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Llanover Manuscripts Taliesin Britons -- History.
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Brut Ieuan Brechfa; Brut Aberpergwm; triads, etc.

A composite volume containing miscellaneous historical and literary material in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg'). Pp. 24-36 contain a transcript of a version of the medieval Welsh Chronicle of the Princes associated with the name of the fifteenth century poet and genealogist Ieuan Brechfa with the title or superscription 'Brut y Tywysogion . . . a dynnwyd o Lyfrau Caradawc Llancarfan ac eraill o hen Lyfrau Cyfarwyddyd a ysgrifenodd Ieuan Brechfa'. The transcript was allegedly made by Edward Williams from a volume in the possession of Rhys Thomas, printer, of Cowbridge, and the text was published in The Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales, vol. II, 1801, pp. 470-565 (bottom section of pages). Pp. 37-135 contain one of the two known reputed transcripts by Edward Williams of the allegedly variant version of the aforesaid Welsh Chronicle of the Princes known as 'Brut Aberpergwm' or the 'Gwentian Brut'. The title or superscription reads 'Llyma Vrut y Tywysogion val y bu Ryfeloedd a Gweithredoedd enseiliaid a Dialeddau a Rhyfeddodau gwedi eu tynnu o'r hen gofion cadwedig a'u blynyddu'n drefnedig gan Garadawc Llancarfan', and the text was reputedly transcribed by [Edward Williams] 'Iorwerth Gwilym' in 1790 from one of the manuscripts of the Reverend Thomas Richards, curate of Llangrallo [co. Glamorgan], who, in turn, had reputedly copied the work in 1764 from a manuscript in the possession of George Wiliams of Aber Pergwm [co. Glamorgan] (see p. 135). For the other reputed transcript of this text allegedly from the same source see NLW MS 13113B (Llanover C. 26) above. Other items in the volume include pp. 13-18, variant versions of parts of the introductory section to Lewis Dwnn's Visitations (see S. R. Meyrick (ed.): Heraldic Visitations of Wales . . . by Lewys Dwnn (Llandovery, 1846), pp. 7 and 9); 18-20, a list of eleven Welsh writers who had recorded the genealogies and deeds of the Welsh ('sgrifennyddion a gadwasant gof am achau a gweithredoedd y Cymry') allegedly copied from a book in the possession of Ben Simon 'y Bardd o Borth Myrddin'; 20-24, a further list of twenty Welsh poets or writers who had written about Wales and the island of Britain ('Enwau'r Prydyddion Awdurdodol . . . a ysgrifenasant am Wlad Gymru ac am Ynys Prydain') (see IM, t. 308); 136-7, a note by [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg' in 1801 on the attribution of works to ancient writers and poets such as Caradawc o Lancarfan, Taliesin, etc.; 138-57, another account of the quarrels between Iestin fab Gwrgan, lord of Glamorgan, and Rhys fab Tudur, prince of South Wales, and between the said Iestin and Einion ab Collwyn, the invitation to Sir Rhobert fab Hamon and the Norman knights to intervene, the consequent conquest of Glamorgan by the Normans, and the division of the country between Sir Rhobert and his twelve knights, with brief notes on the subsequent holders of the thirteen original divisions ('Hanes y Tri Marchog ar Ddeg a ddaethant i Forganwg yn Amser Iestin ab Gwrgan', allegedly transcribed from a volume in the possession of the Reverend Thos. Basset of Lann y Lai, co. Glamorgan); 158- 61, notes on variations in a second version of the account of the conquest of Glamorgan (pp. 138-57) to be found in the aforesaid Mr. Bassett's volume; 163-4, a list of Glamorgan bards with the places where they lived; 179 + 182, a brief chronicle of historical and pseudo-historical events in British history, 2nd - 5th century A.D.; 183, notes on an 'eisteddfod' held at Carmarthen in the time of Rhys ab Tewdur; 191-4, notes on Sir Robert Fitzhamon and his twelve knights and 'chronological notes from the Encyclopaedia Britanica'; 195-223, transcripts of three series of triads with the superscriptions 'Trioedd Ynys Prydain o'r Delyn Ledr ymha Lyfr yr oeddent wedi eu hysgrifennu o Lyfr Mr. Robert Vaughan o Hengwrt' (91), 'Trioedd y Meirch' (11), and 'Llyma ychwaneg o Drioedd Ynys Prydain allan o Lyfr Mr. Robert Vaughan o Hengwrt' (4); 224, an anecdote relating to Maelgwn Gwynedd; 225-31, transcripts of Welsh verse attributed to Lewys Môn, Taliesin, and Cattwg ddoeth; 231-3, lists of proverbial or wisdom sayings headed 'Llyma Gynghorion Cattwg ddoeth', 'Llymma Goreuau Cattwg Sant ab Gwynlliw', and 'Llymma Goreuau Meugant Bardd Cystenin Fendigaid'; 233-51, transcripts of series of triads with the superscriptions 'Llyma Drioedd a gant Iolo Morganwg', 'Trioedd Cattwg Sant', 'Llymma Drioedd a dalant eu hystyrio cyn gwreicca', 'Llymma Drioedd y Gwragedd priod', and 'Llyma Drioedd o hen Lyfr Lewys Hopcin'; 257-66, transcripts of Welsh poems and exemplary verse attributed to Mab claf i Lywarch, Y Cwtta Cyfarwydd, and Dafydd Nanmor; 271-5, an incomplete series of triads (5 + part of 6) with the superscription 'Llymma Drioedd Cof Cyfarwydd yn son am hynodion o wyr ac o betheu a fuant gynt yn Ynys Prydain . . .' (pp. 267-70, with p. 267 inscribed 'Trioedd Ynys Prydain o Lyfr Iaco ab Dewi gan Rys Thomas, Argraphydd, a fu gynt yn eiddo Twm Siôn Catti', were probably formerly the upper and lower covers of a home-made booklet intended to contain a version of the third series of 'Trioedd Ynys Prydain' of which the contents of pp. 271-5 are probably a fragmentary draft (see Rachel Bromwich: 'Trioedd Ynys Prydain' in Welsh Literature and Scholarship (Cardiff, 1969), p. 13)); 287-300, an alphabetical list of old Welsh words with modern equivalents; 303-09, brief notes headed 'Some account of the Welsh Bards'; 315-17, etymological and other miscellaneous notes; 318, transcripts of a short series of Welsh triads called 'Trioedd yr Addurneu' and of four 'englynion' attributed to [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg'; 319, a brief note relating to ? Nonconformist meetings associated with Blaen Gwrach [co. Glamorgan]; 327-34, a transcript of the poem 'Kad Goddeu' attributed to Taliesin; 335-8 notes relating to a Unitarian society called 'Gwyr Cwm y Felin' which allegedly flourished at Cwrn y Felin, co. Glamorgan, in the eighteenth century with a reference to Edward Williams's attitude to Unitarianism (see TLLM, tt. 215, 239, 314, and IM, t. 73); (continued)

