PASSAGE OF TRAETH MAWR AND TRAETH BACHAN, AND OF NEVYN, CARNARVON, AND
BANGOR
WE continued our journey over the Traeth Mawr, {115a} and Traeth Bachan,
{115b} that is, the greater and the smaller arm of the sea, where two
stone castles have newly been erected; one called Deudraeth, belonging to
the sons of Conan, situated in Evionyth, towards the northern mountains;
the other named Carn Madryn, the property of the sons of Owen, built on
the other side of the river towards the sea, on the head-land Lleyn.
{115c} Traeth, in the Welsh language, signifies a tract of sand flooded
by the tides, and left bare when the sea ebbs. We had before passed over
the noted rivers, the Dissenith, {115d} between the Maw and Traeth Mawr,
and the Arthro, between the Traeth Mawr and Traeth Bachan. We slept that
night at Nevyn, on the eve of Palm Sunday, where the archdeacon, after
long inquiry and research, is said to have found Merlin Sylvestris.
{115e}
Beyond Lleyn, there is a small island inhabited by very religious monks,
called Cælibes, or Colidei. This island, either from the wholesomeness
of its climate, owing to its vicinity to Ireland, or rather from some
miracle obtained by the merits of the saints, has this wonderful
peculiarity, that the oldest people die first, because diseases are
uncommon, and scarcely any die except from extreme old age. Its name is
Enlli in the Welsh, and Berdesey {116a} in the Saxon language; and very
many bodies of saints are said to be buried there, and amongst them that
of Daniel, bishop of Bangor.
The archbishop having, by his sermon the next day, induced many persons
to take the cross, we proceeded towards Banchor, passing through
Caernarvon, {116b} that is, the castle of Arvon; it is called Arvon, the
province opposite to Môn, because it is so situated with respect to the
island of Mona. Our road leading us to a steep valley, {116c} with many
broken ascents and descents, we dismounted from our horses, and proceeded
on foot, rehearsing, as it were, by agreement, some experiments of our
intended pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Having traversed the valley, and
reached the opposite side with considerable fatigue, the archbishop, to
rest himself and recover his breath, sat down on an oak which had been
torn up by the violence of the winds; and relaxing into a pleasantry
highly laudable in a person of his approved gravity, thus addressed his
attendants: “Who amongst you, in this company, can now delight our
wearied ears by whistling?” which is not easily done by people out of
breath. He affirming that he could, if he thought fit, the sweet notes
are heard, in an adjoining wood, of a bird, which some said was a
woodpecker, and others, more correctly, an aureolus. The woodpecker is
called in French, _spec_, and with its strong bill, perforates oak trees;
the other bird in called aureolus, from the golden tints of its feathers,
and at certain seasons utters a sweet whistling note instead of a song.
Some persons having remarked, that the nightingale was never heard in
this country, the archbishop, with a significant smile, replied, “The
nightingale followed wise counsel, and never came into Wales; but we,
unwise counsel, who have penetrated and gone through it.” We remained
that night at Banchor, {117} the metropolitan see of North Wales, and
were well entertained by the bishop of the diocese. {118a} On the next
day, mass being celebrated by the archbishop before the high altar, the
bishop of that see, at the instance of the archbishop and other persons,
more importunate than persuasive, was compelled to take the cross, to the
general concern of all his people of both sexes, who expressed their
grief on this occasion by loud and lamentable vociferations.