Att text: The Life of Saint Tathan has more recently been attributed to Caradoc of Llancarfan due to stylistic similarities, shared narrative motifs, and a common ecclesiastical context (Sims-Williams, 2011). However, earlier scholarship assumes the author is anonymous (Bell, 1909; Wade-Evans, 1944).

Bell, H. I. (1909) The Life of Saint Tathan. London: Henry Bradshaw Society.
Sims-Williams, P. (2011) The Celtic Saints of Wales. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wade-Evans, A. W. (1994) Vitae Sanctorum Britanniae et Genealogiae. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.

Chapter 1 #

¹ Here begins the Life of Tathan, Confessor, on the second day before the Kalends of January.

² A certain king of Ireland, the most noble among the kings of that island descended from a royal line, named Tathetus, had an only son called Tathan. He was adorned with upright conduct, and from infancy was spotless, pure, and remarkable for resisting temptation, like gold refined in the furnace. Remaining in this virginal purity, and with nothing improper ever observed in him, he prayed earnestly, being inflamed with divine love and heavenly desire. Therefore his parents, seeing the boy despise worldly things and strive towards heavenly ones, wished to give back to God the one whom He had chosen, because the boy sought to ascend to the place from which he had first come. This intention was soon carried out: the child was committed to the study of letters, and as his abilities grew he was instructed accordingly. Whatever he heard from his teachers was never lost to forgetfulness. He studied constantly and without reluctance, until elementary learning shone forth in him like fruit growing from the finest blossom. The fame of this renowned young man spread throughout Ireland, and when it was heard, countless youths came to him to learn from his teaching.

³ Meanwhile the king fell ill, and since Tathan was the only son of that branch of the family, he was summoned to the city by common counsel of the people, so that he might receive from his father the governance of the kingdom. But he, a servant of God, despising an earthly kingdom and choosing a heavenly one, would not agree to their counsel, nor accept the kingdom against his will. Instead, he asked that he might carefully fulfil the command of Solomon, which says: “Do everything with counsel, and after counsel you will not repent” [Proverbs 20:18]. On the following night, while he slept, the voice of an angel spoke to him: “Stand firm, and take care not to set aside your first intention; do not love a perishable inheritance, and do not lose an endless country. Whatever you see in the world passes away with sorrow and danger; all that you hear is mournful, and all that you look upon is perilous. Set your mind therefore on eternal things, on being at the right hand; and that you may be placed on the right hand, how great must your inward strength be, so that the hidden plotter and enemy may be driven out. Go tomorrow without delay to the sea harbour and cross over to Britain, so that you may do what has been appointed for you, as I command.”

⁴ When he awoke, he recalled the vision to mind, and with a joyful heart went to the sea coast, accompanied by eight of his disciples. When they arrived, they found a small ship lacking all nautical equipment; yet rejoicing, they boarded it together, and without sail or oar they travelled wherever the wind drove them, and by God’s favour they sailed safely and prosperously to the British Severn.

⁵ At last, after travelling the length of the sea, they approached Gwent and landed at a harbour named after the surrounding country. The eight of them went ashore and left the ship without fastening it with a rope; they themselves were like the eight virtues in number with which they had been adorned from their earliest years. A wealthy neighbour, who was accustomed to bathe on the Sabbath, saw them coming, weary from their journey and voyage, and, when he saw them, he would not bathe until the strangers—who were more worthy of bathing—had first done so. When they entered, they were honourably received by a servant, as strangers ought to be received, for he remembered the word of the Lord concerning the Judge who will come on the last day and say: “I was a stranger, and you welcomed me” [Matthew 25:35]. While they were resting, someone was sent to the harbour to secure the untethered ship with a rope. When he reached the shore’s edge, he saw a stag, in the manner of a man, holding the rope with its feet so that the ship would not be overturned or lost. Amazed and filled with wonder, he hurried back and told his master and the others what he had seen. On hearing this, they gave great thanks to the Creator, who had tamed the fierceness of the wild beast. He released the stag because of its gentleness, praising and magnifying the mercy of the great Mover of all things.

⁶ The stag, made tame and held by a cord, was brought back, and everyone marvelled at its coming. He ordered that it should be killed and prepared for dinner on the following day, yet no one dared to harm it or lay a hand upon it because of the miracle shown through it. God, wishing to give a sign that it should be slain, caused the beast to lie down and stretch out its neck. This was all the more marvellous, for by stretching itself out it offered itself to be killed and made useful for their sustenance as it lay there, plainly through divine mercy, which grants gifts to the poor who ask. At last he ordered that, as it lay, it should be quickly killed: it stretched out its neck and showed that it was ready to die; it even cooperated in its own death, a wondrous thing; and the wildness of the holy stag was made gentle for food.

