They Afterwards Removed
To Gloucester, Where They Built A Church And Spacious Monastery,
Which, After The Name Of Their Former Residence, They Called
Llanthoni; It Was Consecrated A.D. 1136, By Simon, Bishop Of
Worcester, And Robert Betun Bishop Of Hereford, And Dedicated To The
Virgin Mary.
{60} The titles of mother and daughter are here applied to the
mother church in Wales, and the daughter near Gloucester.
{61} William of Wycumb, the fourth prior of Llanthoni, succeeded to
Robert de Braci, who was obliged to quit the monastery, on account
of the hostile molestation it received from the Welsh. To him
succeeded Clement, the sub-prior, and to Clement, Roger de Norwich.
{62} Walter de Laci came into England with William the Conqueror,
and left three sons, Roger, Hugh, and Walter. Hugh de Laci was the
lord of Ewyas, and became afterwards the founder of the convent of
Llanthoni; his elder brother, Robert, held also four caracutes of
land within the limits of the castle of Ewyas, which king William
had bestowed on Walter, his father; but joining in rebellion against
William Rufus, he was banished the kingdom, and all his lands were
given to his brother Hugh, who died without issue.
{63} This anecdote is thus related by the historian Hollinshed:
"Hereof it came on a time, whiles the king sojourned in France about
his warres, which he held against king Philip, there came unto him a
French priest, whose name was Fulco, who required the king in
anywise to put from him three abominable daughters which he had, and
to bestow them in marriage, least God punished him for them. 'Thou
liest, hypocrite (said the king), to thy verie face; for all the
world knoweth I have not one daughter.' 'I lie not (said the
priest), for thou hast three daughters: one of them is called
Pride, the second Covetousness, and the third Lecherie.' With that
the king called to him his lords and barons, and said to them, 'This
hypocrite heere hath required me to marry awaie my three daughters,
which (as he saith) I cherish, nourish, foster, and mainteine; that
is to say, Pride, Covetousness, and Lecherie: and now that I have
found out necessarie and fit husbands for them, I will do it with
effect, and seeks no more delaies. I therefore bequeath my pride to
the high-minded Templars and Hospitallers, which are as proud as
Lucifer himselfe; my covetousness I give unto the White Monks,
otherwise called of the Cisteaux order, for they covet the divell
and all; my lecherie I commit to the prelats of the church, who have
most pleasure and felicitie therein.'"
{64} This small residence of the archdeacon was at Landeu, a place
which has been described before: the author takes this opportunity
of hinting at his love of literature, religion, and mediocrity.
{65} The last chapter having been wholly digressive, we must now
recur back to Brecknock, or rather, perhaps, to our author's
residence at Landeu, where we left him, and from thence accompany
him to Abergavenny.
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