第4章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"Wild Wales",免费读到尾

  butter,andalittleteawithmilkandsugar。Itateanddrankandsoonbegantopurr。Thegoodwomanofthehousewashorrifiedwhenoncomingintoremovethethingsshesawthechurchcatonhercarpet。\"Whatimpudence!\"sheexclaimed,andmadetowardsit,butonourtellingherthatwedidnotexpectthatitshouldbedisturbed,sheletitalone。Averyremarkablecircumstancewas,thatthoughthecathadhithertobeeninthehabitofflying,notonlyfromherface,buttheveryechoofhervoice,itnowlookedherinthefacewithperfectcomposure,asmuchastosay,\"Idon’tfearyou,forIknowthatIamnowsafeandwithmyownpeople。\"

  Itstayedwithustwohoursandthenwentaway。Thenextmorningitreturned。Tobeshort,thoughitwentawayeverynight,itbecameourowncat,andoneofourfamily。Igaveitsomethingwhichcureditofitseruption,andthroughgoodtreatmentitsoonlostitsotherailmentsandbegantolooksleekandbonny。

  CHAPTERVIII

  TheMowers—DeepWelsh—ExtensiveView—OldCelticHatred—FishPreserving—Smollet’sMorgan。

  NEXTmorningIsetouttoascendDinasBran,anumberofchildren,almostentirelygirls,followedme。Iaskedthemwhytheycameafterme。\"Inthehopethatyouwillgiveussomething,\"saidoneinverygoodEnglish。ItoldthemthatIshouldgivethemnothing,buttheystillfollowedme。AlittlewayupthehillIsawsomemencuttinghay。Imadeanobservationtooneofthemrespectingthefinenessoftheweather;heansweredcivilly,andrestedonhisscythe,whilsttheotherspursuedtheirwork。Iaskedhimwhetherhewasafarmingman;hetoldmethathewasnot;thathegenerallyworkedattheflannelmanufactory,butthatforsomedayspasthehadnotbeenemployedthere,workbeingslack,andhadonthataccountjoinedthemowersinordertoearnafewshillings。I

  askedhimhowitwasheknewhowtohandleascythe,notbeingbredupafarmingman;hesmiled,andsaidthat,somehoworother,hehadlearnttodoso。

  \"YouspeakverygoodEnglish,\"saidI,\"haveyoumuchWelsh?\"

  \"Plenty,\"saidhe;\"IamarealWelshman。\"

  \"CanyoureadWelsh?\"saidI。

  \"Oh,yes!\"hereplied。

  \"Whatbookshaveyouread?\"saidI。

  \"IhavereadtheBible,sir,andoneortwootherbooks。\"

  \"DidyoueverreadtheBarddCwsg?\"saidI。

  Helookedatmewithsomesurprise。\"No,\"saidhe,afteramomentortwo,\"Ihaveneverreadit。Ihaveseenit,butitwasfartoodeepWelshforme。\"

  \"Ihavereadit,\"saidI。

  \"AreyouaWelshman?\"saidhe。

  \"No,\"saidI;\"IamanEnglishman。\"

  \"Andhowisit,\"saidhe,\"thatyoucanreadWelshwithoutbeingaWelshman?\"

  \"Ilearnedtodoso,\"saidI,\"evenasyoulearnedtomow,withoutbeingbreduptofarmingwork。\"

  \"Ah!\"saidhe,\"butitiseasiertolearntomowthantoreadtheBarddCwsg。\"

  \"Idon’tthinkthat,\"saidI;\"IhavetakenupascytheahundredtimesbutIcannotmow。\"

  \"Willyourhonourtakeminenow,andtryagain?\"saidhe。

  \"No,\"saidI,\"forifItakeyourscytheinhandImustgiveyouashilling,youknow,bymowers’law。\"

  Hegaveabroadgrin,andIproceededupthehill。WhenherejoinedhiscompanionshesaidsomethingtotheminWelsh,atwhichtheyalllaughed。Ireachedthetopofthehill,thechildrenstillattendingme。

