wild wales-第25节

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he　had　nearly　silenced　me；　he　observed　that　he　did　not　deny　that　I　
had　a　good　deal　of　book　learning；　but　that　in　matters　of　baptism　I　
was　as　ignorant　as　the　rest　of　the　people　of　the　church　were；　and　
had　always　been。　　He　then　said　that　many　church　people　had　entered　
into　argument　with　him　on　the　subject　of　baptism；　but　that　he　had　
got　the　better　of　them　all；　that　Mr　P。；　the　minister　of　the　parish　
of　L。；　in　which　we　then　were；　had　frequently　entered　into　argument　
with　him；　but　quite　unsuccessfully；　and　had　at　last　given　up　the　
matter；　as　a　bad　job。　　He　added　that　a　little　time　before；　as　Mr　P。　
was　walking　close　to　the　canal　with　his　wife　and　daughter　and　a　
spaniel　dog；　Mr　P。　suddenly　took　up　the　dog　and　flung　it　in；　giving　
it　a　good　ducking；　whereupon　he；　Morgan；　cried　out：　　〃Dyna　y　gwir　
vedydd！　　That　is　the　right　baptism；　sir！　　I　thought　I　should　bring　
you　to　it　at　last！〃　at　which　words　Mr　P。　laughed　heartily；　but　made　
no　particular　reply。

After　a　little　time　he　began　to　talk　about　the　great　men　who　had　
risen　up　amongst　the　Baptists；　and　mentioned　two　or　three　
distinguished　individuals。

I　said　that　he　had　not　mentioned　the　greatest　man　who　had　been　born　
amongst　the　Baptists。

〃What　was　his　name？〃　said　he。

〃His　name　was　Joost　Van　Vondel；〃　I　replied。

〃I　never　heard　of　him　before；〃　said　Morgan。

〃Very　probably；〃　said　I：　　〃he　was　born；　bred；　and　died　in　Holland。〃

〃Has　he　been　dead　long？〃　said　Morgan。

〃About　two　hundred　years；〃　said　I。

〃That's　a　long　time；〃　said　Morgan；　〃and　maybe　is　the　reason　that　I　
never　heard　of　him。　　So　he　was　a　great　man？〃

〃He　was　indeed；〃　said　I。　　〃He　was　not　only　the　greatest　man　that　
ever　sprang　up　amongst　the　Baptists；　but　the　greatest；　and　by　far　
the　greatest；　that　Holland　ever　produced；　though　Holland　has　
produced　a　great　many　illustrious　men。〃

〃Oh　I　daresay　he　was　a　great　man　if　he　was　a　Baptist；〃　said　Morgan。　　
〃Well；　it's　strange　I　never　read　of　him。　　I　thought　I　had　read　the　
lives　of　all　the　eminent　people　who　lived　and　died　in　our　
communion。〃

〃He　did　not　die　in　the　Baptist　communion；〃　said　I。

〃Oh；　he　didn't　die　in　it；〃　said　Morgan；　〃What；　did　he　go　over　to　
the　Church　of　England？　a　pretty　fellow！〃

〃He　did　not　go　over　to　the　Church　of　England；〃　said　I；　〃for　the　
Church　of　England　does　not　exist　in　Holland；　he　went　over　to　the　
Church　of　Rome。〃

〃Well；　that's　not　quite　so　bad；〃　said　Morgan；　〃however；　it's　bad　
enough。　　I　daresay　he　was　a　pretty　blackguard。〃

〃No；〃　said　I：　　〃he　was　a　pure　virtuous　character；　and　perhaps　the　
only　pure　and　virtuous　character　that　ever　went　over　to　Rome。　　The　
only　wonder　is　that　so　good　a　man　could　ever　have　gone　over　to　so　
detestable　a　church；　but　he　appears　to　have　been　deluded。〃

〃Deluded　indeed！〃　said　Morgan。　　〃However；　I　suppose　he　went　over　
for　advancement's　sake。〃

