dustysurlycountenance。IaskedhiminWelshifIwasintherightdirectionforWrexham,heansweredinasurlymannerinEnglish,thatIwas。IagainspoketohiminWelsh,makingsomeindifferentobservationontheweather,andheansweredinEnglishyetmoregrufflythanbefore。ForthethirdtimeIspoketohiminWelsh,whereuponlookingatmewithagrinofsavagecontempt,andshowingasetofteethlikethoseofamastiff,hesaid,\"How’sthis?whyyouhaven’tawordofEnglish?Aprettyfellowyou,withalongcoatonyourbackandnoEnglishonyourtongue,an’tyouashamedofyourself?Why,hereamIinashortcoat,yetI’dhaveyoutoknowthatIcanspeakEnglishaswellasWelsh,ayeandagooddealbetter。\"\"Allpeoplearenotequallyclebber,\"saidI,stillspeakingWelsh。\"Clebber,\"saidhe,\"clebber!whatisclebber?whycan’tyousayclever!Why,Ineversawsuchalow,illiteratefellowinmylife;\"andwiththesewordsheturnedawaywitheverymarkofdisdain,andenteredacottagenearathand。
\"HereIhavehad,\"saidItomyself,asIproceededonmyway,\"topayfortheover—praisewhichIlatelyreceived。Thefarmerontheothersideofthemountaincalledmeapersonofgreatintelligence,whichIneverpretendedtobe,andnowthiscolliercallsmealow,illiteratefellow,whichIreallydon’tthinkIam。
ThereiscertainlyaNemesismixedupwiththeaffairsofthisworld;everygoodthingwhichyouget,beyondwhatisstrictlyyourdue,issuretoberequiredfromyouwithavengeance。Alittleover—praisebyagreatdealofunderrating—agleamofgoodfortunebyanightofmisery。\"
InowsawWrexhamChurchataboutthedistanceofthreemiles,andpresentlyenteredalanewhichledgentlydownfromthehills,whichwerethesameheightsIhadseenonmyrighthand,somemonthspreviously,onmywayfromWrexhamtoRhiwabon。Thescenerynowbecameverypretty—hedge—rowswereoneitherside,aluxurianceoftreesandplentyofgreenfields。Ireachedthebottomofthelane,beyondwhichIsawastrange—lookinghouseuponaslopeontherighthand。Itwasverylarge,ruinous,andseeminglydeserted。Alittlebeyonditwasafarm—house,connectedwithwhichwasalongrowoffarmingbuildingsalongtheroad—side。
Seeingawomanseatedknittingatthedoorofalittlecottage,I
askedherinEnglishthenameoftheold,ruinoushouse?
\"CadoganHall,sir,\"shereplied。
\"Andwhomdoesitbelongto?\"saidI。
\"Idon’tknowexactly,\"repliedthewoman,\"butMrMorrisatthefarmholdsit,andstowshisthingsinit。\"
\"Canyoutellmeanythingaboutit?\"saidI。
\"Nothingfarther,\"saidthewoman,\"thanthatitissaidtobehaunted,andtohavebeenabarrackmanyyearsago。\"
\"CanyouspeakWelsh?\"saidI。
\"No,\"saidthewoman,\"IareWelshbuthavenoWelshlanguage。\"
LeavingthewomanIputonmybestspeedandinabouthalfanhourreachedWrexham。
ThefirstthingIdidonmyarrivalwastogotothebookshopandpurchasetheWelshMethodisticbook。Itcostmesevenshillings,andwasathick,bulkyoctavowithacut—and—come—againexpressionaboutit,whichwasanythingbutdisagreeabletome,forIhateyourflimsypublications。Theeveningwasnowbeginningtosetin,andfeelingsomewhathungryIhurriedofftotheWynstayArmsthroughstreetscrowdedwithmarketpeople。OnarrivingattheinnIenteredthegrandroomandordereddinner。Thewaiters,observingmesplashedwithmudfromheadtofoot,lookedatmedubiously;seeing,however,therespectable—lookingvolumewhichI
