第8章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"Wild Wales",免费读到尾

  Wepassedoverabridge,whichcrossesatorrent,whichdescendsfromthemountainonthesouthsideofLlangollen,whichbridgeJohnJonestoldmewascalledthebridgeoftheMelinBac,ormillofthenook,fromamillofthatnamecloseby。Continuingourwaywecametoaglen,downwhichthetorrentcomeswhichpassesunderthebridge。Therewaslittlewaterinthebedofthetorrent,andwecrossedeasilyenoughbystepping—stones。Ilookeduptheglen;

  awildplaceenough,itssidesovergrownwithtrees。Drearyanddismalitlookedinthegloomoftheclosingevening。JohnJonessaidthattherewasnoregularpathupit,andthatonecouldonlygetalongbyjumpingfromstonetostone,atthehazardofbreakingone’slegs。Havingpassedoverthebedofthetorrent,wecametoapath,whichledupthemountain。Thepathwasverysteepandstony;theglenwithitstreesanddarknessonourright。Weproceededsomeway。AtlengthJohnJonespointedtoahollowlaneonourright,seeminglyleadingintotheglen。

  \"Thatplace,sir,\"saidhe,\"iscalledPantyGwyddel—theIrishman’sdingle,andsometimesPantPaddy,fromtheIrishbeingfondoftakinguptheirquartersthere。Itwasjusthere,attheentranceofthepant,thatthetribewereencamped,whenIpassedtwomonthsagoatnight,inreturningfromtheothersideofthehillwithtenshillingsinmypocket,whichIhadbeenpaidforapieceofmywork,whichIhadcarriedoverthemountaintotheveryplacewhereIamnowcarryingthis。IshallneverforgetthefrightIwasin,bothonaccountofmylife,andmytenshillings。

  IrandownwhatremainedofthehillasfastasIcould,notmindingthestones。ShouldImeetatribenowonmyreturnIshallnotrun;youwillbewithme,andIshallnotfearformylifenorformymoney,whichwillbenowmorethantenshillings,providedthemanoverthehillspaysme,asIhavenodoubthewill。\"

  Asweascendedhigherwegraduallydivergedfromtheglen,thoughwedidnotlosesightofittillwereachedthetopofthemountain。Thetopwasnearlylevel。Onourrightwereafewfieldsenclosedwithstonewalls。Onourleftwasanopenspacewherewhin,furzeandheathweregrowing。Wepassedoverthesummit,andbegantodescendbyatolerablygood,thoughsteeproad。Butforthedarknessofeveningandadrizzlingmist,which,forsometimepast,hadbeencomingon,weshouldhaveenjoyedagloriousprospectdownintothevalley,orperhapsIshouldsaythatIshouldhaveenjoyedagloriousprospect,forJohnJones,likeatruemountaineer,carednotabrassfarthingforprospects。

  Evenasitwas,nobleglimpsesofwoodandrockwereoccasionallytobeobtained。Themistsoonwettedustotheskinnotwithstandingthatweputupourumbrellas。ItwasaregularWelshmist,aniwl,likethatinwhichthegreatpoetAbGwilymlosthisway,whilsttryingtokeepanassignationwithhisbelovedMorfydd,andwhichheabusesinthefollowingmanner:—

  \"Oho!thouvillainmist,Oho!

  Whatpleahastthoutoplaguemeso?

  Iscarcelyknowascurrilname,Butdearlythoudeserv’stthesame;

  ThouexhalationfromthedeepUnknown,whereuglyspiritskeep!

  Thousmokefromhellishstewsuphurl’dTomockandmortifytheworld!

  Thouspider—webofgiantrace,Spunoutandspreadthroughairyspace!

  Avaunt,thoufilthy,clammything,Ofsorryrainthesourceandspring!

  Moistblanketdrippingmiserydown,Loathedalikebylandandtown!

  Thouwaterymonster,wantosee,Intruding’twixtthesunandme,Torobmeofmyblessedright,Toturnmydaytodismalnight。

  Parentofthievesandpatronbest,Theybravepursuitwithinthybreast!

