第9章
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  \"Perhaps,\"saidI,\"theeagledoesnotdealwithhischicks,ortheLordwithHiscreaturesasthefablerepresents。\"

  \"Letushopeatanyrate,\"saidtheoldgentleman,\"thattheLorddoesnot。\"

  \"Haveyoueverseenthisbook?\"saidhe,andputSmith’s\"SeanDana\"intomyhand。

  \"Oh,yes,\"saidI,\"andhavegonethroughit。ItcontainspoemsintheGaeliclanguagebyOisinandothers,collectedintheHighlands。Iwentthroughitalongtimeagowithgreatattention。

  Someofthepoemsarewonderfullybeautiful。\"

  \"Theyareso,\"saidtheoldclerk。\"Itoohavegonethroughthebook;itwaspresentedtomeagreatmanyyearsagobyaladytowhomIgavesomelessonsintheWelshlanguage。IwentthroughitwiththeassistanceofaGaelicgrammaranddictionary,whichshealsopresentedtome,andIwasstruckwiththehightoneofthepoetry。\"

  \"Thiscollectionisvaluableindeed,\"saidI;\"itcontainspoems,whichnotonlypossessthehighestmerit,butservetoconfirmtheauthenticityofthepoemsofOssian,publishedbyMacpherson,sooftencalledinquestion。AllthepieceshereattributedtoOssianarewritteninthesamemetre,tone,andspirit,asthoseattributedtohimintheothercollection,soifMacpherson’sOssianicpoems,whichhesaidwerecollectedbyhimintheHighlands,areforgeries,Smith’sOssianicpoems,which,accordingtohisaccount,werealsocollectedintheHighlands,mustbealsoforged,andhavebeenimitatedfromthosepublishedbytheother。

  NowasitiswellknownthatSmithdidnotpossesssufficientpoeticpowertoproduceanyimitationofMacpherson’sOssian,withatenthpartthemeritwhichthe\"SeanDana\"possess,andthatevenifhehadpossessedit,hisprincipleswouldnothaveallowedhimtoattempttodeceivetheworldbyimposingforgeriesuponit,astheauthenticpoemsofanother,hebeingahighlyrespectableclergyman,thenecessaryconclusionisthattheOssianicpoemswhichbothpublishedaregenuine,andcollectedinthemannerinwhichbothstatedtheywere。\"

  AfteralittlemorediscourseaboutOssian,theoldgentlemanaskedmeiftherewasanygoodmodernGaelicpoetry。\"Noneverymodern,\"

  saidI:\"thelastgreatpoetsoftheGaelwereMacintyreandBuchanan,whoflourishedaboutthemiddleofthelastcentury。ThefirstsangofloveandofHighlandscenery;thelatterwasareligiouspoet。ThebestpieceofMacintyreisanodetoBenDourain,ortheHilloftheWater—dogs—amountainintheHighlands。Themaster—pieceofBuchananishisLaBreitheanasorDayofJudgment,whichisequalinmerit,ornearlyso,totheCywyddyFarn,orJudgmentDayofyourownimmortalGronwyOwen。

  SingularthatthetwobestpiecesontheDayofJudgmentshouldhavebeenwrittenintwoCelticdialects,andmuchaboutthesametime;butsuchisthefact。\"

  \"Really,\"saidtheoldchurchclerk,\"youseemtoknowsomethingofCelticliterature。\"

  \"Alittle,\"saidI;\"Iamabitofaphilologist;andwhenstudyinglanguagesdipalittleintotheliteraturewhichtheycontain。\"