boreinmyhand—noneofyourrailroadstuff—theybecamemoreassured,andIpresentlyheardonesaytotheother,\"It’sallright—that’sMrSo—and—So,thegreatBaptistpreacher。Hehasbeenpreachingamongstthehills—don’tyouseehisBible?\"
SeatingmyselfatatableIinspectedthevolume。AndhereperhapsthereaderexpectsthatIshallregalehimwithananalysisoftheMethodisticalvolumeatleastaslongasthatofthelifeofTomO’
theDingle。Inthatcase,however,hewillbedisappointed;allthatIshallatpresentsayofitis,thatitcontainedahistoryofMethodisminWales,withthelivesoftheprincipalWelshMethodists。Thatitwasfraughtwithcuriousandoriginalmatter,waswritteninastraightforward,Methodicalstyle,andthatIhavenodoubtitwillsomedayorotherbeextensivelyknownandhighlyprized。
AfterdinnerIcalledforhalfapintofwine。WhilstIwastriflingoverit,acommercialtravellerenteredintoconversationwithme。AftersometimeheaskedmeifIwasgoingfurtherthatnight。
\"ToLlangollen,\"saidI。
\"Bytheteno’clocktrain?\"saidhe。
\"No,\"Ireplied,\"I’mgoingonfoot。\"
\"Onfoot!\"saidhe;\"Iwouldnotgoonfoottherethisnightforfiftypounds。\"
\"Whynot?\"saidI。
\"Forfearofbeingknockeddownbythecolliers,whowillbealloutanddrunk。\"
\"Ifnotmorethantwoattackme,\"saidI,\"Ishan’tmuchmind。
WiththisbookIamsureIcanknockdownone,andIthinkIcanfindplayfortheotherwithmyfists。\"
Thecommercialtravellerlookedatme。\"AstrangekindofBaptistminister,\"IthoughtIheardhimsay。
CHAPTERLXII
RhiwabonRoad—ThePublic—houseKeeper—NoWelsh—TheWrongRoad—TheGoodWife。
IPAIDmyreckoningandstarted。Thenightwasnowrapidlyclosingin。Ipassedthetoll—gateandhurriedalongtheRhiwabonroad,overtakingcompaniesofWelshgoinghome,amongstwhomweremanyindividuals,whom,fromtheirthickandconfusedspeech,aswellasfromtheirstaggeringgait,Ijudgedtobeintoxicated。AsI
passedaredpublic—houseonmyrighthand,atthedoorofwhichstoodseveralcarts,ascreamofWelshissuedfromit。
\"LetanySaxon,\"saidI,\"whoisfondoffightingandwishesforabloodynosegointhere。\"
ComingtothesmallvillageaboutamilefromRhiwabon,Ifeltthirsty,andseeingapublic—house,inwhichallseemedtobequiet,Iwentin。Athick—setmanwithapipeinhismouthsatinthetap—room,andalsoawoman。
\"Whereisthelandlord?\"saidI。
\"Iamthelandlord,\"saidtheman,huskily。\"Whatdoyouwant?\"
\"Apintofale,\"saidI。
Themangotupandwithhispipeinhismouthwentstaggeringoutoftheroom。Inaboutaminutehereturnedholdingamuginhishand,whichheputdownonatablebeforeme,spillingnoslightquantityoftheliquorashedidso。Iputdownthree—penceonthetable。Hetookthemoneyupslowlypiecebypiece,lookedatitandappearedtoconsider,thentakingthepipeoutofhismouthhedashedittosevenpiecesagainstthetable,thenstaggeredoutoftheroomintothepassage,andfromthenceapparentlyoutofthehouse。Itastedthealewhichwasverygood,thenturningtothewomanwhoseemedaboutthree—and—twentyandwasrathergood—
looking,IspoketoherinWelsh。
\"IhavenoWelsh,sir,\"saidshe。
\"Howisthat?\"saidI;\"thisvillageisIthinkintheWelshery。\"
\"Itis,\"saidshe,\"butIamfromShropshire。\"
\"Areyouthemistressofthehouse?\"saidI。
