u
 
 CAMBRIA SACRA; 
 
 OB, 
 
 THE HISTORY OF THE EARLY 
 CAMBRO-BRITISH CHRISTIANS. 
 
 in' THE 
 
 KEV. LOUIS NEDELEC. 
 
 " Memento dierum aiitiquorum, cogita generationes singulas ; interroga patrem 
 tuurn et annuntiabit tibi, majores tuos et dicent tibi. 
 
 Remember the days of old, think upon every generation ; ask thy father, and he 
 will declare to thee ; thy elders, and they will tell thee." DEUT., xxxii 7. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 BURNS AND GATES, 
 17 AND 18, PORTMAN STREET, AND 63, PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 MDCCCLXXIX.
 
 ENTKHED AT STATIONERS HALL.
 
 DEDICATED 
 
 BY KIND PERMISSION) 
 
 TO THE MOST HONOURABLE 
 
 JOHN PATRICK CRICHTON STUART, 
 
 MARQUESS OF BUTE. 
 
 2072359
 
 DANIEL OWEN AND CO., CARDIFF.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I, 
 
 SUMMARY OP THE HISTORY OP RELIGION IN BRITAIN, FROM THE 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY, DOWN TO THE ARRIVAL OF 
 ST. GERM ANUS, AS THE CHAMPION OF TRUTH AGAINST 
 PELAGIAN ISM. 
 
 Britain described first by the pen of a Roman General 
 Customs and civilisation of the Britons Bold horsemen 
 Religion represented by Druidism Its organisation The oak 
 tree and the mistletoe Duration of the Roman occupation 
 Its influence on the natives Introduction of Christianity 
 Contrast between the military conqueror and the peaceful 
 messenger of the Gospel St. Peter and St. Paul, St. Joseph of 
 Arimathea, Bran, Claudia, and Pomponia Grsecina Inter- 
 course of nations created by the wide-spread Roman Empire a 
 means in the hands of Divine Providence for the propagation 
 of the Gospel Second and third centuries King Lucius His 
 family Sends Ambassadors to Pope Eleutherius His con- 
 version, and that of his subjects A Hierarchy established 
 The names of Churches built in Britain under Lucius His 
 death and burial in Gloucester St. Mellon First Bishop of 
 Rouen The first nine persecution/a against the Church not 
 carried out in Britain Publication of the tenth persecution 
 Constantius puts his household to the test St. Alban, the 
 fh'st British martyr SS. Aaron and Julius, martyrs at 
 Caerleon, on the river Usk Constantius on his death-bed, at 
 York, foretells better days for the Christians Constantine 
 Emperor St. Helena British Bishops assist at various 
 Catholic Councils on the Continent St. Ursula and her
 
 Vi. CONTENTS. 
 
 companions Martyrs Pelagius, or Morgan Palladius in 
 Ireland and Scotland St. Patrick St. Germanus and Lupus 
 A few observations on the fall of the Roman Empire. 
 
 (Page 1 to 49.) 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 THE CAMBRO -BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 
 
 The history of the British Church, confined to the western 
 part of the island, from the days of Germanus down to St. 
 Augustine In the fifth and sixth centuries Britain, and 
 Cambria in particular, produced a legion of saints, whose 
 history is not generally known Dubricius, Cadoc, Illtyd, and 
 others at the head of this glorious epoch A visit to Llandaff 
 Cathedral Its history by the Verger Wrong notions of the 
 public at large respecting the early Cambrian Church The 
 Britons and the Papacy Pope Eleutherius British Bishops at 
 the Council of Aries, in 314, at the end of which a Syuoclical 
 Letter was sent to Pope Sylvester, requesting him, as he had 
 universal jurisdiction, to extend the decrees of Aries to the 
 whole Church The first Bishops of Llandaff gave an account 
 of the state of their diocese to the Holy See Councils of Brefi 
 and Caerleon approved by Rome Howell Dda, the Justinian 
 of Wales, goes with his Code to Pope Anastasius St. Kenti- 
 gern lays his scruples concerning his consecration before St. 
 Gregory Pilgrimages to Rome frequent St. Cadoc Gildas's 
 present of a bell to the Pope Extraordinary privileges granted 
 to the Pope by the Welsh laws St. Augustine and the British 
 Bishops The British Church, although disobedient, never 
 ceased to acknowledge the supremacy of Rome A similar 
 misunderstanding between St. Patrick and the Church in the 
 South of Ireland Wilfrid and Coleman Urban, Bishop of 
 Llandaff in the twelfth century, writes to Pope Calixtus II. 
 that his See ever acknowledged the supremacy of Rome 
 Catholic Brittany converted to the Catholic faith by British 
 bishops and monks Unity of faith and religion an idle dream 
 without the Papacy As a citizen, the modern Briton respects 
 authority ; as a Christian, he acknowledges none The ancient 
 Cambrian belle and the Pope. (Page 50 to 90.) 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 THE HOLY EUCHARIST. CONFESSION. 
 
 Belief of the Cambrians in the Holy Eucharist both as a 
 Sacrament and as a Sacrifice In their eyes the most exalted 
 dignity on earth was that of the Priesthood Gildas rebukes 
 some of the clergy for not celebrating Mass often enough The 
 Britons and the Altar cannot be disconnected St. Samson 
 when leading the life of a hermit, joined his brethren every 
 Sunday for the celebration of the Mass St. Cadoc
 
 CONTENTS. VI 1. 
 
 Llancarvan killed by the Saxons whilst celebrating Mass St. 
 Winefred slain on the threshold of a church whilst the Holy 
 Sacrifice was being celebrated Welsh Princes on their knees 
 before the Altar The Altar of Sacrifice stripped and the 
 Church closed Its effect upon the people The Judges, on 
 their appointment, required to take the oath during Mass A 
 woman bringing a suit as to the paternity of a child has to 
 swear before the Blessed Sacrament The informer taken to 
 the church by a priest, and there cautioned against perjury 
 The Indian's respect for the Catholic Altar Legal punishment 
 of sacrilege Communion at the hour of death a general 
 custom amongst the Welsh Geraint and St. Teilo The priest, 
 whilst travelling to a sick call, cannot by law be a trespasser- 
 To be deprived of Communion considered a great punishment 
 According to the Code of Howell Dda, a child is to go to 
 Confession at seven years of age A bishop, by privilege, the 
 confessor of a king Maelgon's instructions to his soldiers 
 concerning St. Cadoc, his confessor Unreasonable objections 
 against this admirable . institution of our Lord Revival of 
 Confession in the Church of England in our days. 
 
 (Page 91 to 121.) 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 PIETY TO THE DEAD. 
 
 Piety to the dead a sacred and general custom in Britain 
 The Welsh anxious to be buried by the walls of a church or a 
 monastery The devotion for the dead exemplified in Brittany, 
 which received its customs from Britain St. Cadoc made 
 pilgrimages for the souls of his departed relations Prayers for 
 the dead constantly mentioned in Charters The Kings of 
 Glamorgan very particular on this point The murderer 
 praying at the grave of his victim Charter of Gwereck, Duke 
 of Brittany, to St. Ninnoc, a Welsh nun Piety to the faithful 
 departed an act of gratitude and justice Piety to the departed 
 reflected in the Celtic tales St. Augustine, the great African 
 Bishop, in his book entitled " Confessions," requests the reader 
 to pray for his relations The writer makes a similar request. 
 
 (Page 122 to 146.) 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 SAINTS HONOURED AND INVOKED IN THE BRITISH CHURCH. 
 
 Doctrine of the Council of Trent on the subject The lives 
 of saints written and read for public edification Beautiful and 
 original sentiments emanating from the pen of the Biographer 
 of St. David, in concluding the life of that saint The names 
 of saints bestowed on towns, villages, valleys, and mountains, 
 both iu the land of their birth and that of their labours 
 Pilgrimages to churches dedicated to saints Custom of
 
 viii CONTENTS. 
 
 settling differences at their tombs King Arthur, at the battle 
 of Badon, invokes the blessed Virgin Popular tales convey 
 the same custom The names of Saints invariably mentioned 
 in Charters Pope Honorioiis IT., in his rescript to Urban, 
 Bishop of Llandaff, uses the same form of expression St. 
 Gunstan, patron of Armorican mariners, in his youth a poor 
 sailor boy, invoked by the mariner The confidence of our 
 forefathers in the intercession of saints was often a deduction 
 from miracles witnessed in their lifetime Ancient British 
 Hymns to St. Curig and St. Julitta, republished by the Welsh 
 MSS. Society A double hope is entertained by the writer that 
 in course of time the Festivals of the British Saints will be 
 revived in our Missal and Breviary, and that converts to the 
 Church, in their acts of donation for religious purposes, will 
 again make use of the old phraseology, so touching and 
 Catholic. (Page 147 to 170.) 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 MONASTIC LIFE. 
 
 Christian perfection consists in the love of God and of our 
 neighbour The practice of the Evangelical Counsels pointed 
 out by our Lord as the surest road to arrive at that love 
 Religious communities in the Church from the earliest ages of 
 Christianity, in the East and West Mouastioism in Britain, 
 and especially in Cambria Monasteries numerous The 
 cloister finds recruits in every class of society Number of 
 monks in three princely families of South Wales in the fifth 
 century, as an illustration of public opinion in those days 
 Numerical strength of some monasteries in Wales Some enter 
 the cloister when young, others in their old age St. Ninnoc 
 Her family and birth Her intended marriage Stratagem she 
 used to obtain the consent of her parents to become a nun 
 Her departure for Brittany Tewdrig, King of Glamorgan, 
 becomes a hermit at Tintern The Cambrians force him out of 
 his cell to lead them to battle against the Saxons His death 
 St. Suliau Runs away from home His speech to his 
 father's messengers trials from his sister-in-law for refusing to 
 marry her Legend of St. Efflam and Honora Like St. 
 Alexius, Efflam leaves his wife on the night of their marriage 
 Honora follows her husband to Brittany, and there becomes a 
 nun St. Patern, a mere boy, wishes to follow his father to the 
 cloister Sent to Cardiganshire The family of Hoel, the first 
 Armorican King, enter religion whilst residing in Cambria 
 The hermit and the Cenobite Diary of the various exercises 
 in a cloister Continual public prayers in the great British
 
 CONTENTS. ( ix 
 
 monasteries Extraordinary devotion in Lent Revival of 
 Monasticism in Britain It cannot be uprooted. 
 
 (Page 171 to 220.) 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 
 
 The saints endowed with supernatural power in the East as 
 well as in the West Difference of opinion as to the authen- 
 ticity of this or that particular miracle St. Dubricius is 
 favoured in a vision with the designs of Almighty God on St. 
 Samson Visions of St. Patrick in relation to Ireland 
 Tugdual commanded by an angel to cross over to Brittany 
 The same command given to St. Samson Apparition of the 
 dove as a mark of the presence of the Holy Ghost The angel 
 at the hour of death Vision of St. Keyna Death of Paulus 
 Aurelianus St. David warned of the exact day of his death 
 St. Kentigern sees the soul of David taken up to heaven 
 Prophecy of St. Kentigern concerning the Anglo-Saxon 
 race Advice of St. Gildas for the obtaining of the gift of 
 prophecy to the Bards of Britain The saints cured various 
 infirmities, enumerated in the hymn to St. Armel Privatus' 
 wife and daughter cured by St. Samson St. Maglorious' reply 
 to a Breton Prince The miracles of St. Ninianus, in Scotland 
 The saints in connection with wild beasts and the dragon 
 The saints and the devil St. Gunstan and the devil Sacred 
 Wells Sacred springs spoken of in Holy Writ and in early 
 traditions St. Meen St. Teilo's well St. Winefride's well. 
 
 (Page 221 to 261.) 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 A FEW OBSERVATIONS ON THE SERVICES RENDERED TO SOCIETY 
 BY THE EARLY BRITISH MONKS. 
 
 Unfairness of modern opinion in reference to Religious 
 Orders Spiritual and corporeal works of mercy Superiority 
 of the former over the latter- -Missionary works of the Cambro- 
 British monks St. Patrick and St. Brieuc disturbed even in 
 the cloister by their zeal for the salvation of souls The 
 voyage undertaken by St. Malo in search of the Fortunate 
 Islands, in order to convert their inhabitants to the faith of 
 Christ Pedrog's journey, for the same purpose, to far-distant 
 India St. Cadoc's travels to Scotland and Brittany St. 
 Maglorius in his old age wavers between the solitary and the 
 active life Bishops, in the early Celtic Churches, generally 
 chosen from monasteries Provisions by which monasteries 
 secured attention to the spiritual welfare of the districts 
 surrounding their houses Poetry and numbers made use of
 
 X CONTENTS. 
 
 by British missionaries in the instruction of the people 
 Example of this system of teaching by numbers The 
 monastery a place of refuge in time of distress Extraordinary 
 privileges granted to St. David by his countrymen Minute 
 description of the same in the " Liber Landavensis " St. 
 Meen, the prince, and the prisoner Light-houses built and 
 maintained by monks All necessaries of material life pro- 
 duced within the monastery Perfection and energy of 
 monastic farming operations. (Page 262 to 288.) 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 DUBRICIUS, FIRST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 
 
 Dubricius at the head of a great period in the history of 
 Britain His birth State of Britain at the time Dubricius 
 consecrated Archbishop of Llandaff by St. German us - 
 Antiquity of Llandaff Generosity of the Cambrians to 
 religion King Meurig, of Glamorgan A few remarks on the 
 leading characteristics of British Charters Promulgation of 
 the Charter of Meurig Procession along the banks of the 
 rivers Taff and Ely Work of Dubricius in South Wales 
 Education his speciality In his days a great number of 
 women entered the cloister Solemnity of taking the veil 
 Dubricius transfers his See to Caerleon Coronation of King 
 Arthur in that city by the Archbishop Speech of Dubricius 
 at the battle of Badon The Council of Brefi Dies at Bardsey 
 Island The relics of St. Dubricius removed from Bardsey 
 Island to Llandaff The writer's appeal to the public for help 
 to build a church between the rivers Taff and Ely. 
 
 (Page 289 to 323.) . 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 ST. TEILO, SECOND BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 
 
 How the biographer commences the Life of St. Teilo His 
 birth and education Teilo, David, and Padern at Ty-gwyn ar 
 Taf Trial of their virtue Pilgrimage to Jerusalem-^-Teilo 
 elected to the See of Llandaff The yellow plague Emigration 
 to Brittany On his way through Cornwall, Teilo receives the 
 confession of Geraiut, a Prince of the province Remains in 
 Armorica for seven years, during the greater part of which 
 time he leads the life of a religious Returns to Llandaff. 
 Fulfils a promise made to Geraint, by visiting Cornwall and 
 preparing him for death. Teilo reorganises his diocese 
 During a battle he prays, like Moses, that his countrymen 
 may obtain a victory Miracles performed by St. Teilo His 
 death at an advanced age Dispute about his place of burial
 
 CONTEXTS. XI 
 
 The name of Teilo given to localities both in Wales and 
 Brittany "The Liber Landavensis " called 'The Book of 
 Teilo." * (Page 324 to 350.) 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 SAINT OUDOCEUS, THIRD BISHOP OP LLANDAFF. 
 
 St. Oudoceus a Breton by birth On the death of St. Teilo 
 he is elected by the people as his successor in the See of 
 Llandaff His administration Councils held under his Epis- 
 copacy State of the country Oudoceus and the three 
 Chieftains Measures taken by Oudoceus before pronouncing 
 sentence of excommunication Meurig resists for two years 
 Morgan submits at once Gwardnaeth sent to Brittany 
 Oudoceus undertakes a journey to Rome Towards the end 
 of his days he retires into solitude Comparison between him 
 and St. Ambrose of Milan. (Page 351 to 375.) 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ST. CADOC, FOUNDER OF LLANCARVAN. 
 
 Family of St. Cadoc Baptised and educated by Tathai, at 
 Caer-went Contrast between the monastery and the home of 
 the chieftain Cadoc departs from home The Swine-herd and 
 Cadoc The uncle and the nephew Foundation of Llancarvan 
 Monastery Travels of Cadoc Induces his father and mother 
 to leave the world Cadoc and the princes Maelgwyn and 
 the Abbot King Arthur and Cadoc Life of the founder of 
 Llancarvan during Lent Leaves Llancarvan Departing 
 advice to his brethren His death Cadoc as a Fabiilist The 
 man who killed his greyhound The old woman and the yarn, 
 a lesson on unity amongst brethren The Cambrian maiden 
 who allowed herself to be painted Religion painted to suit 
 interests and prejudices A visit to Llancarvan in 1878. 
 
 (Page 376 to 416.) 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 ST. ILLTYD THE KNIGHT. 
 
 Illtyd a name held in veneration by the Celtic traditions 
 Birth and early life Came over to Britain as a soldier 
 Casual meeting of Cadoc and Illtyd at Llancarvan The latter 
 resolves to leave the world The step rendered difficult by the 
 fact that he was married His wife consents to his dedicating 
 himself to the religious life Illtyd a hermit Protects a stag 
 against Merchion and his huntsmen Impression made by the 
 hermit en the Cambrian chieftain, who grants a large tract of 
 land to the recluse Dubricius and Illtyd Antiquity of 
 Lantwit-Major University of Illtyd in that locality becomes 
 the greatest seat of learning in Britain The system of educa-
 
 Xii CONTEXTS. 
 
 tion at Lantwit made manual labour obligatory Illtyd visited 
 by his wife, Trynihid Refuses to see the lady Persecutions 
 from the agents of his benefactor, Merchion Illtyd secretly 
 leaves his brethren His retreat being discovered, he is forced 
 to come back to Lantwit The latter end of his life veiled in 
 obscurity. (Page 417 to 445.) 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 ST. DAVID, THE PATRON OF WALES. 
 
 David the popular name in Cambria King Arthur and 
 David contemporaries Birth of the saint attended by extra- 
 ordinary phenomena Foretold to St. Patrick in a vision 
 David at Lantwit-Major His mother retires to a convent in 
 Brittany David restores sight to his old Principal Pilgrim- 
 age to Jerusalem St. David at Glastonbury Restores the 
 first church built in Britain Burial of King Arthur in that 
 locality Monastic life of David The rule of St. David The 
 Council of Brefi David absent in the beginning On his way 
 to Brefi restores to life a youth, who becomes his acolyte 
 during the Council St. Dubricius resigns David chosen to 
 be his successor Puts into canonical form the decrees of 
 Brefi Another Council at Caerleon Both sent to Rome for 
 approval Spirit of that legislation reflected in the subsequent 
 customs of Wales The Archiepiscopal See removed from 
 Caerleon to St- David The Patron of Wales and miraculous 
 wells His death Great confidence of his countrymen in his 
 powerful intercession in heaven The three first days of March 
 kept holy in Wales The finest church in the Principality 
 .erected to the memory of David. (Page 446 to 479.) 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 ST. SAMSON, ARCHBISHOP OP DOL, BRITTANY. 
 
 Samson's parents twice before the altar, once on their 
 marriage day, after, on their taking the monastic habit Samson 
 a child of prayer Education entrusted to Illtyd, who pro- 
 phecied his future career Strong faith of Samson Power of 
 the sign of the Cross Embraces religious life Father and 
 mother at first rather reluctant His exemplary life Hatred 
 borne to Samson by two nephews of Illtyd His residence at 
 Barry Island, near Cardiff Visits his sick father The result 
 of this visit The entrance of father, mother, uncle, and aunt 
 into the cloister Becomes Abbot of the convent at Barry Island 
 Visit to Ireland Retires into solitude Ordered by a Synod 
 to give up this kind of life Consecrated Bishop Circum- 
 stances connected with the event Samson's departure for 
 Brittany Delayed in his voyage A Pagan feast and the 
 Missionary Leaves his father, Amon, behind Meeting of 
 Privatus and Samson on the shores of Brittany Samson and
 
 CONTENTS. Xlll 
 
 the Frank King D61 and Tours Episcopal work of Samson 
 His death Heavenly melody heard at his funeral Resume 
 of his wonderful cai'eer Extraordinary supernatural assist- 
 ance he received from his guardian angel. (Page 480 to 516.) 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 ST. PAULUS AURELIANUS, OR PAUL DE LEON. 
 
 Early tendency of young Aurelianus to ascetiscism Leaves 
 Lautwit-Major, with the consent of Illtyd, at sixteen The 
 British saints models of temperance Beginning of missionary 
 life First appearance of the angel bidding Paul to leave his 
 country His arrival at Ouessant, an island off the coast of 
 France Strange ideas about this island in Pagan times 
 Lauding on the shores of Armorica Aurelianus and the wild 
 beasts Arrival of the British colonists at Batz A local 
 Prince becomes their benefactor The people want Paul to be 
 consecrated Bishop Stratagem resorted to on the occasion 
 Paul at the court of the Frank King Return to Armorica 
 Episcopal career The Bishop and the hermit Paul and 
 Tanguy, guilty of the murder of a beloved sister The uncle 
 and his nephew, Jovin Paulus Aurelianus in his old age 
 His death Contention concerning the place of his burial 
 Occismor, the cradle of the British race in Armorica, forgotten 
 Replaced by the small town of St. Paul de Leon Beautiful 
 cathedral erected to his memory Chapel built in the locality 
 by Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, in thanksgiving for her 
 safety from a storm. (Page 517 to 558.) 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 ST. GILDAS THE HISTORIAN. 
 
 Early Life Surnamed the "Aquarius," or "Water Drinker," 
 by the students of Lantwit-Major Visits Ireland Missionary 
 life throughout Britain Gildas sails across to Brittany 
 Gildas and the Lady Triphinia Various monasteries built by 
 Gildas Warned by an angel of the day of his death Orders 
 his body to be thrown into the sea Gildas as a writer 
 Motives which induced him to take the pen Some extracts 
 from his writings Constantino rebuked Maelgwyn Certain 
 resemblance between St. Jerome and Gildas as writers Britain 
 as described by Gildas Although not more corrupt than other 
 nations of the period, still deserved the severe reproaches of 
 the saint A priest's duty not to connive at the crimes of 
 nations or individuals. (Page 559 to 584.)
 
 B, E F A C E . 
 
 Ox Thursday, the 17th of August, 1876, I visited Llaudewi 
 Brefi, Cardiganshire, with the determination of not passing Uandew 
 through that county without making a pilgrimage to the 
 valley within which had been held the most important 
 ecclesiastical Council ever assembled in Cambria. 
 
 After walking eight or nine miles from Lampeter, along the 
 river Teifi, under a tropical sun, I reached the village about 
 mid-day.* Vehicles standing at the doors of public-houses, a 
 number of people strolling about in holiday dress, whilst others 
 pic-nic'd on the banks of the stream, now nearly dried up, 
 indicated that some festivity was being held. I was 
 informed that the annual meeting of the members of the 
 Church of England, honoured by the presence of the neigh- 
 bouring Protestant clergy, was the cause of this unusual week- 
 day gathering. The Church people mustered in fair strength, 
 and, as far as I could judge from those whom I addressed, 
 Welsh was the language of the district, for many could neither 
 speak nor understand any other. 
 
 I proceeded, in the first instance, to examine as closely as 
 possible the spot on which the Church stands ; for the legend, 
 as told in the " Lives of the Cambro-British Saints," distinctly 
 states that the ground on which the sacred temple was after- 
 wards built had risen under the feet of St. David, so as to form 
 an improvised platform, from which he could address the 
 thousands eager to listen to his eloquent teaching. 
 
 * There is a railway station about a mile from Llandewi Brefl
 
 XVI PREFACE. 
 
 The place itself seemed o testify the truth of the legend. I 
 saw before me a mound of earth, rising gradually to a height 
 of twenty or twenty-five feet, comprising an area of about an 
 acre, on the summit of which stands the church, having the 
 tower in the centre, as usually found in Cambrian ecclesiastical 
 buildings. 
 
 After looking into the church, half of which has been neatly 
 restored, I sat down amongst the graves, to survey the neigh- 
 bouring mountains. With the aid of a powerful field-glass, I 
 examined a picturesque gorge, which is also spoken of in the 
 Welsh legends as having been cleft by Divine power. Some of 
 the peasantry made a free use of the glass, and pronounced it 
 to be the most ingenious invention ever made. No doubt it 
 was to them a novelty. 
 
 Whilst thus occupied, I was accosted by the vicar, who 
 kindly offered to become my guide, and directed my attention 
 to the Staff of St. David, as a stone of some height planted 
 before the door of the church is called. But when I drew his 
 attention to the fact that the mound whereon we stood tallied 
 exactly, in its formation, with the statement in the legend 
 which asserts that it rose miraculously under the feet of St. 
 David, the reverend gentleman remained silent. 
 
 Indeed, it is difficult to call in question that the power of 
 God is displayed at suitable times, and unwise to ridicule the 
 faith of our forefathers, who deemed it a duty they owed to 
 truth to hand down to posterity accounts of miraculous events. 
 
 I presented my card to the vicar, and in the course of the 
 day observed that I had become an object of interest, which I 
 attributed to the following circumstance : 
 
 Several lectures on the first three Bishops of Llandaff and on 
 S3. Cadoc and Illtyd had been reported by the Western Mail, 
 and read in Cardiganshire as well as in the southern counties 
 of Wales. 
 
 The memory of ancient Welsh bishops and monks being 
 revived in a Catholic church, and their lives set forth before a 
 Catholic congregation as models for imitation, and that by a 
 Catholic priest, had sharpened public curiosity and attracted
 
 PREFACE. XV11 
 
 attention to the lectures ; so, when it was perceived that the 
 name on the card corresponded with that of the lecturer on 
 the Welsh saints, in St. Peter's Church, Cardiff, the discovery, 
 instead of estranging the reverend gentlemen from me, had the 
 effect of drawing us closer together. 
 
 In the evening I took tea in the Board-school, and, amongst 
 other queries from some of the gentlemen, I noted the 
 following : 
 
 " Was I a Jesuit 1 " 
 
 " What could be my purpose in reviving the ecclesiastical 
 history of Wales 1 " etc., etc. 
 
 " Had I the honour to be a member of a societ}^ formed 
 ad hoc ? " 
 
 " Who supplied the funds 1 " etc., etc. 
 
 To the first question, I replied that I trusted I was a disciple 
 of Christ, but felt bound to state distinctly that I had not the 
 honour of being a member of that great society, so worthy of 
 praise, yet so much misunderstood and abused. 
 
 On the second point, I frankly informed my inquisitors that 
 in studying the religion of ancient Cambria, the object I had 
 in view was my own edification and that of my fellow-men. 
 Breton by birth, the history of Cambria offered me pai'ticular 
 attractions. We were first cousins. For years our forefathers 
 had stood together in politics and in religion. In the battle- 
 field they fought side by side, and in the church they 
 worshipped together round the same altar. The Catholic faith 
 had been planted on the shores of Brittany by Welsh bishops, 
 priests, and monks, and this the Bretons never forgot. 
 
 I was happy to certify by personal observation, that the old 
 Celtic tongue, spoken by Dubricius, Paulinus, and David at the 
 Council of Brefi, was still, after so many centuries, the language 
 of Welshmen ; but I begged to express my heartfelt regret 
 that the same old tongue from the lips of their present 
 spiritual teachers no longer instilled the same one and 
 unchanging faith. In my tour through Wales, I saw temples 
 opposed to temples, creeds to creeds, and found religious 
 dissension everywhere. Not a hamlet but was under the bane
 
 xviii PREFACE. 
 
 of two or three different religious, sometimes even more. 
 (General assent.) The grocer and the baker were dogmatising 
 against the minister of the Church of England (assent) and 
 they themselves are divided on ritualism, on the relations of 
 Church and State, and other serious subjects. 
 
 I had remarked that intelligent Welshmen throughout the 
 country bewailed the total disorganisation of the city of God 
 in the land, and yearned for the future day which would sweep 
 away religious anarchy and once more bring back peace and 
 union to Welsh homes. For myself, I fully shared this feeling, 
 and prayed to Almighty God to restore to a nation which had 
 lost it, unity of faith. Influenced by this wish, I had resolved 
 on disinterring the ancient Cambrian saints from their graves, 
 in the hope that the history of their saintly lives, and of the 
 religion they had taught, might help the work of restoring 
 the faith in Cambria. 
 
 Love of the There are very few people on earth more anxious to study 
 the records of their ancestors than Welshmen, or who listen 
 with a deeper interest to the recital of the teachings or doings 
 of their forefathers. 
 
 In the prospectus of the great Eisteddfod held at Wrexham, 
 in 1876, amongst the subjects on which papers were invited I 
 find the following, so characteristic of the Welsh mind : 
 
 "Best compilation of historical facts connected with the 
 early British Church : 
 
 " I. A compilation of the best evidences of proof of the 
 existence of a Christian Church in Britain within the first 
 centxtry after its invasion by the Romans, during their stay, 
 and at the time when Augustine with his fellow-missionaries 
 arrived in Britain, in 597. 
 
 " II. What information can be obtained of the places where 
 Christianity was established, whether by occasional congrega- 
 tional assemblies, the building of churches, or the foundation 
 of monastic institutions more particularly in Wales 1 
 
 " III. By whom and by what means was the first earliest 
 introduction of Christianity effected I .15 15s., given by
 
 PREFACE. XIX 
 
 T. T. Griffiths, Esq., Wrexham, and a gold medal by the 
 committee (English). 
 
 Dr. Newman, whilst yet connected with the Church of 
 England, had planned out the hagiography of the ancient 
 British saints. The chronological arrangements are to be 
 found in his " History of my Religious Opinions." What a 
 pity that such a well-stored mind should not have enriched 
 English literature with a work on a subject of so much 
 importance ! 
 
 Protestant writers who have dealt with this subject have not 
 done justice to the ancient British Church or to her saints. 
 Holding a different creed from our forefathers, they have 
 misrepresented their faith and ridiculed their religious customs, 
 or maintained a contemptuous silence in their regard. 
 
 These historians seem to have ignored that there is such a 
 thing as the science of the saints clearly treated, denned 
 divided and sub-divided, with as much method and order as 
 zoology, botany, and astronomy, medicine, and other sciences 
 expounded by our best professors. Perhaps in their lives they 
 never read St. Basil, St. Augustine, St. Theresa, Schram, Gorres, 
 and a host of other spiritual writers who, from St. Denis the 
 Areopagite, in the first century, down to Father Faber, have 
 told us what a saint is, and how Divine grace operates wonder- 
 fully in his soul. 
 
 I. A saint is a man who, whilst in the flesh, kept to per- 
 
 The science 
 
 fection the law of God, loved, according to His word, the Lord f holiness, 
 with his whole heart, his whole soul, his whole mind, and his 
 whole strength, and his neighbour as himself ! ! ! The saint 
 practised, to an heroic degree, the theological virtues faith, 
 hope, and charity; and also the cardinal virtues justice 
 prudence, temperance, and fortitude. 
 
 It is not the power of performing miracles, or the gift of 
 prophecy, or extraordinary visions which constitute sanctity, 
 but the practice of the Gospel precepts and the following of 
 the law of God. 
 
 The tests by which we may know a saint are as follows - 
 Did he believe in God, trust in Him and love Him above all
 
 XX PREFACE, 
 
 things, and love his fellow-men as himself, as commanded by 
 Jesus Christ 1 Can we trace in his life a ready will to give to 
 every man his due, a horror of any injustice whatever ] for 
 this is included in the virtue of justice. 
 
 A saint should be endowed with prudence a science which 
 consists, as St. Basil tells us, in the true knowledge of what we 
 should do in the various circumstances of life. 
 
 Did he, by temperance, guide his natural appetites and keep 
 them within the boundaries of the law of God ] 
 
 Did the virtue of fortitude strengthen his will in following 
 the right path through trials and dangers ; nay, instil into it a 
 certain instinct which would lead it to rush nobly to encounter 
 difficulties ? 
 
 We all know that dogmatic and moral theology fully treat 
 these subjects in all their details. 
 
 II. The saints, as a rule, practised the Evangelical Counsels, 
 as the best means to advance in the love of God and man, 
 which constitutes real sanctity. Obedience, poverty, and 
 chastity have been and are now the rules of monastic life, and 
 sum up the Evangelical Counsels. No sooner was Britain 
 converted to the religion of Christ than a large proportion of 
 her children embraced with enthusiasm the practice of these 
 counsels of the Gospel. This will be evidenced in these 
 pages. In point of fact, all the early British saints were 
 monks. 
 
 For the information of such readers as may wish to study 
 this branch of divinity, I beg to refer them to "Ascetic 
 Theology, a Science which Explains the Practice of the 
 Evangelical Counsels." * Hundreds of divines, from the first 
 to the nineteenth century, have treated this matter. The 
 learned Benedictine, Schram, is perhaps one of the best and 
 most methodical writers on the subject. 
 
 III. God is wonderful in His saints. These holy souls, pure 
 as crystal, powerfully reflected the light of the Holy Ghost. 
 The grace of God lifted them to the supernatural regions, in 
 which they saw and heard things it is impossible to describe, 
 
 * Milne's Dictionnaire d'Aamisnie."
 
 PREFACE. Xxi 
 
 as St. Paul said when he was caught up to the third heaven. 
 This branch of the science of the saints is called Mystic 
 Theology, and treats of visions, ecstacies, miracles, conflicts 
 with the devil, supernatural apparitions of our Lord in the holy 
 Eucharist and on the Cross, of the blessed Virgin, the angels, 
 or the saints, and other phenomena, such as walking on the 
 sea, like St. Peter, standing on fire without being burnt, etc. 
 
 Various works may be consulted on the matter, dating from 
 the earliest times of Christianity down to our own days. 
 Amongst these, Gorres, a German writer, may be read with 
 interest. The French translation of this book is entitled 
 " La Mystique Divine, Naturelle et Diabolique." 
 
 This branch of saintly science is, I beg to observe, a science 
 of observation, consisting of facts, authentic, visible, and most 
 carefully examined. 
 
 As a rule, the servants of God made little of these extra 
 ordinary heavenly gifts ; for their existence does not constitute 
 sanctity. Judas performed miracles, and yet betrayed his 
 Lord. Holiness, they all knew, consisted in keeping the law of 
 God. However, their Divine Master favoured them with these 
 supernatural graces for their own spiritual benefit and for tha 
 of their fellow-men, and thus glorified His name. 
 
 The servants of God should, as a matter of course, reproduce 
 in their thoughts and in their actions the teaching of dogmatic 
 and moral theology, as well as the rules of ascetic divinity, 
 and also share in the extraordinary gifts which come under the 
 head of mystical theology. We cannot understand or meet 
 with a saint of Jesus Christ disconnected with these sciences, for 
 he is a saint because he kept the laws of God and -the counsels 
 of the Gospel, as far as possible. And the friendship which he 
 enjoyed with his Divine Master was often revealed by miracles 
 or other wonderful signs. 
 
 Writers who should ignore these principles are not qualified 
 for the great work of recording the actions and thoughts of the 
 noblest children in the Church of Jesus Christ ; they are 
 utterly unable to do justice to the subject; an illiterate man 
 might as well attempt to write on astronomy.
 
 XXli PREFACE. 
 
 In point of fact, we expect to find everything supernatural 
 in a saint. The end he aims at with energy and perseverance 
 is supernatural, and the help he relies on for success is the 
 heavenly grace of his Redeemer. 
 
 For the conquest of heaven, for the service of God and of 
 his neighbours, he waged war against irrational passions, 
 againsc the devil and the world. 
 
 A worldly-minded man pursues a temporal end, the saint an 
 everlasting one. To him every other aim is blindness and folly. 
 In all his undertakings he asks himself the question, Quid hoc ad 
 vitam oeternam ? " In the other world, how far will this or that 
 action benefit my soul 1 " He fully understands, with the 
 author of the imitation of Christ, that an humble peasant who 
 serves his Maker is wiser than the greatest philosopher. 
 
 The present age has witnessed the existence of men of 
 prodigious intellectual talents ; they opened our railways, laid 
 our telegraphs, both on land and under the ocean. Materially, 
 they deserve the title of benefactors of their fellow-men. They 
 are now dead and gone to another world, and enjoy not in this one 
 the benefit of their inventions. If they neglected the salvation 
 of their immortal souls and the service of God, they trifled 
 away the few days of their existence on earth. 
 
 The saints applied their minds to the study of the only 
 needful science, and threw the whole energy of their souls into 
 securing everlasting bliss. 
 
 If in the worldly man we admire persevering efforts, 
 continued labours, self-sacrifice, say, in winning victories on the 
 battle-field, realising a fortune, etc., let us not wonder at 
 finding the saints extraordinary in their labours and exertions 
 in the acquirement of Divine love. For the sake of their 
 Master they subdued their passions, devoted a whole life, in 
 suffering, in mortification, and in self-abnegation, to benefit 
 their fellow-men. 
 
 Enlightened by the Holy Ghost and strengthened by His 
 grace, they became perfect masters in the science of holiness 
 and practised it with unwonted zeal. This explains the 
 parting "fr am father and mother, brothers and sisters, their
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 mode of living so severe and painful to .flesh and blood, and 
 at times incomprehensible to a material man. 
 
 The task of recording the memory of the Cambro-British Tw classes 
 
 of waiters. 
 
 saints has been taken in hand by two classes of writers Their 
 
 respective 
 
 monks, in the fkst place, and, later on, modern authors have ca P acit . v - 
 devoted their talents to the subject. The former, as a matter 
 of course, were better qualified to depict in their true colours 
 servants of God, who, like themselves, had embraced the 
 religious state. A soldier is the fittest exponent of war, and 
 the best to teach iis how battles are won and lost. An 
 engineer will be able to explain the mechanical arts with 
 greater clearness than any other man. To a chemist we look 
 for the best work on chemistry. By the same rule, any person 
 who wishes to understand what a saint is, must refer to those 
 who have studied and practised what holiness consists in, 
 through the writings of men who valued the spiritual life. 
 
 In monasteries great care was taken to keep alive the 
 memory of those who had rendered themselves illustrious in 
 the service of God and religion. Their lives were set forth as 
 an example. Such of the brethren as possessed talent as 
 historians were directed to carefully note down their actions, 
 and these records were read to the community on particular 
 occasions, such as their anniversaries. 
 
 The monks were eminently men of faith, and lived in an age 
 when society at large could boast of being untainted by the 
 infidelity and materialism which at present prevail. Thus, 
 men of faith, of hope, and of charity are reproduced in their 
 writings ; men who, moulded in the spirit of the Gospel, were 
 poor in spirit and meek ; who lamented the days of their 
 banishment in this world, because they looked forward to a 
 country where they would become ennobled in the company of 
 Jesus Christ. Men who saw God because of their purity of 
 heart who, with courage and patience, suffered persecution 
 for justice sake. 
 
 At times, however, the monastic hagiographers have fallen 
 into exaggerations on the subject of miraculous events. It 
 must be admitted that in several instances those recorded
 
 XXIV PREFACE. 
 
 were not well authenticated. Popular opinion in those days of 
 faith was easily, deceived, through the fact of spurious or 
 imaginary supernatural events being mixed up with real 
 miracles, which were or could not be denied as having 
 been performed by the saints. Some hagiographers have, 
 no doubt, overstepped discretion in stating as facts events 
 which could not be proved to have taken place. Perhaps such 
 writers would have acted more judiciously in bringing out the 
 virtues of the servants of God. 
 
 In reference to supernatural occurrences, some Protestant 
 historians exhibit an utter, and we may say deplorable, 
 scepticism. They even brand hagiographers with the stigma 
 of ignorance and superstition, terms which they constantly 
 apply to the monks, simply because they record miracles, 
 apparitions of angels, celestial visions, etc. 
 
 These gentlemen must have read the Bible, and, no doubt, 
 believe in Holy Writ. Now, the Old and the New Testament 
 abound in narratives of supernatural intercourse between heaven 
 and earth. In both Testaments the angels are continually 
 spoken of as descending from heaven on special errands to 
 Moses, to the Prophets, and to the Apostles. The devil 
 tempted our Redeemer in the desert, and an angel appeared 
 to Him on the eve of His death. They delivered St. Peter 
 from gaol, and visited St. Paul. The Prophets of old 
 performed miracles, so did the Apostles. Are we, in order to 
 gratify our views or indulge our prejudices, to fix a limit to 
 the ].u*\ T er and bounty of God 1 ? 
 
 Supernatural events can stand the test of examination ; they 
 are facts, often witnessed by thousands of spectators, both 
 friends and foes, and all are constrained to admit their truth. 
 The circumstances, places, and persons concerned in them are 
 named in detail, and the events are frequently commemorated 
 by building churches and granting charters, and are handed 
 down to posterity by hymns, traditions, or local religious 
 festivals. In a word, such events bear within themselves the 
 evidence of their having taken place. Are monks, then, 
 superstitious or ignorant because they have recorded them ?
 
 PREFACE. XXV 
 
 Perversity or prejudice, unfortunately, often veils truth. 
 The Jews could not deny the miracles of our Lord, yet they 
 resorted to any subterfuge rather than acknowledge His 
 divinity. 
 
 These somewhat severe but truthful strictures cannot be 
 applied to the Welsh Archaeological Society. These gentle- 
 men have published the MSS. as they found them, leaving 
 everyone to form his own opinion on the subject. 
 
 The Rev. Professor Rees, M.A., Oxford, in his "Essay on 
 the Welsh Saints," dedicated to the Marquis of Bute, 1836, 
 may be taken as a fair specimen of this class of writers. A 
 great deal of information is to be gleaned from his work by 
 the student of history, who will find in its pages many useful 
 notes on the illustrious champions of Christ in Britain. 
 
 This book may be compared to the official registers preserved 
 in the sacristies of our churches, which duly record, day by 
 day, the birth, parentage, death, and, it may be, marriage of 
 the inhabitants of the parish. This is the characteristic of the 
 " Essay on the Welsh Saints," and in the capacity of a registrar 
 its author has rendered service to history. 
 
 But any person who may wish to derive edification from the 
 religion, faith, and spiritual life of the early British saints, will 
 but waste his time by reading the essay. The science of the 
 saints is not familiar to the author, who even professes to lay 
 it aside as superstitious and monkish. 
 
 One might have expected more religious reverence and a 
 deeper instinct of faith in a clergyman of the Church of 
 England and a distinguished professor of St. David's College, 
 Lampeter. The fact of a minister of religion being unable to 
 appreciate, instinctively, nobility of soul in men who reproduced 
 in their lives the eight beatitudes, and practised every precept 
 and counsel of the New Testament of our Lord, reveals, 
 unfortunately, a degraded state of Christianity. 
 
 The learned Professor of Lampeter allows himself to be 
 drawn away from historical truth by his religious prejudices. 
 If there be anything historically true, it is the fact that the 
 early Christians in Britain were Catholics to the back- bone.
 
 XXVI PREFACE. 
 
 Yet, this the Rev. Professor Rees repeatedly denies, without 
 bringing any telling argument to support his assertions. The 
 following is amongst the strongest he adduces : that Britain 
 received the faith from the East ; from this he draws the 
 broad conclusion that the Britons had no connection with the 
 Papacy of Rome. What does all this come to ] Nothing. 
 Italy, France, and Spain received the Christian religion from 
 the East. Our Lord Himself and all His apostles belonged to 
 the East ; St. James, of Spain, came from Judea ; St. Peter, of 
 Rome, from Gallilee ; St. Denis, of Paris, from Athens ; yet all 
 these were Catholics, like St. Joseph of Arimathea, the founder, 
 it is believed, of Glastonbury Abbey, in England. The same 
 professor advances other erroneous assertions on the Real 
 Presence and the Invocation of Saints doctrines of the Gospel 
 which formed a part of the religion of ancient Britain. These 
 subjects are dealt with in Chapters III., IV., and V., to which 
 I beg to refer the reader. 
 
 The study of the ancient Hagiography of Britain presents a 
 great many difficulties to overcome. The old manuscripts are 
 to a certain extent lost, or not yet published in such a form as 
 to make them accessible to the public. The Welsh 
 Archaeological Society has rendered a great service to history 
 in this respect, and spared no trouble or expense in bringing to 
 light the ancient records of the servants of God in the island 
 of Britain. 
 
 The society will, no doubt, do more in future. Where, for 
 instance, are the hundreds of Welsh saints whose names are 
 mentioned by Professor Rees 1 the history of their lives must 
 exist somewhere on the shelves of public libraries or in the 
 possession of private families. 
 
 In Brittany, Albert le Grand, a Dominican monk, and 
 Lobineau, a Benedictine, have brought to light the MSS. of the 
 British saints who laboured and died in Armorica, and given 
 the names of the places where the MSS. are to be found. In 
 Ireland, the Rev. John O'Hanlon has undertaken a similar 
 work. Even when we have the original of the ancient records 
 on our desks, all difficulties do not disappear. These lives, in
 
 PREFACE. XXY11 
 
 the course of centuries, have so often been re-copied or 
 compiled, that chronological errors, defacement of names, and 
 inaccuracies of circumstances have crept in. The amanuenses 
 were not infallible, and seem at times to have paid more 
 attention to calligraphy than to accuracy. There is sometimes 
 a difference of date, and circumstances connected with the life 
 of one saint are introduced into that of another. This kind of 
 study requires a great store of comparative judgment, and a 
 spirit of fair and loyal criticism. In the MSS. we find truth, 
 but it is covered with the dust of ages, which must be swept 
 away before it shines forth to us in ah 1 its brightness. The 
 patience and skill of an artist who has to re-colour an ancient 
 picture are required in such a work. 
 
 The following plan has been adopted in the classification of plan 
 matters contained in this book : ta U the ed 
 
 The primary object I had in view was to revive the memory sacra?" m 
 of the illustrious servants of God, the pride of the British 
 Church in the fifth and sixth centuries. Before handling the 
 subject, I thought myself bound to place before the reader a 
 summary of the history of the Christian religion in Britain up 
 to that period. 
 
 The fifth and sixth centuries formed the biightest era of the 
 faith amongst the pure British race. The bishops, abbots, 
 professors, and, we may add, many of the princes of that 
 pei'iod, by their holy lives and high cultivation, exercised a 
 wonderful influence over their fellow-men in their lifetime, and 
 after death commanded the veneration of succeeding 
 generations. 
 
 At the head of that period we find Dubricius, Cadoc, and 
 Illtyd, who left at their departure from this world a multitude 
 of servants of God as eminent as themselves, such as David, 
 Teilo, Samson, and others. Thus, a natural plan is already 
 traced out to any biographer or historian. I have somewhat 
 departed from chronological order by placing the lives of St. 
 Teilo and Oudoceus after that of Dubricius. I thought I 
 could not separate the three first Bishops of Llandaff, invariably 
 placed side by side in the charters of their cathedral.
 
 XXV111 PREFACE. 
 
 Whilst perusing the ancient documents which contain the 
 lives of these eminent servants of God, I noted down as I 
 proceeded some striking features of their religion and faith, 
 such as their ideas with regard to the organisation of the city 
 of God on earth, their firm belief in the doctrines of transub- 
 stantiation, practice of confession, piety towards the souls in 
 purgatory, invocation of saints, etc. 
 
 My attention was drawn to these subjects by the repeated 
 assertions of modern historians, who persist in stating that 
 these doctrines never formed a part of the religion of the 
 ancient British Church. Three or four chapters are devoted 
 to the enlightenment of the reader on this point. Those 
 following deal with monastic life in Wales, and then come the 
 lives of the first three Bishops of Llandaff, those of St. Cadoc, 
 Illtyd, St. David, and Samson, their disciples, and others. ^'^ 
 
 I must apologise to the reader for all short-comings in style, 
 and strongly appeal to his indulgence. I have handled in my 
 days too many languages to be master of any. 
 
 My mother tongue was Breton ; it carried my first prayer to 
 my Maker. My classical education was conducted in French. 
 At twenty, I acquired my first knowledge of English, on 
 English soil, and for about fourteen years expressed my 
 thoughts in that language. 
 
 Ordered to the island of Mauritius, although under the 
 English flag, French became once more the medium through 
 which I had to discharge the duties of missionary life not to 
 mention the Creole language, a mixture of all the idioms of the 
 East, such as Tamul, Chinese, Malay, and African dialects, 
 condensed together in a French patois, enabling the various 
 nationalities of which this beautiful little island is 'the centre 
 to understand each other. 
 
 In this Hagiography particular attention is given to place 
 before the reader a truthful and honest narrative, grounded 
 on facts and gleaned from ancient British and Armorican 
 documents. Imagination and rhetoric are discarded. Some- 
 times, however, the writer cannot help giving scope to his 
 feelings, as he dwells in admiration on those olden times ; for
 
 PREFACE. XXIX 
 
 the coldest heart, .when visiting Babylon, Carthage, Athens, or 
 places sanctified by religion, such as the Holy Land or Rome, 
 cannot remain insensible. 
 
 My task is simple; it is that of a spectator who looks 
 dispassionately on olden times and bygone events, as they roll 
 on before his gaze. 
 
 Perhaps this unpretending and short narrative may induce a 
 more refined pen to supply a much-needed want the revival 
 of the ecclesiastical history of the British race on a larger scale t 
 
 I beg to express my most sincere thanks to all those who 
 have encouraged me in this work some by sympathy and 
 kind letters, others by co-operation. 
 
 I cannot forget the help I received from the Cardiff Press, 
 particularly from the Western Mail. This paper published in 
 its wide-spread columns the substance of twelve lectures 
 on the Welsh saints given at St. Peter's Catholic Church. The 
 South Wales Daily News reproduced those on the first three 
 Bishops of Llandaff, and sent one of its reporters to St. Peter's. 
 
 As far as I could learn, these lectures, given to test public 
 opinion, were favourably received and extensively read. 
 
 In a town in the west of Wales, a desire was expressed that 
 what had appeared in the Western Mail should be reprinted in 
 the form of a small pamphlet; I discouraged the idea, by 
 stating that a work on the subject was about being published. 
 
 Clergymen of the Church of England, and gentlemen from 
 Swansea and other places, have expressed a similar desire. 
 
 Writers of periodicals, Government surveyors, whose 
 instructions are to collect, as far as they can, the historical 
 facts connected with the places they are surveying, have at 
 times called on me. 
 
 Several of my brethren in the priesthood, wishing to lecture 
 on the ancient British Church in the winter season, wrote for 
 information. 
 
 The Catholic authorities, Dr. Brown and Dr. Hedley, have 
 written encouraging letters, and some Cardiff gentlemen have 
 been so kind as to read over some of my manuscripts. 
 
 The writer concludes this preface by declaring that he is an
 
 XXX PREFACE. 
 
 admirer of the old axiom, " Errare humanim est, perseverare 
 diabolieum" It is easy to commit an error, although the 
 greatest care be taken to secm'e historical exactitude. This 
 observation applies not so much to leading facts as to matters 
 of detail. 
 
 It is the duty of any right-minded recorder to be ready to 
 acknowledge proved inexactitudes ; for it is not unlikely that, 
 although he has made a particular study of the subject he 
 handles, there may be others who possess a more extensive 
 knowledge on the same question. One who is not open to 
 conviction, shows evident signs of pride and obstinacy. 
 
 CAXTON, CARDIFF, January \Qth, 1879.
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 On page 15, for legions and auxiliaries were constantly been, 
 read being. 
 
 Page 49 : Senate of the Roman people, read Senate and 
 Roman people. 
 
 Page 94 : For nungiiam, read nutiquam. 
 Page 235 : On the first of May, read March. 
 Page 315 : The history of Bangs, read Hangar.
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY OF RELIGION IN 
 BRITAIN, FROM THE INTRODUCTION OF CHRIS- 
 TIANITY, DOWN TO THE ARRIVAL OF GERMANUS 
 
 AS THE CHAMPION OF TRUTH AGAINST 
 PELAGIANISM. 
 
 HISTORY fails to dispel the clouds that hang 
 over the infancy of Britain. Who were the first 
 settlers in the Island? How long after the 
 Deluge did the tide of emigration, constantly 
 flowing from the plains of Babylon, the cradle 
 of mankind, take to reach the British Islands, is 
 uncertain. 
 
 What route did it follow ? Was it along the 
 coast of the Mediterranean on the African shore, 
 and then through Spain and Erance ? Or, did 
 it slowly advance along the banks of the Danube 
 and the Rhine till it reached Britain ? Or, was 
 the country invaded by two different columns, 
 one coming through the south, the other through 
 the centre or north of Europe ? Ancient records, 
 do not make this clear ; nor does it come within 
 the plan of these pages to discuss the various 
 opinions on the subject.
 
 2 CAMBRIA SACRA, 
 
 Britain The first description of the country, its customs 
 
 first de- J 
 
 scribedby anc [ i aws (religious and civil), is due to the pen 
 
 the pen of 
 
 a Roman of a Roman general, Julius Caesar. 
 
 When the first conqueror of Britain and his 
 legions took possession of the island, they found 
 it inhabited, from the shores of Kent to the 
 Mountains of Caledonia. The South Coast, front- 
 ing Gaul, was even densely populated. 
 
 The inhabitants were a hardy, bold, and 
 warlike race, ruled by several petty kings inde- 
 pendent of one another, a circumstance which 
 rendered the task of Csesar and his soldiers 
 rather an easy one. In the scale of civilization 
 they stood rather low ; and their dwellings, 
 clothing, and diet indicated a society in its 
 infancy. As the Romans made their way 
 inland, they found the dwelling-houses very 
 primitive and rude. A low stone wall supported 
 a conical roof with an opening at the top for 
 the exit of smoke and the admission of light. 
 Near their huts, palisades planted in the ground 
 formed an enclosure to protect their cattle from 
 marauders and wolves. The people, as a rule, 
 lived chiefly on the produce of the chase, as well 
 as on fruit and milk ; however, they cultivated 
 some narrow plots of ground round their habitation. 
 
 On the South Coast cultivation was in a more 
 advanced state. Here the Romans met with 
 some sumptuous mansions, groves, and orchards ; 
 and marl was used as a fertilizing agent in 
 agriculture. The science of extracting minerals
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 3 
 
 from the ground and working them was known 
 and cultivated ; though not to the same extent 
 as in our days, when the iron and coal of 
 England replenish all the markets of the world. 
 The dress of the natives was in keeping with 
 an infant state of society. Untanned skins and 
 cloth of their own manufacture covered their 
 bodies ; in the North, however, they were more 
 scantily clad. As with the present Aborigines 
 in the many islands of the PacificO cean, tattoo- 
 ing was a general and favourite custom. 
 
 O O 
 
 Earlv trained to arms and hardships, the Bold 
 
 * m horsemen. 
 
 British adults were fond of excitement, and 
 spent most of their time in campaigning or in 
 hunting. On horseback thev could not be ex- 
 
 O * 
 
 celled ; for their feats of horsemanship astonished 
 even the Roman legionaries. Rushing at full 
 gallop on the declivity of steep hills, the Britons 
 had such command over their horses as to be 
 able to stop them almost in full career. 1 In 
 battle they made use of chariots drawn by two, 
 four, and even six horses ; and could fight 
 standing on the poles of these chariots or on the 
 bare backs of their foaming steeds, with much 
 the same assurance as our modern circus riders. 
 Women followed their fathers or husbands 
 to the battle field, and by their gestures and 
 shrieks animated the combatants. This practice 
 seems to have been common to all Celtic races ; 
 for we read in the life of St. Patrick that he 
 
 (1) Sammes Britannia Antiqua.
 
 4 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 succeeded, although with difficulty, in persuading 
 the martial ladies of Erin that the excitements 
 and dangers of the hattle field were not in 
 harmony with their gentle sex, and that Almighty 
 God had designed them to hrin forth and rear 
 
 O O 
 
 children for society, rather than to countenance 
 
 their slaughter. 
 
 Religion The religion of the Britons was Druidism, and 
 lepieseE ^ejj. ^ Q( j &n ^ g OC i^ esses> with Celtic names, were 
 
 not dissimilar to the divinities in the mythology 
 of Pagan Rome. Traces of the primitive revela- 
 tions could be discerned in their theology. Thus, 
 thev acknowledged the immortalitv of the soul, 
 
 e/ / 
 
 and taught that beyond the grave rewards or 
 
 O / o 
 
 penalties awaited the departed spirits, according 
 as their lives on earth had been spent. In their 
 creed we also find that they believed that sins 
 and guilt were atoned for by the shedding of 
 blood ; and animals and even human beings were 
 sacrificed on their altars. When the country 
 was in great danger, the favourite victims chosen 
 to avert the evil genius were the assassins, 
 public malefactors, prisoners of war, or even 
 some relations. 1 
 
 The Druids were the ministers of this religion, 
 
 O 
 
 and formed a numerous and most influential 
 body. To keep up a certain hierarchical unity 
 in this privileged class, one of them was elected 
 Archdruid or High PontiflP, and resided either 
 in the Island of Man or that of Anglesey. 
 
 v 
 
 (1) Sammes, Britannia Antiqua.
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 5 
 
 Once a year they met in public assemblies to 
 discuss scientific questions, or give their advice 
 on social or political matters ; for their influence 
 and authority were great and extensive. In 
 critical and grave circumstances their opinion 
 was asked for and invariably followed, for in 
 the opinion of their countrymen they possessed 
 two indisputable titles to respect ; they were the 
 ministers of the gods ; and, as a body, in learning 
 and the sciences had not equals amongst the 
 Britons. This good reputation had even crossed 
 the sea; in Europe the British Druid ranked 
 foremost in medicine, in natural science, and 
 magical arts ; hence their schools were not only 
 frequented by native students, but also by 
 foreigners from Gaul. Long was the course 
 of studies, extending over 15 or 20 years. At 
 a time when the art of writing was little known 
 and less practised, verses and numbers, to a great 
 extent, were the usual medium of communicating 
 knowledge, and of stamping it upon the memory. 
 
 The. Celtic Dero (oak tree) was invariably the The 
 natural temple, under whose wide-spreading m 
 shade the Druids met for Divine worship, 
 sacrifice, and public deliberations. Hence 
 majestic long avenues of oak groves were com- 
 mon throughout the country. The mistletoe, 
 a parasite growing on apple as well as on oak 
 trees, was held sacred, and used not only as a 
 medical agent, but as an antidote against poison 
 and preserver from witchcraft and malice. On
 
 6 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 its discovery in a forest the circumstance was 
 followed by a religious ceremony. The most 
 honourable of the surrounding Druids, clad in 
 a white robe, ascended the tree, and cut off the 
 mistletoe with a golden knife. The sacred 
 branch was not allowed to touch the ground, 
 but was received in the whitest of cloths by a 
 minister who stood under the tree. The ceremony 
 ended by the sacrifice of two heifers. 
 
 Such is the substance of what has been handed 
 down to us by Caesar and other historians of 
 ancient Britain's religious and social condition. 
 
 The Roman rule in Britain lasted about 500 
 years, that is to say, from the 55th year before 
 Christ to A.D. 411.* 
 
 Although naturally conservative and tenacious 
 of their own customs and language, the Britons, 
 no doubt, felt the effects of foreign influence. 
 The more polished manners of the conquerors, 
 their superiority in science and art, produced 
 no slight changes amongst these barbarians; 
 whilst their laws checked deeds and customs 
 peculiar to savage tribes. In this, the remotest 
 part of the empire, emperors and proconsuls 
 failed not to encourage and enforce, wherever 
 they could, the study of their national language. 
 Of course, Latin was to be used in all official 
 transactions and spoken by the invaders. If the 
 mass of the people tenaciously adhered to their 
 own idioms, the nobility, as a rule, learned Latin, 
 
 * Lingard, History of England.
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 7 
 
 and prided themselves in speaking it with the 
 purest accent. 
 
 The civil and military administration of the 
 country was framed on the Roman model. The 
 island was divided into three parts, Britannia 
 Prinia, Britannia Secunda, and Plavia Csesaris. 
 High roads, opened throughout the length and 
 breadth of the conquered land, placed it in com- 
 munication with the seat of government. 
 
 Along these high roads, fortresses constructed 
 from distance to distance, and garrisoned by 
 veterans or auxiliaries, insured the submission 
 of the Britons. 
 
 In her numerous colonies and stations, it was 
 the policy of Rome to allow her rule to be 
 shared by native potentates; thus the Herods 
 in the East, as we read in Holy Scripture, 
 retained the title of king. In Britain many of 
 the old chieftains, or petty kings, were left in 
 possession of rank and title as long as they did 
 homage to the supremacy of Rome, and brought 
 the annual tribute into her exchequer; just the 
 same as the sovereignty of England is recognised 
 in our days by the Rajahs of India. 
 
 However, during the foreign occupation, a Intro- 
 remarkable change was effected in the island, c 
 by the introduction of Christianity. Before the 1 y ' 
 last Roman soldier had embarked for Gaul, 
 another and more lasting rule had been esta- 
 blished in Britain, gradually, it is true, but 
 striking deep root in the minds of the people.
 
 8 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 The Master of that new empire was Jesus Christ 
 ol Nazareth, Son of the living God. In the 
 fifth century, as we shall see later on, Druidism 
 had faded away before the zealous and more 
 enlightened Disciples of the heavenly Creed, 
 and had lost its influence over the Britons. The 
 men of Christ, as the monks were called, occupied 
 the Roman fortresses, and took in hand the 
 education of the British youths. The Druids, 
 forsaken by the people, retired to the mountains 
 or lonesome islands; and their order, unable to 
 recruit fresh subjects to replace those who died, 
 insensibly disappeared. 
 
 The old Celtic tongue, rich in figures, terse 
 
 and energetic in utterance remained; but it 
 
 conveyed new ideas on the Diety; its unity, 
 
 and the form of worship. 
 
 Contrast " God is wonderful in His Saints," as the 
 
 between . 
 
 the mill- Psalmist observes ; by them he converted the 
 queror world. Pagan Rome was at one time the 
 peaceful Empress of the Universe, and, by the force of her 
 O f e the 8er arms, ruled from the river Euphrates to the 
 Clyde in Caledonia ; her fleets held undisputed 
 sovereignty of the ocean, and, by her wealth, 
 she commanded supremacy in all the markets 
 of the world.f The humble and peaceful apostles 
 of Christ, without armies and fleets, but solely 
 by the persuasion of revealed truth, their edify- 
 ing lives, and untiring zeal, assisted by Divine 
 grace, brought all the nations of the world to bow 
 
 t Godwin de Prsesulibus.
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 9 
 
 down their knees to Jesus of Nazareth, crucified 
 on Mount Calvary. Caesar took possession of 
 Britain at the head of 30,000 infantry and 2,000 
 horse. Eight hundred ships conveyed his legions 
 from the shores of Prance to the coasts of Eng- 
 land. Some humble hut intrepid missionaries 
 unassisted, except by the grace of God, planted 
 the standard of the Cross in this land, and gained 
 its inhabitants to the religion of Jesus Christ. 
 
 Caesar and his legions have long since disap- 
 peared ; they only exist in the pages of history ; 
 but the teaching and work of the Messengers 
 of the Son of God still remain alike in crowded 
 cities and remote villages. 
 
 As regards the introduction of Christianity First 
 into insular Britian, the first questions naturally 
 enquired into are : Who were the first Apostles age- 
 that taught the religion of their Divine Master 
 in the land ? Who were their first converts, and 
 at what period were they gained over to Christ ? 
 
 The first century of the Christian era is sur- 
 rounded by dense clouds, and not much informa- 
 tion can be arrived at respecting it. In the 
 second, the horizon becomes clearer and docu- 
 ments more abundant. As we descend the stream 
 of time the dead come forth from their graves. 
 
 It is asserted by many ecclesiastical writers, 
 of no small repute, that St. Peter, the first 
 Pope, and St. Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, 
 preached the Gospel in Britain. On one side, 
 there is nothing to prevent us from believing
 
 10 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 it ; on the other, we find no arguments strong 
 enough to prove, as certain, their presence in 
 this land. Both may have visited England, but 
 it cannot be satisfactorily ascertained. Peter 
 and Paul (especially the latter) were zealous, 
 active, and intrepid travellers ; when there was 
 a question of forwarding the interests of their 
 Divine Master, nothing could deter them. After 
 all, there were no insuperable barriers to check 
 their aspirations ; even in those days of slow 
 locomotion, a journey from Italy to Britain 
 could not occupy more than a month, for Dr. 
 Lingard observes that heavy goods, such as 
 metals (especially tin), were conveyed from 
 Cornwall to Marseilles in about thirty days. 1 
 Joseph it j s a } so ass erted, by ancient monastical his- 
 
 of Arima- 
 
 torians, that Joseph of Arimathea, who waited 
 on Pontius Pilate and claimed the honour of 
 burying, in his own family vault, the body of 
 his crucified Master, preached the Gospel in 
 this country. Godwin, Protestant Bishop of 
 Llandaff, gives us an interesting dissertation on 
 the subject. 2 
 
 Amongst other details he informs us that in 
 an old manuscript, preserved at the Vatican, it 
 is stated that Joseph of Arimathea was shipped 
 by the Jews in a decayed and leaky vessel, along 
 with Lazarus, Mary Magdalen, and Martha, and 
 sent adrift on the ocean. However, these victims 
 
 (1) Lingard, History of England, vol. 1. 
 (2) Godwin de Prsesulibus.
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 11 
 
 of Jewish bigotry and hatred were not deserted 
 by Divine Providence, which steered their frail 
 bark safe into the port of Marseilles in the 
 south of France. Thence Joseph came over to 
 Britain, under the following circumstances. A 
 certain disciple, named Philip, had often come 
 in contact with the Druids in Gaul, and from 
 them had learned that their Chief High Priest 
 dwelt in the great island in the north-west. 
 He thought it advisable to bring the light of 
 the Gospel into the very sanctuary of Druidism, 
 and carry on the work of conversion at head- 
 quarters. Joseph of Arimathea and twelve 
 others were chosen for this important under- 
 taking. The missionaries, on landing in Britain, 
 settled at Glastonbury (the Isle of Apples), 
 which was kindly bestowed on them by a 
 chieftain. 
 
 The earliest traditions of Britain fully coin- 
 cide on this point, and call this interesting spot 
 in Somersetshire the first yroimd of God ; the 
 first ground of the saints in England ; the rise 
 and fountain of religion in England ; the burying 
 place of the saints ; the mother -of the saints; they 
 also say that it was built by the very disciples of 
 our Lord. 1 
 
 Roman officers, whether military or civil, did 
 not disdain to intermarry with the races whom, 
 by the sword, they had conquered and made 
 subject to the senate and Roman people; nor 
 
 (1) Camden Britaiiiiiu.
 
 12 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 do we read of any regulations issued by their 
 Governments forbidding such unions; on the 
 contrary, they tended to cement friendship and 
 foster attachment to the new rulers. In the 
 East, Felix the Proconsul, to whom Paul ap- 
 pealed for protection, was married to Drusilla, 
 daughter of Agrippa ; and in Britain, Constantius 
 Chlorus shared his destiny with Helena, the 
 mother of Constantine the Great. 
 
 British historians record with pride the con- 
 version of two ladies of British race, who thus 
 married one a Patrician, the other a lloman 
 general. Their names are Claudia and Pomponia 
 Grsecina. 
 
 Of Claudia little positive is known beyond her 
 nationality and her conversion to the Christian 
 Faith. This, however, is surmised : That she 
 was daughter of Caractacus 1 (Caradoc), who for 
 nine years kept the invaders of his country at bay, 
 until at last, defeated and taken captive, he was 
 led in chains to Rome to adorn the triumph of the 
 conqueror on his march to the capitol. lie had 
 thus to appear before Claudius and Agrippina, 
 with his wife, his daughters, and his aged father, 
 Bran. The Emperor behaved generously to his 
 prisoner, and gave him his liberty. However, 
 Bran and the rest of the family were kept as 
 hostages to answer for the fidelity of the pardoned 
 British patriot. In the course of time, Bran 
 became acqainted with the religion of Christ. 
 
 (1) Nicholl's Antiquity of Wales.
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 13 
 
 was baptised, and, when allowed to return to 
 his native island, landed in Britain a sincere 
 Christian. 1 
 
 As for Claudia, his granddaughter, after re- 
 ceiving the best education that could be imparted 
 to a patrician lady, she married into the sena- 
 torial family of Pudens. Her beauty, talents, 
 and the distant land from which she came, made 
 her such a favourite in Roman society, that even 
 poets deemed it their duty to celebrate, in their 
 verses, this much admired British lady. Martial 
 speaks of her thus : 
 
 Though Claudia doth descend of British race, 
 Yet her behaviour's full of grace ; 
 Her beauty far the Italian dames surpass, 
 And for her wit she may for Grecian pass. 
 
 HoAvever, it is not this worldly tribute of 
 praise which renders her memory interesting to 
 the Christian enquirer so much as her immediate 
 connection with the head of the Church. 
 
 The names of Peter and Pudens are inseparable. 
 Cornelius the centurion, who was the first Gentile 
 officer converted by St. Peter to the religion of 
 his Divine Master, belonged to this family, and 
 introduced his Apostolic teacher into the patrician 
 household of Pudens, whose guest he became in 
 
 (1) The lolo manuscripts contains the following short notice in 
 reference to this point : Bran, the son of Llyr, was the first to 
 bring the Christian faith to this Island from Rome ; and is, therefore, 
 called Bran the Blessed. With him came Hid, an Israelite, who converted 
 many to the Religion of Christ. Eigen, the daughter of Caradoc (Caractacus), 
 son of Bran, married a chieftain named Sarllog . She was the first female 
 Saint of the Island of Britain. lolo MSS., page 514.
 
 14 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Home. The prince of the Apostles repaid his 
 hospitality, by winning to the faith of Christ 
 crucified, Pudens and his wife Claudia. The 
 holy sacrifice of the mass was offered under their 
 roof, and thus, in history, this senatorial mansion 
 is looked upon as the most ancient church in 
 Rome. The Cathedra Petri, or the chair of St, 
 Peter, in Rome, as it still exists, was the gift of 
 Pudens and his British consort Claudia. 1 
 Pompo- Aulus Plautius, left by Claudius at the head of 
 
 ma three- 
 
 dna. the Roman forces in Britain, married Pomponia 
 Grsecina, believed to be also of British extraction. 
 On the return of her husband to Rome, where 
 he received a petty triumph, she followed him. 
 In this new Babylon, to her great sorrow, she 
 soon became acquainted with the vices, intrigues, 
 and scandal of the Palace, and of Roman society 
 at large. Disgusted with this degraded state of 
 society at court, she turned to the religion of 
 Christ, which was then beginning to attract 
 public attention in the capitol. This step was 
 the signal for trials and persecutions. Her re- 
 putation was attacked on all sides, and to such 
 an extent, that the family considered it their 
 duty to call her to account for her conduct 
 before a tribunal composed of her nearest rela- 
 tions; according to Roman custom, her own 
 husband presided at the examination. Amongst 
 many heads of accusations, the only one proved 
 to be true was the fact of her having embraced 
 
 (1) Cardinal Wiseman, Fabiola.
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 15 
 
 a false superstition (the Christian faith), and 
 thus bringing disgrace upon the family. 
 
 However, her husband, Aulus Plautius, de- 
 clared her innocent, inasmuch as she was entitled 
 to liberty of conscience, and therefore free to 
 follow the religion she liked best. 1 
 
 Such are the scanty materials and somewhat 
 uncertain records handed down to us relative 
 to the introduction of Christianity into Britain, 
 its first propagators and followers. It is not 
 likely that such an interesting country as Britain, 
 one which held so high a position in the estima- 
 tion of Rome, should have been overlooked by 
 such zealous men as the Apostles. 
 
 The administration of the immense Roman 
 Empire required a well-organized system of 
 locomotion. Legions and auxiliaries were con- 
 stantly been moved from the East to the West, 
 and vice versa. The same may be said of the 
 almost innumerable civil staff employed by the 
 Imperial Government. A mass of men was thus 
 on the constant move, from one end of the world 
 to the other, as the exigencies of public service 
 required ; and fleets, day and night, crossed the 
 ocean, bearing to their respective stations the 
 servants of the immense Empire. To find a 
 parallel in our own days, we must visit the 
 Colonial and Indian Offices of Great Britain, 
 in London, and study its connection with the 
 British Colonies scattered all over the world. 
 
 (1) Henrion Histoire Ecclesiastique,, Tome xi., page 862.
 
 16 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 The great Christianity had already many followers in 
 
 extent of * 
 
 Roman this army of Pagan Rome ; and, wherever they 
 
 rule helps * 
 
 the pro- went, they propagated the name of Jesus of 
 
 pagation 
 
 of the Nazareth and His Divine religion. For the 
 early Christians were in earnest, and spared no 
 pains in forwarding the interests of their heavenly 
 Master. 
 
 Thus, the intercourse between various nation- 
 alities created by Roman ambition was a pro- 
 vidential means, made use of by the Church of 
 God, for disseminating the Gospel. The Christians 
 in a Roman legion, whether quartered on the 
 river Usk in Wales, in a fortress in Yorkshire, 
 or in any other part of the globe, would erect 
 a Catholic altar for the holy sacrifice of the Body 
 and Blood of Jesus Christ. 
 
 However, through lack of trustworthy docu- 
 ments, we are unable to state precisely the ex- 
 tent of the Gospel's propagation, or the proximate 
 numerical strength of the faithful amongst the 
 Britons, in the first century of the Christian era. 
 Second Let us now place before the reader a synopsis 
 Centuries of the work of the Christian Religion in Britain, 
 its progress, trials, and final triumph, down to 
 the days when Germanus and Lupus came over 
 as champions of Catholic truth against Pela- 
 gianisrn. 
 
 In the second century, the Ecclesiastical 
 History of Britain becomes more diffuse and 
 precise. The country feels a certain pride in 
 announcing to the world that the first crowned
 
 INTRODrCTIOX OF CHRISTIANITY. 17 
 
 head who embraced Christianity and propagated 
 its doctrines amongst his countrymen, was by 
 birth a Briton. 
 
 The name of this king was Lucius in Latin, 
 Lewfer Mawr (the Great Brightness) in his 
 native language. He was the son of Coyle, a 
 British Chieftain, who, unlike most of his com- 
 peers, had willingly accepted the Roman yoke. 
 Coyle in his youth had been sent to Rome to be 
 educated, and on his return, had succeeded to 
 his father's kingdom. During a long reign he 
 won the affection of his subjects and the respect 
 of the Roman rulers, to whom he did homage, 
 and paid the usual tribute, with the greatest 
 regularity. 1 
 
 When Lucius ascended the throne, his subjects 
 could boast that their young Prince was superior 
 to most of the native chieftains, for his father had 
 bestowed on him all the advantages of education 
 which he had himself acquired in Rome. 
 
 Not only from the Romans, but also from such King 
 of his own subjects as had travelled abroad, becomes a 
 either as students or soldiers, Lucius heard nar- 
 ratives of the wonderful miracles wrought by 
 Christians their heroic attachment to their faith, 
 even through the greatest trials and of the 
 rapid progress of their religion in every class of 
 society. This led him to take a great interest in 
 the study of Christianity. In a short time the 
 impression produced on his mind by the history 
 
 (1) Samnip.s, Britannia Antiqua, p. *_ ; .">t'.
 
 18 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our 
 Lord excited in his heart a desire to become a 
 Christian. On being informed that Eleutherius, 
 the chief Pontiff of this heavenly religion, resided 
 in Rome, he determined to send ambassadors to 
 this Vicar of Jesus Christ. Two envoys, duly 
 accredited, set out for Home, to petition the Pope 
 to send missionaries to Britain for the purpose of 
 instructing their master King Lucius and his 
 people in the faith of Christ. 1 
 
 Eleutherius received the embassy with the 
 greatest kindness, and on learning the object of 
 their mission raised up his hands with emotion, 
 and thanked Almighty God for having thus 
 
 o - o 
 
 visited with His grace the remote land of Britain. 
 The envoys seem to have received baptism in 
 Home, and returned to their sovereign accom- 
 panied by two missionaries, Pugatius and Da- 
 niianus or, in the Celtic tongue, Pagan and 
 Daniian. 2 
 
 The Britons Avere, no doubt, ripe for conversion. 
 
 St. tagaus 
 
 and The missionaries met with a people ready to 
 
 MertLyr- ^ 
 
 dovau receive the Gospel. We read of no desecration 
 
 hamlets m 
 
 Glamor- or bloodshed in connection with its propagation ; 
 
 ganshire 
 
 are named and, wonderful to relate, the Imperial Govern- 
 after these 
 two ment the declared enemy of Christianity in 
 
 Apostles. 
 
 every other part of the globe remained in- 
 different to its introduction and progress in 
 Britain. 
 
 (1) Nennius places the event iii the year of Our Lord 187. 
 
 (2) Geoffrey of Monmouth calls them Faganus and Duvanus, and these 
 are the names by which they are still known in South Wales.
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 19 
 
 Shortly after their arrival the two missionaries 
 entered on the work, and baptized King Lucius, 
 many of his officers, and a multitude of his 
 subjects. 
 
 The Protestant Bishop, Godwin, observes that 
 the truth spread with rapidity through the length 
 and breadth of the land. The zealous, teachers, 
 Fagan and Damian, unable to attend to the 
 spiritual wants of so many thousands who were 
 desirous of instruction, thought it best to return 
 to Koine to plead the cause of the British neo- 
 phytes, and urge on the Pope the necessity of 
 sending them further assistance. 
 
 He granted their request, and they returned to 
 Britain with additional labourers. The propa- 
 gation of the Gospel then progressed with even 
 greater rapidity. 
 
 In accordance with orders to that effect received 
 from the Holy See, a Hierarchy, similar to that 
 established in other parts of the world, was con- 
 stituted in Britain. 
 
 It corresponded with the civil divisions of the 
 country, and comprised three dioceses, or arch- 
 dioceses namely, London, York, and Caerleon. 
 York had jurisdiction over the North of England; 
 to Caerleon, on the river Usk, Wales was 
 subjected; and London exercised jurisdiction 
 over the rest of the country. 1 
 
 The conversion of Lucius and of a large pro- 
 portion of the Britons is not a pious fiction, as 
 some modern writers endeavour to maintain. It 
 
 (1) Godwin, Geoffrey aiid others.
 
 20 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 is based on facts difficult to deny. The archives 
 of the most ancient churches throughout Britain 
 afford proof beyond doubt that this Christian 
 Prince was connected with their foundation. 
 Godwin, the Protestant Bishop, elucidates this 
 fact with great erudition. 
 
 churches The first church ever built in London was that 
 
 tbedaysofOf St. Peter, Comhill, which was erected by 
 
 LUCIUS. Bishop Heanus, or Theanus. He was greatly 
 
 assisted in his work by the cup-bearer of Lucius. 
 
 Elvanus, the second Bishop, built a library in 
 
 connection with the same Church, and gained 
 
 over many Druids to the Christian faith. 
 
 The See of York owes its origin to the zeal and 
 liberality of the same saintly king, and its first 
 Bishop seems to have been a missionary named 
 Samson. 
 
 The first Church erected in Llandaff, near 
 Cardiff, Glamorganshire, was also in a great 
 measure the work of Lucius. St. Fagan preached 
 the Gospel in this part of the island; and a 
 Parish Church within a mile or two of Llandaff 
 was named after him, and has handed down to 
 posterity the appreciation with which his zeal 
 and Apostolic labours were regarded by past 
 generations. 
 
 The Church of Winchester, dedicated to our 
 Saviour, was opened for Divine worship in 
 October, 189, by Fagan and Damian, under the 
 auspices of Lucius. For about a hundred years 
 religion flourished in that part of the country.
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 21 
 
 Under the persecution of Diocletian the Churches 
 were levelled to the ground, but on the accession 
 of Constantine to the dominion of the Roman 
 Empire, the Church of Winchester was re-built, 
 and dedicated to Amphilobus, the Priest sheltered 
 by St. Alban, but later on put to death through 
 hatred of Christ. 
 
 The writer of these pages regrets his inability 
 to supply fuller or more graphic details in con- 
 nection with this first Royal convert received 
 into the Church as a Sovereign ; we do not find 
 his name associated with any daring exploits on 
 the battle-field, but he may be justly styled the 
 protector and even the propagator of the Christian 
 faith in his native land. 
 
 The very fact of his embracing Christianity 
 despite Druidical prejudice and Roman opposition, 
 and of his zealous and open exertions to further 
 its extension, shows beyond doubt that he pos- 
 sessed a noble mind, and was endowed with an 
 energetic will ; for many there are, even in our 
 own times, who, having been inspired with the 
 knowledge of the truth, are yet so weak-hearted 
 as to shrink away from it, through pusillanimity 
 and human respect. 
 
 It is not unlikely that the conquerors of Britain, 
 though not openly persecuting the Christians by 
 endeavouring to force them to offer incense to 
 
 O 
 
 idols, and on their refusal condemning them to 
 torture or death, yet caused them in many 
 ways to suffer for the faith, through withholding
 
 22 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 the full measure of justice from them at their 
 tribunals, and depriving them, of many rights and 
 privileges. They may thus have suffered from 
 the action of many petty penal laws. 
 
 It is stated that Lucius bestowed both consti- 
 tutional and civic freedom upon the Christians, 
 and granted them special privileges in regard to 
 law and land. Coyle, his father, had gone to 
 Rome to study profane science at the seat of 
 Empire. He, from the same city, brought the 
 faith to his countrymen. He led a life of celibacy 
 after his conversion, and was the first Prince in 
 Britain to practise continency, which so many 
 thousands followed him in adopting, in accord- 
 ance with the counsels of perfection taught by 
 the Gospel. 
 
 Some annalists contend that Lucius, in his 
 
 Lucius 
 
 buried at latter days, retired to Germany, where he 
 preached the Christian faith and received the 
 crown of martyrdom. But this Lucius of the 
 Teutons must not be confounded with the British 
 Piince of the same name, who, according to the 
 more probable opinion of grave historians, gave 
 up his soul to his Maker in Gloucester, and was 
 there buried, Anno Domino 201. His feast was 
 celebrated on the 3rd of December, the day of 
 his death, and on the anniversary of his baptism, 
 May 28th. 1 
 
 1. Mathew of Westminster has handed down the following notice in 
 reference to this: 
 
 Anno Gratia CCL, Inclytus Brittanorurn, Rex Lucius, inbonis actibus 
 assurrtus Claudio cestria ab nac vita migrovit ad Christum et in Ecc'esia 
 prima aedis honorifice sepultus en. (Sammes, Butt. Ant., p. 266).
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 23 
 
 The records of Church history, handed down 
 to us from the death of Lucius to the tenth 
 persecution under Diocletian, are very scanty. 
 
 During this period, however, the British Church 
 was fruitful, not only in native clergy, fitted to 
 supply its own spiritual wants, but also in mis- 
 sionaries to foreign countries. 
 
 "I may here cite St. Mellon, first Bishop ofst. Mellon 
 Rouen, Normandy. Mellon, probably a member of Rouen, 
 of the British aristocracy, was led by curiosity 
 to visit Rome, the capital of the conquerors of 
 his native land, which, whilst yet a Pagan, he 
 had heard extolled for its beauty, refinement, 
 and population. In the Holy City, however, he 
 became a Christian, receiving baptism from the 
 Pope St. Stephen, Anno Domino 257, who sent 
 him to preach the Gospel in Gaul. 
 
 Mellon laboured with zeal amongst the Neus- 
 trians, and when consecrated Bishop fixed his 
 See at Rouen, about the year 260. His Episcopal 
 administration lasted fifty years, and during this 
 long period he built several Churches, and laid 
 
 In the lolo MSS. we find the following passage in connection with 
 King Lucius: 
 
 St. Lleirug, King of the Island of Britain, the son of Coel .... 
 sent to Rome for a Bishop to return with him, in order to baptise such of 
 the Cymry as embraced the faith of Christ. Pope Eleutherius granted 
 him as Bishops, Elvan, Medwy, Dyvan, and Fagan. 
 
 St. Fagan was Bishop of Llansanfagan, where a Church was dedicated 
 to him. 
 
 St. Medwy occupied the See of Llanmedwy, which also possesses a 
 Church dedicated in his name. 
 
 The Church and College of Glastonbury were dedicated to St. Elvan, 
 the first Bishop of that See. (lolo MSS., p. 514). 
 
 It may not be out of place here to remind the reader that the two 
 last-named Saints Medwy and Elvan are supposed to be the two 
 Ambassadors sent to Pope Eleutherius. In the City of Rome they received 
 baptism, and later on ordination, and were thus enabled to preach the 
 Gospel to their countrymen.
 
 24 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 as it were the foundation of the Cathedral of that 
 city on the very spot it now occupies. The noble 
 Gothic building which in our days is the glory of 
 the capital of Normandy of course traces its 
 origin to a more modern date. 
 
 St. Mellon died at an advanced age, and rich 
 in noble deeds, at the beinnm<? of the fourth 
 
 7 O O 
 
 century. A beautiful village near Cardiff still 
 bears his name. 
 The first The Britons were spared all the horrors of the 
 
 nine per- 
 secutions first nine general persecutions. If the edicts of 
 
 against the 
 
 Christians the Roman Emperors were officially proclaimed 
 
 not carried 
 
 out. throughout the land, they turned out dead letters, 
 as no Proconsul or Magistrate had either the will 
 or could spare the time to carry them into exe- 
 cution. 
 
 In France, Spain, and Italy, as in the East, 
 Christian blood was shed in torrents. The 
 Amphitheatres became the scene of the protracted 
 struggles and final victory of thousands of 
 martyrs. But in Britain, the followers of 
 Christ were allowed to remain undisturbed, 
 although perhaps some minor penal laws may 
 have been put in force against them. 
 
 This leniency on the part of local authorities 
 proved beneficial to the Church. The Christians 
 when persecuted elsewhere fled for shelter to this 
 island, where, the moment they landed, they felt 
 safe. Thousands of the faithful children of the 
 Church who were marked for destruction in Gaul 
 and Spain crossed over to Britain, and thus
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 25 
 
 added to the strength of the Christian com- 
 munity. 
 
 However, on the 27th of February, 303, 1 a 
 lirst edict of persecution was issued, with orders 
 that it should not only be published, but also 
 rigorously carried out throughout the Empire. 
 
 This edict enacted that all Christian Churches 
 should be levelled to the ground, all copies of the 
 Holy Scriptures should be confiscated and burnt, 
 and the followers of Christ should be tortured, 
 without any distinction of rank, age, or sex. 
 
 Christians were debarred from honours and 
 dignities, and were deprived of their possessions. 
 Any one could sue them before the Magistrates, 
 but they were to have no power of appeal to the 
 Judges. They were pronounced incompetent to 
 claim redress in any civil court, either for 
 robbery, violence, or any injustice whatever that 
 might be committed against them. In a word, 
 they were declared outlaws, in the fullest sense 
 of the term. 
 
 Shortly after the first a second and third edict, 
 referring particularly to the Clergy, were pro- 
 claimed. By order of these, the ministers of 
 the Christian religion were at once to be arrested 
 and tortured, unless they offered incense to the 
 idols. 
 
 Explicit orders were at the same time sent to 
 Britain to enforce these penal laws in the strictest 
 manner. 
 
 (1) Henrion, Histoire Eccles. Tome 13, p. 54-55.
 
 26 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Constantius Chlorus was then the Caesar of the 
 West. In religion he was a Philosopher. As a 
 ruler, history gives him the credit of being a just 
 man, and of possessing a discerning mind, and a 
 heart inclining to mercy. 
 
 He was aware that the Christians, as citizens, 
 were as loyal, if not more so, than their perse- 
 cutors, and that they had as much right to 
 helieve and follow the religion of Christ as the 
 Romans had to worship Jupiter or Mars ; there- 
 fore the cruel and impolitic edicts which ordered 
 the extermination of the Christians were enacted 
 without his approval. 
 
 However, for the moment he had no choice 
 but to publish the decrees, being assured that if 
 he individually was reluctant to carry them out, 
 no such scruple would be felt by many of his 
 Lieutenants and Magistrates. 
 Constan- A considerable portion of his own household 
 
 tius puts 
 
 his house- belonged to the Christian faith. Summoning 
 
 hold to . 
 
 test. these together, he read to them the Imperial 
 orders, and told them that under such circum- 
 stances it would be necessary for them either to 
 offer sacrifice to the national gods or resign their 
 respective offices. He would allow them time 
 for reflection. 
 
 On the day appointed for receiving their de- 
 cision, a great number declared that they would 
 rather forfeit their position than become rene- 
 gades, whilst others pusillanimously professed 
 themselves ready to offer sacrifice to the national
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 27 
 
 deities. Having listened to the noble refusal of 
 the Christians to barter faith for worldly advan- 
 tage, and to the cowardly subservience of the 
 Apostates, Constantius gave his own opinion as 
 to their respective conduct. 1 In no measured 
 terms he condemned the base acquiescence and 
 the cowardice of the renegades, telling them that 
 he never henceforward could place any confidence 
 in them, for they could not be true to the Caesars 
 who had proved traitors to their God, and de- 
 serters from their religion. He then informed 
 them that he would for the future dispense with 
 their services, and dismissed them. The faithful 
 Christians on the contrary he retained near his 
 person, and, convinced of their loyalty, entrusted 
 to them the most important affairs. Moreover, 
 it was from amongst them he selected his own 
 body-guard, and during his whole life he placed 
 the greatest confidence in their loyalty. 
 
 This policy does credit to the discernment of 
 Constantius, and is a strong proof of his common 
 sense. 
 
 It is a time-honoured axiom that he is not to 
 be depended upon who abjures what is, by a 
 right-minded man, deemed most sacred his con- 
 scientious belief. 
 
 Had the officers employed by Constantius in 
 Britain been endowed with a similar nobility of 
 nature, the tenth general persecution would not 
 have been carried out there, any more than the 
 
 (1) Henrion, Hist. Eccl. Tome XL, p. 66. Lingard, Hist, of England.
 
 28 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 nine preceding ones. However, such was not the 
 case. 
 
 st. Aibau I n the persecution of Diocletian, Christian 
 blood was shed all over Britain. St. Alban, who 
 is looked upon as the proto-martyr of England, 
 suffered at Verulum. A priest named Aniphi- 
 bolus later on the patron saint of Winchester- 
 was pursued by the lictors of Diocletian. St. 
 Alban, whilst yet a Pagan, offered refuge to the 
 fugitive, and concealed him in his own house. 
 Struck bv the demeanour of his sruest, and by his 
 
 / O v 
 
 pious life (for Amphibolus spent most of his time 
 in prayer), Alban enquired into his religion, and 
 soon became instructed in the doctrine of Christ. 
 On the Governor bein informed that he ave 
 
 o o 
 
 shelter to a priest a band of soldiers was dis- 
 patched to arrest the servant of God. To defeat 
 this intention Alban induced Amphibolus to ex- 
 change garments with him, and fly beyond the 
 reach of his persecutors. Then, taking his place, 
 he presented himself before the Roman soldiers 
 in the caracalla, or long robe, worn by the 
 priesthood. He was brought before the Governor 
 at an hour when the latter was offering sacrifice 
 
 O 
 
 to his gods. Hearing how his satellites had been 
 deceived, he flew into a great passion, and ex- 
 claimed " Since the priest Amphibolus has 
 escaped through your exchanging clothes with 
 him, you shall now die in his place, unless you 
 offer sacrifice to the immortal gods." Alban, 
 who had already declared himself a Christian to
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. l9 
 
 the soldiers, said, with determination, that he 
 would never obey the Governor in offering 
 incense to dumb idols. "But who are you," 
 replied the Governor, "who dare to resist my 
 command? What family do you claim kindred 
 with?" "It matters little from what family I 
 spring. If you desire to know my religion, I am 
 a Christian." "But," repeated the Governor, 
 "what is your name?" "I am called Alban; I 
 adore the only true God, Creator of heaven and 
 earth." The Governor "Either sacrifice to the 
 idol, or die a miserable death by the hand of the 
 public executioner." Alban "You, Governor, 
 sacrifice to your idols; I will not so debase 
 myself. They can neither hear the prayers of 
 their worshippers nor come to their assistance. 
 Those who sacrifice to them have nothing but 
 eternal punishment in store." 
 
 The Governor, exasperated, ordered him to 
 be scourged till his bones were laid bare, and a 
 pool of blood covered the ground under his feet ; 
 but Alban remaining steadfast, the angry judge 
 commanded the executioner to strike off his head. 
 It was at Yerulum, then a nourishing city, that 
 Alban suffered for his Saviour. On their way to 
 the place of execution they came to a bridge 
 built across the river Cole. This bridge was 
 crowded by thousands of spectators, and all the 
 efforts of the soldiers to clear a passage proved 
 fruitless. Alban, longing to die gloriously for 
 his Divine Muster, besought them to open a way
 
 30 CAMBEIA SACRA. 
 
 across, when, behold! the bed of the river 
 became dry, and more than a thousand persons 
 passed safely to the other side the water, says 
 Gildas, standing like walls on both sides. 
 
 The commanding officer was so struck by this 
 miracle that he threw himself at the feet of 
 . Alban, and begged either to die in his place, or, 
 at least, in his company. On his refusal to cut 
 off the head of Alban, he was condemned to die 
 with him, and thus shared his martyrdom. St. 
 Alban gained his crown on the 22nd of June. 
 Veruluni has fallen to ruin, but a more modern 
 town erected on the same spot commemorates, by 
 its name of St. Albans, the first martyr of Britain. 
 Martyrs of Many other saints of both sexes were slain in 
 the cause of their Divine Master throughout the 
 country. It is said they numbered thousands. 
 South Wales participated in the glorious roll of 
 martyrs. Caerleon its seat of government 
 was the scene of not a few executions. History 
 has transmitted the names of but two of these 
 Christian heroes Aaron and Julius, or Jules. 
 Both these saints were Britons, and both seem to 
 have gone to Rome in their youth to pursue their 
 ecclesiastical studies, and in that city to have 
 been admitted to Holy orders. The martyrs had 
 probably been the priests of Caerleon, Usk, and 
 the country adjoining. If we rely on the tra- 
 ditions which exist in South Wales, even at the 
 present day, we will find that the persecution in 
 this part of Britain was carried on with extreme
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 31 
 
 severity. Ten thousand martyrs, it is asserted, 
 shed their blood at Caerleon, on the river Usk. 
 The authorities of this district must have in- 
 tensely hated the very name of Christianity, and 
 waged a religious war a entrance against the 
 followers of the Saviour, who were here very 
 numerous and deeply devoted to their faith. It 
 is again to be regretted that no detailed narrative 
 of the noble struggles of these heroic souls, as 
 also no list of their names, should have been 
 preserved for our edification. 
 
 As Aaron and Julius were eminent amongst 
 the Confessors, two Churches were erected by 
 their countrymen on the spots crimsoned by their 
 blood one on the east, the other on the west 
 side of the river. London also possesses the 
 record of the martyrdom of Augulus a priest 
 who, it is believed, was a bishop. Lichfield, or 
 the City of Carcasses, witnessed the noble death 
 of hundreds of the followers of Christ. 
 
 Constantius Chlorus had taken more a passive 
 than an active part in the persecution, and, as 
 far as he was himself concerned, had only levelled 
 the Churches, sparing the living temples of God. 
 Therefore, as soon as he felt himself independent 
 of his colleagues in Rome, he ordered their edicts 
 to be altogether annulled in Britain. 1 
 
 To his son Constantine, however, was reserved 
 the glory of putting a stop for ever to the cruel 
 and iniquitous war waged by the Roman Empire 
 
 (1) Gildas.
 
 32 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 against the Church. This young Prince, on 
 hearing of his father's illness, hastened to York 
 to attend his death-bed, and received from him 
 his last will. Constantius, presenting the future 
 champion of the Church to the assembled coun- 
 cillors, thus addressed them : 
 
 constan- " I leave you my son as my successor in this 
 
 Speror. Empire. With God's assistance he shall wipe 
 
 away the tears of the Christians, and avenge the 
 
 tyranny practised against them. In this, above 
 
 all, do I place my hopes of felicity." 1 
 
 This address gained general approval, and was 
 heartily applauded by all the Legions, for public 
 opinion already held in execration the long per- 
 secution so cruelly carried on against the Chris- 
 tians. If such were the wishes of Constantius 
 one of the few Caesars who favoured the followers 
 of Christ they were fully realised. 
 
 It may here be interesting to relate the incident 
 connected with the conversion of Constantine 
 before his entry into Italy. He was favoured by 
 beholding the apparition of a cross in the air, on 
 which appeared the words, in Greek characters, 
 "In hoc signo vince"- through this sign shalt 
 thou conquer. 
 
 After the overthrow of Maxentius, the victor 
 emancipated his Christian subjects, and became 
 their benefactor throughout the Empire. 
 
 His mother, St. Helena who, according to the 
 generally received opinion, was British by birth 
 
 (1) Sammes, Britannia Antiqua, j>. 314.
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 33 
 
 followed the example of her son, and embraced 
 the religion of Jesus Christ. 
 
 Her latter days were entirely deyoted to ffood 
 
 St. Helena 
 
 works, particularly those of restoring the Holy 
 Places connected with the birth, life, and death 
 of the Redeemer, both within and without 
 Jerusalem. It was she who discovered the true 
 cross on which the Saviour had died, and built 
 Churches both over His sepulchre and the manger 
 in Bethlehem, which was His first resting-place 
 on earth. 
 
 When this Imperial matron departed from 
 earth, the Church bestowed upon her the title 
 "Venerabilis et Piissima Augusta" an august 
 and most pious Princess. Never was a title more 
 correct. 
 
 The great revolution in religious matters 
 effected bv Constantine changed the entire face 
 
 f O 
 
 of the world. Not only was liberty of conscience 
 granted to the Christians, but decrees were 
 enacted by which the ministers of that religion, 
 through force of circumstances, were obliged to 
 assume the same position, both socially and 
 politically, as that held by the Hierophants of 
 the Paganism which was fading away. 
 
 Under the auspices of Constantine the Christian 
 Priesthood became the Clergy of the Empire. 
 
 In Britain the Church rapidly recovered from 
 her sufferings. The Christians returned from 
 the forests and the mountains and re-built their 1 
 
 (1) Gildaa.
 
 34 CAMBRIA SACEA. 
 
 temples, having a particular regard, in several 
 instances, to dedicate them to such of their 
 brethren as had nobly given their lives for Christ. 
 Accordingly, the new Church at Verulum was 
 named after St. Alban, whilst that of Winchester 
 was dedicated to Amphibolus, the martyr, who 
 had been the priest of the district when the 
 persecution overwhelmed it. At Caerleon the 
 same rule was followed in perpetuation of the 
 noble sacrifice made by Aaron and Julius. 
 
 British So nourishing did religion become at that time, 
 that the British Church sent three of her most 
 distinguished Bishops to represent her at the 
 
 Rimini. Council of Aries, in 314. These Prelates filled 
 the Sees of York, London, and probably that of 
 Caerleon. 
 
 In the middle of the same century we again 
 find British Bishops on their way to join the 
 assembly of their Episcopal brethren, convened 
 against Arianism. This time their destination 
 
 o 
 
 was not to the South of Prance, but carried them 
 beyond the Alps to Rimini (Ariminum) in the 
 Homagna. 
 
 Constantius, the son of Constantine, had ordered 
 that all the travelling expenses on this occasion 
 should be defrayed out of the public purse. The 
 Bishops of Aquitaine, Gaul, and Britain preferred 
 living at their own expense, in order to show the 
 world that they were independent of the Emperor. 
 Three of the English Prelates, however, having 
 no means of their own, and being unwilling to
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 35 
 
 burthen their Episcopal brethren, availed them- 
 selves of the Imperial offer, remarking that their 
 maintainance would fall lighter on the public 
 purse than on that of individuals. 
 
 In closing this short notice of the tenth perse- 
 cution, and its noble victims, it may be well to st. Ursula 
 
 call the attention of the reader to the glorious her Com- 
 panions 
 
 martyrdom of St. Ursula and her companions, Martyred 
 which took place towards the latter end of the 
 fourth century. These daughters of Christ were 
 not amongst those who fell victims to the de- 
 liberately issued Penal Edicts of the Emperors 
 they met their death through the ferocity of the 
 Huns. The circumstances connected with this 
 event may be thus briefly summed up. 
 
 The Emperor, Gratian Elavius Clemens Maxi- 
 mus, came to Britain and caused himself to be 
 proclaimed Caesar. 1 Having consolidated his 
 power in the island, he then turned his thoughts 
 to the conquest of Gaul, and for this purpose 
 collected a large army, with which he sailed for 
 the Continent. He first attacked the Armoricans, 
 upon whose shores he landed. So desolated did 
 this province become through the war, that but 
 few of its inhabitants remained on its soil, those 
 who were not slain in battle retiring to the 
 interior of Gaul. 
 
 Maximus, anxious to re-people the country, 
 published a decree, by which he invited a hundred 
 thousand of the peasants of Britain to come to 
 
 (1) Geoffrey of Monmouth, Roman Breviary, Supplementair.
 
 36 CAMBKEA SACRA. 
 
 Armorica and settle there. An army of thirty 
 thousand soldiers was allotted to protect this 
 colony from hostile attacks. These forced immi- 
 grants, on their arrival in Armorica, were dis- 
 tributed throughout the province, and thus 
 Maximus created a new Britain on the western 
 coast of Prance, which, in course of time, became 
 known as Brittany. 
 
 Having arranged all to his satisfaction, Maximus 
 bestowed the new province on Conan Meriadec, 
 and proceeded to complete the final conquest of 
 Gaul. 
 
 Conan Meriadec was not long in possession of 
 his dominion when he discovered a drawback. 
 So great was the numerical disparity between the 
 men and the women, that it was impossible for 
 his subjects to procure British wives, and he was 
 unwilling that they should intermarry with Gauls. 
 
 In this dilemma he looked to his native land 
 for the future mothers of his people, and dis- 
 patched messengers to Britain to place before 
 Dianotus, King of Cornwall, the special difficulty 
 he laboured under in Armorica in this respect, 
 asking at the same time the King to bestow on 
 him in marriage the hand of his daughter Ursula. 
 
 Dianotus acceded to the wishes of Conan, and 
 issued a summons to the daughters of the nobility, 
 and also to a great number of young women of 
 inferior rank, requiring them, whether willing or 
 unwilling, to assemble at a given date in London, 
 where he was collecting a fleet to transport them 
 to Armorica,
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 37 
 
 This arbitrary measure may have pleased some, 
 particularly those who had hushands in Brittany, 
 and perhaps others who were not unwilling to 
 marry there. 
 
 But a great number naturally felt aggreived 
 at being forced to leave their native land and 
 their relatives and friends. A few, like St. 
 Ursula, had vowed virginity, devoting themselves 
 to heavenly espousals. To these the commands 
 of the King were especially obnoxious. 
 
 The fleet, with its living freight, sailed down 
 the Thames, but in the channel encountered a 
 violent storm, and was dispersed. Many of the 
 ships foundered, and those which weathered the 
 tempest were driven by the westerly gale towards 
 Holland and Belgium, on whose shores the crews 
 and passengers landed, in a most forlorn condition. 
 
 The brutal soldiers who had been appointed to 
 guard the unfortunate women, finding them thus 
 at their mercy, and having no respect either for 
 chastity or liberty of conscience, required their 
 victims to sacrifice their virtue, and also to offer 
 incense to Pagan deities. 
 
 Ursula, in the name of all, pleaded their cause, Sfc Ursula 
 and appealed to the honour of the soldiers for J^jf Com 
 protection and respect towards defenceless women. P anions - 
 She said that their destination was Armorica, to 
 which place it was their intention to proceed, to 
 join their relatives, friends, or husbands. They 
 therefore hoped to be allowed to travel unharmed 
 to the camp of Maximus, who would provide them
 
 38 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 with the means of making their way to Armorica. 
 They belonged to the Catholic faith, which or- 
 dained chastity, not only to the virgin, but to the 
 married woman and widow. 
 
 Being commanded by their captors to renounce 
 their faith, these virtuous women declared that 
 they would die rather than abandon the religion 
 of the Redeemer of the world; and they also 
 sternly refused to forfeit their chastity. This so 
 exasperated the soldiers that they rushed on the 
 defenceless victims, and put them to death. One 
 only, named Cordula, contrived to escape; but, 
 struck by the determination of her companions, 
 and the spectacle of the turf reddened with their 
 blood, she hastened back, proclaimed to the 
 barbarians that she also was a Christian, and 
 claimed, like them, the privilege of dying for her 
 Divine Master, and following the souls of her 
 friends to the throne of God. On this the soldiers, 
 in their fury, at once slew her. 
 
 The martyrdom of these Christian heroines 
 took place on the 21st of October, in the year of 
 our Lord 383, and their memory is held in great 
 veneration. The Emperor Theodosius was in the 
 habit of invoking St. Ursula and her companions 
 when in danger, and at the commencement of 
 his battles. It is rather difficult to indicate 
 exactly the number included in this martyr band, 
 but some assert that it amounted to eleven 
 thousand.
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 39 
 
 Conan Meriadec could hardly be consoled on 
 learning the fate of his promised wife, Ursula. 
 
 Breton historians relate that later on he married 
 Darerea, sister of St. Patrick, who, they state, 
 was born at Pondaven, a village in the Diocese of 
 Quimper, Einisterre, and thus neither Scotland nor 
 Wales can claim this Saint amongst their noblest 
 sons. 
 
 If Arianism found place in the minds of some 
 Christians in Britain, the number was so trifling 
 that this erroneous doctrine can scarcely be said 
 to have taken root in the island. 
 
 The same assertion cannot, unfortunately, be 
 made in regard to Pelagianism. 
 
 Morgan, a Briton by birth, as his name clearly 
 indicates, was a lay Monk of Bangor, North or e -gan. 
 Wales, near Chester. Nature had not favoured 
 him physically, as he was blind of one eye, and 
 otherwise disfigured. However, he was endowed 
 with great intellectual powers, and possessed a 
 strong will. Going on pilgrimage to Borne, he 
 became attached to that city and its inhabitants, 
 and determined to make it his place of abode. 
 There he improved his education, and became 
 known amongst the Roman literati as a good 
 Greek and Latin scholar. Later on he proceeded 
 to the East, where he changed his Celtic name 
 into its Greek equivalent Pelagius. He adopted 
 the errors of Theodorus of Mopsuestia, about the 
 year 400. 1 
 
 (1) Henrion Hist. Eccles. Tome xiii., p. 584.
 
 40 CAMBRIA SACUA. 
 
 Pelagius denied the doctrine of original sin and 
 its consequences. According to his opinion there 
 was no necessity for divine grace for the en- 
 lightenment of our mind and the strengthening 
 of our will. Such a doctrine, according to his 
 theory, upset the whole scheme of redemption, 
 because, if mankind- was not guilty, there was no 
 need for a Redeemer, and the seven sacraments 
 instituted by our Lord, as seven channels of grace, 
 were useless. As a modern writer 1 has observed, 
 Pelagianisni is the eldest sister of the rationalism 
 of our days, which maintains that reason, un- 
 assisted by Divine grace, is a sufficient guide and 
 monitor for man on his way through life. 
 
 This heresy was triumphantly refuted by the 
 great St. Augustine in his treatises on grace, and 
 was also condemned by several Councils. 
 
