butter,andalittleteawithmilkandsugar。Itateanddrankandsoonbegantopurr。Thegoodwomanofthehousewashorrifiedwhenoncomingintoremovethethingsshesawthechurchcatonhercarpet。"Whatimpudence!"sheexclaimed,andmadetowardsit,butonourtellingherthatwedidnotexpectthatitshouldbedisturbed,sheletitalone。Averyremarkablecircumstancewas,thatthoughthecathadhithertobeeninthehabitofflying,notonlyfromherface,buttheveryechoofhervoice,itnowlookedherinthefacewithperfectcomposure,asmuchastosay,"Idon’tfearyou,forIknowthatIamnowsafeandwithmyownpeople。"
Itstayedwithustwohoursandthenwentaway。Thenextmorningitreturned。Tobeshort,thoughitwentawayeverynight,itbecameourowncat,andoneofourfamily。Igaveitsomethingwhichcureditofitseruption,andthroughgoodtreatmentitsoonlostitsotherailmentsandbegantolooksleekandbonny。
CHAPTERVIII
TheMowers—DeepWelsh—ExtensiveView—OldCelticHatred—FishPreserving—Smollet’sMorgan。
NEXTmorningIsetouttoascendDinasBran,anumberofchildren,almostentirelygirls,followedme。Iaskedthemwhytheycameafterme。"Inthehopethatyouwillgiveussomething,"saidoneinverygoodEnglish。ItoldthemthatIshouldgivethemnothing,buttheystillfollowedme。AlittlewayupthehillIsawsomemencuttinghay。Imadeanobservationtooneofthemrespectingthefinenessoftheweather;heansweredcivilly,andrestedonhisscythe,whilsttheotherspursuedtheirwork。Iaskedhimwhetherhewasafarmingman;hetoldmethathewasnot;thathegenerallyworkedattheflannelmanufactory,butthatforsomedayspasthehadnotbeenemployedthere,workbeingslack,andhadonthataccountjoinedthemowersinordertoearnafewshillings。I
askedhimhowitwasheknewhowtohandleascythe,notbeingbredupafarmingman;hesmiled,andsaidthat,somehoworother,hehadlearnttodoso。
"YouspeakverygoodEnglish,"saidI,"haveyoumuchWelsh?"
"Plenty,"saidhe;"IamarealWelshman。"
"CanyoureadWelsh?"saidI。
"Oh,yes!"hereplied。
"Whatbookshaveyouread?"saidI。
"IhavereadtheBible,sir,andoneortwootherbooks。"
"DidyoueverreadtheBarddCwsg?"saidI。
Helookedatmewithsomesurprise。"No,"saidhe,afteramomentortwo,"Ihaveneverreadit。Ihaveseenit,butitwasfartoodeepWelshforme。"
"Ihavereadit,"saidI。
"AreyouaWelshman?"saidhe。
"No,"saidI;"IamanEnglishman。"
"Andhowisit,"saidhe,"thatyoucanreadWelshwithoutbeingaWelshman?"
"Ilearnedtodoso,"saidI,"evenasyoulearnedtomow,withoutbeingbreduptofarmingwork。"
"Ah!"saidhe,"butitiseasiertolearntomowthantoreadtheBarddCwsg。"
"Idon’tthinkthat,"saidI;"IhavetakenupascytheahundredtimesbutIcannotmow。"
"Willyourhonourtakeminenow,andtryagain?"saidhe。
"No,"saidI,"forifItakeyourscytheinhandImustgiveyouashilling,youknow,bymowers’law。"
Hegaveabroadgrin,andIproceededupthehill。WhenherejoinedhiscompanionshesaidsomethingtotheminWelsh,atwhichtheyalllaughed。Ireachedthetopofthehill,thechildrenstillattendingme。
Theviewoverthevaleisverybeautiful;butonnoside,exceptinthedirectionofthewest,isitveryextensive;DinasBranbeingonallothersidesovertoppedbyotherhills:inthatdirection,indeed,theviewisextensiveenough,reachingonafinedayeventotheWyddfaorpeakofSnowdon,adistanceofsixtymiles,atleastassomesay,whoperhapsoughttoaddtoverygoodeyes,whichminearenot。ThedaythatImademyfirstascentofDinasBranwasveryclear,butIdonotthinkIsawtheWyddfathenfromthetopofDinasBran。ItistrueImightseeitwithoutknowingit,beingutterlyunacquaintedwithit,exceptbyname;butI
repeatIdonotthinkIsawit,andIamquitesurethatIdidnotseeitfromthetopofDinasBranonasubsequentascent,onadayequallyclear,whenifIhadseentheWyddfaImusthaverecognisedit,havingbeenatitstop。AsIstoodgazingaround,thechildrendancedaboutuponthegrass,andsangasong。ThesongwasEnglish。Idescendedthehill;theyfollowedmetoitsfoot,andthenleftme。ThechildrenofthelowerclassofLlangollenaregreatpeststovisitors。Thebestwaytogetridofthemistogivethemnothing:Ifollowedthatplan,andwasnotlongtroubledwiththem。
