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A volume of notes in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg') bearing the inscription 'History of the British Bards. Common Place Book. No. IV. By Edward Williams . . .' on the 'title-page'. Pp. 2- 11, 32-61, 70-103, 112-25 contain the text of an essay on various schools of Welsh poetry which, under the title 'History of the British Bards' and with the subtitles 'Primitive School', 'School of Taliesin', and 'School of Gruffudd ap Cynan alias of Glynn Achlach', was subsequently published in The Cambrian Journal, 1858, pp. 161-9, ibid., 1859, pp. 10-29, 132-41, 241-55, and ibid., 1860, pp. 7-21. Pp. 12-24 contain extracts from, and abstracts of sections of, two letters from Sharon Turner to the Reverend John Brand as secretary of the Society of Antiquaries which, under the headings 'An Inquiry respecting the early use of rhime . . .' and 'A further inquiry respecting the early use of rhime ...', were published in Archaeologia or Miscellaneous Tracts relating to Antiquity, vol. XIV, 1803, pp. 168-204. These extracts, etc., were published in The Cambrian Journal, 1858, pp. 353-63 being inserted there as a section of the aforementioned essay entitled 'History of the British Bards'. Pp. 26-7, 62-5, 126-31, 192- 203, 232-3 (each page headed 'Alphabet Bards. Allusions to') contain couplets or longer extracts from the works of Welsh poets, these apparently being presumed to contain references to the bardic practice of writing on wooden surfaces using the special alphabet allegedly used by the Welsh bards (see the preceding manuscript No. 13107B) or words and phrases whose metaphorical use reflected such a practice. The contents of other pages include p. 28 (headed 'Hu Gadarn'), two couplets of Welsh verse relating to Hu [Gadarn]; pp. 66-9 (each page headed 'Bards Discipline Miscellaneous'), extracts from the works of Welsh poets, etc., relating mainly to the bards of Tir Iarll; pp. 104-05, notes under the page headings 'Preface to the History of the Bards, Collections for' ( these notes also appear in The Cambrian Journal, 1860, pp. 10-11, as part of the abovementioned essay on the Welsh bards although they obviously do not form part of the narrative of the text of that essay); pp. 132-6 (each page headed 'Schools of Welsh Poetry [Primitive School]'), further observations relating to the primitive school of Welsh poets, its survival in Glamorgan until the seventeenth century, and the foundation of a new school of poets beginning with Rhys Goch ap Riccert, circa 1130, 'in the Silurian district of Wales'; pp. 137-43, blank except for page headings as in pp. 132-6; pp. 150-51, each page headed 'Ossian', otherwise blank; pp. 180-83 (each page headed 'Alliteration'), a note on the definition of the word alliteration, an analysis of an example of alliteration in English verse, examples of its use in 'Caedmon's Paraphrase on Genesis', and a brief note on its use by Saxon poets and its introduction into Welsh poetry; pp. 204-15, each page headed 'Institutes and customs alluded to', otherwise blank; pp. 216-23 (each page headed 'Mythologies'), a triad relating to the proper name Menw on p. 216, otherwise blank; and pp. 240- 41, each page headed 'Inquiries Miscellaneous', otherwise blank. On a 'fly- leaf' at the beginning of the volume are sketches of five musical instruments surrounded by a number of circles containing the names of grades of Welsh bards and musicians extracted 'from a MS. in the Havod Library, 1790'.