339-47, notes relating to developments in Welsh metrics and literature to the late eighteenth century; 349-50, notes on the 'Cimmerii' or 'Cimbri', etc.; 351, a note on the connection between the freemasons and St. Alban; 352, a list of the princes of Glamorgan from the time of Aedd Mawr to the time of Iestin ap Gwrgan; 363-5, transcripts of two poems attributed to Morgan Talhai 'o Lansanffraid Fawr ym Morganwg'; 371-4, historical memoranda relating to Gower including an incomplete list of the lords of Gower from the time of Henry I onwards; 375-82, etymological and historical notes relating to the names and regions of Gwent / Essyllwg / Morganwg (mention of 'Ragland Castle Library, the best collection of old Welsh MSS. that ever existed'); 383-4, a note on the possible antiquity of the period of the formation of the Welsh language; 384-90, miscellaneous poetic and other extracts mainly Welsh, and lists of the names of the months in Armoric and Cornish; 393-4 a transcript of an eight-stanza English poem by Taliesin Williams 'written at the Lamb and Flag, Vale of Neath, 1816'; 401-03, a draft copy of an advertisement for the proposed publication of a Welsh quarterly magazine to be called 'Goleugrawn Deheubarth', the first issue to appear in June 1818; 407-11, extracts from [William] Coxe: [An Historical Tour in] Mon[mouth]shire . . . (London, 1801), part 11, appendix 1; 415-18, a copy of a tale relating to King Arthur and his knights sleeping in a cave full of treasure at Craig y Ddinas; 419-22, extracts from [P. H.] Mallet [: Northern Antiquities . . .] and the works of Caedmon; 423-30, notes headed 'Plan of the Analytical Dissertation on the Welsh Language by E[dward] W[illiams]'; 431-5, brief notes relating to the cultivation of literary languages and 'the mode of examining or investigating the principles on which any language has been formed'; 436, a brief list of the 'numerous names of God' in Welsh; 440 + 453, notes relating to ? earth tremors in the area between Cowbridge and the sea in July and August 1809; 445-8, notes headed 'Preface to History of the Bards - hints', with references to the work of [Edward] Jones ['Bardd y Brenin']; 455-7, extracts from [George] Lytte[l]ton : [The] History of [the Life of King] Henry the Second; 457-9, miscellaneous triads; 460-61, extracts from poems by Tudur Aled and G[uto'r] Glyn to abbots of Lanegwystl; 471-82, two sets of notes headed 'On Welsh Literature. Miscellaneous' and 'Cardigan and North Pembroke Dialects' containing general observations on the nature, etc., of Welsh literature and the Welsh language with references to classes held for learning to read Welsh; 482-6, notes on a reputed Welsh bard 'Keraint Vardd Glas otherwise Y Bardd Glas Keraint seemingly the Glaskerion of Chaucer'; 487-91, copies of two rhetorical prose exercises in the form of two love-letters in Welsh addressed by a member of the Powel family of Llwydiarth [co. Glamorgan] to a young lady; 491-500, a brief sketch in Welsh of the history of Morgannwg from the time of Morgan Mwynfawr to the time of the Tudors reputedly from a volume once in the possession of the Reverend Mr. Gamais (Gamage), vicar of St. Athan [co. Glamorgan], and then in the possession of Mr. John Spencer of the same parish; 501-05, transcripts of two letters reputedly exchanged between the sixteenth century poets Siôn Mowddwy and Meirig Dafydd concerning criticism by the latter of the former's verse, mention being made by Meirig Dafydd of the rival Welsh strict-metre systems of Dafydd Emwnt and the bards of Morgannwg (for references to manuscript and published versions of these letters see IMCY, t. 167, and TLLM, t. 86, n. 26-7, and for the opinion that Meirig Dafydd's reply was composed by Edward Williams himself see TLLM, t. 78, n. 6, and t. 86); 505, 'Llyma bump Tywysawglwyth Cymru'; 507- 12, an incomplete list of twenty four early kings of Britain recounting their feats and accomplishments ('Hanes Pedwar Brenin ar hugain a varnwyd yn henna ac yn wrola o'r Brutaniaid i Ddeiliaid ag i Gwncwerio'); 513-16, notes on the lineage of Iestyn ap Gwrgan ('Llyma wehelyth Iestyn ap Gwrgan un o bump Brenhinllwyth Cymru a Phen hynaif Tywysogion Ynys Prydain' reputedly 'o Lyfr Thomas Hopkin o Langrallo'); etc. In three instances notes have been written on the blank verso or margins of printed copies of the following - an abstract of a report on a meeting, May 1820, of the governors and friends of the medical charitable organisation known as the Welsh Dispensary (171-8), proposals for publishing Edward Williams's two volumes of English verse Poems Lyric and Pastoral in 1792 (180-81), and an advertisement for letting 'a desirable family residence' in Cardiff (184-5).

