth makes enemies ; so that it is a dan-
gerous matter to say anything against one who has the
power of revenging himself; and it is still more perilous, and
more arduous than profitable, to describe freely and in many
words a prince who, by a single word, can consign you to
ruin. It would surely be a pleasing task, but I. confess that
it is one beyond my powers, to tell the truth respecting a
prince in everything without in any way offending him.
But to the purpose.

Henry II., king of England, had a reddish complexion,
rather dark, and a large round head. His eyes were grey,
bloodshot, and flashed in anger. He had a fiery counte-
nance, his voice was tremulous, and his neck a little bent
forward ; but his chest was broad, and his arms were mus-
cular. His body was fleshy, and he had an enormous
paunch, rather by the fault of nature than from gross feed-
ing. For his diet was temperate, and indeed in all things,
considering he was a prince, he was moderate, and even par-
simonious. In order to reduce and cure, as far as possible,
this natural tendency and defect, he waged a continual war.
so to speak, with his own belly by taking immoderate exer-
cise. For in time of war, in which he was almost always
engaged, he took little rest, even during the intervals of
business and action. Times of peace were no seasons of
repose and indulgence to him, for he was immoderately fond
of the chase, and devoted himself to it with excessive ar-
dour. At the first dawn of day he would mount a fleet
horse, and indefatigably spend the day in riding through the
woods, penetrating the depths of forests, and crossing the
ridges of hills. On his return home in the evening he was
seldom seec to sit down, either before he took his supper or

DESCRIPTION OF HENRY II. 251

after; for, notwithstanding his own great fatigue, be would
weary all his court by being constantly on his legs. But it
is one of the most useful rules in life, not to have too much
of any one thing, and even medicine is not in itself perfect
and always to be used ; even so it befel this king. For he
had frequent swellings in his legs and feet, increased much
by his violent exercise on horseback, which added to his
other complaints, and if they did not bring on serious dis-
orders, at least hastened that which is the source of all, old
age. In stature he may be reckoned among men of mode-
rate height, which was not the case with either of his sons ;
the two eldest being somewhat above the middle height,
and the two youngest somewhat below.

When his mind was undisturbed, and he was not in an
angry mood, he spoke with great eloquence, and, what was
remarkable in those days, he was well learned. He was
also affable, flexible, and facetious, and, however he smothered
his inward feelings, second to no one in courtesy. Withal,
he was so clement a prince, that when he had subdued his
enemies, he was overcome himself by his pity for them.
Resolute in war, and provident in peace, he so much feared
the doubtful fortune of the former, that, as the comic poet
writes, he tried all courses before he resorted to arms. Those
whom he lost in battle he lamented with more than a prince's
sorrow, having a more humane feeling for the soldiers who
had fallen than for the survivors ; and bewailing the dead
more than he cared for the living. In troublesome times
no man was more courteous, and when all things were safe,
no man more harsh. Severe to the unruly, but clement to
the humble ; hard towards his own household, but liberal to
strangers ; profuse abroad, but sparing at home ; those whom
he once hated, he would scarcely ever love, and from those
he loved, he seldom withdrew his regard. He was inordi-
nately fond of hawking and hunting, whether his falcons
stooped on their prey, or his sagacious hounds, quick of
scent and swift of foot, pursued the chase. Would to God
he had been as zealous in his devotions as he was in his
sports.

It is said that after the grievous dissensions between him
and his sons, raised by their mother, he had no respect for
the obligations of the most solemn treaties. True it is that

2«32 THE CONQUEST OF

from a certain natural inconstancy he often broke his word,
preferring rather, when driven to straits, to forfeit his pro-
mise than depart from his purpose. In all his doings he
was provideut and circumspect, and on this account he was
sometimes slack in the administration of justice, and, to his
people's great cost, his decisions on all proceedings were
dilatory. Both God and right demand that justice should be
administered gratuitously, yet all things were set to sale and
brought great wealth both to the clergy and laity ; but their
end was like Gehazi's gains.

He was a great maker of peace, and kept it himself; a
liberal alms-giver, and an especial benefactor to the Holy
Land. He loved the humble, curbed the nobility, and trod
down the proud ; filling the hungry with good things, and
sending the rich empty away ; exalting the meek, and put-
ting down the mighty from their seat. He ventured on
many detestable usurpations in things belonging to God,
and through a zeal for justice (but not according to know-
ledge), he joined the rights of the church to those of the
crown, and therein confused them, in order to centre all in
himself. Although he was the son of the church, and re-
ceived his crown from her hands, he either dissembled or
forgot the sacramental unction. He could scarcely spare an
hour to hear mass, and then he was more occupied in coun-
sels and conversation about affairs of state than in his de-
votions. The revenues of the churches during their avoid-
ance, he drew into his own treasury, laying hands on that
which belonged to Christ ; and as he was always in fresh
troubles and engaged in mighty wars, he expended all the
money he could get, and lavished upon unrighteous soldiers
what was due to the priests. In his great prudence he de-
vised many plans, which, however, did not all turn out ac-
cording to his expectations ; but no great mishap ever oc-
curred, which did not originate in some trifling circum-
stance.

He was the kindest of fathers to his legitimate children
during their childhood and youth, but as they advanced in
years looked on them with an evil eye, treating them worse
than a step-father ; and although he had such distinguished
and illustrious sons, whether it was that he would not have
them prosper too fast, or whether they were ill-deserving,

DESCRIPTION OF HENRY II. 253

he could never bear to think of them as his successors.
And as human prosperity can neither be permanent nor
perfect, such was the exquisite malice of fortune against
this king, that where he should have received comfort he
met with opposition ; where security, danger ; where peace,
turmoil ; where support, ingratitude ; where quiet and tran-
quillity, disquiet and disturbance. Whether it happened
from unhappy marriages, or for the punishment of the
father's sins, there was never any good agreement either of
the father with his sons, or of the sons with their parent,
or between themselves.

At length, all pretenders to the government and dis-
turbers of the peace being put down, and the brothers, his
sons, and all others, both at home and abroad, being recon-
ciled, all things succeeded according to his will. Would
to Grod that he had, even late, acknowledged this crowning
proof of the divine mercy by works worthy of repentance.
I had almost forgotten to mention that his memory was so
good, that, notwithstanding the multitudes who continually
surrounded him, he never foiled of recognizing any one he
had ever seen before, nor did he forget any thing important
which he had ever heard. He was also master of nearly
the whole course of history, and well versed in almost all
matters of experience. To conclude in few words: if this
king had been finally chosen of God, and had turned himself
to obey his commands, such were his natural endowments
that he would have been, beyond all comparison, the noblest
of all the princes of the earth in his times. But enough :
let what I have written, briefly and imperfectly indeed, but
not altogether foreign to my subject, content the reader.
Having somewhat cleared the way for other writers to fol-
low out so noble a passage of history, we will now return to
our Ireland, from which we have digressed.

254 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

BOOK II.

THUS far I have continued my history in as perfect and full
order as I could, omitting nothing worthy of memory which
the series of events appeared to require. But being much
occupied by the general business of the church belonging
to my station, I have been unable to command much leisure
for studious pursuits. Unwilling, however, to leave unfi-
nished the work I have commenced, I am resolved to con-
tinue it in a cursory and brief way, and in a plain and
unadorned style, as if I were furnishing posterity with
materials for history rather than writing it. For now my
leisure is changed into the distraction of business, my stu-
dies interrupted by animosities, my pleasure turned to grief,
the tranquillity I possessed to grave disquietude.

The liberal arts have ceased to flourish, having given place
to the duties of war ; mental pursuits are no longer in
vogue, but martial exercises ; the muses are not cultivated,
but skill in the use of weapons ; men do not improve their
minds, but burnish their arms. Wherefore let not the
reader expect either order or ornament in this part of my
work ; for I am obliged to conform to present circum-
stances ; and as the times are troublous, so must my narra-
tive be disturbed by the unsettled state of affairs, as our
inward griefs are often manifested by our countenances as
well as by our words. I have, however, contrived to com-
plete the present work in the midst of the preparations for
a vast enterprise, though not without much thought and
mature consideration, as if I were on a journey ; and like
the traveller who, setting out slowly, hurries forward to
make up for the delay.

RAYMOND COMMANDER OF THE TROOPS. 255

CHAPTER I.

HOW EARL RICHARD WAS SENT BACK TO IRELAND AS CHIEF
GOVERNOR, AND THE COMMAND OF THE TROOPS GIVEN
TO RAYMOND.

ON his return to Ireland, the people there having heard of
the great troubles in parts beyond the sea, and being a
race constant only in inconstancy, to be reckoned upon for
nothing but their instability, and true only in their dis-
loyalty, earl Richard found most of the princes of the
country in revolt against the king and himself. All the
treasure he brought with him being soon spent, and there
being no money to pay the soldiers, the earl's own troops,
who were commanded by Hervey, Raymond's rival, who was
still constable, not being able to subsist by plunder as they
were wont, came in a body to the earl, and loudly declared
that unless Raymond was appointed their commander they
would at once quit his service, and either return to England,
or, what was worse, desert to the enemy.

CHAPTER II.

HOW RAYMOND WAS AGAIN APPOINTED COMMANDER OF THE

EARL'S OWN TROOPS.

IN this emergency, Raymond was appointed to the com-
mand, and the troops recovering their spirits, made an in-
cursion into the district of Ophelan,1 and carrying off an
immense booty, obtained means of being fresh mounted and
equipped. Erom thence they marched to Lismore, and
having plundered both the city and province, conveyed
their spoils by the coast road to Waterford. With these
they freighted some small vessels which had lately arrived
from Wexford, and some others which they found in the
port of Waterford. While, however, they were waiting
for a fair wind, thirty-two ships full of armed men came
from the city of Cork, distant about sixteen miles westward,
for the purpose of attacking them. A naval engagement

1 Offaly, the territory of a petty Irish prince, which lay on the upp ei
course of the Barrow, in what is now called King's County.

256 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

ensued, the Irish making a fierce attack, armed with slingi
and darts, and the English repelling it with arrows and iron
bolts from their cross-bows, of which they had great store.
In the end, the men of Cork were defeated, their leader,
Gilbert mac Turger, being slain by Philip of Wales, a
young soldier of great prowess. Then, Adam de Hereford,
who commanded, having increased his fleet with the ships
taken, loaded it with plunder and sailed in triumph to
Waterford.

Meanwhile Raymond, who, hearing by chance of this en-
gagement had hastened to that quarter along the coast road
with twenty men-at-arms and sixty common soldiers, fell in
with Dermitius, prince of Desmond, and defeated him at
Lismore, as he was hastening to the aid of the men of Cork
with a large force ; Raymond thus took four thousand head
of cattle, and brought them with him into Waterford.
About the same time, the Irish of those parts, lurking at
the entrance of the woods, drove off some few of the cattle
from the level country about "Waterford into the thickets at
ho great distance ; but an alarm being raised in the town,
the garrison sallied forth, and Meyler, conspicuous for his
headlong valour, followed only by a single horseman, pur-
sued the robbers into the outskirts of the wood. Then,
however, he intended to retreat, but urged by the impetuosity
of his follower, a rash youth, he dashed after the robbers into
the deepest thickets ; but the Irish rushed out of the wood,
and severely wounding his companion, cut him. to pieces
with their broad-axes. Meyler, thus left alone, and sur-
rounded by the enemy on every side, drew his sword,
and charging the band, boldly cut his way through them,
chopping here a hand and there an arm, besides hewing
through heads and shoulders, and thus rejoined his friends
on the plain unhurt, though he brought away three Irish
spears stuck in his horse, and two in his shield.

CHAPTER III.

THE SLAUGHTER OF THE MEN OF PlfBLIN AT OSSORT.

AFTER these events, the troops being flushed with suc«
cess both by sea and land, Raymond crossed the sea and

RAYMOND RECALLED TO IRELAND. 257

returned to Wales in consequence of tidings he received of
the death of his noble father, William Fitzgerald.1 During
liis absence Hervey was again appointed constable, and
wishing to do some memorable exploit, he brought the earl
and his household troops to Cashel. The militia of Dublin2
were also commanded to support them, and being quartered
for the night at Ossory, Duvenald prince of Limerick, a
man not wanting in ability for one of his nation, having
learnt their arrival through his spies, fell on them at dawn
of day, and taking them by surprise, slew four of their
commanders, and four hundred of the Ostmen. On receiv-
ing intelligence of this disaster, the earl retreated in con-
fusion to Waterford, and the consequence was that all the
people of Ireland^ with one consent, rose in arms against
the English, so that the earl was like one besieged in Water-
ford, and could not move from it. Meanwhile, Eoderic
of Connaught crossed the river Shannon, and invaded Meath,
at the head of a numerous force, and, finding all the strong-
holds evacuated as far as the confines of Dublin, he burnt
and levelled them to the ground.

CHAPTEE IV.

HOW RAYMOND WAS RECALLED TO IRELAND, AND MARRIED
BASILIA.

THE earl finding himself in great straits, after taking
counsel, as his last refuge, despatched a letter to Raymond,
in Wales, of the following purport : "As soon as you have
read this letter, make all the haste you can to come over to
us with all the force you can muster, and be assured that
immediately on your arrival, I will give you my sister Ba-
sil ia in marriage, according to your wishes." On receiving
this letter, Eaymond used all despatch in complying with it,
both for love of the noble lady, to whom he had been long

1 See the note to a chapter in the first book, on the family of Ray-
inond-le-Gros ; and the Pedigree at the beginning of this History.

3 This force, as we shall presently find, was composed of the Ostmen,
or independent Norwegian townsmen of Dublin, whose numbers and
power have been mentioned in former notes, and appear from this nar-
rative, although their present expedition terminated disastrously.

8

258 THE CONQUEST OF IBELAND.

ardently attached, and from his desire of exhibiting hia
prowess and carrying succour to his lord in his time of
need. "Wherefore, in conjunction with his cousin Meyler
and other men of condition who were his kinsmen, he has-
tily collected thirty men-at-arms, and one hundred horse-
soldiers, with three hundred bowmen, the best in Wales, and
as soon as the wind served, transported them to Waterford
in fifteen ships.1 At that very time the citizens of Water-
ford were in a state of insurrection, and raised to such a
pitch of fury that they were ready to massacre all the En-
glish wherever they could lay hands on them ; when, behold,
they saw from the nearest hill the well-known ensigns of
Eaymond's fleet entering the bay. Their sudden arrival
discomfited the rioters, and Eaymond immediately landing,
and marching to Waterford without loss of time, released
the earl, and conducted him with a strong force to Wez-
ford. Meanwhile, Tyrrel],2 his governor of Waterford, has-
tening to follow him, and crossing the river Suir in a boat,
was slain with some of his followers by the Ostmen who
were conveying them over ; and as soon as they had perpe-
trated this crime, they returned to the city, and butchered
some of the English in the streets and houses, without re-
spect to age or sex. The place was, however, held in sub-
mission by the garrison of Reginald's Tower, who drove
out the assassins, and the other rebels were at last reduced
to order, their treacherous enterprise being frustrated, with
loss to themselves both in credit and estate.

Eaymond, urging the fulfilment of the earl's promises, was
not content to leave Wexford until messengers were sent to
Dublin in great haste, to fetch Basilia, to whom he was
contracted. The marriage having been solemnized, and the
day and night spent in feasting and pleasure, news was
brought in the midst of the revelry that Eoderic of Con-
naught had made an irruption from the borders of Meath

1 Eaymond's elder brother Odo, the ancestor of the Carews, in-
herited the principal estates of their father, on whose demise Raymond
returned to Wales ; but he probably succeeded to possessions which
enabled him to equip this powerful armament on a much more exten-
sive scaie than that with which he first went over to Ireland, and also
made him a more suitable match for the earl's daughter.

2 tfresellus, in the text, but corrected to Tyrellus in the margin, of
the printed edition.

INTEEMAEEIAGE8. 259

up to the very walls of Dublin. On the morrow Raymond,
forgetting wine and love, mustered troops, and marched in
haste to repel the enemy. Roderic, however, who had
before experienced his valour, did not wait his coming, but
retreated in alarm to his own territories. Having restored
order in those parts, and the castles of Trim and Dunluce
in Meath, which had been razed to the ground, and aban-
doned by Hugh Tyrrell, the governor thereof, having
been repaired by Raymond, and put into a better condition,
the island enjoyed peace for a time, in consequence of the
terror struck by his successes.

CHAPTER V.

INTEEMAEEIAGES AMONG THE FAMILIES FEOM WALES, AND
TEEEITOEIAL GEANTS.

HEEYET, being envious of the increase of Raymond's glory
and his continued prosperity, and unable to wreak his malice
on him openly, sought how he might injure him in the dark.
He therefore became a suitor to Raymond's cousin Nesta,
the daughter of Maurice Fitzgerald, and succeeded in mar-
rying her ; his object being to have better opportunities of
effecting Raymond's ruin, under cover of his connections
with him by this marriage. Raymond also, to consolidate
the union among the English, induced the earl to give his
daughter Alina in marriage to William, the eldest son of
Maurice Fitzgerald.1 The earl also, having invited Maurice
to leave ^\ Vales and come over again to Ireland, gave him
the middle cantred of Offaly, which the king had granted
to the earl, with the castle of Wicklow, to be held as a
fief under him. Meyler, as the lord marcher, had the fron-
tier cantred ; and the one nearest to Dublin, which the king
had formerly granted to the two Fitz- Stephens, was now
given to the brothers from Hereford.2

1 For these intermarriages and family connexions, see the Pedigree
at the beginning of this History.

2 We find elsewhere the names of three brothers from Hereford en-
gaged in these transactions, Adam, John, and Eichard. Adam com-
manded the fleet which defeated that of Cork, as related just before, in
•hap. ii.

260 THE CONQUEST OF IBELAND.

CHAPTEE VI.

KING HENKY OBTAINS A PAPAL BULL OF EIGHTS.

MEANWHILE, although the king was detained and much oc-
cupied by the wars, in the midst of all he was not forgetful
of his dominions in Ireland, nor of the decrees made in the
synod of Cashel, before mentioned,1 for the reformation of
manners. He therefore sent envoys to pope Adrian, a
native of England, who then filled the Roman see, request-
ing him to grant a bull of privileges, by which, with the
pope's authority and consent, he should be lord of Ireland,
and have the power of reforming the Irish people, who
were then very ignorant of the rudiments of the faith, by
ecclesiastical rules and discipline, according to the usages of
the English church. This bull of privileges was brought over
to Ireland by Nicholas, then prior of Wallingford, but after-
wards abbot of Malmesbury, and William Fitz-Aldelm ; and
a synod of the bishops being convoked at Waterford, the
said bull of privileges was read at a public sitting, and with
universal assent, by John of Salisbury,2 afterwards bishop,
of Chartres, who was sent to Rome on this affair, and by
whose hands the pope sent to the king a gold ring in token
of the investiture ; which ring and the pope's bull were im-
mediately afterwards deposited among the archives at Win-
chester. The tenor of this instrument I have thought it
not amiss to insert in this place. It was to the following
effect :

.. " Adrian the bishop, the servant of the servants of God,
to his most dearly beloved, son in Christ, the illustrious king
of England, sendeth greeting, with the apostolical benedic-
tion.3

' Your majesty (tua magnificentia) laudably and profitably

1 B. i. c. 33. 2 John of Salisbury, bishop of Chartres, one

of the most learned scholars of the age.

•1 Adrian IV. held the papal see 1155 — 1159. A copy of the grant
of Ireland made by this pope to Henry II. is also preserved by Roger
de Weiidover, who says that it was obtained in 1155 ; so that Henry's
designs on Ireland, though early entertained, seem to have long slum-
bered. Even when the application for assistance made by Dermot

HENEY OBTAINS A PAPAL BULL OF EIGHTS. 261

considers how you may best promote your glory on earth,
and lay up for yourself an eternal reward in heaven, when,
as becomes a catholic prince, you labour to extend the bor-
ders of the church, to teach the truths of the Christian
faith to a rude and unlettered people, and to root out the
weeds of wickedness from the field of the Lord ; for this
purpose you crave the advice and assistance of the apostolic
see, and in so doing we are persuaded that the higher are
your aims, and the more discreet your proceedings, the
greater, under G-od, will be your success. For those who
begin with zeal for the faith, and love for religion, may
always have the best hopes of bringing their undertakings
to a prosperous end. It is beyond all doubt, as your high-
ness acknowledgeth, that Ireland and all the other islands
on which the light of the gospel of Christ has dawned, and
which have received the knowledge of the Christian faith,
do of right belong and appertain to St. Peter and the holy
Roman church. Wherefore we are the more desirous to
sow in them the acceptable seed of God's word, because we
know that it will be strictly required of us hereafter. You
have signified to us, our well-beloved son in Christ, that you
propose to enter the island of Ireland in order to subdue
the people, and make them obedient to laws, and to root out
from among them the weeds of sin ; and that you are willing
to yield and pay yearly from every house the pension of one
penny to St. Peter, and to keep and preserve the rights of
the churches in that laud whole and inviolate. We there-
fore, regarding your pious and laudable design with due
favour, and graciously assenting to your petition, do hereby
declare our will and pleasure, that, for the purpose of en-
larging the borders of the church, setting bounds to the
progress of wickedness, reforming evil manners, planting
virtue, and increasing the Christian religion, you do enter

mac Murrough in 1172, gave him a pretext for interfering in Irish
affairs, he gave him only empty promises of relief, and the first ex-
peditions to Ireland were undertaken by private adventurers, and if,
with the king's tacit consent, he afterwards disavowed it. Henry
procured a confirmation of pope Adrian's grant from his successor,
Alexander III. There is a translation of it in Hooker's edition of
the History of Giraldus. The grant appears to have been made in
1172.

262 THE CONQUEST OF IEELAND.

and take possession of that island, and execute therein
whatsoever shall be for Grod's honour and the welfare of the
same. And further, we do also strictly charge and require
that the people of that land shall accept you with all honour,
and dutifully obey you, as their liege lord, saving only the
rights of the churches, which we will have inviolably pre-
served; and reserving to St. Peter and the holy Eoman
church the yearly pension of one penny from each house. If
therefore you bring your purpose to good effect, let it be your
study to improve the habits of that people, and take such
orders by yourself, or by others whom you shall think fitting,
for their lives, manners, and conversation, that the church
there may be adorned by them, the Christian faith be planted
and increased, and all that concerns the honour of God and
the salvation of souls be ordered by you in like manner ;
so that you may receive at Grod's hands the blessed reward
of everlasting life, and may obtain on earth a glorious name
in ages to come."

CHAPTEE VII.

HOW THE KING OP ENGLAND HAS A EIGHT TO IEELAND
ON TIYE GROUNDS.

LET, then, the envious and ignorant cease their cavillings
that the kings of England have no right or title to Ireland ;
and let them learn that they can avouch and defend their
right in five manner of ways, two old and three new, as is
set forth in my Topography.1

First, we have the testimony of the British History, that
Grurguntius, the son of Belinus, and king of Britain, on his
return in triumph from Denmark, met the fleet of the Bas-
clenses at the Orkney islands, and set them forward to Ire-
land, giving them pilots to direct their course thither.2 The
same history informs us also that Arthur, the renowned
king of Britain, had kings of Ireland tributary to him, and
that Grillomarus, king of Ireland, with other kings of the
isles, came to his court at Caerleon.

Moreover, the city of Bayonne, which belongs at present to
onr Gascony, is the capital of Basclonia, from whence the

1 Distinct, iii. cc. 8, 9. 2 Ib. c. 8,

CAPTURE OP LIMERICK. 2G8

Irisli migrated. And besides this, as every one may renounce
his rights of his own free will, although he has been up to that
time under no subjection, all the princes of Ireland volun-
tarily submitted to Henry II., king of England, doing him
fealty and taking oaths of allegiance to him. And although
these men, from natural inconstancy, did not shrink from
often breaking their fealty, they were not thereby absolved
from its obligations ; for contracts of this sort, though en-
tered into of free will, are not free to be broken. Finally,
we have the authority of the Pope, the prince and primate
of all Christendom, who claims a sort of especial right in all
islands whatsoever ; and that is enough to complete the title
and give it absolute confirmation.1

CHAPTER YIII.

THE NOBLE ASSAULT AND TAKING OF LIMEEICK.

IN the meantime, Duvenald prince of Limerick, having waxed
very insolent, and faithlessly withdrawn from his fealty to
the king of England, Eaymond assembled a strong force of
one hundred and twenty men-at-arms, three hundred horse
soldiers, and four hundred archers on foot, marched about
the calends (the 1st) of October to attack Limerick. "When
they reached the water of Shannon, which runs round that
famous city, they found the river so rapid and deep that
they could not cross it; and the gallant troops, bent
on both glory and plunder, were very impatient at the
obstacle opposed to their approach to the place which they
were so eager to attack. However, a young soldier, Ray-
mond's nephew, whose name was David Welsh, taking his
surname from his family, though he was also a Welshman

1 However it might be consistent in a writer of the age of Giraldus
to gloss over the injustice of king Henry's pretensions to the dominion
of Ireland by reference to antiquated claims or papal bulls, four-fifths
of the grounds for them alleged in this chapter are too puerile to merit
a single remark. The remaining one, the cession of their supremacy by
the Irish princes, on which our author appears to place most reliance,
resolves itself into the right of conquest ; as the submission was extorted
by force of arms, and that in all such cases forms an incontrovertible
title.

264 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

born, a handsome youth, and tall above the rest, was so
chafed at the delay, that, willing to risk his life to win
honour, he put spurs to his horse and plunged into the
river, although the bottom was full of rocks and stones. By
crossing obliquely, he was able to stem the current ; and
his noble horse landing him safely on the opposite bank, he
shouted to his comrades that he had discovered a ford ; but,
notwithstanding this, no one would cross after him but a
man-at-arms whose name was Geoffrey Judas.

Both then returned to guide the rest of the army over
the ford, but in so doing Geoffrey was carried away by the
stream and drowned- Meyler, who had come with Ray-
mond in this expedition, perceiving this, and burning to
share the honour of the bold enterprise with David, who
was also his near kinsman, spurred his strong horse, and
dashing furiously into the river, full of emulation, and no-
thing daunted by the terrible example he had just witnessed,
resolutely crossed to the other side. There, however, he
was met by some of the citizens of Limerick, who, with
others stationed on the town walls, which commanded the
river bank, showered stones and darts upon him, with the
determination to drive him back or slay him on the spot.
The brave soldier, finding himself placed in the midst of
perils, before him the furious enemy, behind him the foam-
ing stream, stood his ground stoutly, receiving the missiles
on his helmet and shield.

The loud shouts on both sides called Raymond from the
rear, where he was posted as commander of the troops,
unconscious of what had happened. Whereupon, putting
spurs to his horse, and galloping to the river bank, he saw
his nephew's danger, thus exposed, unsupported, to the
enemy's attacks, and in great agitation loudly called to his
iroops as follows : —

Raymond's Speech.

" MY MEN — I know well your native valour, tried as it
has been in so many hard encounters. Come, then, my men,
the daring of our friends has discovered a ford by which we
may pass the river. Let us follow the brave youth who
has led the way so nobly for himself and so happily for us.
We must not let him perish before our eyes."

DESCRIPTION OF RAYMOND. 265

"With these words, Raymond, putting himself at their head,
plunged first into the river, committing himself to fortune,
and all the troops followed his example, striving who should
be foremost The whole force passed the ford safely, except
two horsemen and one foot-soldier, and driving the enemy
within the walls, followed them up with great slaughter, and
carried the place by storm. Enriched by the plunder of
the city, and having gained great renown, their perils and
losses were well compensated.1

Reader, which of the three men I have mentioned, think-
est thou the most valiant ? Him, who first set the example
by crossing the river and finding a passage for the rest ; or
him, who following the example, and having before his eyes
the fearful spectacle of his comrade's death, crossed in the
face of the enemy, and exposed himself, alone and unsup-
ported, to their attack ; or him, who, after all, so nobly
jeopardized himself and his whole force to succour his
friend ? It is worthy of notice, that as Limerick was taken
on a Tuesday, and also recovered on a Tuesday, so Waterford,
Wexford, and Dublin, were all taken on Tuesdays, And this
did not happen by design, but by mere chance ; nor can it be
wondered or thought unreasonable, that martial affairs should
be brought to a point on the day of Mars [Tuesday].

CHAPTER IX.

DESCRIPTION OF RAYMOND.

RAYMOND was very stout,2 and a little above the middle
height ; his hair was yellow and curly, and he had large,
grey round eyes. His nose was rather prominent, his
countenance high-coloured, cheerful, and pleasant; and,
although he was somewhat corpulent, he was so lively
and active, that the incumbrance was not a blemish or
inconvenience. Such was his care of his troops that he
passed whole nights without sleep, going the rounds of the
guards himself, and challenging the sentinels to keep them

1 Limerick, as we have already remarked, was a Scandinavian colony,
which accounts both for the great booty taken in a place enriched by
commerce, and for the stout resistance the townsmen opposed to tho
invaders both on this and a subsequent occasion.

2 Hence he is sometimes called, as we have before observed. Bay*
mond le Gros.

266 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

on the alert. Through this constant watchfulness he had the
good fortune of never, or very seldom, having the troops
he commanded taken by surprise, or getting into any
difficulties.

He was prudent and temperate, not effeminate in either
his food or dress. He bore heat and cold equally well. He
was not given to anger, and was insensible to fatigue. Think-
ing more how he could promote the welfare of his men than of
commanding them, he was their servant rather than their
master. To sum up his excellencies in few words, he was a
liberal, kind, and circumspect man ; and although a daring
soldier and consummate general, even in military affairs
prudence was his highest quality.

CHAPTER X.

DESCRIPTION OF METLER.

IN person, Meyler was of a dark- complexion, with black
eyes, and a stern and piercing look. Below the middle
height, for his size he was a man of great strength. Broad-
chested and not corpulent, his arms and other limbs were
bony and muscular, and not encumbered with fat. An in-
trepid and adventurous soldier, he never shrunk from any
enterprise, whether singly or in company ; and was the first
in the onset, the last in retreat. In every engagement with
the enemy he would either carry the day at all hazards, or
die on the spot ; knowing no medium between victory and
death ; for if he could not live with glory, he preferred to
die. Both Raymond and Meyler would have deserved the
highest praise, if they had been less ambitious of worldly
honours, and had paid due reverence to the church of Christ,
not only by preserving its ancient rights and privileges
inviolate, but also by hallowing their new and sanguinary
conquest, in which so much blood had been shed, and which
was stained by the slaughter of a Christian people, by libe-
rally contributing some portion of their spoils for religious
uses. But it is still strange, and more to be lamented, that
this has been the common failing of all our countrymen
engaged in these wars, from their first coming over to the
present day.

COMMENDATION OF THE FAMILY.

267

The Commendation of the rest of the Family.

"What shall we say of the merits of the sons of Eobert
Fitz-Stephen in these times? What of Maurice Fitz-
gerald ? What of Eobert de Barri, an honest and brave man,
whose good deserts have been already mentioned ? What
shall be said of Milo de Cogan,the nephew of Fitz-Stephen
and Maurice, who was the first to come over, and was the
foremost among the brave ? What of Eobert Fitz-Henry,
Meyler's brother, who, but for his premature death, would
doubtless have not been inferior to his noble brother?
"What of Eaymond of Kantitune, and of Eobert de Barri
the younger, both tall, handsome, and most excellent men ?
What of Eaymond Fitz-Hugb, who was, indeed, short in
stature, but for his bravery and prudence not to be passed
over ? These three young men, after distinguishing them-
selves by their gallant conduct in Desmond, were cut off
in the prime of youth, much to the loss of their friends,
led on by their impetuous valour ? "What shall we say
of many others of the same kindred, whose chivalrous
deeds will make their names memorable to the latest
posterity.

" Non mihi si linguse centum sint, oraque centum,
Ferrea vox, digne promere cuncta queam."

<e Had I a hundred mouths, a hundred tongues,
A voice of iron, to exact your praise,
I yet should fail."

0 family ! O race ! indeed it is doubly noble ; deriving
their courage from the Trojans, and their skill in arms from
the French. Such a kindred and race, remarkable not only
for its numerous branches but for its innate valour, would
of itself have been equal to the conquest of a kingdom, had
not envy and malice succeeded in lowering its high estate.

Eaymond spent a short time at Limerick in well-ordering
the state of the city, and having stored it with provisions
collected from all the country round, he placed there a gar-
rison consisting of fifty men-at-arms, two hundred horsemen,
and as many archers, under the command of Milo of St.

268 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

David's1 his cousin ; and then returned triumphant into
Leinster, without losing any of his troops. But as virtue
is ever exposed to the shafts of envy, Hervey de Montmau-
rice, who, notwithstanding his new relationship, was still in-
fluenced by his former malice, sent messengers privately to
the king of England, from time to time, with unfavourable
representations of the state of affairs. He affirmed that
Raymond, in derogation of the royal dignity, and con-
trary to his own fealty, evidently designed to secure to him-
self and his accomplices, not only the dominion of Limerick,
but the sovereignty of all Ireland. And to give colour and
credit to these statements, he asserted that Raymond had
levied troops in the manner of the Bragmans, who were
confederated with him to effect his purpose. Eaymond had
also made his whole army swear to bring all their plunder
into a common stock, and divide it fairly among themselves,
reserving the prince's share.

CHAPTER XL

DESCRIPTION OF HERYET.

HERYET was a tall and handsome man, with grey and rather
prominent eyes, a pleasant look, fine features, and a com-
mand of polished language. His neck was so long and
slender that it seemed scarcely able to support his head ;
his shoulders were low, and both his arms and legs were
somewhat long. He had rather a broad breast ; but was
small and genteel in the waist, which is generally apt to
swell too much, and, lower down, his stomach was of
the same moderate proportion. His thighs, legs, and feet,
were well shaped for a soldier, and finely proportioned to
the upper part of his body. In stature he was above
the middle height. But although nature thus endowed
him with many personal graces, she had given him a
mind and disposition stained with many vices. From a boy
he was addicted to lascivious habits, and lent himself to all
kinds of pollution, which he practised on others, there being
no sort of filthiness or adultery from which he abstained.
Besides this, he was spiteful, a false accuser, double-faced, full

1 Called generally by our author Milo de Cogau. See the note o»
• former chapter.

RELIEF OF THE GARRISON IN LIMERICK. 269

of wiles, and smooth, but false. Under his tongue was honey
and milk mingled with poison. A man of no principle, he
was consistent only in being constantly wavering. In his
fortunes he was for a time at the top of the wheel, but by a
sudden turn he fell to the bottom, and was plunged into irre-
parable ruin. Formerly he was a very good soldier after
the French school, but now he is more remarkable for his
malice than his gallantry, more full of deceit than honour,
more puffed up with pride than respected, more witty than
sensible, more wordy than truthful.

The king, however, as it turned out, putting more trust
in his false accusations than they merited, injurious re-
ports are more readily believed, and make a longer impres-
sion, than accounts of services rendered, as soon as the win-
ter was passed, sent over to Ireland four commissioners,
namely, Eobert Poer, Osbert de Herlotera, William de Ben-
denges, and Adam de Yarmouth, two of whom returned
with Eaymond, who was recalled to England, and the other
two remained with the earl.

CHAPTEE XII.

RELIEF OF THE ROYAL GARRISON IN LIMERICK.

EAYMOND having made all preparations for his departure,
while he was only waiting for a favourable wind, messengers
arrived from the garrison in Limerick with the intelligence
that Duvenald prince of Thomond had blockaded the town
on all sides with a vast multitude of men ; and that as all the
stores of provisions which they had found in the place, or
afterwards drawn in, were exhausted during the winter, they
were in need of immediate succour. The earl being anxious
to march to their relief, mustered his own troops and an-
nounced his intention, but he found them so dissatisfied
and dispirited at Eaymond's recal, that they all declared
with one voice that they would not go on the expedition
without him. Being in this strait, and after consulting the
royal commissioners, Eaymond at last consented, at the
joint request of the earl and the messengers from Limerick,
to head the troops destined to the relief of the garrison.
They consisted of eighty men-at-arms, two hundred horse-
eoldiers, and three hundred archers, besides a body of Irish

270 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

under Murchard of Kinsa^e and Duvenald of Ossory ; and
while they were on their march towards Cashel, Raymond
learnt that the prince of Thomond had raised the siege, and
posted himself at the pass of Cashel, where he intended
to attack them, having added to the natural strength of the
position by felling trees and digging trenches, and by throw-
ing a very strong rampart across the road.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE SPEECH OF DTJVENALD PRINCE OF OSSORT.

RAYMOND had formed his army in three divisions, and, when
they drew near the pass, Duvenald prince of Ossory, being a
mortal enemy to the Thomond people, and observing how
few in number were the English troops, though they were
full of spirit and well arrayed in their bright armour, thus
addressed them, still further to animate their courage.
" Brave soldiers, and conquerors of this island, we must this
day manfully attack the enemy ; for if your wonted valour
is victorious in the onset, the Irish battle axes will second
your swords in following up their defeat with effect. But
if we find your ranks give way, which God forbid, it may
chance that, in conjunction with the enemy, they will be
turned against you. Look well, therefore, men, to your-
selves ; there are no strongholds near us, we are far from
any place of refuge. It is our custom to side with the win-
ning party, and to fall on those who run away. Trust to
us therefore ; but only while you are conquerors."

Upon hearing this, Meyler, who led the van, rushed like
a whirlwind, at the head of his men, into the pass, and tear-
ing down the rampart, they thus cut their way through the
enemy with great slaughter. The pass was forced on Easter
Eve, and on the third day in Easter week, Tuesday, [the
day of Mars], the victorious army entered Limerick, being
the same day on which the place was taken before.

Raymond halted there a short time, while he restored
order and repaired the damages occasioned by the siege,
and soon afterwards had a conference with the two princes
of Thomond and Connaught, on the same day, but not on
the same spot. Roderic came in a boat to an island in the

DEATH OF STRONGBOW. 271

great lake,1 from which the famous river Shannon rises and
flows in two branches into the ocean. Duvenald took his
station on the skirts of a wood not far from the same spot,
while Raymond chose a place near Killaloe, about sixteen
miles from Limerick. The conferences were prolonged, until
at last both princes gave hostages for their good behaviour,
and yielded their fealty to the king of England, renewing
their allegiance, and promising for the future, on their cor-
poral oaths, to preserve it inviolate.

After this was settled, and Raymond had returned to
Limerick with the hostages, Dermitius Macarthy sent en-
voys to him, imploring aid against his eldest son, Cormac
O'Lechan,2 who had almost driven him out of his dominions,
and offering, in return for his being restored, to become the
liegeman of the king of England, acknowledging him as his
lord, and doing fealty to him. He also promised Raymond
large reward, and pay for his troops. Raymond, attracted by
mingled prospects of lucre and glory, lost no time, after con-
sulting his friends, in marching his victorious army to Cork.
In this expedition he took much booty, and not only had
abundant supplies for his own troops, so that they wanted
nothing, but was able to send some herds of cattle and other
provisions to Limerick. Thus, by Raymond's help, Dermitius
Macarthy recovered the whole of his territories, at a time
when his son Cormac had treacherously seized him and
kept him in prison. His father, proving his equal in guile,
did not hesitate to compass Cormac's death from the very
dungeon in which his son immured him.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE DEATH OF EARL STRONGBOW IS ANNOUNCED TO
RAYMOND.

WHILE these things were doing in Desmond, there came a
messenger in haste from Dublin, who brought Raymond a
letter from his wife, Basilia, of the contents of which he was
not apprized. It was therefore read to Raymond by a cer-
tain confidential clerk of his household, and the tenor was as
follows :

" To Raymond, her well-beloved lord and husband, hii
1 Lough Dearg. 2 O'Lochlan.

272 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

Basilia wisheth 'health, as to herself. Be it known to
your sincere love, that the great jaw tooth which used to
give me so much uneasiness, has fallen out. "Wherefore, if
you have any care or regard for me, or even for yourself,
return with all speed."

On hearing the letter read, Raymond shrewdly conjec-
tured that by the falling out of the tooth was meant the
death of earl Strongbow ; for he had fallen very sick before
Raymond left Dublin. The earl died about the calends (the
1st) of June ; but, through fear of the Irish, every possible
means were used to keep his death secret until the return
of Raymond and the troops under his command. Making
all haste, therefore, to come back to Limerick, and hiding his
grief under a cheerful countenance from all except a few
faithful servants of his own household, to whom he disclosed
the loss he had sustained, he took counsel with the most dis-
creet men about him regarding this new and untoward
event. After deliberating on the state of affairs, it was
agreed amongst them, that the earl's decease, and Ray-
mond's impending departure for England, rendered it ne-
cessary that they should for a time relinquish the posses-
sion of a city which lay so remote, and was surrounded on
all sides by hosts of enemies, and withdraw the whole force
in good order, to defend the towns on the coast, and the
castles in Leinster. Raymond concurring in this decision
though very unwillingly, and not being able to find any one
of note who would undertake the government of the city
after his own departure, voluntarily gave it in charge to
Duvenald prince of Thomond, as baron of the lord the king
of England, on his taking a solemn oath to preserve the place
in good condition, restore it to the king when required, and
keep the peace, for which he gave fresh hostages, and re-
newed in various forms the solemn oaths he had before
sworn.

Scarcely, however, had the garrison been withdrawn and
passed the further end of the bridge, when it was broken
down behind them, and they beheld with grief that noble city,
so well fortified, containing such fair buildings, and stored with
all manner of provisions collected from all quarters, given
to the flames, fire being set to it in four places. It was the
work of the traitorous Duvenald, who thus openly showed bj

FITZ-ALDELM GOVERNOR OF IRELAND. 273

ills new and disgraceful perfidy, what little reliance could
be placed on Irish faith. "When the king of England was
informed afterwards of the results of this enterprise, he is
reported to have said : " The attack of Limerick was a bold
adventure, its relief a greater ; but its evacuation was an
act of pure wisdom." As soon as the garrison returned to
Dublin, the earl's corpse, which, by his own command, had
been kept uuburied until Raymond's arrival, was entombed
in the church of the Holy Trinity, at Dublin, by the ap-
pointment of Laurence, the archbishop of that see, who
performed the obsequies with great ceremony.1

CHAPTER XV.

HOW FITZ-ALDELM WAS SENT OYER AS GOVERNOR OF
IRELAND.

UPON the occurrence of these events, the change of cir-
cumstances requiring new plans, the royal commissioners
hastened back to England with the first favourable wind,
leaving Raymond to act as lieutenant-governor of Ireland
until the royal pleasure was known. On their arrival they
informed the king of the change of affairs in consequence
of the earl's death. Whereupon the king sent over to Ire-
land William Fitz-Aldelm, attended by ten men-at-arms of
Fitz-Aldelm's own household, to fill the office of lieutenant-
governor. There were joined in commission with him John
de Courcy, who had also ten men-at-arms, and Robert Fitz-
Stephen and Milo de Cogan, who had distinguished themselves
in the worse than civil two years' wars, under the banner of

1 The cathedral of the Holy Trinity, or Christ Church, in Dublin,
was built by Sigtryg, king of the Ostuien there, and Donald (Duncan)
their bishop, about the year 1038. For we may add to our former no-
tices of the Ostmen or Scandinavian colonists, who founded also the
cathedral at Waterford, that they had their own bishops, who were con-
secrated in England, by the archbishop of Canterbury, independent of
the see of Armagh, in which the primacy of the ancient Irish church
was vested. Eiehard Strongbow had assisted archbishop Laurence in
restoring and finishing the cathedral of Christ Church, in which he was
buried. His tomb, wnich had been defaced by the fall of the roof, was
repaired by Sir Henry Sydney, when he was lord deputy, and is stil]
preserved. He died in 1176.

T

274 THE COffQUESl OF IRELAND.

the king, both in England and France, and who now took with
them twenty men-at-arms. Raymond, having heard of their
landing, set forth from Dublin with a well-appointed body of
troops, and meeting1 them on the confines of Wexford, after
offering his congratulations, and embracing them in a
friendly manner, proceeded forthwith to surrender and place
in the charge of William Fitz-Aldelm, as the king's lieute-
nant, all the cities, towns, and castles of Ireland, and the
several hostages which were in his custody.

Fitz-Aldelm seeing Raymond surrounded by so gallant a
band, and beholding Meyler and his other nephews and
kinsmen to the number of thirty mounted on noble steeds,
in bright armour, and all having the same device on their
shields, engaged in martial exercises on the plains, he turned
to his friends, and said in a low voice : " I will speedily put
an end to all this bravery ; those shields shall soon be scat-
tered." From that hour Fitz-Aldelm and all the other go-
vernors of Ireland, as it were by a common understanding,
were so moved with envy towards Eaymond, Meyler, the
Fitzmaurices, and the Fitz-Stephens, that they took every
opportunity of injuring them. For this seems to have been
the fate of the whole of this race. In all services of war
they were highly valued ; always in the van, they were emi-
nent for their valour and daring in every noble enterprise :
but, as soon as the occasion for their services had ended, they
were neglected and treated with the utmost contempt. But
malice itself could not succeed in extirpating this generous
race, so that even to this day the family, putting forth new
branches, possesses no small share of wealth and power in
this island. "Who first penetrated into the heart of the
enemy's country ? The Greraldines. Who have kept it in
submission ? The G-eraldines. "Who strike most terror into
the enemy? The G-eraldines. Against whom are the shafts
of malice chiefly directed ? The Geraldines. Oh, that they
had found a prince who could have justly appreciated their
distinguished worth ! How tranquil, how peaceful would
have been the state of Ireland under their administration !
But they were always held in groundless suspicion, while
confidence has been placed in others in blind security, who
Uad none o* their virtues. But persevere, ye gallant kina-

FITZ-ALDELM GOVERNOR OF IRELAND.

275

men, in the course of honour ye have hitherto pursued, not
holding your lives dear, if spent in the path of glory ; and

"Felices facti, si quid mea carmina possunt."

" Blest if my feeble lines their worth proclaim,
And weave their guerdon of immortal fame."

For worth is imperishable, and will receive its reward
either in present or future times ; and although, either
through the remissness of princes, or the envy of others,
the great services of the Geraldines have been hitherto un-
requited, at least they shall have all the credit that my pen
can give them. Let, therefore, this noble progeny take
heart, and still toil onward from day to day, animated by
increasing love and desire of renown ; for their memory
shall never be lost and perish, but, more precious than land
and wealth, shall nourish for ever in the annals of glory.

About this time, or shortly before, a human monster was
seen in "Wicklow, having the body of a man and the limbs
of an ox. It was begotten by a man on a cow, an enormity
too common in that nation. I have described the monster
in my Topography.1

Meanwhile, Fitz-Aldelm employed himself in inspecting
the towns and garrisons on the coast, but kept far enough
from the mountainous districts of the interior. However,
he did not forget to collect all the gold he could lay hands
on, and in which the country abounds. About the calends
of September [1st September] Maurice Fitzgerald died at
Wexford, to the great grief of his friends ; a man of great mo-
deration, prudence, and courage, than whom no better for con-
stancy, truth, and resolute valour was left in Ireland. After
this, Fitz-Aldelm had a meeting with Maurice's sons at the
castle of Grinkingelone (Grinkel), and so dealt with them that
he never left them until, by some means or other, he craftily
got the castle out of their hands. Soon afterwards, indeed,
he gave them Ferns as a sort of exchange ; where they forth-
with built a strong fortress, and held it stoutly, though it
was in the midst of the enemy's country. Walter the
Almaine, so called, although he was not such either by

1 Distinct, ii. c. 21

i 2

276 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

birth or stature, a nephew of William Fitz-Aldelm;s, was
appointed by him constable of Wexford, and showed by his
conduct that he was of the same stock. It is but too true
that

" Asperius nihil est humili cum surgit in altum ;
Cuncta premit, dum cuncta timet, dessevit in omnes,
Ut se posse putent ; neo bellua tetrior ulla est
Quam servi rabies in libera colla furentis." '

" yfo greater despot than the base-born raised
Above his rank ; fear makes him a tyrant,
Measuring his power by the terror it excites :
Nothing so monstrous as a slave's oppression,
When set to govern freemen."

This Walter was corrupted by the bribes of Murchard,
prince of Kinsale, to compass by crafty means the ruin of
the family of the Fitz-Stephens ; and William Fitz-Aldelm
deprived Raymond of the lands he held in the valley of
Dublin and about Wexford. He also, being well bribed,
evaded carrying into effect the king's command for the
restoration to the Fitz-Stephens of a cantred of land in
Offaly, and at length left nothing to this noble family but
remote and barren territories, constantly exposed to danger
from the inroads of the enemy, on whose country they
bordered.

CHAPTEE XVI.

DESCRIPTION OP FITZ-ALDELM.

THIS Fitz-Aldelm2 was large and corpulent both in stature
and shape, but of a reasonable height. He was a pleasant
and courtly man, but whatever honours he paid to any one
were always mingled with guile. There was no end of his

1 Claudian. in Eutrop. i. 181 — 4.

2 William Fitz-Aldelm was son of Aldelm, or Adelm, and younger
brother of Hubert de Burgh, earl of Kent, and justiciary in the time of
Henry III., one of the most powerful subjects in England. The Clan-
ricards are descended from William Fitz -Aldelm, the founder of the Irish
branch of this family.

THE INVASION OF ULSTEE. 277

craftiness ; there was poison in the honey, and a snake in
the grass. To outward appearance he was liberal and cour-
teous, but within there was more aloes than honey. He
always

" Pelliculam veterem retinens, vir fronte politus,
Astutam vapido portans sub pectore vulpem." l

" Beneath the outward guise of gentle hearing,

Concealed the fox's hateful guile within."
Always,

" Impia sub dulci melle venena ferens."
" Foul poison in the honeyed potion lurks."

His words were smoother than oil, and yet were they very
swords. Those he honoured one day, the next he plundered
or calumniated. A braggart against the defenceless, a flat-
terer of the rebellious, he succumbed to the powerful, and
lorded over the humble ; gentle to his enemies and severe
to those who submitted, he neither struck terror into the
one, nor kept faith with the other. He was a man full of
guile, bland and deceitful, and much given to wine and
women. Covetous of money and ambitious of court favour,
he tried to advance himself both ways.

The Invasion of Ulster.

John de Courcy, perceiving that Fitz-Aldelm was covetous
crafty, and timid in all his dealings, and considering that
he was neither feared by the enemy nor trusted by his
subjects, drew around him some of the garrison of Dublin,
who were much dispirited for want of their regular pay
and allowances, and the supplies they were used to obtain
in cattle and provisions by inroads on the enemy. The
band selected by Courcy was small in numbers, but
full of courage and spirit ; and the brave knight, with
only twenty-two men-at-arms and about three hundred
others, boldly ventured on an expedition into Ulster, a

1 Perseus, Sat. v. 116—18.

278

THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

part of the island where the English had not yet appeared
in arms.

Then the prophecy attributed to the Calidouian Merlin
(for I do not vouch its authenticity) seemed to receive its
fulfilment : — " a white knight, sitting on a white horse, and
having birds on his shield, shall be the first to enter the
province of Ulster with force of arms." For John de
Courcy was of a fair complexion, and chanced at this time to
ride a white horse, and he bore on his shield the blazon of
three birds.1 After three days' march through the country
of Uziele (Orgial), on the morning of the fourth day, being
about the calends [the 1st] of February, he entered the city
of Down without opposition, unexpected either as a guest
or an enemy ; and Dunlevus,2 the king of that country, was
so taken by surprise that he made a hasty flight. There
Courcy's troops, who had been before in great need and half
starved, were refreshed with the plunder and booty they
took.

It happened at this very time that Vivian us, a legate of
the see of Rome, was staying in the city, having crossed
the sea from Scotland. This prelate took much pains to
effect a treaty between the king and John de Courcy, and
so induce the English to leave those parts and return to
their own territories, in consideration of a tribute to be
yearly paid them ; but although he exerted all his powers
of persuasion, his mediation was of no effect. Dunlevus,
finding that words were of no avail, assembled his forces
from all quarters and within eight days, and boldly marched
against his enemies within the city at the head often thou-
sand warriors. For in this island, as in other countries,
the inhabitants of the northern parts are more warlike and
truculent than the rest. Thus the poet says : —

" Omnis in arctois sanguis quicunque pruinis
Nascitur, indomitus bellis, et mortis amator."

1 The arms of the Courcys were : Argent, three griphs or geirea
gules, crowned or. The family took their name from a castle on the
little river Dive in Normandy ; and Richard de Courcy, who came in
with William the Conqueror, received grants of lands in England.
This John de Courcy, the first invader of the North of Ireland, w.ifi
made earl of Ulster by Henry II., the first Irish earldom created.

£ Roderic mac Dulevy, king of Ulster.

THE INVASION OF ULSTER. 279

'* The blood that's nurtured in the northern frosts,
Despises death, and yields not in the fight."

John de Courcy seeing the enemy's force approaching
the city with great impetuosity, thought it far best to sally
forth and meet them, as his own troops, though few in num-
ber, were full of courage, and thus try the fortune of
battle, rather than be shut up in a weak fort which he had
constructed of slight materials in one corner of the city,
where he might be exposed to a long siege and be reduced
by famine. Battle was therefore joined with great fury,
arrows and darts being showered thickly from a distance
at the first onset ; then spears met spears, and swords and
battle-axes crossed, and many fell on "both sides. In this
terrible conflict,

" Tarn clypeo clypeus, umbone repellitur umbo,
Ense minax ensis, pede pes, et cuspide cuspis."

He who had seen how John de Courcy wielded his sword,
with one stroke lopping off heads, and with another arms,
must needs have commended him for a most valiant
soldier.

Many others distinguished themselves by their bravery
in this battle, among whom was Roger le Poer,1 a beard-
less youth, fair and tall, who was second in the glo-
rious list of warriors here, and afterwards gained great
honour in the country about Leighlin, and also in Ossory.
Thp, battle was severely fought, and the issue for a long
time doubtful, the odds in numbers being so great ; but
at length John de Courcy's obstinate valour secured the vic-
tory, and great multitudes of the Irish were slain as they
were making their escape by the sea-shore. Then was ful-
filled, as they say, the prophecy of Columba, the Irishman,
who in times long past foretold this battle : "So much
Irish blood," he said, " shall then be shed, that their enemies,
in pursuing them, will wade up to their knees in blood."
For the fugitives sank with their own weight in the quick-

1 Giraldus does not inform us how this young man was related tc
"Robert le Poer, the founder of this distinguished Irish family, who ia
noticed elsewhere in this History,

280 THE CONQUEST OF IEELAND.

sands on the shore, so that their pursuers were easily
plunged up to their knees in the blood which floated on the
surface. It is also reported that a prediction was committed
to writing by the same prophet, purporting that a needy and
broken man, a stranger from far countries, should, with a
small company, come to Down, and take possession of the
city without the leave of the governor. He also foretold
several battles and other events, all which were clearly ful-
filled in the acts of John de Courcy ; who is said to have
had this book of prophecies, written in the Irish tongue, in
his possession, and to have valued it much, considering it
as the mirror of his own deeds. It is also written in the
same book, that a young man, with a band of armed men,
should assault and break down the walls of "Waterford, and
take the city with great slaughter of the inhabitants. ; and
that he should then pass through Wexford, and at length
enter Dublin, without any opposition. All this was evi-
dently fulfilled in earl Richard. The saint also predicted
that Limerick would be twice evacuated by the English, but
the third time they would retain possession of it. Now,
truly it has been twice given up, once, as we have before re-
lated, and the second time by Philip de Braose, who, having
the city of Limerick granted to him, came as far as the river
which washes its walls, for the purpose of taking possession,
but no efforts or taunts could prevail with him not to relinquish
his enterprise; as we shall more fully relate in the proper place.
And as we find in the prophecy, that, when the attempt should
be made for the third time, possession of the city should be
retained, this happened long afterwards, when Hamon de Va-
laignes was justiciary ; for then the place was treacherously
laid in ruins, but was afterwards recovered and rebuilt by
Meyler.

As to John de Courcy, he gained the victory in two
great battles at Down, one of which was fought after the
feast of the Purification, (2nd February,) and the other
about the [eighth of the] calends of July, the feast of
the Nativity of St. John, [24th June], when, with a very
small force, he defeated fifteen thousand men, putting
great numbers of them to the sword. He had a third en-
gagement at Eerly, where he was overtaken in a narrow pass:

DESCRIPTION OF JOHN DE COTTRCY. 281

while, with a small party, he was carrying off a herd of
cattle, but being beset by the enemy, his party were com-
pelled to retire, after several desperate charges, and so many
of them perished, or dispersed themselves in the woods, that
only eleven of his men-at-arms were left to stand by him.
However, with undaunted courage, he and his small band
made good their retreat for thirty miles, having continually
to defend themselves against the enemy who pursued them.
They lost their horses, and after travelling on foot two days
and two nights, encumbered with their armour, and without
tasting food, at length, by wonderful efforts, reached his
castle in safety. His fourth battle was fought at Uriel,
where he lost many of his people, and the rest were put to
flight. The fifth battle was fought at the bridge of Ivor,
after his return from England ; and in this he came off vic-
torious. Thus he gained the victory in three engagements,
and was unsuccessful in two skirmishes, in which, however,
the enemy's losses were far greater than his own.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE DESCRIPTION OF JOHN DE COTTRCY.

IN person John de Courcy was of a fair complexion, and
tall, with bony and muscular limbs, of large size, and very
strong made, being very powerful, of singular daring, and a
bold and brave soldier from his very youth. Such was his
ardour to mingle in the fight, that even when he had the
command, he was apt to forget his duties as such, and exhi-
biting the virtues of a private soldier, instead of a general,
and impetuously charge the enemy among the foremost
ranks ; so that if his troops wavered he might have lost the
victory by being too eager to win it. But although he was
thus impetuous in war, and was more a soldier than a gene-
ral, in times of peace he was sober and modest, and, paying
due reverence to the church of Christ, was exemplary in his
devotions and in attending holy worship ; nor did he forget
in his successes to offer thanksgivings, and ascribe all to the
Divine mercy, giving God all the glory as often as he had
achieved anything glorious. But, as Tully says, " Nature

282 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

never made anything absolutely perfect in all points," so
we find in him an excessive parsimony and inconstancy,
which cast a shade over his other virtues.

He married the daughter of G-odred king of Man; and
after the many conflicts of a long war, and severe struggles
on every side, being raised by his victories to the summit of
power, he erected castles throughout Ulster in suitable
places, and settled the whole country in peace and good
order, the fruits of his many toils, privations, and perils.
One thing, however, is very remarkable, and I cannot forbear
mentioning it, that four of the main pillars of the English
power in the conquest of Ireland, namely, Fitz-Stephen,
Hervey, Raymond, and John de Courcy, by some mysterious,
though doubtless just, dispensation of Providence, had no
lawful issue by their wives. I might add to these a fifth,
Meyler, who, although he be married, has yet no child by
his wife. Having said thus much briefly, and by way of
episode, concerning John de Courcy, I leave his great deeds
to be more fully related by future historians, and now re-
turn to Dublin.

The Synod of Dublin under the ^residence of Vimanus.

While Vivian us performed the functions of papal legate
in Ireland, a synod of the bishops was convoked and held
in Dublin, at which he made a public declaration of the
right of the king of England to Ireland, and the confirma-
tion of the pope ; and strictly commanded and enjoined
both the clergy and people, under pain of excommunication,
on no rash pretence to presume to forfeit their allegiance.
And moreover, forasmuch as it was the custom in Ireland
for stores of provisions to be carried to the churches in
times of trouble for safe keeping, the legate allowed the
English troops engaged in any expedition to take what they
found in those churches, when they could not procure food
elsewhere, paying what was justly due for the care thereof
to those who had the charge of the churches.

After this, Milo de Cogan, who under Eitz-Aldelm was
constable of the garrison of Dublin, and also for the second
time governor of the city, crossed the river Shannon and
invaded Connaught, into which the English had not yet

HUGH DE LACY APPOINTED GOYEBNOB. 283

penetrated, at the head of forty men-at-arms, (twenty of whom
were under the command of Fitz- Stephen's son, Ralph, a noble
youth), with two hundred horse soldiers and three hundred
bowmen. Thereupon the men of Connaught set fire to
their own towns and villages, and burnt all the corn which
they could not conceal in their underground granaries, not
even sparing the churches from the flames, and taking down
the crucifixes and images of the saints, they strewed them on
the plains, in order to bring scandal on our people and draw
down on them the vengeance of Almighty Grod. The En-
glish army, however, marched forward till they came to
Thomond; but after halting there for eight days in the
heart of the enemy's territory, finding that no provisions
could be obtained in the country, they retired towards the
river Shannon. On this march they fell in with the forces of
Eoderic prince of Connaught, posted in three bodies in a
wood near the river. A severe engagement ensued, unin-
tentionally on both sides ; but Milo de Cogan forced his
way through, and brought his troops safe to Dublin, having
lost only three men, though the loss of the enemy was much
greater.

CHAPTER XVIII.

HOW TITZ-ALDELM WAS KECALLED, AND HUGH DE LACY
APPOINTED GOYEBNOR.

FITZ-ALDELM was recalled to England, as well as Milo de
Cogan and Eobert Fitz-Stephen, having done nothing
worthy of mention during his government, except pro-
curing the miraculous staff called the staff of Jesus, to
be transferred from Armagh to Dublin. King Henry
then appointed Hugh de Lacy governor-general of Ire-
land, joining in commission with him Eobert Poer l with
the constableship both of Waterford and Wexford. The
king also granted to Eobert Fitz-Stephen and Milo de
Cogan all the southern part of Munster, namely, the kingdom

1 The honours and estates of the Le Poer family in Ireland, of which
this Robert was the founder, passed by marriage to the Beresfords, of
whom the marquis of Waterford is now tne nead and representative.

284i THE CONQUEST OF IttELAJfD.

of Cork from the west of Lismore, and the adjoining
cantred, except the city of Cork, the said territories to bo
equally divided between them, and held of him by knight-
service. The king also gave to Philip de Braose the
northern division of Munster, namely, the whole kingdom
of Limerick, except the city itself and the cantred belong-
ing to it. These three having thus received their grants
and done fealty at the same time, formed a strict alliance,
and crossed over to Ireland in company, in the month of
November, each with his own armed retainers ; and tra-
velling along the coast-road southward, passed first through
Waterford and then Lismore, arriving safely at Cork, where
they were received with due honour by the citizens and a
knight named Richard de Londres,1 who had acted as go-
vernor thereof, under Fitz-Aldelm.

Having speedily established peace with. Dermitius prince
of Desmond, and with the other powerful men of those parts,
Fitz- Stephen and Milo divided between them seven cantreds
of land lying near the city, of which, they had already obtained
possession. The three eastern cantreds in this partition fell
to the lot of Fitz- Stephen, and the four western to Milo,
which was made equal by the smaller lots comprising the
best land, whereas much of the other was barren. The city
was left in their joint charge, and the tribute reserved for
the remaining twenty-four cantreds was to be equally divided
between the two lords, as it was received. It has been al-
ready mentioned in the Topography, that a cantred, both in
English and Irish, signifies a tract of lands containing one
hundred vills.

After this, his two confederates conducted Philip de
Braose to Limerick ; Fitz-Sfcephen taking with him thirty
men-at-arms and forty horse soldiers ; Milo de Cogan,
twenty men at-arms and fifty horse-soldiers; and Philip de
Braose, twenty men-at-arms and sixty horse soldiers ; be-
sides the bowmen attached to each body of troops. On

1 William de Londres held the castle and lands of Ogmore, in Gla-
morganshire, under Eobert Fitz-Hamon. Among his descendants we
find this Richard, Fitz-Aldelrn's deputy at Waterford, and Henry de
Londres, who succeeded John Comyn in the archbishopric of Dublin
in 1212,

HUGH DE LACt*S GOYERNMENT. 285

reaching the bank of the Shannon, over against Limerick,
distant about forty miles from Cork, Fitz-Stephen and
Milo de Cogan offered immediately to ford the river and
storm the town, although it was then in flames before their
eyes, having been set on fire by the citizens themselves ; or
otherwise they proposed, if Philip de Braose preferred it,
to make a fortified camp for him on the opposite side of the
river. Philip, however, listening to the pusillanimous coun-
sels of his friends, though he was not wanting in courage
himself, determined to return home safe, rather than to run
the risk of the perils to which he would be exposed in a
country so hostile and so remote from all succour. It is no
wonder that this expedition turned out so unfortunately, con-
sidering the number of cut-throats, and murderers, and
lewd fellows, whom Philip de Braose had, by his own special
choice, got together, from South Wales and its marches,
to accompany him to Ireland.1

Soon afterwards, Mereduc, Fitz-Stephen's son, a youth
of great gallantry and much promise, died at Cork, in the
month of March, to the great grief of his friends, he being
truly a disciple of Mars. About this time also, the cow
mentioned in my Topography 2 was found at Waterford, to
the great astonishment of the Irish people.

Meanwhile, the famous council of Lateran,3 under pope
Alexander III., sat at Borne, by which the German church
was restored to unity, and the schism occasioned by three
antipopes, which had lasted for twenty years, was, by the

1 We imagine that this Philip de Braose is identical with the person
who is elsewhere called Philip of Worcester by Giraldus. The family
of Braose obtained large grants of lands in Sussex, part of which, with
the ancient barony of that name, are now vested in the duke of Norfolk.
Giraldus frequently mentions in his Itinerary another of this family,
William de Braose, who was lord of Brecknock at this time, and had
gi-eat power in that part of Wales, which he exercised in a manner
quite consistent with the description of his retainers here given. See
the Itin.. Book i. c. 2. >

2 Distinct ii. c. 22.

3 This famous council was opened in the third week of Lent, 29th
March, 1179. The Irish church was represented in it by Laurence,
archbishop of Dublin, Catholicus of Tuam, and five or six other
bishops ; only four went from England. See Hoveden's Hist. vol. i
pp. 494, &c. (Antiq. Lib.), where the decrees of this council are given.

28G THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

aid of Divine Providence, extinguished. Also, within the
space of three years, about the same period, there were
three eclipses of the sun ; but they were not general, the
sun being only partly eclipsed.

After Robert Fitz- Stephen and Milo de Cogan had jointly
governed the kingdom of Desmond in peace for five years,
restraining by their prudence and moderation the unruly
spirits of their young men on both sides, Milo, together
with Ralph, a son of Robert Fitz-Stephen, a young man of
great merit, who had lately married Milo's daughter, went
towards Lismore to have a parley with the men of Water-
ford ; and as they were sitting in the fields waiting for their
coming, one Mac Tyre, with whom they were to have lodged
that night, with five men-of-arms, stealing upon them
unawares, treacherously slew both, by strokes of broad-
axes dealt from behind. This calamity threw the whole
country into insurrection, and Dermitius Macarthy, and
almost all the Irish in those parts, joined with Mac Tyre in
throwing oft* their allegiance to the English, and rising in
arms to try their strength and fortune against Fitz-Stephen.
Nor could he ever afterwards recover the ascendancy, until
Raymond succeeding to the inheritance of his uncle, Robert
Fitz-Stephen, obtained the sole constableship of the city ;
nor even then was the country restored to its former state
of tranquillity. We find that the people of the North
of Ireland were always warlike, while those of the South
were subtle and crafty ; the one coveted glory, the other
was steeped in falsehood ; the one trusted to their arms, the
other to their arts ; the one was full of courage, the other
of deceit. As the poet says :

" Omnis in Arctois sanguis quicunque pruinis
Nascitur, indomitus bellis, et Martis amator."

As quoted above ; and again immediately after :

" Quicquid ad Eoos tractus coelique teporem
Jungitur, emollit mores dementia coeli."

" In eastern climes, the torrid heat we find
Exhaust the strength, and enervate the mind."

EAYMOtfD EETUENS TO IBELAXD. 287

Raymond returns to Ireland.

Raymond having received intelligence that Robert Fitz-
Stephen was desperately afflicted by this reverse of fortune,
and beset on all sides by hosts of enemies, who blockaded him
in the town of Cork, he set sail from the port of Wexford with
twenty men-at-arms, and one hundred horse-soldiers and
bowmen, and, sailing along the coast, quickly brought relief
to his countrymen, and struck terror into the enemy. In
various encounters with the Irish, some of them were slain,
others driven from that part of the country, but the greater
part were reduced to submission, and peace being restored,
this violent storm soon blew over.

Very shortly afterwards, Richard de Cogan, Milo's brother,
a worthy scion of the same stock, was sent to Ireland by
the king of England with a picked body of troops, to supply
his brother's place. Also, towards the close of winter, at
the end of the month of November, Philip de Barri,1 Fitz-
Stephen's nephew, a man of prudence and courage, arrived
with a strong force both to succour his uncle and defend
his own lands in Olethan, which had been granted him by
Fitz-Stephen, and afterwards unjustly taken from him by
his son Ralph. There came over at the same time in the
same ship another nephew of Eitz-Stephen's, and a brother
of Philip de Barri, who rendered his uncle and brother im-
portant assistance by his good advice, and also made diligent
inquiries respecting the situation and natural history of the
island, as well as the origin of the nation. This person waa
already versed in literary pursuits, and his name appears as
the author of the present work.3

1 Kobert de Earri, a brother of this Philip de Barri and of our
Giraldus, came over to Ireland with the first expedition under Fitz-Ste-
phen. (See B. i. c. 3.) Hooker, however, represents this Philip de
Barri as the founder of the Irish family of that name. Perhaps Robert
died without issue, or returned to Wales. Philip had a son named
Robert, as we are informed in c. 20 of this book. He had also a
younger son named Philip, who was brought up to the church by his
uncle Giraldus, and succeeded him in his archdeaconry and prebend,
resigned in his favour.

2 This was our author, Giraldus, who appears to have spent about a
jwtr in this, his first, visit to Ireland. He very seldom furnishes any
•dries ; but his History is written in a regular sequence, and by a oal-

288 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

About this time Hervey de Montmaurice retired to Can-
terbury, and became a monk in the abbey of the Holy
Trinity there, to which he gave in frank almoin all the
churches on his lands lying between "Waterford and Wes-
ford. Would to Grod that with the monastic garb his mind
had become pious, and he had laid aside his malicious
temper as well as his military habits.

CHAPTEE XIX.

HOW HUGH DE LACY BUILT CASTLES IN IRELAND.

WHILE these events were happening in Desmond, Hugh de
Lacy, like a wise and prudent man, was building strong
castles1 throughout Leinster and Meath. Among others,
he erected a castle at Leighlin, on the banks of the noble
river Barrow, on the side of Ossory, towards Odrone, select-
ing for its site a spot naturally of great strength.2 Before
this, Eobert Poer had the custody of the place, but he gave
it up by the king's command. This Eobert Poer and Pitz-
Aldelm were pretty men to be made lords-marchers, and
sent into a country where men of mark were needed.
" Quales ex humili magna ad fastigia reruin
Extollit, quoties voluit fortuna jocari."

"'Tis fortune's freak, when men of low estate
She raises from the dust, and ranks them with the great."

The two were soldiers who delighted rather
jacuisse thoro, tenuisse puellam,

Threiciam digitis increpuisse lyram,
Quam clypeos humeris, et acutee cuspidis hastam,
Et galeam pressa sustinuisse coma." 3

culation made from other occurrences, it would appear that he went
over with his brother Philip in 1182 or 1183. In 1184 he was at the
court of Henry I. in Normandy, and returned to Ireland in attendance
on prince John in 1185.

1 Every one knows that this castellation was the usual policy of the
Normans in all their conquests. Thus, their own Normandy, England,
Wales, and Ireland were successively bridled : not to speak of Apulia,
Sicily, and their other acquisitions in the South of Europe.

2 The castle of Leighlin, or the Black Castle, stood upon the bank of
the river Barrow, at Leighlin Bridge, about a mile from the cathedral
town of the same name.

3 Ovid. Epist. ii. 117—121.

DESCEIPTION OF HUGH DE LACY. 289

It is indeed to be wondered that so sagacious a prince
should have sent such paltry cowards to take the charge
of these far-distant marches, merely because they were
hangers-on about his court. Hugh de Lacy, a very differ-
ent sort of person, made it his first care to restore peace
and order, reinstating the peasants who, after they had sub-
mitted to the conquerors, were violently expelled from their
districts, in the deserted lands, which from barren wastes
now became cultivated and stocked with herds of cattle.
Having thus restored confidence by his mild administration
and firm adherence to treaties, his next care was to enforce
submission and obedience to the laws on the inhabitants of
corporate towns, thus gradually bringing them into subor-
dination. By these means, where his predecessors had
spread ruin and confusion, he restored order ; and where
they had sown toil and trouble, he reaped the happiest
fruits.

In short, he had in a little time restored tranquillity over
so vast an extent of country, so munificently provided for
his own partisans out of the possessions of his fallen ene-
mies, and such was the liberality and courtesy with which
he won the hearts of the Irish people and drew around him
their natural leaders, that a deep suspicion arose that his
policy wa-s to usurp all power and dominion, and, throwing
off his allegiance, to be crowned as king of Ireland.

CHAPTEE XX.

A DESCEIPTION OF HUGH DE LACY.

IF you wish to have a portrait of this great man, know that
he had a dark complexion, with black, sunken eyes, and
rather flat nostrils, and that he had a burn on the face from
gome accident which much disfigured him, the scar reaching
down his right cheek to his chin. His neck was short, his
body hairy and very muscular. He was short in stature,
and ill-proportioned in shape. If you ask what were his
habits and disposition, he was firm and stedfast, as tempe-
rate as a Frenchman, very attentive to his own private
affairs, and indefatigable in public business and the adminis-
tration of the government committed to his charge. Al-
though he had great experience in military affairs, as ft

u

290

THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

commander he had no great success in the expeditions which
he undertook. After he lost his wife he abandoned himself
to loose habits, and not being contented with one mistress,
his amours were promiscuous. He was very covetous and
ambitious, and immoderately greedy of honour and reputa-
tion.

At this time nourished in Leinster, where he much dis-
tinguished himself, Robert Eitz-Henry,1 brother to Meyler ;
but this nourishing flower was early nipped by the cold
blasts of winter. There also flourished at the same time the
two sons of Maurice Eitz-Stephen, Alexander and Griraldus,
the latter of whom, though short in stature, was a man of
great prudence and worth. Robert le Poer, who commanded
the garrison of Leighlin under Hugh de Lacy, was also a
man of note at this time. At Waterford there was William
le Poer ; and Eobert de Barri, the younger son of Philip,
flourished both on the borders of Leinster and in Desmond ;
and there were the two Raymonds, both Raymond of Kan-
titune and Raymond Eitz-Hugh. About this time the two
wonderful miracles described in my Topography occurred at
Eoure, in Meath, one which ensued on a woman's being
violated in St. Eechin's mill, the other in consequence of
the oats which were stolen and secreted.3

CHAPTER XXI.

THE AEEIVAL OP JOHN THE CONSTABLE AND EICHAED
DE PEC.

SUCH being the state of affairs, and the suspicions already
mentioned gaining strength continually from fresh reports,
Hugh de Lacy was recalled, and John, the constable of
Chester, and Richard de Pec arrived, about the calends (the
first) of May, to take the government, to which they were
jointly commissioned by the king of England. But before
Hugh left the country, they all consulted together and
built several strongholds in different parts of Leinster ; for
hitherto there were more castles in Meath than in Leinster.

1 He was the second son of Henry, the king's illegitimate son by
Nesta. See the Pedigree.

2 Chapters 50 and 52.

HUGH DE LACT EESTOEED AS GOYEENOE. 291

First, therefore, they now built two castles in Fortheret
and Onolan, the one for Raymond, the other for his
brother Griffyth. The third was at Tristerdermot, in
Omurethi (O'Morough's country), for Walter de Ridenes-
ford. The fourth was for John de Clahull, on the water of
Barrow, not far from Leighlin. The fifth at Zyllacht, for
John de Hereford. They also took from Meyler Kildare,
with the adjacent territory, which had been granted to him
by earl Richard, giving him in exchange on the king's part,
the province of Lex,1 a rough and woody country, exposed to
the enemy's inroads and far from succour; expressly select-
ing so brave a champion and marcher to defend this border.

CHAPTER XXII.

HOW HUGH DE LACY WAS AGAIN SENT OVEE AS GOYEENOE.

