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Gruffudd Hiraethog, -1564 File English
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'Cronfa Dafydd Ddu', etc.

A composite volume compiled by Owen Williams, Fronheulog, Waunfawr in 1857. It comprises: I. 'Y Gronfa' (pp. 1-200), largely in the hand of David Thomas ('Dafydd Ddu Eryri'), containing an introduction ('Y Rhagymadrodd') signed 4 October 1790; an English translation by D[avid] T[homas] of two lines of poetry by Gwalchmai; 'Cyfieithiad o Awdl Sibli (Sibyl's Ode, translated by the Revd. Gor[onwy] Owen)' ('See the above, versified in D. Thomas's poetical collection'); etymons of Mr Jones of Llanegryn, Mr L. Morris, and D. Tho[ma]s; extracts from letters from the Revd. Gor[onwy] Owen to Mr Richard Morris of the Navy Office, London, 1753-67; Welsh poetry by Bleddyn, Gwgon, Taliesin, Cynddelw [Brydydd Mawr], 'Guttun Gwrecsam' ('sef John Edwards neu Sion Ceiriog now dead'), Rhisiart Jones 'o Fôn, Syr Thomas Jones ('Iechyd i Galon yr hen offeiriad O na bai Gant o'i fath ynghymru y dydd heddyw'), Hywel ap Reinallt, Llywelyn Goch ap Meurig Hen (with a translation by Evan Evans ['Ieuan Fardd']), Hywel ap Dafydd ap Ieuan ap Rhys, Thomas Celli, Tudur Aled, D[avid] Thomas, Owen Williams (Waunfawr) (c.1820), Rhys Jones 'o'r Blaenau', and Goronwy Owen; English poetry by Alexander Pope, John Dyer, and Thomas Gray; anecdotes and biographical notes relating to Gruffydd Hiraethog, William Phylip, Sion Tudur, William Lleyn, etc.; 'Athrawiaeth y Gorphwysiadau', being rules of punctuation, copied in 1809 ('not intended for public inspection'); observations in verse on 'Barddoniaeth Gymreig', for publication in the North Wales Gazette, 1818; a holograph letter from D. Thomas to Robt. Williams, land surveyor, Bangor, 1820 (plagiarism of one of the writer's poems, comments on the poetry of 'Gutyn P[eris]', results of the Wrexham eisteddfod); 'Sibli's Prophecy. A Fragment from the Welsh', translated by D. Thomas; 'A Discourse between St Kybi and other saints on their passage to the Isle of Bardsey ...'; epithalamia to Dafydd Thomas and Elin, his wife, by [John Roberts] 'Siôn Lleyn', [Griffith Williams] 'Gutyn Peris', [William Williams] 'Gwilym Peris', and Dafydd Owain ('Bardd Gwyn o Eifion', i.e. 'Dewi Wyn o Eifion'), 1803-4; reviews by 'Adolygwr' of 'awdlau' by Walter Davies ['Gwallter Mechain'] and Edward Hughes ['Y Dryw'] on 'Amaethyddiaeth' submitted for competition at Tre Fadog eisteddfod, 1811; and critical observations on Welsh poetry entitled 'Ystyriaethau ar Brydyddiaeth Gymraeg ai pherthynasau yn gynnwysedig mewn rhai nodiadau ar waith Mr. T[homas] Jones ['Y Bardd Cloff'] yn y Greal', by 'Peblig', Glan Gwyrfai [i.e. 'Dafydd Ddu Eryri'] (published in Golud yr Oes, 1863, pp. 118-23), together with copies of two letters, 1806, to the author from 'Padarn' [i.e. 'Gutyn Peris'] and John Roberts ['Sion Lleyn'] containing their observations on the views set forth in the treatise. Pp. 61-8 are in the autograph of Owen Williams, Waunfawr. The compiler has included a few cover papers from manuscripts of 'Dafydd Ddu Eryri' bearing such inscriptions as 'This Morrisian MS (with some others) I found at a Farmhouse called Braint near Penmynydd, Anglesey, Sept. 9th 1793. D. Thomas' (p. 123) and 'This MSS (with several others) has been bequethed to me, by the Rev. David Ellis, late Rector of Cruccaith in Caernarvonshire. D. Thomas' (p. 189). Ii. The works of Griffith Williams ('Gutyn Peris'), Braich Talog, Llandegai, - 'Sef Casgliad, O Ganiadau, Carolau, a Cherddi, Ac awdlau, a Chowyddau, Ac Englynion ...', transcribed by Owen Williams, Ty ycha'r ffordd, Waun fawr, Llanbeblig, 1811, together with a few 'englynion' by Goronwy Owen (pp. 201-48). Iii. 'Bywyd a Marwolaeth Godidog Fardd, Dafydd Thomas; neu Dafydd Ddu, o Eryri', being a biography collected and transcribed by Owen Williams, Waunfawr; 'Casgliad Barddonawl O Waith Dafydd Ddu o Eryri, Y rhai a gyfansoddodd Yn ol ei argraffiad o Gorph y Gaingc' (imperfect) (1 page), 'Englynion ar Fedd Dafydd Thomas' by Dafydd Owen ('Dewi Wynn o Eifion'), Robert Williams ('Robert ap Gwilym Ddu' 'o'r Bettws Bach Eifion'), Griffith Williams ('Guttun Peris'), Richard Jones (Erw), Wm. Edward ('Gwilym Padarn'), and [Owen Williams]; 'englynion' by 'Dafydd Ddu Eryri', 1796-1815 and undated; and extracts from three letters from 'Dafydd Ddu Eryri' to P[eter] B[ailey] W[illiams], 1806-20 (the death of the recipient's parishioners in Llanberis and Llanrug, the death of the recipient's brother the Reverend Eliezer Williams, the displeasure of 'O[wain] Myfyr') (pp. 251-84). Iv. A transcript of Cofrestr o'r holl Lyfrau Printiedig ... (Llundain, 1717) (pp. 287-452). Inset are three leaves containing transcripts of a letter from Edmund Francis to [ ] (the writer's health, the recipient's preaching engagement) (incomplete) and of a letter from D. Thomas ['Dafydd Ddu Eryri'] to [John Roberts, 'Siôn Lleyn'], 1810 (the sale of the writer's [Corph y Gaingc]). Written on the inside lower cover is a long note by O[wen] Williams, Fronheulog, Waunfawr, 1857, of which the following is an extract, - 'Myfi a gesglais gynhwysedd y llyfr hwn o'r hen ysgrifiau a ddaeth i'm dwylaw oeddynt eiddo Dafydd Ddu Eryri ac a delais am eu rhwymo yn nghyd megys y gwelir yma er's llawer o flynyddoedd yn ol ...'.

