1961-04-01 — Page 6

THE CHINA "MAIL," SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 1061,

Sought after through the ages by pilgrims, historians and theologists, this legendary cup has been one of Chrianity's most

fascinating riddles.

Today the China Mail presents a timely article on what may

IS THIS THE HOLY GRAIL?

ALONE in the silent room the priest gazed at the cup. Now he must kneel, raiso it to his lips, and sip the water it contained.

It was light enough; no bigger than a finger-bowl. His curved hands could encase comfortably its age-blackened wood, fragile and badly chipped along the rim, its cracks bonded by ancient rivets.

But it was not easy. Rheumatism had locked his body so painfully that he could no longer genu- flect before the altar, or indeed hold services at all. He even had to be helped in and out of his chair these days.

That was why he had como to Nanteos.

He found strength somehow to tolerate the searing pain in his knees. He knelt and drank from the cup. And there was silence in the old house as he prayed..

Then he rose and walked from that room effortless. ly, his limbs straight and free from pain.

There are witnesses to say that it happened: only months ago, in the big greystone Georginit house four miles from Aberystwyth in North Wales, in the narrow Nant Valley whore the squirrels scamper among the rhododendron thickets.

The lady of Nanteos, Mrs Betty Mirylees, is one of those witnesses. Sho saw the pitiful condition of the elderly priest when he arrived by car for lunch; the way he had to be helped into the house, into ↑ Acat, then into the room where he was left with the cup.

She saw the astonishing new freedom in his limba as he called them softly into the room after the long silence; and she caught the look in his eyes as he said: "Look what has happened to me?"

NO MORE ̈FITS

"All I did," she recalls, "was to all the cup with water and leave him alone with it. He told me that he had not prayed to be relieved from pain. But when he left I could hardly believe that this was the same man, climbing so easily into the car."

The Miracle of the Cup. There are thousands who believe devoutly with Mrs Mirylees that such instan- taneous cures have been seen at Nanteos many a score of times before, and several times since,

An epileptic confirmed that after drinking from the cup there were no more fits. There have been reports of failing sight restored and deafness banished.

Many another rheumatic patient speaks still of the wonderful release from agony he found at Nanteos. And there are older atories of healing through the cup in cases of dire haemorrhage.

questing water that has stood Mrs Mirylees, writing

overnight in the cup,

"... The priest lifted

it to his lips with trembling hands...."

-by- Peter Bloxham

And, many years later, a Vicar at Glastonbury did in fact forward to Nanleos under his church's anclent seal a re- quest for the return of the cup, to its traditional home.

But with the Powells it co- mained, And, as word of its supposed properties - spread farmsteads of the among the

North Wales countryside, pll- grims began to wand their way down the narrow valley among the rhododendrons.

Soon they were arriving re- gularly at the big house to seek the privilege of curing their ills by holding and drinking from "Cwpan Nanteos."

THE CUP OF NANTEOS

or archweee- Arimathea caught the last drops there no scientific

logical support for the cup's For the relief of focal folk of Christ's blood.

For her there is no doubt; authenticity?

too sick to travel, the cup was only tear for the safety of the

Is it even remotely feasible for short periods. There are at

often lomed out by the Powells, battered relic.

to practical men that the Nantess many old written re For hundreds of years, as stical Quest for the Holy Grail, long Nanteos has stood, it

ceipts for such transactions. has been there. in iis cupbohry that inspired King Arthur and 3rd August, 1802,” says otle, his Knights of tho Round the cup lent to Wm. Jones, In the library. No one was ever Table and produced some of the Llanbadarn. Left a sliver watch; yet denied access to the Mantes world's finest religious litera- refurred th September 190

in its specially-made glass ture, could really and here at Cre Soon there will be more visi

Why should it?

dish,

Nemcon?

And "27th November 1857.

Ystrud,

mansion and its 5,000 acres are the reason why so many are nowlands, tors than 'over, when the big But Arst, the story that is Cup loaned this day to Wm. thrown open on certain days. gure this is the Holy Grail,

Treparan; use of his sister

wholly is sure Christ held will be on its beginning of the kind that ed 2nd January 1358," Soon the cup that Mrs Mirylees

It is a strange story; from curad, left one pound. Return- show to sightseers for the first historians and theologians like time ever.

to qualify cautiously In parent-

• She would like to insure it heres as traditional, but cannot heavily: indeed she has tried to, often reject outright, often. But how do you convince

It occurs in old manuscripts

THANKS

There

was

for long at too, a drawerful of

in many versions. But broadly - Nanleos,

on insurance, man that a bit of old wood of no intrinsic valuu is priceless, and ought to be the glory of the Nantes Cup Watches and Jewellery, left as is supposed to begin in the pledges against the cup's return; covered for at least, £10,0007

gospel tradition that when then left permanently us thank- Christ was cruciled Joseph of offerings for recovery. Arimathes was given leave by Pontius Pilate to bury him in But the family, more recent- ly, bocame disiresved about the a new tomb.

