"It is generally imagined that this entrenchment, in its prefent state, is not perfect, and that half of it has been deftroyed by the fea, which has likewife carried away part of the church-yard. It is likewife by many fuppofed to have been a maritime fortrefs, erected by the Romans to cover the landing of their troops, and their first station in Siluria; an opinion grounded on the erroneous defcription of Harris, and on the difcovery of a single coin ftruck by the city of Elaia in honour of the Emperor Severus.* For notwithstanding repeated enquiries among the farmers and labourers of the vicinity, I could not learn that any coins or Roman antiquities had been found within the memory of the prefent generation. It has been alfo attributed to the British, Saxons, and Danes; but was occupied, if not conftructed by Harold during his invafion of Gwent.

"The picturefque ruins of the chapel ftand on the outfide of the great rampart, to the fouth-eaft next the fea: the building is wholly in the Gothic ftyle, and of very small dimenfions. It now ftands at the distance of half a mile from any habitation, but was probably, in former times, the chapel to a great and contiguous manfion; for we find that, in the 12th century, John Southbrooke is mentioned, as being entitled to houfe-boot and hey-boot, from the conqueft, for his houfe at Southbrooke. Within the memory of feveral perfons now living, divine fervice was performed therein; and a labourer whom I met on the fpot, affifted forty years ago as pall-bearer, and pointed out the half of a dilapidated grave ftone, under which the corpfe was interred."

Mr. C. proceeded through Newport to Caerleon, and he describes with accuracy every thing worthy the notice of the Tourift, the Hiftorian, and the Antiquarian, as he purfues his devious course. In his defcription of Caerleon, formerly a place of great extent and magnificence, he is very minute. The name of this place, on the authority, of Mr. Owen, the author of the Welsh Dictionary, and in contradiction

*" That this was a Roman work, the British bricks and Roman coins there found are most certain arguments; among which, the reverend father in God Francis, bishop of Landaff, by whofe information I write this, imparted to me of his kindness one of the greatest pieces that I ever faw coined, of Corinthian copper, by the city of Elaia, in the leffer Afia, to the honour of the Emperor Severus, with this Greek infcription-"ATT. KAI. A. СЕПТІ. СЕВНРОС. ПЕР. i. e. "The Emperor Cæfar Lucius Septimus Severus Pertinax ;" and on the reverfe, an horfeman with a trophy erected before him, but the letters not legible, fave under him, "EAAIAON,” i. e. of the Elaians; which kind of great pieces the Italians call Medaglions, were extraordinary coins, not for common ufe, but coined by the Emperors, either to be diftributed by way of largefs in triumphs, or to be fent for tokens to men well deferving, or elfe by free cities, to the glory and memory of good princes. What name this place anciently had, is hard to be found, but it feems to have been the port and landing place of Venta Silurum, which is but two miles from it."-Holland's Translation of Camden, Vol. II. R. 485, quoted alfo by Gough."

“

Deed on the Chafe of Wentwood. Hiftory of Monmouthshire, Appendix, p. 189."

to

to the general fuppofition, he affirms to be purely British, and compofed of two words Caer Lliön, or the City of the Waters. It is known to have been a Roman ftation, and ancient hiftories teem with accounts of its wealth and importance. On its fubfequent fate we have the following remarks from our author, which alfo include no incurious difcuffion of the Welth Hero Prince Arthur, and his Knights of the Round Table.

"Soon after the departure of the Romans from Britain, the reports of tradition and the pages of Romance have affigned to Caerleon a ftill greater fplendour and importance than under their domination. It is fuppofed to have been the metropolis of the British empire; the favourite refidence of the renowned King Arthur, and his Knights of the Round Table.

"Arthur is faid to have flourished in the fixth century, and is ufually called the fourth of that race of Kings, who are known by the name of the Armorican line, and from whom the inhabitants of Britain are ftyled Armorican Britons. Although numerous authors of great talents have written in favour of Arthur, and many historians have affented to the proofs which they have advanced, yet their opinions are difcordant and contradictory. They only agree in fupporting his existence, but differ in the moft material circumftances of his lineage, birth, life, and death. The incredible accounts of the British hero given by Geoffrey of Monmouth, have caft an air of fable over his real exploits, and rendered even his existence fufpected.

