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John, Henry, 1664-1754
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Barddoniaeth; doethineb Catwg Ddoeth,

A composite volume containing transcripts of prose and verse items in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg'). Pp. 1-80 contain transcripts of Welsh poems, almost entirely 'englynion', by, or attributed to, Llywelyn ab Rhosser 'o Sainffag[an]', Dafydd Llwyd Mathew, Dafydd ap Siencyn Fynglwyd, Richd. Watcins, vicar Llanellen, Thomas Llywelyn 'o Regoes', Llywelyn Thomas, Edwd. Dafydd 'o Fargam', Siôn y Cent, Siôn Morys 'o Lanfabon', Thomas Lewys 'o Lechau', Rhys Brychan, Hywel Bwr Bach, Huw Cae Llwyd, Dafydd Benwyn, Iorwerth Fynglwyd, Morys Cyffin, Hopcin Thomas 'o Faglan', Rhaff ab Rhobert, Siôn Tudur, Gwerfyl Mechain, Rhobert Cludro, Tudur Aled, Dafydd ap Edmwnd, Hywel ap Syr Matthew, Bleddyn Siôn 'o Lancarfan', Hywel Llwyd, Dafydd ap Gwilym, Siôn Philip 'o Hendrewaelod', Lewys Morys, Dafydd, abad Margam, Dafydd Dafies 'o Gastell Hywel', Iolo Morganwg, Huw Llwyd Cynfel, Siôn Cydewain, Llawdden, Syr Lewys Mochnant, Lewis Môn, Roger Cyffln, Syr Ifan o Garno, Wiliam Byrchinsha, Ednyfed Fychan, Cwnin Brydydd, Twm Siôn Catti, Lewys Morganwg, Rhys Brydydd, ? Lewys Glyn Cothi, Dafydd Nanmor, Jenkin Richards 'o Flaenau Gwent', Ieuan Gethin ab Ieuan ab Lleision, Siôn Brwynog, William Cynwal, Richard Huws, Dr. Morgan, esgob Llanelwy, Lewys Powel, William Middelton, Hopcin Tomas ab Einiawn, Elis Drwynhir, Harri ap Thomas ap Wiliam 'o'r Ddiserth', Grufydd Hiraethog, Morys Dwyfech, Owain Gronw, Hywel ap Rhys, Syr Lewys Gethin, Richard Cynwal, Roger y Gwydd, Edmwnd Prys, Dr. R. Davies, esgob Ty Ddewi, Rhys Cain, Huw Roberts Llun, Rhisiart Iorwerth 'o Langynwyd', ? Huw Ednyfed, Einion ap Dafydd Llwyd, Rhydderch Roberts, Syr Lewys y defaid, Syr Lewys Anwyl, Robert ab Han, Syr Ieuan Brydydd, Syr Owain ap Gwilym, Catherin ferch Howel, Wiliam Llyn, Owain Gwynedd, Dafydd Alaw, Evan Llwyd Sieffre, Morgan ap Huw Lewys, Robert Dafydd Llwyd, Wiliam ap Hywel ap Tomas, Morys Parri Llen, Ifan Siôn 'o Wedir', and Sils ap Siôn, and other unattributed poems. The inscriptions on p. 81 and p. 83 and the note on p. 82 appear to indicate that they were intended as cover and 'title-page' respectively for a home-made booklet containing a corpus of 'englynion' by Jenkin Richards of Blaenau Gwent, co. Monmouth, extracted mainly 'o Lyfrau Harri Siôn o Bont y Pwl a Llyfr ym Meddiant Rhys Thomas, Argraffydd o'r Bont Faen ym Morganwg', but only four 'englynion', presumably meant to be attributed to this poet, follow on p. 84. Pp. 91-198 contain miscellaneous items including 91-2, notes headed 'On the oldest places of Christian Worship in Wales'; (continued)

