第47章
加入书架 A- A+
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  andbeyondtheseIcaughtasightofthemountainonthetopofwhichIhadbeenthenightbefore—onlyapartialone,however,aslargemassesofmistwerestillhangingaboutit。Themorningwasmoistanddripping,andnothingcouldlookmorecheerlessanduncomfortablethantheentirescene。

  Iputonmythings,whichwerestillnothalfdry,andwentdownintothelittleparlour,whereIfoundanexcellentfireawaitingme,andatablespreadforbreakfast。Thebreakfastwasdelicious,consistingofexcellenttea,butteredtoast,andGlamorgansausages,whichIreallythinkarenotawhitinferiortothoseofEpping。AfterbreakfastIwentintothekitchen,whichwasnowonlyoccupiedbytwoorthreepeople。Seeingalargebrushonadresser,Itookitup,andwasabouttobrushmynetherhabiliments,whichwereterriblybespatteredwithhalf—driedmire。

  Before,however,Icouldbegin,upstartedoneofthemen,awild,shock—headedfellowdressedlikeacarter,inroughbluefriezecoat,yellow,broadcorduroytrowsers,greywoollenstockingsandhighlows,andsnatchingthebrushoutofmyhand,felltobrushingmemostvigorously,puffingandblowingallthetimeinamosttremendousmanner。Ididnotrefusehisservices,butlethimgoon,andtorewardhimasIthought,spokekindlytohim,askinghimvariousquestions。\"Areyouacarter?\"saidI。Noanswer。\"OneofTwmO’rNant’speople?\"Noanswer。\"FamousfellowthatTwmO’rNant,wasn’the?DidyoueverhearhowhegotthegreattreeinatCarmarthenGate?Whatiswoodperfootatpresent?Whomdoyoucartfor?Orareyouyourownmaster?Ifso,howmanyhorsesdoyoukeep?\"

  Tonotoneofthesequestions,nortoadozenotherswhichIput,bothinEnglishandWelsh,didmyfriendwiththebrushreturnanyverbalanswer,thoughIcouldoccasionallyhearakindofstifledgiggleproceedingfromhim。Havingatlengththoroughlybrushednotonlymyclothes,butmybootsandmyhat,whichlastarticlehetookfrommyhead,andplaceditonagainverydexterously,afterbrushingit,heputthebrushdownonthedresser,andthenadvancingtomemademeabow,andwavinghisforefingerbackwardsandforwardsbeforemyface,hesaid,withabroadgrin:\"Nicegentleman—willdoanythingforhimbutanswerquestions,andlethimhearmydiscourse。Lovetolistentohispleasantstoriesofforeignlands,ghostsandtylwithteg;butbeforehim,deemitwisetobemum,quitemum。Knowwhathecomesabout。Wantstoheardiscourseofpoorman,thathemaylearnfromitpoorman’slittlewaysandinfirmities,andmarkthemdowninonesmall,littlebooktoserveforfuntoLordPalmerstonandtheothergreatgentlefolksinLondon。Niceman,civilman,Idon’tdeny;andclebbermantoo,forheknowsWelsh,andhasbeeneverywhere—butfox—oldfox—

  livesatPlasyCadno。\"(18)

  Havingbeeninformedthattherewasaconsiderableironfoundrycloseby,Ithoughtitwouldbeworthmywhiletogoandseeit。I

  enteredthepremises,andwasstandingandlookinground,whenamanwiththeappearanceofarespectablemechaniccameupandofferedtoshowmeovertheplace。Igladlyacceptedhisoffer,andheshowedmeallabouttheironfoundry。Isawalargesteam—

  engineatfullplay,terriblefurnaces,andimmenseheapsofburning,cracklingcinders,andafierystreamofmoltenmetalrollingalong。Afterseeingwhattherewastobeseen,Iofferedapieceofsilvertomykindconductor,whichheatoncerefused。Onmyaskinghim,however,togototheinnandhaveafriendlyglass,hesmiled,andsaidhehadnoobjection。Sowewenttotheinn,andhadtwofriendlyglassesofwhiskey—and—watertogether,andalsosomediscourse。IaskedhimiftherewereanyEnglishemployedonthepremises。\"None,\"saidhe,\"norIrisheither;weareallWelsh。\"ThoughhewasaWelshman,hisnamewasaverycommonEnglishone。

