MAP of NORTH WALES
J. Barber delin. et Sculp.
AN ACCOUNT OF SOME OF THE MOST ROMANTIC PARTS OF NORTH WALES.
—Of Antres vast, and Desarts idle,
ough Quarries, Rocks, and Hills, whose Heads touch Heav'n,
was my Hint to speak.
SHAKESPEARE.
LONDON,
rinted for T. DAVIES, Russel-Street Covent-Garden; and T. CADELL, in the Strand. MDCCLXXVII.
TO Sir WATKIN WILLIAMS WYNNE, Bart.
SIR,
EVERY one will see the propriety of dedicating an Account of North Wales to You, who possess so considerable a part of that Country, and yet, Sir, this is not the motive of my Address;—it is from a high regard to that public and private Character which has hitherto been an ornament to Society, and which I trust will continue to adorn the Age with those Virtues, of which your Ancestors were such eminent Examples.
I have the Honour to be, with great respect, Sir, your obedient servant, JOSEPH CRADOCK.
ARMS OF THE PRINCIPALITY.
BRUTE gave to CAMBER his Third sonne, CAMBRIA with theise Armes Tres Leones Gradientes facies
ad terga uertentes in Campo Argent
. In Frenche,
Is portoit d'Argent trois Inons passants regardantes de Genses,
The which Armes the Kinges and Prynces of Wales and theire ofsprynge, used for a song tyme after, untill the Country was deuided into three distant Pryncypalytyes viz:
North Wales South Wales
and
Powes Lande.
And then they tooke seuerall Arme.
North Wales.
South Wales.
Powes Land.
AN ACCOUNT OF SOME OF THE MOST ROMANTIC PARTS OF NORTH WALES.
AS every one now who has either traversed a steep
ountain, or crossed a small
annel, must write his Tour, it
ould be almost unpardonable
Me to be totally silent, who have visited the most uninhabite
regions of North Wales—wh
have seen lakes, rivers, sea
rocks, and precipices, at unmeasurable distances, and who from observation and experience can inform the world, that high hill
are very difficult of access, an
the tops of them generally ver
cold.
But ancient Britain has a kin
of hereditary claim upon me,
I have the honour to boast of m
origin from thence; and as th
name and exploits of my ancestors continually occur through the wild heroic pages of Welsh fable or history.
This journey was undertaken rather late in the autumn 1776;
he season proved remarkably favourable, neither rains not winds impeded my progress—
he air on the mountains was
ft rarified by the summer's heat,
e sun shone out all the day
Cader, and Snowdon had not begun to fortify himself agains
this almost winter approach.
I set out from Shrewsbury fo
Welsh Poole,—the last eigh
miles afforded a most beautifu
prospect of a rich vale in Mon
gomeryshire. The Vales through out this county are remarkabl
pleasant; but they have bee
so frequently described, that
is almost superfluous to observ
that they abound with corn, a
are luxuriant in pasturage.
Welsh Poole is a place of some note—it is one of the five Boroughs in Montgomeryshire, which jointly send a member to Parliament. It has a good market, but though the Severn is navigable within two miles of it, there is scarce ever any fish—even salmon is never under twelve pence a pound. It takes its name from a contemptible black pool, which is said to be unfathomable, and of which there is a prophecy, that it shall some time or other overflow and deluge the town. This prophecy is still believed in Wales.
About a mile from hence stands Powis castle, or
Red
castle, from the colour of the stones of which it is built. The situation of it is certainly very noble, but I cannot agree with Lord Lyttelton, that three thousand pounds would make it the most august place in the kingdom; there is much to be done in the mere approach, and at present you are obliged to ask where the Severn runs. The ground is laid out in that formal style of gardening, that was brought in at the Revolution, and there will be much difficulty in altering it with propriety. A common Undertaker in Taste, would immediately convert the clipt hedges
nd true-love-knots, into a gau
y and unmeaning shrubbery,
ut to decorate this place to
dvantage, the Genius of this place only must be consulted,
"th
Pope.
parts should every where b
connected with each other, an
must likewise bear a referenc
to the whole."
On my retur
to Poole, I ordered a carriage t
convey me to Llanvair—this wa
to be my last stage on know
ground,—the road was perfectl
good, the people in general spok
English, and their civility was
remarkable, that the very turnpike man was grateful for th
toll. I was here most strongly recommended to a good house, about twelve miles distant, but found it only a miserable hut; I therefore pressed onwards as fast as possible, and after some difficulties arrived at Dynys-Mouthy.
This City (for Dynys is Welsh for City) is possessed of many and great advantages; there is no body-corporate to divide it into faction, there is not a single Office that can possibly be contended for—the rent of houses will be the same at all seasons and even in August you are never incommoded by the sun The river is not large, but it wil
never be encroached upon by the inhabitants; their sequestered walks will never be injured by any fresh Dealers in Taste,—in deed they have only one tree to cut down, an oak planted in th
reign of Charles the Second; an
I believe they have never hear
of any King since.
As to Fashions, they are similar to those in Town—the headdress of the Females is very high,
nd in a morning they generally
ear the Half Palonese
Jackets and petticoats.
.
The Inns too, like the London
nes, are dark and dirty, but
ere is very little noise in them;
d as to provisions, the people
not attempt to make what na
e has not bestowed upon them.
hey gave me whatever they had, Bread, uncontaminated wit
spurious mixtures, and Milk, tha
was absolutely from the cow.
I did not see a Cathedral, no
heard of either bishop or palace
probably he might reside at
great distance, and have consigne
his flock over to a chapel of eas
There is no court of judicature open here. This city is a
free from attornies as ancie
Thebes; indeed the two neve
failing sources of litigation, t
Poor laws and the Game law are entirely unknown. There is not even a Quack; so that those whom liquor spares, generally die at a very advanced age.
The Theatre is held in great repute. I had the pleasure to be present at one play, which is here called an
Anterlute,
probably a corruption from our term Interlude. The piece was said to have been written by a celebrated Mr. Evan something, who lived at Bala; but, from the
actions, gestures,
and
emblems,
I conceived it to have been modelled from before Shakespeare's time. The plot was in part similar to a burletta, which has frequently been exhibited in London, called La Serva Padrona, but the music was certainly
not
Pergolen. The orchestra, to be sure, was exceedingly contracted; but we must reflect, that some of our best, as well as earliest dramas, were only accompanied by a Harp. The price of admittance to this elegant entertainment, would have been termed by the Romans, Denarius.
