a short history of wales-第10部分

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　the　weak　and　unfortunate　Edward　II。

Of　even　greater　value　than　political　equality　was　the　new　reign　of　law。　　The　Tudors　used　the　Star　Chamber；　the　Court　of　Wales；　and　the　Great　Sessions　of　Wales；　to　make　all　equal　before　the　law。　　To　the　Star　Chamber　they　summoned　a　noble　who　was　still　too　powerful　for　the　court　of　law。

But　it　was　the　Court　of　Wales　that　did　most　work。　　It　was　held　at　Ludlow。　　It　had　very　able　presidents；　men　like　Bishop　Lee；　the　Earl　of　Pembroke；　and　Sir　Henry　Sidney。　　Bishop　Lee　struck　terror　into　the　whole　Welsh　march；　between　1534　and　1543。　　Before　his　time　a　lord　would　keep　murderers　and　robbers　at　his　castle；　protect　them；　and　perhaps　share　their　spoil。　　But　no　man　could　keep　a　felon　out　of　the　reach　of　Bishop　Rowland　Lee。　　If　he　could　not　get　them　alive　he　got　their　dead　bodies；　and　you　might　have　seen　processions　of　men　carrying　sacks　on　poniesthey　were　dead　men　who　were　to　swing　on　Ludlow　gibbets。　　But；　severe　as　Lee　was；　the　peasant　was　glad　that　he　could　go　to　the　Court　at　Ludlow　instead　of　going　to　the　court　of　a　march　lord；　as　he　had　to　do　before　1535。　　The　shire　had　been　much　better　governed　than　the　lordship。　　When　the　lordship　of　Mawddwy　was　added　to　the　shire　of　Merioneth　in　1535；　the　officers　of　the　shire　found　that　it　was　a　nest　of　brigands　and　outlaws。

In　the　more　peaceful　and　humane　days　of　Queen　Elizabeth；　Sir　Henry　Sidney　became　President　of　the　Court　of　Wales。　　He　was　one　of　the　best　men　of　the　day；　and　he　was　proud　of　ruling　Wales　and　the　border　counties；　〃a　third　part　of　this　realm；〃　because　his　high　office　made　him　able　〃to　do　good　every　day。〃

Besides　the　Court　of　Wales　for　the　whole　country；　a　court　of　justice　was　held　in　each　of　four　groups　of　shires；　and　these　courts　were　called　the　Great　Sessions　of　Wales。　　So；　though　the　law　was　the　same　for　everybody；　Wales　had　a　separate　system　to　itself；　partly　because　there　was　so　much　to　do；　and　partly　because　the　central　courts　in　London　were　so　far　away。　　Much　was　also　done　to　get　wise　and　learned　justices　of　the　peace；　and　fair　juries。

By　the　end　of　the　reign　of　Elizabeth；　the　last　of　the　Tudors；　one　may　say　that　Wales　rejoiced　in　the　following：

1。　　There　was　no　hatred　between　England　and　Wales；　the　Welsh　gentry　served　the　Queen　on　land　and　sea；　and　the　people　were　more　happy　and　contented　than　they　had　been　since　the　time　of　Llywelyn。

2。　　There　was　no　danger　of　private　war　between　lords；　to　which　the　peasant　might　be　summoned。　　The　brigands　which　infested　parts　of　the　country　had　been　cleared　away。

3。　　The　law　of　land　had　been　fixed。　　It　was　determined　that　land　was　to　go　to　the　eldest　son；　according　to　the　English　fashion。　　All　the　land　became　the　property　of　some　landlord；　and　it　was　decided　who　was　a　landowner；　and　who　was　not。　　The　Welsh　freemen　were　held　to　own　their　land；　the　Welsh　serfs；　the　descendants　of　an　old　conquered　race；　sometimes　became　owners　and　sometimes　tenants。　　They　all　thought　that　Henry　VII。；　the　Welsh　victor　of　Bosworth；　had　set　them　free。

4。　　The　Tudors　trusted　their　people；　and　called　upon　them　to　govern　and　to　administer　justice　themselves。　　The　squires　were　to　be　justices；　the　freemen　were　to　be　jurors；　the　shire　was　to　look　after　the　militia；　and　the　parish　after　the　poor。