JOHN the Constable and Richard de Pec having been thus
employed in the island during the summer, they were re-
called to England during the ensuing winter, and Hugh
de Lacy, being restored to the king's confidence, had the
government of Ireland entrusted to him for the second
time ; but a certain ecclesiastic, named Robert of Salisbury,
was joined in commission with him, as his coadjutor and
councillor, and, on the king's behalf, to be privy to all his
doings. On Hugh de Lacy's arrival, he set about building
several more castles, among which was one at Tahmel, in
Lex, for Meyler, to whom he also then gave his niece in
marriage. He also built a castle near to it, at Obowy, for
Robert do Bigarz ; another, for Thomas de Flandres, not
far distant, in Omurethy, on the other side of the river
Barrow ; and one for Robert Fitz-Ricbard at JSTorrach. In
Meath he built the castles of Clunart and Killeen ; a castle
for Adam de Riceport ; one for Gilbert de Nugent ; and
many others which it would be tedious to enumerate.

About this time that strange meeting and talk between
the priest and the wolf, which is fully described in my

1 The district of Lex lay on the extreme west of Leinster. It was a
boggy and woody country, extending to the river Shannon. By stat.
3 & 4 of Philip and Mary, it was made a county, called the Queen's
county.

TJ 2

THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

Topography,1 occurred in a wood in Meath. St. Jerom
says that you will find many things in the Scriptures which
appear incredible, and yet are true. For nature can do
nothing against the Lord of nature ; and it is man's duty to
admire and reverence the Creator's works, whatever they
may be.

Soon after this, Henry the younger, king of England, the
eon of king Henry, led astray, alas ! by evil counsels, again
revolted against his father; and in this rebellion he was
aided and abetted by the powerful nobles of Poitou and the
flower of the youth of France, besides his brother Geoffrey,
earl of Britany, who was the mainspring of the wicked
enterprise. But before long, about the calends (the first)
of June, the young king, notwithstanding his invincible
valour, became the victim of death, dying at Marseilles,2 to
the mutual grief of both armies, though it was thought a
just judgment of God for his ungrateful conduct to hie
father. A few years afterwards, Geoffrey, earl of Britany,
a brave soldier and eloquent speaker, a worthy peer to
Ulysses as well as Achilles, who had now rebelled for the
third time against his father, met his fate. He died at Paris
about the calends (the first) of August.3

CHAPTEE XXIII.

LAURENCE, ARCHBISHOP OF DUBLIN, DIES AT CHATEAU
D'EU, AND IS SUCCEEDED BY JOHN COMTN.

IN the meantime, Laurence, archbishop of Dublin, died at
the castle of Eu,4 in Normandy, on the eighteenth of the
calends of December [14th November]. He was a worthy
and just man, but incurred the king of England's displea-

1 Distinct, ii., c. 19.

8 The text is corrupt. The young king Henry breathed his last at
Martel, a village near Limoges, which city his father was then besieging.
He died of a sudden attack of dysentery, on the llth June, 1183, in
deep penitence for his unnatural conduct.

3 Geoffrey, earl of Britany, died at Paris, in 1186, from bruisei
which he received in a tournament. He was buried in Notre Dame.

4 Eu stands on the Breste, just above its embouchure in the English
channel at Treport, in Normandy. This ancient chateau of the count*
D'Eu was restored with great magnificence by the late king Looia
Philippe.

DEATH OF THE AECHBISHOP OP DUBLIN. 293

sure by the privileges he asserted and maintained in the
Lateran council, at which he was present, against the king's
dignity and honour, led, as is reported, by zeal for his
nation ; and for this cause he was long detained in Nor-
mandy and England.1 A happy end at last terminated his
long course of travels and toils. Among many miracles
which Grod has wrought through this his saint, manifesting
his wonders even in the present day, this remarkable one
occurred while he was in parts beyond the sea. Being
seized with mortal sickness at Abbeville,2 the holy man, in
spite of the remonstrances of his attendants, refused to rest
there, saying that his place of rest was not there ; and
having passed onwards on the road to the castle of Eu, as
soon as he came in sight of the church of St. Mary, and
was informed that it was dedicated to the blessed Virgin,
he quoted that verse from the Psalms in the spirit of pro-
phecy : " This shall be my rest for ever : here will I dwell,
for I have a delight therein." 3 He died a few days after-
wards in that place, and was buried with due ceremony in
the mother church there,4 the Lord, who did not suffer his
light to be hid, working many signs and wonders at his
tomb.

He was succeeded by John Comyn, an Englishman and a

1 See previous notices of archbishop Laurence, particularly in a note
to chap. 17, B. i. The language of Q-iraldus in this place appears to
intimate that the archbishop was not permitted to return to Ireland
after the conclusion of the Lateran council, but was detained in Nor-
mandy until his death. There is, however, a passage in Hoveden which
presents a different view of the circumstances. That historian states
that Laurence came from Ireland to Normandy, bringing with him the
son of Roderic of Connaught, whom he delivered to the king of Eng-
land as a hostage for the performance of the treaty made between him
and the king of Connaught for payment of tribute ; shortly after which
he died at Eu, and was buried there. — Vol ii. p. 1. (Antiq. Lib.)

2 Abbeville is a large town on the Somme, about eight leagues from Eu.

3 Psalm cxxxii. 15.

* Among the side-chapels in the church of Notre Dame at Eu, which
is built in the early pointed style, there is one dedicated to St. Lau-
rence, who was buried there. The screen before this chapel is worthy of
notice ; and the monumental effigies of the archbishop, which had been
mutilated and thrown into a vault, filled with rubbish, at the time of
the revolution in France, were restored by Louis Philippe, and with
those of the counts d'Eu, which had shared the same fate, deposited in
a crypt under the church.

291 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

monk of Evesham, who having through the king's influence
been duly elected, without much opposition, by the clergy
of Dublin, was consecrated by pope Lucius at Velletri, who
also appointed him a cardinal priest.1 He was a man of
learning and eloquence, whose zeal in the cause of justice,
and for the dignity of the office to which he was promoted,
would have highly profited the Irish church, had not the
spiritual sword been opposed by the temporal, the rights of
the priesthood by the royal power, virtue by jealous malice.
For as the flesh lusteth against the spirit, so carnal men
oppose those who are spiritual ; and the servants of Caesar
never cease to maintain a warfare with the soldiers of
Christ.

CHAPTEE XXIY.

THE ARRIVAL IN IRELAND OF JOHN, ARCHBISHOP OF DUBLIN.

THE king of England had long formed the design of trans-
ferring to his youngest son, John, all his dominion over Ire-
land, and, having made the people of that country do him
homage accordingly, now determined to carry his design
into effect. He therefore sent over to Ireland John, the
new archbishop of Dublin, about the calends (the first) of
August, as his son's precursor. Soon afterwards, Hugh de
Lacy 2 halving been recalled, Philip de Worcester, a brave
soldier, who lived sumptuously and spent freely, was ap-
pointed lieutenant-governor, and took his passage to Ireland
about the calends of September, with a body of forty men-
afc arms. One of his first acts was to revoke the grants of
certain lands, and among others those of Ocathesi, which
Hugh de Lacy had alienated, although they were appro-

1 John Comyn, archbishop of Dublin, 1181—1212, was of Scotch
extraction, though born in England. This bishop built and endowed the
cathedral of St. Patrick's in Dublin, about the year 1190. — Lucius III.
succeeded pope Alexander III. in 1181. Our author's statement that
lie made John Comyn a cardinal at the tune of his consecration, is not
confirmed by any other authority.

3 Hugh de Lacy did not return to England, but was slaiz. on the 25th
of July of this same year ; while superintending the erection of one of
his castles, an Irish workman came behind him while he was stooping,
and struck off his head with an axe.

THE PATEIAECH HEBACL1US COMES TO ENGLAND. 295

priated to the maintenance of the king's table, to which use
they were now carefully restored.

As soon as the winter was over, he assembled a large
body of troops, and coming to Armagh about the calends of
March, exacted, or rather extorted, from the sacred clergy a
monstrous sum of money by way of tribute, and then with-
drew his troops and returned safe with his treasure, by way
of Down, to Dublin. During this expedition two miracles
were wrought, one at Armagh, when he was suddenly smit-
ten with sickness as he left the city ; the other at Down, in
reference to the fire there and the cauldron which Jlugh
Tyrrell had carried off from the clergy at Armagh ; both of
which are related in the Topography, Distinct ii. c. 50.

CHAPTEE XXV.

AEEIVAL OF THE PATEIAECH HEEACLIUS IN ENGLAND.

WHILE these events were occurring in Ireland, Heraclius,
the venerable patriarch of Jerusalem, came to England
about the calends (the first) of February, after a long jour-
ney from the East to the "West. He brought with him the
keys of the holy city and of the sepulchre of our Lord,
together with the royal standard, and a military badge, on
behalf as well of the barons of the Holy Land, as of the
brethren of the orders of the Temple and Hospital. He
also, in the name, and by the unanimous consent, of the
whole clergy and people of Palestine, made humble suppli-
cation to Henry II., king of England, and felling on his feet,
with tears implored him that he would take pity on the
Holy Land, Jesus Christ's own patrimony, now desperately
afflicted by the infidels, and render it aid.1 With a sort of

1 The patriarch of Jerusalem was accompanied by Roger Desmou-
lins, grand-master of the Hospital, and they brought a letter from pope
Lucius urging their suit. Neither Griraldus nor Hoveden expressly
affirm that the envoys tendered the kingdom of Jerusalem for Henry's
acceptance, though the insignia, of which they were the bearers, appear
to intimate it. But Koger of Wendover distinctly says that the ambas-
sadors, commissioned by the estates of the Holy Land, did offer Henry
the throne of Jerusalem, to which he had some pretensions through his
father, Geoffry, earl of Anjou, the brother of Fulk. Baldwin, the son
of Baldwin the Leper, a boy five years old, had just succeeded to tin

296 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

prophetic view of coming evils, he moreover affirmed that,
before long, the whole kingdom would fall into the hands of
the Saracens under Saladin, who was then prince both of
Egypt and Damascus ; which came to pass within two years
afterwards.

What glory it was to this king and realm that, passing by
so many emperors, kings, and princes of other lands, as if
there were no remedy to be found in so great an emergency
in the centre of Europe, recourse should be had for succour
to this furthest corner of the earth, another world as it were,
cut off from the rest in the recesses of the ocean ! How
great, how incomparable, would have been the glory of the
king, not in this world only, but in that which is to come,
if, immediately setting aside all other business, he had, at
the call of Christ, taken his cross and followed him as his
disciple, from whom he had received his kingdom upon earth,
and, what is more, the grace to rule it with so much glory !
Verily, he should have received a kingdom above for uphold-
ing the rights of Christ's earthly kingdom in this its time of
need. Oh ! if he would have applied himself diligently,
according to the best of his power, to defend the patrimony
of the Almighty King in this day of distress, in this trial
of devotion, how securely might he have relied on the
guardianship of so great a patron and protector, when his
own time of need came.

CHAPTEE XXVI.

THE KING'S REPLY, AND THE PROPHETICAL THEEAT8 OF
THE PATRIARCH.

THE king having appointed a day for giving his answer at
London,1 many knights and persons of the lower order took
the cross, being moved thereto by the admonitions of the
patriarch, and his sermons in public, together with those of
that holy and venerable man, Baldwin, archbishop of Can-
terbury, addressed to the people in persuasive language.

throne ; but in the present emergency, the policy of the deputies would
not allow them to shrink from sacrificing the rights of the boy king to
Henry's ambition.

1 Henry received the envoys from the Holy Land at Reading, and
made his reply at a solemn assembly of the lords spiritual and temporal
at Clerkenwell, on the 18th of March, 1185.

THE ETNA'S EEPLT TO THE PATE1ARCH. 297

At last the patriarch received this reply from the king : that
it was not safe to leave his kingdom without defence and
government, and expose at the present juncture his domi-
nions beyond sea to the rapacity of the French, his mortal
enemies ; but as to money, he would freely contribute both
out of what he had already sent into those parts, placing it
at the patriarch's disposal, and also other monies which
should be forthwith delivered to him for the defence of the
Holy Land.

To this the patriarch replied as follows : " You do no-
thing, O king, if this be your determination, and you per-
sist in it. In this way you will neither save yourself nor
preserve Christ's patrimony. We come to seek a prince,
not money ; nearly every part of the world sends us money,
but none sends a prince. Therefore we desire to have a
man that may want money, and not money that may want
a man." The patriarch, finding, however, that he could
get no other answer from the king, changed his plan of pro-
ceeding, and entreated that he would send one of his sons
to succour them, and become their prince, the youngest of
them, John, at least, if no other; that one sprung from the
royal blood of the race of Anjou might shoot up among
them as a fresh branch, and renew their strength. John
himself, although he was then ready to cross over to Ire-
land, at the head of a powerful force, to assume the domi-
nion of it, conferred on him by his father, threw himself at
the king's feet, and, as it is said, much to his credit, im-
plored to be sent to Jerusalem instead of to Ireland ; but
nis prayer was not granted.

Then the patriarch, failing in all his efforts, and perceiv-
ing that it was in vain to think of drawing honey from the
rock, or oil from the flint stone, addressed the king as fol-
lows, at a public audience, in words which were both ad-
monitory and seemingly uttered in the spirit of prophecy :
" Great king, you have hitherto reigned gloriously above
all the princes of the earth, and your honours continually
augmenting, have raised you to the highest pitch of royal
dignity. But you were evidently reserved for this trial, in
which you have been found wanting ; and for this, the Lord
whom you have forsaken, will desert you, and leave you des-
titute of heavenly grace. From henceforth your glory shall

298 THE CONQUEST OF

be turned into sorrow, and your honour to reproach, to the
end of your days." Would to (rod that the king, following
the example of the king of Nineveh, had, by his repentance,
made the threatening prediction of no effect, and caused
his sentence to be reversed ! The holy man, after uttering
this warning, first at London, repeated it, without omitting
a word, for the second time at Dover, and for the third, at
the castle of Chinon, beyond sea.

"Would to G-od that the patriarch had not been gifted
with the spirit of prophecy, and had spoken falsely ; or, that
the sentence had been rather a commination, which money
might have afterwards redeemed, than a disposition of Pro-
vidence ! But the better to prove the genuineness of the
prophecy, we will briefly recount a few of the events which
occurred afterwards, according to the prediction of the
herald of truth, which we shall thus find to have been
speedily accomplished in the order of Divine Providence.
Of the five and thirty years during which the king reigned,
thirty were granted him for worldly glory, in order that
time might be allowed for his conversion, and trial made of
his devotion to Grod ; but for the last five years he was
given up to punishment, sorrow, and disgrace, as an un-
grateful servant, an outcast, and a reprobate. For in the
thirty-second year of his reign, the very year of the pro-
phet's arrival, as the spirit is lifted up before a fall, his first
enterprise of sending his son John into Ireland, which had
cost him so much fruitless toil and expense, failed, and came
to nothing. In the thirty-third year of his reign, the king,
who had never lost any part of his dominions before, but
was continually adding to them, ceded nearly all Auvergne
to Philip king of France, who, although of tender years,
manfully took up arms against him, and obtained amends
for his father's losses. In the thirty-fourth year he lost the
castle of Chateauroux,1 and nearly all Berri. In the thirty-
fifth year of his reign, being the fourth after the coming of
the patriarch, not only Philip king of France, but also his

1 GHraldus calls it " castrum Had." Chateauroux is now the chief
town of the department of the Indre ; it took its name from Raoul or
Ralph de Deols, its founder, in the tenth century. Issoudun, another for-
tress in the neighbourhood, fell into the hands of Philip at the sairt
time.

THE PRINCES TAKE THE CROSS. 299

own son, the earl of Poitiers, taking arms against him, he
lost the cities of Mans and Tours, with many castles, and
finally, his own life. So true is what the Psalmist says :
" Because of thine indignation and wrath, thou hast taken
me up and cast me down.1 " And Gregory says : '' Those
whom the Lord hath long spared for their conversion, if
they be not converted, he condemneth more grievously."

THE PRINCES TAKE THE CROSS.

PERCHANCE, however, the king is reserved by Divine Provi-
dence to receive the palm as the reward of more earnest
love. How much better is it to restore what is utterly de-
stroyed than to prop up things in a ruinous condition, to
lift the fallen than to support the falling. A sounder cure
is made by using the knife than by patching up a sore.
And since —

" Hectora quis nosset, felix si Troja fuisset ?

Ardua per prseceps gloria stravit iter."
" Who would have heard of Hector, but for ruined Troy !
A rugged path they tread who glory's meed enjoy."

The deeper a man is plunged in adversity, and the more
the clouds of trouble thicken around him, the brighter
shines forth his worth when the sky is again clear. For
two years had scarcely past, when by the occult but right-
eous judgment of Grod, the Pagans and Parthians were al-
lowed to gain the victory over the Christians, either in
punishment of the languid zeal of the Eastern church, or
to try the faith and stedfast obedience of the Western
nations. No sooner had Richard, the illustrious earl of
Poitiers, heard this calamitous intelligence, than even be-
fore the report was confirmed, he took the cross with ear-
nest devotion at the city of Tours, setting an example of
noble enterprise to the other princes on this side the Alps.
Moreover, the earl's father, the king of England, together
with Philip, king of France, burying their previous animo-
sities, took the cross, with laudable emulation, at the same
place and at the same hour, in a conference at Grisors, at the
instance of the archbishop of Tyre, who came there for the
purpose, and under the influence of divine grace ; and their
example was followed on the spot by great numbers, both
1 Psalm cii. v. 10.

300

THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

of the clergy and laity, who were of one heart. And as
kings followed the earl's example, so after the example of the
kings, and by the persuasions of the venerable bishop of
Albano, a cardinal of the Roman church, (by His inspira-
tion, from whom all holy desires, good thoughts, and just
works are derived,) the emperor Frederick took the cross,
with great ceremony, at Laetare Hierusalem (the fourth
Sunday of Lent,) at the famous city of Mentz, with the
princes and great men of Germany, both ecclesiastical and
temporal, in the large court there which the bishop called
G-od's court. Wherefore the king of England, having been
reserved, as it was thought, above the rest, for the restora-
tion of the Holy. Land from its calamitous condition, if he
had crowned his long course of prosperity with this final
success, he would doubtless have fulfilled that famous pro-
phecy of Merlin Ambrosius : " In the beginning he shall
yield to unruly passions, but in the end he shall mount to
heaven."

CHAPTEE XXVII.

SUDDEN DISCORD BETWEEN THE KINGS.

NOTWITHSTANDING, however, this wonderful unanimity, a
sudden and unlooked-for discord broke out between the
kings, and, what was worse, between the earl and his father,
through the devices of the old enemy of mankind, and by
the permission of the Ruler of the universe for the punish-
ment of their sins ; so that their noble enterprise was ex-
posed to detriment and delay. It seemed as if they were
unworthy of the honour of redeeming Jerusalem, and that
Divine Providence reserved it for others ; or, perhaps, as
Gregory observes : " Adversity, when it stands in the way
of good designs, is rather a trial of virtue than a mark of
reprobation." Who is ignorant for how blessed a purpose
Paul was urged to sail for Italy, and yet he suffered ship-
wreck ; but violent as was the tempest, his heart was firm
in the midst of the waves. Thus, as virtue is perfected
through weakness, and gold is tried in the fire, the con-
stancy of faith, which cannot be shaken, only grows the
more, like the grain of mustard-seed ; and the strong mind
resists, with greater courage, adverse occurrences and severe
assaults

A VISION, AND THE EXPLANATION. 301

"Would that our princes had engaged in this expedition,
supported by popular opinion and cheered by general ap-
plause, with only money enough for their expenses on the
way, and that obtained by fair means, not extorted from
their subjects, freely and not niggardly given ; and with a
pure and clear conscience. How much rather had I that
these princes had set forth on this toilsome but glorious
journey, thus pure in heart, and with a much smaller com-
pany of men acceptable to God, than, wanting these, that
they should in this great trial boast in the multitude of
their riches collected from all quarters, and in the numbers
of their host gathered from many nations and not agreeing
together. Look through the whole Bible, examine the his-
tory of later times, especially as it relates to those countries,
and you will always find that victories have been gained
not by numbers but by valour, by the virtues of those who
won them, and by Divine grace, rather than by human
power. Cassiodorus says, " A people in arms, without the
Lord, is unarmed ;" and Seneca, " It is not the number of
the people, but the valour of a few, which secures the
victory."

CHAPTEE XXVIII.

OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK.

Or the four just mentioned, the emperor Frederick, although
he was the last of the Cisalpine princes who took the cross,
yet, with commendable expedition, he was the first in the
execution of the undertaking. I count him the more
worthy of the palm of victory in heaven and of glory upon
earth, because he forsook larger dominions and states than
the rest, and, unrestrained by the care of his vast empire,
was resolute in keeping the time appointed for setting out.

CHAPTEE XXIX.

A VISION, AND THE EXPLANATION THEREOF.

I THINK it not irrelevant that I should relate here a vision,
which, during the misery of these times and the insults paid
to the cross of Christ, He who sometimes maketh known to
the simple what he concealeth from the wise, revealed to me,

302 THE CONQUEST OF IKELAKD.

the vilest and least of his servants, whom yet the Lord
vouchsafed to visit in this vision. In that civil and most
detestable discord which broke out about this time between
the king of England and the earl of Poitou, I was in
attendance upon the king at the castle of Chinon,1 when, on
the night of the sixth of the ides of May [10th May], being
asleep, about the first cock-crowing, methought I saw a
great crowd of people looking up into heaven and wonder-
ing at some new appearance. So, lifting up my eyes to see
what it was, I beheld flashes of brilliant light breaking
through the thick canopy of the clouds, which suddenly
parted, and the lower heaven being as it were thus opened,
and my eyesight penetrating through that window, even
into the empyreum, or heaven of heavens, the celestial
courts, thronged with multitudes, were exposed to view.
There appeared armed hosts around, engaged in the work of
destruction, and, as it were, arrayed for the slaughter of
their enemies. You might see there a head struck off from
one, an arm from another; some were pierced with arrows
lanced from afar, others with spears close at hand, and
others thrust through with swords. Many of the beholders,
dazzled by the excessive brightness, or moved to terror or
devotion by the awful scene, fell on their faces to the earth ;
but methought that I, wishing to see the end of the matter,
continued to observe what was passing much longer and
more closely than the rest.

And now the murderous crew, having quickly triumphed
over all the rest, united their forces to assault the Prince of
the heavenly host sitting in the midst, on the throne of his
majesty, as he is wont to be painted, and dragging him from
his throne on the right hand, and having laid bare his breast,
they thrust a spear into his right side. Thereupon, a ter-
rible voice was immediately heard, crying " Woch,Woch, O
Father and Son ! Woch, Woch, O Holy Ghost !" But
whether it came from above, or was uttered by the people
who were round me, I cannot tell ; and then the terror of
the voice and the vision woke me from my sleep.

1 Chinon was the favourite residence of Henry II., and our other
Plantagenet kings, as well as of the earlier French kings. Its vast
ruins are still seen on a nearly insulated rock on the bank of tlie rivet
Vienne, just aboire its junction with the Loire.

A YISION, AND THE EXPLANATION". 303

I call Him here to witness, to whom all things are naked
and open, that as I sat on my bed and reflected on what I had
seen, I was in such horror, both of mind and body, for more
than half-an-hour, that I feared that I was beside myself
and was become demented. But having recourse without
delay to that best source of human safety, I repeatedly
making the sign of the cross on my forehead and breast with
great devotion ; and thus fortified, I passed the rest of the
night till the dawn of day without sleep, and so, by God's
grace, recovering my senses, I was at length restored to a
full sense of security. But never to this day can I recall to
mind that vision, but with the utmost horror. For what
can be more terrible than for a creature to behold his Cre-
ator pierced with the sword ? Who can bear to see the
citizens of heaven, the servants of God, and the patrons of
mankind, dragged to slaughter, without being overwhelmed
with grief? Who can see the Lord of nature and Maker
of the universe suffer, and not suffer with him ?

What the vision meant, and what it portended, I will now
briefly shew without any prejudice. He who once suffered
in his own person on behalf of his people, shews us that
he suffers now again, but in his servants ; and having
triumphed by the cross, and, ascending to the right hand of his
Father, taken possession of his victorious kingdom, his ene-
mies now strive to drag from his throne, dim his majesty,
and subvert his church, which he hath purchased to himself
by shedding his blood. Wherefore, as I suppose, this vision
did not represent his passion on the cross, but in his majesty
above ; as though the cross being now taken away, his ene-
mies attempted to deprive him of the glory of that majesty
which he gained by the cross. Or rather, it may be sup-
posed, that as his servants are now. suffering in that Holy
Land, which he, after so many miraculous signs of his cor-
poral presence, consecrated by his own blood ; sufferings,
indeed, not on the cross, but in arms and the conflicts of
war ; so he willed that the passion which he now in some
sort suffers in the persons of his servants should be set
forth where he reigns above in co-equal majesty with the
Father, and not on the cross. For he himself testified that
he should suffer with Peter the same sort of punishment

304 TUB CONQUEST OP IRELAND.

which he was about to undergo at Borne, when he said, " I
am come to Borne to be crucified again."

As concerning the words uttered by the voice beginning
in a barbarous language and ending in Latin, I will mention
what I think. Woch, Woch, in the German tongue, is a
sort of interjection repeated, and signifying woe ; it means
the same as if it were said, Alas ! alas ! Father and Son !
alas ! alas ! Holy G-host ! And by that woful moan, begin-
ning in German, and ended in Latin, it may signify that
the nations who use those tongues are the only people who
with their princes take this affliction of our Saviour seriously
to heart, as is evident from their being the most forward
in their preparations to avenge it. God forbid that the pas-
sion or lamentation should be understood as referring to
any slaughter of the faithful which may hereafter happen,
and more especially to the nations engaged in this expedi-
tion.

CHAPTER XXX.

OF THE REMARKABLE EVENTS OF OUR TIMES IN ENGLAND.

I THINK it not irrelevant to introduce, by way of episode,
occasion offering, some account of certain occurrences and
remarkable events which have happened in England within
my own memory.1 First, we have the sudden deaths of
those who withheld the kingdom of England from the right
heir, Henry, who was grandson to king Henry I., by his
daughter Matilda ; namely, the sudden deaths of the illus^
trious knight, Eustace, king Stephen's son, and the son-in-
law of Louis, king of France, and that of his mother,
Matilda, queen of England and countess of Bologne. Next
we have the treaty of adoption made between Stephen, king
of England, and Henry, duke of Normandy ; the death of
king Stephen ; the marriage of queen Elianor, and the trans-
lation from crown to crown. Then the duke's elevation to
the throne, and coronation as Henry II. ; the siege of the
famous castle of Bridgnorth on the river Severn ; and the

1 It would be out of place to offer any illustrations in detail of the
series of events and occurrences in the reign of Henry II., which Giral-
dus briefly recounts in this chapter ; especially as our author throws
no fresh light on contemporary or other authentic annals, which are
aow generally accessible by means of the Antiquarian Library.

EVENTS. 305

compulsory surrender of the brave knight, Hugh de Morti-
mer, a terrible example to all the world. What need is
there of many words ? To make what was rough, smooth,
and to confound that which was strong, his success ended
in the ruin not only of the usurpers of the kingdom, but of
those who disturbed the peace of the realm, first of the
brothers and then afterwards of the sons.

In North Wales, the fortune of war changing, prince
Owen was overcome, though not without the loss of many
of our soldiers, in a woody pass near Coleshylle, that is the
Hill of Coals. A useless but sumptuous and noble expe-
dition to Thoulouse. Frequent hostilities between Louis
king of France, and Henry king of England, through the
cabals on both sides. In South Wales, the surrender of
prince Rhys, by the intervention of his uncle Owen, at
Pencader,1 that is, the head of the chair, when the king of
England thundered against him. The acceptance of the
Constitutions made at Clarendon, both in word and writing,
by Thomas, archbishop of Canterbury, and his suffragans ;
not voluntary, but said to be extorted from them. Then ap
peared to be fulfilled the prophecy of Merlinus Ambrosius :
" And the tongues of the bulls shall be cut out." At North-
ampton, the insulting cries raised by the whole court against
the holy father, defending his right of having the cross carried
before him, and his privately withdrawing the same night,
and going into exile. The embassy of Reginald, archbishop
of Cologne and chancellor of the emperor, to the king of
England, from the emperor Frederick, who succeeded in ne-
gotiating a treaty of marriage between the emperor's eldest
son, Henry, duke of Saxony and Bavaria, and the king's
eldest daughter, Matilda. His efforts, however, to propagate
the schism of the German church failed. Notwithstanding,
the king soon afterwards made a proclamation against the
rights of the chair of St. Peter, and the archbishop of Can-
terbury. Soon afterwards, count Gruncelinus, and other great
Saxon nobles, came to England, as envoys on the duke's
behalf, to escort the king's daughter.

The coronation of Henry III., son of king Henry, cele-
brated at London by the archbishop of York, to the pre-
judice of the rights of the church of Canterbury. Am-
1 See the Itinerary of Wales, lib. i. c. 2.

X

80t5 THE CONQUEST OF IEELAND.

bassadors came from Spain and obtained the king's consent
to the marriage of his daughter Elianor with Alphonso king
of Toledo and Castile. Dermitms being driven into exile, re-
sorts to the king of England ; and Fitz-Stephen, first, and
afterwards earl Richard, sail over to Ireland. The noble ex-
pedition from Album Monasterium into Powis, and its safe
return, notwithstanding the floods from heavy rains, after
the beheading of the hostages and destruction of many of
his enemies. The martyrdom of St. Thomas. Glorious
miracles at his tomb. The happy death of that right noble
man, distinguished alike for his talents and high descent,
being of the royal blood of England, Henry, bishop of
"Winchester,1 who died there. The king's expedition to
Ireland. The conspiracy of nobles against their prince, and
of sons against their father. The cardinals come to Nor-
mandy to investigate the murder of the martyr Thomas.
The king's sudden return from Ireland into Wales, from
Wales to England, and thence to Normandy; and his
speedy pacification with both the cardinals, and with the king
of France. The first withdrawal of the young king with his
two brothers from his father's court to France. The king's
unexpected success in the unnatural two year's war, and his
clemency to the vanquished, which I have shortly men-
tioned, noticing the capture of the earls of Chester and
Leicester and the king of Scotland, at the end of the last
Book. Huguntio Peter Leo, cardinal of St. Angelo, being
sent as the pope's legate to England, convokes a synod of
all the clergy of England at London ; which was abruptly
terminated by reason of the contention between Richard,
archbishop of Canterbury, and Roger, archbishop of York,
respecting the primacy and the precedence of their churches;
the controversy leading to a broil, in which the partizans
on both sides fought with their fists, sticks, and staves. The
bishop of Capua, and Diaferus, bishop-elect of Troga,2with
count Fleuri, came as ambassadors from William king of

1 Henry de Blois, brother of king Stephen, who took so active a
part in the politics of that turbulent reign, but after the accession of
Henry II. appears to have lived in retirement at Winchester. Wen-
dover informs us that Henry visited him on his death-bed, and that the
bishop,reproachinghini for the death of the martyr Becket, foretold many
of the evils which would come upon him on account of it. The bishop
diad full of years, the next day, the 8th of August, 1171. 2 In Naples.

CONTEMPOBABY ETEKTS. 307

Sicily, to negotiate a marriage between their prince and
the king's youngest daughter, Joanna.

Ambassadors from the Spanish kings of Castile and Na-
varre arrived in England to submit the claims of those kings
to certain territories and castles, about which they had grave
disputes, to the arbitration of the king of England, their
masters having pledged themselves to abide by it. Where-
fore the king having assembled at London the wisest and
most learned men in the kingdom, of both orders, that the
merits of the case might be impartially investigated, the
allegations on both sides were heard before them from the
mouths of most famous advocates, among whom Peter of
Cordova, who came on the part of the king of Navarre, was
most distinguished for his extraordinary eloquence. The
king having the advantage of wise counsel, and resolving
to adopt a middle course, and remove all grounds for future
quarrels, gave part to one, and took away part from the
other, so that neither of them should suffer serious loss ;
for having been appointed umpire between the two, he was
anxious to promote, as far as he could, the security of each.
The proceedings having been put in shape and reduced to
writing, the king, for greater caution, caused a formal judg-
ment to be signed, in order that if either party should re-
fuse to stand by the proceedings, all controversy might be
quashed by his definitive sentence.1

Louis king of France came to England, and went on a
pilgrimage to Canterbury, for the purpose of devoutly im-
ploring the patronage of the blessed martyr, on whom he had
heaped favours during his exile. The king having made an
offering of a cup of gold of great valne and exquisitely
wrought, at the spot where the sacred remains were laid,
prostrated himself for a while at the martyr's tomb, lay-
ing his bare head at the opening on the right side of the
marble slab ; and then rising from his devotions, that the
remembrance of his pilgrimage might be preserved by
some perpetual benefaction, he gave to the abbey at
Canterbury a hundred tuns of wine, annually for ever ;

1 Our author is more diffuse in his account of this transaction, than
in his records of other occurrences of greater importance. Hoveden
gives full details, and lias preserved a.l the documents, relating to the
arbitration. See pp. 459 — 465, vol. ii. in Antiq. Lib*

308 THE CONQUEST OF IRELATTD.

and this lie did in the presence of the king of England, the
count of Flanders, the archbishop of the see, and the prior
of the convent, and other great men. The second quarrel
between king Henry III. and earl G-eoffrey, and the un-
timely death of the younger king at Marseilles. Godfrey,
archbishop of Cologne, and Philip, count of Flanders, came
to England on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. The death of
earl Geoffrey. The coming of the patriarch Heraclius, and
the first expedition of John, the king's son, across the sea,
to Ireland.

Almost all these events happened in my own time, in the
order in which they are here placed, at no long intervals,
and in about the period of thirty-three years.

O how happy should I have been to admit the great pros-
perity he enjoyed, to whose glory nearly all these occur-
rences tended, and who was favoured by fortune (if there be
such a thing as fortune) in so many instances, had he only
wound up the drama of his life by a good end, and doubling,
nay, immeasurably augmenting, the favours graciously con-
ferred upon him, passed from his terrestrial glory to that
which is eternal. This, as far as I can conjecture, he would
doubtless have done, if, in return, as it were, for the many
mercies bestowed on him here, he had sought his reward
even on earth, by giving himself up with devotion and
promptitude to that noble vocation, to which Christ invited
him, and obeying the call without hindrance or delay.
Having reigned gloriously, so far as this world is concerned,
for thirty years, he might well have devoted the last five
years of his life, that short space of time, or even, if his life
were spared, the whole of his remaining days, to the service
of God, and thus would have reigned with Christ, filled the
whole of Christendom with the renown of his arms, and
gained eternal as well as earthly glory. Until this point
the king's prosperity was always on the increase, and ad-
vancing to the highest pitch ; thenceforth his fortunes
somewhat declined, and he sustained many disasters to
which he was before a stranger. Every wise man must re-
mark the instability of fortune, and those changes which
very few escape, even in the prime of life, and scarcely any
who live to be old. "What was it that brought to an end
the gbry of Pompey the Great ? He had triumphed in all

EXPEDITION OF JOHN TO 1KELAND. 309

parts of the world, and had raised himself to such an
ascendancy at !Rome, that, as often happened in ancient
times, having ascended the steps which lead to the summit
of power, he could neither mount higher, nor make good
his footing, and so he fell from the top to the bottom.
"Wherefore, after having filled the high office of dictator,
as the first man in the state, after gaining so many victo-
ries over various nations, fortune at last seemed to grow
tired of him, and deserted him, and having lost the empire,
both of the West and the East, this once victorious man
died ignoininiously. So that the poet Lucan says :

" O faciles dare summa decs, eademque tueri
Difficiles."

"What was it, on the contrary, that secured to Julius
Caesar or to Alexander of Macedon such imperishable re-
nown but this, that when they had reached the summit of
their fortunes, sudden death came, in each case, from a reverse.
Princes should also constantly bear in mind that although
the Maker and Euler of the world is long-patient, desiring
the conversion of a sinner rather than his destruction, and
is merciful to those who are converted and amend their
lives ; he pours forth his wrath on the reprobate and im-
penitent, and often begins their punishment in this life.

CHAPTER XXXI.

THE FIBST EXPEDITION OF JOHN, THE KING'S SON, TO
IRELAND.1

ALL things necessary for this great expedition having been
prepared and made ready by the royal commands, John,

1 G-iraldus now returns to his History of the Conquest of Ireland,
and that part of it with which he was personally conversant ; but we
cannot help feeling some disappointment at his supplying us with very
meagre details of the results of an expedition so pompously commenced,
and for which such vast preparations had been made. The truth is,
that he had little to relate ; for, as he acknowledges in a subsequent
chapter, it was a complete failure. The levity, and other worse traits,
of king John's character were early developed ; and all he did in Ire-
land, where he only remained a few months, was to amass money and
squander it on his pleasures. Cotemporary historians barely notice the
expedition. Hoveden, after mentioning John's crossing over to Ir*«

810 THE CONQUEST OF IEELAND.

the king of England's youngest son, on whom the dominion
of Ireland had been lately conferred, took his journey by
the coast road of South Wales towards Menevia, and arrived
at Pembroke. He was accompanied by a person of the
highest station, Ranulf de Grlanville, the king's chief privy
counsellor and justiciary of all England, who conducted him
on board ship. On Wednesday in Easter week, the breeze
blowing favourably from the eastward, he embarked in the
noble fleet which lay at anchor in Milford harbour, and on
account of the sudden change of wind was prevented visiting
the venerable church of St. David's, an unpropitious omen.
Setting sail the same evening, the fleet accomplished its
passage and reached the port of Waterford about noon on
the day following, having on board about three hundred
men-at-arms, and a large force of horse soldiers and archers.
Several ecclesiastics were sent over in company with the
prince, and in the same ship, one of whom was specially
appointed by the king to attend his son. Being a diligent
investigator of natural history, and having spent two years
in the island, in this expedition and on a former occasion,1
he brought back with him, as the profit and reward of his
labours, materials for composing his Yaticinal History and
Topography. These he afterwards digested and arranged,
during intervals of leisure, while attending the court in
Britany, employing the labour of three years on the Topo-
graphy, and of two years on the Vaticinal History ; works
which will be read by posterity, although they offend men
of the present generation ; and though carped at now, will
be acceptable then ; and though detested now, will be pro-
fitable in future times.

land, which is all that Wendover says about it, adds : — " However, as
he thought fit to shut up everything in his own purse, and was un-
willing to pay his soldiers their wages, he lost the greatest part of his
army in several conflicts with the Irish, and being at last reduced to
want, after appointing lords -justices and distributing his knights in
various places for the defence of the country, he returned to England."
1 GHraldus refers to his former visit to Ireland, in company with his
brother Philip. He now came over as secretary to the young prince,
and probably was selected by the sagacity of the king for his political
adviser, for we find no other man of talent and experience about the per*
ion of the young prince.

FITZ-STEPHEN AND STRONGBOW, 311

CHAPTER XXXII.

THE COMMENDATION OP FITZ-STEPHEN AND EARL STRONG-
BOW ; AND THEIR DEFENCE.

ROBERT FITZ-STEPHEN first showed and led the way to the
earl, the earl to the king, and the king to his son John. Much
praise is due to him, who by his bold enterprise made the
beginning ; much to him who, as the connecting link, carried
forward the undertaking so auspiciously commenced ; most
of all is due to those who lent their authority to complete
the whole project. I may remark here, that both Fitz-Ste-
phen andthe earl, having restored Dermitius to his territories,
which they were justified in doing, acquired rights under
him, the one by fealty, the other by marrying his daughter,
which, as far as Leinster was concerned, precludes their
being considered as spoliators or robbers. But as to Water-
ford, and parts of Desmond and Meath, into which the earl
intruded, I do not excuse him in that matter. The earl,
however, yielded up the dominion of the fifth part of the
island, which he had in right of his wife, to the king of
England, and did fealty to him for it. The princes of the
rest of Ireland, making voluntary submission without delay,
did homage to the king, and indisputably confirmed his
right. Wherefore, omitting at present the other grounds,
both new and old, which have been stated in a former chap-
ter, it is plain, even from those just mentioned, that the
English nation and king did not enter upon this island so
unjustly, from lack of title, as some unlearned persons
dream.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

OF T1IE DELAY AND IMPEDIMENTS TO THE FULL AND
COMPLETE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

FORTUNATE would this island have been, and it would long
since have been firmly and completely subjugated from one
end to the other, and brought without difficulty under order
and good government, with towns and castles built on all
sides, in fitting places from sea to sea, had not the succours
which should have followed the first adventurers been cut
off by a royal proclamation ;* or, rather, if the king himself
' See B. i. c. 19.

312 THE CONQUEST OF IEELA1TD.

had not been prematurely recalled from his bold adventure
by an intestine conspiracy which prevented his turning his
enterprise to good account. Happy indeed would it have
been if, the first conquerors being men of worth and valour,
their merits had been duly weighed, and the government
and administration of affairs had been placed in their hands.
For the Irish people, who were so astounded and thrown
into such consternation at the arrival of the first adven-
turers,1 by the novelty of the thing, and so terrified by
flights of arrows shot by the English archers, and the might
of the men-at-arms, soon took heart, through delays, which
are always dangerous, the slow and feeble progress of the
work of conquest, and the ignorance and cowardice of the
governors and others in command. And becoming gradually
expert in the use of arrows and other weapons, as well as
being practised in stratagems and ambuscades by their
frequent conflicts with our troops, and taught by their
successes, although they might at first have been easily
subjugated, they became in process of time able to make a
stout resistance.

Read the Books of Kings, read the Prophets, examine
the whole series of the Old Testament, and even consider
familiar examples furnished by our own times and our own
country, and you will find that no nation was ever con-
quered which did not bring down punishment on them-
selves for their sins and wickedness. But although the

1 It is surprising with how small a number of troops the capture of
several important places, the reduction of at least all Leinster, and the
general submission of the native princes, was effected. Giraldus has
stated very exactly the numbers embarked in the several expeditions ;
and on counting them up we find that the Fitzgeralds and other adven-
turers from Wales took over at different times 1030 men, in the propor-
tions of 80 men-at-arms, 180 other horsemen, and 770 archers and foot
soldiers, all levied amongst their own kinsmen and retainers. Earl
Strongbow's expedition mustered 1200 men, of whom 200 were men-
at-arms. Giraldus states the number of men-at-arms who went over
with king Henry to have been 500, but he does not furnish any account
of the rest of his forces. This is, however, immaterial to our present
purpose ; as, though the presence of a mimerous royal army may have
awed the native princes into a more perfect submission, all the fighting
seems to have been done before ; the heart of the people was broken, the
country had been traversed from east to west, and all the strong places
had been reduced, and that with a force little exceeding 2000 men.

BRIEF EE CAPITULATION OP EYENTS. 313

Irish people did well deserve, for their grievous offences
and filthy lives, to be brought into trouble by the incursions
of strangers, they had not so utterly offended God that it
was his will they should be entirely subjugated ; nor were
the deserts of the English such as to entitle them to the
full sovereignty over, and the peaceable obedience of, the
people they had partly conquered and reduced to submis-
sion. Therefore, perhaps, it was the will of G-od that both
nations should be long engaged in mutual conflicts, neither
of them having merited or altogether forfeited his favour,
so that the one did not gain the prize of triumphant suc-
cess, nor was the other so vanquished as to submit their
necks generally to the yoke of servitude.

The Irish may be said to have four prophets, Molingus,
Braccanus, Patrick, and Columkill, whose books, written in
Irish, are still extant ; and all these, speaking of this con- .
quest, agree in affirming that it will be attended with fre-
quent conflicts, with long wars continued for several genera-
tions, and much shedding of blood. Indeed they scarcely
promise complete victory to the English, and that the whole
island shall be subdued, and castles built from sea to sea,
much before doomsday. And Braccanus affirms that, although
the English in the island, experiencing the fortune of war,
shall often be defeated, and their power weakened, it will
only happen when a certain king, descending from the
desert mountains of Patrick, shall ,on a Sunday night
storm a castle built in the woody parts of Ophelan, that
nearly all the English shall be driven out of Ireland. These
prophecies, however, declare that the whole territory lying
on the east coast of the island shall for ever remain in the
possession of the English.

CHAPTEB XXXIV.

A BRIEF RECAPITULATION OF CERTAIN EYENTS.

THREE castles were built immediately after prince John's
first arrival ; one at Tibrach, another at Archfinan, and the
third at Lismore. Likewise, three noble youths were unfor-
tunately killed ; Robert de Barri at Lismore, Raymond
Fitz-Hugh at Olechan, and Eaymond of Kantitune at
Odrone. Part of the garrison of Archfinan were set on

314 THE CONQUEST OF IEELANJ).

and routed by the prince of Limerick, in the wood of Arch-
finan, on St. John the Baptist's day (24th June), and four
men-at-arms were slain. The garrison of Archfman were
again attacked when plundering towards Limerick, and
nineteen men at-arms slain. Dermitius Macarthy, prince of
Desmond, and many others, fell by the hands of the men of
Cork, and the troops of Theobald Fitz-Walter, in a parley
near Cork, The men of Keneleone (Kilkenny), under their
prince, having made a too daring irruption into the borders of
Meath, the men of Meath, under the command of William the
Little (Gulielmus Modicus), put one hundred of the invaders
to the sword, and sent their heads to Dublin. John de
Courcy having discovered a precious treasure, the bodies of
three Saints, Patrick, Bridget, and Columba, at Down, these
relics were by his care translated. Hugh de Lacy was
treacherously slain and decapitated by the axes of the Irish
under his dominion at Dernach. Thirteen of John de Courcy 's
noble men-at-arms were slain as they were returning with
him from Connaught. Eoger le Poer, a young man of great
bravery, and much lamented, was killed at Ossory, with
many of his people ; whereupon, a secret conspiracy against
the English was formed throughout Ireland, many castles
were destroyed, and the whole island thrown into confusion ;
occurrences well worthy of a separate notice. The dominion
of Ireland having now been transferred to the king's son, I
leave his acts to be described by those who relate his history,1
and hasten on to close my own work with what is more
profitable. I think it, therefore, not amiss that I should
briefly state why, and from what causes, this first enterprise
of the king's son did not fulfil his expectations ; the success
not being equal to the vast preparations for it. And this
sequel to my work, though it cannot remedy what is past,
may yet supply some warnings for the future.

1 There appears to be a touch of irony in the language by which Gi-
raldus devolves on future historians the task of writing the annals of the
disgraceful manner in which John's inauguration in his new dominion
of Ireland was conducted. He does not, however, hesitate in the fol-
lowing chapters, which we think will be considered, for the most part,
very ably written, to indicate his opinion of the mal-administration,
which he failed to prevent, and at the same time points out its causes,
and suggests remedies for the evil, and rules for the good government
of Ireland.

COMING OP JOHN TO IRELAND.

CHAPTEE XXXV.

THE CAUSES OP THE DISASTERS. OP THE COMI1SG TO
IRELAND OF JOHN, THE KING'S SON.

1 SHOULD say, then, that the first and principal cause of
these mischances, was the king's not having listened to the
solemn call of the patriarch Heraclius, before mentioned,
and either gone himself, or at least sent one of his sons on
his behalf, with ready devotion, in obedience to the com-
mands of Christ. But instead of this, at the moment of
this memorable summons, and in the very presence of the
venerable envoy charged with it, he sent this son of his,
with a retinue and outfit more sumptuous than profitable,
not to the East, but to the West ; not against the Saracens,
but against Christians ; for his own aggrandisement, not
for the cause of Jesus Christ.

Another cause was this ; as soon as the king's son landed
in Ireland, there met him at Waterford a great many of the
Irish of the better class in those parts ; men who, having
been hitherto loyal to the English and disposed to be peace-
able, came to congratulate him as their new lord, and
receive him with the kiss of peace. But our new-comera
and Normans not only treated them with contempt and
derision, but even rudely pulled them by their beards,
which the Irishmen wore full and long, according to the
custom of their country. No sooner, however, had they
made their escape, than they withdrew from the neighbour-
hood with all their households, and, betaking themselves to
the king of Limerick, the prince of Cork, and Eoderick
king of Connaught, gave full particulars of all that they
had observed during their visit to the king's son. They said
that they found him to be a mere boy,1 surrounded by

1 Holingshed states in his Chronicles of Ireland, on what authority
we are unable to discover, that John was only twelve years old when he
was sent over to assume the government ; but it would seem prepos-
terous that so politic a prince as Henry II., with all his fondness for his
youngest son, should have committed so great a trust to him at so
tender an age. Florence of Worcester, a very exact chronicler, records
John's birth in 1166. We believe that it was in 1166, a year memor-
able for his father's great victory at Tinchibrai. John must therefore
have been nineteen years old when he went to Ireland. We take thia
opportunity of remarking that Giraldus never mentions him but ttd

316 THE CONQUEST Of IRELAND.

others almost as young as himself; and that the young
prince abandoned himself to juvenile pursuits ; and they
further declared, that what they saw promised no mature or
stable counsels, no security for the peace of Ireland.

On hearing this, the princes of Limerick, Connaught,
and Cork, who were at that time the main stay of Ireland,
although they were preparing to wait upon the young
king's son and offer him their homage and submission with
the usual forms, began to consider among themselves to what
greater evils these small beginnings might lead, and what
course would be taken with the proud and independent,
when good and peaceable subjects were thus treated. They
then resolved unanimously to resist the English, and defend
with their lives their ancient liberties ; and the better to
3arry this resolution into effect, a new league was generally
entered into, and those who were before enemies were now
reconciled, and became friends. We speak what we know,
and testify what we have seen. And forasmuch as we in-
sulted and drove from us those who came first to pay their
respects, as God humbles the proud, by this example we
deterred all the chief men of the country from making their
submission. Eor this people, like other barbarous nations,
although they do not understand what appertains to honour,
covet above measure to be honoured themselves ; and al-
though they are not ashamed to be convicted of falsehood,
they despise liars and commend truth ; loving that in others
which they do not blush at wanting themselves. What
great evils may arise from insolent behaviour, a prudent
man may learn from the example of Eehoboam, Solomon's
son, and by the calamities which have happened to another,
will avoid them in his own case. For he, being led away
by the young men's counsels, said to his people : " My
little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins, and if he
chastened you with whips, I will scourge you with scor-
pions." Wherefore the ten tribes forsook him, and adhered
to Jeroboam, and a schism was made among the people, and
he ^ost them for ever.1

Another cause is this : We took away their lands from

"John the king's son." Florence, in noting his birth, calls him John
Sans-terre, or Lack-land ; and he had the title of earl of Mortaigne,
by which other chroniclers usually designate him. ' 2 Kings, 12 — 14,

MISTAKEN TREATMENT OF THE IRISH. 317

our own Irishmen, who had faithfully stood by us from the
first coming over of Fit z- Stephen and the earl, and have
given them to our new-comers. These Irish, therefore, be-
taking themselves to our enemies, became spies upon us,
and guides to shew them the way to us, having the more
power to do us injury from their former familiarity with us.
Besides, the care and custody of all the towns and castles
on the sea-coast, with the lands, revenues, and tributes ap-
pertaining to them, which ought to have been administered
for the public good and for defence against the enemy, were
assigned to persons who thought only of hunting-out money ;
and, keeping themselves carefully within the town walls,
they spent their time and all that they had in drunkenness
and surfeiting, to the loss and damage of the good citizens,
instead of the annoyance of the enemy.

Among many other misfortunes, this may be added : that
at the very first entry of the king's son on this hostile land,
among a warlike, rebellious, and savage people, as yet impa-
tient of submission, men were appointed to command the
troops, who had more of Mercury than of Mars about
them, who liked their gowns better than their armour, and
were more intent on pillaging the good subjects than attack-
ing the enemy ; such men, I mean, and marchers as Fitz-
Aldelm, and the like, under whose rule both Wales and Ire-
land were well-nigh ruined and lost. Such men are neither
confided in by their subjects, nor feared by the enemy ; and
know nothing of that principle which is innate in a noble
spirit, '' To spare the humbled, subjugate the proud." They
rather act the contrary way, and leaving the enemy unin-
jured, are always plundering the vanquished. Hence it
comes to pass that nothing has been done to strengthen our
position in the island ; there are no inroads into the enemy's
country, no great number of fortresses erected, no felling of
trees, and clearing and widening the roads through the
woods, commonly called " bad passes," for the greater ease
and security of convoys. The soldiers and serving-men in
the garrisons also, imitating their captains and masters, lead
the same sort of life as their betters, spending their whole
time in drinking and wantonness, and taking good care not
to leave the towns on the coast ; so' that the interior parts
of the country, on the borders of the enemy, called the

818 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

marches, were left undefended ; and such as there were
amongst them, having no support, were plundered and
burnt, and the garrisons put to the sword.

Meanwhile, the new-comers growing daily more insolent,
the old tried and veteran soldiers were out of favour and
kept themselves close, waiting patiently what would be the
end of all this rioting and disturbance. In the meantime
this was the state of the island ; all the roads were imprac-
ticable, all communications cut off; no security anywhere
from the broad axes of the Irish ; new reports daily of fresh
losses by the English. Such was the condition of the coun-
try outside the towns. Within the walls, there was some
semblance of order and tranquillity ; and with plenty of wine
and money, delinquencies in all quarters were easily atoned.
Besides, when the storm was gathering in the enemy's
quarters, it was time for the troops to look to their arms,
instead of being immersed in civil affairs. But instead of
this, there was so much vexatious litigation, that the veteran
soldiers were more harassed by their adversaries within,
than by the enemy without the walls. While, therefore,
our forces were enfeebled, the enemy became more daring
in their resistance. Thus was the land misgoverned, and
affairs ill administered, until the king, discarding the new-
comers, as totally incapable, if not cowardly, and resolving
to employ men who from the first had acquired experience
in the conquest of the island, sent over John de Courcy to
take the supreme command. Under his rule the kingdom
speedily began to enjoy more tranquillity, the effect of his
superiority to those who were superseded both in courage
and vigour. He soon led an expedition into the furthest
parts of the island, namely, Cork and Connaught, and not
suffering his troops to lie idle, was always trying the chances
of war, uncertain as they are, frequently sustaining defeats,
and often inflicting losses on the enemy. Would that he
had been as skilful a general as he was a brave soldier, and
had exercised as much discretion in commanding as he ex-
hibited daring in the field.

I must add to my account of the mischiefs done by the
new government, one that is the greatest of all. Not only
do we neglect to make any offering to the church of Christ,
not only are the honours and thanks due to God unacknov«

MISGOYERNMENT UNDER PRINCE JOHN.

ledged by any gift of the prince and his followers, but we
even rob the church of its lands and possessions, and strive
to abridge or annul its ancient rights and privileges. When
I come to reflect on all that has happened to us, and espe-
cially on this dispute, done to our Lord himself, I am
filled with the greatest anxiety, and painful thoughts fre-
quently arise in my mind. Perhaps it was in consequence
of these meditations that one night I had a vision in my
sleep, which on the morrow I related to the venerable John,
archbishop of Dublin, and it filled us both with wonder.
Methought I beheld in my vision John, the king's son, in
a certain green meadow, apparently laying the foundations
of a church. And when he had marked out the ground on
each side, and drawn lines on the face of the turf, as sur-
veyors do, upon going round the spot with the model or
plan of the work, to ascertain its dimensions by precise ad-
measurement, he discovered that the body of the church
was sufficiently large, while the chancel appeared to be ex-
tremely confined and out of proportion, as if the nave were
large enough to contain the laity, while the least possible
space sufficed for the clergy. Methought I then contended
earnestly, though in vain, that some additions should be
made to the plan, so that the size of the building might be
increased, and it might have a better shape ; but I was so
excited by my zeal for these improvements that I awoke
from my dream.

The many outrages and disorders which have been the
fruits of the new government of Ireland, are not to be im-
puted so much to the tender years of the king's son, as to
evil counsels, although both had a large share in them ; for
the land, as yet rude and barbarous, required men of expe-
rience, whose minds were matured, to reduce it to order.
Any nation, however excellent its condition may have been,
is cursed when it is governed by a boy king. How much
more must it be the case, when a country which is rude and
uncivilized, is committed to the charge of one who is inex-
perienced and ill-informed. But that these great disorders
were more to be attributed to the advice of evil counsellors,
was even whispered among the younger sort, and taken for
certain by older and more discreet persons. For some who
had procured large grants, as the first of the richest and

320 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

most fertile lands in Ireland, either improvidently given
them as lords of the fee, or for the most part in their actual
possession, and who, perhaps, sometimes aspired to the sole
government of the kingdom by means of the royal con-
quests and their own immense acquisitions of territory, when
things did not turn out according to their expectations, seem
to have easily found means of eluding the fealty due to
the father, and their faith and oaths pledged to his son.

How men of three different sorts were in the service of John.
OUR people consisted of men of three different sorts ; Nor-
mans, English, and my own countrymen,1 whom we found
in Ireland. "With the first we were most intimate, and we
esteemed them best ; the second had less regard, and the
third none at all. The Normans could not do without
wine, having been used to plenty of it from their youth,
and so nothing could induce them to remain long in the
marches, and in remote castles built at a distance from the
sea-coast. Their chief care was to be about the person of
the king's son, and to be near the supplies, and far enough
from any scarcity. They were talkers, boasters, enormous
swearers, and held all others in supreme contempt. Ever
on the look-out for pay and grants of land, and the fore-
most to get advancement and honours, they were the last to
earn them by their services. As, therefore, the veteran so1-
diers by whose enterprise the way into the island was opened
to us, were treated with suspicion and neglect, and our
counsels were only communicated to the new-comers, who
only were trusted and thought worthy of honour, it came
to pass that as the veterans kept aloof, and rendered no as-
sistance to those who did not ask for it, the others had little
success in all their undertakings.

CHAPTEE XXXVI.

IN WHAT MANNER IRELAND IS TO BE COMPLETELY
CONQUERED.

IT is an old saying, that every man is most to be believed in
respect of his own art ; and so, as regards this expedition,
1 Normanni, Angli, nostri. It may be supposed that Giraldus
means by the last designation the Welshmen,, who were the first to ad-
venture on the conquest of Ireland, and still remained there.

IN WHAT MANNER IRELAND IS TO BE CONQUERED. 321

their judgment may be best relied on, who have been
longest conversant with the similar state of affairs in the
country, and are most acquainted with the manners and
customs of the people. And it much concerns them that
this hostile raco, whose implacable enmity they have drawn
on themselves in the course of the continual conflicts of a
long war, should by their aid either have their power reduced,
or be altogether discomfited. I may also say of those parts
of Wales which are inhabited by the English, that it would
be happy for them if the king had long ago adopted a simi-
lar policy in dealing with the government, and protecting
the country from the inroads of the native and hostile race.
The Normans, who are newly come among us, may be very
good soldiers in their own country, and expert in the use
of arms and armour after the French fashion, but every one
knows how much that differs from the mode of warfare iu
Ireland and Wales. In France it is carried on in a cham-
paign country, here it is rough and mountainous ; there you
have open plains, here you find dense woods. In France it
is counted an honour to wear armour, here it is found to be
cumbersome ; there victories are won by serried ranks and
close fighting, here by the charges of light-armed troops ;
there, quarter is given, prisoners being taken and admitted
to ransom, here their heads are chopped off as trophies, and
no one escapes. Where armies engage in a plain country,
that heavy and complex armour, whether shirts of mail, or
coat armour of steel, is both a splendid ornament of the
knights and men-at-arms, and also necessary for their pro-
tection. But where you have to fight in narrow passes, and
m woods and bogs, in which foot-soldiers are more service-
able than horsemen, a far lighter kind of armour is prefer-
able. In fighting against naked and unarmed men, whose
only hope of success lies in the impetuosity of their first
attack, men in light armour can pursue the fugitives, an
agile race, with more activity, and cut them down in narrow
passes and amongst crags and mountains. The Normans,
with this complex armour and their deeply curved saddles,
find great difficulty in getting on horseback and dismounting;
and still greater when occasion requires that they shall
march on foot.

In all expeditions, therefore, either in Ireland or in

T

822 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND.

"Wales, the "Welshmen bred in the marches, and accustomed
to the continual wars in those parts, make the best troops.
They are very brave, and, from their previous habits, bold
and active ; they are good horsemen and also light of foot,
being equally suited to both services ; and they are not nice
in their appetites, and bear hunger and thirst well when pro-
visions are not to be had. Such men and soldiers were they
which took the lead in the conquest of Ireland, and by such
men it must be finally and completely effected. Let each
class of soldiers have its proper place Against heavy-armed
troops, depending upon their strength and complete armour,
and fighting on a plain, you must oppose, I admit, men
equal to them in the weight of their armour and strength of
limb ; but when you have to do with a race who are natu-
rally agile and light of foot, and whose haunts are in steep
and rocky places, you want light-armed troops, and espe-
cially such as have been trained by experience to fighting
under such circumstances. And, in the Irish wars, parti-
cular care should be always used to mix bowmen with the
other troops, in order to gall, by nights of arrows shot from
a distance, the slingers who rush forward and heave stoned
on the heavy armed troops, and then retire with great
agility, thus alternately advancing and retreating.

Moreover, the part of the country on this side, as far as the
river Shannon, which forms the boundary between the three
eastern parts of the island and the fourth or western part,
should be protected by strongly fortified castles built in differ-
ent places. And further, in the meantime, let all the country
beyond the Shannon, including Connaught and part of Mun-
ster, be subjected to annual tributes [from the native
princes], except the city of Limerick, which should by all
means be recovered and occupied by the English. For it
would be better, far better, to begin with building fortresses
on suitable situations, proceeding by degrees to construct
them, than to erect a great number at once, in a variety of
places, at great distance from each other, where they would
be entirely disconnected, and could afford no mutual aid in
time

GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND. 323

CHAPTER XXX VII.

HOW IRELAND OUGHT TO BE GOVERNED.

As tin's people are easily moved to rebel, and are as light-
minded as they are light of foot, when they have been sub-
jugated and reduced to submission, they will have to be
ruled with great discretion. The government should be
entrusted to men of firm and equitable minds, who in times
of peace, when the people obey the laws and are content tq
be loyal subjects, will win their hearts by keeping good
faith, and treating them with respect ; but if, through their
natural levity, they presume to break into revolt, the go-
vernor should then divest himself of all gentleness, and in-
stantly bring the offenders to condign punishment. Peace
being again restored, and due satisfaction made for their
misdeeds, as it is a bad thing to keep in memory wrongs
that are passed, as long as they behave well their miscon-
duct should be buried in oblivion, and they enjoy the same
security, and be treated with the same consideration, as be-
fore. Thus, obedience to the laws, and the beneficial pur-
suits of peace, would meet with reward, while the certainty
of punishment would deter the rebellious from rash
attempts at insurrection.

But governors who throw all things into confusion by
being slow to punish the rebellious, while they oppress the
humble, by fawning on insurgents while they plunder peace-
able subjects, robbing the weak and truckling to the refrac-
tory, as we have seen many do ; such governors in the end
bring disgrace on themselves. Besides, as evils foreseen
are less hurtful, a prudent governor will take measures in
time of peace, by erecting fortresses and opening roads
through the woods, to be in constant preparation to meet
the dangers of war. For this people are always plotting
hostilities under colour of peace. And as it is wise to take
warning from the mishaps of others, and avoid their errors,
and the blow falls less heavily when it is anticipated from
past experience, the examples of such men as Milo de Cogan,
Ralph Fitz-Stephen, that gallant youth, Hugh de Lacy,
and I may add Roger Poer, may teach that there is never
any security from the weapons of the Irish. For, as I have
said in my Topography, the craft of this people is more to

T2

324 THE CONQUEST OP IKELAKD.

be feared than their prowess in arms, their show of peace
than their lire-brands, their honey than their gall, their
secret malice than their open warfare, their treachery than
their attacks, their false friendship than their contemptible
hostility.

As Evodius says, " Past ruin gives a lesson to future
generations, and former mishaps are a caution ever after-
wards ;" and as in such matters over-caution can do no harm,
and the utmost precaution is scarcely enough, this people,
when finally subjected, should, by a public proclamation,
like the Sicilians, be entirely prohibited from carrying arms
under the severest penalties. In the meantime, they ought
not be allowed in time of peace, on any pretence or in any
place, to use that detestable instrument of destruction
[the broad-axe], which, by an ancient but accursed custom,
they constantly carry in their hands instead of a staff.
Finally, forasmuch as the kings of Britain have on many
grounds already set forth a just title to Ireland, and the
people of that island cannot subsist without the benefits
conferred by commercial intercourse, it seems reasonable
that it should be subjected to some tribute to England,
either in money, or in the birds with which it abounds, in
order that all occasion of dispute or opposition may be
obviated for the future. Thus, as time proceeds on its
course, and the regular line of descent is perpetuated to the
farthest degree, this annual tribute should be retained, as a
lasting acknowledgment of this conquest, in the place of a
written instrument, to the British nation and king.

I here bring my history to a close, having faithfully
related what has come under my knowledge, and testified
what I have actually witnessed ; and I leave it to future
historians, of sufficient talent, to describe subsequent events
in a style fitting their importance.

E2TD OF THE HISTORY OE THE CONQUEST OF IBELAND.

THE ITINEEAEY

OF

ARCHBISHOP BALDWIN THEOUGH WALES.

FIEST PREFACE

TO STEPHEN LANGTON, AECHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.

As the times are affected by the changes of circumstances,
so are the minds of men influenced by different manners
and customs. The satirist [Persius] exclaims,

" Mille hominum species et mentis discolor usus ;
Velle suum cuique est, nee voto vivitur uno."

" Nature is ever various in her name ;
Each has a different will, and few the same."

The comic poet also says, " Quot capita tot senfentice, sun*
cuique mos est" " As many men, so many minds, each has
his way." Young soldiers exult in war, and pleaders delight
in the gown; others aspire after riches, and think them
the supreme good. Some approve Gralen, some Justinian.
Those who are desirous of honours follow the court, and
from their ambitious pursuits meet with more mortification
than satisfaction. Some, indeed, but very few, take pleasure
in the liberal arts, amongst whom we cannot but admire
logicians, who, when they have made only a trifling pro-
gress, are as much enchanted with the images of Dialectics,
as if they were listening to the songs of the Syrens.

But among so many species of men, where are to be

326 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALIS.

found divine poets ? "Where the noble assertors of morals ?
"Where the masters of the Latin tongue ? Who in the pre-
sent times displays lettered eloquence, either in history or
poetry ? Who, I say, in our own age, either builds a sys-
tem of ethics, or consigns illustrious actions to immortality ?
Literary fame, which used to be placed in the highest rank,
is now, because of the depravity of the times, tending to
ruin and degraded to the lowest, so that persons attached
to study are at present not only not imitated nor v< meiated,
but even detested. " Happy indeed would be the arts,"
observes Eabius, " if artists alone judged of the arts ;" but,
as Sydonius says, " it is a fixed principle in the human
mind, that they who are ignorant of the arts despise the
artist."

But to revert to our subject. Which, I ask, have ren-
dered more service to the world, the arms of Marius or the
verses of Virgil ? The sword of Marius has rusted, while
the fame of him who wrote the JEneid is immortal ; and
although in his time letters were honoured by lettered per-
sons, yet from his own pen we find,

tan turn

Cannina nostra valent tela inter Martia, quantum
Chaonias dicunt, aquila veniente, columbas."

Who would hesitate in deciding which are more profitable,
the works of St. Jerom, or the riches of Croesus ? but
where now shine the gold and silver of Croesus ? whilst the
world is instructed by the example and enlightened by the
learning of the poor coenobite. Yet even he, through envy,
suffered stripes and contumely at Rome, although his cha-
racter was so illustrious ; and at length being driven beyond
the seas, found a refuge for his studies in the solitude of
Bethlehem. Thus it appears, that gold and arms may sup-
port us in this life, but avail nothing after death ; and that
letters through envy profit nothing in this world, but, like a
testament, acquire an immortal value from the seal of death.
According to the poet,

" Pascitur in vivis liver, post fata quiescit ;

Cum suus ex merito quemque tuetur honor."
And also

" Denique si quis adhuc prsetendit nubila, livor
Occidet, et meriti post me referentur honores."

FIBST PKEFACE. 327

Those who by artifice endeavour to acquire or preserve
the reputation of abilities or ingenuity, while they abound in
the words of others, have little cause to boast of their own
inventions. For the composers of that pDlished language,
in which such various cases as occur in the great body of
law are treated with such an appropriate elegance of style,
must ever stand forward in the first ranks of praise. I should
indeed have said, that the authors of refined language, not
the hearers only, the inventors, not the reciters, are most
worthy of commendation. You will find, however, that the
practices of the court and of the schools are extremely
similar ; as well in the subtleties they employ to lead you
forward, as in the steadiness with which they generally
maintain their own positions. Yet it is certain that the
knowledge of logic (the acumen, if I may so express it,
of all other sciences as well as arts) is very useful, when
restricted within proper bounds ; whilst the court (i. e.
courtly language), excepting to sycophants or ambitious
men, is by no means necessary. For if you are successful
at court, ambition never wholly quits its hold till satiated,
and allures and draws you still closer ; but if your labour
is thrown away, you still continue the pursuit, and, together
with your substance, lose your time, the greatest and most
irretrievable of all losses. There is likewise some resem-
blance between the court and the game of dice, as the poet
observes : —

" Sic ne perdiderit non cessat perdere lusor,
Dum revocat cupidas alea blanda manus ;"

which, by substituting the word curia for alea, may be ap-
plied to the court. . This further proof of their resemblance
may be added ; that as the chances of the dice and court
are not productive of any real delight, so they are equally
distributed to the worthy and the unworthy.

Since, therefore, among so many species of men, each
follows his own inclination, and each is actuated by different
desires, a regard for posterity has induced me to choose the
study of composition ; and, as this life is temporary and
mutable, it is grateful to live in the memory of future ages,
and to be immortalized by fame ; for to toil after that which
produces envy in life, but glory after death, is a sure indi-

828 THE ITTNEBABY THEOTJGH WALES.

cation of an elevated mind. Poets and authors indeed
aspire after immortality, but do not reject any present ad-
vantages that may offer.

I formerly completed with vain and fruitless labour the To-
pography of Ireland for king Henry the Second, and its com-
panion, the Vaticinal History, for Richard of Poitou, his
son, and, I wish I were not compelled to add, his successor
in vice ; princes little skilled in letters, and much engaged
in business. To you, illustrious Stephen, archbishop of
Canterbury, equally commendable for your learning and re-
ligion, I now dedicate the account of our meritorious jour-
ney through the rugged provinces of Cambria, written in a
scholastic style, and divided into two parts. For as virtue
loves itself, and detests what is contrary to it, so I hope you
will consider whatever I may have written in commendation
of your late venerable and eminent predecessor, with no
less affection than if it related to yourself. To you also,
when completed, I destine my treatise on the Instruction of
a Prince, if, amidst your religious and worldly occupations,
you can find leisure for the perusal of it. For I purpose
to submit these and other fruits of my diligence to be tasted
by you at your discretion, each in its proper order ; hoping
that, if my larger undertakings do not excite your interest,
my smaller works may at least merit your approbation, con-
ciliate your favour, and call forth my gratitude towards you ;
who, unmindful of worldly affections, do not partially dis-
tribute your bounties to your family and friends, but to let-
ters and merit ; you, who, in the midst of such great and
unceasing contests between the crown and the priesthood,
stand forth almost singly the firm and faithful friend of the
British church ; you, who, almost the only one duly elected,
fulfil the scriptural designation of the episcopal character.
It is not, however, by bearing a cap, by placing a cushion,
by shielding off the rain, or by wiping the dust,1 even if

' Giraldus, whose knowledge of all the classical authors I (Sir B. C.
Hoare) have elsewhere had occasion to mention, has evidently adopted
this expression from Ovid, who, in his Ars Amandi, says,

in gremimn pulvis si forte puellse

Deciderit, digitis excutiendus erit.

Et, si Mtllus erit pulvis, tarn en excute nullum.n

SECOND PREFACE. 329

there should be none, in the midst of a herd of flatterers,
that I attempt to conciliate your favour, but by my writ-
ings. To you, therefore, rare, noble, and illustrious man,
on whom nature and art have showered down whatever be-
comes your supereminent situation, I dedicate my works ;
but if I fail in this mode of conciliating your favour, and
if your prayers and avocations should not allow you suffi-
cient time to read them, I shall consider the honour of let-
ters as vanished, and in hope of its revival I shall inscribe
any writings to posterity.

SECOND PEEFACE,

TO THE SAME PRELATE.

SINCE those things, which are known to have been done
through a laudable devotion, are not unworthily extolled
with due praises ; and since the mind, when relaxed, loses
its energy, and the torpor of sloth enervates the understand-
ing, as iron acquires rust for want of use, and stagnant
waters become foul ; lest my pen should be injured by the
rust of idleness, I have thought good to commit to writing
the devout visitation which Baldwin, archbishop of Canter-
bury, made throughout Wales ; and to hand down, as it
were in a mirror, through you, 0 illustrious Stephen, to
posterity, the difficult places through which we passed, the
names of springs and torrents, the witty sayings, the toils
and incidents of the journey, the memorable events of an-
cient and modern times, and the natural history and de-
scription of the country ; lest my study should perish
through idleness, or the praise of these things be lost bj
silence.

CONTENTS OF THE CHAPTERS,

BOOK I.

CHAPTER PAGB

I. Journey through Hereford and Eadnor . . . 331

II. Journey through Hay and Brecheinia , . 337

III. Ewyas and Llanthoni ..... 354

IV. The Journey by Coed Grono and Abergevenni . . 364
V. Of the progress by the castle of Usk and Caerleon . . 371

VI. Newport and Caerdyf ..... 377

VII. The see of Landaf and monastery of Margan, and the

remarkable things in those parts .... 383
VIII. Passage of the rivers Avon and Neth — and of Abertawe and

Goer ....... 387

IX. Passage over the rivers Lochor and Wendraeth ; and of

Cydweli . . . . . . .392

X. Tywy river— Caermardyn — Monastery of Albelande . 394

XI. Haverford and Eos ..... 398

XII. Penbroch ....... 404

XIII. Of the progress by Camros and Niwegal . . .412

BOOK II.

I. Of the see of St. David's . . . . .414

II. Of the journey by Cemmeis — the monastery of St. Dogmael 422

III. Of the river Teivi— Cardigan— Emelyn ". . ,427

IV. Of the journey by Pont Stephen, the Abbey of Stratflur,

Landewi Brevi, and Lhanpadarn Vawr . . 432

V. Of the river Devi, and the land of the sons of Conan . 437

VI. Passage of Traeth Mawr and Traeth Bachan, and of Nevyn,

Carnarvon, and Bangor ..... 439

VII. The island of Mona . ... 443

VIII. Passage of the river Conwy in a boat, and of Dinas Emrys 451

IX. Of the mountains of Eryri ..... 453

X. Of the passage by Deganwy and Euthlan, and the see of

Lanelwy, and of ColeshuLle , . , . 455

XI. Of the passage of the river Dee, and of Chester . . 459

XII. Of the journey by the White Monastery, Oswaldestree,

Powys, and Shrewsbury ..... 462

XIII. Of the journey by Wenloch, Brumfeld, the castle of Ludlow,

and Leominster, to Hereford .... 467

XIV. A description of Baldwin, archbishop of Canterbury . 469

ITINEBABY THROUGH WALES,

BOOK L

CHAPTER I.

JOURKEY THROUGH HEREFORD AND RADNOR.

IN the year 1188 from the incarnation of our Lord, Urban
the Third1 being the head of the apostolic see ; Frederick,
emperor of Germany and king of the Romans ; Isaac, em-
peror of Constantinople ; Philip, the son of Louis, reigning
in France ; Henry the Second in England ; William in
Sicily; Bela in Hungary ; and G-uy in Palestine: in that
very year, when Saladin, prince of the Egyptians and Da-
mascenes, by a signal victory gained possession of the king-
dom of Jerusalem ; Baldwin, archbishop of Canterbury, a

1 Giraldus has committed an error in placing Urban III. at the head
of the apostolic see ; for he died at Ferrara in the month of October,
A.D. 1187, and was succeeded by Gregory VIII., whose short reign ex-
pired in the month of December following. Clement III. was elected
pontiif in the year 1188. Frederick I., surnamed Barbarossa, succeeded
Conrad III. in the empire of Germany, in March, 1152, and was
drowned in a river of Cilicia whilst bathing, in 1190. Isaac Angelus
succeeded Andronicus I. as emperor of Constantinople, in 1185, and
was dethroned in 1195. Philip II., surnamed Augustus, from his having
been born in the month of August, was crowned at Rheims, in 1179, and
died at Mantes, in 1223. William II., king of Sicily, surnamed the
Good, succeeded in 1166 to his father, William the Bad, and died in
1189. Bela III., king of Hungary, succeeded to the throne in 1174,
and died in 1196. Guy de Lusignan was crowned king of Jerusalem in
1186, and in the following year his city was taken by the victorious
Saladin.

