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On pp. 1-13 the arms, painted, of John Williams and of offices held by him (excluding the archbishopric of York), with accompanying Latin verse, in calligraphic script, by 'Mercurius Pattenus' (p. 13). Added on p. 14 is the achievement, in trick, of Ystumcolwyn, [17-18 cent.]. On p. 16 are notes on the John Williams scholarships at St John’s College [Cambridge], cf. a note dated 1709 on f. ii.

‘Brith-waith ... William Morris 1638’ (f. viii, title-page), a collection of cywyddau and englynion, of [14-17 cent.], in the early hand of William Maurice (also signed and dated on f. 32). On ff. 56 verso–57 he experiments with italic script. His contents list is on f. viii verso. A few variant readings and notes are added in his later hand.

A collection of the work of Guto’r Glyn, followed on pp. 234-321 by other cywyddau of [15 cent.], all in the hand of Robert Vaughan, writing [mid-17cent., not before 1654]. The beginning of the manuscript was already wanting when it was paginated in [18 cent.]; its end is also wanting. Vaughan added a few variant readings (e.g. pp. 9-11). One watermark appears to be Heawood 3627 [not before 1654].

A composite manuscript, comprising:
(i) pp. 1-95. A copy in the hand of David Ellis [died 1795] of the double text of the Gododdin derived from Evan Evans (Ieuan Fardd), written [1783 x 1791] [on the derivation and date, see Brynley F. Roberts (ed.), Early Welsh Poetry: Studies in the Book of Aneirin (Aberystwyth, 1988), p. 52].
(ii) pp. 105-80. Welsh vocabularies, etymological notes, Welsh names of fish and birds, etc., derived from the collections of Evan Evans in NLW MS 1988B, in the hand of Griffith Roberts, written not before 1788 (p. 163). Pages 175-180 are blank.

Bardic grammar, beginning ‘Llyma ddosbarth Edern dafod aur’ (pp. 5-131). On its texts, very close to those of Wiliam Cynwal in Cardiff MS 1.16, see Gramadegau’r Penceirddiaid, eds G.J. Williams and E.J. Jones (Caerdydd, 1934), p. liii and pp. 183-4. All in the formal secretary hand of David Powel with display in fere-textura; a few notes (e.g. pp. 52, 92, 107) are in his characteristic italic.

A composite manuscripts, with all parts joined in the time of Robert Vaughan.
(i) pp. 1-92: Wholly in the hand of Robert (ab) Ifan of Brynsiencyn, written in 1587 (pp. 30, 57, 69, 72, 89). On the manuscript and its texts, all of them containing original features, see Gramadegau’r Penceirddiaid, eds G.J. Williams and E.J. Jones (Caerdydd, 1934), pp. xvi and l. Contains: a cywydd marwnad for Wiliam Tomas of Caernarfon dated 1586 by Robert ab Ifan (pp. 1-3); a diagram of y tawlbwrdd with instructions in Welsh on how to play [see H.J.R. Murray, A History of Board-games Other than Chess (Oxford, 1952), p.63] (p.4); ‘Llyfr Kerddwriaeth’ [part printed in Gramadegau’r Penceirddiaid, pp. 185-9, 192-3] (pp. 5-43); ‘Bellach i dylid son am ddwned yr hwn a elwir wyth ran ymadrodd’, ‘a dynwyd allan o lyfr dwned a sgrifenasai Sion Brunog [sic] iddo i hun prydydd a ffenkerdd ag athro’ (pp. 43-57); ‘y parfila nid amgen grameriaith pa sawl kydgordiad y sydd mewn ymadrodd’ [cited for readings in Gramadegau’r Penceirddiaid, pp. 67-88] (pp. 57-69), closing on pp. 69-72 with a brief history of the bardic order and a lament for the decay of patronage of the bards [printed in Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies, 24 (1970-2), 42-4]. The remaining texts are: ‘Bellach mi a soniaf am gerdded yn hen dadau ni ... ’, an account of the British kings (pp. 72-8); Statud Gruffudd ap Cynan (pp. 81-9); personal notes by Robert ab Ifan on himself and his ancestors (pp. 89–91).
(ii) pp. 93-6: Two leaves with astrological notes in a hand of [16-17 cent.].
(iii) pp. 97-120: Transcripts of Crown documents relating to Basingwerk abbey, from the grant to Hugh Starky in 1537 by the Court of Augmentations up to 1549. In a hand of [16-17 cent.].
(iv) pp. 121-216: A miscellany written by John Jones of Gellilyfdy in his youth, not later than 1600: what appears to be school work, including an English translation of Accusationes in Caium Verrem liber quartus (pp. 121-2, 160-73), arithmetical problems, recipes of many sorts (gilding with foil, fireworks, medical, etc.), and instructions for card games, all in English (pp. 156-7, 170-205, 213-16); the five carolau of Richard Gwyn (‘Richard White ferthyrur’) [see Carolau Richard White, ed. T.H. Parry-Williams (Caerdydd, 1931)] (pp. 123-56); an anonymous religious carol [printed in Canu Rhydd Cynnar, ed. T.H. Parry-Williams (Caerdydd, 1932), no. 87] (pp. 205-8); and the cywydd on the murder of the Prince of Orange [Carolau Richard White, p. 58] (pp. 209-11). John Jones’s signature is on p. 184; on p. 216 he writes ‘Thus endeth this booke ... 24 February [1599/1600].’
(v) pp. 217-40: ‘Rhai or Gwehelaethau’: early pedigrees for all parts of Wales, derived from Cwrtmawr MS 530 [see Ben Guy, Medieval Welsh Genealogy: An Introduction and Textual Study (Martlesham, 2020), p. 194]. In the youthful hand of John Jones, experimenting with both secretary and, for display, italic script. The hand would be unrecognizable as his were it not for two lines of heading on p. 217.

