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name, he is known as Cadoc or Catwg, in Latin Cadocus. In like manner, Briomaglus is the Brioc of hagiology. In the Quimperlé cartulary it is Catuodus.

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Later on, the boy was entrusted to Tathan or Meuthi, to be educated at Caerwent, where he had a college, that had been founded by Ynyr, king of that portion of Gwent. And he, willingly receiving him, diligently instructed him in Donatus and Priscian, and other arts for twelve years."1

The story is told of Cadoc, as of so many other Celtic saints, that he brought live coals to his master in the lap of his habit; and that the place where the coals were concealed was well known till the first half of the eleventh century, and then forgotten. In this instance there may be some basis of fact. Cadoc may have discovered a seam of coal, not in Gwent, but Morganwg, and this the natives continued to use till the irruption of the Normans, when the place was abandoned and forgotten. How old Cadoc was when he was committed to Tathan or Meuthi we do not know, probably when he was a child of six. If so, then he left his master when aged eighteen, and returned. to his father.

The Life, as given by Albert le Grand, however, makes him older than that. His story is as follows:-Gwynllyw, being about to make war on a neighbouring king, committed the command of his men to his son Cathmail. But the young man, feeling no vocation for the military life, ran away, and placed himself under the direction of the Irish teacher. We shall probably be right in transferring this incident to his return from school at Caerwent.

Cathmail, having resolved on embracing the ecclesiastical profession, deserted his home and the lands of his father, and went into Morganwg, to the territory of his uncle, Paul or Pol, of Penychen, who ruled over that district in Morganwg. Here he wandered about alone in a marshy district, and coming suddenly on a herd of swine belonging to Paul, scared and scattered them. The swineherd, incensed at this, raised his lance, and would have transfixed him, had not Cathmail told him his name and relationship to his master.

When Paul learned that his nephew was wandering homeless on his territory, he sent for him and offered him some land on which to settle. Cathmail gladly accepted the marshy valley where he had met the swineherd, and his uncle made it over to him.

In one part of the marsh, where was higher ground, a wild swan had nested, and there also an old grey boar had its lair. As Cathmail was looking about for a suitable spot on which to erect his wattled

1 Vita S. Cadoci, Cambro-British Saints, p. 27.

cell, he disturbed the swan and the boar. The former flew away, but the boar retired reluctantly, and turned thrice to observe the man who had invaded its retreat. Cathmail put sticks into the ground to mark the spots where the boar had halted, and resolved to plant his monastery there, and build his church, refectory and dormitory, at the points where the beast had turned to watch him. He was soon joined by other young men, probably those who had been his fellow students, and had no liking for the rowdy career of a man of war, and this was the beginning of the famous monastery of Llancarfan.

"Then the holy man undertook to throw up a large mound of earth, and to make therein a very beautiful cemetery, to be dedicated to the honour of God; in which the bodies of the faithful might be buried around the temple. The mound being completed, and the cemetery finished in it, he made four large paths over rising grounds about his cell." The position chosen was probably not that where now stands the church of Llancarfan, but a little distance to the south, in a field called "The Culnery," where there are traces of ancient buildings. This spot agrees better with Lifris' description.

After that his buildings of wood ("monasteriolum ex lignorum materie ") were completed, he looked out for another site that would serve as a place of refuge in the event of political incursions or civil war, and chose a hill-top, now Llanfeithin, and there also he threw up a mound that was circular, and on it erected a castle, called Castell Cadog (" in illo alium tumulum in modum urbis rotundum de limo terrae exagerari, ac in tumulum eregi fecit quod Brittonum idiomate Kastil Cadoci nuncupatur").

Llanfeithin, this second settlement, is on high ground, whereas Llancarfan is in the bottom of the valley, which at that time was all morass. It is now included within the parish of Llancarfan, but was formerly an extra-parochial district of some 433 acres. Over against Llanfeithin, on the further side of the valley, is Garn Llwyd, whither Dyfrig was wont to retire, according to local tradition.

The biographer goes on to relate how that Cadoc abandoned his monastery and went to Ireland, "after a long space of time." Arrived in Ireland, he studied in the school of Lismore under S. Carthagh Muchutu, with whom he remained three years. As Carthagh was hardly born at this period, and Lismore was not founded till about 620,2 we have here a gross anachronism. The mistake is due, probably, to the biographer having confounded the Carthaghs. There

1 Vita S. Cadoci, Cambro-British Saints, p. 34.

2 Annals of Inisfallen. Annals of Ulster, 635 (636). Carthagh died in 637. Annals of Ulster, 636 (recte 637); Annals of Inisfallen and Four Masters, 637VOL. II.

C

were two. The elder of that name was disciple of Ciaran of Saighir, whom he succeeded in the abbacy about 490. It is possible enough that Cadoc may have gone to this, the elder Carthagh, at Saighir.

Returning from Ireland, after three years, "with a large company. of Irish and British clergy," among whom were Finnian, Macmoil and Gnavan, instead of going back to Llancarfan, as we might have expected, he placed himself under a celebrated rhetorician, Bachan, in Brecknock. Bachan "had come from Italy to that country," and Cadoc "much desired to be taught Latin by him after the Roman method."

Llanspyddid was over against the Brito-Roman town, now Y Gaer, and which may have been called by the Romans Bannium. About this we shall have more to say in the sequel. At the entrance to the church of Llanspyddid lay Anlach, the father of Brychan, and grandfather or great-grandfather of Cadoc.

