The Description of Wales | Page 9

Albanactus, he gave the lands beyond the Humber, which took from
him the name of Albania. But to his youngest son, Camber, he
bequeathed all that region which lies beyond the Severn, and is called

after him Cambria; hence the country is properly and truly called
Cambria, and its inhabitants Cambrians, or Cambrenses. Some assert
that their name was derived from CAM and GRAECO, that is, distorted
Greek, on account of the affinity of their languages, contracted by their
long residence in Greece; but this conjecture, though plausible, is not
well founded on truth.
The name of Wales was not derived from Wallo, a general, or
Wandolena, the queen, as the fabulous history of Geoffrey Arthurius
(15) falsely maintains, because neither of these personages are to be
found amongst the Welsh; but it arose from a barbarian appellation.
The Saxons, when they seized upon Britain, called this nation, as they
did all foreigners, Wallenses; and thus the barbarous name remains to
the people and their country. (16)
Having discoursed upon the quality and quantity of the land, the
genealogies of the princes, the sources of the rivers, and the derivation
of the names of this country, we shall now consider the nature and
character of the nation.

CHAPTER VIII

Concerning the nature, manners, and dress, the boldness, agility, and
courage, of this nation
This people is light and active, hardy rather than strong, and entirely
bred up to the use of arms; for not only the nobles, but all the people
are trained to war, and when the trumpet sounds the alarm, the
husbandman rushes as eagerly from his plough as the courtier from his
court; for here it is not found that, as in other places,
"Agricolis labor actus in orbem,"
returns; for in the months of March and April only the soil is once
ploughed for oats, and again in the summer a third time, and in winter
for wheat. Almost all the people live upon the produce of their herds,
with oats, milk, cheese, and butter; eating flesh in larger proportions
than bread. They pay no attention to commerce, shipping, or
manufactures, and suffer no interruption but by martial exercises. They
anxiously study the defence of their country and their liberty; for these

they fight, for these they undergo hardships, and for these willingly
sacrifice their lives; they esteem it a disgrace to die in bed, an honour to
die in the field of battle; using the poet's expressions, -
"Procul hinc avertite pacem, Nobilitas cum pace perit."
Nor is it wonderful if it degenerates, for the ancestors of these men, the
AEneadae, rushed to arms in the cause of liberty. It is remarkable that
this people, though unarmed, dares attack an armed foe; the infantry
defy the cavalry, and by their activity and courage generally prove
victors. They resemble in disposition and situation those conquerors
whom the poet Lucan mentions:
- "Populi quos despicit Arctos, Felices errore suo, quos ille timorum
Maximus haud urget leti metus, inde ruendi In ferrum, mens prona viris,
amimaeque capaces, Mortis et ignavum rediturae parsere vitae."
They make use of light arms, which do not impede their agility, small
coats of mail, bundles of arrows, and long lances, helmets and shields,
and more rarely greaves plated with iron. The higher class go to battle
mounted on swift and generous steeds, which their country produces;
but the greater part of the people fight on foot, on account of the
marshy nature and unevenness of the soil. The horsemen as their
situation or occasion requires, willingly serve as infantry, in attacking
or retreating; and they either walk bare-footed, or make use of high
shoes, roughly constructed with untanned leather. In time of peace, the
young men, by penetrating the deep recesses of the woods, and
climbing the tops of mountains, learn by practice to endure fatigue
through day and night; and as they meditate on war during peace, they
acquire the art of fighting by accustoming themselves to the use of the
lance, and by inuring themselves to hard exercise.
In our time, king Henry II., in reply to the inquiries of Emanuel,
emperor of Constantinople, concerning the situation, nature, and
striking peculiarities of the British island, among other remarkable
circumstances mentioned the following: "That in a certain part of the
island there was a people, called Welsh, so bold and ferocious that,
when unarmed, they did not fear to encounter an armed force; being
ready to shed their blood in defence of their country, and to sacrifice
their lives for renown; which is the more surprising, as the beasts of the
field over the whole face of the island became gentle, but these
desperate men could not be tamed. The wild animals, and particularly

the stags and hinds, are so abundant, owing to