  AsIhadheardhimsaythathehadoccasionallygivenlessonsintheWelshlanguage,Iinquiredwhetheranyofhispupilshadmademuchprogressinit。\"Thegenerality,\"saidhe,\"soonbecametiredofitsdifficulties,andgaveitupwithoutmakinganyprogressatall。Twoorthreegotontolerablywell。One,however,acquireditinatimesoshortthatitmightbedeemedmarvellous。HewasanOxonian,andcamedownwithanotherinthevacationinordertostudyhardagainsttheyearlycollegiateexamination。HeandhisfriendtooklodgingsatPengwernHall,thenafarm—house,andstudiedandwalkedaboutforsometime,asotheryoungmenfromcollege,whocomedownhere,areinthehabitofdoing。Onedayheandhisfriendcametome,whowasthenclerk,anddesiredtoseetheinteriorofthechurch。SoItookthekeyandwentwiththemintothechurch。WhenhecametothealtarhetookupthelargeWelshCommonPrayer—Book,whichwaslyingthere,andlookedintoit。’AcuriouslanguagethisWelsh,’saidhe;’Ishouldliketolearnit。’’Manyhavewishedtolearnit,withoutbeingable,’

  saidI;’itisnoeasylanguage。’’Ishouldliketotry,’hereplied;’IwishIcouldfindsomeonewhowouldgivemeafewlessons。’’IhaveoccasionallygiveninstructionsinWelsh,’saidI,’andshallbehappytoobligeyou。’Well,itwasagreedthatheshouldtakelessonsofme;andtomyhousehecameeveryevening,andIgavehimwhatinstructionsIcould。Iwasastonishedathisprogress。Heacquiredthepronunciationinalesson,andwithinaweekwasabletoconstrueandconverse。BythetimeheleftLlangollen,andhewasnothereinallmorethantwomonths,heunderstoodtheWelshBibleaswellasIdid,andcouldspeakWelshsowellthattheWelsh,whodidnotknowhim,tookhimtobeoneofthemselves,forhespokethelanguagewiththeverytoneandmannerofanative。Oh,hewasthecleverestmanforlanguagethatIeverknew;notawordthathehearddidheeverforget。\"

  \"JustlikeMezzofanti,\"saidI,\"thegreatcardinalphilologist。

  ButwhilstlearningWelsh,didhenotneglecthiscollegiatestudies?\"

  \"Well,Iwasratherapprehensiveonthatpoint,\"saidtheoldgentleman,\"butmarktheevent。AttheexaminationhecameoffmostbrilliantlyinLatin,Greek,mathematics,andotherthingstoo;infact,adoublefirst—classman,asIthinktheycallit。\"

  \"Ihaveneverheardofsoextraordinaryanindividual,\"saidI。\"I

  couldnomorehavedonewhatyousayhedid,thanIcouldhavetakenwingsandflown。Pray,whatwashisname?\"

  \"Hisname,\"saidtheoldgentleman,\"wasEarl。\"

  Iwasmuchdelightedwithmynewacquaintance,andpaidhimfrequentvisits;themoreIsawhimthemoreheinterestedme。Hewaskindandbenevolent,agoodoldChurchofEnglandChristian,waswellversedinseveraldialectsoftheCeltic,andpossessedanastonishingdealofWelshheraldicandantiquarianlore。OftenwhilstdiscoursingwithhimIalmostfanciedthatIwaswithMasterSalisburie,VaughanofHengwrt,orsomeotherworthyofold,deeplyskilledineverythingremarkableconnectedwithwild\"Camber’sLande。\"

  CHAPTERXIX

  TheVicarandhisFamily—EvanEvans—FoamingAle—LlamyLleidyr—Baptism—JoostVanVondel—OvertoRome—TheMiller’sMan—WelshandEnglish。

  WEhadreceivedacallfromtheVicarofLlangollenandhislady;

  wehadreturnedit,andtheyhaddoneusthekindnesstoinviteustotaketeawiththem。Ontheappointedeveningwewent,myself,wife,andHenrietta,andtookteawiththevicarandhiswife,theirsonsanddaughters,alldelightfulandamiablebeings—theeldestsonafineintelligentyoungmanfromOxford,latelyadmittedintotheChurch,andnowassistinghisfatherinhissacredoffice。Adelightfulresidencewasthevicarage,situatedamongsttreesintheneighbourhoodoftheDee。Alargeopenwindowintheroom,inwhichourpartysat,affordedusaviewofagreenplatonthetopofabankrunningdowntotheDee,partoftheriver,thesteepfartherbankcoveredwithumbrageoustrees,andahighmountainbeyond,eventhatofPenyCoedcladwithwood。

