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Gwerful Mechain, active 1462-1500 English
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Notes on words, etc.,

A manuscript consisting of a number of ? home-made note-books or booklets containing material in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg') bound together into one volume. P. 1 (which with pp. 2, 47-8 formed the covers of booklet 1) is inscribed 'Cymreigyddyn Rhif I, Silurian Words and others, miscellaneous'. The contents of pp. 3-24, 45-7 (other pages blank) of this booklet consist almost entirely of groups or lists of miscellaneous Welsh words with, variantly, English or Welsh equivalents or definitions, explanatory notes, phrases or poetic extracts to illustrate usage or meaning, etc. Also included is a list of words and phrases illustrating differences of usage in the Silurian and Venedotian dialects. P. 49 (which with pp. 50, 67-8 formed the covers of a second booklet) is inscribed 'Cymreigyddyn Rhif II. Casgliadau Llythyregawl' and (in the hand of Taliesin Williams) 'Poets and Poetry appertaining to Merthyr Tydvil Promiscuously inserted Mai 13, 1831', but the booklet is blank except for p. 68 which contains a note on the language and style of the Gogynfeirdd and the probability that such a poetic style had been introduced into Welsh poetry through Gruffudd ap Cynan's connection with Icelandic sources. P. 69 (which with pp. 70, 119-20 formed the covers of a third booklet) is inscribed 'Cymreigyddyn Rhif V (To go with the Salmau London proof paper)' and (in the hand of Taliesin Williams) 'Bannau'r flwyddyn. Tynghedfen Taliesin'. Most of this section is blank but pp. 71-5, 78-9 contain material similar to that which is found on pp. 3-24, 45-7, and also some verse attributed to Taliesin. P. 121 (which with pp. 122, 169-70 formed the covers of a fourth booklet) is inscribed 'Cymreigyddyn Rhif VI', but the section is blank except for pp. 122-9 which contain material similar to that on pp. 3-24, 45-7, 71-5, 78-9. P. 171 (which with pp. 172, 221-2 formed the covers of a fifth booklet) is inscribed 'Extracts from E. Llwyd's MS. in Mr. Nichol's possession', 'Topographical Anecdotes of Glamorgan, & c.', 'Gallia Togata, Celtica, & Braccata from Littleton. Last page of this book', and (in the hand of Taliesin Williams) 'Pit Falls and Subterranean Rivers in Glamorgan'. The greater part of this section is blank but pp. 173-9, 181-5 contain lists or groups of Welsh words with notes such as those noted in the preceding sections (some being associated with specified areas) and of names of dwellings or topographical features in specified parishes or counties in Wales, a sketch plan relating to a cross in Cowbridge churchyard, a brief note relating to Edward Llwyd, and a geological note, pp. 187-8, notes headed 'Topographical Anecdotes of Glamorgan', and pp. 220-21, a list of Latin proper names, etc., relating to Gaul, the Celts, the Cimmeri, etc., 'from Littlelton's Dictionary'. Frequently interspersed amongst the material on pp. 173-9, 181-5 is the name of Edward Llwyd and this material may have been extracted from one of his manuscripts as indicated on the cover to the section (p. 171). P. 223 ( which with pp. 224, 271-2 formed the covers of a sixth booklet) is inscribed '1. Extracts from Ystatut Rhuddlan. 2. Extracts from Hywel Dda end of this book reversed. 3. Historical Fragments from various MSS. Welsh'. The greater part of the section is blank but pp. 226-30 contain legal words, phrases, and extracts from a Welsh version of the Statute of Rhuddlan and ? other sources with English equivalents or definitions of the words and phrases, and pp. 269-70 miscellaneous extracts naming early, some legendary, Welsh poets, etc., and a transcript of the explicit of a copy of a version of the laws of Hywel Dda transcribed by 'Dafydd sgrifennydd i Iorwerth vab Llywelyn vab Tudur' giving the pedigree in direct line of the said Llywelyn. Pp. 273-84 (without previous covers) contain extracts from, or comments on statements in, [Theophilus Jones: A History of the County of Brecknock, vol. 1, Brecknock, 1805]. P. 285 (which may have been one of the covers of the booklet now paginated 293-340) is inscribed 'Philology - Bardism. Historical Anecdotes, &c., a few proverbs Glam. Gwasgargerdd Iolo Morganwg. Criticisms by E. Wms.', and (in the hand of Taliesin Williams) 'Pennillion Arwest. cynghanedd copied but not the pennillion (several)'. The greater part of the section is blank but pp. 292-308 contain Welsh words with notes of a varying nature thereon, poetic extracts to illustrate some of these words or quoted in connection therewith including transcripts of 'englynion' attributed to Raff ab Robert, Gwerfyl Mechain, Syr Siôn Gruffydd, and Thomas Llywelyn, a list of Welsh words which in Monmouth usage had an initial G but which in Glamorgan were used without this initial consonant, notes on stones called variously Maen Meian, Maen Gorchest, Maen Ambor, Maen Gobaith, and Gwal y Filast, seven four-line stanzas of Welsh free-metre verse by [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg', further stanzas of Welsh free-metre verse, brief notes relating to mutations in Welsh compound words, etc.

