genealogy is traced up to Aedd Mawr, the mythical" first sole monarch of the Isle of Britain."

His correct pedigree, however, will be found in the Old-Welsh genealogies in Harleian MS. 3859,1 where he is made to be the son of Guotepauc, the son of Tecmant-Godebog being his father's name, and not his epithet, which was Hên. According to these genealogies he was the father of Garbaniaun and Ceneu. Of his race, especially through Ceneu, were descended most of the "Men of the North." 2

Skene says that " Ayrshire-divided into the three districts of Cuningham, Kyle, and Carrick-seems to have been the main seat of the families of the race of Coel, from whom indeed the district of Coel, now Kyle, is said traditionally to have taken its name. There is every reason to believe that Boece, in filling up the regions of his phantom kings with imaginary events, used local traditions where he could find them; and he tells us Kyl dein proxima est vel Coil potius nominata, a Coilo Britannorum rege ibi in pugna cæso'; and a circular mound at Coilsfield, in the parish of Tarholton, is pointed out by local tradition as his tomb." 3

Geoffrey of Monmouth, who styles him Earl of Gloucester, says that he had only one child, Elen Luyddog, or Helen, the wife of Constantius, and the mother of Constantine the Great. However, the old Welsh saga, the Dream of Maxen Wledig, makes Elen Luyddog the daughter of Eudaf, son of Caradog, and the wife of Maxen.

S. COF, Confessor

THERE were two Saints of this name.

I. Cof, the son of Ceidio ab Arthwys, of the race of Ceneu ab Coel. He and his brothers, Gwenddoleu and Nudd, were Saints at Llantwit.4

II. Cof, the son of Caw. His name occurs in two lists of Caw's children, reputed to have been Saints.5

The saintship of both rests entirely upon the authority of the Iolo MSS.

1 Y Cymmrodor, ix, p. 174.

3 Four Ancient Books, i, p. 170.

4 Iolo MSS., pp. 106, 128.

the North" (Peniarth MS. 45). 5 Iolo MSS., pp. 137, 142.

2 Peniarth MS. 45.

His name occurs in the "Descent of the Men of

S. COFEN, see S. CWYFAN

S. COLLEN, Abbot, Confessor

THERE is a Life of S. Collen in Welsh, but no copies of it appear to exist of earlier date than the sixteenth century.1

According to this Life he was the son of Gwynog ab Caledog (al. Cydebog) ab Cawrdaf ab Caradog Freichfras, and his mother was Ethni (al. Eithinen) Wyddeles, daughter of Matholwch, an Irish lord.2 The Welsh genealogies differ as to his pedigree. Some agree with the Life 3; others make him son of Pedrwn ab Coleddog ab Gwyn. They give his mother as Ethni or Ethinen Wyddeles, a name not uncommon as Ethne or Eithne in Irish. The Life states that she was Matholwch's daughter by one of his wife's handmaids, and was sent to Britain to be reared.

Ethni, the night she conceived, dreamt that a dove flew to her, took her heart out of her bosom, and bore it up to heaven, whence the bird returned, and restoring it to its place, with sweet odours, disappeared.

Collen, when a youth, was sent to France to study at Orleans, where he remained for over eight years, during the time, it is said, of Julian the Apostate, but this is an anachronism, as Collen lived in the seventh and not the fourth century.

To bring the incessant wars that were then being waged between the Pagans and Christians to a speedy termination, a paynim named Bras (possibly a Saracen) challenged to fight in single combat any one that the Christians might choose to pit against him, stipulating

1 The earliest known MS. containing the Life is Hafod MS. 19, written in 1536. The copy to be printed in the appendix to this work is from this MS. There are

"

also copies in Llanstephan MSS. 117 (1544-52), 34 (late sixteenth century), 18 (early eighteenth century), and Brit. Mus. Addit. MS. 14,987. The Life has been printed in Y Greal, London, 1807, pp. 337-41. In Llanstephan MS. 117 he is called Collen Filwr." Collen (pl. cŷll) is the common name for the hazel, but it also occurs, very rarely, for a sapling, as in collen derwen (Mabinogion, ed. Rhys and Evans, p. 129). For the name compare Onen Greg, Yspyddaden Bencawr, etc.