condition of the relic. Borrowers

GUARDED

the answe

Bo now tho cup must be Lettera

America, takes the blessing from placed in a padlockend case, and So, returning from

to the upper in their ardour for bent on Canada and Ireland arrive

guarded constantly by one of room where the supper "had souvenirs?) were sometimes often at the big house, re- Holy Grali?

the family on open days.

been held, he collectod the nibbling bits from its rim. Ita into

There are two old prophesies Grail, And as he took down edges were denied and pitted by an carlier historian who wrole to be) and First Century, it of the cup know with ear her confidential ate the details about the cup. It would re- Christ's dead body he received tooth-marles.

of blood are of the newest case-history, ac- main at Nanteps, it was said, into it many drops

one day the Church which issued from the the pla unquestioningly her part unti

But open wounds in the teet, hands in a mysterious family steward- should "claim her own."

if ever faithless men should and nide. ship centuries cid.

gaze upon it, it would be "borne away."

Then, sometimes, there more letters to describu

cures that resulted,

A miracle, perhaps, but to the believers, no wild kupossibility.

She completely sure: the cup 15 the same wonder-

Both have been ful0lled, In vessel that was used a way.

Last for the Sacrament at the

But it is all the stuff of an they ask, when a alek pilgrim. Supper; in which Joseph of older, more credulous age.

What else is to be expected, working

And WHY can't I sit here looking like this with the Government spending more than any other country in promoting Britain as a tourist attraction?"

London Exprem· Girviós

LEGEND

L

And, prode not, Mr Rasp-

at length in 1138 about the anti- would be more interesting still, tainty."

"I wish to goodness that it Bo a silver band was Otted quities of Glastonbury. round the rim. But after that,

Eminent archaeologists are not could be. properly analysed," It was said, the cup lost its given to passing judgment on as the prons Vicar of Glas- man has mis over the ancient healing powers; and the band objecta had to be removed.

they have never seen. tonbury, the Rev. K, H. Knap- al of his cich a second re- who made his own quest to Nar for the return And the dimculty is to and one 3TLAK, And at last, in 1041, the last who has ever seen the Cup of private pilgrimage to Nantees of the cup could be the

Holy Grail. of the Powells decided that it

until Church shall "I don't know what to think claim her ow nbout it. I believe it is from

Nanteos.

UNLIKELY

It continues as legend; as was time to make her will; and Is in any case the whole of the nuns in habits of grey and scar- lure of King Arthur is legend. let who had found wartime Joseph. It says, wundered across sanctuary at Nantes signed as the world; and at last, prob witnesses for old Mrs Margaret. Sir Charles Maraton, the ex- ably as a tin trader, he landed Jonn Louisa Powell.

port on Palestine research, did, with the sacred cup on Bri-

once. But he is dead. She died in 1951, aged 80. tain's south-west shore..

And for a time, whether or not But if such famous antiquar- There were tin mines up on the faithless had gazed on it, lana as Sir Mortimer Wheeler, the Mendip Hills; and Denby, the cup was borne away from 'Dr Glyn Danlel, and Dr Hubert at Glastonbury, was un Im- Nantees, to a safe deposit in on Savory are pressed into saying portant religious settlement of Aberystwyth bank,

ancient pagan promineNCE,

So Joseph found hig way there; and at Glastonbury he built a church that many are sure lakk the foundations of British Christianity, And when

something on what they have Heard nad read of the cup. they will advance the view that it is most unlikely to date from the time of Christ. ►

EMPTY

Save

for a housekeeper, into

If they are pressed further speculation, from their

ho died he passed on the cup Nantros stood empty. Many wide professional knowledge of

and its inspiration to his son museums and institutions hoped similar objects, they will say a

that the cup might pass to them; little more. Josephus.

but old Mrs Powell had speci

mater-bowl", propounds.

For generations it remained fled that the old tradition must "A mediasval there in the church, safe from be preserved.

Bir Mortimer the faithless.

(or sycamore. "Maple, possibly, There was tigation among There would be, nothing

a koir establishment”

un-

recently.

#

Palestine. I think it would be But, as MMirvices asks; worth even losing a lijile more "Which Church

HK's high-flying

salesmansho

TAILORS TAKE TO

HELICOPTERS!

