tf.'iv. 
 H! 
 
THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 RIVERSIDE 
 
 GIFT OF 
 
 Dr. Gordon S. Watktns 
 
(forfom 9. Watkitus 
 
WALES IN THE 
 SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
WALES 
 
 IN THE 
 
 Seventeenth Century 
 
 ITS LITERATURE 
 
 AND 
 
 MEN OF LETTERS AND ACTION 
 
 ^ I'V 
 
 THE REV. J.' C.^MORRICE, M.A. 
 
 M I 
 
 VICAR OF BANGOR 
 
 JARVIS 6r- FOSTER 
 MCMXVIH 
 
TO MY FATHER 
 WHO TAUGHT ME THE LOVE OF READING 
 
 AND TO ALL STUDENTS 
 
 WHO LOVE WALES AND ITS PAST 
 
 AND CHERISH BRIGHT HOPES FOR ITS FUTURE. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 THE only apology for bringing out this work in the midst of 
 the Great War is that the writer undertook it during a 
 period of enforced abstention from other activities, due to an 
 accident. 
 
 The fortunate proximity of the University College Library, at 
 Bangor, and the kindliness of its Librarian, the Rev. T. Shankland, 
 M.A., who gave every facility for using the treasures he has 
 accumulated with so much care and industry, relieved what would 
 otherwise have proved a tedious period. The best tribute I can 
 pay to Mr. Shankland's ready counsel and help is to quote the 
 words of a student engaged in using the Library, who observed : 
 " He is not niggardly with what he knows, and what he doesn't 
 know of this Library is not worth knowing." It is the verdict of 
 all who come into touch with Mr. Shankland in his capacity as 
 Librarian. 
 
 The work has given much pleasure to the author, who hopes 
 it may help to dispel part of the uncertainty which has enveloped 
 some of the i yth century writers and their work, and lead to a 
 further prosecution of other details not yet definitely ascertained. 
 
 Should this enterprise prove of interest to Welsh students and 
 others, the writer has by him a collection of materials relating to 
 the 1 6th and i8th centuries, which can be treated in the same way, 
 with the additional advantage of the experience gained in the pre- 
 paration of this volume. 
 
 At the moment of writing this preface, the news has come to 
 hand of the bestowal by his gracious Majesty of the honour of 
 Knighthood upon my former teacher and always esteemed friend, 
 John Morris Jones, Professor of Welsh at the University College 
 of North Wales, as a recognition of his life-long work in connection 
 with Celtic studies, and I should like to acknowledge that the 
 inspiration to this undertaking was the result of an encouraging 
 
conversation with him as to the necessity of writing the literary 
 history of Wales period by period. 
 
 The work falls far short of the ideal the writer had in mind, 
 but the exigencies of the times and the multitudinous cares of a 
 busy parish are some palliation for this, and will at least have 
 weight in the verdict of indulgent readers. 
 
 My deepest thanks are due to Mr. Foster, the publisher, for 
 all his care and trouble in printing the work. 
 
 J. C. MORRICE. 
 ST. MARY'S VICARAGE, 
 BANGOR, 
 
 January, 1918. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Pages. 
 
 INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER . . i - 1 1 
 
 CHAPTER I. Historical, Antiquarian, & Typographical 13-87 
 
 (a) The Period before the Civil War - 15-22 
 
 (b) The Civil War Period 22-36 
 
 (c) The Second Insurrection Period 36 - 39 
 
 (d) Satires and Lampoons 39 - 42 
 
 (e) The Commonwealth Period 42 - 70 
 
 (f) The Period of the Restoration to the end 
 
 of the 1 7th Century 70-87 
 
 CHAPTER II. Religious and Moral Writings - 89-215 
 
 (a) The Editions of Holy Scripture 96 - 1 20 
 
 (b) The Editions of the Psalms and Book of 
 
 Common Prayer - 120-134 
 
 (c) Other Works, Religious and Moral 134-215 
 CHAPTER III. The Poetry of the Period 216 - 300 
 
 (a) Welsh Poetry 219-291 
 
 (b) English and Latin Poems - 291-300 
 CHAPTER IV. Grammar and Lexicography 301 - 322 
 CHAPTER V. Miscellaneous 323 - 344 
 INDEX - - 345-352 
 
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER 
 
 THE writer hopes to present a careful and concise 
 account of the Literature of Wales in a very important 
 period of her history. For this purpose the works 
 published during that period have been carefully examined the 
 original works, when possible, and failing that, the best extant 
 editions of them. A survey has also been made of the different 
 authorities upon whom reliance has been placed for our informa- 
 tion concerning the authors of that century and their work. 
 Every care has been taken to corroborate the statements made 
 from some reliable source, and references are given. 
 
 The effort takes within its scope more than the works written 
 in the Welsh language. It includes works written both in Latin 
 and English, that have reference to Wales, which are necessary to 
 a survey of this remarkable century, as far as it affected Wales. 
 
 The seventeenth century was an epoch adorned by men who 
 were eminent in verse and prose, in philosophic learning and in 
 religious effort, some of whom have a just claim to a place in the 
 annals of European literature. 
 
 Perhaps Wales during this period had lost some of that distinc- 
 tiveness which marked her literature in the period prior to her union 
 with England, but she gained access into a wider world of ideas 
 and benefitted by the change. The moral and religious aims of 
 man claimed her serious attention during this period, and although 
 she failed to give that mature expression to them, which came 
 later, yet the very struggle to give them expression helped to 
 develop her life. As the century wore on, she got rid of the 
 inactivity which had threatened to devitalize her during its early 
 years and which had made them so barren of literature. 
 
 There have been few periods of greater interest than this, 
 and yet it is almost devoid of one element which had been 
 prominent in earlier periods. The bards were no more. 
 Elizabeth had revived them by granting her gracious sanction 
 
 l 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 and support to the Eisteddfod at Caerwys in 1568, but, 
 strangely enough, in forty years afterwards the cult of bardism 
 was almost extinct. The secret of this was that the aristocracy 
 of Wales no longer kept the Bardd Teulu nor the Pencerdd* 
 upon their hearths. The great Elizabethan period drew men's 
 minds towards England, and before the end of her reign the 
 Welsh aristocracy were well on the way to become Anglicised. 
 
 To some extent also, the bards had been their own undoing. 
 The stern injunctions against the derwyr adopted at Caerwys 
 were very desirable from the point of view of the better bards, for 
 the clenvyr were itinerant beggars who brought the profession of 
 bardism into disrepute, and, no doubt, the matter needed firm 
 handling at Caerwys. But it must not be forgotten that out of 
 the ranks of the clenvyr sprang many of the better bards. Their 
 disruption emptied the reservoir of bardism instead of filtering and 
 clarifying its waters. There was no longer any inducement to 
 take up bardism as a profession. This involved a loss which was 
 directly apparent in the first half of the century, in which the 
 number of bardic effusions produced was very small. It had, 
 however, a compensating advantage, for those who sang, sang not 
 for love of gain but for pure love of the Muse and nothing else. 
 Hence the few poets we have in the seventeenth century whose 
 works have been preserved, composed most worthily, and this 
 remark applies more particularly to the poems of Huw Morns, of 
 Pont-y-meibion, as will be seen later. The great disadvantage of 
 the drastic reforms made at Caerwys was that probably many 
 a " mute inglorious Milton " was baulked of his chance, for 
 bardism became confined to the upper and leisured classes. 
 When it is remembered, as has been stated, that these classes 
 tended to become Anglicised, it sufficiently explains the paucity 
 of poetical works in this century. But to it must be further 
 added the fact that no Eisteddfod was held to give an impetus to 
 the bards. One writer points out that neither in Gwynedd nor in 
 Powys was there an Eisteddfod from 1568 to 1798, in which latter 
 
 1 Gweirydd ap Rhys Hants Lknyddiaeth Gymreig, p. 37. 
 2 
 
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER 
 
 year Owain Myfyr and the London Gwyneddigion Society revived 
 it. 1 The sole exception mentioned (and there seems but little 
 foundation for this) was one held in 1620 entitled "Cadair 
 Morganwg," but, granted that it took place, it was no national 
 affair, and is only claimed as a small literary meeting. 2 It is 
 asserted that only four bards were present, and of their president, 
 Watkin Powell, very little is known.3 The memorable and out- 
 standing bards of the century were Huw Morus, already mentioned, 
 Vicar Prichard, Edward Morus, Edmund Prys, and William 
 Phillip. 
 
 Prose writers, however, were very numerous. This was 
 above all the age of controversy, especially the last half of the 
 century. The atmosphere was that of strife and was more 
 conducive to prose than verse. The political and religious 
 struggles of the period resulted in a veritable crop of literature 
 books, tracts, and pamphlets. Many of them are worthless 
 to-day, except to show how the battle raged, and what fierce 
 assaults and dogged resistance are to be expected when man is 
 stirred deeply in matters of the soul and conscience. Two 
 centuries and a half have not quite obliterated the effects of the 
 acrimony of those times, although signs are not wanting that in 
 the new age which is dawning this bitterness will be consigned to 
 the oblivion which it deserves. 
 
 Fortunately, in the first forty years of the century, men's 
 minds were free from turmoil, and were thus able to devote 
 themselves to a form of literary work which has been most 
 profitable to the Welsh nation. Bishop Richard Davies, Dr. 
 John Davies, Rowland Heilyn, Thomas Middleton, and Rowland 
 Vaughan were indefatigable during those years in their efforts 
 to give the Cymry the Scriptures in a revised form, and transla- 
 tions of some of the best devotional works of the period. In the 
 latter half of the century Stephen Hughes and other able writers 
 did a like service to their countrymen. 
 
 1 Gweirydd ap Rhys Hanes Lknyddiaeth Gymrcig t p. 397. 2 ibid* 
 3 Jones' History of Wales ; p> 225. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 The desire for literature which the Reformation period had 
 fostered in England came later in Wales. It must be remembered 
 that the population of the country was scanty and poor, and that 
 there were very few educational facilities. Wales had no Press, 
 and its remoteness from the leading printing firms increased the 
 difficulties of publishing. Most of the Welsh books of this 
 period were printed in London or on the Continent. Occasionally 
 books were printed at Oxford, e.g., Ystyriaethau Drexelius ar 
 Dragtvyddoldeb, 1661, but Oxford was hardly more accessible 
 than London. Also it was exceedingly difficult for English 
 compositors to deal with Welsh orthography, which accounts for 
 a great many inaccuracies in the works published at this time. It 
 was not until towards the end of the seventeenth century, in 1685, 
 that a printing press was established at Shrewsbury by Thomas 
 Jones. 1 The first book was printed in South Wales in 1718, at 
 Adpar, Newcastle Emlyn, on the Cardiganshire side. North 
 W T ales had no press until 1735, when Lewis Morris established 
 one at Holyhead. 2 Others were established at Bodedern, Bala, 
 Trefriw (1755), and Denbigh. It meant an immense expenditure 
 in time and money to bring out a Welsh book, because it generally 
 necessitated the presence of the author to read the proofs. This 
 fact sufficiently explains why so many works of this and the 
 preceding periods still remain in MS., a number out of all pro- 
 portion to those which have seen daylight in print. 
 
 Translations rather than original works were the vogue in this 
 century, and the remark especially applies to religious books. In 
 religion as well as in politics it was a period of transition. Wales 
 had lagged behind England in reaping the fruit of the Reforma- 
 tion. Her innate conservatism, perhaps, explains this. But 
 there came a time when her leading divines realised it, and they 
 did what was best and wisest under the circumstances, and that 
 which enabled Wales to cover the lost ground most quickly. 
 
 1 J. Blackwell says 1690 (see Ceinion Alun, p. 72.) 
 
 2 It is claimed that there was a book printed at Montgomery in 1648. See 
 chapter I. of this work. It is believed there was a moveable press during 
 the Civil War period, and this would account for it, 
 
 4 
 
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER 
 
 They translated into Welsh the choicest of the English religious 
 productions " The Practice of Piety," " The Marrow of Modern 
 Divinity," " Drexelius on Eternity," and other works which had 
 long been devotional books in England. 
 
 The antiquarian was very busy in this century, Robert 
 Vaughan of Hengwrt standing head and shoulders above his 
 fellows in this respect. He had in Dr. Thomas Ellis and John 
 Jones of Gelli Lyfdy most able coadjutors, and there was a 
 number of other antiquarians of quite appreciable ability. 
 
 Nor was there lacking considerable zeal for grammar and 
 lexicography, two branches of knowledge in which Dr. Thomas 
 Williams and Dr. John Davies greatly excelled. 
 
 The most purely original writer of the period was Morgan 
 Llwyd of Gwynedd, whose works have now been carefully edited 
 by the late T. E. Ellis, M.P. for Merionethshire, and Mr. J. H. 
 Davies, M.A., of Cwrt Mawr. Another original production of 
 the time was " Hanes y Ffydd Ddiffuant " by Charles Edwards. 
 
 No introduction to the study of the literature of this period 
 would be complete which failed to point out how restless a time 
 it was, how the landmarks both in Church and State were 
 disturbed, and how old ideas were consigned to oblivion and new 
 hopes engendered. High goals were aimed at, nothwithstanding 
 failure and disappointment in many directions. It has been said 
 that for Wales the seventeenth century was the period of the grey 
 dawn between night and day. It saw the beginnings of a religious 
 revival and the birth struggle of the educational movement, and 
 it tasted something of the power of popular government. There 
 were losses, but there were also gains which, when substantiated, 
 more than compensated for the former. 
 
 The old form of religion and much that was romantic in the 
 former centuries were lost, but new seeds were planted which, 
 despite many forebodings to the contrary, grew and prospered 
 and have made for progress. 
 
 The old traditions of Welsh bardism, as has been stated, 
 
 5 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 disappeared, but they can hardly be mourned as losses when we 
 have in their stead the choice lyrics of Huw Morus and the neat 
 epigrams of John Owen. 
 
 It is matter for regret that the Welsh gentry were no longer 
 in the same degree the supporters and patrons of Welsh literature. 
 Rowland Vaughan and Robert Vaughan were amongst the last 
 of them, and the spirit prominent in the fifteenth and sixteenth 
 centuries was lacking in this century. But there was ample reason 
 for the change when we take into account the circumstances of 
 the time. A century of battle and oppression, imprisonment and 
 bloodshed, prejudice and revenge, was bound from its very nature 
 to upset the normal order of things. It was certainly one of the 
 results of the Civil War that men's minds drifted into other 
 channels and became engrossed with larger issues than " building 
 up the rhyme " or, in fact, being absorbed in literature of any 
 kind, and this applied in a special degree to the more responsible 
 inhabitants of Wales, the men of education and property, who 
 had to make decisions and stand by them. This fact is some- 
 times lost sight of in the sweeping condemnation that has been 
 made of the neglect of literature and especially of bardic lore by 
 the Welsh gentry. 
 
 One of the most remarkable features of the century was the 
 
 rise of many men of plebeian origin who came into prominence 
 
 during the Civil War period. Amongst them there was no more 
 
 notable case than that of John Jones of Maesygarnedd, better 
 
 known as John Jones, the Regicide. He was the first Welshman 
 
 to take a foremost part in political work in Great Britain. He 
 
 held many responsible posts, and was one of Cromwell's lieutenants 
 
 in Ireland. He was one of the signatories to the warrant for 
 
 Charles I.'s execution, and himself was beheaded in the first year 
 
 of the Restoration. The 'death of Charles was a matter to be 
 
 deplored by all right thinking men, and there are very few left 
 
 who would now maintain its justice or necessity. Still, the death 
 
 of a man like John Jones, the son of a Welsh cottager, for 
 
 signing away the King's life marks the great revolution that had 
 
 6 
 
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER 
 
 been worked in the country by the middle of this remarkable 
 century. 1 
 
 Much as Charles I.'s execution is to be deplored, it must be 
 admitted that John Jones, and many others who shared his fate, 
 suffered for new ideals of popular government which were 
 beginning to gather strength, as against the ancient order which, 
 although it reasserted itself for a time during the reigns of the 
 last two kings of the Stuart dynasty, was doomed to be extin- 
 guished for ever as soon as William of Orange mounted the 
 throne. 
 
 In religion, as has been remarked, the Reformation had 
 gained very little footing in Wales in the early years of the 
 seventeenth century. There had been no preparation for it as 
 there had been in England. Wales had not its Wycliffe, and the 
 temperament of the nation being what it is, a proclamation by law 
 had had very little effect upon the Welsh religious mind. It is 
 doubtful whether, except superficially, the worth of the Reforma- 
 tion was recognised or its influence felt. Yet there were not 
 wanting some indications that Roman Catholicism was on the 
 wane. Testimony is borne to this in the fate meted out to John 
 Roberts, a devoted Jesuit priest, who had been educated at 
 Oxford and at Valladolid, in Spain. When he returned in 1602, 
 full of zeal to infuse his countrymen afresh with Roman 
 Catholicism, he was persecuted and imprisoned, and died on the 
 scaffold in 1610. This is proof that the change was slowly 
 coming, although it is very uncertain how far the popular mind 
 would have endorsed the official action in the case of Roberts. 
 This execution did not deter Father John Salesbury from writing 
 in 1618 " Eglurhad helaethlawn o'r Athrawiaeth Gristionogawl," 
 which shows that the Romanists were striving to maintain their 
 hold upon Welshmen by giving them an exposition of their faith 
 in the Welsh tongue. 
 
 But, if Roman Catholicism was on the wane, it is equally 
 true that the Reformed Church had not, as yet, filled up whatever 
 
 ' See Mr. J. H. Davies' Introduction to Gweithiau Morgan 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 void there might have been felt by the weakening hold of Roman 
 Catholicism upon the masses of the Welsh people. The truth is 
 that the Church in its reformed state had been placed at a very 
 serious disadvantage. The monasteries had been disendowed and 
 the resources of the Church to carry on her work curtailed beyond 
 measure. No where could this have been more felt than in a 
 poor country like Wales. 
 
 It is generally admitted that the drastic policy of Henry VIII. 
 did great spiritual harm in that it provided no resources in the 
 place of those which had been plundered. It was like the 
 incomplete work of a surgeon who cuts away the evil growth but 
 neither mollifies with ointment nor binds up the wound. Henry 
 was, in fact, an unskilful surgeon who left the Church incised and 
 bleeding. The land and revenue of the Church had passed into 
 the hands of the nobles, and she could not possibly maintain her 
 former organisation and fulfil her obligations to the nation on the 
 scant store that was left her. 
 
 But in spite of her difficulties there is no doubt that in the 
 first half of the seventeenth century the Church was increasing in 
 respect and usefulness. This is admitted by all impartial 
 historians, and can be verified by any student of the period. Her 
 bishops, for the most part, were Welshmen and Welsh -speaking 
 Welshmen. It was very different from the Hanoverian period in 
 this respect. There were exceptions, but it must be admitted 
 that although not Welsh -speaking, they were men of great 
 eminence who, in some cases, afterwards held the highest offices 
 in Church and State. It was Laud's High Commission Court 
 that brought the Church into bad odour. There are numerous 
 cases recorded of Welsh clergy who were cited to appear before it 
 for various offences, and these citations were the cause of much 
 friction. This is far from saying that all who were cited to appear 
 before Laud were unjustly accused. But some were called up for 
 what would be regarded by the majority of their parishioners as 
 trivial matters, and when a hard working parish priest held in high 
 esteem by his flock was put to the inconvenience, expense, and 
 
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER 
 
 anxiety, which a citation of this kind involved, this intrusion 
 would naturally be resented by many thoughtful people who were 
 quite loyal Churchmen. It would be deemed an interference 
 with freedom, and would clash with the temperament of many 
 high-spirited Welshmen of that age. 
 
 The other stumbling-block was the " Book of Sports," which 
 was commanded to be read in the churches. The Welsh were, 
 for the most part, strict Sabbatarians, and it seemed to them 
 desecration that the quiet of their Sunday should be disturbed by 
 any rioter or roysterer who could say that he had attended one of 
 the services of the Church. There is no doubt that the declara- 
 tion was felt as an affront by many serious -minded men. 
 
 This was therefore the position in the first half of the 
 Seventeenth century Roman Catholicism was on the wane, the 
 Church depleted in revenue failed to perform all her obligations, 
 and seeds of disaffection were being sown by such measures as 
 the two above-named. 
 
 Add to this that Puritanism in England was on the increase, 
 and that Wales during the Civil War was drawn into the vortex 
 of the most stirring events which ever quickened a nation's pulse, 
 and we have a third far-reaching cause for the spread of 
 Puritanism in Wales before the end of the century. 
 
 How far the clergy in Wales neglected their duty is a matter 
 very difficult to determine. In the absence of very definite proof 
 to the contrary, the impartial historian must give them the benefit 
 of the doubt and content himself with the knowledge that the 
 times were degenerate and that the standard of life was not as 
 high as it might have been. Even Huw Morus, the most chaste 
 of the bards had, apparently, his moments of levity and verged on 
 coarseness, although his own life was above reproach. His 
 " Mabinogion " are the product of the age, and were quickly put 
 aside when discretion and responsibility raised the bard above 
 such foibles. But they are interesting in throwing light upon the 
 moral standard of that age ; and although it can be said that 
 their duty would be to rise above it, the clergy, like other men, 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 would reflect their environment. In any case, there would be a 
 certain number affected by the laxity of the times, and when, 
 subsequently, the conscience of the country was quickened, as it 
 must have been by the dread events through which it passed, this 
 laxity would excite no small notice and incur the censure it 
 deserved. Even in the case of men who had reformed their 
 lives, public opinion would not judge them leniently, and it would 
 not be easy to forget their past. But, granted that a proportion 
 of the clergy failed to realise their high calling, it is beyond all 
 question that the majority were men of learning and godly life. 
 Many of them were life-long friends of the most extreme 
 Puritans and were held in high esteem by them, and it is note- 
 worthy that the more moderate Puritans gave them ungrudging 
 support. 
 
 The probability is, that had there been no political conflagra- 
 tion, the Church in Wales would have made good her position 
 during the last half of the century, inasmuch as she had weathered 
 the first half in spite of her difficulties, as the cumulative 
 testimony of many writers proves. A study of Dr. Calamy's 
 work 1 on the one hand, and Walker's " Sufferings of the Clergy," 
 which was a reply to " Dr. Calamy's Abridgement of the Life 
 of Mr. Baxter," on the other, leaves one in little doubt, that 
 each side under political influence, pressed its advantage too 
 far, when the opportunity offered. It is ever so in troublous times 
 when man's reason becomes subject to his prejudice, and modera- 
 tion, which is a tempered product begotten of looking at both 
 sides of a question, is accounted a quality akin to cowardice or, 
 at least, to weakness. 
 
 The fact remains that Puritanism increased considerably and 
 planted itself firmly in the hearts of a section of the Welsh people 
 before the end of the period under notice. Independents, 
 Baptists, Quakers, and Presbyterians worshipped in comparative 
 freedom before its close, following upon the Toleration Act of 
 1689, which removed many disabilities grievous to be borne. 
 
 'Calamy's "Ejected Ministers," 
 10 
 
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER 
 
 The literature produced in Wales, or pertaining to it, in the 
 seventeenth century, will for the purposes of this work be classified 
 under the following divisions : 
 
 I. Historical, Archaeological, and Topographical. 
 II. Religious Works. 
 
 III. Poetical Works. 
 
 IV. Grammar and Lexicography. 
 V. Miscellaneous. 
 
 It has been thought the better plan to give a connected 
 account of each of these separately, than a promiscuous account 
 in the order of their production, although, as far as possible, 
 chronological order will be observed in each division. As the 
 interest of the student is increased when facts can be associated 
 with some personal entity, an effort has been made to collect 
 accurate biographical details of the persons mainly concerned 
 in making the seventeenth century the important literary epoch 
 it proved to be. 
 
 XX 
 
CHAPTER I 
 
 HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, AND TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 (a) THE PERIOD BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR. 
 
 (b) THE CIVIL WAR PERIOD. 
 
 (c) THE SECOND INSURRECTION PERIOD. 
 
 (d) SATIRES AND LAMPOONS. 
 
 (e) THE COMMONWEALTH PERIOD. 
 
 (f) THE PERIOD OF THE RESTORATION TO THE END 
 
 OF THE I;TH CENTURY. 
 
(a) THE PERIOD BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 
 
 The number of books and tracts to be considered under this 
 head is not very numerous, but inasmuch as it includes the works 
 of such men as Camden and Usher this section forms a most 
 instructive part of the literature of the period. 
 
 A writer of great distinction whose mind was steeped in 
 antiquarian learning was the celebrated William Camden.* 
 In 1602 he edited Giraldi Cambrensis Cambria; Descriptio. This 
 was a second edition of Giraldus' work ; the first had been 
 published by Dr. David Powell in I585. 1 
 
 In 1603 Camden issued Itinerarium Cambria:, which is really 
 part of a fuller work which appeared in the same year under the 
 title Anglica, Normannica, Hibernica, Cambrica, a veteribus Scripta, 
 GuI. Camdeno, Assents Mencvensis, de &lfredi rebus ; Thomas 
 Walsingham, Hist. Ang. ; Ypodigmce Neiisbria?, per Tho. de 
 Walsingham ; Itinerarium Cambria Auctore Sylv. Giraldo Cam- 
 brense, cum annotationibus D. Poveli. This larger work which 
 was printed at Frankfort consists of ten parts, of which the last 
 two, Itinerarium Cambria? and Cambria Descriptio have reference 
 to Wales, which owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. David Powell 
 and William Camden for presenting anew the interesting accounts 
 of Giraldus' " Itinerary " and " Description of Wales." It will 
 be remembered that Camden had published his own great work 
 "Britannia" in 1586, seven years before he became the head of 
 Westminster School. This went through many editions, several 
 of which were published in the i;th century. 
 
 *William Camden, surnamed the learned, was son of Sampson Camden, 
 a native of Lichfield, and one of the painter -stainers of London, where 
 William was born in 1551, in the parish of St. Sepulchre. He was educated 
 at Christ Church Hospital, then newly founded, and thence proceeded to the 
 Free School founded by Dean Colet. In 1566 he became a chorister at 
 Magdalen College, Oxford, where he just missed being a Demy, "though of 
 great desert." He was transferred to Pembroke College and afterwards to 
 Christ Church. He lost a Fellowship of All Souls for " defending the 
 
 '.Llyfr. y Cymry, p. 30. 
 
 IS 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 In 1604 he published his "Remains of a greater work con- 
 cerning Britain" an interesting book of fragments gathered while 
 he was engaged upon " Britannia" which is the greater work to 
 which the title alludes, and which was published in folio in 1607. 
 
 In 1 6 10 appeared " A Description of the Counties of Wales" 
 from Holland's 1 edition of Camden. 
 
 In 1614 Camden's "Remains concerning Britain" was 
 published by John Legatt, and in 1623 another edition of the 
 " Remains " appeared. 
 
 In 1639 was published, at Amsterdam, " Re rum Anglicarum 
 et Hibernicarum Annales, regnante Elizabetha. Auctore Gnillielmo 
 Camdeno." 
 
 In 1637 the "Remains concerning Britain" A?as again 
 published " by the industry and care of John Philipot, Somerset 
 Herald and W. D., Gent." This is stated on the title-page to be 
 the sixth impression of the " Remains" and, it is added, " with 
 many rare antiquities never before imprinted." This was followed 
 by the seventh impression of the same work by the same editors 
 in 1674. 
 
 In 1695 the last edition of " Britannia " which appeared in 
 
 religion then established," the Popish party in All Souls having opposed him. 
 In 1575 he became second master of Westminster School, and Parry, after- 
 wards Bishop of St. Asaph, was one of his scholars there. He made several 
 journeys to obtain the information which he incorporated in his " Britannia," 
 a work which was written " at spare hours and on festival days." His patron, 
 Gabriel Goodman, defrayed the charges for these journeys, one of which in 
 1590 he undertook into Wales in the company of Francis Goodwin of Christ 
 Church, afterwards Bishop of Llandnff. In 1593 he was made Head of 
 Westminster School where, in 1597, he published his Greek Grammar. In 
 that year he was created Herald of Aims and afterwards King of Arms "at 
 the favour of Queen Elizabeth." In 1621 he founded the History Lecture of 
 Oxford University. Wood describes him as " an exact critic and philologist, 
 an excellent Grecian, Latinist, and Historian, and above all a profound 
 antiquary, as his elaborate works testifie." " His fame will be permanent so 
 long as this kingdom is known by the name of Britannia" He died in 1623, 
 and was buried at Westminster Abbey, a 
 
 a For further information and description of his works, see Ath : Oxon : 
 I. 408 - 411. 
 
 'Holland had been educated under Camden at Westminster. See 
 Williams' " Eminent Welshmen" p. 219. 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 this century was published by Bishop Gibson and printed in 
 London. Three others 1 appeared in the i8th century, which 
 showed the popularity of the work amongst scholars. 
 
 - George Owen (1552-1613) of Henllys, Lord of Kernes, in 
 the County of Pembroke, did great service by writing The Descrip- 
 tion of Penbrokshire in 1603. He was a great lover of that 
 County and gloried in its title, " Little England beyond Wales/' 3 
 There is no record of the place of his education, but he was a most 
 capable and industrious writer, especially on matters concerning 
 his own County and the "Barony of Kernes." In 1587 and 1602 
 he served as Sheriff of Pembroke. He had intended to publish 
 a second part of the above work, but it never reached completion. 
 The Description of Penbrokshire was edited by Fenton in the 
 second volume of the Cambrian Register in 1796, but it was a 
 work full of blemishes. The map of Pembrokeshire appended to 
 George Owen's work is a facsimile of that furnished by him to 
 William Camden for the sixth edition of Britannia (1607). He 
 also wrote Taylors Cussion, which has since been published with 
 a short biography of the author, by Emily M. Prit chard (Olvven 
 Perys) in 1906. Mr. Lleufer Thomas, who has written the 
 account of George Owen for the Dictionary of National Biography, 
 has recently published his Description of Milford Havon. He 
 was a most prolific writer, and amongst his other works may be 
 mentioned, Baronia de Kernes and the Vairdre Book. 
 
 In 1609 appeared "A Myrroure for Magistrates." The 
 original " Mirror" which appeared in 1559, is generally ascribed 
 to William Baldwyn, a noted poet of his time, and is a piece of 
 historical poetry relating the acts of unfortunate Englishmen, 
 commencing with the fall of Robert Tresilian, Chief Justice, and 
 ending with George Plantagenet, third son of the Duke of York. 
 It is, however, stated by Francis Meres in the second part of Wits 
 Commonwealth that the author was Edward Ferrers. 2 It is 
 quite certain that two of the poems, " The fall of Robert 
 Tresilian, Chief Justice of England " and " The unlawful murder 
 of Thomas of Woodstok, Duke of Glocester " are the work of 
 
 'See Llyfr. y Cymry under dates 1701, 1772, 1789. 2 Athenae 
 
 Oxonienses i. 113. 
 
 17 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Ferrers. 1 The purport of the work is to show by examples how evil- 
 doers " are punished by grievous plagues." The Welsh interest 
 of the 1609 edition centres round its references to Morgan, King 
 of Morganwg ; Cadwaladr, and Owain Glyndwr. It describes 
 the pursuit of the latter by Prince Henry, and his miserable death 
 from starvation. 
 
 In 1610 John Speed published a map of the Principality, the 
 first of its kind, together with separate maps of each County in 
 Wales and Monmouthshire. On many of them there is given a 
 short description of the county, its inhabitants, and most 
 important towns. In that of the Principality, appear views of 
 some of the towns and cities. In 1614, the same author published 
 " The TJieatre of the Empire of Great Britaine" * in which he 
 aimed at giving " an exact geography." Wales and its counties 
 are herein described. (Another edition of the work appeared in 
 1676). In 1616, John Speed showed his further interest in Wales 
 by publishing " The Seconde Booke, containing the Principality of 
 Wales, delivering an exact Topographic of the Counties, Divisions 
 of the Cantreves and Commotes, Description of the Cities and Shire 
 Towns : with a compendious Relation of things most memorable in 
 every one of them performed " and in 1627 appeared an abridge- 
 ment of this larger work. 2 
 
 A work entitled " A Map of Commerce" by Lewis Roberts, 
 a native of Anglesey, who was at the time a merchant in London, 
 and brother-in-law to the then Lord Mayor of London, was 
 published in 1620. It is a folio volume and contains several 
 Latin poems complimentary to the author, one by John Davies, 
 probably Dr. John Davies of Mallwyd. 3 
 
 *Wood says of John Speed's great work " As for Speed's part in the said 
 History of Great Britain, it is such for style and industry, that for one who (ns 
 Martial speaks) had neither a Graecum x a 'P e or an -^ ve Latinum, is perhaps 
 without many fellows in Europe. So much also have I understood of him by 
 sure information, that he had no meaning in that labour to prevent great 
 practick learnedness, but to furnish it for the common service of England's 
 glory." Ath : Oxonri. p. 452. 
 
 'Garnett and Gosse in their " History of English Literature," vol. ii. 
 p. 131, state that Ferrers and Baldwin were jointly responsible. 2 Llyfr.y 
 Cymry, p. 85. ^Ceinion Alun, p. 76. 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 Thomas Powell, who is more generally known by the title 
 " A Cambrian " to distinguish him from another author of the 
 same name who wrote later in the century, produced in 1601 
 " The Passionate Poet " (with a description of the Thracian 
 Ismarus), and in 1603 a work entitled "A Welch Payte to Spare 
 Provender, or a Looking Backe upon the times" The former work 
 brought him into considerable notice. He was also the author of 
 a " Direction for Search of Records in the Chancerie, Tower t 
 Exchequer, for the clearing of all such Titles and Questions as the 
 same may concerne, ivith the accustomed Fees of Search" 1622. 
 
 Another work which involved the investigation of the records 
 in the Tower and other original MSS. was that compiled by Sir 
 John Doderidge,* a Judge of the King's Bench, in 1630, under 
 the title " The History of the Ancient and Moderne Estate of the 
 Principality of Wales, Duchy of Cornewall, and Earldome of 
 Chester." This book was dedicated to King James, and was 
 published after the author's death. It was considered of sufficient 
 importance to necessitate a second edition in 1714. 
 
 A noted traveller of his time, Sir Thomas Herbert, kinsman of 
 William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, produced a volume entitled 
 " Travels in Wales," in 1635. Amongst other things he gives an 
 account of Madoc ab Owain's departure for America taken from 
 a MS. at Rhaglan Castle, one of the fortresses afterwards 
 destroyed by Cromwell. 1 The landing of Madoc in America is 
 now regarded as purely fictitious. 
 
 Sir Thomas Herbert also recounts his own visits to Asia and 
 Africa, in publications issued in 1634 and 1638. At the outbreak 
 of the Civil War, he sided with the Parliament and became a 
 Commissioner, but afterwards, when put to guard Charles I. he 
 seceded to the Royalists. He gave a historical account of the 
 two last years of Charles I., entitled Threnodia Carolina, published 
 in 1678. A very interesting portion of this history is given by 
 
 *Sir John Doderidge was born at Barnstaple, and educated at Exeter 
 College, Oxford. He died in 1628. The learned Camden styles him 
 antiquarius inst'gnis. Wood vol. i. pp. 442 - 444. 
 
 l Lfyfr.y Cymry, p. 121. 
 
Wood in his Athenae Oxonienses. 1 Herbert also assisted Dugdale 
 with his " Monasticon Anglicanum" 
 
 Three editions of the works of Gildas appeared in this 
 century, the first in 1610 in the " Bibliothcca Patrum," bearing 
 the title " Gildae de Excidio et Conquesta Britanniae Epistola." 
 This is a great improvement on the imperfect publication of 
 Gildas' work in 1525. In 1638 Thomas Habington, Hindlip 
 Hall, Worcestershire, the father of William Habington, author of 
 the Castara? published " The Epistle of Gildas, the most ancient 
 
 British author, ivho flourished in tlie year of our Lord, 546 
 
 faithfully translated out of the original Latin." In spite of the 
 latter assertion, the translation is said to be a very faulty one. 
 Another edition appeared in 1652, entitled "A Description of tlie 
 State of Great Britain, written eleven hundred years since" 
 
 Another writer to whom Wales is considerably indebted in 
 this period is the distinguished Irish prelate and celebrated 
 antiquarian, Archbishop Usher. During the period of his exile 
 from Ireland he was closely associated with Wales, and did much 
 to the advantage of the Welsh nation in reviving its knowledge 
 of the Ancient British Church. His well - known work, " De 
 Primordiis Ecclesiarum Britannicarum" more generally known as 
 " The Primordia" concerns the antiquities of that church from its 
 foundation to the end of the yth century. Usher is an accepted 
 authority on this period. He had graduated at Trinity College, 
 Dublin, in 1600, and on visiting this country in 1606, became 
 acquainted with many noted antiquarians at Oxford, Cambridge, 
 and London, and took particular interest in old libraries. Return- 
 ing to Ireland he became Professor of Divinity at Trinity and 
 Chancellor of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Subsequently he was 
 promoted to the Bishopric of Meath in 1620, and became Arch- 
 bishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland in 1626. He was 
 offered by Charles I. the Bishopric of Carlisle and accepted it. 
 Then came the upheaval of the Civil War, when Usher lost his 
 
 'Vol. ii. pp. 690-705. 2 History of Eng. Lit. by Garnett and Gosse, 
 vol. iii. p. 22. 
 
 80 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 emoluments and fell on evil days. Amidst the din of war in 1644, 
 in retirement at Oxford, he published the works of Polycarp and 
 Ignatius. He had by this time lost all his Irish estates, and 
 driven to great poverty he took refuge in Wales where the Welsh 
 gentry received him kindly. The Stradlings of St. Donat's Castle, 
 who were foremost in the rank of beneficent patrons to literatteurs, 
 gave a home to the Archbishop and his daughter, who had married 
 Sir Timothy Tyrrel, governor of Cardiff Castle, which had now 
 capitulated to the Parliament. It is related that on one occasion 
 the mob fell upon the Archbishop and despoiled him of his MSS., 
 a collection by which he set great store. They were, however, 'for 
 the most part recovered through the efforts of the neighbouring 
 gentry and clergy. The Archbishop is said to have derived much 
 of his material for the " Primordia " from the MSS. in possession 
 of the Stradlings at St. Donat's, 1 and from his intercourse with the 
 learned antiquarian, Robert Vaughan, of Hengwrt, who had an 
 unrivalled collection of MSS. The full title-page of the work 
 reads : 
 
 " Britannicarum | Ecclesiarum Antiquitates | Quibus inserta 
 est pestiferae j adversus Dei gratiam a | Pelagio Britanno in | 
 Ecclesiam inductse | Haereseos Historia | Collectore | Jacobo 
 Usserio | Archiepiscopo Armachano | totius Hibernige Primate | 
 Dublinii | Ex Officini Typographies! | Societatis Bibliopolarum j 
 Anno CIDIDCXXXIX." 
 
 Another work of antiquarian interest was produced in 
 1639, the full title of which was " Concilia, Decreta, Leges, 
 Constitutiones, in Re Ecclesiastica Orbis Britannia: viz., Pam- 
 britannica, Pananglica, Scotica, Hibernica, Mannica, Provincialia, 
 Diocesana, ab initio Christianae ibidem Religionis ad nostrum 
 usque aetatem. Opera 6 Scrutinio Henrici Spelmann." Sir 
 Henry Spelman, the author of this work, which is briefly known 
 as the " Concilia" was a Norfolk gentleman who was born at 
 Congham in that county in 1562. He was educated at Trinity 
 College, Cambridge, and thence passed to Lincoln's Inn to study 
 
 l Llyfr.y Cymry t p. 124. 
 
 21 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 law. But he retired from that profession to pursue the archaeo- 
 logical studies in which he was engrossed, and produced many 
 works of great interest which brought him into particular favour 
 with Charles I. At his death in 1641, the King ordered that he 
 should be buried at Westminster Abbey, close to Camden's 
 Memorial. His " Concilia " is the only part of his work which 
 includes Wales in its scope. A second edition of it was issued in 
 1664. 
 
 (b) THE CIVIL WAR PERIOD. 
 
 This period, which is one of the darkest in British history, 
 albeit that it heralded a brighter dawn, produced very little 
 literature in this part of our subject, that is of solid and abiding 
 interest, as far as it affects Wales. But what there is enables us to 
 follow the movements of that age of upheaval and unrest. As 
 literature, many of the productions are almost worthless, but they 
 are indispensable to the historian who requires detailed knowledge 
 to reconstruct, bit by bit, the story of those chaotic times. Most 
 of them arc documents dealing directly with the war itself, as will 
 be seen. 
 
 In 1640 an Act was passed "for the Relief of his Majesties 
 Armie, and tJie Northern parts of the Kingdom." It is plain from 
 this that a Civil War was already contemplated, for part of the 
 Act was to appoint " Commissioners for the different Counties of 
 Wales, previous to the Civil War." This Act was printed in 
 Black Letter, and contains the names of the royal nominees for 
 the Welsh counties, Hereford, and Shrewsbury, on the eve of the 
 outbreak. 1 
 
 A writer, wrongly supposed to have been Arise Evans, 2 took 
 upon himself to interpret in English some of the old prophecies 
 and cryptic utterances of the Welsh bards of a former age which 
 refer to the coming of a saviour of the nation. His method is 
 to take the Welsh verses separately and to insert below each 
 its English translation. The " Koronog Faban" " Hoi an a 
 
 1 See J. C. Hotten's Catalogue, "Hants Lknyddiaeth Cymry, p. 430. 
 22 
 
HISTORICAL. ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 PhirckelLm" and other so -called prophecies a r e treated in this 
 way. The title given to the work is " A Brit-Jit Northern 
 Star" and Gwilym Lleyn has added the date a 3 1640. 
 This is, however, incorrect. The work, which is of great 
 interest, appeared in 1658. It is the first attempt to print some 
 of the so-called prophecies, which previously existed in manu- 
 script only. The full title of the book, taken from the copy in 
 the University College Library at Bangor, is as follows : 
 
 "British and Out-landish Prophesies : most | of above a 1,000 
 years Antiquity, | the rest very Antient ; | Fore-telling] The 
 several Revolutions which hath and j shall befal! the Sceptre of 
 England ; | the Coming in of the Normans, Continuance and 
 Ex- | tirpation ; the late Warrs ; the late Kings death ; his 
 High- | ness's Conquest and arrival to the Sceptre, Sovereigntie | 
 and Government of Great Brittain ; the fall of the Turk, | Pope, 
 Emperor of Germany, and most of the great | Princes of the 
 world by their particular names ; | and that his Highness that now 
 is shall | Conquer most of them : 
 
 Also 
 
 His Highnesses lineal descent from the antient Princes of | 
 Britain, clearly manifesting that Hee is the Conqueror | they so 
 long prophesied of, Also, a short account of the late | Kinqs 
 Original ; for | the satisfaction of the Intelligent in either | 
 
 Tongue. 
 
 By Thomas Pugh, Gentleman. 
 London 
 
 Printed, and are to be sold by Lodowick Lloyd at his Shop | next 
 to the Castle in Cornhill. 1658." 
 
 Bearing upon the unrest of the time is a tract entitled 
 " Arguments proving the Jurisdiction used by the President and 
 Counsell in the Marches of Wales over the Counties of Gloucester, 
 Worcester, Hereford, and Salop, to be illegall and injurious, and 
 a meere incroachment beyond their appointed limits, and the 
 Proof e is like a three -fold cord not easily broken. Viz. By 
 Statutes. By Law Bookes. By Records. Printed for Thomas 
 Wakley, 1641," 
 
 4 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Petitions to the King and Parliament and kindred docu- 
 ments, and papers relating to the war, were of such frequent 
 occurrence that their names only can be given here, leaving it to 
 the historians to probe their full meaning and import : 
 
 " The Humble Petition of the Gentry, Clergy, and others, 
 inhabitants, subscribed of the six Counties of Flint, Denbigh, 
 Montgomery, Carnarvon, Anglesey, Merioneth, being the six 
 shires of North Wales, as it was presented to the Knights, 
 Citizens, and Burgesses in Parliament, accompanied with 
 30,000 hands. Printed for F. Couls, 1641." 
 "Two Petitions presented to the King's most Excellent 
 Majesty at Yorke, the first of August, 1642 ; the first from 
 the Gentery, Ministers, &c., of the Counties of Denbigh, 
 Anglesey, Glamorgan, and the whole Principality of Wales, 
 &c. London, 1642." 
 
 " His Majesty's Speech to the Inhabitants of Denbighshire 
 and Flintshire, 27 Sept, 1642." 
 
 In it Charles seeks the favour of these counties by making 
 them lavish promises. He desired the Sheriffs to make known 
 his purpose, for his press had been stopped. 
 
 " Two Speeches made in the House of Peers against Accomo- 
 dation, by the Earl of Pembroke. 1642." 
 " Persuasion to Loyalty, or the Subject's Dutie, wherein is 
 proved that resisting or deposing of K^ngs (under what 
 specious pretences soever couched) is utterly unlawful. By 
 David Owen. 1642.'' 
 
 " A Loving and Loyall Speech spoken unto the Excellency 
 of our noble Prince Charles by Sir Hugh Vaughan, the 
 2nd of October, at Ragland Castle, in Monmouthshire, in 
 Wales, also the manner of his brave entertainment, and a 
 Relation of divers rich Presents brought unto him. 1642." 
 " A Collection of Sundry Petitions Presented to the King's 
 Most Excellent Majestic by most of the Gentry, Ministers, 
 Freeholders of Six Counties of North Wales, Hereford, 
 
 24 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 Chester, &c., in behalf of Episcopacie, Liturgie, and Church 
 Revenue. 1642." 
 
 " To the Honourable Court The House of Commons, the 
 Humble Petition of many Hundred Thousands, inhabiting 
 within the Thirteene Shires of Wales, with their motion 
 that their country may be more strongly fortified with Armes 
 and Ammunition. 1642." 
 
 The complaint in this Petition was that Wales had been 
 treated with disrespect, that many droves of animals had been 
 taken from their lands, and that they had no arms to meet the 
 depredations. 1 
 
 The first document which mentions that the opposing forces 
 had met in battle on Welsh soil was published in 1643 and 
 entitled : 
 
 " A true Relation of the discomfiting and routing of the Earl 
 of Carbery, and his forces of the County of Pembroke, 
 manned and performed under God by the valiant and 
 courageous gentlemen, Col. Rowland Laugharne, John Poyer, 
 Mayor of Pembroke; Major Thomas Laugharn, Simon 
 Thelwall, and Arthur Owen, Esq., Capt. Powel and Capt. 
 Cuney, and other well - affected Commanders and Gentle- 
 men, &c. London. 1643." 
 
 " A Copie of a Letter to the Lord Marquesse of Hartford 
 from the Lords of His Majestie's Council. 1642," discloses 
 a design upon the life of Lord Herbert and the raising of 
 mounted troops and infantry in the County of Brecknock in 
 support of Charles I. A pamphlet which appeared the following 
 year relates the defeat of Lord Herbert. It is entitled : 
 
 " Famous victorie obtained by Sir William Waller against 
 Lord Herbert and the Welch Cavaliers in the Forest of 
 Deane, where 600 of the Welchmen were slaine, and 1,000 
 taken prisoners. 1643." 
 
 There are two documents which furnish the first evidence 
 we have that the struggle, as far as Wales was concerned, was 
 *Llyfr.yCy>nry> p. 132- 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 developing into a religious as well as a constitutional upheaval. 
 
 This phase had been prominent in England from the start, and it 
 
 is worthy of note that it spread from England into Wales. The 
 
 first of these has been already mentioned, and was from the 
 
 Episcopalians. The second was from their opponents and was 
 
 presented to the King in 1643 when he was at Oxford. It runs : 
 
 " The Copies of such Bills as were presented unto His 
 
 Majestic at Oxon, for the suppression of Innovations in 
 
 Churches and Chapels ; the utter abolishing and taking away 
 
 of the Bishops, Chaunters, Choristers, Scandalous Clergymen, 
 
 Pluralities, &c,, in Wales. 1643." 
 
 An interesting document published in 1642 throws light 
 upon the leaders of the respective military parties in Wales. It is 
 entitled : 
 
 " Army List of Charles I. and the Parliament Troops ; or 
 the names of all the Officers in the " Royalist " Army, and 
 those " Roundhead " Armies, commanded by Fairfax and 
 Cromwell, giving the names of several Welsh Worthies. 
 1642." 
 
 By 1644, the Parliament was rapidly gaining the ascendency 
 in the border counties and in other parts of the country (the 
 two victories in South Wales have been noticed above), and 
 in that year there was issued : 
 
 " A Declaration published by Sir Thomas Middleton, Knight," 
 the purport of which was to deter those who would rally the 
 King's forces in Wales, by making known the Parliamentarian 
 successes. That the Parliament was also preparing for a public 
 thanksgiving is seen from a pamphlet entitled : 
 
 " God appearing for the Parliament. In sundry late 
 Victories Bestowed on their Forces, which command and 
 call for great Praise and Thanksgiving both from Parliament 
 and People. Die Martis ; 4 Martii. 1644. Ordered by the 
 Commons House of Parliament, that Mr. Whitaker, Sir 
 Thomas Widdrington, Mr. Rous, and Mr. Millington, do 
 peruse all the Letters that are come from Shrewsbury, 
 26 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 Plimouth, Scarborough, Gloucestershire, and Weymouth : 
 and make a narrative out of them, of all God's great and late 
 mercies upon the Parliament Forces, to be printed and read 
 on the next day of Publique Thanksgiving. H. Elsynge, 
 Cler. Parl. D. Com. Printed at London for Edward 
 Husbands : March 10, 1644." 
 
 The interest of this document to Wales is that in the list of 
 prisoners taken at Shrewsbury occur many Welsh names, and it 
 also contains an account of the taking of Cardigan Castle by the 
 Parliament Army, when they secured " five officers, 200 soldiers, 
 six big guns, 150 smaller arms, and much ammunition and stores." 
 
 The tide of victory swept on for the Parliament as shown by 
 the following publications. In April, 1644, was printed : 
 
 " A true relation of the Routing His Majestie's Forces in the 
 County of Pembroke, under the command of the Earl of 
 Carbery, by those valiant and courageous gentlemen, Colonell 
 Rowland Langharne, John Poyer, Simon Thelwall, Thomas 
 Langharne, and others well -affected. As it was sent in two 
 several relations, of the Land fight, and Sea fight ; The one 
 to the Honourable Robert, Earl of Warwick. The other to 
 the Honourable William Lenthal, Esquire, Speaker of the 
 House of Commons. With the number of such Ordnance, 
 Arms, Ammunition, Castle Commanders, and Souldiers as 
 are taken, and that County by God's blessing cleared of the 
 enemy, n April, 1644. Ordered by the Commons assembled 
 in Parliament, That these Relations be forthwith printed and 
 published." 
 
 " A Letter from Sir William Brereton, Sir Thomas 
 Middleton, Sir John Meldrum, of the Great Victory (by 
 God's Providence) given them in Raising the Siege from 
 before Montgomery Castle. And how they routed and 
 totally dispersed his Majestie's Forces, under the command 
 of the Lord Byron : where they tooke all their Carriages, 
 Arms, Ammunition, and made them fly to Shrewsbury, and 
 
 Chester. 1644." 
 
 27 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 This contains a full account of the taking of Montgomery 
 
 Castle and a " List " of about 200 Welsh officials who supported 
 
 the King's cause. 
 
 "Continuation of Certain Speciall and Remarkable Passages, 
 
 informed to the Parliament. 1644." 
 
 This is a tract which gives an account of the work of 
 
 " Colonel Breese " in Pembrokeshire. 
 
 " Two great Victories, one obtained by the Earle of Denbigh 
 
 at Oswestry, and how he took 20 Gentlemen of Wales, &c., 
 
 the other Victory by Colonell Mitton. 1 644." 
 
 "Sir T. Middleton's letter concerning the raising of the 
 
 Siege at Oswestree. 1644." 
 
 " England's Tears for the present Wars, which for the Nature 
 
 of the Quarrell, the quality of Strength, the diversity of 
 
 Battails, Skirmishes, Sieges, &c., cannot be parallelled by 
 
 any Age. 1644." 
 
 The author of this last was James Howell, a writer whose 
 
 further works will be presently noticed. He gives in it an 
 
 account of the sieges of Pembroke Castle, Montgomery, and 
 
 Cardigan. 
 
 " An Ordinance of the Lords and Commons for Raysing and 
 Maintaining of Horse and Foot for Monmouth, Glamorgan, 
 and Brecknock, Radnor, Glocester, and Hereford. 1644." 
 This was an important and historic tract published by the 
 
 Parliament. 
 
 Two publications which appeared in 1 644 showed the interest 
 
 of Church religious leaders in the principles at issue in the Civil 
 
 War. They are entitled : 
 
 " Discourse before the unfortunate Parliament at Oxford, on 
 
 the only way to preserve life. By Griffith Williams. 1644." 
 
 And: 
 
 "Jura Majestatis" the Rights of Kings, both in Church and 
 
 State, i. Granted by God. 2. Violated by the Rebels, &c., 
 
 and the Wickedness of the Faction of this pretended 
 
 28 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 Parliament at Westminster, their Rebellion, Murder, Roberie, 
 &c. Oxford, 1644." 
 
 The author, Dr. Griffith Williams (1587 - 1672) was a promi- 
 nent Welsh clergyman, who became Rector of Llanllechid, Dean 
 of Bangor, and Bishop of Ossory. He was born at Llanrug in 
 1587, educated at Christ Church, Oxford, 1603, whence he 
 proceeded to Cambridge. He then became chaplain to Philip, 
 Earl of Montgomery, in 1614, Rector of St. Bennet's, London, 
 chaplain to Charles I., Prebendary of Westminster in 1628, 
 Dean of Bangor and Archdeacon of Anglesey, 1634, and Bishop 
 of Ossory in 1641. He was a strong Royalist, and in addition to 
 the two productions mentioned above, he had written " Vindiciae 
 Regum" in 1643, for which he was imprisoned. He was also the 
 author of " The Discovery of Mysteries."* He was deposed from 
 his bishopric during the Commonwealth, but it was restored 
 to him in 1661. He returned to Ireland and died there in 1672, 
 and was buried at Kilkenny Cathedral. 2 His religious books 
 will be noticed later. 
 
 In 1645 appeared " A Letter from Captaine Richard Swanley 
 to the Right Honourable, The Earl of Warwick, being a full 
 relation of the taking of the town and castle of Cardigan, 
 in Wales, by Major - General Laugharne, with above too 
 commanders and common soldiers, and all the arms and 
 ammunition therein, &c. Published by authority. London, 
 printed for John Thomas. 1645." 
 
 " Several Letters of Great consequence intercepted by Col. 
 
 Mitton, near Ruthyn, in Wales, concerning Irish Forces 
 
 to be brought into England. 1646." 
 
 On November 2nd, 1645, a Public Thanksgiving was held 
 at St. Paul's, London, " for the taking in of the Towns and Castles 
 of Carmarthen and Monmouth in Wales." The sermon preached 
 on the occasion by Simeon Ash, one of the Assembly of Divines, 
 
 1 This was published in 1643 and dealt with the plots to overthrow the 
 Established Religion. See Wood's Athtn : Oxon : ii. pp. 496 499. 
 8 Williams' Eminent Welshmen^ pp. 524 - 526. 
 
was aftenvards published under the title " Reall Thankfulnesse." 
 It is claimed that it expressed the general feeling of the country 
 at the time. 1 
 
 Another paper issued in 1645 describes many victories of 
 the Parliament in South West Wales, especially that at Haver- 
 fordwest. It is entitled : 
 
 " Oriens ab Occidente, or a Dawning in the West, as it was 
 
 delivered in a Discourse to the Long Parliament, upon their 
 
 day of Thanksgiving for several Victories in the West, by 
 
 John Bond. 1645." 
 
 A similar "Thanksgiving Discourse" was delivered by 
 Thomas Case before the Long Parliament in 1645 "for the 
 gaining of the Towns in the West and for the dispersing of the 
 Clubmen and the good success^in Pembrokeshire." 
 
 The same year saw the publication of : 
 
 "An Ordnance of the Lords and Commons assembled in 
 
 Parliament for the more effectual putting in execution the 
 
 Directory for Publique Worship, in all Parish Churches and 
 
 Chappells in Wales." 
 
 In 1646-7 there were several productions relating to the 
 history of the Civil War in Wales,, amongst which may be noticed : 
 
 " Contemplation upon these times, or, the Parliament 
 
 explained to Wales. London, 1646." 
 
 The author of this book was John Lewis, Esq., of Glasgrug, 
 near Aberystwyth, who styles himself " a cordiall Well - wisher of 
 his Countries happinesse." 2 
 
 " Conoway taken by Storme, By Major Generall Mitton. 
 
 With the assistance of the Arch - Bishop of York [i.e. John 
 
 Williams] also how all the Irish were bound back 
 
 to back and thrown into the Sea London printed by 
 
 I. C. 1646." 
 
 "The taking of Carnarvon, the Castle, Works, &rc., by 
 
 Major Generall Mitton, with the Articles agreed upon. June 
 
 5th, 1646." 
 
 1 " Carmarthen and i(s Neighbourhood)" by Spurrell, p. 5. 2 Llyfr. y 
 
 Cymry, p. 140. 
 
In 1647 the official documents relating to a rising in Glamor- 
 ganshire were published under the title : 
 
 " A full relation of the whole proceedings of the late rising 
 and commotion in Wales, under pretence for the King and 
 Sir Thomas Fairfax ;" and in the same year, 
 " A perfect Diurnal of Passages in Parliament," relating to 
 the same rising in Glamorgan which also spread to other parts. 
 There were in all about 1,000 men under arms and their leaders 
 were " Sir Edward Thomas, Bart., Sir Richard Bassett, Sir 
 Henry Stradling, Col. Kames, &C." 1 There followed a paper 
 from a body of disaffected Parliamentarians entitled : 
 
 "A Declaration of Engagements, Remonstrances, Repre- 
 sentations, Resolutions, c., from Sit Thomas Fairfax and 
 the Army, for setting his Majesty in his just Rights, and the 
 Subjects in their Liberties and Freedom. 1647." 
 The gist of this was to condemn the action of the " Com- 
 missioners " in South Wales. It was stated that Sir William 
 Lewis and a certain " Master Glynn " had helped rather than 
 hindered Papists and Royalists. Especially had this happened 
 in the case of Lord Carbery, Mr. Crane, Mr. Herbert, and 
 others. 2 It implied that the country had been better governed 
 by Charles, to whom the promoters of this Declaration now 
 wished to restore their allegiance. The two first- named 
 members thus accused wrote a reply on behalf of themselves 
 and the rest, entitled : 
 
 " A Full Vindication and Answer of the Eleven Accused 
 
 Members, Denzill, Sir William Lewis, John Glynne, and the 
 
 rest, to the late Particular Charge or Impeachment. 1647." 
 
 How the money was raised for carrying on the struggle in 
 
 the Civil War is instanced in a paper which appeared in 1647, 
 
 which gives an account of the sums required from every shire 
 
 in Wales, and a list of the names of the collectors in each 
 
 county. It was issued under the title : 
 
 " An Ordinance for the Raising of Money to be employed 
 1 Llyfr. y Cymry, p. 142. 2 Hotteri 'f Catalogue. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 toward the maintenance of Forces within the Kingdom. 
 
 1647." It was followed by another paper concerning 
 
 taxation, bearing the title : 
 
 "A Declaration about North Wales and the Taxes. 1647." 
 
 This document has regard to some sums of money that had 
 been raised from the poor in North Wales without the authority 
 of Parliament. The latter required to know who the culprits were. 
 It was also decreed in this year what forces should be maintained 
 in North and South Wales respectively, and what regiments 
 should be disbanded. One hundred mounted men under Col. 
 Mytton in the North, and the same number under Col. Langhorn 
 in the South were to be maintained. This arrangement appears in 
 
 " Several Notes declaring what Forces shall be continued 
 
 in the Kingdome of England and Dominion of Wales, 
 
 &c. 1647." 
 
 There is no more interesting figure in the Civil War Period 
 than that of Judge David Jenkins (? 1582-1663), who played such 
 a conspicuous part in relation to the particular events with which 
 this chapter deals, that this is the most fitting place to recount 
 something of his life and writings. 
 
 This eminent lawyer was born at Hensol, in the parish of 
 Pendeulwyn, Glamorgan, about 1582. He entered St. Edmund's 
 Hall, Oxford, in 1597, at a time when there were several Welsh- 
 men there. 1 He then proceeded to Gray's Inn, and afterwards 
 was appointed a Judge in South Wales, until the Civil War broke 
 out, when his strong measures against rebels attracted notice. 
 He was taken prisoner by Cromwell's Army at Hereford in 1645 
 and put into the Tower. When he was brought to his trial in 
 Chancery he denied the authority of the Court. He was then 
 committed to Newgate and impeached of high treason before the 
 Commons. Refusing to recognise their authority he was fined 
 ^1,000, and remanded to prison in Wallingford Castle. Whilst 
 there he tried to bring about a rupture between the Army and 
 1 At hen : Oxon : ii. 328-329, and Williams' Eminent Welshmen, pp. 248-249. 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 the Parliament, but was unsuccessful. By an Act of 1650, 
 arrangements were made for his trial before the High Court of 
 Justice. Seeing little hope of escape, he determined to die with 
 the Bible under one arm and Magna Charta under the other. 
 But Harry Marten saved his life by reminding the Court that 
 " sanguis martyrum est semen ecclesias." Therefore, he was sent 
 back to imprisonment at Windsor Castle, and eventually liberated 
 in 1656. It was expected that at the Restoration he would be 
 made a Judge at Westminster, but scorning the bribery of that 
 corrupt period, he returned to his South Wales estate, and died 
 at Cowbridge in 1663. Wood sums him up as "a vigorous 
 maintainer of the rights of the crown, a heart of oak, and pillar of 
 the law and of the people's liberties'" x 
 
 His works are as follows : 
 
 " Judge Jenkins' Plea delivered unto the Earle of Manchester 
 
 and the Speaker of the House of Commons, which was read 
 
 in open Court. By David Jenkins, prisoner in Newgate, 
 
 1647." It was privately printed, and contained a sharp 
 
 answer to the Parliament. 
 
 " An Apology for the Army, touching the 8 Querries upon 
 
 the late Declarations, also touching Sedition falsely charged 
 
 upon them. By David Jenkins, prisoner in the Tower of 
 
 London. Printed 1647." 
 
 This is an argument whether the Army belonged to Charles 
 
 or to the Parliament. 
 
 " Remonstrance to the Lords and Commons of the two 
 Houses of Parliament. 1647." This was also written from 
 the Tower. 
 These three papers produced an answer " by H. P., Barrister 
 
 of Lincoln's Inn," 1647 ; to whom Jenkins replied in : 
 
 "The Cordiall of Mr. David Jenkins. 1647," a very 
 
 effective paper disposing entirely of his adversary's arguments. 
 
 Nor was Jenkins afraid in his captivity in the Tower to 
 
 'for further details of his life, see Malkin's "South 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 challenge the doings of Parliament as unconstitutional and illegal. 
 This he argues in : 
 
 "A Discourse touching the inconveniences of a Long -con- 
 tinued Parliament, and the Judgment of the Law of the 
 Land in that behalf e. 1647." 
 
 H. P., or Henry Parker, as he proved to be, again assailed him 
 with " An Answer to the Poysonous Sedicious Paper by Mr. 
 David Jenkins. 1647," to which, as far as we know, the great 
 judge deigned no reply. 
 
 In 1648 Jenkins' various pamphlets were published together 
 under the title : 
 
 "The Works of that Grave and Learned Lawyer, Judge 
 
 Jenkins, by David Jenkins, prisoner in Newgate." 
 
 In the same year was published an account of his trial during 
 
 which he was accused by his enemies of having condemned to 
 
 death some innocent persons in Wales who had helped the Long 
 
 Parliament. The great lawyer was, however, more than a match 
 
 for his judges, and in spite of three private conferences during 
 
 the trial, they failed to shake him from the^sure and certain ground 
 
 of the Law which he knew so well and defended so valiantly. 
 
 The work is called : 
 
 " The Trial of Judge Jenkins, at the House of Commons 
 Barre, upon an Impeachment of High Treason, with heads 
 of the charge against him. And his Answer. 1648." 
 The last of his writings dealing with the Civil War was 
 published in the same year under the title : 
 
 "The Declaration of David Jenkins, late prisoner in the 
 Tower of London, concerning the Parliament's Army, and 
 the Lawes and Liberties of England. Printed in 1648." 
 Jenkins has been described as "the sharpest thorn in the 
 side of the Parliament," 1 which description is undoubtedly true, 
 or, perhaps it is best put in his own words, which form the title of 
 one of his papers : 
 
 "A Scourge for the Directory, and The Revolting Synod^ 
 * Llyfr. y Cymry, p. 148. 
 
 34 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 which hath sitten these five years, more for four shillings a 
 day than for conscience sake." 
 
 Further papers of his, that are mentioned in the Athena 
 Oxonienses are : 
 
 " A Recantation of Judge Jenkins . . . delivered at West- 
 minster, 1647, to Mr. Corbet, the Chaireman of the 
 Committee of Examination." 
 
 " Sundry Acts of Parliament mentioned and cited in the 
 Army's Indemnity, set forth in words at large. 1647." 
 " Lex Terrae," 1647 a paper written to Gray's Inn, the 
 Innes of Court, and to all the professors of the Law. 
 Most of the pamphlets mentioned above were printed 
 together in " Jenkinsius Redevivus, or, The Works of Judge 
 Jenkins, 1648," as before stated. His portrait appears in this 
 book, and below it are inserted the following lines : 
 
 " Here Jenkyns stands, who thundering from the Tower 
 Shook the Senate's legislative power ; 
 Six of whose Words, twelve Khearns of Votes exceed, 
 As Mountains moved by Grains of Mustard Seed. 
 Thus gasping Laws were icscued from the Snare. 
 He that will save a Crown must know and dare." 
 
 Athen : Oxon : ii. 329. 
 
 It is evident that in 1648 all was not going well with the 
 Welsh Parliamentarians, and the cleavage which was taking place 
 is instanced in " The Declaration and Resolution of Col. John 
 Poyer, concerning Lieut. General Cromwell, and the particular 
 relation of another Great Fight in Wales. London, 1648." Also 
 "The Declaration of Lieut. General Cromwell concerning his 
 present design and engagement against Col. Poyer, and his 
 Adherents in South Wales. London, 1648," which was a reply to 
 the former. It would seem that a misunderstanding had arisen 
 between Col. Poyer and Col. Horton, culminating in sharp dissen- 
 sion. The Roundheads under Horton totally routed Col. Poyer's 
 forces at the battle of St. Ffagan's, near Cardiff. Referring to 
 this, Col. Oakey in a letter to a friend in London gave "A True 
 
 u 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURA 
 
 and particular Relation of the late Victory." 1 This was followed 
 by " A List of the persons taken, and those that were slain by 
 Collonell Horton in South Wales." 
 
 The disaffected Parliamentarians now approached Prince 
 Charles in " A Declaration of Divers Gentlemen ... of Wales, 
 with their propositions to his Highnesse Prince Charles. London. 
 1648." 
 
 Much can be gleaned of the particulars of the internecine 
 strife in Wales, from a document entitled " A Declaration of the 
 King's Majestie's Army, with their Resolution touching the late 
 businesse in Wales, with the proceedings of Major-General 
 Laugharne, and the Protestation of the British Forces in Wales. 
 1648." 
 
 Another publication which also throws important light upon 
 the contending parties takes the form of " Letters from Col. 
 Horton more fully relating the late Fight near Cardiff, with a 
 perfect List of the names of the Prisoners, Officers, Private 
 Gentlemen, and Soldiers taken in the said Fight and Pursuit. 
 1648." 
 
 North Wales was getting exceedingly tired of the war, as the 
 following publication shows : " A Declaration and Resolution of 
 the Sheriffes, Justices of the Peace, and other of his Majestie's 
 well- affected subjects, in the Counties of Flint and Denbigh, at a 
 generall meeting in Wrexham, wherein they declare to oppose all 
 forces whatsoever that shall enter the said counties. 1648." 
 This contains many particulars of some of the leading inhabitants ; 
 e.g.t Sir Thomas Middleton, Simon Thelwall, Col. Thomas Ravens- 
 croft, Col. John Aldersey, Capt. Luke Lloyd, and John Salisbury, 
 Esq., of Bachegraig. 2 
 
 A poetical work entitled " A New Message to the Royalists 
 of the two Kingdoms of England and Scotland. 1648," gives an 
 account of the proceedings against the Royal Navy at sea, as well 
 as of the Northern Army and the Welsh, Cornish, and Scottish 
 forces. 
 
 1 Uyfr. y Cymryt p. 146. and Civil War Tracts^ p. 39. ' Lly/r, y 
 Cymry, p. 147, 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 (c) THE SECOND INSURRECTION PERIOD. 
 
 It will be remembered that in June, 1647, when many of the 
 Presbyterian members had fled in dismay from the House of 
 Commons, the Independents obtained for a moment a majority in 
 Parliament. The victorious party then proceeded to treat with 
 the King, offering him liberal terms, for instance, the complete 
 toleration of all sects, the restriction of the royal power over the 
 armed forces of the realm for ten years only, and a pardon for all 
 exiled Royalists except five. 1 The King refused this offer, for he 
 had formed a secret plot to free himself from both Presbyterians 
 and Independents. In November, 1647, he escaped from his 
 military captors and succeeded in reaching the Isle of Wight. 
 From Carisbrooke Castle in that island, he sent new offers of 
 terms both to the Army and to Parliament, his object being 
 merely to gain time. In 1648, the Royalist standard was raised 
 in the North at Berwick, and a committee of Scottish lords had 
 sent to France to ask the young Prince of Wales to put himself at 
 the head of his father's friends. This was a signal for the general 
 rising of English Royalists, and insurrections broke out all over 
 the land, even in the Eastern Counties where Puritanism was so 
 strong. Wales was also affected by this movement, and the 
 leading figure was Colonel Poyer. There are sixteen productions 
 on record in the Civil War Tracts, N. L. W., and elsewhere, 
 relating to the part he played. 
 
 It will suffice to mention a few of them here : 
 " A Short Comment upon the Grounds and Reasons of 
 Foyer's taking up Arms in these Second Insurrections, which 
 reasons are most abusively represented to the great advantage 
 of the said Poyer, and to the dishonour of the Gentry of the 
 County of Pembroke. 1648." 
 
 This was printed privately, and gives many particulars of 
 Pembroke and its people, and of Poyer's " humble origin, corrupt 
 life, enmity to religion, his ill-treatment of two ministers of 
 ' Oman's History of England, p. 399. 
 
 37 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 religion, and his wantonness." At the end occurs a list of all the 
 battles fought in the Counties of Carmarthen, Pembroke, and 
 Cardigan, in which Poyer took part. 
 
 This pamphlet brought a reply from the Colonel, which is 
 called : 
 
 " Foyer's Vindication in Answer to a lying Pamphlet in 
 which are monstrous lies, scattered abroad to uphold the 
 broken reputation of a poor Solicitor, for those cowardly 
 turncoat cavaliers in the County of Pembroke. Printed in 
 1648." 
 
 This was also printed privately, and the " poor solicitor " 
 referred to was one, John Elliott, whom Poyer had been instru- 
 mental in dismissing from employment. Both one and the other 
 indulge in the vilest recriminations. As stated before, these 
 productions are worthless as literature, but are necessary to an 
 understanding of the times, inasmuch as they throw sidelights upon 
 the events of those troubled days. The Elliotts were really a 
 responsible Narberth family, and the object of Foyer's attack 
 returned to the charge with : 
 
 "A Just Reply to a false and scandalous Paper, intituled 
 ' Foyer's Vindication ' by John Elliott, Esquire. Printed 
 1648." 
 
 Foyer's star, however, was not yet on the wane, for the next 
 pamphlet deals with the sanguinary conflict at Pembroke Castle 
 and in other parts of South Wales. It is entitled : 
 
 " Prince Charles his Letter brought to his Excellency General 
 Fairfax, and the Discovery of a Plot ; also sad news from 
 South Wales of the Defeating of the Parliament Forces there, 
 by Colonel Poyer, the men killed, taken, and dispersed, their 
 Ordnance and Arms lost, and Col. Foyer's Declaration. 
 1648." 
 
 One of Prince Charles' letters taken at Pembroke was 
 published by Hugh Peters, an officer in Cromwell's army, probably 
 a chaplain at the first, but having followed Cromwell into Ireland 
 he had proved so useful to him that he had been sent into Wales 
 38 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 with the commission of a Colonel to raise a Regiment. 1 Peter's 
 
 publication is entitled : 
 
 " A Copy of His Highnesse Prince Charles his Letter to the 
 Commanders of his Majesty's Forces with a Copy of his 
 Highnesse Commission to Collonell Poyer, written by Mr. 
 Hugh Peters, Minister of God's Word. 1648." 
 Charles had by this time appointed Poyer governor of 
 
 Pembroke ; and Colonel Rice Powel, governor of Tenby and its 
 
 castle, where the latter was afterwards captured. 
 
 The decisive victory gained by the Cromwellians took place 
 
 at St. Ffagan's, near Cardiff, as already stated. The record of it 
 
 appears in a paper styled : 
 
 "Colonel Poyer's Forces in Wales totally routed by the 
 Parliament Forces under Colonel Horton, who took Prisoners, 
 Major-General Stradling, Col. Philips, .... 140 Captains, 
 many Country Gentlemen, 3000 Common Soldiers, 4000 
 Armes, &c., &c. 1648." 
 The end of the Second Civil War in Wales was marked by 
 
 " An Ordinance for the settling the Militia in the several Counties, 
 
 Cities, and Places in the Dominion of Wales. 1648." 
 
 It is an interesting document, in that it gives the names of 
 
 those responsible to the Commonwealth for good government in 
 
 Wales. 
 
 (d) SATIRES AND LAMPOONS. 
 
 Several compositions of this kind were published, and a few 
 will be mentioned here, which are typical of the rest. They were 
 for the most part the productions of Royalist wits at the expense of 
 the Welshman's pronunciation of English and his confusion of 
 the English pronouns, but they invariably elicited a speedy reply 
 from the Roundheads. Some of them are skits on the "pro- 
 phecies " of the time. 
 
 " The Welchman's publike Recantation, or his hearty sorrow 
 for taking up Armes against her Parliament, Declaring to all 
 'Walker's "Sufferings of the Citrgy? p. 147. 
 
 39 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 the world how her hath been abused by faire words, and 
 such adullations and flattering, telling her what booties and 
 Prizes her should get, the Divell take the array. 1642." 
 This is a knavish booklet and very droll in parts. 
 " The Welchman's last Petition and Protestation, desiring 
 that a speedy aide might bee sent her against her home - bred 
 Enemies, as her shall declare and show to be in her following 
 petition ; whereunto is added the protestation of Thomas ap 
 Shinkin ap Morgan. 1642." 
 
 "The Welchman's Prave Resolution, in defence of Her 
 King, Her Pritish Parliament, and her Country, against te 
 malignant party, subscriped by Shon ap William, ap Thomas, 
 ap Meredith, ap Evans, ap Lloyd, ap Price, ap Hugh, ap 
 Rowland, ap Powell, ap Shinkin, ap Shones." 
 " The Welshman's Warning Piece as it was delivered in a 
 sermon in Shropshire at the Assembly when the Resolution 
 was agreed upon, and now published for the cood of all her 
 countrymen in these parts, by Shon ap Morgan, in the Anti- 
 Prelation Year, 1642. Wherein her gives Kot thanks that 
 her was no Beshit. 1642." 
 
 " The Welch Doctor ; or the Welchman turned Physitian, 
 being a new way to cure all Diseases in these times, &c. By 
 Shinkin ap Morgan. 1643." 
 
 "The Welshman's Declaration : declaring her resolution to 
 be revenged on her enemies, for te creat overthrow of a creat 
 many of her Cousins and Countreymen in Tean Forrest, in 
 Gloucestershire, where her was spitefully frittered. 1643." 
 " A Perfect Tiurrnal or Welsh Post, with her creat packet of 
 Letters., for her to carry into her Countrey of Whales, touch- 
 ing preten proceeding, and war in England. London, 
 printed for her Welch Post, to carry to her countrymen in 
 Whales. 1643." 
 This is adorned with a portrait of Charles I. sitting upon his 
 
 throne, and showing one or two suppliants asking favours. 
 
 " Crete Wonders foretold By Her crete Prophet of Wales t 
 
 4 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 which shall certainly happen this present year 1647, by 
 strange fires and crete waters, by spirits and Tivills appearing 
 in many places of tis Kingdome, especially in and about te 
 cities of London and Westminster, and the effects that will 
 follow thereupon. Also her King's coming home to her 
 Crete Counsell. Printed with her free consent and leave, to 
 be published and sold to her teere Pretren of England, with 
 all her plood and heart. 1647." 
 
 This Roundhead lampoon upon the Cavaliers has a caricature 
 of Judge Berkley (it is supposed) as frontispiece. 
 
 "Jenkin of Wales his Love -Course and Perambulation; an 
 early Droll performed at the Red Bull Theatre about the 
 year 1647." 
 
 A satire published by Michael Oldsworth in 1648, entitled 
 News from Pembroke and Montgomery, was printed at Montgomery. 
 The Royalists probably had a moveable Press in Wales at this 
 time. 
 
 "The Earl of Pembroke's Farewell to the King. 1648." 
 Although the title suggests sympathy or even tears, this is an 
 oration full of oaths and blasphemy. It would seem that the 
 noble Earl, who was the fourth to hold the title, was given to this 
 particular form of utterance, for its absence in one of his speeches 
 produced a satire bearing the significant title, " The Speech 
 without an Oath, of Phil. Earle of Pembroke. 1648." 
 
 In 1649 appeared "A Thanksgiving for the Recovery of 
 Philip, Earl of Pembroke, who was jeered into a Pestillent Fever." 
 He was Chamberlain to Charles I. and Chancellor of Oxford. 
 He died in 1655. 
 
 The following are two examples of the lampoons published 
 during the Commonwealth period (1649-1660), satirising in prose 
 and verse the numerous Remonstrances, Petitions, Articles of 
 High Treason, &c., which were the vogue : 
 
 "The Humble Remonstrances of Rice ap Meredith ap 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Morgan, Shentilman of Wales, with fery brave new Ballads 
 or Songs." 1652. 
 
 " Articles of High Treason made and enacted by the late 
 Half -Quarter Usurping Convention, and now presented to 
 Publick View for general satisfaction, of all true Englishmen, 
 with a Petition or Remonstrance, from the Shentlemen of 
 Wales, to their cood Worships, together with Trotters 
 Journey -man on his Amble to the Gallows. Imprinted for 
 Erasmus Thorogood, and are to be sold at the Signe of the 
 Roasted Rump. 1659." 
 
 (e) THE COMMONWEALTH PERIOD. 
 
 This period opens with the famous "Act for the better Propaga- 
 tion and Preaching of the Gospel in Wales. 1650." Its inception is 
 thus explained by Walker in his " Sufferings of the Clergy." I One, 
 Hugh Peters, who has been previously mentioned, had been sent 
 by Cromwell into Wales (from Ireland whither he had accom- 
 panied him) to raise a regiment. " He misspent his time, and 
 raised but three companies, and Cromwell's wife drew up Articles 
 against him, which Hugh Peters being informed of, contrived, 
 together with one Colonel Philip Jones, of Swansey, and one Mr. 
 Sampson Lort, ' to settle a Congregational Church of their own 
 invention ' ; hoping by that means to make it evident, that instead 
 of having lost any time, he had been all the while very well 
 employed : and afterwards going to London, and being requested 
 to leave his advice ' How to drive on that great design of 
 Propagating the Gospel in Wales,' he briefly delivered it to this 
 effect : that tJiey must sequester all ministers without exception, and 
 bring the revenues of the Church into one public Treasury, out of 
 which must be allowed an Hundred a year to Six itinerant 
 ministers, to preach in every county, which was the model they 
 afterwards proceeded upon, and did in a manner finish and com- 
 pleat it." 
 
 It may be argued that Walker's account is not without bias, 
 1 Walker's Sufferings of the Clergy, p. 147. 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 but it should be explained that he derived this information, as he 
 himself says, from "The Life of H. Peters by W. Young, M.D. 
 1663."' Peters had lodged at Young's house at Milford, but 
 it is not known on what terms they were. 
 
 Whether this is the correct account of the inception of the 
 Act or not, it is certain that it proceeded on these lines, which 
 gives some point to Walker's remark that " Peters was the great 
 Master - Builder." He had, however, nothing to do with the 
 working of it. To quote the same authority, " the care of carrying 
 it on was committed to Vavasor Powell, Walter Cradock, 2 and 
 some other enthusiasts of those parts ; who for that end endea- 
 voured to represent their countrymen as ' Pagans and Infidels,' 3 
 and a People that understood nothing of God, or of the Power of 
 Godliness, and so had need to be converted to the Faith." 
 
 The part that Vavasor Powell, Walter Cradoc, and Morgan 
 Llwyd' played at this time is so prominent that no better place 
 can be found to insert the story of their life and work, for no 
 account of the Commonwealth period in Wales is complete 
 without them, either on its historical, religious, or literary side. 
 
 There are two authorities which deal with Vavasor Powell's 
 life and influence, both of which are greatly biassed, although 
 in opposite ways, so that probably in this, as in so many other 
 cases, the truth lies between them. One is a work by Alexander 
 Griffith entitled " Strena Vavasoriensis, or, an Hue and Cry after 
 Mr. Vavasor Powell." This, from the very honesty of its title 
 proclaims the author an adverse and even antagonistic critic. On 
 his own showing, he had set forth to hunt him down. The other 
 is a "Life" wrongly attributed to Edward Bagshav,-,* "his dear 
 friend and fellow -sufferer," which, if true, would hardly give 
 an unbiassed account of the career of the " Apostle of the 
 Welch Counties " or " Metropolitan of the Itinerants," as Powell 
 is variously described. 
 
 1 Sufferings of the Clergy, margin p. 147. 2 Morgan Llwyd is not men- 
 tioned !>y Walker, but he was one of the three "Tryers." 3 This quotation 
 was taken by Walker from Merc. Camb, Brit., p. I. 4 The title cage names 
 no author, but states that the " Elogies and Epitaphs" at the end were "by 
 His Friends." It is dated 1671. 
 
 43 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Vavasor Powell (1617-1670) was born at Cnwc Glas, 
 in Radnorshire 1 in 1617, his mother being a Yorkshire 
 woman who had settled in Wales. 2 He is said to have been 
 educated at Jesus College, Oxford, c. 1634. There is some 
 uncertainty, however, on this point, and Wood but grudgingly 
 admits him into his "Athenre," because he failed to find his 
 name on any list of Matriculants. Leaving Oxford without a 
 degree, he settled at Clun in Shropshire as a schoolmaster, and is 
 said to have officiated as curate to his uncle, Erasmus Howell, 
 at that place, but there is no record of his having taken Holy 
 Orders. The story of his forging "Letters of Orders" can be 
 dismissed, for it occurs in the " Hue and Cry " and is told by his 
 enemies. Later on, he joined the Puritans and attached himself 
 to " an unpopular sect of Baptists," 3 which exposed him to much 
 persecution. He, on his part, became noted for his unbounded 
 zeal against Episcopacy. In 1642, he removed to London and 
 afterwards to Dartford in Kent, where " his fervid preaching drew 
 great crowds."* 
 
 Returning to Wales in 1646 with testimonials from the 
 " Assembly of Divines," he determined to overthrow the estab- 
 lished Church in the Principality. In the " Act for the Propagat- 
 ion of the Gospel in Wales," he was named a Commissioner and 
 carried out his work with characteristic thoroughness. He ejected 
 a great number of clergy, with the inevitable distress attendant 
 upon such a course. 
 
 There can be little doubt that he exerted his power to the 
 utmost and that he was paid for his work out of the revenues of 
 the Church. His enemies stated that he derived enormous sums 
 from Church revenues besides the ^100 per annum which formed 
 
 'He himself says, "going through the Town where I was born, from 
 King ston to Lanvaire - waterdine, I met, &c." p. 9, "Life and Death of 
 Vavasor Powell. 1671." 2 Eminent Welshmen, p. 413. Wood says that 
 Powell's mother was daughter of William Vavasor of Newtown, in Mont- 
 gomeryshire. Athen: Oxon : ii. p. 474. 3 Williams' Em, Welshmen^ 
 pp. 413- 414. 4 ibid, 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 his stipend. 1 In support of this is quoted a property which he 
 bought, but there is no reason to suppose that he could not have 
 acquired it out of his own savings, for 100 per annum at that 
 time was a considerable sum. Wood makes the statement that 
 "he had the disposal of ^40,000 per annum from 1649 to 1653, 
 at which time it was unaccounted for," and that "he built for him- 
 self a very fair and sumptuous house in Kerry in Montgomery,"* 
 but he does not clearly establish his charge. 
 
 In politics he was a staunch Republican, and later a Fifth- 
 Monarchy man, as some of his utterances prove. But it must be 
 admitted, in all fairness, that in politics he was no time-server, 
 for he declaimed against Cromwell when the latter assumed the 
 title " Lord Protector," and was imprisoned for his temerity. 
 Thurloe's " State Papers " show how, from this time, he was a 
 marked man by Cromwell. 
 
 At the Restoration in 1660, he was imprisoned, but was 
 discharged after nine weeks' captivity. However, when he refused 
 to take the oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy, he was cast into 
 the Fleet Prison for two years, and afterwards spent five years in 
 Southsea Castle, near Portsmouth. Upon his release he resumed 
 his Puritan activities, and was after ten months committed to 
 Cardiff gaol. He was removed thence to the Fleet Prison, where 
 he died in 1670,3 and was buried in Bunhill Fields. 
 
 He was the author of several works, all of which except 
 " Canwyll Crist :: were written in English.* They are given below, 
 together with other works bearing on the controversies in which 
 he was engaged : 
 
 'It is stated in the "Life and Death of Vavasor Powell" "Little 
 outward advantage acciued to him by his ministry ; from the Churches in 
 
 \VaIes he received nothing but neighbourly and brotherly kindness 
 
 the Parliament ordered him 100 per annum, out of a sine cura, whereof he 
 received about 60, for seven or eight years, many considerable gifts he 
 refused, and never did he get anything by the Act for the propagation of the 
 gospel in Wales, as was slandrously laid to his charge, for which his vindica- 
 tion in print to this day unanswered, may stop the mouth of Envy itself." 
 p. 112. *A(hcn : Oxon : ii., pp. 474-477. 3 i67i, according to Bagshaiv's 
 Epitaph, but this is incorrect. He died Oct. 27th, 1670 ; see Life and Death 
 of Vavasor r<noe. f .', p, 191. Wood's Atken : Oxon ; ii., pp. 474-477. 
 
 45 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 " Scriptures Concord : or a Catechisme compiled out of the 
 words of the Scriptures. By Vavasor Powell. London, 
 1647." (Second edition, 1653). 
 
 " Saving Faith Set forth in Three Dialogues, or Conferences. 
 Wherein is added Two Sermons. One of them preached 
 before the Parliament, the other before the Lord Mayor of 
 the City of London. 1651." 
 
 The two sermons are : 
 
 "Christ Exalted above all Creatures by God His Father" 
 (1649); " God the Father glorified, and the worke of Mens 
 redemption and salvation finished by Christ on earth. 
 Preached before the Lord Mayor of London. 1649. By 
 Vavasor Powell." (Second impression, 1650). 
 " An useful Concordance of the Holy Bible, with the various 
 Acceptations contained in the Scriptures, and Marks to 
 distinguish Commands, Promices, and Threatnings. Also 
 a Curious Collection of Similies, Synonymous Phrases, and 
 Prophecies, relating to the call of the Jews, and the glory 
 that shall be in the latter days. Lastly, the Titles and 
 Appelations given to Christ and the Church not in any 
 Concordance yet extant. Begun by the industrious Labour 
 of Mr. Vavasor Powell, and finished by Mr. N. P. and J. F. 
 Recommended to the Studious Reader by the Reverend 
 John Owen, D.'D. The Supplements being placed in this 
 Impression, in their proper places. The Second Edition. 
 London." 
 This is not dated. Wood asserts that the first edition 
 
 appeared in 1671 and the second in 1673.' 
 
 " Canwyll Crist, gan Vavasour Powel. Llundain." 
 
 This is a translation from the English, out of " Saving Faith." 
 
 He relates his disputation with John Goodwin in Truth's Conflict 
 
 with Error, 1650. 
 
 " Brief Narrative concerning the proceedings of the Com- 
 missioners in Wales against the ejected Clergy. 1653." 
 'Wood's Athen : Qxon : ii., pp. 474-477. 
 
 -rf 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 It was written to refute the rumours that Vavasor Powell had 
 been cast into the Fleet Prison for misappropriating a considerable 
 part of the Welsh tithes. 
 
 " Examen & Purgamen Vavasoris : 1653." 
 
 Written for the same reason as above, by one of Powell's 
 friends, and especially to counteract the " Hue and Cry." Its 
 aim is to prove him innocent of the accusations brought against 
 him. 1 As against the charges of Alexander Griffith, it places the 
 testimony of a number of Justices of the Peace and other 
 gentlemen. 
 
 In 1653 Powell was very industrious in disseminating pam- 
 phlets, written originally in English, but afterwards translated by 
 him, or for him, into Welsh. Amongst this series appears : 
 
 " A Dialogue between Christ and a Publican, and Christ 
 
 and a doubting Christian " : " Ymddiddan rhwng Crist a'r 
 
 Publican, a Christ a Christion ammheus." 
 
 " The Sufferers' Catechisme " : " Catechism y Dioddefwyr." 
 
 " Sinful and sinless swearing " : " Tyngu Pechadurus a 
 
 dibechod." 
 
 " Sail y Grefydd Gristionogol." 
 
 " Gair tros Dduw, neu dystiolaeth o blaid y gwirionedd, oddi 
 
 wrth amryw eglwysi, a llawer cant o grist'nogion yng Nghymru 
 
 (a rhyw ychydig oddi amgylch), yn erbyn drygioni mewn 
 
 lleoedd uchel, gyda llythyr byrr at yr Arglwydd Pendistein 
 
 Cromwel. 1655." 
 
 This was also published in English, but is not mentioned in 
 the Athena Oxonienses amongst Vavasor Powell's works. Its aim 
 is to protest against Cromwell's acceptance of the title " Lord 
 Protector." Powell was called to account for it before Major 
 General Berry at Worcester, but he defended himself so ably 
 that he escaped imprisonment. 
 
 " Bref Narative of V. Powell. By Himself, 1661." Wood 
 dates this work 1671, and views it with unqualified scorn. His 
 comment is : "Tis a canting and enthusiastic piece." 2 Perhaps 
 
 1 Llyfr. y Cymry, p. 162. - At hen : Oxon : ii., pp. 474-477. 
 
 47 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Gwilym Lleyn has confused this book with the " Life of .Vavasor 
 Powell," issued in 1671, and Wood's date would thus be correct. 
 "The Bird in the Cage, Chirping Four distinct Notes to his 
 Consorts abroad, i. Of Consideration, Counsel, and Consola- 
 tion, ii. Some Experiences and Observations gathered in 
 Affliction, and first intended only for private use. iii. The 
 Lamentations of Jeremiah, in the ordinary measures of 
 singing Psalms, iv. A true Christian's Spiritual Pilgrimage, 
 setting forth his afflicted and consolatory state, in another 
 Metre. And as a Preface hereto, an Epistle to the Welsh 
 Churches, and a brief Narrative of the former Propagation 
 and late Restriction of the Gospel (and the true Preachers 
 and Professors thereof) in Wales. And a short Vindication 
 of the Author and others, from the Calumniation of their 
 Adversaries concerning the same. The Second Edition 
 Corrected and Enlarged. London, 1662." The first edition 
 of this was published in i66i. 1 
 
 "The Life and Death of Mr. Vavasor Powell, 2 that Faithful 
 Minister and Confessor of Jesus Christ. Wherein his 
 Eminent Conversion, Laborious, Successful Ministry, 
 Excellent Conversation, Confession of Faith, Worthy 
 Sayings, Choice Experiences, Various Sufferings, and other 
 Remarkable Passages, in his Life, and at his Death, are 
 faithfully Recorded for Publick benefit. With Some Elogies 
 and Epitaphs, by His Friends. Printed in the year MDCLXXI." 
 "The Perfect Diurnall, 1652." An account by Vavasor 
 Powell of the discussion he had had with Dr. George Griffith, 
 of Llanymynach, whose reply to him was entitled " Animad- 
 versions on an Imperfect Relation in the Perfect Diurnall, 
 1652." 
 
 " Christ and Moses' Excellency, or Sion and Sinai's Glory : 
 
 1 Civil War Tracts^ p. 74. * Edward Bagshaw is, sometimes, credited 
 with having written this book, but one is inclined to agree with the author of 
 the Athena that "no scholar of academical breeding, as Bagshaw was, would 
 or could be the author of it " (vol. ii., p. 494). The first part is certainly 
 an autobiography, the rest a compilation " by His Friends," 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 Being a Duplex Treatise, distinguishing and explaining the 
 two Covenants, or the Gospel and Law ; And Directing to 
 the right understanding, applying and finding of the Inform- 
 ing and Assuring Promises, that belong to the both 
 Covenants. By Vavasor Powell, Preacher of the Gospel in 
 Wales. 1650." This is a considerable work and runs to 
 572 pages. 
 
 " Common Prayer Book, no Divine Servic. 1660." x 
 
 Wood adds an interesting note concerning Vavasor Powell's 
 religious views : " I have been informed by M. LI., who knew and 
 was acquainted with Vav. Powell, that he was wont to say that 
 there were but two sorts of People that had Religion, viz., the 
 gathered Churches and the Roman Catholics, and would not 
 allow it to the Church of England men, or to the Presbyterians." 2 
 
 Walter Cradoc and Morgan Lhvyd were so closely connected 
 with Vavasor Powell in the administration of the " Act for the 
 better Propagation of the Gospel " that their life and work had 
 best remain associated with his in this narration. 
 
 Walter Cradoc 3 was the son of a gentleman of property, 
 and was born at Trevala or Trefela, in the Parish of Llangwm- 
 ucha, in Monmouthshire, c. 1606. He went to the University of 
 Oxford, and was intended for the Church. He is not, however, 
 listed in the Alumni Oxonienses. About the year 1620, he came 
 under the influence of Mr. Wroth, rector of Llanfaches, a parish 
 not far from his home. He afterwards took Orders and held the 
 curacy of Peterston- under- Ely, and subsequently that of St. 
 Mary's, Cardiff, where the vicar was the Rev. William Erbury. 
 In 1633, both vicar and curate refused to read the "Book of 
 Sports," which had been revived by Archbishop Laud, and which 
 gave people considerable latitude on Sundays, provided that they 
 had attended one of the Church Services. For this refusal they 
 were both cited to appear at Lambeth. The vicar was admonished 
 and the curate suspended rather a strange method of apportion- 
 
 1 See Lift and Death of Vavasor Pwuell, p. 120. 2 Athen : Oxon\ ii., 
 p. 478. 3 Williams' Eminent Welshmen, pp. 85 - 86. 
 
