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Lee disgremmes suivsnts illustrent le mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 S 6 i I N O 'n' 1 i r? i THE HISTORY OF WALES : CONTAINING SOME INTERESTING FACTS CONCERNING THE EXISTENCE OF A WELSH TRIBE tr. hi. C o S a I AMONG THE ABORIGINES OF AMERICA. AUUANGED AS A CATECHISM ..'■ V FOR YOUNG PERSONS. BY A LADY OF THE PFWCIPALITY. « * SHREWSBURY :. PRINTED BY JOHN EDPOWES, CORN-MAOItEIS.f , '■*s:,.-^-r -'.ta,. , i83ae t* \ \- I BTl T 'I TO WILLIAM OWEN PUGHE, LL. D. F. A. S. THE MOST DISTINGUISHED WELSH AND CELTIC SCHOLAR OF THE DAY, ^f^t Ornament of Cambiian lEiterature, AND THE GENEROUS PATRON AND ENCOURAGER OF LITERARY MERIT IN OTHERS, ^ THIS LITTLE WORK IS DEDICATED, WITH DIFFIDENCE AND RESPECT, BY AN UNKNOWN ADMIRER OF HIS GENIUS AND CHARACTER, THE AUTHOR. 170254 1i PREFACE. Ai History of Wales for the School-room sooins to have been hitherto a desideratum. This little work is therefore intended to give young persons a general view of that portion of the British History, in a style that may be committed to memory. Since tlie Welsh are the remnant of that race which first peopled and possessed the Island of Britain, their early history must be the foundation of that of Eng- land ; and the continuation of it, after they were re- duced to the small territory of Cambria, until tht^ annihilation of their independence by Edward th(^ First, cannot fail to be a subject of interest. Th(» Author hopes that some more able hand will bring- forward a History of Wales upon a more extended scale for the perusal of the rising generation. The orthography of Welsh names is varied , by lifferent writers: as, Grufydd, Gruffydd, Griffith, fLlywelyn, Llewelyn, &c. &c. A few rules may [suffice for the pronunciation of them. C is always hard, as K in English ; for instance, \Vymry is pronounced Kumree, r" ii ii ■ r I ( h has a guttural soinid (liko the (ircck X.) l)d as M in Then. /•'. (single) like T. LI is an aspiratod /y, and is ctl'ected by rcinoving the tip of the tongue about one-tiighth ot' an inch bark on the palatt; tVom tln^ place Avhere the /. is l)ronounced. /. thus pronounced necessarily pro- duces the sound of /./. i: has the sound of i in ,S'///. frims the sound ot'oo in Mvojl y is like r in Is. >«»« ilU- 'N *. -\.) f im iiu'li ' tlio /. is irily pro- Since this Catechism went to press we have received the following note, which will supply the blank in page 56. ** About forty years back, Ed. Williams and myself mutually collected about one hundred different accounts of the Welsh Indians. — Among other accounts so collected, we copied out of the Diary of William Penn, which we were permitted to examine, consisting of about forty volumes, then in the possession of Lady Juliana Penn, the following entry : ' Sent Dav. Griffiths and Richard Roberts with bibles to teach the Welsh Indians.^ I am not able to give the year, the date, or the names to a certainty of the two persons sent, from my having lost my copy of the collection by lending it. '' W. Owen Pughe." < I 'ii -M I; * il r A CATECHISM OP THB HISTORY OF WAX.es. 4 I Chapter 1st. Q. What is Wales? A. Wales is that portion of our ir^and which is situated on the west of England, and bounded by St. George's Channel on the west, by the Irirh sea on the norths and by the Bristol chan^ nel, or Severn sea, on the south. Q. How is it divided ? A. Into North Wales and South Wales, each of which divisions contains six counties^ namely, NORTH WALES. Anglesey (which is an island). Caernarvonshire. . Denbighshire. Flintshire. Merionethshire. > Montgomeryshire. . : i -hi SOUTH WALES. ' !;• . Caerdiganshire. / ■ .. V. , Radnorshire. ' ' Brecknockshire. Pembrokeshire, Caermarthenshire,. - Glamorganshire. if 'I *' :'4 ■ ^'Ail, CATECHISM OF THE r\ Q. What distinctive marks do the Welsh retain of their antiquity as a nation ? A. Their language in its ancient purity, though not, perhaps, in its former strength, as many words have fallen into disuse, particularly in conversation. Q. What reason can you give for their lan- guage being thus preserved without innova- tion* through so many ages ? A. For many centuries after the Ancient Britons had been reduced to the small territory of Cambria, they remained there unconquered and cut off from all intercourse with their neigh- bours, and were thus preserved as a distinct nation. In more recent times the greatest barrier to the progress of the English language in Wales, and the consequent means of the preservation of its own, has been the neglect of education in Wales by the English government. Q. What became of the revenuesf of the ancient Welsh Church ? A, They were given at the Reformation, in many instances, to English sinecurists, such as the Canons of Windsor, 8cc. instead of being employed, as in England, in founding colleges or establishing parish schools. Had such in* stitutions been set on foot in Wales by the English, the Welsh language wcmld probably have sunk into disuse as a colloqmal dialect. Q. What are the inhabitants of Wales called ? A. They are called Welsh, or Cambrians, or III ■ ■ ■ II ——————— I ■ ♦ The introduction of noveltj'. f Annual profits. HISTORY OF WALES. Yelsh urity, Ih, as ularly ir lan- nova- ncient rritory juered neigh- [istinct reatest iguage of the lect of nment. of the ion, in uch as ' being oUeges ich in- by the obably ect. ailed? ians, or Cambro-Britons, They still call themselves Cymry, as they did in ancient times. The Greeks called their ancestors on the continent Cimmerioi, and the Romans called them Cim- bri. Q. What was their ongiw.^t A. There are various conjectures on this subject. Some historians consider the first inhabitants of Britain to have sprung from the Cimbri or Gomerii, descendants of Gomer. (He was the father of the Gauls or Galatimis, and was the son of Japheth, who was the youngest son of Noah.) Others imagine them to have be'^n of Phoenician origin. There is every reason to suppose the Welsh to be of common origin with the Bretons in France, and the Wendi in Lusatia and other parts of the North of Germany; and, generally speaking, these three people use one common language to this day, being a sister dialect of the Sclavonic. Q. To whom do the Triads refer the peo- pling of Britain ? . A. The Triads people Britain and Armorica from the Cimbric Chersonesu- or Denmark, and the Wendi still exist in that neighbour- hood. Hamburgh was called by them Treva ; and the word Hamburgh is literally the same as Treva in Welsh, meaning* a hamlet, to^wn, or home. ■ - ^^ ' ; ^^ •t..'? • Q. Tell me the opinion of M. de Thierry B 2 ' ': --.v:!..;.! -^^ -*.» 4|f Beginning, source. ^. «- - n«M 6 CATECHISM OF THE ;i "W: ■ :i; i 'Nl respecting the peopling of Britain in his ^* History of the Norman Conquest ?" A. He seems to have made considerable re- search into the subject, and he asserts that a body of people from the eastern extremities of Europe crossed the German ocean and passed through the strait now called of Dover ; one party of them chose to land on the coast of Gaul, in that part called Bretagne or Brittany (see the map of France in provinces)/ the others sailed on to our island, which was called the Land of Green Hills. Q. Did they find any inhabitants here ? A. They found no inhabitants but bears and wild cattle. Q. What were the early colonists* called ? A. They were called Cymry, Kymry, or Cambrians. :::.:;:. / -v ; ^^ ^ . ^ Q. Did they, exclusively, retain possession of the country r A. When their country became improved by cultivation it was successively invaded by strangers landing on the east coast ; and a formidable party from Gaul, calling themselves Lloegrians, descendants of the same party who had left eastern Europe with the Kymry, landed in the south of the Country of Green Hills, then called the Land of Money ^ and drove the first possessors to the north and west. Q. Did not someT of these fugitives cross the Irish sea ? * A body of people settling in a new country. HISTORY OF AVALES. n his t)le re- that a ties of 3assed ; one )ast of ittany 1/ the called rsand ailed? • or ession ed by d by md a selves jrwho irmry, rreen and west. 3s the -9 3 *•>.': A. Yes : some of them passed the western sea and reached the large island then called Erin* by its inhabitants, now Ireland. Q. Where did those who fled north establish themselves ? A. They found an impregnable asylum in the high mountains which stretch from the banks of the Clyde to the north. In a short time the Cambrians were confined to the land which bordered the western sea, from the northern to the southern extremity.f Q. Into how many parts was Cambria naturally divided? A. Into three. The Severn sea cut off the inhabitants of the south of Cambria who occu- pied the land between that sea and the Land's End, in Cornwall. Its ancient British name was Cerniw. The Romans called it Cornavia, and the Saxons Cornwall, or the Welsh of Cornavia. The northern division was formed naturally by the Firth of Sol way. It consisted of the present counties of Dunbarton, Argyle, i\yr> B 3 * The Welsh call Ireland Ewerddon, or the Green Spot, and the Irish call it Erin. It is worthy of notice, that the dd is quiescent in Irish, and they would pronounce the name Ewerddon as Eweron, thence it would be modified into Erin. The Welsh call the Irish people Gwyddelod, and an Irish- man Gwyddel, and in all the old Irish bocks Gaoiddeila<;h is the name for the Irish people. Gaoiddael is an Irishman; and, by not sounding the dd, the name is Gaoiel, i. ^. Gael. The name Gael has appeared for the first time within my memory* and it has no connexion with the term Gaul. '» • \J* if 9 t Thierry. '' It O CATECHISM OF THE Renfrew, Lanark, and most of the country south of the Firth of Forth as far as the Humber. The seat of government was at Dun- barton or Dunbritton (the Balclutha of Ossian). This province was called Strath-Clyde. The middle division has always preserved the name of Cymru or Cambria. Q. Who first called it Wales ? A. The Saxons. It may be remarked that the word W^alsch is to this day used in German to signify any foreign language. Thus Walsch- land means Italy ; and Sprechen sie Walsch. Do you speak Italian? Q. You have not yet related the tradition^ of a very old Welsh historian, which refers the origin of the Britons to Troy. * A. It is now considered to have been a fable of Geoffrey of Monmouth ; but as it has often been introduced into Welsh history I will re- peat it. About 1200 years after the Deluge a party of Trojans, having been driven from home by the destruction of Troy, after various wan- derings and adventures, found their way to Britain, where they formed a colony. Q. Who was their leader. A. Brutus, a descendant of iEneas, and he became their king in Britain. Q. How did he divide his new kingdom ? A. He left it between his three sons, Locrine, Camber, and Albanact. Locrine had England, * Unwritten account conveyed from age to age by word of mouth. '--■-■ ^ HISTORY OF VvALES. tlience called Loegria; Camber had Wales, named after him Cambria ; and Alb mact had Scotland, thence termed Albania. iserved iition* ers the a fable s often ivill re- eluge a ihome s wan- vay to md he om ? oerine, igland, by word Chapter 2d. Q. What was the island of Britain called by the Welsh ? A. It was called Prydaiuy or TTie Fair Land. There was a colony of the Aborigines called Brython, and the Bretons of France still preserve the name : and the people of the North of England, including the Strath Clyde Britons, w^ere Brython or Bretons. That is, literally. Emptors. Q. What was the character of the Ancient Britons? A. They were considered a brave warlike people ; honest, sincere, and generous ; ira^ scible,* and keenly alive to a sense of injury. They thought it a disgrace to die in their bed^, but an honour to fall in the field. Q. What was their dress ? A. Some of the northern tribes clothed them- selves in the skins of wild beasts. They also stained their bodies with the juice of plants in various devices ; as the sun, moon, and stars ; flowers or figures of animals. The Southrons generally wore loose long gowns. I * Easily provoked. ;4.ss ■». i; m .'f; I <'.i r t'* ') 1 ' PI! M;l ill .'