第44章
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  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。

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