\"No,\"saidshe,\"Iammarriedtoacollier;\"thengettingupshesaid,\"Imustgoandseeaftermyhusband。\"
\"Won’tyoutakeaglassofalefirst?\"saidI,offeringtofillaglasswhichstoodonthetable。
\"No,\"saidshe;\"Iamtheworstintheworldforaglassofale;\"
andwithoutsayinganythingmoreshedeparted。
\"Iwonderwhetheryourhusbandisanythinglikeyouwithrespecttoaglassofale,\"saidItomyself;thenfinishingmyaleIgotupandleftthehouse,whichwhenIdepartedappearedtobeentirelydeserted。
Itwasnowquitenight,anditwouldhavebeenpitchy—darkbutfortheglareofforges。Therewasanimmenseglaretothesouth—west,whichIconceivedproceededfromthoseofCefnMawr。Itlightedupthesouth—westernsky;thenthereweretwootherglaresnearertome,seeminglydividedbyalumpofsomething,perhapsagroveoftrees。
WalkingveryfastIsoonovertookaman。Iknewhimatoncebyhisstaggeringgait。
\"Ah,landlord!\"saidI;\"whitherbound?\"
\"ToRhiwabon,\"saidhe,huskily,\"forapint。\"
\"IsthealesogoodatRhiwabon,\"saidI,\"thatyouleavehomeforit?\"
\"No,\"saidhe,rathershortly,\"there’snotaglassofgoodaleinRhiwabon。\"
\"Thenwhydoyougothither?\"saidI。
\"Becauseapintofbadliquorabroadisbetterthanaquartofgoodathome,\"saidthelandlord,reelingagainstthehedge。
\"Therearemanyinahigherstationthanyouwhoactuponthatprinciple,\"thoughtItomyselfasIpassedon。
IsoonreachedRhiwabon。Therewasaprodigiousnoiseinthepublic—housesasIpassedthroughit。\"Collierscarousing,\"saidI。\"Well,Ishallnotgoamongstthemtopreachtemperance,thoughperhapsinstrictdutyIought。\"Attheendofthetown,insteadoftakingtheroadontheleftsideofthechurch,Itookthatontheright。ItwasnottillIhadproceedednearlyamilethatI
begantobeapprehensivethatIhadmistakentheway。HearingsomepeoplecomingtowardsmeontheroadIwaitedtilltheycameup;
theyprovedtobeamanandawoman。OnmyinquiringwhetherIwasrightforLlangollen,theformertoldmethatIwasnot,andinordertogetthereitwasnecessarythatIshouldreturntoRhiwabon。Iinstantlyturnedround。Abouthalf—waybackImetamanwhoaskedmeinEnglishwhereIwashurryingto。IsaidtoRhiwabon,inordertogettoLlangollen。\"Well,then,\"saidhe,\"youneednotreturntoRhiwabon—yonderisashortcutacrossthefields,\"andhepointedtoagate。Ithankedhim,andsaidIwouldgobyit;beforeleavinghimIaskedtowhatplacetheroadledwhichIhadbeenfollowing。
\"ToPentreCastren,\"hereplied。Istruckacrossthefieldsandshouldprobablyhavetumbledhalf—a—dozentimesoverpalesandthelike,butforthelightoftheCefnfurnacesbeforemewhichcasttheirredglowuponmypath。IdebauchedupontheLlangollenroadneartothetramwayleadingtothecollieries。Twoenormoussheetsofflameshotuphighintotheairfromovens,illuminingtwospectralchimneysashighassteeples,alsosmokybuildings,andgrimyfiguresmovingabout。Therewasaclangingofengines,anoiseofshovelsandafallingofcoalstrulyhorrible。TheglarewassogreatthatIcoulddistinctlyseetheminutestlinesuponmyhand。AdvancingalongthetramwayIobtainedanearerviewofthehellishbuildings,thechimneys,andthedemoniacfigures。ItwasjustsuchasceneasoneofthosedescribedbyEllisWynninhisVisionofHell。FeelingmyeyesscorchingIturnedaway,andproceededtowardsLlangollen,sometimesonthemuddyroad,sometimesonthedangerouscauseway。ForthreemilesatleastI