2 The Life tells us that his "lordship" or district was called Rwngcwl, al. Rwngkwc, at the time it was written. Its situation is unknown to us. There is a Rathcoole near Dublin, another in co. Cork, and another in co. Louth.

3 Cambro-British Saints, p. 270; Myv. Arch., p. 420; Iolo MSS., pp. 108, 123. They, however, give his grandfather as Coleddog, Clydog, Cadellog, and Cadell. Hafod MS. 16 (c. 1400); Cambro-British Saints, p. 268; Myv. Arch., p. 420..

that the losing side should henceforth adopt the religion of the conqueror. The Pope was greatly perplexed, for he could not find any Christian brave enough to accept the challenge. At last he was divinely directed to go to Porth Hantwn,1 and the first person he met there should be his choice. He traversed land and sea until he reached that port, and the first person he met was Collen, who cheerfully accepted the challenge.

The champions met. In the first encounter Collen's hand was slightly wounded. Bras counselled him to give in, adding that he would cure the wound for him by the application of a precious ointment that he had in his basinet, and at the same time magnanimously handed him the ointment box. Collen applied some of the ointment to the wound and it was healed forthwith, but instead of returning the box to Bras, he threw it into the river, so that neither should get any further benefit from it. Collen next felled his antagonist, who, imploring him not to kill him, promised to embrace the Christian religion. The Pope baptized him there and then, and "the whole nation of the Greeks believed, and they were all baptized."

As a souvenir of this signal victory, the Pope presented Collen with a relic, none other than the lily that blossomed before the pagans, when one of them said that it was no truer that a son was born to the Virgin, than that the withered lily in yonder pot should ever bear fair flowers. Then that lily blossomed. That lily the Pope gave to Collen, who brought it into this Island, and it is said to be still at Worcester." 2

Collen, landing in Cornwall, came to Glastonbury Abbey, where he took the religious habit, and in three months' time was chosen abbot. Then, with the convent's leave, "he took upon him a life that was heavier and harder than being abbot," which consisted in preaching and upholding the Catholic Faith. This he daily pursued for the space of three years, and then returned to the abbey, where he remained five years. 'Then he became angry with the men of the land for their wrong-doing, and cursed them." His choleric temper now drove him to Glastonbury Tor, and "there he made himself a cell under a rock in a secret place out of the way."

One day, whilst in his cell, he overheard two men talking about Gwyn ab Nudd, and remarking that he was king of Annwn (the Under

1 Al. Porth Hamwnt; now Southampton. The South is modern. as Porth Hamtwn and Porth Hamwnt in Geoffrey's Welsh Brut.

It occurs

2 We fear nothing is known to-day of this relic at Worcester, any more than of S. Oudoceus' butter-made cup turned into gold, said to be still in Ecclesiâ Landaviæ honorifice reservatur (Book of Llan Dâv, p. 137).

world) and the Fairies. This was too much for Collen. He put out his head and bade them stop their foolish talk immediately; these were none other than demons. They replied that he would have to answer for such words as those. He then drew in his head. Presently he heard knocking at his door, and got for reply, "I am here, the messenger of Gwyn ab Nudd, King of Annwn, to bid thee come by mid-day to-morrow to speak with him on the top of the hill." Collen declined to go. The same messenger-" in raiment the one half red and the other half blue "-came again the next day, and the day after, when at last, losing patience, he said, “If thou dost not come, Collen, it will be the worse for thee." The menace disconcerted him, and, taking with him some holy water he had prepared, he proceeded up the hill.