CHAPTER　XVIIITHE　REFORMATION



The　Reformation　in　England　was；　to　begin　with；　a　purely　political　movement。　　Henry　VIII。　wished　to　rule　his　people　in　his　own　way；　in　religion　as　well　as　in　politics；　and；　eventually；　he　became　Supreme　Head　of　the　Church　as　well　as　the　king　of　the　country。　　His　new　power　brought　changes。　　It　was　necessary　to　reform　the　Church；　and　the　wealth　of　the　monasteries　tempted　him　to　do　it。　　There　was　a　new　spirit　of　enquiry；　and　the　King　was　led　on　by　that　spirit；　with　dilatory　and　hesitating　steps；　to　examine　old　creeds。　　The　religious　fervour　of　the　Reformation　had　caught　the　people；　and　the　King　stood　still；　if　he　did　not　turn　back。

But　his　ministers　had　no　misgivings。　　Thomas　Cromwell　tried　to　hurry　the　Reformation　onthe　monasteries　were　dissolved；　the　Bible　was　translated；　and　the　sway　of　Rome　was　disowned。　　The　king　appointed　the　bishops；　decided　church　cases；　and　even　determined　what　the　creed　of　his　country　was　to　be。　　Somerset；　in　the　reign　of　Edward　VI。；　made　the　movement　a　doctrinal　one；　and　forced　it　on　with　equal　vigour。

Wales　looked　on；　with　indifference　and　apathy　at　first；　and　then　with　murmurs。　　The　movement　had　no　attraction：　　it　had　many　causes　of　offence。　　In　England　the　political　movement　became　a　patriotic；　an　intellectual；　and　a　religious　movement；　and　it　succeeded。　　In　Ireland；　also；　it　was　political；　but　it　could　not　appeal　to　patriotism；　because　it　was　an　English　movement；　and　it　failed。　　In　Wales；　it　was　neither　welcomed　nor　opposed；　it　was　simply　tolerated；　and　with　a　bad　grace。

For　one　thing；　it　brought　English　instead　of　Latin　into　public　worship。　　Latin；　the　old　language　of　prayer　and　even　of　sermon；　was　venerated；　though　not　understood。　　But　English　was　not　only　not　understood；　it　was　also　regarded　as　inferior　to　Welsh。　　The　Tudors'　dislike　of　various　tongues　was　as　strong　as　their　dislike　of　various　jurisdictions。　　Henry　VIII。；　in　giving　Welshmen　the　Act　of　1535；　says　that　the　tongue　of　Owen　Tudor　is　〃nothing　like　ne　consonant　to　the　natural　mother…tongue　used　within　this　realm；〃　and　enacts　that　all　officials　in　Wales　shall　speak　English。　　And；　in　the　same　spirit；　the　Welshman　was　told　that　the　Kingdom　of　Heaven　was　now　open　to　him；　but　that　he　must　seek　it　in　English；　or　not　at　all。

Again；　the　reformersmen　of　the　type　of　Bishop　Barlowdespised　and　shocked　a　people　they　never　understood。　　The　sanctity　of　St　David's；　the　theme　of　the　best　poets　of　the　Middle　Ages　and　the　goal　of　generations　of　pilgrims；　was　described　by　its　Protestant　bishopwho　unroofed　the　palace　in　order　to　get　the　leadas　a　desolate　angle　frequented　only　by　vagabond　pilgrims。　　A　Welshman　is　not　appealed　to　by　what　is　an　insult　to　his　country　and　a　shock　to　his　religion　at　the　same　time。　　The　relics　were　ruthlessly　swept　away；　they　were　taken　possession　of　by　the　agents　of　Cromwell　and　destroyed；　or　sent　to　London。　　The　images　carried　in　the　village　processions　were　lost　the　images　that　could　keep　the　superstitious　Welshman　from　hell；　or　even　bring　him　back　from　it；　or　heal　his　diseases；　or　keep　his　cattle　from　the　murrain；　and　his　crops　from　blight。　　I　only　know　of　one　of　those　relics　that　can　still　be　seen。　　It　is　the　healing　cup　of　Nant　Eos；　a　mere　fragment　of　wood。　　The　people's　faith　in　the　relics　can　be　estimated　from　the　fact　that　the　cup　has　been　used　within　the　last　century。

