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Situation
of Gretna.—The Debateable Land.—Walls of Agri-c >la and Adrian.—Wall of
Severus.—Arthur's Court.— Arthur's Queen insulted.—Peredur and the Knight.—Peredur's
knight-errantry.—His Prowess.—Gwnlchniai's Offer. --Peredur and Gwalehmai.—Peredur's
Courtship.
Here Chapter First begins the
work,
With matters worth your heeding,
With legends, old traditions, tales,
As ye may see by reading.
A dread commeth over us as we
take our grey goose-quill in hand, and set our joints to the writing of this
most notable history. There is something magical about the words "Gretna
Green;" and we never hear them but we instantly "prick up our ears," as some
tender poet saith, and are straightway filled with curiosity, interest,
yearning, and desire. Wherefore, borne up and borne along by this
conviction, and especially for the explication of certain erroneous ideas
which the distant world has assumed touching traditions of this place, do we
submit the pages here following to the consideration of the reader.
The parish of Gretna, or
Graitney, as it is sometimes written, lies in the county of Dumfries, and is
situate, as most run-aways well know, close on the borders of Scotland and
England: and that border is here defined by the small river, Sark. The
western sea, or, under correction, the Sol way Firth, lies here so
contiguous that the tide flows up to the very bridge that runs over the said
river, over which bridge runs the Queen's highway, 'twixt Carlisle and
Annan, and over which highway run lovers not a few.
About two miles on the
English side of the Sark, we have the river Esk, in some sort parallel
thereunto, and also falling into the Solway Firth : it is traversed by a
fair stone and iron bridge, and is a larger stream than the former by
fourfold.
Betwixt these two, lies the "Debateable
Land," a region especially noted in the pages of historiographers, and the
scene of many a bloody strife when the borderers could not agree. This
Debateable Land was, however, scarcely worth debating about, seeing that it
is a bog, a march, a quagmire, a swamp, across which a man cannot pass at
hazard, lest he sink, being made up of peat, which the inhabitants in the
vicinage procure for fuel. Now, a peat Log- in this country, they call a
"moss," or a "peat-moss," and this identical one goes by the name of "Solway
Moss." There are many such, not only liere about, but in divers parts of
Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.
The great field of our
discussions and speculations, which will fill the pages of this history,
lying round the Firth of Solway, was, in the earliest ages, as authors say,
occupied by a tribe of Britons known as the Selgova; and it was these whom
Agricola with his Romans disconcerted, when he came this way with hostile
intent. It was in the third year of his progress that he arrived here, and
soon after he built the wall stretching from the land of the Dalriads to the
eastern sea near the Maiden's Castle, vulgarly called Edinburgh. In the year
120, the emperor Adrian crossed over from Gaul, in order that he might gall
the Caledonians with a fresh yoke; but he proceeded no further than York,
for some old soldiers, who had before penetrated into the country with
former commanders, told him that the painted savages fought well .and hit
hard; and moreover, the region that they fought and hit for, was not worth
quarrelling about, being wild, mountainous, and barren. Wherefore, Adrian
the emperor, resolved that he would not go further from home, but erected
that vast Thus-far-shalt-thou-come-and-no-further, running from the western
waters near Gretna across the country to the river Tyne: a work which was
designed to debar the wanderings of the Pictish Northerners, but which ill
effected this end, since it stretched to the length of sixty English, or
seventy Roman miles, and no more than eighteen hundred men were allotted for
its defence on the southern side. It traversed these parts between merry
Carlisle and Gretna Green of honourable mention, well-nigh skirting the
Debateable Land: but owing to the loamy nature of the soil here, the
industrious mattock of Time hath dug down the rampart and shovelled it into,
the ditch, even where it was before the Romans dug it out, so that now it is
pretty well destroyed.
It should appear that this
fortification consisted of a series of vallations, and that, in fact, they
were as follows:—first, on the southern, or English side, a rampart ten or
twelve feet high; then five paces towards Scotland, another rampart, or
agger of equal size ; outside that a ditch, being about nine feet deep,
eleven feet wide at the top, and somewhat less at the bottom; and lastly, at
about seven or eight paces further north from the ditch, a broad rampart,
but considerably lower than the others. This fortification is said to have
been made of earth only faced with turf; and Capitolinus, in his biography
of Antoninus Pius, says that the wall erected in 81, by Agricola, and
strengthened afterwards by this emperor in 140,
Stretching from the Firth of
Clyde to the Firth of Forth, was built in the same way also; but Camden
contradicts this, in so far that he declares it to have been faced with
square blocks of hewnstone ; and this last assertion has been fully
corroborated by the quantities of fragments and sculptured vestiges that
have from time to time been discovered on this line. It is concluded to have
been composed of soft materials like the other, but faced with masses of
stone, in order to prevent the earth from falling into the ditch. There are
certain scattered passages in Ossian, the son of Fingal, which goto support
Mr. Camden,—as, for instance, in the poem ycleped " The War of Caros," where
ye may thus read:—
"What does Caros, king of
ships?" said the son, Oscar, of the now mournful Ossian; "spreads he the
wings of his pride, [the Roman eagle,] bard of the times of old?"
