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Cynwal, Wiliam, -1587 or 1588 Welsh language -- Dialects -- Wales, South
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Miscellanea,

Miscellaneous papers and note-books containing notes, extracts, transcripts, lists, etc., in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg') bound together in one volume. The contents of pp. 53-60, 73, 75, 86-9, 91, 143-206, 209-17, 233-8, and 279-90 consist mainly of lists or groups of Welsh words and phrases sometimes with English definitions and/or illustrative excerpts from the works of Welsh poets. Some of these lists or groups contain words extracted from one source such as poems by, or attributed to, Taliesin, or to be found in 'The Book of Taliesin', John Bunyan: Taith y Pererin, William Wotton: Cyfreithieu Hywel Dda . . . (London, 1730), etc. P. 13 is inscribed 'Glynn Papers 1821. Customs of the Manor of the Lordship of Coity Wallia. From a Copy in the Hand Writing of Richard Jenkins, Esqr., of Hensol Castle, Glamorgan, 1714', and is followed (pp. 17-27) by an incomplete copy of the presentments of a jury of survey for the lordship and manor of Coyty Wallia aforesaid [co. Glamorgan], 1631 [/2]. Other items in the volume include pp. 33-6, anecdotes relating to the brothers Richard and William Twrch and the building of the chapel (1586) and the porch (1600) at Bewper [ co. Glamorgan], with references to Inigo Jones (see also NLW MS. 13089E above); 37-41, a copy of Sir Walter Scott's 'Hymn to Christopher North, Esqr.' transcribed from Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, April 1821; 45-9, notes relating to the ruins of a ?Roman 'glass and pottery manufactory' near Caer Rhun [co. Caernarvon], and to nature in the languages and literatures of Wales and England; 69-71, a transcript of the answers to a questionnaire relating to the parish of Llantrithyd [co. Glamorgan]; 72, stanzas of ?two Welsh hymns; 83-4, notes on differences in the use of the verb in the Welsh of North and South Wales; 107-10, notes relating to the Welsh bardic tradition, more particularly the use of triads by the bards, with examples of such bardic triads and English translations; 112, a list of the persons (?commissioners) in whose presence the 'eisteddfod' was held at Caerwys [co. Flint] in 1565 (sic) and of the bards and musicians who were licensed at the said 'eisteddfod'; 113-34, ?extracts from [Paul Henri] Mallet: Northern Antiquities . . . [? the translation from the French by Thomas Percy, London, 1770] and [Joseph] Ritson: A Select Collection of English Songs (1783); 135-41, draft proposals for publishing a multi-volume work containing essays on aspects of Welsh literature, history, bardism, etc., with transcripts of, or extracts from, original Welsh documents and manuscripts relating thereto and English translations of the original source material (see Prospectus of Collections for a New History of Wales in Six Volumes . . . by Edward Williams (Carmarthen, 1819 )); 142, a note on the aims of 'Cymreigyddion Deheubarth, a Corresponding Literary (Philological) Society of South] W[ales]' and a list of six rules headed 'Unitarian Discipline and Polity'; 207-08, a list of Latin words, mainly common nouns, commencing with the letter v with English definitions and, occasionally, Welsh ? derivatives; 221, suggestions by E[dward] Williams re the cultivation of vineyards in Britain; 225-32, miscellaneous horticultural notes ('A New Method of propagating trees', 'A new . . . method of raising Cowcumbers', 'To ripen Grapes'), etc., extracted mainly from the Weekly Miscellany, [Philip] Miller: The Gardener's Dictionary . . ., and Ra[lph] Austen: A Treatise of Fruit Trees . . . ; (continued)