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 notes, lists, transcripts, etc., of a very miscellaneous nature in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg'). The contents, pagination in brackets, include reflections on looking at the ruins of medieval castles more particularly those of Glamorgan (xi + xiv); lists or groups of Welsh words, sometimes with English definitions and / or illustrative excerpts from Welsh poems (5-8, 11, 13, 42-3, 45-52 72, 117, 124, 145-7, 163, 215, 218, 221-2, 227-9, 231, 233, 243-7, 251-4, 268, 302, 307, 316); a list of the titles of 'Cywyddau Ior[wer]th Morganwg' i.e. Edward Williams himself (9-10); a seven-stanza poem entitled 'Cân y Bore' by [Edward Williams] 'Iorwerth Morganwg' (15-19); brief lists of events with dates extracted from [Henry Rowlands:] Mona antiqua [restaurata] and [William] Camden [:?Britannia] (20-21); an extract relating to the 'cantrefi' of Morgannwg from 'Vol. 17, Plas Gwynn' [i.e. Panton MS 17 now NLW MS 1986] (22); notes on laws promulgated by Sir Robert Fitshammon [in Glamorgan in the late eleventh century] (53); brief notes headed 'Peculiarities of the orthography of Mr. Bassett of Lanelays Welsh MS. History of the 13 Knights' (41); brief notes referring to the Norman knights Sir Lawrence Berckrolls, Gilbert Humphrefil, and Sir William Le Esterling and the lands given to them [on the conquest of Glamorgan] (39- 40); brief notes headed 'Llyma son am Dywysogaeth a Phendefigaeth a Bonedd Morganwg' (36-7); a list of sixteen [Glamorgan] castles with brief notes thereon (34-5); notes relating to Morgannwg ? in the late eleventh and first half of the twelfth century with references to Paen Twrbil, an attack on Cardiff Castle ? led by Ifor Bach, a political and judicial system ? set up by Ifor Bach, a law promulgated by 'ffwg Morganwg' against foreigners, etc. (30-33); brief notes relating to meetings of the Welsh bards held in the various princes' courts four times a year ? during the second half of the eleventh century, the supervision of the bards' use of Welsh by the princes, the patronage of the bards by Rhys fab Tydyr Fawr and Nest, wife of Iestyn [ap Gwrgant], and a meeting arranged between the said Rhys, Nest, and Iestyn (27-9); brief notes relating to the division of his domain by Rhodri Mawr amongst his sons, the conditions imposed on them, the status and duties of the kings of various parts of Wales, etc. (24-6); drafts of a proposed title-page for Cyfrinach Beirdd Ynys Prydain to be published in 1822 (57, 68); lines of Welsh verse to illustrate 'cynghanedd' of the 'groes rywiog' type (58, 67); brief notes on and a sketch to illustrate 'Cylch yr Abred', 'Cylch y Gwynfyd', and 'Cylch y Ceugant' (59); a list of bardic 'gorseddau' (60-61); notes relating to the creation of the twenty-four Knights of the Round Table by King Arthur and to the qualities and duties expected of such knights, a list of the twenty- four accomplishments they should be capable of, and a list of the names of sixteen of the said knights (62-6); a brief note relating to the bardic 'Cadair Tir Iarll' ? instituted in the time of Gilbart y Clâr (69); a brief note referring to the bards Risiart ap Iorwerth Fynglwyd and Hywel Hir ap Rhys ap Llywelyn (78); notes headed 'Y Ford Gron' referring to the organising of the Welsh bards, musicians, etc. (81-2); notes relating to procedure in connection with bardic meetings (86-7); a brief note attacking 'Win. Owen, Edward Davies, a'r Hen darn Tant E. Jones' (87); a note relating to the contents of 'Greal Beirdd Morganwg' ? an intended quarterly periodical (94); notes relating to the knowledge of letters amongst the Cimmeri on their arrival in Britain and amongst the Druids with references to Roman inscriptions and ancient British inscriptions (95- 6); brief notes on solemn days or festivals observed by Glamorgan bards and the bardic 'Round Table' of Morgannwg (113); an extract from a 'cywydd' attributed to William Cynwal ? illustrating certain bardic terms (115); an example of the bardic alphabet allegedly used by the Welsh bards (118-19); notes relating to the migrations of the Cymry and their coming to Britain ( 125); a brief note on the possible uses of inscribing on billets of wood, etc. (127); a list of ancient Welsh musical instruments ('offer cerdd oslef yr hen Gymry') extracted allegedly from 'an old imperfect MS. in Goetre Hen Library circa 1767 borrowed by John Bradford' (128); a note referring to the genuine poems of Taliesin and the spurious poems attributed to him, the writer disclaiming responsibility for including some of the latter in the 'Welsh Archaiology' stating that his main work in connection therewith had been 'travelling thro' Wales in search of old MSS.' (132 + 129); notes relating to 'coelbrenni rhin', 'coelfeini cyfrin', etc. (137-8); notes referring to the reintroduction of the bardic 'Dosparth y Ford Gron' into Wales from Brittany by Rhys ap Tewdwr, a meeting ? in 1075 between Rhys and Iestyn ap Gwrgan for this purpose and ? to organise the order of Welsh bards and musicians, a further meeting between the two in 1077 leading to a quarrel concerning Nest, wife of