Again；　the　monasteries　were　dissolved。　　The　wealth　of　the　monasteries；　their　meadows　and　barns　and　sheep…runs　and　fish　ponds；　were　coveted　by　the　rich；　the　poor　thought　of　them　as　sources　of　alms。　　The　monks　were　good　landlords；　and　they　gave　freely；　not　only　the　comforts　of　religion；　but　of　their　medicinal　herbs　and　stores　of　food。　　The　Welsh　monasteries　were　not　so　rich　as　those　of　England；　and　they　were　all　dissolved　among　the　lesser　monasteriesthose　with　an　income　under　200　pounds　a　year。　　But　though　none　of　them　were　very　rich；　they　nearly　all　had　almost　200　pounds　a　year。　　Their　loss　affected　the　whole　country；　as　each　part　of　Wales　had　one　or　two　of　themTintern；　Margam；　Neath；　and　Whitland　in　the　south；　Strata　Florida；　Cwm　Hir；　Ystrad　Marchell；　and　the　Vanner　in　central　Wales；　and　Basingwerk　and　Maenan　in　the　north。

The　Reformation　brought　the　poorer　classes　in　Wales；　not　only　insults　to　their　national　and　religious　feelings；　but　material　loss。　　It　appealed　only　to　the　English　bishops　who　had　adopted　the　new　Protestant　tenets；　and　to　the　Welsh　and　English　landowners　who　had　lost　their　reverence　for　relics；　and　had　learnt　to　hunger　for　land。

The　movement　was　a　severe　strain　on　the　loyalty　of　the　Welshman　to　the　Tudors；　but　he　had　learnt　to　look　to　the　king　for　guidances　and　he　suffered　in　silence。　　Mary　was　welcomed；　and　no　Welsh　blood　was　shed　for　the　Protestant　faith。　　The　passive　resistance　to　the　Reformation　might　have　broken　out　into　a　rebellion　if　a　leader　had　come。

In　Elizabeth's　reign　two　attempts　were　made　to　disturb　the　religious　settlement。　　One　was　made　by　the　Jesuitsthe　wonderful　society　established　to　check　the　Reformation　movement　and　to　lead　a　reaction　against　it。　　In　1583　John　Bennett　came　to　North　Wales；　in　1595　Robert　Jones　came　to　Raglan；　and　several　Welsh　Jesuits　suffered　martyrdom。　The　other　attempt　was　that　of　John　Penry；　who　wished　to　appeal　to　the　intellect　of　the　people　by　means　of　the　pulpit　and　the　printing　press。　　The　apostle　of　the　new　creed　was　crushed；　like　those　who　wished　to　revive　the　old；　he　was　put　to　death　as　a　traitor　in　1593；　after　a　short　life　of　importunate　pleading　that　he　might　preach　the　Gospel　in　Wales。

Before　the　end　of　the　reign　of　Elizabeth；　however；　the　Welsh　language　was　recognised。　　The　last　school　founded；　that　of　Ruthin　in　1595；　was　to　have　a　master　who　could　teach　and　preach　in　Welsh。　　And　in　1588　there　had　appeared；　by　the　help　of　Archbishop　Whitgift；　the　Welsh　Bible　of　William　Morgan。　　It　was　the　appearance　of　this　Bible　that　aroused　the　first　real　welcome　to　the　Reformation。　　But　the　Reformation　that　gave　England　a　Spenser　and　a　Shakespeare　aroused　no　new　life　in　Wales；　not　a　single　hymn　or　a　single　prayer。



CHAPTER　XIXTHE　CIVIL　WAR



After　the　Tudors　came　the　Stuarts。　　The　Tudors　did　what　their　people　wanted；　the　king　and　the　people；　between　them；　crushed　the　nobles。　The　Stuarts　did　what　they　thought　right；　and　they　did　not　try　to　please　the　people。　　Under　the　Tudors；　there　was　harmony　between　Crown　and　Parliament；　and　Elizabeth　left　a　prosperous　people　with　strong　views　about　their　rights　and　their　religion。　　But　James　I。；　and　especially　his　son　Charles　I。；　tried　to　change　law　and　religion。　From　the　Tudor　period　of　unity；　then；　we　come　to　the　Stuart　period　of　strife。

From　1603　to　1642　the　struggle　went　on　in　Parliament。　　The　Welsh　Members　nearly　all　supported　the　king；　and　the　Welsh　people　followed　the　Welsh　gentry　in　strong　loyalty。　　The　most　famous　Welshman　of　the　period　was　John　Williams；　who　became　Archbishop　of　York　and　Lord　Keeper。　　He　was　a　wise　man；　he　saw　that　both　sides　were　a　little　in　the　wrong；　an