The road from Dynys Mouthy afforded but little amusement, and the first cast of Cader Idris greatly disappointed me; but I soon recollected, that as I was then on very high ground, it must have been from some other point of view that this mountain had rendered itself so remarkable. In the course of this reflection, I was on a sudden delighted with the country round Dolgelly,—woods, rocks, a ric
vale, a fine river, and, at that distance, the appearance of rathe
a decent town, surrounded wit
many gentlemen's seats,—these contrasted with the barrenness had just travelled through, al
joined to render the prospec
truly delicious. But how was
disgusted on my arrival at the interior parts of this miserable place
there is no street in it; you pas
from dungeon to dungeon through a multiplicity of hog
yards;—before I reached the inn
heard a cracked trumpet sound
ng every where about, and immediately concluded that I might
ee, in the evening, another farce
r
anterlute
; but was informed it
as only intended to call the
ustices to the quarter-sessions.
the inn there was nothing to
e obtained; so that as soon as
ssible I sent out for a Guide,
at I might retire to the moun
ns;—whilst I was in waiting,
nquired about the only tolerable building I then saw, an
was told it was for
cock-match
such as we had in England;—that they were just over, but th
I might go immediately and
a famous man from London sh
tricks of slight of hand.
I chie
wished for some refreshme
having greatly suffered from
tigue and illness the preced
day; but as I was a stranger, people shewed me little or novility, and on my enquiring horses, took every advantag
my distress. I was now almost
nclined to have bestowed upon
hem some rather ungracious epi
hets; but I considered, that as we
emed to be teaching them no
ing from England but
cruelty
nd
fraud,
I ought rather to la
ent the cause than insult the
ect of their brutality.
On the arrival of the Guide, I
t out immediately for Cader
ris, and found the tract ex
edingly good, till I came to a
ominent part of the mountain, and here, I must acknowledg
my head was too giddy suff
ciently to admire the amazin
scene that was opening to m
view. At length, having gaine the summit, (the whole asce
being near three miles,) on
fine piece of level ground, I cou
with comfort survey the sea, t
Carnarvonshire shore, Snowd
without a cloud upon his to lakes, rivers, rocks, and precipi
which were every way spre
before me;—at the bottom
the hill, on the opposite side, was a small Village, to which several were returning heavy loaden from Dolgelly market; this Village is remarkable for nothing but the remains of a small castle, whose miserable situation could not secure it from the depredations of Cromwell's army. In the course of my survey of the Mountain, it seemed to take a thousand capricious forms, but the most wonderful part of it is
he tremendous peak, which overhangs the Lake of the
The common people believe thes
three large craggs to have been cast out o
the shoes of the giant Idris.
Thre
Grains,—but here I shall forbear description, as a fine representation of it, has been latel
executed, by the ingenious an
accurate pencil of Mr. Wilson.—On my return I discovered, fai
out of any tract, on the steepes
part of the hill, a man gathering rock-moss to dye baizes red,—
"dreadful trade!"
one coul
only exclaim;—this excrescence is chiefly sold to Dublin—it affords a most beautiful colour at first, and if mixed with proper ingredients and distilled, will, it is said, become permanent. Being very thirsty from heat and fatigue, I enquired for some goat's milk, but to no purpose; the Guide, however, informed me, that he could procure me, from a neighbouring cottage, a liquor, peculiar to that part of North Wales, which infinitely exceeded Stirom cyder—I tasted it, and found it was made of mountain-ash berries and crabs or sloes
The following lines have since occurred to me:
"Then she describes
The Scythian winter, nor disdains to sing
How under ground the rude Riphaean race
Mimic brisk cyder with the brake's product wild;
Sloes pounded, hips, and servis' harshest juice."
PHILIPS.
,—it should remain at least half a year in the vessel before it is bottled off, and if it were then kept to a proper age, it would not be altogether contemptible. The tediousness of my return to Dolgelly, was somewhat beguiled by the consequential information of the Guide, and I must own he greatly entertained, and at the same time shocked me with the respect he paid me as an English gentleman,—whenever he replied to Me, he thought it necessary to
nterlard his answer with frequent oaths, whereas I found when he spoke to my servant only, it was entirely in an unadorned style, without the least display of these sensible embellishments.
The next morning being Sunday, I went to eight o'clock prayers here—the area of the church is spacious, and the pews neat—there is a coving roof of wood which is necessary to aid th
voice, as the floor is only clay covered deep with rushes; th
congregation was large, and th
service was read with devotion and tolerable propriety.
My stay was prolonged at Dolgelly, that the master of the Inn, who was absent on my first arrival, and who was justly recommended to me as an intelligent Person, might attend me to see the three wonderful waterfalls in this neighbourhood—one of them is in so obscure a place, that the minister of an adjoining Parish, whom I afterwards met with, had never till that time even heard of it:—about five miles on the road towards Tan y Bwlch, we turned on the left hand to see the first, which I take to be a part of the river Dery—this is not more than fifty feet in height, but you may afterwards trace it, for near a mile, through crags and trees, before it reaches its rocky bed at the bottom; the others, are falls of whole rivers, the Mothwaye and the Cayne, over the tops of two rocky mountains;—the former perhaps may not be above one hundred fee in height, but the latter is certainly at least an hundred yards—both of them are shaded with beautiful woods on the sides of hills, whose summits are in the clouds, and whose feet are whitened by the foam of these tremendous cataracts.
Before we reached Tan y Bwlch, we stopped to look into a small church; where some cleanly villagers were assembled at evening prayers,—the women were by far the handsomest of any I saw in this country; the clergyman was reading the lesson concerning David and his Concubines, and I could not help reflecting, that if these ignorant people should any way confound the Old with the New Law, they might here find some excuse for that Gallantry, which sacrifices the virtue of so many females in this neighbourhood: to prevent such a mistake, would it not be proper to have an exposition made of this chapter, and translated into Welsh,—I mean only, provided the learned labour could be confined within the narrow limits of five volumes in folio.
I was much struck with the situation of Mrs. Griffith's house at Tan y Bwlch,—at first fight it somewhat resembled Matlock Bath, but the hills in front are thrown to a fine distance, and behind the house they are covered with wood;—through a very spacious valley the river Dryryd runs, and from the tops of the mountains are frequen
and not inconsiderable cataracts—indeed most of the romantic prospects of North Wales, taken separately, are infinitely superio
to those of Derbyshire; but where shall we find within the same distance, such amazing contras
as the high polish of Kedleston opposed to the bleak horrors of the Peak.
Mrs. Griffith is possessed of a considerable fortune,—she has an only daughter, to whom a sensible clergyman, who resides in the house, is tutor, and who, though a chaplain, is treated as independent. A lady, it is true, in such a country cannot be every day interrupted with visitants, but Mrs. Griffith has generally a select party of friends,—these form a rational society, whereas in many places, a good neighbourhood means little more than
eeping an inn at your own ex
ence.
At the distance of about three miles (the road most beautifully diversified) the scene changes on a sudden to some dark and naked precipices; at the bottom is a large rocky bason, which receive the Rhaidr-du, or Black Cataract as it is called,—this, I am confident, is exactly similar to th
spot where Hecate appointed he
sister-witches to assemble, an
offer their choicest incantation
to complete the ruin of Macbet
And at the pit of Acheron
Meet me i'th' morning; thither He
Shall come, to know his destiny.