93-7, 105-06, notes, generally derogatory, on the character and literary and metallurgical activities of Lewis Morris; 100- 04, notes on 'Welsh Ideas of Celibacy'; 122-8, a transcript of thirty 'englynion' entitled 'Ymatreg Llywelyn a Gwrnerth' attributed to Tysiliaw fab Brochwel Ysgithrawc; 130, a note relating to an 'eisteddfod' held at Y Pil (Pyle, co. Glamorgan), 1740; 131- 41, notes relating to 'singing to the harp', the 'bardd telyn', carol and 'alsain' verse, the adapting of verse to music, etc.; 147-62, transcripts of 'englynion' attributed to Rhobert, Tywysog Norddmanty, Morys Kyffin, Wm. Byrchinsha, and Gutto'r Glyn, extracts from the works of various Welsh poets, etc.; 167, a version of William Midleton's introductory epistle [to his Bardhoniaeth neu brydydhiaeth, y llyfr kyntaf (Llundain, 1593)] copied 'Ex Vol. 40. Mr. Panton' [i.e. Panton MS.40 now NLW MS 2008]; 168-9, five stanzas of a hymn tune attributed to Elis Wynn; 169, a transcript of two 'englynion' attributed to Dr. [John] Davies; 171, a list of the commotes and hundreds of Glamorgan copied from '68. P.P.' [i.e. Panton MS 68 now NLW MS 2034]; 175-88, an alphabetical list of Welsh bards 'o Lyfr D'dd Ddu o'r Eryri'; and 188-98, miscellanea including transcripts of 'englynion' attributed to Siôn Mawddwy, Ieuan Tew, William Philip, and D[afydd] ab Gwilym, miscellaneous triads, genealogical data relating to various Welsh bards and Syr Rhys ap Thomas, etc. Pp. 207-390 (previously paginated 1-184) contain a collection of maxims, proverbs, triads, sayings, etc., attributed to Cattwg Ddoeth and described on a 'title-page' to the section ( p. 199) as 'Llyma Ddoethineb Cattwg Ddoeth o Lancarvan' and in a concluding note (p. 390) as 'Llyfr y cyntaf y Gwyddfardd Cyfarwydd'. In a note on the aforementioned 'title-page' (p. 199) Edward Williams claims to have transcribed this collection in 1799 from a manuscript in the possession of Siams Thomas of Maerdy Newydd, co. Glamorgan. Preceding and following the actual text of the collection are transcripts of a prefatory letter dated 1685 (pp. 201-06) and of the concluding note already referred to (p. 390) both of which are attributed to the Glamorgan scribe and copyist Thomas ab Iefan of Tre Bryn as compiler of the manuscript from which Edward Williams was allegedly copying (see TLLM, t. 172; IM, tt. 291-4). Pp. 391-477 contain a transcript of a collection, in alphabetical order, of over three thousand Welsh proverbs attributed to Cattwg Ddoeth ('Llyma Ddiarhebion Cattwg Ddoeth . . . sef yw hwnn Ail Lyfr y Gwyddfardd Cyvarwydd'). This collection, according to the aforementioned note at the end of the preceding section (p. 390) attributed to Thomas ab Iefan, had been compiled by the said Thomas from various sources and formed a continuation of the previous section. Edward Williams's claim with regard to the Siams Thomas volume is probably intended to apply to the contents of pp. 391-477 as well. The contents of pp. 199-390 have been published in The Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales . . ., vol. III (London, 1807), pp. 1-99.