"He spreads them, Oscar,"
replied the bard, "but it is behind his gathered heap. He looks over his
stones with fear."
The "gathered heap" is here
understood to be the wall of Agricola, near which the battle was fought, and
the word "stones," clearly indicates the nature of the material with which
it was constructed — at all events, externally. Caros is decided to have
been no other than the usurper Carausius, who assumed the purple in 284, and
in this action the Caledonians were commanded by Oscar, the son of Ossian.
The wall of Severus, drawn
across the island from the Solway, near where the modern Gretna Green lies,
and following nearly the line of Adrian's, made some years before, was,
according to Aurelius Victor, Orosius, Spartian, and others, a -svork of
greater labour, vastness, and strength than any of the others that had 0
been thrown up by the Romans. It was built of. free-stone throughout, both
internally and externally; it was well grouted with lime, so that it soon
consolidated into a hard mass, and it was guarded by ten thousand troops,
who kept watch in turrets and castles scattered along its whole extent at
intervals. For two hundred years it kept the Picts in check, and would
longer, have continued to do so, had not the garrison been withdrawn, and
ordered back to Italy.
Now, Gretna Green in
aftertimes formed part of the territory of the renowned Prince Arthur,
Basileus and Bretwalda of Britain, and merry Carlisle was one of his capital
cities, wherein he held his principal court. "Arthur held his court in merry
Carlisle," saith Sir Francis Palgrave; "and Peredur, the Prince of Sunshine,
whose name we find amongst the princes of Strath-Clyde, is one of the great
heroes of The Mabinogion, or tales of youth, long preserved by tradition
amongst the Cymry."
We will not here enter upon
any erudite discussion on the geographical knowledge of the ancients, or the
extent of accuracy with which they constructed maps or described localities
; nor will we (to descend from generalities to particularities) speculate on
the probability that Carlisle, the former Caer-luel, not far from the river
Esk, may or may not have have been the Caerlleon upon Usk, of the old
romances. Arthur was at Caerlleon upon Usk, says the legend of
Peredur-ab-Efrawc in the Mabinogion above alluded to ; and it proceeds to
set forth how he sat in his hall, surrounded by stalwart knights; and how
Gwenhwyvar his queen, who was beautiful to a proverb, sat there also, along
with a bevy of fair maidens, who discoursed sweetly, or wove tapestry and
other cunning needlework. "Meanwhile, Peredur journeyed on towards Arthur's
court," are the words of Lady Guest's translation; "and before he reached
it, another knight had been there, who gave a ring of thick gold at the door
of the gate for holding his horse, and went into the hall, where Arthur and
his household and Gwenhwyvar and her maidens were assembled. And the page of
the chamber was serving Gwenhwyvar with a golden goblet. Then the knight
dashed the liquor that was therein upon her face, and upou her stomacher,
and gave her a violent blow on the face, and said, ' If any have the
boldness to dispute this goblet with me, and to revenge the insult to
Gwenhwyvar, let him follow me to the meadow, and there I will await him.' So
the knight took his horse and rode to the meadow: and all the household hung
down their heads, lest any of them should be requested to go and avenge {he
insult to Gwenhwyvar. For it seemed to them that no one would have ventured
on so daring an outrage, unless he possessed such powers, through magic or
charms, that none could be able to take vengeance upon him. Then, behold,
Peredur entered the hall."
Here he inquires for Arthur
amongst the company; but Sir Kai, who had a very unamiable and discourteous
disposition, answers in a most 'untoward manner, and desires to know what he
wants of Arthur? After a while, Peredur repeats his question: "Tall man,'
said he, ' show me which is Arthur.-'Hold thy peace,' said Kai, ' and go
after the knight who went hence to the meadow, and take from him the goblet,
and overthrow him, and possess thyself of his horse and arms, and then shalt
thou receive the order of knighthood.' ' I will do so, tall man,' said
Peredur. So he turned his horse's head towards the meadow; and when he came
there, the knight was riding up and down, proud of his strength, and valour,
and noble mien. ' Tell me,' said the knight, ' didst thou see any one coming
after me from the court? 'The tall man that was there,' said he, ' desired
me to come and overthrow thee, and take from thee the goblet, and thy horse,
and thy armour for myself.' 4 Silence !' said the. knight; ' go back to the
court, and tell Arthur from me, either to come himself, or to send some
other to fight with me ; and unless he do so quickly, I will not wait for
him.' ' By my faith,' said Peredur, ' choose thou whether it shall be
willingly or unwillingly, but I will have the horse, and the arms, and the
goblet.' And upon this the knight ran at him furiously, and struck him a
violent blow with the shaft of his spear, between the neck and the shoulder.
