continuedsingletillmyEnglishfamilygrewupandleftme,when,feelingmyselfratherlonely,ImarriedadecentyoungWelshwoman,bywhomIhadoneson,theladJohnwhoisfollowingbehindwithhisdogJoe。AndnowyourhonourknowsthewholestoryofJohnGreaves,minerfromthecountyofDurham。"
"Andamostentertainingandinstructivehistoryitis,"saidI。
"Youhavenottoldme,however,howyoucontrivedtopickupWelsh:
Iheardyouspeakingitlastnightwiththepostman。"
"Why,throughmyWelshwife,yourhonour!WithoutherIdon’tthinkIshouldeverhavepickeduptheWelshmannerofdiscoursing—sheisagoodkindofwoman,myWelshwife,though—"
"ThelossofyourDurhamwifemusthavebeenagreatgrieftoyou,"
saidI。
"Itwasthebitterestgrief,yourhonour,asIsaidbefore,thatI
everhad;mynextworstIthinkwasthedeathofadearfriend。"
"Whowasthat?"saidI
"Whowasit,yourhonour?why,theDukeofNewcastle。"
"Dearme!"saidI,"howcameyoutoknowhim?"
"Why,yourhonour,helivedataplacenotfarfromhere,calledHafod,andso—"
"Hafod?"saidI;"IhaveoftenheardofHafodanditslibrary;butIthoughtitbelongedtoanoldWelshfamilycalledJohnes。"
"Well,soitdid,yourhonour,butthefamilydiedaway,andtheestatewasputupforsale,andpurchasedbytheDuke,whobuiltafinehouseuponit,whichhemadehischiefplaceofresidence—
theoldfamilyhouse,Imusttellyourhonour,inwhichthelibrarywas,hadbeendestroyedbyfire。Well,hehadn’tbeenlongsettledtherebeforehefoundmeoutandtookwonderfullytome,discoursingwithmeandconsultingmeabouthisfarmingandimprovements。ManyisthepleasantchatanddiscourseIhavehadwithhisGraceforhoursandhourstogether,forhisGracehadnotabitofpride,atleasthenevershowedanytome,thoughperhapsthereasonofthatwasthatwewerebothnorthcountrypeople。
Lord!IwouldhavelaiddownmylifeforhisGraceandhavedoneanythingbutonewhichheonceaskedmetodo。’Greaves,’saidtheDuketomeoneday,’Iwishyouwouldgiveupminingandbecomemysteward。’’SorryIcan’tobligeyourGrace,’saidI,’butgiveupminingIcannot。IwillatanytimegiveyourGracealltheadviceIcanaboutfarmingandsuchlike,butgiveupminingIcannot;
becausewhy?—Iconceiveminingtobethenoblestbusinessinthe’versalworld。’WhereuponhisGracelaughed,andsaidhedaresayIwasright,andnevermentionedthesubjectagain。"
"WashisGraceveryfondoffarmingandimproving?"
"Ohyes,yourhonour。Likeallthegreatgentry,especiallythenorthcountrygentry,hisGracewaswonderfullyfondoffarmingandimproving;andawonderfuldealofgoodhedid,reclaimingthousandsofacresoflandwhichwasbeforegoodfornothing,andbuildingcapitalfarm—housesandofficesforhistenants。Hisgrandfeat,however,wasbringingtheDurhambullintothiscountry,whichformedacapitalcrosswiththeWelshcows。Pitythathewasn’tequallyfortunatewiththenorthcountrysheep。"
"DidhetrytointroducethemintoWales?"