"The natives of Caerleon however, are not inclined to this opinion: they point out the remains of the Roman amphitheatre, under the name of Arthur's Round Table, from a fuppofition that a military order was here inftituted, which first raised the spirit of chivalry in Europe. Arthur and his Knights are recorded to have held their feafts within the precincts of this area, feated at a round table, for the purpose of promoting focial intercourfe, and fuperfeding the diftinctions of ftate. But this legend has no foundation in history; and the articles of the order, which have been gravely quoted as authentic, display an internal evidence of forgery; they contain notions of chivalry, honour, and gallantry, which did not in that age prevail in any country of Europe.*

"The number of these heroes is no lefs uncertain than their hiftory; they increase as rapidly as Falstaff's Men of Buckram. Some, with Dryden, in the beautiful fable of the Flower and the Leaf, limit the number to twelve; "Who bear the bow were Knights in Arthur's reign; Twelve they, and twelve the Knights of Charlemagne." "Others make them twenty-four; while the ballad of the noble acts of King Arthur extends their number from fifty to fixty-five:

* "Such as to advance the reputation of honour, to deliver prifoners, to ranfom captives, to revenge all complaints made at the Court of their mighty King, of perjury and oppreffion, to protect widows and maids, to avenge the injuries or difhonour offered to ladies, gentlewomen, widows, or maids, and to inform young princes, lords, and gentlemen, in the orders and exercises of arms, for the purpofe of avoiding idlenefs, and increafing the honour of knighthood or chivalry. Enderbie,

"Then

"Then into Britain ftrait he came,
Where fifty good and able
Knights then repaired unto him,

Which were of the round table."

But afterwards, fpeaking of Sir Launcelot du Lake, it is faid:
"Who has in prifon THREESCORE Knights,
And FOUR that he had wound;

Knights of King Arthur's courts they be,
And of his table round."

"Boisseau, in his Promptuaire Armoriall, after reciting the names of the first twenty-four Knights, mentions one hundred and twenty-nine more, and gives a formal blazon of their arms.”

"On the death of Arthur, the order was fuppofed to be extinguifhed; for it is related, that most of his Knights companions in arms perifhed in the fatal battle of Camblun, where he received his mortal wound. The order fell into disrepute among the Saxons, but abroad a new phoenix arose from its ashes, and produced the twelve peers and table ronde of Charlemagne.

"On the Norman conqueft, and the overthrow of the Saxon dominion, king Arthur's memory acquired fresh renown in England. The round table rofe into great eftimation, and was introduced at the grand martial exercises called haftiludes, tilts, or tournaments, which were much encouraged by king Richard the Firft, "as well" as Afhmole fays, "for the delight of men inclined to military actions, and increafing of their skill in their management of arms, as in memorial or remembrance, that Arthur had erected an order of Knighthood." The custom was adopted by King Stephen, and continued by feveral of his fucceffors. Edward the firft, in particular, gave a new fplendour to the folemnity, when, on the conqueft of Wales, he fixed his temporary refidence at Caernarvon with a view to conciliate the affec tions of his new fubjects, who fondly cherished the memory of Arthur, and fuperftitiously believed that he would re-appear, and establish the feat of empire at Caerleon †, he held a round table, and celebrated it with dance and

tournament.

*

"At length Edward the Third, an illuftrious example and patron of chi valry, availed himfe of the high notions entertained of Arthur and the

*Afhmole's Hiftory of the Order of the Garter.”

+ "The romances of the bards were filled with predictions that Arthur was not dead, but would return again and re-establish the British empire, to which Daniel Lydgate alludes.

"He is a king crowned in Faerie,

With fceptre and fword, and with his regalty,

Shall refort our lord and fovereigne,

Out of Faerie and reigne in Brittaine;
And repaire again the round table.
By prophecy Merlin fet the date,
Among princes king incomparable,
His feat again Caerlion to tranflate
The

parc has fufferen. fponne fo his fate,

His epitaph recordeth fo certaine,

Here lieth King Arthur that fhall raigne againe."

Knights

Knights of the Round Table, to establish a fimilar fraternity. He kept a folemn tournament at his beloved Windfor, received the Knights who flocked from all quarters of Europe at a round table, and ordered the folemnity to be repeated at Windfor every Whitfuntide. The fplendeur of this meeting, and the confequence which Edward derived from it in every court of Europe, induced alfo Philip of Valois to hold a round table at Paris. This competition inflamed the spirit of chivalry, increafed the reputation of the round table, and occafioned the inftitution of the order of the garter; intended, according to the fpirit of the times," to adorn martial virtue with honour, rewards, and fplendour."*

Dubricius, the great impugner of the Pelagian heresy was the first archbishop of Caerleon; which was then the metropolitan fee of Wales. But alas! fcarcely one veitige of its ancient grandeur remains; it is funk into an inconfiderable place, and, by the removal of the port of Newport, has even loft the trade, which, in later times, it enjoyed.

A fingular accident, followed by a providential efcape, is noticed by Mr. C. in defcribing the wooden bridge over the Ufk, at Caerleon. It happened on the 29th of October, when the water was confiderably fwelled by a flood.

