\"Perhaps,\"saidI,\"theeagledoesnotdealwithhischicks,ortheLordwithHiscreaturesasthefablerepresents。\"
\"Letushopeatanyrate,\"saidtheoldgentleman,\"thattheLorddoesnot。\"
\"Haveyoueverseenthisbook?\"saidhe,andputSmith’s\"SeanDana\"intomyhand。
\"Oh,yes,\"saidI,\"andhavegonethroughit。ItcontainspoemsintheGaeliclanguagebyOisinandothers,collectedintheHighlands。Iwentthroughitalongtimeagowithgreatattention。
Someofthepoemsarewonderfullybeautiful。\"
\"Theyareso,\"saidtheoldclerk。\"Itoohavegonethroughthebook;itwaspresentedtomeagreatmanyyearsagobyaladytowhomIgavesomelessonsintheWelshlanguage。IwentthroughitwiththeassistanceofaGaelicgrammaranddictionary,whichshealsopresentedtome,andIwasstruckwiththehightoneofthepoetry。\"
\"Thiscollectionisvaluableindeed,\"saidI;\"itcontainspoems,whichnotonlypossessthehighestmerit,butservetoconfirmtheauthenticityofthepoemsofOssian,publishedbyMacpherson,sooftencalledinquestion。AllthepieceshereattributedtoOssianarewritteninthesamemetre,tone,andspirit,asthoseattributedtohimintheothercollection,soifMacpherson’sOssianicpoems,whichhesaidwerecollectedbyhimintheHighlands,areforgeries,Smith’sOssianicpoems,which,accordingtohisaccount,werealsocollectedintheHighlands,mustbealsoforged,andhavebeenimitatedfromthosepublishedbytheother。
NowasitiswellknownthatSmithdidnotpossesssufficientpoeticpowertoproduceanyimitationofMacpherson’sOssian,withatenthpartthemeritwhichthe\"SeanDana\"possess,andthatevenifhehadpossessedit,hisprincipleswouldnothaveallowedhimtoattempttodeceivetheworldbyimposingforgeriesuponit,astheauthenticpoemsofanother,hebeingahighlyrespectableclergyman,thenecessaryconclusionisthattheOssianicpoemswhichbothpublishedaregenuine,andcollectedinthemannerinwhichbothstatedtheywere。\"
AfteralittlemorediscourseaboutOssian,theoldgentlemanaskedmeiftherewasanygoodmodernGaelicpoetry。\"Noneverymodern,\"
saidI:\"thelastgreatpoetsoftheGaelwereMacintyreandBuchanan,whoflourishedaboutthemiddleofthelastcentury。ThefirstsangofloveandofHighlandscenery;thelatterwasareligiouspoet。ThebestpieceofMacintyreisanodetoBenDourain,ortheHilloftheWater—dogs—amountainintheHighlands。Themaster—pieceofBuchananishisLaBreitheanasorDayofJudgment,whichisequalinmerit,ornearlyso,totheCywyddyFarn,orJudgmentDayofyourownimmortalGronwyOwen。
SingularthatthetwobestpiecesontheDayofJudgmentshouldhavebeenwrittenintwoCelticdialects,andmuchaboutthesametime;butsuchisthefact。\"
\"Really,\"saidtheoldchurchclerk,\"youseemtoknowsomethingofCelticliterature。\"
\"Alittle,\"saidI;\"Iamabitofaphilologist;andwhenstudyinglanguagesdipalittleintotheliteraturewhichtheycontain。\"
