The Description of Wales
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Geraldus Cambrensis >> The Description of Wales
CHAPTER VII
Of their sins, and the consequent loss of Britain and of Troy
Moreover, through their sins, and particularly that detestable and
wicked vice of Sodom, as well as by divine vengeance, they lost
Britain as they formerly lost Troy. For we read in the Roman
history, that the emperor Constantine having resigned the city and
the Western empire to the blessed Sylvester and his successors,
with an intention of rebuilding Troy, and there establishing the
chief seat of the Eastern Empire, heard a voice, saying, "Dost thou
go to rebuild Sodom?" upon which, he altered his intention, turned
his ships and standards towards Byzantium, and there fixing his
seat of empire, gave his own propitious name to the city. The
British history informs us, that Mailgon, king of the Britons, and
many others, were addicted to this vice; that enormity, however,
had entirely ceased for so long a time, that the recollection of it
was nearly worn out. But since that, as if the time of repentance
was almost expired, and because the nation, by its warlike
successes and acquisition of territory, has in our times unusually
increased in population and strength, they boast in their turn, and
most confidently and unanimously affirm, that in a short time their
countrymen shall return to the island, and, according to the
prophecies of Merlin, the nation, and even the name, of foreigners,
shall be extinguished in the island, and the Britons shall exult
again in their ancient name and privileges. But to me it appears
far otherwise; for since
"Luxuriant animi rebus plerumque secundis,
Nec facile est aequa commoda mente pati;"
And because
"Non habet unde suum paupertas pascat amorem, . . .
Divitiis alitur luxuriosus amor."
So that their abstinence from that vice, which in their prosperity
they could not resist, may be attributed more justly to their
poverty and state of exile than to their sense of virtue. For they
cannot be said to have repented, when we see them involved in such
an abyss of vices, perjury, theft, robbery, rapine, murders,
fratricides, adultery, and incest, and become every day more
entangled and ensnared in evil-doing; so that the words of the
prophet Hosea may be truly applied to them, "There is no truth, nor
mercy," etc.
Other matters of which they boast are more properly to be
attributed to the diligence and activity of the Norman kings than
to their own merits or power. For previous to the coming of the
Normans, when the English kings contented themselves with the
sovereignty of Britain alone, and employed their whole military
force in the subjugation of this people, they almost wholly
extirpated them; as did king Offa, who by a long and extensive dyke
separated the British from the English; Ethelfrid also, who
demolished the noble city of Legions, (27) and put to death the
monks of the celebrated monastery at Banchor, who had been called
in to promote the success of the Britons by their prayers; and
lastly Harold, who himself on foot, with an army of light-armed
infantry, and conforming to the customary diet of the country, so
bravely penetrated through every part of Wales, that he scarcely
left a man alive in it; and as a memorial of his signal victories
many stones may be found in Wales bearing this inscription:- "HIC
VICTOR FUIT HAROLDUS" - "HERE HAROLD CONQUERED." (28)
To these bloody and recent victories of the English may be
attributed the peaceable state of Wales during the reigns of the
three first Norman kings; when the nation increased in population,
and being taught the use of arms and the management of horses by
the English and Normans (with whom they had much intercourse, by
following the court, or by being sent as hostages), took advantage
of the necessary attention which the three succeeding kings were
obliged to pay to their foreign possessions, and once more lifting
up their crests, recovered their lands, and spurned the yoke that
had formerly been imposed upon them.