 49 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 ing the responsibility. Wroth had also been cited to appear at 
 the same time. 
 
 Cradoc succeeded in obtaining another curacy at Wrexham, 
 in 1634, which he held fora year. He afterwards stayed fora 
 time at Shrewsbury, where he met Richard Baxter. It should be 
 stated that at Wrexham he had come into contact with Morgan 
 Llwyd, who was working as a minister there, Wrexham at the time 
 being a centre of Puritan influence. He now became one of the 
 " Itinerant Preachers," and during his four years' stay with the 
 family of Sir Robert Harley, in Shropshire, he made preaching 
 tours in the adjacent counties of Wales. At Wrexham, owing to 
 his zeal for temperance, he had arrayed against him all the 
 influence of the Wrexham maltsters. He had already come under 
 the influence of Vavasor Powell, and had associated himself with 
 him in his work. He succeeded Mr. Wroth at Llanfaches in 
 1639. In 1643 we find.him at Great All -Hallows, London. On 
 August 1 6, 1645, Parliament made him a grant of ^100 a year as 
 an "Itinerant;" and a record exists of his institution to the living 
 of Llangwm, dated May 6, I658. 1 He died at his home. Trefela, 
 in 1659, and, according to the Broadmead Records, he was 
 buried in the chancel of Llangwm -ucha Church. 
 
 As before stated, he was appointed one of the " Commis- 
 sioners" under the Act for the Propagation of the Gospel in 
 Wales, but was not such an extremist as some of his coadjutors in 
 carrying out that law. When Vavasor Powell broke with 
 Cromwell, Cradoc refused to follow his lead, and after the Act 
 was abrogated in 1653, his immediate active connection with 
 Wales seems to have ceased. It is doubtful whether he was ever 
 a republican at heart, and in his latter years he was a decided 
 friend to monarchical government. His warm and hasty tempera- 
 ment had caused him to cast in his lot with the Puritans, but he 
 became alarmed at the lengths to which they resorted, and after- 
 wards threw the weight of his influence on the Presbyterian side, 
 the party which helped to restore the monarchy. The proof of 
 1 See Seren Gvmer, 1901, p. 318 ; 1902, p, 47. 
 
 5 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 his hold on the imagination of his countrymen lies in the fact that 
 for many years itinerants were dubbed " Cradocs." 1 
 
 There are some who regard Walter Cradoc as the father of 
 the Welsh Independents. 
 
 There can be little doubt that he was a very well informed 
 man and full of enthusiasm. He published several works in 
 English. His collected works were published by the Rev. T. 
 Charles, of Bala, and the Rev. P. Oliver, of Chester, in 1800. 
 
 In 1646 he published a sermon which he had preached 
 before the House of Commons, in St. Margaret's, Westminster, 
 on July 2ist, 1646, the day appointed for thanksgiving for the 
 Surrender of Oxford. It is entitled " The Saints' fulnesse of Joy 
 in their fellowship with God ... by the least of saints and the 
 meanest of the Ministers of the Gospel. W. Cradock." 
 
 He was instrumental with Vavasor Powell and others in 
 securing an edition of the New Testament in 1647, and, possibly, 
 the edition of the Bible in 1654. 
 
 His other works are : 
 
 " Glad Tydings from Heaven ; To The Worst of Sinners on 
 Earth. By Walter Cradock Late Preacher at Hallows Great 
 in London; Luke 2, 10. 1648." 
 
 This book has another title " Gospel - libertie, in the 
 Extensions [and] Limitations of it." 
 
 " Divine Drops Distilled from the Fountain of Holy Scrip- 
 tures. 1650." 
 
 "Gospel Holiness : Or, The saving Sight of God. Laid 
 open from Isa. 6. 5." 1651. 
 
 " Mount Sion, Or, The Privilege and Practice of the Saints. 
 1649." 
 
 Cradoc had joined with Stephen Hughes and others in 
 
 presenting Cromwell with " The Humble Petition and Address " 
 
 in 1655, to assure him of their loyalty, as a protest against the 
 
 Pamphlet on " Wickedness in High Places " issued by Morgan 
 
 1 Llyfr. y Cymry, p. 165. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Lhvyd under the title "A Word for God" in that year. 1 Stephen 
 Hughes described the latter as " an unseemly paper." 
 
 The third of the " Tryers " under the Act for the Propagation 
 of the Gospel in Wales, and by far the ablest, was Morgan 
 Llwyd of Gwynedd (1619-1659). He was a Puritan divine 
 and was, perhaps, the strongest man of this period in Wales who 
 espoused the cause of the Commonwealth, and desired even more 
 drastic changes than Cromwell himself was prepared to accept. 
 A recent editor 2 of his works has related the story of his life and 
 the conditions of his age with such admirable clearness that no 
 student of Welsh literature should fail to read it and profit by it. 
 
 Morgan Lhvyd was born at Cynfal in Ardudwy, a romantic 
 spot in the upper reaches of the beautiful parish of Maentwrog. 
 Cynfal was a gentleman's patrimony, and had several small hold- 
 ings in its possession. Two sons of Cynfal are mentioned as 
 having graduated at Oxford by the Welsh bard Hugh Machno.3 
 This part of Wales had already produced many eminent men in 
 arts, law, and medicine. A native of Maentwrog, John Ellis of 
 Gwylan, who was afterwards Rector of Dolgelley, had been one of 
 the first advocates of higher education in Wales. Huw Lhvyd, the 
 grandfather of Morgan Llwyd, was a bard of some merit. In his 
 younger days he had helped Holland in its struggle against Spain, 
 and possibly he had often related incidents in this fight for freedom 
 to his able young grandson, and fired him with similar ideals. 
 Morgan Llwyd was sent to school at Wrexham, a town credited 
 with Puritan sympathies, and there met Walter Cradoc and became 
 his intimate. When in 1635 the latter left for Shropshire, Morgan 
 Llwyd followed him there and, it is said, saw service in the same 
 household, that of Sir Robert Harley. Later he came under the 
 influence of Erbury, whom he is supposed to have met in Pem- 
 brokeshire. When the Civil War broke out, he espoused the 
 
 1 See Introduction to Gweithiau Morgan Llvayd, by Mr. J. H. Davies, 
 pp. Ixxi. Ixxiii. 2 ibid 
 
 3 " A dau oedd feistriaid mewn dysg 
 
 O raddol art oreuddys;;." 
 Quoted by Mr. J. H. Davies in " Cwcithiatt Morgan 
 
 5* 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 cause of Parliament in the service of which he visited Bristol, 
 Porchester, Portsmouth, and finally London. In the capital he 
 formed the acquaintance of Giles Culverts, a Quaker, who 
 published Behmen's works, and many other Quaker productions. 
 For his services to the Commonwealth Morgan Llwyd was 
 appointed one of the Commissioners under the Act for the 
 Propagation of the Gospel in Wales. 
 
 He returned to Wales with much pleasure, for he had tired 
 of the acrimonious discussions which were the vogue amongst 
 those whom he met at Culverts'. London was a hive of excite- 
 ment at the time, and his sojourn there left a deep impression 
 upon his mind. Amongst other influences he had felt was that 
 of Roger Williams, a Puritan, who had returned from America, 
 and who expressed such extreme views as to be unpalatable even 
 to the Independents in Wales. Williams returned to America in 
 1644, but he had sown seeds which bore fruit in the life of 
 Morgan Llwyd, who in after years promulgated similar views, 
 although his opinions as to liberty of conscience are somewhat 
 vaguely stated, but he was most pronounced in his hostility to an 
 established religion. He described those who profited from the 
 old endowments in these drastic words, " yn bwyta cig y meirwon, 
 ac yn ymborthi ar y budreddi annaturiol." This is a gross offence 
 against good taste, but it must be borne in mind that he wrote 
 it in the heat of controversy. He was the most extreme type 
 of Fifth Monarchy man, that is to say, one who based his 
 belief on the 2oth chapter of Revelations, the chapter which 
 contains the vision of the five Empires. The first four were 
 explained to be Assyria, Persia, Greece, and Rome ; and the fifth, 
 in the opinion of these men, was to be the Kingdom of Christ 
 established on earth. There is no doubt that many of them 
 genuinely believed at that time in the very near approach of the 
 Fifth Monarchy, when Christ should reign for a thousand years. 
 Bearing this in mind enables us to clear up many passages 
 in Morgan Llwyd's work, which would otherwise be obscure. 
 Thomas Harrison, one of Cromwell's great generals, was the 
 
 53 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 recognised head of this party, and he, with Morgan Llwyd and 
 Vavasor Powell, it is supposed, recognised the " Act for the 
 Propagation of the Gospel in Wales," as a God-given instrument 
 placed in their hands to prepare the way for the coming kingdom. 
 When it was withdrawn, they saw the collapse of their hope, and 
 this explains their chagrin and their revolt against Cromwell 
 when it came about. 
 
 In the Short Parliament, things were so manipulated in 
 Wales, that five out of the six representatives who sat in it were 
 Fifth Monarchy men, but the end of this Parliament saw the end 
 of their hope. 
 
 It was about this time, in 1653, that " Llyfr y Tri Aderyn," 
 Morgan Llwyd's magnum opus was published. Its full title is as 
 follows : 
 
 " Dirgelwch i rai iw ddeall ac i eraill i\v watwar, sef Tri 
 
 Aderyn yn ymddiddan, Yr Eryr, a'r Golomen, a'r Gigfran. 
 
 Neu Arwydd i annerch y Cymru. Yn y flwyddyn mil a 
 
 chwe- chant a thair ar ddec a deugain cyn dyfod 666. 
 
 Printiedig yn Llundain gan James Flesher, ac a werthir gan 
 
 Thomas Brewster tan lun y tri Bibl yn ymmyl Powls." 
 
 The gist of this work is the expression of the author's view 
 
 that there should be no interference 'with conscience, and that 
 
 a voluntary system of church government should be established. 
 
 He labours to prove the weakness of the established system 
 
 represented by the Gigfran (Raven), and that the Church fetters 
 
 herself by endowments. The Colomen (Dove) represents Morgan 
 
 Llwyd's own views regarding a religious community, and the Eryr 
 
 (Eagle) represents the Government. The nature and substance 
 
 of his new spiritual creed are explained to the Eagle. 
 
 In practice, his theories were certainly never tried by the 
 Welsh reformers of his own day, for if old endowments were bad 
 for the Church, they were equally bad for them when they had 
 appropriated her revenues. There is some doubt whether Morgan 
 Llwyd himself received any of those revenues, and he must be 
 given the full benefit to which he is entitled in the absence of 
 
 54 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 proof, but it is quite certain that he received ,-100 a year from 
 Parliament, and it is very hard to distinguish this in principle 
 from that which he condemned. It was national money benefit- 
 ting a man with whose extreme views not a tithe of the nation in 
 those days would agree. 
 His other works are ; 
 
 " An honest Discourse, 1655." This is also in the form of 
 a dialogue " between Three Neighbours touching the Present 
 Government in these three Nations, viz., between Goodman 
 Past, Goodman Present, and Goodman Future. London, 
 
 1655-" 
 
 " A translation of Behmen's works." 
 
 " Yr Ymroddiad neu Bapuryn a gyfieuthiwyd ddwywaith i 
 
 helpu y Cymru unwaith allan o'r Hunan a'r drygioni." 
 
 This was translated in 1654 and printed in 1657. 
 
 "Y Discybl ai Athraw O newydd. Cyfieithiwyd 1655, 
 
 Printiwyd 1657." 
 
 " Cyfarwyddid i'r Cymru: a ysgrifenwyd yn 1655. Print- 
 
 iedig 1657." 
 
 " Gair o'r Gair, neu Son am Swn. Y Lleferydd Anfarwol." 
 
 This was considered so excellent a work that it was translated 
 into English, in 1739, under the title "A Discourse of the Word 
 of God." 
 
 "Llythyr i'r Cymru Cariadus." This was written under 
 Harrison's inspiration, about 1653. 
 
 "Gwaedd Ynghymru yn Wyneb pob Cydwybod Euog, 1655." 
 
 In most of his works, especially in Llyfr y Tri Aderyn^ 
 Morgan Llwyd reveals himself as a son of the mountains, and the 
 marks of his early environment are plain upon him. The wild 
 stream which has carved its way through the rocks below Cynfal, 
 where " Pwlpud Huw Llwyd " stands out in solitary grandeur, 
 seems to present itself to his mind when he writes " A'r llifeiriant 
 yn ddisymwth yn codi ac yn ysgubo'r cwbl." He was the only 
 one of the Puritans who published books in Welsh. Besides his 
 prose work he also produced numerous poems, One of them, 
 
 55 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 " Hanes rhyw Gymro," gives an account of his own doings during 
 the Civil War period. It is plain in his early poems that he was 
 sorry for the discord which was rapidly growing between the 
 religious sects. Gentleness and hope are the dominant notes of 
 these first efforts of his muse, but his latest songs are full of 
 bitterness and disappointment. Huw Morus' description of them 
 as "poisoned" 1 is not inapt. They were the writings of one 
 whose hopes were crushed a mystic who was rudely awakened 
 from his dreams. 
 
 One can imagine how deeply the iron must have entered into 
 his soul when he, who had expected so much from Cromwell's 
 regime, travelled through Wales striving to raise an insurrection 
 against his quondam idol. Parliament forgave him this offence,' 
 and made him the grant to which reference has already been 
 made, but in his last days (and he was still in the prime of life, 
 for he died at forty) he was a melancholy, dispirited, broken man. 
 But of his eminence there can be no doubt, and the ideals for 
 which he strove are still living forces. It is a proof of the tenacity 
 and depth of his convictions, that he should have left the quiet 
 charm of his romantic home in the remote fastnesses of Wales 
 to take a foremost part in the strife of that age of blood and iron. 
 A forceful summing up of his character is given by one who knew 
 him well, in "A Winding Sheet for Mr. Baxter's Dead. ; ' He was 
 a man of great natural abilities and strong religious feelings, a 
 master of highly figurative language, and a preacher against 
 immorality and thoughtlessness. 
 
 Among his poems (which will be fully dealt with later) one 
 entitled " Givyddor Uchod" gives expression to his quaint views 
 on astronomy in its influence on the life of man : 
 
 Mae yrahob dyn naturiol. 
 Saith Waned fawr ryfeddol ; 
 Ag yn cydweithio heb naghau 
 Gida'r planedau nefol. 
 
 No less than fifty- two poems, songs, hymns, and englynion 
 appear in the first volume of his work edited by the late Mr. T, 
 E. Ellis, M.P. 
 
 1 "A gwenwyn at leftith ei lyfrau," Huw Morns, 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 The great majority of them are in English, and some of them 
 are very sweet little odes, although cast in that vein of seriousness 
 which runs through all Morgan Llwyd's work. Of his native 
 county he writes : 
 
 O Meirion dirion i dario ynddi 
 
 Yn dda rwi'n dy gofio 
 Nid hawddgar ond ath garo 
 Fy annwyl bresswyl am bro. 
 
 But it is rather as a writer of excellent prose than as a poet, that 
 he has done his greatest service to his country. His works are 
 master-pieces in style and diction, and, unlike those of Rowland 
 Vaughan and the many other translators of this period, their 
 substance is for the most part original. . His influence upon the 
 masses was very great, because so many of his writings were in 
 Welsh. They show him in many lights, as a theologian, a 
 philosopher, a careful student of nature, and an accurate observer 
 of the social and political events of his day. 
 
 It is necessary at this stage to give some account of others 
 who were less prominent during the Commonwealth period than 
 the three who have just passed under review, but who, neverthe- 
 less, contributed appreciably by their services to Wales both in 
 political and literary activity. 
 
 William Erbury 1 (1604-1654) was born in 1604, 
 educated at Brasenose College, Oxford, 1621-23, and having 
 taken Holy Orders, became Vicar of St. Mary's Cardiff, 1633, 
 where Walter Cradoc was for a time his curate. He refused to 
 read the " Book of Sports " in church, and was cited to appear 
 at Lambeth, where he was severely admonished by the Bishop of 
 London. In 1640, he openly preached against the bishops, and 
 became an Independent. He afterwards served as Chaplain in 
 Essex's army, and to a regiment of Parliamentarians at Oxford in 
 1646, and the charge is brought against him of having corrupted 
 the soldiers with strange opinions, which would seem to have been 
 the doctrine of " universal redemption :) and the denial of the 
 
 1 See Williams' Eminent Welshmen, pp. 145-146, and Wood's Athen: 
 QXOH : ii. p. 175. 
 
 5? 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 verbal inspiration of the Scriptures, or, as Wood puts it, "he 
 taught that there was no certainty- to build upon the Scriptures 
 .... as there were so many copies of them." He left the army, 
 probably because his views were unwelcome to the soldiery, 
 became a Socinian, " and preached in his Conventicle at Christ 
 Church within Newgate." J He was very closely identified with 
 Walter Cradoc, Vavasor Powell, and Morgan Llwyd, and is 
 included in the four prominent men whom Mr. Baxter is accused 
 in " A Winding Sheet for Mr. Baxter's dead " of having " Killed 
 and slayn, sweetly embalmed, and decently buried, in his 
 Catholick Communion," the others being the three " Tryers " 
 already named. He died in 1654, having left behind him several 
 writings, and amongst them : 
 
 " The Sword Doubled to cut both the Righteous and the 
 
 Wicked. 1652." 
 
 " The Grand Oppressor, Or, The Terror of Tithes .... A 
 
 Scourge for the Assyrian, the Great Oppressor. 1652." 
 
 " The Bishop of London ; or, an Espiscopal Spirit risen, and 
 
 appearing at London House. 1652." 
 
 " The Welsh Curate : Or, Paul's care of All the Churches. 
 
 1652." 
 
 " Apocrypha. The second Epistle of Paul to the Church of 
 
 Laodicea. 1652." 
 
 " The General Epistle to the Hebrews. 1652." 
 
 " The Mad Man's Plea : Or, A Sober Defence of Captaine 
 
 Chillintons Church. 1653." 
 
 " The Babe of Glory, Breaking forth in the broken Flesh of 
 
 the Saints, &c. 1653." 
 
 "The reign of Crist and the Saints. 1654." From this 
 tract it is evident that Erbury was a strong Fifth Monarchy man. 
 
 "The North Star: or some Night -Light shining in North 
 
 Wales. With some Darke Discoveries of the day of God 
 
 approaching. 1653." 
 
 " The Testimony of William Erbury, left upon Record for 
 1 Alumni Oxonienses* 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 the Saints of Succeeding Ages. Being a Collection of the 
 
 Writings of the aforesaid Authour, for the benefit of Posterity. 
 
 Whereunto is added, The Honest Hereitck, Being his Tryal 
 
 at Westminster. 1658." It contains twenty-three Tracts of 
 his work. 
 
 His work, together with his letters, was printed in 17 70 under 
 the title : 
 
 " The Scourge for the Assirian, the great Oppressor, c.," by 
 
 Thomas Meredith. 
 
 William Wroth (1570-1642), was born at Abergavenny 
 in 1570, and belonged to a Pembrokeshire family. 1 He entered 
 Jesus College, Oxford, in 1586, and became Vicar of Llanfaches 
 in 1595. In 1620 his life underwent a great change 2 owing to 
 the sudden death of a friend, and whereas, previously, he was 
 addicted to mirth and levity, he now realised the seriousness of 
 his calling, and began to " signalize himself by faithfully preaching 
 the Gospel." 3 Upon his refusal to read the " Book of Sports," 
 the Bishop of Llandaff, in 1635, cited him to appear before the 
 High Commisson Court, and referred to him as " a noted 
 schismatic." In 1638 he submitted to that Court,* but the 
 following year he broke away from the Church, and established 
 at Llanfaches " a church according to the model of the Indepen- 
 dents." 5 He died just before the Civil War broke out, in 1642. 
 He left behind him no literary work. 
 
 Christopher Love (1618-1651) was born at Cardiff in 
 1618, and entered New Inn Hall, Oxford, 6 in 1635, where he 
 graduated M.A. He was ordained, and was amongst those who 
 refused to subscribe to the canons enjoined by Laud. This 
 resulted in his expulsion from the Church, and the loss of his 
 degree. He removed to London, and became a very violent 
 opponent of the Monarchy, and when the Civil War broke out s 
 he was appointed preacher to the garrison at Windsor Castle. In 
 
 i Rees' Hist, of Noncen : in \Vafes, p. 499. 2 Brook's Hist, of the 
 Puritans, ii. pp. 468-470. 3 ibid. 4 Wharton's Troubles of Land, i. pp. 537, 
 544, 555. =Calamy's Continuation i. p. 47. 6 Alumni Oxonicnses. 
 
 59 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 1644, when the King met at Uxbridge to confer with the 
 Parliament, Love preached before them a discourse of so violent 
 a nature that the King's party protested to Parliament. He was 
 afterwards minister of St. Ann's Church, near Aldersgate, but 
 about this time his views underwent a change, and in 1649 he 
 signed a declaration against putting the King to death. 1 He 
 became further estranged from the Commonwealth, and took 
 part, later on, in the Presbyterian plot to place Charles II. upon 
 the throne. This was detected, and he was tried for high treason 
 and beheaded in 1651. He had taken a very active part in the 
 political and controversial subjects of his day, and produced a 
 considerable number of pamphlets and sermons, amongst which 
 may be mentioned : 
 
 "The Debauched Cavalier or the English Midianite, 1642." 
 " England's Distemper ; a sermon preached at Uxbridge, 
 1644, on Jeremiah xxxiii. 6." 
 "The Penitent Pardoned." 
 
 " A Cleare and necessary Vindication of the Principles and 
 
 Practices of me Christopher Love, Since my Tryall before, 
 
 and Condemnation by, the High Court of Justice. 1651." 
 
 " Mr. Love's Case : Wherein is Published, First, His several 
 
 Petitions to the Parliament. Secondly, A full Narrative of 
 
 the late Dangerous Design against the State, written with 
 
 Mr. Love's own hand .... Thirdly, Mr. Love's Speech 
 
 and Prayer on the Scaffold on Towerhill, August 22, 1651." 
 
 A book bearing upon his trial and sentence appeared in 1651 
 
 under the title " A Just Balance, or some considerable Queries 
 
 about Mr. Love's Case, Tryall, and Sentence, and about those 
 
 that appeared Petition -wise in his behalf." 
 
 Robert Wild, the author of Iter Borcale, published in 1660 
 "The Tragedy of Christopher Love at Tower- Hill." 
 
 We have so far taken a survey of the chief writers amongst 
 the political Puritans during the Commonwealth period, and now 
 pass to a consideration of the works of those who were in sharp 
 
 'Williams' Eminent Welshman, p. 273. Also Athen : Oxon : ii. p. 136. 
 60 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 antagonism to them, those Church and Royalist writers who still 
 represented a considerable body of opinion in Wales. There are 
 two who are more especially worthy of notice : 
 
 Alexander Griffith was a Welsh divine of the period, who 
 suffered much for his loyalty to the Crown. He had been 
 educated at Hart Hall, Oxford, where he graduated B.A. in 1618, 
 and M.A. in 1631.' Having taken Holy Orders, he gained 
 perferment in South Wales in 1639, but was deprived of his 
 benefices under the " Act for the Propagation of the Gospel." 
 He regained his spiritualities at the Restoration, and was 
 appointed Vicar of Glasbury 2 which benefice he held from 1661 
 to 1690, the year of his death. He had a biting satire which he 
 used with much effect against the " Act," its authors, and those 
 who carried it into effect. 
 
 In 1652 appeared a pamphlet for which Wood thinks he was 
 not solely responsible, but had a hand in it, entitled : 
 
 " Mercurius Cambro - Britannicus, or News from Wales, 
 touching the miraculous propagation of the Gospel in those 
 parts." 
 
 It relates the sufferings of the dispossessed clergy, and is a 
 violent attack upon Vavasor Powell. It was followed by : 
 
 " A true and perfect relation of the whole transaction con- 
 cerning the Petition of the Six Counties of South Wales, and 
 the County of Monmouth, formerly presented to the Parlia- 
 ment of the Commonwealth of England, for a supply of 
 Godly ministers, and an account of Ecclesiastical Revenues 
 therein, &c. London, 1654." 
 
 This is an attack upon a petition entitled The Humbl e 
 Acknowledgement, &{., presented to the Commonwealth Parliament 
 in 1650, by 19,000 inhabitants of South Wales and Monmouth- 
 shire. 3 It had complained about the distressed, oppressed 
 condition of South Wales, both in the matter of spiritual provision 
 
 1 Williams' Eminent Welshmen^ pp. 180-181, and Athen: Oxon: ii. p. 190. 
 a See Jones' Breconshirc. The Alumni. Oxonienses states that he was perhaps 
 Vicar of Trefeglwys, in Montgomeryshire, and afterwards of Llanwnog, in the 
 same county. * Civil iVar Tracts^ N. L. W., p. 52. 
 
 61 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 and in regard to civil rights and freedom. It also contained 
 proposals for the discovery of above ^15,000 " unaccounted for 
 to the Commonwealth," and had been followed up by " A 
 Declaration and Remonstrance of the Inhabitants of South Wales. 
 1650." Alexander Griffith contended that the document was 
 entirely worthless, as it was based upon political expediency, and 
 was a flagrant violation of facts. In his next work he attacked 
 Vavasor Powell personally, in : 
 
 "Strena Vavasoriensis, A New Year's Gift for the Welch 
 Itinerants, Or a Hue and Cry after Mr. Vavasor Powell, 
 Metropolitan of the Itinerants, and one of the Executioners 
 of the Gospel by colour of the late Act for the Propagation 
 thereof in Wales . . . , London, 1654." 
 This pamphlet purports to be a true relation of the birth, 
 course of life, and doctrine of the said Vavasor Powell, and Wood 
 in his Athena Oxonienses has, apparently, been entirely guided by it. 
 It is unprofitable to discuss the matter, until much more is 
 known of both Powell and Griffith, if that can ever be accom- 
 plished. They were two men entirely opposed in policy, and 
 that at a time when political and religious passions ran high. 
 The attack made in the Strena is so directly personal as to make 
 distasteful reading even at this distance from the event. If even 
 one of the serious charges against Vavasor Powell were true, it 
 would constitute him a hypocrite and felon whom all honest men 
 would shun. If they are not true, the charges recoil upon the 
 author. It is kindest to think of both as men who pushed things 
 to extremities in an age when the minds of public officials were 
 inflamed by political passion fanned into a white heat by religious 
 bigotry and fanaticism. 
 
 An opponent who was equally hostile to Puritanism in prin- 
 ciple, but whose methods were those of suasion rather than abuse, 
 was Dr. George Griffith (1601-1666), Bishop of St. Asaph. 1 
 He was born in 1601, at Garreg Lwyd, Llanfaethlu, Anglesey, 2 the 
 1 Williams' Eminent Welshmen, pp. 181, 182. Also Athen : Oxon : \\. 
 pp. 387 - 388. 2 Both Wood and Williams wrongly state that he was born at 
 Penrhyn, near Bangor. 
 
 62 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 third son of Robert Griffith of that place, and was educated at 
 Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford (1619), taking the 
 following degrees : B.A., 1623; M.A., 1626; B.D., 1632; D.D., 
 1634. After taking Orders he became Chaplain to Dr. John 
 Owen, Bishop of St. Asaph, and later was promoted to the 
 rectory of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1631 ; Canon and Arch- 
 deacon of St. Asaph, 1632; Rector of Llandrinio, 1632; and of 
 Llanvechain, 1633, which he exchanged for Llanymynach, 1634, 
 where he laboured for some years, and was much beloved. 
 Under the Commonwealth he lost his emoluments for a time, but 
 in 1650 he was elected to Llanymynach, and granted the 
 profits of Llangwm and Llandrillo. 1 At the Restoration he 
 was mitred by Charles II., receiving the Bishopric of St. Asaph 
 in 1660. He died in 1666, and was buried in the Choir of St. 
 Asaph Cathedral. 
 
 His disputations with dissenters were many, but he was 
 as moderate in trying to persuade others, as he was firm in his 
 own convictions. In 1662 he assisted in drawing up the Act of 
 Uniformity and in making certain alterations in the Liturgy made 
 in that year. He is said to have composed the Office for 
 Baptizing those of Riper Years. 2 His writings are : 
 
 " A bold Challenge of an Itinerant Preacher, Modestly 
 Answered, By a Local Minister [George Griffith] to whom 
 the same was sent and delivered : and Severall letters there- 
 upon. 1652." Vavasor Powell is said to have replied in 
 " most false and barbarous Latin." 3 
 
 "Animadversions on an Imperfect Relation in the Perfect 
 Diurnal! . 1653." This is a record of the public disputa- 
 tion which took place between him and Vavasor Powell "near 
 New Chappell, Montgomeryshire." 
 
 " Egwyddorion y Grefydd Gristionogol yn gynnwysedig 
 mewn Catechism Byrr. 1664 " His share in this work was 
 to compare the Latin and English translations on which it was 
 founded. 
 
 1 Act for Propagation of the Gospel, issued by Cymdeithas Lien Cymru. 
 'Gwallter Mechain, iii. pp. 2, 3. 3 Williams' Eminent Welshmen, pp. 181-182. 
 
 63 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 " Some plain Discourses on the Lord's Supper," which was 
 not printed until 1684. 
 
 "Gweddi'r Arglwydd wedi ei hegluro mewn amryw ymad- 
 roddion, neu Bregethau Byrrion. O waith y Gwir Barchedig 
 Dad George Griffith, D.D. Diweddar Escob Llanelwy." 
 Printed at Oxford in 1685. These Sermons were reprinted 
 at Carnarvon in 1806, by the Bangor Diocesan Tract Society. 
 
 He also undertook a new translation of the Book of Common 
 Prayer into Welsh, but left it unfinished. In a Convocation of 
 the Clergy held in 1640, he advocated a new edition of the Welsh 
 Bible, but the Civil War interfered with the project. 
 
 The Welsh mining industries received some notice at this 
 time, as will be evident from a paper entitled : 
 
 " A Just and True Remonstrance of His Majestie's Mines- 
 Royall in the Principality of Wales. Presented by Thomas 
 Bushell, Esquire, Farmer of the said Mines -Royall to his 
 Majestie. London, 1642."' 
 
 Bushell had succeeded Sir Hugh Middleton in charge of the 
 Cardiganshire mines, and by the permission of Charles I. he 
 established a Mint for coining silver at Aberystwyth. At the 
 outbreak of the Civil War he kept a number of soldiers there at 
 his own expense to defend it against Roundhead depredations. 
 He is also credited with having given the King ; 10,000 to help 
 him to carry on the War, but it is stated that this money came 
 from the mines. 2 The Civil War seriously disturbed Mr. 
 Bushell's work in Cardiganshire, and he afterwards made a virtue 
 of necessity, and tried to enlist the help of the Parliament in a 
 venture which he described as " A goode worke for the benefit of 
 the nation." A paper appeared in 1649, which stated his reasons 
 at some length. It is entitled : " The Case of Thomas Bushell, 
 of Enston, in the County of Oxon., Esquire., truly stated, 
 together with his progress in Minerals, and the desires of 
 several merchants and others that are willing and ready to advance 
 1 Civil War Tracts, N. L. W., p. 3, 2 Llyfr. y Cymry, p. 129; see 
 also Afhen : Oxon : ii., 526 - 528. 
 
 64 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 so good a work for the benefit of the nation, humbly tendered to 
 the serious consideration of the Honble. House of Commons, 
 and all other persons in authority, whether civill or martiall, that 
 are desirous to advance the trade of the nation, supply the 
 necessities of the poor, by discovering the hidden treasures of 
 the earth, preserve the lives of many poor creatures from untimely 
 death (who now are destroyed in their prime for petty felonies) 
 which might otherwise be made serviceable to the Commonwealth. 
 London, 1649." 
 
 Bushell had been in the service of Sir Francis Bacon, and 
 had no doubt imbibed his master's Philosophical Theory of 
 Mineral Prosecutions to the full. He had carried out some 
 fantastic ideas at his own home at Enston, where he entertained 
 King Charles and Queen Henrietta Maria in the manner so 
 quaintly set forth by Wood (Ath: Oxon: ii., p. 526). He 
 became greatly impoverished by his many ventures, and fell on 
 evil days during the Commonwealth. Anthony Wood summed 
 him up in these words : " He left behind him the character 
 of one always troubled with a beating and contriving brain, of an 
 aimer at great and high things, while he himself was always 
 indigent, and therefore could never accomplish his mind to his 
 original desire, of one always borrowing to carry on his designs, 
 but seldom or never paid." 
 
 Still it must be remembered that he belonged to that class 
 of Englishmen which has done so much to develop the mining 
 resources of the Principality, and to which it is considerably 
 indebted. Bushell's ventures, like that of many others, proved 
 failures. Nevertheless, they were pioneers in an enterprise which 
 has in many parts developed beyond their most sanguine expecta- 
 tions, and which has proved to be " a good work for the benefit 
 of the nation." 
 
 This period saw the beginnings of newspaper literature in 
 Wales. The Church and the Puritan party, Cavalier and 
 Roundhead, issued from time to time, as the exigencies of a 
 travelling press allowed, their various Mercurii and Diitrnals ; 
 
 65 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 e.g., Mercurius Britannicus, The Welch Mercuric, Mercurius 
 Cambro-Britannicus, Mercurius Vafulans, and Mercurius 
 Publicus. Some of the issues known as Diurnals were published 
 at very irregular intervals, and were generally dated for the week 
 of issue, e.g., " The Perfect Diurnal" which reports the defeat of 
 Prince Rupert's forces by Colonel Jones, at Malpas, is dated 
 1644, Sept. 2-9.* 
 
 John Taylor, a staunch Royalist, sometimes known as the 
 Water Poet,* a strange character, who at the age of 72 made a 
 journey round Wales, covering 600 miles, wrote an account of his 
 perambulations, in prose and verse, entitled, " A Short Relation 
 of a Long Journey made round or oval by encompassing the 
 Principality of Wales .... 1652." 
 
 Thomas Richards, in 1859, printed a few copies of this work. 
 
 In 1653, a curious account of the state of Anglesey in the 
 seventeenth century was written under the title, " A Brief 
 Relation of the Isle of Anglesey." 2 The name of the author is 
 not given. Mr. J. E. Adlard published a few copies of it in 1860. 
 
 In 1655, John Webb edited and published "The most 
 notable Antiquity of Great Britain, vulgarly called Stone -Henge, 
 on Salisbury Plain. Restored by Inigo Jones, Esquire, Architect 
 to the late King." 
 
 In the same year appeared "A Warning- Peece for England. 
 Being a Discovery of a Jesuiticall Design to Dismember Wales 
 from England, to the ruine of both .... Humbly tendered to 
 the Consideration of his Highness, the Lord Protector and his 
 
 1 Civil War Tracts, N. L. W., p. 75. 
 
 *" This John Taylor was born in the City of Gloucester, went to school 
 there, and having got into his Accidence, was bound an apprentice to a 
 waterman in London, which tho' a laborious employment, yet such was his 
 prodigious geny to poetry, that he wrote about 80 books, of which many were 
 in that Faculty, that made great sport in their time, and were most of them 
 esteemed worthy to be remitted into a large folio. Had he had learning 
 bestowed on him according tr> his natural parts, which were excellent, he 
 might have equalled, if not excelled, many who claim a great share in the 
 Temple of the Muses." Athena: Oxonienses, ii. p. 393. See also D.N.B. 
 
 3 Llyfr, y Cymry, p. 158. 
 
 66 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 Council. By a Well-wisher to the Peace and Tranquillity of this 
 nation. By P. P. ... London . . . 1655." 
 
 In 1658, the one document relating to Wales during Richard 
 Cromwell's short Protectorate was published under the title, 
 "The very curious Act of Parliament issued during Richard 
 Cromwell's Protectorate, for taking the Accompts, &c., concern- 
 ing the Tythes and Church Livings in Wales, and Co. of 
 Monmouth. Printed for the Parliament. 1658." 
 
 A very interesting and amusing book entitled The Legend of 
 Captain Jones, by Dr. David Lloyd, Dean of St. Asaph, was 
 published in 1659. The first part of it relates the adventures of 
 " Captain Jones " at sea, his first landing, " and strong combat 
 with a mighty Bear." The second begins with his miraculous 
 deliverance from a wreck at sea " by the support of a Dolphin." 
 These two parts are written in very good burlesque, in imitation 
 of a Welsh poem called Awdl Richard John Greulon* The 
 Captain Jones around whom the legend clusters, lived in the 
 reign of Queen Elizabeth, and was in great renown for his high 
 exploits. After the title follow many ingenious verses in praise 
 of the work, several of them by Oxford scholars. 2 
 
 The author, David Lloyd, D.C.L., was born at Berth- 
 Iwyd in the Parish of Llanidloes in 1598. He entered All Soul's 
 College, Oxford, and became Probationary Fellow in 1615, and 
 Perpetual Fellow in 1618. On leaving, he took Orders and 
 became chaplain to the Earl of Derby, and afterwards received 
 the following preferments : 1641, Rector of Trefdraeth, Anglesey; 
 1642, Rector of Llangynhafal, Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd, and 
 Warden of Ruthin. He was also appointed Prebendary of 
 Chester. Under the Commonwealth he was ejected and suffered 
 confinement, but at the Restoration he was appointed Dean of 
 St. Asaph. 3 He died at Ruthin in 1663.* 
 
 He was, doubtless, a man of considerable parts, and many 
 
 of his Songs, Sonnets, and Elegies are found scattered in various 
 
 1 Athen : Oxon : ii. pp. 331 - 2. For the Awdl see Y Brython i. p. 215, 
 
 * ibid. 3 Williams' Eminent Welshmen^ p 280. *Nctio 1656, as dialed in 
 
 the Llyfr, y Cymry^ p, 183, 
 
 6, 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 works. But his best known book is this " Legend of Captain 
 Jones," which has frequently been reprinted, modelled as stated 
 above on the Awdl Richard John Greulon, which is attributed 
 to Sion Tudur. 
 
 Dean Lloyd was much " given to hospitality," and ran heavily 
 into debt during the period of his ejection, from which, it is said, 
 he never quite recovered. Some wit suggested the following 
 as a suitable epitaph to the worthy Dean : 
 
 This is the Epitaph 
 
 Of the Dean of St. Asaph, 
 
 Who by keeping a Table 
 
 Better than he was able 
 Run into debt 
 
 Which is not paid yet. 1 
 
 One of the most active writers of the seventeenth century 
 was James Howell, the second son of Thomas Howell, of 
 Abernant, 2 in Carmarthenshire. Some of his literary work 
 appeared after the Restoration, but the bulk of it had been done 
 before 1660, and the account of his life and writings had best be 
 given here. He proceeded to Jesus College, Oxford, in 1610, at 
 the age of sixteen, and graduated B.A. in 1613, and became 
 Fellow of the College in 1623. He became secretary to Lord 
 Scrope, Earl of Sunderland, President of the North, in 1626, and 
 subsequently M.P. for Richmond, Yorkshire, 1628-9. Charles II. 
 appointed him Historiographer Royal in 1660, and he was the 
 first to hold that office. He died in 1666, and was buried at 
 the Temple Church. 3 He had travelled much on the Continent 
 and was acquainted with several European languages. In 1632, 
 he had gone to Denmark, as private secretary to the Earl of 
 Leicester. On his return, he gained a precarious livelihood for 
 some years by clerical work. In 1640 he started his literary 
 career with the publication of Dendrologia : or, DodonJs Grove. 
 In 1642, he was appointed Clerk of the Council, but his success 
 
 1 Alk : Oxon ; ii, p. 332. 2 Wood states that James Howell was horn 
 
 at Abernant (vol. ii., p. 381), but Garnett and Gosse in their Hist, of Eng. 
 /.?'/., vol. iii., p. 45, state that he was probably born at Llangammarch in the 
 County of Brecon, although they admit that his father lived later at Abernant 
 3 Alumni Oxonienses. 
 
 68 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 was short-lived, for in 1643 his manuscripts and correspondence 
 were confiscated, and he was thrown into the Fleet Prison, where 
 he languished for eight years. He was now compelled to literary 
 work, and the period of his incarceration saw the publication of 
 Epistolx Ho-Eliatuc, or Familiar Letters, of which four volumes 
 were written in 1645, 1647, 1650, and 1655 respectively. During 
 the Protectorate he devoted himself to the flattery of Cromwell, 
 but he managed to secure the favour of Charles II. on his 
 accession, who presented him to the post above-mentioned and 
 endowed him with a competence. 
 
 The following is a list of his writings : 
 
 "'Av3/3oAoyta. Dodona's Grove, or The Vocall Forrest. 
 
 1 640. " 
 
 A French edition of this work appeared in 1641, and a 
 second edition in English, "more exact and perfect than the 
 former," and with two Tracts added, entitled, " Parables reflecting 
 upon the Times," and " England's Teares for the present Warres," 
 in 1644 ; a third edition in 1645, and the last edition in 1649. 
 
 In 1650 he published " Aev8po\oyia .... Second Part," 
 and in 1660 " O^poXo-yta, The Parley of Beasts ; or Morphandra 
 Queen of the Inchanted Hand." 
 
 In 1647 appeared "A New Volume of Letters Partly 
 Philosophicall, Political!, Historicall." It also contains " The 
 Vote, or a Poem Royall, presented to His Majestic." Both the 
 letters and the poem are found in Epistoloe Ho-Elianoe. A 
 second edition of the latter was issued in 1650, although it 
 contains some letters published as early as 1645. The third 
 edition appeared in 1655 with a "Fourth Volume of New Letters 
 Never Publish'd before." 
 
 In 1652 he issued " The Vision : Or a Dialog between the 
 Soul and the Bodie. Fancied in a Morning Dream." 
 
 In 1654, "The Nuptials of Peleus and Thetis. A new 
 Italian Comedy." 
 
 In 1655, " Som Sober Inspections made unto the Cariage 
 and Consults of the Late-long Parlement." This was republished 
 
 69 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 with some additions, and preceded by the title " Philangus " in 
 1658 and 1660. 
 
 In 1658, he published "A Discours of the Empire," and in 
 1 66 1, as far as is known, his last work, entitled "Divers 
 Historicall Discourses of the late Popular Insurrections in Great 
 Britain and Ireland, Tending all, to the asserting of Truth, in 
 vindication of their Majesties. London, 1661." 
 
 (f) FROM THE RESTORATION TO THE END OF 
 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 
 
 It was quite natural that at the Restoration a few works 
 should appear reflecting upon the Commonwealth period in 
 disparaging terms. As we have seen, James Howell accommo- 
 dated himself in some of his writings to this change in the 
 nation's fortune, and thereby secured for himself the patronage of 
 Charles II. Amongst other writings on similar lines, there 
 appeared in 1660 a work entitled The Mystery of the Good Old 
 Cause, which related many stories of those members of the Long 
 Parliament who took the Oath and Covenant. It shows that 
 although they had professed self-sacrifice, they had amassed for 
 themselves considerable riches. It is, in fact, a satire upon the 
 Welsh Puritans by a raconteur who viewed with glee the present 
 discomfiture of those religionists. 
 
 In 1 66 1, there was published a folio volume relating to Welsh 
 antiquities, which caused much chagrin and disappointment to 
 competent scholars at the time, and especially to one Welshman 
 named Thomas Ellis, who had himself been engaged for a con- 
 siderable time in collecting materials for a similar work, but with 
 more accurate intention. Its title was : 
 
 " Cambria Triumphans, or Britain in its Perfect Lustre. 
 
 Showing the Origin and Antiquity of that Illustrious Nation. 
 
 The succession of their Kings and Princes, from the first 
 
 to King Charles of Happy Memory. The Description of 
 
 the Country : The History of the Antient and Moderne 
 70 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 Estate, The Manner of the Investure of the Princes, with 
 
 the Coats of Arms of the Nobility. By Percy Enderbie, 
 
 Gent. 1 66 1." 
 
 The story of Thomas Ellis's disappointment is well known. 
 The famous antiquary, Robert Vaughan of Hengwrt, had 
 intended to publish Dr. Powell's "History of Cambria, 1584," 
 with corrections and additions which he placed in the hands of 
 Thomas Ellis. The latter sorted them and corrected them, and 
 was already going on with the printing, and had seen 128 pages 
 through the Press, when Percy Enderbie's book appeared, which 
 is supposed to have been compiled from materials in the library 
 at Llantarnam (he had married the daughter of Sir Edward 
 Morgan of Llantarnam). He had not the knowledge necessary 
 to such an undertaking, and spoiled the work. There is one 
 important detail, however, which is not quite clear. The date on 
 Mr. Ellis's projected work was 1663, whilst Enderbie's appeared 
 in 1661. The explanation may be that Ellis had post-dated his 
 book, allowing that the whole work could not be completed until 
 1663. But certain it is that he had the whole process stopped, 
 and the remainder of his sheets sold as waste paper. The 
 scholars of that day regretted his rash act because, as the historian 
 of Oxford University writes : " Enderbie hath done this work 
 very meanly, being mostly a scribble from late authors, and gives 
 not that satisfaction which curious men desire to know." 1 
 Enderbie was a Lincolnshire man, and had but recently come 
 into touch with Wales through his marriage. Therefore, he could 
 not possibly have had that knowledge of the country which 
 Thomas Ellis possessed in a remarkable degree. The latter was 
 an able antiquary and classical scholar. Born at Dolbenmaen in 
 Carnarvonshire, in 1625, he had entered Jesus College, Oxford, 
 in 1640, taking his B.A. in 1644, M.A. in 1646-7, and B.D. in 
 1 66 1. During the Civil War he bore arms for the King within 
 the garrison of Oxford. In 1665-6, after leading a very exclusive 
 life at Oxford, he became Rector of Dolgelley in succession to 
 ; Oxen : ii., p. 362, 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 his kinsman, John Ellis of Gvvylan. Whilst there, he helped Mr. 
 Robert Vaughan in his task of collecting Welsh MSS., and his 
 solid learning and genius for history and antiquities must have 
 proved of great service to the latter. He retired to his old home 
 at Dolbenmaen and spent his last days there, dying in 1673. J 
 
 Another book of historical interest which appeared in 1661 
 was " A History of the Civil Wars of Great Britain and Ireland. 
 By J. D." The author was John Davies, of Cydwely (1625- 
 1693), a man who had been trained at both the Universities, 2 and 
 who attained a considerable reputation as a writer and trans- 
 lator. He was a great friend of the famous John Hall, of 
 Durham, and was considerably indebted to him. During the 
 Commonwealth " he kept pace with the times of usurpation," 
 but was nevertheless admitted by the same writer (Wood) to be 
 " a genteel, harmless, and quiet man." He travelled much in 
 France, and was an accomplished French scholar, as his numerous 
 translations of French works into English testify. He wrote many 
 books of history, besides the above, and also many novels and 
 books of travel. Wood mentions about forty of his works, many 
 of which show that he was steeped in the Classics and the 
 Philosophers. Amongst the books he translated from the French 
 are : " A Treatise against some of the principles of Renatus des 
 Cartes, 1654"; " The extravagant Shepherd, an Anti- Romance, 
 1654"; "The History of Magic, 1656, 1657"; "Les Provinciales 
 or the Mystery of Jesuitism, 1656"; "Apocalyps," or "A 
 Discovery of some notorious Heretics "; " The History of Algier 
 and the Slavery there, 1662 "; and " The Art how to know men, 
 1665." He died in 1693, and was buried at Kidwelly. 
 
 In 1662, Robert Vaughan 3 (1592-1662), of Hengwrt, the 
 famous antiquary, published " British Antiquities Revived ; or 
 friendly contest touching ye Sovereignity of the three Princes of 
 
 1 Alhen : Oxon : ii. pp. 517, 518. "The Alumni Oxonienses records that 
 he entered Jesus Coll., Oxford, in 1641, and was admitted Sizar of St. John's, 
 Cainb. in 1646. 3 For the details concerning his life and work see Williams' 
 Eminent Welshmen, pp. 511, 512 ; Gwallter Mechain's Works t ii. pp. 
 426 430 ; Athcti ; Oxott ; ii, 372 ', Alum : Oxon, 
 
 72 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 Wales in antient times, managed with certain arguments, where- 
 unto answers are applied. To which is added the pedigree of the 
 Right Hon. the Earl of Carbery, Lord President of Wales, with a 
 short account of the Five Royal Tribes of Cambria. By the same 
 Author. Oxford, 1662." This was the only book he published. 
 It was as a collector and classifier of MSS. that he chiefly 
 benefitted his country. He, no doubt, meant all the useful works 
 in his collection to be published, but although much has been 
 done in this direction, still more remains to be done. 
 
 He was the son of Howell Vaughan, of Wengraig, in 
 Merionethshire, and was born in 1592. His mother was the 
 grand -daughter of Baron Lewis Owen, the judge who was 
 murdered by the bandits known as Gwylliaid Cochion Mawddwy, 
 on his way home from the Dolgelley Assizes, after he had 
 condemned one of their number to death. In 1612, Robert 
 Vaughan entered Oriel College, Oxford, but retired, without 
 taking a degree, to his home at Hengwrt, and devoted himself to 
 the study of Welsh history and antiquities. He was in frequent 
 correspondence with Archbishop Usher, when the latter was 
 collecting materials for his Primordia, and there can be no doubt 
 that the valuable Hengwrt collection proved of great use to the 
 learned prelate. Some letters published in the Cambrian Register 1 
 testify to the help the one scholar gave to the other. John 
 Jones, of Gelli Lyfdy, 2 another antiquarian, and a great friend of 
 Robert Vaughan, also collected a number of Welsh MSS. There 
 is a story that the two gentlemen made a compact that whichever 
 was the survivor should receive the MSS. of the other. Vaughan 
 survived, and added to his collection a number of MSS. variously 
 estimated at from twenty- eight 3 to fifty. He himself had collected 
 and translated 137. He always kept an amanuensis, but did a 
 great part of the work himself. It was of absorbing interest to 
 him, and it may account for the fact that he did not embroil 
 
 1 Cambrian Register, ii. pp. 473-478. 2 " John Jones was a transcriber of 
 inferior discernment, hut an excellent penman " (Gwallter Mechain, ii p. 471). 
 3 Yorke's Royal Tribes, p. 127, states that Hengwrt Library contained 
 165 MSS., 28 uf which were in the handwriting of John Jones, 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 himself in the political squabbles of his day. He was evidently a 
 loyalist at heart. 1 
 
 His notes, copies, and additions are of unrivalled value and 
 of the greatest importance to present and future historians and 
 antiquarians. He died in i666, 2 and was buried at Dolgelley. 
 
 The most important only of his collection can be mentioned 
 here : 
 
 Notes or Commentaries on the Book of Basingwerk ; on 
 Nennius : The Triads, with an English translation ; Caradoc's 
 Brut ; Leland's New Year's Gift ; Burton's Antoninus ; Notes 
 on Dr. Powell's History of Wales ; Notes on Usher's 
 Primordia ; Annals of Wales from Vortigern downwards ; 
 Brut y Brenhinoedd ; Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch : The Laws 
 of Hywel Dda ; Llyfr Du Caerfyrddin ; Llyfr Taliesin ; Y 
 Cwtta Cyfarwydd ; Chaucer's Works, in folio ; Giraldus 
 Cambrensis, &c., &c. 
 
 Vaughan was more than a gleaner of other men's works. 
 He left remarkable proof of his own extensive knowledge of 
 antiquities, and has preserved for us much store of what would 
 possibly have passed into oblivion, save for his care and indomi- 
 table industry. The Cymmrodorion and the Welsh MSS. 
 Societies, the University of Wales, as well as some private 
 individuals have in recent years done something to put his 
 valuable researches to proper use, and the future will, no doubt, 
 add to the debt which Wales owes to his patient and persevering 
 toil. 
 
 Two works of topographical interest appeared in 1662 ; the 
 first entitled The Memorials of Ray* relates the travels of Ray 
 and his friend Willoughby in Gwynedd, when they visited Denbigh, 
 Bangor, Carnedd Llewelyn, Ynys Seiriol, Llanddwyn, Llanberis, 
 Beddgelert, Clynnog, Bardsey and Harlech. The journey was 
 really a botanical expedition to acquaint themselves with the 
 plants and herbs of the district.* The second was " A book of 
 1 See his second letter to Archbishop Usher, May I, 1652, Cambrian 
 Register ; ii., pp. 473 -478. 'Alumni Oxon : states 1667. ^John Ray, who 
 helped Bishop Gibson with his edition of the Britannia^ and was a friend aud 
 patron of Edward Llwyd. 4 Llyfr. y Cyntry, p. 190. 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 the Names of all the Parishes in England and Wales." No author 
 is given. 
 
 In 1663 appeared "A description of Wales, by Sir John 
 Price, published by Thomas Ellis, with Mr. Robert Vaaghan of 
 Hengwrt's Notes." This work is supposed to consist of those 
 sheets of the "History of Cambria," which Thomas Ellis had 
 already sent to the Press when Enderbie's book appeared and the 
 work was stopped. If this is so, the corrections and additions 
 are so numerous that there is very little trace left of the original 
 work. Sir John Price (mentioned in the title page) was an 
 Elizabethan writer who published Descriptio Britannia in 1568,' 
 and must not be confused with another of this name, who wrote 
 in the seventeenth century. 2 
 
 In the same year R. A., supposed to be Robert Arming 
 published a play called " The Valiant Welshman, or the true 
 Chronicle History of the Life and Valiant Deeds of Caradoc the 
 Great King of Cambria, now called Wales, as it hath been sundry 
 times acted by the Prince of Wales his servants." 
 
 The next five years were rather barren of anything of 
 interest in this part of our subject, but in 1668 appeared a book 
 of some importance, published by David Lloyd, and entitled 
 " Memories of the Lives, Actions, Sufferings, and Deaths of those 
 Noble, Reverend, and Excellent Personages, that suffered by 
 death, sequestration, decimation, or otherwise, for the Protestant 
 Religion, and the great principles thereof, Alliance to their 
 Sovereigne in our late intestine Wars, from the year 1637 to the 
 year 1666, with the Life and Martyrdom of King Charles I. 
 By David Lloyd, A.M., sometime of Oriel College, in Oxon. 
 London, 1668." David Lloyd (1635-1691) was a Welsh 
 
 1 Llyfr. y Cymi -y, p. 23. - See Williams' Eminent Welshmen, p. 417. 
 3 Robert Armin (? 1570- ? 1620) wns an actor and dramatist who had 
 associated much with Richard Tarlton, a famous clown and jester. Armin 
 subsequently showed some dramatic ability and was ensjaeed as an actor at 
 the Globe Theatre, London. It is by no means rerUin that he wrote this 
 book. The writer of the article on Robert Anr.in in the D. N. Ft. (vol. ii.) 
 suggests th:it " the publisher may have wished the public to infer that Robert 
 Armin was the author," which tends to show that they had a high opinion of 
 his ability as an actor. 4 Williams' Eminent Welshmen, pp. 280, 281 ; 
 Athen : Oxon : ii., pp. 883-885. 
 
 75 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 clergyman of some fame, and published several other works 
 which attracted notice at the ^time. He was the son of Hugh 
 Lloyd, of Pantmawr, Trawsfynydd, where he was born in 1635, 
 and educated at Ruthin and Oriel College, Oxford, where he 
 graduated B.A. in 1656, M.A., 1659. He afterwards became 
 chaplain to Dr. Isaac Barrow, Bishop of St. Asaph, who made 
 him Canon of that Cathedral in 1670. He held the living of 
 Abergele in 1671, and was preferred to Northop in 1672. Later 
 on, he returned to his home at Trawsfynydd, where he died in 
 1691. 
 
 His book of " Memories, &c.," as well as his " Statesmen 
 and Favourites," which had appeared in 1665, were condemned 
 by the critics for their plagiarism. But this censure did not apply 
 to Lloyd's previous works, five in number, one of which, 
 " Worthies of the World : or the Lives of the most heroic Greeks 
 and Romans compared, 1665," became very popular, and secured 
 him a great measure of commendation. Unfortunately, Lloyd 
 was soured by the critics, went into retirement, and gave up 
 writing. He had suffered imprisonment in 1663 at the hands of 
 the Earl of Bridgewater, for a description given of his Countess 
 under the title " The Countess of Bridgewater's Ghost." Lloyd 
 had meant to portray her virtues, but the title of the book (the 
 lady was still alive) and his method of doing so, incurred the 
 displeasure of the Earl. 
 
 A work of considerable antiquarian interest appeared in 
 1676, called "Britannia Antiqua Illustrata," by Aylett Sammes, 
 of Christ's College, Cambridge ; afterwards of the Inner Temple. 
 He describes the original trade of this island with the Phoenicians, 
 as well as the names of places, officies, dignities, idolatry, 
 language and customs of the primitive inhabitants. He also gives 
 a chronological history of Britain from the first traditional 
 beginning to the year 800 A.D., and has much to say of the 
 antiquities of the Saxons, as well as the Phoenicians, Greeks, and 
 Romans. The volume is called the first volume, and is illustrated 
 with wood -cuts. Sammes also published many other works. 
 76 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 Historical novels have been very few in Welsh literature, but 
 one did appear in 1678, entitled "Tudor, A Prince of Wales. 
 In Two Parts. London. Printed by H. H. for Jonathan Edwin, 
 at the Sign of the Three Roses, on Ludgate Hill, 1678." 
 
 In 1679 the country was disturbed by the Popish Plot, and 
 echoes of it are found in the literature of the time, which 
 expresses the popular indignation against the Jesuits. Several 
 publications appear relative to this abortive effort, as far as it 
 touched Wales. The high feeling which prevailed is sufficient to 
 account for the immoderate language used in these papers : 
 
 " The Condemnation of the Cheating Popist Priest, or, A 
 brief account of the Tryal of Father Lewis, the pretended 
 Bishop of Llandaff, at the last Assizes of Monmouth, 
 March 28. Who lately cheated a poor woman of ,15, and 
 got a Warrant against her for ^15 more, on pretence of 
 praying for her father's soul out of Purgatory. With the 
 condemnation of another Popish Priest at Gloucester," 1679. 
 " A True Narrative of the apprehension of William Geldon, 
 alias Bacon, of Tregear, in Monmouthshire," 1679. 
 " A True Narrative of that Grand Jesuite Father Andrews, 
 who lived at Hardwick, in Monmouthshire, how he fled into 
 a large wood to escape Justice, how he came to an untimely 
 End, and the manner of his Burial," 1679. 
 "A Collection of 10 different Broadsides and Single Sheets 
 Published, relating to Mr. Arnold, the Monmouthshire 
 Justice, Sir George Wakeman, and William Bedlow, who 
 was so active at the Monmouth Trials of Jesuits and 
 Malignants," 1678-1680. 
 
 " Short Narrative of the Discovery of a College of Jesuits 
 at a place called Combe, in the County of Hereford, which 
 was sent up by Herbert, Bishop of Hereford, to Parliament, 
 according to order, to make diligent search and return an 
 Account thereof, to which is added a true Relation of the 
 Knavery of Father Lewis, the pretended Bishop of Llandaff, 
 now a prisoner at Monmouth Gaol, Printed by T. N. 1679." 
 
 77 
 
'WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 " Letter from a Gentleman in the County to his Friend in 
 London, occasioned by a Prophesie that was lately found 
 in the place of retirement of Father Lewis of Combe, in 
 Herefordshire." 1679. 
 
 " The Information of Turbervill, of Skerr, in the County of 
 Glamorgan, Gent," 1680. This contains much information 
 
 concerning the Welsh Roman Catholics, who were disloyal to the 
 
 Government at the time, and an account of a plot in Wales. 
 
 And further light upon those times is thrown by the : 
 
 " Examination taken upon Oath in the Counties of Mon- 
 mouth and Hereford, Reported to Sir John Trevor, Chairman 
 of the Committee to prevent the growth of Popery, with the 
 Account given to the House of Commons by Jno. Arnold 
 and John Scudamore, of the Encouragement given to Popery 
 in the Counties of Monmouth and Hereford. 1680." 
 In the same year, three more documents were published for 
 
 which revelations of the Popish Plot, real or imaginary, were 
 
 responsible : 
 
 " Clamor Sanguinis, or the Cry of Blood, being a short but 
 true Account of a Barbarous and Bloody Assault . . . made 
 on the Body of John Arnold, Esq., Justice of the Peace for 
 the County of Monmouth 1680." 
 It seems that Arnold had been instrumental in bringing to 
 
 his execution a certain Captain Evans of Glamorgan, a Jesuit 
 
 (sometimes stated to be a priest), and the Jesuits are said to have 
 
 avenged Evans by their plan to murder Arnold. 1 
 
 " An account of an Attempt upon the Person of Mr. Arnold, 
 one of His Majestie's Justices of the Peace for the County 
 of Monmouth .... 15 Ap., 1680." 
 This account varies from the previous one, amongst other 
 
 things in the time in which it is stated the assault took place. 
 
 "England's Second Warning - Piece, Observation on the 
 Barbarous Attempt to Murther Justice Arnold . . . Ap. 15, 
 1680, with a copy of the pretended Speech of Evans the 
 Popish Priest executed in Glamorganshire," 
 1 Lfyfr, y Cymry> p. 222. 
 
 7* 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 Several, who were said to be disguised Jesuit Priests, were 
 put to death at this time at Cardiff. Mr. Arnold recovered from 
 his wounds, which had proved well-nigh fatal. 
 
 There is only one work mentioned in the Cambrian Biblio- 
 graphy, of the very celebrated and learned Dr. Peter Heilyn 
 (or Heylyn, 1599- 1662), and that is : 
 
 " The Historical and Miscellaneous Tracts of the Reverend 
 and Learned Peter Heylyn, D.D. Now collected into one 
 Volume, and to which are added an Account of the Life of 
 the Author, &c., London, Printed by M. Clark, 1681." 
 Yet he was one of the most active writers of his age, and he 
 is described in " The History of Oxford University " as one of 
 the most remarkable men of the century. 1 He was the second 
 son of Henry Heilyn, of Burford, Oxfordshire, and nephew of 
 Rowland Heilyn, who was the last heir male of Pentre Heilyn, 
 in the Parish of Llandysilio, Montgomeryshire. 3 Educated at 
 Oxford, he became Demy and Fellow of Magdalen College. 3 He 
 took Orders in 1623 and became chaplain to Laud, whose 
 religious sympathies he shared and whose views he ably pro- 
 mulgated. During the reign of Charles I. he obtained valuable 
 preferment in the benefice of Houghton in Durham, which he 
 afterwards exchanged for Ailresford, in Hampshire, and became 
 Rector of Hemingford in 1631. He was Fellow of Magdalen 
 College, Oxford, 1618-30. 
 
 In 1620, he published his " Geography," but King James, to 
 whom a copy was presented, took umbrage at a reference in which 
 France was given preference to England. This did not prevent a 
 second edition being published in 1624. 
 
 Perhaps the most noted incident in his life was his con- 
 troversy with the distinguished scholar Prideaux. The two points 
 at issue in this discussion, as stated by Wood, were : (i) An 
 Ecclesia unquam fuerit invisibilis? (2) An Ecclesia possit errare ? 
 The wide difference between the two Churchmen was seen in that 
 
 ' Athcn : Oxon : ii., pp. 275-285. * Manual of Wthh Lit., p. 155. 
 3 Athen : Oxon : ii., p. 275. 
 
 79 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Peter Heilyn said No ! to both of these questions, whilst Prideaux 
 ariswered both with a direct affirmative. 
 
 In 1668, when " The Life of Laud " was published, the 
 author showed that both Laud and Heilyn were equally enemies 
 to Popery and Puritanism, a statement which, perhaps, correctly 
 defines the attitude of both men. Amongst the numerous works 
 produced by Heilyn may be mentioned : 
 
 " Microcosmus : A Description of the Great World." 1622. 
 
 This was afterwards enlarged and printed in folio in a work 
 which appeared in four parts, entitled "Cosmography in four 
 Books," 1652, 1664, 1677, 1682. The last three parts were 
 printed after the author's death. In his latter years he could 
 neither see to write nor read. 
 
 "The History of St. George of Cappadocia," 1631, with 
 which was printed " The Institution of the most noble Order 
 of St. George, named the Garter," and a " Catalogue of all 
 the Knights of the Garter from the first Institution to this 
 present." 
 
 "A Coal from the Altar," 1636. This was an answer to 
 Williams, Bishop of Lincoln, who had written against "the 
 Communion Table standing Altar- ways." 
 
 He also wrote a " History of the Episcopacy," and a 
 u Historical Narration of Liturgies" in 1642; and a "Brief 
 Relation of the Death and Sufferings of the most Reverend and 
 Renowned Prelate the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, with a 
 copy of his Speech and other passages on the Scaffold," 1644. 
 
 He was deprived of his benefices during the Commonwealth, 
 and suffered great poverty, but was reinstated at the Restoration. 
 His highest preferment was the Sub -deanery of Westminster. 
 He died in 1662. 
 
 He had won for himself a recognised place amongst the 
 historians of the i7th century, and was possessed of the critical 
 faculty to a great degree. When Thomas Fuller produced his 
 most celebrated work, the huge Church History of Britain in 
 80 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 1656, much as it was praised, and widely as it was read, "its 
 accuracy was impugned by Dr. Peter Heylin." 1 
 
 In 1685, Edward Stillingfleet (1633-1699), Dean of St. 
 Paul's published " Oiigines Britannicae" or " The Antiquities of 
 British Churches." 
 
 He wrote this work in support of Bishop William Lloyd of 
 St. Asaph, who had published in 1684 "An Historical Account 
 of Church Government as it was in Great Britain and Ireland, 
 when they received the Christian Religion." Stillingfleet had 
 become Bishop of Worcester, in 1689, and an intimate friendship 
 existed between him and Bishop Lloyd, who was one of the most 
 lovable men of his age. 
 
 This is that same Bishop Lloyd who had public discussions 
 with the Quakers and Nonconformists. The work he had issued 
 in 1684 may be instanced as a specimen of the arguments then 
 employed by him against Richard Davies, the Quaker, and 
 James Owen, the Nonconformist, at Llanfyllin and Oswestry. 
 The discussions were conducted with perfect good temper and 
 moderation on both sides, which was quite a pattern to that 
 controversial age, and although the disputants differed as widely 
 at the end as at the start on the points at issue, yet there was knit 
 between them a warm friendship which lasted their life -time. 
 
 Two papers relating to the Court of the Marches were 
 published in 1689, one giving reasons for its abolition, and the 
 other showing the particular conveniences of that Court. Neither 
 has the name of any author attached. 
 
 In 1695, a writer signing himself R. B. produced "The 
 History of Britain," in which some interesting information is given 
 of the Principality. The portion relating to Wales divides itself 
 into three divisions: (i) "A brief account of the Ancient Kings 
 and Princes of Brittain and Wales till the final Extinguishing of 
 the Royal British Line." (2) " Remarks upon the Lives of all 
 the Princes of Wales, of the Royal Families of England, from 
 King Edward the First to this time." (3) " Remarkable Observa- 
 1 Garnett and Gosse's History of English Literature, iii., p. 50. 
 
 8l 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 tions on the most Memorable Persons and Places in Wales, and 
 of many considerable Transactions and Passages that have 
 
 happened therein for many hundred years past Together 
 
 with Natural and Artificial Rarities and Wonders in the several 
 Counties of the Principality, by R. B. 1695." 
 
 Gwilym Lleyn thinks that R. B. stands for Robert Burton, a 
 writer who produced several small works of a similar nature, of 
 which the following are instanced : " The History of the House 
 of Orange "; " The History of Oliver Cromwell "; " The Historie 
 of the Kingdom of IreJand," and many others. This Robert 
 Burton, if Gwilym Lleyn's contention is correct, is not to be 
 confused with the able author of the " Anatomy of Melancholy," 
 who flourished in the same century. 1 
 
 A small book of some interest, which appeared in 1695, is 
 that entitled " Valor Beneficiorum, or a Valuation of all 
 Ecclesiastical Preferments in England and W T ales, 1695." It 
 enables a comparison to be made of the value of benefices before 
 and after the Restoration. In some cases, funds diverted during 
 the Commonwealth had not been restored, and there was con- 
 siderable shrinkage. 
 
 Still another " History of Wales " appeared before the end of 
 the century, in 1697. Its author was the Rev. William Wynne 
 (i65o-?i7ii), M.A., Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford. It is a 
 re -arrangement and improvement of the work of Dr. Powell, who 
 had mainly relied upon the Chronicle of Caradoc of Llancarvan. 
 Wynne considerably augmented Powell's work, and his edition 
 was considered so valuable that it was re-issued twice during the 
 eighteenth century. 2 The author was the son of John Wynne, of 
 Henllan, in Denbighshire. He was ordained by the Bishop of 
 Bangor, and laboured in that diocese. It is believed that he died 
 before the year 1711.3 He was buried at Bangor. 
 
 The last author whose work will be noticed in this chapter 
 is the noted antiquary, philologist, and natural scientist, 
 
 iLlyfr. y Cymry, p. ,257. 2 See Manual of Welsh Lit., p. 139. 
 3 Alumni Oxon : also Hearne's Collections, vol. iii. p. 201. 
 
 82 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 Edward Lhwyd (1660- 1709). Although part of his work was 
 published iu the eighteenth century, it was accomplished, for the 
 most part, in the seventeenth, and he lived forty years of his short 
 life in this century. He was the son of Edward Lhoyd, of 
 Llanvorda, near Oswestry, by Bridget Pryse, of Glanfroed, a 
 member of the ancient Gogerddan family. He was born in the 
 parish of Lappiton, 1 as testified in Llanstephan M.S. 185, p. 120. 
 This manuscript had been in Lhwyd's possession for many years, 
 and if it were incorrect, he would, no doubt, have altered the 
 statement. He probably received his early education at Oswestry 
 Grammar School. At the age of twenty -two, he entered Jesus 
 College, 3 Oxford, and was one of its most illustrious sons at a 
 time when its alumni were filling some of the highest offices in 
 Church and State. 2 Whilst an undergraduate, he obtained the 
 post of assistant at the Ashmolean Museum, which had been 
 opened in 1683, and worked there under Dr. Plot, whom he 
 succeeded as Keeper in 1690. This preferment gave him greater 
 freedom, and whereas he had previously confined his researches 
 to the neighbourhood of Oxford, he now extended his sphere of 
 activities, and as a result of his investigations in Wales, he was 
 able to supply Bishop Gibson with much valuable material for his 
 edition of Britannia, winch was published in 1695. In that 
 same year he conceived a more ambitious design, viz., to prepare 
 a work which would include a British Dictionary, an Essay 
 entitled Archaologia Britannica, and a Natural History of Wales, 
 and he received sufficient support and encouragement, at the 
 time, to begin the work. He issued an elaborate syllabus in the 
 form of Parochial Queries devised to elicit the information he 
 required, and circulated them with the approval of John Wallis, 
 Edward Bernard, Martin Lister, and John Ray. Sixteen of them 
 
 'See Mr. Richard Ellis's able article in Trans, of the Hon. Sac. of 
 Cymmrodorion, Session 1906- 07, published in 1908. 2 ibid, p. 3. See also 
 " Memoirs of the Life of Henry Maurice, D. D., Cambrian Register, 1799. 
 3 Wood is wrong in his date, having confused our author with Edward Lloyd, 
 of Kidwelly, 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 pertained to geographical and antiquarian information, and thirty- 
 one to natural history, and they were of a very searching 
 character. 1 In 1696 he began his tour of North Wales, and 
 visited Co-.vbridge and Swansea in the same year. He spent part 
 of 1697 in Merionethshire, and of 1698 in Flintshire. In the 
 latter year he visited Ireland, thence proceeding to Scotland, 
 where he mentions that the inhabitants treated him with great 
 kindness and civility. In 1699 he returned to Wales, and then 
 paid a visit to Cornwall. He landed at St. Malo in 1700, hoping 
 to investigate the history and antiquities of Britanny, but he was 
 received there with great suspicion, and imprisoned for eighteen 
 days as a spy. He returned to Oxford in 1701, and proceeded to 
 arrange his materials for the publication of his great work. The 
 first part of the Archaologia Britannica appeared in 1707, and 
 was entitled the Glossography. It really comprised a very small 
 portion of his researches, and was not received with great satis- 
 faction by some of his patrons. The great scholars of the time, 
 however, acknowledged its worth, and Lhwyd was rewarded in 
 1708 by being admitted a Fellow of the Royal Society. His 
 University, in the following year, appointed him Superior Beadle 
 of Divinity, a post which gave him a competence which, small as 
 it was, he had never before enjoyed, Oxford had also conferred 
 upon him the M.A. degree on his return from Britanny in 1701. 
 But, on the whole, his labours had heen very inadequately 
 acknowledged. He lived but a few months to enjoy his new 
 dignity. He had contracted asthma on one of his journeys, and 
 having slept in a damp room at the Ashmolean, he developed 
 pleurisy, from which he died on June 30, 1709. He was buried 
 in the Welsh aisle in St. Michael's Church, Oxford. 
 
 In his various journeys he had collected a considerable 
 number of manuscripts, and these, in addition to his own valuable 
 work which had not been] published, were offered for sale at his 
 death. Many, if not most of them, were bought by Sir Thomas 
 Sebright, 2 of Beechwood, Hertfordshire. He presented the Irish 
 
 1 Arch. Camb. for 1859, p. 166, * See article on Edward 
 in A M B. 
 84 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 part of them to Trinity College, Dublin. In 1807 Sir Watkin 
 Williams Wynn bought the Lhwyd collection, but much of it was 
 destroyed by fire when in the hands of the binders. 
 Edward Lhwyd's published works are : 
 
 " Archreologia Britannica ; an account of the Languages, 
 Histories, and Customes of Great Britain, from collections 
 and observations in Travels through Wales, Cornwall, Bas- 
 Bretagne, Ireland and Scotland. Vol. 1. Glossography, 
 1707." 
 
 He had designed to publish the work in four parts, the first 
 to contain "A comparison of the modern Welsh with other 
 European Languages " ; the second, " A comparison of the 
 Customes and Traditions of the Britans with those of other 
 nations " ; the third, " An Account of all such monuments now 
 remaining in Wales as are presum'd to be British ; and either 
 older or not much later than the Roman Conquest, viz., their 
 camps and Buryal places, the monuments call'd Cromlecheu and 
 Meineu gwyr ; their Coyns, Arms, Amulets, 'cc.," the fourth, 
 " An Account of the Rome.n Antiquities there, and some others 
 of later date, dureing the Government of the British Princes ; 
 together with copies of all the Inscriptions of any considerable 
 Antiquity, as yet remaining in that country." 
 
 In 1699, he published Lithophylacii Britannia Ichnograhhia. 
 This is a catalogue of the fossils at the Ashmolean Museum. It 
 ig interesting to note that Sir Isaac Newton had contributed 
 towards the expense of printing it. It is full of inaccuracies, owing 
 to Lhwyd's absence from Oxford while it was being printed. 
 
 A condition upon which he had received his M.A. degree 
 was that he should read "six solemn lectures upon Natural 
 History, one every year." 1 These were published at Leipzig in 
 1733 in a work by Luick, entitled " De Stellis Marinis" 
 
 His correspondence with Henry Rowland is printed in Muna 
 Antiqua. pp. 301-18. 
 
 1 See article on Edward Lhwyd in D. N. B. 
 
 85 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 The great bulk of his work was left in MSS., which included 
 forty folio volumes, ten quartos, and one hundred miscellaneous. 
 
 On a visit to Cambridge in 1702 he discovered the Glosses 
 and the englynion of the Juvencus MS. 1 
 
 His great work, the Archce.ologia Britannica, marks a new 
 epoch in the history of Welsh philology. A profound knowledge 
 of the Celtic languages, a critical spirit far in advance of his time, 
 and a remarkably modern scientific method of treatment, are 
 apparent in every page of this monumental work. In this branch 
 of knowledge he was the link between Dr. Gruffydd Roberts, of 
 Milan, and the recently departed and much lamented Sir John 
 Rhys, Principal of Jesus College, Oxford. By his comparative 
 method of treatment, he discovered Grimm's Law more than a 
 century before Grimm formulated it. Lhwyd's contributions to 
 natural science and archaeology are equally significant and import- 
 ant. His published works are very numerous and scattered, but 
 his services to literature as a collector of manuscripts alone were 
 very great. Although his countrymen failed to appreciate the 
 significance of his work during his time, and for more than a 
 century after his death, modern scholarship has fully re-established 
 his claims to be esteemed as the pioneer of modern philology in 
 Britain. 2 Sir John Rhys' opinion of him was that " he was in 
 many respects the greatest Celtic philologist the world has ever 
 seen. It is not too much to say that had Celtic philology walked 
 in the ways of Edward Lhwyd, and not of such men as Dr. Pughe 
 and Col. Valiancy, it would by this time have reached a far higher 
 ground than it has, and native scholars would have left no room 
 for the meteoric appearance of Zeuss or of the other Germans 
 who have succeeded him in the same field of study. "3 
 
 1 Trans, of Cymmrod. Sac., 1908, p. 44. 
 
 2 Dr. Gruffydd Roberts had led the way to the discovery of the laws of 
 sound changes in words borrowed from the Latin. The same laws were per- 
 ceived by Edward Lhwyd, who further developed them ; but it was Sir John 
 Rhys who fully discovered them and showed how gradually the changes took 
 place. J. C. M. 3 Address delivered at Oswestry, June, 1896, quoted in 
 Bye - Cones, vol. xiii. p, 363. 
 
 86 
 
HISTORICAL, ANTIQUARIAN, TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 Lhwyd's personal character, as given by Hearne, was that of 
 " a person of singular modesty, good nature, and uncommon 
 industry .... not at all ambitious of preferment or honour, and 
 what he does is purely out of love to the good of learning and his 
 country." 1 
 
 " Hwyliaist or Llwybreu halaeth, gan hoffi 
 
 Anhyffordd Wybodaeth 
 Allan on Dysc, lie nid aeth 
 Un Dyn i Derfyn d' Arfaeth. 
 
 Meini nadd a Mynyddoedd, a Gwalieu 
 
 Ac olion Dinasoedd, 
 A Dail dy Fyfyrdod oedd, 
 A Hanesion lien Oesoedd. 
 
 Chwiliaist, ti gefaist yn gyfan Addysc 
 
 Y Deiwyddon allan ; 
 A Bri y Cowri, ai Can, 
 Ai Hiroes gynt, ai Harian. 
 
 Garw yw huno Gwr hynod heb orphen 
 
 Ei berffaith Fyfyrdod, 
 Rhoddem a feddem dy fod 
 O law Angeu, Lew yngod. 
 
 A thra bo Athro bywiawl, na cherrig, 
 
 Na Chaerau Dieithrawl, 
 Nag un Llyseuyn llesawl, 
 Na hen laith, bydd faith dy Fawl." 
 
 Collections, vol. i. p. 244. " Englynion in Carmen En^yil- 
 icum in Obitttm . . . Edwardi LuiJii, quoted in Cymmrod. Trans., 1906-7, 
 p. 50. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 (a) THE EDITIONS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 
 
 (b) THE EDITIONS OF THE PSALMS AND THE BOOK 
 
 OF COMMON PRAYER. 
 
 (c) OTHER WORKS, RELIGIOUS AND MORAL. 
 
ON its religious side, the seventeenth century produced a 
 considerable number of books and pamphlets which can 
 be broadly included under the three headings given above. It 
 was a period of transition. The changes wrought by the end 
 of the century were of a far-reaching character, and they took 
 place under conditions the reverse of normal. Sometimes 
 changes take place quietly and almost imperceptibly. A new 
 outlook upon life and a new attitute towards its problems are 
 reached by a slow and natural process. At other times changes 
 are brought about suddenly, under the stress of some political 
 or religious upheaval. This was what happened in the seven- 
 teenth century. And nowhere does the remark apply more 
 truly than to the domain of religious literature in Wales. The 
 current divinity of the early seventeenth century, both in England 
 and Wales, was on the downward grade. The decline in lucidity 
 and strength from the standard of the sixteenth century is remark- 
 able. This is, perhaps, not surprising, for it merely underwent 
 the depression which affected this branch of literature throughout 
 Europe. 
 
 In the previous chapter it was shewn how the Civil War 
 affected Wales. The overthrow of the King and the substitution 
 of the Commonwealth brought into prominence such important 
 questions as the toleration of religious dissent, and that of Church 
 discipline generally. The Act for the Propagation of the Gospel 
 in Wales, which was put into operation in 1650, threw men's 
 minds into a turmoil. The ejection of the clergy was a drastic 
 measure which made thoughtful men pause, and was only a cause 
 for rejoicing to an inconsiderable minority, some of whom hoped 
 to benefit by the process. The attitude of Wales towards 
 Puritanism in the early part of the century had not been extreme. 
 On the accession of James I., at the Hampton Court Conference 
 in 1604, Dr. Rudd, Bishop of St. David's, had spoken in favour 
 
 9 1 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 of treating the Puritans with "love and moderation."' Many of 
 the Puritans, in fact, used to preach in the Churches at Evensong. 2 
 When Laud became Bishop of St. David's in 1621, he made 
 regulations against this. But the policy of Laud in the Church 
 and of Charles I. in the State was not endorsed by the majority 
 of the Welsh bishops. After Laud's translation to London, we 
 find that three Welsh bishops, Dr. Morgan Owen, Bishop of 
 Llandaff ; Dr. J. Owen, Bishop of St. Asaph ; and Dr. W. 
 Roberts, Bishop of Bangor, were sent to the Tower, in 1641.3 
 The attitude of some of the Welsh clergy towards the " Book of 
 Sports " has already been noticed. Bearing these things in mind, 
 one is hardly prepared for the drastic treatment meted out to the 
 Welsh Church by the Commonwealth under the "Act for the 
 Propagation of the Gospel." It was really the work of a few 
 extreme men, who got the power into their own hands, as a reward 
 for their political help to the Commonwealth. The names of 
 the Commissioners appointed by Cromwell are given by Peters* 
 as follows ; " Henry Walter, Walter Cradock, Richard Simonds, 
 Roger Charnock, Jenkin Lloyd, Morris Bidwell, David Walter, 
 William Seaborn, Edmund Ellis, Jenkin Jones, George Robinson, 
 Richard Powell, Robert Powell, Thomas Ewen, John Miles, 
 Oliver Thomas, Dr. John Ellis, Ambrose Mostyn, Morgan Lloyd, 
 William Jones, Richard Edwards, Vavasor Powell, Richard Swain, 
 and Rowland Nevet."s Walker gives a list of one hundred and 
 twenty clergy who were deprived under the " Act," and the three 
 reasons alleged for their removal were (i) that they were ignorant 
 of religious principles, (2) neglected to preach, and (3) were 
 immoral. According to Walker they were allowed one -fifth 
 of their income. Their places were filled by appointing six 
 " itinerant preachers " in each county, who received an income 
 of ;ioo a year each. In addition, thirty -two ministers were sent 
 
 'See Neal's Hist, of the Puritans, i. pp. 424 - 427. 2 See Peter's Hanes 
 Crefyddyng Nghymru, p. 509. 3 ibid p. 520. 4 ihid p. 534. = Sir Erasmus 
 Philipps should also he included in the list of Commissioners. He played an 
 important part in the affairs of Wales at this time. See Article by Kev. T. 
 Shankland, M.A., in The Transactions of the Cyinmrodorion^^o^-o^), p. 75. 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 forth and a number of local preachers to make up the rest of the 
 deficiency. When we are solemnly told by Neal 1 that this 
 number was insufficient to do the work of the dispossessed clergy, 
 it proves one of two things, either that the 120 clergy were very 
 energetic men, or that the nnmber of ejections was under-stated 
 by Walker. It can be assumed that their substitutes were above 
 reproach. 
 
 After the Commissioners had been at work in Wales for two 
 years, one thousand petitioners from South Wales besought 
 Parliament on behalf of the dispossessed clergy. They spoke of 
 the pitiful condition of the country, and asked that the men who 
 had received all the Church emoluments should be brought to 
 account. Parliament appointed a Committee to ask the Com- 
 missioners to report to them within a month, but the Long 
 Parliament dissolved before anything was done. In 1654, 
 Cromwell called the " Taenwyr " to account. He appointed Sir 
 Hugh Owen and eighteen men from the South, and Mathew 
 Morgan and twelve men from the North to further an inquiry. 
 Neale states that the results of that inquiry were satisfactory, and 
 the Commissioners' accounts commended. 2 At the Restoration, 
 the ministers appointed by the Commissioners in Wales were not 
 turned out in the cases where the dispossessed clergy had died. 3 
 This in itself argues a spirit of toleration beyond what might have 
 been expected of those times. It must be remembered that 
 many of those who were ejected had previously ejected the 
 rightful owners. 4 
 
 The above outline of the forces at work in Wales has been 
 given, not to keep alive the antagonism of the past, but to show 
 what it was that led to the awakening from the lethargy which 
 had oppressed the country in the early years of the century, as 
 far as its literary history is concerned. Those early years saw 
 the decline of letters both in England and Wales. Stagnation in 
 literary history means decline. To stand still is to go back. 
 
 'Neal's Hist, of the Puritans, ii. p. 548. 2 Vol, ii. pp. 455-459- 
 ' Peter's Kaues Crefydd> p. 548. < ibid, pp. 560-561. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 When we contrast the paucity of literary productions in the first 
 half of the century with the prolific output of the second half, we 
 are forced to the conclusion that the main cause for the change 
 lies in the political and religious struggles of which the above 
 events were the outward expression. 
 
 The question of the toleration of religious nonconformity led 
 to the production of an extraordinary amount of writing in 
 England. There was great "searching after antiquities, the 
 collection of authorities, and the rectification of records." r This 
 movement had its influence upon Wales. The Civil War had 
 thrown the two countries into closer contact than had existed 
 previously. We have already noticed how men like Morgan 
 Llwyd were drawn into the vortex. Such works as William 
 Chilling worth's " Religion of Protestants" (1637), one of the 
 strongest prose works produced in England, came under the 
 notice of Welsh religious thinkers, and this instance may be 
 multiplied many times over. Tillotson and other thinkers of his 
 school had also a wide influence on Welsh religious thought. 
 The divines of the period became something more than preachers. 
 They began to see the necessity for lifting the ignorance which 
 lay like a pall over the masses, and we presently see the co- 
 operation of an English divine like Thomas Gouge with a Welsh 
 preacher and teacher of the type of Stephen Hughes in an 
 attempt to educate them. Such works as Jeremy Taylor's 
 "Holy Living" (1650), and "Holy Dying" (1651), had also a 
 far reaching influence in Wales. Taylor himself, who had been 
 captured, at the battle of Cardigan in 1645,* but was soon 
 released, withdrew to South Wales when the Royalist cause 
 declined, and kept a school there. In the " retiring and agreeable 
 solitude" which he enjoyed at the Golden Grove, when he 
 accepted the hospitality of the Earl of Carbery, he produced some 
 of his best work, and did much by his efforts as a schoolmaster 
 to enlighten the population in those parts. The accumulation of 
 such instances as have been mentioned shows that matters were 
 
 1 GarneU and Gosse Hist, of Ett. /,/., ii. p. 386. ibid, iii. p. 39. 
 94- 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 moving at last in Wales, and that she was stirring the stagnant 
 waters of her political and religious life. Something of the 
 restlessness of the times is typified in the life and work of that 
 strange man, James Howell, son of Thomas Howell, of Abernant, 
 Carmarthenshire, whose career, erratic as it was, showed that the 
 spirit of enquiry had entered the minds of young Welshmen, and 
 had led them to desire acquaintance with a larger world than 
 their own Welsh hills and valleys. Having linguistic gifts, he 
 became unusually skilled in the principal European languages, 
 and travelled much in Holland, Spain, Italy, and Denmark. He 
 began his literary career in 1640, by the publication of Dodona's 
 Grove. Later on, from the Fleet Prison, he issued his famous 
 Epistolac Ho-Elianae, or Familiar Letters, of which four volumes 
 were issued between 1645 and 1655. They were read with 
 extreme avidity, " and marked the rise of a new class of literature, 
 the elaborately -composed essay -letter." ' 
 
 Charles II. was much impressed by Howell's learning, and 
 created the post of Historiograper Royal for him in 1661, and 
 endowed it so amply that he spent the close of his harassed life 
 in comparative comfort. 
 
 Henry Vaughan, the Silurist, is another remarkable instance 
 of the wider outlook enjoyed by Welshmen at this time. Practis- 
 ing as a physician in the small town of Brecon, and wholly given 
 to piety, he attained quite a respectable place in the world of 
 letters, and his poems were widely read. They breathe a spirit 
 of true inward religion, which could not fail to have an uplifting 
 influence on his countrymen and others. A good example of 
 his penetration into the reality of things is furnished by his poem 
 " The Retreat," which appeared in a collection made by some of 
 his friends, published under the title Thalia Rediviva in 1678 : 
 
 Happy those early days, when I 
 Shined in my anel- infancy ! 
 Before I understood this place 
 Appointed for my second race, 
 Or taught my soul to fancy ought 
 But a white, celestial thought ; 
 
 1 Garnett and Gosse Hist, of Eng, Lit., iii. p. 48. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 When yet I had not walked above 
 
 A mile or two, from my first love, 
 
 And looking back at that short space 
 
 Could see a glimpse of His bright face ; 
 
 When on some gilded cloud or flower 
 
 My gazing soul would dwell an hour, 
 
 And in those weaker glories spy 
 
 Some shadows of Eternity ; 
 
 Before I taught my tongue to wound 
 
 My conscience with a sinful sound, 
 
 Or had the black art to dispense, 
 
 A sev'ral sin to every sense, 
 
 But felt through all this fleshy dress 
 
 Bright shoots of everlastingness. 
 
 It is no small tribute to Welshmen, that they should have 
 shown the way to a new class of prose literature, very much akin 
 to modern journalism, as James Howell did, and have attained the 
 standard of poetic excellence to which the lines just quoted from 
 Henry Vaughan testify. 
 
 When two such events as the establishment of a Common- 
 wealth and the restoration of monarchy happened in the same 
 century, it could not be otherwise than that public interest was 
 concentrated on political questions. But collateral with the 
 political questions of that day was the deeper problem of religion, 
 and it is not unnatural that the Welsh mind should have addressed 
 itself to this more than to the other. The temperament of the 
 Welsh nation is sufficient to account for the preference, and even 
 a cursory glance at the productions of the seventeenth century 
 shows how considerations for religion outweighed everything else. 
 We will first consider : 
 
 (a) THE EDITIONS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES 
 
 A nation seeking to put its religious life in order, instinctively 
 turned to a consideration of those Scriptures upon which all 
 Christian belief is founded. The great work of giving Wales 
 the Scriptures in its own tongue had been started by William 
 Salesbury, Bishop Morgan, and his co-adjutors in the latter part 
 of the sixteenth century, but whereas it had then been undertaken 
 9 6 
 
by men of one school of religious thought, it now claimed the 
 devotion and zeal of many who no longer accepted the doctrine 
 and government of the Established Church, and in many 
 particulars were openly at variance with her. Nevertheless, they 
 were in perfect agreement that the fundamentals of the Christian 
 Faith are based upon Holy Scripture. 
 
 The year 1620 stands out in the history of religious literature 
 in this century in Wales, as 1 6 1 1 does in that of England. For 
 that year saw the publication of Bishop Parry's revised version of 
 Bishop Morgan's 1588 Bible. Its title ran: 
 
 "Y Bibl Cyssegr-lan, sef yr Hen Destament a'r Newydd. 
 2 Tim. 3. 1 6. Yr holl Scrythur sydd wedi ei rhoddi gan 
 ysprydoliaeth Dduw, ac sydd fuddiol i athrawiaethu, i 
 argyhoeddi, i geryddu, i hyfforddi mewn cyfiawnder : 1 7 Fel 
 y byddo dyn Duw yn berffaith, wedi ei berffeithio i bob 
 gweithred da. 
 
 Printiedig yn Llundain gan Bonham Norton a lohn Bill, 
 Printwyr i Ardderchoccaf fawrhydi y Brenhin. 1620." 
 With some few alterations, this work remains the Authorized 
 Version of the Welsh Bible to-day. It is so important that it 
 needs as much detailed attention as the scope of the present 
 volume admits. 
 
 It should be stated at the outset, that Bishop Morgan had 
 accepted in the main the New Testament as translated by 
 William Salesbury and Dr. Davies, his part being that of a 
 reviser only. But between 1588 and 1604, Bishop Morgan again 
 revised the New Testament, for what reasons it is not stated, and 
 it was ready for the press at the time of his death J in 1 604, but 
 the matter proceeded no further. We can conjecture, however 
 that Bishop Parry, who was Morgan's successor in the See of St 
 Asaph, knew of this revision, and probably knew also that it had 
 been Bishop Morgan's desire to revise the whole Bible. Assum- 
 ing that Bishop Parry knew this, and sympathised with it, he had 
 a further incentive to the work in the knowledge that in that very 
 1 Ames Typogr : Antiq : p. 435. 
 
 97 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 year, 1604, a body of Divines in England had been appointed to 
 revise the English Scriptures, 1 and to publish their work when 
 completed, having the sanction of the Royal authority and that of 
 Parliament for the project. 
 
 A further reason that influenced Bishop Parry in his decision 
 to revise the whole of the Scriptures was the demand for Bibles 
 on the part of the churches. The number issued by Bishop 
 Morgan had been very limited barely sufficient for the needs of 
 the parish churches and chapelries throughout Wales. Over 
 thirty years' wear andt ear would leave the majority of these in a 
 dilapidated condition. 
 
 It would be easy to add other cumulative reasons, the 
 strongest of which was, perhaps, that the Cymry, having heard 
 the Word of God in their own tongue for over a quarter of a 
 century, would be intolerant of its loss, and would never brook 
 the return to a tongue " not understanded of the people," whether 
 it was Latin or English. 
 
 So the Bishop, with able assistance, began his revision. The 
 alterations made were considerable, and it remains, with some 
 corrections, the standard translation of the Bible, which has 
 done more to preserve and foster the Welsh language than any 
 other book, although the Welsh Book of Common Prayer shares 
 with it this pride of place. 
 