■il! • .I 10 CATECHISM OF THE ^ Q. Had (hey houses to live in / A. They lived in very rude huts formed of mud or clay or of the boughs of trees. Q. What was their food i A. It consisted chiefly of milk and the flesh of animals killed in the chase, and flat cakes of coarse bread. Their favourite beverage was metheglin* or mead, a fermented liquor made from honey. Wine is also mentioned by their bards. -. Q. Was metheglin peculiar to Wales ? A. By no means. Among the Teutones, an ancient people of Germany, it was customary at a marriage for the friends to assemble for thirty days, when they drank metheglin or honey wine; and this custom is said to have given rise to the term honey-moon, Q. What were the implements of war wsed by the Ancient Britons ? Q. Their offensive weapons were arrows and long spears ; their bows were usually made of long twigs twisted together, probably of the yew tree, as it became the custom in after times to plant yew trees in churchyards for the pur- pose of protecting these trees from injury, their branches being used for making bows. There is an island on Loch Lomond, ih Scotland, called the Isle of the Bow, which, according to popular tradition, was the spot from which a people called Bretons derived the materials for (■ nN' •t" ■ ♦■■-v. •• _ -iX . , i U /^'. '^ V. Oi.i .pl' * Literally intoxicating liquor, 'which was used also in the sense of medicinal liquor. The last syllable llyn is liquor. HISTORY OF WALES. 11 Tied of ie flesh akes of ^e was r made )y their )nes, an mary at )r thirty : honey e given m ar used QW8 and made of \[ of the er times the pur- ry, their There Gotland, rding to which a trials for also in the s liquor* making their bows. This territory must have belonged to Dunbarton. Q. Had the Ancient Britons any other weapons of war ? A. Tbey fixed a kind of short sword in the axletree of their chariot wheels, which made dreadful carnage as they drove furiously through the ranks of their enemies. They wore light armour. Q. Are not historians mistaken in represent- ing the Britons to have been at that time in a state of barbarism ? A. Undoubtedly. For, at the period of the Roman invasion, we are told that the country was very populous ; that a legion of five or six hundred men, guarded by another legion, was seen cutting down corn in Kent ; that the Gauls sent their youth to be instructed by the Druids of Britain; that their war chariots were in* geniously constructed, &c. &c. The assertion of the Britons being in a savage state at that early period is, therefore, a singular oversight in the writers who describe that age of the History of Britain. Q. Were the Welsh given to hospitality? A. Yes : the tables of all were common to all. There was not a beggar to be seen among jthem. Their visitors were entertained with the music of the harp. At supper the guests were ^placed by threes : thin broad cakes of bread were served upon platters of clean grass and placed upon rushes, and the master and mis- jtres, standing, overlooked the repast, and at- tended to the wants of the party. . 12 CATECHISM OP THE Q. Did they hold pedigree in estimation ? A. Yes : pride of ancestry and nobility of family were points of high regard among them. Even the lowest of the people carefully pre- served their genealogy. Q. Of what particular importance was it ? A. Their genealogy was their title to their freedom, by which they proved their descent and collateral affinity to the ninth degree. Q. In what manner did they commit their long line of ancestors to memory ? A. The word ap, or properly ab, (answering to the Norman Fitz,) which means son of, was the connecting link. Thus, Rhys ab GrufFydd ab Rhys ab Tewdwr ab Eineon ab Owen ab Howel ab Cadwal ab Roderick the Great. %\ Chapter 3d. Q. Who were the Druids ? A. They were the priests and philosophers of the Britons. Q. Were they regarded with veneration ? A. Yes : not only on account of their learn- ing, for they were acquainted with astronomy, geometry, natural history, geography, and politics;* but their birth procured them the veneration of the people, as they were chosen out of the best families. They were also thought to be inspired. ^- . * The science of Government. HISTORY OF WALES. 13 Q. Whence is the word Druid derived ? A. From the Welsh word Derw (pro- nounced derroo), which signifies an oak. They held in particular veneration the misletoe which grows upon the oak, it being very rarely found on that tree. It was an object of their worship. Q. What was the religion of the Britons ? A. Idolatry. They worshipped rocks, stones, and fountains, and sacrificed human victims to their Gods. These victims were exclusively criminals. Q. Are there any Druids' altars to be se^n at the present day ? A. Yes : there are many in good preserva- tion. One of the most perfect of them is in the Marquis of Anglesey's grounds, in the Isle of Anglesey. They worshipped in circles of up- ' right stones. Their principal temple was Abury, the fosse of which was round an area of fourteen hundred feet, being twenty-two acres, which had two entrances, each a mile and a half, one from the east the other from the west; and the artificial hill Silbury was its meridional index, distant about a mile from the circle. Some of the stones weighed about 100 tons. When the circle was complete there were 740 stones, but many of them have been broken for common purposes. ^ Q. Is there not another very remarkable temple of this kind in Wiltshire ? A. Stonehenge was evidently a British tem- ple. It was a secondary one^ and erected in christian times, as our chronicles state, and the 14 CATECHISM OF THE work of art of mortices and tenons seen in its erection proves it; for the ancient circle ad- mitted of none, Q. What was their doctrine ? A. It was the metempsychosis, or the trans- migration of the soul from the lowest to the highest state of intellect ; from Abred, or the state of evil, to Gwynvyd, or the state of know- ledge or felicity. Q. Did the Druids live in caves ? A. They did. And man^j of these simple habitations, hewn out of solid rock, are still found in various parts of Britain, Chapter 4th. Q. Who were the Bards ? A. The term Bard in the very early ages did not mean what it does now. The system among the Britons was divided into three orders. Bard, or Philosopher ; Druid, or Priest ; and the Ovate, or Artist. Q. Of what particular importance are the poems of the Old Bards. - A. In matters of history the poets have always been consulted as the faithful chroniclers of their times, while, by a singular contrast, the oldest prose compositions are regarded, for the most part, as the mere vehicles of romance and fiction. This inversion of the ordinary respective character of prose and poetry is, HISTORY OF WALES. 15 in its e ad- trans- o the )rthe LllOW- perhaps, peculiar to Wales. " The Truth against tine WorlcT' was not only a favorite axiom of the Bards, but it was adopted as the motto of the order, and as the vital principle of its proceedings. " To make truth manifest^ and to diffuse the knowledge of ity^ is num- bered among the attributes of the Bards.* Q. And what were the Bards of later times ? A. They were the historians, poets, and minstrels of the Britons. They celebrated in song the proud deeds of glory achieved by their countrymen, accompanying their words with the soul-thrilling touch of the harp. Q. Were the Welsh fond of poetry ? A. It is hardly too much to say that the ancient Britons fed upon poetry ; for in their poetical axioms^ which had been handed down to us, the Bard, at once poet and musician, is placed beside the labourer and artisan as one of the three pillars of social life. The wishes of the Bards were received as promises, their expectations as prophecies, even their silence was made expressive. Q. What was the general effect of their minstrelsy ? A. By giving charm to recollection and life to hope, they excited the youth to war and en- terprise, and made the aged and the peaceable cheerful in the poverty of their rocks and morasses ; for the Britons were naturally gay >:■ I'./A. »i7 C \ See " Cambrian Plutarch," p. 32. f A maxim. m CATECHISM OF THK I I Ml : and social, and bore present distress as a pass- ing inconvenience ; looking forward with con- fidence to a great political revolution by which they should regain all that they had lost, and, as one of their Bards expresses it, recover the crown of Britain. Q. Does any relic of bardic genius exist at the present day ? A. Akind o{* extemporary^ composition siing to the harp is often exercised amongst the Welsh peasantry. It is called Penillion sing- ing. The harper, being seated, plays one of his native airs, while the singers stand round him and compose alternately a stanza upon any subject they please, taking up the air at irregular intervals. Q. Have any of the poems of the Bards descended to posterity ? A. Yes : there are some preserved entire and many relics extant,t which are reckoned among the finest specimens of poetic imagina- tion. ■'.' "^ . , .^^ . Q. Name some of these Bards? ' A. Llywarch Hen, Taliesin, Aneurin, lolo Goch, Gutyn Owen, &c. Q. Are the Welsh airs generally admired ? A. Of all national airs the Welsh are, per- haps, the most distirtguished for being at the same time highly characteristic of their country and generally pleasing. - ~ - • - - v It is the harp alone that can give them their Not thought of before. t Still existing^ HI&TOUY OF WALiCS. 17 true spirit. The harp is the national instru- ment of Wales. The Welsh harp has threes rows of strings ; the interior row forming the semitones, or sharps and flats ; tlie two outer rows are tuned in unison,* Q. Is the harp much played in Wales ? A. It is, particularly m North Wales, where every little town has its harper, and when ii traveller arrives at an inn, the village minstrel, generally a blind man, awakens the cheerful chords of his harp with the melody of other days. Q. Is any public encouragement given to the preservation of Welsh literature and music ? A. Yes : there are per'iodicalf meetings called Eisteddfods, patronized by the first men of rank and talent and patriotism, for the re- vival as well as preservation of Welsh literature, and for the encouragement of native talent in the composition of prose and potHry, and ex- hibition of skill upon the Welsh harp. Hand- some prizes are awarded to the successful candidates. - I ■' 1 Chapter 5th. Q. What was the first important invasion of Britain after the establishment of the Lloegri- ans ? '■".i*:*" ■■'-'■ "^''' ■' ■/ v^: .■ '■ ■ * Of the same sound. ^ ,: ,• f At stated times. ti fit; Hi'' » \ 18 CATECHISM OF THE A. That of the Roman power under the com- mand of Julius Caesar, 55 years before Christ. Q. Did their conquests extend to Cambria ? A. They brought some of the most accessi- ble* parts under their subjection ; but Snow- donia and other mountainous districts success- fully withstood their incursions. It was their policy, however, to permit the kingly office to remain in its ancient authority in many of the British provinces; and the Cambrian sovereigns continued their sway even long after the re- moval of the Roman power, in the same line of genealog^y. Q. And what w^ere these families ? A. The Cornwall and the Cyneddian race. From the former many illustrious characters sprung, such as Aurelius Ambrosius, Uthyr Pendragon, and the famous King Arthur. The latter were sovereigns of the territory of the Strathclyde Britons as well as of Gwynedd or North Wales. Q. From whom were they descended ? A. From Coel, a Northern Prince, who from his marriage with Stradwen, daughter and heiress of Cadvan ap Conan, King of North Wales, became its sovereign. They had one daughter named Helena who succeeded to the dominion of North Wales and Strath-Clyde. Q. Whom did she marry ? A. She married the Roman Emperor Con- stantius, who, having gained a right by this * That which may be attained. HISTORY OF WALES. 