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022 - Book XII Part 1 Cadwallo · History of the Kings of Britain

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  Speaker 1: Book twelve, Part one of History of the Kings of
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  Speaker 1: Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth, translated by Aaron Thompson and J. A. Giles.
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  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter one
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  Speaker 1: Cadowan acquires by treaty all Britain on this side of
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  Speaker 1: the Humber, and Adelfred the rest. After this, all the
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  Speaker 1: princes of the Britons met together at Legicester and consented
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  Speaker 1: to make Cadowan their king, that under his command they
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  Speaker 1: might pursue Edelfrid beyond the Humber. Accordingly, as soon as
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  Speaker 1: he was crowned, they flocked together from all parts and
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  Speaker 1: passed the Humber, of which when Adelfred received intelligence, he
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  Speaker 1: entered into a confederacy with all the Saxon kings and
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  Speaker 1: went to meet Cadowan. At last, as they were forming
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  Speaker 1: their troops for a battle, their friends came and made
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  Speaker 1: peace between them on these terms, that Cadowan should enjoy
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  Speaker 1: that part of Britain which lies on this side of
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  Speaker 1: the Humber, and Aidelfrid that which is beyond it. As
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  Speaker 1: soon as they had confirmed this agreement with an oath
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  Speaker 1: made to their hostages, there commenced such a friendship between
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  Speaker 1: them that they had all things common. In the meantime,
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  Speaker 1: it happened that Adelfrid banished his own wife and married another,
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  Speaker 1: and bore so great a hatred to her that was
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  Speaker 1: banished that he would not suffer her to live in
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  Speaker 1: the Kingdom of Northumberland. Whereupon she, being with child, went
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  Speaker 1: to King Cadowan, that by his mediation she might be
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  Speaker 1: restored to her husband. But when Adelfrid could, by no
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  Speaker 1: means be brought to consent to it, she continued to
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  Speaker 1: live with Cadowan till she was delivered of the son
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  Speaker 1: which she had conceived. A short time after her delivery,
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  Speaker 1: Cadowan also had a son born to him by the
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  Speaker 1: Queen his wife. Then were the two boys brought up
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  Speaker 1: together in a manner suitable to their royal birth, one
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  Speaker 1: of which was called Cadwollo, the other Edwin. When they
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  Speaker 1: were nearly arrived at Men's estate, their parents sent them
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  Speaker 1: to Salomon, King of the Armorican Britons, that in his
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  Speaker 1: court they might learn the discipline of war and other
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  Speaker 1: princely qualifications. This prince therefore received them graciously and admitted
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  Speaker 1: them to an intimacy with him, so that there was
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  Speaker 1: none of their age in the whole court that had
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  Speaker 1: a free access or more familiarly discoursed with the King
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  Speaker 1: than they. At last, he himself was an eye witness
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  Speaker 1: of their exploits against the enemy, in which they very
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  Speaker 1: much signalized their valor. Chapter two, Cadwollow breaks the covenant
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  Speaker 1: he had made with Edwin. In process of time, when
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  Speaker 1: their parents were dead, they returned to Britain, where they
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  Speaker 1: took upon them the government of the kingdom and began
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  Speaker 1: to form the same friendship as their fathers. Two years
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  Speaker 1: after this, Edwin asked leave of Cadwallo to wear a
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  Speaker 1: crown and to celebrate the same solemnities as had been
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  Speaker 1: used of old in Northumberland, And when they had begun
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  Speaker 1: a treaty upon this subject by the River Douglas, that
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  Speaker 1: the matter might be adjusted according to the advice of
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  Speaker 1: their wise counselors. It happened that Cadwalla was lying on
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  Speaker 1: the other side of the river in the lap of
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  Speaker 1: a certain nephew of his whose name was Brian. While
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  Speaker 1: ambassadors were negotiating between them. Brian wept and shed tears
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  Speaker 1: so plentifully that the King's face and beard were wet
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  Speaker 1: with them. The king, imagining that it reigned, lifted up
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  Speaker 1: his face, and, seeing the young man in tears, asked
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  Speaker 1: him the occasion of such sudden grief good reason, said
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  Speaker 1: he have I to weep continually, as well as the
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  Speaker 1: whole British nation, which has groaned under the oppression of
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  Speaker 1: barbarians ever since the time of Margo, and has not
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  Speaker 1: yet got a prince to restore it to its ancient,
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  Speaker 1: flourishing state. And even the little honor that it had
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  Speaker 1: left is lessened by your indulgence. Since the Saxons, who
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  Speaker 1: are only strangers and always traitors to our country, must
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  Speaker 1: now be permitted to wear the same crown as you do.