"Yes,buttheydidn’tanswer,asIknewtheywouldn’t。SaysItotheDuke:’Itwon’tdo,yourGrace,tobringthenorthcountrysheephere:becausewhy?thehillsaretoowetandcoldfortheirconstitutions’;buthisGrace,whohadsometimesawillofhisown,persistedandbroughtthenorthcountrysheeptotheseparts,anditturnedoutasIsaid—thesheepcaughtthedisease,andthewoolpartedand—"
"But,"saidI,"youshouldhavetoldhimaboutthesalvemadeofbran,butterandoil;youshouldhavedonethat。"
"Well,soIdid,yourhonour。Itoldhimaboutthesalve,andtheDukelistenedtome,andthesalvewasmadebytheseveryhands;
butwhenitwasmade,whatdoyouthink?thefoolishWelshwouldn’tputiton,sayingthatitwasagainsttheirlawsandstattiesandreligiontouseit,andtalkedaboutDevil’ssalvesandtheWitchofEndor,andthesinagainsttheHolyGhost,andsuchlikenonsense。Sotopreventaregularrebellion,theDukegaveupthesalve,andthepoorsheeppinedawayanddied,tillatlasttherewasnotoneleft。"
"Whoholdstheestateatpresent?"saidI。
"Why,agreatgentlemanfromLancashire,yourhonour,whoboughtitwhentheDukedied;buthedoesn’ttakethesamepleasureinitwhichtheDukedid,norspendsomuchmoneyaboutit,theconsequencebeingthateverythinglooksverydifferentfromwhatitlookedintheDuke’stime。TheinnattheDevil’sBridgeandthegroundslookverydifferentfromwhattheylookedintheDuke’stime,foryoumustknowthattheinnandthegroundsformpartoftheHafodestate,andarehiredfromtheproprietor。"
Bythistimewehadarrivedatasmallvillage,withatoll—barandasmallchurchorchapelatsomelittledistancefromtheroad,whichheremadeaturnnearlyfullsouth。Theroadwasverygood,butthecountrywaswildandrugged;therewasadeepvaleontheright,atthebottomofwhichrolledtheRheidolinitscleft,risingbeyondwhichweresteep,nakedhills。
"Thisvillage,"saidmycompanion,"iscalledYsbyttyCynfyn。Downontheright,pastthechurch,isastrangebridgeacrosstheRheidol,whichrunstherethroughahorridkindofaplace。ThebridgeiscalledPontyrOffeiriad,ortheParson’sBridge,becauseintheoldtimetheclergymanpassedoveriteverySundaytododutyinthechurchhere。"
"WhyisthisplacecalledYsbyttyCynfyn?"saidI,"whichmeansthehospitalofthefirstboundary;isthereahospitalofthesecondboundarynearhere?"
"Ican’tsayanythingaboutboundaries,yourhonour;allIknowis,thatthereisanotherSpyttyfartheronbeyondHafodcalledYsbyttyYstwyth,orthe’SpyttyupontheYstwyth。ButtoreturntothematteroftheMinister’sBridge:Iwouldcounselyourhonourtogoandseethatbridgebeforeyouleavetheseparts。Avastnumberofgentrygotoseeitinthesummertime。Itwasthebridgewhichthelandlordwasmentioninglastnight,thoughitscarcelybelongstohisdistrict,beingquiteasneartheDevil’sBridgeinnasitistohisown,yourhonour。"
Wewentondiscoursingforabouthalfamilefarther,when,stoppingbyaroadwhichbranchedofftothehillsontheleft,mycompanionsaid。"Imustnowwishyourhonourgoodday,beingobligedtogoalittlewayupheretoaminingworkonasmallbitofbusiness;myson,however,andhisdogJoewillshowyourhonourthewaytotheDevil’sBridge,astheyareboundtoaplacealittlewaypastit。Ihavenowbutonewordtosay,whichis,thatshouldeveryourhonourpleasetovisitmeatmymine,yourhonourshallreceiveeveryfacilityforinspectingtheworks,andmoreoverhaveabellyfulofdrinkandvictualsfromJockGreaves,minerfromthecountyofDurham。"
Ishookthehonestfellowbythehand,andwentonincompanywiththeladJohnandhisdogasfarastheDevil’sBridge。Johnwasahighly—intelligentlad,spokeWelshandEnglishfluently,couldread,ashetoldme,bothlanguages,andhadsomeacquaintancewiththewritingsofTwmo’rNant,asheshowedbyrepeatingthefollowinglinesofthecarterpoet,certainlynottheworstwhichheeverwrote:—