The mistress of the little inn
Tan y Bwlch, has lived many
ears servant in considerable families, and from her attentive
ivility, has received great commendations from the few Eng
ishmen that have hitherto visit
d this country.—Her house is
his year much improved;—Lord
adnor, having staid a day or
wo there, has made her a present of the fitting up of her parlour: two sash-windows add great chearfulness to the room and each grateful passenger readily joins with the landlady in celebrating the kindness of th
public-spirited young nobleman
The road to Harlech afforde
great variety; there could scarc
be more within the compass of ten miles. For the first thre
we surveyed
"the Happ
Valley
Vide Johnson's Raffelas.
,"
we then passed b
a beautiful lake, and having gained the next mountain saw the Castle, situated on a high rock, which projects into the Irish sea. It must be confessed, however, that the last two miles were rather
"a stair-case path;"
but I have frequently travelled for twenty miles together in the midland counties of England with more danger and difficulty. In Wales one has the pleasure of seeing that they are making daily improvements in roads; but in England the farmers are so rich that, by the aid of some petty attorney in the neighbourhood they can generally protect perverseness by knavery.
Harlech stands on the north-west side of the county of Merioneth; its houses are mean, and its inhabitants uncivilized. There is a good harbour for ships, bu
no ships for the harbour. It is remarkable only for its old decayed castle, which was defended by a British nobleman against Edward the fourth, till an earl of Pembroke, after almost incredible difficulties, compelled it to surrender. It has been confidently asserted that this castle was built before Edward the first's time, and that all he did was the making some additions, especially to the fortifications; but I should be rather inclined to think. that it was planned at least by Edward. A tradition goes, that the workmen, after they had got to a considerable height, were all taken off to build the castles of Aberystwith and Carnarvon; and indeed there are evident marks of a Separation.
An unpolished people, it is observed, have little or no curiosity,—I had seated myself by the fire-side in one of the houses at Harlech without the inhabitants expressing the least surprize at it; the Guide and attendants began to be rather clamorous for some refreshment, and the people at length brought them some oatmeal bread, sour porter, and linking cheese. On my leaving he house, I believe I gave the mistress of it more than she ex
ected, for she immediately re
alled me to share some cockles with her, that were stewing on
he hearth, and whilst I was
asting them, she super-added a
ook of such native kindness
nd good-will, as infinitely sur
assed all the artifices of refinement.
From Harlech a fresh guid
conducted me over the top o
the mountain, and I found a
entire good road on my retur
to Tan y Bwlch.
Leaving my little Inn the
with regret, I passed a drea
cloud-capt country, till I cam
to a road which, for near a mi
was cut through a barren roo
and finely preparative for t
scene that was to open up
me. On a sudden I came up
Pont Aberglaslyn, the bridge that divides the counties of Merioneth and Carnarvon. It consists of only one wide stone arch, thrown over a considerable water-fall, from two perpendicular precipices; beyond it is a semicircle of rock, which forms a salmon-
eap, above which, in spawning time, the fish frequently at
empt to lodge themselves, at
he amazing height of five or in yards; they are frequently taught here in the season with nets, and sometimes with spea
that are barbed for the purpose but having passed the bridg
how shall I express my feelings—the dark tremendous prec
pices, the rapid river roarin
over disjointed rocks, blac
caverns, and issuing cataracts,—all serve to make this the noble specimen of the Finely Horri
the eye can possibly behold,—the Poet has not described, n
the Painter pictured so gloom
a retreat,—'tis the last Approa
to the mansion of Pluto through the regions of Despair.
Having staid too long in contemplating this amazing pass, I posted as fast as possible over a rocky desert to gain some refreshment at Bethkelert; the blacksmith's house appearing the nearest, I alighted, and was able to obtain two eggs, which might here be considered as a most luxurious repast. At Tan y Bwlch I had been informed, that I should really meet with very decent accommodations at Bettus, and might with comfort take up my abode there for an evening. As I travelled, I reflected on Burnet's Description of a part of Carnarvonshire, that it was
"the fragment of a demolished world,"
and on making some slight observation to the Guide of the dreariness that surrounded me,
"Aye, master, says he, this must have been an ancient country indeed, for you see it is worn out to the
ery stones,"
this remark however, is probably rather good
han new;—but we were now arrived at Bettus, and the Guide pointed to the house, where I was to get lodging and entertainment;—the violent stench did not prevent my looking in,—the
avages sat lapping their oatmeal
nd milk, and the swine were
ttendant at the table. In such
situation, only one question
ould properly be asked, which was, how many miles to Carnarvon? Finding the distanc
only six miles, I determine
to hazard being lost in th
night, rather than to be su
focated in this nauseous dungeon. I must own I did her
expatiate a little on recommendations, and said it was imposs
ble that the Guide, as well as th
mistress of the Inn at Tan
Bwlch, could be so intolerabl
mistaken; the man apologize with great frankness, that he di
ot think the house altogether
o bad, as my Honour would
ave been sure to have gotten
ome good ale;"—however, amidst all my vexation, I could
ot help doubting, whether Man
ink into a Savage at Bettus, or polished into an Ape at Paris, was altogether the more respect
ble animal.
Within three miles of Carnarvon I was agreeably surprised with a very fine road, and a new
ridge, which will open a free communication with these unfrequented regions, and induce th
Curious to visit the Wonders o
the British Alps, in preference t
the Mountains of Switzerland, o
the Glaciers of Savoy.—Mr. Ba
rington, who, to a consummat
knowledge in the formation o
Laws, adds Zeal and Propriety i
the execution of them, has now indicted all the parishes betwee
Carnarvon and Bethkelert; an
indeed, unless men of great ran
or the justices of each distric
ill take upon them this office,
at Bill, which was in many
rts so excellently framed by
r. Gilbert about two years ago,
ust become totally void and in
icacious;—I know that it will
immediately said, that any
ivate gentleman has the same
ans within his own power;
t what private gentleman, for
sake of a road, will live in
petual warfare with five or six
ishes around him?—Who, for
convenience of rolling his carriage a quarter of an ho
sooner to some neighbouring m
ket-town, will endanger his pl
tations being cut down, or
cattle to be either maimed or
stroyed?
I passed my evening at a v
good inn at Carnarvon, and h
ing procured an intelligent Gu
returned early next morn
through Bettus to the foo
Snowdon.—Having left my h
at a small hut, and hired a m
taineer to carry some cor
d provisions, with a spiked
ck, but imprudently without
ils in my shoes, about ten
clock I began to ascend the
ountain.—The two first miles
ere rather boggy and disagree
ble, but when the prospect open
d, I soon forgot all difficulties;—in the course of the two last I
assed by six precipices, which I
elieve were very formidable,
ut as I was near the brink, and
e wind very high, I did not
enture to examine too narrowly. —On the summit, which is a pla
about six yards in circumferen
the air was perfectly mild and
rene, and I could with pleasu
contemplate the amazing m
that was unfolded to my view.—From hence may be distinct
seen, Wicklow Hills in Irelan
the Isle of Man, Cumberland, La
cashire, Cheshire, Shropshire, a
part of Scotland;—all the cou
ties of North Wales, the Isle
Anglesea;—rivers, plains, wood rocks, and mountains, six an
twenty lakes, and two seas;—it is doubted whether there is another circular prospect so exten
ive in any part of the terraqueous globe.—Who could take such a Survey, without perceiving his Spirits elevated in some proportion to the Height?—Who could behold so bountiful a Display of Nature without Wonder and Ecstacy?—Who but must feel even a Degree of Pride from having gained an eminence, from which he could with ease overlook the Nest
Moel Guidon, and Moel Happo
two mountains near Snowdon, mention
by Lord Lyttelton.