  Theviewoverthevaleisverybeautiful;butonnoside,exceptinthedirectionofthewest,isitveryextensive;DinasBranbeingonallothersidesovertoppedbyotherhills:inthatdirection,indeed,theviewisextensiveenough,reachingonafinedayeventotheWyddfaorpeakofSnowdon,adistanceofsixtymiles,atleastassomesay,whoperhapsoughttoaddtoverygoodeyes,whichminearenot。ThedaythatImademyfirstascentofDinasBranwasveryclear,butIdonotthinkIsawtheWyddfathenfromthetopofDinasBran。ItistrueImightseeitwithoutknowingit,beingutterlyunacquaintedwithit,exceptbyname;butI

  repeatIdonotthinkIsawit,andIamquitesurethatIdidnotseeitfromthetopofDinasBranonasubsequentascent,onadayequallyclear,whenifIhadseentheWyddfaImusthaverecognisedit,havingbeenatitstop。AsIstoodgazingaround,thechildrendancedaboutuponthegrass,andsangasong。ThesongwasEnglish。Idescendedthehill;theyfollowedmetoitsfoot,andthenleftme。ThechildrenofthelowerclassofLlangollenaregreatpeststovisitors。Thebestwaytogetridofthemistogivethemnothing:Ifollowedthatplan,andwasnotlongtroubledwiththem。

  Arrivedatthefootofthehill,Iwalkedalongthebankofthecanaltothewest。PresentlyIcametoabargelyingbythebank;

  theboatmanwasinit。Ienteredintoconversationwithhim。HetoldmethatthecanalanditsbranchesextendedoveragreatpartofEngland。Thattheboatscarriedslates—thathehadfrequentlygoneasfarasPaddingtonbythecanal—thathewasgenerallythreeweeksonthejourney—thattheboatmenandtheirfamilieslivedinthelittlecabinsaft—thattheboatmenwereallWelsh—

  thattheycouldreadEnglish,butlittleornoWelsh—thatEnglishwasamuchmoreeasylanguagetoreadthanWelsh—thattheypassedbymanytowns,amongothersNorthampton,andthathelikednoplacesomuchasLlangollen。IproceededtillIcametoaplacewheresomepeoplewereputtinghugeslatesintoacanalboat。ItwasnearabridgewhichcrossedtheDee,whichwasontheleft。I

  stoppedandenteredintoconversationwithone,whoappearedtobetheprincipalman。HetoldmeamongstotherthingsthathewasablacksmithfromtheneighbourhoodofRhiwabon,andthattheflagswereintendedfortheflooringofhispremises。Intheboatwasanoldbareheaded,bare—armedfellow,whopresentlyjoinedintheconversationinverybrokenEnglish。HetoldmethathisnamewasJosephHughes,andthathewasarealWelshmanandwasproudofbeingso;heexpressedagreatdislikefortheEnglish,whohesaidwereinthehabitofmakingfunofhimandridiculinghislanguage;

  hesaidthatallthefoolsthathehadknownwereEnglishmen。I

  toldhimthatallEnglishmenwerenotfools;\"butthegreaterpartare,\"saidhe。\"Lookhowtheywork,\"saidI。\"Yes,\"saidhe,\"someofthemaregoodatbreakingstonesfortheroad,butnotmorethanoneinahundred。\"\"ThereseemstobesomethingoftheoldCeltichatredtotheSaxoninthisoldfellow,\"saidItomyself,asIwalkedaway。

  IproceededtillIcametotheheadofthecanal,wherethenavigationfirstcommences。ItisclosetoaweiroverwhichtheDeefalls。Herethereisalittlefloodgate,throughwhichwaterrushesfromanoblongpondorreservoir,fedbywaterfromacorneroftheupperpartoftheweir。Ontheleft,orsouth—westside,isamoundofearthfencedwithstoneswhichisthecommencementofthebankofthecanal。Thepondorreservoirabovethefloodgateisseparatedfromtheweirbyastonewallontheleft,orsouth—

  westside。Thispondhastwofloodgates,theonealreadymentioned,whichopensintothecanal,andanother,ontheothersideofthestonemound,openingtothelowerpartoftheweir。