A composite volume consisting of seven home-made booklets with stiff, brown paper covers bound together. The contents of six of the booklets consist of series of Welsh triads in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg'), the various booklets containing the following series-Book I (pp. 11-62), ['Trioedd Doethineb'], 'Trioedd Gwladoldeb', 'Trioedd y Meddwyn', 'Trioedd Cyfarwyddyd', and 'Hen Drioedd Dosparth'; Book II (pp. 63-106; the inscriptions on the outer and inner upper cover appear to indicate that the contents were to consist of a series of 'Trioedd Braint a Defod', but the pages are blank except for p. 65 which contains two miscellaneous triads probably in the hand of Taliesin Williams); Book III (pp. 107-58), 'Trioedd Braint a Defod'; Book IV (pp. 159-206), 'Trioedd Doethineb', 'Hen Drioedd o Lyfr Thomas Glyn Cothi . . . Trioedd Taliesin in al.', 'Trioedd Serch' from the same source , 'Hen Drioedd Doethineb o Lyfr Watkin Giles', 'Trioedd Cyfarwyddyd', and 'Trioedd Barddas'; Book V (pp. 207-44), 'Trioedd y Dieithr', 'Hen Drioedd Cerdd Cymmysg sef Trioedd o Lyfr Iorwerth Fynglwyd . . .', 'Trioedd Llawdden Fardd a ddangos . . . efe yn Eisteddfod fawr Caerfyrddin' (on a strip of paper pasted on to p. 228), 'Trioedd Llaw[d]den Fardd sef Trioedd Cerdd Dafawd', and 'Trioedd Llawdden Fardd a ddangoswyd yn Eisteddfod Caerfyrddin 1451'; Book VI (pp. 245-84), 'Trioedd y Llafurwr o Lyfr Thomas Morys o Fodryngall yn Ystrad Dyfodwg a ysgrifennwyd ynghylch y flwyddyn 1700 gan Rhys Lewys, Meistr Ysgol yn Llanwonno . . .', and 'Trioedd Ach a Bonedd'; and Book VII (pp. 285-336), 'Trioedd y Brodyr o Lyfr Llywelyn Siôn' ('Rhisiart Iorwerth a'i Cant'), a second series with. the same title ('a Rhisart Iorwerth a gant y rhain hefyd'), 'Trioedd Mab y Crinwas o Lyfr Esaia Powel . . .' ('Gutto'r Glynn au Cant i'r Eisteddfod fawr ynghaerfyrddin'), 'Trioedd y Cymro o Lyfr Thos. Philip o Dreoes . . .' ('Hopcin Twm Philip o'r Gelli fid ai Cant'), 'Trioedd y Sais' from the same source, 'Trioedd y Lladron sef ydynt Brenin, Offeiriad, a Lleidr' from the same source, 'Trioedd Ysmalhawch Amrafaelion', 'Trioedd Beirdd', 'Trioedd Amrafaelion' (two series), 'Trioedd Cerdd Amrafaelion', and 'Trioedd Braint a Defawd'. Some of the series are incomplete and there are occasional annotations by Edward Williams and ? by Taliesin Williams, his son.

A composite volume containing series of Welsh triads, some incomplete or very brief, in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg'). Included are series with the superscriptions 'Trioedd Beirdd Cymru. Llymma Drioedd a ddangoswyd gerbron Cadair Tir iarll gan Risiart Iorwerth mab Iorwerth Fynglwyd (o Lyfr Thomas Hopcin o Langrallo) . . .' (preceded by a list of incipits of thirty-nine of the one hundred and forty triads), 'Trioedd Beirdd Ynys Prydain a'r son y sydd gan Lafar Gorsedd am danynt a'u hanfod a'u hansawdd' (incomplete, four only, with introductory notes), 'Llyma Drioedd Beirdd a Barddoniaeth a dynnwyd o Lyfrau y prifeirdd nid amgen nac o Lyfrau Taliesin Ben Beirdd, a Merddin Emrys, a Merddin ap Morfran . . .' (with end note 'Ac felly y Terfyna Drioedd Gruffudd ab Cynan sef a'u gelwir felly am iddaw ef eu myfyriaw a'u trefnu gyntaf gan eu tynnu allan o lyfrau . . . Myrddin ab Morfran, a Myrddin ab Emrys Wledig, a Thaliesin . . .'), 'Llymma Drioedd Cerdd a ddangoswyd yn yr Eisteddfod fawr ynghaerfyrddin' (with end note '. . . a Dafydd ab Edmund a' u dangoses ym m. . .aen yr Eisteddfod fawr ynghaerfyrddin . . .'), 'Llymma Drioedd Rhys Nanmor a ddangoses efe yn Eisteddfod fawr Caerfyrddin', 'Trioedd y Gymraeg', 'Trioedd y Gymraeg sef Trioedd Talhaiarn, Ieithyddiaeth (Gramatical)', 'Trioedd Iaith ag ymadrodd cymysg', 'Trioedd Cymmysg, Dychan - Pawl, etc.', 'Trioedd amrafaelion, Pawl, etc., Cerdd' (two only), 'Trioedd Bonhedd' (one only), 'Llyma Drioedd Llawdden Fardd a ddangoses efe yn Eisteddfod gyntaf Caerfyrddin', 'Trioedd Cerdd Meyric Dafydd', 'Trioedd Defodau a Breiniau', 'Trioedd Braint a Defod (Defawd)', 'Trioedd Breiniau a defodau Cenedl y Cymry . . .', 'Hen Drioedd eraill amrafaelion eu pwyll', 'Llyma Amrafaelion o foddion ar Drioedd y Beirdd o amrafael Lyfrau ysgrif', 'Trioedd Serch, Trioedd Llyfr Ben Simon', 'Eraill o Lyfr Owain Jones', 'Eraill', 'Trioedd Arwest', 'Trioedd y Beirdd herwydd Defodau a gofynion Cadair Morganwg', 'Trioedd cymmysg', 'Llyma Drioedd Beirdd a Cherdd', 'Trioedd y mesurau', 'Trioedd y Trioedd', 'Trioedd amrafaelion', 'Llyma Drioedd y Bardd Glas sef ydynt am y mesureu Cerdd Dafawd (a Thrioedd yr Addurneu)', 'Llymma Drioedd o Lyfr Rhisiart Iorwerth', 'Trioedd yr addurneu', 'Trioedd Barddas . . .', 'Trioedd Tir Iarll', 'Trioedd Prydyddiaeth Beirdd Tir Iarll gwaith Abad diweddaf Margam', 'Trioedd Cerdd sef Trioedd y Teuluwr', and 'Llyma Bigion o Drioedd Cerdd dafod Huw Cae Llwyd o Langyfelach cylch y Flwyddyn 1450'.

