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第13节

itinerary of archibishop-第13节

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ht; secretly scaled the walls; and; seizing the count and countess; with their only son; carried them off into the woods; and did not release them until he had recovered everything that had been unjustly taken from him; and received a compensation of additional property; for; as the poet observes;


〃Spectandum est semper ne magna injuria fiat Fortibus et miseris; tollas licet omne quod usquam est Argenti atque auri; spoliatis arma supersunt。〃


In this same town of Caerdyf; king Henry II。; on his return from Ireland; the first Sunday after Easter; passed the night。  In the morning; having heard mass; he remained at his devotions till every one had quitted the chapel of St。 Piranus。 {82}  As he mounted his horse at the door; a man of a fair complexion; with a round tonsure and meagre countenance; tall; and about forty years of age; habited in a white robe falling down to his naked feet; thus addressed him in the Teutonic tongue:  〃God hold the; cuing;〃 which signifies; 〃May God protect you; king;〃 and proceeded; in the same language; 〃Christ and his Holy Mother; John the Baptist; and the Apostle Peter salute thee; and command thee strictly to prohibit throughout thy whole dominions every kind of buying or selling on Sundays; and not to suffer any work to be done on those days; except such as relates to the preparation of daily food; that due attention may be paid to the performance of the divine offices。  If thou dost this; all thy undertakings shall be successful; and thou shalt lead a happy life。〃 The king; in French; desired Philip de Mercros; {83} who held the reins of his horse; to ask the rustic if he had dreamt this? and when the soldier explained to him the king's question in English; he replied in the same language he had before used; 〃Whether I have dreamt it or not; observe what day this is (addressing himself to the king; not to the interpreter); and unless thou shalt do so; and quickly amend thy life; before the expiration of one year; thou shalt hear such things concerning what thou lovest best in this world; and shalt thereby be so much troubled; that thy disquietude shall continue to thy life's end。〃  The king; spurring his horse; proceeded a little way towards the gate; when; stopping suddenly; he ordered his attendants to call the good man back。  The soldier; and a young man named William; the only persons who remained with the king; accordingly called him; and sought him in vain in the chapel; and in all the inns of the city。  The king; vexed that he had not spoken more to him; waited alone a long time; while other persons went in search of him; and when he could not be found; pursued his journey over the bridge of Remni to Newport。  The fatal prediction came to pass within the year; as the man had threatened; for the king's three sons; Henry; the eldest; and his brothers; Richard of Poitou; and Geoffrey; count of Britany; in the following Lent; deserted to Louis king of France; which caused the king greater uneasiness than he had ever before experienced; and which; by the conduct of some one of his sons; was continued till the time of his decease。  This monarch; through divine mercy (for God is more desirous of the conversion than the destruction of a sinner); received many other admonitions and reproofs about this time; and shortly before his death; all of which; being utterly incorrigible; he obstinately and obdurately despised; as will be more fully set forth (by the favour of God) in my book; 〃de Principis Instructione。〃

Not far from Caerdyf is a small island situated near the shore of the Severn; called Barri; from St。 Baroc {84} who formerly lived there; and whose remains are deposited in a chapel overgrown with ivy; having been transferred to a coffin。  From hence a noble family; of the maritime parts of South Wales; who owned this island and the adjoining estates; received the name of de Barri。  It is remarkable that; in a rock near the entrance of the island; there is a small cavity; to which; if the ear is applied; a noise is heard like that of smiths at work; the blowing of bellows; strokes of hammers; grinding of tools; and roaring of furnaces; and it might easily be imagined that such noises; which are continued at the ebb and flow of the tides; were occasioned by the influx of the sea under the cavities of the rocks。



CHAPTER VII



The see of Landaf and monastery of Margan; and the remarkable things in those parts


On the following morning; the business of the cross being publicly proclaimed at Landaf; the English standing on one side; and the Welsh on the other; many persons of each nation took the cross; and we remained there that night with William bishop of that place; {85} a discreet and good man。  The word Landaf {86} signifies the church situated upon the river Taf; and is now called the church of St。 Teileau; formerly bishop of that see。  The archbishop having celebrated mass early in the morning; before the high altar of the cathedral; we immediately pursued our journey by the little cell of Ewenith {87} to the noble Cistercian monastery of Margan。 {88}  This monastery; under the direction of Conan; a learned and prudent abbot; was at this time more celebrated for its charitable deeds than any other of that order in Wales。  On this account; it is an undoubted fact; that; as a reward for that abundant charity which the monastery had always; in times of need; exercised towards strangers and poor persons; in a season of approaching famine; their corn and provisions were perceptibly; by divine assistance; increased; like the widow's cruise of oil by the means of the prophet Elijah。  About the time of its foundation; a young man of those parts; by birth a Welshman; having claimed and endeavoured to apply to his own use certain lands which had been given to the monastery; by the instigation of the devil set on fire the best barn belonging to the monks; which was filled with corn; but; immediately becoming mad; he ran about the country in a distracted state; nor ceased raving until he was seized by his parents and bound。  Having burst his bonds; and tired out his keepers; he came the next morning to the gate of the monastery; incessantly howling out that he was inwardly burnt by the influence of the monks; and thus in a few days expired; uttering the most miserable complaints。  It happened also; that a young man was struck by another in the guests' hall; but on the following day; by divine vengeance; the aggressor was; in the presence of the fraternity; killed by an enemy; and his lifeless body was laid out in the same spot in the hall where the sacred house had been violated。  In our time too; in a period of scarcity; while great multitudes of poor were daily crowding before the gates for relief; by the unanimous consent of the brethren; a ship was sent to Bristol to purchase corn for charitable purposes。  The vessel; delayed by contrary winds; and not returning (but rather affording an opportunity for the miracle); on the very day when there would have been a total deficiency of corn; both for the poor and the convent; a field near the monastery was found suddenly to ripen; more than a month before the usual time of harvest:  thus; divine Providence supplied the brotherhood and the numerous poor with sufficient nourishment until autumn。  By these and other signs of virtues; the place accepted by God began to be generally esteemed and venerated。

It came to pass also in our days; during the period when the four sons of Caradoc son of Iestin; and nephews of prince Rhys by his sister; namely; Morgan; Meredyth; Owen; and Cadwallon; bore rule for their father in those parts; that Cadwallon; through inveterate malice; slew his brother Owen。  But divine vengeance soon overtook him; for on his making a hostile attack on a certain castle; he was crushed to pieces by the sudden fall of its walls:  and thus; in the presence of a numerous body of his own and his brother's forces; suffered the punishment which his barbarous and unnatural conduct had so justly merited。

Another circumstance which happened here deserves notice。  A greyhound belonging to the aforesaid Owen; large; beautiful; and curiously spotted with a variety of colours; received seven wounds from arrows and lances; in the defence of his master; and on his part did much injury to the enemy and assassins。  When his wounds were healed; he was sent to king Henry II。 by William earl of Gloucester; in testimony of so great and extraordinary a deed。  A dog; of all animals; is most attached to man; and most easily distinguishes him; sometimes; when deprived of his master; he refuses to live; and in his master's defence is bold enough to brave death; ready; therefore; to die; either with or for his master。  I do not think it superfluous to insert here an example which Suetonius gives in his book on the nature of animals; and which Ambrosius also relates in his Exameron。  〃A man; accompanied by a dog; was killed in a remote part of the city of Antioch; by a soldier; for the sake of plunder。  The murderer; concealed by the darkness of the morning; escaped into another part of the city; the corpse lay unburied; a large concourse of people assembled; and the dog; with bitter howlings; lamented his master's fate。  The murderer; by ch

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