  Whenever,asamantoldmewhowasstandingnear,itisnecessarytolaythebedofthecanaldry,intheimmediateneighbourhoodforthepurposeofmakingrepairs,thefloodgatetothecanalisclosed,andtheonetothelowerpartoftheweirisopened,andthenthewaterfromthepondflowsintotheDee,whilstasluice,nearthefirstlock,letsoutthewaterofthecanalintotheriver。Theheadofthecanalissituatedinaverybeautifulspot。

  Totheleftorsouthisaloftyhillcoveredwithwood。Totherightisabeautifulslopeorlawnonthetopofwhichisaprettyvilla,towhichyoucangetbyalittlewoodenbridgeoverthefloodgateofthecanal,andindeedformingpartofit。Fewthingsaresobeautifulintheiroriginasthiscanal,which,beitknown,withitslocksanditsaqueducts,thegrandestofwhichlastisthestupendouserectionnearStockport,whichby—the—byefilledmymindwhenaboywithwonder,constitutesthegrandworkofEngland,andyieldstonothingintheworldofthekind,withtheexceptionofthegreatcanalofChina。

  RetracingmystepssomewayIgotupontheriver’sbankandthenagainproceededinthedirectionofthewest。Isooncametoacottagenearlyoppositeabridge,whichledovertheriver,notthebridgewhichIhavealreadymentioned,butonemuchsmaller,andconsiderablyhigherupthevalley。Thecottagehadseveralduskyoutbuildingsattachedtoit,andapalingbeforeit。Leaningoverthepalinginhisshirt—sleeveswasadark—faced,short,thicksetman,whosalutedmeinEnglish。Ireturnedhissalutation,stopped,andwassooninconversationwithhim。Ipraisedthebeautyoftheriveranditsbanks:hesaidthatbothwerebeautifulanddelightfulinsummer,butnotatallinwinter,forthenthetreesandbushesonthebankswerestrippedoftheirleaves,andtheriverwasafrightfultorrent。HeaskedmeifI

  hadbeentoseetheplacecalledtheRobber’sLeap,asstrangersgenerallywenttoseeit。Iinquiredwhereitwas。

  \"Yonder,\"saidhe,pointingtosomedistancedowntheriver。

  \"WhyisitcalledtheRobber’sLeap?\"saidI。

  \"ItiscalledtheRobber’sLeap,orLlamyLleidyr,\"saidhe,\"becauseathiefpursuedbyjusticeonceleapedacrosstheriverthereandescaped。Itwasanawfulleap,andhewelldeservedtoescapeaftertakingit。\"ItoldhimthatIshouldgoandlookatitonsomefutureopportunity,andthenaskedifthereweremanyfishintheriver。Hesaidtherewereplentyofsalmonandtrout,andthatowingtotheriverbeingtolerablyhigh,agoodmanyhadbeencaughtduringthelastfewdays。Iaskedhimwhoenjoyedtherightoffishingintheriver。Hesaidthatinthesepartsthefishingbelongedtotwoorthreeproprietors,whoeitherpreservedthefishingforthemselves,astheybestcouldbymeansofkeepers,orletitouttootherpeople;andthatmanyindividualscamenotonlyfromEngland,butfromFranceandGermanyandevenRussiaforthepurposeoffishing,andthatthekeepersoftheproprietorsfromwhomtheypurchasedpermissiontofish,wentwiththem,toshowthemthebestplaces,andtoteachthemhowtofish。Headdedthattherewasareportthattheriverwouldshortlyberhyddorfreeandopentoanyone。Isaidthatitwouldbeabadthingtoflingtheriveropen,asinthateventthefishwouldbekilledatalltimesandseasons,andeventuallyalldestroyed。Herepliedthathequestionedwhethermorefishwouldbetakenthenthannow,andthatImustnotimaginethatthefishweremuchprotectedbywhatwascalledpreserving;thatthepeopletowhomthelandsintheneighbourhoodbelonged,andthosewhopaidforfishingdidnotcatchahundredthpartofthefishwhichwerecaughtintheriver:

