parts and his friends' power, he might have been what he would have been in the church of England. Abigail said of her husband, "Nabal is his name, and folly is with him." But it may be said of this worthy dean, Goodman was his name, and goodness was in his nature, as by the ensuing testimonies will appear. 1. The Bible was translated into Welch on his cost, as by a note in the preface thereof doth appear. 2. He founded a school-house, with a competent salary, in the town of his nativity; as also erected and endowed an almshouse therein for twelve poor people. 3. He repaired the house for the minister (there called the Warden) of Rythin, furnishing it with plate and other utensils, which were to descend to his successors. 4. He purchased a fair house with land thereunto at Chiswick in Middlesex, where with his own hands he set a fair row of elms, now grown up to great beauty and height, for a retiring place for the masters and scholars at Westminster in the heat of summer, or any time of infection. If these lands at this day be not so profitably employed, as they were by the donor piously intended, it is safer to bemoan the sad effect, than accuse the causers thereof. There needs no other testimony of his honesty and ability, than that our English Nestor, the lord treasurer Cecil, made him one of the executors of his will, to dispose of great sums to charitable uses; which trust he most faithfully discharged. He died in the year 1601; and is buried in the collegiate church of Westminster, whereof he so well deserved, as of all England, Mr. Camden performing his perambulation about it on his expences. Sir HUGH MIDDLETON, son of Richard Middleton, was born at Denbigh in this county, and bred in London. This is that worthy knight, who hath deserved well of London, and, in it, of all England. If those be recounted amongst David's Worthies, who, breaking through "the army of the Philistines,"* fetched water from the well of Bethlehem, to satisfy the longing of David (founded more on fancy than necessity), how meritorious a work did this worthy man perform, who, to quench the thirst of thousands in the populous city of London, fetched water on his own cost, more than twenty-four miles,† encountering all the way with an army of oppositions, grappling with hills, struggling with rocks, fighting with forests, till, in defiance of difficulties, he had brought his project to perfection. But oh, what an injury was it unto him, that a potent person and idle spectator 2 Samuel xxiii. 16. By an accurate mensuration, the course of the New River is thirty-eight miles, three quarters, and sixteen poles in length; and the cost to the original proprietors was half a million sterling.-ED. should strike in (reader, I could heartily wish it were a falsehood what I report), and by his greatness possess a moiety of the profit, which the unwearied endeavours of the foresaid knight had purchased to himself! * THE FAREWELL. I heartily wish this county may find many like Robert earl of Leicester (by his bounty much advancing the building of a new church in Denbigh), who may willingly contribute their charity for the repairing of all decayed churches therein. Yea, may it be happy in faithful and able ministers, that by their pains they may be built up in the faith of the Lord. "The property of the New River (says Mr. Nelson, in his History of Islington,') is divided into seventy-two shares, which division took place soon after the commencement of the undertaking: thirty-six of these were originally vested in Sir Hugh Middleton, the first projector, who having impoverished himself and his family by a concern which has proved so beneficial to the public as to render his name ever honoured and respected, was obliged to part with his property in the undertaking, which was divided among various persons. These shares are called the Adventurers' shares. The moiety of the undertaking, which was vested in the Crown, was by king Charles the First, on account of the then unpromising aspect of the Company's affairs, re-granted to Sir Hugh Middleton, bart., his heirs and assigns, on condition that they should for ever pay to the king's receiver-general, or into the receipt of the Exchequer, for his Majesty's use, the yearly rent of 5007., which is still paid, and almost entirely out of the king's shares: but, the Crown never having had any hand in the management of the concern, the holders of these shares are still excluded from the direction. Though king James became a proprietor of one half of the concern, Middleton, to prevent the direction of its affairs from falling into the hands of courtiers, precluded him from having any share in the management, and only allowed him a person to be present at the several meetings, to prevent any injustice to his royal principal. By this preclusion of the holders of the king's shares from the government of the Company, exclusive of their being encumbered with the aforesaid annuity, they are of course not quite so valu. able as those of the Adventurers." Notwithstanding the difficulties which the first projectors had to encounter, and the losses thereby sustained, the undertaking has of late years proved extremely profitable to the shareholders.-ED. FLINTSHIRE. FLINTSHIRE taketh its name from Flint, formerly an eminent place therein. But why Flint was so named will deservedly bear an inquiry, the rather because I am informed there is scarce a flint-stone to be found in the whole shire. An eminent antiquary well known in these parts (reader, I must carry my author* at my back, when I write that which otherwise will not be believed) hath informed me, it was first called Flit-town, because the people flitted or removed their habitations from a small village hard by, to and under a castle built there by king Edward the First. Afterwards it was called Flint-town, or Flint, to make it more solid in the pronunciation. Now although sometimes liquids are melted out of a word to supple it to turn the better on the tongue's end; it will hardly be precidented that ever the sturdy letter N was on that or any account interjected into the middle of an original word. But it is infidelity not to believe what is thus traditioned unto us. It hath the sea on the north, Shropshire on the south, Cheshire on the east, and Denbighshire on the west thereof; the