Life of King Grallons

English trans. Erik Stohellou
© 2011 Erik Stohellou

fter the things contained in the final and last chapter happened, Conan Meriadoch first king of Britain Armoricane died & was buried in the royal city of Legionense which was then followed by Grallon before Duke of the province of Cornwall, who was king in his place. Of this tells the story S. Ronan who once crossing the sea with the said Conan Meriadoch came in Brittany & first lived in Legionense and after in Cornwall in the great forest of Memet. And 'tis said that this Grallon which at the time of Ronan holded the monarchy of the Britons, voluntarily willing listened to his preach and that he spoke very warmly with religious & devout men also 'tis said he loved perseveringly rectitude & truth & that he was, very debonair auditor of orphans & widows, oppresseds support, giving their need to the indigens, indefectible operator of good works, column of Churches, and probably very good christian. And as the enemy of human nature by his trick knew this Grallon allways profited for Ronan's doctrine, he thought put out his fame yet ventilated by the provinces: and made them accused by a woman called Keban, for having ravished his daughter. But Keban's fraud was patently known in the presence of the king, and the girl by St. Ronan was revived from death, which by the sin of the mother had passed away.

Also intimate of Grallon was sanctimonious Corentin, in the legend of whom it is contained that one day Grallon was worked by the labor of hunting & out of necessity forced to delight & accomodate in Ploemodiern, a place where Corentin kept himself lonely: the aforementioned Corentin which had no other thing to present to the king cut a portion of a fish nourished by the fountain, which portion when cooked abounded plentifuly so that the King & his entire family were fed. And when the king knew this admirable event, and saw the whole & healthy fish swimming in the fountain, he honored saint Corentin more dearly, & gave him his palace in his royal room named Kemper, with the woods & the lands around, in which place Corentin put the episcopal siege of the Corisopitenses, since shortly after he was consecrated bishop by St. Martin they, & their great city of Ys, located near the great sea, so as they say, was in this time for the sin of the inhabitants submerged by waters coming from the sea which overcrossed their limits, which flood the King Grallon who was then in the city, escaped supernaturally, to wit it is by the virtue of holy Guingalreus, whom it is retold thereafter. And still 'tis said that remains appear above the shore of that sea which is now till called Ys by the ancient name of the city.

Sources : Pierre Le Baud, Cronique des roys et princes de Bretaigne armoricane - 1505