〃No；〃　said　I；　〃he　lost　every　prospect　of　advancement　by　going　over　
to　Rome：　　nine…tenths　of　his　countrymen　were　of　the　reformed　
religion；　and　he　endured　much　poverty　and　contempt　by　the　step　he　
took。〃

〃How　did　he　support　himself？〃　said　Morgan。

〃He　obtained　a　livelihood；〃　said　I；　〃by　writing　poems　and　plays；　
some　of　which　are　wonderfully　fine。〃

〃What；〃　said　Morgan；　〃a　writer　of　Interludes？　　One　of　Twm　o'r　
Nant's　gang！　　I　thought　he　would　turn　out　a　pretty　fellow。〃　　I　told　
him　that　the　person　in　question　certainly　did　write　Interludes；　for　
example　Noah；　and　Joseph　at　Goshen；　but　that　he　was　a　highly　
respectable；　nay　venerable　character。

〃If　he　was　a　writer　of　Interludes；〃　said　Morgan；　〃he　was　a　
blackguard；　there　never　yet　was　a　writer　of　Interludes；　or　a　person　
who　went　about　playing　them；　that　was　not　a　scamp。　　He　might　be　a　
clever　man；　I　don't　say　he　was　not。　　Who　was　a　cleverer　man　than　
Twm　o'r　Nant　with　his　Pleasure　and　Care；　and　Riches　and　Poverty；　
but　where　was　there　a　greater　blackguard？　　Why；　not　in　all　Wales。　　
And　if　you　knew　this　other　fellow　…　what's　his　name　…　Fondle's　
history；　you　would　find　that　he　was　not　a　bit　more　respectable　than　
Twm　o'r　Nant；　and　not　half　so　clever。　　As　for　his　leaving　the　
Baptists　I　don't　believe　a　word　of　it；　he　was　turned　out　of　the　
connection；　and　then　went　about　the　country　saying　he　left　it。　　No　
Baptist　connection　would　ever　have　a　writer　of　Interludes　in　it；　
not　Twm　o'r　Nant　himself；　unless　he　left　his　ales　and　Interludes　
and　wanton　hussies；　for　the　three　things　are　sure　to　go　together。　　
You　say　he　went　over　to　the　Church　of　Rome；　of　course　he　did；　if　
the　Church　of　England　were　not　at　hand　to　receive　him；　where　should　
he　go　but　to　Rome？　　No　respectable　church　like　the　Methodist　or　the　
Independent　would　have　received　him。　　There　are　only　two　churches　
in　the　world　that　will　take　in　anybody　without　asking　questions；　
and　will　never　turn　them　out　however　bad　they　may　behave；　the　one　
is　the　Church　of　Rome；　and　the　other　the　Church　of　Canterbury；　and　
if　you　look　into　the　matter　you　will　find　that　every　rogue；　rascal　
and　hanged　person　since　the　world　began；　has　belonged　to　one　or　
other　of　those　communions。〃

In　the　evening　I　took　a　walk　with　my　wife　and　daughter　past　the　
Plas　Newydd。　　Coming　to　the　little　mill　called　the　Melyn　Bac；　at　
the　bottom　of　the　gorge；　we　went　into　the　yard　to　observe　the　
water…wheel。　　We　found　that　it　was　turned　by　a　very　little　water；　
which　was　conveyed　to　it　by　artificial　means。　　Seeing　the　miller's　
man；　a　short　dusty　figure；　standing　in　the　yard；　I　entered　into　
conversation　with　him；　and　found　to　my　great　surprise　that　he　had　a　
considerable　acquaintance　with　the　ancient　language。　　On　my　
repeating　to　him　verses　from　Taliesin　he　understood　them；　and　to　
show　me　that　he　did；　translated　some　of　the　lines　into　English。　　
Two　or　three　respectable…looking　lads；　probably　the　miller's　sons；　
came　out；　and　listened　to　us。　　One　of　them　said　we　were　both　good　
Welshmen。　　After　a　little　time　the　man　asked　me　if　I　had　heard　of　
Huw　Morris；　I　told　him　that　I　was　well　acquainted　with　his　
writings；　and　enquired　whether　the　place　in　which　he　had　lived　was　
not　somewhere　in　the　neighbourhood。　　He　said　it　was；　and　that　it　
was　over　the　mountains　not　far　from　Llan　Sanfraid。　　I　asked　whether　
it　was　not　called　Pont　y　Meibion。　　He　answered　in　the　affirmative；　
and　added　that　he　had　himself　been　there；　and　had　sat　in　Huw　
Morris's　stone　chair　which　was　still　to　be　seen　by　the　road's　side。　　
I　told　him　that　I　hoped　to　visit　the　place　in　a　few　days。　　He　
replied　that　I　should　be　quite　right　in　doing　so；　and　that　no　one　
should　come　to　these　parts　without　visiting　Pont　y　Meibion；　for　
that　Huw　Morris　was　one　of　the　columns　of　the　Cumry。

