THE MONTHLY REVIEW, For JULY,178.5. ART. I. The Hiftory of Wales. With an Appendix. By the Rev. William Warrington, Chaplain to the Earl of Befborough. 4to. 11. 1s. Boards. Johnfon. 1786. THE HE moft brilliant pages of hiftory are, unquestionably, those which record the ftruggles of independence against oppreffion; and thefe ftruggles have commonly been exerted with the greateft vigour and fuccefs in the earlier ftages of civilization. It is while the principles of a free people remain uncorrupted by. avarice, and their manners not enervated by luxury, that the focial paffions have full fcope, and a mafculine virtue is produced, which gives birth to glorious deeds, and furnishes the nobleft themes for the hiftoric mufe. The detail of court intrigues, and military manoeuvres, in a more refined ftate of fociety, may be very useful to the Statesman and the General, and may ferve to amufe the ordinary reader; but the narrative of the great exploits of heroes, who have facrificed every private intereft to the Public weal, warms the heart with exalted fentiments, and fofters all the virtues of the man and the citizen. The world has doubtless owed much of that generous ardour with which the best friends of mankind have devoted themselves to the fervice of their country, to the early impreffions which they had received from the Grecian and Roman ftory. It is for this reafon devoutly to be wished, that men may never arrive at fuch a degree of falfe refinement, as to become incapable of relifhing the narrative of heroic deeds in defence of liberty. By the honeft and generous fuch tales, whatever be the fcene of action, will be read with delight. "Wherever nature, though in narrow space, Their deeds the ftory of the world adorn." HAYLEY. The history of Wales is a narrative of this kind. It exhibits a people, who for feveral ages defended the rights of nature in the bofom of their native mountains. The fpectacle is fo interefting, that it is furprising it should fo long have lain, in a great VOL. LXXV, measure, B measure, obfcured. Much labour has been employed upon the antiquities of Wales; but, till this time, the interesting facts which form the hiftory of the ancient Britons, except fo far as they have made a part of the English history, have lain dormant in Welsh manufcripts, or been barely compiled, in a work feldom read, the Chronicle of the Monk Carodoc of Llan carvon.. Mr. Warrington has the merit of being the firft writer, who has attempted to cloath the hiftory of Wales in an agreeable drefs; and we have pleasure in adding, that, in our judgment, the undertaking is very fuccefsfully executed. The materials. of this hiftory, which the Author has judiciously authenticated by numerous references, appear to have been collected with much industry. They are arranged, if not with a fcrupulous regard to chronological order, with a more ufeful attention to that method which arifes from the connection of caufes with their effects. Valuable obfervations are occafionally interfperfed: and the whole is written in a style, which is neither, on the one hand, tedious, through a careless and flovenly prolixity, nor, on the other, difgufting by a uniform difplay of ornament. The Author defignedly avoids a minute inquiry into the antiquities of the country, as not properly falling within the province of the hiftorian; but inftead of this, he has given, what will be much more generally acceptable, an agreeable and well-written narrative of hiftorical facts. A few fpecimens must be added, to enable our Readers to form fome judgment of the merit of this work. After a concife but perfpicuous and entertaining fummary of the British history, before the Britons were driven into Wales, &c. the Author relates at large the wars between the Saxons and Welfh, in the courfe of which relation, he records the following example of fuperftitious weakness in the conduct of Cadwalader: After refiding fome time in the court of Bretaigne, Cadwalader prepared to return into Wales; having heard that the famine and peftilence had ceafed, and that the Saxons, with increafing power, were endeavouring to extend their conquefts *. With this view, he collected an army compofed of his own fubjects and his allies the Bretons, with a fuitable fleet to tranfport them across the channel †. In fuch a fituation, a magnanimous prince would either have rescued his country from its danger, or would have buried himfelf in its ruins. But just at the time that Cadwalader was going to embark, he was warned in a vifion, which he fancied to be a fudden impulfe from heaven, which directed him to lay aside the cares of the world, and go immediately to Rome, to receive holy orders from the hands *Baker's Chron. p. 4. Welsh Chron. by Carodoc of Llancarvon, and republished by Dr. Powel, p. 3. + Ibid. of of the Pope. This