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Morris, Lewis, 1701-1765
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'Cronfa Dafydd Ddu', etc.

A composite volume compiled by Owen Williams, Fronheulog, Waunfawr in 1857. It comprises: I. 'Y Gronfa' (pp. 1-200), largely in the hand of David Thomas ('Dafydd Ddu Eryri'), containing an introduction ('Y Rhagymadrodd') signed 4 October 1790; an English translation by D[avid] T[homas] of two lines of poetry by Gwalchmai; 'Cyfieithiad o Awdl Sibli (Sibyl's Ode, translated by the Revd. Gor[onwy] Owen)' ('See the above, versified in D. Thomas's poetical collection'); etymons of Mr Jones of Llanegryn, Mr L. Morris, and D. Tho[ma]s; extracts from letters from the Revd. Gor[onwy] Owen to Mr Richard Morris of the Navy Office, London, 1753-67; Welsh poetry by Bleddyn, Gwgon, Taliesin, Cynddelw [Brydydd Mawr], 'Guttun Gwrecsam' ('sef John Edwards neu Sion Ceiriog now dead'), Rhisiart Jones 'o Fôn, Syr Thomas Jones ('Iechyd i Galon yr hen offeiriad O na bai Gant o'i fath ynghymru y dydd heddyw'), Hywel ap Reinallt, Llywelyn Goch ap Meurig Hen (with a translation by Evan Evans ['Ieuan Fardd']), Hywel ap Dafydd ap Ieuan ap Rhys, Thomas Celli, Tudur Aled, D[avid] Thomas, Owen Williams (Waunfawr) (c.1820), Rhys Jones 'o'r Blaenau', and Goronwy Owen; English poetry by Alexander Pope, John Dyer, and Thomas Gray; anecdotes and biographical notes relating to Gruffydd Hiraethog, William Phylip, Sion Tudur, William Lleyn, etc.; 'Athrawiaeth y Gorphwysiadau', being rules of punctuation, copied in 1809 ('not intended for public inspection'); observations in verse on 'Barddoniaeth Gymreig', for publication in the North Wales Gazette, 1818; a holograph letter from D. Thomas to Robt. Williams, land surveyor, Bangor, 1820 (plagiarism of one of the writer's poems, comments on the poetry of 'Gutyn P[eris]', results of the Wrexham eisteddfod); 'Sibli's Prophecy. A Fragment from the Welsh', translated by D. Thomas; 'A Discourse between St Kybi and other saints on their passage to the Isle of Bardsey ...'; epithalamia to Dafydd Thomas and Elin, his wife, by [John Roberts] 'Siôn Lleyn', [Griffith Williams] 'Gutyn Peris', [William Williams] 'Gwilym Peris', and Dafydd Owain ('Bardd Gwyn o Eifion', i.e. 'Dewi Wyn o Eifion'), 1803-4; reviews by 'Adolygwr' of 'awdlau' by Walter Davies ['Gwallter Mechain'] and Edward Hughes ['Y Dryw'] on 'Amaethyddiaeth' submitted for competition at Tre Fadog eisteddfod, 1811; and critical observations on Welsh poetry entitled 'Ystyriaethau ar Brydyddiaeth Gymraeg ai pherthynasau yn gynnwysedig mewn rhai nodiadau ar waith Mr. T[homas] Jones ['Y Bardd Cloff'] yn y Greal', by 'Peblig', Glan Gwyrfai [i.e. 'Dafydd Ddu Eryri'] (published in Golud yr Oes, 1863, pp. 118-23), together with copies of two letters, 1806, to the author from 'Padarn' [i.e. 'Gutyn Peris'] and John Roberts ['Sion Lleyn'] containing their observations on the views set forth in the treatise. Pp. 61-8 are in the autograph of Owen Williams, Waunfawr. The compiler has included a few cover papers from manuscripts of 'Dafydd Ddu Eryri' bearing such inscriptions as 'This Morrisian MS (with some others) I found at a Farmhouse called Braint near Penmynydd, Anglesey, Sept. 9th 1793. D. Thomas' (p. 123) and 'This MSS (with several others) has been bequethed to me, by the Rev. David Ellis, late Rector of Cruccaith in Caernarvonshire. D. Thomas' (p. 189). Ii. The works of Griffith Williams ('Gutyn Peris'), Braich Talog, Llandegai, - 'Sef Casgliad, O Ganiadau, Carolau, a Cherddi, Ac awdlau, a Chowyddau, Ac Englynion ...', transcribed by Owen Williams, Ty ycha'r ffordd, Waun fawr, Llanbeblig, 1811, together with a few 'englynion' by Goronwy Owen (pp. 201-48). Iii. 