The History of the Worthies of England, County 5
CARNARVON. This County hath the Irish Sea on the West, Anglesea (divided by Menaifre… ) on the North, Denby shire on the East, and Merionith shire on the South. This I have observed peculiar to this County, that all the Market are Sea Towns (being five in number, as noted in the Maps) which no other County in England or Wales doth afford.
The Natives hereof count it no small credit unto them, that they made the longest resistance against, and last submitted unto the English: And indeed for natural strength, it exceedeth any part of this Principality; so that the English were never more distressed, than in the Invasion thereof.
I am much affected with the ingenuity of an English Nobleman, who following the Camp of King Henry the third, in these parts, wrote home to his friends about the end of September 1245. The naked truth indeed as followeth; *… Paris Anno notato, pag. 924.We lie in our Tents watching, fasting, praying, and freezing: we watch for fear of the Welsh-men, who are wont to invade us in the night; we Fast for want of meat, for the half peny loaf is worth five pence; we Pray to God to send us home again speedily; we Freeze for want of winter garments, having nothing but thin linnen betwixt us and the wind.
Yet is this County in it self sufficiently plentiful (though the Welsh had the wit to keep …ood from the English) and Snow-don-Hills therein are commended by my * Author for fertility of wood, cattel, fish, and fowl.
Smile not Reader, to hear of Fish in so high Mountains which have plenty of Pools interposed.
Wonders.
Giraldus Cambrensis telleth us how there is a Lake in Snowden Hills in this County, which hath a floating Island therein. But it seemeth that it either always swimmeth away from such who endeavour to discover it, or else that this vagrant wearied with long wandring hath at last fixed it self to the Continent. He telleth us also of Monoculous Fishes, though not fully acquainting us how their one eye is disposed. Whether Polyphemus-like in the midst of their head, or only on one side. The truth is, these One-eyed Fishes, are too nimble for any men with two eyes to behold them.
Proverbs.
Craig Eriry or Snow don will yield *Camb. Brit. in … shire.sufficient Pasture for all the Cattell of VVales put together.]
Some will say this cannot be literally true, except the Cattel of VVales be few, beneath, and Snow-don-hills fruitful above all belief. The best is, the time is not expressed how long these hills will suffice for their pasture. But let us not be so morose, but to understand the meaning of this expression, importing by help of an Hyperbole, the extraordinary fruitfulness of this place.
Diange ar Gluyd, a boddi ar Gonway.]
That is, to scape Clude and be drown'd in Conway: parallel to the Latine, Incidit in Scyllam qui vult vitare Charibdin.
However, that Pilot is to be pitied, who to shun Scylla doth run on Charibdis, because those rocks were neer and a narrow passage betwixt them; whereas the two Rivers of Clude and Conway are twenty miles a sunder, affording men scope enough to escape them; but little or much in such cases are the same with indiscreet persons.
Princes.
EDWARD the Fourth (but first surviving) son of King Edward the First and Queen Eleanor, was born at Carnarvon in this County, April 25. 1284. No Prince ever ascended the English Throne with greater, or used it with less advantage to himself.
First, though his Father had in a manner surprised the W…lsh to accept him for their Prince, (pleading his royal extraction, birth in VVales, in ability to speak a word of English, and innocence that none could tax him with actual sin.) Yet I find them not for his Fathers fallacy to think the worse of his Son, sic juvat esse deceptos, and generally they accepted him, as preferring that a Prince should be put with wit, rather than with violence upon them.
In England he succeeded to a wise and victorious Father who happily had hit the expedient to be both beloved and feared by his Subjects, leaving the land in so good a posture for government, that touch the wheele and it would turn in the right tract of its self. But this Edward first estranged himself from his Subjects, and [in effect] subjected himself to a stranger Pierse Gaveston his French Minion, and after his execution to the two Spencers, who though Native English-men, were equally odious to the English for their insolence.
Hence it was that he first lost the love of his Subjects, then of his Queen (the vacuity of whose bed was quickly filled up) then his Crown, then his Life. Never any English Kings case was so pitiful, and his person less pitied, all counting it good reason that he should give entertainment to that woe, which his wilfulness had invited home to himself. His violent death happened at Berkley Castle, Septemb. 22. 1327.