illufion, the effect of a weak or a diftempered mind, he communicated to the King of Bretaigne; who, probably from interested motives, took advantage of this incident to act on the weakness of this prince, and on the credulity of his nation; which, in common with every other people in the fame stage of refinement, always paid a high veneration to men, who, acting under the impulfe of a warm and enthufiaftic fpirit, fancied them felves indued with the power of revealing future events. Having confulted the prophetic books of the two Merlins*, which were deemed facred as the pages of the Roman Sybils, Alan told him, they predicted the ruin of the British empire, until the time that the bones of King Cadwalader fhould be brought back from Rome. He then advifed him to act up to the patriotic defign, and to follow the impulfe of his vifion. Thus confirmed in the delufion, Cadwalader proceeded to Rome; and agreeably to the interefted views of the Roman pontiffs, was kindly received by Pope Sergius. After he had fubmitted to have his head fhaven, and to be initiated into the order of White Monks, Cadwalader lived eight years as a religious reclufe t; exemplary in the piety of thofe days, but in a fituation unworthy of a prince; as it fecluded him from the practice of active virtue, and of confequence from promoting the interefts of his people; for which great end alone princes are delegated to rule mankind.' Upon the character of Gryffydth ap Cynan, Mr. Warrington has the following remarks: In fuch a country as North Wales, where fo many caufes conspired to render its government unftable, and the enjoyment of it often fatal to the fovereign, that the late prince fhould have been able to extend his reign to fifty years, is an extraordinary instance of good fortune, and a proof of his poffeffing confiderable abilities. The love of freedom, which diftinguished the early part of his life, infufed the fame fpirit among his fubjects, which led them to difdain the ignominious yoke impofed on them by a foreign power. His valour, and abilities, aiding their returning virtue, delivered his country from the vaffalage of England; and, in general, by his conduct with Henry, or by the vigour of his government, he preferved his dominions free from the invafions of the English, and from civil commotions. The recital of thefe virtues, which form the fhining features of his character, is no more than a just eulogium on his memory. But other impreffions appear on the reverse of the medal, expreffive of a conduct which is neither amiable nor great. A juft policy required him to unite in the common caufe, as to one central point, the jarring interefts which prevailed in the other principalities; and the importance of his fituation and character, obliged him to confider himself as the great fpring, which was to give life and vigour, and efficacy to the exertions of the whole. He ought to have known that the conquest of Wales was a leading principle in * There were two of that name, Silvefter and Ambrofe; the first was born in Scotland, and the latter, called Merdhin by the Britons, at Caerfrydhin in South Wales. Humfrey Lhuyd, p. 79. Wynne, Hift. Wales, p. 10, 11. B 2 the the politics of England, that the princes of that country would never ceafe to exert every effort of fagacity and power, until their ambition had been fatiated by the conqueft, or the entire deftruction of the Welsh. Impreffed with ideas fuch as thefe, he ought to have regarded ever offer of friendship, made by the English monarch, as a delufive fnare to his honour: and at every gift, he ought to have exclaimed in the natural language of diftruft, Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes. But influenced by a perfonal regard to Henry, or by motives of a bafer nature, he was led to prefer a felfifh and folitary peace with the English, to the more generous and manly conduct of haring in the common danger, and of attempting to preserve the general freedom of his country, by uniting its strength. He was prevented, indeed, by his tedious captivity in Chester, from taking an active part, in impeding the conquefts which the English were making in South Wales; nor is it just to fuppofe, that in that early period of his life, he could be cold or uninterested in the fatal scene that was acting before him. The fame plea, however, cannot justify another part of his conduct. Inftead of giving fecurity to Powis, a barrier of fuch importance to his kingdom, he left the princes of that country, on its being invaded by Henry, to abide their fate; refufing, under a cold pretence, to afford them protection or relief. Thefe traits of his character, with a defire of facrificing to the jealoufy of the English king an orphan prince, who had fought his protection, and whofe birth and talents might have rendered him