"On reaching the top, he saw the fairest castle that he had ever beheld, manned by the best-appointed troops; and there were numbers of musicians with every manner of song, vocal and instrumental ; steeds with youths riding them, the handsomest in the world; maidens of noble mien, sprightly, light-footed, gay-apparelled, and in the bloom of youth; and every magnificence becoming the court of a sumptuous king. He beheld a courteous man on the rampart, who bade him enter, saying that the king was waiting for him to come to dine. Collen entered the castle, and found the king sitting in a chair of gold. He welcomed Collen with due honour, and bade him seat himself at the table, adding that, besides what he saw thereon before him, he should have the rarest of all dainties and luxuries his mind could desire, and should be supplied with every liquor and sweet drink his heart could wish; and that there were in readiness for him every luxury of courtesy and service, of banquet and honourable entertainment, of rank and gifts, and of every respect and welcome due to a man of his wisdom. I will not,' said Collen, eat the tree-leaves.' Hast thou ever seen men better apparelled than these in red and blue?' asked the king. Their apparel is good enough,' said Collen, ' of the kind it is.' 'What kind is that?' inquired the king. Then answered Collen: 'The red on the one side betokens burning, and the blue on the other betokens cold'; and with that he drew out his sprinkler (siobo), and dashed the holy water over them, whereupon they vanished out of his sight, so that there was neither castle, nor troops, nor men, nor maidens, nor music, nor song, nor steeds, nor youths, nor banquet, nor the appearance of anything whatsoever but the green tumps."

That night, on his return to his cell, Collen prayed God that he might have a place to dwell in for the rest of his life, and he was

bidden to go a journey next day until he met a horse, which he was to mount; and as much ground as he could compass that day should be "his sanctuary until Doomsday." He met the horse at a place called Rhysfa Maes Cadfarch 1; and "he rode it round his parish, and in the centre of the sanctuary made his cell," in which he spent the remainder of his days, and within it was laid to his rest.

This strange legend, which makes Collen act the part of S. Michael the Archangel-the common champion of Christianity against the Powers of Darkness in Celtic as in other lands-is still current, in a slightly altered form, in the Vale of Llangollen. The older and fuller version printed is to the following effect. Long ages ago there dwelt at Bwlch Rhiwfelen, an elevation commanding an extensive view of the country round, a giantess popularly called Cawres y Bwlch (the Giantess of the Pass), who had a penchant for killing and devouring every human being that attempted to go through the pass. The good man S. Collen, who lived hard by, determined to rid the district of the pest. So one day, having specially whetted his sword, he proceeded up the Bwlch. The giantess duly made her appearance, and he asked her who she was, and what was she doing there. She replied, "It is I myself killing myself" ("Myfi fy hun yn fy lladd fy hun.") They both engaged in combat, and Collen knocked off her right arm with his sword. She quickly picked up the bleeding dismembered arm and began to strike the Saint with it, but he next cut off her other arm. Then she cried aloud on Arthur the Giant to come to her aid out of his stronghold in the Eglwyseg Rocks. But Collen had the mastery over her, and slew her, and washed himself of her blood-stains in a well near at hand (on the mountain), which is known to this day as Ffynnon Gollen.2

S. Collen is the patron of Llangollen,

Denbighshire, an extensive

parish comprising originally nineteen or twenty-one townships.

1

"

"

The Course of the Charger's Field." Greal, simply Rhysfa Cadfarch. It has been supposed that it is in Somersetshire (Owen, Sanctorale Catholicum, 1880, p. 248). The Greal copy, which is in some respects fuller in detail than that in Hafod MS. 19, states here that he was to proceed from the Tor until he saw a road leading on towards the east (yn cyrchu wyneb y dwyrain), which he was to follow until he met a horse," the same day. That would not be in the direction of Wales. But there must be some mistake here, as the "sanctuary" meant is surely Llangollen.

2 The legend is given in the Welsh quarterly, Taliesin, Ruthin, 1860, p. 286; the Journal of the British Archæological Association, 1878, pp. 426-7; and Y Geninen, 1900, p. 4. The last version, which was picked up near Corwen, varies a little. It says that she lived in a cave on a hill-slope; that cattle, as well as human beings, were her victims; and that Collen was of the female sex.

Sawyl, son of Llywarch Hên, was buried at Llangollen, and another son,