Isaidnothing,butIthoughttomyself:—\"IwonderhowlongacuplikethiswouldhavebeensafeinacrazychestinacountrychurchinEngland。\"
Ikissedthesacredrelicofoldtimeswithreverence,andreturnedittotheoldsexton。
\"WhatbecameofthehornsofHuGadarn’sbull?\"saidI,afterhehadlockedthecupagaininitsdilapidatedcoffer。
\"Theydiddwindleaway,sir,tilltheycametonothing。\"
\"Didyoueverseeanypartofthem?\"saidI。
\"Ohno,sir;Ididneverseeanypartofthem,butoneveryoldmanwhoisburiedheredidtellmeshortlybeforehediedthathehadseenoneveryoldmanwhohadseenofdemonelittletip。\"
\"Whowastheoldmanwhosaidthattoyou?\"saidI。
\"Iwillshowyouhismonument,sir,\"thentakingmeintoaduskypewhepointedtoasmallrudetabletagainstthechurchwallandsaid:—\"Thatishismonument,sir。\"
Thetabletborethefollowinginscription,andbelowitarudeenglynondeathnotworthtranscribing:—
CoffadwriaethamTHOMASJONES
Diweddaro’rDrawsLlwynynyPlwyfhwn:
BufarwChwefror6fed1830
Yn92oed。
TothememoryofTHOMASJONES
OfTrawsLlwyn(acrosstheGrove)inthisparishwhodiedFebruarythesixth,1830。
Aged92。
AftercopyingtheinscriptionIpresentedtheoldmanwithatrifleandwentmyway。
CHAPTERXCV
Lampeter—TheMonkAustin—TheThreePublicans—TheTombstone—
SuddenChange—Trampers—ACatholic—TheBridgeofTwrch。
THEcountrybetweenLlanDdewiandLampeterpresentednothingremarkable,andImetontheroadnothingworthyofbeingrecorded。
OnarrivingatLampeterItookaslightrefreshmentattheinn,andthenwenttoseethecollegewhichstandsalittlewaytothenorthofthetown。ItwasfoundedbyBishopBurgessintheyear1820,fortheeducationofyouthsintendedfortheministryoftheChurchofEngland。Itisaneatquadrateedificewithacourtyardinwhichstandsalargestonebasin。Fromthecourtyardyouenteraspaciousdining—hall,overthedoorofwhichhangsawell—executedportraitofthegoodbishop。Fromthehallyouascendbyahandsomestaircasetothelibrary,alargeandlightsomeroom,wellstoredwithbooksinvariouslanguages。ThegrandcuriosityisamanuscriptCodexcontainingaLatinsynopsisofScripturewhichoncebelongedtothemonksofBangorIsCoed。ItbearsmarksofbloodwithwhichitwassprinkledwhenthemonksweremassacredbytheheathenSaxons,attheinstigationofAustinthePope’smissionaryinBritain。Thenumberofstudentsseldomexceedsforty。
Itmightbeabouthalf—pasttwointheafternoonwhenIleftLampeter。Ipassedoverabridge,takingtheroadtoLlandoverywhich,however,Ihadnointentionofattemptingtoreachthatnight,asitwasconsiderablyupwardsoftwentymilesdistant。Theroadlay,seemingly,dueeast。AfterwalkingverybrisklyforaboutanhourIcametoaverysmallhamletconsistingofnotmorethansixorsevenhouses;ofthesethreeseemedtobepublic—
houses,astheyborelargeflamingsigns。Seeingthreerathershabby—lookingfellowsstandingchattingwiththeirhandsintheirpockets,IstoppedandinquiredinEnglishthenameoftheplace。
\"Pen—something,\"saidoneofthem,whohadaredfaceandalargecarbuncleonhisnose,whichservedtodistinguishhimfromhiscompanions,whothoughtheyhadbothveryrubicundfaceshadnocarbuncles。
\"Itseemsratherasmallplacetomaintainthreepublic—houses,\"
saidI;\"howdothepublicansmanagetolive?\"
