wild wales-第141节

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〃I　want　no　half…crowns；　yere　hanner；　but　if　ye　would　give　me　God　
I'd　bless　ye。〃

〃What　do　you　mean　by　giving　you　God？〃

〃Putting　Him　in　my　heart　by　some　good　counsel　which　will　guide　me　
through　life。〃

〃The　only　good　counsel　I　can　give　you　is　to　keep　the　commandments；　
one　of　them　it　seems　you　have　always　kept。　　Follow　the　rest　and　you　
can't　go　very　wrong。〃

〃I　wish　I　knew　them　better　than　I　do；　yere　hanner。〃

〃Can't　you　read？〃

〃Oh　no；　yere　hanner；　I　can't　read；　neither　can　Tourlough　nor　his　
wife。〃

〃Well；　learn　to　read　as　soon　as　possible。　　When　you　have　got　to　
America　and　settled　down　you　will　have　time　enough　to　learn　to　
read。〃

〃Shall　we　be　better；　yere　hanner；　after　we　have　learnt　to　read？〃

〃Let's　hope　you　will。〃

〃One　of　the　things；　yere　hanner；　that　have　made　us　stumble　is　that　
some　of　the　holy　women；　who　have　come　to　our　tent　and　read　the　
Bible　to　us；　have　afterwards　asked　my　aunt　and　me　to　tell　them　
their　fortunes。〃

〃If　they　have；　the　more　shame　for　them；　for　they　can　have　no　
excuse。　　Well；　whether　you　learn　to　read　or　not；　still　eschew　
striopachas；　don't　steal；　don't　deceive；　and　worship　God　in　spirit；　
not　in　image。　　That's　the　best　counsel　I　can　give　you。〃

〃And　very　good　counsel　it　is；　yere　hanner；　and　I　will　try　to　follow　
it；　and　now；　yere　hanner；　let　us　go　our　two　ways。〃

We　placed　our　glasses　upon　the　bar　and　went　out。　　In　the　middle　of　
the　road　we　shook　hands　and　parted；　she　going　towards　Newport　and　I　
towards　Chepstow。　　After　walking　a　few　yards　I　turned　round　and　
looked　after　her。　　There　she　was　in　the　damp　lowering　afternoon　
wending　her　way　slowly　through　mud　and　puddle；　her　upper　form　
huddled　in　the　rough　frieze　mantle；　and　her　coarse　legs　bare　to　the　
top　of　the　calves。　　〃Surely；〃　said　I　to　myself；　〃there　never　was　an　
object　less　promising　in　appearance。　　Who　would　think　that　there　
could　be　all　the　good　sense　and　proper　feeling　in　that　uncouth　girl　
which　there　really　is？〃



CHAPTER　CIX



Arrival　at　Chepstow　…　Stirring　Lyric　…　Conclusion。


I　PASSED　through　Caer　Went；　once　an　important　Roman　station；　and　
for　a　long　time　after　the　departure　of　the　Romans　a　celebrated　
British　city；　now　a　poor　desolate　place　consisting　of　a　few　old…
fashioned　houses　and　a　strange…looking　dilapidated　church。　　No　
Welsh　is　spoken　at　Caer　Went；　nor　to　the　east　of　it；　nor　indeed　for　
two　or　three　miles　before　you　reach　it　from　the　west。

The　country　between　it　and　Chepstow；　from　which　it　is　distant　about　
four　miles；　is　delightfully　green；　but　somewhat　tame。

