100 CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 



Plehedel, Pluduno, PouUan, and S. Segal. He is invoked in 

 Brittany by parents to ward death from their sick children, 

 which seems to show that in his lost legend, he was regarded as 

 one who showed particular love and tenderness to children. 

 His day is July 1 1 . 



S. Decuman, Hermit, Martyr. 



A chapel at Merthyr Euny, in Wendron, has this dedication. 

 The legend concerning him is too meagre in detail to enable us 

 to fix his date. 



Capgrave, after John of Tynemouth, says, that Decuman 

 was born in the Western part of Wales and was piously 

 educated. He resolved to leave his native place and crossed the 

 Severn on a hurdle of rods, " Virgas secus mare in fruteto, quas 

 reperit crescentes, colligavit in fasciculum, et tali utens vehiculo 

 misit se in profundum, et provectus est ad littus oppositum 

 prope castrum Dorostorum (Dunster)." 



That is, in Jact, he made a coracle, and crossed therein. 



At that time the district under Esmoor was desert, " Yasta 

 eremi solitudo frutetis et vepribus obsita, et densibile silvarum 

 in longum et latum spaciose porrecta, montium eminentia sursum 

 educta, et concavitate vallium mirabiliter interrupta, Hsec ei 

 sedes complacuit." 



Here he lived the life of a hermit for many years, nourishing 

 himself on the milk of a cow. 



Here also he met his death at the hands of a truculent 

 fellow, a man of Belial, who cut off his head "cum quadam 

 vauga," i.e. scythe (?)* 



Then he rose and carried his head to the fountain where he 

 was wont to wash, and there his body was afterwards found. 



The place where he died bears his name and is attached to 

 a prebendal stall at Wells. He is venerated as a Martyr and 

 his day is Aug, 27. 



Why he should have a chapel in Wendron is hard to see. 



* Ducange has not the word, hut T presume it is the French fauche. 