metnobody。NearLlangollen,asIwaswalkingonthecauseway,threemencameswiftlytowardsme。Ikeptthehedge,whichwasmyright;thetwofirstbrushedroughlypastme,thethirdcamefulluponmeandwastumbledintotheroad。Therewasalaughfromthetwofirstandaloudcursefromthelastashesprawledinthemire。Imerelysaid\"NosDa’ki,\"andpassedon,andinaboutaquarterofanhourreachedhome,whereIfoundmywifeawaitingmealone,Henriettahavinggonetobedbeingslightlyindisposed。Mywifereceivedmewithacheerfulsmile。IlookedatherandthegoodwifeoftheTriadcametomymind。
\"Sheismodest,voidofdeceit,andobedient。
\"Pureofconscience,graciousoftongue,andtruetoherhusband。
\"Herheartnotproud,hermannersaffable,andherbosomfullofcompassionforthepoor。
\"Labouringtobetidy,skilfulofhand,andfondofprayingtoGod。
\"Herconversationamiable,herdressdecent,andherhouseorderly。
\"Quickofhand,quickofeye,andquickofunderstanding。
\"Herpersonshapely,hermannersagreeable,andherheartinnocent。
\"Herfacebenignant,herheadintelligent,andprovident。
\"Neighbourly,gentle,andofaliberalwayofthinking。
\"Ableindirecting,providingwhatiswanting,andagoodmothertoherchildren。
\"Lovingherhusband,lovingpeace,andlovingGod。
\"Happytheman,\"addstheTriad,\"whopossessessuchawife。\"Verytrue,OTriad,alwaysprovidedheisinsomedegreeworthyofher;
butmanyamanleavesaninnocentwifeathomeforanimpureJezebelabroad,evenasmanyaoneprefersapintofhog’swashabroadtoatankardofgenerousliquorathome。
CHAPTERLXIII
PreparationsforDeparture—Catprovidedfor—APleasantParty—
LastNightatLlangollen。
IWASawakenedearlyontheSundaymorningbythehowlingofwind。
Therewasaconsiderablestormthroughouttheday,butunaccompaniedbyrain。Iwenttochurchbothinthemorningandtheevening。Thenextdaytherewasagreatdealofrain。ItwasnowthelatterendofOctober;winterwascomingon,andmywifeanddaughterwereanxioustoreturnhome。AftersomeconsultationitwasagreedthattheyshoulddepartforLondon,andthatIshouldjointhemthereaftermakingapedestriantourinSouthWales。
IshouldhavebeenlothtoquitWaleswithoutvisitingtheDeheubarthorSouthernRegion,alanddifferingwidely,asIhadheard,bothinlanguageandcustomsfromGwyneddortheNorthern,alandwhichhadgivenbirthtotheillustriousAbGwilym,andwherethegreatRycefamilyhadflourished,whichverymuchdistinguisheditselfintheWarsoftheRoses—amemberofwhichRyceapThomasplacedHenrytheSeventhonthethroneofBritain—afamilyofroyalextraction,andwhichafterthedeathofRoderictheGreatforalongtimeenjoyedthesovereigntyofthesouth。
Wesetaboutmakingthenecessarypreparationsforourrespectivejourneys。Thoseformineweresoonmade。Iboughtasmallleathersatchelwithalockandkey,inwhichIplacedawhitelinenshirt,apairofworstedstockings,arazorandaprayer—book。AlongwithitIboughtaleatherstrapwithwhichtoslingitovermyshoulder:Igotmybootsnewsoled,myumbrella,whichwasratherdilapidated,mended;puttwentysovereignsintomypurse,andthensaidIamallrightfortheDeheubarth。
AsmywifeanddaughterrequiredmuchmoretimeinmakingpreparationsfortheirjourneythanIformine,andasIshouldonlybeintheirwaywhilsttheywereemployed,itwasdeterminedthatIshoulddepartonmyexpeditiononThursday,andthattheyshouldremainatLlangollentilltheSaturday。
