The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through
Wales
by Geraldus Cambrensis
Book II
Chapter I
Of the see of Saint David's
We are informed by the British histories, that Dubricius,
archbishop of Caerleon, sensible of the infirmities of age,
or rather being desirous of leading a life of contemplation,
resigned his honours to David, who is said to have been
uncle to king Arthur; and by his interest the see was
translated to Menevia, although Caerleon, as we have
observed in the first book, was much better adapted for the
episcopal see. For Menevia is situated in a most remote
corner of land upon the Irish ocean, the soil stony and
barren, neither clothed with woods, distinguished by rivers,
nor adorned by meadows, ever exposed to the winds and
tempests, and continually subject to the hostile attacks of
the Flemings on one side, and of the Welsh on the other. For
the holy men who settled here, chose purposely such a
retired habitation, that by avoiding the noise of the world,
and preferring an heremitical to a pastoral life, they might
more freely provide for "that part which shall not be taken
away;" for David was remarkable for his sanctity and
religion, as the history of his life will testify. Amongst
the many miracles recorded of him, three appear to me the
most worthy of admiration: his origin and conception; his
pre-election thirty years before his birth; and what exceeds
all, the sudden rising of the ground, at Brevy, under his
feet while preaching, to the great astonishment of all the
beholders.
Since the time of David, twenty-five
archbishops presided over the see of Menevia, whose names
are here subjoined: David, Cenauc, Eliud, who was also
called Teilaus, Ceneu, Morwal, Haerunen, Elwaed, Gurnuen,
Lendivord, Gorwysc, Cogan, Cledauc, Anian, Euloed, Ethelmen,
Elauc, Malscoed, Sadermen, Catellus, Sulhaithnai, Nonis,
Etwal, Asser, Arthuael, Sampson. In the time of Sampson, the
pall was translated from Menevia in the following manner: a
disorder called the yellow plague, and by the physicians the
icteric passion, of which the people died in great numbers,
raged throughout Wales, at the time when Sampson held the
archiepiscopal see. Though a holy man, and fearless of
death, he was prevailed upon, by the earnest intreaties of
his people, to go on board a vessel, which was wafted, by a
south wind, to Britannia Armorica,121
where he and his attendants were safely landed. The see of
Dol being at that time vacant, he was immediately elected
bishop. Hence it came to pass, that on account of the pall
which Sampson had brought thither with him, the succeeding
bishops, even to our times, always retained it. But during
the presidency of the archbishop of Tours, this adventitious
dignity ceased; yet our countrymen, through indolence or
poverty, or rather owing to the arrival of the English into
the island, and the frequent hostilities committed against
them by the Saxons, lost their archiepiscopal honours. But
until the entire subjugation of Wales by king Henry I., the
Welsh bishops were always consecrated by the bishop of St.
David's; and he was consecrated by his suffragans, without
any profession or submission being made to any other
church.
From the time of Sampson to that of king Henry I.,
nineteen bishops presided over this see: Ruelin, Rodherch,
Elguin, Lunuerd, Nergu, Sulhidir, Eneuris, Morgeneu, who was
the first bishop of St. David's who ate flesh, and was there
killed by pirates; and he appeared to a certain bishop in
Ireland on the night of his death, shewing his wounds, and
saying, "Because I ate flesh, I am become flesh." Nathan,
Ievan (who was bishop only one night), Argustel, Morgenueth,
Ervin, Tramerin, Joseph, Bleithud, Sulghein, Abraham,
Wilfred. Since the subjugation of Wales to the present time,
three only have held the see: in the reign of king Henry I.,
Bernard; in the reign of king Stephen, David II.; and in the
reign of king Henry II., Peter, a monk of the order of
Cluny; who all, by the king's mandate, were consecrated at
Canterbury; as also Geoffrey, prior and canon of Lanthoni,
who succeeded them in the reign of king John, and was
preferred to this see by the interest of Hubert, archbishop
of Canterbury, and afterwards consecrated by him. We do not
hear that either before or after that subjugation, any
archbishop of Canterbury ever entered the borders of Wales,
except Baldwin, a monk of the Cistercian order, abbot of
Ford, and afterwards bishop of Worcester, who traversed that
rough, inaccessible, and remote country with a laudable
devotion for the service of the cross; and as a token of
investiture, celebrated mass in all the
cathedral churches. So that till lately the see of St.
David's owed no subjection to that of Canterbury, as may be
seen in the English History of Bede, who says that
"Augustine, bishop of the Angles, after the conversion of
king Ethelfred and the English people, called together the
bishops of Wales on the confines of the West Saxons, as
legate of the apostolic see. When the seven bishops122
appeared, Augustine, sitting in his chair, with Roman pride,
did not rise up at their entrance. Observing his haughtiness
(after the example of a holy anchorite of their nation),
they immediately returned, and treated him and his statutes
with contempt, publicly proclaiming that they would not
acknowledge him for their archbishop; alleging, that if he
now refused to rise up to us, how much more will he hold us
in contempt, if we submit to be subject to him?" That there
were at that time seven bishops in Wales, and now only four,
may be thus accounted for; because perhaps there were
formerly more cathedral churches in Wales than there are at
present, or the extent of Wales might have been greater.
Amongst so many bishops thus deprived of their dignity,
Bernard, the first French [i.e. Norman] bishop of
St. David's, alone defended the rights of his church in a
public manner; and after many expensive and vexatious
appeals to the court of Rome, would not have reclaimed them
in vain, if false witnesses had not publicly appeared at the
council of Rheims, before pope Eugenius, and testified that
he had made profession and submission to the see of
Canterbury. Supported by three auxiliaries, the favour and
intimacy of king Henry, a time of peace, and consequent
plenty, he boldly hazarded the trial of so great a cause,
and so confident was he of his just right, that he sometimes
caused the cross to be carried before him during his journey
through Wales.