  thattheproprietorswentwiththeirkeepers,andperhapscaughttwoorthreestoneoffish,orthatstrangerswentwiththekeepers,whomtheypaidforteachingthemhowtofish,andperhapscaughthalf—a—dozenfish,andthatshortlyafterthekeeperswouldreturnandcatchontheirownaccountsixtystoneoffishfromtheveryspotwheretheproprietorsorstrangershadgreatdifficultyincatchingtwoorthreestoneorthehalf—dozenfish,orthepoacherswouldgoandcatchayetgreaterquantity。Headdedthatgentrydidnotunderstandhowtocatchfish,andthattoattempttopreservewasnonsense。Itoldhimthatiftheriverwasflungopeneverybodywouldfish;hesaidthatIwasmuchmistaken,thathundredswhowerenowpoachers,wouldthenkeepathome,mindtheirpropertrades,andneveruselineorspear;thatfolksalwayslongedtodowhattheywereforbidden,andthatShimeiwouldneverhavecrossedthebrookprovidedhehadnotbeentoldheshouldbehangedifhedid。Thathehimselfhadpermissiontofishintheriverwheneverhepleased,butneveravailedhimselfofit,thoughinhisyoungtime,whenhehadnoleave,hehadbeenanarrantpoacher。

  ThemannersandwayofspeakingofthisoldpersonageputmeverymuchinmindofthoseofMorgan,describedbySmollettinhisimmortalnovelof\"RoderickRandom。\"Ihadmorediscoursewithhim:Iaskedhiminwhatlineofbusinesshewas,hetoldmethathesoldcoals。Fromhiscomplexion,andthehueofhisshirt,I

  hadalreadyconcludedthathewasinsomegrimytrade。Itheninquiredofwhatreligionhewas,andreceivedforanswerthathewasaBaptist。Ithoughtthatbothhimselfandpartofhisapparelwouldlookallthebetterforagoodimmersion。Wetalkedofthewarthenraging—hesaiditwasbetweenthefalseprophetandtheDragon。IaskedhimwhotheDragonwas—hesaidtheTurk。ItoldhimthatthePopewasfarworsethaneithertheTurkortheRussian,thathisreligionwasthevilestidolatry,andthathewouldletnoonealone。ThatitwasthePopewhodrovehisfellowreligioniststheAnabaptistsoutoftheNetherlands。Heaskedmehowlongagothatwas。BetweentwoandthreehundredyearsI

  replied。HeaskedmethemeaningofthewordAnabaptist;Itoldhim;whereuponheexpressedgreatadmirationformyunderstanding,andsaidthathehopedheshouldseemeagain。

  Iinquiredofhimtowhatplacethebridgeled;hetoldmethatifIpassedoverit,andascendedahighbankbeyond,IshouldfindmyselfontheroadfromLlangollentoCorwenandthatifIwantedtogotoLlangollenImustturntotheleft。Ithankedhim,andpassingoverthebridge,andascendingthebank,foundmyselfuponabroadroad。Iturnedtotheleft,andwalkingbrisklyinabouthalfanhourreachedourcottageinthenorthernsuburb,whereI

  foundmyfamilyanddinnerawaitingme。

  CHAPTERIX

  TheDinner—EnglishFoibles—Pengwern—TheYew—Tree—Carn—

  Lleidyr—ApplicationsofaTerm。

  FORdinnerwehadsalmonandlegofmutton;thesalmonfromtheDee,thelegfromtheneighbouringBerwyn。Thesalmonwasgoodenough,butIhadeatenbetter;andhereitwillnotbeamisstosay,thatthebestsalmonintheworldiscaughtintheSuir,ariverthatflowspastthebeautifultownofClonmelinIreland。Asforthelegofmuttonitwastrulywonderful;nothingsogoodhadI

