In North Wales, Between Anglesey And The Eryri Mountains, 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.
CHAPTER 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
mountains of snow; the latter of which are said to be of so great
an extent, that if all the herds in Wales were collected 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 Ellennith mountains,
and flowing by the castles of Shrewsbury and Bridgenorth, through
the city of Worcester, and that of Gloucester, celebrated for its
iron manufactories, falls into the sea a few miles from the latter
place, and gives its name to the Severn Sea. This river was for
many years the boundary between Cambria and Loegria, or Wales and
England; it was called in British Hafren, from the daughter of
Locrinus, 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 Sarina, 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 Goodrich, through the forest of Dean,
abounding with iron and deer, and proceeds to Strigul castle, below
which it empties itself into the sea, and forms in modern times the
boundary between England and Wales. The Usk 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 Usk (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 discharges itself into the Severn Sea, not far from
Newport.
The river Remni flows towards the sea from the mountains 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 Caerdyf. The river Avon
rushes impetuously from the mountains of Glamorgan, between the
celebrated Cistercian 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 dangerous quicksands. From
the same mountains of Brecheinoc the river Tawe flows down to
Abertawe, called in English Swainsey. The Lochor joins the sea
near the castle of the same name; and the Wendraeth has its
confluence near Cydweli. The Tywy, another noble river, rises in
the Ellennith mountains, and separating the Cantref Mawr from the
Cantref Bachan, passes by the castle of Llanymddyfri, and the royal
palace and castle of Dinevor, strongly situated in the deep
recesses of its woods, by the noble castle of Caermarddin, where
Merlin was found, and from whom the city received its name, and
runs into the sea near the castle of Lhanstephan. The river Taf
rises in the Presseleu mountains, not far from the monastery of
Whitland, and passing by the castle of St. Clare, falls into the
sea near Abercorran and Talacharn. From the same mountains flow
the rivers Cleddeu, encompassing the province of Daugleddeu, 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 Daugleddeu, or two swords.
The noble river Teivi springs from the Ellennith mountains, 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 Itinerary; 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 animals, how
they convey their materials from the woods to the river, with what
skill they employ these materials in constructing 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 singularity of their tails, which partake more of
the nature of fish than flesh. For further particulars see the
Itinerary. (12)
From the same mountains issues the Ystuyth, and flowing 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, (13) dividing for a great distance North and
South Wales; and from the same mountains also the large river Maw,
(14) forming by its course the greater and smaller tract of sands
called the Traeth Mawr and the Traeth Bachan.
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