THE ENGLISH REVIEW, For MAY, 1786. ART. I. The Hiftory of Wales, in nine Bocks: with an Appendix. By the THE fpirit of hiftorical compofition, which fo generally pre vails in the present age throughout Europe, but efpecially in our island, has produced, and still continues to produce, many hiftories, which fcarcely aim at novelty of information, and whose only object it is either to excel other compofitions in fine writing, to defend some controverted opinion, or to give a colouring to the transactions and events which form the body of our history, agreeable to the maxims and partial views of those men, who, for the time, prefide at the helm of government. And, as it is the nature of princes and men in power to grafp all authority in their own hands, the greater part of our most celebrated hiftorians give an air and aspect to their works inimical to civil liberty and the rights of human nature. Thefe ftrictures are not applicable to the hiftory before us. The subject which the author has chofen ftood in need of illuftration; he has brought forward many facts, either not at all, or but little known: Known facts in his hands affume a new form' by a judicious and important arrangement: and it is not his ob ject to flatter the great, but to record and do juftice to the long and gallant refiftance of Wales, against the invafions of a nation fuperior to itself in refources, in policy, and the art of war. Thefe glorious efforts, this long lingering Spirit of liberty forms the principal bond of connection by which the great va ENG. REV. Vol. VI. May 1786. X riety riety of matter, which the history under confideration embraces, are brought into one point of view. This is the uniting principle of the separated facts which it records: And although many of these facts can only intereft the people, and in fome inftances the defcendants of the families to which they relate, our author has intermixed with them many fcenes which give relief to the reader, and carry him at leaft with patience. through long and rugged paths: We fhall lay before our readers the motives and views of our author, in the publication before us, as delineated by himfelf. It is therefore a juft occafion of regret, as well as of furprife, that the hiftory of Wales is no where to be found, to this day, but in the chronicle of the monk Carodoc of Llancarvan; in which nothing further is given, than a fimple detail of facts. In this interefting field of hiftory, no attempt has yet been made to inveftigate the motives of policy, to trace back effects to their causes, to delineate with just difcrimination perfonal or national characters, and to digeft the materials of the narration into that perspicuous order which is essential to the utility of hiftorical writing. This deficiency the author has attempted to fupply, in the work now offered to the world. The defign will be allowed to be laudable; with what success it has been executed, it remains for the public to determine. If he has opened no new fources of information, he has been careful to examine the old; and has not fervilely transcribed, or implicitly followed the modern hiftorians. What he has done neither precludes, nor is intended to preclude, the future labours of other writers who are deeply read in the Welsh language and manuscripts. The field is ftill open to a more able hiftorian, and to the profound researches of the learned antiquary:' Mr. WARRINGTON has dedicated his work to the Duke of Devonshire, in a manner confiftent with propriety, with modefty and with truth. He has prefixed to his narrative fome neceffary directions to the reader who is a ftranger to the Welsh language; fhewing the right pronunciation of all the letters that differ from the English orthography, and this work is divided into nine books: His first book contains a review of the British history before the retreat of the Romans out of Britain. This review is judicious; but contains nothing that is not generally known to men of letters. In the fecond and third books we have a review of the British history from the final retreat of the Romans to that period when the ancient Britons were driven into Wales, Cornwall, and Armorica; and an account of the wars between the Saxons and Welsh to the death of RODERIC, on whom it seems the admiration of his people beftowed the title of GREAT in 877 This is that period which Mr. Hume fays abounds in names, but is extremely barren of events; or that the events are related fo much without circumftances and caufes, that the moft profound or moft eloquent writer muft despair of rendering them either inftructive or entertaining to the reader. Even the great learning and vigorous imagination of Milton funk under the weight; and this author fcruples not to declare, that the skirmishes of kites or crows were as much deserving a patticular narrative as the, confused transactions and battles of the Saxon Heptarchy." Mr. Hume, by exciting the hopes of a pleafing profpect, after he has conducted his reader through the bleak mountains that intervene, and the mafterly powers of. his own genius, traverses the Heptarchy without throwing his reader into any deep languor. Mr. Warrington, without the tranfcendant abilities of Mr. Hume, without fo wide a field, and so fair a profpect, has contrived to render this barren period, barren certainly of great and splendid events, not a little interesting, by means directly oppofite to thofe employed by the great English hiftorian. He dwells upon the principal facts and characters, fuch as they are. By minute inquiry into par ticulars, not known, or much noticed by other hiftorians, he bestows an intereft on them, which, mentioned in a summary manner, they would not poffefs. Of this the following extract will serve as an example. • Induced by the flattering description which Hengift had given of Britain, a large body of Saxons came over; and among these was the daughter of that prince, the beautiful Rowenna. The arrival of these troops was feen with a jealous eye by many of the Britons, who were juftly alarmed at the confequences of introducing into the country fo great a number of foreigners. But Vortigern, the prefiding demon in the fate of Britain, whofe fecret machinations, it is probable, intro-, duced this reinforcement, either defpifed the remonftrance of his fubjects, or had the addrefs to filence their fears; and to perfuade them of the neceffity of fuch a measure, on the plaufible pretext that the first body of Saxons from their late loffes would be infufficient to protect them from their enemies. • The intercourfe fubfifting between Hengift and the British king had given him the opportunity of obferving the conftitutional charac ter of that monarch; and