Welsh Journals

SPEED'S ACCOUNT OF MONTGOMERYSHIRE, 1611. MOUNTGOMERY-SHIRE. CHAPTER X. The bounds of Mount- gomeryshire OVNTGOMERY-SHIRE, in the British speech called Siretrefaldwin, and that of the principal Town Mountgomery,lyeth bounded upon tho North with Denbigh-shire, upon the East with Shropshire, on the South with Radnor and Cardigan-shires, on the West The form. Severn. with Merioneth-shire. (2) In form it somewhat resembleth a Pear or Pine-apple, as it were growing- out of the West, and rising thence with many high hills and plentiful Springs, which water and make fruitful the Soil everywhere: whose searching rills with a longing desire haste ever forward to find an increase, and to augment their growth into a bigger body, whereof the Severn is the chief, and the second River in the Land whose head rising from the spired mountain Plymllimon, runneth not far without the rcceits of others riverets into her stream, and with many windings doth sport her self thorow all the East part of this Shire. (3) That this River took her name from Abren, the beautiful base daughter of Locrinus, begotten out of wedlock upon Estrildis the daughter of Humber the Scythian King, that invaded this Land, and both of them drowned in this River by Guendolena King Locrinus surviving widow let Jeffery relate, and Poets enlarge, whereof one among them in good account, thus writeth. In flumen prœcipitatur Abren, Nomen Abren Jluvio de Virgine, nomen eidem Nomine corrupto, deinde Sabrina datur. Into this stream fair Abren head-long cast, Gave name of Abren to those waters wast, Corruptly call'd Sabrina now at last.