〃What　a　difference；〃　said　I　to　my　wife；　after　we　had　departed；　
〃between　a　Welshman　and　an　Englishman　of　the　lower　class。　　What　
would　a　Suffolk　miller's　swain　have　said　if　I　had　repeated　to　him　
verses　out　of　Beowulf　or　even　Chaucer；　and　had　asked　him　about　the　
residence　of　Skelton。



CHAPTER　XX



Huw　Morris　…　Immortal　Elegy　…　The　Valley　of　Ceiriog　…　Tangled　
Wilderness　…　Perplexity　…　Chair　of　Huw　Morris　…　The　Walking　Stick　…　
Huw's　Descendant　…　Pont　y　Meibion。


Two　days　after　the　last　adventure　I　set　off；　over　the　Berwyn；　to　
visit　the　birth…place　of　Huw　Morris　under　the　guidance　of　John　
Jones；　who　was　well　acquainted　with　the　spot。

Huw　Morus　or　Morris；　was　born　in　the　year　1622　on　the　banks　of　the　
Ceiriog。　　His　life　was　a　long　one；　for　he　died　at　the　age　of　
eighty…four；　after　living　in　six　reigns。　　He　was　the　second　son　of　
a　farmer；　and　was　apprenticed　to　a　tanner；　with　whom；　however；　he　
did　not　stay　till　the　expiration　of　the　term　of　his　apprenticeship；　
for　not　liking　the　tanning　art；　he　speedily　returned　to　the　house　
of　his　father；　whom　he　assisted　in　husbandry　till　death　called　the　
old　man　away。　　He　then　assisted　his　elder　brother；　and　on　his　elder　
brother's　death；　lived　with　his　son。　　He　did　not　distinguish　
himself　as　a　husbandman；　and　appears　never　to　have　been　fond　of　
manual　labour。　　At　an　early　period；　however；　he　applied　himself　
most　assiduously　to　poetry；　and　before　he　had　attained　the　age　of　
thirty　was　celebrated；　throughout　Wales；　as　the　best　poet　of　his　
time。　　When　the　war　broke　out　between　Charles　and　his　parliament；　
Huw　espoused　the　part　of　the　king；　not　as　soldier；　for　he　appears　
to　have　liked　fighting　little　better　than　tanning　or　husbandry；　but　
as　a　poet；　and　probably　did　the　king　more　service　in　that　capacity　
than　he　would　if　he　had　raised　him　a　troop　of　horse；　or　a　regiment　
of　foot；　for　he　wrote　songs　breathing　loyalty　to　Charles；　and　
fraught　with　pungent　satire　against　his　foes；　which　ran　like　wild…
fire　through　Wales；　and　had　a　great　influence　on　the　minds　of　the　
people。　　Even　when　the　royal　cause　was　lost　in　the　field；　he　still　
carried　on　a　poetical　war　against　the　successful　party；　but　not　so　
openly　as　before；　dealing　chiefly　in　allegories；　which；　however；　
were　easy　to　be　understood。　　Strange　to　say　the　Independents；　when　
they　had　the　upper　hand；　never　interfered　with　him　though　they　
persecuted　certain　Royalist　poets　of　far　inferior　note。　　On　the　
accession　of　Charles　the　Second　he　celebrated　the　event　by　a　most　
singular　piece　cal