It
Was A Beautiful Piece Of Marble, Polished By The Feet Of Passengers,
Ten Feet In Length, Six In Breadth, And One In Thickness.
Lechlavar
signifies in the British language a talking stone.
{126} There was
an ancient tradition respecting this stone, that at a time when a
corpse was carried over it for interment, it broke forth into
speech, and by the effort cracked in the middle, which fissure is
still visible; and on account of this barbarous and ancient
superstition, the corpses are no longer brought over it. The king,
who had heard the prophecy, approaching the stone, stopped for a
short time at the foot of it, and, looking earnestly at it, boldly
passed over; then, turning round, and looking towards the stone,
thus indignantly inveighed against the prophet: "Who will hereafter
give credit to the lying Merlin?" A person standing by, and
observing what had passed, in order to vindicate the injury done to
the prophet, replied, with a loud voice, "Thou art not that king by
whom Ireland is to be conquered, or of whom Merlin prophesied!" The
king then entering the church founded in honour of St. Andrew and
St. David, devoutly offered up his prayers, and heard mass performed
by a chaplain, whom alone, out of so large a body of priests,
Providence seems to have kept fasting till that hour, for this very
purpose. Having supped at St. David's, the king departed for the
castle of Haverford, distant about twelve miles. It appears very
remarkable to me, that in our days, when David II. presided over the
see, the river should have flowed with wine, and that the spring,
called Pistyll Dewi, or the PIPE of David, from its flowing through
a pipe into the eastern side of the churchyard, should have run with
milk. The birds also of that place, called jackdaws, from being so
long unmolested by the clergy of the church, were grown so tame and
domesticated, as not to be afraid of persons dressed in black. In
clear weather the mountains of Ireland are visible from hence, and
the passage over the Irish sea may be performed in one short day; on
which account William, the son of William the Bastard, and the
second of the Norman kings in England, who was called Rufus, and who
had penetrated far into Wales, on seeing Ireland from these rocks,
is reported to have said, "I will summon hither all the ships of my
realm, and with them make a bridge to attack that country." Which
speech being related to Murchard, prince of Leinster, he paused
awhile, and answered, "Did the king add to this mighty threat, If
God please?" and being informed that he had made no mention of God
in his speech, rejoicing in such a prognostic, he replied, "Since
that man trusts in human, not divine power, I fear not his coming."
CHAPTER II
Of the journey by Cemmeis - the monastery of St. Dogmael
The archbishop having celebrated mass early in the morning before
the high altar of the church of St. David, and enjoined to the
archdeacon (Giraldus) the office of preaching to the people,
hastened through Cemmeis {127} to meet prince Rhys at Aberteive.
{128} Two circumstances occurred in the province of Cemmeis, the
one in our own time, the other a little before, which I think right
not to pass over in silence.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 58 of 103
Words from 30312 to 30879
of 54608