Vide Account of a Journey into Wal
of the Eagle, and the Ne
of the Hawk?
But as the level walks of Lif
are best suited to the generality
Mankind, it became necessary t
consider that this was no sp
where I could properly make an
lasting Abode, and that the Return would be attended with a least as much difficulty as th
Ascent.—Having descended mile or two, I did not think it amiss to enquire about an exhausted Mine that I saw at a distance; and I could make this enquiry with the better grace, as the Guides had hitherto quite wondered at my prowess;—the Mine I was informed was only Copper; and happy was it for the Welsh that their Mines did not consist of choicer Metals;—had they been cursed with either Gold or Silver, Foreign Nations long since, in the name of the God of Peace, and under pretence of teaching them an immaculate Religion
The Spaniards made the Gospel an Excuse for all the barbarities they committed in the conquest of Peru, and when they plundered the rich mines of Potosi, they frequently (says Las Casas) erected gibbets all over the country, and hung twelve poor wretches at a time, in honour of the twelve Apostles.
, had laid waste their country, and murdered its inhabitants.
At the Foot of Snowdon I turned about half a mile out of the way to see a Water-fall;—the Side-rock was exceedingly beautiful, but the Cataract itself was rather contemptible, after the noble ones I had seen in the neighbourhood of Dolgelly.—As the Guides seemed to think a floating island, about two miles distant, was a most wonderful phaenomenon, and related many singular and surprising tales concerning it, I indulged their credulity so far as to go and inspect it;—the Lake, as they called it, was somewhat bigger than a common duck-pond; and the Island was a knotty piece of Bog, which, after very heavy rains, might very possibly float in it.
On my return to Carnarvon I examined the Town and Castle.—The town was built by the command of Edward the First, out of the ruins of the ancient city of Segontium, that stood a little below it;—it is situated between two rivers, and has a beautiful prospect of the Isle of Anglesea;—it was formerly of very great account when the Princes of Wales kept their Chancery and Exchequer Courts there.—On the west side of it stands the Castle, which was built to curb the Welsh mountaineers, and secure a passage to the opposite shore—In a part of it, called the Eagle Tower, you are shewn the remains of a chamber in which Edward the Second
The Cradle of that weak, wicked, unfortunate prince is still preserved; it is now in the possession of a clergyman in Gloucestershire, to whom it descended from one of his ancestors, who attended the Prince in his infancy.
is said to have been born; about ten years after his birth it was besieged by the Welsh, but was afterwards repaired; and both the town and castle had divers Privileges confirmed to them by different Sovereigns, down to the reign of Elizabeth; during the last civil war they were held for King Charles, but were afterwards surrendered on conditions to the Parliament. On viewing these spacious Ruins, I could only ruminate on the Changes they had undergone;—strange Reverse!—to think that those Walls, which heretofore resounded with Acclamations on the Birth of the first English Prince of Wales, should now afford Shelter only to a few miserable Cottages, from the tempestuous Blasts of the Bristol channel!
I made several Excursions into the Isle of Anglesea, the well-known Seat of the Druids;— this may now be considered as Classical Ground; for though Mona is destroyed, and her Altars abolished,—though Fires have consumed her Groves, and her Priests have perished by the Sword, yet, like the Phoenix, she rises more glorious from Decay; her Ashes have given Birth to the Caractacus of Mason, and the Fate of her Bards to the Inspiration of Gray.
Nothing could be more de
ightful than the Ride from Car
arvon to Bangor; to the right
and were Snowdon Hills, and to
he left the River Menai, or more
roperly speaking, the Strait be
ween the Continent and the
land of Anglesea; I had now
ot into Day-light and the polite World again;—there had been a
iversion the night before at Car
arvon, and the road was covered
ver with Carriages.
Bangor lies at the north en
of the same Frith, or arm of th
Sea, which is the passage to Anglesea, where it has a Harbo
for Boats. It was once so lar
as to be called Bangor the Grea
and was defended with a powe
ful Castle, built by Hugh Earl
Chester, which has long sin
been demolished. The Town
now of very little Note, except f
being the See of a Bishop; t
Palace is neat, but deplorab
ituated;—this is doubly morti
ying in a Country where every
art of the neighbourhood is
icturesque and pleasing; his
ordship however has the happiness of being so much beloved in his Diocese, that it would have
een almost Treason there to have wished him a Removal.
Between Bangor and Conway I
assed over the famous Mountain
alled Penmaen Mawr—the road
ust formerly have been very
ightful, but a Wall is now built to the Sea side, to which it is said the City of Dublin very largely contributed;—to form this roa
it has already cost upwards o
two thousand pounds, and it ca
be kept open only at a continua
expence, for vast Fragments o
Rock are frequently falling fort
fathom from above, which entirely block it up, till they a
forced through the Parapet int
the Sea, which lies perpendicularly full as deep below.
From hence the Country opens into a Plain, which extends as far as the River Conway, the eastern Limit of the County of Carnarvon. It rises out of a Lake of the same name, and runs with a north-west Course, receiving in the short space of twelve miles more than as many Rivers, so that at Aberconway, where it discharges its waters into the Irish Sea, it is full a mile broad, and capable of bringing Ships of almost any Size up to the Town; at present Conway bears only some melancholy Marks of wha
it once was, and to what a wretched State, by a total Decay o
Trade, it is now reduced.
The Castle still remains one o
the noblest Monuments of Antiquity; it is built in the sam
Style with that of Carnarvon, bu
is far more regular. The Outside is the same as in the tim
of Edward the First, except on
Tower, and that was not demolished with either battering engines or cannons, but by the people of the place taking Stones from the foundation of it. Some Remains of the principal Rooms are still to be seen, the Dimensions of which have been accurately given by Lord Lyttelton, and an elegant View of them in Antiquities by Mr. Grose; but I had never seen the Outside of this most venerable Ruin to advantage had I not walked over some polished Ground about a quarter of a mile from it, which I believe belongs to a Gentleman o
Conway;—there You see the Castl
finely sheltered by an Oak Wood—on one side
the Chief of River,
opening into the Irish Sea, and on the other the Mountains surrounding Penmaen, with a distan
Country most beautifully diversified.—Art and Nature cannot combine to form a more various and more delicious Prospect.