AsIhadheardhimsaythathehadoccasionallygivenlessonsintheWelshlanguage,Iinquiredwhetheranyofhispupilshadmademuchprogressinit。\"Thegenerality,\"saidhe,\"soonbecametiredofitsdifficulties,andgaveitupwithoutmakinganyprogressatall。Twoorthreegotontolerablywell。One,however,acquireditinatimesoshortthatitmightbedeemedmarvellous。HewasanOxonian,andcamedownwithanotherinthevacationinordertostudyhardagainsttheyearlycollegiateexamination。HeandhisfriendtooklodgingsatPengwernHall,thenafarm—house,andstudiedandwalkedaboutforsometime,asotheryoungmenfromcollege,whocomedownhere,areinthehabitofdoing。Onedayheandhisfriendcametome,whowasthenclerk,anddesiredtoseetheinteriorofthechurch。SoItookthekeyandwentwiththemintothechurch。WhenhecametothealtarhetookupthelargeWelshCommonPrayer—Book,whichwaslyingthere,andlookedintoit。’AcuriouslanguagethisWelsh,’saidhe;’Ishouldliketolearnit。’’Manyhavewishedtolearnit,withoutbeingable,’
saidI;’itisnoeasylanguage。’’Ishouldliketotry,’hereplied;’IwishIcouldfindsomeonewhowouldgivemeafewlessons。’’IhaveoccasionallygiveninstructionsinWelsh,’saidI,’andshallbehappytoobligeyou。’Well,itwasagreedthatheshouldtakelessonsofme;andtomyhousehecameeveryevening,andIgavehimwhatinstructionsIcould。Iwasastonishedathisprogress。Heacquiredthepronunciationinalesson,andwithinaweekwasabletoconstrueandconverse。BythetimeheleftLlangollen,andhewasnothereinallmorethantwomonths,heunderstoodtheWelshBibleaswellasIdid,andcouldspeakWelshsowellthattheWelsh,whodidnotknowhim,tookhimtobeoneofthemselves,forhespokethelanguagewiththeverytoneandmannerofanative。Oh,hewasthecleverestmanforlanguagethatIeverknew;notawordthathehearddidheeverforget。\"
\"JustlikeMezzofanti,\"saidI,\"thegreatcardinalphilologist。
ButwhilstlearningWelsh,didhenotneglecthiscollegiatestudies?\"
\"Well,Iwasratherapprehensiveonthatpoint,\"saidtheoldgentleman,\"butmarktheevent。AttheexaminationhecameoffmostbrilliantlyinLatin,Greek,mathematics,andotherthingstoo;infact,adoublefirst—classman,asIthinktheycallit。\"
\"Ihaveneverheardofsoextraordinaryanindividual,\"saidI。\"I
couldnomorehavedonewhatyousayhedid,thanIcouldhavetakenwingsandflown。Pray,whatwashisname?\"
\"Hisname,\"saidtheoldgentleman,\"wasEarl。\"
Iwasmuchdelightedwithmynewacquaintance,andpaidhimfrequentvisits;themoreIsawhimthemoreheinterestedme。Hewaskindandbenevolent,agoodoldChurchofEnglandChristian,waswellversedinseveraldialectsoftheCeltic,andpossessedanastonishingdealofWelshheraldicandantiquarianlore。OftenwhilstdiscoursingwithhimIalmostfanciedthatIwaswithMasterSalisburie,VaughanofHengwrt,orsomeotherworthyofold,deeplyskilledineverythingremarkableconnectedwithwild\"Camber’sLande。\"
CHAPTERXIX
TheVicarandhisFamily—EvanEvans—FoamingAle—LlamyLleidyr—Baptism—JoostVanVondel—OvertoRome—TheMiller’sMan—WelshandEnglish。
WEhadreceivedacallfromtheVicarofLlangollenandhislady;
wehadreturnedit,andtheyhaddoneusthekindnesstoinviteustotaketeawiththem。Ontheappointedeveningwewent,myself,wife,andHenrietta,andtookteawiththevicarandhiswife,theirsonsanddaughters,alldelightfulandamiablebeings—theeldestsonafineintelligentyoungmanfromOxford,latelyadmittedintotheChurch,andnowassistinghisfatherinhissacredoffice。Adelightfulresidencewasthevicarage,situatedamongsttreesintheneighbourhoodoftheDee。Alargeopenwindowintheroom,inwhichourpartysat,affordedusaviewofagreenplatonthetopofabankrunningdowntotheDee,partoftheriver,thesteepfartherbankcoveredwithumbrageoustrees,andahighmountainbeyond,eventhatofPenyCoedcladwithwood。