⁷ This miracle having been publicly performed, the rich man and the stranger, with the king’s consent, served Saint Tathan, and likewise his descendants who would come after him. Caradore, king of the two Gwents, when he heard of the fame of this celebrated and venerable man and of the splendour of his miracles, sent messengers asking him to come, so that he might hear evangelical exhortations from him and keep them in his heart. But Tathan humbly replied to the messengers: “If your king wishes to visit us, let him come here; but I will not go to a worldly king, nor to the great household of a king.” When the messengers returned and reported this, the king was not angered but became more compliant, and he visited the honoured teacher with twenty-four armed attendants, earnestly asking him to come to the land of Gwent and there govern a place of learning, since the people were pleased at his coming and he would establish among them a lasting authority.

⁸ The learned man agreed to the king’s request, and, wishing to make use of the talent entrusted to him [Matthew 25:14–30], he went to the nearby city and began to direct the school of learning. Students from all regions gathered to him to be instructed in the knowledge of the seven sciences. The king first granted him a field in the suburbs, stretching from the public road to the river, in which he might preach. When the field had been given, he was shown by angelic guidance a place most fitting for divine worship and worthy of clerical dwelling. Through the gift of Ynyr, the most noble son of King Caradore, he founded there a church in honour of the holy and undivided Trinity, and, with the counsel and permission of the bishop of Llandaff, he established twelve canons, who were to attend the oratory at their appointed hours.

⁹ Saint Tathan greatly praised the city and its fruitfulness, saying:

¹⁰ A city good and fruitful, lofty and noble, set in Gwent,
Which is my allotted place, granted by heavenly favour to its people;
It ever gives protection, watchful to defend you,
And it protects us also, and governs those who are to be defended.

Chapter 2: Of a Rich Man and His Son #

¹ A certain noble and wealthy man had ten sons, and he resolved to commit the tenth to the study of letters and the service of God, so that through one son the other nine might prosper the more. With the boy he gave to his teacher a cow, which yielded so much milk that by her means seven pupils and their master were sustained throughout the summer and autumn. She was tended daily in a meadow in the outskirts of the city. Armed men of the city came into that meadow with forty-seven horses, and, loosing them, ruined the whole field by cutting and trampling it. The shepherd, seeing that these things had been done maliciously, went to his master Tathan and told him of the invasion by the men and horses. The holy man bore it patiently and was not angered, but instead prayed for the offenders, that they might be converted and become better. His prayer was heard by the supreme Judge, who has said, “Vengeance is mine, and I will repay” [Romans 12:19]; for all the horses that had damaged the meadow were found dead. When the wicked soldiers saw that fitting punishment had come upon them for the destruction of the field, they quickly informed the king of the deadly affliction of the horses. The king, understanding that this had happened because of the injury they had done, drove the offenders out of the city and punished them with lashes.

² Then they, barefoot, with their families accompanying them, came swiftly to the pious and most chaste priest, and kneeling before him begged for pardon, offering and promising to make amends, according to his will, for whatever wrong they had done. The chosen servant of God, not wishing that they should suffer punishment, forgave their offence though they were guilty, mindful of the evangelical saying of the Lord: “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that he should turn from his way and live” [Ezekiel 33:11]. When amendment had been promised and fulfilled, the horses, in the sight of all who were present, were restored to life in a marvellous manner. And with one accord they all glorified God and praised the most glorious Restorer after so great a miracle.

³ When this miracle had been witnessed, the king freely granted Saint Tathan the whole city and all its surrounding territory as an everlasting possession. Then, being admonished by an angel, he again begged the servant of heaven that, when he rode out on the following day, he would show him the place of dwelling which was to be given to God, and which would be for the king himself a royal and fitting residence. Early in the morning he mounted his horse, and without bridle or halter allowed it to go wherever God should guide and lead it. Thus he set out from the city, the supreme Ruler directing his course, and travelled on until he came near the banks of the Severn. When he reached that place, his horse stood fast, its feet fixed to the ground as though bound by a golden fetter, and though he urged it on, it would go no further. Seeing the horse standing still, he said:

⁴ Observe the signs of God: the horse stands where there is a place to remain;
Thus He gives counsel: here you may build, and here shall be your royal dwelling.