I could not possibly leave this part of the Country without seeing the Vale of Llanryst, the Bridge built by Inigo Jones, and the Chapel supposed to have been planned by him, which contains the rich monuments of the Guedir Family.—The Vale upon the whole I thought inferior to that I had seen in Montgomeryshire, but the Bridge is certainly a very elegant Structure, and speaks itself to be the Work of a great Architect, most probably of Jones, for I incline to the opinion that Llanryst was the Place of his Nativity.
The Chapel which adjoins the Parish Church, was erected by Sir Richard Wynne, one of the Grooms of the Bedchamber to Charles the First when Prince of Wales, and was chiefly made use of for the Alms-House in the neighbourhood, which was endowed by the Guedir Family. I took the Pains of copying the different Inscriptions in it, and as they are not contained in the History of that Family lately published, they may not be unacceptable to the curious Antiquary.
"This Cappel was erected Anno Domini 1633. By Sir Richard Wynne of Gwydir in the County of Carnavon Knight and Baronet, Treasurer to the High and Mighty Princess Henrietta Maria Queen of England, Daughter to King Henery the Fourth King of France, and Wife to our Soveraing King Charles. Where lieth Buried his Father Sr John Wynne of Gwydir in the County of Caernarvon Knight and Baronet, Son and Heyre to Maurice Wynne, Son and Heyre to John Wynne, Son and Heyre to Meredith, Which Three lye Buried in the Church of Dolwyddelan with Tombes over them. This Meredith Son and Heyre to Evan, Son and Heyre to Robert, Son and Heyre to Meredith, Son and Heyre to Howel, Son and Heyre to David, Son and Heyre to Griffith, Son and Heyre to Carradock, Son and Heyre to Thomas, Son and Heyre to Roderick Lord of Anglesey, Son to Owen Gwynedd Prince of Wales, and and younger to David Prince of Wales, who married Eme Plantagenet Sister to King Henery the Second. There succeeded this David Three Princes, His Nephew Leolinus Magnus, who married Jone Daughter to King John, Davil his Son, Nephew to King Henery the Third, and Leoline the Last Prince of Wales of that House and Line who lived in King Edward the First his time. Sr John Wynne married Sydney who lieth buried here, the Daughter of Sr William Gerrard Knight, Lord Chancellour of Ireland, by whom he had Issue Sr John Wynne who died att Lucca in Italy. Sr Richard Wynne now living, Thomas Wynne who Lieth here, Roger Wynne who Lieth here, William Wynne now living, Maurice Wynne now living, Ellis Wynne who lieth Buried att Whitford in the County of Flint, Henery Wynne now liveing, Roger Wynne who lieth here, and Two Daughters, Mary now living married to Sr Roger Mostyn in the County of Flint Knight, and Elizabeth now liveing married to Sr John Bodvil in the County of Caernarvon Knight."
On the Floor are four Brass Plates, with Drawings of Figures upon each of them in the Dresses of the Times, one of Maria Mostyn, Wife of Roger Mostyn, another of Sir Owen Wynne, another of Sir John Wynne, and a Fourth of Lady Sydney Wynne, Wife of Sir John Wynne. And in the Corner of the Chapel a Stone Coffin, which was removed from the Abbey of Conway, about two miles from hence, on which is the following Inscription:
"This is the Coffin of Leolinus Magnus Prince of Wales who was buried in the Abbey of Conway, and upon the Dissolution, remov'd from thence."
On each Side are six carved Recesses in the figure of Flower de Luces, which bear evident Marks of having contained Brass Plates, and two at the bottom of the Coffin.
There is now erected in the Church a Gallery of exquisite Workmanship, which was removed likewise from the Abbey; and I was at the trouble of having a large quantity of Rubbish taken away from under an old Staircase, that I might inspect a Stone Effigy, which is said to be of Hoel Coetmore, who sold the Guedir Estate to the Wynne Family; the Word Gwedir is supposed to signify Glass, and tha
Family probably was the firs
who in these parts had a House with glazed Windows.
I ought to make some Apology for the foregoing heavy Articles but elaborate Inscriptions frequently illustrate History, an
These will at least shew that Som
of the Welsh were not totally regardless of Pedigree.
I made diligent enquiry through all Carnarvonshire, and this part of Denbighshire, for the Glyder Mountain, which Gibson has particularly described, and which, from its singularity, (say the Authors of a Tour through Wales,) we more wished to have seen, than the Summits of either Plinlimmon or Snowdon.
"On the utmost top of this Mountain, according to the Continuator of Camden, who saw it, is a prodigious pile of Stones, many of which are of the magnitude of those at Stonehenge. They lie in such an irregular manner, crossing and supporting each other, that some people have imagined them to be the remains of a vast building; bu
Gibson more naturally suppose
them to be the skeleton or ruin of the Mountain; the weaker parts of which may have been worn away in a series of ages, by the rains and meltings of the Snow.
"On the west side of the same mountain, he speaks of a remarkable precipice, adorned with numerous equidistant columns, formed to that shape by the almost continual rains, which this high rock, being exposed to the westerly sea wind, is subject to.
"Notwithstanding the situation of this mountain seems to be pointed out by the last line and though its Phoenomena ar
so peculiar, yet We (add the Authors of the same Tour) wer
obliged to leave the Country without gaining the smalles
knowledge of it."
I was equally unfortunate i
not being able to see this Mountain, but in crossing the wid
Ferry at Conway, I by acciden
gained such Information, that I am confident any future Traveller may very readily satisfy his Curiosity; an old Boatman there informed me, that he had frequently seen it,—that in his younger days indeed it was sometimes termed the Glyder, but was now known only by the name of Wythwar,—that it was within a mile or two of a Village, called Clynog, and upon the Shore almost opposite to Carnarvon.
On my way to St. Asaph, I passed over the top of Penmaen Ross, a steep and formidable Mountain; this is by far the worst part of the road between Holyhead and Chester;—a nearer Path was some time since cut along the side of the sea cliff, but a Man and Horse had lately been killed, and by order of the Commissioners it is now entirely broken up.
The City of St. Asaph is called in British Llan Elwy, on account of its situation at the Conflux of the River Elwy with the Clwyd; and St. Asaph by the English, from its Patron Asaph, who in the year 560 erected a Bishop's See there. The Bishop of this Diocese has no entire County under his Jurisdiction, but Parts only of the Counties of Flint, Denbigh, Montgomery, Merioneth, and Salop. The Cathedral is a mean Structure, and the Houses in general but ill built, St. Asaph however may boast that it stands in the delightful Vale of Clwyd, though by no means in the finest part of it.
About five miles from thence, near the road to Holywell, You have the best View I think of that fertile and delicious Vale;—it is of an oval shape, about 25 miles in length, and about eight miles wide in its broadest part; it lies open only to the Ocean, and to the clearing North Wind, being elsewhere guarded with high mountains, which towards the East especially are like Battlements or Turrets, for by an admirable Contrivance of Nature, says Camden, the tops of these Mountains resemble the Turrets of Walls. Upon the whole however I think that there are other cultivated Scenes in North Wales equal, if not superior; in the Vale of Clwyd indeed You have the Lively and the Beautiful, but in Montgomeryshire the Awful and Sublime.
