BRITANNIA AFTER THE ROMANS, Etc. BEING AN ATTEMPT TO ILLUSTRATE THE RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL REVOLUTIONS OF THAT PROVINCE IN THE FIFTH AND SUCCEEDING CENTURIES. 1836 ( Page 1 ) Brittania After The Romans BEING AN ATTEMPT TO ILLUSTRATE THE RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL REVOLUTIONS OF THAT PROVINCE IN THE FIFTH AND SUCCEEDING CENTURIES. LONDON: HENRY G. BOHN, 4, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN. MDCCCXXXVI. ( Page 2 ) ADVERTISEMENT HIS volume exhibits the beginning of an attempt to illustrate, in a manner somewhat different from what has hitherto been done, one of the most obscure and unknown Tportions of human history. At the same time it should be premised that this is not a history, but merely an essay upon history, which presupposes in such few readers as it is likely to have some previous familiarity with the narratives, such as they are, of which the world is in possession. It was undertaken under the impression, that the subject has bearings by 'no means unimportant. The materials out of which the truth is to be elicited are singularly meagre in their amount and unsatisfactory in their character. An author pursuing this path has the vexation of seeing. at every step, that his doubts and imperfect information do not arise merely from the distance of time and the wreck of empires and their monuments, and of perceiving in many quarters an intention to deceive accompanying the profession to instruct. The following beautiful verses seem perfectly adapted to describe the nature of his task, Quale per incertam lunam, sub lute malignâ, Est iter in sylvis; ubi coelum Jupiter umbra Condidit et rebus nox abstulit atra colorem. To restore to those things their true colour requires, so far as it can be done at all, not only penetration and acumen, but the strength of a moderating judgment to keep those faculties within their due bounds. And those who have been thus gifted have found the subject too distasteful to invite much of their attention, and so have left it to the first occupant. There is, to unskillful hands at least, no small additional difficulty, in arranging and marshalling the topics in question to the best advantage. Whether to give the precedence to this more historical part, or to the more doctrinal exposition of that Neo-Druidic heresy or apostasy, which governed the course of events, and cannot be separated from the consideration of them, was a perplexing question. And the order here used was only adopted, as seeming the least awkward and difficult of the two. The whole execution of this attempt is too little satisfactory even to the partial judgment of its author, to afford any sanguine hope of its giving satisfaction to readers. Yet it must entirely depend upon the encouragement given to this portion of it, whether it shall be carried further, or not. ( Page 3 ) CONTENTS INTRODUCTION. CHAP. I: The Welsh Bards.—Arthurian Romance.—The Triads.—Gildas, Henning, and Marcus.— Tysilio and Geoffrey ap Arthur.— Mabinogion, etc.—Modern Etymologists.— Modern Celtic Literature CHAP. II: Names of Britannia; Prydain, Brython, Prydyn, and Brittla.—The Ducaledons, Vecturions, and Scots.—Names of Albion, Alwion, and Alban.—Names of the Cymmry, the Cumbrians, the Cimbrians, and the Brigantes.—Names of Wales, of the Gall, and of the Galatæ.—Important passage of Pausanias.—Names of Micosmis, Lloegyr, etc. CHAP. III: Britain under the Roman Emperors.—Elevation of Tyrants, and its tendency towards separation.—Carausius.—Maximus and his Wife.—Colony of Little Britain in Armorica.— Vindication of its History.—Marcus.—Gratianus Municeps CHAP. IV: Constantin us, Constans, and Gerontius.—Re volt of Britannia.—Eugenius, son of Maximus, First King.—Symptoms of religions Apostasy. —Gwrtheyrn or Vortigern.—His Treaty with Hengist, and Marriage with Hengist's daughter.—Protracted Rebellion and Disasters.—Banquet and Massacre at the Stonehenge.—Vindication of Hengist and Gwrtheyrn.— Misfortunes and Death of the latter. CHAP. V: Mythological History.—Bardic Theocracy.—Emmrys Gwledig or Aurelius Ambrosius, otherwise Merddin.—Reign of the Sun.—Immolation of Hengist.—Reign of Uthyr Pendragon or Gorlassar, the Jupiter of the Greeks and Romans . CHAP. IV: Mythological Reign of Arthur.—Attributes of that Deity.—The Monkish imposture at Glastonbury.—Medrawd Mythological.—Not Two Arthurs.—Arthur identical with Hercules, and called Hercules.—Attila the object of the honours paid to Arthur.—Nature of the pretended Battle of Camlan and other similar Battles.—Exposure of Bran's Head.—Arthur son of Algothus.—Daniel Dremrudd.—The Hobgoblin Dynasty, its policy, and downfall. CHAP. V: Constantine son of Cador.—Election of Maelgwn.—His Style.—Character of Maelgwn.—His Chronology.—He was the Nephew and Murderer of Vortigern.—Concerning Caredig and Gwrthevyr Gendigaid. —Reigns of Cadvan and Cadwallon.