162 CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 



The opponents had nothing to say. The people to whose 

 arbitration it was put, scarce could keep their hands off them. 

 The decision was given by acclammation against the Pelagians."* 

 Nennius,f in his "British History," has preserved portions 

 of a British account of the acts of S. Grermanus, whilst in our 

 island, and although there is a certain amount of fabulous matter 

 mixed up with it, yet we are justified in supposing that the 

 narrative is substantially historical. 



According to this Welsh account, Grermanus met with much 

 opposition in Powys from the King, BenlH, and when he 

 approached the city where he was, probably Uriconium or 

 "Wroxeter, had the gates shut against him. Germanus and his 

 clerks remained without, fasting. They were however supported 

 by the keeper of the gate, Cadell Deyrnllwg. As Benlli persisted 

 in refusing to receive the Saint, fire fell from heaven and 

 consumed the palace and the King, and Cadell was elevated to 

 become King of Powys in his room. 



Now if we translate this out of legendary language into that 

 of history, we shall discover that the facts were that Germanus 

 finding the King of Powys obstinate, blessed and encouraged an 

 insurrection under Cadell, which proving successful, Cadell 

 became King and head of a new dynasty, "his offspring 

 governing Powys unto this day." 



Cadell was by no means of the low origin attributed to him 

 in this story. He was chief of a district in the present county 

 of Denbigh, and married a daughter of Brychan. That this was 

 a dynastic revolution favoured by Grermanus seems abundantly 

 clear. Mr. Eees (Essay on the "Welsh Saints) holds that the 

 incident belongs to the second visit of Germanus to Britain. 



* Browne (B. of Bristol) : " The Church in these Islands before Augustine," 

 S.P.C.K., 1897, p. 92, et seq. 



f Zimmer (H.) in his " Nennius Vindicatus," Berlin, 1893, has successfully 

 established that the author was called Nennius, that he compiled his History in 

 796 out of pre-existing material, mainly out of an earlier anonymous History 

 written in Alcluith 679. Nennius himself wrote in Bualt, part of Herefordshire. 

 He has also demonstrated that the Vatican Nennius is late and comparatively 

 worthless. 



Among the material Nennius employed, was the Welsh Life of S. Germanus, 

 of which all we now possess are the extracts made by him. 



