10.2. The returne of Dermon Mac Morogh from king Henrie through England, and of his abode at Bristow and other places in Wales. Chap. 2.

The returne of Dermon Mac Morogh from king Henrie through England, and of his abode at Bristow and other places in Wales. Chap. 2.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 DErmon Mac Morogh, hauing recei|ued great comfort and courtesie of the king, taketh his leaue, and returneth home|ward through England. And albeit he had béene verie honourablie and liberallie rewarded of the king: yet he comforted himselfe more with the hope of good successe to come, than with liberalitie re|ceiued. And by his dailie iornieng he came at length vnto the noble towne of (1) Bristow, where bicause ships and botes did dailie repaire and come from out of Ireland, and he verie desirous to heare of the state of his people and countrie, did for a time soiorne and make his abode: and whilest he was there he would oftentimes cause the kings letters to be openlie red, and did then offer great interteinment, and promi|sed liberall wages to all such as would helpe or serue him; but it serued not. At length Gilbert the sonne of Gilbert, earle of Chepstone (2) came to sée him and to talke with him: and they so long had conferred to|gither, that it was agréed and concluded betwéene them, that the erle in the next spring then following, should aid and helpe him: and in consideration there|of, the said Dermon should giue him his onelie daughter and heire to wife, togither with his whole inheritance, and the succession into his kingdome. These things orderlie concluded, Dermon Mac Mo|rogh being desirous (as all others are) to sée his natu|rall countrie, departed and tooke his iourneie to|wards S. Dauids head or stone (3) in south Wales: for from thence is the shortest cut ouer into Ireland, the same being not a daies falling, and which in a faire daie a man may ken and discerne. At this same time Rice Fitzgriffith was cheefe ruler vnder the king in those parties; and Dauid the second, then bi|shop of S. Dauids, had great pitie and compassion vpon his distresse, miserie, and calamitie.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Dermon thus languishing and lieng for passage, comforted himselfe as well as he might, sometime drawing and as it were breathing the aire of his countrie, which he séemed to breath and smell, some|times viewing and beholding his countrie, which in a faire daie a man may ken and descrie. At this time Robert Fitzstephans vnder Rice had the gouerne|ment, & was constable of Abertefie the cheefe towne in Caretica (4) and by the treacherie and treason of his owne men was apprehended, taken and deliue|red vnto Rice, and by him was kept in prison thrée yeares, but now deliuered, vpon condition he should take part and ioine with Griffith against the king. But Robert Fitzstephans, considering with him|selfe that on his fathers side (who was a Norman) he was the kings naturall subiect, although by his mo|ther the ladie N [...]sta, daughter to the great Rice Fitz|griffith, he were coosen germane to the said Fitzgrif|fith, chose rather to aduenture his life, and to séeke fortune abrode and in sorren countries, than to ha|zard his faith, credit, and same, to the slander, reproch, and infamie of himselfe, and of his posteritie. At length by the earnest mediation and intercession of Dauid then bishop of S. Dauids, and of Paurice EEBO page image 4 Fitzgerald, which were his halfe brothers by the mo|thers side, he was set frée and at libertie: and then it was agréed and concluded betwéene them and Mac Morogh, that he the said Mac Morogh should giue and grant vnto the said Robert Fitzstephans, and Maurice Fitzgerald, the towne of (5) Wexford, with two (6) cantreds of land adioining, & to their heires in fée for euer: and they in consideration thereof, pro|mised to aid and helpe him to recouer his lands the next spring then following: and to be then with him without all faile if wind and weather so serued. Der|mon being wearie of his exiled life and distressed estate, and therfore the more desirous to draw home|wards for the recouerie of his owne, and for which he had so long trauelled and sought abroad: he first went to the church of S. Dauids to make his ori|sons and praiers, and then the wether being faire, and wind good, he aduentureth the seas about the middle of August; and hauing a merrie passage, he shortlie landed in his ingratefull (7) countrie: and with a verie impatient mind, hazarded himselfe among and through the middle of his enimies; and com|ming safelie to (8) Fernes, he was verie honorablie receiued of the cleargie there: who after their abili|tie did refresh and succour him: but he for a time dis|sembling his princelie estate, continued as a priuat man all that winter following among them.