  MostlyfromtheeitsmercilesssnowGrimJanuarydothglean,Itrow。

  Passoffwithspeed,thouprowlerpale,Holdingalongo’erhillanddale,Spillinganoxiousspittleround,Spoilingthefairies’sportingground!

  Moveofftohell,mysterioushaze;

  Whereindeceitfulmeteorsblaze;

  Thouwildofvapour,vast,o’ergrown,Hugeastheoceanofunknown。\"

  Aswedescended,thepathbecamemoresteep;itwasparticularlysoatapartwhereitwasovershadowedwithtreesonbothsides。

  Here,findingwalkingveryuncomfortable,mykneessufferingmuch,Ideterminedtorun。SoshoutingtoJohnJones,\"Nisgallavgerddedrhaidrhedeg,\"Isetoffrunningdownthepass。Mycompanionfollowedclosebehind,andluckilymeetingnomischance,wepresentlyfoundourselvesonlevelground,amongstacollectionofsmallhouses。Onourturningacornerachurchappearedonourlefthandontheslopeofthehill。Inthechurchyard,andclosetotheroad,grewalargeyew—treewhichflungitsboughsfaroneveryside。JohnJonesstoppingbythetreesaid,thatifIlookedoverthewalloftheyardIshouldseethetombofaLordDungannon,whohadbeenagreatbenefactortothevillage。I

  looked,andthroughthelowerbranchesoftheyew,whichhungoverpartofthechurchyard,Isawwhatappearedtobeamausoleum。

  JonestoldmethatinthechurchalsotherewasthetombofagreatpersonofthenameofTyrwhitt。

  Wepassedonbyvarioushousestillwecamenearlytothebottomofthevalley。Jonesthenpointingtoalargehouse,atalittledistanceontheright,toldmethatitwasagoodgwesty,andadvisedmetogoandrefreshmyselfinit,whilsthewentandcarriedhomehisworktothemanwhoemployedhim,whohesaidlivedinafarm—houseafewhundredyardsoff。Iaskedhimwherewewere。

  \"AtLlynCeiriog,\"hereplied。

  IthenaskedifwewerenearPontFadog;andreceivedforanswerthatPontFadogwasagoodwaydownthevalley,tothenorth—east,andthatwecouldnotseeitowingtoahillwhichintervened。

  JoneswenthiswayandIproceededtothegwestfa,thedoorofwhichstoodinvitinglyopen。Ienteredalargekitchen,atoneendofwhichagoodfirewasburninginagrate,infrontofwhichwasalongtable,andahighsettleoneitherside。Everythinglookedverycomfortable。Therewasnobodyinthekitchen:onmycalling,however,agirlcame,whomIbadeinWelshtobringmeapintofthebestale。Thegirlstared,butwentawayapparentlytofetchit—presentlycamethelandlady,agood—lookingmiddle—agedwoman。

  IsalutedherinWelshandthenaskedherifshecouldspeakEnglish。Shereplied\"Tipynbach,\"whichinterpreted,is,alittlebit。Isoon,however,foundthatshecouldspeakitverypassably,fortwomencominginfromtherearofthehousesheconversedwiththeminEnglish。Thesetwoindividualsseatedthemselvesonchairsnearthedoor,andcalledforbeer。Thegirlbroughtintheale,andIsatdownbythefire,pouredmyselfoutaglass,andmademyselfcomfortable。Presentlyagigdroveuptothedoor,andincameacoupleofdogs,oneatallblackgrey—hound,theotheralargefemalesetter,thecoatofthelatterdrippingwithrain,andshortlyaftertwomenfromthegigentered;onewhoappearedtobetheprincipalwasastoutbluff—lookingpersonbetweenfiftyandsixty,dressedinagreystuffcoatandwithaslouchedhatonhishead。Thismanbustledmuchabout,andinabroadYorkshiredialectorderedafiretobelightedinanotherroom,andachambertobepreparedforhimandhiscompanion;thelandlady,whoappearedtoknowhim,andtotreathimwithakindofdeference,askedifsheshouldpreparetwobeds;whereuponheanswered\"No!