  DuringteaMrE。andIhadagreatdealofdiscourse。Ifoundhimtobeafirst—rateGreekandLatinscholar,andalsoaproficientinthepoeticalliteratureofhisowncountry。InthecourseofdiscourseherepeatedsomenoblelinesofEvanEvans,theunfortunateandeccentricPrydyddHir,ortallpoet,thefriendandcorrespondentofGray,forwhomhemadeliteraltranslationsfromtheWelsh,whichthegreatEnglishgeniusafterwardswroughtintoimmortalverse。

  \"IhaveagreatregardforpoorEvanEvans,\"saidMrE。,afterhehadfinishedrepeatingthelines,\"fortworeasons:first,becausehewasanillustriousgenius,andsecond,becausehewasaSouth—

  Wallianlikemyself。\"

  \"AndI,\"Ireplied,\"becausehewasagreatpoet,andlikemyselffondofaglassofcwrwda。\"

  SometimeafterteatheyoungerMrE。andmyselftookawalkinaneasterndirectionalongapathcutinthebank,justabovethestream。Afterproceedingalittlewayamongstmostromanticscenery,IaskedmycompanionifhehadeverheardofthepoolofCatherineLingo—thedeeppool,asthereaderwillpleasetoremember,ofwhichJohnJoneshadspoken。

  \"Ohyes,\"saidyoungMrE。:\"mybrothersandmyselfareinthehabitofbathingtherealmosteverymorning。Wewillgotoitifyouplease。\"

  Weproceeded,andsooncametothepool。Thepoolisabeautifulsheetofwater,seeminglyaboutonehundredandfiftyyardsinlength,byaboutseventyinwidth。Itisboundedontheeastbyalowridgeofrocksformingaweir。Thebanksonbothsidesarehighandprecipitous,andcoveredwithtrees,someofwhichshoottheirarmsforsomewayabovethefaceofthepool。ThisissaidtobethedeepestpoolinthewholecourseoftheDee,varyingindepthfromtwentytothirtyfeet。Enormouspike,calledinWelshpenhwiaid,orducks—heads,fromthesimilaritywhichtheheadofapikebearstothatofaduck,aresaidtobetenantsofthispool。

  Wereturnedtothevicarage,andatabouttenweallsatdowntosupper。Onthesupper—tablewasamightypitcherfulloffoamingale。

  \"There,\"saidmyexcellenthost,ashepouredmeoutaglass,\"thereisaglassofcwrw,whichEvanEvanshimselfmighthavedrunk。\"

  Oneeveningmywife,Henrietta,andmyself,attendedbyJohnJones,wentupontheBerwyn,alittletotheeastoftheGeraintorBarber’sHill,tobotanize。HerewefoundafernwhichJohnJonescalledCoedllusyBran,ortheplantoftheCrow’sberry。Therewasahardkindofberryuponit,ofwhichhesaidthecrowswereexceedinglyfond。Wealsodiscoveredtwoorthreeotherstrangeplants,theWelshnamesofwhichourguidetoldus,andwhichwerecuriousanddescriptiveenough。Hetookushomebyaromanticpathwhichwehadneverbeforeseen,andonourwaypointedouttousasmallhouseinwhichhesaidhewasborn。

  Thedayafter,findingmyselfonthebanksoftheDeeintheupperpartofthevalley,IdeterminedtoexaminetheLlamLleidyrorRobber’sLeap,whichIhadheardspokenofonaformeroccasion。A

  manpassingnearmewithacartIaskedhimwheretheRobber’sLeapwas。IspokeinEnglish,andwithashakeofhisheadhereplied\"DimSaesneg。\"OnmyputtingthequestiontohiminWelsh,however,hiscountenancebrightenedup。

  \"DynaLlamLleidyr,sir!\"saidhe,pointingtoaverynarrowpartofthestreamalittlewaydown。

