S 60 C R I 
London to South Wales and Milford Haven, and is fup- 
pofed to have been built in the time of Hywel Dda, 
prince of South Wales, (who flourifhed about the year 
940, celebrated for his code of Welch laws, collected by 
Dr. Wotton,) or his fon Hywel. Near it are the re¬ 
mains of an encampment, with a double ditch, mentioned 
in Leland as the Cragus Hoclinus. Here formerly was a 
cafUe, called Alifby-caflle , the ruins of which are hill to 
be feen, and fhcw it to have been a place of conliderable 
flrength, but by whom it was eredted is uncertain. It has 
a plentiful market on Thurfdays, and an annual fair on 
the 1 2th of May. 
CRICK'LADE, an ancient borough, fituated in the 
north-well: extremity of the county of Wilts, didant 
eighty-four miles from London, thirty-five from Bath, 
forty-feven from Briflol, thirty-two from Oxford, and 
feven from Cirencefler, in a rich healthy fertile country. 
It is faid to have been formerly called Cerigwlad, a BritSfh 
word, iignifying a flony or rocky country, like that in 
which the town is fituated : but fome are of opinion, that 
it is compounded of the Saxon word cpaecca, a brook, 
and latsiap, to empty ; becaufe the two finall dreams, 
the Churn and Rey, here difcharge themfelves into the 
Thames. Others fay it was called Grckelade, ‘from a Greek 
fchool, which, being tranllated to Oxford, was the ori¬ 
gin of the univerfity of that city ; but Camden feems to 
be of opinion that this dory is fabulous. It is, how¬ 
ever, of great antiquity, and was formerly a conliderable 
place. To this town the river Thames is navigable, and, 
till within a few years, goods were conveyed to and from 
London by the river; but there is now a canal between 
the Thames and Severn, which unites at Lechlade, runs 
within half a mile of this place, where there is a commo¬ 
dious wharf, at which the inhabitants are fupplied with 
coals at a moderate price, which are brought from Staf- 
fordfhire. This town is an ancient borough by prefcrip- 
tion, and governed by a bailiff, who is the returning-offi- 
cer. Here is a good free-fchool, well endowed. It has two 
churches; that of St. Sampfon is a large Gothic drudfure, 
with an elegant tower; the other, St. Maryts, is a very 
ancient building. The market is weekly, on Saturdays. 
The fairs are, the third Wednefday in April and July, 
the third Tuefday in Augud, and St. Matthew’s day. 
CRICK'I.EITH, a town of North Wales, in Caer- 
narvonfhire, twenty-one miles'from Caernarvon, and 223 
from London ; fituated on the coad of the Irifh lea, and 
is a place of great antiquity. Here are the remains of a 
Ilrong caftle, fuppofed to have been built by one of the 
Welch princes in the reign of king John. The gate and 
fome of the walls are dill (landing. The town is much 
decayed. The government is veiled in two bailiffs. It 
has a market on Wednefdays ; and three annual fairs, 
May 23, July i, and October 18. 
GRID,/. The ftvord or poniard carried by the Ma¬ 
layans in Hindoodan ; it is a foot and a half long, and 
the blade is ferpentine. 
CRIEFF, a town of Scotland, in the county of Perth : 
feventeen miles north of Stirling, and fix.teen welt of 
Perth. 
CRI'ER,^. The officer whofe bufinefs is to cry. or 
make proclamation.-—He openeth his mouth like a crier. 
Eccl. xx. 15. 
The crfer'calls aloud 
Our old nobility of Trojan blood, 
Who gape among the crowd for their precarious food. 
Dry dm. 
