His Wife (For Women Are Often Very Expert In Deceiving
Men) Made Use Of This Curious Stratagem.
Her husband possessed, on
the side of the wood next the sea, some extensive pastures, and
large flocks of sheep.
Having made all the shepherds and chief
people in her house accomplices and favourers of her design, and
taking advantage of the simple courtesy of her husband, she thus
addressed him: "It is wonderful that being lord over beasts, you
have ceased to exercise dominion over them; and by not making use of
your deer, do not now rule over them, but are subservient to them;
and behold how great an abuse arises from too much patience; for
they attack our sheep with such an unheard-of rage, and unusual
voracity, that from many they are become few; from being
innumerable, only numerous." To make her story more probable, she
caused some wool to be inserted between the intestines of two stags
which had been embowelled; and her husband, thus artfully deceived,
sacrificed his deer to the rapacity of his dogs.
CHAPTER X
Tywy river - Caermardyn - monastery of Albelande
Having crossed the river Tywy in a boat, we proceeded towards
Caermardyn, leaving Lanstephan and Talachar {97} on the sea-coast to
our left. After the death of king Henry II., Rhys, the son of
Gruffydd, took these two castles by assault; then, having laid
waste, by fire and sword, the provinces of Penbroch and Ros, he
besieged Caermardyn, but failed in his attempt. Caermardyn {98}
signifies the city of Merlin, because, according to the British
History, he was there said to have been begotten of an incubus.
This ancient city is situated on the banks of the noble river Tywy,
surrounded by woods and pastures, and was strongly inclosed with
walls of brick, part of which are still standing; having Cantref
Mawr, the great cantred, or hundred, on the eastern side, a safe
refuge, in times of danger, to the inhabitants of South Wales, on
account of its thick woods; where is also the castle of Dinevor,
{99} built on a lofty summit above the Tywy, the royal seat of the
princes of South Wales. In ancient times, there were three regal
palaces in Wales: Dinevor in South Wales, Aberfrau in North Wales,
situated in Anglesea, and Pengwern in Powys, now called Shrewsbury
(Slopesburia); Pengwern signifies the head of a grove of alders.
Recalling to mind those poetical passages:
"Dolus an virtus quis in hoste requirat?"
and
"Et si non recte possis quocunque modo rem,"
my pen shrinks with abhorrence from the relation of the enormous
vengeance exercised by the court against its vassals, within the
comot of Caeo, in the Cantref Mawr. Near Dinevor, on the other side
of the river Tywy, in the Cantref Bychan, or the little cantred,
there is a spring which, like the tide, ebbs and flows twice in
twenty-four hours. {100} Not far to the north of Caermardyn, namely
at Pencadair, {101} that is, the head of the chair, when Rhys, the
son of Gruffydd, was more by stratagem than force compelled to
surrender, and was carried away into England, king Henry II.
despatched a knight, born in Britany, on whose wisdom and fidelity
he could rely, under the conduct of Guaidanus, dean of Cantref Mawr,
to explore the situation of Dinevor castle, and the strength of the
country. The priest, being desired to take the knight by the
easiest and best road to the castle, led him purposely aside by the
most difficult and inaccessible paths, and wherever they passed
through woods, the priest, to the general surprise of all present,
fed upon grass, asserting that, in times of need, the inhabitants of
that country were accustomed to live upon herbs and roots. The
knight returning to the king, and relating what had happened,
affirmed that the country was uninhabitable, vile, and inaccessible,
and only affording food to a beastly nation, living like brutes. At
length the king released Rhys, having first bound him to fealty by
solemn oaths and the delivery of hostages.
On our journey from Caermardyn towards the Cistercian monastery
called Alba Domus, {102} the archbishop was informed of the murder
of a young Welshman, who was devoutly hastening to meet him; when
turning out of the road, he ordered the corpse to be covered with
the cloak of his almoner, and with a pious supplication commended
the soul of the murdered youth to heaven. Twelve archers of the
adjacent castle of St. Clare, {103} who had assassinated the young
man, were on the following day signed with the cross at Alba Domus,
as a punishment for their crime. Having traversed three rivers, the
Taf, then the Cleddeu, under Lanwadein, {104} and afterwards another
branch of the same river, we at length arrived at Haverford. This
province, from its situation between two rivers, has acquired the
name of Daugleddeu, {105} being enclosed and terminated, as it were,
by two swords, for cleddue, in the British language, signifies a
sword.
CHAPTER XI
Of Haverford and Ros
A sermon having been delivered at Haverford {106} by the archbishop,
and the word of God preached to the people by the archdeacon, whose
name appears on the title-page of this work, many soldiers and
plebeians were induced to take the cross. It appeared wonderful and
miraculous, that, although the archdeacon addressed them both in the
Latin and French tongues, those persons who understood neither of
those languages were equally affected, and flocked in great numbers
to the cross.
An old woman of those parts, who for three preceding years had been
blind, having heard of the archbishop's arrival, sent her son to the
place where the sermon was to be preached, that he might bring back
to her some particle, if only of the fringe of his garment. The
young man being prevented by the crowd from approaching the
archbishop, waited till the assembly was dispersed, and then carried
a piece of the earth on which the preacher had stood.
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