wild wales-第3节

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learnt　Welsh　pronunciation　from　him；　and　to　discourse　a　little　in　
the　Welsh　tongue。　　〃Had　you　much　difficulty　in　acquiring　the　sound　
of　the　ll？〃　I　think　I　hear　the　reader　inquire。　　None　whatever：　　the　
double　l　of　the　Welsh　is　by　no　means　the　terrible　guttural　which　
English　people　generally　suppose　it　to　be；　being　in　reality　a　
pretty　liquid；　exactly　resembling　in　sound　the　Spanish　ll；　the　
sound　of　which　I　had　mastered　before　commencing　Welsh；　and　which　is　
equivalent　to　the　English　lh；　so　being　able　to　pronounce　llano　I　
had　of　course　no　difficulty　in　pronouncing　Lluyd；　which　by…the…bye　
was　the　name　of　the　groom。

I　remember　that　I　found　the　pronunciation　of　the　Welsh　far　less　
difficult　than　I　had　found　the　grammar；　the　most　remarkable　feature　
of　which　is　the　mutation；　under　certain　circumstances；　of　
particular　consonants；　when　forming　the　initials　of　words。　　This　
feature　I　had　observed　in　the　Irish；　which　I　had　then　only　learnt　
by　ear。

But　to　return　to　the　groom。　　He　was　really　a　remarkable　character；　
and　taught　me　two　or　three　things　besides　Welsh　pronunciation；　and　
to　discourse　a　little　in　Cumraeg。　　He　had　been　a　soldier　in　his　
youth；　and　had　served　under　Moore　and　Wellington　in　the　Peninsular　
campaigns；　and　from　him　I　learnt　the　details　of　many　a　bloody　field　
and　bloodier　storm；　of　the　sufferings　of　poor　British　soldiers；　and　
the　tyranny　of　haughty　British　officers；　more　especially　of　the　two　
commanders　just　mentioned；　the　first　of　whom　he　swore　was　shot　by　
his　own　soldiers；　and　the　second　more　frequently　shot　at　by　British　
than　French。　　But　it　is　not　deemed　a　matter　of　good　taste　to　write　
about　such　low　people　as　grooms；　I　shall　therefore　dismiss　him　with　
no　observation　further　than　that　after　he　had　visited　me　on　Sunday　
afternoons　for　about　a　year　he　departed　for　his　own　country　with　
his　wife；　who　was　an　Englishwoman；　and　his　children；　in　consequence　
of　having　been　left　a　small　freehold　there　by　a　distant　relation；　
and　that　I　neither　saw　nor　heard　of　him　again。

But　though　I　had　lost　my　oral　instructor　I　had　still　my　silent　
ones；　namely；　the　Welsh　books；　and　of　these　I　made　such　use　that　
before　the　expiration　of　my　clerkship　I　was　able　to　read　not　only　
Welsh　prose；　but；　what　was　infinitely　more　difficult；　Welsh　poetry　
in　any　of　the　four…and…twenty　measures；　and　was　well　versed　in　the　
compositions　of　various　of　the　old　Welsh　bards；　especially　those　of　
Dafydd　ab　Gwilym；　whom；　since　the　time　when　I　first　became　
acquainted　with　his　works；　I　have　always　considered　as　the　greatest　
poetical　genius　that　has　appeared　in　Europe　since　the　revival　of　
literature。