—Cadwaladyr.—His Conquests in England.—He is the Cedwalla of English History.—His Abdication.—The Bard Golyddan.—Cadwaladyr's Baptism and Death.—Recapitulation. DIGRESSIONS On the Nation of Gildas Upon Owen's Dictionary On the Vecturions or Gwyddel Fichti On the Battle of Cattraeth or Gododin Upon Caer Conan Upon British Coinage ( Page 4 ) Introduction Chapter I THE WELSH BARDS.—ARTHURIAN ROMANCE.—THE TRIADS.— GILDAS, NENNIUS, AND MARCUS.—TYSILIO AND GEOFFREY AP ARTHUR.—MABINOGION, ETC.—MODERN ETYMOLOGISTS.— MODERN CELTIC LITERATURE. HE state of religion, manners, and opinions in general, among the Britons of the 5th and 6th centuries, are best to be conjectured from the poetical remains of those men whom Tthey called Bards. I do not propose to add much to what Mr. Sharon Turner, and Mr. E. Davies, followed up by Mr. Probert in his Preface to Aneurin, have written in demonstration of their authenticity, or at least of the more important portion of them. Yet I wish to remove one objection which, though it has not been raised, may one day rise up to their prejudice. The Avallenau of Merddin contains the Ambrosian prophecy concerning Cadwallader and Conan. " Sweet[1] Apple-tree with yet sweeter' fruits, growing in secret in the woodlands of Celyddon! all shall seek it with unavailing faith for the sake of its produce. But when Cadwallader comes to the conference at the ford of Rheon with Conan, in opposition to the movements of the Saxons, the Cymmry become supreme, and brilliant is their leader." The like occurs in the Armes Brydain bearing Taliesin's name, [2]Conan in Gwynedd Is the omen before the slaughter, And Cadwallader is A joy unto Cymmry. Another poem of the same Bard describes the Ambrosian prophecies in general, as being " of (i. e. not by but concerning) Cadwallader and Conan." [3]It is intimated in the prophecy, In the long cry abundantly poured forth, In the long public Chief-Song Of Cadwallader and Conan, Let the heat of the sun consume The benefactor Microcosm. In Elphin's consolation he says, When he flies from the judgment What is the bard or his song, When Conan is called To the chair of citation Before the presence of Cadwallader, And he flies from decease in the earth To Conan son of Bran? Conan and Cadwallader occur in the Armes of Golyddan (v. 163) and are a Bardic common-place. I have always understood this part of the predictions of old Merddin Ambrose to express that, at some future time, the several fragments of the British empire should be reunited in a successful league against the Saxons. When Arthur returns as a grey-headed old man on a white-horse, ( Page 5 ) "then[3] Cadwallader shall call on Conan and take Albany into alliance." North Britain or Albany, Little Britain, signified by the name of its founder Conan of Meriadawg, and Wales, signified by Cadwallader, the last of its princes who titularly reigned over all Britannia, shall be confederated together, and the others shall obey the citation to do homage before the throne of Cadwallader. Geoffrey had been taught to understand it thus, and so explained it; " the Britons shall lose their kingdom for many ages, till Conan[4] shall alight from his Armorican chariot, and Cadwallader, venerable chief of the Cambrians, which two shall unite the Scots, Cambrians, Cornubians, and Armoricans in a firm league, and restore to their own people the lost crown, expel the enemy, and renew the times of Brutus." Upon that notion, we should conclude these poems to be of a date subsequent to the dereliction of his crown by Saint Cadwallader, which happened in[5] A.D. 664 or 688. The difficulty may be cleared up in this manner. Cad-Gwaladyr (i. e. the Disposer of Battles) was a name actually occurring in the Ambrosian Prophecies, in their original shape, and as it now stands in them. Cadwallon ap Cadvan imposed that name upon his child, either thinking the time was ripe for the fulfilment of those predictions, or that the name itself, by its inspiriting influence, might in some measure verify them. Upon that principle, a Prince of Armorica was baptized Arthur, and more lately the second son of the Czar Paul, Constantine. The circumstance, that King[6] Cadwallader, together with Alan Prince of Britanny, searched the Ambrosian prophecies, in order to learn whether they might endeavour the reconquest of Britain, and decided in the negative, confirms my view of the subject. And the historian who relates it as a simple fact, makes no allusion to Cadwallader's name being actually mentioned in the volume which was searched. By this hypothesis another point may be elucidated. The very name of the British Monarchy was abolished by Cadwallader's resignation, and from thenceforth the Princes of its various fragments were contented with mere local appellatives. No history suggests, that the regal honours of Britain were abandoned on the demand of the Saxons, or by a treaty with them.