No More Learning

^'' See, Bale, Cent. I. , the English Martyr- ology, and Godwin's work on the Bishops of England, p. 601. This Pope sat from a. d. 1 1 19 to 1 124.
As nature at the first appointed it for
pray'r :
Wherein an aged cell, with moss and ivy
grown,
In which not to this day the sun hath ever
shone,
That reverend British Saint in zealous
ages past.
To contemplation liv'd ; and did so traly
fast.
As he did only drink what crystal Hodney
yields,
Andj^(/«/^« M^/^t'/C'j he gathered in the
fields.
In memory of whom, in the revolving year
The Welchman on his day that sacred herb do wear :
Where, of that holy mail as humbly they do crave.
That in their just defen—ce they might his furth'rance have. " "Poiy-Olbion. "
^5 Nicholas Harpsfeld writes, in his
*'
His-
toria Ecclesiastica AngHcana, in sex primis
seculis," cap. 26, regarding this saint:
" Deum hujus viri sanctitatem orbi commen- dasse stupendis et admirandis quibusdam
"
Then are noted some miraculous occurrences, which are elsewhere related. These were attributed to the merits of St. David of
Wales.
«* Besides, various works, already cited in
the progress of this Memoir, the reader is referred to the General Catalogue of Saints, compiled by Ferrarius, Molanus, Canisius, the MS. " Florarium Sanctorum," and to many other tracts and writers, treating about the saints of our Church.
^^ So, at least, the old poet Drayton has it, with some other —interesting metrical
eventibus, quos alii persequuntur.
allusions to St. David
:
" The Britons, like devout, their messengers direct
To David, that he would their ancient
right protect.
'Mongst Hatterill's lofty hills, that with
the clouds are crown'd,
Ewias lies immur'd so deep
valley and round.
As they below that see the mountains rise
The "
valley Ewias,"
alluded to in tlie fore-
The
^9 To such event, the gi'eat English dra- matist is supposed to allude, when he makes the stout-hearted Welsh Captain, Fluellen, remark to King Henry V.
so
Might think the straggling herds were
grazing in the sky :
Which in it such a shape of solitude doth
bear,
" the Welshmen did good service in a garden where leeks did grow, wearing leeks in their Monmouth
high,
The Fourth Song.
going lines, is situated in Monmouthshire, and on the borders of Brecknockshire.
''^ Mr. Owen is accredited with the fore-
goingexplanation; although,Mr. Reessays, he never heard of such a custom prevailing in South Wales.
:
caps ; which your majesty knows, to this hour, is an honourable page of the service ;
March i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 43
have been use of this national Cymbric practice. S'
5° to account for the
Of this custom the Cambrians were proud, from Shakespeare's time, when the brave Fluellen had cause and occasion for wearing his leek, although St. Davy's day had passed, to a much more recent period, when a modern writer presents us with the picture of a tall, meagre old Welsh baronet, stalking down the streets of London, " with
a leek stuck defiantly in his hat, because it is St. David's day. "^^
It would seem, that the i6th of August had been observed as a feast to commemorate the translation of St. David's relics. s3 Again, the 26th of September is mentioned, as having been a similar festival. 54 For these statements,wehavetheauthorityofGreuen. ss Thespecialvenerationpaid to St. David, in Wales, is evidenced from his day, the ist of March, having been long kept as a national festival, and owing to the circumstance of that churcli at Menevia—formerly dedicated to St. Andrew—having been subse- quentlynamedafterSt. David. Thischurchandcitywerelikewiseplacedunder his patronage, with metropolitical privileges. Again, the Church of Brevy, in the Ceretica district, was especially consecrated to him. Various ofiices were prescribed to be celebrated in his honour, not alone in Wales, but even throughout England proper, Ireland and Scotland. Amongst the Provincial
Constitutions of England, one is to be found, regulating the celebration of St. David's day (March ist), with a choral service and nine lessons, in the Province of Canterbury. ^^ These lessons are also to be found in an ancient Breviary of Salisbury Church. ^? In the English Martyrology, an eulogy of our saint has been inserted. In the Scottish y«j//, St. David's name is found included. The lessons of his office, prescribed to be recited during Matins, are contained in an old Aberdeen Breviary ; while Dempster and Camerarius record his name, in their country's Calendars, at the ist day of March.