Iestyn, the coming of Robert fab Ammon and the Norman knights to Iestyn's aid, and their eventual conquest of his realm (139-41); a suggestion relating to 'Y Bardd Glas o'r Gadair' and 'cynghanedd' (142-3); notes relating to bardic ceremonial headed 'Dosparth y Ford Gronn' (149-51); notes relating to ? the proclaiming of 'eisteddfodau', etc. (161-2); a brief note on the 'bardd teulu' (163); a brief note relating to the intellectual state of the [early] Cymry (169); general remarks contrasting the poets of North and South Wales (170-71); notes relating to the fate of the souls and spirits of men after death (177-9); a note relating to the work of the 'Welsh bards as tutors' (181); an anecdote relating to Einigan Gawr and Menw ap y Teirgwaedd and the origin of knowledge (183); transcripts of two 'awdlau' attributed to Prolh o Gil Fai and Iorwerth Llwyd ap y Gargam, stanzas attributed to Gwalchmai ap Meilir, and unattributed verse (187-97); extracts from [Edward Davies's series of 'Letters on Celtic Literature to Mr. Justice Harding previous to the publication of The Celtic Researches'] with occasional comments [by Edward Williams] (205-11); (continued)

A transcript of three of the old Welsh 'englynion' usually designated 'englynion y Juvencus' with a version in modern orthography [all probably transcribed from Edward Lhuyd: Archaeologia Britannica, p. 221] (212); copies of two 'englynion' by [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg' himself (215); extracts relating to the early Cimbrians or Kimmeri and their connection with Thrace (223); miscellaneous extracts from Welsh verse (225-6, 239-40); a list of titles headed 'Odes by E. Wins.' (232); an agricultural note headed 'Irish Course of Culture' (233); a list of personal names headed 'July 28th Bath. Poems delivered to' (234); a list of Welsh phrases headed 'Phrases in common use in Glamorgan & also amongst the Persians and other Mahometans' (249-50); two lists of Welsh triads the first headed 'Dewisolion o Drioed[d] Cerdd Iaco ap Dewi gerllaw dechreu Llyfr Mr. Thos. Evans o Frechfa', and the second 'Trioedd gweddus ar ddyn & ex idem (Dewisolion)' (273-6); extracts by [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg' from one of Lewis Morris's manuscripts called Prif Ancwyn Gorhoff' being No. 43 of the Welsh School Manuscript Collection in London including a version of the statute for Welsh bards and musicians attributed to Gruffydd ab Cynan ('Statud y Gwyr wrth Gerdd o waith Gruffydd ab Cynan'), bardic triads, a list, with examples of some, of the twenty-four Welsh strict poetic metres, lists with headings such as 'Saith cas ar ferched', 'Chwe casbeth gan Dduw', and 'Cas gan hwsmon bum peth', etc. (277-93; this manuscript numbered 43 was one of the manuscripts listed as missing from the Welsh School Collection when it was presented to the British Museum in 1844, see B. M. Additional MS 14955); a list of Welsh triads headed 'Dewisolion o Drioedd gweddus eu dysgu Iaco ab Dewi (Ll. Th. Evans)' (294-6); a copy of a proclamation that a 'Cadair wrth Gerdd Dafawd' would be held 'ar dwyn y Bettws yn Nhir Iarll' in 18[?2]1 (301); extracts from the preface to Thomas Jones: [An] English [and] Welsh Dictionary, 1811, with a comment by E[dward] W[illiams] (304-05); a list of eleven Glamorgan river-names ('enwau nentydd ag afonydd Morganwg') (312); historical notes relating to Welsh poetry including notes on the 'Silurian School', 'a monster to whom we may apply the appellation of the School of Carmarthen . . . engendered between the false Taste of Dafydd ap Edmund and the ignorance of Gruffudd ap Nicolas', the establishing of the Carmarthen school in North Wales and its duration for two centuries, the decline of the said school and the emergence of a new school with the coming of bards such as Hugh Morris, Edward Morys, etc., the attempts of the Gwyneddigion Society to revive the Carmarthen school in North Wales, the song-writing tradition in South Wales, and Richard Hughes, the sixteenth century Caernarvonshire poet, described as 'the oldest song writer of undoubted authenticity' [in North Wales] (313-14, 311-12); horticultural and agricultural notes giving instructions what to do in each month of the year (324, 321-3, 326, 319-20 ); and notes headed 'Llyma'r ddosparth a wnaeth y Brenin Arthur ar gadw achau a chof am fonhedd Cynhenid Cenedl y Cymry' (328-9). Some of the notes are written on the verso or margins of an incomplete copy of a pamphlet announcing a literary competition (composing a 'cywydd') organised by the Gwyneddigion in 1822, a ? holograph letter from William Williams from Cowbridge to Mr. Williams, Geilston, 1806 (requesting assistance in 'taking estimat of the work unfinis'd at the bridwell'), and copies of a pamphlet announcing the printing of Edward Williams's two volumes of English poems entitled Poems Lyric and Pastoral. Inset is a printed copy of a circular letter from Thomas Stephens as honorary secretary of the Merthyr Cymreigyddion Society, 184 . . ., announcing the society's intention of holding an eisteddfod on (blank), stating what the objectives of the society were, and asking for subscriptions.

