CORNISH DEDICATIONS 45 



After his education was completed in Ireland, lie left his mother- 

 land. This is all that the author of the first Life knew, the 

 composer of the second was not satisfied, so he added this: — A 

 pestilence raged in Ireland and carried off King Ercleus and his 

 nine children. Then a pretender laid his hand on the crown. 

 The nobles thereupon sought out Maudez, who was abbot of a 

 monastery, and insisted not only on his assuming the regal 

 dignity, but also on his marrying the daughter of the pretender. 

 Maudez asked for a night and a day to consider the proposal, 

 and he prayed to God to deliver him, whereupon he became 

 covered with the most disgusting sores, at the sight of which the 

 nobles declined to favour his elevation, and the damsel absolutely 

 refused to receive him as a husband. 



The author of the Life knew no more of the early history of 

 the saint than that he came from Ireland, and he invented or 

 borrowed the farrago of nonsense with which he has stuffed the 

 first part of his story. 



It is doubtful whether any trust can be put in what is said 

 of the names of his parents. Gentusa is not au Irish name. 

 Ere is Irish and may have served as a kernel for Ercleus. No 

 trust can be set on the statement of the author of the second Life 

 relative to the plague ; but the Yellow Death did rage from 547 

 to 550, and saints and sinners alike fled from it across the water. 

 If there be any truth in the statement, then we may say that 

 about 548 Maudez left Ireland. He appears next in Wales, if 

 we may identify Tudwg, who now becomes his disciple, with a 

 Welsh saint of that name. Then Maudez started for Brittany 

 but tarried on his way in Cornwall with his disciples Bodmael 

 and Tudy (Tudwg). He halted on a creek of the Fal, in the 

 parish of S. Just, but never obtained any grant of land for 

 himself. 



The ancient chapel of S. Mawes was existing till 1812, when 

 it was pulled down and a new church erected on the site. The 

 well of S. Mawes is still in use and supplies the little place with 

 water. Leland says, in his Itinerary: — "A praty village or 

 fischar town with a pere, callid S. Maw's ; and there is a chapelle 

 of hym, and his chaire of stone a little without, and his welle. 

 They caulle this saint there S. Mat. . . . He was a bishop in 