  Aswecametogetherandshallstarttogether,soshallwesleeptogether;itwillnotbeforthefirsttime。\"

  Hiscompanionwasasmallmean—lookingman,dressedinablackcoat,andbehavedtohimwithnolittlerespect。Notonlythelandlady,butthetwomen,ofwhomIhavepreviouslyspoken,appearedtoknowhimandtotreathimwithdeference。Heandhiscompanionpresentlywentouttoseeafterthehorse。Afteralittletimetheyreturned,andthestoutmancalledlustilyfortwofourpennyworthsofbrandyandwater—\"Takeitintotheotherroom!\"saidhe,andwentintoasideroomwithhiscompanion,butalmostimmediatelycameoutsayingthattheroomsmokedandwascold,andthathepreferredsittinginthekitchen。Hethentookhisseatnearme,andwhenthebrandywasbroughtdranktomyhealth。Isaidthankyou,butnothingfarther。Hethenbegantalkingtothemenandhiscompanionuponindifferentsubjects。

  AfteralittletimeJohnJonescamein,calledforaglassofale,andatmyinvitationseatedhimselfbetweenmeandthestoutpersonage。ThelatteraddressedhimroughlyinEnglish,butreceivingnoanswersaid,\"Ah,younounderstand。YouhavenoEnglishandInoWelsh。\"

  \"YouhavenotmasteredWelshyetMr—\"saidoneofthementohim。

  \"No!\"saidhe:\"IhavebeendoingbusinesswiththeWelshfortyyears,butcan’tspeakawordoftheirlanguage。Isometimesguessataword,spokeninthecourseofbusiness,butamneversure。\"

  PresentlyJohnJonesbegantalkingtome,sayingthathehadbeentotheriver,thatthewaterwasverylow,andthattherewaslittlebutstonesinthebedofthestream。

  ItoldhimifitsnamewasCeiriognowondertherewereplentyofstonesinit,CeiriogbeingderivedfromCerrig,arock。ThemenstaredtohearmespeakWelsh。

  \"IsthegentlemanaWelshman?\"saidoneofthemen,nearthedoor,tohiscompanion;\"heseemstospeakWelshverywell。\"

  \"HowshouldIknow?\"saidtheother,whoappearedtobealowworkingman。

  \"Whoarethosepeople?\"saidItoJohnJones。

  \"Thesmallermanisaworkmanataflannelmanufactory,\"saidJones。\"TheotherIdonotexactlyknow。\"

  \"Andwhoisthemanontheothersideofyou?\"saidI。

  \"IbelieveheisanEnglishdealeringigsandhorses,\"repliedJones,\"andthatheiscomehereeithertobuyorsell。\"

  Theman,however,soonputmeoutofalldoubtwithrespecttohisprofession。

  \"IwasatChirk,\"saidhe;\"andMrSo—and—soaskedmetohavealookathisnewgigandhorse,andhavearide。Iconsented。Theywerebothbroughtout—everythingnew;gignew,harnessnew,andhorsenew。MrSo—and—soaskedmewhatIthoughtofhisturn—out。

  Igavealookandsaid,’Ilikethecarverywell,harnessverywell,butIdon’tlikethehorseatall;aregularbolter,rearerandkicker,orI’mnojudge;moreover,he’spigeon—toed。’However,weallgotonthecar—fourofus,andIwasofcoursecomplimentedwiththeribbons。Well,wehadn’tgonefiftyyardsbeforethehorse,tomakemywordspartlygood,begantokicklikeanew’un。However,Imanagedhim,andhewentonforacoupleofmilestillwegottothetopofthehill,justabovethedescentwiththeprecipiceontherighthand。Herehebegantorearlikeaverydevil。

  \"’Ohdearme!’saysMrSo—and—so;’letmegetout!’