the inftrument of his country's fafety, evince, that the conduct of Gryffydh ap Cynan was not entirely directed by the principles of honour, or humanity, or of a folid and extenfive policy." The ftruggle between King John and Llewellyn ap Jorwerth, would be a curious extract; but we have not room. We fhall, therefore, only add Mr. W.'s account of the humiliating fubmiffion of Llewellyn ap Gryffydh to Edward III. • The barons of Snowdun, with other chieftains of the most confiderable families in Wales, accompanying their prince to London, brought large retinues with them, as was the custom of their country, and were lodged in Iflington, and the adjacent villages. Many caufes confpired to make their fituation disagreeable. Thefe places did not afford a fufficiency of milk for fach numerous trains they liked neither the wine, nor the beer of London. Though entertained with plenty, they were not pleafed with their new manner of living, which fuited neither their tafte, nor, perhaps, their conftitutions. They were ftill more difpleafed with the crowd of people who attended them, whenever they came out of their quarters; eying them with the utmost contempt as favages, and laughing at their foreign garb, and unusual appearance*. To be made the subject of derifion, and to be pointed at by the finger of fcorn, in their various journeys through England, at the will of an arbitrary lord, could not be pleafing to a people, proud and irafcible, who, though vanquifhed, were still alive to injury or infult, to a fenfe of their own valour, and to the fond idea of their native independence. They Carte's Hift. Eng. vol. ii. p. 191, from MS. No. 39, inter MSS. Thomas Moflyn, baronetti, p. 315. privately privately entered into an affociation to revolt on the first opportunity; refolving to die in their own country as freemen, rather than come any more as vaffals into England, to be the fport of a haughty and contemptuous nation. As foon as they returned home, they diffused this fpirit throughout Wales, and it became the common cause of the country. This incident, of no great moment in itself, acting with other caufes, produced in time a change in affairs, of the highest importance to Wales. An It was now manifeft that Edward intended, on the death of Llewelyn, to unite to the English crown the country he had lately fubdued. A popular delufion ftood in the way of his views. idea had been fondly kept up in the imaginations of the Welsh, that the celebrated Arthur was ftill alive, that he was one day to return, and restore to the remnant of the Britons the empire of their fathers. To fet afide this idle fancy, cherished by the vulgar, and which might have been fatal at this juncture, Edward, and Eleanor his queen, early in the year, undertook a journey to Glastonbury, where the remains of that hero lay interred *. Under colour of doing honour to this British king, and affording his bones a more magnificent interment, Edward ordered the body of Arthur to be taken out of its coffin, and, with the remains of Gueniver his queen, to be exposed to public view. They were then repofited near the high altar, with an infcription on the coffin, fignifying, that thefe were the remains of Arthur; and that they had been viewed by the King and Queen of England, in prefence of the Earl of Savoy, the elect Bishop of Norwich, with feveral other noblemen and clergy t. It is eafy to difcern the policy of this prince in the fmaller traits of his character. During the king's ftay at Glaftonbury a parliament was held in that place; at which meeting Llewelyn was fummoned to appear, with the probable defign, that he and his retinue, having feen the late ceremony exhibited, might not carry into their country the leas hope of advantage, from fo whimfical a fancy. To this fummons, however, the Prince of Wales did not think proper to pay obedience 1. It is eafy to conceive that Edward, alive to his interefts, and jealous of his power, would be eager to check the contumacy of a vaffal in Llewelyn's fituation. With this defign, attended by his queen, he repaired to Worcester; where he fent an order to the Welsh prince to appear, and account for his late conduct. The rigour of this fummons was foftened by an invitation to a royal feast which was to be held in that city; with an affurance, too, that he fhould be treated with honour, and that the lovely Eleanor de Montford fhould be the reward of his obedience §. There was a decifion * Malmsbury de Antiq. Glafton. Ecclefiæ, p. 306. Gales Scrip tores. + Carte's Hift. England, vol. ii. p. 187, from Regift. Glastonbury, penes Dom. Weymouth, p. 93. Annales Waverleienfis, p. 233. Stowe's Chron. p. 200. Guthrie's Hift. England, vol. i. p. 889. Carte's Hift. Eng. vol. ii. p. 187, from Regifter Glastonbury penes Dom. Weymouth, p. 93. Welsh Chron. p. 348. B 3 in |