Arrivedatthefootofthehill,Iwalkedalongthebankofthecanaltothewest。PresentlyIcametoabargelyingbythebank;
theboatmanwasinit。Ienteredintoconversationwithhim。HetoldmethatthecanalanditsbranchesextendedoveragreatpartofEngland。Thattheboatscarriedslates—thathehadfrequentlygoneasfarasPaddingtonbythecanal—thathewasgenerallythreeweeksonthejourney—thattheboatmenandtheirfamilieslivedinthelittlecabinsaft—thattheboatmenwereallWelsh—
thattheycouldreadEnglish,butlittleornoWelsh—thatEnglishwasamuchmoreeasylanguagetoreadthanWelsh—thattheypassedbymanytowns,amongothersNorthampton,andthathelikednoplacesomuchasLlangollen。IproceededtillIcametoaplacewheresomepeoplewereputtinghugeslatesintoacanalboat。ItwasnearabridgewhichcrossedtheDee,whichwasontheleft。I
stoppedandenteredintoconversationwithone,whoappearedtobetheprincipalman。HetoldmeamongstotherthingsthathewasablacksmithfromtheneighbourhoodofRhiwabon,andthattheflagswereintendedfortheflooringofhispremises。Intheboatwasanoldbareheaded,bare—armedfellow,whopresentlyjoinedintheconversationinverybrokenEnglish。HetoldmethathisnamewasJosephHughes,andthathewasarealWelshmanandwasproudofbeingso;heexpressedagreatdislikefortheEnglish,whohesaidwereinthehabitofmakingfunofhimandridiculinghislanguage;
hesaidthatallthefoolsthathehadknownwereEnglishmen。I
toldhimthatallEnglishmenwerenotfools;"butthegreaterpartare,"saidhe。"Lookhowtheywork,"saidI。"Yes,"saidhe,"someofthemaregoodatbreakingstonesfortheroad,butnotmorethanoneinahundred。""ThereseemstobesomethingoftheoldCeltichatredtotheSaxoninthisoldfellow,"saidItomyself,asIwalkedaway。
IproceededtillIcametotheheadofthecanal,wherethenavigationfirstcommences。ItisclosetoaweiroverwhichtheDeefalls。Herethereisalittlefloodgate,throughwhichwaterrushesfromanoblongpondorreservoir,fedbywaterfromacorneroftheupperpartoftheweir。Ontheleft,orsouth—westside,isamoundofearthfencedwithstoneswhichisthecommencementofthebankofthecanal。Thepondorreservoirabovethefloodgateisseparatedfromtheweirbyastonewallontheleft,orsouth—
westside。Thispondhastwofloodgates,theonealreadymentioned,whichopensintothecanal,andanother,ontheothersideofthestonemound,openingtothelowerpartoftheweir。
Whenever,asamantoldmewhowasstandingnear,itisnecessarytolaythebedofthecanaldry,intheimmediateneighbourhoodforthepurposeofmakingrepairs,thefloodgatetothecanalisclosed,andtheonetothelowerpartoftheweirisopened,andthenthewaterfromthepondflowsintotheDee,whilstasluice,nearthefirstlock,letsoutthewaterofthecanalintotheriver。Theheadofthecanalissituatedinaverybeautifulspot。
Totheleftorsouthisaloftyhillcoveredwithwood。Totherightisabeautifulslopeorlawnonthetopofwhichisaprettyvilla,towhichyoucangetbyalittlewoodenbridgeoverthefloodgateofthecanal,andindeedformingpartofit。Fewthingsaresobeautifulintheiroriginasthiscanal,which,beitknown,withitslocksanditsaqueducts,thegrandestofwhichlastisthestupendouserectionnearStockport,whichby—the—byefilledmymindwhenaboywithwonder,constitutesthegrandworkofEngland,andyieldstonothingintheworldofthekind,withtheexceptionofthegreatcanalofChina。
