Rectory, discharged from paying tenths, and valued in the King’s Books at
£4 18_s._ 9_d._ Patron, the Bishop of Bangor; Church, dedicated to St.
Peris. The number of inhabited Houses in the Parish, in 1811, was 86;
and the resident Population 438. Peris, to whom the Church is dedicated,
is stated in our Welsh MSS. (Bonedd y Saint) to have been a Cardinal from
Rome, who together with Padarn, (Paterninus) another Welsh Saint of
congenial habits and disposition, it is probable, withdrew from the world
to this secluded spot, as a place well adapted, according to the custom
and mistaken ideas of those dark ages, for religious retirement and
devotion: Peris fixed upon the upper Vale, which is still called Nant
Peris; and Padern chose the lower, distinguished in Leland’s time by the
name of Nant Padarn; as the properest situation for the erection of their
respective cells.—Eglwys Padarn, (the ruins of which many persons now
living recollect to have seen) was situated on a meadow, near the lower
Lake, called Llyn Padarn, on the left of the road in going from the Inn
to the old Castle. Cadvan, another religious devotee, came from Armorica
into Wales about the same time, and became Abbot of Bardsey. The upper
Lake is about a mile in length, and a quarter wide, and is said to be
twenty Fathoms deep particularly near a place called Diphwys:—and the
lower Lake, called Llyn Padarn, is about three miles in length, and
upwards of half a mile broad; both the Pools abound in Trout, and Char;
Salmon are also frequently taken in them. Not far from the Church is the
Saint’s Well, where a large Trout has for ages been exhibited to
Strangers; his appearance is considered a fortunate omen, and his
non-appearance the contrary; the present fish is about 20 or 30 years
old; the wonderful Pass, and two Cromlech’s, about two miles above the
Church, are well worth examining.—Some hopes are entertained, that the
beauties of this little Vale, will in time be accessible to strangers, by
the opening of a good Carriage Road this way to Capel Curig. An Old
Woman, many years ago, is said to have made use of the hollow, under one
of the before mentioned Cromlechs, (or fragments of Rocks) as her dairy,
during the Summer months. The distance from the Village to Capel Curig,
is about 8 miles; and to Bethgelert, through Nanthwynant, 11 or 12. The
upper end of the Pass, is called Gorphwysva, or the Resting Place. There
are three other Lakes in the Parish, besides those already mentioned,
viz. Llynn Cwm Dwthwch, in which there are very fine flavored trout, and
on which a small boat is kept for the use of anglers, by Pierce Jones,
the Innkeeper. This pool is the source of the river Hwch, flowing near
the Castle.—Llyn y Cwn, to the North, and Llyn Cwm Ffynnon, to the N.E.
of the village; in the former are some aquatic plants, particularly the
LOBELLIA DORTMANNA—SUBULARIA AQUATICA—ISOETES LACUSTRIS; and Twll Du,
below it, is the habitat of numerous and rare plants: a great variety may
also be discovered on and about Allt wen, above Mr. Smith’s Cottage,
between the two Lakes, as well as on Clogwyn Du’r Arddu, at the upper end
of Waun Cwm Brwynog, and on Clogwyn y Garnedd, which is the tremendous
precipice immediately under Snowdon, to the North. The old Copper Mines,
(Shafts, Levels, &c.) near the S.E. end of the upper Lake, also claim a
visit, particularly from every Mineralogist and Geologist. At some
distance below Llynn Du’r Arddu, nearly at the upper end of Waun Cwm
Brwynog, may be observed a huge black Stone, or fragment of a Rock,
called Y Maen Du yn yr Arddu; under or upon which, according to the
popular superstition, if a person sleep a night, he will awake either a
Poet or a Madman. The Gimlet Rock, near Pwllheli, the Studwall, (or St.
Tudwal,) Islands,—the Promontory of Lleyn, (or Langanum Promontorium)—and
Bardsey Island, at its extremity, may be clearly seen from Snowdon; as
well as Cadair Idris Mountain, near Dolgelley, in Merionethshire, and
Plinlimmon in Montgomeryshire.