After　this　exordium　I　think　I　may　proceed　to　narrate　the　journey　of　
myself　and　family　into　Wales。　　As　perhaps；　however；　it　will　be　
thought　that；　though　I　have　said　quite　enough　about　myself　and　a　
certain　groom；　I　have　not　said　quite　enough　about　my　wife　and　
daughter；　I　will　add　a　little　more　about　them。　　Of　my　wife　I　will　
merely　say　that　she　is　a　perfect　paragon　of　wives　…　can　make　
puddings　and　sweets　and　treacle　posset；　and　is　the　best　woman　of　
business　in　Eastern　Anglia　…　of　my　step…daughter　…　for　such　she　is；　
though　I　generally　call　her　daughter；　and　with　good　reason；　seeing　
that　she　has　always　shown　herself　a　daughter　to　me　…　that　she　has　
all　kinds　of　good　qualities；　and　several　accomplishments；　knowing　
something　of　conchology；　more　of　botany；　drawing　capitally　in　the　
Dutch　style；　and　playing　remarkably　well　on　the　guitar　…　not　the　
trumpery　German　thing　so…called　…　but　the　real　Spanish　guitar。



CHAPTER　II



The　Starting　…　Peterborough　Cathedral　…　Anglo…Saxon　Names　…　Kaempe　
Viser　…　Steam　…　Norman　Barons　…　Chester　Ale　…　Sion　Tudor　…　Pretty　
Welsh　Tongue。


SO　our　little　family；　consisting　of　myself；　my　wife　Mary；　and　my　
daughter　Henrietta；　for　daughter　I　shall　persist　in　calling　her；　
started　for　Wales　in　the　afternoon　of　the　27th　July；　1854。　　We　flew　
through　part　of　Norfolk　and　Cambridgeshire　in　a　train　which　we　left　
at　Ely；　and　getting　into　another；　which　did　not　fly　quite　so　fast　
as　the　one　we　had　quieted；　reached　the　Peterborough　station　at　
about　six　o'clock　of　a　delightful　evening。　　We　proceeded　no　farther　
on　our　journey　that　day；　in　order　that　we　might　have　an　opportunity　
of　seeing　the　cathedral。

Sallying　arm　in　arm　from　the　Station　Hotel；　where　we　had　determined　
to　take　up　our　quarters　for　the　night；　we　crossed　a　bridge　over　the　
deep　quiet　Nen；　on　the　southern　bank　of　which　stands　the　station；　
and　soon　arrived　at　the　cathedral　…　unfortunately　we　were　too　late　
to　procure　admission　into　the　interior；　and　had　to　content　
ourselves　with　walking　round　it　and　surveying　its　outside。

It　is　named　after；　and　occupies　the　site；　or　part　of　the　site　of　an　
immense　monastery；　founded　by　the　Mercian　King　Peda；　in　the　year　
665；　and　destroyed　by　fire　in　the　year　1116；　which　monastery；　
though　originally　termed　Medeshamsted；　or　the　homestead　on　the　
meads；　was　subsequently　termed　Peterborough；　from　the　circumstance　
of　its　having　been　reared　by　the　old　Saxon　monarch　for　the　love　of　
God　and　the　honour　of　Saint　Peter；　as　the　Saxon　Chronicle　says；　a　
book　which　I　went　through　carefully　in　my　younger　days；　when　I　
studied　Saxon；　for；　as　I　have　already　told　the　reader；　I　was　in　
those　days　a　bit　of　a　philologist。　　Like　the　first；　the　second　
edifice　was　originally　a　monastery；　and　continued　so　till　the　time　
of　the　Reformation；　both　were　abodes　of　learning；　for　if　the　Saxon　
Chronicle　was　commenced　in　the　monkish　cells　of　the　first；　it　was　
completed　in　those　of　the　second。　　What　is　at　present　called　
Peterborough　Cathedral　is　a　noble　venerable　pile；　equal　upon　the　
whole　in　external　appearance　to　the　cathedrals　of　Toledo；　Burgos　
and　Leon；　all　of　which　I　have　seen。　　Nothing　in　architecture　can　be　
conceived　more　beautiful　than　the　principal　entrance；　which　fronts　
the　west；　and　which；　at　the　time　we　saw　it；　was　gilded　with　the　
rays　of　the　setting　sun。

After　having　strolled　about　the　edifice　surveying　it　until　we　were　
weary；　we　returned　to　our　inn；　and　after　taking　an　excellent　supper　
retired　to　rest。

