naming of his son, then born in Caernarvon Castle, to be Prince of Wales, and of his distributing among his courtiers the principal lordships and castles, in that country. The author then proceeds to give the history of Wales under each Prince, and in the account of Edward the Black Prince, relates the manner of his investiture in the principality per sertum in capite, et annulum in digito aureum et virgam argenteam juxta morem, that is, by a chaplet of gold, made in the manner of a garland, by a gold ring, placed on his finger, and by a verge, rod, or sceptre of silver, though in the investiture of succeeding Princes, this rod or sceptre was changed into a verge of gold.

King Edward I, for the better maintenance of the Prince his son, gave him by charter, dated the 12th of May, in the 17th year of his reign, the principality of Wales, and the following manors, lordships, castles, and lands; viz. all his lands and lordships, in North Wales, West Wales, and South Wales; the lordship, castle, town and county of Caernarvon; the lordships, castles, and towns of Conway, Crucketh; Beaumaris; Harlech; the lordship, castle, town, and counties of Anglesey and Merioneth; the lordship, castle, town, and county of Caermarthen; the lordship, castle, and town, of Lampader Vawr; the lordship and stewardship of Canter Mawr; the lordship, castle, town, and county of Cardigan; the lordships, castles, and towns of Emlyn; Builth; Haverford and Montgomery; all the lands that had belonged to Rees ap Meredith, together with all the lordships, cities, castles, boroughs, towns, manors, members, hamlets, and tenements, knights' fees, voidancies of bishopricks, advowsons of churches, and of abbeys, priories, and hospitals, with the customs and prisageof wines; the exercise and execution of justice, and a chancery; forests, chases, parks, woods, warrens, hundreds, commots, &c. and all other hereditaments, as well unto the said principality, as unto the said King, in those parts

then belonging, TO HAVE AND TO HOLD THE SAME UNTO

THE SAID PRINCE AND HIS HEIRS, KINGS OF ENGLAND.

On the last sentence of this charter, or what is called by Lawyers, the habendum, the author makes the following observations.

"This limitation of estate of this principality unto the Prince and his heirs, Kings of England, may seem strange to modern lawyers. For how is it possible that the Kings of England can inherit the principality, since the principality being the lesser dignity is extinguished in the kingly estate, being the greater; for in presentia majoris cessat id quod minus est, for as much as the heir apparent of the crown, being Prince, is presently upon the death of his ancestor eo instante King himself, and the principality as the lesser, not compatible with the kingdom being the greater.

"But when I consider that this age wherein this charter was penned, was a learned age of judges and lawyers, by whose advice no doubt in a matter of this importance this charter was penned, and this age much commended for exquisite knowledge of the laws, by those learned men that lived in the succeeding times, I cannot but think reverently of antiquity, although I cannot yield sufficient reason of their doings therein. Nevertheless forasmuch as all the charters in the ages following made to the Prince, do hold the same manner of limitation of estate, I am persuaded some mystery of good policy lies hid therein which as I conceive may be this, or such like. The kings of England thought to confer upon the Prince and heir apparent, an estate in fee simple in the lands that they bestowed upon him; for a lesser than an inheritance had not been answerable to so great a dignity. And yet they were not willing to give him any larger estate than such as should extinguish again in the crown when he came to be King, or died, for that he being King should also have the

like power to create the Prince or his heir apparent, and to invest him into that dignity, as he, being the father, was invested by his progenitor. For the wisdom of the Kings of England was such, as that they would not deprive themselves of that honour, but that every of them might make new creations and investitures of the principality to their eldest son, and next succeeding heir apparent, and that those lands so given unto the Prince, might when he wag King, be annexed, knit, and united again to the crown, and out of the crown to be anew conferred, which could not so have been if those lands had been given to the Prince and his heirs general, for then the lands so given would have rested in the natural person of the Princes after they came to the kingdom distinct from the crown lands; and might as the case should happen, descend to others than to those which were heirs apparent to the crown. And herein I do observe a difference between the principality of Wales given to the Prince, and the Duchy of Cornwall, given unto him. For every Prince needeth, and so hath had a new creation and investiture. But he is Duke of Cornwall as soon as he is born, if his ancestor be then King of England; and if not, he is Duke of Cornwall, eo instante that his father is King of England." Pp. 333, 334.

