In The Course Of Time, Their Habitations 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 animals, 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 carpenter'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 soon as possible 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 circumstance 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,
" - Qui 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 entirely, yet,
by a wonderful instinct and sagacity, he endeavours 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 Cilgerran towards Pont-Stephen,
{137} leaving Cruc Mawr, i.e. the great hill, near Aberteivi, on our
left hand. On this spot Gruffydd, son of Rhys ap Tewdwr, 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. {138} 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 tradition, broken to pieces in the morning.
CHAPTER IV
Of the journey by Pont Stephen, the abbey of Stratflur, Landewi
Brevi, and Lhanpadarn Vawr
A sermon having been preached on the following morning at Pont
Stephen, {139} by the archbishop and archdeacon, and also by two
abbots of the Cistercian order, John of Albadomus, and Sisillus of
Stratflur, {140} 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, {141} we were met near the side of a
wood by Cyneuric son of Rhys, accompanied by a body of light-armed
youths. This young man was of a fair complexion, 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
these three young men, Gruffydd, 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. From
thence we passed through Landewi Brevi, {142} that is, the church of
David of Brevi, situated on the summit of that hill which had
formerly risen up under his feet whilst preaching, during the period
of that celebrated synod, when all the bishops, abbots, and clergy
of Wales, and many other persons, were collected thither on account
of the Pelagian heresy, which, although formerly exploded from
Britain by Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, had lately been revived in
these parts. At this place David was reluctantly raised to the
archbishopric, 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 transferred to St. David's.
Having rested that night at Lhanpadarn Vawr, {143} or the church of
Paternus the Great, we attracted many persons to the service of
Christ on the following morning.
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