roundtable-winchester

Thomas Churchyard, 1520 - 1604

Thomas Churchyard lived a long and varied life. The son of a farmer, he was born near Shrewsbury. In his early years he was a soldier and saw service in Scotland, Ireland, The Low Countries and France where was taken prisoner and escaped.

On leaving the army he sought a place in the court of Elizabeth The First. This he never achieved, though he was rewarded with a pension from the queen when he was over seventy!

From 1560 onwards he published a variety of works. He travelled much and in his later years, went “sundry times of purpose” through Wales to give a description of the country. “The Worthiness of Wales” was produced in 1587 (and dedicated to Queen Elizabeth).

Here we have a section of that work. After describing Monmouth, Raglan, Chepstow, and Usk, and referring to the castles of Grosmont, Skenfrith, Whitecastle, and Llangibby, he turns his attention to Caerleon:

Caerleon now step in with stately stile;
No feeble phrase may serve to set thee forth.
Thy famous town was spoke of many a mile;
Thou hast been great, though now of little worth;
Thy noble bounds hath reached beyond them all;
In thee hath been King Arthur’s golden hall.
In thee the wise and worthies did repose,
And through thy town the water ebbs and flows.

King Arthur’s reign (though true it were)
Is now of small account;
The fame of Troy is known each where,
And to the skies doth mount.

Both Athens, Thebes, and Carthage, too,
We hold of great renown
What then, I pray you, shall we do
To poor Caerleon town.

King Arthur sure was crowned there,
It was his royal seat,
And in this town did sceptre bear,
With pomp and honour great.

An Archbishop, that Dubric hight
Did crown this King in deed;
Four kings before him bore in sight
Four golden swords, we read.

These kings were famous of renown,
Yet for their honour due,
Repaired unto Caerleon town,
As I rehearse to you.

How many dukes and earls withal,
Good authors, can you tell,
And so true writers shew you shall
How Arthur there did dwell?

What court he kept, what acts he did
What conquest he obtained?
And in what princely honour still
King Arthur long remained

Queen Gwenevere was crowned likewise
In Julian’s church, they say;
Where that four queens in solemn guise,
In royal rich array,

Four pigeons white bore in their hand
Before the Princess’ face,
In sign the Queen of British lands
Was worthy of that grace.

Caerleon lodgéd all these kings
And many a noble knight,
As may be proved by sundry things
That I have seen in sight.

The bounds hath been nine miles about,
The length thereof was great;
It shows itself this day throughout
It was a Prince’s seat.

In Arthur’s time a table round
Was there whereat he sate,
As yet a plot of goodly ground
Sets forth that rare estate.

The city reached to Christchurch then,
And to Saint Julians both
Which yet appears to view of man
To try this tale of troth.

There are such vaults and hollow caves, (1)
Such walls and conduits deep,
Made all like pipes of earthen pots
Wherein a child may creep,

Such streets and pavements, sundry ways
To every market town,
Such bridges built in olden day,
And things of such renown

As men may muse of to behold,
But chiefly for to note,
There is a castle very old
That may not be forgot.

It stands upon a forced bill,
Not far from flowing flood,
Where, lo, ye view long vales at will
Environed all with wood.

A seat for any king alive,
The soil it is so sweet,
Fresh springs doth streams of water drive
Almost through every street.

From castle all these things are seen
As pleasures to the eye;
The goodly groves and valleys green,
And woody mountains high;

The crooked creeks and pretty brooks
That are upon the plain:
The flowing tides that spread the land,
And twines to sea again;

The stately woods that like a hoop
Doth compass all the vale
The princely plots that stand in troop
To beautify the dale;

The rivers that doth daily run
As clear as crystal stone,
Shews that most pleasures under sun
Caerleon had alone.

Great ruth to see so brave a soil
Fall in so sore decay,
In sorrow set, full were the soil,
As fortune fled away.

And would forsook to knowledge those
That erst hath been so great
Where kings and grave philosophers
Made once therein their seat.

Urbs Legionem was it named
In Caesar’s days I trow,
And Arthur holding residence there
(As stories plainly show).

Not only kings and noble peers,
Repaired unto that place,
But learned men, full many years
Received therein their grace,

Then you that ancient things denies,
Let now your talk surcease,
When prose is brought before your eyes
Ye ought to hold your peace.

And let Caerleon have his right,
And joy his wonted fame,
And let each wise and worthy wight,
Speak well of Arthur's name.

After some particulars in prose relating to Arthur’s time, the author thus proceeds:-

Now must I touch a matter fit to know,
A fort and strength that stands beyond this town, (2)
On which you shall behold the noblest show,
(Look round about, and so look rightly down)
That ever yet I saw or man may view;
Upon that hill there shall appear to you
Of seven shires a part and portion great
Where hill itself is sure a warlike seat.

Ten thousand men may lodge them there unseen
In treble dykes that guard the fortress well,
And yet amid the fort a goodly green
Where that a power and mighty camp may dwell
In spite of world, if soldiers victuals have.
The hill so stands, if bird but wing do wave
Or man or beast but once stir up the head
A bow above with shaft shall strike it dead.

The hill commands a marv’lous way and scope
It seems it stood far off for town’s defence,
And in the wars it was Caerleon’s hope
Or else in deed, the Duke of Glo’ster since
(That did destroy both town and all therein)
To serve his turn this fortress did begin.

Not far from this, much like unto the same.
Twmbarlum stands, a mountain of some fame.
A town near this, that built is all a length,
Called Newport now, there is full fair to view,
Which seat doth stand for profit more than strength.
- A right strong bridge is there of timber new,
A river runs full near the castle wall:
Near church, likewise, a mount behold you shall,
Where sea and land to sight so plain appear
That there men see a part of five fair shires.
As upwards high aloft to mountain top,
The market town is bright in healthful sort;
So downwards too, is many a merchant’s shop,
And many sail to Bristowe from that port.
Of ancient time a city hath it bin,
And in those days the castle bard to win,
Which yet shows fair, and is repaired in part,
As things decayed must needs be helpt by art.

