Welsh Journals

Aug. 1, 1900. BYE-GONES. 431 in any equal area in England." "An¬ other chapiter is devoted to the Educational Movement, and another to "Language and Liter¬ ature," meaning chiefly, we regret to say, modern literature. Our space is almost exhausted, but, as a contrast to the condition of affairs at the present day, when Welsh is spoken by about a million people, or double as many as spoke it a hundred years ago, we must quote the following from an English traveller who wrote in 1682: — Their native gibberish is usually pratled through¬ out the whole Taphydome, except in their Market- Towns, whose inhabitants, being a little rais'd, and (as it were) pufft up into bubbles above the ordinary scum, do begin to despise it. Some of these being elevated above the common level, and perhaps refln'd into the quality having two suits, are apt to fancy themselves above their Tongue, and when in their t'other cloaths, are quite asham'd on't. 'Tis usually cashier'd out of gentlemen's Houses, there being scarcely to be heard even one single Welch tone in many families; their children are instructed in the Anglican Ideom, and their schools are Paedagogu'd with professors of the same; so that (if the stars prove lucky) there may be some glimmering hopes that the British lingua may be quite extinct, and may be English'd out of Wales, as Latin was barbarously Goth'd out of Italy. We had marked other passages for quotation and extract, but here we must end, having said enough, we hope, to send many of our reader? to the book itself, which, in addition to its value for other reasons, is a storehouse of interesting information. AUGUST 1, 1900. NOTES. ST. WINIFRED'S WELL (July 25,1900).—At White Ladies, near Boscobel, is a Roman Catholic burial place, and one of the gravestones records an instantaneous cure at this well. The in¬ scription is given thus :—" Here lies Winifred White, late of Wolverhampton, who was instan¬ taneously cured of hemiplegia by bathing in St. Winifred's Well, Flintshire, June 11th, 1805. She died of consumption, January 13th, 1824, aged 45 years. May she rest in peace." X. LLANDANWG CHURCH (Apr. 13, 1898, et ante).—The following is an extract from *' A Panorama of the Beauties, Curiosities and Antiquities of North Wales, by J. Hemingway ; 4th Edition (1845), p. 172. L.CO. " Harlech.—The parish church having become very dilapidated, it was determined to build a church in the village. The site was given by Sir R. W. Vaughan, of Nannau; the foundation stone was laid by the worthy Baronet in May, 1838. The church was consecrated in 1841, and was constituted the parish church, the old one being used only at funerals." THE WELSH LANGUAGE IN LLANDY- SILIO.—My personal knowledge of Llandysilio is limited, but I cannot conceive that Mr Pryce's conclusion, as quoted in your columns (in a notice of Mont. Goll., July 18,1900), is correct, " that the Welsh language has been little used in the parish during the last two hundred and fifty years." The fact that there are no Welsh entries in the Registers certainly does not prove it. I recently saw, in Wales, a quantity of deeds and other documents and papers relating to tho district, some of which showed that Welsh services were held at one or two places in the parish by the Calvinistic Methodists about a century ago. And the following extract from a letter, now in the British Museum, written by Thomas Edwards (Twm o'r Nant) is conclusive evidence that the language was known and used there in his time. The letter is addressed to Owen Jones (Owain Myfyr), and is undated, but was written after the issue of the first number of Y Great (June, 1805):—"Ni chefais ddim (pe bai fatter) am Antarliwt a wnaethym.mewn wythnos, i langciau phvy Llandisilio yn Neuddwr yn Sir Drafael- dwyn, hwy am cadwasar.t a bwyd a diod, a Guinea a hanner am dani, a'i thestyn ydyw Cybydd-dod ac Oferedd." The extract is pecu¬ liarly interesting as showing where, and, approxi¬ mately, when Twm's famous Interlude was first performed. When first published I know not. London. T. Hamer Jokes. PUBLIC-HOUSE SIGNS.—Though the query as to signs, to which several replies have been given, related toanimal signs, it may be interesting to mention some others of special interest. The Loggerheads between Mold and Ruthin is too well known to need description. The Harp, Coriven.—The sign of this house painted over the kitchen fireplace on the wall, and represents a Druid playing the harp, with his back to the wind (from the way his beard and hair are being blown); and this perhaps deserves mention among animal signs for the painter's sake ; but who painted this sign ? Labour in Vain, Llanfwrog.—The sign of this old house represents a black man in a tub, being scrubbed by a white man, who is evidently trying to change his colour. This sign is to be met with elsewhere, but, as far as I know, without the pictorial portion. Black Boy, Efenechtyd. —The actual sign is negro's head, but what the origin is, it is hard to say. The Bloody Hand is not uncommon. There used to be a public-house in Llansantffraid-yn- Mechaia with this sign, which originates from the Chirk Castle Arms. I may be allowed to add a story of the Fighting Cocks at Oswestry. The tale used to be told of two country Yokels, visiting Oswestry for tho first time, and, going down Albion Hill, seeing two cocks fighting, their sporting (?) instincts being rather strong, and the sign well painted, they stood for some time watching the combatants. On leaving they lot fall the remark that the "Big 'un was sure to win," and upon their return up Beatrice-street (where the other side of the sign faced them) they