19 \inioii to the British crown, made the Roman government very popular in Britain. Q. Had this Princess any children ? A. No. Therefore her dominions devolved* to her nephew Cynedda Wledig, or Illustrious, about the year 540. Q. Was it from this Prince that the Cyneddian family descended? A. It was. The sons of Cynedda Wledig, leaving their northern dominions to part of their family, retired to North Wales, where th 3ir descendants supported the cause of free- dom till the Royal British blood became extinct as to sovereignty in the death of the last Prince of Wales, Llywelyn. . .; . / - . r Chapter 6th. Q. How long did the Roman dominion con- tinue in Britain ? A. About four hundred years. The Romans left Britain to assist their people at home in lepelling the Goths from their country. Q. Did they ever resume the Government of Britain ? A. No. Q. What people became troublesome to the ^ Britons after their departure ? . i . A. The Picts and Scots. Q. And whose aid did the Britons implore . in repellinsr them ? c 3 ^ v»»'ss*T^*wr»^-- t--^ ^ t * To fall by succession. fj'' i 1 20 CATECHISM OF THE A. That of the Saxons, a people of Germany. Q, Can you tell me by what device the Saxons are supposed to have secured their first footing in Britain ? A. They had been so successful in repelling the Northern invaders, that Vortigern, who had the government of Britain at that time, gave them a place called Lindsay, where Hengist their General implored permission to build such a fort as could be inclosed by an oxhide. The petition being granted, they took the largest oxhide they could find, cut it into the finest thongs possible, and then measured out as large a tract of land as they could inclose with it, on which they built a considerable fort which was called Thongcaster, in Lincolnshire. Q. How did they insure the favor of Vorti- gern A. By introducing to his notice the beautiful daughter of Hengist. Her name was Rowena. The King was so fascinated by her beauty that he made her his wife. Q. What further stratagem* did the Saxons use to effect their ambitious views ? A. They invited the British nobles to a feast, and placed themselves so dexterously among their guests, that, on a signal being given, each Saxon drew out a long knife with which he stabbed his unsr.specting neighbour. The massacre was so eflfectually accomplished, that only one Briton escaped. This was the Earl •^i—.— ■■———■— I ■ P— —————— —W—i—M»—iM— ^ * A trick in war. HISTORY OF WALES, 21 of Gloucester,* who is reported to have killed seventy Saxons by seizing a pole which lay near him. ' Q. Where is this massacre supposed to have been perpetrated ? A. Some writers affirm that the temple we have before mentioned, called StonehengCy was erected by Ambrosias, eighty-fourth King of Britain, to commemorate the Plot of the Long Knives. It is upon Salisbury Plain, in Wiltshire. ■ .,■ ,. •/• i^.-i ■> v.r.-..' . Chapter 7th. - . t Q. Who succeeded Ambrosius? .. /^ ^_ A. His brother Uthyr Pendragon, who gained many victories over the Saxons, but was poisoned by them about the year of our Lord 517. \ ■■■._; .... . Q. Who succeeded him ? ^ v K His son, the famous King Arthur. , '';^ Q. Did he expelf the Saxons? ' ' ■' * Probably a British title equivalent to the more recent Earldom of Gloucester. 1 * '^'H^ii.^^ t To drive out, -; J' >0 4^s*"V!^ -^.w^^rT^ i H (J ' ii^r^M,^.., -«■■** '. V* 22 CATECHISM OF THE hi IS! I A. No : their power was become too strongly established ; but he defeated them in many en- gagements, the most important of which was the battle of Badon Hill, in the vicinity of Bath. He expelled the P'cts entirely. He went over to Armorica, or Brittany, to assist his nephew Howel, King of that country, against the Visigoths. Q. Who usurped King Aithur's throne in his absence ? A. His nephew Medrod whom he had ap- pointed Regent during his absence. On Arthur's return, a desperate engagement took place between them, in which Medrod was slain, and Arthur so desperately wounded that he died a few days afterwards in Glastonbury Abbey, Somersetshire, A. D. 535. Q. Did Britain become subject to the Saxons soon after the death of King Arthur ? A. Yes : the inhabitants of that part called Loegria were so pressed by the Saxons, that those who would not submit to their dominion were compelled to take refuge in Wales and Cornwall. Some of them fled to Armorica (Bretagne in France — see the Map of France in Provinces,) which had been peopled by the same race. Here they were welcomed by their brethren, and allowed to form a separate state and distribute themselves over the country as far north as the little River Caesaron, and south as far as the city of the Veneti, now called Vannes ; but their territory did not include the great towns of Vannes, Nantes, and Rennes.* ♦ See Thierry*8 Norman Conquest. HISTORY OF WALES. 23 en- Q. What Welsh Bards were contemporary with Arthur ? A. Llywarch Hen, Taliesin, and Merddin. Q. At what period is this emigration sup- posed to have taken place ? A. It continued from the year of our Lord 450 to 586. Q. Is there not an account of an earlier British colonization of Armorica on record? A. Yes: Powel's " Historic of Wales" thus relates the event. ^^ Little Brytaine is a country of France, called in Caesar's time Armorica, and after in- habited by Brytaines, who, about the year of Christ 384,* under the conduct of Conan, Lord of Meriadoc, now Denbighland, went out of tnis isle with Maximus the Tyrant to his aid against the Emperor Gratianus, and winning the said countrie of Armorica (which Maximus gave to Conan and his people) slew and drove out all the old inhabitants thereof, planting themselves in the same, where they to this day speak the Brytish toong, being the third rem- nant of the Ancient Brytaines." Q. Does the Welsh historian give you the names of the Kings of Little Brytaine ? * N. B. Although Thierry does not notice the establish- ment of this British Colony in the year 384, it seems to con- firm the subsequent fact which he relates ; that the British emigrants were " welcomed there by their brethren ;" since the " race'* to which he seems to aUude settled in Brittany at the time of the Jirst peopling of Britain (see page 3, line 16, of this Catechism), and could scarcely have acknowledged a kindred feeling after the lapse of so many ages. m if m 24 CATECHISM OF THE 11 r i ■: ti A. Yes : they are as follow : — 1. Conan Meriadoc 2. Gradlonus 3. Salomon 1st 4. Aiiidramus 5. Budicus 1st 6. Howelus Magnus This Howel was with King Arthur in his warres, 7. Howel 2d 8. Alanus 1st 9. Howelus 3d 10. Gilquellus 11. Salomon 2d <: 12. Alanus 2d Who descended of Runa, son of Maelgon Gwynedd, King of Great Brytaine, which was married to the forenamed Howel 2d 13. Conobertus 14. Budicus 2d 15. Theodoricus 16. Rualhonus 17. Daniel Dremdrost i, e. Rubicunda facie. 18. Aregstanus 19. Maconus 20. Neomenicus 21. Haruspogius ; ' '^ 22. Salomon 3d - . ^ Who was slain by his own men, and :; ;';„ ^/ , ^ then was that kingdom turned to " ., an Earldom, whereof Alan was the } thij of im( th( mai HISTORY OF WALES. 25 rthur on of Great led to first Earl, who valiantly resisted the Normans and vanquished them oftentimes. Q. What was the language of the Armo- ricans? A. The Celtic or Breton. The same lan- guage was spoken in Britain ; and although the Irish, the Highlanders, the Welsh, and the Bretons, cannot render themselves mutually in- telligible at the present day through the medium of their language, similar words will frequently be found to have a corresponding meaning; and occasionally a short sentence deliberately pronounced may be partially im- derstood. Q. Has the construction of phraseology in the Welsh and the Breton any resemblance ? A. Yes: their phraseology and modes of expression are so strikingly alike, that it might be thought the two nations had separated but yesterday.* Q. Does the Cornish dialect resemble the Breton? - A. Yes, it does; and the chief reason for this may be traced to the settlement of a party of Armoricans in Cornwall, who came over under their leader Ivor in the 7th century, after the death of Cadwalader.f It may also be re- marked that the people of Cornwall kept up a * See the Rev. T. Price's Tour through Brittany in 1829. Published in the Cambrian Quarterly Magazine. IJ ES m 'ii il i-l J t See chap. 9th. ,. -.1- s 4 26 CATECHISM OF THE considerable intercourse with the Bretons till the time of Elizabeth. Q. What style of composition was first nurtured in Brittany ? A. That very fascinating and fanciful style called Romance y which afterwards became so universally popular. Brittany was the cradle of chivalry* and the district of Fairyland itself; for it was the scene of some of the favorite romances. But though Brittany was the country of the earliest adop- Hon of chivalry, yet it was by no means its birthplace. This was allowed, even by the Bretons themselves, to have been the Princi- pality of Wales. Q. Did the Saxons possess themselves of Wales? A. No : they could not penetrate beyond the Severn westward ; but they took Cumbria from the Britons and called it Cumberland. Q. Were the Welsh peaceable neighbours to the Saxons ? A. No : the proud spirit of the Britons could not behold their former possessions in the hands of strangers without an effort to regain them, and they were continually making excursions over the borders and ravaging the lands of the Saxons. ;»?, -^■:-.r..i ,. • ■ •; ,-',>> >: i; * Spirit of heroic enterprise. Burke describes chivalric feeling to be " The unbought grace of life, the cheap defence of nations, that chastity of honour which ennobles whatever it touches, and by which vice itself loses half its evil by losing all its grossness." , HISTORY OF WALES. 27 till first Chapter 8th. Q. Who was elected to the sovereignty of North Wales in the year of our Lord 599 ? A. lago ab Beli. Q. Who was his successor ? A. His son Cadvan, who defeated the Saxon King Ethelred at Bangor, was elected by his countrymen to the nominal sovereignty of Bri- tain. Q. Who succeeded Cadvan ? A. His son Cadwallon. He slew Oswald king of Northumberland, and exhibited his body upon stakes at a place which, from this circumstance, was called Oswald's Tree, now Oswestry, in Shropshire. Q. What custom, still existing amongst Welshmen, is referred by some writers to this reign ? A. That of wearing the leek on St. David's Day. On the 1st of March, A. D. 640, the Welsh, under the command of their king, Cad- wallon, obtained a complete victory over the Saxons. The battle took place near a piece of ground in which leeks were cultivated, and each of the Welsh soldiers put a bit of leek in his cap. Q. With whom did the title of King of the Britons become extinct ? A, With Cadwalader, the successor of Cad- wallon. His country being much distressed with plague and famine, he went over to his cousin Alan, King of Brittany, and during his ■If \ il ill U u 28 CATECHISM OF THE I it' \ I . f Im absence his dominions were invaded by the Saxons, who made some successful encroach- ments, and at this period greatly extended their sway in Britain. It is said that Cadwalader died at Rome, A. D. 688 ; but this period of British history is obscure and unsettled. Chapter 9th. Q. Was Cadwalader succeeded by his son ? A. No. He remained in Brittany while Ivor the son of Alan came over to Britain with a strong force, effected a landing in Cornwall, made many conquests, and by marrying Ethel- burga, cousin to Kentwyn, King of Wessex, secured a respectable sovereignty. Q. Who was Ivor's successor ? A. Roderick Molwynoc, grandson of Cad- walader, A. D. 720. In his reign the great historian Bede died. Q. Who was the next King of Wales ? A. Conan, son of Roderick. Q. Name some particulars of his reign. A. An order was given by the church of Rome for the right keeping of Easter in Wales. The Welsh were so formidable to the Saxons in their depredations on the Saxon border, that Offa, King of Mercia, caused a great ditch to be dug from sea to sea ; that is, from the coast of Flintshire, on the Irish sea, to that of Mon- mouthshire, on the Severn sea, to make a marked boundary between Wales and Mercia (which was one division of the Saxon Hep- HISTORY OF WALES. 