  evertastedintheshapeofalegofmutton。ThelegofmuttonofWalesbeatsthelegofmuttonofanyothercountry,andIhadnevertastedaWelshlegofmuttonbefore。CertainlyIshallneverforgetthatfirstWelshlegofmuttonwhichItasted,richbutdelicate,repletewithjuicesderivedfromthearomaticherbsofthenobleBerwyn,cookedtoaturn,andweighingjustfourpounds。

  \"Oitssavourysmellwasgreat,Suchaswellmighttempt,Itrow,Onethat’sdeadtolifthisbrow。\"

  LetanyonewhowishestoeatlegofmuttoninperfectiongotoWales,butmindyoutoeatlegofmuttononly。Welshlegofmuttonissuperlative;butwiththeexceptionoftheleg,themuttonofWalesisdecidedlyinferiortothatofmanyotherpartsofBritain。

  Here,perhaps,asIhavetoldthereaderwhatweatefordinner,itwillbeaswelltotellhimwhatwedrankatdinner。Lethimknowthen,thatwithoursalmonwedrankwater,andwithourmuttonale,evenaleofLlangollen;butnotthebestaleofLlangollen;itwasveryfair;butIsubsequentlydrankfarbetterLlangollenalethanthatwhichIdrankatourfirstdinnerinourcottageatLlangollen。

  IntheeveningIwentacrossthebridgeandstrolledalonginasouth—eastdirection。JustasIhadclearedthesuburbamanjoinedmefromacottage,onthetopofahighbank,whomI

  recognisedasthemowerwithwhomIhadhelddiscourseinthemorning。HesalutedmeandaskedmeifIweretakingawalk,I

  toldhimIwas,whereuponhesaidthatifIwerenottooproudtowishtobeseenwalkingwithapoormanlikehimself,heshouldwishtojoinme。ItoldhimIshouldbegladofhiscompany,andthatIwasnotashamedtobeseenwalkingwithanyperson,howeverpoor,whoconductedhimselfwithpropriety。HerepliedthatImustbeverydifferentfrommycountrymeningeneral,whowereashamedtobeseenwalkingwithanypeople,whowerenot,atleast,aswell—dressedasthemselves。Isaidthatmycountry—folkingeneralhadagreatmanyadmirablequalities,butatthesametimeagreatmanyfoibles,foremostamongstwhichlastwasacrazyadmirationforwhattheycalledgentility,whichmadethemsycophantictotheirsuperiorsinstation,andextremelyinsolenttothosewhomtheyconsideredbelowthem。HesaidthatIhadspokenhisverythoughts,andthenaskedmewhetherIwishedtobetakenthemostagreeablewalknearLlangollen。

  Onmyreplyingbyallmeans,heledmealongtheroadtothesouth—

  east。Apleasantroaditproved:onourrightatsomedistancewasthemightyBerwyn;closeonourleftthehillcalledPenyCoed。IaskedhimwhatwasbeyondtheBerwyn?

  \"Averywildcountry,indeed,\"hereplied,\"consistingofwood,rock,andriver;infact,ananialwch。\"

  HethenaskedifIknewthemeaningofanialwch。

  \"Awilderness,\"Ireplied,\"youwillfindthewordintheWelshBible。\"

  \"Verytrue,sir,\"saidhe,\"itwasthereImetit,butIdidnotknowthemeaningofit,tillitwasexplainedtomebyoneofourteachers。\"