"TwmorNantmaecanta’mgalw,TomasEdwardsywfyenw,"
TomONantisanicknameI’vegot,Myname’sThomasEdwards,Iwot。"
CHAPTERLXXXIV
TheHospice—TheTwoRivers—TheDevil’sBridge—PleasantRecollections。
IARRIVEDattheDevil’sBridgeatabouteleveno’clockofafinebutcoldday,andtookupmyquartersattheinn,ofwhichIwasthesoleguestduringthewholetimethatIcontinuedthere;fortheinn,standinginalone,wilddistrict,hasveryfewguestsexceptinsummer,whenitisthrongedwithtourists,whoavailthemselvesofthatgenialseasontoviewthewondersofWales,ofwhichtheregionclosebyisconsideredamongsttheprincipal。
Theinn,orratherhospice—forthesoundingnameofhospiceismoreapplicabletoitthanthecommononeofinn—wasbuiltatagreatexpensebythelateDukeofNewcastle。Itisanimmenseloftycottagewithprojectingeaves,andhasafinewindowtotheeastwhichenlightensastatelystaircaseandanoblegallery。Itfrontsthenorth,andstandsinthemidstofoneofthemostremarkablelocalitiesintheworld,ofwhichitwouldrequireafarmorevigorouspenthanminetoconveyanadequateidea。
Fartothewestisatall,strange—lookinghill,thetopofwhichbearsnoslightresemblancetothatofabattlementedcastle。Thishill,whichisbelievedtohavebeeninancienttimesastrongholdoftheBritons,bearsthenameofBrynyCastell,orthehillofthecastle。Tothenorth—westarerussethills,totheeasttwobrownpaps,whilsttothesouthisahigh,swellingmountain。Tothenorth,andjustbelowthehospice,isaprofoundhollowwithalltheappearanceofthecraterofanextinctvolcano;atthebottomofthishollowthewatersoftworiversunite;thoseoftheRheidolfromthenorth,andthoseoftheAfonyMynach,ortheMonks’River,fromthesouth—east。TheRheidol,fallingoverarockyprecipiceatthenorthernsideofthehollow,formsacataractverypleasanttolookuponfromthemiddleupperwindowoftheinn。ThoseoftheMynachwhichpassunderthecelebratedDevil’sBridgearenotvisible,thoughtheygenerallymakethemselvesheard。Thewatersofboth,afteruniting,flowawaythrougharomanticglentowardsthewest。Thesidesofthehollow,andindeedofmostoftheravinesintheneighbourhood,whicharenumerous,arebeautifullycladwithwood。
Penetratenowintothehollowabovewhichthehospicestands。Youdescendbysuccessiveflightsofsteps,someofwhichareveryslipperyandinsecure。OnyourrightistheMonks’River,roaringdownitsdingleinfivesuccessivefalls,tojoinitsbrothertheRheidol。Eachofthefallshasitsownpeculiarbasin,oneortwoofwhicharesaidtobeofawfuldepth。Thelengthwhichthesefallswiththeirbasinsoccupyisaboutfivehundredfeet。Onthesideofthebasinofthelastbutoneisthecave,orthesiteofthecave,saidtohavebeenoccupiedinoldtimesbytheWickedChildren—themysteriousPlantdeBat—twobrothersandasister,robbersandmurderers。Atpresentitisnearlyopenoneveryside,having,itissaid,beendestroyedtopreventitsbeingthehauntofotherevilpeople。Thereisatraditioninthecountrythatthefallatonetimetumbledoveritsmouth。Thistradition,however,isevidentlywithoutfoundation,asfromthenatureofthegroundtherivercouldneverhaverunbutinitspresentchannel。Ofallthefalls,thefifthorlastisthemostconsiderable:youviewitfromakindofden,towhichthelastflightofsteps,theruggedestandmostdangerousofall,hasbroughtyou。Yourpositionhereisawildone。Thefall,whichissplitintotwo,isthunderingbesideyou;foam,foam,foamisflyingallaboutyou;
thebasinorcauldronisboilingfrightfullybelowyou;hirsuterocksarefrowningterriblyaboveyou,andabovethemforesttrees,dankandwetwithsprayandmist,aredistillingdropsinshowersfromtheirboughs。
Butwhereisthebridge,thecelebratedbridgeoftheEvilMan?
