O'r deg gwrolgamp chwech sydd o rym corph, a phedair o rym arfau.

Ex decem virilibus ludis sex sunt, quæ vi corporis, et quatuor quæ vi et ope armorum perficiuntur.

Y chwe gwrolgamp o rym corph yw 1. Cryfder. 2. Rhedeg. 3. Neidio. 4. Nofio. 5. Ymafael. 6. Marchogaeth.

Sex Ludi viriles, ex vi corporis, sunt 1. Robur, fortitudo; (quæ 1. trahendo, 2. impellendo, 3. dejciendo. 4. tollendo, 5. deprimendo pollet ;) (Artes Rhet. 2.) 2. Cursus, 3 Saltus, 4. Natatio, 5. Athletica, lucta, palæstra, 6. Equitatus (Equitatio.)

{Disci lusui, apud nostrates, lapidis impulsus, protrusio, jactus respondet. Fuit enim discus ille lapis rotundus, quem lusores manu projiciebant, qui et solus dicebatur. Fuit autem aliquando massa ferrea, vel fiebat ex ligno vel ære, aliisve metallis. Vide Eustath. in Iliad, B. 8. x.]

O'r chwech hyn pedair sydd bennaf, ac a elwir tadogion gampan; 1. Rhedeg, 2. Neidio, 3. Nofio, 4. Ymafael; a hwy a elwir felly, am nad rhaid wrth ddefnydd yn y byd, i wneuthur yr un o honynt, ond y dyn fel y ganed.

Horum sex quatuor sunt præcipui (primani) et vocantur paterni (patres) ludi; videlicet, 1. Cursus, 2. Saltus, 3. Natatio, 4. Pálæstra; atque ita vocantur, quia ad ea peragenda nulla alià opus est, nisi ipso homine, ut natus est.

Y pedair gwrolgump o rym arfau, yw 1..Saethu, 2. Chwarae cleddau, a biccled, 3. Chwarae cleddau deuddwrn, 4. Chwarae ffonn ddwybig.

Quatuor Ludi viriles ex vi vel ope armorum sunt, 1. Saggittare, 2. Ludere gladio et clypeo, 3. Ludere gladio longo; spatha, spathulâ, romphæo, gladio duplici capuli, 4. Ludere hasta bicipiti et respondet Grecorum ακoλος ερώη.

O'r deg mabolgamp tair helwriaeth sydd, 1. Hely á milgi, 2. Hely pysg, 3. Hely aderyn.

Decem Ludorum juvenilium tres sunt venationes, 1. Venari cane leporario, gallino, vertago, 2. Venari piscem, 3. Venari

avem.

Saith gamp deuluaidd sydd, 1. Barddoniaeth, 2. Canu Telyn, 3. Darllain Cymraeg, 4. Canu Cywydd gan Dant, 5. Canu Cywydd pedwar, ac accenu, 6. Cynnu (q. Tynnu) Arfau, 7. Herodraeth.

Sunt septem facultates (scientiæ) œconomica (hospitales dcmestica), 1. Poetica, 2. Canere Lyra, Citharâ, Citharistam agere, 3. Legere Cambrica, (i. e. Britannica vetusta legere), 4. Canticum Corda (i. e. instrumento musico) accinere, psallere citha

ristam, lyricinem agere, 5. Psallere cantilenam (canticum) quatuor partium, et accinere, et admodulari, 6. Insignia (nobiJium gentilifia) delineare et depingere, 7. Genealogias de

scribere.

dr pedair a elwir gogampau yw, 1. Chwarae Gwyddbwyll,

2. Chwarae Tawlbwrdd, 3. Chwarae Ffristial, 4. Chweiriaw Telyn.

Et quatuor, quæ dicumtur ludicra, (trivialia) sunt, 1. Ludere talis aut tesseris [Angl. to play at dice]. 2. Ludere fretillo [Angl. Back-gammon, a Brit. Bach-Cammawn] 3. Ludere Latrunculis [Eng. Chess or Tables]. 4. Lyræ cordas ad musicum parare.

ORIGINAL LETTERS.

LETTER XI.

Bishop PERCY to the Rev. EVAN EVANS, dated EASTON MAUDIT, March 20, 1763.

DEAR SIR,-I received your obliging letter, which is so curious, that I can not but request the repetition of such valuable favours. I am going to draw up a short Essay on the origin and progress of our English poetry, in which I shall have occasion to be very particular in my account of our metrical Romances; and, as I believe many of these are drawn from old British fables, if not downright translations from the ancient British language, I should be extremely obliged to you, if you would give the titles, and, if possible, a short account of the subjects, of all such Romances, as are contained in the vellum manuscript, which you mention, or any other, which you may remember to have seen. I have, a notion, that we have many of them translated into English and thence into French and other southern languages *

Inclosed I send you a litle Essay on the origin &c. of the English drania. Bishop Warburton has handled the subject before me in the 5th vol. of his Shakespeare; but, as he derives all his information from the French critics, and his instances from the French stage, you will conclude, that he is often wide of the mark and generally superficial. Yet he has one extract from Carew's Survey of Cornwall, relating to the old Cornish plays, which I recommend to your notice; because I could wish to know (not now but at any future leisure), whether you have

* A valuable note on the subject of the old Welsh Romances, extracted from Mr. Gunn's late edition of Kennius, will be found in a subsequent page of this Number-ED.

any thing similar in Wales. The passage from Carew is this. "The Guary* Miracle, in English, Miracle-Play, is a kind of înterlude compiled, in Cornish, out of some scripture history †. For representing this they raise an earthen amphitheatre, in some open field, having the diameter of this inclosed plain some 40 or 50 feet. The country people flock from all sides to see. and hear it for they have therein devils and devices to delight as well the eye as the ear. The players conne not their parts without book, but are prompted by one called the Ordinary, who followeth at their heels, with the book in his hand." In an act of Parliament, 4th Hen. IV. mention is made of certain Wastours, Master Rimo urs (Rimers) and Minstrels, who infested the land of Wales, to make commorths or gatherings upon the people there. Query the meaning of this? I am afraid, lest I should be too troublesome with my queries, and, therefore, reserve what you please to answer at any future hour; only send me an account of your romances now, which will oblige, dear Sir, your affectionate and faithful servant,

THOMAS PERCY.