  Onmyinquiringofwhatreligionhewas,hetoldmehewasaCalvinistic—Methodist。

  Wepassedanancientbuildingwhichstoodonourright。Iturnedroundtolookatit。Itsbackwastotheroad:atitseasternendwasafinearchedwindowliketheorielwindowofachurch\"Thatbuilding,\"saidmycompanion,\"iscalledPengwernHall。Itwasonceaconventofnuns;alittletimeagoafarm—house,butisnowusedasabarn,andaplaceofstowage。TilllatelyitbelongedtotheMostynfamily,buttheydisposedofit,withthefarmonwhichitstood,togetherwithseveralotherfarms,tocertainpeoplefromLiverpool,whonowliveyonder,\"pointingtoahousealittlewayfartheron。Istilllookedattheedifice。

  \"Youseemtoadmiretheoldbuilding,\"saidmycompanion。

  \"Iwasnotadmiringit,\"saidI;\"Iwasthinkingofthedifferencebetweenitspresentandformerstate。Formerlyitwasaplacedevotedtogorgeousidolatryandobscenelust;nowitisaquietoldbarninwhichhayandstrawareplaced,andbrokentumbrelsstowedaway:surelythehandofGodisvisiblehere?\"

  \"Itisso,sir,\"saidthemaninarespectfultone,\"andsoitisinanotherplaceinthisneighbourhood。Aboutthreemilesfromhere,inthenorth—westpartofthevalley,isanoldedifice。Itisnowafarm—house,butwasonceasplendidabbey,andwascalled—\"

  \"Theabbeyofthevaleofthecross,\"saidI,\"Ihavereadadealaboutit。IoloGoch,thebardofyourcelebratedhero,OwenGlendower,wasburiedsomewhereinitsprecincts。\"

  Wewenton:mycompaniontookmeoverastilebehindthehousewhichhehadpointedout,andalongapaththroughhazelcoppices。

  AfteralittletimeIinquiredwhethertherewereanyPapistsinLlangollen。

  \"No,\"saidhe,\"thereisnotoneofthatfamilyatLlangollen,butIbelievetherearesomeinFlintshire,ataplacecalledHolywell,wherethereisapoolorfountain,thewatersofwhichitissaidtheyworship。\"

  \"Andsotheydo,\"saidI,\"truetotheoldIndiansuperstition,ofwhichtheirreligionisnothingbutamodification。TheIndiansandsepoysworshipstocksandstones,andtheriverGanges,andourPapistsworshipstocksandstones,holywellsandfountains。\"

  Heputsomequestionstomeabouttheoriginofnunsandfriars。I

  toldhimtheyoriginatedinIndia,andmadehimlaughheartilybyshowinghimtheoriginalidentityofnunsandnautch—girls,beggingpriestsandbeggingBrahmins。Wepassedbyasmallhousewithanenormousyew—treebeforeit;Iaskedhimwholivedthere。

  \"Noone,\"hereplied,\"itistolet。Itwasoriginallyacottage,buttheproprietorshavefurbisheditupalittle,andcallitYew—

  treeVilla。\"

  \"Isupposetheywouldletitcheap,\"saidI。

  \"Bynomeans,\"hereplied,\"theyaskeightypoundsayearforit。\"

  \"Whatcouldhaveinducedthemtosetsucharentuponit?\"I

  demanded。

  \"Theyew—tree,sir,whichissaidtobethelargestinWales。Theyhopethatsomeofthegrandgentrywilltakethehousefortheromanceoftheyew—tree,butsomehoworothernobodyhastakenit,thoughithasbeentoletforthreeseasons。\"

  Wesooncametoaroadleadingeastandwest。

  \"Thisway,\"saidhe,pointinginthedirectionofthewest,\"leadsbacktoLlangollen,theothertoOffa’sDykeandEngland。\"

  Weturnedtothewest。HeinquiredifIhadeverheardbeforeofOffa’sDyke。

  \"Ohyes,\"saidI,\"itwasbuiltbyanoldSaxonkingcalledOffa,againsttheincursionsoftheWelsh。\"

  \"Therewasatime,\"saidmycompanion,\"whenitwascustomaryfortheEnglishtocutofftheearsofeveryWelshmanwhowasfoundtotheeastofthedyke,andfortheWelshtohangeveryEnglishmanwhomtheyfoundtothewestofit。Letusbethankfulthatwearenowmorehumanetoeachother。WearenowonthenorthsideofPenyCoed。DoyouknowthemeaningofPenyCoed,sir?\"