Miscellanea,

A composite volume containing miscellaneous lists, notes, jottings, etc., of a very varied nature in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg'). Included are pp. 1-22, miscellaneous extracts allegedly from a manuscript in the hand of Siôn Bradford (extracts - single words or lines, couplets, stanzas, etc. - from the works of Welsh bards, occasional annotations by Siôn Bradford, an anecdote relating to a bard named Ieuan ap y Diwlith, notes relating to fifteen strict poetic metres in a system described by Antoni Pywel, 'englynion' attributed to Siôn Bradford himself ); 38, a brief note on the colour of bardic robes; 39, lists of 'graddau cenhedlaeth hyd y nawfed ach'; 41-4, notes relating to the introduction of 'a new musical system or theory into Wales' possibly from Ireland in the time of Gruffudd ap Cynan including a comment to the effect that no musical instrument was mentioned by Welsh bards circa 1080-1280; 45-6, 181- 4, 247-51, notes on the word 'Cimmeri' and its variants as a national appelative and the formation of the language of the said people; 51-2, brief notes on steel making; 53-4, notes ? relating to the Glamorgan system of Welsh metrics; 55-6, a list of bards headed 'Llyma enwau Beirdd Cadeirogion Tir Iarll amser yr ymryson a fu ryngddynt am farwnad Ieuan a Hywel Swrdwal', and a note relating to 'Cadair Tir Iarll'; 59, a note relating to Gruff. ap Cynan's flight to, and return from, Ireland; 60, triads relating to 'cerdd deuluaidd' or 'cerdd arwest'; 61-3, notes on an 'eisteddfod' organised by Gruff. ab Nicolas at Carmarthen [circa 1450], the part played by D[afydd] ab Edmwnd, the reluctance of the bards of Morgannwg to accept the rules, etc., devised by Dafydd ab Edmwnd, the research undertaken by the said bards into the bardic system, rules, etc.; 66-9, statistics relating to the population of Wales (N.D.) with comments on the English element in Pembrokeshire and Gower, co. Glamorgan, and the English influence on the Welsh border; 70-71, a note on the 'Scaldic School' of poets in Wales; 81 + 93, notes on the words 'Llysdanc' i.e. ' juridical peace', and 'cyfallwy'; 97, a note on Rhobert, iarll Caerloyw (earl of Gloucester), his acquisition of Tir Iarll, and his organising of the bardic order, with mention of the poets Rhys Goch ap Rhiccert (temp. Robert), Ieuan fawr ap y Diwlith, and Trahaearn Brydydd mawr; 101-03, notes on Davydd ap Gwilym more particularly chronological; 105-07, notes relating to an 'eisteddfod' held at Glynn Achlach in Ireland [temp. Gruffudd ap Cynan], an opinion on the alleged connection between the said Gruffudd, Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, Rhys ap Tewdwr, and Gruffudd ap Rhys successively and the formulating of regulations for the Welsh bardic order, and a comment on the probability of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn 'having instituted some Regulations respecting Pedigrees and Land rights' and of Gruffudd ap Cynan having 'introduced Irish or Scaldic music and rules of good order amongst Musicians into North Wales'; 111, a list of place-names containing the element Bangor; 138-9, notes relating to 'Cadeiriau ag Eisteddfodau wrth gerdd dafod' ('Cadair Tir Iarll', 'cadair ym Marchwiail', 'eisteddfodau' at Caerfyrddin and Caerwys, 13th-16th cent.); 140, a note on the poet Gwilym Tew; 141-8, notes on 'eisteddfodau' held at Caerfyrddin in 1451 and N.D., and decisions taken relating to the bardic order and 'cerdd dafawd'; 149-51, genealogical data relating to Iestin ab Gwrgan, lord of Morgannwg; 152 + 157, a brief chronicle of historical and pseudo- historical events in Britain, 1300 B.C. - 230 A.D.; 156, an anecdote relating to Gwaithfoed, lord of Cibion and Ceredigion, and the Saxon king Edgar; 158-9, notes relating to Welsh strict metres referring to 'Cwlm Cadair Caerfyrddin' based upon metrical systems arranged by Gwilym Tew, Dafydd ap Edmwnd, and Llawdden; 165, transcripts of five 'englynion' attributed to Dafydd Benwyn; 167, notes on Owain ap Cadwgan and his son Einion, temp. Henry I; 171-2, notes on Thomas Jones of Tregaron ('Twm Siôn Catti'); 178-9, an anecdote relating to the bard Siôn Cent; 185, notes headed 'Origin of letters in Britain'; 187, a note relating to derivative and compound words in Welsh; 188, a list of fourteen ? rules under the heading 'Theophilanthropists of Wales or Berean Society'; 189, a note on an 'eisteddfod' held by Rys ap Tewdwr at Castell Nedd in 1080; 213, a short list of Glam[organ] proverbs and idioms; 230, a note on 'Hopcin ap Thomas ap Einion Hen a elwir Einion Offeiriad' and the said 'Einion Hen'; 233-41, extracts from [Joseph Robertson:] An Essay on Punctuation (1785); 243-6, transcripts of seven stanzas of English religious verse, an English prayer, and the music of two psalm tunes; 253, an extract from a 'cywydd' attributed to R[hys] G[och] Eryri, and a list of words headed 'Geiriau Gofram yr Alban Eilir, 1815'; 254-61, lists of words and other extracts from Henry Perri [: Eglvryn Phraethineb sebh dosparth ar] Retoreg [ Lhundain, 1595], and other poetic extracts; 262-3, a copy