  Afterpayingthereckoning,whichonlyamountedtothreeandsixpence,IdepartedforSwansea,distantaboutthirteenmiles。

  GutterVawrconsistsofonestreet,extendingforsomelittlewayalongtheSwansearoad,thefoundry,andanumberofhutsandhousesscatteredhereandthere。Thepopulationiscomposedalmostentirelyofminers,theworkersatthefoundry,andtheirfamilies。

  ForthefirsttwoorthreemilesthecountrythroughwhichIpasseddidnotatallprepossessmeinfavourofGlamorganshire:itconsistedoflow,sullen,peatyhills。Subsequently,however,itimprovedrapidly,becomingbold,wild,andpleasantlywooded。Theaspectofthedayimproved,also,withtheappearanceofthecountry。WhenIfirststartedthemorningwaswretchedanddrizzly,butinlessthananhouritclearedupwonderfully,andthesunbegantoflashout。AsIlookedonthebrightluminaryI

  thoughtofAbGwilym’sodetothesunandGlamorgan,andwithbreastheavingandwitheyesfulloftears,Ibegantorepeatpartsofit,orratherofatranslationmadeinmyhappyboyishyears:—

  \"Eachmorn,benignofcountenance,UponGlamorgan’spennonglance!

  EachafternooninbeautyclearAbovemyowndearboundsappear!

  Brightoutlineofablessedclime,Again,thoughsunk,arisesublime—

  Uponmyerrand,swiftrepair,AnduntogreenGlamorganbearGooddaysandtermsofcourtesyFrommydearcountryandfromme!

  Moveround—butneedItheecommand?—

  Itschalk—whitehalls,whichcheerfulstand—

  Pleasantthyownpavilionstoo—

  Itsfieldsandorchardsfairtoview。

  \"O,pleasantisthytaskandhighInradiantwarmthtoroamthesky,Tokeepfromillthatkindlyground,Itsmeadsandfarms,wheremeadisfound,Alandwhosecommonslivecontent,Whereeachman’slotisexcellent,Wherehoststohailtheeshallupstand,Whereladsareboldandlassesbland,AlandIoftfromhillthat’shighHavegazeduponwithraptur’deye;

  Wheremaidsaretrainedinvirtue’sschool,Whereduteouswivesspindaintywool;

  Acountrywitheachgiftsupplied,ConfrontingCornwall’scliffsofpride。\"

  CametoLlanguick,ahamletsituatednearatremendousgorge,thesidesofwhichwerecoveredwithwood。ThencetothevillageofTawyBridge,atthebottomofabeautifulvalley,throughwhichrunstheTawy,which,aftertheTaf,isthemostconsiderableriverinGlamorganshire。Continuingmycourse,Ipassedbyanenormousedificewhichstoodonmyrighthand。Ithadhugechimneys,whichwerecastingforthsmoke,andfromwithinIheardthenoiseofasteam—engineandtheroaroffurnaces。

  \"Whatplaceisthis?\"said,Itoaboy。

  \"Gwaithhaiarn,sir;ymperthyniMrPearson。MrPearson’sironworks,sir。\"

  Iproceeded,andinabouthalf—an—hoursawamanwalkingbeforemeinthesamedirectioninwhichIwas。Hewasgoingverybriskly,butIsooncameuptohim。Hewasasmall,well—madefellow,withreddishhairandruddy,determinedcountenance,somewhattanned。

  Heworeastrawhat,checkeredshirt,openattheneck,canvastrousersandbluejacket。Onhisfeetwereshoesremarkablythin,butnostockings,andinhishandheheldastoutstick,withwhich,justbeforeIovertookhim,hestruckaroundstonewhichlayontheground,sendingitflyingatleastfiftyyardsbeforehimontheroad,andfollowingitinitsflightwithawildandsomewhatstartlinghalloo。

  \"Good—day,myfriend,\"saidI;\"youseemtobeabletouseastick。\"

  \"AndsureIoughttobe,yourhonour,seeingashowmyfathertaughtme,whowasthebestfightingmanwithastickthattheShanavestseverhad。ManyistheheadofaCaravautthathehasbrokenwithsomesuchanAlpeenwattleastheoneIamcarryingwithmehere。\"

  \"Agoodthing,\"saidI,\"thattherearenoOldWaist—coatsandCravatsatpresent,atleastbloodyfactionsbearingthosenames。\"

  \"Yourhonourthinksso!Faith!Iamclaneofacontraryopinion。

  IwishtheouldShanavestsandCaravautswerefightingstill,andI

  amongthem。Faith!therewassomelifeinIrelandintheirdays。\"

  \"Andplentyofdeathtoo,\"saidI。\"HowfortunateitisthattheIrishhavetheEnglishamongthemtopreventtheircuttingeachother’sthroats。\"

  \"TheEnglishpreventtheIrishfromcuttingeachother’sthroats!