  \"’Keepwhereyouare,’saysI,’Icanmanagehim。’

  \"However,MrSo—and—sowouldnotberuled,andgotout;comingdown,notonhislegs,buthishandsandknees。Andthenthetwootherssaid—

  \"’Letusgetout!’

  \"’Keepwhereyouare,’saidI,’Icanmanagehim。’

  \"Buttheymustneedsgetout,orrathertumbleout,fortheybothcamedownontheroad,hardontheirbacks。

  \"’Getoutyourself,’saidtheyall,’andletthedevilgo,oryouareadoneman。’

  \"’Gettingoutmaydoforyouyounghands,’saysI,’butitwon’tdoforI;neithermybacknorboneswillstandthehardroad。’

  \"MrSo—and—sorantothehorse’shead。

  \"’Areyoumad?’saysI,’ifyoutrytoholdhimhe’llbeoverthepree—si—piceinatwinkling,andthenwhereamI?Givehimhead;I

  canmanagehim。’

  \"SoMrSo—and—sogotoutoftheway,anddownflewthehorserightdownthedescent,asfastashecouldgallop。Itellyouwhat,I

  didn’thalflikeit!Apree—si—piceonmyright,therockonmyleft,andadevilbeforeme,going,likeacannon—ball,rightdownthehill。However,Icontrived,asIsaidIwould,tomanagehim;

  keptthecarfromtherockandfromtheedgeofthegulftoo。

  Well,justwhenwehadcometothebottomofthehilloutcomesthepeoplerunningfromtheinn,almostcoveringtheroad。

  \"’Nowgetoutoftheway,’Ishouts,’ifyoudon’twishtoseeyourbrainsknockedout,andwhatwouldbeworse,minetoo。’

  \"Sotheygetsoutoftheway,andonIspun,Iandmydevil。ButbythistimeIhadnearlytakenthedeviloutofhim。Well,hehadn’tgonefiftyyardsonthelevelground,when,whatdoyouthinkhedid?why,wentregularlyover,tumbleddownregularlyontheroad,evenasIknewhewouldsometimeorother,becausewhy?

  hewaspigeon—toed。Well,Igetsoutofthegig,andnosoonerdidMrSo—and—socomeupthanIsays—

  \"’Ilikesyourcarverywell,andIlikesyourharness,but—meifIlikesyourhorse,anditwillbesometimebeforeyoupersuademetodrivehimagain。’\"

  Iamagreatloverofhorses,andanadmirerofgooddriving,andshouldhavewishedtohavesomeconversationwiththisworthypersonabouthorsesandtheirmanagement。IshouldalsohavewishedtoaskhimsomequestionsaboutWalesandtheWelsh,ashemusthavepickedupagreatdealofcuriousinformationaboutbothinhisfortyyears’traffic,notwithstandinghedidnotknowawordofWelsh,butJohnJonespreventedmyfurthertarryingbysaying,thatitwouldbeaswelltogetoverthemountainbeforeitwasentirelydark。SoIgotup,paidformyale,vainlyendeavouredtopayforthatofmycompanion,whoinsisteduponpayingforwhathehadordered,madeageneralbowanddepartedfromthehouse,leavingthehorse—dealerandthereststaringateachotherandwonderingwhowewere,oratleastwhoIwas。WewereabouttoascendthehillwhenJohnJonesaskedmewhetherIshouldnotliketoseethebridgeandtheriver。ItoldhimIshould。Thebridgeandtheriverpresentednothingremarkable。Theformerwasofasinglearch;andthelatteranythingbutabundantinitsflow。

  Wenowbegantoretraceourstepsoverthemountain。Atfirstthemistappearedtobenearlyclearedaway。Asweproceeded,however,largesheetsbegantorollupthemountainsides,andbythetimewereachedthesummitwerecompletelyshroudedinvapour。Thenight,however,wasnotverydark,andwefoundourwaytolerablywell,thoughonceindescendingIhadnearlytumbledintothenantordingle,nowonourlefthand。Thebushesandtrees,seenindistinctlythroughthemist,hadsomethingthelookofgoblins,andbroughttomymindtheelves,whichAbGwilymofoldsaw,orthoughthesaw,inasomewhatsimilarsituation:—

