A manuscript containing for the most part the lives of saints. Pp. 1-389 were written by Roger Morys of Coed y Talwrn, Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd (see p. 93) towards the close of the sixteenth century, while pp. 390-403 were written by Thomas Evans (Thomas ab Ifan), Hendreforfydd (see pp. 93, 389, 390-403 (pp. 390-403 dated 5 March 1628)). P. 404 contains an index in the hand of Moses Williams.
A manuscript containing a Welsh grammar. A note in the hand of Moses Williams reads: 'This copy is out of a MS. lent me by R. Mostyn of Penbedw Esqr., which MS. formerly belong'd to Thomas ap Ivan of Hendre Forfydd [i.e. Peniarth MS 157]. Twas compared with the said MS. 29 Julii 1717 ... Twas also collated with another copy that was once in the possession of Huw ab Owen alias Huw Machno.' There are notes by Moses Williams on the text throughout the volume.
A manuscript mainly containing cywyddau of Dafydd ap Gwilym (pp. 1-240). Pp. i-xviii are in the autograph of Moses Williams (1685-1742) and the remainder of the text in that of his brother Samuel Williams. P. i is headed 'Welsh names of Men & Women' and p. xviii is headed 'Librorum MSS. Catalogus'. Pp. 241-250 contain a table of contents. The one hundred and sixty three poems contained in the text have been numbered by Moses Williams's friend William Jones (1675-1749), who once owned the Shirburn collection of manuscripts.
A manuscript in the hand of Moses Williams containing 'Buchedd Collen' (pp. 25-31), 'Hanes Taliesin' (pp. 33-44), 'Keyryd' (p. 77), transcripts from the Black Book of Carmarthen (pp. 1-20, 98-118) and the Book of Taliesin (pp. 79-97), triads taken from 'Y Cwta Cyfarwydd' (p. 45 (see Peniarth MS 50, p. 149)) and from the work of John Jones, Gellilyfdy (p. 62) and other material, some of which relates to Welsh geographical features (pp. 32 (taken from the work of John Jones, Gellilyfdy), 75-76, 121). P. i contains an index of the contents. For p. 1 of this manuscript see Peniarth MS 98b, p. 2; for pp. 1-20 see Peniarth MS 98b, p. 49; for p. 45 see Peniarth MS 50, p. 149. At the end of the section at pp. 4-20 is noted 'O'r Llyfr du o Gaerfyrddin hyd yma; ac o hyn allan o law W. Salsburi medd Roesser Moris.'
A manuscript in the autograph of Moses Williams entitled 'Proper Names of Men & Women in alphabetical order transcribed out of a MS. at Hengwrt'. The list begins with 'Arawn ab Cynfarch, Brenin yr Alban' and ends with 'Ywerydd M. Cyndelig bannawg g. Earddur ab Mor ab Tegerin'.
A manuscript in the autograph of Moses Williams containing Welsh proverbs translated into Latin. Inside the front cover is inscribed: 'Transcribed out a MS. writ by Dr Davies. The Drs.' First and Second Translations are in the Harleian Library. There is another Copy with additions by Mr Vaughan of Hengwrt.' The transcript is mostly written on one side only of the folios, leaving the other side for the many additions made by the transcriber. After f. 97 there are five leaves of additions on paper of a smaller size, and ff. 129-138 contain 'additional Proverbs by Mr. W. Langford late Parson of Llan fawr communicated by the Rev. Mr. Ball Vicar of Northop'. This collection of proverbs is fuller than the one printed by Dr John Davies at the end of his Dictionary.
A manuscript in the hands of the Reverend Samuel Williams, Moses Williams, Iaco ab Dewi and others, containing one hundred and sixty-eight numbered items, mainly poetry, including about two hundred and thirty-five triads (item 13). The poets cited include Taliesin, Bleddyn Fardd, Iolo Goch, Dafydd ap Gwilym, Siôn Cent and Siôn Phylip. Item 165 contains a genealogy of Welsh saints. Item 166 is a copy of cols 1165-1169 of the Red Book of Hergest. Item 167, which contains englynion, is in the hand of Edward Lhuyd, and was 'sent through the post to W. Baxter in Totnham Highcross near London'. Item 168 is a piece entitled 'A true Character ... of the Gentry within the Counties of Carmarthen, Pembroke and Cardigan during the Commonwealth'.
Reverend Samuel Williams, Moses Williams, Iaco ab Dewi, Edward Lhuyd and others.