The old Tower, or Castle, called Dolbadern, must at one time have been
considerably larger, as the remains of other Towers, Walls, and Buildings
are still visible.—It is supposed to have been erected about the
beginning of the eleventh Century, or perhaps earlier, by one of the
Welsh Princes, {126} for the defence of this strong Pass, and to be used
occasionally as a hunting and fishing seat; for it is mentioned in the
Welsh Histories, or Chronicles, considerably earlier than Edward the 1st.
and there are some Welsh Poems still extant, which were addressed to Owen
Goch (Rufus) during the time of his imprisonment in this Fortress by his
Brother Llewelyn ap Griffith, last Prince of Wales, of the British line,
which was from the year 1254 to 1277, being 23 years: The following is a
part of an Ode, (Awdl) composed by Howel Voel ap Griffri ap Pwyll
Gwyddel, lamenting the confinement of that Prince:
Duw mawr amerawdwr dyniadon,
Dillwng dy walch, terwyn-walch tirion,
Dewr Owain, den-rudd liw ffion,
Dur-goch Bâr, llachar, llawch Deon, &c.
“Great God, the supreme Governor of the World, release from captivity,
the mild, the brave, the Lion-hearted Owen; with the ruddy Cheeks, and
his bright-gleaming steel Lance, tinged with the blood of his enemies;
the defender of all those who come to seek his protection;—he never
dismissed the injured suppliant unredressed,—the reliever of the
oppressed—the generous distributor of costly gifts. The Earth appears
desolate, since he has been in confinement,—the hopes of his dependants
are fled, and grief and disappointment will convey his friends and
adherents to the gloomy mansions of the dead.—Daring, enterprising,
successful, conquering General! He disdained to hoard up useless
treasures.—He was the Idol and Delight of his Countrymen,” &c. See the
remainder in the Myvyrian Archaiology already mentioned.
Another Poem, by the same Bard, begins thus:
Gwr sydd yn y twr yn hir westi,
Gwreidd, Teyrneidd, Teyrn-walch Ri,
Gwr a’m dothyw, gwall o’i golli,—o fyw
Gwreidd-liw, a glyw ei glodfori, &c.
The following attempt at a versification of the commencement, though,
very far inferior to the original, may, nevertheless, give the English
reader some idea of the strength and spirit of the composition:
In yonder Tower my darling Owen groans,
Oppress’d with grief, I hear his piteous moans;
Ah wretched Prince! within those walls confin’d,
A Brother’s victim—thus to death consign’d;
What mournful sounds, were to my ears convey’d,
As late dejected, o’er these rocks I stray’d;
Brave Owen’s name shall dwell upon my tongue
His matchless deeds, shall by the muse be sung
From ancient Princes, we his Lineage trace,
And valiant Chiefs, adorn his noble race;
No more his gates receive the crouded throng,
His guests no longer hear the minstrel’s song:
In war distinguish’d by his broken shield,
Like valiant Rodri, {128a} he disdain’d to yield:
Shame that a Prince, should thus in bondage pine,
Whose acts, if free, would Rhun’s {128b} fam’d deeds outshine
These lands ne’er saw the Saxon’s fire and sword,
Till he knew durance vile from Snowdon’s Lord, &c.
The reader is referred for the remainder to the publication before
mentioned.
Bishop Godfrey Goodman, purchased a Farm (Ty Du) in this Parish, where he
resided during the greatest part of the usurpation of Oliver Cromwell.