239-46, extracts ? from letters of L[ewis] Morris and a commonplace book of R[obert] Vaughan of Hengwrt relating to matters of Welsh etymological, bardic, and antiquarian interest, with comments, sometimes severely critical of the opinions expressed by Morris and Vaughan, added presumably by Edward Williams ('ignorance . . . inconsistency … willful lies, a complete triad of Lewis Morris' grand accomplishments', 'the abominable falshoods of Robert Vaughan'); 247 + 250, transcripts of 'englynion' attributed to Jenkin Richards and a note on Richards's religious attitudes (written on the blank margins, etc., of an incomplete copy of printed proposals, 1792, by [Sir] Herbert Croft for publishing a new edition of Dr . [Samuel] Johnson's Dictionary); 251-66, miscellaneous items including a list of the 'Names of Constellations in Wales', two notes relating to the bard Iolo [Goch], a note on a volume containing prophesies by various bards 'collected by Mr. Ellis Wynne of Las Ynys', ? an extract from a letter from W[illia]m Wynne to L[ewis] Mor[ris] relating to an ode by Goronwy [Owen] and his use of the 'Cadwyn fyr' measure, an extract from a letter from Edw[ar]d Llwyd to Robert Davies at Llannerch [co. Flint] referring to glass beads which may have been 'Roman or referable to our glain Neidr', an extract from a letter from R[ober]t Vaughan of Hengwrt to Archbishop Usher relating to the different yokes used in yoking oxen in Wales, a critical comment ? by Edward Williams on the opinions of Lewis Morris and [Robert] Vaughan of Hengwrt with regard to the story of Brutus, a brief note on 'The Cantref Breiniol' and the 'saith cantref' of Morganwg, an extract from a letter on the subject of freemasonry published in the Gentleman's Magazine, September 1794, lists of 'Y chwebeth a wnaeth i'r Brytaniaid golli anrhydedd ei Pendefigaeth', 'Meibion Cynfarch', 'Rhyfeddodau Ynys Prydain', 'Geiriau Gwir Taliesin', and 'Deuddeg pwnc cas gan Grist . . .', versions of the Lord's Prayer in Welsh, transcripts of four 'englynion' attributed to Huw Caerog, Huw Llyn, Hugh Pennant, and Wiliam Cynwal, and headed 'Englynion Eisteddfod Caerwys', extracts from various Welsh poems, etc.; 267-78, a fourteen point 'Outline of a Plan for a Complete and Superb History of the County of Glamorgan Sketched by Edward Williams, 1806'; 293 + 296, a memorandum of a proclamation, 1795, of a bardic meeting to be held at Pen Bryn Owain, co. Glamorgan, in 1796; 294-5, notes on Hywel Siôn of Brofeisgyn [co. Glamorgan] (2nd half 17th cent.) and 'Yr Hen Saphin' of Pen y bont ar Ogwr [co. Glamorgan] (? early 18th cent.), to both of whom many proverbial or popular sayings were attributed, and comments on the use of proverbs by the Welsh (? part of an introduction to a proposed collection of Welsh proverbs); 301-08, a copy of the introduction, the letter to the reader, and the notes on Arthur and his knights to be found at the beginning of Lewys Dwnn's volume of pedigrees of the families of cos. Carmarthen, Pembroke, and Cardigan (see S. R. Meyrick (ed.): Heraldic Visitations of Wales . . . by Lewys Dwnn . . . (Llandovery, 1846), pp. 7-10); and 309, a list of 'Grammars in the possession of E. Williams' (? 'Iolo Morganwg').