'Bywyd a Marwolaeth Godidog Fardd, Dafydd Thomas; neu Dafydd Ddu, o Eryri', being a biography collected and transcribed by Owen Williams, Waunfawr; 'Casgliad Barddonawl O Waith Dafydd Ddu o Eryri, Y rhai a gyfansoddodd Yn ol ei argraffiad o Gorph y Gaingc' (imperfect) (1 page), 'Englynion ar Fedd Dafydd Thomas' by Dafydd Owen ('Dewi Wynn o Eifion'), Robert Williams ('Robert ap Gwilym Ddu' 'o'r Bettws Bach Eifion'), Griffith Williams ('Guttun Peris'), Richard Jones (Erw), Wm. Edward ('Gwilym Padarn'), and [Owen Williams]; 'englynion' by 'Dafydd Ddu Eryri', 1796-1815 and undated; and extracts from three letters from 'Dafydd Ddu Eryri' to P[eter] B[ailey] W[illiams], 1806-20 (the death of the recipient's parishioners in Llanberis and Llanrug, the death of the recipient's brother the Reverend Eliezer Williams, the displeasure of 'O[wain] Myfyr') (pp. 251-84). Iv. A transcript of Cofrestr o'r holl Lyfrau Printiedig ... (Llundain, 1717) (pp. 287-452). Inset are three leaves containing transcripts of a letter from Edmund Francis to [ ] (the writer's health, the recipient's preaching engagement) (incomplete) and of a letter from D. Thomas ['Dafydd Ddu Eryri'] to [John Roberts, 'Siôn Lleyn'], 1810 (the sale of the writer's [Corph y Gaingc]). Written on the inside lower cover is a long note by O[wen] Williams, Fronheulog, Waunfawr, 1857, of which the following is an extract, - 'Myfi a gesglais gynhwysedd y llyfr hwn o'r hen ysgrifiau a ddaeth i'm dwylaw oeddynt eiddo Dafydd Ddu Eryri ac a delais am eu rhwymo yn nghyd megys y gwelir yma er's llawer o flynyddoedd yn ol ...'.

Miscellanea,

A composite volume containing miscellaneous notes, jottings, etc., of an extremely varied nature in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg'). Included, pagination in brackets, are small groups or short lists of Welsh words sometimes with English definitions and sometimes with illustrative extracts from the works of Welsh poets, grammatical notes, etc. (41-2, 51, 55, 63-4, 72, 85-6, 89-93 99, 163-6, 168, 171-3, 178); transcripts of 'englynion' attributed to Iorwerth ab Sierlyn 'uwch benn Bedd Siôn Ceiriog . . . 1792' (54) and Huw Llwyd Cynfel (187); extracts consisting of single stanzas, couplets, or even single lines from the works of the Welsh poets D[afydd] ab G[wily]m, W[ilia]m Cynwal, Gruff. ab . . . ab Tudur, Lewys Morys, Edm[wn]d Prys, and [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg' (38-41), Gwalchmai (48), Wm. Midd[leto]n (49), Thos. Prys of P[las] Iolyn (50), Howel ab Owain Gwynedd (52-3), Iolo Goch or Gruff. Llwyd ab Daf ab Einion (63), Llen. Moel y Pantri, Tudur Aled, and Guttun Owain (to illustrate specific words) (85-6), ? Thos. Redwood (93), and Teilo Sant (95); transcripts of English verse including anonymous stanzas (41), four stanzas with the superscription 'Question in Arithmetic from the Welsh' ( 87), an epitaph by [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg' (95), and a stanza again by 'Iolo Morganwg' (187); miscellaneous items including a list of six principles headed 'requisites of Language by Ed. Wms.' (17), notes relating to bardic ceremonial (20), two bardic triads (38), notes relating to the division of a community into four classes, viz. grand jurors, jurors, private citizens, and subjects, and their roles in government (45- 6), notes relating to mottoes and titles of bardic 'gorseddau' (56-9), a note on metempsychosis (60), a