47. St. Germanus admonished Vortigern to turn to the true God, and
abstain from all unlawful intercourse with his daughter; but the unhappy
wretch fled for refuge to the province Guorthegirnaim,* so called
from his own name, where he concealed himself with his wives: but St.
Germanus followed him with all the British clergy, and upon a rock
prayed for his sins during forty days and forty nights.

* A district of Radnorshire, forming the present hundred of
Rhaiadr.

The Blessed man was unanimously chosen commander against the Saxons. And
then, not by the clang of trumpets, but by praying, singing hallelujah,
and by the cries of the army to God, the enemies were routed, and driven
even to the sea.*

*V.R. This paragraph is omitted in the MSS.

Again Vortigern ignominiously flew from St. Germanus to the kingdom
of the Dimetae, where, on the river Towy,* he built a castle, which he
named Cair Guothergirn. The saint, as usual, followed him there, and
with his clergy fasted and prayed to the Lord three days, and as many
nights. On the third night, at the third hour, fire fell suddenly
from heaven, and totally burned the castle. Vortigern, the daughter of
Hengist, his other wives, and all the inhabitants, both men and women,
miserably perished: such was the end of this unhappy king, as we find
written in the life of St. Germanus.

*The Tobias of Ptolemy

47. Others assure us, that being hated by all the people of Britain, for