第26章 BOOK I(17)

Having first crossed the river Lochor,and afterwards the water called Wendraeth,{94}we arrived at the castle of Cydweli.{95}In this district,after the death of king Henry,whilst Gruffydd son of Rhys,the prince of South Wales,was engaged in soliciting assistance from North Wales,his wife Gwenliana (like the queen of the Amazons,and a second Penthesilea)led an army into these parts;but she was defeated by Maurice de Londres,lord of that country,and Geoffrey,the bishop's constable.{96}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 above-mentioned Maurice had a forest in that neighbourhood,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 flocks 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 husband,she thus addressed him:"It is wonderful that being lord over beasts,you have ceased to exercise dominion over 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.

CHAPTER X

Tywy river -Caermardyn -monastery of Albelande Having crossed the river Tywy in a boat,we proceeded towards Caermardyn,leaving Lanstephan and Talachar {97}on the sea-coast to our left.After the death of king Henry II.Rhys,the son of Gruffydd,took these two castles by assault;then,having laid waste,by fire and sword,the provinces of Penbroch and Ros,he besieged Caermardyn,but failed in his attempt.Caermardyn {98}signifies the city of 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 river Tywy,surrounded by woods and pastures,and was strongly inclosed with walls of brick,part of which are still standing;having Cantref Mawr,the great cantred,or hundred,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,{99}built on a lofty summit above the Tywy,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 vassals,within the comot of Caeo,in the Cantref Mawr.Near Dinevor,on the other side of the river Tywy,in the Cantref Bychan,or the little cantred,there is a spring which,like the tide,ebbs and flows twice in twenty-four hours.{100}Not far to the north of Caermardyn,namely at Pencadair,{101}that is,the head of the chair,when Rhys,the son of Gruffydd,was more by stratagem than force compelled to surrender,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,and 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 inaccessible 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,{102}the archbishop was informed of the murder of a young Welshman,who was devoutly hastening to meet him;when turning out of the road,he ordered 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,{103}who had assassinated the young man,were on the following day signed with the cross at Alba Domus,as a punishment for their crime.Having traversed three rivers,the Taf,then the Cleddeu,under Lanwadein,{104}and afterwards another branch of the same river,we at length arrived at Haverford.This province,from its situation between two rivers,has acquired the name of Daugleddeu,{105}being enclosed and terminated,as it were,by two swords,for cleddue,in the British language,signifies a sword.