  \"Anddidthethieftakeitfromthisside?\"Idemanded。

  \"Yes,sir,fromthisside,\"repliedtheman。

  Ithankedhim,andpassingoverthedrypartoftheriver’sbed,cametotheLlamLleidyr。ThewholewateroftheDeeinthedryseasongurglesherethroughapassagenotmorethanfourfeetacross,which,however,isevidentlyprofoundlydeep,asthewaterisasdarkaspitch。Ifthethiefevertooktheleaphemusthavetakenitinthedryseason,forinthewettheDeeisawideandroaringtorrent。Yeteveninthedryseasonitisdifficulttoconceivehowanybodycouldtakethisleap,forontheothersideisarockrisinghighabovethedarkgurglingstream。Onobservingtheoppositeside,however,narrowly,Iperceivedthattherewasasmallholealittlewayuptherock,inwhichitseemedpossibletorestone’sfootforamoment。SoIsupposedthatiftheleapwasevertaken,theindividualwhotookitdartedthetipofhisfootintothehole,thenspringingupseizedthetopoftherockwithhishands,andscrambledup。Fromeithersidetheleapmusthavebeenahighlydangerousone—fromthefarthersidetheleaperwouldincurthealmostcertainriskofbreakinghislegsonaledgeofhardrock,fromthisoffallingbackintothedeephorriblestream,whichwouldprobablysuckhimdowninamoment。

  FromtheLlamyLleidyrIwenttothecanalandwalkedalongittillIcametothehouseoftheoldmanwhosoldcoals,andwhohadputmeinmindofSmollett’sMorgan;hewasnowstandinginhislittlecoal—yard,leaningoverthepales。IhadspokentohimontwoorthreeoccasionssubsequenttotheoneonwhichImadehisacquaintance,andhadbeeneverytimemoreandmorestruckwiththeresemblancewhichhiswaysandmannersboretothoseofSmollett’scharacter,onwhichaccountIshallcallhimMorgan,thoughsuchwasnothisname。HenowtoldmethatheexpectedthatIshouldbuildavillaandsettledownintheneighbourhood,asIseemedsofondofit。Afteralittlediscourse,inducedeitherbymyquestionsorfromadesiretotalkabouthimself,herelatedtomehishistory,which,thoughnotoneofthemostwonderful,Ishallrepeat。HewasbornnearAberdarroninCaernarvonshire,andinordertomakemeunderstandthepositionoftheplace,anditsbearingwithregardtosomeotherplaces,hedrewmarksinthecoal—dustontheearth。HisfatherwasaBaptistminister,whowhenMorganwasaboutsixyearsofage,wenttoliveatCanolLyn,aplaceatsomelittledistancefromPortHeli。Withhisfatherhecontinuedtillhewasoldenoughtogainhisownmaintenance,whenhewenttoserveafarmerintheneighbourhood。HavingsavedsomemoneyyoungMorgandepartedtothefoundriesatCefnMawr,atwhichheworkedthirtyyearswithanintervaloffour,whichhehadpassedpartlyinworkinginslatequarries,andpartlyuponthecanal。Aboutfouryearsbeforethepresenttimehecametowherehenowlived,wherehecommencedsellingcoals,atfirstonhisownaccountandsubsequentlyforsomeotherperson。Heconcludedhisnarrationbysayingthathewasnowsixty—twoyearsofage,wasafflictedwithvariousdisorders,andbelievedthathewasbreakingup。

  SuchwasMorgan’shistory;certainlynotaveryremarkableone。

  YetMorganwasamostremarkableindividual,asIshallpresentlymakeappear。

  RatheraffectedatthebadaccounthegavemeofhishealthIaskedhimifhefelteasyinhismind?Herepliedperfectlyso,andwhenIinquiredhowhecametofeelsocomfortable,hesaidthathisfeelingsowasowingtohisbaptismintothefaithofChristJesus。