 About the same time, under Pope Celestine, 
 Fastidius, Bishop of London, wrote two books on 
 this subject "De Vita Christiana," and "De 
 Medico ad Conservandam Viduitatem." These 
 treatises are elegant and polished in style, but 
 somewhat savour of Pelagianism. 2 
 
 Whilst the peace of the Church was being dis- 
 turbed, even in the British Isles, by Pelagianism, 
 she was at the same time receiving consolation 
 from the thousands of converts who nocked into 
 the fold in Scotland and Ireland. 
 
 st. Paiia- St. Prosper, speaking of Pope Celestine, says 
 dius - that, not satisfied with exterminating Pelagianism 
 
 (1) Henrion, Hist. Eccles. Tome xv., p. 267. 
 (2) The same, p. 1214. This work is to be fouud in the Patrologia of Migne.
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 41 
 
 in Great Britain, he consecrated a Bishop for the 
 Scoti, or Hibernians. This Bishop, whose name 
 was Palladium, sailed for Ireland in 431, with 
 special instructions from the Pope to devote 
 himself to the faithful in that country. The 
 Christian religion had already been preached in 
 the southern province by St. Albius, St. Declan, 
 St. Ibar, and St. Kiaran, who had there established 
 Christian communities. 3 
 
 This statement is confirmed by the following 
 incident, mentioned in the life of St. Patrick : 
 The great Apostle, after evangelizing the north 
 and centre of Ireland, visited the south ; but here 
 he found a Catholic clergy and population disposed 
 to receive him much in the same way that, later 
 on, the Bishops of Britain received St. Augustine. 
 
 Palladius landed at Wicklow, and remained p a iiadius 
 there about a year, when he was forced to abandon 
 his intended field of labour, in consequence of la 
 the persecution of some petty prince. He sailed 
 from thence to Scotland. 
 
 If his work in Ireland was unfruitful, it was 
 richly rewarded by the Caledonians, whose first 
 Bishop he became. 1 
 
 Where the Apostle of Scotland failed, St. 
 Patrick was ordained to succeed, reaping a most 
 
 (1) The Scoti of Caledonia claim, like the Britains, to have received 
 the Gospel in Apostolic times. Be this as it may, it is, however, certain 
 that a holy Bishop, a North Briton, educated and ordained in Rome 
 during the reign of Pope Damasus, planted the cross in the South of 
 Scotland. His name was Ninias, or Ninianus. This saintly Apostle fixed 
 his See at Whitehern, in Galloway, where he built a stone Church, and 
 dedicated it to St. Martin.
 
 42 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 abundant harvest, and winning to the faith of 
 Christ the whole unconverted population of 
 Hibernia. 
 
 st. Patrick Strange to say, he also landed at Wicklow, in 
 the very territory abandoned the previous year 
 by his predecessor. Like him, too, he had to 
 leave and make his way to the north of the 
 island, where, as a slave, he had suffered much. 
 St. Patrick was accompanied by thirty or thirty- 
 four fellow-labourers, whom he had collected in 
 Italy, Prance, and Britain, to share his toils and 
 triumph. In considering the immense work he 
 performed, and his continual journeys and 
 preachings, one would be led to think that he 
 must have commenced his apostolate in the prime 
 of life. This, however, is not the case. He had 
 attained the age of sixty when he entered on his 
 missionary career, being born about the year 372, 
 and commencing his work in 432. Yet, like a 
 conqueror, he swept through the north, converting 
 the Pagans by thousands, and persuading even 
 princes and princesses not only to become Chris- 
 tians, but to embrace the monastic life. 
 
 When the thirty missionaries who had accom- 
 panied him to Ireland became inadequate to the 
 spiritual wants of the converts, so rapidly did 
 they increase, St. Patrick sailed for Britain, to 
 enlist Priests from the ranks of the clergy of that 
 country, either as professors for the University of 
 Armagh, or to assist him in the work of conversion . 
 
 This Apostle, so wonderful, who is even to this
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 43 
 
 day held in such love and reverence wherever an 
 Irish heart beats, or an Irish foot has been planted, 
 was nearly a centenarian at the time of his death. 
 Before leaving for heaven the land he loved so 
 well, he could say with truth 
 
 "When at the age of sixteen I was captured 
 and brought to this soil as a slave, there was no 
 Christian altar at which I could kneel, or Chris- 
 tian soul with whom I could commune. When 
 I fled from hence the whole country was plunged 
 in idolatry. At sixty I returned as Bishop, and 
 now, after labouring for forty years in my 
 mission, I die rejoicing, for few are now the 
 children of this land who remain unconverted 
 to the faith of my Master." 1 
 
 Pew amongst the Apostles succeeded during 
 their own lifetime in changing a whole nation 
 from idolatry to Christianity. Ireland, as a 
 people, has lost her native Celtic tongue, but most 
 steadfastly has she preserved the faith of the 
 Catholic Church, taught by Saint Patrick. 
 
 Although originating with a native of Britain, 
 Pelagianism did not gain much ground in the 
 island until an exiled partisan of the heresy 
 succeeded, on his return to Britain, in deceiving 
 many by an exaggerated account of the talents 
 and virtues of Morgan, whom he represented as 
 a persecuted defender of the truth. Agricola 
 such was his name gained over several of the 
 
 (1) St. Patrick was born in the year 372 at Pondaven, a town now in 
 tiie Diocese of Quituper, Fiuisterre.
 
 44 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 clergy and laity to his views, and thus, for the 
 first time, the plague of religious dissension was 
 disseminated throughout the land. 
 st. Ger- Palladius, writing from Scotland, informed 
 
 mauus 
 
 and Pope Celestine of the disturbed state of religion 
 
 Lupus. 
 
 in that country. At the same time the British 
 clergy sent a deputation to the Bishops of Gaul, 
 soliciting them, as qualified to explain the ortho- 
 dox doctrine of grace, to give their aid in a holy 
 war against heresy. In consequence of this 
 application Germanus and Lupus were sent to 
 Britain for the purpose of upholding the true 
 faith. 
 
 Germanus, the head of this mission, had in his 
 youth been a lawyer, then a soldier, and subse- 
 quently, as Bishop, was eminent for sanctity and 
 erudition. 
 
 To give greater effect to his mission, Pope 
 Celestine named him his Vicar Apostolic in 
 Britain. During their voyage across the channel 
 the two Bishops were assailed by a violent storm, 
 as though the demons of dissension dreaded their 
 landing on British shores. 
 
 Germanus, filled with confidence in God, in- 
 voked the adorable Trinity to come to their aid, 
 and poured Holy Water on the sea. The storm 
 then abated, and they were enabled to reach the 
 English shores. 
 
 The arrival of the two Bishops soon produced 
 good effects. They preached without intermis- 
 sion in the Churches, in market places, on
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 45 
 
 elevated spots, in the fields, under the canopy of 
 heaven. Thousands of the people crowded to 
 hear them, and wherever they directed their 
 steps they were met by multitudes. 
 
 The noble forgot for the moment the pleasures 
 of the chase ; the labourer left his plough in the 
 furrow, rather than forfeit the chance of hearing 
 the truth from the lips of these holy and eloquent 
 preachers. Even mothers, with infants in their 
 arms, made their way through the throngs in 
 order to approach as near as possible to the two 
 Bishops. 
 
 Pelagianism rapidly lost ground in public 
 opinion. Germanus and Lupus soon made it 
 clear to all that the doctrine of Christ, not that 
 of Morgan, was the true faith ; that the Church, 
 the guardian of truth against innovators, was the 
 appointed teacher whom all must hear ; and that 
 no credence must be attached to an individual 
 presuming to come forward and endeavour to 
 impose his own views on the ignorant and 
 credulous. 
 
 The missionary Bishops, however, were not 
 only powerful in their orthodox teaching, but 
 also in supernatural deeds. On a certain occasion 
 a Tribune and his wife, leading by the hand their 
 blind daughter, ten years of age, made their way 
 through the crowd, and presenting her to the 
 preachers, besought them, in the name of God, 
 to restore sight to their beloved child. Germanus 
 referred the case to the heretical teachers, asking
 
 46 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 them to comply with the parents wishes. They, 
 of course, were unable to do so, and declined. 
 Germanus then, filled with the Holy Ghost, 
 invoked the name of the Blessed Trinity, and the 
 girl at that moment was restored to her sight. 
 Such miracles as these were even more powerful 
 than eloquence, and made a deep impression on 
 the people, who ever afterwards accepted the 
 words of the Bishops as Gospel. 
 
 Germanus twice visited Britain. Eirst in the 
 year 425 or 426, and again, twenty years later, 
 in 446. On the second occasion, Bishop Severus, 
 and not Lupus, was his companion. 
 
 Such is the substance of what may be gathered 
 concerning the Church in this island, from its 
 first foundation down to about the middle of the 
 fifth century. 
 
 Compared with the immense results obtained 
 as regards Christianity, the records we possess 
 are indeed scanty. When the last Roman soldier 
 left Britain for Gaul the whole nation had been 
 converted to the religion of Christ, and possessed 
 a regularly constituted hierarchy of Archbishops 
 and Bishops throughout the entire island. Priests 
 were distributed in due proportion to carry on 
 the work of the mission. This affords ample 
 testimony that at that time the rule of Christ 
 was firmly established through the length and 
 " breadth of Britain. 
 
 of the The departure of the pro-consuls effected a 
 
 great change in the temporal administration of
 
 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 47 
 
 the country. The organization established by 
 the Caesars ceased then to exist. It is also worthy 
 of remark that, about the same time, the Vicar 
 of Christ in Rome was already beginning to 
 acquire that moral influence which, in the end, 
 was to raise him to the temporal supremacy of 
 the City of the Caesars. 
 
 The colossal empire, crimsoned with the blood 
 of Christian martyrs, was crumbling to ruin, a 
 prey to two powerful enemies its own corruption 
 and the invasion of barbarians. The hand of 
 Divine justice was armed against it, and its day 
 of retribution had come. Christ had already 
 punished the Jews, the first enemies of his Church. 
 They, as a nation, had ceased to exist. 
 
 Now, in her turn, Pagan Rome was to dis- 
 appear as an empire. Heaven, for three hundred 
 years, had patiently beheld the tortures inflicted 
 on the Christians in the Eorum and Amphi- 
 theatre by these proud idolaters. The time of 
 hard trial for the Church had passed away, and 
 she was now triumphant. The heathen temples 
 were deserted, or changed into Catholic Churches. 
 
 Now was heard chanted at Matins by the 
 clergy round the altars these words of David 
 " Why have the Gentiles raged, and the people 
 devised vain things? The kinsrs of the earth 
 
 O O 
 
 stood up, and the princes met together against 
 the Lord and against His Christ, saying : Let us 
 break their bonds asunder, and let us cast away 
 their yoke from us. He that dwelleth in heaven
 
 48 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 shall laugh at them, and the Lord shall deride 
 them." 1 These words were most applicable to 
 the doomed empire. At the fall of the Caesars 
 and the extinction of their rule, the fathers of 
 the Church were forced to exclaim " Justus es 
 Domine et rectum Judicium tuum." 
 what now The inhabitants of the earth in this, the nine- 
 tLr^ruiiiB teenth century, if educated, have had the growth, 
 the past j ncrease> nna i grandeur, and fall of that mighty 
 empire placed before them in the school-room, 
 but the mass of mankind knows but little if 
 anything of its existence and doings. Now and 
 then the scholar's attention is drawn to some 
 ruined temple, "broken arch," rusty old coin 
 which has been disentombed, or tesselated pave- 
 ment, all of which proclaim to the gazer, " Vanity 
 of vanities." And of the mighty " mistress of the 
 world " nothing more now remains ! 
 
 Truly dost the Psalmist exclaim, Everything 
 under the sun is doomed to destruction, but 
 Veritas Domini manet in ceternam. 
 
 The Caesars, with their legions, have passed 
 away, but Christ and his religion remains. The 
 Church to-day sings His glory and triumph 
 throughout the universe. " Te per orbem terra- 
 rum sancta Confitetur Ecclesia" His name is 
 hallowed, not only in the school-room, but in 
 the humble homes of every nation under the 
 sun. 
 
 Once every road to Gaul was covered by the 
 armies of Pagan Borne, on their way to Germany 
 
 (1) Psalm 2.
 
 INTRODUCTION OP CHRISTIANITY. 49 
 
 or Britain. Her officers crowded the galleys 
 sailing eastward to execute the orders of the 
 Senate of the Roman people. 
 
 Long ages have elapsed since these were things 
 of the past. New kingdoms have arisen on the 
 tottering ruins of the once mighty empire. But 
 the oldest and strongest amongst them is the 
 Kingdom of Christ. 
 
 Rome is the seat of his Vicar, and from that 
 city he sends his officers to the four corners of 
 the globe ; for he has brethren in the faith in 
 Japan and Norway, on the banks of the Euphrates, 
 as well as in the mountains of Scotland. 
 
 Modern kingdoms will disappear and be re- 
 placed by others, but against the Kingdom of 
 Christ no power can prevail. The Church is to 
 last as long as the sun and the stars are to shine 
 in the firmament.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 
 
 " Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church." 
 
 Matthew xvi. 
 
 WHATEVER information we can glean referring 
 to the British Church, from the visit of St. Ger- 
 manus down to the arrival of St. Augustine, is 
 to be found in the western part of the island, and 
 chiefly in Wales. 
 The his- The Saxons, invited over by Vortigern in 449 
 
 tory of the 
 
 Church in to fight his battles, finding the country to their 
 
 Britain 
 
 confined to liking, came in crowds. Chieftain after chieftain 
 
 tem part brought his followers across the ocean, not at the 
 
 island, request of a native chieftain, but following the 
 
 visit of strong instinct of barbarians for conquest and 
 
 to^hTar- 8 plunder. The Britons, as in the time of the 
 
 Augustine Roman invasion, under Julius Caesar, were dis- 
 
 united, and hence no match for these numerous 
 
 and bold adventurers incessantly landing on the 
 
 eastern and southern coasts, and were by degrees 
 
 driven from county to county, and obliged to 
 
 take refuge in the mountains of Wales and 
 
 Cornwall, or to cross the sea over to the western 
 
 coast of Gaul, to which they have left their 
 
 name Brittany . 
 
 The conquest of Britain by these foreign races 
 was not, however, the work of a few years, for
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 51 
 
 nearly a century after the landing of Hengist 
 (the first Saxon leader), we find the celebrated 
 Arthur master of the western part of England 
 from Land's End, in Cornwall, to York. At his 
 death in 544 the Saxons had not pushed their 
 conquest heyond the Thames in the south of the 
 island, or the Humher in a northerly direction. 
 
 As they advanced the scourge of war raged in 
 its worst form in that part of the country trodden 
 under their heels. They burnt, or levelled to 
 the ground, Churches and Monasteries, and put to 
 the sword their peaceful inmates. Their motto 
 seems to have been "Worship our gods, or 
 perish by our swords." Those of the wretched 
 Britons who escaped the general massacre were 
 forced to become their slaves. The Bishops of 
 London and York, with such of their flock as 
 they could hastily gather together, took refuge in 
 Cambria; and, for years to come, the Christian 
 Church was confined to the western part of the 
 island, and especially to Wales. 
 
 This period in the history of the British Church 
 fugitive, covered with blood, and clad in 
 poverty was a glorious one, and prolific in 
 Saints who edified their countrymen by their 
 holy lives, and kept the light of faith burning in 
 the hearts of the Britons. 
 
 Three eminent saints stand on the threshold of 
 
 Dubricius, 
 
 this period; and, as we advance, we shall see Cadoc . and 
 
 Illtyd at 
 
 their disciples nobly following in their footsteps, the head of 
 They are Dubricius, first Bishop of Llandaff;
 
 52 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Cadoc, Abbot of Llancarvan; and Illtyd, of 
 Lantwit Major. These are the first three bright 
 lights of this period. Scholars, practical men, 
 and, above all, true servants of Jesus Christ, they 
 brought to the service of their Master in Cambria 
 learning, piety, and zeal. Education received 
 from them a wonderful impulse, and Glamorgan- 
 shire, where they chiefly resided, became the 
 abode of sanctity and learning. 
 
 Dubricius, consecrated Bishop by Germanus, 
 ranked first in dignity amongst the Bishops as 
 the Metropolitan of all Wales. Cadoc, surnamed 
 the wise, figured as the founder of several 
 monasteries in his own country, in Scotland, and 
 in Brittany ; and Illtyd deserved to be surnamed 
 the "Great Master" in Cambria, for his uni- 
 versity of Llantwit Major was resorted to by 
 scholars from all parts of Europe. 
 
 By birth they belonged to the highest families. 
 Dubricius was the grandson of Pebian, a king in 
 Herefordshire; Cadoc's father was Gwynliew, a 
 warrior chieftain in Monmouthshire ; the parents 
 of Illtyd reigned in Armorica. They all followed 
 the monastic rule peculiar to the time. Dub- 
 ricius and Cadoc entered the cloister very young, 
 whilst Illtyd first took to the army, fought under 
 the British standard, and then enlisted in the 
 Militia of Christ. 
 
 These three eminent personages, at the end of 
 a long and well spent career, left to their country 
 a legion of saints, whom they had carefully
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 53 
 
 trained to the service of God. David, Bishop of 
 Menevia; Teilo, second Bishop of Llandaff; 
 Daniel, the first Bishop of Bangor; and Padarn, 
 of Llanbadarn, Cardiganshire, were either dis- 
 ciples of the school we have just mentioned, or 
 connected with it, and continued to carry on the 
 work of the Church in Cambria, when Duhritius, 
 Cadoc, and Illtyd had departed from this world. 
 About the same time Kentigern, Bishop of Glas- 
 gow, settled in the beautiful valley of St. Asaph, 
 at the head of a large community of monks. 
 
 A srreat number of their disciples crossed over T* 16 lives 
 
 . x of these 
 
 to Brittany, and there implanted the Catholic eminent 
 
 * . . . menhardl\ 
 
 faith and the traditions of their country, and left known in" 
 
 their 
 
 their names to cities and villages, to mountains native 
 and valleys. Amongst many we may mention 
 Samson, of Dol; Paulus Aurelianus, Maglorius, 
 the two brothers, Tugdual and Eleanor ; Gildas, 
 the historian; St. Malo, &c., &c. The saintly 
 lives of these eminent servants of God, and 
 zealous propagators of the Gospel, are hardly 
 known in Britain in our days. 
 
 Gildas, a contemporary, who, like St. Jerome, Gildas the 
 
 inveighed in no measured terms against 
 
 abuses of the time, both amongst some of the L Britain. 
 
 princes and clergy, remains silent on the virtues 
 
 of hundreds of his countrymen, who, like himself, 
 
 kept the commandments of God and of the 
 
 Church in the most perfect manner that can be 
 
 attained by human weakness.
 
 54 CAMBRIA SACEA. 
 
 Venerable Bede, who died in 737, is also silent 
 on the subject. An Anglo-Saxon by birth, he 
 devoted his talents to record the doings of the 
 servants of God belonging to his race, and did 
 not heed the British Church. Butler, in his 
 "Lives of the Saints," merely mentions their 
 existence. Protestant writers, in their zeal 
 against Popery, as a rule aim at one object to 
 make the world believe that the British Church 
 before St. Augustine was Protestant, entirely dis- 
 connected with the Papacy, and that it never 
 acknowledged the Pope as the head of the 
 Church. 
 
 The Rev. Eia Reece, an Oxonian and professor 
 of Welsh at Lampeter College, in his Essay on 
 the Welsh Saints, constantly reminds his readers 
 that such was the case. How, having under his 
 eyes undeniable documents to the contrary,, he 
 should have repeated such historical errors, is not 
 within my province to explain. 
 
 The verger From time to time I like to visit the old 
 Cathedral of Llandaff, now at the door of Cardiff; 
 and I can the more easily indulge in this pleasure, 
 as the village lies within the district entrusted to 
 my spiritual care. In one of these visits I 
 happened to go round the building in the 
 company of the verger, the very type of a 
 cicerone, knowing by heart the information he 
 is expected to impart to strangers, and delivering 
 his lesson in the best style of his profession.
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 55 
 
 As, during five previous months, I had been 
 studying hard the history of the Church, of 
 Dubricius, Teilo, and Oudoceus, I was seized by 
 that impression which rushes upon the souls of 
 most visitors when they enter under the roof of 
 an ancient Church. The ghosts of those who 
 prayed and taught in the place seemed to come 
 from their graves. 
 
 Distracted by my thoughts, I happened to 
 exclaim "Dear me! what an ancient Catholic 
 Church this is. The Roman legions were as yet 
 quartered at Caerau, 1 when the Holy Sacrifice of 
 the Mass was offered up for the sins of mankind 
 on this spot." This ejaculation seemed rather 
 strange to my learned friend, the verger, for he 
 started and soon called me to order in a some- 
 what abrupt manner. " You are totally wrong, 
 sir; this place has never been in the hands of 
 Catholics, nor has this Church ever been con- 
 nected with the Pope of Borne." 
 
 This historical barbarism I thought it my duty 
 to correct, and asked my conductor whether, in 
 the course of his life, he had ever heard or read 
 anything about St. Eagan. "St. Eagan," he 
 said; "yes, sure; St. Eagan's is the next parish 
 to us." "But do you know anything about 
 him? who he was, where he came from, and 
 what he did? " " You see, sir, I am not much of 
 a scholar." "Well, I will tell you. St. Eagan 
 was a priest in Borne. King Lucius, a real 
 
 (1) Caerau, a Roman carnp about two OF three miles from Cardiff.
 
 56 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Briton, thought it was better for himself and his 
 countrymen to profess the religion of Christ 
 rather than that of the Druids, and so despatched 
 ambassadors to Rome to Pope Eleutherius, who 
 was then the reigning Pontiff of the Christians, 
 begging him to send over some priests to instruct 
 and baptize himself and his people. St. Eagan, 
 one of these priests, came to Llandaff, baptized 
 many of your forefathers, and then built the first 
 Church in this place." 
 
 Whilst this exchange of ideas was carried on, 
 we came to the tombstone of Dubricius. I let 
 the verger recite his ordinary lesson, and when 
 he had done put in a rejoinder. 
 
 "Yes," I replied, "Dubricius was the first 
 Bishop of this Cathedral, and a great man he was, 
 highly esteemed by his countrymen from genera- 
 tion to generation. The old Welsh kings and 
 princes, whenever they made a grant of land to 
 any Church in this diocese, invariably began 
 their act of donation by saying : 
 
 "I grant to Almighty God, to St. Peter, to 
 holy Dubricius [so many] acres of land, that the 
 Holy Sacrifice of the Mass may be offered up for 
 my soul, and the souls of my wife, children, and 
 forefathers." 
 
 In the days of Howe 11 Dda this Cathedral had 
 for its Archdeacon a celebrated Welsh scholar, 
 who put into shape the laws decided upon at Ty 
 gwyn on Taf, near Carmarthen. This same 
 accompanied to Rome Howell Dda and the Welsh
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 57 
 
 Bishops, who thought it their duty to pay a visit 
 to the Pope, and have his opinion on the code 
 they had framed for their country. No mistake 
 about it, every Welshman in those days was a 
 Catholic. 
 
 St. Dubricius was consecrated by Catholic 
 Bishops from Prance, invited over by the British 
 clergy to help them to convince the people that 
 they were going astray from the Catholic Church, 
 a task in which they succeeded. 
 
 In the year 1107 A.D., Urban was consecrated 
 Bishop of Llandaff, and built the Cathedral on 
 the present plan. He was an energetic and clever 
 prelate, and by the help of two Popes Calixtus 
 II. and Honorius II. to whom he applied for 
 redress, placed the diocese on a good footing. 
 
 The Liber Landavensis 1 contains some twenty 
 Bulls, or letters from these two Popes, addressed to 
 the Bishop and people of Llandaff, to the people 
 of Gower, to the Archbishop of Canterbury, to 
 the King of England, &c., &c. 
 
 In his letters Urban says that "the Church of 
 Llandaff, ever since the days of Eleutherius, Pope 
 of the See of Rome, and since the coming of St. 
 Augustine, has always been truly Catholic." It 
 was the same Urban who brought the relics of 
 St. Dubricius from Bardsey Island and buried 
 them here. 
 
 At the close of this conversation, I gently 
 hinted to the verger not to be so positive in his 
 
 (1) There are six Bulls of Calixtus II. aud fourteen of Honorius II. 
 concerning the ecclesiastical affairs of Llandaff Diocese.
 
 58 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 assertions to visitors, for many of them were sure 
 that, at one time, Wales was Catholic to the 
 backbone. As for myself, a Breton by birth, I 
 have to thank Welsh Bishops and Monks and 
 others for converting my countrymen to that 
 Catholic faith, which they practise to this very 
 day. Yes, it was from Llantwit Major and 
 Llancarvan, in Glamorgan, that most of those 
 saintly missionaries who founded the Catholic 
 Church in Brittany started on their holy mission. 
 One cannot expect the verger of a Cathedral to 
 be well up in history, nor does one rely over 
 much on what he recites. His duty is to be the 
 custodian of the Church, and to shew kindness to 
 the visitors, a qualification which the verger of 
 Llandaff most certainly possesses. 
 
 However, the false statements of this guardian 
 of a Cathedral, built by Catholics, and once 
 Catholic, reflect to a great extent the opinions of 
 many of his countrymen in our days. Some 
 reason or other must be brought forth to cover 
 with the veil of antiquity a religion of yesterday. 
 The religion of Jesus Christ is 1900 years old, 
 whilst that of Henry VIII. has not existed more 
 than 300 years. 
 
 Llandaff Cathedral contains a diocesan library 
 accessible to all the clergy of the diocese. I ex- 
 pected to find on its shelves the Liber Landavensis 
 (or the Register of Llandaff), the most interesting 
 record of the Catholic Church in Cambria, con- 
 taining memoirs of the lives of most of its
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 59 
 
 prelates, the acts of endowment to Churches, 
 from the time of St. Dubricius to that of Urban 
 in the twelfth century. However, this precious 
 book was not to be found. In fact, on the whole, 
 the library is a poor one. The Latin and Greek 
 fathers now found in the private library of many 
 a Catholic priest, thanks to the exertions of the 
 Abbe" Migne of Paris, are also conspicuous by 
 their absence. The clergy of the diocese, if 
 anxious to study the traditions of the Church of 
 God from the time of Christ down to the nine- 
 teenth century, are not, certainly, to rely on 
 what is collected together in the Cathedral of 
 Llandaff, for the selection made will never give 
 them a correct idea of the religious traditions of 
 past centuries. 
 
 Any one who will call the British Church out Organiza- 
 tion of the 
 
 of her grave, kneel with her clergy and people Briti&h 
 
 . Church 
 
 round the altar as they did, pour forth their anditscon- 
 prayer to their Redeemer, assist at their ec- with the 
 clesiastical meetings in some deep valley under 
 the shadow of the oak tree (as for instance at 
 Brefi or within the precincts of the monasteries 
 of Llancarvan and Llantwit Major), study the 
 history of her Bishops, Monks, princes, or people, 
 is obliged to exclaim, "What fine Catholics these 
 were." The Seven Sacraments as channels of 
 grace, prayers for the dead, prayers to the Saints, 
 the altar containing the Sacred Body and Blood 
 of Christ, a veneration for the Pope of Rome as 
 the great chieftain of the Church, these formed 
 essential parts of their religion and belief.
 
 60 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Great Britain, like most of the nations of the 
 globe gained to Christ, owes her conversion 
 directly to the Popes. Leaving aside the obscure 
 tradition concerning the preaching of Ss. Peter 
 and Paul in these islands, there is not the least 
 historical doubt that the first missionaries who 
 converted Britain, Ireland, and Scotland, received 
 their mission from the Pope, acknowledged him as 
 their highest superior on earth holding the place 
 of Christ in the government of the Church, and 
 taught the same to the various tribes which they 
 gained to Christ. 
 
 Eleutherius, at the request of King Lucius, in 
 the second century, sent over Ss. Fagan and 
 Damian to Britain. Later on another supreme 
 Pontiff of Rome Celestine sent Palladius for 
 the conversion of Ireland, and, on his settling in 
 Scotland, appointed St. Patrick in his place. 
 
 The idea which the old Britons entertained of 
 the Church of God was that of an immense, 
 supernatural society, founded by Christ to lead 
 mankind to heaven, and intended to embrace 
 within her bosom all the nations, tribes, and 
 tongues of the globe. 
 
 To keep together in the unity of the faith such 
 a variety of nationalities, Christ had placed the 
 Bishops as the teachers and rulers of that Church ; 
 and amongst these Bishops, one had power and 
 jurisdiction over the rest; for it was then under- 
 stood, as it is now, that, as no army can be kept 
 together without a general, so the various
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 61 
 
 Church.es stand in need of a chief, otherwise 
 unity of faith and discipline is a mere dream. 
 
 Such was the plan of the Church taught to the 
 Britons by their first missionaries, and admitted 
 by all as true, because established by Christ 
 Himself. 
 
 When Ss. Pagan and Damian had established 
 Christianity in their new mission, they went to 
 the Pope to give an account of their stewardship, 
 and then a hierarchy, similar to that of other 
 Catholic countries, was established in Britain, as 
 already stated in the preceding chapter. 
 
 St. Patrick in Ireland and Palladius in Scot- 
 land, acting on the same principle, deemed it 
 their duty to keep Borne informed as to their 
 doings, and to consult the Pope in matters of 
 faith, morals, and discipline, following in this 
 the practice of the Catholic Church throughout 
 the world. 
 
 In A.D. 314, on the first of August, was opened British 
 the first Council of Aries in the South of Prance. 
 The British Church was represented by three of cilof Arles " 
 the leading Bishops, and they subscribed to the 
 decrees which were sent to Home for approbation, 
 with a synodical letter from the Fathers of the 
 Council to Pope Sylvester. Amongst other things, 
 we find the following passage : 
 
 "We have thought it advisable not to confine 
 our labour to the programme set before us. We 
 have also thought of providing for the wants of 
 our dioceses; and so we have framed for our
 
 62 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 dioceses, in the presence of the Holy Ghost and 
 His angels, certain regulations. But it is our 
 opinion that, as you have a wider jurisdiction, it is 
 your duty to promulgate them to all the faith- 
 ful." 1 
 
 Prom this it is evident that all the Bishops 
 present, and with them those of Britain, recognised 
 the supremacy of Borne. The legates of Pope 
 Sylvester namely, Claudius and Vita, priests, 
 and Eugenius and Cyriacus, deacons were 
 present, and all, as a matter of course, thought 
 it their duty, before separating, to give an 
 account of their transactions to the great chief 
 of Christianity. 
 
 The first When, therefore, we open the Liber Landa- 
 Liandaff 0f vensis, and, a century or a century and a half 
 count of ac l a t er on > we see t ne Bishops of Llandaff giving 
 o an account of the state of the Diocese to the 
 f PP e f Rome, we find such a step natural 
 enough. They acknowledged Borne, like their 
 predecessors at the Council of Aries, as the 
 mistress of all the Churches; and, like good 
 Catholic Bishops, thought it their duty to keep 
 that See acquainted with their doings and 
 teaching. 
 
 Hence, in the lives of Ss. Dubricius and Teilo, 
 the first two Bishops of Llandaff, we read without 
 wonder the following phrase : 
 
 "And sanctioned by Apostolic authority," 2 in 
 reference to privileges granted to them and 
 
 (1) Henrion, Histoire de L'Eglise. Tome 13, p. 584. 
 (2) Liber Landavensis.
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 63 
 
 accepted by them. The Pope of Rome was 
 evidently consulted on these transactions. 
 
 The third Bishop of Llandaff, not satisfied with 
 sending a written account, went in person to 
 Rome to confer with the head of Christianity. 
 
 St. David is the great legislator of the Catholic 
 
 Councils of 
 
 Church in Wales. The laws and usages which Bren and 
 ruled the Church in Cambria were agreed upon approved 
 at the celebrated Council of Brefi, in Cardigan- y 
 shire, A.D. 519. St. David was commissioned to 
 write them down in a canonical form. This he 
 did at Caerleon, and, when the work was com 
 plete, he called together another Council in this 
 ancient city of South Wales, and laid before it 
 what he had written. 
 
 The work was unanimously approved by the 
 Council, sent to Rome for approval, and re- 
 mained for centuries the ecclesiastical code of 
 Wales ; for we read the following words in the 
 Cambro -British Saints, p. 442 : 
 
 "Therefore, from these two synods all the 
 Churches in the country received their method 
 and rule, approved of by Roman authority, the 
 decrees of which confirmed by his mouth . . . 
 
 Let us for the present leap over two or three 
 centuries, forget chronological order, and assist 
 at a national meeting of the Cambrians convened 
 at Ty-gwyn, near Carmarthen, by Howell Dda 
 (or the good). This prince may be called the 
 Justinian of Wales; for in his life he gave his 
 country a written civil code, which deals minutely
 
 64 CAMBRIA SACRA, 
 
 with the respective rights and duties of every 
 Welshman, from the prince to the lowest of his 
 
 The Welsh Subjects. 
 
 ^J before the reader a summary of the 
 to this interesting work, as we find it in 
 the Pope, the Dimetian code. 
 
 "Howell Dda, son of Cadel, by the grace of 
 God King of all the Cymru, observed the Cymri 
 perverting the laws and customs, and therefore 
 he summoned to him from every cantreff of his 
 kingdom six men practised in authority and 
 jurisprudence, and all the clergy of his kingdom 
 possessed of the dignity of the crosier, as the 
 Archbishop of Menevia, and Bishops, and Abbots, 
 and Priors, to the place called White House on 
 the Taf, in Dyved. That house he ordered to be 
 constructed for him of white rods, as a lodge in 
 hunting, when he came to Dyved; therefore it 
 was called the White House. 
 
 "And the king, with that assembly, remained 
 there during the whole of Lent to pray to God 
 through perfect abstinence, and to implore grace 
 and discernment for the king to amend the laws 
 and customs of the Cymru. 
 
 "At the termination of Lent, the king selected, 
 out of that assembly, twelve of the wisest laics 
 and the most learned scholar called the Master 
 
 Blegwirid And by the advice of these wise 
 
 men, the king retained some of the old laws, 
 others he amended, others he abolished entirely 
 sanctioned them with his authority ; and
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 65 
 
 the malediction of God, as well as theirs and that 
 of the Cymru, was pronounced upon such as 
 should not observe them, unless changed by the 
 concurrence of the country and the Lord." 
 
 " Howell the Good, after the Law had been 
 made, accompanied by the princes of Cymru, 
 Lambert, Bishop of Menevia, Mordav, Bishop of 
 Bangor, Cebur, Bishop of St. Asaph, and Bleg- 
 wirid, Archdeacon of Llandaff, went to Borne to 
 Pope Anastasius to read the Law, and see if there 
 was anything contrary to the Law of God ; and 
 as there was nothing militating against it, it was 
 confirmed and called 'The Law of Howell the 
 Good,' the year of the Lord at that time, 914." 1 
 
 That St. Dubricius, Bishop of Llandaff in the 
 fifth century, and St. David with the Welsh 
 clergy in the sixth, after meeting in Councils on 
 ecclesiastical business, should communicate with 
 the Pope, is easily understood. They were 
 Bishops of the Catholic Church, and their flock 
 practised the Catholic religion; communication 
 with Borne was, with them, a matter of course. 
 But when Howell Dda, a Prince and a layman, 
 after framing a civil code, deemed it his duty to 
 refer it to the Pope, lest it should contain any 
 regulations against the Gospel, whose chief 
 interpreter is the Bishop of Borne, one must 
 admit that the Cambrians were thoroughly 
 Catholic. 
 
 Howell Dda's line of conduct, far from being 
 laughed at, should, on the contrary, command 
 
 (1) Welsh Laws. Dimetian Code. p. 341.
 
 66 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 the respect, and draw the attention of legislators ; 
 be they kings or deputies of their fellow citizens : 
 it contains a deep sense of justice and much 
 practical wisdom. It stands to reason that any 
 one legislating for a Christian community should 
 acknowledge the fact and work upon it. The 
 following axiom should guide him: "The first 
 Law of all is that of God ; the Laws of man are 
 minor rules which should respect the legislation 
 of Christ, and never enact any regulation militat- 
 ing against it." 
 
 The Britons thought that the hest interpreter 
 of the Law of God was the Pope of Rome, and 
 hence they submitted their Code to his considera- 
 tion. 
 
 st. Kenti- But now let us go back to earlier ages and lay 
 Sop of before the reader the Legend of St. Kentigern, 
 consults' Bishop of Glasgow, and the bosom friend of St. 
 
 Rome on T\ ,.! 
 
 the vaii- -L>avia. 
 
 co^cra^ Kentigern was somewhat younger than the 
 patron of Wales, but contracted with him one of 
 those friendships which no events can break. It 
 began when the Bishop of Glasgow was forced, 
 by political events, to leave the banks of the 
 Clyde, and take refuge in the beautiful valley of 
 St. Asaph, in North Wales. Heaven itself smiled 
 on that friendship; for, when St. David was 
 called to the Lord, Kentigern, although distant, 
 was informed of the fact by a heavenly vision, in 
 which he saw his dear friend's soul carried to 
 heaven by angels.
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 67 
 
 He lived several years later, and his old age, 
 as we are told by several ecclesiastical writers, 
 was disturbed by tormenting scruples bearing on 
 the validity of his ordination. The circumstances 
 were as follows: 
 
 When young Kentigern had reached the age 
 of manhood and finished his studies, feeling in 
 his breast an inclination for an ascetical life, he 
 determined upon becoming a hermit. He built 
 his cell near, or on, the spot where now stands 
 the most populous town in Scotland, Glasgow, 
 with its hundreds of thousands of human beings. 
 His solitude was soon discovered, and he was 
 burdened with admiring and curious visitors. In 
 the course of time, his reputation became so 
 great, that the King and clergy of the country 
 resolved to have him for their Bishop. "When 
 the wishes of the people were communicated, 
 Kentigern offered the utmost resistance. It was 
 of no use. 
 
 As there were no Bishops near, the King and 
 clergy sent to Ireland for one Prelate, who con- 
 secrated Kentigern. 
 
 The Law of the Church on this matter required 
 the presence of two or three Bishops. " Episcopum 
 proecipimus ordinari a tribus Episcopis, vel ad 
 minimum a duobus. Non liceri autem ab uno 
 constitui," says the Apostolic constitution; a rule 
 approved by several subsequent Councils. 1 
 
 Though the Church has for ages required the 
 presence of three Bishops, or of at least two, in 
 
 (1) Henrion. Histoire de L'Eglise.
 
 68 . CAMBRIA SACRA, 
 
 the consecration of another, she had not, however, 
 declared invalid, ordination conferred only by 
 one consecrating Prelate. 
 
 However, Kentigern, in his old age, was 
 tormented by scruples. The idea that perhaps 
 he was never validly consecrated, consequently 
 that those Priests whom he had ordained were 
 not Priests at all, any more than he was Bishop, 
 that no real sacrifice of the Mass was offered up 
 by them, no valid absolution given in the 
 Sacrament of Penance to those who came to 
 confession, disturbed the peace of his mind. 
 
 Although an old man, he did not hesitate to 
 go to Rome, and lay open his whole life, his 
 elevation, consecration, and all the circumstances 
 connected with it, to St. Gregory, the Apostle of 
 the English. The Pope confirmed his consecration, 
 as nothing that was of necessity had been 
 omitted ; and to please the venerable old Bishop, 
 and at his earnest request, St. Gregory, umwllingly 
 indeed, supplied those small defects which were 
 wanting in his consecration. 
 
 Professor Bees, from whose " Life of the Welsh 
 Saints" I borrow the narrative, laughs at the 
 following remarks made by ancient writers on 
 the conduct of the Bishop of Glasgow. 
 
 "A more authentic proof of the respect and 
 dependence which the British Churches had for 
 the Boman Bishop cannot be imagined than the 
 behaviour of Kentigern himself. Eor, being 
 afflicted in his mind by the aforesaid defects in
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 69 
 
 his ordination, he did not seek for counsel or 
 remedy from any Metropolitan in Brittany, 
 Ireland, or France, but only from Rome and the 
 supreme Bishop thereof, to whom the custody of 
 ecclesiastical canons was by the Church commit- 
 ted, and who had authority to enjoin their 
 observation, to punish their transgression, and to 
 supply or dispense with the defects, either by 
 negligence or necessity, occurring in their ex- 
 ecution." 
 
 In the mind of Professor Bees, who had a 
 theory of his own, (that the British Church was 
 never Catholic) such conclusions, drawn by our 
 forefathers, are not pleasant, and the facts on 
 which they are grounded must, as a matter of 
 course, be looked upon as spurious. However, 
 the theories or prejudices of an individual cannot 
 destroy historical truths. 
 
 The Welsh were very partial to pilgrimages pil 
 abroad. Jerusalem, the Holy Land, the tomb of ?est 
 
 Rome. 
 
 St. Martin of Tours, and of St. Peter and Paul 
 in Rome, were visited by thousands of pilgrims 
 even from Wales. Devotion was the primary 
 motive of these religious excursions ; at times, 
 the journey was imposed as a penance. A 
 Welshman, Bishop, Prince, or Abbot, was often 
 seen crossing Gaul and the Alps on a pious 
 journey to Borne. Thus we read of St. Cadoc of 
 Llancarvan that seven times in his life, the 
 pilgrim's staff in hand, he had gone to Borne, 
 and thrice to Jerusalem, to obtain pardon for
 
 70 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 the souls of his parents and companions ; an 
 evident sign, as we shall see later on, that the 
 Welsh thought it their duty to undergo hardships 
 for the souls of their departed relations and 
 friends. 
 
 O n & certain evening, a pilgrim named Gildas, 
 th?pope. knocked at the door of Llancarvan, asking, in 
 the name of God, shelter for the night. He in- 
 formed St. Cadoc, the Abhot, that he was on his 
 way to Rome, and that he expected to find at the 
 Severn Sea (as the Bristol Channel was then 
 called) a ship to take him across to Brittany, 
 from which place he would, with the help of 
 God, make his way to Rome. His luggage was 
 not very heavy ; hut it contained a handbell, 
 which the pilgrim stated it was his intention to 
 present as a gift to the Holy Eather. It was of 
 his own manufacture, and so sweet in tone, that 
 he thought no one should have it except his 
 Holiness. 
 
 The Abbot took the bell, admired the work- 
 manship, rang it, and declared that never before 
 had he heard such a sweet sound. At once he 
 expressed a desire to possess the bell and to pur- 
 chase it at a handsome price. Gildas replied 
 that it would always be a pleasure and honour 
 for him to oblige Cadoc the Wise, Abbot of Llan- 
 carvan, but he was sorry to say that in this case 
 he could not comply with the inclination of his 
 heart, for he was determined to offer it on the 
 altar of St. Peter in Rome. St. Cadoc insisted.
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 71 
 
 " I will fill it up with as many pence as it can 
 contain." Gildas declined the offer. "Well," 
 added the Abhot, " I will give thee as much pure 
 gold as it can hold." "On no account," said 
 Gildas ; "I have made a vow to God and St. 
 Peter, and, with the grace of God, I hope to he 
 able to give what I have vowed ; for a foolish 
 and unfaithful promise is displeasing to the Al- 
 mighty." So Gildas, the legend says, started for 
 Rome and arrived safely with his bell. 
 
 On presenting his gift to the Pope, he ac- 
 quainted his Holiness with all the temptations 
 he had been subject to on the road ; how St. 
 Cadoc, an Abbot of a monastery in his country, 
 wanted to bribe him by offering as much gold 
 for the bell as it would contain; but he was 
 proof against corruption, and had brought it to 
 his Holiness. 
 
 The Pope greatly admired both the devotion 
 and determination of the Celtic Monk, thanked 
 him most sincerely, and said to him "Well, 
 Gildas, I will bless this bell ; and then you will 
 take it back to the Abbot of Llancarvan as a 
 present from me. I know Cadoc well ; he has 
 been here several times. Your countrymen, in 
 course of time, will take their oaths on it ; 
 because it has been blessed by me, and has been 
 the property of Blessed Cadoc of Llancarvan." 
 
 The Code of Howell Dda brings forward the 
 same reverence, in the most explicit terms, in 
 several passages. The 25th Article of the
 
 72 . CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Dimetian Code may seem very extraordinary 
 to a modern Welshman, brought up to look 
 upon the Pope as the harlot of the Apocalypse. 
 It runs as follows : 
 
 " Whosoever shall commit treason against his 
 lord, or waylay, is to forfeit his patrimony ; and, 
 
 pjpe! 1tie if caught, is liable to be hanged If he 
 
 repair to the Court of the Pope, and return with 
 a letter in his possession shewing that he is ab- 
 solved by the Pope, he is to have his patri- 
 mony." 1 
 
 According to the notion of the Welsh legislators 
 and people, the position of the Pope as the ruler 
 of the Church, and the high estimate in which 
 he was held by the people, entitled him to this 
 privilege ; and no Welsh prince or official was to 
 lay his hand on any felon, whatever his guilt 
 might have been, if the same man had been for- 
 tunate enough to obtain his pardon from Rome. 
 It was, again, a custom in a Welsh Court of 
 Justice, when there was some difficulty on the 
 part of the Judge in finding the truth between 
 the conflicting depositions of the litigants, to 
 take the relics in his hands, and thus address 
 them : 
 
 " The protection of God prevent thee ; and the 
 protection of the Pope of Rome ; and the pro- 
 tection of thy Lord ; do not take a false oath." 1 
 
 st. Angus- Shortly after the arrival in England of St. 
 
 the British Augustine, the Apostle of the Anglo-Saxons, an 
 
 Bish P s - (1) Dimetian Code, p. 551. 
 
 (1) Venedotian Code, p. 117.
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 73 
 
 event took place which has been so far misinter- 
 preted by Protestant writers as to induce many 
 to believe that the Welsh people separated al- 
 together from the Catholic Eaith. I will place 
 before the reader the substance of the facts, as 
 related by the Venerable Bede. 1 
 
 St. Augustine, with the help of King Ethel- 
 bert, called together the ^Bishops and Doctors of 
 the Britons, and begged of them, in a brotherly 
 manner, that, for the sake of Catholic peace, 
 they should preach, in common, the faith to the 
 nations, and keep the celebration of Easter on 
 the same day. The meeting took place in Wor- 
 cestershire, under an oak tree. A long debate 
 ensued, in which the Britons pertinaciously 
 maintained their determination to keep to their 
 customs. St. Augustine then said : 
 
 " Let us beseech Almighty God, who creates 
 union in the Church, to inspire us with His 
 heavenly gifts, that we may know what traditions 
 are to be followed. Let some infirm, person be 
 brought forth, and let the traditions of those who 
 shall cure him be received." 
 
 This was agreed to. A blind man taken from 
 the ranks of the English was brought in. The 
 prayers of the British produced no effect. St. 
 Augustine, kneeling down, besought the Almighty 
 to give sight to the blind man, that thereby 
 spiritual light might be imparted to the 
 faithful. His prayer was heard, and the blind 
 
 (1) Ven. Bede. Historia Eccl. Part iv. Art. iii. Cap. ii.
 
 74 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 man restored to sight. This miracle produced a 
 deep impression upon all ; and the Britons con- 
 fessed that the way of justice preached by Augus- 
 tine was the right one. However, they could 
 not lay aside their customs without consulting 
 their brethren, and requested that a more num- 
 erous council might be convened. 
 
 At the appointed time, seven British Bishops 
 and several Doctors and Abbots (amongst them 
 Dinoth, Abbot of Bangor Iscoed, near Chester) 
 came to meet St. Augustine. 1 
 
 Previous to going to the assembly, some of them 
 called upon a hermit, renowned in the country 
 for wisdom, sanctity, and learning, to have his 
 opinion as to whether they should give up their 
 traditions to follow those of St. Augustine ; 
 
 " If he be a man of God, follow him," said the 
 hermit, and such he is, if he be humble ; for the 
 Lord says ' Take upon you My yoke and learn 
 of Me to be meek and humble of heart.' If 
 Augustine be meek and humble, he carries the 
 yoke of the Lord ; but if you find him proud, do 
 not take much heed of his advice. When you go 
 to the meeting contrive to arrive last, and if he 
 rises from his seat to salute you, listen to him." 
 
 It happened, that when the British Bishops 
 came in a body, St. Augustine did not rise. This 
 want of etiquette produced at once a painful 
 impression on the minds of the British Bishops, 
 and spoiled the work of conciliation, the object 
 
 (1) Sammes Britan. aiit. p. 510.
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 75 
 
 of the convocation. They accused him of pride 
 and haughtiness, and contradicted him in most 
 of his views. In the course of the conference St. 
 Augustine gave them to understand that he 
 would give way in many points out of respect 
 for their customs ; hut requested that they 
 should agree with him in three things : (1) To 
 celebrate Easter at its proper time ; (2) To ad- 
 minister Baptism in the same way as the Roman 
 Apostolic Church ; (3) To preach with him the 
 Gospel to the English nation. 
 
 These points were not agreed to by the British 
 Bishops, nor would they acknowledge him for 
 their Metropolitan ; for amongst themselves they 
 made the following remarks : 
 
 "If he does not even condescend to rise when 
 we come into his presence, how much more will 
 he make little of us when we are subject to his 
 jurisdiction." 
 
 Such is the substance of what the Venerable Bede 
 tells us of this celebrated Council that estranged for 
 years the British and English Churches, although 
 both of them were Catholic. 
 
 Dr. Lingard properly observes that, " it is 
 surprising that so many modern writers should 
 have represented the Britons as holding different 
 doctrines from those professed by the Roman 
 missionaries, though these writers have never 
 produced a single instance of such difference. 
 Would Augustine have required the British 
 clergy to join in the conversion of the Saxons if
 
 76 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 they had taught doctrine [which he condemned ? 
 Bede has minutely related all the controversies 
 between the two parties ; they all regard points 
 of discipline." These observations of Dr. Lin- 
 gard are perfectly correct. 1 
 
 Ireland and Scotland, as well as Britain, with 
 that pertinacity of temper in the blood of 
 all Celtic races, kept to their computation as to 
 the celebration of Easter, without thinking them- 
 selves out of the pale of the Catholic Church. 
 
 However, such a diversity of opinion, on a 
 practical question, created no small amount of 
 ill-feeling ; and even, at times, interfered with 
 the peace and union in families ; nor was it easy 
 to come to an understanding, owing to the strong 
 national feeling of each party. Thus Oswy, 
 King of Northumberland, saw with regret his 
 own household divided into two factions ; and at 
 the end of each Lent, it was a hard task to keep 
 peace ; for when one half of the Court sang the 
 Easter Alleluias and sat down to an Easter 
 dinner, the other half fasted and did penance: 
 for them it was Palm Sunday, the first day of 
 Holy Week. 
 
 To settle this difference, it was thought ex- 
 pedient to call together a synod. It was held at 
 Whitby in 664. King Oswy opened the proceed- 
 ings by briefly stating to the assembly that, " as 
 
 (1) Some writers have banded down to us a fabricated speech, placed 
 on the lips of Dinoth, the spokesman of the British Clergy. The document 
 is evidently spurious, as, in the beginning it asserts that the British Bishops 
 acknowledged the Pope, and at the end, only the Archbishop of Caerleon, 
 they could not thus contradict themselves.
 
 THE CAMBEO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 77 
 
 they served one God, they should ohserve one 
 way of living, neither should they differ in the 
 administration of the Sacraments ; for they ex- 
 pected only one kingdom in heaven. Let them, 
 then, discuss the matter and follow the truth." 
 
 Coleman represented the Scots, and Wilfred 
 the other side. Both defended their respective 
 opinions with warmth and eloquence, and, when 
 they had spoken, the king closed the conference 
 hy the following conclusive and practical re- 
 marks : Wilfred had concluded his speech by 
 appealing to the authority of the Holy See and 
 the practice of the universal church, as the 
 ultimate judge in religious matters. 
 
 " Whatever your Columhan, whom we admit 
 to have heen an holy man, may have thought," 
 said Wilfred, " is, after all, his authority above 
 that of the Prince of the Apostles, to whom 
 Christ said ' Thou art Peter ; and upon this rock 
 I will build My church, and the gates of hell 
 shall not prevail against it; and I will give unto 
 thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven' ? " 
 
 "Is it true," said Oswy to Coleman, "that 
 Christ addressed these words to Peter?" 
 
 " King, it is true." 
 
 "Did He tell the same to your Columban, 
 thereby conferring on him the same authority? " 
 
 " No," answered the Scotch Bishop. 
 
 " Then," replied the King, " both you and 
 Wilfred agree that the keys of the kingdom were 
 given chiefly to Peter?"
 
 7H CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 " We both agree." 
 
 " Then," concluded the King, " as the Pope is 
 the porter of heaven, I am unwilling to disobey 
 him. As far as I know, and to the best of my 
 power, I shall abide by his statutes ; lest perhaps 
 that after my death, when I come to knock at 
 the door of heaven, the porter who holds the 
 keys should lock me out." 
 
 The British Bishops were in exactly the same 
 state of mind, and knew full well that the Pope 
 of Rome was the Head of the Church ; yet they 
 were, for a time, unwilling to give up some of 
 their customs, and to recognise St. Augustine as 
 their Metropolitan. 
 
 No doubt, they thought that St. Gregory was 
 hard on the British race, by imposing on them as 
 Archbishop a foreigner, ignorant of their customs 
 and language, with another doubtful qualification 
 in their eyes, that of being the favourite of their 
 
 e/ J O 
 
 bitterest enemies. Pope Eleutherius, in the 
 second century, had established a hierarchy for 
 the Britons ; and they, their descendants, expect- 
 ed that the same should be respected, by his suc- 
 cessor in the sixth. 
 
 However, when the British Bishops were in- 
 vited to meet St. Augustine, they obeyed ; and 
 had the zealous apostle of the Anglo-Saxons 
 risen to greet them, the celebrated oak tree in 
 Worcestershire might have witnessed an act of 
 reconciliation and recognition. St. Augustine 
 
 O O 
 
 conceded as much as his conscience would allow;
 
 TEH CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 79 
 
 but unfortunately he had wounded the suscepti- 
 bility of the British Bishops, who exchanged 
 amongst themselves the remark: "If, when we 
 
 O ' 
 
 are not his subjects, he proves so haughty, what 
 will he not do when he is our master ? " 
 
 Something similar had occurred in Ireland 
 about a century before. When the great apostle 
 of Erin had established missions in the North 
 and centre of Ireland, and converted the pop- 
 ulation, he directed his steps southward ; but there 
 he found the Church already established, with 
 an organized clergy. St. Patrick had received 
 from Rome jurisdiction over the whole island; 
 on the other side the people of Munster were 
 satisfied with things as they were, and said that, 
 as they were already Christians, St. Patrick 
 might confine his labours to the rest of the 
 country. However, this diiference on a question 
 of jurisdiction was amicably settled. The reader 
 would have wished a similar result from the 
 celebrated meeting in Worcestershire. 
 
 In the case of the British and Anglo-Saxon 
 question, a strong national antipathy between 
 the two races, the invaded and the invaders, stood 
 in the way of reconciliation. 
 
 Nationality is often a great obstacle in the 
 propagation of the Gospel. The Church of Christ 
 is intended by her Divine Pounder to embrace 
 within her fold all the nations of the globe. The 
 commandment of the Great Master is: "Make no 
 distinction between the Jew and the Gentile. All
 
 80 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 are brethren, or children, of Adam and Eve. 
 Christ died for them all, and wishes all to reign 
 with Him in heaven." 
 
 The selfish spirit of the world does not consider 
 this, but confines rights, privileges, brotherhood, 
 to certain narrow boundaries of territories; as 
 much as to imply, " We are brethren, provided 
 we belong to the same race, and live under the 
 protection of the same flag." 
 
 After making due allowance for national feel- 
 ing and human frailty, one cannot exonerate 
 from blame a Catholic clergy, such as the British 
 Bishops ; first, from disobedience to ecclesias- 
 tical orders from Rome; and secondly, for re- 
 fusing to help in the conversion of the Anglo- 
 Saxons. 
 
 The Britons, as a nation, were perfectly 
 justified in resisting the invasion of their island ; 
 but Catholic Bishops and Priests, the ministers of 
 a God who wishes the Gospel to be preached to 
 all, seem for the moment to have lost sight of the 
 spirit of their Divine Master. Peter and Paul 
 were by race Jews ; the Romans were the deadly 
 enemies and the conquerors of their country ; yet 
 these Apostles rejoiced to shed their blood for the 
 spiritual good of their prosecutors. 
 
 Protestant writers have greatly exaggerated 
 the consequences of the step taken by the British 
 Bishops under the oak tree in Worcestershire. 
 According to them, the Welsh Church, if ever 
 Catholic before, became altogether disconnected
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 81 
 
 with the Church of Rome. I think I cannot 
 better answer such an historical barbarism, than 
 by calling a Welsh Bishop from his grave and 
 begging of him to correct the erroneous ideas of 
 his countrymen in the Nineteenth Century. 
 
 This Prelate is Urban, Bishop of Llandaff, a 
 man of energy, talent, and zeal. He lived in 
 the twelfth century, and kept up a long corres- 
 pondence with Rome. His first letter to Pope 
 Calixtus II. solves the question. In the Liber 
 Landavensis it is entitled : Requisition of Bishop 
 Urban to Pope Calixtus II. It runs as 
 follows : * 
 
 " To the Venerable Apostolical Calixtus, chief 
 Patron of Christianity, Urban, Bishop of the 
 Church of Llandaff, sends faithful service and 
 due reverence. The Church of God, and ours 
 under God and you, addresses this letter to your 
 mercy and piety ; and suppliantly requests that, 
 for the sake of Christ the Chief King, you will 
 order that it may be carefully read, and kindly 
 heard by you. 
 
 " Erom the time of the ancient Fathers, dearly 
 beloved Father and Lord, as the Chirograph of 
 our patron St. Teilo does testify, the aforesaid 
 church, originally founded in honour of the 
 Apostle St. Peter, was always the mistress of all 
 other churches in Wales in dignity and privilege, 
 until at length through means of seditions and 
 many injuries from wars ... it began to decline, 
 
 (1) Liber Landaveucia. p. 555.
 
 82 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 and to be nearly deprived of its pastors, and 
 annihilated by the cruelty of the natives and the 
 invasion of the Normans. 
 
 " Yet religious persons always remained in it 
 to perform Divine Service ; as well on account of 
 its being in the neighbourhood of the English 
 from whom they differed nothing in Church service 
 (having been brought up and educated amongst 
 them), as because from ancient times, that is 
 from the time of Eleutherius, Pope of the see of 
 Borne, and after the coming of St. Augustine, 
 (Metropolitan of the Church of Canterbury) to 
 the island of Britain, the Bishop of this place was 
 always subject and obedient, in all things, to the 
 same Archbishop." 
 
 There is no doubt whatever that the Supre- 
 macy of the Papacy in the Church was an un- 
 disputed dogma in the old religion of Wales, as 
 it is now in the Catholic Church. When a 
 Bishop of Llandaff in the twelfth century sent 
 his faithful service, and due reverence, to the 
 venerable Apostolical Calixtus, chief patron oj 
 Christianity, he did nothing more than what his 
 countrymen before had done. The civil code of 
 his country had been sent to Borne to be approved 
 by Pope Anastasius, 200 years after the arrival 
 of St. Augustine. In case the Cambrians had 
 not been Catholics, such an event would have 
 been noticed as extraordinary. There is nothing 
 of the kind ; not a word is uttered implying that, 
 after having seceded from Borne, they had re-
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 83 
 
 turned to it in the days of Howell Dda. The 
 Welshmen in the days of Dubricius, in the fifth 
 and sixth centuries, were as Catholic as when 
 they received the Gospel from the missionaries 
 sent by Pope Eleutherius at the request of Lucius, 
 and remained such for nearly 200 years after the 
 faith had left England, in the days of the so- 
 called Reformation. 
 
 A Breton tolerably well up in the knowledge Cc 
 of the early religious history of Armorica, who 
 should come over to Cambria and read in some 
 
 of the modern historians of Wales sentences such c ^ h . olic . 
 
 religion in 
 
 as the following " The early Britons were never Brittan y- 
 Catholic in faith or worship," would greatly 
 wonder at such barefaced inaccuracies, for he 
 would know well that Brittany received the 
 Catholic faith from the early British Church, and 
 that her first Catholic Bishops, with few excep- 
 tions, were all from Britain. 
 
 As the Anglo-Saxon invasion drove away the 
 Britons from their country, and even long before, 
 in the days of Conan Meriadec, legions of emi- 
 grants made their way to that Celtic country. 
 Thousands upon thousands of exiles continued 
 for years to choose the Armorican shores as a 
 refuge from the sword of the Saxons. In a few 
 years the new settlers completely outnumbered 
 the natives, and changed the name of Armorica 
 for that of Brittany, or Little Britain, no doubt 
 as a compliment to, or in remembrance of, their 
 old home.
 
 84 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 The first Bishops mentioned in the archives of 
 the ancient dioceses of Armorica, such as D61, 
 Quimper, St. Brieuc, St. Malo, are all of British 
 origin. 1 
 
 The graphic pen of Montalembert describes 
 the exodus and the influence it exercised. " A 
 swarni of monastic missionaries descended on the 
 cliifs, at the head of a population already Chris- 
 tian. They came to ask shelter from their 
 brethren, issued from the same race, and speak- 
 ing the same language. The leaders of the 
 British monks, who disembarked with their army 
 of disciples, undertook to pay for the hospitality 
 they received, by the gift of the true faith ; and 
 they succeeded. They gave their name and their 
 worship to their new country. They preached 
 Christianity in the language common to all 
 Celtic races, and resembling that which is still 
 spoken by the peasants of Lower Brittany. They 
 implanted in the Armorican Britain, in this 
 Brittany of ours, that faith which remains so 
 firmly rooted there. ' The sun,' says a Breton 
 monk of the seventeenth century, apostrophising 
 one of these prophets from beyond the sea, ' has 
 never lighted a country where, since you banished 
 idolatry, the true faith has been held with more 
 constant and unchanging faithfulness. For 
 thirteen centuries, no kind of infidelity has stained 
 the language by which you preached Jesus 
 Christ; and the man has yet to be born, who has 
 
 (1) Moutalembert. Monks of the West. Vol. II., p. 264.
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 85 
 
 heard a Breton preach in the Breton tongue, any 
 other than the Catholic Faith.' ' 
 
 In the diocese of Quimper, there is an island 
 called Sein, that bears not a single venomous 
 heast ; no serpent can live on its soil. It is a 
 faithful image of the Brittany you (British 
 Saints) have evangelized ; it is a land which, 
 since her conversion, has bred no venom against 
 the sentiments of our Holy Mother the Church. 1 
 
 There is not a shadow of doubt that Brittany 
 has always been a Catholic country, and that it 
 received the faith, in a great measure, from 
 British priests and monks. The Celtic songs of 
 Brittany invariably convey two ideas; that its 
 inhabitants are proud of two qualifications to be 
 Bretons and Catholics. 
 
 If Montalembert had lived in Glamorganshire 
 he would not have failed to remark that many 
 of these holy missionaries, who preached the 
 Catholic religion in Armorica, were sons of South 
 Wales, or educated at Llantwit Major, Llan- 
 carvan, or other seminaries of Cambria. Gla- 
 morganshire, however, has the lion's share in the 
 honour of having trained them for their Apostolic 
 labours. 
 
 In our days Wales has reached a material without 
 prosperity not to be met with in her past annals, of Rome 
 If the surface of her soil, except at the sea coast, of 
 is poor, not to say barren, the bowels of her i 
 valleys and her mountains conceal diamonds in 
 
 (1 ) Albert le Grand, Vies des Saints de Bretagne.
 
 86 CAMBRIA SACEA. 
 
 the shape of coal and minerals. Her seaports 
 are filled with the fleets of the world, and in- 
 numerahle railways convey her minerals to 
 crowded docks. Her miners earn wages envied 
 by clerks in banks or in Government offices ; and 
 wherever the curse of intemperance does not 
 extend its baneful influence, comfort is the 
 general rule in a Welsh home. 
 
 Such is not the pleasing aspect when we come 
 to examine the religious condition of the country. 
 A variety of religions and creeds, almost as 
 numerous as the coal-pits, divide the country. 
 There is only one Christ and Redeemer, one 
 Faith, one Baptism. Our Lord came into the 
 world to band mankind together in one form of 
 religion, and Britain has torn that unity into 
 shreds, and cast it to the winds. 
 
 Amongst the most intelligent and better edu- 
 cated portion of the Britons there is a feeling 
 gaining ground every day that there ought to be 
 only one religion, as there is only one Christ, and 
 not many; that class of men would hail the 
 dawn of better days, when the Britons could 
 again kneel round one altar and sing together, 
 "Credo in unam Catholicam Ecclesiam." A 
 large and influential party in England is striving 
 to forward this principle. The only possible way 
 of bringing about this result is the Papacy. To 
 think of the unity of Christians in one religion 
 without the Pope is an idle dream ; it is to build 
 a house on the sand ? to be washed away by the
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 87 
 
 first boisterous tide. " Thou art Peter, and upon 
 this rock I will build My Church ; and the gates 
 of hell shall not prevail against it," is written. 
 Civil governments or individuals cannot bestow 
 on the world unity of religion. Christ did not 
 choose them as the foundation-stone of His 
 Church. Wherever and whenever they meddled 
 with religion, their hand undid the unity estab- 
 lished by Christ. The history of the east and 
 west unfortunately proves this. 
 
 Henry VIII. took it into his head to become 
 the supreme ruler of religion in England. What 
 has been the consequence ? In 1877 not half of 
 the English population will hold communion 
 with his Church, or acknowledge in him or his 
 successors on the throne any Divine mission or 
 spiritual jurisdiction. 
 
 Any, therefore, be it a kingdom, a society, or 
 an individual, anxious to promote unity of re- 
 ligion, let him take the only road leading to it 
 the road to Home. Every plan devised by the 
 greatest genius, or the most powerful conqueror, 
 will be an utter failure without the Pope. 
 
 The motto of Protestantism "Let every one 
 judge for himself" is the most destructive 
 engine of war ever brought against the Church 
 of Christ. The Bible is made a laughing-stock 
 throughout the world by this erroneous principle. 
 Even Pagans keenly remark that " the Christian 
 religion is the greatest absurdity ever offered to 
 mankind, if everybody is allowed to interpret it
 
 88 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 according to his interested views, his national or 
 individual prejudices." 
 
 Very few nations under the sun exhibit a 
 greater love and respect for human authority 
 than Great Britain. She venerates civil authority 
 in all its gradations ; and this fundamental prin- 
 ciple of society has contributed in no small 
 degree in extending and consolidating her 
 immense power, and in keeping away from her 
 shores continental revolutions. 
 
 ^- n Englishman respects the Sovereign and 
 n an y one lawfully invested with authority. Take 
 spects the Navy, the Army, the Civil Service, SUb- 
 
 authority ; 
 
 aa a Chris- ordination to superiors is instinctively understood 
 
 by all to be a duty, and orders are cheerfully 
 
 ledges 
 
 none. obeyed. 
 
 Outside the Government influence, in a sphere 
 in which the people feels its liberty to greater 
 advantage, the same spirit rules its mind. A 
 mayor during his term of office is an important 
 personage, for he represents the community. A 
 magistrate on the bench is respected, and even 
 in passionate meetings the most rabid speaker 
 bows to the chair. 
 
 In religious questions there is not a more in- 
 subordinate being than the modern Briton. He 
 will acknowledge no authority, and proclaims 
 himself as good a theologian as any one living, 
 and thinks he must be the final judge in the 
 interpretation of the Word of God, free to take
 
 THE CAMBRO BRITONS AND THE PAPACY. 89 
 
 as much as he likes, and to reject as much as he 
 thinks proper. 
 
 With such principles unity of faith hecomes 
 an impossibility. Hence, as a Christian com- 
 munity, there is not a country more divided 
 than Great Britain. 
 
 Religious dissension exists in the Established 
 Church as well as amongst Dissenters, and makes 
 itself felt in political and social life, and often 
 interferes with the peace of families. Want of 
 unity in religion is witnessed in Parliament, in 
 elections, in town halls, at the school board, on 
 the platform, and in the pulpit. 
 
 The sentiment that creates unity is uprooted 
 from the mind of the nation namely, submission 
 to ecclesiastical authority, to the local clergy, 
 the Bishops, and the Pope of Home. 
 
 This is the secret of Catholic unity, which 
 binds together in one faith the millions of the 
 east and the west. 
 
 An influential party in the Church of England 
 is accused of Romanising the mind of the people. 
 The charge is somewhat correct, and the Catholics 
 rejoice in this movement towards our faith, and 
 hope that time will bring home the Prodigal 
 Son, after an absence of centuries. 
 
 These gentlemen are busily occupied in the 
 erection of a fine Catholic bridge, but the 
 building will not hold together without the 
 keystone the supremacy of the Pope of Borne.
 
 90 CAMBRIA SACEA. 
 
 Before the country returns to the old faith this 
 principle must sink deep in its mind, form a part 
 of the thoughts and phraseology of the nation, 
 manifest itself as of old in the writings of the 
 historian, philosopher, and poet. This last re- 
 mark brings to mind the romance of Gwen, a 
 fair young Cambrian belle, whom the bard of old 
 sends to Home to receive penance for causing the 
 death of her lover. 
 
 In the lolo MSS. it runs as follows : " Take 
 thou thy neat ashen staif, and proceed to Rome. 
 The Pope will demand of thee, What wickedness 
 has brought thee here ? What hast thou done ? 
 If thou wilt enjoy heaven thou must confess. 
 Then will the disheartened fair one acknowledge 
 herself guilty of the death of one who loved her ; 
 that she broke the heart of a youth of her 
 country, who died for her love. Then will the 
 fair one be clothed in horse hair, thus to perform 
 penance for the rest of her life, for wilfully 
 slaying the youth who loved her. And may St. 
 Mary forgive her as I do ! My beauteous maid, 
 may heaven be to thy soul ! "
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE CAMBRIANS' BELIEF IN THE HOLY EUCHARIST, 
 MASS, AND COMMUNION. PRACTICE OF CON- 
 FESSION. 
 
 WE have seen the Camhrians, in their relation 
 to the Papacy, faithful in their allegiance to the 
 Pope of Borne, on whom they looked as the great 
 Captain of Christianity and centre of Christian 
 unity. Now, let us ask the reader to accom- 
 pany us into the Church, where the Priest cele- 
 brates Mass. Let us lead him to the altar, with 
 its relics and candles ; show him the tabernacle 
 which contains the Body and Blood of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, carefully preserved there for the 
 adoration of the faithful, and to be carried to the 
 sick and dying, whether rich or poor; to the 
 prince in his castle, to the labourer in his hut. 
 
 Within the Sacred Temple let us point out the 
 confessional, around which, in Holy Week, or on 
 the eve of Pentecost, the faithful are kneeling, 
 awaiting their turn to unburden their consciences 
 and to receive the Absolution of the Priest. 
 
 Leaving the Church, let us stroll with that 
 reverence for the house of the dead which is so
 
 92 CAMBRIA SACRA, 
 
 marked in the Celtic race through the cemetery, 
 and gaze on the Cambrians of past ages, kneeling 
 as they come from Mass at the graves of their 
 forefathers, sprinkling them with Holy Water, 
 and saying a "De Profundis" for the souls of 
 the faithful departed. 
 
 I like to summon the dead from their tombs, 
 to sit with them under the shade of the yew 
 trees, and silently listen to the narrative of 
 bygone generations, for the tales of the dead are 
 impressive beyond expression. 
 
 The The Cambrians were taught by their spiritual 
 
 Cambrians preceptors to believe that Jesus Christ, on the 
 
 the rea m eve f His death, instituted the Holy Eucharist 
 
 presence. con t a ming really and truly His Body and His 
 
 Blood for the spiritual nourishment of our souls, 
 
 and that the Holy Eucharist was both a sacra- 
 
 ment and a sacrifice. 
 
 The first Priest who ever celebrated Mass was 
 Jesus Christ Himself, and He commanded His 
 disciples to do the same till the end of time. It 
 was also on the eve of His death that the 
 Redeemer of the world gave communion to His 
 disciples, who were the first on earth to partake 
 of the Body and Blood of their dear Master ; but 
 one of them Judas made a sacrilegious com- 
 munion. 
 
 The Welshmen of early days did not, like the 
 Jews, call in question the power of Jesus Christ 
 by saying, " How can this man give us His Elesh 
 to eat and His blood to drink?" and when our
 
 THE HOLY EUCHARIST AND CONFESSION. 93 
 
 Lord persisted in declaring to them, " Unless you 
 eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His 
 Blood, you shall not have life in you," 1 went 
 away and left Him. The "Welshmen of old said 
 with St. Peter, when he was asked by his Master 
 whether he also would not go away like the rest, 
 unwilling to believe in His power, "To whom 
 shall we go ? Thou hast the words of eternal life." 
 The Welshmen of old, without exception, believed 
 in the sacrifice of the Mass, and that when the 
 faithful came to the altar rails to receive com- 
 munion, they did really and truly partake of the 
 Body and Blood of our Lord. 
 
 In their eyes the most exalted dignity on earth 
 was that of the Priesthood, because the Priest 
 had power to call Jesus Christ from heaven 
 whenever he went to the altar, and distributed to 
 the people the real bread from heaven whenever 
 he gave Communion. 
 
 With St. Paul they knew that " every high 
 Priest taken from among men is ordained for 
 men in the things that appertain to God, that he 
 may offer wp gifts and sacrifices for sins." 2 
 
 The laws of Howell Dda give the priest the 
 title of " offerenner," or the celebrator of Mass. 
 In the Breton language the Mass bears the same 
 name as in the Welsh. " Offer en" is the Breton 
 name for Mass. "Offeren" conveys the same 
 significance in the ancient Cambrian. 3 
 
 o 
 
 (1) Gospel of St John, chap, vi., v. 54. 
 
 (2) Epistle to Hebrews, v. 1. 
 (3) In the English and Welsh Dictionary (Thomas Edwards) the Priest 
 
 is called " Otfireiadd."
 
 94 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 The Welsh laws are clear and precise in their 
 definition of the duties of a Priest. The three 
 things named as indispensable to a king are his 
 Priest to say grace and to sing Mass. 
 
 The judge of the court to elucidate everything 
 doubtful, and the chief of his household for his 
 command. (Venedotian Code, p. 177. Dimetian 
 Code, p. 436.) 
 
 These laws, although compiled in the tenth 
 century, are nothing else than the reflection of 
 the faith of the Britons from the time they re- 
 ceived the grace of conversion from heathendom. 
 - The celebrated Gildas, a British monk be- 
 of u the s me longing to the fifth and sixth centuries, leaves no 
 no e t g ce r doubt on the subject. 
 
 Mass'often ^ n ^ s wor ^ Iwcrepatio a ^ Clerum he inveighs 
 
 enough. w ith all the energy of his soul, and in that strong 
 
 style peculiar to him, against certain abuses that 
 
 had crept into the midst of a portion of the 
 
 British clergy of his days. 
 
 " Sacerdotes habet Britannia sed insipientes 
 quam plurimos, Ministros sed imprudentes . . . 
 raro sacrificantes et nunguam puro corde inter 
 altaria stantes." 
 
 The earnest Monk, from his monastery on the 
 Armorican shores, denounces two abuses. He 
 finds fault with some of the clergy for rarely 
 celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and 
 when they went up to the altar for not being 
 endowed with that purity of heart required in 
 those who do service in the sanctuary of God-
 
 THE HOLY EUCHARIST AND CONFESSION. 95 
 
 According to the Catholic spirit he expected his 
 brethren in the Priesthood to celebrate daily the 
 Holy Sacrifice. Then, the sacredness of their 
 functions imperiously demanded that they should 
 enter the temple of the Lord clad in the robes of 
 an unblemished life. They were the ministers 
 of the Church, sprinkling mankind with the blood 
 of the Lamb of God. Their hands were to be 
 pure. 
 
 The altar of sacrifice and the British saints 
 
 The 
 
 cannot be disconnected. On the shores of Britons 
 Armorica we find these servants of God from altar of 
 Britain celebrating Mass in the presence of an cannot be 
 alarmed crowd which has called on them to rid 
 their neighbourhood from a huge dragon or a 
 poisonous serpent. They opened the battle at 
 the altar, offered up first the sacrifice of the Body 
 and the Blood of Jesus Christ, who formed their 
 sole strength ; and clad in these very vestments 
 in which they had celebrated Mass, they boldly 
 started to meet the dangerous reptile, and gained 
 an easy victory. Thus acted Paulus, Aurelianus, 
 St. Meen, and many others. Erom the holy 
 Eucharist they derived that personal courage 
 the boldest of warriors lacked on the occasion, as 
 well as supernatural power over dreaded animals. 
 
 Indeed, one cannot read the history of these 
 islands without being constantly brought before 
 the holy of holies. 
 
 In all the large monasteries the perpetual 
 adoration was strictly carried out. Jesus Christ
 
 96 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 is really present in the sanctuary. He is not to 
 be left alone like an indifferent and neglected 
 guest. Day and night a sentinel of honour is 
 appointed to do duty in His temple, and sing 
 Divine praises. Such was the spirit of the ancient 
 Britons, and that of the founders of religious 
 houses throughout the country. 
 
 The men of the fifth and sixth centuries 
 possessed a limited knowledge of sacred archi- 
 tecture. This was a science the Monks of the 
 Middle Ages were destined to develop to a degree 
 of perfection not even surpassed in our days. 
 However, the Britons paid a particular attention 
 to the decoration of the altar. The stone was 
 often brought from Jerusalem, and the tabernacle 
 studded with diamonds and gems of the greatest 
 value. 
 
 st Cadoc Many of the saints of Britain died martyrs 
 massacred "before the altar, and as it were mingled their 
 
 at the 
 
 altar. blood with that of Jesus Christ. Such was the 
 case of St. Cadoc, of Llancarvan, Glamorgan- 
 shire. 
 
 Let Albert le Grand, a Breton Monk, describe 
 the circumstances : " The old Prelate for he 
 was no longer Abbot, but Bishop was residing 
 at Weedon, in Northamptonshire, when one 
 night, whilst in prayer, an angel appeared to 
 him and gave him his choice as to the kind of 
 death he would prefer. The old man said, " As 
 my Lord died on the cross for my sake, I should 
 wish, if such be His holy will, to shed my blood 
 for His sake."
 
 THE HOLY EUCHARIST AND CONFESSION. 97 
 
 The angel replied, " Servant of God, rejoice ; 
 this desire shall be accomplished. To-morrow 
 thou shalt pass from this miserable life to ever- 
 lasting glory, and receive the crown of martyr- 
 dom." This said, the angel disappeared. 
 
 In the morning St. Cadoc communicated the 
 revelation to some of his intimate friends, and 
 prepared himself to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice 
 as usual. At the appointed hour he vested and 
 began Mass. At the same time an army of 
 barbarians rushed on the town unexpectedly, 
 and made their way to the Church. There they 
 found St. Cadoc at the altar, and after swearing 
 at and cursing the Christian worship and its 
 ministers, they seized upon Cadoc, and slew him 
 at the altar. 1 
 
 When the Saxons, laden with plunder, had 
 retired, the people came to the Church, washed 
 away the blood, and buried him in his own 
 sanctuary. 
 
 St. Winefrid, in the Ecclesiastical Annals of 
 Cambria, and also in the opinion of her country- 
 men, ranks first amongst the maidens of Wales. fnd 
 What St. Agnes is in Rome, St. Genevieve in 
 Paris, Winefrid is in her native land. Prom the 
 time of her martyrdom to the present day a 
 continuous stream of pilgrims has annually 
 resoited to her well, in the hope of finding, on 
 the spot where she died for her virginity, a cure 
 for their infirmities, for at all times and every- 
 
 (1) Albert le Grand. Vies des Saints de Bretagne. ,
 
 98 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 where a virgin martyr is looked upon by the 
 people as a soul dear to God a spouse of Jesus 
 Christ, able to help the afflicted who seek her 
 intercession. 
 
 On a certain day St. Beino visited Tewyth, the 
 father of Winefrid, with the intention of obtaining 
 from him the cession of some land on which he 
 miffht build a Church, wherein to celebrate Mass. 
 
 O ' 
 
 Tewyth agreed to give the land on condition that 
 the Priest should instruct his only child, Winefrid, 
 in sacred and human learning. The land was 
 situated in a valley called in Welsh " Sychnant," 
 or the dry valley. There Beino built a Church 
 in which he daily officiated, and he fulfilled his 
 agreement of instructing the young Winefrid. 
 Under the training of such a holy man the 
 youthful virgin closed her heart and her mind 
 against the world. She was beautiful in person, 
 and possessed of great intelligence and a pure 
 heart. 
 
 Her pleasure was to keep in order the Church 
 of her pious master, and to attend to everything 
 required about the altar. She prepared the 
 thurible with its lighted charcoal for High Mass, 
 and when the Holy Water stoup was drained of 
 its contents she replenished it, placing salt and 
 the Ritual in order that the fresh supply of water 
 might be blessed by the Priest. 
 
 On a certain Sunday, whilst Beino was at the 
 altar and Winefrid alone in the house, the lawless 
 Caradoc made his appearance. The young girl
 
 THE HOLT EUCHAEIST AND CONFESSION. 99 
 
 contrived to escape, but was overtaken on the 
 threshold of the Church, and barbarously slain 
 by the wicked prince. This murder at the door 
 of the sanctuary, and during the celebration of 
 Mass, was not to be soon forgotten in Cambria. 
 The Christian bards commemorated it in their 
 verses, and the maidens of "Wales, in the long 
 winter nights, sang by their firesides, with 
 throbbing hearts and eyes bedewed with tears, 
 the death of the Virgin Martyr. 
 
 We may picture to ourselves the sacred bard 
 drawing a touching antithesis between Jesus 
 Christ shedding His blood for the sins of man- 
 kind, and Winefrid, expiring in the protection of 
 her virginity. 
 
 "One Sunday morning," said the bard, "a 
 father, a mother, and a people weep, in the 
 Sychnant Valley, at the altar of St. Beino. Two 
 victims are immolated the bridegroom and the 
 bride one on the altar, the other at the door of 
 the Church. The one is Jesus Christ, the only 
 Son of the living God; the other St. "Winefrid, 
 the only daughter of Tewyth. St. Beino mysti- 
 cally immolates the Lamb of God, a victim 
 willing to die for the sins of the world. The 
 wicked Caradoc strikes off the head of the virgin 
 "Winefrid, unwilling to yield to his passions." 
 
 This episode in the life of St. "Winefrid carries 
 us back to another celebrated daughter of Wales 
 St. Ninnoc, of the royal house of Brychan, in 
 Brecknockshire. She lived in the days of Ger-
 
 100 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 maims, about the middle of the fifth century, and 
 was induced, by the example of this venerable 
 prelate of Gaul, to embrace a religious life. She 
 went to Brittany, and there founded a monastery 
 for women. 
 
 Guereck, Duke of Brittany, a man who could 
 appreciate worth and sanctity of intention, be- 
 haved generously and nobly to the young virgin, 
 and granted her a large tract of land. 
 
 The charter conveying the deed of donation 
 was solemnly placed upon the altar, together 
 with a chalice containing wine, and a paten of 
 gold. This charter expressly stipulates that 
 " the banquet of the Body and Blood of our Lord 
 should be offered up in perpetuum for the benefit 
 of the donor's soul, and for his family, both 
 living and dead." This deed of gift, which bears 
 the date 458, will, later on, be placed before the 
 reader. In form and substance it is similar to 
 those in the Liber Landavensis. 
 
 Oaths ^ ne register of Llandaff abounds in instances 
 
 r 6 the wnere we see Welsh princes on their knees in the 
 sanctuary, and there, in the presence of bishops, 
 clergy, and nobles, taking the most solemn oaths. 
 Such instances repeatedly occurred in the days of 
 Oudoceus, Bishop of Llandaff. 
 
 When a feudal war was about to break out it 
 was customary with the clergy and laity to en- 
 deavour to effect a reconciliation between the 
 disputants, and thereby prevent the shedding of 
 blood. On these occasions the contending parties
 
 THE HOLY EUCHARIST AND CONFESSION. 101 
 
 came to the Church, and there, hefore the altar, 
 in the presence of God, His ministers, and the 
 laity, they solemnly promised to lay aside hatred 
 and the spirit of revenge, and to live together 
 like brothers, in peace and concord. 
 
 When such an oath, taken in such a sacred 
 place, was violated, and murder committed, the 
 Churches in the neighbourhood were deprived of 
 Mass, the altar was stripped, the relics, candles, 
 and bells were laid upon the pavement of the 
 Churches, and thorns heaped up before the closed 
 doors, for those who violated their promise to 
 Jesus Christ were deemed unworthy to partake 
 of the benefit of the Holy Sacrifice of His Body 
 and Blood, or to receive Holy Communion. 
 
 Upon an act of such severity being exercised 
 by a resolute Bishop, such as Oudoceus, the gloom 
 of death seemed to overshadow the district under 
 punishment of interdict. Sunday, instead of 
 cheering the heart with gladness, cast a cloud 
 over every home, and forced the people to reflect 
 deeply on the enormity of the crime of the prince 
 who had brought such desolation on the country. 
 Sooner or later he was compelled to yield to the 
 pressure of public opinion, and seek pardon from 
 the Bishop, because his people would not remain 
 long without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. 
 The reader will find fuller details on this subject 
 in the life of the third Bishop of Llandaff. 
 
 According to the laws of Howell Dda, when a 
 judge was appointed, the taking of the oath ad-
 
 102 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 ministered to him. was attended with greater 
 solemnity than in our days. The life and the 
 property, as well as the liberty of subjects, are in 
 the hands of the judge. He decrees the ruin or 
 justification of many. This was well understood 
 by the legislators of Wales, and therefore, before 
 entrusting any person with an office of such im- 
 portance, they ordained that he must appear at 
 the foot of the altar at the moment when the 
 Redeemer was present thereon, and in that 
 Divine presence, and before the angels of God, 
 he was obliged to take a solemn oath to render 
 justice to all, to the rich and to the poor alike, 
 without distinction of rank or position. The law 
 runs as follows : 
 
 The "When the judge is appointed, let the Priest, 
 
 to tok the the King's Chaplain, with twelve principal officers 
 before the of the court, take him to the Church to assist at 
 Mass, and after Mass and offerting by everyone, 
 let the chaplain require him to swear by the 
 relics, and by the altar, and by the consecrated 
 elements placed upon the altar, that he will never 
 deliver a wrong judgment, knowing it to be 
 wrong, either through the entreaty of any person, 
 or for worth, or for love, or for hatred of anyone. 
 Then let the chaplain declare what has been 
 done." 1 
 
 The people of Wales believed, with the rest of 
 Christendom, in the real presence of our Lord 
 in the Holy Eucharist as an article of faith, and 
 
 (1) Dimetian Code, chap, xiv., art. 20.
 
 THE HOLY EUCHARIST AND CONFESSION. 103 
 
 therefore considered that if the word of a man 
 could ever be relied on, it would be when in the 
 presence of Jesus on the altar, he affirmed or 
 denied an assertion. The law being aware of 
 this sentiment, often cited the litigant to the 
 sanctuary, confident that if the truth was to be 
 told, and falsehood confuted, it was most to be at 
 the foot of the altar. 
 
 If a woman appealed to law concerning the 
 birth of a child, she was required to swear as to 
 its paternity before the consecrated altar, and her 
 deposition was then taken ; for no Welshwoman, 
 unless she had reached the lowest degree of per- 
 versity, would dare to take a false oath at the feet 
 of the Lord. 
 
 The law again, to prevent the lod^ins? of rash ?*! e 
 
 informer 
 
 and untrue informations, which were often the cautioned 
 
 before the 
 
 result of ambition, jealousy, or revenge, imposed Altar. 
 a caution on the informer as to the gravity of the 
 charges he was about to make. Before the de- 
 position was taken the Priest was enjoined to 
 bring him to the Church, and there remind him 
 of the duties imposed by justice and charity, and 
 of the awful sin of perjury. 
 
 The formalities to be observed on such occasions 
 are defined as follows : 
 
 "Whoever wills to make an information, let 
 him go to the lord (prince) and say that a person, 
 whose name he does not mention, has committed 
 a theft. The lord should then summon the Priest, 
 who is to take the informer before the Church
 
 104 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 door, admonishing him to understand and beware 
 of the guilt of perjury. If he swear, let him first 
 take an oath before the door of the Church, 
 secondly in the chancel, and thirdly at the altar. 
 This being done, let the priest go and inform the 
 lord of it." 1 
 
 The writer of these lines, during a sojourn of 
 ten years in the East, in the island of Mauritius, 
 has witnessed hundreds of times even Pagans 
 make their way to a Catholic Church to settle 
 their differences at the foot of the altar. They 
 had learned from the Catholics that the Son Dieu 
 dwelt in the tabernacle, and into His presence 
 they therefore came. As a rule they lighted two 
 or three candles before the altar. Then the man 
 who was accused of robbery solemnly declared to 
 all the bystanders, generally six or seven in 
 number, that he was aware he knelt in the house 
 of God (la grande case du Bon Dieu), and he 
 invoked Him as witness that his hands were free 
 of theft. 
 
 His assertion, made in so sacred a place, was 
 generally received as truth, and thus all further 
 litigation was prevented. More than once the 
 writer has heard these Indians remark, when they 
 left the Church, "Well, now, we leave him to 
 Almighty God. If he has told an untruth in 
 His presence, he will have to pay dear for it." 
 
 A Church, in the eyes of a Catholic population, 
 is more sacred than the holy of holies in the 
 
 (1) Venedotian Code, p. 247, art. 28
 
 THE HOLY BUCHAREST AND CONFESSION. 105 
 
 tabernacle of Solomon's temple was in the eyes 
 of the Jews. A Church is in reality the house of 
 Jesus Christ, in which He dwells not in figure, 
 but really and truly. Hence when a Catholic 
 enters and beholds the lamp of the sanctuary 
 burning before the tabernacle, he falls on his 
 knees in adoration. " Terribilis est locus iste, hie 
 dornus Dei est et porta cseli." 
 
 In the old Celtic phraseology the Church in 
 Wales and Brittany is called " Ty Doue, Ty Duw " 
 that is to say, the house of God. What a 
 difference exists between that ancient name and 
 the modern Welsh term " Meeting-house," which 
 conveys the idea of a covered space suitable for 
 any purpose, whether tea parties, fierce political 
 discussions, or prayer. Since Jesus Christ was 
 expelled from the temple it has lost its sacred 
 character in the minds of the people. 
 
 The Welsh law punished, with particular Punisll 
 
 severity, any misdemeanour committed in or 
 
 Sacrilege. 
 
 about a Church. The sacredness of the place 
 was considered to aggravate the transgression. 
 Whoever shall do wrong in a Mother Church, 
 let him pay to it fourteen pounds. If in the 
 Churchyard, seven pounds. Whoever shall do 
 wrong in another Church, let him pay seven 
 pounds. 1 
 
 A Catholic of the nineteenth century, reading 
 this penal code written for a Catholic population 
 of past ages, draws this natural inference. The 
 
 (1) Welsh Codes.
 
 106 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 severity, increasing by gradation, implies the 
 following facts. The Mother Church enshrined 
 habitually the Blessed Sacrament; hence the 
 heavy penalty of fourteen pounds for any serious 
 wrong committed under its roof. The Church- 
 yard connected with the Church, and the burial 
 places of her Christian children, was also sacred, 
 but not in the same degree ; hence the fine was 
 only half. The other Churches wherein cases of 
 crime occurred, which were subjected to a fine of 
 seven pounds, no doubt were Chapels, used oc- 
 casionally, but which were not privileged to 
 reserve the Blessed Sacrament, and consequently 
 an offence perpetrated in them was a lesser 
 profanation. 
 
 The Church of England is spending millions of 
 pounds sterling in the restoration of the old 
 Cathedrals built by generations of Catholics, and 
 wrenched from them at the time of the Reforma- 
 tion. No expense is spared, the highest archi- 
 tectural talent is employed in effecting the work 
 of restoration, and to all outward appearance one 
 would take them to be again Catholic Churches. 
 That which is essential is, however, as yet absent 
 the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. These Churches 
 were built to enshrine the sacred humanity of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ in the sacrament of the Holy 
 Eucharist. As long as He is kept away, they do 
 not answer the purpose for which they were 
 erected.
 
 THE HOLY EUCHAEIST AND CONFESSION. 107 
 
 There was nothing in the world the Catholic^ 
 
 Cambrians 
 
 Welshman dreaded more than dyins: without the at Hol y 
 
 7 f Commun- 
 
 Sacraments of the Church ; and the Priest who 
 had care of souls considered it a most sacred duty 
 to attend the last hours of a dying Christian. If 
 ever remorse gnawed his conscience it was when 
 any of his parishioners had died without the 
 Sacraments through his fault. This was also the 
 opinion expressed by the legislation on the sub- 
 ject, for the laws of Howell Dda specify that a 
 Priest, on his way to attend a sick call, shall be 
 free to pass over any person's land. He may 
 ride through gardens and cultivated fields if he 
 thinks it necessary, for he is called to the death- 
 bed of a Christian, who, before leaving this world, 
 stands in need of absolution and of the Body and 
 Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. When upon 
 such a holy mission no one in Wales has a right 
 to call him to account for trespassing. 
 
 When Gwynlew, the warrior, was dying in his 
 hermitage on Stowe Hill, Newport, Monmouth- 
 shire, he called his companions around him and 
 said " I feel my days are coming to an end. 
 Send to Llancarvan, and request my son Cadoc 
 to come in haste to receive the confession of his 
 dying father, and to give him Holy Communion 
 before he leaves this world." 
 
 St. Cadoc at once came from Llancarvan, and 
 when he reached the cell of his dying parent, on 
 the hill of Newport, he found that St. Dubricius 
 was already at his bedside. After he had received
 
 108 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 the Body and Blood of our Lord, the old chieftain 
 thanked God and his son for his conversion, and 
 stretched forth his hand to bless Cadoc in this 
 world and in the next. 
 
 St. Teilo, the second Bishop of Llandaif, was 
 Cornwall, on his way to Brittany at the head of a colony 
 thT" ' from Glamorganshire, when coming to Cornwall, 
 at the the place from which they were to embark, he 
 st. Teno. was hospitably entertained by the prince of that 
 country. Geraint, for such was his name, took 
 compassion on these poor exiles, forced to fly 
 from yellow fever. The account of the awful 
 havoc caused by this pestilence in "Wales (where 
 the houses were empty, and the Churchyards full 
 where kings, as well as their subjects, had 
 fallen victims), as related by the fugitives, to- 
 gether with their emaciated and yellow appear- 
 ance, struck terror into the heart of Geraint, for 
 he felt that this dreadful plague might seize upon 
 him as it had on thousands of others. He thought 
 it advisable, therefore, to take advantage of the 
 arrival of the Bishop of Llandaff, and settle the 
 affairs of his conscience before he should again 
 embark. St. Teilo assured the alarmed prince 
 that he was not as yet to die. The Holy Prelate 
 had received a revelation that Geraint was 
 destined to live for seven years longer, and that 
 he should not pass away without receiving the 
 Body and Blood of our Lord from His own hands. 
 The prophecy was verified by subsequent events. 
 At the end of seven years Geraint fell ill, and St.
 
 THE HOLY EUCHARIST AND CONFESSION. 109 
 
 Teilo, whilst returning to Wales from Brittany, 
 met the messengers of the dying prince, who 
 requested him to hasten his journey that he 
 might keep his word to their master. Teilo 
 hurried on, and arrived in time to administer 
 Holy Communion to the sick man, who shortly 
 afterwards expired. 1 
 
 We might multiply, almost ad infinitwm, the 
 instances in which we see the dying Welshman 
 consoled during his last moments hy the presence 
 of the Redeemer of the world, and the Judsre 
 
 * o 
 
 before whom he will have to give an account of 
 all his actions and omissions, of his words and of 
 his thoughts, when the soul shall have parted 
 from the body ; but as these will be placed before 
 the reader as they occur in the life of each saint, 
 we shall not tax his patience now by useless 
 repetition. 
 
 The greatest punishment which could be in- TO be 
 flicted on the Welsh was to forbid them to O f ep com- 
 approach the sanctuary to receive the Body and 
 Blood of our Lord. 
 
 When King Meuric had given to Almighty 
 God, to the Church of Llandaff, and to St. 
 Dubricius, the Bishop thereof, the tract of land 
 situated between the rivers Taff and Ely, the 
 grant was understood to be ad perpetuum, for 
 when a Welshman gave land to religion it was 
 for perpetuity. However, the charter clearly 
 specified that " if ever any man, prompted by 
 
 (1) Liber Landavensis
 
 110 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 avarice and the evil spirit, seized on such lands 
 in any way whatever, he was to be admonished 
 twice or thrice ; and if he did not amend, was to 
 be excommunicated and deprived of the Body and 
 Blood of our Lord." And the people who heard 
 the proclamation of this threat cried "Amen ! " for 
 it was the opinion of all that this punishment, 
 severe as it was, should be inflicted on persons 
 who were guilty of sacrilege. 
 
 The ecclesiastical authorities dealt with other 
 crimes and misdemeanors in like manner, by 
 forbidding the offender to approach the sacred 
 banquet until such time as he had performed 
 penance. In the register of Llandaff we find 
 several examples of Welsh princes who, having 
 committed murder, were excommunicated, sent 
 on pilgrimages, and not allowed to receive the 
 Holy Eucharist until they had gone through 
 their penance, as will be seen in the life of St. 
 Oudoceus. 
 
 The history of the early Christians, both in the 
 east and west, are full of instances showing forth 
 the wonderful effects of the Holy Eucharist. 
 The Eathers of the Church call our attention to 
 the fact that the martyrs, drawn in crowds by 
 iniquitous tyrants to torments and death, derived 
 their superhuman endurance from Jesus in the 
 sacrament of His love. One day their members 
 were dislocated, the next day they were slowly 
 burnt, then thrown to wild beasts, or tried by 
 other tortures. But nothing could induce these
 
 THE HOLY EUCHARIST AND CONFESSION. Ill 
 
 noble heroes to renounce their religion, for they 
 were fortified by the Mesh and Blood of their 
 Divine Master. Hence the greatest care was 
 taken to bring them Holy Communion before 
 they left the prison for the amphitheatre. Nay, 
 in time of persecutions the early Christians were 
 allowed to keep the Holy Eucharist in their 
 private houses, for at any moment they might be 
 called upon to seal their faith with their blood. 
 
 St. Ignatius, Bishop and martyr in the second 
 century, was so enamoured of his Divine Master 
 in the tabernacle, that on his road from the East 
 to Rome, there to die for his religion, he writes 
 to his brethren in Rome " The pleasures of this 
 world have no longer any attraction for me. I 
 long after the celestial bread the bread of life 
 which is the Mesh of Jesus Christ, Son of the 
 living God, the incorruptible love and life ever- 
 lasting." 
 
 Later on St. Cyprian gives us several examples 
 in which Christians receiving unworthily the 
 Body and Blood of Jesus Christ were severely 
 punished by heaven. 
 
 These remarks of St. Cyprian brings to mind 
 the monstrous conduct of a British chieftain 
 towards the two sons of Modred. 
 
 Constantine, son of Cador, kinsman of King 
 Arthur, and his successor, said on his lips 
 " Eorgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them 
 that trespass against us," but in practice followed 
 to the letter the law of retaliation, in exacting
 
 112 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 blood for blood, eye for eye, tooth for tootb. He 
 thought himself bound to revenge the death of 
 Arthur, who fell in a battle against Modred, on 
 the two sons of this rebel prince. 
 
 The clergy, in the name of religion, demanded 
 of Constantine to spare the two youths, and not 
 call them to account for the sins of their father. 
 
 The Duke of Cornwall promised, before the 
 altar, in the most solemn manner, to do nothing 
 against their existence. 
 
 Yet, not long after, maddened by the spirit of 
 revenge, he broke the gates of the monasteries 
 the two brothers had entered. They ran into 
 the Church, entered the sanctuary as places 
 guarded by the Angels of God, and respected by 
 every Christian. But Constantine had regard 
 neither for the laws of God or man. He entered 
 the sanctuary, in which he found his victims 
 clinging to the altar, and begging to be spared 
 in the name of Jesus Christ, who was there 
 present. But Constantine listened to no en- 
 treaties, and slaughtered them in the Church. 
 
 Three years afterwards he was miserably slain, 
 and people remarked that it was high time he 
 should be chastised for his sacrilegious murders. 
 Well might the earnest Gildas use strong language 
 
 O ~ o o 
 
 in denouncing the crime of this prince, his 
 readiness to swear anything at the altar, and his 
 promptitude to become sacrilegious and perjurer. 
 It is reported of St. Samson, that in Lent, at 
 least during some portion of his life, he abstained
 
 THE HOLY EUCHARIST AND CONFESSION. 113 
 
 altogether from any kind of food excepting the 
 Holy Eucharist of the Body and Blood of our 
 Lord, which he carried with him. 1 In fact, 
 what we are told of the extraordinary mortifica- 
 tions of this Saint seems almost incredible and 
 beyond the power of human endurance, if we did 
 not keep in view the various effects of Holy 
 Communion, which not only nourishes the soul, 
 but at times has been the sole nourishment of 
 certain Saints for a certain period. 2 
 
 The Welsh code of Howell Dda says " A Confession 
 child is to be placed under a confessor's care at 
 the age of seven years," and describes the privi- 
 leges of all persons who from seven years upwards 
 are under direction of a confessor. 3 
 
 A Catholic of the nineteenth century, who 
 remembers the Catechism of his young days, 
 
 (1) Britannia Sancta. 
 
 Gorres, as quoted by Migne, says that in the case of certain Saints 
 Communion replaced the ordinary corporal food. According to the general 
 law of nature, we assimilate into our organisation the aliments we eat, but 
 in the partaking of the Holy Eucharist, the reverse is the case ; our nature 
 is, as it were, assimilated to that of our Lord ; supernatural life absorbs 
 the natural life. 
 
 Certain Saints h^d no relish for any other food but the Holy Eucharist, 
 and for a time have subsisted solely on this Heavenly Bread. 
 
 In 1225, Hugues, Bishop of Lincoln, on learning that there was, in the 
 town of Leicester, a nun who for seven years had partaken of no other food 
 but the Body and Blood of our Lord which she received every Sunday, 
 refused to believe what he was told. He sent over fifteen Clerks with 
 instructions to watch her carefully, and never to lose sight of her for the 
 space of fifteen days. As during that time she preserved her health and 
 strength, the Bishop became convinced of the fact. 
 
 In Norfolk there lived a holy young girl named Johanna Matles, who 
 for fifteen years partook of no other nourishment but the Holy Eucharist. 
 A Spanish nun Louisa of the Resurrection lived in the same miraculous 
 manner. Many holy hermits 1 in the deserts, such as John the 
 Abbot, St. Mary of Egypt, and others, were favoured by heaven in like 
 manner. St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Rose of Lima, relished no other 
 food but the Body and Blood of our Lord. 
 
 (2) Migne, Mystique Chre'tienne. 
 (3) Welsh laws, p. 207.
 
 114 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 cannot help remarking the antiquity of the 
 practice of confession at an early age. Catholic 
 mothers are now as of old exhorted to bring their 
 children, both hoys and girls, to the confessional 
 when about seven, for it is believed that a child 
 who has reached this period of life is a moral 
 agent capable of distinguishing between good 
 and evil. The old Cambrian Catholics thought 
 the same, and even went so far as to prescribe, 
 in their civil legislation, the necessity of taking a 
 child to confession at the early age of seven. 
 
 The same code, alluding to the confession of a 
 king, says "that a Bishop is the confessor of a 
 king by privilege." 
 
 The practice of going to confession is often 
 mentioned in the lives of the early Welsh Saints. 
 Thus when Maelgon, King of North Wales, sent 
 an expedition to plunder the South, under his 
 son Rhun, amongst other strict recommendations 
 given to both commander and army are the 
 following : " When you reach the Bristol 
 Channel you may come upon Llancarvan Abbey. 
 Mind you respect the said territory. Touch no 
 man or animal belonging to its community, for 
 the Abbot is my confessor, and expects protection 
 and exemption from the horrors of war from 
 his spiritual son." 1 
 
 It is related of Amon, father of St. Samson, 
 that being dangerously ill he dispatched mes- 
 sengers to Barry Island, where his son was a 
 
 (1) Cambro-Britifili Saints.
 
 THE HOLT EUCHARIST AND CONFESSION. 115 
 
 Monk, requesting his attendance at home, giving 
 as reason that his coming would have the result 
 of curing him both in body and in soul. 
 
 Indeed, it is asserted that this nobleman felt 
 very uneasy in his conscience. In the habit of 
 going to confession like every Christian in 
 Britain, he had not been sincere in the accusation 
 of his sins, and thus had made sacrilegious con- 
 fessions. At some period of his life he had 
 committed some great fault which he could not 
 find courage to confess. He knew full well that 
 religion required a disclosure of all mortal sins, 
 under the pain of rendering the Sacrament of 
 Penance inefficacious, and the absolution of the 
 Priest void. This fact had disturbed the peace 
 of his conscience on many occasions, but never 
 so much as in this illness, when death stared him 
 in the face. However, the arrival of Samson 
 infused energy into his soul. He made a general 
 confession of his entire life, and, accompanied 
 by his brother, followed his son to Barry Island, 
 to live and die religious. 
 
 Anyone who will read the lives of such men 
 as Gwynlew, the warrior, a prince of Monmouth- 
 shire, and of Geraint, King of Cornwall, or 
 assist at the death-bed of any Welshman from 
 the earliest dawn of Christianity down to the 
 Reformation, and even long after, will always 
 find the practice of confession in force. At the 
 hour of death a Priest will always be discovered 
 attending the last moments of the dying man,
 
 116 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 receiving his confession, absolving him from his 
 sins, " in the name of the Eather, and of the Son, 
 and of the Holy Ghost." The family and friends 
 of the dead were doubly afflicted at a funeral if, 
 when lowering the body into the grave, they 
 were conscious that he had gone into eternity 
 without confession and communion. 
 
 Modern Welshmen entertain very extraordinary 
 views on this subject, and have presumed to 
 limit the power and control the will of the Son 
 of God, for in their opinion He cannot empower 
 a man to forgive sins. If amongst us anyone 
 can delegate his authority to another, and consti- 
 tute him his alter ego as far as he judges proper, 
 is it reasonable to deny the same power to the 
 Redeemer of the world ? 
 
 The Cambrians of old thought differently, and 
 believed, with the Catholic Church, that when 
 Christ told His disciples, " Whose sins you shall 
 forgive on earth they are forgiven in heaven," 
 instituted the Sacrament of Penance by which 
 the sins committed by adults after baptism are 
 really forgiven. 
 
 Penance, as a sacrament, implies the concur- 
 rence of two persons, a sinner and a Priest, with 
 power from God to absolve. The sinner must 
 be sorry for his transgressions, determine to do 
 his best not to fall again, confess, and make 
 satisfaction. Then an approved Priest absolves 
 him, as the agent of God empowered by Him to 
 forgive.
 
 THE HOLY EUCHARIST AND CONFESSION. 117 
 
 The Cambrian of old was also reminded by his 
 spiritual teacher of the provident kindness of our 
 Redeemer in securing for us a life-boat in case 
 of shipwreck, for how few there are who preserve 
 baptismal innocence through life. 
 
 Let us go to the graves of past generations and 
 ask the dead whether or not they have been 
 benefited by this noble institution of our common 
 Master and Redeemer. Thousands upon thou- 
 sands will tell us " On earth we lived reckless 
 and cared little for any law, human or Divine. 
 However, in the course of time we repented, did 
 penance, and received absolution. When called 
 upon to give an account at the bar of Divine 
 justice we pleaded guilty, but said on earth there 
 is a tribunal established by heaven with power 
 to forgive, and that tribunal has forgiven us, and 
 thus we have escaped the eternal punishment of 
 hell; and now we are members of the elect of 
 heaven, and thank the Lamb of God for the 
 wise institution of the Sacrament of Penance. 
 