\"Oh,tolerablywell,sir;wegetbreadandcheeseandhaveagroatinourpockets。Nogreatreasontocomplain;havewe,neighbours?\"
\"No!nogreatreasontocomplain,\"saidtheothertwo。
\"Dearme!\"saidI;\"areyouthepublicans?\"
\"Weare,sir,\"saidthemanwiththecarbuncleonhisnose,\"andshallbeeachofusgladtotreatyoutoapintinhisownhouseinordertowelcomeyoutoShireCar—shan’twe,neighbours?\"
\"Yes,intruthweshall,\"saidtheothertwo。
\"ByShireCar,\"saidI,\"IsupposeyoumeanShireCardigan?\"
\"ShireCardigan!\"saidtheman;\"noindeed;byShireCarismeantCarmarthenshire。YourhonourhasleftbeggarlyCardigansomewaybehindyou。Come,yourhonour,comeandhaveapint;thisismyhouse,\"saidhe,pointingtooneofthebuildings。
\"But,\"saidI,\"IsupposeifIdrinkatyourexpenseyouexpecttodrinkatmine?\"
\"Why,wecan’tsaythatweshallhaveanyobjection,yourhonour;I
thinkwewillarrangethematterinthisway;wewillgointomyhouse,wherewewilleachofustreatyourhonourwithapint,andforeachpintwetreatyourhonourwithyourhonourshalltreatuswithone。\"
\"Doyoumeaneach?\"saidI。
\"Why,yes!yourhonour,forapintamongstthreewouldberatherashortallowance。\"
\"Thenitwouldcometothis,\"saidI,\"Ishouldreceivethreepintsfromyouthree,andyouthreewouldreceiveninefromme。\"
\"Justso,yourhonour,Iseeyourhonourisareadyreckoner。\"
\"Iknowhowmuchthreetimesthreemake,\"saidI。\"Well,thankyou,kindly,butImustdeclineyouroffer;Iamboundonajourney。\"
\"Whereareyouboundto,master?\"
\"ToLlandovery,butifIcanfindaninnafewmilesfartheronI
shallstopthereforthenight。\"
\"Thenyouwillputupatthe’PumpSaint,’master;well,youcanhaveyourthreepintshereandyourthreepipestoo,andyetgeteasilytherebyseven。Comein,master,comein!Ifyoutakemyadviceyouwillthinkofyourpintandyourpipeandletalltherestgotothedevil。\"
\"Thankyou,\"saidI,\"butIcan’tacceptyourinvitation,Imustbeoff;\"andinspiteofyetmorepressingsolicitationsIwenton。
IhadnotgonefarwhenIcametoapointwheretheroadpartedintotwo;justatthepointwereahouseandpremisesbelongingapparentlytoastonemason,asagreatmanypiecesofhalf—cutgranitewerestandingabout,andnotafewtombstones。Istoppedandlookedatoneofthelatter。Itwastothememoryofsomebodywhodiedattheageofsixty—six,andatthebottomborethefollowingbitofpoetry:—
\"Tiddaearoddaearystyriamewnbraw,Maidaeariddaearynfuanaddaw;
AddaearmewnddaearraidarosbobdarnNesdaearoddaeargyfrodirifarn。\"
\"ThouearthfromearthreflectwithanxiousmindThatearthtoearthmustquicklybeconsigned,AndearthinearthmustlieentrancedenthralledTillearthfromearthtojudgmentshallbecalled。\"
\"Whatconflictingopinionsthereareinthisworld,\"saidI,afterIhadcopiedthequatrainandtranslatedit。\"Thepublicanyondertellsmetothinkofmypintandpipeandleteverythingelsegotothedevil,andthetombstoneheretellsmetoreflectwithdread—