  \"IneveryhollowdinglestoodOfwry—mouth’delvesawrathfulbrood。\"

  Drenchedtotheskin,butuninjuredinbodyandlimb,weatlengthreachedLlangollen。

  CHAPTERXVIII

  VenerableOldGentleman—SurnamesinWales—RussiaandBritain—

  ChurchofEngland—Yriarte—TheEagleandhisYoung—PoetsoftheGael—TheOxonian—MasterSalisburie。

  MYwifehadtoldmethatshehadhadsomeconversationupontheWelshlanguageandliteraturewithavenerableoldman,whokeptashopinthetown,thatshehadinformedhimthatIwasveryfondofboth,andthathehadexpressedagreatdesiretoseeme。OneafternoonIsaid:\"Letusgoandpayavisittoyouroldfriendoftheshop。Ithinkfromtwoorthreethingswhichyouhavetoldmeabouthim,thathemustbeworthknowing。\"Wesetout。Sheconductedmeacrossthebridgealittleway;thenpresentlyturningtotheleftintotheprincipalstreet,sheenteredthedoorofashopontheleft—handside,overthetopofwhichwaswritten:

  \"Jones;ProvisionDealerandGeneralMerchant。\"Theshopwassmall,withtwolittlecounters,oneoneachside。Behindonewasayoungwoman,andbehindtheotheravenerable—lookingoldman。

  \"Ihavebroughtmyhusbandtovisityou,\"saidmywife,addressingherselftohim。

  \"Iammosthappytoseehim,\"saidtheoldgentleman,makingmeapolitebow。

  Hethenbeggedthatwewoulddohimthehonourtowalkintohisparlour,andledusintoalittlebackroom,thewindowofwhichlookedoutupontheDeeafewyardsbelowthebridge。Ontheleftsideoftheroomwasalargecase,wellstoredwithbooks。Heoffereduschairs,andweallsatdown。Iwasmuchstruckwiththeoldman。Hewasrathertall,andsomewhatinclinedtocorpulency。

  Hishairwasgrey;hisforeheadhigh;hisnoseaquiline;hiseyesfullofintelligence;whilsthismannerswerethoseofaperfectgentleman。

  IenteredintoconversationbysayingthatIsupposedhisnamewasJones,asIhadobservedthatnameoverthedoor。

  \"JonesisthenameIbearatyourservice,sir,\"hereplied。

  IsaidthatitwasaverycommonnameinWales,asIknewseveralpeoplewhoboreit,andobservedthatmostofthesurnamesinWalesappearedtobemodificationsofChristiannames;forexampleJones,Roberts,Edwards,Humphreys,andlikewisePugh,Powel,andProbert,whichwerenothingmorethanthesonofHugh,thesonofHowel,andthesonofRobert。HesaidIwasright,thattherewereveryfewrealsurnamesinWales;thatthethreegreatfamilies,however,hadrealsurnames;forthatWynn,MorganandBulkleywereallrealsurnames。IaskedhimwhethertheBulkleysofAngleseawerenotoriginallyanEnglishfamily。Hesaidtheywere,andthattheysettleddowninAngleseainthetimeofElizabeth。

  Aftersomeminutesmywifegotupandleftus。TheoldgentlemanandIhadthensomediscourseinWelsh;wesoon,however,resumedspeakingEnglish。WegotonthesubjectofWelshbards,andafteragooddealofdiscoursetheoldgentlemansaid:

  \"YouseemtoknowsomethingaboutWelshpoetry;canyoutellmewhowrotethefollowingline?