RetracingmystepssomewayIgotupontheriver’sbankandthenagainproceededinthedirectionofthewest。Isooncametoacottagenearlyoppositeabridge,whichledovertheriver,notthebridgewhichIhavealreadymentioned,butonemuchsmaller,andconsiderablyhigherupthevalley。Thecottagehadseveralduskyoutbuildingsattachedtoit,andapalingbeforeit。Leaningoverthepalinginhisshirt—sleeveswasadark—faced,short,thicksetman,whosalutedmeinEnglish。Ireturnedhissalutation,stopped,andwassooninconversationwithhim。Ipraisedthebeautyoftheriveranditsbanks:hesaidthatbothwerebeautifulanddelightfulinsummer,butnotatallinwinter,forthenthetreesandbushesonthebankswerestrippedoftheirleaves,andtheriverwasafrightfultorrent。HeaskedmeifI
hadbeentoseetheplacecalledtheRobber’sLeap,asstrangersgenerallywenttoseeit。Iinquiredwhereitwas。
"Yonder,"saidhe,pointingtosomedistancedowntheriver。
"WhyisitcalledtheRobber’sLeap?"saidI。
"ItiscalledtheRobber’sLeap,orLlamyLleidyr,"saidhe,"becauseathiefpursuedbyjusticeonceleapedacrosstheriverthereandescaped。Itwasanawfulleap,andhewelldeservedtoescapeaftertakingit。"ItoldhimthatIshouldgoandlookatitonsomefutureopportunity,andthenaskedifthereweremanyfishintheriver。Hesaidtherewereplentyofsalmonandtrout,andthatowingtotheriverbeingtolerablyhigh,agoodmanyhadbeencaughtduringthelastfewdays。Iaskedhimwhoenjoyedtherightoffishingintheriver。Hesaidthatinthesepartsthefishingbelongedtotwoorthreeproprietors,whoeitherpreservedthefishingforthemselves,astheybestcouldbymeansofkeepers,orletitouttootherpeople;andthatmanyindividualscamenotonlyfromEngland,butfromFranceandGermanyandevenRussiaforthepurposeoffishing,andthatthekeepersoftheproprietorsfromwhomtheypurchasedpermissiontofish,wentwiththem,toshowthemthebestplaces,andtoteachthemhowtofish。Headdedthattherewasareportthattheriverwouldshortlyberhyddorfreeandopentoanyone。Isaidthatitwouldbeabadthingtoflingtheriveropen,asinthateventthefishwouldbekilledatalltimesandseasons,andeventuallyalldestroyed。Herepliedthathequestionedwhethermorefishwouldbetakenthenthannow,andthatImustnotimaginethatthefishweremuchprotectedbywhatwascalledpreserving;thatthepeopletowhomthelandsintheneighbourhoodbelonged,andthosewhopaidforfishingdidnotcatchahundredthpartofthefishwhichwerecaughtintheriver:
thattheproprietorswentwiththeirkeepers,andperhapscaughttwoorthreestoneoffish,orthatstrangerswentwiththekeepers,whomtheypaidforteachingthemhowtofish,andperhapscaughthalf—a—dozenfish,andthatshortlyafterthekeeperswouldreturnandcatchontheirownaccountsixtystoneoffishfromtheveryspotwheretheproprietorsorstrangershadgreatdifficultyincatchingtwoorthreestoneorthehalf—dozenfish,orthepoacherswouldgoandcatchayetgreaterquantity。Headdedthatgentrydidnotunderstandhowtocatchfish,andthattoattempttopreservewasnonsense。Itoldhimthatiftheriverwasflungopeneverybodywouldfish;hesaidthatIwasmuchmistaken,thathundredswhowerenowpoachers,wouldthenkeepathome,mindtheirpropertrades,andneveruselineorspear;thatfolksalwayslongedtodowhattheywereforbidden,andthatShimeiwouldneverhavecrossedthebrookprovidedhehadnotbeentoldheshouldbehangedifhedid。Thathehimselfhadpermissiontofishintheriverwheneverhepleased,butneveravailedhimselfofit,thoughinhisyoungtime,whenhehadnoleave,hehadbeenanarrantpoacher。
ThemannersandwayofspeakingofthisoldpersonageputmeverymuchinmindofthoseofMorgan,describedbySmollettinhisimmortalnovelof"RoderickRandom。"Ihadmorediscoursewithhim:Iaskedhiminwhatlineofbusinesshewas,hetoldmethathesoldcoals。Fromhiscomplexion,andthehueofhisshirt,I