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  Speaker 1: For when once they shall attain to regal dignity, it
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  Speaker 1: will be a great addition to their glory in the
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  Speaker 1: country from whence they came, And they will the sooner
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  Speaker 1: invite over their countrymen for the utter extirpation of our race.
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  Speaker 1: For they have always been accustomed to treachery and never
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  Speaker 1: to keep faith with any which I think should be
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  Speaker 1: a reason for our keeping them under, and not for
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  Speaker 1: exalting them. When King Vortigan first retained them in his service,
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  Speaker 1: they may made a show of living peaceably and fighting
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  Speaker 1: for our country till they had an opportunity of practicing
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  Speaker 1: their wickedness. And then they returned evil for good, betrayed
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  Speaker 1: him and made a cruel massacre of the people of
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  Speaker 1: the kingdom. Afterwards, they betrayed Aurelius Ambrosius, to whom, even
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  Speaker 1: after the most tremendous oaths of fidelity, at a banquet
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  Speaker 1: with him, they gave a draft of poison. They also
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  Speaker 1: betrayed Arthur, when setting aside the covenant by which they
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  Speaker 1: were bound, they joined with his nephew Mordred and fought
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  Speaker 1: against him. Lastly, they broke faith with King Caraticus and
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  Speaker 1: brought upon him Gormund, King of the Africans, by whose disturbances,
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  Speaker 1: how are people were robbed of their country, and the
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  Speaker 1: king disgracefully driven out. Chapter three a quarrel between Cadwallo
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  Speaker 1: and Edwin. At the mention of these things, Cardwallo repented
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  Speaker 1: of entering into this treaty, and sent word to Edwin
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  Speaker 1: that he could by no means induce his counselors to
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  Speaker 1: consent to his petition, for they alleged that it was
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  Speaker 1: contrary to law and the ancient establishment that an island
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  Speaker 1: which has always had no more than one crown should
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  Speaker 1: now be under subjection to two crowned heads. This message
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  Speaker 1: incents Edwin and made him break off the conference and
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  Speaker 1: retire into Northumberland, saying he would be crowned without Cadwallow's leave.
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  Speaker 1: When Cadwalloh was told this, he declared to him by
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  Speaker 1: his ambassadors that he would cut off his crowned head
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  Speaker 1: if he presumed to wear a crown within the Kingdom
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  Speaker 1: of Britain. Chapter four, Cadwolloh is vanquished by Edwin and
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  Speaker 1: driven out of the kingdom. This proved the occasion of
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  Speaker 1: a war between them, in which, after several engagements between
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  Speaker 1: their men, they at last met together themselves beyond the
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  Speaker 1: Humber and had a battle, wherein Cadwollo lost many thousands
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  Speaker 1: of his followers and was put to flight. From hence
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  Speaker 1: he marched with precipitation through Albania and went over to Ireland.
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  Speaker 1: But Edwin, after this victory, led his army through the
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  Speaker 1: provinces of the Britons and burning the cities before him
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  Speaker 1: grievously afflicted the citizens and the country people. During this
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  Speaker 1: exercise of his cruelty. Cadwalla never ceased, endeavoring to return
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  Speaker 1: back to his country and a fleet, but without success,
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  Speaker 1: because to whatever port he steered, Edwin met him with
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  Speaker 1: his forces and hindered his landing, for there was come
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  Speaker 1: to him from Spain a very skillful souk sayer named Pelletus, who,
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  Speaker 1: by the flight of birds and the courses of the stars,
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  Speaker 1: foretold all the disasters that would happen by these means. Edwin,
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  Speaker 1: getting knowledge of Cadwallo's return, prepared to meet him and
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  Speaker 1: shattered his ships, so that he drowned his men and
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  Speaker 1: beat him off from all his ports. Cadwallo, not knowing
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  Speaker 1: what course to take, was almost in despair of ever returning.