list of twenty books and authors with a note written sideways in the margin 'Books and Authorities for the History of the Bards' (73), brief notes referring to old inscriptions [in Britain], the features called Caer y Vynwent and Maen y chwyfan in co. Flint, the administration of the Isle of Man, and the Picts (77-80), a brief note relating to medieval North Wales prose (86), notes headed 'August 30th 1808' containing brief topographical, agricultural, etc. memoranda referring to places called Bryn y Menyn [on] Coettre Hen Estate, Cefn Hirgoed, and Hirwaen [? co. Glamorgan] (90), a brief note relating to 'chware cnau mewn Ilaw Morganwg' (93), lists of subject or chapter headings for a ? four - volume work to be divided into 'Volume of Welsh Tracts Translated', 'Historical Volume', 'Vol. III. Barddoniaeth amrafaelion oesoedd a Thestunau', and 'Volume IV' (no headings but to contain sections on, or relating to, 'Meddygon Myddfai', 'Cato Gymraeg', 'Trin Perllanau', 'Hen arddoriaeth', etc.) (94), a brief note on influences on North Walian and South Walian poetry (95), a note on the number of letters in the ? Welsh alphabet at various times (96), a Welsh bardic triad (96), a short list of Welsh proverbs (97), a note referring to the state of the Welsh language and the language of the Normans at the time of the Norman settlement in Wales, the adoption of Welsh by Norman authors such as, allegedly, Robert, earl of Glo[uceste]r, Walter de Mapes, Robert, duke of Normandy, etc. (98), a list of various taxes or fees, e.g. churchwardens' rate, fees for notices to quit, charges for parish register certificates, etc. (100), brief notes relating to the functions of the 'Penrhaith, the most ancient Title of sovereignty in Britain, i.e. Chief or Foreman of the Rhaith or Senatorial Assembly', the lesser officials called 'pencenedl', the assembly called 'Rhaith Gwlad', etc., references to the allegedly false views of the seventeenth century antiquary Robert Vaughan of Hengwrt on these matters in his book British Antiquities Revived, and more general remarks on 'monokingism' and what is termed 'natural Government, not hereditary, not elective' (101-07), a brief note relating to 'corfannau' ( 110), notes referring to scripts of ancient inscriptions headed 'Saxon Characters' (111-112), a note relating to 'Englynion byrron' and 'Englynion hirion' in Glamorgan and the defining of certain types of 'odlau' by . . . Swrdwal (113), a note relating to the word 'rhath' and to the village and church of Rhath near Cardiff (120), statistics relating to the religions of the world 'From Malte Brun's System of Universal Geography, Paris, 1816' (125), a list of various bardic 'cylymau' headed 'Cwlm Eisteddfod, cwlm gorsedd' (166), a note headed 'Sapiential and Satyrical Triades' (167), a list of ten subject or chapter headings under the general superscription 'Collections for a History of the Ancient British Bards and Druids' (169-70), three lists of Welsh historico-literary material and / or authors under the headings (1) 'Oldest Documents', (2) 'Northwalian Grammars', and (3) 'Southwalian recent' (170), a note containing generalisations concerning the Welsh language (179-80), and other miscellanea; extracts from a variety of printed sources including [Henry Home] Lord Kaimes: Elements of Criticism, [John] Lempriere: A Classical Dictionary, [Paul Henri] Mallet: Northern Antiquities, Monthly Review, Month[ly] Mag[axine], The Edinburgh Review, The Critical Review, Courier, and Thomas Langley: [An Abridgement of the Notable Worke of] Polidore Vergile; etc.