Cywyddau a baledi,

Transcripts by John Humphreys Davies, [Sir] Owen M. Edwards and Henry Rowlands, Llangollen of poetry by Hugh Cadwaladr, Dafydd Nanmor, Gruffudd Hiraethog, Hywel Cilan, Iolo Goch, Mr William Lloyd, Thomas Llwyd, Owain ap Llywelyn Moel y Pantri, Owain Gwynedd, Siôn Mawddwy, Gwerfyl Mechain, William Phylip, Rhys Goch Eryri, Rowland Huw, Tudur Aled, Tudur Penllyn, Siôn Tudur, John Vaughan, Rowland Vaughan, Margaret Rowland, Watcyn Clywedog and Wiliam Llŷn.

O. M. Edwards, J. H. Davies and Henry Rowlands.

Barddoniaeth,

A volume containing transcripts of Welsh verse in strict metre (consisting mainly of 'cywyddau') transcribed, October [18]89 - February [18]90, by I[saac] F[oulkes] [newspaper proprietor and publisher]. Many of the poems are annotated to indicate that they were copied out of a volume in the possession of 'W.J.' of Llangollen, and the whole work appears to be an incomplete transcript of NLW MS 670D, which itself consists of a collection of Welsh poems transcribed by William Jones ('Bleddyn'), antiquary, local historian, etc., of Llangollen. The poets whose work is represented include Gwerfil Mechain, Howel Dafi alias Hywel ap Dafydd ap Ieuan ap Rys (Bardd Raglan), Sion ap Phelppot, Robert ap Dafydd Llwyd, Iorwerth Fynglwyd, Dafydd Llwyd ap Llywelyn ap Gruffydd (o Fathafarn), John ap Howel ap Tudur, Huw Cae Llwyd, Lewys Daron, Bedo Brwynllys, ? Gruffydd ap Ieuan Fychan, Syr Rhys o Garno, Morus ap Hywel ap Tudur, Gruffydd Hiraethog, Huw Llwyd Cynfael, Ifan Tew, Dafydd Nanmor, Cadwaladr Cesail, Huw Ifan ap Huw (o'r Bryn bychan), John Ifan, Rhisiart Cynwal, Huw Machno, Syr John Leiaf, Huw Pennant, Rhys Nanmor, Sion Dafydd Penllyn alias Sion Dafydd Las alias y Bardd Meddw (o Nannau), Syr Dafydd Owain, Gruffydd ab Ieuan ab Llewelyn Fychan, Hywel Cilan, Lewis Môn, Hywel Gethin, Efan ab Gruffydd Leiaf, Watkyn ab Risiart, Hywel ap Reinallt, Mathau Bromffield, Watkyn Clywedog, William Lleyn (Bencerdd), William Cynwal, Simwnt Fychan (Bencerdd), Euan Llafar, Thomas Prys (o Blasiolyn), William Vaughan, Huw Arwystli, Sion Phylip, Richard Phylip, Ifan Dyfi, Lewis Menai, Dafydd Owen, and Llewelyn ap Gutyn. A note on p. 123 indicates that three 'englynion' by [Thomas Edwards] 'Twm o'r Nant', which were to be found at this point in W[illiam] J[ones]'s volume [NLW MS 670D], had not been copied by the transcriber, as he intended including them in a proposed new edition of that poet's works, to be published by him in 1889. A second note on the same page indicates that, similarly, fourteen 'cywyddau' by Tudur Aled had not been transcribed in the present volume, but had been copied into another book, with the intention of publishing these and other poems by the same bard, together with poems by Guto'r Glyn and Sion Tudur. In fact, fourteen 'cywyddau' and four other poems by Tudur Aled, and all of the poems by Guto'r Glyn and Sion Tudur, which appear in NLW MS 670D, have been omitted from the present volume, the presence of poems by the two latter bards in NLW MS 670D being usually indicated by the transcriber by quoting the title, or title and first line, of such works. A note on p. 153 states that eighty ' cywyddau' by Dafydd ap Gwilym [which appeared in William Jones's book, i.e ., NLW MS 670D, pp. 149-263], had been used to correct the published edition of that poet's work ('Yma daw LXXX Cywydd o waith Dafydd ab Gwilym, y rhai a ddefnyddiwyd i gywiro ei waith argraffedig'). These eighty poems, and also five retaliatory poems composed by Gruffydd Grug, in a poetic contention with Dafydd ap Gwilym, and found interspersed among the eighty 'cywyddau', have been omitted from the present volume. A further note on p. 264 states that the last three 'cywyddau' [in NLW MS 670D] had not been copied, as the transcriber believed the text to be so corrupt, that they did not merit transcription. A fly-leaf is marked 'Bk i', and this possibly connects the volume with NLW MS 19313, which, marked on a fly-leaf 'Bk ii', consists of a similar volume of Welsh verse transcribed, March - April [18]90, by I[saac] F[oulkes], again, by inference, from a book in the possession of W[illiam] J[ones].

Isaac Foulkes.