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  Speaker 1: At last, it came into his head to go to Salomon,
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  Speaker 1: King of the Armorican Britons, and desire his assistance and
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  Speaker 1: advice to enable him to return to his kingdom. And
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  Speaker 1: so as he was steering towards Armorica, a strong tempest
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  Speaker 1: rose from a sudden which dispersed the ships of his companions,
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  Speaker 1: and in a short time left no two of them together.
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  Speaker 1: The pilot of the King's ship was seized immediately, with
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  Speaker 1: so great a fear that quitting the stern, he left
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  Speaker 1: the vessel to the disposal of fortune. So that all
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  Speaker 1: that night it was tossed up and down in great
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  Speaker 1: danger by the raging waves. The next morning they arrived
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  Speaker 1: at a certain island called Guyneria, where with great difficulty
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  Speaker 1: they got ashore. Cadwalla was forthwith seized with such grief
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  Speaker 1: for the loss of his companions that for three days
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  Speaker 1: a night together he refused to eat, but lay sick
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  Speaker 1: upon his bed. The fourth day he was taken with
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  Speaker 1: a very great logging for some venison, and causing Brian
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  Speaker 1: to be called, made him acquainted with it. Whereupon Brian
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  Speaker 1: took his bow and quiver and went through the island,
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  Speaker 1: that if he could light on any wild beast, he
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  Speaker 1: might make booty of it. And when he had walked
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  Speaker 1: over the whole island without finding what he was in
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  Speaker 1: quest of, he was extremely concerned that he could not
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  Speaker 1: gratify his master's desire, and was afraid his sickness would
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  Speaker 1: prove mortal if his logging were not satisfied. He therefore
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  Speaker 1: fell upon a new device and cut a piece of
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  Speaker 1: flesh out of his own thigh, which he roasted upon
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  Speaker 1: a spit and carried to the king for venison. The king,
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  Speaker 1: thinking it to be real, venison began to eat of
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  Speaker 1: it to his great refreshment, admiring the sweetness of it,
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  Speaker 1: which he fancied exceeded any flesh he had ever tasted before.
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  Speaker 1: At last, when he had fully satisfied his appetite, he
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  Speaker 1: became more cheerful, and in three days was perfectly well again. Then,
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  Speaker 1: the wind standing fair, he got ready his ship, and,
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  Speaker 1: hoisting sails, they pursued their voyage and arrived at the
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  Speaker 1: city of Kidalita. From thence they went to King Solomon,
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  Speaker 1: by whom they were received kindly and with all suitable respect.
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  Speaker 1: And as soon as he had learned the occasion of
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  Speaker 1: their coming, he made them a promise of assistance, and
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  Speaker 1: spoke to them as follows chapped the speech of Salomon,
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  Speaker 1: King of Armorica, to Cadwollo. It is a grief to us,
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  Speaker 1: noble youths, that the country of your ancestors is oppressed
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  Speaker 1: by a barbarous nation, and that you are ignominiously driven
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  Speaker 1: out of it. But since other men are able to
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  Speaker 1: defend their kingdoms, it is a wonder your people should
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  Speaker 1: lose so fruitful an ireland and not be able to
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  Speaker 1: withstand the nation of the angles whom our countrymen hold
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  Speaker 1: in contempt. While the people of this country lived together
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  Speaker 1: with yours in Britain, they bore sway over all the
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  Speaker 1: provincial kingdoms and never could be subdued by any nation.