' Haha, lad!' said Peredur, ' my mother's servants were not used to play
with me in this wise; therefore, thus will I play with thee.' And hereupon
he struck him with a sharp-pointed fork, and it hit him in the eye, and came
out at the back of his neck, so that he instantly fell down lifeless.
" Verily,' said Owain, the
son of Urien, to Kai, ' thou wert ill advised when thou didst send that
madman [meaning Peredur] after the knight; for one of two things must befall
him,—he must either be overthrown or slain. If he is overthrown by the
knight, he will be counted by him to be an honourable person of the court,
and an eternal disgrace will it be to Arthur and his warriors: and if he is
slain, the disgrace will be the same, and more-over his sin will be upon him
; therefore, will I go and see what has befallen him.' So Owain went to the
meadow, and he found Peredur dragging the man about. ' What art thou doing
thus?' said Owain. ' This iron coat,' said Peredur, ' will never come from
off him, not by my efforts, at any rate.1 And Owain unfastened his armour
and his clothes. ' Here, my good soul,1 said he, 'is a horse and armour
better than thine. Take them joyfully, and come with me to Arthur to receive
the order of knighthood, for thou dost merit it."
Now, gentle reader, if it be
that this Caerlleon, where Arthur then held his court, be Carlisle city nigh
unto Gretna, Peredur compassed this achievement in the meadow that stretches
along beneath the castle walls, as ye may behold at this day; and the
Mabinogion will further tell ye how this rare warrior traversed these
regions, doing service to distressed maidens, and swearing oaths ten fathom
deep to his lady love ; for, even twelve or thirteen centuries ago, there
seems to have been something loving and lovable pervading the atmosphere of
the Solway. " And in the evening he entered a valley," we are informed; "
and at the head of the valley he came to a hermit's cell, and the hermit
welcomed him gladly, and there he spent the night. And in the morning he
arose, and when he went forth, behold a shower of snow had fallen the night
before, and a hawk had killed a wild fowl in front of the cell; and the
noise of the horse scared the hawk away, and a raven alighted upon the bird.
And Peredur stood and compared the blackness of the raven, and the whiteness
of the snow, and the redness of the blood, to the hair of the lady that best
he loved, which was blacker than jet, and to her skin, which was whiter than
the snow, and to the two red spots upon her cheeks, which were redder than
the blood upon the snow appeared to be.
"Now Arthur and his Court
were in search of Peredur. ' Know ye,' said Arthur, ' who is the knight with
the long spear that stands by the brook up yonder?' ' Lord,1 said one of
them, ' I will go and learn who he is.1 So the youth came to the place where
Peredur was, and asked him what he did thus, and who he was. And from the
intensity with which he thought upon the lady whom best he loved, he gave
him no answer. Then the youth thrust at Peredur with his lance, and Peredur
turned upon him, and struck him over his horse's crupper to the ground. And
after this, four and twenty youths came to him, and he did not answer one
more than another, but gave the same reception to all, bringing them with
one single thrust to the ground. And then came Kai, and spoke to Peredur
rudely and angrily; and Peredur took him with his lance under the jaw, and
cast him from him with a thrust, so that he broke his arm and his shoulder
blade, and he rode over him one and twenty times. And while he lay thus,
stunned with the violence of the pain that he had suffered, his horse
returned back at a wild and prancing pace. And when the household saw the
horse come back without his rider, they rode forth in haste to the place
where the encounter had been. And when they first came there, they thought
that Kai was slain ; but they found that if he had a skilful physician, he
yet might live. And Peredur moved not from his meditation, on seeing the
concourse that was around Kai. And Kai was brought to Arthur's tent, and
Arthur caused skilful physicians to come to him. And Arthur was grieved that
Kai had met with this reverse, for he loved him greatly.
"*Then,' said Gwalchmai, ' it
is not fitting that any should disturb an honourable knight from his thought
unadvisedly; for either he is pondering some damage that he has sustained,
or he is thinking on the lady whom best he loves. And through such
ill-advised proceeding, perchance this misadventure has befallen him who
last met with him. And if it seem well to thee, lord, I will go and see if
this knight has changed from his thought; and if he has, I will ask him
courteously to come and visit thee.'