On the death of the Black Prince, his son, afterwards King Richard II, was created Prince of Wales by his grandfather, King Edward III, who gave him two third parts of all the said principality, counties, lordships, castles, &c. and the reversion of the other third part thereof, the possession of which was then in the mother of the said Richard, as her dowry; with the yearly rent of 113£. 6s. 8d. payable by the Earl of March, as a fee-farm for the lordship and lands of Builth, and 85 marks, for the fee-farm of the castle, lordship, and lands of Montgomery, both which it appears had been granted away after Edward, the Black Prince, had been in possession of the same; the

vacations of bishopricks, except that of St. David's, the presentation to which it appears anciently belonged to the crown, and the fees of the Barons Marchers of Wales, who always held of the King in capite, with the like limitation as before, TO THE SAID RICHARD AND HIS HEIRS

KINGS OF ENGLAND.

The author then proceeds to give an account of the manner of government of the principality and marches of Wales, under the Prince, the administration of justice, the officers, as well domestic as others, and their fees, and lastly an abstract of the revenues of the principality as they stood in the 44th year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. This is followed by an account of the descent of the family of Stuart, from the issue of Fleance, (son of Banquo, who was assassinated by Macbeth), and Nest, daughter of Griffith ap Lhewellyn, King of Wales. This is extracted by the author from Holinshed, and includes the collateral branches of that extensive family. It is introduced by James I, creating his eldest son Henry, Prince of Wales, after whose death his second son Charles was so created. Charles II had the title, but not the investiture nor creation. The author concludes his book with the Charter of Henry VIII, for creating his son Edward, Prince of Wales, and a list of the things necessary for such creation

There is a wood-cut of the arms and quarterings of Enderbie facing the title, and three whole sheet plates between pp. 250, and 251, of the arms of the ancient and modern Welsh Families, with a plate containing 12 coats on p. 251. There is also a number of escutcheons of arms engraved on wood in different parts of the volume.

The author, in his history of the life and actions of the renowned Arthur, introduces the following Ballad, which is a poetical description of a challenge delivered to that Monarch from a King of North Wales.

BALLAD.*

As it fell out upon a Pentecost day

King Arthur at Camalet kept his court royal,
With his fair Queen Gwinever the gay,
And many Princes sitting in Hall.

Bold Barons, Knights and Squires that day,
Ladies attired in purple and pall.

With herehaughts in hewkes howling full high
Cried Larges, Larges, chevaliers tres hardie.

A doughty dwarf to the uppermost desk
Boldly gan prick kneeling on knee

Sayd, King Arthur, God thee save; and see

Sir Reimes of North Gales greeteth well thee,

10

The following various readings of this Ballad are taken from the copy printed by Dr. Percy, in Reliques of Anc. Eng. Poetry, and from that in Nichols's Progresses of Queen Elizabeth. The text of the first was composed of the best readings, selected from three different copies; viz 1. That printed in Enderbie, the text of which is reprinted as above; 2. That printed in Laneham's "Account of the Queen's Entertainment, at Killingworth, 1575," and reprinted by Nichols, of which I have given the various readings as below; and 3. A MS. inserted in a copy of "Morte Arthur, 1632," in the Bodleian Library.

V. 3. With his faire queene Dame Guenever the gay;

And many bold barons sitting in hall,

With ladies attir'd in purple and pall;

And beraults in hewkes, hooting on high,

Cried, &c. (Percy.)

3. With his cumly queen Dame Gaynovur the gay. (Nichols.)

6. Ladies apparail'd in purpl and pall. N.

7. When herauds in hukes berried full hy. N.

9. A doughty dwarfe to the uppermost deas
Right pertly gan pricke, kneeling on knee.
With steven full stoute amids all the preas-P.

11. Said Hail Sir King, God thee save and see

King Ryens of North Galez greeteth well thee. N.