The Description of Wales
by Geraldus Cambrensis
Book I
Chapter VIII
Concerning the nature, manners, and dress, the
boldness, agility, and courage, of this nation
This people is light and active, hardy rather than
strong, and entirely bred up to the use of arms; for not
only the nobles, but all the people are trained to war, and
when the trumpet sounds the alarm, the husbandman rushes as
eagerly from his plough as the courtier from his court; for
here it is not found that, as in other places,
"Agricolis labor actus in orbem,"
returns; for in the months of March and April only the
soil is once ploughed for oats, and again in the summer a
third time, and in winter for wheat. Almost all the people
live upon the produce of their herds, with oats, milk,
cheese, and butter; eating flesh in larger proportions than
bread. They pay no attention to commerce, shipping, or
manufactures, and suffer no interruption but by martial
exercises. They anxiously study the defence of their country
and their liberty; for these they fight, for these they
undergo hardships, and for these willingly sacrifice their
lives; they esteem it a disgrace to die in bed, an honour to
die in the field of battle; using the poet's expressions,
-
"Procul hinc avertite pacem,
Nobilitas cum pace perit."
Nor is it wonderful if it degenerates, for the ancestors
of these men, the AEneadae, rushed to arms in the cause of
liberty. It is remarkable that this people, though unarmed,
dares attack an armed foe; the infantry defy the cavalry,
and by their activity and courage generally prove victors.
They resemble in disposition and situation those conquerors
whom the poet Lucan mentions:
- "Populi quos despicit Arctos,
Felices errore suo, quos ille timorum
Maximus haud urget leti metus, inde ruendi
In ferrum, mens prona viris, amimaeque capaces,
Mortis et ignavum rediturae parsere vitae."
They make use of light arms, which do not impede their
agility, small coats of mail, bundles of arrows, and long
lances, helmets and shields, and more rarely greaves plated
with iron. The higher class go to battle mounted on swift
and generous steeds, which their country produces; but the
greater part of the people fight on foot, on account of the
marshy nature and unevenness of the soil. The horsemen as
their situation or occasion requires, willingly serve as
infantry, in attacking or retreating; and they either walk
bare-footed, or make use of high shoes, roughly constructed
with untanned leather. In time of peace, the young men, by
penetrating the deep recesses of the woods, and climbing the
tops of mountains, learn by practice to endure fatigue
through day and night; and as they meditate on war during
peace, they acquire the art of fighting by accustoming
themselves to the use of the lance, and by inuring
themselves to hard exercise.
In our time, king Henry II., in reply to the inquiries of
Emanuel, emperor of Constantinople, concerning the
situation, nature, and striking peculiarities of the British
island, among other remarkable circumstances mentioned the
following: "That in a certain part of the island there was a
people, called Welsh, so bold and ferocious that, when
unarmed, they did not fear to encounter an armed force;
being ready to shed their blood in defence of their country,
and to sacrifice their lives for renown; which is the more
surprising, as the beasts of the field over the whole face
of the island became gentle, but these desperate men could
not be tamed. The wild animals, and particularly the stags
and hinds, are so abundant, owing to the little molestation
they receive, that in our time, in the northern parts of the
island towards the Peak, when pursued by the hounds and
hunters, they contributed, by their numbers, to their own
destruction."
The Description of Wales
Book I
by Geraldus Cambrensis
Chapter VII
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