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。