Then came the rule of the Welsh kings, and, though we know but little
with certainty, we seem to realise that it brought great changes to the
religious' life of Man. The Church began to possess itself of lands: the
baronial territories of the island fell into the hands of the clergy;
the early Bishops became Barons. This gave the Church certain powers
of government. The Bishops became judges, and as judges they possessed
great power over the person of the subject. Sometimes they stood in the
highest place of all, being also Governor to the Welsh Kings. Then they
were called Sword-Bishops. Their power at such times, when the crosier
and sword were in the two hands of one man, must have been portentous,
and even terrible. We have no records that picture what came of that.
But it is not difficult to imagine the condition. The old order of
things had passed away. The hermit-saints, the saintly hermits, had
gone, and in their place were monkish barons, living in abbeys and
monasteries, whipping the poor bodies of their people, as well as
comforting their torn hearts, fattening on broad lands, praying each
with his lips: "Give us this day our daily bread," but saying each to
his soul: "Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine
ease; eat, drink, and be merry."