He was a native of Ruthin, and left that Farm and Coed Mawr, towards the
maintenance of the poor of his native parish. He died Bishop of
Gloucester, and made a most singular Will, printed in York’s five Royal
Tribes. About 37 years ago, a remarkably strong man, (Foulk Jones) lived
at Ty Du; many wonderful things are related of him, such as his carrying
the largest end of a piece of timber, while it required three men to
support the other;—his holding a bull, with one hand, by the
horns;—carrying a yearling heifer, that was unwell, home from the
field;—throwing a Denbighshire Champion, who had heard of his strength,
and was come over, either to fight or wrestle with him, over a wall from
a field into the road; and he is said to have lifted a strong man, who
insulted him, at Carnarvon, over the battlements of the Bridge, and to
have held him over the water, until he had submitted to make an apology,
for having so attacked him without any provocation. Many persons now
living recollect this man; he was a person of sober, peaceable habits,
and much beloved and respected by all his neighbours.
The Rev. Evan Evans, alias Prydydd Hir, Author of Dissertatio de Bardis,
Specimens of Ancient British or Welsh Poetry; The Love of our Country, 2
Vols. of Welsh Sermons, 8vo. &c. was Curate of Llanberis in the year
1771. He was then employed in collecting and transcribing Welsh MSS. and
had access to the libraries of most of the gentlemen of North Wales,
particularly to the valuable collections of Sir W. W. Wynne, Bart. (the
present gentleman’s father, and from whom he received a Pension of £20.
per Annum, which was afterwards withdrawn), those of Hengwrt, near
Dolgelley, Gloddaith, near Conway, and Plas Gwynn, P. Panton’s, Esq.
Anglesey. Mr. Evans born at Gynhawdref, near Aberystwith, in
Cardiganshire, was educated at the Grammar School of Ystrad Meirig, in
the same County, under the celebrated Mr. Richards, many years master of
that School. He shewed an early attachment to the Welsh Muse, and was
soon noticed by Mr. Lewis Morris, the famous Antiquary and Bard, who
conceived a very favorable opinion of his abilities, from some of his
juvenile compositions, in his native language.—Mr. Evans was of Merton
College, Oxford; he is said to have died in great distress and poverty,
at the place of his nativity, August, 1789, in the 58th year of his age.
The inhabitants of Llanberis still shew a pool in the river where he used
to bathe. The late Rev. B. Williams, of Vron, near Bala, Mr. Pennant’s
companion in his Welsh Tour, composed the following lines to his memory,
which may not be unacceptable to our readers, particularly at the present
period, when the love of Welsh Literature seems to be reviving:
On Snowdon’s haughty brow I stood,
And view’d, afar, old Mona’s flood;—
Carnarvon Castle, Eagle-crown’d,
And all the glorious prospect round.
But soon each gay idea fled,
For Snowdon’s favorite Bard is dead;—
Poor Bard, accept a genuine tear,
And read thy true eulogium _here_;
Here, in my _heart_, that rues the day,
That stole Eryri’s pride away:
But lo! where seen, by fancy’s eye,
His visionary form glides by,
Pale, ghastly pale,—that hollow cheek,—
That frantic look does more than speak,
And tells a tale so full of woe,
My bosom swells, my eyes o’erflow:—
To want and to despair a prey,
He pin’d, and sigh’d his soul away!
Ungrateful countrymen, your _pride_,
Your _glory_, wanted bread and died!
Whilst Ignorance and Vice are fed,
Shall Wit and Genius droop their head?
Shall fawning Sycophants be paid
For flattering fools? while thou art laid
On thy sick bed, the mountain {131} heath,
Waiting the slow approach of Death,
Beneath inhospitable skies,
Without a friend to close thine eyes?
Thus, shall the chief of Bards expire?
The Master of the British Lyre!
And shall thy hapless reliques rot,
Unwept, unhallowed, and forgot?
No, while one grateful Muse remains,
And _Pity_ dwells on _Cambria’s_ plains,
Thy mournful story shall be told,
And wept till Time itself grows old.