THE ITINEEAET THBOUGH WALES.

venerable man, distinguished for his learning and sanctity,
journeying from England for the service of the holy cross,
entered Wales near the borders of Herefordshire.

The archbishop proceeded to Radnor,1 on Ash Wednesday
(CaputJejunii), accompanied by Ranulph de Grlanville,2 privy
counsellor and justiciary of the whole kingdom, and there
met Rhys,3 son of Gruffydh, prince of South Wales, and
many other noble personages of those parts ; where a ser-
mon being preached by the archbishop, upon the subject of
the Crusades, and explained to the Welsh by an interpreter,
the author of this Itinerary, impelled by the urgent impor-
tunity and promises of the king, and the persuasions of the
archbishop and the justiciary, arose the first, and falling
down at the feet of the holy man, devoutly took the sign of
the cross. His example was instantly followed by Peter,
bishop of St. David's,4 a monk of the abbey of Cluny, and
then by Eineon, son of Eineon Clyd,5 prince of Elvenia, and
many other persons. Eineon rising up, said to Rhys, whose
daughter he had married, " My father and lord ! with your
permission 1 hasten to revenge the injury offered to the
great father of all." Rhys himself was so fully determined
upon the holy peregrination, as soon as the archbishop
should enter his territories on his return, that for nearly

1 New Eadnor.

2 On Eanulph de Glanville, see a former note in the History of the
Conquest of Ireland.

3 Rhys ap Gruffydh was grandson to Ehys ap Theodor, prince of
South Wales, who, in 1090, was slain in an engagement with the Nor-
man knight, Eobert Fitzhamon, in the neighbourhood of Brecknock.
He was a prince of great talent, but great versatility of character, and
made a conspicuous figure in Welsh history. He died in 1196, and
was buried in the cathedral of St. David's ; where his effigy, as well as
that of his son Ehys G-ryg, still remain in a good state of preserva-
tion.

* Peter de Leia, prior of the Benedictine monastery of Wenlock, in
Shropshire, was the successful rival of Giraldus for the bishopric of
Saint David's, vacant by the death of David Fitzgerald, the uncle of
our author ; but he did not obtain his promotion without considerable
opposition from the canons, who submitted to the absolute sequestra-
tion of their property before they consented to his election, being de-
sirous that the nephew should have succeeded his uncle. He was con-
secrated in 1176, and died in 1199.

5 In the Latin of Giraldus, the name Eineon is represented by
JEneas, and Eineon Clyd by JEneas Claudius.

TIBST PREACHING OF THE CETJSADE. 333

fifteen days lie was employed with great solicitude in making
the necessary preparations for so distant a journey ; till hia
wife, and, according to the common vicious license of the
country, his relation in the fourth degree, G-uendolena,
(Gwenlhian), daughter of Madoc, prince of Powys, by
female artifices diverted him wholly from his noble purpose ;
since, as Solomon says, " A man's heart deviseth his way,
but the Lord directeth his steps." As Rhys before his de-
parture was conversing with his friends concerning the
things he had heard, a distinguished young man of his
family, by name Gruffydh, and who afterwards took the
cross, is said thus to have answered : " What man of spirit
can refuse to undertake this journey, since, amongst all ima-
ginable inconveniences, nothing worse can happen to any
one than to return."

On the arrival of Bhys in his own territory, certain
canons of Saint David's, through a zeal for their church,
having previously secured the interes't of some of the
prince's courtiers, waited on Rhys, and endeavoured by
every possible suggestion to induce him not to permit the
archbishop to proceed into the interior parts of "Wales, and
particularly to the metropolitan see of Saint David's (a
thing hitherto unheard of), at the same time asserting that
if he should continue his intended journey, the church
would in future experience great prejudice, and with diffi-
culty would recover its ancient dignity and honour. Al-
though these pleas were most strenuously urged, the natu-
ral kindness and civility of the prince would not suffer them
to prevail, lest by prohibiting the archbishop's progress, he
might appear to wound his feelings.

Early on the following morning, after the celebration of
mass, and the return of Eanulph de Grlanville to England,
we came to Cruker Castle,1 two miles distant from Radnor,
where a strong and valiant youth named Hector, conversing

1 Cruker Castle. The corresponding distance between Old and New
Radnor evidently places this castle at Old Kadnor, which was anciently
called Pen-y-craig, Pencraig, or Pen-crug, from its situation on a rocky
eminence. Cruker is a corruption, probably, from Crug-caerau, the
mount, or height, of the fortifications. It has been supposed to be the
site of a Roman station, but this supposition appears to be supported by
no direct evidence.

334f THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

with the archbishop about taking the cross, said, " If I had
the means of getting provisions for one day, and of keeping
fast on the next, I would comply with your advice ;" on the
following day, however, he took the cross. The same even-
ing, Malgo, son of Cadwallon, prince of Melenia, after a
short but efficacious exhortation from the archbishop, and
not without the tears and lamentations of his friends, was
marked with the sign of the cross.

But here it is proper to mention what happened during
the reign of king Henry the First to the lord of the castle
of Kadnor, in the adjoining territory of Buelt,1 who had
entered the church of Saint Avan (which is called in the
British language Lhan Avan),2 and, without sufficient cau-
tion or reverence, had passed the night there with his
hounds. Arising early in the morning, according to the
custom of hunters, he found his hounds mad, and himself
struck blind. After a long, dark, and tedious existence, he
was conveyed to Jerusalem, happily taking care that his
inward sight should not in a similar manner be extin-
guished ; and there being accoutred, and led to the field of
battle on horseback, he made a spirited attack upon the
enemies of the faith, and, being mortally wounded, closed
his life with honour.

Another circumstance which happened in these our days,
ia the province of Warthrenion,3 distant from hence only a

1 Buelth or Builth, a large market town on the north-west edge of
the county of Brecon, on the southern banks of the Wye, over which
there is a long and handsome bridge of stone. It had formerly a strong
castle, the site and earthworks of which still remain, but the building
is destroyed.

2 Llari-Avan, a small church at the foot of barren mountains about
five or six miles north-west of Buelth. The saint from whom it takes
its name, was one of the sons of Ced g ab Cunedda ; whose ancestor,
Cunedda, king of the Britons, was the head of one of the three holy
families of Britain. He is said to have lived in the beginning of the
sixth century.

3 Melenia, Warthrenion, Elevein, Elvenia, Melenyth, and Elvein,
places mentioned in this first chapter, and varying in their orthography,
seem to relate to three different districts in Radnorshire : Melenyth is
a hundi'ed in the northern part of the county, extending into Mont-
gomeryshire, in which is the church of Keri : Elvein retains in modern

lays the name of Elvel, and is a hundred in the southern part of the
county, separated from Brecknockshire by the Wye : and Warthrenion,

STAFF OF ST. CYEIC. 335

few furlongs, is not unworthy of notice. Eineon, lord of
that district, and son-in-law to prince Rhys, who was much
addicted to the ' chase, having on a certain day forced the
wild beasts from their coverts, one of his attendants killed
a hind with an arrow, as she was springing forth from the
wood, which, contrary to the nature of her sex, was found
to bear horns of twelve years' growth, and was much fatter
than a stag, in the haunches as well as in every other part.
On account of the singularity of this circumstance, the head
and horns of this strange animal were destined as a present
to king Henry the Second. This event is the more remark-
able, as the man who shot the hind suddenly lost the use of
his right eye, and being at the same time seized writh a para-
lytic complaint, remained in a weak and impotent state
until the time of his death.

In this same province of Warthrenion, and in the church
of Saint Grermanus,1 there is a staff of Saint Cyric,2 covered
on all sides with gold and silver, and resembling in its upper
part the form of a cross ; its efficacy has been proved in
many cases, but particularly in the removal of glandular
and strumous swellings ; insomuch that all persons afflicted
with these complaints, on a devout application to the staff,
with the oblation of one penny, are restored to health.

in which was the castle huilt by prince Rhys at Rhaiadyr-gwy, seems to
have been situated between the other two. Warthrenion may more
properly be called Grwyrthrynion ; it was anciently one of the three
comots of Arwystli, a cantref of Merioneth, though since by stat. 27
Henry VIII. attached to the then newly erected counties of Radnor
and Montgomery : Grwyrthrynion is in the former county. Maelienydd
and Elvel, according to the ancient division of Wales by Roderic the
Great, were caritrefs of that part of Powys, or Mathravel, which lay
between the rivers Wye and Severn ; but'by stat. 27 Henry VIII. were
made part of Radnorshire. In the year 1174, Melyenith was in the
possession of Cadwallon ap Madawc, cousin german to prince Rhys ;
Elvel was held by Eineon Clyd, and Grwyrthrynion by Eineon ap Rhys,
both sons-in-law to that illustrious prince.

1 The church of Saint Germanus is now known by the name of Saint
Harmans, and is situated three or four miles from Rhaiadyr, in Radnor-
shire, on the right-hand of the road from thence to Llanidloes ; it is a
small and simple structure, placed on a little eminence, in a dreary
plain surrounded by mountains.

a Several churches in Wales have been dedicated to Saint Ourig, who
was a stranger, celebrated for his learning and holy life, and came into
Wales in the se^ 3nth century.

THE ITINEEABT THEOUGH WALES.

But it happened in these our days, that a strumous patient
on presenting one halfpenny to the staff, the humour sub-
sided only in the middle ; but when the oblation was com-
pleted by the other halfpenny, an entire cure was accom-
plished. Another person also coming to the staff with the
promise of a penny, was cured ; but not fulfilling his engage-
ment on the day appointed, he relapsed into his former dis-
order ; in order, however, to obtain pardon for his offence, he
tripled the offering by presenting three-pence, and thus
obtained a complete cure.

At Elevein, in the church of Glascum,1 is a portable bell,
endowed with great virtues, called Bangu,2 and said to have
belonged to Saint David. A certain woman secretely con-
veyed this bell to her husband, who was confined in the
castle of Eaidergwy,3 near Warthrenion, (which Rhys, son of
Gruffydh, had lately built) for the purpose of his deliver-
ance. The keepers of the castle not only refused to liberate
him for this consideration, but seized and detained the bell ;
and in the same night, by divine vengeance, the whole town,
except the wall on which the bell hung, was consumed by
fire.

The church of Luel,4 in the neighbourhood of Brecheinoe
(Breckinid), was burned, also in our time, by the enemy,
and everything destroyed, except one small box, in which
the consecrated host was deposited.

1 Glascum is a small village in a mountainous and retired situation
between Buelth, in Brecknockshire, and Kington, in Herefordshire.

2 Bangu. — This was a hand bell kept in all the Welsh churches
during the times of popery, which the clerk or sexton took to the house
of the deceased on the day of the funeral : when the procession began,
a psalm was sung ; the bellman then sounded his bell in a solemn man-
ner for some time, till another psalm was concluded ; and he again
sounded it at intervals, till the funeral arrived at the church. The
bangu was at this period deemed sacred, which accounts for the super-
stitious attributes given it by Giraldus.

3 Rhaiadyr, called also Rhaiader-gwy, is a small village and market-
town in Radnorshire. The site only of the castle, built by prince Rhys,
A.D. 1178, now remains at a short distance from the village ; it was
strongly situated on a natural rock above the river Wye, which, below
the bridge, forms a cataract.

4 Lly wel, a small village about a mile from Trecastle, on the great road
leading from thence to Llandovery ; it was anciently a township, and
by charter of Philip and Mary was attached to the borough of Breck-
nock, by the name of Trecastl« ward

JOURNEY THROUGH HAT AND BRECHEINIA. 337

It came to pass also in the province of Elvenia, which is
separated from Hay by the river Wye, in the night in which
king Henry I. expired, that two pools1 of no small extent,
the one natural, the other artificial, suddenly burst their
bounds ; the latter, by its precipitate course down the
declivities, emptied itself; but the former, with its fish and
contents, obtained a permanent situation in a valley about
two miles distant. In Normandy, a few days before the
death of Henry II., the fish of a certain pool near
Seez, five miles from the castle of Exme, fought during the
night so furiously with each other, both in the water and
out of it, that the neighbouring people were attracted by
the noise to the spot ; and so desperate was the conflict,
that scarcely a fish was found alive in the morning ; thus, by
a wonderful and unheard-of prognostic, foretelling the death
of one by that of many.

But the borders of Wales sufficiently remember and ab-
hor the great and enormous excesses which, from ambitious
usurpation of territory, have arisen amongst brothers and
relations in the districts of Melenyth, Elvein, and Warth-
renion, situated between the Wye and the Severn.

CHAPTER II.

JOURNEY THROUGH HAY AND BRECHEINIA.

HAVING crossed the river Wye, we proceeded towards Brec-
heinoc, and on preaching a sermon at Hay,2 we observed

1 Leland, in his description of this part of Wales, mentions a lake
in Low Elvel, or Elvenia, which may perhaps be the same as that alluded
to in this passage of Giraldus. " There is a llinne in Low Elvel
within a mile of Payne's castel by the church called Lanpeder. The
llinne is caullid Bougklline, and is of no great quantite, but is plentiful
of pike, and perche, and eles." — Leland, Itin. torn. v. p. 72.

2 Hay. — A pleasant market-town on the southern banks of the rive*
Wye, over which there is a bridge. It still retains some marks of ba-
ronial antiquity in the old castle, within the present town, the gateway
of which is tolerably perfect. A high raised tumulus adjoining the
church marks the site of the more ancient fortress. The more modern
and spacious castle owes its foundation probably to one of those Nor-
man lords, who, about the year 1090, conquered this part of Wales.
Little notice is taken of this castle in the Welsh chronicles ; but we are
informed that it was destroyed in 123 1, by Henry II., and that it wai
refortified by Henry III,

338 THE ITIITEEAEY THEOUGH WALES.

some amongst tbe multitude, who were to be signed with
the cross (leaving their garments in the hands of their
friends or wives, who endeavoured to keep them back), fly
for refuge to the archbishop in the castle. Early in the
morning we began our journey to Aberhodni, and the word
of the Lord being preached at Landeu,1 we there spent the
night. The castle and chief town of the province, situated
where the river Hodni joins the river Usk, is called Aber-
hodni ;2 and every place where one river falls into another
is called Aber in the British tongue. Landeu signifies the
church of Grod. The archdeacon of that place (Giraldus)
presented to the archbishop his work on the Topography
of Ireland, which he graciously received, and either read
or heard a part of it read attentively every day during his
journey ; and on his return to England completed the
perusal of it.

I have determined not to omit mentioning those occur-
rences worthy of note which happened in these parts in our
days. It came to pass before that great war, in which
nearly all. this province was destroyed by the sons of Jestin,8
that the large lake, and the river Leveni,4 which flows from

1 Llanddew, a small village, about two miles from Brecknock, on the
left of the road leading from thence to Hay ; its manor belongs to the
bishops of Saint David's, who had formerly a castellated mansion there,
of which some ruins still remain. The tithes of this parish are appro-
priated to the archdeaconry of Brecknock, and here was the residence
of our author Giraldus, which he mentions in several of his writings,
and alludes to with heartfelt satisfaction at the end of the third chapter
of this Itinerary.

2 Aberhodni, the ancient name of the town and castle of Brecknock,
derived from its situation at the confluence of the river Hodni with the
Usk. The castle and two religious buildings, of which the remains
are still extant, owed their foundation to Bernard de Newmarch, a Nor-
man knight, who, in the year 1090, obtained by conquest the lordship
of Brecknock.

8 Jestyn ap Gurgant was lord of the province of Morganwe, or Gla-
morgan, and a formidable rival to Rhys ap Theodor, prince of South
Wales ; but unable to cope with him in power, he prevailed on Robert
Fitzhamon, a Norman knight, to come to his assistance, by whom, and
his knights, this part OL South Wales was afterwards completely sub-
dued.

4 This little river rises near the ruins of Blanllyfni castle, between
Llangoree pool and the turnpike road leading from Brecknock to Aber
ptveimy, and empties itself 12 to the river Usk, near Glasbury.

DREAM OF THE CHAPLAIN OF ABERHOIXNT. 339

it into the Wye, opposite Grlasbyry,1 were tinged with a
deep green colour. The old people of the country were
consulted, and answered, that a short time before the great
desolation2 caused by Howel, son of Meredyth, the water
had been coloured in a similar manner. About the same
time, a chaplain, whose name was Hugo, being engaged to
officiate at the chapel of Saint Nicholas, in the castle of
Aberhodni, saw in a dream a venerable man standing near
him, and saying, "Tell thy lord William de Braose,3 who
has the audacity to retain the property granted to the
chapel of Saint Nicholas for charitable uses, these words :
'The public treasury takes away that which Christ does
not receive ; and thou wilt then give to an impious soldier,
what thou wilt not give to a priest.' " This vision having
been repeated three times, he went to the archdeacon of the
place, at Landeu, and related to him what had happened.
The archdeacon immediately knew them to be the words of
Augustine; and shewing him that part of his writings

1 A pretty little village on the southern banks of the Usk, about four
miles from Hay, on the road leading to Brecknock.

3 The great desolation here alluded to, is attributed by Dr. Powel to
Howel and Meredyth, sons of Edwyn ap Eineon ; not to Howel, son
of Meredith. In the year 1021, they conspired against Llewelyn ap
Sitsylht, and slew him : Meredith was skin in 1033, and Howel in 1043.

3 William de Breusa, or Braose, has been mentioned in the Vatici-
nal History ; he was by extraction a Norman, and had extensive pos-
sessions in England, as well as Normandy : he was succeeded by his
son Philip, who, in the reign of William Rufus, favoured the cause
of king Henry against Robert Curthose, duke of Normandy ; and
being afterwards rebellious to his sovereign, was disinherited of his
lands. By his marriage with Berta, daughter of Milo, earl of Here-
ford, he gained a rich inheritance in Brecknock, Overwent, and
G-ower. He left issue two sons : William and Philip : William mar-
ried Maude de Saint Wallery, arid succeeded to the great estate of his
father and mother, which he kept in peaceable possession during the
reigns of king Henry II. and king Richard I. In order to avoid the
persecutions of king John, he retired with his family to Ireland ; and
from thence returned into Wales ; on hearing of the king's arrival in
Ireland, his wife Maude fled with her sons into Scotland, where she was
taken prisoner, and in the year 1210 committed, with William, her son
and heir, to Corf castle, and there miserably starved to death, by
order of king John ; her husband, William de Braose, escaped into
France disguised, and dying there, was buried in the abbey church of
Saint Victor, at Paris. The family of Saint Walery, or Valery, derived
their name from a sea-port in France.

z2

340 THE iritfERARY THROUGH WALES.

where they were found, explained to him the case to which
they applied. He reproaches persons who held back tithes
and other ecclesiastical dues ; and what he there threatens,
certainly in a short time befell this wit hh older of them : for
in our time we have duly and undoubtedly seen, that princes
who have usurped ecclesiastical benefices (and particularly
king Henry the Second, who laboured under this vice more
than others), have profusely squandered the treasures of
the church, and given away to hired soldiers what injustice
should have been given only to priests.

Yet something is to be said in favour of the aforesaid
"William de Braose, although he greatly offended in this
particular (since nothing human is perfect, and to have
knowledge of all things, and in no point to err, is an attri-
bute of G-od, not of man) ; for he always placed the name
of the Lord before his sentences, saying, " Let this be done
in the name of the Lord ; let that be done by G-od's will ;
if it shall please God, or if God grant leave ; it shall be so
by the grace of God." "We learn from Saint Paul, that
every thing ought thus to be committed and referred to the
will of God. On taking leave of his brethren, he says, " I
will return to you again, if God permit ;" and Saint James
uses this expression, " If the Lord will, and we live," in
order to show that all things ought to be submitted to the
divine disposal. The letters also which "William de Braose,
as a rich and powerful man, was accustomed to send to
different parts, were loaded, or rather honoured, with words
expressive of the divine indulgence to a degree not only
tiresome to his scribe, but even to his auditors; for as
a reward to each of his scribes for concluding his letters
with the words, " by divine assistance," he gave annually
a piece of gold, in addition to their stipend. "When
on a journey he saw a church or a cross, although in
the midst of conversation either with his inferiors or
superiors, from an excess of devotion, he immediately began
to pray, and when he had finished his prayers, resumed his
conversation. On meeting boys in the way, he invited them
by a previous salutation to salute him, that the blessings of
these innocents, thus extorted, might be returned to him.
His wife, Matilda de Saint Yalery, observed all these things:
a prudent and chaste woman ; a woman placed with pro-

MIEACLE AT LLANVAES. 341

priety at the head of her house, equally attentive to the
economical disposal of her property within doors, as to the
augmentation of it without ; both of whom, I hope, by
their devotion obtained temporal happiness and grace, as
well as the glory of eternity.

It happened also that the hand of a boy, who was endea-
vouring to take some young pigeons from a nest, in the
church of Saint David of Lhanvaes,1 adhered to the stone
pn which he leaned, through the miraculous vengeance, per-
haps, of that saint, in favour of the birds who had taken
refuge in his church ; and when the boy, attended by his
friends and parents, had for three successive days and nights
offered up his prayers and supplications before the holy altar
of the church, his hand was, on the third day, liberated by
the same divine power which had so miraculously fastened
it, We saw this same boy at Newbury, in England, now
advanced in years, presenting himself before David the
Second,2 bishop of Saint David's, and certifying to him the
truth of this relation, because it had happened in his
diocese. The stone is preserved in the church to this day
among the relics, and the marks of the five fingers appear
impressed on the flint as though it were in wax.

A similar miracle happened at St. Edmundsbury to a
poor woman, who often visited the shrine of the saint, under
the mask of devotion ; not with the design of giving, but of
taking something away, namely, the silver and gold offer-
ings, which, by a curious kind of theft, she licked up by
kissing, and carried away in her mouth. But in one of
these attempts her tongue and lips adhered to the altar,
when by divine interposition she was detected, and openly
disgorged the secret theft. Many persons, both Jews and
Christians, expressing their astonishment, flocked to the
place, where for the greater part of the day she remained

1 A small church dedicated to Saint David, in the suburbs of Breck-
nock, on the great road leading from thence to Trecastle. " The par-
oche of Llanvays, Llan-chirch-Vais extra, ac si diceres, extra muros.
Tt standeth betwixt the river of Uske and Tyrtorelle brooke, that is,
about the lower ende of the town of Brekenok " — Leland, It in. torn. v.
p. 69.

2 David Fitzgerald was promoted to the see of Saint DavidV in
Ili7, or, according to others, in 1149. He died A.D. 1176.

342 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

motionless, that no possible doubt might be entertained of
the miracle.

In the north of England beyond the Humber, in the
church of Hovedene,1 the concubine of the rector incau-
tiously sat down on the tomb of St. Osana, sister of king
Osred,2 which projected like a wooden seat; on wishing to
retire, she could not be removed, until the people came to
her assistance : her clothes were rent, her body was laid
bare, and severely afflicted with many strokes of discipline,
even till the blood flowed ; nor did she regain her liberty,
until by many tears and sincere repentance she had showed
evident signs of compunction.

What miraculous power hath not in our days been dis-
played by the psalter of Quindreda, sister of St. Kenelm,3
by whose instigation he was killed ? On the vigil of the
gaint, when, according to custom, great multitudes of women
resorted to the feast at Winchelcumbe,4 the under butler
of that convent committed fornication with one of them
within the precincts of the monastery. This same man on

1 Now Howden, in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

2 Osred was king of the Northumbrians, and son of Alfred. His
reign was short ; for the same giddy multitude who had placed the
diadem on his head, A.D. 791, deprived him of it in less than a year.
He fled for security to the Isle of Man, but was afterwards ensnared by
Ethelred, his successor, and, falling a sacrifice to his wiles, was put to
death at a place called Dinburch.

3 St. Kenelm was the only son and heir of Kenulfus, king of the
Mercians, who left him under the care of his two sisters, Q.uendreda
and Bragenilda. The former, blinded by ambition, resolved to destroy
the innnocent child, who stood between her and the throne ; and for
that purpose prevailed on Ascebert, who attended constantly on the
king, to murder him privately, giving him hopes, in case he complied
with her wishes, of making him her partner in the kingdom. Under
the pretence of diverting his young master, this wicked servant led him
into a retired vale at Clent, in Staffordshire, and having murdered him,
dug a pit, and cast his body into it, which was discovered by a miracle,
and carried in solemn procession to the abbey of Winchelcomb. In
the parish of Clent is a small chapel dedicated to this saint ; and on
one of the outward walls is the rude figure of a child, holding up hi«
right hand, as if in the act of giving the benediction. In the chapel
yard is a fine spring, which in former days was much celebrated for its
miraculous qualities

4 Winchelcumbe, or Winchcomb, in the lower part of the hundred of
Kiftsgate, in Gloucestershire, a few miles to the north of Cheltenham.

ST. CANATJC'S COLLAtt. 343

the following day had the audacity to carry the psalter in
the procession of the relics of the saints ; and on his return
to the choir, after the solemnity, the psalter stuck to his
hands. Astonished and greatly confounded, and at length
calling to mind his crime on the preceding day, he made
confession, and underwent penance ; and being assisted by
the prayers of the brotherhood, and having shown signs of
sincere contrition, he was at length liberated from the mira-
culous bond. That book was held in great veneration ; be-
cause, when the body of St. Kenelm was carried forth, and
the multitude cried out, " He is the martyr of G-od ! truly he
is the martyr of Grod!" Quindreda, conscious and guilty of
the murder of her brother, answered, " He is as truly the
martyr of Grod as it is true that my eyes be on that psalter ;"
for, as she was reading the psalter, both her eyes were mira-
culously torn from her head, and fell on the book, where
the marks of the blood yet remain.

Moreover I must not be silent concerning the collar
(torques) which they call St. Canauc's j1 for it is most like
to gold in weight, nature, and colour ; it is in four pieces
wrought round, joined together artificially, and clefted as it
were in the middle, with a dog's head, the teeth standing
outward ; it is esteemed by the inhabitants so powerful a
relic, that no man dares swear falsely when it is laid before
him : it bears the marks of some severe blows, as if made
with an iron hammer ; for a certain man, as it is said,
endeavouring to break the collar for the sake of the gold,
experienced the divine vengeance, was deprived of his eye-
sight, and lingered the remainder of his days in darkness.

A similar circumstance concerning the horn of St. Patrick8
(not golden indeed, but of brass [probably bronze], which

1 The antiquary will recognize in this description the well- known pe*
culiarities of a Roman torques. St. Kyrauc, who flourished (according
to the legend) about the year 492, was the reputed son of Brychan,
lord of Brecknock, by Benadulved, daughter of Benadyl, a prince

- of Powis, whom he seduced during the time of his detention as an
hostage at the court of her father. He is said to have been murdered
upon the mountain called the Van, and buried in the church of Mer-
thyr Cynawg, or Cynawg the Martyr, near Brecknock, which is dedi-
cated to his memory.

2 This miracle relating to the horn is related by Giraldus in hia To-
pography of Ireland.

344 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

lately was brought into these parts from Ireland) excites ou*
admiration. The miraculous power of this relic first appeared
with a terrible example in that country, through the foolish
and absurd blowing of Bernard, a priest, as is set forth in
our Topography of Ireland. Both the laity and clergy in
Ireland, Scotland, and Wales held in such great veneration
portable bells, and staves crooked at the top, and covered
with gold, silver, or brass, and similar relics of the saints,
that they were much more afraid of swearing falsely by
them than by the gospels ; because, from some hidden and
miraculous power with which they are gifted, and the venge-
ance of the saint to whom they are particularly pleasing,
their despisers and transgressors are severely punished.
The most remarkable circumstance attending this horn is,
that whoever places the wider end of it to his ear will hear
a sweet sound and melody united, such as ariseth from a
harp gently touched.

In our days a strange occurrence happened in the same
district. A wild sow, which by chance had been suckled by
a bitch famous for her nose, became, on growing up, so
wonderfully active in the pursuit of wild animals, that in
the faculty of scent she was greatly superior to dogs, who
are assisted by natural instinct, as well as by human art ;
an argument that man (as well as every other animal) con-
tracts the nature of the female who nurses him. Another
prodigious event came to pass nearly at the same time. A
soldier, whose name was Gilbert Hagernel, after an illness
of nearly three years, and the severe pains as of a woman
in labour, in the presence of many people, voided a calf.
A portent of some new and unusual event, or rather the
punishment attendant on some atrocious crime. It appears
also from the ancient and authentic records of those parts,
that during the time St. Elwitus * led the life of a hermit at

1 St. Elwitus.— In Welsh, Illtyd, which has heen latinized into Iltu-
tus, as in the instance of St. Iltutus, the celebrated disciple of Germa-
nus, and the master of the learned Gildas, who founded a college for
the instruction of youth at Llantwit, on the coast of Glamorganshire;
but I do not conceive this to be the same person. The name of Ty-
llltyd, or St. Illtyd's house, is still known at Llanamllech, but it is
applied to one of those monuments of Druidical antiquity called a
cistvaen, erected upon an eminence named Maenest, at a short distance
from the village. It is composed of three rude stones pitched firmly

BEBNARD DE NEWMABCH. 345

Lhanhamelach,1 the mare that used to carry his provisions
to him was covered by a stag, and produced an animal of
wonderful speed, resembling a horse before and a stag be-
hind.

Bernard de Newmarch2 was the first of the Normans who
acquired by conquest from the Welsh this province, which
was divided into three cantreds.3 He married the daughter
.of Nest, daughter of Gruffydh, son of Lhewelyn, who, by
his tyranny, for a long time had oppressed Wales ; his wife
took her mother's name of Nest, which the English trans-
muted into Anne ; by whom he had children, one of whom,
named Mahel, a distinguished soldier, was thus unjustly de-
prived of his paternal inheritance. His mother, in violation

in the ground, and supporting a fourth, placed in a declining posture
upon the top, and evidently of the same construction with what is else-
-where called a cromllech. The space beneath is about eight feet long,
four feet wide, and nearly of the same height, and open at one end.
The side stones within are inscribed with a number of strange charac-
ters, slightly scratched with the point of some sharp instrument, but
without any seeming order, the playful handiwork, perhaps, of those
who from curiosity hare visited the hermit's cell. A rude, upright
etone stood formerly on one side of it, and was called by the country
people Maen Illtyd, or Illtyd's stone, but was removed about a cen-
tury ago. A well, the stream of which divides this parish from the
neighbouring one of Llansaintfraid, is called Ffynnon Illtyd, or Illtyd's
well. This was evidently the site of the hermitage mentioned by
'Giraldus.

1 Lhanhamelach, or Llanamllech, is a small village, three miles from
^Brecknock, on the road to Abergavenny.

2 The name of Newmarche appears in the chartulary of Battel
abbey, as a witness to one of the charters granted by William the Con-
queror to the monks of Battel in Sussex, upon his foundation of their
house. He obtained the territory of Brecknock by conquest, from
Bleddyn ap Maenyrch, the Welsh regulus thereof, about the year
1092, soon after his countryman, Kobert Fitzhamon, had reduced the

. county of Glamorgan. He built the present town of Brecknock, where
he also founded a priory of Benedictine monks. According to Leland,
he was buried in the cloister of the cathedral church at Gloucester,
though the mutilated remains of an effigy and monument are still as-
cribed to him in the priory church at Brecknock.

3 Brecheiuoc, now Brecknockshire, had three cantreds or hundreds,
and eight comots. — 1. Cantref Selef with the comota of Selef and Tra-
hayern. — 2. Cantref Canol, or the middle hundred, with the comots
Talgarth, Ystradwy, and Brwynlys, or Eglwys Yail. — 3. Cantref Mawr,
• or the great hundred, with the comots of Tir Eaulff Llvwel, and Cerrig

Howel. — .Towel's description of Wales, p. 20.

346 THE ITINEEAET THROUGH WALES.

of the marriage contract, held an adulterous intercourse
with a certain knight ; on the discovery of which, the son
met the knight returning in the night from his mother, and
having inflicted on him a severe corporal punishment, and
mutilated him, sent him away with great disgrace. The
mother, alarmed at the confusion which this event caused,
and agitated with grief, breathed nothing but revenge. She
therefore went to king Henry I., and declared with asser-
tions more vindictive than true, and corroborated by an
oath, that her son Mahel was not the son of Bernard, but
of another person with whom she had been secretly con-
nected. Henry, on account of this oath, or rather perjury,
and swayed more by his inclination than by reason, gave
away her eldest daughter, whom she owned as the legiti-
mate child of Bernard, in marriage to Milo Fitz- Walter,1
constable of Gloucester, with the honour of Brecheinoc as
a portion ; and he was afterwards created earl of Hereford
by the empress Matilda, daughter of the said king. By this
wife he had five celebrated warriors ; Roger, Walter, Henry,
William, and Mabel ; all of whom, by divine vengeance, or
by fatal misfortunes, came to untimely ends ; and yet each
of them, except William, succeeded to the paternal inherit-
ance, but left no issue. Thus this woman (not deviating
from the nature of her sex), in order to satiate her anger
and revenge, with the heavy loss of modesty, and with the
disgrace of infamy, by the same act deprived her son of his
patrimony, and herself of honour. Nor is it wonderful if a
woman follows her innate bad disposition : for it is written in
Ecclesiastes, " I have found one good man out of a thousand,

1 Milo was son to Walter, constable of England in the reign of
Henry I., and Emme his wife, one of the daughters of Dm de Baladun,
sister to Hameline de Baladun, a person of great note, who came into
England with William the Conqueror, and, being the first lord of Over-
went in the county of Monmouth, built the castle of Abergavenny.
Milo was an expert soldier, and one of the chief counsellors to king
Henry, who gave to him in marriage Sibyll, eldest daughter of Ber-
nard de Newmarch, together with the honour of Brecknock. He so far
ingratiated himself with the empress Matilda, by taking her part against
king Stephen, that, in return for his services, she created him earl of
Hereford. He was wounded by an arrow while hunting, on Christmas
evo, in 1144, and was buried in the chapter-house of Lauthoni, near
Gloucester.

THE CHARACTER OF THE FEMALE SEX. 847

but not one good woman ;" and in Ecclesiasticus, " There
is no head above the head of a serpent ; and there is no
wrath above the wrath of a woman ;" and again, " Small is
the wickedness of man compared to the wickedness of
woman." And in the same manner, as we may gather
grapes off thorns, or figs off thistles, Tully, describing the
nature of women, says, " Men, perhaps, for the sake of
some advantage will commit one crime ; but woman, to gra-
tify one inclination, will not scruple to perpetrate all sorts
of wickedness." Thus Juvenal, speaking of women, says,

" Nihil est audacior illis

Deprensis, iram atque animos a crimine sumunt.

Mulier ssevissima tune est

Cum stimulos animo pudor admovet.

collige, quod vindicta

Nemo magis gaudet quam fcemina.

But of the five abovementioned brothers and sons of earl
Milo, the youngest but one, and the last in the inheritance,
was the most remarkable for his inhumanity ; he persecuted
David II., bishop of St. David's, to such a degree, by attack-
ing his possessions, lands, and vassals, that he was compelled
to retire as an exile from the district of Brecheinoc into
England, or to some other parts of his diocese. Meanwhile,
Mahel, being hospitably entertained by Walter de Clifford,1
in the castle of Brendlais,2 the house was by accident burned
down, and he received a mortal blow by a stone falling from
the principal tower on his head : upon which he instantly
dispatched messengers to recal the bishop, and exclaimed

1 Walter de Clifford. The first of this ancient family was called
Ponce ; he had issue three sons, Walter, Drogo or Dru, and Richard. The
Conqueror's survey takes notice of the two former, but from Richard
the genealogical line is preserved, who, being called Richard de Pwns,
obtained, as a gift from king Henry I., the cantref Bychan, or little
hundred, and the castle of Llandovery, in Wales ; he left three sons,
Simon, Walter, and Richard. The Walter de Clifford here mentioned
was father to the celebrated Fair Rosamond, the favourite of king Henry
II. ; and was succeeded by his eldest son, Walter, who married Mar-
garet, daughter to Llewelyn, prince of Wales, and widow of John de
Braose.

2 Brendlais, or Brynllys, is a small village on the road between Breck-
nock and Hay, where a stately round tower marks the site of the an-
cient castle of the Cliffords, in which the tyrant Mahel lost his life.

848 THE ITINEBAEY THROUGH WAT/PS.

with a lamentable voice, " 0, my father and high priest, your
saint has taken most cruel vengeance of me, not waiting the
conversion of a sinner, but hastening his death and over-
throw." Having often repeated similar expressions, and
bitterly lamented his situation, he thus ended his tyranny
and life together ; the first year of his government not
having elapsed.

A powerful and noble personage, by name Brachanus,1

1 An ancient manuscript entitled " Cognacio Brychan unde Bre-
cheynawc dicta est, pars Demetise South- Wallise," in the Cottonian
Library, gives an account of this prince and his family. We are
told that he was the son of Awlach Mac-Gormuc, an Irish prince,
by Marchell, daughter of Tydor, regulus of G-arthmathrin. In the
Cambrian Biography he is said to have been the son of Aulach, son of
Cormach Mac Carbery, one of the supreme kings of Ireland ; that at
an early age he was brought to Britain by his parents, who took up
their residence at Benne, (the Gaer, upon the banks of the river Isgeer,
near Brecknock), and having spent his youth in military exercises, suc-
ceeded, upon the death of his father, about the beginning of the fifth
century, to the government of G-arthmathrin, the name of which he
changed to Brycheinog, which it still bears amongst the Welsh inhabi-
tants, Brecon and Brecknock being merely the corruption by English
settlers. Of Brychan and his family the monkish writers abound in
superstitious anecdotes. He was a distinguished character in the his-
tory of Wales, as being the father of a very numerous issue, which
came to be styled one of the three holy families of Britain ; for nearly
all his children embraced a religious life, and were the founders of seve-
ral churches. Besides his daughters, the Cambrian Biography enume-
rates the names of twenty-four sons, viz. Cynog, Cledwyn, Dingad,
Arthen, Cyvlevyr, Rhain, Dyvnan, Gerwyn, Cadog, Mathaiarn, Pasgen,
Nefai, Pabiali, Llechau, Cynbryd, Cynvran, Hychan, Dyvrig, Cynin,
Dogvan, Rhawin, Rhun, Cledog, Caian. St. Almedha, though not in-
eluded in the ordinary lists, is said to have been a daughter of Bry-
chan, and sister to St. Canoe, and to have borne the name of Elevetha,
Aled, or Elyned, latinized into Almedha. The Welsh genealogists say,
that she suffered martyrdom on a hill near Brecknock, where a chapel
was erected to her memory ; and William of Worcester says she was
buried at Usk. Mr. Hugh Thomas (who wrote an essay towards the
history of Brecknockshire in the year 1698) speaks of the chapel as
standing, though unroofed and useless, in his time ; the people there-
abouts call it St. Tayled. It was situated on an eminence, about a mile
to the eastward of Brecknock, and about half a mile from a farm-house,
formerly the mansion and residence of the Aubreys, lords of the manor
of Slwch, which lordship was bestowed upon Sir Reginald Awbrey by
Bernard Newmarch, in the reign of William Rufus. Some small ves-
tiges of this building may still be traced, and an aged yew tree, with e
well at its foot, marks the site near which the chisel formerly stood.

ANNIVERSARY OF ST. ALHEDHA. 349

in ancient times the ruler of the province of Brechei-
noc, and from him it derived this name. The British histo-
ries testify that he had four-and-twenty daughters, all of
whom, dedicated from their youth to religious observances,
happily ended their lives in sanctity. There are many
churches in "Wales distinguished by their names, one of
which, situated on the summit of a hill, near Brecheinoc,
and not far from the castle of Aberhodni, is called the
church of St. Almedha, after the name of the holy virgin,
who, refusing there the hand of an earthly spouse, married
the Eternal King, and triumphed in a happy martyrdom ; to
whose honour a solemn feast is annually held in the begin-
ning of August, and attended by a large concourse of
people from a considerable distance, when those persons
who labour under various diseases, through the merits of
the Blessed Virgin, received their wished-for health. The
circumstances which occur at every anniversary appear to
me remarkable. You may see men or girls, now in the
church, now in the churchyard, now in the dance, which is
led round the churchyard with a song, on a sudden falling
on the ground as in a trance, then jumping up as in a frenzy,
and representing with their hands and feet, before the
people, whatever work they have unlawfully done on feast
days ; you may see one man put his hand to the plough,
and another, as it were, goad on the oxen, mitigating their
sense of labour, by the usual rude song i1 one man imitating
the profession of a shoemaker ; another, that of a tanner.
Now you may see a girl with a distaff, drawing out the
thread, and winding it again on the spindle ; another walk-
ing, and arranging the threads for the web ; another, aa it
were, throwing the shuttle, and seeming to weave. On being
brought into the church, and led up to the altar with their
oblations, you will be astonished to see them suddenly
awakened, and coming to themselves. Thus, by the divine
mercy, which rejoices in the conversion, not in the death, of
sinners, many persons from the conviction of their senses,
are on these feast days corrected and amended.

1 This same habit is still (in Sir Richard Colt Hoare's time) used by
the Welsh ploughboys ; they have a sort of chaunt, consisting of half
or even quarter notes, which is sung to the oxen at plough : the country-
men vulgarly supposing that the beasts are consoled to work more re«
gularly and patiently by such a lullaby.

850 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

This country sufficiently abounds with grain, and if there
is any deficiency, it is amply supplied from the neighbour-
ing parts of England ; it is well stored with pastures, woods,
and wild and domestic animals. River-fish are plentiful, sup-
plied by the Usk on one side, and by the Wye on the other ;
each of them produces salmon and trout; but the Wye
abounds most with the former, the Usk with the latter.
The salmon of the Wye are in season during the winter,
those of the Usk in summer ; but the Wye alone produces
the fish called umber,1 the praise of which is celebrated in
the works of Ambrosias, as being found in great numbers
in the rivers near Milan ; " What," says he, " is more beau-
tiful to behold, more agreeable to smell, or more pleasant to
taste ?" The famous lake of Brecheinoc supplies the coun-
try with pike, perch, excellent trout, tench, and eels. A
circumstance concerning this lake, which happened a short
time before our days, must not be passed over in silence.
" In the reign of king Henry I., Gruffydh,2 son of Rhys ap

1 The umber, or grayling, is still a plentiful and favourite fish in the
rivers on the Welsh border.

2 Gruffydh ap Rhys was son of Rhys ap Theodor, who in the year
1090 was slain in battle, not far from Brecknock. About the year
1113, " there was a talke through South Wales, of Gruffyth, the sonne of
R>ees ap Theodor, who, for feare of the king, had beene of a child
brought up in Ireland, and had come over two yeares passed, which
time he had spent privilie with his freends, kinsfolks, and affines ; as
with Gerald, steward of Penbrooke, his brother-in-law, and others.
But at the last he was accused to the king, that he intended the king-
dome of South Wales as his father had enjoied it, which was now in
the king's hands ; and that all the countrie hoped of libertie through
him ; therefore the king sent to take him. But Gryffyth ap Rees hering
this, sent to Gruffyth ap Conan, prince of North Wales, desiring him
of his aid, and that he might remaine safelie within his countrie ; which
he granted, and received him joiouslie for his father's sake." He after-
wards proved so troublesome and successful an antagonist, that the
king endeavoured by every possible means to get him into his power.
To Gruffyth ap Conan he offered "mountaines of gold to send the said
Gruffyth or his head to him." And at a subsequent period, he sent for
Owen ap-Cadogan, and said to him, " Owen, I have found thee true and
faithful unto me, therefore I desire thee to take or kill that murtherer,
Gruffyth ap Rees, that doth so trouble my loving subjects." But Gruf-
fyth escaped all the snares which the king had laid for him, and in the
year 1137 died a natural and honourable death ; he is styled in the
Welsh chronicle, " the light, honor, and staie of South Wales •" and

LEGEND OF THE LAKE OF BEECHEEffOC. 351

Theodor, held under the king one comot, namely, the fourth
part of the cantred of Caoc,1 in the cantref Mawr, which,
in title and dignity, was esteemed by the Welsh equal to
the southern part of Wales, called Deheubarth, that is,
the right-hand side of Wales. When Gruffydh, on his re-
turn from the king's court, passed near this lake, which
at that cold season of the year was covered with water-
fowl of various sorts, being accompanied by Milo, earl
of Hereford, and lord of Brecheinoc, and Payn Fitz-
John, lord ef Ewyas, who were at that time secretaries
and privy counsellors to the king ; earl Milo, wishing to
draw forth from Gruffydh some discourse concerning his
innate nobility, rather jocularly than seriously thus ad-
dressed him : " It is an ancient saying in Wales, that if the
natural prince of the country, coming to this lake, shall
order the birds to sing, they will immediately obey him."
To which Gruffydh, richer in mind than in gold, (for though
his inheritance was diminished, his ambition and dignity
still remained), answered, " Do you therefore, who now hold
the dominion of this land, first give the command ;" but he
and Payn having in vain commanded, and Gruffydh, per-
ceiving that it was necessary for him to do so in his turn,
dismounted from his horse, and falling on his knees towards
the east, as if he had been about to engage in battle, pros-
trate on the ground, with his eyes and hands uplifted to
heaven, poured forth devout prayers to the Lord: at length,
rising up, and signing his face and forehead with the figure
of the cross, he thus openly spake : " Almighty God, and
Lord Jesus Christ, svho knowest all things, declare here this
day thy power. If thou hast caused me to descend lineally
from the natural princes of Wales, I command these birds

distinguished as the bravest, the wisest, the most merciful, liberal, and
just, of all the princes of Wales. By his wife Grwenlhian, the daughter
of GrufFyth ap Conan, he left a son, commonly called the lord Khjs,
who met the archbishop at Radnor, as is related in the first chapter of
this Itinerary.

1 This cantref, which now bears the name of Caeo, is placed, accord-
ing to the ancient divisions of Wales, in the cantref B) chan, or little
hundred, and not in the Cantref Mawr, or great hundred. A village
between Llanbedr in Cardiganshire and Llandovery in Caermarthen-
shire, still bears the name of Cynvil Gaeo, and, from its picturesque
•ituation arid the remains of its mines, which were probably worked by
the Romans, deserves the notice of the curious traveller.

352 THE ITINEEART THROUGH WALES.

in thy name to declare it ;" and immediately the birds, beat-
ing the water with their wings, began to cry aloud, and pro-
claim him. The spectators were astonished and confounded;
and earl Milo hastily returning with Payn Fifcz- John to
court, related this singular occurrence to the king, who is
said to have replied, " By the death of Christ (an oath Iw
was accustomed to use), it is not a matter of so much won-
der; for although by our great authority we commit acts
of violence and wrong against these people, yet they are
known to be the rightful inheritors of this land."

The lake also * (according to the testimony of the inhabit-
ants) is celebrated for its miracles ; for, as we have be-
fore observed, it sometimes assumed a greenish hue, so in
our days it has appeared to be tinged with red, not univer-
sally, but as if blood flowed partially through certain veins
and small channels. Moreover it is sometimes seen by the
inhabitants covered and adorned with buildings, pastures,
gardens, and orchards. In the winter, when it is frozen
over, and the surface of the water is converted into a shell
of ice, it emits a horrible sound resembling the moans of
many animals collected together ; but this, perhaps, may be
occasioned by the sudden bursting of the shell, and the gra-
dual ebullition of the air through imperceptible channels.
This country is well sheltered on every side (except the
northern) by high mountains ; on the western by those of
cantref Bachan ;2 on the southern, by that range, of which

1 The lake of Brecheinoc bears the several names of Llyn Savaddon,
Brecinau-mere, Llangorse, and Talyllyn Pool, the two latter of which
are derived from the names of parishes on its banks. It is a large,
though by no means a beautiful, piece of water, its banks being low and
flat, and covered with rushes and other aquatic plants to a considerable
distance from the shore. Pike, perch, and eels are the common fish oi
this water; tench and trout are rarely, I believe, (if ever), taken in it.
The notion of its having swallowed up an ancient city is not yet
quite exploded by the natives ; and some will even attribute the
name of Loventium to it ; which is with much greater certainty fixed
at Llanio-isau, between Llanpedr and Tregaron, in Cardiganshire, on
the northern banks of the river Teivi, where there are very considerable
and undoubted remains of a large Roman city. The legend of the
town at the bottom of the lake is at the same time very old.

2 That chain of mountains which divides Brecknockshire from Caer-
marthenshire, over which the turnpike road formerly passed from Tre-
eaatle to Llaadovery, and from which the river Usk derive* its source,

SALUBRITY OF THE CLIMATE. 353

the principa. is Cadair Arthur,1 or the chair of Arthur, so
called from two peaks rising up in the form of a chair, and
which, from its lofty situation, is vulgarly ascribed to Arthur,
the most distinguished king of the Britons. A spring of water
rises on the summit of this mountain, deep, but of a square
shape, like a well, and although no stream runs from it,
trout are said to be sometimes found in it.

Being thus sheltered on the south by high mountains, the
cooler breezes protect this district from the heat of the sun,
and, by their natural salubrity, render the climate most tem-
perate. Towards the east are the mountains of Talgarth
and Ewyas.2 The natives of these parts, actuated by con-

1 Cadair Arthur. This mountain is now called, by way of eminence,
the Van, or the height, but more commonly, by country people, Ban-
nau Brycheinog, or the Brecknock heights, alluding to its two peaks.
Our author, Giraldus, seems to have taken his account of the spring,
on the summit of this mountain, from report, rather than from ocular
testimony. I (Sir R. Colt Hoare) examined the summits of each peak
very attentively, and could discern no spring whatever. The soil is
peaty and very boggy. On the declivity of the southern side of the
mountain, and at no considerable distance from the summit, is a spring
of very fine water, which my guide assured me never failed. On the
north-west side of the mountain is a round pool, in which possibly
trout may have been sometimes found, but, from the muddy nature of
its waters, I do not think it very probable ; from this pool issues a
small brook, which falls precipitously down the sides of the mountain,
and pursuing its course through a narrow and well-wooded valley,
forms a pretty cascade near a rustic bridge which traverses it. I am
rather inclined to think, that Giraldus confounded in his account the
spring and the pool together.

2 Mountains of Talgarth and Ewyas. The first of these are now
styled the Black Mountains, of which the Gadair Fawr is the principal,
and is only secondary to the Van in height. The Black Mountains are
an extensive range of hills rising to the east of Talgarth, in the several
parishes of Talgarth, Llaneliew, and Llanigorn, in the county of Breck-
nock, and connected with the heights of Ewyas. The most elevated
point is called Y Gadair, and, excepting the Brecknock Van (the Cadair
Arthur of Giraldus), is esteemed the highest mountain in South Wales.
The mountains of Ewyas are those now called the Hatterel Hills, rising
above the monastery of Llanthoni, and joining the Black mountains of
Talgarth at Capel y Ffin, or the chapel upon the boundary, near which
the counties of Hereford, Brecknock, and Monmouth form a point of
union. But English writers have generally confounded all distinction,
calling them indiscriminately the Black Mountains, or the Hatterel
Hills The dissensions here alluded to by our author, as subsisting be*
tveen the inhabitants of these neighbouring districts, were perhaps th«

A A

354 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

tinual enmities and implacable hatred, are perpetually en-
gaged in bloody contests. But we leave to others to de-
scribe the great and enormous excesses, which in our time
have been here committed, with regard to marriages, di-
vorces, and many other circumstances of cruelty and op-
pression.

CHAPTER III.

EWYAS AND LLANTHONI.

IN the deep vale of Ewyas,1 which is about an arrow-shot
broad, encircled on all sides by lofty mountains, stands the
church of Saint John the Baptist, covered with lead, and
built of wrought stone ; and, considering the nature of the
place, not unhandsomely constructed, on the very spot where
the humble chapel of David, the archbishop, had formerly
stood decorated only with moss and ivy. A situation truly
calculated for religion, and more adapted to canonical dis-

remains of those ancient heart-burnings, which subsisted between the
native princes of Gwentland and Brecheinog, respecting the possession
of the territories of Ystradwy and Ewyas (the first comprehending a

Cof the present hundred of Talgarth, and the hundred of Crick-
el, and the other extending into Herefordshire), which was stronglj
contested between them in long and bloody wars, but was at last, by
the mediation of Edgar king of England, conceded to the former.
Mr. Wynne (page 58, edit. 1774) quotes an ancient MS. then existing
at Llamlaif, called Cwtta Cyfarwdd o Forgannwg, or a brief history of
Glamorgan, in which Ystradwy and Ewyas are called the " two sleeves
of G-went Vwchcoed :" and Mr. Owen, in his Archaeology, gives a copy
of this document in the Welsh language.

1 If we consider the circumstances of this chapter, it will appear very
evidently, that the vale of Ewyas made no part of the actual Itinerary.
Our author having in his last chapter noticed the mountains of Ewyaa
as forming a part of the boundaries of Brecknockshire, takes the oppor-
tunity of introducing to his readers the monastery of Llanthoni, which
is situated in the vale. He begins the chapter, " Stat autem in valle de
Ewyas ;" but, by-the-bye, in the vale of Ewyas stands the monastery
of Llanthoni, &c. ; and having indulged his talent in a style equally
picturesque and accurate, adding some keen reflections on the monastic
life and institutions, he mentions his own dignity of archdeacon, and
residence near Brecknock, and concludes with these words : " Sed ad rem
revertamur," but now to our point ; thus clearly proving, both by the
beginning and end of this chapter, that the whole is a digression from
their intended route.

THE ABBEY OF LLANTHONI. 355

cipline, than all the monasteries of the British isle. It was
founded by two hermits, in honour of the retired life, far
removed from the bustle of mankind, in a solitary vale watered
by the river Hodeni. From Hodeni it was called Lanhodeni,
for Lan signifies an ecclesiastical place. This derivation
may appear far-fetched, for the name of the place, in Welsh,
is Nanthodeni. Nant signifies a running stream, from
whence this place is still called by the inhabitants Landewi
Nanthodeni,1 or the church of Saint David upon the river
Hodeni. The English therefore corruptly call it Lanthoni,
whereas it should either be called Nanthodeni, that is, the
brook of the Hodeni, or Lanhodeni, the church upon the
Hodeni. Owing to its mountainous situation, the rains are

1 Landewi Nant Hodeni, or the church of St. David on the Hodni,
is now better known by the name of Llanthoni abbey. This monastery
is situated in the northern part of Monmouthshire, on the banks of the
little river Hodni, and in the secluded vale of Ewyas. A small and
rustic chapel, dedicated to St. David, at first occupied the site of this
abbey ; in the year 1103, William de Laci, a Norman knight, having
renounced the pleasures of the world, retired to this sequestered spot,
where he was joined in his austere profession by Ernicius, chaplain to
queen Maude. In the year 1108, these hermits erected a mean church
in the place of their hermitage, which was consecrated by Urban, bishop
of Llandaff, and Rameline, bishop of Hereford, and dedicated to St.
John the Baptist : having afterwards received very considerable bene-
factions from Hugh de Laci, and gained the consent of Anselm, arch-
bishop of Canterbury, these same hermits founded a magnificent monas-
tery for Black canons, of the order of St. Augustine, which they
immediately filled with forty monks collected from the monasteries of
the Holy Trinity in London, Merton in Surrey, and Colchester in Essex.
Robert de Betun succeeded, but was removed to Hereford, and conse-
crated bishop of that see in June, 1131. Robert de Braci was the
third prior, during whose time the peace and tranquillity of this religious
establishment was so completely destroyed, by the continual incursions
and depredations of the neighbouring Welsh, that the residence became
insupportable : he applied to Robert de Betun, his predecessor, for ad-
vice and relief on behalf of his distressed brethren, and by the advice
and assistance of that prelate the monks removed to the neighbour-
hood of Gloucester. The spot assigned to them by earl Milo, on the
intercession of Robert de Betun, was called Hyde, and in the charter,
Castele Mede, and is situated at a short distance from the city of Glou-
cester, on the banks of the river Severn. Here they built a church and
spacious monastery, which, after the name of their former residence,
they called Llanthoni ; it was consecrated A.D. 1136. by Simon, bishop
cf Worcester, and Robert Betun bishop of Hereford, and dedicate*
to the Virgin Mary.

856 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

frequent, the winds boisterous, and the clouds in winter al-
most continual, The air, though heavy, is healthy ; and
diseases are so rare, that the brotherhood, when worn out
by long toil and affliction during their residence with the
daughter, retiring to this asylum, nnd to their mother's1 lap,
soon regain their long-wished-for health. For as my Topo-
graphical History of _reland testifies, in proportion as we
proceed to the eastward, the face of the sky is more pure
and subtile, and the air more piercing and inclement ; but
as we draw nearer to the westward, the air becomes more
cloudy, but at the same time is more temperate and healthy.
Here the monks, sitting in their cloisters, enjoying the fresh
air, when they happen to look up towards the horizon, be-
hold the tops of the mountains, as it were, touching the
heavens, and herds of wild deer feeding on their summits :
the body of the sun does not become visible above the
heights of the mountains, even in a clear atmosphere, till
about the hour of prime, or a little before.3 A place
truly fitted for contemplation, a happy and delightful spot,
fully competent, from its first establishment, to supply all
its own wants, had not the extravagance of English luxury,
the pride of a sumptuous table, the increasing growth of in-
temperance and ingratitude, added to the negligence of its
patrons and prelates, reduced it from freedom to servility ;
and if the step- daughter, no less enviously than odiously,
had not supplanted her mother.

It seems worthy of remark, that all the priors who were
hostile to this establishment, died by divine visitation.
William,3 who first despoiled the place of its herds and

1 The titles of mother and daughter are here applied to the mother
church in Wales, and the daughter near Gloucester.

2 This passage in the original text always appeared to me obscure
and inexplicable : " Hora ver6 diei quasi inter primam et tertiam super
montium cacumina vix emergens, et sereno tempore, corpus hie solare
primo conspicitur." But on referring to the various MS. copies of
Giraldus in the British Museum, I found the meaning fully solved, by
the following alteration of the Latin text : " Circa primam vel parum
ante."

3 William of Wycumb, the fourth prior of Lanthoni, succeeded to
Robert de Braci, who was obliged to quit the monastery, on account of
the hostile molestation it received from the Welsh. To him succeeded
Clement, the sub-prior and to Clement, Roger de Norwich.

EWTAS AND LLANTHONT, 357

storehouses, being deposed by the fraternity, forfeited his
right of sepulture amongst the priors. Clement seemed to
like this place of study and prayer, yet, after the example of
Heli the priest, as he neither reproved nor restrained his
brethren from plunder and other offences, he died by a para-
lytic stroke. And Roger, who was more an enemy to this
place than either of his predecessors, and openly carried away
every thing which they had left behind, wholly robbing the
church of its books, ornaments, and privileges, was also
struck with a paralytic affection long before his death,
resigned his honours, and lingered out the remainder of his
days in sickness.

In the reign of king Henry I., when the mother church was
as celebrated for her affluence as for her sanctity (two quali-
ties which are seldom found thus united), the daughter not
yet being in existence (and I sincerely wish she never had
been produced), the fame of so much religion attracted
hither Roger, bishop of Salisbury,1 who was at that time
prime minister ; for it is virtue to love virtue, even in
another man, and a great proof of ianate goodness to show
a detestation of those vices which hitherto have not been
avoided. When he had reflected with admiration on the
nature of the place, the solitary life of the fraternity,
living in canonical obedience, and serving God without a
murmur or complaint, he returned to the king, and related
to him what he thought most worthy of remark ; and after
spending the greater part of the day in the praises of this
place, he finished his panegyric with these words : " Why

1 Matthew Parker informs us, that Eoger was the third bishop
of Salisbury, A.D. 1107 ; and the following anecdote is recorded of
him by that author: *' It happened that prince Henry (afterwards
king), when accompanying his brother William on some military
expedition, diverged to a certain church situated in the suburbs of the
town of Caen, in Normandy, in order to attend divine service with his
fellow soldiers. Eoger, at this time, served the church on a very small
salary, and well aware in what manner religious ceremonies were relished
by soldiers, he expedited them with such celerity, that he had finished
saying mass, when some of his auditors thought he had but just began.
All with one accord exclaimed, 'That so accommodating a priest for
*oli tiers could nowhere be found ; ' upon which, the prince, in a jocu-
lar manner, encouraged him to follow his camp, which he willingly did,
and thus paved his way to the great honours which he afterwards
received from king Henry I."

358 THE ITINEUAET THROUGH WALES.

should I say more? the whole treasure of the king and his
kingdom would not be sufficient to build such a cloister."
Having held the minds of the king and the court for a long
time in suspense by this assertion, he at length explained
the enigma, by saying that he alluded to the cloister of
mountains, by* which this church is on every side surrounded.
But William, a knight, who first discovered this place, and
his companion Ervistus, a priest, having heard, perhaps, as
it is written in the Fathers, according to the opinion of
Jerome, " that the church of Christ decreased in virtues as it
increased in riches," were accustomed often devoutly to so-
licit the Lord that this place might never attain great posses-
sions. They were exceedingly concerned when this religious
foundation began to be enriched by its first lord and patron,
Hugh de Lacy.1 and by the lands and ecclesiastical benefices
conferred upon it by the bounty of others of the faithful :
from their predilection to poverty, they rejected many oners
of manors and churches ; and being situated in a wild spot,
they would not suffer the thick and wooded parts of the
valley to be cultivated and levelled, lest they should be
tempted to recede from their heremitical mode of life.
But whilst the establishment of the mother church in-

1 Walter de Laci came into England with William the Conqueror,
and left three eons, Eoger, Hugh, and Walter. About that period,
when several Norman lords obtained leave from William to invade
Wales ; when Robert Fitzhamon had been successful in the conquest
of Glamorganshire, and Bernard Newmarch in that of the lordship of
Brecknock ; Hugh de Laci gained the adjoining province of Ewyas,
and became afterwards the founder of the convent of Llanthoni ; his
elder brother, Eobert, held also four caracutes of land within the limits
of the castle of Ewyas, which king William had bestowed on Walter,
his father ; but joining in rebellion against William Eufus, he was
banished the kingdom, and all his lands were given to his brother Hugh,
who died without issue. This great inheritance devolved on his two
sisters, Emmeline, who had no children, and Emme, who took to hus-
band by whom she had a son, named Gilbert, who

assumed the name of Laci From him descended Hugh de Laci, who,
for his steady adherence to king Henry II. (who was then at variance
with his son), and for services done in Ireland, obtained a grant of the
whole territory of Meath, with its appurtenances, to hold for himself
and his heirs by the service of fifty kuights' fees, in as ample a manner
as Murchard Hugh Melachlin enjoyed the same. He was murdered in
Ireland, A.D. 1185, leaving issue two sons, Walter and Hugh.

THE ABBEY OF LLANTHONT. 359

ceased daily in riches and endowments, availing herself of
the hostile state of the country, a rival daughter sprang up
at Gloucester, under the protection of Milo, earl of Here-
ford ; as if by divine providence, and through the merits of
the saints and prayers of those holy men (of whom two lie
buried before the high altar), it were destined that the
daughter church should be founded in superfluities, whilst
the mother continued in that laudable state of mediocrity
which she had always affected and coveted. Let the active
therefore reside there, the contemplative here ; there the
pursuit of terrestrial riches, here the love of celestial de-
lights; there let them enjoy the concourse of men, here the
presence of angels ; there let the powerful of this world be
entertained, here let the poor of Christ be relieved ; there,
I say, let human actions and declamations be heard, but
here let reading and prayers be heard only in whispers ;
there let opulence, the parent and nurse of vice, increase
with cares, here let the virtuous and golden mean be all-
sufficient. In both places the canonical discipline instituted
by Augustine, which is now distinguished above all other
orders, is observed ; for the Benedictines, when their wealth
was increased by the fervour of charity, and multiplied by
the bounty of the faithful, under the pretext of a bad dis-
pensation, corrupted by gluttony and indulgence an order
which in its original state of poverty was held in high es-
timation. The Cistercian order, derived from the former,
at first deserved praise and commendation from its adhering
voluntarily to the original vows of poverty and sanctity ;
until ambition, the blind mother of mischief, unable to nx
bounds to prosperity, was introduced ; for as Seneca says,
" Too great happiness makes men greedy, nor are their de-
sires ever so temperate, as to terminate in what is acquired :"
a step is made from great things to greater, and men having
attained what they did not expect, form the most unbounded
hopes ; to which the poet Ovid thus alludes :

" Luxuriant animi rebus plerumque secundis,
Nee facile est sequa commoda mente pati ;

And again:

Creverunt opes et opum furiosa cupido,
Et cum yossideant pkirirna, plura petunt/'

860 THE ITINEEAET THROUGH WALE*.

And also the poet Horace :

" scilicet improbse

Crescunt divitise, tamen

Curtse nescio quid semper abest rel.
Crescentem sequitur cura pecuniam
Majorumque fames.*'

To which purpose the poet Lucan says :

•O vitse tut a facultas

Pauperis, angustique lares, o munera nondam
Intellecta Deum !"

And Petronius :

Non bibit inter aquas nee poma fugacia carpit

Tantalus infelix, quern sua vota premunt.
Divitis hie magni facies erit, omnia late

Qui tenet, et sicco concoquit ore famem."

The mountains are full of herds and horses, the wood*
well stored with swine and goats, the pastures with sheep,
the plains with cattle, the arable fields with ploughs ; and
although these things in very deed are in great abundance,
yet each of them, from the insatiable nature of the mind,
seems too narrow and scanty. Therefore lands are seized,
landmarks removed, boundaries invaded, and the markets
in consequence abound with merchandise, the courts of jus-
tice with law-suits, and the senate with complaints. Con-
cerning such things, we read in Isaiah, " Woe unto them
that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be
no place, that they be placed alone in the midst of the
earth."

If therefore, the prophet inveighs so much against those
who proceed to the boundaries, what would lie say to those
who go far beyond them ? From these and other causes,
the true colour of religion was so converted into the dye of
falsehood, that manners internally black assumed a fair
exterior :

" Qui color albus erat, nunc est contrarius albo."

So that the scripture seems to be fulfilled concerning these
men, " Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are- ravenous wolves." But 1

STATE OF THE MONASTIC OEDEES. 361

am inclined to think this avidity does not proceed from any
bad intention. For the monks of this Order (although
themselves most abstemious) incessantly exercise, more than
any others, the acts of charity and beneficence towards the
poor and strangers ; and because they do not live as others
upon fixed incomes, but depend only on their labour and
forethought for subsistence, they are anxious to obtain
lands, farms, and pastures, which may enable them to per-
form these acts of hospitality. However, to repress and
remove from this sacred Order the detestable stigma of am-
bition, I wish they would sometimes call to mind what is
written in Ecclesiasticus, " Whoso bringeth an offering of
the goods of the poor, doth as one that killeth the son be-
fore his father's eyes :" and also the sentiment of Gregory,
" A good use does not justify things badly acquired ;" and
also that of Ambrose, *• He who wrongfully receives, that
he may well dispense, is rather burthened than assisted."
Such men seem to say with the Apostle, " Let us do evil that
good may come." For it is written, " Mercy ought to be of
such a nature as may be received, not rejected, which may
purge away sins, not make a man guilty before the Lord,
arising from your own just labours, not those of other
men." Hear what Solomon says ; " Honour the Lord from
your just labours." What shall they say who have seized
upon other men's possessions, and exercised charity ? " O
Lord ! in thy name we have done charitable deeds, we have
fed the poor, clothed the naked, and hospitably received the
stranger :" to whom the Lord will answer ; " Ye speak of
what ye have given away, but speak not of the rapine ye
have committed ; ye relate concerning those ye have fed,
and remember not those ye have killed." I have judged it
proper to insert in this place an instance of an answer which
Kichard, king of the English, made to Fulke,1 a good and holy

1 This anecdote is thus related by the historian Hollinshed : ' Hereof
it came on a time, whiles the king sojourned in France about his
warres, which he held against king Philip, there came unto him a French
priest, whose name was Fulco, who required the king in anywise to put
from him three abominable daughters which he had, and to bestow them
in marriage, least God punished him for them. ' Thou liest, hypo-
crite (said the king), to thy verie face ; for all the world knoweth I
have not one daughter.' ' I lie no \ (said the priest), for thou hast three
daughters : one of them is called Pride, the second Covetousiiess, and

862 THE ITItfEEARY THROUGH WALES.

man, by whom Q-od in these our days has wrought many signs
in the kingdom of France. This man had among other things
said to the king ; ''You have three daughters, namely, Pride,
Luxury, and Avarice ; and as long as they shall remain with
you, you can never expect to be in favour with God." To
which the king, after a short pause, replied : " I have already
given away those daughters in marriage : Pride to the Tem-
plars, Luxury to the Black Monks, and Avarice to the
"White." It is a remarkable circumstance, or rather a miracle,
concerning Lanthoni, that, although it is on every side sur-
rounded by lofty mountains, not stony or rocky, but of a
soft nature, and covered with grass, Parian stones are
frequently found there, and are called free-stones, from the
facility with which they admit of being cut and polished ;
and with these the church is beautifully built. It is also
wonderful, that when, after a diligent search, all the stones
have been removed from the mountains, and no more can be
found, upon another search, a few days afterwards, they re-
appear in greater quantities to those who seek them. With
respect to the two Orders, the Cluniac and the Cistercian,
this may be relied upon ; although the latter are possessed
of fine buildings, with ample revenues and estates, they will
soon be reduced to poverty and destruction. To the former,
on the contrary, you would allot a barren desert and a soli-
tary wood ; yet in a few years you will find them in posses-
sion of sumptuous churches and houses, and encircled with
an extensive property. The difference of manners (as it
appears to me) causes this contrast. For as without mean-
ing offence to either party, I shall speak the truth, the one
feels the benefits of sobriety, parsimony, and prudence,
whilst the other suffers from the bad effects of gluttony and

the third Lecherie.' With that the ting 'called to him his lords and
barons, and said to them, * This hypocrite heere hath required me to
marry awaie my three daughters, which (as he saith) I cherish, nourish,
foster, and mainteine ; that is to say, Pride, Covetuousness, and Leche-
rie : and now that I have found out necessarie and fit husbands for
them, I will do it with effect, and seeke no more delaies. I therefore
bequeath my pride to the high-minded Templars and Hospitallers,
which are as proud as Lucifer himselfe ; my covetousness I give unto
the White Monks, otherwise called of the Cisteaux Order, for they covet
the divell and all ; my lecherie I commit to the prelats of the church,
who have most pleasure and felicitie therein.' "

S^ATE OF THE MONASTIC OEDEES. 303

intemperance : the one, like bees, collect their stores into a
heap, and unanimously agree in the disposal of one well-
regulated purse ; the others pillage and divert to improper
uses the largesses which have been collected by divine as-
sistance, and by the bounties of the faithful ; and whilst each
individual consults solely his own interest, the welfare of
the community suffers ; since, as Sallust observes, " Small
things increase by concord, and the greatest are wasted by
discord." Besides, sooner than lessen the number of one
of the thirteen or fourteen dishes which they claim by right
of custom, or even in a time of scarcity or famine recede
in the smallest degree from their accustomed good fare, they
would suffer the richest lands and the best buildings of the
monastery to become a prey to usury, and the numerous
poor to perish before their gates.

The first of these Orders, at a time when there was a
deficiency in grain, with a laudable charity, not only gave
away their flocks and herds, but resigned to the poor one
of the two dishes with which they were always contented.
But in these our days, in order to remove this stain, it is or-
dained by the Cistercians, " That in future neither farms nor
pastures shall be purchased ; and that they shall be satisfied
with those alone which have been freely and unconditionally
bestowed upon them." This Order, therefore, being satis-
fied more than any other with humble mediocrity, and, if not
wholly, yet in a great degree checking their ambition ; and
though placed in a worldly situation, yet avoiding, as much
as possible, its contagion ; neither notorious for gluttony or
drunkenness, for luxury or lust ; is fearful and ashamed of
incurring public scandal, as will be more fully explained in
the book we mean (by the grace of God) to write concern-
ing the ecclesiastical Orders.

In these temperate regions I have obtained (according to
the usual expression) a place of dignity, but no great omen
of future pomp or riches ; and possessing a small residence1
near the castle of Brecheinoc, well adapted to literary pur-
suits, and to the contemplation of eternity, I envy not the

1 This small residence of the archdeacon was at Landeu, a place
which has been described before : the author takes tl is opportunity of
boring at his love of literature, religion, and mediocrity.

364 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

riches of Croesus ; happy and contented with that medio-
crity, which I prize far beyond all the perishable and transi-
tory things of this world. But let us return to our subject.

CHAPTEE IV.

THE JOURNEY BY COED GRONO AND ABERGEYENNT.

FROM thence1 we proceeded through the narrow, woody
tract called the bad pass of Coed Grono, leaving the noble

1 The last chapter having been wholly digressive, and the greater part
of the preceding one taken up with general description, anecdote, and
legendary tales, we must now recur back to Brecknock, or rather, per-
haps, to our author's residence at Landeu, where we left him, and from
thence accompany him to Abergavenny. But in doing this (as he did
not pursue the common route through the vale of Usk, and by Crick -
howel,) we should undoubtedly have met with much difficulty, had not
his own accuracy of description pointed out to us such certain marks
as might enable posterity, even at this remote period, to retrace his
footsteps through a wild, intricate, and desert tract of country, and but
little known even to the present generation. It appears then, that
from Landeu he took the road to Talgarth, a small village a little to the
south east of the road leading from Brecknock to Hay ; from whence,
climbing up a steep ascent, now called Rhiw Cwnstabl, or the Consta-
ble's ascent, he crossed the black mountains of Llaneliew to the source
of the Gronwy-fawr river, which rises in that eminence, and pursues
its rapid course into the Vale of Usk. From thence a rugged and un-
even track descends suddenly into a narrow glen, formed by the torrent
of the Gronwy, between steep, impending mountains ; bleak and barren
for the first four or five miles, but afterwards wooded to the very mar-
gin of the stream. A high ledge of grassy hills on the left hand, of
which the principal is called the Bal, or Y Fal, divides this formidable
pass (the " Malus passus" of Giraldus) from the vale of Ewyas, in
which stands the noble monastery of Llanthoni, " montibus suis inclu-
eum," encircled by its mountains. The road at length emerging from
this deep recess of Coed Grono, or Cwm Gronwy, the vale of the river
Gronwy, crosses the river at a place called Pont Escob, or the Bishop's
bridge, probably so called from this very circumstance of its having
been now passed by the archbishop and his suite, and is continued
through the forest of Moel, till it joins the Hereford road, about two
miles from Abergavenny. This formidable defile is at least nine miles
in length. It may, perhaps, occasion some surprise, that our most reve-
rend missionary and his coadjutor, quitting that easy and direct road
which would have led them shortly to their wished- for point, should
thus have sought for difficulties in a wild, uninteresting district ; but if
we consider the Quixotic errand they were engaged in, and the ardent
enthusiasm which animated their minds, we shall easily discern themo-
tives. Their object (as our author tells us) was to preach the crusade

UUBDEB. OF BICHAED DE CLABE. 305

monastery of Lanthoni, inclosed by its mountains, on our
left. The castle of Abergevenni is so called from its situa-
tion at the confluence of the river Gevenni with the Usk.

It happened a short time after the death of king Henry I.,
that Richard de Clare, a nobleman of high birth, and lord of
Cardiganshire, passed this way on his journey from England
into Wales, accompanied by Brian de AVallingford, lord of
this province, and many men-at-arms. At the passage of
Coed Grono,1 and at the entrance into the wood, he dismissed

in Wales, and rouse the spirit ot the natives to support the banners of
the cross. To do this effectually, it was necessary to explore the inte-
rior of the country, where that oppressed people still maintained a kind
of poor independence among the deep recesses of the mountains, from
whence it would be difficult even for Norman rapacity to dislodge them.
The lower lands along the banks of the TJsk were held exclusively by
Normans, or the immediate vassals of De Braose, the great lord of
Brecon and Abergavenny, whom it was consequently unnecessary to ad-
dress, as from the nature of their tenures they were bound to follow the
standard of their leader, and who, perhaps, would have been little
pleased with such interference.

