Welsh Journals

This volume provides an edition of a major work by Giraldus Cambrensis which, though noticed by several writers, had not previously been made available in print. The work is based on a letter which Giraldus wrote to his nephew in 1208 concerning the contentions which had arisen between them. That missive was subsequently enlarged and the result was a lengthy discourse heavily laden with classical, biblical, patristic and legal quotations. The Speculum Duorum reveals the author's powers of sustained invective and his sensitivities; existing only in one manuscript in the Vatican library, it also affords some valuable indications of his method of working. It is less informative than many of his other works and some of the allusions made to contemporary events, notably to the effect of the interdict imposed at the time of writing, prompt a regret that Giraldus's energies during those momentous years were not devoted to a composition more meaningful to posterity. Even so, there is a good deal on church government and, when allowance is made for his severe strictures, the author's observations on the quality of Church life provide an insight which formal records of that period rarely provide. Appended to the Speculum Duorum are eight letters which, in propor- tion to their length, are perhaps of rather greater general interest than the main text. Thus, in one of his letters to Bishop Geoffrey of St. David's, Giraldus denounces the bishop for his neglect of his pastoral duties and his manifest materialism. In this letter, where, rather surprisingly, he makes common cause with a Cistercian abbot, Giraldus contributes something which could well be included in an anthology of those controversial tracts which, despite their excessively trenchant denunciations, do reveal much of the historic tribulations of the Welsh nation. This edition of the Speculum Duorum is the work of three scholars who had worked independently of one another but who, with commendable readiness, agreed to co-operate in its preparation. The work has been given the thorough palaeographical and textual study which the single manu- script deserves, and its significance in relation to Giraldus's career and his other writings is examined. There is on occasion some uncertainty and inconsistency in the rendering of place-names and personal names, and this mainly affects the translation and the index. Thus, the place-names Lancadoch, Landegewith and Stratdewi (pp. 262-63) should probably be given as Llangadog, Llandygywydd and Ystrad Tywi. Philip filio Wetheleu is not happily rendered as Philip fitzWetherly (pp. 264-65), while Kenewec clerico de Luel, who appears in translation as Kenwec priest of Builth, is possibly a Cynwrig and certainly a priest of Llywel (ibid.). The English translation is undoubtedly an asset, though the difficulties encountered in giving an accurate yet spirited translation of Giraldus's prose are evidenced on occasion. By undertaking this volume the Board of Celtic Studies has been able to complete the publication of the major works of Giraldus Cambrensis. A new edition of the Description of Wales and the Itinerary of Wales would be justified, even in an era of enforced economy. In one of the letters in this volume Giraldus himself vigorously defends his historical writings on Ireland and Wales against the exhortations of a critic who urged him to abandon historical writing for theology. The proliferation of theological works of little originality to which Giraldus alludes is no longer our main problem and it would be good if we were