 Dissenting and Ritualistic opinion on the 
 question of confession engrosses a great deal of 
 public attention at the present time, both in 
 Great Britain and throughout her immense 
 empire. A large, influential, and determined 
 party in the Church of England are inviting their 
 people to frequent the confessional, and that 
 with a success which cannot be under-rated. It 
 is true this party meets with a great deal of 
 opposition in high quarters, and draws ridicule
 
 118 CAMBRIA SAGE A. 
 
 upon it from a certain number of Protestants, 
 and is even annoyed by the wavering hand of 
 the law. Dissenters, as a matter of course, side 
 with the opponents of confession, while Catholics 
 watch with deep interest the great change which 
 is taking place in the public mind in favour of 
 the Divine institution they cherish. 
 The The Ritualist is in the risrht, and can say to 
 
 Eitualists 
 
 and public his opponents, with us Catholics, read the Scrip- 
 tures. What do they say in Matt. xvi. 19, xviii. 
 18, St. John xx., 22-23 ? Christ gave power to 
 His Apostles to forgive or retain sins, to loose or 
 bind, and whatever course they take is ratified in 
 heaven. The words are clear and obvious, and 
 cannot be distorted to suit our purposes. 
 
 Yes, whatever sins are forgiven in a confessional, 
 in a sick room, on land or on sea, by those who 
 have received power, are forgiven in heaven. 
 Our ancestors, for 1,800 years, believed in the 
 institution of the Sacrament of Penance. Ask 
 the fathers of the Greek and the Latin Churches. 
 They all speak of the power of forgiving sins 
 of the tribunal of penance. 
 
 In the course of the present year (1877) public 
 opinion was somewhat occupied by this contro- 
 versy in the neighbourhood of Cardiff. A cele- 
 brated Canon of Llandaff considered it his duty 
 to come before the public and expose his views 
 on the subject. The elegant Churchman de- 
 nounced, as strongly as he could, the practice of 
 confession as unscriptural, and unsupported by 
 the traditions of early ages.
 
 THE HOLY EUCHARIST AND CONFESSION. 119 
 
 This step did not meet with the approval of a 
 large portion of the Church-people attending 
 Llandaff Cathedral. One of them told the writer 
 of these pages that they were sorry the Canon 
 had committed two egregious blunders : first, in 
 having misunderstood altogether both Scripture 
 and history; and secondly, in having wounded 
 the susceptibilities of many in the Church who 
 entertained on confession exactly the same ideas 
 as the Catholics. 
 
 I replied that I felt certain the Canon had 
 distorted the Holy Word and the traditions of 
 past ages, but was not aware that such a large 
 portion of the people round Llandaff shared our 
 Catholic views on the Sacrament of Penance. I 
 was happy to learn that we were drawing closer 
 and closer. 
 
 " Fifteen or sixteen years ago," I added, " I 
 happened to be sent for to a certain institution 
 for females, connected with Llandaff. The 
 practice of confession seemed to be a law of 
 the institution, as the following reason for my 
 visiting the place will show : 
 
 "A young inmate, Irish and Catholic, was 
 invited like the rest to present herself for con- 
 fession. This she declined, stating that it was 
 very useful to go to confession to a Catholic 
 Priest, who had power to forgive sins, but a loss 
 of time to confess to anyone else. Let them 
 send for one of her own clergymen, and she 
 would be happy to unburden her conscience, for
 
 120 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 unfortunately, she had neglected her soul since 
 she had left school. 
 
 "The institution, with a consideration not 
 always met with in such establishments, wrote 
 to the Priests of Cardiff, and one of us called in 
 consequence. 
 
 " A well-known Catholic book treating on 
 confession " Gaume, Manuel des Confesseurs"- 
 occupied a conspicuous place in the parlour, and 
 evidenced to every visitor that confession was 
 favourably looked upon in the house." 
 
 My impression in those days was that this 
 Catholic custom was confined to Protestant con- 
 vents; by what this informant said, I found it 
 was extending to the Church of England at 
 large. 
 
 I hope a day will come when England will 
 again kneel round one altar in the unity of faith 
 and practice. 
 
 It is out of place for any Protestant Clergyman 
 of Llandaff to run down confession as an intro- 
 duction of modern times. The Saints of that 
 Church, one of the most ancient in Britain, 
 might come forth from their graves and protest 
 against such historical blunders. 
 
 St. Dubricius, first Bishop of Llandaff, in the 
 fifth century, and St. Teilo, his successor, heard 
 confessions. 
 
 In the days of Howell Dda an Archdeacon of 
 Llandaff was commissioned to write down the 
 Welsh code at Ty-gwyn as Daf, near Carmarthen.
 
 THE HOLY EUCHARIST AND CONFESSION. 121 
 
 One of the articles of the said code declares 
 that a child is to go to confession at seven years 
 of age. 
 
 Well might the educated portion of the Church- 
 people of Llandaff feel uncomfortable on the 
 benches of the Cathedral when they heard the 
 Canon tell them that the practice of confession 
 did not exist before the twelfth century. The 
 very stones of Llandaff Cathedral deny the 
 correctness of such assertions, and the traditions 
 of past ages protest against the historical 
 barbarism.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 PIETY TO THE DEAD A SACRED AND GENERAL 
 CUSTOM IN THE ANCIENT BRITISH CHURCH. 
 
 KINDEST Jesus, Lord blest, 
 Grant them everlasting rest. 
 
 THE DIES IRJE. 
 
 IN Llandaff Cathedral, on the monument 
 erected over the Matthew family, lords of the 
 Rhadyr, we read the following inscription : 
 
 "Orate pro animabus Gulielmi Matthew, qui 
 obiit decima die Martii . . . quorum ani- 
 mabus Deus Propitietur. Amen. (Pray for the 
 soul of William Matthew . . . who de- 
 parted from this world on the tenth of March 
 . . . on whose soul may God have mercy. 
 Amen.) 
 
 This epitaph reminds us of a devotion deeply 
 impressed on the hearts of our ancestors, which 
 made it a crime for the living to forget the de- 
 parted when the grave had closed over them. 
 Piety to To offer prayer for the dead has ever been 
 parted a looked upon in the Catholic Church as a most 
 Som in sacred duty. Whatever may have been the 
 Wales. f ail lts or vices of our forefathers, there was one
 
 PIETY TO THE DEAD IN THE BRITISH CHURCH. 123 
 
 virtue they never failed to practice piety to- 
 wards the departed ; and the Welsh in particular 
 were most religious in the fulfilment of this 
 spiritual work of mercy. They deemed it 
 obligatory in a Christian to feed the hungry, to 
 clothe the naked, and to offer hospitality to the 
 traveller ; but they believed that to relieve the 
 suffering souls in Purgatory by prayer, alms, and 
 the sacrifice of the Mass, was the greatest act of 
 mercy that could be exercised, and one impos- 
 sible to be neglected, except by the most un- 
 grateful, who were pointed out to public execra- 
 tion as the scum of Christians. 
 
 In Cambria there is invariably a cemetery 
 round a Church, or a monastery, for kings and 
 subjects, clergy and laity, did not relish the idea 
 of being buried in any other place. They felt 
 convinced that if their bones were laid whilst 
 awaiting the resurrection of the body beside the 
 walls of the Church, the people who came to 
 Mass on Sundays would not fail to breathe a 
 prayer to our Lord on the altar for the repose of 
 their souls. 
 
 The Church-yard of a monastery was also, in 
 the public mind, a favourite spot for interment, 
 because it was frequented both day and night by 
 the Monks on their way to the Church to chant 
 the Divine Office. The sacred harmony died 
 away into the silence of nature in the following 
 strain Et Pidelium animae per misericordiam 
 Dei requiescant in pace. Amen. (May the
 
 124 CAMBRIA SACRA, 
 
 souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy 
 of God, rest in peace. Amen.) 
 
 To lay the hody, when abandoned by the soul, 
 within the boundaries of a Church, or in the case 
 of the rich under the very roof of the sacred 
 building, was deemed most important by the 
 faithful of old, for they seemed to feel, through 
 a religious instinct, that they could be happy 
 near the altar on which Jesus Christ sheds His 
 blood, both for the living and the dead. 
 
 " There are three places," says the Welsh code, 
 " where a person is not to give the oath of an 
 absolver. . . . The second is at the porch of 
 a Church-yard, for the Pater (the ' Our Father ') 
 is there said for the souls of the Christians of the 
 world ; and at the Church door, for the Pater is 
 chanted there before the road." 1 
 
 Devotion To realise the extent of the devotion to the 
 
 dead in departed which prevailed in Wales in by-gone 
 
 l ' ages, one should visit the country parishes of 
 
 Brittany, for there the old religious customs of 
 
 Britain have been preserved in all their purity. 
 
 Every Sunday, either before or after Mass, 
 there is not a grave but is visited and sprinkled 
 with Holy Water. Children, whatever be their 
 age or sex, are seen kneeling at the tomb of a 
 father or a mother. A wife bends over the stone 
 beneath which her husband rests; a husband 
 over that of his wife. A mother leads her 
 children by the hand, and they, like her, kneel 
 
 (1) Welsh Laws.
 
 PIETY TO THE DEAD IN THE BRITISH CHURCH. 125 
 
 and pray, for she deems it her duty to teach 
 them a devotion which she has herself learnt 
 from the departed; and no doubt the thought 
 suggests itself to her that one day, when she has 
 taken her place in this same Church-yard, those 
 now innocent children, grown up to manhood, 
 will in like manner come and weep and pray for 
 her soul. 
 
 In a Celtic country the old beggar is a type of 
 the living faith of former days. He enjoys 
 acknowledged privileges, and follows customs 
 handed down to him hy generations of his class. 
 No police, no pauper guardians, can meddle with 
 him. He is old, poor, known in the parish, horn 
 in it, and has never left it except when con- 
 scription called him to serve in the army. So 
 he is free to go about unmolested, and to knock 
 at every door. The farm dog will not even bark 
 at him ; they are too old acquaintances. If the 
 dog could speak he would call the beggar by his 
 name, and the latter politely salutes the canine 
 guardian by the title familiar to him. 
 
 Bent on his staff, the old man can undisturbed 
 make his way to the door. On the threshold he 
 takes off his hat, and commences to recite aloud 
 the Pater, the Ave, and the De Profundis, ending 
 with the following ejaculation "May all the 
 souls of the faithful departed, the souls of those 
 who lived in this village, and in this house, 
 through the mercy of God rest in peace."
 
 126 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Whatever humour the landlady may be in, or 
 however busily engaged, she will find time to go 
 to the flour-bin, and pour from thence a measure 
 into the wallet of the mendicant. 
 
 When a marriage is about to take place, and 
 the time fixed for its celebration is at hand, the 
 departed are not forgotten, nor can the festivities 
 attendant on a wedding be opened without giving 
 a thought to those who once also married and 
 gave in marriage, but now lie buried in the 
 cemetery. Two or three days before that ap- 
 pointed for the wedding a Requiem Mass is sung 
 in the Church at which the bridegroom and the 
 bride, with their respective relatives, attend, 
 according to an immemorial custom. 
 Funerals. No interment takes place without the Holy 
 Sacrifice of the Mass being celebrated in presence 
 of the corpse ; and when the body of the deceased 
 has been laid in the grave, his family will cause 
 Masses to be offered for the repose of his soul on 
 every day for a week, and once a week for a year 
 after his death. Then when the anniversary 
 comes round, Mass is again celebrated for seven 
 days. 
 
 Who can reasonably find fault with a practice 
 which is so natural to the human heart, and 
 which testifies gratitude, and keeps alive the 
 memory of those who formerly tenanted the land 
 in which we live perhaps built the very houses 
 in which we dwell and helped, in a great 
 measure, to bestow on us the comforts we now
 
 PIETY TO THE DEAD IN THE BRITISH CHURCH. 127 
 
 enjoy. Away with any teaching which condemns 
 the dead to oblivion, and stifles thankfulness for 
 past services in the breast of man. Let the 
 Cambrians of old leap forth from their graves 
 and denounce such revolting impiety and black 
 ingratitude. 
 
 The venerable founder of Llancarvan Monas- St. 
 
 . . . . devotion to 
 
 tery is particularly noticed in the Welsh manu- the dead. 
 scripts for his piety towards the dead. No doubt 
 in the history of his ancestors he met with sullied 
 pages which made him think that many of them 
 were detained in purgatory for a time. His 
 prayers in their behalf were incessant, and his 
 penances offered up to heaven for the same 
 intention. 
 
 He must be acknowledged as the great traveller 
 amongst the Welsh Saints. Several times he 
 went to Borne and to Jerusalem. In undertaking 
 such dangerous, long, and fatiguing journeys, he 
 was actuated by no natural desire for moving 
 from place to place, or love of learning, as is 
 often the case. His sole motive was piety to the 
 dead. The Pope, speaking of him to Gildas, 
 said " Cadoc has been in Rome seven times, and 
 thrice to Jerusalem, to obtain forgiveness for the 
 souls of his parents and friends." 
 
 The Liber Landavensis is full of wills and prayers for 
 bequests to religion. These public deeds, care- constantly 
 fully written and signed on all occasions by ^ e oned 
 witnesses taken from the ranks of the clergy and charters -
 
 128 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 laity, illustrate in bold relief how strong was 
 their piety towards their departed brethren. 
 
 In the fifth century Meurig, King of Gla- 
 morgan, ceded to Almighty God, to St. Peter, 
 and to Dubricius, Bishop of Llandaff, all that 
 tract of land lying between the rivers Taif and 
 Ely, over which the rising town of Cardiff is now 
 continually extending itself. The condition of 
 tenure required by the charter is " That daily 
 prayer should be said, and ecclesiastical service 
 performed, for his soul and for the souls of his 
 parents, kings and princes of Britain, and of all 
 faithful deceased." 1 
 
 Under St. Teilo, successor of St. Dubricius, of 
 Llandaff, we find Iddon, a prince living in Mon- 
 mouthshire, granting land in a place near Aber- 
 gavenny, at Llantellio, or Llandeilo Pertholey, 
 stating that "his intention in making the 
 donation is to benefit his own soul and those of 
 his ancestors." 
 
 The charter commences thus "King Iddon 
 granted an alms for his soul and the souls of his 
 ancestors, kings and princes, to God, and to St. 
 Peter, and to Archbishop Teilo, and all his 
 successors in the Church of Llandaff, Llanmawr 
 that is, Llan Teilo." 2 
 
 To spare the reader too many quotations, let 
 me introduce him into the home of the kings of 
 
 o 
 
 Glamorganshire, and there, in the intimacy of 
 
 (1) Liber Landavensls, p. 311. 
 
 (2) Liber Landavensis, p. 385.
 
 PIETY TO THE DEAD IN THE BRITISH CHURCH. 129 
 
 family life, he will be able to judge for himself 
 as to the religious duties dictated to their faith 
 with regard to deceased relatives. Their religion 
 and customs were, without exception, exactly 
 the same as those of their countrymen. 
 
 In that family a sacred tradition exists that is 
 handed down from father to son, and never 
 departed from, which embodies the beautiful 
 saying of St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, who 
 thus addresses the dead : " We will never forget 
 thee till such time as by our prayers and good 
 works we have delivered thee from Purgatory.'' 
 Thus Meurig, King of Glamorgan, prays for his 
 father Tewdrig after the grave has closed over 
 him ; and when in his turn this dutiful son has 
 passed to eternity, we find his children and 
 grand-children calling on the Redeemer to over- 
 look his frailties, granting land to religion and 
 building Churches for the repose of his soul. 1 
 
 Connected with the name of Meurig, the Liber 
 Landavensis mentions a charter, thus worded 
 " Be it known to all that Meurig, son of Tewdrig, 
 and his wife Ambrawst, daughter of Gwirgant, 
 gave to God and Oudoceus, and to his holy pre- 
 decessors, Teilo and Dubricius, and to all his 
 successors in the See of Llandaif, for their souls 
 and the souls of their parents, three modii, nearly 
 twenty-seven acres of land." 2 
 
 When the grave had closed over him and he 
 had gone to eternity, the same attention was paid 
 
 (1) Liber Landavensis, pp. 384, 385. 
 (2) Liber Landavensis, p. 382.
 
 130 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 to his memory by his surviving relations, for we 
 read " King Morgan, son of Athruys, granted 
 the village of Gnilbin for his soul and the soul 
 of his grandfather, Meurig, to Oudoceus, the 
 Bishop, and to the Church of LlandaflV' 1 
 The These two chieftains were, however, far from 
 
 being blameless. They had shed innocent blood, 
 an( ^ *kat ^ f near relations. Their Bishop, in 
 solemn assembly of the clergy and laity, had 
 even deemed it his duty to excommunicate them 
 as guilty of perjury and murder. Undoubtedly 
 at times they had no control over their wild 
 nature, but no sooner had their passions cooled 
 down than the action of faith told powerfully 
 on their souls, and caused them to repent and do 
 penance. They soon felt an intensity of remorse, 
 and the ghosts of their victims haunted their 
 imaginations night and day. Faith doubled the 
 stings of conscience, for it reproached them for 
 having sent into eternity a soul unprepared for 
 the journey. Was it not just, therefore, that 
 they should have prayers offered and alms given 
 to benefit these near relatives, the victims of their 
 swords ? 
 
 Hence we find the following words in the 
 Liber Landavensis 2 : " King Morgan, son of 
 Athruys, for the soul of Ifrioc, son of Meurig, 
 whom he killed, and for the redemption of his 
 own soul, having taken on him the yoke of 
 penance in fasting, prayer, and alms-giving, 
 
 (1) Liber Landavensis, p. 391. 
 
 (2) Liber Landavensis, p. 399.
 
 PIETY TO THE DEAD IN THE BRITISH CHURCH. 131 
 
 bestowed on the chief Bishop Oudoceus, and on 
 St. Dubricius, and on St. Teilo, Lan Cyncyrill 
 and the land of Cynfall, situated on the banks of 
 the river Ely, in Glamorganshire." 1 
 
 In these days of materialism the law considers 
 the crime of murder only from a temporal point 
 of view, and pronounces the perpetrator of it 
 guilty, because he deprived a man of the right to 
 live an additional twenty or forty years of life, 
 and took, perhaps, a husband from a wife, or a 
 father from his children. The man of faith sees 
 it in another aspect, and says " Here you have 
 launched an unprepared soul into eternity. By 
 far the most serious part of the offence is your 
 having deprived him of the chance of putting 
 his conscience in order by repentance, and pre- 
 vented him from receiving the Sacrament of 
 Penance and the Holy Eucharist. Temporal 
 existence is nothing compared to eternal life. 
 The least you can do is to pray to Almighty God 
 for the soul of the victim of your unbridled 
 wrath." 
 
 As I have before said, the Bretons of Armorica Donation 
 
 ofGuereck 
 
 had Welshmen for their first Bishops and Pastors, uke O f 
 
 Brittany, 
 
 and monastic institutions were introduced into to the 
 
 Welsh nun 
 
 that country, or at least owed their development st. 
 to natives of Britain. 
 
 It is said that the first convent for women 
 erected in Brittany was founded by a daughter 
 of Cambria, Mnnoc, the virgin and servant of 
 
 (1) Liber Landavensis.
 
 132 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 God. On this occasion kings and princes came 
 nobly forward to help the cause of religion. 
 There is a charter of Count Guereck to blessed 
 Ninnoc, which we will place before the reader, 
 as it evidences the same respect and devotion to 
 the departed. It bears the date 458, and thus 
 belongs to the fifth century. 
 
 " In the name of the Holy and Undivided 
 Trinity, and of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, 
 and by the virtue of the Holy Cross, I, Guereck, 
 by the grace of God, Duke of Brittany, out of 
 my own heritage, for the continual commemora- 
 tion of the souls of my parents, either alive or dead, 
 for the salvation of my soul and the souls of those 
 of my blood who are to succeed me, and for the 
 welfare of my kingdom, in the presence of the 
 Bishops, counts, and lords of Brittany here 
 present, give and concede to the virgin and 
 servant of God, Ninnoc, and her successors for 
 ever who are to serve God in this locality, called 
 by her name Lan Ninnoc, the whole Parish of 
 Pluemer, with all the territories cultivated and 
 uncultivated contained within its boundaries. 
 Moreover, I add another gift namely, the whole 
 territory on which stands the Church of St. 
 Julitta, with the Church of the same name 
 situated in Rengruis. Towards the support of 
 the said donation I also grant annually three 
 hundred measures of wine, salt, and wheat, out 
 of the estate called Dalkhgerran, to be delivered 
 on the spot by vessels, and at my own expense.
 
 PIETY TO THE DEAD IN THE BRITISH CHURCH. 133 
 
 I increase my donation by the gift of three 
 hundred horses, or mares, and as many bullocks 
 and cows, and other smaller cattle. To confirm, 
 therefore, this privilege of my donation, I offer 
 this gold chalice full of pure wine, and a patina, 
 as a testimony and to be used in the heavenly 
 banquet. Therefore, whoever shall violate or 
 diminish the quantity of this donation, let him 
 be pierced by the dart of present and eternal 
 anathama, and let his lot be with those who burn 
 in the unextinguished fire for their sins. 
 
 " All present answered Amen ; and this was 
 done in the place called Lan Mnnoc, in the 
 Parish of Pluemur, and presence of the above 
 named princes of Letavia, in the year of the 
 Incarnation of our Lord CCCCLVIII. (458), the 
 same Lord Jesus Christ reigning throughout the 
 infinity of ages." 1 
 
 (1) Albert le Grand. Vies des Saints de Bretagne, p. 361. 
 
 " In nomine Sanctse et Individual Trinitatis et beatissimse Virginia 
 Marisc, ac per virtutem sanctse Crucis, Ego Guerech, Dei gratia, Brittaniac 
 Minoris Dux, ex mea propria hsereditate, pro commemoratione assidua 
 animarum parentum meorum, tarn vivorum quam defunctorum, et pro 
 salute animsc mese, nee non eorum qui ex stirpe me8. successuri sunt, et 
 pro statu Kegni mei, in conspectu Episcoporum, comitum et optimatum 
 regionis Brittanicro hie astantium, Do et concedo sanctse Dei famulse et 
 Virgini Nennocac, ejusque successoribus, in perpetuum ibi in loco qui ex 
 ejus nomiue dicitur Lan- Ninnoc, Deo servituris, totam plebem qua: dicitur 
 Pluemur, cum omnibus terris cultis et incultes, ita ut penitus continetur 
 intra fines suos. Adjicio insuper aliud donum, terram totam videlicet, in 
 qua est ecclesia sanctse Julitse. cum eadem ecclesia qua> est in Renguis, ad 
 sustentandam quoqve loci hujus procurationem, quolibet anno, trecentos 
 modios tarn vini quam salis, atque frumenti, de temi, qua) dicitur Dalkh- 
 Gerran (vel Rathguerran), similiter concedo, eosque deferri hue usque 
 navigio faciarn. Augeo etiam huic meo dono trecentos tarn equorurn 
 quam equaram et totidem bourn et vaccarttm, necnon minutorum ani- 
 malium. Ad corroborandum vero hujus mea) dationis priviligium, calicem 
 hunc aureum, cum patena, vino mero plenum in testimonum ofiero et in 
 discumbitione scterna. Quicumque ergo hujus doni quantitatem violaverit, 
 aut minuerit, pra;sentis et ajterni anathematis jacula transfigatur, sitque 
 pars ejus cum illis qni in igne inextinguili in cumulum perditionis pro sua 
 nequitiu involvuntur. Respondentes autum omnes qui ibi aderant
 
 134 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 A careful reader meditating on this will of a 
 king in the fifth century may, perhaps, share 
 our own feelings as regards the donor and 
 recipient. It is beneficial to the heart of a 
 Christian man living in the nineteenth century, 
 an age of materialism, to see his fellow-men long 
 since departed so supernatural in their deeds, and 
 so Christian in the wording of their transactions. 
 
 Ninnoc, the Welsh nun, had no doubt gained 
 the esteem of the Britons, both clergy and laity. 
 Had she gone to Armorica, as a young and 
 beautiful daughter of Cambria, she would have 
 been admired, and at once have become a welcome 
 guest amongst the nobles of that country. Young 
 princes would have sought her hand, and bards 
 have sung the praises of her beauty in the 
 banquet halls; but when she lands on the 
 western coast of Gaul, her form is shrouded in 
 the coarse habit of the convent, her face hidden 
 under the veil of a nun, and she is venerated. 
 Her aim is not to please the world, but to serve 
 God, and those amongst whom she came thought 
 that too much could not be done for her and her 
 companions. 
 
 The Armoricans regard her as an angel on 
 earth, and her prayers ascend straight to heaven ; 
 and the spirits who minister around the throne of 
 God are prompt in assisting her. Hence the 
 Duke, in return for his donation, demands her 
 
 dixerunt. Amen. . . . Faactum est hoc in loco, qui dicitur Lan- 
 Ninnoc, in plebe Pluemur, coram pncdictis Letavise nobilibus, anno ab 
 incarnatione Domini Jesu Christo CCCCLVIII regnante eodem Domino 
 Jesu Christo per infinita ssecula sseculorum. Amen."
 
 PIETY TO THE DEAD IN THE BRITISH CHURCH. 135 
 
 intercession for himself and for all he holds dear. 
 
 On the day of the official promulgation of the 
 charter, the solemn ceremony commenced, as 
 was usual on such occasions, with the Holy 
 Sacrifice of the Mass. A chalice of gold, with 
 the paten, reminded the community of what was 
 required in perpetuity namely, the celebration 
 of the Holy Sacrifice for the donor and for the 
 souls of his relations, living and dead. The 
 Discumbitio ceterna meant that the Body and 
 Blood of our Lord was to be offered up for ever, 
 according to the intentions specified by the 
 charter. 
 
 When the Anglo-Saxons were converted to 
 Christianity they also inherited the piety and the 
 usages of the Britons towards the departed. 
 
 An Anglo-Saxon chieftain, although a Chris- 
 tian, shows at times no more control over his 
 
 The same 
 
 passions than his British confrere. Unfortunately P iet y is 
 
 J manifested 
 
 in those primitive days murders occurred but too 
 
 Saxon con- 
 
 irequently amongst both races. However, as verts. 
 they professed the same religion and the same 
 faith, they atoned as far as they could in the 
 same religious manner for the crimes they com- 
 mitted. 
 
 Oswy, King of Northumberland, was a strange 
 mixture of virtues and vices. Zealous for the 
 propagation of Catholic truth, we have already 
 beheld him presiding at the conference between 
 Coleman and Wilfrid on the question of Easter. 
 Yet the same prince unmercifully slew his
 
 136 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 opponent, Oswin, who had heen treacherously 
 delivered into his hands. Public indignation and 
 bitter remorse soon brought him to the altar to 
 ask pardon for himself and for his victim. 
 
 He erected a monastery on the very spot where 
 the murder had been committed, and stipulated 
 that daily prayer should be offered for both 
 kings the slayer and the slain. It is related 
 that his conscience not being yet satisfied, he 
 thought, when fifty-eight years of age, of going 
 as a poor pilgrim to Rome, still further to atone 
 for having slain Oswin. 1 
 
 Reader, deride not the piety of our forefathers 
 piety to- towards the deceased, nor the religion which im- 
 parted 6 Panted it and fostered its growth in the breast. 
 gratitude ^ a ^ no ^ ^7 the name of superstition a devotion 
 and justice t h at ^ T { nS a child, to kneel at a father's or a 
 
 mother's grave, there, according to the Welsh 
 phraseology, to say the Pater for their souls. 
 Laugh not at a beloved and bereaved fellow- 
 being who seeks the Church in order to plead 
 before Jesus .Christ the cause of his departed 
 relatives or friends. It is impiety and folly, 
 and any enlightened man who may witness 
 the act feels indignant. May you, on your 
 death-bed, be consoled by the idea that when you 
 shall have exchanged a short existence for an 
 everlasting one the living will still remember 
 you, for in the family there is a sacred tradition 
 which pronounces it a sin not to give a thought 
 
 (1) Sammes, Brittania Antiqua.
 
 PIETY TO THE DEAD IN THE BRITISH CHURCH. 137 
 
 to the dead or to pray for them. Happy are the 
 father and the mother who have taught their 
 children to kneel each night hy the fireside, and 
 who have enforced, as a religious duty, that 
 every one should join, hefore retiring to rest, in 
 prayers for the faithful departed. Such a custom 
 may be beneficial beyond the grave to the pious 
 soul who practices it. 
 
 "We are deeply indebted to those who have 
 gone before us. The house, the village, the town 
 in which we were born was built by them. The 
 general comfort we enjoy is in a great measure 
 the result of their work. They opened our 
 roads, and brought the country into a high state 
 of cultivation. Erom them we inherit our laws 
 and customs, and our present safety as regards 
 life and property. Is it not, therefore, just that 
 we should gratefully appreciate what they have 
 done, call down a blessing on their graves, and 
 invoke peace to their souls ? 
 
 Were the dead allowed to appear again and 
 speak, they might with truth reproach the living 
 with being in a great degree the cause of their 
 sufferings in Purgatory, and say " We now 
 undergo a term of punishment before being 
 admitted into heaven, and this we attribute to 
 the scandals you placed before us, and to your 
 advice which we followed ; and further, in order 
 to benefit you in temporal concerns, we, for love 
 of you, infringed on the rights of God and man." 
 In such a case not only gratitude but justice bids
 
 138 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 us remember, in our prayers and good works, 
 those souls suffering in another world because of 
 our sins in this. 
 
 When Judas Maccaboeus had put the army of 
 Georgias to flight, he traversed the battle-field to 
 ascertain the number of his own soldiers who had 
 fallen, in order that they might receive honour- 
 able burial. To his own great sorrow, and also 
 that of his companions in arms, donaries to idols 
 were found underneath their coats. The fact 
 that such brave men should have died guilty of 
 such a heinous transgression grieved all the sur- 
 vivors. 
 
 A collection amounting to twelve thousand 
 drachmas was made amongst the soldiers and 
 sent to Jerusalem, in order that sacrifices might 
 be there offered up for the sins of the dead, 
 because Judas and his warriors knew to a man, 
 as the Sacred Biography remarks, " that it is a 
 holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, 
 that they may be loosed from sin" 1 
 
 A day will again dawn over Cambria when 
 the sons of Britain, re-converted to the faith of 
 their forefathers, will restore to their country 
 that piety towards the departed so sadly lost at 
 the present time. 
 
 Welshmen who have recently returned to the 
 Catholic faith, and were possessed of wealth, 
 have already bestowed land and endowments 
 upon Catholic missions ; and, following the custom 
 
 (1) Maccabees, xii. 46.
 
 PIETY TO THE DEAD IN THE BRITISH CHTJUCH. 139 
 
 of the children of the Church in the fifth and 
 sixth centuries, have stipulated that in return 
 for their donations prayers should be said, and 
 the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered up for 
 their souls and for the souls of their departed 
 relatives. 
 
 When the tide of public opinion, directed by 
 the spirit of God, shall have brought men to look 
 upon Catholicity in a more favourable light, 
 and shall have drawn more souls within the 
 threshold of the Church, such donations will 
 increase in number. Amen. "We want land 
 whereon to build Churches schools wherein to 
 pray and educate our rising generation. Like 
 Beino, the master of St. "Winefrid, we are under 
 the necessity of appealing to landowners, being 
 unable to refrain from using our utmost exertions 
 to supply urgent needs. "We ask them in the 
 name of God to grant us at least a few square 
 yards of ground on which we may erect a modest 
 Chapel, wherein to worship according to the 
 dictates of our conscience and the religion of our 
 forefathers. 
 
 I will close this chapter with a Breton tale, 
 which is often narrated in the peasant's homes Piety to 
 by the fire-sides on the long winter nights. A parted r 
 
 tale, although but a tale, is still a medium for 
 conveying the thoughts and religious convictions 
 of a nation as to what a Christian should do for 
 the faithful departed. This story is borrowed 
 from Emile Souvestre, who has naively repro-
 
 140 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 duced the customs and mode of thinking, not 
 only of his own country, but of Celtic races in 
 general, who have not lost the faith. 
 
 " The Bretons," he observes, " like all the rest 
 of the world, are children of sin. However, they 
 love their dead, take compassion on those in 
 Purgatory, and endeavour to release them from 
 the purifying fire." 
 
 It is in the black month 1 they more especially 
 demonstrate their Christian piety. On All Saints 
 evening every one gives a thought to those who 
 have stood at the bar of Divine justice. Masses 
 are said for them, blessed tapers are lighted, and 
 their sad condition recommended to the inter- 
 cession of the Saints. Their graves are visited 
 by the people of the district in the company of 
 little children, and after Vespers the Parish Priest 
 proceeds from the Church to bless their tombs. 
 
 It is on that night Jesus Christ bestows many 
 favours upon departed souls, and allows them to 
 re-visit the homes they inhabited whilst on earth. 
 During those hours the dead are as numerous in 
 the houses as the leaves are on the deep roads, 
 and each dwelling is set in order to receive them 
 with hospitality. 
 
 But if we count those devoted to the Blessed 
 Virgin and her Divine Son by thousands, children 
 of the Black Angel (the Devil) also abound, who 
 forget those who have been dear to them, and 
 are no longer of this world. 
 
 (1) November.
 
 PIEPY TO THE DEAD IN THE BRITISH CHURCH. 
 
 William Postic was one of these. His father 
 had died without the benefit of Absolution, and 
 he was going in the right way to depart in the 
 same unblessed manner. He led a dissolute life, 
 and danced during Mass on Sundays, whenever 
 he could, in company with horse dealers and the 
 like. In the same year he lost his mother, 
 sisters, and wife, and to console himself, like 
 every wicked widower, he used to say, " I lost 
 my wife, but I can find plenty more." 
 
 His Parish Priest had warned him privately, 
 and had even denounced him from the pulpit as 
 a scandal to every Christian ; but all to no pur- 
 pose ; for, as the saying is, " The cracking whip 
 drives away the loose horse." 
 
 When the feast of All Souls came round, every 
 baptized Christian put on mourning and went to 
 Church to pray for the dead. As for William, 
 he proceeded to the neighbouring village to meet 
 sailors without religion, and shameless women. 
 
 All the time passed by the others in pious 
 exercise for the relief of the suffering souls was 
 spent by him in drinking fire water, gambling 
 with the sailors, and singing songs to the girls. 
 Thus he caroused until midnight, and was the 
 last to leave the public-house. 
 
 On his way home he chanted aloud such songs 
 as even the boldest only whisper, and passed 
 before the highway crosses without lowering his 
 voice or taking off his hat. He whirled 
 his stick, heedless whether he might strike
 
 142 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 the souls with which on that night the roads 
 were crowded. 
 
 On arriving at a place where four roads met, 
 he paused to deliberate, for two of them led to 
 his village. The longer one was under the pro- 
 tection of God, whilst the shorter was haunted by 
 the dead, for many in passing along it at night 
 had seen and heard things they dared not speak 
 of except near the Holy Water stoup. But 
 William was no coward, and so in the end he 
 dashed down this road. 
 
 The night was pitch dark ; no stars glistened 
 in the firmament ; no moon was to be seen ; the 
 silence of death reigned around, interrupted only 
 by the murmuring of streams, and the clattering 
 of his clogs on the rocky path. 
 
 Whilst he was passing under the walls of an 
 old ruined manor house the weather-cock from 
 the tottering belfry crowed and said, " Go back ! 
 Go back ! Go back ! " But William went on, 
 and when he came to the cascade the waters 
 spoke thus: 
 
 " Do not cross ! Do not cross ! Do not cross ! " 
 Leaning on his stick, he leaped from rock to 
 rock, until he reached the opposite side. 
 
 As he passed an old hollow oak tree the wind 
 whistling through its branches said : 
 " Stop here ! Stop here ! Stop here ! " 
 William struck the old tree with his stick, and 
 walked on till he came to the entrance of the 
 haunted valley. At this moment the hour of
 
 PIETY TO THE DEAD IN THE BRITISH CHURCH. 143 
 
 midnight was tolled from the towers of tlie three 
 
 o 
 
 Churches. 
 
 To cheer himself up the young man began to 
 whistle, but at the fourth attempt he heard the 
 noise of wheels coming in his direction ; and as 
 soon as he caught sight of the mysterious cart he 
 perceived that it w r as covered with a winding 
 sheet. Postic soon discovered that it was the 
 Chariot of Death, drawn by six horses as black 
 as ebony. The coachman, who was death him- 
 self, shouted 
 
 ' Get out of the way, or I will overrun thee." 
 
 "William moved aside, but, far from losing 
 courage, audaciously said 
 
 "Well, Master Death, what art thou doing 
 here?" 
 
 " I take I waylay ! " was the solemn answer. 
 
 " Then thou art a robber and a traitor," said 
 William. 
 
 " I strike blindly and regardless of persons." 
 
 " Then thou meanest to say that thou art a 
 fool and a brute," exclaimed the young man ; 
 "but never mind all that, only let me know 
 whither thou art going." 
 
 "I am going," Death replied, "in search of 
 William Postic." 
 
 The youth burst into a fit of laughter, not 
 altogether natural, and continued his journey. 
 
 He was not long in reaching the spot haunted 
 by the night laundresses from the other world, 
 and he was soon convinced that what people
 
 144 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 said on this subject was correct, for lie perceived 
 young women as white as snow stretching linen 
 to dry on the hedge. 
 
 " Hail ! fair damsels," shouted William. " I 
 see you are not shy; but pray what are you 
 doins? in these meadows at this hour of the 
 
 O 
 
 night?" 
 
 " We wash, we dry, we sew," smartly replied 
 the two women. 
 
 " But what ? " enquired the young man. 
 
 " The winding sheet of a dead man, who as yet 
 speaks and walks." 
 
 " A dead man ! But pray do let me know 
 who he can be? " 
 
 " William Postic." 
 
 The youth laughed as before, and continued 
 his descent along the narrow, rocky path. As 
 he proceeded he heard the voices of several 
 women, mingled with that particular noise 
 occasioned by several persons scouring on the 
 stones of streams. 
 
 As he drew nearer he beheld them with his 
 own eyes washing out winding sheets, and heard 
 them singing the following mournful verses as 
 they worked : 
 
 " If Christians to our aid come not 
 Till doomsday, washing is our lo'o 
 By moonlight, in the howling sleet, 
 In fresh snow still the winding sheet." 
 
 On seeing the stranger the fairies at once ran 
 to him, requesting his help in wringing out their 
 wet shrouds.
 
 PIETY TO THE DEAD IN THE BRITISH CHURCH. 145 
 
 "I" am always glad to oblige," answered 
 William. " But, fair laundresses, let each of 
 you take her turn, for a man has but two hands." 
 
 He laid down his stick, and took the end of a 
 sheet presented to him by one of the dead, being 
 particularly careful to wring in the same direction 
 as the laundress, for old people say that is the only 
 way of keeping one's arms to one's shoulders. 
 
 "Whilst thus occupied William witnessed the 
 arrival of other women, amongst whom were his 
 own mother, his aunt, his sisters, and his wife, 
 who screamed 
 
 " A thousand woes to him who lets those be- 
 longing to him burn in the flames of Purgatory ! 
 A thousand woes!" And all the surrounding 
 echoes repeated, " A thousand woes ! " 
 
 This scene was too much for William; his 
 hair stood on end ; a cold perspiration broke out 
 over his body ; he lost his presence of mind, and 
 wrung the linen in the wrong direction, when 
 his arms became dislocated under the iron 
 strength of the ghost. 
 
 Partly through fear, and partly through the 
 deadly touch of the spectre, the unhappy young 
 man fell down dead. 
 
 At his funeral the blessed candles would not 
 light, and all who were present left his grave 
 with the sad conviction that there was one more 
 bad Christian in hell. 
 
 Whilst revising this chapter I happened to fall 
 on Jones' History of Brecknockshire, and therein
 
 146 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 met with the following epitaph written on the 
 monument of the Aubrey family : 
 
 " Water le Fitz Water git ici, Jesus de sa alme eit 
 mercy. Amen. Pater Noster. Christina safemme gist 
 ici, de sa alme en merci. Ave Maria. Pater Noster." 
 
 Our ancestors took the greatest care to remind 
 the living to pray for the departed. Speechless 
 under the granite or marble monument they lent 
 their voices to an inanimate stone, and ordered it 
 to remind the visitors of their mortal remains, 
 not to forget to recommend their souls to the 
 mercy of God. They are to kneel on the pave- 
 ment, and say " Eternal rest give unto them, O 
 Lord, and may everlasting light shine upon them." 
 
 St. Augustine, the African Bishop, in his Con- 
 fessions, requests the reader to pray for the 
 repose of his mother, Monica, and his father, 
 Patricius. "My God and my Lord," says the 
 great doctor, " inspire such of my brethren who 
 may read this book to pray at the altar for the 
 souls of thy servant Monica, and her husband, 
 Patricius, whose blood flows in my veins." 
 
 In keeping with these pious and useful customs, 
 the writer calls upon such persons who may read 
 these lines recording the piety of the ancient 
 Britons for the faithful departed to recommend 
 to the mercy of God the humble Priest who spent 
 many a night in the sweet company of the ancient 
 inhabitants of this island. May they say a Pater 
 and Ave for the repose of his soul when the 
 grave has closed on him.
 
 CHAPTER, V. 
 
 SAINTS HONOURED AND INVOKED IN THE 
 CAMBRIAN CHURCH. 
 
 THE Church of God, taken in the widest 
 meaning of the word, encloses within her fold 
 the living and the dead. We tenants of the 
 earth form the militant Chnrch, for on our road 
 to eternity we have to fight the Devil, the world, 
 and the flesh. Amongst the departed the souls 
 in Purgatory constitute the suffering Church ; 
 whilst the happy souls round the Throne of God 
 form that glorious society called the triumphant 
 Church. 
 
 We can tell the number of our brethren on 
 earth, but are unable to realise an approximate 
 idea of the legions of souls either in Purgatory 
 or in heaven. We pray for those who suffer 
 beyond the grave, and earnestly request our 
 brethren enjoying the vision of God to help us 
 with their powerful influence in heaven. 
 
 The Council of Trent, in its twenty-fifth Doctrine of 
 session, directs that all over the world it shall be O f Trenton 
 taught "That the Saints who reign with Christ j ec ^. su 
 in heaven offer up their prayers on behalf of
 
 148 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 men ; that it is a good and useful thing to invoke 
 them and seek for their intercession and help, in 
 order to obtain graces from God through our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, who alone is our Redeemer 
 and Saviour." 
 
 This doctrine is certainly in keeping with the 
 traditions of the Catholic Church. Prom the 
 time of Christ down to our own, religion, although 
 teaching that it is not absolutely necessary in 
 order to be saved to pray to the Saints, still 
 strongly recommends her children to avail them- 
 selves of the powerful influence which their 
 departed brethren exercise in heaven. The 
 Saints, no longer within the prison of a corrupt 
 body, enjoy the vision of God. They are beatified 
 spirits, empowered to behold what passes on 
 earth, and from the heights of heaven look down 
 with compassion on their brethren who are still 
 navigating the stormy ocean of life. The blessed 
 in the other world return thanks to the Lamb of 
 God, in whose blood they have washed their 
 garments, but do not forget those whom they left 
 behind; and coming to the presence of Christ 
 they bear with them the phials containing the 
 prayers of their brethren. (Apoc. v. 8.) 
 
 Veneration for the Saints and confidence in 
 their intercession with God is everywhere to be 
 met with in ancient Welsh history. In Churches 
 and monasteries their lives were read and set up 
 as examples to be followed, and their intercession 
 invoked in Litanies and in prayers at Mass.
 
 SAINTS HONOURED IN THE CAMBRIAN CHURCH. 149 
 
 Sailors during a storm called on them for assist- 
 ance in the hour of danger, and their countrymen, 
 when visited by epidemics, unfavourable seasons, 
 or the scourge of war, implored of these Saints 
 now before the throne of God to plead for them 
 in the time of tribulation. 
 
 The Rev. "W. Y. Rees, M.A., in his introduction Their lives 
 
 written 
 
 to the lives of the Cambro-British Saints, very and read 
 
 for public 
 
 properly observes that " these and similar lives edification. 
 were compiled to give information how the holy 
 persons commemorated lived, and to set their 
 modes of living as an example for others to 
 follow ; and accordingly they were appointed to 
 be read in the time of and as a part of Divine 
 service, whereby the hearers would receive a 
 knowledge of the various particulars of their 
 conduct, and be excited to imitate them. Being 
 thus read for the purpose of conveying religious 
 instruction and inciting to piety, they were called 
 legends, in contradistinction to homilies and dis- 
 courses. The days of the year on which these 
 lives of the Saints were publicly read were those 
 of their festivals, which took place on the anni- 
 versary of their deaths, and were considered as 
 their birth days, because they then entered into 
 a state of happiness." 1 
 
 In many a Breton family of Lower Armorica 
 this ancient custom is not yet extinct, and the 
 lives of the Saints are invariably read before 
 kneeling down to evening prayer every day 
 
 (1) Cambro-Britisb Saints.
 
 150 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 throughout the year. Several religious com- 
 munities also follow this practice, and a short 
 life of the deceased members of their order is 
 read on their anniversary days. 
 
 Such a custom in any nation or family denotes 
 a supernatural people who place a due value on 
 the real end of man, and are anxious to copy the 
 example given them by the servants of God. A 
 soldier studies the life of an Alexander, a Caesar, 
 or a Napoleon, in order to learn from them how 
 to vanquish nations and obtain perishable glory. 
 The soul illuminated by Divine grace, scorning 
 all such transitory considerations, takes the Saint 
 who conquered heaven for the model of his life, 
 and his written history for his book of study. 
 Beautiful Supernatural life as a rule pervades such 
 
 sentiments 
 
 expressed writings intended for edification, and at times 
 
 by the 
 
 biographer the cast of thoughts is somewhat original. Let 
 David at us take as an instance the sentiment which 
 his life, emanates from the pen of a biographer of St. 
 David, after the said pen had narrated his de- 
 parture from this world. 
 
 " And on that Tuesday, the first day of March, 
 Jesus Christ took the soul of St. David with great 
 victory, joy, and honour, after hunger, thirst, 
 cold, labour, fasts, and acts of charity ; afflictions, 
 troubles, and temptations, and anxiety for the 
 world. The angels bore his soul to the place of 
 light without end, and rest without labour, and 
 joy without sorrow, and abundance of all good 
 things of victory, brightness, and beauty. The
 
 SAINTS HONOURED IN THE CAMBRIAN CHURCH. 151 
 
 place where the champion of Christ is praised, 
 and where the wicked who on earth abounded in 
 riches are cast aside ; the place where health is 
 without pain, peace without disappointment, 
 music without discord; the place where Ahel 
 rejoices with the martyrs, Enock with the living, 
 Noah with the sailors; where Abraham dwells 
 with the Patriarchs, Melchisedech with the 
 Priests, Moses with the princes ; where Aaron is 
 with the Bishops, David with the kings, Isaias 
 with the Prophets, Mary with the virgins, Peter 
 with the Apostles ; where Paul is with the Greeks, 
 John with the Asiatics, Thomas with the Indians, 
 Matthew with the men of Judea, Luke with 
 those of Archaia, Mark with those of Alexandria, 
 Andrew with the Scythians, in that eternal home 
 where dwell the angels and archangels, Cherubim 
 and Seraphim, and the King of Kings, for ever. 
 Amen." 
 
 And as we have commemorated David in his 
 life and works on earth, so may he now be our 
 assistant, and effectually give us strength before 
 our true Creator, that we may obtain mercy here- 
 after. Amen. 
 
 Nothing, perhaps, brings home to us more 
 powerfully the veneration of our forefathers for 
 the servants of God than the early common 
 practice of giving their names to towns, villages, 
 valleys, or mountains. 
 
 Anyone who will take the trouble to study a 
 good map of Wales will continually meet such
 
 152 CAMBRIA SACEA. 
 
 names as the following Llan Illtyd, Llangadog, 
 Cadoxton, Llandeilo Vawr, Llandewi Brefi, St. 
 Asaph, etc. Now, these appellations were given 
 to the said localities as tokens of respect and 
 veneration for the memory of St. Illtyd, Cadoc, 
 Teilo, St. David, and St. Asaph. 
 
 The n;.mes The names of parishes in the neighbourhood of 
 
 giveHo 8 Cardiff point out that this part of Britain received 
 
 localities. ^ Q Q OS p e i f rom the early missionaries sent over 
 
 by Pope Eleutherius to King Lucius. St. Pagan 
 
 and Merthyr Dovan, villages not far distant, tell 
 
 us in plain terms that our forefathers never 
 
 forgot the services rendered to their race by these 
 
 two Priests belonging to the second century. 
 
 In Brittany the names of the following towns 
 or villages tell the same tale Quimper, Corentin, 
 St. Brieuc, St. Malo, Landeilo, Lan-Iltut, and 
 hundreds of others indicate the same custom and 
 religious practice, for Ss. Brieuc, Malo, Corentin, 
 and the rest had won, by their virtuous lives, the 
 admiration of the Armoricans. They were not 
 born on their shores, but in the island of Britain. 
 This, however, mattered little. They were Saints, 
 and as such gained the esteem of the people, who 
 believed that their names being bestowed on a 
 district would ensure for it the benefit of their 
 protection. We find the same practice carried 
 out at the baptismal font, for every one knows 
 that David and Patrick are the names most 
 frequently given in baptism to the children of 
 Wales and Ireland,
 
 SAINTS HONOURED IN THE CAMBRIAN CHURCH 153 
 
 The well, in the vicinity of which a Saint had 
 
 ages to 
 
 spent a ffreat part of his existence in prayer and wells or 
 
 . . Churches. 
 
 contemplation, was considered a sacred spot, and 
 resorted to by numerous pilgrims, especially when 
 it became known that it did not arise from a 
 natural spring, but, at the command of God, 
 gushed forth from the mountain side at the 
 humble petition of one of His dear servants, or, 
 as in the case of St. Winefrid, indicated the spot 
 where the virgin had nobly shed her blood for 
 the sake of her Master. This well is religiously 
 visited by hundreds every year. In times past 
 St. David's, in Pembrokeshire, although situated 
 on a far away, treeless promontory, was resorted 
 to by pilgrims not only from Cambria, but even 
 from England. The journey was long and 
 fatiguing, but nothing deterred the "man of 
 faith" who had some heavenly favour to obtain 
 or sins to atone for. William the Conqueror, 
 Henry II., Edward I., and his consort, Eleanor, 
 accomplished the journey. In the minds of the 
 people two pilgrimages to St. David's were esteemed 
 equal to one to Home. 
 
 Roma semel quantum, Dat bis Menevia tantum, 
 and, Meneviam si bis et Roman si semel ibis 
 Merces sequa tibi redditur hie et ibi. 1 
 
 These were couplets used to convey the general 
 impression. 
 
 The grave of a Saint or the Church erected to Differences 
 his memory was also chosen as a suitable spot the grave 
 
 (1) The Welsh Saints. Reece, p. 202,
 
 154 CAMBRIA SACEA. 
 
 wherein to settle differences, lay down the sword 
 of murder, and form a resolution to lead a 
 religious life. I will illustrate this by the legend 
 of St. Clydog. In the days of Bethguuin, fourth 
 Bishop of Llandaff, there lived in Herefordshire 
 a young prince, who kept to perfection the laws 
 of God and of the Church. In his private and 
 in his official life he was a model to his country- 
 men. He governed his subjects with justice, and 
 watched over his officers, a duty which many of 
 the British chieftains failed in. His private life 
 was austere, chaste, and kindly towards the poor. 
 A fair damsel of the district used to say openly 
 how much she desired a union with such a prince. 
 Amongst those devoted to him was a maiden of 
 great wealth, who invariably put off her numerous 
 suitors by saying that if ever she was to marry 
 she would take no other husband but Clydog. 
 
 One of the companions of the young prince 
 fell in love with this lady, notwithstanding her 
 expressed resolution, but was dismissed like so 
 many others. 
 
 He who of old tempted Adam and Eve in the 
 terrestial Paradise suggested to the discarded 
 lover the thought of ridding himself of the 
 obstacle to his wishes by murdering Clydog. The 
 demon whispered that though the lady would 
 weep at first, yet after a month or two she would 
 forget the prince and ultimately marry his false 
 friend. The deluded youth listened to this evil 
 suggestion, and determined to assassinate his 
 
 DO 7
 
 SAINTS HONOURED IN THE CAMBRIAN CHURCH. 155 
 
 master. This he accomplished at a hunting 
 party. Clydog was alone in a solitary part of 
 the forest, when the murderer rushed suddenly 
 upon his unsuspecting victim and slew him. 
 This fiendish and treacherous deed caused a 
 general sensation of horror throughout Wales ; 
 and Clydog, although not a martyr in the strictest 
 sense of the word, was looked upon as such by 
 his countrymen. The people, as a- rule admirers 
 of virtue, had remarked that his life was pure 
 and austere as that of a hermit hy the side of his 
 well, and regular as that of a monk in the cloister. 
 A Church was soon erected over his grave, and 
 solemnly blessed with Holy Water, and from 
 that time the place began to be held in great 
 veneration, as the following events will show. 
 
 About this time two persons had a quarrel, 
 which was to be decided by an appeal to arms. 
 The day was fixed, and the spot for the meeting 
 chosen, when friends interfered and suggested 
 that the affair should be quietly arranged before 
 the altar in the Church of St. Dubricius, at 
 Madley. The proposal was neither adopted nor 
 rejected, but modified in this way : They would 
 go to the Church and kneel before the altar, not 
 at Madley, but at the Church of St. Clydog. So 
 they proceeded thither, and before the tomb of 
 the martyred prince laid down their swords, and 
 sAvore a solemn oath hereafter to live in peace 
 
 together. 1 
 
 (1) Liber LancUvensis, p. 445.
 
 156 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Two brothers and a sister of good birth, who 
 resided near the present town of Cowbridge, in 
 Glamorganshire, resolved to abandon the world 
 and lead a religious life. When their place of 
 retirement came to be considered, the brothers 
 and sister were unanimous in their choice of the 
 spot on the banks of the river Mynndy, where 
 the body of blessed Clydog had been deposited. 
 No doubt they looked upon the place as holy, 
 and believed that the demons would be driven 
 from it by the blessed spirit of the murdered prince. 
 
 Ithael, son of Morgan, owner of the territory, 
 was so pleased that the recluses should have 
 chosen this spot out of respect for the memory of 
 Clydog, that with the approbation of his sons and 
 heirs he granted the land to them by a clear and 
 formal charter. 
 
 The description given by Geoffrey of Mon- 
 mouth of the battle of Badon pourtrays, as 
 accurately as possible, the confidence of the 
 Britons in the intercession of Saints. When 
 Dubricius had given his blessing to the army 
 after exhorting them to do their duty, the men 
 prepared for battle. 
 
 Arthur at Arthur having arrayed himself in a coat of 
 mail suitable to the grandeur of so powerful a 
 k m g> placed a golden helmet on his head, on 
 which was engraven the figure of a dragon, and 
 upon his shoulders his shield called Priwen, on 
 which was painted the picture of the Blessed 
 Virgin^ Mother of God, in order to put Mm
 
 SAINTS HONOURED IN THE CAMBRIAN CHURCH. 157 
 
 frequently in mind of her; then, girding on his 
 sword Caliburn, which was of wondrous power, 
 made in the Isle of Avallon, he took in his right 
 hand his lance named Ron, which was hard, broad, 
 and fitted for slaughter. Then, having placed his 
 men in order, he attacked the Saxon army, which 
 was drawn up in the form of a wedge, as was its 
 custom. They made a noble defence during the 
 whole day against the onslaught of the Britons, 
 but towards sunset retreated to the nearest 
 mountain, which served them as a camp. . . . 
 On the following morning Arthur, with his 
 soldiers, rushed up the mountain, but lost many 
 of them, on account of the advantageous position 
 held by the Saxons, which enabled them to 
 shower down stones upon his men with greater 
 rapidity than they could advance against them. 
 The Britons, notwithstanding, after a very hard 
 struggle, gained the summit of the hill, and 
 came to a close engagement with the enemy, 
 who again gave them a warm reception. 
 
 In this way a great part of the day was spent. 
 At last Arthur, provoked at seeing how little he 
 had achieved, and that victory was still in sus- 
 pense, drew his Caliburn, and, calling upon the 
 name of the Blessed Virgin, rushed furiously 
 forward into the thickest ranks of the enemy, of 
 whom (such was the success of his prayer) very 
 few escaped. 1 
 
 Emile Souvestre, in his Eoyer Breton, eluci- 
 dates this truth in the tale of the Old Witch and 
 
 (1) Goffrey of Moumouth.
 
 158 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 the Two Orphans. It commences thus : " In 
 the olden times there lived in Lan-illis a young 
 man called Houarn Pogam, and a fair young girl 
 whose name was Bella Postick. They were 
 cousins, and their mothers brought them up as 
 though destined to marry by the permission of 
 God, when of age. They lost their parents early, 
 and were then obliged to earn their bread as 
 farm servants. 1 
 
 They might havebeenvery happy in that position 
 of life, but lovers, like the sea, are ever murmuring. 
 
 " Had we but the means to buy a cow and a 
 lean hog," Houarn sadly remarked, " I could rent 
 a plot of ground, and the Priest would marry us." 
 
 " Yes," replied Bella, sighing ; " but times are 
 hard, and the cattle market rose at the last fair. 
 For once God seems no longer to mind the world." 
 
 " I am afraid," rejoined the young man, ' that 
 we must wait for a long time, for when I share 
 a bottle of wine in the public-house with my 
 friends the last drop never falls to my share." 
 
 " Very long indeed," said Bella, " for I never 
 hear the cuckoo." 
 
 These complaints were repeated day after day, 
 until at last Houarn lost patience. One morning 
 as Bella was winnowing in the barn he came to 
 communicate to her that he was going to travel 
 in search of fortune. 
 
 (1) The most sceptical reader may convince himself of the faith of 
 Celtic races in the intercession of Saints by studying their traditions, as 
 reflected in old stories told by the winter firesides at night. These tales, 
 although abounding in fictions, still indicate the nature of the religious 
 tendency of the mind in 'those early periods.
 
 SAINTS HONOURED IN THE CAMBRIAN CHURCH. 159 
 
 The young girl grew pale at this intelligence, 
 and used every persuasion to induce him to change 
 his purpose. But Houarn was obstinate, and 
 would not listen to reason. 
 
 " The birds," he said, " fly onward until they 
 find a corn-field, and the bees never rest unless 
 they discover flowers filled with honey. Should 
 man be less enterprising than these tiny-winged 
 creatures ? I also will fly till I make out the 
 price of what I want. If you love me, Bella, 
 oppose not my plans." 
 
 The young girl, seeing it was useless to offer 
 further opposition, said with a failing heart 
 " Under the protection of God go, since it must 
 be so ; but before we separate I must divide 
 between us the best part of the inheritance left 
 me by my parents." Then she led the young 
 man to her drawer, and took from it a little bell, 
 a knife, and a walking stick. 
 
 " These three relics," she said, " have never 
 left my family. Here is the bell of St. Koledok. 
 Its sound is heard even at the further end of the 
 world, and tells us the danger we may be in." 
 
 " The knife once belonged to St. Corentinus, 
 and whatever it touches becomes free from 
 charms and the Devil. The staff is the very 
 same on which St. Vouga leaned, and possesses 
 the virtue of transporting its owner whitherso- 
 ever he may wish to go. 
 
 " The knife I give you as a protection against 
 evil charms, the bell to warn me of the dangers
 
 160 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 which may beset you, and the staff I keep to 
 carry me to your assistance if needful." 
 
 The Liber Landavensis contains hundreds of 
 charters from the fifth century down to the 
 twelfth. The first of these bears the date of the 
 time of St. Dubricius, and the last is connected 
 either with Urban or his predecessors. 
 
 Their phraseology runs as follows " I grant 
 charters of to Almi ghty God, to St. Peter, and to the Holy 
 Liandaff Dubricius, Teilo, and Oudoceus, for the benefit of 
 
 full of 
 
 donations m y soul, the redemption of my sins, and for the 
 
 .to the v 
 
 Saints. souls of the faithful departed [so many] acres of 
 land." Such is invariably the form in which the 
 ancient Cambrians worded their deeds of dona- 
 tion ; and we children of the nineteenth century, 
 living in an age of materialism, are agreeably 
 affected in reading such phrases in the full 
 freshness of religion and faith. Generation after 
 generation pass before our eyes ; changes, social 
 and political, take place throughout the island ; 
 the Anglo-Saxons, the Danes, the Normans, 
 invade the country, and introduce their customs 
 and language. Yet each Briton who makes a 
 will, either whilst in health or on his death-bed, 
 keeps faithfully to the old form, so religious and 
 edifying. 
 
 Thus in the twelfth century Urban, Bishop of 
 Liandaff, in his long correspondence with two 
 Popes, adheres to the sacred phraseology of his 
 predecessors, and we find it reproduced in the 
 Rescripts from Rome, for in the Bulls of Pope
 
 SAINTS HONOURED IN THE CAMBRIAN CHURCH. 161 
 
 Honorius we read such passages as the follow- 
 ing :- 
 
 " Therefore, dearly beloved in the Lord, Bishop 
 Urban, complying with thy rational request, we 
 receive the Church of St. Peter, and of the holy 
 confessors, Dubricius, Teilo, and Oudoceus, at 
 Llandaff, over which through God you preside, 
 into the protection of the Holy See." 
 
 An antique French sonnet on St. Gunstan, a Sailors 
 Briton by birth, and a disciple in Brittany, of Gunstan. ' 
 Paulus Aurelianus, runs thus : 
 
 St. Gunstan (Goustan) 
 Notre ami 
 Ramenez nos mans. 
 St. Gunstan 
 Notre amant 
 Ramenez nos parens.l 
 
 This used to be sung by the wives and daughters 
 of sailors on the western coast of France. His 
 memory was endeared to a seafaring population 
 by two qualifications. In the first place he was 
 a Saint; in the second he had been long con- 
 nected with the ocean ; so they considered that, 
 having been acquainted with the hardships and 
 dangers of a sailor's life, he would naturally 
 when in heaven specially interest himself for 
 hard-working mariners. 
 
 When a mere boy he had been kidnapped by 
 pirates, and being of a strong constitution was 
 retained by the captain as a sailor. The hard 
 and menial work fell to his share as a matter of 
 course, because he was a slave. He became 
 
 (1) Albert le Grand, page 783.
 
 162 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 incapacitated for service at sea through a tumour 
 in his foot. Being no longer of any use, he was 
 landed by the captain on the coast of Brittany, 
 between Morlaix and Brest, Einisterre. When 
 cured of his ailment he became a disciple of 
 Paulus Aurelianus, and later on retired to lead the 
 life of a hermit in a small island called Houadic, 
 in which place he frequently found abundant 
 opportunities of exercising charity. 
 
 When shipwrecked sailors were driven by a 
 storm on the coast of this little island, Grunstan 
 hastened to the sea shore along with his com- 
 panion, and they spared no exertion in rendering 
 assistance to the mariners, who, when safely 
 landed, found a good fire lighted to warm and 
 dry them, and the best provisions to be procured 
 at their disposal. The reputation of the Holy 
 Hermit soon spread from country to country, 
 his charitable deeds being related by the crews 
 whom he had not only rescued from danger, but 
 cheered in body and edified in spirit. 
 The cons- The confidence which Celtic races placed in the 
 servants of God whom He has called from this 
 l an( l f exile to His heavenly kingdom may be 
 * nus accounted for. It was often a simply rational 
 ducti?n de " Deduction from the miracles which they had seen 
 miracles 6 ^ nem perform under their own eyes whilst they 
 they had were yet in the flesh. Such, for instance, as 
 
 seen them 
 
 perform in Germanus commanding the winds and the waves 
 
 their life. 
 
 to subside when he was crossing from Erance 
 to England during a storm, and shortly afterwards
 
 SAINTS HONOURED IN THE CAMBRIAN CHURCH. 163 
 
 restoring sight to a blind girl ; or from the belief 
 that St. David, whilst on his way to the Council 
 of Brevi, restored a boy to life. Par from thinking 
 that the power of their prayers was decreased by 
 death, they, on the contrary, came to the natural 
 conclusion that if whilst on earth they could 
 obtain favours for their fellow-men, this privilege 
 must be immeasurably increased when freed 
 from the faults and defects inseparable to human 
 nature and displeasing to God. They now, 
 clothed in the beauty of glorified spirits, rejoiced 
 in heaven as brothers of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 And hence those who suffered in mind or body 
 sought their protection. 
 
 Such were the reflections of our forefathers, as 
 frequently evidenced by their writings or practice. 
 The Liber Landavensis closes the life of the first 
 Bishop of that See with the following words : 
 " As the survivors of Dubricius had venerated 
 and looked upon him as a father when with them 
 corporeally, so they now often applied to him as 
 an intercessor with God, and as the defender of 
 all the Saints in the island and throughout the 
 entire country." 
 
 On the death of his successor in the same See, 
 such was the eagerness amongst Welshmen to 
 possess his body that a dispute arose between 
 three parishes. After much altercation, Llandaif 
 prevailed, and from the time of his burial in that 
 Cathedral his grave was for centuries visited by 
 crowds of pilgrims, and there frequently the
 
 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 sick were healed of their diseases, sight restored 
 to the hlind, and hearing to the deaf. 
 
 In this nineteenth century of ours, which 
 boasts of having discarded all belief in the super- 
 natural, there are still thousands and millions 
 who venerate the grave of a servant of God, and 
 resort thither confident that their time and 
 trouble will not be without avail. North Wales 
 possesses the spot more favoured and frequented 
 by pilgrims than any other sanctuary in the British 
 Isles. Holywell is known to everyone. Un- 
 believers may scoff and rail ; newspapers write 
 rabid leaders on superstition; nevertheless, in 
 our own enlightened ages crowds will persist in 
 visiting, or having themselves carried, to the well 
 of St. Winefrid, the Cambrian virgin. Neither 
 can it be denied that many are benefited in soul 
 or body, or that miraculous cures were effected 
 in past ages, and still take place at the present 
 time. 
 
 Is the hand of God to be shortened because 
 there are infidels ? or is the simple confidence of 
 the believer in His protection and in the power 
 of His Saints to be disappointed to please blas- 
 phemers or sceptics? Of Holy Winefrid and 
 her well the reader will hear again later on in 
 these pages. 
 
 The Welsh Archaelogical Society has given us 
 some prayers and hymns used in the Welsh 
 Church, no doubt at a very early period, probably 
 the fifth or sixth century. They are addressed
 
 SAINTS HONOURED IN THE CAMBRIAN CHURCH. 165 
 
 to Curyg and Julitta, both, of whom died in the 
 East under Diocletian. The fact that Julitta 
 was a young mother, and that her boy, but three 
 years of age, cried out along with her " I am a 
 Christian," and that both were victims for their 
 faith, endeared their memory to our forefathers, 
 who never failed to appreciate noble sacrifices 
 for Jesus Christ. I will place a few of those 
 hymns before the reader. 
 
 HYMN I. 
 
 In the name and in honour of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, and the Blessed Virgin, and the holy 
 Curyg and Julitta, his mother, and all the male 
 and female Saints in heaven, deliver us, Lord 
 Jesus Christ. To-day and this night, and at all 
 times, protect and defend us from all oppression, 
 robbery, damage, and sudden misfortune namely? 
 from fire and water and provide us with all 
 things needful for our soul and body. Amen. 
 
 HYMN II. 
 
 Christ our Lord who reigns, Christ who van- 
 quishes, Christ, through the merits of holy Curyg 
 and Julitta, his mother, and all the male and 
 female Saints in heaven, deliver us and preserve 
 us from all evils to our souls and bodies. Amen. 
 
 HYMN V. 
 
 Lord Jesus Christ increase what is beneficial 
 for us, and keep us from all evil, as Thou didst 
 increase it for Thy servants Abraham, Isaac, and 
 Jacob, in the name of Curyg, the holy martyr,
 
 166 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 and Julitta, his mother, and the male and female 
 Saints in heaven. Amen. 
 
 HYMN VI. 
 
 Lord Jesus Christ blot out all our iniquity and 
 all our mortal sins which we have committed in 
 times past, and which we commit at present; 
 destroy the incitement of the devil from us and 
 from our household and property, in the name 
 of Curyg, the holy martyr, and Julitta, his 
 mother, and all the male and female Saints in 
 heaven. Amen. 
 
 In the Celtic races devotion to Curyg and 
 Julitta was general, for in Brittany we find 
 Churches dedicated to them as early as the fifth 
 century, as mentioned in the charter of Guereck, 
 Duke of Brittany, to St. Ninnoc. It seems 
 probable that the above-mentioned prayer belongs 
 to that period. 
 
 This short summary of a national devotion 
 will no doubt convince even a prejudiced reader 
 that Saints were honoured by the ancient 
 Cambrians, and that they availed themselves of 
 their influence quite as much as any Catholic 
 nation under the sun, either in primitive or 
 modern times. The Cambrians of old knew that 
 Saints are the work of God. The heroism through 
 which we find them reproducing in themselves 
 the life of their Master was also God's work. To 
 praise their actions was to give glory to the 
 Lord. Even an earthly architect feels nothing
 
 SAINTS HONOURED IN THE CAMBRIAN CHURCH. 167 
 
 but pleasure in the admiration bestowed on a 
 building of which he was the designer. 
 
 The Catholic Church is slowly but surely 
 working her way throughout Wales; and a 
 traveller, as he journeys along, is sometimes 
 struck by the remark, emanating from far- 
 seeing Protestants, that the country will again 
 return to the Catholic faith, for it is becoming 
 weary of a Babel of creeds. 
 
 Already that religion is represented in Cambria 
 by two Catholic dioceses, and parishes duly 
 constituted exist in its crowded cities and towns 
 of importance. From these the Church of God 
 will, according to her custom, extend her influence 
 into the villages. Then the feasts of ancient 
 Welsh Saints will be restored, and in their own 
 country they will again find a place in the 
 Missal and the Breviary. 
 
 New Catholic Churches, dedicated to St. 
 Dubricius, St. Illyd, St. David, St. Winefrid, 
 arise from the ground already. 
 
 When the time not, it is to be hoped, far 
 distant arrives that the commemoration of these 
 Saints shall be introduced into the Missal, or 
 their lessons read in the Breviary at Matins, the 
 Bishop to whom God shall have entrusted thi 
 restoration will only have to borrow in most 
 cases a Breviary or Missal from the dioceses of 
 Brittany, for in that Celtic land most of the 
 Welsh Saints are to this day held in remembrance. 
 
 Many Cambrian families of wealth and position
 
 168 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 have of late returned to the faith of their fathers, 
 and been most generous and liberal to the 
 Church, and by grants of land and money have 
 forwarded the work of God. Many more no 
 doubt will in course of time follow in their steps, 
 and exhibit the same earnestness and spirit of 
 sacrifice. Then again we may see revived in 
 deeds of donation to religious institutions the 
 ancient form of words, so pious and so Catholic 
 " I grant for the erection of a Church, Monastery, 
 College, or Hospital, to Almighty God, to St. 
 Dubricius, St. Teilo, St. David, St. Winefrid [so 
 many] acres of land, for the redemption of my 
 soul and the souls of my ancestors and deceased 
 countrymen." 
 
 As Catholic doctrines gain ascendance amongst 
 the people, the preachers of Protestantism will no 
 longer venture to denounce the consoling belief 
 which assures us that our fathers who surround 
 the throne of God, far from being indifferent to 
 our trials, temptations, and needs, spiritual and 
 temporal, are, on the contrary, our best friends 
 and protecting angels. He will also fail to 
 convince his hearers that honour paid to the 
 servant of God in any way detracts from the 
 homage due to his Creator. The Saint is the 
 work of God, and He is glorified through him. 
 
 Moses, in narrating the gradual formation of 
 the world, from the creation of light to the 
 moulding of the frame of Adam from the dust 
 of the earth, into which the Almighty breathed a
 
 SAINTS HONOURED IN THE CAMBRIAN CHURCH. 169 
 
 soul, repeats at the close of each day that God 
 was pleased with his work. " Et vidit deus quod 
 esset honum." 1 Thus when the souls of His 
 ^eretris, on being liberated from their bodies, 
 are presented to Jesus Christ, the Redeemer com- 
 placently smiles on that which is in truth His 
 own work. Can He be displeased if we rejoice in 
 what He has made perfect? 
 
 May the day soon dawn upon Wales when the 
 feasts and devotion to the Saints of Cambria will 
 resume their place in a country now oppressed 
 with the curse of religious dissension. May the 
 prayers of Dubricius, Teilo, Winefrid, and their 
 companions bring back the faith to the country 
 of their love. A Welsh lady a convert to the 
 old religion beautifully illustrates this feeling 
 in the following verses, which, with her kind 
 permission, we place before the reader. 
 
 BRING BACK THE FAITH TO WALES. 
 
 IN those old days so blessed 
 
 When Cambria's Faith was one, 
 They knelt around one altar 
 
 The father and the son, 
 The mother and the daughter, 
 
 And all the hamlet too, 
 For One, the God, they worshipped, 
 
 And one, the Faith, they knew. 
 
 From all our ancient valleys, 
 Borne on our mountain gales, 
 
 Our cry goes up to Heaven 
 Bring back the Faith to Wales ! 
 
 That faith for which our martyrs 
 Poured forth their blood of yore, 
 
 Ten thousand of them at Caerleon, 
 And many, many more. 
 
 (1) Genesis.
 
 170 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 For though not ours the glory 
 
 Of martyrdom to be, 
 Yet still we hope in heaven 
 
 Their faces bright to see. 
 
 CHORUS. 
 
 Our saints to many a hamlet 
 
 Have left their names so sweet ; 
 On mountain and in valley 
 
 We trace their holy feet. 
 Who has not heard of Iltyd, 
 
 Of Tydfil, Cadoc, Nun 
 The mother of Saint David, 
 
 Our Patron, her great son? 
 
 CHORUS. 
 
 And those three holy Bishops, 
 
 The first of Llandaff s See, 
 Long ere on Wales had fallen 
 
 The blight of heresy ; 
 We'll ask them to remember 
 
 The land their feet once trod, 
 For saints are they in Heaven, 
 
 Before the throne of God. 
 
 CHORUS. 
 
 And you to whom is given, 
 
 For food, the Living Bread, 
 Pray for them, for whom Jesus 
 
 His precious Blood has shed. 
 They're groping in the darkness, 
 
 Whilst you walk in the light, 
 God waits but for your Prayers 
 
 To turn to day their night. 
 
 CHORUS. 
 
 Then let us cry to Heaven 
 
 That Cambria's sons once more 
 May all be one in Jesus, 
 
 As their fathers were of yore. 
 That our most sweet Redeemer 
 
 Once more within the Fold 
 May drive these sheep, now straying 
 
 Out in the dark and cold. 
 
 CHORUS.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 ON THE MONASTIC LIFE. 
 
 " JESUS said to him, ' If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast 
 and give it to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure In Heaven, and come 
 follow me.' And when the young man had heard this word he went away 
 sad, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus said to His disciples, 
 ' Amen ; I say to you that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom 
 of Heaven." St. Matt, xix., 21, 22, 23. 
 
 THUS far we have seen ancient Cambria in her 
 relation with the Papacy ; we have assisted with 
 her at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; in her 
 company we have knelt at the graves of the 
 dead, and said the Pater for the souls of the 
 faithful departed ; in the Church our ears have 
 heard the sweet harmony of the prayers and 
 litanies addressed to our brethren in Heaven. 
 Now, let us pay a visit to the Monastery and 
 converse with such monks as St. Cadoc at Llan- 
 carvan, Illtyd at Llantwit-major, and others ; and 
 in a straightforward manner ask them why, and 
 for what purpose, they have left the world ; and 
 learn from their own mouths their way of living, 
 their occupation, and sundry other things. 
 
 In our days people entertain a very poor idea 
 of a monk. What the present generation knows 
 about him comes from enemies, or has been 
 gathered from romances, the stage, or occasional 
 leaders in the newspapers.
 
 172 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Principle Our Lord and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, summed 
 
 of the 
 
 religious U p the substance of the Gospel in two words- 
 
 state: its *- 
 
 " Thou shalt love the Lord tliy God with thy whole 
 
 from the 
 
 ordinary heart, with thy whole soul, with all thy strength, 
 
 life of 
 
 Christians, and with all thy mind ; and thy neighbour as thy- 
 self" 1 This is the great law that is to guide the 
 
 */ O O 
 
 children of Adam through this valley of tears on 
 their journey to eternity. 
 
 The Pope in the Vatican, the king on his 
 throne, the magistrate on the bench, the soldier 
 on the field of battle, the merchant or the humble 
 peasant, all were created for no other purpose 
 but to fulfil this great commandment. The same 
 law guides the religious man in the cloister as 
 well as the ordinary Christian in the world. 
 The degree of glory we are to enjoy in Heaven 
 is to be measured, not according to the position 
 we occupy, or the kind of life we lead, but by 
 the greater or lesser progress we make in the 
 love of God and of our neighbour. 
 
 "What, then, is the line of demarcation between 
 the religious life in the cloister and the ordinary 
 one in the world? It is this Religious life 
 
 o 
 
 implies the profession of the evangelical counsels 
 namely, poverty, chastity, and obedience in 
 order that we may attain the end of our creation, 
 which is to love God above all things, and our 
 neighbour as ourselves. 
 
 If one wishes to convince himself of the great 
 advantage of travelling on the road to eternity 
 
 (1) Matt, xxii., 37, 39. Mark xii., 30, 31.
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 173 
 
 in the company of these three virtues, which in 
 a vision appeared to St. Augustine after his 
 conversion as three beautiful maidens, let him in 
 imagination stand at the Bar of Divine justice 
 for one day and see judgment passed on some 
 80,000 souls, which daily have to give an account 
 of their stewardship. 
 
 In that crowd of souls some are condemned to 
 hell, others to Purgatory, for a longer or shorter 
 period, to he purified according to the state of 
 their souls; a third part goes to heaven. He 
 will invariably remark that those who are 
 condemned to hell or Purgatory have been 
 deluded into sin either by riches, pleasures, or an 
 uncontrollable self-will. These are the three 
 rocks on which we are generally wrecked on our 
 weary voyage in this world. An inordinate 
 love of riches, the source of numerous acts of 
 injustice, proves fatal to many at the day of 
 reckoning. Carnal pleasures not checked in their 
 wild course, and a self-will not kept within the 
 bounds of the commandments of God and of 
 those of the Church, draw down thousands of 
 punishments on the other side of the grave. 
 
 " Love not the world" says St. John, " nor the 
 things which are m the world. If anyone love the 
 world, the charity of the Father is not in him ; for 
 all that is in the world is concupiscence of the flesh 
 and of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not 
 of the Father but of the world." 1 
 
 (1) St. John, 1st Epistle, iL, 15, 16.
 
 174 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 On the other hand, to those souls which, 
 practising poverty, chastity, and ohedience, have 
 passed through the world free from injustice, 
 impurity, and disobedience to the laws of God, 
 the gates of heaven are at once thrown open ; or, 
 if they are condemned to Purgatory, the sentence 
 as a rule is a very short one. 
 
 Serious reflection upon these facts has induced 
 thousands, since the introduction of Christianity, 
 to enter the cloister and form religious com- 
 munities. The primary object of an Antony, 
 Benedict, Erancis, or Bernard was not to create 
 a society of agriculturists, architects, theologians, 
 or learned men, hut to save their souls by the 
 practice of the three evangelical counsels viz., 
 poverty, chastity, and obedience. 1 
 
 If in the course of time the orders founded by 
 them acquired a reputation in agriculture or 
 science, Divine and human, this was only a 
 secondary object, and the result of the love of 
 God and their neighbour burning in their hearts, 
 for these men looked from their cells on the 
 wants of society, and devoted their existence to 
 such particular works as they deemed most 
 beneficial to the interests of the Church of God. 
 
 People form associations for worldly purposes, 
 for the construction of railways, to build fleets of 
 steamships, to lay telegraphs on land and across 
 the ocean ; in fact for any undertaking that will 
 bring them money. Religious men will also 
 
 (1) Montalembert, Monkc of the West.
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 175 
 
 associate, but for the attainment of a spiritual 
 end to save their souls and those of their 
 neighbours. 
 
 As soon as Constantine had put an end to the Religious 
 300 years of persecution under the Roman STST the 
 Emperors, or even before that, immense Monas- 
 teries arose all over the world. The deserts of 
 Egypt became peopled by legions of monks. 
 
 When St. Antony died on the Nile, 4,000 or 
 5,000 of his sons wept and prayed round his 
 grave ; and we are told by Rufinus, a traveller 
 in the East in 373 namely, seventeen years 
 after the death of this celebrated chief of 
 Monastic life that there were as many monks 
 in the desert as inhabitants in towns; that at 
 every hour of the day and night the praises of 
 the Lord rent the skies. About the middle of 
 the fourth century it was calculated that some 
 70,000 men and 20,000 virgins followed the 
 Monastic rule in Egypt. 1 
 
 About the same time there was a rush from 
 the world into the cloister, in Gaul and in Britain. 
 St. Martin is believed to have established the 
 first Monastery in Erance, and with such success 
 that his funeral resembled that of St. Anthony, 
 for thousands of the religious brethren of St. 
 Martin covered the roads from Poitiers to Tours, 
 accompanying the body of their founder to its 
 last resting place. 
 
 In the same period St. Patrick brought the 
 
 (1) Migne Diet desordres religieux. Introduction.
 
 176 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Monastic plant from Gaul to Ireland, in which 
 country it soon prospered to a wonderful extent. 
 St. Patrick had spent one year in the Monastery 
 of St. Martin at Marmoutiers, and seven at 
 Lerins, always dreaming of the conversion of 
 that land in which he had been a slave. Mont- 
 alembert properly observes that the Apostle of 
 Ireland was astonished that in his own lifetime 
 the number of the sons and daughters of chieftains 
 who had embraced the life of the cloister at his 
 bidding could not be counted. The celebrated 
 Irish round towers, whose origin and use for so 
 many years exercised the ingenuity of archseo- 
 logists, modern science has proved beyond dispute 
 to have been only the belfries of Cathedrals, 
 Abbeys, and Priories. 
 
 Britain did not remain behind other nations in 
 the practice of religious life. It is difficult to 
 tell who was the first to introduce Monasticism 
 into this land. Glastonbury, as we have already 
 seen, was the first ground of Almighty God in 
 Britain. There St. Joseph, of Arimathea, and 
 his companions are believed to have lived in 
 community, as far as their missionary duties 
 allowed; and probably their successors lived 
 much in the same manner. 
 
 Be this as it may, it is an undeniable fact that 
 in the fifth and sixth centuries Wales teemed 
 with religious life, and immense Monasteries rose 
 throughout the length and breadth of Cambria. 
 
 (1) Montalambert. Monks of the West.
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 177 
 
 Llancarvan, Lantwit-Major, in the south ; 
 Bangor and St. Asaph in the north, were the 
 centres of intellectual and manual labour, as well 
 as the abodes of sanctity. 
 
 In those days a traveller on his way through 
 Wales, starting from Chepstow in the south, fol- 
 lowing the Bristol Channel as far as St. David's, 
 in Pembrokeshire, then the sea coast along the 
 Irish Channel, and continuing his journey as far 
 as Chester, would meet on his road almost as 
 many religious houses as there are now im- 
 portant railway stations. 
 
 Shortly after leaving Chepstow, he would come 
 to Caergwent, an ancient Roman fortress. The Cambria, 
 Roman legions are gone, and a small religious 
 community, governed by an Irish monk, have 
 taken their place. Coming to the present town 
 of Newport, Monmouthshire, he will find on 
 Stowe Hill, which commands the town, a "Welsh 
 chieftain, Gwynliw the warrior, and a few com- 
 panions leading an ascetic life. At the foot of 
 the same mountain, in the valley of Risca, at 
 Bassaleg, Gwladys, his wife, is at the head of a 
 community of nuns. The Plat Holmes and 
 Barry Island, at the entrance to the present town 
 of Cardiff, are occupied by the men of Christ, as 
 the monks are called. The said traveller, as he 
 proceeds westward, at about eight or ten miles 
 from Cardiff, will come to the valley of Llan- 
 carvan. Here there is a busy monastic colony, 
 founded by St. Cadoc, the son of those two.
 
 178 CAMBRIA SACHA. 
 
 hermits he met with a few days hefore at New- 
 port, Monmouthshire. Here the axe clears the 
 forest, and the spade drains swamps, to make 
 room for wheat, barley, or oats. A few miles 
 farther on the sea coast is Lantwit-Major, which 
 was also a Roman camp, but is now the residence 
 of Illtyd and his brethren. The spot is a scene 
 of activity, mental and physical labourers, 
 builders, and students are occupied by their 
 respective work. The valley of Neath and the 
 neighbourhood of Swansea have their religious 
 communities ; Ty-gwen-ar-taf, where the South 
 Wales Railway now branches off for Tenby, is 
 occupied by Paulinus, the master of St. David, 
 Teilo, and others. Later on Howell Dda will 
 render the place sacred for Wales, as in its valley 
 the Welsh laws will be compiled. Still more to 
 the west there is a celebrated monastery St. 
 David, on the very limits of Wales. 
 
 On his journey northward, monastic institu- 
 tions will offer him hospitality. In Cardiganshire, 
 a mile or two from the present Aberystwith, is 
 Lan Badarn Eawr, whose bishop and abbot is 
 Padarn, a Breton monk. Not far off, in the bay 
 of Cardigan, lies the celebrated Bardsey island, 
 called the Necropolis of Welsh Saints. Anglesey, 
 the residence of the chief druids in times gone by, 
 is occupied by the monks. And so on till he 
 conies to Bangor Iscoed, in the county of Chester. 
 Should he return from north to south through 
 the midland counties, he would still hear the
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 179 
 
 praises of Almighty God in monastic churches 
 scattered here and there throughout the country, 
 and erected by St. David or his disciples. 
 
 No period of Welsh history has witnessed a" 1 ^? 
 
 cloister 
 
 greater percentage of the population rushing to finds . 
 the cloister than the fifth and sixth centuries, every daw 
 
 of society. 
 
 The monastery finds willing recruits in every 
 class of society, amongst the princes and 
 their tenants, and to such an extent as to 
 be hardly believed in our days of materialism 
 and religious indifference. A careful perusal 
 of the " Liber Landavensis " and " The Lives 
 of the Cambro-British Saints " will, however, 
 convince the most incredulous reader that the 
 enthusiasm for religious life was then at its 
 greatest height. 
 
 Let us take as instances two or three great 
 families in South Cambria that of Meuriff, king 
 
 o" O 
 
 of Glamorgan ; then of his next neighbour, 
 Gwynlew, the warrior chieftain, in the present 
 county of Monmouth ; and after him of the family 
 of Brychan, of Brecknockshire. 
 
 Meurig, king of Glamorgan, exhibits in his life 
 a mixture of virtues and vices. "We see him, in 
 the "Liber Landavensis," coming forth most 
 nobly to the help of the bishops of Llandaff ; and 
 yet one of them, Oudoceus, is forced to excom- 
 municate him as guilty of the blackest perjury 
 and the most atrocious murder. He submitted 
 to penance, not only under the pressure of faith, 
 but also through the powerful influence brought
 
 180 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 to bear on his guilty conscience by the many 
 monks belonging to his family. 
 
 His father, Tewdrig, who had resigned the 
 sovereignity of Glamorgan in his favour, and 
 thus made him king when he was yet a mere 
 youth, was leading the life of a hermit on the 
 river "Wye. His nephew, Sampson, embraced 
 religious life at Lantwit-Major ; then, forced by 
 circumstances to put himself under the abbot 
 Peyro, at Barry Island, induced his father and 
 uncle, his mother and aunt, and then his cousin 
 Maglorius, to leave the world and follow him to 
 the cloister. His father and uncle he brought with 
 him to Barry Island, whilst their respective wives, 
 namely, his mother and aunt, retired into convents. 
 So Meurig could say that, whatever he might 
 be personally, his blood had given noble servants 
 to the Church. His father, two of his daughters, two 
 sons-in-law, two nephews, were fighting for God 
 and the Church in the ranks of the monastic army. 
 To the east, the next chieftain to Meurig was 
 Gwynlew the Warrior. The family consisted of 
 nine brothers, who amicably, and according to 
 custom, divided amongst themselves the landed 
 property of their father. However, in the par- 
 tition eight portions only were made, as Pedrog, 
 one of them, surrendered a transitory inheritance 
 for an eternal one, and, embracing religious life, 
 would not accept of any territory. 1 
 
 Later on the son of Gwynlew, the celebrated 
 
 (1) Cambro-British Saints.
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 181 
 
 Cadoc, left his parents' house, and, directing his 
 steps to the west, stopped in the valley of Lan- 
 carvan, on which spot he erected a monastery. 
 In the course of time he also induced his father 
 and mother to quit the world. 
 
 To the north of Glamorganshire is the county 
 of Brecknock, whose prince, Brychan, was father 
 of a very numerous family, although it may be 
 perhaps difficult to state their exact number. 
 
 In the " Life of St. Ninnoc," l as related in 
 Albert le Grand, fourteen of these children are 
 said to have entered the Church, and preached 
 the Gospel in several localities, not only in their 
 own country but beyond the sea, and edified 
 many nations by their saintly lives. Then the 
 youngest daughter followed their footsteps, as we 
 shall relate a page or two later on. 
 
 The percentage of religious vocation in these 
 three princely families enables the reader to 
 judge how high enthusiasm for the monastery 
 ran in the minds of the Cambrians. It also 
 accounts for the numerical strength of some reli- 
 gious communities in the country. 
 
 Thus, at Bangor Iscoed, near Chester, in the Numerical 
 
 strength of 
 
 time of the Saxon king Ethelfrith, 1,200 monks 
 
 monaster- 
 
 were unmercifully slain for the sin of praying ies. 
 for the success of their countrymen in battle. 
 Venerable Bede, speaking of this monastery, tells 
 us that the community was divided into seven 
 sections, each under a direct superior or prior, 
 
 (1) Albert le Grand. Los Saints de Bretagne (p: 36).
 
 182 CAMBKIA SACRA. 
 
 and that each of these priors had three hundred 
 monks under him, all earning their hread by the 
 sweat of their brow. According to this calcula- 
 tion, the brotherhood of Bangor, in Cheshire, 
 amounted to more than 2,000 members. 
 
 Not far off, still in North Wales, in the 
 beautiful valley of St. Asaph, St. Kentigern had 
 gathered round him a numerous colony of monks, 
 who night and day sang the praises of the Lord. 
 They were divided into three sections the 
 labourers, the artisans, and the students, and 
 mustered 965 strong. 
 
 In the south, in the county of Glamorgan, 
 Lancarvan counted its inmates by hundreds; 
 and at Lantwit-Major, not far off, the number 
 was still greater. 1 
 
 There is no doubt that the Cambrians of those 
 days were a supernatural people, and earnest in 
 their endeavours to secure heaven. These words 
 of our Lord, " What doth it profit a man to gain 
 the whole world and lose his soul" vibrated along 
 
 (1) In the lolo MSS. (page 556) we find the following interesting 
 details in reference to religious institutions in Wales : ' ' Here are the 
 names of the cells of the college of Illtyd, the College of Matthew, of 
 Mark, of Luke, of John, Arthur, St. David, Morgan, Eurgain, and 
 Ainwn. Of these eight colleges Illtyd was principal ; and the place was 
 named Bangor Illtyd, and there were three thousand saints. In the 
 colleges of Dubricius there were the following choirs : that of Dubricius, 
 of Arthur, of Julius, of Aron ; all these were in Caerleon-upon-Usk. The 
 College of Dubiicius and the College of Meugant on the banks of the 
 Wye, and the College of Llandaff ; Dubricius was principal over all, and 
 
 had two thousand scholars The College of Cattwg, in 
 
 Llancarvan, with three cells and a thousand saints, and two cells in the 
 
 Vale of Neath The College of Dochwy, in Morganwg, with a 
 
 thousand saints The College of St. David, in Menevia, for five 
 
 hundred saints The College of Tathan, in Caervvent, 
 
 vfithfive hundred saints. The College of Sarlloc, in Llandaff, for thirty 
 saints, and Sarlloc was the principal. The College of Elvan, in Glaston- 
 bury, for a thousand saints. The College of Teilo, in Llandaff, for a 
 thousand saints."
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 183 
 
 every fibre of their souls, and hence they rushed 
 to the practice of religious life, certain that it 
 was the safest way to save their souls. Some 
 entered religion when young, others in their old 
 age. Thus, some were first married and then 
 sought refuge in religion, whilst others, perhaps, 
 had ignored altogether the allurements of the 
 
 o o 
 
 world when they put on the monastic habit. 
 Monasteries saw several of their students enter 
 the cloistral precincts with only the desire of 
 acquiring human knowledge, who never after 
 returned home, but joined the brotherhood. 
 Others, at the end of their scholastic career, left 
 the monastery, but soon after returned, finding 
 in the world nothing but vanity and hollowness. 
 
 Some of these young people had the full 
 consent of their parents, who were persuaded 
 that it was better for their children to be in the 
 service of God, than in that of men, and 
 encouraged them on. Others, however, had to 
 contend with the opposition of their relatives. 
 
 We even read of young men who, unfortunately, 
 had conquered the hearts of princesses, and, on 
 obeying the call of God, were importuned in their 
 cells by disappointed damsels who made use of 
 every art to induce them to leave. 
 
 The reader may naturally desire to have a few 
 details of these noble souls so anxious to reach 
 evangelical perfection. 
 
 Let us begin by Ninnoc, the beautiful and 
 saintly daughter of Brychan of Brecknockshire ; 
 the substance is taken from Albert le grand.
 
 184 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Ninnoc was the last child of a numerous 
 offspring, born when her parents were advanced 
 in years. She was the gift of a supernatural 
 grace bestowed to console, in their old age, a 
 family that had given 14 children to religion as 
 we have already seen. 1 When 15 years of age. 
 a certain Irish prince came on a visit to her 
 father and, smitten with her beauty, applied for 
 her hand. The matter was discussed in a family 
 council, and the offer accepted. 
 
 Brychan called Ninnoc aside and, opening his 
 mind, informed her that such a union would be 
 advantageous to her, as well as to both families. 
 The prince was young, handsome, and one of the 
 leading princes in Ireland, and a powerful ally 
 would be gained by the family which would 
 prove useful in time of need, for in those days, 
 as in ours, politics and family interests played a 
 conspicuous part in marriages. 
 
 In her reply, Ninnoc stated that the intended 
 husband possessed every quality which could 
 render any maiden happy; that the marriage 
 would no doubt prove beneficial to both provinces ; 
 but she was already bethrothed, and had given 
 her word to a divine spouse. He was aware that 
 a promise made to Jesus Christ could not be 
 broken, and for this reason she expected him not 
 to be dissatisfied with her refusal. It was the 
 
 (1) On a Good Friday, the legend says, the chieftain knelt before the 
 cross, and in the name of the bleeding wounds of our Lord, entreated 
 
 heaven to grant him a child In the same night an angel 
 
 appeared and informed him that his request had been granted.
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 185 
 
 first time of her life she had disobeyed her father, 
 and now he must forgive her. 
 
 The disappointed parent communicated the 
 answer to his wife, requesting her to hring all 
 her maternal influence to hear in altering her 
 daughter's resolution. But entreaties, tears, and 
 threats, proved useless, and failed entirely to 
 shake her mind. 
 
 The young Irish prince was admitted into the 
 secret in all its details, and then took leave and 
 returned to Ireland, and Ninnoc was left free to 
 follow her vocation ; the parents still hoping 
 that their dear daughter, although resolved to 
 remain a virgin, would however live under their 
 roof and console them in their old age. Eor a 
 few years such was to be the case. 
 
 However St. Germans came to visit the court 
 of her father, and stayed for a length of time 
 under his hospitable roof. A spiritual friendship 
 soon grew between the venerable old Patriarch 
 of Gaul and the young virgin. Hearing from 
 the bishop the edifying life led by nuns in Gaul, 
 and their earnestness in the service of God, she 
 determined to cross the sea and lead a religious 
 life among them. The difficulty was to obtain 
 the consent of her father and mother, for she 
 was fully aware that it was the only request they 
 would never grant. However the determined 
 lover of the convent removed all difficulties by 
 the following stratagem 
 
 The first day of a new year, being also her
 
 186 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 birthday, there was a sumptuous banquet in her 
 honour. A number of bishops, princes, and lords 
 were invited, and amongst them Germanus. In 
 the presence of all the guests the young lady 
 entered the hall dressed in her richest garments, 
 and ravished all present by her beauty. Amidst 
 a dead silence she went up to her father and, 
 falling on her knees, stated that as it was her 
 birthday she had a favour to ask, and she hoped 
 that for the sake of all the illustrious guests 
 present it would not be refused. 
 
 Her father raised her up and said, that for 
 nothing in the world would he refuse whatever 
 she might ask. 
 
 Then in a clear and beautiful voice, betraying, 
 however, suppressed emotion, the young lady 
 addressed her father " Long ago I informed you 
 how strong was my wish to consecrate myself to 
 the service of God ; now I ask your consent to 
 cross the sea for the shores of America (Britanny) 
 and there to end my days in the service of my 
 Jesus. I shall not cease to pray for the welfare 
 of your souls, and those of your subjects." 
 
 This scene produced a deep impression on all 
 present. There was a struggle between nature 
 and grace in the breasts of father and mother, 
 uncles and aunts, and other relations. Men were 
 silent and women wept. Every possible argument 
 was brought forth to force Mnnoc to withdraw 
 her request, but they all proved fruitless assaults 
 against an impregnable will. At last St. Germanus,
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 187 
 
 seeing that this was not the over-excited imagina- 
 tion of a young virgin, but a purpose of long 
 years' standing, and evidently the work of God, 
 took her part and represented to the bereaved 
 family, that they should yield to the call of God, 
 Master of our existence, and make the sacrifice 
 like Abraham, who parted with the most precious 
 treasure he had on earth. They yielded and, 
 tears in their eyes, gave their blessing to their 
 parting daughter. 
 
 Whilst the vessel destined to carry her to the 
 country she was to edify by her saintly life was 
 being fitted out, she made such a good use of her 
 time as to induce her god-father and god-mother, 
 several priests, and many laity of both sexes to 
 follow her. The little expedition safely landed 
 in Brittany, at a place later on called Poul-ilfin, 
 after the name of her god-father, and the chief 
 of the colony, whose name was Ilfin. Ninnoc's 
 success in Armorica has been referred to in 
 preceding pages. 1 
 
 Let us now carry the reader to the grave 
 of old Tewdrig at Mathern near Chepstow, 
 Monmouthshire . 
 
 The contrast in some sense is great, although 
 the supernatural end the same. Indeed, Mnnoc 
 was a pure soul never defiled by the world, a 
 virgin in all the fervour of youth ; Tewdrig, on 
 
 (1) St. Keyna, virgin, sister of Guladys, mother of St. Cadoc of 
 Llancarvan, belongs to the same family. It is strange that Welsh 
 genealogists omit the name of St. Ninnoc. This may be attributed to the 
 fact of her passing the greatest part of her existence on the Continent.
 
 188 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 the contrary, was an old warrior whose powerful 
 hand had slain many on the battle field, and 
 whose rough voice had given the word of 
 command for slaughter. 
 
 Tewdrig was the father of King Meurig, and 
 governed in Glamorganshire with justice. How- 
 ever, as he valued eternal power more than 
 temporal, he gave up his kingdom to his son 
 Meurig, determined to live in solitude. 1 He chose 
 for his retreat a dense forest on the river Wye, 
 on, or near, the spot where later on rose the 
 magnificent monastery of Tintern Abbey, visited 
 and admired in our days as one of the best speci- 
 mens of monastic buildings. 
 
 There he built a hut beside a clear stream, and 
 provided for his bodily wants by cultivating a 
 few plots of ground round his hermitage, and 
 spent his life in Divine contemplation. 
 
 In his day he had fought many a battle, and 
 never met with any reverse, and in the opinion 
 of his countrymen he was a bold and skilful 
 general. In this respect his children were 
 inferior and less successful. The southern 
 Cambrians having sustained severe losses in some 
 encounters against the Saxons, who were pushing 
 their incursions as far as the Severn, and even 
 the Wye, remarked that under Tewdrig they were 
 never defeated, and resolved to go to his cell and 
 there represent the danger of the country, and 
 entreat him once more to put himself at their head. 
 
 (1) Liber Landavensis, p. 383.
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 189 
 
 Meanwhile, a heavenly messenger appeared to 
 him at night, and said, " Go and assist the people 
 of God against the enemies of the Church of 
 Christ, and the foes will turn their faces in flight 
 as far as Powll Brochwael. And thou, in full 
 armour, stand in the hattle, and when they shall 
 see thy face and recognise it, they will, as usual, 
 betake themselves to flight ; and afterwards, for 
 the space of thirty years, they will not dare, in 
 the time of thy son, to invade the country, and 
 thy people will he in peace ; but thou wilt be 
 wounded by a single stroke in the district of 
 Rhyd Tintern, and three days after die in peace." 
 
 In the morning he rose and put himself at the 
 head of the army of his son, encamped in the 
 neighbourhood. Mounted on his charger, he 
 cheerfully moved onwards with his Britons to the 
 banks of the river Wye, at the ford of Tintern. 
 
 Both sides were soon engaged, and after a pro- 
 tracted battle, in which the venerable old soldier 
 and hermit was conspicuous everywhere en- 
 couraging his men, the enemy was put to flight. 
 In the pursuit, a Saxon, turning his face to his 
 pursuers, threw a lance at the general, and 
 wounded him. 
 
 The old captain requested his son to take him, 
 if possible, to the Flat Holmes, a small island at 
 the entrance of the present Cardiff, wishing to be 
 buried on that rock. No doubt he felt that the 
 monks, who came there annually to spend a few 
 weeks in Lent, would kneel round his grave and
 
 190 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 recommend his soul to the mercy of God. How- 
 ever, he died on the road, and was buried at 
 Mathern. His son Meurig built a church over 
 his grave, and for the repose of his soul granted the 
 land to the church of Llandaif,as stated previously. 
 st. Suiiau. gft. Suliau (Issylio in Welsh) is an instance of 
 a religious vocation being granted at an early 
 period of life. According to Albert le Grand, 
 he was born in Wales, in the year of our Lord 
 530, under the pontificate of Boniface II. and 
 during the reign of the Emperor Justinian I. 
 
 Brocmail 1 his father a chieftain in Powis, 
 Western Wales, had many children, on whose 
 education he bestowed the greatest care. He 
 particularly desired that Suliau, his first-born, 
 who was to be his successor, should be carefully 
 trained in divine and human learning. This 
 
 o 
 
 task was entrusted to Gwymark, Abbot of Meibot, 
 in Montgomery, a monastery which owed its 
 origin to the generosity of Welsh princes. 
 
 The young Suliau, whilst yet at school, had 
 felt a strong desire to embrace the religious life, 
 and being aware that the designs of his father 
 ran in a different direction, considered what 
 would be the best plan to follow in order to win 
 him over to his views. After several attempts to 
 gain his consent, which always met with a stern 
 refusal, he resolved to break through all obstacles 
 by secretly leaving home as soon as a favourable 
 chance presented itself. 
 
 (1) Albert le Grand . Lobineau.
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 191 
 
 One day, as he was hunting with his brothers, 
 some monks chanced to pass by, singing religious 
 hymns as they journeyed along. This sacred 
 music, which had so often kindled his imagina- 
 tion whilst in the monastic school, now, as it re- 
 sounded through the silence of the woods, made 
 such a deep impression on his mind that he 
 resolved to carry out at once his long thought of 
 intention. He therefore said to his companions, 
 " I will follow these monks, and in their com- 
 pany spend my days in singing the praises of the 
 Lord." His brothers, after remaining for some 
 time rivetted to the spot in a state of stupefaction, 
 hurried after, him determined to force him back. 
 Their efforts were, however, useless, and they 
 were obliged to return home without Suliau. On 
 learning the sad news, the mother wept and the 
 father became furious, inveighed in bitter terms 
 against monks and monasteries, and swore to be 
 revenged. 
 
 Whilst this scene was taking place in the 
 prince's palace, the young deserter had arrived 
 at the monastery and informed the abbot of the 
 bold step he had taken. Palling on his knees he 
 begged to be at once clothed in the monastic 
 habit, for of a certainty his father would soon 
 come and reclaim him. 
 
 Gwymark the abbot assembled the com- 
 munity in order to ascertain the opinion of the 
 brethren, and it was agreed that young Suliau 
 should be admitted as a novice, the Chapter
 
 192 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 deciding that although such a step might draw 
 down upon them the ire of Brocmail, they would 
 trust in the protection of God, wh ose servant they 
 were sheltering. 
 
 Shortly after they had resolved upon this step ? 
 thirty horsemen arrived at the gate of the 
 monastery and demanded to speak to the abbot, 
 in the name of Brocmail, Prince of Powis. 
 
 On being admitted, they reproached Gwymark 
 and his brethren with having kidnapped a young 
 boy, the son of their master, taking advantage of 
 his youth to work on his imagination and decoy 
 him into adopting a kind of life to which he was 
 not called. They announced that they had 
 explicit orders to bring home, alive or dead, a 
 child unjustly taken away from his father and 
 mother, adding that if this lawful request were 
 refused, they would teach monks not to interfere 
 with the family of Brocmail. 
 
 The abbot modestly, but with the firmness 
 peculiar to his order, replied that neither he or 
 his brethren had directly or indirectly seduced 
 Suliau. He had come amongst them of his own 
 free will. They should be allowed to see the son 
 of their master, and thus have an opportunity of 
 judging for themselves. If when in their pre- 
 sence Suliau consented to return home, he and 
 his brethren would not offer the least objection 
 to his doing so. But if, on the other hand, the 
 youth persisted in his resolution to remain in the 
 monastery, they could not and would not, turn
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 193 
 
 him out, even though they shed their blood in 
 his cause. 
 
 The anger of the prince's messengers was some- 
 what appeased by this fair but resolute reply. 
 The young man already clad in the monastic 
 habit was summoned before them. The soldiers 
 testified astonishment, and said that it was not 
 the custom for any monastery to clothe a novice 
 before he had gone through one year's probation. 
 Suliau, however, put a stop to all comments by 
 the following speech : 
 
 " Gentlemen, say to my father that I humbly 
 confess having committed a fault against him 
 although with no intention of srivinsr offence; 
 
 o o o * 
 
 that fault consists in having left him without his 
 consent and without his blessing. I felt myself 
 drawn .by an irresistible grace to serve God in 
 this saintly community. I knew that my father 
 would never give his consent, but would throw 
 every obstacle in my way, and therefore I de- 
 parted abruptly and without giving notice of my 
 intention, having from my infancy been taught 
 that when one is called by the Almighty to His 
 Divine service, he must leave father and mother 
 brothers and sisters unmindful of their tears and 
 affliction. If, however, my dear father is so 
 incensed against this monastery for having 
 afforded me a shelter, and will be appeased by 
 nothing but blood, cut off my head and carry it 
 to him, because if any one is guilty in connection 
 with this matter, it is myself and no person else."
 
 194 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 This noble and touching reply of the saintly 
 youth drew tears from every eye, and put a stop 
 to all violence. The messengers returned to the 
 prince and related what they had seen and heard, 
 how they had been fascinated and disarmed by 
 the presence and speech of the young monk, who 
 was to have been their future king. Brocmail 
 and his wife wept and said, " Let the will of God 
 be done." 
 Trials of Suliau's vocation proved to be a true one, and 
 
 St. Suliau. ... 
 
 not the result of a strong imagination not un- 
 usual with young men of twenty which often 
 fades away with time. He brought into the 
 cloister a truly religious spirit. His abbot out 
 of precaution sent him to a priory dependent on 
 the monastery which was situated on an island 
 called Aber Menew, and later on Enes-Suliau 
 (Island of Suliau) where he spent an angelic life 
 for the space of seven years. 
 