DuringteaMrE。andIhadagreatdealofdiscourse。Ifoundhimtobeafirst—rateGreekandLatinscholar,andalsoaproficientinthepoeticalliteratureofhisowncountry。InthecourseofdiscourseherepeatedsomenoblelinesofEvanEvans,theunfortunateandeccentricPrydyddHir,ortallpoet,thefriendandcorrespondentofGray,forwhomhemadeliteraltranslationsfromtheWelsh,whichthegreatEnglishgeniusafterwardswroughtintoimmortalverse。
\"IhaveagreatregardforpoorEvanEvans,\"saidMrE。,afterhehadfinishedrepeatingthelines,\"fortworeasons:first,becausehewasanillustriousgenius,andsecond,becausehewasaSouth—
Wallianlikemyself。\"
\"AndI,\"Ireplied,\"becausehewasagreatpoet,andlikemyselffondofaglassofcwrwda。\"
SometimeafterteatheyoungerMrE。andmyselftookawalkinaneasterndirectionalongapathcutinthebank,justabovethestream。Afterproceedingalittlewayamongstmostromanticscenery,IaskedmycompanionifhehadeverheardofthepoolofCatherineLingo—thedeeppool,asthereaderwillpleasetoremember,ofwhichJohnJoneshadspoken。
\"Ohyes,\"saidyoungMrE。:\"mybrothersandmyselfareinthehabitofbathingtherealmosteverymorning。Wewillgotoitifyouplease。\"
Weproceeded,andsooncametothepool。Thepoolisabeautifulsheetofwater,seeminglyaboutonehundredandfiftyyardsinlength,byaboutseventyinwidth。Itisboundedontheeastbyalowridgeofrocksformingaweir。Thebanksonbothsidesarehighandprecipitous,andcoveredwithtrees,someofwhichshoottheirarmsforsomewayabovethefaceofthepool。ThisissaidtobethedeepestpoolinthewholecourseoftheDee,varyingindepthfromtwentytothirtyfeet。Enormouspike,calledinWelshpenhwiaid,orducks—heads,fromthesimilaritywhichtheheadofapikebearstothatofaduck,aresaidtobetenantsofthispool。
Wereturnedtothevicarage,andatabouttenweallsatdowntosupper。Onthesupper—tablewasamightypitcherfulloffoamingale。
\"There,\"saidmyexcellenthost,ashepouredmeoutaglass,\"thereisaglassofcwrw,whichEvanEvanshimselfmighthavedrunk。\"
Oneeveningmywife,Henrietta,andmyself,attendedbyJohnJones,wentupontheBerwyn,alittletotheeastoftheGeraintorBarber’sHill,tobotanize。HerewefoundafernwhichJohnJonescalledCoedllusyBran,ortheplantoftheCrow’sberry。Therewasahardkindofberryuponit,ofwhichhesaidthecrowswereexceedinglyfond。Wealsodiscoveredtwoorthreeotherstrangeplants,theWelshnamesofwhichourguidetoldus,andwhichwerecuriousanddescriptiveenough。Hetookushomebyaromanticpathwhichwehadneverbeforeseen,andonourwaypointedouttousasmallhouseinwhichhesaidhewasborn。
Thedayafter,findingmyselfonthebanksoftheDeeintheupperpartofthevalley,IdeterminedtoexaminetheLlamLleidyrorRobber’sLeap,whichIhadheardspokenofonaformeroccasion。A
manpassingnearmewithacartIaskedhimwheretheRobber’sLeapwas。IspokeinEnglish,andwithashakeofhisheadhereplied\"DimSaesneg。\"OnmyputtingthequestiontohiminWelsh,however,hiscountenancebrightenedup。
\"DynaLlamLleidyr,sir!\"saidhe,pointingtoaverynarrowpartofthestreamalittlewaydown。
\"Anddidthethieftakeitfromthisside?\"Idemanded。
\"Yes,sir,fromthisside,\"repliedtheman。