  OnmytellinghimthatItoohadbeenbaptized,heaskedmeifI

  hadbeendipped;andonlearningthatIhadnot,butonlybeensprinkled,accordingtothepracticeofmychurch,hegavemetounderstandthatmybaptismwasnotworththreehalfpence。Feelingrathernettledathearingthebaptismofmychurchsoundervalued,Istoodupforit,andweweresooninadispute,inwhichIgotrathertheworst,forthoughhespuffledandsputteredinamostextraordinarymanner,andspokeinadialectwhichwasneitherWelsh,EnglishnorCheshire,butamixtureofallthree,hesaidtwoorthreethingsratherdifficulttobegotover。Findingthathehadnearlysilencedme,heobservedthathedidnotdenythatI

  hadagooddealofbooklearning,butthatinmattersofbaptismI

  wasasignorantastherestofthepeopleofthechurchwere,andhadalwaysbeen。Hethensaidthatmanychurchpeoplehadenteredintoargumentwithhimonthesubjectofbaptism,butthathehadgotthebetterofthemall;thatMrP。,theministeroftheparishofL。,inwhichwethenwere,hadfrequentlyenteredintoargumentwithhim,butquiteunsuccessfully,andhadatlastgivenupthematter,asabadjob。Headdedthatalittletimebefore,asMrP。

  waswalkingclosetothecanalwithhiswifeanddaughterandaspanieldog,MrP。suddenlytookupthedogandflungitin,givingitagoodducking,whereuponhe,Morgan,criedout:\"Dynaygwirvedydd!Thatistherightbaptism,sir!IthoughtIshouldbringyoutoitatlast!\"atwhichwordsMrP。laughedheartily,butmadenoparticularreply。

  AfteralittletimehebegantotalkaboutthegreatmenwhohadrisenupamongsttheBaptists,andmentionedtwoorthreedistinguishedindividuals。

  IsaidthathehadnotmentionedthegreatestmanwhohadbeenbornamongsttheBaptists。

  \"Whatwashisname?\"saidhe。

  \"HisnamewasJoostVanVondel,\"Ireplied。

  \"Ineverheardofhimbefore,\"saidMorgan。

  \"Veryprobably,\"saidI:\"hewasborn,bred,anddiedinHolland。\"

  \"Hashebeendeadlong?\"saidMorgan。

  \"Abouttwohundredyears,\"saidI。

  \"That’salongtime,\"saidMorgan,\"andmaybeisthereasonthatI

  neverheardofhim。Sohewasagreatman?\"

  \"Hewasindeed,\"saidI。\"HewasnotonlythegreatestmanthateversprangupamongsttheBaptists,butthegreatest,andbyfarthegreatest,thatHollandeverproduced,thoughHollandhasproducedagreatmanyillustriousmen。\"

  \"OhIdaresayhewasagreatmanifhewasaBaptist,\"saidMorgan。

  \"Well,it’sstrangeIneverreadofhim。IthoughtIhadreadthelivesofalltheeminentpeoplewholivedanddiedinourcommunion。\"

  \"HedidnotdieintheBaptistcommunion,\"saidI。

  \"Oh,hedidn’tdieinit,\"saidMorgan;\"What,didhegoovertotheChurchofEngland?aprettyfellow!\"

  \"HedidnotgoovertotheChurchofEngland,\"saidI,\"fortheChurchofEnglanddoesnotexistinHolland;hewentovertotheChurchofRome。\"

  \"Well,that’snotquitesobad,\"saidMorgan;\"however,it’sbadenough。Idaresayhewasaprettyblackguard。\"

  \"No,\"saidI:\"hewasapurevirtuouscharacter,andperhapstheonlypureandvirtuouscharacterthateverwentovertoRome。Theonlywonderisthatsogoodamancouldeverhavegoneovertosodetestableachurch;butheappearstohavebeendeluded。\"

  \"Deludedindeed!\"saidMorgan。\"However,Isupposehewentoverforadvancement’ssake。\"

  \"No,\"saidI;\"helosteveryprospectofadvancementbygoingovertoRome:nine—tenthsofhiscountrymenwereofthereformedreligion,andheenduredmuchpovertyandcontemptbythestephetook。\"