 Guymarch on his deathbed called together his 
 brethren and addressed to them the following 
 words 
 
 " My brethren and children, I loved you in 
 life, and I could not die like a good father unless 
 consoled by the idea that after my death you 
 shall be ruled by a man of God. As you are 
 aware, you will be free in the election of your 
 new abbot, but I cannot help recommending 
 Suliau for that office, knowing him to be a man 
 well fitted for it." 
 
 When the last of the sacred hymn over the
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 195 
 
 grave of Guymarch had died away, the chapter 
 proceeded to elect a new superior, and the votes 
 were one, and all, in favour of Suliau. 
 
 He had governed Meibot Monastery for six 
 years, when in 564, his father died, and was 
 succeeded hy his brother Jacob. 
 
 After a reign of but two years, this prince died 
 in 566, leaving a widow but no children. This lady 
 was destined to put Suliau's love of celibacy to the 
 test, and to be his persecutor during the remainder 
 of her life. The young widow, whose name was 
 Hayarme, was a woman of great intellectual 
 powers, ambitious and energetic. In order to 
 secure possession of the kingdom of her deceased 
 husband, she informed her vassals that it was her 
 intention to marry the Abbot of Meibot, he being 
 the only survivor of their Royal Family. 
 
 She visited the monastery and opened her 
 mind on the subject to Suliau, stating that the 
 resolution she had arrived at was dictated by her 
 desire to promote public interest and peace, and 
 to prevent the extinction of the Royal Eamily of 
 which he was the last representative. As regarded 
 the necessary dispensation, she said she would 
 secure that through an application to the Pope 
 at Borne. 
 
 Suliau, as might be expected, was at first 
 perfectly amazed at having such a proposal from 
 the widow of his brother, but recovering from 
 his surprise he intimated firmly that he could 
 never accede to such a request. "Was he not a
 
 196 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 monk, a priest and her brother-in-law. A young 
 widow was free to marry again. If she decided 
 on doing so, let it be in accordance with the laws 
 of God and the Church. But he was not at 
 liberty to break through his vows. Why should 
 she come to seek a husband within the walls of a 
 monastery ? Were there not plenty of Princes 
 and noblemen in Britain, not bound by religious 
 vows, who would willingly marry one so young, 
 handsome, and rich? By making a judicious 
 choice from amongst the number, she could give 
 her subjects a wise and judicious ruler. Por 
 himself, he had declined the marriage state when 
 in his father's house, and saw no reason to 
 change his resolution. On no account would he 
 
 o 
 
 apply to the Court of Home for a dispensation 
 from his vows ; he was not going to scandalise 
 the Church and the Britons. 
 
 Whether this lady had conceived an affection 
 for young Suliau before he embraced the religious 
 state, and had keenly regretted his entrance into 
 the cloister, and that her present feelings towards 
 him were a revival of an old love, we are not told. 
 
 However, after this absolute refusal of her 
 advances, she became possessed by the passion of 
 hatred, swore revenge, and persecuted Suliau and 
 his brethren ; the property of the monasteries, 
 such as cattle, was seized, and their crops 
 destroyed. 
 
 To save his brethren from these injuries, the 
 abbot retired to Enes Suliau ; but the persecution
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 197 
 
 in no degree abating, he determined to leave the 
 country altogether, and accordingly sailed for 
 Brittany, at that time the refuge of all who were 
 thus troubled. 
 
 There he remained, preaching the Gospel along 
 the shores of Armorica from St. Malo to the pre- 
 sent town of Brest, and converting numbers of 
 sinners. On the death of his sister-in-law, his 
 monastic brethren in Cambria invited him to 
 return and once more become their spiritual 
 guide ; but he declined, having been warned by 
 an angel of his approaching death, which took 
 place on the 1st of October, 606, at the age of 
 76. He was buried in his Armorican monastery, 
 since called St. Sulian-sur-Rance, a place about 
 six miles distant from St. Malo. 1 
 
 The legend of Efflam and Honora reminds us 
 of the history of Alexius, or Cecilia, in Borne, 
 who, when forced into the marriage state, never- 
 theless succeeded in preserving their virginity 
 intact, the latter through an angelic apparation, 
 and the former through an energetic step. 
 
 Efflam was born in Ireland, about the year 
 
 * . St. Efflam 
 
 448, and Honora was a daughter of Cambria, and 
 
 Honora. 
 
 Both belonged to families of high distinction. 
 
 For two or three generations their families 
 had only known each other sword in hand, either 
 as pirates on the ocean, or deadly foes on the 
 battle-field. 
 
 (1) The Welsh legend tells us tlir.t St. Suliau returned to Wales and 
 was chosen to represent the British bishops in their controversy with St. 
 Augustine. This is improbable.
 
 198 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 The forefathers of Efflam had passed their lives 
 
 in threatening the coasts of Wales with invasion, 
 
 ~ 7 
 
 making annual descents upon her shores, during 
 which many Christians were put to the sword, 
 and women and children carried off to Ireland 
 to be sold in her market-places as slaves. The 
 Welsh chieftain retaliated, and by organised 
 expeditions made sudden attacks on the territory 
 of his enemy across the channel, and bore away 
 whatever he could lay hold of. This continued 
 plundering soon wearied the people on both sides, 
 and discontent became so strong that the two 
 chieftains were forced to come to terms. Peace 
 was concluded by the betrothal of Efflam, son of 
 the Irish king, and Honora, daughter of the 
 Cambrian Prince. As they were both children 
 it was arranged that the marriage should take 
 place as soon as they were of age. 
 
 Efflam was sent to the monastic school to be 
 educated, and whilst there felt a strong attraction 
 towards religion, which became even more in- 
 tense as he increased in years. Several of his 
 fellow-students shared the same desire, and they 
 encouraged each other to devote themselves to 
 the service of Christ in the monastic life, then 
 held in so much favour throughout the world, 
 but more especially in Ireland. 
 
 Efflam returned home on the completion of 
 his education, with the determined resolution that 
 cost what it might he would consecrate him- 
 self to God.
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 199 
 
 Under the paternal roof, however, he was 
 reminded of the contract signed in his name 
 when he was an infant, by the terms of which he 
 was engaged to marry Honora, the Cambrian 
 princess. The contracting parties, both in Ire- 
 land and in Wales, were pledged by the most 
 solemn oaths, and the marriage must take place. 
 It was the condition on which peace had been 
 concluded between the two houses so long at war. 
 Honora was beautiful and accomplished, and 
 would secure him many years of happiness, and 
 the union would cement peace and friendship 
 between those who had been bitter enemies. 
 
 This intelligence was far from pleasing to a 
 young man whose thoughts ran in so different a 
 direction. He communicated it to the friends 
 who like himself had resolved on entering the 
 cloister. They assembled in his father's house, 
 and consulted together as to the best mode of 
 proceeding under the circumstances. It was a 
 juvenile meeting, and yet what serious and im- 
 portant matters were discussed, and what 
 courageous resolutions adopted ! The speakers 
 demonstrated to the satisfaction of all present 
 that full consideration should be shown to 
 paternal authority, which could not be called in 
 question; but that the same authority had its 
 determined limits, and could in no way trample 
 on the sacred rights of God in regard of chil- 
 dren. . . . Marriage was a free contract, 
 and those who entered on it had a right to be
 
 200 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 consulted. A match arranged by relatives be- 
 tween two children might be a judicious specula- 
 tion according to their views, but the persons 
 concerned should be free, when of age, either to 
 sanction or reject such alliances. 
 
 Efflam, in his speech, informed his companions 
 that, feeling himself called to religion, he was 
 resolved to enter the cloister. . . . He 
 knew his father's temper, and was fully aware 
 that a chieftain whose will had been law to 
 mariners on sea and to soldiers on land, would 
 expect obedience from his children at home. 
 Still, though most reluctant to seem disobedient, 
 he, Efflam, was determined to follow his vocation. 
 
 It was unanimously resolved to secure a vessel 
 and sail quietly away, trusting to God to direct 
 them to some hospitable shore where they could 
 land, seek out some lonely valley, and erect a 
 church and some hermits' huts. 
 
 Whether it was found impossible to fit out a 
 vessel before the time fixed upon for the mar- 
 riage, or that Efflam thought it better, in order 
 to avoid complications between the two families 
 on account of the non-fulfilment of the contract, 
 to lead his bride to the altar, is not stated. 
 
 He, however, was married, and after the cere- 
 mony had been celebrated in the church, a 
 splendid banquet was given in the palace. Cups 
 of the most generous wine were handed round, 
 bards sang the beauty of the British bride, and 
 bade her welcome to the land of Erin, and
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 201 
 
 lauded the valour of Efflam and his ancestors. 
 Later on in the evening, the numerous guests 
 invoked the blessing of God on the newly- 
 niarried pair, wished them a long succession of 
 happy years, and retired. 
 
 When he found himself alone with his bride, 
 
 quits his 
 
 Efflam commenced a conversation on the excel- bride on 
 
 the first 
 
 lence of virginity ' reminding Honora that the ni s h<; f 
 
 their 
 
 Redeemer of the world was a virgin, and elected marriage. 
 to be born of a virgin. John the Evangelist, the 
 disciple whom Jesus loved beyond the others, and 
 permitted to repose upon His Sacred Heart, was 
 indebted for this privilege to his state of virginity. 
 The most glorious group around the Throne of 
 God in Heaven consists of the guard which 
 followeth the Lamb wheresoever He goeth, and 
 is called in the Apocalypse the 144,000 spotless 
 virgins. Thousands, in their time, cultivated this 
 charming flower of the Church of God. 
 
 In Ireland, his own country, as well as in her 
 native Wales, the monasteries were filled with 
 lovers of chastity. " Let us," he said, " walk m 
 the same path. Alexius, son of the Roman 
 senator, left his wife the very night of their 
 marriage ; Cecilia told Valerian, her husband, 
 shortly after their union, that an angel of God 
 stood by her side to protect her in the fulfilment of 
 the vow she had made to her Spouse in heaven." 
 Honora listened to her bridegroom's words, 
 and expressed her desire to follow these 
 examples.
 
 202 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Being thus far successful, Efflam became 
 bolder, and intimated to his wife that he, too, 
 had taken a vow of virginity. Before the world 
 she would appear to be his spouse, but in reality 
 they would dwell together like brother and 
 sister. Afterwards he told her of his intention to 
 retire into some solitude, the better to give him- 
 self to the service of his Master. Perceiving, 
 however, that his last announcement had brought 
 a cloud over his young bride's countenance, he 
 regretted having committed himself so far, and 
 endeavoured to console her in the best manner 
 he could. When, wearied by the fatigues of the 
 day and her varied emotions, Honora closed her 
 eyes in sleep, the young man made his prepara- 
 tions for departure. Casting one last glance on 
 his bride, he exclaimed, " Farewell, Honora, and 
 may God protect thee ! ! ! Virgin I brought 
 thee hither, virgin I leave thee. May thy 
 guardian angel guard and console thee. Fare- 
 well." 
 
 Then, drying his tears, he passed through the 
 silent halls and directed his steps to the sea-shore, 
 where his companions awaited him in a vessel 
 equipped for the voyage. They at once set sail, 
 without having any definite destination, leaving 
 themselves to the guidance of Providence. The 
 young pilgrims landed safely in the present 
 department Des Cotes du Nord, at the parish of 
 Pleslen. This spot was for generations called by 
 the Bretons Toul Efflam and Lock Mikel, in
 
 MONASTICISM IN BEITAIN. 203 
 
 remembrance of the event ; Mikel, or Michael, 
 must have been one of his companions. 
 
 Not far from where they landed, they dis- 
 covered an abandoned and dilapidated chapel. 
 This they repaired, and around it built as many 
 huts as answered to their number. 
 
 On the morning following the marriage, 
 Honora found herself alone, her bridegroom had 
 departed. As during the day he was nowhere to 
 be seen, the whole household, the numerous 
 guests, and, above all, Honora herself, became 
 seriously alarmed. Messengers were despatched 
 through the country, but no trace of Efflam could 
 be discovered ; the only intelligence they could 
 glean was a vague report that a vessel had left 
 the shore with several young men on board, but 
 no one could give any information as to the 
 direction it had taken. Meanwhile, a favourable 
 wind was filling their sails and increasing the 
 distance between the emigrants and their country, 
 as, quietly seated in the barque, they chanted the 
 Psalms of David. 
 
 Honora then remembering the conversation of 
 the preceding night, came to the sad conclusion 
 that he had acted up to it. 
 
 She wept and lamented, but time, which sooner 
 or later heals the deepest wounds, failed to lessen 
 her affliction. She could have wished that with 
 her flowing tears the remembrance of Efflam 
 would have also passed away. But his image 
 remained continually before her eyes. " He
 
 204 CAMBRIA SACEA. 
 
 asked me," the widowed bride said sorrowfully 
 to herself, " to be a dear sister to him instead of 
 a wife, and I promised to agree to his wishes. 
 Why, then, did he leave me, and so suddenly ? " 
 
 " I will find him ; I must find him, even if it is 
 necessary to search the whole world through." 
 Honora Like her beloved Efflam, she also secretly 
 
 leaves her * 
 
 home in planned her escape, and contrived to fit out a 
 
 search of 
 
 small boat, covered with skin, and when it was 
 ready she left home in disguise. Trusting, as he 
 had done, to Divine Providence, she directed the 
 sailors to steer for Armorica. 
 
 After being three days at sea, the little vessel 
 drew near the coast of Brittany, and as the tide 
 ebbed, grounded on a beautiful strand in the 
 midst of the nets of fishermen. The manager of 
 the fishery hastened to visit the strangers, and 
 Honora informed him of the motive of her 
 journey, that she was seeking for her husband, 
 whose name was Efnam ; that he was the son of 
 an Hibernian prince, whilst she herself was the 
 daughter of a British chieftain. He told her 
 that at the distance of nine miles from that place 
 dwelt a hermit, who had lately arrived from 
 beyond the sea with a few young men like him- 
 self, that they were as busy as bees repairing a 
 ruined church and erecting hermits' huts 
 around it. 
 
 Having escaped pursuit, Honora reached this 
 place, was allowed to live in a house separate 
 from the monastery, and obtained permission to
 
 &IONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 205 
 
 attend the services in that part of the church 
 which was reserved for the laity. Later on she 
 retired to the Convent of St. Mnnoc, a British 
 nun like herself, and there ended her days. The 
 ancient Britons used to invoke her intercession 
 in time of epidemics. 
 
 Efflam edified Brittany by a saintly life, and 
 died on the 6th of November, 512. His tomb 
 became a place of pilgrimage to thousands, both 
 from Gaul and the British isles, and God glorified 
 his servant by granting to his prayers the requests 
 of those who were afflicted. 1 
 
 Most of these vocations to the cloister which 
 we have placed before the reader were strongly 
 opposed by parents and relatives. Others, on 
 the contrary, were encouraged by them, fathers 
 and mothers feeling a certain pride in the fact of 
 their children swelling the ranks of the servants 
 of God. Let us take two or three of these in- 
 stances, and amongst them that of St. Patern, or 
 Padarn, according to the Welsh tongue. 
 
 Prom his very infancy this child of predilec- Young 
 tion felt an instinct calling him to religion. It Pl 
 might be that love of the contemplative life was 
 hereditary in his family, for soon after his birth 
 his father, Petran, a prince of Brittany, with the 
 consent of his wife, Julitta, left the world and 
 consecrated himself to God in a monastery in 
 Ireland; Julitta remained in the world to bring 
 up her infant child. 
 
 (1) The Bietons have popularised this romantic legend by Celtic verse, 
 which may be found in Albert le Grand.
 
 206 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 When the boy came to the use of reason, hear- 
 ing the name of his father mentioned, he, with 
 that inquisitiveness which belongs to children, 
 would ask his mother thousands of questions 
 about him where he was, what he was doing, 
 why he would not come home, and say how 
 happy he would be to see him. And a thousand 
 times over his mother was obliged to answer these 
 queries, often with suppressed sobs. She told the 
 boy that his father had crossed the sea and dwelt 
 in a large island called Hibernia, where he lived 
 in a monastery. Then the child would inquire 
 what a monastery was, and what people did 
 there. This his mother would explain in a style 
 adapted to his age, telling him that in a 
 monastery lived the soldiers of Christ, waging a 
 constant war against the devil. There every one 
 laboured to secure a crown in heaven when he 
 should have departed from this world, and dis- 
 dained the service of kings and princes on earth, 
 deeming it more glorious to enrol themselves 
 amongst the servants of the King of kings. 
 
 When his mother's narrative was concluded, 
 the boy invariably said, " When I grow up to be 
 a man, I will follow my father, and, like him, 
 become a soldier of Christ." 
 
 He kept his word, for in his youth we find him 
 kneeling to receive the blessing of his mother 
 previous to taking the habit in the Monastery of 
 St. Gildas of Ehuys. 1 
 
 (1) Cambro-British Saints Lobineau Vies des Saints de Bretagne. 
 Albert le Grand.
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 207 
 
 In course of time Padarn was chosen to be one 
 of a monastic colony which was sent from 
 Brittany to Western "Wales. We find him erect- 
 ing a monastery and church in Cardiganshire* 
 about a mile from the present town of Aberyst- 
 with. In consequence of his zeal in the propa- 
 gation of the Gospel, he was consecrated bishop 
 of that district. 
 
 The numerous visitors who frequent Aberyst- 
 with in the bathing season, and may sometimes 
 take half-an-hour's walk to Lanbadarn Pawr, 
 which to this day retains the name of its founder, 
 Padarn, will be struck by the size of an enormous 
 yew tree in the cemetery, near the old church. 
 Perhaps it was planted there of old by the Breton 
 Bishop. Prom the bold mountains surrounding 
 the valley and the high cliifs on the sea-shore, 
 Padarn many a time gazed on the setting sun 
 whose golden gleams rested on the green isle 
 beyond the waves, and thought of his father, 
 longing to see him if but once in his life. After 
 God, it was his example that had decided his own 
 religious vocation. At last he crossed over to 
 Ireland and received the embrace of that vene- 
 rated parent whose hair had turned to silver 
 under the monastic habit. During his stay in 
 Ireland he succeeded in reconciling two chieftains 
 of the country, who had elected .him as their 
 umpire, after which he returned to Wales. 
 
 Hoel the First, King of the Armoricans, having The family 
 been overpowered by the soldiers of Clovis, who
 
 208 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 put his father to the sword, set sail for Cambria, 
 and with 15,000 followers settled in South Wales, 
 either at Caer-gwent, in Monmouthshire, or in 
 Glamorganshire. He was accompanied by his 
 wife, Pompeia, and a numerous family. In 513 
 Hoel recrossed the sea, and, landing on his native 
 shores at the head of a large army, composed of 
 his own subjects and volunteers from Britain, 
 recovered his provinces and drove off the 
 lieutenants of Childebert. Later on he returned 
 to Britain to assist his cousin Arthur in his wars 
 against the Saxons, and died in England in 545. 
 
 During all these events his family remained in 
 Cambria under the care of their mother. Three 
 of his sons Eleonor, Twgdual, and Hoel, sur- 
 named Jonas, were sent to Lantwit-Major, the 
 celebrated college of Illtyd, which was held in 
 high esteem by all classes, to be educated. 
 
 At Lantwit-Major two of these boys Eleonor 
 and Twgdual hearkened to the sweet voice of 
 Christ calling them to enlist under His standard. 
 The world became distasteful to them, and the 
 love of religion reigned sole sovereign of their 
 hearts. 
 
 Their mother approved of, and even encouraged 
 this feeling, saying she would be proud to behold 
 her children enlisted in the service of Christ, and 
 die rejoicing in the thought that they were safe 
 from the seductions of a vain world within the 
 shelter of the cloister. 
 
 They assumed the religious habit in Wales, and
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 209 
 
 during the time they remained there endeared 
 themselves to all by the practice of every virtue 
 that could adorn the soul. 
 
 On the death of Howel the Great, his wife, 
 Pompeia, entered a convent, and, together with her 
 daughter, St. Seve, consecrated herself to God. 
 One of her sons, Hoel II., remained in the world 
 and succeeded to his father's territory in Brittany. 
 
 Meanwhile the third brother, Twgdual, was 
 elected Superior of his monastery in Britain, as 
 soon as his abbot died, but was not long destined 
 to guide his community. One night after he had 
 retired to his cell an angel appeared to him whilst 
 in prayer and said, " Twgdual, it is the command 
 of God that thou leave Britain and cross the sea to 
 Armorica, the land of thy ancestors, there to 
 labour for the Church." 
 
 Pompeia, his mother, and Seve, his sister, being 
 apprised of his intention, besought as a favour to 
 be allowed to follow him, neither would his old 
 nurse remain behind. 
 
 The light vessel which bore them across the 
 channel touched land at the present Department 
 of Finistere, between St. Pol de Leon and Brest. 
 The Bretons welcomed their former queen, the 
 wife of that Hoel whom they had called Great, 
 and her children. They had seen Pompeia in 
 her younger days, in all the splendour of royalty, 
 and had been proud of her. But now when she 
 landed amongst them in the coarse dress of the 
 convent, they pronounced her to be a saint. One
 
 210 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 of her sons was now their king, but his two 
 brothers, Eleonor and Twgdual, with their sister, 
 Seve, by the advice of their mother had chosen 
 what all fully appreciated to be the better part. 
 
 Hoel could not induce either his mother, 
 brothers, or sister to accept from him any other 
 gift than some lonely valley or sandy beach, 
 where they might serve Almighty God according 
 to the custom of the monastic life they had 
 embraced. 
 
 These few examples, selected at hazard from 
 amongst thousands of others, give us a fair idea 
 of the spirit of the Celtic races in the fifth and 
 sixth centuries. When converted to Christ they 
 threw all the energy of their souls into the ful- 
 filment of His law. 
 
 Supernatural life was strong amongst them, 
 like vegetation in spring. Purely worldly pur- 
 suits they viewed in their true light, and pro- 
 nounced to be folly and vanity. They thirsted 
 after heavenly things ; they searched for the 
 precious pearl, and having found the bed where- 
 in it lay, sold all things else to purchase it. The 
 Evangelical counsels indicated to them a safe 
 harbour against pride, licentiousness, and in- 
 justice, and they hastened to anchor within such 
 sheltered waters. 
 
 Js it not wiser for a man who, after a few 
 years must pass away to another world, where 
 he must render a strict account for all his actions 
 in this, to live in justice, purity, and humanity,
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 211 
 
 rather than appear before the Judge with a 
 heavy load of ambition and injustice and an 
 existence sullied by impure passions, seldom or 
 ever restrained? 
 
 The monastery offered an asylum against the 
 corruption of the world ; to it, then, they fled, as 
 to the camp of Almighty God. They chose for 
 their companions on their journey to eternity, 
 not men who delight in the slaughter of the 
 battle-field, but those who cherish meekness and' 
 innocence; not the worldly and polished lady 
 who finds a fitting sphere amid earthly vanities, 
 but the virgin favoured by Heaven because her 
 only aim is to practise the beatitude; " Blessed 
 are the clean of heart, for they shall see God." 
 
 The followers of the Evangelical counsels were ' rhe 
 
 Hermit 
 
 divided into two classes anchorites, or hermits and the 
 
 ' Cenobite. 
 
 and cenobites. The first dwelt alone, in some 
 solitary island, forest, or desert ; the second 
 formed themselves into communities. Hermits 
 are everywhere recorded in the history of Wales. 
 To this day the wells near which these holy men 
 built their lonely huts and cultivated their plots 
 of ground are clearly pointed out to travellers by 
 local traditions. 
 
 The practice of a religious life was the main 
 object of this absolute seclusion. Some old 
 warrior whose conscience, racked by remorse, 
 made the thought of eternity terrible, was 
 inspired to cleanse his soul, too frequently 
 sullied by murder and violence of every kind.
 
 212 CAMBRIA SACEA. 
 
 He felt that as long as he mixed with dissolute 
 companions he could not resist their baneful 
 influence ; but in a solitary valley, shut in by 
 mountains, there would be nothing to prevent 
 him from keeping the commandments of God. 
 Another time it was an innocent soul who. 
 disgusted by what he saw around him, determined 
 on abandoning a society ruled by the maxims of 
 the world, and refused to share an existence spent in 
 plunder, or in the gratification of sensual pleasures. 
 Very frequently we find religious men quitting 
 the large monasteries of Lantwit or Lancarvan and 
 retiring into solitude, as more conducive to a life 
 of contemplation. Thus St. Illtyd, when perse- 
 cuted by Merchion, withdrew to a cave in the 
 valley of Neath, where he lived as a hermit 
 until, being discovered by his brethren, he was 
 forced again to assume the direction of his 
 monastery. And so on of many others. 
 
 The aim of the religious life being the service 
 of God and the good of mankind, the greatest 
 attention was paid in every community to the 
 cultivation of these two virtues. When a 
 postulant applied for admission into a monastery, 
 nothing was more strongly impressed on his 
 mind than the necessity of attaining love of God 
 and of his neighbour. For ten days as we learn 
 from the rule of St. David he was obliged to 
 live in a building separated from the monastery, 
 and subjected to frequent trials in order to test 
 his sincerity.
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 213 
 
 " Eor what purpose hast thou come hither ? " DIsu 7 f 
 
 the various 
 
 was the invariable question put to the aspirant, religious 
 
 . . . exercises 
 
 and he was given distinctly to understand that if in a 
 
 . _ _ , Cloister. 
 
 he was influenced by any idea of acquiring 
 wealth, or reputation for learning, or science, or 
 by the hope of finding a comfortable and easy 
 life, he was under a delusion, and had better 
 seek elsewhere for worldly advantages, for such 
 were not to be found within monastic walls. 
 
 Indeed, there were two things the postulant 
 soon learned by personal experience, if he 
 remained, and those were, that monks prayed 
 fervently and worked hard. 
 
 In the diurnal of the cloister a great part of 
 the four-and-twenty hours of the day was 
 consecrated either to public or private devotion. 
 The Church, besides inculcating the necessity of 
 private prayer, to every individual monk, also 
 instituted offices to be carried out in public by 
 her clergy, either in congregations or in 
 monasteries. These offices consisted of prayers' 
 which were recited or chanted by special com- 
 mand, and those entrusted with the execution of 
 this were reminded that they did not act in their 
 private capacity, but as officers of the great 
 Christian community, doing service before the 
 altar of God in the name of the whole Church. 
 These prayers were distinguished by different 
 names Divine Office, Breviary, and Canonical 
 Hours. They were divided into seven parts: 
 Matins with Lauds, Prime, Tierce, Sext, None,
 
 214 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Vespers, and Compline. Matins and Lauds, 
 which were said at night, were called nocturns ; 
 the other portions, being recited during the day, 
 bore the name of diurnals. 1 
 
 " Seven times a day," said David, " I have 
 given Thee praise." The Church, from Apostolic 
 times, can with truth repeat these words of the 
 Royal Psalmist, before the face of God and man ; 
 for during the twenty-four hours of the day, 
 seven times the choir met before the altar to sing 
 the praises of the Lord, in accordance with the 
 primitive institution of the Canonical Hours. At 
 midnight they assembled for matins, at daybreak 
 for Lauds ; Prime was sung at sunrise, Tierce 
 between sunrise and noon, Sext at twelve, None 
 between mid-day and sunset, Vespers at sunset, 
 and Compline at twilight. 
 
 Several of the Popes, such as Damasus, Gelasius, 
 and Gregory the Great, employed much of 
 their time in giving a regular form and unify 
 to these Divine Offices. In Celtic monasteries 
 the greatest attention was paid to ensure 
 their being sung with devotion, reverence, and 
 punctuality. 
 
 One of the first lessons given to a postulant 
 was to learn the Psalms and the Lessons, as well 
 as the sacred chant. The shores and many of the 
 valleys of Wales resounded day and night with 
 the praises of the Lord, and the voices of 
 hundreds of her children ascended to heaven in 
 
 (1) Tronson. Forma Cleri,
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 215 
 
 supplication for pardon of the sins of their 
 country and of mankind. 
 
 In several Cambrian cloisters Divine Offices Continual 
 
 public 
 
 were carried on not only seven times a day, but p ra y er 
 
 in the 
 
 continually. Thus, in the life of St. Asaph we gt 
 
 Welsh 
 
 read, 1 " There were assembled in this monastery 
 
 * 
 
 (founded by St. Kentigern) no fewer than nine 
 hundred and ninety-five brethren, all living 
 under monastic rule, serving God in great 
 continence. ... of which number three 
 hundred, who were illiterate, were appointed to 
 till the ground, take care of the cattle, and do 
 other works outside the monastery. He assigned 
 to another three hundred the preparation of the 
 food and the performance of other necessary 
 works within the walls. To the three hundred 
 and sixty-five, who were learned, he deputed the 
 daily celebration of the Divine Offices. He 
 would not suffer any of these to go out without 
 necessity, but appointed them to attend con- 
 tinually, as in God's sanctuary. Now, this part 
 of the community was divided by him in such a 
 manner, into companies, that when one division 
 had finished another presently entered and began 
 (it) anew; these having ended, a third troop 
 succeeded them, so that by this means prayers 
 were offered up in this church without any 
 intermission, and the praises of God were always 
 in their mouths. 
 
 In the lolo MS, 2 we read, in like manner, that 
 
 (1) Britannia Sancta, 1st vol., p. 273. 
 (2) lolo MS., p. 559.
 
 216 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 at Lantwit-Major " praise and prayers to God 
 were kept up by twelve saints of each college day 
 and night without ceasing." Considering the 
 great number of colleges and of companies, a 
 great many E/eligious must have constantly stood 
 before the altar in adoration, like the angels 
 round the throne of God ; and impressive beyond 
 conception must have been that sacred testimony 
 rendered by so many hundreds of voices. 
 
 Private devotion was not forgotten ; for, 
 whether in the study-room, the workshop, or the 
 field, the monk was enjoined to keep silence as 
 much as possible, and continually to direct his 
 mind to contemplation. Heaven and earth were 
 to speak to him of the greatness and beauty of 
 God. He was to draw lessons from the sea as it 
 dashed its mighty waves in thunder against the 
 shore, and from the mountains which on all sides 
 surrounded him. Even the humble flower should 
 preach to him, for he had chanted on coming 
 from the choir, " Oh, Lord, our God, how 
 admirable is Thy name in the whole earth, for 
 Thy magnificence is elevated above the heavens." 
 
 At certain seasons of the year, such as Lent, 
 particular devotions were added to those already 
 m L8Bt " prescribed by the monastic rule. Thus, we read 
 that several of the Cambrian monks used to spend 
 the four weeks of Lent on some of the islands at 
 the entrance to Cardiff, such as the Plat Holmes 
 and others. 
 
 In closing this chapter, the writer, though his
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 217 
 
 mind is filled with the memory of the monks of 
 the fifth and sixth centuries, cannot resist casting 
 a glance at Monasticism in this present nine- 
 teenth age of ours. 
 
 There is no denying the fact that the followers Revival of 
 
 Monasti- 
 
 of the Evangelical Counsels are asrain pitching 
 
 England. 
 
 their tents throughout Britain. Monasteries of 
 
 O 
 
 men and women are again rising up on all sides, 
 and Monasticism, driven away from the country, 
 proscribed by law, reviled by the press and by 
 the preacher, revives in the land and begins to 
 find favour in the minds of many. The 
 aristocratic, professional, commercial, and labour- 
 ing classes are represented in our cloisters. 
 Converts, as well as those born in the faith, swell 
 the list of our clergy, regular and secular, and 
 their names are inscribed in the registers of our 
 numerous convents. Religious, both men and 
 women, kneel in prayer before the monastic altar 
 for the conversion of their relatives still alien to 
 the true faith. 
 
 Many of the primitive founders of religious 
 institutions in modern Britain came from Prance 
 or Italy, but at their death they left behind a 
 community exclusively native. 
 
 The large proportion of its members who, in 
 certain families, devote themselves to the cloister 
 recalls to mind the devotion of the fifth and sixth 
 centuries. Without trespassing on home privacy, 
 we will state a few instances : 
 
 Converts are by no means backward in
 
 218 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 t 
 
 estimating the advantages of religious life ; they 
 embrace it with eager enthusiasm. 
 
 A privileged family was received into the 
 Church, thirty or thirty-five years ago. It 
 consisted of four members, two daughters and 
 one son, who had graduated with distinction at 
 Oxford. The young ladies both entered convents, 
 and the son became a priest and a religious. 
 Their mother spent the remainder of her life 
 near the church where her son officiated. . . . 
 A clergyman who left the Church of England 
 many years ago, and is still alive, pays yearly 
 visits to a convent of which his daughter is 
 Superioress. He is at times accompanied by his 
 other children, nearly all of whom are priests 
 and religious. 
 
 Another well-known and most venerable 
 
 gentleman, in the county , is father of a 
 
 large family, all of whom, with the exception of 
 one or two, like that of the old chieftain of 
 Brecknockshire, in the fifth century, have 
 embraced the monastic life. 
 
 In one of the midland counties both the sons 
 of a respectable family have become priests and 
 religious. 
 
 One of my confreres in the priesthood informs 
 me that seven or eight of his near relatives have 
 entered religion. Another of my clerical brethren 
 has had the happiness of seeing both his sisters 
 and his brother consecrate themselves to God. 
 
 The writer himself, who is a Celt by birth,
 
 MONASTICISM IN BRITAIN. 219 
 
 returns thanks to Heaven for having called 
 several of his relatives to the priesthood and to 
 the religious life. 
 
 Monasticism cannot be uprooted. Man can- it cannot 
 
 be 
 
 not stop the growth of vegetation in Spring, uprooted. 
 Whether he likes it or not, in due season the 
 humble flower will bud forth in the fields, and 
 the trees in the forests and parks will be covered 
 with fresh leaves ; for such is the law of God. 
 
 In like manner, the monastic tree will and 
 must flourish in the Church of Christ as a part of 
 her system, and any attempt to destroy that 
 spiritual plant must, in the end, prove a failure. 
 
 We have witnessed a regular war being waged 
 against religious orders in our own days, and 
 yet they are as strong and as numerous as ever. 
 In France, during the last century, every 
 religious house was emptied, and its inmates 
 dispersed or guillotined. Their number is now 
 as great, or even greater, than before. 
 
 In England, after three hundred years of pro- 
 scription, monks and nuns are again seen carrying 
 on their works all over the country. 
 
 Yearly, it is true, one or two zealous members 
 of Parliament bring in a Bill for the suppression 
 of monasteries, but they fail to obtain even a 
 hearing. - British statesmen are too far-sighted 
 
 o o 
 
 to countenance measures in direct opposition to 
 
 liberty of conscience and public opinion at large. 
 
 Meanwhile, throughout the country religious 
 
 houses daily increase in numerical strength, for
 
 220 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 God speaks to many a heart, inviting it within 
 the sacred shelter of His tabernacle. 
 
 When the Spouse has whispered to a soul these 
 words of David, " Hearken daughter, and see and 
 incline thy ear ; forget thy people and thy father's 
 house, and the King shall greatly desire thy 
 beauty" l that soul is conquered. Who, indeed, 
 can see Jesus and listen to His sweet voice and 
 not be enthralled by His love? He is all beauty, 
 power, and love. A soul who has once caught a 
 glimpse of this Spouse cannot bestow any lasting 
 affection on anything else. 
 
 Powerful is the celestial influence exercised 
 by grace over certain hearts, throughout the 
 entire world, and at all times. No sooner do 
 our Catholic missionaries form a congregation 
 amongst the pagans, either in India or Africa, 
 than a supernatural attraction is certain to draw 
 some of them to the religious life. The writer 
 has seen, with his own eyes, the bronzed maidens 
 of India and ebony-hued daughters of Africa 
 eagerly embrace the monastic life, happy, and 
 giving edification in the habit of the cloister. 
 
 (1) Pealm 4411, 12.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 
 
 IN the preceding chapter the Annals of Britain 
 have agreeably surprised us, by bringing before 
 our eyes a long procession winding its way to the 
 doors of the monastery. We have seen the road 
 to the cloister thronged with her children, and in 
 the crowd have noticed the young and the old, 
 the nobleman and the peasant, the maiden, the 
 widow and the mother of a family. Our ears 
 have heard the sweet harmony of Divine praise, 
 as day and night it ascended round the altar of 
 sacrifice. Spiritual life then was strong in the 
 hearts of our ancestors, and they looked upon 
 serving God in religion as a glorious undertaking, 
 most profitable for obtaining the treasures of 
 eternal life. Those noble souls hearkened to the 
 voice of the Divine Spouse, and, enthralled by 
 His heavenly beauty, forsook father and mother, 
 brother and sister, wife and husband. 
 
 In this chapter we will call the attention of 
 the reader to the miracles connected with the 
 lives of the British saints.
 
 222 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Theologians divide grace into gratum faciens 
 with and qratis data. The first sanctifies the particular 
 
 super- 
 natural g oul to whom it is granted ; the second is chiefly 
 
 power. 
 
 imparted for the sanctification of others. The 
 one cleanses us from all weeds of sins, beautifully 
 decorates our hearts with every Christian virtue, 
 and enkindles in them the fire of Divine love ; 
 the other becomes the companion of those men 
 who are chosen by God for special missions in 
 His Church, such as the conversion of a heathen 
 nation, or the reformation of manners in a 
 corrupt Christian community, or any other work 
 which may be pointed out by Almighty God. 
 
 The Apostle St. Paul, in his first Epistle to the 
 Corinthians, thus speaks of the latter grace : 
 
 " To one, indeed, by the Spirit is given the word 
 of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge 
 according to the same Spirit ; to another faith in 
 the same Spirit, to another the grace of healing in 
 one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to 
 another prophecy, to another the discerning of 
 spirit, to another diverse kinds of tongues, to 
 another interpretation of speeches." (1 Cor. xii.) 
 
 Whether one opens the Old or New Testament 
 he will invariably find that the men chosen by 
 God to do His work were armed with Divine 
 power, which manifested its presence in a variety 
 of ways, according to circumstances of times, 
 localities and persons. 
 
 Thus, Moses, the liberator of his brethren from 
 the bondage of Egypt, begins his arduous task by
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 223 
 
 showing to the Egyptians and their rulers that 
 God stood hy his side. He strikes the land with 
 the ten plagues, opens the waves of the Red Sea, 
 and performs sundry other miracles recorded in 
 Holy Writ. 
 
 The action 01 fire was stopped by heavenly 
 intervention in the case of the three Hehrew 
 youths in the furnace of Babylon, and famished 
 lions refused to tear to pieces Daniel, because 
 sheltered by the protection of God. 
 
 Joseph, sold by his brethren, was favoured with 
 supernatural light in explaining the visions of 
 his master. 
 
 The prophets of old were shown future events, 
 and foretold the rise and fall of mighty empires ; 
 they pointed out to coming generations, the 
 Incarnation of the Son of God, the place of His 
 birth, His cruel death. 
 
 In the New Testament, the four Gospels and 
 the Acts of the Apostles are full of miracles. 
 
 Our Lord cast away devils, cured every kind 
 of infirmity, called the dead from their graves, 
 and when he sent his Apostles to preach the 
 Gospel he graciously gave them the same power. 
 
 The history of the early martyrs teems with 
 miraculous events which often converted their 
 very persecutors. They were visited in their 
 dungeons by angels. Their wounds were mira- 
 culously cured. Wild beasts crouched at their 
 feet, at their deaths the earth shook, and as a 
 rule the emperors or magistrates who so cruelly
 
 224 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 tortured them, died a miserable death struck by 
 Divine justice. 
 
 In fact, from the first century of the Christian 
 era, down to the nineteenth, Christ has never 
 ceased to be wonderful in his saints. 
 
 St. Peter wrought miracles, and so did, later 
 on, St. Benedict, St. Francis, St. Ignatius of 
 Loyola, and in our days Maria Taigi and the 
 Cur& D'Ars. 
 
 Unless a biographer understands the methods 
 which God adopts towards his chosen servants, he 
 will be utterly unable to read, write, or compre- 
 hend their lives. He who derides supernatural 
 action on the soul, has never studied holy men, 
 or the history of sanctity. 
 
 Let such a man pray, and live like a saint, and 
 in like manner heaven will visit his mind and 
 his soul with the same favors. 
 
 In the lives of the Cambro British saints we 
 continually read of a variety of supernatural 
 events connected with their names. Angels 
 alight in their cells on some particular mission 
 from heaven. They see extraordinary visions. 
 Power over devils over the elements and over 
 beasts is given them by their Divine Master. 
 They command the storm at sea and a calm 
 ensues. At their bidding miraculous fountains 
 gush forth from the bowels of the earth ; they 
 subjugate dragons, and cure all sorts of infir- 
 mities. The afflicted gather round them whilst 
 they remain in this world, and for centuries after
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 225 
 
 they have departed from it, pilgrims are attracted 
 to their graves. 
 
 Some modern historians question nay even 
 ridicule all these miracles, and speak of the 
 writers who have handed them down to us, as 
 superstitious. The same term, is freely applied 
 to our forefathers who believed in them and we 
 men of faith belonging to the nineteenth century 
 who endorse their belief, are stigmatised as 
 simple-minded and ignorant. These critics of 
 course advertise themselves to the world as 
 clear-sighted and well informed. Such men are 
 to be pitied, in the first place for their own 
 blindness, and in the second for their unfairness 
 and injustice to past generations. 
 
 We fail to see why Almighty God who conde- 
 scended to send an angel to an Israelite exiled by 
 the rivers of Babylon or to a virgin at Nazareth 
 in Galilee, could not also dispatch heavenly 
 messengers to the shores of Britain, Gaul, or 
 Ireland. If Gabriel was the envoy of God to 
 Daniel and to the Blessed Virgin Jews by birth 
 can we deny the possibility of an angel in 
 the same way holding communication with a 
 Briton, an Irishman, or a saint of Brittany, if in 
 time of drought Moses and Eliseus in the desert, 
 by the power of God, obtained water to relieve 
 the thirst of thousands ; why could not the 
 Sovereign Master of the universe impart the 
 same power to St. David, St. Teilo, and others ? 
 
 All writers who have transmitted to us the acts of
 
 226 CAMBRIA SACEA. 
 
 the sainis, either in the East or West, bear 
 unanimous testimony to the occurrence of 
 miracles, which they narrate with all the 
 circumstances that evidence their truth, no doubt 
 of which existed in the minds of their contem- 
 poraries. 
 
 Some few hagiographers may differ in opinion 
 as to the authenticity of this, or that particular 
 miracle attributed to such or such a saint, but on 
 the main point they all agree. Thus Montalem- 
 bert a layman whose eloquent pen has so 
 beautifully depicted the monks of the West, 
 terms the learned Bollandists cautious and 
 reserved, intimating that in some instances they 
 call in question certain miracles concerning 
 which he had no doubt. 
 
 Albert le Grand a Dominican and a Breton 
 has handed down to us interesting particulars in 
 reference to the British saints who settled in 
 Armorica during the fifth and sixth centuries. 
 Difference The miracles attributed by him to these 
 u toths" 1 servants of God are, no doubt, numerous, and 
 perhaps somewhat exaggerated. Lobineau, a 
 
 that r Benedictine monk, writing on the same subject 
 particular w jth greater method, finds fault with the former 
 
 miracle. 
 
 writer for not exercising more discretion in the 
 reproduction of these wonders. 
 
 In a late edition of Albert le Grand, with 
 corrections and notes by M. de Kerdanet, a 
 Breton layman and a lawyer, he justifies the 
 Dominican writer against the severe reproaches
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 227 
 
 of Lobineau. The substance of his remarks is as 
 follows : 
 
 " If modern critics find fault with Albert le 
 Grand for crowding a number of miracles and 
 marvellous events into his Lives of the British 
 Saints, it must be borne in mind that the good 
 Religious has narrated what was piously and 
 universally believed in his days a time in which 
 faith and religion flourished more than at our 
 epoch. Then public opinion was not startled at 
 miraculous events which illustrated the sanctity 
 of these men and their power with God, and 
 justified the confidence and veneration with 
 which they were regarded in past ages. . . , 
 Then, the authorities on which he grounded his 
 narratives were the offices of the Church, the 
 lessons read in the Breviary, the hymns chanted 
 in cathedrals or parish churches. . . Miracles 
 are found in connection with the servants of God 
 in the Eastern and Western Churches at every 
 period of Christianity. Why should our country 
 be excluded? They were necessary in Britain 
 and in Armorica, as in every part of the world. 
 First, in the conversion of pagan nations to the 
 faith ; secondly, to confirm them in the practice 
 of their new religion. Reason, by itself, lacks 
 the power to convert ; the senses often require to 
 be called into action. This explains the 
 numerous miracles mentioned in this work in 
 connection with our saints, and handed down to 
 us by tradition, which even in our days is vivid
 
 228 CAMBEIA SAC11A. 
 
 in these localities once trodden by our holy 
 apostles, evidencing how deeply-rooted they are 
 throughout the land." 
 
 These observations will be endorsed by every 
 Christian, for it would be difficult to imagine that 
 a servant and friend of God could be unvisited by 
 Divine grace, or unassisted in a particular 
 manner whilst fulfilling the mission entrusted 
 to him. 
 
 Thus prefaced, let us place before the reader a 
 few instances of supernatural gifts, such as we 
 find in connection with the British saints. 
 st. DU- These holy men were at times favoured with a 
 pje-knowledge of the designs of Almighty God, 
 either on themselves or on some of their brethren, 
 an( i this recalls the legend of Saint Samson, as 
 St - Samson related in the "Liber Landavensis." When 
 Samson had come to attend the annual meeting 
 of the clergy, on a certain night he fell into an 
 ecstacy, during which he saw a number of persons, 
 clothed in white, surrounding him. Pre-eminent 
 amongst them were three bishops, who stood 
 before him adorned with golden crowns. With 
 great humility he inquired their names and the 
 cause of their visit. He who was most prince- 
 like in the assembly replied 
 
 " I am Peter, the apostle of Christ. The Lord 
 Jesus has pre-elected thee to be a bishop, and 
 has commissioned us to consecrate thee." 
 
 About the same time Dubricius had also a 
 vision. An angel of the Lord stood before him
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 229 
 
 in the night and commanded him to consecrate 
 Samson as bishop. 
 
 It is related in the life of the great apostle of visions of 
 Ireland that whilst in the monasteries of Gaul, in relation 
 Noirmoutier, and Lerins, his mind was constantly tc 
 occupied with thoughts of the conversion of that 
 land whose mariners had kidnapped him in his 
 youth that land which, naturally, he would not 
 he inclined to love, as his knowledge of it was 
 connected with the period when he worked there 
 as a slave, with all the accompanying humilia- 
 tions. Whether in the field, spade in hand, or 
 in the choir singing the Divine praises, the 
 remembrance of Ireland was supernaturally 
 recalled to his mind. Sometimes a group of 
 charming children would appear stretching forth 
 their little hands to him, and he heard their 
 voices crying out appealingly 
 
 " Come to us, Patrick ; we are little children 
 from Ireland, and are not yet baptised." 
 
 The heart of the saint was touched, and he 
 promised to comply with their request ; but many 
 obstacles occurred to detain him, and it was a 
 long time before he was able to carry into effect 
 his earnest aspirations to work for Ireland. 
 
 Again, it is related in the life of St. David, 
 that St. Patrick, was favoured with another vision 
 whilst in Wales. He beheld the panorama of 
 Ireland with her numerous lakes, mountains, 
 and valleys unroll before his eyes, whilst the 
 voice of an angel thus addressed him :
 
 230 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 " Patrick, the country thou beholdest is that 
 which is given to thee to gain over to Christ, thy 
 Master. Leave Wales to another apostle, who is 
 yet unborn. 
 
 Most of the saintly missionaries who left 
 Britain for Armorica in order to win that land to 
 the religion of Jesus Christ did so in obedience to 
 the commands of an angel. Amongst others, let 
 us take Tugdual and Samson. 
 
 Tugdual, a Breton by birth, who had devoted 
 manded himself to God in a British monastery, had 
 
 by an 
 
 com- 
 
 cross over 
 
 thrown himself on his pallet after matins, when 
 to Brittany the heavenly messenger stood by his side, and, in 
 the name of Jesus Christ, commanded him to 
 return to the land of his ancestors and preach 
 the gospel to his countrymen in Armorica. Next 
 morning, when kneeling with his brethren before 
 the altar, his mind was much occupied with what 
 he had seen and heard during the preceding 
 night. He poured forth his soul to his Lord on 
 the altar, exclaiming 
 
 " Here I am, oh, my Jesus, ready to obey ; but 
 how can I be certain that the vision of last night 
 was a messenger of God ? It may be that I am 
 deceived." 
 
 In order to remove all doubt, he begged his 
 Divine Master again to commission the angel to 
 be the bearer of his commands, and that he 
 would then at once prepare for the voyage. His 
 prayer was granted, and the angel twice re- 
 appeared and communicated his message anew.
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 231 
 
 Tugdual summoned the community over which 
 he \\ as abbot, and informed them of the order he 
 had received, and must obey. His monastic 
 brethren did not question the reality of the 
 vision, nor assert that their abbot was under a 
 delusion. After hearing all the circumstances, 
 they naturally concluded that he must fulfil the 
 command he had received, and seventy-two of 
 the monks at once volunteered to follow him. 1 
 
 St. Samson, in like manner, was commanded An 
 
 commands 
 
 by an angel to leave his own country and ro to st.Samson 
 
 J J to go to 
 
 Armorica. As he watched and prayed in the Brittany. 
 church, on the eve of the Peast of the Resurrec- 
 tion, a bright light shone round him, and an angel 
 of the Lord appeared, and thus addressed him : 
 
 " Samson, dearly beloved of the Lord, act 
 manfully ; depart from thy country and thy 
 kindred, for thou art predestined to be a founder 
 of many monasteries beyond the sea, and 
 gloriously to govern the people." 
 
 Samson sought counsel of St. Dubricius, by 
 whom he had been consecrated, and also of his 
 old master at Lantwit-Major, St. Illtyd. Both 
 bishop and abbot blessed him, and directed him 
 to comply with the commands he had received. 2 
 
 We frequently find information being sent to 
 bishops and others, of God having great designs 
 upon some young man whom they had trained to 
 virtue. 
 
 (1) Albert le Grand, p. 787. 
 (2) Labor Landavensis, p. 299.
 
 232 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Apparition ^Q bishop and all the bystanders saw a stream 
 
 of the Holy 
 
 Ghost O f fi re alight on the head of St. Brienc, a young 
 
 under the t . 
 
 form of a Cambrian priest, whilst being ordained, and 
 
 (3.OY6 
 
 forteiiing thence concluded that he would one day shine in 
 
 the future 
 
 greatness the Church. 1 
 
 of a saint. , T . x xi 
 
 Such supernatural signs were seen at the 
 ordination of St. Samson, and also at his 
 consecration as bishop. The dove, the emblem 
 of innocence, descended on his shoulders, and 
 after his celebration of Mass streams of fire 
 proceeded from his mouth. The bishop, St. 
 Illtyd, and some others were witnesses of these 
 extraordinary manifestations. 
 
 The Angei These contemplative souls, whom we see so 
 hour of highly favoured during their career on earth, 
 who converse with God, and with whom God 
 converses, were in a particular manner illumi- 
 nated when the time for their departure from 
 this miserable world was at hand. A worn-out 
 frame, organs which no longer perform their 
 usual functions without difficulty, a body failing 
 in all its parts, warns the soul that separation is 
 nigh. The spirit and the flesh can no longer 
 abide together. The saints understood this law 
 as we do, but frequently a messenger from their 
 Master was sent to cheer them, and indicate the 
 very day of their departure. 
 vision of St. Keyna, virgin, sister of Gwladys and aunt 
 
 St. Keyna. 
 
 to St. Cadoc, of Llancarvan, had spent her life in 
 the service of her Divine Master, at Keynsham, 
 
 (1) Albert le Grand.
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 233 
 
 in Somersetshire, and later on in South Wales, 
 edifying the Britons by her virtues. At the close 
 of her existence a heavenly message warned her 
 of her departure from this world. 
 
 The Cambrian virgin was asleep in her cell, 
 on a hillock not far from Abergavenny, when a 
 pillar of fire, whose base rested on her bed, 
 suddenly illuminated her cottage. Then two 
 bright angels alighted in the room, gently 
 removed the hair cloths that covered her worn- 
 out frame, and then clothed it with rich 
 garments, surpassing in elegance whatever she 
 had seen in her life. This done, the heavenly 
 messengers pointed up to heaven and bade her 
 follow them to the kingdom of her Spouse. 
 Keyna wept with joy, and when the angels were 
 departing she rose to accompany them, as she 
 had been commanded. In the efforts she made 
 she awoke, and felt a fire burning all over her 
 frame. It was the fever that was to carry her 
 away. The virgin recognised in the event her 
 loving Jesus, whose kindness had warned her of 
 her death. Not long after she died, and rejoined 
 in heaven Him whom her heart had loved during 
 her earthly career. 1 
 
 St. Paul of Leon (Paulus Aurelianus), a Briton, 
 and the disciple of Illtyd at Lantwit-Major, had 
 run a glorious course as an apostle and bishop in 
 Brittany. His end was not far off. He had 
 attained the age of a hundred-ancl-two, and his 
 
 (1) Britannia Sancta.
 
 234 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 body was a mere skeleton, covered with skin. 
 The very day of his death was revealed to him. 
 
 After matins, on a certain night, as he laid 
 himself down upon his hard mattress, an angel 
 appeared in the room, which at once became 
 brilliantly illuminated. He thus addressed the 
 venerable bishop : 
 
 Death of " Paul, thou hast fought valiantly, and blame- 
 Aureiianus lessly run the career. Now the time of reward 
 is at hand, and thou shalt be paid for all by thy 
 heavenly Master, whom thou hast faithfully 
 served. Prepare thyself, therefore, to depart 
 from this world on Sunday next, for on that day 
 thy soul shall receive its crown in heaven." 
 
 Having thus spoken, the angel disappeared^ 
 Paul communicated the vision to his brethren, 
 and encouraged them to persevere in the service 
 of God. Having received the last Sacraments, 
 and blessed his community in the name of the 
 Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, he departed from 
 this world on Sunday, the 12th of March, in the 
 pontificate of Gregory the Great, and the tenth 
 year of the reign of the Emperor Mauritius. 
 
 St. Meen, when in his agony, said to one of his 
 brethren, to whom he was particularly attached, 
 and who was extremely grieved at his death 
 
 " Cheer up, we shall not be separated for long. 
 Eight days hence thou shalt follow me to heaven ; 
 prepare thyself for the journey." 
 
 According to the prediction, after eight days 
 the brother died. 1 
 
 (1) Albert le Grand.
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 235 
 
 A similar fact is related of St. David. Ear 
 advanced in years, and worn out with toil and 
 austerity, he felt his end draw near, and prayed 
 to be delivered from the burden of his body, that 
 he mio-ht find rest with his Lord in heaven. Like 
 
 o 
 
 Paul, of whom we have spoken, he persevered to 
 the last in following the religious exercises of the 
 community. 
 
 Towards the end of February David and his st. David 
 brethren were singing the morning office in 
 choir, when the venerable archbishop fell into an 
 ecstacy ; his face, pale and emaciated, glowed with 
 saintly beauty. Then a heavenly voice was 
 heard by the monks speaking to the saint 
 
 " David, often hast thou prayed to be released 
 from a miserable body and received into glory. 
 Thy crown awaits thee whenever thou wilt 
 have it." 
 
 David rejoiced greatly, and said, " Oh, Lord, 
 take Thy servant in peace." 
 
 The brethren heard what was said, and fell on 
 their knees, awe-struck by the presence of the 
 celestial messenger. David prayed aloud a 
 second time, saying, " Lord Jesus Christ, take my 
 soul, for I am weary of this wretched existence. \ 
 
 Then the angel spoke again : " David, prepare 
 thyself for the first day of March, for on that day 
 the Lord Jesus Christ will come down with nine 
 choirs of angels to meet thee." .... David did 
 really die on the first of May. 1 
 
 (1) Cambro-British Saints.
 
 236 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 St. Kenti- Whilst the brethren of David were witnessing 
 the soul of the departure of his soul in Pembrokeshire, St. 
 taken up Kentigem, at St. Asaph, was informed of the 
 event not by telegraph, such did not exist but 
 by a heavenly vision. 1 David and Kentigern had 
 been very dear to each other. The Scotch bishop, 
 an exile from his country, had met in the arch- 
 bishop of Wales a true friend and protector. We 
 often find him in Caerleon during the residence 
 there of David. On the day of his death 
 Kentigern had a vision, and in a kind of diorama 
 beheld the soul of his saintly friend taken up to 
 heaven, surrounded by innumerable angels, and 
 crowned by our Lord Jesus Christ. This he 
 
 (1) These pages, briefly recording certain visions connected with the 
 Welsh saints, bring back to our mind what, over and over, we have read 
 in Holy Scripture. For instance, the visions of the prophets, the appara- 
 tions of our Lord after His resurrection ; the angel bearing the message to 
 Zachary concerning the birth of St. John the Baptist ; the angel Gabriel 
 visiting the Blessed Virgin in her humble home, at Nazareth, on a similar 
 errand. Schram, Gorres, and others have scientifically classified these 
 extraordinary events in their mystical works, and laid down clear rules to 
 discern true visions from illusions, often the effect of strong imagination, 
 fever, weakness of mind, etc., etc. To their writings we beg to refer the 
 reader. Our Lord, whilst yet on earth, appeared to some of His disciples 
 in a glorified state, attended by Moses and Elias. After His resurrection, 
 to Mary Magdalene, who took Him, at first, to be a gardener. On the 
 evening of Easter Sunday He stood before His disciples, showing them 
 His sacred wounds. Our Saviour suddenly appeared to Saul, on his way 
 to Damascus, and spoke thus to him : " Saul, Saul, why perseeutest thou 
 me ? " Saul said, " Who art thou, Lord ? " "I am Jesus, whom thou 
 perseeutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." (Acts chap, ix.) 
 An angel also visited the prison of St. Peter, loosed his chains, bade him 
 walk, threw open the doors of the prison, and led him away. (Acts chap, x.) 
 An angel also assumed the form of a tutor, and became the guide of the 
 young Tobias on his journey. 
 
 I. There are various kinds of supernatural visions some merely 
 intellectual the senses having nothing to do in their representation. Thus, 
 a supernatural object is seen, the eyes being closed ; a Divine voice is 
 heard without any action of the ears. Others are communicated through 
 the ordinary channel of the senses. They are called symbolical, where 
 Almighty God wishes to convey to us information through the medium of 
 objects offering a certain similitude to what is meant to be conveyed. 
 Thus, a white dove is the emblem of the Holy Ghost and of purity. Thus, 
 again, when St. Peter fell into an ecstacy of mind at Csesarea, and saw the 
 heavens opened and a vessel full of fouriooted beasts creeping things, and
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 237 
 
 communicated to his disciples long before the 
 announcement of the saint's death was conveyed 
 by the ordinary channel. 
 
 Manv future events concerning the Anslo- 
 
 of the 
 
 Saxons were shown to this same Kentiarern ^me 
 
 Kentigem 
 
 during his residence in Wales. Already they concerning 
 
 17 the Anglo- 
 had established a sure footing in several parts of Saxon race 
 
 Britain. The holy, persecuted bishop predicted 
 in detail a full account of the scourges they were 
 to inflict on the Britons because of their sins. He 
 also said that the invaders would be converted to 
 the faith en masse; that the time when this 
 change was to take place was not far distant, and 
 
 fowls of the air, coming down, and heard a voice bidding him to eat. This 
 was a symbolical vision, which instructed him that as an apostle he was to 
 receive into the Church all manner of nations, the uncircumcised as well 
 as the circumcised. (Acts chap, x.) 
 
 II. Our Lord, in His state of glory, on the cross, in the sacred Host, may 
 appear. The blessed Virgin, the angels, the saints, the devil, the soula in 
 purgatory, etc , etc., are all objects of vision. 
 
 II I . Certain rules are laid down to discern Divine and real supernatural 
 manifestations from those which are diabolical and fictitious. Should any 
 vision, apparition, voice, etc., intimate to us anything against faith or 
 morals, command us to renounce the one true religion, or appeal to 
 carnal passions, Almighty God has nothing to do with them ; they come 
 from the spirit of darkness. Neither can we rely much on visions in those 
 living in heresy, in rebellion against God, in the proud, or in persons who 
 lead a bad life. . . . Women, novices in the road to perfection, weak- 
 minded people, and those with strong imaginations are often deceived in 
 this respect ; not much importance must be attached to their statements 
 on events of this kind. When Almighty God condescends to enlighten by 
 a supernatural favour the mind of an individual, and reveals past events 
 or circumstances taking place at a great distance, this is called in theology 
 revelation. Prophecy, on the contrary, refers to occurrences which have 
 not yet taken place. It is related in the Lives of the Saints that many of 
 them received the most extraordinary graces. To some, for instance, when 
 in a state of ecstacy, were shown the different scenes connected with the 
 passion of our Lord such as the streets of Jerusalem, the crowds, their 
 behaviour, Mount Calvary, etc. . . . Others were allowed to behold 
 what was occurring at a distance. Almighty God has admitted some souls, 
 whilst yet in the flesh, into heaven, hell, and purgatory, and allowed them 
 to see by whom they were inhabited and what was there being done. A saint, 
 for instance, was visited often at night whilst in prayer by the suffering 
 souls in purgatory. Others were endowed with power to read the most 
 secret thoughts of the heart. Certain laws of nature have even been 
 revealed.
 
 238 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 the Saxons, when once gained to Christ. 
 would prove themselves to be fervent Christians.i 
 This threatened scourge to Britain recalls to 
 memory the words of the celebrated Gildas, who 
 has so strongly inveighed against the vices of his 
 countrymen, and threatened them with the 
 vengeance of God. The bards of Britain claim 
 him as a member of their brotherhood, and 
 according to them he was highly favoured with 
 the gift of prophecy. 
 
 The lolo M.SS. contain the advice of Gildas 
 the prophet, uttered before the bards of the 
 island of Britain, when they assembled at the 
 Gorsedd to prophecy what would befall King 
 Arthur and the race of Cymry. As it reflects 
 the faith of past ages, we will place it before the 
 reader, referring him to the M.SS. for the 
 original. 2 
 
 Advice of The instruction given by Gildas to the Christian 
 for the as bard to enable him to acquire the gift of prophecy 
 of thrift is as follows : " To love God with all his heart, 
 prophecy, witn a11 nis mind, and with all the faculties of 
 
 t^Bards tis S0u1 ' ' ' ^ et nim als loV6 nis neighbour 
 
 of Britain. w ith all his energies, so far as it may not inter- 
 fere with his love of God. . . . Let him be 
 a moral and religious man in principle and 
 disposition, cultivate a clean conscience, and strive 
 with energy to advance in piety. . . Let his 
 heart and mind be free from worldly principles." 
 
 (1) Britannia Sancta. Vol. I. p. 37. 
 (2) Tide Mystical writers Gorres, Schram, Theologie Mystique^
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 239 
 
 It was by following these instructions that the 
 prophet bards of Wales acquired knowledge of 
 future events relating to the destiny of their race. 
 
 There is much truth in this advice to the bards 
 of Britain attributed to St. Gildas. 
 
 The first condition for obtaining access to the 
 mysteries of heaven is to secure the friendship of 
 God and possess a heart purified from all attach- 
 ment to sin. The brighter the mirror, the 
 greater and more powerful the light it reflects. 
 
 It would be impossible to convey to the reader st. 
 a more comprehensive idea of the variety of Hymn 
 miracles performed by Celtic saints than by 
 quoting a hymn to St. Armel. This holy man 
 was born in South Wales, probably near Cow- 
 bridge, in Glamorganshire, under the pontificate 
 of Pope Simplicius, about the year 482. The 
 hymn runs thus : 
 
 Omnes sogros, bruta sanat, 
 Fceminaa a sanguine, 
 Daemon fugat, fons emanat, 
 Monstntm mergit flumine 
 Omne morbum hie explanat, 
 Jesu Christi nomine 
 
 In these lines we have a resume of most of the 
 miracles connected with our saints. We can 
 gather from them that they cured every kind of 
 infirmity, exercised power over the animal 
 creation, cast out devils, delivered the land from 
 huge monsters which existed throughout Europe 
 in those days. At their word miraculous springs 
 gushed forth from the bowels of the earth ; and 
 all this was done in the name of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ.
 
 240 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 The Christians who lived in the time of these 
 saints fully believed that they had received from 
 God the power of miracles; for we find the 
 afflicted from every class of society, both the rich 
 and the poor, crowding around their cells. . . . 
 Thus, when Germanus arrived in Britain, an officer 
 in the army brought his little blind girl to him, 
 confident that the servant of God who, by the 
 invocation of the Holy Trinity had calmed a 
 storm in the channel between Prance and Britain, 
 could also restore sight to his young daughter, 
 and his faith was rewarded. 
 
 How often do we see Welsh chieftains come to 
 saints such as Dubricius, Teilo, David, and others, 
 one entreating the cure of a child, another 
 deliverance from the possession of the devil. 
 
 Nothing, perhaps, can more beautifully illus- 
 dl? hter trate the general opinion of those days than the 
 cured by legend of a certain Privatus, a person of high 
 
 St. Samson 
 
 position in Brittany. When St. Samson landed 
 on her shores the life of Privatus was embittered 
 by great family afflictions, his wife being slowly 
 eaten up by leprosy, and his daughter possessed 
 by the devil. Thousands of times prayers had 
 been offered up in their behalf, but as yet to no 
 purpose. At last he was given to understand 
 that at no distant period a holy man would arrive 
 from Britain, who would heal both wife and 
 daughter. One day, as he was walking on the 
 sea-shore, with sadness and affliction stamped 
 upon his countenance, a boat drew near, and a
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 241 
 
 party of monks landed on the beach, amongst 
 whom was St. Samson. The saint entered into 
 conversation with Privatus, and, remarking his 
 sorrow, inquired kindly into its cause. 
 
 Privatus told his tale, adding that he was look- 
 ing forward to the arrival of a man who was to 
 
 O 
 
 come from beyond the sea, and as had been 
 revealed to him in prayer, put an end to his grief. 
 He did not know who this servant of God who 
 was to cross the waters and work this great 
 miracle in his behalf could be, but as Samson had 
 just landed from Britain, and they had met by 
 chance, Privatus requested the bishop to follow 
 him in case he might be the man whom God had 
 appointed to cure his wife and daughter. The 
 British saint followed the afflicted Armorican to 
 his house, and by prayer and the sign of the 
 Cross restored the two patients to health. Then 
 Privatus knew that Samson was the stranger so 
 powerful with God who had been indicated to 
 him. In gratitude for this great favour, he 
 granted to the British colonists any land they 
 might choose for the building of a monastery. 
 Such was the origin of D61, of which Samson 
 became the first bishop. 
 
 Legends attribute a similar miracle to Maglo- 
 rius, a cousin of St. Samson. Both were natives 
 of South Wales, and grandchildren of Meurig, 
 King of Glamorgan. 
 
 Maglorius had abdicated his bishopric and 
 retired to Jersey. A nobleman, rich in a
 
 242 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 hundred ploughs and innumerable fishing boats, 
 whose only daughter, though beautiful and rich, 
 could find no husband because she was dumb, 
 came to the holy bishop and entreated him to 
 restore her speech. 
 
 Maglorius answered " My son, torment me 
 reply to a no t. I am an old man, afflicted with bodily 
 
 Breton 
 
 Prince, infirmities of every kind, nearly always ailing. 
 When I lie on my bed oppressed with sickness, I 
 know not whether I am to live or to die. How, 
 then, having no power over my own life, can I 
 heal the diseases of others. ? " 
 
 The father of the girl, however, persisting in 
 his petition, Maglorius followed him to his house 
 and obtained from God the cure of his daughter. 
 The cases of thousands of sick persons healed 
 by the British saints which are minutely 
 described in their biographies are too numerous 
 to be related here. They will be brought before 
 the reader in the detail of each respective life. 
 
 The Hagiography of Scotland is in this 
 particular similar to those of England, Ireland, 
 and Brittany, as the life of Mnianus, one of her 
 early missionaries, testifies. 
 
 The Ninianus was a Christian, born in North 
 
 Ninianus Britain. On attaining the age of manhood he 
 undertook a journey to .Rome, probably about the 
 time of Pope Damasus. In that city he com- 
 pleted his education, received holy orders, and 
 was consecrated bishop by the Sovereign Pontiff 
 himself, who sent him back to Britain, there in
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 243 
 
 his own country to labour in the vineyard of the 
 Lord. He fixed his see at Witehern, Galloway, 
 and built a stone church, which was considered a 
 marvel in that part of the country, and which he 
 dedicated to St. Martin of Tours. His labours in 
 the South of Scotland were blessed by numerous 
 conversions, and his biographers tell us that he 
 wrought wonderful miracles, for through his 
 prayers the blind recovered their sight, the lame 
 walked, the lepers were cleansed, the deaf heard, 
 the dead were raised to life, and devils cast out 
 from those oppressed by them. 
 
 Even when the grave had closed over this holy 
 man his tomb was visited by the afflicted, and 
 God glorified him after death by numerous 
 miracles. It is related that a pious priest, who 
 had a great devotion to Mnianus and often 
 celebrated Mass at his altar, was favoured there 
 with a vision of our Lord in the sacred mysteries* 
 in the form of a little child. 1 
 
 Montalembert observes that during the fifth The saints 
 and sixth centuries Europe was as yet an 
 
 
 immense forest, covered with oak, elm, and pine beasts and 
 trees. Wild beasts of great size, such as the 
 elan, buffalo, bear, and wolf, roamed through 
 these vast solitudes. The rivers, impeded in 
 certain places on their course to the ocean, formed 
 here and there extensive marshes, the resort of 
 reptiles of every description crocodiles and 
 immense serpents, fifty or sixty feet in length. 
 
 (1) Britannia Sancta.
 
 244 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 These reptiles were the terror of mankind ; their 
 aspect was hideous, nature had provided them 
 with powerful means of defence, and their bite 
 was often venomous. The kings and nobles of 
 those days who, when not engaged in warfare 
 amongst themselves, spent all their time in 
 hunting, willingly attacked wild buffaloes, elans, 
 bears, or wolves. This was exciting sport, which 
 they considered worthy of warriors; but they 
 were not so inclined to wade through marshes, 
 amongst grass and weeds, in search of venomous 
 reptiles. This they regarded as work for a saint, 
 because spiritual, and not material weapons were 
 best suited for attacking animals of this sort. 
 The sign of the cross, the stole of the priest, the 
 name of Christ invoked by His servants, were 
 in the opinion of the people far more efficacious 
 than sword or lance in this kind of warfare. 
 
 Montalembert, in his second volume of the 
 Monks of the West, has dwelt at length on the 
 power exercised by the British saints over these 
 wild creatures. 
 
 Anyone who has visited Irish homes, whether 
 in the courts of populous towns or amidst the 
 solitary wilds of Connemara, is certain to have 
 seen, a thousand times over, their walls adorned 
 with the picture of a bishop represented driving 
 serpents before him along a high cliif over which 
 he forces them into the ocean. This is St. 
 Patrick freeing Ireland from snakes, on whose 
 soil, since that time, they can never exist.
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 245 
 
 A similar story is related of St. Tugdual. He 
 celebrated the holy Sacrifice, and strengthened 
 himself with the Bread of Life ; then, clothed in 
 his sacerdotal vestments, with cross in hand, went 
 forth to conquer the dragon which filled the land 
 with terror and devastation. The stole the 
 emblem of priestly power was the only weapon 
 he made use of. 
 
 St. Samson, at Lantwit Major, cured one of the 
 brothers who had received a mortal bite from a 
 snake in the harvest field, by the sign of the cross. 
 
 In the diocese of Quimper, Mnistere, there is a 
 spot which for ages has borne the name ISabime 
 du Serpent, 1 because a British saint, St. Paulus, 
 drowned a huge reptile there. This was a dragon 
 which was the terror of the country. Issuing 
 from its caverns, it descended upon the villages 
 and devoured both men and beasts. The lord of 
 the district came with the affrighted inhabitants 
 to entreat the assistance of Paulus Aurelianus. 
 The saint prepared himself by prayer to meet 
 the monster, and, having celebrated Mass, set out 
 for the cavern which was its resort, accompanied 
 by the Count and his people. On coming near 
 the spot none dared approach but St. Paulus and 
 a young gentleman whose sword the saint had 
 blessed. The dragon being commanded by the 
 servant of God to come forth from his lair, 
 obeyed, rolling his fiery eyes, his scales rattling 
 on the ground as he went along, and his hisses 
 
 (1) Montalembert. Albert le Grand.
 
 246 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 resounding to a great distance. Paulus walked 
 straight up to the monster, and, tying his stole 
 around his neck, gave him in charge to his 
 companion. They directed their steps towards 
 the sea-shore, and the dragon, by the command 
 of Paulus, threw himself into the ocean and was 
 there drowned. 
 
 Miracles of the same kind are related of St. 
 Armel and St. Cadoc, all British saints. 
 
 The traditions of conflicts such as these 
 between saints and dragons, or serpents, are 
 often coloured with all the poetry of the 
 Christian bards and of the ages of faith. 
 
 Dragons are depicted as carrying off bellowing, 
 powerful bulls, which plough the ground and 
 even uproot trees as they are forced along 
 towards the den of the monster. They are also 
 represented bearing away shrieking maidens and 
 children through desolate marshes. 
 The Saints There is another serpent, spoken of in the first 
 
 and the X r 
 
 Devil. book of Genesis, and called the acutest amongst 
 animals, who wages war against monks. This is 
 the devil, the same devil who successfully 
 tempted our first parents in the garden of Eden, 
 and even dared to assail our Lord in the desert 
 with his evil suggestions. Between him and the 
 monks there is eternal warfare. They are sworn 
 enemies. 
 
 This fiend of mankind adopts a variety of 
 plans in his attacks on the soldiers of Jesus 
 Christ, as we learn from their history. At times
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 24? 
 
 he takes the form of a hideous serpent, or an 
 infuriated lion, who roars beside the cell of the 
 hermit. Then, jealous of the angelic life led in 
 the solitude, he disguises himself into beautiful 
 but licentious females, to excite the carnal 
 passions of the lovers of chastity. 
 
 We read in holy writ that he was allowed to 
 afflict Job in property, in domestic happiness, 
 and in health ; in like manner, by the permission 
 of God, he afflicted our forefathers, and, no doubt, 
 in our own days he stretches his hands on many 
 of our fellow-men. Being a spirit, he occupies 
 even the soul, but conquers it not. 
 
 How frequently do we read ol cases of this 
 kind in the lives of the servants of God ; that 
 they cast out devils, and that it was customary 
 for the relatives and friends of persons who were 
 possessed to apply to them for this purpose. 
 
 Tugdual, in the beginning of his monastic life, 
 in Britain was tormented by the devil of im- 
 purity, who, day and night continued to assault 
 him. " Thou art but a youth," said the enemy 
 of mankind, " thou mayest live for fifty or sixty 
 years to come ; how canst thou deprive thyself of 
 the pleasures of the world for so long a period ; 
 thou whose passions are so strong. Go back to 
 the world and marry." The saint prayed, fasted, 
 and humbled himself, and vanquished the fiend. 
 
 When St. Gunstan, a Briton by birth, had st. Gun. 
 
 stan and 
 
 retired with one companion to a desert island the Devil. 
 called Houadic, the devil followed him there.
 
 248 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 In this little barren island Gunstan and his 
 
 companion, like Anthony or Paul in Egypt, were 
 
 visited by monsters and phantoms, whose aim 
 
 was to tempt and terrify them, and thereby drive 
 
 them from their holy purpose. But the young 
 
 hermit was not to be daunted. He made the 
 
 sign of the cross, and repeated the following 
 
 verse of David : " Super aspidem et basiliscwm 
 
 ambulabis et conculcabis leonem et draconem" 
 
 which he had so often chanted in the monastic 
 
 choir. 1 Then the phantoms in all their various 
 
 forms at once vanished. On a certain day, as he 
 
 was journeying through his little island, Satan 
 
 appeared to him in the shape of a man. 
 
 Introducing himself to the hermit, he seemed at 
 
 once to take the deepest interest in him, and 
 
 spoke of the desolate and dreary aspect of the 
 
 place, remarking that it was not a fit habitation 
 
 either for man or beast. The disguised demon 
 
 expressed his surprise how a young man like him, 
 
 who should take care of himself and indulge in 
 
 some comfort, could dwell amongst these rocks, 
 
 where none was to be had. The hermit, making 
 
 little of his observations, and not in the least 
 
 giving in to the opinions of the fiend who seemed 
 
 so kindly disposed, the latter became furious, 
 
 threw off his mask, and showed himself in his 
 
 true colours. 
 
 " You men of Christ," howled the demon, 
 
 (1). Psalm 90 "Thou shalt walk upon the asp and the basilisk, and 
 trample underfoot the lion and the dragon."
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 249 
 
 " stand in our way all over the world. You 
 have driven us from Britain, from Rome, and 
 from Gaul, and you now come to persecute us 
 even on a desolate island. 1 " 
 
 St. Gunstan at once interrupted him, and, in 
 the name of his Master, Jesus Christ, commanded 
 him to leave the island. This stern decree was 
 at once obeyed, and the devil vanished. 
 
 Whoever is descended from Celtic blood, has 
 lived among the Christian Celts, studied their 
 tistory, or travelled in their country, must have . 
 Leard or read something about " holy wells'' 
 
 The holy well is constantly mentioned in the 
 records of past ages, and in our time is pointed 
 ou, to the traveller in Britain, Ireland, and 
 Prince. Our forefathers went in crowds to these 
 sacied spots ; and the present generation may be 
 seen in our railway trains on a pilgrimage to the 
 mirayulous fountains of Lourdes, in France, or 
 that H St. Winefrid, in North Wales. These 
 facts \annot be denied. 
 
 I cinnot close this chapter on miraculous 
 events vithout calling the attention of the reader 
 to the sibject, and inquiring into the origin of 
 the hol^well. 
 
 Rain v a ter, after moistening the surface of the 
 earth, anl supplying the wants of men, beasts, 
 and plans, either makes its way to the next 
 river, whih carries it to the ocean from which it 
 was taken,or enters the earth, sinking through 
 
 (1) Montalembert.
 
 250 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 various beds, till it comes to impermeable strata 
 then, stopped in its downward course, it forces its 
 way . onwards, forming subterranean rivers or 
 even lakes, and at length finds its way to the 
 surface in greater or less quantity, according to 
 the size of the chink that allowed it a passage. 
 
 These waters, passing through beds of sulphur, 
 iron, copper, or other minerals, absorb a certain 
 amount of their chemical properties, and thus 
 form our various mineral springs, so muci 
 appreciated by medical science. Such are tie 
 natural springs, the result of a providential Itw 
 of God, whose kindness has taken the greatest 
 care to supply us with an element so necessary to 
 vegetable and animal life. 
 
 Hydrology was not an unknown science tc our 
 forefathers, who were great observers of mture. 
 Springs vomited forth their incessant streans in 
 their time as well as in the present day ; ray, as 
 Europe was not yet shorn of its immense .brests, 
 which attract the clouds, they wer( more 
 numerous than they now are, and thfir laws 
 were as well understood in those days a? in ours. 
 
 A " sacred well " is so called either because a 
 saint, in the name of God, ordered i to come 
 forth from the bowels of the earth, or owing to 
 the fact that a holy hermit served ais Divine 
 Master by its side, and when he dsd. God was 
 pleased to show forth the sanctity of His servant 
 by endowing the waters of the funtain with 
 miraculous power.
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 251 
 
 In the mind of the people something super- 
 natural is connected with the holy well, either in 
 its origin or in the miraculous power of healing 
 it possesses. An ordinary mineral spring may 
 be recommended by doctors for this or that 
 complaint, according to the nature of the disease 
 and the properties of the waters ; but the man of 
 faith makes his way to the sacred well, not on 
 account of its chemical attributes, but trusting in 
 the power of God and in the prayers of the saints. 
 
 The mind of the past generations of faith is 
 clear and explicit on the subject. They tell us 
 that in such a spot there was no water, to the 
 great injury of animals and plants, when 
 suddenly it oozed out by the power of God. No 
 subterranean river or lake had ever made its way 
 to the surface in that place, till ordered to do so 
 by supernatural power. They could not tell, 
 any more than we, where lay the river or lake 
 out of which the water was taken ; whether it 
 was distant or close to the surface, or miles deep 
 in the bowels of the earth. They simply tell us 
 that it was a miraculous well, and not found by 
 the digging of persevering miners, as in the case 
 of our modern Artesian wells. 
 
 In most cases the generations in whose life- 
 time the event took place flocked to the spot; 
 and so did those that succeeded them for 
 centuries. The crowds of pilgrims to the holy 
 wells went there, as a rule, with interested 
 motives viz., the lame, the blind, the leper, the
 
 252 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 paralysed, the consumptive, in the hope of 
 finding a cure; and it cannot be denied that 
 many returned restored to health, leaving behind 
 as tokens or ex-votos the stretcher on which they 
 were carried, or crutches without which they 
 were previously unable to walk. 
 
 The Church, as a rule, does not interfere with 
 the faith of the public in these matters. If ever 
 she steps in, it is to prevent abuses, which in the 
 course of time arise everywhere. 
 
 In our days, at Lourdes, in the French 
 Pyrenees, public opinion forced the local bishop 
 to inquire into the apparition of the blessed 
 Virgin in that locality, and the springing up of 
 a miraculous fountain in connection with the 
 said apparition. A commission was named to 
 inquire into the facts viz., first, whether there 
 was a fountain before in the grotto of Massabielle ; 
 secondly, what was the supposed cause of the 
 existing one ; and thirdly, whether its waters 
 had really cured the infirm. The commission 
 drew up its report, and sent it to the bishop, who 
 published it; thus, the facts being laid before 
 the public, everyone is left to form his own 
 judgment. 
 
 Thousands upon thousands all over the globe 
 entertain no doubt whatever on the subject. Our 
 modern infidels may scoff, and the press may cry 
 down the revival of superstition, but the people 
 will persist in going to Lourdes in spite of the 
 comments passed upon them.
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 253 
 
 The strong faith of past ages may, in many 
 instances, have carried their credulity too far, 
 even to such an extent as to have entailed on 
 them the censures of the Church. Thus we see 
 ecclesiastical authority obliged to interfere with 
 practices carried on in Ireland, in the cavern 
 connected with the life of St. Patrick. 
 
 Miraculous fountains, or waters endowed by Sacred 
 heaven with curing properties, are often spoken of 
 mentioned in Holy Scripture, and recorded in the Scripture 
 history of the Church from the first century down early 
 to the ninth. When the people of God 
 murmured bitterly against Moses in the desert 
 for want of water, God commanded their leader 
 to strike the rock of Horeb, when a plentiful 
 stream gushed forth from the mountain and 
 supplied the wants of the twelve tribes of Israel, 
 amounting to more than a million of human 
 beings, together with their cattle. 1 
 
 In the fourth book of Kings, chapter iii., we 
 are told that the prophet Eliseus procured water 
 without any rain for the whole army. 
 
 The Probatica pond at Jerusalem, as we read 
 in the gospel of St. John, possessed supernatural 
 and miraculous powers of healing every sort of 
 infirmity, 2 
 
 St. Peter, a prisoner in the Mamertime 
 dungeon, converted to the faith of his Master his 
 gaoler, who requested to be baptised. As there 
 
 (1) Exodus, chap. xvii. 
 (2; St. John, chap. v.
 
 254 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 was no water in the deep dungeon, through the 
 prayer of the apostle a stream rushed forth from 
 the rock, and flows to these days. 
 
 St. Clement, his disciple, drew upon himself 
 the anger of Trazan owing to the numerous 
 conversions he made. Relegated to the marble 
 quarries of Chersonesus, he met there 2,000 
 Christians condemned like himself to extract and 
 cut blocks of marble for the Roman Government. 
 As the place lacked water, St. Clement ascended 
 a neighbouring hill, and by his prayers obtained 
 a fountain from the Lamb of God. Many of the 
 pagans were so struck that they believed 
 in Christ. 
 
 In our incredulous age, and in the lifetime of 
 most of us, the blessed Virgin has caused two 
 miraculous fountains to gush forth in Erance 
 one in the Alps, at La Salette, the other at 
 Lourdes, at the foot of the Pyrenees. 
 
 Wherever the old British saint set foot, it is 
 not uncommon to find the sacred fountain, 
 connected with his name in lifetime and visited 
 by pilgrims for ages after. 
 
 st. Meen. St. Meen was a native of South Wales, and a 
 contemporary and near relation to Samson, 
 Archbishop of D61. He emigrated to Brittany, 
 and resided for a time at Lan-Meur, a few miles 
 from Morlaix. Later on he built a monastery, 
 dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Whilst the 
 building was being raised, the workmen 
 complained that they were greatly delayed by
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 255 
 
 the want of water, which they had to bring from 
 a great distance. The mortar was never ready 
 in time. When St. Meen heard of this, full of 
 confidence in the kindness of God, he knelt down 
 and addressed his prayer to heaven; then, 
 driving his staff into the ground, a plentiful 
 fountain oozed forth from the spot. 1 
 
 Pilgrims afterwards came to this fountain, 
 which for centuries was admitted by all to cure 
 a kind of cancer called prosa by medical men, 
 and by the common people the evil, or fire of 
 St. Meen. 
 
 St. Teilo, second Bishop of Llandaff, is reported st. Teiio's 
 
 \Y Gils. 
 
 to have obtained by his prayer two miraculous 
 springs ; one near his cathedral at Llandaff, and 
 another near D61, in Brittany, during his seven 
 years' residence in that country. The " Liber 
 Landavensis," speaking of the residence of Teilo 
 with St. Samson at D61, says : " He left there 
 some beneficent proof of his sanctity, that is, the 
 salutiferous fountain called Cai, which he 
 obtained from the Lord to flow ; at which the 
 sick recovered in the name of God and St. Teilo." 2 
 As St. Teilo had in his lifetime undertaken 
 long voyages, been to Jerusalem, crossed several 
 times from Wales to Brittany, the sailors for 
 
 (1) Le Pere Candide has thus versified the legend in French : 
 " Les ouvriers e"tant en peine 
 
 D'oller chercher de 1'eau fort loin 
 8t Meen fit sourdre une fontaine 
 Tout proche d'eux pour leur besoin. 
 Cette source miraculeuse 
 Est un reinede souverain 
 
 Et d'une vertu merveilleuse 
 Pour le mal qu'on nomme St. Meen. 
 Une dame tant afflige"e 
 De ce mal infect et hideux 
 Buvant de cette eau fut purge"e 
 De sa lepre selon ses vceux." 
 
 (2) Lib. Landavensis, p. 346.
 
 256 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 centuries had a great devotion to him, and asked 
 heaven to grant them prosperous winds and a 
 safe passage, through St. Teilo. In return, the 
 mariner whom business brought to the Bay of St. 
 Malo, and so to the neighbourhood of D61, 
 deemed it his duty to keep his fountain in good 
 repair. I have been told by ancient inhabitants 
 of Llandaff that not many years ago a brewer 
 wanted to take water from Teilo' s well to mix 
 with his barley in malting. The inhabitants of 
 Llandaff have no particular repugnance to beer ; 
 however, as the well of Teilo has, even to this 
 day, retained some of its sacred character, people 
 thought it was not proper that its waters should 
 be used in a brewery. 
 
 Moses sweetened the waters of Mara in the 
 desert ; so St. David, by blessing the waters of 
 Bath, which heretofore had proved most dele- 
 terious to health, rendered them most salubrious 
 to persons washed by them. 
 Traditions After noting in various works, such as the 
 
 still alive 
 
 on the " Liber Landavensis," the " Cambro-British 
 
 subject. 
 
 Saints," and others, the various sacred wells 
 connected with the British saints, and which are 
 too numerous to be brought before the reader, I 
 thought of inquiring whether any traces of the 
 old Welsh traditions still remained amongst the 
 people. I consulted old, illiterate Welshmen 
 about Cardiff, and from them learned that there 
 are more sacred wells than I had heard of. If I 
 wanted to see a holy well, I had not far to go. I
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 257 
 
 would find that of St. Teilo at Llandaff, that of 
 St. Cadoc at the foot of the Garth mountain, at 
 Pentyrch. There is one at Pen-y-lan, on the 
 north-east of Cardiff; others at Penarth and 
 Sully ; at Llantrissant, on the top of a hill, there 
 is a holy well which, to my knowledge, is visited 
 by sick people from Cardiff. A traveller who 
 should undertake a tour through Wales, and 
 make inquiries on the subject, would be shown 
 the well of St. David, in Pembrokeshire, and 
 others along the coast as he goes northward, till 
 he comes to the fountain of St. Winefrid, at 
 Holywell, known all over Great Britain. 
 
 The writer of these lines visited it in August, 
 1876. One is struck by the great mass of water 
 that oozes out gently from the rock, and one 
 must travel a great distance before meeting 
 another fountain so abundant as this. I have 
 seen only one spring that nearly equals Holywell 
 in this respect, and that is in the island of 
 Mauritius (Indian Ocean), at Shoenfeld, a sugar 
 estate in the district of Riviere du Rempart. 
 
 Holywell yields one hundred tons of water a 
 minute, and turns a powerful mill a few yards 
 from its source. 
 
 On the road from the railway station to the 
 well, I met an Irishman, lately returned from 
 America. To ascertain his views as to the super- 
 natural character of the spring, I stated that 
 several people did not believe there was anything 
 connected with the fountain, beyond the purity
 
 258 CAMBKIA SACRA. 
 
 and freshness of its waters. "Well," lie smartly 
 replied, "people may say what they like; but 
 the world will never he ahle to stop the infirm 
 from coming over to this place, in the hope of 
 being cured by the power of God and the prayer 
 of St. "Winefrid. The well has been visited for 
 centuries by the blind and the cripple ; and as 
 lono; as England, Ireland, and Scotland continue 
 
 o O 7 ' 
 
 to be inhabited by man, pilgrims will make their 
 way to Holy well." 
 
 On coming to the spot, I minutely examined 
 the place. In a covered gallery, above the 
 spring, I found crutches and stretchers, left there 
 by invalids who previously could not walk 
 without them, but, being cured on the spot, had 
 left them behind as an encouragement to others. 
 
 Some people, free from all human vanity, had 
 deemed it their duty to publish to all comers the 
 favours received at the well, and had written the 
 cure obtained on the very arches that covered the 
 fountains. Thus, the visitor may read the 
 following inscription : " T. M. Carew, Esquire, 
 cured here October, 1831." 
 
 I inquired of the guardian whether any book 
 was kept on the premises recording the cures 
 obtained, and was shown a register of recent date, 
 out of which I copied the following extracts : 
 
 " May 30th. Mary Con way, of Monkside, cured of paralysis." 
 
 " I, William Ward, hereby certify that my wife, Honora 
 
 Ward, was cured of fits through coming to Holywell and 
 
 bathing in St, Winefrid's, Dated this 22nd day of June, 
 
 1876,"
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 259 
 
 " Lewis Colquhan, Edinburgh, visited St. Winefrid, July 
 14, 1876." 
 
 In the same book I met with the following 
 Latin words, so expressive of faith : 
 
 " Christus vincit, Christus regnat. 
 Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, Ora pro nobis. 
 Sancta Winefrida, Ora pro nobis." 
 
 Others, in going away, wrote, " Thy will be 
 done." Perhaps these words, conveying full 
 resignation to the will of God, imply that the 
 visitors had not obtained the grace whicla they 
 had come to seek. 
 
 One person writes that " he visited the place, 
 and begged both spiritual and temporal favours.' 
 A convert certified that he " had received much 
 benefit." Two nuns of the Holy Family, from 
 Bolton, inserted their names. On the day of my 
 visit several visitors must have been at the well, 
 for the guardian's room was full of wet towels. 
 There are two ponds by the well ; one connected 
 with it, another lower down, and covered over by 
 a glass roof. The pilgrim whom faith has 
 brought to Holywell will not bathe except in the 
 first ; ordinary bathers and excursionists are not 
 so particular, as I was informed by the guardian. 
 
 As I had come from Cardiff, I was recognised 
 by two Cardiff women and a young boy; they 
 informed me that they had come from South to 
 North Wales to obtain some favours from St. 
 Winefrid. 
 
 The Catholic Church does not present to the 
 faithful as articles of faith the miracles connected
 
 260 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 with her saints. Everyone who reads the various 
 circumstances of such facts, and witnesses the 
 belief of all ages, is able to form his judgment on 
 the subject. It is not the power of working 
 miracles that makes a man a saint, but keeping 
 the commandments of God and the Church. In 
 the process of the canonisation of saints, so ably 
 treated by Benedict XIV., the first point 
 examined is, not whether such a person worked 
 miracles, but whether in his life he practised, to 
 an heroic degree, the three theological virtues 
 Faith, Hope, and Charity ; and then the cardinal 
 virtues Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and 
 Temperance. "When the commission sitting on 
 the life of a man reputed to be a saint arrives at 
 the conclusion that he was to an heroic degree a 
 man of Faith Hope, and Charity, and to an 
 eminent degree gifted with Prudence, Justice, 
 Fortitude, and Temperance, then they examine 
 into the various miracles connected with his life. 
 
 Hence, St. Paul says : " If I speak tvith the 
 tongue of angels, and have not charity, I am 
 become as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal ; 
 and if I should have prophecy, and should know all 
 mysteries and all knowledge, and if I should have 
 faith so as to remove mountains, and have not 
 charity, I am nothing." 
 
 The power of miracles, by itself, does not 
 render a man holy. Judas performed miracles, 
 and was a reprobate. 
 
 However, as a rule, this power is granted by
 
 THE SAINTS AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. 261 
 
 God to such persons as observe His laws to 
 perfection, and are generally connected with the 
 lives of those who served their Master in an 
 eminent degree, either in past ages or even in 
 our own days.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 A FEW REMARKS ON THE SERVICES RENDERED TO 
 SOCIETY BY THE EARLY BRITISH MONKS. 
 
 " Principes persecuti sunt me gratis. Ps. ivui. 
 
 IN the preceding chapter we have glanced at the 
 saints as spiritual men ; in the present we will 
 study them as men of business active, intelli- 
 gent, zealous, and persevering in the various 
 works undertaken by them. 
 
 Nothing can be more unfair and unjust than 
 the ideas of modern society in reference to 
 religious orders. On their side we see heroism, 
 self-sacrifice, prolonged labour, and talents of all 
 kinds consecrated to the welfare of mankind. On 
 the other, ingratitude, calumny, and contempt. 
 
 The Those monks, who have not been surpassed as 
 
 scholars, architects, agriculturists, artists, or 
 missionaries by any class of society, either past 
 
 Ords. us or present, are stigmatised as ignorant, slothful 
 ambitious, or dissolute. In speaking of them 
 we may truly say with David, " Principes 
 persecuti sunt me gratis " (princes without cause 
 have persecuted me.)
 
 SERVICES RENDERED BY THE MONKS. 263 
 
 The monks were not oppressors, shed no blood, 
 seized not the property of their fellow-men, 
 lived chaste and pure, like the angels in heaven, 
 and yet the world has branded them as tyrannical, 
 luxurious, and enemies of God and man ; it has 
 even carried injustice so far as to deprive them 
 of the fruit of their labours, and cast them into 
 dungeons, which they often never quitted until 
 led to the scaffold. 
 
 In the fifth and sixth centuries Wales 
 abounded in religious men, who have never since 
 been surpassed. Whether taken as bishops, 
 scholars, missionaries, fearless defenders of the 
 rights of God, or protectors of the people against 
 the tyranny of chieftains, none since in their 
 country have ever equalled them. 
 
 It is only at this period that a Dubricius, a 
 Samson, or an Illtyd can be met with in the 
 history of Wales. In the present time of great 
 material prosperity, Cambria cannot show to the 
 world universities like those of Dubricius at 
 Mochross, in Herefordshire, or Lantwit-Major, in 
 Glamorganshire. Where are now the thousand 
 scholars, not only from Britain, but from Gaul 
 and Arnwrica ? Who in our days flock to such 
 seats of learning? With the monks they 
 disappeared, and cannot now be recalled. 
 
 Nor do we find at the present time such vast 
 schools of farming as those of Bangor, St. Asaph, 
 and Lancarvan, in which thousands of God's 
 servants not only sang His praises, but laboured
 
 264 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 with spade and axe, reclaimed large tracts of land 
 from pathless forests or unhealthy swamps and 
 transformed them into delicious gardens and 
 productive fields. 
 
 In the minds of these holy men spiritual works 
 of mercy took precedence of corporal. The soul 
 before the hody is the motto of well-regulated 
 charity. To feed the hungry, cover the naked, 
 and visit the sick, are praiseworthy works ; but 
 to instruct the soul, point out to it the way to 
 heaven, and clothe it with sanctifying grace, is 
 far more important. 
 
 A traveller, writing from a pagan country, 
 gives a painful account of what he saw there. 
 " The people are badly clothed, badly fed, and 
 badly governed ; they can neither read nor write, 
 and all arts tending to increase the comforts of 
 life are utterly unknown amongst them. They 
 are wretched socially and politically." The 
 visitor is rightly grieved at witnessing this 
 miserable state of things, but his is merely a 
 human compassion, or what is known in our days 
 as philanthrophy. 
 
 A Catholic missionary who, speaking on the 
 same subject and about the same people, grieves 
 also, and is deeply moved; but his sympathies 
 take a wider scope. His first care is for the 
 immortal soul, unregenerated by baptism, and 
 plunged as yet in the darkness of paganism. 
 
 He, also, would wish to introduce into that 
 benighted land the more advanced civilisation of
 
 SERVICES RENDERED BY THE MONKS. 265 
 
 Europe ; but his first and chief aim. is to establish 
 the Christian faith and win those infidel races for 
 his heavenly Master, because he does not forget 
 the precept, " Seek first the kingdom of God and 
 His justice, and all else will be added unto you." 
 
 The traveller possesses the virtue of humanity ; 
 the missionary is endowed with that of charity, 
 whose basis is supernatural benevolence, from 
 which springs natural kindness, both being 
 included in Christian love. 
 
 We have alreadv related the vision of little zeal of 
 
 St. Brieuc 
 
 children through which St. Patrick was invited 
 to Ireland. St. Brieuc, a contemporary of his, 
 a native of "Western "Wales, is another instance of 
 the spiritual zeal so manifest under the monastic 
 roof. Brieuc had in his youth followed St. 
 Germanus to Gaul, and been ordained priest in 
 Paris. On the day when he celebrated his first 
 Mass, filled with the impressions which rush on 
 the mind of the young priest when for the first 
 time he holds in his hands his Creator and 
 Redeemer, he thought of Cambria, the country 
 so dear to him, of his father and mother, Ms 
 relatives and countrymen, and prayed most 
 fervently for them all. 
 
 It is asserted by some writers that the parents 
 of St. Brieuc were still pagans. It is more 
 probable that, although Christians, they persisted 
 in adhering to some national customs which were 
 heathenish, and condemned by the Church in 
 Gaul and Britain. This grieved the heart of the
 
 266 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 zealous young priest. He was a minister in the 
 Church of God, whilst the laws of his Master 
 were being disobeyed by his father and mother. 
 If ever he poured forth an earnest prayer, it was 
 on this day. 
 
 He felt within him an ever-increasing desire 
 to revisit his native land, in the hope that he 
 might win his parents to Christ. Heaven smiled 
 on this aspiration, for an angel appeared to him, 
 and in the name of God bade him set forth. 
 Brieuc consulted his superiors, and they advised 
 him to fulfil the mandate. 
 
 " Go, my son," said the Abbot, " whither God 
 calls you; and may you, by your zeal and 
 fidelity to His grace, succeed in the mission 
 entrusted to you." 
 
 On arriving at his father's house, he found the 
 family celebrating a pagan feast in honour of 
 Janus, which lasted three days. It was 
 numerously attended, and the time was spent in 
 various sports. Some of the men wore masks to 
 represent gods ; others, habited as wild beasts, ran 
 through the country affecting madness, terrifying 
 some and amusing others. These games 
 terminated with a rich banquet in the evening, 
 and the greatest part of the night was spent in 
 drinking and carousing. 
 
 St. Brieuc refused to take any part in the 
 entertainments, on the plea that his conscience, 
 as a Christian and a priest, would on no account 
 allow him to engage in a pagan festivity.
 
 SERVICES RENDERED BY THE MONKS. 267 
 
 His father and mother, and the friends of his 
 youth, were glad to see again, after so many 
 years, a beloved son and former companion. 
 But they remarked how his thoughts and 
 manners were changed, and considered it rather 
 sad that his foreign education should not only 
 have extinguished in his heart the love of 
 national customs, but created within it a distaste, 
 even amounting to hatred, for practices which 
 they considered an honour to their country. In 
 consequence of this, his eloquent appeals against 
 paganism were without effect. 
 
 Almighty God, however, supplemented all 
 drawbacks by endowing him with the gift of 
 miracles. A young man, of noble birth, being 
 thrown from his horse, was greatly injured. St. 
 Brieuc healed him by the sign of the Cross. 
 Later on, a boy who had been bitten by a mad 
 dog was seized with hydrophobia. On being 
 taken by his parents to the young priest, he was 
 cured by him in the same way; for Brieuc, 
 trusting in the power of God, sucked the bitten 
 finger, and every symptom of the disease at once 
 disappeared. 
 
 These miracles produced effect throughout the 
 country. The people began to look upon him 
 with veneration, his own father and mother not 
 excepted. Erom that time his preaching 
 produced fruits, and hundreds of conversions 
 were the result. During the fifteen years Brieuc 
 spent in Wales he built several churches and
 
 268 CAMBEIA SAGE A. 
 
 monasteries, which followed the same rules as 
 those of Gaul. 
 
 On the night of Whit-Sunday, St. Brieuc, 
 overcome by fatigue, dozed in the choir after 
 matins, when an angel appeared to him in his 
 sleep and commanded the zealous priest to cross 
 the sea to Brittany, there to work in the vineyard 
 of the Lord. 
 
 With his usual simplicity, he at once commu- 
 nicated this vision to his brethren, and one 
 hundred and sixty of them immediately 
 volunteered to accompany him. He carried on 
 his mission in Brittany as he had previously done 
 in Wales until his death. 1 
 
 The present town and diocese of St. Brieuc, so 
 called out of respect to the memory of this 
 zealous monk and bishop, is under his especial 
 patronage. 
 
 We are here reminded of the legend of St. 
 Malo, as related by Albert le Grand. 
 
 Malo was born in the present county of 
 Monmouthshire, near Chepstow, and seems to 
 have been a relative of St. Samson. 
 
 Being educated at Llancarvan, he, at the 
 conclusion of his studies, embraced the religious 
 life in that monastery. Some disagreement 
 appears to have arisen in the community, and 
 he with the abbot and about seventy of the 
 brethren, left Llancarvan and dedicated them- 
 selves to the conversion of the heathen. 
 
 (1) Lobineau. Albert le Grand.
 
 SERVICES RENDERED BY THE MONKS. 269 
 
 According to the geographical knowledge 
 those days, it was supposed that somewhere i 
 the far ocean, westward, were to be found large discovery 
 
 of the 
 
 islands, whose inhabitants were still unconverted. Fortunate 
 
 Islands. 
 
 It is difficult, in our time, to indicate the 
 supposed position of these unknown territories. 
 According to some, it was the Canary Islands, 
 and others imagine it to have been the Orkneys. 
 At that period, however, the undiscovered tracts 
 were known by the name of the Fortunate Isles. 1 
 St. Malo and his companions determined to set 
 out on a voyage of discovery in search of these 
 regions, with the view of converting the natives 
 
 O ' O 
 
 to the Catholic faith. They, accordingly, fitted 
 out a small fleet and started on their expedition, 
 which, though it proved unsuccessful, shows how 
 strongly at that time the missionary spirit existed 
 within the cloister. Whenever one or two 
 recluses felt inspired to visit foreign countries in 
 search, not of gold or silver, but of souls to win 
 to the Almighty, numerous volunteers were sure 
 to offer their services. 
 
 The Cambrian monks were great travellers 
 and men of enterprise. We read of St. Pedrog 
 journeying not only to Jerusalem, which was 
 visited by many of his countrymen, but pushing 
 on even to India. Having lived there for seven 
 years, he returned to his native country, and lied 
 at Bodmin, in Cornwall. 2 
 
 (2) Perhaps our ancestors felt, by a kind of instinct, that large con- 
 tinents lay to the west, and, like Columbus later on, fitted out expeditions 
 for discovery.
 
 270 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 st- St. Maglorius, a relative of St. Samson, and a 
 
 Maglonus 
 
 perplexed student of Lantwit-Maior, had grown old in 
 
 in his old . 
 
 age. Brittany in the service of God. For fifty-two 
 years he had been abbot, and for three archbishop, 
 when he determined to retire into solitude, there 
 to prepare for eternity. He, accordingly, 
 resigned his dignities, and in order the better to 
 secure himself from intruders, selected for his 
 retreat a spot surrounded by marshes and difficult 
 of access. The people, however, found him out, 
 and by their constant coming and going soon 
 opened a road to his cell. 
 
 The venerable archbishop was perplexed as to 
 what course he should pursue. In his heart he 
 longed for solitude, but love for his neighbour 
 pleaded that it might be uncharitable to refuse 
 him any service he could render. Being unable 
 to arrive at a decision on the point, he 
 determined in this difficulty to consult the bishop 
 who had succeeded him in D61, and abide by his 
 judgment. 
 
 He accordingly visited this prelate, and com- 
 plained to him of the importunities by which he 
 was beset. " I have left the world," he said, " to 
 give myself entirely to God, but the world 
 follows me. I am no longer bishop, but my 
 privacy is intruded upon now much more than 
 when I was a pastor. Would I not be justified 
 in secreting myself in some distant spot, or on an 
 island inaccessible to visitors ? " 
 
 Budoc, the bishop, being anxious that
 
 SERVICES RENDERED BY THE MONKS. 271 
 
 Maglorius should remain in his diocese, reminded 
 him of his former missionary zeal, and thus 
 delayed his departure. 
 
 " Contemplation," the Bishop said, " is un- 
 doubtedly sweet, and it is good to sit, like 
 Magdalene, at the feet of our Lord. Visitors 
 incessantly breaking in upon you from morning 
 to night do certainly interfere with your peace 
 and privacy ; but remember that our Master left 
 the bliss of heaven to work and suifer for mankind. 
 
 " After spending the day in preaching and 
 healing the infirm, the only way in which our 
 Lord could obtain rest was to cross the lake and 
 retire into the mountains. Even there the people 
 followed him, and, far from being turned away, 
 miracles were even performed to feed them in 
 those deserts. Our Saviour carried the stray and 
 weary sheep upon His shoulders. If uneasy 
 consciences and wounded hearts come to you for 
 advice or encouragement ; if the sick and the 
 afflicted, trusting in your power of prayer, flock 
 to you to be cured, are you justified in shutting 
 the door of your cell against them ? To serve 
 our neighbour is to serve God. Our Saviour 
 sacrificed Himself for us ; let us do the same for 
 our fellow-men." 
 
 Budoc, in appealing to the zeal of Maglorius, 
 had struck the right chord, and thus persuaded 
 him not to abandon the mission. 
 
 Nothing more strikingly evidences the ardent Bishops 
 
 1 " generally 
 
 desire of monks for the salvation of souls and chosen 
 
 from the 
 cloister.
 