1 In the vale of the Q-ronwy, about a mile above Pont Escob, there
is a wood called Coed Bias, or the Wood of Revenge. Here again, by
the modern name of the place, we are enabled to fix the very spot on
which Richard de Clare was murdered. The Welsh Chronicle informs
us, that "in 1135, Morgan ap Owen, a man of considerable quality and
estate in Wales, remembering the wrong and injury he had received at
the hands of Richard Fitz-Gilbert, slew him, together with his son
Gilbert." A personal revenge then appears to have been the motive.
The name Coed Dias, or the Wood of Revenge, the deep retirement and
situation of the place, close upon the banks of the Gronwy, and only
one mile from the forest of Moel, the territory of Brien Fitz-Count,
lord of Abergavenny, who, we are told, accompanied Richard de Clare
to the extent of his own demesne, usque ad possum predictum ; all con-
spire to point out this very wood as the lurking-place from whence the
assassins issued to complete their barbarous purpose, It appears that
the aforesaid Richard de Clare, or Fitz-Gilbert, was proceeding on his
journey from Nether- Went into Cardiganshire, where he had two castles,
one upon the banks of the river Ystwyth, a mile from Llanbadarn
Vawr, the other on the river Teivy at Cardigan ; his nearest road to the
former would be through Talgarth and Builth ; and if he really had
property on the Gronwy, (for Dugdale says his father Gilbert possessed
the whole of Nether-Went and one half of Grun, in Wales, which may
have been a territory bordering on the river Gronwy), he would natu-
rally give that road the preference, as expecting safety amongst his own
tenants. The river Gronwy Fawr has itu source in the parish of Llane-
liew, from whence, descending rapidly through a deep and rocky chan-
nel, it pursues a southward course, varying occasionally to humour the

86C THE ITINERAKY THEOUGH WALES.

him and his attendants, though much against their will, owl
proceeded on his journey unarmed; from too great a pre-
position of the mountains ; and divides Brecknockshire from the ad-
joining counties of Hereford and Monmouth, near the junction of the
parishes of Llanbedr and Patriss shew, vulgarly called Patricio, (a
small church in a very retired situation, remarkable for a curious rood-
?oft admirably carved in wood), from whence it takes a sudden turn to
the westward, and is soon afterwards joined by another stream, called the
Q-ronwy-fechan, or smaller Groriwy. The first of this great family,
Richard de Clare, was the eldest son of Gislebert, surnamed Crispin,
earl of Brion, in Normandy. This Richard Fitz-Gilbert came into
England with William the Conqueror, and received from him great ad-
vancement in honour and possessions. On the death of the Conqueror,
favouring the cause of Robert (Jurthose, he rebelled against William
Rufus, but when that king appeared in arms before his castle at Tun-
bridge, he submitted ; after which, adhering to Rufus against Robert,
in 1091, he was taken prisoner, and shortly after the death of king
Henry I., was assassinated, on his journey through Wales, in the man-
ner already related. Brian de Wallingford, called also Brien Fitz-
Count, and Brien de Insula, received from his uncle, Hamelin, eldest
son of Dru de Ealadun, the castle of Abergavenny and all Over- Went,
and in right of his wife, Maude, sole daughter and heiress to Robert
D'Oiley, and widow of Milo Crispin, the whole honour of Wallingford ;
king Henry I. giving her unto him in marriage with all that her in-
heritance, after the death of her said husband Milo. He was strongly
attached to the cause of the empress Maude, received her in his castle
at Wallingford, assisted her in the siege of Winchester, and attended
her in her flight to the castle at Devizes. Having two sons, both lepers,
he placed them in the priory at Abergavenny, to which he made consi-
derable benefactions ; then, seized with the religious frenzy of the times,
he took the cross, and went to Jerusalem, bequeathing his possessions
in Over- Went, and the castle of Grosmont, to his kinsman Walter,
constable of England, who, in the reign of king Henry I., held also the
castles of Glocester and Hereford ; and was buried in the chapter-house
of Lanthoni abbey in Wales. This Walter had one son, named Milo,
whom I have mentioned in a former note. Milo had five sons, to the
second of whom, named Henry, Walter, during the lifetime of his
father, gave up the castle of Abergavenny, and all Wentland, which he
held quietly in possession during the lives of his grandfather Walter,
and his brothers Milo and Roger ; which last dying without issue, Henry
succeeded as next heir to his property, but was afterwards unfortu-
nately killed by one of his satellites named Senell, son of Donwald,
near Arnald's castle in Upper Went, and was buried in the abbey of
Llanthoni in Wales. His other three brothers dying without issue, his
inheritance devolved on his sisters ; Margaret, who married Humphrey
de Bohun, and received as her portion the earldom of Hereford ; Ber-
tha, married to Philip de Braose, lord of Builth, had the lordship of
Brecknock, Upper-Went, and Gower : and Lucia, who married Her«

ABEEGAVEKNY. 367

sumption of security, preceded only by a minstrel and a
singer, one accompanying the other on the fiddle.1 The
"Welsh awaiting his arrival, with Jorwerth, brother of Morgan
of Caerleon, at their head, and others of his family, rushed
upon him unawares from the thickets, and killed him and
many of his followers. Thus it appears how incautious and
neglectful of itself is too great presumption ; for fear teaches
foresight and caution in prosperity, but audacity is precipi-
tate, and inconsiderate rashness will not await the advice of
the leader.

A sermon having been delivered at Abergevenni,2 and

bert, eon of Henry Fitz-Herbert, chamberlain to king Henry I., and
afterwards to king Stephen, received the forest of Dean and other lands
in England.

1 Tibicinem praevium habens et praecentorem cantilenas notulis alter-
natim in fidicula respondentem.

z Abergavenny. — Hamelin, son of Dru de Baladun, who came into
England with William the Conqueror, was the first lord of Over- Went,
and built a castle at Abergavenny, on the same spot where, according
to ancient tradition, a giant called Agros had erected a fortress. He
died in the reign of William Rufus, and was buried hi the priory which
he had founded at Abergavenny ; having no issue, he gave the aforesaid
castle and lands to Brian de Insula, his nephew, by his sister Lucia.
The enormous excesses mentioned by Giraldus, as having been per-
petrated in this part of Wales during his time, seem to allude to a
transaction that took place in the castle of Abergavenny, in the year
1176, which is thus related by two historians, Matthew Paris and Hoi-
Unshed. " A.D. 1176, The same yeare, William de Breause having got
a great number of Welshmen into the castle of Abergavennie, under a
colourable pretext of communication, proposed this ordinance to be re-
ceived of them with a corporall oth, ' That no traveller by the waie
amongst them should beare any bow, or other unlawful weapon,' which
oth, when they refused to take, because they would not stand to that
ordinance, he condemned them all to death. This deceit he used to-
wards them, in revenge of the death of his uncle Henrie of Hereford,
whom upon Easter-even before they had through treason murthered,
and were now acquited with the like againe." — Hollinshed, torn. ii. p. 95.
Our author, ever ready to inveigh against king Henry, says in one place
that he was the true author, and Ranulph Poer the instrument, " vere
auctor extiterat Anglorum rex Henricus Secundus, vicecomes autem
Herefordise Ranulphus Poerius machinator;" and he afterwards en-
deavours to exculpate William de Braose, by alleging that he was not
the author of the crime, but the executioner, " non auctor sceleris, sed
executor." De Braose was, in fact, a desperate and a bad man, capable
of committing, under a mask of piety, the most atrocious actions.
Whoever reads the sad tragedy which we have just related., must de»

SC8 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

many persons converted to the cross, a certain nobleman of
those parts, named Arthenus, came to the archbishop, who
was proceeding towards the castle of Usk, and humbly
begged pardon for having neglected to meet him sooner.
Being questioned whether he would take the cross, he re-
plied, "That ought not be done without the advice of his
friends." The archbishop then asked him, " Are you not
going to consult your wife?" To which he modestly answered,
with a downcast look, " When the work of a man is to be
undertaken, the counsel of a woman ought not to be asked ;"
and instantly received the cross from the archbishop.

"We leave to others the relation of those frequent and
cruel excesses which in our times have arisen amongst the
inhabitants of these parts, against the governors of castles,
and the vindictive retaliations of the governors against the
natives. But king Henry II. was the true author, and
Kanulf Poer, sheriff of Hereford, the instrument, of the
enormous cruelties and slaughter perpetrated here in our
days, which I thought better to omit, lest bad men should
be induced to follow the example ; for although temporary
advantage may seem to arise from a base cause, yet, by the
balance of a righteous judge, the punishment of wickedness
may be deferred, though not totally avoided, according to
the words of the poet, —

" Non habet eventus sordida prseda bonos."

Tor after seven years of peace and tranquillity, the sons and
grandsons of the deceased, having attained the age of man-
hood, took advantage of the .absence of the lord of the castle
(Abergevenni), and, burning with revenge, concealed them-
selves, with no inconsiderable force, during the night, within
the woody foss of the castle. One of them, named Sisillus (Sit-
sylt) son of Eudaf, on the preceding day said rather jocularly
to the constable, " Here will we enter this night," pointing

precate the smiling villain, who, in the very moment when he pretended
friendship, could be guilty of so horrid an assassination. Of no less
atrocity was the murder of Trahern Fychan, which he committed at
Brecknock ; and yet Giraldus has condescended to become his panegy-
rist, commending his piety, and labouring to transfer that load of
infamy which degraded his character to the shoulders of his sovereign,
whom he styles the prime author of the mischief.

DEATH OP EANTJLF POER, 869

nut to him a certain angle in the wall where it seemed the
lowest ; but since

" Kidendo dicere verum

Quis vetat?"

and

" fas est et ab hoste doceri,"

the constable and his household watched all night under
arms, till at length, worn out by fatigue, they all retired to
rest on the appearance of daylight, upon which the enemy
attacked the walls with scaling-ladders, at the very place
that had been pointed out. The constable and his wife
were taken prisoners, with many others, a few persons only
escaping, who had sheltered themselves in the principal
tower. With the exception of this stronghold, the enemy
violently seized and burned everything ; and thus, by the
righteous judgment of Grod, the crime was punished in the
very place where it had been committed. A short tima
after the taking of this fortress, when the aforesaid sheriff
was building a castle at Landinegat,1 near Monmouth, with
the assistance of the army he had brought from Hereford, he
was attacked at break of day, when

" Tythoni croceum linquens Aurora cubile"

was only beginning to divest herself of the shades of night,
by the young men from G-went and the adjacent parts, with
the descendants of those who had been slain. Though aware
of this premeditated attack, and prepared and drawn up in
battle array, they were nevertheless repulsed within their
intrenchments, and the sheriff, together with nine of the
chief men of Hereford, and many others, were pierced to
death with lances. It is remarkable that, although Ranulf,
besides many other mortal wounds, had the veins and arte-
ries of his neck, and his windpipe separated with a sword,
he made signs for a priest, and from the merit of his past
life, and the honour and veneration he had shewn to
those chosen into the sacred order of Christ, he was con-
fessed, and received extreme unction before he died. And,
indeed, many events concur to prove that, as those who
respect the priesthood, in their latter day& enjoy the satis-

1 Landinegat, or the church of St. Dingad, is now better known by
th0 name of Dingatstow, or Dfnastow, a village near Monmouth.

B B

370 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

faction of friendly intercourse, so do their revilers and
accusers often die without that consolation. William de
Braose, who was not the author of the crime we have preferred
passing over in silence, but the executioner, or, rather, not
the preventer of its execution, while the murderous bands
were fulfilling the orders they had received, was precipitated
into a deep foss, and being taken by the enemy, was drawn
forth, and only by a sudden effort of his own troops, and by
divine mercy, escaped uninjured. Hence it is evident that
he who offends in a less degree, and unwillingly permits a
thing to be done, is more mildly punished than he who
adds counsel and authority to his act. Thus, in the suffer-
ings of Christ, Judas was punished with hanging, the Jews
with destruction and banishment, and Pilate with exile.
But the end of the king, who assented to and ordered this
treachery, sufficiently manifested in what manner, on account
of this and many other enormities he had committed (as in
the book " De Instructione Principis," by God's guidance,
we shall set forth), he began with accumulated ignominy,
sorrow, and confusion, to suffer punishment in this world.

It seems worthy of remark, that the people of what is
called Yenta1 are more accustomed to war, more famous for
valour, and more expert in archery, than those of any other
part of Wales. The following examples prove the truth of
this assertion. In the last capture of the aforesaid castle,
which happened in our days, two soldiers passing over a
bridge to take refuge in a tower built on a mound of earth,
the Welsh, taking them in the rear, penetrated with their
arrows the oaken portal of the tower, which was four fingers
thick ; in memory of which circumstance, the arrows were
preserved in the gate. William de Braose also testifies that
one of his soldiers, in a conflict with the Welsh, was wounded
by an arrow, which passed through his thigh and the armour
with which it was cased on both sides, and, through that part

1 Leland divides this district into Low, Middle, and High Vente-
land, extending from Chepstow to Newport on one side, and to Aber-
gavenny on the other; the latter of which, he says, "maketh the
cumpace of Hye Venteland." He adds, "The soyle of al Yenteland is
of a darke reddische yerth ful of slaty stones, and other greater of the
game color. The countrey is also sura what montayneus, and Welle
replenished with woodes, also very fertyle of corne, but men there study
more to pastures, the which be well inclosed." — Leland, Itin. torn. v. p. 6.
Ancient Gvrentland is now comprised within the county of MonmouUt.

AND CAERLEON. 371

of the saddle which is called the aha, mortally wounded the
horse. Another soldier had his hip, equally sheathed in
armour, penetrated by an arrow quite to the saddle, and on
turning his horse round, received a similar wound on the op-
posite hip, which fixed him on both sides to his seat. What
more could be expected from a balista ? Tet the bows used by
this people are not made of horn, ivory, or yew, but of wild
elm ; unpolished, rude, and uncouth, but stout ; not calcu-
lated to shoot an arrow to a great distance, but to inflict very
severe wounds in close fight

But let us again return to our Itinerary.

CHAPTER Y.

OF THE PROGRESS BY THE CASTLE OF USK AND THE TOWN
OF CAERLEON.

AT the castle of Usk,1 a multitude of persons influenced by
the archbishop's sermon, and by the exhortations of the good
and worthy William bishop of Landaf,2 who faithfully ac-
companied us through his diocese, were signed with the
cross ; Alexander archdeacon of Bangor3 acting as inter-
preter to the Welsh. It is remarkable that many of the
most notorious murderers, thieves, and robbers of the neigh-
bourhood were here converted, to the astonishment of the
spectators. Passing from thence through Caerleon, and leav-
ing far on our left hand the castle of Monmouth, and the
noble forest of Dean,4 situated on the other side of the Wye

1 Usk, a small town, prettily situated on a river of the same name,
over which there is a long and picturesque bridge of stone. The Roman
station of Burrium is supposed to have stood near the site of the pre-
sent town. There are still the remains of a large castle on an eminence,
which overlooks the town, and of a priory, adjoining to the parisli
church.

2 William de Salso Marisco, who succeeded to the bishopric of Llandaff,
A.D. 1185, and presided over that see during the time of Baldwin's
visitation, in 1188.

3 Alexander was the fourth archdeacon of the see of Bangor.

4 The forest of Dean is situated in the westerly part of Gloucester-
shire, between the rivers Severn and Wye. It contains about thirtv
thousand acres, the soil of which is a deep clay, adapted to the growth
of oak. It was formerly so thick with trees, and so very dark and ter-
rible by reason of its shades and cross-ways, that it rendered the in-
habitants barbarous, and emboldened them to commit many outrages.
In the reign of Henry VI., they so annoyed the inhabitants of tha

£ £2

872 THE ITINEEAET THROUGH WALES.

and on this side the Severn, and which amply supplies Grlou«
cester with iron and venison, we spent the night at Newport,
having crossed the river Usk three times.1 Caerleon2 means
the city of Legions, Caer, in the British language, signifying
a city or camp, for there the Roman legions, sent into this
island, were accustomed to winter, and from this circumstance
it was styled the city of legions. This city was of undoubted
antiquity, and handsomely built of masonry, with courses of
bricks, by the Romans. Many vestiges of its former splen-
dour may yet be seen ; immense palaces, formerly ornamented
with gilded roofs, in imitation of Roman magnificence, in-
asmuch as they were first raised by the Roman princes, and
embellished with splendid buildings ; a tower of prodigious
size, remarkable hot baths, relics of temples, and theatres,
all inclosed within fine walls, parts of which remain standing.
You will find on all sides, both within and without the cir-
cuit of the walls, subterraneous buildings, aqueducts, under-
ground passages ; and what I think worthy of notice, stoves
contrived with wonderful art, to transmit the heat insensibly
through narrow tubes passing up the side walls.

Julius and Aaron,* after suffering martyrdom, were buried

banks of the Severn with their robberies, that an act of parliament wag
made on purpose to restrain them. The oak of this forest was so con-
siderable, that it is said to have been part of the instructions of the
Spanish Armada to destroy its timber. Since the discovery of iron ore
on this spot, the woods have largely disappeared.

1 Once at Usk, then at Caerleon, and afterwards on entering the town
of Newport.

2 This city was the station of the Legio Secunda Augusta, and still
retains many vestiges of Roman antiquity : the extent of its stonewalls
may yet be traced : the grounds within its precincts are thickly strewed
with Roman bricks, and many Latin inscriptions have been dug up.
The situation of this ancient city, on the banks of the river Usk, is
elegantly expressed by an anonymous writer, quoted by archbishop
Usher, whom he calls Pseudo-Gildas —

" Nobilis urbs, et amoena situ, quam labilis Osca

Irrigat .' '

8 According to what is probably a mere legend, when the perse-
cution of the emperor Dioclesian raged against the Christians through-
out the whole empire, a certain man, named Amphibalus, illustrious
for his virtues and learning, having crossed the sea, came to Verula-
mium, in Britain, and, entering that city, craved admittance, as a
stranger, to the house of Albanus, who was one of the citizens, eminent
for his quality and noble parentage, and who received the holy man with
great kindness and liberality, and, by his persuasions, became a con-

CAEELEOW. 373

in this city, and had each a church dedicated to him. After
Albanus and Amphibalus, they were esteemed the chief pro-
tomartyrs of Britannia Major. In ancient times there were
three fine churches in this city : one dedicated to Julius the
martyr, graced with a choir of nuns; another to Aaron, bis
associate, and ennobled with an order of canons ; and the
third distinguished as the metropolitan of Wales. Amphi-
balus, the instructor of Albanus in the true faith, was born
in this place. This city is well situated on the river Usk,
navigable to the sea, and adorned with woods and meadows.
The Roman ambassadors here received their audience at the
court of the great king Arthur ; and here also, the arch-
bishop Dubricius ceded his honours to David of Menevia.
the metropolitan see being translated from this place to
Menevia, according to the prophecy of Merlin Ambrosius ;
" Menevia pallio urbis Legionum induetur." " Menevia
shall be invested with the pall of the city of Legions."

Not far hence is a rocky eminence, impending over the
Severn, called by the English Gouldcliffe,1 or golden rock,
because from the reflections of the sun's rays it assumes a
bright golden colour :

" Nee mihi de facili fieri persuasio posset,
Quod frustra tan turn dederit natura nitorem
Saxis, quodque suo flierit flos hie sine fructu."

Xor can I be easily persuaded that nature hath given such
splendour to the rocks in vain, and that this flower should

vert to Christianity. Anxious, however, for the safety of his guest, Al-
banus exhorted him to depart from Verulam, and as a disguise gave
him his own military vestment, woven with gold, taking in exchange
that of Amphibalus, called a caracalla. But this liberal and friendly
conduct proved fatal to Albanus ; for he was seized by order of the
Roman judge, confined in prison, scourged, and led to execution, at
which perilous mordent he is said to have converted his executioner,
one Heraclius, a soldier, who, throwing away his sword, cast himself at
the feet of the holy man, and humbly begged his pardon. Amphibalus
having made his escape from Verulam, proceeded towards Wales, but
was soon overtaken, bound with cords, and driven barefooted back to
Verulam, where he was stripped of his garments, tied to a stake, and
put to death in a manner too barbarous to relate.

1 G-ouldcliffe, or G-oldcliff, is situated a few miles S.E. of Newport, on
the banks of the Severn. In the year 1113, Robert de Candos founded
and endowed the church of Goldclive, and, by the advice of king Henry
1., gave it to the abbey of Bee, in Normandy ; its religious establishment
Consisted of a prior and twelve monks of the order of St. Benedict.

374' THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

be without fruit, if any one would take the pains to pene-
trate deeply into the bowels of the earth ; if any one, I say,
would extract honey from the rock, and oil from the stone.
Indeed many riches of nature lie concealed through inatten-
tion, which the diligence of posterity will bring to light ; for,
as necessity first taught the ancients to discover the con-
veniences of life, so industry, and a greater acuteuess of
intellect, have laid open many things to the moderns ; as the
poet says, assigning two causes for these discoveries,

" labor omnia vincifc

Improbus, et duris urgens in rebus egestas."

It is worthy of observation, that there lived in the neigh-
bourhood of this City of Legions, in our time, a Welshman
named Melerius,who, under the following circumstances, ac-
quired the knowledge of future and occult events. Having,
on a certain night, namely that of Palm Sunday, met a damsel
whom he had long loved, in a pleasant and convenient pi ace,
while he was indulging in her embraces, suddenly, instead
of a beautiful girl, he found in his arms a hairy, rough,
and hideous creature, the sight of which deprived him of
his senses, and he became mad. After remaining many years
in this condition, he was restored to health in the church
of St. David's, through the merits of its saints. But
having always an extraordinary familiarity with unclean
spirits, by seeing them, knowing them, talking with them,
and calling each by his proper name, he was enabled, through
their assistance, to foretel future events. He was, indeed,
often deceived (as they are) with respect to circumstances
at a great distance of time or place, but was less mistaken
in aifairs which were likely to happen nearer, or within the
space of a year. The spirits appeared to him usually on
foot, equipped as hunters, with horns suspended from their
necks, and truly as hunters, not of animals, but of souls. He
particularly met them near monasteries and monastic cells ;
for where rebellion exists, there is the greatest need of
armies and strength. He knew when any one spoke falsely
in his presence, for he saw the devil, as it were, leaping
and exulting upon the tongue of the liar. If he looked
on a book faultily or falsely written, or containing a false
passage, although wholly illiterate, he would point rut the
place with his finger. Being questioned how he could gain

MELEHIUS THE SOOTHSAYER. 375

Bueb knowledge, he said that he was directed by the demon's
finger to the place. In the same manner, entering into the
dormitory of a monastery, he indicated the bed of any monk
not sincerely devoted to religion. He said, that the spirit
of gluttony and surfeit was in every respect sordid ; but that
the spirit of luxury and lust was more beautiful than others
in appearance, though in fact most foul. If the evil
spirits oppressed him too much, the Gospel of St. John was
placed on his bosom, when, like birds, they immediately
vanished ; but when that book was removed, and the History
of the Britons, by Geoffrey Arthur, was substituted in its
place, they instantly reappeared in greater numbers, and re-
mained a longer time than usual on his body and on the book.
It is worthy of remark, that Barnabas placed the Gospel
of St. Matthew upon sick persons, and they were healed ;
from which, as well as from the foregoing circumstance, it
appears how great a .dignity and reverence is due to the
sacred books of the gospel, and with what danger and
risk of damnation every one who swears falsely by them,
deviates from the paths of truth. The fall of Enoch,
abbot of Strata Marcella,1 too well known in "Wales,
was revealed to many the day after it happened, by Mele-
rius, who, being asked how he knew this circumstance, said,
that a demon came to him disguised as a hunter, and, ex-
ulting in the prospect of such a victory, foretold the ruin
of the abbot, and explained in what manner he would make
him run away with a nun from the monastery. The end in
view was probably the humiliation and correction of the
abbot, as was proved from his shortly returning home so
humbled and amended, that he scarcely could be said to
have erred. Seneca says, " He falls not badly, who rises
stronger from his fall." Peter was more strenuous after

1 The Cistercian abbey here alluded to was known by the several
names of Ystrat Marchel, Strata Marcella, Alba domus de Strat-mar-
gel, Vallis Crucis, or Pola, and was situated between Guilsfield and
Welshpool, in Montgomeryshire. Authors differ in opinion about
its original founder. Leland attributes it to Owen Cjveilioc, prince
of Powys, and Dugdale to Madoc, the son of Gruffydh, giving for his
authority the original grants and endowments of this abbey. Accord-
ing to Tanner, about the beginning of the reign of king Edward III..;
the Welsh monks were removed from hence into English abbeys, and
English monks were placed here, and the abbey was made subject tc
the visitation of the abbot and convent of Buildwas, in Shropshire.

376 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

his denial of Christ, and Paul after being stoned ; since,
where sin abounds, there will grace also superabound.
Mary Magdalen was strengthened after her frailty. He
secretly revealed to Conan, the good and religious abbot of
Alba-domus, his opinion of a certain woman whom he had
seen ; upon which the holy man confessed, with tears in his
eyes, his predilection for her, and received from three
priests the discipline of incontinence. For as that long and
experienced subtle enemy, by arguing from certain conjec-
tural signs, may foretel future by past events, so by insi-
dious treachery and contrivance, added to exterior appear-
ances, he may sometimes be able to discover the interior
workings of the mind.

At the same time there was in Lower G-went a demon
incubus, who, from his love for a certain young woman, and
frequenting the place where she lived, often conversed with
men, and frequently discovered hidden things and future
events. Melerius being interrogated concerning him, said
he knew him well, and mentioned his name. He affirmed
that unclean spirits conversed with mankind before war,
or any great internal disturbance, which was shortly
afterwards proved, by the destruction of the province
by Howel, son of Jorwerth of Caerleon. At the same
time, when king Henry II., having taken the king of
Scotland prisoner, had restored peace to his kingdom,
Howel, fearful of the royal revenge for the war he had
waged, was relieved from his difficulties by these comfort-
able words of Melerius : " Eear not," says he, " Howel, the
wrath of the king, since he must go into other parts. An
important city which he possesses beyond sea is now be-
sieged by the king of France, on which account he will
postpone every other business, and hasten thither with all
possible expedition." Three days afterwards, Howel re-
ceived advice that this event had really come to pass, owing
to the siege of the city of Rouen. He forewarned also
Howel of the betraying of his castle at Usk, a long time
before it happened, and informed him that he should be
wounded, but not mortally ; and that he should escape
alive from the town. In this alone he was deceived, for lie
soon after died of the same wound. Thus does that arch-
enemy favour his friends for a time, and thus does he at
l&st reward them.

SUCCESSFUL PREACHING AT NEWPORT. 377

In all these singular events it appears to me most won-
derful that he saw those spirits so plainly with his carnal
eyes, because spirits cannot be discerned by the eyes of mor-
tals, unless they assume a corporeal substance ; but if in
order to be seen they had assumed such a substance, how
could they remain unperceived by other persons who were
present ? Perhaps they were seen by such a miraculous
vision as when king Balthazar saw the hand of one writing
on the Avail, " Mane, Techel, Phares," that is, weighed, num-
bered, divided ; who in the same night lost both his king-
dom and his life. But Cambria well knows how in these
districts, from a blind desire of dominion, a total dissolution
of the endearing ties of consanguinity, and a bad and de-
praved example diffused throughout the country, good
faith has been so shamefully perverted and abused.

CHAPTEE VI.

NEWPORT AND CAERDTF.

AT Newport,1 where the river Usk, descending from its
original source in Cantref Bacban, falls into the sea, many
persons were induced to take the cross. Having passed
the river Eemni, we approached the noble castle of Caer-
dyf,a situated on the banks of the river Taf.3 In the neigh-

1 Newport (in the Latin of Giraldus, Noviisburgus) is a borough
town, on the banks of the Usk, with the ruins of an ancient castle.

2 Caerdiff, i. <?., the fortress on the river Taf. About the year 1091,
Robert Fitz-Hamon, a Norman chief, and kinsman of William the
Conqueror, made the conquest of Glamorgan, and having parcelled out
various lordships and manors to each of the twelve knights who had
accompanied him, in reward of service, he reserved, as a portion for
himself, the castle of Caerdiff, where he resided and held his courts of
justice. In the days of Giraldus, this castle was probably in a high
state of preservation, as he calls it " nobile castrum ;" it is still a mas-
sive pile of building, but, owing to the alterations made to render it
habitable for the marquis of Bute, it has lost, in a great measure, that
baronial grandeur which so strongly characterized these ancient build-
ings. A fine specimen, however of its Norman architecture is still pre-
served in the octagonal tower, on the western side of the castle.

3 The sources of the rivers Usk, Remni, and Taf, are mentioned by
Giraldus in bis Description of Wales, Book i. chap. 5.

378 THE ITINEEAET THROUGH WALES.

bourliood of Newport, which is in the district of Grwentluc,1
there is a small stream called Nant Pencarn,2 passable only
at certain fords, not so much owing to the depth of its
waters, as from the hollowness of its channel and muddy
bottom. The public road led formerly to a ford, called Byd
Pencarn, that is, the ford under the head of a rock, from
Rhyd, which in the British language signifies a ford. Pen,
the head, and Carn, a rock ; of which place Merlin Sylvester
had thus prophesied : " Whenever you shall see a mighty
prince with a freckled face make an hostile irruption into
the southern part of Britain, should he cross the fora of
Pencarn, then know ye, that the force of Cambria shall be
brought low." Now it came to pass in our times, that king
Henry II. took up arms against Rhys, the son of Gruffydh,
and directed his march through the southern part of Wales
towards Caermardyn. On the day he intended to pass over

1 Gwentluc — so called from Gwent, the name of the province, and
Hug, open, to distinguish it from the upper parts of Wentland, is an
extensive tract of flat, marshy ground, reaching from Newport to the
shores of the river Severn. "The length of Wentllug is from the
Severn se to the lordship of Meridith, that is to say, from south to
northe, about a xx mile. Where it is most brodest, from est to west, it
is not countid by estimation above 8 miles, and in diverse places
Hesse. The soile bv south towards Severn is sumwhat lowe, and fulle of
dikes to drene it. * There is lightly great plenty of benes, and in divers
places it berith al other maner of come. And this low ground is from
the causey or highway that goit from Newport to Pont Kemny by south
to the Severne se. The north side of the same highway is stille higher
and higher to the northe." — Leland, Jtin. vol. iv. p. 33.

2 Nant Pencarn, or the brook of Pencarn. — After a very attentive
examination of the country round Newport, by natives of that place,
and from the information I have received on the subject, I am inclined
to think that the river here alluded to was the Ebwy, which flows
about a mile and a half south of Newport. " The river of Ebouith risith
yn a montayne of High Wencelande, and strait cummith into a valley,
caullid Diffrin Serowy. Ebouith goith into Wisk a mile and a half beneth
Newport, and half a mile from the haven mouth of Wi^ke." (Leland.)
At first it bears the appearance of a mountain torrent, but on approach-
ing towards the marshes, it assumes the character ascribed to it by our
author. Before the new turnpike road and bridge were made across
Tredegar Park, the old road led to a ford lower down the ri^er, and
may still be travelled as far as Caerdyff; and was probably the ford
mentioned in the text, as three old farm-houses in its neighbourhood
still retain the names of Great Pencarn, Little Pencarn, and Middl*
Pencarn.

THE FORD OF PENCARN. 37.9

Xant Pentcarn, the old Britons of the neighbourhood
watched his approach towards the ford with the utmost
solicitude; knowing, since he was both mighty and freckled,
that if the passage of the destined ford was accomplished,
the prophecy concerning him would undoubtedly he ful-
filled. When the king had followed the road leading to a
more modern ford of the river (the old one spoken of in the
prophecy having been for a long time in disuse), and was.
preparing to pass over, the pipers and trumpeters, called
Cornhiriet, from hir, long, and cornu, a horn, began to sound
their instruments on the opposite bank, in honour of the
king. The king's horse, startling at the wild, unusual noise,
refused to obey the spur, and enter the water; upon which,
the king, gathering up the reins, hastened, in violent wrath,
to the ancient ford, which he rapidly passed ; and the Bri-
tons returned to their homes, alarmed and dismayed at the
destruction which seemed to await them. An extraordinary
circumstance occurred likewise at the castle of Caerdyf.
William earl of Gloucester, son of earl Eobert,1 who, be-
sides that castle, possessed by hereditary right all the pro-
vince of G-wladvorgan,2 that is, the land of Morgan, had a

1 Eobert Fitz-IIamon, earl of Astremeville, in Normandy, came into
England with William the Conqueror ; and, by the gift of William
Eufus, obtained the honour of Gloucester, which had been the inhe-
ritance of Brictric, a Saxon ; who, having incurred the displeasure ol
Maude, the Conqueror's wife, by refusing her in marriage, was dispos-
sessed thereof upon the Normans gaining possession of England. He
was wounded with a spear at the siege of Falaise, in Normandy, died
soon afterwards, and was buried, A.D. 1102, in the abbey of Tewkes-
buvy, which he had founded. Leaving no male issue, king Henry gave
his eldest daughter, Mabel, or Maude, who, in her own right, had the
whole honour of Glocester, to his illegitimate son Eobert, who was
advanced to the earldom of Gloucester by the king, his father. He is'
*aid to have built a castle, and founded a priory at Bristol, and to
have erected the castle at Caerdiff. He died A.D. 1147, and was buried
in the choir of the priory of St. James at Bristol, under a tomb-stone
of green jasper. He left four sons : William, the personage here men-
tioned by Giralclus, who succeeded him in his titles and honours ;
Eoger, bishop of Worcester, who died at Tours in France, A.D. 1179;
liamon. who died at the siege of Toulouse, A.D. 1159 ; and Philip.

2 The Coychurch Manuscript quoted by Mr. Williams, in his His-
tory of Monmouthshire, asserts that Morgan, surnamed Mwyn-fawr, or
the Gentle, the son of Athrwy (the celebrated Arthur), not having
been elated to the chief command of the British armies, upon lii*

880 THE ITINEBAHY THROUGH WALES.

dispute with one of his dependants, whose name was Ivor
the Little,1 being a man of short stature, but of great cou
rage. This man was, after the manner of the "Welsh, owner
of a tract of mountaiuous and woody country, of the whole,
or a part of which, the earl endeavoured to deprive him.
At that time the castle of Caerdyf was surrounded with
high walls, guarded by one hundred and twenty men at-
arms, a numerous body of archers, and a strong watch. The
city also contained many stipendiary soldiers ; yet, in defi-
ance of all these precautions of security, Ivor, in the dead
of night, secretly scaled the walls, and, seizing the count and
countess, with their only son, carried them off into the woods,
and did not release them until he had recovered everything
that had been unjustly taken from him, and received a com-
pensation of additional property ; for, as the poet observes,

" Spectandum est semper ne inagna injuria fiat
Fortibus et miseris ; tollas licet omne quod usquam est
Argenti atque auri, spoliatis arma supersunt."

In this same town of Caerdyf, king Henry II., on his re-
turn from Ireland, the first Sunday after Easter, passed the
night. In the morning, having heard mass, he remained at
his devotions till every one had quitted the chapel of St.
Piranus.2 As he mounted his horse at the door, a man of a

father's death retired from Caerleon, and took up his residence in Gla-
morganshire, sometimes at Rhadir, near Cardiff, and at other times at
Margan ; and from this event the district derived its name, quasi
Gwlad- Morgan, the country of Morgan. Another MS. quoted by the
same author, which he calls the Truman MS., says that this same
Morgan had a palace at Margan, and erected a bishopric there, which
lasted five generations, and was then united to the see of Llandaff.
'" Glade is in Welsh a country or a land, and this province or country
;is often called Morganhog. I take Moregan to have the name of More,
that is to say the sea, unto the shore whereof it lyeth. The confine of
Glamorgan lyeth thus: — Remney is the march on the E. side of it,
Creenline, a littel broke, is the march of the W. part The Severne se
boundith from the mouthe of Remney to the mouth of Cramlin. The
rootes of the Blake mountain marcheth it by N." — Leland, Itin., iv. 54.

1 Cui nomen Yvorus agnomen Modicus erat. Explained in the mar-
gin of the folio edition of Giraldus by Yvorus Bach.

- St. Piranus, otherwise called St. Kiaran, or Hran, was an Irish saint,
said to have been born in the county of Ossory, or of Cork, about the
middle of the fourth century ; and alter that by his labours the Gospel
had made good progress, he forsook all worldly things, and spent the
remainder of his life in religious solitude. Tke place of his retirement

HENTIT'S WAEKINO. 381

fair complexion, with a round tonsure and meagre counte-
nance, tall, and about forty years of age, habited in a white
robe falling down to his naked feet, thus addressed him in
the Teutonic tongue: "God hold the, cuing," which signifies,
" May G-od protect you, king ;" and proceeded, in the same
language, " Christ and his Holy Mother, John the Baptist,
and the Apostle Peter salute thee, and command thee strictly
to prohibit throughout thy whole dominions every kind of
buying or selling on Sundays, and not to suffer any work
to be done on those days, except such as relates to the pre-
paration of daily food ; that due attention may be paid to
the performance of the divine offices. If thou dost this, all
thy undertakings shall be successful, and thou shalt lead a
happy life." The king, in French, desired Philip de Mer-
cros,1 who held the reins of his horse, to ask the rustic if he
had dreamt this ? and when the soldier explained to him
the king's question in English, he replied in the same lan-
guage he had before used, " Whether I have dreamt it or
not, observe what day this is (addressing himself to the
king, not to the interpreter), and unless thou shalt do so,
and quickly amend thy life, before the expiration of one year,
thou shalt hear such things concerning what thou lovest
best in this world, and shalt thereby be so much troubled,
that thy disquietude shall continue to thy life's end." The
king, spurring his horse, proceeded a little way towards the
gate, when, stopping suddenly, he ordered his attendants to
call the good man back. The soldier, and a young man
named William, the only persons who remained with the
king, accordingly called him, and sought him in vain in the
chapel, and in all the inns of the city. The king, vexed that
he had not spoken more to him, waited alone a long time,
while other persons went in search of him ; and when he
could not be found, pursued his journey over the bridge of
Remni to Newport. The fatal prediction came to pass
within the year, as the man had threatened ; for the king's

was on the sea-coast of Cornwall, and not far from Padstow, where, as
Camden informs us, there was a chapel on the sands erected to his
memory. Leland has informed us, that the chapel of St. Perine
at Caerdiff. stood in Shoemaker Street.

1 So called from a parish of that name in Glamorganshire, situated
between Monk If ash and St. Donat's, upon the Bristol Channel.

382 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

three sons, Henry, the eldest, and his brothers, Richard of
Poitou, and Geoffrey, count of Britany, in tue following
Lent, deserted to Louis king of France, which caused the
king greater uneasiness than he had ever before experienced;
and which, by the conduct of some one of his sous, was
continued till the time of his decease. This monarch,
through divine mercy (for God is more desirous of the con-
version than the destruction of a sinner), received many
other admonitions and reproofs about this time, and shortly
before his death ; all of which, being utterly incorrigible, he
obstinately and obdurately despised, as will be more fully
set forth (by the favour of God) in my book, " de Prin-
eipis Instructione."

Not far from Caerdyf is a small island situated near the
shore of the Severn, called Barri, from St. Baroc,1 who for-
merly lived there, and whose remains are deposited in a
chapel overgrown with ivy, having been transferred to a
'coffin. From hence a noble family, of the maritime parts
of South Wales, who owned this island and the adjoining
estates, received the name of de Barri. It is remarkable
that, in a rock near the entrance of the island, there is a
small cavity, to which, if the ear is applied, a noise is heard
like that of smiths at work, the blowing of bellows, strokes
of hammers, grinding of tools, and roaring of furnaces ; and
it might easily be imagined that such noises, which are
continued at the ebb and flow of the tides, were occasioned
by the influx of the sea under the cavities of the rocks.

1 Our author, in the life of St. David, the archbishop, gives a most
wonderful account of this St. Baruc, who, he tells us, was an abbot
of Cork ; and, having been upon a visit to that holy prelate, and de-
tained by contrary winds, borrowed his friend's horse, and rode
across the sea from Pembrokeshire to the Irish coast. According
to Cressy, he died in the year 700, and was buried in the island of Barri,
which bears his name. Camden says that this saint was a disciple of
St. Gwalchi, who was buried on one of the two islands in the Bristol
Channel, called Steep Holme and Flat Holme.

Barri Island is situated on the coast of Glamorganshire ; and, accord-
ing to Cressy, took its name from St. Baruc, the hermit, who resided,
and was buried there. The Barrys in Ireland, as well as the family of
Giraldus, who were lords of it, are said to have derived their names from
.this island. Leland, in speaking of this ishvid, says, "The pas-
aage into Barrey isle at iul se is a flite shot ver, as much as the

T1IE CRUSADE PKEACHED AT LLANDAFF. 393

CHAPTEE VII.

THE SEE OF LANDAF AND MONASTERY OF MARGAN, AND THL'
REMARKABLE THINGS IN THOSE PARTS.

ON the following morning, the business of the cross being
publicly proclaimed at Landaf, the English standing on one
side, and the Welsh on the other, many persons of each
nation took the cross, and we remained there that night
with William bishop of that place,1 a discreet and good
man. The word Landaf2 signifies the church situated upon
the river Taf, and is now called the church of St. Teileau,
formerly bishop of that see. The archbishop having cele-
brated mass early in the morning, before the high altar of the
cathedral, we immediately pursued our journey by the little
cell of Ewenith3 to the noble Cistercian monastery of Morgan.*
This monastery, under the direction of Conan, a learned

Tamise is above the bridge. At low water, there is a broken causey to
go over, or els over the shalow stream elet of Barrey-brook on the sands.
The isle is about a mile in cumpace, and hath very good corne, grasse,
and sum wood ; the ferme of it worth a £10 a yere. There ys no
dwelling in the isle, but there is in the middle of it a fair little chapel
of St. Barrok, where much pilgrimage was usid." This little island is
nearly opposite to Watchet, on the coast of Somerset, and is situated
about ten miles from Caerdiif.

1 William de Salso Marisco.

2 The see of Llandaff is pretended to have been founded by the Bri-
tish king Lucius as early as the year 180, but this can be only taken for
a fable. Gulielmus de Salso Marisco, whom our author, Giraldus,
calls "virum bonum, discretum, et honestum," presided over the see of
LlandaiF at this time, and received the archbishop and his attendants on
their journey through Wales.

3 From Llandaff, our crusaders proceeded towards the Cistercian mo-
nastery of Margan, passing on their journey near the little cell of Bene-
dictines at Ewenith, or Ewenny, whose embattled towers and anti-
quated appearance would, in modern days, naturally attract the atten-
tion of every investigating traveller on his road from Cowbridge to Pyle,
and induce him to deviate half a mile from the turnpike road. This
religious house was founded by Maurice de Londres towards the middle
of the twelfth century. It is situated in a marshy plain near the banks
of the little river Ewenny, which abounds with trout, and whose waters
never fail. The present remains appear to be those of the original
building.

4 The Cistercian monastery of Margan, justly celebrated for the ei-
tcnsive charities which its members exercised, was founded A.D. 1147, by
Robert earl of Gloucester, who died in the same year, nrid was buried

884 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

and prudent abbot, was at this time more celebrated for it*
charitable deeds than any other of that order in Wales.
On this account, it is an undoubted fact, that, as a reward
for that abundant charity which the monastery had always,
in times of need, exercised towards strangers and poor per-
sons, in a season of approaching famine, their corn and
provisions were perceptibly, by divine assistance, increased,
like the widow's cruise of oil by the means of the prophet
Elijah. About the time of its foundation, a young man of
those parts, by birth a Welshman, having claimed and en-
deavoured to apply to his own use certain lands which had
been given to the monastery, by the instigation of the devil
set on fire the best barn belonging to the monks, which was
filled with corn ; but, immediately becoming mad, he ran
about the country in a distracted state, nor ceased raving
until he was seized by his parents and bound. Having
burst his bonds, and tired out his keepers, he came the
next morning to the gate of the monastery, incessantly
howling out that he was inwardly burnt by the influence
of the monks, and thus in a few days expired, uttering
the most miserable complaints. It happened also, that
a young man was struck by another in the guests' hall ;
but on the following day, by divine vengeance, the aggressor
was, in the presence of the fraternity, killed by an enemy,
and his lifeless body was laid out in the same spot in the
hall where the sacred house had been violated. In our time
too, in a period of scarcity, while great multitudes of poor
were daily crowding before the gates for relief, by the unani-
mous consent of the brethren, a ship was sent to Bristol to
purchase corn for charitable purposes. The vessel, delayed
by contrary winds, and not returning (but rather affording
an opportunity for the miracle), on the very day when there
would have been a total deficiency of corn, both for the poor
and the convent, a field near the monastery was found sud-
denly to ripen, more than a month before the usual time of
harvest : thus, divine Providence supplied the brotherhood

in the priory of St James at Bristol. Of this once-famed sanctuary
nothing now remains but the shell of its chapter-house, which, by
neglect, has lost its most ornamental parts. When Mr. Wyndham
made the tour of Wales in the year 1777, this elegant building wa*
entire, and was accurately drawn and engraved by his orders.

FIDELITY OF THE DOG. 385

and the numerous poor with sufficient nourishment until
autumn. By these and other signs of virtues, the place
accepted by G-od began to be generally esteemed and vene-
rated.

It came to pass also in our days, during the period when
the four sons of Caradoc son of Jestin, and nephews of
prince Rhys by his sister, namely, Morgan, Meredyth, Owen,
and Cadwallon, bore rule for their father in those parts, that
Cadwallon, through inveterate malice, slew his brother Owen.
But divine vengeance soon overtook him ; for on his making
a hostile attack on a certain castle, he was crushed to pieces
by the sudden fall of its walls : and thus, in the presence of
a numerous body of his own and his brother's forces, suffered
the punishment which his barbarous and unnatural conduct
had so justly merited.

Another circumstance which happened here, deserves no-
tice. A greyhound belonging to the aforesaid Owen, large,
beautiful, and curiously spotted with a variety of colours,
received seven wounds from arrows and lances, in the defence
of his master, and on his part did much injury to the enemy
and assassins. "When his wounds were healed, he was sent
to king Henry II. by "William earl of Gloucester, in testi-
mony of so great and extraordinary a deed. A dog, of all
animals, is most attached to man. and most easily dis-
tinguishes him ; sometimes, when deprived of his master,
he refuses to live, and in his master's defence is bold enough
to brave death ; ready, therefore, to die, either with or for
his master. I do not think it superfluous to insert here an
example which Suetonius gives in his book on the nature of
animals, and which Ambrosius also relates in his Exameron.
" A man, accompanied by a dog, was killed in a remote part of
the city of Antioch, by a soldier, for the sa,ke of plunder.
The murderer, concealed by the darkness of the morning,
escaped into another part of the city ; the corpse lay un-
buried ; a large concourse of people assembled ; and the dog,
with bitter bowlings, lamented his master's fate. The mur-
derer, by chance, passed that way, and, in order- to prove his
innocence, mingled with the crowd of spectators, and, as if
moved by compassion, approached the body of the deceased.
The dog, suspending for a while his moans, assumed the
arms of revenge ; rushed upon the man, and seized him,

c c

THE ITINEEAET THBOUGH. WALES.

howling at the same time in so dolorous a manner, that all
present shed tears. It was considered as a proof against the
murderer, that the dog seized him from amongst so many,
and would not let him go ; and especially, as neither the crime
of hatred, envy, or injury, could possibly, in this case, be
urged against the dog. On account, therefore, of such a
strong suspicion of murder (which the soldier constantly
denied), it was determined that the truth of the matter
should be tried by combat. The parties being assembled in
a field, with a crowd of people around, the dog on one side,
and the soldier, armed with a stick of a cubit's length, on
the other, the murderer was at length overcome by the vic-
torious dog, and suffered an ignominious death on the
common gallows.

Pliny and Solinus relate that a certain king, who was
very fond of dogs, and addicted to hunting, was taken and
imprisoned by his enemies, and in a most wonderful manner
liberated, without any assistance from his friends, by a pack
of dogs, who had spontaneously sequestered themselves in
the mountainous and woody regions, and from thence com-
mitted many atrocious acts of depredation on the neighbour-
ing herds and flocks. I shall take this opportunity of men-
tioning what from experience and ocular testimony I have
observed respecting the nature of dogs. A dog is in general
sagacious, but particularly with respect to his master ; for
when he has for some time lost him in a crowd, he depends
more upon his nose than upon his eyes ; and, in endeavour-
ing to find him, he first looks about, and then applies his
nose, for greater certainty, to his clothes, as if nature had
placed all the powers of infallibility in that feature. The
tongue of a dog possesses a medicinal quality ; the wolf's,
on the contrary, a poisonous : the dog heals his wounds by
licking them, the wolf, by a similar practice, infects them ;
and the dog, if he has received a wound in his neck or head,
or any part of his body where he cannot apply his tongue,
ingeniously makes use of his hinder foot as a conveyance of
the healing qualities to the parts affected.

PERILS OP THE RIVER NEATH. 387

CHAPTER VIII.

PASSAGE OF THE RIVERS AVON AND NETH — AND OP
ABERTAWE AND GOER.

CONTINUING our journey,1 not far from Margan, where the
alternate vicissitudes of a sandy shore and the tide com-
mence, we forded over the river Avon, having been consider-
ably delayed by the ebbing of the sea ; and under the guid-
ance of Morgan, eldest son of Caradoc, proceeded along the
sea-shore towards the river Neth, which, on account of its
quicksands, is the most dangerous and inaccessible river in
South Wales. A pack-horse belonging to the author, which
had proceeded by the lower way near the sea, although in
the midst of many others, was the only one which sunk
down into the abyss, but he was at last, with great difficulty,
extricated, and not without some damage done to the bag-
gage and books. Yet, although we had Morgan, the
prince of that country, as our conductor, we did not reach
the river without great peril, and some severe falls ; for the
alarm occasioned by this unusual kind of road, made us
hasten our steps over the quicksands, in opposition to the
advice of our guide, and fear quickened our pace ; whereas,
through these difficult passages, as we there learned, the
mode of proceeding should be with moderate speed. But
as the fords of that river experience a change by every
monthly tide, and cannot be found after violent rains and
floods, we did not attempt the ford, but passed the river in
a boat, leaving the monastery of Neth* on our right hand,

1 In continuing their journey from Neath to Swansea, our travellers
directed their course by the sea-coast to the river Avon, which they
forded, and, continuing their road along the sands, were probably
ferried over the river Neath, at a place now known by the name of
Breton Ferry, leaving the monastery of Neath at some distance to the
right : from thence traversing another tract of sands, and crossing the
river Tawe, they arrived at the castle of Swansea, where they passed the
night.

2 The monastery of Neath was situated on the banks of a river bearing
the same name, about a mile to the westward of the town and castle.
It was founded in 1112, by Eichard de Grainville, or Greenefeld, and
Constance, his wife, for the safety of the souls of Eobert, earl of Glou-
cester, Maude, his wife, and William, his son. Eichard de Grainville
was one of the twelve Norman knights who accompanied Eobert Fitz*

cc 2

888 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES

approaching again to the district of St. David's, and leaving
the diocese of Landaf (which we had entered at Aberge-
venny) behind us.

It happened in our days that David II., bishop of St.
David's, passing this way, and finding the ford agitated by a
recent storm, a chaplain cf those parts, named Eotherch
Falcus, being conversant in the proper method of crossing
these rivers, undertook, at the desire of the bishop, the
dangerous task of trying the ford. Having mounted a large
and powerful horse, which had been selected from the whole
train for this purpose, he immediately crossed the ford, and
fled with great rapidity to the neighbouring woods, nor could
he be induced to return until the suspension which he had
lately incurred was removed, and a full promise of security
and indemnity obtained ; the horse was then restored to one
party, and his service to the other.

Hamon, and assisted him in the conquest of Glamorganshire. He re-
ceived, in recompense for his services, the lordship of Neath ; all of
which, as well as the chapel in his castle at Neath, he gave to the abbot
and convent of Savigny, near Lyons, in France, on condition that they
should build and maintain a monastic establishment at Neath. This ab-
bey was at first inhabited by monks of the order of Savigny, or Fratres
Grisei, who became afterwards Cistercians, or Monachi Albi. Notwith-
standing the original donation to Savigny, we do not find that this reli->
gious house was ever subject to any foreign abbey, or accounted as
alien. Although by this curious document we are able to ascertain the
date of the original foundation of the abbey of Neath, yet, on a review
of its ruins, we see no fragments of architecture that mark so early a
period as the year 1112, about which time I conclude it was built. In
the time of Leland this abbey was in a high state of preservation, for,
he says, " Neth abbay of white monkes, a mile above Neth town, stand-
ing in the ripe of Neth, semid to me the fairest abbay of al Wales."- —
Leland, Itin. torn. v. p. 14. The remains of the abbey and of the ad-
joining priory -house are considerable ; but this ancient retirement of:
the grey and white monks is now occupied by the dingy inhabitants of
the neighbouring copper-works. In a field nearly opposite to the ruins
of the abbey lies a well-sculptured effigy of an abbot, holding the model
of a church in his hand, intended probably to perpetuate the memory
of the person who either built or repaired the church. Within the
village of Neth areBome remains of its ancient castle, of which history
has left the following memorial. Its original construction may be attri-
buted to Kichard de Grainville ; it was besieged A.D. 1185 for the second
time, and held out manfully till an army came from England to its re-
lief, put to flight the Welsh who had besieged it, and burned a large
machine which they had erected against it.

THE CASTLE OF SWANSEA. '3S9

Entering the province called Goer,1 we spent the night
•at the castle of Sweynsei,2 which in Welsh is called Aber-
tawe, or the fall of the river Tawe into the sea. The next
morning, the people being assembled after mass, and many
having been induced to take the cross, an aged man of that
district, named Cador, thus addressed the archbishop : " My
lord, if I now enjoyed my former strength, and the vigour
of youth, no alms should ransom me, no desire of inactivity
restrain me, from engaging in the laudable undertaking you
preach ; but since my weak age and the injuries of time de-
prive me of this desirable benefit (for approaching years
bring with them many comforts, which those that are passed
take away), if I cannot, owing to the infirmity of my
body, attain a full merit, yet suffer me, by giving a tenth
of all I possess, to attain a half." Then falling down at the
feet of the archbishop, he deposited in his hands, for the
service of the cross, the tenth of his estate, weeping bit-
terly, and intreating from him the remission of one half of
the enjoined penance. After a short time he returned, and
thus continued : " My lord, if the will directs the action,
and is itself, for the most part, considered as the act, and as
I have a full and firm inclination to undertake this journey,
I request a remission of the remaining part of the pe-

1 Gower, the western district of Glamorganshire, appears to have
been first conquered by Henry de Newburg, earl of Warwick, soon
after Robert, duke of Gloucester, had made the conquest of the
other part of Glamorganshire. This earl is described as " dulcis et
quieti animi vir, et qui congruo suis moribus studio vitam egit et clau-
sit." His son Koger succeeded to his earldom, and is said by Dugdale
(History of Warwickshire, p. 304) to have been the conqueror of Gow-
herland in Wales, which his posterity for a long time afterwards enjoyed.
A contemporary author has described him as "vir mollis, et deliciis
magis quam animi fortitudine affluens."

2 Sweynsei, Swansea, or Abertawe, situated at the confluence of the
river Tawe with the Severn sea, is a town of considerable commerce,
and much frequented during the summer months as a bathing place.
The old castle, now made use of as a prison, is so surrounded by houses
in the middle of the town, that a stranger might visit Swansea without
knowing that such a building existed. The Welsh Chronicle informs
'as, that it was built by Henry de Beaumont, earl of Warwick, and that
in the year 1113 it was attacked by Gruifydd ap Rhys, but without suc-
cess. This castle became afterwards a part of the possessions of tha
§ee of St. David's, and was rebuilt by bishop Gower.

390 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

nance, and in addition to my former gift, I will equal the
Bum from the residue of my tenths." The archbishop, smi-
ling at his devout ingenuity, embraced him with admira-
tion.

On the same night, two monks, who waited in the arch-
bishop's chamber, conversing about the occurrences of their
journey, and the dangers of the road, one of them said
(alluding to the wildness of the country), "This is a hard
province ;" the other (alluding to the quicksands), wittily
replied, " Yet yesterday it was found too soft."

A short time before our days, a circumstance worthy of
note occurred in these parts, which Elidorus, a priest, most
strenuously affirmed had befallen himself. "When a youth
of twelve years, and learning his letters, since, as Solomon
says, " The root of learning is bitter, although the fruit is
sweet," in order to avoid the discipline and frequent stripes
inflicted on him by his preceptor, he ran away, and con-
cealed himself under the hollow bank of a river, After
fasting in that situation for two days, two little men oi
pigmy stature appeared to him, saying, " If you will come
with us, we will lead you into a country full of delights
and sports." Assenting and rising up, he followed his guides
through a path, at first subterraneous and dark, into a most
beautiful country, adorned with rivers and meadows, woods
and plains, but obscure, and not illuminated with the full
light of the sun. All the days were cloudy, and the nights
extremely dark, on account of the absence of the moon and
stars. The boy was brought before the king, and introduced
to him in the presence of the court ; who, having examined
him for a long time, delivered him to his son, who was
then a boy. These men were of the smallest stature, but
very well proportioned in their make; they were all of a
fair complexion, with luxuriant hair falling over their shoul-
ders like that of women. They had horses and greyhounds
adapted to their size. They neither ate flesh nor fish, but
lived on milk diet, made up into messes with saffron. They
never took an oath, for they detested nothing so much as
lies. As often as they returned from our upper hemisphere,
they reprobated our ambition, infidelities, and inconstan-
cies ; they had no form of public worship, being strict
lovers and reverers, as it seemed, of truth.

ELIDORUS AND THE FAIRIES. 391

The boy frequently returned to our hemisphere, some-
times by the way he had first gone, sometimes by another :
at first in company with other persons, and afterwards alone,
and made himself known only to his mother, declaring to
her the manners, nature, and state of that people. Being
desired by her to bring a present of gold, with which that
region abounded, he stole, while at play with the king's son,
the golden ball with which he used to divert himself, and
brought it to his mother in great haste ; and when he reached
the door of his father's house, but not unpursued, and was
entering it in a great hurry, his foot stumbled on the thres-
hold, and falling down into the room where his mother was
sitting, the two pigmies seized the ball which had dropped
from his hand, and departed, shewing the boy every mark of
contempt and derision. On recovering from his fall, con-
founded with shame, and execrating the evil counsel of his
mother, he returned by the usual track to the subterraneous
road, but found no appearance of any passage, though he
searched for it on the banks of the river for nearly the
space of a year. But since those calamities are often alle-
viated by time, which reason cannot mitigate, and length of
time alone blunts the edge of our afflictions, and puts an end
to many evils, the youth having been brought back by his
friends and mother, and restored to his right way of think-
ing, and to his learning, in process of time attained the
rank of priesthood. Whenever David II., bishop of St.
David's, talked to him in his advanced state of life con-
cerning this event, he could never relate the particulars
without shedding tears. He had made himself acquainted
with the language of that nation, the words of which, in his
younger days, he used to recite, which, as the bishop often
had informed me, were very conformable to the Greek
idiom. "When they asked for water, they said Ydor
ydorum, which meant bring water, for Ydor in their
language, as well as in the Greek, signifies water, from
whence vessels for water are called Ityui ; and Dur also; in
the British language, signifies water. When they wanted salt
they said, Halgein ydorum, bring salt : salt is called «X in
Greek, and Halen 'in British, for that language, from the
^ength of time which the Britons (then called Trojans, and

392 THE ITINERARY THROTGH WALES.

afterwards Britons, from Brito, their leader) remained ID
Greece after the destruction of Troy, became, in many in-
stances, similar to the Greek.

It is remarkable that so many languages should cor-
respond in one word, aX in Greek, Halen in British, and
Halgein in the Irish tongue, the g being inserted ; Sal in
Latin, because, as Priscian says, " the s is placed in some
words instead of an aspirate," as aXg in Greek is called Sal
in Latin, spi — semi — \irra, — septem — Sel in French — the a
being changed into e — Salt in English, by the addition of t
to the Latin ; Sout, in the Teutonic language : there are
therefore seven or eight languages agreeing in this one
word. If a scrupulous inquirer should ask my opinion of
the relation here inserted, I answer with Augustine, " that
the divine miracles are to be admired, not discussed." Nor
do I, by denial, place bounds to the divine power, nor, by
assent, insolently extend what cannot be extended. But I
always call to mind the saying of St. Jerome ; " You will
find," says he, " many things incredible and improbable,
which nevertheless are true ; for nature cannot in any res-
pect prevail against the lord of nature." These things,
therefore, and similar contingencies, I should place, accord-
ing to the opinion of Augustine, among those particulars
which are neither to be affirmed, nor too positively denied.

CHAPTER IX.

PASSAGE OVER THE RIVERS LOCH OR AND WENDRAETH ;
AND OF CYDWELI.

THENCE we proceeded towards the river Lochor,1 through
the plains in which Howel, son of Meredyth of Brecheinoc,
after the decease of king Henry I., gained a signal victory
over the English. Having nrst crossed the river Lochor,

1 Lochor, or Llwchwr, was the Leucarum mentioned in the Itinera-
ries, and the fifth Roman station on the Via Julia. This small village
is situated on a tide-river bearing the same name, which divides tho
counties of Glamorgan and Caermarthen, and over which there is a
ferry. "Lochor river partith Kidwelli from West Goweriande.'*- -
Itin. ton,, v. p. 23.

MAUi:iC£ DE LOT^DEES. 303

and afterwards the water called Wendraeth,1 we arrived at
the castle of Cydweli.2 In this district, after the death of king
Henry, whilst Grruftydh son of lihys, then prince of South
Wales, was en gaged in soliciting assistance from North Wales,
his wife Grwenliana (like the queen of the Amazons, and a
second Penthesilea) led an army into these parts; but she was
defeated by Maurice de Loudres, lord of that country, and
Geoffrey, the bishop's constable.3 Morgan, one of her sons,
whom she had arrogantly brought with her in. that expedition,
was slain, and the other, Malgo, taken prisoner; and she, with
many of her followers, was put to death. During the reign
of king Henry I., when Wales enjoyed a state of tranquillity,
the abovementioned Maurice had a forest in that neighbour-
hood, well stocked with wild animals, and especially deer, and
was extremely tenacious of his venison. His wife (for women
are often very expert in deceiving men) made use of this
curious stratagem. Her husband possessed, on the side of
the wood next the sea, some extensive pastures, and large
nocks of sheep. Having made all the shepherds and chief
people in her house accomplices and favourers of her design,
and taking advantage of the simple courtesy of her hus-
band, she thus addressed him: " It is wonderful that being
lord over beasts, you have ceased to exercise dominion over

1 Wendraeth, or Gwen-traith, from gwen, white, and traeth, the sandy
beach of the sea. There are two rivers of this name, Gwendraeth fawr,
and Gwendraeth fychan, the great and the little Gwendraeth, of which
Leland thus speaks : *• Vendraeth Vawr and Vendraith Vehan risith both
in Eskenning commote : the lesse an eight inilys of from Kydwelli ;
the other about a ten, and hath but a little nesche of sand betwixt the
places wher thei go into the se, about a mile beneth the towne of Kid-
wely."

a Cydweli. was probably so called from cyd, a junction, and wyl, a
flow, or gushing out, being situated near the junction of the rivers Gwen-
draeth fawr and fychan ; but Leland gives its name a very singular de-
rivation, and worthy of our credulous and superstitious author Giral-
dus. " Kidwely, otherwise Cathweli, i. e. Catti lectus, quia Cattus olim
solebat ibi lectum in quercu facere : — There is a little towne now but
newly made betwene Vendraith Vawr and Vendraith Vehan. Vendraith
Vawr is half a mile of." — Leland, I tin. torn. v. p. 22.

3 The scene of the battle fought between Gwenllian and Maurice de
Londres is to this day called Maes Gwenllian, the plain or -field ol
G-wenllian ; and there is a tower in the castle of Cydweli still called
Tyr Gwenllian.

394 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

them ; and by not making use of your deer, do not now
rule over them, but are subservient to them ; and behold
how great an abuse arises from too much patience ; for they
attack our sheep with such an unheard-of rage, and unusual
voracity, that from many they are become few ; from being
innumerable, only numerous." To make her story more
probable, she caused some wool to be inserted between the
intestines of two stags which had been embowelled ; and
her husband, thus artfully deceived, sacrificed his deer to the
rapacity of his dogs.

CHAPTEE X.

IYWY RITER — CAERMARDYN — MONASTERY OF ALBELANDE.

HAVING crossed the river Tywy in a boat,1 we proceeded
towards Caermardyn, leaving Lanstephan and Talachar2 on
the sea-coast to our left. After the death of king Henry
II.,Bhys, the son of Gruffydh, took these two castles by
assault ; then, having laid waste, by fire and sword, the pro-
vinces of Penbroch and Eos, he besieged Caermardyn, but
failed in his attempt. Caermardyn3 signifies the city of

1 Our crusaders here deviated from the modern post-road between
Cydweli and Caermarthen, by crossing the river Tywy, and leaving the
castle of Llanstephan on their left. This fortress is boldly situated on a
well-wooded promontory, guarding the western entrance of the river,
and its ruins are still very considerable. In 1145, it was taken by Ca-
delh, the son of Gruffyd ap Rhys, though the Normans and Flemings
came to its relief; in 1189 it yielded to the forces of prince Rhys.

2 The castle of Talachar is now better known by the name of Llaug-
harne ; it protected the western entrance of the river Tave, which ia
fordable at low water, and is distant from Llanstephan about three or
four miles. The situation of these two castles is widely different.
Llanstephan, proudly seated on a high rock, commands on one side an
enchanting view towards Caermarthen, and towards Tenby on the other.
Llaugharne is placed in so low a situation, that its walls are washed by
the tide. This line of coast in Caermarthen shire and Glamorganshire
is singularlyintersected by tide rivers — the Tave at Llaugharne, the Tywy
at Llanstephan, the two Gwendraeths at Cydweli, the Lochor andTawy
at Swansea, and the Nedd at Neath.

3 Much has been said and written by ancient authors respecting
the derivation of the name of this city, which is generally allowed
to be the Muridunum, or Maridunum, mentioned in the Roman itine-
raries. Some derive it from Caer and Merdhyn, that is, the city of
the prophet Merdhyn ; and others from Mur and Murdhyn, which in
the British language signify a wall. There can, however, be little

CAEllHARTHEN. 395

Merlin, because, according to the British History, he was
there said to have been begotten of an incubus.

This ancient city is situated on the banks of the noble
rUer Tyvvy, surrounded by woods and pastures, and was
strongly inclosed with wall's of brick, part of which are still
standing ; having Cantref Mawr, the great cantred, or hun-
dred, on the eastern side, a safe refuge, in times of danger,
to the inhabitants of South Wales, on account of its thick
woods ; where is also the castle of Dinevor,1 built on a
lofty summit above the Ty wy, the royal seat of the princes
of South Wales. In ancient times, there were three regal
palaces in Wales : Dinevor in South Wales, Aberfrau in
North Wales, situated in Anglesea, and Pengwern in
Powys, now called Shrewsbury (Slopesburia) ; Pengwern
signifies the head of a grove of alders. Recalling to mind
those poetical passages :

" Dolus an virtus quis in hoste requirat ?"
and

" Et si non recte possis quocunque modo rem,"

my pen shrinks with abhorrence from the relation of the
enormous vengeance exercised by the court against its vas-

doubt that it is derived simply from the Roman name Muridunum.
When we consider the many and repeated reverses of fortune which
Caennardyn experienced, we cannot be disappointed in finding so few-
vestiges of its ancient castle. Caermarthen is beautifully situated on
the banks of the navigable river Tywy. The county gaol occupies the
site of the old castle, a few fragments of which are seen intermixed
with the houses of the town.

1 Dinevor, the great castle, from dinas, a castle, and vawr, great, was
in ancient times a royal residence of the princes of South "Wales. In
the year 876, Roderic the Great, having divided the principalities of
North and South Wales, and Powys land, amongst his three sons, built
for each of them a palace The sovereignty of South Wales, with the
castle of Dinevor, fell to the lot of Cadelh. This principality, with its
fifteen cantreds, extended from the mouth of the river Dovy, in Cardi-
ganshire, to the mouth of the Severn. In the year 1144, we find it in
the possession of Gilbert earl of Clare, besieged, and surrendered to
Cadelh. son of Gruffydh ap Rhys, prince of South Wales: in 1191, it
was delivered up on the first assault to Rhys, prince of South Wales,
who, in 1194, was taken prisoner by his own sons. The ruins of this
ancient castle still crown the summit of a high hill, majestically clothed
with wood, and form a principal feature in the beautiful grounds at
Newton To view this fine object in the most favourable point of view,
it is advisable to go into the meadows on the other side of the Tywy
where the hill, castle, and river, form a most enchanting landscape.

396 THE IT...NEBABY THEOUOH WALES.

sals, within the comot of Caeo, in the Cantref Mawr.
Dinevor, on the other side of the river Tywy, in the Can-
tref Bychan, or the little cantred, there is a spring which,
like the tide, ebbs and flows twice in twenty-tour hours.1
Not far to the north of Caermardyn, namely at Pencadair,2
that is, the head of the chair, when Rhys, the s >n of Gruf-
fydh, was more by stratagem than force compelled to sur-
render, and was carried away into England, king Henry II.
despatched a knight, born in Britany, on whose wisdom
and fidelity he could rely, under the conduct of Guaidanus,
dean of Cantref Mawr, to explore the situation of Dinevor
castle, arid the strength of the country. The priest, being
desired to take the knight by the easiest and best road to the
castle, led him purposely aside by the most difficult and in-
accessible paths, and wherever they passed through woods,,
the priest, to the general surprise of all present, ,fed upon
grass, asserting that, in times of need, the inhabitants of
that country were accustomed to live upon herbs and roots.
The knight returning to the king, and relating what had
happened, affirmed that the country was uninhabitable, vile,
and inaccessible, and only affording food to a beastly nation,
living like brutes. At length the king released Rhys, having
first bound him to fealty by solemn oaths and the delivery
of hostages.

On our journey from Caermardyn towards the Cistercian
monastery called Alba Domus,3 the archbishop was informed

1 There is a spring very near the north side of Dinevor park wall,
which bears the name of Nant-y-rhibo, or the bewitched brook, which
may, perhaps, be the one here alluded to by Giraldus.

2 Pencadair. It is here necessary to correct a topographical error
made by the old annotator on Giraldus, Dr. Powel, respecting this
place. He says, in 1163, "Then the king gathered a great power
against South Wales, and came himselfe as iarre as Peneadayr, beside
Brecknock, where Kees came to him, and did him homage, and gave
him pledges, and then the king went to Ireland againe." — Powel, p. 20.
But the real place of their meeting was at the Pencadair here alluded
to, a small village situated to the north of Caermarthen, and at a short
distance on the left of the road leading from that place to Llanbedr in
Cardiganshire. On referring to the original text in the Myvyrian Ar-
chaeology, I find it mentions Pencadair in South Wales only, not near
Brecknock.

, 3 Alba Domus was called in Welsh Ty Gwyn ar Dav, or the White
House on the river Tav. In the liistory of the primitive British

MONASTEKY OP ALBELAKDE. 397

of the murder of a young Welshman, who was devout, y has-
tening to meet him ; when turning out of the road, he or*
dered the corpse to be covered with the cloak of his almoner,
and with a pious supplication commended the soul of the
murdered youth to heaven. Twelve archers of the adjacent
castle of St. Clare,1 who had assassinated the young man,
church, Ty Gwyn, or white house, is used in a sense equivalent to a
chapter-house. The White House College, or Bangor y Ty Gwyn, is
pretended to have been founded about 480, by Paul Hen, or Paulinus,
a saint of the congregation of Illtyd. From this origin, the celebrated
Cistercian monastery is said to have derived its establishment Powel,
in his chronicle, says, " For the first abbey or frier house that we read
of in Wales, sith the destruction of the noble house of Bangor, which
savoured not of Kdmish dregges, was the Tuy Gwyn, built the yeare
1146, and after they swarmed like bees through all the countrie."
(Powel, p. 254.) Authors differ with, respect to the founder of this
abbey ; some have attributed it to Rhys ap Theodor, prince of South
Wales ; and others to Bernard, bishop of Saint David's, who died
about the year 1148. I am inclined to think it owed its foundation to
the latter personage, as the date of his episcopacy concurs with Powel's
account, and is corroborated by the following passage in Wharton's An-
glia Sacra .• " Anno 1143 ducti sunt monachi ordinis Cisterciensis qui
ruodo sunt apud Albam Landam, in West Walliam, per Bernardum
episcopum." Leland, in his Collectanea, says, " Whitland, abbat. Cis-
tert., Rhesus filius Theodori princeps Suth Wallise primus furidator ;"
and in his Itinerary, mentions it as a convent of Bernardynes, "which
yet stondeth." About the year 117], king Henry was entertained by
prince Rhys, at the White House, when on his journey to Ireland ; upon
which occasion the king restored to him his son Howel, who had been
detained for a considerable time as a hostage. (Powel, p. 231.) The
ruins of this abbey are situated about five miles from Saint Clare's, on
the right hand of the road leading from thence to Narbertb. A few
fragments of rude walls, and the traces of some foundations, point out
its ancient site. It stood in a sequestered valley, sheltered from the
north and east winds by a magnificent range of hanging wood, extend-
ing along the declivities of the hill for more than a mile : it was called
the White House on the Taf, though that river runs to the westward of
this vale. This valley, once the peaceful abode of the meek and recluse
Cistercian, where

" Remote from man, with God he passed his days,

Prayer all his pleasure, all his profit praise,"

now re-echoes with the hammering sounds of two iron forges. Oh,
Alba Domus ! how changed in colour, how changed in thy inhabitants !
2 Saint Clare is a long, straggling village, at the junction of the river
Cathgenny with the Tave. Immediately on the banks of the former,
and not far from its junction with the latter, stood the castle, of which
not one stone is left ; I ut the artificial tumulus on which the citadel
was placed, arid other broken ground, mark its ancient sie.

THE ITINEEAEY THROUGH WALES.

were oil the following day signed with the cross at Alba
Domus, as a punishment for their crime. Having traversed
three rivers, the Tat', then the Cledheu, under Lanwadein,1
and afterwards another branch of the same river, we at
length arrived at Haverford. This province, from its situa-
tion between two rivers, has acquired the name of Dau-
gledheu,2 being enclosed and terminated, as it were, by two
swords, for cledhue, in the British language, signifies a sword.

CHAPTER XI.

OF HAYERFOKD AND EOS.

A SEEMON having been delivered at Haverford3 by the
archbishop, and the word of Glod preached to the people by

1 Lanwadein, now called Lawhaden, is a small village about four
miles from Narberth, on the banks of the river Cledheu. On the sum-
mit of a high hill covered with wood, there are considerable remains of
a castle, belonging to the see of Saint David's. In those days of tur-
bulence and oppression, when the principalities of North and South
Wales were continually ravaged and harassed by the hostile incursions
of the Welsh, Normans, and Flemings, and when even the most hal-
lowed sanctuaries and churches were unrespected by the invaders, the
bishops in Wales thought it necessary to fortify their palaces against
the attacks of the enemy. I have already had occasion to mention one
castellated mansion at Landeu, near Brecknock, belonging to this see ;
there is a second at Lawhaden, and a third at Llantphey, near Pembroke.

2 Daugledheu, so called from Dau, two, and Cled, or Cleddau, a
sword. The rivers Cledheu have their source in the Prescelly moun-
tain, unite their streams below Haverfordwest, and run into Milford
Haven, which in Welsh is called Aberdaugleddau, or the confluence of
the two rivers Cledheu. Leland thus mentions this river : " Dueglevi
lordship is conteynid betwixt the 2 rivers of Glevi. In this lordship
or grounde be few or none notable buildinges : ther is a little rille be-
twixt the 2 Gleves caullid Kollell, i. e. cultellus." And again, alluding
to the latter rivulet, he says, " betwyxt the 2 Gleves by Harfordwest ia

a little ryveret caullid in Walsh, , in Englisch, Knife. One being

requirid wher he lay al night, answered 'that he lay, having a sword on
eche side of hym, and a knife at his hart, alluding to the 3 ryvers in
the middle of whom he lay al night.' "—Leland, Itin. torn. v. p. 27, 28.
The annotator, Dr. Powel, in his notes on this chapter, confounds Hul-
phord, or Haverford, with Aberdaugledheu, or Milford Haven.

8 Haverford, now called Haverfordwest, is a considerable town on
the mer Cledheu, with an ancient castle, three churches, and some mo-
nabti : remains. «' Havevfordwest lordship, which is in Roselande, hath

THE FLEMINGS IN WALES. 399

tne archdeacon,1 whose name appears on the title-page of
this work, many soldiers and plebeians were induced to
take the cross. It appeared wonderful and miraculous,
that, although the archdeacon addressed them both in the
Latin and French tongues, those persons who understood
neither of those languages were equally affected, and flocked
in great numbers to the cross.

An old woman of those parts, who for three preceding
years had been blind, having heard of the archbishop's
arrival, sent her son to the place where the sermon was to
be preached, that he might bring back to her some particle,
if only of the fringe of his garment. The young man being
prevented by the crowd from approaching the archbishop,
waited till the assembly was dispersed, and then carried a
piece of the earth on which the preacher had stood. The
mother received the gift with great joy, and falling imme-
diately on her knees, applied the turf to her mouth and
eyes ; and thus, through the merits of the holy man, and
her own faith and devotion, recovered the blessing of sight>
which she had entirely lost.

