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 themselves to the use of the lance, and by inuring
themselves to hard exercise.
In our time, king Henry II., in reply to the inquiries of Emanuel,
emperor of Constantinople, concerning the situation, nature, and
striking peculiarities of the British island, among other
remarkable circumstances mentioned the following: "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 sacrifice their lives for renown;
which is the more surprising, as the beasts of the field over the
whole face of the island became gentle, but these desperate men
could not be tamed. The wild animals, and particularly the stags
and 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, (17) when pursued by the hounds and hunters, they
contributed, by their numbers, to their own destruction."
CHAPTER IX
Of their sober supper 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.
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