29 tarchy, or Seven Kingdoms), annexing the country between the Severn and Wye* to his own dominions. Q. In what year was this done ? A. In 777. It may still be traced at inter- vals through the greater part of its course. It is called Clawdd Ofa, or OfFa's Dyke. Q. What formidable enemy appeared in Britain for the first time in this reign ? A. The Danes, about A. D. 795. They did not penetrate beyond Northumberland. Q. Who succeeded Conan ? A. His daughter Esyllt, who had married a nobleman, Merfvn Vrvch. In this reien the Saxon King, Egbert, ravaged a great part of Wales. He subdued all the seven kingdoms of the Heptarchy, and united them into one monarchy by the name of England. At this time the Danes made further incursions into England. Chapter 10th. Q. Who was the next Sovereign of Wales? A. Roderick the Great, who was King of all Wales, A. D. 843. Before his time Wales had been divided into three great portions, namely, Gwynedd or North Wales, Deheubarth or South Wales, and Powis. Roderick appointed D 2 * This haJ been reserved as neutral ground, on which the people of both coui^tries could assemble for the purposes of barter, &c. ♦ k'' I'll m Ih: \'- a f n l i„V p 30 CATECHISM OF THE the limits of each more distinctly, and built a palace in each division. Q. Had he any sons ? A. Yes : he had eight sons. Q. To which of them did he leave his king- dom ? A. He left North Wales to Anarawd, with the royal seat of Aberfraw, in Anglesey; to Cadelh the palace of Dinevor with South Wales; and to Mervyn Vrych he left Powis with the princely residence of Mathraval. Q. What title had they ? A. These three sons were called Crown or Bandlet Princes. Each of them wore upon his bonnet or helmet a coronet of gold, being a broad lace or headband indented upwards, set and wrought with precious stones. Q. What celebrated kings ruled in England during the reign of Roderick ? A. Ethelwulph, who was learned and devout, and Alfred, who was as much esteemed for valour as for mental accomplishments. His tutor and political mentor was Asser, a Welsh ecclesiastic. Alfred founded the University of Oxford. He expelled the Danes who had over-run a great portion of England. Q. Did the Danes invade Wales ? A Yes. They ravaged the Isle of Anglesey, where they were opposed by Roderick. Some historians assert that he was killed by the Danes ; others say that he fell in a battle with the English, 876. HISTORY OF WALES. 31 Chapter 11th. Q. Who was Roderick's successor ? A. His eldest son, Anaravvd. A great battle was fought about three years after his accession against the Danes and the Englishmen ol* Mercia upon the River Conwy, in which the Welshmen gained a complete victory. Q. What celebrated historian lived in the reign of Anarawd ? A. Nennius, the most authentic historian of that period. Q. Name some of the distinguished persons who died in this reign. A. Alfred the Great, Asser, Archbishop of Wales, and Cadelh, Prince of South Wales. Q. Did the Danes enter South Wales ? A. Yes. They were driven by hunger into South Wales after being defeated by the Eng- lish ; but here they were not more kindly re- ceived, being severely beaten and compelled to flee to Ireland. Anarawd died in the year 913, and was succeeded by his son, Edwal Voel. Q. Who was Edwal Voel's contemporary in South Wales ? A. Howel Dda, son of Cadelh. Q. What very enterprising woman lived at this time ? A. Elfled, Duchess of Mercia, and sister to King Edward of England. She built the towns of Tamworth and Stafford, and many others, and sent an army to invade Wales. D 3 ? \ u I! f I] ■^^.■ 11' «■■ 32 CATECHISM OF THE She took the towns of Derby and Leicester from the Danes, and the men of Yorkshire did homage to her. She died at Tamworth and was buried at Gloucester. Q. Did Edwal continue at peace with the King of England ? A. No. Athelstan, the successor of Edward the Confessor, obliged all the Welsh Princes to pay him tribute;* and Edwal Voel was at length slain in a battle which he fought against the Danes and English. ^k Chapter 12th. Q, Who was the next Prince of North Wales? A. Howel Dda, or the Good, who had been Prince of South Wales and of Powis long be- fore, took upon himself the government of all Wales, A. D. 940. Q. How did he essentially^ benefit his country ? A. By co7istitutingX an excellent code of laws, which were used in Wales until the time of Edward the First, when the laws of England were enforced,^ But some of the laws of Howel the Good continued to exist afterwards. Q. How long did he reign ? * A payment made in acknowledgment of subjection. t Very importantly. X Framing— setting on foot. § To compel to action. # HISTORY OF WALES. 33 A. Only eight years over all Wales. An old Welsh historian thus notices his death. — " In the year 948 died Howell Dda, the noble and worthy King or Prince of Wales, whose death was sore bewailed of all men, for he was a prince that loved peace and good order and that feared God." Q. How was Wales governed after his death ? A. The sons of Edwal Voel took the government of North Wales, and Howel Dda's sons reigned over South Wales and Powis. But they were continually at war, and the whole of Wales became finally possessed by the sons of Edwal, levav and lago. Q. Under what pretence did Edgar, King of England, make war with Wales ? A. Because the successors of Howel Dda refused to pay him the tribute to which that King had agreed. Q. What beneficial effect followed this cir- cumstance ? A. Edgar concluded a peace with Wales upon condition that three hundred wolf skins should be sent to him annually from Wales. By this means the country, which had been dreadfully ravaged by these terrific animals, was soon cleared of them entirely. Q. Who governed South Wales at this time? A. Einion ab Owen. He defeated the Danes and compelled them to leave the country. In conjunction with Howel ab levav he defeated Alfred Duke of Mercia^ who had invaded his territory. Ill ilffe'' la ■' , ' ii 34 CATECHISM OF THE I h i I ill ■S '■ '» J Q. What unhappy dissensions occurred in North Wales ? A. The two ruling princes of North Wales quarrelled, and lago threw his brother into prison, in consequence of which Howel, the son of the imprisoned kin^, raised a powerful army against lago, defeated him and usurped the dominion himself, although he set his father at liberty. Q. Was Einion killed in battle ? A. Yes. He left two sons, Edwin and Tewdwr Mawr. Q. What became of Howel Prince of North Wales ? A. He entered England with an army and was slain valiantly fighting. Q. Who succeeded him ? A. His brother Cadwallon. Q. Was he left to possess North Wales peacefully ? A. No. The following year Meredydd, Prince of South Wales, the youngest son of Owen, and grandson of Howel, entered North Wales with all the strength of his principal' ^y, slew Cadwallon and his brother Meiric, and took possession of the kingdom, A. D. 985. Q. Repeat the remark of the Welsh histo- rian* on this event. A. " Herein we may see how God punished the wrong which lago and levav did to their eldest brother Meiric, who was first disherited. • Caradoc, HISTORY OF WALES. 35 and afterwards his eyes put out and his sons slain. For levav was imprisoned by lago, then lago with his son Constantino by Howel the son of levav, and afterwards the said Howel with his brethren, Cadwallon and Meiric, were slain and spoiled ot all their lands." Q. Did Meredydd retain the government of North Wales ? A. No. Being engaged in continual com- motions in South Wales, and in checking the encroachments of the Danes in that country, North Wales was left in a manner without de- fence. Q. Who took advantage of this? A. The Danes. And to defend their country against them, the Welsh elected Edwal ab Meiric for their king. Q. Did Meredydd ever regain North Wales? A. No. It is asserted by some that he died of grief, and by others that he perished in an inei^*'"ctual attempt to recover his kingdom. x^. Did not Edwal die about the same time ? L 7es. He was killed in an engagement with b J Danes ; after which North Wales was ruled by Aedan ab Blegored, an usurper. Chapter 13th. Q. Who raised an army for the purpose of obtaining the government of Wales from Aedan ? A. Llewelyn ab Sitsyllt, A. D. 1015. He was descended by his mother's side from the si, '''■m ' t fl 36 CATECHISM OF THE •'( If I I 4 .,- ? ■ » Kings of Wales. He married Angharad, daughter of Meredydd. Q. Did Llewelyn assume the government of all Wales ? A. Yes. Q. Did the country prosper under his do- minions ? A. It did. His administration produced national prosperity. We are told that the earth brought ?**^^ double; that the people prospered in all iir affairs ; and that the cattle increased in such numbers that there was not a poor man in Wales from the southern to the northern sea ; but every man had plenty, every house a dweller, and every town inhabit- ants. Q. Was this tranquillity interrupted ? A. Yes : by a turbulent* spirit among his subjects. The nobles and gentlemen of South Wales w^ere often rebellious ; but Llewelyn, by his couraoe and activity, animated his soldiers and stifled their insurrections. However, he fell a sacrifice to treachery, being villainously slain by Howel and Meredydd, sons of Edwin. His throne was usurped by lago ab Edwal, who was slain after a short reign by Grufydd, the son of Llewelyn. Q. Did he take possession of his father's dominions ? A, He did, and was well received, for he had shewn many proofs of his valour. * Tumultuous. HISTORY OF WALES. 37 Q. Did he follow the example of his father ? A. Yes : he governed his kingdom worthily in all things; overcame the Danes and the English in several engagements, and defended his people and his comitry valiantly throughout his reign. Q. What was the character of Grufydd ab Llewelyn ? A. He was gentle to his subjects and cruel to his foes ; liberal to strangers, costly in ap- parel, and princely in all things. Yet, notwith- standing all this, he was treacherously* slain by his own men as he was preparing to oppose Harold, who had been sent bv Edward the Confessor to invade Wales. Q. How long had he reigned ? A. He had reigned thirty-four years. >/'i ); !■: J I Chapter 14th. Q. Who succeeded Grufydd ab Llewelyn ? A. Blethyn and Rhiwallon his half brothers. Q. Did the Saxon dominion in England ex- pire in their reign ? A. Yes. It was overturned by William Duke of Normandy, who usurped the govern- ment of England, under the title of William the Conqueror, in the year of our Lord 1 066. Q. Did the Princes of North Wales remain at peace with their countrymen in the South ? 'i.. ! * By false and unfair means. 38 CATECHISiM OF THE w. A. No. The Princes of South Wales, Meredydd and Ithel, raised a powerful army against them. A battle was fought in which Rhiwallon and Ithel were sluin. Meredydd was starved to death upon the mountains, being closely pursued by Blethyn, so the latter was left sole King of North Wales and Powys. Q. Did the Normans invade Wales ? A. They made many conquests in South Wales. Q. What was the end of Bleddyn ab Convyn ? A. He was murdered in a treacherous and cowardly manner by Rhys ab Owen, who with Rytherch ab Caradoc jointly ruled South Wales. Q. Who was Blethyn's successor in North Wales? A. Trabaiarn ab Caradoc, his cousin, took the government upon him. Q. Was not his right contested ? A. Yes. By Grufydd ab Conan. Q. And who asserted a right to South Wales ? A. Rhys ab Tewdwr* (or Tudor). Q. Did these two competitors unite in op- posing the reigning powers ? A. They did. And being both lineally descended from Roderick the Great, and right heirs to the two crowns, they found many to support their cause, which finally triumphed after a desperate engagement, in which their ♦ Theodorcr *(r' HISTORY OF WALES. 39 most formidable enemies were all slain. Thus Gruyfdd ab Conan became Prince of North Wales, and Rhys ab Tewdwr Prince of South Wales. Chapter 15th. Q. Whose sepulchre was discovered early m the reign of Grufydd ab Conan ? A. That of the famous warrior Walwey, nephew of King Arthur. The body was nine feet long. Q. Can you tell me where, and by what means, the burial place of King Arthur was discovered ? A. It was many years after this time that the bones of that conspicuous monarch were found. In the year 1188, King Henry the Second, of England, in consequence of reading the de- scription of King Arthur's burial place in the poems of the Welsh bard, Taliesin, who wrote in the 6th century, ordered the place which the poet described to be opened. Q. And what did they find ? A. Externally* there appeared two columns of stone at each end of the grave. After dig- ging, some say seven, others sixteen feet, they came to a prodigiously large flat stone ; then, turning it, they found on the other side a leaden cross, with this incription, — " Hicjacet inclitt/s . 