 272 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 their aptitude for missionary work than the fact 
 
 that the early Celtic Church chose their chief 
 
 pastors from the Monastery, for all the early 
 
 bishops were religious. Dubricius, Teilo, David, 
 
 Paternus, and Daniel were members of religious 
 
 communities, as were also the first bishops of 
 
 Armorica, most of whom came from Britain. 
 
 Particular In Cambria the monks watched with paternal 
 
 of the care over the spiritual needs of the people in 
 
 wants 11 of their vicinity. At Llancarvan, Lantwit-Major, 
 
 gk Asaph, provision was made for the 
 spiritual instruction of the inhabitants of those 
 
 monastery. digtricts 
 
 St. Cadoc, Abbot of Llancarvan, divided the 
 country round his monastery into parishes, over 
 each of which he appointed a priest, with a 
 necessary revenue, in order that he might attend 
 to their souls. 
 
 St. Kentigern, in like manner, whilst residing 
 at St. Asaph chose some of his brethren who were 
 in holy orders, and possessed talents for preach- 
 ing, to devote themselves to missionary works, in 
 order to enable them to carry on which they 
 were exempted from the severities of monastic 
 rule. 
 
 In the fifth and sixth centuries the crowds who 
 gathered round David in Llandevvi, or St. Brevi, 
 or who followed Samson, Gildas, Maglorius, or 
 Tugdual to the shores of Armorica, were for the 
 
 O 7 
 
 most part in a very primitive state of civilisation. 
 As a general rule, they could neither read nor
 
 SERVICES RENDERED BY THE MONKS. 273 
 
 write, nor did they feel any need of it. They 
 were quite content with supporting their families 
 by their manual labour. But they were aware 
 that learning was necessary for a priest or monk, 
 whose office it was to instruct and preach, and 
 also to chieftains, magistrates, etc. Printing had 
 not been invented in those days. Books were 
 scarce and costly, and the teaching of the people 
 devolved upon the missionary, who had no 
 means of imparting instruction or the knowledge 
 of Christian doctrine but those of oral preaching 
 and teaching, in which they followed the example 
 of the apostles of our Lord, who were the first 
 missionaries. 
 
 In order to impress their lessons more forcibly 
 they availed themselves of the aid, so powerful 
 more especially in Celtic races, of poetry and 
 numbers. 
 
 Whilst Britain was yet pagan she glorified her The 
 bards ; when converted to the Christian faith she Bard. m 
 still honoured them, and they continued to occupy 
 in Christian society the same position they had 
 possessed in that of the pagans. 
 
 In Celtic nations poetry has always exercised 
 a most powerful influence, and bards, in con- 
 sequence, were held in the highest esteem. 
 Privileges of byegone days are accorded to them 
 even now, in Cambria, Brittany, Ireland, and 
 wherever the Celtic element prevails. 
 
 When danger threatened the State, it was the 
 bards who roused the patriotic spirit into ardent
 
 274 CAMBKIA SACRA. 
 
 zeal to fierht in defence of fatherland. It was 
 
 O 
 
 they who sang the praises of the victorious 
 warriors in the banquet-hall, or poured forth 
 lamentations over the tomhs of the slain. They 
 also acted as censors of morals or customs, 
 choosing as themes, if occasion required it, the 
 murderer who had shed innocent blood, 
 denouncing his crime, and exemplifying the 
 justice of God and man by pointing to his 
 shameful end. When a Briton forsook the 
 customs of his ancestors, the bard reviled and ridi- 
 culed him through the medium of sarcastic verses. 
 On the conversion of the Celtic races to 
 Christianity, the clergy largely availed them- 
 selves of the aid of poetry in imbuing the minds 
 of the people with the precepts and practices of 
 the faith of Christ. Thus, the commandments of 
 God and of the Church, the Seven Sacraments, 
 and other points of doctrine, were clothed in 
 verse. The lives of the saints and the wonders 
 wrought by them, the histories attached to 
 miraculous fountains, and the cures obtained at 
 sacred wells, were favourite themes with the 
 Christian bard whereon to exercise his talent; 
 and his verses, inspired by such subjects, were 
 committed to memory by the people and sung at 
 the doors of the churches, at fairs, or other social 
 gatherings, and by the fireside during the long 
 evenings of winter. Christianity thus became 
 identified with even the every-day life and 
 occupations of the people.
 
 SERVICES RENDERED BY THE MONKS. 275 
 
 In Lower Brittany, where the native language 
 is still spoken, great use is made of poetry in the 
 rural districts even at the present day. The 
 professional singer, with his hundreds of hymns 
 and songs, travels from village to village and 
 from fair to fair. He has a diary of his own, 
 and knows the feasts of every saint in all the 
 parishes of Brittany, and also the month and the 
 day of every fair throughout the province. He 
 has no fixed abode, but rambles about the 
 country, deriving his living from his songs, which 
 he teaches and chants according to occasion. At 
 the doors of the churches, on Sundays, he sings 
 religious hymns after Mass and after Vespers, 
 and if he can supply a canticle on a saint, or 
 sacred well in the neighbourhood, it will take the 
 place of all else. 
 
 At a fair the local bard mingles the profane 
 with the religious and semi-religious ; but, as a 
 rule, his songs are always serious, the music 
 inclining to melancholy. Before offering a 
 hymn or a song for sale, he sings it himself, 
 in order to instruct his customers in its melody, 
 after which he invariably succeeds in disposing 
 of his collection. 
 
 In that part of Armorica where the Breton Hymns 
 tongue is still the language of the pulpit and of 
 
 j -i i 11 saints of 
 
 the people, sacred hymns are even now sung the fifth 
 in the original Celtic version, supposed to have stuuung 
 been the composition of the British missionaries ^uLs 
 of the fifth and sixth centuries. Such, for Brittan y-
 
 276 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 instance, are the " Oantic ar Barados," " Cantic 
 un Ifern " (hymns on heaven and on hell), which 
 are of monastic origin, and describe so beautifully 
 the longing of the soul for Paradise, and its 
 passage through the moon and the stars as it 
 wings its flight to heaven, there to be united to 
 the saints of Britain, or terrifies the sinner by 
 revealing hell opening beneath his feet. 
 
 The "Welsh bards claim to include such saints 
 as Cadoc, Gildas, Suliauf^/^slssillio), and others 
 within their order ; for, like their cousins of 
 Brittany, poetry was amongst them the natural 
 handmaid of religion. They, too, had their 
 sacred hymns, and their bards consecrated their 
 gift of song to chanting the praises of their 
 .Redeemer and of His servants. 
 
 A few specimens of these poems have been 
 handed down in the lolo Manuscript. Amongst 
 them is one in which the life of St. Illtyd is 
 condensed. Mention is also made of similar 
 compositions having reference to St. Teilo, St. 
 Cadoc, and St. David. In Albert le Grand's 
 " Lives of the British Saints of Armorica " the 
 reader can find many which are written in Latin, 
 Breton, or French verse. However, these 
 compositions are in several instances modern. 
 
 Our forefathers transacted business in the open 
 air. King Gwynliw dispensed justice under the 
 oak trees on the mountains surrounding Newport. 
 His son, the Abbot of Llancarvan, held spiritual 
 conferences with his brethren within a hazel
 
 SERVICES RENDERED BY THE MONKS. 277 
 
 grove, and the missionaries also often preached 
 and catechised their flocks beneath the canopy of 
 heaven, in valleys or upon the slopes of hills. 
 It was thus that the Council of Brefi was held. 
 
 Armorican writers have given us some Religious 
 
 instruction 
 
 specimens of the method adopted in teaching by imparted 
 numbers. The reader will see by the following the 
 extracts that the teachers were very courteous numbers, 
 towards their pupils : 
 
 Question : " Fair son of Britain, what is number one ? " 
 Answer : " One God, creator of heaven and earth." 
 Question : " Fair son of Britain, what is number two 1 " 
 Answer : " Two natures in Jesus Christ, the nature of God 
 and the nature of man. Two Testaments the Old &nd the 
 New. The old embraces four thousand years, and the New 
 will last to the end of the world." 
 
 Question : " Fair son of Britain, what is number three ] " 
 Answer : " Three persons in God the Father, the Son, and 
 the Holy Ghost. Three sons of Noe Sem, Cham, and 
 Japhet ; we fair sons of Britain are descended from Japhet. 
 Three theological virtues Faith, Hope, and Charity." 
 Question: "Fair son of Britain, what is number four]" 
 Answer : " Four great Prophets Isaias, Jeremias, Esechiel, 
 and Daniel. Four Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and 
 John. Four cardinal virtues Justice, Prudence, Fortitude, 
 and Temperance." 
 
 Question : " Fair son of Britain, what is number five 1 " 
 Answer : " Five Books of Moses. Five populous towns 
 destroyed on the spot which is now covered by the Dead Sea, 
 in consequence of the crimes of their inhabitants. Five 
 wounds of our Lord. Five virgins who were wise and five who 
 were foolish." 
 
 Question : " Fair son of Britain, what is number six 1 " 
 Answer : " God created the world in six days." 
 Question : " Fair son of Britain, what is number seven 1 " 
 Answer : " On the seventh day God rested after the creation 
 of the world. The seventh day is Sunday. Seven years of
 
 278 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 plenty and seven years of famine were foretold to Pharaoh. 
 
 The great candelabro in the Temple had seven branches. 
 
 Seven Sacraments were instituted by Christ no more, and no 
 
 less." 
 
 Question : " Fair son of Britain, what is number eight ? " 
 Answer : " There are eight Beatitudes. Eight persons were 
 
 saved at the time of the deluge, four of whom were men and 
 
 four women." 
 
 Question : " Fair son of Britain, what is number nine 1 " 
 Answer : " Nine choirs of angels surround the throne of 
 
 God." 
 
 Question : " Fair son of Britain, what is number ten ? " 
 Answer : " There are ten commandments, which were 
 
 delivered by God to Moses, on Mount Sinai." 
 
 Question : " Fair son of Britain, what is number eleven 1 " 
 Answer : " For above eleven months the face of the earth 
 
 was covered by the waters of the deluge, in the time of Noe." 
 Question : " Fair son of Britain, what is number twelve 1 " 
 Answer: Twelve Apostles were chosen by our Lord, and 
 
 there are twelve articles in the Apostles' Creed." 
 
 This mode of instruction, so simple and at the 
 same time impressive, might perhaps be usefully 
 employed even now. 
 
 In studying the lives of the British saints we 
 find that they cultivated the law of kindness to a 
 remarkable degree, protecting to the utmost of 
 their power not only men but animals. 
 
 In the solitude of the forest wild beasts, 
 such as wolves, boars, and more especially deer, 
 became the natural friends of the monks, 
 as in the primitive state of the world, before 
 the fall of Adam and Eve, when animals 
 acknowledged man as king of all creation, and 
 man regarded them as fellow-creatures of a 
 lower grade.
 
 SERVICES RENDERED BY THE MONKS. 279 
 
 The hermit never pursued the deer, and the The monks 
 timid creatures looked without suspicion on the the weak 
 stranger who had settled in his wood, and, and their 
 becoming familiar, liked to browse around his 
 dwelling and ruminate at his door. 
 
 An intimate friendship sprang up between the 
 two, and when in the hunting season hounds and 
 sportsmen visited the neighbourhood, the stag 
 often took refuge in the cell, and sometimes in 
 the church itself. When this occurred the monk 
 deemed it a duty to protect the weak creature 
 against his enemies, and asserted in his behalf 
 the inviolable rights of hospitality. The hounds 
 might howl and the hunters rage and threaten, 
 but the recluse never yielded. We read that St. 
 Illtyd on one occasion forgot that he was a monk 
 and a man of peace, and this was when a stag 
 ran panting up to his feet for safety. He seemed 
 once more to become the heroic knight in the 
 army of King Arthur, and sternly defended and 
 secured the safety of the animal against all 
 attacks, whether of man or dog. 
 
 St. Mnnoc, a Welsh nun, evinced equal 
 courage in protecting a deer which had fled into 
 the church for shelter whilst the sisterhood were 
 singing the Divine Office. It can easily be 
 imagined that those who extended protection to 
 the beasts of the field could not look with 
 indifference on the sufferings of their fellow-men. 
 
 Thus, from the earliest ages we find religion 
 extending her shield to shelter the weak and
 
 280 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 persecuted, both in the east and in the west. 
 Persons in distress, from any cause whatsoever, 
 prisoners of war, run-away slaves, or sufferers of 
 any kind, felt themselves in safety the moment 
 they set foot on church or monastic territory. 
 No military array was needed to enforce this 
 right of sanctuary ; moral and religious power 
 alone sufficed to maintain it. 
 
 In the fifth and sixth centuries we find the 
 law of refuge established everywhere throughout 
 Britain ; it was specified in charters, and formed 
 part of the national code. At times we read 
 instances of its violation by princes, such as those 
 recorded of King Arthur, Maelgon of North 
 Wales, and others ; but such infringements were 
 universally looked upon as scandalous trans- 
 gressions of sacred rights, condemned by public 
 opinion, and punished by excommunication. 
 The guilty parties, as a rule, made reparation. 
 Privileges When, on the resignation of St. Dubricius, St. 
 
 granted to 
 
 st. David. David had been elected Bishop at Brefi, the 
 grateful Cambrians conceded to him almost 
 unlimited privileges as to the right of refuge. 
 They decreed that it should be lawful for him to 
 grant shelter to murderers and wicked persons 
 of every kind who were fleeing from place to 
 place, even before saints, kings, or men of any 
 degree ; and it was ordained that any one who 
 violated St. David's right of sanctuary should be 
 excommunicated and cursed. 1 
 
 (1) Cambro-British Saints.
 
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 In all the charters granted by the kings of 
 Glamorgan to the diocese of Llandaff the right 
 of affording refuge is clearly laid down. The 
 " Liber Landavensis " distinctly states, in the life 
 of the third bishop of that See, that the privilege 
 of sanctuary secured an asylum in which a 
 fugitive might find safety without any other 
 protection, not for a limited time only, but as 
 long as he required it. 
 
 Later on, Howell Dda in his legislations 
 retained this sacred custom which was so long 
 maintained by his countrymen. 
 
 In an age when Britain was divided and sub- 
 divided into petty kingdoms, each governed by 
 independent sovereigns continually at war with 
 each other, when the sword was resorted to on 
 the least excuse of grievance, real or imaginary, 
 religion asserted her right to protect the children 
 of God. Unable to prevent warfare, murder, or 
 hasty executions, she instilled into the minds of 
 the people that blood should not be spilt on 
 consecrated soil ; such territory must be neutral 
 to all contending parties. The servants of God 
 did not use the sword or sacrifice human life, 
 therefore within their bounds all must dwell in 
 safety. Thus, amidst social and political turmoil 
 the weak had an assured refuge in the church or 
 in the monastery. It cannot be denied that this 
 privilege proved most beneficial to Britain and 
 all other Christian nations, and that many owed 
 their safety to it.
 
 282 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Some "Welsh monks showed indomitable 
 
 table 
 
 courage courage in the defence of those who were in 
 
 displayed 
 
 by the danger. The life of St. Cadoc, as found m the 
 
 monks in 
 
 the " Camhro-British Saints," abounds in instances 
 
 protection . . 
 
 of life. of his undaunted bearing on such occasions. He 
 gave shelter at Llancarvan to a general who had 
 slain some of the soldiers of King Arthur. His 
 brethren warned him that this might excite the 
 wrath of the king. "Let us do our duty as servants 
 of God," was his reply, " and God will take care 
 of us. Pear not him that kills the body but has 
 no power over the soul ; " and he continued to 
 protect the fugitive. 
 
 Seven years later on, a contest arose between 
 Cadoc and Arthur, the particulars of which will 
 be related in his life. 
 
 St. Samson undertook a weary journey to the 
 court of Childebert to defend the rights of the 
 oppressed, 
 st. Meen The holy monk, St. Meen, was on a certain 
 
 and the 
 
 prisoner, day visiting the different cells of his monastery 
 when, as he passed along, his attention was 
 attracted by the sound of bitter lamentation. 
 On inquiry, he found that the cries came from 
 the dungeons of Prince Hoel, whose castle was 
 in the vicinity of the monastery, and that the 
 victim was a poor man who, having in some way 
 incurred the displeasure of his lord, was confined 
 there. 
 
 St. Meen sent two of his monks, begging in the 
 name of God that the captive might be liberated.
 
 SERVICES RENDERED BY THE MONKS. 283 
 
 The request being sternly refused, Meen and his 
 brethren betook themselves to prayer. Through 
 the intervention of heaven the prisoner made his 
 escape, and sought protection in the monastery. 
 
 The prince, on hearing what had taken place, 
 sent some of his soldiers to demand his captive. 
 Meen replied that he could not, before God and 
 man, surrender a fugitive who had claimed the 
 rights of hospitality. He was in conscience 
 bound to protect him. 
 
 Hoel, enraged, came in person to the door of the 
 church, which he forced open, and, rushing to 
 the altar, followed by some of his men, dragged 
 the object of his vengeance back to his former 
 dungeon. It was in vain that Meen and his 
 brethren appealed in behalf of the unfortunate 
 man, the prince would not release his victim. 
 Then the abbot, as if inspired from above, told 
 Hoel to put his conscience in order, for in three 
 days he would die and have to render account to 
 the great Master before whom kings are but as 
 dust. 
 
 The wild young prince mounted his horse to 
 depart, jeering at the prediction of the old priest 
 as dreams and nonsense. 
 
 On arriving at his castle, whilst still under the 
 influence of his passion, he spurred his horse so 
 violently that the animal threw him, and he was 
 so much injured by the fall that he became for a 
 time insensible. When he came to himself the 
 ominous words which St. Meen had spoken at the
 
 284 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 door of the church reverted to his mind. He 
 ordered his prisoner to he set at liberty, and 
 hegged of him to return to the ahhot, relate what 
 had taken place, and entreat him to forgive the 
 outrage. The saint at once went to the prince, 
 and saw at a glance how serious was his case. 
 He, however, endeavoured to cheer him; hut, 
 though he refrained from reproaching him in 
 words, this thought forced itself upon his mind : 
 " Hoel, the hand of God is upon you. You 
 profaned the altar, refused mercy to the afflicted, 
 would not hearken to my entreaties. Moved hy 
 indignation, I cited you before the tribunal of 
 God ; you laughed my words to scorn, but I fear 
 they will prove true." 
 
 The abbot exhorted the wounded prince to 
 repent of all his sins, heard his confession, and 
 administered to him the last Sacraments of the 
 Church. He died on the third day, and the 
 people recognised in his doom the just judgment 
 of God. 
 
 Light- The Celtic monks were bold navigators, and, 
 
 bunt and dwelling in stormy regions and on shores exposed 
 taLed by to the fury of the wild Atlantic, they had 
 s ' practical knowledge of the dangers of the deep, 
 naturally sympathised with sailors, and provided 
 food and shelter for the crews of vessels ship- 
 wrecked along their coasts. The erection of 
 light-houses was one of the most important 
 services rendered by them to mariners. They 
 built towers on the most conspicuous points, and
 
 SERVICES RENDERED BY THE MONKS. 285 
 
 the bright flames which from thence cast their 
 gleam over the troubled waters during the fogs 
 and darkness of winter were the means of saving 
 many a gallant ship and hardy crew in times 
 when such modern inventions as reflectors, or 
 electric, or lime lights were not dreamt of. 
 
 The fires in these primitive light-houses were 
 fed with wood, cut by the monks in the forests, 
 and piled in readiness around the base of the 
 towers. Thus, we read that the fire on the Flat 
 Holmes, at the entrance to Cardiff, was kept up 
 by the monks of Glastonbury at their own 
 expense. 
 
 Tanneguy and his brethren, who lived at Relec, 
 near Morlaix, in the days of St. Paul of Leon, 
 having inherited a large tract of land at the 
 entrance to the roads at Brest (Pinistere), built 
 there a monastery. The monks of St. Matthew, 
 as Montalembert remarks, kept up a light-house 
 for the safety of mariners in those dangerous 
 seas opposite to that terrible strait of the bay 
 which no man, according to the Breton saying, 
 has ever passed without fear or grief, and which 
 has inspired the well-known petition, " My God, 
 help me to cross the bay, my boat is so small 
 and the sea so great." 
 
 Light-houses in our days are erected and kept 
 up at the expense of Governments; they are 
 constructed on the best principles, and carefully 
 attended to. In an. age when kings and princes 
 gave little thought to such a subject, and
 
 286 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 probably had no means at hand to carry out the 
 system of beacons which at present exists under 
 all civilised governments, it is impossible not to 
 admire the forethought and devotedness of the 
 monks, who spared no trouble in order to secure 
 the safety of seafaring men. 
 
 As regards labour, both mental and physical, 
 the monasteries were the greatest institutions of 
 those days. There every one, from the abbot to 
 the youngest novice, worked, and that according 
 to system. 
 
 The principle of division of labour, which is a 
 subject so often under discussion in our days, was 
 then well understood by the monks. Professors, 
 artisans, and workers of every kind, had their 
 respective avocations and responsibilities. 
 Every Every article necessary for the community was 
 
 article 
 
 necessary produced within the monastery. At the forge, 
 produced blacksmiths manufactured spades, axes, etc. ; in 
 wails of the field, husbandmen sowed and reaped ; 
 
 the 
 
 monastery carpenters, bakers in fact, every trade had its 
 monastic representative. A great deal of time 
 was devoted to the copying of manuscripts, 
 printing being then unknown. The paper and 
 skins used for this purpose were also prepared in 
 the cloister, together with the chalices, church 
 bells, and all that was required for divine 
 service. 
 
 A beautiful treatise, written by a Benedictine 
 monk, still exists which treats on the art of 
 working in gold and silver, and also on that of
 
 SERVICES RENDERED BY THE MONKS. 287 
 
 painting on glass. This work may be even 
 usefully consulted in our day. 
 
 But in no branch of industry did the monks 
 excel more than in that of farming. They were 
 the best agriculturists known at that time ; they 
 cleared forests, drained swamps, and astonished 
 their contemporaries by the gigantic extent of 
 their works. 
 
 At a period when Europe lay uncultivated, 
 being overrun by Pranks and Anglo-Saxons, who 
 lived as the wild huntsmen in America now do, 
 husbandry was the great lesson needful, and the 
 people beheld with amazement these hundreds 
 and hundreds of monks toiling from the early 
 dawn, in the fields and forests, and saw the most 
 barren districts becoming transformed under 
 their hands, as though by magic, into rich corn- 
 fields, gardens, and orchards. 
 
 Thus, the country round Llancarvan and 
 Lantwit-Major was cultivated into fertile farms 
 during the lifetime of St. Cadoc and St. Illtyd, 
 and St. Asaph, in North Wales, during that 
 of St. Asaph. 
 
 St. Illtyd was the first who introduced the 
 plough into Wales, and when a great famine 
 desolated Brittany he was able to provide food 
 for the starving, and seed-corn for that country 
 from his granaries at Lantwit-Major, and nobly 
 to supply the necessities of others, out of his own 
 abundance. 
 
 In speaking of the monks of the middle ages as
 
 288 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 the best architects ever known, Montalembert 
 observes that "they combined the greatest beauty 
 with durability." To this fact the cathedrals 
 which they erected bear ample testimony. 'JSTo 
 buildings of the present come up to them. 
 
 In the fifth and sixth centuries monastic 
 edifices were simple, and often consisted of 
 wooden buildings clustering round the church as 
 a centre. Timber was plentiful and close at 
 hand. Settlers in Australia and America lodge 
 after the same fashion at present. 
 
 Stone was by degrees, however, substituted for 
 wood in Lantwit-Major ; for round the present 
 village the traveller finds many remains of 
 ruined walls, and, at even the distance of three 
 miles, the plough now and then comes in contact 
 with buried masonry which once formed halls 
 for study or workshops for labour.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ST. DUBRICIUS, THE PlRST BlSHOP OF I/LANDAFF. 
 
 " Omnis enim pontifex ex hominibus assumptus constituitur in 
 his quce sunt ad Deum, ut offerat dona et sacrificia propeccatis." 
 HEB. v. 1st verse. 
 
 " For every high priest taken from among men is ordained 
 for men in the things that appertain to God, that he may offer 
 up gifts and sacrifices for sins." 
 
 DUBRICIUS in Welsh Dyffrin, or Dyfrig is, in 
 order of time, one of the first among the early 
 saints of South Wales whose biography strikes 
 the reader of ecclesiastical history. He was 
 contemporary with St. Patrick, though somewhat 
 younger, for the Apostle of Ireland began his 
 missionary career about the year 432, and 
 Dubricius his episcopal life in 446 or 447. St. 
 Patrick's mission was to convert to the faith of 
 Christ a pagan nation, which Palladius, an 
 Italian monk, had in vain laboured to instruct in 
 the truth. The work of Dubricius, on the 
 contrary, was to preserve from the errors of 
 Palagianism a people already Christian, to 
 re-establish ecclesiastical discipline amongst 
 them, and to give a new impulse to education. 
 His career was long, and most fruitful in good
 
 290 CAMBEIA SACRA. 
 
 works. It opened in the beginning of the fifth 
 . century, and did not close until the early part of 
 the sixth. Bishop of Llandaff in 447, he trans- 
 ferred his see to Caerleon in 490, and died a 
 centenarian at Bardsey Island, in Cardigan Bay, 
 probably in 522. 1 
 
 According to the "Liber Landavensis," 
 Dubricius was born at Madley, a parish on the 
 south side of the river Wye, in Herefordshire, 
 seven miles south-west of Hereford. Pebian, his 
 grandfather, surnamed Spumosus, or the frothy 
 (in Welsh Claforawg), is said to have attempted, 
 in a fit of passion, first to drown and then to 
 burn the mother and her unborn son, afterwards 
 Dubricius. However, by the intervention of 
 Almighty God, he did not succeed in his wicked 
 design, for mother and child were miraculously 
 preserved. 
 
 Birth of When this same boy had attained the age of 
 " manhood, and become the most eminent 
 personage in South Wales, his grandfather 
 remembered with bitter regret how, prompted 
 by passion, he had stifled the very sentiments of 
 nature whilst making this lamentable attempt. 2 
 
 Little is known of the early life and education 
 of Dubricius ; the same may be said of the time 
 and place of his ordination. According to 
 Dugdale, after completing his studies he resided 
 and taught with distinction in the neighbourhood 
 
 (1) Professor Rees. " Liber Landavensis." 
 
 (2) According to some authors he was born at Miserbdil. Migne. 
 " Hagiographie."
 
 THE FIRST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 291 
 
 of Warwick. Be this as it may, South Wales 
 was to be the theatre of his labours, both as a 
 scholar and as a bishop. 
 
 Whether his own inclination or circumstances 
 prompted him to return to his native district, or 
 whether he did so in compliance with the wishes 
 of his grandfather and other relations, is not 
 mentioned ; but, undoubtedly, his arrival was 
 hailed with joy by Pebian, who felt a certain 
 pride in the public report which declared that 
 amongst the young British clergy none excelled 
 Dubricius in virtue and science. His grand- 
 father placed at his disposal as much land as he 
 should require for the service of religion. 
 
 Dubricius selected a wooded solitude near the 
 river Wye, Herefordshire. This place was called, 
 in the old Celtic tongue, Mochross, or the land of 
 the swine, probably from its being the haunt of 
 wild boars. There the servant of God built a 
 church, which he dedicated to the Holy Trinity, 
 as also a monastery and colleges. Scholars from 
 all parts of the country nocked to this new seat 
 of learning, and in a short time Dubricius found 
 himself at the head of a seminary numbering 
 more than a thousand students. Here he spent 
 his life, dividing his time between teaching, 
 praying, and preaching to the people of the 
 district. He instructed both clergy and laity, 
 and was the greatest luminary of that period 
 throughout Britain, being consulted on the most 
 important affairs of the country. Events,
 
 292 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 however, were taking place in the island which 
 ultimately became the occasion of his leaving 
 both his college and students. 
 
 In those days the island of Britain happened 
 to be visited by two scourges namely, a great 
 political revolution in the State, and religious 
 dissensions in the Church. 
 
 The Roman rule had ceased in Britain, and 
 the legions had been withdrawn from the island 
 to defend the falling empire, attacked on all 
 sides. Pro-consuls and other imperial officials 
 had gone home with the army, leaving the 
 country to its own resources. 
 
 The Britons, after so many centuries of 
 bondage, were unprepared for self-government. 
 In the first enthusiasm of liberty they took down 
 the Roman eagles from the public buildings, and 
 hailed lustily the dawn of independence. 
 state of Unfortunately, they did not possess those social 
 the time, and political virtues necessary for the formation 
 of a great country. During the Roman occupa- 
 tion they grumbled, but obeyed the conqueror ; 
 when he had left, they refused to be governed 
 and ruled by their own countrymen. Each 
 chieftain declared himself independent. It is 
 true they formed a kind of confederation, with a 
 king at its head ; but in most cases his authority 
 was not acknowledged. They had no standing 
 army able to protect the country against the 
 repeated inroads of the Irish and Caledonians. 
 
 Often they had called on the Armoricans to
 
 THE FIRST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 293 
 
 come to their help, and at last had invited over 
 the Saxons who were to conquer their island. 
 Such was the political condition of Britain in the 
 first part of the fifth century. 
 
 At the same time the Church was disturbed by 
 religious dissensions. If in our days every 
 erroneous religious theory finds ready adepts in 
 England, and that by thousands, such was not 
 the case up to the fifth century. 
 
 Britain could then boast that there was no 
 Christian community under the sun which had 
 kept the purity of faith with greater respect ; for 
 it may be said that Pelagianism was the first 
 heresy to strike any root in this island. 
 
 The British clergy, naturally, opposed the 
 errors of Pelagius ; but, on the evil increasing, 
 they looked across the channel to the French 
 Church, and implored help. The bishops of this 
 country were aware that the French prelates were 
 more advanced in theological dissertation than 
 themselves, and thus they invited some bishops 
 from Gaul to come to their assistance, and, 
 amongst others, Germanus. 
 
 Palladius, originally a deacon in Borne, who 
 had great influence in that city, wrote to the 
 Pope, urging him to exercise his authority in 
 sending Germanus to Britain, as the man best 
 qualified by his talents and virtue to crush the 
 spreading evil. 
 
 Pope Celestine ruled the Church at the time, 
 and commanded Germanus and Lupus to comply
 
 294 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 with the request of the "bishops of Britain. To 
 give greater authority to the defenders of the 
 faith, he named the Bishop of Auxerre his Vicar- 
 Apostolic, witla unlimited powers. 
 
 Such was the complicated state of Britain, 
 civilly and religiously, when Dubricius was 
 selected to become the first Bishop of Llandaff 
 and Metropolitan of Cambria. 
 
 gt. Germanus iustly thought that nothing was 
 
 consecra- 
 ted Bishop better calculated to preserve purity of faith and 
 
 of Llandaff r 
 
 by st. doctrine than a good episcopate. As the proverb 
 
 Gennanus. 
 
 says, " A good bishop and a good diocese." The 
 Abbot of Mochross was highly recommended to 
 him, both by clergy and laity, as a man of God, 
 well versed in divine and human knowledge, and 
 possessing great influence throughout the 
 country. He, accordingly, consecrated Dubricius 
 Archbishop of Llandaff, with jurisdiction over 
 the entire of "Wales, and strongly urged him to 
 turn his mind to the development of sound 
 education in his diocese. After that St. 
 Germanus bade farewell to Britain, and died 
 shortly after in Italy. 
 
 Antiquity Llandaff, with its cathedral restored, is now a 
 of Llandaff nGSL ^ yjUage, close to Cardiff, but looks humble 
 beside one of the greatest sea-ports in England. 
 However, if we seek for its origin, we must trace 
 it up to the introduction of Christianity into 
 Britain. 
 
 The first church ever built in this locality was 
 erected in the second century, during the reign
 
 THE FIKST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 295 
 
 of King Lucius, by one of the missionaries sent 
 by Pope Eleutherius to that British prince. 
 Amongst these was St. Pagan, who is still patron 
 saint of the village which bears his name, and 
 who was either the first or second priest 
 connected with the district. However, as the 
 bishop resided at that time at Caerleon, in 
 Monmouthshire, Llandaff was only a dependence 
 on that see, ministered to by some missionary 
 under the episcopal jurisdiction of Caerleon, from 
 which place it is about twenty miles distant. 
 
 It was reserved for St. Dubricius, in the fifth 
 century, to raise Llandaff to the dignity of an 
 episcopal see. 
 
 The student of history is bound to acknowledge 
 a debt of gratitude to LlandafF and its bishops, 
 who carefully chronicled the events of their days, 
 and thereby enable him to glean precious 
 information as to the religion and customs of the 
 early Christians of Wales and Britain. The 
 " Liber Landavensis, or Book of Teilo," is an 
 invaluable manuscript. 
 
 At the time of the Reformation, when it was 
 held praiseworthy to destroy everything con- 
 nected with the Catholic Church, piles of 
 documents, carefully written and preserved by 
 the faithful clergy of that ancient see, were 
 gathered together and burnt at the close of an 
 evening revel, for the amusement of the ministers 
 of the new religion, their wives, and their guests. 
 This grievous act of Vandalism afforded pleasant
 
 296 CAMBEIA SACRA. 
 
 recreation to the partisans of the Reformation. 
 
 The erection of an episcopal see in Llandaff 
 was looked upon as a great event, and the 
 nomination of Dubricius as its first bishop hailed 
 with joy along the coasts of the Bristol Channel. 
 Nor was public feeling manifested only by empty 
 applause, for the people came forward most 
 generously to provide everything necessary for 
 divine worship. 
 
 Generosity In glancing through the records of the " Liber 
 Cambrians Landavensis," one is impressed with the belief 
 religious that the inhabitants of Glamorgan and other 
 counties were a noble, generous race, devoted to 
 their bishop, and taking the deepest interest in 
 their religion. Throughout the whole diocese 
 grants of land were at once made to the prelate 
 for building churches and monasteries and for 
 parochial purposes. "We trace the Catholic spirit 
 everywhere in these deeds of gift. The laws and 
 customs of the Church are strictly adhered to, 
 the Welsh charters being compared with similar 
 documents in Gaul, Spain, and Italy ; such, for 
 instance, as that made by Clovis in favour of 
 religion ; are all alike in spirit and form. This 
 king of the Pranks, after his conversion, in 491, 
 made a concession of land for a monastery to the 
 uncle of Lupus, the companion of Germanus in 
 his mission to Britain. The charter runs thus : 
 " Dwell in your country, in the land I give you, 
 in the name of the Holy, Undivided, Equal and 
 Consubstantial Trinity. . . . We grant you
 
 THE FIRST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 297 
 
 this domain that you may pray to Almighty God 
 for our preservation and that of our dear spouse 
 and children." The Cambrians were equally 
 generous, and framed their deeds of gift in the 
 same style and spirit. 
 
 During the episcopacy of Dubricius 1 King King 
 Meurig summoned an assembly of the clergy, Glamorgan 
 nobles, and leading people of Glamorgan, and, 
 with their consent, ceded large tracts of land to 
 the new bishop for the service of religion. This 
 included the plain between the river Taff and' 
 Ely, on which a portion of the present town of 
 Cardiff stands. A study of such documents as 
 these, in all their details, is very interesting, and, 
 at the same time, most edifying, for it gives us 
 an insight into the religion of our forefathers. 
 
 I. They are solemn, public deeds, carefully A few 
 drawn up by the best intellects of the time, with 
 that earnest simplicity peculiar to the early 
 Church. They were invariably signed by several ^? P f 
 witnesses on the part of the clergy as well as on charters. 
 that of the laity, and placed upon the altar 
 during Mass. They were regarded as most 
 sacred transactions; for, as a general rule, a 
 curse is pronounced on those who shall violate 
 them, and the blessing of Almighty God invoked 
 on all who respect their provisions. 2 In the 
 
 (1) The longevity of Prince Meurig has somewhat puzzled chronologists. 
 He lived under the episcopacy of three bishops, one of whom ruled his 
 diocese for a long period. The only explanation that can be given is, that 
 he was very young, a mere infant, when his charter to the first Bishop of 
 Llandaff was written, and very old in the days of St. Oudoceus, and that 
 the said charter to Llandaff may not have been written immediately after 
 the consecration of St. Dubricius. 
 
 (2) " Liber Landavensis."
 
 298 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 intention of those concerned, the agreement is to 
 last for ever. Property given to religion is never 
 to be used except for the service of God, and it is 
 consecrated to Jesus Christ without any limit of 
 time. 1 
 
 II. The intention of the donor, as a rule, is 
 specified in the charter ; sometimes it is recorded 
 that he wishes to atone for his past sins as alms 
 cover a multitude of iniquities or to have his 
 name inscribed in the Book of Life ; or, again, 
 it is a thank-oifering for victory obtained over 
 the enemy of his country, or in remembrance of 
 some favour received from heaven. In some 
 deeds the testator makes his bequest for the 
 benefit of the souls of his father or mother 
 deceased, or for the soul of someone he has 
 murdered in an inexcusable encounter, or under 
 the influence of passion. 2 
 
 III. It is specified that such a territory is to 
 be a place of refuge, not only for persecuted 
 innocence, but even for great criminals. The 
 sword is not to be used on land consecrated to 
 Jesus Christ, nor is it to be stained with human 
 blood. Even the cattle of any man who has 
 sought shelter under the protection of the 
 sanctuary cannot be molested when within its 
 pastures. The Church is essentially pacific, and 
 wherever she exercises immediate authority, war 
 and its attendant evils are not allowed ; for she 
 
 (1) " Liber Landavensis." 
 
 (2) " Liber Landavensis."
 
 THE FIBST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 299 
 
 is the teacher of peace to all men of good-will. 
 The poor were never forgotten ; valuable 
 privileges were secured to them by these charters, 
 every indigent person in the diocese being 
 allowed to fish in the rivers, cut wood in the 
 forests, and pasture his cattle on the commons. 1 
 
 IV. The form of donation was as follows : 
 
 " King makes an offering of such or such 
 
 territory to God, to St. Peter the Apostle, and to 
 Dubricius, Bishop of Llandaff, for ever." When 
 a bishop died his name was still mentioned in the 
 deed of gift. Thus, in the time of Oudoceus, 
 third Bishop of Llandaff, we read such testaments 
 as the following : " King Ithael, son of Morgan, 
 and his sons . . . give to God and to St. 
 Dubricius, St. Teilo, and Oudoceus, and all their 
 successors in the Church of Llandaff for ever, 
 three uncias of land " (about 324 acres). 2 
 
 Dubricius and Teilo were then dead, and the 
 see was governed by another bishop. The 
 testator, notwithstanding, does not forget his 
 deceased prelates, but appeals to their intercession 
 in heaven. He feels that those saintly bishops 
 who during their lifetime took such an interest 
 in the eternal welfare of their people, will not 
 forget them now before the throne of God in 
 heaven. Such, amongst the Cambrians of old, 
 was the spirit and form of donations to the 
 Church. The " Liber Landavensis " has handed 
 
 (1) " Liber Landavensis." 
 
 (2) " Liber Landavensis."
 
 300 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 down hundreds of them, thus transmitting to 
 future generations unmistakable testimony of the 
 deep religious feeling which prevailed through- 
 out the country in former days. 
 
 In the first charter of King Meurig, which, 
 unfortunately, is handed down to us only in 
 fragments, we find the limits of the diocese 
 clearly defined, and the cession to the Church of 
 the entire district extending between the rivers 
 Taff and Ely distinctly stated. The grant 
 specifies exemption from service, regular or 
 secular, and right of weirs, fisheries, etc. One 
 condition, is, however, attached, which is that 
 daily prayers shall be offered and ecclesiastical 
 service performed for the soul of King Meurig, 
 and those of his parents, of kings and princes, 
 and all the faithful departed. 
 
 It also decrees that all donations, whether 
 from bishops, princes, offerings of the people, or 
 any other just source, shall be preserved faith- 
 fully and in full for perpetuity. 1 
 
 The charter goes on to state that it shall on no 
 account be lawful for anyone to disturb the 
 aforesaid church, or take away any part of its 
 possessions, or retain such as may have been 
 taken from it, or diminish, or harass it with 
 vexatious proceedings, and that all things, 
 together with the boundaries of the diocese, shall 
 be preserved intact. 
 
 Therefore, if any ecclesiastical or secular 
 
 (1) " Liber Landavensis."
 
 THE FIRST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 301 
 
 person shall in future rashly violate these 
 decrees, and on being admonished twice or 
 thrice, does not amend and give due satisfaction, 
 he shall be deprived of all dignities, powers, and 
 honours, and liable to the Divine judgment for 
 the crimes he has committed, and shall not be 
 allowed to partake of the most holy Body and 
 Blood of the Lord our God and Redeemer, Jesus 
 Christ, and be subject to severe punishment at 
 the final judgment. With respect to those who 
 shall preserve to the Church the property justly 
 belonging to it, "May they be blessed in this 
 world and in the next." 1 
 
 On the day appointed for the promulgation of Pr 
 this charter, nobles, freemen, and bondsmen charter, 
 deemed it their duty to assist at the ceremony, 
 and pay their respects to their chief pastor. 
 Early on the preceding evening the country 
 round Llandaff was transformed as if by magic 
 into an immense camp ; the hills were covered 
 with the tents of hundreds of Welsh chieftains. 
 Prom the summit of each pavilion floated the 
 banner which indicated the name and rank of its 
 occupant. The horses, turned loose after their 
 long journey, grazed quietly around, and the 
 whole scene was not unlike a huge encampment. 
 When night fell the country was illuminated by 
 fires kindled wherever the tents were pitched. 
 As the multitude had assembled for a religious 
 festival, an unusual gravity could be discerned . 
 
 (1) " Liber Landavensis."
 
 302 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 in their demeanour, and before retiring to rest 
 all knelt down before the expiring embers, and 
 religious hymns, sung to the accompaniment of 
 the harp, sounded sweetly and solemnly through 
 the gathering darkness, after which the silence 
 of the night remained unbroken until early 
 dawn, when all directed their steps to the church 
 of LlandafF. 
 
 In those days religious buildings were very 
 limited in dimension ; but even had the church 
 of Llandaff been built upon the vast scale of our 
 modern cathedrals, it would not have afforded 
 accommodation to the vast crowd of worshippers. 
 The holy Sacrifice of the Mass, therefore, was 
 celebrated in the open air, and during the 
 ceremony the charter of King Meurig was 
 proclaimed aloud. When the people heard that 
 the extensive plain extending between the 
 Bristol Channel and the rivers Taff and Ely was 
 the munificent gift bestowed upon the Church by 
 King Meurig, on the condition that the Sacrifice 
 of the Mass should be daily offered for the living 
 Procession an< ^ ^ e dead, they were greatly edified. When 
 along the the deed of gift had been read, a solemn 
 
 banks of 
 
 Taff^T P rocess i on was formed. The clergy, robed in 
 Ely. their clerical vestments, and preceded by the 
 cross, led the way, carrying the relics of saints ; 
 after them walked Dubricius, the new bishop, 
 with pastoral staff in hand. Then came King 
 Meurig, bearing the Book of the Gospels, and 
 surrounded by his nobles. The people brought
 
 THE FIRST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 303 
 
 up the rear of the procession, which passed 
 around the boundaries of the land conceded to 
 the diocese of Llandaff ; and as it proceeded from 
 point to point, the limits were sprinkled with 
 holy water, and dust collected from the pave- 
 ment of the church was scattered here and there 
 along the banks of the rivers Taff and Ely. In 
 those days this was the form used in taking 
 possession of a property consecrated to the 
 Church. Finally, when the procession returned 
 to Llandaff, a solemn curse was pronounced on 
 any person who should violate the covenant 
 entered upon that day, and the blessing of heaven 
 invoked upon all who should religiously respect 
 it. To this the people, in accordance with a 
 custom mentioned in other parts of the " Liber 
 Landavensis," loudly responded " Amen," thereby 
 testifying the strong instincts of a religious 
 nation. 
 
 Impressive beyond description must have been 
 this ceremony, attended as it was by the sons and 
 daughters of Cambria, assembled together from 
 all parts of the nation round their spiritual 
 father. What a deeply devotional feeling filled 
 their hearts as they generously pressed forward 
 to help the cause of religion, and how un- 
 reservedly they consecrated to Almighty God the 
 gifts they bestowed on His Church for ever ! In 
 keeping with its teaching, they like Judas 
 Maccabseus and his brethren did not forget the 
 dead, but enjoined that daily prayers and the
 
 304 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 daily Sacrifice of the Mass should be offered up 
 for the living and the deceased whether rich or 
 poor, princes or vassals, all must be held in 
 memory within their church, as in all other 
 Christian sanctuaries. There, also, the weak 
 must be secure from persecution, and even the 
 criminal find a refuge. Neither must the sword 
 smite any child of God on ground dedicated to 
 Him. As the Saviour of the world pardoned His 
 bitterest enemies, His children are not to execute 
 vengeance in or about His temple. 
 
 The faith and customs of Cambrians in those 
 days were entirely Catholic. They dedicated 
 their cathedral to St. Peter, the head of the 
 Church. The bishops of the See of Llandaff 
 recognised his successor in Rome as inheriting 
 his primacy. Dubricius, and those who came 
 after him, acted in accordance with the laws and 
 customs of the universal Church in transmitting 
 to the Pope an account of the state of their 
 dioceses ; and when, in the twelfth century, 
 Urban, Bishop of Llandaff, found it necessary to 
 appeal to Rome for redress against the encroach- 
 ments of the Bishops of Menevia and Hereford, 
 he could say with truth that all the Bishops of 
 Llandaff, from the time of Dubricius to his own, 
 had ever been devoted to the Holy See. 
 Work of The new bishop, when fairly settled, set at 
 
 Dubricius . . ' . 
 
 in south once to work in the vineyard entrusted to his 
 
 Wales 
 
 care. He erected parishes throughout the whole 
 diocese wherever they were needed. The princes
 
 THE FIRST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 305 
 
 of Herefordshire, Glamor ganshire, and Carmar- 
 thenshire generously met the wishes of the bishop 
 in his zeal for the advancement of religion. The 
 " Liher Landavensis " mentions ten or eleven 
 grants made to Dubricius. 
 
 Pehiau, the grandfather of the archbishop, 
 is most conspicuous amongst the donors, and the 
 ardour of feeling which is manifested in his deeds 
 
 O 
 
 of concession is most touching. In conceding 
 Llan Junabii. near Herefordshire, he commences 
 thus : " King Pebiau, being penitent, with a 
 humble heart, mindful of his evil deeds, and 
 desiring to change his life for the better, gives, 
 in exchange for the kingdom of heaven, the 
 mansion of Junabii to Dubricius and his 
 successors in the See of Llandaff." 1 
 
 And again: "King Pebiau, in conformity 
 with the Scripture which saith ' Give and it 
 shall be given unto you,' bestowed, for the 
 salvation of his soul and the hope of future 
 reward, four uncias of land at Conloc, on the 
 banks of the river Wye." 2 The reader cannot 
 help feeling that the remembrance of his 
 brutality to his grandson and his mother is 
 constantly recurring to the mind of the old 
 chieftain, and that he feels he cannot be too 
 generous towards his intended victim, who was 
 saved by the intervention of God, and, by divine 
 dispensation, called to be his spiritual father and 
 the chief prelate of his country. 
 
 (1) " Liber Landavensis." 
 
 (2) " Liber Landavensis."
 
 306 CAMBKIA SACRA. 
 
 The great speciality of the first Bishop of 
 Llandaff was education, and St. Germanus, who 
 on his visits to Britain, had strongly recom- 
 mended the necessity of instilling sound 
 principles into the minds of the growing 
 generation, had the good fortune of placing the 
 right man in the right place in Wales. 
 Education Duhricius, as a "bishop, does not come hefore us 
 speciality as a great orator, fascinating the people hy the 
 power of his eloquence ; he is a patient organiser 
 of a sound system of education throughout his 
 diocese. It would be hard to point out in the 
 whole history of Britain a bishop who met with 
 greater success. Indeed, in the monastic colleges 
 of his diocese, and under his eyes, grew St. Teilo, 
 David, Daniel, Samson, and hundreds of others, 
 who formed that brilliant generation of British 
 saints of St. David's time. 
 
 Providence had raised up two illustrious saints 
 Illtyd the Knight and Cadoc the Wise to 
 share with him the labours and the glory of 
 carrying with prudence and success this work of 
 the Church in Cambria. 
 
 In Chapter VI. we called the attention of the 
 reader to the great percentage in the Cambrian 
 population rushing to the cloister chieftains 
 leaving their estates, the student in the monastic 
 school never returning home, or, if he did, 
 shortly after going back to the cloister. Immense 
 monasteries existed throughout the land, in which 
 the praises of God were chanted day and night.
 
 THE FIRST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 307 
 
 All this took place in a great measure during 
 the episcopacy of St. Dubricius, and under his 
 spiritual guidance. 
 
 Womanhood did not remain indifferent to the ^ U f 
 religious enthusiasm of the age. Indeed, it 6 " 
 
 enter the 
 
 would be a wonder to find the daughter of Eve convent - 
 less devout than the son of Adam. At all times 
 the beauty of virginity has fascinated woman as 
 much as man ; nay, as a rule, more women 
 embrace religious life than men. In our days, 
 throughout Europe, there are more nuns in the 
 convent than religious in the monastery. 
 
 The ancient records of Britain are sparing in 
 their details of the life led by British nuns ; but 
 this lacune does not destroy the fact that the 
 cloister of those days sheltered the virgin as well 
 as the widow. 
 
 How many of these convents throughout 
 Britain were burnt down by the Anglo-Saxon, 
 yet pagan, and how many of these defenceless 
 women fell under his sword ? 
 
 Indeed, in reading the history of Britain we 
 constantly meet women of every class of society 
 on their way to the convent. In the lifetime of 
 the first Bishop of Llandaff the female crowd 
 rushing to the cloister is truly amazing ; in the 
 throng we perceive the maiden, the widow, and 
 even the married lady. Every county is repre- 
 sented in the cloister, which shelters the daughter 
 of the prince, of the nobleman, and of the 
 commoner.
 
 308 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 At Bassaleg, near Newport, Monmouthshire, 
 Guladys, the mother of St. Cadoc, is at the head 
 of a convent ; her two sisters, St. Keyna and 
 Ninnoc, are both nuns. 
 
 The mother of St. Samson and his aunt entered 
 the cloister when their respective husbands had 
 joined the religious community of Barry Island, 
 near Cardiff, as we have already noticed in 
 Chapter VI. The mother of St. David ended her 
 days in a convent, and the wife of St. Illtyd 
 followed the example of her husband by leaving 
 the world ; and so on of many others it would be 
 too long to mention. 
 
 We read in the " Liber Landavensis " that St. 
 Dubricius was called upon to give the veil to a 
 young virgin called Dulon, living in Glamorgan- 
 shire. 
 
 The parting between the parents and their 
 daughter is termed a sacrifice in the old record. 
 There can be no doubt that when Almighty God 
 calls to the cloister a young and dearly-beloved 
 child, perhaps the cream of the family, the 
 separation is a sacrifice. No matter how strong 
 may be the faith of the parent, or how deep his 
 conviction that his dear one is safe for ever from 
 worldly trials and temptations, nature cannot 
 remain insensible. Like Abraham, he sacrifices 
 a second Isaac. Humanly speaking, the cloister 
 is a grave, for it separates in this world father 
 and mother from a beloved son or a cherished 
 daughter.
 
 THE FIRST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 309 
 
 Such ceremonies were carried out with great 
 solemnity. St. Dubricius on the occasion was theveil 
 attended by the nobility of the neighbourhood. 
 Gwerdog, the father of the young novice, gave to 
 the convent in perpetuity, as the dowry of his 
 daughter, four modii, or about thirty acres of 
 land. According to the invariable rule of the 
 
 o 
 
 "Welsh Church in such transactions, the deed of 
 gift was carefully written and signed by the 
 clergy and laity. Amongst the latter we find 
 the name of King Merchion. The blessing of 
 God was called upon those who should respect 
 the provisions contained in the charter, and the 
 curse of heaven upon the guilty ones who should 
 violate them. It was admitted in those days that 
 conventual property could not be alienated, for 
 it was consecrated to religion. 1 
 
 On a certain occasion a rich nobleman, called 
 Gwyddgenew, 2 came to St. Dubricius to lay before 
 him a tale of sorrow His young daughter, 
 Arganhell, was possessed by a demon. The poor 
 girl, under power of the evil spirit, was thrown 
 at times into the water and into the fire. She 
 tore everything she could lay hands on. To save 
 her from danger she was bound by strong cords, 
 but these she often burst asunder like so many 
 threads. The unhappy father threw himself 
 with great humility at the feet of the bishop, and 
 besought him, as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 to deliver his child from this fearful suffering. 
 
 (1) " Liber Landavensis." 
 
 (2) " Liber Landavensis."
 
 310 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 On coming to the house, St. Dubricius knelt 
 down and implored the Almighty, through the 
 intercession of St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, 
 to grant the cure. The evil spirit at once left 
 {he maiden, who recovered her health of mind 
 and body. Pilled with gratitude to God for this 
 great favour, she abandoned the world and 
 consecrated herself to the religious life, in which 
 she persevered until death. 1 
 
 The saintly Bishop of Llandaff, after forty- 
 Ms See to three years' residence in that locality, transferred 
 
 Caerleon. 
 
 his See to Caerleon, in 490." In taking this step 
 he was probably influenced by the wishes of his 
 people, who suggested that Caerleon the capital 
 of Cambria should again become the residence 
 of the Metropolitan, as it had been since the time 
 of Lucius, in the second century. 
 
 (1) Possession by the devil, as a fact, is testified by Holy Writ and 
 history. The Gospel narrative abounds in instances of the Saviour casting 
 out devils and delivering persons who were possessed by evil spirits. His 
 enemies even accused Him of doing so through the power of Belsebub. 
 When He sent forth His disciples He transmitted to them this power, and 
 they rejoiced especially in it ; for, when returning to Him to render an 
 account of their mission, they said, " The devils even are subject to us in 
 Thy name." Ecclesiastical history abounds in similar statements, recorded 
 in the lives of the fathers of the Greek and Latin Churches, as also do the 
 books of the Old Testament. This is particularly evidenced in the history 
 of Job, where Satan is represented as appearing before the Throne of God 
 and seeking divine permission to try the holy patriarch first in his goods, 
 then by domestic afflictions, and lastly in his own person, through loath- 
 some diseases. Diabolical possession may be the result of vile and unre- 
 strained passions. A wicked man often opens the door of his soul to the 
 demon, courts his friendship ; and when once this false guest has effected 
 an entrance it is hard to put him out. The great enemy of mankind may 
 even be allowed to persecute the lover of perfection. Trials of this kind 
 are sanctioned by God to purify His servants, and thereby enable them to 
 merit eternal rewards. The effort to withstand these attacks arouses all 
 their heroism and fortitude. But he cannot get beyond certain boundaries. 
 Thus, in the case of Job, the Lord assigns a limit to the devil's power. 
 " Serva animam ejus " Spare his life. In the Apocalypse Satan is repre- 
 sented chained like a dog, the chain being lengthened as far as it pleases 
 God, and no further. There is a difference between possession and what is 
 
 C2") "Liber Landaveiisis " (Notes).
 
 THE FIRST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 311 
 
 In a political and ecclesiastical point of view, 
 the history of the ancient city is most interesting. 
 It is situated on the hanks of the river Usk, four 
 miles distant from the present town of Newport. 
 The Romanesque appearance it presented in those 
 days, with its high walls, amphitheatre, haths, 
 temples, and schools, forced the Britons who 
 compared it to Rome itself to acknowledge the 
 intellectual superiority of their conquerors, of 
 whose rule in Western Britain it was the head- 
 quarters. The Questor resided in the city, and 
 all questions of justice and finance were trans- 
 acted within its walls. 
 
 It was also the head-quarters of the Second 
 Legion, called Augusta. This legion had heen 
 brought from Germany by Claudius in the year 
 43, for the protection of the Roman rule in the 
 western part of the island, and remained for four 
 hundred years on the river Usk. This circum- 
 stance led to the city being called Civitas 
 
 termed obsession. The latter implies external annoyances from the evil 
 spirit, the former internal. In it the devil enters the body and takes 
 possession of it, either wholly or partially ; whilst in obsession he acts 
 externally. A few examples will render this more clear to the reader. 
 We read in the '' Lives of the Fathers of the Deseit," and also in those of 
 later saints, that the devil appeared to them in various shapes sometimes 
 as a roaring lion, or a serpent, or a dragon, to terrify them ; whilst at 
 others the demon transformed himself into the most beautiful and seductive 
 forms, in order to excite their carnal passions. We are even told that some 
 of the champions of Christ were severely beaten by His sworn enemy. 
 This, in the language of theology, is called obsession. The Gospels speak 
 of persons being blind, or deaf and dumb, from the fact that a devil occu- 
 pied the organs of sight, hearing or speech. When the evil spirit was cast 
 out those organs were restored to their natural powers. In other cases the 
 demon substituted the instincts of animals for those of man, and souls thus 
 visited became tormented by all the appetites of wild beasts. Persons 
 possessed by the devil have also at times spoken foreign languages hitherto 
 unknown to them ; illiterate, stupid human beings have suddenly become 
 imbued with intelligence and scientific knowledge ; and those suffering 
 from debility have manifested superhuman physical powers. This is called 
 possession. Vide Sckram, Gorres.
 
 312 CAMBRIA SACEA. 
 
 Legionem, or, in the Celtic tongue, Caerleon, 
 which name it retains to the present day. Even 
 still, in this once celebrated spot, the plough and 
 the spade constantly bring to light Eoman coins, 
 columns, tesselated pavements, and mutilated 
 statues of the gods of pagan Borne. 
 
 In connection with the Christian religion, 
 Caerleon was looked upon as sacred. From the 
 earliest period of its introduction into Britain, in 
 the second century, the Metropolitan of Cambria 
 resided within its walls, and the beautiful valley 
 surrounding it could boast, perhaps, of possessing 
 the largest Christian population in the kingdom. 
 When the persecution under Diocletian broke 
 out, the Forum of Caerleon became the theatre 
 of martyrdom, where thousands of the followers 
 of Christ shed their blood as witnesses to His 
 faith. 
 
 That a seminary for the education of priests 
 existed in this city we are led to infer from the 
 " Life of Amphibolus, Martyr, and Patron of 
 Winchester," in which it is stated that he had 
 been professor in the college of Caerleon. 
 
 It is not unreasonable to suppose that the 
 inhabitants should have urged Dubricius to 
 transfer his See to the ancient metropolitan 
 town, and that at last, yielding to their wishes, 
 he left Llandaff and fixed his residence in the 
 City of the Legions. 
 
 Eor some time he governed both Sees, but his 
 advanced age, and the reluctance of the people
 
 THE FIRST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 313 
 
 of Llandaff to be deprived of a bishop, induced 
 him, in the year 512, to consecrate St. Teilo its 
 second episcopal pastor. 
 
 Caerleon preserved all its splendour up to the fifth f a g tion 
 century, for King Arthur selected it for his coro- ^rieon* 
 nation, as being the finest city in Western Britain. 
 
 Geoffrey of Monmouth gives a glowing account 
 of the crowning of Kinr Arthur at Caerleon, by 
 the venerable Metropolitan of Wales. The 
 festivities took place about Pentecost, that day so 
 dear to our forefathers. The City of the Legions, 
 with its beautiful river which was navigable for 
 the largest ships built in those days its charm- 
 ing position, its palaces, and its churches, was 
 decided upon by the British Confederation as the 
 most suitable place for the consecration of the 
 king. The Archbishops of London and York, 
 with many other prelates, were invited. All that 
 concerned the religious part of the ceremony was 
 conducted by Dubricius, the Royal court being 
 within his diocese. 
 
 At the time appointed, the prelates proceeded Coronation 
 to the palace of the king, and conducted him to Arthur by 
 the metropolitan church of St. Aaron. Long 
 and imposing was the procession which wound 
 its way through the streets of Caerleon, while the 
 solemn strains of sacred music filled the air. 
 Clergy and laity in due order preceded the king, 
 who was supported by two archbishops, and by 
 four chieftains carrying golden swords, the 
 insignia of royalty.
 
 314 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 The Queen's cortege formed a second proces- 
 sion. This wended its way to the Church of St. 
 Julius, to which was attached a choir of virgins 
 dedicated to the service of God. It, also, was 
 accompanied hy bishops. Pour queens, hearing 
 four white doves, according to ancient custom, 
 walked before the bride of Arthur ; and a crowd 
 of women followed with every demonstration 
 of joy. 
 
 The holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered up, 
 and every ceremony prescribed by the ritual of 
 that day minutely carried out. When divine 
 service had concluded in both churches the king 
 and queen, relieved of their crowns, and arrayed 
 in lighter ornaments, prepared to participate in 
 the amusements in honour of the festivity. 
 
 The banquet took place in two separate 
 palaces, the king sitting down with the clergy, 
 nobles, and men of all classes ; the queen with 
 the ladies, the Britons still observing the ancient 
 custom of Troy which enjoined that men and 
 women should celebrate their festivals apart. 
 
 St. Dubricius and King Arthur were known to 
 each other, notwithstanding their disparity of 
 age. Whether the young prince had been 
 educated in one of the colleges of the venerable 
 prelate is not certain, but there can be no doubt 
 that Arthur, like the other British chieftains, 
 rejoiced in securing the presence of the arch- 
 bishop in dangerous and critical events. It was 
 a custom of the clergy, as we may infer from the
 
 THE FIRST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 315 
 
 history of Bangs, St. Teilo, and others, to follow 
 their countrymen to the battle-field when the 
 cause of combat was a national and just one, in 
 order to rouse the courage of the soldiers and 
 pray for them during the struggle. It was not 
 in keeping with their mission to use the sword, 
 but they could intercede for the warriors, and 
 this the Britons expected. 
 
 We are told by Geoffrey of Monmouth that 
 the Archbishop of Caerleon followed Arthur to 
 Bath, and was present at the battle of Badon. 
 Before the combat the soldiers were gathered 
 together like soldiers under review, and were 
 thus addressed by St. Dubricius : 
 
 " You who have the honour to profess the Speec}l 
 Christian faith, keep fixed in your minds the 
 love which you owe to your country and fellow- 
 subjects, whose sufferings through the treachery 
 of the pagans will be an everlasting reproach to 
 you, if you do not courageously defend them. It 
 is your country you fight for, and for it you 
 should be ready, when required, voluntarily to 
 suffer death ; for that is in itself victory and 
 salvation to the soul, because he who dies for his 
 brethren offers himself a sacrifice to God, and 
 has Christ for his example, who condescended to 
 lay down His life for His brethren. If, there- 
 fore, any of you should be killed in this war, that 
 death itself which is suffered in so glorious a 
 cause shall be to him penance and absolution for 
 his sins."
 
 316 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 the nv kes ^e ^ as ^ i m P r ^ an t act of the administration 
 Council of O f Dubricius was the convocation of a National 
 
 Brevi. 
 
 Council of the Cambro-British Church at Brevi, 
 in Cardiganshire. 
 
 The venerable Metropolitan was induced to 
 take this step before he died in order to frame a 
 code of religious laws for the province, and also 
 to crush and extinguish the embers of Pela- 
 gianism, which still smouldered in the western 
 part of Wales. 
 
 Landewi-Brevi, nine miles from Lampeter, 
 which forms the boundary of three or four 
 counties, was, from its geographical position, 
 chosen as the most advantageous place for the 
 proposed meeting. 
 
 Dubricius opened and presided over this 
 celebrated synod, which defined the ecclesiastical 
 laws that were to rule the Church of Cambria 
 for centuries, up even to the time when she lost 
 the faith. The most active part in this meeting 
 was taken by younger bishops and priests, such 
 as David, Teilo, and others, most of whom 
 Dubricius had taught as children in his schools 
 at Mochross, Lantwit-Major, and Llancarvan. 
 
 David was chief exponent of Catholic teaching 
 Council of at this Council, and Dubricius recognised in him 
 
 Brevi. 
 
 the man who was to be his successor as Metropo- 
 litan, and felt that the government of the diocese 
 must be entrusted to younger and more energetic 
 bishops. 
 
 His, indeed, had been a noble and glorious
 
 THE FIRST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 317 
 
 career. He was now a centenarian, and had 
 been bishop for seventy-one years. 1 He knew 
 that the time was come for him to resign the 
 care of the souls of others and prepare his own 
 for the great day of eternity. Therefore, he did 
 not return to Caerleon on the conclusion of the 
 Council of Brevi, but set sail for the Island of 
 Bardsey, in the Bay of Cardigan. 
 
 Bardsey or Enlly, as it is named in Welsh- 
 was in olden times called the Necropolis of 
 "Wales, and it is recorded in the " Book 
 Landavensis " that the bodies of twenty thousand 
 confessors and martyrs were buried on its shores. 
 It is a small tract of land, three miles and a-half 
 in length by one and a-half in breadth, distant 
 about three miles from the mainland. Dubricius 
 thought that a place so lonely and distant was 
 admirably suited for his purpose. It was beyond 
 reach of the troubles and cares of this world, and 
 the soul could there aspire to the highest regions 
 of contemplation. 
 
 His stay at Bardsey was not to be for long. 
 His reward was at hand. Two or three years 
 after his settlement there the holy Dubricius 
 died in the Lord on Sunday, the 14th day of 
 November, 522. 
 
 In the year of the Incarnation of our Lord one The relics 
 thousand one hundred and seven (A.D. 1107), on 
 
 the llth day of August, Urban was consecrated 
 Bishop of Llandaff, at Canterbury. 
 
 (1) Dubricius was consecrated bishop by St. Germanus about the yea Llandaff. 
 447-448, and the Council of Bre'vi was held A.D. 519.
 
 318 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 This energetic prelate, having reorganised his 
 diocese, considered it his duty to transfer the 
 relics of St. Dubricius from the lonely island 
 where he had died to the cathedral of which he 
 had been the first bishop. Encouraged by the 
 approbation of the Metropolitan of Canterbury, 
 he obtained permission from the Bishop of 
 Bangor, and also secured the consent of Griffith, 
 King of North Wales, and on the 7th of May, 
 1120, the grave of St. Dubricius at Bardsey 
 Island was opened, and his relics reverently 
 placed in the vessel appointed to bear them to 
 Llandaif, where they arrived on the 23rd of 
 May, in the same year. 
 
 We are already acquainted with the solemnity 
 of the brilliant procession and of the imposing 
 ceremonies which attended the installation of 
 Dubricius into his cathedral church in the fifth 
 century. In the twelfth, the translation of the 
 mortal remains of the same holy bishop was the 
 occasion of a solemn religious function. The 
 people came in crowds to seek the intercession of 
 him who had been the pastor of their forefathers. 
 
 The country at that time was suffering from a 
 prolonged drought. Although spring was far 
 advanced, vegetation was backward. There was 
 danger of the cattle perishing for want of grass, 
 and the crops presented a yellow and sickly 
 appearance, for in the district of Glamorgan- 
 shire it had not rained for more than seven 
 weeks.
 
 THE FIRST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 319 
 
 No sooner, however, had the relics of Dubricius 
 arrived at Llandaff than the country was blessed 
 with abundant rain. The rivers. Taff and Ely, 
 the channels of which had been almost dry, 
 rapidly filled, and their waters rolled in torrents 
 to the sea. The faded and dying vegetation soon 
 revived, and this was regarded by all as a favour 
 obtained through the prayers of the saintly 
 bishop. 1 
 
 His body was placed before the altar of St. 
 Mary, facing the north. When Urban rebuilt 
 Llandaff Cathedral on its present magnificent 
 scale, the relics were removed, and now lie 
 against the south-east pillar of the sanctuary, 
 near the high altar, as it would be called by 
 Catholics. 
 
 His feast was formerly celebrated by his 
 countrymen on the 14th of November. 
 
 As the Catholic faith is again being preached 
 in South Wales, and a deanery and parish church 
 
 (1) The power possessed over the atmosphere by some saints is thus 
 described by the Apostle St. James : "Ellas was a man passable like unto 
 us, and with prayer he prayed that it might not rain upon the earth, and 
 it rained not for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and 
 the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.". (James, 
 chap. 5. ) It is related of St. Francis Xavier, the Apostle of India, that, 
 visiting an Eastern prince who was besieged in a town, and in great want 
 of water, he announced, on the part of his Master, that, if the prince had 
 faith in the divinity of Christ, he would obtain that abundant rain should 
 be given. The potentate and St. Francis accordingly proceeded to the 
 most elevated part of the city, there planted a cross, and prostrated before 
 it in presence of all the people. Clouds gathered immediately over the 
 town, and rain in plentiful showers poured down for the refreshment of 
 men and animals. The enemy, on this, abandoning all hope of reducing 
 the fortress, raised the siege and retired. It is recorded that a Christian 
 legion by prayer obtained rain for a Roman army, and thus saved it from 
 destruction. How often we read that our forefathers, in the ages of faith, 
 ordered public processions, carrying the relics of saints, to obtain the 
 cessation of a long drought. Very frequently their prayers were heard, 
 and the event recorded in their archives, or commemorated either by 
 building churches or celebrating particular festivals.
 
 320 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 has received the name of Dubricius, we may hope 
 that a day will dawn upon Cambria when his 
 memory will . be once more revived in the 
 Breviary and the Missal. 
 
 The "Liber Landavensis" remarks that the 
 British Church looked upon St. Dubricius as 
 their chief advocate with God and the protector 
 of all the faithful in the island when the grave 
 had closed on his mortal remains. 
 
 Indeed, anyone who reads the register of 
 Llandaff, containing hundreds of charters, is 
 struck by the deep veneration of the Cambrians 
 for the memory of their first bishop. His name 
 is scrupulously mentioned in every deed of gift 
 to religion. 
 
 st. The following formula invariably strikes the 
 
 reader : " I give to Almighty God and to St. 
 Dubricius such a territory." The people 
 associate their first pastor in all their good works, 
 in order to secure his intercession before the 
 throne of God. Centuries roll on, social and 
 political events take place, the country has to 
 bow to the Saxon, to the Norman ; but it never 
 loses its devotion to the first Bishop of Llandaff. 
 
 It is to be regretted that ancient records have 
 not handed down to us fuller details concerning 
 the doings and spiritual life of this wonderful 
 man the model of a bishop. Chosen by 
 Almighty God to crush the errors of Pelagius on 
 his native shores, he succeeded in the work 
 entrusted to him. But it is as the spiritual
 
 THE FIRST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 321 
 
 father of a lesrion of saints that Dubricius shines 
 
 O 
 
 in the annals of Western Britain.. 
 
 Before his death he had the consolation of 
 seeing a considerable number of the pupils 
 educated in his diocese raised to the episcopal 
 dignity or at the head of prosperous and holy 
 monasteries. 
 
 Almighty God at times revealed to him, 
 through supernatural signs, the eminent sanctity 
 which some of his pupils would attain in after 
 life. In ordination time, he saw more than once 
 the Holy Ghost alight on the young deacon or 
 priest so carefully trained for his respective 
 dignity in the Church. Even in this world 
 heaven was thus pleased to reward the patient 
 and skilful master. 
 
 The venerable prelate did not neglect to attend 
 to his own spiritual welfare. At the beginning 
 of each Lent, according to a practice often 
 spoken of in the " Lives of the Early British 
 Saints," he used to retire to Barry Island or 
 Lant wit-Major, in order to examine the state of 
 his own soul. This was the annual retreat, so 
 dear to the Catholic Church, and now com- 
 manded, as a duty to every bishop and priest all 
 over the world. 
 
 The compiler of this biography has the honour 
 of representing the Catholic faith in the vicinity 
 of Llandaff, and feels a certain pride in being the 
 first resident Catholic priest in this district since 
 it has lost the Catholic faith. The population of
 
 322 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Cardiff is daily extending on the land situated 
 between the rivers Taff and Ely, and the 
 boundaries of the town have nearly reached the 
 old city of Dubricius. 
 The writer This same tract of land was granted, as we 
 
 appeals to 
 
 the public have seen, to the first Bishop of Llandaff for 
 
 for help to 
 
 build a Catholic purposes. 
 
 Catholic 
 
 Church With the exception of Giastonbury, it would 
 
 foctwCGQ 
 
 the rivers be difficult to find, in the whole island of Britain, 
 Ely. a spot more anciently connected with the Catholic 
 faith than this. 
 
 Llandaff recalls to mind the memory of Pope 
 Eleutherius, of St. Pagan, and of King Lucius, 
 who, in the second century, consecrated these 
 shores to the faith of Christ. The generosity of 
 that prince to religion naturally presents itself as 
 the foremost thought in reviewing those bygone 
 days. 
 
 May Almighty God inspire nobles, merchants, 
 and the public at large with the zeal and 
 munificence which then actuated Meurig and 
 Morgan, and help us to restore the worship of 
 our forefathers on the banks of the Taff and Ely ! 
 
 Fifteen hundred Catholics, mostly of the 
 labouring class, are scattered over Canton, 
 Grangetown, Llandaff, and Ely, and practise 
 throughout these districts the religion of Lucius, 
 St. Pagan, St. Dubricius, and St. Teilo. 
 
 The holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered up in 
 temporary buildings, such as school-houses, both 
 in Canton and Grangetown. Such chapels are
 
 THE FIRST BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 323 
 
 not in accordance with Catholic customs, nor do 
 they fully answer the end proposed. 
 
 The holy * altar should be enshrined in an 
 appropriate building, and the Sacrifice of the 
 Mass offered up in Temples worthy of the Real 
 Presence of our Lord. 
 
 Catholic custom, wherever it can be carried 
 out, enjoins that churches should be erected on 
 freehold land ; because a building which has 
 been the sanctuary of the blessed Sacrament 
 should never be used for any other purpose. It 
 is clearly shown in charters and other documents 
 that such was the spirit of our forefathers.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 ST. TEILO, SECOND BISHOP OP LLANDAPP.* 
 
 " The memory of the wise man shall not depart away, and 
 his name shall be in request from generation to genera- 
 tion. . . Nations shall declare his wisdom, and the Church 
 shall show forth his praise." ECCLES. xxxix. 13, 14. 
 
 THE " Liber Landavensis," or, as it is often 
 termed, " The Book of Teilo," commences the 
 life of the second Bishop of Llandaif in the 
 following manner: "This holy man (Teilo), 
 dearly beloved, was from his infancy a worshipper 
 of Grod ; nor is it to be wondered at, for before 
 he was born he was predestined to be His 
 servant. . . . Therefore, he carried on his 
 warfare by being urgent in prayer and by giving 
 to the poor whatever he possessed, . . . re- 
 serving nothing to himself of his own, he 
 exchanged perishing for eternal things. What a 
 merchant he was who gave his own to God that 
 he might receive a hundredfold ! what wisdom 
 and knowledge he possessed who distributed to 
 others that he might be himself enriched, who 
 
 (1) This Life is compiled from the " Liber Landavensis," Lobineau, 
 " Britannia Sancta," Eees' " Essay on the Welsh Saints."
 
 THE SECOND BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 325 
 
 consented to become poor in order to make 
 others rich ! In his infancy he was good, in 
 his youth still better, advanced in age, the best 
 of all." 
 
 One cannot help remarking whilst reading the 
 life of St. Teilo how strong and Catholic was his 
 faith, and that of the nation to which he 
 belonged. Teilo had been a great traveller. 
 When a young priest he had journeyed over a 
 considerable part of Europe, on his way to 
 Jerusalem, in company with St. David and 
 Bishop Padarn. Driven by pestilence, with a part 
 of his flock, into Brittany, he was everywhere 
 received as a priest and a bishop of the Catholic 
 Church, and welcomed as a distinguished member 
 of the great Catholic community. 
 
 St. Teilo, in all probability, was born in Pern- Birth and 
 
 early days. 
 
 brokeshire, in the neighbourhood of Tenby. 
 Ensic, or Ecnic, his father, and his mother were 
 descended from families of great distinction in 
 South Wales. The utmost care was bestowed on 
 his education, and when quite a boy he was 
 sent to the seminary of Dubricius, at Mochros, 
 on the river Wye, in Herefordshire. 
 
 There is no doubt that young Teilo possessed 
 talents of the highest order, and soon became a 
 student of the first class at Mochros. His 
 biographers state that when his master, Dubricius, 
 met with passages in the holy Scripture which 
 he had a difficulty in solving, it was his custom 
 to summon his youthful disciple, so much did he
 
 326 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 rely on the acuteness of his mind and the extent 
 of his learning. 1 
 
 Dubricius considered Teilo the person most 
 fitted to be his successor at Mochros. In this, 
 however, he was disappointed, for the young 
 man felt a strong attraction to the contemplative 
 life, and accordingly left Mochros to place him- 
 self under the direction of Paulinus, at Ty-gwyn 
 ar Taf, now Whitland, near Tenby. 
 
 The highest branches of theology were 
 particularly attended to in that college, and this 
 attracted such scholars as David and Teilo. It 
 was there they contracted a friendship which, 
 like that of Basil and Gregory Nazianzenus, 
 lasted as long as life. Prayer, study, and 
 manual labour filled up their time. 
 
 At this period a certain Irish chieftain, named 
 Boya, who was an adventurer, and not averse to 
 plunder, like many of the princes of those days, 
 landed on the Welsh coast. He headed a large 
 piratical party, and devastated the country, 
 burning churches and dwellings, and putting the 
 defenceless inhabitants to the sword. 
 
 The Cambrians were not more particular in 
 this respect, for during the lifetime of St. Patrick 
 a Welsh leader suddenly landed on the Irish 
 coast and carried away a large number of young 
 Christians to whom the bishop had just 
 administered the Sacrament of Confirmation. 
 
 Boya, finding the country suited him, settled 
 
 (1) To this brilliancy of intellect may be traced the surname of 
 HXi'oy (Helios), by which he was known amongst his fellow-students.
 
 THE SECOND BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 327 
 
 in it, built for himself a permanent habitation, 
 and soon became acquainted with the Monastery 
 of Tygwyn, where Teilo and David resided. The 
 life followed by the religious community was, as 
 a matter of course, ridiculed by these men, whose 
 ideal of perfection was daring courage, skilful 
 swordsmanship, and their accompaniements of 
 plenty of booty and pleasures ; for carnal men, 
 as St. Paul says, cannot rise above the level of 
 concupicense. 
 
 The angelic and pure life led by Paulinus and >ue of 
 his companions was much commented upon by servants of 
 
 T God put to 
 
 the household of Boy a. It was pronounced to the test- 
 be highly unnatural, or, at least, extraordinary 
 for men to allow themselves no pleasure in this 
 world, spending the day in labour and the night 
 in prayer. During an evening revel someone 
 suggested the idea that they were like the rest of 
 mankind, accessible to earthly delights. Boya 
 considered this a happy thought, and directed 
 his wife to send her maids to tempt the virtue of 
 the lovers of virginity. The command was 
 obeyed with alacrity, and for several days these 
 women hovered about the monastery, resorting 
 to every wicked device to attract the pious monks 
 and lead them into sin. They, however, sought 
 protection from these snares by beseeching 
 heaven to deliver them from their importunities. 
 Feigned madness was one of the plans adopted 
 by these women to attract the notice of the 
 community, and for this they were severely
 
 328 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 punished by being stricken with real insanity, 
 which so terrified the household of the chieftain 
 that they began to reflect on the impropriety of 
 the lives they were leading, and perceive the 
 necessity of reforming them. Boy a and his 
 family sought instruction from the religious 
 whose virtue they had so wickedly assailed, and 
 were baptised. 
 
 The history of the lives of the monks of Wales, 
 and of their brethren in other parts of the world 
 at the same period, abound in incidents bearing 
 upon their relations with the wild beasts of the 
 forests. Living in solitude, apart from human 
 companionship, a friendship was often formed 
 between the stag and the recluse. If, on the one 
 hand, the follower of Christ respected the right 
 of existence of these animals, they, on their side, 
 frequently repaid his kindness by assisting him 
 in various ways. The following legend con- 
 nected with St. Teilo gives an instance of this : 
 The monks ^ n a certain afternoon Teilo and Madoc were 
 reading the Lamentations of the Prophet 
 Jeremias in the court-yard of the monastery, 
 when the cook came to inform them, that wood 
 was wanting for the preparation of the evening 
 meal of the community, and that they must at 
 once proceed to the neighbouring forest and 
 carry back a supply. The students were at first 
 somewhat vexed, because the evening was rather 
 advanced; but, overcoming these feelings, they 
 departed. On the road they were met by two
 
 THE SECOND BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 329 
 
 stags, which, instead of running off, awaited their 
 approach, as if to say, " We are ready to help 
 you to drag the wood from the forest." The 
 young men sang the praises of the Lord, and, 
 harnessing the two animals to their vehicle, 
 hastened to the forest and soon returned with a 
 heavy load of fuel. These stags lived ever after 
 near the monastery, like tame oxen, and willingly 
 performed similar service whenever it was 
 required. 
 
 Strangers visiting Ty-gwyn ar Taf naturally 
 moved to wonder at so unusual a circumstance- 
 were wont to remark, " These holy men, by the 
 power of God, render wild animals obedient to 
 their will ; we can kill them in the hunting field, 
 but cannot bring them under subjection. When 
 these apostles of Christ preach to us we do not 
 hearken to their instructions ; the beasts of the 
 field listen, and show themselves in this to be our 
 superiors." 
 
 In the narration of this legend it is impossible 
 not to be struck with the simplicity of these 
 peasants, which makes them naively confess that 
 they were led to God not so much by the teaching 
 of His ministers as by the example of irrational 
 animals. The preaching of the Gospel failed to 
 convert them, but when they beheld wild beasts 
 yielding obedience to the monks they became 
 convinced of the necessity of attending to the 
 instructions of these holy men. 
 
 In a church dedicated to St. Teilo, in the
 
 330 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 diocese of Quimper, Brittany, the saint is repre- 
 sented riding upon a stag. This is, no doubt, in 
 pious allusion to the above legend of Ty-gwen, 
 or Taf. 
 
 The early Christians of Britain had much 
 devotion to pilgrimages, especially to Jerusalem 
 and Borne. They allowed nothing to deter them 
 from following this pious practice. The disciples 
 of Paulinus, from the very nature of their sacred 
 studies, had mentally to travel over those regions 
 of the East sanctified by the footsteps of the 
 Bedeemer of the world. During the hours of 
 study, they beheld in vision Jerusalem, Nazareth, 
 Bethlehem, and the Jordan, and the same holy 
 places formed the theme of their conversation at 
 the time of recreation ; then the much-desired 
 privilege and happiness of visiting them, out of 
 love and respect for our Lord, and the length 
 and dangers of the journey, were freely discussed. 
 Teilo, David, and Padarn came to an agreement 
 to overcome these difficulties and accomplish 
 their desire. At what period of life they started 
 is not easy to ascertain, but the fact of their 
 going to Jerusalem seems beyond doubt. 
 pilgrimage -But little preparation was needed. These 
 Jerusalem pilg r i m s were not about to travel as tourists in 
 search of amusement or distraction, or for the 
 purpose of killing time by visiting unknown 
 countries. They set forth as penitents and as 
 loving disciples of the Lord Jesus, with the sole 
 wish of adoring Him on the spots where, for
 
 THE SECOND BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 331 
 
 them, He had shed His blood and died. A staff 
 in the hand, a wallet on the shoulder, in which 
 to receive the food begged along the road as 
 Christian alms, in the name of the Redeemer 
 whose tomb they were about to visit, constituted 
 their luggage. One requisite indispensable 
 then as now must not, however, be forgotten. 
 This was a certificate from their abbot, Paulinus, 
 and also one from their bishop, Dubricius, 
 testifying that they were priests of the Catholic 
 Church, men of pure lives, who observed the 
 commandments of God and of His Church. 
 "Without such a certificate they could not be 
 allowed to celebrate the holy Sacrifice of the 
 Mass, or even approach, like simple laymen, to 
 the rails of the sanctuary for the purpose of 
 receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 The Council of Aries, convened during the 
 reign of Constantine, in 314, and several other 
 Councils, are particular on this subject. Thus, 
 in the seventh Article of the Council of Aries, we 
 read that any one of the faithful named by the 
 civil authority to be governor of a province, 
 should take with him a letter from his bishop to 
 certify that he lived in the communion of the 
 Catholic Church. 1 The Roman Empire, so 
 vast, necessitated the constant transfer of officers, 
 civiFand military, from one part of the world to 
 another, and the Church considered such a 
 
 (1) Migne, Diet, des Conciles, Aries.
 
 332 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 measure necessary to protect the purity of the 
 faith. At all times she has taken the greatest 
 care to preserve her altars from unworthy 
 ministers, and not to bestow the Body and Blood 
 of our Lord on laymen of whose purity of faith 
 or morals doubts might exist. 
 
 In our days there have been instances whereof 
 Ritualists presented themselves in Catholic 
 churches, both in Rome and Paris, and requested 
 permission to celebrate the holy Sacrifice of the 
 Mass. Some of these gentlemen are so well up 
 in Rubrics as to render detection difficult. Let 
 them submit to the Church of God, receive the 
 Sacrament of Ordination, and then, when duly 
 authorised, we shall rejoice to see them approach 
 the altar of sacrifice. 
 
 Teilo, David, and Padarn crossed Gaul and 
 other parts of Europe, leaving behind them 
 wherever they passed a most edifying example of 
 sanctity. 
 
 The After a long, tiresome, and dangerous journey, 
 
 Seep for they at last reached Jerusalem. Eor the first 
 
 nights on three days the pavement of the church was their 
 
 pavement on ty ^ed. They remembered, no doubt, that our 
 
 chu!"h. I J r( i na( i spent three long hours upon the bed of 
 
 the cross, suspended by three nails, and thought 
 
 it not too much that they, hardy Britons that 
 
 they were, should sleep for as many days on the 
 
 stones which covered the holy spot. 
 
 This act of piety, manifesting as it did, a deep 
 religious faith, produced a great impression in
 
 THE SECOND BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 333 
 
 the holy city. It must be admitted that there 
 were particular reasons why a Briton should he 
 welcome in Jerusalem. A lady of their country, 
 St. Helen, mother of the Emperor Constantine, 
 had built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, over 
 the tomb of Jesus, and erected many others in 
 several parts of the Holy Land. 
 
 On presenting to the Patriarch their papers, 
 giving proof that they were priests from the 
 island of Britain, educated and bene-nati, and, 
 above all, true servants of God, living in a 
 monastery, they found themselves welcome, and 
 soon gained public veneration, and were even 
 invited to preach. 
 
 St. Teilo appears to have been the first of the 
 three who edified the Eastern Church by a clear 
 and moving exposition of Catholic truth. His 
 two companions, in like manner, seem to have 
 been requested by the people to preach the 
 Gospel to them. 
 
 The " Liber Landavensis " observes that the 
 teaching of these saintly Britons of Cambria 
 produced a deep impression. They proved to the 
 East that the religion of their island was that of 
 Leo the Great, the reigning Pope ; of Germanus 
 of Gaul, of St. John Chrysostom, the Cicero of 
 the Church, and of the great African bishop, St. 
 Augustine. 1 
 
 (1) The "Liber LancUvensis " remarks that the three British pilgrims 
 received during their stay ID Jerusalem the gift of tongues. We read in 
 the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles that the beloved disciples 
 of our Lord received the gift of languages on the Day of Pentecost. The' 
 thousands of strangers from all parts of the world who had come to
 
 334 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 " These men," justly observed the Patriarch of 
 Jerusalem, and all the men of intelligence in the 
 city concurred in this opinion, " come as pilgrims 
 from a distant country far away towards the 
 North Pole. They preserve the purity of the 
 Gospel as a sacred treasure. Pelagius, their 
 countryman, and his erroneous doctrine on grace 
 are rejected by them, because contrary to 
 Scripture and condemned by the Pope and by 
 the Church. Unity of faith amongst Christians 
 is undoubtedly a blessed sight amongst angels 
 and men. Nothing shows to greater advantage 
 the influence of Divine grace in gathering all the 
 nations of the globe into one fold. 
 
 The power of God alone can unite in one faith 
 and one baptism the children of Adam, divided 
 by languages, customs, interests, and prejudices. 
 
 Jerusalem were greatly surprised in hearing ignorant Galileans speak the 
 idioms of the East, of the islands in the Mediterranean, as well as Latin and 
 Greek. Commentators tell us that St. Peter and the other apostles may 
 have conveyed the doctrine of their divine Master in two ways either by 
 speaking the respective languages of the various nationalities present, or by 
 these various nationalities being enabled by a miracle to underst and the 
 apostles in using their own idiom. E.g., let us suppose St. Peter or St. 
 Stephen to have spoken to the people in Syro-Chaldaic, yet the Cretes, the 
 Elamites, the Arabs, and others understood them as if they had spoken their 
 native idioms. We read of St. Vincent Ferrier, a Spaniard by birth, who, 
 preaching in Brittany in the beginning of the fifteenth century, made use 
 of his materjial language, and was yet understood by Moors, Arabs, English- 
 men, Germans, and others, who knew only the language of their respective 
 countries. Teilo, David, and Padarn were scholars, and according to all 
 probabilities knew Greek, which was taught in the colleges of those days, as 
 it is in ours. But their proficiency in that language may not have been of 
 such a high standard as to enable them to speak in public and extempore. 
 Then, it is not unreasonable to suppose that the pronunciation of Greek in 
 Britain was different from that in the East. In our days, the best Greek 
 scholars in England could hardly be understood in France or in Italy. If, 
 then, the three saintly priests acquired such popularity in the East as 
 apostolic orators, are we to disbelieve the ancient records which assert that 
 the Holy Ghost had bestowed on them the gift of languages ? Amongst 
 the various gifts spoken of in the New Testament, for the edification of the 
 Church, is that of languages. Could not the Holy Ghost communicate it 
 to Teilo and his companions for the spiritual benefit of the Christians 
 collected round the sepulchre of our Saviour, and many of whom had not 
 the least knowledge of Greek ?
 
 THE SECOND BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 335 
 
 The primary object of the Incarnation was 
 nothing else but the redemption of mankind and 
 the creation of unity of religion." 
 
 Before leaving Jerusalem, St. Teilo and his two Tei i 
 
 chosen to 
 
 companions were consecrated bishops. Some i Bishop 
 
 , . , . ,, j vj. f -, - ofLlandaff 
 
 historians throw doubt on the tact, as being 
 contrary to the canon law; but we find it 
 mentioned in the three respective lives of Teilo, 
 David, and Padarn. 
 
 Perhaps the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who 
 occupied a See of which the Redeemer had been 
 the first pastor, and under whose walls he had 
 shed his blood, enjoyed particular privileges, or 
 assumed them. 
 
 On his way home, St. Teilo, passing through 
 Brittany, stayed a while with his brother-in-law, 
 Budic, and strongly recommended his sister to 
 brinsr up her children in the fear of God. He 
 
 o r , 
 
 had no idea then that Almighty God destined one 
 of these young children to be one day his 
 successor in the See of Llandafl 7 , as we shall see 
 later on. 
 
 In the preceding chapter we related how 
 Dubricius, yielding to circumstances, had re- 
 moved his See from Llandaif to Caerleon. Eor 
 some time he governed both dioceses, but being 
 now far advanced in years, and the people in 
 Glamorganshire being anxious to possess a bishop 
 of their own, Teilo was elected to fill that See 
 about the year 512. 
 
 The ceremony of installation in his case was
 
 336 CAMBRIA SACRA 
 
 conducted with the same pomp as attended that 
 of Dubricius, with processions round the 
 boundaries of the diocese, and confirmation of 
 privileges already bestowed, a custom strictly 
 adhered to at the accession of every prelate. 
 
 The new bishop entered at once, heart and 
 soul, on the administration of his diocese, and 
 carried on with activity the work of his prede- 
 cessor, until it was interrupted by one of those 
 scourges which cause more havoc in the country 
 afflicted by it than the most merciless war. This 
 was the yellow plague. 
 
 The Lord is the ruler of the earth; fire, 
 hail, snow, ice, stormy winds, pestilence, and 
 inundations execute His vengeance on guilty 
 nations, as the prophet says. 
 
 The This yellow plague broke out first in North 
 
 "Wales, sparing neither man or beast. People 
 fled from the North to the South, thereby, no 
 doubt, disseminating the pestilence through 
 regions yet healthy. 
 
 King Maelgwinn-gwynedd fled to Carnarvon- 
 shire, and there died of the plague in a church. 
 Terror filled every heart. Imagination, excited 
 still more by the bards and poets, exaggerated 
 even the extent of the scourge. The bards 
 represented the plague under the shape of a 
 woman carrying destruction through the country. 
 Her hair, teeth, and eyes in fact, her whole 
 person was yellow. Like the Angel of Death 
 in the time of Pharaoh, she passed alike through
 
 THE SECOND BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 337 
 
 the castle of the chieftain and the humble 
 dwelling of the poor. Whatever she touched 
 was doomed to instantaneous death. However 
 terrible the Saxon -might be, he could be met 
 face to face, sword in hand ; but this hideous 
 hag hovered about unseen, and extended her 
 poisoned hands when least expected, striking her 
 victims in their beds and in the fields. King 
 Maelgwinn had incautiously looked at her through 
 his windows, and forthwith was smitten. So the 
 bards affirmed, and they were implicitly believed. 
 
 South Wales was exempted in the beginning, 
 only to be more severely afflicted in the end. 
 
 St. Teilo spared no exertion in visiting the sick 
 and relieving distress. He tendered hospitality 
 to the thousands who fled from the North to the 
 South to escape the raging epidemic. He ordered 
 prayers to be offered, and proclaimed a fast 
 throughout his diocese, and cried out to the Lord, 
 saying, " Spare, oh, Lord, spare Thy people, 
 whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious 
 blood, for Thou wiliest not the death of a sinner. 
 Give not Thine inheritance to perdition." 
 
 But as the plague, however, extended to the 
 southern district, a general emigration ensued, 
 carrying thousands to Ireland and to the western 
 shores of Prance. After battling against the 
 disaster for a long time, St. Teilo judged it 
 advisable to emigrate, along with his clergy and 
 people, to Brittany, and there await with patience 
 the return of better days .
 
 338 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 ex Q es w fth Teilo at their head, crossed 
 
 tion to 
 
 Brittany the Bristol Channel and directed their steps to 
 Cornwall, being certain of finding on that coast 
 a sufficient number of vessels to carry them over 
 to the western shores of France. 
 
 The Prince of Cornwall, Gerennius, or, in 
 .^jtWelsh, Geraint, extended generous hospitality to 
 * the afflicted Cambrians, and supplied their wants 
 until such time as they had completed all neces- 
 sary arrangements with the owners of vessels. 
 It is evident that he did not allow terror at the 
 thought of communicating with a plague-stricken 
 people to influence him or impede his generosity. 
 Geraint Gerennius and the Bishop of Llandaff soon 
 his sms to became intimately acquainted, and before the 
 embarkation of the holy prelate the Cornish 
 prince, according to Catholic custom, desired to 
 unburden his conscience to his venerable guest, 
 and thus addressed him : " Before thou de- 
 partest, I request and desire that thou wilt 
 receive my confession in the Lord." 1 St. Teilo 
 complied with the wishes of the king, who seems 
 to have had a deep conviction that his days on 
 earth were numbered. The confessor, however, 
 with that profound religious prevision which is 
 the special attribute of the servants of God, bade 
 his royal penitent be of good heart, because he 
 had been favoured with a vision intimating that 
 Gerennius would not leave the world until such 
 time as he (Teilo) should return from Prance. 
 
 (1) " Liber Landavensis. "
 
 THE SECOND BISHOP OF 1LANDAFF. 339 
 
 " I am going to Brittany," said the bishop, 
 " and shall return to my diocese at the time 
 appointed by the Almighty. King, thou shalt 
 not die before thou hast received from my own 
 hands the body and blood of the Lord consecrated 
 by me in the holy Sacrifice of the Mass." 
 
 These words of the prelate were verified, as we 
 shall see later. 
 
 On landing in Brittany, St. Teilo was every- 
 where met by his own countrymen. The wife of 
 Budoc, Count of Cornouailles, was his sister, 
 Samson, Bishop of D61, had been his fellow- 
 student and intimate friend. Most of the dioceses 
 around him were, or had been, governed by 
 bishops from his native land, and the inhabitants 
 in general were descended from British blood. 
 
 St. Teilo first visited the husband of his sister, 
 and secured a settlement in his territory for 
 many of his companions. This done, he repaired 
 to D61, in order to follow the monastic rule with 
 the brethren of St. Samson. His sister could not 
 persuade him to remain in Cornouailles. It was 
 more congenial to the habits of his life to dwell 
 in a monastery than to share the hospitality of 
 earthly princes in a castle. 
 
 Prayer, manual labour, and, when necessary, 
 the exercise of episcopal duties, filled up theTeOojn 
 period of his absence from Cambria. He was ^^ 
 long remembered in the neighbourhood of D61 
 as an indefatigable and skilful agriculturist. He 
 himself worked with axe and spade in clearing
 
 340 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 forest land and preparing the soil for the pro- 
 duction of a rich harvest. Montalemhert states 
 that the Bishop of Llandaff, aided by Samson, 
 planted with his own hands an immense orchard, 
 or, as the legend terms it, "a true forest of fruit 
 trees," three miles in extent. To him also is 
 attributed the introduction of the apple into 
 Armorica, where cider still continues to be the 
 national beverage. Tkis orchard existed in the 
 twelfth century, under the name of Arboretum 
 Teliavi et Samsonis. 
 
 Connected with the same plantation is the 
 fountain of Cai. Popular tradition attributes this 
 spring to the prayers of St. Teilo. Seafaring 
 men for centuries regarded it as a duty to keep 
 this sacred well in repair, and clear away from 
 around it any over-growth of vegetation, and 
 when starting for a voyage it was their custom to 
 invoke St. Teilo for a prosperous journey and 
 favourable winds. ' 
 
 Prom time to time the Bishop of Llandaff 
 found it necessary to lay aside his agricultural 
 dress and avocations, and assume the crosier and 
 the mitre. St. Samson was often called away on 
 important business by the Frank kings, or 
 summoned to assist at councils of the Church. 
 The Bishop of Llandaff fulfilled the duties of the 
 episcopate during his absence, and this led some 
 historians to state that he had been a bishop in 
 Brittany. 
 
 Meanwhile, the yellow plague by degrees
 
 THE SECOND BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 341 
 
 disappeared from Wales, and progressive im- 
 provement was constantly reported. This cheered 
 the exiled Cambrians with the prospect of a 
 speedy return to their native shores. When the 
 bishop thought this could be done with safety, he 
 sent messengers throughout France to gather 
 together his dispersed countrymen. This was 
 not a very easy task, for they were scattered all 
 over Gaul. Some of them had even crossed the 
 Alps and settled in Italy. 
 
 At this period of his life he left D61, and 
 
 _ . returns to 
 
 fixed his abode on the sea-shore, at a con- Britain. 
 venient port. There he established his head- 
 quarters, hastening the preparations for crossing 
 the sea, and providing food and shelter for 
 his brethren in exile as they arrived from day 
 to day. 
 
 The formation of this camp and the collecting 
 of a fleet of vessels announced to the Armoricans 
 that Teilo was about to depart from their shores. 
 That exiles should return to their native land 
 appeared to them to be natural enough, but they 
 were unwilling to lose the holy bishop. His 
 sanctity and gift of miracles had endeared him 
 to them, and measures were taken to retain him 
 in Brittany, if possible. Samson, the archbishop, 
 and Budic, the brother-in-law of Teilo, were 
 commissioned to endeavour to prevail on him to 
 remain amongst them. St. Teilo, without giving 
 any formal promise, delayed his departure, and 
 returned for a time to D61. But he still con-
 
 342 CAMERIA SAC31A. 
 
 tinued his preparations for leading back his 
 countrymen into Wales. 
 
 Meanwhile, when in prayer one day, an angel 
 appeared to him and recalled to his mind the 
 promise he had made to the Cornish prince, 
 seven years before. " Teilo," said the Divine 
 messenger, " seven years have elapsed since, in 
 the name of the Redeemer, thou didst promise 
 Geraint that he should not die until he had 
 received from thy hands the body and blood of 
 the Lord, consecrated by thee in the holy 
 Sacrifice of the Mass. Geraint lies now upon his 
 death-bed, and expects thee to fulfil thy promise. 
 Hasten, therefore, thy return, and delay not." 
 
 The bishop, having communicated this vision 
 to St. Samson, at once departed from Brittany. 
 After his embarkation he met at sea a vessel 
 which hsd been despatched by the Cornish 
 prince with a message urging him, in the name 
 of God, to come to him with the greatest speed 
 possible. When St. Teilo landed on the coast of 
 Cornwall he repaired at once to the dying 
 chieftain, whom he found in the last extremity. 
 On the following morning he celebrated the holy 
 Sacrifice of the Mass, and administered with his 
 own hands the body and blood of the Lord Jesus 
 Christ to King Geraint. Thus the truth of the 
 two visions were realised, and Teilo faithfully 
 kept his promise to a prince who had so 
 generously extended hospitality to a plague- 
 stricken people whom others would have
 
 THE SECOND BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 343 
 
 shunned from fear of the iniection spreading 
 through their own country. 
 
 St. Teilo, on arriving at his diocese, found the Re * . 
 
 orgamsa- 
 
 countrv in a frightful condition in fact, it was tion of the 
 
 diocese of 
 
 one vast desert, through which the traveller 
 could walk for days and scarcely meet a single 
 human heing. Castles and villages were deserted, 
 and the silence of death reigned over the land. 
 Many parishes were without priest or inhabitants ; 
 an undergrowth of wood had sprung up on the 
 roads to the very doors of the churches. For 
 seven years these sacred buildings had never 
 sheltered a Christian worshipper, nor had the 
 prayers of the afflicted been heard around their 
 altars. They were in a dilapidated condition ; 
 the cemeteries around them were crowded with 
 the remains of the thousands who had been 
 carried away by the plague, and luxuriant plants 
 bloomed above their graves. It was a great 
 work of restoration which awaited the sorrowing 
 bishop ; but, like Zorobabel, he at once com- 
 menced to rebuild the ruined walls. Several 
 priests had accompanied him from Brittany. 
 These he dispersed throughout the country to 
 serve in places where the population had been 
 spared, or had returned to their homes at an 
 earlier period. 
 
 Amongst these priests were three of his 
 nephews Ismail, Tify, and Oudoceus. The re- 
 appearance of the bishop restored confidence 
 throughout the diocese, and brought back the
 
 344 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 emigrant Cambrians to their native shores, and 
 in a few years scarcely any vestiges of the 
 terrible plague could be traced. Tradition, how- 
 ever, stamped its memory on the district for ages. 
 Bards made it the theme of verses, which were 
 chanted by the itinerant poets who exercised 
 their art at the doors of the churches after Mass 
 on Sundays, at fairs, at the firesides alike of 
 nobles in their castles and peasants in their huts 
 during the long nights of winter. "When 
 surviving witnesses described the harrowing 
 scenes in the fervid and poetic idiom of the Celtic 
 tongue, their hearers trembled and almost fancied 
 they beheld the horrid hag still stretching her 
 poisoned hand over man and beast. 
 
 The archbishop soon reorganised Divine 
 worship throughout the country, and the princes, 
 with their usual generosity to religion, nobly 
 helped him in the glorious work. The register 
 of Llandaff has handed down to us in full detail 
 the account of seven or eight large concessions 
 made to churches during the life of the second 
 bishop of that See. King Iddon is mentioned as 
 one of the principal donors. Many a hard battle 
 had he fought against the Saxons, who now and 
 then showed themselves along the banks of the 
 river Wye, ready to cross at any part left 
 undefended. 
 
 At one time, when St. Teilo happened to be at 
 Llanarth, near Abergavenny, this king, encamped 
 in the neighbourhood, came to him there and
 
 THE SECOND BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 345 
 
 requested him to pray that he and his army 
 might be preserved in safety, because he was on 
 the eve of an engagement with the Saxons, who 
 mustered strong in the neighbourhood. St. Teilo 
 accompanied the prince to the scene of action, 
 ascended a mountain seven miles from Mon- 
 mouth, and there, like Moses, extending his 
 hands to heaven, he besought the Almighty to 
 grant victory to his countrymen, who were 
 fighting for their homes, their wives, and their 
 children. 
 
 Iddon gained a complete victory, routed his 
 enemies, and carried off from them a great 
 quantity of plunder. The Welsh chieftain, as a 
 thanksoffering to God, granted about twenty- 
 seven acres of the land surrounding the hill 
 where the bishop had knelt in prayer during the 
 battle to the church of Llandaff. This prince 
 held the dead in great consideration, for in this 
 and other deeds we find that he bestows his gifts 
 on religion and on St. Teilo, for his own soul and 
 the souls of his ancestors. These grants include 
 the spots where some of his intimate friends 
 were buried. 1 
 
 God is wonderful in his saints, and is pleased 
 
 of miracles 
 
 to reveal His power through their instrumenta- 
 lity. If faith is able even to remove mountains, 
 how must the devils tremble before a true 
 servant of God. Whatever public opinion may 
 now-a-days put forward on the subject of 
 
 (1) " Liber Landavensis/'
 
 346 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 miracles, an historian would fail in his duty if 
 he withheld the statement of facts recorded and 
 and believed by our forefathers. 
 
 The reputation of St. Teilo's gift of miracles 
 was general throughout both Wales and Brittany. 
 People used to take their infirm friends and 
 relatives to the holy bishop that through the 
 imposition of his hands they might be restored to 
 health. When in 'the county of Caermarthen, he 
 is said to have raised a person named Distinni 
 from the dead. 
 
 On a certain Sunday, when the saint was in 
 the church of Radh, in Pembrokeshire, a man 
 was brought to him who had for a long period 
 been afflicted by palsy. The bishop, in the 
 presence of a large assemblage of people, prayed 
 to the Lord Jesus to have mercy on the sufferer. 
 Then, extending his hands over the head of the 
 patient, the man was at once restored to the use 
 of his limbs. 
 
 Nor was the Almighty slow in making severe 
 examples of those who persecuted his servant. 
 It is related that a woman having grievously 
 insulted him, died suddenly in presence of the 
 people. 
 
 A chieftain named Gowaeddan, who committed 
 acts of violence and desecration in the church of 
 Llandeilo Pawr, was ignominously struck down 
 in its very cemetery. 
 
 Death and St. Teilo, full of merit before God and man, 
 st. Teiio. died in Caermarthenshire, on the river Towy, at a
 
 THE SECOND BISHOP OF LLAISTDAFF. 347 
 
 place which even to this day bears his name, 
 being called Llandeilo Fawr. 1 
 
 St. Dubricius, his predecessor, was, as we have 
 seen, a centenarian at the time of his death. It 
 is probable that St. Teilo attained a still more 
 advanced age. We find him a student at 
 Mochros, on the river Wye, when St. Dubricius was 
 at the head of that seminary, in 447 or 448. St. 
 Teilo was then at least ten years old. He gave up 
 his soul to his Maker in 563 or 566, and this leads 
 to the conclusion that he had then reached the 
 venerable age of one hundred and twenty or 
 one hundred and twenty-three years. It is a 
 remarkable fact that the early monks, both of 
 the East and of the West, were very long-lived. 
 Those who gratify the fanciful desires of the 
 body hurry it to the grave much more rapidly 
 than spiritual persons, who, by mortification and 
 regularity of life, keep its unruly appetites in 
 subjection. Self-indulgence causes a greater 
 number of deaths than does the sword in a field 
 of battle. 
 
 St. Paul, the first hermit, spent ninety years 
 in a cavern, during twenty of which he lived on 
 dates, and forty on a loaf which was brought to 
 him every day by a raven ; his only drink was 
 water from a neighbouring spring. Yet he lived 
 to the age of one hundred and thirteen. 
 