  \"’TherewillbegreatdoingsinBritain,andIshallhavenoconcerninthem。’\"

  \"Iwillnotbepositive,\"saidI,\"butIthinkfromitstoneandtenorthatitwascomposedbyMerddyn,whommycountrymencallMerlin。\"

  \"Ibelieveyouareright,\"saidtheoldgentleman,\"IseeyouknowsomethingofWelshpoetry。Imettheline,alongtimeago,inaWelshgrammar。Itthenmadeagreatimpressionuponme,andoflateithasalwaysbeenringinginmyears。IloveBritain。

  Britainhasjustengagedinawarwithamightycountry,andIamapprehensiveoftheconsequences。Iamold,upwardsoffour—score,andshallprobablynotlivetoseetheevil,ifevilhappens,asI

  fearitwill—’TherewillbestrangedoingsinBritain,buttheywillnotconcernme。’Icannotgetthelineoutofmyhead。\"

  ItoldhimthatthelineprobablyrelatedtotheprogressoftheSaxonsinBritain,butthatIdidnotwonderthatitmadeanimpressionuponhimatthepresentmoment。Isaid,however,thatwerannoriskfromRussia;thattheonlypoweratalldangeroustoBritainwasFrance,whichthoughatpresentleaguedwithheragainstRussia,wouldeventuallygotowarwithandstrivetosubdueher,andthenofcourseBritaincouldexpectnohelpfromRussia,heroldfriendandally,who,ifBritainhadnotoutragedher,wouldhaveassistedher,inanyquarrelordanger,withfourorfivehundredthousandmen。IsaidthatIhopedneitherhenorI

  shouldseeaFrenchinvasion,butIhadnodoubtonewouldeventuallytakeplace,andthatthenBritainmustfightstoutly,asshehadnoonetoexpecthelpfrombutherself;thatIwishedshemightbeabletoholdherown,but—

  \"StrangethingswillhappeninBritain,thoughtheywillconcernmenothing,\"saidtheoldgentlemanwithasigh。

  Onmyexpressingadesiretoknowsomethingofhishistory,hetoldmethathewasthesonofasmallfarmer,whoresidedatsomedistancefromLlangollen;thathelosthisfatheratanearlyage,andwasobligedtoworkhard,evenwhenachild,inordertoassisthismotherwhohadsomedifficulty,afterthedeathofhisfather,inkeepingthingstogether;thatthoughhewasobligedtoworkhardhehadbeenfondofstudy,andusedtoporeoverWelshandEnglishbooksbytheglimmeringlightoftheturffireatnight,forthathismothercouldnotaffordtoallowhimanythingintheshapeofacandletoreadby;thatathismother’sdeathheleftrurallabour,andcomingtoLlangollen,commencedbusinessinthelittleshopinwhichhewasatpresent;thathehadbeenmarried,andhadchildren,butthathiswifeandfamilyweredead;thattheyoungwomanwhomIhadseenintheshop,andwhotookcareofhishouse,wasarelationofhiswife;thatthoughhehadalwaysbeenattentivetobusiness,hehadneverabandonedstudy;thathehadmasteredhisownlanguage,ofwhichhewaspassionatelyfond,andhadacquiredagoodknowledgeofEnglishandofsomeotherlanguages。ThathisfondnessforliteraturehadshortlyafterhisarrivalatLlangollenattractedthenoticeofsomeofthepeople,whoencouragedhiminhisstudies,andassistedhimbygivinghimbooks;thatthetwocelebratedladiesofLlangollenhadparticularlynoticedhim;thatheheldthesituationofchurchclerkforupwardsoffortyyears,andthatitwaschieflyowingtotherecommendationofthe\"greatladies\"thathehadobtainedit。

  Hethenaddedwithasigh,thatabouttenyearsagohewasobligedtogiveitup,owingtosomethingthematterwithhiseyesight,whichpreventedhimfromreading,and,thathisbeingobligedtogiveitupwasasourceofbittergrieftohim,ashehadalwaysconsidereditahighhonourtobepermittedtoassistintheserviceoftheChurchofEngland,intheprinciplesofwhichhehadbeenbred,andinwhosedoctrineshefirmlybelieved。

  Hereshakinghimbythehand,IsaidthatItoohadbeenbredupintheprinciplesoftheChurchofEngland;thatItoofirmlybelievedinitsdoctrines,andwouldmaintainwithmyblood,ifnecessary,thattherewasnotsuchanotherchurchintheworld。