Chepstow　stands　on　the　lower　part　of　a　hill；　near　to　where　the　
beautiful　Wye　joins　the　noble　Severn。　　The　British　name　of　the　
place　is　Aber　Wye　or　the　disemboguement　of　the　Wye。　　The　Saxons　
gave　it　the　name　of　Chepstow；　which　in　their　language　signifies　a　
place　where　a　market　is　held；　because　even　in　the　time　of　the　
Britons　it　was　the　site　of　a　great　cheap　or　market。　　After　the　
Norman　Conquest　it　became　the　property　of　De　Clare；　one　of　
William's　followers；　who　built　near　it　an　enormous　castle；　which　
enjoyed　considerable　celebrity　during　several　centuries　from　having　
been　the　birthplace　of　Strongbow；　the　conqueror　of　Ireland；　but　
which　is　at　present　chiefly　illustrious　from　the　mention　which　is　
made　of　it　in　one　of　the　most　stirring　lyrics　of　modern　times；　a　
piece　by　Walter　Scott；　called　the　〃Norman　Horseshoe；〃　commemorative　
of　an　expedition　made　by　a　De　Clare；　of　Chepstow；　with　the　view　of　
insulting　with　the　print　of　his　courser's　shoe　the　green　meads　of　
Glamorgan；　and　which　commences　thus：…


〃Red　glows　the　forge〃　…


I　went　to　the　principal　inn；　where　I　engaged　a　private　room　and　
ordered　the　best　dinner　which　the　people　could　provide。　　Then　
leaving　my　satchel　behind　me　I　went　to　the　castle；　amongst　the　
ruins　of　which　I　groped　and　wandered　for　nearly　an　hour；　
occasionally　repeating　verses　of　the　Norman　Horseshoe。　　I　then　went　
to　the　Wye　and　drank　of　the　waters　at　its　mouth；　even　as　some　time　
before　I　had　drunk　of　the　waters　at　its　source。　　Then　returning　to　
my　inn　I　got　my　dinner；　after　which　I　called　for　a　bottle　of　port；　
and　placing　my　feet　against　the　sides　of　the　grate　I　passed　my　time　
drinking　wine　and　singing　Welsh　songs　till　ten　o'clock　at　night；　
when　I　paid　my　reckoning；　amounting　to　something　considerable。　　
Then　shouldering　my　satchel　I　proceeded　to　the　railroad　station；　
where　I　purchased　a　first…class　ticket；　and　ensconcing　myself　in　a　
comfortable　carriage；　was　soon　on　the　way　to　London；　where　I　
arrived　at　about　four　o'clock　in　the　morning；　having　had　during　the　
whole　of　my　journey　a　most　uproarious　set　of　neighbours　a　few　
carriages　behind　me；　namely；　some　hundred　and　fifty　of　Napier's　
tars　returning　from　their　expedition　to　the　Baltic。



CUMRO　AND　CUMRAEG。



THE　original　home　of　the　Cumro　was　Southern　Hindustan；　the　extreme　
point　of　which；　Cape　Comorin；　derived　from　him　its　name。　　It　may　be　
here　asked　what　is　the　exact　meaning　of　the　word　Cumro？　　The　true　
meaning　of　the　word　is　a　youth。　　It　is　connected　with　a　Sanscrit　
word；　signifying　a　youth；　and　likewise　a　prince。　　It　is　surprising　
how　similar　in　meaning　the　names　of　several　nations　are：　　Cumro；　a　
youth；　Gael；　a　hero；　（24）　Roman；　one　who　is　comely；　a　husband；　（25）　
Frank　or　Frenchman；　a　free；　brave　fellow；　Dane；　an　honest　man；　
Turk；　a　handsome　lad；　Arab；　a　sprightly　fellow。　　Lastly；　Romany　
Chal；　the　name　by　which　the　Gypsy　styles　himself；　signifying　not　an　
Egyptian；　but　a　lad　of　Rome。　（26）