CHAPTER VII.
MIRACLES ATTRIBUTED TO ST. DAVID's MERITS AND ADVOCACY AFTER HIS DEATH— TRADITIONAL AND RECORDED INCIDENTS—A PLAGUE DISAPPEARS, AFTER ST. DAVID'S RRLICS HAD BEEN EXPOSED—DESCRIPTION OF ST. DAVID'S TOWN AND CATHEDRAL—PILGRIMAGES MADE TO OUR SAINT's SHRINE—A LIST OF RECTORIES, VICARAGES, PREBENDS,—CURACIES, CHURCHES AND CHAPELS DEDICATED TO HIM IN WALESANDENGLAND NAASTOWNANDCHURCH,INIRELAND,HAVEST. DAVIDAS SPECIAL PATRON—OTHER PLACES IN OUR ISLAND COMMEMORATIVE OF HIS NAME— CONCLUSION.
The place where he dwelt, in course of time, Avas called the fane of St.
Even less rational
conjectures
offered,
early
David. ^ We are
told,
that about a. d.
470,
the Church of Menevia was at
and I do believe your majesty takes no scorn to wear the leek upon St. Tavy's day. "
pers of Leeks. ^' See, "Gentleman's Ma-
gazine," vol. Ivii. , p. 131.
s' ' ' The Beauties of and See, England
Wales. " South Wales. By Thomas Rees, F. S. A. , vol. xviii. , p. 845.
5= See, "London Palaces," by Walter Thornbury, in "Belgravia," vol. iv. , p. «^d„ No. 16. February, 1868.
53 At this date, we find the following entry: "Translatio Divi Davidis Archi- episcopi in Wallia," in some Calendars.
^4 At this day, the following particular
"
^^
K. Henry. I wear it for a memorable honour;
For I am Welsh, you know, good country- man. "
Shakespeare's "Works. " King Henry V. , Act iv. , Scene vii.
5° As, in the instance of a writer, who
" Scholars know that the leek Trpasaj' of the Greeks by a corrupt trans- position of Pates-on, and Porrum of the Latins, corrupted from Pur-orus, was an Egyptian deity, and consequently the Bri- tons, a colony of Egyptians, were worship-
says :
Translatio sanctissimi Davidis Archiepiscopi in Menevia. "
55 In MSS. Notationibus Carthusise Brux- ellensis.
s* See, Edward Maihew, "In Trophasis
account is given :
44 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March i.
first dedicated by St. Patrick to the Almighty, and under the invocation of St. Andrew. * Duringlapseoftime,however,thefameofSt. Davidspread
so much, through this part of the country, and so many miracles were attributed to his merits, that the cathedral bore his name. An old chro- nicler, with much judgment, declares, that many of those miracles attributed to him when living deserved to be omitted, lest they might excite doubt in the minds of his readers. But, many undoubtedly took place after St. David's death, which his intercession procured, and of these four or five
deserved to be
as rested on the — mentioned, especially they partly testimony
In his of Cambria an of credible and worthy eye-witnesses. 3 — description
ancient name for the Welsh Principality Giraldus Cambrensis records many
miracles, attributed to the intercession and merits of this holy Archbishop of
Menevia. 4 He is not the only writer, however, who has written, regarding St. David's supernatural works. s
We are told, that a river, which ran by the cemetery of St. David's church, flowedwithwineinKingStephen'sreign. Aboutthesametime,afountain, known as Pistel-Dewy, or, as Latinized, Fistula-David, according to Harpsfeld,^ flowed with milk. ? There was a certain portable bell, in Cambria, said to have been St. David's. This bell had been kept by soldiers, at Raid- gnok Castle. During night, a fire suddenly broke ©ut, which consumed the whole town, except a single wall, where this bell hung. In a church of St. David,^ some pigeons had built their nests. A certain boy sought to take away their young, but his hands got fastened in some crevice, and they could not be removed. This was regarded as a punishment for his attempted sacrilege. This boy's parents and friends spent three whole days and nights, watching, fasting and praying, for his release, before the altar of this same church. The culprit himself joined in their holy exercises. At length, as if by a miracle, his hands were removed from the wall. He lived to relate this event, to one who had been instrumental in having it recorded. And the stone was long afterwards shown as a memorial in this church, with the traces of the boy's fingers formed and graved, as if in wax. There was a church of St. David at Lanthoheni,^ near the river Hodhen. By others it was called
Benedictinis Congregationis AnglicancC," at the 1st of March.