Bernard, however commendable in some
particulars, was remarkable for his insufferable pride and
ambition. For as soon as he became courtier and a creature
of the king's, panting after English riches by means of
translation, (a malady under which all the English sent
hither seem to labour), he alienated many of the lands of
his church without either advantage or profit, and disposed
of others so indiscreetly and improvidently, that when ten
carucates123
of land were required for military purposes, he would, with
a liberal hand, give twenty or thirty; and of the canonical
rites and ordinances which he had miserably and unhappily
instituted at St. David's, he would hardly make use of one,
at most only of two or three. With respect to the two sees
of Canterbury and St. David's, I will briefly explain my
opinion of their present state. On one side, you will see
royal favour, affluence of riches, numerous and opulent
suffragan bishops, great abundance of learned men and well
skilled in the laws; on the other side, a deficiency of all
these things, and a total want of justice; on which account
the recovery of its ancient rights will not easily be
effected, but by means of those great changes and
vicissitudes which kingdoms experience from various and
unexpected events.
The spot where the church of St.
David's stands, and was founded in honour of the apostle St.
Andrew, is called the Vale of Roses; which ought rather to
be named the vale of marble, since it abounds with one, and
by no means with the other. The river Alun, a muddy and
unproductive rivulet,124
bounding the churchyard on the northern side, flows under a
marble stone, called Lechlavar, which has been polished by
continual treading of passengers, and concerning the name,
size, and quality of which we have treated in our Vaticinal
History.125
Henry II., on his return from Ireland, is said to have
passed over this stone, before he devoutly entered the
church of St. Andrew and St. David. Having left the
following garrisons in Ireland, namely, Hugh de Lacy (to
whom he had given Meath in fee) in Dublin, with twenty
knights; Fitz-Stephen and Maurice Fitzgerald, with other
twenty; Humphrey de Bohun, Robert Fitz-Bernard, and Hugh de
Grainville at Waterford, with forty; and William Fitz-Adelm
and Philip de Braose at Wexford, with twenty; on the second
day of Easter, the king embarked at sunrise on board a
vessel in the outward port of Wexford, and, with a south
wind, landed about noon in the harbour of Menevia.
Proceeding towards the shrine of St. David, habited like a
pilgrim, and leaning on a staff, he met at the white gate a
procession of the canons of the church coming forth to
receive him with due honour and reverence. As the procession
solemnly moved along, a Welsh woman threw herself at the
king's feet, and made a complaint against the bishop of the
place, which was explained to the king by an interpreter.
The woman, immediate attention not being paid to her
petition, with violent gesticulation, and a loud and
impertinent voice, exclaimed repeatedly, "Revenge us this
day, Lechlavar! revenge us and the nation in this man!" On
being chidden and driven away by those who understood the
British language, she more vehemently and forcibly
vociferated in the like manner, alluding to the vulgar
fiction and proverb of Merlin, "That a
king of England, and conqueror of Ireland, should be wounded
in that country by a man with a red hand, and die upon
Lechlavar, on his return through Menevia." This was the name
of that stone which serves as a bridge over the river Alun,
which divides the cemetery from the northern side of the
church. It was a beautiful piece of marble, polished by the
feet of passengers, ten feet in length, six in breadth, and
one in thickness. Lechlavar signifies in the British
language a talking stone.126
There was an ancient tradition respecting this stone, that
at a time when a corpse was carried over it for interment,
it broke forth into speech, and by the effort cracked in the
middle, which fissure is still visible; and on account of
this barbarous and ancient superstition, the corpses are no
longer brought over it. The king, who had heard the
prophecy, approaching the stone, stopped for a short time at
the foot of it, and, looking earnestly at it, boldly passed
over; then, turning round, and looking towards the stone,
thus indignantly inveighed against the prophet: "Who will
hereafter give credit to the lying Merlin?" A person
standing by, and observing what had passed, in order to
vindicate the injury done to the prophet, replied, with a
loud voice, "Thou art not that king by whom Ireland is to be
conquered, or of whom Merlin prophesied!" The king then
entering the church founded in honour of St. Andrew and St.
David, devoutly offered up his prayers, and heard mass
performed by a chaplain, whom alone, out of so large a body
of priests, Providence seems to have kept fasting till that
hour, for this very purpose. Having supped at St. David's,
the king departed for the castle of Haverford, distant about
twelve miles. It appears very remarkable to me, that in our
days, when David II. presided over the see, the river should
have flowed with wine, and that the spring, called Pistyll
Dewi, or the PIPE of David, from its flowing through a pipe
into the eastern side of the churchyard, should have run
with milk. The birds also of that place, called jackdaws,
from being so long unmolested by the clergy of the church,
were grown so tame and domesticated, as not to be afraid of
persons dressed in black. In clear weather the mountains of
Ireland are visible from hence, and the passage over the
Irish sea may be performed in one short day; on which
account William, the son of William the Bastard, and the
second of the Norman kings in England, who was called Rufus,
and who had penetrated far into Wales, on seeing Ireland
from these rocks, is reported to have said, "I will summon
hither all the ships of my realm, and with them make a
bridge to attack that country." Which speech being related
to Murchard, prince of Leinster, he paused awhile, and
answered, "Did the king add to this mighty threat, If God
please?" and being informed that he had made no mention of
God in his speech, rejoicing in such a prognostic, he
replied, "Since that man trusts in human, not divine power,
I fear not his coming."
The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through
Wales
by Geraldus Cambrensis
Book II
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