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  Speaker 1: But the Romans. Neither did the Romans do this by
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  Speaker 1: their own power, as I have been lately informed, but
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  Speaker 1: by a dissension among the nobility of the island. And
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  Speaker 1: even the Romans, though they held it under their subjection
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  Speaker 1: for a time, yet upon the loss and slaughter of
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  Speaker 1: their rulers, were driven out with disgrace. But after the
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  Speaker 1: Britons came into this province under the conduct of Maximian
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  Speaker 1: and Conan, those that remained never had the happiness afterwards
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  Speaker 1: of holding an uninterrupted possession of the crown. For though
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  Speaker 1: many of their princes maintained the ancient dignity of their ancestors,
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  Speaker 1: yet their weak heirs that succeeded, though more in number,
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  Speaker 1: entirely lost it upon the invasion of their enemies. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: I am grieved for the weakness of your people, since
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  Speaker 1: we are of this same race with you, and the
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  Speaker 1: name Briton's is common to you and to the nation
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  Speaker 1: that bravely defends their country, which you see at war
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  Speaker 1: with all its neighbors. Chapter six Cadwallow's answer to Salomon.
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  Speaker 1: When he had concluded this speech, Cadwollow, who was little
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  Speaker 1: put to the blush, answered him after this manner, royal Sir,
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  Speaker 1: whose descent is from a race of kings, I give
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  Speaker 1: you many thanks for your promise of assisting me to
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  Speaker 1: recover my kingdom. But what you say is a wonder
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  Speaker 1: that my people have not maintained the dignity of their
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  Speaker 1: ancestors since the time that the Britons came to these provinces.
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  Speaker 1: I am far from thinking to be such. The noblest
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  Speaker 1: men of the whole kingdom followed those leaders, and there
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  Speaker 1: remained only the base assault to enjoy their honors, who,
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  Speaker 1: being raised to a high quality on a sudden, were
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  Speaker 1: puffed up above their station, and growing wanton with riches,
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  Speaker 1: gave themselves up to commit such fornication as is not
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  Speaker 1: so much as named among the gentiles, and as guild,
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  Speaker 1: as the historian testifies, were not only guilty of this vice,
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  Speaker 1: but of all the enormities that are incident to human nature.
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  Speaker 1: And what chiefly prevailed to the entire overthrow of all
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  Speaker 1: goodness was the hatred of truth with its asserts, the
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  Speaker 1: love of a lie with the inventors of it, the
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  Speaker 1: embracing of evil for good, the veneration of wickedness for grace,
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  Speaker 1: the receiving of Satan for an angel of light. Kings
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  Speaker 1: were anointed not for the sake of God, but such
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  Speaker 1: as were more cruel than the rest, and was soon
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  Speaker 1: after murdered by their anointerers without examination, having chosen others
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  Speaker 1: yet more cruel in their room. But if any of
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  Speaker 1: them showed any mildness or seemed a favor of truth
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  Speaker 1: against Him as the subverter of Britain, were all their
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  Speaker 1: malice and their weapons bent. In short, things pleasing to
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  Speaker 1: God or displeasing with them had the same weight, even
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  Speaker 1: if the worst were not the waightier. Therefore, were all
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  Speaker 1: affairs managed contrary to public safety, as if the true
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  Speaker 1: physician of all had left them destitute of cure. And
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  Speaker 1: thus was everything done without discretion, and that not only
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  Speaker 1: by secular men, but by the Lord's flock and its pastors. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: it is not to be wondered that such a degenerate race,
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  Speaker 1: so odious to God for their vices, lost a country
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  Speaker 1: which they had so heeneously corrupted, for God was willing
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  Speaker 1: to execute his vengeance upon them by suffering a foreign
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  Speaker 1: people to come among them and drive them out of
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  Speaker 1: their possessions. Notwithstanding, it would be a worthy act if
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  Speaker 1: God would permit it to restore our subjects to their
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  Speaker 1: ancient dignity, to prevent the reproach that may be thrown
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  Speaker 1: upon our race. That we were weak rulers who did
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  Speaker 1: not exert ourselves in our own defense. And I do
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  Speaker 1: the more freely ask your assistance, as you are of
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  Speaker 1: the same blood with us. For the great Malgo, who
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  Speaker 1: was the fourth Kig of Britain after Arthur, had two
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  Speaker 1: sons named Ennianus and Runo. Enianus begot Bilin Bilin Jago
