Harding 1-28-52 77830 PREFACE. THE return of Christmas gives us an opportunity of congratulating our readers upon the steady progress which the cause of Welsh literature and Welsh nationality has made during the year now about to close. The appointment of a Welsh-speaking Bishop to the see of Bangor, after the lapse of a century and a half, during which time our legislators have been patiently expecting the annihilation of the vernacular language of the Principality, is a strong testimony to the frailty of human predictions and human exertions, where heaven does not co-operate. Let the mass of our countrymen continue to worship their God, and read His Holy Word in the venerable language of their fathers, and those who are in the habit of decrying it as an obstacle to wordly advancement, will be driven sooner or later to exclaim with Balaam-"How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?"-(Numbers xxiii. 8.) The Cambrian Institute has all along consistently and strongly advocated the claims of Wales, and it is presumed that the papers which have from time to time appeared in its Journal will have opened the eyes of not a few to the fact that our dear native land does possess a history and literature, which it would be worth while thoroughly to investigate. The time will come, accelerated possibly by the demands of foreign scholars, when the great bulk of our literary treasures, now hidden in MSS. will yet see the light of day. The Welsh MSS. Society has brought within our reach a few excellent works, but from want of proper support, its progress has been necessarily slow. The Government has also undertaken to publish some of our old manuscripts, but as these must be of a certain class, illustrative of the history of Britain, works of a different character, of which we have many, will remain untouched. When will the GREAL be published? There is but one copy of this work extant-described in the Hengwrt Catalogue as "Y Greal; the exploits of Arthur and his Warriors; written in the 6th year of Henry I., in a beautiful hand. Vellum, quarto, five inches thick." Surely if the value of this compilation were properly appreciated, every effort would be made to promote its publication. We sincerely trust that the Members of the Cambrian Institute will exert themselves in respect of this volume especially-having before their eyes the calamitous fires at Havod and Wynnstay. The respected owner will, we doubt not, give them every facility for the furtherance of a design so praiseworthy. In the course of last year a Welsh Quarterly, having the same object as the CAMBRIAN JOURNAL, but intended chiefly for those who are not sufficiently acquainted with the English language, has been established. The propriety of this step has been abundantly sanctioned by the country. All who love Wales have thus an opportunity of exchanging their sentiments on its antiquities, general literature, and future welfare. We beg to thank those friends who have helped to fill the present Volume, and entreat a continuance of their kind offices. Byddwch wych. THE CAMBRIAN JOURNAL. ALBAN (VERNAL EQUINOX.) EILIR. ON THE ADVANTAGES ACCRUING TO ENGLISHMEN FROM A KNOWLEDGE OF THE WELSH LANGUAGE. By GWILLYM BRONLLYS. [This Essay was sent too late for competition.-ED. CAMB. JOUR.] BEFORE entering fully into the proposed essay upon the above stated subject, it will be as well to consider briefly and cursorily the nature and origin of the language in question, the mere attempt to do which would open a field so wide, were we to dilate thereon, that the limits necessarily of an essay would be far inadequate for the purpose, we should be obliged to enter in detail into the various views adopted by the different learned scholars who for years have given the study of the origin of the Welsh language their deepest attention. There can be no doubt in the mind of anyone who has attempted to investigate its origin, that the Welsh language is one of the most ancient in modern Europe. This is clearly and admirably proved by Mr. Stephens' CAMB. JOUR., 1859. B |