Miscellaneous papers, home-made booklets, etc., containing material in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg') bound together in one volume. P. xliii bears the inscription 'Trioedd amrafaelion a gynnulliwyd yng Ngwynedd yn y Flwyddyn 1799', and underneath this is a list of the names of six series of Welsh triads and a note (probably in the hand of Taliesin Williams, son of Edward Williams) which reads 'This Packet contains a variety of Triads resembl[ing] very much those of the Island of Britain and that are in all probability some of the lost ones of that Class. Jan. 17, 1831'. P. 1 bears the inscription 'Trioedd amrafaelion a gasglwyd yng Ngwynedd yn y flwyddyn 1799 Gan Iolo Morganwg', and underneath this is a list of the names of seven series of triads. Following on pp. 3-70 are series of triads with the superscriptions 'Trioedd Cerdd o Ddosparth Cerdd Dafawd Simwnt Fychan Bencerdd, A Robert Fychan o Hengwrt a'i dadysgrifennodd o Lyfr yn Llaw S.F. ei hun' (according to a note added to this superscription and a further note on p. 16 this series was copied in 1799 by Edward Williams from Panton MS 35 [now NLW MS 2003] in the hand of the Reverend Evan Evans ('Ieuan Brydydd Hir')), 'Trioedd o Lyfr y Parchedig Mr. Davies o Fangor' (with added note 'Yn Llyfr Twm o'r Nant y mae'r Trioedd hyn a'r rhai a'u canlynant dan enw Trioedd Llogell Rhison'), 'Trioedd Taliesin o'r un Llyfr' (with added note 'Trioedd Llogell Rhison yn Llyfr Twm o'r Nant'), '[Trioedd] Eraill o amryw lyfrau' (with added note 'Twm o'r Nant, D. Ddu, &c .'), 'Trioedd Ynys Prydain o Lyfr D[afydd] Ddu Eryri', and 'Llyma Drioedd Llogell Rhison o Lyfr Mr. Davies o Benegos' (with added note 'y mae y rhain yn Nosparth y Ford Gron cynn amser Llogell Rhison'). P. 81 contains a list of the contents of pp. 87-121, and is followed by pp. 83-4, a series of miscellaneous triads, p. 85, a note headed 'Mesurau Cerdd dafawd', pp. 87-112, a series of triads entitled 'Trioedd Ynys Prydain', and pp. 112-21, a list of 'Dewis bethau Taliesin', three triads, eight stanzas of Welsh verse entitled 'Cân y Magwraeth' and attributed to Gwion bach, further miscellaneous triads, and a series of triads with the superscription 'Trioedd o Lyfr Mr. Panton'. Pp. 133-202 contain a series of one hundred and twenty-six triads with the superscription 'Llyma Drioedd Ynys Prydain sef ydynt Trioedd Cof a chadw a gwybodaeth am hynodion o Ddynion ac o bethau a fuant yn Ynys Prydain ac ar ddamwain a damcwydd i Genedl y Cymry' reputedly compiled by Thomas Jones of Tregaron ['Twm Siôn Cati'] in 1601 from the works of Caradawc Nant Garfan and Ieuan Brechfa and copied [by Edward Williams] from a volume belonging to the Reverend Mr. Richards of Llanegwad [co. Carmarthen] then on loan to Rys Thomas, printer, and the Reverend Mr. Walters of Pont Faen, Glamorgan (see the notes at the beginning and end of the series on p. 133 and p. 202). This is the series of triads generally known as 'The Third Series of Trioedd Ynys Prydain' the text of which was published in The Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales . . ., vol. II, 1801, pp. 57-75. (continued)