hadalreadyconcludedthathewasinsomegrimytrade。Itheninquiredofwhatreligionhewas,andreceivedforanswerthathewasaBaptist。Ithoughtthatbothhimselfandpartofhisapparelwouldlookallthebetterforagoodimmersion。Wetalkedofthewarthenraging—hesaiditwasbetweenthefalseprophetandtheDragon。IaskedhimwhotheDragonwas—hesaidtheTurk。ItoldhimthatthePopewasfarworsethaneithertheTurkortheRussian,thathisreligionwasthevilestidolatry,andthathewouldletnoonealone。ThatitwasthePopewhodrovehisfellowreligioniststheAnabaptistsoutoftheNetherlands。Heaskedmehowlongagothatwas。BetweentwoandthreehundredyearsI
replied。HeaskedmethemeaningofthewordAnabaptist;Itoldhim;whereuponheexpressedgreatadmirationformyunderstanding,andsaidthathehopedheshouldseemeagain。
Iinquiredofhimtowhatplacethebridgeled;hetoldmethatifIpassedoverit,andascendedahighbankbeyond,IshouldfindmyselfontheroadfromLlangollentoCorwenandthatifIwantedtogotoLlangollenImustturntotheleft。Ithankedhim,andpassingoverthebridge,andascendingthebank,foundmyselfuponabroadroad。Iturnedtotheleft,andwalkingbrisklyinabouthalfanhourreachedourcottageinthenorthernsuburb,whereI
foundmyfamilyanddinnerawaitingme。
CHAPTERIX
TheDinner—EnglishFoibles—Pengwern—TheYew—Tree—Carn—
Lleidyr—ApplicationsofaTerm。
FORdinnerwehadsalmonandlegofmutton;thesalmonfromtheDee,thelegfromtheneighbouringBerwyn。Thesalmonwasgoodenough,butIhadeatenbetter;andhereitwillnotbeamisstosay,thatthebestsalmonintheworldiscaughtintheSuir,ariverthatflowspastthebeautifultownofClonmelinIreland。Asforthelegofmuttonitwastrulywonderful;nothingsogoodhadI
evertastedintheshapeofalegofmutton。ThelegofmuttonofWalesbeatsthelegofmuttonofanyothercountry,andIhadnevertastedaWelshlegofmuttonbefore。CertainlyIshallneverforgetthatfirstWelshlegofmuttonwhichItasted,richbutdelicate,repletewithjuicesderivedfromthearomaticherbsofthenobleBerwyn,cookedtoaturn,andweighingjustfourpounds。
"Oitssavourysmellwasgreat,Suchaswellmighttempt,Itrow,Onethat’sdeadtolifthisbrow。"
LetanyonewhowishestoeatlegofmuttoninperfectiongotoWales,butmindyoutoeatlegofmuttononly。Welshlegofmuttonissuperlative;butwiththeexceptionoftheleg,themuttonofWalesisdecidedlyinferiortothatofmanyotherpartsofBritain。
Here,perhaps,asIhavetoldthereaderwhatweatefordinner,itwillbeaswelltotellhimwhatwedrankatdinner。Lethimknowthen,thatwithoursalmonwedrankwater,andwithourmuttonale,evenaleofLlangollen;butnotthebestaleofLlangollen;itwasveryfair;butIsubsequentlydrankfarbetterLlangollenalethanthatwhichIdrankatourfirstdinnerinourcottageatLlangollen。
IntheeveningIwentacrossthebridgeandstrolledalonginasouth—eastdirection。JustasIhadclearedthesuburbamanjoinedmefromacottage,onthetopofahighbank,whomI
recognisedasthemowerwithwhomIhadhelddiscourseinthemorning。HesalutedmeandaskedmeifIweretakingawalk,I
toldhimIwas,whereuponhesaidthatifIwerenottooproudtowishtobeseenwalkingwithapoormanlikehimself,heshouldwishtojoinme。ItoldhimIshouldbegladofhiscompany,andthatIwasnotashamedtobeseenwalkingwithanyperson,howeverpoor,whoconductedhimselfwithpropriety。HerepliedthatImustbeverydifferentfrommycountrymeningeneral,whowereashamedtobeseenwalkingwithanypeople,whowerenot,atleast,aswell—dressedasthemselves。Isaidthatmycountry—folkingeneralhadagreatmanyadmirablequalities,butatthesametimeagreatmanyfoibles,foremostamongstwhichlastwasacrazyadmirationforwhattheycalledgentility,whichmadethemsycophantictotheirsuperiorsinstation,andextremelyinsolenttothosewhomtheyconsideredbelowthem。HesaidthatIhadspokenhisverythoughts,andthenaskedmewhetherIwishedtobetakenthemostagreeablewalknearLlangollen。
Onmyreplyingbyallmeans,heledmealongtheroadtothesouth—
east。Apleasantroaditproved:onourrightatsomedistancewasthemightyBerwyn;closeonourleftthehillcalledPenyCoed。IaskedhimwhatwasbeyondtheBerwyn?
