OF THE JOURNEY BY WENLOCH, BRUMFELD, THE CASTLE OF LUDLOW, AND
LEOMINSTER, TO HEREFORD
FROM Shrewsbury, we continued our journey towards Wenloch, by a narrow
and rugged way, called Evil-street, where, in our time, a Jew, travelling
with the archdeacon of the place, whose name was Sin (_Peccatum_), and
the dean, whose name was Devil, towards Shrewsbury, hearing the
archdeacon say, that his archdeaconry began at a place called
Evil-street, and extended as far as Mal-pas, towards Chester, pleasantly
told them, “It would be a miracle, if his fate brought him safe out of a
country, whose archdeacon was Sin, whose dean the devil; the entrance to
the archdeaconry Evil-street, and its exit Bad-pass.” {137}
From Wenloch, we passed by the little cell of Brumfeld, {138} the noble
castle of Ludlow, through Leominster to Hereford leaving on our right
hand the districts of Melenyth and Elvel; thus (describing as it were a
circle) we came to the same point from which we had commenced this
laborious journey through Wales.
During this long and laudable legation, about three thousand men were
signed with the cross; well skilled in the use of arrows and lances, and
versed in military matters; impatient to attack the enemies of the faith;
profitably and happily engaged for the service of Christ, if the
expedition of the Holy Cross had been forwarded with an alacrity equal to
the diligence and devotion with which the forces were collected. But by
the secret, though never unjust, judgment of God, the journey of the
Roman emperor was delayed, and dissensions arose amongst our kings. The
premature and fatal hand of death arrested the king of Sicily, who had
been the foremost sovereign in supplying the holy land with corn and
provisions during the period of their distress. In consequence of his
death, violent contentions arose amongst our princes respecting their
several rights to the kingdom; and the faithful beyond sea suffered
severely by want and famine, surrounded on all sides by enemies, and most
anxiously waiting for supplies. But as affliction may strengthen the
understanding, as gold is tried by fire, and virtue may be confirmed in
weakness, these things are suffered to happen; since adversity (as
Gregory testifies) opposed to good prayers is the probation of virtue,
not the judgment of reproof. For who does not know how fortunate a
circumstance it was that Paul went to Italy, and suffered so dreadful a
shipwreck? But the ship of his heart remained unbroken amidst the waves
of the sea.