The see of Landaf and monastery of Margan, and the remarkable things
in those parts
On the following morning, the business of the cross being publicly
proclaimed at Landaf, the English standing on one side, and the
Welsh on the other, many persons of each nation took the cross, and
we remained there that night with William bishop of that place, {85}
a discreet and good man. The word Landaf {86} signifies the church
situated upon the river Taf, and is now called the church of St.
Teileau, formerly bishop of that see. The archbishop having
celebrated mass early in the morning, before the high altar of the
cathedral, we immediately pursued our journey by the little cell of
Ewenith {87} to the noble Cistercian monastery of Margan. {88} This
monastery, under the direction of Conan, a learned and prudent
abbot, was at this time more celebrated for its charitable deeds
than any other of that order in Wales. On this account, it is an
undoubted fact, that, as a reward for that abundant charity which
the monastery had always, in times of need, exercised towards
strangers and poor persons, in a season of approaching famine, their
corn and provisions were perceptibly, by divine assistance,
increased, like the widow's cruise of oil by the means of the
prophet Elijah. About the time of its foundation, a young man of
those parts, by birth a Welshman, having claimed and endeavoured to
apply to his own use certain lands which had been given to the
monastery, by the instigation of the devil set on fire the best barn
belonging to the monks, which was filled with corn; but, immediately
becoming mad, he ran about the country in a distracted state, nor
ceased raving until he was seized by his parents and bound. Having
burst his bonds, and tired out his keepers, he came the next morning
to the gate of the monastery, incessantly howling out that he was
inwardly burnt by the influence of the monks, and thus in a few days
expired, uttering the most miserable complaints. It happened also,
that a young man was struck by another in the guests' hall; but on
the following day, by divine vengeance, the aggressor was, in the
presence of the fraternity, killed by an enemy, and his lifeless
body was laid out in the same spot in the hall where the sacred
house had been violated. In our time too, in a period of scarcity,
while great multitudes of poor were daily crowding before the gates
for relief, by the unanimous consent of the brethren, a ship was
sent to Bristol to purchase corn for charitable purposes. The
vessel, delayed by contrary winds, and not returning (but rather
affording an opportunity for the miracle), on the very day when
there would have been a total deficiency of corn, both for the poor
and the convent, a field near the monastery was found suddenly to
ripen, more than a month before the usual time of harvest:
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