Other items in the volume include a note on the development of 'These Triades' [i.e. the Trioedd Ynys Prydain] (125), an incomplete list headed 'Pedwar Cerddawr Graddawl' (126), a note on the composition of a barony or manor (131), a list of the twenty-four knights of King Arthur's court ('Llyma enwau y pedwar marchog ar hugain a fuant gynteifion y Ford Gron gydag Arthur ymherawdr Ynys Prydain yng Nghaerllion ar wysg (o Lyfr Twm o'r Nant, 1799)') (209-14), further triads including 'Trioedd Barddas' and 'Trioedd yr Ellyllion A wnelynt Ryfeddodau a gwyrthiau . . .' (217-18, 221-2, 229-38, 241-3, 246-7, 258-65, 272, 283-5), lists Of 'y saith gelfyddyd wladaidd' and 'y saith gelfyddyd ddinesig' (219), an English translation of triads 1 and 2 of 'Trioedd Ynys Prydain' (222-3), a further list of King Arthur's knights ('Pedwar marchog ar hugain oedd [yn] llys Arthur ac arnynt gyneddfau naturiol o orchest bob un mwy nog ar arall . . .') (225-7), an anecdote relating how Papists set fire to the house and outbuildings of Dr. William Morgan, incumbent of Llanraiadr ym Mochnant, in an attempt to prevent him proceeding with his task of translating the Bible into Welsh extracted allegedly 'o Lyfr Dyddgof y Parchedig Evan Evans y Prydydd Hir . . .' (254), a sketch plan relating to a furnace and forge (270-71), a short Welsh - English word list (278), a list of 'Dewis bethau Gwion Bach' (283), notes relating to the development of Welsh strict-metre systems or schemes (291), notes relating to the so-called 'Moelmutian' triads and laws (293-300, and ? 309-12), and transcripts of, or extracts from, miscellaneous Welsh strict- and free-metre poems including stanzas, etc., attributed to Gryfydd Gruc, Rhys Tyganwy, D[afydd] ap Edmund, Gwawdrydd, Sir Thomas Jones (circa 1600), D[afydd] ab Gwilym, and Gwion Bach (219-20, 227-8, 253, 257, 279-82). In one instance notes have been written on the dorse of a printed leaflet containing proposals for publishing 'A Welsh Paraphrase on St. Matthew's Gospel or a Translation of Dr. Clarke's Paraphrase . . .' by the Rev. Richard Jones, curate of Ruthin, in 1799, and in another on the dorse of a printed leaflet announcing the printing of Edward Williams's two volumes of English verse Poems Lyric and Pastoral.

A photostat facsimile of Balliol MS 353, a commonplace book of Sir John Price (1502?-1555). The manuscript contains genealogical memoranda relating to the family of John Price (Siôn ap Rhys) and his wife, Johan Williamson, notes on Welsh bardic grammar, proverbs, triads, and miscellaneous memoranda; transcripts of Welsh poetry including eulogies of the compiler and of his ancestors. The poets represented include Bedo Brwynllys, Dafydd ab Edmwnd, Dafydd ap Gwilym, Dafydd Llwyd ab Einion Llygliw, Dafydd Llwyd ap Llywelyn ap Gruffudd [Dafydd Llwyd Mathafarn], Dafydd Nanmor, Gruffudd ap Maredudd, Gruffudd Gryg, Gruffudd Hiraethog, Gwilym ab Ieuan Hen, Huw Pennal, Hywel Dafydd ab Ieuan ap Rhys, Mr Harri (Cydweli) [Harri ap Hywel ('Mastr Harri')], Hywel Llwyd ap y Gof, Hywel Swrdwal, Ieuan Deulwyn, Ieuan ap Rhydderch ab Ieuan Llwyd, Ieuan ap Tudur Penllyn, Ieuan Du'r Bilwg, Ieuan Gethin ab Ieuan ap Lleision, Ieuan Tew, Iolo Goch, Lewis ap Richard alias Morgannwg, Llywelyn ap Maredudd ab Ednyfed, Llywelyn ap Owain, Madog Benfras, Rhys Nanmor, Siôn Cent, Siôn Mawddwy, Thomas Vychan [Vaughan], Taliesin ('yr awdl fraith'), and Tudur Aled. The principal items of Welsh prose are anecdotes relating to Coch y Powtsh, Christopher Mathew of Glamorgan, and Tudur Aled, under the title 'Geiriau digri yr hwnn ny ellir y hadrodd mewn Iayth arall'; a text entitled 'Kyngor y wr ddwyn y vuchedd yn galh ac yn gymedrol'; and a bardic grammar.