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A volume in the hand of William Maurice of Cefn-y-braich, Llansilin, Denbighshire. The name 'Guil. Mauriciu[m]' appears on f. 4 verso and 'Guil. Mauricij' on f. 5. The entry on f. 4 verso, which reads '[ ] Brit. Gram[m]atica, ex Autographo [memb]ranaceo fidelitur transcript per Guil. Mauriciu[m] Lansilinensem tunc Studij Antiq. Tironem. Ano. D[omi]ni 1639. Aet: 19.', not only gives Maurice's age and an idea of his year of birth, which was not previously known, but also links the manuscript with item number 38 in a list of manuscripts at Wynnstay in Angharad Llwyd's 'Catalogue of Welsh manuscripts, etc. in North Wales', Transactions of the Cymmrodorion... 2.1 (1828), 36-58 (p. 53). A note added on f. 20 verso reads 'Y nawed dydd ar higain /o/fis Ionawr pann oedd oed Crist mil a chwechant a phedwar ar ddeg a rhigain y llosgodd dâs eithin Curn Foelfre gann dân or awyr' and also links the manuscript to the Llansilin area, the hill Gyrn Foelfre being just over a mile from Cefn-y-braich. The ink throughout is heavy dark brown ink, which is so characteristic of William Maurice's transcriptions. This is interspersed with red ink, especially when citing literary quotations as examples (ff. 31 verso-51, 53-57). A note in the hand of William Maurice (f. 57), incomplete because of fire damage, suggests that the manuscript was copied from a manuscript borrowed from '[ ] Siôn'. This may well be a reference to Richard ap Siôn of Sgorlegan, Llangynhafal (fl. 1578-1611), who is known to have transcribed copies of the bardic grammars [Peniarth MSS 159-160]. The original text probably measured 140 x 190 mm.; the text was arranged in two columns, each 90 mm. wide; most of the right hand column (recto) and left hand column (verso) has been lost as a result of the fire.
The manuscript contains the following: 'Llyma ddosbarth Edyrn dafod avr' (ff. 5-10 verso); 'Llyma ddechrav dosbarth y pvmp llyfr cerddwriaeth cerdd dafawd' (ff. 11-20 verso); 'pa sawl rhan y sydd o ymadrodd' (ff. 21-40 verso); 'Bellach yr ysbyswn am y pedwar messvr ar vgain cerdd dafawd' (ff. 41-54 verso); 'Bellach yr ysbyswnn am ba fodd a pha ddelw y dyleir moli pob gradd' (ff. 55-59); two verses of poetry, one of which is attributed to Huw ab Robert (f. 59 verso). A discussion of the texts contained in the manuscript is contained in the volume Gramadegau'r Penceirddiaid, ed. by G. J. Williams & E. J. Jones (Caerdydd, 1934)