Chapter 1: Here begins the Life of St Padarn, a Bishop #

¹ Christ, the Son of the living God, the third person of the divine Trinity, co-eternal and consubstantial with the Father and the Holy Spirit, gave this command to his Church, so that he might more effectively stir the minds of men to religion by promising them a double reward, that is, a hundredfold in this life and eternal life in the world to come. Luke the Evangelist, the disciple of Saint Paul the Apostle, physician of body and soul, wrote this teaching for the common salvation of Christians; and this is the meaning of that command: “Whoever will mortify all his affections and trample underfoot the riches and luxuries of the world in order to obtain the kingdom of God will receive far more in the present life than from brothers and companions united to him in spiritual friendship, and will gain a love far more pleasing even in this life; for it is clear that the love between parents and children, relatives, wives, and neighbours, whether arising from social bonds or ties of kinship, is brief and perishable. Whoever, therefore, for the sake of the kingdom of God despises temporal things will, through faith, taste even in this life the sure joys of heaven, and, in hope of the heavenly ones, the most excellent of all, will also enjoy the most exquisite love of the elect” [Luke 18:29–30]. Of this number was Saint Padarn, a bishop, who, abandoning his earthly inheritance and seeking help of the highest importance, desired to become an heir and citizen of the heavenly kingdom. He was Armorican by birth and descended from noble parents, namely his father Pedredin and his mother Gwgan, who, seizing the opportunity granted them, begot Saint Padarn. Afterwards they devoted themselves to the constant service of God; for Pedredin immediately left Armorica and went to Ireland. Thus the nativity of Saint Padarn was blessed, through which his father was made a saint and his mother a servant of Christ, and they led a religious life for ever. All this was foreseen by God in fitting order; for as Christ was begotten of the supreme Father, God from God and Light from Light, so Saint Padarn was born of holy parents. For from the very moment of his birth he chose to follow Christ.

² And as soon as he was able to grasp anything rational in the world, he asked his mother, with whom he had been left, who his father was, whether he was living in the world, and, if he were living, where he was, and why he dwelt abroad rather than remaining in his own inheritance. His mother answered him with tears: “Your father is indeed living, and more for God than for the world; he has departed from here to Ireland, where he fasts, prays, keeps vigil, meditates, and shows compassion; he sleeps on a mat, and he prays kneeling to the supreme Lord, both by day and by night.” Then the youth, inspired from above by the Holy Spirit, was comforted and said: “How can a son live better than by imitating a good father? For if a man be a king, his son desires to imitate his father in ruling; therefore I shall perish if I do not follow my father in the paths he has chosen.” At that time Corus, a monk, left Armorica and intended to land on the coasts of Britain; for as a winter beehive, when the pleasant spring stirs the bees and they wisely seek to increase their number, sends out its chief swarm to gather honey elsewhere, so Armorica, as the serenity of religion increased, sent out multitudes of saints to the land from which they had originally come, under the leaders Hitenlau, Cadvan, and Tydecho. The holy youth Padarn, stirred by this report, girded himself to go abroad with the others, and not more slowly than his elders; rather, the younger he was, the more fervently he laboured, and he greatly surpassed his years in the performance of religious duties. Therefore all the groups assembled and were of one mind in their desire to sail to Britain; Padarn was soon made the fourth leader of a company, not at his own request, but because his cousins, seeing him prepare himself for the height of perfection, appointed him, saying: “Since God has caused you to excel in conduct, it is fitting that you should be set over others as an example of life.” Thus all the clergy, after a prosperous voyage, landed in Britain.

³ Eight hundred and forty-seven monks followed Padarn, and with his saints he took up residence in the church called Mauritana, where Saint Padarn afterwards distinguished himself by performing a remarkable miracle. He soon built a monastery there, and afterwards he built a church and a monastery under a steward, appointing a governor and a dean. Then, remembering his father, he blessed the brethren, obtained permission, and sailed to Ireland, where they greeted one another, gave thanks to the supreme God, Christ, and at last sat down together. At that time the kings of two provinces in Ireland were at odds, and the land on both sides was laid waste: plunder was carried off, houses were burned, wars broke out, kinsmen were slain, and the country was depopulated and turned into a wilderness. At length the merciful Ruler of the world, in his accustomed providence taking pity on the cause of hopeless peace, sent his angel to the bishop of each city of the Church, who said: “Unless each army shall see the face of the saint who has lately come from Britain, the spiteful kings will never be reconciled.” Messengers were immediately sent who respectfully invited Padarn; the armies were assembled, and they placed Padarn in the midst between them. By the grace of his presence demons were driven away, lasting peace was made between the two provinces, and enduring unity was brought about by God; and as a sign of the unity of the people, the woods of one province fall whenever those of the other do.