Miscellaneous prose and poetry,

A composite volume ettered on the spine 'M.S.S. Vol. VI' containing miscellaneous material, chiefly in the hand of William Owen [-Pughe]. Pages 283-98 are in the hand of John Davies, Pentrefidog, and a note by him on p. 298 reads: 'Mae yn ddrwg ginni na allaswn ei wneuthur yn well yr wyf wedi mynd yn rhy garnbwl wedi gadel y 90. o oedran J:D.'. The contents include: pp. 1-6, 'The Laws of Menu. Memorandums'; p. 30, a brief word- list; pp. 45-96, a bardic grammar with examples of the twenty-four metres of Welsh poetry, beginning: 'Sillafeu a derfynant mewn dwy neu dair or bogeild . . . .', the text is preceded by a note: 'gwell [sic] y dechreu yn y Llyfr glas, Dwned S.Vn.'; p. 97, lines entitled 'To Beli', beginning: 'Mi rythiolaf buddig Beli . . .', with translation; pp. 99-101, 'Y Breiniau a roes Rhun i Wyr Arfon'; pp. 141-44, a list of the terms of rhetoric with Welsh equivalents; pp. 145-49, 'William Salbury yn danfon annerch ar Gruffudd Hiraethawc ag ar eraill of gelfyddyt, ex Autographo Salesburiano script 1552' (text published, see Henry Lewis: 'Llythyr William Salesbury at Ruffudd Hiraethog', The Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies, vol. II, pp. 113-18); p. 181, a note in shorthand and Hebrew; pp. 184-90, 197- 99, and 202-03, notes in shorthand; pp. 211-12, a shorthand-Hebrew vocabulary; pp. 213-14, a poem attributed to 'Gwyldrem Tarianmaon', beginning: 'Tan fyg Lywodraeth, Dewr Ymmerodraeth, Ynys Prydyn . . .'; pp. 215-17 & 222, an elegy to 'Robin Ddu o Fôn' [Robert Hughes], beginning: 'Cloed awdur gwaith clodadwy . . .'; pp. 225-28, a Welsh translation of the first two scenes of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth; p. 233, key to shorthand symbols; pp. 237-68, pages of shorthand; pp. 281- 82, 'Odlig newydd', seven stanzas beginning: 'Ar bethau o dragwyddol bwys . . .'; pp. 283-84, & 297-98, 'Cywydd yn dang[os] mor bur yw Cydymaith ag mor ffals yw un arall. o waith Thomas Price o blas yolyn', beginning 'Mae Bruson gyfion gyfion [sic] oedd gall . . .'; pp. 285-97, 'Hanes Merddyn ap Morfran', beginning: 'Y mae Prosess rhai or Awduron yn dangos fod gwr o fewn y wlad a elwir Nant Conwy . . .' and ending 'na gwr o drugiain mlwydd ar yr Awr hon'; p. 298, two 'englynion' by J:D. [John Davies, Pentrefidog], describing his handwriting in old age, beginning: 'Y llaw anhylaw yn hwylio/'r pinn . . .'; pp. 299 & 314, a note on the definition of God; pp. 300-342, notes on grammar and the parts of speech; p. 345, lines beginning : 'Hence Darkness! Light thy ancient seat regain . . .'; pp. 347 & 350, a list of place-names; and pp. 355-58 a note relating to Joanna [Southcott], dated 1803, and a passage concerning the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Davies, John, Siôn Dafydd Berson, 1675-1769