The manuscript is made up of five fragments. The main texts include the Credo, with a commentary; the prophecy of Merlin, with a commentary; a version of Macsen Wledig; triads; and Bonedd y Saint.
F. iv is from a musical manuscript.

‘Pum Llyfr Kerddwriaeth’ (pp. 1-151), followed by William Salesbury’s treatise on rhetoric (pp. 151-88). Copied ‘allan o lyfr Simwnt Vachan’ in 1593 for Dafydd Salbri [David Salusbury of Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch and Dolbadarn] by Richard ap John (colophon on p. 140). The source was Jesus College Oxford MS 15 [Gramadegau’r Penceirddiaid, eds G.J. Williams and E.J. Jones (Caerdydd, 1934), pp. liv-lv] but the intermediary was Peniarth MS 159, copied by Richard ap John himself in 1578 [see Llên Cymru, 2 (1952-3), 71-81]. On p. 189 is ‘Dewis bethau Davydd Melienydd’. Englynion by Siôn Phylip are added by a hand of [16-17 cent.] on p. 190. The contents were copied in [17 cent., first ½] in NLW MS 13065.

A composite manuscript probably made up from unbound fragments, on different paper stocks. Comprising:
(i) pp. 1-2: A leaf containing on p. 1 a grammar in the hand of Siôn Cain.
(ii) pp. 3-56: A compilation on bardic grammar, evidently a personal draft, in the hand of Rhys Cain, largely corresponding to the grammars of Gutun Owain and Simwnt Fychan [Gramadegau’r Penceirddiaid, eds G.J. Williams and E.J. Jones (Caerdydd, 1934), p. lvi]; the section ‘Y beiau gwaharddedig’ (pp. 33-40) is printed from here in Gramadegau’r Penceirddiaid, pp. 194-6.
(iii) pp. 57-84: All in the later hand of John Davies of Mallwyd [not before 1617, since there are references to his collection of Lewys Glyn Cothi, London, British Library, Additional MS 14871]. Includes: quotations from the Cywyddwyr, classified to exemplify beiau and questionable cases (‘edrych y rhain’) (pp. 57-68); quotations from the Cywyddwyr exemplifying words, alphabetically arranged (pp. 69-77); further quotations (pp. 80-1); notes, with folio references, to his collections of poetry (p. 84). All leaves of this part have suffered damage by rodents.

A transcript in the formal hand of Robert Vaughan of the Latin text of Welsh law in Oxford, Bodleian Library, Rawlinson MS C. 821 [‘Latin Redaction D’ in H.D. Emanuel, The Latin Texts of the Welsh Laws (Cardiff, 1967); on this manuscript, see pp. 297-8], which was probably at that time in the possession of John Selden. Folios 1-10 of Vaughan’s foliation are wanting; there is damage throughout due to over-acid ink and damp.