 It was printed in London, as the title-page shows, by Norton 
 and Bill, printers to His Majesty, in 1620; and a copy was 
 presented to the King, which is now preserved in the British 
 Museum. 2 It is a folio edition printed in black letter, and its 
 divisions are similar to those of the 1588 Bible. The contents of 
 each chapter are given above it, and references appear in the 
 margin. There is a Calendar prefixed, as well as a Lr.tin 
 dedication, " Sacrosanctae et individuae Trinitati," &c. The 
 main interest of this dedication is the account given by the Ed tor 
 of his inducements to the work. He admits having taken many 
 
 1 This had been decided on at the Hampton Court Conference, 1604. 
 7 Llewelyn's Versions of the Bible, p. 28. 
 
 98 
 
liberties with the former translation, varying it and altering it as 
 he deemed expedient "ut et hie sit a/i</)z8o^w/xevov Tra/saSay/xa, et 
 dictu sit difficile, num vetus an nova, Morgani an mea, dicenda 
 sit versio" 
 
 He goes on to state that the former impression of the Bible 
 had been exhausted, that many or most of the churches were 
 either without any, or only possessed of imperfect copies, and 
 modestly adds that as no one else had thought of a republication. 
 he himself had embarked upon the work of translation. Dr. 
 Llewelyn, who makes a comparison between England and Wales 
 in this matter, draws attention to the credit deserved by Bishop 
 Parry in that " he was entirely a volunteer," 1 whereas the English 
 version had behind it the full weight and influence of the King 
 and Government. Parry had responded to the needs of his 
 country, which was on the verge of being plunged into pre- 
 Reformation darkness, for the few copies left in the churches 
 were all that stood between monoglot Welshmen and the 
 extinguishing of that light which Bishop Morgan's zeal and 
 scholarship had kindled. 
 
 Dr. John Davies, of Mallwyd, was Chaplain to Bishop Parry 
 at this time, and was of invaluable help to his Ordinary in the 
 production of this great work. He was deeply versed in the 
 Hebrew and Greek languages, and had spent the best part of 
 his life in studying the language of his own country, as his 
 Grammar and Dictionary testify. He had also taken an active 
 share in Bishop Morgan's translation, and now brought his ripe 
 scholarship and experience to bear upon the new project. It 
 was an uncommonly high privilege to have shared in the two 
 principal translations of the Bible, and he esteemed it so. A 
 Chancellor of St. Asaph and Bangor wrote of Dr. Davies "/ 
 Bibliorum (Britan. scilicet) ultima et emendata editione, Joannes 
 Davies perutilem impendit operam"* Anthony Wood (1632-1695) 
 the distinguished Oxford scholar, who preserved a vast quantity 
 of information concerning the alumni of that University, 
 
 1 Llewelyn's Versions of the Bibk^ p. 31. "ibid, p. 32. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 which might otherwise have been lost, paid an especial compli- 
 ment to the work of Dr. Davies, and weighed his fitness for the 
 task in the following words x : " He was esteemed well versed 
 in the history and antiquities of his own nation, well versed in 
 the Greek and Hebrew languages, a most exact critick, an 
 indefatigable person and well acquainted with curious and rare 
 authors." 
 
 The number of books published in this edition is not 
 known. From its size it was principally intended for public 
 worship, and probably the number did not exceed that of the 
 churches and chapelries. 
 
 Some account must now be given of Bishop Parry, the 
 master-mind and originator of this work. 
 
 Bishop Richard Parry (1560-1623) was one of eight 
 distinguished prelates, natives of Wales, who in succession 
 occupied the See of St. Asaph. 2 He was born at Ruthinin 1560,3 
 educated at Westminster School under the able tuition of William 
 Camden, entered as a Student of Christ Church, Oxford, in 1580, 
 and afterwards proceeded to Holy Orders. It is incorrect to 
 state that he became master of Ruthin Grammar School, for 
 Gabriel Goodman's school had not yet been founded. Wood 
 and Bishop Humphreys both state that he taught at Ruthin, but 
 it was possibly at some institution which existed prior to 1590 
 the date of Dean Goodman's foundation. In 1592, he was 
 appointed Vicar of Gresford and Chancellor of Bangor Cathedral, 
 and in 1599 he became Dean of Bangor. At Bishop Morgan's 
 death in 1604, he was consecrated Bishop of St. Asaph. He 
 died at Dyserth, in Flintshire, in 1623, and was buried at St. 
 Asaph Cathedral, as Bishop Morgan had been. 
 
 A short account of Dr. John Davies will be given in the 
 chapter dealing with his Grammar. 
 
 The chief aim of the translators seems to have been to 
 simplify and clarify the language and idioms. Bishop Morgan 
 
 *Athen\ Oxon: i. p. 597. 2 Williams' Eminent Welshmen, p. 390. 
 3 He was the eldest son of John Parry, Esq., of Pwll Halojj, Denbighshire, a 
 noble family, 
 
 100 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 had kept rather too closely to the original, and had introduced 
 with too great frequency such expressions as}>na,fe/fy, gan hynny, 
 which were unidiomatic, and could easily be avoided by using 
 the simple relative a. In many cases the Hebraisms of Bishop 
 Morgan were rejected for the Anglicisms of the 1611 Bible. 
 Gwilym Lleyn, Gwallter Mechain, and Gweirydd ap Rhys have 
 made comparisons between the 1588 and 1620 editions, and have 
 furnished numerous illustrations which show the respective 
 merits and defects of the two editions. The general opinion 
 seems to be that although Bishop Parry's Bible is in some respects 
 an advance on Bishop Morgan's, numerous instances can be 
 pointed out where the latter excelled. The syntax has certainly 
 been considerably modified in the 1620 edition. It will be 
 sufficient to give a few instances which are typical of the corrections 
 made in this edition : 
 
 BISHOP MORGAN. 
 
 1. Yna dec brodyr loseph. 
 
 2. Pharao gan hynny a ddywed- 
 
 odd. 
 
 3. Felly y gwyr a gymmerasant 
 yr anrheg. 
 
 4. Ei gwrysc hi oeddynt addfed 
 [eu] grawnwin. 
 
 5. Efe a gyscodd hefyd ac a 
 freuddwydiodd. 
 
 6. Tydi a oruchwyli fy nhy fi, 
 ac ar dy fin y cusana fy 
 mhobl oil. 
 
 7. burgynnod. 
 
 8. elephant. Job 40 I0 
 
 9. Wele efe a orthryma afon 
 [fel] na phrysuro hi i [redeg] 
 efe a obeithie y rhuthre 
 lorddonen iw safn ef. Job 40 l8 
 
 BISHOP PARRY. 
 
 1. A dec brodyr loseph. 
 
 Gen. 42 3 
 
 2. A Pharao a ddywedodd. 
 
 Gen. 41 '7 
 
 3. A'r gwyr a gymmerasant yr 
 anrheg. Gen. 43 IS 
 
 4. Ei grawnsypiau hi a ddug 
 rawnwin addfed. Gen. 40 10 
 
 5. Ac efe a gysgodd ac a 
 freuddwydiodd. Gen. 40 s 
 
 6. Tydi a fyddi ar fy nhy, ac 
 wrth dy air di y llywod- 
 raethir fy mhobl oil. 
 
 Gen. 41 4 
 
 7. celaneddau. Gen. 15 IZ 
 
 8. behemoth. Job 40 j s 
 
 9. Wele efe a yf yr afon [ac] 
 ni phrysura, efe a obeithiai 
 y tynnai efe yr lorddonen 
 i'w safn. Job 40 2 3 
 
 101 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 BISHOP MORGAN. 
 
 10. [Myfi] yr hwn a osodais yr 
 anialwch yn dy iddo : a'r 
 morfa yn drigfa iddo ef. 
 
 u. Cof yw gennym y pyscod y 
 rhai a f vvyttasom yn yr Aipht 
 yn rhad. 
 
 1 2. Etifeddiaeth a syrthiodd i ni 
 mewn [lleoedd] hyfryd. 
 
 13. Ac fe a ddygwyd dau eraill, y 
 rhai [oeddynt] ddrwgweith- 
 redwyr i'w rhoi i'w marwol- 
 aeth gyd ag ef. 
 
 14. Yn trin tarian a gwaiw-ffon. 
 
 15. O honoch ill dau. 
 
 1 6. Rhoddasant yn ol eu gallu i 
 dryssor-dy'r gwaith chwe 
 myrddiwn, a mil o ddrac- 
 monau aur, a phum mil o 
 bunnoedd arian. 
 
 17. A chafwyd mewn cist. 
 
 1 8. Gofidus yw. 
 
 19. Rhoddais hefyd fiswrn ar dy 
 wyneb. 
 
 20. Ffieidd-dra anrheithiol. 
 
 21. Ac wedi iddo roi diolch efe 
 a'i torres. 
 
 22. Ffigyswydd gwylltion. 
 
 BISHOP PARRY. 
 
 10. Yr hwn y gosodais yr 
 anialwch yn dy iddo : a'r 
 diffaethwch yn drigfa iddo. 
 
 Job 39 6 
 
 11. Cof yw gennym y pyscod yr 
 oeddym yn ei fwytta. 
 
 Num. ii s 
 
 12. Y llinynau a syrthiodd i mi 
 mewn lleoedd hyfryd. 
 
 Psalm i6 6 
 
 13. Ac arweiniwyd gyd ag ef 
 hefyd ddau ddrwgweithred- 
 wyr eraill i'w rhoi i'w 
 marwolaeth. St. Luke 233' 
 
 14. Yn medru trin tarian a 
 bwccled. i Chron. 1 2 8 
 
 1 5. O honoch eich dau. 
 
 Gen. 27 
 
 1 6. Rhoddasant yn 61 eu gallu i 
 dryssor-dy y gwaith un fil a 
 thriugain o ddracmonau aur, 
 a phum mil o bunnoedd o 
 arian. Ezra 2 6 9 
 
 17. A chafwyd yn Achmetha. 
 
 Ezra 6 2 
 
 1 8. Drwg diobaith ydy w. Jer. 27' 
 
 19. Rhoddais hefyd dlws ar dy 
 dalcen. Ezek. 16 I2 
 
 20. Ffieidd-dra anghyfaneddol. 
 
 St. Matt. 24 's 
 
 21. Ac a'i bendithiodd ac a'i 
 torrodd. St. Mark 14 " 
 
 22. Sycamorwydden. 
 
 St. Luke 1* 
 
 IQ2 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 BISHOP MOIU;AX. 
 
 23. Dy adnabod ti yr unic wir 
 Dduw. 
 
 24. Yr adnevvyddir pob peth. 
 
 25' 
 
 Yn ol hir amser. 
 
 26. Canys y mae synwyr y cnawd 
 yn farwolaeth. 
 
 27. Ni wn i fy mod yn euog o 
 ddim. 
 
 28. Terfysg. 
 
 29. Gan ryglyddu 
 mhob dim. ' 
 
 bodd ym 
 
 BISHOP PARRY. 
 
 23. Dy adnabod di yr uni.; v;ir 
 I )duw. St. Jo Jin 1 7 a 
 
 24. Hyd amseroedd adferiad 
 pob peth. Acts 3 al 
 
 25. Ac wedi i dalm o amser 
 fyned heibio. Acts 27 9 
 
 26. Syniad y cnawd manvolaeth 
 yw. Romans 8 6 
 
 27. Ni wn i ddim arnaf fy hun. 
 
 i Cor. 4 * 
 
 28. Anghydfyddiaethau. 
 
 2 Cor. 12 20 
 
 29. Gan ddwyn ffrwyth ym 
 mhob gweithred dda. 
 
 Col. i I0 
 
 30. Canys byw i mi yw Crist, 
 a marw sydd elw, Phil, i " 
 
 31. Brychau a meflau ydynt. 
 
 2 Peter 2 '3 
 
 32. Telynau a phiolau aur. 
 
 Rev. 5 * 
 
 From these examples it is fairly obvious that all the changes 
 made were not improvements. A noted instance is number (10), 
 where the word diffaethivch has been substituted for morfa. The 
 English translation is " barren land " (with " salt places " in the 
 margin). Bishop Morgan's word morfa certainly embodies that 
 idea, whereas diffaethwch may be any desolate place not partaking 
 of that marshy character. And as Dr. Parry inserts halendir in 
 the margin, it is very difficult to see why he made the change. 
 
 In example (u) he has ei fwytta instead of the plural eu 
 bwytta, which is obviously required after pyscod. This was 
 corrected in 1799 in the S.P.C.K. edition published at Oxford 
 at the instigation of the Rev. Thomas Jones, curate of Creaton. 1 
 
 1 Ballinger's Bible itt Wales t p. 20 (Bibliography) 
 
 30. Canys byw i mi (yw) Crist, 
 ac elw yw marw. 
 
 31. Brychau ydynt a tharys- 
 clynau. 
 
 32. Telynau a chrythau aur. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 In example (13) Parry's translation is again at fault, for the 
 inference is that more than two malefactors were led with our 
 Lord to their death. The Bible Society corrected this mistake. 
 In the duoglot Testament published by the Clarendon Press in 
 1826 under the supervision of the Rev. John Jones, M.A. (loan 
 Tegid), the verse is more correctly translated : " Ac arweiniwyd 
 gyd ag ef hefyd ddau eraill, drwgweithredwyr, i'w rhoi i'w marwol- 
 aeth." 
 
 In example (14) the 1620 translation makes the soldier fight 
 with a shield and a buccula (bwcclcd). The buccula* was really 
 part of the helmet the beaver or cheek- piece; so that the 
 learned bishop's portrait is that of a soldier clad in armour, but 
 having no weapon of defence, whereas Bishop Morgan arms him 
 with a spear (gwaiw-ffon). It is strange that Dr. John Davies 
 allowed this mistake to pass, for in his Latin -Welsh Dictionary 
 he gives buccula " bochig, anadlfa'r helm, crib yr helm." 
 
 In example (15) ill dau of the 1588 edition is incorrect. 
 Rebecca is speaking to Jacob, face to face, and the expression *'// 
 dau is only used of two who are absent. In this instance the 
 1620 edition is correct. 
 
 There is at least one clear instance in which the revisers fell 
 into the fault they sought to avoid number (32) in the above 
 list. The 1588 version had " telynau a chrythau aur," which 
 Bishop Parry changed into " telynau a.hiolau aur," thinking that 
 Morgan had translated the English vials as crythau, mistaking 
 it for viols. But Bishop Morgan had translated the Greek word 
 <ioAas as crythau, which is its correct meaning, for/^/and/^/'a/ 
 are but corruptions of vial. So Bishop Parry fell into the snare, 
 which he mistakenly thought had caught his predecessor.* 
 
 1 Gweirydd ap Rhys (p. 411) confuses buccula with tucitla, two words 
 which have an entirely different meaning. The latter means a young cow, a 
 heifer ; in Cicero it is nsed for the bronze statue of a cow (at Athens, the work 
 of Myron). 
 
 * Ballinger remarks of the 1620 Bible : There were many errors ; and 
 about 1666, and afterwards about 1672. according to the British Museum 
 
 Catalogue, either Charles Edwards (the author of Hanes y Ffydd or 
 
 R [sic George] Griffith, D,D., Bishop of St, Asaph), prepared and published 
 
 104 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 It is admitted by those competent to judge that either of 
 the two Welsh translations (1588 and 1620) of the Scriptures is 
 equal to any, and superior to many that have appeared. ^ Vales' 
 debt of gratitude to those responsible for them can never 
 adequately be expressed. It was a labour of love on their part 
 from beginning to end. Dr. John Davies states that he went 
 back to his heavy task from the lighter ones, which he had to 
 perform in the daily routine of his life as incumbent of a country 
 parish, with increased zest and redoubled energy, which shows 
 how near it lay to his heart. Many generations have enjoyed the 
 fruits of their labour, and their influence upon Wales can never 
 be estimated. 
 
 Part of the reward of Bishop Parry and Dr. Davies has been 
 that their work has remained, with slight variations, the standard 
 translation of the Scriptures for three centuries. These variations 
 are not very material. They affect the orthography, sometimes 
 the change in initial mutations, the printing in capitals of many 
 proper names, the division of chapters into paragraphs, and 
 occasional supplementary words. But in the main, all impressions 
 that have since appeared, are but transcripts of the great edition 
 of 1620. l It is to Wales what the present Authorised Version 
 of 1 6 1 1 is to England. But it must be remembered that Bishop 
 Parry's translation deprived Wales of some of the fruit of Bishop 
 Morgan's scholarship. It followed the 1611 English Bible. The 
 greatest tribute to Bishop Morgan is that the improved renderings 
 introduced in the Revised Version of the English Bible are in 
 many cases identical with those in his 1588 Bible, which proves 
 that he had translated directly from the original. 
 
 A further and very important step was taken in the dissemi- 
 nation of the Scriptures in 1630, when there was issued : 
 
 a foolscap folio sheet (4 pp.) of errata, entitled Sonic Omissions and Mistakes 
 in the British Translation and Edition of the Bible appoint id to be had and 
 read in the Churches in Wales, to be supplied and rectified" The Bible in 
 Wales t p. 8 (Bibliography). 
 
 1 Llewelyn's Welsh Versions t p. 33. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 "Y Bibl Cyssegr-lan, sef yr Hen Destament a'r Newydd. 
 
 2 Tim. 3. 1 6, 17 Printiedig yn Llundain, gan Robert 
 
 Barker, Pnntiwr i Ardderchoccaf fawrhydi y Brenin ; a 
 
 chan Assignes John Bill. Anno Dom., 1630." 
 
 This Bible was popularly known as Y Bibl Bach, a name 
 
 given it by Vicar Prichard in Canwyll y Cymry, in the following 
 
 lines : 
 
 " Mae'r bibl bach yn awr yngysson, 
 Yn iaith dy fam i'w gael er coron, 
 Gwerth dy grys cyn bod heb hwnnw, 
 Mae'n well na thre dy dad i'th gadw." 
 
 Quoted from the 1672 edition, p. 8. 
 
 It was also known as Beibl Midltwn. Mr. Ballinger, in his 
 excellent book, The Bible in Wales, states that it is not improba- 
 ble that the Rev. Robert Llwyd, Vicar of Chirk, Denbighshire, 
 corrected the press for this edition " (p. 9, Bibliography). 
 
 Mr. J. H, Davies, M.A., states that he has seen two editions 
 of the Scriptures printed in 1630; the title pages are exactly 
 similar, but there are many distinctions up to the end of the fifth 
 sheet, which he enumerates. 1 
 
 This was the first portable Welsh Bible, and the two men 
 most directly responsible for its publication were Sir Rowland 
 Heilyn and Sir Thomas Middleton. (The names are often spelt 
 Hey tin and Myddelton.} 
 
 It is hard to realise that the Bible had not yet found its way 
 into Welsh homes. Dr. Llewelyn writes : 3 " There was no 
 provision made for the country, or for the people in general ; as 
 if they had nothing to do with the Word of God, at least no 
 further than they might hear it, in their attendance in public 
 worship, once in the week. This is astonishing ! " 
 
 Astonishing as it is, it can be partly accounted for by the 
 reasons given in the introductory chapter to this work, viz., that 
 there was no printing-press in Wales, and almost insurmountable 
 difficulties stood in the way of the production of so vast a work 
 as this proved to be. It necessitated the presence of some one 
 
 1 Trans, of Cvmmrod. Sac., 1897-8, p. 17. -Bible Versions, p. 36 
 10$ 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 on the spot to read the proof-sheets. It is well known what 
 obstacles Bishop Morgan had to overcome. The difficulties were 
 far more tangible than many suppose, and it requiries a little 
 effort of the imagination at this date to realise them even 
 remotely. It is matter for deep thankfulness that the great 
 Elizabethan Bishop got his work published when he did, and that 
 Bishop Parry and Rowland Heilyn (the one for the Churches 
 and the other for the people) achi eved their respective tasks before 
 the beginning of the Civil War, which might have put back the 
 project for a considerable time. 
 
 The Bible of 1630 was much more useful to the country 
 as a whole than the large folio volumes of Morgan and Parry. 
 One writer truly remarks that the advantages of a large folio are 
 not very obvious even in churches. The octavo, on the other 
 hand, can be adapted to most uses, and is at the same time so 
 much cheaper that it comes within the means of most ordinary 
 individuals. 
 
 It is to Welsh citizens settled in London that the praise is 
 due for this foresight on behalf of their countrymen. London 
 Welshmen have won the reputation of a high patriotic sense of 
 duty to the land of their birth. So many instances can be 
 recorded in the past, and recalled in the present, of this noble 
 spirit on the part of the Cymry of the Metropolis, that it has 
 become almost second -nature to look to them for help and 
 guidance in the solution of those problems which involve the 
 highest interests of Wales. For the advancement of religion and 
 the spread of education they are, and always have been, ready to 
 extend a helping hand. This was so in the seventeenth century 
 in the notable instance now under consideration. Living amidst 
 the greatest advantages this land can offer, but always mindful of 
 those qualities in their race which would utilise such to the full, 
 if they possessed them, they have often applied their minds to the 
 problem how to bring such advantages, or some part of them, 
 within the reach of their countrymen in the Principality, and it 
 has usually been solved in the same generous way as Sir Rowland 
 
 IQ7 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Heilyn and Sir Thomas Middleton solved it in the seventeenth 
 century. " With a noble concern for the good of their fellow- 
 subjects they procured at their own expense an octavo impression 
 of the Welsh Bible." * 
 
 Strype, in his Survey of London, states that " Mr. Rowland 
 Heilyn, an Alderman of London, sprung from Wales, charitably 
 and nobly, at his own cost and charges, in the beginning of the 
 reign of Charles I., caused the Welsh Bible to be printed." 2 He 
 refers, of course, to the 1630 Bible. But Sir Thomas Middleton, 
 also a native of Wales and a Magistrate and Alderman of London, 
 co-operated with Heilyn and shared the burden of expense. 
 About 1500 copies were printed, it is said,3 but this rests only 
 on a computation made by Thomas Rees and based on the 
 number of parishes. 4 Moses Williams states that the Welsh 
 preface to this Bible " bespeaks the Curator of the Press to be a 
 native of Duffryn Clwyd, at least to have lived a considerable time 
 somewhere in that neighbourhood." (Ballinger's " Bible in 
 Wales" p. 28). The implication is that Robert Llwyd, Vicar of 
 Chirk, who was known to be in London at the time, was responsi- 
 ble for this work. The print of the 1630 Bible is rather small. 
 The Prayer Book at the beginning and Pry's Psalms at the end 
 have each a separate title page. 
 
 Of those responsible for the financial side of the undertaking, 
 Rowland Heilyn (?- 1637) was a native of Montgomery- 
 shire, of the family of Pentreheilyn.s The Heilyns, as the name 
 implies (it means cup-bearer or butler) were hereditary cup-bearers 
 to the Princes of Powys. Rowland Heiiyn settled in London 
 and accumulated great wealth, which he freely dispensed in 
 religious charities. Not only did he contribute towards the 
 publication of this edition of the Bible, but also to the Llwy:>r 
 Hyffordd and Dr. Davies' Dictionary, for the benefit of his 
 countrymen. Williams in his Eminent Welshmen states that he 
 became Sheriff of London. 6 
 
 1 Llewelyn's Versions, p. 38. 2 Vol ii. b. 5, p. 142 (1720 Ed.). 
 linger's Bible in Wales, p. 9 (Bibliography). 4 ibid, p. 28. B This residence 
 is in the Parish of Llandysilio. 6 See also Cam. Reg., 1795, P- 2 79- 
 1 08 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 The Heilyns in older times had been noted for their extrava- 
 gance of the public money. This gave rise to the saying " Hael 
 Heilyn o god y wlad." 1 But Rowland Heilyn's generosity was of 
 a different stamp. His character is summed up by Barnard and 
 Vernon in Dr. Peter Heilyn's Life (1663) as "a man of singular 
 goodness." Peter Heilyn was his nephew, and was in high favour 
 with Charles I. and Archbishop Laud. 
 
 Sir Thomas Middleton (?-i63i), his coadjutor in this 
 good work, was the fourth son of Richard Middleton, of Denbigh. 
 He was Lord Mayor of London in 1613, and was a brother of the 
 great Sir Hugh Middleton and the bard Gwilym Ganoldref. His 
 father, Richard Middleton, had settled in London as a goldsmith, 
 and had amassed a great fortune, with part of which he had 
 founded Chirk Castle, in 1595, as the family estate. 2 
 
 As a sequel to the publication of this crown octavo edition 
 of the Bible, an anonymous book appeared in 1631, entitled 
 Car-wry Cymru. Its object was to exhort the Cymry to make 
 use of the Scriptures now brought within their reach. Amongst 
 its contents is a Welshman's prayer for forgiveness for his neglect 
 of the Scriptures hitherto, a prayer that his heart may be humbled 
 to keep this law, Morning and Evening Prayer for family worship, 
 Morning and Evening Prayer to be used on Sundays by the head 
 of the family, a Grace before Meat and after Meat, a letter to the 
 reader by Robert Llwyd, Vicar of Y Waun, and an exhortation in 
 English " To all the Worthy and True-hearted Well-willers and 
 furtherers of the Spiritual weale of Wales who have put their 
 helping hands and hearts to that late, necessary, and worthy 
 worke of Setting forth the Bible in Welsh in a small volume." 
 The book ends with T/ie Pronunciation of the Letters in the 
 British Tongue, and A Comparison of the Letters in Welsh to the 
 Greeke and Hebrew Letters. By Edward Kyffin. Stephen 
 
 1 Cambrian Register, 1795, P- 2 7%- 2 The Middletons or Miltons, as 
 they are sometimes called, lived previously at Gwaenynog. Sir Thomas 
 Middleton, the son of the above named helper of Rowland Heilyn, took the 
 side of Parliament in the Civil War, but afterwards went over to the King. 
 Sec Gwallter Mechaii.'s /itvvtf, vol. ii. p. 434. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Hughes, in 1671, acknowledged the great liberality of Sir Thomas 
 Middleton in the production of the 1 630 Bible, in these words : J 
 " Y mae y coffaciwriaeth o Syr Thomas Middleton am y gwaith 
 hwnnw yn anrhydeddus, ac yn fendigedig yng Nghymru, ac a fydd 
 felly tra fo crefydd Gristionogawl ynddi." 
 
 There was an edition of the New Testament published in 
 1641, although its existence has often been doubted. Mr. J. H. 
 Davies has, however, cleared all uncertainty on this point. He 
 found a copy in the possession of the Rev. W. Thomas, and gives 
 the full title-page in the Transactions of the Cymmrodorion Society, 
 1897-8, on page 20, as follows : 
 
 Testament j Newydd | Ein j Harglwydd | A'n | Hiachawd- 
 wr | lesu Grist | Rhuf. i. xvi. | Nid oes arnaf gywilydd o 
 Efengyl Grist | oblegid gallu Duw yw hi er Jechydwriaeth i 
 bob | un ar sydd yn credu j [Engraving of the English Arms 
 with the mottoes, " Honi soit qui mal y pense," and " Dieu et 
 mon droit "] | Argraphwyd yn y flwyddyn M.D.CXLI. | 
 
 In 1647 appeared : 
 
 " Testament Newydd ein Harglwydd a'n Hiachawdwr Jesu 
 
 Grist. Rhuf. i 16 Printiedig yn Llundain gan 
 
 Matthew Symmons yn ymyl y Hew goreurog yn heol 
 
 Aldersgat. 1647." 
 
 It is rather a stodgy volume with the lines printed right 
 across the page, and not in columns. It was printed at the 
 instance of Vavasor Powell and Walter Cradoc. Brook mentions 
 a Testament procured by the latter " for the use of the common 
 people," 2 and this is probably the edition to which he refers. 
 There were two issues of the New Testament, both bearing the 
 date 1647 (Ballinger's Bible in Wales, p. 30). They agree as to 
 paging and size, but the type differs. They are both very incorrect. 
 
 Mr. John Ballinger states that " this edition was the first by 
 and for Nonconformists,'^ from which it must be inferred that he 
 
 'Gwallter Mechain's Works, vol. ii., p. 435. 2 Brook's Life of the 
 Puritans, vol. iii. p. 386. 3 The Bible in Wales, p. 10 (Bibliography). 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 doubts the existence of the 1643 edition of the New Testament, 
 reputed to be the work of William Wroth and Walter Cradoc. 1 
 There were 1,000 copies of the 1647 edition orinted, and the 
 impression is full of printer's errors. 
 
 The next important edition of the whole Bible was published 
 in 1654-56, entitled : 
 
 "Bibl Cyssegr-lan, sef yr Hen Destament a'r Newydd. 
 2 Tim. 3. 1 6, 17 [quoted]. Printiedig yn Llundain gan James 
 Flesher, ac a werthir gan Thomas Brewster, tan lun y tri Bibl 
 yn ymmyl Pauls, yn y Flwyddyn 1654." 
 
 This was the second edition of the Bible in octavo, and the 
 fourth publication of the whole of the Scriptures in Welsh, and 
 consisted of six thousand copies. The supply of the 1630 Bioles 
 and the 1647 Testaments was now exhausted, and it was possible 
 to guage the number likely to be required to prevent an early 
 shortage. Hence this big venture, for it was a very considerable 
 supply for those days. Dr. Llewelyn, who complains " that we 
 are not informed to whom we are particularly obliged for this 
 supply," was disposed to ascribe it to the temper of the nation 
 and of the times in which it was granted. 
 
 As it was published in the first year of the Protectorate, it 
 was commonly called "Cromwell's Bible." 2 There is also a 
 tradition that Cromwell contributed to the cost of publishing it. 
 The Scriptures had now had some time to percolate into the 
 lives of the people, and realising their worth, there was no doubt 
 a steady demand for them. The mottoes of the time were 
 Scriptural, and the temper of the age is also witnessed in its battle 
 cries, its medals, and its incriptions. The name "Cromwell's 
 Bible " may possibly have had something to dc with the Crom- 
 wellian Commissioners, who had been at work for seme time in 
 Wales by this date. It may indicate the intere.';t of these men in 
 securing the edition. 
 
 1 Llyfr y Cymry, p. 132. 2 Llewelyn incidentally remarks that Cromwell's 
 ancestors are said to have come from Wales, and were originally named 
 Williams, 
 
 III 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Edmund Prys' Psalms, dated 1656, appeared at the end. 
 Stephen Hughes states that the cost of a copy was six shillings. 1 
 
 Another edition of the New Testament appeared in 1654, 
 entitled : 
 
 " Testament Newydd ein Harglwydd a'n Hiachawdwr Jesu 
 
 Grist. London. Printed by M. S. for John Allen at the 
 
 Sun-rising in St. Panl's Churchyard. 1654." 
 
 Although it is mentioned by Charles Edwards in Y Ffydd 
 Ddi-FJuant( Oxford, 1671), p. 152, no copy of this edition is 
 known to bibliographers. He states that 6,000 copies were 
 printed in small type, and a ceitain number in larger type, " er 
 mwyn hen bobl, a rhai a fyddent a golugon gwannach." It is 
 said to have contained also a metrical version of the Psalms. 
 
 Rowlands' Cambrian Bibliography states that an edition of 
 the whole Scriptures was issued in i67i, 2 and attributes it to 
 Thomas Gouge and Stephen Hughes, but he has probably con- 
 fused it with the 1672 edition of the New Testament, which 
 appeared under the title : 
 
 " Testament Newydd ein Harglwydd a'n Hiachawdwr Jesu 
 
 Grist. The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
 
 Christ. Rhuf. I. 16 Printiedig yn Llundain gan E. 
 
 Tyler a R. Holt, dros Samuel Gellibrand, tan lun y Bel (at 
 
 the Ball) ym Monwent Powls. 1672." 
 
 This edition reached to two thousand copies, and was 
 edited by Stephen Hughes, who states that he was assisted by 
 Hugh Edwards, of Llangadoc, Carmarthenshire ; David Thomas, 
 of Margam : Samuel Jones, of Brynllywarch, Llangynwyd, Gla- 
 morganshire ; William Lloyd, of St. Petrox, Pembrokeshire ; and 
 possibly Thomas Gouge, although he is not named by Stephen 
 Hughes in his Letter preceding the 1672 edition of Canwylly 
 Cymru, from which the other names are taken. Gouge had, 
 however, started his beneficent work in the Principality in 1671. 
 Gwilym Lleyn must have been misled as to a 1671 edition of the 
 1 Preface to 1672 edition of Canwyll y Cymry. * Llyfr. y Cymry, p. 198. 
 1X2 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 Bible ; no copy of this Bible has yet been found by any biblio- 
 grapher, and if 6,000 copies had been printed in that year, it is 
 unreasonable to suppose that they were so entirely exhausted by 
 1677-8 as to necessitate a new edition in so short a time, in 
 addition to the 2,000 New Testaments produced in 1672. This 
 impression of the New Testament is preceded by the Psalms, as 
 in the Prayer Book, and followed by Prys' metrical version. 
 
 The 1677-8 edition was a very important work. Its title 
 ran : 
 
 "Y Bibl Cyssegr-lan, sef yr Hen Destament a'r Newydd. 
 
 II. Tim. iii. 16, 17 Printiedig yn Llundain gan John 
 
 Bill, Christopher Barker, Tho. Newcomb, a Henry Hills, 
 Printwyr i Ardderchoccaf fawrhydi y Brenin : ac a werthir 
 gan John Hancock, tan lun y tri Bibl yn Popes -Head Alley, 
 yn Cornhill. 1677." 
 
 Upon inquiry made in 1674, it was ascertained that not 
 above 20 copies of the 1654 Bible remained on sale in London 
 and not above 32 throughout England and Wales. 1 This 
 occasioned a new octavo edition which appeared in 1677-8, which 
 consisted of a number of copies issued without the Apocrypha 
 and Prayer Book, and a small number of copies without the 
 Apocrypha only. The learned author of Versions of the Bible 
 relates that " one thousand of them were immediately given away 
 among the poor, and the rest were reserved and disposed in 
 proper places, to be sold at four shillings per copy bound." The 
 Duke of Bedford, 1613-1700 (William Russell, fifth Earl and 
 first Duke of Bedford), contributed largely to the expense of the 
 thousand free copies. Archbishop Tillotson had given the 
 strongest support to Thomas Gouge and Stephen Hughes in this 
 great undertaking. Tillotson and Gouge were good friends, and 
 among the works of the former is a " Sermon on the death of 
 Mr. Gouge." The latter had done so much for the dissemination 
 of the Scriptures and other good books in the Welsh tongue that 
 something of the story of his life must be given here. 
 1 Dr. Llewelyn's Versions^ p. 43. 
 
 "3 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Thomas Gouge (1605-1681) was the son of Dr. William 
 Gouge, Rector of Blackfriars, London. He was born in 1605, 
 and educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge, where he 
 was elected to a fellowship, which he subsequently exchanged for 
 the living of Colsden, near Croydon. After a short stay there he 
 removed to St. Sepulchre, London, where he laboured strenuously 
 from 1638 to 1662. He was a moderately wealthy, but extremely 
 generous man, and his assistance to the many poor in his parish 
 was proverbial. Some of his means he employed in inducing the 
 ignorant poor to attend his classes held every morning in the 
 church. He supplied work to many who would undertake it, 
 doling out "flax and hemp for them to spin," 1 and paying them 
 generously. In 1662 he resigned his living because he refused to 
 submit to the Act of Uniformity. London's loss proved a great 
 gain to Wales, where he transferred his educational energy and 
 zeal in 1 6 7 1 . He had been led by reading the life of Joseph Alleine 
 to pursue the same ideal, by devoting his life to the spread 
 of the Gospel in Wales. 2 He held a licence from some of the 
 bishops to preach in Wales. 3 His first visit to this country 
 impressed him with its lack of educational advantages, and the 
 ignorance which prevailed in consequence. He established many 
 schools in different parts, more especially in the towns, and he 
 directed his efforts to secure that the children of the poor should 
 be taught to read and write English and be carefully grounded 
 in religious principles, and that good books should be circulated 
 to counteract vice. In 1674 Gouge's efforts were supplemented by 
 the establishment of a " Welsh Trust "* for promoting his work 
 on a larger scale. Under the direction of Gouge and supported 
 by Dr. Tillotson, Dean of Canterbury, Benjamin Whichcot, 
 Edward Stillingfleet, Richard Baxter, Matthew Poole, Thomas 
 Firmin and many other philanthropists, this Welsh Trust main- 
 tained a large number of Charity Schools in North and South 
 Wales. One of its designs was the "printing and buying of 
 
 1 Calamy's Ejected Ministers, vol. i. p. 185. 2 The Bible in Wales, p. 35. 
 3 Calamy's Ejected Ministers, p. 186. 4 Article in the Transactions of the 
 Cymmrodorion Society (1904-05), p. 81, by the Rev. T. Shapkland, M.A, 
 
 U4 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 Welsh books for free distribution among the poor." For this 
 work Gouge enlisted the help of many Welshmen, notably Stephen 
 Hughes, Charles Edwards, Richard Jones, William Jones, David 
 Jones and James Owen. These men translated, edited, and con- 
 tributed original works of great literary merit for the movement, 
 which the Trust published and freely distributed among the poor. 
 Among them the following may be mentioned as examples : Holl 
 Ddyledsivydd Dyn, 1672, 2,000 copies; Testament Newydd, 1672, 
 2,000 copies; Yr Ymarfer o Dduiuioldeb, 1675, 2,000 copies; 
 Hyfforddiadau Christionogol, 1675, 3,500 copies ; Y Bibl, 1677-8, 
 8,000 copies. The educational work and the free distribution 
 of these devotional books in the Welsh language led to the literary 
 revival of this period. Thomas Gouge died in 1681. He had 
 been a great benefactor to Wales, a .most benevolent and self- 
 sacrificing man, who gave two -thirds of his income towards charit- 
 able and educational objects. After his death, the Trust gradually 
 withdrew its labours from Wales to London, where it ultimately 
 led to the foundation of the Society for the Promotion of Christian 
 Knowledge in 1698-9,' so it will be seen that the "Trust" pro- 
 moted by Gouge was the culminating point of a movement which 
 spread far beyond the confines of Wales. 
 
 The 1677-8 edition of the Bible comprised the Book of 
 Common Prayer, the Apocrypha, and the Metrical Version of the 
 Psalms. The Bible itself was printed in 1677, the Prayer Book 
 and Psalms in 1678; and the whole work appeared early in the 
 latter year. 
 
 The accuracy of this edition has often been remarked. The 
 1654 edition ("Cromwell's Bible," as it was called) had been 
 printed very incorrectly. There were instances in which " whole 
 words and parts of sentences had been omitted." 2 To rectify 
 these mistakes and to guard against others, Mr. Stephen Hughes 
 undertook to read the proofs, and performed his task so well that 
 very few blemishes appear. He was an educated Welshman and 
 thoroughly acquainted with the literary language of his nation, 
 * Manual of Welsh /./., pp. 166-7. "Llewelyn's Versions, p. 46, 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 and has deserved well of his country for his unostentatious efforts 
 in this and many other good works. Calamy's verdict has been 
 endorsed by those who are well able to judge that " this edition 
 was well printed and came out very correct." 1 
 
 Stephen Hughes (1622-1688), who did so much for the 
 enlightenment of the Cymry of that age, was born at Carmarthen 
 in 1622. Nothing is known of his early education, but he was a 
 man who possessed considerable literary powers, and, in addition, 
 the more distinctive Cymric characteristic of burning eloquence, 
 and a missionary zeal quite unrivalled amongst his contemporaries. 
 Calamy describes him as "a plain, methodical, affectionate 
 preacher, who insisted much upon the great and substantial things 
 of religion." 2 He was given the benefice of Mydrim in 1654, 
 took possession in 1655, and was deprived in 1660. 
 
 He saw the importance of Gouge's movement, and was one 
 of the first to help him, and it shows how well he understood his 
 countrymen when he proceeded to collect Vicar Prichard's poems 
 and to publish them. The complete work, as it left the hands of 
 its first editor, was published under the title Canwyll y Cymry in 
 1 68 1, and will be noticed later, along with the other works which 
 were the fruit of Stephen Hughes' labours. Calamy describes the 
 Bible of 1677-8 as "the best extant edition of the old British 
 Bible." 3 Stephen Hughes died in 1688,* some little time before 
 the publication of another edition of the Bible, in which he had 
 been interested. 
 
 This appeared in 1689-90 under the title : 
 
 " Y Bibl Cyssegr-lan, sef yr Hen Destament a'r Newydd. 
 
 Printiedig yn Llundain gan Charles Bill, a Thomas Newcomb, 
 
 Printwyr i Ardderchoccaf Fawrhydi y Brenin a'r Frenhines, 
 
 1689." 
 
 In twelve years, the eight thousand Bibles of Thomas Gouge 
 and Stephen Hughes' edition were exhausted, and the book again 
 became scarce and dear, but the latter lived long enough to know 
 
 1 Calamy's Ejected Ministers, vol. ii. p. 718. * Nomonjormisfs Afemortal, 
 Hi. p. 498. 3 ibid. 4 Dr. Llewelyn in his Bible Versions, p. 48, gives 1687 
 as the year of his death, but is incorrect, 
 
 116 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 the fresh need of his countrymen, and to prepare to meet it ; so 
 he exerted himself once again, but died, as stated above, in 1688, 
 a year before the edition he had set on foot was printed. The 
 1 690 impression, according to Calamy, consisted of ten thousand 
 copies, and the editor was Mr. David Jones, Llandyssilio, 1 who 
 took great trouble with the work, but failed to maintain the 
 standard of accuracy established by Stephen Hughes. The 
 principal patron of this publication was Lord Wharton, a noble- 
 man who had been very prominent in promoting the Revolution 
 of 1688, who proved a very faithful servant to William III., and 
 was afterwards one of Queen Anne's ministers " in the glorious 
 part of her reign." 2 
 
 This was the last public edition of the seventeenth century. 
 David Jones had been assisted in the work by several citizens of 
 London, and many of the nobility had lent their support to the 
 enteiprise. This Bible was the fourth octavo impression of the 
 whole of the Scriptures issued since 1630. It is lacking in many 
 respects compared with the 1677-8 edition. Neither print, paper, 
 nor characters are as good as in that impression. Lord Wharton, 
 who did so much to promote it, left a will in which he desired 
 that a certain number of books should be distributed yearly to 
 candidates who complied with his conditions. Dr. Llewelyn 
 erroneously states that it was Thomas, Lord Wharton, who left 
 this will, and Gwilym Lleyn has followed him in this. The 
 inscription printed on these presentation Bibles disposes of the 
 mistake. It runs as follows : " Philip, Lord Wharton, died 
 February 4, 1696, aged 83, and by his will left to his Trustees 
 certain estates in Yorkshire, the proceeds of which are to be 
 devoted each year to the distribution of Bibles and other books. 
 
 By the terms of the will the ist, i5th, 25th, 37th, joist, 
 ii3th, and i45th Psalms should be learnt, if possible, by the 
 recipient." 
 
 A new supply of large Bibles for the churches was also 
 issued in 1690. Its title ran : 
 
 1 Nonconformist" 1 s Memorial, Hi. p. 497. - Dr. Llewelyn's Versions^ 
 p. 49. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 " Y Beibl Cyssegr-lan, sef, yr Hen Destament a'r Newydd. 
 
 Rhydychain, Printiedig yn yTheatr yn y flwyddyn MDCXC." 
 
 This was the first time for the Scriptures in Welsh to be 
 printed out of London. 
 
 The large Church Bibles had been issued seventy years 
 before by Bishop Parry, and must, by this, have been in a very 
 dilapidated state. Bishop William Lloyd, of St. Asaph, was 
 chiefly instrumental in securing the new supply. It was known as 
 Beibl yr Esgob Lloyd* The work was supervised by the Rev 
 Pierce Lewis, an Anglesey man, a native of Llanfihangel Tre'r 
 Beirdd, and an alumnus of Jesus College, Oxford, where he was 
 known as the Welsh Rabbi?. Richard Morris, brother of the 
 great Lewis Morris o Fon (patron of Goronwy Owen), states that 
 he saw the proof sheets of this edition in Pierce Lewis' home in 
 Anglesey, and insists that the latter was entirely responsible for 
 the work, in that Bishop Lloyd knew no Welsh. 3 In a letter of 
 Richard Morris', which appeared in the Greal, 1805, p. 282, a 
 description of Pierce Lewis' work is given. 
 
 Although this Bible was intended to correct many mistakes, 
 especially printers' errors in later copies of the Scriptures in Welsh, 
 it is a most imperfect edition and suffers much from comparison 
 with Bishop Parry's Bible of 1620. It restored the orthography 
 in proper names according to the text of that work. The Mosaical 
 dates appear for the first time on the margins of this edition; 
 This, at least, must be attributed to Bishop Lloyd, for he had ; 
 written a work on the chronology of the Bible. 
 
 It is difficult to ascertain what share, apart from this, Lloyd 
 had in the project. If Richard Morris' contention is correct, 
 it was probably limited to his patronage of the work, owing to his 
 knowledge of the requirements of the churches. And it is not 
 unlikely that he supported it with financial aid. It would hardly 
 
 1 Llyfr. y Cymry. p. 248. 2 The rest of his record, as given in the 
 Alumni Oxon : is as follows: Matriculated at Jesus College, Oxon,, 1681 
 aged 17; B.A., 1684; M. A., 1688 ; Rector of Llanfachreth, in Anglesey, 
 1690 ; Vicar of a moiety of Bangor, 1693 ; Rector of Llanfairfechan. 1698. 
 3 Llyfr. y Cvmry, p. 248. The bard Edward Morus states otherwise, 
 
 118 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 have been called " Bishop Lloyd's Bible," if he had not been 
 prominent in some way in its publication. 
 
 It became the fashion in later days to minimise the work of 
 English-speaking bishops in their efforts for the Principality. 
 'Granted that it was a bad principle to appoint such men, if 
 eminent Welsh -speaking Welshmen could be found (and there is 
 no gainsaying this contention), it is equally wanting in principle 
 to ignore the labours they engaged in after they had been 
 appointed, and to fail to do them the justice they deserve for 
 many efforts on their part to promote not only the highest spiritual 
 interests of the Principality, but also the general welfare of the 
 wider community in which Wales had merged itself, and from 
 which it derived many advantages, even if it had to endure some 
 disadvantages. 
 
 Bishop William Lloyd was the son of the Rev. Richard 
 Lloyd, B.D., of Henblas, Anglesey. He v.as born at Tilehurst in 
 Berkshire, where his father was Vicar, in 1627, x and was educated 
 at Oriel College, Oxford, but afterwards proceeded to Jesus College, 
 where he became Scholar and Fellow. Henry Vaughan was a 
 contemporary of his at that College. In 1654 he became Rector 
 of Bradfield in Berkshire, a benefice given him by the Cromwellian 
 Commissioners. In 1660 he was made Prebend of Ripon, and 
 in 1666 Chaplain to Charles II. His first preferment in Wales 
 was to the Archdeaconry of Merioneth in 1668, from which he 
 passed to the. Deanery of Bangor in 1672, and the bishopric 
 of St. Asaph in 1680, in which See he succeeded the eminent 
 scholar and writer Isaac Barrow, 2 a man of great intellectual force, 
 who was previously Master of Trinity, Cambridge, and whom 
 Charles II. described as "the best scholar in England."3 It was 
 while Lloyd was Bishop of St. Asaph that he suffered imprison- 
 ment in the Tower along with six other bishops who refused to 
 read James II. 's " Declaration for Liberty of Conscience " in 1688, 
 William III. rewarded him by making him Lord Almoner in 1688, 
 
 1 Williams' Eminent Welshmen, pp. 287-8. 2 Athen : Oxon ; ii. pp. 
 IO&8 - 1092. 3 Garnett and Gosse, Hist, of Eng. ZiV., vol. iii. p. 122. 
 
 119 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 and subsequently Bishop of Worcester. He was one of the 
 stoutest opponents of Popery, and in a life crowded with work he 
 found time to publish many pamphlets directed against Rome. 
 Amongst his numerous writings may be mentioned : 
 
 " The late Apology in behalf of the Papists, reprinted and 
 answered in behalf of the Royalists. 1667." 
 "A Seasonable Discourse showing the Necessity of maintain- 
 ing the Established Religion in opposition to Popery." 
 1672-3. 
 
 " Considerations touching the true way to suppress Popery in 
 this Kingdom." 
 
 " An Historical Account of Church Government as it was in 
 Great Britain and Ireland when they first received the 
 Christian Religion," 1684. 
 
 He also compiled a " History of the Church of England," 
 which he asked Dr. Gilbert Burnet to write, and furnished him 
 with a curious collection of his own observations. Two of his 
 theological works are : " The Harmony of the Gospel " and 
 "The Chronology of the Bible." He also published several 
 sermons and tracts against Popery. He died at the advanced age 
 of 90, in 1717. 
 
 (b) THE EDITIONS OF THE PSALMS AND THE 
 BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER. 
 
 I. THE EDITIONS OF THE PSALMS. 
 
 The first edition of the Psalms in metrical form appeared in 
 1603, under the title : 
 
 " Psalmae y Brenhinol Brophwyd Dafydh, gwedi i cynghan- 
 
 edhu mewn mesurau cymreig. Gann Gapten Wiliam Mid- 
 
 delton. Yn nesaf y galhodh at fedhwl yr Yspryo*felan. 
 
 Simon Stafford a Thomas Salisbury a'i printiodhyn Llunden. 
 
 1603." 
 
 This book is pjinted in black letter, and has a letter "To 
 the Reader " by Ttiomas Salisbury. Captain Middleton, or 
 120 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 Myddleton as the name is more often spelt, was the third son 
 of Richard Myddleton, of Galch Hill, Governor of Denbigh 
 Castle, and was a literary man of considerable attainments. He 
 was a great friend of the well known grammarian, Dr. John 
 Dafydd Rhys, to whose Grammar he had added an appendix, 
 which contained several fine poems, and who writes of him in 
 glowing terms both as a friend, a soldier, and a bard. He refers 
 to him as " f y hen gyfaill caredig y milwr calonocaf ar for ac 
 ar dir, a'r mwyaf cyfarwydd niewn barddoniaeth Gymreig, Gwilym 
 Ganoldref." He had been educated at Oxford, either for the 
 Church or for the Bar, but had chosen the more adventurous 
 career of a soldier, and afterwards joined the Navy and attained 
 the rank of captain. He rendered good service in the war 
 between England and Spain, 1 and was quite a celebrity in his day. 
 
 The above named version of the Psalms was bis greatest 
 work. He finished it in January, 1595, in the island of Scutum 
 in the West Indies, 2 but it was not printed until after his death, 
 when the work was undertaken by his friend, Thomas Salisbury, 
 in 1603. 
 
 A Welsh writer quoted in Ancient and Modern Denbigh 
 makes the following observation of William Myddleton's effort, 
 which is described in that work as " an inimitable composition," 
 and " a master piece of Weish alliteral concatenation :" " Er iddo 
 fod yn mhell o'i wlad enedigol, yr oedd ei serch yn fawr tuag atti, 
 ac er ei fod yn mhlith rhai oedd yn siarad iaith estronol, y 
 Gymraeg oedd iaith ei feddwl." 3 
 
 He had also issued another work in Welsh entitled Bardhon- 
 iaeth neu Brydydhiaeth, y Lhyfr Kyntaf, in 1593, which was 
 republished in 1710 in the Flores Poetarum Britannicorum. He 
 used the same orthography as John Dafydd Rhys. 
 
 William Myddleton's Psalms were reprinted at Llanfair- 
 
 1 An episode is related in Ancient and Modern Denbigh of his saving the 
 fleet in 1591, by his dogged watchfulness of the Spaniards, keeping in touch 
 with them the whole time, and giving timely warning to the English Admiral, 
 p. 150. 2 The note appende i to the book is: " Apud Scutum insulam 
 QccicUntalium Indent m" 3 Ancient and Modern Denbigh, p. 150. 
 
 J2I 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Caereinion, in 1827, with a masterly preface by the Welsh scholar 
 and poet, Walter Davies (Gwallter Mechain). But this version of 
 the Psalms never became popular, because the masses could not 
 follow the cynghanedd. Something lighter, freer, more flexible, 
 and more lyrical was needed before the psalms could come into 
 general use as spiritual songs in public worship. 
 
 Thomas Salisbury, who was responsible for printing the 
 work, was the son of Pierce Salisbury, of Clocaenog, Denbighshire. 
 He had been educated at Jesus College, Oxford, and is stated by 
 Wood to have been full of poetic fancy, and to have practised 
 that art while at the University. His " History of Joseph " in 
 English verse, in 1635, won him distinction, and justifies the 
 praise given him by the recorder of all the Oxford worthies of 
 that time, that he had ' : a natural geny to poetry and romance 
 .... and became a most noted poet of his time." x Wood 
 further states that he was an active supporter of the King's cause 
 in the beginning of the Rebellion, in 1642. He died in 1643. 
 
 An elegy signed by Edward Kyffin and entitled Mawl-gerdk 
 farwnad i Gapten William Middleton precedes the work, and also 
 a poem, by Thomas Price, of Plas lolyn, entitled Mawl-gerdh i*r 
 Awdur. 
 
 In the same year (1603) appeared "Rhann o Psalmae 
 Dafydd Brophwyd. I'w canu ar 61 y don arferedig yn Eglwys 
 Loegr. Simon Stafford a'i Printiodd yn Llunden dros T.S." 1603. 
 
 This metrical version of the Psalms for use in the Services of 
 the Church, was the work of Edward Kyffin, and contains but 
 thirteen psalms, together with a Welsh preface by the author. 
 
 Edward Kyffin (?-i6o3) was the son of Richard Kyffin, of 
 Glascoed, Llansilin, and the brother of Maurice Kyffin, the author 
 of the famous work Deffynniad Ffydd Eglwys Loet>r, who had 
 himself purposed to bring out a metrical translation of the psalms, 
 but had never found that leisure which he sought for his task. 
 But he probably inspired his brother to undertake it. In Maurice 
 
 1 A then : Oxon : ii., p. 30. See also Williams' Eminent Welshmen^ 
 pp. 465-6. 
 
 122 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 Kyffin's will 1 he mentions Edward Kyffin as " a preacher." Very 
 little is known of the latter, except that he had finished fifty of 
 the psalms in their metrical form, before his death in 1603, but 
 of these only i. - xiii. were ever published, and that by the above- 
 mentioned Thomas Salisbury. Edward Kyffin died of the great 
 plague which visited this country in 1603, of which Vicar Prichard 
 wrote in his Canwyll y Cymry. 
 
 The merits of his version of the psalms are not great, but 
 when we remember the time and conditions of the work, Kyffin's 
 pioneer attempt to make the Psalms the ballads of the people 
 entitles him to a distinct place in Welsh literature. 
 
 This brings us to the third and most famous metrical version 
 of the psalms, which appeared in this century, and which has 
 remained the pre-eminent version up to the present time. It was 
 that published by the celebrated Archdeacon Edmund Prys 
 in 1621, under the title : 
 
 " Llyfr y Psalmau. Wedi eu cyfieithu a'i cyfansoddi ar Fesur 
 Cerdd yn Gymraec. Drwy waith Edmwnd Prys, Archdiacon 
 Meirionydd. Ai Printio yn Llundain, 1621." 
 This edition of the Psalms first came out as part of the Welsh 
 Book of Common Prayer published in i62i. 2 
 
 Edmund Prys (1541-1623-4) was the son of John Prys, of 
 Tyddyn Du, Maentwrog, and was born in 1541, as he himself 
 states in his Latin verses which preface Dr. Davies' Antiques 
 Lingutz Britannica". He was educated at St. John's College, 
 Cambridge, where he graduated in Arts, and afterwards proceeded 
 to Holy Orders. In 1572 he became Rector of Festiniog and 
 Maentwrog, and in 1580 Vicar of Llanddwywe, which living he 
 held in plurality. He was appointed Archdeacon of Merioneth 
 in 1576, a dignity he held for 47 years, and Canonicus Secundus 
 of St. Asaph in 1602. 
 
 ' The woids are: "I gyve to my brother Edward Kyftin preacher the 
 some of one hundred and thirlie poundts, and all my bookes after my said 
 Cozen Mereu th shall have taken such as he likes l>est to his owne use," p. 284 
 of the late Mr. Wm. i'richaid Williams' edition of Deffynniad Ffydd Eghvys 
 Loegr. - Llyfr. y Cymry, p. 102. 
 
 123 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Thus far the Welsh nation had no body of sacred hymns 
 in their own language, which could be sung at public worship- 
 This deficiency was generally felt, and two men, William Myddleton 
 and Edward Kyffin, had already attempted to fill the void, with 
 but small measure of success. There was another, Dafydd Ddu 
 o Hiraddug, who also attempted the work a little earlier than the 
 two above-mentioned, but he had only translated twenty -six 
 psalms, and these were fettered by cynghanedd. Edmund Prys 
 had the intuition to see wherein the others had failed, and he 
 conceived the task of translating the psalms in the free metres 
 which would be understood by all. The method adopted by the 
 Archdeacon showed what a practical man he was, for, if tradition 
 does not err, 1 as he finished each psalm, he had it taught to his 
 congregation at Maentwrog during the week, in preparation for 
 the following Sunday service in which it was sung. Thus the 
 theory was tested by practice, and it proved so successful that it 
 encouraged Edmund Prys to proceed with his task and complete 
 it. 
 
 He employed twelve free metres in his translation, and there 
 are twelve hymn -tunes in his book, which correspond to them. 
 He sets forth his reasons for not using the twenty -four metres of 
 the alliterative system known as cynghanedd, as follows : " Tri 
 pheth a wnaeth na chyfieithwyd y- Salmau bendigaid ar yr un o'r 
 pedwar mesur ar hugain. 
 
 Un yw, am .na allwn ryfygu clymu yr Ysgrythyr Santaidd ar 
 fesur cyn gaethed, rhag i mi, wrth geisio cadw y mesurau, golli 
 meddwl yr Yspryd, ac felly pechu yn erbyn Duw, er mwyn 
 boddloni dyn. 
 
 Yn ail, y mae Gair Duw i'w ganu mewn cynulleidfa santaidd 
 o lawer ynghyd, i foliannu Duw yn un llais, un enaid, ac un 
 galon ; yr hyn a allant wneuthur ar y mesur gwael hwn, ac ni allai 
 ond un ganu cywydd neu awdl. 
 
 Yn drydydd, pob plant, gweinidogion, a phobl annysgedig a 
 
 1 It would explain why he took so long to complete the long -'promised 
 task, but one would expect less blemishes in work tested in this way. 
 
 124 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 ddysgant bennill o garol, lie ni allai ond ysgolhaig ddysgu cywydd 
 neu gerdd gyfarwydd arall.. Ac o achos bod yn berthynol i bob 
 Cristion wybod ewyllys Duw, a'i foliannu ef, mi a ymadewais a'r 
 gelfyddyd, er mwyn bod pa-.vb yn rhwymedig i wario ei dalent at y 
 gorau. Hefyd, nid wyf fi yn cadw rao'r mesur esmwyth hwn yn 
 gywir ymhob man, am nad oes dim yn ein hiaith ni mewn synnwyr 
 i seinio nac i odli a Dmv. Am hynny, i roddi iddo ef ei ragor a 
 pioedd y gerdd, mi a rois amryw ddiphthongau eraill i gyfateb i'r 
 gair hwnnw, yn nesaf ag y medrwn." 
 
 The thoroughness with which he entered into the intricacies 
 of his task is seen from the fact that this metrical translation 
 forms an excellent commentary on many expressions in the 
 psalms which present difficulties. 1 Throughout his translations 
 the style is uniformly good, and it is one of the distinctive merits 
 of the work that Edmund Prys reduced the number of irrelevant 
 words (geiriau llanw) to a minimum. Anyone conversant with 
 the poetry of that age will recognise in this a considerable achieve- 
 ment. 
 
 The metre which he mostly employs is 8.7.8.7 with the 
 accent (ictus) on every second syllable. But there are many 
 cases of irregular accent, which some superficial critics have 
 ascribed to the Archdeacon's ignorance. Better acquaintance 
 with his work shows that it was designedly done in order to fit in 
 with the sense of the passage, or for the sake of variety. It has, 
 however, been pointed out with some justice 2 that the emphasis 
 is sometimes awkwardly placed, where, with a slight re-arrange- 
 ment, it could have been avoided : 
 
 y / > j 
 
 e.g. Gwrando arnaf fy Arglwydd byw. 
 
 can be better rendered : 
 
 / / / * 
 
 O Gwrando arnaf f Arglwydd byw. 
 
 His rule is to rhyme the last syllable of the first and third 
 lines with the strong middle syllable of the second and fourth 
 lines respectively. This rhyming is called the awdl gyrch, and is 
 very effective, provided it is not used to the degree of monotony : 
 
 1 Sec Gwladgarwr, Oct., 1836. ! Gwaitk Gwalltcr Mefhain^ i. p. 541. 
 
 "5 
 
e.g. Y sawl ni rodia dedwydd yw 
 
 Yn ol drwg ysiryw gyngor. i. r. 
 
 A variant, which the Archdeacon often uses, is to make the 
 last word in the first line alliterate with the strong accented word 
 
 in the next line : 
 
 e.g. Duw a fforddia ac a hoffa 
 
 Hy-ffordd y g\vr calonog. xxxvii. 23. 
 
 And a further variant is to employ the disguised or concealed 
 
 awdl (rhyme) : 
 
 e.g. Clyw, Arglwydd fi, herwydd o'ttiflatn 
 
 Yn hollawl mae'n nymuniad. xxxviii. 9. 
 
 His manipulation of these variants, without sacrificing in any 
 degree the full and clear meaning of the original, shows not only 
 that he was an illustrious bard, but also that he understood how to 
 apply the knowledge of the original languages which he had 
 acquired, to the genius of his own native tongue. His strong 
 epithets are really strong, and he always succeeds in presenting a 
 vivid picture to the mind. In a couple of words he often paints 
 a complete picture, and his language is commensurate in 
 strength with the idea he portrays : e.g., note the contrast between 
 storm and calm in the following expressions : mdr cynhyrfdon^ 
 mdr tonlefn ; of on ffrydchwyrn, afonydd dyfrgrych.. In mdr 
 cynhyrfdon we are reminded of Goronwy Owain's "rhyferthwy 
 don," and the sea in a wild tumult of waves presents itself to our 
 vision. Both these bards were masters of concise and vivid 
 expression. Edmund Prys has also many of the Dafydd ab 
 Gwilym touches, and he was, no doubt, steeped in the works of 
 Wales' premier poet. That something of the latter is reflected in 
 Edmund Prys will be seen, for instance, by a comparison of 
 D. ab Gwilym's Cywydd y Daran with the following lines : 
 
 Dy daran modd fry'n y nen, 
 
 Dy fellt gwnaent wybren olau ; 
 
 Y ddaear isod a gyffrodd, 
 
 Ac a ddychrynodd hithau. Ps. Ixxvii, 16. 
 
 In some of the Archdeacon's lines there is a strident majesty 
 which well befits his theme : 
 
 e.g. Pan ddigiodd Duw, daeth daiar-gryn, 
 A sail pob bryn a siglodd ; 
 A chyffro drwy'r wlad ar ei hyd, 
 A'r boll fyd a gynhyrfodd. Ps. xviii. 8, 
 126 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 In others he succeeds in intensifying the original : 
 
 e.g. Duw, tor eu dannedd yn eu safn, 
 Diwreiddia'r llafn o dafod ; 
 Duw, dryllia'r bonau, a gwna'n don . 
 Bob grudd i'r c'nawon llewod. Iviii. 6. 
 
 No one understood the genius of the language better than 
 Edmund Prys, and his further poems, which must be deferred 
 for consideration under the chapter dealing with the poetry of 
 the seventeenth century, furnish ample testimony in support 
 of this statement, in addition to what has already been remarked. 
 
 It must not be forgotten that he had his share in the great 
 work of translating the 1588 Bible, and Bishop Morgan in his 
 preface expresses his obligation to him in the warmest terms. 
 What part he took in that work is not known. 
 
 The esteem in which he was held by the literati of his day 
 can be appreciated from the fact that Dr. John Davies, who 
 lived not more than a day's ride from him, in the parish of 
 Mallwyd, over the hills beyond Bwlch Oerddrws, dedicated his 
 Grammar to the Archdeacon. Edmund Prys wrote some elegant 
 Latin verses in commendation of that work, which appeared in 
 1621, the same year as his own magnum opus. In them he 
 mentions that he was eighty years of age, and this is one of the 
 two bits of evidence we have in support of 1541 as the year of 
 his birth, but it is fairly conclusive. 1 These verses bear the 
 impress of an intellect that was still virile and clear. There is no 
 vestige of that decrepitude which one would not be surprised 
 to find in the work of an octogenarian. 
 
 Edmund Prys died in 1623-4, and was buried in the chancel 
 of Maentwrog Church, where a grave was discovered, when the 
 church was being restored through the unstinted beneficence 
 of the late W. E. Oakeley, Esquire, of Plas Tan-y- Bwlch, in 
 1896, but no trace of any remains was found. The parishioners 
 have put up a beautiful -stained-glass window on the west side 
 of the church in the Archdeacon's memory. It has three lights, 
 
 1 The'other evidence is contained in a MS in the library at Plas Tan-y- 
 bwlch, Merionethshire. 
 
 127 
 
and depicts on the right hand light, the Archdeacon in canonicals 
 holding a scroll in his left hand and turning in rapt attention to 
 listen to the strains of David's harp. The sweet singer of Israel 
 occupies the middle light, his hands sweeping the strings of his 
 instrument. On the left light is St. Twrog, also a rapt listener, 
 holding in his right hand a scroll, whilst his left is placed upon 
 Twrog's stone, which is reputed to have been that saint's first 
 pulpit. 
 
 The different editions of Edmund Prys' Psalms which 
 appeared in the seventeenth century are given below. They were 
 usually added as an appendix to Bibles and Prayer Books, but 
 that of 1648 was a separate edition. 
 
 1. The original edition of 1621, which formed part of the 
 Llyfr Gweddi Gyffredin issued in that year. The music of 
 twelve tunes is also printed. The title page is as follows : 
 Llyfr y Psalmau Wedi eu cyfieithu, a'i cyfansoddi ar fesur 
 cerdd, yn Gymraeg. Drwy waith Edmwnd Prys Archdiacon 
 Meirionydd, A'i Printio yn Llundain. 1621. 
 
 Bonham Norton and John Bill : London. 1621. 
 
 2. The 1630 edition, bound at the end of the 1630 Bible (the 
 octavo volume of Rowland Heilyn and Thomas Middleton). 
 
 3. The 1638 edition, bound at the end of the Book of Common 
 Prayer of 1634. Gwilym Lleyn has erred in calling this the 
 1628 edition, 1 and has been followed by Glan Menai. 2 
 Apparently, the metrical version of the Psalms had not been 
 bound with the 1634 Prayer Book at its first appearance. 
 It has a separate title page and is dated 1638. 
 
 4. The 1648 edition, which is the first edition found of the 
 work by itself, neither bound with the Prayer Book or the 
 Bible, nor designed to be bound with them. It is a 
 duodecimo edition, and a very handsome little volume. 
 
 1 Llyfr. y Cymry, p. 104. 2 Edmwnd Prys, p. 129. Glan Menai also 
 mentions a 1664 edition attached to the Prayer Book of that date. But it is 
 not found in the complete copy of that book in the University College Library 
 at Bangor, and, no doubt, the statement is inaccurate, 
 
 128 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 5. The 1656 edition, bound with the 1654 Bible, printed by 
 James Flesher. 
 
 6. The 1672 edition, bound with the New Testament, issued 
 by Stephen Hughes in that year. Printed by E. Tyler and 
 R. Holt. 
 
 7. The 1678 edition, bound with the 1677-8 edition of the 
 Welsh Bible. The title page of the Psalms bears the date 
 1678, as also that of the New Testament. 
 
 8. The 1687 edition, printed with Thomas Jones' Prayer Book. 
 Caerludd. 
 
 9. The 1690 edition, printed with the 1689-90 Bible, produced 
 by David Jones of Llandyssilio, Carmarthenshire. 
 
 10. The 1700 edition, bound with the Llyfr Gweddi Gyffredin^ 
 which appeared in that year. 
 
 (b) II. THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER. 
 
 Most of the Welsh editions of the Bock of Common Prayer 
 published in this century contain, as we have noticed, the Psalms 
 of Edmund Prys, as an appendix. These psalms are usually 
 preceded by a metrical version of the Te Deum, Benedicite, 
 Senedictus, Cdn Mair Forwyn, and Can Simeon a'r lesu yn ei 
 freichian (two different renderings). It must also be clearly 
 understood that the Prayer Book proper contains the version of 
 the Psalms which appeared in the 1620 Bible, usually entitled 
 " Psalmau Dafydd o'r un cyfieithiad a'r Bibl cyffredin." 
 
 The first edition of the Llyfr Giveddi Gyffredin which 
 appeared in this century was that of 1621. The editors were 
 Edmund Prys and Dr. John Davies of Mallwyd. We have no 
 knowledge how the work was apportioned between them, but it 
 is thought that the latter was responsible for the Catechism. He 
 makes mention of this in a letter to Mr. Owen Wynn of Gwydyr, 
 dated January, i627. T 
 
 The prayer book was also incorporated with the 1630 Bible, 
 and its title-page read : " Llyfr Gweddi Gyffredin, a gweinidogaeth 
 *Lyfr. y Cymry t p. 102. 
 
 129 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Y Sacramentau : A Chynneddfau a Ceremoniau eraill yn Eglwys 
 Loegr. Printiedig yn Llundain gan Robert Barker Printiwr i 
 Ardderchoccaf fawrhydi y Brenin : a chan Assignes lohn Bill. 
 Anno. Dom. 1630." The Epistles and Gospels are not reprinted 
 in this Prayer Book, inasmuch as it was prefixed to the Bible. 
 But under each Collect are given the passages fixed for that day, 
 and in the New Testament they are marked with [ ] at the 
 beginning and end, and in the margins by a ' for the 
 beginning of the passage and a ' ' for the end. 
 
 The next edition of the Prayer Book appeared in 1634, 
 with the same title-page as above, except that gweinidogaeth is 
 misprinted gwenidogaeth, Sacramentau Scarmtnatau, and, 
 " Printiwyd yn llundain gan Assignes lohn Billag i'w gwerthu gida 
 Robert Milborne yn sin y milgi yn mynwent Paul. 1634." 
 Edmund Prys' Psalms are appended, dated 1638. It is a small 
 quarto edition printed in Black Letter, with the rubrics, as they 
 should be, in red. It is preceded by a Calendar, and its ortho- 
 graphy in many parts is reminiscent of William Salesbury. For 
 instance, such forms occur as Camberaec, JBoreuawl, Y Letani, 
 Dydd Natalie, Y Croc-lith, Dydd lou Dyrchafael, Y Commun, 
 Bedydd priuat, Comminasion, ttvyllysio-on, rad invariably for gras. 
 Oll-alhtogi<yc Hollalluog. The following Collect for the fourth 
 Sunday after Epiphany will serve as a fair example of the difference 
 between the early editions of the iyth century and our modern 
 version : 
 
 " Duw yr hwn a wyddost ein bod ni wedi ein gosod mewn 
 cymmaint a chynnifer o beryglon ac nas gallwn o herwydd 
 gwendid dynol sefyll bob amser yn uniawn : caniadha i ni iechyd 
 enaid a chorph, fel y bo am yr holl bethau ydd ym ni yn eu 
 dioddef am bechod, allu o honom drwy dy borth di eu gorfod a'u 
 gorchfygu, trwy Grist ein Harglwydd. Amen." 
 
 The next edition appeared in 1664, with the following title- 
 page : 
 
 " Llyfr Gweddi Gyffredin a Gweinidogaeth y Sacramentau, a 
 
 Chynneddfau a Ceremoniau eraill yr Eglwys, yn ol arfer 
 130 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 Eglwys Loegr ynghyd a'r Psallwyr neu Psalmau Dafydd. A 
 
 Brintiwyd yn Llur.dain, gan S. Dover, tros Edward Ffowks a 
 
 Phetr Bodvel. MDCLXIV." 
 
 This book was meant for the Prayer Desks of churches. It 
 was too large and unwieldy to be carried about by the worshippers. 
 It is quite certain that it did not contain Edmund Prys' metrical 
 version of the psalms. 
 
 Another edition of the Prayer Book was bound with the 
 1677-78 Bible. The title was the same as the last mentioned up 
 to the words Eglwys Loegr, after which are added Printiedig yn 
 Liu ndain gan John Bill, Christopher Barker, Thomas Newcomb, 
 a Hen ry Hills, 1678. 
 
 The peculiarity of this edition is that it contained for the 
 first time in Welsh, services for the Gunpowder Plot (Brad y 
 Powdr Gwnn), The Martyrdom of King Charles I. (Brenin 
 Charles y Merthyr), and T/ie Restoration of King Charles II,, the 
 last named under the title Natalie Mawrhydi y Brenin. This 
 Prayer-book appeared in front of the 1677-78 Bible. At the 
 end of the Prayer-book and immediately before the Bible 
 appeared the following Proclamation from Charles II. as to the 
 three new Services : 
 
 Charles R. 
 
 Ein hewyilys a'n pleser yw, i'r Tair Trefn Gweddi a Gwein- 
 idogaeth hyn a wnaed i'r Pummed o Dachwedd, y Ddegfed ar 
 hugain o lonawr, a'r Nawfed ar hugain o Fai, fod allan o law yn 
 Breintiedig ac yn gyhoeddedic ; ac o hyn allan i'\v gyd-gynnwys 
 gyda Llyfr y Weddi Gyffredin a Liturgi Eglwys Loegr, i'w harfer 
 bob blwyddyn ar y dywededic ddyddiau, mewn pob Cadeiriawl a 
 Cholegawl Eglwys a Chapel ac Awl ' o fewn ein dwy Unifersiti, ac 
 o'n Colegau o Eaton a Chaer-wynt, ac rriewn pob Eglwys a 
 Chapel Plwyfawl o fewn ein teyrnas, Arglwyddiaeth Gymry, a 
 Thre Berwic ar Tweed. 
 
 Rhoddwyd yn Ein Llys yn y Neuadd- \venn yr ail dydd o Fai 
 yn y Bedwaredd Flwyddyn ar ddeg o'n Gwladychiad. 
 
 Trwy orchymyn ei Fawrhydi, 
 
 1 HaiK EDW. NICHOLAS. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 In 1683 an Oxford edition of the Prayer Book was issued. 
 It was modelled on Gouge's edition (1677-78, above). Copies of 
 this are very scarce, but the writer has seen one which is in the 
 possession of the Rev. T. Shankland, of the University College 
 Library, Bangor. Bishop Humphreys, of Hereford, states in a 
 letter dated 28 November, 1706, " that the 8vo Edition printed 
 at Oxford. A.D. 1683, is the fittest pattern for the Composer," i.e., 
 of the new Prayer Book, which was then under contemplation. 
 This letter of Bishop Humphreys in reference to the new edition, 
 which was being discussed in 1706, is so instructive that the 
 minutes in which it is mentioned deserve recording below : 
 
 " 28 November, 1706. Part of a Letter from the Lord Bp. 
 of Hereford [Humphreys] to the Ld. Bishop of Landaffe was 
 read, dated Whitbourn, Nov. 15 instant, concerning a New 
 Edition of the Common Prayer in Welsh, of which there have 
 been some Advertisements inserted in the Public Papers. Herein 
 his Lordship shews, that as the Folio Edition is very faulty ; so 
 those 2 editions of Tho. Jones, are neither of them correct. And 
 adds that the 8vo Edition printed at Oxford A.D. 1683 is the 
 fittest pattern for the Composer. For the Singing Psalms, his 
 Lordship recommends those in the old 8vo Bible Printed at the 
 Charge of Midleton &: Heylyn, in the beginning of the Reign of 
 King Charles I. ; or with a 410 Common Prayer in the black 
 English Letter, being the Church Volume before the Rebellion ; 
 or those bound with the Octavo Bible printed at London, A.D. 
 1677. But by all means to have a care of those printed by Tho. 
 Jones. Lastly his Lordship says that if he had the Oxford 
 Edition above - mentioned he would correct the Erratas found in it. 
 This letter was referred to the Standing Committee, and Mr. Fox 
 was desired to procure the Oxford Edition printed as aforesaid." 
 
 " 12 Dec., 1706. Mr. Fox reported that Mr. Whitledge had 
 assured him that the Welsh Common Prayer which he intends to 
 reprint, is that in 8vo by the late Mr. Gouge, (whose edition as 
 he thinks, was the pattern for that printed in Oxford) ; that he 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 will take care to gett the Edition printed at Oxon: that Mr. 
 Chancellor Wynne of St. Asaph has promised to fitt the work for 
 the press, & a Clergyman is to come on purpose from Wales to 
 correct the sheets. The Secretary was order'd to certify the Ld. 
 Bp. of Hereford of this." ' 
 
 The folio edition referred to as "very faulty" is that of 1664. 
 The " 2 editions of Tbo. Jones" are those which shall be presently 
 mentioned. The "eld 8vo Bible" is that which appeared in 
 1630. The " 4to Common Prayer in the black English Letter" 
 is that of 1634. The "8vo by the late Mr. Gouge " is the Prayer 
 Book of 1677-78, whi:h is mentioned as the model on which the 
 highly -approved 1683 Oxford Edition was based. 
 
 The first of Thomas Jones' editions appeared dated 1687, 
 and was printed in London. 
 
 " Argraphwyd yng Haerludd dros Thomas Jones. 1687. Ag 
 ar werth drosto ef 
 
 'Mr. Charles Beard, Tan Lun y Tri 
 Adar Duon a'r forforwyn yn Watling 
 
 Gan J 
 
 Street. 
 
 yn Llundain." 
 
 A Mr. John Marsh, Tan Lun y Llew 
 C6ch yn Cateaton-Street. > 
 
 The year of its actual publication was 1688. It is a small 
 book, and has affixed to it, for the first time in Welsh, the 
 Thirty -nine Articles, under the title: 
 
 "Y namyn un deugain Erthyglau Crefydd Eglwys Loegr, 
 neu Sylwedd Ffydd y Protestaniaid drwy gyttuniad yr Arch- 
 esgobion, a'r Esgobion o'r ddwy Brew : a'r holl wyr Lien, 
 (ar eu Cymmanfa yng Haerludd, yn y bummed flwyddyn o 
 Deyrnasiad y frenhines Elizabeth, yr hon oedd y flwyddyn o 
 oed Jesu, 1562) er ymwared oddiwrth amryw draws amcan 
 grefyddau, ac i wastadlu bodlonrhwydd a chyttundeb 
 ynghylch gwir Grefydd. 
 Argraphwyd yn fynuch yn saesonaeg, drwy Orchymmyn y 
 
 'Copied from Seren Comer, lonawr, 1904, Rhif I., Cyt. xxv., p. 15, from 
 an atticle by the Rev. T. Shankland, M.A., on Di-ivygwyr Cymi~u. 
 
 133 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Brenhinoedd. Ar pryd ymma yn Gymraeg, o Gyfieuthad 
 
 Thomas Jones, 1688. 
 
 Ar werth Gan Thomas Jones, a chart y rhai eraill a ivertho 
 
 ei Lyfrau ef." 
 
 " Imprimatur, Articuli Ecclesiae Anglicanae in Linguam 
 
 Brittanicam Conversi. Hn Maurice R ms in Christo P.D. 
 
 Wilhelmo Archiepiscopo. Cant, a Sacris. Feb. 16, 1687. " J 
 
 According to Moses Williams, 2 Dr. John Davies, of Mallwyd, 
 had translated the Articles long years before, and they were 
 printed separately in 1664. It is strange that the three editions 
 of the Prayer Book, which had been issued since that date, should 
 have appeared without them. 
 
 The second edition of Thomas Jones', to which Bishop 
 Humphreys refers, was that published in 1700. Both of his 
 editions had Edmund Prys' Metrical Psalms appended. The 
 orthography of both is such that, were they otherwise faultless, 
 they well merit the strictures put upon them by the Bishop of 
 Hereford in the warning he gave, " by all means to have a care 
 of those printed by Thomas Jones." 
 
 (c) OTHER WORKS, RELIGIOUS AND MORAL. 
 
 In the first half of the seventeenth century, Wales was more 
 enlightened and had better educational facilities than is generally 
 supposed. 
 
 John Edwards (Sion Treredyn) who was the translator of the 
 " Marrow of Modern Divinity," states that the clergy of that 
 time were learned men, and his statement is amply supported 
 by the able article of the late Mr. Ivor James in the pages of the 
 Traethodydd (1886), on the evidence he had obtained by examin- 
 ing the records of the two Universities. In a space of fifty years, 
 he tells us, Wales had produced not less than a hundred and fifty 
 men who became Doctors of Divinity, or attained Fellowships. 
 This does not exhaust the list of able men, for outside the ranks 
 
 5 Llyfr. y Cymry has, on p. 245, no doubt owing to a printer's error, 
 wrongly given this date as 1667. 2 Cofrhestr, rhif 5, 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 of Doctors and Fellows were such men as Vicar Prichard, Arch- 
 deacon Edmund Prys, and many more. It \vas no uncommon 
 thing for Welshmen to be raised to the episcopal bench, both in 
 their own country and outside its borders. The same writer 
 draws attention to the high standard of learning and culture 
 amongst the gentry of Wales. He quotes the author of Gemitus 
 Eccksiae, who states : " Mae y boneddigion yn wyr o wybodaeth, 
 crefydd, a dygiad i fyny, y rhan fwyaf o honynt wedi cael eu 
 haddysg yn ysgolion a phrifysgolion goreu y wlad hon." The 
 population of Wales, at the time, could hardly have exceeded a 
 quarter of a million, and it is interesting to note that Mr. James 
 states that there were more Grammar Schools, Ysgolion Canol- 
 raddol he calls them, for the sake of emphasising his point, in the 
 first half of the century in Wales than existed at the time he 
 penned his article. Moreover, these schools were planted in 
 populous centres ; were, as far as possible, free and open to 
 the poorest ; and must have been efficient, judging from the 
 men they produced, who reached the highest offices in Church 
 and State. 
 
 The masses availed themselves of the private schools, as the 
 author of Gemitus Ecclesiae informs us : " Ac mae y bobl yn 
 gyffredin yn gofalu am ddwyn eu plant i fyny mewn ysgolion 
 preifat," ' Many of these schools were kept by the clergy. It 
 was mentioned, for instance, in a previous page, how Jeremy 
 Taylor was invited to take charge of a school at Golden Grove. 
 Dr. David Lloyd, at Ruthin, is another example. And there are 
 instances found in the Alumni Oxonienses where it forms part of 
 the record of a Welsh clergyman, " that he also kept school there." 
 There was not that entire neglect of education which some have 
 supposed. The great men of the first half of the century were 
 numerous, and it is significant that many of them on their entry 
 to the Universities were styled " plebeians." One is not forgetting 
 the considerable number of Welshmen who went to English 
 public schools, but it is necessary to account for the large number 
 
 1 Y Traethodyddt 1886, p. 287. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 who had not that advantage, but who, nevertheless, proceeded to 
 
 the Universities and attained distinction. All this applies to the 
 
 first half of the seventeenth century. But there came a change. 
 
 When Thomas Gouge came to Wales in 1671-2, he found the 
 
 great bulk of the people ignorant, and unable to read or write. 
 
 We find the explanation for the change in the Civil Wars, the 
 
 effect of which, in brief, was to sweep away the clergy and the 
 
 gentry, who, a generation earlier, had been the promoters of 
 
 education. Both these classes were Royalist, and suffered 
 
 accordingly. The majority of the gentry either fell in battle, or 
 
 had their estates confiscated. " The Act for the Propagation of 
 
 the Gospel " explains the disappearance of most of the clergy. 
 
 As far as can be ascertained, no episcopal ordination took place 
 
 in Wales between 1642 and i66o. r By 1653, 416 clergy, 
 
 graduates of the Universities, had been dispossessed, 2 and their 
 
 place taken by 150 preachers, itinerant and otherwise. When it 
 
 is borne in mind that the number of Welsh parishes was nearly a 
 
 thousand, and that of the above 150 comparatively few were 
 
 learned men, as Calamy bears witness, for in the list of ministers 
 
 ejected at the Restoration, he is only able to muster eight who 
 
 were graduates, and has to admit that many of them were weavers, 
 
 ploughmen, skinners, husbandmen, 3 &c., it is not surprising that 
 
 the education of the country should have suffered. Vavasor 
 
 Powell states 4 that 24 out of 32 nominees to livings by the 
 
 Commissioners in N. Wales were University men. This is in 
 
 direct variance with Calamy's list of ejected ministers, or it proves 
 
 that comparatively few were disturbed at the Restoration. If 
 
 Wales was so steeped in ignorance, the Commonwealth policy, in 
 
 its immediate effect, did not tend to decrease it. Ignorance there 
 
 rndoubtedly was in Wales as elsewhere. Our present task is to 
 
 deal with the writings of a body of men who realised this, and 
 
 1 Y Tracthodydd, p. 300. 3 ibid, p. 285. This number includes those 
 ejected under the "Act," and those whose livings had been sequestered before 
 it came into operation in 1650. 3 Calamy's Noncon. Memor., iii. pp. 477-528. 
 4 CymdeUhas Lien Cymru's " Act for t/ic Propagation^ &v.," Cardiff, 1908, 
 P-5- 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 who tried by most unselfish and untiring efforts to dispel the dark- 
 ness through the enlightening influences of religion and education. 
 
 Before their works are recorded, however, it is necessary to 
 notice a few religious writings which appeared in the first half of 
 the century. 
 
 In 1600 was published " Darmerth, neu Arlwy Gweddi, a 
 ddychymygwyd er mawr dderchafiad Duwioldeb, ac i chwanegu 
 Gwybodaeth ac A \vydd yr annysgedig ewyllysgar i iawn wasan- 
 aethuV gwir Dduw. Gan Robert Holland, gweinidog gair Duw, 
 a Pherson Llanddeferowg, yn Sir Gaerfyrcldin." Oxford, 4to. 
 
 Robert Holland was a graduate of Magdalen College, 
 Cambridge, where he proceeded B.A. irj 1577-8 and M.A. in 
 1 58 1. 1 He afterwards became Rector of Prendergast, in Pem- 
 brokeshire. He was the author of a work published in 1594, 
 entitled, The Ho lie Historic of our Lord and Saviour, which is a 
 work of excessive rarity, and has been erroneously ascribed to 
 Henry Holland. He dedicated this work " to the right worship- 
 ful Mistres Ann Philips of Picton,'' and on its title-page describes 
 himself as " Minister of the Church of Prendergast." It is a 
 poetical work relating " Jesus Christ's nativitie, life, actes, miracles, 
 doctrine, death, passion, resurrection, and ascension. Gathered 
 into English meeter, and published to withdraw vaine wits from 
 all unsaverie and wicked rimes and fables, to some love and 
 liking of spirituall songs and holy Scriptures." He also produced 
 other works in Welsh, the best known of which is that entitled 
 " Dau Gymro yn taring yn Bell o'u Gwlad," which was printed by 
 Stephen Hughes with " Canwyll y Cymru " in the 1681 edition 
 of that work. He translated a work of William Perkins (1558- 
 1602) which is considered one of the best books in the language 
 on the Lord's Prayer. Robert Holland entitled it " Agoriad byrr 
 ar Weddi'r Arglwydd," and a second edition of it appeared as late 
 as 1677, published through the efforts of Stephen Hughes. The 
 author of the original, William Perkins, was a Warwickshire man, 
 who was educated at Cambridge and afterwards had charge of 
 l Ath i Cantab ; (Cooper), vol. ii. p. 174. 
 
 137 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 St. Andrew's Church in that city. His puritanism, however, 
 brought him into collision with the authorities, and he was obliged 
 to retire. He was a ready writer, and some of his works were 
 translated into French and Spanish, besides this into Welsh. 
 
 In 1607, " Yr Athrawiaeth am Weddi. Gan John Prideaux, 
 Esgob Caerwrangon," was published. It is not clear who trans- 
 lated this work of Bishop Prideaux. 1 It has been ascribed to 
 Rowland Vaughan, but there is no evidence to support it, although 
 the editor of the 1715 edition, which appeared under the title 
 " Euchologia, neu yr Athrawiaeth o arferol Weddi," attributed it 
 to him. 2 
 
 At least nine Welsh books were published by Roman Catholic 
 writers on the Continent between 1567 and 1670, two of which 
 were printed at Milan, three at Paris, one at Rouen, two at Liege, 
 and one, probably, at St Omer. The well-known Welsh Grammar, 
 entitled Dosparth Byrr, by Dr. Gruffydd Roberts, had appeared 
 in 1567, published at Milan; Athraiviaeth Gristnogavl, in the 
 same year, also printed at Milan ; and Y Drych Cristnogavl, in 
 1585, the work of Dr. Roger Smyth, printed at Rouen.3 
 
 Dr. Roger Smyth (1546-1625), who was a native of St. 
 Asaph, and was educated on the Continent, at the University of 
 Douay and at the English College, at Rome, was one of the 
 Roman Catholic writers who contributed to Welsh literature in 
 this century and in the latter part of the sixteenth. He is 
 mentioned as being at Rome in 1579,* and in 1582 he had come 
 to Rouen to the order of Bridgettine nuns, formerly of Sion, in 
 England, and remained with them until their removal to Lisbon 
 in 1594. In 1595 he crossed over to England, but was caught 
 and thrown into Newgate Prison, whence he escaped, it is thought 
 by bribery, s In 1596 he was again in Paris, where he and others 
 
 'John Prideaux (1578- 1650) was a distinguished Oxford scholar, who 
 became Rector of Exeter College and King's Professor of Divinity. In 1641 
 he was raised to the bishopric of Woicester. The book here translated was 
 his " Euchologia, or Doctrine of Practical Prayer.'' Athen : Oxon : ii. pp. 
 130-131. 2 Llyfr. y Cywry, p. 305. 3 Cymmrodor. Trans., 1897-8, p. 10. 
 4 Owen's Running Register, p. 19 > Cymmrodor. Trans., 1901 -04, pp. 109- 
 114. 
 
 '3* 
 
attempted to establish an English College for the education of 
 priests, in 1598, which project, however, did not succeed. He 
 remained in Paris until his death, in 1625, and during his stay 
 there, he produced, in 1609, a work entitled "Crynodeb o 
 Addysc Cristnogavl, a Dosparth Catholic ar ddeuddeg pvnc y 
 Phydd a elvir yn Gredo, hefyd ar vveddi yr Arglvydd, sef y Fader 
 ar Gyfarchiad yr Angel, a elvvir Ave Maria, yn ddivveddaf ar y 
 Deg gair Deddf a elvvir y deg gorchymyn. Gvvedi i gyfieithu o'r 
 Lladin i'r Gymeraeg, drvvy ddyfal astudiaeth a llafur D[octor] 
 Rosier Smith o dref Llan Elvvy, Athraw o Theologyddiaeth, megis 
 ymddiddan ne ddialogyddiaeth rhvvng y discibil a'r athraw." 
 Pans, 1 609. 
 
 Mr J. H. Davies states that a good copy of this work exists 
 at Sherburn. 1 
 
 It was, as the author mentions in the title-page, a translation 
 fiom the Latin, and was published afterwards in an enlarged form 
 under the title " Opus Catechisticum D. Petri Canisii, Theologi 
 Ex Societate Jesu, sef yw : Svm ne grynodebo adysc Gristnogavl, a 
 dosparth Catholic, ar holl bvnciau'r Phydd." 
 
 A copy of this is to be found in the British Museum. It was 
 a compendium of religious doctrine by a learned Jesuit. In it 
 Smyth follows the orthography of Dr. Gruffydd Roberts. Two 
 subsequent editions of the work appeared, one in 1657, and 
 another in 1683. (See Llyjryddiaeth y Cymry under those dates). 
 
 Another work translated by Dr. Smyth was published in 
 Paris in 1615, and entitled: "Theater Du Mond sef iw Gorsedd 
 y Byd lie i gellir gweled trueni a Llaseni Dyn o ran y Corph ai 
 Odidawgnvydd o ran yr Enaid ; a Scrifenwyd gynt yn y Ffrangaeg, 
 ag a gyfieithwyd ir Gymraeg drwy lafur Rosier Smyth o Dref Lan 
 Elwy Athraw o Theologyddiaeth. Psalm 48." [This should be 
 Ps. 49, the last verse of which is quoted in Latin and Welsh.] 
 
 The orthography of Dr. Gruffydd Roberts is not used in this 
 book, which is a translation from the French of Peter Boaystuan. 2 
 
 The above book was translated into English twenty -eight 
 1 Cymmrodor Trans: 1897-8 p. 10. 2 ibid, p, 12. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 years afterwards, and also into Spanish. All Roger Smyth's 
 printed works were translations, and were religious works, written 
 from a Roman Catholic standpoint, and translated into Welsh in 
 the hope of impressing his fellow-countrymen. Considering that 
 he spent most of his time abroad, he wrote good, vigorous Welsh. 
 When he translated any passages from the poetical books of the 
 Bible, he did so in verse, e.g., Job x. 9, " Cofia, attolwg, mai fel 
 clai y gwnaethost fi ; ac a ddygi di fi i'r pridd drachefn ? " is thus 
 
 versified : 
 
 Cofia arglvydd fal im gvnaethost yn vanddyn 
 
 Fal y llestrvr y lestro'r pryduyn 
 
 Yr hvn all i ddinistrio ai droi yn lludv 
 
 A chofia fal i'm phyrfiaist o'run ddelv * 
 
 As his books were printed in Paris, and there is no w in the 
 French alphabet, he had to resort to the use ~of two z>'s as a sub- 
 stitute for that letter. 
 
 In the " Records of the English Catholics under the Penal 
 Laws " occurs a list of Englishmen who matriculated at Douay 
 before 1621, in which Roger Smyth's name is found amongst the 
 Angli pauperes. He is there styled Rogerius Smithe (vol. i., 
 p. 277). He was also a signatory to " The Copye of a supplica- 
 tion made for poor Syon," where his name is placed first Doctor 
 Smythy (p. 362 of the same work). This was copied from a 
 Document in the Public Record Office, London, Dom. Eliz. vol. 
 146 n 114. 
 
 Roger Smyth was never ordained priest in the Church of 
 Rome. 2 
 
 A difference arose between him and Robert Parsons, the 
 Jesuit, which is mentioned in a letter written by an English spy 
 to Cecil in Oct., 1601, as follows : " Dr. Roger Smith, about 55, 
 of no great reach, not fit to be employed in matters of State, as 
 Parsons confesseth, because he could not keep Parsons' counsels 
 in certain causes which he imparted to him."3 It is conjectured 
 that Parsons may have been angry with Smyth for his republican 
 and nationalist views, for he neither favoured Philip of Spain in 
 1 Llyfr. y Cymry, p. 90. 2 Trans, of Cymmrod. Soc. 1901-04, p. 113. 
 3 ibid, p. 114. 
 
 I 4 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 his attempts to gain the English crown, nor the accession of James 
 of Scotland. In fact, he was and- Spanish and and- English. 
 " What he really wanted was a republican system which would 
 give to Wales a full measure of internal independence," 1 very 
 similar to that enjoyed by the Italian states. 
 