But they came at last, in the family; there were actions sal ki a legend of this sord 1520, and it was borno. away. In the High Court in London being attached by monks as They came to sack Glastonbury over ownership of the house and early as the Middle Ages to an Abbey, on the orders of Henry a seres, its fine furniture and object likely to attract trade tHE battle by Hongkong's tailors for tourist VIII.

paintings and the cup.

custom, took a novel twist carly this forming, And at the command of The cup is back now at "A post-mediaeval bowl; com- Richard Whiting, tho Abbot Nanteos, with Mrs Mirylees who paratively recent", says Dr when a specially chartered helicopter leled on seven elderly monks embarked inherited it. There are less ro Savory at the National Museum the afterdeck of the luxury cruise liner Alvaark with the cup on a precorious questa these days from local of Wales in Cardin. "That is fight across the wild mountains farmers for Ite loan than from where my colleague Dr Yor Castle, to drop two salesmen from a

loring into Wales,

Americans and Canadians, by werth Feate, curator of the firit as the ship anchored off Waglan nd.

STRANGE

post.

Welsh Folk Museum, thinks il

It makes a pretty myth, this belongs. modern Quest for the Grail

that ends so positively in a glass HOCUS-POCUS?

dish in Wales. But legends" are very well: what does the carbon test ray?

It is a strange fact that at all Ozlewerth, a village near Brinol (that could wvoli have been on

their route, there is a rocess; in The truth is that no scientific the church tower and a vague tests on the fabric at the Nan- tradition that the Holy Grail was teos Cup have ever been carried once placed in it, .

oui,

on

This enterprising scheme wos

initiated by Mr Yasmak. Duḍ-| mufil, owner of the well- known tailoring firm which bears, his name.

raugas of samples, and took fabasurements for what Mr Dudmufti said were a "grati- ***

+

Castle docks in Kobor, the Brut Attings will body for the paasengers. The well-heeled touri aboard the liner, crowded and the helicopter when it ie its daring landing 1-most- paid high complints to Dudmufti's for theter- prise and good salesnilp. One multi-millionaire Maiden clined to give his dainid:

hoard, a los about fung kong and its clavor mer- chante, z boi punaver.

Bught I'd see anything so stanced

"He is the leading authority The balesmen had complete

Welsh folk culture god Weish rural etalt. There were some pretty good myth-maltors among the old Weish peasants"fying number of customers." Would Mrs Mirylees be willing. " em tempted to say hocus-It had been planned originally Orloworth was served thọn by priest-monke

to use the ship's wireless to from the neigh for such tests to be tried?

pocus," says Dr. Daniel. "But

cable back coded messages to- bouring Cistercian abbey of The trouble is, she says, that of course. I have never cóm it

the shop or to set up a two Kingswood,

either." Did the sever this would probably involve

Why radio communication sys= monies rest overnight there with the loss of a further fragment

But, ibero is this: to bo

tam. However, this could not | their frensizroï

of the cup; and she feels that on the side of the Nanteos Cup. be arranged sa" various OR- It has been mutilated badly en- If the Holy Grail does really dinances restrict the use of At last they reached the

ough slready. She is reluctant survive, it is much more likely

wireless · facilities for an on- Cistercian dabey Florida, 15-miles from Nanteor, in any way.

te, to interrupt its ancient ministry to bo, a humble vessel of this anally commerce activity. " ordered six mille just tho and found sanctuary there,

Idnd than · big" of the small

heck of it They won't

4

sald

Bak Henry's men overtook would require a good deal of able, claborainly cinsed rival And of course most experts hariful of competitively valus them again. And this time their very firm evidenco Indeed be claimants that exist in Europe. refuko was with the Powell fore they could begin to accept. Inmüy, founders' of Nantes a story so well wreathed in Mont of the 'experta are and canindians for generations Celtic twilight,

agreed on that, h ut the alp

12

-100%

owover Mr Dudreid over me back home wheneve cama thle handicap by valogem that" Hongkong's ' Carrier pigeons, which he pur-knocket now, the helic ters chased from one of the largo and carrier pigeons to lead Japanese newspapers which up order #til use, the birds, for mes~

Bag

senger services, Mr. Dudmufil" said

145 Laureers/Ji Senture

·matotials; und ihpla mekanijom" "asttylitas,~ in this stor Halle Wege taken,” copozise -

A testy note has long been. They are ngreed, too, that, 1t|After quútomers had aclecled – prelude or the Gem's They remulaed there sately; struck, for instance, by histor- would be highly interesting to and finally, ha the last of the Tans, who cannot compreload have the oup, tested, "adenti- néven monks lay dying, he hand- why the Nantons. Grail was fically, and botanically,

gd the cup to the head of the novel publicised unul

the

containing the Instructions. Chat, by, text ACTIE: were fined to the bird's unge, won't hAVNIME-OWN-

"dirzel Eight back to the store.

Powell family to protect "until 1000's. Nor can thoy understand If it could be proved to - bơ |- and they were released for the [the ...__Church “stinli elalta hor why there was never a mention of Pukstinian; briáin, of olive-

own".

of it by William of Malmesbury, wood (as it dazlanmolimau sald !

By the time the Aardyastic... chalickFor