  \"Howdidhesupporthimself?\"saidMorgan。

  \"Heobtainedalivelihood,\"saidI,\"bywritingpoemsandplays,someofwhicharewonderfullyfine。\"

  \"What,\"saidMorgan,\"awriterofInterludes?OneofTwmo’rNant’sgang!Ithoughthewouldturnoutaprettyfellow。\"ItoldhimthatthepersoninquestioncertainlydidwriteInterludes,forexampleNoah,andJosephatGoshen,butthathewasahighlyrespectable,nayvenerablecharacter。

  \"IfhewasawriterofInterludes,\"saidMorgan,\"hewasablackguard;thereneveryetwasawriterofInterludes,orapersonwhowentaboutplayingthem,thatwasnotascamp。Hemightbeacleverman,Idon’tsayhewasnot。WhowasacleverermanthanTwmo’rNantwithhisPleasureandCare,andRichesandPoverty,butwherewasthereagreaterblackguard?Why,notinallWales。

  Andifyouknewthisotherfellow—what’shisname—Fondle’shistory,youwouldfindthathewasnotabitmorerespectablethanTwmo’rNant,andnothalfsoclever。AsforhisleavingtheBaptistsIdon’tbelieveawordofit;hewasturnedoutoftheconnection,andthenwentaboutthecountrysayingheleftit。NoBaptistconnectionwouldeverhaveawriterofInterludesinit,notTwmo’rNanthimself,unlesshelefthisalesandInterludesandwantonhussies,forthethreethingsaresuretogotogether。

  YousayhewentovertotheChurchofRome;ofcoursehedid,iftheChurchofEnglandwerenotathandtoreceivehim,whereshouldhegobuttoRome?NorespectablechurchliketheMethodistortheIndependentwouldhavereceivedhim。Thereareonlytwochurchesintheworldthatwilltakeinanybodywithoutaskingquestions,andwillneverturnthemouthoweverbadtheymaybehave;theoneistheChurchofRome,andtheothertheChurchofCanterbury;andifyoulookintothematteryouwillfindthateveryrogue,rascalandhangedpersonsincetheworldbegan,hasbelongedtooneorotherofthosecommunions。\"

  IntheeveningItookawalkwithmywifeanddaughterpastthePlasNewydd。ComingtothelittlemillcalledtheMelynBac,atthebottomofthegorge,wewentintotheyardtoobservethewater—wheel。Wefoundthatitwasturnedbyaverylittlewater,whichwasconveyedtoitbyartificialmeans。Seeingthemiller’sman,ashortdustyfigure,standingintheyard,Ienteredintoconversationwithhim,andfoundtomygreatsurprisethathehadaconsiderableacquaintancewiththeancientlanguage。OnmyrepeatingtohimversesfromTaliesinheunderstoodthem,andtoshowmethathedid,translatedsomeofthelinesintoEnglish。

  Twoorthreerespectable—lookinglads,probablythemiller’ssons,cameout,andlistenedtous。OneofthemsaidwewerebothgoodWelshmen。AfteralittletimethemanaskedmeifIhadheardofHuwMorris,ItoldhimthatIwaswellacquaintedwithhiswritings,andenquiredwhethertheplaceinwhichhehadlivedwasnotsomewhereintheneighbourhood。Hesaiditwas;andthatitwasoverthemountainsnotfarfromLlanSanfraid。IaskedwhetheritwasnotcalledPontyMeibion。Heansweredintheaffirmative,andaddedthathehadhimselfbeenthere,andhadsatinHuwMorris’sstonechairwhichwasstilltobeseenbytheroad’sside。

  ItoldhimthatIhopedtovisittheplaceinafewdays。HerepliedthatIshouldbequiterightindoingso,andthatnooneshouldcometothesepartswithoutvisitingPontyMeibion,forthatHuwMorriswasoneofthecolumnsoftheCumry。

  \"Whatadifference,\"saidItomywife,afterwehaddeparted,\"betweenaWelshmanandanEnglishmanofthelowerclass。WhatwouldaSuffolkmiller’sswainhavesaidifIhadrepeatedtohimversesoutofBeowulforevenChaucer,andhadaskedhimabouttheresidenceofSkelton。