Fromthebottomofthefirstflightofstepsleadingdownintothehollowyouseeamodern—lookingbridge,bestridingadeepchasmorclefttothesouth—east,nearthetopofthedingleoftheMonks’
River;overitliestheroadtoPontErwyd。That,however,isnottheDevil’sBridge;butabouttwentyfeetbelowthatbridge,andcompletelyoverhungbyit,don’tyouseeashadowy,spectralobject,somethinglikeabow,whichlikewisebestridesthechasm?
Youdo!Well,thatshadowy,spectralobjectisthecelebratedDevil’sBridge,or,asthetimorouspeasantsofthelocalitycallit,thePontyGwrDrwg。Itisnowmerelypreservedasanobjectofcuriosity,thebridgeabovebeingaloneusedfortransit,andisquiteinaccessibleexcepttobirdsandtheclimbingwickedboysoftheneighbourhood,whosometimesattheriskoftheirlivescontrivetogetuponitfromthefrightfullysteepnorthernbank,andsnatchafearfuljoy,as,whilstlyingontheirbellies,theypoketheirheadsoveritssideswornbyage,withoutparapettopreventthemfromfallingintothehorridgulfbelow。ButfromthestepsinthehollowtheviewoftheDevil’sBridge,andlikewiseofthecleft,isveryslightandunsatisfactory。Toviewitproperly,andthewondersconnectedwithit,youmustpassoverthebridgeaboveit,anddescendaprecipitousdingleontheeasternsidetillyoucometoasmallplatforminacrag。Belowyounowisafrightfulcavity,atthebottomofwhichthewatersoftheMonks’
River,whichcomestumblingfromaglentotheeast,whirl,boil,andhissinahorridpotorcauldron,calledinthelanguageofthecountryTwllynygraig,ortheholeintherock,inamannertrulytremendous。Onyourrightisaslit,probablycausedbyvolcanicforce,throughwhichthewatersafterwhirlinginthecauldroneventuallyescape。Theslitiswonderfullynarrow,consideringitsaltitudewhichisverygreat—considerablyupwardsofahundredfeet。Nearlyaboveyou,crossingtheslit,whichispartiallywraptindarkness,isthefar—famedbridge,theBridgeoftheEvilMan,aworkwhich,thoughcrumblinganddarklygrey,doesmuchhonourtothehandwhichbuiltit,whetheritwasthehandofSatanorofamonkisharchitect;forthearchischasteandbeautiful,farsuperiorineveryrespect,exceptinsafetyandutility,totheoneaboveit,whichfromthisplaceyouhavenotthemortificationofseeing。Gazeontheseobjects,namely,thehorridseethingpotorcauldron,thegloomyvolcanicslit,andthespectral,shadowyDevil’sBridgeforaboutthreeminutes,allowingaminutetoeach,thenscrambleupthebankandrepairtoyourinn,andhavenomoresight—seeingthatday,foryouhaveseenenough。AndifpleasantrecollectionsdonothauntyouthroughlifeofthenoblefallsandthebeautifulwoodeddinglestothewestofthebridgeoftheEvilOne,andawfulandmysteriousonesofthemonks’boilingcauldron,thelong,savage,shadowycleft,andthegrey,crumbling,spectralbridge,Isayboldlythatyoumustbeaveryunpoeticalpersonindeed。
CHAPTERLXXXV
DinnerattheHospice—EveningGossip—ADayofRain—AScantyFlock—TheBridgeoftheMinister—LegsinDanger。
IDINEDinaparlouroftheinncommandinganexcellentviewofthehollowandtheRheidolfall。ShortlyafterIhaddined,afiercestormofrainandwindcameon。Itlastedforanhour,andtheneverythingagainbecamecalm。JustbeforeeveningwasclosinginI