Finnian, who is represented in the Life as a youth (effebus, c. 9), cannot have been young at the time, he was senior to Cadoc; he did, indeed, spend many years studying in Britain, and he did contract a friendship with Cadoc, but he was not his pupil. In the Life we are informed that Cadoc came from Ireland with "Finian videlicet Macmoil, atque Gnavan." At a much later period Cadoc "erected a church to Macmoillus his disciple, and protected it with a fence, and therein built an altar, that he might lodge there when he went into Gwent, or should return; and he appointed Macmoillus prior therein " (c. 55). This is Bedwellty, in Monmouthshire. He also erected, near Llancarfan, "a chapel in honour of S. Finian." The biographer, apparently, was uncertain whether Finnian and Macmoil were one and the same, or different personages. We are disposed to identify Macmoil with Cainnech of Aghaboe. (See under S. CAINNECH.)

Whilst Cadoc studied at Llanspyddid, famine raged in the land, and the master and his pupils were put to straits for food. However, Cadoc observed a mouse carrying a grain of wheat. He succeeded in catching it, and borrowing a thread from a widow, tied it to the foot of the little creature and let it run; whereupon it darted into a hole. Cadoc dug on the spot, and discovered an underground chamber stored with grain. Such secret granaries were by no means uncommon, and are found in many ancient Welsh, Irish and Scottish forts.1 Or it may have been that one of the hypocausts that have been discovered at Y Gaer had been used as a storehouse for grain. On this supply the master and his pupils were able to live for some time.

Brychan now gave the land of Llanspyddid to his grandson Cadoc,

1 Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy, vol. iii, Antiq., pp. 59, 75.

who appointed his teacher Bachan to be abbot there, and departed. It is possible, we cannot say more, that to this period belongs the foundation of Llangadog Fawr in Carmarthenshire, also in Brychan territory.

Llangadog is pleasantly situated between the rivers Brân and Sawdde, above their junction with the Towy. To the east tower up the beautiful Brecknock Beacons, and to the south is the purple ridge of the Black Mountains, below which, and parallel with the course of the Towy, runs the Trichrug.

An outcrop from this latter is a rock crowned by a stone fort, the Garn Gôch, of red rock, commanding the basin of the Towy. On the side is Llys Brychan, by its name indicating its connexion with the mysterious prince of Brycheiniog, and it is probable that the marvellous stone caer on the summit bore this name originally, but has shed it for the more descriptive appellation of the Red Cairn.

It was possibly whilst Cadoc was at Llangadog that he was annoyed by Sawyl Benuchel (not to be confounded with the brother of Dunawd), who had established himself in the pleasant mountain basin of Cynwyl Gaio, where a bunch of rock, starting out of the level bottom that was once a lake bed, offered a suitable position for a caer, commanding as it did the entire basin. It bears the significant name of Pen-y-Ddinas, showing that at one time a stronghold occupied its crown, but the ruins of prehistoric fortifications have disappeared, as the hill has been converted into a rabbit-warren.

Below it stands Llansawel, leaving us to suspect that this ruffian in his old age turned saint and founder; for this is quite out of the region. of the activities of his namesake, Sawyl Benuchel, brother of Dunawd.

The church is supposed to be dedicated to S. Sawyl Felyn ab Bledri Hîr, and this may have been the chief who worried Cadoc, and later turned serious and founded the church. But we are left here to conjecture, based on the fact that Llangadog is within easy reach of Pen-y-Ddinas, below which is Llansawel, and that a Sawyl did vex Cadoc. A slender foundation for a theory-to be taken for what it is worth. Pen-y-Ddinas was an eminently suitable situation from which a British chief could, at pleasure, harry the neighbourhood, especially the obnoxious Irish in Brycheiniog.

Passing through the gap in the heather-clad hills at Bwlch Cefn Serth, along the old Sarn Helen, he would descend the Dulais to its junction with the Towy, and, arriving at the monastery of S. Cadoc, could harass the saint. One day, he and his party broke in, and carried off meat and drink, but did no further damage. Cadoc was absent at the moment, but on his return learnt what had been

done, and was further informed that the marauders were at a little distance, eating and drinking what they had ravished from his larder and cellars.

After they had gorged themselves with meat and ale, Sawyl and his rogues lay down to sleep. Cadoc seized the opportunity to inflict on them a stinging insult. He set his monks to shave half the heads of the drunken men, and then with the razors to slash off the ears and lips of their horses.

We are informed that Sawyl and his men had retreated to a hill-top for their carouse, and if our identification of the localities be accepted, this can have been none other than the Garn Gôch. When the barbers had done their work, Cadoc and fifty of his clerics assumed their ecclesiastical vestments, and marched in procession to the hill to meet, and, if possible, to mitigate the resentment of the freebooter.

What happened is veiled in fable. The earth opened and swallowed up Sawyl and his men, "and the ditch where they were engulfed is known unto this day to all the passers-by." That nothing of the sort took place we may be pretty sure. What probably occurred was that the settlers in the neighbourhood assembled and assumed a threatening attitude, and the bully was fain to decamp.

Under Garn Gôch is Llys Brychan, as already said, so that it is probable that Brychan had a residence there.

After this, Cadoc sang Te Deum, and blessed the men who had made his adversaries ridiculous, and had so barbarously mutilated the dumb beasts.

If

"Blessed are ye in the Lord; and this prerogative be to the twelve barbers, figuring the Twelve Apostles, and to all those who hold your succession in the town, to all your posterity. If judgment and useful counsel be wanting in all the coasts, let it be found among you. twelve appointed wise men be lacking, let the counsel of twelve irregular clergy be had; if twelve clerics should not be present, then commit judgment and counsel to twelve young innocent boys." 2 This benediction has a very early ring about it, far earlier than the eleventh century, when the Life of Cadoc was written; and the mutilation of the men and beasts is truly Celtic in character.3

We cannot be at all certain that this incident took place at the time and place suggested, but it would seem not improbable that the foundation of Cadoc in Llangadog Fawr should occur before leaving the Brychan territory, before his return to Gwent. Possibly owing to

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