amuchfinerexpressionby—the—byethanreflectwithanxiousmind,asIhavegotit—thatinaverylittletimeImustdie,andlieinthegroundtillIamcalledtojudgment。Now,whichismostright,thetombstoneorthepublican?Why,Ishouldsaythetombstonedecidedly。Thepublicanistoosweepingwhenhetellsyoutothinkofyourpintandpipeandnothingelse。Apintandpipearegoodthings。Idon’tsmokemyself,butIdaresayapipeisagoodthingforthemwholikeit,buttherearecertainlythingsworthbeingthoughtofinthisworldbesidesapintandpipe—hillsanddales,woodsandrivers,forexample—deathandjudgmenttooareworthynowandthenofveryseriousthought。Soitwon’tdotogowiththepublicanthewholehog。Butwithrespecttothetombstone,itisquitesafeandrighttogowithititswholelength。Ittellsyoutothinkofdeathandjudgment—
andassuredlyweoughttoofthem。Itdoesnot,however,tellyoutothinkofnothingbutdeathandjudgmentandtoescheweveryinnocentpleasurewithinyourreach。Ifitdiditwouldbeatombstonequiteassweepinginwhatitsaysasthepublican,whotellsyoutothinkofyourpintandpipeandleteverythingelsegotothedevil。Thewisestcourseevidentlyistoblendthewholeofthephilosophyofthetombstonewithaportionofthephilosophyofthepublicanandsomethingmore,toenjoyone’spintandpipeandotherinnocentpleasures,andtothinkeverynowandthenofdeathandjudgment—thatiswhatIintendtodo,andindeediswhatI
havedoneforthelastthirtyyears。\"
Iwenton—desolatehillsroseintheeast,thewayIwasgoing,butonthesouthwerebeautifulhillocksadornedwithtreesandhedge—rows。Iwassoonamongstthedesolatehills,whichthenlookedmoredesolatethantheydidatadistance。Theywereofawretchedrussetcolour,andexhibitednoothersignsoflifeandcultivationthanhereandthereamiserablefieldandvile—lookinghovel;andiftherewasherenothingtocheertheeyetherewasalsonothingtocheertheear。Therewerenosongsofbirds,novoicesofrills;theonlysoundIheardwasthelowingofawretchedbullockfromafar—offslope。
Iwentonslowlyandheavily;atlengthIgottothetopofthiswretchedrange—thenwhatasuddenchange!Beautifulhillsinthefareast,afairvalleybelowme,andgrovesandwoodsoneachsideoftheroadwhichleddowntoit。Thesightfilledmyveinswithfreshlife,andIdescendedthissideofthehillasmerrilyasI
hadcomeuptheothersidedespondingly。Abouthalf—waydownthehillIcametoasmallvillage。Seeingapublic—houseIwentuptoit,andinquiredinEnglishofsomepeoplewithinthenameofthevillage。
\"Dolwen,\"saidadark—facedyoungfellowofaboutfour—and—twenty。
\"Andwhatisthenameofthevalley?\"saidI。
\"Dolwen,\"wastheanswer,\"thevalleyisnamedafterthevillage。\"
\"Youmeanthatthevillageisnamedafterthevalley,\"saidI,\"forDolwenmeansfairvalley。\"
\"Itmaybeso,\"saidtheyoungfellow,\"wedon’tknowmuchhere。\"
Thenafteramoment’spausehesaid:
\"Areyougoingmuchfarther?\"
\"Onlyasfarasthe’PumpSaint。’\"
\"Haveyouanybusinessthere?\"saidhe。
\"No,\"Ireplied,\"Iamtravellingthecountry,andshallonlyputupthereforthenight\"
\"Youhadbetterstayhere,\"saidtheyoungfellow。\"Youwillbebetteraccommodatedherethanatthe’PumpSaint。’\"
\"Verylikely,\"saidI;\"butIhaveresolvedtogothere,andwhenI
oncemakearesolutionIneveralterit。\"