(1) Bristow in the old time was named Odera, afterwards Uenta, and now Bristolium, and standeth vpon the riuer Hauinum which is nauigable, & flée|teth into Seuerne or the Seuerne seas: in it there are two rodes, the one named Kingrode, fiue miles distant from Bristow, in which the ships doo ride. The other is named Hongrode, a place where the ships lie bedded, and this is thrée miles from Bristow. It standeth vpon the borders or confines of the pro|uince of Glocestershire and Summersetshire: some would haue it to be in the marches and vnder the principalitie, but in the old times it was parcell of the valleie of Bath, which was the metropole of Summersetshire. It is verie old, ancient and hono|rable, and sometimes named but a towne: but since for desert and other good considerations, honoured with the name and title of a citie, as also is made a seuerall prouince or countie of it selfe, being distinct from all others; hauing a maior and aldermen accor|ding to the ancient times, as also two shiriffes ac|cording to the latter grants, by whome the same is directed and gouerned. It is the chéefest emporium in that part of England, the inhabitants being for the most part merchants of great wealth, aduen|tures, and traffikes with all nations: great delings they haue with the Camber people and the Irish na|tion, the one of them fast bordering vpon them, and the other by reason of the néerenesse of the seas, and pleasantnesse of the riuer, dailie resorting by water to and from them.

(2) Chepstone is a market towne in Wales, in that prouince named in old time Uenta, being now vnder the principalitie of Wales. In times past it was named Strigulia, whereof Richard Strang|bow being earle he tooke his name, being called Co|mes Strigulensis.

(3) S. Dauids head or stone is the promontorie in west Wales, which lieth and reacheth furthest into the seas towards Ireland: and the same being a ve|rie high hill, a man shall the more easilie discerne in a faire daie the countrie of Wexford: for that is the neerest part of Ireland vnto that part of Wales. Not farre from this promontorie or point is the ca|thedrall church of saint Dauids, which is the sée of the bishop there: it was and is called Meneuia, and was in times past an archbishoprike. But as it is written in the annales of the said church, that in the time of Richard Carew and two of his predecessors bishops there, they were by the kings commandement made to yeeld, and submit themselues vnto the metropoli|tane sée of Canturburie.

(4) Aberteife is an old ancient towne standing vpon the mouth of the riuer of Teife, and thereof it taketh his name, that is to saie the mouth of Teife, but now it is called Cardigan. The countrie about it was in times past named Caretica, but now Cardi|ganshire, so Aberteife is Cardigan towne, and Ca|retica Cardiganshire.

(5) Wexford in Latine named Guesfordia, is next after Dublin the chiefest towne in Leinster, it lieth full vpon the seas, but the hauen is a barred hauen and dangerous: from it is the shortest cut out of I|reland into England, if you doo touch and take land either at saint Dauids or at Milford.

(6) A cantred (as Giraldus saith) is a word com|pounded of the British and of the Irish toongs, and conteineth so much ground as wherein are one hun|dred villages: which in England is termed a hun|dred. Men of later time to declare the same more plainelie, doo saie that it conteined thirtie villages, & euerie village conteined eight plough lands. O|ther saie that a cantred conteineth twentie townes, and euerie towne hath eight plough lands arable, be|sides sufficient pasture in euerie for thrée hundred kine, and none to annoie another; and euerie plough land conteineth six score acres of land Irish, and eue|rie Irish acre farre exceedeth the content of the com|mon acre.

(7) The place where Dermon landed is named Glasse caerge, it is a creeke or a baie lieng vpon the open seas, and in the countie of Wexford, sithence there was builded a monasterie which was and is dissolued.

(8) Fernes is the sée and cathedrall church of the bishop, whose diocesse is the countie of Wexford, it lieth néere in the midle of the prouince of Leinster, and was somtimes a church well adorned and main|teined, but now in great ruine and decaie, the bishop & chapiter not remaining there at all. There is also a strong fort of the princes, wherein sometimes was kept a garrison at the princes charges, but now one|lie a constable is placed therein, and he hath the sole charge thereof.