"Then Kai was wrath, and he
spoke angry and spiteful words. 'Gwalchmai,said he; 'I know that thou wilt
bring him, because he is fatigued. Little praise and honour, nevertheless,
wilt thou have from vanquishing a weary knight, who is tired with fighting.
Yet, thus hast thou gained the advantage over many. And while thy speech and
thy soft words last, a coat of thin linen were armour enough for thee; and
thou wilt not need to break either lance or sword in fighting with the
knight in the state he is in.'
"Then said Gwalchmai to Kai,
' Thou mightest use more pleasant words, wert thou so minded; and it behoves
thee not upon me to wreak thy wrath and thy displeasure. Methinks I shall
bring the knight hither without breaking either my arm or my shoulder.'
"Then said Arthur to
Gwalchmai,' Thou speak-est like a wise and prudent man ; go, and take enough
of armour about thee, and choose thy horse. And Gwalchmai accoutred himself,
and rode forward hastily to the place where Peredur was.
"And Peredur was resting on
the shaft of his spear, pondering the same thought, and Gwalchmai came to
him without any signs of hostility, and said to him, « If I thought that it
would be as agreeable to thee as it would be to me, I would converse with
thee. I have also a message from Arthur unto thee, to pray thee to come and
visit him. And two men have been before on this errand.'
"'That is true,' said Peredur;
' and uncour-teously they came. They attacked me, and I was annoyed thereat,
for it was not pleasing to me to be drawn from the thought I was in, for I
was thinking on the lady whom best I love.'
"Said Gwalchmai,' This was
not an ungentle thought, and I should marvel if it were pleasant to thee to
be. drawn from it.'"
This narrative was so full of
nature, chivalry, simplicity, and poetry, that we could not resist quoting
it in full. After this greeting, the knights, together with Arthur and his
retinue, returned to Caerlleon; and the following passage still further
shews the amorousness of the atmosphere in these parts.
44 And the first night
Peredur came to Caerlleon, to Arthur's court, and as he walked in the city
after his repast, behold, there met him Angharad Law Eurawc. 4 By my faith,
sister,' said Peredur, 'thou art a beauteous and lovely maiden; and were it
pleasing to thee, I could -love thee above all women.'"
The legend does not precisely
inform us as to whether this was the lady on whom he had been before
pondering, though it appears probable; howbeit, he assuredly got a very
ungentle answer.
" I pledge my faith,1 said
she, £ that I do not love thee, nor will I ever do so.'"
Notwithstanding this rebuff,
her admirer was nothing daunted. "' I also pledge my faith,1 said Peredur, '
that I will never speak a word to any christian again, until thou come to
love me above all men." And Peredur kept his word so rigourously that he
obtained the name of the Dumb Youth; and furthermore, Peredur gained his
victory over the lady. After various adventures and some lapse of time, we
are told that Angharad Law Eurawc again met him, but without recognising his
person; I declare to heaven, chieftain,1 said she, ' woful is it that thou
canst not speak; for couldest thou jaeak, I would love thee best of all -men
; and by my faith, although thou canst not, I do love thee best of all.'
"'Heaven reward thee, my
sister,1 said Peredur ; ' by my faith I do also love thee.'"
After this happy triumph, let
no swain despair, albeit his lady do not at first seem kindly disposed. Some
there be who say that perseverance will not bend a woman's will, and that if
she is not disposed to love to-day, neither will she be disposed to-morrow.
He who spoke thus, me-thinks, had never been loved at all, either yesterday,
to-day, or to-morrow, and to-morrow up to the end of his life. We know one
who put the following stanza into the mouth of a fair maiden, when she had
to reprove her persecutor for being too importunate, videlicet:
"Pray leave me, if thou
courtest mine esteem ; This heart is mine, if that thou seekest still;
Thou hast my mind,—then why,
oh idly dream That perseverance moves a woman's will?"
Other knights, however,
besides Peredur have proved the fallacy of such assertions ; for it is only
those who persevere in being disagreeable that cannot move a woman's will by
time; since those who go to work modestly, meekly, and deferentially, will,
for the most part, compass their end. Have we not known twenty young folks
of the opposite sexes come together, who, at their first acquaintanceship
were not only indifferent, but were absolutely disagreeable to each other !
and yet, have we not known that time and better knowledge of their several
dispositions and virtues, have so changed the aspect of their opinions, that
many of them have, in the event, sworn matrimony to each other for good or
bad, for better for worse, all the days of their existence. Let all swains
therefore hold up Peredur, the Prince of Sunshine, as a cheering precedent,
never allowing themselves to be stricken down by one blow, or defeated by
incipient difficulties. |