ThenbiddinghimgoodeveningIdeparted。HadIformednoresolutionatallaboutstoppingatthe’PumpSaint,’Icertainlyshouldnothavestayedinthishouse,whichhadalltheappearanceofatrampers’hostelry,andthoughIamveryfondoftheconversationoftrampers,whoaretheonlypeoplefromwhomyoucanlearnanything,Iwouldmuchratherhavethebenefitofitabroadthanintheirownlairs。AlittlefartherdownImetawomancominguptheascent。Shewastolerablyrespectablydressed,seemedaboutfive—and—thirty,andwasrathergood—looking。Shewalkedsomewhatslowly,whichwasprobablymoreowingtoalargebundlewhichsheboreinherhandthantoherpathbeingup—hill。
\"Goodevening,\"saidI,stopping。
\"Goodevening,yourhonour,\"saidshe,stoppingandbrightlypanting。
\"Doyoucomefromfar?\"saidI。
\"Notveryfar,yourhonour,butquitefarenoughforapoorfeeblewoman。\"
\"AreyouWelsh?\"saidI。
\"Ochno!yourhonour;IamMaryBanefromDunmanwayinthekingdomofIreland。\"
\"Andwhatareyoudoinghere?\"saidI。
\"Ochsure!Iamtravellingthecountrywithsoftgoods。\"
\"Areyougoingfar?\"saidI。
\"Merelytothevillagealittlefartherup,yourhonour。\"
\"Iamgoingfarther,\"saidI,\"Iamthinkingofpassingthenightatthe’PumpSaint。’\"
\"Well,then,Iwouldjustadviseyourhonourtodonosuchthing,buttoturnbackwithmetothevillageabove,wherethereisanilligantinnwhereyourhonourwillbewellaccommodated。\"
\"Oh,IsawthatasIcamepast,\"saidI;\"Idon’tthinkthereismuchaccommodationthere。\"
\"Oh,yourhonourisclanemistaken;thereisalwaysanilligantfireandanilligantbedtoo。\"
\"Isthereonlyonebed?\"saidI。
\"Oh,yes,therearetwobeds,onefortheaccommodationofthepeopleofthehouseandtheotherforthatofthevisitors。\"
\"Anddothevisitorssleeptogetherthen?\"saidI。
\"Ohyes!unlesstheywishtobeunsociable。Thosewhoarenotdisposedtobesociablesleepsinthechimney—corners。\"
\"Ah,\"saidI,\"Iseeitisaveryagreeableinn;however,Ishallgoontothe’PumpSaint。’\"
\"Iamsorryforit,yourhonour,foryourhonour’ssake;yourhonourwon’tbehalfsoilligantlyservedatthe’PumpSaint’asthereabove。\"
\"Ofwhatreligionareyou?\"saidI。
\"Oh,I’maCatholic,justlikeyourhonour,forifIamnotclanemistakenyourhonourisanIrishman。\"
\"Whoisyourspiritualdirector?\"saidI。
\"Why,then,itisjustFatherToban,yourhonour,whomofcourseyourhonourknows。\"
\"Ohyes!\"saidI;\"whenyounextseehimpresentmyrespectstohim。\"
\"WhatnameshallImention,yourhonour?\"
\"ShorshaBorroo,\"saidI。
\"Oh,thenIwasrightintakingyourhonourforanIrishman。NonebutaraalPaddybearsthatname。Acredittoyourhonourisyourname,foritisafamousname,(17)andacredittoyournameisyourhonour,foritisaneatmanwithoutabendyouare。Godblessyourhonourandgoodnight!andmayyoufinddacentquartersinthe’PumpSaint。’\"
LeavingMaryBaneIproceededonmyway。Theeveningwasratherfinebuttwilightwascomingrapidlyon。Ireachedthebottomofthevalleyandsoonovertookayoungmandressedsomethinglikeagroom。Weenteredintoconversation。HespokeWelshandalittleEnglish。HisWelshIhadgreatdifficultyinunderstanding,asitwaswidelydifferentfromthatwhichIhadbeenaccustomedto。HeaskedmewhereIwasgoingto;Irepliedtothe\"PumpSaint,\"andthenenquiredifhewasinservice。
\"Iam,\"saidhe。
\"Withwhomdoyoulive?\"saidI。
\"WithMrJohnesofDolCothi,\"heanswered。
StruckbythewordCothi,IaskedifDolCothiwasevercalledGlynCothi。
\"Ohyes,\"saidhe,\"frequently。\"