CHAPTER VIII
In what manner this nation is to be overcome
The prince who would wish to subdue this nation, and govern it
peaceably, must use this method. He must be determined to apply a
diligent and constant attention to this purpose for one year at
least; for a people who with a collected force will not openly
attack the enemy in the field, nor wait to be besieged in castles,
is not to be overcome at the first onset, but to be worn out by
prudent delay and patience. Let him divide their strength, and by
bribes and promises endeavour to stir up one against the other,
knowing the spirit of hatred and envy which generally prevails
amongst them; and in the autumn let not only the marches, but also
the interior part of the country be strongly fortified with
castles, provisions, and confidential families. In the meantime
the purchase of corn, cloth, and salt, with which they are usually
supplied from England, should be strictly interdicted; and well-
manned ships placed as a guard on the coast, to prevent their
importation of these articles from Ireland or the Severn sea, and
to facilitate the supply of his own army. Afterwards, when the
severity of winter approaches, when the trees are void of leaves,
and the mountains no longer afford pasturage - when they are
deprived of any hopes of plunder, and harassed on every side by the
repeated attacks of the enemy - let a body of light-armed infantry
penetrate into their woody and mountainous retreats, and let these
troops be supported and relieved by others; and thus by frequent
changes, and replacing the men who are either fatigued or slain in
battle, this nation may be ultimately subdued; nor can it be
overcome without the above precautions, nor without great danger
and loss of men. Though many of the English hired troops may
perish in a day of battle, money will procure as many or more on
the morrow for the same service; but to the Welsh, who have neither
foreign nor stipendiary troops, the loss is for the time
irreparable. In these matters, therefore, as an artificer is to be
trusted in his trade, so attention is to be paid to the counsel of
those who, having been long conversant in similar concerns, are
become acquainted with the manners and customs of their country,
and whom it greatly interests, that an enemy, for whom during long
and frequent conflicts they have contracted an implacable hatred,
should by their assistance be either weakened or destroyed. Happy
should I have termed the borders of Wales inhabited by the English,
if their kings, in the government of these parts, and in their
military operations against the enemy, had rather employed the
marchers and barons of the country, than adopted the counsels and
policy of the people of Anjou and the Normans. In this, as well as
in every other military expedition, either in Ireland or in Wales,
the natives of the marches, from the constant state of warfare in
which they are engaged, and whose manners are formed from the
habits of war, are bold and active, skilful on horseback, quick on
foot, not nice as to their diet, and ever prepared when necessity
requires to abstain both from corn and wine. By such men were the
first hostile attacks made upon Wales as well as Ireland, and by
such men alone can their final conquest be accomplished. For the
Flemings, Normans, Coterells, and Bragmans, are good and well-
disciplined soldiers in their own country; but the Gallic soldiery
is known to differ much from the Welsh and Irish. In their country
the battle is on level, here on rough ground; there in an open
field, here in forests; there they consider their armour as an
honour, here as a burden; there soldiers are taken prisoners, here
they are beheaded; there they are ransomed, here they are put to
death. Where, therefore, the armies engage in a flat country, a
heavy and complex armour, made of cloth and iron, both protects and
decorates the soldier; but when the engagement is in narrow
defiles, in woods or marshes, where the infantry have the advantage
over the cavalry, a light armour is preferable. For light arms
afford sufficient protection against unarmed men, by whom victory
is either lost or won at the first onset; where it is necessary
that an active and retreating enemy should be overcome by a certain
proportional quantity of moderate armour; whereas with a more
complex sort, and with high and curved saddles, it is difficult to
dismount, more so to mount, and with the greatest difficulty can
such troops march, if required, with the infantry. In order,
therefore, that
"Singula quaeque locum teneant sortita decenter,"
we maintain it is necessary to employ heavy-armed and strong troops
against men heavily armed, depending entirely upon their natural
strength, and accustomed to fight in an open plain; but against
light-armed and active troops, who prefer rough ground, men
accustomed to such conflicts, and armed in a similar manner, must
be employed. But let the cities and fortresses on the Severn, and
the whole territory on its western banks towards Wales, occupied by
the English, as well as the provinces of Shropshire and Cheshire,
which are protected by powerful armies, or by any other special
privileges and honourable independence, rejoice in the provident
bounty of their prince. There should be a yearly examination of
the warlike stores, of the arms, and horses, by good and discreet
men deputed for that purpose, and who, not intent on its plunder
and ruin, interest themselves in the defence and protection of
their country. By these salutary measures, the soldiers, citizens,
and the whole mass of the people, being instructed and accustomed
to the use of arms, liberty may be opposed by liberty, and pride be
checked by pride. For the Welsh, who are neither worn out by
laborious burdens, nor molested by the exactions of their lords,
are ever prompt to avenge an injury. Hence arise their
distinguished bravery in the defence of their country; hence their
readiness to take up arms and to rebel. Nothing so much excites,
encourages, and invites the hearts of men to probity as the
cheerfulness of liberty; nothing so much dejects and dispirits them
as the oppression of servitude. This portion of the kingdom,
protected by arms and courage, might be of great use to the prince,
not only in these or the adjacent parts, but, if necessity
required, in more remote regions; and although the public treasury
might receive a smaller annual revenue from these provinces, yet
the deficiency would be abundantly compensated by the peace of the
kingdom and the honour of its sovereign; especially as the heavy
and dangerous expenses of one military expedition into Wales
usually amount to the whole income among from the revenues of the
province.
