Welsh Journals

Apr. 6, 1892. BYE-GONES. 287 golden world ys taught to singe vntohis Lord a newe songe, and the Landlords have learned the text of the damned disciple, Quid vultis mihi dare, et ego ilium vobis tradam; and nowe the world ys so altered with ye poore tenante, that he standeth so in bodylie feare of his greedy neighbour, that ij or iij yeares eare [ere] his lease end, he must bowe to his Lord for a newe lease, & must pinche yt out many yeares before to heape money together, so that in this age yt ys as easye for a poore tenante to marry ij of his daughters to his neighboures sonnes as to match him selfe to a good farme from his landlord. But we must draw to an end of our quotations. One more shall be given, to explain why there are no nightingales in Pembrokeshire, and then an end to our gossip of Mr Owen's most welcome gift to Welsh literature. It is a monument of his in¬ dustry, and patience, and literary skill, of which he may well be proud. Here is the legend of the nightingale:— Neither do I consent with the fable fathered vpon St. Dauids, who as the tale goeth, being seriouse occupied in the night tyme in his divine orizons, was so troubled with the sweete tuninges of the Nightingall, as that he cold not fasten his minde vpon heavenlie cogitacions, as at other tymes, being letted [hindered] by the melodie of the bird, praied vnto th' almightie, that from that tyme forward, there might never a nightingall sing within his Dioces, and this saieth our weomen, was the cause of confininge of the bird out of this Countrey, thus much to recreat the readers spirittes. The Description of Penbrohshire has many pages by which the reader's spirits may be recreated. APRIL 6, 1892. NOTES. THE IOLO MSS.—Not long ago I replied to a question in Bye-Gones, that the Iolo MSS. were in the possession of Lady Llanover. "Morien," writing to the Western Mail on the 27th February last, seems to have unearthed some MSS. of the noted bard (other than those at Llanover) in the possession of the late Mr Edward Williams of Middlesborough, iron merchant, a son of Ab Iolo, who, he* says, was prepared to deposit his MSS. for public convenience at the Free Library at Cardiff. Until then I quite thought with " Morien " that the whole of the MSS. were at Llanover. W.H. Y Bryn, near Abergavenny. REJOICING IN WALES ON THE RELEASE OF THE SEVEN BISHOPS, 1688.—As a small contribution towards proving the wide-spread in¬ terest taken in the acquittal of the seven Bishops in James the Second's reign, I will give an extract from the churchwardens' accounts of Chirk parish under the year 1688 :— Payd for Ale to ye singers when the byshopps were gott frome out of the tower...... ... .........00 02 00 Readers of history will remember that the seven Bishops, on the re-publication of the royal " De¬ claration of Liberty of Conscience," and the Order in Council for having it read in churches, peti¬ tioned the king to be excused compliance with the royal mandate, and for this act were com¬ mitted to the Tower on the charge of writing a " seditious libel," but, after trial, they were acquit¬ ted, on June 29, 1688 ; which event was made the occasion of much rejoicing. One of the seven bishops was Bishop William Lloyd of St. Asaph, and this fact will in part account for the bell- ringing in Chirk ; for that parish forms part of the Diocese of St. Asaph, and Bishop Lloyd was popu¬ lar in his diocese. E.O. QUERIES. NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN WELSH— A Member remarked in the House of Commons the other day that there were three languages used in Wales—Northern Welsh, Southern Welsh, and English. It would be interesting to have a few specimens of the difference between Northern and Southern Welsh. W.O. HEYMENT.—In a Gaol File relating to Mont¬ gomeryshire of the year 1684, I noticed that a person who resided in the parish of Llamyrewig was " Presented " by the Grand Inquest " for an opene Heyment." What was the meaning of Hey- ment, and what was the offence ? Pearmain. REPLIES. THE RELIQUARY (" SANGTUARIUM") CALLED ENGLETHEU AT ST. ASAPH (March 23, 1892).—This was the famous copy of the Gos¬ pels in St. Asaph Cathedral. Archbishop Peck- ham issued a circular letter to the Bishops of the other Welsh Sees, and those of Hereford and Lichfield and Coventry, recommending to their favour the Canons of St. Asaph, who were sent through the country with it to solicit alms for the rebuilding of the ruined Cathedral. The sums so collected in the three years 1290—93 amounted to as much as £95 6s. 10d., equivalent to nearly £3,000 of present value. D.R.T. ARGAE BANK (Dec. 9, 23,1891,Jan. 6, Mar. 2, 1892.)—It is many years now since I have seen the Gaerhowell bridge and its vicinity, and I can¬ not dispute " J.E.T.'s." statement that my sugges¬ tion that possibly the Argae was thrown up to keep the Severn within bounds will not hold water. It is a curious thing, but the paragraph which he referred me to in Bye-Gones, July 20, 1887, and which describes the grant to Baldwyn de Mont¬ gomery, is, I believe, incorrect, so far as regards the words " in Montgomery," and upon those two words it seems his reply to me rests._ I asked for the authority, but he has not given it; his reply, omitting the words "*"n Montgomery," establishes nothing. " Montgomery Mill," so called in 1272, was in Chirbury parish. (Eyton, xi., 60.) The Canons of Chirbury held a mill near Caldcmore