Wewereatfirstinsomeperplexitywithrespecttothedisposaloftheecclesiasticalcat;itwouldofcoursenotdotoleaveitinthegardentothetendermerciesoftheCalvinisticMethodistsoftheneighbourhood,moreespeciallythoseoftheflannelmanufactory,andmywifeanddaughtercouldhardlycarryitwiththem。Atlengthwethoughtofapplyingtoayoungwomanofsoundchurchprinciples,whowaslatelymarriedandlivedoverthewateronthewaytotherailroadstation,withwhomwewereslightlyacquainted,totakechargeoftheanimal,andsheonthefirstintimationofourwish,willinglyaccededtoit。Sowithherpoorpusswasleftalongwithatrifleforitsmilk—money,andwithher,aswesubsequentlylearned,itcontinuedinpeaceandcomforttillonemorningitsprangsuddenlyfromthehearthintotheair,gaveamew,anddied。Somuchfortheecclesiasticalcat!
ThemorningofTuesdaywasratherfine,andMrEbenezerE—,whohadheardofourintendeddeparture,cametoinviteustospendtheeveningattheVicarage。HisfatherhadleftLlangollenthedaybeforeforChester,whereheexpectedtobedetainedsomedays。I
toldhimweshouldbemosthappytocome。Hethenaskedmetotakeawalk。Iagreedwithpleasure,andwesetout,intendingtogotoLlansilioatthewesternendofthevalleyandlookatthechurch。
Thechurchwasanancientbuilding。Ithadnospire,buthadthelittleerectiononitsroof,sousualtoWelshchurches,forholdingabell。
InthechurchyardisatombinwhichanoldsquireofthenameofJoneswasburiedaboutthemiddleofthelastcentury。Thereisatraditionaboutthissquireandtombtothefollowingeffect。
Afterthesquire’sdeaththerewasalawsuitabouthisproperty,inconsequenceofnowillhavingbeenfound。Itwassaidthathiswillhadbeenburiedwithhiminthetomb,whichaftersometimewasopened,butwithwhatsuccessthetraditionsayethnot。
IntheeveningwewenttotheVicarage。BesidesthefamilyandourselvestherewasMrR—andoneortwomore。Wehadaverypleasantparty;andasmostofthosepresentwishedtohearsomethingconnectedwithSpain,Italkedmuchaboutthatcountry,sangsongsofGermania,andrelatedinanabridgedformLopedeVega’sghoststory,whichisdecidedlythebestghoststoryintheworld。
IntheafternoonofWednesdayIwentandtookleaveofcertainfriendsinthetown;amongstothersofoldMrJones。OnmytellinghimthatIwasabouttoleaveLlangollen,heexpressedconsiderableregret,butsaidthatitwasnaturalformetowishtoreturntomynativecountry。ItoldhimthatbeforereturningtoEnglandI
intendedtomakeapedestriantourinSouthWales。Hesaidthatheshoulddiewithoutseeingthesouth;thathehadhadseveralopportunitiesofvisitingitwhenhewasyoung,whichhehadneglected,andthathewasnowtoooldtowanderfarfromhome。HethenaskedmewhichroadIintendedtotake。ItoldhimthatI