A manuscript containing transcripts by David Parry from the Red Book of Hergest, together with other poetry, the volume being compiled before it was given to Jesus College, Oxford in 1701. The contents of the volume are as follows: A Welsh Grammar copied from the Red Book of Hergest (col. 1117), with collations by Samuel Williams from Llanstephan MS 3, p. 472 (original foliation I-Vb, 1-7); a copy of the poetry on cols 1143-1356 of the Red Book of Hergest (original foliation 7-12b, original pagination 13-168, 169-265); followed by sixteen leaves at the end of the manuscript containing poems by Robin Ddu o Fôn, Tudur Aled, Rhys Nanmor and others, together with the pedigree of Sir Rhys ap Thomas. Samuel Williams has copied a good many of the older material in a modernised orthography on the side left blank by the original copyist. There are also marginalia in the hand of Moses Williams. A note, probably in the hand of Samuel Williams, on p. 265 (original pagination) reads 'All the Poetry collated March 27 . 1722'.
David Parry, Reverend Samuel Williams and Moses Williams.
A manuscript containing the Mabinogion (pp. 1-64); the Dream of Maxen Wledic (p. 65); the Adventure of Llvdd and Llevelys (p. 74); and the History of Kulhwch and Olwen (pp. 81-120). The text was transcribed from the Red Book of Hergest and collated by Moses Williams.
A manuscript containing Welsh laws (pp. 1-96) and the 'Elucidations' (pp. 97-535), written in the hand of John Jones, Gellilyfdy prior to 25 September 1619 (see pp. 67, 535). Where the text is imperfect Moses Williams has written its contents in the margins. The text of pp. 1-96 of this manuscript corresponds with that of Peniarth MS 29, pp. 1-51, while the remainder may be a copy of Peniarth MS 278. The original of pp. 97-535 was either imperfect or frequently illegible as dots indicating lacunae are frequent. Much of the matter of this second part is the same as the 'Elucidations' in Ancient Laws and Institutes of Wales, Vol. ii, Book XIV. The text ends abruptly at the beginning of the sixth line on p. 535.
A manuscript in the hand of Moses Williams containing 'Prawf fod Degymmeu yn ddyledus wrth Ordinhad Duw', being a translation into Welsh. A note by Moses Williams states: 'Gorphènwyd ei gyfieithu y 19 Chwefror 1720/1'.
A manuscript containing lives of saints, etc. An index is included on p. i. Pp. i, 427-433 are in the hand of Moses Williams. A note - 'Pretium £1 . 4 . 6 An. 1715' - on the fly-leaf is in the same hand as most of the manuscript. At the end of the Life of St Margaret, which begins at p. 427, the scribe has written 'Felly y terfyna buchedd saint y Marged a esgrifenodd Tho: Evans 1628 fis Mawrth 5 dydd'.
A manuscript in the hand of Moses Williams containing 'Y Groclith' (ff. 1-22) and 'Rybud Gabriel at Veir' (ff. 23-26) (Luke i, 26-38), both of which are written in two columns, the one in mediæval, the other in modern orthography.
A manuscript in the hand of Moses Williams containing the Interpretation of Dreams from Llanstephan MS 28; and 'Gr. ap kynan twssog kymry a wnaith gyfreth ar y gwyr wrth gerdd' in a seventeenth century hand.
A manuscript in the hand of Moses Williams containing Triads and Gorwynnion from the Red Book of Hergest, Englynion y Clywaid from Jesus College MS 3, and XIII Tlws.
A manuscript in the hand of Moses Williams (pp. 1-4) and another (pp. 5-66) containing a transcript of Kulhwch ac Olwen and of Y Mabinogion from the Red Book of Hergest.
A manuscript, mainly in the hand of James Davies ('Iaco ab Dewi') of 'Trerhedyn yn Llan Llawddoc' and completed 15 July 1713 (see p. 30), containing 'Meddygon Myddfai', being a transcript from the Red Book of Hergest, Col. 928. The manuscript is interleaved throughout, and passages of the text are translated here and there on the interleaves by Moses Williams.
A manuscript in the hand of Moses Williams containing 'Kelvyddyd kerdd Davod' (ff. 1-5a), being a copy of pp. 10-16 of Llanstephan MS 28, with a note stating that 'This imperfect Tract I transcribed out of a MS. writ by Guttyn Owain A.D. 1455 & communicated to me by D Foulkes of Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd.'; and an extract 'Out of Huw Machno's Book' (ff. 5b-12b) outlining the fifteen faults which may be committed when writing Welsh verse, with examples. The text cites a line from Wiliam Cynwal.