The　language　of　the　Cumro　is　called　after　him　Cumraeg。　　Of　Cumric　
there　are　three　dialects；　the　speech　of　Cumru　or　Wales；　that　of　
Armorica　or；　as　the　Welsh　call　it；　Llydaw；　and　the　Cornish；　which　
is　no　longer　spoken；　and　only　exists　in　books　and　in　the　names　of　
places。　　The　Cumric　bears　considerable　affinity　to　the　Gaelic；　or　
the　language　of　the　Gael；　of　which　there　are　also　three　dialects；　
the　Irish；　the　speech　of　the　Scottish　Highlanders；　and　the　Manx；　
which　last　is　rapidly　becoming　extinct。　　The　Cumric　and　Gaelic　have　
not　only　a　great　many　thousand　words　in　common；　but　also　a　
remarkable　grammatical　feature；　the　mutation　and　dropping　of　
certain　initial　consonants　under　certain　circumstances；　which　
feature　is　peculiar　to　the　Celtic　languages。　　The　number　of　
Sanscritic　words　which　the　Cumric　and　Gaelic　possess　is　
considerable。　　Of　the　two　the　Gaelic　possesses　the　most；　and　those　
have　generally　more　of　the　Sanscritic　character；　than　the　words　of　
the　same　class　which　are　to　be　found　in　the　Welsh。　　The　Welsh；　
however；　frequently　possesses　the　primary　word　when　the　Irish　does　
not。　　Of　this　the　following　is　an　instance。　　One　of　the　numerous　
Irish　words　for　a　mountain　is　codadh。　　This　word　is　almost　
identical　with　the　Sanscrit　kuta；　which　also　signifies　a　mountain；　
but　kuta　and　codadh　are　only　secondary　words。　　The　Sanscrit　
possesses　the　radical　of　kuta；　and　that　is　kuda；　to　heap　up；　but　
the　Irish　does　not　possess　the　radical　of　codadh。　　The　Welsh；　
without　possessing　any　word　for　a　hill　at　all　like　codadh；　has　the　
primary　or　radical　word；　that　word　is　codi；　to　rise　or　raise；　
almost　identical　in　sound　and　sense　with　the　Sanscrit　kuda。　　Till　a　
house　is　raised　there　is　no　house；　and　there　is　no　hill　till　the　
Nara　or　Omnipotent　says　ARISE。

The　Welsh　is　one　of　the　most　copious　languages　of　the　world；　as　it　
contains　at　least　eighty　thousand　words。　　It　has　seven　vowels；　w　in　
Welsh　being　pronounced　like　oo；　and　y　like　u　and　i。　　Its　most　
remarkable　feature　is　the　mutation　of　initial　consonants；　to　
explain　which　properly　would　require　more　space　than　I　can　afford。　
（27）　　The　nouns　are　of　two　numbers；　the　singular　and　plural；　and　a　
few　have　a　dual　number。　　The　genders　are　three；　the　Masculine；　the　
Feminine　and　the　Neuter。　　There　are　twelve　plural　terminations　of　
nouns；　of　which　the　most　common　is　au。　　Some　substantives　are　what　
the　grammarians　call　aggregate　plurals；　（28）　　〃which　are　not　used　
in　the　plural　without　the　addition　of　diminutive　terminations；　for　
example　adar；　birds；　aderyn；　a　bird；　gwenyn；　bees；　gwenynen；　a　
single　bee。〃　　There　are　different　kinds　of　adjectives；　some　have　a　
plural；　some　have　none；　some　have　a　feminine　form；　others　have　not；　
the　most　common　plural　termination　is　ion。　　It　is　said　by　some　that　
the　verb　has　properly　no　present　tense；　the　future　being　used　
instead。　　The　verbs　present　many　difficulties；　and　there　are　many　
defective　and　irregular　ones。　　In　the　irregularities　of　its　verbs　
the　Welsh　language　very　much　resembles　the　Irish。

The　numerals　require　some　particular　notice：　　forty；　sixty　and　
eighty　are　expressed　by　deugain；　trigain；　and　pedwarugain；　
literally；　two　twenties；　three　twenties；　and　four　twenties；　whilst　
fifty；　seventy；　and　ninety　are　expressed　by　words　corresponding　
with　ten　after　two　twenties；　ten　after　three　twenties；　and　ten　
after　four　twenties。　　Whether　the　Welsh　had　ever　a　less　clumsy　way　
of　expressing　the　above　numbers　is　unknown　…　something　similar　is　
observable　in　French；　and　the　same　practice　prevails　in　the　modern　
Gaelic；　in　the　ancient　Gaelic；　however；　there　are　such　numerals　as　
ceathrachad；　se