Every country has a certain national style of Mufic, peculiar to itself, and the natives of each are attached to their own melody, in preference to that of any other. The fentiment of a learned physician of this island, concerning the Italian Opera, is pertinent to my subject, and I think worthy of being mentioned : he says, "We run mad, or rather foolish, after this imported mufic; while perhaps we have much better of our own. Most of the modern Italian compofitions only trifle with the ear. The Welsh, the Scotch, and the Irish music reaches the heart. The productions of our present Italian mafters are thrummed over for a season, because they are new; and forgotten for ever afterwards, because when you have heard them twenty times; you find them still as infipid as at first. The mufic, which charmed these islands perhaps long before the boasted revival of this art in Italy, or rather in Flanders, is as established as the ancient claffics; and those compofitions, fhort and fimple as they are, never become thread-bare, but give delight and rapture every time they are heard*.”

"Turn and twift it as you will,

"Nature will be nature ftill."

These Cambriant Tunes, and Songs, the affuagers of care among the natives of Wales, are still occafionally played on the harp, with fome mixture of plain unperplexed harmony, which fo powerfully enchants the natives, at Christmas, on Birth-days, at Wakes, Weddings, Hunts, and at other Festivals.

The most folemn fongs, Cywyddoliaethau, or Hymns, were originally appropriated to facred ceremonies3. "But, now to forrow muft I tune my song,

"And fet my harp to notes of faddeft woe."

The Galardonau, and Marwnadau, or Lamentations and Dirges, were performed at the funeral folemnities of the dead'; and fuch elegies are still fung in Wales, at the Wylnos, bewailing-night, or condoling-night,

Cafar informs us, that all decifions and controverfies were decided by the British Druids, or Druid-Bards,who were a branch of that inftitution. The ancient law of this land was administered to the people upon the highest, or most convenient hill of the district ; and we find in King Howel's Laws, p. 123. the Lord, or Judge is directed to fit with his back to the fun and storm, so that he might not be incommoded in his deliberation. Many of those ancient Gorfeddau, or tribunal seats, still remain both in England and Wales, which tends to corroborate this fact, in the names of the following hills, and mounts; Bryn-gwyn, the fupreme tribunal, and Barnbill, or judgment hill, in Anglefey; Barr's-Court, in Gloucestershire: Malvern, or Moel-varn, the hill of Judgment, in Worcesterfhire; Moelburgh, or Marlborough mount in Wiltshire: Tynwald hill, in the Isle of Man ; (probably derived from Dyfnwal Moelmud, the great law-giver :) Stanton Druw; Bergmote Court, in Derbyshire; Bryn-Barlum, in South Wales; Eifteddfa Gurig: Parlàs; Cader Bronwen, upon Berwyn, in Meirionydd; Pen-bre; Moel-fre; Breiddin Hill, in Montgomery shire; and, Breen; hence, probably is derived the Brean Laws of the Irish.

There are likewise a great number of Christian names, as well as of places, derived from the fame origin; such as, Pâr ; Barr; Bar-jefus; Bar-jonah; Bardus, the son of Druis; Barton; Bardolph; St. Baruch, and Barry Island, in Glamorganfhire; Bardney Abbey, in Lincolnshire; Barbury Caftle, in Wiltshire; Bardfield, in Effex, a confiderable demefne, which formerly was the land of a Bard. Also, from Cân, and Cell, comes Canghell, thể finging room, or chancel of a monastery, or church; and hence is derived Canghellawr, or Chancellor.Celtic Remains, by Mr. Lewis Morris ; Mr. Richards; and Mr. Owen's excellent Dictionaries; and see more in Mr. Cleland's curious Etymological Vocabulary.

*Dr. Armstrong's Sketches, or Effays on various Subjects, p. 27.

+Cymbru, Cambria, or Wales, according to the Welsh Chronicles, had its name from Camber, one of the three fons of Brut, (or Brutus ab Silius, which hero is mentioned by Homer, to have conquered Aquitain :) the other two fons of Brut, were Locrin, whence came the name of Lloegr, (now England;) as well as that of Albania, from Albanac, who poffeffed Scotland.-Brut y Brenhinoedd.

Bale likewife mentions Cambria Formofa, the fair Oracle, and daughter of Belin, or Belinus, King of Britain; who is faid to have greatly promoted the building of cities and caftles; fhe taught the women the attire of their heads; fhe taught them to fow flax and hemp, and to convert it into cloth: fhe was a priestess, as well as a princefs, and made the laws of the Sycambrians; the flourished about 373 years before Chrift.-Lewis's Hiftory of Britain, p. 51, &c.