⁴ Then all magnified the Lord in his servant Padarn, and all blessed him, saying: “May you always bear the sign of peace, so that your name may be renowned upon earth while you live, and after death you may be filled with the reward of Cerrigwen.” For such was the virtue of that staff that, if two persons were at variance, they were by its means brought into agreement. And of Christ it is said that “a good shepherd knows his sheep” [John 10:14]; in accordance with this teaching, Saint Padarn called to mind his brethren whom he had left in Britain.

⁵ He took leave of his father, who blessed him, and he went to Britain, where he found his brethren safe in mind and body. Among them he found Nimanauc, who had arrived not long before; for, being unable to remain in Armorica after Padarn’s departure, he came to the seashore, where he found a certain stone on which he stood and said: “If the things I intend are pleasing to God, and if Padarn, whom I wish to follow, is truly a saint, the stone will rise and float upon the sea, the waves will become firm, the sea will be made hard, so that the stone will not sink into it, and I shall be carried safely to my master, Saint Padarn, the leader.” No sooner said than done: by a marvellous voyage he arrived at a coastal church in Britain, where he was greeted by the brethren, to whom he related what had happened. With one voice they all magnified the Lord God in his saints, who had fulfilled the humble desire of Nimanauc and revealed the power of his eminent saint, Padarn.

⁶ Then Padarn built monasteries and churches throughout the region of Ceredigion, in which he appointed governors, namely Samson, Guinnius, Guipper, and Nimanauc. Thus Saint Padarn became a lamp in teaching and in conduct throughout Britain. Meanwhile Maelgwn, king of the Northern Britons, visited the Southern Britons with the intention of making war upon them and bringing them into subjection, and he came with a great army as far as the river Clarach. And when he, the great tempter of the saints, was present, he ordered two heralds to go before him in order to test Saint Padarn in some malicious way; and they were called Graban and Terillan.

⁷ With wicked intent they came to the hill of Clarach and filled their bags with moss and gravel, which they pretended were royal treasures. They brought these to the saint and asked him to keep them until the king should return in safety. The saint consented, ordered them to be set down, and declared that they would be found exactly as they had been left. The king advanced, the heralds followed, and the king returned peaceably, the Britons having been brought into submission. He then sent the wicked heralds again, that they might put the saint to the test. They hurried to his dwelling, took up the bags, emptied them, laid out the moss and gravel, and insolently cried out that the royal treasures had been stolen and that moss and gravel had been put in their place. The saint, on the other hand, declared that they were found in the same state as when they had been delivered. They then threatened to destroy the whole building unless the treasures were restored.

⁸ Some time earlier the king had issued an edict throughout Britain that every liar should be exposed by means of very hot water. Then, in the fervour of the spirit, Padarn ordered water to be heated in a bronze vessel until it boiled. This was soon done, and Padarn at once put his hand into the water at its fiercest heat; when he withdrew it, it appeared white and cold as snow. Afterwards the heralds were required to put their hands into the water, and their scalded hands revealed the malice of their hearts. Being immediately consumed, they perished, and their lives and souls fled in the form of ravens over the channel, which to this day is called by the name of one of them, namely Graban.

⁹ Then King Maelgwn himself was struck blind where he stood, sick at heart, and trembling on feeble knees, and he confessed that he was about to die because of the evil he had intended against Saint Padarn. The king went at once to Padarn and, kneeling, asked for pardon, which Saint Padarn granted. The king recompensed him with a tract of land, that is, from the mouth of the river Rheidiol upstream to its source where it meets the boundary of the river Clarach, and along the whole course of that river to the sea. At that moment the king’s sight was restored, his heart strengthened, and his knees made firm. Saint Padarn and the king parted from one another in peace, and there was peace also with God towards Padarn, and with Padarn towards God, through this miracle.

¹⁰ While these things were taking place, a heavenly messenger came to Saint David, serving Christ God in Glyn Rosyn, and said to him: “Arise and go to Jerusalem, and there you shall be ordained; and take with you two worthy companions who also shall be ordained, namely Padarn and Teilo.”

¹¹ David sent for them at once, and they came without delay. Together they passed through barbarous nations and received the grace of tongues; for although they were men of one language, they spoke to every person in his own tongue, that of the land in which he had been born. At length they came to Jerusalem, where they preached most excellently after the manner of the Apostles, and were afterwards ordained by the laying on of hands of the chief archbishop. The three saints were enriched with gifts, and Padarn received a double gift, namely a staff and a seamless woven tunic. They returned safely and divided Britain into their three dioceses, unless the malice of tyrants should later disturb them.