Miscellanea,

A composite volume containing miscellaneous notes, jottings, etc., of an extremely varied nature in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg'). Included, pagination in brackets, are small groups or short lists of Welsh words sometimes with English definitions and sometimes with illustrative extracts from the works of Welsh poets, grammatical notes, etc. (41-2, 51, 55, 63-4, 72, 85-6, 89-93 99, 163-6, 168, 171-3, 178); transcripts of 'englynion' attributed to Iorwerth ab Sierlyn 'uwch benn Bedd Siôn Ceiriog . . . 1792' (54) and Huw Llwyd Cynfel (187); extracts consisting of single stanzas, couplets, or even single lines from the works of the Welsh poets D[afydd] ab G[wily]m, W[ilia]m Cynwal, Gruff. ab . . . ab Tudur, Lewys Morys, Edm[wn]d Prys, and [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg' (38-41), Gwalchmai (48), Wm. Midd[leto]n (49), Thos. Prys of P[las] Iolyn (50), Howel ab Owain Gwynedd (52-3), Iolo Goch or Gruff. Llwyd ab Daf ab Einion (63), Llen. Moel y Pantri, Tudur Aled, and Guttun Owain (to illustrate specific words) (85-6), ? Thos. Redwood (93), and Teilo Sant (95); transcripts of English verse including anonymous stanzas (41), four stanzas with the superscription 'Question in Arithmetic from the Welsh' ( 87), an epitaph by [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg' (95), and a stanza again by 'Iolo Morganwg' (187); miscellaneous items including a list of six principles headed 'requisites of Language by Ed. Wms.' (17), notes relating to bardic ceremonial (20), two bardic triads (38), notes relating to the division of a community into four classes, viz. grand jurors, jurors, private citizens, and subjects, and their roles in government (45- 6), notes relating to mottoes and titles of bardic 'gorseddau' (56-9), a note on metempsychosis (60), a list of twenty books and authors with a note written sideways in the margin 'Books and Authorities for the History of the Bards' (73), brief notes referring to old inscriptions [in Britain], the features called Caer y Vynwent and Maen y chwyfan in co. Flint, the administration of the Isle of Man, and the Picts (77-80), a brief note relating to medieval North Wales prose (86), notes headed 'August 30th 1808' containing brief topographical, agricultural, etc. memoranda referring to places called Bryn y Menyn [on] Coettre Hen Estate, Cefn Hirgoed, and Hirwaen [? co. Glamorgan] (90), a brief note relating to 'chware cnau mewn Ilaw Morganwg' (93), lists of subject or chapter headings for a ? four - volume work to be divided into 'Volume of Welsh Tracts Translated', 'Historical Volume', 'Vol. III. Barddoniaeth amrafaelion oesoedd a Thestunau', and 'Volume IV' (no headings but to contain sections on, or relating to, 'Meddygon Myddfai', 'Cato Gymraeg', 'Trin Perllanau', 'Hen arddoriaeth', etc.) (94), a brief note on influences on North Walian and South Walian poetry (95), a note on the number of letters in the ? Welsh alphabet at various times (96), a Welsh bardic triad (96), a short list of Welsh proverbs (97), a note referring to the state of the Welsh language and the language of the Normans at the time of the Norman settlement in Wales, the adoption of Welsh by Norman authors such as, allegedly, Robert, earl of Glo[uceste]r, Walter de Mapes, Robert, duke of Normandy, etc. (98), a list of various taxes or fees, e.g. churchwardens' rate, fees for notices to quit, charges for parish register certificates, etc. (100), brief notes relating to the functions of the 'Penrhaith, the most ancient Title of sovereignty in Britain, i.e. Chief or Foreman of the Rhaith or Senatorial Assembly', the lesser officials called 'pencenedl', the assembly called 'Rhaith Gwlad', etc., references to the allegedly false views of the seventeenth century antiquary Robert Vaughan of Hengwrt on these matters in his book British Antiquities Revived, and more general remarks on 'monokingism' and what is termed 'natural Government, not hereditary, not elective' (101-07), a brief note relating to 'corfannau' ( 110), notes referring to scripts of ancient inscriptions headed 'Saxon Characters' (111-112), a note relating to 'Englynion byrron' and 'Englynion hirion' in Glamorgan and the defining of certain types of 'odlau' by . . . Swrdwal (113), a note relating to the word 'rhath' and to the village and church of Rhath near Cardiff (120), statistics relating to the religions of the world 'From Malte Brun's System of Universal Geography, Paris, 1816' (125), a list of various bardic 'cylymau' headed 'Cwlm Eisteddfod, cwlm gorsedd' (166), a note headed 'Sapiential and Satyrical Triades' (167), a list of ten subject or chapter headings under the general superscription 'Collections for a History of the Ancient British Bards and Druids' (169-70), three lists of Welsh historico-literary material and / or authors under the headings (1) 'Oldest Documents', (2) 'Northwalian Grammars', and (3) 'Southwalian recent' (170), a note containing generalisations concerning the Welsh language (179-80), and other miscellanea; extracts from a variety of printed sources including [Henry Home] Lord Kaimes: Elements of Criticism, [John] Lempriere: A Classical Dictionary, [Paul Henri] Mallet: Northern Antiquities, Monthly Review, Month[ly] Mag[axine], The Edinburgh Review, The Critical Review, Courier, and Thomas Langley: [An Abridgement of the Notable Worke of] Polidore Vergile; etc.