Ithankedhim,andpassingoverthedrypartoftheriver’sbed,cametotheLlamLleidyr。ThewholewateroftheDeeinthedryseasongurglesherethroughapassagenotmorethanfourfeetacross,which,however,isevidentlyprofoundlydeep,asthewaterisasdarkaspitch。Ifthethiefevertooktheleaphemusthavetakenitinthedryseason,forinthewettheDeeisawideandroaringtorrent。Yeteveninthedryseasonitisdifficulttoconceivehowanybodycouldtakethisleap,forontheothersideisarockrisinghighabovethedarkgurglingstream。Onobservingtheoppositeside,however,narrowly,Iperceivedthattherewasasmallholealittlewayuptherock,inwhichitseemedpossibletorestone’sfootforamoment。SoIsupposedthatiftheleapwasevertaken,theindividualwhotookitdartedthetipofhisfootintothehole,thenspringingupseizedthetopoftherockwithhishands,andscrambledup。Fromeithersidetheleapmusthavebeenahighlydangerousone—fromthefarthersidetheleaperwouldincurthealmostcertainriskofbreakinghislegsonaledgeofhardrock,fromthisoffallingbackintothedeephorriblestream,whichwouldprobablysuckhimdowninamoment。
FromtheLlamyLleidyrIwenttothecanalandwalkedalongittillIcametothehouseoftheoldmanwhosoldcoals,andwhohadputmeinmindofSmollett’sMorgan;hewasnowstandinginhislittlecoal—yard,leaningoverthepales。IhadspokentohimontwoorthreeoccasionssubsequenttotheoneonwhichImadehisacquaintance,andhadbeeneverytimemoreandmorestruckwiththeresemblancewhichhiswaysandmannersboretothoseofSmollett’scharacter,onwhichaccountIshallcallhimMorgan,thoughsuchwasnothisname。HenowtoldmethatheexpectedthatIshouldbuildavillaandsettledownintheneighbourhood,asIseemedsofondofit。Afteralittlediscourse,inducedeitherbymyquestionsorfromadesiretotalkabouthimself,herelatedtomehishistory,which,thoughnotoneofthemostwonderful,Ishallrepeat。HewasbornnearAberdarroninCaernarvonshire,andinordertomakemeunderstandthepositionoftheplace,anditsbearingwithregardtosomeotherplaces,hedrewmarksinthecoal—dustontheearth。HisfatherwasaBaptistminister,whowhenMorganwasaboutsixyearsofage,wenttoliveatCanolLyn,aplaceatsomelittledistancefromPortHeli。Withhisfatherhecontinuedtillhewasoldenoughtogainhisownmaintenance,whenhewenttoserveafarmerintheneighbourhood。HavingsavedsomemoneyyoungMorgandepartedtothefoundriesatCefnMawr,atwhichheworkedthirtyyearswithanintervaloffour,whichhehadpassedpartlyinworkinginslatequarries,andpartlyuponthecanal。Aboutfouryearsbeforethepresenttimehecametowherehenowlived,wherehecommencedsellingcoals,atfirstonhisownaccountandsubsequentlyforsomeotherperson。Heconcludedhisnarrationbysayingthathewasnowsixty—twoyearsofage,wasafflictedwithvariousdisorders,andbelievedthathewasbreakingup。
SuchwasMorgan’shistory;certainlynotaveryremarkableone。
YetMorganwasamostremarkableindividual,asIshallpresentlymakeappear。
RatheraffectedatthebadaccounthegavemeofhishealthIaskedhimifhefelteasyinhismind?Herepliedperfectlyso,andwhenIinquiredhowhecametofeelsocomfortable,hesaidthathisfeelingsowasowingtohisbaptismintothefaithofChristJesus。
OnmytellinghimthatItoohadbeenbaptized,heaskedmeifI