The inhabitants of this province derived their origin from
Flanders, and were sent by king Henry I. to inhabit these
districts ; a people brave and robust, ever most hostile to the
"Welsh ; a people, I say, well versed in commerce and
woollen manufactories ; a people anxious to seek gain by
sea or land, in defiance of fatigue and danger ; a hardy race,
equally fitted for the plough or the sword ; a people brave
and happy, if "Wales (as it ought to have been) had been
dear to its sovereign, and had not so frequently experienced
the vindictive resentment and ill-treatment of its governors.

A circumstance happened in the castle of Haverford
during our time, which ought not to be omitted. A famous
robber was fettered and confined in one of its towers, and

the waullid town of Haverford and eastel : the water of Mylford Haven
devidith the lordship from Penbrooke." — Leland, It in. torn. v. p. 26.
The old castle (now used as the county gaol), from its size and
commanding situation, adds greatly to the picturesque appearance ot
this town.

1 By the title of archidiaeonus Menevensis, which Giraldus here
applies to himself, the reader might suppose him to have been arch-
deacon of St. Darid's, whereas he was only archdeacon of Brecon, ia
that diocese.

$00 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

was often visited by three boys, the son of the earl of Clare;
and two others, one of whom was son of the lord of the
rcastle, and the other his grandson, sent thither for their
education, and who applied to him for arrows, with which
he used to supply them. One day, at the request of the
children, the robber, being brought from his dungeon,
took advantage of the absence of the gaoler, closed the
door, and shut himself up with the boys. A great clamour
.instantly arose, as well from the boys within, as from the
.people without ; nor did he cease, with an uplifted axe, to
threaten the lives of the children, until indemnity and secu-
rity were assured to him in the most ample manner. A
similar accident happened at Chateau-roux in France. The
lord of that place maintained in the castle a man whose
eyes he had formerly put out. but who, by long habit, recol-
lected the ways of the castle, and the steps leading to the
towers. Seizing an opportunity of revenge, and meditating
the destruction of the youth, he fastened the inward doors
of the castle, and took the only son and heir of the governor
of the castle to the summit of a high tower, from whence
he was seen with the utmost concern by the people beneath.
The father of the boy hastened thither, and, struck with
terror, attempted by every possible means to procure the
ransom of his son, but received for answer, that this could
not be effected, but by the same mutilation of those lower
parts, which he had likewise inflicted on him. The father,
having in vain entreated mercy, at length assented, and
caused a violent blow to be struck on his body ; and the
people around him cried out lamentably, as if he had suf-
fered mutilation. The blind man asked him where he felt
the greatest pain ? when he replied in his reins, he declared
it was false, and prepared to precipitate the boy. A secon4
blow was given, and the lord of the castle asserting that the
greatest pains were at his heart, the blind man expressing
Iris disbelief, again carried the boy to the summit of th£
tower. The third time, however, the father, to save his
son, really mutilated himself; and when he exclaimed that
the greatest pain was in his teeth ; " It is true," said hej
" as a man who has had experience should be believed, and
thou hast in part revenged my injuries. I shall meet death
with more satisfaction, and thou shalt neither beget any

THE MONASTERY OF DE DOLOEIBUS. 401

other son, nor receive comfort from this." Then, precipi-
tating himself and the boy from the summit of the tower,
their limbs were broken, and both instantly expired. The
knight ordered a monastery to be built on the spot for the
soul of the boy, which is still extant, and called De Doloribus.
It appears remarkable to me that the entire inheritance
should devolve on Richard, son of Tankard,1 governor of
the aforesaid castle of Haverford, being the youngest son,
and having many brothers of distinguished character who
died before him. In like manner the dominion of South
"Wales descended to Rhys son of Gruffydh, owing to the
death of several of his brothers. During the childhood of
Richard, a holy man, named Oaradoc, led a pious and re-
cluse life at St. Ismael, in the province of Ros,2 to whom
the boy was often sent by his parents with provisions, and
he so ingratiated himself in the eyes of the good man, that he
very often promised him, together with his blessing, the

1 In the life of Caradoc we find this same person mentioned (and
whom I imagine to hare been of Flemish extraction) as having been
very troublesome to the saint ; and he is reported to have lost his life
by falling down a precipice into the sea, whilst eager in the pursuit of
a stag.

2 The province of Eos, in which the town of Haverfordwest is
situated, was peopled by a colony of Flemings during the reign of king
Henry I., of which the historian Hollinshed gives the following memo-
rial : — " A.D. 1107, about this season, a great part of Flanders being
drowned by an enundation or breaking in of the sea, a great number of
Flemings came into England, beseeching the king to hare some void
place assigned them, wherein they might inhabit. At the first, they
were appointed to the countrie lieng on the east part of the river of
Tweed, but within foure yeres after, they were removed into a corner
by the sea-side in Wales, called Penbroke&hire, to the end they might
be a defense there to the English against the unquiet Welshmen. It
should appeare, by some writers, that this multitude of Flemings con-
sisted not of such onelie as came over about that time by reason their
countrie was overflowne with the sea (as ye have heard), but of other
also that arrived here long before, even in the daies of William the
Conquerour, through the freendship of the queene their countri««-
woman, sithens which time their numbers so increased, thtit the realme
of England was sore pestered with them 'r whereupon king Henrie die-
vised to place them in Penbroieshirev as well as to avoid them oia>t of
the other parts of England, as afeo by their helpe to tame the bold and
presumptuous fiercenesse of the Welshmen, which thing in those
parties they brought verie well to passe ;. for after they were settled1
there, they valiantlie resisted their enimies, and made verie iharpe
warres upon them, sometimes with g,ain% and sometime* with losae."

D D

402 THE ITINEBAET THROUGH WALES.

portion of all his brothers, and the paternal inheritance.
It happened that Bichard, being overtaken by a violent
storm of rain, turned aside to the hermit's cell ; and being
unable to get his hounds near him, either by calling, coaxing,
or by offering them food, the holy man smiled ; and making
a gentle motion with his hand, brought them all to him
immediately. In process of time, when Caradoc' had
happily completed the course of his existence, Tankard,
father of Richard, violently detained his body, which by his
last will he had bequeathed to the church of St. David ;
but being suddenly seized with a severe illness, he revoked
his command. When this had happened to him a second
and a third time, and the corpse at last was suffered to be
conveyed away, and was proceeding over the sands of Ni-
wegai towards St. David's, a prodigious fall of rain inun-
dated the whole country ; but the conductors of the sacred
burthen, on coming forth from their shelter, found the
silken pall, with which the bier was covered, dry and unin-
jured by the storm ; and thus the miraculous body of
Caradoc was brought into the church of St. Andrew and
St. David, and with due solemnity deposited in the left
aisle, near the altar of the holy proto-martyr Stephen.
It is worthy of remark, that these people (the Flemings),

1 St. Caradoc was born of a good family in Brecknockshire, and
after a liberal education at home, attached himself to the court of Rhys
prince of South Wales, whom he served a long time with diligence and
fidelity. He was much esteemed and beloved by him, till having un-
fortunately lost two favourite greyhounds, which had been committed
to his care, that prince, in a fury, threatened his life ; upon which Ca-
radoc determined to change masters, and made a vow on the spot to
consecrate the remainder of his days to God, by a single and religious life.
He went to Llandaff, received from its bishop the clerical tonsure and
habit, and retired to the deserted church of St. Kined, and afterwards
to a still more solitary abode in the Isle of Ary, from whence he was
taken prisoner by some Norwegian pirates, but soon released. His
last place of residence was at St. Ismael, in the province of Eos, where
he died in 112i, and was buried with great honour in the cathedral
of St. David's. We must not confound this retreat of Caradoc with
the village of St. Ismael on the borders of Milford Haven. His her-
mitage was situated in the parish of Haroldstone, near the town of
Haverfordwest, whose church has St. Ismael for its patron, and pro-
bably near a place called Poorfield, the common on which Haverford-
west races are held, as there is a well there called Caradoc' s Well,
round which, till within these few years, there was a sort of vanity fair,,
where cakes were sold, and country games celebrated.

SUPERSTITION OF THE FLEMINGS. 403

from the inspection of the right shoulders of rams, which
have been stripped of their flesh, and not roasted, but
boiled, can discover future events, or those which have
passed and remained long unknown.1 They know, also,
what is transpiring at a distant place, by a wonderful art,
and a prophetic kind of spirit. They declare, also, by means of
signs, the undoubted symptoms of approaching peace and
war, murders and fires, domestic adulteries, the state of
the king, his life and death. It happened in our time, that
a man of those parts, whose name was William Mangunel,
a person of high rank, and excelling all others in the afore-
said art, had a wife big with child by her own husband's
grandson. Well aware of the fact, he ordered a ram from
his own flock to be sent to his wife, as a present from her
neighbour, which was carried to the cook, and dressed. At
dinner, the husband purposely gave the shoulder-bone of
the ram, properly cleaned, to his wife, who was also well
skilled in this art, for her examination ; when, having for a
short time examined the secret marks, she smiled, and
threw the oracle down on the table. Her husband, dis-
sembling, earnestly demanded the cause of her smiling, and1
the explanation of the matter. Overcome by his entreaties,
she answered : " The man to whose fold this ram belongs,
has an adulterous wife, at this time pregnant by the com-
mission of incest with his own grandson." The husband,
with a sorrowful and dejected countenance, replied : " You
deliver, indeed, an oracle supported by too much truth,
which I have so- much more reason to lament, as the igno-
miny you have published redounds to my own injury."
The woman, thus detected, and unable to dissemble her
confusion, betrayed the inward feelings of her mind by ex-
ternal signs; shame and sorrow urging her by turns, and
manifesting themselves, now by blushes, now by pale-
ness, and lastly (according to the custom of women), by
tears-. The shoulder of a goat was also once brought to a
certain person, instead of a ram's— both being alike, when

i This curious superstition is still preserved, in a debased form,
among the descendants of the Flemish population of this district,
where the young women practise a sort of divination with the blade-
bone of a shoulder of mutton to discover who will be their sweetheart.
It is still more curious that William de Rubruquis, in the thirteenth
century, found the same superstition existing among the Tartars,.

404 THE ITItfEBAItt THEOUGH WALES.

cleaned; who, observing for a short time the lines and
marks, exclaimed, " Unhappy cattle, that never was multi-
plied ! unhappy, likewise, the owner of the cattle, who never
had more than three or four in one flock !" Many persons,
a year an da half before the event, foresaw, by the means of
shoulder-bones, the destruction of their country, after the
decease of king Henry I., and, selling all their possessions,
left their homes, and escaped the impending ruin.

It happened also in Manders, from whence this people
came, that a certain man sent a similar bone to a neighbour
for his inspection ; and the person who carried it, on passing
over a ditch, broke wind, and wished it in the nostrils of
the man on whose account he was thus troubled. The per-
son to whom the bone was taken, on examination, said,
" May you have in your own nose, that which you wished
to be in mine." In our time, a soothsayer, on the inspec-
tion of a bone, discovered not only a theft, and the manner of
it, but the thief himself, and all the attendant circumstances ;
he heard also the striking of a bell, and the sound of a
trumpet, as if those things which were past were still per-
forming. It is wonderful, therefore, that these bones, like
all unlawful conjurations, should represent, by a counterfeit
similitude to the eyes and ears, things which are passed, as
well as those which are now going on.

CHAPTEE XII.

OF PENBBOCH.

THE province of Penbroch adjoins the southern part of the
territory of Ros, and is separated from it by an arm of the
sea. Its principal city, and the metropolis of Demetia, is
situated on an oblong rocky eminence, extending with two
branches from Milford Haven, from whence it derived the
name of Penbroch, which signifies the head of the sestuary.
Arnulph de Montgomery,1 in the reign of king Henry I.,
erected here a slender fortress with stakes and turf, which,
on returning to England, he consigned to the care of Giral-

1 Arnulph, younger son of Koger de Mountgomeiy, did his homage
for Dyvet, and is said, by our author, to have first erected a slender for-
tress with stakes and turf at Pembroke, in the reign of king Henry I.t
which, however, appears to have been so strong, as to have resisted the
hostile attack of Cadogan ap Blethyn in 1092, and of several lords of
North Wales, in 1094.

SIEGE OF PEMBEOKE. 405

chis de Windesor,1 his constable and lieutenant-general, a
worthy and discreet man. Immediately on the death of
Rhys son of Theodor, who a short time before had been
slain by the treachery of his own troops at Brecheinoc,
leaving his son, Gruffydh, a child, the inhabitants of South
"Wales besieged the castle. One night, when fifteen soldiers
had deserted, and endeavoured to escape from the castle in
a small boat, on the following morning Giraldus invested
their armour bearers with the arms and estates of their
masters, and decorated them with the military order. The
garrison being, from the length of the siege, reduced to the
utmost want of provisions, the constable, with great pru-
dence and flattering hopes of success, caused four hogs,
which yet remained, to be cut into small pieces and thrown
down to the enemy from the fortifications. The next day, hav-
ing again recourse to a more refined stratagem, he contrived
that a letter, sealed with his own signet, should be found
before the house of Wilfred,2 bishop of St. David's, who
was then by chance in that neighbourhood, as if accidentally
dropped, stating that there would be no necessity of solicit-
ing the assistance of earl Arnulph for the next four months
to come. The contents of these letters being made known
to the army, the troops abandoned the siege of the castle,
and retired to their own homes. Giraldus, in order to make
himself and his dependents more secure, married Nest, the
sister of Gruffydh, prince of South Wales, by whom he had

1 Walter Fitz-Other, at the time of the general survey of Eng-
land by William the Conqueror, was castellan of Windsor, warden
of the forests in Berkshire, and possessed several lordships in the
counties of Middlesex, Hampshire, and Buckinghamshire, which
dominus Otherus is said to have held in the time of Edward
the Confessor. William, the eldest son of Walter, took the sur-
name of Windsor from his father's office, and was ancestor to the
lords Windsor, who haye since been created earls of Plymouth : and
from Gerald, brother of William, the Geralds, Fitz-geralds, and many
other families are lineally descended. The Gerald here mentioned by
Giraldus is sometimes surnamed De Windsor, and also Fitz- Walter, i. e
the son of Walter ; having slain Owen, son of Cadogan ap Blethyn,
chief lord of Cardiganshire, he was made president of the rounty ot
Pembroke. See the pedigree prefixed to the Vaticinal History.

2 Wilfred is mentioned by Browne Willis in his list of bishops of St.
David's, as the forty-seventh, under the title of Wilfride, or Griifin : be
died about the vear 1116.

406 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

an illustrious progeny of both sexes ; and by whose mean§
both the maritime parts of South Wales were retained by
the English, and the walls of Ireland afterwards stormed,
as our Yaticinal History declares.

In our time, a person residing at the castle of Penbroch,1
found a brood of young weasels concealed within a fleece in
his dwelling house, which he carefully removed and hid.
The mother, irritated at the loss of her young, which she had
searched for in vain, went to a vessel of milk that had been
set aside for the use of the master's son, and raising herself
up, polluted it with her deadly poison ; thus revenging, as it
were, the loss of her young, by the destruction of the child.
The man, observing what passed, carried the fleece back to
its former place; when the weasel, agitated by maternal
solicit ude, between hope and fear, on finding again her
young, began to testify her joy by her cries and actions, and
returning quickly to the vessel, overthrew it ; thus, in grati-
tude for the recovery of her own offspring, saving that of
her host from danger. In another place, an animal of the
same species had brought out her young into a plain for the
enjoyment of the sun and air ; when an insidious kite car-
ried off one of them. Concealing herself with the remainder
behind some shrubs, grief suggested to her a stratagem of
exquisite revenge ; she extended herself on a heap of earth,
as if dead, within sight of the plunderer, and (as success
always increases avidity) the bird immediately seized her
and flew away, but soon fell down dead by the bite of the
poisonous animal.

The castle called Maenor Pyrr,2 that is, the mansion of

1 The present castle of Pembroke differs widely from the slender
fortress here described by our author as being first erected by
Arnulph de Mountgomery ; it is spacious, well built, and strongly sit-
uated on a rock overhanging a branch of Milford Haven. It still pre-
serves much of its Norman character ; the lofty round tower, with an
arched roof of stone, is a most grand and conspicuous object, reai'ing
its majestic summit high above every other part of the castle, which
appears to have had three stories besides the ground floor. The walls
are nearly fourteen feet thick, and the tower is in height about sixty.
A natural cavern, called the Wogan, which penetrates for a considerable
way under the castle, and opens to the river, merits the traveller's at-
tention.

2 Maenor Pyrr, now known by the name of Manorbeer, is a small

DESCRIPTION OP MANORBEEE. 407

Pyrrus, who also possessed the island of Chaldey, which the
Welsh call. Inys Pyrr, or the island of Pyrrus, is distant
about three miles from Penbroch. It is excellently well
defended by turrets and bulwarks, and is situated on the
Bummit of a hill extending on the western side towards the
Bea-port, having on the northern and southern sides a fine
fish-pond under its walls, as conspicuous for its grand ap-
pearance, as for the depth of its waters, and a beautiful
orchard on the same side, inclosed on one part by a vineyard,
and on the other by a wood, remarkable for the projection
of its rocks, and the height of its hazel trees. On the right
hand of the promontory, between the castle and the church,
near the site of a very large lake and mill, a rivulet of never-
failing water flows through a valley, rendered sandy by the
violence of the winds. Towards the west, the Severn sea,
bending its course to Ireland, enters a hollow bay at some
distance from the castle ; and the southern rocks, if extended
a little further towards the north, would render it a most
excellent harbour for shipping. Prom this point of sight,
you will see almost all the ships from Great Britain, which
the east wind drives upon the Irish coast, daringly brave the
inconstant waves and raging sea. This country is well sup-
plied with corn, sea-fish, and imported wines ; and what is
Preferable to every other advantage, from its vicinity to Ire-
ind, it is tempered by a salubrious air. Demetia, therefore,
with its seven cantreds, is the most beautiful, as well as the
most powerful district of Wales ; Penbroch, the finest part

village on the sea coast, between Ten by and Pembroke, with the re-
maining shell of a large castle. Our author has given a far-fetched ety-
mology to this castle and the adjoining island, in calling them the man-
sion and island of Pyrrhus : a much more natural and congenial con-
jecture may be made in supposing Maerior Pyrr to be derived from
Maenor, a Manor, and Pyrr the plural of Por, a lord ; i. e. the Manor
of the lords, and, consequently, Inys Pyrr, the Island of the lords. As
no mention whatever is made of this castle in the Welsh Chronicle. I
am inclined to think it was only a castellated mansion, and therefore
considered of no military importance in those days of continued war-
fare throughout Wales. It is one of the most interesting spots in our
author's Itinerary, for it was the property of the Barri family, and the
birth-place of Giraldus ; in the parish church, the sepulchral effigy of
a near relation, perhaps a brother, is still extant, in good preservation.
Our author has evidently made a digression in order to describe thii
place.

408 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

of the province of Demetia ; and the place I have just de-
scribed, the most delightful part of Penbroch. It is evident,
therefore, that Maenor Pirr is the pleasantest spot in Wales ;
and the author may be pardoned for having thus extolled hia
native soil, his genial territory, with a profusion of praise
and admiration.

In this part of Penbroch, unclean spirits have conversed,
not visibly, but sensibly, with mankind ; first in the house
of Stephen Wiriet,1 and afterwards in the house of William
Not ;2 manifesting their presence by throwing dirt at them,
and more with a view of mockery than of injury. In the house
of William, they cut holes in the linen and woollen gar-
ments, much to the loss of the owner of the house and hia
guests ; nor could any precaution, or even bolts, secure
them from these inconveniences. In the house of Stephen,
the spirit in a more extraordinary manner conversed with
men, and, in reply to their taunts, upbraided them openly
with every thing they had done from their birth, and which
they were not willing should be known or heard by others.
I do not presume to assign the cause of this event, except
that it is said to be the presage of a sudden change from
poverty to riches, or rather from affluence to poverty and
distress ; as it was found to be the case in both these in-
stances. And it appears to me very extraordinary that these
places could not be purified from such illusions, either by
the sprinkling of holy water, or the assistance of any other
religious ceremony ; for the priests themselves, though pro-
tected by the crucifix, or the holy water, on devoutly enter-
ing the house, were equally subject to the same insults.
From whence it appears that things pertaining to the sacra-
ments, as well as the sacraments themselves, defend us from
hurtful, but not from harmless things ; from annoyances, but
not from illusions. It is worthy of note, that in our time, a
woman in Poitou was possessed by a demon, who, through
her mouth, artfully and acutely disputed with the learned.

1 The house of Stepnen Wiriet was, I presume, Orielton. There is
a monument in the church of St. Nicholas, at Pembroke, to the memory
of John, son and heir of Sir Hugh Owen, of Boden, in Anglesea,
knight, and Elizabeth, daughter and heir of George Wiriet, of Oriel-
ton, A.D. 1612.

u The family name of Not, or Nott, still exists in Pembrokeshire.

SUPERSTITIOUS ANECDOTES. 400

He sometimes upbraided people with their secret actions,
and those things which they wished not to hear ; but when
either the books of the gospel, or the relics of saints, were
placed upon the mouth of the possessed, he fled to the
lower part of her throat ; and when they were removed
thither, he descended into her belly. His appearance was in-
dicated by certain inflations and convulsions of the parts
which he possessed, and when the relics were again placed
in the lower parts, he directly returned to the upper. At
length, when they brought the body of Christ, and gave it
to the patient, the demon answered, " Ye fools, you are
doing nothing, for what you give her is not the food of the
body, but of the soul; and my power is confined to the
body, not to the soul." But when those persons whom he
had upbraided with their more serious actions, had confessed,
and returned from penance, he reproached them no more.
" I have known, indeed," says he, " I have known, but now
I know not, (he spake this as it were a reproach to others),
and I hold my tongue, for what I know, I know not." Prom
which it appears, that after confession and penance, the
demons either do not know the sins of men, or do not know
them to their injury and disgrace ; because, as Augustine
aays, " If man conceals, God discovers ; if man discovers,
God conceals."

Some people are surprised that lightning often strikes our
places of worship, and damages the crosses and images of
him who was crucified, before the eyes of one who seeth all
things, and permits these circumstances to happen ; to whom
I shall only answer with Ovid,

" Summa petit livor, perflant altissima venti,

Summa petunt dextra fulmina missa Jovis."

On the same subject, Peter Abelard, in the presence of
Philip king of Prance, is said to have answered a Jew, who
urged these and similar things against the faith. "It is
true that the lightning descending from on high, directs it-
self most commonly to the highest object on earth, and to
those most resembling its own nature ; it never, therefore,
injures your synagogues, because no man ever saw or heard
of its failing upon a privy." An event worthy of note,
happened in our time in France. During a contention bo-

410 THE ITINEBABY THROUGH WALES.

tween some monks of the Cistercian order, and a certaia
knight, about the limits of their fields and lands, a violent
tempest, in one night, utterly destroyed and ruined the cul-
tivated grounds of the monks, while the adjoining territory
of the knight remained undamaged. On which occasion he
insolently inveighed against the fraternity, and publicly as-
serted that divine vengeance had thus punished them for
unlawfully keeping possession of his land; to which the
abbot wittily replied, " It is by no means so ; but that the
•knight had more friends in that riding than the monastery ;"
and he clearly demonstrated that, on the other hand, the
.monks had more enemies in it.

In the province of Peubroch, another instance occurred,
about the same time, of a spirit's appearing in the house of
Elidore de Stakepole,1 not only sensibly, but visibly, under
the form of a red-haired young man, who called himself
Simon. First seizing the keys from the person to whom they
were entrusted, he impudently assumed the steward's office,
which he managed so prudently and providently, that all
things seemed to abound under his care, and there was no
deficiency in the house. Whatever the master or mistress
secretly thought of having for their daily use or provision,
he procured with wonderful agility, and without any pre-
vious directions, saying, " You wished that to be done, and
it shall be done for you." He was also well acquainted with
their treasures and secret hoards, and sometimes upbraided
them on that account ; for as often as they" seemed to act
sparingly and avariciously, he used to say, " Why are you
afraid to spend that heap of gold or silver, since your lives
are of so short duration, and the money you so cautiously
hoard up will never do you any service ?" He gave the
choicest meat and drink to the rustics and hired servants,
saying that " Those persons should be abundantly supplied,
by whose labours they were acquired." Whatever he deter-
mined should be done, whether pleasing or displeasing to

1 There are two churches in Pembrokeshire called Staekpoole, one of
which, called Staekpoole Elidor, derived its name probably from the
Elidore de Stakepole mentioned in this chapter by Giraldus. It con-
tains several ancient monuments, and amongst them the effigies of a
cross-legged knight, which has bee.; for many years attributed to th«
aforesaid Elidore.

THE DEMON STEWAED. 411

his master or mistress (for, as we have said before, he knew
all their secrets), lie completed in his usual expeditious
manner, without their consent. He never went to church,
or uttered one Catholic word. He did not sleep in the
house, but was ready at his office in the morning. He was
at length observed by some of the family to hold his nightly
converse near a mill and a pool of water ; upon which dis-
covery, he was summoned the next morning before the
master of the house and his lady, and, receiving his dis-
charge, delivered up the keys, which he had held for up-
wards of forty days. Being earnestly interrogated, at his
departure, who he was ? he answered, " That he was be-
gotten upon the wife of a rustic in that parish, by a demon,
in the shape of her husband, naming the man, and his
father-in-law, then dead, and his mother, still alive; the
truth of which the woman, upon examination, openly avowed.
A similar circumstance happened in our time in Denmark.
A certain unknown priest paid court to the archbishop, and,
from his obsequious behaviour and discreet conduct, his
general knowledge of letters and quick memory, soon con-
tracted a great familiarity with him. Conversing one day
with the archbishop about ancient histories and unknown
events, on wrhich topic he most frequently heard him with
pleasure, it happened that when the subject of their dis-
course was the incarnation of our Lord, he said, amongst
other things, " Before Christ assumed human nature, the
demons had great power over mankind, which, at his com-
ing, was much diminished ; insomuch that they were dis-
persed on every side, and fled from his presence. Some
precipitated themselves into the sea, others into the hollow
parts of trees, or the clefts of rocks ; and I myself leaped
into a well ;" on which he blushed for shame, and took his
departure. The archbishop, and those who were with him,
being greatly astonished at that speech, began to ask ques-
tions by turns, and form conjectures ; and having waited
some time (for he was expected to return soon), the arch-
bishop ordered some of his attendants to call him, but he
was sought for in vain, and never re-appeared. Soon after-
wards, two priests, whom the archbishop had sent to Rome,
returned ; and when this event was related to them, they
began to inquire the day and hour on which the circum-

412 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

stance had happened ? On being told it, they declared
that on the very same day and hour he had met them on
the Alps, saying, that he had been sent to the court of
Borne, on account of some business of his master's (mean-
ing the archbishop), which had lately occurred. And thus
it was proved, that a demon had deluded them under a
human form.

I ought not to omit mentioning the falcons of these parts,
which are large, and of a generous kind, and exercise a most
severe tyranny over the river and land birds. King Henry
II. remained here some time, making preparations for his
voyage to Ireland ; and being desirous of taking the diver-
sion of hawking, he accidentally saw a noble falcon perched
upon a rock. Gromg sideways round him, he let loose a
fine Norway hawk, which he carried on his left hand. The
falcon, though at first slower in its flight, soaring up to a
great height, burning with resentment, and in his turn be-
coming the aggressor, rushed down upon his adversary with
the greatest impetuosity, and by a violent blow struck the
hawk dead at the feet of the king. From that time the
king sent every year, about the breeding season, for the
falcons1 of this country, which are produced on the sea
cliffs ; nor can better be found in any part of his dominions.
But let us now return to our Itinerary.

CHAPTER XIII.

OF THE PROGRESS BY CAMROS AND iNTWEGAL.

FROM Haverford we proceeded on our journey to Menevia,
distant from thence about twelve miles, and passed through
Camros,2 where, in the reign of king Stephen, the relations
and friends of a distinguished young man, Griraldus, son of
William, revenged his death by a too severe retaliation on

1 Bamaey Island, near St. David's, was always famous for its breed
of falcons.

2 Cambros, a small village, containing nothing worthy of remark,
excepting a large tumulus. It appears, by this route of the Crusaders,
that the ancient road to Menevia, or St. David's, led through Camros,
whereas the present turnpike road lies a mile and a half to the left of it.
It then descends to Niwegal Sands, and passes near the picturesque
iutle harbour of Solvach, situated in a deep and narrow cove, siu>
rounded by high rocks.

NEWGILL SANDS. 413

the men of Eos. "We then passed over Niwegal sands, at
which place (during the winter that king Henry II. spent
in Ireland), as well as in almost all the other western
ports, a very remarkable circumstance occurred. The sandy-
shores of South Wales, being laid bare by the extraordinary
violence of a storm, the surface of the earth, which had been
covered for many ages, re- appeared, and discovered the
trunks of trees cut off, standing in the very sea itself, the
strokes of the hatchet appearing as if made only yesterday.1
The soil was very black, and the wood like ebony. By a
wonderful revolution, the road for ships became impas-
sable, and looked, not like a shore, but like a grove cut
down, perhaps, at the time of the deluge, or not long after,
but certainly in very remote ages, being by degrees con-
sumed and swallowed up by the violence and encroachments
of the sea. During the same tempest many sea fish were
driven, by the violence of the wind and waves, upon dry
land. We were well lodged at St. David's by Peter, bishop
of the see, a liberal man, who had hitherto accompanied us
during the whole of our journey.

1 The remains of vast submerged forests are commonly found on
many parts of the coast of Wales, especially in the north. Giraldus
has elsewhere spoken of this event in the Vaticinal History^ book i.
chap. 35.

BOOK II,

PEEFACE.

SINCE, therefore, St. David's is the head, and in times paat
was the metropolitan, city of Wales, though now, alas ! re-
taining more of the name than of the omen,1 yet I have not
forborne to weep over the obsequies of our ancient and un-
doubted mother, to follow the mournful hearse, and to deplore
with tearful sighs the ashes of our half-buried matron.
I shall, therefore, endeavour briefly to declare to you, in
what manner, from whence, and from what period the pall
was first brought to St. David's, and how it was taken
away ; how many prelates were invested with the pall ; and
how many were despoiled thereof; together with their res-
pective names to this present day.

CHAPTER I.

OF THE SEE OF SAINT DAYID'S.

WE are informed by the British histories, that Dtibricius,
archbishop of Caerleon, sensible of the infirmities of age, or
rather being desirous of leadingr a life of contemplation,
resigned his honours to David,, who is said to have been
uncle to king Arthur ; and by his interest the see was trans-
lated to Menevia, although Caerleon, as we have observed

1 Giraldus, ever glad to pun upon words, here opposes the word nomen
to omen. " Plus nominis habens quum ominis.'' Being a man of extra-
ordinary reading, and conversant with the works of the Greek and
Roman writers, he may have perhaps borrowed this expression from
Plautus. who in his pl»y of Persa has introduced a young female,
offered for sale to a pander of the name of Dordalus, who, in company
with a knavish servant called Toxilus, is introduced as putting questions
to the damsel. The dialogue is as follows : (Dordalus) Quid nomen
tibi est? (Virgo), Lucridi nomen in patri fuit. (Toxilus) Nomen
atque omen quantivis est pretii, &c. (Dordalus) Si te emam, rnihi quo-
que Lucridem conndo fore te. Plautua Delphini, torn. ii. p> 27. — Actus
ir., Scena iv.

THE METROPOLITAN SEE TRANSLATED TO MENEVIA. 415

in the first book, was much better adapted for the episcopal
see.1 For Menevia is situated in a most remote corner of
land upon the Irish ocean, the soil stoney and barren,
neither clothed with woods, distinguished by rivers, nor
adorned by meadows, ever exposed to the winds and tem-
pests, and continually subject to the hostile attacks of the
Flemings on one side, and of the "Welsh on the other. For
the holy men who settled here, chose purposely such a re-
tired habitation, that by avoiding the noise of the world,
and preferring an heremitical to a pastoral life, they might
more freely provide for " that part which shall not be taken

1 " Hie etenira angulus est supra Hibernicum mare remotissimus ;
terra saxosa, sterilis, et infcocunda ^ nee silvis vestita, nee fluminibus
distincta, nee pratis ornata ;. ventis solum et procellis semper exposita."
— Such is the dreary and well-pictured account given by Griraldus of
the local situation of this once-celebrated ecclesiastical establishment ;
and such, I fear, will every traveller find it on his approach to the
wretched village of St. David's, where misery and beggary stare him
full in the face, and from whence the want of even tolerable accom-
modations has driven away many an inquisitive tourist and antiquarian.
Although, in the language of the poet,

"Menevia plorat

Curtatos niitrse titulos, et nomen inane
Semisepultae urbis,"

yet hospitality has not deserted these mitred walls, and I should be
much wanting in gratitude, were I not to acknowledge thus publicly
the many acts of friendship and civility which I have experienced
during two successive pilgrimages to the shrine of St. David. — (Sir E.
C. H ) We have now an admirable history of the cathedral and see of
St. David's, by E. A. Freeman, Esq., and the Eev. Basil Jones. Ac-
cording to his legend, Dewi, or David, was the son of Sandde ab Cedig
ab Ceredig ab Cunedda, whose mother was Non, the daughter of Gynyr,
of Caer Gawch, in Pembrokeshire, and was one of the most celebrated
British saints, being the founder of several churches in Wales. There
are four dedicated to him in Radnorshire ; two in Cardiganshire ; four
in Pembrokeshire ; two in Caermarthenshire ; three in Brecknockshire ;
one in Glamorgan ; and three in Monmouthshire ;. and many more wore
dedicated to his name in aftertimes. He is said to have lived in the
middle of the sixth century, and to have been bishop of Caerleon, which
was then considered as the metropolitan of the Welsh church. But, in
consequence of his father-in-law's having given all his lands in Pem-
brokeshire to the church, and the former place being too much exposed
to the incursions of the Saxons, Dewi removed the see to Mynyw, which
afterwards was called Ty Dewi, the house of Darid, or St. David's,
after his name.

416 THE ITINEEAET THBOTJGH WALES.

away ;" for David was remarkable for his sanctity and reli-
gion, as the history of his life will testify. Amongst the
many miracles recorded of him, three appear to me the most
worthy of admiration : his origin and conception ; his pre-
election thirty years before his birth ; and what exceeds all,
the sudden rising of the ground, at Brevy, under his feet
while preaching, to the great astonishment of all the be-
holders.

Since the time of David, twenty-five archbishops presided
over the see of Menevia, whose names are here subjoined :
David, Cenauc, Eliud, who was also called Teilaus, Ceneu,
Morwal, Haerunen, Elwaed, Gurnuen, Lendivord, Gorwysc,
Cogan, Cledauc, Anian, Euloed, Ethelmen, Elauc, Malscoed,
Sadermen, Catellus, Sulhaithnai, Nonis, Etwal, Asser, Ar-
thuael, Sampson. In the time of Sampson, the pall was
translated from Menevia in the following manner : a dis-
order called the yellow plague, and by the physicians the
icteric passion, of which the people died in great numbers,
raged throughout Wales, at the time when Sampson held
the archiepiscopal see. Though a hoiy man, and fearless of
death, he was prevailed upon, by the earnest intreaties of
his people, to go on board a vessel, which was wafted, by a
south wind, to Britannia Armorica,1 where he and his atten-
dants were safely landed. The see of Dol being at that
time vacant, he was immediately elected bishop. Hence it
came to pass, that on account of the pall2 which Sampson

1 Armorica is derived from the Celtic words Ar and Mon, which sig-
nify on or near the sea, and so called to distinguish it from the more
inland parts of Britany. The maritime cities of Gaul were called
"Armoricse civitates — Universis civitatibus quse oceanum attingunt,
quseque Gallorum consuetudine Armoricse appellantur." — Ctesar^ Com'
men/, lib. vii.

2 The archiepiscopal pall was at first truly a mantle or upper vesture
(as the word imports) worn by the Roman emperors, and by Constaii-
tine permitted as an honour to the pope, and by him communicated to
the other patriarchs ; and in this form it continues In the Eastern parts ;
whereas at Borne, and in the west, this title is given to a small portion,
as appendix to the first pallium, being (according to the description
given of it by pope Innocent III.) a certain wreath (as it were the col-
lar of an order) of about three fingers breadth encompassing the neck ;
from which descended two labels, before and behind. On the circle
are interwoven four purple crosses, and on each label, one ; and it it
fastened to the upper garment with three golden pins. Cressy, p. 92.

SJ;E OF ST. DAVID'S. 417

had brought thither with him, the succeeding bishops, even
to our times, always retained it. But during the presidency
of the archbishop of Tours, this adventitious dignity ceased ;
yet our countrymen, through indolence or poverty, or rather
owing to the arrival of the English into the island, and the
frequent hostilities committed against them by the Saxons,
lost their archiepiscopal honours. But until the entire sub-
jugation of Wales by king Henry I., the Welsh bishops
were always consecrated by the bishop of St. David's ; and
he was consecrated by his suffragans, without any profes-
sion or submission being made to any other church.

Prom the time of Sampson to that of king Henry I,,
nineteen bishops presided over this see : Kueliu, Bodherch,
Elguin, Lunuerd, JSergu, Sulhidir, Eneuris, Morgeneu, who
was the first bishop of St. David's who ate flesh, and was
there killed by pirates ; and he appeared to a certain bishop
in Ireland on the night of his death, shewing his wounds, and
saying, " Because I ate flesh, I am become flesh." Nathan,
Jevau (who was bishop only one night), Argustel, Morgen-
ueth, Ervin, Tramerin, Joseph, Bleithud, Sulghein, Abra-
ham, Wilfred. Since the subjugation of Wales to the pre-
sent time, three only have held the see : in the reign of
king Henry I., Bernard; in the reign of king Stephen,
David II. ; and in the reign of king Henry II., Peter, a
monk of the order of Cluny ; who all, by the king's man-
date, were consecrated at Canterbury ; as also G-eoffrey,
prior and canon of Lanthoni, who succeeded them in the
reign of king John, and was preferred to this see by the in-
terest of Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury, and afterwards
consecrated by him. We do not hear that either before or
after that subjugation, any archbishop of Canterbury ever
entered the borders of Wales, except Baldwin, a monk of
the Cistercian order, abbot of Ford,1 and afterwards bishop
of Worcester, who traversed that rough, inaccessible, and
remote country with a laudable devotion for the service of

1 Ford Abbey was situated in the parish of Thorncomb, Devon, and
near the confines of the county of Somerset. In 1136, Richard Fitz-
Baldwin de Brien, baron of Okehampton, and sheriff of Devonshire,
brought an abbot and twelve Cistercian monks to a place called Bright-
ley, in Devonshire, from whence they were removed to Ford, in thj
year 1141, by Adelicia, sister and heiress to the aforesaid Richard.

EE

418 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

the cross ; and as a token of investiture, celebrated mass in
all the cathedral churches. So that till lately the see of St.
David's owed no subjection to that of Canterbury, as may be
Been in the English History of Bede, who says that " Augus-
tine, bishop of the Angles, after the conversion of king
Ethelfred and the English people, called together the bishops
of Wales on the confines of the West Saxons, as legate of
the apostolic see. When the seven bishops1 appeared,
Augustine, sitting in his chair, with Roman pride, did not
rise up at their entrance. Observing his haughtiness (after
the example of a holy anchorite of their nation), they im-
mediately returned, and treated him and his statutes with
contempt, publicly proclaiming that they would not acknow-
ledge him for their archbishop ; alleging, that if he now re-
fused to rise up to us, how much more will he hold us in
contempt, if we submit to be subject to him ?" That there
were at that time seven bishops in Wales, and now only four,
may be thus accounted for ; because perhaps there were
formerly more cathedral churches in Wales than there are
at present, or the extent of Wales might have been greater.
Amongst so many bishops thus deprived of their dignity,
Bernard, the first French [i. e. Norman] bishop of St.
David's, alone defended the rights of his church in a public
manner ; and after many expensive and vexatious appeals to
the court of Rome, would not have reclaimed them in vain,
if false witnesses had not publicly appeared at the council
of Rheims, before pope Eugenius, and testified that he had
made profession and submission to the see of Canterbury.
Supported by three auxiliaries, the favour and intimacy of
king Henry, a time of peace, and consequent plenty, he
boldly hazarded the trial of so great a cause, and so confi-
dent was he of his just right, that he sometimes caused the
cross to be carried before him during his journey through
Wales.

Bernard, however commendable in some particulars, was
remarkable for his insufferable pride and ambition. For as
soon as he became courtier and a creature of the king's,
panting after English riches by means of translation, (a

1 The bishops of Hereford, Worcester, LlandafF, Bangor, St Asaph,
Llanbadern, and Margan, or Glamorgan. This is very fabulous, for
it is. an absolute absurdity to suppose that there were bishops of Here-
ford or Worcester at the time of Augustine.

POSITION OF THE CATHEDRAL 419

malady under which all the English sent hither seem to
labour), he alienated many of the lauds of his church with-
out either advantage or profit, and disposed of others so in-
discreetly and improvidently, that when ten carucates1 of
land were required for military purposes, he would, with a
liberal hand, give twenty or thirty ; and of the canonical
rites and ordinances which he had miserably and unhappily
instituted at St. David's, he would hardly make use of one,
at most only of two or three. With respect to the two sees of
Canterbury and St. David's, I will briefly explain my opinion
of their present state. On one side, you will see royal
favour, affluence of riches, numerous and opulent suffragan
bishops, great abundance of learned men and well skilled
in the laws ; on the other side, a deficiency of all these things,
and .a total want of justice ; on which account the recovery
of its ancient rights will not easily be effected, but by means
.of those great changes and vicissitudes which kingdoms ex-
perience from various and unexpected events.

The spot where the church of St. David's stands, and
was founded in honour of the apostle St. Andrew, is called
the Vale of Roses ; which ought rather to be named the
vale of marble, since it abounds with one, and by no means
with the other. The river Alun, a muddy and unpro-
ductive rivulet,2 bounding the churchyard on the northern
side, flows under a marble stone, called Lechlavar, which has
been polished by continual treading of passengers, and con-
cerning the name, size, and quality of which we have treated
in our Vaticinal History.2 Henry II., on his return from Ire-
land, is said to have passed over this stone, before he devoutly
entered the church of St. Andrew and St. David. Having
left the following garrisons in Ireland, namely, Hugh de
Lacy (to whom he had given Meath in fee) in Dublin, with
twenty knights ; Fitz-Stephen and Maurice Fitzgerald, with
other twenty ; Humphrey de Bohun, Eobert Fitz Bernard,
and Hugh de Grainville at Waterford, with forty; and

1 The value of the carucate is rather uncertain, or, probably, it varied
in different districts, according to the character of the land ; but it ia
considered to have been usually equivalent to a hide, that is, to about
240 statute acres.

2 This little brook does not, in modern times, deserve the title here
given to it by Giraldus, for it produces trout of a most delicious flavour*

* See the Vaticinal History, book i. c. 37.

EE2

420 THE ITINERARY T1JKOTIG1I WALES.

William Fitz-Adelm and Philip de Braose at Wexford,
with twenty ; on the second day of Easter, the king em-
barked at sunrise on board a vessel in the outward port of
Wexford, and, with a south wind, landed about noon in
the harbour of Menevia. Proceeding towards the shrine of
St. David, habited like a pilgrim, and leaning on a staff, he
met at the white gate a procession of the canons of the
church coming forth to receive him with due honour and
reverence. As the procession solemnly moved along, a
Welsh woman threw herself at the king's feet, and made a
complaint against the bishop of the place, which was ex-
plained to the king by an interpreter. The woman, imme-
diate attention not being paid to her petition, with violent
gesticulation, and a loud and impertinent voice, exclaimed
repeatedly, " Revenge us this day, Lechlavar ! revenge us
and the nation in this man !' On being chidden and driven
away by those who understood the British language, she
more vehemently and forcibly vociferated in the like
manner, alluding to the vulgar fiction and proverb of Mer-
lin, " That a king of England, and conqueror of Ireland,
should be wounded in that country by a man with a red
hand, and die upon Lechlavar, on his return through Mene-
via." This was the name of that stone which serves as a
bridge over the river Alun, which divides the cemetery from
the northern side of the church. It was a beautiful piece of
marble, polished by the feet of passengers, ten feet in
length, six in breadth, and one in thickness. Lechlavar
signifies in the British language a talking stone.1 There
was an ancient tradition respecting this stone, that at a
time when a corpse was carried over it for interment, it
broke forth into speech, and by the effort cracked in the
middle, which fissure is still visible ; and on account of this
barbarous and ancient superstition, the corpses are no longer
brought over it. The king, who had heard the prophecy,
approaching the stone, stopped for a short time at the foot
of it, and, looking earnestly at it, boldly passed over ; then,
turning round, and looking towards the stone, thus indig-
nantly inveighed against the prophet : " Who will here-
after give credit to the lying Merlin ?" A person standing

1 Lechlavar, so called from the words in Welsh, L16c, a itone, and
Llavar, loquacious.

THREAT OP WILLIAM RUFUS. 421*

by, and observing what had passed, in order to vindicate
the injury done to the prophet, replied, with a loud voice,
" Thou art not that king by whom Ireland is to be con-
quered, or of whom Merlin prophesied !" The king then
entering the church founded in honour of St. Andrew and
St. David, devoutly offered up his prayers, and heard mass
performed by a chaplain, whom alone, out of so large a body
of priests, Providence seems to have kept fasting till that
hour, for this very purpose. Having supped at St. David's,
the king departed for the castle of Haverford, distant about
twelve miles. It appears very remarkable to me, that in
our days, when David II. presided over the see, the river
should have flowed with wine, and that the spring, called
Pistyll Dewi,1 or the Pipe of David, from its flowing
through a pipe into the eastern side of the churchyard,
should have run with milk. The birds also of that place,
called jackdaws, from being so long unmolested by the
clergy of the church, were grown so tame and domesticated,
as not to be afraid of persons dressed in black. In clear
weather the mountains of Ireland are visible from hence,
and the passage over the Irish sea may be performed in one
.short day ; on which account William, the son of William
the Bastard, and the second of the Norman kings in Eng-
land, who was called Rufus, and who had penetrated
far into Wales, on seeing Ireland from these rocks, is re-
ported to have said, " I will summon hither all the ships of
my realm, and with them make a bridge to attack that
country." Which speech being related to Murchard, prince
of Leinster, he paused awhile, and answered, "Did the
king add to this mighty threat, If Grod please ?" and being

1 The miraculous origin of this spring has been attributed to St.
David, and is thus related in his life, written by Giraldus. " It hap-
pened on a certain day, when the brethren of the church were assem-
bled together, that a general complaint was made of the want of clean
and pure water for the performance of mass and other religious solem-
nities ; for the river Aiun, which flows through the vale, was muddy,
and oftentimes defective during the summer season. On hearing which,
the holy father David went immediately to the cemetery adjoining the
church, and having offered up many long and devout prayers to the
Almighty, a spring of the most transparent water suddenly burst forth
on the spot, which was fully sufficient for all religious purposes, and
flow to this present day,"

422 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

informed that he had made no mention of God in his speech^
rejoicing in such a prognostic, he replied, " Since that man
trusts in human, not divine power, I fear not his coming."

CHAPTEE II.

OF THE JOURNEY BY CEMMEIS THE MONASTERY OF ST.

DOGMAEL.

THE archbishop having celebrated mass early in the morn-
ing before the high altar of the church of St. David, and
enjoined to the archdeacon (Giraldus) the office of preach-
ing to the people, hastened through Cemmeis1 to meet
prince Khys at Aberteivi. Two circumstances occurred in
the province of Cemmeis, the one in our own time, the
other a little before, which I think right not to pass over in
silence. In our time, a young man, native of this country,
during a severe illness, suffered as violent a persecution
from toads,2 as if the reptiles of the whole province had
come to him by agreement ; and though destroyed by his
nurses and friends, they increased again on all sides in infi-

1 Cemmeis, Cemmaes, Kernes, and Kemeys. Thus is the name of
this district variously spelt. Cemmaes in Welsh signifies a circle or
amphitheatre for games ; and a curious kind of game, called knappan,
or hurling the ball, was formerly much practised in this part of Pem-
brokeshire ; a particular account of which may be seen in the Cambrian
Register for 1795, p. 168. From an ancient manuscript by George
Owen, Esq., of HenUys, lord of Kemeys, published in the second vo-
lume of the Cambrian Register, 1796, we find that the county of Pem-
broke contained seven cantreds, of which Kemeys was one ; in it were
three comots, Ywch Nyfer, Is Nyfer, and Trefdraeth. Martin de
Tours, a Norman knight, made the conquest of this territory, and
founded a monastery for Benedictine monks at St. Dogmaels, within the
precincts thereof, and annexed it as a cell to the abbey of Tyrone in
France, which his son Robert endowed with lands during the reign of
king Henry I. This Robert married Maude Peverel, and left issue,
William, his son and heir, who married the daughter of Rhys ap Gruf-
fydh, from whom (through the instigation of Gruffydh, his son) he
received great injuries; for, by force and arms, and contrary to his
solemn oath and promise, lie took from him his castle at Lanever in
Kemeys, for which oppressive dealing, Rhys was afterwards punished
with great afflictions from his own sons, who took him prisoner, and
shut him up in the same castle.

4 There is a place in Cemmaos now called Tre-liflan, i. e. Toad's town j
ana over a chimney-piece in the house ihere is a figure of a toad sculp-
tured in marble, said to have been brought from Italy, and intended
probably to confirm and commemorate this tradition of Giraldua.

A MAN DEVOURED BY EATS. 423

nite numbers, like hydras' heads. His attendants, both
friends and strangers, being wearied out, he was drawn up
in a kind of bag. into a high tree, stripped of its leaves, and
shred ; nor was he there secure from his venomous enemies,
for they crept up the tree in great numbers, and consumed
him even to the very bones. The young man's name was
Sisillus Esceir-hir, that is, Sisillus Long Leg. It is also
recorded that by the hidden but never unjust will of God,
another man suffered a similar persecution from rats. In
the same province, during the reign of king Henry I., a rich
man, who had a residence on the northern side of the Prese-
leu mountains,1 was warned for three successive nights, by

1 Preseleu, Preselaw, Prescelly, Presselw. The topography of the
Preseieu mountains is thus accurately described in the manuscript be-
fore mentioned : — " The cheefest and principall mountaine of this
sheere is Percelley, which is a long ridge or ranck of uiountaines run-
ning east and west, beginning above Pencellyvor, where the first mount
of high land thereof is called Moel Eryr, and soe passing eastward to
Cwmkerwyn, being the highest parte of it, runneth east to Moel-trigarn
and Lanvirnach. This mountaine is about six or seven miles long, and
two miles broade. It hath in it many hills rising in the high mounten,
which are to be discerned twenty, thirty, nay forty miles off and more,
and from this hill may be seen all Pembrokeshire, and some parte of
nine other sheeres, viz., Cardigan, Glamorgan, Brecknock, Montgomery,
Merioneth, and Carnarvonshires ; Devonshire and Somersetshire : the
Isle of Londay, and the realme of Ireland. The commodities of this
mountaine are great, for it yealdeth plenty of good grasse, and is full of
sweete springs of water ; it yealdeth also store of fuell for the inhabi-
tants adjoining, for most of the mountaine furnisheth good peate and
turffe, as well the lower parte and playne thereof, as the toppe of the
mountaine. Alsoe out of this mountaine have many fine rivers their
originall and beginnings, namely, Navarne, Taf, Clydagh, Clethe,
Syvnvey, Gwayn, Clydagh againe, and the third Clydagh, which water
most part of the countrye. This mountaine is so high and farre mounted
in the ayre, that when the countrey about is faire and cleere, the toppe
thereof will be hidden in a cloude, which of the inhabitants is taken a
sure sign of raine to follow shortly ; whereof grewe this proverbe : —
' When Percelly weareth a hat,
All Pembrokeshire shall weete of that.'

The greatest parte of this mountaine is a common to the free tenants
and inhabitants of Kernes, within which lordship it standeth, yet in
divers parts thereof claymed to be the landes of divers particular per-
sons, and this name of Percelley is a genus, as Cotteswald is in Glouces-
tershire, divers particular places therein having special and proper
names. Cwmkerwyn is the highest pointe or peake of this mountaiue,
and is the nrst and cheefest. Jand-omrke that mariners doe make at sea.

424 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

dreams, that if he put his hand under a stone which hung
over the spring of a neighbouring well, called the fountain
of St. Bernacus,1 he would find there a golden torques. Obey-
ing the admonition on the third day, he received, from a
viper, a deadly wound in his finger; but as it appears that
many treasures have been discovered through dreams, it
seems to me probable that, with respect to rumours, in the
same manner as to dreams, some ought, and some ought not,
to be believed.

I shall not pass over in silence the circumstance which
occurred in the principal castle of Cemmeis at Lanhever,3

coming from the south or south-west, and is theire sure marke whereby
they make for Milford, and it appeareth unto them at the first sight a
round black hill, sayling twelve or sixteen houres after they first make
this land, before they coine to the sight of any other land, by reason
the sea shores is so lowe j and therefore the name of Percelley is as well
knowne at sea as on lande. Along the sayd hille toppe of Percelley
from the beginning to the ende, there is seene the tract of an ancient
way now cleare out of use j yet such hath been the trade of old that
way, that to this day markes of it are apparently discerned, and this
way is usually called yet, * The Fleming's Way ;' and in an ancient charter
of Sir Nicholas Martin, lord of Kernes, by which he makes a grant of all
his lands in Presselw to the heirs of Gwrwared, son of Kuhylin, and to
the heirs of Lhewelyn, another son of the said Kuhylin, mention is
made of this road ; — Sicut via Flandrensica ducit per summitatem mon-
tis, a loco qui dicitur Wyndy-pete indirecte versus orientem usque ad
Blaenvanon, et sic descender) do usque ad Ecclesiam Albam, Meline
Trefthey, Perketh, Kiven, et Kilgwyn, &c.' "

1 St. Bernacus is said, by Cressy, to have been a man of admirable
sanctity, who, through devotion, made a journey to Eome ; and from
thence returning into Britany, filled all places "with the fame of his
piety and miracles. He is commemorated on the 7th of April. Several
churches in Wales were dedicated to him 5 one of which, called Llan-
vernach, or the church of St.Bernach, is situated on the eastern side of the
Prescelley mountain ; and I have been informed that there is a redun-
dant spring, called St. Bernard's Well, under the same range of moun-
tains near the road leading from Haverfordwest to Cardigan, not far
from Castel Henry. Adjoining the well are some ruined walls, perhaps
originally appertaining to the saint's hermitage, or chapel.

a The "castrum apud Lanhever" was at Nevern, a small village
between Newport and Cardigan, situated on the banks of a little
river bearing the same name, which discharges itself into the sea
at Newport, On a hill immediately above the western side of the pa-
rish church, is the site of a large castle, undoubtedly the one alluded
to by Giraldus. On the southern side of the churchyard is a curioua
mncient cross mentioned by Camden, richly decorated in divers com*

WICKEDNESS OF EHTS AP GBUFFYDD. 425

in our days. Rhys, son of Gruffydh, by the instigation of
his son Gruffydh, a cunning and artful man, took away by
force, from William, son of Martin (de Tours), his son-in-
law, the castle of Lanhever, notwithstanding he had so-
lemnly sworn, by the most precious relics, that his indem-
nity and security should be faithfully maintained, and, con-
trary to his word and oath, gave it to his son G-ruffydh ; but
since " A sordid prey has not a good ending," the Lord,
who by the mouth of his prophet exclaims " Vengeance is
mine, and I will repay !" ordained that the castle should be
taken away from the contriver of this wicked plot, G-ruffydh,
and bestowed upon the man in the world he most hated,
his brother Malgon. Rhys, also, about two years after-
wards, intending to disinherit his own daughter, and two
grand-daughters and grandsons, by a singular instance of
divine vengeance, was taken prisoner by his sons in battle,
and confined in this same castle ; thus justly suffering the
greatest disgrace and confusion in the very place where he
had perpetrated an act of the most consummate baseness.
I think it also worthy to be remembered, that at the time this
misfortune befel him, he had concealed in his possession, at
Dinevor, the collar of St. Canauc of Brecknock, for which, by
divine vengeance, he merited to be taken prisoner and confined.
We slept that night in the monastery of St. Dogmael,1

partraents, with knots, fret- work, &c. The neighbourhood of Nevern
abounds with Druidical antiquities. The cromlech at Pentre Evan
surpasses in size and height any I have yet seen in Wales, or, indeed, in
England, Stoiiehenge and Abury alone excepted. At Newport there
is a smaller cromlech, and between that place and the sea- shore there
is a very fine one called Lech y drybed. Tradition has also recorded
a striking memorial of this memorable expedition of archbishop Bald-
win, in the name of a bridge over the little river Duad, which is still
called Pont Baldwyn, and is situated at a short distance above the
village of College.

1 St. Dogmael. Martin de Tours, a Norman knight, who made the
conquest of the territory of Kemeys, is said to have been the first
founder of the monastery of St. Dogmael's, and to have been there
buried in the middle of the choir. But Robert, the son of Martin, was
the chief benefactor. The saint to whom this monastery was dedicated,
is mentioned by Cressy, under the names of Tegwel and Dogmael, " aa
illustrious for his great virtues, his sanctity, and his miracles." In the
Cambrian Biography he is styled " Dogvael, son of Ithel ab Ceredig
ab Cunedda, a saint who lived about the middle of the seventh century,
and who has a church dedicated to him in Pembrokeshire." Som«

426 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WA.LES.

where, as well as on the next day at Aberteivi, we were
handsomely entertained by prince Rhys. On the Cemmeis
side of the river, not far from the bridge, the people of the
neighbourhood being assembled together, and Rhys and his
two sons, Malgon * andGrruffydh, being present, the word of
the Lord was persuasively preached both by the archbishop
and the archdeacon, and many were induced to take the
cross ; one of whom was an only son, and the sole comfort
of his mother, far advanced in years, who, steadfastly gazing
on him, as if inspired by the Deity, uttered these words : —
" O, most beloved Lord Jesus Christ, I return thee hearty
thanks for having conferred on me the blessing of bringing
forth a son, whom thou mayest think worthy of thy service."
Another woman at Aberteivi, of a very different way of
thinking, held her husband fast by his cloak and girdle, and
publicly and audaciously prevented him from going to
the archbishop to take the cross ; but, three nights after-
wards, she heard a terrible voice, saying, " Thou hast taken
away my servant from me, therefore what thou most lovest
shall be taken away from thee." On her relating this vision
to her husband, they were struck with mutual terror and
amazement; and on falling asleep again, she unhappily
overlaid her little boy, whom, with more affection than pru-
dence, she had taken to bed with her. The husband, relat-
ing to the bishop of the diocese both the vision and its
fatal prediction, took the cross, which his wife spontane-
ously sewed on her husband's arm.2

extensive, but by no means picturesque, ruins of this ahbey are still visi-
ble at a short distance from the town of Cardigan. Its situation was
well chosen, on high ground, overlooking the river Teivi. The fine old
ash trees, with which the ruins of the abbey and parish church are
encircled, still give it a venerable monastic appearance.

1 " This lord was faire and comelie of person, honest and just of con-
ditions, beloved of his friends, and feared of his foes, against whom (es«
peciallie the Flemings) he achieved diverse victories." — Powel, p. 241.

2 The origin of assuming the cross may be derived from the Council
of Clermont, in 1095, when those religious enthusiasts who undertook
the expedition to the Holy Land, had the cross sewed on their gar-
ments : " Crucem aseumere dicebantur, qui ad sacra bella profecturi
crucis symbolum palliis suis assuebant et affigebant, in signum votiv®
illius expeditionis, cujus originem Concilio Claromontano sub Urbano
II. adscribunt scriptores omnes Kerum Hierosol. et alii passim." It
was either woven in gold or silk, or made with cloth, and generally

THE EIVEB TEIYI. 427

Near the Head of the bridge where the sermons were deli-
vered, the people immediately marked out the site for a
chapel,1 on a verdant plain, as a memorial of so great an
event ; intending that the altar should be placed on the
spot where the archbishop stood while addressing the mul-
titude ; and it is well known that many miracles (the enu-
meration of which would be too tedious to relate) were
performed on the crowds of sick people who resorted hither
from different parts of the country.

CHAPTEE III.

OF THE RIVER TEIVI, CARDIGAN, AND EMELTN.

THE noble river Teivi2 flows here, and abounds with the
finest salmon, more than any other river of Wales ; it has a

sewed on the right shoulder ; but in the celebrated crusade undertaken
in the year 1188, by Philip king of France, and Henry II. of England^
and wh ch gave rise to this Itinerary of archbishop Baldwin through
Wales, the different sovereigns distinguished their own subjects by va-
rying the colours of their respective insignia. In the first crusade all
were red ; but in this the French alone preserved that colour, whilst
the English were distinguished by white, and the Flemings by green
crosses. Some zealots carried their zeal so far as to imprint the figure
of the cross on their skin with a red-hot iron, and thus perpetuated the
holy mark.

1 On the Cemmaes, or Pembrokeshire side of the river Teivi, and
near the end of the bridge, there is a place still called Park y Cappell,
or the Chapel Field, which is undoubtedly commemorative of the cir-
cumstance recorded by our author.

2 This fine river rises in that long and extensive range of moun-
tains which separate the counties of Montgomery, Eadnor, and a part
of Brecknockshire, from that of Cardigan, and to which our author
gives the title of Ellennith. Its principal source is derived from a lake
amongst these mountains, bearing the name Llyn Tyfi. It flows to the
north of the celebrated Cistercian monastery of Stratflur, and, till it
reaches the little village of Tregaron, " it fletithe and rageth upon stones."
From Tregaron, steering its course to Llanbedr, or Pons Stephani, it.
passes between the venerable old sanctuary of Llandewi Brefi and the
Koman station of Luentium, or Loventium, in the parish Llanio-isau ;
the former being situated on the south-east, the latter on the north-
west banks of the river, and nearly opposite to each other. From Llan-
bedr it flows by Newcastle Emlyn (where its course is very singular)
to Kenarth, the Canarch Mawr of GKraldus, where, confined within a:
narrow and well-wooded vale, it forms the cataract and salmon-leap
here mentioned. From hence, descending to Lechryd bridge, it loses
its raging character, and smoothly gliding under the proud, romantw

428 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

productive fishery near Cilgarran,1 which is situated on the
summit of a rock, at a place called Canarch Mawr,2 the
ancient residence of St. Ludoc, where the river, falling

towers of Cilgarran castle, and adding a most beautiful feature to that
enchanting scenery, is partly lost in the marshes near Cardigan, where
it becomes a tide river.

1 Cilgarran. — This castle, situated on the Pembrokeshire side of the
river Teivi, experienced (like its neighbour at Cardigan) the frequent
and desolating vicissitudes of war. In the year 1109, Gilbert Strongbow,
earl of Striguil, having obtained leave of king Henry to make conquests
in Wales, landed in Cardiganshire, and having conquered the country,
built two castles, one at Aberystwyth, another at a place called Dyn-
gerant, which has generally been supposed to be the same as Cilgarran.
*' In the year 1165, it was taken and rased by prince Rhys ; and in the
yeare ensuing, the Flemings and Normanes came to West Wales with
9 great power against the castell of Cilgarran (which Rees had fortified),
and laid siege to it, assaulting it diverse times • but it was so manfullie
defended, that they returned home as they came, and shortlie after they
came before it againe, where they lost manie of their best men, and then
departed againe." From the many revolutions this castle underwent
during those times of turbulence and warfare, with which almost every
district of North and South Wales was continually agitated, we cannot
in modern days expect to find many remains of its ancient architecture.
Two round towers, of large and massive proportions, stand conspicuous
amidst its ruins, one of which, from the uniformity of its arches, seems
to have suffered but little,, as to its outward form, and from the preva-
lence of the circular arch, bespeaks a Norman origin. In one of these,
a staircase is still practicable for ascent to the summit of the tower.
^Dhe beautiful eeenery around this castle stands unequalled in South
Wales, and can only be rivalled by that of Conway, in North Wales ;
but, to be seen to most advantage, it must be visited by water, not by
land. Skirting the sides of a long and extensive marsh, a sudden bend
of the river contracting its channel, conducts us into a narrow pass,
surrounded by n perpendicular rampart of wood and rock, with steep
and precipitate banks of oak and copse wood feathering down to the
water's edge ; the first view we catch of the castle, at a distance, between
a perspective range of well-wooded hills, is very striking ; and what,
On a nearer approach, it may lose in picturesque beauty, it certainly
gains in grandeur ; the proud walls of a large castle appear towering
full in front ; the hill on which they stand, is rather destitute of wood,
but boldly broken with projecting rocks; and, perhaps, the general
effect of the landscape may not lose by this contrast to the rich sur-
rounding scenery of wood.

2 Now known by the name of Kenarth, which may be derived from
Cefn y garth — the back of the wear, a ridge of land behind the wear ; a
name perfectly applicable to this village, beautifully situated on the
banks of the river Teivi, which, confined within a narrow vale, forms al
this spot a picturesque cataract and salmon-leap.

THE SALMON LEAP. 429

from a great height, forma a cataract, which the salmon as-
cend, by leaping from the bottom to the top of a rock, which
is about the height of the longest spear, and would appear
wonderful, were it not the nature of that species of fish to
leap : hence they have received the name of salmon, from
salio. Their particular manner of leaping (as I have speci-
fied in my Topography of Ireland) is thus : fish of thia
kind, naturally swimming against the course of the river
(for as birds fly against the wind, so do fish swim against
the stream), on meeting with any sudden obstacle, bend
their tail towards their mouth, and sometimes, in order to
give a greater power to their leap, they press it with their
mouth, and suddenly freeing themselves from this circular
form, they spring with great force (like a bow let loose)
from the bottom to the top of the leap, to the great astonish-
ment of the beholders. The church dedicated to St. Ludoc,1
the mill, bridge, salmon leap, an orchard with a delightful
garden, all stand together on a small plot of ground. The
Teivi has another singular particularity, being the only river
in Wales, or even in England, which has beavers ;2 in Scot-
land they are said to be found in one river, but are very
scarce. I think it not a useless labour, to insert a few re-

1 The name of St. Ludoc is not found in the lives of the saints. Le«
land mentions a St. Clitauc, who had a church dedicated to him in
South Wales, and who was killed by some of his companions whilst
hunting. " Clitaucus Southe-Walliae regulus inter venandum a suia
sodalibus occisus est. Ecclesia S. Clitauci in Southe Wallia." — Lelandt
Itin., torn. viii. p. 95.

2 The Teiyy is still very justly distinguished for the quantity and
quality of its salmon, hut the beaver no longer disturbs its streams.
That this animal did exist in the days of Howel Dha (though even
then a rarity), the mention made of it in his laws, and the high price
set upon its skin, most clearly evince ; but if the castor of Giraldus,
and the avanc of Humphrey Llwyd and of the Welsh dictionaries, be
really the same animal, it certainly was not peculiar to the Teivi, but
was equally known in North Wales, as the names of places testify. A
small lake in Montgomeryshire is called Llyn yr Afangc ; a pool in the
river Conwy, not far from Bettws, bears the same name, and the vale
called Nant Ffran con, upon the river Ogtren, in Caernarvonshire, is
supposed by the natives to be a corruption from Nant yr Afan cwm, or
the Vale of the Beavers. Mr. Owen, in his dictionary, says, " That it
has been seen in this vale within the memory of man." Giraldus ha*
previously spoken of the beaver in his Topography of Ireland, Pistinc,
i. c. 21.

430 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

marks respecting the nature of these animals ; the manner
in which they bring their materials from the woods to the
.water, and with what skill they connect them in the con-
struction of their dwellings in the midst of rivers ; their
means of defence on the eastern and western sides against
hunters ; and also concerning their fish-like tails.

The beavers, in order to construct their castles in the
middle of rivers, make use of the animals of their own spe-
cies instead of carts, who, by a wonderful mode of carriage,
convey the timber from the woods to the rivers. Some of
them, obeying the dictates of nature, receive on their bellies
the logs of wood cut off" by their associates, which they hold
, tight with their feet, and thus with transverse pieces placed
in their mouths, are drawn along backwards, with their
cargo, by other beavers, who fasten themselves with their
teeth to the raft. The moles use a similar artifice in clear-
ing out the dirt from the cavities they form by scraping.
In some deep and still corner of the river, the beavers use
such skill in the construction of their habitations, that not
a drop of water can penetrate, or the force of storms shake
them ; nor do they fear any violence but that of mankind,
nor even that, unless well armed. They entwine the branches
of willows with other wood, and different kinds of leaves,
to the usual height of the water, and having made within-
side a communication from floor to floor, they elevate a kind
of stage, or scaifold, from which they may observe and watch
, the rising of the waters. In the course of time, their habi-
tations bear the appearance of a grove of willow trees, rude
and natural without, but artfully constructed within. This
animal can remain in or under water at its pleasure, like the
frog or seal, who shew, by the smoothness or roughness of
their skins, the flux and reflux of the sea. These three ani-
mals, therefore, live indifferently under the water, or in the
air, and have short legs, broad bodies, stubbed tails, and
resemble the mole in their corporal shape. It is worthy of
remark, that the beaver has but four teeth, two above, and
two below, which being broad and sharp, cut like a carpen-
ter's axe, and as such he uses them. They make excavations
and dry hiding places in the banks near their dwellings, and
'when they hear the stroke of the hunter, who with sharp
poles endeavours to penetrate them, they fly as soonaspos-

HABITS OF THE BEATER. 431

Bible to the defence of their castle, having first blown out
the water from the entrance of the hole, and rendered it foul
and muddy by scraping the earth, in order thus artfully to
elude the stratagems of the well-armed hunter, who is
watching them from the opposite banks of the river. When
the beaver finds he cannot save himself from the pursuit of
the dogs who follow him, that he may ransom his body by
the sacrifice of a part, he throws away that, which by natural
instinct he knows to be the object sought for, and in the
sight of the hunter castrates himself, from which circum-
stance he has gained the name of Castor ; and if by chance
the dogs should chase an animal which had been previously
castrated, he has the sagacity to run to an elevated spot,
and there lifting up his leg, shews the hunter that the object
of his pursuit is gone. Cicero speaking of them says, " They
ransom themselves by that part of the body, for which they
are chiefly sought." And Juvenal says,

" — - Q.ui se

Eunuchum ipse facit, cupiens evadere damno
Testiculi."

And St. Bernard,

" Prodit enim castor proprio de corpore velox
Reddere quas sequitur hostis avarus opes."

Thus, therefore, in order to preserve his skin, which is sought
after in the west, and the medicinal part of his body, which
is coveted in the east, although he cannot save himself en-
tirely, yet, by a wonderful instinct and sagacity, he endea-
vours to avoid the stratagems of his pursuers. The beavers
have broad, short tails, thick, like the palm of a hand, which
they use as a rudder in swimming ; and although the rest of
their body is hairy, this part, like that of seals, is without
hair, and smooth ; upon which account, in Germany and the
arctic regions, where beavers abound, great and religious
persons, in times of fasting, eat the tails of this fish-like
animal, as having both the taste and colour of fish.

We proceeded on our journey from Cilgarran to wards Font-
Stephen,1 leaving Cruc Mawr, i. e. the great hill, near Aber-

1 Our author having made a long digression, in order to introduce
the history of the beaver, now continues his Itinerary, From Cardigan,
the archbishop proceeded towards Pout Stephen, leaving a hill, called

432 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

teivi,1 on our left hand. On this spot Gruffydh, son of "Rhys
ap Theodor, soon after the death of king Henry I., by a furious
onset gained a signal victory against the English army, which,
by the murder of the illustrious Richard de Clare, near
Abergevenny (before related), had lost its leader and chief.8
A tumulus is to be seen on the summit of the aforesaid hill,
and the inhabitants affirm that it will adapt itself to persons
of all stature ; and that if any armour is left there entire
in the evening, it will be found, according to vulgar tradi-
tion, broken to pieces in the morning.

CHAPTER IV.

OF THE JOURNEY BY PONT STEPHEN, THE ABBEY OF STRAT-
FLUR, LANDEWI BREVI, AND LHANPADARN YAWR.3

A SERMON having been preached on the following morning

Cruc Mawr, on the left hand, which still retains its ancient name, and
agrees exactly with the position given to it by Giraldus. On its summit
is a tumulus, and some appearance of an intrenchment.

1 This town, which in modern times has assumed the name
of Cardigan, is situated on the northern hanks of the river Teivi, which
discharges itself into the sea a few miles from the town. When the
Normans and Flemings spread themselves over the western coasts of
Wales, they probably erected a fort to guard this river ; but the first
mention of it in the Welsh Chronicle occurs in the year 1155, when
prince Rhys built a castle at Aberdyfi, to protect his frontiers against
the princes of North Wales. In the year 1157, Roger earl of Clare,
having obtained a grant from king Henry of such lands in Wales as he
could win, came with a great army to Caerdigan, and fortified the castle
of Dyvy, which Rhys, prince of South Wales, destroyed in the following
year. On the return of king Henry to England, in the year 1165, after
his unsuccessful attempts against the Welsh, prince Rhys, availing him-
self of his retreat, laid siege to the castle of Aberteivi, and won it, and
levelled it to the ground. It was, however, rebuilt before the year 1177,
at which time prince Rhys held a most magnificent feast at Christmas,
in his castle at Aberteivi,, which is recorded in the Welsh Chronicle.
In 1188, the same lord Rhys entertained archbishop Baldwin and his
crusaders on their passage through Cardigan into North Wales.

" The signal victory of the Welsh, here alluded to by Giraldus, hap-
pened in 1135, soon after the death of Henry I., and the cruel murder
of Richard de Clare and his son Gilbert, near Abergavenny, by Morgan
ap Owen, of Caerleon.

8 Though Emelyn is mentioned in the title of the preceding chapter,
no notice is taken of it in the text. This village, on the direct road
from Cardigan to Llanbedr, now bears the name of Newcastle

CYNEUEIC SON OF BUYS 433

at P.nt Stephen,1 by the archbishop and archdeacon, and
also by two abbots of the Cistercian order, John of Alba-
domus, and Sisillus of Stratflur,2 who faithfully attended us
in those parts, and as far as North "Wales, many persons
were induced to take the cross. We proceeded to Stratflur,
where we passed the night. On the following morning,
having on our right the lofty mountains of Moruge, which
in Welsh are called Ellennith, we were met near the side of
a wood by Cyneuric son of Rhys, accompanied by a body ol
light-armed youths. This young man was of a fair com-
plexion, with curled hair, tall and handsome ; clothed only,
according to the custom of his country, with a thin cloak
and inner garment, his legs and feet, regardless of thorns
and thistles, were left bare ; a man, not adorned by art, but
nature ; bearing in his presence an innate, not an acquired,
dignity of manners. A sermon having been preached to

and is pleasantly situated on the banks of the river Teivi. There are
etill some considerable remains of the castle on an eminence overlook-
ing the river. Its situation was very strong, being nearly insulated by
the very singular channel of the Teivi.

1 Lanpeter, or Llanbedr, a small town near the river Teivi, still re-
tains the name of Font-Stephen. The verdant site alone remains of its
ancient castle, which I imagine to be the same as that of Stephen, alluded
to in the Welsh Chronicle, as having been demolished and overthrown
in the year 1137, by Owen Gwynedh, eldest son of G-ruffydh ap Conan.
Here our crusaders rested the night, and, on the following morning, the
service of the cross was successfully promoted by the united exhortations
of the archbishop, Giraldus the archdeacon, and the abbots.

2 Leland thus speaks of this place : " Strateflere is set round about
with montanes not far distant, except on the west parte, where Diffrin
Tyve is. Many hilles therabout hath bene well woddid, as evidently by old
rotes apperith, but now in them is almost no woode — the causes be these.
First, the wood cut down was never copisid, and this hath beene a great
cause of destruction of wood thorough Wales. Secondly, after cutting
down of woodys, the gottys hath so bytten the young spring that it
never grew but lyke shrubbes. Thirddely, men for the monys destroied
the great woddis that thei should not harborow theves." This monas-
tery is situated in the wildest part of Cardiganshire, surrounded on
three sides by a lofty range of those mountains, called by our author
Ellennith ; a spot admirably suited to the severe and recluse order of the
Cistercians. But wild and desolate as its present appearance may
seem, how much more so must it have been in former times, when king
Edward, for the better security of his subjects from the dangers they
were likely to incur in these solitary diptricts, ordered the highways to
b« repaired, and the surrounding woods to be cut down.

