It Is
Remarkable That This People, Though Unarmed, Dares Attack An Armed
Foe; The Infantry Defy The Cavalry, And By Their Activity And
Courage Generally Prove Victors.
They resemble in disposition and
situation those conquerors whom the poet Lucan mentions:
- "Populi quos despicit Arctos,
Felices errore suo, quos ille timorum
Maximus haud urget leti metus, inde ruendi
In ferrum, mens prona viris, amimaeque capaces,
Mortis et ignavum rediturae parsere vitae."
They make use of light arms, which do not impede their agility,
small coats of mail, bundles of arrows, and long lances, helmets
and shields, and more rarely greaves plated with iron. The higher
class go to battle mounted on swift and generous steeds, which
their country produces; but the greater part of the people fight on
foot, on account of the marshy nature and unevenness of the soil.
The horsemen as their situation or occasion requires, willingly
serve as infantry, in attacking or retreating; and they either walk
bare-footed, or make use of high shoes, roughly constructed with
untanned leather. In time of peace, the young men, by penetrating
the deep recesses of the woods, and climbing the tops of mountains,
learn by practice to endure fatigue through day and night; and as
they meditate on war during peace, they acquire the art of fighting
by accustoming themselves to the use of the lance, and by inuring
themselves to hard exercise.
In our time, king Henry II., in reply to the inquiries of Emanuel,
emperor of Constantinople, concerning the situation, nature, and
striking peculiarities of the British island, among other
remarkable circumstances mentioned the following: "That in a
certain part of the island there was a people, called Welsh, so
bold and ferocious that, when unarmed, they did not fear to
encounter an armed force; being ready to shed their blood in
defence of their country, and to sacrifice their lives for renown;
which is the more surprising, as the beasts of the field over the
whole face of the island became gentle, but these desperate men
could not be tamed. The wild animals, and particularly the stags
and hinds, are so abundant, owing to the little molestation they
receive, that in our time, in the northern parts of the island
towards the Peak, (17) when pursued by the hounds and hunters, they
contributed, by their numbers, to their own destruction."
CHAPTER IX
Of their sober supper and frugality
Not addicted to gluttony or drunkenness, this people who incur no
expense in food or dress, and whose minds are always bent upon the
defence of their country, and on the means of plunder, are wholly
employed in the care of their horses and furniture. Accustomed to
fast from morning till evening, and trusting to the care of
Providence, they dedicate the whole day to business, and in the
evening partake of a moderate meal; and even if they have none, or
only a very scanty one, they patiently wait till the next evening;
and, neither deterred by cold nor hunger, they employ the dark and
stormy nights in watching the hostile motions of their enemies.
CHAPTER X
Of their hospitality and liberality
No one of this nation ever begs, for the houses of all are common
to all; and they consider liberality and hospitality amongst the
first virtues. So much does hospitality here rejoice in
communication, that it is neither offered nor requested by
travellers, who, on entering any house, only deliver up their arms.
When water is offered to them, if they suffer their feet to be
washed, they are received as guests; for the offer of water to wash
the feet is with this nation an hospitable invitation. But if they
refuse the proffered service, they only wish for morning
refreshment, not lodging. The young men move about in troops and
families under the direction of a chosen leader. Attached only to
arms and ease, and ever ready to stand forth in defence of their
country, they have free admittance into every house as if it were
their own.
Those who arrive in the morning are entertained till evening with
the conversation of young women, and the music of the harp; for
each house has its young women and harps allotted to this purpose.
Two circumstances here deserve notice: that as no nation labours
more under the vice of jealousy than the Irish, so none is more
free from it than the Welsh: and in each family the art of playing
on the harp is held preferable to any other learning. In the
evening, when no more guests are expected, the meal is prepared
according to the number and dignity of the persons assembled, and
according to the wealth of the family who entertains. The kitchen
does not supply many dishes, nor high-seasoned incitements to
eating. The house is not furnished with tables, cloths, or
napkins. They study nature more than splendour, for which reason,
the guests being seated in threes, instead of couples as elsewhere,
(18) they place the dishes before them all at once upon rushes and
fresh grass, in large platters or trenchers. They also make use of
a thin and broad cake of bread, baked every day, such as in old
writings was called LAGANA; (19) and they sometimes add chopped
meat, with broth. Such a repast was formerly used by the noble
youth, from whom this nation boasts its descent, and whose manners
it still partly imitates, according to the word of the poet:
"Heu! mensas consumimus, inquit Iulus."
While the family is engaged in waiting on the guests, the host and
hostess stand up, paying unremitting attention to everything, and
take no food till all the company are satisfied; that in case of
any deficiency, it may fall upon them. A bed made of rushes, and
covered with a coarse kind of cloth manufactured in the country,
called BRYCHAN, (20) is then placed along the side of the room, and
they all in common lie down to sleep; nor is their dress at night
different from that by day, for at all seasons they defend
themselves from the cold only by a thin cloak and tunic.
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