  Well,iftheydo,itisonlythattheymayhavethepleasureofcuttingthemthemselves。Thebloodytyrants!toolonghastheirfootbeenupontheneckofpooroldIreland。\"

  \"HowdotheEnglishtyranniseoverIreland?\"

  \"Howdotheytyranniseoverher?Don’ttheypreventherfromhavingthefreeexerciseofherCatholicreligion,andmakeherhelptosupporttheirownProtestantone?\"

  \"Well,anddon’ttheRomanCatholicspreventtheProtestantsfromhavingthefreeexerciseoftheirreligion,whenevertheyhappentobethemostnumerous,anddon’ttheymakethemhelptosupporttheRomanCatholicreligion?\"

  \"Ofcoursetheydo,andquiteright!HadImywill,thereshouldn’tbeaplaceofProtestantworshipleftstanding,oraProtestantchurlallowedtogoaboutwithaheadunbroken。\"

  \"ThenwhydoyoublametheProtestantsforkeepingtheRomansalittleunder?\"

  \"WhydoIblamethem?Apurtyquestion!Why,an’ttheywrong,andan’tweright?\"

  \"Buttheysaythattheyarerightandyouwrong。\"

  \"Theysay!whomindswhattheysay?Haven’twethewordoftheblessedPopethatweareright?\"

  \"AndtheysaythattheyhavethewordoftheblessedGospelthatyouarewrong。\"

  \"TheGospel!whocaresfortheGospel?SurelyyouarenotgoingtocomparetheGospelwiththePope?\"

  \"Well,theycertainlyarenottobenamedinthesameday。\"

  \"Theyarenot?Thengoodlucktoyou!Wearebothofthesameopinion。Ah,IthoughtyourhonourwasaraleCatholic。Now,tellmefromwhatkingdomofIrelanddoesyourhonourhail?\"

  \"Why,IwaspartlyeducatedinMunster。\"

  \"InMunster!Hoorah!Here’sthehandofacountrymantoyourhonour。Ah,itwasasytobeseenfromthelearning,whichyourhonourshows,thatyourhonourisfromMunster。There’snospotinIrelandlikeMunsterforlearning。Whatsaystheoldsong?

  \"’Ulsterforasoldier,Connaughtforathief,Munsterforlearning,AndLeinsterforbeef。’

  \"HoorahforlearnedMunster!anddownwithbeggarly,thievishConnaught!IwouldthataConnaughtmanwouldcomeathwartmenow,thatImightbreakhisthief’sheadwithmyAlpeen。\"

  \"Youdon’tseemtoliketheConnaughtmen,\"saidI。

  \"Likethem!whocanlikethem?aparcelofbeggarlythievishblackguards。SoyourhonourwasedicatedinMunster—Imanepartlyedicated。Isupposebyyoursayingthatyouwerepartlyedicated,thatyourhonourwasintendedfortheclericalprofession,butbeingoverfondofthedropwasforcedtolavecollegebeforeyouredicationwasquitecompleted,andsoforwantofabetterprofessiontookupwiththatofmerchandise。Ah,theloveofthedropatcollegehaspreventedmanyacleveryoungfellowfromtakingholyorders。Well,it’sapitybutitcan’tbehelped。Iamfondofadropmyself,andwhenwegetto—shallbehappytoofferyourhonouraglassofwhiskey。IhopeyourhonourandIshallsplicethemainbracetogetherbeforewepart。\"

  \"Isuppose,\"saidI,\"byyourtalkingofsplicingthemainbracethatyouareasailor。\"

  \"Iam,yourhonour,andhailfromtheCoveofCorkinthekingdomofMunster。\"

  \"Iknowitwell,\"saidI,\"itisthebestsea—basinintheworld。

  Well,howcameyouintotheseparts?\"

  \"I’lltellyourhonour;myshipisatSwansea,andhavingarelationworkingatthefoundrybehindusIcametoseehim。\"

  \"Areyouintheroyalservice?\"

  \"Iamnot,yourhonour;Iwasonceintheroyalservice,buthavingadisputewiththeboatswainatSpithead,Igavehimawipe,jumpedoverboardandswamashore。AfterthatIsailedforCuba,gotintothemerchants’servicethere,andmadeseveralvoyagestotheBlackCoast。AtpresentIamintheserviceofthemerchantsofCork。\"

  \"Iwonderthatyouarenotnowintheroyalservice,\"saidI,\"sinceyouaresofondoffighting。ThereishotworkgoingonatpresentuptheBlackSea,andbravemen,especiallyIrishmen,areingreatrequest。\"

  \"Yes,braveIrishmenarealwaysingreatrequestwithEnglandwhenshehasabattletofight。Atothertimestheyarelefttolieinthemudwiththechainroundtheirnecks。IthasbeensoeversincethetimeofDeCourcy,andIsupposealwayswillbeso,unlessIrishmenallbecomeofmymind,whichisnotlikely。WeretheIrishallofmymind,theEnglishwouldfindnoIrishchampiontofighttheirbattleswhentheFrenchortheRussianscometobeardthem。\"

  \"ByDeCourcy,\"saidI,\"youmeanthemanwhomtheKingofEnglandconfinedintheTowerofLondonaftertakingfromhimhisbaronyinthecountyofCork。\"

  \"Ofcourse,yourhonour,andwhomhekeptintheTowertilltheKingofFrancesentoverachampiontoinsultandbeardhim,whenthekingwasgladtotakeDeCourcyoutofthedungeontofighttheFrenchchampion,fordivilaoneofhisownEnglishfightingmendaredtaketheFrenchmaninhand。\"

  \"AfinefellowthatDeCourcy,\"saidI。

  \"Rathertoofondofthedropthough,likeyourhonourandmyself,forafterhehadcausedtheFrenchchampiontofleebackintoFrancehelostthegreaterpartoftherewardwhichtheKingofEnglandpromisedhim,solelybymakingtoofreewiththestrongdrink。Doesyourhonourrememberthatpartofthestory?\"

  \"IthinkIdo,\"saidI,\"butIshouldbeverygladtohearyourelateit。\"

  \"Thenyourhonourshall。RightgladwastheKingofEnglandwhentheFrenchchampionfledbacktoFrance,fornosoonerdidthedirtyspalpeenhearthattheyweregoingtobringDeCourcyagainsthim,thefameofwhosestrengthandcouragefilledthewholeworld,thanhebetookhimselfbacktohisowncountry,andwasneverheardofmore。Rightglad,Isay,wastheKingofEngland,andgaveleavetoDeCourcytoreturntoIreland。’Andyoushallhave,’

  saidhe,’ofthebaronywhichItookfromyouallthatyoucanrideroundonthefirstdayofyourreturn。’SoDeCourcybetookhimselftoIrelandandtohisbarony,buthewasanythingbutaluckyman,thisDeCourcy,forhisfriendsandrelationsandtenantry,hearingofhiscoming,preparedagrandfestivalforhim,withallkindsofilligantviandsandpowerfulliquors,andwhenhearrivedthereitwaswaitingforhim,anddowntoithesat,andate,anddrank,andforjoyofseeinghimselfoncemoreamongsthisfriendsandtenantryinthehallofhisforefathers,andforloveofthedrop,whichhealwayshad,hedrankofthepowerfulliquorsmorethanheought,andtheupshotwasthathebecamedrunk,agusdobhianduinemaithsinmisgeadhdoceatheroglog;thegoodgentlemanwasdrunktillfouro’clock,andwhenheawokehefoundthathehadbuttwohoursofdayremainingtowinbackhisbravebarony。However,hedidnotloseheart,butmountedhishorseandsetoffridingasfastasamanjustpartlyrecoveredfromintoxicationcouldbeexpectedtodo,andhecontrivedtorideroundfourparishes,andonlyfour,andthesefourparisheswereallthatherecoveredofhisbravebarony,andallthathehadtoliveupontillhisdyingday,andallthathehadtoleavetohisdescendants,sothatDeCourcycouldscarcelybecalledaveryluckyman,afterall。\"