LETTER XII.

The SAME to the SAME, dated EASTON MAUDIT, Dec. 31, 1763.

DEAR SIR,-I have been many months indebted to you for a very obliging letter. I delayed to answer it, in expectation of seeing your curious Specimens of Ancient British Poetry, advertised, from the press before this time. Permit me to enquire, what forwardness that intended publication (which you gave me hopes in your last of seeing speedily printed) is in? From the translations, you have already favoured me with a sight of, I conceive a very favourable idea of the merit of your ancient bards, and should be sorry to have their precious relics swallowed up and lost, in the gulph of time; a danger, which they will incur, if you, that are so well acquainted with their beauties,

Brit. Chwareu. P. B. W.

There is preserved, in the British Museum, a very curious copy of a Cornish play or opera, entitled the "Creation of the World," translated verbatim into English, and collated with the original, by the celebrated Mr. Edward Llwyd. Some extracts from this will be given in a future Number-ED.

Gwestwyr, P. B. W.
VOL. II.

D

and so capable of making them understood by others, neglect this opportunity of preserving them. I can readily conceive, that many of their most beautiful peculiarities cannot possibly be translated into another language, but even through the medium of a prose translation one can discern a rich vein of poetry, and even classical correctness, infinitely superior to any other compositions of that age, that we are acquainted with. Certain I am, that our own nation, at that time, produced nothing that wears the most distant resemblance to their merit.

I have lately been collecting specimens of English poetry, through every age, from the time of the Saxons down to that of Elizabeth, and am ashamed to shew you what wretched stuff our rhimers produced at the same time that your bards were celebrating the praise of Llywelyn, with a spirit scarce inferior to Pindar. Inclosed I send you a specimen of an Elegy on the death of Edward I.-that cruel Edward, who made such havoc among the Cambrian poets. I know not whether you will be able to decipher these foul scrawls, or distinguish them from the marginal explications, with which I have accompanied them. But you will see enough to be convinced of the infinite superiority of your own bards; nor do I know, that any of the nations of the continent (unless perchance Italy, which now about began to be honoured by Dante) were able at that time to write better than the English. The French, I am well assured, were not. One thing is observable in the Elegy on Edward the First, which is, that the poet, in order to do the more honour to his hero, puts his eulogium in the mouth of the Pope, with the. same kind of fiction as a modern bard would have raised up Britannia or the genius of Europe, sounding forth his praises. Considering the destruction, which our merciless monarch made among the last sons of ancient genius, it may be looked upon as a just judgment upon him, that he had no better than these miserable rhimes to disgrace his memory..

With regard to your Specimens, should they not yet be put to the press, I should take it for a great favor, if you would indulge me with a sight of them in MS. or at least the Dissertation to be prefixed to them; an indulgence that would not be abused, and which, under whatever restrictions you please, would oblige, dear Sir, your very affectionate and faithful servant,

THOMAS PERCY.

WELSH MUSIC.-No. VIII.

To the EDITOR of the CAMBRO-BRITON.

SIR,-I beg to send you, agreeably to my promise, (vide p.54. vol. i.) the names of the Melodies, to which the various Pennillion, inserted in the CAMBRO-BRITON, are sung. All those, which appear in No. I. p. 29, and others of the same metre and length, may be sung to" Ar hyd y nos," by repeating the last line of each stanza, or to "Nos Galan," by introducing "fal fal la” between each line. They may be also sung to " Megen a gollodd ei gardas" (Megen who lost her garter). One Pennill will answer to the first part or strain, the then singer may rest eight bars and commence at the ninth, when one stanza will carry him to the end of the Melody. This should be repeated; thus four stanzas will complete the tune.

Pennill 19 (No. III. page 109.) may be sung to "Glan Meddwdod Mwyn," or to "Llwyn Onn"-" Wyres Ned Pugh," or "Trichant O Brunnau."

Pennill 8 (No. II. p. 68.) may be sung to "Codiad yr Hedydd," "Pen Rhaw," "Serch Hudol." So may Nos. 16. 39. 52. 56. and any others of the same metre and length. This style of Pennillion is considered the best by the singers with the harp; and the manner of performing them is peculiar to the Welsh. (Vide vol. i. CAMBRO-BRITON, p. 173.)

It is intended to introduce, at the Congress of Bards at Wrexham, various specimens of Welsh singing with the harp, and to give a few stanzas in English, (expressly written for the occasion,) that strangers to the language may form some idea of their beauty and effect, an account of which I shall be happy to send to the CAMBRO-BRITON at a future period.

No. 8, Newman Street,

Your's, &c.

August 25, 1820.

JOHN PARRY.

BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS.

THE LATE LORD PENRHYN.

The sixteenth tribe, sometimes in our MSS. called that of Maelor, and of March, from the property of the founder being on the