 His contemporary, St. Anthony, who led a 
 similar life of austerity in the desert, was one 
 
 (1) " Liber Landavensis."
 
 348 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 hundred and five at the time of his death. St. 
 Patrick was also an old man, according to our 
 present ideas of longevity. He was more than 
 sixty when he commenced the work of converting 
 the Irish. His travels, labours, and long nights 
 of prayer are well known ; yet he reached the 
 age of ninety-two. St. Hemigius, Bishop of 
 Rheims, ruled that See seventy or seventy-one 
 years. 
 
 Immediately upon the death of St. Teilo a 
 dispute arose as to his place of burial. The 
 honour of possessing his remains was claimed by 
 three churches. Such altercations were by no 
 means rare over the coffins of the early saints. 
 The people of Pennalan, Penaby, near Tenby, 
 Pembrokeshire, asserted their right, on the 
 ground that the ancestors of Teilo had for 
 generations been interred in their church, and 
 that it was right his bones should await the final 
 resurrection beside those of his relatives. The 
 parish of Llandeilo Pawr claimed his relics 
 because this place was a favourite residence with 
 him. In his old age he had selected it in a 
 particular way as a retreat wherein to prepare 
 his soul for heaven, and it was at Llandeilo he 
 had expired. 
 
 The inhabitants of Llandaff came forward in 
 their turn, and urged the principle that a bishop 
 ought to be buried in his cathedral. The church 
 of Llandaif was the first in dignity and in 
 privilege in "Wales, and therefore it was fitting
 
 THE SECOND BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 349 
 
 that the saintly prelate should rest within its 
 walls, before the altar whereon he had so often 
 offered the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. 
 
 After much altercation this claim was allowed, 
 and the mortal remains of St. Teilo were 
 solemnly borne to Llandaff and entombed within 
 the church. They now lie close to the second 
 pillar, on the south-west of the sanctuary, at the 
 Epistle side. 
 
 The " Liber Landavensis " remarks that for 
 centuries it was the custom of the "Welsh people 
 to flock to the tomb of their holy bishop to be 
 cured of their infirmities. The blind and the 
 deaf and dumb approached his grave with faith 
 and often came away benefited both in body and 
 soul. 
 
 To this day the visitor to Llandaff will be 
 shown the fountain of Teilo by any person of 
 whom he may inquire. 
 
 The feast of the second Bishop of Llandaff was 
 celebrated on the ninth of February in Britain, 
 and on the twenty-ninth of November at D61, in 
 the diocese of Quimper, Pinistere, 
 
 In years gone by, Wales bestowed the name of 
 Teilo on several localities along the Bristol 
 Channel. In Brittany, also, Churches and towns 
 have been called after and dedicated to this 
 saintly prelate. 
 
 The parish of Landelo, in the diocese of 
 Quimper, is under his patronage. 
 
 As far as can be gleaned from history, this is
 
 350 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 the substance of the life of the second Bishop of 
 Llandaff, the antique Register of whose cathedral 
 is often called the " Book of Teilo," probably 
 because he understood the necessity of compiling 
 a record of the events connected with his diocese, 
 and thus originated that precious collection which 
 was continued by his successors up to the time of 
 Pope Urban, in the twelfth century. 
 
 His countrymen never failed to specify his 
 name in their charters, as follows : " I give to 
 Almighty God, to Dubricius, and to Teilo," so 
 many acres of land. This is an evident proof 
 that, in their estimation, he was a saint in heaven 
 a powerful intercessor before the throne of 
 God.
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 ST. OUDOCETJS, THIRD BISHOP OF LLANDAIT. 
 
 " I am the Good Shepherd ; the Good Shepherd giveth his 
 life for his sheep, but the hireling and he that is not the 
 shepherd whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming 
 and leaveth the sheep and flieth, and the wolf catcheth and 
 scattereth the sheep." JOHN, x. 11, 12. 
 
 IN the fifth century, a prince of Cornouailles 
 (Kerne), Brittany, was driven from his country, 
 and, with his followers, settled in the district of 
 Dyfed, on the western coast of South Wales. 
 During his exile he married a Welsh princess, 
 named Ananmed (Anne). She was a sister of 
 St. Teilo, second Bishop of Llandaff. Ismael, 
 one of the sons of this marriage, is believed to 
 have succeeded St. David in the See of Menevia. 
 Another son, called Tyfy, after embracing a 
 religious life died a martyr, and was buried at 
 Penaby, in the county of Pembroke, not far from 
 the present watering-place of Tenby. 
 
 After an exile of about twenty years, Budic 
 was recalled to his native land by the unanimous 
 voice of his countrymen. His brother having 
 died, the people looked upon him as the rightful
 
 352 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 heir to the throne. The prince, after collecting 
 a fleet, left Cambria about the year 490, and, 
 having driven away a horde of barbarians from 
 Nantes, which they had made their stronghold, 
 ruled over the western coasts of Erance as its 
 undisputed king. Ananmed accompanied her 
 husband to Gaul, and gave birth to Oudoceus 
 immediately after landing in Armorica. 
 
 Adversity is a good teacher, creates within the 
 heart a deep sense of the vanity of this world, 
 and leads men to aim at objects above the reach 
 of human inconsistency and caprice. Oudoceus, 
 like his brothers, had been consecrated to God 
 before his birth by his parents, who earnestly 
 hoped that he would, like them, devote his life 
 to the service of religion. Of his early youth 
 little is known beyond the fact of his receiving a 
 classical education, and entering holy orders. 
 
 When, after a sojourn of seven years in 
 Brittany, St. Teilo returned to Llandaff, he 
 brought with him several priests to fill up the 
 vacancies which the yellow pestilence had made 
 in the ranks of the Welsh clergy. The bishop 
 appealed to the zeal and piety of the priests of 
 Brittany. Amongst those who generously offered 
 their services were three sons of King Budic, 
 the brother-in-law of Teilo, namely, Ismael, 
 Election of Tyfy, and Oudoceus. 
 
 Oudoceus, who was the youngest of the three 
 brothers, must have won the esteem of the 
 Cambrians by his zeal, kindness, and talents;
 
 THE THIRD BISHOP Oi 1 LLA.NDAFF. 353 
 
 for, on the death of St. Teilo, when, according to 
 the custom of the Catholic Church in those days, 
 the leading men of the diocese, both clergy and 
 laity, assembled to elect a new pastor, Oudoceus 
 was selected to fill the vacant See. The abbots 
 of Lant wit-Major, of Docunni, and of Cadmell, 
 King Meurig, and many other princes whose 
 names are mentioned in the " Liber Landavensis," 
 decided on proposing the youngest nephew of 
 the deceased prelate as his successor, and 
 Oudoceus was, in consequence, consecrated 
 Bishop of Llandaff. 1 
 
 His installation, like those of the two first 
 bishops, Dubricius and Teilo, was the occasion of 
 a solemn ceremony, such as has been already 
 described. King Meurig, with his Queen, 
 Onbrawst, their two sons, the abbots of the three 
 large monasteries, the princes of the kingdom, 
 and all the clergy were present. After the 
 celebration of the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, all 
 the privileges and donations granted to St. 
 Dubricius and St. Teilo were again publicly 
 confirmed and signed on both sides ; the usual 
 procession passed round the boundaries of the 
 church property between the rivers Taff and Ely, 
 the cross being borne in front, and after it the 
 relics of the saints; then came the new bishop, 
 and following him walked the king, carrying 
 the four Gospels. As on former occasions, 
 the dust of the church was scattered here 
 
 (1) " Liber Landavensis."
 
 354 CAMBRIA SACEA. 
 
 and there, and the boundaries sprinkled with 
 holy water. 1 
 
 The third Bishop of Llandaff was much 
 advanced in life when called upon to undertake 
 the direction of the diocese. Born in 490, he 
 was raised to the episcopal dignity in 565 or 566, 
 and was at that time about seventy years of age. 2 
 His life as a bishop, though short, was by no 
 means untroubled, the period of his administra- 
 tion being marked by much greater disturbances 
 than had beset his predecessors. Disputes, 
 murders of the most cruel description, and 
 violations of solemn treaties, both in civil and 
 religious matters, seem to have been of frequent 
 occurrence. But the venerable prelate proved 
 equal to all emergencies. Though of a mild and 
 kindly nature, he became like a lion when the 
 interests of God or justice and charity to his 
 flock demanded it. He may be called the 
 Ambrose or Gregory of the Church of Llandaff, 
 for, like those saints, he mounted guard as a 
 valiant soldier on the ramparts of the sanctuary, 
 and withstood the tyranny and misdeeds of kings 
 and princes. Energetic and undaunted, he at 
 the same time possessed remarkable prudence 
 and great knowledge of human weakness, for 
 which he made all due allowance. 
 
 During his episcopacy several councils were 
 held in the diocese of Llandaff. The occasions of 
 
 (1) " Liber Landavensis." 
 (2) " Liber Landavensis," p. 625.
 
 THE THIRD BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 355 
 
 these councils, the persons by whom they were 
 attended, and the manner of proceeding in such 
 matters, are most interesting to the student of 
 history, inasmuch as they afford considerable 
 insight into the moral, intellectual, and social 
 condition of Cambria. 
 
 After the departure of the Proconsuls and their 
 legions the political constitution of Britain ^ r the 
 
 departure 
 
 underwent a great change, and its unity of ofthe 
 
 Romaos. 
 
 administration was lost. The country became 
 divided and sub-divided into small, petty states, 
 governed by chieftains independent of each other. 
 
 It is true that a certain confederation existed, 
 with a king at its head, but his power was more 
 nominal than real a fact which rendered the 
 conquest of the island by the Anglo- Saxons "a 
 comparatively easy task. 
 
 At this period the Britons were all Christians, 
 though many of them were very indifferent 
 practisers of the precepts of their faith. 
 Montalembert's description of the Merovingian 
 princes and of the Franks of that day would 
 admirably suit the British chieftains and their 
 people. 
 
 The Welsh princes, like those of Gaul, inter- 
 fered very little in spiritual affairs. In this they 
 were unlike their compeers of the East, who 
 considered themselves better theologians than 
 
 O 
 
 their bishops and clergy. The Cambrians 
 respected their pastors, and, as a rule, did not 
 seek unduly to influence their election. Princes,
 
 356 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 however, who made external profession of the 
 Catholic faith frequently, without scruple, 
 violated all its precepts, and even the simplest 
 laws of Christianity, After prostrating before 
 the tomb of some martyr and giving a grant 
 of land to religion, they are often to be found 
 exhibiting all the instincts of a savage nature, 
 perpetrating acts of cold-blooded cruelty and 
 treachery of the most revolting character ; then 
 they pass with incomprehensible rapidity to 
 passionate demonstrations of contrition. This is, 
 unfortunately, illustrated by the sad events which 
 took place under the episcopacy of Oudoceus. 
 The historical facts are as follow : 
 The three King Meurig, the benefactor of two bishops, 
 Dubricius an( i Teilo, in the latter part of his life 
 allowed himself to become entangled in quarrels 
 with Cynfeddew, which ended in the murder of 
 the latter. 
 
 Later on his grandson, Morgan, killed his 
 uncle Frioc. 
 
 Two brothers contended for the sovereignty, 
 and after a long dispute one of them took away 
 the life of the other. 
 
 The third Bishop of Llandaff met all these sad 
 cases with firmness, but also prudence. He did 
 not act under the spur of the moment, but with 
 all the dignity and calmness of a bishop, 
 following the wise regulations of the Canon 
 Law in such circumstances. He invariably 
 exerted himself by kindness and persuasion to
 
 THE THIRD BISHOP OF LLANJ)AJET. 357 
 
 prevent the evil, but when he failed to bring 
 about any good result, he did not shrink from 
 the painful duty of exercising a stern severity. 
 
 Excommunication is the highest ecclesiastical Measures 
 penalty the church can inflict. Unlike the civil oudoceJs 
 power, she has no standing army, or large staff pronranc- 
 of police to enforce the execution of her decrees, sentence of 
 or punish their violation. She is a spiritual 
 power, and visits with spiritual punishment those 
 within her fold who rebel against her laws. A 
 public sinner who, after being duly warned, 
 persists in an evil course, is by her cut off from 
 the communion of the Church, and not allowed 
 to receive her Sacraments until such time as he 
 amends his ways and gives satisfaction. 1 
 
 When it came to the knowledge of the holy 
 Bishop Oudoceus that serious dissensions, entailing 
 loss of life, existed within his diocese, he, like a 
 good shepherd, at once set to work to restore 
 peace and effect reconciliations. The Welsh 
 Princes, although quarrelsome and revengeful, 
 were not destitute of religion, and the voice of a 
 Bishop or Abbot possessed more influence over 
 them than that of a potentate at the head of a 
 powerful army. In fact the people look upon 
 their bishop as the natural umpire in such cases. 
 
 (11 Theology defines a censure : Pcena spiritualis et Medicinalis qud 
 homo Eaptibatus delinquens et contumax, quorumdam onorum spiritualium 
 usu privatur (GuryX A censure is a spiritual penalty, which deprives a 
 guilty and contumacious Christian of certain spiritual benefits, according to 
 the kind of the censure. The adjective, Medicinalis, implies that the 
 punishment is intended as a correction to bring back the prevaricator to 
 the observance of the law. As a rule the delinquent must be guilty o 
 contumacy, for such is the spirit of the legislator. Hence in the charters 
 of Llandaff, when mention is made of excommunication, we often read : 
 After being admonished twice or thrice.
 
 358 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Oudoceus appealed to their Christian feeling, 
 and in the name of religion persuaded them to 
 present themselves in the church and approach 
 the altar, sheltering the "body and blood of our 
 Redeemer. The invitation of their chief pastor 
 was law to these simple but irascible chieftains, 
 and was seldom disobeyed. A day was appointed 
 for meeting in the church, in presence of the 
 leading men, both clergy and laity. The relics 
 of the saints were placed upon the altar, together 
 with the Book of the Gospel, and after prayer 
 to Almighty God, the giver of good counsel and 
 the subduer of hearts, the bishop addressed to 
 those at variance an exhortation to live hereafter 
 in peace and brotherly love. He reminded them 
 that the commandments of God and of the 
 Church forbade useless strife in which the lives 
 of thousands were often sacrificed, and spoke of 
 the law which prohibits the shedding of blood. 
 He said that though a Prince carried a sword he 
 should only use it to protect the innocent and 
 maintain justice, but should never turn it into 
 an instrument of revenge for exaggerated wrongs 
 or private anger. A ruler should be the first to 
 set a good example to his subjects by abstaining 
 from useless wars. 
 
 The adverse Princes, in presence of the clergy 
 and principal chieftain, approached the altar, 
 placed their hands on the Book of the Gospel, 
 and swore in the most solemn manner that for 
 the future they would live together in peace
 
 THE THIRD BISHOP OF LLANDAIT. 359 
 
 and brotherly love, like children of the same 
 Redeemer, that they would disband their soldiers 
 and resign all further attempts on each other's 
 lives. 
 
 In the case of King Meurig and Cynfeddew, 1 
 this ceremony of reconciliation took place in the 
 Cathedral of Llandaff. Morgan and his uncle. 
 Erioc, took the same solemn oath before the altar 
 of Lantwit-Major, 2 Glamorganshire. 
 
 Such were the measures adopted by St. 
 Oudoceus to bring about reconciliations between 
 contending chieftains by appealing to their 
 noblest feelings, that of religion, and it was at 
 the foot of the altar that he despoiled them of 
 their swords. 
 
 These transactions, semi-religious and semi- 
 civil, were looked upon by the Welsh as most 
 sacred in their nature, and witnessed as they 
 were by the leading members of the clergy and 
 the laity, stood in the eyes of the nation as legal 
 agreements, which could not be violated without 
 exposing the transgressor to be dealt with as 
 enemies to their God and to their country, hence 
 a murder after such solemn promises rendered a 
 chieftain unworthy to rule over his countrymen. 
 
 When Wales was still Catholic, deep was the 
 veneration of her people for the sacred temple 
 which enshrined the blessed Sacrament. The 
 altar was to them the Holy of Holies, never to 
 
 (1) " Liber Landavensis," p. 390. 
 
 (2) " Liber Landavensis," p. 395.
 
 360 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 be approached but with fear and trembling. 
 The civil court where justice was dispensed was 
 considered worthy of respect, but the Church and 
 the Altar were looked upon as the places most to 
 be venerated on earth. 
 
 Howel Dda, the Justinian of Wales, retained 
 in his code the old Cambrian respect for the 
 Church and Altar, as we have seen in a preceding 
 chapter. 1 
 
 Some of the "Welsh Princes, however, were 
 not sufficiently masters over their passions, or 
 proof against surrounding influences. Notwith- 
 standing their solemn vows, they at times broke 
 their promise. King Meurig was the first to 
 violate his word, by murdering Cynfeddew. 
 
 This aroused the indignation of St. Oudoceus, 
 and the whole country joined with him in 
 reprobating such terrible crimes. A council was 
 convoked in both instances, the clergy of the 
 diocese and the leading men of the State being 
 summoned to attend. 
 
 The charges against the chieftain were of the 
 gravest nature. At the foot of the altar, and in 
 the presence of his Redeemer, with his hands 
 upon his gospel, he had called upon Him, and 
 upon his assembled countrymen, to witness the 
 solemn promise to respect the life of his adversary. 
 
 The unfortunate victim, relying on the security 
 of the most sacred oaths, had not entertained the 
 least suspicion of danger, but had disbanded his 
 
 (1) Vide Chapter III., "The Welsh and the Holy Eucharist."
 
 THE THIRD BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 361 
 
 soldiers, who occupied themselves peacefully with 
 husbandry. Notwithstanding which, Meurig, 
 forgetful of every principle of honour and fair 
 dealing, had suddenly rushed upon and murdered 
 him. 
 
 Had this attack taken place in open war, the 
 council might have found extenuating circum- 
 stances, but as the case stood nothing could be 
 urged in mitigation of this act of treachery and 
 cunning, the victim of which had respected his 
 oaths, while the guilty Prince had held nothing 
 sacred. 
 
 Meurig was, therefore, solemnly excommuni- 
 cated, and the same penalty extended to all who 
 should in any way abet him. Their churches 
 were ordered to be closed, the bells taken down 
 and laid upon the pavement, and the relics and 
 crosses removed from the altars. 
 
 In cases of such grievous crimes we often find 
 it recorded that the whole assembly hurled such 
 curses as the following on the delinquents : 
 " May their days be few, may their children 
 become orphans, and their wives widows" 
 
 Eor more than two years King Meurig 1 
 disregarded the excommunication pronounced 
 against him at Llandaff. Princes have, at all 
 times, been surrounded by courtiers, who seek to 
 advance their own interests by flattering and 
 inflaming the worst passions of their sovereigns. 
 Persons of this class represented to Meurig that 
 
 (1) " Liber Landavensis," p. 390.
 
 362 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 he was a powerful Prince, master of his own 
 kingdom, and had little to fear from the curses 
 of an old bishop. In order to assuage his irritation 
 at the public verdict, they resorted to the means 
 ordinarily adopted under such circumstances, 
 namely those of amusing the King and 
 occupying his mind by feasts and pleasure parties 
 arranged on a large scale. These, after a time, 
 failed in producing the desired result. Meurig 
 became gloomy. The spectre of Cynfeddew, 
 covered with blood, seemed to arise before him 
 at every festive scene. Besides which, he could 
 not help remarking that Glamorganshire was no 
 longer the same. Now, as he passed through 
 the country, he no longer met a cheerful popula- 
 tion rejoicing to meet their Prince. He was 
 everywhere received in silence, but this very 
 silence seemed to say, " There goes King Meurig, 
 once so good and so beloved now a murderer, 
 cursed by the bishop, and an enemy to God." 
 
 His home was overshadowed by the same 
 ban. His chaplain could not celebrate the holy 
 Sacrifice of the Mass, and the people throughout 
 the country were becoming clamorous at the long 
 privation of all religious ministrations they were 
 compelled to endure on account of the sacrilegious 
 and impenitent murderer who ruled over them. 
 
 His own family was a cause of bitter reproach 
 to the unhappy man. Many of them, by their 
 saintly lives, had a right to remonstrate against 
 the course he was pursuing. As we have already
 
 THE THIRD BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 363 
 
 seen, the house of Meurig had given several of 
 its most illustrious members to the service of 
 religion. His father had retired from the world 
 to lead the life of a hermit; his grandson, 
 Samson, was a religious at Lantwit-Major and at 
 Barry Island. His two daughters and their 
 husbands had parted from each other for the 
 purpose of practising the Evangelical counsels. 
 He could not repel the reflection which constantly 
 arose in his mind, that it was befitting a man 
 whose family could boast of so many saints, to 
 cease from being a scandal to the Church 
 and the country. After struggling against the 
 merciful inspirations of God for two years, his 
 soul became keenly alive to the sense of his guilt, 
 and lifting up his voice, like David, he wept with 
 deep contrition. He threw himself at the feet 
 of Oudoceus, acknowledged his sins, and declared 
 himself ready to submit to any penance which 
 might be imposed upon him, provided he might 
 again be restored to the communion of the 
 Church. 
 
 The bishop decided on the reconciliation taking H is 
 place in public, and summoned the abbots of the repeD 
 three principal monasteries, Lantwit, Lancarvan, 
 and Docunni, together with many other persons 
 of note, to assemble in the cathedral of LlandanV 
 
 Meurig, kneeling before the altar, confessed 
 his guilt, and acknowledged the additional sin of 
 pride which had so long prevented him from 
 
 (1) " Liber Landavensis," p. 390.
 
 364 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 submitting to the laws of the Church, and 
 professed himself ready to perform any satis- 
 faction that might he required of him. 
 
 After receiving the King's promise to amend 
 his life, the bishop imposed upon him penance 
 in the form of prayer, fasting, and alms. As he 
 had launched an unprepared soul into eternity, 
 he must now oifer prayers, fasts, and alms in its 
 behalf. 
 
 Meurig complied with these injunctions, for 
 we read in the " Liber Landavensis " that he 
 gave four villages for religious purposes, to 
 benefit his own soul and the soul of Cynfeddew, 
 whom he had murdered. 1 
 
 The spot on which the unfortunate victim had 
 fallen under the sword was consecrated to God, 
 as was also the place where the King's son had 
 committed a sin. 
 
 When the Bishop of Llandaff had settled 
 everything connected with the sad crime of 
 Meurig, tranquillity reigned in Glamorganshire, 
 until it was again disturbed by the son and 
 grandson of the same Prince. 
 
 King Prioc and Morgan quarrelled. The cause of 
 
 dissension between uncle and nephew is not 
 clearly indicated. Some daughter of Eve seems 
 to have been at the bottom of it. St. Oudoceus 
 again endeavoured to re-establish peace and avert 
 bloodshed. The contending parties presented 
 themselves before the altar in the Church of 
 
 (1) '"Liber Landavensis," p. 391.
 
 THE THIRD BISHOP OF LLA.NDAFF. 365 
 
 Lantwit-Major, and there in the most solemn 
 manner in the presence of God, of the bishop, 
 and of the nobility, promised to live for the 
 future in peace with each other. On this 
 occasion the council, in consequence of previous 
 experience, warned the relatives now publicly 
 reconciled, that in case either committed perjury 
 and murdered the other, the guilty person should 
 not be allowed, on any plea, to redeem himself 
 either with land or money, but should resign his 
 dominion, and pass the entire remainder of his 
 life in pilgrimages. 
 
 Morgan, unfortunately, yielded to temptation, 
 and killed his uncle ; but he did not show the 
 same obstinacy as his grandfather in resisting 
 authority. He hurried at once to Oudoceus, at 
 Llandaff, and sought pardon for his two-fold sins 
 of perjury and murder. The council of the 
 nation was again convened, 1 and Morgan came 
 in person, accompanied by the nobles of 
 Glamorgan, to await its decision in his regard. 
 The agreement which had been decided upon 
 at Lantwit-Major left, however, no liberty 
 of action to the council. It was of necessity 
 bound to condemn the guilty prince to resign 
 his kingdom, and start as a pilgrim, staff in 
 hand, for a foreign land, there to weep over 
 his sins. Several members of the council, 
 however, represented that if this sentence was 
 carried out, Glamorganshire would be left 
 
 (1) "Liber Landavensis," p. 395'
 
 366 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 without a ruler, and deprived of its natural 
 protector. The Saxons were at their door, and 
 the country would be exposed to their inroads 
 more than ever. 
 
 This consideration had great weight with 
 Oudoceus, and it was unanimously agreed that, 
 under such circumstances, Morgan, although 
 guilty, should still retain his authority and reign 
 over the Principality, after having performed 
 the same penance that had been imposed upon his 
 grandfather, Meurig. This resolution having 
 been adopted and communicated to the king, 
 Morgan, in the presence of the nobles of 
 Glamorganshire, approached Oudoceus. The 
 bishop stood before the altar, holding the four 
 Gospels ; the king knelt, and, placing his guilty 
 hand upon the sacred volume, promised, with 
 tears in his eyes, that he would do penance for 
 his sins, and never again commit such crimes. 
 He also swore to rule his people with clemency 
 and justice. As it was probable that he had 
 many a time violated the monastic rights and the 
 sacredness of refuge, he most solemnly pledged 
 himself to respect for the future all the privileges 
 of the saintly abodes of St. Cadoc, of Iltyd, and 
 of Docunni which had been conferred upon 
 them in the days of St. Dubricius and St. 
 Teilo. 
 
 All these transactions were committed to 
 writing, according to the invariable custom 
 observed by Welsh assemblies, and the pro-
 
 THE THIRD BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 367 
 
 ceedings were terminated with the usual blessing 
 and curse. 
 
 The lolo MSS. speaks in very high terms of 
 this Morgan. He gave his own name to the 
 district he governed ; was good, valiant, merciful, 
 and courteous, and established wise and just laws 
 for the welfare of his dominions. One of his 
 enactments was that no one should kill an 
 enemy unless he could not conquer him 
 otherwise, and it was ordained that whoever 
 took the life of an enemy, unless no other 
 alternative remained, should thereby forfeit his 
 military immunities and right of refuge. Another 
 ordinance of this code enjoined the appointment 
 of twelve wise men to determine the just 
 settlement of all claims, the King being at their 
 head as supreme counsellor. 
 
 This act was called the apostolic law, because 
 it is thus that Christ and his twelve apostles 
 judge the world. 
 
 "When young, Morgan was of a wild and 
 impetuous disposition, but subsequently repenting, 
 and amending his errors, he became one of the 
 best Kings that ever lived. 
 
 Gwaednerth, who killed his brother Merchion, 
 was treated with greater severity than Morgan. 
 He remained under excommunication for three 
 years, and when he applied for absolution was 
 sent on pilgrimage into Brittany for a year. 
 The church of Armorica took compassion on the 
 penitent exile, and granted him sealed letters of
 
 CAMBEIA SACTCA 
 
 remission, on which he returned to Wales ; but 
 Oudoceus would not release him from the 
 excommunication, because he had not completed 
 the year of penance. However, on the death of 
 Oudoceus, his successor in the see of Llandaff 
 absolved this Prince at the request of Morgan 
 and others. 1 
 
 The records of those times reveal, as Mon- 
 talembert observes, a strange mixture of the 
 most abominable crime, with a great deep spirit 
 of contrition. Those Princes were impelled by 
 a semi-savage nature to commit sins of so heinous 
 a character as to find no parallel, except amongst 
 African chiefs or Indian despots. Yet they 
 reverenced a power which invariably led them 
 to atone for their misdeeds. A bishop, a monk, 
 exercised greater influence over them than the 
 warlike powers by whom they were surrounded. 
 At times they even went so far as to plunder 
 monasteries, and violate the most essential laws 
 of Christianity ; but in the end they were sure to 
 publicly come and, kneeling before the altar, 
 shed tears of repentance. In the mind of the 
 nation the bishop and the monk were natural 
 umpires in the quarrels of potentates, and when 
 Kings could not settle their dissensions, they 
 looked to the Church as the final judge in such 
 contentions. In a word, it was the triumph of 
 moral over brute force, for princes stood more in 
 awe of Christ and His ministers than of Kinsrs 
 
 o 
 
 and their armies. 
 
 (1) " Liber Landavensis," p. 430.
 
 THE THIRD BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 369 
 
 Dubricius and Teilo, the two first Bishops of 
 Llandaff, in accordance with the custom of the 
 Catholic Church, were in the habit of giving an 
 account of their dioceses to the Bishop of Rome 
 as Head of the Church of Christ. 
 
 Oi 
 
 Oudoceus, not satisfied with sending a deputa- 
 tion, or corresponding by letter, went in person 
 to the Limina Apostolorum. He was far advanced 
 in years, but neither age or infirmities deterred 
 him from undertaking the journey. This cannot 
 appear extraordinary to the student of Welsh 
 history. The nation was Catholic, and intimate 
 relations with Rome were natural. 
 
 Like the first Bishop of Llandaff, St. Dubricius, st. 
 Oudoceus feeling the infirmities of age stealing retiree into 
 over him, resolved to resign the administration 5J on " e 
 
 of his diocese into younger hands, in order t 
 devote the remainder of his life to the welfare of 
 his own soul. He accordingly retired to the fordeath> 
 banks of the River Wye, in Monmouthshire, 
 and whilst living there in solitude a stag, closely 
 pursued by Prince Einion, sought shelter beneath 
 the cloak of the venerable bishop. The chieftain^ 
 meeting his ancient pastor under such interesting 
 circumstances, not only spared the stag, but gave 
 a grant of land to St. Oudoceus for the purpose 
 of founding a monastery and a church. Several 
 persons placed themselves under his direction, 
 no longer as a bishop, but as the leader of a 
 saintly community. 
 
 His retreat was often visited by hundreds of
 
 370 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 widows and orphans, who came to him for advice 
 and protection, and also by crowds of persons 
 afflicted with infirmities, either physical or 
 spiritual. 
 
 Pew details have reached us concerning his 
 last days. It is true that his disciples collected 
 with reverence the records of the miracles 
 performed by him ; but these writings, with 
 many others, were subsequently burned during 
 the Saxon invasion, or else carried away by the 
 exiles, who fled to countries which offered them 
 greater security than their own. 
 
 St. Oudoceus died on the second of July. It is 
 difficult to state the exact year of his demise, but 
 it must have been at the close of the sixth 
 century. Lobineau is much mistaken in fixing 
 upon the year 564. This date corresponds with 
 the time when he was consecrated bishop on the 
 death of St. Teilo. His feast was formerly 
 celebrated on the second of January. 
 
 The student of history is naturally led to 
 
 Parallel J 
 
 between remark a striking resemblance between the 
 
 Ambrose energetic Ambrose, of Milan, and the equally 
 
 and st. firm Oudoceus, of Llandaff. It is true two 
 
 of LiTndaff centuries separate them, and one had to deal 
 
 with the Christian monarchs of the great Roman 
 
 empire on those territories in the plains of 
 
 Lombardy, at the foot of the Alps, and the other 
 
 with independent Christian chieftains in Cambria, 
 
 along the British Channel. However, a similarity 
 
 of temper, circumstances, and actions, cannot but
 
 THE THIRD BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 371 
 
 strike the reader who has studied the lives of 
 both prelates. 
 
 St. Ambrose was holding a council at Milan 
 in 390, when the news of a great disturbance at 
 Thessalonica, in which several officers had lost 
 their lives, reached him. The archbishop and 
 his brethren, knowing how severely the law of 
 retaliation was carried out by imperial officials, 
 wrote a joint letter to Theodosius, requesting 
 him, in the name of Christ, to forgive the 
 unreflecting crowd through whom the disaster 
 had occurred, or, at least, to act with leniency in 
 a case where there was no premeditation. The 
 emperor promised to forgive the rioters, but 
 yielding later on to the importunities of Rufinus, 
 his chief minister, secret orders were given to 
 the commander of the province, directing him 
 to take a signal revenge. The military accordingly 
 received instructions to rush upon the circus 
 when crowded with the citizens of Thessalonica. 
 The command was obeyed, and the soldiers 
 entering in the middle of the game, slew all 
 whom they could reach with their swords, 
 without distinction of guilt or innocence, age or 
 sex. The massacre lasted for three long hours. 
 Seven thousand victims were sacrificed, and the 
 amphitheatre changed into a sea of blood. 
 
 The Emperor was then absent from Milan, but 
 was expected to return in a few days. As he 
 entered the city by one gate, the archbishop left 
 it by another, being unwilling to meet a prince
 
 372 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 crimsoned with the blood of his subjects. 
 Theodosius, however, addressed to him a most 
 pathetic letter. Neither angel or archangel 
 could wash away his sin ; repentance was his only 
 hope the Monarch requested to be allowed to do 
 penance. When the Emperor presented himself 
 at the door of the cathedral, Ambrose confronted 
 him on the threshold, and forbade him to 
 advance, because he was not worthy to approach 
 the altar or partake of the body and blood of the 
 Lord, being guilty of the murder of seven 
 thousand of His children. Theodosius replied 
 that although David had committed adultery and 
 murder, he had been forgiven. " Yes," replied 
 the intrepid archbishop, " but he did penance. 
 Do thou in like manner, and deserve pardon." 
 
 This happened in April, 390. Theodosius 
 accepted the penance imposed, and for eight 
 months mourned over his sin. As the Christmas 
 festivities drew nigh, he became still more sad at 
 the idea of being excluded from the communion 
 of the faithful and shut out from the altar of 
 sacrifice. He thought of presenting himself at 
 church, though certain of being humbled, for he 
 knew how inflexible Ambrose was. However, 
 he did go, and was publicly rebuked, but in the 
 end absolved. 
 
 Happy the Church whose walls are defended 
 by such intrepid champions of justice and 
 humanity. Only one who was a saint, a lover of 
 Jesus Christ, and a true shepherd, devoted to his
 
 THE THIRD BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 373 
 
 flock, could display such energy in time of need. 
 St. Oudoceus evinced the same firmness when 
 dealing with guilty potentates. Like Ambrose, 
 when he suspected a crime was about to be com- 
 mitted, he exerted himself to avert it by fatherly 
 advice ; but if this had no effect, and the sin was 
 perpetrated, he cut off the criminal from com- 
 munion with Christianity. Eear of drawing 
 revenge on himself was powerless to deter him 
 from the execution of his episcopal duties, and, 
 like St. Ambrose, he closed the door of the Church 
 against guilty Welsh princes, not once, but on no 
 less than four occasions, until such time as they 
 had undergone the penance imposed upon them 
 by the council. During the greater part of his 
 administration some portions of his diocese were 
 under interdict ; one, in the neighbourhood of 
 Gower, for three years, a part of Glamorganshire 
 for two. No power on earth could induce him 
 to absolve a Christian prince until he had made 
 full satisfaction, like King David and the 
 Emperor Theodosius, for the crime of which he 
 had been guilty. 
 
 Notwithstanding St. Ambrose's severity, 
 Theodosius could not withdraw his admiration 
 from him. He alternately resided at Milan and 
 at Constantinople, and he could not avoid seeing 
 the difference between the Patriarch and the 
 Archbishop. The acute monarch was accustomed 
 to observe, " At Constantinople I am surrounded 
 by flatterers, at Milan I am told the truth ;
 
 374 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 there is not under the sun a bishop like 
 Ambrose." 
 
 The Cambrians also, as a rule, approved of the 
 energy and firmness of Oudoceus. They nocked 
 around their prelate at the altar of St. Illtyd at 
 Lantwit-Major, or that of St. Peter at Llandaff, 
 and supported him in the execution of his 
 pastoral duties, and when he pronounced sentence 
 of excommunication on the guilty, they acknow- 
 ledged the justice of the decree. With the 
 exception of those parasites and courtiers who 
 always live on princes, the people of Glamorgan- 
 shire received with veneration and awe the just 
 severity of their bishop, aware that he was the 
 representative of Christ, and when, on Sundays, 
 the Gospel of St. John, describing the difference 
 between the good shepherd and the hireling, 
 was read to them, they were wont to remark, 
 kl Oudoceus, the Bishop of Llandaff, is the 
 good shepherd who flieth not when the wolf 
 approacheth the fold, but remaineth at his post 
 and will not allow any of his sheep to be touched." 
 
 The Cambrians in their charters introduce his 
 name along with those of St. Dubricius and 
 St. Teilo. Ancient records speak of him as one 
 of the three saintly bishops ol Llandaff. 
 
 The early Cambrians, whatever may have been 
 their other defects, respected the priest as a 
 person invested with the most exalted dignity on 
 earth, and looked upon him as the coadjutor of 
 God, 1 the dispenser of his mysteries. 2 
 
 (1) 1 Cor., iii. 9 (2) 1 Cor., iv. 1.
 
 THE THIRD BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 375 
 
 He was the possessor of power over the body 
 and blood of Christ in the Sacrifice of the Mass. 
 
 He cancelled sins in the sacrament of penance, 
 and was the ordinary minister of the seven 
 Sacraments, and in the Church of God he was a 
 ruler and a teacher. 
 
 In our modern times a "Welshman recognises 
 no authority in religious matters. He judges for 
 himself, he discards the sacraments of the Church 
 established by Christ, he has no need of any 
 priesthood, and is impressed with the idea that 
 no sacerdotalism should exist in his temples. 
 
 Christ and his own ancestors have taught a 
 different lesson. 
 
 The feast of St. Oudoceus was celebrated on 
 July the second, the day of his death. 
 
 The life of Oudoceus closes the career of the 
 first three Bishops of Llandaff, mentioned as 
 saints in the archives of their diocese. 
 
 Let us now leave the old Cathedral, and invite 
 the reader to accompany us to Llancarvan and 
 Lantwit-Major, and make the acquaintance of 
 Cadoc, the wise, and Illtyd, the knight. A few 
 miles to the west along the British Channel will 
 bring us to their monasteries.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 SAINT CADOC, POUNDER OF LLANCARVAN 
 MONASTERY, GLAMORGANSHIRE. 1 
 
 IN the earlier part of the fifth century there 
 lived in the present county of Monmouth, South 
 Wales, 2 a Camhrian chieftain named Gwynlyw, 
 son of Glywys. He was the eldest of eight or 
 ten children. When dying, their father divided 
 his territory equally amongst them, in com- 
 pliance with the custom called gavel-kind. One 
 of the brothers, however, named Pedrog, declined 
 his portion, having determined on embracing a 
 religious life, in which he lived and died. 
 
 To the share of Gwynlyw fell that tract of 
 land lying between Newport, Monmouthshire, 
 and the present town of Cardiff; how far it 
 extended towards the north is not stated. This 
 estate at present is in possession of the Tredegar 
 family. 
 
 On entering into this inheritance the young 
 chieftain considered the time had arrived for 
 him to marry and settle down. His choice fell 
 
 (1) This Life is compiled from the works of Lobineau, Albert le Grand' 
 and from the " Cambro-British Saints." 
 
 (2) Monmouthshire is here placed m Wales, for in the times we allude 
 to the river Wye formed the frontier of Llandaff diocese.
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 377 
 
 upon a young lady named Gwladys, who belonged 
 to the family of Brychan, prince of Brecknock, 
 a lady in every way accomplished. His proposal 
 for her hand being declined by the family, the 
 impetuous lover determined to carry her off 
 by force. 
 
 Such cases of abduction were not uncommon 
 in those days, and their repeated occurrence 
 induced the Catholic Church to introduce into the 
 marriage code the impedimentum raptus, for the 
 purpose of protecting the free will of woman- 
 hood, necessary to the validity of marriage. 
 
 Gwynlyw having successfully accomplished his 
 romantic feat, a deadly war was the result, as a 
 matter of course, and many lives were sacrificed 
 in consequence. Friends, however, interfered to 
 restore peace, and on the lady declaring that she 
 would never marry anyone but Gwynlyw, an 
 agreement was arrived at, and the young couple 
 united in lawful matrimony. 
 
 Of this marriage was born a son, Cadoc, or 
 Cathmail, as he was named in baptism, who 
 became the celebrated founder of Llancarvan 
 Monastery, and to whom future generations were 
 to apply the title of Wise. 1 
 
 This child, with St. Dubricius, first Bishop of 
 Llandaif, and Illtyd, the Knight, whom, later on, 
 he was to induce to forsake the world and its 
 vanities, was destined by Divine Providence to 
 
 (1) According to the Breviary of Vannes, Cadoc was born in the year of 
 our Lord 421. Vide Albert le Grand.
 
 378 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 become one of the most illustrious sons of the 
 Catholic Church of Wales in the fifth century . 
 
 Cadoc was baptised by Tathai, a monk living 
 at Caer-went. As this priest exercised great 
 influence over the future career of our saint, it 
 may not be out of place to narrate the circum- 
 stances under which he became intimately 
 acquainted with the house of Gwynlyw, 
 
 Tathai was at the head of a small religious 
 community at Caer-went, near Chepstow, once an 
 important Roman fortress. At this period the 
 far-famed legions had departed, never to return, 
 and their settlement was occupied by the men of 
 Christ, as the monks were called. As yet the 
 number of religious was small, and they possessed 
 property of no consequence. 
 
 O ne night some of the followers of Gwynlyw 
 and tlsed g 00( l soldiers, no doubt, but bad citizens started 
 on a plundering expedition. Directing their 
 steps eastward, they came to Caer-went, broke 
 into the enclosure of the monastery, and carried 
 off the few head of cattle belonging to the monks. 
 This event took place on the very night Cadoc 
 was born. His father had had a dream, in which 
 he beheld a venerable-looking priest enter the 
 hall of his castle. As he gazed upon him, some- 
 what amazed, he heard a voice which said, " Be 
 kind to this holy priest, and let him baptise the 
 new-born child, for he will be the guide and 
 teacher of his youth." 
 
 Tathai, on being informed on the following
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 379 
 
 morning of the outrage which had been com- 
 mitted during the night, and of the plunderers 
 being in the service of Gwynlyw, at once started 
 off to lay his complaint before their master, and 
 claim restitution. 
 
 The arrival of the priest at the castle accorded 
 exactly with the dream of the chieftain, who, 
 having heard his statement about the cattle, and 
 given him satisfaction for the theft, asked Tathai 
 to baptise the child. 
 
 The monk seemed to have a prevision as to the 
 future destiny of that infant, for, on restoring 
 him to his father, he strongly recommended the 
 chieftain not to neglect the education of his son, 
 but have him brought up in the pursuit of 
 literary knowledge. Gwynlyw promised not to 
 forget this advice, and added that amongst all 
 the seminaries of Britain to none but the monks 
 of Caer-went would he entrust the early training 
 of his son. 
 
 When seven or eight years of age, Cadoc was 
 accordingly sent to Tathai's monastery, where he 
 graduated through the various stages of education 
 imparted in those days. 
 
 Manual labour was a custom seldom departed 
 from in monastic schools ; hence we find young 
 Cadoc, though of noble birth, engaged in the 
 humble occupation of lighting the fires, like a 
 servant. The legend tells us that on a certain 
 day the young student was sent to fetch some fire 
 from a neighbouring cottage. He was there told
 
 380 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 that lie could not have any unless he carried it 
 away in his breast. This Cadoc did, without 
 either his garments or his hody being in the least 
 burnt. 
 
 The noble youth remained in the school of 
 Caer-went for twelve years, and did not leave it 
 until he had completed his studies. He was then 
 nineteen or twenty, a good scholar, and proficient 
 in learning, both Divine and human. He was 
 innocent, and beloved by all. The parting 
 between master and pupil was affecting. Tathai 
 had baptised Cadoc, and watched him as he grew 
 up under his eyes. Stretching his hands over 
 the young man, he implored Almighty God to 
 protect him, and His holy angels to be his com- 
 panions on the road of life ; then, giving him his 
 own blessing, he wished him prosperity in what- 
 ever career he might be called to pursue. 
 between Young Cadoc, on returning home, soon began 
 the to feel the difference between the monastery and 
 
 monastery 
 
 and the the mansion of a chieftain. In the former, every 
 
 home of 
 
 the hour was usefully occupied either in manual 
 
 chieftain. 
 
 labour, study, or prayer. At the castle, his 
 father and friends spent their days either in 
 hunting or warfare, and their nights in banquet- 
 ing. In the monastery no plundering oi any 
 sort was allowed, for those whose lives were 
 passed in doing good to others could not permit 
 the least act of injustice to be perpetrated. 
 
 The chieftain, on the contrary, closed his eyes 
 to the misdeeds of his followers. Provided they
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 381 
 
 stood under his banner and fought valiantly in 
 time of war, he was satisfied, and did not inter- 
 fere with their liberty unless they committed 
 themselves in a way to bring discredit on him 
 before the world. In fact, whilst he looked well 
 after his own interest, he neglected that of God. 
 His son, with a mind enlightened by the Holy 
 Ghost, and well grounded in the Gospel precepts, 
 was at a loss to understand how his father and 
 his friends could take such delight in the battle- 
 field and set such a value on the slaughter of 
 their foes, and in such other worldly pursuits. 
 
 Gwynlyw, by his deeds of valour, had shed a 
 halo over his country which had been so 
 appreciated by the people that they added to his 
 name the title of Warrior. To the young man 
 all this was vanity of vanities. More than once 
 he indicated his feelings to both his parents, and 
 urged on them the necessity and utility of 
 serving God, but his words produced little effect ; 
 the time had not yet come. 
 
 Cadoc seems to have made up his mind to 
 enter religion whilst at Caer-went, but how long 
 he remained at home after the completion of his 
 studies is not stated. Some writers incline to 
 think that the following circumstances 1 decided 
 the young nobleman to leave home suddenly : 
 
 Some difference had arisen between Gwynlyw 
 and a neighbouring chieftain, which, as usual, 
 was to be decided by the sword. Cadoc 
 
 (1) Albert le Grand.
 
 382 CAMBBIA SACRA. 
 
 appointed to the command of this expedition, 
 but he declined, on the plea that he was a soldier 
 of Christ. His Master, he said, had shed His own 
 blood for the redemption of mankind, but never 
 used the sword for the destruction of the children 
 of Adam ; it was his wish to follow this Divine 
 example. Aware that his father, a stern soldier, 
 would never forgive this answer, he resolved to 
 leave home, and thus at once commence the 
 religious life. This abrupt decision reveals in 
 the son the determination of character of the 
 father, but turned to a better cause. 
 
 With a few friends who entertained the same 
 idea, he set out, and, directing his steps west- 
 ward, passed through the present town of Cardiff, 
 and studied the localities of that district along the 
 Bristol Channel. This part of Glamorganshire is 
 undulating, and abounds in hills and valleys, 
 which in those days were in great part covered 
 with wood. 
 
 Cadoc made a minute inspection of the country, 
 Cadoc. crossing hills and diving into valleys, but could 
 not find a place suitable for his plans until he 
 came to Llancarvan, three or four miles from 
 Cowbridge. Here he discovered a swampy valley, 
 rarely visited by anyone, and which, by the very 
 nature of the ground, was adapted to secure the 
 solitude so prized by monks. Staff in hand, he 
 examined the place, wading through the swamps 
 and forcing Ms way among briars and thorns. 
 Tired out, at last he lay down to rest on a rising
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 383 
 
 spot where the ground was dry and shaded by a 
 wild apple tree, and fell asleep. A herd of 
 swine, which was feeding not far off, came to the 
 spot, and seeing the prostrate figure were 
 frightened and ran away. Their guardian seeing 
 this, suspected the presence of thieves or wolves, 
 and began searching about the place, finding 
 Cadoc, who by this time was on his knees in 
 prayer. The man at once concluded it was 
 thieves, and not wolves who had startled his 
 flock, and that the young man on his knees was 
 one of the gang. After showering abuse and 
 curses on the stranger, he grasped his spear, 
 determined, as he said, to rid the country of one 
 of its worst robbers. 
 
 The legend adds that, whilst in the act of 
 aiming a blow, his arm became stiffened and he 
 also lost his sight. He at once perceived that the 
 object of his attack was specially protected by 
 the Lord, and soon founa that he possessed the 
 charity of a saint ; for Cadoc consoled him with 
 the assurance that the God who struck was also 
 able to restore to him the use of his eyes and 
 arm. When informed by the shepherd that the 
 name of bis master was Doulpenythen, Cadoc 
 replied that he was his uncle. He then told the 
 man to go home, and recommended him to tell 
 his master all that had occurred. 
 
 When Doulpenythen heard the narrative, he The uncle 
 ordered twelve horsemen to accompany him to ne r kew. 
 Llancarvan, for which place he at once started.
 
 384 CAMBRIA SACEA. 
 
 The meeting between uncle and nephew was 
 by no means free from embarrassment. The 
 chieftain was distressed that his swine-herd should 
 have shown disrespect and even violence to the 
 son of his brother; but when, instead of a gay 
 young nobleman, surrounded by hounds and 
 sporting friends, he saw a few youths, meanly 
 clad and neglected-looking, he guessed the 
 purpose for which they had come to that locality, 
 and felt still more embarrassed. 
 
 After a few preliminary remarks on both sides, 
 which indicated how matters stood, the chieftain 
 thought it his duty to recommend his nephew to 
 return home. He bade him remember that a 
 brilliant career was open to him. He was the 
 child of a celebrated warrior, who expected that 
 his son should be worthy of the father, and win a 
 reputation for bravery in the battle-field and 
 courtesy in domestic life ; that, having now 
 reached the age of manhood, filial duty required 
 he should comply with the reasonable wishes of 
 his family. 
 
 Cadoc replied that his mind was irrevocably 
 made up as regarded his future life, and that on 
 no account would he forsake the service of 
 religion for the allurements of a deceitful world, 
 prefer earthly to heavenly attractions, or risk the 
 loss of eternal bliss for the enjoyment of 
 temporary pleasures. He had himself witnessed 
 with sorrow the lives led by many noble youths, 
 who were far from assimilating themselves with
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 385 
 
 the Gospel of Jesus Christ. "All," he added, 
 " that I desire is a small corner of God's earth on 
 which I can huild a hut, wherein to pray, live 
 an innocent life, and die." 
 
 His uncle, being much edified by the young 
 man's steadfast piety, said 
 
 " If thou hast need of land, choose and take as 
 much as thou requirest out of my territory." 
 
 Cadoc thanked his uncle, and replied, " My 
 companions and myself have minutely inspected 
 this district in search of a place suitable for the 
 religious life we purpose to lead. This valley 
 will answer our purpose. It is far from human 
 habitation, and here we can devote ourselves 
 undisturbed to the service of our Divine Master." 
 
 Having arranged this matter to their mutual 
 satisfaction, the chieftain bade farewell to his 
 nephew, and returned home. 
 
 Cadoc and his companions recognised in this Founda _ 
 event the finger of God, who had provided them JJjJjL 
 with a home. At first sight, the place selected n 
 
 Monastery 
 
 was not an inviting spot. The valley was a 
 watery moor, producing nothing but reeds and 
 bulrushes, and swarming with reptiles and snakes. 
 Here and there a few dry and elevated mounds 
 rose above the surface of the marsh ; these served 
 as places of resort for wild boars. It was called 
 by the natives the Valley of the Deer, because in 
 the hunting season, when these animals were 
 closely tracked by the hounds, they were wont to 
 take refuge in this almost inaccessible swamp,
 
 386 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 which was dreaded alike by huntsmen and 
 dogs. 
 
 The servants of God, however, were glad to 
 have a place they could call their own, and 
 thanked their heavenly Father for His gift. 
 They passed the following night in prayer, 
 imploring light to enahle them to decide on the 
 best place whereon to erect a building for His 
 greater honour and glory. 
 
 As Montalembert observes, animals were often 
 made the medium of indicating to religious the 
 site of monasteries predestined to become here- 
 after great centres of piety and learning. Thus, 
 the position of Eecamp, Hautvillers, and other 
 convents in France were pointed out ; one by a 
 stag, another by an eagle, and a third by a dove. 1 
 
 The site and position of the great monastery of 
 Llancarvan were, in like manner, marked out by 
 a wild animal. 
 
 The legend records that an angel appeared to 
 Cadoc, and said, " To-morrow thou shalt be shown 
 the spot whereon God wills thee to erect thy 
 foundation. On coming to a piece of dry ground 
 thou shalt find a wild boar, which will run away 
 affrighted. There thou shalt build a church. 
 The boar, as he retreats, will twice stop for a 
 moment. On the first spot thus indicated erect 
 a dormitory, and on the second a refectory." 
 
 This prediction was fulfilled, for as Cadoc 
 journeyed along on the following day he did 
 
 (1) Montalembert's " Monks of the West."
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 387 
 
 really meet a bristly white boar. He marked 
 the spot on which the animal stood, as also the 
 two places where, as the angel had foretold, he 
 halted in his flight, and thereon, in course of 
 time, arose the various buildings connected with 
 the monastery of Llancarvan. 
 
 The first erections were simple, being con- 
 structed of wood from the forests on the adjacent 
 hills, the roofs being formed of reeds or bulrushes 
 from the moor. 
 
 The fame of Cadoc's sanctity soon spread 
 throughout South "Wales, and crowds of disciples, 
 eager to follow the evangelical counsels, flocked 
 to Llancarvan. By degrees the appearance of 
 the country was completely changed. A deep 
 trench, cut in the centre of the valley, formed a 
 channel for conveying the stagnant waters into 
 the sea; the sloping ground was also drained, 
 and roads or footpaths were formed which opened 
 easy communication with the neighbouring 
 country. 
 
 However scanty may be the records of 
 monastic foundations, it is always to be remarked 
 that one of the first works undertaken by the 
 monks was the formation of an enclosed 
 cemetery, and near, or within it, a church. No 
 doubt, those who had renounced the world for 
 ever remembered that it was within the cloister 
 that they were to live and die, and, therefore, the 
 church and the cemetery were linked together in 
 their minds. It was fitting that the brethren
 
 388 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 who had passed away should await the resurrec- 
 tion in the vicinity of the altar whereon the holy 
 Sacrifice of the Mass was offered for the repose 
 of the souls of the faithful departed, and near the 
 church from which their prayers had so often 
 ascended to God. 
 
 Round the church and the cemetery, as round 
 a centre, the other buildings which composed the 
 monastery were erected. The plan of Llan- 
 carvan was identical with that followed hy most 
 of the religious houses in those days, and included 
 a monastery, a college, and an hospital. 
 
 We can discover no record in the " Lives of 
 the Camhro-British Saints " of the amount of 
 land granted to Cadoc by his uncle Poulentus, 
 hut we have reason to believe that its depen- 
 dencies became greatly enlarged through various 
 donations, and that the boundaries extended 
 beyond the Valley of Llancarvan. Even in the 
 lifetime of Cadoc we find that the monks had 
 cultivated the land in the neighbourhood of 
 Penmark as far as the shores of the sea. On the 
 west they carried their works through St. Athens, 
 Lambthery, and on to Lanfythen ; whilst on the 
 east they extended as far as Molton. 
 
 It is probable that round Llancarvan, as a 
 centre, rose various priories, each under the rule 
 of a prior, for we read that in course of time a 
 separate building was erected for the residence of 
 St. Cadoc as abbot, and called Cadoc's Castle. 
 
 The buildings first constructed being merely
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 389 
 
 huts formed of green wood, were very perishable, 
 and as the community increased a monastery 
 formed of permanent materials was substituted. 
 
 The biographers of St. Cadoc inform us that in 
 the Valley of the Deer great use was made of 
 those animals; they dragged timber from the 
 forests and stones from the quarries. No longer 
 tracked by hounds and huntsmen, they willingly 
 assisted the monks in their various labours. 
 Persons who visit Llancarvan and neighbourhood 
 at the present day must feel convinced that in 
 former times men highly gifted with physical 
 strength and intellectual power must have 
 tenanted that locality. This is exhibited in the 
 ruined churches, halls, and extent of land 
 enclosed within walls, forming immense parks, 
 whilst huge mounds of earth raised within the 
 valleys retained the waters and formed lakes and 
 reservoirs. 
 
 It must not be forgotten that, as a rule, the 
 peasantry willingly became tenants on monastic 
 territory, influenced by its many advantages. 
 There they found peace, security, and exemption 
 from military service ; and also good masters in 
 the science of farming, and safe teachers in 
 spiritual matters. They found that Cadoc was a 
 better ruler as a monk than he would have been 
 as a wild chieftain like his father, Gwynlyw, and 
 others. 1 He was, indeed, the spiritual life of the 
 
 (1) The lolo MSS., page 557, speaks thus of the numerical strength of 
 this monastery : " The College of Cattwg, in Llaucarvan, with three cells 
 and i thousand saints, together with two cells in the Vale of Neath."
 
 390 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 brethren and others of Llancarvan, as also a 
 model to many monasteries. 
 
 Cadoc, like the rest of the religious, did 
 not disdain manual lahour. In the house of 
 religion none were allowed to eat the bread of 
 idleness. 
 
 Not far from Llancarvan was a field specially 
 called the "White Eield" (Erwgwen), a name 
 which was religiously preserved for centuries. 
 The clearing and cultivation of that field was the 
 work of the blessed Cadoc. 
 
 Travels of The primitive monks of Britain were inde- 
 fatigable travellers ; we find them in Gaul, Italy, 
 Rome, and Jerusalem ; and, considering the few 
 facilities for locomotion which existed in those 
 days, we are bound to confess that they were men 
 who possessed great energy and extraordinary 
 physical powers. They crossed stormy oceans in 
 small open boats, and traversed immense 
 continents on foot, if no other facility was open 
 to them. Devotion or love of learning were their 
 chief motives for undertaking these labourious 
 journeys ; and Cadoc, the founder of Llancarvan, 
 holds the first rank as a traveller amongst 
 the abbots of Wales. We meet with him in 
 Ireland, Scotland, and Brittany, seeking instruc- 
 tion for himself, preaching the Gospel to others, 
 and building monasteries. He kneels at the 
 tomb of Saints Peter and Paul in Home, and 
 in Jerusalem follows, in tears, his Saviour 
 along the Via Dolorosa. Again and again
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 391 
 
 during his life does he renew these pil- 
 grimages. 
 
 When the Monastery of Llancarvan was 
 thoroughly established, the abhot thought of 
 visiting Ireland because the religious houses and 
 colleges of that country were famed for piety 
 and learning. The founder of a monastic 
 institution could but profit by a personal 
 knowledge of establishments which were looked 
 upon as models. He remembered the words of 
 holy Scripture, " Son, acquire learning in thy 
 youth, and thou wilt find wisdom with thy grey 
 hairs, and it will be to thee as a father and as a 
 mother." 
 
 Cadoc's monastery being a new foundation, he 
 considered it expedient to examine into the spirit 
 and administration of the most celebrated cloisters 
 in Ireland. Taking with him some of his 
 brethren, he visited Lismore, which then enjoyed 
 a well-deserved reputation as the perfection of a 
 monastic institution. Here he resided for three 
 years, conforming in all things to the rules of 
 the house. 
 
 On his return to Wales he brought back with 
 him several Irish monks and British priests, who 
 had a desire to become members of his com- 
 munity. Amongst them were the celebrated 
 Professors Finian, Macmoil, and Guavan. 
 
 This practical common-sense, which we note 
 with pleasure amongst the saints of Cambria, 
 contributed in no small degree to their attainment
 
 392 CAMBRIA SACfcA. 
 
 of a high standard of perfection, both religious 
 and scholastic; and, in course of time, they 
 gained a great reputation as masters of Divine 
 and human sciences. 
 
 Some persons are inclined to think that there 
 is nothing to he learnt beyond the narrow limits 
 of their own country. According to their 
 opinion, science has fixed her abode amongst 
 them, and, as a matter of course, there is nothing 
 they can acquire from others. 
 
 Cadoc's feeling on the subject was very 
 different. He knew that much was to be learnt 
 in other lands and from their inhabitants, 
 especially on subjects about which they possessed 
 greater experience than his own. 
 
 On returning from Ireland, the saintly abbot 
 passed some time in Brecknockshire, the birth- 
 place of his mother, Gwladys. Love of learning 
 prompted this new absence from Llancarvan. 
 There lived in Brecknockshire a celebrated 
 professor, who had spent several years in Rome, 
 and Cadoc wished to acquire from him the real 
 pronunciation of Latin, and also the Roman style 
 of psalmody, in order that he might secure 
 Liturgical correctness for his brethren. 
 
 We also find him making pilgrimages to 
 Jerusalem and Rome. Devotion was his chief 
 motive for undertaking these journeys ; for at all 
 times a natural religious instinct attracts the 
 devout to the sacred spot trodden by the feet of 
 our Redeemer to Bethlehem, the place of his
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 393 
 
 birth, and to Calvary, the throne of his conquest 
 over death and hell. 
 
 Pilgrims to the East, as a rule, carried back 
 with them relics especially altar-stones which 
 had touched the holy sepulchre or been taken 
 from the quarries on the spot. Cadoc brought 
 three such altar-stones on his return to Wales, 
 two of which he gave to his monastic brethren, 
 Macmoil and Elly, keeping the third for his 
 own use. The Cambro-British MSS. assert that 
 seven times in his life did this holy man visit the 
 Liminia Apostolorum, and Jerusalem twice. 
 
 His pilgrimage to Jerusalem and his visit to 
 Rome, on his way back to Britain, took place, 
 according to Albert le Grand, in 462, in the 
 beginning of the pontificate of John the Third, 
 by which Pope he was kindly received. 1 
 
 The following remarks on the motives which 
 incited Cadoc to undertake these long journeys 
 show how deeply rooted in the hearts of the 
 Britons of those days was devotion to the faithful 
 departed. According to his biographer, the 
 abbot performed these pilgrimages as a penance 
 for the repose of the souls of his departed 
 relatives. 
 
 He undertook other journeys also one to 
 Scotland and another to Brittany. Having knelt 
 at the holy sepulchre in Jerusalem and at the 
 tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul in Rome, he 
 wished to pray at the Church of St. Andrew in 
 
 (1) Albert le Grand, p. 666.
 
 394 CAMimiA SACRA. 
 
 Scotland, and with three of his brethren started 
 for the North. His devotions being over, he 
 remarked that the faith in certain portions of 
 central Scotland was lukewarm, or, at least, was 
 little practised. The holy abbot prayed, there- 
 fore, for light to know if he should consecrate a 
 part of his life to missionary labour amongst 
 these people. 
 
 He prolonged his stay, accordingly, and 
 preached the Gospel throughout the country; 
 and, that the work he had done might not be 
 lost, he established a branch of his order, to 
 insure its being carried on in the future. His 
 stay in Scotland lasted five years. 
 
 It is also on record that the Abbot of Llan- 
 carvan built a monastery on a small island in 
 the river Ectell, Brittany, in the diocese of 
 Vannes. For many centuries this island bore 
 the name of Enes Cadog, or Cadvog, in memory 
 of the saint who is said to have connected it with 
 the mainland by a bridge or causeway, which, 
 for length and beauty, was looked upon in those 
 days as a prodigy of engineering skill. 1 
 
 (1) By the Breton firesides, during the long nights of winter, the 
 legendists used to narrate how, in the execution of this work, Cadoc 
 cheated the devil. The saint was spanning the distance to be bridged 
 over, and calculating the immensity of the work he was about to under- 
 take, when Satan appeared before him, and at once entered upon the 
 subject. " So you are thinking of throwing a bridge across the strait ? A 
 gigantic work ! It will require thousands of men to quarry the stones, all 
 the oxen of Brittany and Wales to convey them to the spot, and a forest 
 of wood for the lime-burning. Who will dig for the foundations through 
 mud and water ? If you agree to my terms, I will do it ; and that, too, in 
 the short space of one night. As remuneration for my labour, I require 
 that the first that crosses the bridge shall become mine." The saint well 
 understood that what Satan wanted was a soul to take with him to 
 hell ; bat, as he did not clearly specify such a demand, Cadoc determined 
 to outwit and give him a lesson in verbal exactitude. So he bade him
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 395 
 
 The saints, as we have seen in the preceding 
 pages, were great lovers of souls. 
 
 St. Brieuc offered the most fervent prayers for 
 the conversion of his father and mother, the first 
 time he celebrated the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. 
 
 At Llancarvan, St. Cadoc often thought of his C 
 
 induces 
 
 parents' home near the river Usk, in Monmouth- his father 
 
 and 
 
 shire. When, in choir with his brethren at mother to 
 night, he chanted the Psalms of David which so world. 
 beautifully pourtray the miseries and vanities of 
 this world, the mind of the holy abbot often 
 wandered from the church to the parental 
 dwelling. 
 
 It was especially during Lent, and when at the 
 Plat Holms, near Cardiff, that the heart of the 
 pious priest was pierced with sorrow, because in 
 the penitential season his mind was most occu- 
 pied with and penetrated by the eternal truths ; 
 and from the island of Plat Holms he could 
 behold the territories of his parents. They were 
 advancing in years, but were they securing for 
 themselves a happy eternity ? He had induced 
 hundreds to follow him in the practice of the 
 Evangelical Counsels, and he could not but 
 desire that his own father and mother should lead 
 good, Christian lives, at least in their latter days. 
 
 build the bridge. Satan at once summoned a legion of demons from hell 
 and set to work during the night. Next morning, after Lauds, Cadoc 
 found that the bridge was completed, and perceived the devil on guard at 
 the extremity which opened on the island. " You have kept your word," 
 said the abbot, "and now I will fulfil my part of the compact." He went 
 back to the monastery, and shortly after returned carrying a cat, which 
 he threw on the bridge, and the frightened animal at once darted across 
 it. " Take him, if you can catch him," exclaimed Cadoc. "He will rid 
 you of all your rats." Satan vanished, discomfited ; and thus it was that 
 the abbot cheated the devil.
 
 396 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 No man is a prophet in his own country, and 
 but few are considered such in their own families. 
 Acting on this maxim of our Lord, Cadoc hoped 
 that some of his clergy might exercise greater 
 influence over his parents than himself, and 
 accordingly sent Pinian, Guavan, and Elly to 
 visit them. These envoys were well received hy 
 Gwynlyw and Gwladys. They were the followers 
 of their son, and the pleadings of nature told in 
 their behalf. They spoke of the holy life led by 
 Cadoc, and of the number of devoted men who 
 served God under his direction in the Valley of 
 the Deer, and said one thought ever predomi- 
 nantly occupied the mind of their saintly son, 
 and that was anxiety for the eternal welfare of 
 his father and mother. 
 
 This revelation made a deep impression on 
 both parents, but in a particular manner affected 
 his mother, who impressed it upon her husband. 
 " Let us trust to our own dear son," she said. 
 " Let us listen to his advice, and he will be a 
 father to us in heaven. Let us amend our lives, 
 and enjoin that at our deaths our bodies shall 
 repose in his cemetery, near the walls of his 
 church. He and his brethren will remember us 
 in their prayers when in this world we have 
 ceased to~ exist, and recommend our souls before 
 the altar to the mercy of God." 
 
 To this touching appeal of Gwladys her 
 husband replied, " Whatever thou recommendest 
 let us do it, and wherever thou goest I will follow."
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 397 
 
 A messenger was forthwith, despatched to 
 Llancarvan to inform Cadoc of what had taken 
 place; he hastened to his parents with all 
 the joy of a general who had gained a great 
 victory ; and through his exhortations they were 
 incited and strengthened in their resolution to 
 spend the remainder of their lives in a pious and 
 saintly manner. 
 
 Supernatural grace told powerfully on these 
 two souls. Of course, they had penance to 
 perform the guilt of past sins to wash away. 
 As we have already seen, the very earliest days 
 of their married life bore the stain of blood, and 
 their after hours had been devoted to worldly 
 pleasures and pursuits ; neither had they 
 profited by the good example set before them by 
 so many of their relatives. One of Gwynlyw's 
 brothers was a monk ; the holy nuns Mnnoc and 
 Keyna were sisters, or nearly akin to Gwladys, 
 and Cadoc, Abbot of Llancarvan, their own 
 son. The inspirations of God, no doubt, filled 
 their minds with such serious reflections in 
 connection with these facts that in the end 
 they determined to abandon the world, and, by 
 mutual consent, separated, and led a life of 
 chastity. 
 
 As we have already mentioned, the chieftain 
 retired to Stowe-hill, Newport, Monmouthshire, 
 where he built a few huts and an oratory. 
 
 Gwladys, his wife, founded a church and an 
 hospital in a valley at the foot of the same hill,
 
 398 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 and, being joined by a few other pious women, 
 there ended her days as a nun. 
 
 Gwynlyw, once renowned as " The Warrior," 
 could never appreciate too much the singular 
 favour he had received, through his saintly son, 
 of a call to religious life. On his death-bed he 
 sent for him and for his bishop, Dubricius, and 
 entreated them to prepare his soul for death. 
 After making his confession, 1 and receiving holy 
 Communion and Extreme Unction, the dying 
 hermit raised himself on his pallet, and, beckon- 
 ing Cadoc to come nearer to him, told the 
 bystanders that for years he had slighted his 
 son's advice, but that it was to his unceasing 
 prayers and solicitations he owed his return to 
 Almighty God. Then, addressing the holy 
 abbot, he said, " Blessed be thou, my son, because 
 through thee the Lord has had mercy upon me, 
 and thou hast obtained for me the Divine favour. 
 I grant to thee this monastery and all that 
 belongs to it; and it is my desire that kings, 
 princes, nobles, and warriors be buried at thy 
 altar, at Llancarvan. Whoever shall respect 
 this, my will, let him be blessed, and may he 
 who violates it be cursed." All present answered, 
 Amen. 
 
 Nothing can be more touching than the super- 
 natural love exhibited in the lives of this father 
 and son. 
 
 When the grave on Stowe-hill 2 had closed over 
 
 (1) " Cambro-British Saints." 
 (2) St. Wolloos, Newport.
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 399 
 
 the warrior-hermit his son did not cease to 
 remember him, but devoted himself to prayer 
 for the repose of his father's soul. 
 
 According to Celtic custom, the lives of 
 Gwynlyw, Gwladys, and Cadoc were celebrated 
 by the bards, who reproduced their history in 
 verses, which, being adapted to favourite 
 melodies, were sung at the doors of churches, at 
 markets and fairs, and at the firesides. 
 
 There was, indeed, much to inspire a poet, and 
 to edify a deeply religious nation, in the career 
 of the noble warrior, the fair Gwladys, and 
 the saintly Cadoc. Sacrifices made for the 
 service of God were sure to meet with ready 
 sympathy from the Cambrians, and the spectacle 
 of a devoted and generous son leading to the 
 cloister the proudest warrior of his time and the 
 fairest lady in the land excited their warmest 
 admiration. 
 
 It may not be without interest to review the Cadoc and 
 relations of Cadoc with some of the leading men princes, 
 amongst the laity, such as the valiant knight 
 Illtyd, Maelgon, King of North Wales, and King 
 Arthur. He possessed great influence over them, 
 through which he succeeded in enlisting the more 
 worthy into the service of his Divine Master. 
 There were others with whom he could not 
 maintain friendship. They were men devoted 
 to the world, and the views of such often clash 
 with those of a staunch servant of God. 
 
 It was the Abbot of Llancarvan who persuaded
 
 400 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 the Breton Knight, Illtyd, a distinguished officer 
 in the army, to give up the world and its vanities 
 and consecrate himself to the service of a better 
 Master, as we shall see in the following chapter. 
 
 During the life of St. Cadoc, Maelgon, King of 
 North Wales, and probably at that time chief of 
 the British Confederation, sent an army into 
 South Wales, either to avenge some quarrel, or 
 perhaps collect the tribute assigned to him as 
 leader. 
 
 With regard to the commissariat, it was clearly 
 laid down that the army was to be supplied with 
 food by the districts it would pass through. One 
 territory, however, waj exempted from this 
 imposition, for the following reason. 
 
 Before the expedition started Maelgon reviewed 
 his troops, which were under the command of 
 Ehun, his son, and thus addressed them : 
 
 "An army must be supplied with food, and 
 the country through wnich its course lies must 
 provide for it the necessaries of life. It is, how- 
 ever, my command that you respect the territory 
 of Cadoc. He is my confessor, and without his 
 permission you must not touch a single animal 
 belonging to him. He and his brethren expect 
 this consideration from me. Elsewhere you will 
 find men and cattle hidden away in the forests, 
 terrified at the tidings of your coming ; but when 
 you arrive at the domains of the monastery no 
 one will feel the least alarm at the appearance 
 of Maelgon' s soldiers. Labourers will continue
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 401 
 
 to work in the fields, and the cattle graze 
 undisturbed in the pastures, for all know that 
 your sovereign is the friend of Cadoc, and that a 
 spiritual covenant exists between him and me, 
 which will preserve them from suffering in the 
 least from the horrors of war." 
 
 Ehun and his soldiers, with the exception of a 
 party of twelve men, respected the wishes of 
 their king. These troopers went one day to 
 water their horses at a brook near Llancarvan. 
 Being themselves thv^ty, they said to each other 
 it was a pity that sc Jlers should have nothing 
 but cold water to drink when there was plenty 
 of milk at hand, and, going to the steward of the 
 monastery, rudely demanded some. Being dis- 
 pleased at their impertinent language, he refused 
 what he would no doubt have given willingly 
 otherwise. The soldiers went away, cursing and 
 swearing, and even carried their resentment so 
 far as to endeavour to set fire to the barns. 
 
 Ehun and his followers were much distressed 
 on hearing of this attempt at incendiarism, and 
 the Prince, ip atonement for the misconduct of 
 his men, made several offerings to Cadoc. 
 
 In the " Cambro-British Saints" we find Cadoc and 
 mention of a very interesting contest between Arthur. 
 King Arthur and the Abbot of Llancarvan. 
 When divested of its romantic colouring, the 
 narrative runs as follows : 
 
 Eor some unspecified cause, a brave general of 
 the British army, named Ligessawc, the " Long
 
 402 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Hand," slew three soldiers of Arthur. The King 
 tracked the murderer from place to place, and 
 the unfortunate man, being unable to find safety 
 elsewhere, came as a fugitive to Cadoc, to whom 
 he confessed his sin and represented his danger. 
 The Abbot received him into the monastery, 
 though some of the brethren dissented, on the 
 plea that to do so would draw down upon them 
 the ire of the King. Cadoc replied, " Let us 
 show hospitality, as recommended by the spirit 
 of religion, and rely on the assistance of God for 
 our own protection. It is written. ' Fear not 
 those who can kill the body, but cannot touch 
 the soul ; ' and let us not miss an occasion for 
 saving the life of a fellow-creature." 
 
 The general had remained with the monks for 
 seven years, when someone revealed his place of 
 refuge to Arthur, who despatched messengers to 
 Llancarvan to demand his expulsion, or, at least, 
 obtain the tax required from every man who 
 had committed murder. 
 
 Both these demands being refused, the King 
 became very indignant, his anger being, very 
 probably, fanned by the courtiers around him. 
 But he refrained from actual violence, through a 
 kind of religious fear, for people spoke of 
 Cadoc as being guarded by angels from 
 heaven, and of the woe attending those who 
 molested him. 
 
 After much negociation between the King and 
 the Abbot, it was agreed that the matter should
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 403 
 
 be submitted to arbitration. David, Teilo, 
 Oudoceus, and others defended Cadoc. 
 
 The judges assembled on the banks of the 
 river Usk, and the subject was so warmly 
 discussed, and the excitement became so intense, 
 that it was deemed judicious that the adherents 
 of each party should keep the river between 
 them. 
 
 Whether the guilty general had abandoned his 
 sanctuary, or lost his right to its privileges after 
 seven years ; or whether, influenced by fear of 
 Arthur, one of the judges proposed that the King 
 ought to be content to receive three very good 
 oxen for the loss of each one of his three men. 
 This proposition was seconded by many, whilst 
 others asserted that human life was so precious 
 in the eyes of Britons that a hundred cows was 
 the least atonement which should be offered for 
 each man, and this decision was ultimately 
 accepted. 
 
 In course of time Arthur repented of his 
 unfairness towards Cadoc, and made satisfaction 
 for allowing himself to act on the unjust maxim, 
 too often adopted by the powerful, that might 
 presumes right. 
 
 The King, when his anger had cooled, could 
 not fail to see that the Abbot of Llancarvan, in 
 sheltering a man who had fled to him for 
 protection, was but following the rule of the 
 cloister, sanctioned by the customs of the time, 
 which granted to monasteries the right of refuge ;
 
 404 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 also, that although the shedding of human blood, 
 except in lawful war, was taxed according to the 
 value of the victim, yet St. Cadoc, who had 
 nothing to do, either directly or indirectly, with 
 the murder of his three men, had been forced to 
 pay for their death. Ligessawc was the guilty 
 man, and Cadoc and his brethren had been taxed 
 for a crime which they abhorred. 
 
 These reflections haunted the mind of Arthur, 
 and induced him to make an ample apology for 
 the injustice he had been the author of. He 
 gave full recognition to the monastic claim of 
 right of refuge, and a better understanding was 
 come to as to the nature and length of such rights. 
 This was committed to paper, and signed on both 
 sides, with the usual invocation of the blessing of 
 God on those who should observe the rules, and 
 curses on their violators. 
 
 As we have already more than once observed, 
 it was the custom of the British saints to recollect 
 themselves at the beginning of Lent, and con- 
 secrate the first weeks of that penitential season 
 to a spiritual retreat. 
 
 Cadoc retired to Elat Holms, at the entrance 
 of Cardiff, or to Barry Island, close to the same 
 town, during those days of entire seclusion from 
 business and the world. The administration of 
 Llancarvan and his other monasteries entailed 
 many cares and troubles, and he thought it would 
 benefit his own soul to retire completely from the 
 world, at least for a time.
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 405 
 
 On Palm Sunday he returned to his monastery Life 
 to celebrate the mysteries of Holy Week. Crowds during 
 
 Lent. 
 
 visited Llancarvan during these sorrowful com- 
 memorations, when the Church places hefore us 
 with such solemnity the Passion of our Lord. 
 No douht men were then instructed in their 
 religion, made their annual confession, and 
 received the body and blood of their Redeemer. 
 
 During these religious festivals the community 
 of Llancarvan exercised the greatest hospitality 
 towards strangers, and hundreds of pilgrims were 
 fed daily. The labour of the monks had trans- 
 formed the waste valleys of Llancarvan and 
 neighbourhood into productive fields. They had 
 acquired wealth by the sweat of their brow, and 
 on all suitable occasions those riches were 
 generously shared with their neighbours. 
 
 In the latter part of his life, the Abbot of 
 Llancarvan retired from the first and most 
 celebrated monastery which he had established. 
 We have already followed him on his journeys to 
 Jerusalem, Rome, Brittany, and Scotland. One 
 oi the brethren was selected to rule temporarily 
 as abbot, or prior, during these absences; but 
 now that he felt himself called to serve God in 
 another locality, Elli was elected to succeed 
 him as permanent head of the religious com- 
 munity of Llancarvan. 
 
 It was on Palm Sunday that Cadoc formally 
 intimated his determination of leaving them. 
 The usual procession with the relics of the saints
 
 406 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 had proceeded through, the country early in the 
 morning, before Mass, and the solemnity had 
 drawn crowds to the monastery. Cadoc preached 
 on that occasion with unusual earnestness ; then 
 Mass was celebrated, and Holy Communion 
 administered. 
 
 Later on in the day he assembled his religious 
 
 brethren in the abbot's house, and informed them 
 
 of his resolution to depart, and appointed Elli to 
 
 succeed him as abbot. 
 
 Cadoc j am now advanced in years," he said, "and 
 
 retires 
 
 from though ignorant of the day on which I shall be 
 
 Llancar- 
 
 v an. summoned from this world, I feel convinced that 
 a younger ruler will be better fitted to guide you 
 in the path of perfection. Obey, in all humility, 
 the new abbot. I recommend to you, in the 
 name of the Lord, that no power of king, or 
 bishop, or noble may ever be called upon to 
 adjust any dispute arising amongst you. Let 
 any contentions which, in consequence of human 
 frailty must unfortunately occur occasionally, be 
 examined into and decided upon by judges taken 
 from amongst yourselves. 
 
 " You are all familiar with the hazel tree 
 planted by me not far from the monastery ; it is 
 under it that we have been accustomed to 
 assemble for the discussion of matters concerning 
 the community, and God stood by us in these 
 councils. Let that still continue to be the place 
 of judgment. Let the abbot and the brethren 
 continue to meet beneath the shade of that tree,
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 407 
 
 and you will still feel under the protection of 
 heaven." 
 
 The book containing the rules of the monastery 
 was then brought and placed upon the altar, and 
 Cadoc said, " May you follow what is written in 
 that book, and may your ruler guide you accord- 
 ing to the prescriptions therein contained." 
 
 This explicit recommendation would seem to 
 the ordinary reader to imply that the founder of 
 Llancarvan discarded any right of the bishop to 
 interfere with the administration of a religious 
 community existing within his diocese, whereas, 
 in the Councils of that period all over 
 Christendom, monasteries were subjected to the 
 jurisdiction of the bishops. 
 
 Perhaps the injunction given to his brethren 
 by the Abbot of Llancarvan may be explained 
 by the rule which in our own days fixes the 
 relations of a bishop with certain religious orders. 
 A bishop is the chief spiritual officer in a diocese, 
 and no one can exercise any spiritual jurisdiction 
 in the said diocese without his permission. In 
 cases of scandal, no matter from what quarter 
 they may proceed, he possesses power to check it. 
 
 However, at the present time even the bishop 
 does not interfere with the internal arrangements 
 of religious houses if under the immediate power 
 of the Pope. This is what St. Cadoc implied in 
 his parting advice to his brethren. 
 
 We are told that on leaving Llancarvan he 
 went to Beneventum, and there was again forced
 
 408 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 to place himself at the head of a monastery, and 
 ultimately consecrated bishop. 
 
 The exact locality of Beneventum has some- 
 what puzzled the hagiographers of Cadoc. Some 
 go so far as to think it was the town of that 
 name in Italy, others incline to the belief that it 
 was Caergwent, but Weedon (Benevenna), in 
 Northamptonshire, seems really to have been the 
 place. 1 
 
 Of the episcopal career of St. Cadoc little is 
 known, with the exception of his death taking 
 place at the altar whilst in the act of celebrating 
 the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. For all 
 particulars we beg to refer the reader to 
 Chapter III. 
 
 The founder of Llancarvan Monastery was 
 buried at Weedon, and his tomb was visited in 
 crowds by the sick, blind, lame, and afflicted. 
 
 His brethren at Llancarvan greatly desired to 
 have his body interred in his principal monastery, 
 but their pious wish was frustrated. His grave 
 at Weedon was guarded, and it was difficult for 
 a Cambrian to get access to it, so great was the 
 fear entertained that they would remove his 
 coffin. 
 
 Cadoc holds a conspicuous place in the 
 traditions of his land. He possessed great 
 qualities, and had he remained in the world 
 
 and skilful warrior and wise administrator of the 
 
 (1) " Cambro-Biitish Saints."
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 409 
 
 laws. But when all these great natural gifts 
 were directed and influenced by the grace of the 
 religious state, they stamped him as one of the 
 most eminent of the Cambrian saints. 
 
 He was looked upon by his own countrymen 
 as the Solomon of his race ; amongst them he 
 bore the name of " Cadoc the Wise." Perhaps 
 ancient biographers recorded more minute details 
 of the actions and hidden life of this holy servant 
 of God than are at present extant. The bards 
 deemed it their duty to celebrate his memory. 
 
 The lolo MSS. have handed down a few of 
 
 attributed 
 
 Cadoc's parables, and twelve fables, which denote * 
 a clear and practical mind. Like JSsop, he was 
 a great observer of Nature, and possessed the 
 talent of imparting good moral lessons through 
 the medium of animals and inanimate objects. 
 He, no doubt, had studied the ancient fablists. 
 Most of his own might take their place beside 
 those of ^Esop and Lafontaine in the instruction 
 of British youth. 
 
 Whilst referring the reader to the lolo MSS. 
 for more copious information, it may not be 
 uninteresting to place extracts of tw r o or three of 
 these fables before the reader, as specimens of 
 the holy bishop's turn of mind and style of 
 composition. One of these is headed, " The Man 
 who killed the Greyhound." 
 
 A Welshman his wife having gone to church 
 was left in the house with only a little child in 
 the cradle, and a greyhound. A stag, pursued
 
 410 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 by dogs, rushed past, and the man, hoping to 
 share the venison, joined in the chase. 
 
 A wolf meanwhile entered the house, and was 
 about to devour the child, when the greyhound 
 attacked and killed him, thus saving the life of 
 the infant. During the struggle between the 
 animals the cradle was overturned. When the 
 man returned home the dog ran to meet him, 
 wagging his tail, but covered with blood, as was 
 also the floor of the room. The horror-stricken 
 father seeing this, and that the cradle was upset, 
 came at once to the conclusion that the hound 
 had killed the child, and, in a moment of rage, 
 drew his sword and stabbed him to the heart ; 
 but when, on raising the cradle, he found his 
 boy alive, and perceived the dead wolf stretched 
 upon the ground, he at once understood that he 
 had slain the preserver of his child, and became 
 almost frantic with grief. 
 
 Hence arose the proverb, " Before taking 
 revenge, first investigate the cause, and reflect 
 twice before striking once." Another saying 
 refers also to the same story : " As sorry as the 
 man who killed his greyhound." 
 
 A person who suffers passion to get the better 
 of reason is likely to commit acts which he will 
 never be able to undo. It is necessary to bridle 
 rage, lest the vengeance proceeding from it 
 prove, as in this fable, unjust. 
 
 Another parable, which is called " The old 
 Woman and the Yarn," is a striking illustration
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 411 
 
 of the power which results from union in 
 families. 
 
 An old woman had several children and 
 grandchildren, but discord and strife prevailed 
 amongst them. One day she summoned all to 
 her presence, and they assembled to the number 
 of twenty. " Bring me here," she said, " each of 
 you a ball of yarn." They did so, and having 
 taken one of the balls, which consisted of a single 
 thread, she tied together with it the hands of the 
 feeblest of her grandchildren, but the little child 
 soon broke through this bond. Then she bound 
 his hands with stronger thread from another ball, 
 but this, also, he easily burst asunder. In like 
 manner she tried threads from all the balls 
 successively, but they were invariably broken by 
 the child. The old woman then desired that the 
 yarn of all the balls be twisted together, and the 
 whole formed into a rope. When this was done, 
 she bound with it the hands of the most powerful 
 of her sons, but by no effort could he break it. 
 
 " Behold," she said, " how much stronger the 
 threads are when united than when single. 
 Even so, my children and grandchildren, as long 
 as you remain at variance and act in opposition 
 one to another, any person who wills can over- 
 power you, and there is not one in a thousand 
 but will endeavour to do so; but if you cling 
 together, like the twisted thread, your strength 
 will be such that no enemy will be able to 
 conquer you."
 
 412 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Three proverbs are derived from this fable : 
 " Stronger the thread of double than of single 
 twist;" and, "There is no strength without 
 union ; " and, "It is an easy matter to cast a 
 mountain into the ocean after separating each 
 stone from the others." 
 
 The last fable attributed to St. Cadoc is as 
 follows : 
 
 There once dwelt in Cambria a maiden, fair 
 as the loveliest of Eve's daughters. She was 
 universally extolled, and all were anxious to see 
 her ; but before doing so they had already made 
 up their minds as to the particular style of her 
 beauty, and, not finding that she corresponded 
 with their pre-conceptions, they were dis- 
 appointed. Each began to paint her according 
 to his own taste, until she became transformed 
 into the ugliest of women, and was no longer 
 sought for in marriage as before. The maiden 
 perceiving this, examined her face in a mirror, 
 and saw how much she had been disfigured, so 
 she washed off all the paint, and refused to allow^ 
 anyone to colour her for the future. She soon 
 bloomed forth again in her former beauty, and 
 was admired as before, except by those who had 
 disfigured her. They would not acknowledge 
 her charms, because it is difficult to make a fool 
 own his folly. 
 
 So it is with respect to truth. Every man 
 professes to love it, yet each one disfigures it 
 according to his inclination, until it becomes
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 
 
 transformed into a falsehood, and is hated by 
 all. . . . Men of this character are the last 
 in the world to confess their mistake, acknowledge 
 their error, or admit their prejudice; because, as 
 the proverb says, they make pretence of being in 
 the right. He who has sworn the crow to be 
 white, will not allow that she is black although 
 he knows she is of that colour. He who deceives 
 others deceives himself much more. All seek 
 after truth, but all will not suffer truth to be 
 truth. 
 
 These telling deductions, we regret to state, 
 may be in our days applied to the land of the 
 Abbot of Llancarvan. 
 
 The modern Cambrian is a religious man, like 
 his ancestors ; but the modern Cambrian paints 
 religion according to his fancies, interests, or 
 
 O O 7 ~ 
 
 prejudices. Nay. he claims the right of doing 
 so, and boasts of a liberty which allows any man 
 to give any colour or any interpretation he likes 
 to the Word of God. 
 
 Indeed, he has made an extensive use of the 
 right of colouring faith, by giving the Britons 
 hundreds of religions. 
 
 Every chapel in Wales, and one knows how 
 numerous they are, has, or may have, a 
 Christianity of its own. If our forefathers were 
 to leap from their graves, they would no longer 
 recognise the Christian teaching of our days as 
 the doctrine of their Divine Master. Nay, if a 
 pagan from Japan were to land amongst us, and
 
 414 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 demand the religion of Christ, Wales (without 
 the Catholic Church) could not give him the true 
 faith, for the country does not agree on the subject. 
 
 The doctrine of our Lord is one, and, by its 
 very nature, unchangeable, because true ; and so 
 one regrets to see so many guilty hands occupied 
 in colouring it to suit their ideas. 
 
 May a future day dawn which will bring back 
 unity of faith, and lead the Cambrians to kneel 
 at the same altar as members of one religion. 
 
 visit to On November the fifth, 1878, whilst the Life 
 Llancar- 
 van. of St. Cadoc was in the hands of the printer, the 
 
 writer, in the company of a brother priest, paid 
 a visit to Llancarvan. The valley is, indeed, 
 picturesque, and runs northward from Penmark 
 to the high road to Cowbridge, bending a little 
 to the east about midway. At Llancarvan 
 village the two hills almost close, and then 
 immediately open, so as to form a large basin, 
 which could easily be transformed into a deep 
 lake by erecting a mound of earth across the 
 village from east to west. This work would be 
 a trifle for a railway company. 
 
 In the fifth century, when the valley was 
 uninhabited, what a fine place for a contemplative 
 life ! How the lover of solitude and silence 
 must have felt at home between these hills, 
 covered with timber the hand of man had never 
 touched ! Nature seems to have purposely built 
 huge walls to shelter a house of prayer from the 
 intrusion of the world.
 
 ST. CADOC THE WISE. 415 
 
 Our visit had a double object first, to trace 
 out, if possible, the various localities mentioned 
 in the Life of St. Cadoc ; then to ascertain how 
 far the traditions of the past still existed in the 
 mind of the present generation. We did not call 
 upon any of the gentry or clergymen in the 
 immediate neighbourhood. We wanted informa- 
 tion from the people, and not from the scholar ; 
 for we were anxious to test the tenacity of Celtic 
 tradition in the mind of the masses. 
 
 A Welshman, like a Breton, is civil to 
 strangers, but reserved. One must know how to 
 take him before getting any information, for he 
 does not tell his mind to everybody. We soon 
 got round this peculiarity of the Celtic character, 
 and learnt from the villagers that Cadoc 's Castle 
 stood in a field quite close to the present parish 
 church of Llancarvan. If we wanted to see the 
 Great College of Cattog, we were to follow the 
 river for a while, and turn to the left, and call 
 on Mr. Lougher, the farmer. This we did, and 
 found in Mr. Lougher a kind and intelligent 
 exponent of the local traditions of the past. 
 
 His farm, he said, occupies the site of the 
 college. He pointed out to us countless walls, 
 scattered here and there, and mostly on a 
 level with the ground, although some actual 
 constructions reveal still the grandeur of 
 the past. 
 
 In the house there is no need of a water 
 company, for a beautiful well oozes out of the
 
 416 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 ground in the dairy, and supplies the house with 
 the purest of water. 
 
 Higher than the farm, on the top of the hill, 
 we were told that bones are constantly heing dug 
 up, the hair preserved. We inquired what they 
 did with these bones they are religiously 
 re-interred, was the answer. 
 
 Perhaps an archaeologist might come to the 
 conclusion that the spot was the cemetery of the 
 monastery. 
 
 Mr. Lougher pointed out the house of St. 
 Dubricius, lower down in the valley. 
 
 We were strongly advised to visit two sacred 
 wells in the neighbourhood. One of these wells 
 possessed the supernatural virtue of curing 
 erysipelas, the other the king's evil. On 
 this matter there was no doubt in the mind 
 of the people, for every year sick people came to 
 the wells, and every year cures did take place. 
 So we were told, with an expressive conviction 
 we could not but admire. 
 
 An intelligent observer, or a keen historian 
 who could spend a few weeks about Llancarvan, 
 and other historical localities, might throw light 
 on the history of Wales, by securing the con- 
 fidence of the people and winning their 
 affections; for traditions of important events 
 are handed down from generation to generation 
 especially by the firesides of the Celtic races.
 
 CHAPTEH XIII. 
 
 LIFE OF ST. ILLTTD THE KNIGHT, POUNDER OF 
 LLANTWIT-MAJOR. 
 
 " On thy walls, 0, Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen ; 
 all the day and all the night they shall never hold their peace. 
 You that are mindful of the Lord hold not your peace." 
 ISAIAS, chap. Ixii. verse 6. 
 
 THE name of Illtyd is still borne by several mtyd is a 
 parishes in Wales, and also in Armorica, in i n 
 
 D i . - n 'ii i__; veneration 
 
 memory ot mm who was first an illustrious b y Welsh 
 soldier, and after his conversion became a true 
 servant of God, practised the ascetical life, was a 
 celebrated scholar, and the spiritual father of a 
 legion of bishops and other eminent disciples of 
 the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 A noble family in the neighbourhood of 
 Llantwit preserves to this day a traditional 
 custom handed down from father to son of 
 bestowing the name of Illtyd on the first-born 
 son of each marriage. 
 
 The birth, early life, conversion, and labours 
 of the saint who originally bore this honoured 
 name will form the subject of this chapter. 
 Llantwit-Major, about eighteen miles west of
 
 418 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Cardiff, was the chief scene of his missionary 
 labours. 
 Birth and The birth-place of Illtvd is veiled in obscurity. 
 
 early life. 
 
 The different historians of his life do not agree 
 on the subject, and, strange to say, British 
 biographers indicate Brittany, whilst Lobineau 
 assigns this honour to Britain. Having duly 
 weighed the grounds for these different opinions, 
 we may reasonably come to the conclusion that 
 Armorica was his native country. His father 
 was named Bycanus, and his mother, Bienguilida, 
 was the daughter of Solomon, king and martyr. 1 
 
 These virtuous parents, having remarked the 
 natural piety with which their son's mind was 
 imbued from his earliest years, to which was 
 added a great love of learning, earnestly hoped 
 that, at the termination of his scholastic course, 
 he would devote himself to the religious life. 
 They were, however, for many years disappointed 
 in these expectations, for, on leaving school, 
 Illtyd decided on entering the army. 
 
 Military life, with its changes and adventures, 
 is at all times full of attraction to a young man 
 of twenty, and the brilliant uniform of a soldier 
 is not without a charm. This proved the case 
 with Illtyd, for, on his return home, and 
 associating with the young warriors who served 
 under his father, he was dazzled and led to 
 abandon any generous resolutions he might 
 have previously entertained of serving God in 
 
 (1) Rees' " Essays on Welsh Saints." " CamLro-British Saints."
 
 ST. ILLTYD THE KNIGHT. 419 
 
 the Church. The helmet, sword, and charger, 
 dangers in the battle-field, and victorious returns 
 from it, seemed to him the supremum bonum 
 on earth. 
 
 Political events and the wars they entail 
 summoned Illtyd to the island of Britain, and 
 Almighty God made use of the young soldier's 
 love of adventure to endow Cambria with one of 
 her most illustrious saints. 
 
 In the fifth century military service in Britain 
 found favour with the Armorican sons of Mars, 
 whose ancestors had emigrated from that island. 
 The old people in those days were in the habit 
 of enlivening the firesides during the long 
 evenings of winter with narratives of their 
 exodus from that beautiful country, surrounded 
 by seas, the subsequent conquest of Armorica, 
 the wreck of the immense fleet which carried 
 Ursula and thousands of maidens and women. 
 All the thrilling scenes attendant on the 
 emigration were described in the poetical and 
 forcible Celtic dialect, and were listened to with 
 breathless attention. 
 
 The island, however, when abandoned by the 
 Romans, was unable to protect itself against the 
 repeated invasions of the Caledonians and Irish. 
 
 Gwethelin, Bishop of London, endeavoured in 
 vain to infuse a spirit of union and courage into 
 the British princes ; but, failing in his patriotic 
 endeavours to organise them into a strong and 
 compact confederation, sufficiently powerful to
 
 420 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 drive adventurers from his native land, he passed 
 over the sea to Brittany, in order to appeal to 
 the Bretons. 
 
 Aldroen, the fourth King since Oonan 
 Meriadec, was offered the sovereignty of Britain, 
 which, on his declining, was accepted hy his 
 brother, Constantine, who sailed over to that 
 country with as large an army as his native land 
 at that time threatened hy the Gauls could 
 spare. The various branches of the administra- 
 tion were soon re-organised, and the hardy 
 mountaineers of Scotland and the Sea Kings of 
 Ireland taught to respect the rights of their 
 neighbours. 
 
 Constantine died a violent death, leaving three 
 children Constans, Aurelius Ambrosius, and 
 Uther Pendragon. The eldest of these was 
 treacherously murdered by order of Vortigern. 
 The two others fled to Brittany, but in course of 
 time returned with continental troops, and 
 re-conquered the kingdom of their father. 
 
 It is probable that one of these expeditions 
 from Brittany brought Illtyd over to England, 
 with the sole object of acquiring military glory ; 
 but, in the designs of heaven, a far more 
 brilliant career awaited him. He arrived as a 
 fierce warrior, not having the least prevision that 
 in a short time he was to be changed into a meek 
 disciple of Him who came on earth to preach 
 peace to men of good will. At first he drilled 
 soldiers for battle and bloodshed, and later on
 
 ST. ILLTYD THE KNIGHT. 
 
 trained missionaries, abbots, bishops, for the 
 service of the Church. 
 
 Illtyd was followed to these shores by an 
 unseen mentor, whose orders were never to lose 
 sight of the young knight, but whenever 
 opportunity offered to whisper into his ear that 
 all these feats of war were but vanity. This 
 invisible friend was his guardian angel. 
 
 Illtyd, who was ardent, brave, intelligent, and 
 strong of constitution, soon acquired reputation 
 in the ranks of the British army. The old 
 romances represent him as a model of chivalry, 
 and affix to his name the title of " Knight," as 
 much as to imply that his valour and noble 
 qualities gave him an exclusive right to the title. 
 
 Whilst in Britain he married a lady named 
 Trynihid, supposed by some Welsh writers to be 
 daughter of a Glamorganshire prince. We find 
 a somewhat detailed account in the " Cambro- 
 British Saints " of his life as chief of the house- 
 hold of Paulinus, 1 in the same county. 
 
 Paulinus and Illtyd lived on the best terms, 
 the chieftain placing the utmost confidence and 
 most deservedly in his first officer, for, in truth, 
 a better administrator could not have been found. 
 As his biographers remark, the heart of the 
 soldier beat in accordance with the precepts of 
 the Gospel. His outward garb was that of a 
 warrior, his inward soul was effulgent with 
 
 (1) This Paulinus seems to be identical with Poul-peuychen, which 
 name might in our days, perhaps, be translated into " Paul of Cow bridge," 
 or, rather, Oxbridge, uncle of St. Cadoc, who bestowed the valley of 
 Llancarvan upon his nephew.
 
 422 CAMBRIA SACBA. 
 
 intelligence and justice, which ranked him 
 amongst the first men of Britain. He was 
 faithful in the observance of the commands of 
 God and of the Church, and desired that they 
 should he followed by those under him. He did 
 not sanction either plunder or exaction, and 
 respected the rights of the poor as well as those 
 of the rich. 
 
 Meeting of We now come to the event which was the 
 
 St. Cadoc 
 
 andintyd cause of Illtvd undertaking that work in 
 
 at Llan- 
 
 Glamorganshire which, in the order of God's 
 providence, he was destined to fulfil. 
 
 The young knight, in company with the 
 household of Paulinus, was hunting in the 
 neighbourhood of Llancarvan, when, wearied of 
 coursing through the hills and valleys, and 
 feeling need of refreshment, the sportsmen sent 
 messengers to the monastery requesting a supply 
 of provisions. Illtyd was not present at the 
 time, being engaged in flying his hawks on the 
 
 O O O v O 
 
 seashore, which was a favourite amusement of 
 his. The soldiers meantime assailed the doors of 
 the monastery more like combatants in time of 
 war than travellers in search of hospitality, and 
 commanded that the best of everything should 
 be brought forth, or they would themselves seize 
 upon what they wanted. St. Cadoc, although 
 highly displeased at their insolence, complied 
 with their demands, and the men withdrew to 
 their camp to feast at the expense of the 
 community.
 
 ST. ILLTYD THE KNIGHT. 423 
 
 Illtyd, on his return, was at once informed of 
 what had taken place, and, having severely 
 reprimanded his soldiers, hastened to the 
 monastery for the purpose of apologising to the 
 abhot for the misconduct of those under him. 
 St. Cadoc very quickly learned to appreciate the 
 young warrior, and, according to his custom, 
 en;as:ed him in a Ions? discourse on the all- 
 
 O O o 
 
 important object of the life of man upon earth 
 the salvation of his immortal soul endeavouring 
 at the same time to convince him how infinitely 
 preferable was the service of God to that of 
 kings and princes of this world. 
 
 Illtyd, who was naturally inclined to piety, 
 listened with the greatest attention, and, opening 
 his heart to the holy abbot, confided to him his 
 early desires of consecrating himself to religion ; 
 but said that his vocation had melted like snow 
 before the brilliant dazzle of military glory. On 
 this, Cadoc reminded him that it was never too 
 late to correct the errors of youth. 
 
 Illtyd was deeply moved by this discourse, and 
 on returning to the court of Paulinus, everyone 
 remarked that he was no longer the same. He 
 continued to discharge, with the greatest care, 
 the duties of his station, but from that time 
 forward refrained from taking any part in the 
 amusements of the palace. 
 
 What he had seen at Llancarvan, and what he 
 had heard from the lips of the leader of that 
 saintly community, ever haunted his mind. His
 
 424 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 early impressions when, as a boy, he had dwelt 
 in the monastery of G-ermanus, in G-aul, recurred 
 to his memory like a vision of the past. During 
 his college life his parents had been desirous that 
 he should embrace the religious state, and often, 
 especially before the altar, he had felt within 
 him the workings of grace urging him to 
 consecrate his life to the service of the Church 
 of Jesus Christ. 
 
 Then he remembered how fleeting was the life 
 of this world, and how false the brilliancy of 
 military glory. To serve as a soldier in the train 
 of kings and princes was all delusion and vanity, 
 and he seemed to hear the voice of his guardian 
 angel whispering reproachfully in his ear : 
 " Illtyd, thou wast not made to do battle for 
 earthly monarchs, but to enlist in the service of 
 the King of kings, Christ, the Redeemer. Thy 
 hand was not formed to wield the lance and the 
 sword of the warrior, but the pen of the scholar. 
 Thy voice was not bestowed on thee to urge thy 
 fellow-men to deeds of slaughter on the battle- 
 field, but to lead the chosen of the Lord in the 
 sacred psalmody of the choir. Thou hast been 
 in this world a distinguished captain ; what hast 
 thou gained but vanity and fading laurels ? 
 Cadoc of Llancarvan was, like thee, of noble 
 birth, yet he did not allow himself to be deluded 
 into attaching himself to the perishable attractions 
 of this world." 
 
 Influenced by the constant pressure of these
 
 ST. ILLTYD THE KNiaHT. 
 
 thoughts upon his mind, Illtyd left the court, 
 accompanied by his wife, Trynihid, and 
 determined, if possible, to consecrate himself to 
 the service of religion. But difficulties of an 
 unusual nature stood in his way. Illtyd was not 
 alone in the world ; he was married, and it was 
 no easy task to tear himself away from the ties 
 of human affection. Still, ever in his ears there 
 rang these words of the Redeemer : " He that 
 loves father or mother, brother or sister, wife or 
 children more than Me, is not worthy of Me." 
 He knew that a life of continence was that held 
 most in honour by Christ and the more favoured 
 of His disciples ; still, marriage was also instituted 
 by God, and raised by the Redeemer to the 
 dignity of a sacrament. Trynihid, his wife, had 
 knelt with him before the altar, and both had 
 there promised in the most solemn manner to 
 share together the trials and the joys of life until 
 death should separate them. The Catholic 
 religion, which he professed, and which was the 
 only religion in the country, did not sanction the 
 separation of husband and wife, except by mutual 
 consent ; and Dubricius, then Bishop of Llandaff, 
 under whose jurisdiction he was, would, no 
 doubt, take this view of the case. 
 
 Trynihid seems for some time to have opposed 
 the wish of her husband, but in the end consented 
 to retire into solitude, and built for herself a 
 convent and a church. 
 
 In an age so material as ours, such proceedings
 
 426 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 may appear extraordinary, if not unnatural. 
 This is a generation eager in temporal pursuits ; 
 the greed of money and pleasure engrosses it. 
 Our forefathers, during the early days of 
 Christianity, set greater value on eternal interests, 
 more frequently condensed their views on that 
 point where time ends and eternity begins, and, 
 after serious reflection, adopted a line very much 
 in opposition to the ideas of a votary of 
 materialism. Married people, who do not 
 experience in that state the happiness they had 
 expected, or have been visited by unexpected 
 trials, often separate, and the world finds no 
 fault ; but in cases where religion is in question, 
 the same world finds nothing to justify the same 
 step, and is unsparing in its criticisms and 
 denunciations. The saints, however, are 
 uninfluenced by the opinions of sensual society, 
 but followed the spirit of Christ. 
 
 The When husband and wife had parted, never to 
 
 nit ' meet again on this earth, Illtyd directed his steps 
 towards the Bristol Channel, south-west of the 
 present town of Cowbridge, and plunged into the 
 forests which at that time covered the country. 
 On coming to a spot suitable for his purpose, he 
 built a hut on the banks of a stream, and 
 resolved, if possible, to spend the remainder of 
 his days in solitude. At this period of his life he 
 was not likely to foresee the designs of Almighty 
 God, or imagine that on these very shores, once 
 occupied by the Roman legions, he was destined
 
 ST. ILLTYD THE KNIGHT. 427 
 
 hereafter to erect another camp not in the 
 interests of the pagan Caesars, but one where 
 soldiers were to be trained to the service of God 
 a camp which was to become the celebrated 
 University of Lantwit. 
 
 How lonar Illtvd succeeded in following that 
 
 o * * ' 
 
 instinct which led the early monks to bury 
 themselves in forests or amongst craggy rocks on 
 the sea-shore, in order to remain unknown to 
 the world, is not stated ; but for some time he 
 must have had no other companionship than the 
 birds of the air and the wild animals of the 
 woods, especially the deer, which are so 
 susceptible of becoming the friend of man, and 
 which we so often find introduced into the lives 
 of the saints in Britain, Gaul, Spain, and Italy. 
 
 The following narrative will show how it was 
 that a stag was the means of introducing 
 Merchion, a "Welsh chieftain, to the founder of 
 Lantwit : 
 
 This prince, who was one of the first 
 benefactors, though, later on, a persecutor of 
 Illtyd, was a man of eccentric disposition. His 
 countrymen had named him " Mad Merchion." 
 Like most of the chieftains of his age, he passed 
 his time either in war or in the chase ; and it 
 was whilst indulging in the latter sport that he 
 encountered Illtyd. 
 