  ShortlyaftermyfriendthesailorhadconcludedhisaccountofDeCourcy,wearrivedinthevicinityofasmalltownorratherconsiderablevillage。Itstoodontheright—handsideoftheroad,frontingtheeast,havingahighromantichillbehinditonthesidesofwhichwerewoods,groves,andpleasant—lookingwhitehouses。

  \"Whatplaceisthis?\"saidItomycompanion。

  \"Thisis—,yourhonour;andhere,ifyourhonourwillacceptaglassofwhiskeywewillsplicethemainbracetogether。\"

  \"Thankyou,\"saidI;\"butIaminhastetogettoSwansea。

  Moreover,ifIamoverfondofthedrop,asyousayIam,thesoonerIbegintopractiseabstinencethebetter。\"

  \"Verytrue,yourhonour!Well,atanyrate,whenyourhonourgetstoSwansea,youwillnotbeabletosaythatPatFlannaganwalkedformileswithyourhonouralongtheroad,withoutofferingyourhonouraglassofwhiskey。\"

  \"NorshallPatFlannaganbeabletosaythesamethingofmyhonour。IhaveashillinginmypocketatPatFlannagan’sservice,ifhechoosestosplicewithitthemainbraceforhimselfandforme。\"

  \"Thankyourhonour;butIhaveashillinginmyownpocket,andadollartoo,andafive—poundnotebesides;soIneedn’tbebeholdenfordrinkmoneytoanybodyunderthesun。\"

  \"Wellthen,farewell!Here’smyhand!—SlanleataPhatraicuiFlannagan!\"

  \"Slanleatadhuine—uasail!\"saidPatrick,givingmehishand;\"andhealth,hope,andhappinesstoye。\"

  Thereuponheturnedasideto—,andIcontinuedmywaytoSwansea。

  ArrivedataplacecalledGlandwr,abouttwomilesfromSwansea,I

  foundthatIwassplashedfromtoptotoe,fortheroadswerefrightfullymiry,andwassorrytoperceivethatmybootshadgivenwayatthesoles,largepiecesofwhichwerestickingout。Imust,however,dothepoorthingsthejusticetosay,thatitwasnowonderthattheywereinthisdilapidatedcondition,forinthosebootsIhadwalkedatleasttwohundredmiles,overallkindsofpaths,sinceIhadgotthemsoledatLlangollen。\"Well,\"saidItomyself,\"itwon’tdotoshowmyselfatSwanseainthiscondition,moreespeciallyasIshallgotothebesthotel;Imusttryandgetmyselfmadealittledecenthere。\"Seeingalittleinn,onmyright,Ienteredit,andaddressingmyselftoaneatcomfortablelandlady,whowasstandingwithinthebar,Isaid:—

  \"Pleasetoletmehaveaglassofale!—andhearkee;asIhavebeenwalkingalongtheroad,Ishouldbegladoftheservicesofthe’boots。’\"

  \"Verygood,sir,\"saidthelandladywithacurtsey。

  Thenshowingmeintoanicelittlesandedparlour,shebroughtmetheglassofale,andpresentlysentinaladwithaboot—jacktoministertome。Oh,whatcan’talittlemoneyeffect?Forsixpenceinthatsmallniceinn,Ihadaglassofale,mybootscleaned,andtheexcrescencescutoff,myclotheswipedwithadwile,andthenpassedoverwithabrush,andwasmyselfthankedoverandoveragain。Startingagainwithallthespiritedconfidenceofonewhohasjustcastoffhisslough,IsoonfoundmyselfinthesuburbsofSwansea。AsIpassedunderwhatappearedtobearailroadbridgeIinquiredinWelshofanancient—lookingman,incoalyhabiliments,ifitwasone。Heansweredinthesamelanguagethatitwas,theninstantlyaddedinEnglish:—

  \"YouhavetakenyourlastfarewellofWales,sir;it’snousespeakingWelshfartheron。\"

  Ipassedsomeimmenseedifices,probablymanufactories,andwassoonconvincedthat,whetherIwasinWalesornot,IwasnolongeramongstWelsh。ThepeoplewhomImetdidnotlooklikeWelsh。