intendedtostrikeacrosstheBerwyntoLlanRhyadr,thenvisitSycharth,oncetheseatofOwainGlendower,lyingtotheeastofLlanRhyadr,thenreturntothatplace,andafterseeingthecelebratedcataractacrossthemountainstoBala—whenceIshouldproceedduesouth。IthenaskedhimwhetherhehadeverseenSycharthandtheRhyadr;hetoldmethathehadnevervisitedSycharth,buthadseentheRhyadrmorethanonce。HethensmiledandsaidthattherewasaludicrousanecdoteconnectedwiththeRhyadr,whichhewouldrelatetome。\"AtravelleroncewenttoseetheRhyadr,andwhilstgazingatitacalfwhichhadfallenintothestreamabove,whilstgrazingupontherocks,cametumblingdownthecataract。’Wonderful!’saidthetraveller,andgoingawayreportedthatitwasnotonlyafallofwater,butofcalves,andwasverymuchdisappointed,onvisitingthewaterfallonanotheroccasion,toseenocalfcometumblingdown。\"Itookleaveofthekindoldgentlemanwithregret,neverexpectingtoseehimagain,ashewasinhiseighty—fourthyear—hewasatrulyexcellentcharacter,andmightberankedamongstthevenerableornamentsofhisnativeplace。
Abouthalf—pasteighto’clockatnightJohnJonescametobidmefarewell。Ibadehimsitdown,andsentforapintofaletoregalehimwith。Notwithstandingtheale,hewasverymelancholyatthethoughtthatIwasabouttoleaveLlangollen,probablynevertoreturn。ToenlivenhimIgavehimanaccountofmylateexpeditiontoWrexham,whichmadehimsmilemorethanonce。WhenI
hadconcludedheaskedmewhetherIknewthemeaningofthewordWrexham:ItoldhimIbelievedIdid,andgavehimthederivationwhichthereaderwillfindinanearlychapterofthiswork。Hetoldmethatwithallduesubmission,hethoughthecouldgivemeabetter,whichhehadheardfromaverycleverman,gwrdeallusiawn,wholivedabouttwomilesfromLlangollenontheCorwenroad。
IntheoldtimeamanofthenameofSamkeptagwestfa,orinn,attheplacewhereWrexhamflowstands;whenhediedheleftittohiswife,whokeptitafterhim,onwhichaccountthehousewasfirstcalledTywraigSam,thehouseofSam’swife,andthenforshortnessWraigSam,andatownarisingaboutitbydegrees,thetowntoowascalledWraigSam,whichtheSaxonscorruptedintoWrexham。
IwasmuchdivertedwiththisWelshderivationofWrexham,whichI
didnotattempttocontrovert。AfterwehadhadsomefurtherdiscourseJohnJonesgotup,shookmebythehand,gaveasigh,wishedmea\"taithhyfryd,\"anddeparted。ThusterminatedmylastdayatLlangollen。
CHAPTERLXIV
DepartureforSouthWales—Tregeiriog—PleasingScene—TryingtoRead—GarmonandLupus—TheCrackedVoice—EffectofaCompliment—LlanRhyadr。
THEmorningofthe21stofOctoberwasfineandcold;therewasarimefrostontheground。Atabouteleveno’clockIstartedonmyjourneyforSouthWales,intendingthatmyfirststageshouldbeLlanRhyadr。MywifeanddaughteraccompaniedmeasfarasPlasNewydd。AswepassedthroughthetownIshookhandswithhonestA—
,whomIsawstandingatthedoorofashop,withakindofSpanishhatonhishead,andalsowithmyvenerablefriendoldMrJones,whomIencounteredclosebesidehisowndomicile。AtthePlasNewyddItookanaffectionatefarewellofmytwolovedones,andproceededtoascendtheBerwyn。NearthetopIturnedroundtotakeafinallookatthespotwhereIhadlatelypassedmanyahappyhour。TherelayLlangollenfarbelowme,withitschimneysplacidlysmoking,itsprettychurchrisinginitscentre,itsblueriverdividingitintotwonearlyequalparts,andthemightyhillofBrennusoverhangingitfromthenorth。
Isighed,andrepeatingEinionDu’sverse\"TangnefeddiLlangollen!\"
turnedaway。
