66

house,” in the shape of a single leaf, which enabled me to refer the MS.

to the sixteenth century, and its contents to a totally different class from that to which I had supposed it to belong. I have extracted one prescription, --for it is a medical work,—and no doubt many more equally curious might be discovered. Perhaps some medical antiquary can tell us whether anything like it is to be found in the unpublished lucubrations of the “Meddygon Myddfai.”

P. P. “Oyle of Suckinge Whealps very medycinable for any Atche or Shrinkinge of Synnowes to be made onely in the beginning of Maye.

“Take 3 or 4 younge Suckinge Whelpes the ffatter the better, ffleye the skynne of them and take out the gutts and soak all the moysture out of them wth a Cleane lynnen Cloth seeinge that you wash them not, Then fill theire bellies full wth blacke dewe snayles puttinge in wthall into . the said whelpes bellies, 4 or 5 Lardyd maws [sic] and braunches of Rosemary, Roast these whelpes wth a quicke fire of wood and not of coale, then prick them often wth a knife, Then take upp the oyle and putt it in a glasse fast Closed, & anoynte the griefe therewth by the fire.”

CHRONOLOGIA VETUS EX CODICE MEMBRANACEO

HIST. BRITANNIÆ. (From the Book of Mr. Thomas Prys of Aberhonddu, a MS.

upwards of three hundred years old.)

TRANSLATION. 1130 before the birth of Christ Brutus came first to this island, with three hundred ships fully manned. And of his lineage there were seventy-four kings before the coming of Christ in the flesh.

410 after the birth of Christ Merddin prophesied concerning the battle of the dragons, after the first coming of Horsa and Hengist into this island, and the slaying of four hundred British princes through treachery at Caer Caradog.

456 after the birth of Christ the Britons first received the Christian religion, in the time of Llew the son of Coel, king of the Britons.

Nativity of Christ until Cadwaladr the Blessed thirty-three kings in succession. From Cadwaladr the Blessed until William the Bastard there were twenty crowned kings from among the Saxons successively, and three hundred years were they ruling over the island.

1080 after the birth of Christ William the Bastard received the crown of London, and there were ten crowned kings of his lineage down to young Edward of Caernarvon.

1131 Thomas of Canterbury was slain.
1182 a battle at Paen Castle took place.
1223 the bridge of Caermarthen was broken.
1230 Neath Castle was taken.
1239 Llewelyn ab Iorwerth died in Gwynedd.
1216 the religion of preaching friars was first instituted.

1241 the battle between David ab Gruffydd and Llewelyn took place.

1246 the one with David ab Llewelyn occurred; and the Danes arrived here.

1247 an earthquake occurred.

1250 a battle took place between Llewelyn ab Gruffydd and his brothers.

1242 was the hot summer.
1246 occurred the battle at Cymerau.
1260 Buallt Castle was taken.
1265 occurred the slaughter at Evsam.

1267 Llewelyn ab Gruffydd gave 25,000 marks, together with his homage, to King Edward.

1268 Edward the King went to Acre.
1275 there was an earthquake a second time.
1277 Llewelyn ab Gruffydd, Prince of Wales, was slain.
1287 Rhys ab Meredydd made war.
1291 Acre was lost.

1283 David was executed at Shrewsbury, and Edward was born at Caernarvon.

1292 Rhys was martyred, and David consecrated.
1296 Madog ab Llewelyn made war.
1298 there was a great slaughter of the Scots.
1307 Edward the elder died, and his son was consecrated.
1312 Pirs of Garstom was slain.

1314 there was a slaughter of the English at Ystryvling in the North, and Earl Clare was slain.

1315 Llewelyn Bren made war in Glamorgan.

1318 the king bestowed the great cantred upon Hugh Spencer, the younger.

CHURCH NOTES IN RADNORSHIRE.

The following notes were taken during a short stay at Llandrindod Wells, in the autumn of 1851, and are published here as a trifling contribution towards the ecclesiology of a county, probably less known than any other in South Britain.

LLANDRINDOD itself has no architectural features, nor any claim on our attention, beyond that which it derives from its extremely striking situation. It stands on the projecting spur of a hill, and overlooks the great hillencircled plain which is watered by the Wye, the Ithon, and the Yrvon. The construction of its roof is curious; the timbers consist of rude tie-beams supporting eight or ten vertical posts, an arrangement which is common in this district, and which I have not observed elsewhere. The western bay is partitioned off as a vestry, which is also a localism.