\"Howodd,\"thoughtItomyself,\"thatIshouldhavestumbledallofasuddenuponthecountryofmyoldfriendLewisGlynCothi,thegreatestpoetafterAbGwilymofallWales!\"
\"IsCothiariver?\"saidItomycompanion。
\"Itis,\"saidhe。
Presentlywecametoabridgeoverasmallriver。
\"IsthisrivertheCothi?\"saidI。
\"No,\"saidhe,\"thisistheTwrch;thebridgeiscalledPontyTwrch。\"
\"ThebridgeofTwrchorthehog,\"saidItomyself;\"thereisabridgeofthesamenameintheScottishHighlands,notfarfromthepassoftheTrossachs。Iwonderwhetherithasitsnamefromthesamecauseasthis,namely,frompassingoverarivercalledtheTwrchorTorck,whichwordinGaelicsignifiesboarorhogevenasitdoesinWelsh。\"Ithadnowbecomenearlydark。AfterproceedingsomewayfartherIaskedthegroomifwewerefarfromtheinnofthe\"PumpSaint。\"
\"Closeby,\"saidhe,andpresentlypointingtoalargebuildingontheright—handsidehesaid:\"Thisistheinnofthe’PumpSaint,’
sir。NosDa’chi!\"
CHAPTERXCVI
\"PumpSaint\"—PleasantResidence—TheWateryCoom—PhilologicalFact—EveningService—Meditation。
IENTEREDtheinnofthe\"PumpSaint。\"Itwasacomfortableold—
fashionedplace,withaverylargekitchenandarathersmallparlour。Thepeoplewerekindandattentive,andsoonsetbeforemeintheparlourahomelybutsavourysupper,andafoamingtankardofale。AftersupperIwentintothekitchen,andsittingdownwiththegoodfolksinanimmensechimney—corner,listenedtothemtalkingintheirCarmarthenshiredialecttillitwastimetogotorest,whenIwasconductedtoalargechamberwhereIfoundanexcellentandcleanbedawaitingme,inwhichIenjoyedarefreshingsleep,occasionallyvisitedbydreamsinwhichsomeofthescenesoftheprecedingdayagainappearedbeforeme,butinanindistinctandmistymanner。
AwakingintheverydepthofthenightIthoughtIheardthemurmuringofariver;IlistenedandsoonfoundthatIhadnotbeendeceived。\"IwonderwhetherthatriveristheCothi,\"saidI,\"thestreamoftheimmortalLewis。Iwillsupposethatitis\"—andrenderedquitehappybytheidea,Isoonfellasleepagain。
Iaroseabouteightandwentouttolookaboutme。Thevillageconsistsoflittlemorethanhalf—a—dozenhouses。Thename\"PumpSaint\"signifies\"FiveSaints。\"WhytheplaceiscalledsoIknownot。Perhapsthenameoriginallybelongedtosomechapelwhichstoodeitherwherethevillagenowstandsorintheneighbourhood。
TheinnisagoodspecimenofanancientWelshhostelry。Itsgableistotheroadanditsfronttoalittlespaceononesideoftheway。Atalittledistanceuptheroadisablacksmith’sshop。Thecountryaroundisinteresting:onthenorth—westisafinewoodedhill—tothesouthavalleythroughwhichflowstheCothi,afairriver,theonewhosemurmurhadcomesopleasinglyuponmyearinthedepthofnight。
AfterbreakfastIdepartedforLlandovery。PresentlyIcametoalodgeontheleft—handbesideanornamentalgateatthebottomofanavenueleadingseeminglytoagentleman’sseat。Oninquiringofawoman,whosatatthedoorofthelodge,towhomthegroundsbelonged,shesaidtoMrJohnes,andthatifIpleasedIwaswelcometoseethem。Iwentinandadvancedalongtheavenue,whichconsistedofverynobleoaks;ontherightwasavaleinwhichabeautifulbrookwasrunningnorthandsouth。Beyondthevaletotheeastwerefinewoodedhills。IthoughtIhadneverseenamorepleasinglocality,thoughIsawittogreatdisadvantage,thedaybeingdull,andtheseasonthelatterfall。