⁵ Afterwards they made a staff from that fetter, and by it sick people were healed of every kind of disease. The place of habitation pleased King Caradoc, if only there might be spring water flowing there; this too he obtained for the people, with these words:

⁶ A horse pressed the ground with his feet, and dry soil brought forth water,
Flowing in such abundance as from a vein in a man’s arm.

Chapter 3: Of a Cow that was Taken Away #

¹ On a certain night thieves came from the district of Gwynllyw into Gwent and stole the cow mentioned above. They took her to the city, killed her, cut her up, and put the flesh into a pot; but the more it was cooked, the more it became bloody in the pot. On the following day the venerable servant of God was informed by the shepherd that the cow had been taken. He found a trace of her near the city, marked in a marvellous way upon a stone, and the holy man said: “This stone, which is trodden upon and whiter than salt, bears marks impressed upon it by the foot of a cow.” Thus, knowing with his companions the route taken by the thieves, he skilfully followed the track of a single cow, and of only one, until he came to the door of the palace.

² King Gwynllyw, who at that time was still wicked, saw the innocent man and his companions approaching, and ordered his servants to place a cauldron full of boiling water, to cover it with rushes, and to spread a linen cloth over it, so as to make a deceptive seat. The most righteous man was set down, as the king commanded, upon this device, but it proved a support given from heaven. While the deceitful men expected him to fall into the boiling water, the seat was firm, as though it were made of stone. The king, seeing that the servant of God was protected by divine power, fell on his knees and begged him to grant mercy for his grievous and deceitful act. The saint, in the manner of a truly holy man, forgave the offence on the condition that the servants should not repeat their theft. When these words had been spoken, the flesh and bones were placed back upon the hide, and when they had been so arranged, the cow came to life, rose up before them all, and returned home in their company [Ezekiel 37:1–10].

Chapter 4: Of the Wonderful Fire #

¹ Saint Cadoc, in the bloom of youth and at that time without his father’s knowledge, after witnessing this remarkable miracle, obtained his father’s permission and attached himself to a learned teacher so that he might be instructed in the knowledge of the Scriptures. On one occasion, when the fire had gone out in his master’s dwelling, the young Cadoc was sent to fetch fire from a neighbouring oven belonging to a certain rustic, who was stubborn and unyielding when asked. He refused to give it unless Cadoc carried it away in his cloak; Cadoc did so on that condition, and yet the cloak was not harmed [Daniel 3:27]. The remaining embers, so long as they were kept, cured illnesses and were called healing coals, and were held in high esteem throughout the region.

² When this marvellous miracle had taken place, the eminent teacher Tathan, seeing that Cadoc was gentle and obedient, wished him to remain longer under his discipline, for he saw and heard that God had worked such great wonders through him. Afterwards Cadoc departed unwillingly and in tears from his beloved master, being better instructed than any of the other disciples, and was admitted to a college. On his return he would not allow his father to continue in wickedness, but made him do penance for every unlawful deed. He exhorted him to pray and to keep watch continually [Matthew 26:41], to feed the poor [Matthew 25:35], to repeat his fasts, and while fasting to eat at the ninth hour bread mixed with ashes, and to drink water afterwards. His father, being converted, obeyed his son’s admonitions; despising earthly things, he turned his mind to heavenly ones.

Chapter 5: Of the Martyred Maiden #

¹ A maiden named Machuta was tending sheep that had been entrusted to her care. While she was guarding them, two thieves, brothers to one another, repeatedly came with the intention of stealing a three-year-old ram, large and very fat, but they were unable to do so while it remained with the flock. Since they could not take it without her knowledge, they forced the maiden to go with them into the wood; there they killed the stolen ram, and then beheaded the innocent maiden, so that she might not reveal theft. Afterwards the flock, left without a keeper and scattered, returned in the evening to the sheepfold. The gentle holy man heard them coming without the maiden and without the ram, and when he learned what had happened he was filled with grief, and all who were with him shared in his sorrow for the loss of the most faithful maiden.

² On the first night, as they kept watch and prayed that God would reveal what had become of her, still uncertain of the truth, the two brothers who were her murderers came to the door of his dwelling. Stricken with remorse, they confessed that they had stolen the ram and, what was far worse, had committed the murder. Weeping bitterly, they begged that forgiveness might be granted for their crimes, saying: “We will show the place of her martyrdom, so that you may be in doubt no longer.”