  TheyweretallerandbulkierthantheCambrians,andwerespeakingadissonantEnglishjargon。ThewomenhadmuchtheappearanceofDutchfisherwomen;someofthemwerecarryinghugeloadsontheirheads。IspokeinWelshtotwoorthreewhomIovertook。

  \"NoWelsh,sir!\"

  \"Whydon’tyouspeakWelsh?\"saidI。

  \"Becauseweneverlearntit。WearenotWelsh。\"

  \"Whoareyouthen?\"

  \"English;somecallsusFlamings。\"

  \"Ah,ah!\"saidItomyself;\"Ihadforgot。\"

  PresentlyIenteredthetown,alarge,bustling,dirty,gloomyplace,andinquiringforthefirsthotel,wasdirectedtothe\"MackworthArms,\"inWineStreet。

  AssoonasIwasshownintotheparlourIsummonedthe\"boots,\"andonhismakinghisappearanceIsaidinasternvoice:\"Mybootswantsoling;letthembedonebyto—morrowmorning。\"

  \"Can’tbe,sir;it’snowSaturdayafternoon,theshoemakercouldn’tbeginthemto—night!\"

  \"Butyoumustmakehim!\"saidI;\"andlookhere,Ishallgivehimashillingextra,andyouanextrashillingforseeingafterhim。\"

  \"Yes,sir;I’llseeafterhim—theyshallbedone,sir。Bringyouyourslippersinstantly。GladtoseeyouagaininSwansea,sir,lookingsowell。\"

  CHAPTERCI

  Swansea—TheFlemings—TowardsEngland。

  SWANSEAiscalledbytheWelshAbertawe,whichsignifiesthemouthoftheTawy。Aber,asIhavemorethanoncehadoccasiontoobserve,signifiestheplacewhereariverentersintotheseaorjoinsanother。ItisaGaelicaswellasaCumricword,beingfoundintheGaelicnamesAberdeenandLochaber,andthereisgoodreasonforsupposingthatthewordharbourisderivedfromit。

  SwanseaorSwanseyisacompoundwordofScandinavianorigin,whichmaymeaneitherariveraboundingwithswans,ortheriverofSwanr,thenameofsomenorthernadventurerwhosettleddownatitsmouth。ThefinaleaoreyistheNorwegianaa,whichsignifiesarunningwater;itisoffrequentoccurrenceinthenamesofriversinNorway,andisoftenfound,similarlymodified,inthoseofothercountrieswheretheadventurousNorwegiansformedsettlements。

  Swanseafirstbecameaplaceofsomeimportanceshortlyafterthebeginningofthetwelfthcentury。Intheyear1108,thegreaterpartofFlandershavingbeensubmergedbythesea(19)animmensenumberofFlemingscameovertoEngland,andentreatedofHenrytheFirstthekingthenoccupyingthethrone,thathewouldallallottothemlandsinwhichtheymightsettle,ThekingsentthemtovariouspartsofWales,whichhadbeenconqueredbyhisbaronsorthoseofhispredecessors:aconsiderablenumberoccupiedSwanseaandtheneighbourhood;butfarthegreaterpartwenttoDyfed,generallybutimproperlycalledPembroke,thesouth—easternpartofwhich,byfarthemostfertile,theyentirelytookpossessionof,leavingtotheWelshtherest,whichisverymountainousandbarren。

  IhavealreadysaidthatthepeopleofSwanseastandoutinbroaddistinctnessfromtheCumry,differingfromtheminstature,language,dress,andmanners,andwishedtoobservethatthesamethingmaybesaidoftheinhabitantsofeverypartofWaleswhichtheFlemingscolonisedinanyconsiderablenumbers。