"Averywildcountry,indeed,"hereplied,"consistingofwood,rock,andriver;infact,ananialwch。"
HethenaskedifIknewthemeaningofanialwch。
"Awilderness,"Ireplied,"youwillfindthewordintheWelshBible。"
"Verytrue,sir,"saidhe,"itwasthereImetit,butIdidnotknowthemeaningofit,tillitwasexplainedtomebyoneofourteachers。"
Onmyinquiringofwhatreligionhewas,hetoldmehewasaCalvinistic—Methodist。
Wepassedanancientbuildingwhichstoodonourright。Iturnedroundtolookatit。Itsbackwastotheroad:atitseasternendwasafinearchedwindowliketheorielwindowofachurch"Thatbuilding,"saidmycompanion,"iscalledPengwernHall。Itwasonceaconventofnuns;alittletimeagoafarm—house,butisnowusedasabarn,andaplaceofstowage。TilllatelyitbelongedtotheMostynfamily,buttheydisposedofit,withthefarmonwhichitstood,togetherwithseveralotherfarms,tocertainpeoplefromLiverpool,whonowliveyonder,"pointingtoahousealittlewayfartheron。Istilllookedattheedifice。
"Youseemtoadmiretheoldbuilding,"saidmycompanion。
"Iwasnotadmiringit,"saidI;"Iwasthinkingofthedifferencebetweenitspresentandformerstate。Formerlyitwasaplacedevotedtogorgeousidolatryandobscenelust;nowitisaquietoldbarninwhichhayandstrawareplaced,andbrokentumbrelsstowedaway:surelythehandofGodisvisiblehere?"
"Itisso,sir,"saidthemaninarespectfultone,"andsoitisinanotherplaceinthisneighbourhood。Aboutthreemilesfromhere,inthenorth—westpartofthevalley,isanoldedifice。Itisnowafarm—house,butwasonceasplendidabbey,andwascalled—"
"Theabbeyofthevaleofthecross,"saidI,"Ihavereadadealaboutit。IoloGoch,thebardofyourcelebratedhero,OwenGlendower,wasburiedsomewhereinitsprecincts。"
Wewenton:mycompaniontookmeoverastilebehindthehousewhichhehadpointedout,andalongapaththroughhazelcoppices。
AfteralittletimeIinquiredwhethertherewereanyPapistsinLlangollen。
"No,"saidhe,"thereisnotoneofthatfamilyatLlangollen,butIbelievetherearesomeinFlintshire,ataplacecalledHolywell,wherethereisapoolorfountain,thewatersofwhichitissaidtheyworship。"
"Andsotheydo,"saidI,"truetotheoldIndiansuperstition,ofwhichtheirreligionisnothingbutamodification。TheIndiansandsepoysworshipstocksandstones,andtheriverGanges,andourPapistsworshipstocksandstones,holywellsandfountains。"
Heputsomequestionstomeabouttheoriginofnunsandfriars。I
toldhimtheyoriginatedinIndia,andmadehimlaughheartilybyshowinghimtheoriginalidentityofnunsandnautch—girls,beggingpriestsandbeggingBrahmins。Wepassedbyasmallhousewithanenormousyew—treebeforeit;Iaskedhimwholivedthere。
"Noone,"hereplied,"itistolet。Itwasoriginallyacottage,buttheproprietorshavefurbisheditupalittle,andcallitYew—
treeVilla。"
"Isupposetheywouldletitcheap,"saidI。
"Bynomeans,"hereplied,"theyaskeightypoundsayearforit。"
"Whatcouldhaveinducedthemtosetsucharentuponit?"I
demanded。
"Theyew—tree,sir,whichissaidtobethelargestinWales。Theyhopethatsomeofthegrandgentrywilltakethehousefortheromanceoftheyew—tree,butsomehoworothernobodyhastakenit,thoughithasbeentoletforthreeseasons。"
Wesooncametoaroadleadingeastandwest。
"Thisway,"saidhe,pointinginthedirectionofthewest,"leadsbacktoLlangollen,theothertoOffa’sDykeandEngland。"
Weturnedtothewest。HeinquiredifIhadeverheardbeforeofOffa’sDyke。
"Ohyes,"saidI,"itwasbuiltbyanoldSaxonkingcalledOffa,againsttheincursionsoftheWelsh。"
"Therewasatime,"saidmycompanion,"whenitwascustomaryfortheEnglishtocutofftheearsofeveryWelshmanwhowasfoundtotheeastofthedyke,andfortheWelshtohangeveryEnglishmanwhomtheyfoundtothewestofit。Letusbethankfulthatwearenowmorehumanetoeachother。WearenowonthenorthsideofPenyCoed。DoyouknowthemeaningofPenyCoed,sir?"