³ When he had heard this, he ordered them to go to the priest and, after confession, to perform the penance laid upon them. Early the next morning he went, with the clergy accompanying him, to the place they had named, and there they found the virgin slain, just as they had described. On that spot he founded a church built in honour of the virgin Machuta. He would not allow her body to remain there, but ordered that it should rest in the place where it properly belonged. It was therefore carried to the city of Gwent and buried in the floor of the church; may her soul rest in eternal peace.

⁴ Afterwards the swineherd Tesychues became a holy hermit and complained to Saint Tathan about the dryness of the land where he pastured his pigs. When his complaint had been heard and prayer made to the supreme Judge, a clear spring flowed forth and has continued to flow ever since without failing. The most blessed Tathan also had two tame doves, which often came down and played upon the table, and he took delight in seeing them and hearing their cooing. On one occasion, while they were flying between the refectory and the church, a kite seized one of them. When the clergy saw it carried off and told their master, he was grieved, yet he trusted that by God’s power it would be restored to him. On the following day, when he came to the place of refreshment after the celebration of Mass, the greedy kite descended, holding the dove in its talons, and set it down unharmed and free at the feet of the holy teacher. Seeing this, he rejoiced and said:

⁵ Look, the dove that was lately as dead now lives;
She flies and plays, her breast unharmed by wounds.
I praise the Creator, who comforts his servant:
He has given me back the bird, sending it from the kite’s claws.

⁶ On a certain day the same swineherd came again to his master, the most pious Tathan, complaining bitterly of the loss of his pigs. When he arrived he was asked by his master what he was lamenting and what had happened to him. Trembling greatly, lest his words should cause offence, he replied: “A most savage she-wolf has visited my herd during this past week and has carried off the young pigs of one sow. They are gone; not one of them is alive today. I followed the tracks of the ravenous wolf to its den, but I was unable to rescue them, and now it feeds its cubs on the flesh of the pigs. I am distressed; help me in my sorrow.”

⁷ When this had been said, Tathan answered the swineherd’s complaint: “Go back, faithful servant, and grieve no more, for God will, through my prayer, restrain the cruelty of the wolf, so that it will do no further harm, as it has done until now.” The swineherd therefore returned to his herd rejoicing. On the following morning he saw the wolf coming, carrying a cub in its mouth. It set the cub down at the threshold and left it there, and, being tamed, it withdrew into the wood no longer as a wild beast. The cub that had been left, by God’s gift, suckled at the teats of the bereaved sow as though they were those of its own mother. Being thus nourished, it grew up not as a wolf but as a domestic dog, and became a guardian in the woods.

⁸ For the space of three years neither beast nor thief harmed the herd. At the end of the third year the animal came, as it was accustomed to do each day, to the dwelling of its master Tathan. For some reason that displeased a servant, he struck the wolf on the side. Offended by the blow, the animal rolled itself three times, then returned to the wood and, out of indignation, never came back again to the herd. And thus the wolf restored the young pigs to the venerable Tathan.

⁹ What could be more wonderful to hear of than such a miracle? When the most holy Tathan breathed his last, the heavenly angels became his companions; and at the moment of his death a radiance like lightning filled the chamber, and a fragrance spread everywhere. All who were present perceived a sweet scent, delighting the senses like the taste of a honeycomb [Proverbs 16:24]. Thus passed from the body the spotless soul of Tathan, the most blessed confessor, whose feast we celebrate each year with devoted hearts. Who would not lovingly observe the solemnity of this day? Who would not honour and praise such dignity of holiness?

¹⁰ He was the father of all Gwent, and the people called him, and still call him, Father. No one dared to harm any of his attendants, and whoever did so was judged guilty of a grave offence. He was the protector of a woodland land; his refuge was inviolate. He bore all injuries patiently, never giving way to anger; his mind was gentle as a dove [Matthew 10:16]. Whatever was given to him he freely gave to the poor, refusing no one. In all the western region none was more generous in welcoming strangers and practising hospitality. Those who were hungry and oppressed by poverty, those who were thirsty and afflicted by drought, he satisfied from his abundance; he drove away the cold from the sides of the naked, brought comfort to those imprisoned, and gave help to widows and the destitute, seeking eternal things rather than passing ones [Matthew 25:35–36].

¹¹ Saint Tathan lived as a virgin whose desire was heaven, following the Lord to heavenly glory [John 12:26]. After his death he was buried in the floor of the church, and his seven companions and disciples attended the burial of their master, whom God had chosen and guided to the land of eternal glory.