tookastrolltoavillagewhichstandsalittlewaytothewestoftheinn。Itconsistsonlyofafewruinousedifices,andischieflyinhabitedbyminersandtheirfamilies。Isawnomen,butplentyofwomenandchildren。SeeingaknotofwomenandgirlschattingIwentupandaddressedthem。Someofthegirlswereverygood—looking;noneofthepartyhadanyEnglish;allofthemwereverycivil。Ifirsttalkedtothemaboutreligion,andfoundthat,withoutasingleexception,theywereCalvinistic—Methodists。I
nexttalkedtothemaboutthePlantdeBat。Theylaughedheartilyatthefirstmentionoftheirname,butseemedtoknowverylittleabouttheirhistory。Aftersometwentyminutes’discourseIbadethemgood—nightandreturnedtomyinn。
Thenightwasverycold;thepeopleofthehouse,however,madeupformearoaringfireofturf,andIfeltverycomfortable。Aboutteno’clockIwenttobed,intendingnextmorningtogoandseePlynlimmon,whichIhadleftbehindmeonenteringCardiganshire。
Whenthemorningcame,however,IsawatoncethatIhadentereduponadaybynomeansadaptedforexcursionsofanyconsiderablelength,foritrainedterribly;butthisgavemeverylittleconcern;mytimewasmyown,andIsaidtomyself:"IfIcan’tgoto—dayIcanperhapsgoto—morrow。"AfterbreakfastIpassedsomehoursinamannerbynomeansdisagreeable,sometimesmeditatingbeforemyturffire,withmyeyesfixeduponit,andsometimessittingbythewindow,withmyeyesfixeduponthecascadeoftheRheidol,whichwaseverymomentbecomingmoremagnificent。Atlengthabouttwelveo’clock,fearingthatifIstayedwithinI
shouldlosemyappetitefordinner,whichhasalwaysbeenoneofthegreatestofmyenjoyments,IdeterminedtogoandseetheMinister’sBridgewhichmyfriendtheoldminingcaptainhadspokentomeabout。IknewthatIshouldgetawettingbydoingso,fortheweatherstillcontinuedverybad,butIdon’tcaremuchforawettingprovidedIhaveagoodroof,agoodfire,andgoodfaretobetakemyselftoafterwards。
SoIsetout。AsIpassedoverthebridgeoftheMynachRiverI
lookeddownovertheeasternbalustrade。TheBridgeoftheEvilOne,whichisjustbelowit,wasquiteinvisible。Icouldsee,however,thepotorcrochandistinctlyenough,andahorriblesightitpresented。Thewaterswerewhirlingroundinamannertodescribewhichanywordbutfrenziedwouldbeutterlypowerless。
Half—an—hour’swalkingbroughtmetothelittlevillagethroughwhichIhadpassedthedaybefore。GoinguptoahouseIknockedatthedoor,andamiddle—agedmanopeningit,IaskedhimthewaytotheBridgeoftheMinister。Hepointedtothelittlechapeltothewest,andsaidthatthewaylaypastit,addingthathewouldgowithmehimself,ashewantedtogotothehillsontheothersidetoseehissheep。
Wegotpresentlyintodiscourse。HeatfirsttalkedbrokenEnglish,butsoonbegantospeakhisnativelanguage。IaskedhimifthechapelbelongedtotheMethodists。
"Itisnotachapel,"saidhe,"itisachurch。"
"Domanycometoit?"saidI。
"Notmany,sir,fortheMethodistsareverypowerfulhere。Notmorethanfortyorfiftycome。"
"DoyoubelongtotheChurch?"saidI。
"Ido,sir—thankGod!"