Saints.
There is an Island called Berdsey justly reduceable to this County (lying within a mile of the South-West Promontory thereof) wherein the Corps of no fewer than *Cambd Brit. in Insulis Brita….twenty thousand Saints are said to be interred.
Estote vos omnes Sancti; Proud *1 Kin. 20. 10.Benhadad boasted that the dust of Samaria did not suffice for handfuls for all the people that followed him. But where would so many thousand Bodies find Graves in so petty an Islet? But I retrench my self, confessing it more facile to find Graves in Berdsey for so many Saints, than Saints for so many Graves.
States=Men.
JOHN WILLIAMS was born at Aber-Conwy in this County, bred Fellow of Saint Johns Colledge in Cambridge, Proctor of the University, Dean of Westminster, Bishop of Lincoln, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, and lastly Arch-Bishop of York. In my Church History I have offended his Friends, because I wrote so little in his praise, and distasted his Foes because I said so much in his defence. But I had rather to live under the indignation of others, for relating what may offend, than die under the accusation of my own conscience, for reporting what is untrue. He died on the 25. day of March, 1649.
Prelates since the Reformation.
RICHARD VAUGHAN, born at Nuffrin (or else at Etern) in this County, was bred Fellow in Saint Johns Colledge in Cambridge, and was afterwards successively Bishop of Bangor, Chester, and lastly of London; a very corpulent man, but spiritually minded; an excellent Preacher, and pious Liver, on whom I *Cited in H. Holl…nd, but made (as I have been told) by J. Owex.find this Epigram, which I will endeavour to English.
Praesul es (ô Britonum decus immortale tuorum)
Tu Londinensi primus in Urbe Brito.
Hi mihi Doctores semper placuere, docenda
Qui faciunt, plus quam qui faciendae docent.
Pastor es Anglorum doctissimus, optimus ergo,
Nam facienda doces ipse, docenda facis.
Prelate of London (O immortal grace
Of thine own Britons) first who had that place.
He's good, who what men ought to do, doth teach
He's better, who doth do, wh…t men shold preach.
You best of all, preaching what men should do,
And what men ought to preach that doing too.
Here to justifie the observation, Praesul must be taken for a plain Bishop, and primus accounted but from the conversions of the Saxons to Christianity. For, orherwise we find no fewer than *Reckoned up by Bishop Go…dwin in his Catalog…e.sixteen Arch Bishops of London, before that time, and all of the British Nation. He was a most pleasant man in discourse, especially at his Table, maintaining that Truth, At meals be glad, for sin be sad, as indeed he was a mortified man. Let me add, nothing could tempt him to betray the Rights of the Church to sacrilegious Hands, not sparing sharply to reprove some of his own Order on that account. He died March 30. 1607. being very much lamented.
HENRY ROULANDS born in this County, bred in the University of Oxford, was consecrated Bishop of Bangor, Novemb. 12. 1598. We have formerly told how Bishop Bulkley plundered the Tower of Saint Asaph of five fair Bells; now the bounty of this Bishop bought four new ones for the same (the second Edition in Cases of this kind is seldom as large as the first) whereof the biggest cost an *Godwin in the Bishops of Bangor.hundred pounds. He also gave to Jesus Colledge in Oxford, means for the maintenance of two Fellows. He died Anno Dom. 1615.
The Farewell.
The Map of this County (as also of Denby and Flint-shire) in Mr. Speed is not divided (as other Shires in England and Wales) with Pricks into their several Hundreds, which would have much conduced to the compleating thereof, whereof he rendreth this reason, That he could not procure the same (though promised him) out of the Sheriffs Books; fearing lest the riches of their Shire should be further sought into by revealing such particulars. He addeth moreover, This I have observed in all my Survey, that where least is to be had the greatest fears are possessed. I would advise these Counties hereafter to deny no small Civility to a painful Author, holding a Pen in his hand, for fear a drop of his Ink fall upon them; for though juyce of Lemmon will fetch such spots out of Linnen, when once printed in a Book they are not so easily got out, but remain to posterity.