¹² And when Padarn was in the church, resting after so much labour upon the sea, a certain tyrant named Arthur traversed the surrounding regions and on a certain day came to the cell of Saint Padarn the bishop. While he was speaking with Padarn, he looked upon his tunic and, seized by greedy desire, asked whether he might have it. The saint replied: “This tunic is not fitting for the use of any malicious man, but for clerical dress.” He went out of the monastery in a rage, and returned again in anger, intending to take the tunic against the will of the attendant saints. One of Padarn’s disciples, seeing him return in fury, ran to Saint Padarn and said: “The tyrant who was here before is returning insolently and levels the ground beneath his feet.” Padarn replied: “Yes, may the earth swallow him.” At that word the earth opened its bosom to a great depth and swallowed Arthur up to his chin. He immediately acknowledged his guilt and began to praise both God and Padarn, until, having asked forgiveness, the earth released him.

¹³ And there, with bent knees, he begged the saint’s favour and obtained it; he accepted Padarn as his perpetual patron and so departed. In those days Caradoc, surnamed Vraichvras, extended his kingdom beyond the bounds of Britain and came to Armorica, which he took under his rule. The Armoricans came to him and said: “Unless you summon our countryman Padarn to us from Britain, you will not find us peaceable.” Caradoc then travelled through the circuit of his kingdom and at length came as far as the city where Saint Padarn was then residing. That place, before Padarn came there, was called the Plain of Heli, but it is now called the metropolis of Saint Padarn; for during twenty-one years he kept three churches there in strict penance, namely seven in the maritime region, seven in the central place called Agam’s Cross, where he overcame Graban and Terillan, and seven, being the last period of his episcopate, living in contemplation to God alone.

¹⁴ Caradoc remained in that great church and earnestly entreated him at last to go as an example to Armorica. Padarn, not wishing, according to the apostolic precept, to resist authority, consented to go, and informed the king that he would establish laws concerning those churches which should remain for ever. Immediately the king said: “During my lifetime the churches shall be yours, like an island in the great sea; and I, who sit on the chief throne of the kingdom of the Britons, declare that if any king, or son of a king, or any military leader shall make this law void, either his days shall be shortened, or his lineage shall not be remembered on earth, or hell shall be his eternal portion.” And all the people and the king’s army, and all the disciples of Saint Padarn, answered, “Amen.” Saint Padarn therefore took leave of his brethren, whom he left to govern his churches, and he comforted them so that they should not be disheartened in their tribulations, telling them that in all things they should always pray to God through him. He then came to Armorica, where he suffered much from false brethren; for as soon as he arrived, his fame spread throughout the land.

¹⁵ And Samson, whom at that time all the Armoricans extolled as outstanding in holiness, went through his parishes so that all the churches of the Armorican saints might be made subject to episcopal tribute, to be paid then and thereafter for ever. It happened that he came to places near the city of Guenet, close to which Saint Padarn, a bishop, had built a monastery. One of the monks, maliciously observing Samson, said to him: “Send to the saint who has lately come from Britain and test his humility, and command him by a messenger that in whatever condition he may be when the messenger arrives, in that same condition he must hasten to come to you.” Samson innocently accepted this advice and, suspecting no deceit in it, sent a messenger, who without delay came to Saint Padarn and found him with a boot and stocking on one leg and the other bare. The servant delivered the message as he had been instructed. Padarn, foreseeing what would happen, did not delay, but went at once to the assembly; and the malicious monk, the author of the plot, mocked Padarn for having his legs half clothed, but was immediately seized by a demon and fell to the ground. Soon afterwards Samson understood the cause, and that this monk had devised the wicked temptation against Saint Padarn. He then greeted him peaceably, asked pardon, which Padarn granted, and Padarn healed his afflicted servant and cast out the demon; and the Lord was honoured in Saint Padarn.

¹⁶ Then Saint Samson decreed that although all the dioceses throughout Armorica were to pay tribute to him, nevertheless the diocese of Saint Padarn should be free from every claim. And whoever should annul this law in the churches of Saint Padarn, and in their possessions in Armorica and Britain, should perish under those curses by which King Caradoc had condemned him; and all the company of the clergy answered, “Amen, amen.” The city of Guenet was the episcopal see of Saint Padarn, in which the Apostle Peter had one church; for Caradoc ordered by decree that, with the exception of one hall, the honour, name, and renown of that city should always be dedicated to Saint Padarn.