From an Ode on Inftrumental Music, by the Rev. S. Bishop.

ver.-5.

2 Chronicles, c. v. ver. 12, &c. Chap. vii. ver. 6. And, I Efdras, c. v. ver. 59, 60, &c. 1 Samuel, c. x. ver. 5. Nehemia, c. ix. ver. 4, &c.

2 See the bottom of p. 9 of this work. Amos, c. viii. ver. 3. and Jeremiah, c. xlviii, ver. 38 and 39.

which

which precedes the burial: all the neighbours ufually attend at the house of the deceased, and the minister, or in his abfence, the clerk of the parish, comes and prays over the dead, and pfalms are fung fuitable to the mournful occasion; his monody is also compofed for the purpose, and fung, or recited, by the poet; which usually comprehends the most remarkable incidents of his life; ferving to commemorate him to posterity; and it is afterwards committed to writing, in the family record.

The Tribanau, and Erddiganau, or War-tunes, and Eulogies, or songs of praise, were anciently performed to incite martial deeds':

"Sound an alarm, your filver trumpets found,

"And call the brave, and only brave, around."

The Hoffeddau, and Mwyneddau; or Delights, and Pleasantries, fome of which are cheerful, others are of the fentimental kind, and pathetic; and sometimes love fongs are adapted and fung to them; and to fuch as Anni brópr; Lady Pulfton's Delight; Doed y ddel; Yr Hên Gymraes; Yr Hên Erddigan; Ymadawiad y Brenbin, and others of the minor key; which styles of melodies, are generally the greatest favourites among the Welsh; being foothing, and expreffive of a kind of placid content. Those airs, and the war-fongs, have often refounded through the halls of the British chieftains.

The Blodau, Flowers, or Bloffoms; Havod y Wraig lawen; Afon Elwy; Troiad y Droell, and other tunes of the descriptive, imitative, and rural kind, are often piped, or caroled by the ruftic fhepherds; also fung around the hearths of husbandmen; and to fuch melodies are chanted an immense number of Pennillion, Epigrammatic Stanzas, or traditional love Sonnets and Paftorals', which greatly enhance the innocent delight of the mountain Swains, and the Peafant's Life':

And

"Liften to your fhepherd's lay,

"Whose artlefs carols close the day;"

66 Bounding kids around him throng;

"The steep rock echoes back his fong."

The sprightly figs, and Hornpipes, are usually danced at the Wakes, at the Weddings, Affemblies, and at the Twmpath, which is a rural Dance on the green, in Summer Evenings; for those dances formerly used to be held periodically, during the fummer season :

The Dignity of style, the Originality, the Simplicity, and the Variety displayed in several of these Melodies, are perhaps, fuperior to thofe of any other National Airs, when we confider the early times in which many of them were compofed.

Some account of the circumstance which led to this collection, will perhaps be expected. Seeing with regret, the rapid decrease of performers on the Harp in Wales, with the confequent decline of that elegant and expreffive inftrument, as well as of our National Mufic, and Poetry; gave me the first idea of reviving the ancient Eisteddfod, or Congress of Muficians and Poets, for a contest of skill in their art; for the fake of recovering fome of the ancient Bardifm and Song; which meeting I caused to be convened at Corwen, in Meirionethshire, about the year 1788; where I gave a premium to the best Musician, another to the best Vocal Songster, another to the best Poet; and the following year it was held at Bala: and these meetings have fince been annually continued, in fome part or other of North Wales, under the patronage of the Gwyneddigion Society.

3 It was the office of the Bardd-hirgorn, or thofe of the Priesthood, in the patriarchal time to blow the trumpets on folemn days, and to give the fignal of battle." And Jacob blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Ifrael; for Jacob "held back the people ;" 2 Samuel, c. xviii. ver. 16. Numbers, c. x. Jobua, c. vi. ver. 2, 3, 4. Exodus, c. xv. 1 Samuel,

c. xiii. ver. 3. And 1 Efdras, c. v. ver. 59, 60, &c.