of a 'Sonnet on the prospect of Vaucluse from Petrarch' and an epitaph on an infant by Edwd. Williams, and a list of 'Places to enquire where they are'; 269-74, miscellaneous poetic extracts to illustrate specific words such as 'barddas', 'gwyddfa', etc., and lists headed 'Pumwydd Celfyddyd' and 'Naw Cynneddf Doethineb'; 275, a brief note on the practice of planting trees at crossroads in Glamorganshire; 277-9, a description of the method of swearing the bardic oath; 281-2, a list of the names by which God is known in Welsh with English definitions; 284-5, brief notes relating to the poet Llywelyn Llogell Rhison and his two brothers of Marchwiail [co. Denbigh], and the poet Mab Claf ab Llywarch, with a reference to the attribution of 'Englynion Eiry Mynydd' to the said Llywelyn and Mab Claf; 286, notes on the written version of the tale 'Hanes Taliesin'; 291-2, a list of 'Prif gyfoethau Gwlad Gymru', (continued)

298-300, an extract from the Saxon Chronicle with an English translation; 302, a comment on adverse opinions concerning the antiquity of 'Glam[organ] bardism and its concommitant literature'; 303, notes relating to the bardic 'chair of Glamorgan in Tir Iarll', 'Cadair Taliesin', and 'Cadair Urien'; 304-06, notes headed 'Llyma ddosparth yr awgrym' with lists of numerals headed 'Llyma lafariaith awgrym herwydd a'i dangosir dan a[r]wyddon rhif sathredig y cenedloedd . . .' (see J. Williams ab Ithel: Barddas . . ., vol. I, pp. 98-103); 309, a copy of the civil marriage vow of the time of Oliver Cromwell in Welsh; 311-12, a note on Gruffudd ap Cynan's institution of ? triennial 'eisteddfodau' at Aberffraw and of rules for the bardic fraternity; 316, a biographical note on the Bradford family of Tir Iarll or Bettws [co. Glamorgan]; 319, a note on 'cynghanedd' prior to the time of Gruffudd ap Cynan; 324, a transcript of an 'englyn' attributed to Lewys Mon; 325-6, three triads headed 'Bardic Theology'; 329-30, eight triads headed 'Trioedd amrafaelion'; 335-6, a transcript of six stanzas of Welsh verse attributed to Rhobert, tywysog Norddmandi; 340, notes on the means adopted by Welsh bards to earn a living, circa 1500-1680; 341, six triads headed 'Trioedd Iaith ag Ymadrodd'; 344-8, notes on the development of alliteration in Welsh poetry and the 'rules of . . . the Scaldic School of Welsh versification'; 357-8, a few bardic triads; 374-5, notes relating to various bardic 'chairs'; 379, questions and answers relating to 'Pair Ogrwen', 'Cariadwen', and 'Pair Dadeni'; 387, a short list of four triads; 390-91, notes relating to 'chware hud a Iledrith' of Math ap Mathonwy; 397-9, 402-03, lists of proverbial or idiomatic expressions in Welsh; 407-11, a list of thirty triads headed 'Llyma'r Trioedd a ddatcanodd Iolo Morganwg yng Ngorsedd Beirdd Ynys Prydain ar Frynn Dinorweg yn Arfon, Alban Elfed 1799'; 411-20, notes relating to ? bardic ceremonial and the duties of bards, and seven triads headed 'Llyma Drioedd cynghlo Cadair a Gorsedd'; 421-2, a list of Welsh phrases with English equivalents headed 'Address of letters - salutations in Glamorgan'; 442-3, a list of rules headed 'Rules to know when two languages have had the same word from remote antiquity which may claim it as originally its own'; 445-6, brief notes relating to the early bishops of Bangor, and Ylldud farchog and Eilifri, his mother; 447, transcripts of two 'englynion' attributed to Huw Cornwy and Huw Llwyd Cynfel; 447-8, notes on a ruin called Myrddin Taliesin on the banks of Llynn Geirionydd [co. Caernarvon]; 449, notes headed 'Pedwar Cerddawr Graddawl'; 450-51, an anecdote relating how [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg' nearly lost his life through sleeping near a lime kiln at Llanelltyd [co. Merioneth] in June 1799; 452-7, transcripts of 'englynion' attributed to Siôn Philip, Edmund Prys, Huw Ednyfed, Lewis Môn, Tudur Aled, Owain Ifan, Iorwerth Fynglwyd, Rhys Tyganwy, Huw Llwyd Cynfel, and Gruffudd Philip, and other poetic extracts; 472 + 475, transcripts of 'englynion' attributed to Richard Philip and Gruff. Hiraethog; 479, notes headed 'Edward Williams's idea of Public worship or Religious instruction rather'; 481-5, notes referring to Welsh literature in the late medieval period after the Edwardian conquest and, in connection therewith, the development of alliteration, the production of triplet verse and prose triads, the triads and verses of Llewelyn Llogell Rhison of Marchwiail, and the works of Hopcin Thomas ap Einion in South Wales, references to the existence of 'triades, triplet verses, etc., of very great antiquity', and to Druidic, Scaldic, Norman, Roman, and Saxon influences ? on literature, and a note on the lasting effects of the Edwardian conquest on political and religious attitudes in North Wales; 506, lists of 'flowering shrubs', 'native flowers rare', and 'evergreens' in Glamorgan; etc. Interspersed amongst the above items throughout the volume are lists or groups of Welsh words, notes on Welsh words, etymological notes, genealogical data, miscellaneous extracts from a variety of printed sources, and other miscellaneous items.