 Lewis Owen, in the Running Register, which was published 
 in 1626, states that Smyth " died last year in Paris," which gives 
 1625 as the year of his death, in his 7Qth year. 
 
 Another Roman Catholic writer of distinction was Father 
 John Salisbury (1572-1625), a native of Merionethshire, and 
 probably a son of the Rug branch of the Salisbury family. 2 He 
 was educated at the Jesuits' College of St. Alban's, Valladolid, 
 Spain, which he entered on June 22nd, 1595. He was ordained 
 priest on Nov. 2ist, 1600, sent to England in 1603, and in 1605 
 he entered the Society of Jesus as a " missioner " in North Wales. 
 In 1615 he became the Superior of North and South Wales 
 District, taking up his residence at Raglan Castle. In 1622 he 
 became Superior of the College of St. Francis Xavier, which he 
 had founded. He was appointed Procurator of the English 
 Province to Rome, but he died while preparing for his journey 
 thither in 1625. He translated and published in 1618 a work 
 entitled " Eglurhad Helaeth-laivn o'r Athrawiaeth Gristnogawl. 
 A gyfansodhwyd y tro cyntaf yn Italaeg trwy waith yr Ardherch- 
 occaf a'r Hybarchaf Cardinal Bellarmin." This was a Catechism 
 on Christian Doctrine, and the translation is written in good 
 idiomatic Welsh. The work was printed at the press of St. Omer's 
 College, France. Salisbury is said to have composed other 
 devotional works, but they were not published. 
 
 A copy of Eglurhad Helacth- lawn exists at the British 
 Museum. 
 
 Two other Roman Catholic works in Welsh, published in 
 this century are Drych Cydwybod, printed at Liege, in i66i3; and 
 Allwydd Paradwys, printed at Liege in 1670. A copy of this is 
 
 1 Trans, of Cymmrod. Soc., 1901-04, p. 114. ~ D.N.B. 3 This date is 
 taken from Moses Williams' Cofrestr* 
 
 141 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 also to be found at the British Museum. The former is an 
 instruction on Confession; the latter a book of Prayers, Devotions, 
 Counsels, and religious Doctrine, collected from various devo- 
 tional books. The Welsh and Latin appear in parallel columns, 
 and the author I. H. is identified as Father John Hughes (or 
 John Hugh Owen, as he was previously known), a native of 
 Anglesey, who, as might be expected, wrote good idiomatic 
 Welsh, as did John Salisbury. This was that same Father John 
 Hughes (1615-1686), who published in 1684, two years before 
 his death, Hugh Owen's translation of the Imitatio Christi of 
 Thomas a Kempis, which will be considered later. 
 
 A writer who has received well -deserved praise for the purity 
 and flexibility of his language is Edward James, the. translator 
 of the Book of Homilies. He published the work, which is 
 generally known as Llyfr yr ffomiliau, in 1606. Its full title 
 reads : 
 
 " Pregethau a osodwyd allan trwy awdurdod, i'w darllein 
 ymhob Eglwys blwyf a phob capel er adailadaeth i'r bobl 
 annyscedig. Gwedi eu troi i'r iaith Gymeraeg, dnvy waith 
 Edward lames." 
 
 The author of Llyfryddiaeth y Cymry bestows upon the work 
 the following well-merited eulogy: "Y mae ei gyfieithiad o'r 
 Homiliau yn gyfieithiad rhagorol dros ben. ac yn teilyngu sylw, 
 pe na bai ond er mwyn ei briodwedd wir Gymreig yn unig. A 
 mae lie i farnu, gyda chryn ddilysrwydd, wrth ambell ymadrodd, 
 ffurf rhai geiriau, ac ychydig neillduoldeb yn yr ieithwedd, mae 
 gwr o'r Deheudir ydoedd y cyfieithydd clodwiw. Saif Edward 
 James ar orsaf uchel fel gwasanaethwr ei gyd-genedl, yn ymyl 
 Gwilym Salsbri, yr Esgob Morgan, a'r Esgob Parri : ac fel 
 ysgrifenwr Cymraeg dilediaith, nid yw yn ol i un o honynt.' x 
 
 The following quotation from his Introduction will serve the 
 double purpose of giving an epitomised history of the Homilies 
 and also an example of the author's pregnant style : " Am hynny, 
 pan ystyriodd y brenin ieuangc duwiol Edward VI. pa mor anaml 
 
 1 Llyjr. y Cymry , p. 80. 
 142 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 oedd gwir bregethwyr gair Duw o fewn ei deyrnas ef, y rhai a 
 fedrai addysgu'r bobl i gredu yn Nu\v, i alw arno, ac i gadw ei 
 orchymynion sanctaidd ef, efe a barodd wrth gyngor ei gyngoriaid 
 i wyr duwiol dysgedig, cyfarwydd yngair Daw, gynnull a sgrifennu 
 yr Homiliau duwiol yma, allan o'r Ysgrythyrau sanctaidd ; unig 
 ffynnon pob doethineb j unig ymborth yr eneidiau ; unig dywysog 
 ac arweinydd, a rhinwedd, a duwioldeb ; unig ddiwreiddydd pob 
 chwyn gwenwynig ; unig wrthladdydd pob anwybodaeth ; ac unig 
 gyferbyn yn erbyn pob athrawiaeth dwyllodrus, yr hon sydd yn 
 tywys i ofer-goel, traws-opiniynau, a delw-addoliad. Yn yr 
 Homiliau hyncynhwysir y prif byngciau o'n ffydd ni, ac o'n dyled 
 tu ag at Dduw a ; n cymmydogion ; fel y gallai yr Offeiriaid a'r 
 Curadiaid annysgedig, y rhai ni fedrant yn amgen etto, wrth 
 adrodd, datgan, a darllain yr Homiliau hyn, bregethu i'w pobl 
 wir athrawiaeth ; ac fel y gallai pawb o'r bobl wrth wrando, 
 ddysgu'n union ac yn iawn anrhydeddu ac addoli yr Hollalluog 
 Dduw, a'i wasanaethu yn ddiwyd." 
 
 A second edition of Llyfr yr Homiliau was published in 
 1817, and a third edited by the Rev. Morris Williams (Nicander), 
 in 1847, printed at Bala. The former has kept very closely to 
 the original edition of 1606, but the latter varies widely and 
 almost seems to be a new translation of the Homilies. 
 
 Edward James' translation is one of the Welsh classics and is 
 worthy of comparison with the work of Maurice Kyffin, Edmund 
 Prys, and Dr. Davies of Mallwyd. The record of the author 
 given in the Alumni Oxonienses is as follows : " Edward James, 
 of co. Glamorgan, pleb., St. Edmund's Hall, 1585-6, aged 16. 
 B. A. from Jesus College, 1589; M.A., 1592; perhaps Vicar of 
 'Caerleon, Monmouthshire, 1596; Prebendary in the Collegiate 
 Church of Brecon, 1 598 ; Rector of Llangattock, Monmouth- 
 shire, 1598; Vicar of Cadoxton-juxta-Neath, 1603; Chancellor 
 of Llandaff, 1606." The record shows that Gwilym Lleyn was 
 correct when he judged from his language "mae gwr o'r Deheudir 
 ydoedd." He died in 1610. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 The next work of note is Rowland Vailghan's translation 
 of "The Practice of Piety." Its full title is as follows: Yr Ymarfer 
 o Dduwioldeb : yn cyfar-wyddo dyn i ryngu bodd Duw : Yr hwn 
 lyfr a osodwyd allan yn saeson-asc o waith y gwir barchedig Dad 
 Lewis Escob Bangor, ac a gylieithwyd yn gamber-aec o waith 
 Row. Vaughan o Gaergai o sir Feirion wr bonheddig. Est volnisse 
 satis. Printiedig gan Felix Kyngston tros Robert Allot, ac ydynt 
 iw cael tan lun yr Arth, ym monwent St. Paul yn Llundain. 
 1630." 
 
 Bishop Lewis Bayly's book, " The Practice of Piety, Direct- 
 ing a Christian man how to walk, that he may please God," was 
 first published in 1612, or at least, that is the date of its first entry 
 at Stationers' Hall. Another edition appeared in that same year, 
 and the third edition in 1613. This is the edition Rowland 
 Vaughan translated, 1 and Thomas Jones, of Oswestry, states that 
 the Welsh translation was ready in 1620. It is thought its 
 publication was delayed owing to the appearance of Bishop Parry's 
 Bible in that year. It was put in the press early in 1629, and 
 appeared in 1630. The book is prefaced with an address by the 
 author, " Lewis Bayly, At yr uchel alluocaf Dywysog, Charles, 
 Tywysog Cymbru." There is also an address by the translator, 
 " I'r annwyl Urddasol Wraig, Margred, unig etifeddes Syr John 
 Lloyd, Marchog a Sersiant o'r gyfraith, a chywely John Lloyd o 
 Riwaedog Esq. gras a thangneddyf yn y byd hwn, a gorfoledd 
 tragwyddol yn y byd a ddaw a ddeisyf, R. V." 
 
 In his address to the reader, which follows, the translator 
 rebukes those Welsh people who, in his age, belittled their own 
 language and neglected the education of their children : " Mwyaf 
 peth sydd yn dyfod yn erbyn ein hiaith ni ydyw, anhawsed gan y 
 cymru roddi eu plant i ddyscu, fel y mae'n well gan lawer dyn 
 fod ei etifedd yn fuwch yn ei fyw, na threulio gwerth buwch i 
 ddyscu iddo ddarllain. . . . Edrych a ddichon y llyfr hwn roddi 
 meddyginiaeth i'th enaid, neu lyfrau eraill oi gyffelyb : megis y 
 
 'For this information the writer is indebted to the Rev. Thomas 
 Shankland, 
 
 144 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 llyfr odiaethol a gyfenwir Ihvybr hyffordd fr nefoedd o gyfieithiad 
 y lien dyscedig am hanwyl athro Mr. Ro. lloyd Ficar y waen, neu 
 bregeth am edifeirwch o waith yr un rhyw gymreugydd rhagorol 
 .... os cei di ddaioni oddiwrth y llyfr hwn, meddwl yn dy weddi 
 am un a fydd yn rhwym i wneuthur iw iaith a'i wlad y gwasanaeth 
 a'r vfudd-dod gorau ar a fedro, tra byddo ei enw Row : Vaughan." 
 Di gwyn yw gennif yn y dcg isilh her 
 
 Ddwyn y boen yn hirfaith 
 Os byddi was wybydd-iaith 
 Yn fwyn gyd-ddwyn am gwaith. 
 
 R. V. 
 
 This introductory letter is interesting in that it expresses the 
 mind of the author concerning his own language, his contempt of 
 those who despised it, and his noble spiritual ideals for his 
 countrymen. 
 
 The other editions of this work are : 
 
 Second edition, 1656, " Yr ail Impressiwn gwedi i correctio 
 ai amendio drwyddo. Printiedig gan Sarah Griffin tros Philip 
 Chetwind : An. Dom. 1656." 
 
 Stephen Hughes was instrumental in publishing this. 
 
 Third edition, 1675. "Printiedig yn Llundain gan Tho. 
 Dawks dros Ph. Chetwin ac a werthir dan lun y tri Bibl gyferbyn 
 a'r Royal Exchange, 1675." This is the edition published 
 through the efforts of Thomas Gouge, and is the one used by all 
 subsequent editors. To it is affixed an address entitled 
 " Diwygiwr y preintwasc at y darllenydd " by Charles Edwards, 
 who revised the proofs for Mr. Gouge. He states that he found 
 it necessary to alter many things in the book, because the mean- 
 ing was often obscure and failed to convey the original. At the 
 same time he expresses his veneration for Rowland Vaughan and 
 his work. 
 
 The fourth edition was published by Thomas Jones, of 
 Shrewsbury, in 1685. " y pedwerydd argraffiad yn Gymraeg, 
 wedi gwellau llawer o gam yspeiliadau oedd yn yr Argraphiadau 
 eraill." 
 
 The Cardiff Catalogue mentions a fifth edition, which 
 appeared in this century, and dates it c.i69o. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 The author of the original, Dr. Lewis Bayly, was a Car- 
 marthen man, and one of the most noted orators of this century. 
 He was educated at Exeter College, Oxford, and his celebrity as 
 a preacher brought him to the notice of James I., who made him 
 his chaplain, he having previously been chaplain to Prince Henry, 
 who predeceased the King. In 1611, he was Vicar of Evesham, 
 in Worcestershire, from 1 6 1 o - 1 6 he was Treasurer of St. Paul's, 
 holding the benefice of St. Matthew's, Friday Street, from 1612-16. 
 In the latter year, on the death of Bishop Rowlands, the King 
 gave him the bishopric of Bangor, in which diocese he also held 
 the Archdeaconry of Anglesey, 1616, and several livings in 
 commendam. I His most celebrated treatise The Practice of Piety 
 took hold of the religious imagination of many countries, it was 
 even translated into the Indian tongue. It is a book which is 
 said to have had a profound influence upon John Bunyan. In 
 England it went through countless editions in the lyth and i8th 
 centuries, and in Wales, five during the i7th century, as seen 
 above. In 1625 it was translated into French, and several 
 editions were issued, so that a French writer, John D'Espagne, 
 complained in 1656 that the French people looked upon it as 
 equal in authority with the Bible. 3 
 
 Bishop Bayly died in 1632, and was buried in Bangor 
 Cathedral. 
 
 The other works of Rowland Vaughan are also translations. 
 He was often known as " Rowland Vaughan y Cyfieithydd." In 
 1658 he published "Prifannau Crefydd Gristnogawl A Llwybraidd 
 fodd byrr or Athrawiaeth o honi. O waith lago Usher Escob 
 Armagh .... 2 Tim. 1.13 [quoted] . . . Llundain. Argraph- 
 edig gan Joa. Streater, tros Philip Chetwinde, 1658." 
 
 This was the Catechism of Dr. Usher, Archbishop of 
 Armagh,3 the author of the Primordia. 
 
 In the same year he published " Yr arfer o Weddi yr 
 
 T Alumni Oxonienses. See also Eminent Welshmen, pp. 34, 35. 
 2 Atken ; Oxon ; i., p. 486. *Ath: Oxon; ii. p. 22 
 
 146 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 Arglwydd a amddiffynir yn erbyn Dadleuon y newyddiaid o'r 
 amseroedd yma. Gan loan Despagne. 1652." (John Despagne 
 was a French writer, who was a preacher at Somerset House 
 Chapel about this time). Also : 
 
 " Prifannav Sanctaidd neu Lawlyfr O Weddiau a wnaethpwyd, 
 yn dair Rhan : I. Seliau Crefydd Gristianogawl ac Athrawiaeth 
 Ecchvys Frydain fawr, ar Rhagoriaeth rhyngddi ar vn o Rufain 
 yr awrhon, ar rhai newydd ad^yweirio neu ddisbaddu. n. Beun- 
 yddol ac wythnosawl ffurfoedd o weddiau, a nerthwyd ar Scrythyrau 
 glan, Myfyrdodau, a Rheolau, i gadw yr enaid oddiwrth y llwybr 
 cyncfin o bedwd, ac i'w ddwyn ym-mlaen i farweiddio ei yrfa. ill. 
 Saith o orchymynnion i'r cydwybod, gan draddodi (onid yw y 
 corph cyfan) yr aelodau pennaf o ddefinyddiaeth, yr hon yw'r 
 gelfyddyd nid o ymddadleu ond o fyw yn dda. O waith yr 
 Anrhydeddus Athro William Brough Dr. o ddefinyddiaeth, a 
 Deon diweddar o Gwaerloiw. Y trydydd argraphiad yn Saesonaeg 
 ar cyntaf yn gamberaeg o Gyfieithiad Row: Vaughan, Esq. . . . 
 Peth mawr yw bod yn Gristion nid i ymddangos. Caer Ludd. 
 Printiedig gan Sara Griffin, tros Philip Clietwinde o'r heol hynaf, 
 1658." Then follows a dedication : " I'r ardderchawg hen 
 Fryttwn William Salesburi o Fachenbyd es [^] llawenydd cyflawn^ a 
 gorfoledd tragywyddol iw dymuniad . R. V.," and some Latin 
 verses commendatory to William Salesbuii, who had helped 
 Rowland Vaughan to defray the expenses of publication, by I. S., 
 and G. S., both of Jesus College, Oxford, and Edmondus Meyricke^ 
 a Scholar of that college ; also, " Mawl ir llyfr ar cyfieithydd." 
 
 Dr. William Brough, the author of the original work, which 
 was called " The Grounds of Christian Religion," and was Part I. 
 of his " Manual of Devotions," was a Cambridge man, and held 
 the rectory of St. Michael's, Cornhill, London, in 1630, until 
 sequestered in 1645. He was a Royal chaplain and Canon of 
 Windsor. He held the Deanery of Gloucester 1644-5, was 
 deprived of it in the latter year, but restored in 1660, and kept 
 it till his death in 1671. Rowland Vaughan had undertaken the 
 translation at the request of William Salisbury, the Royalist keeper 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 of Denbigh Castle, who bore the cost and distributed the books 
 amongst the poor. Brough was in high favour with Archbishop 
 Laud, reputed to be an Arminian, and suspected of Popery. 1 If 
 this book is a criterion, there was no ground for the suspicion. 
 
 Rowland Vaughan's next work was : " Pregeth yn erbyn 
 Schism : Neu, Wahaniadau yr Amseroedd hyn : A Bregethwyd yn 
 Watlington yn sir Rydychen, mewn peth cythryfwl, Medi n, 
 1652. Yn ol ymddadleu cyhoeddus a fu yno Rhwng Jasper 
 Mayne, D.D. Ac un [John Pendarves]. Cyfieith. R. V. Mat. 
 13. 46. [quoted]. Caer-Ludd: Argraphedig gan Jo. Streater 
 tros Phil. Chetwynd." 
 
 This book is dedicated to his nephew, Evan Vaughan, and 
 his family at Moel y Fronllwyd, who took charge of several of our 
 author's MSS. during the unsettled times of the Civil War. 
 Following this address are Latin lines in praise of Rowland 
 Vaughan, W. Salisbury, and W. Brough. 
 
 The translation was produced under the following circum- 
 stances : Rowland Vaughan (who was in 1642 High Sheriff of 
 Merionethshire 2 ) had .been called to serve on the Grand Jury 
 during the trial of one of the " Seintiau newydd." Vavasor 
 Powell, who was present, it is supposed as a witness in support of 
 the puritan, protested against Vaughan on the ground that he 
 might be prejudiced, as he was so utterly opposed to Puritanism. 
 The latter asked the Court permission to reply to the charge, but 
 was refused. After the trial, Vaughan wrote to Powell and 
 received a reply, the tenor of which occasioned this translation 
 by the man who had suffered so much for his loyalty to the Royal 
 cause. What Powell's reply was, is not known, but presumably 
 it touched some point of religious controversy to which Vaughan 
 thought Jasper Mayne's sermon 3 the best antidote. The latter 
 was an Oxford scholar, who wrote works full of wit and sarcasm 
 against the Cromwellians. His " Sermon against Schism, or the 
 Separations of these times," was based on Heb. x. 24, 25, and 
 
 1 Fasti Oxon: ii. p. 731. " Arch. Camb. vol. ii. (List of Sheriffs). 
 3 Jasper Mayne (1604-1672), educated at Christ Church, Oxon, deprived 
 during Commonwealth. Archdeacon of Chichester, 1660 72, 
 
 143 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 had been preached in the Church at Watlington with some 
 interruption, on Sept. n, 1652, against one, John Pendarves, an 
 Anabaptist. 1 
 
 Rowland Vaughan also published another work against 
 schism in 1658, entitled " Ymddiffyniad Rhag pla o Schism neu 
 Swyn gyfaredd yn erbyn neullduaethau yr Amseroedd. A dyn- 
 nwyd allan o Ragscrifeniadau yr Apostolion gan mwyaf : allan o 
 waith St. Paul a St. Jud. Yn dangos trwy yspysrwydd goruchel, i 
 ba gyfryw bechodau a pheryglon ofnadwy y syrthiant hwy, y rhai 
 a red allan or Ecclwys i Schism neu rwygiad. Ac o ba fath 
 gynneddf melldigedig ddamnedig ydyw y gwyr a demtia, ac a 
 arweinia ir cyfryw neillduadau. Cyfieithiad R. V. Esc. i Cor. ii. 
 1 8, 19. [quoted] . . . [Quotation from Tertullian] . . . Print- 
 iedig ynghaer Ludd gan Joa. Streater tros Philip Chetwinde, 1658." 
 
 The production of these five books in one year shows with 
 what ardour this old Welsh squire defended his religious princi- 
 ples, and how pre-eminent he was amongst his contemporaries in 
 his aim to improve his countrymen. Very little is known about 
 him, and the year of his birth has not been definitely ascertained. 
 He was the son of John Vaughan, of Caergai, but the Alumni 
 Oxonienses errs when it states that this " excellent linguist and 
 renowned poet " was the Rowland Vaughan whose record is that 
 he entered Gloucester Hall 1574-5, at the age of 14. We know 
 definitely that Rowland Vaughan, our author, died in 1667, and 
 published books as late as 1658. No man of 98 years, which is 
 what his age would be, were he born in 1560, as the Alumni 
 Oxonienses states, could accomplish this. 
 
 Of his poetry, more will be said later. As for his prose, it 
 was vigorous and idiomatic, and in his translations the originals 
 have not suffered much at his hands. He certainly did a good 
 work for his country when he gave it, in 1630, the book which 
 had such a wide -spread devotional influence on almost every 
 country in Europe, and even as far as the haunts of the Red- 
 skins in the Western hemisphere Bishop Bayly's " Practice of 
 Piety." 
 
 1 Athen : Oxon : ii., pp. 507-08. 
 
 149 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 The year 1630 produced also another devotional book which 
 had a deep and abiding influence upon Welsh life in this century, 
 and which Rowland Vaughan mentioned in his preface, viz., 
 Lhvybr Hyffordd i'r Nefoedd. Its full title is taken here from the 
 1682 edition of the work, supervised by Charles Edwards, which 
 is the second edition (the title-page of the copy of the first edition 
 which came into the writer's hands is missing), and is as follows : 
 " Llwybr hyffordd yn cyfarwyddo yr anghyfarwydd i'r nefoedd. 
 Yn yr hwn y dichon dyn ystyriol weled ei gyflwr presennol, pa un 
 ydyw ai cadwedig, ai colledig. Wedi ei osod allan ar dull ym- 
 ddiddanion, yn gyntaf yn Saesonaec, o waith Arthur Dent, 
 Gweinidog Gair Duw. Ac yr Awr-hon wedi ei gyfieithu yn 
 Gamberaec er cymmorth ir Cymro annysgedig, fel y gallo efe 
 gael yn ei dafod-iaith ei hun, foddion a chyfryngau i chwanegu ei 
 wybodaeth i wasanaethu Duw. Esay i. 16 [verse quoted]. Yr 
 ail argraphiad. Printiedig yn Llundain gan Bennet Griffin yn 
 y Flwyddyn, 1682." The printer of the 1630 edition was 
 " Nicholas Okes dros George Latham, ac a geir ar werth yn 
 monwent St. Paul tan arwydd Pen Escob, 1630." 
 
 The dedication runs : "I'r Gwir Barchedig Dad yn Nuw, 
 lohn drwy rad Duw Arglwydd Escob Llan Elwy, R. LI. sy'n 
 damuno pob llwyddiant ; a diddanwch Ysprydol ar y ddaiar, a 
 gogoniant tragwyddol yn y Nefoedd." Then follows a letter " At 
 y darllennudd o Gymro uniaith ; Annerch. O'm stafell yn Ffoster 
 Ian yn Llundain yr Ugeinfed dydd o fis Medi. 1629." The 
 contents of the book fall under six heads : i. Drueni dyn tan 
 naturiaeth, a'r ymadferth i ddiangc rhagddo. 2. Anwiredd yr 
 amser ymma, a chyffredin lygredigaeth y byd. 3. Nodau plant 
 Duw, a nodau y gwrthodedig : ac arwyddion hysbys o iachawdwr- 
 iaeth a damnedigaeth. 4, Mor anhawdd yw myned i fywyd ; a 
 lleied yw nifer y rhai a ant yno. 5. An wybodaeth y byd, a'i wrth- 
 attebion yntef. 6. Hyfryd addewidion yr Efengyl, ac ami 
 drugareddau Duw i'r sawl oil a edifarhant, ac a gredant, ac a wir 
 ddychwelant atto ef." 
 
 The four characters who take part in the dialogue are 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 Theologus (Pregeth-wr), Phila$athus (G\vr-da), Asiinetus (Ang- 
 hyfanvydd-ddyn), Anti/egon (Ceccryn). The text, which runs to 
 446 pages, is followed by Family Prayers, arranged for morning 
 and evening use, and private prayers. In the 1682 edition, 
 Charles Edwards, as was his wont, appended a letter entitled 
 " Diwygiwr y Preintwasg at y Darllennydd. C.E. 1682." The 
 next thing in the book is the translation of Arthur Dent's sermon 
 (but not in full) on " Repentance," based on St. Luke xiii. 5, 
 which Robert Llwyd had issued separately and completely in 
 1629. The Llwybr Hyffordd was also, as the title-page shows, 
 the translation of one of Arthur Dent's works. The book ends 
 with a vocabulary, which Charles Edwards generally appended to 
 the books he edited, for the same reason he mentions here : 
 " Deongliad rhai geiriau yn y llyfr hwn a allant fod yn anhawdd 
 eu deall mewn rhai mannau, yn enwedig yn Neheubarth Cymru." 
 
 Arthur Dent, the author of the original Plain Pat/iway to 
 Heaven was minister of South Shoobery (or Soubery), in Essex, 
 and one of the Presbyterians of James I's. reign, who was cited 
 by Bishop Aylmer to appear before the High Commission Court, 
 in 1584, for refusing to wear the surplice and to make the sign of 
 the cross in baptism. He afterwards, with twenty-six other 
 ministers, presented a petition to the Lords of the Council. 
 He also wrote a work called " The Ruine of Rome, or an Exposi- 
 tion of Revelation." He died about I600. 1 
 
 Robert Llwyd was a Carnarvonshire man, who entered 
 Christ Church, Oxford, in 1585, aged 20. He graduated B.A. 
 in 1588, and M.A. in I59i, 2 perhaps B.D. in 1602. Archdeacon 
 Thomas, in his learned work " The History of the Diocese of St. 
 Asaph," records him as Rector of Halkyn, Flints, 1594-1626; 
 Vicar of Wrexham, 1598-1640: Vicar of Chirk, 1615; Vicar of 
 Nannerch, 1629 ; and Prebendary of Meliden (Treasurer of St. 
 Asaph Cathedral), in 1624.2 
 
 It was generally supposed that he was not ejected by the 
 Cromwellian Commissioners. Judging from the convincing 
 'Brook's Life of ike Puritans % ii., p. Ill, 8 Alumni Oxoiticnscs* 
 st vol. i,, \\ 341. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 sincerity of his words in his letter to the " Reader," prefacing 
 Llwybr Hyffordd, he could be guilty of no dereliction of duty, 
 for he there urges the illiterate to make every effort to learn to 
 read in order that the Scriptures might be an open book to them 
 for their soul's good. Walker, however, was quite correct in his 
 " Sufferings of the Clergy " when he states that he was ejected. 
 Thomas, in his History of St. Asaph, names him among the 
 parochial clergy deprived 1 and also in the list of prebendaries so 
 treated. 2 This is placed beyond all doubt by a paper recently 
 issued by Cymdeithas Lien Cymru, which records the proceedings 
 of the Commissioners in North Wales under the " Act for the 
 Propagation of the Gospel." There is one entry which concerns 
 Robert Llwyd. It reads : " At a meeting held at Wrexham, Nov. 
 21, 1650, Resolved y l Mr Lloyd Vicar of Chirke be allowed 
 twenty pounds per arm. out of ye profitts of . ye said vicaridge " 
 (p. 26).3 And " Robert Lloyd V. of Chirk 1616 Preb. of Meliden 
 1624 Deprived by the Commonwealth Assessors," is a further 
 record by Archdeacon Thomas. 
 
 The Llwybr Hyffordd is Robert Llwyd's chief work. It is 
 written in excellent Welsh, is pervaded by a spirit of deep 
 devotion and religious fervour, and is essentially Calvinistic in 
 doctrine. His style is almost as vigorous as that of Elis Wyn in 
 the Bardd Cwsg. In its preface he declaims against unprofitable 
 games, which squandered time that might be used to better 
 advantage. In particular, he pleads .with his countrymen to 
 abandon the dice -board and the tavern, and to cultivate reading. 
 There is no mention of his return to his preferments at the 
 Restoration, and it is probable that he died before 1660. Arch- 
 deacon Thomas thinks it likely that Robert Llwyd was associated 
 with the production of the 1630 Bible. He was certainly in 
 London, on his own showing, in Sept. 1629.*. 
 
 The following year, 1631, saw the publication of Car-wr y 
 Cymru. There has been considerable confusion about the work 
 
 'See vol. i. p. in. 2 ibidiii. p. 341. 3 This was probably the fifth of 
 the income of the, benefice. 4 See his Dedication in the Lkuybr Hyffordd^ 
 
 152 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 bearing this title. It has arisen through ignorance of the fact 
 that tivo distinct works bearing the same main title were printed, 
 the first in 1630, and the second, which is the better known, in 
 1631. The British Museum " Catalogue of Early British Books to 
 1640," on page 1578, records the two different works, and to 
 show how entirely they differ, their respective titles shall be given 
 here in full : 
 
 " Carwr y Cymru : yn Anfon ychydig gymmorth i bob Tad, 
 a mam sy'n ewyllysio bod eu plant yn blant i Dduw hefyd : a 
 chael o honynt wir wybodaeth o ffordd iechydwriaeth. Neu 
 ymddiddan Ysprydol rhwng rhieni a'u plant, yn cynnwys eu 
 dyledswydd i'w gilydd. [Two verses quoted, Esay 38. 19, and 
 Diarhebion 22. 5]. Printiedig yn Llundain gan Nicholas Okes 
 dros Philemon Stephens, a Christopher Meredith, tan arwydd y 
 Llew Euraidd ym MonwentS. Paul. 1630." 
 
 This is a small book containing but twelve pages, whereas 
 the other is a larger work containing 135 pages of text, and is 
 entitled : 
 
 "Car-wr y Cymru, Yn annog ei genedl anwyl, a'i gydwladwyr 
 er mwyn Crist ai heneidiau i chwilio yr Scrythyrau yn ol gorchymyn 
 Crist. Joh. 5. 39. Y rhai, yr awr 'hon yn ddiweddar a brinti- 
 wyd o newydd yn Gymraec ; ac a geir ar werth yn llyfran cynnwys, 
 a bychain eu maintioli a'i pris, drwy fawr ddiwydrwydd, a thraul 
 swrn o wyr Duwyol, enwog ac ewyllys-gar i wneuthur daioni i'r 
 Cymru. Llvndain, Printiedig gan Felix Kyngston, drwy awdur- 
 dod. 1631." 
 
 Nothing is known as to the author of the first of these books, 
 and it is by no means certain that Oliver Thomas was the author 
 of the second, although it is generally ascribed to him. Anthony 
 Wood states definitely that he was the author. 1 And as he based 
 most of his information concerning Welsh authors on the authority 
 of Welsh Principals of Jesus College, and others, who were his 
 contemporaries during the time he compiled his laborious and 
 useful work, and especially, as he states, of Michael Roberts, who 
 1 Atken : Oxen : i. p, 860. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 had years of leisure at Oxford after his ejection (or, rather, his 
 forced resignation) from the Principalship of Jesus College, during 
 which he could fully inform himself on matters he communicated 
 to Wood, his opinion must not be lightly put aside. It is the 
 kind of work that might have been expected from a man of 
 Oliver Thomas' sympathies. He was subsequently one of the 
 Commissioners under the Commonwealth, and the term 
 " Cromwell's Bible," used of the 1654 edition, suggests that the 
 Commissioners paid special attention to the dissemination of the 
 Scriptures. So that it would be no strange thing to find Oliver 
 Thomas strongly advocating, as this work does, that the Cymry 
 should possess themselves of the edition of the Bible put into 
 their hands through the generosity of Rowland Heilyn and 
 Thomas Middleton. There is, however, no evidence to substan- 
 tiate this opinion. The book itself, which may be regarded as a 
 kind of sequel to the crown octavo edition of the Bible of 1630, 
 exhorts the Cymry to make use of the Scriptures now brought 
 within their reach, has a prayer for forgiveness for the neglect of 
 them hitherto, Morning and Evening Prayers for family worship, 
 Morning and Evening Prayers to be used on Sundays by the head 
 of the family, a Grace before Meat and after Meat, a letter to the 
 reader by Robert Llwyd, Vicar of Y Waun (Chirk), and an 
 exhortation in English "To ail the Worthy and True-hearted 
 Well-willers and furtherers of the Spiritual weal of Wales who 
 have put their helping hand and hearts to that late, necessary, and 
 worthy worke of Setting forth the Bible in Welsh in a small 
 volume." The book ends with The Pronunciation of the Letters 
 in the British Tongue, and A Comparison of the Letters in Welsh 
 to the Greeke and Hebrew Letters, the work of Edward Kyffm. 
 
 Oliver Thomas is stated in the Alumni Oxonienses to have 
 been a Montgomeryshire man, and is styled gentleman. He 
 entered Hart Hall in 1616, at the age of 18, which gives 1598 as 
 the year of his birth. He graduated B.A. in 1620, and M.A. in 
 1628. If he wrote Car-wr y Cymru he did so at the height of 
 his powers, when he was thirty -three. After leaving the 
 154 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 University he became a Presbyterian, and his name appears 
 amongst the " approvers " in the Act for the Propagation of the 
 Gospel (1650-53). The Oxford record states that he was " perhaps 
 Rector of Lawrenny, co. Pembroke, in 1624." If this is so, he 
 must have received episcopal Orders, before he seceded to 
 Presbyterianism. We find that he was elected to the benefice of 
 Llanrhaiadr-ym-Mochnant, May 14, 1650, by the Commissioners, 
 and the following entry occurs in their " Proceedings in North 
 Wales " : " Mr. Oliver Thomas elected Llanrhaiader in the 
 Countyes of Denbigh and Merioneth," and it is quaintly added, 
 " William Hill of Llanrhaiader was then ejected and dejected." ' 
 
 The only work which bears Oliver Thomas' name is that 
 which appeared in 1647, entitled, " Drych i dri math o Bobl, sef 
 i'r Anghristion, Rhith-gristion, a'r Gwir-gristion, 1647." A 
 second edition of this excellently written work appeared in Trysor 
 fr Cymnt, in 1677, edited by Stephen Hughes, Oliver Thomas 
 is supposed to have been promoted in 1657 to a living in Shrop- 
 shire, 2 and to have died at Felton, in that county, but I find 
 nothing to support either of these statements. The year of his 
 death is unknown. The theory that Robert Llwyd was the author 
 of Car-ivr y Cymru rests on the foundation that he has signed 
 the letter to the " Reader," which precedes the text, but this does 
 not necessarily constitute him the author. 
 
 In 1632, was published one of the best prose writings both as 
 regards substance and style in the Welsh language. It was the 
 work of Dr. John Davies, of Mallwyd, and is entitled : " Llyfr 
 y Resolusion, yr hwn sydd yn dysgv i ni bawb wneuthur ein goreu, 
 a rhoi cwbl o'n bryd a'n meddwl ar fod yn wir Gristianogion, 
 hynny ydyw ar ymadael a'n drwg fuchedd, a throi ar ddaioni a 
 duwioldeb ; Wedi ei gyfieithu yn Gymraeg y gan J. D. [Dr. John 
 Davies o Fallwyd] er lies i'w blwyfolion ; A'i brintio yn Llundain 
 yn nhy John Beale, tros yr un J. D. 1632." 
 
 This book, which is a translation of Edmund Bunney's adapta- 
 tion, for Protestant readers, of Robert Parsons' Christian- Directory, 
 1 Cymdeitfias Lien Cymni: "An Act for the Propagation of the Gospel 
 in Wales, 1649," p. 18. 2 AfAen : Oxon : i., p. 860. 
 
 '$5 
 
was previously translated into Welsh by Robert Gwinn (Gwynne), 
 : whose record in the History of Oxford Writers is as follows : 
 ' " Robert Gwinn, a Welsh man born, took one degree in Arts, 
 1568, and in 1571, leaving the University, went with Thorn. 
 ' Crowther another Batchelour, to Dovvay, where being admitted into 
 the English College, made very great progress in Divinity. After- 
 wards Gwinn returning into England, and settling in Wales in the 
 condition of a Secular Priest, did write several Pious Works in 
 the Welsh Tongue, as Anton. Possivinus tells us, but the Titles 
 of them he omits ; and also translated from the English into the 
 Welsh Language, A Christian Directory or Exercise guiding Men 
 to Eternal Salvation, commonly called the Resolution : Written by 
 Rob. Persons, the Jesuit, which translation was much used and 
 valued, and so consequently did a great deal of good among the 
 Welsh people. See more in Jo. Davies under the year 1634.' 
 The further reference to which we are directed states : " He (Dr. 
 John Davies) also translated into the same language (Welsh) 
 which he had studied at vacant hours for thirty years the book of 
 Resolution, written by Robert Persons, a Jesuit." 2 It is interest- 
 ing to note further the record of Robert Persons or Parsons, given 
 in the same work, gathered, as the writer states, " partly from his 
 own writings, partly from record, and partly from impartial 
 writers." 
 
 " He was a most noted and learned writer of his time, and 
 the ornament of the English nation in the opinion of those of his 
 Society. . . . Having a good memory he could repeat what he had 
 read once or twice very readily. ... A virtuous good Priest who 
 became Vicar of Nether-Stowey, perceiving that Robert had 
 pregnant parts, did teach him the Latin tongue. ... In the latter 
 end of 1563, R. Parsons being fitted for Academical learning was 
 sent to the said College (Balliol). ... By the help of good 
 natural parts with unwearied industry he became in short time a 
 smart Disputant not only in the college, but publick Schools, as 
 occasion served. In 1568 he was admitted Bachelor of Arts and 
 *Atheni Oxon: i. p. 224. 2 ibid i. p. 519. 
 
 1*6 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 the same year Probationer -Fellow of the said College, which, 
 being terminated, he was made Chaplain -Fellow, and so conse- 
 quently went into Orders, being then a noted Tutor in the 
 College. In 1572 he was admitted Master of Arts, and in 1574 
 he resigned his Fellowship of his own accord, being then, if not 
 before, about to change his Religion. In 1574 he left England, 
 went to Calais and thence to Antwerp, he diverted himself for a 
 time with a journey to Louvain .... intending to prosecute the 
 study of Physick at Padua. At length he went there and studied 
 that Faculty . . . and Civil Law. Upon second thoughts he 
 relinquished those studies, went to the Eng. College at Rome, 
 and was there admitted into the Society of Jesus, 1575 . . . . He 
 was constituted Rector of the English College [at Rome] in 1587. 
 . . . He was more zealous for promoting the Jesuits' interest 
 than any before his time." 1 
 
 Robert Parsons had first pnblished his book in 1583, from 
 which edition and book were framed two more, published in 
 1584, one by a Roman Catholic living at Rouen, which Wood 
 states was " full of errors, but in sense the same," the other by 
 Edmund Bunney, 2 of Merton College, Oxford. Bunney, how- 
 ever, altered the book " to the Protestant use," and was called to 
 task for doing so by Parsons in the preface to his 1585 edition of 
 the Christian Directory.^ 
 
 Wood further states that " these books of Resolution won 
 Parsons a great deal of praise, not only in the judgment of Roman 
 Catholics, but of very learned Protestants." Critics, however, 
 asserted that his work was not original, and that the praise he 
 deserves is mainly that due to a good translator. " The platform 
 of the said Resolution was laid to his hand, by L. de Granada, 
 who gave him the principal grounds and the matter thereof."* 
 
 ' Athen : Oxon : i. pp. 304 - 5. * Edmund Bunney's record in the 
 Alumni Oxonienses is as follows : Son of Richard [Bunney] of Newlands. 
 Fellow of Magdalen College, 1560; B.A., 1560; M.A., 1564-5; Fellow of 
 Merton, 1565; B.D., 1570; Canon of St. Paul's, 1564; Sub - dean of York, 
 1570: Canon of York, 1575. Died, 1617-18; buried in York Minster, 
 a A then ; Oxati : i. pp. 304 - 5. 4 ibid p, 307. 
 
 '57 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 It will thus be seen that Dr. John Davies was amongst those 
 referred to as " very learned Protestants," who saw the value of 
 Parsons' work as a devotional book, and gave his countrymen the 
 benefit of it in their own language. It is hardly necessary to add 
 that none of the tenets of Rome appear in this translation. John 
 Davies did for Wales what Edmund Bunney had done for 
 England. He altered the book " to the Protestant use." It can 
 be conjectured that Robert Gwinn's translation, or Edmund 
 Bunney's altered version, or both, came into his hands. The 
 necessity for a Welsh translation was due to the fact that Gwinn's 
 work would be doctrinally unpalatable to the vast majority of 
 Welshmen. But the devotional side of the work was so uplifting 
 that Dr. Davies would have his parishioners, in the first place, and 
 his countrymen generally, in the second, reap the advantage of 
 contact with a truly devotional mind, whether it were that of 
 Parsons or of I/, de Granada. 
 
 A second edition of Llyfry Resolution was issued by Charles 
 Edwards in 1684, in the title-page of which it is stated: "Fe 
 brintiwyd y Llyfr hwn, er ys mwy na banner cant o fiynyddoedd a 
 aethant heibio, ac yn awr drachefn, nid yn unic er mwyn y 
 Gymraeg bur sydd ynddo (yn amgenach nag mewn un llyfr ond 
 y Bibl), eithr hefyd er mwyn y Defnydd da ar a ellir ei wneuthur 
 o hono. Yr ail Argraphiad yn Llundain, gan I. R. yn y flwyddyn 
 1684." 
 
 It had been intended to issue this edition in 1677, and the 
 editor of the Trysor fr Cymru in his " Llythyr at y Darllenydd," 
 states his purpose thus (as it includes his opinion of Dr. Davies' 
 writing it shall be quoted in full) : " Os Duw a rydd iechyd a 
 bywyd disgwyliwch mewn amser, am ail brintio y Llwybr Hyffordd 
 i'r Nefoedd a Llyfr y Resolution, y rhai, nid yn unig er mwyn y 
 mater, ond hefyd er mwyn y iaith tra ragorol sydd ynddynt (ac yn 
 enwedig y diwethaf o'r ddau, o ran iaith wedi ei osod allan gan y 
 cymreigiwr goreu yng-Hymru yn ei amser, sef y Doctor Davies\ a 
 haeddant eu printio drachefn." J 
 l Llyft\y Cymry, p. 231. 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 This edition is very accurate throughout. 
 
 The next edition generally mentioned is that of 1711, 
 wrongly supposed to have been the third edition. 1 The 1711 
 edition was printed by Thomas Durston, at Shrewsbury. But 
 there is also an edition very similar to this, which was printed by 
 Thomas Jones, at Shrewsbury, but is undated. A copy of this is 
 to be seen at the University College Library, at Bangor. Durston 
 succeeded Thomas Jones at Oswestry, so the edition bearing the 
 name of the latter must have been earlier than 1711. It is much 
 the same in size and appearance as that of 1711, but the 
 pagination differs. The issue of 1 7 1 1 is, therefore, the fourth edition. 
 
 Dr. W. O. Pughe published an edition in 1802, and in this 
 occurs an alternative title to Llyfr y Resolusion, viz., Dyhewyd y 
 Cristion. He wrongly calls it the fourth edition. The last 
 edition published is that by Humphreys, of Carnarvon, in which 
 the preface is dated, May, 1885. The work stands in need of 
 further publication, and is worthy the trouble of some competent 
 scholar to edit. At the end of Dr. Davies' book is the Lord's 
 Prayer in Breton, and in Cornish, with a Welsh interpretation of 
 the same. There are also added " Pyngciau'r Ffydd yn laith 
 Llydaw," and " Yr un yn laith Gernyw," together with the Te 
 Deum as translated by Dafydd Ddu o Hiraddug. 
 
 The last book issued by Dr. Davies was Yr ken Lyfr Plygain 
 a'r gwir Gafea'sm, 1633. The authority for this statement is 
 Thomas Jones, of Shrewsbury, in his Almanac, which was first 
 published in 1680. He states that this work was published "trwy 
 orchymyn y Brenin, a thrwy lafur boen (y Doctor John Davies) 
 yn y flwyddyn o oed lesu, 1633 " 2 A second edition of "Yr 
 Hen Lyfr Plygain" was issued by Thomas Jones in 1683. It 
 contained morning and evening prayers, and prayers for other 
 occasions, a grace before and after meat, and a list of the old 
 Welsh fairs. The catechism part of the book was intended to 
 prepare candidates for confirmation and for the reception of Holy 
 Communion. Dr. John Davies died in 1644. 
 
 1 Llyfr. y Cymry, p. 293. ~ This statement occurs in the 1683 Almanac. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Rhys Prichard (1579-1644), Vicar of Llandovery, was, 
 perhaps, the man who exercised the deepest influence on Welsh 
 life on its religious side in the seventeenth century. The few 
 details that can be gleaned of his personal history show that he 
 was born at Llandovery in 1579, entered Jesus College, Oxford, 
 in 1597, at the age of eighteen, took his B.A. degree in 1602, and 
 M.A. in 1626.* He was ordained at Wytham in Essex by the 
 Suffragan Bishop of Colchester in 1602, and in the same year was 
 presented to the livings of Llandingat and Llanymddyfri by the 
 Bishop of St. David's. In 1613, King James presented him to 
 the living of Llanedi, probably through the influence of Robert, 
 Earl of Essex, to whom Vicar Prichard was chaplain. In 1614 
 he was made a prebend of the Collegiate church of Brecon, and 
 in 1626 Chancellor of St. David's Cathedral, which was the highest 
 dignity he attained in the church. He had also become Vicar of 
 Llawhaden in 1626, and retained the same until his death in 1644. 
 There is no evidence that Vicar Prichard himself ever published 
 a book. 
 
 The state of Wales at that time was one of notorious apathy 
 towards religion, and the life of the masses was as coarse and 
 vulgar as it well could be. Very few could read, and for the first 
 quarter of a century of Vicar Prichard's ministry, there were few 
 copies of the Scriptures in the country except those chained to 
 the lecterns in the churches. So he bent his energies in a great 
 humanitarian and spiritual effort to turn the minds of his country- 
 men towards higher ideals. His great aim was to reach the masses, 
 and to bring home to them spiritual truths. To this end he 
 devoted himself to the task of translating his sermons into homely 
 verse. He understood the Welsh fondness for song and melody. 
 But he knew it would be impossible to reach the masses by 
 circulating amongst them poems of high literary merit and classical 
 diction. Experience had taught him that they could neither 
 understand nor appreciate, for instance, such efforts as those of 
 William Salesbury. So he decided in favour of easy diction and 
 
 1 Alumni Oxonienses ; also Athen : Oxon : ii. p. 29. 
 1 60 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 popular metres. He kne'.v the Welshman's poetic instinct and 
 love of rhyme, the exercise of which, at the time, was too often 
 confined to ribald songs and coarse ballads. Why not substitute 
 for them religious ballads? So he determined to clothe the 
 sublimest truths of the Gospel in a garb which he, with his better 
 instincts as a poet of some merit, could not have admired much 
 himself. How well justified he was in his decision, posterity has 
 attested over and over again. Good literary form would have 
 defeated the writer's ends, and that we must not expect to find in 
 his religious ballads. The majority of his verses are written in 
 four-lined stanzas, each line trochaic ( -) and generally consist- 
 ing of eight syllables, e.g. : 
 
 Er croeshoelio'r lesu drosom 
 A rhoi taliad llawn am danom ; 
 Eto ni bydd neb cadwedig 
 Ond a gretto ynddo'n unig. 
 
 But he frequently varies the metre in the same poem ; and some- 
 times in the same stanza (as in lines 3 and 4 below) there is an 
 unexpected expansion of the line, e.g. : 
 
 Er dy fod ti'n elyn Duw 
 
 Wrth naturiaeth a'th ddrwg ryw, 
 
 Cred yn Nghrist, fe'th wna o elyn, 
 
 I'th nefol Dad yn anwyl blentyn. 
 
 Another variation is a four -line stanza, each line containing seven 
 syllables, but the third line beginning with a strongly -accented 
 
 syllable, e.g. : 
 
 A dysg yn brudd gydnabod, 
 Nad oes o flaen y Drindod, 
 lawn am bechod ond gwaed Crist. 
 A'i angau trist a'i 'fudd - dod. 
 
 There are other instances in which a stanza similar to the above 
 in other respects, has eight syllables in the third line which begins 
 with an unaccented syllable, e.g. : 
 
 A gwybydd fod Duw'n foddlon, 
 I'r iawn a wnaeth Crist drosom, 
 Ac er ei fwyn yn barod iawn 
 Roi pardwn llawn i'r ffyddlon. 
 
 Other four -lined stanzas, which have seven syllables in each line, 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 begin the first and third lines with an accented syllable, and the 
 second and fourth with an unaccented syllable, e.g. : 
 
 Ni wnaeth Duw un gene 'rioed, 
 Mewn tir, mewn coed, mewn dyfnder, 
 Nes partoi ei ymborth tyn 
 I'r geneu cyn ei ganer. 
 
 Rhys Prichard never hesitated to use words quite foreign to 
 the Welsh language as such, provided that they were well-known 
 colloquially. His ballads bristle with such words, which would 
 otherwise be offensive to good literary taste ; for instance, craits, 
 crippian, hvtchis, part na pharsel, desprad, dwnshwn, bysse, &c. 
 
 The Vicar's work has been classified variously. The follow- 
 ing simple division into three classes is as good as any. 1 (i) 
 Those poems which throw light upon the religious and social 
 condition of the country at the time ; (2) Those that contain a 
 synopsis of the great doctrines of revealed religion ; (3) Those 
 that embody a collection of rules or counsels to be followed in 
 every condition of life. One feature of the poems is the practical 
 advice given to the people on matters pertaining to their temporal 
 welfare as well as spiritual. For instance, Vicar Prichard advises 
 them to be careful in making their wills, and to be moderate in 
 eating and drinking, with just as much earnestness as he tells 
 them to pray night and morning and before engaging in religious 
 worship. He seems to have a word for all, for the young man on 
 the threshold of life, for the soldier, the ploughman, the drover, 
 and he addresses himself with particular force to the drunkard, 
 for drunkenness was apparently the common evil of his day. 
 In some of his poems he holds up the many pestilences and 
 calamities of his time as warnings of Divine displeasure, and he 
 gives a very vivid description of the plague which visited London 
 in 1603, with all its attendant horrors. 
 
 There is no doubt that these ballads had an elevating 
 influence upon the masses ; and Stephen Hughes, who lived near 
 enough to appreciate this, knew and understood the hold they 
 had on the popular mind, and was inspired in after years to collect 
 
 1 Traethodydd) vol. ii., pp. 143-155. 
 162 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 them with infinite toil, and to present them in book form to a 
 wider public. He thought that their publication would create a 
 desire in his countrymen for further knowledge of the Scriptures, 
 and he states in the preface to the 1672 New Testament, that his 
 anticipations in this respect had not been disappointed. The 
 printing of Vicar Prichard's ballads led to multitudes learning to 
 read Welsh, who afterwards bought Testaments and Bibles. 1 
 
 Numerous editions of Canwyll y Cymry have appeared. 
 Rowland's Cambrian Bibliography states the first part was issued 
 by Stephen Hughes in 1646, but this seems doubtful, for no such 
 copy has been preserved. 2 
 
 The collecting and printing of this work was, perhaps, 
 Stephen Hughes' greatest contribution to Welsh literature. The 
 Rev. T. Shankland, in a lucid and able article in Y Beirniad, is 
 of opinion that 1656 is a more likely date than 1646 as the year 
 of issue of the first part. The second part appeared in 1659, its 
 preface is dated, March 4th, 1659. It was printed by " T. 
 Webster, tan arwydd y Tri Bibl yn St. Paul, Llundain." Webster 
 published a large quantity of Puritan Welsh literature. The 
 preface is signed H. M., who is known to have been Henry 
 Maurice, who was at the time curate of Llannor and Dineio, 
 instituted there by the Welsh Commissioners. He was afterwards 
 an Independent minister. Henry Maurice, who was a North- 
 walian, had marginal notes in this edition, explaining many of the 
 Vicar's words, which were in the Dyfed dialect, for the benefit of 
 his fellows in the northern half of the Principality. Stephen 
 Hughes adapted most of his books to the needs of his country- 
 men in North and South respectively, by appending a vocabulary 
 of words that would present difficulties to either part. In 1670, 
 the third part of Canwyll y Cymry appeared, with a preface by 
 Stephen Hughes. Dr. William Thomas, Dean of Worcester, gave 
 the latter much valuable support in bringing out this edition. 
 And in 1672, which was a very memorable year for Stephen 
 Hughes (for in it he was instrumental in publishing an edition of 
 
 * Bible in Wa/es, p. 33. 2 See Y Bdrniad^ cyf, ii., rhif 3, p, 176, 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 the New Testament), appeared the complete work, the three 
 previous parts and a fourth part added, in one book. The chaotic 
 disorder in which Vicar Prichard had left his work had added 
 very much to the difficulties of Stephen Hughes, so that the 
 publication of the whole work was a triumph of patience and 
 steady industry, and he well deserves the tribute paid him in the 
 following words quoted from the pages of Y Beirniad : " Mae'r 
 hanes yn rhamant, a'r gwaith yn golofn goffadwriaeth anfarwol 
 iddo yng Nghroniclau em hiaith a'n llenyddiaeth." x The full 
 title-page of the 1672 edition of Canwyll y Cymry is as follows : 
 
 " Gwaith Mr. Rees Prichard, gynt Ficer Llanddyfri yn Sir 
 Gaerfyrddin ; a brintivvyd o'r blaen mewn tri llyfr wedi cysylltu oil 
 a chwbl (er nid yn yr un drefn a chynt), ynghyd a Phedwaredd 
 Ran y nawr gynta yn brintiedig." 
 
 This was the first effort to collect and arrange the Canwyll 
 in one volume. Several Welsh booksellers bore the expense of 
 publication, and their names are worthy of mention : Mr. Goff, 
 Caerfyrddin ; Mr. Vertey, Abergafenni ; Matthew Jones, Aber- 
 tawe ; Mr. Hughes, Wrexham ; not to mention a number of 
 Londoners who frequented Welsh fairs. 2 
 
 Gwallter Mechain remarks,3 " It is thought that the old Vicar 
 of Llanymddyfri (of blessed memory) was the first of the Welsh 
 bards to introduce the names of pagan deities into his poems, on 
 
 the return of Charles I., then Prince of Wales, from Spain : 
 " Y Miwsis oil o Helicon, 
 
 Y Grasys tair, a'r Nymphs o'r bron, 
 
 Moeswch oil eich offer canu, 
 
 O welcwm h6m i Brins y Cymru." 
 
 Stephen Hughes was (not entirely without reason) ashamed 
 of this verse, and omitted it in his second edition of Rhys 
 Prichard's work. It was restored, however, in the later editions 
 of 1841 and 1858. 
 
 Williams remarks in his Eminent Welshmen : " It is scarcely 
 credible with what uncommon avidity and pleasure it [Canwyll y 
 Cymry] was received, read, and repeated by the people It 
 
 'See Y Beirniad, cyf. ii., rhif 3, p. 177. * ibid, p. 180. * Gwaitk 
 Gwallter Meckain, i. f p. 531. 
 
 I6 4 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 had a beneficial influence on the morals and behaviour of the 
 whole country." A poetical version in English was published by 
 the Rev. William Evans, Vicar of Llawhaden, in 1771, 
 
 The next author whose work should be recorded is John 
 Edwards, better known to Welsh readers as " Sion Tre-Redyn," 
 who translated Edward Fisher's work, The Marrow of Modern 
 Divinity, in 1651. Fisher graduated at Brasenose College, 
 Oxford, in 1630, and was entered as a student of the Inner 
 Temple, in the same year. 1 His work was written in the form of 
 a dialogue between Evangtttsta, who represented a minister of 
 the Gospel ; Nomista, a strong supporter of the law ; Antinomista, 
 a man who belittled the law ; and Neophitus, a young Christian. 
 John Edwards had probably met Fisher at Oxford. He himself 
 was a graduate of Jesus College in that University, taking his M.A. 
 degree in I62Q. 2 In that year he was appointed to the rectory of 
 Llanmartin, and was preferred in 1633 to Tredennoc, in Mon- 
 mouthshire, the place from which he derived his nom -de-plume 
 (Tre-redenoc, Tre-redyn). He was deprived of this benefice 
 before 1649, so it would not be by the Commissioners, 3 and in 
 his enforced retirement he devoted himself to literature,* and the 
 result was his translation of the above work, the Dedication of 
 which is dated 1650. In his introduction to the reader, dated 
 1651, he apologises for the many errors, in the following words : 
 " Canys nid wyf fi a anwyd ar Ian Hafren ym mro Gwent (he had 
 been born at Caldecott in 1606) lie y mae Saesoniaith yn drech 
 na'r Brittaniaith, yn cymmeryd arnaf, na medraeth nac hysbys- 
 rwydd yn y Cymraeg, eithr nid bychan yw fy serch at yr iaith a 
 daioni fyn' gwlad." The full title of his work is : 
 
 Madruddyn y | Difinyddiaeth | Diweddaraf : Neu | Llyfr 
 Saesoneg a elwir, | The Marrow of Modern Divinity. | Oblegid 
 
 1 Alumni Oxonienses. z ibid. ^Seren Corner, 1901, p. 155. 4 His own 
 words on the subject are : "Ac (er caued fyn' genau rhag ymarfer fyn' gweini- 
 dogaeth, I'm torr - calon mwyaf, er nad wyf fi onid y gwaelaf o filoedd, ac yn 
 anaddas o'r swydd weinidogaidd, eto) am fodd y.i anhawdd gennif fi, ac yn tra 
 enbeidus i mi, na Hwyr ymadael o'm galwad, na bod ychwaith yn segur ynddi, 
 y cymerais i hyn o boen ewyllysgar." Introduction to the Madruddyn. 
 
 '65 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 y Cyfammod o weithredoedd, a'r Cy- | fammod o ras, a'u hymar- 
 fer hwy ill dau, a'u diweddion, v | dan yr hen Destament, a'r Testa- 
 ment Newydd. | Ym mha un, y dangosir yn eglur, pa cyn belled | 
 y mae dyn yn sefyll ar y gyfraith o ran ei Cyfiawn- | haad, ac ar 
 hynny yn haeddu ei alw | yn Ddeddfwr. | A pha cyn bellhed y 
 mae arall yn bychanu'r gy- | fraith o ran Sancteiddiad, ac ar hynny 
 yn haeddu ei ahv j yn Ddeddf-wrthwynebwr. | A'r Ihvybr canolig 
 rhwng y ddau, yr hon a | arwain i fywyd tragwyddol trvvy Jesu 
 Christ j Mewn Cyd - ymddiddan rhwng | Evangelista. Gwenidog 
 yr Efengyl. | Nomista. Deddfwr, neu wr yn dal o ochor y 
 cyfraith. | Antinomista. Deddf-wrthwynebwr, neu wr yn llwyr 
 by- j chanu'r gyfraith. | Neophitus. Christion iefangc. 
 
 waith E. F. yn y Saesneg | O cyfieithiad J. E. i'r Gymraeg. j 
 Men' mutare nefas, nee clam, nee cum scrobe, | Nusquam ? Hie 
 tamen infodiam. | 
 
 Printiedig yn Llundain gan T. Mabb a A. Coles, dros | 
 William Ballard, ag i cael ar werth yn i siop ef dan lun | y Bibl 
 yn heol'r ud yn ninas Bristol, 1651." 303 pages. 
 
 The title-page itself furnishes sufficient evidence that the 
 writer was not very conversant with the Welsh language. Making 
 allowance for some printer's errors, it is fairly obvious that he had 
 very little knowledge of consonant mutations, or the genders of 
 Welsh nouns. But the substance of the book is weighty, and was 
 well worth the author's trouble of putting within reach of those of 
 his monoglot countrymen, and they were many, who were deprived 
 of the advantage of reading the original by Fisher. No record 
 has come to hand of the year of John Edwards' death, but it is 
 thought that he was restored to his benefice, as Walter Prosser, 
 who held that living from 1657 to 1660, was deprived in the 
 latter year. 1 
 
 The next publications of importance, in this part of our 
 subject, were the work of Richard Jones, Vicar of Llanfair 
 Caereinion, a writer whose identity was confused in recent times 
 with another of the same name, who was Master of the Free 
 
 1 Seren Corner ; 1901, p. 155. 
 166 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 School at Denbigh. The history of this confusion has been very 
 well set forth by the Rev. T. Shankland in an article published by 
 Evans and Short, Tonypandy, entitled Cynnyg i Benderfynu hen 
 Ddadl Lyfryddol. Earlier authors than Gvvallter Mechain had 
 always distinguished the identity of the two men, but in the 
 GwyKedydd of September, 1825, pp. 275-7, Gwallter Mechain 
 started the heresy which so many subsequent writers followed. 
 He writes, " Nis gwn p\vy oedd Risiard Jones o Ddinbych, os nad 
 yr un Risiard Jones, mab i Sion Puw o Henllan, yn ymyl 
 Dinbych." He made this statement in ignorance that Wood in 
 his Athenae Oxonienses^ had supplied details, accurate in the 
 main, respecting Richard Jones, of Llanfair Caereinion, and 
 Edmund Calamy had performed a similar service in the case of 
 Richard Jones, of Denbigh. 2 Or, what is more likely, Gvvallter 
 Mechain had seen Wood's account, but not that of Calamy, and 
 found the solution of a difficult problem by ascribing all the 
 works which appeared over the name of Richard Jones, between 
 1653 and 1677, to the same author. The matter has now, how- 
 ever, been cleared up, and the separate literary identity of each 
 Richard Jones restored. 
 
 Richard Jones, of Llanfair Caereinion, was the son of John 
 Pugh, of Henllan, in Denbighshire, and was born in that county, 
 in 1603. He entered Jesus College, Oxford, in 1621, took the 
 degrees in Arts, and proceeded to Holy Orders. He was 
 appointed to the benefice of Llanfair C.E. in 1636,3 and remained 
 there until 1650, when he was deprived by the Welsh Commis- 
 sioners. The period of his retirement saw the publication of the 
 two original works which he contributed to Welsh literature, viz., 
 Testun y Testament Newydd in 1653, and Perl y Cymro : neu 
 Cofiadur y Beibl . . , 1655. Both books are summaries of the 
 contents of the Bible in free metric form, and are of sufficient 
 interest to merit more detailed attention. The full title of the 
 former is : 
 
 l Atk\ Oxon: ii., 2nd Edit., 1721. columns 165, 166. 2 Cakmy's 
 Account, 2nd Edit., ii., p. 844. 3 7'AotHas, Esgebaeth Llamlwy^ p. 754. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 " Testun Testament | newydd ein Harglwydd a'n Jachawdwr | 
 Jesu Grist, | Yn Benhillion Cymraeg mewn Egwy- | ddoraidd 
 drefn, a osodvvyd allan trwy lafur | J?t. Jones 6 Lanfair yn-Ghaer 
 Eingnion j yn Sir Drefaldwyn gweinidog gair Duw, | ac Athro yn 
 y Celfyddydau. | Fo chwanegwyd atto Epitome 6 Lyfr cyntaf | 
 Moses yr hwn a elwir Genesis. | Non est mortale quod opto. \ 
 Nid marwol beth yr wy i'n ei geisio. | [Jo. 5. 39 quoted.] Ai 
 Printio, Yn Llundain, ag iw werthu gan John Brown tan y fesen 
 eurad yn mon-wynt | Paul. MDCLIII." 
 
 A Welsh alphabet follows, and a letter " At yr Enwog urdd- 
 asol Bendefig Edward Vaughan 6 Lwydiart Esq." The letter 
 At y Darlleydd, which comes next, is full of interest, for it 
 gives the author's reason for undertaking the work : " Gan ddarfod 
 im Harglwydd am Duw ymweled am fi (ymysc eraill om Brodyr) 
 a dadol gerydd yn gyfiawn am fy meiau, fy nifuddio 6 ran etifedd- 
 iaeth plant Lefi .... am gwahardd i ddilin swydd fyngalwedig- 
 aeth, Myfi un 6 rhai gwaelaf yngweinidogaeth yr Efengyl rhag fy 
 nghyfrif yn ail i'r gwas diog difudd a guddiodd ei Dalent .... a 
 
 ryfygais gymmeryd hyn 6 dasc yn Haw Mi a gymhwysais 
 
 Bennill Cymraeg am bob penned mewn mesur cyffredinol, mal y 
 galleu y sawl a ewyllysiant yn hawsach ei ddyscu, ai gofio . . . . i 
 ymarfer a geiriau y Scrythur Ian, yn lie ofer, wag ganniadau bydol, 
 difuddiol i iechadwriaeth eu heneidiau .... Nid yw hyn o lyfr, 
 ond bychan ; ag etto, os gwnei y goreu 6 hono, fe ddichon fod i 
 ti yn Berl gwerthfawr .... Mnemosynon yw, peth, trwy ychydig 
 boen, neu yn hytrach bleser y cei di lawer 6 ddifeinyddiol wybod- 
 aeth." 
 
 The author's plan, as will be seen from the above letter to 
 the Reader, was to epitomise each chapter in the New Testament 
 into a single stanza ; for instance (to take a well-known chapter), 
 the tenth of St. John is thus epitomised : 
 
 Mud fugail lladd l-io Christ ydyvv'r ffyddlon II 
 Mab Duw 5. nis creda yr Iddewon 26 
 Un yw ar Tad 30 ei ladd rhai n ceisio 31-39 
 Ciliodd 40 llawer credodd ynddo 42. 
 
 The numerals refer to the verses in this particular chapter, 
 168 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 Richard Jones' other work, Perl y Cymro : neu Cofiadur y 
 Beibl, was published in 1655. It has three title-pages, English, 
 Welsh, and Latin. The first reads : " The British Gemm ; or an 
 Abstract of the Bible Digested into Cambrian Metricall 
 Numbers, so methodically that one may quickly pass through the 
 whole Body of Scripture and retain the substance thereof with 
 much advantage to memory. Directions also whereby any 
 English gentleman, or other, may speedily learn to read the same, 
 or any other Tract in the British Language. By Richard Jones, 
 Master of Arts and Minister of the Gospel. London. Printed 
 by T. H. at the authors charge and are to be sold by E. Brewster 
 at the Crane in Pauls Churchyard 1655." 
 
 The Welsh title reads : " Perl y Cymro neu Cofiadur y Beibl 
 ar fesurau Psalmau Dafydd yn drefnus wedi gyfansoddi, mal y 
 gellir ar fyrr o amser gofio y pyngciau pennaf o'r Ysgrythyr Ian : 
 Trwy waith a llafur R. J. Chwiliwch yr Scrythyrau, Jo. 5, 37. 
 Clodforaf di, O Arglwydd, ym mysc y bobloedd, Canmolaf di im 
 mysc y cenhedloedd. Ps. 57. 9. Moliant lehofa a gan Richard 
 Jones. Printiedig yn-Ghaer Ludd gan T, H. ar gost yr Awdur, 
 ac ydynt i werth gan E. Brewster tan Arwydd y Garan ym 
 mynwent Paul 1655." 
 
 And the Latin title reads : " Gemma Cambri : Seu Mne- 
 monica Bibliorum Carmine Britannico ita Concinnata, ut intra 
 pauculos menses Sacrarum Literarum flores memoria teneat pius 
 Lector. Opera & studio Rich : Jonesii A.M. [Jo. 5. 39 quoted 
 in Greek and Ps. 57. 9 in Hebrew] London, Typis T. H. 
 impensis Authoris &c. Extant apud Edwardum Brewster, sub 
 insigne Gruis in Cemeterio Paulino, 1655." This Latin title-page 
 is dedicated to "Johanni Owen. S.S. Theologise doctor uni 
 
 Senatorum Angliae &c Tuus humilimus, In Christo 
 
 Ministerio Indiginisimus Servus Ri : Jonesius." (Dr. John Owen 
 was bishop of St. Asaph, 1629-51, and had presented Richard 
 Jones to Llanfair C.E.) 
 
 Then follow directions for the industrious learner to read and 
 pronounce the British language ; a letter to the Reader, which is 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 signed Ri : Jones, and dated Kalend Awst, 1655 ; a commenda- 
 tory letter by James Howell "to my reverend and learned 
 countryman ;" Encomiasticks on the author and his book [by] 
 Mi: Roberts S.T.D. ; ' To the Printer' by Theod. Wynne and 
 Sydnaeus Ellis ; to the author by Maurice Morgan ; At yr 
 Awdur ai waith [gan] Jo. Wynne G. yr Efengyl : Achrosticon 
 Gymraeg [gan] Jo. Richard V.D.M., and " Odl i gofio llyfrau'r Hen 
 Destament." The text occupies pages 1-140, and on page 141 is 
 a poem entitled The Author's Son's Vision, signed Ed. Jones. 
 Pages 143-4, which end the book, contain Rhan or 119 Psalm. 
 
 At a meeting of the Commissioners, July 17, 1650, the fifths 
 of the parish of Llanfair Caereinion were granted to the wife and 
 children of Richard Jones, 1 after his deprivation of that living, in 
 the same year. 2 Our author must have died at the end of 1655 
 or the beginning of 1656, because his son in the above mentioned 
 Vision, which appears at the end of the book, writes : 
 
 Behold ! me thinks I see sad objects all 
 Men-like in sable mourning clad : they call. 
 And say, be gone, thy aged Father's dead 
 Thy patient mother mov'd with passion led 
 Bewails her husbands death, her children stand 
 About her seven condole ; put to thy hand, 
 Make up the eighth, and fitting things prepare 
 To solemnise his Funeral Rites ; that are 
 Emblems of love, and duties to the dead, 
 And let him sleep awhile in earthly bed. 
 
 It is evident from this that Richard Jones of Llanfair Caereinion 
 died before his last work Perly Cymro was issued from the press. 
 We now proceed to mention the works of his namesake, 
 Richard Jones of Denbigh, who was born at Llansannan in 
 1604, educated at Balliol College, Oxford, where he graduated 
 B.A. in 1628-9, an d M.A. in 1633.3 He was appointed by the 
 Trustees for the Maintenance of Ministers under Cromwell school- 
 master of the Free School at Denbigh, a post which he held till 
 his death, in 1673. He was a man of considerable learning and 
 noted piety, and Welsh literature is indebted to him for four 
 
 1 Rawlinson MS. C. 261, under that date (Bodleian Library, Oxford), 
 2 The record exists in the same MS. 5 Alumni Oxotiienses. 
 
 I 7 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 translations, three of them the work of Baxter, and the other the 
 work of Gouge. His. writings appeared after the death of his 
 namesake, for the first of them is dated 1659. It is a translation 
 into excellent Welsh of Baxter's Call to the Unconverted, and its 
 Welsh title is Galwad fr Annychweledig, printed in London, 
 1659. Another book by Baxter entitled A Winding Sheet for 
 Popery was translated and published in 1672, under the title, 
 " Amdo i Babyddiaeth, o waith Richard Baxter, Catholic. Print- 
 iedigyn Llundain gan J.D. dros Edward Brewster, 1672." He 
 also translated for Gouge his Christian Directions to walk with 
 God, which was issued in 1675, at Gouge's expense, under the 
 title ffyfforddiadau Christianogol, printed in London. His fourth 
 and last work was his translation of Baxter's Now or Never, which 
 was published in 1677 under the title Bellach neu Byth. Calamy 
 states that Richard Jones died on August i5th, 1673, at Denbigh. 1 
 A book entitled " Defosiwnau priod, Printiedig yn Llundain, 
 i Richard Harriot, ym monwent Eglwys St. Dunstan, 1655," 
 appeared in 1655-6. It has a fuller title, viz., " Defosiwn priod, 
 Wedi ei cymhwyso i bum rhan gweddi : sef i. Cyffes. ii. Rhag- 
 ddeisyfiad. iii. Deisyfiad. iv. Talu-diolch. v. Erfyniad. Ac 
 Arch arbenig tros y claf. A Chynghorieu a gweddiau ar ddydd 
 yr Arglwydd, o flaen Cymmun, erbyn dydd marwolaeth, a dydd y 
 farn. A Dwy weddi beunyddiol, sef boreuol a phrydnhawnol : 
 Wedi ei cyfiaethu yn Gymraec, Trwy waith W. L. M. A. Rhuf. ii. 
 14. Llundain [by the same Printers] 1656." 
 
 There is a Latin dedication to this work by "G. L." to 
 Thomas Myddleton, and Latin lines to the author, Dr. Valentine, by 
 " R. E. M. A. Oxon., J. B. M. A. Oxon., and D. T. M. A. Oxon." 
 It is only a small book of 33 pages, and Dr. Valentine, the 
 original author, was minister of Chalfont St. Giles, in Buckingham- 
 shire, in the time of Charles I. The translator is said by Gwilym 
 Lleyn 2 to have been John Owen, an Anglesey man, but it is hard 
 to say how he makes this correspond with the title-page, which 
 definitely states that it was translated by W. L. M. A. The author 
 1 Calamy's Account, &c. } 2nd Edit., vol. ii. p. 844. 2 Llyf, y Cymry, p. 169- 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 was evidently an Oxford man, and three others of that University 
 gave their benison to the work by writing Latin lines in its com- 
 mendation, which would seem to indicate that W. L. was a man 
 of some standing at the University. In Foster's Alumni Oxonienses 
 is the record of one William Lewys from Co. Merioneth, of Hart 
 Hall, B.A. 1608 ; Fellow of Oriel, 1608; M.A. 1612 ; Provost of 
 Oriel, 1617-21 ; J D.D. 1627. From 1627-43 he was master of 
 the Hospital of St. Cross, which was a Church appointment, and 
 again after the Restoration, 1660 to 1667, the year of his death. 
 
 The hiatus 1643-1660 is explained thus in the Alumni: 
 " He lost these preferments in the time of the Rebellion, and fled 
 beyond seas, but was restored on his Majesty's return, and died in 
 the hospital of St. Cross, 1667." William Lewys' deprivation is 
 also mentioned by Walker in his Sufferings of the Clergy, where he 
 is stated to have been made Prebend of Winchester after the 
 Restoration. Under the Commonwealth, the estate of one, 
 Dr. William Lewis, of Llanwyvy [Llanddwywe] in Merionethshire, 
 was declared forfeited for treason by an act of Nov. 18, i652. 2 
 
 Although there is no sure ground of proof, it is not unlikely 
 that William Lewys, Fellow and Provost of Oriel, was responsible 
 for this little work. It would explain the interest taken in it by 
 other members of the University, and it may be that his depriva- 
 tion and exile had turned his mind, as it did that of so many 
 others, to the publication of devotional literature which would 
 benefit his countrymen. 
 
 In 1657 appeared " Cerbyd Jechydwriaeth. Neu Prif 
 Byngciau Crefydd Gristonogawl wedi eu egluro a'u gosod allan. 
 i. Yn gyntaf, mewn Sententiau a Rheolau awdyrdodol. 2. Yn 
 nesaf, mewn cyd-ymddiddan trwy ymholion ac attebion. Print- 
 iedig yn-ninas Llundain, gan Sarah Griffin, dros Philip Chetwind, 
 
 1657." 
 
 1 Walker's Sufferings of the Ckrgy, ii. p. 77, states that he was advanced 
 to this post by a party of his own coun rymen. and afterwards forced to resign, 
 " being too young for that office," and then tc have gone beyond the seas in 
 the King's service. He took oart will. Buckiagham in the ill-fated expedi- 
 tion against Rochelle, and afterwards suffered much for the Royal cause, and 
 by his sons joining the Church of Rome. 2 ibid. 
 172 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 The author was Thomas Powel, D.D., son of John 
 Powel, rector of Cantref, in the county of Brecon, where he was 
 born in 1608. He went to Jesus College, Oxford, in 1625, was 
 elected Scholar in 1627, and afterwards fellow of the same 
 College. He took Holy Orders, and became rector of Cantref in 
 1635. Wood states that he suffered much during the Civil Wars, 
 his living was sequestrated, and he fled over seas. 1 On the 
 return of Charles II., he was restored to his benefice, became 
 a Doctor of Divinity, and Canon of St. David's. He died 
 Dec. 3ist, 1660, and was buried at St. Dunstan's in the West, 
 Fleet St., London. He was author of several works which are 
 mentioned by Wood, but this was his only Welsh production, and 
 is a small work of 39 pages. It consists of some Annotations 
 which appear at the latter end of his book " Quadriga Salutis : 
 or, the four general Heads of Christian Religion surveyed and 
 explained. London, 1657." Octavo. 
 
 Powel is described in the History of Oxford Writers as " a 
 Person well vers'd in several sorts of Learning, was an able 
 Philosopher, a curious Critic, was well skill'd in various 
 Languages, and not to be contemn'd for his knowledge in 
 Divinity." 2 
 
 His first work, Elementa Opticce, published in London, 1651, 
 was " commended to the world by the copies of verses of Olor 
 Iscanus and Eugenius Philalethes his Brother," 3 both of them 
 Breconshire residents and natives. He also translated some 
 works from Italian into English, and from French into English. 
 Wood states also that "he left behind him a MS. of his composi- 
 tion unpublished, entitled Fragmenta de rebus Britanniris a 
 short account of the Lives, Manners, and Religion of the British 
 Druids and the Bards, c." 
 
 His letter preceding Cerbyd Jechydwriaeth, " At fy anwyl 
 Gyd-wlad-wyr y Cymru," shows that he could write fairly good 
 Welsh prose, as the following quotation illustrates : 
 
 " Pan ddaeth attal a rhwystr arnom i bregethu'r Efengyl yn 
 
 l AtAen: Oxon: ii., p. 254. a ibid. 3 ibid. 
 
 173 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 eich plith, yr oeddem yn byrw am wneuthur daioni i chwi, y modd 
 goreu ac y gallem er na allem eu wneuthur y modd goreu ac y 
 dymunem. Pan y gostegwyd y tafod, yr hwn oedd (umvaith) fel 
 pin Sgrifennydd buan, rhaid oedd i wneuthur y pin scryfen i 
 wasanaethu yn lle'r tafod, i beri'r Haw i efengylu yn lle'r geneu, 
 ac i Scryfennu attoch y pethau nid oedd rydd i lefaru wrthych. 
 Dyma'r achos y danfonnwyd y Traethiad byr hwn yn eich mysc, 
 sef i gyfarwyddo rhai, ac i gynnal eraill yn yr iniawn ffordd, a'r 
 gowir ffydd." x 
 
 Elis Lewis of Llwyngwern, in Merionethshire, was a 
 gentleman of culture who, at the request of Mrs. Catherine Anwyl, 
 of Park, Llanfrothen, translated Drexelius' work On Eternity into 
 simple and clear Welsh prose, under the title Ystyriaethau Drexelius 
 ar Dragywyddoldeb, published in 1661. He says in the preface 
 that Oxford scholars had " edited and corrected " his little book 
 for the benefit of their fellow-countrymen. A number of englynion 
 precedes the work, written in praise of the book and its translator, 
 by " John Vaughan, Elis Anwyl, Wiliam Phylipp, Gruffydd Phylip, 
 and Edward Morris," which is a proof that Elis Lewis was well 
 known to the leading bards of his day in Gwynedd. 2 The book 
 is dedicated " I'r Ddiwair a'r rinweddol bendefiges, Mrs. Catherin 
 Anwyl unig ferch Sir John Owen o'r Clenenau, a chywely yn 
 ddiweddar i'r Urddasol Esq., Mr. Robert Anwyl o'r Pare, yr hwn 
 a alwodd Duw am dano." Very little is known of the translator, 
 but he was a good W T elsh writer, and the book contains passages 
 of great beauty. 
 
 Its full title is : " Ystyriaethau Drexelius ar Dragywyddoldeb. 
 Gwedi ei gyfieithu yn gyntaf yn Saesonaeg gan Dr. R. Winterton, 
 ac yr awr- hon yn Gymraeg gan Elis Lewis, o'r Llwyn-gwern, yn 
 sir Feirion, Wr- bonheddig. Printiedig yn Rhydychen gan Hen. 
 Hall, tros Rich. Davies, ac a werthir yn ei shop ef yn heol St. 
 Mair, yn ymyl Oriel Col. 1661." It contains 377 pages of text, 
 and on the last page is printed : " Ar Dragywyddoldeb nid oes 
 un Terfyn." Then follows a page of corrigenda, and 14 pages 
 1 Charles Ashton's Hanes Lien, Gymrel^ p. 51. 2 ibid, p. 55. 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 containing prayers. The preface, which is rather long, takes up 
 36 pages, and the whole work is a very neat little volume of 428 
 pages. It contains nine meditations, each dealt with in three 
 chapters. The subjects of meditation are : i. What eternity is. 
 ii. How Nature presents the truth to us. iii. How the Romans 
 chiefly prepared for it. iv. How David meditated upon it, and 
 how we should, v. How others, even evil-doers, meditate upon it. 
 vi. How Holy Scriptures teach us to ponder it. vii. How Christians 
 depict it. viii. How Christians should inwardly examine themselves 
 concerning it. ix. The seven purposes of these meditations on 
 Eternity. 
 
 Dr. Edward Wynn (?-i669), the son and last heir male 
 of Bodewryd, Anglesey, contributed to Welsh literature in 1662 a 
 work entitled : " Trefn Ymanveddiad y Gwir Gristion, neu Lwybr 
 hyffordd i'r Cymro i rodio arno beunydd gyda Duw. Gan Edward 
 Wynn, D.D. Llundain, 1662." The author had been educated 
 at Jesus College, Cambridge, where he graduated M.A. and D.D. 
 In 1644, he was presented by his uncle, Bishop Owen of St. 
 Asaph, to the living of Llanymawddwy, in Merionethshire, on the 
 death of Dr. Davies of Mallwyd, whom he had served as curate, 
 and whose widow he subsequently married. Dr. Edward Wynn 
 was also grandson to Bishop Robert Morgan, of Bangor. He 
 held various livings in St. Asaph and Bangor, of which he was 
 deprived in 1650- 1. 1 But after the Restoration he became 
 Rector of Llanllechid, in 1662 ; Canon of St. Asaph, and Chan- 
 cellor of Bangor. He also had the livings of Llanarmon and 
 Llangeinwen. In 1668 he was appointed to Llaneugrad, Anglesey. 
 He died December lyth, 1669, and was buried at Llangaffo, in 
 Anglesey. He is mentioned as having subscribed ^50 to the 
 fund for improving Bangor Cathedral, and was also an ardent 
 educationalist, as instanced in his founding of a school at Holy- 
 head, and of a bursary of ^6 per annum at Jesus College., Cam- 
 bridge, where he himself had been educated. 
 
 1 The following entry occurs in the Account of the Administration of the 
 Act for the Propagation, &c. in North Wales (Cardiff, 1908, p. 29) : " Mr. 
 Edward Wynne, Rector of Llanymouthwy, ejected then for scandall," i.e., at 
 Welshpool, on June i8th, 1651. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 It should be noticed that the one book he published was 
 an original work, and not a translation. It is prefaced by an 
 address to the parishioners of Llangeinwen and Llangaffo. A 
 second edition of it was issued in 17 23 -4.' 
 
 The next writer in order of date is Rondl Davies or 
 Randolph Davies (?- 1695), M.A., who was collated Vicar of 
 Meifod and Sinecure Rector of Cwm by Bishop George Griffith, 
 in i66i. 2 This collation must refer to his reinstatement after the 
 Restoration, for he had previously held the vicarage of Meifod. 
 His marriage is chronicled in the registers of that parish in 1648, 
 and in the entry he is stated to be vicar of the parish. It runs as 
 follows: " Matrimonium legitimum contrat. fuit inter Randolphum 
 Davies vicarium hujus parochias et Mariam filiam Johannis 
 Williams clerici, 10 die Junii, 1648." The same registers contain 
 the baptismal entries of several of his children born between 1649 
 and 1666, for instance, "Johannes filius Randolphi Davies 
 Vicarii hujus parochige baptiz. fuit 8 Julii, 1651." Archdeacon 
 Thomas states that he was deprived by the Parliamentary 
 sequestrators,^ and mentions that one, Stephen Lewis, M.A., was 
 put into that parish as vicar of Meifod in 1649, and that there is 
 a great difference in the style and spelling in the registers as from 
 that date. This is supported by the record in the Alumni 
 Oxonicnses, which gives Stephen Lewis as Vicar of Meifod, 1649. 
 These statements are very hard to reconcile, unless it is that 
 Randolph Davies continued to reside in the parish after his 
 sequestration, and was allowed out of courtesy to use his former 
 title. 
 
 Rowlands' Cambrian Bibliography attributes to him part 
 authorship in a book reputed to have been published in 1660, 
 under the title " Cowir a ffyddlon ateb i Lyfr a enwir ychydig 
 Gyfarwyddiadau i'r Cymru yn erbyn y Cyfeiliorni sydd yn mysg y 
 bobl a elwir Cwacers, yn yr hon y mae yr awdwr di henw yn 
 dangos i yspryd maleusus a chenfigenus yn erbyn pobl Dduw. 
 1 Manual of W. Lit., p. 165 ; C. Ash ton Hanes Lien. Gymreig, p. 57 ; 
 Llyfr. y Cymry, p. 189. 'Edwards' Edn. of Brown Willis' Survey of St. 
 Asaph, ii., pp. 268, 393. 3 Hist, of Diocese of St. Asafh, ii,, p. 50. 
 
 I 7 6 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 Gyda gwahoddiad i'r Cymru truain fel y byddo yddynt uno 
 goleini Crist oddimewn uddynt, a rhodio yntho. Oddiwrthym ni, 
 y rhai mae y byd drygionus mewn gwawd yn i galw Cwacers. 
 Chandler, & Crook, & Rondl Davies, & Evans. London." From 
 this it would appear that Rondl Davies favoured the Quakers, 
 and was himself a Quaker, but this is altogether inconsistent with 
 the 'attitude he adopts towards the Quakers and others in a work 
 published by him in 1675, of which there can be no doubt that 
 he is the author. It has two title-pages, the first in English, the 
 second in Welsh, as follows : 
 
 " A Tryall of the Spirits, or a Discovery of False Prophets, 
 and a Caveat to beware of them ; or a Short Treatise on i John 
 iv., i. Wherein is discovered, by the light of God's Word, 
 expounded by antiquity, that several Doctrines of the Papists, 
 Presbyterians, Independents, and Quakers, are disagreeable to the 
 Holy Scripture, and carefully to be avoided by every man that 
 loves the Salvation of his Soul. Pro Ecclesia clamitant, et co?itra 
 Ecclesiam dimicant. Cypr." 
 
 " Profiad yr Ysprydion, neu Ddatcuddiad Gau Athrawon, a 
 Rhybudd i'w gochelyd. Neu Draethawd byrr ar i St. Jo. 4. i. 
 O waith Rondl Davies, Meistr yn y Celfyddydau, a Ficar Meifod. 
 Ym mha un y Datcuddir drwy oleini Gair Duw, Esboniedig gan 
 hynafiaeth, fod amryw athrawiaethau y Pabistiaid, y Presbyteriaid, 
 yr Independentiaid, a'r Cwaceriaid, yn anghysson a'r Yscrythyr 
 Lan, ac o herwydd hynny i'w gochelyd gan bob dyn sydd yn caru 
 lechydwriaeth ei enaid. Rhydychen. Printiedig gan H. Hal!, 
 ym mlwyddyn yr Arglwydd 1675. >Jt 
 
 Gwallter Mechain relates a story which throws light on the 
 condition of the parish of Meifod during Rondl Davies' incum- 
 bency. 2 The Quakers had gained ground there considerably, and 
 there was a Quaker chapel at Coed Cowryd, near Dolobran. 
 Richard Davies, of Cloddiau Cochion, in the parish of Llanfyllin, 
 Charles Thomas, and Samuel Lloyd, of Dolobran, were pillars in 
 the Quaker cause in the immediate neighbourhood. A writer in 
 1 Llyfr. y Cymry, p. 203. 2 Givaith Gwallter Mechain, iii., p. 103. 
 
 177 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 the Cambrian Quarterly Magazine (vol. i., p. 325) states that 
 " during his incumbency Quakerism had made a considerable 
 schism in his fold." So it is reasonable to conclude that Rondl 
 Davies would be much concerned at the spread of what he clearly 
 regarded as erroneous doctrine, and this book would be the out- 
 come of his cogitations on the matter. This makes it all the 
 more unlikely that he could have had any part in the production 
 of the publication purported to have appeared in 1660. 
 
 His book Profiad yr Ysprydion is dedicated to Edward 
 Vaughan, Esq., of Llwydiarth. It contains 14 pages of preface, 
 2 37 pages of text, and seven pages at the end which contain short 
 addresses in Latin to the author, and also a French ode to the 
 same. 
 
 The entry of his death is thus recorded in the Cambrian 
 Quarterly Magazine : " Dom Ranulphus Davies Cler de Peniarth 
 Sepultus 25 Feb. 1695." x 
 
 James Owen was the author of two original works in 
 Welsh, published towards the end of the century ; Trugaredd a 
 Barn which appeared in 1687, and became very popular, and a 
 less known work entitled Bedydd Plant o'r Nefoedd, published in 
 1693. He was the son of John Owen of Bryn, in the parish 
 of Abernant, near Carmarthen, the birth place of James Howell. 
 He was born in 1654, and educated first in a school kept by 
 James Picton, a Quaker, who grounded him in classics, and after- 
 wards at the Grammar School of his native town. Instead of 
 proceeding to Oxford, having leanings towards Nonconformity, 
 he went in 1672 to a small seminary kept by one Samuel Jones, 
 Bryn Llwyarch, Llangymvyd, Glamorganshire, where he remained 
 four years, and made great progress in languages. 2 Afterwards 
 he returned home and established a school in Carmarthen. He 
 began his ministerial career as an auxiliary to Stephen Hughes at 
 Swansea, but under the influence of Henry Maurice, a native of 
 Lleyn in Carnarvonshire, he was persuaded to undertake work at 
 Bodfel, near Pwllheli, where, after nine months, his position 
 
 1 Vol. 5., p. 325. Uyfr. y Cymry, p. 237. 
 I 7 8 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 became very difficult, and he dared not stir from his house. 
 Escaping thence, he came to Bron-y-Clydwr, in Merionethshire, 
 and was welcomed there by Hugh Owen, a Nonconformist 
 preacher of some note. In 1676 he was invited to become 
 chaplain to Mrs. Baker, at Swinney, near Oswestry. He often 
 suffered persecution and was once imprisoned at Caerwys in 
 Flintshire, but was released on appeal. In 1679 he married an 
 Oswestry lady and removed there, and was granted a licence to 
 preach in that town by the Court at Denbigh. While at Oswestry 
 he had a public discussion with Dr. William Lloyd, Bishop of 
 St. Asaph, on the necessity or otherwise of Episcopal Orders, on 
 Sept. 27th, 1681. The learned Henry. Dodwell took part with 
 the Bishop, and Philip Henry, of Broad Oak, and Jonathan 
 Roberts, of Llanfair, with James Owen. 1 A large number of the 
 neighbouring gentry and others assembled to hear the debate, 
 which lasted for six hours, and good temper was shown on both 
 sides. 
 
 James Owen, after starting an academy for ministerial 
 students at Oswestry, sometime afterwards removed to Shrews- 
 bury, and continued his school there from 1700 to 1706, during 
 which time he was also minister of High Street Chapel in that 
 town. He died in r7o6 at the age of 52, and was buried in 
 St. Chad's Church, Shrewsbury. 2 His funeral sermon was preached 
 by the celebrated Matthew Henry. His brother, Charles Owen> 
 wrote his biography in English, and published it in 1709. 
 
 James Owen was the author of a considerable number of 
 English publications, but his Welsh writings were few. The full 
 title of his chief work is : 
 
 " Trugaredd a Barn neu yn agos i Drichant o Siarhpleu 
 rhyfeddol o farnedigaethau Du\v ar yr Annuwiol, Ac o drugaredd- 
 au nodedig i'r Duwiol, mewn amryw wledydd ac oesoedd ; Gyda 
 llawer o Ystorieu buddiol eraill, wedi eu casglu allan o Ysgrifen- 
 iadau gwyr Dysgedig : 
 
 1 Hancs Llenyddiaeth Gymrtig (C. Ashlon), p. 79. 3 Gu<yddoniadur 
 (Tpi., pp. 166 - 169. See also article in >> N. 2, 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Er dychryn i'r Drygionus, 
 
 Er cyssur i'r Daionus, 
 
 Ac er rhybudd i Bawb. 
 
 Argraphwyd yn y Mwythig gan R. Lathrop, lie y gellir cael Printio 
 pob math ar Gopiau am bris gweddaidd, a chael ar werth amryw 
 Lyfrau Cymraeg a Saesnaeg." 
 
 The date of the book is fixed by Stephen Hughes in his 
 preface to Taithy Pererin, London, January 10, i68|, in which 
 he mentions Trugaredd a Barn as a good book, " yr hwn a brinti- 
 wyd yr /w/diweddaf." 
 
 The author also dates his letter to the Reader, " Llundain, 
 Mehefin 4ydd, 1687," and signs it " Dy gydwladwr J. O." The 
 chief criticism directed against it is that it is full of superstition. 
 Gwallter Mechain referred to it as " y casgliad ofergoelus hwnnw." 1 
 About 1691 there was considerable discussion between the 
 Independents and the Baptists concerning Infant baptism. John 
 Jenkins, Rhydwilym, championed adult baptism, and Samuel 
 Jones, of Bryn Llywarch, was asked to reply on behalf of the 
 Independents. He failed to comply, and his place was taken by 
 his former pupil, James Owen, who, in 1693, published " Bedydd 
 Plant OT Nefoedd, neu Draethawd ar Natur a Diben Bedydd. 
 Yn proii, Trwy ddeuddeg o Ressymau Scrythuraidd y dylid 
 bedyddio plant y ffyddloniaid." His brother, Charles Owen, 
 afterwards translated this work into English, under the title : 
 " The Infant's Ark, or Infant Baptism proved by xn Arguments, 
 translated out of the British tongue by Charles Owen, V.D.M." 
 