11 m E r,tv<^'«.:3 .f Outwardly. M^iv*.-" :*'.: -2-?- .T- -- K.-J^ - - ■Ln 40 CATECHISM OF THE ■r^i J 'i^^ ■V Rex Arturius in Insula Avalo7iia.^^ [Here lies the famous King Arthur, in the Island of Avalojiia.y^ This inscription was engraven on the side of the cross next the stone ; so that till the cross was separated from the stone it could not be seen. Q. Did they find the body ? A. Yes. Underneath, in the trunk of a large oak, hollowed out for that purpose, they found bones of a prodigious size. Giraldus Cam-» br^nsis, ' who lived at that time, relates, from the authority of the Abbot of Glastonbury, that the shin bone being placed by the leg of a very tall man, reached three fingers' breadth above the knee. His skull was found of vast but proportionable size, and upon it there ap- peared ten wounds. Q. How long had King Arthur been buried at that time ? A. He had been interred 646 years before. According to our best historians he died in the year of our Lord 542, Chapter 16th. 0. Did the Normans make encroachments in Wales during Grufydd's reign ? A. They did. But they were only success- ful in SoutK Wales, where they made consider- able conquests, owing to the treachery of lestyn ab Gwrgant, Lord of Glamorgan, who, * Glastonbury, in Somersetshire. HISTORY OP WALES. 41 aiming at the sovereignty of South Wales him- self, solicited the assistance of the Normans against Rhys, and they soon destroyed the independence of that state altogether. Q. Did Rhys ab Tudor, Piince of South Wales, live to a great age ? A. He not only lived to a great age, but he was in such vigour at the age of 92, that he advanced in person against some of the Lords of South Wales, who had raised a rebellion against him. In this engagement he was slain. Q. Did William Rufus attempt the subju- gation of Wales ? A. Yes. He frequently entered that coun- try with strong forces, and was often repulsed* with loss ; but he built some castles and retained a few of his conquests. Q. Name the Welshman who betrayed his country to the Normans A. D. 1096. A. Owain ab Edwin, who was the chief counsellor^ of Grufydd ap Conan and his father-in-law, for Grufydd had married Owain's daughter. Q. What did Grufydd upon discovering thi« treachery ? A. He, as well as Cadogan, Prince of Powis, withdrew to Ireland. North Wales was thus left a prey to the invaders, who exercised the most unheard-of cruelties upon the inhabitants. Q. How was the power of the Norman English weakened in Wales ? e2 I- 1 I 'I ' i. i ♦ To beat back t Lt}gal adnscr. 42 CATECHISM OF THK ' 'i • ) i I 4 i A. Magnus, son of Harold^ King of Norway, in making a descent upon England, was driven by chance on the coast of Anglesey, where he had an engagement with the English, and slew some of their chief commanders ; and shortly afterwards Grufydd and Cadogan returned to their country, and, upon making a disadvan- tageous peace with the English, were restored to their respective sovereignties, ceding to the English a considerable and valuable portion of their possessions. Chapter 17th. Q. Did Henry I. pursue the subjugation of Wales ? A. Yes. He was so exasperated by the continual incur sio?is* of the Welsh upon his borders, that he swore to exterminate f the whole nation, and to effect this he collected a powerful force, assisted by Alexander the Fierce of Scotland. The Scottish king, with the Earl of Chester, marched upon North Wales, while the whole strength of Cornwall, with a part of England, attacked South Wales. King Henry himself commanded the third division of the army, composed of the men of middle England, and marched against North Wales. Q. Did South Wales submit to the enemy ? A Yp«a - ' -■ U.'M.m JL V'O. ^-; .,-».. ...i. ». ... j_ t- ... ...ji,. ,..._ ,._,..,.,.^> . ,« _. , * lovasions^ t To root out. HISTORY OF WALES. 43 the his the Q. Was North Wales also subdued ? A. No. Grufydd and Owen ab Cadogan carried off all the cattle and provisions to the mountains, whither the English could not fol- low : and Henry, being in danger of starvation, artfully negotiated a peace with Grufydd and the Prince of Powis. Q. What Welsh Prince endeavoured to re- cover the dominion of South Wales ? A. Grufydd ab Rhys ab Tewdwr, whose infancy had been passed in Ireland. Q. Did this alarm King H^nry ? A. Yes ; and he sent messengers to take him^ but Grufydd took refuge with the King or North Wales, who received him joyfully for his father's sake. ' ' Q. Did Grufydd ab Conan befriend him long ? A. No. He was induced, by Henry's muni- ficent promises, to betray his guest into the hands of the English king; but the young Prince, being secretly informed of the plot laid against him, escaped from his traitorous host, and, being closely pursued, took refuge in the church of Aberaron. The Welsh king gave orders that the sanctuary* should be viola ;,od, and the fugitive pulled out by force, but the whole clergy of the country withstood this ty- rannical act, and released him at night, giving him a safe conveyance to the forest of Ystrad Towy, in South Wales. , e3 ♦ Sacred asylum. / . ' . m 44 CATECHISM OF THE ^ Itt.Vi Q. Was he pursued thither ? • . ' A. Owen ab Cadogan was sent after hhii, but was slain by an arrow. • Q. Did Grufydd ab Rhys collect any fol- lowers ? A. Yes. In the next year (1116) he took several castles from the English, who garrison- ed them, and multitudes of his young and enterprising countrymen flocked to his stand' ardy* and defeated the united powers of the Normans and Flemings. : ^ Q. At what period did the Flemings estab- lish a colony in South Wales ? ^ A. About eight years before this time, in the year 1108. Flanders being greatly de- stroyed by an irrvptionf of the sea, and the inhabitants deprived of house and substance, they applied to King Henry I. for an asylum in his dominions, and he granted them some of the waste lands in Pembrokeshire, which are at this day possessed by their posterity. Q. Against what part of Wales did King Henry direct his power, A.D. 1 120? ■ '■ A. He 7nusteredX a powerful army, to attack Powisland. ' ' • * ' Q. Whose aid did the Princes of Powis implore ? A. They applied to Grufydd ab Conan for assistance. Q. Did he comply with their request ? ' * An ensign of war. t Irruption^ a breaking into ; Eruption, a breaking wut. X To collect. HISTORY OF WALES. 45 A. No. He pleaded his inability to assist them, on account of his having made peace with Henry. Q. Did Powis, then, submit to the invader ? A. No. It made a bold defence. Q. What induced the English king to return to his own dominions ? A. He was struck by an arrow from the enemy, which, altliough it did not hurt him, is said to have alarmed him so much, that he relinquished his hostile* views upon the exac- tion of a thousand head of cattle from the Welsh princes. , Q. Were the Welsh princes p^^aceable at home after this ? i A. No. They inflicted horrible barbarities- amongst one another, sometimes committing murder, sometimes putting out the eyes of their victims. Q. What prisoner of distinction died in Car- diff Castle in 1132? A. Robert Duke of Normandy, surnamed Curthose, brother of King Henry, who had stripped him of his dukedom, and imprisoned him, in the early part of his reign. Q. Was Grufydd ab Rhys still in possession of South Wales? . ;* A. No. Henry had taken possession of it. Q. In what year did Henry die ? A. In the year of our Lord J 135. 1. a I :%'f f\ :•> r? ♦ Warlike. .^!;v-:- .';:. -r ' J''-i-' ' •'-3* 46 CATECHISM OF THE II Chapter 18th. Q. Who attempted to rescue South Wales from the Normans and Flemings in the begin- ning of Stephen's reign ? A. The two sons of Grufydd ab Conan, Cudwalader, and Owen Gwyuedd. They were joined by Grufydd ab Rhys. Q. Were they successful ? A. Yes. After burning towns, taking many castles, and routing their enemies in various skirmishes, the two armies came to a general engagement, in which the Welsh came off com- pletely victorious, leaving three thousand of their opponents dead upon the field ; besides which, many were drowned, and a great num- ber taken prisoners. After this victory the Welsh Princes over-ran the whole country, and re<^^urned home loaded with spoil* Q. What was their character ? A. They were gentle and liberal to all but their enemies, to whom they were cruel and terrible; meek and humble to their friends; the succour and defence of widows, the father- less, and all that were in necessity ; and as they passed all others in good and laudable virtues, so were they paragonsf of strength, beauty, and well proportioned bodies. Q. In what year did the death of Grufydd ab Conan happen ? A. In 1137. He had reigned fifty years, and was much lamented. * Plunder. t Something supremely excellent. HISTORY OF WALES. 47 Q. Did Grufydd ab Conan patronise the minstrels in his time ? A. Yes. He gave great encouragement \ 3 those of his native country, and also brought over from Ireland, where he was born and nur- tured in childhood, many clever musicians, who composed much of the instrumental music now known in Wales, and introduced many airs from their own country, which are now so completely naturalized in Wales as to be con- sidered Welsh airs. Some of them are scarcely known beyond the peasantry, who sing them in a style so simphi and unadorned, that a musical ear alone could recognize in them the more cultivated strain of the Irish Melody. > .-/...* Q. Name some of them ? ,y - . A. There are two in particular (see the frontispiece) which may be distinguished as the *^ rough-hewn" models of Moore's cele- brated Irish Melodies, " The Legacy" and " The last rose of summer." The former is called " Barbara Wen," the latter " Dwy ros Gochion," (or " Dau Rosyn coch") ^' The two red roses J^ Chapter 19th. Q. Who succeeded Grufydd ab Conan ? r A. His son Owen Gwynedd, ., rp / 1 Q. Was he styled King of North Wales ? = > A. No. He was styled Pnwce, the title of King being now discontinued in Wales. * ,'A\ 48 CATECHISM OP THB Q. Was his a peaceful reign? » . / A. By no means. It was disturbed by continual dissensions amongst the reigning Princes and their brethren. Owen frequently invaded South Wales, and his sons Howel and Conan distinguished themselves greatly in these expeditions. Howel was considered the flower of chivalry. Q. Did the English invade North Wales in the reign of Owen Gwynedd ? A. Yes. A quarrel havinj^ taken place between Owen Gwynedd and Rondel, Earl of Chester, the latter mustered forces from all parts of England, and was joined by Madoc ab Meredyddy Prince of Powis. With this strong army North Wales was invaded ; but Owen Gwynedd and his men defeated the enemy so effectually that very few escaped with their lives, excepting some of the commanding officers, who were saved by the swiftness of their horses. Q. Who was King of England at this time ? .A. Stephen. He died A" D. 1154 Q. What Welsh historian lived about this time? A. Caradoc Llancarvan, a Monk. His history continues to 1 156. Q. Where were the records of the Welsh Princes kept subsequently* to this date ? A. They were deposited in the Abbeys of Conway aad Stratfl6r (Strata Florida) till the year 1270. It was in those Abbeys that the Following in train. T^ HISTORY OF WALES* 49 m the ■ \ > Princes and Nobility of Wales were chiefly buried. Q. Did Henry the Second attack North Wales? , ,. ,, A. Yes. He gathered the whole power of England together, supposed to have been 30,000 men, with the view of subduing that country, and was assisted by Cadwalader, who had been banished by his brother Owen Gwynedd. Madoc, Prince of Powis, also joined Henry. Q. What was the issue ? A. The English King was greatly reduced in numbers, and escaped himself with great difficulty. A peace was agreed upon, Cad- walader had his lands restored to him, and was again received by his brother. " ; Q. Was Madoc Prince of all Powis ? . ' A. No. His father Meredydd having two sons, divided Powisland betw •• them, and these portions were never afterwards re-united. Madoc's division was called Powis Vaduc, and his brother Grufydd's was some years after- wards called Powis Wenwynwyn. At the death of Madoc, A. D. 1160, his territory wns again divided between his tliree sons, and Grufydd's was inherited by his son Owen Cyveilioc, • ;; ; , j.'