Iwentoverthetopofthehillandthenbegantodescenditssouthernside,obtainingadistantviewoftheplainsofShropshireontheeast。Isoonreachedthebottomofthehill,passedthroughLlansanfraid,andthreadingthevaleoftheCeiriogatlengthfoundmyselfatPontyMeibioninfrontofthehouseofHuwMorris,orratherofthatwhichisbuiltonthesiteofthedwellingofthepoet。IstoppedandremainedbeforethehousethinkingofthemightyHuw,tillthedooropened,andoutcamethedark—featuredman,thepoet’sdescendant,whomIsawwhenvisitingtheplaceincompanywithhonestJohnJones—hehadnowaspadeinhishandandwasdoubtlessgoingtohislabour。AsIknewhimtobeofarathersullenunsocialdisposition,Isaidnothingtohim,butproceededonmyway。AsIadvancedthevalleywidened,thehillsonthewestrecedingtosomedistancefromtheriver。CametoTregeiriogasmallvillage,whichtakesitsnamefromthebrook;TregeiriogsignifyingthehamletorvillageontheCeiriog。Seeingabridgewhichcrossedtherivuletataslightdistancefromtheroad,alittlebeyondthevillage,Iturnedasidetolookatit。ThepropercourseoftheCeiriogisfromsouthtonorth;whereitiscrossedbythebridge,however,itrunsfromwesttoeast,returningtoitsusualcourse,alittlewaybelowthebridge。Thebridgewassmallandpresentednothingremarkableinitself:I
obtained,however,asIlookedoveritsparapettowardsthewestaviewofascene,notofwildgrandeur,butofsomethingwhichI
likebetter,whichrichlycompensatedmefortheslighttroubleI
hadtakeninsteppingasidetovisitthelittlebridge。Aboutahundredyardsdistantwasasmallwater—mill,builtovertherivulet,thewheelgoingslowly,slowlyround;largequantitiesofpigs,thegeneralityofthembrindled,wereeitherbrowsingonthebanksorlyingclosetothesideshalfimmersedinthewater;oneimmensewhitehog,themonarchseeminglyoftheherd,wasstandinginthemiddleofthecurrent。SuchwasthescenewhichIsawfromthebridge,asceneofquietrurallifewellsuitedtothebrushesoftwoorthreeoftheoldDutchpainters,ortothoseofmenscarcelyinferiortothemintheirownstyle,Gainsborough,Moreland,andCrome。Mymindforthelasthalf—hourhadbeeninahighlyexcitedstate;IhadbeenrepeatingversesofoldHuwMorris,broughttomyrecollectionbythesightofhisdwelling—
place;theywererantingroaringverses,againsttheRoundheads。I
admiredthevigourbutdislikedtheprincipleswhichtheydisplayed;andadmirationontheonehandanddisapprovalontheother,bredacommotioninmymindlikethatraisedontheseawhentiderunsonewayandwindblowsanother。Thequietscenefromthebridge,however,producedasedativeeffectonmymind,andwhenI
resumedmyjourneyIhadforgottenHuw,hisverses,andallaboutRoundheadsandCavaliers。
IreachedLlanarmon,anothersmallvillage,situatedinavalleythroughwhichtheCeiriogorariververysimilartoitflows。Itishalf—waybetweenLlangollenandLlanRhyadr,beingtenmilesfromeach。Iwenttoasmallinnorpublic—house,satdownandcalledforale。Awaggonerwasseatedatalargetablewithanewspaperbeforehimonwhichhewasintentlystaring。
\"Whatnews?\"saidIinEnglish。
\"IwishIcouldtellyou,\"saidheinverybrokenEnglish,\"butI
cannotread。\"
\"Thenwhyareyoulookingatthepaper?\"saidI。
\"Because,\"saidhe,\"bylookingatthelettersIhopeintimetomakethemout。\"
\"Youmaylookatthem,\"saidI,\"forfiftyyearswithoutbeingabletomakeoutone。Youshouldgotoaneveningschool。\"
\"Iamtooold,\"saidhe,\"todosonow;ifIdidthechildrenwouldlaughatme。\"