on this bafis he hoped to form an alliance that should serve as a cement to their common interefts, and give folidity to his own future defigns. Having frequently acknowledged his obli-, gations to Vortigern, he requested the honour of his company, to a feaft, at the cattle he had lately erected, that by every entertaininent in his power he might exprefs his refpect and gratitude. Vortigern accepted the invitation to a jupper, and the caroufal was highly magnificent. In the height of their festivity, when the wine had circulated, and 66 and the mind was open to no other impreffion than pleasure, the fair Rowenna appeared in the hall, magnificently dreft, holding a gold cup in her hand which was full of wine; and, having gracefully prefented herself upon one knee before the king, thus addreffed him in her own language. "Waes heal blaford Cyning, or, Be of health lord king." Agreeably furprised with the fudden appearance of a beautiful lady kneeling before him, the king demanded of his chamberlain, who was the interpreter, the nature of her fuit. He was informed that the princefs Rowenna accofted him after the manner of her country, where it was ufual at caroufals for any one who fhall drink to another to cry webeil; the perton to whom he thus fpeaks fhall anfwer, drynkbeil; then he who first cried washeil drinks, and presents him with the cup. While the interpreter was explaining to Vortigern the nature of this gothic feftivity, that prince fmiled upon Rowenna, and faid to her in the Saxon language drynk heil," or drink the health; upon this the princefs drank a little out of the cup, and presented it gracefully to the king, who then, agreeably to the cuftom, gave her a falute. She immediately retired, with the profound eft refpect, out of the king's pefence. The uncommon beauty of the princefs, the gracefulnefs of her manners, and the touching fingularity of the action, impreffed on him when he was heated with wine, entirely fascinated the foul of Vortigern, and left no traces of any other fentiments in his mind than thofe love and defire. To increase ftill more this amorous frenzy, many impediments were artfully thrown by Hengift in the way of his paffion. But the infatuated monarch, inflamed with defire, difregarded every obstacle which the dictates of prudence, religion, and honour, had opposed to his wifhes. He immediately removed the chief impediment, by divorcing his wife, who had born him three fons; and having married the Saxon princefs, he invested Hengist with the fovereignty of Kent, violently wrefting that territory from its original proprietor; he likewife put him in poffeffion of the three counties of Effex, Suffolk, and Middlefex." Mr. Warrington, after a recital, which he modeftly calls tedious, of inroads and battles, opens to the view of his readers the modes of life and private manners of the Welsh. In this detail the author has given little more than a fimple tranfcript of Giraldus, a learned monk, who lived in the reign of Henry the fecond, and was a native of South Wales; being of Jopinion that fuch delineations, by the pencil of a cotemporary, would appear more pleafing in their original colours and native fimplicity. The Welsh (according to Giraldus Cambrenfis, who was himself a native of the country, and wrote in a period when their native manners were pure and unadulterated by foreign intercourfe) were a nation light and nimble, and more fierce than ftrong; from the lowest to the highest of the people they were devoted to arms, which the plowman as as well as the courtier was prepared to feize on the firft fummons. Their chief employment in works of husbandry was, that for oats they opened the foil, once only in March and April; and for wheat or rye they turned it up twice in the fummer, and a third time in winter, about the feafon of thrashing. • The chief fuftenance of this people, in refpect of their food, was cattle and oats, befides milk, cheese, and butter; though they usually eat more plentifully of flesh meat than of bread. As they were not engaged in the occupations of traffic, either by fea or land, their time was entirely employed in military affairs. They were fo anxious for the prefervation of their country and its liberties, that they esteemed it delightful not only to fight for them, but even tơ facrifice their lives: and, agreeably to this fpirit, they entertained an idea, that it was a difgrace to die in their beds, but an honour to fall in the field. Such was their eager courage, that, although unarmed, they often dared to engage with men entirely covered with armour and in fuch engagements, by their activity and valour, they usually came off conquerors. That their activity might not be impeded by any unneceffary incumbrance, they made ufe of light armour; fuch as fmaller coats of mail, fhields, and fometimes of iron greaves; their offenfive weapons were arrows and long fpears. Their bows were ufually made of flight twigs joined or twifted together, and, though rude in their form, they discharged an arrow with great force. The people of North Wales were remarkable for fpears, fo long and well pointed, that they could pierce through an iron coat of mail; the men of South Wales were accounted the most expert archers. The chieftains, when they went to war, were mounted on swift horfes, bred in the country; the lower forts of people, on account of the marshes, as well as the inequalities of the ground, marched on foot to battle; though, whenever the occafion or the place rendered it neceffary for the purpofes either of fighting or flying, the horsemen themfelves difmounted and ferved on foot. • The Welsh either went with their feet entirely bare, or they used boots of raw leather, instead of shoes, fewed together with raw fkin.` In the time of peace, the young men accuftomed themselves to penetrate the woods and thickets, and to run over the tops of mountains; and, by continuing this exercise through the day and night, they prepared themselves for the fatigues and employments of war. These people were not given to excefs either in eating or drinking. They had no fet time appointed for their meals, nor any expenfive richness in their clothes. Their whole attention was occupied in the fplendid appearance of their horfes and arms, in the defence of their country, and in the care of their plunder. Accustomed to fast from morning to night, their minds were wholly employed on business; they gave up the day entirely to prudent deliberations, and in the evening they partook of a fober fupper. But if, at any time, it happened, that they were not able to procure any, or only a very sparing repast, they patiently waited till the next morning; and in this fituation, pre X 3 vented |