CRIL'LON (Louis de Berthonde), a knight of Malta, 
and didinguilhed general, of an illudrious family, origi¬ 
nally from Italy, and born in 1541. He ferved at the 
fiege of Calais at the early age of fifteen, and afterwards 
lignaliled himfelf in the battles of Dreux, Jarnac, and 
Moncontour, againd the Huguenots. He was at the bat¬ 
tle of Lepanto, as knight of Malta, in-1571, and .was 
chofen, though wounded, to carry the news of the vic¬ 
tory to the pope and the king of France. He affided at 
C R I 
the fiege of Rochelle in x573. Notwithflanding his zeal 
for the catholic religion, he took part againd the League, 
in favour of his lawful king, Henry III. of France ; and 
he was fo much edeemed by that monarch, as to be crea¬ 
ted by him medre-de-camp of his regiment of guards, 
and knight of his orders. Yet, when that weak prince 
ventured to propofe to Cvillon the affaffinatipn of his 
enemy the duke of Guife, the generous foldier refufed 
to be concerned in fueh a deed, but offered to light the 
duke. On the acceflion of Henry IV. Crillon transferred 
his loyalty to the new fovercign, and ferved him with 
the utmod fidelity. He repulled the leaguers from be¬ 
fore Boulogne ; and, when Quilleboeuf was inveded by 
the army of Villars, he entered the place in a boat, with 
only two attendants ; and to the beliegers’ fummons re¬ 
plied, “ Crillon is within, and the enemy without.” 
The gallant Henry confidered him as a fort of brother in 
arms, always called him the brave Crillon, (an epithet 
which has adhered to his name,) and treated him with 
the familiarity which made a confpicuous part of his 
character. One day, as Crillon entered the drawing¬ 
room, Henry exclaimed to his courtiers, “ Here comes 
the braved man in my dominions!” “ Sire,” replied 
Crillon, “ your mujedy tells a lie ; he is yourlelf.” Af¬ 
ter the battle at Arques, the king wrote him the follow¬ 
ing laconic billet: “ Hang yourlelf, Crillon! We have 
fought at Arques, and you were not there. Adieu, tyave 
Crillon! I love you, right or wrong fa tort & a traversj.” 
He was, however, (paring enough of lx is favours to the 
man lie loved fo well, giving this royal reafon : “I was 
fine of the brave Crillon, but had to gain over thofe 
who perlecuted me.” A bad date of Health eventually 
obliged Crillon to retire from the fervice. He fpent his 
latter days in exercifes of piety and beneficence, and died 
at Avignon in 1615, in his feventy-fifth year. A lingular 
charafteridic trait occurred ona trial of Crillon’s courage, 
by the young duke of Guife. Crillon had been lent by 
Henry IV. to the duke at Marfeilles ; when, by way of 
putting his prefence of mind to the proof, that young no¬ 
bleman caufed an alarm to be founded at the door of his 
lodging, at which he had previouily placed two horfes 
l’addled. The duke then ran up hairs, approached Crillon, 
and told him that the enemy had got poffeifion of the town 
and port, and propoled that he diould withdraw, rather 
than give the victor the glory of making him prifoner. 
Crillon quietly took his arms, and declared that it was 
better to die fword in hand than furvive tHe lofs of the 
place. As they defcended the hairs together, the duke 
burd into a fit of laughter, which apprifed Crillon of 
the trick thus played him. He immediately put on a 
hern countenance, and grafping Guife firmly faid to him 
with an oath, “ Young man, never again amufe yourfelf 
with founding the courage of a man of character. By 
heaven! if you had made me betray any weaknefs, I 
would have dabbed you.” 
CRIL'LON-MAHON (R. R. due de), defendant of 
the preceding nobleman, and captain-general of the Spa- 
nilh forces.’ It is calculated that he had been in fixty- 
eight different engagements. He commanded the Spanifh 
armies with the greated fuccefs in the war of 1780, againd 
the Englidt, and in that war took the ifland of Minorca. 
After having ferved long in France, his native country, 
at the conclufion of the feven years war he paffed, with 
the approbation of the French government, into the 
fervice of Spain, where he acquired the fird military 
rank. Not having taken any part in the lad war of the 
Spaniards againd the French, he had a very aftive (hare 
in the conclufion of the peace which terminated it. Cour- 
tefy, no lefs than courage, >vas always the appanage of 
the family of Crillon. In thefe refpefts.this member of 
that illudrious houfe did not degenerate; of which the 
eonqued of Minorca, and the letter fent by him to lord 
Heathfield, the preferver of Gibraltar, on his being made 
a peer,, will ever be convincing proofs. He died at Ma¬ 
drid, in May, 1756, aged eighty years. The title of 
duke 