.r JV Chapter 20th. .>iv-i Q. When did Henry the Second again in- vade North Wales ? m im no CATECHISM OF THE A. In the year 1165, in consequence of Owen's son David ravaging* a part of Flint- shire, which belonged to Henry. Q. Was Henry's army efficient ? A. At first it was mustered in haste, and ifo w^eak as to be driven back by a small force: biit he returned to England and gathered chosen men from all his dominions. — England, Normandy, Anjou, Gascony, and Guienne, determining to destroy utterly all that had life in the land. Q. By whom was he opposed ? A. By Owen Gwynedd and Cadwalader, with all the power of North Wales; Lord Rhys and the strength of South Wales ; Owen Cyveilioc and the sons of Madoc, with all the forces of Powis ; and the two sons of Madoc ab Ednerth, with the people betwixt the Wye and Severn. Q. Where did the W^elsh assemble ? A. At Corwen, in Merionethshire. Q. And where were the English encamped ? A. On the Berwyn mountains, above the Vale of Edeirnion, in which Corwen was situated. • -^ ' *; Q. Did they come to a general engagement? A. Some skirmishes f took place, in which the Welsh had the advantage. They cut off all access of forage or victuals to the English camp. Heavy rains fell, which made the hills so slippery that the men could scarcely keep upon their feet ; so that Henry was compelled ♦ To lay waste. t A slight fight. •-» '\' 'im HISTORY OF WALES. 51 to to withdraw his forces, which had suffered considerable loss. Q. What cruelties did he exercise upon those sons of Owen and Rhys whom he had taken long before as hostages ? A. He ordered their eyes to be })ut out. Q. Did he ever again attempt the subjuga- tion of W ales ? A. Yes. He came as far as Chester, and had his army conveyed by sea, so as to land at some convenient and advantageous place ; but this expedition failed. Q. Does the remainder of Owen Gwynedd's reign afford any materials of interest ? A. It was chiefly marked by internal dissen- tions, and the subjugation of Powis by Owen Gwynedd. . , Q. In what year did he die ? A. In 1 169, having reigned thirty-two years. Q. Was his reign fortunate ? A. Yes. He was victorious and fortunate in his affairs, and achieved every enterprize ihH he undertook. Q. Did he leave any sons ? A. Yes, several. Hiseldest son, lorwerth, was set aside as unfit to govern on account of u blemish on his face, having a broken nose. * Chapter 2 1st. Q. Who succeeded Owen Gwynedd ? (I CATKCmSx\[ OF THE A. His son David; who, by slaying his brother and competitor, Howe), became master of all Wales, and remained nndisturbed until lorwerth's son came of age. . ... Q. Did David and his other brothers live peaceably with each other ? A. ?^o. They were continually quarrelling ; and one of them, named Madoc, whose dispo* sition was amiable, was so disgusted, that he, with a few followers, took ship, and sailed West- ward in search of some remote country where he could live in peace. Q. And where did he land ? A. He is said to have landed on some part of that vast continent now called America ; and having built some kind of habitations and forti- fications for his attendants, he returned to in- form his countrymen cf the pleasant and fertile country he had discovered. Q. Did any more adventurers go back with him to America ? A. Yes. Many were induced to leave their disturbed homes for scenes more tranquil than their native country. ^ Q. In what year is this discovery said to have happened ? A. In the year of our Lord 1 170. Q. In what part of America is Madoc sup- posed to have landed ? A. In that part now called Mexico. Q. What incident may corroborate this story ? A. When the Spaniards first took possession HISTORY OF WALES. 53 of Mexico, they learned from the natives that they were descended from the people of a far country ; some relics of Christianity were found among them, and a few words of British origin. Q. Is this event of Madoc's discovery men- tioned by old writers ? A. Many bards and genealogists confirm the story of Madoc's voyage. See the poems of Cwnric ab Grono, Gutyn Owen (who lived in Edward the Fourth's time), and Sir Meredith «b Rhys (who wrote in 1477). There is a scarce volume of travels by Sir Thomas Her- bert, Bart. 1665, in which, while enumerating the discoverers of America, he says, ** The first we meet with is Madoc, the son of Prince Owen Gwynedd ;" and again *^ Nevertheless that Madoc and his Cambrian crew be dead, and their memory moth-eaten, yet their foot- steps are plainly traced, which the language they left, the religion they taught, and the relics there found, do clearly evince." Q. Is there not a curious epitaph in the Ancient British language, said to have been found in Mexico ? - A. It is in Hncket^s Collection of Epitaphs, edited 1757. Thus: . ^^ Found at Mexico. Madoc wyf mw^dic ei wedd lawn genau Owain Gwynedd IN i fynnwn dir fy awydd oedd Na da mavvr ond y Morocdd." f2 . !:i*i 'i! ' I )i ri i 54 CATECHISM OF THE V Translated literally thus* — - /^ Madoc I am — mild in countenance, • Of the right line of Owen Gwynedd. I wish'd not for land ; — my bent was For no great riches^ but for the seas." It is probable that this epitaph has been borrow^ed from the paems of Meredydd ab Rhys, as these lines> with but little variation, may be found in them. J Q. Have modern travellers discovered any remains of the Welsh language in America ? A. Yes. From the attestation of many re- spectable travellers we may reasonably conclude that a tribe exists among the wild Indians of America who still speak the Ancient British language. Q. Relate some of those accounts, f A. Captain Davies, who was stationed with * By the Rev. J. Williams, Rector of the Academy at Edinburgh. t For the following information we are indebted to the perusal of some MSS. in the possession of the learned and Reverend Dr. Brown, Professor of Rhetoric and Belles Let- tres in the University of Edinburgh. They were written by Dr. W. Owen Pughe, Author of a Welsh Dictionary, which is an Analysis of the Welsh into Monosyllables, and hence a Key to the old Bards ; also one of the Editors of the Archai- ology ; Poems and Life of Davydd ab Gwylyra ; Cambrian Biography, &c. &c. His translation of " Paradise Lost'* into Welsh, in the same metro as the English poem, displays much talent; and he is well known as a schola- of indefati- gable research and extensive knowledge in the literature and language of his country, and as the first Celtic scholar of his day. - ' HISTORY OF WALES. 55 of liis company (during the Revo!ution) at a trad- ing post among the Illinois Indians, had several Welshmen among his men. He observed them conversing with the strange Indians, and upon enquiry he found that they readily understood each other in the Welsh language. Q. What other narrative can you give me on this subject ? A. Lieutenant Roberts, of Hawarden, in Flintshire, relates, that being at an hotel in Washington, in the year 1801, he spoke rather angrily to a Welshman, who was a waiter in the house, in his native language. An Indian chief, who happened to be in the room, came forward eagerly, and said to Mr. Roberts, in the Antient British tongue, " Is that thy lan- guage?" He replied that it was; and the chief told him that it was also the language of liis nation, and that the children of his tribe were not allowed to speak any other until they were twelve years old. Mr. Roberts explained to him from what part of the world he came, and asked the Indian if there was any tradition among his tribe of having come originally from a distant country. ' Q. What was the chief's reply ? A. He said, they had a tradition of their forefathers having come from a distant country very far in the east, and from over the great waters. ' ^ Q. Pray give me one more anecdote on this curious subject. '■M 96 CATECHISM OF THE i; Ij A. Edward Williams, the Bard of Glamor- gan, was permitted by Lady Juliana Penn to search the MS. journals of her ancestor, Wil- liam Penn, and he found the following entry in them : " 17. . sent — and ■ with bibles to teach the Welsh Indians,^^ ' Q. What part of America do those Indians inhabit ? A. The general deduction is, that such a people as the Welsh Indians, or (at least) the main body of them, reside under the longitude and latitude where the Padoucas are placed in our maps ; and also that a smaller body of the same people is to be found nuarer the Missis- sippi, in the latitude of Virginia. They are called by several names — Madocantes, Padou- cas, White Indians, and Mud Indians. N. B. ^^ I have seen five several persons who have related to me their intercourse with a peo- ple called White Indians, Civilized Indians, Welsh Indians, and White Padoucas. Among these were General Bowles and the Captain Davies mentioned in the preceding chapter. We had about one hundred different accounts, all of which were confirmatory of each other, and many of them as to the language spoken by those Indians being Welsh. Bowles and Chis- holm declared of their seeing an old manuscript on vellum, very dingy, and from its size, &c. it most likely was a Romish missal. It was in the possession of an old man and his two sons. HISTORY OF WALES. 57 taken prisoners by the Cherokees and adopted into their tribe; and this family was ot* the Welsh Indians. r '^ Bowles and Chisholm had never seen each other ; but their accounts of this Welsh Indian family, with which both were intimate, exactly agreed. Both described the MS. Chisholm tried to get the MS. to takj to Philadelphia, for the purpose of findinjr some one that could read it ; but the old man would not let it go out of his hands, for he preserved it as a pre- cious relic. " In the last discovery made by the American government, there is an observation made by the travellers, that at that time there seemed to be an end of The Great Padouca Nation^ . W. O. P. .. I ii Chapter 22d. Q. Was it not in the reign of David ap Owen that the bones of King Arthur, to which we have before aUuded, were discovered by King Henry the Second ? A. Yes. • ^ . ■ ^ ^ Q. What encouragement was given to native genius at that time ? A. Rhys, Lord of South Wales, irave a great feast, which was proclaimed throughout Britain long before, and assembled all the poets and genealogists, for the purpose of trying their powers in music, songs, and disputation. Great 1 fl^^F 58 CATECHISM OF THE rewards were given to the candidates of merit. North Wales carried away the prizes for literature* The best musicians were those of Rhys's own household. Q. Was David deprived of his sovereignty!' A. Yes. Llewelyn, the son of lorwerth, who had been set aside on account of his broken nose, raised a powerful party, deposed Prince David and put him in prison, and took posses- sion of his dominions. Chapter 23d. Q. When did Llewelyn ap lorwerth begin to reign ? A. In the year 1 194. Q. How did he assure himself of Wvefealty^^ of the other Princes ? A. By convening an assembly of the Chief- tains throughout Wales, at which meeting they formed an Union and swore fealty to him. Q. Was there no exception ? A. Gwenwynwyn, Prince of Higher Powis, which, after him, bore the name of Powis Wenwynwyn, refused to join the Alliance ; but, upon Llewelyn's threatening to invade his territory, he submitted. Q. What Prince of note died in the begin- ning of this rieign ? • Skill in letters. t Loyalty. *t; HISTORY OF WALES. 59 A. Rhys, Prince of South Wales ; he was the son of Grufydd ab Rhys ab Tewdwr. Q. What does history say of him? A. That " He was the o ily anchor, hope, and stay of that part of Wales ; as he that had brought them out of the bonda/ze of strangers. As he had descended of noble blood, so he passed all others in commendable qualities and laudable virtues of the mind. He was the overthrower of the mighty and the setter up of the weak ; the overturner of strong holds ; the separater of troops ; the scatterer of his foes, — among whom he appeared as a wild boar among whelps, or a lion that for anger beateth his tail to the o;round.''