"Youmaywellbethankful,"saidI,"foritisagreatprivilegetobelongtotheChurchofEngland。"
"Itisso,sir,"saidtheman,’thoughfew,alas!thinkso。"
Ifoundhimahighly—intelligentperson。Onmytalkingtohimaboutthenameoftheplace,hesaidthatsomecalleditSpyttyCynfyn,andothersSpyttyCynwyl,andthatbothCynwylandCynfynwerethenamesofpeople,tooneorotherofwhichtheplacewasdedicated,andthat,liketheplacefartheroncalledSpyttyYstwyth,itwasintheoldtimeahospitalorinnfortheconvenienceofthepilgrimsgoingtothegreatmonasteryofYstradFlurorStrataFlorida。
Passingthroughafieldortwowecametothesideofaverydeepravine,downwhichtherewasazigzagpathleadingtothebridge。
Thepathwasverysteep,and,owingtotherain,exceedinglyslippery。Forsomewayitledthroughagroveofdwarfoaks,bygraspingthebranchesofwhichIwasenabledtosupportmyselftolerablywell;nearlyatthebottom,however,wherethepathwasmostprecipitous,thetreesceasedaltogether。Fearingtotrustmylegs,Ideterminedtoslidedown,andputmyresolutioninpractice,arrivingatalittleshelfclosebythebridgewithoutanyaccident。Theman,accustomedtothepath,wentdownintheusualmanner。Thebridgeconsistedofacoupleofplanksandapoleflungoverachasmabouttenfeetwide,onthefarthersideofwhichwasaprecipicewithapathatleastquiteassteepastheonedownwhichIhadcome,andwithoutanytreesorshrubsbywhichthosewhouseditmightsupportthemselves。Thetorrentrolledaboutninefeetbelowthebridge;itschannelwastortuous;onthesouth—eastsideofthebridgewasacauldron,likethatonwhichI
hadlookeddownfromthebridgeovertheriverofthemonks。ThemanpassedoverthebridgeandIfollowedhim;ontheothersidewestoppedandturnedround。Theriverwasrushingandsurging,thepotwasboilingandroaring,andeverythinglookedwildandsavage;
butthelocality,forawfulnessandmysteriousgloom,couldnotcomparewiththatontheeastsideoftheDevil’sBridge,norforsublimityandgrandeurwiththatonthewest。
"Hereyousee,sir,"saidtheman,"theBridgeoftheOffeiriad,calledso,itissaid,becausethepopesusedtopassoveritintheoldtime;andhereyouhavetheRheidol,which,thoughnotsosmoothnorsowelloffforbanksastheHafrenandtheGwy,getstotheseabeforeeitherofthem,and,asthepennillsays,isquiteasmuchentitledtohonour:—
"’HafrenaWyynhyfrydeuweddARheidolvawreianrhydedd。’
Goodrhyme,sir,that。IwishyouwouldputitintoSaesneg。"
"IamafraidIshallmakeapoorhandofit,"saidI;"however,I
willdomybest:—
"’OhpleasantlydoglidealongtheSevernandtheWye;
ButRheidol’srough,andyethe’sheldbyallinhonourhigh。’
"Verygoodrhymethat,sir!thoughnotsogoodasthepennillCymraeg。Ha,Idoseethatyouknowthetwolanguagesandareonepoet。Andnow,sir,Imustleaveyou,andgotothehillstomysheep,whoIamafraidwillbesufferinginthisdreadfulweather。
However,beforeIgo,Ishouldwishtoseeyousafeoverthebridge。"
Ishookhimbythehand,andretracingmystepsoverthebridge,beganclamberingupthebankonmyknees。
"Youwillspoilyourtrousers,sir!"criedthemanfromtheotherside。
"Idon’tcareifIdo,"saidI,"providedIsavemylegs,whichareinsomedangerinthisplace,aswellasmyneck,whichisoflessconsequence。"