R. WILLIAMS, of Vron, near Bala.—1799.
About the year 1805, John Closs, son of Robert Closs, the Innkeeper at
Llanberis, a little boy about seven years of age, was persuaded to go and
reside with his grandmother, at Caeau gwynion, in Nant y Bettws, not far
from Quellyn Pool, and his mother having come to see him, the love of
home revived in his memory, and the thoughts of seeing his brothers and
sisters became so powerful, that he resolved to follow his mother to
Llanberis, unknown both to her and his grandmother; he therefore pursued
her up the mountain at some distance: it was in the winter time, late in
the evening, and it began to snow, he lost his way, and after wandering
some time, he perished on the mountain. His mother, (though she once
fancied she heard a child crying) thought he was at his grandmother’s,
and the did woman concluded he was gone home with his mother, thus both
being deceived, it was some time before it was known that he had followed
his mother on that fatal evening; after two or three days painful search,
(numbers of the neighbours having collected together) his body was found
at the verge of a precipice, near the top of Moel Aelia. The following
lines were composed on that melancholy occasion:
A luckless lad, one winter’s day,
Unknown to Granny, ran away,
Nor longer at her house would stay
Without his mother.
Unknowing that her child pursu’d,
The gathering storm, unmov’d, she view’d,
The thoughts of home her strength renew’d;—
Alas poor mother!
With feebler steps, and fainter cry,
Alarm’d, he sees the dark’ning sky,
Yet still he hop’d that she was nigh,
And sobb’d my mother.
Dark was the night, the snow descends,
Near Aelia’s top his life he ends,
As home his weary way he beads,
Nor longer cries my mother!
Some of our readers may probably be pleased and amused with the following
extracts from Leland, respecting Llanberis and its neighbourhood:
“Linne Dolbaterne, 2 miles in length, and a diminutive mile in
breadth; Vallis Monachus, alias Nant Manach, or Peris, is the upper
Valley, in which is Linne Peris, a mile in length, and a dim half in
breadth.—Segent (Seiont) cometh first through Llynn Peris, and a bow
shot off, runneth into Llyn Padarn; there is but a meadow and bridge
between these two pools.—In these two pooles be redde belly fishes,
called thorr gough (Tor goch) id est, thori aut pectoris rubri.
There be also some of these in Linne Tarddynni, (Cawellyn) and in
Linne Bala deulynn, (Llanllyfni Lakes); they be taken in these three
pooles in order, and taken in one and not seen in the other; Linne
Doythock nothing so big as Linne Peris: these three, Linne Peris,
Linne Padarn, and Linne Doythock, are all in the Parish of Llanberis,
and the lowest Lake is five miles E.S.E. from Carnarvon, and lie in
vallies, W.N.W. from Llanberis. Bala Deulynn is in Hugh Gurvai (Uwch
Gorfai) Hundred, and six miles (nine miles) beyond Carnarvon; the
others, viz. Linne Peris, Linne Dolpaterne, Linne Doythock, and Linne
Tarddynni, are in the Commot of Is Gorvai, (_infra_ Gwyrvai) and all
the great Withaw Hill {133} is wholly in this Commot; this hill is
all in the Parish of Peris, and is a _radicibus_ five miles to the
top. Dolbaterne Castle, on a rock, betwixt two Linnes; there is yet
a piece of a Tower, where Owen Gough (Goch) brother to Llywelyn, last
Prince, was in prison; it is in Is Gwrfai Commot. Dolbadarn a five
miles from Carnarvon, by E.S.E. hard by Linne Peris; Segent (Seiont)
as I heard say riseth at Linne Dolbaterne. This Pool is three miles
in length, and in some places a mile broad, and in diverse places
less and less; it lieth by Withaw Hill, (Snowdon) and is distant 5
miles from Carnarvon, towards S.E.—The best Wood of Carnarvonshire is
by Glynn Cledair, in the Parish of Dolwyddelen, and by Glynn Lligwy,
and by Capel Curig, and at Llanperis,—all Creigiau’r Ryri is Forest.
Metely good wood about Conway Abbey, and Penmachno, and about
Coetmore, and Coet Park, by Bangor, and other places; in Lleyn and
Eivionydd is little wood. Carnarvonshire, about the shore, hath
reasonable good corn, about a mile upward from the shore unto
Carnarvon,—then more upward be Eryri Hills, and in them is very
little corn, except oats in some places, and a little barley, but
scantly rye, if there were the Deer would destroy it; but in Lleyn
and Eifionydd is good corn, both by shore, and almost through upland.