Holywell, and the History of its Virgin Saint, would require at least a Folio. I shall only say that I was truly sorry to find that blasphemous Papers should still be suffered to be publicly sold at the Spring there, which compare the ludicrous Legend of Winefrid with the most sacred Truths of the Gospel.
It was my Intention to have seen Winstay, Erthig, and Chirk Castle
Sir Watkin Wynne's, Mr. Yorke's and Mr. Middleton's.
, and afterwards to have traced the River Dee to Bala, but I was unexpectedly called off from my Tour; I had the good fortune however to join Party with the Bishop of Kildare, whose easy Manners and refined Conversation left me no room to regret a Disappointment.
To the foregoing Account, which was in part printed off for the Use and Amusement of some select Friends only, I shall now add a few general Remarks on the History of the Country and the Manners of its Inhabitants.
The Origin of every Nation is necessarily obscure, and always lost in a pretended Antiquity. On the Authority of Bochart we may trace the Welsh from Japhet, the Son of Noah; according to Others, from Trojans and Phoenicians, who were the Offspring of Gods; and one Writer I think has asserted that a True Briton is a Compound of all Nations under Heaven. That Britain however was peopled from Gaul 1000 years before Christ, appears very probable,—the arguments in favour of this opinion are deduced from the State of Population on the Continent, and from the Progress of it in the Island itself. It has been well observed
By Whitaker.
that Names descriptive of national Manners cannot be the original Appellations of any people, they result from the intercourse and experience of the States around them, on whose territories they have dared to encroach; the Appellation of Brigantes, according to Strabo, came to signify a turbulent and plundering race, and the Denominations of Celtae and Gael came to import, even amongst themselves, the Ferocious and the Stranger.
The Name of Cymri appears to have been the great hereditary Distinction of the Gauls upon the Continent, and to have been carried with them into all their Conquests; it was not retained in our Island merely by the Natives of Wales, but was equally the Appellation of a Nation in the South-West of Somersetshire and the North-East of Cornwall.
The first Denomination of our Island was certainly Albion, a name given before the Country was inhabited; it was the Celtic Term for Heights or Eminences; the Alps some ages before the Days of Strabo were called Albia, and in his time there remained two tribes on the Mountains that bore the Names of Albioeci, and Albienses.
The second Denomination was that of Britain, derived from a Celtic Word likewise signifying
Divided,
not
Painted
; this Etymology has lately been proved not to have been applied to the Region, but bestowed on the Inhabiters; not previously borne on the Continent by the original Settlers of the Country, but assumed o
received at their first Removal into the Island.
The Title of Welsh seems to arise from the Word Wall or Gall, an appellation which the Britons frequently gave each other; nor will this Derivation appear forced if we add, that the Channel betwixt France and England was denominated Sinus Vallicus, or the Gallick Strait, so late as the eighth Century, and that the Dutch and Germans call the French by the Name of Walls and Walloons to this very Day.
The general Denomination of Wales was not imposed on the Country by the Saxons, but was the acknowledged Appellation of the Region as early as the sixth Century, if we may believe a Quotation from Taliessin, as cited by Dr. Davies.
Nor were some plain and certain Derivations of Names till of late only unknown to us,—we have not always had either just Ideas of British Manners or British Antiquities; this ample Field of History has been greatly laid open by an Individual
Whitaker.
, and a
ich Produce will continually
rise from the judicious Publica
ions of a most respectable So
iety
Society of Antiquaries.
.
Our Knowledge of the Druids
still vague and unsatisfying,
nd must ever remain so, as they committed few things, if any, to Writing, though they were certainly not unacquainted with Letters; for among the Maxims collected by Gollet, there is one tha
forbids their Mysteries to be wri
ten, a Prohibition which coul
never have been given had Le
ters been entirely unknown; som
curious Particulars however ma
at least be traced from Traditio
and others from Specimens
their Poetry that have been recit
by the Natives. As Guardia
of what They called True Religion, they of course possessed the greatest authority among the people; No Laws were instituted by the Princes without their Advice, no Plunder taken in War without their partaking of it. They held the Dissolution of the World by Fire and Water, they taught the Immortality, and some say the Transmigration of the Soul, a Doctrine borrowed from the Pythagoreans, though Clemens Alexandrinus expressly asserts that the Pythagoreans borrowed that Doctrine from them; in my own opinion they never believed the Transmigration of the Soul at all; and I found this opinion on some late Accounts of Gaulish Funerals, which certainly corresponded with the British ones, the Customs and Ceremonials of which were absolutely incompatible with that Doctrine.
They sacrificed human Victims to propitiate the Gods; and prophesied future Events from the falling of the Body, and the Manner in which the Members were convulsed;—they believed there was a divine Mystery in Misleto, but took their first Distinction from the Oak, to which the Jews paid the same regard during their Idolatry, according to a Passage in Ezekiel,
"under every thick
Oak
did they offer sweet Sacrifice to their Idols."
Once a, year They, with their Chief, an Arch-Druid, assembled at a fixed time and place to hear Causes, and determine all Disputes; where their decisive Court was held has never been determined, but most probably in Anglesea, as that Island was certainly their Metropolis. So great was the Power of the Druids, that not only the Property, but also the Lives of the People were entirely at their Disposal, and this Power continued absolute till the time of Tiberius;—it was afterwards suppressed by Claudius, under the fair Pretext of abolishing human sacrifices, but the Priests themselves, their Gods and their Altars subsisted, though in obscurity, till the final Destruction of Paganism.
The Manners of the People were naturally tinged with the Discipline of their Teachers; in proportion to their ignorance they were superstitious, and in proportion to their zeal they committed Cruelties and Fraud; I shall not raise Disgust by a recital of Barbarities, but rather refer my Readers to the Journals of modern Voyages, where they will find, that there is a Sameness in the primaeval State of every savage Nation: a few other Particulars however may not be uninteresting. The Britons lived in Tribes or Clans, under the Aristocratical rule of their several Lords; their Villages were a confused Parcel of Huts placed at a small distance from each other, and, generally speaking, in the middle of a Wood, whereof the Avenues were defended with Trees, that were cut down to clear the ground.
Their Trade was very inconsiderable, notwithstanding the convenient situation of the Island for carrying on an extensive Commerce; Their vessels were very small, with their Keels and Ribs made of slight Timber, interwoven with Wicker, and covered with Hides, which shews that they never undertook long Voyages, most probably never ventured to Sea beyond the Coasts of Gaul.
The Britons were not so totally destitute of Defence as has been imagined; the Island is of itself a Shield, and they certainly made use of the Battle-axe, as well as Military Chariot; these Chariots were drawn by Horses, and the Axle-trees were generally furnished with Scythes; but the People were not united under a well regulated government, or they would always have continued formidable to their Enemies;—a number of petty Communities will never act in concert with each other; tho' History informs us that upon great and extraordinary Dangers a Chief Commander was always chosen by common consent; but what State or Colony will acquiesce even with the Leader themselves have chosen? and in the end, if unsuccessful, he must always fall a Sacrifice to those Miseries their own Inconsistencies alone have occasioned.