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  Speaker 1: Jago Cadawan, who was my father. Runo, who, after his
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  Speaker 1: brother's death, was driven out by the Saxons, came to
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  Speaker 1: this province and bestowed his daughter on Duke Earl. The
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  Speaker 1: son of that great girl who shared with Arthur in
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  Speaker 1: his conquests of her, was born Allan of Allan Earl,
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  Speaker 1: your father, who while he lived, was a terror to
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  Speaker 1: all Gaul. Chapter seven, Brian kills Edwin's magician. In the meantime,
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  Speaker 1: while he was spending the winter with Salomon, they entered
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  Speaker 1: into a resolution that Brian would pass over into Britain
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  Speaker 1: and take some method to kill Edwin's magician, lest he might,
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  Speaker 1: by his usual art, inform him of Cadwollow's coming. And
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  Speaker 1: when with this design he had arrived at Hammer's Port,
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  Speaker 1: he took upon himself the habit of a poor man,
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  Speaker 1: and made himself a staff of iron sharp at the end,
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  Speaker 1: with which he might kill the magician if he should
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  Speaker 1: happen to meet with him. From thence he went to York,
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  Speaker 1: where Edwin then resided, and, having entered that city, joined
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  Speaker 1: himself to the poor people that waited for arms before
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  Speaker 1: the King's gate. But as he was going to and
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  Speaker 1: fro it happened that his sister came out of the
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  Speaker 1: hall with a basin in her hand to fetch water
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  Speaker 1: for the Queen. She had been taken by Edwin at
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  Speaker 1: the city of Worcester, when after Cadwallo's flight he was
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  Speaker 1: acting his hostilities upon the provinces of the Britons. As
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  Speaker 1: she was therefore passing by Brian, he immediately knew her, and,
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  Speaker 1: breaking forth into tears, called to her with a low voice,
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  Speaker 1: at which the damsel, turning her face, was indoubt at
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  Speaker 1: first as to who it might be, but upon a
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  Speaker 1: nearer reproach, discovered it to be her brother, and was
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  Speaker 1: near falling into a swoon for fear that he might,
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  Speaker 1: by some unlucky accident, be known and taken by the enemy.
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  Speaker 1: She therefore refrained from saluting him or entering into familiar
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  Speaker 1: discourse with him, but told him, as if she was
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  Speaker 1: talking upon some other subject, the state of the court,
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  Speaker 1: and showed him the magician that he was inquiring for,
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  Speaker 1: who was at that very time walking among the poor
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  Speaker 1: people while the arms were being distributed among them. Brian,
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  Speaker 1: as soon as he had taken knowledge of the man,
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  Speaker 1: ordered his sister to steal out privately from her apartment
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  Speaker 1: the night following and come to him near an old
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  Speaker 1: church without the city, where he would conceal himself in
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  Speaker 1: expectation of her. Then dismissing her, he thrust himself in
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  Speaker 1: among the crowd of poor people in that part where
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  Speaker 1: Pelletus was placing them, and the same moment he got
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  Speaker 1: access to him, he lifted up his staff and at
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  Speaker 1: once gave him a stab under the breast, which killed him.
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  Speaker 1: This done, he threw away his staff and passed among
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  Speaker 1: the rest, undistinguished and unsuspected by any of the bystanders,
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  Speaker 1: and by good providence, got to the place of concealment
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  Speaker 1: which he had appointed his sister. When night came on,
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  Speaker 1: endeavored all she could to get out, but was not
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  Speaker 1: able because Edwin, being terrified at the killing of Pelletus,
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  Speaker 1: had set a strict watch about the court, who, making
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  Speaker 1: a narrow search, refused to let her go out. When
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  Speaker 1: Bryan found this, he retired from that place and went
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  Speaker 1: to Exeter, where he called together the Britons and told
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  Speaker 1: them what he had done. Afterwards, having dispatched away messengers
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  Speaker 1: to Cadwallo, he fortified that city and sent word to
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  Speaker 1: all the British nobility that they should bravely defend their
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  Speaker 1: cities and towns, and joyfully expect Cadwallers coming to their
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  Speaker 1: relief in a short time with auxiliary forces from Salomon.
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  Speaker 1: Upon the spreading of this news over the whole island, Piander,
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  Speaker 1: king of the Mercians, with a very great army of Saxons,
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  Speaker 1: came to Exeter and besieged Bryan. End of Book twelve,
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  Speaker 1: Part one