From That Time The King Sent Every Year, About The
Breeding Season, For The Falcons {117} 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 Niwegal
From Haverford we proceeded on our journey to Menevia, distant from
thence about twelve miles, and passed through Camros, {118} where,
in the reign of king Stephen, the relations and friends of a
distinguished young man, Giraldus, son of William, revenged his
death by a too severe retaliation on the men of Ros. 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. {119} The soil was very black,
and the wood like ebony. By a wonderful revolution, the road for
ships became impassable, 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 consumed
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.
BOOK II
PREFACE
Since, therefore, St. David's is the head, and in times past was the
metropolitan, city of Wales, though now, alas! retaining more of the
NAME than of the OMEN, {120} yet I have not forborne to weep over
the obsequies of our ancient and undoubted 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 respective names to this
present day.
CHAPTER I
Of the see of Saint David's
We are informed by the British histories, that Dubricius, archbishop
of Caerleon, sensible of the infirmities of age, or rather being
desirous of leading 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 translated to Menevia, although Caerleon, as we
have observed in the first book, was much better adapted for the
episcopal see. For Menevia is situated in a most remote corner of
land upon the Irish ocean, the soil stony and barren, neither
clothed with woods, distinguished by rivers, nor adorned by meadows,
ever exposed to the winds and tempests, 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 retired 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 away;" for David was
remarkable for his sanctity and religion, 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
beholders.
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, Arthuael, Sampson. In the time of Sampson, the pall
was translated from Menevia in the following manner: a disorder
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 holy
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, {121} where he and his
attendants 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 pall which Sampson 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
subjugation 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 profession or submission being made to
any other church.
From the time of Sampson to that of king Henry I., nineteen bishops
presided over this see: Ruelin, Rodherch, Elguin, Lunuerd, Nergu,
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, Ievan (who was bishop only one night), Argustel, Morgenueth,
Ervin, Tramerin, Joseph, Bleithud, Sulghein, Abraham, Wilfred.
Since the subjugation of Wales to the present time, three only have
held the see:
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 28 of 53
Words from 28162 to 29213
of 54608