Presently,ontheavenuemakingaslightturn,Isawthehouse,aplainbutcomfortablegentleman’sseatwithwings。Itlookedtothesouthdownthedale。\"WithwhatsatisfactionIcouldliveinthathouse,\"saidItomyself,\"ifbackedbyacoupleofthousandsa—year。WithwhatgravitycouldIsignawarrantinitslibrary,andwithwhatdreamycomforttranslateanodeofLewisGlynCothi,mytankardofrichalebesideme。Iwonderwhethertheproprietorisfondoftheoldbardandkeepsgoodale。WereIanIrishmaninsteadofaNorfolkmanIwouldgoinandaskhim。\"
ReturningtotheroadIproceededonmyjourney。IpassedoverPontyRhaneddorthebridgeoftheRhanedd,asmallriverflowingthroughadale,thenbyClasHywel,aloftymountainwhichappearedtohavethreeheads。AfterwalkingforsomemilesIcametowheretheroaddividedintotwo。Byasign—postIsawthatbothledtoLlandovery,onebyPorthyRhydandtheotherbyLlanwrda。Thedistancebythefirstwassixmilesandahalf,bythelattereightandahalf。FeelingquitethereverseoftiredIchosethelongestroad,namelytheonebyLlanwrda,alongwhichIspedatagreatrate。
InalittletimeIfoundmyselfintheheartofaromanticwindingdell,overhungwithtreesofvariouskinds,whichatallmanwhomI
mettoldmewascalledCwmDwrLlanwrda,ortheWateryCoomofLlanwrda;andwellmightitbecalledtheWateryCoom,fortherewereseveralbridgesinit,twowithinafewhundredyardsofeachother。Thesamemantoldmethatthewarwasgoingonverybadly,thatoursoldiersweresufferingmuch,andthatthesnowwastwofeetdeepatSebastopol。
PassingthroughLlanwrda,aprettyvillagewithasingular—lookingchurch,closetowhichstoodanenormousyew,IenteredavalleywhichIlearnedwasthevalleyoftheTowey。Idirectedmycoursetothenorth,havingtheriveronmyright,whichrunstowardsthesouthinaspaciousbed,which,however,exceptintimesofflood,itscarcelyhalffills。Beautifulhillswereonotherside,partlycultivated,partlycoveredwithwood,andhereandtheredottedwithfarm—housesandgentlemen’sseats;greenpastureswhichdescendednearlytotheriveroccupyingingeneralthelowerparts。
AfterjourneyingaboutfourmilesamidthiskindofsceneryIcametoanoblesuspensionbridge,andcrossingitfoundmyselfinaboutaquarterofanhouratLlandovery。
Itwasabouthalf—pasttwowhenIarrived。IputupattheCastleInnandforthwithordereddinner,whichwasservedupbetweenfourandfive。DuringdinnerIwaswaiteduponbyastrangeoldfellowwhospokeWelshandEnglishwithequalfluency。
\"Whatcountrymanareyou?\"saidI。
\"AnEnglishman,\"hereplied。
\"FromwhatpartofEngland?\"
\"FromHerefordshire。\"
\"Haveyoubeenlonghere?\"
\"Ohyes!upwardsoftwentyyears。\"
\"HowcameyoutolearnWelsh?\"
\"Oh,Itooktoitandsoonpickeditup。\"
\"Canyoureadit?\"saidI。
\"No,Ican’t。\"
\"CanyoureadEnglish?\"
\"Yes,Ican;thatis,alittle。\"
\"Whydidn’tyoutrytolearntoreadWelsh?\"
\"Well,Idid;butIcouldmakenohandofit。It’sonethingtospeakWelshandanothertoreadit。\"
\"IcanreadWelshmuchbetterthanIcanspeakit,\"saidI。
\"Ah,youareagentleman—gentlefolksalwaysfinditeasiertolearntoreadaforeignlingothantospeakit,butit’squitethecontrarywithwepoorfolks。\"