\"Nevermindtheirlaughingatyou,\"saidI,\"providedyoulearntoread;letthemlaughwhowin!\"
\"Yougivegoodadvice,mester,\"saidhe,\"IthinkIshallfollowit。\"
\"Letmelookatthepaper,\"saidI。
Hehandedittome。ItwasaWelshpaper,andfullofdismalaccountsfromtheseatofwar。
\"Whatnews,mester?\"saidthewaggoner。
\"Nothingbutbad,\"saidI;\"theRussiansarebeatingusandtheFrenchtoo。\"
\"IftheRusiaidbeatus,\"saidthewaggoner,\"itisbecausetheFrancodarewithus。Weshouldhavegonealone。\"
\"Perhapsyouareright,\"saidI;\"atanyratewecouldnothavefaredworsethanwearefaringnow。\"
IpresentlypaidforwhatIhadhad,inquiredthewaytoLlanRhyadr,anddeparted。
ThevillageofLlanarmontakesitsnamefromitschurch,whichisdedicatedtoGarmon,anArmoricanbishop,whowithanothercalledLupuscameoverintoBritaininordertopreachagainsttheheresyofPelagius。HeandhiscolleagueresidedforsometimeinFlintshire,andwhilstthereenabledinaremarkablemannertheBritonstoachieveavictoryoverthosemysteriouspeoplethePicts,whowereravagingthecountryfarandwide。HearingthattheenemywereadvancingtowardsMold,thetwobishopsgatheredtogetheranumberoftheBritons,andplacedtheminambushinadarkvalleythroughwhichitwasnecessaryforthePictstopassinordertoreachMold,strictlyenjoiningthemtoremainquiettillalltheirenemiesshouldhaveenteredthevalleyandthendowhatevertheyshouldseethem,thetwobishops,do。ThePictsarrived,andwhentheywereabouthalf—waythroughthevalleythetwobishopssteppedforwardfromathicketandbegancryingaloud,\"Alleluia!\"TheBritonsfollowedtheirexample,andthewoodedvalleyresoundedwithcriesof\"Alleluia!Alleluia!\"TheshoutsandtheunexpectedappearanceofthousandsofmencausedsuchterrortothePictsthattheytooktoflightinthegreatestconfusion;hundredsweretrampledtodeathbytheircompanions,andnotafewweredrownedintheriverAlan(8)whichrunsthroughthevalley。
ThereareseveralchurchesdedicatedtoGarmoninWales,butwhetherthereareanydedicatedtoLupusIamunabletosay。AfterleavingLlanarmonIfoundmyselfamongstlumpyhillsthroughwhichtheroadledinthedirectionofthesouth。ArrivingwhereseveralroadsmetIfollowedoneandbecamebewilderedamidsthillsandravines。AtlastIsawasmallhouseclosebyanantordingle,andturnedtowardsitforthepurposeofinquiringmyway。Onmyknockingatthedoorawomanmadeherappearance,ofwhomIaskedinWelshwhetherIwasintheroadtoLlanRhyadr。ShesaidthatI
wasoutofit,butthatifIwenttowardsthesouthIshouldseeapathonmyleftwhichwouldbringmetoit。IaskedherhowfaritwastoLlanRhyadr。
\"Fourlongmiles,\"shereplied。
\"Andwhatisthenameoftheplacewherewearenow?\"saidI。
\"CaeHir\"(thelonginclosure),saidshe。
\"Areyoualoneinthehouse?\"saidI。
\"Quitealone,\"saidshe;\"butmyhusbandandpeoplewillsoonbehomefromthefield,foritisgettingdusk。\"
\"HaveyouanySaxon?\"saidI。
\"Notaword,\"saidshe,\"haveIoftheiaithdieithr,norhasmyhusband,noranyoneofmypeople。\"
Ibadeherfarewell,andsoonreachedtheroad,whichledsouthandnorth。AsIwasboundforthesouthIstrodeforwardbrisklyinthatdirection。Theroadwasbetweenromantichills;heardWelshsongsproceedingfromthehillfieldsonmyright,andthemurmurofabrookrushingdownadeepnantonmyleft。IwentontillI