 Benjamin Keach replied to James Owen's book, and his 
 answer was translated into Welsh, and published in 1696, under 
 the title : " Goleuni wedi torri allan yng Nghymru .... 
 Gan gynnwys atteb i Lyfr, yr hwn a elwir Bedydd Plant o'r 
 Nefoedd .... Ac yn profi hefyd mai bedydd yw soddiad yr holl 
 gorph mewn dwfr . . . . ac nad yw neb yn ddeiliaid bedydd ond 
 y Credadwy yn unig." The translator is thought to have been 
 Robert Morgan, of Swansea, a friend of Benjamin Keach. James 
 
 1 GwalUtr Mcchain's Works, ii,, p. 304, 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 Owen's Bedydd Plant o'r Nefoedd was the first book in Welsh 
 on the Baptist controversy. 1 His other works are: "A Plea for 
 Scripture Ordination, 1694;" Tutamen Evangelicum, 1697; 
 " Moderation a Virtue," 1703 ; "The History of the Consecration 
 of Altars," 1706; " Vindiciae Britannicae," 1706. He also trans- 
 lated the Westminster Assembly's Shorter Catechism into Welsh in 
 1701, and supplied Calamy with material for his account of the 
 Welsh ejected Divines. 
 
 Hugh Owen (H. O.), of Gwenynog, Anglesey, translated 
 in 1684 the Imitatio Christi of Thomas a Kempis. The title- 
 page is as follows : 
 
 "Dilyniad j Christ | a elwir yn gyffredin | Thomas a Kempis | 
 Gwedi ei gyfieithu 'n Gymraec ers | talm o amser yn ol 
 Editiwn ] yr Awdur gan | Huw Owen | Gwenynoc ym Mon, 
 Esq. | .... Llundain | Gwedi ei imprintio ar gost I. H. | 
 
 MDCLXXXIV." 
 
 The original work is generally attributed to Thomas a 
 Kempis, but there are different opinions as to its authorship, 
 Gerson and Walter Hilton both being mentioned, amongst others, 
 as possible authors. The question is discussed at some length in 
 J. E. G. de Montmorency's " Thomas a Kempis : His Age and 
 Book," but the latest researches show that a Kempis' title to the 
 authorship is at least as clear as that of the others mentioned. 
 
 Thomas a Kempis was born in 1379, at Kempen, near 
 Cologne, and spent most of his life in seclusion in the poor 
 monastery of Mount St. Agnes, near Zwolle, where he died in 
 1471, having composed many devotional books. Europe was full 
 of religious strife at that time, and a rival pope had been set up at 
 Avignon, but a Kempis, rapt in meditation, was undisturbed by 
 outward happenings, having turned his back not only on the 
 world but also on the worldliness, which, at that time, had eaten 
 into the life of the Roman Church. 
 
 In the original Latin, this work was metrical in form, and, 
 perhaps, for this reason it was at first generally known as Musica 
 'Z>. N. . 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Ecclesiastica. A metrical translation of the work was issued in 
 English in 1889. Hugh Owen, of Gwenynog, was the first to 
 translate it into Welsh, in 1684. 
 
 The editor mentions in his preface three translations, the 
 respective work of the Roman priests, Matthew Turberville, 
 Thomas Jeffreys, and Huw Parry, but as far as is known, these 
 are not now extant, and it is stated that none of the three were 
 published. The editor of this first translation into Welsh was 
 Father John Hughes, who was born in Anglesey in 1615, and died 
 at Holy well in 1686. He tells us in the preface that Hugh Owen, 
 the translator, was owner of a small patrimony in Anglesey, and 
 afterwards steward on the Bodeon Estate in Anglesey, to Sir 
 Hugh Owen, and was a man much respected both owing to his 
 faithfulness to religion and his diligence in improving the land. 
 The preface further states that he translated other books, and 
 amongst them Llyfr y Resolusion, thirty years before Dr. John 
 Davies' translation appeared, and when the author was only 27 
 years old. On this reckoning, Hugh Owen was born c 1575. 
 His Dilyniad Crist is a book of xx. + 448 pages, and is a literal 
 translation, and as such is rather cumbersome and lacking in 
 flexibility, as one might expect. The translation of W. M. A. B., 
 which appeared in 1723, under the title Pattnvm y Gwir 
 Gristion : neu Ddilyn'ad lesu Grisf, is a vast improvement on 
 Hugh Owen's work. Five other editions have since appeared, 
 viz., those of 1829, 1859, 1872, 1905, and 1908, the last under 
 the editorship of the Rev. H. Elvet Lewis, M.A. Some of them 
 bear the imprint, after the name of the translator (Hugh Owen) 
 " Gwenydog ym Mon Esq.," and " Gweinydog ym Mon." This 
 is, of course, a mistake for Gwenynog, the name of his residence, 
 but it led to much confusion. 1 
 
 One of the most eminent and industrious literary Welshmen 
 of the seventeenth century was Charles Edwards concerning 
 whom, unfortunately, much still remains to be discovered. For 
 
 J See Cymmrodorion Transactions, 1897-8, pp. 13, 14 : and Introduction 
 to the 1908 edn. by the Rev. H. Elvet Lewis, 
 
 182 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 instance, it is only a matter of conjecture where he received his 
 early education, and the later details of his life are also shrouded 
 in obscurity. As Mr. Ivor James complained in his article in 
 the Traethodydd (1886), " Y mae rhyw gaddugwedi ei guddio er 
 ys talm." Mr. R. J. Prys puts Charles Edwards in the same 
 category as Bishop Morgan, Bishop Davies, Dr. John Davies of 
 Mallwyd, and Goronwy Owen, and perhaps this estimate as to his 
 literary ability is very near the mark. Such details of his life 
 as are known are the following : The records of All Soul's College, 
 Oxford, state that he was entered there as Bible Clerk in 1644,* 
 aged 1 6, which gives 1628 as the year of his birth. His father is 
 described as a plebeian, and is generally supposed to have been 
 Robert Edwards, of Cynlleth, Rhydycroesau, Denbighshire. 
 Charles Edwards himself, in his autobiography, "An afflicted 
 man's Testimony concerning his Troubles," says nothing of his 
 father, mother, family connections, birthplace, or education, but 
 he incidentally mentions that he studied at Oxford. To matri- 
 culate at the University at 16, .meant that he must have received 
 a good early education. The nearest Grammar School to Rhyd- 
 ycroesau would be either Ruthin or Oswestry, but it would be 
 conjecture only to state that he went to either of these. There 
 were eleven Grammar Schools in Gwyncdd before the outbreak 
 of the Civil War, so that his choice would not be limited in this 
 respect. The Warden of Ruthin (Dr. Lloyd) at the time was a 
 Fellow of All Soul's College, and it is not unlikely that if Charles 
 Edwards went there he owed his Bible Clerkship at that College 
 to him. As a youth he seems to have been thoughtful beyond 
 his years. For in his autobiography he states that he went 
 through "very piercing inward troubles," that he "spent many an 
 hour in secret pensiveness,' 3 and that he " took a resolution to 
 serve God more carefully " than he had done. At Oxford his 
 record is one of almost ceaseless struggle both of mind and body. 
 He tells us that he was " prostrated by fever," and he describes 
 the harassing time he was put to when the Parliamentary visitors 
 1 Alumni Oxonienses, ; -\nd T> v.thodydi (1886), p, 284; alboZ?. N. B. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 made their inquisition of the University in 1647-8. The students 
 were asked to submit to Parliament, and Charles Edwards' answer 
 was that he was willing to do so " as far as he lawfully could." 
 This was construed as contempt, and he was expelled from All 
 Souls' on June nth, 1647. He was, however, through the efforts 
 of his friends, elected to a Scholarship at Jesus College on 
 October 27th, 1648. In the following June he was put to a 
 further test. " I was appointed," he writes, " to make a Latin 
 declamation in praise of clemency . . . and I did it as effectually 
 as I could." It was a difficult task to set a man who had suffered 
 so much at the hands of the Visitors, and apparently he failed to 
 give satisfaction. Rather pathetically he writes : " Whether my 
 discourse of clemency promised me severity I cannot tell, but sure 
 I am that soon after it was used towards me." However, he 
 proceeded to his B.A. degree in 1649, and the same year became 
 Honorary Fellow and Bible Reader. Some time later he was 
 ejected from Oxford and withdrew to Denbighshire, where he 
 married. In 1650 he was engaged by the Commissioners of 
 North Wales under the " Act for the Propagation of the Gospel " 
 at a salary of ^60 per annum. 1 In 1653 the sinecure of Llan- 
 rhaiadr-ym-Mochnant was conferred upon him, and he held it 
 until the Restoration in 1660, when he was deprived, and Bishop 
 George Griffith of St. Asaph took possession. Charles Edwards 
 had had frequent trouble with his parishioners, who petitioned 
 the Protector against him, on the ground that he was unfaithful 
 to the Government and insufficient for the work. He had, how- 
 ever, met these charges successfully. After his deprivation in 
 1660, nothing seems to be known of him until 1666, but 
 presumably he continued to live at Llanrhaiadr. In that year, he 
 relates that a company of soldiers broke into his house and haled 
 him to prison. He was soon released, but on his return he found 
 that one of his children had died through fright. Hugh Salisbury 
 
 1 At a meeting at Wrexham, 2ist November, 1650 : " Ordered yt 6ol per 
 ann. be payd to Mr. Charles Edwards for his officiating in ye like worke," 
 p. 26, in Cymdeithas Lien Cytnru's issue of the Proceedings of the Commission 
 in N. Wales. (Cardiff, 1908). 
 
 184 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 composed an erigfyn to the dead child. From this point, Charles 
 Edwards seems to have been engulfed in domestic troubles, 
 which ultimately led to separation from his wife. His words are : 
 " My wife importuned me to part from her and live asunder." 
 His children also turned against him, " being discouraged in their 
 obedience by the many injuries they saw inflicted on me, they 
 became undutiful." 
 
 He returned to Oxford before the end of 1666, and devoted 
 himself mainly to Welsh literature. His first work, " Hanes y 
 Ffydd," was published at Oxford in that year. For the next four 
 or five years he was busy correcting and augmenting this work, the 
 contents of which show that he had drunk deeply of the spirit of 
 William Chillingworth's Religion of Protestants. It appeared in 
 1671, with a Latin commendation by Michael Roberts, formerly 
 Principal of Jesus College, Oxford. It was really an amended 
 and enlarged edition of Hanes y Ffydd, and must be regarded as 
 a second edition of that work. Its full title is : 
 
 "Y Ffydd Ddi-ffvant. Adroddiad o Helynt y Grefydd 
 Gristianogol er dechreuad y byd hyd yr oes hon, a phrofiad o'i 
 gwirionedd a'i rhinwedd. The unfeigned Faith. Containing a 
 Briefe History of the Christian Religion from the beginning of the 
 World to this present Age, and a proofe of its veritie and 
 efficacie. Yr ail-printiad gyd ag anghwanegiad. 
 
 Printiedig yn Rhydychen gan Hen : Hall, ac a werthir gan 
 lyfrwyr Gwrecsam a Llanfyllin : a chan Mr. Gor [page torn] yn 
 Ghaer-Fyrddyn, a Mr. Vertue yn Abergavenny, ac ymhen y bont 
 ar ogwr. 1671," 
 
 The third edition "with augmentation" appeared in 1677. 
 The book is an original work, and not a translation, as so many 
 productions of this period were. Although it is plain that he 
 derived much of his inspiration from Chillingworth's book, this 
 has not affected the originality of his work. It is a kind of 
 history of Christianity, and is full of interesting, but not always 
 reliable information respecting the tenets of the ancient Welsh 
 bards, whose orthodoxy Charles Edwards stoutly maintained, and 
 
 .85 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 attempted to prove by extracts from their works. He also shows 
 that the primitive British Church was independent of Rome. He 
 shared with John Lewis, of Glasgrug, and Dr. John Ellis, of 
 Dolgelley, the honour of being amongst the first to conceive the 
 idea of a national college for Wales, and gives expression to his 
 desire to see such an institution established. The Ffydd 
 Ddiffuant is sufficient in itself to show that he was a man of more 
 than ordinary attainments, and many will agree with the late 
 Dr. L. Edwards, who, upon quoting one of its most noted 
 passages, wrote : " Onid yw y dyfyniad hwn yn profi mai nid dyn 
 cyffredin oedd Charles Edwards ? " 
 
 In 1671 he edited and published the second edition of 
 Maurice Kyffin : s Deffyniad Ffydd Eglwys Loegr, under the title 
 Dad-seiniad Meibion y Daran, together with Bishop Davies' 
 Epistol at y Ctmbru ; and in 1675 he edited and corrected the 
 third edition of Rowland Vaughan's Yr Ymarfer o Dduwioldeb. 
 This was published by Gouge's Trust. In that same year he 
 published his curious little book, of which several editions have 
 appeared, in which he attempts to prove the Hebrew origin of the 
 Welsh language. It is entitled Hebraicorum Cambro-Britanni- 
 corum Specimen. It was also in 1671 that he corrected for the 
 press the Hyfforddiadau Christianogol, a translation by Richard 
 Jones, of Denbigh. In 1682 he edited and improved Robert 
 Llwyd's Lkvybr Hyffordd, and in 1684 he produced a second 
 edition of Dr. John Davies' Llyfr y Resolution. In 1686 he 
 published a work in English, under the title " Fatherly Instructions : 
 being Select Pieces of the Writings of the Primitive Christian 
 Fathers, with an Appendix Intituled Gildas Minimus." The 
 translations in this work were direct from the original Greek 
 and Latin. About this time he seems to have eked out a 
 precarious livelihood as a bookseller, for in Fatherly Instructions 
 he states " British books are to be had with the publisher hereof." 
 There are two letters appended to this work : (i) To the honoured 
 persons in city and country that were lately trustees for charitable 
 
 186 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 works in Wales. (2) To my kindred and acquaintances in the 
 Counties of Salop and Denbigh and elsewhere. 
 
 The last book he published was his autobiography in 1691. 
 He called it An afflicted man's testimony concerning his troubles, 
 which has been already noticed. There was a great mystery in his 
 life, which no one, thus far, has been able to clear up. What was 
 it that estranged him from all men, from his parishioners at 
 Llanrhaiadr, from his wife and children, and from that gentle 
 soul Stephen Hughes ? The question remains unanswered. His 
 last book, which is a kind of Apologia, throws no light on it, 
 because in it he took it for granted that everyone knew. Why 
 was he the object of so much malevolence ? He states that 
 attempts were made on his life by poison, and that the hands of 
 all men were against him. 
 
 Tillotson, Stillingfleet, and Baxter had once been numbered 
 amongst his friends, and he had done good service to Mr. Gouge. 
 Something cooled the friendship of all these towards him. Was 
 it the result of a morbid imagination, or did he suffer from 
 hallucinations ? One can hardly believe this from a study of his 
 -works, for in them is found no sign of abnormal tendencies. The 
 problem must, perhaps, remain unsolved for all time. There is 
 no record, so far, of the year of his death. It is very difficult to 
 state what his religious views were. But it is quite certain that he 
 never received Episcopal Orders. On the other hand, his Non- 
 conformity was not very pronounced. His record at Llanrhaiadr 
 was that he preached as an itinerant, catechised the children on 
 Sunday, and held monthly fasts on a week-day in public and 
 private. His tenets are supposed to have been more in agree- 
 ment with those of Dr. John Owen than with those of Mr. Richard 
 Baxter. Can it be that his own words throw the best light on his 
 life at every stage ? " Fe'm cyhuddid fel yn anfoddog at y pethau 
 oeddynt y pryd hynny yn bod." He was a man out of harmony 
 with the times in which he lived and the circumstances in which 
 he found himself. 
 
 Closely associated with Charles Edwards for many years in 
 
 187 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 the movement to supply Welshmen with edifying books in their 
 own language was Stephen Hughes (1622-1688). Both had 
 co-operated in what may be called the Gouge Movement for the 
 enlightenment of the Cymry. Thomas Gouge had lent his 
 powerful personality and his wealth to this movement ; Charles 
 Edwards had placed his literary powers at its disposal ; Stephen 
 Hughes, in addition to his literary powers, possessed the more 
 distinctly Cymric characteristic of burning eloquence, and a 
 missionary zeal which was rivalled by none in this century. He 
 saw the importance of Gouge's movement, and was one of the 
 first to help him, and to him it is due that it developed in a 
 Cymric direction rather than into a movement to teach Welsh 
 children the English tongue, for that was what naturally suggested 
 itself to Thomas Gouge. 
 
 Stephen Hughes was born at Carmarthen in 1622, and was 
 the son of John Hughes, who is described as a silk merchant 
 (sidanydd) in that town, 1 who was also an Alderman of the 
 borough, and was twice Mayor, in 1650, and in 1660, the year of 
 his death. 2 His mother was Elizabeth Bevan, daughter of a 
 tanner in the same town, and the latter also sat on the Alder- 
 man's bench and was twice elected Mayor of Carmarthen. 
 Stephen Hughes was the second son, and although there is no 
 record of his early education, the town of Carmarthen provided 
 excellent facilities in that respect in its Grammar School, and 
 probably he was educated there. It is not known whether he 
 proceeded to either of the Universities. No record of him exists 
 there, nor is there any trace of his having received episcopal 
 ordination. In 1655 he was appointed to the benefice of 
 Meidrym. In his introduction to " Llyfr y Ficer " he throws 
 some light on his attitude towards the Established Church. 3 
 
 'Rwyf yn traethu ei hathrawiaeth, 
 Er na lieaf mo'i disgygblaeth ; 
 Ond nid wyf yn cyhoeddi hynny 
 B'le'r rwyn arfer o bregethu. 
 
 1 Y Beiriiiad, ii. rhif 3, p. 175. 2 ibid, 3 Gwaith Gwallter Mee/iain, ii. 
 p. 301- 
 1 88 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 It would seem that he had previously laboured at Merthyr. 
 The Rev. T. Shankland has a record of his recommendation to 
 John Rice for the living of Henllan Amgoed, in which he is 
 styled "Stephen Hughes, Merthyr." It is dated October 2;th, 
 1655,' a few days before he was put in possession of Meidrym. 
 The inference is that he had held Merthyr from 1653 to 1657, 
 an appointment derived from the Commissioners, for in the latter 
 year James Davies was appointed to that benefice. Stephen 
 Hughes' name is not mentioned amongst those appointed under 
 the Act for the Propagation of the Gospel, 1650-53. However, 
 it is certain that he held the living of Meidrym from the patron, 
 David Morgan, Esq., from August 30th, 1654. In his institution 
 to that benefice he is styled Clerke. He was licensed by the 
 Approvers on October 26th, 1655, and there is a record dated 
 December 2oth, 1655, of his receiving an increase in income of 
 52 IQS. Qd. per annum. His own name appears as an Approver 
 on the certificate of William Jones, Cilmaenllwyd, February 25th, 
 1655, and also on several others. Through his petition, David 
 Jones received the living and tithes of Llandyssilio on March 
 loth, 1657. His father's name also appears in documents recom- 
 mending men to livings. 2 
 
 Stephen Hughes' labours in collecting and editing the works 
 of Vicar Prichard have already been noticed in the portion of this 
 book which deals with the life of that worthy, and need not be 
 repeated here. The complete work was published by him in 
 1 68 1, under the title Canwyll y Cymry, and bound with it 
 generally, although with a separate title, and probably issued 
 separately, there appeared his translation of a work of Francis 
 Pereaud, under the title " Adroddiad Cywir o'r Pethau pennaf ar 
 a wnaeth, ac a ddwedodd Yspryd Aflan yn Mascon yn Burgundy," 
 and Robert Holland's " Dau Gymro yn Taring," a work written 
 against divination and sorcery. 
 
 Stephen Hughes had been deprived of the benefice of 
 Meidrym in 1660, and nothing is known of him between that 
 
 1 Y Btirniad, ii., rhif 3, p. 176. "ibid, p. 177. 
 
 189 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 year and 1669. He was probably in hiding part of the time, but 
 there is no record of his suffering imprisonment, nor does his 
 name appear in the Report of the Bishop of St. David's to the 
 Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1665. Some time during this 
 interval he married a lady from Swansea, possessed of consider- 
 able means, and there were born to them two children, Jane, who 
 is mentioned in his will as his only daughter, and Stephen, his 
 son, who is also mentioned, but it is not stated that he was his 
 only son. 1 
 
 For the last part of his life, 1670-1688, there is abundant 
 testimony. In 1672 Chares II. proclaimed an amnesty to 
 Nonconformists, and in that year Thomas Gouge began his 
 labours in Wales. In 1671-72 Stephen Hughes is found in 
 London preparing literature for circulation amongst his country- 
 men. It is extremely likely that he met Gouge there, and 
 acquainted him with his projects. Probably he was instrumental 
 above all others in deciding Gouge to transfer his efforts to 
 Wales. He had certainly thought out the educational project for 
 Wales before Gouge participated in it. The best proof of this is 
 that three parts of Vicar Prichard's work were ready in 1672, and a 
 Welsh New Testament in the same year, which was probably the 
 most memorable year in Stephen Hughes' busy life. Two 
 thousand copies of the Testament Newydd were issued, and also 
 the following works : 
 
 1. "Catechism Mr. Perkins a osodwyd allan yn Gymraeg ys 
 mwy na thriugain mlynedd a deg, gan Mr. Robert Holland, 
 gweinidog Llanddyfenvr [Llanddowror yn Sir Gaerfyrddin], 
 ac ar ol hynny gan Mr. E. Ivan Roberts, gweinidog Llan- 
 badarn Fawr yn Sir Aberteifi : Ac yn awr y drydedd waith 
 wedi ei wneuthur yn fwy eglur i'r cyffredin boblgan ewyllysiwr 
 da i Gymru." 
 
 2. " Sail y Grefydd Gristnogol." ' 
 
 3. " Amryw Reolau Duwiol i bob Christion i'w harfer." 
 
 4. "Rhodfa feunyddiol y Christion, neu addysg fuddiol," a, 
 1 Y Bcirniad, ii., rhif 3, p, 176. 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 translation by Richard Jones, of Denbigh, of Henry Casland's 
 
 Christian's Daily Walk. 
 5. " Amdo neu Amwisc i Babyddiaeth," a translation by Richard 
 
 Jones, of Denbigh, of Richard Baxter's Winding Sheet. 
 
 In addition to all these, he took an active part in the publica- 
 tion of Holl Ddyledswydd Dyn, in 1672, and in the dissemination 
 of Hants y Ffydd Ddiffuant and Dadseiniad Meibion y Daran, 
 which had been published by Charles Edwards in 1671. In 
 1671 he added a glossary of the difficult words in Hyfforddiadau 
 Christianogol, a work of Gouge's, which was translated by Richard 
 Jones, of Denbigh, and in Yr Ymarfer o Dduwioldeb. In the 
 same year, the scarcity of Bibles in the Principality spurred Gouge 
 and Hughes to a renewed effort to bring, out another edition, a 
 work in which Archbishop Tillotson assisted. It was issued in 
 1677-8, and also contained Y Llyfr Gweddi Gyffredin, yr 
 Apocrypha, a'r Salman Can. In 1677, Hughes edited and 
 issued a series of tracts in one thick volume entitled Trysor i'r 
 Cymru* and very probably he had a share in other reprints issued 
 in that year. 
 
 It should be noticed that from 1672-1688 Stephen Hughes' 
 work had been done in co-operation with Thomas Gouge. The 
 latter saw to the schools and to the financial side of the move- 
 ment. Charles Edwards and Stephen Hughes saw to the 
 publications. The thoroughness of the latter accounts for the 
 accuracy of the 1677-78 Bible, which is a tribute both to his 
 scholarship and to his care. He collaborated with three others 
 in the translation of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, and the work 
 was issued under his editorship under the title Taith neu Siwrnai 
 y Pererin tan Rith neu Gyfielybiaeth Breuddwyd, in 1688. 
 
 ' This work contained (a) " Pregeth Arthur Dent ar Edifeirwch"; (b) 
 " Drych i dri math o Eobl " (Oliver Thomas); (c) " Bc-llach neu Byth " (a 
 translation of Baxter's Now or Never, by Richard Jones', of Denbigh). He 
 also published, in 1677, " Cyfarwydd-deb i'r Anghyfarwydd," which contains 
 (a) " Galwad i'r Annychweledig," an excellent translation by Richard Jones, 
 of Denbigh, of Baxter's Call to the Unconverted; (b) " Carwr y Cymru"; 
 (c) " Agoriad byr i Weddi'r Arglwydd" (Robert Holland's translation of 
 Perkins' work) ; (d) "Cannwyll Crist'' (Vavasor Powell). 
 
 191 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 In all Stephen Hughes' publications he gives the Welsh 
 alphabet. The old people generally tore it out and pasted it on 
 a thin board, and there is no doubt it helped them considerably 
 to learn to read. They generally referred to it as the Llyfr 
 Corn. 
 
 He was preparing to bring out another edition of the Bible, 
 and was in London superintending the work, when he was taken 
 ill in the spring of 1687-8. He returned home, made his will on 
 April 1 8, 1688, and must have died shortly aftenvards, for his 
 will was proved on July 16, 1688. He was buried in St. John's 
 Churchyard, Swansea. 
 
 Sufficient has been said of him to give a general idea of his 
 activity in the movement for the educational and spiritual 
 improvement of Wales. The edition of the Bible, the last work 
 in which he had been interested, was finished by his friend David 
 Jones, of Llandyssilio. in 1690. His work for Wales has in 
 recent years received something of the attention it deserves, and 
 most students of Welsh literature are alive to the fact that he did 
 more than any living man in the seventeenth century, through his 
 circulation of the Scriptures and other books, to preserve the 
 language and to elevate the tone of the nation he loved so well. 
 
 There are still a few minor writers whose work has to be 
 chronicled to complete the record of the religious writings, which 
 were published in this century. 
 
 William Jones (? 1609-1679), a Merionethshire man, who 
 afterwards kept the Grammar School at Ruthin, and thence 
 proceeded to Denbigh, where he was chaplain to Governor 
 Twistleton, and in 1648 was put in charge of the parish, until 
 forced to leave by the Five Mile Act, when he found refuge 
 at Plas Teg in Flintshire, took part in the publication of Egivydd- 
 orion y Grefydd Gristionogol yn gynmvysedig mewn Catechism Byr, 
 which appeared in 1664. The translator's name is not attached 
 to the work, and Williams in his Eminent Welshmen, p. 376, is of 
 opinion that James Owen was responsible for it. But he has 
 probably confused it with another Catechism translated by that 
 192 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 author. Palmer states that William Jones translated it, 1 and 
 David Jones of Llandyssilio thought so well of it that he published 
 a second edition in 1679. It is a small work of 74 pages, con- 
 taining the Presbyterian Catechism, the Nicene Creed and that 
 of St. Athanasius, also Dr. John Davies' translation of the Thirty- 
 nine Articles. Four englynion follow in praise of Mrs. M. Crowther 
 and Mr. Caleb D'Avenant, who bore the expense of publication, 
 signed John Rhydderch a't cAnt. The Catechism is divided into 
 thirty parts, according to the days of the month. 
 
 The Trevors of Plas Teg were strong supporters of William 
 Jones, and gave him land valued at ,20 per annum to support 
 him when he was compelled to leave Denbigh. He was once 
 imprisoned for three months under the Conventicle Act. His 
 last days were spent at Estyn, where he died in i6"jg. 3 
 
 In 1676 he had translated and published two works by 
 Thomas Gouge. The first he entitled " Gair i Bechaduriaid, a 
 Gair i Sainct," the first part of which showed the importance of 
 regeneration and the peril of remaining in sin, and the second 
 was meant for encouragement to the godly to persevere in the 
 path of duty. The book was printed by A. Maxwell, London, 
 1676. 
 
 The other work was entitled "Principlau neu Bennau y 
 Grefydd Gristionogol, A agorir fel y gallo y gwannaf eu deall," 
 issued by the same press in the same year. William Jones was 
 one of the band of energetic Welshmen who co-operated with 
 Thomas Gouge, and helped the movement as a translator. 
 
 John Langfbrd, whose record in The History of the Diocese 
 of St. Asaph 3 is that he graduated B.A. from Christ Church, 
 Oxford, and M.A. from Jesus College, Cambridge, was preferred 
 to the Rectory of Efenechtyd in 1663 ; Derwyn, in 1672 ; and 
 Llanelidan, in 1684. He was a Ruthin man by birth, and translated 
 into Welsh The Whole Duty of Man, the work of Thomas Gouge, 
 and published it in 1672 under the title " Holl Ddyledswydd 
 
 1 Hants Crefyddyng Nghymru, p. 232. 2 ibid, pp. 554-5, and Gwaith 
 Gwaliter Mechain, ii. p, 303. 3 Vol. ii., p. 74. 
 
 193 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Dyn, Gwedi ei osod ar lawr Mewn modd hynod o Eglur, Defn- 
 yddiol i bawb, ond yn enwedig i'r Darllenydd mwyaf Annyscedig. 
 Gwedi ei ddosparthu i xvii. o Bennodau ; Y rhai trwy ddarllen un 
 o honynt bob Dydd yr Arglwydd, a ddarllenir i gyd trostynt 
 deirgwaith yn y Fhvyddyn. Angenrheidiol i bob Teuluoedd. 
 Ynghyd a Dwywolder Neillduol ar amryw Achosion. A gyfieith- 
 wyd yn Gymro-aeg gan J. Langford, A.M. London, Printed for 
 R. Royston, Bookseller to the King's Most Excellent Majesty. 
 1672." There is also a separate title-page for the last part of the 
 book : " Duwiolder Neillduol ar amryw Achosion, yn gystal 
 Cyffredinol ac Anghyffredinol. London, Printed for R. Royston. 
 1672." A second edition was issued in 1711 : " Yr ail argraphiad 
 ar 61 manwl Chwiliad a delead Beiau'r Cyntaf." 
 
 Edward Lloyd* (?-:685), of Llangower, the father of 
 Bishop William Lloyd, afterwards Bishop of Norwich, and one of 
 the non jurors, who was born at Llangower Rectory, translated 
 two books of the work of Bishop Patrick, the first in 1682, under 
 the title : " Egwyddor i Rai Jevaingc i'w cymmhwyso i dderbyn y 
 Cymmun Sanctaidd yn fuddiol. Gwaith y Parchedig a'r Dwyfol 
 Athro Simon Patrick Deon Llanbedr yn lloegr. A gyfieithwyd 
 o'r Saesonaeg, gan Edward Llwyd, Athro yn y Celfyddydau. Ag 
 a Brintiwyd yn Llundain, 1682." Edward Lloyd was incumbent 
 of Llangower, a parish on the shores of Bala Lake. He is men- 
 tioned in Walker's Sufferings of the Clergy as one of the clergy 
 ejected during the Commonwealth. 1 His preface, or, "Llythyr 
 at ei Blwyfolion," is dated " O'm Stafell yn Eglwyseg Mis Medi 
 y chyntaf, 1682." It is followed by englynion " Ar y Gorthrymder 
 gynt, y bu y cyfieithydd dano, ei Warediad o hono, ac ar y 
 Cyfieithiad," written by his nephew, Meredydd Llwyd, " er dal 
 Cof am ei Anwyl ewythr, a'i anrhydeddus henaint." The original 
 author, Dr. Simon Patrick, was Bishop of Ely, promoted from the 
 
 1 Page 248 of that work. *Edward Lloyd, in the History of the Diocese 
 of St. Asaph, iii. p. 1 12, is stated to have been appointed to the benefice of 
 Llangower in 1645, an ^ to have been deprived by the Sequestrators. He was 
 restored in 1661, and became Vicar of Llangwm in 
 
Deanery of Peterborough, which Edward Lloyd calls " Llanbedr 
 yn Lloegr." 
 
 The second book Lloyd translated was not published until 
 1722, and was entitled: " Meddyginiaeth a Chyssur. Yr civil 
 helbulus, clafyccus, a thrallodus, ar ei glaf wely, a gasgl'.vyd ailan 
 o'r Ysgrythur Sanctaidd, ac hefyd o ystorieu ac Athrawiaethau yr 
 hen Dadau ; a rhesymau y Philosophyddion, a gwyr doethion 
 dyscedig eraill o'r cynfyd : Ac a osodwyd allan trwy lafur Edward 
 Lloyd. Athro y celfyddydau ; a gweinidog yr efengyl yn llan- 
 gower, yn Sir Feirion : Er lleshad i'w braidd y mae'n figail arnynt, 
 ac yn oruchwyliwr i gyfrannu iddynt eu bwyd yn eu bryd, sef yw 
 hynny, didwyll laeth y gain i Pet. 2. 2. Ac ar ol hynny er 
 budd i'r Cymru oil. Argraphwyd yn y Mwythig, gan John Rogers, 
 1722." 
 
 William Foulkes,* M.A., rector of Llanfyllin 1661-1691, 
 canon of St. Asaph, sinecure rector of Cwm, rector of Llanbryn- 
 mair, and of Llanfihangel-yn-Ngwynfa, edited a small volume 
 which appeared in 1685, of the work of Bishop George Griffith of 
 St. Asaph, entitled, " Gweddi'r Arglwydd wedi ei hegluro mewn 
 amryw ymadroddion, neu Bregethau Byrrion. O waith y Gwir 
 Barchedig Dad Geor. Griffith, D.D., Diweddar Escob Llanelwy. 
 Printiwyd yn y Theater yn Rhydychen, 1685." The editor, 
 William Foulkes, was the son of the Rev. John Foulkes, Llan- 
 fyllin, who was turned out of that living by the Cromwellians. 
 Bishop Griffith afterwards gave it to the son, and the latter 
 laboured there for thirty years, died at Llanfyllin in 1691, and was 
 buried near the church door, where a stone stands to his memory. 
 William Foulkes also translated " Esponiad ar Gatechism yr 
 Eglwys, Neu Ymarfer o Gariad Ddwyfol. A gymmonwyd er 
 lleshad Esgobaeth Bath. Gan Thomas, Esgob Baddon. Ac a 
 
 * In the Hist, of the Diocese of St. Asaph, under Canonia Qaar/a, vol. i. 
 p. 360, Archdeacon Thomas gives the following record of William Ffoulkes : 
 William Foulkes, M.A., Jesus Coll., Oxford. Cler. fil ; Sinecure Reclor of 
 Cwm, 1660-1, exchanged for the Rectories of Llanbrynmair and Llanfyllin, 
 1661-9:. I\. of Llanfihangel-yn-Nghwnfa, 1680-91. He edited Bishop 
 driffi'h s Sermons in Welsh on ihe Lord's Prayer, and wrote the Rkagy 
 (f y n 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 gyfieithwyd o'r Saesonaeg (yn ol ei gyntaf osodiad allan), gan 
 William Foulkes, Athro yn y Celfyddydau, a Gweinidog anwiw 
 Gair Duw yn Llanfylling. Printiedig yn Rhydychen yn y flwyddyn 
 1688." 
 
 Thomas Williams,! M.A., Denbigh, who had graduated 
 at Jesus College in 1680. and became Rector of Denbigh in 1697, 
 tfanslated a work of Dr. Wm. Sherlock's, which had appeared in 
 1690. The Welsh work appeared in 1691, under the title 
 " Ymadroddion bucheddol ynghylch marwolaeth. O waith Doctor 
 Sherlock. A gyfieithwyd yn Gymraeg gan Tho. Williams, A.M. 
 Printiedig yn Rhydychen gan Leon Lichfield, i John Marsh yn 
 Cat- Eaten Street, ac i Charles Walley tan y Hew coch yn 
 Aldermanbury, yn Llundain, 1691." William Sherlock, the 
 author of the original, was born at South wark, London, in 1641, 
 and educated at Eton and Cambridge. In 1669 he was presented 
 to a London living, and in 1683 he became prebendary of St. 
 Pancras. He was a High Churchman and a Jacobite, and in 
 consequence was prohibited for a time from preaching. During 
 that time he wrote this book, which he published in 1690. 
 Sherlock ultimately submitted to the necessary oaths, and was 
 reinstated. He published many tracts and sermons. He died at 
 Hampstead in 1707. His son, Dr. Thomas Sherlock, became 
 Bishop of Bangor in 1728. He was also a writer of some note. 1 
 
 Other works translated by Thomas Williams were : " Eglur- 
 had ar Gatechism yr Eglwys," 1 708 ; " Annogaeth Fer i'r Cymmun 
 Sanctaidd," 1710 ; "Cydymaith i Ddyddiau Gwylion ac Ympryd- 
 iau Eglwys Loegr," 1712. The last named is a considerable work, 
 and runs to 691 pages. He wrote one original work, " Goruch- 
 afiaeth a Llawenydd y Gwir Gristion," which was published as late 
 as 1777 at Trefriw. 
 
 t The Alumni Oxonienses records : Thomas Williams, s. William of 
 Yals-fach, co. Denbigh, p.p. Jesus Coll. Matric., 3 April, 1674, aged 16. 
 B.A. 1677. M.A. 1680, perhaps rector of Kegidog St. George, 1684-7, and 
 of Llanarmon-Dyffryn-Ceiriog, 1687-1702. V. of Llanrwst 1690-7 and of 
 Llansannan (ist portion), all co. of Denbigh, 1696-1726. Rector and Vicar 
 ofDenbigh, 1697-1726. 
 
 1 Life of Sherlock in Jones' Christian Biographical Dictionary * 
 
 196 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 John Morgan, Vicar of Aberconwy, published a translation 
 entitled " Eglurhad byrr ar Catechism yr Eglwys, ynghyd a 
 thystiolaethau o'r Scrythur Ian," in 1699. He also published, in 
 1704, " Bloedd-nad Ofnadwy, Yr udcorn diweddaf Neu Ail- 
 ddyfodiad Christ i farnu'r Byd ; ar wedd Pregeth. Ynghyd a 
 rhai Caniadau deunyddiol i annerch y Cymru. Ac Hyfforddiad 
 i'r anllythrenog i ddysgu darllen Cymraeg." His record in 
 Alumni Oxon. is as follows : " John Morgans p.p. Jesus Coll. 
 matric. 26 May, 1693. V. of Abercomvay, co. Carnarvon, 1697." 
 
 Edward Jones, of Llanmere wig, published in 1699-1700 
 " Cydymaith yr Eghvyswr yn yrmveled a'r claf, yn cynnwys i. Y 
 modd neu wedd i ymweled a'r claf. ii. Y drefn am ymweled a'r 
 claf, allan o'r Llyfr Gweddi Gyffredin. iii. Cymmun y claf. 
 iv. Rhai gweddiau a ffurfiau eraill, Gan mwyaf allan o scrifen- 
 iadau defosionawl rhai o'r Difeinyddion enwocaf o Eglwys Loegr, 
 ynghyd a Bedydd Public a Phrifat. O gyfieithiad Edward Jones, 
 Llanafrewig." The parish of Llanmerewig, of which Edward Jones 
 was vicar, is situated near Newtown, in Montgomeryshire. 1 
 
 David Maurice, D.D. (1626-1702), son of Dean Maurice, 
 was Vicar of Abergele and Llanarmon, and also Prebendary of 
 Vaynol in St. Asaph Cathedral. He published in 1700 "Arwein- 
 iwr Cartrefol i'r iawn a'r buddiol Dderbyniad o Swpper yr 
 Arglwydd, ym mha un hefyd y mae'r ffordd a'r modd o iechydwr- 
 iaeth wedi ei gosod " allan yn fyrr, ac fel y bo hawdd eu deall. 
 Gan Theophilus Dorrington. O gyfieithiad David Maurice, D.D.'' 
 He also translated another work of Dorrington's, and entitled it 
 " Cynffwrdd i'r Gwan Gristion, neu'r Gorsen ysig. Gan Dafydd 
 Maurice, D.D. <Sc Dorrington." This was published in 1702. 
 The record given of him in Alumni Oxon. is as follows : 
 " Maurice, David, of Jes. Coll., pleb. Matric. June, 1651 (subs. 
 
 The History of the Diocese of St. Asaph, \. p. 536, states that Edward 
 Tones received the benefice of Llanmerewig in 1635. He was M.A. from 
 Hart Hall, Oxford, and Vicar of Nantlyn from 1625 to 1635. The Alumni 
 Oxon. records that he was of co. Merioneth, and matriculated at Hart Hall, 
 igth June, 1610, aged 19. B.A. 1611-12, M,A. 1614. If these details are 
 correct, Edward Jones' publication must have appeared some years after his 
 death. 
 
 '97 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 as Morris), B.A. 1654-5 ; M.A. from New College, 1657. Vicar 
 of Llangemyw, 1662. Rector of Kegidog St. George, 1663; 
 Cursal Prebendary of St. Asaph, 1664; Canon, 1666; V. of 
 Llanasa, 1666; R. of Gwytherin, 1675 ; V. of Abergele, 1684; 
 V. ofBettwsyn Rhos, 1684; R. of Llanarmon in Yale, 1696." 
 He died in 1702, and was buried at Abergele. 1 
 
 There were many eminent Welshmen in the seventeenth 
 century, who wrote in English, and whose works it is necessary to 
 chronicle in this account, for without them Wales would be shorn 
 of half its glory in this part of our subject, inasmuch as the vast 
 preponderance of the works we have noticed were translations 
 from the English. But there were Welshmen whose careers had 
 taken them outside the geographical limits of their own country, 
 but who, nevertheless, were Welsh in blood and sentiment, and 
 although they were not contributors to Welsh literature as such, 
 they must be reckoned as benefactors to their country, and their 
 works must be included as part of the intellectual output of 
 Wales in that period. They were men, for the most part, intensely 
 interested in the movements of the time, and their share in them 
 was the share of Wales, inasmuch as they were so often " Welsh- 
 men born," as the writer of the History of Oxford University 
 carefully states. 
 
 Gabriel Powel (1576-1611) was a famous polemical 
 divine of this period. He was the son of Dr. David Powell, of 
 Ruabon, entered Jesus College, Oxford, in 1592, and graduated 
 B.A. in 1595-6. In 1601-07 ne was sinecure rector of Llansant- 
 ffraid yn Mechain, Mont., and became domestic chaplain to 
 Richard Vaughan, Bishop of London, in 1605, and in 1606 rector 
 of Chellesworth, Suffolk, subsequently removing in 1610 to the 
 vicarage of Northolt (then called Northall), in Middlesex. He 
 died in 161 1, 2 at the early age of 35, after a career of great promise 
 and of considerable achievement. He was accounted a prodigy 
 of learning, and had great powers of argument and command of 
 1 History of Diocese of St. Asaph, \. p. 334. 2 Z>. N. ., vol. xlvi. Wood 
 erroneously supposed that he died in 1607. 
 
 1 08 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITi: 
 
 clear and terse expression, Although Wood describes him as a 
 stiff Puritan, 1 his works do not bear this out. He was certainly- 
 opposed to Rome, but equally hostile to the " fanatical conceits 
 which scrupled at .... the cross and surplice, and such other 
 laudable ceremonies.'' 2 He rejected the term " Protestant " in 
 \mSuppZication, 1604, as "a name given to certaine Germaines 
 that protested against matters .... that touch us nothing, 
 which never joined with them in protestation." Powell was a 
 trenchant antagonist of William Bradshaw, and was the author of 
 the following works: "The Resolved Christian," 1602 (3rd 
 edition); " Prodromus," 1602, the first instalment of a commen- 
 tary on all the Epistles ; "The Catholikes Supplication," 1603, 
 enlarged in 1604 ; " Disputationum Theologicarum de Antichristo 
 libri duo," 1604-5; Book ii., 1606; "The Unlawfulnesse and 
 Danger of Toleration," 1605; "A Refutation of an Epistle 
 Apologetical, written by a Puritan -Papist," 1605 ; this was a work 
 against Bradshaw, as was also, " A Consideration of the Deprived 
 and Silenced Ministers' Arguments," 1606, and "A Rejoynder to 
 the Myld Defence," 1606. In that year he also wrote "De 
 Adiaphoris Theses." In 1600 he had prefixed some verses to 
 William Vaughan's " Golden Grove Moralized," in which he spells 
 his name Powel, as also in the title-pages of his own books. 
 
 Francis Goodwin 3 was Student of Christ Church, Oxford, 
 in 1578, and became Bishop of Llandaff in 1601, and held that 
 See for sixteen years, when, in 1617, he was translated to Here- 
 ford, which he held until his death in 1633. Wood's comment 
 on him shows the respect in which he was held amongst scholars. 
 " He was a good man, a grave Divine, skilful mathematician, 
 excellent philosopher, pure Latinist, incomparable historian, being 
 no less critical in Histories than the learned Selden." 
 
 In one of his works he collected from old monuments and 
 records, " the Succession of all the Bishops of England and Wales 
 since the first planting of the Gospel, not pretermitting those of 
 the British Church." 1 * This he published in 1601, under the title 
 
 1 Athen ; Oxm : i., pp. 294, 394. : See unicle in D. N. />', J At hen : 
 Oxon : i., pp. 496-7. 4 ibid. 
 
 '99 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 " A Catalogue of the Bishops of England, since the first planting 
 of the Christian Religion in this Island, together with a brief 
 History of their Lives and memorable actions. London. 1601." 
 It was for this work that Queen Elizabeth promoted him to the 
 bishopric of Llandaff. He brought out another edition of it in 
 1615, because of his omission in the first of the Bishops of Bangor 
 and St. Asaph, and added, " A Discourse concerning the first 
 Conversion of this Island of Britaine into the Christian Religion." 
 Bishop Goodwin was a strong Puritan, and Prynne often took 
 advantage to quote from his writings when he wanted to advance 
 the Puritan cause against the bishops. While he was a student at 
 Christ Church, Goodwin had written under the name Domingo 
 Gozales, a work entitled " The Man in the Moon, or, a discourse 
 of a Voyage thither." This was printed in London 1638, after 
 the author's death, and before the title it had the picture of a man 
 taken up from the top of a mountain, by an engine drawn up to 
 the moon " by certain flying birds." J 
 
 In 1629 Bishop Goodwin published his last work, " Nuncius 
 Manimatus." He died in 1633. He had been a friend and 
 patron of William Camden. 
 
 John Jones (Leander), the learned Benedictine, "the 
 ornament of the English Benedictines in his time," as Wood 
 styles him, was born in 1575, and was descended from a family 
 living at Llanvrynach, in Brecknockshire. He was educated at 
 Merchant Taylor's School, and secured from there in 1591 a 
 scholarship at St. John's College, Oxford. Here he met William 
 Laud and they became firm friends. John Jones afterwards 
 became Fellow of his college, and applied himself to the study of 
 Civil Law. 2 But at this time, having leanings towards Rome, he 
 abandoned his Fellowship and proceeded to Spain, where he 
 joined the Order of the Benedictine Monks at Compostella, and 
 changed his name to Leander de Sancto Martino. Thence he 
 went to Douay, where he was made Professor of Hebrew and 
 Divinity in the College of St. Vedastus, where he remained for 
 
 1 Athen : Oxon : p. 498. 2 ibid, i., pp. 514- 515, and Williams' Eminent 
 Wehhmtiii pp. 256-7. 
 
 too 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 several years. He afterwards became Prior of the Benedictine 
 College of St. Gregory at Douay, and Vicar -general to the English 
 Benedictines of the Spanish congregations living outside Spain. 
 He was twice president or Chief Superior of the same Order in 
 England. Wood states that he was " a person of extraordinary 
 eloquence, generally knowing in all arts and sciences, beloved of 
 all that knew him and his worth, and hated by none but by the 
 Puritans and Jesuits." Towards the end of his life, Laud invited 
 him to England to confer with him about certain important 
 points of the religious controversy then raging, and Prynne made 
 considerable use of this fact in his attacks upon Laud. He died 
 in 1635. 
 
 His published works were two Latin treatises on Divinity, one 
 of them a kind of Concordance, and the other showing the 
 harmony and consistence of the Scriptures. They are entitled : 
 Sacra ars memorire ad Scripturas divinas in promptu habendas, 
 memoriterque ediscendas accomodata, Duac 1623." And 
 
 " Conciliatio Locorum communium totius Scripturse," which 
 is found at the end of the previous work. 
 
 He also left behind him in MS. an exposition of the Bible 
 with Glosses, in six large volumes, derived from the works of 
 Ludovicus Blosius, which had been published in 1626. 
 
 Archbishop John Williams was the second son of 
 Edmund Williams, of Cochwillan and Aberconwy, by his wife 
 Mary, daughter of Owen Wynn of Eglwysbach. He was born 
 at Aberconwy in 1582, and educated first at Ruthin Grammar 
 School, 1 and afterwards at St. John's College, Cambridge, which 
 he entered at 16, and subsequently became Fellow. He was a 
 man of great natural abilities and also a great student. He was 
 ordained when 27, and became chaplain to Lord Egerton, the 
 Lord Chancellor. In 1611-12 he was Proctor at Cambridge, and 
 entertained the Spanish ambassadors when they visited that 
 University. He held several benefices, amongst them Grafton 
 Regis and Underwood. In 1613 he was made Precentor of 
 
 'Williams' Eminent Welshmen, pp. 526-530. 
 
 aot 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Lincoln and Prebendary of that Cathedral, and subsequently held 
 prebendships at Peterborough, Hereford, and St. David's. In 
 1619 he became chaplain to the King, a Privy Councillor, and 
 Dean of Salisbury, and in the following year Dean of Westminster. 
 In 1621 he was appointed Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, and 
 Bishop of Lincoln, through the influence, it is said, of the Duke of 
 Buckingham. Laud, who differed so much from him in church- 
 manship, was his inveterate enemy, and although Bishop Williams 
 attended King James on his death -bed, he did not crown Charles 
 I., for that honour fell to Laud. This is said to have caused him 
 much disappointment, and he afterwards joined the Puritans. 
 In 1628 he was cited by the Star Chamber, but the accusation 
 lay dormant until 1632. In 1637 he was fined ,10,000, 
 imprisoned, and suspended from his offices, but was released in 
 1640, and for a time became the idol of both Houses. At this 
 time he conferred much with Edward Bagshaw and Prynne. In 
 1641 he preached against the Book of Sports, but also declaimed 
 against Geneva, which caused him to decline in the public favour. 
 In the same year he was translated to the Archbishopric of York, 
 and he returned to Wales and fortified Conway Castle for the 
 King, but a misunderstanding arose between them, and Charles 
 relieved him of the Castle, whereupon he retired to Penrhyn and 
 declared for Parliament. The Royalists at this time called him 
 " the perfidious prelate and apostate Archbishop of York." 1 
 
 He published the following works : " A Sermon of apparel, 
 before the King and Parliament, at Theobald's, 1619;" "A 
 Sermon before the Lords," 1623; "Sermon at the Funeral of 
 King James," 1625; " Perseverentia Sanctorum," 1628; "Letter 
 to the Vicar of Grantham," 1636; this was answered by Peter 
 Heilyn in his " Coal from the Altar." Archbishop Williams 
 replied to the latter in " Holy Table, name, and thing more 
 antiently used under the New Testament than that of Altar," 
 1637; "Annotations in Vet. Test." and "in Ephesios," 1653] 
 published after his death, under the name fohan Eboracensis. 
 
 ' Athen : Oxon : i. pp. 803-05. 
 ZQZ 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 The Archbishop died at the house of Lady Mostyn, at 
 Gloddaeth, in 1649, and was buried in Llandegai Church, near 
 Bangor, " in a little vault at the upper end of the chancel." ' On 
 the north side of the chancel was erected a monument in white 
 marble, by his nephew and heir, Sir Griffith Williams, with a 
 Latin inscription made by Dr. John Racket, who was sometime 
 the Archbishop's chaplain. Bishop Racket also wrote his bio- 
 graphy, which was published in 1693, under the title Scrinia 
 Reservata. Ambrose Philips also wrote a " Life " in 1706. 
 
 Lewis Owen, a native of Merionethshire, who entered 
 Christ Church, Oxford, 1590, at the age of 18, and afterwards 
 travelled on the Continent, entering the Society of Jesus at 
 Valladolid as " a curious observer," 2 and who " satisfied himself of 
 their intrigues," 3 left them, and became their most inveterate foe, 
 was the author of several works against the Jesuits, the chief of 
 which are : " The Running Register a true relation of the state 
 of the English Colleges, c., in all foreign parts, together with a 
 brief discourse of the lives, practices, &c., of English Monks, 
 Friars, & Jesuits." 1626. This was followed in 1628 by 
 " The Unmasking of all Papist Monks, or a treatise of their 
 genealogy, beginnings, proceedings, and present state." In 1629 
 he issued " Speculum Jesuiticum, or, the Jesuit's Looking Glass, 
 ... a true Catalogue of all their Colleges, &c., and a true 
 number of the Fellows of their Society." The last two works are 
 printed at the end of Sir Edward Sandys' Europa Speculum, which 
 appeared in 1629. 
 
 John White, commonly called Century White, who was 
 born at Henllan, in Pembrokeshire/ in 1590, educated at Jesus 
 College, Oxford, 1607, aged 17, and afterwards proceeded to the 
 Middle Temple as barrister -at -law, was an extreme Puritan who 
 acted as one of the Feoffees for buying in impropriations, which 
 were afterwards bestov.-cd on the Puritan party. In 1640 he was 
 M.P. for South wark, and distinguished himselt in the Long 
 
 1 Athen : Oxon : ii., pp. 684-5. 'Williams' Eminent Welshmen, p., 383. 
 3 ibid. 4 ibid, p. 517. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Parliament by his virulence against the bishops. He once boasted 
 that he and his coadjutors had ejected 8,000 Churchmen in four 
 or five years. 1 He published several of his speeches in Parlia- 
 ment, and besides : " The first century of scandalous, malignant 
 priests, &c.," .1643; and "The Looking Glass," written against 
 Episcopacy in 1643-4. The violence 'of his views may be 
 gathered from the following quotation taken from " The Looking 
 Glass "; " Malignant Cavaliers and Luke-warm Protestants, who 
 assist the King in this War, are guilty of that fearful sin against 
 the Holy Ghost." He died in 1644-5, an d was buried in the 
 Temple Church, and one of his admirers wrote the following 
 epitaph : 
 
 Here lyeth a John, a burning, shining light, 
 
 His Name, Life, Actions, were all White. 
 
 John Owen was the eldest son of Owen Owen, Bodsilin, 
 Aber, near Bangor, who was Archdeacon of Anglesey (1584-93), 
 and rector of Burton Latimers, Northants, in which place John 
 Owen was born, c 1580. He graduated at Christ College, Cam- 
 bridge, 1596-7, and became Fellow of his College, and M.A. in 
 1600, D.D. in 1618. He was appointed chaplain to Charles I., 
 and held several preferments in the Church; rector of Burton 
 Latimers in 1608 ; rector of Carlton, 1625 ; and Cottingham (all 
 in Northants), in 1625. In 1629 he became Archdeacon and 
 Bishop of St. Asaph, holding also during his tenure of that See, 
 the livings of Disserth, Llanfyllin, 1631 : Whitford, 1631 ; 
 Rhuddlan, 1632 ; Llanrhaiadr-ym-Moclmant, 1632 ; Llanfechain, 
 1632 ; and Llanrwst, i644. 2 He was greatly esteemed by Laud, 
 to whom he doubtless owed much of his advancement in the 
 Church. Canon Williams states that " he had incomparable skill 
 in the Welsh language." 3 There are several entries concerning 
 him in Y Cwtta Cyfanvydd, and the following is of some interest : 
 "Upon which day [July 2nd, 1631] Mr. Morris Jones, vicar 
 choral, etc., made the first sermon in Welsh in the p'ish church of 
 St. Asaph al's Llanelwey, by my Lord Bishop's order and decree 
 
 1 Athen : Oxon : ii., pp. 70, 71. z See Thomas' St. Asaph, pp. 98, 227. 
 3 Williams' Eminent Welshmen, pp. 379-80. 
 
 20 4 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 and my lord p'ched in his Cathedrall church that day." l In 1635 
 he set up a new organ at the Cathedral. 2 He was deprived, 
 imprisoned, and fined under the Commonwealth, and died in 1651 
 at Aberkinsey, in Rhuddlan, and was buried under the throne in 
 St. Asaph Cathedral, where a brass has recently been placed to 
 his memory by his representative, William, second Lord Harlech.3 
 
 Hugh Robinson was the fifch son of Bishop Nicholas 
 Robinson, of Bangor. He was born at Llanfair, Anglesey, 
 educated at Winchester, and afterwards became Perpetual Fellow 
 of New College, Oxford. He graduated M.A. in 1611, and was 
 appointed Head Master of Winchester. In 1634 he became 
 Archdeacon of Gloucester, Canon of Wells, and Rector of 
 Dursley. He suffered under Cromwell, but afterwards took the 
 Covenant and wrote in defence of it. His works show that he 
 was an excellent linguist and able divine and historian. They 
 are as follows : " Preces ; written for the use of the children at 
 Winchester School, in Latin and English"; " Grammaticalia 
 quaedam," in Latin and English ; " Antique Historic Synopsis" ; 
 all of which were printed at Oxford in 1616 in one volume, entitled 
 " Schoke Wintoniensis Phrases Latince." He died in 1655, but 
 one of his works was published in 1677 under the title Annalium 
 Mundi Universalium. 
 
 Griffith Williams, Dean of Bangor and Bishop of Ossory, 
 whose tracts written during the Gvil War have already been 
 noticed in the first chapter of this work, was also the author of 
 several other works, amongst which may be mentioned : " The 
 delights of the Saints." 1622 ; " Seven Gold Candlesticks," 1627 ; 
 "The true Church showed 10 all men," 1629; "The great 
 Antichrist revealed," 1660; "Seven treatises very necessary to be 
 observed in these bad days," 1661 ; " The Declaration of the Just 
 Judgment of God," 1661 ; "Truth Vindicated," 1666 :* besides 
 numerous sermons. Bishop Williams was a most unswerving 
 loyalist. Wood says that "of the means which he had in Wales 
 
 1 Y Cwtta Cyfcn-wydd, p. 134. 2 ibid, p. 161. 3 Hist, of St. Asaph, i. 
 p. 228. 4 Williams' Eminent Welshmen, pp. 524-6. 
 
 205 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 he gave unto his Majesty's own hands, every Winter for three 
 ' Years together, the Testimony of his Loyalty and Affection, to 
 the utmost of his Power." 1 He himself suffered so much that 
 " for twelve years together he had not ,20 per annum in all the 
 world, to maintain himself and his servants." 2 He refused the 
 offer of Henry Cromwell, then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, of a 
 pension of 100 a year if he would submit to the Government. 3 
 He was one of the severest critics of the Parliament in all his 
 writings, and in the bulk of them he draws comparisons between 
 Old Testament evils and those of his own day. He directed one 
 in particular against Cromwell. It was entitled " The Tragedy 
 of Zimri that slew his King, that was his Master," a sermon based 
 on 2 Kings ix. 31. He was restored to all his offices at the 
 Restoration and returned to Ireland, dying in that country in 
 1671. In his Will he bequeathed his lands in Ireland "called 
 Fermoile, worth forty pounds per an. to be settled upon eight poor 
 distressed Widows, for whom he had erected eight several 
 Alms-houses in the parish of St. Kenny in his own diocese.'' 4 
 He also left a charity to the poor at Bangor. Archbishop 
 John Williams had been one of his patrons, and for the 
 rest he owed much to Philip, Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery, 
 who had secured for him the bishopric of Ossory, and to whom 
 he had been chaplain for many years. Griffith Williams in the 
 early part of his clerical life had been parson of St. Bennet 
 Sherbogg, in London. 
 
 William Thomas (1613-1689), who belonged to a 
 Carmarthenshire family (his grandfather was Recorder of Car- 
 marthen), but was born at Bristol in 1613, rose to eminence in the 
 Church as Bishop of Worcester, and was one of the most loveable 
 characters of his time. He was educated at Carmarthen, under 
 Morgan Owen, afterwards Bishop of Llandaff. In 1629 he 
 entered St. John's College, Oxford, and graduated B.A. in 1632, 
 M.A., Fellow of Jesus, and Tutor, in 1634-5. His first benefice 
 was Penybryn. Card'ganshire, and he aft. Awards became chaplain 
 
 1 A:ke<i : O.\on : ii. j,p. 496-8. Also Walk rs' Sufferings of the Cierg}>, 
 partii. p, -. * i ,id. 3 .?// w/z . Q., O ., . ;i> ,, . ; ^ 
 
 206 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 to James, Duke of York, who presented him to the vicarage of 
 Laugharn, 1638. He was deprived in 1644, and suffered great 
 hardships. 1 Reinstated at the Restoration, he became Chantor 
 of St. David's 1660, and D.D. in 1661, and then rector of Llan- 
 bedr Velvre, Pembrokeshire (1661-5). As chaplain to the Duke 
 of York, he was present with him at sea in his engagement against 
 the Dutch. In 1665 he was appointed Dean of Worcester, and 
 from 1678-83 was Bishop of St. David's. He did much for that 
 See, repaired the palaces at Brecon and Abergwili, preached in 
 Welsh, and helped Stephen Hughes with his 1677-8 edition of 
 the Welsh Bible. In 1683 he was translated to the bishopric of 
 Worcester, and gained in a marked degree the affection of his 
 people. He regarded himself " as God's steward," was the most 
 generous and hospitable of men, and used the emoluments of his 
 See in various good works. He died in 1689, and was buried in 
 the cloisters at Worcester. In 1678 he wrote " An Apology for 
 the Church of England, 1678 ;" he also published many sermons, 
 and amongst them, " A Sermon preached at Carmarthen Assizes, 
 1659 ;" and "The Manna of Unrighteousness, 1688," preached 
 at Worcester Cathedral. 
 
 Thomas Jones, son of John Williams, was born at 
 Oswestry, entered Jesus College, Oxford, at the beginning of the 
 Rebellion, became Fellow of University College, by the authority 
 of the Parliamentary Visitors, in 1 648, submitted to the Covenant 
 and proceeded to his B.A. degree in 1649, M.A. in 1652* 
 
 He wrote, in 1652, Vita Edivardi Simsoni S. T. D. ex 
 ipsius mttographo excerpta, which is prefixed to Simson's Chronicon 
 Catholifitm. About 1654 he is supposed to have received 
 episcopal ordination, and he was appointed rector of Castell 
 Caereinion in 1655. In order to minister in that parish, he 
 learned the Welsh language. He was ejected in 1661, and 
 became domestic and naval chaplain to James, Duke of York, in 
 1663, but was dismissed in 1666, and retired to the rectory of 
 
 1 Eminent Welshmen, pp. 489-90 ; At hen : Oxon : ii., p. 835. 3 Athtn : 
 Oxon: ii., pp. 710-11. 
 
 207 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Llandyrnog, which he still held, but became obnoxious to the 
 Bishop of Bangor. In 1670 the Bishop of Winchester brought 
 an action for slander against him, 1 and he was fined ^300 and his 
 living sequestered. He wrote, in 1678, " Of the Heart and its 
 right Sovereign :" and "Rome no Mother-Church to England." 
 This was the time of the Popist Plot, and the book was an 
 historical account of the title of the English Church. In 1682 he 
 published " Elymas the Sorcerer : or a Memorial towards the 
 discovery of the bottom of this Popist Plot," in which he relates 
 the particulars of his quarrels. Wood states that this book was 
 undertaken in spleen against the Bishop of Winchester, and it 
 insinuated that the latter was in part responsible for the Duchess 
 of York's declaration in favour of Popery. The Bishop meant to 
 prosecute him, but he died before proceedings were instituted 
 against him, in 1682. Anthony Wood describes him as "a 
 person who was troubled with a rambling and sometimes craz'd 
 pate." - 
 
 Edward Evans, a Denbighshire man, educated at Christ 
 Church, Oxford, whither he went in 1598, at the age of sixteen, 
 and took his B. A. degree, 1603, M.A. in 1607, became a noted 
 preacher of his time at the University. He published four of his 
 University Sermons under the title " Verba Dierum, or the day's 
 report of God's glory," based on Psalm xix. 2, and printed at 
 Oxford, 1615.3 
 
 Lewis Thomas (alias Evans) 4, Scholar of Brasenose 
 College, Oxford, Matriculated 1584, aged 16, took an arts degree, 
 B.A. 1586-7, proceeded to Holy Orders and became beneficed 
 in the County of Gla'Tiorgan. He published " Certain Lectures 
 upon sundry portions of Scripture," 1600 ; " A Comment on the 
 Decalogue," and "Seven Sermons or the Exercises of Seven 
 Sabbaths." 
 
 William Thomas, " a Welshman born," as Wood describes 
 him, was educated at Jesus College, Oxford, 1616, aged 14 years, 
 left there without a degree, and was chosen Burgess for the town 
 l Athen: Oxon: ii., p. 711. 2 ibid, p. 712. 3 ibid, i-, p. 343. 
 *ibid, p. 381. 
 208 
 
R ELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 of Carnarvon to sit in the 1640 Parliament. He at first showed 
 himself a bitter enemy against both Charles and the Church, but 
 afterwards, seeing the desperate courses Parliament resorted to, 
 he left them and joined the King at Oxford. In the 1640 Parlia- 
 ment he had spoken violently against the Church, especially 
 against Bishops sitting in Parliament, and he made a speech, 
 which was afterwards printed, " declaring the Office of Dean to be 
 of little use. 1 When he espoused the King's cause, he did so most 
 ardently, with the result that in 1650 he had to compound for 
 his estates for being a Royalist. His speeches in Parliament were 
 the only work of his that was published. 
 
 John Ellis, of Gwylan, a native of Llandecwyn, 2 Merioneth- 
 shire, entered as a student at Hart Hall, Oxford, in 1617, aged 
 18, took his B.A. in 1621-2, and M.A. in 1625. He became 
 Fellow of Jesus College in 1628, B.D. in 1632, and D.D. of St. 
 Andrew's University in 1634. From 1629-47 he was Rector of 
 Wheatfield, Oxon, and afterwards, 1646 to his death in 1666, 
 Rector of Dolgelley. He was an ardent educationalist. His 
 published works are : " Clavis fidei, seu brevia quaedam dictata in 
 symbolum Apostolorum, 1642." Translated into English by 
 William Fowler in 1669. "Comment in Obadiarn Proph., 
 1641"; " Vindiciae Catholic^,' 1647; and " Defensio Fidei," 
 1660.3 
 
 Henry Maurice, D.D., was a very learned and talented 
 Divine, the son of Thomas Maurice, Rector of Llangristiolus,* 
 Anglesey, where he was born in 1648. He was educated at 
 Beaumaris Grammar School, proceeded to Jesus College, Oxford, 
 in 1664, and was tutored there by Thomas Ellis aforementioned. 
 He took his degrees, and became Fellow of his college, and after 
 holding a curacy at Cheltenham, he returned to Oxford, " and 
 grew eminent for virtue and learning." 5 He attracted the attention 
 of Sir Leoline Jenkins, the then Principal, who asked him to 
 
 1 Athen : Oxon: ii., p. 48. -Alumni Oxon: 3 Atken: Oxon: ii., 
 pp. 361-2. 4 Cambrian Register, 1796, p. 263. s rftAen : Oxon : pp. 872-875. 
 Also Williams' Eminent Welshmen, p. 317. 
 
 209 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 attend him as chaplain in his embassy to Neomagin, where he 
 was sent as Plenipotentiary in 1675. He remained abroad three 
 years, and soon after his return, in 1680, through the efforts of 
 Bishop Lloyd of St. Asaph, he became domestic chaplain to 
 Archbishop Sandcroft of Canterbury, 1 and was a very prominent 
 figure amongst the Archbishop's entourage, who afterwards 
 presented him to the benefice of Chevening in Kent. He 
 subsequently held the sinecure rectory of Llandrillo, became 
 Chancellor of Chichester in 1681, and lastly Rector of Newington 
 in Oxfordshire, in succession to Dr. Stradling, in 1685. In 1691 
 he was appointed Margaret Professor of Divinity at Oxford and 
 Prebendary of Worcester, but he died suddenly in that same year. 
 He was one of the noted Welshmen of this century, and Wood 
 
 describes him as " a person of imcomparable learning, 
 
 extraordinary memory, and a clear and ready wit. He was also 
 an extempore preacher of great power." During his stay on the 
 Continent he had collected a number of valuable books which, 
 after his decease, were placed in Jesus College Library. 2 He was 
 the author of several controversial works, which show his zeal 
 towards the Church of England, her doctrine and discipline, and 
 his invincible courage in defending and supporting her. He was 
 a most strenuous opponent both of Rome and of Dissent. His 
 works are: 
 
 1. "A Vindication of the Primitive Church and Diocesan 
 Episcopacy," 1682. An answer to Mr. Baxter's "Church 
 History of Bishops and their Councils abridged." In this 
 work Henry Maurice exposed Mr. Baxter's " small insight 
 into antiquity." 
 
 2. " The Antithelemite," or an answer to certain queries of the 
 Duke of Buckingham, 1685. 
 
 3. " The Project," &c., written upon the occasion of the Popist 
 Judges haranguing in their Circuits against the Established 
 Religion, 1688. 
 
 4. " Doubts concerning the Roman Infallibility," 1688, after- 
 1 Cambrian Register, p. 264. 2 ibid, 1796. p. 263. 
 
 2IO 
 
RELIGIOUS AX!) MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 wards printed amongst other tracts against Popery in the 
 Preservative. 
 
 5. " Defence of Diocesan Episcopacy: or an Answer to Mr. 
 David Clarkson's book entitled Primitive Episcopacy," 1691. 
 
 In his Memoir by a friend given in the Cambrian Register for 
 1 796, he is described as "a person of excellent strong natural parts, 
 improved by study, and the most elegant conversation to be met 
 amongst the most eminent of his profession, for they all courted 
 his friendship. . . . Bishop Hooper and he were like brothers. . . 
 He spoke with that clearness of expression, and with that quick- 
 ness and strength of judgment, that he seemed to want no 
 deliberation, having all his notions so ready and at command." 
 The same personal friend informs us that he died " about the 
 45th year of his age." His friends erected him a monument in 
 Jesus College Chapel. 1 
 
 Jonathan Edwards (1629-1712) was born at Wrexham, in 
 1629, entered Christ Church, Oxford, in 1655 ; B.A. 1659 ; became 
 Fellow of Jesus in 1662, M.A. 1662, B.D. 1669. He afterwards 
 held the benefice of Kiddington, near Woodstock, and became 
 Principal of Jesus College in 1686 in succession to John Lloyd.* 
 He was Vice -Chancellor of the University from 1689 to 1691. 
 In 1687 he became Treasurer of Llandaff, and in 1601 he had 
 been appointed Rector of Hinton-Ampner, in Hampshire,* 
 besides holding two benefices in Wales. His chief work was " A 
 Preservative against Socinianism," which appeared in 1693, but 
 the work was not completed until ten years later. Part ii. 
 appeared in 1694, part iii. in 1697, and part iv. in 1703. In this 
 work he treated Faustus Socinus not as a heretic, but as the 
 founder of a new religion. By the time the work was finished, 
 the Socinian controvesry was practically over, and its place taken 
 by the Arian controversy. Jonathan Edwards died in 1712, and 
 was buried in the chapel of Jesus College. He left his books to 
 the library of that college, and ^1,000 for repairs to the building, 
 
 \ Cambrian Register, 1796, p. 269. - D N> B, * Atficu : Own; ii. p, 
 1093 ; also Williams' Eminent Welshmen* 
 
 811 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Richard Lucas was born at Presteign, in Radnorshire, in 
 1648, entered Jesus College, Oxford, in 1664, took the B.A. 
 degree in 1668, and M.A. in 1672.' He afterwards became 
 Master of the Free School at Abergavenny, vicar of St. Stephen's, 
 Coleman Street, London, and, in 1691, Doctor of Divinity, and 
 Prebendary of Westminster in 1696. He was blind for many 
 years before his death, which happened in 1715. He wrote many 
 valuable works, which, as Canon Williams remarks, " will transmit 
 his name with honour to posterity." The chief of them are : 
 
 " Practical Christianity : or, an Account of the Holiness 
 which the Gospel enjoyns, with the Motives to it, and the 
 Remedies it proposes against Temptations." 167 , and 1681. 
 
 "An enquiry after Happiness," 1685, his most important 
 work, in two volumes. It went through many editions, and was 
 deservedly esteemed. 
 
 He was also the author of several series of sermons, some of 
 them preached at St. Stephens, Coleman Street, others before the 
 Lord Mayor and Aldermen of London, one before the Queen, at 
 Kensington, and others before their Majesties, at Whitehall. 
 
 In 1680, he translated from English into Latin The whole 
 duty of Man, under the title Officium Hominis, &c. 
 
 Humphrey Humphreys was the eldest son and heir of 
 Richard Humphreys, of Penrhyn Dcuclraeth, Merionethshire, and 
 of Margaret, the daughter of Robert Wynn, of Cesailgyfarch, 
 Carnarvonshire. 2 He was born in 1648, began his education at 
 Oswestry, under the care of his uncle, Humphrey Wynn, M.A., 
 Vicar and Schoolmaster, and then proceeded to Jesus College, 
 Oxford, in 1665. He took his B.A. degree in 1669, was scholar 
 in 1670, and became M.A. and Fellow in 1672; B.D., 1680; 
 D.D., 1682. He was ordained Deacon and Priest at Bangor in 
 1670, by Bishop Robert Morgan, and afterwards held the livings 
 of Llanfrothen ( 1670) and Trawsfynydd, in Merionethshire (1672). 
 Becoming chaplain to Dr. Humphrey Lloyd, Bishop of Bangor, 
 in 1673, he was promoted first to a canonry in that Cathedral, 
 
 1 A then \ Oxon ; ii., p. 1093. "ibid, ii., 1183. 
 U 
 
RELIGIOUS ANT) MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 1680, and afterwards to the Deanery, 1682. He married 
 Elizabeth, daughter of Bishop Robert Morgan. In 1689, on the 
 death of Bishop Humphrey Lloyd, he was appointed his successor, 
 being afterwards translated, in 1701, to the See of Hereford. He 
 died in 171 2, and was interred near the altar of his Cathedral at 
 Hereford. He was very well versed in the antiquities of Wales, 
 and wrote some memoirs of Eminent Welshmen in addition 
 to those contained in Wood's Athcnac Oxonienses. The 
 " Additions " are printed in the last edition of that work, and in 
 the first volume of the Cambrian Register for 1795, pp. 155-160, 
 where a biographical notice of the bishop is subjoined. 1 
 
 John Owen : an eminent divine amongst the Independents, 
 was the son of Henry Owen, Vicar of Stadham, near Watlington, 
 in Oxfordshire, 2 where he was born in 1616,3 and entered 
 Queen's College, Oxford, in 1628, lie being a youth of exceptional 
 ability. He graduated B.A. in 1632, and AT. A. in 1635. He 
 refused to comply with Laud's new statutes, and left Oxford on 
 that account in 1637. He took Holy Orders, however, and 
 became chaplain to John L. Lovelace, of Hurley, in Berkshire. 
 When the Civil War broke out, he sided with the Parliament. He 
 took the Covenant, and was made minister of Forclham, in Essex, 
 and afterwards of Coggleshall, in the same county. In the 
 former place he was a Presbyterian, but in the latter he became 
 an Independent. W T ood, who bore him no love, declares that in 
 doing this " he became endeared to Oliver Cromwell," who 
 afterwards held him in high esteem, and frequently relied on his 
 counsel. After the execution of Charles L, he preached in the 
 House of Commons on the justice of his fate, and he took a 
 prominent part in the Thanksgiving at Christ Church, in London, 
 for Cromwell's victory over the Levellers in 1649. In March, 
 1651, he was appointed by the Parliament Dean of Christ Church, 
 Oxford, and took an active part in disseminating Cromwell's 
 views in the University, but encountered great opposition from 
 
 'Williams' Eminent Welshmen, p. 227. 7 Athen : Oxon : ii., p. 737. 
 3 Williams' Eminent ]Vthhnitn, p. 380. This d;Ue seems doubtful. 4 .If hen : 
 Oxon : ii., p. 738. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 his former friends, the Presbyterians. In 1652 he was made 
 Vice -Chancellor of Oxford, and shocked that University by his 
 disregard of conventions. In 1654 he was appointed a Commis- 
 sioner, and in the same year stood to be elected burgess by the 
 University, but sat but a short time in Parliament. Wood charges 
 him with great want of reverence, and mentions his disrespect 
 during the recital of the Lord's Prayer J on some occasions at 
 Oxford. 
 
 In 1657, when Richard Cromwell was elected Chancellor of 
 the University, Owen was removed from the Vice-Chancellorship, 
 and in 1659 he was ousted from the Deanery of Christ Church 
 and retired to Stadham, his birthplace, where he had bought 
 some land. He was excepted from the Act of Oblivion at the 
 Restoration, but nevertheless, Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, treated 
 him kindly, and asked him, if he could not conform, to use his 
 energy and ability against the Papists. In spite of Wood's evident 
 antagonism and prejudice, he quotes some very favourable 
 opinions of John Owen, and amongst them those of Edward 
 Stillingfleet and Henry Dodwell, and himself admits that " his 
 personage was proper and comely, and he had a very graceful 
 behaviour in the Pulpit, an eloquent elocution, a winning and 
 insinuating deportment, and could by the persuasion of his oratory 
 . . . move and wind the affections of his admiring Auditory 
 almost as he pleased." 2 Several instances are given by Canon 
 Williams in his Eminent Welshmen of Owen's moderation, notably 
 in the case of Dr. Willis, whom he allowed to use the Liturgy 
 unmolested, and that of Dr. Edward Pococke. 
 
 He was one of the most active writers of that age, and the 
 titles of his works fill six columns in the History of Oxford JJ'ri/ers. 
 Most of them are sermons, or polemical works on the religious 
 controversies of those times. Salus Electorum Sangnis Jesu is 
 one of his most substantial works. In it the whole controversy of 
 universal redemption is fully discussed in four books. He wrote 
 other works against the tenets of Hugh Grotius and those of John 
 
 1 Athen : Own : ii., p, 739. 2 ibid, ii., p. 741. 
 214 
 
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL WRITINGS 
 
 Goodwin, as well as those of Dr. William Sherlock, and had also 
 much pen warfare with Dr. Stillingfleet. His expositions on 
 various passages in the Epistle to the Hebrews are considered 
 very able. He died in 1683. 
 
 John Price was born of Welsh parents in London, 1 
 educated at Westminster School, and proceeded to Christ Church, 
 Oxford, in 1617, left the University without a degree, and was 
 taken into the household of one of the sons of the Earl of 
 Arundel. He then went overseas to " a certain University," which 
 is not named by Wood, 2 returned to England, and was of the 
 retinue of the Earl of Strafford when the latter was Lord Lieutenant 
 of Ireland. There he became acquainted with Archbishop Usher. 
 Price subsequently defended Strafford against charges made by 
 Parliament, and \vas cast into prison. Regaining his freedom, he 
 again went over seas, and settled about 1652 at Florence in 
 Italy. The Duke of Tuscany made him Professor of Greek in 
 the University of Pisa, where he was highly esteemed for his 
 patristic knowledge and linguistic attainments. 
 
 He wrote a work on Plato's philosophy, which he printed at 
 Paris in 1635. In 1646 he issued Annotations in cpistolam Jacobi, 
 In 1647, Ac/a Apostolorum ex S.pagina, sanctis Patribus Griceisque 
 ac Latinis Gentium scriptoribus illustrata. He also wrote a 
 Commentary on St. Matthew, and this with those on St. James 
 and the Acts, just mentioned, were printed in London in 1660 in 
 Commentarii in varies Novi Testamenti libros. Another Com- 
 mentary by Price on the Psalms was published in the same series 
 in 1660. 
 
 Price left Tuscany and went to Rome, where he joined the 
 retinue of the famous Cardinal Francis Barberini,3 " the Protector 
 of the English nation," as Wood styled him, He spent his last 
 days in the Convent of St. Augustine, where he died in 1676, 
 
 '''Eminent Welshmen ', p. 417. - Atkcn\ Oxoti : ii. p. 582. .3 ibid 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 (a) WELSH POETRY. 
 
 (b) ENGLISH AND LATIN POEMS. 
 
(a) WELSH POETRY. 
 
 THE dynasty of the Tudors ended in 1603, and the bardic 
 conventions in Wales, which had received their royal 
 sanction, seem to have ended with them. The bards of the 
 seventeenth century, for the most part, failed to comply with the 
 tests in versification, in its rules and principles, which their more 
 highly gifted predecessors had imposed, or, perhaps, the attempt 
 to observe them had crushed out inspiration, and very little of 
 real worth was produced in this century, written In the confined 
 metres approved by the official bards, and in cynghanedd. There 
 came no incentive to bardism from the higher circles. It could 
 hardly have been expected from the Stuarts, who had no ties with 
 Wales, and who were engrossed chiefly in establishing the theory 
 of the Divine right of Kings, and afterwards in saving their 
 toppling throne, which Englishmen could never allow to rest on 
 such a foundation. As far as royal patronage was concerned, the 
 bards were left entirely to their own devices. 
 
 The stirring times of the Civil Wars seem to have suggested 
 very little to their fancy and imagination, and men had neither 
 the time nor the inclination to study the artificial rules of versifi- 
 cation, which had produced the twenty -four metres, and to apply 
 them in bardic exercises undertaken more for the. sake of the 
 ingenuity required in carrying out the rules of the profession, than 
 for giving expression in poetic garb to themes which pressed for 
 utterance , and would not be denied it, because they were urgent 
 and all-absorbing. The most eminent bard of the century broke 
 away from the conventions which had governed the fraternity for 
 many decades, and the bulk of his poetry is written in the free 
 metres. For the most part, the only compositions attempted, or 
 sought after, were an occasional elegiac cywydd, a dyri adapted to 
 the popular taste, or Christmas carols for use at the Pfygain, the 
 early service of song held in the churches' on Christmas Day. 
 
 219 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 This service was an institution which had taken firm hold, 
 especially in rural Wales, and it still survives in some remote parts 
 of the country. 
 
 It took Wales more than a century to complete the discom- 
 fiture of those poetasters against whom measures had been 
 directed at the Eisteddfod of Caenvys. The truth is that the 
 itinerant bards, or ckrwyr, as they were termed, had been 
 accustomed to build up the rhyme on a more material foundation 
 than the Muse is supposed to require. The majority of them 
 were ignorant mendicants, and a very shrewd blow was struck at 
 them by the requirements laid down at that Eisteddfod in 1568. 
 So that before the Civil War broke out, their ranks had been 
 considerably depleted. That event destroyed their last hope, for 
 such gentry as continued to succour them were now absorbed in 
 internecine strife, and were unable to avail themselves of the 
 services of even the superior pencerdd or bardd teulu, not to 
 mention the low grade bard, who passed under the name clenv?\ 
 and was already an outcast in the eyes of respectable members of 
 the profession. 
 
 Such members of the Welsh aristocracy as survived the 
 Civil Wars, and as Wales was Royalist in sympathy there were 
 but few who escaped with life and property intact, had formed so 
 close an intercourse with England that their national customs, 
 however excellent, was worn away considerably. The patronage 
 given to the bards, which was already on the wane in pre- Civil 
 War days, now became a thing of the past, and many of the old 
 manners and customs were looked upon as barbarous. So there 
 was very little encouragement for the practice of poetry on the 
 old lines of laborious and intricate compositions. Penillioii, 
 Interludes, and Songs were, in the main, the productions of this 
 centuiy. Penillion, of "course, originated in earlier times. The 
 bards used them chiefly for mnemonic purposes, to fill men's 
 minds with a store of maxims. It was no uncommon thing to 
 find men who could sing to the accompaniment of the harp some 
 hundreds of these penillion, 
 220 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 The Interludes came later. It is not exactly certain when 
 they were introduced, and they were deemed an inferior form of 
 verse, but they date, at least, from the beginning of this period. 
 
 Song-writing came later in North Wales than it did in South 
 Wales. It certainly was not popular in the North until the time 
 of Charles I., and it is the bard whose work will now be con- 
 sidered, who brought it into general favour in Gwynedd. 
 
 Hliw Morns, although not a sun in the poetic firmament, 
 was, at least, a brilliant star in comparison with any other Welsh 
 versifier of that age, Edward Morus alone excepted, for they both 
 helped to light up the darkness .and dispel something of the 
 gloom which had settled upon Cambrian poetry. 
 
 Huw Morus was the third son of a respectable freeholder 
 living on his own patrimony at Pont-y-meibion, in the valley of 
 Ceiriog, in the parish of Llansilin, Denbighshire, and was born at 
 that farm- house in 1622. Nothing is known of his early educa- 
 tion, but from his first youth he showed a facility for verse, which 
 belongs only to innate genius. When quite young he was 
 apprenticed to a tanner, who lived in a house called Givaliau^ 
 near Overtoil in Flintshire. His biographer in the Cambrian 
 Register' 1 asserts that he quitted this work before the end of his 
 term of apprenticeship. This does not agree with the evidence in 
 one of his Juvenile Songs, in which he states that he stayed the 
 usual seven years, although he regarded with unconcealed disgust 
 the restrictions placed upon his liberty. It would appear that his 
 master was a martinet, who forbade him under heavy penalties 
 any intercourse with the fair sex : 
 
 Bum felly saith mlynedd .... 
 
 Heb feiddiaw cael cusan llancesi, 
 Mi awn ffwrdcl ar hynt, fel y gwynt, 
 Rhag fforffetio deugain punt. 
 
 At the end of these seven years, however, he returned to 
 
 Pont-y-meibion, and worked with his brother on the farm. He 
 
 now began to write poems, most of them amatory songs adapted 
 
 to lyrical metres. Mawl Merck was his first theme, although in 
 
 Vol. i. p. 427, Article by David SamwelK 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 those early days he composed some sacred dramas and some 
 comedies, very few of which have been preserved. He was a 
 frequent and welcome guest at many country seats in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Glyn Ceiriog, especially at Porkington, whose owner, 
 Mr. Owen, became his principal patron and friend. Huw Morus 
 had not much book learning, but he had a fertile imagination and 
 a heart full of virtuous sentiments, which, no doubt, made him 
 an admirable companion. 
 
 A man from whose pen everything flowed with such felicity 
 and ease, in whose writings we find nothing forced, and no sign of 
 laborious effort, could hardly fail to be sought after by his neigh- 
 bours, and to win the esteem of Welshmen, who are always ready 
 to worship at the shrine of the muses. His poems show that he 
 eminently excelled in that quality of humour which is at once 
 harmless and delightful. The variety of his themes discloses a 
 mind which could adapt itself to many conditions. He had a 
 deep sense of justice, and his sympathies were readily given to 
 those who suffered injustice, and in some of his poems he made 
 bold to wage war against private acts of injustice which came to 
 his notice. For instance, it had come to his knowledge that an 
 estate in Bromfield had been diverted from its rightful heir by a 
 forged will, which the dead hand of the previous owner had been 
 guided to subscribe. Huw Morus, in four biting satires, severely 
 dealt with the principals in this revolting episode. The poems 
 are known as " Cerddi y Tiroedd Taerion." In one of them he 
 presents the striking image that the bells of Ruabon Church rang 
 out at midnight of their own volition, when this dread deed was 
 perpetrated. 
 
 Despite the playfulness of his Muse in the Juvenile poems, 
 he was a man of exemplary life, and was looked upon by his 
 contemporaries almost as one divinely inspired. He had studied 
 the Scriptures deeply, and disseminated their principles among his 
 countrymen, and his writings are known to have had an influence 
 upon the habits and morals of the common people. He used his 
 keen wit and barbed sarcasm unmercifully against cant and 
 
 222 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 hypocrisy, and in this has well deserved the title sometimes given 
 him, the Hudibras of Wales. 
 
 He often employed his friendly offices as arbitrator in local 
 feuds, and he was always ready to plead the cause of his poorer 
 fellow -bards, and of widows and orphans, with those who were 
 opulent in this world's goods. 
 
 In politics he was a devoted Royalist, and during the Civil 
 Wars remained a staunch friend of Charles I. He used his pen 
 unstintingly in the King's cause, and his poems leave one in no 
 doubt as to his views on matters of Church and State. It has 
 been said that North Wales was more loyal to the King than any 
 other part owing to the vast influence of his writings. 1 Even 
 after Cromwell had triumphed, he continued to express his loyal 
 sentiments in the form of allegorical visions. The allusions were 
 veiled, but were well understood by those who knew the bard. 
 He employed his Muse, however, with great prudence and dis- 
 cretion during those dangerous times, and escaped the vengeance 
 wreaked upon Rowland Vaughan, of Caergai, whose mansion the 
 Roundheads burned to the ground, and upon William Phylip, of 
 Ardudwy, the septuagenarian bard, who was compelled to take 
 refuge in the Merionethshire mountains. Huw Morus was not 
 less loyal than these two, but more prudent. He waited until the 
 danger was over, before he explained his allegories. 
 
 He was a great carol writer and received applications from 
 all parts of North Wales, even as late as his eighty -sixth year, for 
 carols to be sung at the early Plygain Service on the day of our 
 Lord's Nativity. The present writer, when ministering in a remote 
 part of Wales, heard several of his carols sung, which had been 
 transmitted by oral tradition, although the singers were quite 
 unaware of their origin. Huw Moms' antipathy to Popish errors 
 comes out strongly in some of them, e.g., 
 
 Mab Duw o'r uchelne' 
 
 Nid Paban y delwau, 
 
 Sy 'n cadw agoriadau gwarediad. 
 
 In all his carols he shows the work of a devotional mind and 
 1 Gwaith Givalller Michain, iii., p. 27. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 one well versed in the Scriptures. He lamented the disregard of 
 Christmas, which had crept in under the Commonwealth, in one 
 of the best known of his carols, " Carol Gwyliau a wnaed yn 
 amser rhwysg Oliver " : 
 
 Yn angbof gollyngwyd yr amser y ganwyd 
 Oen hyfryd, wiw Brophwyd y brif-ffordd. 
 Fe a'r Meistr bonheddig, nior fwyn yn ei fenyg, 
 I weithio'r Nadolig, drwy chwitbig drwch wedd ; 
 Ar ol hynny flwyddyn ni wna efe un gronyn, 
 Ond eiste'n wr gerwin, a gorwedd. 
 
 He never tired of writing these compositions. Of one written 
 in his eightieth year, he remarks : 
 
 Os gofyn dyn duwiol 
 
 Pwy luniodd y carol 
 
 O fawl i Dduw nefol, 
 
 Orseddol ei swydd ; 
 
 Hen ddyn a phen maban, 
 
 A'i awen yn fechan, 
 
 A'i gorph yn oer egwan ar ogwydd. 
 
 One of his best ironical elegies is that entitled Marwnad 
 Givyr Oliver, and one of his most pathetic the Elegy on the 
 death of Mrs. Myddleton of Plas Newydd, which takes the form 
 of a dialogue between the dead lady and her husband, who 
 survived her. A composition marked by lofty sentiment and 
 almost unequalled felicity of expression is his Cyffes ar ei glafweZy. 
 He always handled religious subjects with reverence and dignity, 
 and as one writer aptly stated, " He never touched the ark with 
 unhallowed hands." 1 In this he did for Wales what Milton did 
 for England. When he wished to caricature the times, he selected 
 his dramatis persona, like /Esop, from the animal world. Thus, 
 in one of his visions, the characters were : Llew (Lion), Charles 
 I. ; Llewod ieuainc (young Lions), The Young Princes ; Llwyn- 
 ogod Lloegr goch (The Foxes of red England), The Parliament ; 
 Y Llwynog (The Fox), Cromwell ; Moch Prydyn (The Hogs of 
 Scotland), The Scottish Army ; Defaid (Sheep), The peaceable 
 Subjects ; Bugeiliaid (Shepherds), The exiled Clergy ; Cwn 
 tramor, Foreign Harriers. 
 
 His poem Ymrafael y Creaduriaid (The Battle of the Brutes) 
 1 Introduction to Eos Ceiriog, p. xvi. 
 224 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 has the following characters : The Barcud (Kite) and Cigfran 
 (Raven), represent the rival parties for the Government of the 
 Commonwealth ; Oen (Lamb), represents the revenues of Church 
 and State ; Mwyalchen (Blackbird), the moderate party ; and Y 
 Llwynog (the Fox), Oliver Cromwell. This poem delineates what 
 the bard 'conceived to be Cromwell's duplicity and cunning in 
 arriving at the Protectorate : 
 
 Pan geisiai'r Barcud damaid 
 
 A'i 'winedd nid oedd weiniaid, 
 
 Fe ymaflai'r Gigfran yn ei geg, 
 
 Nid da nid teg mo'u tynged. 
 
 Tra'r oedd yr ymdrech rhyngthyn' 
 
 Mi a welwn Lwynog melyn, 
 
 O glun i glun heb ronyn l^raw, 
 
 Yn rhodio draw'n y ihedyn. 
 
 Ynghysgod perth fe lechai, 
 
 A'i lygaid fcl camvyllau, 
 
 Yn hyf gwn fod y cenaw cam 
 
 Yn chwerthin am eu pennau. 
 
 Ar ben ychydig amser, 
 
 Gwedi iddo gael ei bleser, 
 
 Ni adawai'r ddau aderyn dig, 
 
 Fe restiai gig y brasder. 
 
 Ond pwy yn drist ae drostyn' 
 
 Pe byddent meirw o newyn ? 
 
 A'i fol yn llawn, mewn lloches glyd 
 
 Mae'n llawen fyd ar Fadyn. 
 
 After the Restoration he no longer hesitated to deal with the 
 characters of the Great Rebellion under their own names. 
 Cromwell, General Lambert, Vavasor Powell, and the rest, are 
 each dealt with in no uncertain terms. 
 
 Much of his verse was designed to be sung to the accompani 
 ment of the harp, and he generally inserts the name of the tune 
 above the song. Amongst the tunes thus employed may be 
 instanced : Difyrrwch Givyr Dyfi, Y Ddeilen Werdd, Y Galon 
 Drom, Brynie'r Werddon, Llafar Haf, Gwledd Angharad, and 
 Per Oslef. 
 
 Although he remained a celibate to the end of his life, his 
 love-poems are numerous, and are addressed to many different 
 maidens, whom, on occasion, he does not fear to censure as well 
 
 225 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 as to sing their praises. The lyric metres he employed were 
 afterwards very popular, and he had many imitators, but very 
 few who used them to the same advantage. Gwallter Mechain 
 writes of him : "As a lyric poet, so astonishingly hath he been 
 thought to excel, that a late author 1 compares him to a surprising 
 comet appearing after the revolution of three hundred years, the 
 
 last having been Dafydd ab Gwilym Both abounded in 
 
 pure nature, and were not seemingly under any obligation to art." 2 
 The following are, perhaps, typical stanzas, from his love- 
 songs : 
 
 Nid ydyw da'r byd 
 
 A'i hyder o hyd, 
 
 I wyr ac i wragedd, ond gwagedd i gyd ; 
 
 Mawr serch a hir sai', 
 
 Da drysor di drai, 
 
 Yn hwy o flynyddoedd na thiroedd na thai. 
 
 Cei draserch heh droi, 
 
 A chalon i'w chloi, 
 
 Os wyt ti f anwylyd, yn dywedyd y doi ; 
 
 Os tyni di yn groes, 
 
 Mae'n berygl am f oes, 
 
 O gariad, dwys d'rawiad, ymadawiad nid oes. 
 
 Fy ngwenithen lawen liwus, 
 
 O ran dy ddaed 'r wy'n dy ddewis, 
 
 Nid am ddiwrncd hynod heiny' 
 
 Y dymunwn gael dy gwmni, 
 
 Nid am fis, neu ddau, neu flwyddyn, 
 
 Trwy gymmendod, ar wan dafod, yr wy'n d' ofyn ; 
 
 Tra fo Feinioes heb derfynu, 
 
 Mynwn beunydd, difai ddeunydd, dy feddiannu. 
 
 His elegy on the death of Mrs. Myddleton, of Plas Newydd, 
 shows that he could excel as a writer of manvnadau. David 
 Samwell has compared this with Lord Lyttleton's " Monody on 
 the death of his Lady " and " To the Memory of a young Lady," 
 by Mr. Shaw, and his comment is, " Whoever will compare them 
 with this elegy, must allow, that they are equalled, if not excelled, 
 by the Cambrian bard." 3 The closing lines show the tenderness 
 and singular beauty of this elegy, which is written in the form of a 
 
 1 Mr. Lewis Morris in a letter to William Parry. See Gwallter Mechain's 
 Preface, p. xviii. * Gwaith Gwaltter Mechain^ iii. p. 303. 3 Cambriqn 
 Register, i., 1795, p. 434. 
 
 226 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 dialogue between the living and the dead, a form in which Huw 
 Morus has imitated William Llyn and other bards ; 
 
 Ffarwel garedig, wraig fonheddig, 
 
 Bendigedig oedd dy gael ; 
 
 Er colli tegwch, a hawddgarwch, 
 
 Doniau harddwch, mae Duw'n hael. 
 
 Ion, gvvna'n foddlon, fy meddylion, 
 
 I'th amcanion doethion di ; 
 
 Nid y\v ryfedd, faint f'anhunedd, 
 
 Dod amynedd, Dad, i mi ; 
 
 A dod drugaredd, rhanwr rhinwedd, 
 
 Yn y diwedd, i ni ein dau ; 
 
 A maddeu i'm calon, am fy Ngwen-fron, 
 
 Oedd wych a ffyddlon, ei choftau. 
 
 He throws much light on the social changes wrought during 
 the Civil War and under the Commonwealth. For instance, he 
 expresses his repugnance to a law which came into force restrict- 
 ing the performance of the marriage rite to the secular magistrate : 
 
 Rhyw gyfraith newydd gwmbrus 
 
 Anhwylus ydyw hon ! 
 
 Y merched rhowch eich gweddi, 
 Yn ffyddlon gyda myfi, 
 Am gael y gyfraith ddifri 
 Ffei o honi leni i lawr. 
 
 He pours scorn on the illiterate ministry so often set up by 
 the Roundheads : 
 
 Rhyw ddyn o'u mysg, heb ddysg, heb ddawn, 
 A wnae ryw bregeth felus iawn. 
 
 Ni fedrai ein Personiaid ni, 
 Fyth goethi y fath bregethau. 
 
 He is also very satirical about the tinkers who became mayors, 
 and the blacksmiths, weavers, and others, who conducted public 
 worship on Sunday and sat on the magisterial bench on other 
 days: 
 
 Rhai a ddywed yn dduwiol mai'r Gofsydd ysbrydol, 
 Ac eraill modd gwrol a ganmol y Gwydd ; 
 A rhai sy'n deisyfu y Crydd'fw ceryddu, 
 A'r lleill yn moliannu'r Melinydd. 
 
 The topsy-turvydom of social life he satirised in Marwnad 
 Gwyr Oliver in trenchant lines, of which the following are a fair 
 example ; 
 
 227 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Potiwr pridd oedd Gadpen glan, 
 Mewn sidan yn drwsiadus, 
 A'r Cariwr n6d ar gefn ei farch, 
 Fel iarll dihafarch hoenus ; 
 Yn wr gwych yn ei Keidin goch, 
 Mewn llawer gwledd ennillai'r gloch, 
 Yn byw ar win a mehin moch, 
 Chwi a'i gwyddoch enwog oeddyn'; 
 Doe yn fawr eu grym a'u nerth, 
 Yn dringo i dop y simddai serth, 
 A heddyw'n llechu tan y berth, 
 Ow ! mor ddi-ymadferth ydyn'. 
 
 A'r cleddyf llym, mewn grym a gras, 
 Curo'i feistr a allai'r gwas, 
 A chymryd meddiant yn ei bias, 
 Yn ddigon bras ei breseb. 
 
 Mi a ddylwn yn fy Marwnad mwyn, 
 Yn uchel ddwyn eu hachau ; 
 Yr oedd eu graddau'nfawr trwy gred, 
 O'r hen Fegeriaid goreu ! 
 
 He describes the joy of the populace at the Restoration in 
 his poem Croesaw i'r Arglwydd Mwnc i Lundain : 
 
 Mae yn Llundain seinio clychau, 
 
 Y drymau a'r gynau ar gan, 
 
 Mae miwsig pawb a'u moesau 
 
 O groesaw i'r gleiniau glan ; 
 
 Cusanu dwylaw a dilyn ein brenin braf o bryd, 
 
 Y rhod a drodd 
 
 Drwy rasol fodd i ryngu bodd y byd ! 
 
 His disgust at the execution of Charles I. is described in the 
 strongest terms in Cerdd y Plot fuyn Llundain. 
 
 Nid rhydd i'r traed farnu y pen, a'i ddirmygu, 
 Tan daeru iddo gamu, heb lynu yn ei le ; 
 Yr an niodd i'r gwerin, roi barn ar y brenin, 
 A'r Arglwydd yn wreiddyn i'w raddau. 
 
 In the same poem he makes a firm stand for establishedauthority : 
 
 Cywirdia ac ufudd-dod i Dduw a'r awdurdod, 
 Yw ffynnon a phennod y ftynniant. 
 
 But this poem has an unjust reflection on Algernon Sydney, 
 whom the bard accuses of a design to kill Charles II. and his 
 brother James. His biographer, D. Samwell, pleads as his excuse 
 that he was deceived in his information respecting Sydney, 
 228 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 In others of his political odes he describes and commemor- 
 ates the great naval victory obtained by the English and Dutch 
 under Admiral Russell against the French, off La Hogue, in 1692. 
 In another poem he describes the war in Flanders. 
 
 So far, the poems that have been noticed were written in the 
 free metres, but he also wrote a number of cywyddau and cngfynion 
 which showed his mastery of the cyngkanedd. The following 
 lines taken from his Elegy to Sir Thomas Mostyn and Lady 
 Mostyn, who were buried in the same grave at Eglwys y Rhos, 
 in Creuddyn, serve as a good instance of his skill in this 
 direction : 
 
 Oer i eryr hir aros, 
 
 O'i lys rhydd yn Eglwys Rhos 
 
 Angeu a'i rhoes, ing yr hawg, 
 A'i arf erchyll ar farchawg ; 
 A'i Arglwyddes wawr Gloddaith, 
 I ran Duw aent i'r un daith ; 
 Ni ddymunodd i'w maenol. 
 Acres wycb, aros o'i ol ; 
 Gado i fonedd gydfyned, 
 A wnaeth Crist am wenith cred, 
 Un foddion yn fyvv oeddynt, 
 Un gred goel, un gariad gynt ; 
 Un galon union, un air, 
 Un ddaioni 'n ddi - anair. 
 
 He also wrote a very large number of englyuiun, of which 
 the following Ynglyn o Gyagor is a fair sample : 
 
 Na fydd anfwyn v. nhfivyn o'th fodd na wivyn 
 
 Wrth anfwyn o'th an fodd ; 
 Anfwyn nid ci;i mewn unh ;'ul, 
 Na i\\y fzvyn, end mewn rhyw fodd. 
 
 In his last illness, in reply to a friend who made inquiries as 
 to his condition, he wrote : 
 
 Myn'd i'r ail adail ar redeg yr wyf, 
 
 Lie ceir oes ychvvaneg, 
 I baradwys bur wiwdeg, 
 Yn enw Duw yn union deg. 
 
 Huw Morus died at Pont-y-meibion, on the 313! of August, 
 
 229 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 1709, at the advanced age of eighty-seven, and was buried at 
 Llansilin. The following epitaph is engraved on his tombstone : 
 
 Dyma Huw a fu byw yn y byd, yn bencerdd 
 
 Am bynciau celfyddyd ; 
 Gwir organ y gan i gyd ; 
 Diamntau yw, dyma Ovyd. 
 Er Grnegiaid, blaeniaid, aer blys, iawn naddiad 
 
 Awenyddiaeth fedrys 
 Lladingwyr ledwyr dilys, 
 Hwya mawredd Huw Morys. 
 
 Y parch. Mr. Robert Wynne, Vicar Gwyddelwern. 
 
 He has been ranked with Dafydd ab Gwilym as to the 
 quality of his muse, and in his power of imagination and 
 versatility. Mr. R. J. Prys, writing of these two great bards, 
 states with much truth : " Ychydig iawn o feirdd Cymru sy'n 
 deilwng i gael eu rhestri yn yr un dosbarth aruchel a hwynt hwy, 
 o ran crebwyll, darfelydd, ac amledd eu cyfansoddiadau awen- 
 yddol. Y gwir yw, mai rhai wedi eu gent yn feirdd a llenorion 
 oedd y ddau, ac nid rhai wedieu saernio gan ddysg a chelfyddyd." 
 Poetry seemed to flow easily and naturally from Huw Morus ; it 
 was not the result of effort, but of inspiration. He was certainly 
 in the first rank of Welsh poets, and was pre-eminently the bard 
 of the seventeenth century. Mr. Lewis Morris held the opinion 
 that his cywyddau and englynion suffered by comparison with his 
 poems in the free metres, 1 but we cannot agree with him in his 
 verdict as to the former " yr oedd allan o'i elfen anianol," for 
 his cywyddau, in particular, will compare with most things that 
 were written by bards of merit. 
 
 Gwallter Mechain collected his poems from various sources. 
 He states in his preface to Eos Ceiriog: " Rhai Carolau a Cherddi 
 a gyhoeddwyd ym mhlith Caniadau eraill gan un Ffoulk Owen yn 
 jRhydychen, yn y fl. 1686. Ac eraill gan un Tomas Jones yn y 
 'Mwythig, yn y fl. 1 696. A Dewi Fardd (fel y galwai ei hun) o 
 Drefriw, a chwanegodd at y rhifedi yn ei lyfr a elwir " Blodeu- 
 Gerdd Cymru." The others he collected, as he says, from 
 manuscripts as old as the author, perhaps of his own writing, and 
 others from later MSS. His own two volumes of the great bard's 
 
 1 Eos Ceiriog, Introduction, p. xix, 
 230 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 work he published under the title : " Eos Ceiriog, sef Casgliad o 
 Ber Ganiadau Huw Morus ; yn ddau Lyfr : O gynhulliad a 
 Diwygiad W. D. [Walter Davies]. 
 
 Mawl a geiff am oleu gerdd 
 A gwiw sein-gan gyson-gerdd. 
 
 Goromvy Orvain. 
 
 Yn Ngwrecsam argraffwyd ac a gyhoeddwyd gan I. Painter. 1823." 
 He has arranged the poems in nine sections, as follows: 
 Cywyddion, Mabinogion, Hanesion, Priodolion, Difrifolion, Maes- 
 olion, Galar-Gwynion, Divyfolion, and Ynglynion. 
 
 Many tributes were paid to Huw Morus by contemporary 
 bards and those of a later age in the form of cywyddau manvnad 
 and englynion. That of the Rev. Robert Wynn is, perhaps, the 
 most striking. It begins as follows : 
 
 Mae niwl draw, mne gwlaw'n y Glyn, 
 A barug oddeutu Berwyn ; 
 Tywyllwch, aethwch weithian 
 Gorchudd yn awr mawr a man ; 
 A rhif o ddagrau yr hawg, 
 Yn cyrhaedd glanau Ceiriawg ; 
 Mae hyd y wlad, yn fad fu, 
 Ochenaid mwy na chanu ; 
 Ar ol Huw, araul ei wedd, 
 Oedd gynnil brif fardd Gwynedd.* 
 
 Dafydd ab loan, Llangollen, wrote in 1820, " Myfyrdod 
 uwch ben Bedd Huw Morus," which contains some striking stanzas. 
 Llyma giyd dybryd dibris oer wely 
 Er alaeth dros ganmis ; 
 
 Graian yw pa fangre'n is, 
 
 I roi'r mawr - wr Huw Morris '! 
 
 'R wyf bron wylaw hagr ddagrau o weled 
 
 Mor wael ei Gaer yntau ; 
 Cofiaw hefyd ryw bryd brau 
 Mae bedd tydd f annedd innau. 2 
 
 Another bard, Robert Davies, of Nantglyn, wrote of the 
 bard's grave, which is on the south side of Llansilin Churchyard, 
 close to the wall of the sacred edifice : 
 
 C6r Silin, lie cerais sylwi genyf 
 
 Mae'n gynhes dy feini, 
 Am fod hyd ddydd cyfodi, 
 Huw Morys wrth d'ystlys di. s 
 Ceiriog t Preface, p. xx. 2 ibid, p. xxii, 3 ibid, p, XJtiii, 
 
 231 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Mr. David Sam well, to whom reference has been made as 
 his biographer, wrote the following lines to Huw Moras' memory, 
 which very aptly summarise the aim and purpose of his poems : 
 
 To cherish virtue, to exalt the scul, 
 To sway the passions with a mild controul, 
 Mankind from vice by pow'rful verse to draw, 
 And teach of justice the eternal law. 
 Of nature's works, to point the secret plan, 
 And shew the social ties that govern man : 
 How happiness, on virtue's ways attends, 
 And vicious passion, in destruction ends. 
 How soon terrestrial bodies pass away, 
 Whilst the soul triumphs in immortal day : 
 Were themes he chose and with a skill divine 
 Gave truth new lustre in his nervous line. 1 
 
 Edmund Prys (1541-1623-4), although he spent the 
 greater part of his long life in the sixteenth century, composed 
 much of his best work in the seventeenth. His metrical version 
 of the psalms, which has been already noticed, appeared in 1621, 
 and his other poetic work must now claim our attention. It is 
 difficult to determine who was his bardic mentor. Some have 
 asserted that William Llyn had that honour, but this is mere 
 conjecture. Others affirm that Sion Tudur taught him the 
 mysteries of the cynghanedd, and rest their assertion on a Cywydd 
 written by Edmund Prys to that bard, in which he states : 
 Athraw ydwyt, a thradoeth 
 A cholofn y gerdd ddofn ddoeth 
 
 Disgybl wyf o dasg gwbl (waith) 
 Yspashir, yspus araith. 2 
 
 It is quite certain that the purpose of this cywydd was to ask 
 Sion Tudur for two books of grammar, " dau lyfr i dwned," and 
 this would be a likely request from pupil to master. Sion Tudur 
 was a Canon of St. Asaph, and on his death, in 1602, Edmund 
 Prys was appointed. None of these things are conclusive proof, 
 but they do show there were certain links between the two men. 
 Perhaps a man of the Archdeacon's attainments hardly required a 
 bardic mentor. He lived in the atmosphere of bards at Maen- 
 twrog. On one side of him were the Llwyds of Cynfal, Hugh and 
 
 1 Cumbrian Register % i., 1795, p. 439. ^ En-woion y Ffydd t i., p. 67, 
 332 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 David, both devoted to the muse, and excelling in the exercise of 
 poetry, and on the other side the Ph) lips of Ardudwy, Sion and 
 William, both of them excellent bards, and living less than half a 
 day's journey from Edmund Prys. 
 
 William Cynwal, in his controversy with the latter, insinuated 
 that he was not a graduated bard, but there were scores of good 
 bards who were not so. Amongst those who took bardic degrees 
 at Caerwys in 1568 the names of no clergy appear. It was only 
 the professional bards who required a licence. The clergy, for the 
 most part, had graduated at the Universities, and it was unlikely 
 they would submit to tests such as those imposed at Caerwys. 
 
 Hugh Llwyd, of Cynfal, and the Archdeacon were close 
 friends. The former had spent many years in the army in 
 different countries on the Continent, but came home to his 
 patrimony to end his days. On his death in 1620, Edmund Prys 
 composed the following well-known englyn : 
 
 " I loll gampau doniau a dynwyd o'n tir, 
 
 Maentwrpg yspeiliwyd ; 
 Ni chleddir, ac ni chladdwyd, 
 Fyth i'w llawr o fiith Hugh Llwyd." ' 
 
 Sion Phylip, o Fochras, died in the same year as Hugh 
 Llwyd. He had a bardic contention with Edmund Prys, as will 
 be presently noticed. 
 
 One of the first poetic exercises of the Archdeacon's was an 
 ode entitled " Awdl ein Prynedigaeth," otherwise known as 
 " Awdl i Fair." It savours rather of Mariolatry, and his two 
 antagonists, Sion Phylip and William Cynwal, fastened on it as an 
 example of Prys' unorthodoxy. It was a feeble production, 
 evidently a first effort to write in cynghanedd. He had made 
 considerable strides when he wrote next, " Awdl i ddyn o'i 
 ddechreu i'w ddiwedd," 2 which describes different periods in the 
 life of man, and begins as follows ; 
 
 " Y maban yn wan unwaith y genir 
 
 Ac yna i dwf perffaith ; 
 Ban el yn faban eilwaith 
 Euan daw i ben ei dailh." 
 
 Glan Menai's Edmund Fiys, p. 53. " Gwyliedydd (fcii., p. 24), 
 
 233 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Two of his best compositions are " Cywydd i'r Byd " and 
 " Cywydd y Nef." 1 In the latter he describes the glory and 
 worship of heaven : 
 
 Lie bydd llawenydd i'r llu, 
 
 Llyfr gwyn a llafar ganu, 
 
 Lie caiff Ion byth glodforedd, 
 
 Lie cyflawn hylawn o hedd ; 
 
 Lie mae'r Oen a fu 'n poeni, 
 
 Yr lesu 'm ner drosom ni ; 
 
 Lie cair heb ballu cariad, 
 
 Gwledd yr Oen, fy Arglwydd o'i rad ; 
 
 Llyna'r man y llenwir mawl 
 
 I'r Gwir Dduw yn dragwyddawl. 
 
 In his " Cywydd Helynt i'r Byd," Edmund Prys shows that 
 he has mastered all the intricacies of the bardic craft. In the 
 Tanybwlch MS. this is called " Cywydd yn erbyn Anllywodraeth 
 y Cedyrn." Its opening lines are : 
 
 Gwelais eira glwys oerwyn, 
 
 Ir, heb un brisg, ar ben bryn. 
 
 Gwelais haul teg gloyw sail twyn, 
 
 Yn ei doddi, nod addfwyn. 
 
 Yr un modd wedi toddai, 
 
 O'r fron i'r afon yr ai ; 
 
 A ; r afon yn union nod 
 
 I 'miyson a'r m6r isod. 
 
 He goes on to draw an analogy between Nature and the life of man: 
 Y bryn yw gwedd bonedd byd ; 
 Bryn bonedd bwriai 'n benyd. 
 Swyddogion yw'r afonydd 
 Rhy esgud yn symud sydd ; 
 Ar i wared y rhedant, 
 Llwybr pawb yw y lie bo'r pant. 
 
 In this poem he employs most useful and happy analogies, 
 many of them very original and striking, and with them he inter- 
 leaves some of the old Welsh proverbs, for instance : 
 
 Rhaid i'r gwan ddal y.gannwyll 
 
 I'r dewr i wneuthur ei dwyll. 
 
 Gwyllt yw byd, gwell ydyw bodd 
 Yr ynfyd na'i wir anfodd. 
 
 Nid annodd y diffoddan 
 A dwr wreichionen o dan. 
 
 Gwyliedydd, x., p. 281. 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 Cywydd i V Eryr, composed in 1600, is another composition 
 found in the Tanybwlch MS., and is, perhaps, his first poem in 
 the period under notice. Cywydd y Credo is a poetical summary 
 of the Apostles' Creed. " Cywydd Mwythus i Ferch i erchi iddi 
 naill ai dyfod ai peidio " is one of his few amatory compositions, 
 and contains some very fine lines. Its reference seems to be to a 
 lover's quarrel, and the bard seeks reconciliation, but at the same 
 time stands a little on his dignity : 
 
 Nis down i, er estyn n6d, 
 Ddau gam oni ddoe gymod. 
 
 Lliw'r od, os myn gymodi 
 Wiw oleuferch, wele fi. 
 
 Os parod i gymodi, 
 
 Pryd a fynn, parod wyf fi. 
 
 Diofal nid \vy' afiach, 
 
 Deled, neu beidied, fun bach ! 
 
 Perhaps no Welsh bard has sung more beautifully of the 
 sanctity of the marriage tie than Edmund Prys in the following 
 lines taken from Cywydd Priodas a'i Braint : 
 
 Un gyfoeth, medd iawn gofiwr, 
 
 Ag un gorph yw Gwen a'i gwr ; 
 
 A chyfran o bob anedd, 
 
 O waith a maeth, hi ai medd. 
 
 Cyd gariad, cenad, cywir ; 
 
 Cyd ymgeledd mewn hedd hir ; , 
 
 Cyd waith, cyd afiaethufudd, 
 
 Clyfaredd rhag caredd cudd, 
 
 Cyd hilio plant, cyd haeledd, 
 
 A chyd o febyd i fedd. 
 
 Most of his poems take the cyivydd form, but he also essayed 
 the englyn, which had not come into such frequent use in his 
 time. Here is an example, in which he declaimed against the 
 use of tobacco, although it is stated that he afterwards fell a 
 victim to the weed : 
 
 Tra b'ych byw, a gwych heb gur na gwaew 
 
 Na gwewyr na Uafur, 
 Nac arfer i sychder sur 
 Mwg dail rhag magu dolur. 1 
 
 Like other learned bards of his age he wrote Latin lines with 
 1 G-wylicdydd, xii., 316. 
 
 235 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 considerable facility. The following englyn to " The Miser " is a 
 good example of his attainments in this direction : 
 
 Parcus avarts vorat ut amnis, 
 
 Et omnia desiderat, 
 Cupit ut omnia cppiat, 
 Nil vero pro Deo dat. 
 
 Apart from his metrical version of the'psalms, he wrote a few 
 other poems in the free metres, and the following stanza from his 
 Cydsain Cerddorion yn Glyn Haelicon, written in 1600, will serve 
 as an instance of his superior skill in this form of poetry : 
 
 Lief a roeion llafur weision, 
 
 Ddoe a glywsom, dan wydd gleision, 
 
 Glwysaidd ac Eglwysaidd ; 
 
 Teiroes i'r pencerddi tirion, 
 
 Llinos o'r llwyn Eos irion, 
 
 Dwysaidd, Baradwysaidd : 
 
 Bronfraith bur araeth her walch 
 
 A'r Fwyalch fwya'i hawydd : 
 
 Ysgido gyll drythyll dro, 
 
 Yn chwyddo llais yr Ehedydd. 
 
 Yn canu, yn tanu, 
 
 Cymaint o Awenydd, 
 
 Cyn hoywed, cyn groywed, 
 
 Ac un gy-vir newydd. 1 
 
 Apart from his Salman Mydryddol, none of his work seems 
 to have been published until 1686, under which year Moses 
 Williams records in his Cofrestr " Caniadau Edmwnd Prys," but 
 it is evident that they are the same poems, which appeared in the 
 same year in a collection made by Foulke Owens of Nantglyn, of 
 carols and lyrics by various authors, including Rowland Vaughan, 
 John Wynne, William Phylip, Morris Richard, Thomas Lloyd o 
 Benmaen, Edward Morus, Huw Morus, and many others. A 
 second and more correct edition of this book was published by 
 Thomas Jones, Shrewsbury, in 1696. The title of this work is as 
 follows : " Cerddlyfr, yr hwn sydd yn cynnwys amry\v Garolau, a 
 dyrifau o waith amryw awdwyr, Ac a gasglwyd ynghyd gan Foulke 
 Owens, o Nantglyn, yn Sir Ddinbych." 
 
 A very favourite exercise amongst the bards from the begin- 
 ning of the fifteenth century onwards was the Cywydd Ymryson, 
 1 Glan Menai's Edmivnd Piys, pp. 67-8. See also Y Blodeugerdd t p. 
 340. 
 236 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 in which they tilted at each other, and not always in the best 
 spirit. A noted instance is the contest of Dafydd ab Gwilym 
 with Gruffydd Grug, and also with Rhys Meigan. Edmund Prys 
 indulged in two poetic frays of this nature, one with Sion Phylip, 
 and the other, which was longer and more bitter, with William 
 Cyrnval. The only thing that can be said in favour of this paper 
 warfare is that it occasionally produced a good cywydd. Edmund 
 Prys' contention with Sion Phylip started concerning a dagger 
 owned by the Archdeacon and highly valued by him, because of 
 its workmanship and that it had been made in Edinburgh. Sion 
 Phylip, knowing this, wrote a cywydd to one Rhys Wyn of Traws- 
 fynydd, perhaps a friend of Prys, to ask for it. It was the custom 
 of gentlemen at the time to bestow a gift which a bard asked for 
 in verse. The Archdeacon sent the dagger to Sion Phylip, at 
 the same time drawing his attention to many errors in the cywydd 
 in which he had asked for it. This was just what the Ardudwy 
 bard wanted, and gave the opportunity for starting the contest, 
 which he must have regretted before the finish, for he was no 
 match for Edmund Prys, who kept his temper and answered his 
 scurrilous abuse with provoking good nature. In the meantime 
 Edmund Prys discovered that there was someone aiding and 
 abetting Sion Phylip, and he turned his full armoury upon him 
 with the effect that he withdrew from the contest vanquished. 
 Sion Phylip found fault with Prys for taking up bardism, which 
 shows the jealousy of the professional bards towards those who, 
 like the Archdeacon, indulged in poetry as a hobby : 
 
 Bai mawr i neb ymyryd 
 Ar ddau beth o raddau byd. 
 
 Bid fyw ai wybod o fil 
 Arf ing wrth yr Efengil. 
 
 Edmund Prys replied with fine scorn : 
 
 Erchaist fyw orchest o fil 
 Er fy angen o'r Efengil, 
 Ni cheisiaf fi na chas faeth 
 Na cblera na chwilwriaeth 
 Nid mwy'r dreth ar bregethaU 
 Er gyru tal o'r gair tau. 
 
And to show that he had discovered that Sion Phylip was backed 
 by someone in the contest, he added : 
 
 Sen a roist mewn symvyr wan 
 Nid o honod dy hunan, 
 Eithr ydynt ryw athrodwyr 
 I'th annog, ynt waeth na gwyr. 
 
 His " Cywydd moliant gwatwarus i Sion Phylip," with its biting 
 sarcasm, ended the controversy. That ode finishes with these 
 lines : 
 
 Oni chenaist ni chwynaf, 
 
 Terfyn dan erfyn a wnaf ; 
 
 A deeded bardd Ardudwy, 
 
 A'i fin mel, a fyno mwy. 
 
 The victim's reply is contained in Cywydd i ofyn Cymod 
 Edmwnd Prys, a very obsequious ode, in which he compares the 
 latter to Plato and Augustine, praises his scholarly attainments, 
 refers to his noble origin, his physical strength, his knowledge of 
 the Hebrew and Greek languages, and especially of his own, and 
 his distinction as a bard. On the latter point he writes : 
 
 Mae awenydd mwy ynod 
 Nag a wyr fyth gwyr i fod. 
 
 Tydain gall tad awen gynt, 
 Tydain wyt o ddawn atynt. 
 
 He ends with a humble apology for having invited the contest, 
 expresses his contrition, and pleads forgiveness : 
 
 Nid addas gwylwas golew 
 
 I'r oen llaeth gyffroi'r hen Hew. 
 
 Edmund Prys had a minor contest with Thomas Prys, of Plas 
 lolyn, who wrote " Cywydd Duchan i Edmwnd Prys," but it was 
 only an auxiliary effort to strengthen William Cynwal, whom he 
 felt was being severely handled in the contest, which shall now 
 be related. 
 
 In its duration, and the number of compositions written by 
 each, this struggle stands out supreme in the history of bardic 
 contentions, and its bitterness was such that popular opinion 
 believed that William Cynwal had died of shame, although there 
 is no evidence offered in support of this. The latter bard was a 
 blacksmith, and one of the graduates of Caerwys. Prys, in one 
 848 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 of his cywyddau, informs us that he lived at Yspytty Ifan, although 
 his name is mostly associated with Penmachno. Fifty -four 
 cyit'yddau were composed in this contention, in addition to Cyivydd 
 Manvnad William Cy nival composed by Prys when he heard of 
 the latter's death. Goronwy Owen, after reading the controversy 
 between the two bards, gave it as his opinion that Cynwal was the 
 better bard, but that Prys had the advantage of him in learning. 
 He compared it to a contest of bare fists against shield and breast- 
 plate. 
 
 It originated in a promise on the part of William Cynwal of 
 a light steel bow to an old gentleman named Rhys Wyn, who was 
 fond of the diversion of shooting at a target, but who found that 
 ordinary bows overtaxed his strength, and the latter asked the 
 Archdeacon, who was present at the time, if he would write a 
 cywydd to ask for it. Edmund Prys was willing, and William 
 Cynwal said he agreed to this, on condition that he was to name 
 the subject. His long delay in sending this to the Archdeacon 
 was taken to mean that he wanted to relinquish his promise. At 
 last Edmund Prys, at Rhys Wyn's desire, wrote the cywydd 
 without waiting for the subject to be named. Cynwal replied 
 that he had sent the bow to Mr. Thomas Prys of Plas lolyn. 
 Two years passed, and the promise was still unfulfilled, and when 
 the Archdeacon met the bard, he reminded him of it, for he had 
 broken the almost inviolate rule that a gift should be bestowed 
 on him who asked for it in this way, and Edmund Prys showed 
 him that in like circumstances he, William Cynwal, would expect 
 to receive the gift. Cynwal felt the reproof, and sent a cywydd, 
 together with a letter, showing his acAau, intimating that the 
 Archdeacon had not given his, a usual procedure in asking a boon. 
 Edmund Prys replied with a cywydd and a letter, and twelve 
 compositions of this kind passed between them. Then the 
 Archdeacon began to write three effusions to one of William 
 Cynwal's, and the latter replied with three. Edmund Prys next 
 composed nine to his three. He replied with nine. Prys wrote 
 a merciless criticism of his work. In effect, it resolved itself into 
 
 239 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 a struggle between a graduated bard and an unprofessional bard, 
 for William Cymval had chosen to criticise Prys on this latter 
 ground, a procedure which naturally put him on his mettle. 
 
 The Archdeacon more and more criticised the style and 
 workmanship of his antagonist's poems, making full use of his 
 sarcasm, and showing that they contained the fifteen faults of 
 cerdd dafod, and much false teaching, dangerous to soul and body, 
 and ending up his letter with the trenchant words " O achos hyn 
 yr ydwyf yn deall, mai am na fedrwch nac adnabod bai, na rhoddi 
 drosoch, yr ydych heb ddyfod yn fy wyneb. Da y gwna mab heb 
 ddyfod i'r maes, am na fedr na tharo na derbyn. Ewch yn iach ! 
 Eich cydfrawd mewn cerdd dafod, Edmwnd Prys." When 
 William Cynwal had written nineteen cywyddau, the Archdeacon 
 received the news of his death, and composed a fine elegy on the 
 loss of one, whom he termed in great sincerity " y fath fardd 
 godidog." The controversy had produced thirty-five cyivyddau 
 from the Archdeacon's pen, and one marwnad. 
 
 These compositions show, amongst other things, that much 
 animosity existed between the graduated and ungraduated bards. 
 Cynwal had written : 
 
 " Pybyr oedd pawb a raddwyd." 
 To which Prys had replied : 
 
 " Gwr heb radd pan ddaw ger bron 
 Gwyr ddal rhai o'r graddolion. 
 
 Cynwal's cywyddau bore ungrudging testimony to Edmund 
 Prys' ability, both as a preacher and as a scholar. He wrote : 
 
 Uy bregeth hyd y brigyn, 
 
 O Dduw a ddaeth, yn dda i ddyn ; 
 
 Eiioed eghiro ydvvyd, 
 
 Gair Du\v., ei agcriad wyd ! 
 
 Lladinvvr hael div eniaith, 
 
 A Groegwr wyd, *rugor iaith : 
 
 O-i mawr oedd Siuiner addysg, 
 
 Dy gorph uiae'n llavvn dawn a dys<*. 
 
 It was part of Cynwai's defence that he had never attacked 
 Prys behind his back : 
 
 Ni ddy wedais yn y ddeudir, 
 Yn hyr.aws iawn, hyn sy wir ; 
 Yn dy gefu enaid y gwan, 
 Gwr gwiw-gorffun gair gogan. 
 240 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 One of the chief charges brought by Prys was that Cynwal 
 had denied his promise. He flourished before him the testimony 
 of his own letter : 
 
 " Llythyr a geidw fal gwarchead, 
 Llwyr gof fel na ellir gwad. 
 
 Ai ryfeddu wr hefyd, 
 Wadu'r gair ai dori i gyd." 
 
 William Cynwal most strenuously defended himself against 
 this charge : 
 
 " Ni thorais rhaith ddihareb, 
 Ar a wn i, air i neb ; 
 Ni wedais er a nodych, 
 Fy Haw a'i gwaith, fy Hew gwych. 
 
 Nid wyfmewn barn a dyfyn, . 
 Llai fawrhad mor llwfr a hyn." 
 
 And he advises the Archdeacon to confine himself to the duties 
 of his sacred office : 
 
 " Gwyddost gyfraith y gwiw - Dduw, 
 Gwreiddia ddysg gwna gerdd i Dduw." 
 
 Edmund Prys resents the advice, and insists on drawing 
 attention to Cynwal's imperfections as a bard, and exhorts him to 
 study the works of the better bards that were before him : 
 
 " Neddaist wawd, ni wyddaist ti, 
 Boeth Gynwal, beth a geni 
 
 Edrych y fwynwych fonwent, 
 Hanes enw cerdd yr hen Sion Cent." 
 
 He refuses to have his attention diverted from the main 
 point, viz., that Cynwal had been false to his promise. He insists 
 that the value of true poetry is that it rests on truth : 
 
 " A gano ffug yn y ffau, 
 Ar gil, ni ddaw i'r golau ; 
 A gano wir ac ni wad, 
 A gai lewyrch goleuad. 
 
 A gano wir heb ddig neb, 
 
 Gwys iawn dengys ei wyneb, 
 
 A fo drwg ar ei fydr wan, 
 
 Eiddil oil a ddel allan ; 
 
 Ni wyddost er a neddir, 
 
 O boeth gwawd beth yw gwir," 
 
 241 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 CynwaPs reply is to taunt his adversary that he is no bard, 
 that he was untaught and had no bardic status : 
 
 " Os prydydd wyd llwyd rhag Haw, 
 Hap wawd uthr, pwy yw d' athraw ? 
 
 Ni elli gael flfael syth ffydd, 
 Offeiriadaeth a Phrydydd. " 
 
 Prys' reply to this was to disclose Cynwal's faults in cynglianedd 
 and to charge him with want of soul and sense. He challenges 
 him to consent to arbitration before twelve bards and a Justice of 
 the Peace, but Cynwal steadily refused this offer, pleading his 
 age as an excuse. It must be remembered that he was over 
 seventy at the time. The Archdeacon was some years his junior. 
 There is evidence in the poems that both combatants were 
 tiring of the fray, for the early cywyddau much excel the later 
 ones. These became deadly monotonous in their later stages, 
 and there is small wonder, for the theme was not inspiring. The 
 gist of the Archdeacon's many hundred lines is to deprecate his 
 opponent's want of learning, and to re -iterate his perfidy, whilst 
 Cynwal's lines with weary monotony maintain the status of the 
 graduated bard and their monopoly of the favours of the Muse. 
 Prys sometimes sneers at the professional bards, whose life was 
 mostly spent, he insinuates, in passing from one banquetting 
 chamber to another : 
 
 " Nid Ilyfr Duw, nid llwybr deall 
 Yw'r llwybr o'r neithior i'r Hall." 
 
 But from the right food that sustains poetry, Cynwal had rigorously 
 maintained a long fast : 
 
 " Gwawdydd newynog ydwyd 
 Ni thewi, ni fyni fwyd." 
 
 There is a suggestion in some of Edmund Prys' lines that he 
 regarded his opponent with much contempt, looking down upon 
 him from the pedestal of learning : 
 " Ofer iawn o ferw imi 
 Ymhlith iaith ymhel a thi." 
 
 He compares Cynwal's laborious efforts to a mill grinding where 
 there is not grist : 
 
 " Melin wyd yn malu'n wag," 
 
 242 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 In another cyivydd he compares him to a harmless fly : 
 
 " Gwell un gwalch da gall hwn ged 
 Ami wih na mil o wybed." 
 
 In another there is a reference to his own personal appearance, 
 when he states that his wrath against Cynwal is not as black as 
 his visage : 
 
 " Nid wyf, Wiliam, ddu fy eiliw 
 I'm Hid mor greulon a'm lliw." 
 
 There are a few interesting lines in which Prys with much 
 penetration describes certain national characteristics, as they then 
 existed : 
 
 " Y Ffleming o chaifi' lymaid 
 Mynai ar win fwy na'i raid ; 
 A swydd llawer Sais heddyw 
 I lenwi 'i fol yn ei fyw ; 
 Temtasiwn y nasiwn ni 
 Tra hygawl yw trwy wegi, 
 A rhoi glust a rhugl ostcg ; 
 I'w glod i him arogl teg ; 
 A choc-lie pob gwrach hylwybr 
 I aduabod pob peth dan wybr." 
 
 Different sections of society, he maintains, are interdependent : 
 " A phawb sydd a phob swyddau 
 Dnvy 'u gilydd fel gweydd yn gwau ; 
 A phob un a phawb ai w5'dd 
 Gydag elw a geidw 'i gilydd 
 
 Rhaid i bawb yr hyd i bydd 
 Wrth gael hirwaith i gilydd." 
 
 And in this connection he does not forget to impress Cynwal 
 that bardism is dependent upon learning : 
 
 " Rhaid i farad rhuad ferw-ddawn 
 Wrth ddysg o gwnai araith iawn. 
 Nid rhaid i ddysg tra ddod ddydd 
 laith barodwaith wrth brydydd. 
 A fedro ddysg ymysg mil 
 Mwy nag un Art mae r n gynil ; 
 Finau er fy nifenvvi 
 A fcdraf bart o'ch Ait chwi." 
 
 The death of William Cynwal. as has been stated, finished 
 the contest, and Edmund Prys' Marivnad is another illustration 
 of the truth of the old proverb " Os mynni glod, bydd farw," for 
 it is a pcean of praise from beginning to end, 0.$ such effusions 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 generally were. It takes the form, much affected at the time, of a 
 dialogue between the living bard and the messenger who 
 announced the death of Cynwal. The late controversy is 
 
 explained thus : 
 
 " Nid o gas y canaswn 
 Ond o serch yn dewis hwn." 
 
 The elegy concludes with lines full of regretful longing for the 
 dead bard, and an unstinted tribute of admiration for his prowess 
 
 in verse : 
 
 " Gwawdydd fardd gadawodd fi 
 O'r diwedd drwy hir dewi ; 
 Tra fu yn mathu in' mysg 
 Aur a gemau ar gymysg ; 
 
 Tad mawl mae mewn tyfod man, 
 Tyfod Yspytty Ifan. 
 Duw yn ei gofl da iawn gyflwr 
 Doe aeth ag ef doetha gwr, 
 I eistedd fod Crist a'i noddfa 
 Llys deg llawn ewyllys da ; 
 Oddi yno ni ddaw enyd 
 Ond teg yw awn ato i gyd." 
 
 The merits of the controversy between Edmund Prys and 
 William Cynwal have been discussed by many writers. Some 
 have thought that the former was too severe, and that his vast 
 store of learning should have made him a more lenient critic of 
 one whose advantages in this direction had been so meagre. On 
 the other hand it must be remembered that these contests were 
 looked upon by the bards as special opportunities for rapier 
 thrusts, and the whole bardic fraternity of that part of Wales were 
 probably interested spectators of the contest and sided with one 
 or other of the antagonists. We have already noticed how, on 
 one occasion, Thomas Prys, of Plas lolyn, came to the rescue of 
 a bard who was getting the worst of it. Edmund Prys also felt 
 that he was championing the cause of a numerous class, which 
 did not belong to the fraternity, whose arrogant claims are so 
 frequently asserted in Cynwal's lines. Measured by the standard 
 of our own age, a close inspection of these cywyddau ymryson 
 does not reveal much that is contrary to -good taste and literary 
 844 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 propriety. The personal thrusts were common to both sides, and 
 certainly would not be considered scurrilous, or even ungentlemanly, 
 in the early part of the seventeenth century. One can well agree 
 with the critic who wrote : " Ni welsom erioed ddadl lenyddol 
 yn cael ei dwyn ymlaen yn fwy cymhedrol, boneddigaidd, a 
 dysgedig. Y mae'n wir bod y naill a'r Hall weithiau yn bur llym, 
 ond nid ydynt byth yn troseddu rheolau moesau da ; ac i'n bryd 
 ni y mae'r ddadl, yn anibynol ar werth mewnol y cywyddau, yn 
 esiampl odidog o ddau wr bonheddig yn dadleu ar bynciau 
 llenyddol." 1 
 
 Morgan Llwyd o Wynedd, who must be allowed the 
 first place amongst the Welsh prose writers of original work in 
 this century, had also considerable attainments as a poet and 
 hymn -writer. A collection of his songs, hymns, and engfynion 
 was made in 1899 by the late T. E. Ellis, M.P. for Merioneth- 
 shire, and in it we find no less than fifty -two poetical pieces of 
 various kinds in Welsh and English. The majority of them are 
 in English. They deal mostly with the times in which he lived, 
 and are permeated with the theological tenets of the Fifth 
 Monarchy men. They also throw considerable light on the 
 isolation in which Morgan Llwyd found himself towards the end 
 of his days, when his ideals were shattered and many of his 
 followers had deserted him. At the same time, no one who 
 reads them can doubt the sincerity of his convictions. The pre- 
 dominant note in his poems is disappointment. He sits like the 
 prophet of old under his juniper tree, and in despair yearns for 
 death. The first poem in the collection is entitled "The 
 Desolation, Lamentation and Resolution of the Welsh Saincts in 
 the Late Warrs. Sung in 1643." Its opening lines strike the 
 minor key, which is preserved almost throughout his poems, 
 except in an occasional stanza of his hymns, in which, in a flight 
 of spiritual ecstasy, he rises above the hard facts of his position at 
 the time. He has, occasionally, severe things to say of those who 
 have deserted him, to whose unfaithfulness he ascribes the failure 
 1 Hants y Brytaniaid a! r Cymru, vol. ii., p. 421. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 of his cause. At the same time, he is not without hope that the 
 future will justify him. He regards himself as living in the 
 winter of the world, which must soon give place to the awakening 
 life of spring, the sunshine and joy of summer, and the ripe harvest 
 of autumn. In political and religious matters, he aims his shafts 
 at the Parliament, Presbyterians, Scotch, Dutch, Church of 
 England, and Pope in turns. Perhaps his most bitter invective is 
 employed against the last named. All his verse proclaims him 
 the strong, resolute partisan, who will not recede an inch from 
 the position he has taken up, cost it what it may. But in main- 
 taining that position the iron has entered into his soul. Apart 
 from his hymns, his bitterness is felt in every page, but there can 
 also be traced signs of a spirit mellowing under affliction, which 
 is ready to forgive much, which revolts against faction, and has an 
 unquenchable longing for unity, but that unity is to be achieved 
 by no departure from his own rigid tenets. The opening lines of 
 the poem just referred to, are as follows : 
 
 " Mae honom ychydig, blant cystuddiedig 
 
 A adawyd yn unig ynghymru. 
 Ynghanol ein cystudd, yn cwyno iw gilydd 
 An calon sydd beynydd yn pallu. 
 
 Mae'r defaid ar wasgar, mewn tristwch a galar 
 
 Mae rhai yn y carchar yn pydru. 
 Mae rhai wedi ymadel, gan gymryd hir ffarwel 
 
 Mae rhai yn y dirgel yn llechu. 
 Mae rhyfedd newidiad, dros wyneb yr hollwlad 
 
 Pie ceir dim gwir gariad mewn undyn. 
 y byd a dywyllodd, y ddayar a grynnodd, 
 
 ar nefoedd a dduodd in herhyn. 
 
 Diffoddwyd pob canwyll, holl gymru sydd dywyll, 
 
 pie ceir nndyn didwyll drwy'r hollwlad. 
 fe gwympodd rhai cryfion, fe ballodd y moddion 
 
 fe oerodd ein calon an cariad." 
 
 There is no doubt in these lines, written in 1643, that 
 Morgan Llwyd regarded the Civil War, at the first, as putting an 
 end to God's Kingdom in Wales, for he writes : 
 
 " Ei wyneb a guddiodd, ei foliant a gollodd, 
 Ei Deyrnas a gwympodd ynghymru." 
 
 The beating of the drums and the sounding of the bugles 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 were to him the sign that men's sins had overtaken them, and 
 that God had turned away his face in anger. But he predicts 
 that a return to God will bring changed conditions : 
 
 " Ond etto er cynted, y bom ni llawn addfed 
 fe droir ein caethiwed ni'n gyflym. 
 
 Er bod y tywyllwch, y gauaf a'r tristwch, 
 
 y nos ar anialwch ynghymru 
 yr haul a fyn godi, y wawr a fyn dorri, 
 
 A Christ fyn reoli heb pallu." 
 
 There are already signs in his verse that he regarded the 
 upheaval of the Civil War as a prelude to the establishment of 
 Christ's Kingdom on earth : 
 
 " Cawn weled ei wrthiau, cawn gyfwrdd ai seintiau 
 cawn gadw'n eneidiau'n dragywydd." 
 
 This belief in the millenium he makes more evident in his 
 poem, " Our Lord is coming once againe " : 
 
 " When he appears we shall rejoyce, as many as are his, 
 and judge the world and with him bee, in everlasting blisse." 
 
 As he contemplates the event, he rises to a height of spiritual 
 ecstasy, and declaims : 
 
 " Hosanna crye King Jesus comes, He-ele summer with him bring 
 A meeke just strong faire lasting Prince 
 Again Hosanna sing." 
 
 The spiritual " winter " of the nations, he ascribes to Beelzebub 
 and " the Pope, his son and foole," whose health the peoples had 
 drunk too long, " till their wits were drowned." But the spring is 
 coming : 
 
 " God's twins (the testaments) speake loud 
 that Michael long shall raigne." 
 
 It is being prepared for by the clash of nations and the fall 
 of thrones : 
 
 " The nations are on potters wheeles 
 the ancient thrones do shake." 
 
 The darkness is but the worst hour before the dawn : 
 
 " But one houre before day is darke 
 that great Ecclypse is near 
 one fierce and farewell storme and then 
 the evening will bee cleare." 
 
 T. o bring about this consummation, however, he pleads for the 
 
 ?47 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 unity of Christendom. He argues that the points of agreement 
 are many, and the points of difference small and few : 
 
 " Its true we differ in small points 
 as clocks in cittyes do 
 some travellers do lag behind 
 Who yet to Salem go. 
 Know that Christs army hath two wings 
 and diffring colours all 
 his house hath divers sorted rooms 
 his trees are short and tall. 
 Mens faces, voices, differ much, 
 saincts are not all one size 
 flowers in one garden vary too 
 lett none monpolize. 
 In our Gamaliel's schoole there are 
 and will bee many forms 
 and divers branches on one root 
 that clash in time of storms. 
 
 Oat of all these will Christ compound 
 
 an army for himselfe 
 
 so satan gets of all these sects 
 
 the parings and the pelfe." 
 
 He does not definitely state what parts of Christendom he 
 expects to unite, and possibly confines his vision to the sects who 
 had broken away from the Church in this land. He obviously 
 omits Rome, unless the latter was willing to be " cured": 
 
 " Rome was the hammer of the earth 
 now lady comes thy day 
 and thou Italian gouted leg 
 be cur-d or cutt away." 
 
 Ireland's subjection to Rome also necessitates a course of 
 physick for her before she can be admitted into the scope of the 
 bard's vision of unity : 
 
 " Ireland looks like a fallow-ground 
 thou must be plow-d againe 
 thou shall have physick that will kill 
 thy worms that do thee paine." 
 
 He claims that what is wrong with Rome is that she places the 
 letter before the spirit : 
 
 " Papists the letter of God's word 
 above the meaning prize." 
 
 As his ideals seem to dissipate into thin air, his opinion of 
 man grows worse, and he refers to mankind as " a shallow shell," 
 24$ 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 He has best expressed it in his two englynion entitled Eiddikdd 
 Dyn: 
 
 " Mor egwan, mor wan, mor wael mor wrthyn 
 
 Mai erthyl di-afael. , 
 Ymrwyfydd mewn ymrafael 
 Yw pob dyn ai fun ai fael. 
 Mo dduw yn ei fyw ni fyn mawr alaeth 
 
 Marwolaeth ai dyfyn 
 (Pan wywo y blodeCiyn) 
 Aiffymaith ir daith ar dyn." 
 
 In his poem "Sweet Master Christ," he upbraids himself with 
 having been guided too much by Reason and too little by Faith : 
 
 " Sweet Master Christ, bring me ashore 
 
 I promise through thy might 
 Never to worship Reason more 
 Nor follow fancyes light." 
 
 The dissolution of the body he regards as a setting free from 
 "the wombe of this darke world." The ideal life is one of 
 soberness ; dulness, sorrow, and laughter, which he terms " folly in 
 chiefe," are to be avoided in its favour. Wisdom is " the chiefest 
 thing." The only real peace is inward peace, the only real 
 strength to rest in God : 
 
 " I am immoovable with thee 
 I moove and do not moove." 
 
 A frequent prayer on his lips is for the conversion of the 
 
 Jews: 
 
 " Difetha Anghrist ymhob gwlad 
 tro attad yr Iddewon." 
 
 His enmity against the Scots for the part they played in the 
 Civil War is unbounded. He dubs them " the northerne 
 Brokers " and a " forraine foe." 
 
 " Gwel fy llygaid, frynniau Scottiaid 
 
 ysgatfydd mae nhw'n uchel 
 yr Arglwydd mawr mewn mynud awr 
 ai tynn nhwy i lawr yn isel." 
 
 His antagonism to Charles I. he makes no effort to disguise, 
 and argues that looking at things " from first to last " his sentence 
 was well merited : 
 
 " Looke not too much on few late things 
 
 View all from first to last 
 Since James his dayes, and wonder not 
 that such a sentence past. 
 
 249 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Though this pen loaths to touch dead Charles 
 
 it warns the living all 
 lest any stumble at his corps, 
 
 and breake their necks withall." 
 
 It is obvious that he expected a great change after the King's 
 
 downfall : 
 
 " Fowre things expect within few years 
 
 To men a Judge most strange 
 To Rome a fall. To Jewes a call 
 To heaven and earth a change." 
 
 In his poem, " Hanes rhyw Gymro," he sketches a history 
 of his own life, and relates his wanderings through various cities, 
 and pauses to contemplate man himself under the allegory of a 
 
 city : 
 
 " Dinas fawr iw Dyn ei hunan 
 Gwae a elo o honi allan 
 Gwae nid el o hono i hunan 
 Gwae a dricco yn i unfan." 
 
 In this poem he makes some sober reflections on time, on the 
 world, and on experience : 
 
 " Amser byrr sy'n torri teyrnas 
 Mynud awr sy'n codi dinas 
 
 Mae'r holl ddayar fel dilledyn 
 A newidir mewn un flwyddyn 
 
 Gwelais lai a mwy narn tadau, 
 Gwel fy meibion fwy na minnau." 
 
 But the mystic year 1660 is to put all things right : 
 
 " Nid i'w oes y byd ond wythnus 
 ar mawr sabbath sydd yn agos 
 Paratowch cyn dyfod trigain 
 Gwae'r Twrk, Cythrel, Cnawd, a Rhufain. 
 ynys brydain yn y gogledd 
 a dyrr Europe yn y diwedd 
 Brenin mawr a ddaw o'r dwyrain 
 Mae fo yn agos : cenwch blygain." 
 
 " Cyn mil a chwechant a chwe deg 
 mae blwyddyn deg yn dyfod." 
 
 To teach his children wisdom (as he states) he wrote a summary 
 of his life, describing it in five stages, each represented by a 
 sacred mount, viz., Olives, Sinai, Sion, Gilboa, and Nebo : 
 " Fy hanes i i gyd yw hyn 
 o fryn i fryn tramwyais." 
 250 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 On the first mount he tasted regeneration, on the second he felt 
 the terror of the Law, on the third he found mercy and peace, 
 on the fourth controversy and war, and from the summit of the 
 
 last : 
 
 " Rvvi'n awr yn gweled Canaan wych 
 llei caf (wrth edrych) hedeg." 
 
 In his poem, " lechyd ir Corph," he has enumerated twenty 
 maxims for physical and moral health. They are written in 
 couplets, and are little gems of wisdom, each worthy of finding a 
 place as a proverb in the language : 
 
 " Mewn pryd bydd synhwyrol 
 am iechyd naturiol 
 Ymgadw rhag afraid 
 A gochel dy lonaid 
 a thristwch a phechod 
 a phryf y gydwybod 
 Yn gyntaf bydd nefol 
 yn ail bydd naturiol. 
 Diweirdeb naturiaeth 
 iw'r iawn bysygwriaeth. 
 Yn gynnil ymbortha, 
 Drwy chwys bwytta fara. 
 
 Na waria yn ofer 
 
 un fodfedd o'th nmser." 
 
 He has several shafts directed against Holland, which was at 
 war with England in the early days of the Commonwealth : 
 
 " Some Dutch are deep suspicious birds 
 false drunken beasts withall. 
 
 Holland begins to pledge you all, 
 
 And sipps the wrathfull cup. 
 And peace with them you shall not make, 
 
 lest you with Ahab sup." 
 
 He has a beautiful stanza defining the soul : 
 
 " Rhyw sylwedd ysbrydol, Rhyw ysbrycl tragwyddol 
 
 Rhyw gysgod or nefol naturiaeth 
 Rhyw dan oddiuchod, Rhyw anadl y Duwdod 
 iw'r Enaid ai waelod naturiaeth,'' 
 
 The avidity of man in business pursuits, and his apathy 
 towards hearing the word of God, he describes in the following 
 stanza ; 
 
 251 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 " Teithio i'r farchnad, prynnu yd 
 
 a thalu'n ddrud am dano 
 Er bod gair Duw yn llyniaeth gwell 
 nid ei di neppell erddo." 
 
 His ministry at Wrexham is described in the poem, " A Song 
 of my Beloved concerning his Vineyard," in which he presents the 
 contrast between " what they were " and " what they are now." 
 It will be remembered that the majority of his former friends 
 refused to follow him in his extreme views. Apparently his first 
 fifteen years there were lived in harmony with his followers : 
 
 " full fifteene yeares they had showers 
 
 and dew from heaven sweet 
 There sprung up also many flowers 
 and saincts at Jesus' feet. 
 
 But now the bryers are come up 
 
 and thorns and thistles tall 
 therefore with Christ they do not sup 
 
 in ordinances all." 
 
 He puts to his late flock the same queries as those asked by 
 the prophet in the fifth chapter of Isaiah : 
 
 " And for my vineyard what could I 
 
 have done more than I did 
 I looked for fruit not for a lye 
 
 but found corruption hid. 
 And now Wales England judge I pray 
 
 between me and my vine, 
 find out the cause without delay 
 
 See if the fault be mine." 
 
 In a poem headed " 1654," he describes the three Com- 
 monwealth parliaments as " The long old Parliament," " The hott 
 young Parliament," and "The third slow Parliament," and he 
 describes the uncertainty of the times and the multitude of 
 counsels that prevailed, in the following lines : 
 
 " Aske no we what shall be next 
 the folks have many minds 
 few can expound this knotty text 
 so various are these winds." 
 
 At the end of his life he sings his vanitas vanitatum in the 
 poem entitled, " All things are vaine and full of paine," and he 
 longs for death to release him : 
 252 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 " My heart is now I know not how, 
 lord, when wilt thou by death mee kisse. 
 
 Straight steps I see for you and mee, 
 lord make me free, thou knowest how. 
 
 My withered heart, within doth smart 
 My witt & art do quite mee faile 
 My mind & voice cannot rejoyce 
 when shall I hoyse up my last saile ? 
 
 I proved joy and every toy 
 I found them coy & full of sin 
 Thy blessed breast I love it best 
 when shall I rest & rowle therein ? " 
 
 This is followed by his " Hymn o Hiraeth am Baradwys." 
 In it there is ample evidence of the heavy sufferings of his life, 
 and his longing to be at rest : 
 
 " Llei mae distawrwydd byth heb gri 
 
 llei mae goleuni disclair 
 lie byth nim cyrhaedd neb om cas 
 llei mae i mi bias a chadair. 
 
 Er bod y corph yn wael dros ben 
 
 bid f enaid lawen hyfryd 
 di gai dy dynni cyn bo hir 
 
 oddiyma i dir y bywyd. 
 
 Lie ni ddaw byth y Cwestiwn pam, 
 
 Na chwyn na cham na chwmwl, 
 Lie nid oes ofal yn y byd, 
 
 Na phwys na phenyd meddwl. 
 
 Cerais o Dduw dy liw a'th llais, 
 
 Mi'th gerais am holl egni, 
 Rwi wedi nofio hyd at y Ian, 
 
 Nad i mi rowan foddi." 
 
 If one interprets his last poem literally, he seems to have died 
 both poor and destitute of friends. He complains that " friends 
 are but broken reeds," and that he had " a charge so great, of 
 children, cares, and thoughts," which " make his heart to sweate," 
 but he upbraids himself for his lack of faith in allowing these 
 worldly considerations to interfere with his peace of mind : 
 
 " the more of worldly thoughts I find 
 the more my heart grows mad." 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 And yet : 
 
 " If man's eternall mind stood still 
 he should not want poore clay 
 but when man hunts for earth with will 
 The earth then runs away." 
 
 But with his last thoughts he drives away carking care : 
 
 " To morrow cares for selfe I know 
 
 sufficient to the houre 
 is present ,evill, dig not for wo 
 It will both grow and sowre." 
 
 Sufficient has been culled from his work to show that Morgan 
 Llwyd had the soul of a poet. It was a soul sensitive to pain, but 
 buoyed up by 'an iron determination to stand true to its convic- 
 tions. Without doubt he was the greatest Welsh Puritan of this 
 period, an original thinker, and endowed with a capacity for 
 expressing himself in prose and verse second to none among his 
 Welsh contemporaries. He was a better prose writer than poet ; 
 but the language would be the poorer, if we were deprived of the 
 thoughts he has enshrined in verse, perhaps, not always in the 
 most felicitous diction, but always with a directness and clearness, 
 which leave one in no doubt as to his meaning. It is a tribute to 
 his courage that he never once in those dangerous times obscured 
 himself behind ambiguous phrases. He sang on no uncertain 
 note, and at his best he sang well. He was a Fifth -monarchy 
 man to the end, and never disavowed his principles, although 
 they involved him in the loss of most, if not all, of his friends. 
 
 Rowland Vaughan, of Caergai, who was one of the most 
 ardent Welsh cavaliers, wrote a number of hymns, carols, and 
 lyrics, very few of which have been preserved. In the third 
 edition of Carolan a Dyriau Duwiol, 1720, there appear seven of 
 his compositions, which consist of two Christmas carols, a poem 
 entitled Hanes Moses, a dyri comparing man's life to things that 
 perish, another comparing it to a game, and two more describing 
 a sinner's supplication for mercy and forgiveness of sins, and a 
 sinner's confession. In Dyriau o Ymbil Pechadur am Drugaredd 
 occur the lines which have become familiar in every Welsh hymn,- 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 book, but which are so often wrongly attributed to Edmund 
 Prys : 
 
 "Na thro d'Wyneb, Arglwydd glan, 
 Oddiwrth un truan agwedd ; 
 Y sydd o flaen dy Borth yn awr, 
 Mewn cystudd mawr yn gorwedd." 
 
 Rowland Vaughan is also the author of another well-known 
 Whitsun hymn : 
 
 " Tyr'd Yspryd Glan, i'n c'lonau ni, 
 
 A dod d' oleuni nefol ; 
 Tydi wyt Yspryd Crist, dy ddawn 
 Sydd fawr iawn a ihagorol." 
 
 At the battle of Naseby, he assisted the Royalist cause with 
 a company of men, but his loyalty cost him dear, for in the 
 following year his home, Caergai, was burned to the ground by 
 the Cromwellians, and his heritage given to a kinsman. 
 
 " Caer Gni nid difai fu gwaith tan arnad, 
 
 Oernych wyrl yrwan ; 
 Caer aethost i'm car weithian, 
 Caer Gai lie bu cywirgan." 
 
 William Phylip also mentions the destruction of Caer Gai in 
 the following englyn : 
 
 " Mil chwe chant gwarant gwiwrai yn dygwydd, 
 
 Pump a deugain difai ; 
 Er dwyn i'r gwyr adwaenni, 
 Ar gof pan losgwyd Caer Gai." * 
 
 He remained a fugitive until the Restoration. Some say he 
 was imprisoned for three years, 2 but this is doubtful. In his 
 wanderings he is supposed to have come across the old bard, 
 William Phylip, of Ardudwy, who was also a fugitive, somewhere 
 in the Merionethshire mountains. Rowland Vaughan relieved 
 his feelings in verse, as follows : 
 
 " Pe cawn i'r Pengrynion 
 
 Rhwng ceulan ac afon 
 Ac yn fy Haw goedftbn o linon ar li', 
 
 Mi a gurwn yn gethin 
 
 Yn nghweryl fy mrenin, 
 Mi a'u gyrrwn yn un byddin i'w boddi." 
 
 1 K Brython, 1861, p. 284. 2 Hanes Lltnyddiatth Gymreig, p. 22. 
 
 ,'55 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 The old bard promptly followed up the theme with all the ardour 
 a septuagenarian could muster : 
 
 " Pe cawn i'r Pengryniaid 
 
 Ar ben goriwaered, 
 Er gwaned a hyned wyf heno, 
 A phastwn du-ddraenen 
 'Rwy'n ddeuddeg a thrigairi 
 Chwi a'm gwelech i'n llawen yn llowio." 
 
 At the Restoration, Rowland Vaughan returned to his old 
 home and rebuilt it, and inscribed above the entrance the follow- 
 ing stanza : 
 
 " Dod glod i bawb yn ddibrin, 
 A char dy frawd cyffredin ; 
 Ofna Dduw can's hyn sydd dda, 
 Ac anrhydedda'r brenin." 
 
 There is one poem of his printed in the Blodeugerdd, entitled 
 Adroidiad fal y bu gynt. It is a recital of the wrongs inflicted 
 by the Puritans and Parliament in the day of their power, from 
 a Royalist standpoint. In it he mentions the injuries done to the 
 churches by the Cromwellians : 
 
 " Dirmygu'n pen llywydd, a dryllio'r eglwysydd, 
 Pan ddaeth y ffydd newydd, mae'n irwin ei brad, 
 Hawdd fydd i'r hen ddynion, a'u crefydd yn deillion, 
 Oedd well eu gweithredon coeth rodiad. 
 Hwy ddryllien' Organau, a'r Gwydr, a'r Lluniau, 
 O gas i'r hen Ddelwau, addolid yn bur." 
 
 A collection of the poems of Rowland Vaughan is badly 
 needed, and it is impossible to estimate his place among the 
 Welsh bards until this task is accomplished. 
 
 Dr. John Davies, of Mallwyd, was a personal friend of 
 Rowland Vaughan. There is a record of his offering a copy of 
 his Dictionary to the latter, with the following englynion in his 
 
 praise : 
 
 " Gwr ydych Rowland o gyff uniawnwaed 
 
 Un wna i'w gyrdd gwaewgryff ; 
 Cywyddau onglau anghlyft ; 
 Ac Englynion hoywon hyff. 
 Hwre hyn o lyfr, wr a hyff gweled 
 
 Gwaelawd geirion gyrddbryff ; 
 Cais iddo rwymo, pan ryff, 
 A gwaisgrwym a ddyg ysgryff." * 
 
 1 Y Brythw, 1861, p. 284. 
 256 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 William Phylip (1577-1669), the bard who has just been 
 noticed in connection with Rowland Vaughan of Caergai, wrote 
 an elegy on the death of Charles I., under the title, Cywydd 
 Manvnad Siarles y Cyntaf, 1648-9. He was one of the most 
 devoted Welsh royalists, and for this effusion he fell under the 
 violent resentment of the Cromwellians, lost his property, and 
 took refuge in flight. His deplorable situation, the cause of it, 
 and his strong faith in the Restoration, he commemorates in the 
 following lines ; 
 
 " Ni feiddiaf, llechaf ar fyd llychwin 'r rhawg, 
 
 Gwae ni rai cyffredin, 
 Am gellwair un gair mewn gwin, 
 O fawr anhap am_/ renin. 
 Gad ymaith fwyniaith a fo bur union, 
 
 Fe ddaw brenin eto ; 
 A gad fod ei glod tan glo 
 Ust ! Wiliam onis delo. 
 
 Am ddywedyd hofffryd wir ffri ar gan 
 
 Mae dnvg anhap imi, 
 Bygwth y maent heb wcgi, 
 Y cledd ar fy nannedd i. 
 Fe ddaw byd astud di-dostach didwyll 
 
 Haws dywedyd cyfrinach ; 
 A'm calon union yn iach, 
 A 'nhafod beth yn hyfach. 
 
 Llechu, nid canu, cwynais oer wewyr, 
 
 A'r Awen a gollais, 
 Braidd fyw ac yn brudd fy ais, 
 Wylaw am fyd a welais ! 
 
 Ni chaf ddol, maenol, na mynydd dof, 
 
 Na dyfais awenydd, 
 Na rhoi 'mhen ar obenydd, 
 Na'r coed led fy nhroed yn rhydd." 
 
 His attitude towards Cromwell is expressed without restraint in 
 the following englyn : 
 
 " Fob tynged galed heb gel, a gaffo, 
 
 Ac uffern ddi dawel ; 
 Cryrcan am wddw Cromwel, 
 A chrogbren i'w ddiben ddel." 
 
 The story goes that he was imprisoned for this, and made his 
 apology in another engfyn : 
 
 257 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 " Dywedaf fynaf gwae fi o'r d'wedyd 
 
 Ond edid fy ngweddi ; 
 Goreu dim, gwyr Daw imi, 
 Wnio fy safn yn foes i." x 
 
 The aged bard afterwards composed his differences with the 
 Commonwealth, and returned to his home, Hendre Fechan, 
 which was the occasion of the following englyn : 
 
 " No ffo, dan wylltio, o'r neilltu i'r grug, 
 
 Nac i'r graig i lechu 
 Wyr tonog os rhaid hynny, 
 Hwy'm can' wrth y tan yn ty." 
 
 He was afterwards offered the most galling employment of tax- 
 gatherer under the Protectorate. On presenting the assessment 
 at each house, he was wont to say : 
 
 " Am frad i'r holl-wlad, wyr hyllion a'u trwst, 
 
 Codi treth anghyfion, 
 Hwy gant dal a gofalon, 
 A chas hir o achos hon." 
 
 Then upon producing his warrant, he added : 
 
 " Dyma warant sant dan sel, attolwg, 
 
 Tehvch yn ddiochel, 
 Rhag i'r sant a chwant ni chSl 
 Ymgethri a mynd yn Gythrel." 
 
 Phylip Sion Phylip, his fellow bard and kinsman, composed 
 a marwnad to him, in which he mentions his famous poem on 
 the death of Charles L, as follows : 
 
 " Ei gwyn am Siarls genym sydd 
 Yn brintiedig, braint dedwydd ; 
 Teilwng oedd Ian ben talaith, 
 Yn brint roi 'i holl iawn-bur iaith." 
 
 His extreme old age is mentioned by the same bard. It will be 
 remembered that he was seventy -two when he met Rowland 
 Vaughan in his wanderings : 
 
 " Triniodd y byd tra anwir, 
 Trwy iawn hap i oedran hir ; 
 Mewn glan fuchedd rinweddawl 
 Hyd ei fedd, wr hynod fawl." 
 
 He left behind him a few poems and carols written in the 
 free metres, and two marwnadau composed to the same noble- 
 man, Gruffudd Fychan, of Caer Gai, which appeared in the pages 
 
 i y Brython, 1861, p, 146. 
 
 2 5 8 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 of Y Brython. A few of bis engfymon are also published in the 
 Great. William Phylip died in 1669, and was buried at Llan- 
 ddwywe, where the following inscription is found on his 
 tombstone : " W. Ph. 1669, F. E. X. I." 
 
 As an example of William Phylip's skill in writing cywyddau^ 
 the following lines may be quoted from his second Manvnad to 
 Gruffudd Fychan. It takes the favourite form of a dialogue 
 between the bard and the dead nobleman. The conception is 
 that he sees him in a dream and holds converse with him : 
 
 " A thrwy hun ddirgel helynt, 
 Gwelwn wr a garwn gynt. 
 
 O ba wlad attaliad tost ? 
 
 Am hawl byw ym mha le buost ? 
 
 Ai i wel'd byd i wlad bawl ! 
 Ar glau bwyll a'r glob hollawl ? 
 Aros Gruffudd, llywydd llu, 
 Arcs in ymresymu. 
 
 Och aeth yn brudd, yn iach it, 
 Y dynion glan adwaenit ; 
 Byw o'th iaith di byth a'th dal, 
 Y dyn od dianwadal. 
 
 Nadd gyfanedd gu fwyniaith,^ 
 
 Ai tewi'r wyt a'r tair iaith ? 
 
 Lie bu'r iaith mewn iawn-lhvybr wedd, 
 
 Odid air wedi d'orwedd ; 
 
 Na gwas dewr, nagystori, 
 
 Hynaws deg os hunaist di ; 
 
 Na hely hydd yn ol hyn, 
 
 O goed ir nac aderyn ; 
 
 Na gwiw haelder, na gildio, 
 
 Os y dyn glan sy dan glo. 
 
 Nac iawn bwyll, nac awen her, 
 
 Cyfundeb pob cu fwynder. 
 
 Y maes hir mewn mesurau, 
 
 Mwyn don lie buom ein dau ", 
 
 Ni rodiaf, mae'n oer wedi, 
 
 Yn d'ol fyth nad wylaf fi." 
 
 And into the mouth of his dead patron he places the following 
 
 words : 
 
 " Pan rano Duw ben'r einioes, 
 Meichiau na dyddiau nid ocs. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Pwy ni roe fyd pen awr fach 
 Os cai deyrnas gadarnach. 
 Ni wyr pen na pherchen ffydd, 
 Llawned ydyw'n llawenydd. 
 Byd didrist bywyd didranc, 
 Heb na thro buan na thranc. 
 Hwyr anial a hir enyd, 
 Y rhown fo am yr hen fyd. 
 Ni ddof i'r byd enbydwan, 
 Dowch chwi lie 'rwyf fi'n y fan. 
 
 Can di i Dduw, cwyn dy ddiwedd, 
 Cyn dy fyn'd a'r cnawd i fedd. 
 
 Yn iach, byw'r wyf mewn uwch braint, 
 Uwch gweryd, yn iach geraint, 
 Nes y del heb naws dolur, 
 Feirwon a byw i'r farn bur." ' 
 
 William Phylip also composed a Manvnad to Huw Lhvyd, of 
 Cynfal, in which the opening stanza reads : 
 
 " Och gau ar gampau ! och gwympo IIuw Llwyd 
 
 A llawer sy'n cwyno ; 
 Yn Maentwrog mae'n tario 
 Awen fel mewn grafel gro." 
 
 One of his finest poems is his " Cywydd y Bedd," which was 
 printed by Senex in the pages of Y Brython? It is a master- 
 piece of cynghanedd, and contains some very pensive reflections on 
 a subject which so frequently formed a theme for the bards, and 
 ends on a note of unswerving faith in the resurrection : 
 " Wrth ystyried yr ystori, 
 
 Y byd oil a'm bywyd i ; 
 
 A'r lie 'rwy, deall oer ym 
 
 Oerllyd waith, o'r lie daethym, 
 
 A'r lle'r af i'r llawr afiach, 
 
 Wedi'r byd, enyd awr bach, 
 
 Wrth ddeall araith ddiwad, 
 
 Einioes dyn sy wan ei stad ; 
 
 Nid fi fy hun yn unig, 
 
 Yn y byd hwn enbyd dig ; 
 
 Pan fo'r corff poenfawr i caid, 
 
 Yn ymwahar.u a'm henaid ; 
 
 Er dy gyfion ddaioni 
 
 Er dy fawl pura Dduw fi ; 
 
 Fel ynol fywiol fywyd, 
 
 Yr elwyf fi i'r ail fyd. 
 
 1 Y Brythott, i86r. pp. 285-6. The first Cywydd Marwnad to Gruffudd 
 Fychan will be found in the same volume, p. 147. 'ibid, p, 185. 
 
 860 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 Nid yw einioes hyd unawr, 
 I'r un ond mynydun awr ; 
 Nid wrth bryd naturiaeth bron, 
 Yr estynir oes dynion ; 
 Dwst yw'r corff di ystyr caid 
 Da rinwedd Du\v i'r enaid ; 
 Fy enaid eift i fynu, 
 Y cnawd y pryfed a'i cnu ; 
 Ni wyr pwyll synwyr y pen, 
 Angau ola i dynghedfen. 
 
 Dydd Brawd fe ddaw i gwawrddydd, 
 O'r byd tranc i'r bywyd ihydd 
 Amlach wrthyt yr ymlyn, 
 Na chan tant, ochenaid dyn, 
 Amlach braw na dyn llawen 
 Amlach gwedd afiach na gwen ; 
 Dan dy farn y rhaid y'n.fbd, 
 Dan gwsg a Duw yn gysgod, 
 Oni 'n codo Ion cadarn, 
 O'r ddaear fyddar i'r farn : 
 Ni bydd y corff i'r bedd cu, 
 Yn him ddim hwy na hynny. 
 
 Gobaith hoff iawnwaith a'ffydd, 
 A chaiiad yw'r tair chwiorydd ; 
 A Christ o'i fodd fu'n dioddef, 
 Digon yw fe a'm dwg i'w nef, 
 Pan ddel pen fy llawenfyd, 
 Fy nghorff a'm henaid ynghyd ; 
 Hoff iawn fy w a chorff newydd 
 Ysbrydol ailfydol a fydd." 
 
 Five poems of William Phylip's are to be found in the 
 Blodeugerdd. 
 
 Sion Phylip (1543-1620) was the bardd teulu of Nannau 
 and Cors-y-gedol, and defended his bardic rights in these ancient 
 seats of Welsh noble families against all comers. He was very 
 jealous of interlopers, even of his own brother, whose trespass on 
 his preserves he refers to as " anllad ifanc lied ofer." The 
 cyivydd in which he reproves Richard Phylip for daring to clera at 
 Nannau, contains some of his best known lines : 
 
 " Nis cae fylh yn i wisg fo, 
 Gywyr ordor yn gyfyrdro ; 
 Ni chae hefyd o chofir, 
 Ond yn glmvn dyna goel wir ; 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Ni bu nid oes am oes mawl, 
 Ac ni bydd yn wybyddawl. 
 
 Nid a f awen o'i henyth, 
 Naga'n bell i ganu byth. 
 
 Ymdaro lie gweuo gan, 
 A mi henfardd o'm hunfan, 
 Ifanc ifanc a ofyn, 
 Henaint at henaint y tyn ; 
 Gyra fo o'i gaer a'i fainc, 
 Grafil ! at y gwyr ifainc." 1 
 
 In this poem he mentions that the lady of Nannau was the 
 daughter of the Lord Rhys of Cors-y-gedol, and his own long 
 connection with that family is also stated : 
 
 " Bardd i'w thad breuddoeth a wn, 
 Bord rydd a'i brodyr oeddwn." 
 
 Sion Phylip was a disgybl pencerdd of Caerwys at the early 
 age of twenty -five. The englyn which he composed at that 
 Eisteddfod is on record. Its subject was Yr Eos, and the bard 
 sang as follows : 
 
 " Eiliad mawl ganiad mil gwenyn, unllef 
 
 Ag arianllais telyn, 
 Eirian gloch ar enau glyn 
 Is coedallt, Eos Cedwyn." 
 
 When quite young he had a bardic contest with Sion Tudur. 
 It would seem that Sion Phylip had been invited to spend a 
 holiday with the Bishop of St. Asaph, and Sion Tudur, who 
 regarded himself as a kind of bardd teulu to the Welsh bishops, 
 resented the intrusion, and after the manner of the older bards 
 he despatched a llatai (messenger) in the form of a magpie with 
 a message to him, directing him to return with all speed to 
 Ardudwy. Concluding that the message was the outcome of 
 jealousy, it was accepted at once as a casus belli, and led to a 
 contest in verse between the two bards. Sion Tudur described 
 his opponent as losing his way in a snow-drift in the mountains 
 on his return journey from St. Asaph, the implication being that 
 the episcopal hospitality had proved too much for him, and 
 
 " Gwedi y Sul fe gaed Sion 
 
 Yn rhwyfaw yn rhyw afon." 
 1 Y Brython, iv., p. 390. 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 But Sion Phylip would not he hurried by these wiles from the 
 festive board of his kindly patron : 
 
 " Fy argl \vydd rhoes im groeso, 
 I'r wledd fawr ailwyodd fo ; 
 Tariwyf tra mynwyf tremwaith, 
 Delwyf pan ddelwyf eiiwaith." 
 
 And he charges his brother bard with being a dog in the manger : 
 
 " Nis bvvyti us pelai wall 
 Ci dewr nis gedyarall." 
 
 One of Sion Phylip's early efforts was Cywydd yr IVylan, 
 which he composed in 1565. He describes the bird thus : 
 
 " Mcrch fedydd ddedwydd ydwyd 
 Is lawn i Ncplunus Iwyd. 
 
 A fu 'rioed ar for iach, 
 
 Nofyddes wen ufuddach." 
 
 He sends the seagull to explain to his lover why lie had failed to 
 keep an appointment with her, for he had been overtaken by a 
 tempest which prevented him crossing the river at Barmouth : 
 
 " Nofia nag anghofia 'nghwyn, 
 I gyfeirio y gu forwyn ; 
 Hed i'r Ian hydr oleuni 
 A dywed lie y'm dalied i, 
 Wrth aber nid tyner ton 
 Bermo adwyth byim oerdon." 
 
 Sion Phylip was very popular with the bards of his day, as 
 the numerous mancnadau composed to him testify, for no less 
 than five bards paid him this tribute, viz., Edmund Prys, Richard 
 Cynwal, Gruffydd Phylip (his own son), leuan Ehvyd, and 
 Gruffydd Hafren. The date of his death is often given as 1600, 
 but this is incorrect. Edmund Prys in his Cyicydd Marwnad 
 definitely states that he died in 1620. That he was a bard of 
 some excellence is very apparent from the praise bestowed upon 
 him by Edmund Prys, who was, as a rule, more lavish in criticism 
 than encomium. He states that Sion Phylip's bardic teachers 
 were Gruffydd Hiraethog and William Eleyn, and that he did 
 both these bards credit. Prys' lines on this subject are as 
 follows : 
 
 " Y dull hwn, nid twyil aiiiuudil, 
 Doellia'n fyv\ i daeih yn kudd } 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Dnvy awenydd hydr anach, 
 A thrwy nerth athrawon iach : 
 Gruffydd, gref ffydd, orthgraph wych, 
 Gwrddrym Hiraethog eurddrych ; 
 Mawl a eiliai mal Wiliarn 
 Lleyn gynt, heb bennill yn gam ; 
 Y rhai'n oedd yr henyddion, 
 O dasg serch yn dysgu Sion." ' 
 
 Edmund Prys also states that Sion Phylip once acted as 
 arbiter between him and t'>vo others, William Cynvval and Hugh 
 Machno : 
 
 " Bu farmvr rhof, bygof hawl, 
 A dau eraill awdurawl." 
 
 It is also from the Archdeacon's poem that we have confirmatory 
 evidence of Sion Phy lip's connection as bardd teulu with Cors-y- 
 gedol : 
 
 " Cwrsiwr mydr, croyw asiwr tnawl, 
 
 Cyrsio gwawd Corsygedawl ; 
 
 Caer ysgwar, Cors a gerym, 
 
 Cedol, waredoi wiw rym ; 
 
 Ac yno di gyffro dig, 
 
 Y bu'n dal bob Nauolig ; 
 
 Llensvai'r llys, llawenhai'r lie, 
 
 Llawn oedd awen Llanddwyive." 
 
 From the same source is derived the information that our bard 
 was skilled in three languages, an excellent herbalist and geologist, 
 and possessed of a most retentive memory ; 
 
 " Deallai fo diwall fawl, 
 Deiriaith yn brif awdurawl ; 
 Adwaenai ddawn da 'n ei ddydd, 
 Les am oes, lysiavi meusydd ; 
 Yr un wcdd am rinwedilau 
 Y Hiaeu gwyrth, beb ddim yn gau. 
 
 A cho Sion i'vv awchus vvaith, 
 Ail i Seirws Iwys araith. 
 
 Ni 'dwaeneui gem ddi gymmell, 
 Awuur gwawd Gofiadur gwell." 
 
 Richard Cynwal also refers to his proficiency in three 
 languages and his knowledge of herbs and rocks : 
 
 " Llysiau a main er lies mawr." 
 1 Y Brython, iv., p. 142 : 
 
 " Dau wyihgant, bwriad iaitbgoeth 
 
 A dau ddcg, oed Mab Duw ddoeth,' 1 
 204 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 He also mentions his long friendship of thirty -five years with 
 
 him : 
 
 " Deuddeg mlynedd, fuchedd fawr, 
 Ar hugain, a thair rhagawr ; 
 Buddiais ar gydn.ibyddiaeth, 
 Rhof ag ef, mewn rhyfig aeth." 
 
 This bard also tells us that Sion Phylip was a good Latinist, that 
 being probably the third language which he is said to have known. 
 He refers to Pwllheli as the place of his death, 1620 as the year, 
 and Llandanwg as his place of burial : 
 
 " Yin Mhwll Heli ymhell wylwn, 
 Heb ddydd hwy bu ddiwedd hwn ; 
 Aed a'i gorph caredig iawn, 
 Wedi i farw i wlad Feiri.ivvn ; 
 Oed lesu, lie 'i dewiswyd, 
 Dwyn glain i Landanwg Iwyd, 
 Ugain doethgain dau wythgant, 
 Draw gwae blaid ei wraig a'i blant." 
 
 In Gruffydd Phylip's elegy to his father he confesses himself 
 a prodigal son, who had paid no heed to his father's remon- 
 strances : 
 
 " I ddammeg oedd dda imi, 
 Astrus ym na ystyriais hi. 
 
 Fy ienctyd o'm mebyd maith, 
 A fwriais mewn oferwaith ; 
 A'm hamser hoff hyder ffol, 
 Drwy rwysg oedd dorri'r ysgol ; 
 Gwario Na, mewn gvvirion wedd, 
 Gwario foes mewn gwir faswedd." 
 
 His tenderness for his father and the depth of his penitence and 
 contrition are well expressed in the same elegy : 
 
 " Os adref d6f mewn c6f caeth, 
 Troi 'nol at yr un alaeth, 
 A gweled wrth i gilydd, 
 I Lyfrau, gwae finau fydd ; 
 Ni ad hiraeth naturiol, 
 Ym drini waith, mwydro'n 61 ; 
 Os darllain y rhai'n ar hyd, 
 Wylo wnaf o lawn ofyd." 
 
 Gruffydd Phylip follows up this cywydd with an englyn to the 
 sailors who rowed his father's body across the bay from Pwllheli 
 to Llandanwg ; 
 
 265 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 " O fwynion ddynion, bob yn ddau cyfarwydd 
 
 Cyfeiriwch y rhwyfau, 
 Tynnwch ar draws y tonnau, 
 A'r bardd trist yn i gist gau." 
 
 Gruffydd Phylip also wrote Dirifau'r Coler Du, found in pages 
 374-5 of the Blodeugerdd. 
 
 In leuan Llwyd's marwnad to Sion Phylip more details of 
 the bard's life are described. He states his exact age, seventy- 
 seven, that his widow with a family of six children survived him, 
 and that he was the bardic instructor of his brother, Richard, 1 and 
 of Gruffydd Phylip : 
 
 " Dysgodd brydyddion dwysgerdd, 
 Dysgyblion y gysson gerdd ; 
 Brawd a mab i brydu mawl 
 I iawn addysg awenyddawl." 
 
 From this elegy it would seem that Sion Phylip had gone on a 
 bardic journey through Anglesey and Lleyn ; and that he met 
 his death by drowning : 
 
 " Myned i ddeutu Menai 
 A chlod deg uchelwaed Dai ; 
 
 A'i groeso mawr gwrs ym Man, 
 A'i glod helaeth, gwlad haelion ; 
 Dyfod trwy Leyn, gresyn gri 
 O ball hwyl i Bwllheli ; 
 Ag ar ol Sion, mowrson mau, 
 Daith yngwrth i doeth angaa. 
 
 Dauwythgant lor pob coron, 
 Dau ddeg siwr Duw a ddyg Sion, 
 Ymadael uchel achwyn 
 E ddaeth pedwar mab i'w ddwyn, 
 A chynnull mwy na channyn 
 O wyr uchod Llewod Lleyn, 
 Dygwyd hwn deg waed henwr, 
 O Leyn deg i Ian y dvvr, 
 Dros y dwr, ar draws y don, 
 Doe'r morwyr i Dir Meirion," 
 
 Gruffydd Hafren's manvnad confines itself to the praise of 
 
 'Richard Phylip acknowledges this in the following couplet ; 
 Fy mrawd yn fy mwrw ydoedd, 
 Fathro dig yn Pathrod oedd. 
 
 266 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 his learning and his talents as a bard, and admits that he had 
 vanquished him in controversy : 
 
 " A Sion yr ymrysonwn, 
 Ar Gerdd, ym difrio gwn ; 
 Fy mai oedd fwy mwy addef, 
 Yn fwy o wyth, na'i fai ef ; 
 Ymhell ar fy machellion, 
 I'm cwympodd, a safodd Sion" 
 
 But, perhaps, the well known lines of Edmund Prys best sum up 
 his capacity as a bard : 
 
 " Yn ifangc gwnai gerdd nwyfus, 
 Yn naddu'r iaith yn ddi rus J 
 Yn hen dda awen ddiell, 
 Canai i Dduw, can oedd well ; 
 Canai i wyr Arfon wrawl, 
 Canai i feirch, ac i'r cwn fawl ; 
 Awdurol fardd, wawd eirian, 
 Awdur mawl i'r adar man." 
 
 And the testimony of Richard Cynwal in respect of his poems to 
 love and nature has been given with such felicity that the lines 
 are most worthy of quotation : 
 
 " Yn oedran cwynfan ceinferch ; 
 Prydai fawl parod i ferch ; 
 I'w gwedd, a'i gwallt, gwddw gwyn, 
 E ganodd fel mel gwenyn ; 
 A meusydd adar miwsig, 
 O ddol a bryn, ddail a brig ; 
 A meirch, a gweilch mawrwych gwar, 
 A gwiw filgwn gafaelgar ; 
 Moli gwyr mawr a gwarant, 
 Eiliwr cerdd i lawer cant." 
 
 The following englyn was composed by Hugh Llwyd, of Cynfal, 
 to his memory : 
 
 " Dyma fedd gwrda oedd gu Sion Phylip, 
 
 Sein a philer Cymru ; 
 Cwynwn fyn'd athro canu, 
 I garchar y ddaear ddu." 
 
 His son, Gruffydd Phylip, as will be seen from quotations 
 already made, was a bard of no mean order. He wrote some 
 excellent lines, which form an interesting summary of the work 
 of Dr. John Davies, of Mallwyd : 
 
 " Mam, a Thad, Mammaeth ydych, 
 I'r Gyrmaeg wir Gymro gwych ; 
 Perffeithiaist nithiaist yn well, 
 Y Beibl oil i'r bobl well-well ; 
 
 267 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Yn oes dyn trefnaist yna, 
 Y ilyfrau gweddiau'n dda ; 
 Ni phrisiaist enw hoff rasawl, 
 Na phoen na chost ffeinwych hawl, 
 Brau y costiaist Sion ffynnon ffydd, 
 Braint da i ni brint o newydd ; 
 Hyn oedd ynn yn ddaioni, 
 I reidiau 'n eneidiau ni." 1 
 
 Perhaps one of the best known poems of Gruffydd Philip was 
 that composed in 1618, and entitled: "Cywydd Marwnad Mr. 
 Rhisiart Hughes, o Gefn Llanfair " : 
 
 " Oes cur, am nas ceir yma 
 Ystyn dydd ar oes dyn da ! 
 Angau rhed o ing oer hawl, 
 Yn nhop gwr anhepgorawl ; 
 
 Gwas gwych oedd o rwysg uchod, 
 Nid oedd falch un dydd o'i fod 
 Trvvy Lundain at hir lendyd, 
 Tref lie 'i bydd tyrfa llu byd. 
 
 Pasio pawb, hapusa' pen, 
 I bu ei rowiog ber awen. 
 
 Dau wythgant gwarant gwirier, 
 A dau naw oed Mab Duw Ner." 
 
 His uncle, Richard Phylip, who had tried to ingratiate 
 himself at Nannau in Sion Phylip's absence, which led to a war 
 of words between the brothers, wrote a Cywydd Ateb in reply to 
 the severe castigation he had received at Sion Phylip's hands. 
 The lines appear in Y Brython, iv., pages 391-2, and show that 
 Richard in common with his two brothers, and his nephew 
 Gruffydd, had considerable skill in " building up the rhyme." He 
 refers to his brother's jealousy as a very early sin, and reminds 
 him of its results in the case of Cain and Abel : 
 " Y genfigen gwan fagiad, 
 
 Oedd o hen Adda a'i had ; 
 
 A yrrodd Gain oerddig waith, 
 
 I ladd Abel dda ei obaith : 
 
 Felly gwnae'r ddig gynfigen, 
 
 Ferch y Sarph arw frochus hen ; 
 
 Gyru brodyr gair bradawl, 
 
 I ymgashau ddirmygus hawl ; 
 
 Ow ! mor dynn yw fy mrawd innau, 
 
 Am i wr hael fy mawrhau." 
 1 Y Brython^ iv., p. 158. 
 268 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 He explains his conduct on the ground of his friendship with 
 Huw Nannau from boyhood, and adopts a somewhat defiant 
 attitude towards his elder brother : 
 
 "Tariwyf a gwaewyf y gan, 
 
 Tra fynwyf traethaf anian : 
 
 Gogyfar seigiau gwiwfael, 
 
 A gair a Huw ysgwier hael. 
 
 Sion a droes yn ei dresi, 
 Phylip fardd ffel beia fi ; 
 Am arcs yn fy mawredd, 
 Nannau lys o lawn iawn wledd. 
 
 Er da gwar y deau i gyd, 
 O Nannau nid awn ennyd. 
 
 Esgus na fedrwn wisgo 
 
 Wisg Huw fyth am nas cae fo." 
 
 He argues that in Nannau there is a sufficiency for both, but 
 insinuates that Sion Phylip could do more than his share with the 
 flowing bowl : 
 
 " Pa raid arbed lawned wledd, 
 Bir Nannau ebron winedd ? 
 Un wyf fi a yn fuan, 
 Ond da'r yf yntau ei ran, 
 Bwngler tabler disberod, 
 Ydwyf fi ni wadai fod : 
 Tynu yn wir at hon a wna, 
 Mae'r tyn fal y mrawd hyna. 
 
 Fe fynnai Sion fy anos i 
 O lannerch yr haelioni ; 
 
 Er ei ddrygair ddarogan, 
 
 A'i athrod goedd uthraid gan, 
 
 Af i Naunau fan enwawg, 
 
 Ni wna'rhynt o Nannau rhawg." 
 
 Hugh Machno was a bard who wrote of the Cynfal family, 
 the antecedents of Morgan Lhvyd. In 1623 he penned an elegy 
 to Dafydd Llwyd o Gynfal, the grandfather of Morgan Llwyd, in 
 which he thus expresses the grief of Maentwrog and the neigh- 
 bourhood : 
 
 " Trees Duw alar trist wylen 
 Troe gur i Faentwrog wen 
 Mae yno gyffro a gant 
 Am yr henwyr rnai ar hunant." 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 He goes on to relate that Hugh Llwyd, the third son of Dafydd 
 Llwyd, and afterwards a bard of some note, succeeded his father 
 at Cynfal, in 1623 : 
 
 " Y trydydd o freisgwydd frig 
 Yw Huw Llwyd ddi-balledig 
 Yn aer i dad yw ado 
 Yn ol fydd yn i le fo. 
 
 Dau wythgant oerant irwydd 
 Dau wyth a saith adwy sydd." 
 
 Like other gentlemen of the period, Dafydd Llwyd had been 
 devoted to horsemanship, shooting, and hunting : 
 " Caru i farch cu eirian 
 Seuthyddiaeth helwriaeth Ian." 
 
 And he had often acted as arbitrator and reconciler of his neigh- 
 bours' differences : 
 
 " Dyddiai fo gordiai y gwyr gynt 
 Dyddivvr oedd enaid uddynt." 
 
 Dafydd Llwyd is further described as a man of few words and 
 much deliberation ; and to have had considerable knowledge of 
 poetry and figures : 
 
 " Distaw iawn wr uniawn wraidd 
 Ag araf fu a gwraidd 
 
 Ymhob pur wawd ymhob rhif 
 Da i awgrym a digrif 
 Adroddai medrai air tnwys 
 Yn i gymal yn gymwys." ' 
 
 Huw Machno also wrote, about 1630, " Cywydd i ofyn telyn 
 dros Huw Llwyd, Cynfal" in which he refers to the latter's 
 travels. Huw Llwyd had taken part in the Dutch wars to help 
 Holland to free itself from the trammels of Spain. In the same 
 poem the bard refers to the renovation of Cynfal, undertaken by 
 Huw Llwyd on his return. He gives in it a homely description 
 of the house, which afterwards acquired greater fame from its 
 association with Morgan Llwyd, the most eminent Welsh puritan 
 of this century. He mentions in his portrait of this old Welsh 
 home all those appliances which a gentleman of the period would 
 require for hunting, shooting, and fishing. The poem is given in 
 
 1 Gwcithiau Morgan Llwyd, pp. 305-308, 
 270 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 full in Mr. J. H. Davies' Gweithiau Morgan Llwyd, and is of 
 much interest because it furnishes the background for the life of 
 that worthy. The following lines describe Huw Llwyd and the 
 part he took in restoring his ancestral home : 
 
 " Huw Llwyd yw pob rhai lie i del, 
 A genfydd aer o Gynfel. 
 Trafaelio trwy ofalon 
 i bu'n i ddydd, dedwydd don, 
 
 gwelodd teg fu'r bregeth, 
 yn i ifiengtyd or byd beth ? 
 da oedd yn y diweddiad, 
 dirion le, dario'n y wlad 
 Trwsio, ffwrneisio a wnai 
 
 01 ddyfais, i dy yn ddifai 
 ai ranu yn gowreinach, 
 
 a throi'r dwr drwy barlwr bach. 
 
 Os dyfod i'w ystafell, 
 
 (hon sy waith hardd yn saith well) 
 
 i lyfrau ar silffau sydd, 
 
 deg olwg, gida'i gilydd, 
 
 i flychau'n eliau'n Ian, 
 
 ai ger feddyg o arian, 
 
 ai fwcled glan ar wanas, 
 
 ai gledd pur o'r gloew-ddur glas, 
 
 ai fwa yw, ni fu i well, 
 
 ai gu saethau, ai gawell, 
 
 ai wnn hwylus yn bylaw, 
 
 ai fflasg, hawdd i caiff i'w law, 
 
 ai ffon enwair ffein iovrn-wych, 
 
 ai ffein gorn, at helffyn gwych, 
 
 ai rwydau, pan Pai'r adeg, 
 
 sy gae tyn i bysgod teg, 
 
 ai ddrych oedd wych o ddichell, 
 
 a wyl beth oi law o bell, 
 
 ar ' chess ' ai gwyr ddifyr ddysg, 
 
 a rhwydd loyw dabler hyddysg, 
 
 Beth yw'r holl bethau hyn 
 
 mae dialedd am delyn. 
 
 Pa bleser rhag trymder trwch ? 
 
 i ddyn, pa fwy diddanwch. 1 
 
 Edward Morus (? 1689), of Perthi Llwydion, in the 
 parish of Cerrig-y-drudion, Denbighshire, was a contemporary and 
 close friend of the great bard Huw Morus, and there has been 
 considerable confusion between the writings of the one and the 
 other, which is pardonable to some extent, owing to the similarity 
 
 1 Gwcithiau Morgan LlwyJ, pp. xviii., xix. 
 
 271 
 
in their themes and style of expression. There are eleven of 
 Edward Morus' compositions in Carolau a Dyriau Duwiol, pub- 
 lished in 1720, and ten in the Blodeu-Gerdd Cymru, published in 
 1779. Sir Owen Edwards also published a selection of his poems 
 in Cyfres y Fil. Part of this bard's work has been collected by 
 his admirer, Hugh Hughes, of Cerrig-y-drudion. He died before 
 he completed his task, but what he had collected was published 
 by Isaac Foulkes, Liverpool, in 1902. It was part of a work 
 adjudged by the Rev. J. Fisher, B.D., as worthy of the prize 
 offered for the best history of three noted men in the parish of 
 Cerrig-y-drudion, by the annual Eisteddfod held at that place in 
 1900. 
 
 Edward Morus could write excellent prose, as well as verse. 
 In Rowland's Cambrian Bibliography, under the year 1689, 
 appears the following book : 
 
 " Y Rhybuddiwr Gristnogawl^ &c., Rhydychen. Cyfieith- 
 wyd y llyfr hwn gan Edward Morus, o'r Perthi Llwydion, Ceryg 
 y Drudion, yn sir Ddinbych, ar gais Mrs. Margaret Fychan, o 
 Lwydiarth ; ac argraffwyd ef ar draul y foneddiges hbno." The 
 work is a translation of Rowlet's Christian Monitor. 
 
 Edward Morus' introduction to the work affords a good 
 example of his pregnant style in prose. It reads : 
 
 Att y Cymro uniaith. 1 
 
 Y Bryttwn natturiol ! 
 
 Wele fi'n dyfod yn daer ymbiliwr attat am gael un rhodd 
 gennit ; y peth yr wyf yn ei erfyn arnat sydd gymwynas, nid i mi, 
 eithr i ti dy hun ; sef, J3od yn wiw gennit yn ystyriol, ac yn ddif- 
 rifol ddarllain y Llyfr bychan hwn unwaith drwyddo. Er nas 
 gwnei ar fy nymuniad i, fe debygid (os oes dim gweddeidd-dra 
 ynot) mai bychan i ti wneuthur hynny o ran parch a diolchgarwch 
 i'r elusengar Fenyw a'th anrhegodd di ag e ; gan gyrchu Sais o 
 Loegr i'th gynghori yn iaith dy fam ; Ac oni ddichon hyn oil dy 
 annog, etto darllain ef er rmvyn dy enaid gwerthfawr dy hun, ac os 
 gweithia yr athrawiaeth gynwysedig ynddo ar dy galon di, megis 
 1 Barddtniaeth Edward Morris, p. viii. 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 ag y gwnaeth ar arall, 'r wy'n coelio y bydd di-edifar gennit os 
 cyfarfyddi hefyd ymma 4'r cwbl sydd angenrhaid i ti er lechyd- 
 wriaeth, wedi ei grynhoi yn fyrrach ac yn rhattach nag y gwelaist 
 o'r blaen, dyro i Dduw y gogoniant, a gad i ni yn ddioed ac yn 
 ddianwadal ymroi yn unfryd (drwy gynnorthwy gras Duw) i arwain 
 Bucliedd Sanctaidd er anrhraethol ac annherfynol gyssur i ni. 
 Bydd iach. Y CY.MREIGYDD. 
 
 Mrs. Margaret Yaughan, who defrayed the expenses of 
 printing the Rhybuddiwr, was the sister of Lord Herbert of 
 Cherbury, himself a noted patron of literature. She had married 
 John Vaughan, of Lhvydiarth, in Llansilin. 
 
 There is very little known of the life -story of Edward Morus. 
 It is known that he was a drover and cattle-dealer, and had ex- 
 tensive business connections in this respect with English markets. 
 He died on one of his journeys into the Eastern Counties in 1689, 
 and was buried at Fryerning, near Ingatstone, in Essex. 
 
 Mr. Hugh Hughes, who has been mentioned as having col- 
 lected his poems, is incorrect in surmising that our bard was the 
 Edward Morus whose name appears in the following entry in the 
 parish register at Cerrig-y-drudion : "Gwen, the daughter of 
 Edward Morus, of Perthi Llwydion, was baptized the 26th day of 
 January, 1620." I This would fix the bard's birth at about 1600, 
 and would show him at 89 still engaged in active business transac- 
 tions, as far afield as Essex. Gwen was probably his sister, and 
 " Edward ap Morris . . . baptized the ist day of October, 
 i6o7," 2 his father. Assuming that the latter married about the 
 age of 20, Edward Morus' birth probably took place in the late 
 twenties or early thirties of this century. This would make him 
 about 60 at the time of his death, a much more likely age for a 
 man to be engaged in an employment demanding such activity 
 as that of a drover or cattle-dealer. 
 
 Huw Morus mourned the death of his fellow -bard in a 
 Cywydd Marwnad^ which throws some light upon his life. He 
 1 Barddoniatth Edward Morris, p. xiv. = ibid, p. x. 
 
 2 73 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 describes him as marsr awdivr, a reference, perhaps, not so much 
 to the number of his compositions as to their excellence. 
 
 " Marw Edward, mawr awdwr, 
 Moms oedd dymherus \vr ; 
 Llafurwr lies llyfrwr lion, 
 Lliwdeg o'r Perthi Lliaydion 
 Yn ben bardd, ni bu, ni bydd, 
 Afiaeth brwd, y fath brydydd ; 
 Brwd oedd ei ffrwd, brydydd ffraeth, 
 Aber ddeunydd barddoniaeth." 
 
 He calls him the heir of the Muses of Helicon, and extols the 
 purity of his diction and the sweetness of his odes : 
 
 " Per-air wr, puror araith, 
 Parod o rym, purder iaith. 
 
 Bardd od ar y beirdd ydoedd, 
 BIysiais ei waith, blasus oedd. 
 
 Athraw gwir, aeth i'r gweryd, 
 A wnai'r gerdd yn aur i gyd. 1 
 
 Hwn oedd dad cynghanedd deg, 
 Eos doethder ystwythdeg. 
 Ni ddae bwnc newydd o'i ben, 
 Flys hwylus, heb flas halen ; 
 Am eiriau mel, angel oedd, 
 Glain Brydain glan-ber ydoedd ; 
 Gwastad y plethiad i'n plith, 
 Gardd win oedd ei gerdd wenith." 
 
 After comparing him with Homer and Horace, he pays tribute to 
 his skill in awdl^ cywydd, englyn and carol: 
 
 " Gorau gweydd awenydd wych, 
 Gweuai awdl yn gaeadwych ; 
 Ei gyivyddau. gwiw addysjj, 
 Gwir iawn ddawn, a geir yn ddysg ; 
 Cardan 'n rheolau rhad, 
 Cyfoethog eu cyfieithiad ; 
 Ei englyntoti, angel annerch, 
 Fyth yw swyn afiaeth a serch." 
 
 Perhaps it will be well to give an instance of Edward Morus' 
 skill and attainments in each of the four kinds of Welsh verse 
 mentioned by his elegist. Very few of the first named composi- 
 tions have found their way into print. But Sir O. M, Edwards 
 
 1 Eos Ceiriog, i., pp, 22-3. 
 274 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 has one awdl in his collection of Edward Mortis' poems. It is 
 entitled Eghvyswr Mwyn, and is an elegy on the death of Mr. 
 Rees Foulk, parson of Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr. There is 
 nothing particularly striking in this poem, but it certainly bears 
 out Huw Mortis' verdict as far as the accuracy of its metres is 
 concerned. One stanza, the gorchest bdrdd, is beautiful in its 
 conception, and contains, perhaps, the best lines in the poem : 
 " Fr bedd heb wad, 
 
 I'r wledd aur wlad, 
 
 I'r hedd a'r had, 
 Orau rhodd ; 
 
 Ei ddawn oedd union, 
 
 A'i goel o'i galon, 
 
 Y nef gyfion 
 
 lawn a gafodd.", 
 
 His proest cyftmvidiog in the same poem is also a well -executed 
 stanza : 
 
 " Ei fawr boen ddi-ofer beth, 
 
 A gwir les agorai lith, 
 
 Nid oes ail figail o'i fath, 
 
 A thra bo dydd, ni bydd byth." ' 
 
 In Mr. Hugh Hughes' collection, Awdl yr Haidd is an 
 amusing poem describing the different uses to which barley is put, 
 and advancing arguments for each use. The devotee of Bacchus 
 demands that it shall be used exclusively for his consumption, 
 the housewife and hwsmon (farm bailiff) are equally certain that 
 it should be used for nothing but bread. The bard dubs these 
 extreme advocates wastrels and misers respectively. He despairs 
 of reconciling their rival claims, and comes to the conclusion that 
 each man must settle this problem for himself : 
 
 " Gwnaed pawb yn ddiogan ei feddwl a'i amcan, 
 Am haidd i hunan, mae'n hawdd iddo hynny. :: 
 
 It is a poem with a moral which he sums up thus : 
 ' Fe fyn pawb ei bleser, fel bo'n blysio." 
 
 Edward Morus wrote several cyivyddau. The first in the 
 collection of his work recently published is "Cywydd i'r Parchedig 
 Dad, William drwy Rad Duw Arglwydd Esgob Llanehvy." This 
 is a thanksgiving ode from a Welshman, who hailed with delight 
 p. 106-7. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 the appointment of one he believed to be a thoroughly Welsh 
 prelate, Bishop William Lloyd, to the See of St. Asaph. In many 
 of his poems he betrays his ardent love for his native tongue, 
 and his alertness to events which made for its preservation, or 
 otherwise. After regretting the " estroniaid ystryw anwir " who 
 had held that bishopric, he welcomes the new bishop because his 
 advent meant succour for the language he loved, and promotion 
 for those who spoke it : 
 
 " Dan ras hwn dyner oes hedd, 
 
 Mi ga eilwaith ymgeledd ; 
 
 Gwyr am car llwyddgar wellhant, 
 
 Caen' swyddau canys haeddant. 
 
 I dy Asaph dewiswyd, 
 Da actau'r Hew, Doctor Llwyd, 
 Cymreigydd cu mawrygwn, 
 Rwysg parch yr esgob hwn." 
 
 He then proceeds to describe the dignity of the office : 
 " Ach neu batch ucha'n y byd, 
 Aaron fu o'r un fy wyd ; 
 A doniau perlau purlan, 
 Hynaws glod yn ei wisg Ian ; 
 Y Meitr aur niae at yr iad, 
 I'w roi ar yr eneiniad." 
 
 The advantage of his knowledge of the language is that his 
 lordship will be understood, and brought into closer contact with 
 his people in their highest act of worship : 
 
 " Pum gair yn yr eglwys Iwys Ian, 
 Sydd well os hwy ddeallan ; 
 Na myrddiwn mewn mawr ddawn iaith, 
 O doe athro dieithriaith. 
 
 A'm cymmun glan, can fel cynt, 
 lawn addysg yn Nuw iddynt ; 
 Mewn Brutaniaith clodfaith clau, 
 Gael enill eu calonau." 
 
 Edward Morus also wrote excellent verses on the confinement of 
 the seven bishops in the Tower : 
 
 " Saith ffyddlon, Cryfion crefydd Cywiriaid, 
 
 Yn caru 'u Pen-llywydd ; 
 Duw'n benach na dyn baunydd, 
 Seithwyr amddiffynwyr fifydd." 
 276 
 
In this ode he compares James II. to Phaeton seated " in the 
 chariot of presumption," 1 and warns him that his fate would be 
 similar. He begs his Majesty to change his course. 
 
 The lofty moral tone of some of his poems is very impressive. 
 An example of this is found in his effort to entice his countrymen 
 into the paths of sobriety. His ode against drunkenness, entitled, 
 Cywydd yn erbyn Meddivdod points out the serious physical and 
 mental effects, not to mention the moral harm wrought through 
 the influence of excessive drinking : 
 
 " Pwy a ddengys a'i fis fai 
 Mwy na gwendid inevvn gwindai ? 
 
 Ac yfed frwd gafod frau, 
 Dros fesur, diras foesau ; 
 Cyfeillach drwy afiach dro, 
 A fu'r esgus i frwysgo ; 
 Pylu'n hurt, pa wael wanhau, 
 Os yn hir, y synhwyrau. 
 Pylu'r cof trwy anghof trwm, 
 Bydd rusol boddi rheswm ; 
 Dinistrio corph a'i orphen, 
 Dallu pwyll deall y pen. 
 
 Fob afiechyd, clefyd, clyw, 
 Di rin wyd, dy ran ydyw. 
 
 Yn iechyd ni wrthyd neb, 
 Ffiol lawn o ffolineb ; 
 Dan dy drwyn gwenwyn i gyd, 
 Yfi achos afiechyd. 
 
 Delw y Tad, dilewyd hi, 
 Gwarth wyneb a gwrthuni. 
 
 Drwg i'r corph, drwy'r cwrw y caid, 
 Drwg o ran drygu'r enaid." 
 
 His cywyddau marwnad (elegies) are also beautiful compositions. 
 A good example is that composed to Hywel Vaughan o Lan y 
 Llyn> 1669 : 
 
 " Am wr enwog mae newyn, 
 Fwy na llu ar fin y Llyn." 
 
 1 Eos Ceiriog, p. 386. 
 
 277 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 He refers to the bereaved family in the following terms : 
 
 " O ! gwyn rydost gwn redeg, 
 I clagrau'n fotymau teg ; 
 Duw a wrendy fry o'r fron, 
 Weddi a gvveiddi gweddwon ; 
 Duw achles hoff les a phlaid, 
 Mae'n ddyfnl i ymddifaid 
 Bydd, arglvvydd, rhag tramgwydd trwch, 
 Dad iddyn', er dedwyddwch. 
 
 Y corph aeth, cu araf ffel, 
 Gwr downus i gor Daniel ; 
 A'r enaid aeth yr un dydd, 
 Ail einioes i lawenydd ; 
 Bendithion ban odiaethol, 
 A pharch iawn eiff ar eich ol ; 
 Hyd nefoedd cyhoedd y caid, 
 I roi annerch i'r enaid ; 
 Cyfodiad at rad Duw Tri, 
 Llawn einioes Ha wen ini." 
 
 His calling as a drover influenced some of his similes, e.g. : 
 
 " Ni alia i ddim o'm nerth fy hun, 
 
 Ond fel y mochyn, eilwaith 
 Ymdroi'n y dom ; Duw cynnal fi 
 O bob drygioni diffaith." 
 
 His delineation of animals gives the impression of one who 
 thoroughly understood them. It is not strange that this poetic 
 drover should have given such a vivid description of the bull in 
 his Cywydd y Tdriv. The following is an instance of his apt 
 portraiture : 
 
 " Crych leisiwr a rhodiwr rhydd 
 Cryg ym min craig y mynydd ; 
 Pur feudwy mewn porfa-dir, 
 Meillion, gwellt a hydd-wellt hir." 
 
 Some of his poems are fine moral essays, for instance, that 
 entitled Ystyriaeth ar Fywoliaeth Dyn. Man's frailty has been 
 well described in the following lines : 
 
 " Mae'r deall o'r untu, a'r c6f wedi llygru, 
 A'r cnawd yn ein dallu, a'n denu ni i'n dal ; 
 Mewn amryw gamwedclau, anrhefnus ein rhwydau, 
 Ein serch a'n hanwydau'n anwadal." 
 
 And faith in Christ is its only antidote. Edward Morus' poem? 
 278 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 are permeated with the spirit of Christianity, and his robust faith 
 finds expression in many lines : 
 
 " Ffydcl gadarn ddihoced, yw'r in::,' ymwared, 
 Yn Nghrist mae ymddiried, a chadwed iwch hedd ; 
 O'r Aiffl os llongwriwch, ar fwrdd Edifeiiwch, 
 I Canaan mordwywch o'r diwedd." 
 
 He was an advocate of early marriages, and had a strong dislike 
 to marriage as a purely civil contract, and bluntly condemned the 
 union of those between whom there was great disparity of years : 
 " Deuddyn ifanc a briodo, 
 
 Diwall heddwch, Duw a'u llwyddo, 
 
 Ac na chlywer tiwy ymddrysu 
 
 Fylh fynd hen at hen ond hynny." 
 
 Ill one of his poems he reflects on the distinction the world 
 makes between rich and poor : 
 
 " Gwr, perchen cywaeth, yn ol ci fmvolae'.h, 
 Fe ddaw i'w gladdedigaeth, yrr hekieih o hyd ; 
 Y llawd pan derfyno, prin cael i'r fan hono 
 Mor digon i'w gario fe i'r gweryd." 
 
 Cyngor bardd fw forwyn is full of wise precepts from a 
 master to his maid, and advocates contentment and probity of 
 life as the keys to happiness : 
 
 " Nid wrth a gafodd o gyfoeth yn nglyn, 
 Y dylai neb fesur dedwyddvvch un dyn ; 
 Boddlonrwydd yw'r golud inewn gwiwlan ystad, 
 Pwy welodd heb ddigon y cyfion, a'i had? " 
 
 He composed numerous Christmas carols, some of them of great 
 beauty, and most of them a digest of the main facts in the life of 
 Christ, in addition to a vivid representation of the central theme. 
 It seems to have been the bard's practice to compose one for each 
 Christmas, and most of them bear the date of their composition 
 within their contents. 
 
 In Hugh Hughes' collection appear carols for 1656, 1660, 
 1661, 1663, 1665, 1671, 1685, and 1686. They deal with the 
 subject of the Nativity with the greatest reverence. A few of 
 them lead up to it by a summary of the promises of the Messiah's 
 advent in the flesh, and afterwards mention the mighty works ha 
 performed in his ministrations to mankind : 
 
 " Ail Bers.m y Drindud, inab Dafydd trwy ddyndod, 
 Ac Arghvydd mewn Duwdod, tro hynod tiwy hedd ; 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Pregethwr daionus Efengyl gysurus, 
 
 I'r rhai edifarus, da fawredd. 
 
 Dysgu'r Athrawon, a galw ei Udisgyblion, 
 
 Ei wyrthiau grasuslon yn fowrion a fu, 
 
 Troi Saul yn Paul ddawnus, troi'r dwfr yn win melus, 
 
 Mae'n hysbys ei ewyllys, a'i allu. 
 
 lachau pob clefydon, rhoi parabl i'r mudion, 
 
 Bywhau y rhai meirwon, y gwirion Oen gwir, 
 
 Khoi'r cloffion i gerdded, rhoi deillion i weled, 
 
 Byddatiaid i glywed, yn glauar." 
 
 He has also other carols on secular subjects, and in this lighter 
 vein he has the very happy gift of blending Nature and Love in 
 perfect harmony : " Carol yn gyrru'r Haf at ei Gariad," and 
 " Carol Cupid " are two good examples. 
 
 Edward Morus was also a facile writer of englynion. His 
 readiness in composing is instanced in the englyu entitled Y Bardd 
 a'r Pladunvyr. The bard was passing a field, where they were 
 cutting corn, and was playfully invited to wield the sickle, but he 
 declined owing to age and infirmity, and in lieu thereof he sang 
 the following englyn : 
 
 " Canlyn Pladur ddur ar ddant y rhosdir 
 
 Rhai ysdwyth a'i medrant ; 
 Esmwythach i was methiant, 
 Englyn, a Thelyo, a Thant.'' 
 
 His englynion composed to Bishop Humphreys when the latter 
 was raised to the See of Bangor are well known. He took great 
 pride in the elevation ef Welshmen to the episcopate in their own 
 country, and Bishop Humphreys certainly fulfilled the bard's 
 expectations, expressed in the lines : 
 
 " Esgob Humphreys lies wellhad yr Eglwys 
 
 Rywioglan gyssegriad, 
 Gael i G6r Bangor heb wad, 
 I Dduw was o'i ddewisiad. 
 Gwr o'n gwlad gariad geirwir gore 'i ddawn 
 
 Gwr i Dduw sydd gowir, 
 Gwr o'n hiaith i'w garu'n hir, 
 Ag o'n ffydd a ganffyddir." 
 
 When Elis Lewis of Llwyngwern published his translation of 
 Drexelius' work on Eternity, Edward Morus was a most interested 
 well-wisher, and he, amongst others of the most prominent bards 
 280 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 of the time, wrote commendatory odes to the work. The follow- 
 ing englynion are amongst those he composed on this occasion : 
 
 " Fob enaid, gwiwraid, a garo fyw'n hir 
 
 I fwynhau dedwydd-dro, 
 Darllened, cadwecl mewn co, 
 Hyn o dasc hen a'i dysgo ! 
 
 Ti, Elis Lewis, i'r wlad a roddaist 
 
 Arwycidion o'th gariad : 
 Pa un yn rhoi poeu yn rhad, 
 Trael lawer trwy olcuad. 
 
 Cyfieithiad, troad i'r truah -Gymro 
 
 I gym'ryd d}'sc burlan ; 
 Hyffotddiad goleuad glan, 
 O dywyllwch du allan." 
 
 He wrote a beautiful cyivydd mai-wnad to Gabriel Goodman, Esq., 
 of Nantglyn, who died on January loth, 1673, and who was, 
 probably, a descendant of the famous Dean of Westminster of 
 that name, the founder of Ruthin Grammar School. The subject 
 of this elegy was a learned lawyer, as we gather from the lines : 
 
 " Dysgedig nid oes gwadu, 
 Yn y gyfraith faith a fu 
 
 Solon oedd sail iawn addysg, 
 Sycurgus lawn dawn a dysg ! 
 A'i g6f ydoedd yn gadarn, 
 I gofio heb wyro barn ; 
 Gwr ethol gwiw areithydd, 
 Sisero lyfn, ddyfn i'w ddydu, 
 
 Un o'i eiriau iawn areth, 
 Eglura'r pwynt ar gloi'r peth." 
 
 In Carol y Ctvacer he shows a particularly strong antipathy 
 to that body of religionists ; the chief ground of his quarrel with 
 them was that they refused to recognise the Lord's Supper : 
 
 " Drwy gyfarch Duw'n benna a'm genau mi gana, 
 
 Gael cennad ni cheisia, a chased wyf fi, 
 Gan Grynwyr cyfrwysgall na heretic arall, 
 
 Nid oes 'y mryd diwall mo'r tewi. 
 Os mawr i'r sect berffaith ddiystyru Llywodraeth, 
 
 Mae mwy barnedigaeth yn digwydd o'r ddau 
 Am wrthod drwy aflwydd, orchymyn yr Arglwydd 
 Heb bris yn ei arwydd na'i eiiiau." 
 
 CyfresyFil t p. 86. 
 
 281 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Edward Moras' poems are sweet and pure. He loved what 
 was beautiful in life and language. In a degenerate age he 
 maintained a high standard of moral purity, and he knew how to 
 depict youth and love with chastity and freshness. In politics he 
 was an ardent Royalist, and in religion one of the stoutest 
 upholders of the Establishment, in both of which he was at one 
 with his distinguished contemporary, the bard of Pont-y-meibion. 
 All his religious poems are evangelical and orthodox. He 
 delighted in the action of the seven Bishops, who resisted 
 James II. in his attempts to re -impose the Papal yoke. The 
 Quakers he could not tolerate because they would have kept his 
 muse mute. Amongst his nature poems his Miwsig Min Coed is 
 as pretty an ode of praise to the nightingale as any in the 
 language. It appears in Sir O. M. Edwards' Cyfres y Fil collec- 
 tion of his poems. The two englynion which follow are selected 
 from that poem : 
 
 " lach lawen wyf, o chlywais, ar fedw 
 
 Arfodau peraiddlais 
 Eden llwyd, adwen y llais. 
 Eos gefnllwyd ysgafnllais. 
 
 Eos fwyno'r llwyn, darllenais y mann, 
 
 A mynych ystyriais 
 Leied hon, gre-lonn, groew-lais, 
 Mewn torr llwyn, a maint yw'r llais." 
 
 Reference has been made to the friendship which existed between 
 Huw Moras and Edward Mortis. On one occasion the latter 
 addressed his brother bard with the following greeting : 
 
 " Huw Morns felus fyw alarch barod, 
 
 Burwr cerdd gywreinbarch ; 
 Anerchion cofion cyfarch, 
 I'th wyneb pur, ddoeth enw parch." 
 
 To which Huw Morus replied : 
 
 " Mawr Athro'n eilio, anwylyd miloedd, 
 
 Melin y gelfyddyd, 
 Melin dda'n malu'n ddiwyd, 
 Malu'r gerdd mal aur i gyd." 
 
 Huw Moras' Cywydd Marwnad Edward Morus has already been 
 282 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 mentioned. He gives in it the date of his death and his place of 
 
 burial : 
 
 " Dau wyth gant, medclant i'n mysg, 
 Pan ghddwyd pen goleuddysg ; 
 Wyth ddeg a naw, a theg nod, 
 Oed lesu wedi' osod ; 
 Daear Essex, dir isod, 
 Ydyw beddle, claddle clod." 1 
 
 Owen Gruffudd of Llanystumdwy was one of the three bards 
 who composed an elegy to Edward Morus. In it he well 
 describes the power of his muse, the goodness of his life, and 
 the integrity of his faith, as shown in the following englynion : 
 " Breuddwyd o bwriwyd i'r bedd, wir iawnglod 
 
 Ariangloch cynghanedd, 
 A'i gwiw frodiad gyfrodedd, 
 Sidan blethiad wastad wedd. 
 Planodd a naddodd iawn addas ganiad 
 
 Yn gynil goweithas ; 
 Gwr da a fu, gair di fas, 
 Odiaethol ei gymdeithas. 
 Rhoi glod ddi-ddarfod i'w ddydd, o'i Eglwys 
 
 Wir eglur ei chrefydd, 
 Ac i ddoniau gwiw ddeunydd 
 Athrawon ffyddlon eu ffydd." 
 
 Another contemporary, Sion Dafydd Las, also added his tribute 
 to Edward Morus' memory : 
 
 "Am golofn cerdd ddofn ei ddydd, am fwynwr 
 
 Ac am f'amvyl brydydd, 
 Ni ddaw neb, gresyndcb sydd, 
 Fyth i ni a'r fath newydd. 
 
 Galared, cwyned pob canwr campus, 
 
 Cwympodd y dysgawdwr ; 
 Athro ydoedd, weithredwr, 
 Neuadd y gan oedd y gwr. 
 Pwy weithian a gan a genau mor ber? 
 
 Manv y bardd oedd orau ! 
 Diweddiad pob clymiad clau, 
 I chwi oedd, a chywyddau." 
 
 Owen Gruffydd, of Llanystumdwy, wrote several poems 
 
 which appear in the Blodmgerdd, of which the following are the 
 
 titles : " Carol yn erbyn Cybydd-dod a Balchder," " Carol 
 
 Duwiol i feddwl am y Diwedd," " Cyfarchiad Henaint," " Dangos 
 
 1 Eos Ceiriog', i., 26. 
 
 283 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 ofnadwy Fygythion Duw yn amser Tymhestloedd," " Mawl i 
 Dduvv am y Cymmun Sanctaidd," " Cerdd y Pren Almon," 
 " Difrifol Ystyriaeth o ddioddefaint ein lachawdwr lesu Grist," 
 " Myfyrdod am Farwolaeth," " Ymddiddan rhwng y Prydydd a'r 
 Gog," " Cerdd yn gosod allan ddull y Farn Ddiweddaf," " Galar- 
 nad Troseddiad y Sul," " Cwymp y Bail," " Ystyriol Freuolder 
 Einioes," " Ystyriaeth ar y drydydd bennod o'r Pregethwr," 
 " Annogaeth i Fodlondeb," " Carol i'r Seren Wyl, neu ddydd 
 Ystwyll." 
 
 As will be seen, Owen Gruffydd wrote mostly on religious 
 subjects. Many of his poems were written in the early part of 
 the eighteenth century, for he died in 1730. In the pages of Y 
 Brython is given an englyn recited by him against the custom of 
 burial in coffins, and he is said to have given a strict injunction 
 that he should be buried in a linen shroud : 
 
 " O ffei ! gwaith ffiaidd o'i go' wneyd eirch 
 
 Nid archiad Duw mono : 
 Mewn llian, graian, a gro, 
 Bu gorff lesu'n gorphwyso." 
 
 Y Brython, iv., p. 114. 
 
 His wish, however, was not granted, for W. Elias in an englyn 
 composed at his death in 1730, states : 
 
 " Rhoi'r bardd mwyn cufardd mewn cist o dderw, 
 
 I'r ddaiaren athrist : 
 O'i edrych 'r wyf yn odrist, 
 Mae'n bruddedd, truanedd trist." 
 
 " Dwyfor," writing in the pages of Y Brython describes Owen 
 Gruffydd as " hen Brydydd, o fri mawr yn ei oes, a chryn son am 
 dano ar lafar gwlad, heb ond ychydig iawn o hanes, fel bywgraffiad 
 am dano." i 
 
 The following selection from his poem Cwymp y Dail will 
 serve as an example of the quality of his muse : 
 
 " Cwympoa wneiffy ddeilen lasa, 
 Yr un modd a'r hon sydd grina : 
 Y grin a'r las, pob un sy'n syrthio, 
 Conset yw hon i bawb i'w chofio 
 
 Fe geiff dyn fawrddysg os ystyria, 
 Oddiwrth gwymp y ddeilen leia : 
 
 1 Y Brython, iv., p. 467. 
 284 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 Ac am hyn yr oreu i'w chofio, 
 Yw C onset y Daitsy'n syrthio. 
 
 Y dydd a roed i ba\vb i weithio, 
 Pan ddel y no., mae'n rhaid gorphwyso ; 
 Y gwaith yn fawr, a byr yw'r amser, 
 Gwiliwn dreulio h'.vn yn ofer. :> 
 
 In one of his poems, Ymddiddan rhwng y Prydydd a'r Gog, he 
 makes the curios statement that the Virgin died at the age of 63 : 
 
 " Er gwched million feinion ha, 
 Na chynnyg gwylia chwennych, 
 Ond a roddo Duw i'th ran, 
 Ar wedd dy oedran edrych : 
 Yr wyt yn sefyll ar naw saith 
 O flwyddi i'th ymdaith yma, 
 Ar hyn o oedran cyfan gwyn, 
 Bu farw'r forwyn bura ; 
 Oedd fam dy Brynwr barnwr byd, 
 Mesurwr hyd dy yrfa." 
 
 In common with many of the bards of his time, his outlook 
 upon life was rather gloomy, and his favourite theme the 
 uncertainty and brevity of man's days. His poems are usually in 
 the free metres. 
 
 Sion Dafydd Las, who has been mentioned as having 
 written a marwnad to Edward Morus, was a bard and harpist 
 who flourished between 1650 and 1690. He was generally called 
 " Bardd Nannau." Upon one occasion he met the bard of Perthi 
 Llwydion, and they composed six englynion, taking alternate 
 stanzas. When Sion Dafydd Las heard of the death of his 
 fellow-bard in Essex, he sang six more, the last of which is as 
 
 follows : 
 
 " I'r bedd, lie oetaidd yn Llan, cul feddiant ! 
 
 Aeth celfyddyd fwynlan ; 
 A'r hen iaith, ni a'i rhown weithian 
 A'r Awen fytii i'r un fan." 
 
 Gwaith Gwallter Mcchain, i., p. 441. 
 
 It would seem that Sion Dafydd Las was an inveterate 
 drunkard, and, no doubt, his joint vocation as bard and harpist 
 often took him into the way of temptation. Lewis Owain, of 
 Tyddyn y Garreg, a neighbour and contemporary, tried to shame 
 him out of his weakness by composing the following englynion : 
 
 285 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 " Hir ofer arfer a orfydci sadrwydd, 
 
 Cais edrych dy ddefnydd ; 
 Sad iawn barch, a sydyn bydd 
 Eisiau yn dyfod, Sion Dafydd ! 
 Mab Dafydd, awenydd wiw-nod cyn d'orwedd 
 
 Gwna derfyn ar feddwdod- 
 Mab i ddiawl, anneddfawl nod, 
 Mab Duw oni bai diod." 
 
 Gwaith Gwallter Ahihain, i., p. 442. 
 
 The culprit's conscience was touched, and he replied : 
 
 "Gwir yw'r gair, pur-air, heb ball, a chadarn, 
 
 Ychydig ai deall ; 
 Oferedd neu fai arall, 
 Buan y gwe) boen a gwall. 
 At fy Nhad, fwriad edifeirwch af 
 
 I ofyn ei heddwch, 
 Gan grynu, llechu'n y llwch, 
 A darostwng i dristwch." 
 
 Ibid., p. 442. 
 
 Lewis Owain praised his effort to reform and gave him every 
 encouragement : 
 
 "Am bechod, ddu nod, a wnaist, y prydydd, 
 
 Pur odiaeth y cenaist ; 
 Gwna dithau, Sion, ffyddlon, ffest, 
 Fawl didwyll, fel y d'wedaist." 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 The reform, however, did not last long, and one morning, after a 
 night's debauch, the reprobate bard bemoaned his aching head, 
 as follows : 
 
 " Pen brol, pen lledffol, pen llaith, pen dadwrdd, 
 
 Pen d'wedyd yn helaeth ; 
 Pen croch alw, pen crych eihvailh, 
 Pen a swn mal pennau saith." 
 
 A bard named Wmffrai Dafydd ab I fan, the sexton of 
 Llanbrynmair, sang during the Commonwealth period, and some 
 of his poems appear in Llyfr Carolau Thomas Jones ; Almanaciivr, 
 1696. They are part of the carol literature of the period. 
 
 In the Cambrian Biography, a bard named Watcin 
 Clywedog is said to have flourished in the early part of the 
 seventeenth century. It would seem from his poems that he was 
 a native of Arfon. He lost his three sons in one year, and the 
 286 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 bard wrote an elegy full of pathos on the occasion, in which the 
 following lines occur : 
 
 " Trist yw'r galon don i'm dydd, maiw Wiliam, 
 
 Rolant, a Meredydd ; 
 Trist benyd thoes Duw beunydd, 
 Tristwch tra bwy' fwyfwy fydd ! 
 Ow ! feibion tirion teiriaith ymadrodd 
 
 Chwi a'u medrech yn berffaith ; 
 Gyrwch air hygar o'ch iaith, 
 I'm sirio, rymus araith." 
 
 The Rev. P. B. Williams thinks that this bard lived at Rhiw- 
 aedog, near Bala, and that he and his sons were buried at Llanfor, 
 and not at Llannor in Lleyn. There is, however, a Cfywedog in 
 Mawddwy. It is the name of a small stream which runs into the 
 Dovey, near Mallwyd. There were two other bards from that 
 locality, leuan Clywedog, and Sion leuan Clywedog. 1 
 
 In reply to his pathetic appeal to his sons to send him a 
 message, Wat tin Clywedog conceives in imagination the following 
 message : 
 
 " Siriwch, gobeithiwch bob avvr yn ufudd 
 
 Am y nefol drysawr ; 
 Llawenydd a fo yn Llannawr 
 Llawen vm ni yn Haw 'Nuw mawr. 
 Ffarwel, dad, a'n gwlad, fe glodd Duw arnom 
 
 Deyrnas lle'n coronodd ; 
 Gweled yr ym, golud rodd, 
 Wyneb Brenin a'n prynodd." 
 
 It will be seen from these lines that Watcin Clywedog was a 
 skilful bard, especially in composing englynion. 
 
 Thomas Llwyd o Benmaen, a Quaker bard, flourished 
 in the reign of Charles II. It is not known to which Penmaen 
 he belonged. There is one near Dolgelley, and another near 
 Machynlleth. One of his fellow bards wrote to him to try to 
 dissuade him from his Quaker views, praising his poetic skill and 
 advising him to return to the fold of the Church. To this 
 Thomas Llwyd replied : 
 
 " Euog a rhanog a rheiny a fiim, 
 Wyf yma'n chwennychu 
 
 1 Gwaith G-wallter Mechain, \. (See footnote, p. 463). 
 
 2 8 7 
 
Adferawl edifaru 
 Am ffolion arferion fu. 
 Paul glan ar eiriau a roes, yn fynych, 
 
 Yn fenaid ddychryn-loes ; 
 ' A hauo dyn hyd ei einioes, 
 A feda ef wedi oes.' 
 Gochelaf, ciliaf, rhag caled gpdwm 
 
 Gyda'r byd sy'n cerdded ; 
 Ceisiaf newyddaf nodded, 
 Ganlyn Crist, goleuni Cred." ' 
 
 Matthew Owen, who is styled at the end of one of his 
 poems in the Blodeitgerdd " Matthew Owen, o Lan Garw Gwyn, 
 pan oedd yn Rhydychain," 2 composed four poems which have 
 found their way into that work. The first is entitled Hanes y 
 Cymry. He traces them back to Caer-Droya (Troy), and brings 
 in all the prominent personages, real and imaginary, who figured, 
 in the history of Cambria from mythological times to his own day. 
 Taliesin, Gildas, Isidore, Bishop of Sevile ; Giraldus, Sir John 
 Prys, Humphrey Llwyd, John Stow, John Bale, Dr. loan Gwent 
 (Sion Cent), Dr. Dafydd.Powel, Dr. Pezron, Mr. Elis ap Elis, Mr. 
 Theophilus Evans, Thomas Williams oes Lyfr, Dafydd Jones, 
 Ficar, Edmund Prys, William Phylip, and Edward Llwyd, are 
 cited as authorities for the contents of each stanza, respectively, 
 in this strange medley of history and myth, which is certainly one 
 of the quaintest poems in the Blodeugerdd. 
 
 Of his next effusion, which is entitled Dull o ymddiddan 
 rhwng dwy chivaer am Wra, it is stated that Matthew Owen o 
 blwyf Llangar, wrote " dros y meibion" and William Prys 
 Dafydd, "dros y merched" and the poem is dated 1660. The 
 following stanza gives an idea of the treatment of the theme : 
 
 " Merch a dorrodd Adda i lavvr, 
 A merch a dwyllodd Samson gavvr, 
 O achos merch oedd deg ei gwawr, 
 Yr aeth Troia fawr yn wreichion ! 
 A merched gynt a feddwodd Lot, 
 Wrth fethu canffot dynion, 
 A oni adwaenoch ferch ddi fai, 
 Rhowch ogan llai i'r meibion." 
 
 1 Givaitk Gwallter Mechain, i., p. 439. 2 Blodeugerdd^ p. 389. 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 The third poem is entitled Deisyfiad un am s,ael Physig gan ft 
 gatiad. The bard suffers from the disease, which is as old as 
 the world, and tells the object of his affections that the herbs for 
 its cure grow only in her garden of love : 
 
 " Nid oes dim all safio mywyd, 
 Ond a wnelo chwi fy amvylyd, 
 O'ch hynaws gelfyddyd eich hunan, 
 I mae'r holl lysiau ond eu ceisio 
 Yn eich gerddi chwi 'n blodeuo, 
 Nid rhaid i chwi wario mo'ch arian." 
 
 The fourth poem is entitled " Carol Plygain Croniclaidd, yn 
 mynegi Ganedigaeth a Dioddefaint IESU ; a hanes y Cymry o'u 
 dechreuad." It opens : 
 
 " Gwasgwn bawb ein pennau ynghyd, 
 
 Tiwy gwbl fryd, gu frodyr; 
 I foli'r haeldad, rhoddiad rhwydd, 
 
 Yr hylwydd Arglwydd eglur. 
 Ond hwn yw'r gwyliau goreu a gaed, 
 
 Er pan wnaed eneidiau ? 
 Yganwyd gwir fab Duw ei hun, 
 
 Eill roi pob djn o'i boenau." 
 
 He then proceeds to relate the early legends concerning Britain, 
 and fixes the coming of Brutus in 1108 B.C. : 
 
 <c Un cant ar ddeg ag wyth mlwydd gu, 
 Cyn geni yr lesu rasol." 
 
 Then he works through the dispensation of the prophets to the 
 coming of Christ in the year of the world, 4,000 : 
 
 " Ac oed y byd at bedair mil, 
 Y caed o'i hil, Duw'r hylwydd." 
 
 Then are recorded all the events accompanying the Nativity, the 
 Crucifixion, and the bringing of the Gospel to Britain by Joseph 
 of Arimathea : 
 
 " A'r Joseph hwn addaeth cyn hir, 
 
 I rodio breudir Biydain 
 Gan roi'r efengyl i'w mawrhau, 
 Rhyd temlau caerau cywrain " 
 
 And the conversion of Lucius or Les to Christianity in 180 A.D. 
 is next related : 
 
 " A chynta brenin uwch y gwydd, 
 
 A drodd i'r ffydd gris'nogaidd ; 
 
 Oedd pen iheolwr Biydain o'r dlws, 
 
 A'i henw Liwsiws, Iwysaidd." 
 
 289 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 He mentions Elen (Helen Luyddawg) bringing the Cross to 
 Britain Sept. 14, 320 A.D., the Devotion of 'King Arthur to 
 Christianity, and his strict observance of the Christian festivals ; 
 the rising of the Sects who neglected them, and his own deter- 
 mination to resist their indifference in this respect, especially to 
 the observance of Christmas : 
 
 " Ond cododd Sectau yr oes hon, 
 Can wadu yr gwiwlon wyliau ; 
 Pa mwya gablo nhwy ar hwn, 
 Yn fwy moliannwn ninnau." 
 
 He finishes this quaint mixture of sacred and profane history, 
 fact and fancy, by commending his carol to the men of Gwynedd : 
 
 " Trigolion Gwynedd Iwysaidd lu, 
 Er mwyn difyrru'r gwylie ; 
 Derbyniwch hwn i'r lawen wlad, 
 O ffyddlon ganiad Jifatthe. 
 
 His englyn to Huw and Edward Morus distinguishes between the 
 two bards thus : 
 
 " Mae dyfais fawrgais ofergerdd gan Hu-w 
 
 I ymhoewi mewn ^zya/gerdd ; 
 Caniadau pynciau pencerdd, 
 Ned a. gan enaid y gerdd." 
 
 But Matthew Owen was not an unprejudiced authority, where 
 Huw Morus was concerned. 
 
 Lewis Owen, o Dyddyn y Garreg, who was mentioned 
 above in connection with Sion Dafydd Las, has one composition 
 in the Blodeugerdd, entitled Sesiwn gwr ifangc am ei Gariad. It 
 is an appleal to his Venus, whom he conceives as a Justice sitting 
 on the Bench, to hear his plea for mercy : 
 
 " Rwy yma fel carcharor, mewn cyflwr blin o'ch blaen, 
 Yn deisyf barn neu bardwn drwy bur opiniwn plaen, 
 A Chi-wpit Arglwydd Ffansi, hwn ydyw Siri y serch, 
 A chwithau'n eiste'n Ustiis, liardd fedrus foddus ferch, 
 Da'i medrwch seren eglur, a'ch synwyr drin eich swydd, 
 Cyfiawnder gnu new ch yn iach chwi a'm cewch a thrugarhewch yn 
 rhwydd." 
 
 Elis Cadwaladr was a bard of Edeirnion, between Corwen 
 and Bala, in Merionethshire. Four of his poems are published 
 in the Blodeugerdd. The first is entitled Carol Plygain i foliannu 
 Duw, and is dated 1703. It follows the usual lines of carols of 
 290 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 the time in summarising Bible history from the Creation to the 
 end of Christ's work in the Redemption of the world, and contains 
 an attack on Roman/an/0/w : 
 
 " Nid Pab nag aur ddelwau sydd deilwng i faddeu, 
 Ni chadw ein Eneidiau am ein beiau yn y byd " 
 
 and ends with an invocation to God to preserve the Queen and 
 to save England from Rome : 
 
 " Duw cadw'r Dwysoges, sef Ann ein Brenhines, 
 Rhag twyll a drwg fales, er mawrlles, Amen. 
 A nertha ni yn unig a'th law fendigedig, 
 Rhag dirmyg a Rhyfyg gwyr Rhufen." 
 
 The second is also a carol entitled Carol P/ygain ifoliannu 
 Duw, and is much on the same lines. 
 
 The third is entitled Ymddiddan rhwng Dyn a Chydwybod^ 
 bob yn Ail Penill, and is a reflection concerning the claims of 
 conscience from the standpoint of Christianity. His last poem is 
 entitled Clod i Ferch, in which he brings in the lady's name, 
 Margaret Anwyl, in a kind of acrostic, and asserts that it would 
 take the combined skill of Virgil, Horace, Orpheus, and the nine 
 Muses, to describe her. His own description is, in part, as 
 follows : 
 
 " Y hi ydi'r Ian flodeu yn damasg, 
 
 Lluneiddwasg feinwasg fwyn, 
 
 Drych o Fernvs wych o fonedd, 
 
 A'r decca ei gwedd a'r dwyn ; 
 
 Nis gwn i pwy o fil neu fwy, 
 
 A'i comparia yn nyddiau nwy, 
 
 Am eiriau mel lle'r el lliw'r wy." 
 
 (b) ENGLISH AND LATIN POEMS 
 
 William Vaughan, son of W. Vaughan, of Golden Grove, 
 in Carmarthenshire, and younger brother of Sir John Vaughan, 
 first Earl of Carbery, was born in 1577, and entered Jesus College, 
 Oxford, 1591, at the age of 14.' After leaving Oxford, he had a 
 varied and interesting career and travelled on the Continent, 
 visiting Vienna and other towns. He afterwards became the 
 chief undertaker of the plantation in Cambriol, the southernmost 
 Oxou : i. s pp. 45Q^ 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 part of Newfoundland, afterwards called by some Britaniola, an 
 enterprise into which he threw himself wholeheartedly, neither 
 sparing his pen, purse, nor person. 
 
 His works, as given in the Athena Oxonienses, are as follows : 
 
 1. " EP12TOIIAIFXIOX Piuni continens canticum canticorum 
 Solomonis, & Psalmos aliquot selectiores, una cum quibus- 
 dam aliis poematis e Sacra; Scripture fontibus petitis. Lond. 
 
 I597-" 
 
 2. " Eletna eratulatoria in honorem illustriss. Herois Carol! 
 
 o o 
 
 Howard Comitis Nottingham 23 Oct. 1597 meretiss. 
 
 creati. :; 
 
 Both the above were printed together. 
 
 3. " Varia Poernata de Sphaerarum ordine &c. Lond. 1589." 
 
 4. " Poemata Continent. Encom. Roberti Comitis Essex. 1598." 
 
 5. " The Golden Grove Moralized, in 3 books. A work very 
 necessary for all such as would know how to govern them- 
 selves, their houses, or their country." Lond. 1600, and 
 1608. This book, which is written in prose, was commended 
 to the world, Wood states, "by some Poets, or at least 
 pretenders to poetry, then (1600) living in the University, 
 as Dr. John Williams, Margaret Professor ; Will. Osbourne, 
 one of the Proctors: Hen. Price, B.D., St. John's College; 
 Griffith Powel, of Jesus ; John Budden, LI. I)., Nich. Lang- 
 ford and Tho. Came, M.A.'s ; Gabriel Powel, B.A., Sam. 
 Powel, Tho. Storer, John Rawlinson, M.A.'s, &c., &c." 
 
 6. " Cambrensium Caroleia. Quibus nuptiae regales celebran- 
 tur, memoria regis pacifici renovatur, & pnecepta necessaria 
 ad rempub. nostrum fa^liciter administrandum intexunter : 
 reportata a Colchide Cambriola ex australissima Novae 
 Terrae plaga. Lond. 1625." 
 
 This is a Latin poem dedicated by Vaughan under the name 
 Orpheus Junior to Charles I. 
 
 7. " The Golden Fleece, divided into three parts, under which 
 are discovered the errors of Religion, the vices and decays of 
 the. Kingdom, .\:c., Lond, 1626." This is a prose work. 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 The year of William Vaugharvs death is not known, but he 
 was living at Cambriol in 1628. 
 
 Sir John Stradling, the son of Francis Stradling, was born 
 near Bristow, in Somersetshire, but descended from an ancient 
 and knightly family living at St. Donat's, Glamorganshire. He 
 was educated under Edward Green, Prebendary of the Cathedral 
 at Bristol, entered Brasnose College, Oxford, in 1579, aged 16. 
 In 1583 he took his B.A. degree, as member of Magdalen Hall, 
 " being then accounted a miracle for his forwardness in learning 
 and pregnancy of parts." ' He afterwards travelled, and later 
 jqined the Inns of Court, and was much admired by the learned 
 Camden, Sir John Harrington, the poet ; Thomas Leyson, and 
 above all by Dr. John Dafydd Rhys, the noted physician, 
 grammarian, and critic. His first work entitled DC vita et morte 
 contemncnda, which is written in three books and addressed to his 
 uncle, Sir Edward Stradling, of St. Donat's, was printed at 
 Frankfort, in 1597. In 1607 he published Epi^rammatitm Libri 
 Qitatuorf printed in London ; and two years later he succeeded 
 his uncle at St. Donat's Castle, took up his residence there, and 
 was made a baronet in 1611. For some years subsequently he 
 was so involved in affairs, in which he was highly esteemed for 
 his wisdom and learning, that he gave up writing. But towards 
 the end of the reign of James I. he published, in 1623, a Divine 
 Poem entitled Beati Pacifid. This was perused by the King and 
 printed by authority. Upon the accession of Charles I., he 
 published Divine Poems in seven several Classes, which were 
 addressed to Charles, in 1625. At the end of this work is an 
 Epitaph made by him on James I. In 1625 he was Knight of 
 the shire of Glamorgan. He died in 1637.3 
 
 John Owen or Audoenus was the most noted epigram- 
 matist of his age. He was born at Llanarmon, in Carnarvonshire, 
 and was the third son of Thomas Owen, of Plasdu, in that 
 
 1 Ath : Oxon : 5., p. 429. 2 This was principally addressed to his friends 
 and relatives in Glamorganshire, and contains various historical notices of 
 interest. See William? Eminent Welshmen. 3 Traherne's Slradling Corres- 
 pondence (1840) 
 
 293 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 parish ; educated at Winchester School, and afterwards at New 
 College, Oxford, where he became Fellow, in 1584, and B.C.L. in 
 1590. He adopted the scholastic profession, and taught school 
 first at Trelech, near Monmouth, and afterwards, 1594, at 
 Warwick, in the school founded by Henry VIII. Wood states 
 that he was a person endowed with several gifts, and especially 
 with the faculty of poetry, which made him famous for those 
 books of Epigrams which he published, " Wherein an ingenious 
 liberty of joking being by him used, was, and is now, with some, 
 especially foreigners, not a little pleasing and delightful." " He 
 was distinguished for his perfect knowledge of Latin, and his 
 Epigrams written in that language were universally admired, and 
 obtained for him great celebrity, but fame was his only reward' 
 for he was, unfortunately, to quote Wood again, " troubled with 
 the disease which attends Poets indigence." 2 Some of his 
 indigence might have been due to his great expectations from a 
 rich uncle, but owing to his pungent epigram against the Church 
 of Rome, he w r as struck out of his will, and the book was placed 
 on the Index Expnrgatorius.^> He was received into the patron- 
 age of Bishop John Williams, of Lincoln, afterwards Archbishop 
 of York, who was his countryman and kinsman, and who for 
 several years kept him above want. He died in 1622, and was 
 buried at St. Paul's Cathedral, where a monument was erected to 
 his memory by Archbishop Williams. 
 His writings are : 
 
 1. " Epigrammatum lib. 3. ad Mariam Nevill comitis Dorcestriae 
 filiam dicati. Lond. 1606. oct." Printed twice in that 
 year. 
 
 2. " Epigrammatum lib. singularis ; ad doctissimam heroinam 
 D. Arabellam Stewart." 
 
 3. " Epigram, lib. 3 ad Hen. Principem Cambriae duae ; ad 
 Carolum Ebor. unus." 
 
 4. " Epigram, ad tres M?ecenates libri tres. Ad Car. Noel Eq. & 
 
 1 A then : Oxon: i., pp. 400-1. 2 The Oxford historian sometimes made 
 sweeping generalisations of this kind. 3 Williams' Eminent Welshmen, p 277. 
 
 294 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 Baronettum, unus, Ad Gul. Sedley Eq. & Bar. alter. 
 
 Ad Rog. Owen Eq. aur. tertius." 
 5. " Monastica qusedam Ethica & Politica veterum sapientium." 
 
 They were all published later in one volume, not only in 
 England, but beyond the seas. In 1619, John Vicars, usher of 
 Christ's Hospital, in London, a Puritanical poet, translated a 
 select number of them from several books then extant into 
 English verse, and printed them in London in that year. In 
 1659, Thomas Pecke, of the Inner Temple, translated six hundred 
 of Owen's Epigrams into English verse. He printed them with 
 Martial de Spectaadis and the most select epigrams of Sir Thomas 
 More, under the title Parnassi Puerperium, in London. 1659. 
 Thomas Harvey, at a later date, also translated most of them into 
 English. 
 
 The first Latin impressions were greedily bought by European 
 scholars, and carried beyond the seas. They subsequently came 
 under the scrutiny of Roman Catholic inquisitors, who considered 
 that they contained heretical and dangerous matter, and more 
 especially for the two following lines, they listed Owen's work in 
 the Index Expurgatorius : 
 
 " An Petrus fuerit Romae, sub judice lisest." 
 
 " Simonum Romae, nemo fuisse negat." 
 
 These verses also cost him his inheritance, as stated above. His 
 monument in St. Paul's Cathedral is erected on a pillar next to the 
 Consistory Stairs, with his Effigies (a shoulder- piece in brass) 
 crowned with laurel, and an inscription in six verses, the two first 
 of which read : 
 
 " Parva tihi statua est, quia parva statura, supellex 
 Parva, volat parvus magna per ora liber." 
 
 Spanish translations of John Owen's Epigrams were published 
 in 1674 and 1682, and a French version in 1709. 
 
 Epigrams in memory of John Owen were written by John 
 Stradling and John Dunbar. 
 
 Hugh Holland, the son of Robert Holland, of Denbigh, 
 was born in that town, and educated first at Westminster School, 
 
 295 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 under Camden, and subsequently at Trinity College, Cambridge, 
 which he entered in 1589, and of which he became Fellow. 1 He 
 travelled much abroad, and visited Italy, and thence made a 
 pilgrimage to Jerusalem " to do the devotions." 2 At Rome he 
 had given vent to his political and religious sentiments, and 
 returning via Constantinople, he was called to account at that 
 place by Sir Thomas Glover, the British Ambassador there, for 
 disparaging Queen Elizabeth, and cast into prison.3 He returned 
 to Oxford and spent some years of his life at Balliol College, but 
 was unable to obtain any preferment, perhaps, owing to his 
 political bias. He was a good English and Latin poet, and there 
 were some who ranked him with Spenser and Sidney.* Wood's 
 estimate of him was that he was " no bad English but an 
 excellent Latin poet.'' He wrote : 
 
 1. " Verses in description of the Chief Cities of Europe." 
 
 2. " Chronicle of Queen Elizabeth's Reign." 
 
 3. " Life of William Camden, Clarenceaux King of Armes," 
 published in London eight years after his death. 
 
 4. " A Cypress Garland for the sacred forehead of the late 
 Sovereign King James. Lond. 1625." A Poem. 
 
 Hugh Holland died at Westminster in 1633, and was buried 
 amongst the poets in the Abbey Church. Upon his monument 
 is inscribed " Miserimus peccator, musarum et amicitiarum cultor 
 sanctissimus.'' 
 
 John Davies of Hereford (? 1618) was an Oxford man, 
 and his record is given by Wood, 5 but he omits to mention his 
 college. He states of him that he was " more Poet than Scholar." 
 He set up as a writing-master in London and was there esteemed 
 "the greatest master of his pen that England in his age beheld." 6 
 At his death "he was exceeded by Gethin [? Gethin] his country- 
 man and scholar." ^ Anthony Wood adds that John Davies 
 
 ' The Hollands came, it is believed, from a place in Lancashire called 
 Holland, which is mentioned by William Camden. Writing of IVi^in he 
 says, "Haid by Holland shewcth itself." Ancient and Modern Denbigh, p. 
 2O1. ~ Athen : Oxon : i., pp. 498-9. 3 Williams' Eminent Welshmen, p. 219. 
 See also Ancient and Modern Denbigh, p. 203. 4 ibid. 5 Athen : Oxon : i. 
 pp., 377-8. 6 ibid. 7 ibid. 
 
 296 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 "could flourish matter with his fancy as well as letters with his 
 pen." His writings are: 
 
 1. "Mirum in Modo." A Poem. 1602 and 1616. 
 
 2. Microcosmos." A Poem. 1603. 
 
 3. "The Holy Roode of Christ's Cross." 1609. 
 
 4. "Sonnets." 
 
 5. "The triumph of Death." 1603. 
 
 6. "Wits Pilgrimage." 
 
 7. "The Muses' Tears for the loss of their hope, the heroic and 
 never too much praised Henry, Prince of Wales." 1613. 
 
 8. "Time's Sobs for his [Prince Henry's] untimely loss." 
 There is also "a large copy of his verses before Philemon 
 
 Holland's translation of Camden's Britannia^ He died in 1618. 
 
 Henry Vaughan, called the Silurist, was born at 
 Skethrog, Brecon, April 17, 1622. He was taught for six years 
 by one, Matthew Herbert, a noted schoolmaster of his time, 
 rector of Llangattock, and afterwards entered Jesus College, 
 Oxford, in 1638; but soon after the Civil Wars began, he left the 
 University, as Wood says, " to the horror of all good men, was 
 called home, and followed the pleasant paths of Poetry and 
 Philology." 2 He afterwards studied medicine and became 
 eminent in that profession. 
 
 His most valued work is that entitled Olor Iscanus, which 
 was published in 1650-51, in London. It consists of a collection 
 of some select poems. Another production was Si lex Sd/itilla/ts, 
 or, the Bleeding Heart, 1650, which consists of "Sacred Poems 
 and Ejaculations," in two Books. With the second edition of 
 this work, which was published in 1652, are found other poems 
 entitled The Mount of Olives, or, Solitary Devotions. Many of 
 his poems were collected and published under the title Thalia 
 Rediviva, in 1678, by his friends. The poet himself had fallen 
 into bad health and had retired to his birthplace, Skethrog, where 
 he devoted himself wholly to piety, living in the greatest seclusion. 
 
 1 Atken : Oxon : i., pp. 377-8. * ibid, ii., pp. 926-7. Wood gives the 
 place of his birth as Newton St. Bridget, lying on the river /sea, commonly 
 called 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 He translated from Latin into English many works, the chief of 
 which were: 
 
 1. "Of the benefit we may get from our Enemies," a discourse 
 originally written in Greek, but translated into Latin by Dr. 
 John Rainolds, of Christ Church, Oxford. 
 
 2. "Of the Diseases of the Mind and Body," also a Greek work 
 put into Latin by the same Oxford Scholar. 
 
 3. "Of the Diseases of the Mind and of the Body, and which 
 of them is most pernicious," also translated from the Greek 
 into Latin, by Dr. Rainolds. 
 
 4. " The Blessed State of Man," a work of Archbishop Anselm. 
 This translation was printed with The Mount of Olives. 
 
 5. " Two excellent Discourses : (a) Of Temperance and 
 Patience, (b) Of Life and Death." London, 1654. 
 
 6. " The World contemn'd." 
 
 7. " Hermetical Physic : or, the right way to preserve and 
 restore health," 1655. 
 
 He also translated from Spanish into English, The Praise and 
 Happiness of the Country Life, written originally by Guevara, 
 Bishop of Carthagena. This is also printed with Olor Iscanus. 
 
 Vaughan also published The Life of Paulimts, Bishop of 
 Nola, collected out of his own writings and other primitive 
 authors. This work with Two excellent Discourses and The World 
 contemned were published together under the title Flores Solitudinis, 
 Henry Vaughan died at Skethrog in 1695, and was buried in the 
 parish church of Llansantffraid, near Brecon. 
 
 The following lines are a worthy example of the strong faith 
 which permeates Henry Vaughan's poems : 
 
 " Death and darkness, get you packing, 
 Nothing now to man is lacking ; 
 All your triumphs now are ended, 
 And what Adam marr'd is mended ; 
 Graves are beds now for the weary, 
 Death a nap, to wake more merry ; 
 Youth now, full of pious duty, 
 Seeks in thee for perfect beauty ; 
 The weak and aged, tired with length 
 Of days, from Thee look for new strength ; 
 
 298 
 
THE POETRY OF THE PERIOD 
 
 And infants with Thy pangs contest 
 As pleasant as if with the breast. 
 Then unto Him, who thus hath thrown 
 Even to contempt Thy Kingdom down, 
 And by His blood did us advance 
 Unto His own inheritance ; 
 To Him be glory, power, praise, 
 From this unto the last of days." 
 
 Another poet- physician of this century was Thomas 
 Leyson, who was born at Neath, in Glamorganshire, educated 
 at Winchester School, and afterwards at New College, Oxford, in 
 1569, where he became Perpetual Fellow. After taking degrees 
 in Arts, he entered upon Physic, 1 and in 1583 was Proctor of the 
 University. He afterwards settled as a physician in the city of 
 Bath, and became as celebrated there for his skill in that pro- 
 fession as he had been at Oxford for his Latin poems. 
 
 He wrote in Latin a poem describing the site and beauty of 
 St. Donat's Castle, which afterwards came under the notice of 
 Dr. John Dafydd Rhys, who styled it Venestum Poema, translated 
 it into Welsh, and said of its author that he was Vir cum rei 
 mediae, turn Poetices meritissimus. Wood informs us that he had 
 seen much of his poetry scattered in several books, and that Sir 
 John Harrington, the famous Epigrammatist, had an especial 
 respect for Leyson's learning, and so had Sir Edward Stradling, 
 of St. Donat's Castle. John Stradling wrote several Epigrams to 
 him. Thomas Leyson died at Bath about 1607. The Athena 
 Oxonienses remarks that he had written "divers other things," 
 and gives this on^the authority " of several scholars from Wales." 
 
 1 Athena Oxon : i., pp. 295-6. 
 
 299 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 GRAMMAR AND LEXICOGRAPHY 
 
IN the seventeenth century there were many Welshmen who 
 contributed in their several ways to this important branch of 
 learning. Amongst them the leading figures were Dr. Thomas 
 Williams and Dr. John Davies. But others, not so outstanding, 
 also rendered valuable service. 
 
 Henry Perry (or Parry), 1561-1617, "a Welshman born," 1 as 
 Wood describes him, was educated at Gloucester Hall, Oxford,* 
 where he took the B.A. degree in 1580, M.A. in 1583, B.D. as a 
 member of Jesus College, in 1597. After travelling much abroad, 
 he became chaplain to Sir Richard Bulkeley, of Beaumaris. He 
 married the daughter of Robert Vaughan, of that town. 3 In 
 1 60 1 he became rector of Rhoscolyn. in Anglesey, a living which 
 he vacated in 1606, when he accepted the rectory of Trefdraeth, 
 in the same county. In 1 6 1 2 he was made a canon of Bangor, 
 and in 1613 he received the living of Llanfachreth, Anglesey. 
 His chief work is Egluryn Phraethineb. Sebh, Dosparth ar Retoreg, 
 i/n o'r saith gelbhydhyd,yn dysgu Ihuniaith ymadrodh, cCi pherthyn- 
 asau, 1595. This work has been erroneously attributed to William 
 Salesbury, who had left in manuscript a short collection of the 
 Figures of Syntax. Salesbury's work, however, is of a totally 
 different nature. Henry Perry prepared the Egluryn at the request 
 of his patron, Sir John Salesbury, of Lleweni, who probably shared 
 in the expense of its publication. There are prefixed to this work 
 verses in Greek, Latin, English, and Welsh, in praise of the author, 
 by David Roberts (son of Robert Morris, and brother of Lewis 
 Anwyl, of Park, in Merionethshire), Henry Holland, William 
 Middleton, Ludowic Lloyd, William Matthew, William Parkins, 
 Hugh Lewis, and Henry Salesbury. Dr. Davies, in his Grammar, 
 page 213, has this note in reference to Henry Perry's work : " De 
 figuris syntaxces Consule Wilhelmi Salisburie, Rhetoricaem ab 
 
 1 In Bishop Humphreys' Additions p. 252, he states, on the authority of 
 Henry Perry's son-in-law, that he was hotn in Flintshire. - At hen : Oxoii : i., 
 p. 252. 3 Cambrian Register, 1795, p. 156. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Henrico Ferris interpolatam et in lucem editam." Two editions 
 have since appeared, one in 1805-7 in the Greal, and the other 
 in 1829. 
 
 Dr. John Davies states in his preface to Dictionarium 
 Britannico-Latinum that he was indebted amongst others, whom 
 he names, to Henry Perry, the reference to whom is as follows : 
 " Henricus Perrius vir Linguarum cognitione insignis" from 
 which it is reasonable to conclude, as Wood and Canon Williams 
 have done, that Perry had left in manuscript or other form a 
 Welsh Dictionary, which the learned rector of Mallwyd had found 
 useful in the compilation of his important work. Henry Perry 
 died in 1617, for under the date December 3oth of that year 
 Bishop Humphreys records that one " William Hill was installed 
 to the canonry at Bangor, then void by the death of Henry Perry." I 
 
 Dr. Davies also mentions his indebtedness to Henry 
 Salesbury, whom he styles " Henricus Salesburius, artium 
 Magister Oxoniensis, medicus etiam doctis annumerandus." 
 Henry Salesbury was a noted physician and antiquary who be- 
 longed to a branch of the ancient Salesbury family of Lleweni, and 
 was born at Dolbelider, in Denbighshire, in 1561. He was entered 
 as a commoner at St. Alban's Hall, Oxford, in 1581, and after 
 taking a degree in arts, he proceeded to study medicine, and after- 
 wards settled in practice at Denbigh. The "History of Oxford 
 Writers " describes him as an " eminent physician and a curious 
 critic especially in the Antiquities and Language of his country." a 
 His only published work is a Welsh Grammar, entitled Grammatica 
 Britannica, which was printed in London in 1593, and dedicated 
 to Henry, Earl of Pembroke. He had also compiled a Welsh- 
 Latin Dictionary, which was, however, never published, but which 
 came into the hands of Dr. John Davies, who acknowledges the 
 use he made of it. Henry Salesbury was a fellow townsman and 
 contemporary of Hugh Holland. 3 
 
 Hugh Lloyd, a native of Lleyn, in Carnarvonshire, was a 
 most admired grammarian, who died in the early part of the 1 7th 
 
 1 Humphreys' Additions, p. 252. *Athen : Oxon : i., pp. 226-7. ^Ancient 
 and Modern Denbigh, p. 204. 
 
 304 
 
GRAMMAR AND LEXICOGRAPHY 
 
 century. He had been educated at Winchester School, and after- 
 wards became Fellow of New College, Oxford, in 1564. In 1578 
 he was made Chancellor of Rochester, being then B.C.L. 1 He 
 afterwards proceeded to his old school as Master, and was esteemed 
 for his profouud knowledge of the Classics, and of Divinity and 
 Civil Law. In 1588 he took the degree of D.C.L. at Oxford, his 
 brother, John Lloyd, Fellow of All Souls, and Judge of the 
 Admiralty, also taking the same distinction. He died in 1601. 
 One of his printed works is entitled " Phrases Elegantiorcs ex 
 Csesaris Commentariis, Cicerone Aliisque, in usum Scholar 
 Winton." This was published at Oxford in 1654, more than half 
 a century after his death. 
 
 Owen Price, a native of Montgomeryshire, was put in as 
 Scholar of Jesus College, Oxford, by the Parliamentary Visitors in 
 i648, 2 and remained there four years, when he was called to the 
 charge of a public school in Wales, and there he taught Pres- 
 byterian principles. In 1655 he returned to Oxford and became 
 Student of Christ Church. He took degrees in Arts, and was 
 made Master of the Free School, near Magdalen College. His 
 acknowledged skill in teaching drew many youths to the school. 
 He was ejected at the Restoration, and afterwards taught school 
 in Devonshire and other places. He was a noted professor in the 
 art of pedagogy, and his publications deal with the teaching of 
 orthography, in which branch of grammar he had made himself 
 an expert. In 1665 he published " The Vocal Orga/i, a new art 
 of teaching orthography by observing the instruments of pronun- 
 ciation." This was followed in 1670 by "English Orthography." 
 Owen Price died in 1671. 
 
 Nicholas Lloyd was born at Holton, in Flintshire, educated 
 at Winchester School, admitted Scholar of Wadham College, 
 Oxford, from Hart Hall, 1653, aged nineteen, and afterwards 
 became Fellow of his College and M.A. In 1665, when the 
 Warden of that College was raised to the See of Oxford, Lloyd 
 
 'Athcn: Oxon : i., pp. 268-9. 'ibid, ii., p. 490; Williams' Eminent 
 Welshmen^ p. 417. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 became his chaplain, being at that time Rector of St. Martin's, 
 Oxford. He was subsequently preferred by the same Bishop, 
 Dr. Blandford, in 1672, to the Rectory of Newington St. Mary, 
 near Lambeth, in Surrey, and remained there until his death in 
 1680. He wrote : 
 
 " Dictionarium Historicum, Geographicum, Poeticum, gentium, 
 
 hominum, deorum gentilium, regionum, insularum, locorum, 
 
 civitatum, &c., ad sacras et profanas historias, poetarumq. ; 
 
 fabulas intelligendas necessaria, nomina, quo decet ordine, 
 
 complectens et illustrans, &c. Oxon. 1670. folio.'' 
 
 This was mostly taken from the Dictionaries of Car. Stephanas and 
 
 Phil. FerrariusS Lloyd, who was a profound scholar and great 
 
 reader, afterwards made numerous additions to this work, with 
 
 many corrections, and the second edition, published in London 
 
 in 1686, after the author's death, and to which was added a 
 
 Geographical Index, was considered a very valuable work. 
 
 Mr. Nicholas Lloyd was buried in the chancel of his church 
 at Newington, and left behind him, Wood remarks, " the 
 character of a harmless, quiet man, and of an excellent 
 Philologist." * 
 
 Edward Stradling was the son of Sir Thomas Stradling, 
 Knight, by Catherine his wife, and was born in the ancient home 
 of the Stradlings, at St. Donat's Castle, in Glamorganshire, 
 educated at Oxford, but left before taking a degree, and travelled 
 widely on the Continent. He spent some time at Rome, and on 
 his return settled on his patrimony and devoted himself to letters. 
 In 1575 he was knighted, and became a magistrate of his county, 
 where he devoted himself to many works for the public good. 
 He was above all noted for his singular knowledge of the Welsh 
 language and his depth of antiquarian lore. He was also one of 
 the foremost men of his age in encouraging literature and men of 
 letters, and noted for his indefatigable industry in collecting 
 ancient manuscripts. The library at St. Donats added greatly to 
 the credit and renown of that place and family. He is reputed 
 
 l Athcn ; Oxon : ii., p. 670. 2 ibid, p. 671, 
 306 
 
GRAMMAR AND LEXICOGRAPHY 
 
 to have written a Welsh Grammar, 1 written mostly in Latin, .and 
 Wood gives the following quotation concerning this work from the 
 pen of "one of his Countrymen," whose name he does not 
 mention : " Hae institutions Grammaticae adeo concinne sunt 
 compositae, et omnibus suis numeris absolutae, ut nee eis addi 
 quicquam, nee ab eis demi, (meo judicio), quicquam poterit ; nisi 
 secundum hujus operis author in posterum editionem maturet." 
 
 He also wrote " The Winning of the Lordship of Glamorgan 
 or Morgannwc out of the Welshmen's hands, &c.," a book which 
 is mentioned in Towel's History of Cambria. 
 
 He died in 1609, aged 80 or more," 2 and was huried in the 
 chapel built by his father and dedicated to the Virgin, adjoining 
 the parish church of St. Donats'. He died without male issue, so 
 the estate passed to his next kinsman, Sir John Stradling, Kt., who 
 in 1 6 1 r was created baronet. From the latter was descended Sir 
 Edward Stradling, Bart., who was prominent in the Civil War as a 
 Colonel in Charles I.'s Army, and who was buried at Jesus College 
 Chapel in 1644. 
 
 Dr. John Dafydd Rhys (1534 ? 1617) was born at Llan- 
 faethlu, in Anglesey, where his father, Dafydd Rhys, was in the 
 service of Sir William Grufiydd, of Garreg Lwyd. His mother 
 had been maid to Jane Stradling (one of the St. Donat's family), 
 who had married Sir William Gruffydd. He entered Oxford in 
 1552, and was elected Student of Christ Church in 1555, in his 
 twenty- first year. 3 He afterwards travelled on the Continent, and 
 went to the University of Sienna in Tuscany, where there was a 
 noted medical school, and where he became a doctor in that 
 faculty. He was afterwards Moderator of the school at Pistoria, 
 in Tuscany. Wood informs us that he understood the Italian 
 language " as well as any native." He afterwards returned to 
 England and practised medicine with great success. He was also 
 held in high esteem by the learned men of his day for his skill as 
 a poet and grammarian. In particular, he studied his own native 
 tongue, and was one of the most talented bards and prose writers 
 \ Oxon\ i., pp. 299-300. =ibid. 3 ibid, p. 304, 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 of his time. His capacity as a linguist is seen in his work entitled 
 Rules for the obtaining of the Latin Tongue, which was written in 
 Italian, and printed at Venice. This was followed by a Latin 
 work, De Italics Lingua Prom/ntiatione, printed at Padua. The 
 best tribute to the work was that the Italians themselves thought 
 highly of it. 
 
 His greatest and most useful work for his own country was 
 the publication in 1592 of a Welsh Grammar, written in Latin, 
 and entitled Cambro-Britanniac Cymraecxve Lingua Instiittiones 
 
 et Rudimenta ad intelligend. Biblia sacra nuper in 
 
 Cambro-Bri f tannicum sermomim eleganter versa. London, 1592. 
 
 This book, which contains the rules of Welsh prosody, was 
 printed at the expense of Sir Edward Stradling, and is remarkable 
 for its wealth of illustrations from the old bards. The author was 
 an apt versifier himself, and often supplied original examples of 
 his own to explain a rule of prosody. The preface of this book 
 is in Welsh, and it is written in a novel orthography. The 
 alphabet used contains 31 letters, which represent every sound in 
 the Welsh language. Every digraph is formed by means of the 
 letter//; thus // is written Ih ; dd, dh. &c.; and he also uses 
 bh for/, the mutated form of b. He has two separate characters 
 to distinguish the two different sounds of y. There is a preface 
 to this Grammar, written by Humphrey Prichard, of Bangor, 
 sometime an Oxford scholar. 
 
 Thomas Williams, commonly known amongst his con- 
 temporaries as Sir Thomas ap William, 1 was a learned lexico- 
 grapher and physician. He was a Carnarvonshire man, and was 
 born at Ardde'r Myneich, at the foot of Snowdon. 3 He was 
 educated at Brazenose College, Oxford, where he proceeded to his 
 M.A. degree in 1573, and afterwards undertook the study of 
 medicine, graduating in that faculty. He was an excellent 
 pedigrean, and engaged in a very extensive work of this nature, 
 entitled Frif AcJiau holl Gymru Benbaladr, He began it in 
 
 1 Humphreys' Additions t p. 266. 3 Williiams' Eminent Welshmen^ pp. 
 537-8. 
 
GRAMMAR AND LEXICOGRAPHY 
 
 1578, added to it in 1585, and further enlarged it in 1609. It 
 was not, however, printed. 
 
 Another work, which placed him in the front rank amongst 
 Welsh scholars, was his Lexicon Latino -Britannicum, 1604-08, a 
 most invaluable contribution to knowledge, and involving the 
 most painstaking research. It is enriched by copious extracts 
 from manuscript authorities, and is contained in three quarto 
 volumes, which form part of the valuable Hengwrt Library. Dr. 
 John Davies made considerable, but nothing like exhaustive, use 
 of this work in Part II. of his Dictionary, that entitled Latino- 
 Britannicum, which is but a bare index of Dr. Thomas Williams' 
 great work. 
 
 Another work by this author, known as Llyfr Prophwydol- 
 iacthau Cymraeg a Saesneg a Lladin, o law Sir Thomas Williams, 
 also forms part of the Hengwrt collection of manuscripts. 
 
 The title Sir prefixed to Thomas Williams' name has 
 reference, perhaps, to his clerical vocation. It is thought that, 
 besides being a medical practitioner, he was curate of Trefriw. 
 In the Bishop of Bangor's Visitation ; 1573, there is a record of 
 Sir Thomas ap William of Trefriw. 1 There is also a record that 
 Thomas Williams, of Trefriw, who was reputed to be a Papist, 
 was proceeded against at Bangor, May 23rd. 1606, the entry being, 
 " T/iomas Williams de Trefriw eo quod rccusat venire ad Ecclesiam? 
 and in 1607, " D s Tfo s W rns recusans excommunicatur."' 2 
 
 Dr. Davies makes some acknowledgment of his indebtedness 
 to Thomas Williams in his preface to his Dictionary, 1632, in the 
 following words : " Parturierunt multi, insignes quidem illi 
 
 magnique viri & prae omnibus Thomas Gufie/mus, 
 
 medicus apud suos clarus, qui sequens Latino -Brit, congessit." 
 
 The year of Thomas Williams' death is not known. He 
 wrote a letter to Sir John Wynn, of Gwydyr, after October 
 2ist, 1620.3 The latter in his correspondence with him, 
 
 1 Bishop Humphreys in his Additions to Wood's Athen<e, p. 266, thinks it 
 likely that he was curate of Trefriw. 2 ibid, p. 266. 3 Cambrian Register, 
 1795. P- 159- 
 
 309 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 in a letter written on that date, to which Thomas Williams replied, 
 but left his letter undated, signs himself " yr loving coyson, John 
 Wynn." His death had occurred before Dr. Davies wrote the 
 preface to his Dictionary, vrhich is dated Ultimo Maij, 1632, for 
 he states that all those, whose works he had consulted and used 
 for its compilation, were dead with the sole exception of Henry 
 Salesbury : " Apud hos cum opus in fermento tam diu jacuisset, 
 quoad mors omnes prseter unum Hen. Sal. mutare nimis 
 abduxisset." 
 
 Dr. Davies mentions the second part of his Dictionary as that 
 in which he was most indebted to Thomas Williams, and states 
 that he himself was entirely responsible for the first : " Alterum 
 Latino-Brit, illud Thomce Guil. Lexicon, ab ipso multorum 
 annorum labore collectum & descriptum, & nunc mea opera 
 castigatum & evulgatum ; Alterum Britannico-Lat. mea ipsius 
 industria elaboratum." 
 
 Bishop Humphreys relates a story that Thomas Williams tried 
 to dissuade Sir John Wynn, of Gwydyr, from attending the 
 Parliament of James I., when the Gunpowder Plot was discovered, 
 from which it was concluded that he had knowledge of that 
 conspiracy, and was afterwards suspected of being a Papist. 1 
 
 Dr. John Davies, of Mallwyd, was born at Llanferres, in 
 Denbighshire, about 1570, and was the son of Dafydd ab loan, 
 of Llanrhaiadr, in that county, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter 
 of Lewis David Lloyd. 2 He states that Robert Vaughan, of 
 Hengwrt, the noted antiquary, was his cousin. He was educated 
 at Ruthin, in what school is not certain, but it was at the institu- 
 tion in which Bishop Richard Parry was one of the masters.3 
 There was, probably, a secondary school at Ruthin before Gabriel 
 Goodman founded his Grammar School in 1590. In the preface 
 to his Dictionary, Dr. Davies states that Bishop Morgan was also 
 one of those to whose instruction he was indebted, although he 
 does not definitely state when and where it was imparted. His 
 
 'Humphreys' Additions, p. 266. 2 ibid, p. 509. 3 Williams' Eminent 
 Welshmen, p. 105. 
 
 310 
 
GRAMMAR AND LEXICOGRAPHY 
 
 reference to that great scholar reads as follows: "Guilielmus 
 Morganus SS. Th. D. Cantabrigiensis, sacne Scripturse in Linguam 
 Brit, interpres fidelissmus, Ecclesiae primum Landauensis, dein 
 Asaphensis Prsesul vigilantissimus, cujus mihi semper dulcissimum 
 in ore versatur nomen, vt ad cujus Gamalielis pedes sum 
 educatus." 
 
 In 1589 he entered Jesus College, Oxford, 1 as Student and 
 took his B.A. degree in 1594, and little is known of him for the 
 next few years, except that he was ordained in 1594, and "studied 
 Divinity in the country." 2 It is evident that he had assisted 
 Bishop Morgan with the translation of the Bible prior to going 
 to Oxford. In the interval (1594-1604) he married Jane, 
 daughter of John Wynn, of Llwyn Ynn, the sister of Bishop 
 Parry's wife. In 1604 James I. preferred him to the living of 
 Mallwyd. That was the year in which Bishop Parry was con- 
 secrated Bishop of St. Asaph, and possibly Dr. Davies was 
 presented to Mallwyd through his influence, for about this time 
 he had been acting as his chaplain. In 1608 he again returned 
 to Oxford, and " was admitted to the reading of the Sentences, "3 
 as a member of Lincoln College, having been fourteen years, 
 as Wood informs us, " minister of God's Word, and dispensed 
 with for not ruling in Arts." On his return from Oxford, in 1612, 
 he was appointed, by the gift of Bishop Parry, to a Canonry at 
 St. Asaph. In 1613 he became Rector of Llanymawddwy, and 
 and in 1615 Sinecure Rector of Darowen, which he afterwards 
 exchanged for Llanfawr or Llanfor, near Bala. In 1617 he also 
 exchanged the canonry of St. Asaph for the prebendship of 
 Llannefydd, in the same diocese. It will thus be seen that he 
 was one of the most notable pluralists of his time, but not all 
 have been so deserving. In 1616 he had proceeded to a 
 doctorate in the faculty of Theology at Oxford. 4 Wood states 
 that in 1626 there was "one John Davies a Doctors son admitted 
 Bachelor of Arts, as a member of Gloucester Hall, which I take 
 to be the son of Dr. John Davies before mentioned." Bishop 
 
 i Athen \0xon: i., p, 519. Mbid, 3 ibid. 4 ibid. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Humphreys, however, shows that Wood's surmise was incorrect. 
 Dr. Davies died without issue, and left his estate to his own and 
 his wife's nephew. (See Cambrian Register, 1795, p. 158). 
 
 In 1621 Dr. Davies published his Welsh Grammar, written 
 in Latin, and entitled : Antiqua Lingua. Btitannica, nunc 
 communiter dictae Cambro-Britannicae, a suis Cymrsecse, ab alijo 
 Wallicre, Rudimenta : Juxta genuinam naturalemque ipsius Linguae 
 Proprietatum, qua fieri potuit accurata Methodo et Brevitate 
 conscripta. 
 
 Londini, apud Johannem Billium Typographum Regium. 
 1621." 
 
 It is a book very rich in quotations from the old bards, and 
 has fallen under criticism 1 because it contains none from prose 
 literature. Gweirydd ap Rhys states that he failed to find a single 
 prose quotation in the whole book. It is an octavo volume, and 
 was printed in London. 
 
 The following quotation from his Grammar, taken from the 
 early part of the book, dealing with Welsh diphthongs, will serve 
 to illustrate the plan and method of this work : 
 
 " Prseterea, diphthongorum nonnullse apud poetas srepe 
 dirimuntur, 
 
 Ae, Cymraeg laes-deg o lys dyffrynt. Cyn. 
 A bran dda ei chymraeg 
 A'r lleuad aur a'r Haw dtg. LI. M. T. 
 Eglwys yw fal glas iaen 
 A drws y porth dros y pen. D. G. i Jielm" * 
 In the same year he also published A Catechism. 
 
 In 1632 he published his Welsh -Latin Dictionary and Latin- 
 Welsh Dictionary, in one book. This was the standard dictionary 
 of the language for over a hundred and fifty years, until Dr. 
 Pughe's Welsh -English Dictionary was published in 1803. Never- 
 theless, it was a very scanty work, and it seems, according to his 
 own statement, the time the learned Doctor bestowed upon it was 
 
 1 Hanes Llenyddiaeth Gymreig t p. 413. 3 Antiy* Ling. Brit. p. 39. 
 
 312 
 
GRAMMAR AND LEXICOGRAPHY 
 
 only what he could snatch from other works, which he considered 
 of more importance. The title-page is as follows : 
 
 Antique j Lingua; Britannicje, | Nunc vulgo dicta? Cambro- 
 
 Britannicae, | A suis Cymraecae vel Camricse, | Ab aliis 
 
 Wallicas, j et | Linguae Latinae, | Dictionarium Duplex. | 
 
 Prius, | Britannico-Latinum, Plurimis | venerandae antiqui- 
 
 tatis Britannicae | monumentis respersum. | Posterius, | 
 
 Latino Britannicum. | Accesserunt Adagia Britannica & 
 
 plura & | emendatiora quam antehac edita. | Psal. 122. 9 | 
 
 [quoted in Hebrew] | Ecclus .33. 1 7 & 24. 34. | [quoted in 
 
 Greek]. [An illustration with the motto Cor Unum via una 
 
 inscribed.] Londini, | Impress, in a;dibus R. Young, Impensis 
 
 Joan. | Davies SS. Th. D. An. Dom. 1632. 
 
 The History of Oxford Writers informs us that the Latino- 
 
 Britannicum part of this work "was in a manner finished by 
 
 Thomas Williams, a Physician, before the year 1600. Afterwards 
 
 completed and published by Dr. Davies. I have been informed 
 
 that in the Library of MSS. sometime belonging to Robert 
 
 Vaughan, of Hengwrt, in Merionethshire, is a Welsh Dictionary 
 
 that contains about 2,000 words more than in the former. " ' 
 
 Of Dr. Davies, Wood writes : " He was esteemed by the 
 
 Academicians [of Lincoln College] well versed in the History and 
 
 Antiquities of his own nation and in the Greek and Hebrew 
 
 languages, a most exact Critick, an indefatigable searcher into 
 
 ancient scripts, and well acquainted with curious and rare authors.') 
 
 The Dictionary is dedicated : " Illustrissimo Domino Carolo 
 
 Principi Walliae, &c. Serenissimi Caroli Magnae Britanniae, 
 
 Franciae, & Hiberniae Regis Filio vnico & Haeredi," and proceeds : 
 
 " Nee opportunius quicquam, Princeps Illustrissime, huic 
 
 potuit accidere Lexico, quam quod temporum & opportunitatum 
 
 Moderatoris vnici beneficio, Te jam parvulo ad prcelium exornetur. 
 
 Sic enim & Celsitudo Tua, si tenerioris aetatis curatoribus ita visum 
 
 fuerit, a cunis simul cum alijs Linguis, Antiquam etiam hanc hujus 
 
 Insulse Linguam, nunc W T allise tuae peculiarem, vel imbibere, vel 
 
 1 Atkcnis Oxonietucs, i., p. 519. 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 quse saltern qualisque sit cognoscere poterit. Nee enim Princi- 
 pibus indigna Linguarum cognitio : Imb Principibus solenne 
 semper fuit earum studium : & aliquo modo etiam necessarium 
 sibi duxerunt, populorum quibus aliquando erant imperaturi, 
 linguas ediscere. Cujus rei nullum extat illustrius nobiliusue 
 exemplum, quam Mithridatis Ponti & Bithyniae regis, qui viginti 
 duorum quibus imperabat populorum linguas probe calluit, 
 eosque baud vnquam per Interpretes alloquutus est. Sic etiam & 
 Operi huic a me consultum erit optime, si jam recens natum, & 
 ad pedes Tuos, Illustrissime Princeps, prouolutum, hilar! fronte in 
 clientelam suscipere digneris. Nam ita futurum non dubito quin, 
 me mox alib (quod anni monent) hinc auocando, illud Tecum per 
 secula senescat multa ; quoad Patris Serenissimi Regna, 
 Religionem, Pietatem, Fidei Christiana? defensionem, post annos 
 complureis ab Ipso fseliciter agendos, hgereditaria Tibi sumpseris 
 successione, eademque filijs nepotibusque, bonis auibus olim 
 aliquando tradideris. Quod cum sub alis Patrocinij Tui tamdiu 
 incaluerit, vires acquisierit, & ad validam adoluerit setatem, illud 
 
 Nee poterit ferrum, nee edax abolere vetustas ; 
 nee imber edax, aut aquilo impotens 
 Possit diruere, aut innumerabilis 
 Annorum series & fuga temporum ; ' 
 
 sed extreme tandem igni, cum terral & operibus qua; in ea sunt, 2 
 comburendum conseruatibur. Nee est quod de Tuo, Illustrissime 
 Princeps, patrocinio dubitem, turn quod a tanti Principis dementia 
 alienissimum sit oporteat vt Diui tutelaris munus non prosstet 
 petentibus, turn etiam maxima quod ea semper fuerit literarum 
 dignitas, vt dicari sibi Principes gloriosum ducerent, nee vllum, 
 quamuis humillimum, literarum genus fastidirent. Nam & lulius 
 Pollux ad Commodum Caesarem de Grammatical, Vitruvius ad 
 Augustum de Architecture,, Oppianus ad Antonium de Piscibus, 
 Diophanes ad Deio'tarum Regem de Agricultural scripserunt. Nee 
 I 0vid. Mttam. Lib. 15. tiortt Cann. Lib. 3 od. vlt. " i Pet. 3. 10. 
 
GRAMMAR AND LEXICOGRAPHY 
 
 quod vlli vnquam hominum vitio versum est, vt lucubrationes suas 
 Principibus consecrate auderent, sperare licet vitio vertendum mihi 
 Celsitudini Ture 
 Deuotissimo 
 Joan. Davies 
 SS. Th. D-" 
 
 This is followed by the preface under the title " Ad Lectorem 
 Praefatio ; ubi de Linguae Britannicae origine, aliarumque 
 Linguarum ortu & mutatione." In this he pays grateful acknow- 
 ledgment to those whose works had helped him in the compilation, 
 Bishop William Morgan, Henry Perry, Henry Salesbury, and 
 Thomas Williams have been already mentioned above. He also 
 pays tribute to William Salesbury, Dr. David Powel, and Dr. John 
 Dafydd Rhys. Of the first-named he writes: "In quorum 
 omnium gratiam Witielmus Salesburius, de Ecclesia linguaque 
 Brit, vir plurimum meritus, Dictionariolum Anglo -Brit. Regi 
 Henrico Octavo approbatum <Sc dedicatum, annoque salutis 
 humanoe 1547 impressum, edidit." His praise of Dr. David 
 Powel is expressed in the words : " Dauid Pouelus SS. Th. D. 
 historiarum Britannicarum peritissimus," and of Dr. J. D. Rhys, 
 ^Johannes Dauid Rhesus, Doctor medicus Senensis vere doctus." 
 His attitude towards his task and his judgment as to its nature 
 and scope, he sets forth as follows : " Nee tamen istasc tam leui 
 manu, facilique labore, & prorsus dviSpiorl me comportasse 
 existimes, vt lusisse potius quam scripsisse putes. Arduo enim, 
 mihi crede, res est Lexicon composuisse, prjesertim linguae 
 alicujus vulgaris, quod vel preesenti astati facturum sit satis, multo 
 minus secuturis. Tantam semper exercuit, perpetuum exercebit, 
 in linguas tyrannidem misera & infcelix Babelis pcena, vt indies 
 magis magisque non in Syria sola, sed & ubique terrarum con- 
 fundantur," 
 
 Then follows a page devoted to the explanation of symbols 
 and abbreviations used in the work, and this is followed by two 
 pages of Encomiastica, which are all in Latin verse, the writers 
 being lohan Owen, Episc. Asaphen ; lohan. Hoskins, serviens ad 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 legem, lusticiar, Westwall ; Edwardi Hughes, Archidiac. Bangor ; 
 Guilielmus Griffith, Legum Doctor, Cancellarius Dioecesium, 
 Asaphensis &r Bangorensis ; Geo. Griffith, Ecclesiae Cathedralis 
 Asaphen. Canonicus; David Davies, Mannavonensis In Art, Mag.; 
 H. Lloyd ; Tho. Canon Miles. 
 
 The Welsh -Latin part of this Dictionary was printed in 1654 
 at Amsterdam by Boxhorn, but the Hebrew and other comparisons 
 are omitted in that edition. 
 
 The Dictionary, as far as it goes, is a very learned work, and 
 gives some idea of the profound learning of its author. It bears 
 ample testimony to Wood's statement that he was steeped in the 
 Classics and in the ancient British tongues, and also shows that 
 he had a considerable knowledge of Hebrew and other Oriental 
 languages. The following will serve as examples of his treatment 
 of Welsh and Latin words respectively : 
 
 G WEST FA, Hospitium, inuitamentum. IV. S. Luc. 20. 46. 
 SttTrvovs reddit Gwestfaau. Rheidus a gerddo teirtref, a naw ty 
 ym mhob tref, heb gael na chardod na gwestfa, er ei ddal a'i ladrad 
 ymborth gantho, ni chrogir. K. K. Swydd y distain yw rhannu 
 arian y gwestfaau. K. H. Arian y gwestfaau, Nummi regalibus 
 caenis reddendi. Videntur fuisse pecuniarum summce quas subditi 
 soluebant prindpi^ pro eo guodipsum 6 suos in transits, sua quisque 
 vice, in hospitium excipere tenebantur" 
 
 " PR^CIPITO, ARE, Bwrw ben dra mwnwgl, torrfyngylu, 
 taflu i lawr yn ivysg i benn, brysio tie a'r diivedd, givneuthur peth 
 yn ddigyngor ac heb ystyr, prysuro, cael settling gan fry's, avympo 
 ben dra mwnwgl, gogwyddo tit a'r llawr." 
 
 At the end of the Dictionarium Britannico-Latinum is a 
 very interesting collection of the Welsh names of herbs and plants, 
 with their Latin equivalents, under the title Botatwlogium. " Dr. 
 Thomas Williams, according to Bishop Humphreys, had left in 
 MS. a pretty large Herbal in Latin, Welsh, and English, giving an 
 account of herbs and their physical virtues." 1 
 
 1 Humphreys' Additions, p. 266. Perhaps this, as well as T. W.'s 
 Dictionary, had come into Dr. Davies' hands. 
 
GRAMMAR AND LEXICOGRAPHY 
 
 There is also a dedicatory letter introducing the second part, in 
 which he pays more hearty tribute to the work of Thomas 
 Williams than in the first preface : " Quod Thomas Guilielmus 
 medicus, Linguae Britannicse cultor sedulus, Patris tui Venerabilis, 
 literarum & literatorum Mecaenatis benigni, hortatu, consilio, 
 auxilio, beneficentizl, ante annos fere" trigenta perfecerat, ipsiusque 
 nomini consecrare instituerat, Dictionarium sequens Latino- 
 Britannicum ; jam tandem, trutinam apud me seueriorem passum, 
 meisque solius impensis excusam, Sc Illustrissimi, Principis Caroli 
 munitum patroci'nio, posthumum tuo sese offert conspectui." 
 
 At the end of Dictionarium Latino- Britannicum he gives a 
 collection of Welsh proverbs under the title Adagia Britannica, 
 before which he wrote a short letter to the Reader, in Latin and 
 Welsh. The latter is addressed " At yr hawddgar Gymro." He 
 states it is a fuller collection of Welsh Proverbs than had ever 
 appeared before, and marks the additions with an asterisk. He 
 also has a distinguishing mark for those whose meaning is obscure. 
 The nucleus for his collection, he obtained from a work which he 
 calls Mad-waith hen Gyrys o Id/, but admits his ignorance of this 
 author and the time in which he flourished. There is no direct 
 testimony that Thomas Williams' Diarhebion came into his hands, 
 although the latter had sent it to Sir John Wynn, of Gwydyr. (See 
 Note at end of chapter). 
 
 These are followed by " Y Pedair Camp ar hugain " which 
 he divides into " deg gwrolgamp, deg mabolgamp, a phedair o'r 
 gogampau." 
 
 The work ends with a list of the names of the British poets 
 and writers, and the dates in which they flourished, under the title : 
 " Authorum Britannicorum nomina & quando floruerint." 
 
 Dr. Davies' work in translating Edmund Bunney's adaptation 
 of Robert Parsons' Christian Directory under the title Llyfr y 
 Resolution, has already been noticed, as also his last work issued 
 in 1633 and entitled Y Llyfr Ply gain a> Cattiechism* 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 He died in 1644,* and was buried in the chancel of Mallwyd 
 Church, where there exists to his memory a mural tablet of white 
 marble containing a long Latin inscription. This tablet has not 
 been disturbed during the recent restoration of that venerable 
 fabric. Bishop Humphreys informs us that Dr. Davies, was " a 
 justice of the peace, and an useful magistrate, and universally 
 beloved and esteemed in his county. He built three bridges at 
 his own charge, and did other charities at Mallwyd where he lived. 
 He left his estate in land, to be divided between a nephew of his 
 own, and a son of Bishop Parry's, his wife's nephew." 2 
 
 NOTE : The story of Dr. Davies' use of Dr. Thomas Williams' 
 Dictionary is of considerable interest, and some correspondence 
 on the subject between Sir John Wynn, of Gwydyr, and Thomas 
 Williams, in the first place, and between the former and Dr. 
 Davies, of Mallwyd, in the second, throws a great deal of light on 
 the subject, Sir John Wynn had written to Thomas Williams, 
 advising him how he might get the work printed, 3 and asking him 
 to send him his copy of the Diarhebion, which Salesbury (pre- 
 sumably William Salesbury) had lost, and which, apparently now 
 re-written, Sir John offered to print. Thomas Williams replied : 
 " For the Latine and Cambrian Dictionarie, w cl ? with great laboure 
 and travayle, as God knoweth, I have congested and digested these 
 fiftie years, I see very small surtie [surety] or consideration for my 
 paynes, and therefore I mean not in hast." * 
 
 He added that he had never received any quid pro quo for 
 any of his work, and resumed, " God doth know that in the 4 
 years while I did write the Dictionaries, I was so instant to the 
 work that often when I came from the book I did not know- 
 many a time what day of the week it was, and soe lost my practis 
 that might have been a hundred pounds unto me .... and 
 during that time I might have pined for hunger yf it hath not been 
 for God and y r Worships good considerations and not to these 
 
 1 He died about May isth in that year. Bishop Humphreys states in his 
 Additions that his prebendship was disposed of on May a8th, vacant by his 
 death, p. 509. * Cambrian Register, 1795, p. 158. 3 ibid, p. 159. ibid, 
 p. 160. 
 
 318 
 
GRAMMAR AND LEXICOGRAPHY 
 
 illiberal men's liberalities. The book of Diarhebion y wor. shall 
 see by the bearer, gathered of 2 or 3 several copies and made as 
 large as the former copy lost .... I beseech you keep the book 
 de Statibits." 
 
 It is evident that afterwards an understanding was arrived at 
 concerning the Dictionary, and it came into Sir John Wynn's 
 possession. Correspondence between him and Dr. John Davies 
 proves this. It will be found in the pages of the Cambrian 
 Register, 1796. Dr. Davies had ascertained that Sir John Wynn 
 had the Dictionary, and he writes : " I have long been desirous, 
 as I think it is not unknown to you, to see my good old friend 
 Sir Thomas ap William his Dictionary ; not so much for any 
 excellent perfection, I could conceive to be in the work, as for the 
 great pains I know the author had taken to gather it, and, whom, 
 my cousin Robert Vaughan tells me, you are pleased, I shall have 
 the book, upon condition, I shall see it printed ; and ascribe all 
 the glory to Thomas ap William, and dedicate it unto you." ' 
 
 Sir John Wynn sent him the manuscript, but for some 
 reason Dr. John Davies never fulfilled either of these conditions. 
 His own Dictionary he dedicated to Charles, Prince of Wales, as 
 we have seen, and although he acknowledges his indebtedness for 
 Part II. of his Dictionary to Thomas Williams, he can hardly be 
 said to have " ascribed all the glory of it " to him. He certainly 
 did qualify his promise to Sir John Wynn with two ifs. " If I 
 shall see it fit for the press, I will acquaint you therewith." .... 
 "7/"the author have dedicated to you, his dedication shall stand." 
 He makes it plain to Sir John that he will not bear the expense 
 of publication " I know you will not expect I shall be at any 
 charge," and in a second letter he reiterates this : " Now who 
 shall bear that charge is the first thing to be considered." He 
 goes on to mention the need of corrections " in divers places," 
 and adds : " What authority I shall have over it, lieth in your 
 pleasure." 
 
 The Dictionary, it would appear, was in his possession some 
 
 i Cambrian Register, 1796, p. 470. 
 
 3*9 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 considerable time, for there is evidence that Sir John Wynn grew 
 uneasy either about its return, or because of the delay in printing 
 it. Dr. Davies in his third letter to him, which is evidently a 
 reply, states : " As for the Dictionary, I am neither forgetful of it, 
 nor less than abashed, that I kept it so long, and could do so 
 
 little good in it Before you wished me to get it copied 
 
 verbatim, I had thought, as I writ before, to go over it by 
 abbreviating and correcting it : But, understanding your pleasure, 
 I went no further in that course, and, according to your will, I got 
 some to copy it by parts. I saw their copying of it would do no 
 good ; and now it lieth by me, and do nothing to it, till I know 
 your further pleasure. I send you herein enclosed the last sheet 
 of the copy you wished to be made, being the best and truest that 
 is written.'' 
 
 This ends the correspondence with Sir John Wynn, and it is 
 dated, "Malloid, 15 Maii, 1625." 
 
 But there is a further letter written by Dr. Davies to Mr. 
 Owen Wynn, of Gwydyr. Apparently Sir John Wynn had died 
 in the meantime, and Dr. Davies writes : " Upon your good 
 father's desire, I undertook the review of the Welsh Dictionary of 
 Sir Thomas ap William, but I dwelt so far from your worthy father, 
 and my then troubles occasioned by Mr. Pigot [the man who had 
 delayed the delivery of the MS. from Sir John Wynn to Dr. Davies] 
 hindered my repair to him . . . else it had been ready long ago. 
 
 I began upon it April last [i.e. April, 1626] among other 
 
 my many businesses ; I made an end of it Saturday last [this letter 
 is dated 23 Jan. 1627] and shewed it to the bearer, and have much 
 abridged it, and in some places enlarged it ; but my own Dictionary 
 [i.e. the first part], which I began since the year 1593, I do but 
 begin to write fair, yet I hope it will be ready by the beginning of 
 the summer ' . . . . Sir Thomas ap William hath the Latin first, 
 and the Welsh following : And mine hath the Welsh first, and the 
 Latin after: and both will not much exceed the bulk of Sir 
 
 1 This shows that Dr. Davies meant to finish the work by the summer of 
 1627. It appeared in 1632. 
 
 320 
 
GRAMMAR AND LEXICOGRAPHY 
 
 Thomas' Dictionary, as it is written by himself ... I will make 
 the more speed, and endeavour to be ready before midsummer." 
 
 To summarise this correspondence : Sir John Wynn wished to 
 have the book printed for Thomas Williams. Some arrangement 
 was arrived at by which the latter delivered the MS. into his hands. 
 Sir John thought Dr. Davies the man best qualified to see to its 
 publication, and intended him to copy it verbatim. Dr. Davies 
 considered the work too full of inaccuracies to do this. Thomas 
 Williams, it would seem, had died before Dr. Davies received the 
 MS., and during the long time it was in his possession Sir John 
 Wynn died. Dr. Davies, who had his own Dictionary ready, but 
 for the writing of a fair copy, conceived the idea of adding a 
 second part to his book, and for this purpose made extensive but 
 not exhaustive use of Thomas Williams' manuscript. 
 
 The question presents itself did Thomas .Williams' Diar- 
 liebion also fall into Dr. Davies' hands ? And what of the 
 Botanologium and the rest of the matter at the end of his book ? 
 These questions can only be answered when Thomas Williams' 
 work is given to the world, or after some competent scholar has 
 compared the two works. There is more than a tinge of suspicion 
 that the old anchorite of Trefriw, who laboured assiduously for 
 fifty years at his task, has not yet met with his reward at the 
 hands of his countrymen. 
 
 James Howell, of Abernant, whose other work has received 
 considerable notice in previous pages, also contributed to this part 
 of our subject what was, perhaps, his most celebrated work, viz., 
 that entitled : 
 
 "Lexicon Tetraglotton, An English-French-Italian-Spanish 
 Dictionary, whereunto is adjoined a large Nomenclature of the 
 proper Terms (in all the fovvr) belonging to several Arts, 
 and Sciences, to Recreations, to Professions both Liberal 
 and Mechanick, &c. Divided to Fiftie two Sections ; With 
 another Volume of the Choicest Proverbs in all the Sayed 
 Toungs, (consisting of divers compleat Tomes) and the 
 English translated into the other Three, to take off the 
 
 321 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 reproach which useth to be cast upon Her, that She is but 
 barren in this point, and those Proverbs She hath, are but 
 flat and empty : Moreover, Ther are sundry familiar Letters 
 and Verses running all in Proverbs, with a particular Tome 
 of the British, or old Cambrian Sayed-Sawes and Adages, 
 which the author thought fit to annex hereunto, and make 
 Intelligible, for their great Antiquity and Weight : Lastly, 
 there are five Centuries of New Sayings, which, in tract of 
 Time, may serve for Proverbs to Posterity. By the Labours, 
 and Lucubrations of James Howell, Esq. Senesco, non 
 Segnesco. London, Printed by Thomas Leach." * 
 The Welsh part of this remarkable book has a separate title- 
 page, and the pages are numbered separately. The Welsh title 
 reads : " Diharebion Cymraeg, VVedu ei cyfieithu yn Saisoneg, 
 British or old Cambrian Proverbs, and Cymraecan Adages, never 
 Englished, (and divers never published) before." There is an 
 " Epistle Dedicatory to the Right Honorable, (My most endeered 
 Lord) Richard, Earl of Carbery, &c. At His Palace in Golden- 
 Grove." It is dated " London 4 Idus Martii, 1658." There is 
 also another dedication, " To the Knowing Reder," and " A 
 Letter to the Author from a worthy Gentleman, who supplied him 
 with som British Proverbs," written by one, Richard Owen, and 
 dated "Eltham in Kent, Aug. 20, 1657." 
 
 This work, which must have involved infinite labour, was of 
 more interest to English readers than it could have been to the 
 main body of Welshmen in the Principality at that time, for there 
 are only 48 pages of its contents in the Welsh language. It has 
 many inaccuracies, which show the erratic character of its author, 
 but, nevertheless, it proves him to have been a man of wide 
 interests and considerable attainments. He was certainly a man 
 of genius, but his undertakings were so numerous and the path of 
 his life so uneven, that his work correspondingly suffers. If fate 
 had been kinder, James Howell could have attained a position of 
 eminence both in Welsh and English literature, that would have 
 placed him in the foremost rank of litterateurs of that age. 
 
 * Llyfr, y Cymry> pp. 181-2. Hants Lltnyddiaeth Gymreig, pp. 52-3 
 322 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS 
 
THERE are a few eminent Welshmen and writers whose 
 works do not admit of classification in the previous chapters, 
 but who contributed in various ways to literature and other 
 activities in this century. 
 
 The purpose of this chapter is " to gather up the fragments 
 that remain," in order to make the survey as complete as space and 
 opportunity will allow. 
 
 Arise Evans published a book, in 1652, relating the history 
 of his own strange life. Mr. J. H. Davies in his admirable little 
 book "Hen Ddewiniaid Cymne" published in 1901, gives an in- 
 teresting account of this eccentric character, and of Arise Evans' 
 autobiography he writes, " Nid oes odid lyfr yn yr iaith Seisnig 
 mor rhyfedd a hwn." The author's correct name was Rhys 
 Evans, and he was born at Llangelynin, near Barmouth, in 1607. 
 At a very early age he developed a tendency to mysticism, and 
 claimed to be continually seeing " visions." In 1629 he went to 
 London, and in one of his first " visions " there he saw the city 
 burned to the ground, which is, at least, strange ; for the book in 
 which he records this appeared in 1652, fourteen years before the 
 Great Fire took place. He wrote a letter to Charles I. relating 
 many of his weird dreams, and endeavoured to obtain an inter- 
 view with the King, but his purpose was thwarted. Later on he 
 transferred his attention to the Earl of Essex, who was more 
 approachable, but gave him scant encouragement. When the 
 Civil W T ar broke out, he was very active in London, and was 
 several times imprisoned. 
 
 On one occasion he predicted to Oliver Cromwell the restor- 
 ation of Charles II. 1 and made bold to tell the Protector, in the 
 presence of his daughters, that he should offer one of them in 
 marriage to the fugitive Prince of Wales. 
 
 He also prophesied that four more monarchs would reign in 
 England before a change of dynasty ; in fact, he mentioned five 
 1 Htn Ddewiniaid Cymrn, p. 20. 
 
 325 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 crowned heads, which, strangely enough, proved correct, when 
 Queen Mary, the spouse of William III. is included. The year of 
 Evans' death is not known, but he lived to see the Restoration, 
 and it is recorded that he was touched by the King for Kings 
 evil. The following books and pamphlets were published by him : 
 "The Bloudy Vision of John Farley," 1653; "An Eccho to 
 the Book, called a Voice from Heaven," 1653; "A Voice from 
 Heaven to the Commonwealth of England," 1653; "To His 
 Excellencie The Lord General Cromwell," 1653; "The Voice of 
 the Iron Rod, Being a Seasonable Admonition to Cromwell, and 
 to all Judicious men." 1655; "The Voice of King Charles the 
 Father, to Charles the Son," 1655. 
 
 There were also two men named John Evans, who 
 flourished as mystics and soothsayers in this period. The first is 
 believed to have been the author of the book called " The Palace 
 of Profitable Pleasure," which was published in 162 1. 1 The 
 second was the mentor of the notorious William Lilly, who, in his 
 own biography, relates much of John Evans' history, He 
 mentions that he was a Welshman, who had graduated at Oxford 
 and had held Church preferment in Staffordshire, but had ruined 
 himself through intemperance. In 1634 John Evans published a 
 book entitled, " The Universal Medecine or the Virtues of my 
 Magnetical or' Antimonial Cup," of which another edition appeared 
 in 1642. Much confusion has arisen between this John Evans 
 and Arise Evans, to the great disadvantage of the latter. 
 
 Richard Baxter made considerable researches in Wales as to 
 divination and spiritualism, and wrote a book on the subject, 
 entitled, " The Certainty of the Worlds of Spirits Fully evinced 
 by unquestionable Histories of Apparitions and Witchcrafts, 
 Written for the Conviction of Sadduces and Infidels By Richard 
 Baxter." London. i6qi. 2 A Welsh gentleman named John Lewis, 
 of Glasgrug, near Aberystwyth, was in frequent correspondence 
 with Baxter on this subject. The former, who published three 
 books in Welsh, two of which related to education and religion in 
 
 1 Hen Ddewiniaid Cymrt4, p. 26. 2 ibid, p. 38. 
 326 
 
MISCELLANEOUS 
 
 Wales, was one of the first to conceive the idea of a National 
 University. In the Civil War he showed strong sympathy with 
 Cromwell and the Parliament." 1 
 
 Thomas Pugh, of whom nothing is known except that he 
 published "British and Outlandish Prophesies," in 1658, a work 
 which is mentioned in the first chapter of this book, was also a 
 mystic, as its title indicates. He wrote that work to please 
 Cromwell, whom he looked upon as the long-expected deliverer 
 of the nation, and predicted for him world -wide influence. The 
 Protector, however, no doubt to Thomas Pugh's discomfiture, died 
 within a short time of its publication. 
 
 Sir William Jones was the eldest son and heir of William 
 Jones, Esq., of Castellmarch, in Carnarvonshire, 2 the ancient seat 
 of the family, where he was born in 1566. Wood states that he 
 was educated first at the Free School in Beaumaris, but Canon 
 Williams, in his Eminent Welshmen^ denies this. Both agree that 
 at the age of 14 he proceeded to St. Edmund's Hall, Oxford, 
 and that he afterwards went to Lincoln's Inn. He was called to 
 the bar in 1595, became a Bencher in 1611, and was Lent Reader 
 in 1616. He is also said to have spent two years at Furnival's 
 Inn. He was M.P. for Beaumaris 1597-8, and again in 1604-11 
 and 1614. In 1 60 1 he sat for the county of Carnarvon. In 1617 
 he was made Sergeant -at -Law, and in the same year was knighted 
 and took up the position of Chief Justice in Ireland, a dignity 
 which he held for three years, and left at his own request. In 
 1621 he was made a Justice of the Common Pleas, in England, 
 and in 1623 was raised to the King's Bench. He died in his 
 house in Holborn in 1640, and was buried under the chapel of 
 Lincoln's Inn. 
 
 His writings are on legal subjects. He collected " Reports 
 of divers special cases in the Courts of King's Bench and 
 Common Pleas," which contain the cases of greatest remark 
 during the time he was Judge in those Courts (1622-1640). These 
 
 1 Htn DJeioiniaid Cynint, p. 45. "Athen : OJTOH : i., pp. 543-4, and 
 Williams' Eminent Welshmen t p. 266. See also Williams' Part, ffist. of 
 Princ* of H'ales* 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 were published in folio in 1675. He also published " Several 
 Speeches in Parliament." Sir William Jones was a distinguished 
 Welshman, a Counsellor of high repute, and an able Judge. 
 Wood informs us that "he constantly kept Oxford Circuit as 
 Judge." 
 
 Thomas Jones, son of Edward Jones, of Nant Eos, 
 Cardiganshire, was born at that place in 1618, elected Probationer 
 Fellow of Merton College, Oxford, in I638, 1 and after taking 
 his degree he travelled in France and Italy with George Brent, 
 son of Sir Nathan Brent, until about 1647, when he returned to 
 Oxford, submitted to the Parliamentary Visitors, Aug. 6, 1649, 
 and proceeded to his M.A. degree. He afterwards applied 
 himself to the study of Civil Law, and proceeded to a doctorate 
 in that Faculty in 1659. He was a good Greek and Hebrew 
 scholar, and in 1660 he published several books of Jurisprudence, 2 
 in which he showed great capacity. Their titles are : 
 
 1. "Oratio habita in Auditorio juridico, cum Recitationes 
 solennes in Titulum de Judiciis auspicatus est." Oxford, 
 1660. 
 
 2. "De Judiciis, ubi de Persona & Officio Judicis apud Ebraeos 
 & Romanes late disputatur." Printed with the former. 
 
 3. "De Origine Dominii & servitutis Theses Juridicae," also 
 printed with the above. 
 
 After leaving Oxford he practised in London at Doctor's 
 Commons. He died of the Great Plague in 1665. 
 
 John Roberts, the Benedictine, was born at Trawsfynydd, 
 in Merionethshire, in 1575 or 1576.3 His father, John Roberts, 
 a man of good lineage, was a merchant, who in his travels married 
 Anna, daughter of Paul Arderike, a native of the duchy of 
 Holstein. 4 At the age of 19 he went to St. John's College, 
 Oxford, the college of Laud and John Scudamore, both of whom 
 were contemporaries, where he matriculated in 1595-6. He left 
 the University in 1598, went to London, and was there admitted 
 
 1 Atken : O.wn : ii., p. 361. 2 Williams' Eminent Welshmen^ p, 262. 
 3 Camm's Benedictine Martyr* p. 21. 4 ibid, p. 23, 
 
MISCELLANEOUS, 
 
 into one of the Inns of Court. In the summer of that year he 
 left England for a Continental tour. In Paris he got into touch 
 with numerous Roman Catholic exiles from England, and in the 
 Church of Notre Dame he was received into the Roman com- 
 munion. ' He afterwards met Father John Cecil, one of the first 
 English students at Valladolid, who was then staying in Paris. 
 The latter gave Roberts letters to the authorities of the seminary 
 at Valladolid, whence he proceeded in September, 1598, and was 
 admitted into the English College of St. Albans, which had been 
 founded in 1589-90 through the efforts of Robert Parsons, and 
 had by this time 53 students. In the Liber primi examinis of 
 that college occurs the following entry, under 1598 : "Joannes 
 Robert us vetdt ad hoc collegium 15 Septembris" just two days after 
 the death of Philip II. of Spain, a patron of that institution, and 
 the avowed enemy of England. Amongst the Benedictines at 
 Valladolid was Mark Barkworth, who afterwards, like Roberts 
 himself, died on the scaffold. Roberts became known to the 
 Benedictine Order in Spain as John de Mervinia 2 (a Latinised 
 form of Merioneth). 
 
 Two other Welshmen were prominent in the same institution, 
 viz., Augustine Baker and Leander Jones. In 1600 Roberts was 
 formally received into the Benedictine Order, and was ordained 
 priest in 1602.3 In that year, in obedience to a papal decree, he 
 set out for England, and arrived there just after the death of 
 Elizabeth in 1603, after staying some months at Paris. Lewis 
 Owen in his " Running Register " states that Roberts was the first 
 of the order to derive his Mission to England from the Pope, 
 " which made him not a little proud that hee should bee a second 
 Augustine monk." His coming had, however, been reported by a 
 spy, a former friend, and he was arrested and thrown into prison, 
 but was released as an act of grace by James I. on his arrival from 
 Scotland, and deported. He went to Douay, but returned in a 
 very short time, and did good service during the great plague 
 which visited England in 1603. * He was again arrested, this time 
 
 'Camm's Benedictine Martyr, pp. 42-3. - ibid, p. 86. 3 ibid, p. 133. 
 4 ibid, p. 157. 
 
 3 2 9 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 in the house of Thomas Percy, a conspirator in the Gunpowder 
 Plot, and committed to the Gatehouse prison. At the intercession 
 of the French ambassador, his life was spared, and he was again 
 deported. He remained at Douay for 14 months, and was made 
 first prior of St. Gregory. In 1607 he returned, was arrested, 
 and committed to the same prison, from which he escaped. He 
 was recaptured, but again deported owing to the intervention of the 
 French ambassador. He stayed some time in Spain, but returned 
 to England for the last time in 1610, just after most stringent 
 laws had been passed against Romanists. He was seized and put 
 on his trial at Newgate on Dec. 5th, 1610, before Lord Chief 
 Justice Coke, and other judges. Refusing to take the oath of 
 Allegiance, he confessed to his Orders after some pressure, was 
 found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death. The 
 sentence was consummated on Dec. loth, 1610. 
 
 Thomas Jones (Twm Shon Catty) was the natural son of 
 Sir John Wynn, of Gwydir, 1 by Catherine Jones, a native of 
 Tregaron, who lived at Llidiart y Ffynnon, in that village. 2 As a 
 youth he lived a life of wild adventure, and he records his 
 escapades in a very diverting book entitled " The Adventures of 
 Twm Shon Catty." Quite early in life he showed antiquarian 
 propensities, and these were, no doubt encouraged by Dr. John 
 Dafydd Rhys, with whom he became acquainted when the latter 
 was curate of Tregaron. Dr. Rhys took great delight in instruct- 
 ing the sharpwitted youth, and was much revered by him in turn. 
 At the age of 15, Thomas Jones was apprenticed to a farmer at 
 Cwm y Gwern Ddu. Here he was very harshly treated, and fell a 
 victim to that common pest of the time, the smallpox, to which 
 he nearly succumbed. He afterwards entered the Service of 
 Squire Graspacre, the local landowner, who had married Sir John 
 Wynn's sister, where his lot was considerably ameliorated. Under 
 Rhys' tuition his love of reading was developed, and with it came a 
 distaste for servitude. He played several practical jokes upon his 
 master, but never quite lost his favour. Amongst his adventures 
 
 1 Prichatd's edn. of Twm Skon Catty (1859), p. 8. 2 ibid, p. 9. 
 33 
 
MISCELLANEOUS 
 
 were included singing ballads at Cardigan fair in the disguise of a 
 woman, and rescuing the lady of Ystrad Feen, in addition to 
 several exploits in which he got the better of highwaymen. He 
 afterwards went to London, and in rather a pathetic scene dis- 
 closed his identity to his father. His career of adventure ended 
 by marrying the widow of Sir George Devereux, of Ystrad Feen, 
 to whom he had once revealed his affection in Cywyddy Gqfid. 
 He built a mansion at the side of his mother's cottage, and settled 
 down into a respectable and useful citizen, becoming J.P. for the 
 county of Brecon. He was of some celebrity as an antiquary, 
 poet, and genealogist, and his knowledge of heraldry is said to 
 have been profound. He died in i62o. z 
 
 John Jones, Ll.D., entered Jesus College, Oxford, 2 in 
 1672, and studied Law. He afterwards practised physic at 
 Windsor, and became Chancellor of Llandaff. He was a man of 
 learning and ingenuity, and in 1683 he published a Latin treatise 
 on intermittent fevers. He died in 1709. 
 
 John Jones, son of John Jones, of Llanelian, in Denbigh- 
 shire, was entered as Student in New Inn, Oxford, in 1675, aged 
 20 years, and was afterwards transferred to Trinity College, from 
 which he took theB.A. degree in 1681. He subsequently became 
 Usher of the Free School at St. Alban's, in Hertfordshire, and 
 was esteemed a good Latin poet. He wrote : 
 
 "Fanum S. Albani Poema carmine Heroico." Lond. 1683. 
 and dedicated the book to Sir Hardbottle Grimstone, Master of 
 the Rolls. He died a young man in 1686, and as a mark of the 
 respect in which he was held, a public memorial was placed over 
 his grave at St. Alban's. 3 
 
 Walter Rumsey was born at Llanover, in Monmouth, in 
 1584, proceeded to Gloucester Hall, Oxford, at the age of 16, 
 and afterwards to Gray's Inn, where he was made Barrister, 
 Puncher, and Lent Reader. In 1635 he was appointed Puisne 
 Judge in the Brecon Circuit, and in 1637 he became Chief 
 Justice. He was so eminent in his profession that he was called 
 
 'Williams' Eminent W'ekhmeii, p. 262. 'ibid, p. 256. 3 Athett : 
 Oxon : ii. , p. 799. 
 
 331 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 " the picklock of the Law." J In 1640 he was elected one of the 
 Knights of the Shire for Monmouth, and entered Parliament, but 
 he refused to serve in the Long Parliament. He had other 
 pursuits besides the law, and Wood states 2 that he was a most 
 ingenious man, and that " he had a philosophical head and was a 
 good musician, and most curious for grafting, inoculating, and 
 planting." He invented the provang, a medical instrument made 
 of whalebone, to cleanse the throat and stomach. His book, 
 entitled Organon Salutis, 1657 and 1659, is a description of this 
 instrument. He added to this another work, " Divers new 
 experiments of the virtue of Tobacco and Coffee," to which Sir 
 Henry Blount and James Howell wrote commendatory Epistles. 
 Sir Walter Rumsey died in 1660, and was buried in the parish 
 church at Llanover. 
 
 Thomas Vaughan (1622-1666), twin brother of Henry 
 Vaughan, the Silurist, was born on April iyth, 1622, at Skethrog, 
 Brecon, went to school at Llangattock, where he was taught by 
 the rector of that parish, and received from him a sound classical 
 education. In 1638 he proceeded to Jesus College, Oxford, but 
 was disturbed by the Civil war, and returned to his native county, 
 where he became rector of Llansantffraid. He was ejected under 
 the Commonwealth, and returned to Oxford, where he became 
 the most famous alchemist of the day. Under the pseudonym 
 Eugenius Philalethes he published some most curious books. 
 He was also a very zealous Rosicrucian. He greatly admired the 
 works of Cornelius Agrippa,3 especially his Occult Philosophv. 
 He followed his principles in most of his books, and in matters 
 of philosophy he acknowledged that next to God he owed 
 Cornelius Agrippa all that he had. He praised him in such 
 poetical strains as the following : 
 
 "Nature's Apostle and her choice High Priest, 
 Her mystical and bright Evangelist." 
 
 He always expressed himself strongly, on the other hand, 
 against the Aristotelian philosophy. In religion, Wood describes 
 1 Williams' Eminent Welshmen, pp. 463-4. *Athen : Oxon : ii., p. 255. 
 3 ibid, pp. 368-70. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS 
 
 him as " neither Papist nor Sectary, but a true resolute Protestant 
 in the true sense of the Church of England." 
 
 He published in 1650 " Anthroposophia TJieomagica, or, A dis- 
 course of the Nature of Man and his state after death grounded 
 on his Creator's Proto Chemistry, and verified by a practicall 
 Examination of Principles in the Great World. By Eugenius 
 Philalethes. London. Printed by T. W. for H. Blunaen at the 
 Castle in Cornhill. 1650." 
 
 In the same year appeared "Anitna Magica Abscondita, or, A 
 discourse of the universall Spirit of Nature, with his strange, 
 abstruse, miraculous ascent and descent. By Eugenius Philalethes. 
 London. Printed by T. W. for H. B. 1650." 
 
 It will be seen that his works were on abstruse subjects, and 
 that the author was something of a mystic and poet, in addition to 
 his eminence as a chemist. He also wrote " Magia Adamica, or, 
 The Antiquity of Magic, and "Lumen de Lumine" 1651. His 
 death happened in I666. 1 
 
 John Vaughan, a noted lawyer of this century, eldest son 
 of Edward Vaughan, of Trawscoed, was born in 1608 at Traws- 
 coed. in Cardiganshire, educated at the King's Grammar School 
 at Worcester, and was afterwards admitted to Christ's Church, 
 Oxford, at the age of fifteen. He was called to the bar in 1630 
 at the Inner Temple, made a Bencher in 1660, and obtained a 
 considerable practice as an advocate. He was at first more 
 bent, however, on his academical studies of poetry and mathe- 
 matics than on the study of the law. But some time afterwards, 
 making the acquaintance of Selden and others, he devoted 
 himself to the study of Civil Law, especially English Law, in 
 which he distinguished himself. He married Letitia, the daughter 
 of John Stedman, of Strata Florida, in Cardiganshire. He was a 
 burgess for the town of Cardigan, 1628-9 to 1640, and again from 
 1640 to i645- 2 I n tne latter year, disapproving of the doings of 
 Parliament, he retired to his native county, and remained there 
 
 'Wood gives 1665 (see Athena; Oxon : ii., pp, 253-4). Garnett and 
 Gossegive 1666. Hist. En^. Lit., iii., p. 64. 'Williams' Parl. Hist, of the 
 Print, of Wales, p. ji. 
 
 333 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 until the Restoration. At the accession of Charles II., he was 
 elected Knight for the County of Cardigan for the Parliament 
 which met in 1661, and the King took notice of his great attain- 
 ments and experience, and conferred upon him the honour of 
 knighthood. In 1668 he was sworn Sergeant -at -Law in the 
 Court of Chancery, and almost immediately afterwards Lord 
 Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, 1 which he presided over with 
 great dignity and legal acumen. He died in 1674, and was buried 
 in the Temple Church, near the grave of John Selden. In 1677, 
 his son Edward Vaughan published a collection of his works, 
 consisting of Reports and Arguments on many Special Cases, 
 which John Vaughan, as Lord Chief Justice, had decided in the 
 Court of Common Pleas. This famous judge was one of the 
 most accomplished men of his age. His biographer, in the 
 Parliamentary History of the Principality of Wales, states that 
 " to his great abilities ... he united a strong attachment to the 
 English constitution, which prevented his being too great an 
 advocate for the prerogatives of the Crown." He suffered con- 
 siderably during the Rebellion, and his petition to the King in 1666 
 shows that he was plundered and made to compound for his 
 estates, in addition to being restrained from exercising his pro- 
 fession as a lawyer. Some of the above details of his life have 
 been gleaned from the inscription over his tomb in the Temple 
 Church. 
 
 Sir William Williams, Knight and Baronet, of Llanforda, 
 Salop, and Nantyanog, Anglesey, was the eldest son of Hugh 
 Williams, D.D., of Llantrisant, Anglesey. He was admitted to 
 Jesus College, Oxford, in 1650, and became Scholar in 1652, and 
 afterwards went to Gray's Inn, and became a barrister in 1658. 
 In 1667 he was appointed Recorder of Chester, and was M.P. 
 for that city from 1675 to i68i. 2 In 1689-90, and again in 1695-8 
 he sat for Beaumaris. He was elected Speaker of the House of 
 Commons 1679-81. When the Popish Plot broke out he sided 
 with the dominant party, and after the Presbyterian Plot outbreak 
 
 l Atken : Oxon : ii., p. 536. 2 ParL ffisi. of Print, of Wales, p. n, 
 334 
 
MISCELLANEOUS 
 
 in 1683, he was an ardent advocate of their cause. In 1687 he 
 was made Solicitor- General by James II. and received the honour 
 of knighthood, and afterwards in 1688, a baronetcy. He published 
 several speeches made in the House of Commons, 1 and amongst 
 them that made by himself when he was elected Speaker in 1679, 
 also a " Speech to His Majesty," made on the occasion of his 
 presentation as Speaker in 1680, and "A Speech made to Sir 
 Robert Peyton upon his expulsion from the House, 1680." The 
 language in this last oration is not above reproach. It was after- 
 wards published under the title, " A Specimen of the Rhetoric, 
 Candor, Gravity, and Ingenuity of William Williams, Speaker to 
 the House of Commons, in his Speech to Sir Robert Peyton." 
 
 In 1685 Williams was tried for libel for printing Thomas 
 Dangerfield's information, 2 given to the House, and although he 
 pleaded privilege of Parliament, he was fined ^10,000 by the 
 Court of King's Bench, but the sentence was afterwards (1688) 
 declared illegal. He died in 1700. His grandson became the 
 the first Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart., of Wynnstay. 
 
 Robert Price, known as " the patriot of his native country," 
 was born at Gilar, Cerrig-y- Drudion, m 1653. He was educated 
 at Wrexham Grammar School,3 proceeded to St. John's College, 
 Cambridge, in 1672, and afterwards to Lincoln's Inn. He then 
 perfected his education by travels in France and Italy. He 
 married on his return the daughter of Robert Rudd, of Foxley, 
 who had a considerable inheritance, and he afterwards made 
 Foxley his home. He became Attorney General for Glamorgan, 
 1684-5, f r South Wales, 1685-9, Recorder of Gloucester, 1685-7, 
 In 1684 he had been appointed one of the Stewards to Charles 
 II. 's Dowager, and in 1686 King's Counsel at Ludlow.* On the 
 accession of William III., he was removed from his offices, and 
 when the King appointed a favourite, William Bentinck, Earl of 
 Portland, a Dutchman, as lord of Denbigh, Bromfield, and Yale, 
 Robert Price took up an attitude of most determined opposition 
 
 1 Athen : Oxon : ii., p. 1092. 2 Williams' Par!. Hist, of Princ. of Wales, 
 p. II. 3 Williams' Welsh fudges, p. 143. * Williams' Eminent Welshmen^ 
 p. 419. 
 
 335 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 to him, and declared that "the submitting of 1,500 freeholders 
 to the will of a Dutch lord was putting them in a worse posture 
 than their former estate." He argued that according to the " Bill 
 of Rights " William III. could not give away the estates of the 
 Prince of Wales without the consent of Parliament. The result 
 of his determined stand was that the King withdrew the grant to 
 William Eentinck. After the death of William III., Robert 
 Price's speech was printed, under the title, " Gloria Cambria, or, 
 the Speech of a bold Briton in Parliament against a Dutch Prince 
 of Wales." Price sat in Parliament as member for Weobley. In 
 1700 he was made Second Justice of Brecknock, and in 1702 
 Sergeant at Law. On the accession of Queen Anne he was 
 appointed a Baron of the Exchequer, 1702-26, and Justice of the 
 Comm.m Pleas, 1726-32. He died in the latter year and was 
 buried at Yazor Church, in Herefordshire. 1 His "Life" was 
 published in London in 1734. 
 
 Richard Davies, of Cloddiau Cochion, a very prominent 
 Quaker, was born at Welshpool in 1635. He first of all left the 
 Establishment and became an Independent, but afterwards, in 
 1657, joined the Quakers and ardently disseminated their tenets, 
 suffering persecution and imprisonment on that account. His 
 disputation with Bishop William Lloyd was, perhaps, the most 
 prominent public event of his life. In 1702, he with eleven 
 others, presented an address to the Queen in person, and on his 
 way home he visited Bishop Lloyd at Worcester. He wrote an 
 autobiography, which is very quaint and interesting. It is a curious 
 volume, and throws considerable light on the social state of Wales 
 in the seventeenth century. The work is entitled " An Account 
 of the Convincement, Exercises, Services, and Travels of that 
 ancient servant of the Lord, Richard Davies, with some relations 
 of ancient Friends, and the spreading of truth in North Wales," 
 and it passed through six editions. Richard Davies died at 
 Cloddiau Cochion in 1708.- 
 
 1 See Williams' Welsh Judges, p. 143. 2 See Williams' Eminent Welsh- 
 men, p. no. 
 
 336 
 
MISCELLANEOUS 
 
 Henry Rowland, Bishop of Bangor, was born at Mell- 
 teyrn, in Lleyn, c. 1551. He received his early education in the 
 school at Penllech, 1 and was admitted to St. Mary's Hall, Oxford, 
 in 1569, taking his B.A. degree from New College in 1574, and 
 M.A. in 1577. In 1591 he proceeded B.D., and in 1605 D.D. 
 After spending nine years as rector of his native parish, he was 
 preferred to the benefice of Launton, near Bister or Bicester, in 
 Oxfordshire, in 1581. In 1583 he was appointed sinecure rector 
 of Aberdaron, and in 1584 Prebendary of Penmynydd. In 1588 
 he became Archdeacon of Anglesey, and Dean of Bangor in 1593. 
 In 1598 he was consecrated Bishop of Bangor in succession to 
 Bishop Richard Vaughan, his fellow-countryman, kinsman, and 
 intimate. A monument existed to each in Bangor Cathedral until 
 the Cromwellian iconoclasts destroyed them. Bishop Rowland 
 presented the Cathedral with four bells in place of those which 
 Arthur Bulkley, one of his predecessors, had taken away. 3 Wood 
 is wrong in stating that Bishop Rowland was a celibate. On the 
 contrary, he was the first married rector of Launton, after the 
 Reformation. 3 He married a widow named Frances Cotesford, 
 whose maiden name was Hutchins. 
 
 He died on July 6, 1616, and was buried on the north side 
 of the chancel at Bangor Cathedral, in front of the altar, "among 
 the sepulchres of the Bishops," as Wood states. In 1609 he had 
 given lands to Jesus College, Oxford, for the maintenance of two 
 Scholars or Fellows there. 4 By his last Will and Testament he 
 also bequeathed moneys for the erection of a school in his native 
 parish, Bottwnog and Mellteyrn. In his Will he had also made 
 provision for repairs to the Cathedral, and for the poor of several 
 parishes in his diocese, for whom he erected almshouses in 
 Bangor. 
 
 Thomas Jones (Shrewsbury) was born at Tre'r Ddol, near 
 Corwen, in 1648, and in his boyhood removed to London. He 
 published his first Welsh Almanac in 1680, having obtained 
 
 *Athen: Oxon: i., p 620. 2 ibid. 3 Esgob Henry Rowland, by Arch- 
 deacon Morgan, p. 20. * Wood's Athena, i., p. 620. 
 
 337 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Letters Patent from Charles II. for printing and publishing it, in 
 the previous year. 1 These almanacs were booklets of 28 pages, 
 and were of a size suited for the pocket. They were usually sold 
 at two pence per copy, a very reasonable price considering the 
 value of their contents. The latter were usually arranged as 
 follows : A general Introduction reviewing the previous year, 
 astronomical notes for the coming year, a few pages of poems or 
 prose, or both ; a calendar with forecasts as to coming events, 
 and weather ; the Welsh fairs ; and a miscellaneous assortment of 
 announcements, particularly of forthcoming books. The literary 
 portion sometimes contained verse and prose of merit, and these 
 almanacs form an interesting field of research, in which many a 
 literary gem has been discovered. They did some service at a 
 time when the language received little attention. 
 
 Thomas Jones was the first to establish a Welsh newspaper. 
 He ventured a monthly publication in 1690, which he mentions 
 in his Almanac for 1691 (page 4). The experiment proved a 
 failure, however. That Thomas Jones was an enterprising 
 publisher is amply testified. His two editions of the Welsh 
 Book of Common Prayer have already been mentioned ; he also 
 published a popular Welsh and English Dictionary. He himself 
 could also write with freshness and vigour. 
 
 His first fifteen almanacs were printed in London, where he 
 had lived most of his life, and kept a combined bookseller and 
 chemist's shop from 1679-1695, in different parts of the city. 
 
 In the latter year he removed to Shrewsbury, and opened a 
 Welsh printing-press there without delay. This was the first 
 Welsh press ever established, and it proved an important event 
 for the Principality. Shrewsbury became the centre for Welsh 
 publications for at least half a century. Presses at Caerleon, 
 Adpar, and Carmarthen were set up later, so that Thomas Jones 
 can claim to be the father of the Welsh press. Apart from his 
 Almanacs, the first Welsh book he published was " Llyfr Carolau 
 a Dyriau Duwiol," in 1696. This was a second and revised 
 
 * Cymdeilhas Han. Bed. Cymru, 1912-13, p. IO, 
 338 
 
MISCELLANEOUS 
 
 edition of Ffoulk Owen's Ccrdd-Lyfr, 1686. It must be 
 remembered that Thomas Jones had previously printed several 
 Welsh books in London, e.g., " Llyfr 1'lygain," 1683; "YGwir 
 er gwaethed y\v," 1684 ; "Llyfr Gweddi Gyffredin a Psalmau Can 
 Edmund Prys," 1687; "Y Gymraeg yn ei Disgleirdeb," 1688; 
 " Y Namyn-un-deugain Erthyglau Eglwys Loegr." 1688 ; " Esbon- 
 iad neu Ysbysiad o Catechism yr Eglwys," between I685-88. 1 
 
 When the S.P.C.K. was established in London, in 1698, that 
 Society commended and circulated several of Thomas Jones' 
 publications, and he published for the Society several of their 
 early pamphlets, which were circulated by the thousand in the 
 Welsh Charity Schools. 
 
 His Almanacs appeared regularly from 1680 to 1712, and it 
 is believed he died in the latter year. Small as the publication 
 was, it was highly valued by thousands of Welshmen in that age, 
 when advantages were so meagre, and Thomas Jones must be 
 regarded as a real benefactor to his country at a time when there 
 were no railways, no postal system, or, at least, a very crude one, 
 and very little news reached rural and remote parts. 
 
 Sir George Jeffreys was the sixth son of John Jeffreys, 
 of Acton, near Wrexham, and grandson of John Jeffreys, Justice 
 of the Anglesey Circuit (1617-22). He was born at Acton in 
 1648, educated at Shrewsbury and Westminster, and proceeded 
 thence to Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1662. He entered the 
 Inner Temple in the following year, became Barrister in 1668, 
 K.C. in 1677, Bencher in 1679, Sergeant at Law in 1680, King's 
 Sergeant in the same year, was knighted in 1677, and appointed 
 Recorder of Windsor, 1685-8. Other dignities that he held were, 
 Common Sergeant of London, 1671-8, Recorder of London, 
 1678-80, Solicitor- General to the Duke of York, 1677, Chief 
 Justice of Chester, 1680-3, an< ^ }!' f r Flintshire, i68o. 2 
 
 He brought himself into considerable prominence in the trial 
 of Lord William Russell for treason, in which he acted as prose- 
 
 1 Cymdeithas Han. Bed. Cj'tnnt, p. 15, - Welsh Judges, by YV. R, 
 Williams, p. 41* 
 
 339 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 cuting Counsel for the Crown. For his services he was rewarded 
 by Charles II. with the dignity of Lord Chief Justice of the King's 
 Bench in 1683. As such he presided over the trials of Algernon 
 Sidney and Sir Thomas Armstrong, both of whom he condemned 
 to death, it is said, on insufficient evidence. 1 The well-known 
 Titus Gates and Richard Baxter were also tried by him. In 1681 
 he had been created a baronet, and in 1685 was raised to the 
 peerage under the title of Baron Jeffreys of Wem, Salop. He 
 was Lord High Chancellor from 1685 to 1688, and Lord High 
 Steward in 1686. In the latter capacity he presided over the trial 
 of Lord Delamere. But he is best known for his work as 
 President of the Special Assize in Somerset and the West, when 
 he dealt so unmercifully with the unfortunate followers of the 
 Duke of Monmouth after the rebellion. It was afterwards known 
 as the " Bloody Assizes," and Jeffreys so covered himself with 
 opprobrium for his refusal to listen to any appeals for mercy that 
 his name has been handed down as " Hanging Judge Jeffreys." 
 He is generally thought to have been a clever but unscrupulous 
 man. He had identified himself with most of James II. 's 
 arbitrary measures, and when the Revolution broke out in 1688, 
 he was sent to the Tower. His death in April, 1689, either 
 "from a broken heart, or from hard drinking," as Pennant 
 observes, saved him from the inevitable public disgrace which 
 would have followed his merciless tyranny. 
 
 Archbishop John Dolben was born in 1624. The 
 Dolbens were a well-known Denbighshire family, whose seat was 
 at Segrwyd or Isegrwyd in that county. One of them, David 
 Dolben, had become bishop of the ancient see of Bangor in 1631, 
 and was a prelate of great learning, piety and zeal, an able Welsh 
 scholar and preacher. 2 
 
 The Archbishop was the son of Dr. William Dolben, rector 
 of Stanwick, Northants. He was sent to Westminster School in 
 1636, and was elected a student of Christ Church, Oxford, in 
 
 1 Welsh fudges by VV. R. Williams, p. 41. 2 Ancient and Modern Den 
 ) p. 206. 
 
 340 
 
MISCELLANEOUS 
 
 1640, at the age of fifteen. During the Civil Wars he bore arms 
 for the King, and was a major in the Royal army, taking part at 
 Marston Moor and in the defence of York. 1 He returned to 
 Christ Church and took the degree of M.A. in i647, a and was 
 afterwards ejected by the Parliamentary Visitors. At the Restora- 
 tion he was installed Canon of Christ Church in 1660, and pro- 
 ceeded to a doctorate in Divinity. His next preferment was to 
 the Archdeaconry of London, and he afterwards became Clerk of 
 the Closet and Dean of Westminster in 1662, and Bishop of 
 Rochester in 1666. Later he became Almoner to the King, and 
 managed his office, as Wood informs us, " to the benefit of the 
 poor, and with great justice and integrity." On the death of Dr. 
 Sterne, Archbishop of York, he was elected his successor in 1683. 
 
 The well-known archbishop, John Williams, was his uncle, 
 and he imitated the latter both in the greatness of his parts and 
 in holding two of the dignities which he had enjoyed, viz., the 
 deanery of Westminster and the archiepiscopate of the Northern 
 Province. He died of the smallpox in April, 1686, aged 62, and 
 was buried at York Minster. His character as given by Wood, 
 and copied by him from the inscription on his monument 3 at that 
 cathedral, is as follows : " In Senatu & Ecclesiis, Eloquentire 
 gloria ; In Diooesibus suis Episcopal! diligentia ; In omnium 
 piorum animis, justa veneratione semper victura." 
 
 Sir John Trevor, Knight, was the second son of John 
 Trevor, of Brynkynallt, and cousin to Judge Jeffreys, who was his 
 patron. He was born in 16.37, admitted to the Inner Temple in 
 1654, called to the bar in 1661, became Bencher in 1673, 
 Treasurer in 1674, Reader in 1675, K.C. in 1678. He was 
 knighted in 1671, and sat in Parliament for Castle Rising, 
 Norfolk, from 1673 to 1679, for county Denbigh in 1681, and 
 again in 1685-7, for Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) from 1690 to 1695. 
 He was appointed Speaker of the House of Commons in 1685, 
 and held that position until the end of James II.'s reign. In 
 
 *Athen: Oxen: ii., pp. 792-3. 2 ibid, 792. 3 Much of the information 
 respecting the details of his career is derived from the monument over his 
 grave at York Minster. The dates are also supplied from this source. 
 
 341 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 1690 he was re -appointed and continued in office five years. In 
 1688 he had been made a Privy Councillor, and he held the 
 dignity of Master of the Rolls from 1685 to 1689. Williams, in 
 his Ancient and Modern Denbigh, states that Sir John Trevor was 
 a man " of considerable learning and talent, and one of the most 
 influential Tories in the Kingdom. He was a benefactor to 
 Denbigh, principal founder of its Grammar School, and donor of 
 charities for its poor." Evelyn, on the other hand, describes him 
 as '' a bold, bad man," and records that he was expelled from the 
 House of Commons for accepting bribes, in 1695. Another 
 authority, " The Historical Register," states that he filled all his 
 offices "with that acuteness of understanding, solidity of judgment, 
 and great sufficiency, especially in the Chair and upon the Bench, 
 that few or none had ever excelled him. He was a true lover of 
 his country, and in all reigns a firm and constant patriot of our 
 constitution, both in Church and State." 1 
 
 Griffith Powell, D.C.L., was the third son of John ap 
 Howell, 2 of Llansawel, in Carmarthenshire, where he was born in 
 1561. He entered Jesus College, Oxford, in 1581, and took 
 degrees in Arts and Civil Law. 3 He became Fellow of the College 
 in 1590, took his D.C.L. degree in 1599, and in 1613 was 
 appointed Principal. During his tenure of that office he con- 
 siderably advanced the fortunes of Jesus College. Fellowships 
 and Scholarships were increased, and considerable sums raised 
 from the Principality through his energy, for additional buildings, 
 notably the Chapel and the Hall, which were, however, completed 
 a few months after his death. He was accounted an eminent 
 philosopher, and Wood pays him tribute for his work as tutor 
 and adviser amongst the junior members of the College, as well 
 as for his subtlety as a disputant amongst the learned men of his 
 day at Oxford. His works are: 
 
 i. " Analysis Analyticorum posteriorum seu librorum Aristotelis 
 de Demonstratione, cum Scholiis." Oxon. 1594. 
 
 1 Williams' Parl. Hist, of the Princ. of Wales, p. 75. 2 Hardy's Jems 
 College, p. 34. 3 Athen: Oxon: i., p. 383. 
 
 342 
 
MISCELLANEOUS 
 
 2. "Analysis libri Aristotelis de Sophisticis Elenchis." 1598.* 
 Second edition, 1664. 
 
 The following lines in satire were written of these two books 
 by an Oxford wit : 
 
 " Grifmh Powell, for the honour of his nation, 
 Wrote a 1'ook of Demonstration. 
 And having little else to doe, 
 II wrote a book of IClenchs too." 
 
 He was also the author of other philosophical works. He 
 died in June, 1620, and by a verbal request (he made no will) left 
 his whole estate amounting to ^648 I'js. 2d. to Jesus College, 2 
 with which land was purchased for the maintenance of one 
 Fellow of the said College. 3 
 
 Sir Leoline Jenkins, D.C.L;, was the son of Jenkin 
 Llewelyn, and was born in 1625 at Llanblethian,* in Glamorgan- 
 shire. He was educated at Cowbridge School, and proceeded 
 thence to Jesus College, Oxford, in 1641, recommended to that 
 institution by Judge David Jenkins. During the Civil War he 
 sided with the King and took part in some expeditions. He 
 retired to Wales in 1648, and returned to Oxford for a short time 
 in 1651, but found the atmosphere of the University at that time 
 so uncongenial that he withdrew with some of his pupils beyond 
 the seas. He travelled for five years in France, Germany, and 
 Holland, and acquired a knowledge of foreign languages which 
 afterwards stood him in good stead. At the Restoration he 
 returned to Jesus College, was made Fellow, and subsequently, 
 in 1 66 r, Principal of the College, "by the unanimous consent of 
 all the Fellows/'' s 
 
 His profound knowledge of Civil and Maritime Law led to 
 his appointment as assistant to Dr. Exton as Judge of the 
 Admiralty during the Dutch War, and he afterwards held the sole 
 appointment in that office. The importance of the position may 
 be gauged from the fact that he gave 436 final sentences in two 
 years, and had suitors before him " from almost all nations." 
 
 1 Wood wrongly gives this date as 1594. * Hardy's Jesus College, p. "I. 
 3 Williams' Eminent Welshmen, p. 412. 4 Hardy's ftsus Coitegt, pp. 131-2. 
 p. 131. 6 ibid, p. 13 j. 
 
 343 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURA 
 
 In 1665 he was made Judge in the Prerogative Court of 
 Canterbury. In 1669 he was knighted by Charles II. for his able 
 conduct of negotiations respecting the personal property of Queen 
 Henrietta Maria. In 1670 he was one of the Commissioners 
 who tried to pave the way for the union between England and 
 Scotland. In 1673 he represented England in the Congress at 
 Cologne, which proved abortive. In 1676 another Conference 
 was held at Nymwegen, in which he was chief of the three 
 English representatives. He ultimately succeeded in composing 
 all the differences preparatory to the Treaty of 1679. For his 
 services he was appointed a Privy Councillor in I68O, 1 and 
 Secretary of State. He died of the excessive strain of his 
 arduous life in 1685, and was buried at Jesus College, of which 
 Foundation he was looked upon as almost " a Second Founder," 
 for he left it the greatest part of his estates, increasing the income 
 of that college by about ^700 a year. He had contributed 
 liberally during his lifetime to the building of the Library there. 
 He also behaved very generously towards his old school at 
 Cowbridge, and established a close connection between it and 
 Jesus College. 
 
 All his letters and papers were collected and printed in two 
 folio volumes by W. Wynne in 1724, under the title "Works of 
 Sir Leoline Jenkins,'' and a biographical account prefixed. 
 
 William Maurice, who lived at Cefnybraich. in the parish 
 of Llansilin, was a gentleman of landed property, and a most 
 industrious collector and transcriber of Welsh manuscripts. At 
 his home he built a library three stories high, 2 in which he spent 
 most of his time in the study of Welsh literature. His invaluable 
 collection of MSS. was afterwards preserved at Wynnstay. In 
 Volume I. of the Archceologia Cambre?isis there is published an 
 account of the Civil War taken from the notes of William 
 Maurice. The year of his death is unknown. Canon Williams 
 states that he died between 1680 and 1690. 
 
 1 Williams' Eminent Welshmen, pp. 249-51. 2 ibi', p. 318. 
 344 
 
INDEX 
 
 Abergavenny, 59, 185, 212 
 Abergele, 76, 197, 198 
 Abernant, 68, 95, 178 
 "Act for the Propagation," &c. 
 
 42, 44, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 61, 
 
 62, 91, 92, 136, 152, 184, 189 
 Adlard, J. E., 66 
 Adpar, 4 
 
 Aldersey, Col. John, 36 
 Alleine, Joseph, 114 
 Allen, John, 112 
 Almanac, T. Jones', 159 
 All-wedd Paradwys, 141 
 Andrews, Father, 72 
 Antiqucc Lingita Britannica, 
 
 123, 312, 313-7 
 Anwy), Lewis. 303 
 Apocrypha, 113, 115, 191 
 ArchtTologia Britannica, 83, 84, 85, 
 
 86 
 Archdeacon of Anglesey, 29, 146, 
 
 204, 337 
 
 Archdeaconry of Merioneth, 119, 123 
 Arise Evans, 22, 325 6 
 Armin, Robert, 75 
 Arnold, Mr. J., 77, 78, 79 
 Ash, Simeon, 29 
 Ashmolean Museum, 83, 84, 85 
 A Tryall of the Spirits, &c., 177 
 AjLvdl Richard John Grculon, 67, 68 
 "A Winding Sheet," &c., 56, 58, 
 
 171, 191 
 
 Bacon, Sir Francis, 65 
 Bagshaw, Edward, 43, 202 
 Baldwin, \Vm., 17 
 Ballinger, 103, 104, 106, 108, no 
 Bangor, 74, 82, 203, 204, 212 
 Bangor, Bishop of, 82, 200, 208, 
 
 337 
 Bangor Cathedral, 100, 146, 175, 
 
 337 
 Bangor, Dean of, 29, 100, 119, 205, 
 
 337 
 
 Bangor Diocesan Tract Society, 64 
 Bangor University College, 23, 132, 
 
 159 
 
 Baptists, 10, 44, 180, 181 
 Bards, I, 185, 186, 219 
 Barker, Christopher, 113, 131 
 Barker, Robert, 106, 130 
 Barrow, Dr. Isaac, 76, 119 
 
 Basingwork, 74 
 
 Lassett, Sir Richard, 31 
 
 Baxter, Richard, 10, 50, 56, 58, 114, 
 
 171, 187, 191, 210, 326, 340 
 Bayly, Bishop Lewis, 144, 146, 149 
 Bedford, Duke of. 113 
 Bedlow, Wm., 77 
 Bedydd Planter Nefotdd, &c., 178- 
 
 181 
 
 Berkeley, Judge, 41 
 Bernard, Edward, 83 
 Berry, Maj. -General, 47 
 Bible, 51, 64, 97, 98, 99, ic6, 109, 
 
 113, 115, 116, 117, 127, 131, 
 
 191 
 
 Bible, Cromwell's, in, 115. 154 
 Libl, Y, 97, 106, in, 113, 115, 
 
 116, 118, 129 
 Bill, Charles, 116 
 
 Bill, John, 106, 113, 128, 130, 131 
 Blodeugerdd, 261, 272, 283, 288, 290 
 JSodvel, Petr, 131 
 Bond, John, 30 
 Bonham Norton, 97 
 Book of Common Prayer, 98, 108, 
 
 113, 115, 123, 128, 129-134 
 Breese, Col., 28 
 Brereton, Sir Wm., 27 
 Brewsrer, E., 169, 171 
 Brewster, Thomas, ill 
 Britannia, 15, 16, 17 
 British Museum, 98, 139, 141, 142, 
 
 153 
 
 Brook's Hist, of the Puritans, 
 
 no, 151 
 
 Brough, Wm., 147, 148 
 Brut y Brenhinoedd, 74 
 Bunhill Fields, 45 
 
 Bunney, Edmund, 155, 157, 158, 317 
 Burnet, Dr. Gilbert, 120 
 Burton, Robert, 82 
 Burton's Antoninus, 74 
 Bushell, Thomas, 64-5 
 Byron, Lord, 27 
 
 Cadwaladr, iS 
 
 Cadwaladr, Ellis, 290-1 
 
 Caergai, 149, 254, 255 
 
 Caerwys, 2, 179, 220, 233, 238, 262 
 
 Calamy, Dr., Id, 116, II?, 136, 167, 
 
 171 
 Cambrensis, Giraldus, 15, 74 
 
 345 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Cambrics Descriptio, 15 
 
 Cambrian Quarterly Magazine, 1 78 
 
 Cambrian Register, 17, 73,211, 213, 
 
 221, 312, 319 
 
 Cambria Triumphans, 70 
 Cambro-Britannica:, kc., 308 
 Camden, Wm., 15, 17,22, 100, 200, 
 
 293, 296 
 
 Canisii, Petrus, 139 
 Canwylly Cymry, 106, 112, 116, 
 
 I2 3> I37 160-5, 189 
 Captain fortes, Legend of, 67 
 Caradoc, King of Cambria, 75 
 Caradoc's Brut, 74 [322 
 
 Carbery, Earl of, 25, 27, 31, 73, 94, 
 Car-wr y Cymru, 109, 152-3, 154 
 Case, Thomas, 30 
 Catechism, 129, 146, 181, 193, 196, 
 
 197 
 
 Ccrbyd Jechyd-wriaeth, 172 
 Charity Schools, 114 
 Charles I., 6, 7, 19, 20, 22, 24, 25, 
 
 26, 29, 40, 41, 64, 65, 70, 75, 
 
 79, 92, 109, 131, 223, 249, 257, 
 
 293 
 Charles II., 60, 63, 68, 69, 70, 95, 
 
 119, 131, 190 
 Charles, Rev. T., 51 
 Chaucer, 74 
 Chetwind, Philip, 145, 146, 147, 
 
 148, 149 
 
 Chillingworth, Win., 94, 185 
 Chirk, 106, 108, 109, 151 
 Civil War, 6, 9, 19, 20, 22, 31, 71, 
 
 91, 94, 107, 219, 220, 223 
 Civil War Tracts, 37, 48 
 Clarkson, David, 211 
 Colet, Dean, 15 
 Concilia, &c., 21 
 Corbet, Mr., 35 
 Couls, F., 24 
 
 Court, High Commission, 8, 59, I5 1 
 Cradoc, Walter, 43, 49, 50, 51, 52, 
 
 57, 58, 92, 1 10, in 
 Crane, Mr., 31 
 Cromwell, 6, 19, 26, 35, 38, 42, 45, 
 
 47, 51, 52, 69, 82, 205, 213, 
 
 225, 257 
 
 Cromwell, Henry, 206 
 Cromwell, Richard, 67, 214 
 Culverts, Giles, 53 
 Cuney, Capt, 25' 
 Cynfal, 52, 55, 232, 233, 269 
 Cynwal, Richard, 263, 264, 267 
 Cynwal, Wm., 233, 238-45, 264 
 
 Dafydd ab Gwilym, 126, 226, 230, 
 237 
 
 346 
 
 Dafydd Ddu o Hiraddug, 124, 159 
 Dau Gymro yn Taring, 137, 189 
 Davies, Dr. John, 3, 5, 18, 97, 99, 
 100, 104, 105, 123, 129, 134, 
 143, 155-9, i75> 182, 183, 186, 
 256, 267, 303, 304, 309, 310-21 
 Davies, John (Cydwely), 72 
 Davies, J. H., 5, 106, no, 139, 271 
 Davies, John (of Hereford), 296-7 
 Davies, Bishop Richard, 3, 183 
 Davies, Richard (the Quaker), 8l, 
 
 177, 336 
 
 Davies, Rondl (Randolph), 176-8 
 Defosiwnau Priod, 171-2 
 Deffyniad Ffydd, 122, 186 
 De Italics Lingua, &c., 308 
 Denbigh, 4, 36, 74, 121, 167, 170, 
 
 179, 193, 196 
 Denbigh, Earl of, 28 
 Dendrologia, 68, 69 
 Dent, Arthur, 150, 151, 191 
 Denzill, 31 
 
 D'Espagne, John, 146, 147 
 Dictionarium Historicum, &*c., 306 
 Dictionary, Dr. Davies', 99, 104, 
 
 108, 304, 312, 313-7 
 Dilyniad Crist, 181-2 
 Diurnals, 65-6 
 Doderidge, Sir John, 19 
 Dodona?s Grove, 68, 95 
 Dodwell, Henry, 179, 214 
 Dolben, Archbp. John, 340-1 
 Dorrington, Theophilus, 197 
 Douay, 138, 140, 200, 201, 329 
 Dover, S., 131 
 Drexelius, 4, 5, 174-5, 280 
 Drych Cydwybod, 141 
 Dugdale, 2O 
 Dunbar, John, 295 
 Durston, Thomas, 159 
 
 Editions of Edmund Prys' Psalms, 
 
 128-9 
 Edwards, Charles, 5, 112, 115, 145, 
 
 150, 151, 158, 182-7 
 Edwards, Hugh, 112 
 Edwards, John (Sion Treredyn), 
 
 134, 165-6 
 
 Edwards, Jonathan, 211 
 Edwards, Dr. L., 186 
 Edwards, Sir O. M., 272, 274, 282 
 Edwin, Jonathan, 77 
 Eghirhad ffelaethlawn, 7, 141 
 Egluryn PhraethtNf.b , 303 
 Elementa Opticce, 173 
 Elias, W., 284 
 Elliott, John, 38 
 
INDEX 
 
 Ellis, John (of Gwylan), 52, 72, 92, 
 
 186, 209 
 
 Ellis, Richard, 8} 
 Ellis, T. E., 5, 56, 245 
 Ellis, Dr. Thomas, 5, 70-2, 75, 209 
 Elizabeth (Queen), i, 16, 67, 200, 
 
 296 
 
 Elsynge, 27 
 
 Eminent Welshmen, 108, 164, 327 
 Enderbie, Percy, 71, 75 
 England's Teats, (5rV. , 28 
 Enston, 64, 65 
 Epistohe Ho-Eliana, 69, 95 
 Erbury, Rev. Win., 49, 52, 57-9 
 Eugenius Philalethes, 173, 332-3 
 Evans, Capt., 78 
 Evans, Edward, 208 
 Evans, John, 326 
 
 Fairfax, 26, 31, 38 
 Fen ton, 17 
 
 Ferrers, Edward, 17, 1 8 
 Ffagans, St., 35, 39 
 Ffowks, Edward, 131 
 Fifth Monarchy, 53, 54 
 Firmin, Thomas, 114 
 Fisher, Edward, 165 
 Fisher, Rev. }., 272 
 Fleet Prison, 45, 47, 69, 95 
 Flesher, James, m, 129 
 Foulkes, Isaac, 272 
 Foulkes, Wm., 195-6 
 Fowler, Wm., 209 
 Fox, Mr., 132 
 Fuller, Thomas, So 
 Fychan, Gruffiidd, 258, 259 
 Fychan, Mrs. Margaret, 272 
 
 Geldon, Wm. 77 
 
 Gellibrand, Samuel, 112 
 
 Geinitus Ecclesice, 135 
 
 Gemma Cambri, 169 
 
 George Griffith, Bishop, 48, 62-4, 
 
 104, 176, 184, 195, 3-16 
 Gibson, Bishop, 17, 74, 83 
 Gildas, 20, 288 
 " Glan Menai," 128 
 Glasgrug, 30 
 Glosses, 86 
 Glossography, 84, 85 
 Glyndwr, Owaio, 18 
 Glynn, Master, 31 
 Glynne, John, 31 
 Goodman, Gabriel, 16, 100, 281, 
 
 310 
 
 Goodwin, Francis, 16, 199-200 
 Goodwin, John, 46 
 Golden Grove, 94, 135, 199, 322 
 
 Gouge, Thomas, 94, 112, 113,114-6, 
 
 132, 133. 136, I4S 171, 188, 
 
 190, 191, 193 
 Gouge, Dr. William, 114 
 Grammar, Dr. John Davies', 99, 
 
 100, 127, 312 
 Greal, 118, 304 
 Griffin, Bennet, 150 
 Griffin. Sarah, 145, 147 
 Griffith, Alexander, 43, 47, 61-2 
 Griffith, Owen, 283-5 
 Griffith, Robert, 63 
 Grimm's Law, 86 
 Gwallter Mechain, 101, 122, 164, 
 
 167, 177, 180, 226, 230, 286 
 Gweirydd ap Rhys, 101, 104, 312 
 Gwilym Ganoldref, 109, 121 
 Gwinn, Robert, 156, 158 
 Gwyddor Uchod, 56 
 
 Habington, Thomas, 20 
 
 Habington, William, 20 
 
 Hacket, Bishop John, 203 
 
 Hafren, Gruffydd, 263, 266 
 
 Hall, H., 177, 185 
 
 Hall, John, 72 
 
 Hampton Court Conference, 91 
 
 Hancock, John, 113 
 
 llarley, Sir Robert, 50, 52 
 
 Harrington, Sir John, 293 
 
 Harrison. Thomas, 53, 55 
 
 Harvey, Thomas, 295 
 
 Hearne, 87 
 
 Keilyn, Henry, 79 
 
 Heilyn, Dr. Peter, 79-81, 109, 202 
 
 Heilyn Rowland, 3, 106, 107, 108, 
 
 108-9, 128, 132, 154 
 Hengwrt, 5, 21, 72, 73, 75 
 Henrietta Maria, 65, 344 
 Henry, Matthew, 179 
 Henry, Philip, 179 
 Herbert, Lord, 25 
 Herbert, Matthew, 297 
 Herbert, Sir Thomas, 19 
 Herbert, Wm. (E. of Pembroke), 19 
 Hereford, Bishop of, 77, 199, 213 
 Hills, Henry, 113, 131 
 Hiraethog, Gruffydd, 263 
 History of Cambria, 71, 75 
 Holland, 16, 52, 95, 251 
 Holland, Henry, 137, 303 
 Holland, Hugh, 295-6, 304 
 Holland, Philemon, 297 
 Holland, Robert, 137-8, 189, 190 
 Ho II Ddyltdswydd Dyn, 115, 191, 
 
 193-4 
 
 Holt, R., 112, 129 
 Horton, Col., 35, 36, 39 
 
 347 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Howell, Erasmus, 44 
 
 Howell, James, 28, 68-70, 95, 96, 
 
 178, 321-2 
 
 Howell, Thomas, 68, 95 
 Hue and Cry, 43, 44, 47, 62 
 Hughes, Hugh, 272, 273, 275, 279 
 Hughes, Father John, 142, 182 
 Hughes, Stephen, 3, 51, 94, 109-10, 
 
 H2, 113, 115, 116-9, I2 9> J 37i 
 
 145, 162, 163-4, 178, 180, 187, 
 
 188-92 
 Humphreys, Bishop Humphrey, 
 
 100, 132, 134, 212-3, 280, 304, 
 
 310, 311, 312, 316, 318 
 Husbands, Edward, 27 
 Hyfforddiadau Christianogol, 115, 
 
 186 
 Hywel Dda, 74 
 
 leuan Clywedog, 287 
 
 Ignatius, 21 
 
 Itnitatio Christi^ 142, 181 
 
 Independents, 10, 37, 51, 53, 57, 
 
 176, I 80 
 Iter Boreale, 60 
 Itinerants, 42, 43, 50 
 Itinerarium, 15 
 
 James I., 19, 91, 141, 146, 202, 293, 
 
 310, 3" 
 
 James, Edward, 142-3 
 James, Ivor, 134, 183 
 Jeffreys, Sir George, 339-40 
 Jenkins, David (Judge), 32, 33, 34 
 Jenkins, John, 1 80 
 Jenkins, Sir Leoline, 209, 343-4 
 fenkins, Recantation of, 35 
 Jenkins, Trial of Judge, 34 
 /enkinsius, Redivivus, 35 
 Jones, Col., 66 
 Jones, Col. Philip, 42 
 Jones, David (Llandysilio), 115, 117, 
 
 129, 192, 193 
 Jones, Edward, 170, 197 
 Jones, Inigo, 66 
 Jones, John, 331 
 Jones, John (Gellilyfdy), 5, 73 
 Jones, (Rev.) John (loanTegid), 104 
 Jones, John (Leander), 200-01, 329 
 Jones, John (Maesygarnedd), 6, 7 
 Jones, Richard (Denbigh), 115, 
 
 170-1, 186, 191 
 Jones, Richard (Llanfair C.E.), 166- 
 
 170 
 Jones, Samuel (Brynllywarch), 112, 
 
 178, 180 
 
 Jones, Thomas, 4, 207-8 
 Jones, Thomas (Creaton), 103 
 
 Jones, Thomas (Nanteos), 328 
 Jones, Thomas (Shrewsbury), 129, 
 
 !32, 133. 134, MS, !59> 230, 
 
 236, 286, 337-9 
 
 Jones, William, 115, 189, 192-3 
 Jones, William, Sir, 327-8 
 fur a Majestatis, 28 
 Juvencus MS., 86 
 
 Kames, Col., 31 
 
 Keach, Benjamin, 180 
 
 Kernes, Baronia de, 17 
 
 Kidwelly, 72 
 
 Kyffin, Edward, 109, 122-3, 12 4> J S4 
 
 Kyffin, Maurice, 122, 143, 186 
 
 Lambeth, 49, 57 
 
 Langford, John, 193-4 
 
 Langhorn, Col., 32 
 
 Lappiton, 83 
 
 Laud (Archbp.), 8, 49, 59, 79, So, 
 
 92, 109, 148, 200, 202, 204, 213 
 Laugharn, Thomas, 25, 27 
 Laugharne, Rowland, 25, 27, 29, 36 
 Legatt, John, 16 
 Leland, 74 
 Lenthal, Wm., 27 
 Lewis, Elis, 174-5/280 
 Lewis. Father, 77, 78 
 Lewis, H. Elvet (Rev.), 182 
 Lewis, Hugh, 303 
 Lewis, John, 30, 186, 326 
 Lewis, Pierce (Rev.), 118 
 Lewis, Stephen, 176 
 Lewis, Sir William, 31 
 Lewys, Wm., 172 
 Lexico. Lat. Brit., 309 
 Lexicon Tetraglo.ton, 321-2 
 Lix Terra, 35 
 Leyson, Thomas, 293, 299 
 Lister, Martin, 83 
 Lithophylacii, &>f., 85 
 Liturgy, 25, 63, 214 
 Lloyd, David,' 75-6 
 Lloyd, Dr. David, 67-8, 135 
 Lloyd, Edward (of Llangower), 194-5 
 Lloyd, Hugh, 76, 304-5 
 Lloyd, Humphrey, Bp. , 212, 213 
 Lloyd, Luke, 36 
 Lloyd, Nicholas, 305-6 
 Lloyd, (Rev.) Richard, 119 
 Lloyd, Samuel, 177 
 Lloyd, Bp. William, 81, 118, 119- 
 
 120, 179, 194, 210, 276 
 Lloyd, Wm. (St. Petrox), 112 
 Long Parliament, 30, 34, 69, 70, 93 
 Lord Mayor of London, 18, 46, 109 
 Lort, Sampson, 42 
 
 348 
 
Love, Christopher, 59-61 
 Lucas, Richard, 212 
 Lucius, 289 
 Luick, 85 
 
 Llancarvan, Caradoc of, 82 
 Llandaff, Bp. of, 16, 59, 77, 132, 
 
 199, 206 
 
 Llandrillo, 63, 210 
 Llandysilio, 79, 189, 192 
 Llynddwywe, 123, 172 
 Llanrhaiadr-ym-Mochnant, 155, 184 
 Llansilin, 221, 231, 273 
 Llanstephan MS, 83 
 Llewelyn, Dr., 99, 106, ill, 117 
 Lleyn, Gwilym, 23,48, 82, 101, 1 12, 
 
 117, 128, 143, 171 
 Llwybr Hyffordd, 108, 145, 150, 
 
 151, 152, 158, 186 
 Llwyd, Dafydd, 233, 269, 270 
 Llwyd, Edward, 74, 83-87, 288 
 Llwyd, Huw, 52, 232, 233, 260, 
 
 267, 270, 271 
 Llwyd, leuan, 263, 266 
 Llwyd, Morgan, 5, 43,49, 50, 51-2, 
 
 S 2 -?. 5S, 92, 94, 245-254, 269, 
 
 270 
 
 Llwyd, Meredydd, 194 
 Llwyd, Pulpud Huw, 55 
 Llwyd, Robert, 106, 108, 109, 145, 
 
 151-2, 154 
 Llyfr Corn, 192 
 Llyfr Du Caerfyrddin, 74 
 Llyfr Gweddi Gyffredin, 129-134, 
 
 191 
 
 Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch, 74 
 Llyfr Taliesin, 74 
 
 Llyfry Resolution, 155-9, 182, 186 
 Llyfr yr Hoiniliau, 142, 143 
 Llyfry Tri Aderyn, 54, 55 
 Llyn, William, 232, 263 
 
 Machno, Hugh, 52, 264, 269-271 
 
 Madoc ab Owain, 19 
 
 Maentwrog, 52, 123, 124, 127, 232, 
 
 269 
 
 Magistrates, A Myrroure for, 17 
 Malpas, 66 
 
 Mallwyd, 99, 127, 129, 155 
 Map of Commerce, A, 1 8 
 Marches of Wales, 23, 81 
 Madmddyn, 165 
 Marrow of Modern Divinity, 5, 
 
 134, 165 
 
 Marten, Harry, 33 
 Maurice, David, 197-8 
 Maurice, Henry, 134, 163, 178, 
 
 209-11 
 
 Maurice, Wm., 344 
 Mayne, Jasper, 148 
 Meidrym, 189 
 Meldrum, Sir John, 27 
 Mercurii, 65, 66 
 Meredith, Thomas, 59 
 Meres, Francis, 17 
 Middleton, Sir Hugh, 64, 109 
 Middleton, Richard, 109, 121 
 Middleton, Thomas, 3, 26, 27, 28, 
 36, 106, 108, 109-10, 128, 132, 
 
 154, 171 
 Middleton, Capt. Wm., 120-122, 
 
 124, 303. 
 
 Midltwn, Beibl, 106 
 Milborne, Robert, 130 
 Millington, 26 
 Milton, 224 
 Mines Royall, 64 
 Mitton, Col., 28, 29, 30, 32 
 Mono, Antiqua, 85 
 Monasticon Anglicanum, 20 
 Morgan, Bishop, 96, 97, 98, 99, 
 
 100, 101, 101-4, 107, 127, 142, 
 
 183, 310, 311, 315 
 Morgan, K. of Morganwg, 18 
 Morgan, Sir Edward, 71 
 Morgan, John, Aberconwy, 197 
 Morgan, Matthew, 93 
 Morris, Lewis, 4, 118, 230 
 Morris, Richard, 118 
 Morus, Edward, 3, 221, 271-283, 
 
 285, 290 
 Morus, Huw (Hugh), 2, 3, 6, 9, 56, 
 
 221-232, 271, 273, 275, 290 
 Myddleton, Mrs., 224, 226 
 Mydrim, 116 
 Myfyr, Owain, 3 
 Mysteries, The Discovery of, 29 
 
 Nannau, 261, 262, 268, 269, 285 
 
 Narberth, 38 
 
 Nennius, 74 
 
 Newcastle Emlyn, 4 
 
 New Chappell, 63 
 
 Newcomb, Thomas, 113, Il6, 131 
 
 Newgate, 32, 34, 58, 138 
 
 New Testament, 97, no, in, 112, 
 
 113, 129 
 
 Newton, Sir Isaac, 85 
 Nicholas, Edward, 131 
 Norton and Bill, 98 
 Norton, Bonham, 128 
 
 Oakeley, W. E., 127 
 Oakey, Col., 35 
 Okes, Nicholas, 150, 153 
 Oldsworth, Michael, 41 
 
 349 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Oliver, Rev. P., 51 
 
 Olor Iscanui, 173, 297 
 
 Oriens ab Occidente, 30 
 
 Orthography, 4, 139 
 
 Ossory, Bp. of, 29 
 
 Oswestry, 8l, 83, 179, 183 
 
 Owain (Owen), Lewis, 285, 286, 
 
 290 
 
 Owen, Arthur, 25 
 Owen, Charles, 179, 180 
 Owen, David, 24 
 Owen, Ffoulk, 230, 236 
 Owen, George, 17 
 Owen, Goronwy, 118, 126, 183, 231 
 Owen, Hugh, 142, 179 
 Owen, Hugh (H. O. Gwenynog), 
 
 181-2 
 
 Owen, James, Si, 115, 178-181 
 Owen, John Bp., 63, 92, 204-5, 3*5 
 Owen, John, D.D., 46, 63, 187, 
 
 213-15 
 Owen, John(Oedenus or Audoenus), 
 
 6, 293-5 
 
 Owen, Baron Lewis, 73 
 Owen, Lewis (Running Register), 
 
 141, 203, 329 
 Owen, Matthew, 288-290 
 Owen, Morgan, 92 
 Owen, Mr. (Porkington), 222 
 Owen, Sir Hugh, 93 
 
 Parker, Henry, 34 
 
 Parry, Bp., 16, 97, 98, 99, 100-105, 
 
 107, 118, 142, 144, 310, 311 
 Parsons, Robert, 140, 155,156, 157, 
 
 329 
 
 Patrick, Bishop, 194 
 Pattrwm y Gwir Grislioti, 182 
 Payte, A Welch, 19 
 Pecke, Thomas, 295 
 Peleus, 69 
 
 Ptnbrokshire, Description of, 17 
 Pendarves, John, 148, 149 
 Pendeulwyn, 32 
 Pentre Heilyn, 79, 80, 108 
 Perkins, Wm., 137, 190 
 Perl y Cymro, 167, 169-70 
 Perry, Henry, 303-4, 315 
 Peters, Hugh, 38, 42, 43 
 Philangus, 70 
 Philipot, John, 16 
 Philips, Col., 39 
 Phylip, Grufifydd, 263, 265, 266, 
 
 267-8, 269 
 
 Phylip, Phylip Sion, 258 
 Phylip, Richard, 261, 266, 268-9 
 Phylip, Sion, 233, 237, 238, 261-7, 
 
 268, 269 
 
 35 
 
 Phylip, William, 3, 223, 233, 255, 
 
 256, 257-61, 288 
 Plot, Dr., 83 
 Poet, The Passionate, 19 
 Polycarp, 21 
 Pont-y-meibion, 221, 229 
 Poole, Matthew, 114 
 Popish, Plot, 77, 78 
 Powel, Capt., 25 
 Powel, Gabriel, 198-9, 292 
 Powel, Griffith, 292 , 342-3 
 Powel, Col. Rice, 39 
 Powel, Samuel, 292 
 Powell, Dr. David, 15, 198, 307, 315 
 Powell, Dr., 71, 74, 82 
 Powell, Thomas, 19 
 Powell, Thomas, D.D., 173-4 
 Powell, Vavasor, 43-51, 58, 61, 62, 
 
 63, 92, 1 10, 136, 148 
 Powell, Watkin, 3 
 Poyer, John (Col.), 25, 27, 35, 38, 39 
 Practice, The, of Piety, 5, 144, 146, 
 
 149 
 
 Price, Henry, 292 
 Price, John, 215 
 Price, Sir John, 75 
 Price, Owen, 305 
 Price, Robert, 335-6 
 Price, Thomas (Plas lolyn), 122 
 Prichard, Vicar Rhys, 3, 106, 116, 
 
 135, 160-165, J 89> I 9 
 Prideaux, Bp. , 79, 138 
 Prif Achau, &c., 308 
 Primordia (De Primordiis), 20, 21, 
 
 73, 74, U6 
 
 Pritchard, Emily M., 17 
 Projiid yr Ysprydion, 177 
 Prophecies, 22, 23 
 Prys, Edmund, 3, 123-9, 135, 143, 
 
 232-45, 263, 264, 267, 288 
 Pry? Psalms, 108, 112, 113, 115, 
 
 120-129, 130, 131, 134 
 Prys, Thomas, 238, 239, 244 
 Pryse, Bridget, 83 
 Pughe, Dr., 86, 159 
 Pugh, Thomas, 23, 327 
 Puritanism, 9, IO, 37, 80, 91, 148 
 Puritans, 9, 44, 50, 60, 70, 92, 199, 
 
 202 
 
 Quadriga Saluiis, 173 
 Quakers, 10, 81, 177-178 
 
 Ravenscroft, Col. Thomas, 36 
 Ray, John, 83 
 Ray, Memorials of, 74 
 Rees, Thomas, 108 
 Remains^ &c l<i 
 
INDEX 
 
 Restoration, The, 6, 70, 93, 136, 
 
 206, 214 
 
 Rhaglan, Castle, 19, 24, 141 
 Rhys, Dr. John Dafydd, 121, 293, 
 
 307-8, 315 
 Rhys, Sir John, 86 
 Richards, Thomas, 66 
 Richmond (Yorks.), 68 
 Roberts, Dr. Gruftydd, 86, 138, 139 
 Roberts, John (Jesuit), 7, 328-30 
 Roberts; Lewis, 18 
 Roberts, Michael (Principal of Jesus, 
 
 Oxon) 153, 185 
 Roberts, Dr. W., 92 
 Robinson, Hugh, 205 
 Rous, Mr., 26 
 Rowland, Bp., 146, 337 
 Rowland, Henry, 85 
 Rowlands' Cambrian Bibliography, 
 
 112, 163, 176, 272 
 Rudd, Dr., 91 
 Rumsey, Walter, 331-2 
 Rupert, Prince, 66 
 Russell, Wm., 113 
 Ruthin, 29, 67, 76, 100, 183, 193 
 Ruthin Grammar School, 100, 201, 
 
 281 
 
 Salesbury, Henry, 303, 304, 315 
 Salesbury, Wm., 96, 97, 130, 142, 
 
 160, 303, 315, 318 
 Salisbury, Hugh, 184 
 Salisbury, John, 36, 303 
 Salisbury, Father John, 7, 141-2 
 Salisbury, Pierce, 122 
 Salisbury, Thomas;, 120, 121, 122, 
 
 123 
 
 Sammes, Aylett, 76 
 Samwell, D., 228, 232 
 Satires, 39, 70 
 Scrope, Lord, 68 
 Scudamore, John, 78 
 Scutum, 121 
 Sebright, Sir Thomas, 84 
 Shankland, Rev. T., 92, 114, 132, 
 
 133, 144, 163, 167, 189 
 Sherlock, Dr. Wm., 196, 215 
 Silex Scintillans, 297 
 Simon Stafford, 122 
 Sion Dafydd Las, 283, 285-6 
 Sion Tudur, 68, 232, 262 
 Smyth, Dr. Roger, 138-141 
 Socinian, 58, 211 
 S.P.C.K., 103, 115 
 Speed, John, 18 
 Spelman, Henry, 21 
 Sports, Book of, 9, 49, 57, 59, 92, 
 
 202 
 
 St. Asaph, Bp. of, 62, 76, loo, 204 
 St. Asaph Cathedral, 63, 151, 197, 
 
 205 
 
 St. Asaph, Dean of, 67, 68 
 St. David's, Bp. of, 92, 160, 190, 
 
 207, 214 
 
 St. David's Cathedral, 160 
 St. Donat's, 21 
 Stillingfleet, Edward, 81, 114, 187, 
 
 215 
 
 Stradling, Sir Edward, 293, 306-7 
 Stradling, Sir Henry, 31 
 Stradling, Sir John, 293, 295, 307 
 Stradling, Maj. Gen., 39 
 Stradling, Sir Thomas, 306 
 Strena, 43, 62 
 St. Sepulchre, 15, 114 
 Sufferings of the Clergy, 42, 152, 
 
 172, 194 
 
 Swanley, Capt. Richard, 29 
 Symmons, Matthew, no 
 
 Taylor, Jeremy, 94, 135 
 
 Taylor, John, 66 
 
 Testament Newydd, no, III, 112, 
 
 115, 190 
 
 Testuny Test. Newydd, 167-8 
 Thalia Rediviva, 95, 297 
 Theatre The t of the Empire, 18 
 " The British Gem," 169 
 Thelwall, Simon. 25, 27, 36 
 Thetis, 69 
 
 Thomas a Kempis, 142, 181 
 Thomas, Archdeacon, 151, 152, 176 
 Thomas, Charles, 177 
 Thomas, David, 1 12 
 Thomas, Sir Edward, 31 
 Thomas, Lewis (als. Evans), 208 
 Thomas, Lleufer, 17 
 Thomas Llwyd o Benmaen, 287-8 
 Thomas, Oliver, 92, 153-5 
 Thomas, Rev. W., no 
 Thomas, Dr. Wm., Dean and Bp. 
 
 of Worcester, 163, 206-07 
 Thomas, Wm., 208-09 
 Threnodia Carolina, 19 
 Thurloe, 45 
 
 Tillotson, 94, 113, 114, 187, 191 
 Tower, 19, 33, 92, 119 
 Transactions, Cym. Soc., no 
 Tredenoc, 165 
 Tresilian, Robert, 17 
 Trevor, Sir John, 78, 341-2 
 "Trugaredd a Barn," 178-180 
 Trysor fr Cymru, 155, 158, 191 
 Tudor, A Prince of Wales, 77 
 Turbervill, 78 
 Twm Sion Catty, 330-1 
 
 351 
 
WALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 Tyler, E., 112, 129 
 Tyrrel, Sir Timothy, 21 
 
 University of Wales, 74 
 
 Usher, Archbp., 15, 20, 73, 74, 146, 
 
 215 
 Uxbridge, 60 
 
 Vairdre Book, 17 
 
 Valentine, Dr., 171 
 
 Valladolid, 7, 141, 203, 329 
 
 Valiancy, Col., 86 
 
 Vaughan, Edward, 168, 178 
 
 Vaughan, Evan, 148 
 
 Vaughan, Henry (Silurist), 95, 96, 
 
 119,297-9 
 
 Vaughan, Howell, 73, 277 
 Vaughan, Sir Hugh, 24 
 Vaughan, John, 149, 273, 291, 333-4 
 Vaughan, Mrs. Margaret, 273 
 Vaughan, Bishop Richard, 198 
 Vaughan, Robert, 5, 6, 21, 71, 72, 
 
 72-4, 75. 3'0, 313, 319 
 Vaughan, Rowland, 3, 6, 57, 138, 
 
 144-51, 223, 254-6 
 Vaughan, Thomas, 332-3 
 Vaughan, William, 199, 291-3 
 Vicars, John, 295 
 Vindicice Regum, 29 
 
 Wakeman, Sir George, 77 
 
 Wakley, Thomas, 23 
 
 Wales, North, 4, 32, 36, 84, 114, 
 
 14'. 152 
 
 Wales, South, 4, 26, 31, 32, 33, 35, 
 36, 38, 61, 62, 93, 114, 141 
 
 Wales, The Bible in, 104, 105, 106, 
 108, no 
 
 Walker, 10, 42, 92, 93, 152, 172, 
 194 
 
 Waller, Sir Wm., 25 
 
 Wallis, John, 83 
 
 Warwick, Robert, Earl of, 27, 29 
 
 Watcin Clywedog, 286-7 
 
 Water Poet, 66 
 
 Watkin Williams Wynn (Sir), 85 
 
 Webb, John, 66 
 
 Webster, T., 163 
 
 Welsh Trust, 114, 115, 186 
 
 Westminster, 33, 80, 201 
 
 Westminster Abbey, 16, 22 
 
 Westminster School, 15, 16, 63, 100 
 
 Wharton, Lord, 117 
 Whichcot, Benjamin, 114 
 Whitaker, 26 
 White, John, 203-4 
 Widdrington, Sir Thomas, 26 
 Wild, Robert, 60 
 
 William III., 117, 119, 326, 335-6 
 Williams, Griffith, 28, 29, 205-6 
 Williams, John (Archbp.), 30, 80, 
 
 201-03, 2 4> 34 1 
 Williams, Dr. John, 292 
 Williams, Morris (Nicander), 143 
 Williams, Moses, 108, 134, 236 
 William Prys Dafydd, 288 
 Williams, Roger, 53 
 Williams, Dr. Thomas, 5, 308-310, 
 
 313, 316, 317, 318-20 
 Williams, Thomas (Denbigh), 196 
 Williams, Sir William, 334-5 
 Williams, W. P., 123 
 Willoughby, 74 
 Wits Commonwealth, 17 
 W. L. M. A., 171-2 
 Wmffrai Dafydd ab Ifan, 286 
 Wood, Anthony, 99, 208, 296 
 Woodstok, Thomas of, 17 
 Worcester, Bp. of, 81, 120 
 Wrexham, 36, 50, 52, 151, 252 
 Wroth, Mr. W., 49, 50, 59, in 
 Wycliffe, ^ 
 
 Wynn, Dr. Edward, 175-6 
 Wynn, Humphrey, 212 
 Wynn, Owen (of Gwydyr), 129 
 Wynn, Sir John, 309, 310, 317-320, 
 
 321, 336 
 
 Wynne, Chancellor, 133 
 Wynne, John (of Henllan), 82 
 Wynne, Robert (Rev.), 230, 231 
 Wynne, Rev. Wm., 82 
 
 Y Beirniad, 163, 164 
 
 Y Bibl Bach, 106 
 
 Y Brython, 259, 260, 269, 284 
 
 Y C-wtta Cyfai~wydd, 74, 204 
 
 Y Pfydd Ddifuant, 112, 185, 191 
 
 Young, W., M.D., 43 
 
 Yr Hen Lyfr Ply gain, 159 
 
 Yr Ymarfer o Dduwitldeb, 
 
 115, 144, 186, 191 
 Ystyriaethau Drexelius, 174-5 
 Y Waun, 109, 154 
 
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