  \"PenyCoed,\"saidI,\"meanstheheadofthewood。Isupposethatintheoldtimethemountainlookedoversomeextensiveforest,evenasthenunneryofPengwernlookedoriginallyoveranalder—

  swamp,forPengwernmeanstheheadofthealder—swamp。\"

  \"Soitdoes,sir,Ishouldn’twonderifyoucouldtellmetherealmeaningofaword,aboutwhichIhavethoughtagooddeal,andaboutwhichIwaspuzzlingmyheadlastnightasIlayinbed。\"

  \"Whatmayitbe?\"saidI。

  \"Carn—lleidyr,\"hereplied:\"now,sir,doyouknowthemeaningofthatword?\"

  \"IthinkIdo,\"saidI。

  \"Whatmayitbe,sir?\"

  \"Firstletmehearwhatyouconceiveitsmeaningtobe,\"saidI。

  \"Why,sir,IshouldsaythatCarn—lleidyrisanout—and—outthief—

  oneworsethanathiefofthecommonsort。Now,ifIstealamatrassIamalleidyr,thatisathiefofthecommonsort;butifIcarryittoaperson,andhebuysit,knowingittobestolen,I

  conceiveheisafarworsethiefthanI;infact,acarn—lleidyr。\"

  \"Thewordisadoubleword,\"saidI,\"compoundedofcarnandlleidyr。Theoriginalmeaningofcarnisaheapofstones,andcarn—lleidyrmeansproperlyathiefwithouthouseorhome,andwithnoplaceonwhichtoresthishead,savethecarnorheapofstonesonthebleaktopofthemountain。Foralongtimethewordwasonlyappliedtoathiefofthatdescription,who,beingwithouthouseandhome,wasmoredesperatethanotherthieves,andassavageandbrutishasthewolvesandfoxeswithwhomheoccasionallysharedhispillow,thecarn。Incourseoftime,however,theoriginalmeaningwaslostordisregarded,andthetermcarn—lleidyrwasappliedtoanyparticularlydishonestperson。Atpresenttherecanbenoimproprietyincallingapersonwhoreceivesamatrass,knowingittobestolen,acarn—lleidyr,seeingthatheisworsethanthethiefwhostoleit,orincallingaknavishattorneyacarn—lleidyr,seeingthathedoesfarmoreharmthanacommonpick—pocket;orincallingthePopeso,seeingthathegetshugesumsofmoneyoutofpeoplebypretendingtobeabletoadmittheirsoulstoheaven,ortohurlthemtotheotherplace,knowingallthetimethathehasnosuchpower;perhaps,indeed,atthepresentdaythetermcarn—lleidyrismoreapplicabletothePopethantoanyoneelse,forheiscertainlythearchthiefoftheworld。SomuchforCarn—lleidyr。ButImustheretellyouthatthetermcarnmaybeappliedtoanywhoisparticularlybadordisagreeableinanyrespect,andnowIremember,hasbeenappliedforcenturiesbothinproseandpoetry。OneLewisGlynCothi,apoet,wholivedmorethanthreehundredyearsago,usesthewordcarninthesenseofarrantorexceedinglybad,forinhisabusiveodetothetownofChester,hesaysthatthewomenofLondonitselfwerenevermorecarnstrumpetsthanthoseofChester,bywhichhemeansthattherewerenevermorearrantharlotsintheworldthanthoseofthecheesecapital。Andthelastofyourgreatpoets,GronwyOwen,whoflourishedaboutthemiddleofthelastcentury,complainsinalettertoafriend,whilstlivinginavillageofLancashire,thathewasamongstCarnSaeson。HefoundallEnglishdisagreeableenough,butthoseofLancashireparticularlyso—

点击下载App,搜索"Wild Wales",免费读到尾