At　ten　o'clock　next　morning　we　left　the　capital　of　the　meads。　　With　
dragon　speed；　and　dragon　noise；　fire；　smoke；　and　fury；　the　train　
dashed　along　its　road　through　beautiful　meadows；　garnished　here　and　
there　with　pollard　sallows；　over　pretty　streams；　whose　waters　stole　
along　imperceptibly；　by　venerable　old　churches；　which　I　vowed　I　
would　take　the　first　opportunity　of　visiting：　　stopping　now　and　
then　to　recruit　its　energies　at　places；　whose　old　Anglo…Saxon　names　
stared　me　in　the　eyes　from　station　boards；　as　specimens　of　which；　
let　me　only　dot　down　Willy　Thorpe；　Ringsted；　and　Yrthling　Boro。　　
Quite　forgetting　everything　Welsh；　I　was　enthusiastically　Saxon　the　
whole　way　from　Medeshamsted　to　Blissworth；　so　thoroughly　Saxon　was　
the　country；　with　its　rich　meads；　its　old　churches　and　its　names。　　
After　leaving　Blissworth；　a　thoroughly　Saxon　place　by…the…bye；　as　
its　name　shows；　signifying　the　stronghold　or　possession　of　Bligh　or　
Blee；　I　became　less　Saxon；　the　country　was　rather　less　Saxon；　and　I　
caught　occasionally　the　word　〃by〃　on　a　board；　the　Danish　for　a　
town；　which　〃by〃　waked　in　me　a　considerable　portion　of　Danish　
enthusiasm；　of　which　I　have　plenty；　and　with　reason；　having　
translated　the　glorious　Kaempe　Viser　over　the　desk　of　my　ancient　
master；　the　gentleman　solicitor　of　East　Anglia。　　At　length　we　drew　
near　the　great　workshop　of　England；　called　by　some；　Brummagem　or　
Bromwicham；　by　others　Birmingham；　and　I　fell　into　a　philological　
reverie；　wondering　which　was　the　right　name。　　Before；　however；　we　
came　to　the　station；　I　decided　that　both　names　were　right　enough；　
but　that　Bromwicham　was　the　original　name；　signifying　the　home　on　
the　broomie　moor；　which　name　it　lost　in　polite　parlance　for　
Birmingham；　or　the　home　of　the　son　of　Biarmer；　when　a　certain　man　
of　Danish　blood；　called　Biarming；　or　the　son　of　Biarmer；　got　
possession　of　it；　whether　by　force；　fraud；　or　marriage　…　the　
latter；　by…the…bye；　is　by　far　the　best　way　of　getting　possession　of　
an　estate　…　this　deponent　neither　knoweth　nor　careth。　　At　
Birmingham　station　I　became　a　modern　Englishman；　enthusiastically　
proud　of　modern　England's　science　and　energy；　that　station　alone　is　
enough　to　make　one　proud　of　being　a　modern　Englishman。　　Oh；　what　an　
idea　does　that　station；　with　its　thousand　trains　dashing　off　in　all　
directions；　or　arriving　from　all　quarters；　give　of　modern　English　
science　and　energy。　　My　modern　English　pride　accompanied　me　all　the　
way　to　Tipton；　for　all　along　the　route　there　were　wonderful　
evidences　of　English　skill　and　enterprise；　in　chimneys　high　as　
cathedral　spires；　vomiting　forth　smoke；　furnaces　emitting　flame　and　
lava；　and　in　the　sound　of　gigantic　hammers；　wielded　by　steam；　the　
Englishman's　slave。　　After　passing　Tipton；　at　which　place　one　
leaves　the　great　working　district　behind；　I　became　for　a　
considerable　time　a　yawning；　listless　Englishman；　without　pride；　
enthusiasm；　or　feeling　of　any　kind；　from　which　state　I　was　suddenly　
roused　by　the　sight　of　ruined　edifices　on　the　tops　o