The English critics stated that Geoffrey had simply mixed up the two kings, and that Cadwaladr's pilgrimage was thus pure fiction. According to Jason Nice, the Welsh "attempt to 'prove' the legend of Cadwaladr in Rome belonged to a longstanding tradition that held that Wales' special relationship with Rome could reinforce Welsh identity and protect Welshmen from English aggression", a belief that was grounded in the supposed prophecy given to Cadwaladr. Raphael Holinshed summed up the English view in his 1577 "Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland":