British antiquities revived, or, A friendly contest touching the soveraignty of the three princes of VVales in ancient times managed with certain arguments whereunto answers are applyed by Robert Vaughan, Esq. ; to which is added the pedigree of the Right Honourable the Earl of Carbery, Lord President of Wales ; with a short account of the five royall tribes of Cambria, by the same author.

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Title
British antiquities revived, or, A friendly contest touching the soveraignty of the three princes of VVales in ancient times managed with certain arguments whereunto answers are applyed by Robert Vaughan, Esq. ; to which is added the pedigree of the Right Honourable the Earl of Carbery, Lord President of Wales ; with a short account of the five royall tribes of Cambria, by the same author.
Author
Vaughan, Robert, 1592-1667.
Publication
Oxford :: Printed by Hen. Hall ... for Thomas Robinson,
1662.
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Subject terms
Carbery, Richard Vaughan, -- Earl of, 1600?-1686.
Wales -- History.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A64759.0001.001
Cite this Item
"British antiquities revived, or, A friendly contest touching the soveraignty of the three princes of VVales in ancient times managed with certain arguments whereunto answers are applyed by Robert Vaughan, Esq. ; to which is added the pedigree of the Right Honourable the Earl of Carbery, Lord President of Wales ; with a short account of the five royall tribes of Cambria, by the same author." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A64759.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed October 31, 2024.

Pages

The Answer.

I cannot think it reason from the doubt of Northwales writers whe∣ther Anarawd or Mervyn were the eldest son of Roderic the great, to conclude Cadelh to be the eldest; especially seeing neither our writers nor any else do make any thing for Cadelh▪ and also that all in gene∣rall do agree, that the King of Northwales, howsoever he were called, was the eldest of the Brethren. Not only Dr. Powel, but a multitude of most ancient writers do prefer Anarawd to the Kingdome of North∣wales, as our ancient Bards and writers of Genealogies; Illorum enim (saith Dr. Powel) constans assertio est Anaratum primogenitum principem fuisse Venedotiae. The ancient Author of Griffith ap Conan's life, brings the pedegree of the said Griffith lineally to Anarawd. Meilir Bry∣dydh (that flourished in William the Conqueror's time) averres the said Griffith to be descended of Anarawd. Caradocus Lancarvanensis affirmes that Anarawd the eldest son of Roderic the great was King of Northwal s. And last of all Ninius the old British writer and Disci∣ple of Elv dugus, who lived in the daies of Roderic and his children, saith thus: Anaraught rex Moniae (i.e.) Môn, qui regit modo regnum

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Wencdociae regionis (i.) Gweinedh. Therefore Giraldus Cambrensis with his followers Leyland and Lhwyd, must needs be in an error, when he gives his voice for Mervyn. And truly Giraldus Cambrensis, though in antiquity he were most expert and skilfull, yet seems not a little to be ignorant of the true history of Roderic the great and his chil∣dren: for besides the former error in the 2d chapter of his book, inti∣tuled, Descriptio Cambriae, he avers that the said Roderic was the cause of the division of Wales into the three kingdomes of Northwales, South∣wales, and Powis, whereas it is apparent, that the said three kingdomes had their severall Kings many years before his birth, as Dr. Powl most truly proveth in his notes upon the said chapter: then also he saith, that Cadelh, to whom Roderic had given Southwales for his portion, survived Anarawd and Mervyn, whereby he got the monarchy of all Wales. Cadelh (saith he) praemortuis fratibus totius Walli monar∣chiam obtinait, And Caradcus a more ancient writer testifieth, that Cadelh died 6. years before Anarawd, with whom agreeth your coun∣treyman George Owen Harry, and another most ancient British Chro∣nologer which beginneth thus, Oes Gwrtheyrn Gortheneu &c. mentio∣ned by Sr. John Prise, p. 121. defensionis Britannicae historiae. Lastly, he faith that Cadlh's successors even to Theodor enjoyed the said mnar∣chy, whereas it is clear that diverse of the line of Anarawd ruled the Kingdome of Northwales during that time: so that we cannot but con∣clude Giraldus to be in a grosse error. And as to the testimony of David Nanmor, on whom relies your whole hope for Cadelh's sove∣raignty, it is answered, that his Authority (had it been as you make it to be, which shall appear to be far otherwise, especially in so ancient a matter as we now handle, being favoured or strengthned by no an∣tiquity, and himselfe not flourishing before the middle of the raign of Henry the sixth, would have been too weak to encounter not only Dr. Powel, but a multitude of most ancient Anthors, well seen in anti∣quity, that maintain the contrary: I cannot be perswaded that he was ever of that opinion, nor that those verses you are pleased to lay to him are his. They do not savor of the skill of the meanest Bard, much lesse of Nanmor, that sometimes contended with David ap Ed∣mond for the chair at the Eistedhfa in Caermarthen, and by his Compod manuel, his Gorchestion, Cywydhau, Odes and Epigramms, is well known

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to surpasse most men of his time in Poeticall science. They have faults as to the measures in 4. seveall places, such as our Bards terme Twyll gynghanedh and Twyll odl, which by the teachers of the faculty, to wit Dr. David du of Hiradhic, Edyrn dafod Aur, Eneon yffirad, and di∣vers others have been damned for schismes and solaecismes, in the art, and so forbid to be used. It being so as to the Poetry, the History may justly be suspected of mistakes, if not of forgery, in order to the pro∣moting of a small designe. And there are mistakes in the history: for Rodric was not the divider of Wales; and Cadelh is denyed by all wri∣ters to be the eldest of the 3. Brethren; nor was the K. of Aberffraws name Nerawd, but Anarawd. And in the 5th. and last Stanza, which you forbear the mention of, there is a manifest error; for therein it is said, that Roderic made his division betwen his 3. sons A.D. 811. long before his reign, and probably before he was born; for Caradocus saith he began his reign A. 843. and his father Mervyn frych but in the year 817. at which time Prince Conan Tindaethwy dyed.

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