hadbeendipped;andonlearningthatIhadnot,butonlybeensprinkled,accordingtothepracticeofmychurch,hegavemetounderstandthatmybaptismwasnotworththreehalfpence。Feelingrathernettledathearingthebaptismofmychurchsoundervalued,Istoodupforit,andweweresooninadispute,inwhichIgotrathertheworst,forthoughhespuffledandsputteredinamostextraordinarymanner,andspokeinadialectwhichwasneitherWelsh,EnglishnorCheshire,butamixtureofallthree,hesaidtwoorthreethingsratherdifficulttobegotover。Findingthathehadnearlysilencedme,heobservedthathedidnotdenythatI
hadagooddealofbooklearning,butthatinmattersofbaptismI
wasasignorantastherestofthepeopleofthechurchwere,andhadalwaysbeen。Hethensaidthatmanychurchpeoplehadenteredintoargumentwithhimonthesubjectofbaptism,butthathehadgotthebetterofthemall;thatMrP。,theministeroftheparishofL。,inwhichwethenwere,hadfrequentlyenteredintoargumentwithhim,butquiteunsuccessfully,andhadatlastgivenupthematter,asabadjob。Headdedthatalittletimebefore,asMrP。
waswalkingclosetothecanalwithhiswifeanddaughterandaspanieldog,MrP。suddenlytookupthedogandflungitin,givingitagoodducking,whereuponhe,Morgan,criedout:\"Dynaygwirvedydd!Thatistherightbaptism,sir!IthoughtIshouldbringyoutoitatlast!\"atwhichwordsMrP。laughedheartily,butmadenoparticularreply。
AfteralittletimehebegantotalkaboutthegreatmenwhohadrisenupamongsttheBaptists,andmentionedtwoorthreedistinguishedindividuals。
IsaidthathehadnotmentionedthegreatestmanwhohadbeenbornamongsttheBaptists。
\"Whatwashisname?\"saidhe。
\"HisnamewasJoostVanVondel,\"Ireplied。
\"Ineverheardofhimbefore,\"saidMorgan。
\"Veryprobably,\"saidI:\"hewasborn,bred,anddiedinHolland。\"
\"Hashebeendeadlong?\"saidMorgan。
\"Abouttwohundredyears,\"saidI。
\"That’salongtime,\"saidMorgan,\"andmaybeisthereasonthatI
neverheardofhim。Sohewasagreatman?\"
\"Hewasindeed,\"saidI。\"HewasnotonlythegreatestmanthateversprangupamongsttheBaptists,butthegreatest,andbyfarthegreatest,thatHollandeverproduced,thoughHollandhasproducedagreatmanyillustriousmen。\"
\"OhIdaresayhewasagreatmanifhewasaBaptist,\"saidMorgan。
\"Well,it’sstrangeIneverreadofhim。IthoughtIhadreadthelivesofalltheeminentpeoplewholivedanddiedinourcommunion。\"
\"HedidnotdieintheBaptistcommunion,\"saidI。
\"Oh,hedidn’tdieinit,\"saidMorgan;\"What,didhegoovertotheChurchofEngland?aprettyfellow!\"
\"HedidnotgoovertotheChurchofEngland,\"saidI,\"fortheChurchofEnglanddoesnotexistinHolland;hewentovertotheChurchofRome。\"
\"Well,that’snotquitesobad,\"saidMorgan;\"however,it’sbadenough。Idaresayhewasaprettyblackguard。\"
\"No,\"saidI:\"hewasapurevirtuouscharacter,andperhapstheonlypureandvirtuouscharacterthateverwentovertoRome。Theonlywonderisthatsogoodamancouldeverhavegoneovertosodetestableachurch;butheappearstohavebeendeluded。\"
\"Deludedindeed!\"saidMorgan。\"However,Isupposehewentoverforadvancement’ssake。\"
\"No,\"saidI;\"helosteveryprospectofadvancementbygoingovertoRome:nine—tenthsofhiscountrymenwereofthereformedreligion,andheenduredmuchpovertyandcontemptbythestephetook。\"
\"Howdidhesupporthimself?\"saidMorgan。
\"Heobtainedalivelihood,\"saidI,\"bywritingpoemsandplays,someofwhicharewonderfullyfine。\"