F P

434 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

these three young men, G-ruffydh, Malgon, and Cyneuric, in
the presence of their father, prince Rhys, and the brothers
disputing about taking the cross, at length Malgon strictly
promised that he would accompany the archbishop to the
king's court, and would obey the king's and archbishop's
counsel, unless prevented by them. Prom thence we passed
through Landewi Brevi,1 that is, the church of David of

1 Leaving Stratflur, the archbishop and his train returned to Llan-
dewi Brefi, and from thence proceeded to Llanbadarn Vawr. It ought
to be observed, that an unusual deviation was here made from the
direct road to the latter place, by returning to Llandewi Brefi, which, on
the preceding day, they must have passed, on their journey from Font-
Stephen to Stratflur. The large tract of mountains, which almost in-
close the Vale of the Teivi, bore the name of Ellennith, and were called
by the English, Moruge. As, after a long and minute enquiry amongst
the natives of these parts, I cannot find any modern or ancient name
attached to these hills, which at all corresponds with the word in ques-
tion, I am inclined to think that the word Moruge is only a corruption
from Moors, or Moorish, for such is the nature of these mountains.
Ellennith should be written Maelienydd, for these mountains are still so
called in old writings ; and I have before mentioned a cantref in Rad-
norshire, on the other side of these mountains, called Maelyenidd. The
village of Llandewi Brefi is situated near the southern banks of the
river Teivi, and opposite Llanio-isau, where there are evident remains
of the Roman town of Loventium. It has been much celebrated by
ecclesiastical writers, on account of the miracle performed there in
honour of St. David. I shall recount the miracle in the words of the
historian Cressy. " When all the fathers assembled enjoined David to
preach, he commanded a child which attended him, and had lately been
restored to life by him, to spread a napkin under his feet ; and, stand-
ing upon it, he began to expound the gospel and the law to the audi-
tory. All the while that this oration continued, a snow-white dove,
descending from heaven, sate upon his shoulders ; and, moreover, the
earth on which he stood raised itself under him till it became a hill,
from whence his voice, like a trumpet, was clearly heard and understood
by all, both near and far off, on the top of which hill a church waa
afterwards built, and remains to this day," The church, which was
the scene of the miracle, is situated on a gentle eminence, backed by
high mountains, and surrounded by the most miserable hovels I ever
beheld. Though a large and spacious building, it corresponds with the
village in misery and desolation. In the year 1188, no greater eccle-
eiastical establishment existed probably at Llandewi Brefi than a simple
church or chapel, commemorating the successful preaching of St.
David : and as Giraldus makes no mention of their having preached
there, we may conclude that devotion and respect for the hallowed spot
alone induced them to pass through it on their road from Stratflur to
Llanbadarn.

LliANBADABN TAWE. 435

Brevi, situated on the summit of that hill which had for-
merly risen up under his feet whilst preaching, during the
period of that celebrated synod, when all the bishops, ab-
bots, and clergy of Wales, and many other persons, were
collected thither on account of the Pelagian heresy, which,
although formerly exploded from Britain by G-ermanus,
bishop of Auxerre, had lately been revived in these parts.
At this place David was reluctantly raised to the arch-
bishopric, by the unanimous consent and election of the
whole assembly, who by loud acclamations testified their
admiration of so great a miracle. Dubricius had a short
time before resigned to him this honour in due form at
Caerleon, from which city the metropolitan see was trans-
ferred to St. David's.

Having rested that night at Lhanpadarn Vawr,1 or the
church of Paternus the Great, we attracted many persons
to the service of Christ on the following morning. It is
remarkable that this church, like many others in "Wales
and Ireland, has a lay abbot ; for a bad custom has pre-
vailed amongst the clergy, of appointing the most powerful
people of a parish stewards, or, rather, patrons, of their
churches ; who, in process of time, from a desire of gain,
have usurped the whole right, appropriating to their own
use the possession of all the lands, leaving only to the clergy
the altars, with their tenths and oblations, and assigning

1 Lhanbadarn Yawr, the church of St. Paternus the Great, is situ-
ated in a valley, at a short distance from the sea-port town of Aberyst-
wyth in Cardiganshire. It derived its name from Paternus, a dis-
tinguished saint in the British history, of whom Cressy and archbishop
Usher give the following account : " The sanctity of St. Dubricius and
St. David drew into Britain from foreign parts, St. Paternus, a devout
young man, about the year 516, together with 847 monks, who accom-
panied him. These fixed themselves in a place called Mauritania, and
there St. Paternus built a church and monastery, in which he placed
the monks under an economus, a provost, and a dean. This monastery
seems to have sent abroad many colonies of religious men into the pro-
vince ; for we find that this saint built monasteries and churches
through all the region called Ceretica, now Cardiganshire. The church
he erected in Mauritania was raised to the dignity of an episcopal see,
which he governed for one and twenty years, and was from him called
Paternensis. He was recalled by prince Caradoc into his own native
country of Lesser Britany, where he was made bishop of the church of
Vannee, having left Kinoc as successor to his former bishopric."

P F 2

486 THE 1TINEEAEY Til HOUGH WALES.

even these to their sons and relations in the church. Sue?
defenders, or rather destroyers, of the church, have causec
themselves to he called abbots, and presumed to attribute
to themselves a title, as well as estates, to which they have
no just claim. In this state we found the church of Lhanpa-
darn, without a head. A certain old man, waxen old in
iniquity (whose name was Eden Oen, son of G-waithwoed),
being abbot, and his sons officiating at the altar. But in the
reign of king Henry I., when the authority of the English
prevailed in Wales, the monastery of St. Peter at Glou-
cester held quiet possession of this church ; but after his
death, the English being driven out, the monks were ex-
pelled from their cloisters, and their places supplied by
the same violent intrusion of clergy and laity, which had
formerly been practised. It happened that in the reign of
king Stephen, who succeeded Henry I., a knight, born in
Armorican Britain, having travelled through many parts of
the world, from a desire of seeing different cities, and the
manners of their inhabitants, came by chance to Lhanpadarn.
On a certain feast-day, whilst both the clergy and people
were waiting for the arrival of the abbot to celebrate mass, he
perceived a body of young men, armed, according to the
custom of their country, approaching towards the church ;
and on enquiring which of them was the abbot, they pointed
out to him a man walking foremost, with a long spear in
his hand. Gazing on him with amazement, he asked, " If
the abbot had not another habit, or a different staff, from
that which he now carried before him ?" On their answer-
ing, " No !" he replied, " I have seen indeed and heard this
day a wonderful novelty !" and from that hour he returned
home, and finished his labours and researches. This wicked
people boasts, that a certain bishop ] of their church (for it
formerly was a cathedral) was murdered by their prede-
cessors ; and on this account, chiefly, they ground their
claims of right and possession. No public complaint having
been made against their conduct, we have thought it more
prudent to pass over, for the present, the enormities of this

1 The name of this bishop is said to have been Idnerth, and the
personage whose death is commemorated in an inscription aA Llandeir*
Brefi.

THEY ENTEH NOBTH WALES. 437

wicked race with dissimulation, than exasperate them by a
further relation.

CHAPTEE V.

OF THE RIVEB, DEVI, AND THE LAND OF THE SONS OF CONAN.

APPROACHING to the river Devi,1 which divides North and
South Wales, the bishop of St. David's, and Rhys the son
of Gruffydh, who, with a liberality peculiarly praiseworthy
in so illustrious a prince, had accompanied us from the
castle of Aberteivi, throughout all Cardiganshire, to this
place, returned home. Having crossed the river in a boat,
and quitted the diocese of St. David's, we entered the land
of the sons of Conan, or Merionyth, the first province of
Venedotia on that side of the country, and belonging to
the bishopric of Bangor.2 We slept that night at Towyn.3
Early next morning, Gruffydh son of Conan* came to meet

1 This river is now called Dory.

2 From Llanbadarn our travellers directed their course towards the
sea-coast, and ferrying over the river Dovy, which separates North from
South Wales, proceeded to Towyn, in Merionethshire, where they passed
the night Various have been the derivations given to the name of
this country ; some have deduced its name from Meirion, the son of
Tibion ab Cunedda, a chieftain who lived in the middle of the fifth cen-
tury. His father was slain when fighting with his brothers against the
Irish, who had established themselves in several parts of the coasts of
Wales, whereupon Meirion had the cantref of Meirionydd, and was
acknowledged by the people of that district as their lord, in reward for
his services in driving the Irish out of the country.

3 Towyn, now called Towyn Merioneth, is a small town built in a bad
and unhealthy situation, flanked on one side by a turbary and marsh,
and distant about a mile from the sea-shore, where there is a large ex-
tent of hard and level sands.

4 The province of Merionyth was at this period occupied by David,
the son of Owen Ghvynedh, who had seized it forcibly from its rightful
inheritor. The family of Conan, who bore rule in North Wales for so
many years, descended from lago, or James, son of Edwal, who, after
the death of Lhewelyn ap Sitsylt, in 1020, succeeded to the princi-
pality of North Wales : he died in 1037, and left a son named Conan,
who, though heir to the throne, never obtained it : but his son, Gruffyth
ap Conan, after the defeat and death of Trahaern ap Caradoc, A.D. 1078,
on the mountains of Carno, regained his inheritance, and maintained
it quietly for the long term ot fifty-nine years. After his death, in
1137, his sons, according to the Welsh custom, divided his lands be-
Cwixt them, and the principality of North Wales fell to the lot of Owen

438 THE ITINEBAEY THEOUGH WALES

us, humbly and devoutly asking pardon for having so long
delayed his attention to the archbishop. On the same day,
we ferried over the bifurcate river Maw,1 where Mai go, son
of Rhys, who had attached himself to the archbishop, as a
companion to the king's court, discovered a ford near the sea.
That night we lay at Lhanvair,2 that is the church of St. Mary,
in the province of Ardudwy.3 This territory of Conan, and
particularly Merionyth, is the rudest and roughest district
of all Wales ; the ridges of its mountains are very high and
narrow, terminating in sharp peaks, and so irregularly jum-
bled together, that if the shepherds conversing or disput-
ing with each other, from their summits, should agree to
meet, they could scarcely effect their purpose in the course
of the whole day. The lances of this country are very long ;
for as South Wales excels in the use of the bow, so North
Wales is distinguished for its skill in the lance ; insomuch
that an iron coat of mail will not resist the stroke of a lance

G-wynedh, the eldest son of the late prince, who enjoyed it for the space
of thirty-two years. On his death, in 1169, dissensions arose amongst
his children respecting the succession : — " Edward, or lorwerth Drw-
yndwn, the eldest sonne borne in matrimouie, was counted unmeete to
governe, because of the maime upon his face ; and Howel, who tooke
upon him all the rule, was a base sonne, begotten upon an Irish woman.
Therefore David gathered all the power he could, and came against
Howel, and fighting with him, slew him, and afterwards enjoied quietlie
the whole of North Wales, untill his brother lorwerth's son (Lewelyn)
came to age, and recovered his rightful inheritance." — Powell. Gruff-
ydh was son to Conan ap Owen G-wynedh ; he died A.D. 1200, and was
buried in a monk's cowl, in the abbey of Con way.

1 The epithet " bifurcus," ascribed by Giraldus to the river Maw,
alludes to its two branches, which unite their streams a little way below
Llaneltid bridge, and form an sestuary, which flows down to the sea at
Barmouth, or Aber Maw. The ford at this place, discovered by Malgo,
no longer exists.

2 Llanfair is a small village, about a mile and a half from Harlech,
with a very simple church, placed in a retired spot, backed by precipi-
tous mountains. Here the archbishop and Giraldus slept, on their
journey from Towyn to Nevyn, and I hope, for their sakes, Llanfair
presented a more respectable appearance in 1188, than it did to me in
1804.

3 Ardudwy was a comot of the cantref Dunodic, in Merionethshire,
and according to Leland, " Streocith from half Trait Mawr to Abermaw
on the shoie xii myles," The bridge here alluded to, was probably
over the river Artro, which forms a small sestuary near the Tillage of
Llanbedr.

JOUENEY ALONG THE COAST. 439

thrown at a small distance. The next morning, the youngest
son of Conan, named Meredyth, met us at the passage of a
bridge, attended by his people, where many persons were
signed with the cross ; amongst whom was a fine young man
of his suite, and one of his intimate friends ; and Meredyth,
observing that the cloak, on which the cross was to be
sewed, appeared of too thin and of too common a texture,
with a flood of tears, threw him down his own.

CHAPTEE VI.

PASSAGE OF TBAETH MAWB AND TBAETH BACHAN, AND
OF NEYYN, CABNABVON, AND BAN GOB.

WE continued our journey over the Traeth Mawr,1 and
Traeth Bachan,2 that is, the greater and the smaller arm of
the sea, where two stone castles have newly been erected ;
one called Deudraeth, belonging to the sons of Conan,
situated in Evionyth, towards the northern mountains ; the
other named Carn Madryn,3 the property of the sons of
Owen, built on the other side of the river towards the sea,

1 The Traeth Mawr, or the large sands, are occasioned by a variety of
springs and rivers which flow from the Snowdon mountains, and,
uniting their streams, form an sestuary below Pont Aberglasllyn.

2 The Traeth Bychan, or the small sands, are chiefly formed by the
river which runs down the beautiful vale of Festiniog to Maentwrog
and Tan y bwlch, near which place it becomes navigable. Over each of
these sands the road leads from Merionyth into Caernarvonshire.

3 Deudraeth, Carn Madryn. — Our author makes mention of these two
castles, one in Evionyth, or Caernarvonshire, towards the northern
mountains, versus montana. borealia, called Deudraeths and the other on
the headland of Lhyn, named Carn Madryn. I have not been able,
cither by personal researches, or by enquiry amongst the natives, to
gain any information respecting the castle named Deudraeth, which in
the Welsh language implies a place betwixt the two sands. There is a
promontory between the Traeth Mawr and the Traeth Bychan, called
Pentyr Deudraeth, or a promontory between two tracts of eand ; but I
could gain no intelligence of any ancient fortress being visible on that
spot. The river d ascending from the mountains under Pont Aberglas-
llyn and the Traeth Mawr, seems to have formed the ancient boundary
between the comots of Ardudwy and Evionyth. The other castle, Carn
Madryn, is well known both by name and position, and still retains
many marks of its high antiquity : it stands on a lofty insulated hill,
rising immediately above the well-wooded grounds of Mr. Parry, at
Madryn Ucna.

440 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

on the head-land Lhyn.1 Traeth, in the Welsh language,
signifies a tract of sand flooded by the tides, and left bare
when the sea ebbs. We had before passed over the noted
rivers, the Dissenith,2 between the Maw and Traeth Mawr,
and the Arthro, between the Traeth Mawr and Traeth
Bachan. We slept that night at Nevyn,3 on the eve of
Palm Sunday, where the archdeacon, after long inquiry and
research, is said to have found Merlin Sylvestris.4

1 Lhyn, the Canganorum promontorium of Ptolemy, was an exten-
sive hundred containing three comots, and comprehending that long
neck of land between Caernarvon and Cardigan bays. Leland says,
" Al Lene is as it were a pointe into the se."

8 In mentioning the rivers which the missionaries had lately crossed,
our author has been guilty of a great topographical error in placing the
river Dissennith between the Maw and Traeth Mawr, as also in placing
the Arthro between the Traeth Mawr and Traeth Bychan, as a glance
at a map will shew.

8 Nefyn, a miserable village, situated on an eminence at a short dis-
tance from the western coast of Caernarvon Bay, containing (in these
our modern days) no one object worthy of note, yet in 1284 it was
honoured by Edward I. with a royal visit, and a magnificent tourna-
ment.

4 Merlin Sylvestris. — To two personages of this name the gift of
prophecy was anciently attributed : one was called Ambrosius, the other
Sylvestris ; the latter here mentioned (and whose works Giraldus, after
a long research, found at Nefyn) was, according to the story, the son of
Morvryn, and generally called Merddin Wyllt, or Merddin the Wild.
He is pretended to have flourished about the middle of the sixth century,
and ranked with Merddin Emrys and Taliesin, under the appellation of
the three principal bards of the Isle of Britain. He was born at Caer-
werthevin, near the forest of Celyddon or Dunkell, in Scotland, where he
possessed a great estate, which he lost in the war of his lord Gwenddolau,
the son of Ceidio, and Aeddan vradog, against Rhydderch Hael. His mis-
fortunes in Scotland drove him into Wales j and there is now extant a
poetical dialogue between him and his preceptor Taliesin. He was pre-
sent at the battle of Camlan in the year 542, where, fighting under the
banner of king Arthur, he accidentally slew his own nephew, the son of
his sister Gwenddyda, in consequence of which calamity he was seized
with a madness which affected him every other hour.

" Awr o'i gov gan Dduw ry gai,
Awr yn mhell yr anmhwyllai."

The literal meaning of which is, " An hour of his memory from Q-od he
was wont to have ; an hour succeeding he would be divested of reason."
He fled back into Scotland, and concealed himself amongst the woods,
but he afterwards returned to North Wales, where he died, and was buried
in the isle of Bardsey.

THE ISLAND OF BAEDSET. 441

Beyond Lliyn, there is a small island inhabited by very re-
ligious monks, called Cselibes, or Colidei. This island, either
from the wholesomeness of its climate, owing to its vicinity
to Ireland, or rather from some miracle obtained by the
merits of the saints, has this wonderful peculiarity, that the
oldest people die first, because diseases are uncommon, and
scarcely any die except from extreme old age. Its name is
Enhli in the Welsh, and Berdesey1 in the Saxon language ;
and very many bodies of saints are said to be buried there,
and amongst them that of Daniel, bishop of Bangor.

The archbishop having, by his sermon the next day, in-
duced many persons to take the cross, we proceeded
towards Banchor, passing through Caernarvon,2 that is, the

1 Mr. Pennant has given the following description of this island :— -
*' From the port of Aberdaron, I took boat for Bardsey Island, which
lies about three leagues to the west. The mariners seemed tinctured
with the piety of the place, for they had not rowed far, but they made
a full stop, pulled off their hats, and offered up a short prayer After
doubling a headland, the island appears full in view ; we passed un-
der the lofty mountain which foi ms one side ; after doubling the fur-
ther end, we put into a little sandy creek, bounded by low rocks, as is
the whole level part. On landing, I found all this tract a very fertile
plain, well cultivated, and productive of every thing which the main
land affords. The abbot's house is a large stone building inhabited by
several of the natives ; not far from it is a singular chapel or oratory,
being a long arched edifice, with an insulated stone-altar near the east
end. In this place one of the inhabitants reads prayers ; all other
offices are performed at Aberdaron." This island once afforded, accord-
ing to the old accounts, an asylum to twenty thousand saints, and after
death, graves to as many of their bodies j whence it has been called In-
sula Sanctorum, the Isle of Saints ; it would be much more facile to
find graves in Bardsey for so many saints, than saints for so many
graves. The slaughter of the monks at Bangor. about the year 607, ia
supposed to have contributed to the population of this island, for not
only the brethren who escaped, but numbers of other pious Britons,
fled hither to avoid the rage of the Saxons. This island derived its
British name of Enhli from the fierce current which rages between it
and the main land. The Saxons named it Bardsey, probably from the
Bards, who retired hither, preferring solitude to the company of invad-
ing foreigners.

2 This ancient city has been recorded by a variety of names. During
the time of the Komans it was called Segontium, the site of which is
now called Caer Seient, the fortress on the river Seient, where the Setan-
tiorum portus, and the Seteia ^ZEstuarium of Ptolemy have also been
placed. It is called, by Nennius, Caer Custent, or the city of Constaii-
tius ; and Matthew of Westminster says, that about the year 1283

442 mi? ITENEBABY. THROUGH WALES.

castle of Arvon ; it is called Arvon, the province opposite
to Mon, because it is so situated with respect to the island
of Mona. Our road leading us to a steep valley,1 with
many broken ascents and descents, we dismounted from our
horses, and proceeded on foot, rehearsing, as it were, by
agreement, some experiments of our intended pilgrimage to
Jerusalem. Having traversed the valley, and reached the
opposite side with considerable fatigue, the archbishop, to
rest himself and recover his breath, sat down on an oak
which had been torn up by the violence of the winds ; and
relaxing into a pleasantry highly laudable in a person of his
approved gravity, thus addressed his attendants: "Who
amongst you, in this company, can now delight our wearied
ears by whistling ?" which is not easily done by people out
of breath. He affirming that he could, if he thought fit,
the sweet notes are heard, in an adjoining wood, of a bird,
which some said was a wood-pecker, and others, more cor-
rectly, an aureolus. The wood-pecker is called in French,
spec, and with its strong bill, perforates oak trees ; the other
bird is called aureolus, from the golden tints of its feathers,
and at certain seasons utters a sweet whistling note, instead

the body of Constantius, father of the emperor Constantino, was found
there, and honourably deposited in the church by order of king Ed-
ward I. The author of the Life of Gruffydh ap Conan says, that Hugh,
earl of Chester, built a castle at this place in Hen Caer Custennei,
i. e. the old city of Constantius. The name of Caernarvon was derived
from its being situated opposite to Mona, or Anglesey. Caer-ar-Mon,
the fortress over against Mona. On a gentle eminence above the river
Seient, stood the Roman city of Segontium, of which very evident traces
still exist. The area of the camp, which is of the oblong square form,
with rounded angles (so generally adopted throughout Wales by the
Romans in the construction of their forts), is inclosed by stone walls
firmly cemented together with mortar and brick intermixed ; and is
intersected by the turnpike road leading from Caernarvon to Beddgelert,
leaving the greater part of the area on the south side.

1 I searched in vain for a valley which would answer the description
here given by Giraldus, and the scene of so much pleasantry to the tra-
vellers ; for neither do the old or new road, from Caernarvon to Bangor,
in any way correspond. But I have since been informed, that there is a
ralley called Nant y Garth (near the residence of Ashton Smith, Esq.,
at Vaenol), which terminates at about half a mile's distance from the
Menai, and therefore not observable from the road ; it is a serpentine
ravine of more than a mile, in a direction towards the mountains, and
probably that which the crusaders crossed on their journey to Bangor.

THE SEE OF BANGOR. 443

of a song.1 Some persons having remarked, that the night-
ingale was never heard in this country, the archbishop, with
a significant smile, replied, " The nightingale followed wise
counsel, and never came into "Wales ; but we, unwise coun-
sel, who have penetrated and gone through it." "We re-
mained that night at Banchor,2 the metropolitan see of North
"Wales, and were well entertained by the bishop of the dio-
cese.3 On the next day, mass being celebrated by the
archbishop before the high altar, the bishop of that see, at
the instance of the archbishop and other persons, more im-
portunate than persuasive, was compelled to take the cross,
to the general concern of all his people of both sexes, who
expressed their grief on this occasion by loud and lamentable
vociferations.

CHAPTEE VII.

THE ISLAND OF MONA.

FROM hence, we crossed over a small arm of the sea to
the island of Mona,* distant from thence about two miles,

1 I have not been able to ascertain the bird here alluded to by our
author under the Latin name of aur&olus.

2 Bangor. — This cathedral church must not be confounded with the
celebrated college of the same name, in Flintshire, founded by Dunod
Vawr, son of Pabo, a chieftain who lived about the beginning of the
sixth century, and from him called Bangor Dunod. The Bangor, i. e.
the college, in Caernarvonshire, is properly called Bangor Deiniol, Ban-
gor Vawr yn Arllechwedh, and Bangor Vawr uch Conwy. It owes its
origin to Deiniol, son of Dunod ap Pabo, a saint who lived in the early
part of the sixth century, and in the year 525 founded this college at
Bangor, in Caernarvonshire, over which he presided as abbot. But the
historian Cressy places the date of its foundation in 516, and adds, " In
the same place Malgo Conan not long after built a city, which for the
beauty of its situation he called Ban-c6r, i. e. the high or conspicuous
choir." This college was afterwards raised to the dignity of a bishop-
ric, and Daniel was elected the first bishop, about the year 550. G-uy
Kufus, called by our author Ghtianus, was at this time bishop of this
see, and died in 1190, when Giraldus Cainbrensis, archdeacon of Breck-
nock, was elected to the vacant bishopric of Bangor ; but he refused
the dignity thus voluntarily offered to him.

3 Guianus, or Guy Rufus, dean of Waltham, in Essex, and conse-
crated to this see, at Ambresbury, Wilts, in May 1177- In 1188, he
attended Baldwin in his progress through Wales, and died about two
years afterwards.

4 Mona, or Anglesey. This island, once the principal seat of the
Druids, and the kst asylum to *vhich the distressed Britons fled for

£44 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

where Hoderic, the younger son of Owen, attended by
nearly all the inhabitants of the island, and many others
from the adjacent countries, came in a devout manner to
meet us. Confession having been made in a place near the
shore, where the surrounding rocks seemed to form a na-
tural theatre,1 many persons were induced to take the cross,

succour from the victorious Romans ; the residence of the British
princes, and the stronghold of their expiring armies ; contains many
interesting monuments of the highest antiquity, and coeval with its
ancient inhabitants, the Druids. Its sovereignty appears to have been
both frequently and sturdily contested for above four centuries, and was
the scene on which the last and decisive battle was fought between the
Welsh and English ; and although prince Llewelyn here witnessed
the total overthrow of his rival, king Edward I., and the discomfiture of
his army, with the loss of many of its most illustrious knights and chief-
tains, yet fortune, on this occasion, seems only to have glimmered for a
moment in his favour, for in the ensuing year he was betrayed, and lost
his life near Builth in Brecknock. This island, which in modern days
deserves the epithets applied to it by Griraldus in this chapter, once bore
a very different appearance. When attacked by the Roman general
Suetonius, the sacred woods of the Druids were levelled to the ground :
"Presidium impositum victis, excisique luci ssevis superstitionibus
eacri." At a much later period we find it well provided with trees $
for in the year 1102, the Welsh Chronicle says, " that Magnus landed
in Anglesey, and hewed down as much timber wood as was needful for
him." Dreary as its outward aspect may seem to the traveller, it still
contains many interesting objects of attention ; it is particularly rich in
Druidical remains, the finest specimen of which is to be seen in the
park of Lord Uxbridge, at Plas Newydd. The Paris Mountains de-
serve the notice of the artist, as well as the mineralogist ; for the ma-
jestic grandeur and effect of their excavations cannot be surpassed ;
neither should the stately and well-preserved castle at Beaumaris be
overlooked, though inferior in point of situation to its rival brothers at
Conway and Caernarvon.

1 The spot selected by Baldwin for addressing the multitude, has in
some degree been elucidated by the anonymous author of the Supple-
ment to Rowland's Mona Antiqua. He says, that "From tradition
and memorials still retained, we have reasons to suppose that they met
in an open place in the parish of Landisilio, called Cerrig y Borth..
The inhabitants, by a grateful remembrance, to perpetuate the honour
of that day, called the place where the archbishop stood, Carreg yr
Archjagon, i. e. the Archbishop's Rock ; and where prinee Roderic
stood, Maen Roderic, or the Stone of Roderic." This account is in
part corroborated by the following communication from Mr. Richard
Liwyd of Beaumaris, who made personal enquiries on the spot. " Cer-
tig y Borth, being a rough, undulating district, could not, for that rea-
ion, have been chosen for addressing a multitude ; but adjoining it

THE ISLAND OP ANGLESEA. 445

by the persuasive discourses of the archbishop, and Alex-
ander,1 our interpreter, archdeacon of that place, and of
Sisillus, abbot of Stratflur. Many chosen youths of the
family of Roderic were seated on an opposite rock, and not
one of them could be prevailed upon to take the cross,
although the archbishop and others most earnestly exhorted
them, but in vain, by an address particularly directed to
them. It came to pass within three days, as if by divine
vengeance, that these young men, with many others, pur-
sued some robbers of that country. Being discomfited and
put to flight, some were slain, others mortally wounded,
and the survivors voluntarily assumed that cross they had
before despised. Roderic, also, who a short time before had
incestuously married the daughter of Rhys, related to him
by blood in the third degree, in order, by the assistance of
that prince, to be better able to defend himself against the
sons of his brothers, whom he had disinherited, not paying
attention to the wholesome admonitions of the archbishop
on this subject, was a little while afterwards dispossessed of
all his lands by their means ; thus deservedly meeting with
disappointment from the very source from which he ex-
pected support. The island of Mona contains three hun-
dred and forty-three vills, considered equal to three cant-
reds. Cantred, a compound word from the British and

there are two eminences which command a convenient surface for that
purpose ; onw called Maen Rodi (the Stone or Rock of Roderic), the
property of Owen Williams, Esq. ; and the other Carreg lago, belong-
ing to Lord Uxbridge. This last, as now pronounced, means the Rock
of St. James ; but I have no difficulty in admitting, that Carreg yr
Arch lagon may (by the compression of common, un discriminating
language, and the obliteration of the event from ignorant minds by the
lapse of so many centuries) be contracted into Carreg lago. Cadair yr
archesgob is now also contracted into Cadair (chair), a seat naturally
formed in the rock, with a rude arch over it, on the road side, which is
a rough terrace over the breast of a rocky and commanding cliff, and
the nearest way from the above eminences to the insulated church of
Landisilio. This word Cadair, though in general language a chair, ^et
when applied to exalted situations, means an observatory, as Cadair
Idris, &c. ; but there can, in my opinion, be no doubt that this seat in
the rock is that deseribed by the words Cadair yr Archesgob."

1 Alexander, who acted as interpreter between the Welsh and En-
glish, was archdeacon of Bangor in 1106, and held the same dignity ia
1188, when archbishop Baldwin visited these part*.

416 THE ITINEEAET THBOTJGH WALES.

Irish languages, is a portion of land equal to one hundred
vills. There are three islands contiguous to Britain, on
its different sides, which are said to be nearly of an equal
size — the Isle of Wight on the south, Mona on the west,
and Mania (Man) on the north-west side. The two first
are separated from Britain by narrow channels ; the third is
much further removed, lying almost midway between the
countries of Ulster in Ireland and Gralloway in Scotland.
The island of Mona is an arid and stony land, rough and
unpleasant in its appearance, similar in its exterior qualities
to the land of Pebidion,1 near St. David's, but very different
as to its interior value. For this island is incomparably
more fertile in corn than any other part of Wales, from
whence arose the British proverb, " Mon mam Cymbry,
Mona mother of Wales ;" and when the crops have been
defective in all other parts of the country, this island, from
the richness of its soil and abundant produce, has been able
to supply all Wales.

As many things within this island are worthy of remark,
I shall not think it superfluous to make mention of some of
them. There is a stone here resembling a human thigh,2
which possesses this innate virtue, that whatever distance
it may be carried, it returns, of its own accord, the follow-
ing night, as has often been experienced by the inhabitants.
Hugh, earl of Chester,3 in the reign of king Henry I.,

1 This hundred contained the comots of Mynyw, or St. David's, and
Pencaer.

2 I am indebted to Mr. Richard Llwyd for the following curious
extract from a Manuscript of the late intelligent Mr. Rowlands, respect-
ing this miraculous stone, called Maen Morddwyd, or the stone of the
thigh, which once existed in Llanidan parish. " Hie etiam lapis lumbi,
vulgo Maen Morddwyd, in hujus csemiterii vallo locum sibi e longo a
retro tempore obtinuit, exindeque his nuperis annis, quo nescio papi
cola yel qua inscia manu nulla ut olim retinente virtute, quse tune pe-
nitus elanguit aut vetustate evaporavit, nullo sane loci dispendio, neo
illi qui eripuit emolumento, ereptus et deportatus fuit."

3 Hugh, earl of Chester. The first earl of Chester after the Norman con-
quest, was G-herbod, a Fleming, who, having obtained leave from king
William to go into Flanders for the purpose of arranging some family
concerns, was taken and detained a prisoner by his enemies ; upon
which the conqueror bestowed the earldom of Chester on Hugh do
Abrincis, " to hold as freely by the sword, as the king himself did
England by the crown." He remained steady to the cause of William

A MIRACULOUS STONE. 447

having by force occupied this island and the adjacent
country, heard of the miraculous power of this stone, and,
for the purpose of trial, ordered it to be fastened, with
strong iron chains, to one of a larger size, and to be thrown
into the sea. On the following morning, however, accord-
ing to custom, it was found in its original position, on
which account the earl issued a public edict, that no one,
from that time, should presume to move the stone from
its place. A countryman, also, to try the powers of this
stone, fastened it to his thigh, which immediately became
putrid, and the stone returned to its original situation.
There is in the same island a stony hill, not very large

Rufus during all his reign, and by his military skill and prowess en-
larged his territories in Wales, winning the province of Tegengl and
B-yvonioc, with all the land by the sea-shore unto the river of Conway.
In the year 1096, he leagued with Hugh earl of Shrewsbury against the
Welsh, and attacked the Island of Anglesey, the particulars of which
are thus related in the Welsh Chronicle. " The year following being
1096, Hugh de Mountgomerie, earle of Arundell and Salopsburie, whom
the Welshmen call Hugh Q-och, that is to say, Hugh the Ked-headed,
and Hugh Vras, that is Hugh the Fat, earle of Chester, and a great
number of nobles more, did gather a huge armie, and entred into North
Wales, being thereto moved by certeine lords of the countrie. But
Gruffyth ap Conan the prince, and Cadogan ap Blethyn, tooke the
hilles and mountaines for their defense j bicause they were not able to
meet with the carles, neither durst they well trust their owne men.
And so the earles came over against the ile of M6n, or Anglesey, where
they did build a castell of Aberlhiennawc. Then Gruffyth and Cadogan
did go to Anglesey, thinking to defend the ile, and sent for succour to
Ireland ; but they received verie small. Then the treason appeared,
for Owen ap Edwyn (who was the prince's cheefe counsellor, and his
father-in-law, whose daughter Gruffyth had married, having himselfe
also married Everyth the daughter of Convyn, aunt to Cadogan) was
the cheefe caller of those strangers into Wales, who openlie went with
all his power to them, and did lead them to the ile of Anglesey, which
thing, when Gruffyth and Cadogan perceived, they sailed to Ireland,
mistrusting the treason of theire owne people. Then the earles spoiled
the ile, and slew all that they found there. And at the verie same time,
Magnus, the sonne of Haroald, came with a great navie of ships towards
England, minding to laie faster hold upon that kingdome than hia
father had done, and being driven by chaunce to Anglesey, would have
landed there, but the earles kept him from the land. And there Mag-
nus with an arrowe stroke Hugh earle of Salop in the face, that he died
thereof; and suddenlie either part forsooke the ile, and the Englishmen
returned to England, and left Owen ap Edwyn prince in the land, who
had allured them thither."— P. 156.

THE ITINEBARY THBOUGH WALES.

or high, from one side of which, if you cry aloud, you will
not be heard on the other ; and it is called (by antiphrasis)
the rock of hearers. In the northern part of Great Britain
(Northumberland) so named by the English, from its situ-
ation beyond the river Humber, there is a hill of a similar
nature, where if a loud horn or trumpet is sounded on one
side, it cannot be heard on the opposite one. There is also
in this island the church of St. Tefredaucus,1 into which
Hugh, earl of Shrewsbury (who, together with the earl of
Chester, had forcibly entered Anglesey), on a certain night
put some dogs, which on the following morning were found
mad, and he himself died within a month ; for some pirates,
from the Orcades, having entered the port of the island in
their long vessels, the earl, apprised of their approach,
boldly met them, rushing into the sea upon a spirited horse.
The commander of the expedition, Magnus, standing on the
prow of the foremost ship, aimed an arrow at him ; and,
although the earl was completely equipped in a coat of
mail, and guarded in every part of his body except his eyes,
the unlucky weapon struck his right eye, and, entering his
brain, he fell a lifeless corpse into the sea. The victor, see-
ing him in this state, proudly and exultingly exclaimed, in
the Danish tongue, " Leit loup," let him leap ; and from
this time the power of the English ceased in Anglesey. In
our times, also, when Henry II. was leading an army into
North Wales, where he had experienced the ill fortune of
war in a narrow, woody pass near Coleshulle, he sent a fleet
into Anglesey, and began to plunder the aforesaid church, and
other sacred places. But the divine vengeance pursued him,
for the inhabitants rushed upon the invaders, few against
many, unarmed against armed ; and having slain great
numbers, and taken many prisoners, gained a most com-
plete and bloody victory. For, as our Topography of
Ireland testifies, that the Welsh and Irish are more prone
to anger and revenge than any other nations, the saints,
likewise, of those countries appear to be of a more vindic-
tive nature.

1 This church is at Llandyfrydog, a small village in Twrkelin hun-
dred, not far distant from Llanelian, and about three miles from the
Bay of Dulas. St. Tyvrydog, to whom it was dedicated, was one of the
sons of Arwystyl Glof, a saint who lived in the latter part of the sixth
century.

PBIEBTHOLME ISLAND. 449

Two noble persons, and uncles of the author of this book,
were sent thither by the king ; namely, Henry, son of king
Henry I., and uncle to king Henry II., by Nest, daughter
of Rhys, prince of South Wales ; and Robert Fitzstepben,
brother to Henry, a man who in our days, shewing
the way to others, first attacked Ireland, and whose fame is
recorded in our Vaticinal History. Henry, actuated by
too much valour, and ill supported, was pierced by a lance,
arid fell amongst the foremost, to the great concern of his
attendants ; and Robert, despairing of being able to defend
himself, was badly wounded, and escaped with difficulty to
the ships.

There is a small island, almost adjoining to Anglesey,
which is inhabited by hermits, living by manual labour, and
serving Grod. It is remarkable that when, by the influence
of human passions, any discord arises among them, all their
provisions are devoured and infected by a species of small
mice, with which the island abounds ; but when the discord
ceases, they are no longer molested. Nor is it to be won-
dered at, if the servants of God sometimes disagree, since
Jacob and Esau contended in the womb of Rebecca, and
Paul and Barnabas differed ; the disciples also of Jesus dis-
puted which of them should be the greatest, for these are
the temptations of human infirmity; yet virtue is ofte^i
made perfect by infirmity, and faith is increased by tribu- •>
lations. This1 island is called in Welsh, Ynys Lenach,1 or
the ecclesiastical island, because many bodies of saints are
deposited there, and no woman is suffered to enter it.

We saw in Anglesea a dog, who accidentally had lost hia
tail, and whose whole progeny bore the same defect. It is
wonderful that nature should, as it were, conform itself in
this particular to the accident of the father. We saw also

1 Ynys Lenach, now known by the name of Priestholme Island, bore
also the title of Ynys Seiriol, from a saint who resided upon it in the
sixth century. It is also mentioned by Dugdale and Pennant under
the appellation of Insula Glannauch. The fretum, which separates the
island from the main land, is something more than half a mile across.
The island is between half and three quarters of a mile long, and nearly
of an oval form, precipitous, with an inclination to the north. The
soil is rich, with a small portion of sand intermixed. It can boast of
no huil&ngs but a ruined tower, and of no inhabitants but sheep and
rabbita.

450 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

a knight, named Earthbald, born in Devonshire, whoee
father, denying the child with which his mother was preg-
nant, and from motives of jealousy accusing tier of incon-
stancy, nature alone decided the controversy by the birth
of the child, who, by a miracle, exhibited on his upper lip a
scar, similar to one his father bore in consequence of a
wound he had received from a lance in one of his military
expeditions. Stephen, the son of Earthbald, had a similar
mark, the accident being in a manner converted into nature.
A like miracle of nature occurred in earl Alberic, son of Al-
beric earl of Veer,1 whose father, during the pregnancy of his
mother, the daughter of Henry of Essex, having laboured
to procure a divorce, on account of the ignominy of her
father, the child, when born, had the same blemish in its
eye, as the father had got from a casual hurt. These de-
fects may be entailed on the offspring, perhaps, by the im-
pression made on the memory by frequent and steady ob-
servation ; as it is reported that a queen, accustomed to see
the picture of a negro in her chamber, unexpectedly brought
forth a black child, and is exculpated by Quintilian, on
account of the picture. In like manner it happened to the
spotted sheep, given by Laban out of his flock to his nephew
Jacob, and which conceived by means of variegated rods.2

1 Alberic de Yeer, or Vere, came into England with "William the
Conqueror, and as a reward for his military services, received very ex-
tensive possessions and lands, particularly in the county of Essex. Al-
beric, his eldest son, was great chamberlain of England in the reign of
king Henry I., and was killed A.D. 1140, in a popular tumult at Lon-
don. Henry de Essex married one of his daughters named Adeliza.
He enjoyed, by inheritance, the office of standard-bearer, and behaved
himself so unworthily in the military expedition which king Henry
undertook against Owen Gwynedh, prince of North Wales in the year
1157, by throwing down his ensign, and betaking himself to flight, that
he was challenged for this misdemeanor by Eobert de Mountford, and
by him vanquished in single combat ; whereby, according to the laws
of his country, his life was justly forfeited. But the king interposing
his royal mercy, spared it, but confiscated his estates, ordering him to
be shorn a monk, and placed in the abbey of Reading. There appears
to be some biographical error in the words of Giraldus — " Filia scilicet
Henrici de Essexia," for by the genealogical accounts of the Vere and
Essex families, we find that Henry de Essex married the daughter
of the second Alberic de Vere ; whereas our author seems to imply,
that the mother of Alberic the second was daughter to Henry de Essex.
8 " And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel, and

THE BIYER CONWAY. 451

Nor is the child always affected by the mother's imagination
alone, but sometimes by that of the father ; for it is well
known that a man, seeing a passenger near him, who was
convulsed both behind and before, on going home and
telling his wife that he could not get the impression of this
sight off his mind, begat a child who was affected in a
similar manner.

CHAPTEE VIII.

PASSAGE OF THE RIVER CONWY IN A BOAT, AND OP
DINAS EMRTS.

ON our return to Banchor from Mona, we were shown the
tombs of prince Owen and his younger brother Cadwa-
lader,1 who were buried in a double vault before the high
altar, although Owen, on account of his public incest with
his cousin-german, had died excommunicated by the blessed
martyr St. Thomas, the bishop of that see having been
enjoined to seke a proper opportunity of removing his body
from the church. We continued our journey on the sea
coast, confined on one side by steep rocks, and by the sea
on the other, towards the river Conwy, which preserves
its waters unadulterated by the sea.2 Not far from the

of the chesnut tree, and peeled white strakes in them, and made the
white appear which was in the rods. And he set the rods, which he
had peeled, before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs,
when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they
came to drink. And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought
forth cattle speckled and spotted." — Gen. xxx.

1 Owen Gwynedh, the son of Gruffyth ap Conan, died in 1169, and
was buried at Bangor. When Baldwin, during his progress, visited
Bangor and saw his tomb, he charged the bishop (Guy Kuffus) to re-
move the body out of the cathedral, when he had a fit opportunity so
to do, in regard that archbishop Becket had excommunicated him
heretofore, because he had married his first cousin, the daughter of
Grono ap Edwyn, and that notwithstanding he had continued to live
with her till she died. The bishop, in obedience to the charge, made
a passage from the vault through the south wall of the church un-
derground, and thus secretly shoved the body into the churchyard. —
Henqwrt. MSS. Cadwallader, brother of Owen Gwynedh, died in 1172.

• The same vulgar opinion seems to have prevailed in the days of
Giraldus respecting the river Conway as in more modern times has been
held both to the river Eh6ne in Switzerland and the river Dee in
Merionethshire, one of which is said to continue its course unvaried
through the lake of Geneva, and the other through the lake of Bala,

G G 2

452 THE ITINEEAET THEOTTGH WALES.

source of the river Conwy,1 at the head of the Eryri moan-
tain, which on this side extends itself towards the north,
stands Dinas Emrys,2 that is, the promontory of Arabrosius,
where Merlin3 uttered his prophecies, whilst Yortigern was
seated upon the bank. . There were two Merlins ; the one
called Ambrosius, who prophesied in the time of king Vor-
tigern, was begotten by a demon incnbus, and found at Caer-
mardin, from which circumstance that city derived its name
of Caermardin, or the city of Merlin ; the other Merlin, born
in Scotland, was named Celidonius, from the Celidonian
wood in which he prophesied ; and Sylvester, because when
engaged in martial conflict, he discovered in the air a ter-
rible monster, and from that time grew mad, and taking
shelter in a wood, passed the remainder of his days in a
savage state. This Merlin lived in the time of king Arthur,
and is said to have prophesied more fully and explicitly than
the other. I shall pass over in silence what was done by

1 The river Comvay takes its rise far to the east of Snowdon, on a
dreary range of mountains between Festiniog and Yspytty Evan, where
there is a very large lake (inferior only in size to that of Bala), and
which may be truly called the chief source of this river. In its course
to Llanrwst, it forms many fine and precipitous cataracts.

2 This singularly insulated hill, which still retains its ancient name,
is situated at a short distance from the picturesque little village of
Beddgelert, and near a beautiful lake called Llyn y Dinas, or the
Lake of the Castle. It is far distant, however, from the source of the
river Conway, which rises on the opposite side of Snowdon. On its
summit are the remains of a square fort, and on the western side, facing
Beddgelert, there are traces of a long wall.

3 The Merlin here mentioned was called Ambrosius, and according
to the Cambrian Biography flourished about the middle of the fifth
century. He was a celebrated poet, well skilled in mathematics,
and is reputed to have been the architect of the work of Emrys, called
by the English Stonehenge, on Salisbury Plain. There is a sin-
gular account of his construction of a house of glass, in which he
went to sea, accompanied by the nine Cylveirdd bards, of whom nothing
was heard afterwards ; whence the circumstances were ranked with the
departure of Gavran and of Madog, under the appellation of the three
disappearances from the isle of Britain. This Merddin was also dis-
tinguished as one of the three principal Christian bards of the isle
of Britain ; the other two were Merddin Wyllt and Taliesin. Other
autLors say, that this reputed prophet and magician was the son of ft
Welsh nun, daughter of a king of Demetia, and born at Caermarthen,
and that he was made king of West Wales by Vortigern, who then
reigned in Britain.

THE EEYEI MOUNTAINS. 453

the sons of Owen in our days, after Ms death, or while he
was dying, who, from the wicked desire of reigning, totally
disregarded the ties of fraternity ; but I shall not omit men-
tioning another event which occurred likewise in our days.
Owen,1 son of Gruffyth, prince of North Wales, had many
sons, but only one legitimate, namely, Jorwerth Trwyndwn,3
which in Welsh means flat-nosed, who had a son named
Lhewelyn. This young man, being only twelve years of
age, began, during the period of our journey, to molest his
uncles David and Roderic, the sons of Owen by Christiana,
his cousin -germ an ; and although they had divided amongst
themselves all North Wales, except the land of Conan,
and although David, having married the sister of king
Henry II., by whom he had one son, was powerfully sup-
ported by the English, yet within a few years the legitimate
son, destitute of lands or money (by the aid of divine ven-
geance), bravely expelled from North Wales those who were
born in public incest, though supported by their own wealth
and by that of others, leaving them nothing but what the
liberality of his own mind and the counsel of good men from
pity suggested : a proof that adulterous and incestuous per-
sons are displeasing to God.

CHAPTEE IX.

OP THE MOUNTAINS OF EBYET.

I MUST not pass over in silence the mountains called by the
Welsh Eryri,3 but by the English Snowdon, or Mountains

1 Owen Gwynedh " left behind him manie children gotten by diverse
women, which were not esteemed by their mothers and birth, but by
their prowes and valiantnesse." By his first wife, Glad us, the daughter
of Llywarch ap Trahaern ap Caradoc, he had Jorwerth Drwyndwn, that
is, Edward with the broken nose j for which defect he was deemed unlit
to preside over the principality ^f North Wales and was deprived oi
his rightful inheritance, wlu>v ^w seized by his brother David, who
occupied it for the space of fa n-:ty-four years.

2 Jorwerth Trwyndwn. — Mr. "Pennant supposes that this unfortunate
prince was buried in the churchyard of Pennant Melange!!, whither, as
to a sanctuary, he had fled from the persecution* of his brother David ;
and he gives to him a rudely-sculptured effigy of a warrior bearing a
shield, on which was this inscription : — "HIC IACST ETWART."

3 The mountains of Eryri, now better known by the name of Snow-
don, form a very prominent feature in the natural history and topo«

454 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

of Snow, which gradually increasing from the land of the
sons of Conan, and extending themselves northwards near
Deganwy, seem to rear their lofty summits even to the
clouds, when viewed from the opposite coast of Anglesey.
They are said to be of so great an extent, that according to
an ancient proverb, " As Mona could supply corn for all
the inhabitants of Wales, so could the Eryri mountains
afford sufficient pasture for all the herds, if collected toge-
ther." Hence these lines of Virgil may be applied to
them : —

" Et quantum longis carpent arnienta diebus,

Exigua tantum gelidus ros nocte reponet."
" And what is crept by day the night renews,

Shedding refreshful stores of cooling dews."

On the highest parts of these mountains are two lakes wor-
thy of admiration.1 The one has a floating island in it, which
is often driven from one side to the other by the force of the
winds ; and the shepherds behold with astonishment their
cattle, whilst feeding, carried to the distant parts of the
lake. A part of the bank naturally bound together by the
roots of willows and other shrubs may have been broken off,
and increased by the alluvion of the earth from the shore ;
and being continually agitated by the winds, which in so

graphy of North Wales. The highest summit is called Y Wyddfa, or
the Conspicuous, and appears in no situation so exalted as near Capel
Curig. Though confessedly the highest mountain in Wales, it is by
no means the most picturesque in its form ; for Cadair Idris, Moelwyn,
and Arran in North Wales, and the Cadair Arthur, near Brecknock, in
South Wales, present a far bolder outline.

1 Our author mentions two lakes on the high parts of these moun-
tains, the first of which, he says, has a floating island in it. On the
left of the great road, leading from Beddgelert to Caernarvon, and
before you come to the beautiful lake Cywellyn, there is a small
pool, bearing the name of Llyn y Dywarchen, or the lake of the Sod,
and which, at the time I saw it, exhibited the same peculiarity men-
tioned, and rationally accounted for, by Giraldus ; but its situation so
little accords with the one here described, that I am inclined to think
this is not the lake alluded to in the text, more particularly as I have
been informed by some of the natives of these parts, that there is
another lake bearing the same name on the heights between Beddgelert
and Festiniog. Mr. Pennant (but I know not from what authority)
fixes the other lake at Llyn y Cwn. or the Dog's Pool, which, according
to Mr. Williams, author of Observations on the Snowdon mountains,
1802, is the highest lake amongst these mountains.

THE CASTLE OJf lUiUDDLAN. 455

elevated a situation blow with great violence, it cannot
reunite itself firmly with the banks. The other lake is
noted for a wonderful and singular miracle. It contains
three sorts of fish — eels, trout, and perch, all of which have
only one eye, the left being wanting ; but if the curious
reader should demand of me the explanation of so extraor-
dinary a circumstance, I cannot presume to satisfy him.
It is remarkable also, that in two places in Scotland, one
near the eastern, the other near the western sea, the fish
called mullets possess the same defect, having no left eye.
According to vulgar tradition, these mountains are fre-
quented by an eagle who, perching on a fatal stone every
fifth holiday, in order to satiate her hunger with the car-
cases of the slain, is said to expect war on that same day,
and to have almost perforated the stone by cleaning and
sharpening her beak.

CHAPTER X.

OF THE PASSAGE BY DEGANWY AND BTJTHLAN, AND THE
SEE OF LANELWY, AND OF COLESHTJLLE.

HAYING crossed the river Conwy,1 or rather an arm of the
sea, under Deganwy, leaving the Cistercian monastery of
Conwy2 on the western bank of the river to our right hand,
we arrived at Ruthlan,3 a noble castle on the river Cloyd,

1 The travellers pursuing their journey along the sea coast, crossed
the cestuary of the river Con way under Diganwy, a fortress of very re-
mote antiquity.

2 At this period the Cistercian monastery of Conway was in its in-
fancy, for its foundation has been attributed to Llewelyn ap Jorwerth,
in the year 1185, (only three years previous to Baldwin's visitation,)
who endowed it with very extensive possessions and singular privileges.
Like Stratflur, this abbey was the repository of the national records, and
the mausoleum of many of its princes.

3 The castle of Rhuddlan was deemed one of the most impor-
tant fortresses in Wales ; it was often taken and retaken, and ex-
perienced frequent vicissitudes of fortune. On this spot a signal battle
was fought in 795, between the Saxons and Welsh, in which Caradoc
king of North Wales was slain. On this occasion a celebrated plaintive
air was composed, called Morva Khuddlan, or the Red Marsh, which is
Btill played with enthusiasm by the national harpers. Camden supposes
that the first fort was built by Llewelyn ap Sitsylt, who reigned from
the year 1015 to 1020, and that a high mound, still existing, at some dis-
tance from the present castle, formed a part of it. It was a residence

456 THE ITENERARY THROUGH WALES.

belonging to David, the eldest son of Owen, where, at the
earnest invitation of David himself, we were handsomely
entertained that night.

There is a spring not far from Ruthlan, in the province of
Tegengel,1 which not only regularly ebbs and flows like the
sea, twice in twenty-four hours, but at other times fre-
quently rises and falls both by night and day. Trogus Pom-
peius says, " that there is a town of the Garamantes, where
there is a spring which is hot and cold alternately by day
and night."2

of the Welsh princes from that time, but Gruffydh ap Llewelyn in
1063, having given offence to Edward the Confessor, by receiving Algar,
one of his rebellious subjects, was attacked by Harold, who, in revenge,
burned the palace at Rhuddlan. Robert de Rhuddlan, a valiant Nor-
man, nephew to Hugh Lupus, conquered it from the Welsh, and, by
the command of William the Conqueror, fortified it with new works,
and made it his place of residence. King Henry II., after his defeat at
Coed Eulo, in Flintshire, A.D. 1157, retired to Rhuddlan, fortified the
castle, and gave the government of it to Hugh de Bello-campo, or
Beauchamp. " In 1167, Owen G-wyrieth, prince of North Wales,
Cadwalader, his brother, and Rees, prince of South Wales, laid siege to
the castell of Ruthlan, which the king had latelie built and fortified, and
captured and destroyed it." The crusaders were received at Rhuddlan
by David ap Owen, who (as I have before related) had forcibly seized
the lawful inheritance of his brother-in-law, Jorwerth Drwyndwn.

1 This ebbing spring in the province of Tegengel, or Flintshire, has
been placed by the old annotator on Giraldus at Kilken,which Humphrey
Llwyd, in his Breviary, also thus mentions : — " In Tegenia is a well of
a marvellous nature, which, being six miles from the sea, in the parish
of Kilken, ebbeth and floweth twice in one day. Yet have I marked
this of late, when the moon ascendeth from the east horizon to the
south (at what time all seas do flow), that then the water of this well
diminisheth and ebbeth." Pennant, as well as Camden, take notice of
this same spring, under the title of Ffynnon Leinw, or the flowing well,
and say that its ebbing quality had ceased. I must dissent from Dr.
Powel, in fixing the spring here mentioned at Kilken, a parish near
Mold, and many miles distant from Rhuddlan, and coincide with the
opinion of the learned Camden, who says that Giraldus alluded, with
more probability, to a spring called Ffynnon Assav, to which the same
phenomenon is attributed. Browne Willis also mentions a place called
Capell Ffynnon Vair, or the chapel of St. Mary's Well, which stands
in the township of Wick war, about two miles S.W. of St. Asaph, which
in former days was held in great sanctity, and much resorted to. It
•was so denominated from a large spring or well, which lies near the
west door, and is handsomely walled about with freestone, and the
water runs under the chapel from west to east.

* See before, the Topography of Ireland, Distinc. ii. c. 7.

CELL OF BASINWEHK. 457

Many persons in the morning having been persuaded to
dedicate themselves to the service of Christ, we proceeded
from Ruthlan to the small cathedral church of Lanelwy j1
from whence (the archbishop having celebrated mass) we
continued our journey through a country rich in minerals
of silver, where money is sought in the bowels of the
earth, to the little cell of Basinwerk,2 where we passed
the night. The following day we traversed a long quick-
sand, and not without some degree of apprehension, leaving
the woody district of Coleshulle,3 or hill of coal, on our
right hand, where Henry II,, who in our time, actuated by
youthful and indiscreet ardour, made a hostile irruption

1 Saint Asaph, in size, though not in revenues, may deserve the
epithet of " paupercula" attached to it by Giraldus. From its situ-
ation near the banks of the river Elwy, it derived the name of Llanelwy,
or the church upon the Elwy. Its foundation is attributed to Kenti-
gern (called in the Scottish histories St. Mungo), who, being driven
from his episcopal see at Glasgow, about the year 543, is reported to
have fled to St. David, at Menevia, where residing for some time, Cath-
wallain, prince of Wales, assigned him a place for a monastery, near
the river Elwy, where he fixed an episcopal see, over which he presided
till the year 560, when, being recalled to his native country of Scotland,
he resigned the bishopric to one of his disciples, named Asaph. St.
Asaph, a disciple of Kentigern, from whom the episcopal see has de-
rived its name, succeeded to the bishopric, and died A.D. 596. Reyner,
consecrated A.D. 1186, by archbishop Baldwin, assisted him in pro-
moting the holy cause of the crusades.

2 Leaving Llanelwy, or St. Asaph, the archbishop proceeded to
the little cell of Basinwerk, where he and his attendants passed
the night. The original foundation of this monastery has been
much disputed by old writers ; and there has been a difference of
opinion respecting the order of monks who inhabited it. Tanner says
*hat Ranulph earl of Chester began a monastery about the year 1131,
which was probably much improved, and made an abbey of Cistercian
monks, by king Henry II., about the year 1159. Dugdale places it
amongst the Cistercian abbeys. Considerable remains of a monastic
building are now standing. The architecture, a mixture of Norman and
early English, is neither remarkable for its elegance or good execution.
It is situated at a short distance from Holywell, on a gentle eminence
above a valley, watered by the copious springs that issue from St. Wine-
fred's well, and on the borders of a marsh, which extends towards the
coast of Cheshire.

3 Coleshill is a township in Holywell parish, Flintshire, which give*
name to a hundred, and was so called from its abundance of fossil fuel,
•Pennant, vol. i. p. 42.

458 THE ITINERARY. THROUGH WALES.

into Wales, and presuming to pass through that narrow tnd
woody defile, experienced a signal defeat, and a very heavy
loss of men.1 The aforesaid king invaded Wales three times
with an army ; first, North Wales at the above-mentioned
place ; secondly, South Wales, by the sea-coast of Gla-
morgan and Goer, penetrating as far as Caermardhin and
Pencadair, and returning by Ellennith and Melenith ; and

1 The three military expeditions of king Henry into Wales, here
mentioned, were A.D. 1157, the first expedition into North Wales;
A.D. 1162, the second expedition into South Wales; A.D. 1165, the
third expedition into North Wales. In the first, the king was obliged
to retreat with considerable loss, and the king's standard-bearer, Henry
de Essex, was accused of having in a cowardly manner abandoned the
royal standard and led to a serious disaster. The following account of
this disaster is given in the Welsh Chronicle, by Powell. "About this
time the king gathered all his power togither from all parts of England,
intending to subdue all North Wales, being thereunto procured and
mooved by Cadwalader, whom the prince, his brother (Owen Owynedh),
had banished out of the land, and bereaved of his living, and by Madoc
ap Meredyth, prince of Powys, who envied at the libertie of North
Wales, which knewe no lord but one. And so the king led his armie
to West Chester, and encamped upon the marsh called Saltney. Like-
wise Owen, like a valiant prince, gathered all his strength, and came to
the utter meares of his land, purposing to give the king battell, and en-
camped himselfe at Basingwerk ; which thing, when the king under-
stood, he chose out of his armie diverse of the cheefest bands, and sent
certeine earles and lords with them towards the princes camp, and as
they passed the wood called Coed Eulo, David and Conan, the prince's
sons, met with them, and set upon them fearslie, and what for the ad-
vantage of the ground, and for the suddenness of the deed, the English-
men were put to flight, and a great number slaine, and the rest were
pursued to the king's campe. The king being sore displeased with that
foile, remooved his campe along the sea coast, thinking to passe betwixt
Owen and his countrie ; but Owen foreseeing that, retired backe to a
place which is called at this daie Cil Owen, (that is, the retire of Owen),
and the king came to Euthlan. After that, Owen incaraped and in-
trenched himself at Bryn y pin, and skirmished with the king's men
dailie, and in the meanwhile that the king was fortifyeing the castell of
Kuthlan, his navie, which was guided by Madoc ap Meredyth, prince of
Powys, anchored in Anglesey, and put on land the souldiours which
spoiled two churches, and a little of the countrie thereabouts. But as
they returned unto their ships, all the strength of the ile set upon them
and killed them all, so that none of those which robbed within the ile
brought tidings how they sped. Then the shipmen seeing that, liked
not their lodging there, but waid up anchors and went awaie to Chester.
In the meanetime, there was a peace concluded betwixt the king and
the prince, upon condition, that Cadwalader should have his land*
againe, and his brother should be his friend."

THE ElVElt JJEE — CHESTER. 459

thirdly, the country of Powys, near Oswaldestree ; but in all
these expeditions the king was unsuccessful, because he
placed no confidence in the prudent and well-informed
chieftains of the country, but was principally advised by
people remote from the marches, and ignorant of the manners
and customs of the natives. In every expedition, as the arti-
ficer is to be trusted in his trade, so the advice of those
people should be consulted, who, by a long residence in the
country, are become conversant with the manners and cus-
toms of the natives ; and to whom it is of high importance
that the power of the hostile nation, with whom, by a long
and continued warfare, they have contracted an implacable
enmity and hatred, should be weakened or destroyed, as
we have set forth in our Vaticinal History.

In this wood of Coleshulle, a young Welshman was killed
while passing through the king's army ; the greyhound who
accompanied him did not desert his master's corpse for
eight days, though without food ; but faithfully defended it
from the attacks of dogs, wolves, and birds of prey, with a
wonderful attachment. What son to his father, what
Nisus to Euryalus, what Polynices to Tydeus, what Ores-
tes to Pylades, would have shewn such an affectionate re-
gard ? As a mark of favour to the dog, who was almost
starved to death, the English, although bitter enemies to the
Welsh, ordered the body, now nearly putrid, to be deposited
in the ground with the accustomed offices of humanity.

CHAPTEE XI.

OF THE PASSAGE OF THE BTVER DEE, AND OF CHESTEE.

HATING crossed the river Dee below Chester,1 (which the
Welsh call Doverdwy), on the third day before Easter,

1 Chester. This city bore, in Welsh, the name of Caerleon ar Ddy-
frdwy, that is, the city of legions on the river Dee, and of Caerleon Grawr,
or Vawr, which has by some been interpreted the city of the great legion,
and by others the city of Lleon the Great, who was son of Brut Darian
Las, the eighth king of Britain ; but as we know, for a certainty, that it
was the principal station of the twentieth legion, or the LEGIO VICESIMA
VALENS VICTKIX, we may reasonably give it tho former derivation. In
its construction and situation it is as unlike any city in England, as
Venice is unlike any one in Italy. I must refer those who wish to be
better acquainted with its history and antiquities to Mr. Pennant, who,

400 TEE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

or the day of absolution, (holy Thursday) we reached Cheater.
As the river Wye towards the south separates Wales from
England, so the Dee near Chester forms the northern boun-
dary. The inhabitants of these parts assert, that the waters of
this river change their fords every month, and, as it inclines
more towards England or Wales, they can, with certainty,
prognosticate which nation will be successful or unfortunate
during the year. This river derives its origin from the
lake Penmelesmere,1 and, although it abounds with salmon,
yet none are found in the lake. It is also remarkable, that

in the first volume of his Tour through Wales, has given a very parti-
ticular account of it.

1 The lake of Penmelesmere is, in modern days, better known by the
name of Bala Pool. The river Dee rises in a valley leading from Bala
to Dolgelley, and receives several contributory streams before it enters
the lake, which bears various names, viz., Llyn Tegid, or the lake of
fair aspect ; Penmelesmere, or Piinble Mere, both of which names are a
corruption from Pymplwy meer, or the meer of the five parishes adjoin-
ing the lake, Llandervel, Llanvawr, Llanyckill, Llanwchllyr, and Llan-
gower. The assertion made by Griraldus, of salmon never being found
in the lake of Bala is not founded on truth ; for these fish pass up the
river Dee from its sestuary at Chester, and even through the lake to
the rivers above it, in order to deposit their spawn ; being contrary to
the nature of this restless fish to remain in still water, they, of course,
are never caught in the pool ; but that they are temporary inhabitants
of it is very certain, for they are frequently seen and speared on their
passage up the rivers at the head of the lake. The gwyniad, a white
and insipid fish, seems peculiar to this lake ; they herd together like
herrings, and are never caught but with a net. The lake, as well as the
river, abounded formerly with pike, which grew to a very great size ;
when a sudden and violent flood in the year 1781 so disturbed the
waters of the lake, that these fish disappeared, and not one of that spe-
cies has ever since been taken either in the pool, or in the adjoining
rivers. The fish of this lake are now confined to trout, perch, gwy-
r.iad, and eels. The lake of Bala extends about four miles in length,
from S.W. to N.E., and is not quite a mile in breadth. At the bottom
stands the market town of Bala, consisting chiefly of one long and wide
street, at the end of which is a large tumulus called Tommen y Bala.
Near the exit of the river Dee, from the pool adjoining the bridge, there
are vestiges of another raised earthen work, which seems to have been
intersected by the road. Here the Roman road, leading from the sta-
tion of Mediolanum in Montgomeryshire, to that of Heriri Mons, or
Tommen y Mur, in Merionethshire, traversed the valley, and continued
its course either through or very near the present town of Bala, to the
Miltirr G-errig, or stone mile, and from thenoe through Bwloh-y-buarth
to Tornmen y Mur. At the top of the lake, the very conspicuous Bo-
man station at Caer Gai, abounding witli brick and tile, seems to indi-

LEGEND OF KING HAHOLD. 461

fchis river is never swollen by rains, but often rises by the
violence of the winds.

Chester boasts of being the burial-place of Henry,1 a Ro-
man emperor, who, after having imprisoned his carnal and
spiritual father, pope Paschal, gave himself up to penitence;
and, becoming a voluntary exile in this country, ended his
days in solitary retirement. It is also asserted, that the
remains of Harold are here deposited. He was the last of
the Saxon kings in England, and as a punishment for his
perjury, was defeated in the battle of Hastings, fought
against the JSTormans. Having received many wounds, and
lost his left eye by an arrow in that engagement, he is said
to have escaped to these parts, where, in holy conversation^
leading the life of an anchorite, and being a constant at-
tendant at one of the churches of this city, he is believed
to have terminated his days happily.2 The truth of these
two circumstances was declared (and not before known) by
the dying confession of each party. We saw here, what
appeared novel to us, cheese made of deer's milk ; for the
countess and her mother keeping tame deer, presented to
the archbishop three small cheeses made from their milk.

In this same country was produced, in our time, a cow
partaking of the nature of a stag, resembling its mother in
the fore parts and the stag in its hips, legs, and feet, and
having the skin and colour of the stag ; but, partaking more
of the nature of the domestic than of the wild animal, it
remained with the herd of cattle. A bitch also was preg-
nant by a monkey, and produced a litter of whelps resem-
bling a monkey before, and the dog behind ; which the
rustic keeper of the military hall seeing with astonishment
and abhorrence, immediately killed with the stick he car-
ried in his hand ; thereby incurring the severe resentment

sate the course of a Eoman road near it, which, in that case, must have
come from Dolgelley, and passed through Bala.

1 Giraldus seems to have been mistaken respecting the burial-place
of the emperor Henry V., for he died May 23, A.D. 1125, at Utrecht,
and his body was conveyed to Spire for interment.

2 This legend, which represents king Harold as having escaped from
the battle of Hastings, and as having lived years after as a hermit on the
borders of Wales, is mentioned by other old writers, and has been
adopted as true by some modern writers.

462 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

and anger of his lord, when the latter became acquainted
with the circumstance.

In our time, also, a woman was born in Chester without
hands, to whom nature had supplied a remedy for that de-
fect by the flexibility and delicacy of the joints of her feet,
with which she could sew, or perform any work with thread
or scissors, as well as other women.

CHAPTER XII.

OF THE JOURNEY BY THE WHITE MONASTERY, OSWAL-
DESTREE, POWYS, AND SHREWSBURY.

THE feast of Easter having been observed with due solem-
nity, and many persons, by the exhortations of the arch-
bishop, signed with the cross, we directed our way from
Chester to the White Monastery,1 and from thence towards

1 Some difficulty occurs in fixing the situation of the Album Monaa-
terium, mentioned in the text, as three churches in the county of Shrop-
shire bore that appellation ; the first at Whitchurch, the second at
Oswestry, the third at Alberbury. In order to ascertain the true posi-
tion of this monastery, we must examine the passage in the text. " Hie
itaque festo debita solemnitate complete, versus Album Monasterium
iter aggressi sumus, et inde versus Oswaldestree, ubi tanquaui in ipsa
regionis Powisiensis ora, occurrerunt nobis Powisise principes." From
this sentence every reader will naturally conclude, that the White Mo-
nastery was situated between Chester and Oswestry, and so is Whit-
church ; at which place I am inclined to place it, contrary to the opinion
of Mr. Pennant, who fixes it at Oswestry, saying — " Some writers enter-
tain doubts whether this place was the Album Monasterium visited by Gi-
raldus, and endeavour to fix it at Whitchurch ; but those may easily be
removed, when it is certain that it was in Powys-land ; a pretension
that the other has no claim to." Mr. Pennant seems to have mistaken
the word ubi, where ; which evidently applies to Oswestry, and not to
the White Monastery ; for at that period Oswestry was situated near
the eastern borders of Powys land. Before king Offa's time, the prin-
cipality of Powys reached eastward to the rivers Dee and Severn, in a
right fine from the end of Broxen Hills to Salop, and comprehended
all the country between the Wye and Severn ; but after the making of
OfFa's Dyke, its limits were somewhat contracted, and extended in
length from Pulford Bridge north-east, to the confines of Cardiganshire,
in the parish of Lhanguric, in the south-west ; and in breadth, from
the furthest part of Cyfeilioc westward, to Ellesmere on the east side.
The narrative of our author is so simple, and corresponds so well with
the topography of the country through which they passed, that I think
no doubt ough* to be entertained about the course of their route. From

NOTICE OF "WILLIAM FITZ-ALAN. 403

Oswaldestree; where, on the very borders of Powys, we
were met by Gruffydh son of Madcc, and Elissa, princes of
that country, and many others ; some few of whom having
been persuaded to take the cross (for several of the multi-
tude had been previously signed by E-einer,1 the bishop of
that place), Gruffydh, prince of the district, publicly ab-
jured, in the presence of the archbishop, his cousin-german,
Angharad, daughter of prince Owen, whom, according to
the vicious custom of the country, he had long considered
as his wife. We slept at Oswaldestree, or the tree of St.
Oswald, and were most sumptuously entertained after the
English manner, by William Fitz-Alan,2 a noble and liberal
young man. A short time before, whilst Eeiner was preach-

Chester they directed their way to the White Monastery, or Whit-
chureh, and from thence towards Oswestry, where they slept, and were
entertained by William Fitz-Alan, after the English mode of hospitality.

1 By the Latin context it would appear that Reiner was bishop of
Oswestree ; " Ab episcopo namque loci illius Keinerio multitudo fuerat
ante signata." Reiner succeeded Adam in the bishopric of St. Asaph
in the year 1186, and died in 1220. He had a residence near Owestry,
at which place, previous to the arrival of Baldwin, he had signed many
of the people with the cross.

2 William Fitz-Alan. — In the time of William the Conqueror, Alan, the
son of Flathald, or Flaald, obtained, by the gift of that king, the castle
of Oswaldestre, with the territory adjoining, which belonged to Meredith
ap Blethyn, a Briton. This Alan, having married the daughter and
heir to Warine, sheriff of Shropshire, had in her right the barony of
the same Warine. To him succeeded William, his son and heir. lie
founded the a-bbey of Haghmon, in Shropshire, the priory of Wom-
brigge, in the same county, and made great benefactions to the Knight*
Templars, and the monks of Shrewsbury, Bildewas, and Cumbermere. In
the reign of king Stephen he favoured the cause of queen Maude against
that monarch, and bravely defended the castle of Shrewsbury (of which
he was at that time governor), until it was taken from him by assault.
He also attended her at the siege of Winchester, and still faithfully ad-
hering to her, was appointed sheriff of the county of Salop on the acces-
sion of her son Henry to the crown, in which office he continued 'an til
his death. He married Isabel de Say, daughter and heir to Helias de
Say, niece to Robert earl of Gloucester, lady of Clun, and left issue by
her, William, his son and successor, who, in the 19th Henry II., or
before, departed this life, leaving William Fitz Alan his son and heir ;
which William, in the year 1188, gave a sumptuous entertainment at
his castle of Oswaldestre to Baldwin, archbishop of Canterbury, when
that prelate mad,e his progress through Wales. He died in the 16th of
John, or before.

4-64 THE ITINEBABY THBOUGH WALES.

ing, a robust youth being earnestly exhorted to follow the
example of his companions in taking the cross, answered,
" I will not follow your advice until, with this lance which I
bear in my hand, I shall have avenged the death of my lord,"
alluding to Owen, son of Madoc, a distinguished warrior,
who had been maliciously and treacherously slain by Owen
Cyfeilioc, his cousin-german ; and while he was thus
venting his anger and revenge, and violently brandishing his
lance, it suddenly snapped asunder, and fell disjointed in se-
veral pieces to the ground, the handle only remaining in his:
hand. Alarmed and astonished at this omen, which he con-
sidered as a certain signal for his taking the cross, he volun-
tarily offered his services.

In this third district of Wales, called Powys, there are
most excellent studs put apart for breeding, and deriving
their origin from some fine Spanish horses, which Robert de
Belesme,1 earl of Shrewsbury, brought into this country :
on which account the horses sent from hence are remarkable
for their majestic proportion and astonishing fleetness.

Here king Henry II. entered Powys, in our days, upon
an expensive, though fruitless, expedition.2 Having dis-
membered the hostages whom he had previously received,
he was compelled, by a sudden and violent fall of rain, to
retreat with his army. On the preceding day, the chiefs of
the English army had burned some of the Welsh churches,
with the villages and churchyards ; upon which the sons of
Owen the Great, with their light-armed troops, stirred up
the resentment of their father and the other princes of the
country, declaring that they would never in future spare
any churches of the English. When nearly the whole army
was on the point of assenting to this determination, Owen,
a man of distinguished wisdom and moderation — the tumult
being in some degree subsided— thus spake : " My opinion,
indeed, by no means agrees with yours, for we ought to
rejoice at this conduct of our adversary ; for, unless sup-

1 Robert de Belesme, earl of Shrewsbury, was son of Roger de
Montgomery, who led the centre division of the army in that memor-
able battle which secured to William the conquest of England, and fo*
his services was advanced to the earldoms of Arundel and Shrewsbury.

'* This expedition into Wales took place A.D. 1165, and has
already spoken of.

EXCOMMUNICATION OP OWEN DE CYFEILIOC. 4G5

ported by divine assistance, we are far inferior to the
English ; and they, by their behaviour, have made God
their enemy, who is able most powerfully to avenge both
himself and us. "We therefore most devoutly promise God
that we will henceforth pay greater reverence than ever to
churches and holy places." After which, the English army,
on the following night, experienced (as has before been re-
lated) the divine vengeance.

From Oswaldestree, we directed our course towards Shrews-
bury (Salopesburia), which is nearly surrounded by the river
Severn, where we remained a few days to rest and refresh
ourselves ; and where many people were induced to take the
cross, through the elegant sermons of the archbishop and
archdeacon. We also excommunicated Owen de Cevelioc,
because he alone, amongst the Welsh princes, did not come
to meet the archbishop with his people. Owen was a man
of more fluent speech than his contemporary princes, and
was conspicuous for the good management of his territory.
Having generally favoured the royal cause, and opposed the
measures of his own chieftains, he had contracted a great
familiarity with king Henry II. Being with the king at
table at Shrewsbury, Henry, as a mark of peculiar honour
and regard, sent him one of his own loaves ; he immediately
brake it into small pieces, like alms-bread, and haying, like
an almoner, placed them at a distance from him, he took
them up one by one and ate them. The king requiring an
explanation of this proceeding, Owen, with a smile, replied,
" I thus follow the example of my lord ;" keenly alluding to
the avaricious disposition of the king, who was accustomed
to retain for a long time in his own hands the vacant eccle-
siastical benefices.

