The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-08-07 00:00:00

,WELSH tifiLiTtißi,

Are all the works published in
.English worth the
• •
pertisan. those of any other nation, .Greece
prodiced b‘itprie Horner ; Itoal@ lint one Virgil;
Englaaa but 'dile tliakeipearo. 'Wales dig() possesses
verjt little literature rivalling the classics. Did we
name, however, every Welshman since the days when
E.'ngland was called Britannia, until the present, who
aspired to the glories of poets, and teaid the nation
With their rhyme, a thick octavo volunie Would not con-
tain their names. Did we repeat their productions,
then.libraries to a certain extent, and stables, and lumber
rooms hi. general, *wild be filled with books: (if the
onipaitiont 6t the bards ilid lived fireiiolis to the
Rottiati invasion of tritain, nothing is known. The
bards handed their songs to. posterity verbally, from
father to son. Indeed, there are no manuscripts extant
of the first five centuries ef the christian era ; but at
the commencement nf tie si4th bentiity, Paliesin, Anen-
t% glyrAdin, and Llywarch Hen, warbled their im-
mortal songs. From this period downwards, bards were-
held in high esteem, and barddoniaea became the
principal study of the prince and the peasant. Bardd
Teulu occupied a seat of honourgin the -courts of itywel
Dda, in 914. In the tetetith detitiltl) Cadwaladr held
vii titteadra. i..silbdiled the 13rinci-
pality, billed LieWeilyi ab Grtiffy4ci,, and elealtn. heavy
bloW dpoi4 ty irydidd.
Ito4Uinf, lOrwerth r ychan, Casnodyn and other
bards of this period, speak not one word about the

cruelties which George is said to have practised towards
their brethren, and. therefore we feel inclined to disbelieve
the. story. Trahaiarn Brydydd Mawr, Dafydd ab
Gwilym existed about the year 1400 ; Owain Glyndwr
assumed power
.about this time; and his Wit NV!ts fre-
quented by fold Gbeh gild Gruitydd tl*o rikifydd
apFinlorl iityoy. The nest century Witnessed the
birth Or Glyn COilii, Guito'r Glyn,
and dtherd: 'Tithe Men served their country in battle,
it, Would Apfteai fr* ilioir songs. dwalAtiiii; a bard
of the twelfth Cenitiri said
Llachar fy nghleddyi liuch ei anwyd
Yn /Thad llewyrchedig cur arty ysgwyd." - •
" And bright is my sword, destructive in battle,
And brilliant the gold on my shield."

Again,

" Gwadreidd fy nghleddyf godrydd yn ngbal
Yn nghyfranc a Loegr llawr nid ymguid.
Gwelais 9 arfawd oerfab GruffYdd
Riallooedd tr*eh, tic.'►
1` bloody my sword when raised in the battle,
ThErblood of the English shall flow o'er the ground;_
From the blow of the arm of the warrior fab Gruffydd
Whole armies shall fall, &e."
The Gododin is a brilliant composition. It was the
production of Aneurin. To its beauties it would, in a
translation, be impossible to do justice, He says of
Caradoe t