Miscellanea,

A volume (pp. 5-310) containing items of an extremely varied nature in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg'). Included, pagination in brackets, are lists or groups of Welsh words, sometimes with English definitions or equivalents or notes (17, 25, 29, 34, 38, 43, 47, 53, 80-82, 89, 102, 125-6, 134, 142, 157, 161, 170, 182, 196, 203, 219-20, 225, 235-6, 238, 242, 245, 247, 263, 282, 292); extracts from Aneurin's 'Gododdin' headed 'Silldorriadau Gododin' (119-20); notes, sometimes very brief, on or relating to Welsh bardism (21, 27, 57, 72, 127, 156, 187, 192-3, 195, 244, 258), song writing (32), the characteristics of the work of Cattwg, Taliesin, and Aneurin (32), the coming of the Cymry to Britain from Deffrobani and their loss of sovereignty to the Romans and Saxons (36), the knowledge of letters amongst the ancient Britons (37), King Arthur's court (46), the 'modern literary dialect of the Welsh' and the medieval prose and verse of South Wales (49), Welsh poetic metres called ' traethodyn milwr', 'traethodyn cwtta', and 'traethodyn chweban' (52), Merfyn Gwawdrych, 9th cent., and his contemporaries (61), the poet Twm ab Ifan ab Rhys, ? early 17th cent. (69), 'cynghanedd' and the Welsh strict poetic metres with references to an 'eisteddfod' in the time of Ifor ab Ifor of Maeshaleg, a bardic assembly at the monastery of Penrys [co. Glamorgan], temp. Edward IV, when Gwilym Tew exhibited an 'awdl', etc. (77- 8), white blackbirds and sparrows seen at Landough and wild canaries at Lantwit [co. Glamorgan] (98), the relinquishment or retention of ancient arts by nations in proportion to their progress (104), Siôn Rhydderch and his Welsh grammar [Grammadeg Cymraeg, 1728] (119), the use of the prefixes an- and di- in Welsh (133), 'Tair Cynghanedd Anianol' (150 ), 'Cynghanedd ewinog' (151), the use of various rhymes and 'cynganeddion' in Welsh (152), bardic 'cadeiriau' of or at Llanfihangel Glyn Afan, 1355, Llangynwyd, 1452, Y Wenar, 1462, and Tir Iarll, 1488 (159), the two sounds of the letter Y in Welsh (160), the bardic 'Cadair Tir Iarll' (185), the construction of 'Coelbren y Beirdd' (242), the bard Owain ap Rhydderch, late 15th cent. (273), and manifestations or representations of God (290- 91); transcripts of Welsh poems or stanzas of Welsh poems or extracts therefrom attributed to Llelo Llantrisaint sef Llywelyn ap Hywel ap Ieuan ap Gronw (23), [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg' (50, 68, 82, 87, 217), ? Twm ab Ifan ab Rhys (69), Llawdden (129-30), Wm. Moses (149), Taliesin (240, 242), Thos. Daf. Miles (266), Syr Roger Cyffin 'offeiriad Llanberis' (267), and Risiart Fychan 'o Gors y Gedol' (268); transcripts of unattributed Welsh poems including stanzas of hymn-tunes (23-4, 30, 34, 45, 51, 104, 115, 116, 121, 128, 1311, 148, 175, 191, 213, 232-3, 234, 274 + 283, 278-80); transcripts of English poems (107, 197, 212, 261, 284 + 273); miscellaneous Welsh triads (33, 172, 206, 247); short lists of Welsh proverbs or proverbial sayings (48, 167, 176, 231, 293); a prescription for the cure of rheumatism (50); an anecdote relating to the struggle between Caradawc ab Bran ap Llyr and the Romans, the burning of forests in Britain, and the building by Manawydan fab Llyr of a prison called 'Carchar Oeth ag Anoeth' from the bones of those slain in battle, allegedly extracted from [a manuscript called] the 'Yniales' (65-8; for another copy of the anecdote see NLW MS 13152A above); a prefatory note to an intended collection of proverbs, moral aphorisms, etc., allegedly composed or compiled by Cattwg Ddoeth (73-4); a list of old Welsh musical instruments ('Offerynau Cerdd arwest yr hen Gymry') (80); a transcript of the opening paragraph of an alleged version of 'Gramadeg Einiawn Offeiriad' (83); notes on (a) the situation and extent, and (b) the divisions of the county of Glamorgan being sections 1 and 2 of a projected chapter to be headed 'Geographical State and Circumstances' which presumably would have been Chapter 1 of a work on the said county (91-2); an incomplete list of bardic, literary, and other topics in English and Welsh, e.g. 'Cannons of Etymology', 'Miscellanies relating to Welsh poetry', 'Achau Saint Ynys Prydain', 'MSS. in Jesus College Library', under the superscription 'Collecting Sheets 8vo' (99); a list of nine topics such as 'Diarhebion Morganwg Annosparthus', 'Mangofion Gwynedd 1799', etc. (101); (continued)