\"What,\"saidMorgan,\"awriterofInterludes?OneofTwmo’rNant’sgang!Ithoughthewouldturnoutaprettyfellow。\"ItoldhimthatthepersoninquestioncertainlydidwriteInterludes,forexampleNoah,andJosephatGoshen,butthathewasahighlyrespectable,nayvenerablecharacter。
\"IfhewasawriterofInterludes,\"saidMorgan,\"hewasablackguard;thereneveryetwasawriterofInterludes,orapersonwhowentaboutplayingthem,thatwasnotascamp。Hemightbeacleverman,Idon’tsayhewasnot。WhowasacleverermanthanTwmo’rNantwithhisPleasureandCare,andRichesandPoverty,butwherewasthereagreaterblackguard?Why,notinallWales。
Andifyouknewthisotherfellow—what’shisname—Fondle’shistory,youwouldfindthathewasnotabitmorerespectablethanTwmo’rNant,andnothalfsoclever。AsforhisleavingtheBaptistsIdon’tbelieveawordofit;hewasturnedoutoftheconnection,andthenwentaboutthecountrysayingheleftit。NoBaptistconnectionwouldeverhaveawriterofInterludesinit,notTwmo’rNanthimself,unlesshelefthisalesandInterludesandwantonhussies,forthethreethingsaresuretogotogether。
YousayhewentovertotheChurchofRome;ofcoursehedid,iftheChurchofEnglandwerenotathandtoreceivehim,whereshouldhegobuttoRome?NorespectablechurchliketheMethodistortheIndependentwouldhavereceivedhim。Thereareonlytwochurchesintheworldthatwilltakeinanybodywithoutaskingquestions,andwillneverturnthemouthoweverbadtheymaybehave;theoneistheChurchofRome,andtheothertheChurchofCanterbury;andifyoulookintothematteryouwillfindthateveryrogue,rascalandhangedpersonsincetheworldbegan,hasbelongedtooneorotherofthosecommunions。\"
IntheeveningItookawalkwithmywifeanddaughterpastthePlasNewydd。ComingtothelittlemillcalledtheMelynBac,atthebottomofthegorge,wewentintotheyardtoobservethewater—wheel。Wefoundthatitwasturnedbyaverylittlewater,whichwasconveyedtoitbyartificialmeans。Seeingthemiller’sman,ashortdustyfigure,standingintheyard,Ienteredintoconversationwithhim,andfoundtomygreatsurprisethathehadaconsiderableacquaintancewiththeancientlanguage。OnmyrepeatingtohimversesfromTaliesinheunderstoodthem,andtoshowmethathedid,translatedsomeofthelinesintoEnglish。
Twoorthreerespectable—lookinglads,probablythemiller’ssons,cameout,andlistenedtous。OneofthemsaidwewerebothgoodWelshmen。AfteralittletimethemanaskedmeifIhadheardofHuwMorris,ItoldhimthatIwaswellacquaintedwithhiswritings,andenquiredwhethertheplaceinwhichhehadlivedwasnotsomewhereintheneighbourhood。Hesaiditwas;andthatitwasoverthemountainsnotfarfromLlanSanfraid。IaskedwhetheritwasnotcalledPontyMeibion。Heansweredintheaffirmative,andaddedthathehadhimselfbeenthere,andhadsatinHuwMorris’sstonechairwhichwasstilltobeseenbytheroad’sside。
ItoldhimthatIhopedtovisittheplaceinafewdays。HerepliedthatIshouldbequiterightindoingso,andthatnooneshouldcometothesepartswithoutvisitingPontyMeibion,forthatHuwMorriswasoneofthecolumnsoftheCumry。
\"Whatadifference,\"saidItomywife,afterwehaddeparted,\"betweenaWelshmanandanEnglishmanofthelowerclass。WhatwouldaSuffolkmiller’sswainhavesaidifIhadrepeatedtohimversesoutofBeowulforevenChaucer,andhadaskedhimabouttheresidenceofSkelton。