CHAPTER IX
In what manner Wales, when conquered, should be governed
As therefore this nation is to be subdued by resolution in the
manner proposed, so when subdued, its government must be directed
by moderation, according to the following plan. Let the care of it
be committed to a man of a firm and determined mind; who during the
time of peace, by paying due obedience to the laws, and respect to
the government, may render it firm and stable. For like other
nations in a barbarous state, this people, although they are
strangers to the principles of honour, yet above all things desire
to be honoured; and approve and respect in others that truth which
they themselves do not profess. Whenever the natural inconstancy
of their indisposition shall induce them to revolt, let punishment
instantly follow the offence; but when they shall have submitted
themselves again to order, and made proper amends for their faults
(as it is the custom of bad men to remember wrath after quarrels),
let their former transgression be overlooked, and let them enjoy
security and respect, as long as they continue faithful. Thus, by
mild treatment they will be invited to obedience and the love of
peace, and the thought of certain punishment will deter them from
rash attempts. We have often observed persons who, confounding
these matters, by complaining of faults, depressing for services,
flattering in war, plundering in peace, despoiling the weak, paying
respect to revolters, by thus rendering all things confused, have
at length been confounded themselves. Besides, as circumstances
which are foreseen do less mischief, and as that state is happy
which thinks of war in the time of peace, let the wise man be upon
his guard, and prepared against the approaching inconveniences of
war, by the construction of forts, the widening of passes through
woods, and the providing of a trusty household. For those who are
cherished and sustained during the time of peace, are more ready to
come forward in times of danger, and are more confidently to be
depended upon; and as a nation unsubdued ever meditates plots under
the disguise of friendship, let not the prince or his governor
entrust the protection of his camp or capital to their fidelity.
By the examples of many remarkable men, some of whom have been
cruelly put to death, and others deprived of their castles and
dignities, through their own neglect and want of care, we may see,
that the artifices of a crafty and subdued nation are much more to
be dreaded than their open warfare; their good-will than their
anger, their honey than their gall, their malice than their attack,
their treachery than their aggression, and their pretended
friendship more than their open enmity. A prudent and provident
man therefore should contemplate in the misfortune of others what
he ought himself to avoid; correction taught by example is
harmless, as Ennodius (29) says: "The ruin of predecessors
instructs those who succeed; and a former miscarriage becomes a
future caution." If a well-disposed prince should wish these great
designs to be accomplished without the effusion of blood, the
marches, as we before mentioned, must be put into a state of
defence on all sides, and all intercourse by sea and land
interdicted; some of the Welsh may be stirred up to deadly feuds,
by means of stipends, and by transferring the property of one
person to another; and thus worn out with hunger, and a want of the
necessaries of life, and harassed by frequent murders and
implacable enmities, they will at last be compelled to surrender.
There are three things which ruin this nation, and prevent its
enjoying the satisfaction of a fruitful progeny. First, because
both the natural and legitimate sons endeavour to divide the
paternal inheritance amongst themselves; from which cause, as we
have before observed, continual fratricides take place. Secondly,
because the education of their sons is committed to the care of the
high-born people of the country, who, on the death of their
fathers, endeavour by all possible means to exalt their pupil; from
whence arise murders, conflagrations, and almost a total
destruction of the country. And, thirdly, because from the pride
and obstinacy of their disposition, they will not (like other
nations) subject themselves to the dominion of one lord and king.
CHAPTER X
In what manner this nation may resist and revolt
Having hitherto so partially and elaborately spoken in favour of
the English, and being equally connected by birth with each nation,
justice demands that we should argue on both sides; let us
therefore, at the close of our work, turn our attention towards the
Welsh, and briefly, but effectually, instruct them in the art of
resistance. If the Welsh were more commonly accustomed to the
Gallic mode of arming, and depended more on steady fighting than on
their agility; if their princes were unanimous and inseparable in
their defence; or rather, if they had only one prince, and that a
good one; this nation situated in so powerful, strong, and
inaccessible a country, could hardly ever be completely overcome.
If, therefore, they would be inseparable, they would become
insuperable, being assisted by these three circumstances; a country
well defended by nature, a people both contented and accustomed to
live upon little, a community whose nobles as well as privates are
instructed in the use of arms; and especially as the English fight
for power, the Welsh for liberty; the one to procure gain, the
other to avoid loss; the English hirelings for money, the Welsh
patriots for their country. The English, I say, fight in order to
expel the natural inhabitants from the island, and secure to
themselves the possession of the whole; but the Welsh maintain the
conflict, that they, who have so long enjoyed the sovereignty of
the whole kingdom, may at least find a hiding place in the worst
corner of it, amongst woods and marshes; and, banished, as it were,
for their offences, may there in a state of poverty, for a limited
time, perform penance for the excesses they committed in the days
of their prosperity. For the perpetual remembrance of their former
greatness, the recollection of their Trojan descent, and the high
and continued majesty of the kingdom of Britain, may draw forth
many a latent spark of animosity, and encourage the daring spirit
of rebellion. Hence during the military expedition which king
Henry II. made in our days against South Wales, an old Welshman at
Pencadair, who had faithfully adhered to him, being desired to give
his opinion about the royal army, and whether he thought that of
the rebels would make resistance, and what would be the final event
of this war, replied, "This nation, O king, may now, as in former
times, be harassed, and in a great measure weakened and destroyed
by your and other powers, and it will often prevail by its laudable
exertions; but it can never be totally subdued through the wrath of
man, unless the wrath of God shall concur. Nor do I think, that
any other nation than this of Wales, or any other language,
whatever may hereafter come to pass, shall, in the day of severe
examination before the Supreme Judge, answer for this corner of the
earth."
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