  \"SowouldI,\"saidtheoldgentleman;\"whereisthereachurchinwhoseliturgythereissomuchScriptureasinthatoftheChurchofEngland?\"

  \"Pity,\"saidI,\"thatsomanytraitorshavelatelysprungupinitsministry。\"

  \"Ifitbeso,\"saidtheoldchurchclerk,\"theyhavenotyetshownthemselvesinthepulpitatLlangollen。Alltheclergymenwhohaveheldthelivinginmytimehavebeenexcellent。ThepresentincumbentisamodelofaChurch—of—Englandclergyman。Oh,howI

  regretthatthestateofmyeyespreventsmefromofficiatingasclerkbeneathhim。\"

  ItoldhimthatIshouldneverfromtheappearanceofhiseyeshaveimaginedthattheywerenotexcellentones。

  \"Icanseetowalkaboutwiththem,andtodistinguishobjects,\"

  saidtheoldgentleman;\"butseetoreadwiththemIcannot。EvenwiththehelpofthemostpowerfulglassesIcannotdistinguishaletter。IbelieveIstrainedmyeyesataveryearlyage,whenstrivingtoreadatnightbytheglimmeroftheturffireinmypoormother’schimneycorner。Ohwhatanafflictionisthisstateofmyeyes!Ican’tturnmybookstoanyaccount,norreadthenewspapers;butIrepeatthatIchieflylamentitbecauseitpreventsmefromofficiatingasunder—preacher。\"

  Heshowedmehisbooks。Seeingamongstthem\"TheFablesofYriarte\"inSpanish,Iaskedhowtheycameintohispossession。

  \"Theywerepresentedtome,\"saidhe,\"byoneoftheladiesofLlangollen,LadyEleanorButler。\"

  \"Haveyoueverreadthem?\"saidI。

  \"No,\"hereplied;\"IdonotunderstandawordofSpanish;butI

  supposeherladyship,knowingIwasfondoflanguages,thoughtthatImightonedaysetaboutlearningSpanish,andthatthentheymightbeusefultome。\"

  HethenaskedmeifIknewSpanish,andonmytellinghimthatI

  hadsomeknowledgeofthatlanguage,heaskedmetotranslatesomeofthefables。Itranslatedtwoofthem,whichpleasedhimmuch。

  IthenaskedifhehadeverheardofacollectionofWelshfablescompiledabouttheyearthirteenhundred。Hesaidthathehadnot,andinquiredwhethertheyhadeverbeenprinted。ItoldhimthatsomehadappearedintheoldWelshmagazinecalled\"TheGreal。\"

  \"Iwishyouwouldrepeatoneofthem,\"saidtheoldclerk。

  \"Hereisone,\"saidI,\"whichparticularlystruckme:—

  \"Itisthecustomoftheeagle,whenhisyoungaresufficientlyold,toraisethemupabovehisnestinthedirectionofthesun;

  andthebirdwhichhasstrengthenoughofeyetolookrightinthedirectionofthesun,hekeepsandnourishes,buttheonewhichhasnot,hecastsdownintothegulftoitsdestruction。SodoestheLorddealwithHischildrenintheCatholicChurchMilitant:thosewhomHeseesworthytoserveHimingodlinessandspiritualgoodnessHekeepswithHimandnourishes,butthosewhoarenotworthyfrombeingaddictedtoearthlythings,Hecastsoutintoutterdarkness,wherethereisweepingandgnashingofteeth。\"

  Theoldgentleman,afteramoment’sreflection,saiditwasacleverfable,butanunpleasantone。Itwashardforpoorbirdstobeflungintoagulf,fornothavingpowerofeyesufficienttolookfullinthefaceofthesun,andlikewisehardthatpoorhumancreaturesshouldbelostforever,fornotdoingthatwhichtheyhadnopowertodo。

点击下载App,搜索"Wild Wales",免费读到尾