"PenyCoed,"saidI,"meanstheheadofthewood。Isupposethatintheoldtimethemountainlookedoversomeextensiveforest,evenasthenunneryofPengwernlookedoriginallyoveranalder—
swamp,forPengwernmeanstheheadofthealder—swamp。"
"Soitdoes,sir,Ishouldn’twonderifyoucouldtellmetherealmeaningofaword,aboutwhichIhavethoughtagooddeal,andaboutwhichIwaspuzzlingmyheadlastnightasIlayinbed。"
"Whatmayitbe?"saidI。
"Carn—lleidyr,"hereplied:"now,sir,doyouknowthemeaningofthatword?"
"IthinkIdo,"saidI。
"Whatmayitbe,sir?"
"Firstletmehearwhatyouconceiveitsmeaningtobe,"saidI。
"Why,sir,IshouldsaythatCarn—lleidyrisanout—and—outthief—
oneworsethanathiefofthecommonsort。Now,ifIstealamatrassIamalleidyr,thatisathiefofthecommonsort;butifIcarryittoaperson,andhebuysit,knowingittobestolen,I
conceiveheisafarworsethiefthanI;infact,acarn—lleidyr。"
"Thewordisadoubleword,"saidI,"compoundedofcarnandlleidyr。Theoriginalmeaningofcarnisaheapofstones,andcarn—lleidyrmeansproperlyathiefwithouthouseorhome,andwithnoplaceonwhichtoresthishead,savethecarnorheapofstonesonthebleaktopofthemountain。Foralongtimethewordwasonlyappliedtoathiefofthatdescription,who,beingwithouthouseandhome,wasmoredesperatethanotherthieves,andassavageandbrutishasthewolvesandfoxeswithwhomheoccasionallysharedhispillow,thecarn。Incourseoftime,however,theoriginalmeaningwaslostordisregarded,andthetermcarn—lleidyrwasappliedtoanyparticularlydishonestperson。Atpresenttherecanbenoimproprietyincallingapersonwhoreceivesamatrass,knowingittobestolen,acarn—lleidyr,seeingthatheisworsethanthethiefwhostoleit,orincallingaknavishattorneyacarn—lleidyr,seeingthathedoesfarmoreharmthanacommonpick—pocket;orincallingthePopeso,seeingthathegetshugesumsofmoneyoutofpeoplebypretendingtobeabletoadmittheirsoulstoheaven,ortohurlthemtotheotherplace,knowingallthetimethathehasnosuchpower;perhaps,indeed,atthepresentdaythetermcarn—lleidyrismoreapplicabletothePopethantoanyoneelse,forheiscertainlythearchthiefoftheworld。SomuchforCarn—lleidyr。ButImustheretellyouthatthetermcarnmaybeappliedtoanywhoisparticularlybadordisagreeableinanyrespect,andnowIremember,hasbeenappliedforcenturiesbothinproseandpoetry。OneLewisGlynCothi,apoet,wholivedmorethanthreehundredyearsago,usesthewordcarninthesenseofarrantorexceedinglybad,forinhisabusiveodetothetownofChester,hesaysthatthewomenofLondonitselfwerenevermorecarnstrumpetsthanthoseofChester,bywhichhemeansthattherewerenevermorearrantharlotsintheworldthanthoseofthecheesecapital。Andthelastofyourgreatpoets,GronwyOwen,whoflourishedaboutthemiddleofthelastcentury,complainsinalettertoafriend,whilstlivinginavillageofLancashire,thathewasamongstCarnSaeson。HefoundallEnglishdisagreeableenough,butthoseofLancashireparticularlyso—
第4章