Curiosities of Great Britain: England and Wales Delineated Vol.1-11: Historical, Entertaining & Commercial; Alphabetically Arranged. 11 Volume set.Dugdale, Thomas
History
Curiosities of Great Britain: England and Wales Delineated Vol.1-11: Historical, Entertaining & Commercial; Alphabetically Arranged. 11 Volume set.
Dugdale, Thomas
Great Britain -- Gazetteers
who was king of Britain from 449 to 466. Upon its summit is a level
piece of ground, and the remains of a square fort; and upon the west
side, facing Beddgelart, there are traces of a long wall. It stands
detached from other rocks, and at a distance appears in the form of a
man's hat. Adjoining is a stony tract called the cells or groves of the
magicians. In the next field, a number of large stones are called the
tombs of the magicians. It was to this place that Vortigern retired,
when he found himself despised by his subjects, and unable to contend
longer with the treacherous Saxons, whom he had introduced into his
kingdom. It is probable that this insular rock afforded him a temporary
residence till he removed to his final retreat in Nant Gwrtheyrn, or
Vortigern's Valley. Speed says, probably without truth, that Vortigern
married his own child by Rowena, daughter of Hengist, the Saxon prince,
and had by her one son. There is a tradition, that Madog, the son of
prince Owen Gwynedd, resided in this vale for some time before he left
his country for America. The entrance from Beddgelart, is but the
breadth of a narrow rugged road, close by the river's side, in which
there is nothing inviting; but passing on, the traveller advances upon
enchanted ground, where he finds extensive meadows, expanding at every
turn of rock, smooth as a bowling green; beautiful lakes and meandering
rivers, abounding in fish; mountains towering one above the other in
succession, while to the left, Snowdon overtops them all, seeming like
another Atlas, to support the firmament. Mr. Pennant, says he continued
his walk along a narrow path above the lake, as far as the extremity;
then descending, reached the opposite side, in order to encounter a
third ascent, as arduous as the preceding. This brought him into the
horrible crater immediately beneath the great precipice of Wyddfa; its
situation is dreadful, surrounded by more than three parts of a circle,
with the most horrible precipices of the highest peak of Snowdon. The
strange break, called the pass of the Arrows, was probably a station for
the hunters to watch the wandering of the deer. The margin of
Ffynmon-las here appeared to be shallow and gravelly, the waters had a
greenish cast, but what is very singular, the rocks reflected into them
seemed varied with stripes of the richest colours, like the most
beautiful lute-strings, and changed almost to infinity. Here he observed
the wheat-ear, a small and seemingly tender bird, and yet almost the
only small one, or indeed the only one, (except the rock-ouzel) that
frequents these heights; the reason is evidently the want of food. The
mountainous tract near Snowdon, scarcely yields any corn; the produce is
cattle and sheep, which during summer they keep very high in the
mountains, followed by their owners with their families, who reside
during that season in their Havod-dai, or summer dwelling, or dairy
houses, as the farmers in the Swiss Alps do in their Sennes. These
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