Miscellanea,

A composite volume containing miscellaneous material in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg'). The contents include pp. xiii, xv-xvi, two lists of the contents of pp. 1-160; xvi, a copy of an 'englyn' by [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg'; 1-5, a version of the rules for regulating the Welsh bardic order ('Ystatun . . . ar wyr wrth Gerdd') attributed to Gruffudd ap Cynan and Bleddyn ap Cynfyn; 5-9, comments by [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg' on the attribution of the formulation of such rules to Gruffudd ap Cynan and others; 110-114, a copy of a proclamation announcing that an 'eisteddfod' was to be held at Caerwys, co. Flint, 26 May 1567, and a list of the bards and musicians licensed at the said 'eisteddfod'; 115-116, descriptions of 'finger-signs' used to represent letters of the alphabet ('Egwyddor Awgrym Llaw'); 117-27, extracts, including examples of Welsh strict metres, from Welsh bardic grammars described in the first aforementioned list of contents as 'Pigion o Hen Lyfr Dosparth Cerdd dafawd' and 'Amrafaelion [d]darlleniadau yn Nosparth Edeyrn Dafawd Aur ag un Dafydd Ddu o Hiraddug' and in the second as 'Amrafaelion o Hen Ddosparth Cerdd' and 'Darlleniadau amrafaelion Dosparth Dafydd Ddu Hiraddug neu Dafydd Ddu Athraw'; 28, transcripts of three 'englynion' attributed to Rhys amheyrig 'o'r Cottrel'; 28-32, transcripts of two letters reputedly exchanged between the sixteenth century Welsh poets Siôn Mowddwy and Meyryg Dafydd (see also NLW MS 13121B above, pp. 501-05); 32, a brief note on 'eisteddfodau' held at Caerfyrddin in 1451 and 38 Henry VI; 33-118, an incomplete version of a Welsh bardic grammar consisting of part III (pp. 33-55 under an initial superscription reading 'Llyma Ddosparth Cerdd Dafawd a wnaeth Simwnt Fychan Bencerdd Fr Meistr Pirs Mostyn o Dalacre. Hwnn yw Trydydd Lyfr Cerddwriaeth Cerdd dafawd') dealing with the structure of the strict metres, part IV (pp. 55-76) dealing with 'cymmeriadau' and 'cynghaneddau' ('yn nesaf ysbysswnn o'r pedwarydd Llyfr Cerddwriaeth Cerdd dafawd nid amgen noc o'r Cymmeriadau a' r Cynghaneddau . . .'), and part V (pp. 76-119) dealing with faults in metre and 'cynghanedd' and the objects to be praised in verse, and containing at the end a series of eighty-two bardic triads ('Trioedd Cerdd y rhai y mae Beirdd Ynys Prydain yn ymarfer o'i cofiaw a'i ystyried'); 119- 22, a copy of the proclamation announcing the holding of an 'eisteddfod' at Caerwys, co. Flint, 26 May 1568, and the licensing of Simwnt Fychan as 'pencerdd'; 122-3, a note on the adoption of family surnames by the Welsh in accordance with a decree of the aforementioned 'eisteddfod' and on the mode of registering the said names; 124-37, a version of the code of rules for Welsh bards and musicians attributed to Gruffydd ap Cynan as reputedly confirmed by Bleddyn ap Cynfyn and others and at the aforementioned 'eisteddfod' at Caerwys; 138-40, a note relating to Dafydd ab Edmwnt and the 'cadwyn fyrr' strict poetic metre with an example of the said metre; 141, transcripts of 'englynion' attributed to Hywel ap Syr Mathew, Simwnt Fychan, and Howel Bangor; 142-51, a further version of the bardic rules attributed to Gruffudd ap Cynan 'fal ai conffirmiwyd yn Eisteddfod Caerwys . . . 1567'; 152, a note by [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg' on the aforementioned code of rules; 153-7, transcripts of 'Cywydd y Delyn Ledr' attributed to Dafydd ap Gwilym, two stanzas attributed to Llywarch Hen, and four unattributed 'englynion'; 158-60, a series of Welsh proverbs extracted allegedly 'o Lyfr Harry Siôn o Bont y Pwl'; 197-231 (previously paginated 1-35), notes dealing largely with the phonology of the Welsh language; 268, ? a proposed scheme or list of chapter headings for an 'Analytical Dissertation on the Welsh Language'; 273-392, mainly lists of Welsh words grouped according to their terminations; 376-8, stanzas of psalm tunes; and 409-12, notes on Welsh phonology.