 His hounds had started a fine stag, which, 
 seeking to escape, came to the spot where Illtyd 
 dwelt. Tracked there by the dogs, the panting
 
 428 CAMBRIA SACK A. 
 
 creature entered the cell of the hermit and lay 
 down at his feet, facing the hounds, who 
 paused at the entrance, ceased their yelping, and 
 lay down upon the ground, looking at their prey. 
 
 When Merchion and his companions arrived 
 on the spot, they were greatly amazed at the 
 sight of the stag quietly enjoying the hospitality 
 of a man, and the dogs, spell-bound, gazing on 
 the scene. 
 
 Merchion imperiously demanded his prey, and 
 ordered the hermit forthwith to drive the stag 
 out of the hut. 
 
 The solitary resolutely replied that this request 
 could not he acceded to. "Here," he said, "is 
 an animal, a creature of God, which, in great 
 distress, has sought my protection and hospitality. 
 Would it he noble on my part to drive forth my 
 guest to be devoured by your dogs ? " 
 
 The prince broke out into reproaches, asserting 
 that the land belonged to him, and he could not 
 understand how strangers and vagabonds, of 
 whom he knew little or nothing, could venture 
 to settle upon it without his permission. 
 
 Quite undismayed by this attack, Illtyd 
 continued to plead the cause of his protege with 
 an earnestness and eloquence which indicated a 
 man of rank and of cultivated mind. He 
 attracted the attention of all present ; and as 
 soon as he perceived that their anger had cooled 
 down, he asked, in the name of God, and as a 
 favour to himself, that the life of the animal
 
 ST. ILLTTD THE KNTGHT. 429 
 
 might be spared. Perceiving that they remained 
 silent, he quietly begged of them to share the 
 hospitality he had given to the stag, and partake 
 of such humble fare as he could offer. Both of 
 these requests were granted ; the stag remained 
 unmolested, and the invitation to dinner was 
 accepted. 
 
 It was but an humble feast that Illtyd could 
 place before his guests; it consisted of brown 
 bread, vegetables, and a few fishes ; whilst, 
 instead of wine, the clear water of the spring 
 furnished them with drink. The huntsmen, 
 being accustomed to high living, were not 
 sparing in their comments on this ascetic fare. 
 
 Merchion and his party, however, becoming 
 aware that their entertainer was no other than 
 Illtyd, " The Knight," the celebrated companion 
 in arms of King Arthur, were somewhat ashamed 
 of their rude behaviour to a nobleman and an 
 illustrious soldier, who in every respect was the 
 equal, if not the superior, of Merchion himself. 
 Illtyd, no doubt, narrated his own story how, 
 in the course of a hunting expedition in the 
 neighbourhood of Llancarvan, he had come in 
 contact with St. Cadoc, and how the deep 
 impression which the conversation of that 
 renowned servant of God had made upon him 
 had induced him to forsake for ever the world 
 and its vanities. 
 
 The soul of Merchion was much moved by 
 this meeting with Illtyd. Again and again
 
 430 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 would he see the stag tranquilly reposing in the 
 cell, the hounds, spell-bound, at its entrance, the 
 courageous resistance of the hermit, and his 
 saintly conversation. His soul was filled with 
 admiration for Illtyd ; and, far from thinking of 
 driving from the land, where he sought to serve 
 God, this holy recluse, he felt it his duty to 
 endow him with that spot on which he had 
 settled. The Welsh chieftains were, as a rule, 
 noble-hearted, and appreciated supernatural 
 action. 
 
 The guardian angel of Merchion, as the 
 hagiographer remarks, seems at this time to have 
 whispered into his ear the necessity of reforming 
 his life, and making satisfaction for his many 
 transgressions of the laws of God and of the 
 Church, and to have reminded him the lord of 
 the surrounding territory that the spot upon 
 which Illtyd had settled was of no use, being 
 inhabited only by wild beasts, and that it was his 
 duty to offer it for the service of God. The holy 
 hermit, once the knight of King Arthur, would, 
 in course of time, transform it into blooming 
 gardens and cultivated fields. 
 
 The chieftain obeyed this inspiration, and, 
 following the example of a neighbouring prince, 
 uncle of St. Cadoc, who had ceded the territory 
 of Llancarvan to his nephew, bestowed upon 
 Illtyd the plain of Lantwit, or a portion of it. 
 
 The charter of this grant cannot now be 
 discovered, but it must have existed, and been
 
 ST. ILLTYD THE KNIGHT. 431 
 
 similar in form to hundreds of such deeds as they 
 are to he found in the " Liber Landavensis." 
 
 The monks of old, as their lives attest, were 
 wont to bury themselves in forests and desert 
 islands. Their object was to fly from the world, 
 but invariably, when their place of retreat was 
 discovered, they were joined by pious disciples ; 
 and Illtyd the Knight was not exempted from 
 this general rule. Numerous souls, eager to 
 advance in the service of God, visited our saint, 
 and by degrees he found himself at the head of 
 a religious community. 
 
 Dubricius, first Bishop of LlandafF, faithful to 
 
 and Illtyd. 
 
 the precepts of St. Germanus, who strongly 
 urged the spread of sound religious education 
 throughout the country, was thankful to Divine 
 Providence for bestowing upon him such a man 
 as Illtyd. He was quite aware of the brilliant 
 education, the high talents, of this new votary of 
 the religious life, and determined to turn them 
 to the best account for the benefit of his diocese. 
 
 He urgently pressed upon Illtyd the necessity 
 of persons who were devoted to God and His 
 Church consecrating themselves to the education 
 of the rising generation, and informed him that 
 such were the instructions he had himself 
 received from Germanus. 
 
 Illtyd received the behest of his bishop as the 
 command of God, and the necessary steps were 
 soon taken for laying the foundation of the 
 University of Lantwit-Major, which was to shine
 
 432 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 over Britain for many centuries to come as a 
 beacon of learning and sanctity. Dubricius 
 invested Illtyd with the monastic habit, and 
 admitted him to the tonsure and various minor 
 orders, crowning all by ordaining him priest. 
 
 It may not be out of place to introduce here 
 some of the traditions which have been handed 
 down in connection with the antiquity of Lantwit- 
 Major. This district, in the time of the Romans, 
 was called Caerworgorn. In the vicinity there 
 still exists an ancient Roman fortress or camp, 
 with triple ramparts, the position of which it 
 would have been nearly impossible to force at a 
 time when artillery was unknown. 
 
 Antiquity According to the lolo MSS., 1 Christianity found 
 
 Srtiifaior, entrance into Caerworgorn even in the times of 
 
 toWekh tlie Apostles. Thus, we are told that a daughter 
 
 tradition, of Caractacus (Caradoc), named Eurgain, followed 
 
 her captive father to Rome, and there became a 
 
 Christian. On her return to Britain, she built a 
 
 church in this part of the country, and also a 
 
 college for twelve saints. 
 
 In the second century, King Lucius enlarged 
 the College of Eurgain, and endowed it for the 
 maintenance of a hundred saints. 
 
 The Emperor Theodosius also favoured this 
 foundation, which was sometimes called the 
 College of Lucius and sometimes that of 
 Theodosius. 2 
 
 Welsh tradition goes so far as to assert that St. 
 
 (1) lolo MSS., p. 555. <2) lolo MSS. p. 442.
 
 ST. ILLTTD THE KNIGHT. 433 
 
 Patrick was resident in this locality at the time 
 he was kidnapped by the Irish pirates. 
 
 During the decline of the Roman power in 
 Britain these coasts were exposed to the ravages 
 of pirates, who were constantly cruising in the 
 Bristol Channel, and on one of their marauding 
 expeditions they set fire to the college, which 
 was reduced to a heap of ruins. It was 
 afterwards rebuilt, and called the College 
 of Illtyd. 
 
 No doubt, the associations connecting this 
 place with the early history of the Christian 
 religion in Britain influenced Dubricius and 
 Illtyd in selecting it as a suitable position for a 
 college. The Bishop of Llandaff came in person 
 to mark out the boundaries of the future 
 university. A place was fixed upon for a 
 cemetery, and the plot of ground on which the 
 church was to be erected was enclosed by a 
 quadrangular ditch. Round, the sacred edifice 
 as a centre, the various buildings of the 
 establishment were to be constructed. A clear 
 stream flowing at the western side of the church 
 afforded an ample supply of water. 
 
 Like similar institutions of the period, that of 
 Lantwit was to comprise a monastery, a college, 
 and an hospital all on a huge scale. The stream 
 separated, to a certain extent, the monastery 
 from the colleges and the monks from the 
 seculars. Though the professors were under the 
 necessity of coming into frequent contact with
 
 434 CAMBRIA SAC11A. 
 
 the scholars, still they lived apart from them 
 when not actually engaged in teaching. 
 
 Any stranger now visiting the ruins of Lantwit 
 must be struck with the beautiful position chosen 
 by its founders. It proves them to have been 
 men of cultured taste and of practical good sense. 
 It commands a splendid view of the Bristol 
 Channel and the wooded hills of Somersetshire. 
 
 The soil is good in that part of the country, 
 and by the constant and intelligent labour of the 
 monks this became one of the best cultivated 
 districts in Glamorganshire. 
 
 Rees, in his notes on the " Liber Landavensis," 
 justly remarks that this seminary, founded by 
 St. Illtyd in the fifth century, acquired so high a 
 reputation that scholars nocked to it from all 
 parts of Christendom, amongst whom were sons 
 of British nobles and foreign princes. So 
 numerous were the pupils that at one time their 
 number amounted to upwards of two thousand, 
 for whose accommodation no fewer than four 
 hundred houses of residence were provided, 
 together with seven large halls or colleges. 
 
 The various colleges were often designated 
 cells : there was the cell of Eurgain, the pious 
 daughter of Caradoc ; then there were the cells 
 of King Arthur, of Dubricius, and of Illtyd. 
 During the lifetime of the founder this last was 
 called Bangor Llewersant, or the Monastery of 
 St. Lucius, whose conversion to Christianity, in 
 the second century, we have already narrated.
 
 ST. ILLTYD THE KNIGHT. 435 
 
 Other names seem at times to have been adopted 
 as the indication of particular cells ; for instance, 
 we have the College of Matthew, of Mark, of 
 Luke, of John, of Arthur, of St. David, of 
 Morgan, of Eurgain, and of Amon. Many of these 
 had, no douht, been benefactors to the monastery, 
 in gratitude for which their names were attached 
 to certain divisions of the establishment. 
 
 These various colleges, any one of which 
 mustered as many students as the total number 
 to be counted in a modern seat of learning, were 
 each under the rule of its own separate prior, 
 and all the priories worked together under the 
 guidance of Illtyd. 
 
 As we have already seen, the early Celtic 
 monks regulated the hours of prayer in such a 
 manner as to ensure the praises of Almighty 
 God being sung both by day and night in their 
 churches without any intermission. A guard of 
 honour was in constant attendance before the 
 altar, because Jesus in the tabernacle must not 
 be deserted. It was St. Illtyd's desire that a 
 deputation from each college or priory should 
 alternately succeed each other in thus offering 
 homage to the Almighty. 1 
 
 (1) The following somewhat puzzling description of Lantwit- Major is 
 found in the lolo MSS. : " Illtyd founded seven churches, and appointed 
 seven companies for each church, and seven halls or colleges in each 
 company, and seven saints in each college. 
 
 Otherwise: Seven Churches ... ... ... 7 
 
 Seven Companies ... 7 
 
 Seven Collegiate Halls 49 
 
 343 
 Seven Saints ... ... ... ... 2401 
 
 Prayer and praise were kept up without ceasing day and night, by twelve 
 saints, men of learning, of each company." (lolo MSS., p. 555.)
 
 436 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 The spiritual wants of the inhabitants of the 
 district were not neglected, fifty-six canons being 
 appointed for missionary work, to look after 
 scholars, pilgrims, and settlers ; to instruct the 
 people, hear their confessions, and attend them 
 at the hour of death. 
 
 standard The Lantwit standard of education was much 
 education the same as that adopted in the schools of the 
 present day. The college admitted pupils from 
 the earliest period of life, and kept them until 
 their education was finished. The course of 
 study included Latin, Greek, rhetoric, philosophy, 
 theology, and mathematics ; and these were 
 taught with so much success that Lantwit was 
 looked upon by the most eminent persons as the 
 first college in Britain. Most of the great saints 
 and apostles of the country who lived in the 
 generation succeeding that of Illtyd had been 
 educated by him ; and these included St. David, 
 St. Samson, St. Gildas, St. Tugdual, St. Daniel 
 of Bangor, and many others ; and from Lantwit 
 emanated, in a great measure, the bishops and 
 abbots both of Wales and Brittany. 
 
 The scholars of Illtyd were taught to handle 
 the spade as well as the pen. The rule of the 
 college did not sanction exemption from manual 
 labour, no matter what rank or position the 
 student might occupy. Thus we see the junior 
 pupils employed like St. Samson in driving 
 sparrows from the corn-fields, and others cutting 
 grain and binding sheaves in harvest-time. It
 
 ST. ILLTYD THE KNIGHT. 437 
 
 was the importance attached to manual labour, 
 and the vigour and constancy with which it was 
 pursued, which gave so high a reputation to the 
 monastery for producing architects and builders. 
 The cloister was believed, with reason, to furnish 
 the best mechanics in every branch of industry. 
 
 Some monks like those of St. David made 
 no use of animals in the cultivation of the soil ; 
 but Illtyd employed both deer and oxen in 
 ploughing, drawing timber, and many other 
 forms of labour. 
 
 At the foot of Lantwit is a narrow but long 
 
 valley now forming beautiful grazing meadows 
 
 which separated as by a natural trench an 
 
 ancient camp on the sea-shore from the mainland. 
 
 Illtyd, wishing to reclaim this land, built an 
 embankment, consisting of stones, cemented with 
 clay as mortar. A small bridge in the centre 
 spanned the opening left to carry to the sea the 
 waters of the stream. Three times was this 
 embankment washed away and destroyed during 
 storms, and Illtyd feared it was useless to wrestle 
 against the power of the mighty ocean. 
 However, he made a fourth effort, and, taught 
 by experience, constructed a more solid sea-wall, 
 of sufficient strength to resist the action of the 
 waves. This piece of successful engineering 
 was considered almost miraculous by his 
 contemporaries. 
 
 We have already narrated that Illtyd and his st. mtyd 
 wife separated by mutual consent, in order that
 
 438 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 both might embrace the religious life. The 
 pious Trynihid, like her husband, retired to a 
 convent, in company with some others of her 
 sex who wished to serve God in the cloister. 
 However, after several years, she became 
 desirous of once more seeing the companion of 
 her youth, in whose society she had spent so 
 many happy days. She visited Lantwit ; but 
 her former husband would neither see her nor 
 allow her to see him, neither speak to her nor be 
 spoken to. He said that, as they had parted for 
 ever in this world, they could not meet again 
 except before the throne of God, when summoned 
 to receive the reward of their sacrifice. 
 
 Trynihid, however, insisted on seeing him, at 
 least at a distance. When her eyes rested on 
 him who had been her husband they found the 
 late gallant knight clothed in skins as a labourer, 
 his hands and face covered with mud. His 
 appearance indicated a severe life ; he was bent 
 and emaciated, and a snow-white beard covered 
 his breast. The lady wept as the contrast 
 between his present state and that of former 
 days forced itself upon her mind. She 
 remembered him as a noble soldier in the train 
 of King Arthur. She had listened to the bards 
 as they sung in the banquet-hall of his bravery 
 in the battle-field. He had been honoured with 
 the name of Illtvd " The Knight," because of 
 
 / cj * 
 
 his courage in war and his courtesy in peace, and 
 she had gloried in being the wife of such a
 
 ST. ILLTTD THE KNIGHT. 439 
 
 husband. Now his appearance was that of a 
 hardy, but rude, peasant. Still, as she recognised 
 in this transformation the effect of Divine grace, 
 and the result of a fixed determination to serve 
 God, and gain heaven by the practice of the three 
 Evangelical Counsels, she returned to her convent 
 in order to follow the example of her husband. 
 
 Persecution is a necessary appendix in the life 
 of a saint. Those who wish to live piously as 
 servants of Jesus Christ must, like their Master, 
 take up their cross and carry it along the road 
 to Calvary, and make up their minds to suffer 
 persecution. 
 
 Strange to say, the hand which afflicted Illtyd 
 was that of the first benefactor God had raised 
 up to help the saint in his mission. 
 
 Merchion, as we have already seen, granted 
 large tracts of land to Illtyd ; but in course of 
 time, when the monastery had been established 
 on a solid foundation, this same prince turned 
 against the saint whom he had so much admired, 
 an instance of the mutability of human favour 
 which recalls to mind that saying of holy 
 Scripture, " Woe to him who trusteth in man, 
 or in the powerful of the earth." 
 
 This prince, fretful and inconstant, was 
 entirely in the hands of his officers, in whose 
 choice he was unfortunate. He either could 
 not or would not open his eyes to their 
 evil deeds, a fact which made him unpopular 
 
 (1) Jer. xvii. 5.
 
 440 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 amongst his subjects. Two of these unworthy- 
 favourites, at different times, broke up the 
 friendship which existed between Illtyd and 
 Merchion. Their names were Cefygid and 
 Cyflym. In the old Celtic vernacular the latter 
 appellation is equivalent to an acute hound -fin 
 limier in French. 
 
 The duties of these men consisted in bringing 
 to their master the tributes to be paid by his 
 subjects. It was an office sufficiently respectable 
 in itself, because in every society taxes of some 
 sort must be imposed and collected. But these 
 officers behaved more like pashas serving a 
 Sultan than the ministers of a Christian prince 
 ruling over Christian subjects. Under the 
 pretext of executing the orders of their master, 
 they worked for their own private interests. 
 Their journeys through the country were marked 
 by exactions and misdeeds of every kind ; neither 
 property nor person was safe in their hands. 
 
 The aggrieved inhabitants came to the Abbot 
 of Lantwit, as to a father and protector, and 
 begged him to use his influence in convincing 
 Merchion of the unworthiness of his ministers, 
 because any complaints they might make would 
 obtain no other result but an increase of 
 vexations. 
 
 To enrich themselves, these unscrupulous men 
 impoverished their master, whose tribute yearly 
 decreased ; and to make up for deficiencies they 
 conceived the plan of forcing the abbot and his
 
 ST. ILLTYD THE KNIGHT. 
 
 community to supply corn and cattle for the use 
 of the king. The monastery was rich in both, 
 because there hundreds of God's servants worked 
 hard and industriously. 
 
 Illtyd could not consent to this imposition. 
 His possessions belonged to God and to the poor ; 
 the charters, laws, and customs of the country 
 exempted all such lands from any tribute. It 
 was to his labours and those of his brethren the 
 productiveness of the soil was due ; and if the 
 followers of Merchion had spent their time in a 
 similar manner, instead of devoting it to hunting 
 and other sports, his territory would be quite as 
 fertile. Illtyd declared that the rights and 
 privileges of his monastery were entrusted to his 
 guardianship, and he could not allow them to be 
 violated. 
 
 His opponents were not so easily to be checked. 
 They carried on their plunder and vexations in 
 various ways. Under the plea, for instance, that 
 the cattle of Lantwit-Major had trespassed on 
 the ground of Merchion, these cattle were seized 
 and " pounded," nearly starved to death, and 
 then returned to their owners in mockery. 
 Things went on in this way for several years, 
 when both agents successively died unnatural 
 deaths, which was looked upon by the people as 
 a punishment from heaven. 
 
 Merchion, who attributed their fate to the curse 
 of Illtyd, resolved to be revenged. He publicly 
 declared his regret at having permitted the
 
 442 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 monks to build on his land, saying that if 
 
 e/ O 
 
 Lantwit had been left to the wild beast, wolves, 
 and deer, he would have had both sport and 
 peace. He was prevailed upon by his courtiers 
 to place himself at the head of his soldiers and 
 march to the monastery to drive away Illtyd and 
 his brethren. On several occasions he thus 
 appeared at Lantwit with threats of war, but we 
 do not find that he committed any actual violence. 
 "We regret to learn that this chieftain's death 
 is also described as a chastisement from God. 
 His first intercourse with Illtyd denoted the 
 possession of noble qualities, and one would wish 
 to see him at the latter part of his life true to 
 the sentiments of earlier days. Through the 
 influence of unscrupulous ministers he was 
 induced to persecute a saint, and endeavour to 
 undo a work which he had fostered in its infancy. 
 intyd When the founder of Lantwit became aware of 
 
 secretly 
 
 departs the machinations of Merchion, and the motives 
 
 from his 
 
 brethren, which prompted them, he came to the resolution 
 of leaving his monastery. As these attacks were 
 chiefly directed against his person, he hoped that 
 his retirement might abate the anger of the 
 prince and facilitate satisfactory arrangements 
 between the monks and the chieftain. This 
 circumstance offered also a favourable oppor- 
 tunity of following his attraction for a solitary 
 life. Aware, however, that his religious brethren 
 would on no account sanction his departure, he 
 kept it as a secret, and arranged his plan in such
 
 ST. ILLTYD THE KNIGHT. 443 
 
 a manner as to preclude the possibility of anyone 
 forming any idea of what direction he had taken 
 on leaving. 
 
 Away from his brethren, without a home or 
 a friend, the saint wandered about the country 
 until he came to the banks of the Ewenny, a 
 river which flows into the sea below Bridgend. 
 After further roaming, under the concealment of 
 the woods, he discovered a cave, which he looked 
 upon as the home provided for him by Divine 
 appointment. 
 
 He felt happy. Once more he would be 
 enabled to lead the life of a hermit, free from all 
 those cares which the administration of a large 
 community necessarily entail. Now his soul, 
 undisturbed, could penetrate into the mysteries 
 of Divine love, and no creature in the world 
 could intrude on his conversation with his dear 
 Redeemer. He lived much in the same way as 
 Paul and Anthony in the deserts of Egypt. 
 According to the legends, every ninth hour a 
 loaf of bread was miraculously provided for him, 
 and after his frugal repast he visited a neigh- 
 bouring spring and, with the aid of his hands, 
 drank of its clear waters. 
 
 The secret of his retreat was revealed 
 through the following circumstance : Gildas, the 
 historian, was both a master of letters and of the 
 art of foundry; he had cast a bell, which he 
 intended for St. David, then residing at Menevia. 
 A brother was dispatched there with the present.
 
 444 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 On arriving near the retreat of Illtyd, the bell 
 rang, and its sweet tone, echoing through the 
 silence of the forest, attracted the attention of 
 the hermit, who came out of his cave to 
 investigate the cause of the sound, and fell in 
 with the brother and his present to St. David. 
 
 This was a pleasant circumstance to the monks 
 and to the people at large, who looked upon 
 Illtyd as the defender of their rights. They 
 had already searched the whole country, and 
 interrogated sailors at every seaport, but all to 
 no purpose. As soon as his place of retreat was 
 known, a deputation started off at once to bring 
 him back to Lantwit, whether willing or unwilling. 
 
 No account of the last days of this celebrated 
 servant of God, or the year and place of his 
 death, has been handed down by the Welsh 
 MSS. Society. Some mention is made of his 
 having established a branch of his order at 
 Ty-gwyn ar Taf, chiefly for the study of the 
 higher branches of theology ; also, that the 
 Paulinus so often mentioned in the lives of St. 
 David and St. Teilo is no other than Illtyd, and 
 that under that name he assisted at the Council 
 of Brefi, together with Dubricius, as one of the 
 elders amongst the clergy. 
 
 Some maintain that Illtyd died and was 
 buried in Brittany, others in Wales 1 . 
 
 Illtyd' s memory remained sacred in the minds 
 of future generations, as preserved in the 
 
 (1) An archaeologist, living in Cardiff, maintains that the tombstone of 
 Illtyd is to this day to be seen in Brecknockshire.
 
 ST. ILLTYD THE KNIGHT. 445 
 
 traditions of Britain and Armorica. Soldiers 
 were proud of him, because, in his early life, he 
 had reflected lustre on their ranks, and to them 
 he ever remained "Illtyd the Knight." The 
 clergy reverenced him as an eminent scholar 
 and clever administrator ; monks looked upon 
 him as their model, and the Celtic Church 
 recognised the great services he had rendered to 
 religion ; for he had trained up, as his successors, 
 a legion of saints, bishops, and founders of 
 religious houses, as we have already seen. 
 
 The Archbishop of D61 was the intimate 
 friend of Illtyd, and, it is believed by many, that 
 in token of gratitude to his old master, Samson 
 erected an elaborate monument, at Lantwit, to 
 his memory. Excavations have lately brought 
 to light his memorial-stone, and the inscription, 
 still extant, testifies that it was erected by a dear 
 disciple to the master of his youth. 
 
 Lantwit, after the death of its founder, 
 continued to flourish up to the time of the 
 Norman invasion, then a part of its revenues 
 were given to Tewkesbury. 
 
 To this day a little bell is exhibited at 
 Lantwit, which is said to have been placed there 
 in the time of Illtyd. 
 
 His feast was religiously observed both in 
 Britain and Armorica ; in the diocese of D61 on 
 the 16th of November, in that of Leon, on the 
 7th and also the 14th of the same month.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ST. DAVID. 
 
 DAVID, in Welsh Dewi, successor of St. Dubricius 
 in the See of Caerleon, and subsequently the first 
 archbishop of (St. David) Menevia, belongs to 
 that generation of Welsh saints who became the 
 leaders of the Church in Cambria, when 
 Dubricius, Cadoc, and Illtyd, advanced in years, 
 had either retired from public duties or gone to 
 receive in a better world the reward of a well- 
 spent life in this. 
 
 His contemporaries in Wales were St. Teilo, 
 second Bishop of Llandaff ; Daniel, first Bishop 
 of Bangor ; Padarn, of Llanbadarn ; and 
 Kentigern, Bishop of Glascow. In David's time 
 the last-named prelate resided at St. Asaph, in 
 North Wales, at the head of a large religious 
 community. 
 
 Some of his countrymen, or, probably, fellow- 
 students, such as Samson, Paul of Leon, Gildas, 
 Eleonor, and Tugdual, were either bishops or at 
 the head of prosperous monasteries in Brittany. 
 
 (1) Compiled from the " Cambro-British Saints," "Britannia Sancta," 
 Rev. O'Hanlon's " Life of St. David."
 
 ST. DAVID. ii7 
 
 David is to this day the popular name amongst DaTi f the 
 
 popular 
 
 the Cambrians. We cannot convey a clearer name "* 
 
 Cambria. 
 
 idea of the high esteem in which he was held by 
 his countrymen while he lived, than by quoting 
 their own words at the Council of Brefi. When 
 from his platform (composed, not of wood, but 
 of the upper garments of the thousands assembled) 
 the clear voice and eloquence of David had 
 fascinated his audience, and uprooted for ever 
 the Pelagian heresy from their minds, they, in 
 their enthusiasm, pronounced him to be the 
 greatest man their country had ever produced. 
 " God," they said, " had given Peter to Rome, 
 Mark to Alexandria, Martin of Tours to Prance, 
 Patrick to Ireland, Samson to Brittany, and 
 David to Wales." 
 
 When in the grave veneration clung to his 
 memory. We all know that amongst the Irish 
 Patrick is the name most in favour at the 
 baptismal font; so, in the Cambrian household 
 the most used we may say the national name 
 is David. 
 
 In reading the life and times of St. David, one 
 cannot help noticing another British celebrity, 
 who figured in the political world, and stands by 
 the side of the patron of Wales in national 
 popularity. It is the far-famed Arthur. This 
 bold captain, who is made by the romancer the 
 type of chivalry, came into the world and 
 departed from it about the same time as David ; 
 for Arthur, born about the year 456, died in 542
 
 448 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 dates tallying with the birth and death of 
 David. Both the patriot and the servant of God 
 entered on their respective careers early in life ; 
 for Arthur at fifteen is met with in the battle- 
 field, and David embraced monastic life whilst 
 yet very young. The warrior fought for the 
 independence of his native shores ; the saint, 
 fighting for truth against error, extirpated heresy 
 and reformed his country. Both of them, out of 
 devotion, went in pilgrimage to Jerusalem ; and 
 after their departure from this world, David and 
 Arthur remained the two most popular names in 
 the annals of their race. 
 
 Birth. It is rather difficult to point out with accuracy 
 
 the locality and the year in which the patron of 
 Wales came into the world. There is no doubt 
 whatever that he was born in the south-west of 
 Wales Cardiganshire . 
 
 Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire also claim 
 the honour of having given birth to this eminent 
 servant of God. His father was Santus, or 
 Sandle, a Cardigan chieftain, and his mother, 
 who was called Nun, or Melaria, was a daughter 
 of the Brythan princes ruling that region we 
 now call Brecknockshire. His birth and baptism 
 are said to have been honoured by miracles. 
 
 For example, it is related that a tyrant of 
 Dimeta planned the destruction of David at the 
 time of his birth. This wicked man had learned 
 from the British magi that the whole country 
 around must one day become subject to that
 
 ST. DAVID. 449 
 
 infant; they even pointed out the exact place 
 where his mother would live at the hirth of this 
 highly-favoured child. The tyrant and his 
 associates devised means to ensnare the hahe. 
 The Almighty, however, protected the mother 
 and child, and frustrated the designs of their 
 enemies ; for, at the very moment of St. David's 
 birth, a fearful tempest, mingled with lightning, 
 thunder, hail, and rain, swept over the country. 
 This frightful storm so interfered with their 
 wicked plans, and so terrified them, that they 
 abandoned the whole scheme. 
 
 Furthermore, the ancient legends tell us that 
 the birth of David was revealed to St. Patrick by 
 an angel, after the manner in which the birth 
 and mission of John the Baptist was revealed to 
 Zachary. 
 
 The future apostle of Ireland was staying in 
 the valley of Glyn-Rosin, near or in the present 
 town of St. David. He had laid out the plan of a 
 monastery in that place, and was beginning, with 
 the earnestness peculiar to the monks, to carry 
 out the buildings, when an angel appeared to 
 him and said : " Patrick, God has not appointed 
 this place for thee, but has reserved it for a 
 child, not yet born, nor to come into the world 
 till thirty years are past." 
 
 St. Patrick felt somewhat displeased, not to 
 say disheartened, for the angelic message produced 
 the impression on his mind that Almighty God, 
 whom he had served from his youth, had thrown
 
 450 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 him aside, as a useless servant, while He 
 preferred to bestow His favours upon a child not 
 yet born. In the eyes of St. Patrick this seemed to 
 be very bad usage. However, the angel bade him 
 to cheer up, and, .pointing to the west, set 
 before his eyes a beautiful panorama of Ireland, 
 with its bays, mountains, and plains. " That 
 island, Patrick," the heavenly messenger added, 
 " is to be the theatre of thy future labours. It 
 was the land of thy captivity in thy younger 
 days; there, for six years, thou didst tend the 
 cattle of Milcho ; there, for the remainder of 
 thy career, thou art to be the guide of kings and 
 princes, and the instrument of God for the 
 salvation of thousands. Begrudge not this land 
 to the unborn child." 
 
 In the event of this vision having taken place 
 about the time of his appointment to the Irish 
 Missions, we find at once the exact date of 
 St. David's birth; for St. Patrick began his 
 mission in Ireland in 432 ; thirty years more, and 
 we have 462 as the year St. David was born. But 
 there is no conclusive evidence that St. Patrick 
 was favoured with this vision at the time of his 
 departure for Ireland. As we read previously, 
 he had visited Britain several times. 
 
 Our saint received his education at the college 
 
 St. David 
 
 atLantwit- o f Ultyd, at Lantwit-Maior, and it was in this 
 
 Major and 
 
 at Ty- religious house that he, very probably, embraced 
 
 gwyn ar 
 
 Taf. religious life, and took the several grades of holy 
 orders up to the priesthood.
 
 ST. DAVID. 451 
 
 When the son had thus chosen a settled life, 
 the mother emigrated to Brittany, in which 
 country she spent the remainder of her life, 
 weeping over the fault she had committed in her 
 younger days. That fault was this : Melaria, or 
 Nun, had consecrated herself to Almighty God 
 in her youth ; but, unfortunately, her beauty 
 was so great that she fascinated Sandle, the 
 Cardigan prince, and thus became the mother of 
 St. David. Subsequently, when her duties as a 
 mother no longer detained her in the world, she 
 resolved to fulfil her promise to God and the 
 Church, and to return to the kind of life she had 
 chosen in her maiden days. She embarked for 
 Brittany, and there ended her days in a convent. 
 Her biographers have pinned to her name the 
 epithet of " penitent." The people of Armorica 
 for centuries pointed out to visitors the rocks on 
 which she used to pray and weep. 1 
 
 In the " Lives of the Cambro-British Saints " 
 mention is often made of Ty-gwyn ar Taf, or 
 "Whitland, in Carmarthenshire, as q, seminary 
 for higher studies. Paulinus, a disciple of St. 
 Germanus, founded and governed this college, 
 supposed to have been situated in a narrow but 
 beautiful vale, formed by hills, about a mile 
 from the present Whitland railway station. 2 St. 
 David resided ten years in this locality as a 
 
 (1) Lobineau. " Vies des Saints de Bretagne." 
 
 (2) Several ancient historians have erred in making Whitland the Isle of 
 Wight. \Vhitland, or White Land, is the English name for Ty-gwyn ar 
 Taf, or the White House on Taff.
 
 452 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 member of the community. St. Teilo, the 
 second Bishop of Llandaff, amongst many others, 
 was his companion in this solitude. Several 
 incidents connected with the life led at the 
 White Souse have already been related in the 
 biography of St. Teilo, to which we must refer 
 the reader. 
 st. David During the residence of David in this locality 
 
 restores 
 
 sight to his an event took place which powerfully brings 
 
 master. 
 
 forth the humility of St. Paulinus. It also shows 
 the confidence he had in the prayers of holy 
 youths who had been brought up from their 
 infancy in the love of God, and some of whom 
 had, perhaps, never lost the innocence of their 
 baptism. 
 
 The aged principal had so far lost his sight 
 that it was difficult for him even to celebrate the 
 holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Aware that his 
 disciples were holy youths, and confident that, as 
 such, their prayers were powerful in heaven, he 
 called them all in turn to make the sign of the 
 Cross over his eyes, that they might enable him 
 to again put his soul in external communication 
 with the visible works of God. They complied 
 with the wishes of their master, but obtained no 
 result until David came, last of all. Paulinus 
 said to him, " Look at the state of mine eyes. I 
 cannot see, and they pain me so much that it is 
 with the greatest difficulty I celebrate the holy 
 Sacrifice of the Mass." The young priest replied, 
 " We are now ten years together, and never yet
 
 ST. DAVID. 453 
 
 have mine eyes met thine." Paulinus, struck by 
 the religious habit which this evinced, said to 
 David, " Well, since it is so, as thou art a dear 
 friend of God, make the sign of the Cross on 
 mine eyes and I shall be cured." David obeyed, 
 and Paulinus recovered his sight. 
 
 It is no easy matter to place in a proper 
 chronological order the various events connected 
 with the life of St. David. The ancient MSS. 
 are not very particular in this respect ; so it is 
 rather difficult to state at what period of his life 
 he visited Jerusalem. According to the " Liber 
 Landavensis" (Life of St. Teilo), it would seem 
 that David, Padarn, and Teilo started on this 
 pilgrimage during their stay with Paulinus. 
 
 We have already spoken of this pilgrimage to 
 the Holy Land, and of the reception given to the 
 three British pilgrims, and have seen how they 
 strengthened the wavering faith of the East by 
 their preaching to the heretics, and even to the 
 Jews. Among the presents given by the 
 Patriarch to St. David was a portable altar on 
 which he consecrated the body and blood of our 
 Lord. David afterwards presented it to the 
 church of Grlastonbury. 
 
 David, who had been in the earlier part of his 
 life a persevering student and an edifying 
 religious, proved also to be a hard-working 
 missionary, when once launched into public life. 
 His start in this new course was thus brought 
 about :
 
 454 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 After the saint had spent ten years in the 
 forest of Whitl and, an angel appeared to him and 
 said, " Beloved of God, it is now time to turn to 
 account, for the salvation of souls, a talent 
 entrusted to thy care." The subsequent works 
 of David prove how he corresponded with the 
 call of heaven. Monastic institutions all over 
 South Wales, from Raglan, not far from the 
 river Wye, to St. David's, in Pembrokeshire, bear 
 testimony to his zeal and energy of thought and 
 act. He built twelve monasteries in his lifetime. 
 st. David The first place we find him at work in, is 
 
 at 
 
 Glastonbury, the cradle of Christianity in 
 
 Britain, termed by our ancestors " the first 
 ground of God " in England. It was there, as 
 we have seen, that Joseph of Arimathea and his 
 companions erected the first Christian temple to 
 Almighty God. 1 
 
 The building already there was small in 
 dimensions and simple in structure. It was 
 made of timber, roofed in with reeds or rushes. 
 The palisades that supported this simple roof 
 were decorated with the bark of trees, more or 
 less artistically arranged. This modest chapel of 
 the first apostles of the Britons seems to have 
 been at times somewhat neglected. Although 
 repaired at different periods, it was no more than 
 a ruined edifice when St. David went to 
 Glastonbury. The saint's first idea was to pull 
 down the whole fabric and build a new church 
 
 (1) <l Caiubro-British Saints," p. 63. Saimnes. Cambden.
 
 ST. DAVID. 455 
 
 altogether ; but a religious respect for the past, 
 and a warning from an angel, bade him leave 
 intact as much as possible the work of the first 
 missionaries of Britain. However, as the place 
 was becoming every day too small for the 
 religious requirements of Glastonbury, David 
 added a new chancel, forty feet in length ; and 
 in order that future generations might not forget 
 the church of St. Joseph, he placed a column in 
 the centre, which pointed out the limits of the 
 old church and the additions he had made. This 
 chancel was dedicated to "Mary, Virgin, and 
 Mother of God." 
 
 The temple thus enlarged did not reach the 
 dimensions which Gothic cathedrals were to 
 attain at a later time under the genius and 
 energy of the monks of the Middle Ages. 
 
 The structure of Joseph of Arimathea was 
 sixty feet by twenty-six or thirty feet ; and the 
 forty feet more added by St. David, with a 
 proportionate width, covered a respectable area 
 for those days namely, about one hundred feet 
 by thirty feet. Considering the little comfort 
 people of those times required in their homes or 
 their places of worship, the church could 
 accommodate hundreds. 
 
 Particular mention is made of the great care 
 David took in the decoration of the altar. In a 
 Catholic church the altar is the chief ornament ; 
 for on it is immolated the Lamb of God for the 
 sins of mankind. The stone of this altar was a
 
 456 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 present David had received from the Patriarch 
 of Jerusalem. We are also told that the 
 tabernacle was beautifully decorated, and even 
 inlaid with sapphires of the greatest value, 
 procured by the zeal of Glastonbury's restorers. 
 
 The connection of David with Glastonbury 
 brought this cradle of Christianity once more 
 prominently before the minds of the Britons. 
 King Arthur, on his death-bed, wished to be 
 buried in this locality ; and his tomb there was 
 brought to light by the excavations carried out 
 by Henry II., King of England. A stone, in the 
 shape of a rude cross, was discovered, with the 
 following inscription : 
 
 " Hie jacet sepultus inclytus rex. 
 Arthur IV. Insula avaloni." 
 
 When the Anglo-Saxon race was converted to 
 Christ Glastonbury showed forth a brighter lustre. 
 King Ina, in the year 698, pulled down the old 
 church, and in its place erected a stately temple, 
 dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul. He also 
 built a college for the education of English 
 youths, and brought over from Ireland celebrated 
 professors. To defray all these expenses he laid 
 a tax of a penny on every household. 1 
 
 Glastonbury was made by St. David the great 
 depot in which he trained his first disciples, and 
 out of which, in the course of his wonderful 
 career, he took the various subjects who were 
 to aid him in establishing so many religious 
 institutions throughout Wales. 
 
 (1) Sammes, p. 212.
 
 ST. DAVID. 457 
 
 The monastic establishment of Glastonbury Monastic 
 
 life of St. 
 
 placed on a good footing, David thought of David - 
 establishing branches of his order in other 
 localities. He went to Bath, and there placed 
 some of his brethren. Everybody knows that 
 Bath is a fashionable resort of the aristocracy in 
 our modern times, and that it is much frequented 
 by rich invalids. The ancient legends tell us 
 that the springs of Bath, which are now so 
 popular, were once deleterious to health, but 
 through the prayers of St. David they became 
 most salubrious to persons who washed in their 
 waters. 1 
 
 Prom Bath our saint crossed the Severn Sea, 
 which we now call the Bristol Channel, and 
 took a northern direction. The regions now 
 known as Radnorshire and Herefordshire felt 
 the beneficial result of his zeal. Monasteries 
 and churches rose from the ground under his 
 energetic will. Leominster heard, at night, the 
 sweet accents of Matins and Lauds chanted by 
 his brethren. Then he came to Raglan, in 
 Monmouthshire, and there established another 
 religious community, 
 
 We find him next directing his steps towards 
 his native shores in the west. However, on his 
 way to the present Pembrokeshire, he stopped 
 at Llangyvelach, in the district of Gower, not 
 far from the present town of Swansea. There 
 he marked out a new camp for the soldiers of 
 
 (1) " Cambro-British Saints."
 
 458 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Christ. Then he continued his journey to the 
 extremity of Wales, to Glyn-Rosin, which has 
 since lost its name and taken that of St. David. 
 
 Anyone who knows anything about religious 
 institutions, the work they entail, the confidence 
 they inspire, marvels how a single man could 
 have wrought such wonders. A religious 
 community, especially in the fifth and sixth 
 centuries, contained a great numher of men, all 
 trained to follow a severe rule distasteful to 
 flesh and blood, and all fully persuaded that 
 the life they led was the best fitted for the 
 salvation of their souls. Everyone in these 
 institutions was there by his own free will ; no 
 compulsion was used to force him to embrace 
 this severe mode of living. Yet hundreds upon 
 hundreds, taken from every rank of society* 
 noblemen and bondsmen, clergy and laity, rushed 
 with enthusiasm after St. David, fascinated by his 
 virtue and eloquence, and consecrated themselves 
 to God under his direction, confident that he was 
 a safe master of spiritual life. 
 
 Irishmen crossed the sea and came over to 
 Wales to serve God under the guidance of St. 
 David. Princes left the world and put on the 
 monastic dress. Amongst others, mention is 
 made of Constantine. the Cornish prince so 
 severely rebuked by Gildas. 
 
 The rule These various monasteries followed one 
 
 David. common mode of living. The rule was much 
 
 the same as that of St. Martin of Tours, and of
 
 ST. DAVID. 459 
 
 St. Patrick, with such, alterations as were 
 required by climate and customs. 
 
 Every monk was to earn his daily bread by 
 the sweat of his brow. " He that does not work, 
 let him not eat " was a favourite maxim of David. 
 Labour screens man from many temptations, 
 such, for example, as impure thoughts. 
 
 Everything was to be common no mine nor 
 thine. He required no dowry, nor would he 
 allow any presents to be received. There was 
 plenty of uncultivated ground about Wales that 
 would supply their wants. 
 
 Contrary to what he had seen practised at 
 Lantwit-Major by his master, Illtyd, who made 
 use of oxen and horses in cultivating the 
 country, David wished that the land of his 
 monastery should be tilled only by the spade. 
 During work, on the road to or from the fields, a 
 strict silence was kept, much the same as 
 amongst the Trappists in our days. 
 
 The time marked out for work over, the 
 brethren returned home, and spent whatever 
 time remained either in studying, writing, or 
 prayer. In the evening they all went to the 
 church. Then came the time of supper ; after- 
 wards evening prayer and rest. At cock-crowing 
 they rose for Matins and Lauds. 
 
 Their diet was simple and wholesome, and 
 much like that of the poorer classes. It consisted 
 of bread and vegetables, cooked according to the 
 custom of the time ; water and milk were their
 
 4?60 CAMBKIA SACRA. 
 
 only beverages. However, in case of old age 
 and infirmity, the rule became indulgent a 
 better fare was allowed, and animal food could 
 be served. 
 
 The partisans of vegetarianism find in this 
 kind of life a strong argument in favour of their 
 system. These ancient monks never tasted 
 animal food, except in case of sickness, and yet 
 sickness and infirmities were rare things amongst 
 them, and most of them died, if not centenarians, 
 at least nearly so. 
 
 The brethren were expected to disclose their 
 inward thoughts and temptations to their 
 superiors. 
 
 When a postulant knocked at the door of a 
 monastery, instead of being cajoled into becoming 
 a novice, he was, on the contrary, to be tried in 
 humility and sincerity of purpose. For ten days 
 he was kept at the door, and dealt with in such a 
 manner as to bring down his pride. When he 
 stood the trial, he was handed to the master of 
 novices, to be trained to spiritual life and broken 
 in to the customs of religion, till such time as he 
 was qualified to be admitted as one of the 
 brethren. 
 
 This ancient rule for the admission of new 
 members into a religious order closely resembles 
 that used in our own days. There is a time of 
 probation, in which the order tries the postulant, 
 and the postulant tries the order. This probation 
 in our modern times lasts about two years, or
 
 ST. DAVID. 461 
 
 even thirty months. Would it not be desirable 
 that persons entering the marriage state should, 
 in like manner, take time to consider ? 
 
 David himself, the founder and ruler of these 
 religious houses, was the first to show them good 
 example. Among other evidences of the fact, we 
 read that, not satisfied with the keeping of these 
 rules, already severe enough, he was in the habit, 
 like Illtyd, of plunging his body into cold water, 
 usually about midnight, the better to subdue his 
 passions. His days were spent in reading, 
 teaching, and in the government of his brethren. 
 Divine love burnt so strongly in his heart as to 
 become reflected on his countenance, especially 
 when, at the altar, he offered up the holy 
 Sacrifice of the Mass. In prayer, he seemed to be 
 speaking with the very angels, and at times tears 
 bedewed his cheeks. The passion of our Lord, 
 His love for mankind, and the ingratitude of the 
 world, the sins of his own countrymen, so power- 
 fully denounced by one of his contemporaries and 
 fellow-Briton, called these tears from his eyes. 
 
 The Council of Brefi, in Cardiganshire, was the The 
 most celebrated ecclesiastical congress ever held 
 in Wales, as it laid down a code of Church laws 
 and religious customs which for ages remained 
 deeply engrafted in the minds and customs of a 
 people naturally conservative. When Ho well 
 Dda, about four centuries later, endowed his 
 country with a code, he religiously respected the 
 canons of Brefi and Caerleon.
 
 462 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 The council was held in the year 519, 
 Hormisdas, the fifty-fourth Pope, occupying the 
 chair of St. Peter, and Justin heing the Emperor 
 of the East. 1 The errors of Pelagianism, not 
 then uprooted in the west, were the immediate 
 cause for the assembling of this council. We 
 have already seen that Pelagius and his false 
 doctrines on grace were triumphantly refuted in 
 Wales hy Germanus and his companions, and we 
 have also seen that a sound education was 
 imparted to the Cambrian youth at Llancarvan 
 and Lantwit-Major. They were less fortunate in 
 the west, where some of the old clergy and a 
 large proportion of the laity continued for a long 
 time to be infected with the heresy. 
 
 Before leaving the world, Dubricius, then 
 residing in Caerleon, thought it advisable, in the 
 interests of religion, to call together, in a national 
 council, the clergy and people, with the double 
 object of confirming Welshmen in the true 
 Catholic faith, and of reforming relaxed morals, 
 by enforcing the ecclesiastical laws already in 
 existence, or enacting such as were demanded by 
 the times ; for continual wars and the incessant 
 irruptions of the Saxons had partially obliterated 
 the laws of the Church. 
 
 It was, no doubt, a noble task on the part of 
 Dubricius and his clergy to use their utmost 
 endeavours to bring their flock to the observance 
 of the Gospel, and to restrain, by ecclesiastical 
 
 (1) O'Haalon.
 
 ST. DAVID. 463 
 
 means, the uncontrollable passions of the people, 
 and especially of the princes, then all-powerful. 
 Letters of convocation were addressed by 
 Dubricius, as archbishop, to all bishops, abbots, 
 clergy, and laity, to assemble at Brefi at a 
 specified time, probably about Whitsuntide. 
 
 The geographical position of Brefi, or 
 Llandewi Brevi, as it is now called, rendered it 
 a most suitable place for the council. Three 
 counties border it. A traveller starting from the 
 present town of Lampeter cannot fail to reach 
 the spot by following a good road along the river 
 Teify. The valley throughout is picturesque and 
 well cultivated. After eight miles' walk he will 
 reach the Cwm Brevi Mountains, at the foot of 
 which runs the river Brefi, on whose banks the 
 church of St. David, standing on a raised plateau, 
 points out the very spot where the council was 
 held. 
 
 Shortly after the opening of the council the 
 solitary valley was changed into an immense 
 encampment, and a visitor could best obtain a 
 just idea of the scene by climbing the mountains 
 behind the river Brefi, whence his eye could 
 command a view of what was going on below. 
 The valley and the slopes of the hills were 
 covered with tents, the respective occupants of 
 which it would take too long to enumerate. A 
 larger tent than the rest indicated the temporary 
 chapel, in which the holy Sacrifice of the Mass was 
 offered up before opening the business of the day.
 
 464 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 The council lasted several weeks, and led to the 
 neighbourhood an immense concourse of human 
 beings ; people were coming and going in crowds. 
 Some stayed at Brefi a few days, and then 
 returned home, but their places were soon filled 
 up by fresh comers. Our modern exhibitions 
 may give us an idea of the scene. There were 
 prayers, singing, and daily instructions to the 
 people on the necessity and manner of serving 
 Christ. The unity of faith was the leading 
 theme of the discourses. The fall of man, the 
 necessity of grace, the institution by Jesus Christ 
 of seven Sacraments as channels of grace, 
 occupied a great portion of the time, and were 
 proved by Scripture and by the traditions of past 
 ages. Particular sessions were held by the 
 clergy and leading laity, in which measures for 
 the reformation of morals were proposed, 
 discussed, and finally adopted or rejected. 
 
 Por some time little progress was made in 
 communicating to the crowd that enthusiasm 
 which softens the heart and renders it fit to take 
 in religious truth. The clergy felt they wanted 
 a speaker who should become the mouthpiece of 
 the Council. There were thousands present, but 
 not one priest endowed with a voice that could 
 penetrate through the crowds. They wanted a 
 human trumpet, whose stentorian tones would 
 thrill the masses. David was not present. Old 
 Paulinus (alias Illtyd) solved every difficulty by 
 the following suggestion, which was at once
 
 ST. DAVED. 465 
 
 adopted by the bishops : " There is in the 
 country," he said, " an apostle and a bishop, who 
 is not present. It is David of Glyn Eosin 
 (Menevia). He should have been here; but his 
 humility and love of solitude keep him away. A 
 disciple of mine for many years at Ty-gwyn ar 
 Taf, I know him to be sound in the faith, well 
 versed in Holy Scripture and in the Fathers. 
 Nature has gifted him with eloquence and a 
 stentorian voice. He has preached the Gospel 
 throughout Britain, and even at Jerusalem, in 
 which place he was consecrated bishop." 
 
 Messengers were despatched to Menevia, David 
 conveying to the abbot the general wish of the the* 
 Council, and requesting his presence. David ( 
 declined the first two or three invitations " Who 
 am I," he said, " that so much should be thought 
 about my capacity? If the leading clergy of 
 Wales have failed, as you say, in electrifying the 
 people, is the Monk of Menevia so proud as to 
 think that he can succeed better than a Teilo of 
 Llandaff, or a Daniel, or many other members 
 amongst the clergy." However, at last, called 
 upon by Dubricius and Daniel, he could no longer 
 refuse, so he departed, recommending himself 
 to the prayers of his brethren. The ancient On his 
 chroniclers relate that, when not far from Brefi, council 
 and on the banks of the river Teify (perhaps in thTde^d 
 the valley between Lampeter and the spot o 
 which the Council was held), the curiosity of 
 David and of the deputation was excited by
 
 466 CAMBEIA SACRA. 
 
 cries and lamentations coming from a cottage 
 not far distant. The saint's heart was touched ; 
 here people were in sorrow, and he must see 
 whether any consolation could be given them. 
 The deputation objected to any delay on the road, 
 as the bishops and people were anxious for his 
 arrival. 
 
 "Go," said David, ''before me, and inform 
 them of my coming ; I must meanwhile relieve 
 my suffering neighbour." On arriving at the 
 cottage, he found a mother, surrounded by 
 women, weeping over the corpse of her only dear 
 son. The mother besought the bishop, in the 
 name of God, to bring her young boy to life 
 again. The servant of God, full of faith, knelt 
 on the ground and humbly asked Almighty God 
 to display His power by restoring life to the 
 dead. His prayer was granted, for the youth 
 was restored both to life and health. And the 
 mother, transported with joy, exclaimed, " My 
 son that was dead, through God's favour and 
 yours, is now alive." David then departed for 
 Brefi, accompanied by the same youth whom the 
 power of God had raised from the dead. 
 
 His reception at the Council was respectful ; 
 and, as all the trouble taken to bring him to 
 Brefi was chiefly on account of the popular 
 eloquence he was gifted with, the bishops soon 
 induced him to exercise his talent in preaching. 
 The legends narrate several prodigies that took 
 place on the occasion. As we do not see any
 
 ST. DAVID. 467 
 
 reason why we should call in question the 
 narrative of our ancestors, or doubt that the 
 power of God is displayed at suitable times, we 
 will mention some of them. On a certain 
 occasion, when he rose to preach in the presence 
 of the multitude, a snow-white dove seemed to 
 come down from heaven and at length to alight 
 on the shoulder of David. 1 Again, it is said that 
 the mound on which the present church of St. 
 David stands, at Llandewi Brefi, rose under his 
 feet so as to form a miraculous platform, from 
 which he could eifectively address his audience. 
 When a visitor to Llandewi Brefi looks at this 
 ground he sees it to be about an acre, on the 
 banks of the Brefi, forming a mound, at some 
 places fifteen or twenty feet above the rest of the 
 ground. 
 
 The eloquence, the fine countenance, and the 
 stentorian voice of David, resounding like a 
 trumpet through the crowds, soon captivated the 
 audience. He quickly reduced to their proper 
 level all the arguments of heresy, and brought 
 forth in the brightest light the truths of the 
 Catholic Church. 
 
 By the preacher stood a young boy, who 
 carried the Gospel and acted as acolyte to David. 
 His history soon spread about, and when it 
 became known that the boy had been dead and 
 was called to life by the man of God, the 
 veneration of the people knew no bounds. 
 
 (1) Rev. O'Hanlon.
 
 468 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Previous to this communication, David stood 
 before them as a wonderful orator, but now he 
 was also a living saint. Prom that moment the 
 words of the preacher were to all present as pure 
 Gospel. Had an angel came from heaven, he 
 could not have exercised a greater influence. 
 Pelagianism, with its subtilities, appeared to all 
 in its falsehood, and was for ever rejected by the 
 people. As we have already mentioned, several 
 resolutions for the reformation of morals were 
 adopted at Brefi, and David was requested to put 
 them in canonical form. 
 
 David At the en( l f this council Dubricius, far 
 Arch! d advanced in years, abdicated, and sailed for the 
 bishop, island of Bardsey, there to end his life in solitude 
 and prayer. David was unanimously elected by 
 the nation to fill up the vacancy. He tried in 
 vain to decline the position, but, willing or 
 unwilling, he was made Archbishop of all 
 Cambria. Settled in Caerleon, the metropolitan 
 See, he wrote with his own hands the ecclesiastical 
 laws agreed on at Brefi ; and when the work was 
 completed he called a second synod, in the City 
 of the Legions, on the river Usk, and there 
 submitted the canons to the assembled clergy. 
 This Council is called in history the Council of 
 Victory, no doubt from the fact that it crowned a 
 double work the destruction of Pelagianism and 
 the reformation of manners. The Council of 
 Brefi and its consequent of Caerleon, or Victory, 
 fixed, as we have already seen, the religious
 
 ST. DAVID 469 
 
 customs and discipline of the Church in Wales. 
 That of Brefi was held in 519, Hormisdas being 
 then Pope. It is not easy to ascertain the precise 
 year in which that of Caerleon was held, but the 
 time probably was not long after that historically 
 assigned to the first. 
 
 The old manuscripts are particular about 
 remarking that these decrees were sent to Rome, 
 and there approved and confirmed by Papal 
 authority. 1 We do not record this fact as indicat- 
 ing an extraordinary line of conduct. The Britons 
 practised the Catholic religion, and, as a matter 
 of course, were in communion with Home, where 
 the head of the Church resided. Even Howell 
 Dda, who was not a priest, and who did not 
 legislate in that capacity, thought it his duty to 
 submit his code to the Pope of Rome, lest it 
 should contain anything militating against the 
 laws of God or the Church. 
 
 A copy of the decrees of these two Councils 
 had been for a long time kept in the archives of 
 St. David's Cathedral, but was at last destroyed 
 by pirates. 2 In fact, most of the ancient records 
 of Britain's history have been thus destroyed by 
 the flames, which generally followed the track 
 of war in times past. In how many articles or 
 canons the decrees of Brefi were embodied it is 
 now hard to tell. In spirit and form they were 
 like other councils that had been held in Ireland, 
 Brittany, and Gaul about the same time. 
 
 (1) " Cambro-British Saints," p. 443. 
 (2) Rees' " Lives of the Welsh Saints."
 
 470 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 The spirit of these ecclesiastical laws is 
 reflected in the " Liber Landavensis," or the 
 Register of Llandaff, and may be thus summed 
 up:- 
 
 I. All ecclesiastical matters, such as doctrine 
 of faith, discipline of the clergy, had to be 
 settled by the Church. No ecclesiastic was to 
 appeal to the civil power ; if guilty of any 
 misdemeanour he was to be judged by the bishop 
 and his court. The bishops were to meet once a 
 year on business connected with the Church. 
 
 II. The right of refuge was granted to 
 churches and monasteries there the sword was 
 not to strike. These territories were consecrated 
 to the religion of Jesus Christ, and the children 
 of Jesus Christ were safe as long as they remained 
 within their limits. The privileges of refuge 
 thus granted to St. David by the National 
 Council of Brefi were almost boundless, as we 
 have already seen. 
 
 III. The relations between the ecclesiastical 
 and civil powers were also denned. In case of 
 quarrels between chieftains, the bishop was to 
 use his best endeavours to bring them before the 
 altar, and there, in the presence of God, the 
 clergy, and nobility, to exact a promise that they 
 would settle their differences amicably, and live 
 in peace like brothers. If any one of them 
 broke his promise, he was excommunicated, and 
 often forced to abdicate. Several such instances 
 occurred during the life of Oudoceus, third
 
 ST. DAVID. 471 
 
 Bishop of Llandaff, which the reader will find in 
 his biography. In such cases Church and people 
 worked hand in hand a council settled all their 
 differences. 
 
 IV. From the lolo MSS. we may infer that 
 the canons of St. David strongly urged the 
 chieftains to lessen the horrors of war, and to 
 procure security in judicial matters ; for we find 
 that Morgan, King of Glamorgan, who reigned 
 shortly after the Council of Brefi, issued orders 
 that an enemy should not be killed except when 
 it could not be helped. He also gave orders that 
 any man accused of a crime should be judged by 
 twelve persons. In the laws of Howell Dda we 
 likewise find the judge surrounded by twelve 
 officers. Wales, for generations, had reason to 
 be grateful to her clergy, and particularly to St. 
 David, for what was done at Brefi. To com- 
 memorate the event, the old Cambrians built a 
 church on the spot on which St. David preached, 
 and, later on, a monastery. By the west door of 
 the church stands a pillar, eight feet high and 
 twelve inches square, to commemorate the patron 
 of Wales. The natives call it the staff of David. 
 To this day the language used by Dubricius, 
 David, and others at the Council of Brefi is the 
 vernacular of Welshmen in the valley and 
 neighbourhood. Unfortunately, it conveys no 
 longer the same religion one, holy, catholic, 
 and apostolic. The present vicar restored the 
 church, but a Catholic who visits this ancient and
 
 472 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 venerable spot laments the absence of the 
 Catholic altar for the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. 
 Formerly the Church of Llandewi Brefi had five 
 altars. 
 TheArchi- Caerleon, since the second century the 
 
 episcopal > . 
 
 See Metropolitan of the West, witnessed the Archi- 
 
 removed 
 
 from episcopal See transferred to Llandaif for a few 
 to st. years, and then obtained the residence of 
 Dubricius within its walls. St. David was 
 destined to be the last Archbishop of Caerleon. 
 After residing some time in that city, he resolved 
 and obtained leave from King Arthur to transfer 
 his See to the Monastery of Menevia, in Pem- 
 brokeshire, where he was to die and be buried. 
 
 St. David, whose sphere of action became 
 widened as archbishop, continued through life to 
 work hard in the vineyard of the Lord. His 
 monasteries thrived more than ever throughout 
 the country. " Everywhere," as Bicemark, one 
 of his biographers, remarks, "the sounds of 
 prayer were raised to the stars ; everywhere good 
 deeds were, on unwearied shoulders, carried to 
 the bosom of the Church, and gifts of charity 
 were, with powerful hand, distributed to the 
 poor. ... To the student he was learning ; 
 to the poor, life ; to the orphans, nourishment ; 
 to the widows, support ; to the country, a head ; 
 to the monk, a rule. 1 
 
 God glorified David even during his mortal 
 career, by bestowing on him the gift of perform- 
 
 (1) Ricemark's " Cambro-British Saints,"
 
 ST. DAVID. 473 
 
 ing miracles. While yet lie lived he is said to 
 have restored sight to a Welsh chieftain ; and 
 we have already seen how, on his way to Brefi, 
 he raised the dead to life. David's name is also 
 connected with many of the sacred wells of 
 Britain. On a certain day the brethren came to 
 David, complaining sadly of the want of water 
 in the fields they were cultivating ; a rivulet 
 passed not far off, and in winter was full of 
 water, but in summer it nearly dried up. Man, 
 beast, and vegetation suffered greatly. David 
 had recourse to his usual mode of proceeding 
 whenever he wanted to obtain a favour prayer. 
 An angel came down and pointed out a spot in 
 which water would be found. The saint knelt, 
 and, with out-stretched hands, asked of Almighty 
 God to grant him what was wanted. As he 
 prayed, a fountain of most clear water flowed. 
 
 A farmer, finding himself in the same predica- 
 ment as the monks, and having heard how St. 
 David had given them a plentiful well, went to 
 the saint, requesting that he would render him 
 the same service. He was a hard-working man, 
 and lived with his family on the produce of his 
 land. David accompanied him to his village ; 
 there, with the point of his stick, he opened the 
 surface of the ground, and a clear stream of 
 water bubbled forth. These wells were visited 
 by the sick and infirm, many of whom were 
 cured, through the intercession of St. David. 
 
 The precise year in which David departed this HIS death.
 
 474 CAMBRIA SACEA. 
 
 life, and the number of years he had lived on 
 earth, have given rise to some difference of 
 opinion. David probably died in 544, at the age 
 of ninety-seven. Some think he reached the 
 extraordinary age of one hundred and forty- 
 seven years. 
 
 His last days were visited by extraordinary 
 graces. On the eighth of the Kalends of March, 
 corresponding with the twenty-second of 
 February, the old servant of God was in the 
 choir with his brethren, at the Night Office, 
 when he fell into an ecstasy, and his countenance 
 beamed with a Divine light. An angel stood by 
 him, and said : " The hour thou hast sighed after 
 is now at hand." This was a welcome communi- 
 cation to the venerable bishop. In a transport 
 of joy, he replied, like old Simeon in the Temple, 
 " Now, O, Lord, take thy servant in peace." 
 
 The monks, hearing this Divine colloquy, 
 stopped the singing of the Office, and fell on 
 their knees. David spoke a second time in an 
 audible voice, and said, " Lord take my soul, 
 and leave me no longer in this world of misery 
 and danger." The angel spoke a second time, 
 and told the servant of God to be ready for the 
 first day of March, for on that day the angels 
 would come and take his soul to heaven. This 
 extraordinary apparition soon got abroad, and 
 people rushed to Menevia, anxious once more to 
 have a glance at the holy bishop. 
 
 From the time of the angelic vision to that of
 
 ST. DAVID. 475 
 
 his death he continued in the church, instructing 
 the people and praying. During this time, like 
 St. Paul, he seems to have heen lifted up in 
 mind, and shown the state of Britain and Ireland. 
 On the Sunday following, he celebrated the holy 
 Sacrifice of the Mass, blessed the congregation, 
 and exhorted them to keep the laws of God and 
 of the Church. " On Tuesday next," he said, " I 
 am to depart from this world. I leave you to 
 the guardianship of the Lord Jesus, who will 
 strengthen you in keeping what I have taught." 
 Tuesday had dawned, when the whole city was 
 roused from slumber by angelic voices, which 
 resounded through the air with heavenly 
 harmonies, and delicious odours filled the 
 atmosphere. David had departed from this 
 world, and his soul was then on its way up to 
 heaven. 1 The monks, when they assembled to 
 sing Lauds, felt, as it were, a foretaste of heaven 
 and gathered new strength in the service of God 
 full of what they had heard. At the same 
 time, the intimate friend of David, St. Kentigern, 
 living at St. Asaph, in North Wales, was favoured 
 with a vision, in which he saw the holy bishop's 
 soul taken up to heaven. 
 
 (1) These wonderful phenomena which sometimes occur at the death of 
 a saint, extraordinary as they may seem, are not to be looked upon as 
 ,egendary inventions, used with the view of embellishing the narrative. 
 They are often facts, well attested by thousands of witnesses, and are not 
 confined to one particular saint, country, or race. We find them mentioned 
 in the history of the Church from the earliest centuries to the present. 
 When the soul of the great St. Martin of Tours departed from this world, 
 many and amongst the rest Severinue, Bishop of Cologne heard a chorus 
 of the most harmonious melodies : it was the solemn, angelic procession 
 leading it to glory. An angelic choir was heard in the air, chanting over 
 the body of St. Samson when it was committed to the grave, as we shall
 
 176 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 St. David was buried in Menevia, and the 
 ceremony was solemn and imposing. His body, 
 like those of St. Anthony and Martin of Tours, 
 was followed to the grave by thousands of his 
 countrymen of every class of society, and by 
 hundreds of his monastic brethren. Nor was his 
 memory to be ever forgotten; his tomb for 
 centuries afterwards was visited by pilgrims, 
 the afflicted in mind or body. Indeed, this 
 veneration so grew that in the course of time St. 
 David's, in Menevia, became the most general 
 pilgrimage in the West of Britain. A visit of 
 devotion to the saint's shrine was deemed holy ; 
 a journey to the tomb of the patron of "Wales 
 came to be generally looked upon as highly 
 meritorious ; hence the saying that " Two 
 pilgrimages to St. David's equalled one to Borne." 
 Even the kings of England visited the tomb of 
 St. David. 
 
 The confidence of his countrymen in his 
 intercession in heaven was unbounded. Soldiers 
 on the battle-field, sailors on the sea, appealed to 
 his protection in time of danger. Thus, we read 
 of a certain Welshman, belonging to the diocese 
 of Menevia, who was captured by the Saracens, 
 
 see in the next chapter. The body of St. Didacus (whose feast occurs 
 Nov. 13th) exhaled the sweetest fragrance after death, and that for 
 months ; for the crowd of pious visitors to his mortal remains was so great 
 that the authorities were prevented from burying him for some time. It 
 is useless to endeavour to explain such phenomena by natural causes ; they 
 are only to be understood in supernatural agency or, in other words, they 
 are the work of God. The sacred harmonies resounding in the air over 
 the death-bed of a saint were chanted by angels ; the sweet odours 
 perfuming the room or the air were not the effects of aromatic drugs used 
 by affectionate friends ; no human perfumer was called upon to exercise 
 his skill. We beg to refer the reader for more particulars to such wi iters 
 as Gorres, or Migne's " Mystique Chretienne."
 
 ST. DAVID. 477 
 
 and bound with iron chains. 1 In his distress, he 
 cried day and night, " Dewi wareth" (David, 
 help me). In a short time he obtained his 
 liberty, and returned to his country, proclaiming 
 that he had been delivered by the intercession of 
 St. David. A German, his companion in 
 captivity, had so often heard the words " Dewi 
 wareth," that he also repeated them incessantly. 
 Suddenly he was restored to his country, in a 
 manner he could not explain. Later on, in 
 Paris, he met with Welshmen, and asked them 
 the meaning of " Dewi wareth." It was 
 explained to him. He returned thanks to 
 Almighty God, and resolved to set out on a 
 pilgrimage to the shrine of his deliverer in 
 Menevia. There he met his companion in 
 captivity, and both acknowledged that they 
 owed their deliverance to St. David. 
 
 When a plague broke out in the country, it 
 was not unusual to invoke St. David, expose his 
 relics, and appeal to his intercession. The faith 
 of the people was often rewarded by the cessation 
 of the scourge. 
 
 In Catholic times, St. David held, in the 
 estimation of Welshmen, the same position as St. 
 Patrick in that of Irishmen. In their mind the 
 country had never produced a more eminent 
 servant of God. His name was and is, as we 
 have repeatedly said, the popular one in Cambria. 
 His festival, kept on the first day of March, was 
 
 (1) O'Hanlon.
 
 478 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 a feast of obligation all over the country ; nay, 
 the first three days of March were marked in the 
 religious annals of Cambria as sacred. The first 
 day of March commemorated St. David; the 
 second, his mother ; and the third, St. Lili, called 
 in the old Celtic language " Gwas Dewi " (the 
 man of David), he being his favourite disciple. 
 
 Ireland and Brittany erected churches to the 
 memory of the patron of Wales, and in both 
 these countries parishes are called after him. 
 But the grandest church ever erected to St. 
 David is that which rose over his grave in 
 Menevia. It is the noblest temple built to the 
 honour of God in the whole Principality. Kings, 
 princes, and nobles contributed to its erection. 
 The structures at St. David's Cathedral, College, 
 and Bishop's Palace bear witness to the deep 
 veneration of the Cambrians for their patron 
 saint. The country in itself oifers little 
 attraction, except by its bold cliffs, so dreaded by 
 mariners. The few trees a traveller from 
 Haverfordwest to Menevia meets on his road are 
 stunted and bent to the east, and the branches to 
 the west are stopped in their growth, an evident 
 sign that strong winds from the Atlantic often 
 rage on these shores. Great difficulties had to 
 be surmounted to erect such stately buildings in 
 the remotest corner of Wales ; yet the college, if 
 restored and transported to Oxford, would stand 
 pre-eminent by the side of the stately halls of 
 the first university of Britain. The cathedral
 
 ST. DAVID. 479 
 
 has often been described. Bangor and Llandaff 
 Cathedrals stand in deep hollows, showing the 
 predilection of Welshmen in choosing valleys for 
 their churches ; St. David's Church, in Menevia, 
 is, in like manner, built between two hills, and 
 is not seen till you come close to it. 
 
 The writer visited it in August, 1876, and, like 
 most visitors, was struck by the grandeur of the 
 place. Here, as everywhere else in England, 
 the work of restoration is carried on with activity 
 and skill. Money is not spared, and the best 
 architectural talent is employed. As a Catholic 
 priest, he could not but regret to see two altar- 
 slabs one with five crosses, the other with only 
 three or four used as paving-stones. It was on 
 such an altar that St. David, on the last Sunday 
 of his life, celebrated the sacred mysteries of the 
 body and blood of our Lord. Some time after 
 the Reformation, the Protestant bishops sent 
 orders to their clergy to take down the altar- 
 stones and have them trampled upon. In our 
 days of the revival of Catholic ideas, several 
 clergymen, who begin to realise the holy Sacrifice 
 of the Mass, and the sacredness of an altar on 
 which the Saviour of the world condescends to 
 be offered as a victim, have taken away these 
 stones, thinking it is not proper that they should 
 be trodden upon.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 SAINT SAMSON, ARCHBISHOP OF DOL, BRITTANY.* 
 
 BETWEEN the years 461 and 468, when Pope 
 Hilary ruled the Church, and Leo I. the Empire, 
 Dubricius being Archbishop, and Illtyd Abbot of 
 Lantwit-Major, there lived in Britain two noble 
 Samson. f am iii es formed by the intermarriage of two 
 brothers with two sisters, whose history is 
 interesting, not only for giving illustrious saints 
 to the Church, but also for the remarkable 
 occurrence that, having first knelt before the 
 altar and vowed to share together the blessings 
 and the trials of married life, they, later on, 
 again presented themselves at the sacred shrine, 
 when the two husbands received the habit and 
 tonsure of religion, whilst the two wives took 
 the veil as nuns. They did this at the suggestion 
 of a son, or nephew, named Samson, who was a 
 young ecclesiastic, then residing at Barry Island. 
 The two brothers, Amon and Umbrafel, were 
 probably of Armorican descent ; but the sisters, 
 Anna and Affrella, were pure Cambrians, being 
 daughters of Meurig, King of Glamorgan. 
 
 (1) This Life is compiled from the " Liber Landavensis," from the work 
 of Albert le . Grand, " Vies des Saints de la Bretagne- Annorique," and 
 from Lobineau's " Vies des Saints de Bretagne ."
 
 ST. SAMSOX. 481 
 
 Amon married the elder sister, Anna, and his Samson 
 brother Affella, the younger. The last-named 
 pair were blessed with offspring, whilst the 
 others were for a long time childless, which was 
 a great grief to both. They longed for little 
 ones to play around them, and inherit their name 
 and their possessions. Being endowed with 
 strong faith, they earnestly implored of God to 
 bestow upon them the much-desired gift, and 
 they entreated Dubricius and Illtyd to unite with 
 them in praying for the same intention. They 
 also gave abundant alms to the poor, and 
 contributed largely to the building of churches, 
 with the hope of moving God to grant their 
 petition ; they even promised that, in the event 
 of a child being born to them, they would 
 consecrate him, like the young Samuel, to the 
 service of the Lord. 
 
 We read that both husband and wife under- 
 took a long journey northward, to visit a hermit 
 who was looked upon as a saint, being confident 
 that such holy prayers would storm heaven in 
 their behalf. Nor were they disappointed. 1 The 
 hermit had a vision, in which he beheld a knight 
 and a lady toiling as pilgrims over hills and 
 through valleys, until at last they reached his 
 cell. The saint inquired who they were, and 
 what was their object in seeking his solitude, and 
 was told, in answer, that the pilgrims were a 
 husband and wife whose marriage had not yet 
 
 (1) " Liber Landavensis,"
 
 482 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 been blessed by children, though for years they 
 had importuned heaven to grant them this 
 favour ; and that now they had journeyed to his 
 cell to solicit his intercession. The hermit was 
 commanded to inform his pious visitors that 
 heaven had made known to him the purport of 
 their visit, and that they were to return home 
 and give thanks to God, for their request was 
 granted. 
 
 When the saint had delivered this message, 
 
 o ' 
 
 the pilgrims retraced their steps, greatly consoled. 
 Anna herself was also favoured with a vision, 
 which confirmed that of the hermit ; and she 
 was distinctly told that the child she had prayed 
 for and obtained was destined to be a powerful 
 instrument in the hands of God for the propaga- 
 tion of the Gospel. 
 
 In the following year Anna brought forth a 
 child, who was baptised by St. Illtyd, receiving 
 at the font the name of Samson. This event 
 took place either in 490 or 496. l 
 
 The chieftain and his wife were subsequently 
 blessed with several other children, most of 
 whom were remarkable for exemplary lives. 
 One daughter, however, proved an exception to 
 this rule, and was the cause of grievous trouble 
 to father, mother, and relatives, through a 
 dissoluteness of life from which she could not be 
 reclaimed either by religion or duty. 
 The younj ft was the custom of the British nobility to 
 
 Samson 
 
 Laiitwit- (1) " Britannia Sancta." Butler's " Lives of the Saints." 
 
 Major.
 
 ST. SAMSON. 483 
 
 send their children at an early age to a monastic 
 school. Amongst the numerous scholastic 
 institutions of South Wales, that of Lantwit- 
 Major was held in the highest estimation; for 
 Illtyd, the principal, had not his equal in Britain 
 in the science of education. He was also a 
 particular friend of the family, and to him, 
 therefore, was the early training of Samson 
 entrusted. 
 
 On the arrival of the child with his parents at 
 Lantwit-Major, Illtyd seems to have heen 
 inspired, like Simeon of old, in the Temple of 
 Jerusalem. " Let us return thanks to heaven," 
 he said, " for the great mercy which has heen 
 vouchsafed to our country. This child, horn 
 within our shores, is destined to become a great 
 light, whose rays will illumine many people, 
 both in this island and beyond the seas. He will 
 open heaven to thousands of souls. You see 
 before you the future doctor of many nations, 
 the spiritual father of many saints, the glory of 
 the Church and of Britain." 
 
 Chroniclers have handed down to us a few 
 circumstances connected with the early life of 
 Samson, when at the college of Illtyd, which 
 afford us an insight into the customs of that 
 monastic seminary, and supply us with evidence 
 that the course of education followed there in 
 those old times was as complete as it is at present 
 in the best managed of our modern colleges. 
 
 Classics, rhetoric, mathematics, and natural
 
 484 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 history were taught hy the most competent 
 masters ; hut preference was given to the study 
 of Holy Scripture. Manual labour is discarded 
 in our day ; then, far from heing disdained, it 
 seems to have formed a part of the education. 
 The teachers were all monks, and spent a part of 
 the day in the fields or in the workshops. The 
 scholars, therefore, naturally looked upon 
 physical labour as a noble occupation. When 
 they saw a Doctor of Science equally expert with 
 the spade or axe as with the pen, they felt no 
 shame in engaging in similar works ; therefore, 
 all scholars, whether rich or poor, the sons of 
 the Kings of Glamorgan, of Gwent, or of any 
 other chieftain, were ordered to take their turn 
 in the fields, to weed barley, oats, or wheat, to 
 drive away deer or birds, or to tend sheep or 
 cows on the high cliff's which border the Bristol 
 Channel at Lantwit. 
 
 The old Welsh legends, delighting as they do 
 in the marvellous, take particular pleasure in 
 depicting the boy Samson in the fields at 
 Lantwit-Major, with a sling in his hand and some 
 stones in his pocket, driving away sparrows and 
 other birds. The little winged creatures were no 
 sooner driven off than they again returned, thus 
 testing the patience of the young guardian, until, 
 worn out, he calls upon the birds, in the name 
 of God, to gather round him ; then, when they 
 have obeyed, he shuts them up in a barn, and, 
 lying down upon the ground, falls asleep.
 
 ST. SAMSON. 485 
 
 On one summer day, in harvest-time, strong 
 most of the community of Lantwit-Major 
 were in the fields, either cutting corn or 
 binding sheaves. A serpent, being disturbed, 
 suddenly glided from a bush and bit one 
 of the brethren. The poison in a short 
 time took effect, and all hope of his 
 recovery was given up. Samson sought the 
 Abbot, and asked his permission to cure the 
 dying brother. 
 
 " I know," he said, " of an infallible remedy, 
 which I learnt from my Father. It is simple, 
 and consists but of a few ingredients and a few 
 words." 
 
 The Abbot replied, somewhat abruptly, 
 "Do you say you learnt it from your 
 father ? Was he a magician ? Did he teach 
 you sorcery ? " 
 
 " The father I spoke of," replied the youth, 
 " is He of whom the Scripture says, * Thy hands 
 have made me, and have compassed me on all 
 sides.' " 
 
 The Abbot, struck by the lively faith of the 
 student, bade him go to the suffering brother, 
 saying, " May your Father and mine restore him 
 to health." 
 
 When Samson came to the dying man, he 
 made the sign of the Cross on the wound, and 
 washed it with water mingled with oil, in the 
 name of the Holy Trinity, and the man 
 immediately recovered. On beholding this
 
 486 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 miracle, Samson blushed, and retired as fast as 
 possible. 
 
 We consider it due to truth not to omit 
 mention of this miracle attributed to St. Samson, 
 and recorded in three different Lives of the saint. 
 
 Eaith is strong enough to move mountains, 
 and, as a missionary priest for twenty years, both 
 in and out of Europe, the writer of this biography 
 feels bound to bear witness of having several 
 times received convincing evidence of the benefit 
 resulting from, confidence in the sign of the Cross. 
 
 Frequently a poor working-man will visit his 
 priest, entreating him, in the name of God, to 
 make the sign of the Cross over some hideous 
 wound. He cares not if the world smiles at the 
 simplicity of his faith, but trusts that the 
 invocation of the Holy Trinity may benefit him 
 both in soul and body. The power of faith is 
 the same in the nineteenth century as in the first. 1 
 
 Our forefathers were eminently men of faith, 
 and experienced the benefits thereof. It is 
 related that whenever St. Samson met with any 
 obscure passages of Holy Scripture, he always 
 betook himself to prayer, and found it the best 
 
 (1) The sign of the Cross is an outward expression of our deep confidence 
 in the Holy Trinity, and in the power of redemption. In the hands of 
 Christians, it became a great instrument for performing miracles, as fully 
 evidenced by hagiographers. Thus, St. Macrina the younger, when eaten 
 up by cancer, was cured by the sign of the Cross. St. Edward the Con- 
 fessor, King of England, by the sole use of the sign of the Cross healed 
 wounds otherwise incurable. By the same holy sign Pope St. Leo IV. 
 extinguished a fire which threatened the ruin of the Church of St. Peter. 
 It was by the virtue of the sign of the Cross that the first Christians the 
 hermits delivered those possessed by the devil. "In the name of God 
 crucified," said St. Anthony, the great hermit of the East, " we put the 
 devils to flight." Where the sign of the Cross is made, magical art 
 becomes powerless, and poisonous draughts cannot hurt. MIGNE'S " La 
 Mystique Chretienne.""
 
 ST. SAMSON. 487 
 
 of teachers, whereby he was enabled to elucidate 
 the verses which were most abstruse. 
 
 When Samson had completed his studies, and 
 attained the age of twenty-one or twenty-two, 
 his father wished him to return home. The 
 chieftain was, naturally, proud of his son, who 
 was now an accomplished youth, endowed with 
 great physical strength, and highly cultivated in 
 mind. Amon pictured for him a glorious career, 
 as a valiant commander in the battle-field and 
 wise governor of his subjects; and, indeed, he 
 seemed to have quite forgotten that he had 
 devoted this child of prayer, so long desired, to 
 the service of the Church even before his birth. 
 Ear different were the views regarding him 
 which were now entertained by the chieftain. 
 
 Samson, however, soon dispelled these dreams, 
 
 embraces 
 
 by informing his father that he felt himself the 
 
 religious 
 
 called upon to embrace the religious state, and lif e. 
 had, consequently, made up his mind to do so 
 without delay. 
 
 This communication was at first far from 
 pleasing to his parents ; but they could not help 
 remembering the time now upwards of twenty 
 years gone by when, in praying to be blessed 
 with a son, they had promised to consecrate the 
 child to God if he himself felt called to that 
 Divine service. They also recalled to mind the 
 prediction of Illtyd concerning their son that 
 he would become a luminary of the Church 
 and, feeling convinced that the step he was
 
 488 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 about to take was the inauguration of the future 
 career which had heen foretold, they could no 
 longer resist the force of circumstances, and, 
 withdrawing their opposition, they hlessed 
 Samson, and consented to his following his 
 vocation. 
 
 The young man at once returned to Lantwit- 
 Major, where he received the religious habit, 
 and was gradually promoted to holy orders. 
 
 All the biographers of Samson concur in 
 stating that whilst he was being ordained deacon, 
 Dubricius, the Bishop, and the Abbot, Illtyd, 
 beheld a heavenly dove hovering above him 
 during the whole time of Mass, and when the 
 Bishop lifted up his hand over him the dove 
 alighted upon his shoulder ; and, later on, when 
 the young deacon was promoted to the priest- 
 hood, the same vision re-appeared. This 
 miraculous dove thus present at the ordination 
 was a clear indication to Dubricius and to Illtyd 
 that the young ecclesiastic was pure of heart, 
 undefiled in conscience, and a friend of God. 
 
 We are told that at Lantwit-Major the new 
 religious proved an example to his brethren. It 
 would seem to have been a custom of the house 
 that when any aspirant was about to be promoted 
 to holy orders, the opinion of the community 
 was consulted. In the case of Samson, the 
 monks were unanimous in declaring him to be a 
 model to them all. Indeed, we are informed 
 that, not satisfied with observing the ordinary
 
 ST. SAMSON. 489 
 
 rules, lie imposed upon himself penances, such as 
 fasting, long prayers, and watches during the 
 night. He slept upon the bare ground, and his 
 diet consisted of vegetables, discarding altogether 
 the use of animal food. His fasts were so 
 extraordinary as to attract the attention of 
 Illtyd, who at times deemed himself bound to 
 restrain the young monk in his mortifications. 1 
 
 We reerret to be forced to chronicle the? atred 
 
 borne to 
 
 criminal conduct pursued by two nephews of Samson 
 
 r . . by two 
 
 Illtyd towards the saintly religious. These nephews 
 
 ,., J , ,. ofllltyd. 
 
 young men did not possess a spark ot monastic 
 spirit. Under the mask of humility, they 
 concealed within their breasts unbounded 
 ambition. At Lantwit-Major a general opinion 
 prevailed that Samson would probably be the 
 successor of Illtyd. His two nephews thought, 
 as they were near relatives of the Abbot, one of 
 them should succeed him in the direction of the 
 monastery. 
 
 Samson stood in their way, and they allowed 
 envy and hatred to gain such mastery over them 
 that, instigated by these dreadful passions, they 
 went so far as to make an attempt to get rid of 
 him by poison. The saint was warned of their 
 designs by an inward inspiration, and, through a 
 miracle, escaped their machinations. One of 
 these enemies he won over to repentance ; the 
 other was visited by the judgment of God, and 
 
 (1) Sectione litterarum totam noctem ducebut insomnem ; et si quando 
 quiescere opus esset seipsum parieti aut alicujus rei firmamento incliuans 
 nunquam inlecto dormitabat nunquam alicujus animalis carnem in tota 
 vita gustavit.
 
 490 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 became possessed by the devil after partaking 
 of the body and blood of our Lord at Holy 
 Communion. 
 
 Samson Shortly after his ordination as priest, Samson 
 island" 7 left Lantwit-Major, and settled in Barry Island, 1 
 which lies about midway between Lantwit-Major 
 and Cardiff, and is separated from the mainland 
 by a narrow channel, dry at ebb tide. The little 
 island contains three or four hundred acres of 
 land, and is guarded by cliffs both on the east 
 and west, which give it a picturesque appearance. 
 On the highest point of ground there is a spring, 
 or rather a holy well, said to possess curative 
 properties. An hydrologist will at once conclude 
 that its water comes from the mainland, under 
 the sea. It is now a dreary and uncultivated 
 spot, but in former times produced corn, grass, 
 and timber. 
 
 By the ancient hagiographers this place is 
 sometimes called Enes Peiro (the Island of Peiro), 
 and at others the island near Lantwit. 
 
 The following circumstances, which are 
 mentioned in the " Life of St. Cadoc," were the 
 occasion of giving to it the definitive name which 
 it retains to this day : 
 
 The founder of Llancarvan Monastery, during 
 one of his annual visits to the island of the 
 Bristol Channel, for the purpose of making a 
 
 (1) The writer thinks that the island near Lantwit, as it is called, is 
 Barry Island. There is no other in the Bristol Channel capable of afford- 
 ing shelter to a religious community of any importance. Flat Holms, it 
 is true, is reported to have been inhabited by some few monks and hermits, 
 but not by a regular community ; and it could not be called the island 
 near Lantwit.
 
 ST. SAMSON. 491 
 
 spiritual retreat, found on landing at Barry 
 Island that he had forgotten his Enchiridion, or 
 Breviary, at Mat Holms. Two of the brethren 
 sailed back for the book, so indispensable in the 
 recital of the Divine office. On their return 
 they were caught in a gale, their boat capsized, 
 and the two brethren drowned. The body of 
 one, whose name was Baroc, was washed ashore 
 on the little island, where it was honourably 
 buried, and the place ever afterwards bore his 
 name. 
 
 Peiro was Abbot at the time Samson joined 
 this religious colony. Shortly after his arrival 
 at his new home, he was called away for a time, 
 under the following circumstances : 
 
 Amon, his father, had an illness, which was Samson 
 considered so dangerous that he was strongly sick father. 
 
 - . , , -. ,. . -, . -i . /..He induces 
 
 advised to lose no time in making his conlession two 
 and receiving Holy Communion and Extreme 
 Unction, for the purpose of preparing his soul ^K 
 for eternity. " No," exclaimed the sick man, as life- 
 if inspired. " I shall not die yet, and there is 
 no need at present to fortify my soul with the 
 last Sacraments. I want to see my son, Samson ; 
 send for him. He is a true servant of God ; his 
 heart is as pure as running water, and the Holy 
 Ghost dwells within him. I know that when he 
 comes he will cure both my soul and my body, 
 for I have received assurance of it in a vision." 
 
 Messengers were, in consequence, despatched 
 to Barrv Island to request the immediate
 
 492 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 attendance of Samson. At first he declined, on 
 the plea that he could be of no use, and that he 
 had left father and mother for ever in this world, 
 to meet them hereafter in heaven. 
 
 Peiro, the Abhot, however, represented to him 
 that filial duty was a virtue, and, if ever its 
 practice was necessary, it was so in the present 
 instance. 
 
 Samson obeyed, and set out, accompanied by a 
 deacon, it being probably the rule that no monk 
 should travel alone . Great was the j oy of his whole 
 family on his arrival at the paternal mansion. 
 Amon soon recovered his health, and felt that a 
 great change was taking place in his mind. 
 
 The young priest exercised a fascinating 
 influence over all by his holy life and by his 
 eloquence. He so forcibly set forth the 
 immeasurable advantage which the service of 
 God possessed over that of the world as to 
 produce the deepest impression on all. He 
 assured them that his own life as a monk was 
 infinitely preferable to that which they had 
 followed up to the present. Chieftains, as a rule, 
 trifled away their existence in follies, hunting 
 deer or wolves, or, more criminally, in useless 
 wars, where hundreds of lives were sacrificed on 
 the most flimsy pretexts. The religious, on the 
 contrary, passed their lives in prayer and labour, 
 fed the poor, and consecrated their time to the 
 conversion of Christian sinners or unbaptised 
 Pagans.
 
 ST. SAMSON. 
 
 It is related of Amon that he was not alone 
 sick in body, but in soul as well. Guilty of some 
 grievous sin, he could not summon up courage 
 enough to confess it, and in consequence his 
 conscience was disturbed by the most bitter 
 reproaches. An inward voice ever whispered, 
 " Amon, thou didst not fear to commit sin, but 
 now thou art too great a coward to acknowledge 
 thy fault." The arrival of his son, Samson, 
 however, set all to right, for, with a contrite 
 heart, he made a sincere confession. 
 
 Nothing under the sun can be more useless, in 
 many instances, than the lives of the rich. In 
 the Day of Judgment, how many will mourn 
 that theirs had not been the lot of Lazarus rather 
 than that of Dives. God, in His mercy, bestowed 
 this grace of light on the two brothers who had 
 wedded the two sisters, and also on their wives. 
 They all became impressed with the necessity of 
 changing their lives, and, finally, all came to the 
 resolution of following their son and nephew 
 along the path traced out by the Evangelical 
 Counsels. Father and mother, uncle and aunt, 
 by mutual consent determined to separate, and 
 lead henceforth a life of continency. Having 
 
 v O 
 
 made a settlement of their temporal affairs, they 
 retired from the world; the men accompanied 
 Samson to Barry Island, and the ladies entered a 
 convent ; and so, on the return of the saintly 
 young priest and the deacon to their monastery, 
 the boat which bore them to their sea-girt home
 
 494 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 contained also two more aspirants to religious 
 perfection. 
 
 Dubricius happened at that time to he on the 
 island, and when Bishop, Ahhot, and community 
 learnt that the two strangers who had arrived 
 were not only nohlemen, hut also the father and 
 uncle of Samson, and that they had come, not as 
 visitors, but with the fixed purpose of sharing 
 the monastic life, joining the sacred psalmody, 
 and assisting in the cultivation of their farm, so 
 great was the admiration excited by this self- 
 devotion that it instilled fresh fervour into the 
 whole community. 
 
 We next find Samson occupying the position 
 of Procurator to the Monastery, very much to the 
 benefit of the surrounding poor. Every religious 
 house, in those days, was a public hospital for the 
 indigent, and a free hotel for the traveller. 
 
 The new Procurator seems to have expended 
 a larger amount in alms than his predecessor in 
 the oflice, for complaints were made to Dubricius 
 that Samson's extravagance in this respect had 
 the eifect of bringing all the vagabonds of South 
 Wales to Barry Island. His saintly superior, 
 however, instead of checking, entirely approved 
 of his conduct. 
 
 On the death of the Abbot, our saint was 
 unanimously chosen to be his successor, 1 and, 
 
 (1) The account given by Lobineau of Peiro is not very nattering. 
 According to this author, the Abbot possessed more external than real and 
 solid virtue. He understood how to rule a religious community, but 
 could not govern himself ; and however regular his conduct in public 
 might be, in private he was not to be admired.
 
 ST. SAMSON. 495 
 
 according to the "Liber Landavensis," ruled that 
 community for three years and a half. 
 
 During the interval he sailed for Ireland, in 
 company of some Irish monks, who, as they 
 were returning from a pilgrimage to Home, 
 visited Barry Island. Pinding that they were, 
 comparatively, hetter versed in Holy Scripture 
 and theology than his brethren at home, he 
 sought improvement by spending some time in 
 their society. His stay in Ireland, however, was 
 of short duration. Whilst waiting at a certain 
 seaport for a vessel to carry him back to Britain, 
 he became a guest at a monastery on the shore, 
 the Abbot of which was tormented by the devil. 
 He commanded the evil spirit to depart and 
 leave in peace a servant of God, a soul 
 consecrated to Him not only by baptism, but also 
 by religious profession. The devil obeyed, and 
 the Abbot became so much attached to his 
 deliverer that he determined to live under him 
 for the rest of his days. Accordingly, he resigned 
 his dignity, and followed Samson to Barry 
 Island. 
 
 The Irish community were not slow in 
 appreciating the great merit of the Cambrian 
 saint. They regarded him as a master of 
 spiritual life, and thought that those over whom 
 he ruled would be wisely governed. They would 
 have made him their Superior had it been 
 possible ; but as he could not comply with this 
 request, they begged him, on his return to
 
 496 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Britain, to send one of his brethren to be their 
 abbot, so entirely did they rely on his prudence 
 and wisdom. 
 
 On his arrival in Wales, Samson had the 
 satisfaction of finding that his religious brethren 
 lived up to the spirit of their profession. His 
 father and uncle gave general edification by 
 their regularity in following the path of 
 monastic perfection, in which the latter excelled 
 all others, and had in consequence been ordained 
 priest by St. Dubricius. 
 
 When Samson, mindful of his promise to the 
 Irish monks, looked about for some religious 
 
 ' O 
 
 qualified to become their ruler, he could find 
 none more adapted for the position than 
 Umbrafel, his uncle, and, accordingly, directed 
 him to lose no time in proceeding to Ireland for 
 the purpose of undertaking the direction of the 
 monastery, and exhorted him to prove himself, 
 by his wisdom and conduct, deserving of the trust. 
 Samson himself then followed the inclination 
 which always impelled him to seek solitude, and 
 left Barry Island, in company with his father, 
 Amon, the late Irish Abbot, and another priest. 1 
 They followed the banks of the Bristol Channel 
 eastward, in the direction of Gloucester, until 
 they came to a hut, built in the vicinity of a 
 clear fountain. Some lover of solitude had, no 
 doubt, once tenanted it. There Samson left his 
 
 (1) "Liber Landavensis. " Lobineau says that Amon followed his 
 brother, Umbrafel, to Ireland. He may have done so, and after a while 
 returned to Wales.
 
 ST. SAMSON. 497 
 
 three companions, and, urged by the spirit of the 
 Eastern hermits, pursued his way until he 
 discovered a secret cavern, where he decided 
 to fix his abode, for he looked upon it as a spot 
 prepared for him by the hand of God. He felt 
 happy; for here worldly pre-occupations could 
 no longer intrude or interfere with his soul in its 
 upward flight into the regions of heavenly con- 
 templation, and his only companions would be 
 God and His angels. Every Sunday, however, 
 he left his solitude and proceeded to the hut 
 beside the well, to join his brethren for the 
 celebration of the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, 
 after which he spent with them some part of the 
 day, and then returned to his hermitage for the 
 remainder of the week. 
 
 If Samson fled from the world, the world 
 pursued him ; for we find his solitude broken in 
 upon, and the saint forced to abandon it. At a 
 synod held in the neighbourhood, probably at 
 Caerleon, the leading members of the clergy 
 made earnest inquiries about him, and a 
 deputation was appointed to wait upon and 
 request his attendance at the synod. His brothers 
 of the priesthood gave it as their opinion that, 
 although the mode of life he had adopted was 
 undoubtedly edifying, still it was not fitting that 
 such a light should be hidden under a bushel, 
 and that God having gifted him with a variety 
 of talents, they must be turned to account for 
 the benefit of the Church. He was, therefore,
 
 498 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 ordered to give up the solitude which was 
 beneficial to himself alone, and resume his 
 community life, where he would be useful to 
 others also ; and, to hasten matters, he was at 
 once placed at the head of a monastery, said to 
 have been founded by St. Germanus. 
 
 The Synod also decreed that Samson should 
 give a course of spiritual instruction for their 
 edification before adjourning, a duty which the 
 saint discharged to the satisfaction of all present. 
 
 Let us now proceed to examine the episcopal 
 career of St. Samson. The hand of God again 
 becomes apparent in the election of His servant 
 to this dignity. 
 
 An ancient custom which existed in the 
 Cambrian Church was never to consecrate less 
 than three bishops at once. According to the 
 canon law, three prelates were to assist at any 
 consecration, and on three priests the British 
 bishops conferred the plenitude of the priesthood, 
 but on no lesser number without grave reasons. 1 
 Samson Dubricius was in want of bishops to fill up 
 e pi sc P a l vacancies. Two priests, already 
 elected, had arrived at Caerleon, and were lodged 
 in Samson's monastery, along with the conse- 
 crating prelates. A third was still required, the 
 choice of whom was to be decided upon at the 
 episcopal meeting. 
 
 We do not read that the Archbishop and his 
 colleagues had ever thought of Samson, or, at 
 
 (1) Lobiueau. " Liber Lanclavensis."
 
 ST. SAMSON. 499 
 
 least, arrived at any conclusion as to his election. 
 
 The appearance of an angel relieved them 
 from all anxiety on the subject. The heavenly 
 messenger intimated to Dubricius that it was the 
 will of his Divine Master that Samson should be 
 consecrated. When the Archbishop communi- 
 cated this vision to his colleagues, they at once 
 replied: "Heaven has spoken; we have nothing 
 to do but obey." 
 
 The designs of God were made clearly manifest 
 to Samson also ; for during the night, when at 
 prayer, the supernatural world had been opened 
 to him, and he beheld himself surrounded by a 
 great number of persons clothed in white, and 
 saw amongst them three bishops, radiant with 
 sanctity. He inquired who they were, and for 
 what purpose they visited his cell. The leader 
 replied : " I am Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, 
 and these are James and John the Evangelists. 
 We were sent to consecrate thee." Having said 
 this, the vision disappeared. 1 
 
 During the ceremony of consecration God was 
 pleased to again glorify His servant. A dove, 
 the symbol of the Holy Ghost, hovered above his 
 head ; and afterwards, when he celebrated the 
 holy Sacrifice of the Mass, streams of light were 
 seen to proceed from his mouth. 
 
 A certain amount of obscurity veils the earlier 
 part of the episcopal life of our saint. Some of 
 his biographers incline to the belief that he 
 
 (1) " Liber Landavensis."
 
 500 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 became Archbishop of York. In the Breton 
 Manuscripts he is mentioned as such, and the 
 invasion of York by the Saxons is the reason 
 assigned for his emigration to Brittany. 
 
 Other authors, on the contrary, hold to the 
 opinion that Samson remained in his monastery 
 and acted as coadjutor to St. Dubricius, who was 
 far advanced in years, until he felt himself called 
 upon to consecrate the remainder of his life to 
 evangelising the Armor icans. 
 
 In the designs of God a new field awaited the 
 zeal and intelligence of Samson on the western 
 shores of Gaul. As he knelt before the altar, 
 one Saturday in Holy Week, his guardian angel 
 again appeared, and said : " Servant of God, 
 depart from thy country and cross the sea to the 
 shores of Armorica. There thou shalt labour to 
 evangelise the people of thy race, who speak thy 
 native language." 
 Samson's Samson consulted St. Dubricius, and, having 
 
 departure 
 
 for obtained his approval and consent, at once 
 
 Brittany. 
 
 prepared for his departure. The Easter 
 solemnities being over, he left his monastery to 
 pay a parting visit to his old master, St. Illtyd, 
 to his religious brethren at Barry Island, and to 
 his mother. His relatives, as we have seen, were 
 scattered. His father led an obscure life as a 
 monk, his uncle ruled a religious community in 
 Ireland, and his mother and aunt were secluded 
 in convents. He visited the latter, and had 
 great consolation in finding both ladies fervent
 
 ST. SAMSON. 501 
 
 in the practice of the Evangelical Counsels. His 
 mother had built a church, and on seeing her 
 son, now a bishop, she reminded him of a 
 conversation which had passed between them 
 years before, when, acting on his advice, she 
 had resolved, together with her husband, to enter 
 religion. 
 
 " You remember," she said, " how, at that 
 time, you exhorted me to erect a church. I 
 promised to follow your counsel, and said that a 
 day would come when, as a consecrated bishop, 
 you would bless my work. Now the church is 
 finished and ready to be opened for Divine 
 service. Now, too, my son, you, by the grace of 
 God, are a bishop, and will consecrate my church 
 before you embark for Brittany. My words at 
 that time were uttered without much reflection, 
 and I did not count on their being literally 
 realised. It seems I was a prophet without 
 knowing it." 
 
 During this visit Samson learnt, with great 
 satisfaction, that his brothers and cousins led 
 Christian lives and kept the commandments of 
 God. The conduct of his younger sister, 
 however, saddened his heart. She had none of 
 the piety of her relatives, but was vain, and light 
 in her conduct. She was, in fact, a scandal to 
 the country ; and, to have greater freedom for 
 her sinful pursuits, she lived alone ; indeed, no 
 virtuous mother would allow her to associate 
 with her daughters. In vain had her own 
 
 o
 
 502 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 mother, her aunt, brothers, and cousins, 
 endeavoured to reform her. Even Samson, who 
 thought his position as bishop might exercise a 
 beneficial influence over her, failed to make any 
 impression. Thus, in the most carefully tended 
 flock we sometimes find a black sheep. 
 Delayed in Haviner paid these visits, Samson departed for 
 
 his voyage. 
 
 Armorica, accompanied by many religious, who 
 were willing to share his future lot. Being 
 short of provisions and water, the expedition 
 landed on some part of the coast of Britain, 
 where they were hospitably received in a 
 monastery called Dochori. 1 The Prior, on being 
 informed of Samson's destination, inquired into 
 the motives which induced him to leave his 
 country. The Bishop answered that his purpose 
 was to preach the Gospel to his neglected 
 countrymen in Armorica. The Prior then said, 
 " If, as I believe, you seek sincerely the service 
 of the Church, you need not travel as far as 
 Brittany. In this country there is an extensive 
 field for the exercise of your zeal. This province 
 is still far from being cleansed from idolatry; 
 thousands within it retain pagan customs, 
 mingled with a weak mixture of Christianity, to 
 this day. Before you extends a vast, uncultivated 
 vineyard, if you be willing to labour in it." 
 
 This communication, which appealed to his 
 zeal for souls, induced Samson to delay the 
 completion of his voyage. He dismissed his 
 
 (1) Lobmeaii,
 
 ST. SAMSON. 503 
 
 ships, and lie and his companions devoted them- 
 selves to the evangelising of that province, half 
 Christian and half pagan. 
 
 One day, when passing through a certain town 
 or village, he found the inhabitants celebrating a 
 pagan festival. They carried in procession a 
 hideous idol, singing and dancing around it. The 
 chieftain of the place presided over these 
 ceremonies. The Bishop remonstrated, and 
 strongly denounced the sinful and foolish act of 
 worshipping a dumb idol. The chieftain replied 
 that he and his people were deeply attached to 
 the customs of their forefathers; that the god 
 whom he, a stranger, denounced, was the god 
 worshipped by their ancestors, and they would 
 adore no other divinity. 
 
 This short speech was loudly applauded, and 
 Samson saw that at that moment further 
 argument would be of no avail. The games were 
 carried on with greater enthusiasm than ever. 
 A young boy, who attracted general attention 
 from the spirited manner in which he rode 
 round the idol, was thrown from his horse, 
 broke his neck, and died on the spot. 
 This accident saddened the people, and put a 
 stop to their mirth. Samson then made his way 
 through the crowd, and thus addressed the 
 multitude : 
 
 " This young man is, unfortunately, dead. 
 Can your god restore him to life ? Destroy that 
 idol, and worship the only true God ; for by
 
 504 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 calling on His sacred Name I will cause the 
 
 O 
 
 dead to arise." 
 
 The people agreed to this proposal, and the 
 Bishop, kneeling down before the corpse, 
 remained for two hours in prayer. At the 
 expiration of that time the young man again 
 returned to life. 
 
 This miracle produced the desired effect. The 
 idol appeared in its real colours to the people a 
 dumb and useless piece of clay which they 
 rushed upon and broke into fragments. 
 
 Prom that moment the instructions of the 
 Bishop were attended to, and pagan customs 
 were discarded and replaced by those sacred to 
 Christianity. 
 
 To give permanence to his work, the saint 
 built a monastery, in which he left some of his 
 brethren, under the guidance of his father, 
 Amon, whom, he exhorted to spend the remainder 
 of his life in working for the conversion of that 
 district. Then, having received the blessing of 
 his aged parent, he engaged a vessel and set sail 
 for Brittany, where the providence of God had 
 already prepared a new home for him and his 
 companions. 
 
 Privatus, a rich nobleman of Armorica, was, 
 as we have already mentioned, much afflicted in 
 his family, his wife and daughter both suffering 
 from disease pronounced incurable. The prayers 
 of the husband and father had been offered up a 
 thousand times to obtain from God the favour of
 
 ST. SAMSON. 505 
 
 a cure for those so dear to him, and for whom all 
 human skill was unavailing. In the end, his 
 prayers were heard, and he was favoured with a 
 vision, in which he was told that within three 
 days they would be restored to health hy a 
 stranger from beyond the sea. Privatus passed 
 these three days walking along the sea-shore, 
 and anxiously watching every sail as it was 
 wafted past. At last a boat drew near the place 
 where he was standing, and a party of monks 
 landed. On hearing they came from Britain, 
 he accosted their leader, Samson, and related to 
 him his tale of sorrow. The bishop followed the 
 chieftain to his house, and by his prayers restored 
 health to both the sufferers. 
 
 Samson and his brethren passed their first 
 night in Brittany under the roof of this family. 
 Privatus, in gratitude to his benefactor, begged 
 him to remain on his territory, and oifered to 
 place at his disposal any land he might choose 
 for the formation of a settlement. Samson 
 accepted this offer, and spent part of the night 
 in prayer and thanksgiving to Almighty God for 
 His provident care of him and his brethren. 
 
