Gwaith Ieuan Brydydd Hir/Curad Llanfair Talhaearn
| ← Marwnad William Morus | Gwaith Ieuan Brydydd Hir gan Evan Evans (Ieuan Brydydd Hir) golygwyd gan Owen Morgan Edwards |
Marwnad Lewis Morris → |
CURAD LLANFAIR TALHAEARN.
DEAR Sir,[1]—I have not heard from you for almost a twelvemonth, nor, indeed, from any of my countrymen. However, as I have so good an opportunity, I resolved to let you know there is such a one alive as wishes you and yours well. My sister, who is the bearer, came to pay me a visit afoot. I hear all my friends are well. But she could give me no account at all of you. I therefore desired her to call by you, as it is not out of her road; and I dare say she will be welcome upon her brother's account.
I have lost my best friend in this country, Mr. Davies of Llannerch; and continue still a curate in the same place, and am at present, I thank God, in good health. I have collected a great many materials by way of an apparatus of notes upon Nennius. I have at present a small book in the press at London, which I suppose is no news to you, as your brother is the corrector of the press in the Welsh part. Mr. Justice Barrington told me at Conway it would be out in a fortnight's time or there- abouts. Had I received the copies I am to have, I would have sent you one. However, I will take care to save one for you when they come to hand.
I am sorry my ill fate contrives matter in such a manner that I cannot be near you. I am sure it would give me heart to carry matters to greater perfection than I can in the dis- advantageous situation I am in, in this country, where I lost all friends that had the same taste with myself. I am afraid, if I continue here much longer, I shall commence a down- right savage, so few persons are there in this country that relish anything of learning, or are any way encouragers of it: and to complete my misfortune, our Bishops look upon me, I believe in my conscience, with an evil eye, because I dare have any affection for my country, language, and antiquities, which, in their opinion, had better been lost and forgotten, and which some of them have had the front to maintain in their sermons: so that, all things considered, I am encompassed with a multiplicity of discouraging circumstances. However, I have so much philosophy as will carry me through the whole.
When I hear what reception my present publication has from the public, I shall then set about Nennius in earnest, though you know better than anybody else that the task is very difficult. You could help me to a great many more materials which lie scattered in your Celtic Remains. I do not know how you have enjoyed your health since I saw you, and whether you still continue to enlarge that valuable work. Mr. Justice Barrington told me there is a French writer, one Mons. Bullet, that has wrote a Celtic Dictionary, which comes to six guineas. He has promised to send one to me with many books from the printer. He says that he has made great use of the Archeologia Britannica without acknowledging his obligations to the author. I conceive but a poor opinion of it at present, but will let you know when I receive it. It is upon the same plan with your Celtic Remains. What a pity it is that work is not published even as it is now. Lambert's book, you know, is much in the same way, not reduced to any alphabetical order.
I have had lately some of Llwyd of the Museum's letters to the very learned Mr. Davies of Llannerch, and inclosed I send a letter of Mr. Price of Llanvylling to Mr. Josiah Babington, schoolmaster of St. Asaph's. I thought it might be a curiosity to you. I shall take some other opportunity to send you transcripts of those of Llwyd. In one of Mr. Davies' common-place books now in my custody, I find the following curious anecdote, which I shall here transcribe for your sake.
April 13 '80. Mr. M. Lloyd told me that Bishop Usher said that when he was a young man he had seen an old book called Ecclesia Britannica Historia, auctore Tyssilio filio Brochmaeli (Brochwel Ysgithrog) regis Powisa. This book was then in the hands of Dr. Price, prebendary of Westminster; and Mr. Lloyd, upon enquiry, found Dr. Lewis of St. Cross had it afterwards; but being asked concerning it, said he lost it, by burying it in the war time; but Mr. Lloyd thinks that he sent it to Rome, having since heard he was turned Papist."
I still maintain correspondence with Mr. Percy, and find that the Northern Scalds had a kind of Cynghanedd, not unlike ours, in their poetry. I sent him Swrdwal's poem upon Our Lady, but my copy was very corrupt; and in return he sent me an abstract from Olaus Wormius' Literatura Runica.
I have no room to say more, but that
I am yours sincerely,
EVAN EVANS.
Nodiadau
golygu- ↑ Mr. Lewis Morris.