57 Printed in the year 1499. The Bollan- dists state, "et fere ex Capite i. Vitse de-
in fine Clausula de sumptre, quibus ejus
obitu additur. " Hence, it seems just to in- fer, that the remaining portion of St. David's Life had been distributed in Lessons, which
were recited —the octave. during
'
Chapter vii. See Centuriators
of
but under her
"
tomus iii. , cent, vi. , cap. x. , col. 753.
*
It would appear from Leland, there was a book extant in his time, " De Dotatione Ecclesia: S. Davidis," which he cites. See,
"
also, Cressy's
Book xi. , chap, xx. , p. 245. The studious reader is likewise referred to that learned
"
work, Tanner's Notitia Monastica. " Pem-
brokeshire, ii. , St. David's or Menevia, for interesting historic memoranda, illustrating the past annals of its religious establish- ments.
Magdeburg's
Historise Ecclesiasticse,"
Church History of Brittany. "
3"» See, Nicholas Harpsfeld's Historia
St. David is said to have formed a her-
Anglicana Ecclesiastica a primis Gentis sus- cepta; fidei incunabulis ad nostra fere tern- pora deducta, et in quindecim centurias
niitage and chapel in the Vale of Llanthony, near the Black Mountains. It is thus poeti- cally described :—
of
distributa. " Sex drima Ssecula. Cap. xxvi. , pp. 40, 41. This edition has been edited by Father Richard Gibbon, an Eng- lish Jesuit.
* "Itinerarium i. See, Cambrioe,"cap.
s See, Harpsfeld. Lib. i. , cap. 26.
* He was an ecclesiastic, who died in
1583. He was Dean of Canterbury during
the
of this benefice and cast into prison, where he remained until the time of his death. See, an abstract of his life and writings in M. Le Dr. Hoefcr's " Nouvelle Biographic Generale," &c. , tome xxiii. , pp. 442, 443.
7 Harpsfeld says, the fountain was so
called, "quia per fistulam quamdam et cal- alem fons in ccemiterium delabitur. " Re-
garding this miracle, related in the text, he
remarks: "Quod ab eo proditum est, qui
tum vixit resque illius patrias exploratissimas habuit. "
^ Called " Ecclesia Davidis de Lhanuaes. "
Queen Mary,
successor, Queen Elizabeth, he was deprived
reign
March i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 45
Nanthodheni. '° Here there was a chapel sacred to St. David, and some holy men passed a life of strict observance in the wild country near it. Those, who committed any depredation on this church, were sure to be visited with marked misfortunes. Mahel, son to Milo, Earl of Brethenauc, tyrannically and unscrupulously oppressed a bishop of Menevia, and destroyed his church property, in the reign of King Stephen, A little while after, a stone fell down from the top of a turret, and inflicted on him a death-wound. Regard- ing this as a just visitation of Providence for his rapine, he ordered the church property taken to be restored again to the bishop. In presence of the latter, he deplored his misfortune, saying that St. David had inflicted a just punishment on him. And with these complaints he expired. "
A certain Welshman, who belonged to the Diocese of Menevia, together with a German, had been captured by the Saracens and bound with an iron chain. Day or night, the Welshman did not cease crying out in his native
" me " Inashort David, help ! time,
dialect,
wareth,"
means,
"Dewi
which
this Welshman obtained his liberty, and returned to his own country, where,
in recognition of his miraculous release, Gervasius," Bishop of Menevia, re- ceived him into his house. As the German was suspected to have connived at this escape, he was exposed to stripes, and kept in stricter confinement. Meantime, he recollected, that the Welshman had often used the words "Dewiwareth. " TheGermanoftenrepeatedthesewords,likewise,although hedidnotknowtheirmeaning. Suddenly,heseemedtohavebeenbrought tohisownhome,andinawayhecouldnotunderstand. Hevainlysought, for some time, to learn the meaning of those words. At last he went to Paris, where he met a Welshman, who explained them.