Ihurriedbackamidstrainandwindtomyfriendlyhospice,where,afterdryingmywetclothesaswellasIcould,Imadeanexcellentdinneronfowlandbacon。Dinnerover,Itookupanewspaperwhichwasbroughtme,andreadanarticleabouttheRussianwar,whichdidnotseemtobegoingonmuchtotheadvantageoftheallies。
Soonflingingthepaperaside,Istuckmyfeetonthestove,oneoneachsideoftheturffire,andlistenedtothenoiseswithout。
ThebellowingofthewinddownthemountainpassesandtheroaringoftheRheidolfallatthenorthsideofthevalley,andtherushingofthefivecascadesoftheriverMynach,weretrulyawful。
PerhapsIoughtnottohavesaidthefivecascadesoftheMynach,buttheMynachcascade,fornowitsfivecascadeshadbecomeone,extendingfromthechasmoverwhichhungthebridgeofSatantothebottomofthevalley。
AfteratimeIfellintoafitofmusing。IthoughtofthePlantdeBat;IthoughtofthespittiesorhospitalsconnectedwiththegreatmonasteryofYstradFlurorStrataFlorida;Ithoughtoftheremarkablebridgecloseby,builtbyaclevermonkofthatplacetofacilitatethecomingofpilgrimswiththeirvotiveofferingsfromthenorthtohisconvent;IthoughtoftheconventbuiltinthetimeofourHenrytheSecondbyRyceabGruffyd,princeofSouthWales;andlastly,Ithoughtofawonderfulmanwhowasburiedinitsprecincts,thegreatestgeniuswhichWales,andperhapsBritain,everproduced,onwhoseaccount,andnotbecauseofoldithadbeenamagnificentbuilding,andthemostcelebratedplaceofpopishpilgrimageinWales,Ihadlongagodeterminedtovisititonmyjourney,amanofwhoselifeandworksthefollowingisabriefaccount。
CHAPTERLXXXVI
BirthandEarlyYearsofAbGwilym—Morfudd—RelicofDruidism—
TheMenofGlamorgan—LegendofAbGwilym—AbGwilymasaWriter—WonderfulVariety—ObjectsofNature—GruffyddGryg。
DAFYDDABGWILYMwasbornabouttheyear1320,ataplacecalledBroGynnininthecountyofCardigan。Thoughborninwedlockhewasnotconceivedlegitimately。Hismotherbeingdiscoveredbyherparentstobepregnant,wasturnedoutofdoorsbythem,whereuponshewenttoherlover,whomarriedher,thoughinsodoingheactedcontrarytotheadviceofhisrelations。Afteralittletime,however,ageneralreconciliationtookplace。TheparentsofAbGwilym,thoughhighlyconnected,donotappeartohavepossessedmuchproperty。Theboywaseducatedbyhismother’sbrotherLlewelynabGwilymFychan,achiefofCardiganshire;buthisprincipalpatroninafterlifewasIfor,acousinofhisfather,surnamedHael,orthebountiful,achieftainofGlamorganshire。
Thispersonreceivedhimwithinhishouse,madehimhisstewardandtutortohisdaughter。WiththisyoungladyAbGwilymspeedilyfellinlove,andthedamselreturnedhispassion。Ifor,however,notapprovingoftheconnection,senthisdaughtertoAnglesey,andeventuallycausedhertotaketheveilinanunneryofthatisland。
Dafyddpursuedher,butnotbeingabletoobtainaninterview,hereturnedtohispatron,whogavehimakindreception。UnderIfor’sroofhecultivatedpoetrywithgreatassiduityandwonderfulsuccess。Whilstveryyoung,beingtauntedwiththecircumstancesofhisbirthbyabrotherbardcalledRhysMeigan,heretortedinanodesovenomouslybitterthathisadversary,afterhearingit,felldownandexpired。ShortlyafterthiseventhewasmadeheadbardofGlamorganbyuniversalacclamation。