  CHAPTERXX

  HuwMorris—ImmortalElegy—TheValleyofCeiriog—TangledWilderness—Perplexity—ChairofHuwMorris—TheWalkingStick—

  Huw’sDescendant—PontyMeibion。

  TwodaysafterthelastadventureIsetoff,overtheBerwyn,tovisitthebirth—placeofHuwMorrisundertheguidanceofJohnJones,whowaswellacquaintedwiththespot。

  HuwMorusorMorris,wasbornintheyear1622onthebanksoftheCeiriog。Hislifewasalongone,forhediedattheageofeighty—four,afterlivinginsixreigns。Hewasthesecondsonofafarmer,andwasapprenticedtoatanner,withwhom,however,hedidnotstaytilltheexpirationofthetermofhisapprenticeship,fornotlikingthetanningart,hespeedilyreturnedtothehouseofhisfather,whomheassistedinhusbandrytilldeathcalledtheoldmanaway。Hethenassistedhiselderbrother,andonhiselderbrother’sdeath,livedwithhisson。Hedidnotdistinguishhimselfasahusbandman,andappearsnevertohavebeenfondofmanuallabour。Atanearlyperiod,however,heappliedhimselfmostassiduouslytopoetry,andbeforehehadattainedtheageofthirtywascelebrated,throughoutWales,asthebestpoetofhistime。WhenthewarbrokeoutbetweenCharlesandhisparliament,Huwespousedthepartoftheking,notassoldier,forheappearstohavelikedfightinglittlebetterthantanningorhusbandry,butasapoet,andprobablydidthekingmoreserviceinthatcapacitythanhewouldifhehadraisedhimatroopofhorse,oraregimentoffoot,forhewrotesongsbreathingloyaltytoCharles,andfraughtwithpungentsatireagainsthisfoes,whichranlikewild—

  firethroughWales,andhadagreatinfluenceonthemindsofthepeople。Evenwhentheroyalcausewaslostinthefield,hestillcarriedonapoeticalwaragainstthesuccessfulparty,butnotsoopenlyasbefore,dealingchieflyinallegories,which,however,wereeasytobeunderstood。StrangetosaytheIndependents,whentheyhadtheupperhand,neverinterferedwithhimthoughtheypersecutedcertainRoyalistpoetsoffarinferiornote。OntheaccessionofCharlestheSecondhecelebratedtheeventbyamostsingularpiececalledtheLamentationofOliver’smen,inwhichheassailstheRoundheadswiththemostbitterirony。HewasloyaltoJamestheSecond,tillthatmonarchattemptedtooverthrowtheChurchofEngland,whenHuw,muchtohiscredit,turnedagainsthim,andwrotesongsintheinterestofthegloriousPrinceofOrange。HediedinthereignofgoodQueenAnne。Inhisyouthhisconductwasratherdissolute,butirreproachableandalmostholyinhislatterdays—akindofhalosurroundedhisoldbrow。ItwasthecustominthosedaysinNorthWalesforthecongregationtoleavethechurchinarowwiththeclergymanattheirhead,butsogreatwastheestimationinwhicholdHuwwasuniversallyheld,forthepurityofhislifeandhispoeticalgift,thattheclergymanoftheparishabandoninghisclaimtoprecedence,alwaysinsistedonthegoodandinspiredoldman’sleadingthefile,himselffollowingimmediatelyinhisrear。Huwwroteonvarioussubjects,mostlyincommonandeasilyunderstoodmeasures。Hewasgreatinsatire,greatinhumour,butwhenhepleasedcouldbegreaterinpathosthanineither;forhisbestpieceisanelegyonBarbaraMiddleton,thesweetestsongofthekindeverwritten。FromhisbeingbornonthebanksofthebrookCeiriog,andfromtheflowingmelodyofhisawenormuse,hiscountrymenwereinthehabitofcallinghimEosCeiriog,ortheCeiriogNightingale。

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