When that part of Britain which comprehends the present Kingdom of England and Principality of Wales, was divided into several petty Kingdoms, the Inhabitants were all distinguished by different names. The Principality of Wales, formerly comprehending the whole Country beyond the Severn, was in the Roman times occupied by the Silures, the Dimetae, and Ordovices; to these belonged not only the twelve Counties of Wales, but likewise the two others lying beyond the Severn, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire, which in the reign of Charles the Second were first reckoned amongst the English Counties.
The Country now known by the name of North Wales was inhabited by the Ordovices only, who held out first against the Romans, and afterwards against the English, after the other Britons were subdued; for by the Romans they were not reduced till the time of Domitian, nor by the English till the Reign of Henry the First.
About forty-five years before the Christian Aera, Britain was first invaded by the Romans under Julius Caesar,—afterwards by Claudius, and at length became a Province under the Roman empire; it was governed by Lieutenants, or Deputies, sent from Rome, as Ireland is now by Deputies from England; and continued thus under the Romans for upwards of 400 years; till that Empire being invaded by the Goths and Vandals, the Romans were forced not only to recall their own armies, but also to draw from hence the bravest of the Britons, for their assistance against those Barbarians.
The Country being left in a defenceless State, was invaded by the Scots, who were so rapacious, that the Britons sent over a miserable application for relief to Aetius, the Roman General, who by several famous Successes, for a time, had repelled the violence of the Gothick Arms, but receiving no hopes of any Succours from that General, the South Britons invited over the Saxons, who no sooner delivered them from their ancient Foes the Picts and Scots, than they strengthened their own Numbers, turned their Arms against the Natives, and conquered them, some few excepted, who secured themselves in their Mountains of Wales; whence their Descendants have always been distinguished by the Title of Ancient Britons.
During the Saxon Heptarchy
ived the renowed Prince Arthur, whose Valour would have retrieved the miserable state of the Britons, had Valour only been wanting; his History has been so blended with Fable, that some have doubted the real existence of such a Person; but it seems rather hard because Stories have been invented concerning the Actions of his Life, that he should not be allowed to have lived at all; it is true that the Saxon Annals make no mention of this King, but it was not probable that the Saxons would be fond of recording Exploits, which redounded only to their own discredit; an ancient English Historian speaking of Cerdic, mentions his fighting several Battles with King Arthur; and William of Malmesbury owns, that though the Britons had vented innumerable Fables concerning this Prince, he certainly was a Hero worthy to be celebrated in True History. The Britons bewailed
"their long lost Arthur"
for several Ages after his Death;—they believed he was still alive in Fairy Land, and that he would return once more to reign over them; nor was this notion rooted out till the reign of Henry the Second, about six hundred years afterwards, when his Coffin was dug up at Glastenbury in Somersetshire, with the following Inscription,
"Here lies buried the renowned King Arthur in the Island Avalonia."
The Exploits of this Warrior have not only been sung by Taliessin and other British Bards, but have been celebrated by one of the greatest of our English Poets; it seems by some Hints given by Spenser, that he intended a Poem whose title was to be expressly, King Arthur;—Dryden tells us that he had some thoughts of making choice for the subject of an Heroic Poem, King Arthur's Conquests over the Saxons; Milton, in a Latin Address to Mansus, has likewise intimated the same Intention.
Wales was anciently bounded by the Irish Seas, and by the Rivers Severn and Dee, till the Saxons became Masters of all the level Countries over those Rivers; and till Offa, king of Mercia, made the celebrated Trench, which is still called by his Name. This Trench, which extended from North to South,—from the mouth of the River Dee to that of the Wye, has been thought to have been an Imitation of the Ramparts, which were thrown up by Agricola, Adrian, and Severus, to guard the Romans against the Incursions of the Northern Barbarians; but from some Remains of it, as well as for several other Reasons, it seems more probable, that it was not intended by Offa as a Fortification, but rather as a Boundary betwixt his Kingdom and the Cambrian Province.
When after many Events between the several Races of the Heptarchy, Ecbert became the sole King of England, as it was now distinguished from the Principality of Wales, he possessed himself also of Mona, the Capital of the Cambrian Province; but the Saxons some time afterwards being driven out of it, it was from them called Anglesea, Englishman's Island, a name which it has retained ever since.
In the year eight hundred and forty-three all Wales was united under the Dominion, of Roderic, surnamed the Great; who, by a testamentary Settlement, made a new Division between three Sons into three Districts, which were called Kingdoms, and distinguished by the Names of South Wales, Powis Land, and North Wales this Partition gave rise to many Wars, which caused the Kingdom of Powis Land to be portioned among the Conquerors, and annexed partly to South Wales, and partly to North Wales, Divisions which subsist to this Day.
No sooner were the Saxons settled under one Monarch, than the Danes began to trouble them, as they (the Saxons) had before done the Britons, till, after many Invasions, Edgar King of England set forth the first Navy, made Peace with the Danes, and allowed them to live in his Dominions mixed with the English;—at this time we read of five Kings in Wales, who all did him Homage for their Country.
Notwithstanding many Attempts of the English, the Welsh enjoyed their own Laws, and lived under their own Princes, till in the year 1282 Llewellin lost both his Principality and Life; in the reign of Henry the Eighth Wales was incorporated and united with England; and by a Statute of the 27th of that Reign, all Laws and Liberties of England were to take place there; from which time the Welsh have approved themselves truly worthy of their high Origin, loyal and dutiful to their King, and always zealous for the Welfare of the Community.
The Welsh Language is still the Gomerian or Old Celtic, the same that was once spoken throughout Europe, except that through length of time, and Intermixture of the people with the Scythians and other nations, it has split into a variety of Dialects. No Tongue, either ancient or modern, I believe, bears greater Marks of antiquity; its strong resemblance to the Hebrew has been generally admitted, insomuch that one Author of great Learning has given a Specimen of a considerable number of Phrases out of the Old Testament, which are so alike in both, that they seem to have been originally the same. It is no uncommon Error to give the Name of Mother Tongue to those Languages, from which some known Idioms only are derived; the Hebrew has been considered as a Mother Tongue, but was evidently borrowed from the Phoenician; the Latin is called the Mother tongue to the Italian, the Spanish, and the French, but the Latin itself was derived from the Tuscan, and the Tuscan from the Celtic and the Greek. It will reasonably be asked, how the Gomerians have preserved their Language almost entire, whilst the Jews have suffered theirs to be corrupted, and blended with those of their Conquerors?—for this, many reasons may be assigned; the Former have not been so frequently subdued, and they have always preserved a considerable Regard for what They conceived to be a Mother tongue; a regard greatly kept up perhaps by the Custom which the Lowest of the People had, of reciting their Genealogies. This ancient Language is spoken the nearest to its original purity in the uncultivated parts of North Wales, but the Welsh in general still retain so high a veneration for it, that I am confident they will never readily suffer the English to be entirely made use of in their Churches, or taught solely in their Schools.