* Q. Who succeeded him? A, His son Grutydd, who followed the ex- ample of his father in all things ; but he did not live long. He left his dominions to his son Rhys. Q. How did King John, of England, testify his friendship for Llewelyn ? A. By giving him his daughter Joan in marriage. He gave him the Lordship of Ellesmere, in the marches, or borders, as her marriage portion. Q. Had they any children ? f A. They had. There is a very interesting anecdote told which occurred in the infancy of one of their children. Q. Relate it. . ; 'I- * Humffrey Llwyd. GO CATECHISM OP THE h'f ll i: A. There \f in Caernarvonshire a beautiful little green spot, watered by the transparent river Glaslyn, (or blue lake, it rises on Snow- don in a lake of that name,) and surrounded by gentle hills, some covered with wood, others rocky and barren. In this secluded valley Llewelyn had a hunting seat. One day when he was prepared for the chase, his favourite greyhound, Gelert, which had been given to liim by his father-in-law. King John, was not to be found. On the Prince's return from hunting he went to the nursery to embrace his dear little child, and there he found the room in a frightful state of confusion; — the cradle upset, the scattered clothes sprinkled with ])lood, and the favourite dog springing forward to welcome his master with jaws all bloody. The child was not to be seen ; and Llewelyn's momentary conviction was, that Gelert had de- voured th3 infant. He instantly drew his sword ?nd laid the poor dog dead at his feet. Q. Did he not find any remains of the child? A. He turned over the clothes and bedding carefully, and, at length, found the dear infant sleeping, quite safe and uninjured ; and, not far from it, the hideous carcase of a wolf, which had, undoubtedly, been killed by Gelert, to save the child. Llewelyn was, of course, greatly distressed at the reflection of his hasty cruelty ; and, as a tribute of affection for his dog, he built a church over his grave, and erected a monastery near the spot, as a memorial of thankfulness and gratitude to God for the HISTORY OF WALES. Gl providential escape of his child. The village which nov^ stands near the church is called Beddgelert, or the grave of Gelert. There are no remains of the monastery. Chapter 24th. Q. Did Llewelyn keep his uncle (David) long in prison ? A. He kept him in confinement about ten years, and then set him at liberty. Q. What was the consequence of his libera- tion ? A. He immediately fled to England, and got up an army to assist him in recovering his lost dominions. Q. Did he regain them ? ' A. No. Llewelyn was prepared to meet him, and soon defeated his project ; so David returned into England^ where he died of grief, Q. What conquests did Llev^^elyn make ? A. He made successful incursions into South Wales ; imprisoned Gwenwynvvyn, Prince of Powis, who had revolted,* and seized his lands; invaded the Earl of Chester's property, and disturbed the marches of Wales, burning and destroying as he advanced. Q. bid the Lord Marchers complain of his conduct to King John I ^ r ' A. They did ; and, notwithstanding Llew- » To rise against one's Prince. i 62 CATECHISM OF THE U V' elyn's alliance to King John, the latter raised a formidable army against the Prince of North Wales, and was joined by some of the Welsh Princes. This powerful force entered North Whales by way of Chester. Llewelyn, having been warned of its approach, sent all the cattle and provisions up to the hills of Snowdonia, and, as the King advanced, cut off all the sup- plies behind him, so that his army was com^ pel led to feed upon its own horse-flesh, and to return home finally with much loss. Q. Did John make another attempt upon Wales? A. Yes. He increased his powers for this purpose, and was so successful, that the Welsh I'rince, finding himself overpowered by num- bers, sent his wife (Joan) to entreat her father for peace, which was granted upon certain humiliating conditions. Q. How was Llewelyn afterwards released from the oath of allegiance by which he now bound himself to England ? A. The Pope, having excommu7iicated* King John for oflfences against the church, in the year 1213, absolved-^ the Welsh from their league with that monarch. Q. When did Llewelyn reduce all Wales to his subjection ? A. About the year 1217, after the accession cf Henry the Third to the throne of England. * To exclude from the fellowship of the church, t To set free, to pardon. • '•*«■ ised ►rth ?lsh »rth HISTORY CI' WALES. 63 Q. How long did he rule in peace after this accession of territory ? A. About three years. In 1 220 the Flem- ings, who inhabited Pembrokeshire, commenced rebellion which soon kindled throughout a South Wales ; the King of England also, with the Lords Marchers, made formidable attacks upon Llewelyn's possessions, and were as often driven back. After some years of jjeneral war- fare peace was again cemented on all sides. Q. What princess died in 1237? A. Princess Joan, wife of Llewelyn. She was buried, according to her own request, on the sea shore at Llanvaes, in Anglesey, where the prince erected a monastery of barefooted Friars over her grave. Q. What family did Joan leave to Llewelyn? A. One son named David, and a daughter named Gladys, who married Sir Ralph Morti- mer. Llewelyn had also another son, Grufydd, whom he imprisoned six years for inciting an insurrection against him. Q. In what year did Llewelyn die ? A. In 1240; having governed Wales well and worthily fifty-six years. He was buried in Conway Abbey, and was succeeded by his son David. V*—' - Chapter 25th. ■ Q, Did David's reign cammence auspici- ously ? • ; iT « T i m g£:a::r^ag ss;r-:::i ;5;:^:.z-.-j 64 CATECHISM OF THE HI..J A. By no means. The Pope excommuni- cated liim for refusing to release his brother Grufydd irom prison. Henry the Third com- menced hostilities against him. But when this accumulation* of misfortunes pressed hard upon him, he conceded to some of the condi- tions of ]3eace offered by Henry, and sent Grufydd and his son to him as hostages. Henry confined them in the Tower. Q. Did Grufydd attempt to escape? A. Yes. He tied his bed-clothes together for a line to descend by, and let himself down from his prison window, which was a great height from the ground, but the line broke with his weight and he vvas^ killed by the fall. His son remained in the Tower and was more strictly guarded than before. Q. Did Henry take an unfair advantage of David's submission? A. Yes. He exacted such sacrifices fiom the Welsh noblemen as they were unable to make, at least they refused to do it, so he be- iX'dw to take possession of their lands by force. He also ct)m])elled David to hold his princi- pality under his government. David, there- fore, resorted to the Pope for redress; but finding none, he gathered all the strength of Wales to resist the incursions of the English King. Q. What was the issue of these preparations? A. Great slaughter took place on both sides. The deplorable situation of the English camp * Heaping together. HISTORY OF WALES. 65 iiinii- other com- 1 this hard ondi- sent ages. is well described by a nobleman who wrote to his friends at the time from the English army. Q. What does he say ? A. " The king, with his army, lieth at Gan- nock, fortifying of that strong; castle ; and we lie in our tents thereby, watchino^, fasting, praying, and freezing with cold. We fast for want of meat, for the halfpenny loaf is worth fivepence. We pray to God to send us home again speedily. We starve for cold, wanting our winter garments, and having no more but a thin linen cloth betv/een us and the wind," &c. &c. This letter is dated September, 1245. Q. Did Henry reap any advantage from this campaign ? A. No. His army was very much reduced. A peace was at length concluded. Q. How long did David ab Llewelyn reign ? A. Five years. He died worn out with sorrow, and beloved by his country. He left no children. Q. Repeat the genealogy of David up to Cadwalader ? A. " Dafydd ab Llewelyn ab lorwerth ab Owen Gwynedd ab Grufydd ab Cynan ab lago ab Edwal ab Meyric ab Edwal Voel ab Anarawd ab Rodri Mawr ab Esyllt, the daugh- ter and sole heir of Cynan Tindaethwy, the son of Rodr't-iok Moelwynoc, ab Edwal Ywrch ab Cadwai der, the last King of the Britaines."* • G 2 i * See Powel's " Historic of Wales." 66 CATECHISM OP THE ! I .;■■ n .. I ' i Chapter 26th. Q. Did the sister of David and her issue succeed to the Welsh sovereignty ? A. No. The people were resolved upon callino' the sons of Grufydd (who was a natural son of Llewelyn ap lorwerth) to take the do- minion. Q. What were their names ? A. Llewelyn, who had been imprisoned in the Tower when his father made his fatal at- tempt to escape through the window, and Owen. Q. Did they reign jointly ? A. They did for a short time; but Owen, wishing to get the whole power to himself, called his brother David to his assistance to overthrow Llewelyn, but the latter overpowered them and put them both in prison, by which means he reigned solely. Q. Did the Welsh still suffer oppression from the English ? A, Yes. Prince Edward of England, eldest son of Henry the Third, took some of the lands by force from the Welsh nobles, who assembled and came to Llewelyn to say, that they would rather die in the field in defence of their rights than be made slaves to strangers. Q. Did they succeed in recovering the lands which Prince Edward had usurped ? A. Yes : and in an engagement which took place at Dinevawr, in South Wales, 2000 Y lish were slain. 'g' HISTORY OP WALES. C7 issue upon alural de- ed in tal at- and 3 wen, mself, ice to wered which ession eldest lands iibled kvould rights lands took Eng. Q. When did Llewelyn conclude a peace with Henry ? A. A. D. 1:268, Llewelyn concluded an honourable peace with Henry. Q. Was it of long duration ? A. It continued unbroken till 1274, when Edward succeeded his father, and, upon his coronation, Llewelyn refused to appear at the English Court, alleging, that unless the King would send him certain pledges for his safety he could not attend without endangering his life, as many of the English noblemen were his deadly enemies. And shortly after this the Welsh Prince refused to go to Chester to do homage to Edward. Q. In what particular instance did Edward the First give just cause of provocation to Llewelyn ? A. During the reign of Henry the Third Llewelyn had been betrothed* to Eleanor, daughter of Simon Montford Earl of Leicester. On the death of her father, she retired to the nunnerv of Montargis, in France. In the year 1276, the Welsh Prince sent to claim his bride, who accordingly embarked for Wales ; but on the coast of Scilly she was taken by the English and conveyed to the Court of Edward to re- main in attendance on his Queen. Llewelyn was after ^his summoned to pay homage to the ~ ~ but he refused to do it unless ^g King his bride should be given up to him, G 3 i - * Promised ia marriage. 68 CATECHISM OF THE 1. Q. Was this reasonable proposal granted ? A. No. It was not only refused, but Ed- ward seduced many of the Lords of South Wales into his service, and assembled an army to invade the dominions of Llewelyn, with which he advanced as far as Conway. Llew- elyn beino* surrounded by dangers, and his country threatened with famine, retired to Snowdonia, and proposed an accommodation with the English monarch, which was granted on very severe conditions. Q. Did Edward at length restore the captive lady ? \ A. He did ; but not without exacting new submissions from Llewelyn. Edward sent an imperative order to the Welsh prince to meet him at Worcester, promising at the same time to restore his affianced bride. Q. Did Llewelyn accept this invitation ? A. He did; and his nuptials with Eleanor de Montford were solemnized and graced with the presence of the King and Queen of Eng- land. This took place in the year 1278. — Eleanor lived only two years afterwards. Chapter 27th. Q. Did the death of Eleanor affect the interests of the two nations ? A. Yes. It seemed to loosen the only tie that remained between them. The Welsh princes, weary of their servile condition, and HISTORY OF WALES. 60 Ed- )uth ew- his to tion ited animated by the independent spirit of their forefathers, concerted a general insurrection. Q. How did King Edward endeavour to crush their exertions ? A. He raised a powerful army to invade Llewelyn's territories, and was assisted by the Scots. Q. Did these united forces soon subdue the Welsh ? A. By no means. The undaunted valour of the Welsh was crowned with victory in many engagements ; the successes were various, and the issue remained doubtful until the Welsh lost their brave prince. Q. How did this happen ? A. Having posted the main part of his army upon the summit of a mountain, and stationea some troops to guard a bridge over the river Wye in South Wales, he went into the valley unarmed to hold a conference* with some bards of the district. Q. Was the bridge attacked in his absence ? A. Yes. But it was defended with such bravery, that the English could not get pos- session of it. Q. Did they not cross the river ? A. Through means of the treachery of a native, named Walwyn, who betrayed to them a passage in the river which he knew to be fordable, they crossed over, and the valley was speedily filled with the enemy. i * Discourse. 70 CATECHISM OF THE Q. And what became of Llewelyn ? A. As he was endeavouring to regain his army, alone and unarmed, an English Knight, named Adam de Francton, observed him, and, unconscious of the rank of his victim, plunged a spear into his side, and then joined the English troops, who were now engaging with the Welsh. Q. How did the battle terminate ? A. The Welsh defended themselves gallant- ly, but were at length obliged to yield, leaving 2000 dead upon the field. Q. Did Francton return after the battle to examine his prey ? A. Yes ; and he found Llewelyn still breath- ing, but he soon expired ; and when Francton ascertained that it was the Prince of Wales, he severed his head from his body and sent it to King Edward, who was at Conway, and he despatched it to London to be exposed on the highest part of the Tower ; where it was de- corated, in savage derision of one of Merlin's prophecies, with a silver wreath, as an emblem of the crown it was to have worn. Q. In what year did this important event occur ? A. In the year 1282. Llewelyn had reigned thirty-six years. Q. Repeat the remark of the Welsh historian (Humffrey Llwyd) on the noble deeds of this valiant Prince. A. " If his valour, his talents, and his pa- triotism, had been exerted on the Plains of HISTORY OF WALES. 71 his ;lit, md, |ged the rith irit- Marathon, or in the Straits of Thermopylae, his memory would have graced the classic page, his name would have been illustrious, his deeds would have been recorded on the roll of fame, and monuments would have been raised to per- petuate his glory." Q. What became of his brother David ? A. He was executed, and his body barbar- ously mangled by order of King Edward, who thus extinguished the sovereignty of Wales for ever. Chapter 28th. Q. By what promise did Edward try to reconcile the Welsh to his usurpation ? A. He told them that he would give them a Prince who should be born in their own coun- try, and could not speak a word of English. Q. How did he fulfil his word ? A. By giving them for their prince his infant son, who had been lately born in Caernarvon castle, and could not speak at all! Q. Was he styled Prince of Wales ? A. He was ; and from that time the eldest son of the King of England has always borne that title. , Q. What is the Prince of Wales's crest ? A. A plume of ostrich feathers, with the German motto ^^ Ich dien^'* " I serve." Q. How was it obtained ? A. The eldest son of Edward the I'hird, called the Black Prince because he wore black 72 CATECHISM OF THE armour, liaving killed John King of Bohemia at the battle of Poictiers, assumed this crest and motto, which that King had borne. Q. Did not Edward the First massacre all the Welsh bards ? A. This is a tale too generally believed, as there are many reasons for supposing it to be altogetlier a fiction. There is not a single allusion made to such a massacre by any Welsh writer of that period or the following times. We have several hundred productions of the bards who lived from the time of Edward the First to Elizabeth, and who spared no epithets to disgrace the English princes and the nation generally, and yet there is not a single reference to such a fact. If so atrocious an act had been perpetrated, it would have been a subject taken up with avidity by lolo Goch, and other bards who were patronized by Owain Glyn- dwrdwy (Owen Glendour) in his insurrection^ against the English government. ■r Chapter 29th. Q. Did insurrections often break out in aftertimes ? A. The Welsh made several partial attempts to regain their freedom. The most formidable and successful was that of Owen Glyndwr, in the reign of Henry the Fourth, which kept the ♦ Rebellion. •■* ;^.j HISTORY OF WALKS. 73 as be m English ill a state of warfare with their Welsh neighbours for fifteen years. Q. Who was Owen (ilyndwr ? A. He was a gentleman who possessed con- siderable landed property in Denbighshire. IJis family name was Vychan or Vaughan ? Q. VVhy was he called Glyndwr ? A. From the name of his estate on the Doe, which was called Glyndwrdwy, or the Valley of the Dee. It lay between Cor wen and Llan- gollen. Q. What was his descent ? A. His father was descended from the third royal tribe, Dleddyn ab Cynvyn, Prince of Powis ; his mother from Catherine, daughter of Llewelyn, the last Prince of Wales, Q. What profession did he study in his youth ? A. He studied the English law, and became a barrister ; but upon attaching himself to the unfortunate Richard the Second, he relinquisli- ed this profession, and was made his scutiger,* Q. What is related of his hospitality? A. The bard lolo Goch describes his palace to have been magnificent, and adds, " His hos- pitality was such that the place of porter was useless, nor were locks and bolts known." Q. What was the cause of Glyndwr's insur- rection ? ,- A. In Richard the Second's reign a dispute existed between Lord Grey de Ruthin and Owen Glyndwr, respecting a piece of common * Shield-bearer. ~ • - . 74 CATECHISM OF THE that was situated between the lordships of Rutliin and Glyndwrdwy, which was decided by law in Owen's favour ; but after Richard's deposition, in the first year of Henry IV. Lord Grey seized the common. Owen sued him for it, but his suit was rejected by King Henry. Q. How did Lord Grey contrive to get Owen completely out of favour with King Henry ? A. Previous to an expedition against Scot- land, Henry the Fourth summoned his adher- ents in Wales to attend him ; but Lord Grey, to whom the summons for Glyndwr was en- trusted, delayed sending ^^ to him till it was too late for him to obey it. Thus Owen got into disgrace with Henry, which Itord Grey took every opportunity of aggravating, and he invaded and seized much of Owen's property ; in which conduct he was countenanced by the Sovereign. Q, Did Glyndwr submit passively to this? A. No. He resisted his wrongs, and was joined by a formidable body of his countrymen. His followers increased rapidly, and on the 20th of September, A. D. 1400, he caused himself to be proclaimed Prince of Wales. Q. Was he fortunate in his enterprizes ? A. Yes. His success made rapid strides. He took Lord Grey prisoner, and would not release him till 10,000 marks were paid for his ransom. He then obliged Lord Grey to marry one of his daughters, and bound him to a neu- trality. He gained a splendid victory over Sir Edward Mortimer, and took him captive. 'm HISTORY OF WALES. 75 Q. Was Henry able to check his career ? A. No. He was baffled in every attempt to thwart his success. Glyndwr destroyed every thing in Wales that favoured Henry. He burned the cathedrals of Bangor and Saint Asaph, which lay in ruins for seventy years afterwards. Q. Was he cruel ? A. It was much to be regretted <:hat such a spirit of bravery and independence should have been tarnished, as Owen's was, by revenge and cruelty. ' n Chapter 30th. Q. Did the Scots seize the opportunity of these disturbances to make a descent upon England ? A. They did. But the Earl of Northumber- land, who had been formerly attached to Richard, but had deserted him and assisted in placing Henry upon the throne, defeated the Scots completely and took Archibald Douglas, their renowned leader, prisoner at the battle of Hamildon Hill, in Northumberland. Q. How did King Henry offend the Earl of Northumberland after this victory ? A. According to the custom of arms in those days, every warrior that was fortunate enough to make an illustrious prisoner, was allowed, as a reward of his valour, to ransom him at dis- H I 76 CATECHISM OF THE •J cretion. Percy (siirriamed Hotspur), the Earl's eldest son, had been taken by the Scots and set free in that manner. It v/as now Northumber- land's turn to exercise that privilege; but Henry demanded that Douglas and all other Scotch prisoners should be delivered up to him. Q. And what was the consequence ? A. The Percies deserted Henry's cause and joined Glyndwr, who, at their request, released Mortimer, and he united himself with their fortunes. Thus Glyndwr, Northumberland, and Mortimer formed a kind of triitmvhate* Q. Where did they assemble to concert their plans ? A. They assembled a Parliament at Machyn- lleth, in Montgomeryshire, and caused a formal division of the kingdom to be drawn lip. Q. How was it portioned ? A. Northumberland was to have all the country lying north of the Trent ; Mortimer all the country from the Trent and Severn to the eastward and southward extremities of the kingdom ; and Glyndwr all that lay west of the Severn. Q. Was Glyndwr formally crowned ? A. Yes. He was on this occasion acknow- ledged Sovereign of Wales, and crowned ac- cordingly A. D. 1402. Q. What traitorous Welshman joined his standard ? A. David Gam, who was secretly devoted to Henry. On approaching Glyndwr, under * A government l)j three meu. t t( \kn .mmeinititm y night into Wales, and procured transports IS soon as possible to convey his friends the French to their own shores again. 1^1— »—— — ^^»— ' i ■ nil 11 I * Want of energy, iudoience. ;,-^ ^) HISTORY OF WALES. Chapter 32d. 79 Q. Did Owen Glyndwr ever regain his former power ? A. No. His friends deserted him, his fortune declined, and, in 1409, he was obliged to act on the defensive and retire to his moun- tains ; but he still continued unsubdued. Q. Did the death of Henry the Fourth put an end to Glyndwr's animosity ? A. By no means. Henry the Fourth died in the year 1413, but Glyndwr continued to harass the English two years afterwards, when Henry the Fifth sent to treat with him and offer him free pardon. Q. How did he receive the message ? A. We do not hear in what manner he re- ceived the proposal. It is probable that death closed the treaty. He died on the 20th September, 1415, in his sixty-first year. Q. Was the revolt of Glyndwr the last effort of the Welsh for independence? A. It was. And it will be the last, in all human probability, since they now enjoy the same privileges as English subjects. Q. How did Henry the Fourth punish the Welsh for their disaffection ? A. By instituting most cruel and rigorous laws against them. Q. Name some of these laws ? A; No Welshman could be made Justice, Chamberlain, Chancellor, Treasurer, Sheriff, or hold any office in England or Wales ; and if /■ ^r 80 CATECHISM OF THE k an English man married a Welsh woman he was to be subjected to the same privations. Q. When were these oppressive laws re- pealed ? . A. Some were repealed in the time of Henry the Seventh^ the grandson of Owen Tudor, who had married the Dowager Queen of Henry the Fifth. Others w e r ^- canc ti Hod in Henry the ' MithV tit tt o . But it was not until* the reimicf ^enTj ^^ Q!i Elizabeth that Wales was incorporated with England by Act of Parliament, and all the inhabitants thereof made equal to the English subjects in rights, privileges, and all other respects. " And from this period the Welsh have never been found behind their Englisli neighbours in valour, faith, and loyalty, when the cause of old England required their services. rDBOWES, PRINII*. . , ... r 1 -^ 'I.. ,n J / "4 ■%tmiw ' .. ■'' « # ail he «' s. * ■ vs re- 1 ^enry r, who ry the y the veigncf 1 with I the % nglish other fVelsli [Iglish when vices. A ^^ ,., «