The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through
Wales
by Geraldus Cambrensis
Book II
Chapter XII
Of the journey by the White Monastery,
Oswaldestree, Powys, and Shrewsbury
The feast of Easter having been observed with due
solemnity, and many persons, by the exhortations of the
archbishop, signed with the cross, we directed our way from
Chester to the White Monastery,185
and from thence towards Oswaldestree; where, on the very
borders of Powys, we were met by Gruffydd son of Madoc, and
Elissa, princes of that country, and many others; some few
of whom having been persuaded to take the cross (for several
of the multitude had been previously signed by
Reiner,186
the bishop of that place), Gruffydd, prince of the district,
publicly adjured, in the presence of the archbishop, his
cousin-german, Angharad, daughter of prince Owen, whom,
according to the vicious custom of the country, he had long
considered as his wife. We slept at Oswaldestree, or the
tree of St. Oswald, and were most sumptuously entertained
after the English manner, by William Fitz-Alan,187
a noble and liberal young man. A short time before, whilst
Reiner was preaching, a robust youth being earnestly
exhorted to follow the example of his companions in taking
the cross, answered, "I will not follow your advice until,
with this lance which I bear in my hand, I shall have
avenged the death of my lord," alluding to Owen, son of
Madoc, a distinguished warrior, who had been maliciously and
treacherously slain by Owen Cyfeilioc, his cousin-german;
and while he was thus venting his anger and revenge, and
violently brandishing his lance, it suddenly snapped
asunder, and fell disjointed in several pieces to the
ground, the handle only remaining in his hand. Alarmed and
astonished at this omen, which he considered as a certain
signal for his taking the cross, he voluntarily offered his
services.
In this third district of Wales,
called Powys, there are most excellent studs put apart for
breeding, and deriving their origin from some fine Spanish
horses, which Robert de Belesme,188
earl of Shrewsbury, brought into this country: on which
account the horses sent from hence are remarkable for their
majestic proportion and astonishing fleetness.
Here king Henry II. entered Powys, in
our days, upon an expensive, though fruitless,
expedition.189
Having dismembered the hostages whom he had previously
received, he was compelled, by a sudden and violent fall of
rain, to retreat with his army. On the preceding day, the
chiefs of the English army had burned some of the Welsh
churches, with the villages and churchyards; upon which the
sons of Owen the Great, with their light-armed troops,
stirred up the resentment of their father and the other
princes of the country, declaring that they would never in
future spare any churches of the English. When nearly the
whole army was on the point of assenting to this
determination, Owen, a man of distinguished wisdom and
moderation - the tumult being in some degree subsided - thus
spake: "My opinion, indeed, by no means agrees with yours,
for we ought to rejoice at this conduct of our adversary;
for, unless supported by divine assistance, we are far
inferior to the English; and they, by their behaviour, have
made God their enemy, who is able most powerfully to avenge
both himself and us. We therefore most devoutly promise God
that we will henceforth pay greater reverence than ever to
churches and holy places." After which, the English army, on
the following night, experienced (as has before been
related) the divine vengeance.
From Oswaldestree, we directed our course towards
Shrewsbury (Salopesburia), which is nearly surrounded by the
river Severn, where we remained a few days to rest and
refresh ourselves; and where many people were induced to
take the cross, through the elegant sermons of the
archbishop and archdeacon. We also excommunicated Owen de
Cevelioc, because he alone, amongst the Welsh princes, did
not come to meet the archbishop with his people. Owen was a
man of more fluent speech than his contemporary princes, and
was conspicuous for the good management of his territory.
Having generally favoured the royal cause, and opposed the
measures of his own chieftains, he had contracted a great
familiarity with king Henry II. Being with the king at table
at Shrewsbury, Henry, as a mark of peculiar honour and
regard, sent him one of his own loaves; he immediately brake
it into small pieces, like alms-bread, and having, like an
almoner, placed them at a distance from him, he took them up
one by one and ate them. The king requiring an explanation
of this proceeding, Owen, with a smile, replied, "I thus
follow the example of my lord;" keenly alluding to the
avaricious disposition of the king, who was accustomed to
retain for a long time in his own hands the vacant
ecclesiastical benefices.
It is to be remarked that three
princes,190
distinguished for their justice, wisdom, and princely
moderation, ruled, in our time, over the three provinces of
Wales: Owen, son of Gruffydd, in Venedotia, or North Wales;
Meredyth, his grandson, son of Gruffydd, who died early in
life, in South Wales; and Owen de Cevelioc, in Powys. But
two other princes were highly celebrated for their
generosity; Cadwalader, son of Gruffydd, in North Wales, and
Gruffydd of Maelor, son of Madoc, in Powys; and Rhys, son of
Gruffydd, in South Wales, deserved commendation for his
enterprising and independent spirit. In North Wales, David,
son of Owen, and on the borders of Morgannoc, in South
Wales, Howel, son of Iorwerth of Caerleon, maintained their
good faith and credit, by observing a strict neutrality
between the Welsh and English.
The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through
Wales
by Geraldus Cambrensis
Chapter XI
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