\"Oneofthemostprofoundtruthseverutteredconnectedwithlanguage,\"saidItomyself。IaskedhimifthereweremanyChurchofEnglandpeopleinLlandovery。
\"Agoodmany,\"hereplied。
\"DoyoubelongtotheChurch?\"saidI。
\"Yes,Ido。\"
\"IfthiswereSundayIwouldgotochurch,\"saidI。
\"Oh,ifyouwishtogotochurchyoucangoto—night。ThisisWednesday,andtherewillbeserviceathalf—pastsix。IfyoulikeIwillcomeforyou。\"
\"Praydo,\"saidI;\"Ishouldlikeaboveallthingstogo。\"
DinneroverIsatbeforethefireoccasionallydozing,occasionallysippingaglassofwhiskey—and—water。AlittleaftersixtheoldfellowmadehisappearancewithakindofSpanishhatonhishead。
Wesetout;thenightwasverydark;wewentdownalongstreetseeminglyinthedirectionofthewest。\"HowmanychurchesarethereinLlandovery?\"saidItomycompanion。
\"Onlyone,butyouarenotgoingtoLlandoveryChurch,buttothatofLlanfair,inwhichourclergymandoesdutyonceortwiceaweek。\"
\"Isitfar?\"saidI。
\"Ohno;justoutofthetown,onlyafewstepsfarther。\"
Weseemedtopassoverabridgeandbegantoascendarisingground。Severalpeopleweregoinginthesamedirection。
\"There,\"saidtheoldman,\"followwiththese,andalittlefartherupyouwillcometothechurch,whichstandsontherighthand。\"
Hethenleftme。Iwentwiththerestandsooncametothechurch。
Iwentinandwasatonceconductedbyanoldman,whoIbelievewasthesexton,toalargepewcloseagainstthesouthernwall。
Theinsideofthechurchwasdimlylighted;itwaslongandnarrow,andthewallswerepaintedwithayellowcolour。Thepulpitstoodagainstthenorthernwallnearthealtar,andalmostoppositetothepewinwhichIsat。Afteralittletimetheservicecommenced;
itwasinWelsh。Whenthelitanieswereconcludedtheclergyman,whoappearedtobeamiddle—agedman,andwhohadratherafinevoice,begantopreach。Hissermonwasfromthe119thPsalm:\"Amhynnyhoffaisdygorchymynionynmwynagaur:\"\"ThereforehaveI
lovedthycommandmentsmorethangold。\"Thesermon,whichwasextempore,wasdeliveredwithgreatearnestness,andImakenodoubtwasaveryexcellentone,butowingtoitsbeinginSouthWelshIdidnotderivemuchbenefitfromitasIotherwisemighthavedone。Whenitwasoveragreatmanygotupandwentaway。
Observing,however,thatnotafewremained,Idetermineduponremainingtoo。Wheneverythingwasquiettheclergyman,descendingfromthepulpit,repairedtothevestry,andhavingtakenoffhisgownwentintoapew,andstandingupbeganadiscourse,fromwhichIlearnedthattherewastobeasacramentontheensuingSabbath。
Hespokewithmuchfervency,enlarginguponthehighimportanceoftheholycommunion,andexhortingpeopletocometoitinafitstateofmind。Whenhehadfinishedamaninaneighbouringpewgotupandspokeabouthisownunworthiness,sayingthisandthatabouthimself,hissinsofcommissionandomission,anddwellingparticularlyonhisuncharitablenessandthemaliciouspleasurewhichhetookinthemisfortunesofhisneighbours。Theclergymanlistenedattentively,sometimessaying\"Ah!\"andthecongregationalsolistenedattentively,avoicehereandtherefrequentlysaying\"Ah。\"Whenthemanhadconcludedtheclergymanagainspoke,makingobservationsonwhathehadheard,andhopingthattherestwouldbevisitedwiththesamecontritespiritastheirfriend。