CHAPTERXX
HuwMorris—ImmortalElegy—TheValleyofCeiriog—TangledWilderness—Perplexity—ChairofHuwMorris—TheWalkingStick—
Huw’sDescendant—PontyMeibion。
TwodaysafterthelastadventureIsetoff,overtheBerwyn,tovisitthebirth—placeofHuwMorrisundertheguidanceofJohnJones,whowaswellacquaintedwiththespot。
HuwMorusorMorris,wasbornintheyear1622onthebanksoftheCeiriog。Hislifewasalongone,forhediedattheageofeighty—four,afterlivinginsixreigns。Hewasthesecondsonofafarmer,andwasapprenticedtoatanner,withwhom,however,hedidnotstaytilltheexpirationofthetermofhisapprenticeship,fornotlikingthetanningart,hespeedilyreturnedtothehouseofhisfather,whomheassistedinhusbandrytilldeathcalledtheoldmanaway。Hethenassistedhiselderbrother,andonhiselderbrother’sdeath,livedwithhisson。Hedidnotdistinguishhimselfasahusbandman,andappearsnevertohavebeenfondofmanuallabour。Atanearlyperiod,however,heappliedhimselfmostassiduouslytopoetry,andbeforehehadattainedtheageofthirtywascelebrated,throughoutWales,asthebestpoetofhistime。WhenthewarbrokeoutbetweenCharlesandhisparliament,Huwespousedthepartoftheking,notassoldier,forheappearstohavelikedfightinglittlebetterthantanningorhusbandry,butasapoet,andprobablydidthekingmoreserviceinthatcapacitythanhewouldifhehadraisedhimatroopofhorse,oraregimentoffoot,forhewrotesongsbreathingloyaltytoCharles,andfraughtwithpungentsatireagainsthisfoes,whichranlikewild—
firethroughWales,andhadagreatinfluenceonthemindsofthepeople。Evenwhentheroyalcausewaslostinthefield,hestillcarriedonapoeticalwaragainstthesuccessfulparty,butnotsoopenlyasbefore,dealingchieflyinallegories,which,however,wereeasytobeunderstood。StrangetosaytheIndependents,whentheyhadtheupperhand,neverinterferedwithhimthoughtheypersecutedcertainRoyalistpoetsoffarinferiornote。OntheaccessionofCharlestheSecondhecelebratedtheeventbyamostsingularpiececalledtheLamentationofOliver’smen,inwhichheassailstheRoundheadswiththemostbitterirony。HewasloyaltoJamestheSecond,tillthatmonarchattemptedtooverthrowtheChurchofEngland,whenHuw,muchtohiscredit,turnedagainsthim,andwrotesongsintheinterestofthegloriousPrinceofOrange。HediedinthereignofgoodQueenAnne。Inhisyouthhisconductwasratherdissolute,butirreproachableandalmostholyinhislatterdays—akindofhalosurroundedhisoldbrow。ItwasthecustominthosedaysinNorthWalesforthecongregationtoleavethechurchinarowwiththeclergymanattheirhead,butsogreatwastheestimationinwhicholdHuwwasuniversallyheld,forthepurityofhislifeandhispoeticalgift,thattheclergymanoftheparishabandoninghisclaimtoprecedence,alwaysinsistedonthegoodandinspiredoldman’sleadingthefile,himselffollowingimmediatelyinhisrear。Huwwroteonvarioussubjects,mostlyincommonandeasilyunderstoodmeasures。Hewasgreatinsatire,greatinhumour,butwhenhepleasedcouldbegreaterinpathosthanineither;forhisbestpieceisanelegyonBarbaraMiddleton,thesweetestsongofthekindeverwritten。FromhisbeingbornonthebanksofthebrookCeiriog,andfromtheflowingmelodyofhisawenormuse,hiscountrymenwereinthehabitofcallinghimEosCeiriog,ortheCeiriogNightingale。