smallest county in Wales, whereof the natives render this reason, "that it was not handsomely in the power of king Edward the First (who made it a shire) to enlarge the limits thereof; for the English shires, Shropshire and Cheshire, he would not discompose; and on the Welch side he could not well extend it without prejudice to the Lord Marchers, who had potestatem vitæ et necis in the adjacent territories; the king being unwilling to resume, and they more unwilling to resign, their respective territories." In If any ask why so small a parcel of ground was made a shire, let them know that every foot therein in content was ten in concernment, because it was the passage into North Wales. deed it may seem strange that Flint, the shire-town, is no market town, no nor Saint Asaph (a city, quá sedes episcopi) till made so very late. But this is the reason, partly the vicinity of Chester, the market general of these parts; partly that every village hath a market in itself, as affording all necessary commodities. Nor must we forget that this county was parcel of the Pala Mr. John Jones. PROVERBS-PRINCES-SAINTS. 537 tinate of Chester, paying two thousand marks (called a mize) at the change of every earl of Chester, until the year of our Lord, 1568; for then, upon the occasion of one Thomas Radford committed to prison by the chamberlain of Chester, Flintshire, saith my author,* disjoined itself (revolted, I dare say) from that County Palatine, and united itself to the Principalities of Wales, as conceiving the same the more advantageous. PROVERBS. "Mwy nag un bwa yro Ynghaer.] That is, more than one yugh-bow in Chester. Modern use applieth this proverb to such who seize on other folks' goods, (not with the intent to steal, but) mistaken with similitude thereof to their own goods. But give me leave to conjecture the original hereof, seeing Cheshire men have been so famous for archery. PRINCES. ELIZABETH, the seventh daughter of king Edward the First and queen Elenor, was born at Ruthland castle in this county; a place which some unwarily confound with Rythin town in Denbighshire. This castle was anciently of such receipt, that the king and his court were lodged therein; yea, a parliament, or something equivalent, was kept here, or hereabouts: seeing we have the Statutes of Ruthland (on the same token the year erroneously printed in the Statutes of Ruthland) made in the.....year of king Edward the first. This lady Elizabeth, at fourteen years of age, was married to John the first of that name, earl of Holland, Zealand, &c.; and, after his death, remarried to Humphrey Bohune earl of Hereford and Essex, high constable of England, by whom he had a numerous issue. She died anno Domini 1316; and was buried in the abbey church of Saffron Walden in Essex.† SAINTS. CONGELLUS, or COMGALLUS.-I perceive a storm a-coming, and must provide a shelter against it. The omitting this writer will make Wales angry, and the inserting him will make Ireland offended with me, whom a good antiquary ‡ makes the first abbot of Bangor in this county, and a better § (though living later) first abbot of Bangor nigh Nockfergus in Ireland. What is to be done herein? When the controversy was started whether the Isle of Man belonged to England or Ireland, it was adjudged to the latter, because no venomous creature will live therein. But this controverted nativity is not capable of that * W. Smith, in his Vale Royal of England, p. 15. Bale, de Scriptoribus Britannicis, Cent. iii. num. 53. discrimination. Indeed, if the difference was betwixt Wales and England my native country, concerning Congellus, we would, according to our premised principles, freely resign him: not daring to be so bold with an outlandish interest, let him stand here so long till better evidence be brought to remove him; for, if those be beheld as the worst of felons, who steal straggling children in London streets from their parents, and spirit them over unto foreign plantations; high also is their robbery, who deprive countries of their true natives, (as to their memories after their deaths), and dispose them elsewhere at their pleasures. As for Congellus, it is agreed on all hands, that he was one of a pious life, who wrote learned epistles; and, being aged eightyfive years, died anno Domini 600. ST. BENO was instructor to St. Wenefride, committed by her father to his careful education. Now it happened, when the head of the said Wenefride was cut off by Cradocus, son to Alane king of North Wales, (for not yielding to his unlawful lust), this Beno miraculously set it on again,* she living fifteen years after. But if the tip of his tongue who first told, and the top of his fingers who first wrote, this damnable lie, had been cut off, and had they both been sent to attend their cure at the shrine of St. Beno, certainly they would have been more wary afterwards, how they reported or recorded such improbable untruths. ASAPH was born in these parts, of right honourable parentage, and bred at Llan-Elvy in this county, under Kentigernus (or Mongo) the Scotch bishop in that place. Here the said Kentigernus had a convent consisting of 663 monks, whereof 300 hundred being unlearned (in the nature of lay-brethren) were employed abroad in husbandry, as many busied about work at home, the rest attended divine service in the convent, so divided, that some were always officiating therein.† Amongst these Asaph was eminently conspicuous for piety and learning, insomuch that Kentigernus (being called into his own country) resigned both his convent and cathedral unto him. Here this bishop demeaned himself with such sanctity, that Llan-Elvy lost its name, and after his death was called from him St. Asaph. He was an assiduous preacher, having this speech in his mouth, "Such who are against the preaching of God's word envy man's salvation." Bishop Godwin confesseth himself ignorant of the certain time of his death; though another‡ (not more knowing but more confident) assigneth the first of May (but with this abatement) about 569; I say not out possibly, a random date may hap to hit the mark. Acta S. Wenefridæ apud Sur. tom. vi. 3. Novemb. et Breviar. sec. usum Sarum in lect. S. Wenefrida; and R. B. in her Manuscript Life in the English College in St. Omer's. † Camden's Britannia, in Flintshire. Flowers of the English Saints. |