eople were turning for inspiration to
their own things, and away from Latin things; when they were
forgoing Latin for Celtic; reviving Celtic laws and customs;
trying to forget they had been subjected to foreigners, and to
remember and resurrect the old Monarchy of Britain. Christianity
would not give them all the difference from Romanism that they
wanted,--that the most ardent among them wanted: the Romans were
Christians too;--but there was that other ancient thing which the
Romans had proscribed. It still existed, in Ireland for example;
and for that matter, there were plenty of places in Britain where
the Roman arm could never have reached it. Matthew Arnold saw
these things in his day, and argued for the Neo-druidism of the
sixth century. He was a man accustomed to deal in ideas. You
may easily train your mind to an acuteness and sagacity in
dealing with grammatical roots, and forms, that will not help you
in dealing with ideas.

To sum up, then: I believe there was an influx of the Crest-Wave
into Britain, from about 410 to 540: a national awakenment, with
something of greatness to account for the Arthurian legend; and
with something of spiritual illumination, through a revival of
Druidic Wisdom to account for the rumor of Taliesin. I am not
sure but that this influenced the Celtic Church: I am not sure
but that David, and Cadoc, and Teilo, and Padarn, fathers of that
church, were men pervious to higher influences; and that the
monastery-colleges they presided over were real seats of lerning,
unopposed to, if not in league with, the light.

XXVI. "SACRED IERNE OF THE HIBERNIANS" *

"I could not put the pen aside
Till with my heart's love I had tried
To fashion some poor skilless crown
For that dear head so low bowed down."
--From the Celtic

It is but a step from Wales to Ireland. From the one, you can
see the "fair hills of holy Ireland" in the heart of any decent
sunset; from the other, you can see Wales shining landed in in
any shining dawn. No Roman legion ever landed in Ireland; yet
all through Roman times boats must have been slipping across and
across; there must have been constant communication, and there
was, really, no distinction of race. There was a time, I
believe, when they were joined, one island; and all the seas
were east of the Severn. Both peoples were a mixture of Gaels
and Cymry; only it happens that the Gaelic o