+ Of the duty of a master of a feast among the ancients, fee Ecclefiafticus, c. xxxii,

5 See fome of those Pennillion in the firft volume of the Relicks of the Bards, p. 62, &c.

• Of early dances, fee Jeremiah, c. xxxi. ver. 4. Exodus, c. xv. ver. 20, 21. 1 Samuel, xviii. ver. 6, xv. ver. 11. And Judges,

c. xi. ver. 34. Genefis, xxxi. ver. 27. Nehemiah, c. xii. ver, 27. 1 Chronicles, c. xxv. ver. 6.

The

The fudden decline of the national Minstrelly, and Cuftoms of Wales, is in a great degree to be attributed to the fanatick impoftors, or illiterate plebeian preachers, who have too often been suffered to over-rua the country, misleading the greater part of the common people from their lawful Church; and diffuading them from their innocent amusements, fuch as Singing, Dancing, and other rural Sports, and Games, which heretofore they had been accustomed to delight in, from the earliest time. In the course of my excurfions through the Principality, I have met with feveral Harpers and Songsters, who actually had been prevailed upon by those erratic ftrollers to relinquish their profeffion, from the idea that it was finful. The confequence is, Wales, which was formerly one of the merrieft, and happiest countries in the World*, is now become one of the dulleft.

The grave Dr. Johnson says, that " Mufic is the only fenfual pleasure without vice." Undoubtedly the most innocent pleasures are the sweetest, the most fenfible, the most affecting, and the most lafting. Mufic is also recommended by the Wife in facred hiftory; as it is by feveral medical writers, for its great efficacy in various disorders†, and in prolonging life. If I well remember, the Reverend Lawrence Sterne intimates in one of his works, that every happy fmile excited in a perfon's face, adds an hour to the lamp of life. "Mufic the fierceft griefs can charm;

The favourable manner in which the first Volume of thefe Relicks was received by the Public; the fanction of the illuftrious Prince of the Country; the honour conferred on me by the Cymmrodorion Society, who bestowed on me a gold medal, as a token of their approbation, for rescuing those remains from oblivion: all these flattering teftimonies have excited my further efforts, and induced me to collect, arrange, and publish these supplementary documents in addition to the former volume, in order to make the work ftill more worthy of fuch auguft, and diftinguished patronage.

To conclude; the Author has omitted nothing in his power to render the work complete. He has to make his acknowledgment to the Hon. Colonel Greville, a gentleman remarkable for his elegant tafte in native picturesque scenery and costume, for the loan of his rural drawing, taken after nature, from a group of Welsh Peasants, finging in alternate theme around the Harp, with a diftant view of Snowdon and Dôlbadarn Castle, in Caernarvonshire; and from which delineation, the Frontispiece to this book was etched. His thanks are likewife due to the Reverend Richard Williams, of Vron, for his animated verfification of four of the Poems. He has also availed himself of the friendly difpofitions of Mr. William Owen, distinguished for his critical knowledge of the ancient Welsh language; and of R. C. Dallas, Esq. to whom the public are indebted for fome valuable translations from the French, and for fome original works; who, to oblige the Author, both revised the following pages, previous to their being committed to the Prefs. To himself, confequently, muft an indulgent Public afcribe the various demerits of a performance fo very elaborate, and fo miscellaneous.

"And tune the harsh disorders of his soul.”—1 Samuel, c. xvi. ver. 23.

King Alfred excelled in Mufic; and he himself informs us, that it was shameful to be ignorant of it. And, I am proud to add, that our present illuftrious and accomplished Prince, no less excels in this charming Art, both as a Perform er, and a Judge.

Lord Bacon in his Advancement of Learning, b. 2. fays: "This variable compofition of man's body hath made it as an instrument "eafy to distemper; therefore the poets did well to conjoin mufic and medicine in Apollo, because the office of medicine is but to "tune this curious harp of man's body, and to reduce it to harmony."

R. Bacon's Hiftory of Life and Death.-Galen de Placit. Hip.-Plat. lib. 9. and Plutarch. See alfo Willis's Anat, of the Brain, c. 17.

"Mufic can minifter to a mind difeas'd;

"Pluck from the memory a rooted forrow;
"Raze out the written troubles of the brain,

"And, with its fweet oblivious antidote,
"Cleanse the full bofom of that perilous fluff
"Which weighs upon the heart.”

Pliny, lib. xxix. fec. 5. and lib. iii. c. 10.

10

THE

THE INDEX OF THE
OF THE SECOND
SECOND VOLUME.

N. B. The Numerals refer to the Introduction; and the Figures to the Text of the Work.