The German gave God thanks, and resolved to set out on a pilgrimage to St. David's shrine, in Menevia. Here, he met his former companion, who kissed him with much affection. They mutually related those adventures, which might well be re- garded as miraculous. A great plague having prevailed throughout Anglia, and many persons having fallen victims to it, in various places, it was generally resolved, that every bishop should immerse the relics of his church in holy water. It was hoped, that the use of this water, by aspersion or drinking, would have procured its cessation ; but, the mortality still continued to be very great. Last of all came the Bishop of Menevia, bearing the arm of St. David. When it had been immersed in the water, this liquid appeared as if covered with some rich unctuous substance, and over it gleamed a golden cross. The people flocked in crowds to taste this water, when the mortality soon disappeared. Joy and health were immediately diffused throughout the whole country. ^3
The situation of modern St. David's or old Menevia is so depressed by surrounding hills, that a traveller approaching from the eastward cannot see any of its buildings, until he actually finds himself entering its principal street. ** Notwithstanding the present very wretched appearance of this city,
" A little lowly hermitage it was,
Down in a dale, hard by a forest's side,
Far from resort of people that did pass In travell to and fro : a little wyde
There was an holy chapelle edifyde, "Wherein the Hermit dewly wont to say
His holy things each morn and eventyde ; Therebye a christall streame did gently
play,
Which from a sacred fountaine welled
forth alway. "
—See "Circle of the Seasons," p. 61.
'° " Id est vallem Hodheni," says Harps- feld.
" See, Harpsfeld's "HistoriaAnglicana," &c. , p. 41,
^^
the Bollandists, to have been Gervasius de Castro, Bishop of Bangor, who is said to have enjoyed such dignity, from A. D. 1366 to 1370.
'3 See, Capgrave's "Nova Legenda An-
This bishop is thought, however, by
glise. " Kalendas Martii, Ixxxiiii. , Ixxxv. , Ixxxvi.
fol. Ixxxiii. ,
46 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March i.
there are evidences of its former consequence remaining. Traces of old
streets may be found, and the foundations of walls, with many other objects
of antiquity. St. David's is now only an insignificant village, situated on a
small eminence, near a projecting headland, terminating in a pile of rocks. These obtain the denomination of St. David's Head. The whole country
around is wild, picturesque, unwooded, and rather thinly inhabited. In a deep hollow, beneath the town, and greatly sheltered from the winds, which occasionally sweep around these rugged sliores, the cathedral and its surround- ing ecclesiastical buildings are to be seen. The cathedral tower is finely carved in fretwork, and a Gothic ornam^tal choir contrasts with Saxon pillars and arches in the great aisle. There is a ceiling of Irish oak, which is greatly admired, together with a fine Mosaic pavement. ^5
The Episcopal See of St. David's is situated at the western extremity of Pembrokeshire, sixteen miles distant from the market and county town of Haverfordwest. Consequently, it is placed at the extreme point of South Wales, and even on the most extreme promontory of England, with the exception of the Land's End, which projects more w-estwardly, about one- third of a degree. The peculiar position of the cathedral hinders it from being at all a prominent object, at any distant point of view. It lies in a deep hollow, immediately below the town of St. David's ; and, consequently,
from most directions, the body of the church is hardly visible. The great
tower alone indicates its existence.
'•• The old poet Drayton, in his pleasing
us with a correct local de- lines, supplies —
scription, as the city stood in his time :
" As crescent-like the land her breadth here
inward bends,
From Milford, which she forth to old
Nothing can be more striking than a
Into that channel cast, whose raging cur- rent wars
Betwixt the British sands and the Hiber- nian shores :
Whose grim and horrid face doth pleased
heaven neglect,
And bears bleak winter still in his more
sad aspect :
Yet, Gwyn and Nevern near, two fine and
fishful brooks,
Do never stay their course, how stern so
e'er he looks ;
Which with his shipping once should
seem to have commerst,
When Fiscard as her floods doth only
grace the first.
To Newport falls the next : then we
awhile will rest
Our next ensuing song to wond'rous things
addrest. "
Menevia sends ;
Since holy David's seat ;
which of espe-
cial grace
Doth lend that nobler name, to this un-
nobler place.
Of all the holy men whose fame so fresh
remains,
To whom the Britons built so many sump-
tuous fanes,
This saint before the rest their patron still
they hold,
Whose birth their ancient bards to Cam-
bria long foretold,
And seated here a see. hisbishopric of yore, Upon the farthest point of this unfruitful
shore ;
Selected by himself that far from all
resort
With contemplation seem'd most fitly to
comport ;
That, void of all delight, cold, barren,
bleak and dry,
No pleasure might allure, nor steal the
wand'ring eye :
Where Ramsey with those rocks, in rank
that order'd stand
Upon the farthest point of David's ancient
land,
Do raise their rugged heads (the seaman's
noted marks)
Call'd of their mitred tops the bishop and
"
;
Poly-Olbion. " TheFifthSong.
his clerks ;
'3 A writer of the last century,
St. David's Cathedral, says : "This church is far superior to that of LlandafTe in its pre- servation, and has received ample justice from the attention and expense bestowed on it by its modern proprietors, the whole being in good repair, and the west front having lately been rebuilt in a taste perfectly co—r-
with the rest of the structure. " Skrine's "Two Successive Tours through- out the whole of Wales, with several of the adjacent English Counties, so as to form a comprehensive view of the picturesque beauty, the peculiar manners, and the fine remains of antiquity, in tlvit interesting part of the British Island. " Tour in South
Wales, chap. iv.
responding
treating
on
March i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 47
descent, from the main streets of this decayed village, upon its magnificent remains of ecclesiastical splendour. Viewed from without, the cathedral dis- plays no great architectural magnificence. Exposed as it is to the blasts of ocean, external ornament would have been worse than useless. Its decora- tion, therefore, is Avisely confined to the interior. In point of size, this minster is one of the second order, as compared with other great English cathedrals, although far surpassing anything of its kind in Wales. The ground plan, in complication, perhaps even surpasses Winchester or St. Alban's. The profusion of the chapels and surrounding buildings, including a college dedicated to St. Mary, the bishop's palace—of which it is not too much to say, that it is unsurpassed by any similar residence in Britain—has
the advantage of restoring the picturesque effect, which might otherwise have been lost, by the absence of any high-pitched roof. The whole edifice, how-
ever, is very low. From the days of Godwin downwards, antiquaries attribute the earliest portions of the existing fabric, to the time of Bishop Peter de Leia, consecrated in 11 76. This prelate is recorded to have rebuilt his cathedral, after it had been many times destroyed by Danes and by other pirates. The principal dimensions of St. David's cathedral church are as follows: Length of nave, 127 feet 4 inches; whole breadth of nave and aisles,69feet6inches; lengthoftransepts(each),44feet6inches; breadth of transepts (each), 27 feet 3 inches; length of choir, 53 feet 6 inches; breadth, 30 feet 3 inches ; total external length, 306 feet ; height of nave, 45 feet 8 inches ; total height of tower, 116 feet.
To conduct the description of the cathedral on one uniform plan is very difficult ; but, we shall suppose the visitor to have entered the church on the west. Then we may follow^ out in detail each subordinate part. The west front is modern, and it is almost the worst form of modern-antique. Here we may remark, that the whole structure combines Romanesque, Decorated, and Perpendicular architecture. The external view of nave and aisles calls not for much remark. These portions of the building form a long, low, regular structure. The internal features of the nave are Romanesque, or perhaps more accurately speaking, Transitional. The general effect is very striking, from the remarkable gorgeousness of architecture ; in fact, few structures of the same size equal this cathedral, in the richness and elaborateness of execu- tion, upon this portion of the interior. The flooring of the nave rises from easttowest,atamostperceptibleslope. Thispeculiarityisprobablydueto the builders having followed a natural slope in the ground, but the practical result is to give the building an effect of greater apparent length. The central tower is naturally one of the most striking features of this cathedral, in an external view. Within, the four grand arches which support the tower are of very noble proportions, and they are richer than usually found in large churches. The transepts without present a tolerably uniform design. Within they are Transitional Romanesque. The choir is now the only portion of this building, east of the tower, and retained as part of the church. With a small exception, it is the only part which retains its roof. The aisles of the choir, like the chapels beyond, are nearly ruinous. They are blocked offfromthechoirandroofless. Theinternalviewofthechoirisregardedas one of the most attractive features belonging to the church. There is no lack of ornament ; but, the simplicity of composition forms a decided contrast to the over-complicated design of the nave. The Lady Chapel, like that of Hereford Cathedral, stands behind the high altar. Beside are the remains of the ancient palace of the former bishops of St. David. '^
The body of St. David was interred in this church, and it seems to have been enclosed within a portable shrine. It was even the object of royal
pilgrimage. We read, that William the Conqueror, Henry II. , Edward I,
48 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March
and Queen Eleanor made pilgrimages thereto. The extent of the bishop's lands, as shown in 1326, informs us, that the burgesses of St. David's were bound to follow the bishop in time of war, one day's journey in either direction, with the shrine of St. David. In the same church, there was also
Ancient Porch of Bishop's Palace, St. David's, Wales.
a shrine, devoted to the remains of St. Caradoc, whose body is supposed to have been there interred. ^7
In the six counties of North Wales there is not one church that bears St.
David'sname—aswearetoldbyRev. RiceRees. *^ Thisverylearnedpro-
vincial antiquary, after very minute investigation, asserts, that the following churches were dedicated—as had been generally assumed—to St. David, in the southern shires. Yet, he does not positively affirm such a statement. On the contrary, he proposes an emendation of the list. ^9 These letters R. V. P. C. affixed to benefices, denote Rectory, Vicarage, Prebend, Curacy.
In the Diocese of St. David's, Pembrokeshire, we find the Cathedral (dedi-
has *° 5 dependent chapels.
V. Llanuch-
cated to SS. David and
Whitchurch, V. Prendergast, R.
llwydog, R. , has i dependent chapel. ^' Llanychaer, R. Llanddewi Felffire, R. and V. Maenor Deifi, R. In Cardiganshire, Llanddewi Brefi, C, has 4 dependent chapels. ^' Blaenporth, P. Bangor, R. , has i dependent
to have been the founders of Churches in Wales," sect, ii. , p. 45.
'*
porch is drawn by William F. Wakeman, and engraved by George A. Hanlon.
The accompanying illustration of its
'7 See, "The History and Antiquities of St. David's," by William Basil Jones, M. A. In this work, continual reference is made to Giraldus Cambrensis, to "Anglia Sacra," BrowneWillis,andMen. Sac,&c. ,&c.
'* In an " on the Welsh or Essay Saints,
the Primitive Christians usually considered
=°
These are Gurhyd
Non (St. Non)
;
Andrew)
Brawdy,
Hubberston, R. Bridell, R.
'9 Ibid. , pp. 52, S3, 54.
Padrig (St. Patrick) ; Pistyll; and Stinan
" This is called Llanllawen. ThesearecalledBettwsLleicu; Blaen-
(St. Justinian). ^'
pennal (St. David); (St. Gwenfyl).
Gartheh
; Gwenfyl.
;
MARCH I. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 49
chapel. =^3 Henfynyw, C. Llanddewi Aberarth, P. Henllan, chapel to Bangor (St. David). Blaenpennal, chapel to Llanddewi Brefi (St. David). In Carmarthenshire, Henllan Amgoed, R. , has i chapel. ^4 Meidrym, V. , has I chapel. ^5 Capel Dewi is a chapel to Llanelly (St. EUyw). Llanarthneu,
^^
Abergwilly, or Abergwyli, V. , 3 chapels. ''^ Bettws, Llanydyfeisant, C. In Brecknockshire, Garthbrengi, P. Trallvvng, P. Llywel, V. , has i chapel. ^^ Llanfaes, V. Maesmynys, R. Llanddewi Abergwesin, is a chapel to Llangammarch (St. Cammarch).
Llanwrtyd is also a chapel to Llangammarch (St. Cammarch). Llanddewi'r Cwm, C. In Radnorshire, Heyop, R. Whitton, R. Llanddewi Ystrad Enni is a chapel to Llanbister (St. Cynllo). Cregruna, R. , has i chapel. ^9 Glascwm, V. , has 2 chapels. 3° Colfa is a chapel to Glascwm (St.