A list of thirteen topics, e.g. 'Princes of Southwales', 'Anecdotes of Howel Dda', 'Meddygon Myddfai', etc., headed 'For Mr. Rees, Caermarthen' (105); copies of memorial inscriptions ? in St. Athan parish church (107-08); a list of six rules headed 'Unitarian Discipline' (113); a list of fifteen topics or personal names of a varying nature, e.g. 'Llangyndeyrn Marble at Caerm[arthe]n', 'Donne the Satirist', 'Taly Llycheu Church, D.G.' (114); a list of eight 'Ysgriflyfrau gan Iolo Morganwg 1800' (127); a list of Welsh proverbial sayings or advisory precepts some in verse form and some attributed to Cattwg Ddoeth (141, 144-6); a list of the names of six series of Welsh triads (147); a list of the names of thirteen persons headed 'Selfeducated persons in Glamorgan Vale' and a second list containing the names of eight persons headed 'Glamorgan Mountains' the persons named in this list apparently belonging to the same category as those in the first list (158); a list of eight topics or items, e.g. 'Llythyrau Dafydd o'r Nant', 'Rheolau Tudur Aled', etc., which were to be included in an unspecified work (164); brief genealogical data relating to the family of Einiawn Offeiriad (171); a list of Welsh 'Enwau Llefydd' ( 172); brief incomplete notes relating to the development of Welsh literature headed 'English Preface to Cyfrinach y Beirdd' (214); an explanatory note on 'cynghanedd groes' in the form of question and answer between pupil and master (251-2); a draft of a memorial and remonstrance to the members of, and subscribers to, the 'Fund of the South Wales Unitarian Society for the Diffusion of Christian Knowledge' expressing concern at irregularities in the conduct of the society (265 + 260); patterns or examples of metres and metric lines headed 'Specimens of Welsh Lyrics and Verse' (262); a list of the names of six Welsh bards, 1650-80, to refute L[ewis] Morys's assertion that no good 'cywydd' had been written since the reign of Elizabeth (267); brief notes on the activities of [John] Poyer and [Rowland] Laugharne in the Civil War in South Wales and a list of English sovereigns, 1603-1760 (269); ? observations on a proposed 'Essay on the Ancient Welsh Literature', etc. (271); synopses of the contents of ? six chapters of a proposed 'Collection for a New History of Wales from Ancient Welsh MSS.' ('On the Origin of the Cimbri', 'Principles of Ancient British Government', 'The Ancient Institution of the Bards', etc.) (272); music for an unspecified air (296); and notes and a sketch relating to a plan of a 'meeting house, octagonal or circular' (298). Some of the notes, etc., have been written on the verso or in the margins of a copy of a printed notice by White and Barnards, Barge Masters, advertising their services, 1800 (100), a copy of a printed notice issued by the Caslon Letter Foundry, London, advertising their preparedness to provide printing types and materials (123), imperfect copies of a printed leaflet, 1797, announcing an 'eisteddfod' to be held under the patronage of the Gwyneddigion Society in 1798 (142-3, 204-05), a copy of printed proposals, 1811, for a new edition of 'The History of Wales written originally in Welsh by Caradoc of Llancarvan translated into English by Dr. Powell and augmented by W. Wynne' (194 + 191), 'An Exemplification of Masons' Work done for Robert Jones, Esqr., of Fonmon Castle . . . Burton Causway by William Baker, Mason, 1813 and 18[14] as attested by Thos. Raecliff and Edward Williams in 1814 (198-9, 210-11), a ? holograph letter from R. Evans from Cowbridge to . . ., undated (personal) (220-21), an account for goods purchased by E. Williams [? 'Iolo Morganwg'] from James Bradley, chemist, Cowbridge, in 1816 (226 + 239), a printed calendar of prisoners in ? Cardiff Gaol, ? 1803 (227 + 238), a copy of printed proposals for publishing George Dyer's Memoirs of the Life and Writings of . . . Robert Robinson of Chesterton (234 + 231), and a ? holograph note from Thomas William to Edward Williams [? 'Iolo Morganwg'], 1814, informing him that Christopher ? James wished to see him (259 + 266).