It is to be remarked that three princes,1 distinguished for

1 The princes mentioned by Giraldus as most distinguished in North
and South Wales, and most celebrated in his time, were, 1. Owen, son of
Gruflydh, in North Wales j 2. Meredyth, son of Gruffydh, in South
Wales ; 3. Owen de Cyfeilioc, in Powys j 4. Cadwalader, son of Gruf-
fydh, in North Wales ; 5. Gruffydh of Maelor, in Powys ; 6. Rhys, son
of Gruffydh, in South Wales j 7. Darid, son of Owen, in North Wales j
8. Howel, son of Jorwerth, in South Wales.

1. Owen Gwynedd, son of Grufiydh ap Conan, died in 1169, having
governed his country well and worthily for the space of thirty-twc
yews. He was fortunate and victorious in all his affairs, and never

H u

466 . THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

their justice, wisdom, and princely moderation, ruled, in our
time, over the three provinces of Wales : Owen, son of
Gruffydh, in Venedotia, or North Wales ; Meredyth, his
grandson, son of Gruffydh, who died early in life, in South
Wales ; and Owen de Cevelioc, in Powys. But two other
princes were highly celebrated for their generosity ; Cad-
walader, son of Gruffydh, in North Wales, and Gruifydh of
Maelor, son of Madoc', in Powys ; and Ehys, son of Gruffydh,
in South Wales, deserved commendation for his enterprising
and independent spirit. In North Wales, David, son of
Owen, and on the borders of Morgannoc, in South Wales,
Howel, son of Jorwerth of Caerleon, maintained their good
faith and credit, by observing a strict neutrality between the
Welsh and English.

took any enterprize in hand but he achieved it. 2. Meredyth ap Gruf-
fydh ap Rhys, lord of Caerdigan and Stratywy, died in 1153, at tke
early age of twenty- five ; a worthy knight, fortunate in battle, just and
liberal to all men. &. Owen Cyfeilioc was the son of Gruffydh ap Mere-
dyth ap Blethyn, who was created lord of Powys by Henry I., and died
about the year 1197, leaving his principality to his son Gwenwynwyn,
from whom that part of Powys was called Powys Gwenwynwyn, to dis-
tinguish it from Powys Vadoc, the possession of the lords of Bromfield
The death of this prince is merely noticed in the Welsh Chronicle,
without any eulogium as to his character or military exploits, whick
may be accounted for by his general adherence to the royal cause
against his countrymen the Welsh. To acuteness and good judgment
in the government of his territory, and to a warlike and independent
spirit, he added the milder accomplishments of poetry, and the liberal
enjoyments of convivial hospitality. The poems ascribed to him possess
great spirit, and prove that he was, as Giraldus terms him, "linguae
dicacis," in its best sense. 4. Cadwalader, son of Gruffydh ap Conan,
prince of North Wales, died in 1172. 4. Gruffydh of Maelor was
son of Madoc ap Meredyth ap Blethyn, prince of Powys, who died
at Winchester in 1160. "This man was ever the king of England's
friend, and was one that feared God, and relieved the poor : his body
was conveyed honourably to Powys, and buried at Myvod." His son
Gruffydh succeeded him in the lordship of Bromfield, and died about
the year 1190. 6. Ehys ap Gruffydh, or the lord Rhys, was son of
Gruffyd ap Rhys ap Theodor, who died in 1137. The ancient writers
have been very profuse in their praises of this celebrated prince. 7.
David, son of Owen Gwynedh, who, on the death of his father, forcibly
seized the principality of North Wales, slaying his brother Howel in
battle, and setting aside the claims of the lawful inheritor of the throe es
Jorwerth Trwyndwn, whose son, Llewelyn ap Jorwerth, in 1194, re-
covered his inheritance. 8. Howel, son of Jorwerth of Oaorlecn, ap-
pears to have been distinguished chiefly by bis ferocity.

WEDLOCK. 467

CHAPTEE XIII.

OF THE JOURNEY BY WENLOCH, BRTIMFELD, THE CASTLE OF
LUDLOW, AND LEOMINSTER, TO HEREFOBD.

FROM Shrewsbury, we continued our journey towards Wen-
locn,1 by a narrow and rugged way, called Evil street,2 where,
in our time, a Jew, travelling with the archdeacon of the
place, whose name was Sin (Peccatum), and the dean, whose
name was Devil, towards Shrewsbury, hearing the arch-
deacon say, that his archdeaconry began at a place called
Evil-street, and extended as far as Mai-pas, towards Chester,
pleasantly told them, " It would be a miracle, if his fate
brought him safe out of a country, whose archdeacon was Sin,
whose dean the devil ; the entrance to the archdeaconry Evil-
street, and its exit Bad-pass."

From Wenloch, we passed by the little cell of Brumfeld,3

1 St. Milburga, sister of St. Mildred, and daughter of Merewald, son of
Penda, king of the Mercians, retired to a place then called Wimnicas*
now Wenlock, in Shropshire, where, by the assistance of her father Mere-
wald, and her uncle Wulpher, king of the Mercians, she founded a mo-
nastery for nuns, of which she became the first abbess, A.D. 676. In this
consecrated retirement, St. Milburga ended her days, and was buried
near the altar in the church of her monastery at Wenlock. This abbey
was probably destroyed during the general devastation of the kingdom
by the Danes, and with it all memorials of the mausoleum of its foun-
dress and patron saint perished. During the reign of William the
Conqueror, Eoger de Montgomery rebuilt arid endowed it ; on which
occasion the tomb of St, Milburga was accidentally discovered, the
circumstances of which are detailed by William of Malmesbury. See
W. of M., p. 243, Bohn's Antiquarian Library. Having restored this an-
cient monastery, Eobert de Montgomery placed therein a prior and con-
vent of Cluniac monks, who were considered as a cell to the house " De
Caritate," in France ; and suffered the same vicissitudes with the other
alien priories, till, in the reign of king Richard II., it was naturalized,
and became "prioratus indigena." The ruins of this priory are both
extensive and picturesque, and well deserve a visit from the artist ; the
colour of its materials is good, and improved by the wall flowers and
other plants growing from the interstices of the stones.

2 I can find no place on the map, near Shrewsbury, which at all cor-
responds with the name of " Mala Platea," or Ill-street. The town of
Malpas, in Cheshire, was the " Malus Passus" alluded to by Giraldus.

3 It appears that a small college of prebendaries, or secular canons^
resided at Bromfield in the reign of king Henry I.; Osbert, the prior,,
being recorded as a witness to a deed made before the year 1148. In
1155, they became Benedictines^ and surrendered their church and landa

It H 2

468 THE ITINERAET THEOTJGH WALES.

the noble castle of Ludlow,1 through Leominster3 to Here-
ford, leaving on our right hand the districts of Melenyth
and Elvel ; thus (describing as it were a circle) we came to
the same point from which we had commenced this laborious
journey through Wales.

During this long and laudable legation, about three thou-
sand men were signed with the cross ; well skilled in the
use of arrows and lances, and versed in military matters ;
impatient to attack the enemies of the faith ; profitably and
happily engaged for the service of Christ, if the expedition
of the Holy Cross had been forwarded with an alacrity
equal to the diligence and devotion with which the forces
were collected. But by the secret, though never unjust,
judgment of God, the journey of the Eoman emperor was
delayed, and dissensions arose amongst our kings. The pre-
mature and fatal hand of death arrested the king of Sicily,
who had been the foremost sovereign in supplying the holy
land with corn and provisions during the period of their
distress. In consequence of his death, violent contentions
arose amongst our princes respecting their several rights to
the kingdom ; and the faithful beyond sea suffered severely
by want and famine, surrounded on all sides by enemies, and
most anxiously waiting for supplies. But as affliction may

to the abbey of St. Peter's at Gloucester, whereupon a prior and monks
were placed there, and continued till the dissolution. An ancient gate-
way and some remains of the priory still testify the existence of this
religious house, the local situation of which, near the confluence of the
rivers Oney and Teme, has been accurately described by Leland. Brom-
feild is a small village immediately adjoining the finely wooded seat
of theClives, called Oakley Park.

1 In their journey from Wenlock, the crusaders passed by the cell of
Bromfield ; but it does not appear that they stopped either at Ludlow
or Leominster, but they pursued their course directly to Hereford. The
castle of Ludlow still merits the epithet of " nobile," given it by Gi-
raldus ; seated on a bold and well-wooded rock, at the foot of which
runs the river Teme, it presents itself to the eye as a most commanding
and picturesque object.

* Our travellers quitting Ludlow, passed through the town of Leo-
minster on their road to Hereford. It was during the middle ages a
flourishing town, as it was the centre of the wool- trade of this part of
the country. It owed its origin to a monastery, founded by Merewald,
prince of the Mercians, son of king Penda, which, having been de*
stroyed by the Danes, was afterwards changed into a nunnery, and wai
finally re-established as a priory of Benedictine monks, by Henry I.,
who gave it as a cell to the great abbey of Heading.

CHARACTER OP ARCHBISHOP BALDWIN. 4C9

strengthen the understanding, as gold is tried by fire, and
virtue may be confirmed in weakness, these things are
suffered to happen ; since adversity (as Gregory testifies)
opposed to good prayers is the probation of virtue, not the
judgment of reproof. For who does not know how fortunate
a circumstance it was that Paul went to Italy, and suffered
so dreadful a shipwreck ? But the ship of his heart remained
unbroken amidst the waves of the sea.

CHAPTEE XIV.

A DESCRIPTION OF BALDWIN, ARCHBISHOP OP CANTERBURY.

LET it not be thought superfluous to describe the exterior
and inward qualities of that person, the particulars of whose
embassy, and as it were holy peregrination, we have briefly
and succinctly related. He was a man of a dark complexion,
of an open and venerable countenance, of a moderate stature,
a good person, and rather inclined to be thin than corpulent.
He was a modest and grave man, of so great abstinence and
continence, that ill report scarcely ever presumed to say any
thing against him ; a man of few words ; slow to anger,
temperate and moderate in all his passions and affections ;
swift to hear, slow to speak ; he was from an early age well
instructed in literature, and bearing the yoke of the Lord
from his youth, by the purity of his morals became a dis-
tinguished luminary to the people ; wherefore voluntarily
resigning the honour of the archlevite,2 which he had ca-
nonically obtained, and despising the pomps and vanities of
the world, he assumed with holy devotion the habit of the Cis-
tercian order; and as he had been formerly more than a monk

1 Baldwin was born at Exeter, in Devonshire, of a low family, but
being endowed by nature with good abilities, applied them to an early
cultivation of sacred and profane literature. His good conduct pro-
cured him the friendship of Bartholomew, bishop of Exeter, who pro-
moted him to the archdeaconry of that see ; resigning this preferment,
he assumed the cowl, and in a few years became abbot of the Cister-
cian monastery at Ford. In the year 1180, he was advanced to the
bishopric of Worcester, and in 1184, translated to the archiepiscopal
see of Canterbury. In the year 1188, he made his progress through
Wales, preaching with fervour the service of the Cross ; to which holy
canise he fell a sacrifice in the year 1190, having religiously, honourably
and f haritably ended his days in the Holy Land.

2 Giraldus here alludes to the dignity of archdeacon, which Baldwin
bad obtained in the church of Exeter.

470 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

in his manners, within the space of a year he was appointed
abbot, and in a few years afterwards preferred first to a
bishopric, and then to an archbishopric ; and having been
found faithful in a little, had authority given him over much.
But, as Cicero says, " Nature had made nothing entirely
perfect ;" when he came into power, not laying aside that
sweet innate benignity which he had always shewn when a
private man, sustaining his people with his staff rather than
chastising them with rods, feeding them as it were with the
milk of a mother, and not making use of the scourges of the
father, he incurred public scandal for his remissness. So
great was bis lenity that he put an end to all pastoral rigour ;
and was a better monk than abbot, a better bishop than
archbishop. Hence pope Urban addressed him ; " Urban,
servant of the servants of God, to the most fervent monk,
to the warm abbot, to the hike-warm bishop, to the remiss
archbishop, health, &c."

This second successor to the martyr Thomas, having
heard of the insults offered to our Saviour and his holy
cross, was amongst the first who signed themselves with the
cross, and manfully assumed the office of preaching its ser-
vice both at home and in the most remote parts of the
kingdom. Pursuing his journey to the Holy Land, he em-
barked on board a vessel at Marseilles, and landed safely in
a port at Tyre, from whence he proceeded to Acre, where he
found our army both attacking and attacked, our forces dis- '
pirited by the defection of the princes, and thrown into a
state of desolation and despair; fatigued by long expec-
tation of supplies, greatly afflicted by hunger and want,
and distempered by the inclemency of the air : finding his
end approaching, he embraced his fellow subjects, relieving
their wants by liberal acts of charity and pious exhorta-
tions, and by the tenor of his life and actions strengthened
them in the faith ; whose ways, life, and deeds, may he who
is alone the " way, the truth, and the life," the way without
offence, the truth without doubt, and the life without end,
direct in truth, together with the whole body of the faith-
ful, and for the glory of his name and the palm of faith
which he hath planted, teach their hands to war, and their
fingers to fight.

END OF THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES,

THE

DESCKIPTION OF WALES.

FIEST PREFACE

TO STEPHEN LANGTON, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.1

I, WHO, at the expense of three years' labour, arranged, a
short time ago, in three parts, the Topography of Ireland,
with a description of its natural curiosities, and who after-
wards, by two years' study, completed in two parts the
Vaticinal History of its Conquest ; and who, by publishing
the Itinerary of the Holy Man (Baldwin) through Cambria,
prevented his laborious mission from perishing in obscurity,
do now propose, in the present little work, to give some
account of this my native country, and to describe the
genius of its inhabitants, so entirely distinct from that of
other nations. And this production of my industry I have
determined to dedicate to you, illustrious Stephen, arch-
bishop of Canterbury, as I before ascribed to you my Itin-
erary ; considering you as a man no less distinguished by
your piety, than conspicuous for your learning ; though so
humble an offering may possibly be unworthy the acceptance
of a personage who, from his eminence, deserves to be pre-
sented with works of the greatest merit.

Some, indeed, object to this my undertaking, and, ap-
parently from motives of affection, compare me to a painter
who rich in colours, and like another Zeuxis, eminent in his
art, is endeavouring with all his skill and industry to give

1 Stephen Langton succeeded to Hubert Walter in the archbishopric
of Canterbury, AD. 1207, and was consecrated by the Pope at Viterbo.
He was a man of great learning. Having presided as archbishop for
22 years, he died at his park at Slindon, on the 9th of July, 1228.

472 DESCRIPTION OP WALES.

celebrity to a cottage, or to some other contemptible object,
whilst the world is anxiously expecting from his hand a
temple or a palace. Thus they wonder that I, amidst the
many great and striking subjects which the world presents,
should choose to describe and to adorn, with all the graces
of composition, such remote corners of the earth as Ireland
and Wales.

Others again, reproaching me with greater severity, say,
that the gifts which have been bestowed upon me from above,
ought not to be wasted upon these insignificant objects, nor
lavished in a vain display of learning on the commendation
of princes, who, from their ignorance and want of liberality,
have neither taste to appreciate, nor hearts to remunerate
literary excellence. And they further add, that every
faculty which emanates from the Deity, ought rather to be
applied to the illustration of celestial objects, and to the
exaltation of his glory, from whose abundance all our talents
have been received ; every faculty (say they) ought to be
employed in praising him from whom, as from a perennial
source, every perfect gift is derived, and from whose bounty
every thing which is offered with sincerity obtains an ample
reward. But since excellent histories of other countries
have been composed and published by writers of eminence,
I have been induced, by the love I bear to my country and
to posterity, to believe that I should perform neither an use-
less nor an unacceptable service, were I to unfold the hidden
merits of my native land ; to rescue from obscurity those
glorious actions which have been hitherto imperfectly de-
scribed, and to bring into repute, by my method of treating
it, a subject till now regarded as contemptible.

What indeed could my feeble and unexercised efforts add
to the histories of the destruction of Troy, Thebes, or
Athens, or to the conquest of the shores of Latium ? Be-
sides, to do what has been already done, is, in fact, to be
doing nothing ; I have, therefore, thought it more eligible
to apply iL.y Industry to the arrangement of the history of
my natvve country, hitherto almost wholly overlooked by
strangers; bixt iitioreating to my relations and countrymen;
and from these small beginnings to aspire by degrees to
works of a nobler cast. From these inconsiderable attempts,
some idea may be formed with what success, should Fortune

FIRST PREFACE. 473

afford an opportunity, I am likely to treat matters of greater
importance. For although some things should be made our
principal objects, whilst others ought not to be wholly ne-
glected, I may surely be allowed to exercise the powers of
my youth, as yet untaught and unexperienced, in pursuits
of this latter nature, lest by habit I should feel a pleasure
in indolence and in sloth, the parent of vice.

I have therefore employed these studies as a kind of intro-
duction to the glorious treasures of that most excellent of
the sciences, which alone deserves the name of science;
which alone can render us wise to rule and to instruct man-
kind ; which alone the other sciences follow, as attendants
do their queen. Laying therefore in my youth the founda-
tions of so noble a structure, it is my intention, if God will
assist me and prolong my life, to reserve my maturer years
for composing a treatise upon so perfect, so sacred a subject :
for according to the poet,

" Ardua quippe fides robustos exigit annos j"
" The important concerns of faith require a mind in its full vigour ;"

I may be permitted to indulge myself for a short time in
other pursuits ; but in this I should wish not only to con-
tinue, but to die.

But before I enter on this important subject, I demand
a short interval, to enable me to lay before the public my
Treatise on the Instruction of a Prince, which has been so
frequently promised, as well as the Description of Wales,
which is now before me, and the Topography of Britain.

Of all the British writers, Gildas alone appears to me
(as often as the course of my subject leads me to consult
him) worthy of imitation ; for by committing to paper the
things which he himself saw and knew, and by declaring
rather than describing the desolation of his country, he has
compiled a history more remarkable for its truth than for
its elegance.

Giraldus therefore follows Gildas, whom he wishes he
could copy in Ms life and manners ; becoming an imitator
of his wisdom rather than of his eloquence — of his mind
rather than of his writings — of his zeal rather than of hi*
style — of his life rather than of his language.

THE TTINEEAEI THROUGH WALE8.

.,?

SECOND PEEFACE,

TO THE SAME.

WHEN, amidst various literary pursuits, I first applied my
mind to the compilation of history, I determined, lest I
should appear ungrateful to my native land, to describe, to
the best of my abilities, my own country and its adjoining
regions ; and afterwards, under God's guidance, to proceed
to a description of more distant territories. But since some
leading men (whom we have both seen and known) show
so great a contempt for literature, that they immediately
shut up within their book -cases the excellent works with
which they are presented, and thus doom them, as it were,
to a perpetual imprisonment ; I entreat you, illustrious Pre-
late, to prevent the present little work, which will shortly
be delivered to you, from perishing in obscurity. And be-
cause this, as well as my former productions, though of no
transcendant merit, may hereafter prove to many a source
of entertainment and instruction, I entreat you generously
to order it to be made public, by which it will acquire
reputation. And I shall consider myself sufficiently rewarded
for my trouble, if, withdrawing for a while from your reli-
gious and secular occupations, you would kindly condescend
to peruse this book, or, at least, give it an attentive hear-
ing ; for in times like these, when no one remunerates lite-
sary productions, I neither desire nor expect any other re-
compense. Not that it would appear in any way inconsistent,
however there exists among men of rank a kind of con-
spiracy against authors, if a prelate so eminently conspi-
cuous for his virtues, for his abilities, both natural and
acquired, for irreproachable morals, and for munificence,
should distinguish himself likewise by becoming the generous
and sole patron of literature. To comprise your merits in
a few words, the lines of Martial addressed to Trajan, whilst
serving under Dioclesian, may be deservedly applied to you r

" Laudari ddoes quoniam sub prineipe duro,
Temporib usque mails, ausus es esse bonus."

SECOND PREFACE. 47*5

And those also of Virgil to MecsBnas, which extol the huma-
nity of that great man :

" Omnia cum possis tanto tarn clarus amico,
Te sensit nemo posse nocere tamen."

Many indeed remonstrate against my proceedings, and
those particularly who call themselves my friends insist that,
in consequence of my violent attachment to study, I pay no
attention to the concerns of the world, or to the interests of
my family ; and that, on this account, I shall experience a
delay in my promotion to worldly dignities; that the in-
fluence of authors, both poets and historians, has long
since ceased ; that the respect paid to literature vanished
with literary princes ; and that in these degenerate days very,
different paths lead to honours and opulence. I allow all
this, I readily allow it, and acquiesce in the truth. For the'
unprincipled and covetous attach themselves to the court, the
churchmen to their books, and the ambitious to the public
offices ;l but as every man is under the influence of some
darling passion, so the love of letters and the study of elo- '
quence have from my infancy had for me peculiar charms of •
attraction. Impelled by this thirst for knowledge, I have '
carried my researches into the mysterious works of nature
farther than the generality of my cotemporaries, and for
the benefit of posterity have rescued from oblivion the re-
markable events of my own times. But this object was not1
to be secured without an indefatigable, though at the same
time an agreeable, exertion ; for an accurate investigation of
every particular is attended with much difficulty. It is '
difficult to produce an orderly account of the investigation
and discovery of truth ; it is difficult to preserve from the
beginning to the end a connected relation unbroken by
irrelevant matter ; and it is difficult to render the narration
no less elegant in the diction, than instructive in its matter,
for in prosecuting the series of events, the choice of happy '
expressions is equally perplexing, as the search after them

1 The literal meaning of the word pyxis here used by Giraldus, is a '
box, which by Du Cange is interpreted, Thesaurus, fiscus publicus^ locus >
nbi asservantur pecunice publics, i. e. the public exchequer ; it is al&c v
used in the sense of a ballot-box, in which votes are collected, Pyttit ,
capituli in qua sujfragia colliyuntur, <|'«

476 THE ITINERARY THROUGH WALES.

is painful. Whatever is written requires the most intense
thought, and every expression should be carefully polished
before it be submitted to the public eye ; for, by exposing
itself to the examination of the present and of future ages,
it must necessarily undergo the criticism not only of the
acute, but also of the dissatisfied, reader. Words merely
nttered are soon forgotten, and the admiration or disgust
which they occasioned is no more ; but writings once pub-
lished are never lost, and remain as lasting memorials either
of the glory or of the disgrace of the author. Hence the
observation of Seneca, that the malicious attention of the
envious reader dwells with no less satisfaction on a faulty
than on an elegant expression, and is as anxious to discover
what it may ridicule, as what it may commend ; as the poet
alao observes :

" Diseit enim eitius merainitque libentius illud
Quod quis deridet, quam quod probat et veneratur."

Among the pursuits, therefore, most worthy of commen-
dation, this holds by no means the lowest rank ; for historv,
as the moral philosopher declares, " is the record of anti-
quity, the testimony of ages, the light of truth, the soul of
memory, the mistress of conduct, and the herald of ancient
times."

This study i» the more delightful, as it is more honourable
to produce works worthy of being quoted than to quote the
works of others ; as it is more desirable to be the author
of compositions which deserve to be admired than to be
esteemed a good judge of the writings of other men ; as it is
more meritorious to be the just object of other men's com-
mendations than to be considered an adept in pointing out
the merits of others. On these pleasing reflections I feed
and regale myself; for I would rather resemble Jerome than
Crojsus, and I prefer to riches themselves the man who i*
capable of despising them. With these gratifying ideas I
rest contented and delighted, valuing moderation more than
intemperance, and an honourable sufficiency more than
superfluity ; for intemperance and superfluity produce their
own destruction, but their opposite virtues never perish ;
the former vanish, but the latter, like eternity, remain for
ever ; in short, I prefer praise to lucre, and reputation to
riches.

CONTENTS OE THE CHAPTEBS.

BOOK I.

PAQB

L Length and breadth of Wales, the nature of its soil, and

the three remaining tribes of Britons . . . 478

II. Of the ancient division of Wales into three parts . 479

III. Genealogy of the princes of Wales , . . 480

IV. Cantreds— Koyal palaces— Cathedrals . . .481
V. Mountains and rivers of Wales .... 483

VI. Concerning the pleasantness and fertility of Wales . 488
VII. Origin of the names Cambria and Wales . . 489
VIII. Concerning the nature, manners, and dress — The hold-
ness, agility, and courage of this nation . . 490
IX. Their sober supper and frugality .... 492
X. Their hospitality and liberality .... 492

XI. Concerning the cutting of their hair, their care of their

teeth, and shaving of their beards . . . 494

XII. Their quickness and sharpness of understanding . 494

XIII. Their symphonies and songs .... 498

XIV. Their wit and pleasantry .... 498
XV. Their boldness and confidence in speaking . . 500

XVI. Concerning the soothsayers of this nation, and persons

as it were possessed . . . . . 501

XVII. Their love of high birth and ancient genealogy . . 505

Iv VIII. Their ancient faith, love of Christianity, and devotion . 506

BOOK II,

I. Concerning the inconstancy and instability of this na-
tion, and their want of reverence for good faith and
oaths ...... 508

II. Their living by plunder, and disregard of the bonds of

peace and friendship .... 509

III. Their deficiency in battle, and base and dishonourable

flight 511

IV. Their ambitious seizure of lands, and dissensions among

brothers . . . . . . 512

V. Their great exaction, and want of moderation . . 512

VI. Concerning the crime of incest, and the abuse of churches

by succession and participation . . . 513

VII. Their sins, and the consequent loss of Britain and of

Troy . . . . . .514

VTIL In what manner this nation is to be overcome . 516

IX. In what manner Wales, when conquered, should be

governed ... . 519

DESCEIPTION OF WALES,

BOOK I.

CHAPTEE I.

OF THE LENGTH AND BEEADTH OF WALES, THE NATTJBE Of
ITS SOIL, AND THE THEEE BEMAINING TEIBES OF BBITONS.

CAMBEIA, which, by a corrupt and common term, though
less proper, is in modern times called Wales, is about two
hundred miles long and one hundred broad. The length
from Port G-ordber1 in Anglesey to Port Eskewin2 in Mon-
mouthshire is eight days' journey in extent ; the breadth
from Porth Mawr,3 or the great Port of St. David's, to
Byd-helic,4 which in Latin means Fadum salicis, or the Ford
of the Willow, and in English is called Willow-forde, is
four days' journey. It is a country very strongly defended
by high mountains, deep vallies, extensive woods, rivers,

1 Port Gordber, written Gordwr by Humphrey Lhwyd in his Bre-
viary of Britain, probably a corruption from Gorddyar, a roaring, ap-
plied to the sea, as Gorddyar m6r, the roaring of the sea.

2 Port Eskewin. — This harbour, now known by the name of Port-
scwit (and recorded in the Triads as one of the three passages or ferries
in the Tsle of Britain), is situated on the Welsh side of the Bristol
channel, at a short distance from the lower passage.

3 Port Mawr, or the large port, is thus mentioned by Leland in hii
Itinerary, torn. v. p. 28, 29 : — "About a mile of is Port Mawre, where
is a great sande with a shorte estuary into the lande. And puni say
that there hath beene a castel at or aboute Port Mawr, but the tokens
be not very evidente."

4 Rhyd-helyg, or the Ford of the "Willow. — I imagine this place is
Walford in Herefordshire, near the banks of the river Wye,

ANCIENT DIVISION OF WALES. 479

ana marshes ; insomuch that from the time the Saxons took
possession of the island the remnants of the Britons, re-
tiring into these regions, could never be entirely subdued
either by the English or by the Normans. Those who inha-
bited the southern angle of the island, which took its name
from the chieftain Corinaeus,1 made less resistance, as their
country was more defenceless. The third division of the
Britons, who obtained a part of Britany in Gaul, were
transported thither, not after the defeat of their nation, but
long before, by king Maximus, and, in consequence of the
ha,rd and continued warfare which they underwent with
him, were rewarded by the royal munificence with those
districts in France.

CHAPTER II.

OP THE ANCIENT DIVISION OF WALES INTO IHEEE PAETS.

WALES was in ancient times divided into three parts nearly
equal, consideration having been paid, in this division, more to
the value than to the just quantity or proportion of territory.
They were Venedotia, now called North Wales ; Demetia, or
South Wales, which in British is called Deheubarth, that is,
the southern part ; and Powys, the middle or eastern district.
Koderic the Great, or Ehodri Mawr, who was king over all
Wales, was the cause of this division.2 He had three sons,

1 Corinseus. — Brutus, according to the fable, in his way to Britain,
met with a company of Trojans, who had fled from Troy with An tenor
and Corinseus at their head, who submitted themselves to Brutus, and
joined his company ;. which Corinseus, being a very valiant man, ren-
dered great service to Brutus during his wars in G-aul and Britain ; in
return for which, Brutus, having subdued the island, and divided it
amongst his people, gave Cornwall to Corineeus, who, as it is said, called
it after his own name, Cernyw.

? Although it is the opinion of most writers,, that Roderic the Great
was the first person who divided the kingdom of Wales into three pro-
vinces, which he distributed to his three sons, I shall prove, from ancient
a.ithorities, that long before the destruction of Britain it was so divided.
There is extant a very old treatise on the British laws, which testifies
ihat after the death of Vortipor the inhabitants of Venedotia, Powys,
and Demetia assembled together, for the purpose of electing a new king,
and that they elected Maelgwn, king of North Wales, to be their sove-
reign. And the British histories also testify that Morgan, king of
Demetia, or West Wales, Cadvan, king of Venedotia, or North Wales,

480 DESCRIPTION OF WALES.

Mervin, Anarawt, and Cadelh, amongst whom lie partitioned
the whole p^jncipality. North Wales fell to the lot of
Mervin ; 1'cwyp to Anarawt ; and Cadelh received the por-
tion of South Wales, together with the general good wishes
of his brothers and the people ; for although this district
greatly exceeded the others in quantity, it was the least
desirable from the number of noble chiefs, or Uchelwyr,1
men of a superior rank, who inhabited it, and were often
rebellious to their lords, and impatient of control. But
Cadelh, on the death of his brothers, obtained the entire
dominion of Wales,2 as did his successors till the time of
Theodor, whose descendants, Rhys, son of Theodor, Gruf-
fydh, son of Rhys, and Rhys, son of GrufFydh, the ruling
prince in our time, enjoyed only (like the father) the sove-
reignty over South Wales.

CHAPTER III.

GEJTEALOGT OP THE PRINCES OF WALES.

THE following is the generation of princes of South Wales :
Rhys, son of Gruffydh ; Gruffydh, son of Rhys ; Rhys, son
of Theodor ; Theodor, son of Eineon ; Eineon, son of Owen ;
Owen, son of Howel Dha, or Howel the Grood ; Howel, son of
Cadelh, son of Roderic the Great. Thus the princes of South
Wales derived their origin from Cadelh, son of Roderic the
Great. The princes of North Wales descended from Mer-
vin in this manner : Lhewelyn, son of Jorwerth ; Jorwerth,
son of Owen ; Owen, son of Gruffydh ; Gruffydh, son of Co-
nan ; Conan, son of Jago; Jago, son of Edoual ; Edoual, son of
Meyric ; Meyric, son of Anarawt (Anandhrec); Anarawt, son

and Eledriok, king of Cornwall, came to the assistance of Brochmael,
king of Powys and earl of Chester, against Ethelfred, king of Northum-
berland, whom they defeated in a bloody battle at Bangor, in Flintshire,
upon wliich Cadvan was unanimously proclaimed king of Britain. All
those things happened long before the birth of Roderic, who cannot,
therefore, be said to have been the first author of these three divisions
of Wales. This note, given by the annotator, Dr. Powel, to the Latin
edition of Giraldus, is in a great measure corroborated by Lewis in hia
ancient history of Britain, and Humphrey Lhwyd in his Breviary.

1 Uchelwyr, so called from Uchel, high, and gter, a man.

* This assertion is unfounded, if we give credit to the Welsh Chronicli,
which dates the death of Cadelh in 907, and that of Anarawdin in 913.

CANTEEDS, BOTAL PALACES, CATHEDEALS. 481

of Mervin, son of Eoderic the Great. Anarawt leaving no
issue, the princes of Powys have their own particular de-
scent.

It is worthy of remark, that the Welsh bards and singers,
or reciters, have the genealogies of the aforesaid princes,
written in the Welsh language, in their ancient and authentic
books ; and also retain them in their memory from Eoderic
the Great to B. M. j1 and from thence to Sylvius, Ascanius,
and tineas ; and from the latter produce the genealogical
series in a lineal descent, even to Adam.

But as an account of such long and remote genealogies
may appear to many persons trifling rather than historical,
we have purposely omitted them in our compendium.

CHAPTEE IV.

HOW MAST CANTEEDS, EOTAL PALACES, AND CATHEDEALS
THEEE AEE IN WALES.

SOUTH WALES contains twenty-nine cantreds ; North "Wales,
twelve ; Powys, six : many of which are at this time in the
possession of the English and Franks. For the country now
called Shropshire formerly belonged to Powys, and the
place where the castle of Shrewsbury stands bore the name
of Pengwern, or the head of the Alder Grove. There were
three royal seats in South Wales : Dinevor,2 in South Wales,
removed from Caerleon ; Aberfraw,3 in North Wales ; and
Pengwern,4 in Powys.5

1 B.M. — This abbreviation, which in every manuscript I have seen
of Giraldus has been construed into Beat am Mariam, and in many of
them is written Beatam Virginem, may with much greater propriety be
applied to Belinus Magnus^ or Beli the Great, a distinguished British
king, to whom most of the British pedigrees ascended ; and because his
name occurred so frequently in them it was often written short, B.M.,
which some men, by mistake, interpreted Beata Maria. — (Sir R. C. //.)

2 See, for an account of Dinevor, the Itinerary, Book i. c. 10.

3 Aberfraw; a small town at the conflux of the river Fraw and the
sea, on the S.W. part of the isle of Anglesey, and twelve miles S.E. of
Holy head. It was formerly a considerable place, and noted for having
been the residence of eleven princes of North Wales.

4 The Welsh Chronicle informs us, that upon the making of Offa's
dyke, A.D. 795, " the seate of the kings of Powys was translated from
Pengwern, now called Salop, to Mathravel, where it continued long
after." The ancient British name of Shrewsbury was Pengwern, that

I I

4S2 DESCRIPTION OF WALES.

Wales contains in all fifty -four cantreds. The word Cantref
is derived from Cant, a hundred, and Tref, a village ; and
means in the British and Irish languages such a portion of
land as contains a hundred vills.

There are four cathedral churches in Wales : St. David's,
upon the Irish sea, David the archbishop being its patron :
it was in ancient times the metropolitan church, and the
district once contained twenty-four cantreds, though at this
time only twenty-three; for Ergengl, in English called
Urchenfeld,6 is said to have been formerly within the diocese
of St. David's, and sometimes was placed within that of
Landaff. The see of St. David's had twenty-five successive

is, the head of the alder grove ; and derived, perhaps, from its wooded
situation :

Edita Pengwerni late fastigia splendent,
Urbs sita lunato veluti mediamnis in orbe,
Colle tumet modico, duplici quoque ponte superbit,
Accipiens patria sibi lingua nomen ab ainis.

A raised mound of earth, and some indistinct traces of walls, mark the
site of this castle of Mathraval on the banks of the river Vyrnwy.

6 Powys. — The ancient boundaries of the principality of Powys have
been thus ascertained in the Welsh Chronicle : " Powys, before king
Offa's time, reached eastward to the rivers Dee and Severn, with a
right line from the end of Broxen hills to Salop, with all the country
between Wye and Severn, whereof Brochwel Yscithroc was possessed ;
but after the making of Offa's dyke, the plain country toward Salop
being inhabited by Saxons and Normans, the length of Powys extended
from Pulford bridge north-east, to the confines of Cardiganshire in the
parish of Llanguric, in the south-west ; and the breadth, from the far-
thest part of Cyveiliog westward to Ellesmere on the east." Leland in
his Itinerary, torn. v. fol. 29, gives the following account of this princi-
pality : " Powis borderithe one way upon North Wales in Merionethe-
shire*, as concerninge the limits of Cavelioc (Cyveiliog) lordshipe, and is
in lengthe by gesse a xx miles. For it is xvi miles betwixt Cahilews
(Caersws) and Mahen Cliff (Machynlleth), and at the ends of eche of
thes places it extendith somewhat from the townes . . . Low Powis

is in lengthe from Buttington bridge a 2 miles from the

Walche Poole (Welsh-pool) toward Shrobbesbiri (Shrewsbury) unto
above . . . . In all Hy Powis is not one castle that evidently
aperithe by manifest ruins of waulls ; and they wer wont to bringe in
tymes past, in the old lord Duddleys dayes, theyr prisoners to Walche-
poole ; and in Low Powis is but onely the castle of the Walche-poole."

e A great lordship in Herefordshire, including the district between
Hereford and Monmouth, bordering on the river Wye.

MOUNTAINS AND RIVERS. 483

aichbishops ; and from the time of the removal of the pall
into France, to this day, twenty-two bishops ; whose names
and series, as well as the cause of the removal of the archie-
piscopal pall, may be seen in our Itinerary.1

In South Wales also is situated the bishopric of Landaff,
near the Severn sea, and near the noble castle of Caerdyf ;
bishop Teilo being its patron. It contains five cantreds, and
the fourth part of another, namely, Senghennyd.

In North Wales, between Anglesey and the Eryri moun-
tains, is the see of Bangor, under the patronage of Daniel,
the abbot ; it contains about nine cantreds.

In North Wales also is the poor little cathedral of Llan-
Elwy, or St. Asaph, containing about six cantreds, to which
Powys is subject.

CHAPTEE V.

OF THE TWO MOUNTAINS FROM WHICH THE NOBLE RIVERS
WHICH DIVIDE WALES SPRING.

WALES is divided and distinguished by noble rivers,
which derive their source from two ranges of mountains,
the Ellennith, in South Wales, which the English call
Moruge, as being the heads of moors, or bogs ; and Eryri,
in North Wales, which they call Snowdon, or moun-
tains of snow; the latter of which are said to be of so
great an extent, that if all the herds in Wales were col-
lected together, they would supply them with pasture for a
considerable time. Upon them are two lakes, one of which
has a floating island ; and the other contains fish having
only one eye, as we have related in our Itinerary.

We must also here remark, that at two places in Scotland,
one on the eastern, and the other on the western ocean, the
sea-fish called mulvelli (mullets) have only the right eye.

The noble river Severn takes its rise from the Ellennitb
mountains, and flowing by the castles of Shrewsbury and
Bridgenorth, through the city of Worcester, and that of Glou-
cester, celebrated for its iron manufactories, falls into the
sea a few miles from the latter place, and gives its name tc
the Severn Sea. This river was for many years the boundary
between Cambria and Loegria, or Wales and England ; il

1 Book ii. chapter 1

484 DESCRIPTION OF WALES.

was called in British Hafren, from the daughter of Locrmus,
who was drowned in it by her step-mother ; the aspirate
being changed, according to the Latin idiom, into S, as is
usual in words derived from the Greek, it was termed Sa-
rina, as hal becomes sal ; hemi, semi ; hepta, septem.

The river Wye rises in the same mountains of Ellennith,
and flows by the castles of Hay and Clifford, through the
city of Hereford, by the castles of Wilton and G-oodrich,
through the forest of Dean, abounding with iron and deer,
and proceeds to Strigul castle, below which it empties it-
self into the sea, and forms in modern times the boundary
between England and Wales. The Usk1 does not derive its
origin from these mountains, but from those of Cantref
Bachan ; it flows by the castle of Brecheinoc, or Aberhodni,
that is, the fall of the river Hodni into the TTsk (for Aber,
in the British language, signifies every place where two
rivers unite their streams) ; by the castles of Abergevenni
and Usk, through the ancient city of Legions, and dis-
charges itself into the Severn Sea, not far from Newport.

The river Remni2 flows towards the sea from the moun-
tains of Brecheinoc, having passed the castle and bridge of
Remni. From the same range of mountains springs the
Taf, which pursues its course to the episcopal see of Landaf
(to which it gives its name), and falls into the sea below the
castle of Caerdif. The river Avon3 rushes impetuously from

1 "Wiskerisith in Blake Montein, a x miles above Brekenoc toward
Caermadine, and so rennith thorough the litle forest and great forest of
Brekenok, and so cummith thorough Redbrynu (Rhyd-y-briw) bridge,
to Brekenok, to- Aberconureg, a maner place of the Aubres, to Penkethle,
to CregkoeL to Abregeveni, to TJske, Caerleon, Newport."— Leland, Itin.
torn. v. p. 76.

'' The place wher the river of Wiske doth springe, as owt of a fontaine
or welle, is caullid Blainwiske." — Ibid. p. 76.

2 " The hedde of Remney river is yn the hilles of High Wenceland :
thens cumme many springes, and taking one bottom ; . . . and thens
going into Diffrin Risca (the vale of the river Risca,) it is augrr.entid
with Risca, a brooke cumming ynto it out of a paroche caullid Egglins-
islan (Eglwysilan,) and then doth it al bere the name of Risca : and
.cumming to Bedwes paroche it is caullid Remny, and by the same name
into the Severne Se.H — Leland, Itin. torn iv. p. 34.

3 "Avon ryver eum of 2 armes, wherof that that lyith north-eat is
Cttullid A^on Yawr, and that that lyith north-west is caullid Avon

BIYERS. 485

the mountains of G-lam organ, between the celebrated Cis-
tercian monasteries of Margan and Neth ; and the river
Neth, descending from the mountains of Brecheinoc, unites
itself with the sea, at no great distance from the castle of
Neth ; each of these rivers forming a long tract of danger-
ous quicksands. From the same mountains of Brecheinoc
the river Tawe flows down to Abertawe, called in English
Swainsey. The Lochor1 joins the sea near the castle of the
same name ; and the "Wendraeth2 has its confluence near
Cydweli. The Tywy,3 another noble river, rises in the
Ellennith mountains, and separating the Cantref Mawr from
the Cantref Bachan, passes by the castle of Lhanymdhyfri,
and the royal palace and castle of Dinevor, strongly situated
in the deep recesses of its woods, by the noble castle of
Caermardhin, where Merlin was found, and from whom the
city received its name, and runs into the sea near the castle of
Lhanstephan. The river Taf4 rises in the Presseleu moun-
tains, not far from the monastery of "Whitland, and passing

Vehan. They mete togither at Lanvihengle, about a 2 miles above
Aberauson (Aberavon) village. From the mouth of Avon to the mouth
of Avon ryver is aboute a 2 miles and a half al by low shore, shokid
with Severn sandes and sum morisch groundes." — Leland, Itin. torn. iv.
p. 50.

1 " Lochor river partith Kidwelli from West G-ower lande."— Ibid.
torn. v. p. 23.

2 The course of the G-wendraeth Vawr and Vychan have been given
in the Notes on the ninth chapter of the Itinerary.

3 " Towe (the Tywy of Giraldus) risith nil myles by south from Llyn-
tyve (the lake of Tyve) in a morisch ground, and hath no llyn at his
hedd, and by estimation rennith a xxii miles or he cum to Llanainde-
very (Llandovery). He first rennith sumwhat by south, and then a
greate way by west, and at last turneth againe toward south." — Leland,
Itin. torn. v. p. 87. And in another place, the same author, speaking
of this river, says, " The hed of Tewe (Towy) ryver cumynge to Cair-
marden, is in a forrest woode caullyd Bysshopps Forest, about a xxuir
myles from Cairmarden, and the hed *of this ryver is almoste in the
midle waye betwixt Llandewy streme and Llancanery (Llandovery)
castle."

4 " Tava risith in the mountains of Presseleu, not far from Teguin ar
Tave (Ty Gwin ar Tave, or the white house on the Tave,) by the which
it cummith, and so by S. Clares, and not far from Abercorran and Tala-
charne it goith into the se. I herd ons that it risith in a montaine
caullid Wrenne Vawr (Vrenny Vawr) a nil mylea from Caerdigein
(Cardigan)."— Leland> Itin. torn. v. p. 22.

486 DESCRIPTION OF WALES.

by the cistle of St. Clare, falls into the sea near Abercorran
and Talacharn. From the same mountains flow the rivers
Cledheu, encompassing the province of Daugledheu, and
giving it their name ; one passes by the castle of Lahaden,
and the other by Haverford, to the sea ; and in the British
language they bear the name of Daugledheu, or two swords.

The noble river Teivi1 springs from the Ellennith moun-
tains, in the upper part of the Cantref Mawr and Caerdigan,
not far from the pastures and excellent monastery of Stratflur,
forming a boundary between Demetia and Caerdigan down
to the Irish channel ; this is the only river in Wales that
produces beavers, an account of which is given in our Itin*
erary ; and also exceeds every other river in the abundance
and delicacy of its salmon. But as this book may fall into
the hands of many persons who will not meet with the
other, I have thought it right here to insert many curious
and particular qualities relating to the nature of these ani-
mals, how they convey their materials from the woods to
the river, with what skill they employ these materials in con-
structing places of safety in the middle of the stream, how
artfully they defend themselves against the attack of the
hunters on the eastern and how on the western side ; the sin-
gularity of their tails, which partake more of the nature of
fish than flesh. For further particulars see the Itinerary.2

From the same mountains issues the Tstuyth,3 and flow-

1 " There is a Uyn a mi miles from Stratflure, caullyd Llin Tyre.
about .... in bredthe. Tyve cummithe out of this poole, so to
Stratflure abbay, and there aboute cummithe in Glesrode burne sum-
what benethe the abbay. Glesrode risethe a 3 miles from Stratflure in
the mountaynes in the hy way toward Buelthe. Tyve or ever he cum
to Stratflure takethe but a lytle botom, but fletithe and ragitb upon
stones, as Glesrode dothe. And or Tyve cum to Stratflure, he resei-
vithe a litle brooke caullyd Llinhiglande. Glesrode some tyme so ra-
geth that he carriethe stones from these placis. Tyve goithe from
Stratflure to Tregaron, a village a im miles on the hither side, and this
commithe in anothar brooke caullid Grose, that within a litle goithe
into Tyve." — Leland, Kin. torn. vii.

2 Our author seems at first to have intended giving a repetition of
the history of the beaver in this Description of Wales, being a separate
work from the Itinerary ; but he afterwards alters his mind, and refers
the reader for an account of it to the Itinerary. Book ii. c. 4.

3 " Ustwith risith owt of a moorish grounde caullid Blaene Ustwith,
III miles from Llangibike on Wy (Llangurig) j it is in Comeustwittk

OF WALES. 487

ing through the upper parts of Penwedic, in Cardiganshire,
falls into the sea near the castle of Aberystuyth. From
the snowy mountains of Eryri flows the noble river Devi/
dividing for a great distance North and South Wales ; and
from the same mountains also the large river Mawr,2 forming
by its course the greater and smaller tract of sands called
the Traeth Mawr and the Traeth Bachan. The Dissennith
also, and the Arthro, flow through Merionethshire and the
land of Conan. The Conwy,3 springing from the northern
side of the Eryri mountains, unites its waters with the sea
under the noble castle of Deganwy. The Cloyd* rises from

(Cwmystwyth), and so rennith good VI miles thorough Comeustwith,
and a vi or vn mo miles to Abreustwith." — Leland, Itin torn. v. p. 87.

1 If by the mountains of Eryri we are to understand the Snowdonian
range of hills, our author has not been quite accurate in fixing the
source of the river Dovy, which rises between Dynas-y-mowddu and
Bala Lake, to the southward of Mount Arran : from whence it pursues
its course to Mallwyd, and Machynlleth, below which place it becomes
an ffistuary, and the boundary between North and South Wales.

2 Our author is again incorrect in stating that the river Maw forms,
by its course, the two tracts of sands called Traeth Mawr and Traeth
Bychan. This river, from which Barmouth derives the name of Aber-
maw, and to which Giraldus, in the fifth chapter of the second book of
his Itinerary, has given the epithet of bifurcus, runs far to the south-
ward of either of the Traeths. The Traeth Mawr, or large sands, are
formed by the impetuous torrents which descend from Snowdon by
Beddgelert, and pass under the Devil's Bridge at Pont Aberglasllyn, so
called from the river Glasllyn ; and the Traeth Bychan, or little sands,
are formed by numerous streams which unite themselves in the vale of
Festiniog, and become an sestuary near the village of Maentwrog.

3 The Conway derives its principal source from a very large lake, called
Llin Conway, (second in size to that of Bala,) situated on a dreary and
boggy moor, arid abounding in delicious trout ; it pursues its course by
Yspytty Evan and Bettws y Coed to Llanrwst, forming many precipi"
tous cataracts, and adding fresh charms to the picturesque scenery,
which nature, in the disposition of her hills, and art, in the construc-
tion of her bridges, have abundantly supplied in this tract of country.
A little below Llanrwst it becomes a tide river, and passing under the
neglected walls of the Boman Conovium, and the once sequestered Cis-
tercian abbey at Maenan, flows tranquilly down to Conway.

4 The river Clwyd rises at a very considerable distance from the place
assigned to it by Giraldus : it flows by Ruthin, and east of Denbigh,
to St. Asaph ; from whence, with the united streams of the Elwy, it
continues its course to Buthlan, where it becomes a tide river j giving
a name to the rich and fertile Vale of Clwyd.

488 DESCRIPTION OF WALES.

another side of the same mountain, and passes by the castle
of Euthlan to the sea. The Doverdwy, called by the English
Dee,1 draws its source from the lake of Penmelesmere, and
runs through Chester, leaving the wood of Coleshulle, Bas-
inwerk, and a rich vein of silver in its neighbourhood, far to
the right, and by the influx of the sea forming a very
dangerous quicksand ; thus the Dee makes the northern, and
the river Wye the southern boundary of Wales.

CHAPTER YI.

CONCEBNING THE PLEASANTNESS AND FERTILITY OF
WALES.

As the southern part of Wales near Cardiganshire, but
particularly Pembrokeshire, is much pleasanter, on account of
its plains and sea-coast, so North Wales is better defended by
nature, is more productive of men distinguished for bodily
strength, and more fertile in the nature of its soil ; for, as
the mountains of Eryri (Snowdon) could supply pasturage
for all the herds of cattle in Wales, if collected together, so
could the Isle of Mona (Anglesey) provide a requisite
quantity of corn for all the inhabitants : on which account
there is an old British proverb, " Mon mam Cymbry" that
is, " Mona is the mother of Wales." Merionyth, and the
land of Conan, is the rudest and least cultivated region,
and the least accessible. The natives of that part of Wales
excel in the use of long lances, as those of Monmouthshire
are distinguished for their management of the bow. I It is
to be observed, that the British language is more delicate
and richer in North Wales, that country being less inter-
mixed with foreigners. Many, however, assert that the lan-
guage of Cardiganshire, in South Wales, placed as it were
in the middle and heart of Cambria, is the most refined.

The people of Cornwall aad-the Armorioons speak a lan-
guage similar to that of the Britons ; and from its origin and
near resemblance, it is intelligible to the Welsh in many
instances, and almost in all ; and although less delicate and
methodical, yet it approaches, as I judge, more to the ancient

1 The primary source of the river Dee is in the valley leading from
Dolgelly to Bala, from which place it flows through the beautiful Vita
of Edeyrnion to Llangollen, Overton, Bangor, and Chester.

OEIGIN OP THE NAMES CAMBEIA AND WALES. 489

f British idiom. As in the southern parts of England, and par-

( ticularly in Devonshire, the English language seems less
agreeable, yet it bears more marks of antiquity (the northern

J parts being much corrupted by the irruptions of the Danes
and Norwegians), and adheres more strictly to the original
language and ancient mode of speaking ; a positive proof
of which may be deduced from all the English works of

, Bede, Rhabanus, and king Alfred, being written according to

y this idiom.

CHAPTEE VII.

OBI GIN OF THE NAMES CAMBEIA AND WALES.

CAMBEIA was so called from Camber, son of Brutus ; for
Brutus, descending from the Trojans, by his grandfather,
Ascanius, and father, Silvius, led the remnant of the Tro-
jans, who had long been detained in Greece, into this wes-
tern isle ; and having reigned many years, and given his
name to the country and people, at his death divided the
kingdom of Wales between his three sons. To his eldest
son, Locrinus, he gave that part of the island which lies
between the rivers Humber and Severn, and which from
him was called Loegria. To his second son, Albanactus, he
gave the lands beyond the Humber, which took from him
the name of Albania. But to his youngest son, Camber,
he bequeathed all that region which lies beyond the Severn,
and is called after him Cambria ; hence the country is pro-
perly and truly called Cambria, and its inhabitants Cam-
brians, or Cambrenses. Some assert that their name was
derived from Cam and Grceco, that is, distorted Greek, on
account of the affinity of their languages, contracted by
their long residence in Greece ; but this conjecture, though
plausible, is not well founded on truth.

The name of Wales was not derived from Wallo, a ge-
neral, or Wandolena, the queen, as the fabulous history of
Geoffrey Arthurius1 falsely maintains, because neither of
these personages are to be found amongst the Welsh ; but
it arose from a barbarian appellation. The Saxons, when
they seized upon Britain, called this nation, as they did all

1 Better known as Geoffrey of Monmouth.

490 DESCEIPTION OF WALES.

foreigners, "Wallenses ; and thus the barbarous name re-
frains to the people and their country.1

Having discoursed upon the quality and quantity of the
land, the genealogies of the princes, the sources of the rivers,
and the derivation of the names of this country, we shall
now consider the nature and character of the nation.

CHAPTEE YIII.

CONCERNING THE NATUEE, MANNEES, AND DEESS, THE
BOLDNESS, AGILITY, AND COUEAGKE, OF THIS NATION.

THIS people is light and active, hardy rather than strong,
and entirely bred up to the use of arms ; for not only the
nobles, but all the people are trained to war, and when the
trumpet sounds the alarm, the husbandman rushes as eagerly
from his plough as the courtier from his court ; for here it
is not found that, as in other places,

" Agricolis labor actus in orbem,"

returns ; for in the months of March and April only the
soil is once ploughed for oats, and again in the summer a
third time, and in winter for wheat. Almost all the people
live upon the produce of their herds, with oats, milk, cheese,
and butter j eating flesh in larger proportions than bread.
They pay no attention to commerce, shipping, or manufac-
tures, and suffer no interruption but by martial exercises.
They anxiously study the defence of their country and their
liberty ; for these they fight, for these they undergo hard-
ships, and for these willingly sacrifice their lives ; they
esteem it a disgrace to die in bed, an honour to die in the
field of battle j using the poet's expression, —

" Procul bine avertite pacem,
Nobilitas cum pace perit."

Nor is it wonderful if it degenerates, for the ancestors of
these men, the vEneadae, rushed to arms in the cause of liberty.
It is remarkable that this people, though unarmed, dares at-
tack an armed foe ; the infantry defy the cavalry, and by their
activity and courage generally prove victors. They resemble

1 The Anglo-Saxons called the Britons Wealhas, from a word in their
own language, which signified literally foreigners ; and hence we derive
the modern name Welsh.

COUEAGE OF THE WELSH. 491

in disposition and situation those conquerors whom the poet
Lucan mentions :

"Populi quos despicit Arctos,

IUQ, quos ille tiraorum

Maximus haud urget leti metus, inde ruendi
In ferrum, mens prona viris, animseque capaces,
Mortis et ignavum redituree parcere vitse."

They make use of light arms, which do not impede their
agility, small coats of mail, bundles of arrows, and long
iances, helmets and shields, and more rarely greaves plated
with iron. The higher class go to battle mounted on swift
and generous steeds, which their country produces ; but the
greater part of the people fight on foot, on account of the
marshy nature and unevenness of the soil. The horsemen,
as their situation or occasion requires, willingly serve as in-
fantry, in attacking or retreating ; and they either walk
bare-footed, or make use of high shoes, roughly constructed
with untanned leather. In time of peace, the young men,
by penetrating the deep recesses of the woods, and climbing
the tops of mountains, learn by practice to endure fatigue
through day and night ; and as they meditate on war during
peace, they acquire the art of fighting by accustoming them-
selves to the use of the lance, and by inuring themselves to
hard exercise.

In our time, king Henry II., in reply to the enquiries of
Emanuel, emperor of Constantinople, concerning the situ-
ation, nature, and striking peculiarities of the British island,
among other remarkable circumstances mentioned the follow-
ing : " That in a certain part of the island there was a people,
called Welsh, so bold and ferocious, that, when unarmed,
they did not fear to encounter an armed force ; being ready
to shed their blood in defence of their country, and to sacri-
fice their lives for renown ; which is the more surprising, a8
the beasts of the field over the whole face of the island be-
came gentle, but these desperate men could not be tamed.
The wild animals, and particularly the stags aud hinds, are
so abundant, owing to the little molestation they receive,
that in our time, in the northern parts of the island towards
the Peak,1 when pursued by the hounds and hunters, they
contributed, by their numbers, to their own destruction.'*

? The Peak, in Derbyshire.

492 DESCRIPTION OF WALES.

CHAPTEE IX.

OF THEIR SOBER STJPPEE AND FRUGALITY".

NOT addicted to gluttony or drunkenness, this people
who incur no expense in food or dress, and whose minds are
always bent upon the defence of their country, and on the
means of plunder, are wholly employed in the care of their
horses and furniture. Accustomed to fast from morning
till evening, and trusting to the care of Providence, they
dedicate the whole day to business, and in the evening par-
take of a moderate meal ; and even if they have none, or
only a very scanty one, they patiently wait till the next
evening ; and, neither deterred by cold nor hunger, they
employ the dark and stormy nights in watching the hostile
motions of their enemies.

CHAPTEE X

OF THEIR HOSPITALITY AND LIBERALITY.

No one of this nation ever begs, for the houses of all are
common to all ; and they consider liberality and hospitality
amongst the first virtues. So much does hospitality here
rejoice in communication, that it is neither offered nor re-
quested by travellers, who, on entering any house, only de-
liver up their arms. When water is offered to them, if
they suffer their feet to be washed, they are received as
guests ; for the offer of water to wash the feet is with this
nation an hospitable invitation. But if they refuse the
proffered service, they only wish for morning refreshment,
not lodging. The young men move about in troops and
families under the direction of a chosen leader. Attached
only to arms and ease, and ever ready to stand forth in
4efence of their country, they have free admittance into
every house as if it were their own.

Those who arrive in the morning are entertained till even-
ing with the conversation of young women, and the music of
the harp ; for each house has its young women and harps
allotted to this purpose. Two circumstances here deserve
notice : that as no nation labours more under the vice of
jealousy than the Irish, so none is more free from it than
the Welsh ; and in each family the art of playing on the
harp is held preferable to any other learning. In the even-
ins:, when no more guests are expected, the meal is prepared

DOMESTIC LIFE OF THE WELSH. 493

according to the number and dignity of the persons assem-
bled, and according to the wealth of the family who enter-
tains. The kitchen does not supply many dishes, nor high-
seasoned incitements to eating. The house is not furnished

with tables, cloths, or napkins. They study nature more
than splendour, for which reason, the guests being seated in
threes, instead of couples as elsewhere,1 they place the dishes
before them all at once upon rushes and fresh grass, in
large platters or trenchers. They also make use of a thin
and broad cake of bread, baked every day, such as in old
writings was called lag ana ? and they sometimes add
chopped meat, with broth. Such a repast was formerly
used by the noble youth, from whom this nation boasts its
descent, and whose manners it still partly imitates, according
to the word of the poet :

" Heu ! mensas consumimus, inquit lulus."
While the family is engaged in waiting on the guests, the
host and hostess stand up, paying unremitting attention to
every thing, and take no food till all the company are satis-,
fied ; that in case of any deficiency, it may fall upon them.
A bed made of rushes, and covered with a coarse kind of
cloth manufactured in the country, called brychan? is then
placed along the side of the room, and they all in common
lie down to sleep ; nor is their dress at night different from
that by day, for at all seasons they defend themselves from
the cold only by a thin cloak and tunic. The fire con-
tinues to burn by night as well as by day, at their feet, and

1 Sir B. C. Hoare has altogether misunderstood the original here.
It was the custom in the middle ages to place the guests at table in
pairs, and each two persons ate out of one plate. Each couple was a
mess. At a later period, among the great, the mess consisted of four
persons ; but it appears that in Wales, at this time, it was formed of
three guests.

2 " Bread, called Lagana, was, I suppose, the sort of household bread,
or thin cake baked on an iron plate, called a griddle (yradell), still
common in Caermarthenshire, and called Sara Llech and Bara Llechan,
or griddle bread, from being so baked." — Owen. " Laganum, a fritter or
pancake, Baranyiod" — Lluyd, Archaiologyy p. 75.

3 Brychan, in Lhuyd's Archaiology and Cornish Grammar, is spelt
Bryccan, and interpreted a blanket. In Bullet's Celtic Dictionary, I also
fin'd this word Brychan thus explained, and corresponding with the
sense in which GHraldus has used it, viz. : " Natte de jonc ou de paille,
ce sur quoi 1'on se couche ; drap rude sur lequel couchent les Ghilloia,
couverture de lit," &c.

494 DESCRIPTION OF WALES.

they receive much comfort from the natural heat of the per-
sons lying near them ; but when the under side begins tc
be tired with the hardness of the bed, or the upper one to
suffer from cold, they immediately leap up, and go to the
fire, which soon relieves them from both inconveniences ; and
then returning to their couch, they expose alternately their
sides to the cold, and to the hardness of the bed.

CHAPTEE XI.

CONCERNING THEIR CUTTING OF THEIR HAIR, THEIR CARE
OF THEIR TEETH, AND SHAVING OF THEIR BEARD.

THE men and women cut their hair close round to the ears
and eyes. The women, after the manner of the Parthians,
cover their heads with a large white veil, folded together in
the form of a crown.

Both sexes exceed any other nation in attention to their
teeth, which they render like ivory, by constantly rubbing
them with green hazel and wiping with a woollen cloth. Eor
their better preservation, they abstain from hot meats, and
eat only such as are cold, warm, or temperate. The men
shave all their beard except the moustaches (gernoboda).
This custom is not recent, but was observed in ancient and
remote ages, as we find in the works of Julius Caesar, who
says,1 " The Britons shave every part of their body except
their head and upper lip ;" and to render themselves more
active, and avoid the fate of Absalon in their excursions
through the woods, they are accustomed to cut even the
hair from their heads ; so that this nation more than any
other shaves off all pilosity." Julius also adds, that the
Britons, previous to an engagement, anointed their faces with
a nitrous ointment, which gave them so ghastly and shining
an appearance, that the enemy could scarcely bear to look at
them, particularly if the rays of the sun were reflected on
them.

CHAPTER XII.

OP THEIR QUICKNESS AND SHARPNESS OF UNDERSTANDING.

THESE people being of a sharp and acute intellect, and

1 " Omnes vero se Britanni vitro inficiunt, quod cseruleum efficit colorem,
atque hoc horridore sunt in pugna adspectu ; capilloque sunt promisso,
atque omni parte corporis rasa, prseter caput et labrum superiu*."—
Ctesar de Bella Gallico, cap. 13, 14.

THEIR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 405

gifted with a rich and powerful understanding, excel in
whatever studies the) pursue, and are more quick and cun-
ning than the other inhabitants of a western clime.

Their musical instruments charm and delight the ear with
their sweetness, are borne along by such celerity and deli-
cacy of modulation, producing such a consonance from the
rapidity of seemingly discordant touches, that I shall briefly
repeat what is set forth in our Irish Topography on the
subject of the musical instruments of the three nations. It
is astonishing that in so complex and rapid a movement of
the fingers, the musical proportions can be preserved, and
that throughout the difficult modulations on their various
instruments, the harmony is completed with such a sweet
velocity, so unequal an equality, so discordant a concord,
as if the chords sounded together fourths or fifths. They
always begin from B flat, and return to the same, that the
whole may be completed under the sweetness of a pleasing
sound. They enter into a movement, and conclude it in so
delicate a manner, and play the little notes so sportively un-
der the blunter sounds of the base strings, enlivening with
wanton levity, or communicating a deeper internal sensation
of pleasure, so that the perfection of their art appears in
the concealment of it :

" Si lateat, prosit ;

• ferat ars deprensa pudorem."

" Art profits when concealed,
Disgraces when revealed."

From this cause, those very strains which afford deep and
unspeakable mental delight to those who have skilfully pene-
trated into the mysteries of the art, fatigue rather than
gratify the ears of others, who seeing, do not perceive, and
hearing, do not understand ; and by whom the finest music
is esteemed no better than a confused and disorderly noise,
and will be heard with unwillingness and disgust.1

They make use of three instruments, the harp, the pipe,
and the crwth or crowd (chorus).2

1 I have adopted Mr. Jones's translation of this passage, the Latin
text of which, to one not skilled in music, appears very unintelligible.

2 This instrument is generally supposed to have been the origin of the
violin, which was not commonly known in England till the reign of
Charles I. Before this time the crwth was not probably confined to
the Principality, from the name of Crowdero in Hudibras ; as also from
a fiddler being' still called a crowder in eome parts of England, though

496 DESCRIPTION OF WALES.

They omit no part of natural rhetoric in the management
of civil actions, in quickness of invention, disposition, refu-
tation, and confirmation. In their rhymed songs and set
speeches they are so subtile and ingenious, that they pro-
duce, in their native tongue, ornaments of wonderful and
exquisite invention both in the words and sentences. Hence
arise those poets whom they call Bards, of whom you will
find many in this nation, endowed with the above faculty,
according to the poet's observation :

11 Plurima concreti fuderunt cannina Bardi."
But they make use of alliteration (anominatione) in pre-
ference to all other ornaments of rhetoric, and that parti-
cular kind which joins by consonancy the first letters or sylla-
bles of words. So much do the English and Welsh nations
employ this ornament of words in all exquisite composition,
that no sentence is esteemed to be elegantly spoken, no ora-
tion to be otherwise than uncouth and unrefined, unless it
be fully polished with the file of this figure. Thus in the
British tongue :

" Digawn Duw da i unic."

« Wrth bob crybwylh rhaid pwylh parawdd."1

he now plays on a violin instead of a crwth. With the above account,
(printed in the Archaiology, vol. iii. from a paper of Mr. Daines Bar-
rington,) there is a drawing of this musical instrument ; and an asser-
tion, that at the time this account was transmitted to the Society, A.D.
1770, the instrument was on the point of being entirely lost, as there
was but one person in the whole principality who could play upon it.
A very minute description of the crwth, by Gruffyd ab David ab Howel,
and many other particulars respecting it, have been collected by Mr.
Jones, in his Dissertation on the Musical Instruments of the Welsh,
page 114, edition of 1794. See a former note, p. 127.

1 These Welsh lines quoted by G-iraldus are selected from two different
stanzas of moral verses, called Eglynion y Clywed, the composition of
tome anonymous bard ; or probably the work of several :
"A glyweisti a gant Dy wyneg,

Milwr doeth detholedig ;

Digawn Duw da i unig ?
" Hast thou heard what was sung by Dy wynic ?

A wise and chosen warrior ;

God will effect solace to the orphan.
" A glyweisti a gant Anarawd ?

Milwr doniawg did lawd ;

Bhaid wrth anmhwyll pwyll parawd.

THEIB LANGUAGE. 497

And in English,

" God is together gammen and wisedom."

The same ornament of speech is also frequent in the Latin
language.1 Virgil says,

11 Tales casus Cassandra canebat."
And again, in his address to Augustus,

rt Dum dubitet natura marem, faceretve puellam,
Natus es, o pulcher, pene puella, puer."

This ornament occurs not in any language we know so fre-
quently as in the two first ; it is, indeed, surprising that the
French, in other respects so ornamented, should be entirely
ignorant of this verbal elegance so much adopted in other
languages. Nor can I believe that the English and Welsh,
so different and adverse to each other, could designedly have
agreed in the usage of this figure ; but I should rather suppose
that it had grown habitual to both by long custom, as it
pleases the ear by a transition from similar to similar sounds.
Cicero, in his book " On Elocution," observes of such who
know the practice, not the art, " Other persons when they
read good orations or poems, approve of the orators or poets,
not understanding the reason why, being affected, they ap-
prove ; because they cannot know in what place, of what

" Hast thou heard what was sung by Anarawd ?
A warrior endowed with many gifts j
With want of sense ready wit is necessary.'1

Or, as Giraldus quotes it,

" Wrth bob crybwll rhaid pwyll parawd."
" With every hint ready wit is necessary."

Myvyvrian Archaiology, page 172.

1 The alliteration of the Welsh poetry, in the examples here giren by
Giraldus, is so entirely identical with that of the Anglo-Saxons, both
in its arrangement and in the form and rhythm of the verse, that we
can hardly doubt its being taken from it. The cantilena rhythmic*
were, of course, rhyming verse ; which, therefore, was in use among the
Welsh in the time of Giraldus Cambrensis, though he seems to consider
alliteration as being then their more natural form of verse. The appear-
ances are in favour of the suggestion that the Welsh had first adopted
the alliterative verse of the Anglo-Saxons ; and that, after the entrance
of the Normans, this alliteration had, exactly as in the English poetry
itself, been superseded by the newer French system of rhyming verse.

K K

198 DESCRIPTION OP WALES.

nature, nor how that effect is caused which so highly delights
them."

CHAPTEE XIII.

OP THEIR SYMPHONIES AND SONGS.

IN their musical concerts they do not sing in unison like
the inhabitants of other countries, but in many different
parts ; so that in a company of singers, which one very fre-
quently meets with in Wales, you will hear as many dif-
ferent parts and voices as there are performers, who all at
length unite, with organic melody, in one consonance and
the soft sweetness of B flat. In the northern district of
Britain, beyond the Humber, and on the borders of York-
shire, the inhabitants make use of the same kind of sympho-
nious harmony, but with less variety ; singing only in two
parts, one murmuring in the base, the other warbling in
the acute or treble. Neither of the two nations has acquired
this peculiarity by art, but by long habit, which has ren-
dered it natural and familiar ; and the practice is now so
firmly rooted in them, that it is unusual to hear a simple
and single melody well sung ; and, what is still more won-
derful, the children, even from their infancy, sing in the
same manner. As the English in general do not adopt this
mode of singing, but only those of the northern countries,
I believe that it was from the Danes and Norwegians, by
whom these parts of the island were more frequently in-
vaded, and held longer under their dominion, that the
natives contracted their mode of singing as well as speaking.

CHAPTEE XIY.

THEIR WIT AND PLEASANTRY.

/THE heads of different families, in order to excite the laugh-
ter of their guests, and gain credit by their sayings, make
use of great facetiousness in their conversation ; at one time
.uttering their jokes in a light, easy manner, at another time,
under the disguise of equivocation, passing the severest cen-
sures. For the sake of explanation I shall here subjoin a
few examples. Tegengl is the name of a province in North
"Wales, over which David, son of Owen, had dominion, and
which had once been in the i-ossession of his brother. The

EXAMPLES OP WELSH WIT. 499

."same word also was the name of a certain woman with
•whom, it was said, each brother had an intrigue, from which
circumstance arose this term of reproach, " To have Tegengl,
after Tegengl had been in possession of his brother."
. At another time, when Rhys, son of Grruffydh, prince of
South Wales, accompanied by a multitude of his people,
devoutly Centered the church of St. David's, previous to an
intended journey, the oblations having been made, and
mass solemnized, a young man came to him in the church,
and publicly declared himself to be his son, threw himself
at his feet, and with tears humbly requested that the truth
of this assertion might be ascertained by the trial of the
burning iron. Intelligence of this circumstance being con-
veyed to his family and his two sons, who had just gone out
of the church, a youth who was present made this remark :
"This is not wonderful ; some have brought gold, and others
silver, as offerings ; but this man, who had neither, brought
what he had, namely, iron;" thus taunting him with his
poverty. On mentioning a certain house that was strongly
built and almost impregnable, one of the company said,
"This house indeed is strong, for if it should contain food
it could never be got at," thus alluding both to the food
and to the house. In like manner, a person, wishing to
•hint at the avaricious disposition of the mistress of a house,
$aid, " I only find fault with our hostess for putting too
little butter to her salt," whereas the accessary should be
put to the principal ; thus, by a subtile transposition of the
words,- converting the accessary into the principal, by
making it appear to abound in quantity. Many similar
sayings of great men and philosophers are recorded in the
Saturnalia of Macrobius. When Cicero saw his son-in-law,
Lentulus, a man of small stature, with a long sword by his
side : " Who," says he, " has girded my son-in-law to that
sword?" thus changing the accessary into the principal.
The same person, on seeing the half-length portrait of his
brother Quintus Cicero, drawn with very large features
and an immense shield, exclaimed, " Half of my brother is
greater than the whole !" When the sister of Paustus had
an intrigue with a fuller, " Is it strange," says he, " that my
sister has a spot, when she is connected with a fuller ?"
When Antiochus showed Hannibal his army, and the great

600 DESCBIPTION OF WALES.

warlike preparations he had made against the Romans, and
asked him, "Thinkest thou, O Hannibal, that these are
sufficient for the Romans ?" Hannibal, ridiculing the
unmilitary appearance of the soldiers, wittily and severely
replied, " I certainly think them sufficient for the Romans,
however greedy ;" Antiochus asking his opinion about the
military preparations, and Hannibal alluding to them as
becoming a prey to the Romans.

CHAPTER XV.

THEIB BOLDNESS AND CONFIDENCE IN SPEAKING.

NATURE hath given not only to the highest, but also to the
inferior, classes of the people of this nation, a boldness and
confidence in speaking and answering, even in the presence
of their princes and chieftains. The Romans and Franks
had the same faculty; but neither the English, nor the
Saxons and Germans, from whom they are descended, had
it. It is in vain urged, that this defect may arise from the
state of servitude which the English endured; for the
Saxons and Germans, who enjoy their liberty, have the
same failing, and derive this natural coldness of disposition
from the frozen region they inhabit ; the English also, al-
though placed in a distant climate, still retain the exterior
fairness of complexion and inward coldness of disposition,
as inseparable from their original and natural character.
The Britons, on the contrary, transplanted from the hot
and parched regions of Dardania into these more temperate
districts, as

" Ccelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt,"

still retain their brown complexion and that natural warmth
of temper from which their confidence is derived. For three
nations, remnants of the Greeks after the destruction of
Troy, fled from Asia into different parts of Europe, the
Romans under jEneas, the Franks under Antenor, and the
Britons under Brutus ; and from thence arose that courage,
that nobleness of mind, that ancient dignity, that acuteness
of understanding, and confidence of speech, for which these
three nations are so highly distinguished. But the Britons,
from having been detained longer in Greece than the other

THE WELSH SOOTHSAYEES. 501

two nations, after the destruction of their country, and
having migrated at a later period into the western parts of
Europe, retained in a greater degree the primitive words
and phrases of their native language. You will find amongst
them the names Oenus, Eesus, ^Eneas, Hector, Achilles,
Heliodorus, Theodorus, Ajax, Evander, Uliex, Anianus,
Elisa, Gruendolena, and many others, bearing marks of their
antiquity. It is also to be observed, that almost all words
in the British language correspond either with the Greek
or Latin, as vduo, water, is called in British, dwr ; aXg, salt,
in British, halen ; ovo^a, eno, a name ; <mre, pump, five ;
dgxa, deg, ten. The Latins also use the words fraenum, tri-
pos, gladius, lorica; the Britons, froyn (ffrwyn), trepet
(tribedd), cledhyf, and Ihuric (llurig) ; unicus is made unic
(unig) ; canis can (cwn) ; and belua, beleu.

CHAPTER XVI.

CONCERNING THE SOOTHSAYEES OF THIS NATION, AND PER-
SONS AS IT WEEE POSSESSED.

