It Happened In Our Days That David II., Bishop Of St. David's,
Passing This Way, And Finding The Ford Agitated
By a recent storm, a
chaplain of those parts, named Rotherch Falcus, being conversant in
the proper method of crossing
These rivers, undertook, at the desire
of the bishop, the dangerous task of trying the ford. Having
mounted a large and powerful horse, which had been selected from the
whole train for this purpose, he immediately crossed the ford, and
fled with great rapidity to the neighbouring woods, nor could he be
induced to return until the suspension which he had lately incurred
was removed, and a full promise of security and indemnity obtained;
the horse was then restored to one party, and his service to the
other.
Entering the province called Goer, {91} we spent the night at the
castle of Sweynsei, {92} which in Welsh is called Abertawe, or the
fall of the river Tawe into the sea. The next morning, the people
being assembled after mass, and many having been induced to take the
cross, an aged man of that district, named Cador, thus addressed the
archbishop: "My lord, if I now enjoyed my former strength, and the
vigour of youth, no alms should ransom me, no desire of inactivity
restrain me, from engaging in the laudable undertaking you preach;
but since my weak age and the injuries of time deprive me of this
desirable benefit (for approaching years bring with them many
comforts, which those that are passed take away), if I cannot, owing
to the infirmity of my body, attain a full merit, yet suffer me, by
giving a tenth of all I possess, to attain a half." Then falling
down at the feet of the archbishop, he deposited in his hands, for
the service of the cross, the tenth of his estate, weeping bitterly,
and intreating from him the remission of one half of the enjoined
penance. After a short time he returned, and thus continued: "My
lord, if the will directs the action, and is itself, for the most
part, considered as the act, and as I have a full and firm
inclination to undertake this journey, I request a remission of the
remaining part of the penance, and in addition to my former gift, I
will equal the sum from the residue of my tenths." The archbishop,
smiling at his devout ingenuity, embraced him with admiration.
On the same night, two monks, who waited in the archbishop's
chamber, conversing about the occurrences of their journey, and the
dangers of the road, one of them said (alluding to the wildness of
the country), "This is a hard province;" the other (alluding to the
quicksands), wittily replied, "Yet yesterday it was found too soft."
A short time before our days, a circumstance worthy of note occurred
in these parts, which Elidorus, a priest, most strenuously affirmed
had befallen himself. When a youth of twelve years, and learning
his letters, since, as Solomon says, "The root of learning is
bitter, although the fruit is sweet," in order to avoid the
discipline and frequent stripes inflicted on him by his preceptor,
he ran away, and concealed himself under the hollow bank of a river.
After fasting in that situation for two days, two little men of
pigmy stature appeared to him, saying, "If you will come with us, we
will lead you into a country full of delights and sports."
Assenting and rising up, he followed his guides through a path, at
first subterraneous and dark, into a most beautiful country, adorned
with rivers and meadows, woods and plains, but obscure, and not
illuminated with the full light of the sun.
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