  Ifoundtheaccommodationverygoodatthe\"MackworthArms\";I

  passedtheSaturdayeveningveryagreeably,andsleptwellthroughoutthenight。ThenextmorningtomygreatjoyIfoundmyboots,capitallyrepaired,awaitingmebeforemychamberdoor。Ohthemightyeffectofalittlemoney!AfterbreakfastIputthemon,andasitwasSundaywentoutinordertogotochurch。Thestreetswerethrongedwithpeople;anewmayorhadjustbeenelected,andhisworship,attendedbyanumberofhalbertandjavelinmen,wasgoingtochurchtoo。Ifollowedtheprocession,whichmovedwithgreatdignityandofcourseveryslowly。Thechurchhadahighsquaretower,andlookedaveryfineedificeontheoutside,andnolesssowithin,forthenavewasloftywithnoblepillarsoneachside。Istoodduringthewholeoftheserviceasdidmanyothers,forthecongregationwassogreatthatitwasimpossibletoaccommodateallwithseats。Theritualwasperformedinaverysatisfactorymanner,andwasfollowedbyanexcellentsermon。Iamashamedtosaythathaveforgotthetext,butIrememberagooddealofthediscourse。ThepreachersaidamongstotherthingthattheGospelwasnotpreachedinvain,andthatheverymuchdoubtedwhetherasermonwaseverdeliveredwhichdidnotdosomegood。OntheconclusionoftheserviceIstrolledaboutinordertoseethetownandwhatpertainedtoit。Thetownisofconsiderablesize,withsomeremarkableedifices,spaciousandconvenientquays,andacommodiousharbourintowhichtheriverTawyflowingfromthenorthemptiesitself。ThetownandharbourareoverhungonthesideoftheeastbyaloftygreenmountainwithaWelshname,nodoubtexceedinglyappropriate,butwhichIregrettosayhasescapedmymemory。

  AfterhavingseenallthatIwished,Ireturnedtomyinnanddischargedallmyobligations。Ithendeparted,framingmycourseeastwardtowardsEngland,havingtraversedWalesnearlyfromnorthtosouth。

  CHAPTERCII

  LeaveSwansea—ThePandemonium—NeathAbbey—VariedScenery。

  ITwasabouttwoo’clockofadullandgloomyafternoonwhenI

  startedfromAbertawyorSwansea,intendingtostopatNeath,someeightmilesdistant。AsIpassedagainthroughthesuburbsIwasstruckwiththeirlengthandtheevidencesofenterprisewhichtheyexhibited—enterprise,however,evidentlychieflyconnectedwithironandcoal,foralmosteveryobjectlookedawfullygrimy。

  CrossingabridgeIproceededtotheeastupabroadandspaciousvalley,theeasternsideofwhichwasformedbyrusset—colouredhills,throughavistaofwhichIcoulddescryarangeoftallbluemountains。AsIproceededIsometimespassedpleasantgrovesandhedgerows,sometimeshugeworks;inthisvalleytherewasasingularmixtureofnatureandart,ofthevoicesofbirdsandtheclankingofchains,ofthemistsofheavenandthesmokeoffurnaces。

  IreachedLlan—,asmallvillagehalf—waybetweenSwanseaandNeath,andwithoutstoppingcontinuedmycourse,walkingveryfast。

  Ihadsurmountedahill,andhadnearlydescendedthatsideofitwhichlookedtowardstheeast,havingonmyleft,thatistothenorth,awoodedheight,whenanextraordinaryscenepresenteditselftomyeyes。Somewhattothesouthroseimmensestacksofchimneyssurroundedbygrimydiabolical—lookingbuildings,intheneighbourhoodofwhichwerehugeheapsofcindersandblackrubbish。Fromthechimneys,notwithstandingitwasSunday,smokewasproceedinginvolumes,chokingtheatmosphereallaround。Fromthispandemonium,atthedistanceofaboutaquarterofamiletothesouth—west,uponagreenmeadow,stood,lookingdarklygrey,aruinofvastsizewithwindowholes,towers,spires,andarches。

  Betweenitandtheaccursedpandemonium,layahorridfilthyplace,partofwhichwasswampandpartpool:thepoolblackassoot,andtheswampofadisgustingleadencolour。Acrossthisplaceoffilthstretchedatramwayleadingseeminglyfromtheabominablemansionstotheruin。SostrangeasceneIhadneverbeheldinnature。Haditbeenoncanvas,withtheadditionofanumberofDiabolicalfigures,proceedingalongthetramway,itmighthavestoodforSabbathinHell—devilsproceedingtoafternoonworship,andwouldhaveformedapictureworthyofthepowerfulbutinsanepainter,JeromeBos。

  AfterstandingforaconsiderabletimestaringatthestrangespectacleIproceeded。Presentlymeetingalad,Iaskedhimwhatwasthenameoftheruin。

  \"TheAbbey,\"hereplied。

  \"NeathAbbey?\"saidI。

  \"Yes!\"

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