¹⁷ After these things, the saints established seven dioceses throughout Armorica, and decreed that they should meet on one mountain and confirm their unity to endure for ever. In that synod Padarn suffered much from envious and false brethren, yet he confirmed his union with the six principal saints, he himself being the seventh, according to the number known of the sevenfold grace. Fearing that through their intolerance they might take offence against him for some slight cause, he left Armorica and went to the land of the Franks, where he fell asleep in the Lord on the eighteenth day before the calends of May.

¹⁸ And the Armoricans celebrate three solemnities: the day of the calends of November, on which he entered into perpetual union with the principal saints of Armorica; the day of his death; and the day on which he received episcopal ordination, namely the twelfth day before the calends of June. After the death of Saint Padarn, a famine struck Armorica; for during the three years following his death neither dew nor rain fell throughout the land. All enquired into the cause of such great want and heat, and at length they discovered that Saint Padarn, having been afflicted by false and hostile brethren, had left Armorica. Taking counsel together, they all went to the place of his burial among the Franks. It was decided that they should honourably carry his remains back with them, but they were unable to do so; for the whole company could not lift even one of his bones. They were therefore troubled and did not know what to do.

¹⁹ At length a certain nobleman of the city of Guenet came forward and said: “While Saint Padarn was living, he always asked me for my field, that he might lay there the foundation of his church. Although I did not grant his request during his lifetime, I will give it after his death; therefore let him rise, receive the honour, and accept what he asked for.” At these words they raised the chest containing the remains from the ground, and one or two men carried it with ease. They came to Armorica and, with hymns and spiritual songs, honourably buried the remains in the field of that nobleman.

²⁰ Thus it was done, just as the Temple of Solomon was honourably built on the threshing floor of the Jebusite [2 Samuel 24:18–25; 1 Chronicles 21–22]. In the same way the Armoricans resolved to build a temple of Christ on the field of that nobleman, around the remains of Saint Padarn. Another city was also built among the Franks, where he had first been buried. Therefore in the city of Guenet his remains will happily await the day of judgement, and his soul will rejoice in heaven, in the unity of the nine orders of the heavenly host, in the communion of saints, bishops, confessors, and apostles, and in that unity which surpasses all others, the unity of the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Let us therefore beg Saint Padarn, that as he lives blessedly in heaven, we also, through his intercession, may dwell in the heavenly kingdoms for ever and ever. Amen.

Chapter 2: Here begins the Possession of Lands of Saint Padarn, the Bishop #

¹ While the patriarch was present at Jerusalem, the three southern kingdoms of the Britons were established under three episcopacies of three saints. The kingdom of Seisyll, with the consecration of churches, received the granting of episcopal orders, the confirmation of episcopal baptism, the chrism, and all episcopal appointments from the episcopacy of Saint Padarn. The kingdom of Rhun received the same rights from the episcopacy of Saint David, and Morgan received his kingdom and episcopal appointments from Saint Eliud. Thus the third episcopal see among the southern Britons is the city of Saint Padarn, the bishop. How the territory of Saint Padarn became his own has already been mentioned in the miracle which Saint Padarn performed against Maelgwn.

² At a certain time, while Saint Padarn the bishop was dwelling in his cell, it happened that one of his servants, who had occasion to go into the woods belonging to the monastery, fell in with thieves and was killed. When he did not return, the clergy wondered why he delayed in coming back to the brethren; and at length the cause of the delay came even to the ears of the prelate Padarn. On hearing this, he went to the wood and called his servant by his own name, saying, “Rees, answer your master.” Then the head, cut off from the body, replied, “Here I am, sir.” At these words the bishop came to the place from which the voice had come, and saw the head of his servant separated from the body. Lifting his eyes to heaven, he blessed the whole body; and at the blessing of the holy man the head and body were joined together, and the servant rose up alive. Both gave thanks to Christ for the miracle.

³ The report of the resurrection came to the ears of the governor, named Eithir, who, moved by the power of the miracle, addressed the bishop, saying: “The murderers of your servant were my wicked men; and lest divine vengeance, stirred by your displeasure, should overtake me, I ask pardon. And in order to appease your mind towards me, I will grant you a tract of very fair land, free from tribute to any man, that is, from the ditch of Linum between the two rivers, Rheidiol and Paith, to the seacoast.” To him Saint Padarn granted pardon, and foretold: “Before your life comes to an end, you will please the Lord; and you, who are commonly called Eithir son of Arthet, will be honourably buried in the cemetery of this place, where your commemoration will be celebrated for ever by this community.”