 On the following day the British monks set out 
 to explore the country, and on coming to an old 
 pit, situated in the midst of a level and sWampy 
 plain, selected that as a site whereon to erect 
 their monastery. Being unwilling to cause any 
 inconvenience to their kind entertainers, they at 
 once set to work, and, as a temporary shelter,
 
 506 CAMBRIA SACItA. 
 
 constructed a liut, which they covered with reeds 
 and rushes; and under this humble roof they 
 passed their second night, bundles of straw 
 serving them as beds. Here they were satisfied 
 to remain until, by the work of their hands, they 
 had provided themselves with a better habitation. 
 Such, in a few words, was the humble foundation 
 of the Archbishopric of D61. 
 
 The British colonists spent some years in 
 constructing their church and monastery. 
 Agricultural labour, however, was not neglected, 
 for, according to an invariable rule of monastic 
 life, the necessaries of life must be produced from 
 the ground belonging to each foundation. 
 Meanwhile, the spiritual wants of the surround- 
 ing district were attended to by the clerical 
 members of the community. 
 
 The next event of importance mentioned in 
 connection with the life of our saint is his 
 journey to Paris, and his relations with 
 Childebert. Brittany was not altogether inde- 
 pendent of the King of the Pranks, and, living 
 on the frontiers of a powerful neighbour, the 
 Bretons naturally felt the influence of a stronger 
 nation over a weaker. 
 
 In visiting the French Court, St. Samson was 
 influenced by two motives. The first was to 
 secure, by a clearly-defined charter, the terri- 
 tory granted to him by Privatus on the plains 
 of D61 ; the second, to claim protection for the 
 son of Hoel II., King of Armorica, who had
 
 ST. SAMSON. 507 
 
 been his fellow-student at Lantwit-Major, 
 Glamorganshire. 
 
 Comorre, Count of Cornouaille, an ambitious st. Samson 
 and unprincipled man, had treacherously i 
 assassinated his king, Hoel II., whilst hunting. 
 Not feeling safe as long as Judwal, Hoel's son, 
 was alive, the murderer of the father thirsted for 
 the blood of the son. . The young prince sought 
 shelter in the monastery of Eleonor, his uncle, 
 where he was willingly received ; but the Abbot, 
 being aware that the tyrant had no respect for 
 the laws either of God or man, judged it prudent, 
 after a time, to place his nephew on board ship 
 and recommend him to make his way to Paris 
 and claim the protection of Childebert. In 
 Brittany, meanwhile, Comorre was imprisoning 
 the nobles, plundering the peasantry, and per- 
 petrating every kind of wickedness. 
 
 At the Court of Childebert St. Samson 
 denounced the crimes of Comorre, and asked the 
 Prank King to help the country against an 
 usurper. 
 
 Childebert gave ear to the appeal of Samson, 
 and, furnishing the injured prince with men and 
 money, advised him to levy an a,rmy and attack 
 the usurper. The Bretons, rejoicing at the 
 prospect of escaping being murdered and 
 plundered by Comorre, flocked to the standard of 
 their lawful king, and the tyrant was driven 
 from the country, together with the Danes and 
 Normans by whose assistance he had maintained
 
 508 CAMBUIA SACRA. 
 
 his usurpation. The power of God continued to 
 follow St. Samson during the whole period of his 
 residence amongst the Pranks. 
 
 Gaul had produced wonderful saints, venerated 
 all over the world, such as St. Martin of Tours 
 and St. Germanus, the great champion of 
 orthodoxy. These holy men had wrought 
 miracles cured the sick, summoned the dead 
 from their graves, stilled tempests at sea and 
 calmed the storm-tossed waves. Devils, also, 
 had trembled and fled before them. 
 
 In the person of Samson, God gave convincing 
 proofs to the Pranks that the island of Britain 
 could also boast of having given birth to men 
 endowed with supernatural powers, for, during 
 his journey through Gaul, the British Bishop 
 gave sight to a man who had been born blind, by 
 making the sign of the Cross over his eyes. 
 
 One of the chief officers of Childebert, who 
 was possessed by a devil, implored Samson to 
 deliver him from this infernal obsession. The 
 saint, in the name of God, commanded the demon 
 to depart and leave in peace a soul stamped with 
 Divine grace by the Sacrament of baptism. In 
 obedience to this command, the devil vanished. 
 
 All these events caused the name and fame of 
 Samson to be celebrated throughout Gaul, and he 
 was regarded by all as a man of eminent sanctity. 
 Childebert appreciated his talents and virtues, 
 became his protector, and bestowed upon him the 
 islands of Jersey and Guernsey.
 
 ST. SAMSON. 509 
 
 Albert le Grand states that the Bishops of 
 Armorica, who, with the hulk of their flocks, 
 were of British origin, urged Childehert and 
 Judwal to exert their influence for obtaining the 
 dignity of Archbishop for Samson. They repre- 
 sented that in Britain he held that position, and 
 insisted that no less was due to him in Armorica. 
 In order to form a See worthy of this title, they 
 agreed that a part of their respective dioceses 
 should be ceded to the future Archbishop. To 
 further the final settlement of this affair, an 
 embassy was despatched to Pope Pelagius, at 
 Rome. 
 
 The messengers were successful in their 
 mission ; the Pope acceded to the request of the 
 Armorican Church, and D61 was erected not only 
 into an episcopal but a metropolitan See, in the 
 year of our Lord 555. 
 
 The installation of Samson, consequent on this 
 decree, took place in the Abbey Church, in the 
 presence of the suffragan bishops and of King 
 Judwal. The crowd assembled to witness the 
 ceremony were struck with amazement at the 
 humble appearance of the saint; for the new 
 Archbishop, dispensing with the pomp usual on 
 such occasions, walked barefoot to the church, 
 and on approaching the altar devoutly prostrated 
 himself on the pavement of the sanctuary. 
 
 This new creation caused some disagreement D6i and 
 between the Metropolitan See of Tours and the 
 Bretons, the former claiming jurisdiction over
 
 510 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 the Armorican dioceses. About ten years later, 
 in 566 or 567, we find a canon forbidding the 
 consecration of any bishop in Armorica, whether 
 he be Gaul or Breton, without the previous 
 consent of the Metropolitan of Tours and his 
 suffragans. 1 
 
 On the other side, the Bretons, forming a 
 different nationality from the Gauls and Franks 
 in civil administration, and being governed by a 
 king of their own race, claimed to be ruled in 
 ecclesiastical matters also by a prelate of the 
 same stock and speaking their native tongue, as 
 only fair and appropriate. This controversy 
 occupied the attention of several Popes Innocent 
 III. and Alexander VI. amongst others. In our 
 days (1877) Brittany prides herself on possessing 
 an Archbishop and Cardinal. 
 
 We all know that the difference between the 
 native country of St. Samson and St. Augustine 
 arose chiefly from a similar question, the Britons 
 being unwilling to yield submission to the 
 Metropolitan of the Saxons. 
 
 When Divine Providence had thus opened to 
 our saint a field whereon to exercise his zeal, he 
 besran the work at once and in earnest. He 
 
 o 
 
 made visitations through his diocese with 
 regularity, and carefully studied its needs. 
 
 (1) L'Archeveihe de D61 date du regne de Judual. "Les Bretons 
 voulurent alors se dormer un Arckeveque, comme ils venaient de se dormer 
 un nouveau roi ; cequi fit a 1'Eglise de D61 s'elever centre celle de Tours, 
 a cause du bienbeureux Samson Archevcque d'York, qui pendant qu'il 
 e"tait exil en Bretagne, avait gouverne 1'Eglise de D61 avec les Marques de 
 la dignite Archiepiscopale.'"' Ce sont les termes de 1'Eglise de Tours dans 
 son fameux proces contre celle de D61. Nutes in Albert Ic Grand.
 
 ST. SAMSON. 511 
 
 Several churches had been burnt down during 
 the war ; these he rebuilt, and founded at D61 a 
 seminary for the education of young men 
 designed for the priesthood. 1 Once a year- 
 according to the canon laws he met his 
 suffragans, to discuss with them a plan of union 
 for the spiritual working of the province. These 
 conferences were generally opened on the first 
 of November. 
 
 We also find St. Samson assisting at Councils 
 which were not within his own province, and 
 appending his name in the following terms to 
 one of those held at Paris : " Ego Samso, 
 peccutor adscripsi " - (I, Samson, a sinner, have 
 signed). 
 
 In the Channel Islands ceded by Childebert to 
 the holy Bishop, Paganism was not yet extinct, 
 and many idolatrous customs were still retained 
 by the people, which were the more cherished 
 because they pandered to the sensual pleasures 
 of corrupt nature. St. Samson visited these 
 islands for the purpose of evangelising their 
 half-pagan half-Christian inhabitants; and to 
 accomplish this he spared neither fatigue nor 
 expense. He began with the children, and in 
 
 (1) A hymn to St. Samson thus alludes to this subject : 
 
 " Barbaro late populata ferro 
 Templa consurgunt, reparantur arse 
 Quas furor stravit, pietas vicissim, 
 Eregit cedes. 
 
 " Erudit, vita prceeunte, Clerutn. 
 Legibus sacris populum coercet ; 
 Quas deus dotes dedit ad salubrem 
 Applk-at usurn.
 
 512 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 order to attract them, presented each with a gold 
 medal. 
 
 Before returning to the mainland he erected 
 parishes, over which he appointed rectors, and 
 left several priests to assist them in carrying on 
 the good work. 
 
 Samson ended his life at D61, on the twenty- 
 eighth of July, probably in the year 565. Before 
 his death he exhorted his numerous religious 
 brethren to keep up to the spirit of the monastic 
 rule of life. 
 
 God, who glorified his servant during life, 
 shed additional lustre over his grave, which 
 testified to his sanctity in a variety of ways. 
 Several of his brethren were favoured with 
 supernatural visions, in which they beheld the 
 soul of their Bishop borne upwards to the 
 Throne of God. 
 
 His body was interred in the sanctuary of his 
 cathedral, at the Gospel side of the altar. When 
 the remains were placed in the vault, a heavenly 
 melody was heard in the air, which rose above 
 the voices of the clergy who were chanting the 
 funeral service, and after the grave had closed 
 over the saint the tomb was for a time surrounded 
 by supernatural light, and the air perfumed with 
 the sweetest odours. 
 
 St. Samson holds a conspicuous place amongst 
 the British saints of the sixth century, and was 
 regarded with great veneration both in his native 
 island and in the western provinces of Erance.
 
 ST. SAMSON. 513 
 
 Hagiographers vied with each other in recording 
 his life, for one of them Lobineau tells us 
 that in his days fourteen different biographies of 
 Samson were preserved in the Royal Library of 
 Paris. 
 
 Crowds of pilgrims from Gaul and Britain 
 visited his tomb, confident that their afflictions of 
 body or of mind would be relieved through the 
 holy bishop's intercession with God. 
 
 Glancing over the life of St. Samson, we 
 cannot but remark the especial care with which 
 his Divine Master watched over his whole career. 
 An angel guarded his footsteps, as Raphael did 
 those of the young Tobias. His birth was an 
 answer to repeated prayers, and announced by an 
 angel to his parents. And we may in this place 
 observe, that when this same child of prayer 
 grew up to be a priest and a bishop, married 
 persons who were childless used to visit and 
 entreat him to obtain for them by his prayers 
 the blessing of offspring. 
 
 In the earlier period of his monastic life, when 
 a conspiracy, the result of jealousy, threatened 
 his life, he was warned of the danger by his 
 guardian angel ; and in a heavenly vision he was 
 commanded to be in readiness for his consecration 
 as bishop, and it was again an angel who directed 
 him to cross over to Brittany. 
 
 At whatever place he fixed his dwelling, 
 whether in Britain, Armorica, or at the Court of 
 the Prank Kings, the power of working miracles
 
 514 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 followed him. Some of these we have placed 
 before the reader ; others may be found in the 
 works of Albert le Grand, the "Liber 
 Landavensis," &c. 
 
 In two or three instances we find the name of 
 Samson in connection with dragons. The 
 narrative of conflicts between saints and such 
 monsters are often mentioned in the lives of 
 these holy men, and are occasionally coloured 
 with fiction and exaggeration. 
 
 During his visit to Childebert, that prince 
 informed Samson that a certain place on the 
 banks of the Seine was frequented by a huge 
 dragon, which was the terror of the neighbour- 
 hood, and carried away to his cavern both men 
 and beasts. No one dared to do battle with this 
 monster. Knights and warriors were powerless 
 for such a conquest. It was a feat reserved for 
 the servants of God. The King, therefore, 
 begged of St. Samson, in the name of his Divine 
 Master, to deliver the country from the ravages 
 of this horrid reptile. The Bishop complied 
 with the King's request, and approached the lair 
 of the savage with the greatest confidence, and 
 in the name of the King of kings and Master 
 of heaven and earth, commanded the dragon 
 to depart from the land and never again to 
 appear. The serpent obeyed, and was seen no 
 more. 
 
 This episode in the life of our saint is not to be 
 regarded as a pious narrative of the legendary
 
 ST. SAMSON. 515 
 
 form, which delights in marvellous events, 
 whether authenticated or otherwise ; for Childe- 
 bert, in order to testify to the expulsion of the 
 dragon, ordered a monastery to he built on the 
 spot, as a commemoration of what had there 
 taken place. This monastery was called 
 Pent all, and was a kind of priory, a dependence 
 of D61. 
 
 It would be no easy task to count the disciples 
 of the Archbishop of D61. Pew saints ever 
 possessed a more fascinating influence over souls. 
 St. Bernard, in the twelfth century, left the 
 world at the age of twenty-two, and persuaded 
 his father, his uncle, and his many brothers to 
 follow him to the cloister. Samson also, as we 
 have seen, instilled into the souls of his numerous 
 relatives father, mother, uncle, aunt, brothers, 
 and cousins the love of the monastic life which 
 was so deeply rooted in his own. He possessed 
 the gift of imparting to others the religious 
 enthusiasm that filled his own soul. Amongst 
 his disciples, besides Amon, his father, and 
 Umbrafel, his uncle, we may mention Maglorius, 
 his cousin ; St. Similian, Abbot of Tourai ; St. 
 Ethben, St. Guennole the younger, and St. Meen, 
 Abbot of Gael. 
 
 In the ancient English Litanies the name of 
 Samson is the first invoked amongst the British 
 saints. 
 
 His feast is kept on the twenty-eighth of July, 
 and also his Office in the Breviaries of D61, Leon,
 
 516 CAMBRIA SAC11A. 
 
 and St. Brieuc, which contained nine lessons, 
 whilst that of St. Meen included twelve. 
 
 The memory of St. Samson is celebrated also 
 in the Breviaries of the dioceses of Nantes, 
 Quimper, Rennes, Treguier, and Orleans. 1 
 
 (1) Lobineau.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 SAINT PAULUS AURELIANUS ; 
 
 OR, 
 ST. PAUL DE LEON.* 
 
 PAULUS AURELIANUS (in Breton, P61 de Leon), 
 son of Porphirius Aurelianus, as indicated by his 
 own name and that of his father, was descended 
 at least on the paternal side from a Roman 
 family which had settled in Britain. "We cannot 
 discover any mention of his mother's name, but 
 as it is stated that he was cousin to St. Samson, 
 this lady must have been of purely Celtic blood, 
 and a daughter of Western Britain. 
 
 Paul, according to general opinion, was born 
 in the year of our Lord 492, at a place called 
 Pen O'chen. Whether this was situated in 
 Cornwall or in Cambria we have not sufficient 
 evidence to certify. 2 
 
 It is related by his biographers that Paul was 
 the favourite child in fact, the Benjamin of his 
 father's house where he was more beloved than 
 his brothers and sisters. 
 
 (1) Compiled from the Breton MSS., as found in the works of Albert le 
 Grand and Lobineau. 
 
 (2) The ancient name of Cowbridge, near Cardiff, was Penohen, but 
 other localities may have been similarly called.
 
 518 CAMBRIA SACRA 
 
 The first rudiments of education were imparted 
 to Mm, not at Lantwit-Major, but at some other 
 school. It seemed as if Porphirius had dreaded 
 the well-known magical influence exercised by 
 St. Illtyd in infusing into the minds of his young 
 students a hatred of the world and a love for the 
 religious life. His parents wished the boy to 
 receive an education such as would fit him for a 
 worldly career, and his masters were strongly 
 urged to practise him, as far as his age allowed, 
 in the use of arms and in all such exercises as 
 would tend to develope physical strength. 
 Earl The boy, however, used candidly to declare 
 
 tendency fo^ these accomplishments would be of no avail 
 
 to ascetic 
 
 life - to him. A day would, indeed, come when he 
 would enlist as a soldier, but the standard under 
 which he meant to fight would be that of the 
 King of kings. With the simplicity peculiar to 
 children, he often communicated his inward 
 feelings to his parents. 
 
 Such sentiments as these being frequently 
 repeated by the child, caused everyone to remark 
 that he would one day enter religion, because the 
 grace of God was working within his soul in 
 that direction. This at last induced his father 
 and mother to alter their views with regard to 
 Lantwit-Major, and they determined to confide 
 the education of Paul to the well-known zeal 
 and piety of St. Illtyd. 
 
 During his residence at this celebrated 
 seminary, the young Aurelianus became
 
 ST. PAULUS AURELIANUS. 519 
 
 thoroughly enamoured with the ascetic life. 
 He communicated to his saintly preceptor the 
 strong attraction he felt for solitude. What he 
 had heard and read of St. Paul the Hermit, St. 
 Anthony, and other Fathers of the Egyptian 
 deserts, and also of solitaries in his own land, so 
 deeply impressed his mind that his only desire 
 was to retire to some lonely spot and there give 
 himself up solely to heavenly contemplation. 
 
 The Abbot at first thought that such a form of 
 life was not suitable for a youth at the early age 
 of sixteen. It was not without danger, nor 
 altogether screened from the temptations of the 
 devil. However, on reflection, he came to the 
 conclusion that this inclination on the part of 
 his pupil was the result of Divine grace, and, 
 blessing Paul, consented to his wishes. The 
 young lover of solitude left Lantwit-Major, and, 
 returning to the place of his birth, chose as his 
 retreat a secluded spot on the estates of his 
 father. 
 
 To this solitude he was followed, if not 
 immediately, at least some time after, by twelve 
 companions. These young recluses, according to 
 monastic custom, built an oratory, and erected 
 around it twelve separate huts, in which each 
 dwelt in solitude, meeting only in the church for 
 the purpose of singing the Divine Office. In 
 fact, they followed very much the same mode of 
 life as was afterwards adopted by the Carthusians. 
 
 On the Sundays of each week, however, and
 
 ance. 
 
 520 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 also on the great festivals of the Church, the 
 thirteen hermits sat down at the same table, and 
 on these occasions the severity of the diet was 
 somewhat relaxed. 
 
 At these general meals Paul took some fish, 
 
 hut never touched animal food. His ordinary 
 
 diet was limited to bread and salt, and water 
 
 from the spring was his only drink. 
 
 The i n reviewing the lives of the British saints, we 
 
 British 
 
 saints cannot fail to he struck with the srreat example 
 
 models of 
 
 temper- of temperance they present to us. Gildas was 
 surnamed Aquarius (the water drinker) ; David, 
 in his rule, permits no other drink. Yet these 
 men hardly knew what sickness was, worked in 
 the fields, and often lived to he centenarians, or 
 not far from it. In the present day intemperance 
 is the sin of Britain. It invades the palaces of 
 the great and the homes of the working classes. 
 It ensnares victims in every stage of life. The 
 young and the old, the matron and the maiden, 
 are often drawn to destruction by this degrading 
 vice. 
 
 During the fifth and sixth centuries this 
 country was, as we learn from Gildas, by no 
 means free from the sin of drunkenness, and this 
 fact, no doubt, greatly influenced the British 
 saints in their total abstinence from intoxicating 
 stimulants. Though they acknowledged them 
 to be gifts of God, which might be used in 
 moderation, yet, partly in the spirit of penance, 
 partly to give good example to a race addicted
 
 ST. PAULUS ATTTCELIANT'S. 521 
 
 to intemperance, they restricted themselves 
 solely to the use of water. 
 
 "When Paul had attained the canonical age 
 having already received the various minor orders 
 he was ordained priest, as were also the young 
 companions of his solitude, who, like himself, 
 were highly educated. 
 
 The members of the little community were 
 now in a position to be useful in the service of 
 the Church, and, on an appeal being made to 
 their zeal for the salvation of souls, they quitted 
 their solitude. 
 
 A certain Prince named Mark, the place of Beginning 
 
 . of 
 
 whose abode is not indicated, invited Paul and missionary 
 
 life. 
 
 his companions to visit his territory, for the 
 purpose of preaching the Gospel to his people. 
 The young priests consulted together, and 
 unanimously agreed to accept the vineyard 
 offered for their cultivation, and started at once 
 for their new mission. 
 
 They commenced their work at the court of 
 the Prince, where they succeeded in evangelising 
 him and all his household. They then spread 
 themselves over the country, leaving everywhere 
 permanent traces of their zeal and labour. 
 
 Paul endeared himself to all wherever he 
 went, and the people, fearing to lose their 
 apostle, petitioned the King to take measures to 
 secure his being consecrated bishop, as such a 
 step, they thought, would bind him to the 
 countrv.
 
 522 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 It was very difficult to overcome the 
 determined opposition with which Paul met this 
 proposal. He declared that he would rather 
 stem the roughest waves and winds, and spend 
 his life in navigating stormy seas, than be loaded 
 with the heavy hurden of the episcopacy. 
 
 On reflection, however, his mind became 
 disturbed with the fear of resisting the will of 
 God. The well-known motto, " Vox populi vox 
 Dei," resounded in his ears. In this perplexity, 
 he betook himself to prayer to obtain light to 
 direct him in the fulfilment of the Divine 
 decrees. 
 
 First One day, whilst thus engaged, an angel 
 
 of I !r i ce appeared to him, and said, "Paul, this country is 
 n t to be the field of thy labours. Depart from 
 n e n ce, and in due course God will lead thee to 
 the land thou art to evangelise." 
 
 Having communicated this vision to his 
 brethren, he visited Mark, in order to inform 
 him of what had taken place. The Prince used 
 every argument to induce the missionaries to 
 remain in his kingdom. Paul replied that no 
 choice rested with him in the matter ; he must 
 obey the will of God, which had been manifested 
 to him by the angel ; and this being 
 unanswerable, the Prince was forced to yield. 
 
 Abraham was commanded to leave his country 
 and his kindred in the following words : " And 
 the Lord said to Abraham, Go forth out of thy 
 country and from thy kindred and out of thy
 
 ST. PATJLUS AFRELIANTS. 523 
 
 father's house, and come into the land which I 
 shall show thee." l The country appointed to 
 be his future abode was not named. Whether 
 the Patriarch formed any idea of the land which 
 was to be his new abode, or whether he was in 
 perfect ignorance on the subject, is not stated. 
 Commentators are divided in their opinions. 
 
 After this heavenly visitation Paul found 
 himself for a second time in a state of perplexity. 
 That he was to leave his native shores he could 
 have no doubt, but his future destination had not 
 been distinctly revealed to him. However, he 
 set forth from the territories of Mark, confident 
 that all obscurity would soon disappear and the 
 path he was to follow be clearly indicated. 
 
 He commenced preparations for his departure 
 by visiting his sister, who, like himself, had 
 entered religion, and been elected by the sister- 
 hood abbess of the community. The convent 
 seems to have been situated on the English 
 Channel, probably in Cornwall. Paul and his 
 companions remained in the neighbourhood for 
 some time, exhorting the nuns to live up to the 
 spirit of Jesus Christ, whom they had chosen for 
 their spouse. 
 
 Preparations were meanwhile being made for a 
 sea voyage. Vessels were engaged, sailors secured, 
 and ordered to be ready as soon as possible. The 
 night before his departure was spent by Paul 
 in prayer and communion with heaven. There 
 
 (1) Genesis.
 
 524 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 is no record of what passed, or whether 
 another angelic manifestation was vouchsafed to 
 him ; but in the morning the little community 
 set sail. 
 
 The sailors wondered at the eccentricity of 
 their passengers, for, on inquiring in which 
 direction they were to steer, they were told 
 simply to unfurl the sails and allow the ship to 
 he guided by the winds and by the providence of 
 Th f God, who would be their pilot. 
 
 arrival at 
 
 The first land they approached happened to be 
 
 Island. 
 
 the island of Ouessant, not far from the entrance 
 to the Bay of Brest. This is a spot unfortunately 
 but too well known to seafaring men, for scarcely 
 a year passes but some ships are wrecked on its 
 shores. At the present time it contains a 
 population of about two thousand three hundred 
 souls, but what number of human beings dwelt 
 upon its soil in the days of Paul cannot now be 
 ascertained. 
 
 Ouessant and the neighbouring little islands 
 scattered here and there in its vicinity were even 
 then celebrated in Celtic tradition. According 
 to the general Pagan opinion, they were peopled 
 by phantoms. 
 
 Saturn was still worshipped in these lonely 
 isles, and vestals consecrated by vow, like those 
 of Borne, to perpetual virginity, were believed to 
 be endowed with power to raise a tempest or bid 
 the waves be still. They professed to be able to 
 foretell future events, and delivered their oracles
 
 ST. PALLUS Al'liELIANUS. 525 
 
 to such as were bold enough to row over to their 
 almost inaccessible abode. 
 
 As Montalembert observes, along these coasts 
 wander the skeletons of the shipwrecked, seeking 
 a shroud and a grave. This is a tradition which 
 lasted until the end of the sixth century. Even 
 during the reigns of Clovis and his successors, 
 the fishermen who frequented the shores of these 
 islands were exempted from the service of war 
 and from the payment of tribute, because they 
 were obliged to convey to Great Britain the souls 
 of the departed. 
 
 " Towards midnight," says Procopius, " a 
 knock is heard at the doors of the fishermen, and 
 a low voice calls upon them. They arise and 
 hasten to the shore ; there they find strange 
 boats awaiting them. These they must row 
 across the sea, and though no one is to be seen, 
 the boats are so full of invisible passengers that 
 they seem in danger of sinking, and are scarcely 
 a finger's breadth above the level of the water. 
 The journey is accomplished in less than an 
 hour, although with their own boats it would be 
 difficult to complete it in a night. On arriving 
 at their destination, the vessels are so entirely 
 emptied that their keels can be seen. Nothing 
 is visible, but the sailors hear a voice which calls 
 the spiritual voyagers one by one, addressing 
 them by the same titles they bore during life. 
 To this is added the father's name in the case of 
 a man, the husband's in that of a woman."
 
 526 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 This small British colony was destined, even 
 in the lifetime of its first founders, to win over 
 these fishermen to the faith of Christ Indeed, 
 the day was not far distant when a Frank King 
 was to bestow the island of Ouessant on Paul and 
 his diocese in perpetuity. 
 
 The following description of the fishermen of 
 Ouessant was written a few centuries back : 
 " The island converted by St. Paul was called by 
 him Done Sant, in French Dieu Saint. He 
 destroyed the pagan temples, or converted them 
 into Catholic churches. From that time the 
 golden era seems to have reigned over this small 
 corner of the earth. Religion had created a 
 brotherly union amongst its inhabitants. Honesty 
 in business and purity of life prevailed through- 
 out the island, and any person who did not 
 possess these two virtues was immediately 
 expelled. A lawsuit or a lie were equally 
 repudiated. If any contention arose it was 
 settled at the door of the church, after Mass, by 
 the first man of position who came out, and his 
 judgment was never appealed against." * 
 
 For what period of time the British monks 
 remained in the island is not stated. They seem 
 to have resumed their monastic life, and built 
 temporary huts around an oratory ; but they do 
 not appear to have regarded this as their land of 
 promise, although its seclusion was admirably 
 adapted to their love of solitude. 
 
 (1) . Albert leGrauil.
 
 ST. PAULUS AURELIANUS. 527 
 
 Paul, as usual, sought to know the will of LandIn s in 
 
 . Brittany. 
 
 Heaven as to his future course, and the angel 
 again appeared to him and pointed to the 
 continent whose shores were visible from the 
 island, to indicate that there lay the field of their 
 future labours. They at once set forth, and, 
 passing by the small island of Molene, at the 
 entrance of the port of Brest, they landed, and 
 encamped for a time ; then, crossing to the 
 continent, disembarked on the shore between 
 Brest and Morlaix. 
 
 The district where they first settled is called to 
 this day by the name of our saint, Lampaul 
 (Llanpaul). There, as was their wont, they 
 constructed an oratory and temporary huts, and 
 there, for the fourth time since their departure 
 from the territory of King Mark, they fixed a 
 new abode. It is likely they did so without 
 reference to the ownership of the ground, and 
 expected to be called to account by its possessor ; 
 so they did not yet look upon it as the spot 
 chosen for them by Heaven, but resolved 
 patiently to await the course of events. Although 
 Lampaul did become the head-quarters of the 
 colony, many of its members scattered them- 
 selves here and there, each choosing for himself 
 such place as best suited his love of retirement 
 and solitude. 
 
 The legend relates that whilst in this locality 
 one of the brethren, who had built his hut 
 beside a clear fountain in the vicinity, came to
 
 528 CAMBK1A SACRA. 
 
 Paul and complained of the annoyance he 
 received from a wild buffalo. This animal 
 showed his displeasure at the intrusion of a 
 stranger into his favourite haunts by one day 
 driving his horns through the walls of the hut, 
 throwing it down, and breaking it to pieces. 
 
 Paul visited the scene of devastation, and on 
 the buffalo making his appearance, commanded 
 him, in the name of God, never again to disturb 
 the abode of a Christian, or pass beyond the 
 limits of the surrounding forests to disturb the 
 peace of a servant of Jesus Christ. The animal 
 at once turned, disappeared into the woods, and 
 was seen no more. 
 
 Montalembert justly observes that by none of 
 the apostles of Brittany, was Paul of Leon 
 surpassed in the power which he possessed over 
 wild beasts. On another occasion he tamed and 
 reduced to a state of domesticity a ferocious she- 
 bear and her cubs, whose race was long marked 
 and preserved by the country people. Then, 
 again, an enormous bear' drew back before him 
 until she fell into a ditch and broke her neck. 
 
 As we have remarked, the missionaries did not 
 feel that Lampaul was a secure settlement. The 
 land was not their own, and they could be 
 disturbed at any moment, as they did not know 
 whether its owner was a Christian or a Pagan a 
 man disposed to favour monks, or their deadly 
 enemy. It was, therefore, out of the question to 
 think of erecting a monastery whilst in this
 
 ST. PAT'LFS ATJRELIANTJS. 529 
 
 uncertainty. Once more they betook themselves 
 to prayer to ascertain the Divine will; once 
 more an angel appeared to St. Paul, and directed 
 him to seek an interview with the Prince of the 
 country, who would provide for them a per- 
 manent home. 
 
 Rejoicing in the idea that they had at last 
 come to the end of their wanderings, they again 
 took to their boats, sailing from west to east, and 
 keeping as near to the shore as possible. Their 
 supply of water being exhausted, they landed, 
 but could find no spring. Then Paul, with the 
 confidence of Moses, called upon the Lord, and 
 forthwith a miraculous fountain burst forth. 
 
 Whilst resting beside these waters, they 
 descried in the distance a large herd of cattle, 
 which was being driven by a shepherd. They 
 approached, and made inquiries about the Prince 
 of the country and his place of residence, and 
 requested the peasant to direct them to some 
 inhabited spot whereon they could settle. 
 
 The shepherd informed them that the Prince visit to 
 was his own master, and offered to conduct the 
 strangers to his place of abode. As they travelled 
 along, he told them that his lord was very kind- 
 hearted, and at his court they would surely 
 obtain the errant of a district suitable to their 
 
 o 
 
 purpose, as the Prince never refused hospitality 
 to strangers or emigrants. Following the 
 shepherd, they came at last to Roscoff, and from 
 that place were obliged to cross over three miles
 
 530 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 of sea in order to reach the island of Batz, where 
 Withur resided. 
 
 This Prince possessed many accomplishments. 
 He was, in the first place, a good Christian, was 
 highly educated, and fond of religious study, and 
 was also a man of business, to which he attended 
 with the greatest regularity. 
 
 o o ** 
 
 The strangers from Britain found him, on 
 their introduction, in the act of copying, with 
 his own hands, the four Gospels. 
 
 It is said that he recognised Paul at once, 
 having met him in Britain during his residence 
 there, either as a traveller or as a student. The 
 country he ruled over had been bestowed upon 
 him by the Prank King, whose wise policy it was 
 to encourage colonists to settle in a district very 
 thinly populated. 
 
 Aurelianus made Withur acquainted with the 
 place whence he came, the object he had in view, 
 and the circumstances connected with it. He 
 said that his wish was to obey the Divine will ; 
 that an angel had appeared to him in the island 
 of Britain, at Ouessant, and again when he 
 landed on these shores, and had commanded him 
 to seek out the sovereign of the country, because 
 near him he would find a permanent home; 
 that it was obedience to a Divine voice which led 
 him to his presence. Withur listened with 
 wonder to these details, which were narrated 
 with all the conviction of truth. 
 
 In consequence of the Armorican Prince's
 
 ST. PATJLTJS AURELIANTJS. 531 
 
 charity to the poor, there was a constant coming 
 and going of persons in distress from the main- 
 land to the island, for seldom did anyone in 
 misery return unrelieved. God at this time 
 glorified his servant Paul in sight of all the 
 people. Amongst the poor travellers he met on 
 the road he restored sight to three blind men, 
 the faculty of speech to two who were deprived 
 of it, and the use of his limbs to a paralysed 
 man. 
 
 Withur, recognising the providence of God in 
 sending him such a Thaumaturgas, resolved to 
 make the most of his services. The inhabitants 
 of the country had been terrified, and great 
 devastations committed, by a huge serpent or 
 crocodile, and the Prince besought Paul to 
 deliver the land from this monster. The saint, 
 in the name and power of God, acceded 
 to this request, and the reptile was seen no 
 more. 
 
 The Armorican Prince was rich, and settlement 
 naturally generous. The candid narrative Sand O f 
 of his visitors, and the wonders he had 
 witnessed, pre-occupied his mind. An inward 
 voice whispered to him that he had been 
 chosen as an instrument to secure for his 
 country the services of these servants of 
 God and provide for them a home. Without 
 hesitation, therefore, he presented Paul and his 
 companions with his own house, together 
 with all he possessed in the island of Batz,
 
 532 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 including the Books of the Gospel which he had 
 written out with his own hand. 1 
 
 This donation was thankfully accepted by the 
 little community, and all recognised the kind 
 providence of God in what had taken place, and 
 now, indeed, felt they had gained the promised 
 land to which the angel had directed them. 
 
 They lost no time in making such changes in 
 their new ahode as were suitable to the monastic 
 life, and as soon as possible laid the foundations 
 of a large church. 
 
 The saintly lives led hy the monks who had 
 lately arrived from Britain edified the Armori- 
 cans, many of whom presented themselves as 
 novices. 
 
 Paul, in particular, attracted the admiration of 
 all, and the people manifested a desire that he 
 should be consecrated bishop ; but even this 
 general wish could not overcome the opposition 
 of our saint. In his native Britain he had 
 determinedly declined the episcopal dignity, and 
 he saw no reason to deviate from his former 
 resolution in Armorica. In his humility, he 
 considered that his elevation to the episcopacy 
 could neither benefit his own soul nor the souls 
 of others. 
 stratagem "Withur, however, backed as he was by public 
 
 used to * - 1 
 
 make him opinion, stronerly expressed, was determined not 
 
 Bishop. 
 
 (1) The island of Batz contains at present a population of 1167 
 inhabitants, who are under the spiritual care of two priests. The old 
 church is dedicated to St. Paul, On an eminence facing the cemetery 
 stands a cross, the base of which is fixed in a Druidical stone the Celtic 
 dolmen, or stone table. The Gospel of Prince Withur was preserved in 
 the Cathedral of Leon down to the last century.
 
 ST. PAULUS AURELIANTJS. 533 
 
 to be beaten, and, after many plans, at last 
 resorted to the following stratagem : 
 
 He visited Paul, and, in confidence, informed 
 him that he besought a particular favour from 
 him. 
 
 " I am," he said, " greatly indebted to Childe- 
 bert, King of the Pranks. Erom him I received 
 the large territory over which I reign. I am 
 sorry to say, I never properly recognised the 
 kindness of the King ; for since my settlement 
 in this country I even neglected to send 
 ambassadors to my benefactor, as I was bound 
 to do, both by custom and gratitude. 
 
 Besides this duty of etiquette, I have business 
 of the greatest importance to transact with the 
 Prank King, and my request is, that you will go 
 to Paris and represent my interests at Court. 
 You will, at the same time, be able to obtain the 
 signature of Childebert to the charters by which 
 I have granted you land for the service of 
 religion ; because in this country we are not 
 altogether independent of the Franks. On being 
 presented to the King, you will hand him these 
 letters. They are stamped with the seal he 
 presented to me at our last meeting, and which 
 he will at once recognise. Then attentively 
 consider what he says, and report it to me." 
 
 As it was impossible to refuse a service asked 
 of him by his benefactor, Paul accepted the 
 mission, and prepared for immediate departure. 
 
 On arriving at the Court of Childebert, the
 
 534 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 British monk presented the letters which had 
 been committed to his charge. One of these was 
 worded as follows : 
 
 " On receiving this, my epistle, my Lord and 
 King, be it known unto yon that I, your servant 
 Withur, forward it by the hands of the man of 
 God called Paul, whose consecration as bishop 
 we earnestly entreat you to procure, notwith- 
 standing his own strong opposition. He is most 
 worthy, and admirably suited to the dignity, but, 
 when more than once strongly urged to accept it, 
 he has invariably declined. I can certify that 
 there does not live in our country a priest more 
 highly qualified than he for the episcopal charge, 
 both by exemplary life and depth of learning." 
 
 Childebert, on reading this letter, entered 
 heart and soul into the stratagem. He com- 
 municated it to Judwal, the exiled King of 
 Brittany, and requested his assistance in carrying 
 out the wishes of Withur and his people. 
 
 In his frequent interviews with Paul, the 
 Prank King dwelt on the duty which devolved 
 upon a priest of giving his services where they 
 would tend to most advantage in the vineyard of 
 the Lord, and represented that a man who had 
 been endowed with so many gifts and accomplish- 
 ments as he possessed, should not confine them 
 within the seclusion of a monastery, and the 
 King enforced his opinion by instancing the 
 Gospel parable of the servants to whom talents 
 were entrusted being required to expend them in
 
 ST. PAULUS AURELIANUS. 535 
 
 that manner which would ensure the greatest 
 amount of interest, and begged the Abbot to 
 reflect whether he might not draw down upon 
 himself the reproaches addressed to the servant 
 who had hidden the treasure committed to his 
 charge. 
 
 These last words cut Paul to the heart. He 
 threw himself on his knees before Childebert, 
 and professed himself an unprofitable servant. 
 The King raised him, and, borrowing an ivory 
 crosier from a bishop who was present, he handed 
 it to Paul, saying, " Receive, then, Father, the 
 episcopal dignity, and thus extend the sphere of 
 your usefulness." Three bishops visited the 
 Erank Court to officiate at the consecration of 
 Paulus Aurelianus. 
 
 Childebert was thus the means of giving a 
 saintly bishop to Brittany. The Erank Kings 
 were, however, in the habit of unduly interfering 
 in the election of the Armorican bishops, and 
 were, in consequence, publicly censured by the 
 Metropolitan of Tours in a provincial Council. 
 
 The admiration of Childebert for the noble 
 soul of Paul continually increased as he became 
 more intimately acquainted with him, and on 
 his taking leave, the King not only ratified the 
 charters of Prince Withur in connection with his 
 donations to the British monk, but, with royal 
 munificence, himself bestowed on the new bishop 
 the island of Ouessant and all other territories in 
 his possession in the country of Occismor.
 
 536 CAMBRIA SACKA. 
 
 The new prelate was received on his arrival in 
 his diocese with general rejoicing, which took 
 the form of a national demonstration. His 
 people were not only triumphant at seeing Paul 
 return as their hishop, hut were also proud of 
 the honourable reception accorded to him at the 
 Frank Court as their ambassador. 
 
 Prince Withur met Paul at Morlaix, several 
 miles beyond his capital, and as they proceeded 
 thither in company, the procession, already 
 imposing, was increased by the numerous parties 
 who continually joined in as it passed along. 
 Indeed, the whole scene recalled to mind the 
 triumphal march of a Homan general on his way 
 to the Capitol after the conquest of distant regions. 
 
 The Bishop was installed in the cathedral 
 church of Occismor, instead of at Batz. 
 
 The former town was chosen by Conan 
 Meriadec, the founder of the ^British settlement 
 in Armorica, at the end of the fourth century 
 (384-385), as the capital of his new dominions. 
 Previous to that event it was a flourishing town, 
 built by the Boman colonists, and is believed to 
 have contained a community of Christians in all 
 the religious fervour of early times. This place, 
 the cradle of the British race in Armorica, no 
 longer exists ; even its position cannot now be 
 traced with certainty. In God's providence it 
 was destined to be supplanted by another capital 
 St. Paul de Leon which was to last for 
 centuries.
 
 ST. PAULUS AURELIANUS. 537 
 
 The Britons who settled in that part of 
 Armorica were Christians at least in name 
 and were followed to their new country by their 
 own priests. Hence the first bishops and monks 
 were, almost without exception, of British or 
 Irish birth. The land was not, however, 
 altogether free from Paganism. Heathen super- 
 stitions, rites, customs, and ideas, condemned by 
 the Christian religion, prevailed in certain 
 localities. Satanic rites and bloody sacrifices 
 upon the Celtic Dolmen were not entirely 
 forgotten, and even in those times Pagan temples 
 and sacred groves were to be seen. 
 
 The new bishop commenced his work with all 
 the earnestness of an apostle. He erected 
 parishes throughout his diocese, both on the 
 mainland and the adjacent islands. Ouessant, the 
 largest amongst them, was endeared to Paul and 
 his companions as their first resting-place after 
 their exodus from Britain, and was not forgotten. 
 
 The bishop divided his diocese into three arch- 
 deaconries Leon, Ock, and Kimilidily. Besides 
 his monastery at Batz, he founded several others 
 Kerlouan (named Kerpaul), at Plougar, and 
 Lanpaul. Nor had he much difficulty in filling 
 these religious houses with aspirants to the 
 cloister. Novices from all parts of the country 
 sought admittance into these holy institutions, 
 which became the nursery of a well-trained 
 clergy. Amongst these we may specially notice 
 Gwevrod, Tanguy, and Jouva.
 
 538 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Sd^he 1 ^ n one ^ n * s e pi sc P a l visitations, when 
 hermit passing through the present parish of Ploudaniel, 
 
 Gwevrod. J A 
 
 St. Paul was told that a holy hermit, a native of 
 Britain, like himself, led an edifying life in a 
 wood not far distant. On visiting him, the 
 hermit related that he had come over from 
 Britain with Tugdual (most likely from the west of 
 Britain), that he had heen elected Abbot of Loc- 
 Kirec Monastery, but had resigned that dignity 
 in order to follow his inclination for solitude. 
 Paul, recognising in the solitary great talents for 
 missionary work, advised him to leave his retreat 
 and labour for the conversion of souls in his 
 diocese. He told the hermit how he himself had 
 so much loved solitude that at the age of sixteen 
 he had left Lantwit-Major, with the consent of 
 St. Illtyd, to follow this vocation; but when 
 summoned by Mark to preach the Gospel to his 
 subjects, he had regarded it as a call from 
 heaven; and had, later on, at the bidding of an 
 angel, forsaken his native land and come to 
 Armorica to work for the conversion of souls in 
 that land ; and that, being constrained to accept 
 episcopacy, he consecrated his life to the welfare 
 of his flock, although at all times much prefer- 
 ring solitude. "Now, as your Bishop," added 
 the saint, "I invite you to help in gaining 
 souls to Jesus Christ. You cannot decline my 
 request. You are a priest of the Church of God ; 
 assist me, therefore, to extend her doctrines and 
 her practices throughout this land."
 
 ST. PAULUS ATJRELIANUS. 539 
 
 The hermit at last yielded, followed his bishop 
 to Occismor, was appointed Vicar-General, and 
 became very useful. 
 
 It is related of Gwevrod that, on a certain 
 Sunday, as he was passing through the country, 
 he met a man who was cutting thorns with which 
 to fill up a gap in the fence of a corn-field. The 
 Vicar-General remonstrated with him for break- 
 ing the law of the Christians by thus working on 
 a Sunday. The man only laughed, and went on 
 with his work, and the priest continued his 
 journey. The man found, shortly afterwards, 
 that the axe was fastened to his hand. He tried 
 in vain to wrench it oif, but all his efforts were 
 without avail. Terrified and repentant, he 
 hastened to Occismor, and, in presence of St. 
 Paul and his Vicar-General, confessed his sin 
 before the altar, and, prostrate upon its steps, 
 received absolution. 
 
 On another occasion a similar transgression 
 was also punished. The Alter JEJgo of St. Paul, 
 whilst passing through Occismor one day, observed 
 a young woman busy washing at the door of a 
 house. It was a Feast of our Lady, and the 
 priest stopped to remonstrate against this 
 violation of the law of the Church. The young 
 woman said people must eat whether it be 
 Sunday or Festival day, and she could not see 
 any reason why she should not earn her bread 
 on these days as well as on others. Not long 
 after she was struck with paralysis both in her
 
 540 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 hands and in her feet, and at once recognised in 
 this the hand of God. She fasted for a week, 
 and entreated Gwevrod to make the sign of the 
 Cross upon her. He did so, and she was cured. 
 The church of Creiz-Caer, the spire of which is 
 the finest in Brittany, was built and dedicated to 
 our blessed Lady, to commemorate this miracle, 
 on the very spot where it took place. 
 st Paul On a certain day, a young nobleman, with 
 Jjjjj. remorse and affliction stamped upon his 
 countenance, came to St. Paul to seek his advice 
 as to the best way of making satisfaction for a 
 terrible crime he had committed the murder of 
 his own sister. 
 
 " I am the son of Galonus and Florence of 
 Tremazan," said the unhappy young man. 
 " My mother died young, leaving two children 
 my sister Haude and myself. My name is 
 Gurguy. Shortly after our mother's death, our 
 father to our great grief married a British 
 lady, who was richly dowered, but infected with 
 the Pelagian heresy. She soon acquired 
 unlimited influence over our father, and reigned 
 supreme in the house. The day she entered 
 under our roof was the dawn of a life of trial 
 and misery to us children. Like most step- 
 mothers, she did not love either the son or 
 daughter of her husband's first wife, but, on the 
 contrary, manifested her hatred of them both by 
 word and action. 
 
 Having grown to manhood, after eight years
 
 ST. PATTLUS AURELIANTTS. 541 
 
 of long and intense suffering, I could no longer 
 brook this tyranny and ill-treatment, and 
 thought of leaving home to try my fortune at 
 the Court of Childebert; but for love of my 
 sister I delayed my departure for some time, 
 feeling certain that the persecution would 
 increase in my absence. When I communicated 
 my plans to Haude, she wept and entreated of 
 me not to leave her unprotected. However, on 
 a certain day, having been grossly insulted by 
 my step-mother, I could endure it no longer, 
 and left my father's house." 
 
 It appeared that Haude had reason to oppose 
 the departure of her brother, for soon after she 
 was subjected to additional cruelties. The poor 
 young lady was treated like a servant, deprived 
 of her companions, shut out from the chapel at 
 whose altar she was wont to seek consolation, 
 and at last turned away from her father's home 
 and sent to live in a farm-house. There she felt 
 happy, and lived like a nun in a convent. 
 
 Several years elapsed, during which the young 
 nobleman made his way at the Court of Paris ; but 
 neither distance nor the dissipations of a royal 
 city could make him forget his dear sister, 
 though all correspondence between them was 
 prevented by their step-mother. But some 
 persons from his country, who were visiting 
 Paris, gave him details of the cruel treatment 
 which Haude was undergoing. This determined 
 him to see with his own eyes what foundation
 
 542 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 there was for these reports. With this purpose 
 he left Paris, and presented himself, in disguise, 
 at the castle of his father. The illustrious sniest 
 
 O 
 
 from the Frank Court inquired after the Lady 
 Haude, whose praises, he said, were on the lips 
 of everyone who came to Paris from Brittany, 
 and he expressed a great desire to make her 
 acquaintance. 
 
 The cunning step-mother took him aside, and, 
 aifecting deep interest in the stranger, informed 
 him, in the strictest confidence, as she stated, 
 that her husband's daughter, of whom he had 
 heard so favourable a report, was, she grieved to 
 say, a hypocrite, and a girl of such light 
 behaviour that, for the honour of the family, 
 they had been forced to remove her to a farm- 
 house. 
 
 Haude's brother, unfortunately, allowed him- 
 self to be deceived by this calumny, and became 
 indignant at the supposed shameful conduct of 
 his sister. He went to the farm, where he was 
 informed that Haude was washing linen in the 
 brook. He proceeded thither, and found her 
 busily occupied at this work. On hearing her 
 name called aloud, the young maiden looked up, 
 and, not recognising her brother, fled away in 
 alarm. This, unfortunately, seemed to him a 
 confirmation of his step-mother's calumny, as he 
 attributed her flight to the consciousness of guilt, 
 which rendered her unable to bear the shame of 
 meeting him. Acting under this false conclusion,
 
 ST. PAULUS AUBELIANUS. 543 
 
 and inflamed with rage, the unfortunate young 
 man drew his sword and pursued the fugitive, 
 with the determination of washing away the stain 
 she had brought upon the family in her blood. 
 He soon overtook her, and, terrible to relate, ran 
 his sword through her body and afterwards cut 
 off her head. 
 
 No sooner was the crime effected than a sense 
 of its enormity rushed upon the mind of the 
 fratricide. He burst into tears, groaned like a 
 man in despair, and fell on his knees beside the 
 lifeless body of his once dearly-loved sister. 
 
 The people of the neighbourhood hastened to 
 the spot, and, as they reverently removed the 
 remains of Haude, loudly lamented the sad end 
 of this long-persecuted angel. 
 
 As soon as the unhappy brother recovered 
 from the swoon into which he had fallen, he 
 learned, with terrible anguish, the shameful 
 conduct of his step-mother, and the innocence of 
 the victim of her malice and of his own 
 unrestrained passion. 
 
 Gurguy, having poured forth his tale of horror 
 and remorse into the compassionate heart of the 
 holy priest, added, " Life has become a burden 
 to me. Ever freshly to my mind recurs the 
 remembrance of that murder, because if any one 
 deserved to fall under my sword it was my 
 wicked, crafty step-mother, and not my innocent 
 sister, who was as pure as an angel. I refrained 
 from vengeance, however, and God's judgment
 
 544 . CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 has overtaken our persecutor, who suddenly 
 dropped dead. To you, father, do I now appeal. 
 Tell me, I implore you, how I can make satis- 
 faction for the murder of my sister ? " 
 
 The Bishop was deeply grieved as he listened 
 to this narrative and saw before him the noble- 
 hearted young man who had been deluded into 
 committing a most abominable crime. 
 
 " My son," he said, " family pride, a worldly 
 spirit, which could not leave vengeance to the 
 Lord, and an uncontrolled temper which robs the 
 soul of reason and reflection, were the causes of 
 this crime. May God forgive your hastiness and 
 anger ! You travelled from Paris to protect 
 your sister from your step -mother, and yet 
 believed her calumnies against this persecuted 
 angel, and did not even give your victim a 
 chance of explanation. Go now for forty days 
 into solitude. Pray and weep for your sister, 
 and implore the forgiveness of heaven. After 
 that time return to me. 
 
 After the expiration of the alloted time, the 
 young nobleman presented himself before the 
 bishop, as he had been commanded, told him that 
 he had performed his penance, and begged admit- 
 tance into one of his monasteries ; for in the 
 solitude of the woods God had visited his soul, 
 enlightened him with new ideas, and turned his 
 
 D 
 
 heart altogether against the world. St. Paul, and 
 several priests who were conferring with him on 
 ecclesiastical business, were startled when, on
 
 ST. PATJLUS ATTRELIANUS. 545 
 
 the entrance of Gurguy, they beheld a sort of 
 halo surrounding the head of the penitent 
 murderer, in the form of a supernatural crown. 
 The young knight, perceiving surprise depicted 
 on every countenance, attributed it to the horror 
 which guiltless men must experience at the sight 
 of an assassin. Prom that day his baptismal 
 name of Gurguy was changed for that of Tanguy, 
 or the wreath of fire. 
 
 Having assured St. Paul of his irrevocable 
 determination to leave the world, Tanguy begged 
 of him the favour of admission into his monastery 
 of Batz. His request being granted, he edified 
 the brotherhood by a most exemplary life. 
 Later on, St. Paul sent him to found a monastery 
 at Relec, nine miles from Morlaix, and another 
 at St. Matthew, at the entrance of the roads of 
 Brest, where he had inherited from his father a 
 large tract of land, which the town of Brest and 
 its environs now nearly covers. 
 
 The greatest friendship existed between St. 
 Paul and Tanguy. On a certain day, long after 
 the events we have mentioned, when they had 
 met to converse on spiritual matters, and to 
 ensure solitude had retired into a forest, an angel 
 appeared, and said, "Be of good heart, for in a 
 short time both of you will be taken from this 
 valley of tears to your home in heaven." The 
 scene of this apparition has ever since been called 
 "Coat-eles," or the Porest of the Angelic Vision. 
 The prophecy was realised, for Tanguy and his
 
 546 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Bishop departed this life on the same day, being 
 the twelfth of March. 
 
 st. Paul Jovin, the nephew of St. Paul, enlightens us 
 nephew as regards the power of performing miracles 
 granted by heaven to his uncle. Jovin, or Jaoua, 
 was born in Ireland, his mother being sister of 
 Paulus Aurelianus. He was educated in England, 
 where he learned to appreciate the virtues and 
 talents of his uncle, and even entertained ideas 
 of embracing the religious life. 
 
 His family having, probably, some notion of 
 his designs, recalled him to Ireland, where they 
 supplied him with horses and hounds and every- 
 thing else deemed suitable for the position of a 
 young nobleman. 
 
 To satisfy his parents, he entered into their 
 views, and joined in all the national sports, not 
 losing, however, his desire for entering religion. 
 
 Letters from Great Britain announced that 
 Paul and twelve other priests had sailed for 
 Armorica and landed safely at Ouessant. Jovin 
 suddenly resolved to join his uncle, and, to 
 prevent opposition, decided on leaving home 
 secretly. Having procured a ship, he directed 
 the sailors to steer for Ouessant, but contrary 
 winds drove them into the Bay of Brest. 
 
 After remaining for some time in the 
 Monastery of Landevennec, the young aspirant 
 succeeded in joining his uncle, was ordained 
 priest, and sent to evangelise the inhabitants of 
 Braspars and its neighbourhood, in the district of
 
 ST. PATJLUS AURELIANUS. 547 
 
 Cornouailles, which is only divided from Leon by 
 a ridge of mountains. There he began to preach 
 the Gospel, a part of the people being still 
 plunged in the darkness of Paganism. He, like 
 every other apostle, met with friends and 
 enemies ; some who listened to the precepts of 
 Jesus Christ, and others opposed to Christian 
 morality. 
 
 Amongst the latter was a nobleman who hated 
 the preacher of the Gospel, for the simple 
 reason that many of his dissolute companions 
 were won by him to abandon their sinful way of 
 life. This wicked man heartijy cursed those 
 priests from beyond the sea who, according to his 
 report, disturbed the country and interfered with 
 old customs and modes of life. More than once 
 he was heard to say it was a pity the ocean had 
 not swallowed them on their voyage. 
 
 On a certain day an ecclesiastical conference 
 was held not far from the residence of this 
 impious man, who looked upon this as a favour- 
 able opportunity of getting rid of the men of 
 Christ. He collected a band of ruffians, and, 
 placing himself at their head, approached the 
 place of conference. Finding the door of the 
 church closed, he burst it open, put the 
 congregation to flight, and, rushing to the altar, 
 slew the priest who was celebrating Mass, and 
 had reached that part of the Canon where Notts 
 peccatoribus is said. Jovin and the Abbot of 
 Landevennec escaped. The latter, however, was
 
 548 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 overtaken and put to the sword by the sacri- 
 legious assassin. 
 
 Divine vengeance soon overtook this murderer 
 of monks. He became possessed by the devil, 
 and there was much difficulty in restraining him 
 from doing violence on himself and others, and 
 the country was also visited by a scourge in the 
 shape of a huge dragon, which spread terror and 
 devastation all around. 
 
 The people laid their grievances before St. 
 Paul, and implored him to come to Paou and 
 deliver them from the terrible visitations of the 
 devil and the dragon. 
 
 The Bishop promised to comply with their 
 wishes, and dismissed the messengers, reccom- 
 mending the performance of penance, in order 
 to obtain the mercy of God, who is ever ready to 
 forgive those who repent. 
 
 When on his way to fulfil his promise, in 
 company with some of his brethren, they stopped 
 at a place called Mousterpaol, to recite the 
 Divine Office. Whilst thus engaged an angel 
 appeared to Paul, and consoled him with the 
 assurance that God would bless his mission. 
 
 On arriving at the village, the saint soon 
 collected the scattered inhabitants around him, 
 and at once commenced instructing them in the 
 Christian doctrine. One day he thus addressed 
 them : 
 
 " In order to convince you of the truth of the 
 Gospel, and on the formal promise that you will
 
 ST. PAULUS AURELIANUS. 549 
 
 renounce all your superstitions and do penance, 
 I will deliver you from the dragon, in the name 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 The people with one voice promised to do all 
 that was required of them. Then the Bishop 
 directed Jovin to prepare the altar for the holy 
 Sacrifice of the Mass, and after its celebration he 
 left the church, in procession, and commanded 
 the serpent to come forth from wherever he 
 might be, without doing harm to anyone. The 
 monster obeyed, slowly advanced towards the 
 saint, and lay down at his feet. The Bishop 
 bound his stole round his neck, and, plunging a 
 stick into the ground, tied the serpent to it, 
 ordering him not to move from that spot until 
 desired to do so. 1 
 
 This being done, Paul visited the residence of 
 the murderer of the two abbots, and, by the sign 
 of the Cross, drove away the evil spirit. Then he 
 instructed him in the Christian religion, and 
 administered the sacrament of baptism, bestowing 
 upon him the name of Paul. 
 
 (1) L'Abbe Gaume, in his learned treatise, " Du St. Esprit," shows at 
 length how Satan, in his relations with mankind, evinces a great 
 partiality to the serpent. Clothed in the body of that reptile, he tempted 
 our first parents in the terrestrial paradise. In Holy Scriptures the king 
 of the City of Evil is often called the dragon " Draco Magnus" the 
 serpent. At all times, everywhere, in Egypt, amongst the Babylonians, 
 he wished to be worshipped amongst the Pagans under the form of a 
 serpent. The supreme gud of the Persians, Medes, Phoenicians, and others 
 was the serpent, with a hawk's head ; so much so, that the temples of 
 many nations went by the general name of Dracontia. Amongst the 
 refined Greeks, the only irrational animal admitted into the ranks of the 
 gods was the serpent. The duties of the Roman vestals consisted not only 
 in keeping alive the sacred fire, but also in feeding the serpent associated 
 to the numerous gods of that Pagan empire. In China they worship to 
 this day the great dragon ; the seal of the Celestial Empire is a dragon. 
 In India this reptile is publicly worshipped. The Indian women and 
 children wear silver serpents round their ankles and wrists. In Africa,
 
 550 CAMURIA SACEA. 
 
 The people followed the example of their 
 ruler, and were received into the Church. 
 
 Like most of the Welsh saints whom we have 
 introduced to our readers, Paul, as he advanced 
 in life, seemed to yearn after the solitude of his 
 early years, and relied in a great measure on his 
 disciples for carrying on the work of his diocese. 
 He particularly esteemed Jovin, whose consecra- 
 tion as bishop he is believed to have obtained 
 from St. Samson, Archbishop of D61. After this 
 event he retired to his monastery of Batz. 
 
 The newly-consecrated bishop died on the 
 second of March, and was succeeded by 
 Tiernomallus, who also, after a short period, 
 departed this life. 
 
 Paul came to Occismor to assist at the funeral 
 of the late prelate, and at a conference of the 
 clergy which took place on the occasion, the 
 necessity of his again undertaking the adminis- 
 tration of the diocese was so strongly urged that 
 he was compelled to yield to the general wish, 
 
 temples are erected to this hideous reptile, a priesthood do duty in the 
 said temples, and feed its divine tenant. Amongst the ancient Pagan 
 nations of Europe we aiso notice the same false notions. We are not, 
 then, to wonder that the zealous British missionaries, founders of Christian 
 churches amongst the Pagans, should have met in the serpent or dragon a 
 sworn enemy. The struggles of St. Armel, Tugdual, Efflam, and Paul of 
 Leon with the dragon are explained in the light of faith. It is a battle of 
 principles between Christianity and Paganism. It is the Christian man 
 not surrendering himself, like our first parents, to Satan disguised into a 
 serpent, but battling, in the name of the Redeemer, against the seducer of 
 his race. The description given of these dragons, their wonderful size, 
 agility, strength, and horrid appearance, is somewhat extraordinary. But 
 modern science, represented by such men as Cuvier, in France, and 
 Auckland, in England, who have carefully studied the fossils brought to 
 light by excavations, leave no doubt that huge animals, pf the most 
 extraordinary size, have existed. We find these fossils embedded in the 
 bowels of the earth, and such as have been disinterred may be seen in our 
 public museums. (Vide Abbe Gauine, " Traite du St. Esprit." Vol. I.).
 
 ST. PAULUS ATJRELIANTJS. 551 
 
 and once more resumed the pastoral duties ; but 
 after a few months, feeling that his age and 
 infirmities rendered him unequal to the task, he 
 entrusted the diocese to the charge of one of his 
 monks, called Cetomerinus, whom he consecrated 
 bishop A.D. 556, in the presence of Judwal, 
 Prince of Brittany. 
 
 During the ceremony, a voice from the crowd 
 was heard imploring the venerable bishop to 
 pity his misery and pray to God on his behalf. 
 It was a blind man who thus interrupted the 
 sacred function. St. Paul touched his eyes, and 
 he at once recovered his sight. Judwal was so 
 much impressed by this miracle that, to testify 
 his admiration of it, he conceded a large tract of 
 land for the service of religion. The place was 
 ever afterwards called Menesty, or Menishty, the 
 House of the Monk that is to say, the Refuge of 
 St. Paul. 
 
 Once more could the saint return without 
 scruple to his dear solitude, confident that the 
 spiritual wants of his flock would be attended to. 
 In his little island he gave himself up unre- 
 servedly to contemplation, and lived for many 
 years in great austerity, and, though worn out 
 by penance and by age, always presented to his 
 brethren the example of monastic perfection. 
 "When in prayer, he seemed to hold commune 
 with the angels, and, like Daniel, was favoured 
 with the gift of prophecy. He foretold that, in 
 times to come, his monastery would be entirely
 
 552 CAMBRIA SACRA 
 
 destroyed by the Normans, and that war, with 
 all its train of misery, would for a long period 
 spread devastation through the country. He 
 also foretold that after his death great contention 
 would arise between the inhabitants of Batz and 
 his brethren and the clergy and people of 
 Occismor as to the possession of his body. In 
 order, if possible, to avoid this dissension, he 
 expressed a wish to be interred in his cathedral 
 church ; but this proved of no avail in averting 
 what he dreaded. 
 
 We have already mentioned that St. Paul and 
 Tanguy, whilst praying together, had received 
 intimation that their departure from this world 
 would be proximate. 
 
 But towards the end of his career the saint 
 received a further warning on the same subject. 
 In order not to inconvenience his brethren, he 
 lived in a small house which he had constructed 
 close to the monasterv. On a certain night, the 
 
 / O 7 
 
 greater part of which he had spent in prayer, he 
 was about to fall asleep when he felt himself 
 gently shaken ; he beheld the room illuminated, 
 and an angel standing beside him. " Paul," said 
 the heavenly messenger, " thou hast fought 
 valiantly, and run thy career nobly. It is now 
 meet that the Just Judge give thee thy reward. 
 Prepare thyself for thy departure from this 
 world on next Sunday, for on that day thou shalt 
 enter into the glory of thy Lord." The angel 
 having spoken these words, disappeared, but the
 
 ST. PAULUS AURELIANUS. 553 
 
 heavenly radiance still continued to illume the 
 apartment. 
 
 On the following morning the saint celebrated 
 
 the holy Sacrifice of the Mass with extraordinary 
 
 devotion. It was, perhaps, for the last time. 
 
 Then he called together his monastic brethren, 
 
 and communicated to them the celestial vision 
 
 with which he had been favoured on the 
 
 preceding night. His countenance gleamed with 
 
 a supernatural light. The faithful servant was 
 
 at last about to be united to his heavenly Master, 
 
 lever again to be separated from Him. After 
 
 xrging his brethren to act up to the spirit of the 
 
 Bligious life, he assured them that the Pastor of 
 
 tie vineyard would give to them a holy bishop 
 
 wtio would carry on the work of the Church 
 
 wth zeal and discretion. 
 
 Saving spoken thus, he was obliged to rest 
 upn his bed, which he never again was able to 
 rise from. On the following Sunday he requested 
 Bishop Cetomerinus to administer to him the 
 Sacaments of Holy Communion and Extreme 
 Uncion. Shortly after he spoke a few 
 encouraging words to those around him, and 
 conceded by blessing them in the following 
 words: 
 
 " Mr children, may the blessing of God, whom 
 
 we adre, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, descend 
 
 4 upon j)u, and ever remain with you." Whilst 
 
 the recpients of this benediction were in the act 
 
 of answsring " Amen," the saint gave up his soul
 
 554 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 to his Creator, without the least struggle. 
 According to Albert le Grand, he was then one 
 hundred and two years of age. 1 
 
 As the holy bishop had foretold, a great 
 dispute arose amongst the people as to his place 
 of burial. The body lay in state in the church 
 of the Monastery of Batz, and was visited by 
 crowds from all parts of the country. The sea 
 was literally covered with the fleets of boats 
 which were employed conveying people to anc 
 from the island. 
 
 On the day appointed for the funeral, th3 
 Bishop arrived to remove the body to Occismo*, 
 but the islanders opposed his being transferred 
 from Batz. As in the case of St. Teilo, secoid 
 Bishop of LlandafF, each party looked uponits 
 own claim as undeniable. 
 
 The islanders urged that it was upon tleir 
 island he had first settled on his arrival f'om 
 Britain, that he had passed a great part o his 
 time amongst them, and had there died; and 
 sought thus to prove themselves entitled t> the 
 possession of his remains. The canons <f his 
 cathedral, together with the rest o the 
 inhabitants of his diocese, maintained hat a 
 bishop should be buried in his metropolitan 
 church, and that such was the wish of the 
 deceased prelate, as plainly stated in iis last 
 moments. Neither party would yield,ind the 
 
 (1) The exact date of St. Paul's death cannot be clearl ascertained. 
 Some place it in the year 573 , and others in 597. The ne' Breviary of 
 Quimper assigns 570, and M. de Frerninville 591. LOBINKA
 
 ST. PAUL US AURELIANUS. 555 
 
 altercation became so warm as to degenerate into 
 a general contention. 
 
 Bishop Cetomerinus at last proposed a plan of 
 settlement which was accepted by all. He 
 ordered bullocks to be yoked to two carts, with 
 their heads turned respectively towards the 
 monastery and towards Occismor ; the body was 
 so placed as to rest half on one cart and half on 
 the other ; the bullocks were then started, and 
 the cart on which the coffin remained was to 
 decide the place of burial. The cart directed 
 towards Occismor was the favoured one, and the 
 departed bishop was accordingly buried in his 
 own cathedral. 
 
 If at the present day a Breton, dwelling on 
 the shores of Armorica, between Brest and 
 Morlaix, were asked to point out Occismor, he 
 would answer that no such town existed in the 
 Departement, and in making this statement he 
 would neither tell an untruth nor indicate 
 ignorance. The name of the capital of Conan 
 Meriadec has long since disappeared. But any 
 native of Brittany will be quite ready to inform 
 the traveller of the position of St. Pol de Leon, 
 or Castel Pol. In such veneration did the 
 inhabitants of his diocese hold their first bishop, 
 that they called his episcopal see by his name, 
 and that of Occismor became merged into Castel 
 Paul, or St. Pol de Leon, which place is well 
 known wherever the Breton language is 
 spoken.
 
 556 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 The diocese has been united to that of Quimper, 
 but it is proposed to restore it to its original 
 dignity. The cathedral erected over the grave 
 of St. Paulus Aurelianus is one of the finest in 
 Armorica, and the spire of the Church of 
 Creisker, in the same town, is unsurpassed by 
 any other in France. 
 
 Visitors to Coventry admire its lofty and 
 beautiful towers, but those who have seen the 
 spire of St. Paul de Leon incline to give it the 
 preference. The Bretons are so proud of this 
 Clocher that it holds a distinctive place in the 
 national songs of the country. It is a bold and 
 highly-finished tower, which stands on four 
 pillars, nine feet in diameter, and is altogether 
 disconnected from the walls of the church. One 
 would almost imagine it to be a magical con- 
 struction, so airily is it poised. 
 
 The Bretons have reason to be proud of their 
 churches and spires. The Departement of Pinistere 
 is neither rich nor poor ; it contains a population 
 of more than six hundred thousand inhabitants ; 
 but one would have to travel far to find churches 
 and towers so beautiful. The spire and 
 sculptured Calvary are special to the diocese of 
 Quimper, and draws the particular attention 
 of architectural travellers through Lower 
 Brittany. Prom the chain of mountains 
 which divides Leon from Cornouailles scores of 
 magnificent spires are visible, which seem to rise 
 in the air like gigantic needles. These fanes
 
 ST. PAULTTS AURELIANUS. 557 
 
 constructed by our ancestors might be kept in 
 better order. 
 
 What heaven-inspired architects our fore- 
 fathers were, as they manifested through these 
 magnificent erections their faith and their zeal 
 for the glory of the house of God ! St. Paul de 
 Leon is the first of these remarkable churches, 
 but Landivisian, St. Thegonnec, Lanpaul, and 
 many others may be instanced as fine specimens 
 of Gothic architecture. 
 
 Modern towns, such as Brest, have arisen in 
 the diocese of St. Paul and neighbourhood ; but 
 how inferior are the churches, even in a naval 
 town numbering eighty thousand inhabitants, 
 when compared with the noble old temples in 
 the surrounding villages. The peasant of 
 Brittany, when he visits Brest, may be struck 
 with the appearance of the stately fleet of men- 
 of-war, but when he returns to his own hamlet 
 will remark, with a feeling of pride, that the 
 large town does not possess a single steeple the 
 spire of which approaches in beauty that of his 
 village church ; and this is perfectly correct, for 
 no churches in Brest, Lorient, etc., can match 
 those of Hennebon, Pont Croix, Quimper, or 
 Locronan. As the order of faith has waned, the 
 art of erecting befitting temples to Almighty 
 God seems also to have decreased. 
 
 Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, caught in a 
 storm on those shores, made a vow that, if saved 
 from wreck, she would erect a church on or near
 
 558 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 the spot she should reach, in thanksgiving for her 
 safety. Her vessel was driven into Roscoff, a 
 few miles from St. Paul de Leon. The walls 
 and other portions of the church erected in 
 fulfilment of her vow are still in their position.
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 ST. GlLDAS, ABBOT. 1 
 
 GILDAS surnamed the Wise, by some, the 
 Historian, or Badonicus, by others was one of 
 the celebrated scholars trained by St. Illtyd at 
 Lantwit-Major. Of his collaborators in the 
 vineyard of the Lord than most of whom he 
 was somewhat younger we have already spoken 
 in the preceding chapters. 
 
 Britain, Scotland, and Brittany each claim to 
 this day the honour of being the birth-place of 
 St. Patrick ; Dumbarton, on the Clyde, in 
 Scotland, and Bath, in Somersetshire, assert alike 
 the privilege of numbering Gildas amongst their 
 most illustrious sons. 
 
 The surname of Badonicus, which succeeding 
 generations superadded to his own, indicates the 
 fact stated by Gildas himself, that he was born 
 during that year of our Lord in which King 
 Arthur inflicted a crushing blow upon the Saxons 
 
 (]) Compiled from the "Britannia Sancta," Albert le Grand, "Vierdes 
 Saints de Bretagne-Armorique," Lobineau. The " Britannia Sancta" 
 states that the life of Gildas is compiled from John of Basco, and derived 
 from an ancient manuscript in the library of Fleury, and collated with 
 that of Caradocus of Llaucarvan and his Acts in Capgrave. The Brecon 
 writers availed themselves of the MSS. of their own country, and consider 
 .Mabbillon's Life more correct than any other.
 
 560 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 by defeating them on Mount Badon, in the 
 vicinity of Bath. This memorable event, 
 according to the general opinion of historians, 
 took place in the year 493. 
 
 Like St. Cadoc of Llancarvan, St. David, and 
 St. Teilo, Gildas was of illustrious birth, and 
 descended from a family not only Christian in 
 name, but distinguished for strict observance of 
 the laws of God and of the Church. Several of 
 his relatives had forsaken the world and its 
 vanities and devoted themselves to the service of 
 God in the cloister. 1 
 
 Amongst the students of Lantwit-Major a 
 custom existed which is not uncommon in our 
 modern colleges, of affixing an adjective to the 
 names of scholars, which served to denote some 
 striking peculiarity either in their physical 
 appearance, temperament, or habits. In 
 accordance with this custom, Gildas was 
 surnamed " Aquarius," or the Water-drinker (in 
 Welsh, Dwr Ifur), 2 because he never drank any 
 kind of fermented beverage, and during his 
 whole life sacredly observed this total abstinence. 
 
 As soon as he had attained a sufficient age, his 
 parents committed Gildas to the care of St. 
 Illtyd, and at Lantwit-Major his capacity for 
 learning was soon discovered. As he advanced 
 
 (1) Armorican writers, in the notes appended to Albert le Grand, 
 observe : " We must not confound Gildas the Abbot of Rhuys with 
 Gildas the Albanian monk of Glastonbury. The latter was son of Conan 
 Meriadec, the founder of the British colony in Armorica, who married 
 Dererea, sister of St. Patrick. 
 
 (2) In Breton, Dour ever.
 
 ST. GILD AS. 501 
 
 in years the Holy Scriptures became his 
 favourite study, and those who read his writings 
 will at once perceive there was scarcely a verse 
 of sacred writ which was not stamped upon his 
 memory. Early meditations on such subjects 
 enlightened his faith and kindled within his 
 heart the fire of Divine love, and decided him on 
 withdrawing altogether from the empty world to 
 consecrate his life to the service of God. 
 
 When his studies at Lantwit-Major were 
 completed he crossed over to Ireland, there to 
 perfect his education and learn from the disciples 
 of St. Patrick that ascetic science in which the 
 Irish w^ere so proficient. In that country Gildas 
 sought instruction in Divine and human 
 
 O 
 
 knowledge from the most celebrated masters, 
 and, like an industrious bee, gathered from 
 every flower, for his own benefit and that of his 
 neighbours, the honey of virtue and science. 1 
 
 When ordained priest, we find our saint 
 activelv engaged in rnissionarv works, both in 
 
 tl V 
 
 Britain and Ireland. He preached the Gospel to 
 pagans and heretics, for in his time many 
 Christians w T ere still infected by the Pelagian 
 heresy. 
 
 God bestowed a wonderful blessing on the 
 labours of the young priest, for great was the 
 number of unbelievers whom he converted to 
 Christ. He was endowed with the power of 
 
 (1) Tanquam apis prudentisima diversoruin floruin succos colltgit atqua 
 in alves matris Ecclesias reconditit lit intempore opportune mellinua 
 evangelii verba in populo effunderet. "Acts " Gildas.
 
 562 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 working miracles, which added weight to his 
 preaching. 
 
 Crowds gathered around him, and through his 
 teaching Pagans embraced Christianity and 
 were baptised, and those who were separated 
 from the Church by Pelagianism hastened to 
 seek reconciliation with that loving mother. His 
 
 O 
 
 fame as an orator and a saint was echoed across 
 the Irish sea, and at the repeated request of one 
 of her kings he returned to that island. He 
 there continued the same work built churches 
 and monasteries, regulated the Liturgy, and 
 taught for some time in the famous school of 
 Armagh. 1 
 
 It is remarked that the young apostle, though 
 indulgent to others, was severe towards himself. 
 He failed not to chastise his own body, so as to 
 bring his passions under subjection, lest, with all 
 his learning and his teaching of others, he should 
 himself become a castaway. It is stated that 
 from the age of fifteen to the end of his life he 
 took nourishment but on three days of the week. 
 Perhaps, like St. Samson, his physical strength 
 was miraculously sustained by the holy Eucharist. 
 A hair shirt covered his body, the bare ground 
 was his bed, a stone his pillow. So great were 
 his mortifications that his existence under them 
 was looked upon as a miracle. Perhaps strong 
 natural passions, which he was determined to 
 subdue, demanded this austerity of life. 
 
 (]) "Britannia Sancha."
 
 ST. GIT/DAS. 
 
 Between the years 527 and 530 Gildas left 
 Britain, and passed over to Armorica. It is 
 recorded in his Acts that this step was taken 
 Jussa Dei, or by the order of God, which, no 
 doubt, implies that he, like St. Samson, had been 
 visited by an angel, who, in the name of his 
 Master, commanded him to spend the remainder 
 of his life amongst his brethren and countrymen 
 in Armorica. 
 
 Gildas was at that time in the prime of life 
 between thirty and forty years of age. But, 
 though still young, he had great experience of 
 mankind, and of affairs of all sorts, having from 
 the time of his ordination been actively engaged 
 in missionary life, both in Britain and Ireland. 
 
 However, on crossing to Armorica, his mind Gildas in 
 seems to have been made up to change his busy 
 life for one of solitude, for he selected as his 
 abode one of those small islands which lie 
 between Belle Isle and the southern part of 
 Morbihan. This little island of Houat sheltered 
 Gildas from the world for a few years, for in 
 that narrow home he had no other companions 
 but God and his angels, and a few poor fisher- 
 men, whom he instructed in the Christian 
 religion. 
 
 But these mariners, who daily sailed to tho 
 mainland to dispose of their fish, revealed the 
 retreat of the hermit, and told wonderful things 
 concerning his way of life. His solitude was 
 soon disturbed by crowds of visitors, some
 
 564 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 prompted by curiosity, others desirous of advice 
 from a master of the spiritual life. 
 
 Many, indeed, remained in the island to share 
 his mode of Hying, and their number gradually 
 increasing, the saint was forced to look out for a 
 more spacious retreat on the opposite shores. 
 
 A neighbouring prince, who had probably been 
 his fellow-student at Lantwit-Major, together 
 with his two brothers, Tugdual and Eleanor, 
 presented him with a castle on the seashore. 
 Gildas changed this into a regular monastery, 
 which was soon filled with a great number of 
 disciples. 
 
 The sick and the afflicted of the neighbouring 
 
 ~ o 
 
 counties flocked to the peninsula of Rhuys, 
 confident of being cured by the servant of God. 
 The crowds became so great that Gildas quitted 
 the monastery, and hid himself in a neighbouring 
 cavern. He thought no one could discover him, 
 for on the banks of the river Blavset he found a 
 natural cave, and in its hollow he erected an 
 oratory, digging here and there to suit his plan. 
 
 But the people were determined to find the 
 saint, and at last succeeded in discovering his 
 retreat, and then an almost unbroken procession 
 of the infirm made their way to it; for God 
 glorified His servant by the performance of 
 several miracles. On this spot also another 
 monastery soon arose. 
 
 Amongst the numerous events connected with 
 the life of our saint, none is more interesting than
 
 ST. GILDAS. 565 
 
 that which relates to St. Triphina. This episode 
 is to this day narrated by the story-teller in the 
 Breton homes, coloured, of course, by the 
 imagination of the bards. The facts are as 
 follow : 
 
 Varoch, Count of Vannes, son of Hoel I. and 
 St. Pompeia, had a daughter, both virtuous and 
 beautiful. Her father, naturally, doted upon 
 this child, and, as the legend states, would have 
 preferred the loss of his horses, manors, or the 
 whole of his estates rather than see a single 
 cloud upon the brow of his daughter. 
 
 The day of misfortune was, however, at hand. 
 Commore, Count of Cornouailles, fell in love 
 with the young Triphina, and sought her hand 
 in marriage. But his proposal was not agreeable 
 either to father or daughter, for this nobleman 
 bore the worst reputation in the country, and 
 was considered by the people to be the most 
 wicked man upon the face of the earth, since the 
 days of the first murderer, Cain. Whilst yet a 
 youth, he delighted in vice, and the pleasure he 
 took in tormenting his fellow-creatures was so 
 well known that his mother caused the alarm- 
 bell to be tolled whenever he left the castle, in 
 order to warn people to keep out of his way. 
 When he became his own master, his propensity 
 to cruelty seemed to increase, instances of which 
 were whispered about that were calculated to 
 strike the most courageous hearts with terror. 
 
 o 
 
 Amongst other reports, it was said that when he
 
 500 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 returned from the chase without having killed 
 any game, he made up for his loss of sport by 
 setting his dogs to attack persons in the fields 
 and tear them to pieces. One fact was specially 
 terrible. He had married several times, and his 
 wives had successively disappeared, without even 
 having received the last Sacraments of the 
 Church, and he was suspected of having murdered 
 them either with his hunting knife, by fire, 
 water, or poison. 1 
 
 Yaroch and Triphina were justified in feeling 
 averse to such a union ; but Commore was 
 powerful, and had always a large army at hand ; 
 so the Count of Vannes was greatly embarrassed. 
 His mind, however, was firmly made up never 
 to give his daughter to such a monster ; but he 
 coloured his refusal as well as he could, to avoid 
 as much as possible irritating the dangerous 
 suitor. 
 
 Commore repeated his proposal, and even sent 
 messengers to Gildas, of whose influence over 
 father and daughter he was aware, requesting his 
 good services in the matter, and assuring the 
 saint that, whatever his life heretofore might 
 have been, he was now determined to change 
 altogether for the better. The Abbot was not 
 to be deceived by such specious promises, and 
 informed the envoys of Commore that he would 
 never advise a marriage which w r ould probably 
 result in the murder of Triphina, and be the 
 
 (1) Legend of Prince Coimuore. Euiile Souvestre. Lobineau.
 
 ST. GILDAS. 567 
 
 occasion of her father pining away with grief; 
 he could not in conscience hecome an accomplice 
 in risking such an eventuality. 
 
 Unrehuked by this answer, the prince 
 requested an interview with the father of his 
 intended wife, and this could not he refused by 
 one nobleman to another. 
 
 Both father and daughter solicited the presence 
 of Gildas on this occasion, and he complied with 
 their wish. The Count of Vannes, much 
 perplexed, thus addressed the saint : " My dear 
 Abbot, Commore persists in his demand to marry 
 Triphina, but I swear that he shall never receive 
 her hand from me. I entrust my daughter to 
 you, Gildas, and leave the affair entirely in your 
 hands." 
 
 Gildas was greatly perplexed, and Triphina, 
 with tears and sobs, exclaimed, " Would to God 
 I had been the daughter of a beggar, for then I 
 could, at least, have married a beggar I liked. 
 You may as well cover me with a pall and 
 commence singing my funeral service." 
 
 On the other side, a refusal was equivalent to 
 an immediate declaration of Avar ; for Commore, 
 being disappointed in his love, would look upon 
 his dismissal as a personal injury, and demand 
 satisfaction on the battle-field. 
 
 However the saint, as if under inspiration 
 from above, replied : " Well, Prince Varoch, in 
 the name of God I accept your daughter, and 
 make myself answerable for her safety."
 
 5G8 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 Having spoken thus, the saint visited Cominore, 
 and obliged him to promise, in the most solemn 
 manner, on his knees before the altar, that he 
 would treat Triphina with the greatest respect. 
 " Bear in mind," said the holy Abbot, " that you 
 receive her, not from me, but from God. Treat 
 her with respect, not as the daughter of man, but 
 of the King of kings." 
 
 The marriage was solemnised shortly after, 
 with great pomp. Gildas, however, declined 
 being present at the ceremony, but retired to his 
 monastery to pray to the Almighty for blessings 
 on the union. 
 
 Triphina and her husband spent some months 
 together happily, and the young bride, with the 
 simplicity of an innocent heart, trusted un- 
 reservedly in the thorough conversion of her 
 spouse; but persons of more experience shook 
 their heads, and said, " It is difficult to change a 
 wolf into a lamb." 
 
 When there was expectation of a child being 
 born of this marriage, Commore, instead of 
 hailing the event with joy, seemed rather to 
 resent it. He became cool in his manner to his 
 wife, then rough, and finally unbearable, and 
 hatred took the place of love. 
 
 Triphina was alarmed, and trembled for her 
 own life and that of her child. She feared that 
 at any moment she might fall a victim to his 
 brutality. Her terror was increased by the 
 reports of her servants, who advised her to seek
 
 ST. GILDAS. 569 
 
 safety in flight ; and she felt that by remaining 
 any longer with her husband she would surely 
 share the fate of his former wives, and expose 
 her infant to the danger of dying without the 
 sacrament of baptism. 
 
 With a few trusty servants she planned her 
 escape, and, when every preparation was com- 
 pleted, secretly left the castle and took the road 
 to Vannes. 
 
 Her husband was furious when he became 
 aware of her flight, and swore to be revenged in 
 her blood. He mounted the fleetest horse in his 
 stables, and, taking with him two hounds, started 
 in pursuit. 
 
 Discovering her where she lay concealed 
 amongst leaves, at the outskirts of a forest, he 
 dismounted, and, if we may believe the " Acts " 
 of Gildas and Tremewr, cut off her head. 
 
 The servants escaped, and brought the sad 
 tidings to the father of the poor victim at Vannes. 
 The bereaved parent at once despatched 
 messengers to inform Gildas of what had 
 occurred, the whole blame of which, in his grief, 
 he threw upon the saint. "My daughter is 
 dead," he said. " I entrusted her to you, and in 
 the name of God you made yourself answerable 
 for her. In the name of the same God, restore 
 her to me." 
 
 The " Acts " of Gildas assert that when the 
 holy Abbot arrived at Vannes, he knelt beside 
 the body of Triphina and restored her to life,
 
 570 CAMBRIA SACEA. 
 
 and that in clue time she gave birth to her child. 
 At the baptismal font the infant received the 
 name of Gildas, but the people snrnamed him 
 Trec'hmeur, or, more correctly, Trec'hinaro 
 " the Conqueror of Death " on account of his 
 life having been preserved under such terrific 
 circumstances. 
 
 It is related that this child lived to become a 
 young man, when, being met by his cruel father, 
 as he was returning from church, the monster, 
 uninfluenced by the sentiments of paternity or 
 the innocence of youth, cut off his head. 
 
 The great collegiate church of Carhaix, in 
 Pinistere, was dedicated to this pious youth and 
 his mother, Triphina, who entered a monastery, 
 where she ended her days in the odour of 
 sanctity. 
 
 After these events Gildas continued to lead a 
 retired life, devoting his time to the adminis- 
 tration of his monasteries of Rliuys and Blavet, 
 as also to that of St. Demetrius. Periodically he 
 revisited the small island of Houat, his first 
 habitation on his arrival in Brittany. Every 
 place he went he was favoured with the gift of 
 supernatural power, which drew hundreds to 
 follow him. 
 
 During his last days on earth, Gildas received 
 extraordinary personal lights from God. One 
 night, in the island of Houat, as he was sighing 
 after the beatitude of heaven, and lamenting to 
 his Divine Master the weariness of this temporal
 
 ST. GILD AS. 571 
 
 life, an angel stood before him, and intimated 
 that his prayers had been heard, and within 
 eight days he would enjoy in heaven the vision 
 of his God. Next morning he despatched a 
 message to his brethren at Rhuys, requesting 
 them to come to Houat to receive his last wilL 
 His injunctions were chiefly directed to the 
 recommendation of mutual charity and humility, 
 as the foundation of Christian life. 
 
 On the eighth day after the vision, Gildas 
 caused himself to be carried to the Oratory, 
 where he made his confession to the Abbot of 
 Rhuys, and received the Viaticum and Extreme 
 Unction. 
 
 Foreseeing that probably contention on the 
 point might arise amongst his monastic brethren, 
 he left the following instructions as to his 
 funeral : " My children," he said " when I am 
 gone, do not allow any disputes to arise amongst 
 you concerning my body. A decayed corpse is 
 not worth taking notice of. After my death, let 
 my mortal remains be placed in a boat, together 
 with the stone which I used as my pillow. 
 Launch the boat, and let the tide and the wind 
 waft it whithersoever Almighty God pleases. 
 He will defray the expense of my burial. It 
 matters little in what place the body awaiteth 
 the general resurrection whether it be in the 
 
 o 
 
 bowels of the earth or in the depths of the sea." 
 
 His orders were obeyed, and his body placed 
 in a boat, which was sent adrift.
 
 572 CAMBRIA SACK A. 
 
 Some monks from Cornouailles, who had 
 travelled by sea to assist at the funeral of the 
 saint, on hearing of what had been done, rowed 
 after the boat to secure its contents, but it at 
 once sank beneath the waves. 
 
 The monks of Rhuys, however, three months 
 later on found the body of Gildas, cast up on the 
 dry beach, as fresh and in as good preservation 
 as on the day he departed from this world. 
 
 Lobineau observes that what is here related 
 means, perhaps, nothing more than the trans- 
 lation of the body from the island of Houat to 
 the Chapel of the Holy Cross, on the mainland. 
 However, Lobineau seems at times inclined to 
 forget that God is wonderful in his saints. 
 
 Gildas is considered by some as the most 
 ancient writer in Britain, although British 
 literature possesses a work by Eastidius, Bishop 
 of London " De vita Christiana, de mediis ad 
 Conservandam Viduitatem " which is anterior to 
 any of the Abbot of Rhuys. 
 
 Lobineau observes that anyone who studies 
 the writings of Gildas must be struck with the 
 burning zeal, divine science, prophetic vision, 
 and intrepidity which are the characteristics of 
 an apostle. The refinement of a polished writer 
 and the prolixity of a rhetorician may be absent, 
 but the words of the holy abbot are burning with 
 faith and charity, and produce the conviction 
 that they proceed from the pen of a saint. 
 Gildas as The works of Gildas may be found in the 
 
 a writer.
 
 ST. GILD AS. 573 
 
 " Cnrms Completus Patrum" edited by the Abbe* 
 Migne, Paris. They were composed in the 
 retirement of Brittany, probably about the year 
 543. A desire to serve mankind, and the 
 repeated entreaties of his monastic brethren, 
 induced him, as he mentions in his Preface, to 
 undertake his difficult task. 1 "Wherefore, in 
 zeal for the house of God and for His holy law, 
 and constrained by the reasonings of my own 
 thoughts and the entreaties of my brethren, I 
 now discharge the debt so long demanded of me ; 
 humble, indeed, in style, but faithful, as I think, 
 and friendly to all Christ's youthful soldiers, 
 though severe and insupportable to foolish 
 apostates. The former, if I am not mistaken, 
 will receive the same with tears, flowing from 
 the love of God ; but the latter will receive them 
 with such sorrow as is extorted from the 
 indignation and pusillanimity of a convicted 
 conscience." 
 
 After a touching Preface, in which Gildas, 
 like Jeremias, weeps over the ruin of his country, 
 the destruction of the Church, and the slaughter 
 and captivity of his countrymen, he gives a 
 synopsis of the history of Britain, in twenty-six 
 chapters. Then we find letters of rebuke to 
 several British chieftains, and, last of all, the 
 " Increpatio ad Clerum" 
 
 The severe reproaches to the clergy were, as 
 Butler observes, addressed to the ministers of the 
 
 (1) "Gildas." Translated by J._Giles, D.C.L., Oxford.
 
 571 CAMimrA SACRA. 
 
 Church in North Britain. Wales, especially the 
 South, was governed by saintly bishops and 
 priests, whom Gildas would have looked upon as 
 his exemplars. This period was a continuation 
 of the time of Dubricius, Illtyd, Cadoc, David, 
 Teilo, Samson, Paclarn, Daniel of Bangor, and 
 Oudoceus. 
 
 More glorious days than these had never 
 
 dawned for the Church of Wales. Never had 
 
 she produced such a number of saints as during 
 
 the life of Gildas ; although his vocation seems 
 
 to have been more the condemnation of crime 
 
 than the illustration of the beauty of virtue. 
 
 Extracts In case any of our readers may wish for an 
 
 4orksof example of the style of Gildas, we copy the 
 
 following passage of his " Epistle to the 
 
 Chieftains " : l 
 
 " Britain has kings, but they are tyrants. She 
 has judges, but unrighteous ones, generally 
 engaged in plunder and rapine, but who always 
 prey upon the innocent. Whenever they exert 
 themselves to avenge or to protect, it is sure to 
 be in the favour of robbers and criminals. They 
 abound in wives, and yet are addicted to 
 fornication and adultery. They are ready to 
 take oaths, and as often perjure themselves ; they 
 make a vow, and almost immediately falsify it. 
 They engage in wars, but their wars are unjust, 
 and waged against their own countrymen. They 
 rigorously prosecute thieves throughout the 
 
 (1) Translation by J. A. Gilep, Oxford.
 
 ST. GILDAS. 575 
 
 country, but entertain at their own table those 
 who are truly robbers, whom they not only 
 cherish but reward. They are bountiful in alms, 
 but nullify them by the multiplicity of their 
 crimes. They occupy the seat of justice, but 
 rarely attend to the right rule of judgment ; they 
 despise the innocent, if humble, but seize every 
 occasion of exalting the evil-minded, the proud, 
 murderers, adulterers, and enemies of God, who 
 deserve to be destroyed and their names 
 forgotten. Many prisoners are confined within 
 their gaols, loaded with irons, but this is the 
 result of treachery rather than of just punish- 
 ment of crime. And when they have taken an 
 oath before the altar, in the name of God, they 
 depart, and think no more of the holy altar than 
 if it were merely a heap of stones." 
 
 Having rebuked Constantino, Prince of Corn- 
 wall, for his many sins, which may be summed rebuked 
 up in the murder of two royal youths and their 
 attendants, which murder was committed before 
 the altar ; of casting off his lawful wife ; of 
 violating several oaths, sworn at the foot of the 
 
 O 7 
 
 altar, whilst callins; on God and on the blessed 
 
 O 
 
 Virgin to witness his sincerity, Gildas invites 
 this Prince to repentance in the following 
 touching manner : 
 
 " Why do you remain insensible whilst you 
 murder your own soul ? Why do you wilfully 
 kindle for yourself the eternal fires of hell? 
 Why, like a bitter enemy, do you stab yourself
 
 57C CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 with your own sword, and pierce yourself with 
 your own javelin ? When will your appetite be 
 satisfied with those cups of poison ? Look back- 
 wards, I beseech you, for you are labouring and 
 bowed down by a heavy burden, and God, as He 
 has promised, will give you ease. All who 
 desire can come to him. He does not will the 
 death of the sinner, but rather that he be converted 
 and live. Unloose, as the Prophet says, O, captive 
 son of Sion, the bonds from off thy neck. Return, I 
 pray you, from the regions of sin to your most 
 loving Father, who, when his son rejects the food 
 of swine and dreads the dansrer of dvin from 
 
 t^J V V_J 
 
 famine, kills the fatted calf and brings forth the 
 festal robe and royal ring to honour the penitent. 
 Then you shall begin to taste of heavenly hope, 
 and feel how sweet is the Lord. But if you 
 despise this advice, know for certain that in a 
 short time you will find yourself engulphed and 
 burning in the darksome floods of hell, out of 
 which there is no redemption." 
 
 In order to understand Gildas fully to 
 
 Epistle to 
 
 Magiocune appreciate his nature, his temper, his love, his 
 
 Maelgwyn, 
 
 King of justice, the manner, somewhat rude, yet stamped 
 
 North 
 
 Wales. with Divine charity, in which he expresses his 
 thoughts we must read his reprimand to 
 Maelgwn. 
 
 It commences in the following forcible 
 language : " Oh, thou dragon of the island, who 
 hast deprived many kings of their dominions and 
 of their lives, though thou occupiest the last
 
 ST. GILD AS. 577 
 
 place in my writings, thou art first in mischief. 
 Thou exceedest many in power, as also in malice. 
 Thou art more liberal in gifts than others, and 
 also more licentious in sin. Thou art strong in 
 arms, but still stronger in accomplishing the 
 destruction of thine own soul. Maglocune, why 
 art thou (as though inflamed with wine of the 
 grapes of Sodom) revelling in the black pool of 
 thine offences ? Why dost thou wilfully heap a 
 mountain of sins upon thy royal shoulders ? Why 
 dost thou show thyself to the King of kings, who 
 has bestowed upon thee both power and physical 
 strength beyond almost every other king in 
 Britain, not equally superior in virtue than the 
 others, but rather the contrary, for thy sins are 
 much worse." 
 
 Then the holy monk proceeds to enumerate 
 such as were public and known of the evil deeds 
 of this prince. " Didst thou not, even in thine 
 early youth, oppress the king, thine uncle, and 
 his soldiers with sword, spear, and fire, having 
 no regard to the words of the Prophet, which 
 say, 'The blood-thirsty and deceitful man shall 
 not live out half his days. . . . Woe be to 
 thee who spoilest, and shalt not thou thyself 
 be spoiled ? ' 
 
 Gildas then goes on to describe how Maelgwn, 
 being torn by remorse, entered the cloister, 
 meditated on the Ritual of the Lord and on the 
 rules of the monks, and finally took the vows of 
 
 (1) " Gildas," translated by J. A. Giles, Oxford.
 
 578 CAMBRIA SACBA. 
 
 religion, with a firm intention of observing them 
 faithfully, giving joy to the Church and benefit- 
 ting his own soul. 
 
 Maelgwn did not persevere in the religious 
 life, but, giving ear to the devil, the father of all 
 castaways, he threw off the habit of the cloister. 
 His conversion had given joy to heaven and 
 earth, and his return to evil ways was the cause 
 of grief and lamentation. 
 
 Gildas then contrasts the two phases of the life 
 of this prince. Instead of listening to the praises 
 of God, sweetly chanted by the soldiers of the 
 Lord, or sounded forth by instruments of 
 ecclesiastical melody, he now hearkens with 
 pleasure to his own praise, issuing from the 
 mouths of the drunken votaries of Bacchus. If, 
 whilst residing in the cloister, this unfortunate 
 prince put a check on his passions, the moment 
 he left it he cast all restraint aside and perpe- 
 trated every imaginable crime. Violating his 
 religious vow of continence, he seduced the wife 
 of his own nephew, and finally murdered his own 
 lawful wife and his nephew also, whose widow 
 he afterwards married publicly, to the great 
 scandal of every honest man in Wales. 
 
 In reference to this event, Gildas writes : 
 " What holy person is there who would not weep 
 and lament at hearing such a history ? What 
 priest whose heart lieth open before God would 
 not, whilst listening to it, exclaim with the 
 Prophet, ' Who shall give water to my head and
 
 ST. GILD AS. 579 
 
 to my eyes a fountain of tears, that day and night 
 I may bewail my people who are destroyed ? ' 
 
 The objurgation is carried on by showing to 
 the guilty prince how, in the Old Testament, 
 God punished such sins, as in the cases of Saul, 
 David, Solomon, etc. 
 
 There is some analogy between St. Jerome Certain 
 and Gildas, both in turn of mind and mode of bhnee 
 expressing thoughts. They inveigh in equally st. Jerome 
 strong terms against the vices of the society of as writers. 
 their day. St. Jerome did not spare the upper 
 classes of Rome any more than Gildas the 
 aristocracy of Britain. These two monks, in 
 their independence of heart, did not shrink from 
 the duty, no matter how unpleasant, of exposing 
 the disorders of mankind. 
 
 St. Jerome's style of writing was more elegant 
 than that of Gildas, but both were perfect 
 masters of the science of God and knowledge of 
 Scripture, w^hich is evident from the happy 
 quotations that illustrate every page of their 
 writings. 
 
 It must not be inferred from the works of St. 
 Jerome that everyone in Rome was unworthy ; 
 many of the most illustrious inhabitants of that 
 city followed him to the cloister, and placed all 
 their earthly possessions at his disposal. 
 
 The same assertion may be made with regard 
 to Britain in the days of Gildas. Never was 
 Wales more fruitful in saints, whose lives are 
 recorded in our hagiograpliies, and whoso
 
 580 CAMBRIA SACRA. 
 
 memories are commemorated in the Breviaries 
 and Missals of the Catholic Church. 
 
 We cannot deny the statement of the saint as 
 regards the murders and immoralities of certain 
 princes, and perhaps of many other persons ; 
 but in every society there exists two classes of 
 men the good and the had. This division 
 commenced with the two first children born of 
 Adam Cain and Abel. In this world two cities 
 have always existed : Jerusalem, and Babylon 
 the city of God, and that of Satan. 
 
 In our own lifetime we have over and over 
 again heard that the British race had degenerated 
 far beyond any other nation. More than once 
 we felt shocked at this assertion, and could not 
 help remarking that those who judge so hastily 
 have never thoroughly studied the ancient 
 history of this country. 
 
 As compared with other races, such as Gauls, 
 Italians, and Spaniards, who, like them, were 
 converted to Christ, we cannot see why the 
 Britons of the fifth and sixth centuries should be 
 considered extraordinarily wicked and exceeding 
 in crime their brethren in other parts of 
 Christendom. 
 
 If we read the description given by Montalem- 
 bert of the first Merovingians in Fiance, of the 
 Visigoths in Spain, and of the social state of 
 Italy, and then turn to Britain, we shall not find 
 her so much behind other countries which also 
 had been overrun by new races.
 
 ST. GILD AS. 581 
 
 British Princes, like 'many of their compeers 
 in our own times, exhibited in their conduct a 
 strange mixture of virtue and abominable vice. 
 Thus, Constantine the First, who was rebuked by 
 Gildas, is said to have become a monk and 
 apostle ; Maelgwyn, notwithstanding his vices, 
 granted land to churches, was the friend of St. 
 Cadoc, his confessor, and, though he persecuted 
 St. Kentigern, gave assistance to his monastic 
 brethren. Pebiau, of Herefordshire, the grand- 
 father of St. Dubricius, could not control his 
 passion of anger, but repented, and helped in 
 the good works of his grandchild, St. Dubricius. 
 Gwynlyw, father of St. Cadoc, carried off his wife, 
 Gwladys, by force from the home of her parents, 
 and yet ended his days as a hermit on Stowe 
 Hill, Newport. 
 
 These chieftains were more expert in handling 
 the sword than in controlling their passions ; being 
 Christians, however, by baptism, the grace of the 
 Sacrament, sooner or later, brought them to 
 repentance ; and, though the early Princes of 
 Glamorgan were not exempt from crime, yet 
 their children and grandchildren led exemplary 
 lives in the cloister, such as we observe in 
 Samson, Maglorius, and others. 
 
 Morgan, who was excommunicated by Bishop 
 Oudoceus for the crime of murder and perjury, 
 bestowed a code of wise laws upon his country. 
 
 Gildas was perfectly correct in his description and the 
 of the vices of his countrymen. When left to state of 
 
 J Britain.
 
 582 CAMBRIA SACEA. 
 
 themselves, after the departure of the Romans, 
 the British chieftains did not exhibit those 
 patriotic virtues so necessary to the safety of a 
 country, and, consequently, deserved the follow- 
 ing reproaches which issued from the pen of the 
 Abbot of Rhuys : . 
 
 " It has been, and still is, the custom of our 
 nation to be powerless in repelling foreign foes, 
 but active and bold in kindling and carrying on 
 civil war. 
 
 " Patriotism and -union are the life of a nation. 
 A city divided against itself cannot stand." 
 
 It is beyond doubt that the ancient chieftains 
 of Britain allowed their ambition and private 
 disputes to interfere with their national spirit. 
 
 Having studied the writings of Gildas, let the 
 reader peruse those of Geoffrey of Monmouth. 
 Though a Briton in sympathy, the events 
 narrated by this author tell the same unfortunate 
 tale. Thus, Vortigern induces Constans, a monk 
 of Royal blood, to throw aside the monastic 
 habit in order to undertake the government of 
 the island," as he considered that the weak prince 
 would be a tool in his hands. Later on, he 
 caused him to be assassinated, and assuming the 
 royal power himself, called in the aid of the 
 Saxons to enable him to consolidate his throne. 
 Becoming enamoured of a Saxon princess, he, 
 through her wiles, was persuaded to throw open 
 the country to foreign adventurers. 
 
 When Germanus, in his crusade against
 
 ST. GILD AS. 583 
 
 Pelagianism, visited Britain, the conduct of some 
 of the British princes grieved him to the heart; 
 and the holy Bishop could point to painful facts 
 when desirous of proving the necessity of grace 
 to enable mankind to curb their wild passions. 
 
 Well could he say, "Look around and behold 
 the state of man when unassisted by Divine 
 grace. When left to himself there can be no 
 greater slave to carnal passions, ambition, deceit, 
 and treachery ; murder, immorality in all its 
 varieties, cunning, avarice, exaction, and in- 
 temperance are his masters." 
 
 When religion and the love of God dies out in 
 
 O* 
 
 the heart of a man, it is vain to expect either 
 patriotism or love of country. Love of self then 
 becomes the dominant sentiment, and to that idol 
 he will basely sacrifice all that is noble and loyal. 
 
 However unpolished some persons may 
 consider the writings of St. Gildas, a lover of 
 truth and uprightness overlooks all deficiencies 
 in admiration for the saint, whose every word 
 evinces his love for God and sorrow at seeing the 
 Divine laws despised and trampled under foot. 
 
 Gildas was a priest after the Lord's own heart, 
 one who, like Moses, Elias, and St. Paul, bore 
 the brunt of every battle in the interest of his 
 Master. 
 
 A true priest is expected to excel in love and 
 fortitude. His duty is to stand sentinel on the 
 walls of the city of God, and defend it against 
 His enemies. Were he to witness their advance
 
 584 CAMBRIA SACEA. 
 
 without sounding the alarm, he would not he a 
 soldier worthy of Christ. 
 
 " Clama, necesses ; quasi tuba exalta vocem 
 tuam, et annuntia populo meo scelera eoruni et 
 domui Jacob peccata eorum" says Isaias the 
 Prophet. (Isa. Iviii.) 1 When surrounded with 
 iniquity we must denounce it. No matter what 
 opposition we may meet with, we must not allow 
 ourselves to he put to silence. The more 
 stubborn our enemy, the more resolute must he 
 the front we oppose to his attacks. 
 
 Woe to the priest who, either directly or 
 indirectly, connives at the sins of the people. 
 Did St. John the Baptist hold his peace and look 
 calmly on the vices of Herod ? 
 
 St. Gildas had imbibed the spirit of the saints, 
 and, like them, did not shrink from denouncing 
 the sins of his brethren and countrymen. 
 
 The Church of God is not surrendered to her 
 enemies as long as she possesses souls enkindled 
 with the love and devotion which burned in the 
 heart of the saintly Abbot of Rhuys. 
 
 The feast of St. Gildas is celebrated on the 
 eleventh of May, and was also kept on January 
 twenty-ninth. His name is invoked in the 
 English Litanies. 
 
 (1) Cry, cease not ; lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my 
 people their wicked doings, and the house of Jacob their sins.
 
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