fati gryg•yei CaraAawb y gat
Mael haed cart trychwn trychyat,
Tarw bedin en tryn gomynyat
Ef llithyei wydgwn cc anghat."
" When Caradoc flew to the field,
Likf.‘ a beast of the wood, he woune.ed and destroyei ;
A bull of war, he cut down the enemy in the fray,
And with his hand he bade the dogs of war to follow."
Speaking of " brad v cyllyll hirion," the slaughter
of the Welsh at the banquet given by the Saxons,
Aneurin says : "The warriors (the arinY of Myn-
yddaeee, noted in the battle) proceeded with one
accord to the feast, and above the wine cup were trea-
cherously assailed. The price of the feasting was the
loss of their lives : Caradoc and Madoc, Pyll and leuan,
Gwgawn and Gwiawn, Gwynu and Clynfan, Peredin, of
the Golden Sword, Gwawrdden and Aeddan—who were
their country's pillar in the fight—men who used their
shield with skill. If they were murdered, they too
slaughtered. But oh! not one to his country returned."
We must pass over the poetry of the Bards, because, even
if we could, space will not permit us to do them justice.
Llefoedd and Cyhelin lived about the tenth century. The
song of "Myrddin and his Sister," by Cyhelin, displays a
considerable adieu& of feeling, and shows that the author
possessed an extensive knowledge of human nature.
Meilyr Brydydd, of the 11th century, chronicles the
death of Prince Trahaiarn ap Caradawc, in the war
against Gruffydd ap Cynan, about 1080 ; he also
com-
posed a lament on the death of Gruffydd ap cynan.
These songs chiefly dwell upon the bravery of these
warriors and relate their victories in a simple, clear, and
pleasing manner. Indeed, the majority of Welsh poems
treat upon wars and victories. Lore now and again
becomes the subject of the bard; and in these the deepest
passion is displayed. All are wild in their style, elevat-
ing in their sentiment, and noble in all respects. Here
and there wit predominates, and some of the poems deal
in irony. With the exception of the last century, Welsh
poetry is solemn in its tone, and abounds in deeds of
glory. The absence of flowers from the poesy is rather
remarkable. We certainly find here and there the rose
used as an adjective ; but generally speaking the ancient
Cymry banished flowers from their thoughts in favour of
battles and victories. Indeed the poetry of all ancient
nations is composed of tales of war ; and it is sur-
prising how seldom the tender' passions form the
subjects of their theme. To this there are, of
course, exceptions. The poetry of modern Wales
is of another cast : almost every subject is treated
upon. Davydd lonawr. a giant in intellect, wrote
a largo quantity of religious poetry, and be displays the
minutest acquaintance with Scripture history. He was
it man of education, and a close observer of nature. He
possessed the feeling of wonder in an unparalleled
degree; the universe, the works of nature, the outburst
of thunder, the lightening flashing forth from a huge
black cloud, the sea, the flowers, were the objects of
his veneration and.his praise, which be poured forth in
notes sweet as the nightingale's into the ears of his
countrymen. From nature he looked up to nature's
God. His chief works were "Cywydd y Drindod,"
"Cywydd y Dilyw," "Cywydd Joseph." and "Cywydd
y Daran." We have no space left left to criticise the
works of Goronwy Owen, Cawrdaf, and a thousand
others who have great merit, and whose works will some
day or.another probably be translated into the English
language. The poet* of the present day are as numerous
as the birds of Cambria,_ but those really deserving of
the came are Caledfryn, Dewi Wyn o' Essyltt, and a
few others.

THE BUXTON INSTITUTE FOR FUGITIVE SLAVES.—
A public meeting was held last evening in Hope Hall,
at which a collection was made on behalf of this
institution. The Rev. Dr. Barns, professor of the
Theological College, Toronto, and the Rev. William
King, formerly a slaveowner in Louisiana, addressed
the meeting.
SALADS AND SUMMER SOUlDL—Physiological research
establishes the fact that acids promote the separation of,
of the bile from the blood, which is then passed from
the system, thus preventing fevers, the prevailing die-„
eases of Summer. All fevers are " bilious," that is, the
bile is in the blood. Whatever is antagonistic of fever
is cooling. It is a common saying that fruits are "cool-
ing," and also berries of every description ; it is treause
the acidity which they contain aids in separating the
bile from the blood. Hence the great yearning for
greens and lettuce, and salads, in the early Spring, these
being eaten with vinegar. Hence, also, the taste for
something sour, for lemonades, on au attack of fever.
But, this being the case, it is easy to see that we nullify
the good effects of berries in proportion as we eat them
with sugar, or even with sweet milk or cream. if we
eat them in their natural state, fresh, ripe, perfect, it is
almost impossible to eat too many, or eat enough to
hurt us, especially if We eat them alone, and not taking
any liquid with them whatever. Hence, also, is butter-
' milk, or even common milk promotive of health in Sum-
mer time. Sweet milk tends to biliousness in sedentary
people; sour milk is antagonistic. The Greeks and
Turks are passionately fond of milk. The shepherds use
rennet, and the milk dealers alum, to make it sour the
sooner, Buttermilk acts like watermelons on the system.

SDAY, AUGUST 7, 1860: