of the see) to Llandaff in this county. Sure I am, our civil wars hath deprived it of the better moiety of its appellation Land, leaving bare aff thereunto. I am not ignorant that Llandaff, in British, is the church by Taff, though that church I fear will not stand long that hath lost its ground. Happy therefore is it, that now Llandaff may be truly termed Llandaff, having through God's goodness (and long may it possess them) regained its ancient lands and revenues.

MERIONETHSHIRE.

MERIONETHSHIRE (in Latin Mervinia) hath the sea on the west side; on the south (for certain miles together) Cardiganshire, severed by the river Douy; and on the north bounded upon Carnarvon and Denbigh-shire.

It is extremely mountainous; yea (if true what Giraldus Cambrensis reporteth thereof) so high the hills therein, that men may discourse one with the other on the tops thereof, and yet hardly meet (beneath in the valley) in a day's time. Yet are not the mountains altogether useless, feeding great numbers of sheep thereon. Mr. Camden takes especial notice of the beauty and comeliness of the inhabitants of this shire.

Nor must it be forgot that there is a place at this day called Le Herbert,-upon this account: when the unhappy difference raged betwixt the houses of York and Lancaster, David ap Jenkin ap Enion, a stout and resolute gentleman (who took part with the house of Lancaster) valiantly defended the castle Arleck against king Edward the Fourth, until Sir William Herbert (afterwards earl of Pembroke) with great difficulty made his passage unto it, and so furiously stormed it, that immediately it was surrendered.

WONDERS.

There is a lake in this county, called in British Lhin-tegid, in English Pimble-mear, which may be termed our Leman-lake, having the same work of wonder therein, though set forth by nature in a less letter: for as Rhodanus, running through the French lake, preserveth his stream by itself (discernible by the discoloration thereof) with the fishes peculiar thereunto; the same is here observed betwixt the river Dee, and the water of the lake; so that here is (what some cavil at in the grammar) a conjunction disjunctive. Let philosophers dispute what invisible partition encloseth the one severally from the other. I have heard some, by way of similitude, apply it to such who, being casually cast into bad company, lie at such a cautious posture of defence, that they keep their own innocency entire, not maculated with the mixture of their bad manners, as rather being in than of their society.

We must not forget another strange quality of Pimble-mear; viz. it swelleth not with all the waters, and those very many,

VOL. III.

* Camden's Britannia, in Merionethshire.

2 N

which fall therein by the bordering mountains, whereas a blast of wind will quickly make it mount above the bounds and banks thereof; like some strange dispositions, not so much incensed with blows, as provoked by words (accounted but wind) into passion.

I know not whether it be worth the relating, what is known for a truth of a market-town called Dogelthy in this shire, that, 1. The walls thereof are three 1. The mountains which sur

5. Tenements are divided into two or more tippling houses and chimneyless barns used to that purpose.

This last I had mediately from the mouth of a judge, in his charge condemning the same.

SAINTS.

[AMP.] Saint THELIAN was of British extraction, and placed here until with certainty he can be removed to another county. He was bred under Dubritius bishop of Llandaff, by whose holy care he attained to a competent learning and exemplary sanctity. Great his acquaintance and intimacy with Saint David, bishop of Menevia.

In his days the Picts harassed his country. He was much envied for his holiness by one of their chief commanders, who sent two lewd strumpets, supposing by their tempting tricks to entrap this holy man.† These women counterfeiting madness (whereby they might assume the more liberty to themselves of filthy discourse) returned distracted indeed,‡ not having understanding enough to relate the cause of their sad misfortune; which wrought so much upon the first designer of their prac tices, that he received the faith, and was baptized, and ever after had a great veneration and esteem for this our Saint.

He accompanied Saint David to Jerusalem; and, returning into his own country, by his fervent prayers freed the same from the plague, wherewith it was then much infested. His death happened February the ninth, about the year of our Lord

563.

• Camden's Britannia, in Merionethshire.

In the Flowers of English Saints, p. 150.

Idem, ibidem.

WORTHIES OF MERIONETHSHIRE.

547

THE FAREWELL.

This county (the inhabitants whereof generally betake themselves to the feeding of sheep) was much beholding to Ludwall their prince, who (king Edgar imposing on him as a yearly tribute the presenting him with three hundred wolves) did in a manner free this county from wolves. It is my desire, that, seeing that ill-natured creature is at this day totally removed out of it, the people wholly lay aside all strife and animosities, and give no longer occasion to the proverb, "Homo homini lupus."

MONTGOMERYSHIRE.

1

MONTGOMERYSHIRE is bounded on the south side with Cardigan and Radnor-shire, on the east with Shropshire, on the north by Denbighshire, and on the west thereof with Merionethshire. Nature cannot be accused for being a step-mother unto this county; for, although she hath mounted many a high hill (which may probably be presumed not over fruitful), yet hath she also sunk many a delightful valley therein (humility is the common attendant of greatness, accompanied with true worth), which plentifully yield all necessaries for man's comfortable subsistence. The chief town therein bestoweth its name upon the whole county. It never dignified any with the title of Earl thereof, until the reign of king James, who created Philip Herbert, second son to Henry earl of Pembroke, Baron Herbert of Shurland, and Earl of Montgomery.

NATURAL COMMODITIES.

HORSES.

How good and swift are bred in this county, I may well spare my commendation, and remit the reader to the character I find given of them in a good author :*

From the Gomerian fields,

Than which in all our Wales there is no country yields

An excellenter horse, so full of natural fire,

As one of Phoebus' steeds had been that stallion's sire

Which first their race begun, or of th' Asturian kind,
Which some have held to be begotten by the wind."

Now, after proportionable abatement for his poetical hyperbole, the remainder is enough to inform us of the good strain this shire doth afford.

"Y Tair Chiwiorydd."]

PROVERBS.

In English "The three sisters," being a common by-word to express the three rivers of Wye, Severn, Rhiddiall, arising all three in this county, out of the south-west side of Plinlimmon hill, within few paces one of another, but falling into the sea more miles asunder; Severn into the Severn sea, Wye into the Severn, Rhiddiall into the Irish sea.

The tradition is, that these three sisters were to run a race,

• Drayton, in his Polyolbion, p. 95.