AN GAOḊAL.
397
of everything that betokens a desire to ignore or
forget their language ; for a well arranged system
to make every Welshman proud of his language
and his people and country — the palm has to be
cheerfully awarded to them among the Celts of
Great Britain and Ireland. The name of the Rev.
Griffith Jones will be ever dear to every patriotic
Welshman; for he was the first who made any suc¬
cessful attempt to erect Schools for the instruction
of the people in their own language. Mr. Jones
began his patriotic work in 1730, and devoted
himself for thirty years to that work, with the gra¬
ifying success of establishing 220 schools during
that time. It may, roughly speaking, be said that
from the departure of the Romans in 446, A. D.,
until Llywellyn, Ap Gruffydd, was killed in 1282,
and with him the liberty and independence of Wales
were lost; the Welsh had to fight pro aris et focis.
It is Taliessin who says;
"Ban gwir pan disgleir,
Bannach pan lefeir."
"High is truth when it shines,
Higher when it speaks."
Frequently during the centuries that intervened
between the departure of the Romans from Brit¬
ain, and the overthrow of Welsh independence, the
Brythonic energy arose. Bryt onic Yniwis dydyrch¬
efis. The Weish muse found congenial and con¬
tinuous employment in celebrating the victories of
the Kymric princes. Thus vast accessions to the
poetical literature of Wales were made.
The Welsh Eisteddfods or Eisteddfoddau, those
sittings, or Sessions, or Congresses of Bards, or
literati, which are now held almost every year,
must have an immense power so far as inducing the
Welsh people to love their language, and their lit¬
erature, and the traditions of their country is con¬
cerned; so far as determining to be faithful to
their nationality is concerned; so far as refusing
on grounds of strict utilitarianism to forget their
language, and to ignore or think lightly of their
literature, is concerned. "When I see," writes
Matthew Arnold, the enthusiasm these Eistedd¬
fods can awaken in your whole people, and then
think of the tastes, the literature, the amusements
of our own lower and middle class, I am filled with
admiration for you." It is said that the Gorsedd
or Assembly from which the Eisteddfod has sprung,
is as old as the time of Prydain, the son of Ædd the
great, who lived many centuries before the Chris¬
tian era. Several Eisteddfods were held in the re¬
mote past. It it said of Rhys ab Tewdwr who as¬
sumed the sovereignty of South Wales in 1077, that
he brought from Britanny to Wales the system
the Round Table, and restored it with regard to
minstrels and bards as it had been at Caerleon up¬
on Usk, under the Emperor Arthur. The Welsh
Eisteddfoddau exercise a most healthful influence
in stimulating the literary ambition of the more in¬
telligent and thought of the Kymry. Those an¬
nual gatherings and the prizes which are offered
in connection with them, had much to do in indu¬
cing Thomas Stephens, the Eugene O'Curry of
Welsh literature, to give to the world the benefit
of his extensive knowledge of the literature and
traditions of his country. The Prince of Wales off¬
ered a prize in 1848, to be given at an Eisteddfod
at Abergavenny, for the best essay on the literature
of Wales during the twelfth and succeeding centu¬
ries. Stephens was successful in gaining the
prize which was thus offered: His Essay, now
known as the "Literature of the Kymry," is regard¬
ed as one of the most important contributions that
has ever been made to Welsh literature. After
writing other works on various subjects, Stephens
died in 1875.
It is affecting to learn, on the authority of his
biographer, that when the Eisteddfod was held at
which he gained the prize that the Prince of Wales
offered, the bardic name which was attached to the
Essay was read out, and the silence of expectation
was most painful; for Archdeacon Williams, of
Cardigan, as he rose to make the ward, declared
"that a new star was to appear that day in the lit¬
erature of Wales." Again the name rang through
the building; and then a young man, with marks
of severe study upon his face, rose and announced
that he was Thomas Stephens, the author of the
successful Essay.
A large number of Welsh MSS. exists. With
the exception of the MSS. that are in the British
Museum and in the libraries of Oxford and Cam¬
bridge, the Welsh MSS. that are extant are in
private collections. There is the Hengwrt collec¬
tion which bears that designation in consequence
of its being made by Robert Vaughan of Hengwrt.
Jones, another collection of MSS., and Vaughan
agreed, that on the death of one of them, the sur¬
vivor should become possessor of the whole collec¬
tion of MSS.
To what is known as the "Myvyrian Archeolo¬
gy of Wales," a very interesting history attaches.
Owen Jones, to whose patriotism and indomitable
energy, the honor belongs of preparing and pub¬
lishing the "Myvyrian Archaeology," as a native
of Myvyr. From his childhood he had a remark¬
able affection for the treasures of his country's lit¬
erature. He repaired at an early age, to London,
where he pursued the trade of furrier with such
perseverance and success, that he amassed consid¬
rable wealth which he generously expended in the
transcription of MSS. His Archaeology which bears
the name of his native valley, and which is acknowl¬
edged to be the great repertory of the literature of
his nation, was published in 1801, and in 1803.
(To be continued.
The Blind Asylum at Drumcondra, near Dublin
Ireland, is the only Catholic institution in exist¬
ence which prints books in English for the use of
the blind. The inmates receive a good general
education, are well instructed in their religion,
and are trained to some useful trade, chosen ac¬
cording to each person's capabilities, which will
enable them hereafter to earn their livelihood. The
place is managed by the Carmelites, the Superior
being Father Nevin.
Ave Maria.
