Welsh Journals

Denbigh dogs, Ruthin cats And Bodfari lads for ever." Our elders must also have known and told all these things before us, but they had got beyond that stage. The traditional pride was too mythically founded for the adult population, trained in the Puritanic traditions of nearly two centuries of religious democracy; and the events forming the basis of historical pride were but very indifferently known. Yet, mixed with the effects of the revivals and religious teaching, the pride was there. Some- times, it made us unconsciously ludicrous, for we associated law and officialdom with the English speech. It seemed necessary and natural that a man, who could express himself clearly and fluently in his own language at a religious meeting or in business, should express himself with lamentable imperfection in a court of law or at a Council meeting. It seemed necessary and natural, on the other hand, that, in order to be good and faithful members of a certain class, men, who prided themselves upon having pedigrees had to speak and act as if they were thoroughly ashamed of all that their ancestors had been. Things are changing in this respect. The native language now tends to become the mark of self-respect and culture a lawyer or an official, and even a man with a pedigree, may now speak it with honour. But this is only the result of a truer appreciation of the basis of the historical pride. Denbigh is still Denbigh, a comparatively small town with a great past, so far THE EVOLUTION OF THE WELSH SEA LYRIC. ONE of the most remarkable facts concerning the lyric poetry of Wales during the eighteenth and most of the nineteenth centuries is the imperfect way in which it mirrors the seafaring activity of the nation during that period. The nation was not without maritime traditions; in its annals are inscribed the names of Madog, that nebulous and Flying Dutchman of the dark ages, and Morgan the Buccaneer, with all his associates of the Eldorado and gold-laden galleons sailing the Spanish main the Triads are not devoid of vague references to adventurous voyages that might well inspire casting its spell, whether consciously or otherwise- upon native and new-comer alike, and preserving a personality of its own. It is very democratic, but the spirit of the enclosure is not quite dead. Had there been no rock in the middle of the vale, there would have been no castle and without the Castle, the modem town, if it had sprung up at all. would have been quite different. You have only to compare Denbigh with Rhyl or Colwyn Bay, or even with Abergele. to appreciate the difference. Rhyl and Colwyn Bay are quite modern growths, mere imitations of English seaside resorts. Abergele is an old town, welcoming the summer visitor, but luckily not yet quite able to destroy its own personality. Denbigh, even without its garrison origin, would still have been different, for the sea is twelve miles distant. Its people are not a community of enter- tainers and waiters. Its corporate efforts to attract the tripper are spasmodic, and generally due to the municipal new broom, lately arrived from elsewhere. In time, even he succumbs to the spirit of the place, and learns wisdom. The general attitude towards the tripper is well expressed in the reply I once got from an inhabitant. I had remarked that there seemed to be a good many strangers about. Oes", he said. y pethau haf yma (" Yes, these summer things.") Denbigh knows at heart that business is not life. Only a colliery could spoil the good old town. I wan de Galles. legend and lyric homely Welsh names, too, are interwoven into the romantic narratives of those voyages that started from Bristol with the dawn of modern times. The earlier part of the last century was parti- cularly a period of great maritime activity for Wales. The old-established ship-building yards dotted about the coast, and many a little coast town and village with its aristocracy of retired captains, bear ample evidence of this. As steam gradually super- seded sails, matters changed; the opening up of the coal-field too made a difference; the quaint old