He compares Wales with other countries thus:

For France is fine, and full of faithless ways;
Poor Flanders gross, and far from happy days;
Rich Spain is proud, and stern to strangers all;
In Italy poisoning is always rife,
And Germany to drunkenness doth fall.
The Danes likewise do lead a bibbling life;
The Scots seek blood, and bear a cruel mind;
Ireland grows nought—the people were unkind.
England, God wot, hath learned such lewdness late,
That Wales, methinks, is now the soundest State.

Footnotes:

(1) In a marginal note, the author says:-

“ I have seen caves underground (at this day) that go I know not how far, all made of excellent work, and goodly great stones both over head and under foot, and close and fine round about the whole cave.” (return)

(2) Churchyard here refers to Lodge Hill. (return)

Merlin returned...as the dragon stirred, firelight broke the darkness in the hallowed chamber, sulphurous pools at the heart of the volcano rose from the depths of the fire monster inside the open womb and the Earth rumbled through the thick solid walls

Pan s Dragon Party

On green field did the fire dragon rage and from it returned the Druid King in robe’s of red, the mountain traveller of cave and fen sought council for the true king of men and parlay was given...what is this quest...   

Good Sun a Star is true beseech me not I give to you

Blessed…This glow so warm is true, good sun, grow and  thank-you, pure light, you shine  so bright and  warm me thru with tears of  joy, but, my heart  had  harden,  a mighty  Trojan did  fight  a  war  this  day, not slain , but , injured  in battle  and  finding  the  way, you  carry  me  through and  in this  I  thank-you, honesty  is  gift  so  fair, a  beautiful  river  of  hope we  travel, alone, together in care, drawn  figures  burning in all we share

Am I a Trojan in this War fair, do we dare or should we care, the wasted desert, cast aside and trapped all life in lost duty, pride, what river is there to wash this away, I am Nomadic, from Africa with hope this day, an army of life will find the way to honour this planet and give us our day to fight the dragons wars another way, with children bold who will not sway in light there is a way all blessed follow and pray

Trapped in the psyche from steps we all walked and compressed together like layers these fragment of collective experience bind us all to the same place intricately balanced in time so precious we give it no thought, yet everything is together that ever was and all is accessible so free, we all have a key and each and every part is humanity    

They aimlessly play magnetic mice around the cities while many sit and watch the show unfold of letters bold impressions mould, a fabric torn and frayed, this simple woebegone, that one should lead the way, if any can step forth this day, I light one candle eternally, for all to pray, that love should mend the way, where all lights shine as one and all receive that day and well they should, this kingdom to behold, precious time eluded while giants drink so crude...brownobhamabobbins meet and all the smarties go free

Pen Dragon comes forth to you, Excalibur a sword so true and service should it bring, the dragon warriors of this haven fear none and all shall see in truth a ring we share, this life, since now all possibilities lie ahead and we really ought to use one head, to see beyond the dark, to make this park of children pure, we never will forget, what lies ahead this day, on misty mountains pure of planets on which we play, love’s sweet music in the hay, sharing secrets cure, the dream weaving sentinels of justice forge away the future liberty of tomorrows way united in peace, alone together, no more.

Floating in the airwave the energy waves of emotion crashing to and fro, lost in the biosphere this atmosphere the only one we know so precious as the mist in gorillas mountains climb, living in this nature soft, safe as treasure seen we hold no sentence to a dream, but, many sentences in this time are seen.

The dream weaving reapers sat silently another herd far off, on another world, still musing malevolent chill whilst all breathed darkness in sulphurous pools they moulded their minds into a tool and cast forth their stride a weapon of ultimate doom, driving the mice apart leaving postcards in the sand, inverted crosses, trapped, but, not lost and pyramids they turn and life was free from captivity a freedom lost no more, I’ve seen this war self inflicted core, Dante’s journey I see no more, the dragon rests its head, a heart in all instead

What from it, did I come, this geometry in the sun, standing like a ghost no more, live trapped I see, only in symbol form of this tree, a notice left upon the Earth, a marker made, a fortuned birth, from deserts breath, this heat intense for this my life is recompense to know more, I left the arena there is no door, from space I speck in time was lost as light I travel as love we lost in poetry and bard did I speak these words to cheer, for merriment not fear, I live inside a bigger brain a universal mainframe, from it I came, Yoda is my name, Merlin to some I say, there is an energy force in side us more formidable than any army that shines in metal and smoke, trust this I rarely joke, Pan Shadow is my stead bolder heart I do not need, to this I share .

…and yet to beam across time had once a tone of sublime to
explore and shine, explore and shine
so let every reach be the change faced with grace to
explore and shine, explore and shine…

would each colour of the rainbow feel carried by the other?
I think instead that they support and combine in unison
strengthening with each new hue

so let it be that we are but hues on the rainbow

on an adventure to explore and shine

The Cast

Special Guest Appearence Azyh

Pen Dragon was played by Lex Luthor

Robin of Sure-Would if he could failed to show a gravy train I know

The sentinels of Justice and Democracy coming forward all the time a common kind

Gorillas were played by flamingos on vacation, they refused to wear makeup

Dante played himself; Ivan the terrible wanted the part, it was a hard choice

Desert breath was provided by Monty and Mr Singh of my local take a-way and he refused to be paid in exchange for the free advertising... true patriots, I recommend 47 on the menu, you couldn’t hope to meet two nicer people, good food

Pan Shadow always Pop-in-tops