482 CORNISH DEDI0ATIOK8. 



Latin Hagiographer, so lie converted the poor wife into an 

 impudent woman pursuing an unwilling man who abhorred 

 matrimony. The place where the woman of the legend lived 

 was Emlyn in a part of the Brychan country. 



According to William of Worcester, the body of 8. Brynach 

 or Branock rested at Braunton. Whyteford in his Marty rology 

 calls him Bernake, and says this, concerning him : — "In Englonde 

 ye feest of Saynt Bernake a gentylman of grete possessyons, 

 which all he solde and went on pylgrymage to Eome, where by 

 the waye he dyd many myracles. And when he came to 

 England agayne he was of grete fame and moche magnifyed, 

 whiche to declyne and avayde he fledde pryvely into South 

 Wales, where he was assayled with the tentacyon and persecution 

 of a lady in lyke maner as Joseph in Egypt, but with grace he 

 vaynquyshed and was of hygh perfecyon, many myracles, and 

 had revelacyons and also vysyons of aungels." 



According to Bishop Grandisson's Legendarium, his day is 

 January 7 ; this is also the day given by William of Worcester. 



Whyteford, however, gives April 7, as also the Welsh 

 Calendar (lolo MSS.). The date of S. Branock's death would be 

 about 560. He founded many churches about Emlyn, his wife's 

 inheritance, which were later ascribed to S. Bernard. 



At Trelyfan in Pembrokeshire is S. Brynach's Chapel, and 

 stone. The latter stands upwards of 10 feet high, a cross with 

 interlaced ornament, is boldly cut upon it. 



Anent this stone, there is a tradition that the cuckoo was 

 wont to first sound his note in this locality on the day of the 

 Patron Saint, April 7. 



" I might well have omit," says Q-eorge Owen in his History 

 of Pembrokeshire, ** an old report as yet fresh of this odious 

 bird, that, in the old world, the Parish Priest of this church 

 would not begin mass till the bird — called the Citizen's 

 Ambassador — had just appeared and begun his note on a stone, 

 called S. Brynach's stone, standing upright in the churchyard of 

 this parish ; and one year, staying very long, and the priest and 



the people expecting his accustomed coming, came at last, 



lighting on the said stone, his accustomed preaching place, and 

 being scarce able onoe to sound the note, presently fell dead." 