THERE are certain persons in Cambria, whom you will find
nowhere else, called Awenydhyon,1 or people inspired ; when
consulted upon any doubtful event, they roar out violently,
are rendered beside themselves, and become, as it were, pos-
sessed by a spirit. They do not deliver the answer to what
is required in a connected manner ; but the person who skil-
fully observes them, will find, after many preambles, and
many nugatory and incoherent, though ornamented speeches,
the desired explanation conveyed in some turn of a word :
they are then roused from their ecstacy, as from a deep
sleep, and, as it were, by violence compelled to return to
their proper senses. After having answered the questions,
they do not recover till violently shaken by other people ;
nor can they remember the replies they have given. If con-
sulted a second or third time upon the same point, they will
make use of expressions totally different; perhaps they
speak by the means of fanatic and ignorant spirits. These

1 Awenydhion, in a literal sense, means persons inspired by the
Muse, and is derived from Awen and Awenydd, a poetical rapture, or
the gift of poetry. It was the appellation of the disciples, or candidatci
for the Bardic Order j but the most general acceptation of the word
waa, Poets, or Bards,

502 DESCBIPTION OF WALES.

gifts are usually conferred upon them in dreams: some
seem to have sweet milk or honey poured on their lips;
others fancy that a written schedule is applied to their
mouths, and on awaking they publicly declare that they
have received this gift. Such is the saying of Esdras, "The
Lord said unto me, open thy mouth, and I opened my
mouth, and behold a cup full of water, whose colour was like
fire ; and when I had drank it, my heaH brought forth un-
derstanding, and wisdom entered into my breast." They
invoke, during their prophecies, the true and living God,
and the Holy Trinity, and pray that they may not by their
sins be prevented from finding the truth. These prophets
are only found among the Britons descended from the Tro-
jans. EOT Calchas and Cassandra, endowed with the spirit
of prophecy, openly foretold, during the siege of Troy, the,
destruction of that fine city ; on which account the high
priest, Helenus, influenced by the prophetic books of Cal-
chas, and of others who had long before predicted the ruin
of their country, in the first year went over to the Greeks
with the sons of Priam (to whom he was high priest), and was
afterwards rewarded in Greece. Cassandra, daughter of king
Priam, every day foretold the overthrow of the city; but
the pride and presumption of the Trojans prevented them
from believing her word. Even on the very night that the
city was betrayed, she clearly described the treachery and
the method of it :

** tales casus Cassandra canebat,"

as in the same manner, during the existence of the kingdom
of the Britons, both Merlin Caledonius and Ambrosius are
said to have foretold the destruction of their nation, as well
as the coming of the Saxons, and afterwards that of the
Normans ; and I think a circumstance related by Aulus
Gellius worth inserting in this place. Qn the day that
Caius Caesar and Cneius Pompey, during the civil war, fought
a pitched battle in Thessalia, a memorable event occurred
in that part of Italy situated beyond the river Po. A
priest named Cornelius, honourable from his rank, vener-
able for his religion, and holy in his manners, in an inspired
moment .proclaimed, _*' Csesar has conquered," and named the
day, the events, the mutual attack, and tbe conflicts of the

PBOPHETS AKD PEOPHECIES. 503

two armies. Whether such things are exhibited by the
spirit, let the reader more particularly enquire ; I do not
assert they are the acts of a Pythonic or a diabolic spirit •
for as foreknowledge is the property of God alone, so is it
in. his power to confer knowledge of future events. There
are differences of gifts, says the Apostle, but one and the
same spirit; whence Peter, in his second Epistle, writes, " For
the prophecy came not in the old time by the will of man,
but men spake as if they were inspired by the Holy Ghost :"
to the same effect did the Chaldeans answer king Nebucha-
donazar on the interpretation of his dream, which he wished
to extort from them. " There is not," say they, " a man upon
earth who can, O king, satisfactorily answer your question ;
let no king therefore, however great or potent, make a simi-
lar request to any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean ; for it
is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none
other that can shew it before the king, except the Gods,
whose dwelling is not with flesh." On this passage Jerome
remarks, " The diviners and all the learned of this world
confess, that the prescience of future events belongs to G-od
alone ; the prophets therefore, who foretold things to come,
spake by the spirit of God. Hence some persons object,
that, if they were under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
they would sometimes premise, " Thus saith the Lord God,"
or make use of some expression in the prophetic style ; and
as such a mode of prophesying is not taken notice of by
Merlin, and no mention is made of his sanctity, devotion,
or faith, many think that he spake by a Pythonic spirit. To
which I answer, that the spirit of prophecy was given not
only to the holy, but sometimes to unbelievers and Gentiles,
to Baal, to the sibyls, and even to bad people, as to Caiaphas
and Bela. On which occasion Origen says : " Do not wonder,
if he whom ye have mentioned declares that the Scribes and
Pharisees and doctors amongst the Jews prophesied con-
cerning Christ ; for Caiaphas said : ' It is expedient for us
that one man die for the people :' but asserts at the same
time, that because he was high priest for that year, he pro-
phesied. Let no man therefore be lifted up, if he prophe-
sies, if he merits prescience ; for prophecies shall fail,
tongues shall cease, knowledge shall vanish away ; and now
abideth, faith, hope, and charity : these three ; but the

DESCRIPTION OP WALES.

greatest of these is Charity, which never faileth. But these
bad men not only prophesied, but sometimes performed
great miracles, which others could not accomplish. John
the Baptist, who was so great a personage, performed no
miracle, as John the Evangelist testifies : " And many came
to Jesus and said, Because John wrought no signs," &c.
Nor do we hear that the mother of God performed any
miracle ; we read in the Acts of the Apostles, that the sons
of Sheva cast out devils in the name of Jesus, whom Paul
preached; and in Matthewand Luke we may find these words:
" Many shall say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we
not prophesied in thy name ? and in thy name have cast out
devils ? and in thy name done many wonderful works ? and
then I will profess unto them, I never knew you." And in
another place, John says : " Master, we saw a certain man
casting out devils in thy name, and forbade him, because he
followeth not with us." But Jesus said : " Forbid him not ;
no man can do a miracle in my name, and speak evil of me ;
for whoever is not against me, is for me."

Alexander of Macedon, a gentile, traversed the Caspian
mountains, and miraculously confined ten tribes within their
promontories, where they still remain, and will continue
until the coming of Elias and Enoch. We read, indeed, the
prophecies of Merlin, but hear nothing either of his sanctity
or his miracles. Some say, that the prophets, when they
prophesied, did not become frantic, as it is affirmed of Mer-
lin Silvestris, and others possessed, whom we have before
mentioned. Some prophesied by dreams, visions, and enig-
matical sayings, as Ezechiel and Daniel ; others by acts and
words, as Noah, in the construction of the ark, alluded to
the church ; Abraham, in the slaying of his son, to the pas-
sion of Christ ; and Moses by his speech, when he said, " A
prophet shall the Lord God raise up to you of your breth-
ren ; hear him ;" meaning Christ. Others have prophesied
in a more excellent way by the internal revelation and in-
spiration of the Holy Spirit, as David did when persecuted
by Saul : " When Saul heard that David had fled to Naioth
(which is a hill in Bamah, and the seat of the prophets), he
sent messengers to take him ; and when they saw the com-
pany of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing afc
their head, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers ol

THEIB LOYE OF GENEALOGIES. 505

Saul, and they also prophesied ; and he sent messengers a
second and again a third time, and they also prophesied. And
Saul enraged went thither also ; and the Spirit of God was
upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied until he came
to Naioth, and he stripped off his royal vestments, and pro-
phesied with the rest for all that day and all that night,
whilst David and Samuel secretly observed what passed."
Nor is it wonderful that those persons who suddenly receive
the Spirit of G-od, and so signal a mark of grace, should for
a time seem alienated from their earthly state of mind.

CHAPTEE XVII.

THEIR LOYE OF HIGH BIETH AND ANCIENT GENEALOGY.

THE Welsh esteem noble birth and generous descent above
all things,1 and are, therefore, more desirous of marrying
into noble than rich families. Even the common people
retain their genealogy, and can not only readily recount the
names of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers, but
even refer back to the sixth or seventh generation, or be-
yond them, in this manner : Rhys, son of Gruffydh, son of
Rhys, son of Theodor, son of Eineon, son of Owen, son ot
Howel, son of Cadelh, son of Eoderic Mawr, and so on.

Being particularly attached to family descent, they re-
venge with vehemence the injuries which may tend to the
disgrace of their blood ; and being naturally of a vindictive
and passionate disposition, they are ever ready to avenge
not only recent but ancient affronts ; they neither inhabit
towns, villages, nor castles, but lead a solitary life in the
woods, on the borders of which they do not erect sumptuous
palaces, nor lofty stone buildings, but content themselves

1 Genealogies were preserved as a principle of necessity under the
ancient British constitution. A man's pedigree was in reality his title
deed, by which he claimed his birthright in the country. Every one
was obliged to show his descent through nine generations, in order to
be acknowledged a free native, and by this right he claimed his por-
tion of land in the community. He was affected with respect to legal
process in his collateral affinities through nine degrees. For instance,
every murder committed had a fine levied on the relations of the mur-
derer, divided into nine degrees ; his brother paying the greatest, and
the ninth in affinity the least. This fine was distributed in the same
way among the relatives of the victim. A person past the ninth descent
formed a new family. Every family was represented by its elder ; auci
these elders from every family were delegates to the national council.—
Owen.

506 -DESCRIPTION OF WALES.

with small huts made of the boughs of trees twisted toge*
ther, constructed with little labour and expense, and suffi-
cient to endure throughout the year. They have neither
orchards nor gardens, but gladly eat the fruit of both when
given to them. The greater part of their land is laid down
to pasturage ; little is cultivated, a very small quantity is
ornamented with flowers, and a still smaller is sown. They
seldom yoke less than four oxen to their ploughs ; the driver
walks before, but backwards, and when he falls down, is
frequently exposed to danger from the refractory oxen:
Instead of small sickles in mowing, they make use of a mo-
derate-sized piece of iron formed like a knife, with two
pieces of wood fixed loosely and flexibly to the head, which
they think a more expeditious instrument ; but since

" Segnius irritant animos demissa per aures,
Quam quse stint oculis subjecta fidelibus,"

their mode of using it will be better known by inspection
than by any description. The boats1 which they employ-
in fishing or in crossing the rivers are made of twigs, not
oblong nor pointed, but almost round, or rather triangular,
covered both within and without with raw hides. When a
salmon thrown into one of these boats strikes it hard with
his tail, he often oversets it, and endangers both the vessel
and its navigator. The fishermen, according to the custom
of the country, in going to and from the rivers, carry these
boats on their shoulders ; on which occasion that famous
dealer in fables, Bledhercus, who lived a little before our time,
thus mysteriously said : " There is amongst us a people who,
when they go out in search of prey, carry their horses on
their backs to the place of plunder ; in order to catch their
prey, they leap upon their horses, and when it is taken,
carry their horses home again upon their shoulders."

CHAPTER XVIII.

OF THE ANTIQUITY OF THEIR FAITH, THEIR LOVE OF
CHRISTIANITY AND DEYOTION.

IN ancient times, and about two hundred years before the

1 The navicuke mentioned by Giraldus bear the modern name of
coracles, and are much used on the Welsh rivers for the taking of
Balmon. Their name is derived probably from the Celtic word corawg,
which signifies a ship. They are mentioned by the ancient writers. Se«
a former note, p. 139, of the present volume.

LOTE OF CHEISTIANITY AND DEVOTION. 507'

overthrow of Britain, the "Welsh were instructed and con-
firmed in the faith by Faganus and Damianus, sent into
the island at the request of king Lucius by pope Eleuthe-'
rius, and from that period when Germanus of Auxerre, and
Lupus of Troyes, came over on account of the corruption
which had crept into the island by the invasion of the-
Saxons, but particularly with a view of expelling the Pela-
gian heresy, nothing heretical or contrary to the true faith
was to be found amongst the natives. But it is said that-
some parts of the ancient doctrines are still retained. They
give the first piece broken off from every loaf of bread to
the poor; they sit down to dinner, by three to a dish, in
honour of the Trinity. With extended arms and bowing
head, they ask a blessing of every monk or priest, or of
every person wearing a religious habit. But they desire,
above all other nations, the episcopal ordination and unc~
tion, by which the grace of the spirit is given. They give;
a tenth of all their property, animals, cattle, and sheep,"
either when they marry, or go on a pilgrimage, or, by the,
counsel of the church, are persuaded to amend! their lives.
This partition of their effects they call the great tithe, two-
parts of which they give to the church where they were
baptized, and the third to the bishop of the diocese. But
of all pilgrimages they prefer that to Eome, where they pay,
the most fervent adoration to the apostolic see. We observe
that they show a greater respect than other nations to
churches and ecclesiastical persons, to the relics of saints,
bells, holy books, and the cross, which they devoutly revere ;
and hence their churches enjoy more than common tran-
quillity. For peace is not only preserved towards all ani-
mals feeding in churchyards, but at a great distance beyond,
them, where certain boundaries and ditches have been ap-
pointed by the bishops, in order to maintain the security of
the sanctuary. But the principal churches to which anti-
quity has annexed the greater reverence extend their pro-;
tection to the herds as far as they can go to feed in the
morning and return at night. If, therefore, any person has
incurred the enmity of his prince, on applying to the church,
for protection, he and his family will continue to live unmo-
lested; but many persons abuse this indemnity, far exceed-
ing the indulgence of the canon, which in such cases grants
ottly personal safety : and trom the places of refuge even'

608 DESCRIPTION OF WALES.

make hostile irruptions, and more severely harass the coun-
try than the prince himself. Hermits and anchorites more
strictly abstinent and more spiritual can nowhere be found ;
for this nation, is earnest in all its pursuits, and neither
worse men than the bad, nor better than the good, can be
met with.

Happy and fortunate indeed would this nation be, nay,
completely blessed, if it had good prelates and pastors, and
but one prince, and that prince a good one.

BOOK II.

HAVING in the former book clearly set forth the character,
manners, and customs of the British nation, and having
collected and explained everything which could redound to
its credit or glory ; an attention to order now requires that,
in this second part, we should employ our pen in pointing
out those particulars in which it seems to transgress the
line of virtue and commendation ; having first obtained
leave to speak the truth, without which history not only
loses its authority, but becomes undeserving of its very
name. For the painter who professes to imitate nature,
loses his reputation, if, by indulging his fancy, he represents
only those parts of the subject which best suit him.

Since, therefore, no man is born without faults, and he is
esteemed the best whose errors are the least, let the wise
man consider every thing human as connected with himself;
for in worldly affairs there is no perfect happiness under
heaven. Evil borders upon good, and vices are confounded
with virtues ; as the report of good qualities is delightful to
a well-disposed mind, so the relation of the contrary should
not be offensive. The natural disposition of this nation
might have been corrupted and perverted by long exile and
poverty; for aa poverty extinguisheth many faults, so it
often generates failings that are contrary to virtue.

CHAPTEE I.

OF THE INCONSTANCY AND INSTABILITY OF THIS NATION,
AND THEIR WANT OF REVERENCE FOR GOOD FAITH AND
OATHS.

people are no less light in mind than in body, and

DISREGARD OF PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP. 509

are by no means to be relied upon. They are easily urged
to undertake any action, and are as easily checked from
prosecuting it — a people quick in action, but more stubborn
in a bad than in a good cause, and constant only in acts
of inconstancy. They pay no respect to oaths, faith, or
truth ; and so lightly do they esteem the covenant of faith,
held so inviolable by other nations, that it is usual to sacri-
fice their faith for nothing, by holding forth the right hand,
not only in serious and important concerns, but even on
every trifling occasion, and for the confirmation of almost
every common assertion. They never scruple at taking a
false oath for the sake of any temporary emolument or ad-
vantage ; so that in civil and ecclesiastical causes, each party,
being ready to swear whatever seems expedient to its pur-
pose, endeavours both to prove and defend, although the
venerable laws, by which oaths are deemed sacred, and truth
is honoured and respected, by favouring the accused and
throwing an odium upon the accuser, impose the burden of
bringing proofs upon the latter. But to a people so cun-
ning and crafty, this yoke is pleasant, and this burden is
light.

CHAPTEE II.

THEIR LIVING BY PLUNDER, AND DISREGARD OF THE
BONDS OF PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP.

THIS nation conceives it right to commit acts of plunder,
theft, and robbery, not only against foreigners and hostile
nations, but even against their own countrymen. When an
opportunity of attacking the enemy with advantage occurs,
they respect not the leagues of peace and friendship, pre-
ferring base lucre to the solemn obligations of oaths and
good faith ; to which circumstance Gild as alludes in his
book concerning the overthrow of the Britons, actuated by
the love of truth, and according to the rules of history, not
suppressing the vices of his countrymen. " They are nei-
ther brave in war, nor faithful in peace." But when Julius
Caesar, great as the world itself,

" Territa qusesitis ostendit terga Britannis,"

were they not brave under their leader Cassivellaunus ?
And when Belinus and Brennus added the Roman empire
uo their conquests ? What were they in the time of Con-
atantine, son of our Helen ? What, in the reign of Aure-

'510 / DESCRIPTION OF WALES.

lius Ambrosius, whom even Eutropius commends ? Whai
were they in the time of our famous prince Arthur ? I.
will not say fabulous. On the contrary, they, who were
almost subdued by the Scots and Picts, often harassed with
success the auxiliary Roman legions, and exclaimed, as we
learn from Gildas, "The barbarians drove us to the sea,
the sea drove us again back to the barbarians ; on one side
.we were subdued, on the other drowned, and here we were
put to death. Were they not," says he, "at that time
brave and praiseworthy ?" When attacked and conquered
by the Saxons, who originally had been called in as stipen-
diaries to their assistance, were they not brave ? But the
strongest argument made use of by those who accuse this
nation of cowardice, is, that Grildas, a holy man, and a Bri-
ton by birth, has handed down to posterity nothing remark-
able concerning them, in any of his historical works. We
promise, however, a solution of the contrary in our British
Topography, if Grod grants us a continuance of life.

As a further proof, it may be necessary to add, that from
the time when that illustrious prince of the Britons, men-
tioned at the beginning of this book, "totally exhausted the
strength of the country, by transporting the whole armed
force beyond the seas ; that island, wnich had before been so
highly illustrious for its incomparable valour, remained for
many subsequent years destitute of men and arms, and ex-
posed to the predatory attacks of pirates and robber^. So
distinguished, indeed, were the natives of this island for their
bravery, that, by their prowess, that king subdued almost
all Cisalpine G-aul, and dared even to make an attack on
the Homan empire.

In process of time, the Britons, recovering their long-
lost population and knowledge of the use of arms, re-acquired
their high and ancient character. Let the different aeras be
therefore marked, and the historical accounts will accord.
With regard to Gildas, who inveighs so bitterly against his
;own nation, the Britons affirm that, highly irritated at the
death of his brother, the prince of Albania, whom king Arthui
had slain, he wrote these invectives, and upon the same occa-
sion threw into the sea many excellent books, in which he had
described the actions of Arthur, and the celebrated deeds of
.his countrymen ; from which cause it arises, that no authentic
.account of so great a prince is .any where to be found.

MILITARY CHARACTER OF THE WELSH. 511

CHAPTEK III.

Or THEIR DEFICIENCY IN BATTLE, AND BASE AND
DISHONOURABLE FLIGHT.

IN war this nation is very severe in the first attack, terrible
by their clamour and looks, filling the air with horrid shouts
and the deep-toned clangor of very long trumpets ; swift
and rapid in their advances and frequent throwing of darts.
Bold in the first onset, they cannot bear a repulse, being
easily thrown into confusion as soon as they turn their
backs ; and they trust to flight for safety, without attempt-
ing to rally, which the poet thought reprehensible in martial
conflicts :

" IgnaA urn scelus est tantum fuga ;"
and elsewhere —

"In vitium culpee ducit fuga, si caret arte."

The character given to the Teutones in the Roman History,
may be applied to this people. " In their first attack they
are more than men, in the second, less than women." Their
courage manifests itself chiefly in the retreat, when they
frequently return, and, like the Parthians, shoot their
arrows behind them ; and, as after success and victory in
battle, even cowards boast of their courage, so, after a re-
verse of fortune, even the bravest men are not allowed their
due claims of merit. Their mode of fighting consists in
chasing the enemy or in retreating. This light-armed peo-
ple, relying more on their activity than on their strength, can-
not struggle for the field of battle, enter into close engage-
ment, or endure long and severe actions, such as the poet
describes :

" Jam clypeo clypeus, umbone repellitur umbo,
Ense minax ensis, pede pes, et cuspide cuspis."

Though defeated and put to flight on one day, they are ready
to resume the combat on the next, neither dejected by their
loss, nor by their dishonour ; and although, perhaps, they do
not display great fortitude in open engagements and regular
conflicts, yet they harass the enemy by ambuscades and
nightly sallies. Hence, neither oppressed by hunger "or
cold, not fatigued by martial labours, nor despondent in
adversity, but ready, after a defeat, to return immediately
to action, and again endure the dangers of war ; they are a§

$12 DESCRIPTION OF WALES

easy to overcome in a single battle, as difficult to subdue in
a protracted war. The poet Claudian thus speaks of a peo-
ple aimilar in disposition : —

" Dum pereunt, meminere mail : si corda parumper
Respirare sinas, nullo tot funera censu
Prsetereunt, tantique levis jactura cruoris."

CHAPTER IV.

THEIR AMBITIOUS SEIZURE OP LANDS, AND DISSENSIONS
AMONG BROTHERS.

THIS nation is, above all others, addicted to the digging up
of boundary ditches, removing the limits, transgressing
landmarks, and extending their territory by every possible
means. So great is their disposition towards this common
violence, that they scruple not to claim as their hereditary
right, those lands which are held under lease, or at will, on
condition of planting, or by any other title, even although
indemnity had been publicly secured on oath to the tenant
by the lord proprietor of the soil. Hence arise suits and
contentions, murders and conflagrations, and frequent fra-
tricides, increased, perhaps, by the ancient national custom
of brothers dividing their property amongst each other.
Another heavy grievance also prevails ; the princes entrust
the education of their children to the care of the principal
men of their country, each of whom, after the death of his
father, endeavours, by every possible means, to exalt his
own charge above his neighbours. From which cause great
disturbances have frequently arisen amongst brothers, and
terminated in the most cruel and unjust murders ; and on
which account friendships are found to be more sincere
between foster-brothers, than between those who are con-
nected by the natural ties of brotherhood. It is also re-
markable, that brothers shew more affection to one another
when dead, than when living ; for they persecute the living
even unto death, but revenge the deceased with all their
power.

CHAPTER V.

THEIR GREAT EXACTION, AND WANT OF MODERATION.

WHERE they find plenty, and can exercise their power, they
levy the most unjust exactions. Immoderate in their love of
food and intoxicating drink, they say with the Apostle,

ECCLESIASTICAL ABUSES 513

" "We are instructed both to abound, and to suffer need;"
but do not add with him, " becoming all things to all men,
that I might by all means save some." As in times of
scarcity their abstinence and parsimony are too severe, so,
when seated at another man's table, after a long fasting,
(like wolves and eagles, who, like them, live by plunder,
and are rarely satisfied,) their appetite is immoderate. They
fire therefore penurious in times of scarcity, and extravagant
iu times of plenty ; but no man, as in England, mortgages
his property for the gluttonous gratification of his own
appetite. They wish, however, that all people would join
with them in their bad habits and expenses ; as the com-
mission of crimes reduces to a level all those who are con-
cerned in the perpetration of them.

CHAPTER VI.

CONCERNING THE CRIME OF INCEST, AND THE ABUSE OP
CHURCHES BY SUCCESSION AND PARTICIPATION.

THE crime of incest hath so much prevailed, not only among
the higher, but among the lower orders of this people, that,
not having the fear of God before their eyes, they are not
ashamed of intermarrying with their relations, even in the
third degree of consanguinity. They generally abuse these
dispensations with a view of appeasing those enmities which
so often subsist between them, because " their feet are
swift to shed blood ;" and from their love of high descent,
which they so ardently affect and covet, they unite them-
selves to their own people, refusing to intermarry with
strangers, and arrogantly presuming on their own superiority
of blood and family. They do not engage in marriage,
until they have tried, by previous cohabitation, the dispo-
sition, and particularly the fecundity, of the person with
whom they are engaged. An ancient custom also prevails of
hiring girls from their parents at a certain price, and a
stipulated penalty, in case of relinquishing their connection.
Their churches have almost as many parsons and sharers
as there are principal men in the parish. The sons, after
the decease of their fathers, succeed to the ecclesiastical
benefices, not by election, but by hereditary ri^ht possess-
ing and polluting the sanctuary of God, And if a prelate

L L

514 DESCRIPTION OF WALES.

should by chance presume to appoint or institute any other
person, the people would certainly revenge the injury upon
the institutor and the instituted. With respect to these
two excesses of incest and succession, which took root for-
merly in Armorica, and are not yet eradicated, Ildebert,
bishop of Le Mans, in one of his epistles, says, " that he was
present with a British priest at a council summoned with a
view of putting an end to the enormities of this nation :"
hence it appears that these vices have for a long time prevailed
both in Britany and Britain. The words of the Psalmist
may not inaptly be applied to them ; " They are corrupt and
become abominable in their doings, there is none that doeth
good, no, not one : they are all gone out of the way, they
are altogether become abominable," &c.

CHAPTER VII.

OF THEIR SINS, AND THE CONSEQUENT LOSS OF BRITAIN
AND OF TEOT.

MOREOVER, through their sins, and particularly that detes-
table and wicked vice of Sodom, as well as by divine ven-
geance, they lost Britain, as they formerly lost Troy. For
we read in the Roman history, that the emperor Constan-
tino having resigned the city and the Western empire to
the blessed Sylvester and his successors, with an intention
of rebuilding Troy, and there establishing the chief seat of
the Eastern Empire, heard a voice, saying, " Dost thou go
to rebuild Sodom ?" upon which, he altered his intention,
turned his ships and standards towards Byzantium, and
there fixing his seat of empire, gave his own propitious
name to the city. The British history informs us, that
Mailgon, king of the Britons, and many others, were ad-
dicted to this vice ; that enormity, however, had entirely
ceased for so long a time, that the recollection of it was
nearly worn out. But since that, as if the time of repen-
tance was almost expired, and because the nation, by its war-
like successes and acquisition of territory, has in our times
unusually increased in population and strength, they boast in
their turn, and most confidently and unanimously affirm, that
in a short time their countrymen shall return to the island,
and, according to the prophecies of Merlin, the nation, and
even the name, of foreigners, shall be extinguished in the
island, and the Britons shall exult again in their ancient

VICES OP THE WELSH. 51&

name and privileges. But to me it appears far otherwise ;
for since

" Luxuriant animi rebus plerumque secundis,

Nee facile est cequa commoda mente pati j"
And because

" Non habet unde suum paupertas pascat amorem, ....
Divitiis alitur luxuriosus amor."

So that their abstinence from that vice, which in their pros-
perity they -could not resist, may be attributed more justly
to their poverty and state of exile than to their sense of
virtue. For they cannot be said to have repented, when
we see them involved in such an abyss of vices, perjury,
theft, robbery, rapine, murders, fratricides, adultery, and in-
cest, and become every day more entangled and ensnared in
evil-doing ; so that the words of the prophet Hosea may be
truly applied to them, " There is no truth, nor mercy," &c.

Other matters of which they boast are more properly to
be attributed to the diligence and activity of the Norman
kings than to their own merits or power. For previous to
the coming of the Normans, when the English kings con-
tented themselves with the sovereignty of Britain alone,
and employed their whole military force in the subjugation
of this people, they almost wholly extirpated them ; as did
king Offa, who by a long and extensive dyke separated the
British from the English ; Ethelfrid also, who demolished
the noble city of Legions,1 and put to death the monks of
the celebrated monastery at Banchor, who had been called
in to promote the success of the Britons by their prayers ;
and lastly Harold, who himself on foot, with an army of
light-armed infantry, and conforming to the customary diet
of the country, so bravely penetrated through every part of
Wales, that he scarcely left a man alive in it ; and as a
memorial of his signal victories, many stones may be found
in Wales bearing this inscription : — " HIC YICTOR FUIT
HAROLDUS" — "HEBE HAROLD CONQUERED."2

1 By the city of Legions Chester is here meant, not Caerleon.

3 Of the stones inscribed "HIC VICTOB FUIT HAROLDTJS" — "HEBE
H AHOLD CONQUERED," no original, I believe, remains extant at this very
remote period ; but at the village of Trelech, in Monmouthshire, there
is a modern pedestal bearing the above inscription.— See the description
And engraving in Coxe's Monmouthshire, p. 234.

516 DESCRIPTION or WALES.

To these bloody and recent victories of the English may
be attributed the peaceable state of Wales during the reigns
of the three first Norman kings ; when the nation increased
in population, and being taught the use of arms and the
management of horses by the English and Normans (with
whom they had much intercourse, by following the court, or
by being sent as hostages), took advantage of the necessary
attention which the three succeeding kings were obliged to
pay to their foreign possessions, and once more lifting up
their crests, recovered their lands, and spurned the yoke
that had formerly been imposed upon them.

CHAPTEE VIII.

IN WHAT MANNER THIS NATION IS TO BE OVERCOME.,

THE prince who would wish to subdue this nation, and
govern it peaceably, must use this method. He must be
determined to apply a diligent and constant attention to
this purpose for one year at least ; for a people who with a
collected force will not openly attack the enemy in the
field, nor wait to be besieged in castles, is not to be over-
come at the first onset, but to be worn out by prudent delay
and patience. Let him divide their strength, and by bribes
and promises endeavour to stir up one against the other,
knowing the spirit of hatred and envy which generally pre-
vails amongst them ; and in the autumn let not only the
marches, but also the interior part of the country be strongly
fortified with castles, provisions, and confidential families.
In. the meantime the purchase of corn, cloth, and salt, with
which they are usually supplied from England, should be
strictly interdicted ; and well-manned ships placed as a guard
on the coast, to prevent their importation of these articles
from Ireland or the Severn sea, and to facilitate the supply
of his own army. Afterwards, when the severity of winter
approaches, when the trees are void of leaves, and the moun-
tains no longer afford pasturage — when they are deprived
of any hopes of plunder, and harassed on every side by the
repeated attacks of the enemy — let a body of light-armed
infantry penetrate into their woody and mountainous re-
treats, and let these troops be supported and relieved by
others; and thus by frequent changes, and replacing the
men who are either fatigued or slain in battle, this nation

HOW THE WELSH MAY BE OVERCOME. 517

may be ultimately subdued ; nor can it be overcome without
the above precautions, nor without great danger and loss of
men. Though many of the English hired troops may perish
in a day of battle, money will procure as many or more on
the morrow for the same service ; but to the Welsh, who
have neither foreign nor stipendiary troops, the loss is for
the time irreparable. In these matters, therefore, as an
artificer is to be trusted in his trade, so attention is to be
paid to the counsel of those who, having been long conver-
sant in similar concerns, are become acquainted with the
manners and customs of their country, and whom it greatly
interests, that an enemy, for whom during long and frequent
conflicts they have contracted an implacable hatred, should
by their assistance be either weakened or destroyed. Happy
should I have termed the borders of Wales inhabited by the
English, if their kings, in the government of these parts,
and in their military operations against the enemy, had
rather employed the marchers and barons of the country,
than adopted the counsels and policy of the people of Anjou
and the Normans. In this, as well as in every other mili-
tary expedition, either in Ireland or in "Wales, the natives
of the marches, from the constant state of warfare in which
they are engaged, and whose manners are formed from the
habits of war, are bold and active, skilful on horseback,
quick on foot, not nice as to their diet, and ever prepared
when necessity requires to abstain both from corn and wine.
By such men were the first hostile attacks made upon "Wales
as well as Ireland, and by such men alone can their final
conquest be accomplished. For the Flemings, Normans,
Coterells, and Bragmans, are good and well-disciplined sol-
diers in their own country ; but the Gallic soldiery is known
to differ much from the "Welsh and Irish. In their country
the battle is on level, here on rough ground ; there in an
open field, here in forests ; there they consider their armour
as an honour, here as a burden ; there soldiers are taken
prisoners, here they are beheaded ; there they are ransomed,
here they are put to death. "Where, therefore, the armies
engage in a flat country, a heavy and complex armour, made
of cloth and iron, both protects and decorates the soldier;
but when the engagement is in narrow defiles, in woods or
marshes, where the infantry have the advantage over the
cavalry, a light armour is preferable. For "Jight arms afford

518 DESCEIPTION OF WALES.

sufficient protection against unarmed men, by whom victory
is either lost or won at the first onset ; where it is necessary
that an active and retreating enemy should be overcome by
a certain proportional quantity of moderate armour ; whereas
with a more complex sort, and with high and curved saddles,
it is difficult to dismount, more so to mount, and with the
greatest difficulty can such troops march, if required, with
the infantry. In order, therefore, that

" Singula quseque locum teneant sortita decenter,"

we maintain it is necessary to employ heavy-armed and
strong troops against men heavily armed, depending entirely
upon their natural strength, and accustomed to fight in an
open plain ; but against light-armed and active troops, who
prefer rough ground, men accustomed to such conflicts, and
armed in a similar manner, must be employed. But let the
cities and fortresses on the Severn, and the whole territory on
its western banks towards Wales, occupied by the English,
as well as the provinces of Shropshire and Cheshire, which
are protected by powerful armies, or by any other special
privileges and honourable independence, rejoice in the pro-
vident bounty of their prince. There should be a yearly
examination of the warlike stores, of the arms, and horses,
by good and discreet men deputed for that purpose, and
who, not intent upon its plunder and ruin, interest them-
selves in the defence and protection of their country, By
these salutary measures, the soldiers, citizens, and the whole
mass of the people, being instructed and accustomed to the
use of arms, liberty may be opposed by liberty, and pride
be checked by pride. Tor the Welsh, who are neither worn
out by laborious burdens, nor molested by the exactions of
their lords, are ever prompt to avenge an injury. Hence
arise their distinguished bravery in the defence of their
country ; hence their readiness to take up arms and to rebel.
Nothing so much excites, encourages, and invites the hearts
of men to probity as the cheerfulness of liberty ; nothing
so much dejects and dispirits them as the oppression of
servitude. This portion of the kingdom, protected by arms
and courage, might be of great use to the prince, not only
in these or the adjacent parts, but, if necessity required, in
more remote regions ; and although the public treasury
might receive a smaller annual revenue from these pro

HOW WALES SHOULD BE GOVERNED. 519

vinces, yet the deficiency would be abundantly compensated
by the peace of the kingdom and the honour of its sove-
reign ; especially as the heavy and dangerous expenses of
one military expedition into Wales usually amount to the
whole income arising from the revenues of the province.

CHAPTEE IX.

IN WHAT MANNER WALES, WHEN CONQUERED, SHOULD BE
GOVERNED.

As therefore this nation is to be subdued by resolution in
the manner proposed, so when subdued, its government
must be directed by moderation, according to the following
plan. Let the care of it be committed to a man of a firm and
determined mind ; who during the time of peace, by paying
due obedience to the laws, and respect to the government,
may render it firm and stable. For, like other nations in a
barbarous state, this people, although they are strangers to
the principles of honour, yet above all things desire to be
honoured ; and approve and respect in others that truth
which they themselves do not profess. Whenever the natu-
ral inconstancy of their indisposition shall induce them to
revolt, let punishment instantly follow the offence ; but when
they shall have submitted themselves again to order, and
made proper amends for their faults (as it is the custom of
bad men to remember wrath after quarrels,) let their former
transgression be overlooked, and let them enjoy security and
respect, as long as they continue faithful. Thus, by mild
treatment, they will be invited to obedience and the love of
peace, and the thought of certain punishment will deter
them from rash attempts. We have often observed persons
who, confounding these matters, by complaining of faults,
depressing for services, flattering in war, plundering in
peace, despoiling the weak, paying respect to revolters, by
thus rendering all things confused, have at length been con-
founded themselves. Besides, as circumstances which are
foreseen do less mischief, and as that state is happy which
thinks of war in the time of peace, let the wise man be
upon his guard, and prepared against the approaching in-
conveniences of war, by the construction of forts, the widen-
ing of passes through woods, and the providing of a trusty
household. For those who are cherished and sustained during

/>20 DESCRIPTION OF WALES.

the time of peace, are more ready to come forward in times
of danger, and are more confidently to be depended upon ;
and as a nation unsubdued ever meditates plots under the
disguise of friendship, let not the prince or his governor
entrust the protection of his camp or capital to their fidelity.
By the examples of many remarkable men, some of whom have
been cruelly put to death, and others deprived of their castles
and dignities, through their own neglect and want of care,
we may see, that the artifices of a crafty and subdued nation
are much more to be dreaded than their open warfare ; their
good- will than their anger, their honey than their gall, their
malice than their attack, their treachery than their aggres-
sion, and their pretended friendship more than their open
enmity. A prudent and provident man therefore should
contemplate in the misfortune of others what he ought him-
self to avoid ; correction taught by example is harmless, as
Ennodius1 says : " The ruin of predecessors instructs those
who succeed ; and a former miscarriage becomes a future
caution." If a well-disposed prince should wish these great
designs to be accomplished without the effusion of blood,
the marches, as we before mentioned, must be put into a
state of defence on all sides, and all intercourse by sea and
land interdicted ; some of the Welsh may be stirred up to
deadly feuds, by means of stipends, and by transferring the
property of one person to another ; and thus worn out with
hunger, and a want of the necessaries of life, and harassed
by frequent murders and implacable enmities, they will at
last be compelled to surrender.

There are three things which ruin this nation, and prevent
its enjoying the satisfaction of a fruitful progeny. First, be-
cause both the natural and legitimate sons endeavour to
divide the paternal inheritance amongst themselves ; from
which cause, as we have before observed, continual fratri-
cides take place. Secondly, because the education of their
sons is committed to the care of the high-born people of
the country, who, on the death of their fathers, endeavour
by all possible means to exalt their pupil ; from whence
arise murders, conflagrations, and almost a total destruction
of the country. And, thirdly, because from the pride and

1 In one MS. of Giraldus in the British Museum, this name ia
written Ovidius.

HOW THEY MAT EESIST AND BETOLT. 521

obstinacy of their disposition, they will not (like other
nations) subject themselves to the dominion of one lord and
king.

CHAPTEE X.

IN WHAT MANNER THIS NATION MAY EESIST AND KETOLT.

HAYING hitherto so partially and elaborately spoken in
favour of the English, and being equally connected by birth
with each nation, justice demands that we should argue on
both sides ; let us therefore, at the close of our work, turn
our attention towards the Welsh, and briefly, but effectually,
instruct them in the art of resistance. If the Welsh were
more commonly accustomed to the Q-allic mode of arming,
and depended more on steady fighting than on their agility ;
if their princes were unanimous and inseparable in their
defence ; or rather, if they had only one prince, and that a
good one ; this nation, situated in so powerful, strong, and
inaccessible a country, could hardly ever be completely over-
come. If, therefore, they would be inseparable, they would
become insuperable, being assisted by these three circum-
stances ; a country well defended by nature, a people both
contented and accustomed to live upon little, a community
whose nobles as well as privates are instructed in the use of
arms; and especially as the English fight for power, the
"Welsh for liberty ; the one to procure gain, the other to
avoid loss ; the English hirelings for money, the Welsh
patriots for their country. The English, I say, fight in
order to expel the natural inhabitants from the island, and
secure to themselves the possession of the whole ; but the
Welsh maintain the conflict, that they, who have so long en-
joyed the sovereignty of the whole kingdom, may at least
find a hiding place in the worst corner of it, amongst woods
and marshes ; and, banished, as it were, for their offences,
may there in a state of poverty, for a limited time, perform
penance for the excesses they committed in the days of their
prosperity. Por the perpetual remembrance of their for-
mer greatness, the recollection of their Trojan descent, and
the high and continued majesty of the kingdom of Britain,
may draw forth many a latent spark of animosity, and en-
courage the daring spirit of rebellion. Hence during the
military expedition which kin# Henry II. made in our days

522

DESCE1PT10N OF WALES.

against South "Wales, an old "Welshman at Pencadair, who
had faithfully adhered to him, being desired to give his
opinion about the royal army, and whether he thought that
of the rebels would make resistance, and what would be the
final event of this war, replied, " This nation, O king, may
now, as in former times, be harassed, and in a great measure
weakened and destroyed by your and other powers, and it
will often prevail by its laudable exertions; but it can
never be totally subdued through the wrath of man, unless
the wrath of God shall concur. Nor do I think, that any
other nation than this of Wales, or any other language,
whatever may hereafter come to pass, shall, in the day of
severe examination before the Supreme Judge, answer for
this corner of the earth."

E2TD OF THE DESCRIPTION OF

INDEX.

ABEEGATENNI, cruelties perpe-
trated at, by William de Braose,
367.

Aberteivi, now Cardigan, 432.

Adrian, pope, his grant of Ireland
to Henry II., 260.

Alba Domus, Cistercian Monas-
tery, 396 ; its ruins, 397.

Alliteration, its use by the Welsh,
496.

Almedha, St., anniversary of, 349 ;
its strange effect on profane per-
sons, ib.

Animals, wild, of Ireland, 43.

Archbishoprics, foundation of, in
Ireland, 133.

Archers, profane, punishment of,
94, 106, 108, 109.

Aren, legend of the island of, 64.

Armagh, Synod of, 215 ; orders all
English slaves to be set at li-
beity, 216.

Armour, despised by the Irish, 123.

Arthur, king, Roman ambassadors
received by him at Caerleon,
373 ; the kings of Ireland tri-
butary to him, 262.

Augustine, places Thule in India,
78 ; on monsters, 82 ; on music,
131.

Awenydhyon, or people inspired,
501.

Axe, carried by the Irish by way
of a staff, 135.

B.M., explanation of, 481.

Badger, the, its habits, 44.

Bagabun, promontory of, the sup-
posed place of Fitz-Stephen's
landing, 186.

Bala, lake of, 460.

Baldwin, archbishop of Canter-

bury, his journey through Wales
to preach the Crusade, 331 j his
character and death, 369.

Baldwin, abbot of Ford, his visit
to Wales, 417.

Bangor, the metropolitan see of
North Wales, 443.

Bangor (or Banchor), the college
of priests, 443, 515.

Bangu, a bell, said to have be-
longed to St. David, 336.

Banne, Fitz-Stephen and his forces
land at the, 190.

Bardsey Island, 441.

Barnacles, their nature and growth,
36.

Barri, Philip de, his arrival in Ire-
land, 287.

Barri, Robert de, his character, 194.

Bartholanus, his settlement in Ire-
land, 114.

Basclenses, their settlement in Ire-
land, 120.

Basilia, the sister of Strongbow,
married to Raymond, 257 ; her
letter, announcing Strongbow's
death, 272.

Basinwerk, cell of, 457.

Bede, his account of Ireland, 19,
21, 49.

Bells and pastoral staves, venera-
tion of the Irish for, 146.

Benedictine Order, its corruption,
359, 362.

Beaver, the, described, 44; not
found in Ireland, 45 ; further de-
scribed as it existed in Wales, 4 29 ;
habits, 430.

Bernard, bishop of St. David's, 41 8.

Bernard the priest, his punish-
ment, 147.

Birds of Ireland, 26, 37, 39} fo*

524

INDEX.

in number, and many species
•wanting, 42.

Bishops, the Irish, their neglect of
their duties, 143.

Bishops' palaces in Wales, usually
fortified, 398.

Black Mountains, the, 353.

Boars, wild, in Ireland, 43.

Book miraculously written, story
of a, 99.

Braccanus, prophecy of, 313.

Braose, Philip de, his abortive ex-
pedition against Limerick, 285.

Braose, William de, story of, 339 ;
his affected devotion, 340; his
cruelty, 367 j narrowly escapes
death, 370.

Brecheinoc, legend of the lake of,
351.

Brendan, St., life of, 103; his
wonderful voyages, ib.

Brigit's, St., fire, legend of, 96;
her falcon, 98 ; her hedge, 97 ;
judgments on men attempting
to break through it, 107.

Bristol a mart of the slave trade
in the Anglo-Saxon and early
Anglo-Norman times, 216.

Britons, the three remaining tribes
of, 479.

Bromfield, college of secular ca-
nons at, 467.

Brutus, fable of, 479.

Brychan, an early British prince,
348 ; his twenty-four daughters,
349.

Buelt, history of the lord of, 334.

Cadair Arthur, a mountain, 353.

Cador, his devout ingenuity, 389.

Cadwallan murders his brother
Owen, 385 ; his own death, ib.

Caerleon, history of, 372.

Caermardyn, the reputed birth-
place of Merlin, 394.

Caernarvon, ancient names of, 442.

Ceesara, granddaughter of Noah,
her arrival in Ireland before the
Flood, 113.

Cambria, origin of the name, 489.

Canauc's, St., collar, 343.

Capercailzie, *he, 35.

Caradoc, St., story of, 401.

Cardiff, king Henry II. at, 24Q
380; exploit of Ivor the Little
at, 379.

Cashel, constitutions of the synod
of, 232.

Cashel, archbishop of, his sarcastic-
allusion to the death of Becket,
145.

Castles, early, in Ireland, 149.

Chester, 460; legend of king Harold
at, 461.

Chester, Hugh, earl of, ravages
Mona, 447.

Chiltern Hills, meaning of the
name, 65.

Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin,
273.

Cistercian Order, its corruption,
359, 362 ; reformation, 363.

Clare, Richard de, murder of, 365.

Clare, Richard de, his son. See
Strongbow.

Clement, St., legend of, 92.

Clergy, the Irish, their many laud-
able qualities, 141.

Clifford, Walter de, father of Fair
Rosamond, 347.

Climate of Ireland, 51.

Cluniac Order, its corruption, 362.

Coed Grono, murder of Richard
de Clare at, 365.

Cogan, Milo de, appointed gover-
nor of Dublin, 215 ; defeats Has-
culfs attack on the city, 220;
puts him to death, ib. ; defeats
O'Roric, 228; receives a grant
of part of the kingdom of Cork,
284; is killed, 286.

Cogan, Richard de, assists in the
defence of Dublin, 220; sent
into Ireland after his brother's
death, 287.

Coleshulle, Henry II. defeated at,
305, 457.

Colman, St., legend of his teals, 93.

Columba, prophecy of, 279.

Comyn, John, archbishop of Duo-
lin. his arrival in Ireland, 294.

Cona: , family of, 43?

INDEX.

525

Oonnauglit, kingdom of, 153.

Con stan tius, body of, said to be
found at Caernarvon, 442.

Contemporary events, notice of,
304.

Convent, its number of inmates ori-
ginally limited to thirteen, 93.

Con way, the river, popular error
concerning, 451.

Coracles, described, 139, 506.

C.u-ingeus, fable of, 479.

Cork, the king of, makes his sub-
mission to Henry II., 230 ; re-
ceives help against his son, 271 ;
puts him to death, ib. ; takes up
arms against Fitz-Stephen, 286.

Courcy, John de, one of the con-
querors of Ireland, 273 ; his in-
roads on the enemy, 277 ; his
battles, 281 ; his character, ib. ;
his activity, 318.

Crane, nature and habits of the, 34.

Cross, legend of one that spoke,
103.

Crow, nature and habits of the, 41.

Crowth, the musical instrument,
127.

Currents and tides in the Irish sea,
59.

Cyneuric, son of Rhys, his noble
appearance, 433.

Cyrio, St., staff of, its miraculous
powers, 335.

Dalreadic colony, the, 133.

Damianus, 507.

Danes' forts or raths, 149.

Danish battle-axes, 123.

David, King, the inventor of the
psaltery, 131.

David's, St., visit of Arehbishoj
Baldwin to, 413 ; history of the
see, 414 ; its archbishops and
bishops, 416 ; the cathedral, 419.

Daugledheu, meaning of, 398.

Dealgnait, the wife of Partholan,
140.

Dean, forest of, 371.

Ce Doloribus, monastery of, cause
of its foundation, 401

Dee, superstition connected with
the fords of the river, 460.

Dela, sons of, their settlement ir
Ireland, 117.

Demetia, or South "Wales, 407, 479.

Dendraeth, castle of, not now to
be recognised, 439.

Dermitius (Dermot), prince of Lein-
ster, obliged to seek refuge in
England, 185 ; is favourably re-
ceived by Henry II., ib. ; pro-
cures military aid from Strong-
bow, 186; and from the Fitz-
Stephens, 188; returns to Ire-
land, ib. ; joins Fitz- Stephen's
forces at the Banne, 191; his
barbarous conduct after a battle,
193 ; the whole country leagued
against him and his allies, 196 ;
retires with them to Ferns, ib. ;
his character, ib. ; his speech to
his troops, 199; a temporary
peace made with Roderic,
201 ; aspires to the monarchy
of all Ireland, 204 ; marries his
daughter Eva to Strongbow,
212; his son put to death by
Roderic, king of Connaught,
215.

Dermitius, king of Cork, his sub-
mission to Henry II., 230.

Dervorgilla, the faithless wife of
O'Roric, prince of Meath, 184.

Devi, the river, the boundary be-
tween North and South Wales,
437.

Dinas Emrys, the scene of some of
Merlin's prophecies, 452.

Dinevor, castle of, 395 ; stratagem
of a priest to deceive the king's
envoy, 396.

1 Dog, instances of the fidelity of
the, 385.

Dogmael, St., monastery of, 425.

Down, bodies of three saints found
there, 134.

Dress of the Irish, 122 ; of the
Welsh, 493.

Dublin, siege of, by Fitzgerald,
203 j its capture, 214 ; atteirpta

520

INDEX.

of Hasculf and Roderic to re-
take it, 219, 221 ; king Henry's
court there, 231.

Dublin, synod of, 282.

Dundunolf, battle of, 206.

Dunlerus, king of Ulster, 278.

Duvenald, king of Limerick, h's
submission to Henry II., 230 ;
repels and defeats the invaders,
257.

Eagle, nature of the, 30; tradi-
tion of one, on Snowdon, 455.

Eastern lands, their unhealthiness,
52 ; venomous reptiles, 53 ;
treachery of their inhabitants, 54.

Ebbing spring near Ruthlan, 456.

Eleutherius, pope, sends Fa-
ganua and Damianua to Britain,
507.

Elidorus and the fairies, 390.

Elk, the Irish, 43.

England threatened with an inter-
dict on account of the murder
ofBecket, 238.

Enoch, the abbot of Strata Mar-
cella, 375.

Eryri, (Snowdon) mountains of,
453 ; and floating island, 454.

Ethelfrid slays the monks of Ban-
gor, 515.

Eva, daughter of Dermitius, given
in marriage to Strongbow, 212.

Ewyas, vale of, 354.

Faganus, 507.

Fairies, the, and Elidorus, 390.

Falcons, various kinds of, 29, 42 ;

the ignoble breeds not found in

Ireland, 42.
Fedlimidius, king, Ireland invaded

by the Norwegians in his time,

148.
Ferns, Dermitius and his Norman

allies fortify a fort near, 196.
Ferrand, William, the leper, his

undaunted courage, 207.
Fertility of Ireland, 20.
Firbolgs, early settlers in Ireland,

117.

| Firmius', St., bear, 91.

Fish, with golden teeth, legend o£
72 ; with one eye only, found in
a lake on Snowdon, 455.

Fishes of Ireland, 25.

Fishes, combat of, 337.

Fitz-Aldelm, William, accompa-
nies king Henry to Ireland, 231 ;
made governor, 273 ; his cha-
racter, 276 ; recalled, 283.

Fitzgerald, Maurice, half-brother
of Robert Fitz-Stephen, lands in
Ireland, 202 ; his character, 203.
246 ; saves the life of Hugh de
Lacy, 243.

Fitzgerald, Raymond, defeats the
men of Waterford at Dundu-
nolf, 206 ; his speech, 208 ;
appointed commander of the
troops, 255 ; his successes, 256 ;
relieves Waterford,where Strong-
bow is besieged, 258; marries
Basilia, the sister of Strongbow,
ib. ; captures Limerick, 263 j his
character, 265 ; receives news of
the death of Strongbow, 272;
acts as lieutenant-governor of
Ireland, 273 ; relieves Fitz-Ste-
phen, when blockaded in Cork,
287.

Fitz-Hamon, Robert, founds the
abbey of Tewkesbury, 379.

Fitz-Other, Giraldus de, his de-
fence of Pembroke Castle, 405 ;
marries Nesta, the sister of Gruf-
fydh, prince of South Wales, ib.

Fitz-Stephen, Robert, agrees to
assist Dermitius, 187 ; lands in
Ireland, 190 ; captures Wexford,
192 ; it is granted to him and
Prendergast, 193; fortifies a
post near Ferns, 196 ; his speech
to his troops, 200 ; builds a fort
near Wexford, 203 ; is besieged
there, 222; taken prisoner by
treachery, 225 ; his character, ib. ;
is released by the Irish, but again
imprisoned by king Henry, 229 ;
released on surrendering the
j town of Wexford, 230 ; has a

INDEX.

527

grant of part of the kingdom of
Cork, 284 ; rising of the people
against him, 286 ; is relieved by
Raymond, 287.

Fitz-Walter, Mahel, persecutes the
bishop of St. David's, 347 ; his
penitence and death, 348.

Fitz-Walter, Milo, his jocular chal-
lenge to Gruifydh ap Rhys, 351.

Flemings, the, in Wales, 399, 401 ;
their superstitions, 403.

Fostering, custom of, in Ireland,
137 ; in Wales, 512.

Flux, strangers in Ireland subject
to, 61.

Fomorians, the, pirates, 116.

Fountains, wonderful natures of
some, 65.

Frederick, the emperor, takes the
cross, 301.

Frog, story of one found in Ire-
land, 50.

Fulke, a priest, his speech to
Richard I., 362.

Gaidelus, the son of Nial, 120.

G-aleia, a very venomous reptile, 53.

Geese, wild, in Ireland, 43.

Genealogies among the Welsh, 505.

Genealogy of the princes of Wales,
480.

Geoffrey, son of Henry II., cha-
racter of, 162 ; his death, 292.

Geoffrey of Monmouth, his history
denounced as fabulous, 489.

Germanus of Auxerre, 507.

Giants' dance, the, legend of its
transfer from Ireland to Bri-
tain, 78.

Gildas, his work on Britain
praised, 473.

Giraldus Cambrensis (the author)
takes Gildas as his model, 473 ;
accompanies his relatives, the
Fitzgeralds, to Ireland, 202 ; se-
cretary to prince John in Ire-
land, 310 ; accompanies archbi-
shop Baldwin into Wales to
preach the Crusade, 332 j his
friend, Walter Mapes, 177,

Glanville, Ranulph de, goes with
prince John to Ireland, 310;
accompanies archbishop Bald-
win into Wales, 332.

Gloucester, Robert, earl of, notice
of, 379.

Gloucester, William, earl of, his
wife and child carried off by
Ivor the Little, 380.

Godred, king of Man, 221.

Gower, the district of, 389.

Grasshoppers, wonderful state-
ments respecting, 40.

Griffith ap Conan introduces Irish
musicians into Wales, 127.

Gruffyth ap Rhys, his history, 350 ;
legend concerning him, 351.

Guaidanus, a priest, stratagem of,
396.

Gurguntius, king of the Britons,
120.

Gurmund, the asserted conqueror
of Ireland, 149.

Harold, legend of king, 461.

Harp, playing on the, in high es-
teem with the Welsh, 492.

Harp of Brian Boroimhe, 128.

Hasculf, king of Dublin, 214; is de-
feated in an attempt to recapture
the city, 220 ; put to death, ib.

Haverford, miracle following arch-
bishop Baldwin's preaching at;
399 ; story of a robber confined
in the castle of, ib.

Hay, castle of, 337 ; the Crusade
preached there, ib.

Heber slain by his brother Heri-
mon, 119.

Hebrides, the, subjugated by the
Norwegians, 73.

Henry II., king of England, titles
and triumphs of, 155 ; his sons,
157 ; his daughters, 164 ; his
proclamation, ordering Strong-
bow and his associates to aban-
don Ireland, 216 ; is Appeased,
and resolves to go to Ireland
himself, 2*7; lands at Water-
ford, 229 ; submission of many

628

INDEX.

of the Irish princes, 230 ; keeps
his Christmas in Dublin, 231 ;
detained in Ireland by bad wea-
ther, 236 ; rebellion of his sons,
ib. ; lands in Wales, and pro-
ceeds to St. David's as a pilgrim,
237 ; crosses the Speaking-stone,
238; makes terms with the papa]
legates and the king of France,
239 ; his vision at Cardiff, 240 ;
his war with his sons, 247 ; his
victories, 248 ; his penance at
Canterbury, ib. ; his personal ap-
pearance and character, 249 ; pa-
pal bull in favour of his claims
on Ireland, 260 ; deaths of his
eons Henry and Geoffrey, 292 ;
his reply to the patriarch of Je-
rusalem, 296 ; discord with his
son Richard and the king of
France, 298, 300; his military
expeditions against Wales, 458 ;
his account of the courage of the
Welsh, 491.

Henry III. (son of Henry II.) ,
character of, 157 ; his rebellion
against his father, 236; his
death, 292.

Henry de Londres extinguishes St.
Brigit's fire, 97.

Heraclius, the patriarch, his arrival
in England, 295 ; his proposals
to Henry II., ib. ; his prophetical
threats on the king's refusal, 297.

Herimon slays his brother Heber,
and becomes sole king of Ire-
land, 119.

Holy Isle, legend of the, 62.

Horn of St. Patrick, 146

Hospitality among the Welsh, 492.

Iceland, virtues ascribed to the in-
habitants of, 74.

Incestuous marriages among the
Welsh, 333, 453, 513.

Interdict, England threatened with
an, on account of the murder of
Becket, 238.

Intermarriages of the invaders of
Ireland, 259 ; of near relatives
vnong the Welsh, 453.

Ireland, situation of, 17 ; account*
of, by various authors, 19 ; cli-
mate of, 20, 51 ; principal rivers
22 ; lakes and islands, 25 ; fish,
26 ; birds, and those that are
wanting, ib. ; wild animals, 43 ;
reptiles, 47 ; antidotes to poi-
son, 49 ; several advantages pe-
culiar to Ireland, 51 ; wonders
and miracles, 57 ; first peopling
of, 113 ; the second immigration,
114 ; the third immigration, 116 ;
the fourth immigration, 117 ; ar-
rival of the Milesians, 118 ; com-
ing of St. Patrick, 132; four
archbishops appointed, 133 ;
wars with the Norwegians, 148 ;
Gurmund and Turgesius, 149 ;
arrival of the Ostmen, 152 ;
number of kings down to Rode-
ric, king of Connaught, 154;
Dermitius, prince of Leinster,
expelled by him, 185 ; return of
Dermitius, 188 ; arrival of Fitz-
Stephen, and taking of Wexford,
189 ; league formed against the
invaders, 195 ; truce, 196 ; ar-
rival of Maurice Fitzgerald, and
conquest of Dublin, 202, 213;
battle of Dundunolf, 206 ; Sy-
nod of Armagh, 215 ; Dublin
defended by Milo de Cogan, 219 ;
defeat of Roderic, 223 ; defeat
of O'Roric, 228 ; arrival of Hen-
ry II., 229 ; submission of the
Irish princes to him, 230 ; Sy-
nod of Cashel, 233; the king
appoints governors, and returns
to England, 237; Strongbow
made chief governor, 255 ; papal
bull in favour of king Henry's
claims on Ireland, 260 ; death
of Strongbow, 271 ; Fitz-Aldslm
sent as governor, 273 ; suc-
ceeded by Hugh de Lacy, 283 ;
he builds many castles, 288, 291 ;
expedition of prince John, 309 ;
more castles built, 313 ; con-
flicts with the natives, 314 ; mis-
government of the prince and
Jiis young courtiers, 315, 319 j

IHDEX.

529

John de Courcy made governor,
818 ; how Ireland is to be com-
pletely conquered, 320 ; how it
should be governed, 323.

Irish, character, customs, and ha-
bits of the, 121 j dress,, 122 ; skil-
led in music, 126 ; ignorant and
treacherous, 134, 139 ; their bar-
barous mode of making a league,
136 j hate their brothers and
kindred, 137 ; mode of inaugu-
rating their kings, 138 ; laudable
qualities of the clergy, 141, 144 ;
neglect of the bishops, 142 ; num-
ber of persons with bodily de-
fects, 147.

Irish saints, of a vindictive tem-
per, 111.

Irish sea, its troubled character, 59.

Isidore, his account of Ireland, 19,
21 ; places Thule in India, 78.

Island, a floating, fixed by means
of fire, 73.

Islands, formation of, 76; several
remarkable, their peculiarities,
61, 62, 63, 64.

Ivor the Little carries off the earl
of Gloucester, his wife and, child,
380.

Jealousy, first case of, in Ireland,
140 ; little known among the
Welsh, 492.

Jestyn ap GKirgant invites the Nor-
mans to invade Wales, 338.

Jew, witticism of a> 467.

John, prince, son of Henry II.,
character of, 163 ; his expedition
to Ireland, 309 ; his treatment
of the people, 315 ; replaced by
John de Courcy, 318.

John, king of England, the revised
edition of the Conquest of Ire-
land dedicated to, 172.

John the Constable, joint governor
of Ireland, 290.

John the Mad, killed in an attack
on Dublin, 220.

John Papyrio, the papal legate in
Ireland, 133.

JorwerthDrwyndwn, effigy of, 453,
Julius and Aaron, story of, 372.

Keiwin's, St., applesr ravens, and
blackbirds, 88.

Kells, book of, 99.

Kenach, the abbot, a great planter
of trees, 109.

Kildare, various miracles in, 96.

Kildare, book of, 99.

Kings, strange mode of inaugura-
ting in Ireland, 138.

Kings of Ireland, from Herimon
to the coming of St. Patrick,
132; the whole number to the
coming of the Normans, 154.

Lacy, Hugh de, appointed governor
of Dublin, 237; O'Eoric at-
tempts to murder him at a par-
ley, 242 ; made chief governor
of Ireland, 283 ; builds castles,
288, 291; his character, 289 j
suspicions entertained of him,
ib. ; he is recalled, but is soon
reinstated, 291 ; is killed, 294.

Lacy, Walter de^ his descendants,
358.

Laegerius, the son of Nial of the
Nine Hostages, 132.

Lakes of Ireland, 25, 70.

Language of the fairies, 391 ; of
Wales, 497.

Langton, Stephen, archbishop
of Canterbury, the Itinerary
through Wales dedicated to,
325.

Lateran, the council of, 285.

Lechlawar, or speaking-stone, le-
gend of the, 237

Leinster, Dermitius, prince of, ex-
pelled, 185 ; the country over-
run by Strongbow, 212.

Leominster, monastery of, 468.

Lightning, superstition regarding,
409.

Limerick, capture of, by Raymond,
265 ; abandoned by him, 273.

Lion enamoured of a woman, 87.

Living, isle of the, 62.
| Llanbadarn Vaur, the abbot of, 436.
M M

630

INDEX.

Llaiidaff, the see of, 383.

Llandewi Brefi, miracle at, 434.

Llanstephan, castle of, 394.

Llanthoni, abbey of, its foundation,
355 ; its secluded situation and
voluntary poverty, 356, 358.

Llanvaes, miracle at, 341.

Lochor, the river, 392.

Londres, Henry de, extinguishes
St. Brigit's fire, 97.

Londres, Maurice de, and his veni-
son, 393.

Lough Derg, 63.

Lough Neagh, legend of, 70.

Lucius, king, his request to pope
Eleutherius, 507.

Ludlow, castle of, 468.

Lupus of Troyes, 507.

Maelstrom, the, described, 75.

Magnus, of Norway, drives the
Normans from Mona, 447.

Mailgon, king of the Britons,
514.

Man, isle of, subjugated by the
Norwegians, 73, 221 ; why con-
sidered to belong to Britain, 76 ;
the kings of, assist the Irish,
221.

Man-calf, story of a, 85.

Mangunel, William, story of his
incestuous wife, 403.

Manorbeer, castle of, 406 ; logi-
cally shown to be the most plea-
sant spot in Wales, 407.

Mapes, Walter, archdeacon of Ox-
ford, 177.

Margan, the monastery of, miracles
said to be wrought in its favour,
384.

Martinet (or kingfisher), the, found
in Ireland, 38.

Mathravel, the royal seat of the
princes of Powys, 481.

Meath, derivation of the name, 118.

Melerius, the soothsayer, 374.

Men transformed to wolves, 79.

Menevia. See David's, St.

Mercros, Philip de, 240.

Meredith, son of Conan, his libe-

rality to one of his attendant*
439.

Merioneth, character of the country
and people, 438.

Merlin, prophecies of, cited, 231,
238, 300, 502.

Merlin Ambrosius, account of, 452.

Merlin Sylvestris, account of, 440.

Meyler, grandson of Nesta, his
character, 194 ; his headlong va-
lour, 256 ; at the taking of Lime-
rick, 266 ; his character, ib.

Milesius, arrival of, in Ireland, 118.

Milites, different classes of military
men comprised under the term,
202.

Mills, legends of, 108.

Miracles, several related, 88.

Mona, the isle of, visit of arch-
bishop Baldwin to, 443 ; its de-
solate appearance, 444.

Monastic orders, state of the, 361.

Monks, why inferior to the clergy,
144.

Monsters, remark of Augustine
on, 82.

Montmaurice, Hervey, his charac-
ter, 189 ; his speech at Dundu-
nolf, 209 ; sent to Aquitaine with
Strongbow's submission, 216 ;
constable of the troops, 255 j
his unsuccessful march on
Cashel, 257 ; his enmity to Bay-
mond, 259 ; his character, 268 ;
becomes a monk, 288.

Moon, influence of the, on the wa-
ters and on natural humours, 60.

Munster, part of, granted to Fitz-
Stephen and De Cogan, 283 ;
another part given to Philip de
Braose, 284 ; unsuccessful expe-
dition against Limerick. 285.

Music, the Irish skilled in, 126
the Welsh, 495 ; the various in
struments, 127, 495.

Nannan, St., and the fleas, legend

of, 95.
Navel of Ireland, a stone so called,

U7.

Keath, monastery' of, 387.

Neath, the river, dangerous from
its quicksands, 387.

Nemedus and his sons, their settle-
ment in Ireland, 117.

Nesta, a Welsh princess, her story,
187; pedigree of her descend-
ants, 183.

Newgill sands, remarkable occur- 1
rence at. 413.

Newmarch, Bernard de, his con-
quests in Wales, 345.

Newmarch, Mahel de, story of, 345.

Nial, the son of Phaemius, 120.

Nial of the Nine Hostages, 132.

Nightingale, the, said not to be
found in Wales, 443.

Norwegians, their wars with the
Irish, 148, 151.

Not, William, his brilliant courage,
225.

Offa's dike, 515.

Ogham characters, invention of
the, 120.

Or cades, the, in subjection to the
Norwegians, 73.

O'Roric, prince of Meath, procures
the expulsion of Dermitius from
Ireland, 184 ; is defeated in an
attack on Dublin, 228; his
treachery and death, 242.

Orosius, his account of Ireland,
19,43.

Ossory, conquest of, 193.

Ostmen, arrival of the, in Ireland,
152; their leaders, 153; their
colonies, 214 ; their stubborn re-
sistance to the Normans, 207,
212, 219.

Oswaldestree, 463 ; omen at, 464.

O'Toole, Lawrence, archbishop of
Dublin, his history, 213 j his
death, 292.

Owen Cyfeilioc, excommunicated,
465 ; his joke at the avarice of
Henry II., ib.

Owen Gwynedh dies excommuni-
cated, 451 ; his body removed
from the church, by direction of
archbishop Baldwin, ib.

581

Pall, tne archiepiscopal, 416.

Partholan. See Bartholanus.

Paternus, St., account of, 435.

Patrick, St., date of his coming to
Ireland, 132.

Patrick's, St., purgatory, 63.

Peacocks, wild, said to be found in
Ireland, 35 ; probably the caper-
cailzie, ib.

Pec, Richard de, joint governor of
Ireland, 290.

Pedigree of the descendants of
Nesta, 183.

Pembroke Castle, siege of, 405:
the besiegers induced to retire by
a stratagem, ib.

Pencarn, the ford of, prophecy
concerning, 379.

Petrifying springs, 66.

Phoenius, king of the Scythians,
120.

Philip of Worcester, punishment
of, 107.

Phrenetic man at Ferns, a prophet,
105.

Physicians, little needed in Ireland,
61.

Picts, overthrow of the, by the
Scots, 133.

Pigs, wild in Ireland, 43.

Pilgrimage to Kome, preferred to
aU others, by the Welsh, 507.

Pistyll Dewi, a spring of miraculous
origin, 421.

Places of refuge in Ireland mira-
culously protected, 100.

Poer, Eanulf, death of, 369.

Poison, the soil of Ireland an an-
tidote, 49.

Poisons, the East the fountain-
head of, 55.

Pont Stephen, castle of, 433.

Powys, fine breed of horses in, 464.

Prefaces, 3, 9, 165, 169, 172.

Prendergast, Maurice de, lands at
the Banne, 190 ; has a grant of
part of Wexford, 193.

Pveseleu Mountains, the, 423,

Priestholme Island, 449.

Prodigies, various, related, 79.

Prophecies, Irish, on the conquest

53?

IJTDEX.

of the land, 313 j of Merlin,

231, 238, 300, 502.
Prophecy, remarks on, 500.
Purgatory, St. Patrick's, 63.

Quendreda, story of, 342.

Baths, 149.

Eats, expelled by St. Yvorus, 96.

Rats, a man devoured by, 423.

Ravens, legends of, 90.

Raymond. See Fitzgerald.

Red colour, effect of, on a fountain
in Sicily, 69.

Reginald's Tower, at Waterford,
212 ; Fitz-Stephen imprisoned
there by Henry II., 229.

Reptiles, venomous, not found in
Ireland, 47.

Rhys, son of Gruffydh, prince of
South Wales, takes the cross,
332 j is diverted from his pur-
pose by his wife, 333 ; impri-
soned by his sons, 425.

Richard, count of Poitou, charac-
ter of, 159 ; contrasted with his
brother Henry, 161 ; the Con-
quest of Ireland originally de-
dicated to him, 171 ; takes the
cross, 299.

Richard I., his reply to Fulco, a
priest, 362.

Ridenesford, Walter de, assists in
the defence of Dublin, 220.

Rivers, the principal, of Ireland,
22.

Roderic the Great, said to be the
first person who divided Wales
into three provinces, 479.

Roderic, son of Owen, of North
Wales, 445.

Roderic, last sole king of Ireland,
153, 185 ; endeavours to break
the league between Bermitius
and his Norman allies, 197 ; fails,
ib. ; his speech, recommending
war on them, ib. ; a temporary
peace made with Bermitius, 201 ;
the war renewed, 215 ; Roderic
puts Bermitius' son to death,

ib. ; besieges Bublin, 221 j is put
to flight, 224 ; returns and ra-
vages the country up to the walls
of Bublin, 257 ; battle with Milo
de Cogan, 283 j gives his son as
a hostage to Henry II., 293 ;
his death, 153.

Roger, bishop of Salisbury, his rise
to eminence, 357.

Rotherch Falcus, a chaplain, his
conduct to the bishop of St.
Bavid's, 388.

Round towers of Ireland, 71, 98.

Royal palaces in Wales enume-
rated, 395.

Ruanus, his asserted long exist-
ence, 115.

Ruthlan, castle of, 455.

Salmon-leap, the, in Ireland, 102 ;
in Wales, 102, 429.

Sanctuary, its uses and abuses in
Wales, 507.

Scota, the princess, 120.

Scotland, said to be colonized from
Ireland, 120, 133 j famed for ita
music, 127.

Segontium, 441.

Severn, the river, its course, 483.

Shannon, error of Giraldus con-
cerning its course, 24. •

Shetland Islands, subjugated by
the Norwegians, 73.

Shrewsbury, Hugh, earl of, ravages
Mona, 448 ; his death, ib.

Shrewsbury, Robert, earl of, intro-
duces Spanish horses into Wales,
464.

Simon, an evil spirit so called, 410.

Slanius, first sole king of Ireland,
118.

Slave-trade among the Anglo-Sax-
ons, 216.

Snowdoa, the mountain, and its
lakes, 453.

Solinus, his account of Ireland, 19,
21 ; places Thule in India, 78.

Soothsayers among the Welsh, 501.

Spanish Sea, the, its two branches,
17.

ITTDEX.

533

Sparrow-hawk, habits of the, 26.

Sparrows, towns said to be de-
stroyed by, 150.

Staff of Jesus, 146.

Stags in Ireland, 43,

Stakepole, Elidor de, and his de-
mon steward, 410.

Steward, a demon who 'acted as,
410.

Stone which produces wine, legend
of the, 95.

Stone, a miraculous one, in Mona,
446.

Stonehenge. See Giant's Dance.

Storks, rare in Ireland, 39.

Stratflur, abbey of, 433.

Strigul, castle of, 186.

Strongbow (Richard de Clare),
agrees to assist Denmtius, 187 ;
sends Fitz-Stephen forward, 190;
as also Raymond, 206 ; arrives
in Ireland, and captures Water-
ford, 212 ; marries Eva, the
daughter of Dermitius, ib. ; cap-
tures Dublin, 214 ; plunders
Meath, 215; receives an order
to return to England, 216 ; his
prudent reply, 217 ; is besieged
in Dublin by Roderic and the
men of the Isles, 221 ; disperses
their army, 224 ; his character,
226; returns to England, and
is restored to favour by the
king, 227; his return to Ire-
land, 255; is obliged to retire
to Waterford, 257; relieved
by Raymond, 258 ; his death
and burial, 272 ; his tomb,
273.

Sunday labour, attempt to restrain,
240, 380.

Swans abundant in Ireland, 39.

Swansea, castle of, 389.

Teeth, jare of the, among the
Welsh, 494.

Tegengl, play on the word, 499.

Teivi, the river, abundant in sal-
mon, 427.

Teal, St. Column's, legend of, 93.

Thief, miraculous detection of a,
341

Thomas, St. (Becket), martyrdom
of, 217.

Thongs of Irish leather, their effi-
cacy against venomous reptiles,
49.

Thorach, probably Rathlin Island,
18.

Thorgils. See Turgesius.

Thule, the western island, 77;
speculations of various writer*
as to its position, 78.

Tides and currents in the Irish
Sea, 59.

Toads, a man devoured by, 422 ;
sculpture to commemorate the
tale, ib.

Transmutation of men into ani-
mals, 79, 116.

Trees in Ireland, 125.

Tubal, the inventor of musical in-
struments, 131.

Tuesday, the day of Mars, towns
taken on, 265, 270.

Turgesius, the Norwegian, his con-
quest of Ireland, 148 ; his death,
151.

Tyrrell, Hugh, punishment of, 107.

Ulster, the princes of, refuse sub-
mission to Henry II., 231 ; in-
vaded by John de Courcy, 277 ;
the bodies of three saints trans-
lated from, 314.

Unclean spirits, stories of, 409.

Unicorn, the, according to medi-
jeval fable, 53.

Usk, the river, its course, 484.

Usk, the town, visit of archbishop
Baldwin to, 371.

Vallis Crucis abbey, 375.
Venedotia, or North Wales, 479.
Venomous creatures brought into

Ireland immediately die, 48.
Vere, Alberic de, 450.
Vision, a, and its explanation, 301 j

of king Henry II. at Cardiff

240, 380.

Visions, several remarkable, 244.
Vivianus, the papal legate in Ire-
land, 283.

Wales, its length and breadth, 478 ;
soil, ib. ; ancient divisions, 479 ;
genealogy of the princes, 480 ;
cantreds, royal palaces, and ca-
thedrals, 481 ; mountains, 483
rivers, ib. ; pleasantness and fer-
tility of the country, 488 ; origin
of the name, 489 ; language, 497 ;
how the country is to be con-
quered and governed, 516, 519.

Waterford, capture of, by Strong-
bow, 212 ; he is besieged there,
but relieved by Raymond, 257.

Weasel, the, its nature, 46.

Weasels, stories of, 406.

Wells, holy, in Ireland, 65.

Welsh, their manners and courage,
490 ; sobriety and frugality, 492 ;
domestic life, 493, 494 ; quick-
ness and sharpness of under-
standing, 494 5 their musical in-
struments, 495 ; language, 497 j
symphonies and songs, 498 ; wit
and pleasantry, ib. ; boldness
and confidence in speaking, 500 ;
soothsayers, 601 ; love of high
birth arid ancient genealogies,
505 ; their faith and devotion,
607 j instability, and want of
reverence for oaths, 508 5 live
by plunder, and disregard the
bonds of peace and friendship,
609; conduct in battle, 511;

ambition and dissensions,
exactions, and want of modera*
tion, ib. ; incestuous marriages,
333, 453, 513; plunder of
churches, 513 ; their other sins,
514; their boasts, ib. ; in what
manner to be overcome and go-
verned, 516, 519 ; how they may
resist and revolt, 521.

Wenlock, foundation of the mo-
nastery of, 467.

West, the, its many advantages
over the East, 54.

Wexford, taking of, by Fitz-Ste-
phen, 192; granted to Strong-
bow, 247.

Wheat cursed by the bishop of
Cork, 106.

Whirlpools described, 75.

White Monastery, the, now Whit-
church, in Shropshire, 462.

Wild animals of Ireland, 43.

William Eufus, his threat against
Ireland, 421.

Wind and rain, prevalence of, in
Ireland, 21.

Winter, a tempestuous one, 234.

Woman with a beard and mane, 84.

Women, severe reflections on, 346.

Wonders and miracles of Ireland,
57.

Worcester, Philip de, governor of
Ireland, his expedition to Ar-
magh. 295.

Wye, the river, its course, 484.

Yvoros, St., rats expelled by, 96.

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