Much has been said of those Druidical Remains, which by many Authors have been indiscriminately called Carns, Carnedds, and Cromlechs; but of their original meaning, I shall venture the following Conjecture,—that by the word Carn, which signified a Rock, the Britons simply implied one large broad Stone, as a covering for a Grave
The Word Carn was afterwards used in an ill sense, most probably when the Mode of Burial came to be changed on the Introduction of Christianity; ther
Malefactors being thrown into holes nea
the Highways, and great quantities o
Stones heaped upon them, it was no uncommon thing for a man to say to hi
enemy;
May a Carn be your Monument.
; by a Carnedd, a heap of Stones thrown rudely together to commemorate an event; and by a Cromlech, an huge, broad, flat Stone raised high on other Stones, where the ancient Britons, like the Hebrews, made Sacrifices or paid religious Adoration.
Those nice Distinctions that have been formed of the Druids, the Bards and the Vates, subsisted only, I think, in particular Societies; the Druids in general composed and recited Hymns, as worship to their Deities; the Bards
The Bards, who were inferior Druids, wore an ecclesiastical Ornament during the celebration of their Rites, called by the Latins Caputium, or Cucullus, which is still retained in our Universities; the Gauls, who borrowed this custom from the British Druids, wore the Cucullus remarkably long, whence it obtained, on its being made use of at Rome, the name of Bardo-Cucullus, or Bard's Hood. It was in allusion to the Shape of this Hood, that Martial feared lest a Sheet of his Book should be rolled up to put Pepper or Frankincense in:
Ne Thuris Piperisve sit Cucullus.
VID. NICHOLLS.
certainly composed Hymns likewise; but it was in the hour of Battle that their labours were chiefly celebrated, by singing the Exploits of deceased Heroes; while the Vates were principally engaged in the Rites of Sacrifice, or the Arts of Divination.
The Welsh have always laid claim to the Discovery of America, in preference to the Great Columbus, but this claim has hitherto been supported with little more than bare Conjecture; in the twelfth Century, according to Powell, there was a War in Wales for the Succession, upon the Death of Owen Guinneth; and a Bastard having carried it from the lawful Heirs, one of the latter, called Madoc, put to Sea, and sailing west from Spain, discovered a new world of wonderful Fertility;—to prove that a country was thus discovered, the Welsh have recourse to the Authority of Meridith ap Rhees, who composed an Ode in honour Prince Madoc and his new-found Land; and that this Country was America they have alledged on the credit of Peter Martyr, that the Natives of Virginia celebrated the memory of one Madoc, as a great and ancient Hero; and always supposed their Ancestors to have come thither at first, from some very distant Countries on the other side the great Water, at the time that has been asserted, and from the same point of the Compass. The affinity of Language has since been frequently urged by modern Travellers, and Bishop Nicholson in particular, speaks confidently that the British makes a considerable part of several of the American Tongues; in answer to these Assertions, the ingenious Dr. Robertson has just now declared, that he conceives the skill of the Welsh in the twelfth Century, not to have been equal to such a Voyage; and that the instances given of the affinity of Language are so obscure and fanciful, that no conclusion can be drawn from them; to these remarks he adds, that if the Welsh towards the Close of the twelfth Century had settled in any part of America, some remains of the Christian doctrine must have been afterwards found among their Descendants, when they were discovered three hundred years after their migration;—but here I must entirely disagree with the learned Author,—three hundred years cannot in this case be called a
"short period;"
—one Century would probably have been sufcient to have obliterated every mark of a Religion, that had to combat with the prejudices of an unlettered people; that did not address itself immediately to their Interests, and through a Mode of Civilization, teach them at first only, as Warburton well expresses it,
The Gospel, plain and simple as it is, and fitted in its nature for what it was ordained to effect, requires an intellect something above that of a Savage to apprehend. Nor is it at all to the dishonour of our holy Faith, that such a one must be taught a previous lesson; and first of all instructed in
the emollient Arts of Life.
See the Bishop of Gloucester's Sermon on the Propagation of the Gospel.
the emollient Arts of Life.
Christianity seems to have been introduced into Britain, as early as the first Century, but of this great Event our Accounts must necessarily be very imperfect, as the Saxons destroyed almost all the Writings in which it was recorded; Mona, we read, had certainly a School of Christian Learning many years before 182, when there was an Archbishop of Caerleon, and Suffragans under him; but the Clergy had no distinct Parishes either in Anglesea or any other part of the kingdom, till many years afterwards. About the year 600, Pope Gregory sent Austin the Monk to preach the Gospel in England to the Heathen Saxons, who was received by Ethelbert; and being admitted to explain the Doctrine and Mysteries of it, so well succeeded that he converted great numbers, and at length the King himself. Thus the Christian Religion came to be established in England under the Rites and Authority of the Romish Church, by which Austin was instituted Chief Bishop, and seated by the Saxon king at Canterbury; but his Jurisdiction, though admitted in all the Saxon Territories, was not received by the British Priests or People in Wales.—In the reign of Elizabeth the Bible and Common Prayer were first translated into the Welsh Tongue, and at that time the People are said to have adhered to the Rubrick and Constitution of the Church with a scrupulous exactness; how far the Doctrines and Worship of Christianity may have deviated from their original purity, or how far the Welsh may have been affected by the refined Tenets of their English Neighbours, I shall not presume to determine, at present I think there is every where much to be feared, from the Growth of Enthusiasm, the subtleties of Infidelity, and the Necessity, as well as Danger of Innovation.
Many Popish customs are still retained in Wales, particularly Offerings made to the Dead,—these Offerings must of course vary according to the Rank of the Persons deceased, as well as the Affection that is borne to their Memories; I was at a Pauper's Funeral where the Donations amounted to half a Crown, and I met with a Clergyman afterwards who had once received ninety Guineas.
Great complaints are made in many parts of this Country of the exorbitant Demands of Landlords, and that the Rent of Ground is now advanced much higher than it will bear;—such Complaints must of course be expected from the Sufferers, but I believe, they are here in some instances made with reason; the landlords on the contrary may urge perhaps, that they act with strict Justice, and that they have a Right at least to try the experiment; but it should be remembered that the Extreme of Right is Wrong, and there is a Tribute of Humanity due from the Superior, that He should be always on a Certainty that he does not exact too much.
National Characters should always be read with Exceptions; but if I must give my opinion of the Inhabitants of North Wales, I shall say, that the common people in general are civil and grateful, the Farmers rather slow and suspicious, a Few of the inferior 'Squires retain somewhat of the sottish and the brutal, but among the higher Ranks, I have found, in the same proportion as in England, lettered Society, hospitable Reception, and refined Address.
FINIS.