"As Mrs. Williams, wife of Mr. Edward Williams, brazier, was returning from the village of Caerleon to the town, at eleven o'clock at night, with a candle and .lanthorn, the violence of the current forced away four piers, and a confiderable part of the bridge. On a fragment of this mafs, confifting of an entire room, with the beams, pofts, and flooring, fhe was hurried down the river; but preferved fufficient prefence of mind to fupport herfelf by the railing. On arriving near t. Julian's, the candle was extinguished; the immediately fcreamed for help, and was heard by feveral perfons, who started out of their beds to affist her; but the violence of the stream had already hurried her beyond their reach. During this time. fhe felt little apprehenfion, as fhe entertained hopes of being delivered by the boatmen of Newport; her expectations were increafed by the numerous lights which the difcerned in the houfes, and the accordingly redoubled her cries for affiftance, though without effect.

The fragment on which fhe flood being broken to pieces against a pier of Newport bridge, the fortunately beftrode a beam, and after being detained for fome minutes by the eddies at the bridge, was rapidly hurried along towards the fea. In this perilous fituation fhe refigned herfelf to her approach. ing fate, and addreffing herself to Heaven, exclaimed, "Oh Lord, I trust in thee, thou alone çanft fave me,"

"About a mile from Newport, the difcerned a glimmering light, in a barge which was moored near the thore; and redoubling her cries, was heard by the master of the veffel. After hailing her, and learning her fituation, he cried out, "Keep up your fpirits, and you will foon be out of danger;" then leaping into the boat, with one of his men, rowed towards the place

Afhmole's Hiftory of the order of the Garter. Selden's Notes on Drayton's Poly Albion, Warton's Effay on English Poetry, paffim. Hiftory of Windfor.

from

from whence the fcreams proceeded; but fome time elapfed before he overtook her, at a confiderable diftance from the anchorage of his barge. The night was fo dark that they could not difcern each other, and the furf fwelling violently, the mafter repeated his exhortations, charged her to be calm, and not attempt to quit her ftation. Fortunately a fudden difperfion of the clouds enabled him to lafh the beam fore and aft to the boat. At this moment, however, her presence of mind forfook her, and eagerly artempting to throw herself forward the was checked by the oaths of the feamen, who were at length enabled to heave her into the boat; but could not dif engage themselves from the beam, till they had almoft reached the mouth of the Utk. This being effected, not without great difficulty, they rowed to the fhore, and embayed themselves till the first dawn of the morning, when they conveyed her in the boat to Newport. Though Mrs. Williams was in an advanced ftate of pregnancy, the received fo little injury from this perilous accident, that after a few hours repofe the returned to Caerleon.

"I have been thus minute in detailing the particulars of this providential escape, because it has been related with fo many improbable circumstances, as to occafion doubts of its reality. For the truth of this narrative, I can adduce the testimony of Mr. Jones of Clytha, Mr. Kemeys, of Mayndee, and the Rev. Mr. Evans, all of whom foon afterwards converfed with Mrs. Williams. To Mr. Evans in particular, the uniformly repeated the fame account, and confirmed it on her death-bed, with the moft folemn affeverations.

"The difinterested conduct of the mafter and boatman ought not to be omitted: notwithstanding the peril to which they were expofed, and their active exertions, they repeatedly declined the liberal recompenfe offered by Mr. Williams."

We fhall conclude an account of the first part of this work with an anecdote of a different caft, extracted from the 21ft Chapter, relating to Werndee, formerly the feat, and indeed, the cradle, of the ancient and moft diftinguished family of the Herberts.

The houfe, which has been lately repaired for the ufe of the tenant, was in fuch a state of dilapidation, that the father of the laft proprietor, Mr. Proger, was in danger of perithing under the ruins of the ancient manfion, which he venerated even in decay. As we examined the house, Mr. Dinwoody related an anecdote of this Mr. Proger,* which exhibits his pride of ancestry in a striking point of view. A ftranger, whom he accidentally met at the foot of the Skyrrid, made various enquiries refpecting the country, the prospects, and the neighbouring houfes, and among others, afked, "Whofe is this antique mantion before us?"-" That, Sir, is Werndee, a very ancient houfe; for out of it came the Earls of Pembroke, of the first line, and the Earls of Pembroke of the second line; the Lords Herbert of Cherbury, the Herberts of Coldbrook, Rumney, Caerdiff, and York; the Morgans of Acton; the Earl of Hunfdon; the Jones's of Treowen and Lanarth, and all the Powells. Out of this houfe alfo, by the female line, came the Dukes of Beaufort.' "And pray, Sir, who lives there now ?"" I do, Sir,"" Then pardon me, and accept a piece of advice: Come out of it yourself, or 'twill tumble and cruth you."

*For another inftance of his family pride, fee the chapter on Perthir.

Johnfton's