Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (2 of 6): England (07 of 12): Iohn the Yongest Sonne of Henrie the SecondHolinshed, Raphael
History
Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (2 of 6): England (07 of 12): Iohn the Yongest Sonne of Henrie the Second
Holinshed, Raphael
Great Britain -- History -- John, 1199-1216; Great Britain -- History -- To 1485; Great Britain -- History -- Tudors, 1485-1603
But we will surceasse to aggrauate this matter, sith the same is
sufficientlie vrged in the verie course of the historie concerning his
acts and déeds, continued to the verie day of his death, and the verie
time of his buriall, whereof I saie thus much, that whether it was
his will to be interred, as is aforesaid, or whether his corpse being
at the disposing of the suruiuers, to elect the place as a conuenient
storehouse for a princes bones, I leaue it as doubtfull, and therefore
vndetermined, estéeming the lesse to labour therein, bicause the
truth can hardlie by certeintie be winnowed out, but by coniecturall
supposals aimed and shot at. Notwithstanding, in my poore iudgement it
is verie likelie (first in respect of the time which was superstitious
and popish; secondlie by reason of the custome of funerall rites then
commonlie vsed) that he was buried in the said place for order sake, &
his bodie (if I may presume so farre by warrant of mine author) wrapped
in a moonks cowle and so laid in his graue or toome. For the manner was
at that time, in such sort to burie their Nobles and great men, who
were induced by the imaginations of moonks and fond fansies of fréers
to beléeue, that the said cowle was an amulet or defensitiue to their
soules from hell and hellish hags, how or in what soeuer sort they
died; either in sorrow and repentance for sinne, or in blasphemie,
outrage, impatiencie, or desperation.
[Sidenote: _Humf. Lhloyd._]
[Sidenote: _Dauid Powell._]
This forme of funerals was frequented in Wales, hauing béene first
brewed and broched in England, from whence (if we may giue credit to
our late Chronographers) as from a poisoned spring it spred it selfe
into Wales. For the first abbeie or frierie that is read to haue béene
erected there, since the dissolution of the noble house of Bangor,
which sauoured not of Romish dregs, was the Twy Gwyn, which was builded
in the yeare 1146. Afterwards these vermine swarmed like bées, or
rather crawled like lice ouer all the land, and drew in with them
their lowsie religion, tempered with I wot not how manie millians of
abhominations; hauing vtterlie forgotten the lesson which Ambrosius
Telesinus had taught them [who writ in the yeare 540, when the right
christian faith (which Joseph of Arimathia taught the Ile of Aualon)
reigned in this land, before the proud and bloodthirstie moonke
Augustine infected it with the poison of Romish errors] in a certeine
ode, a part whereof are these few verses insuing,
Gwae'r offeiriad byd,
Nys angreifftia gwyd,
Ac ny phregetha:
Gwae ny cheidw ey gail,
Ac ef yn vigail,
Ac nys areilia:
Gwae ny theidw ey dheuaid,
Rhae bleidhie Rhiefeniaid,
Ai ffon grewppa.
[Sidenote: Thus in English almost word for word.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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