CEFNLLYS.--This church stands at the bottom of a deep and wild valley, with the scenery of which it harmonizes wonderfully. Its most striking external feature is the tower, a perfectly plain one, at the west end, covered by a pyramidal capping with overhanging eaves, which cut off the heads of the belfry-windows, as at Llanddew, near Brecon. The tower has a bold double buttress at the north-western angle, but none at the other angles. There is a porch on the south side; its doorway has a four-centred arch; that of the inner doorway is round, or extremely obtuse, chamfered, and one order. There is no architectural division between the nave and chancel, the distinction being marked internally by a screen of late Perpendicular woodwork The east window and one on the north side of the chancel are precisely similar, consisting each of two lancets divided by a mullion and contained under a round rear-arch. On the south side of the chancel there is a single lancet, set rather low in the wall. There

is also a priest's door on the same side; its arch is segmental pointed, and not chamfered. The roof is precisely like that of Llandrindod church.

Cefnllys is a contributory borough, and contains, I am told, three £10 houses.

LLANBADARN FAWR is not to be confounded with its namesake in Cardiganshire, but is not much less remarkable in its way. Like the two churches already described, it consists of a single body, having no constructional division between the nave and chancel. On the north side, however, a break in the wall at this point probably indicates a difference of date in the two portions. It possesses a remarkable south doorway of what, anywhere else, would seem to be very early Norman work. The arch of the doorway itself is a square-headed trefoil, and is placed within a round, or rather a parabolic arch of two orders,-a pair of cylindrical nook-shafts, with grotesquely carved cushion-capitals, carry the inner order. The tympanum is adorned with a rather wonderful representation. Out of a flower-pot, shaped like a tiger's head, springs a fleur-de-lis: this is placed under the centre of the arch, and between two ferocious animals, of a decidedly feline appearance, with floriated tails. There are some remains of a wooden porch; the present porch, which is of stone, is modern. A considerable seam, east of the porch, and some corbels built into the wall, still further to the east, seem to denote some changes in this part of the structure.

There are two windows on the south side of the nave, and one in the south wall of the chancel. The latter consists of two lights round-headed, the jambs and arches plain chamfered. Of the former, the one to the east is a couplet of lancets, exactly resembling those at Cefnllys; to the west is a single-light window, round-headed. The east window consists of three lancets, round-headed, but with pointed rear-arches, placed very wide apart. One of these is now blocked. Beneath the sill of the eastern triplet, the wall slopes outwards to its base. There is no west window, nor any tower,—but a shingle belfry over

a

the west end. The roof is modern, or concealed by a plaster ceiling:

NANTMEL, and its dependent chapel RHAYADER, are noticed only to save archæologists the trouble of inspecting them.

LLANFIHANGEL Facu, another chapel to Nantmel, deserves further notice, although it is extremely small and rude, and has probably lost a portion of whatever architectural character it once possessed, by extensive reparations. A large part of the southern wall has been rebuilt, together, apparently, with the upper portions of the east and west walls. In the latter, indeed, there are signs of two successive rebuildings. At present there is neither east nor west window, no porch, no tower, no external detail of any kind, no constructional division between the nave and the chancel. But there is a wooden belfry, now plastered over, with a pyramidal capping, at the west end; and where we may suppose the chancel to to have begun, there is a fleur-de-lis of iron set upright in the ridge of the roof. Simple and rude as its exterior is, it is unquestionably a very picturesque object, with its high pitched roof, and pyramidal belfry;--and it is well placed in a sequestered and sylvan churchyard, containing only two or three sod-covered graves. Internally the western bay is partitioned off as a belfry and vestry, as at Llandrindod. The roof is the best point about the church. It is Decorated, of good character, though quite plain. The principals have collar-beams, and tie-beams, the latter of which form segmental pointed arches.

LLANYRE consists, like the churches already enumerated, of a nave and chancel without any architectural division. It has no tower, and no bell-cot; the bell being hung inside the western bay, which is partitioned off, as at Llandrindod and Llanfihangel Fach. The western wall has a sloping projection throughout nearly the whole of its length; above this, high in the wall, there is a square-headed window, which looks as if it had been intended to hang a bell in, as in St. Bartholomew's Chapel, near Oxford. There is a south porch,