Syr Gul. Griffith hath a fayr House at Penrynn, two miles on this
side Bangor; William vab William, dwelleth at a place called
Gochwillan, a mile on this side Penryn; William Coetmore, dwelleth at
Coetmore, by Tal Lynn Ogwen; Pillsdon, in Caerarvon Town; John vab
Madock vab Poel, dwelleth in Lleen, at Bodvel; John Wynne, vab
Meredith, dwelleth at Gweder, a two bow shots above Llanrwst, on the
Ripe (Bank) of the Conwy River; Elis vab Morris, at Clennenna, in
Penmorva Parish, in Comot Hinioneth (Eifionydd).”
Should the stranger not be disposed to accompany us in our Tour round the
Promontory of Lleyn, and to the Island of Bardsey, (which, by the bye, we
hope to render both interesting and amusing), he may proceed from
Carnarvon to Bethgelert, and from thence, along the sea coast, to
Barmouth, by Tremadoc and Harlech; or, from Pont Aberglaslyn to Tan y
Bwlch, Meantwrog, Trawsfynydd, and so by Dol y Melynllyn, and the Cain
and Mawddach Waterfalls to Dolgelley. The distance from Carnarvon to
Bethgelert is about 12 miles: we proceed up the Hill, by Llanbeblig, (the
Parish Church) then over Pont Peblig Bridge, about half a mile beyond
which, on the left, is Glangwnna, the beautiful and much-admired seat of
Thomas Lloyd, Esq. standing on a fine eminence, between two rivers, at
the western extremity of the Parish of Llanrug; this place, in point of
situation, possesses many natural advantages, and all the improvements
exhibit evident tokens of a judicious mind, and cultivated taste, as it
contains, within its own limits, all the requisites to form a fine
landscape, and has on one side an extensive sea prospect, on the other, a
range of majestic mountains; upon the whole, this is generally considered
as one of the sweetest and loveliest Villas in this part of the
Principality. On the right, about the same distance from the road, is
Penrhôs, a large, handsome house, lately built by the proprietor, H. R.
Williams, Esq.; it commands a fine view of the Castle, the Menai,
Carnarvon Bay, and the surrounding Scenery. About three miles farther,
we approach the beautiful little vale of Bettws Garmon, watered by the
river Gwyrfai, the source of which is at the foot of Snowdon, and after
running through Quellyn Lake, and under Pont Newydd Bridge, it empties
itself into the Menai, at Abermenai. On the right, Mynydd-mawr forms a
striking feature, its top is smooth, but its front is formed into an
immense precipice, retiring inwards in a semicircular shape. Moel Aelia,
on the left, is another mountain of a stupendous bulk, most regularly
rounded, and of a beautiful verdure; this pass was defended, on one side,
by Castell Cidwm, a great rock at the foot of Mynydd mawr, formerly
fortified, and on the other by a small Fort, the remains of which are
still visible, near Treflan Bettws is a perpetual Curacy; the Church is
very small, and is dedicated to St. Germanus, and the Parish consists
only of six or seven tenements; the corn tithe belongs to the family of
Glyn Llifon; it is in the patronage of the Bishop. About half a mile
beyond Bettws, near a small mill, Melin Cerrig y Rhyd, commonly called
Nant Mill, is a most beautiful cascade, and a small Arch, without any
Battlements, forming a very singular appearance, of which there is a
view, in Mr. Pennant’s Tour, representing a person on horseback, going
home over this little Bridge, with a load from the mill. On the left is
Nant Hall, one of the seats of Sir R. Williams, Bart. Member for this
County.—The present lord Viscount Bulkeley is a descendant (by the
mother’s side) of the Rowland’s of this house.—Soon after passing Nant,
the Vale expands with a magnificent view of Snowdon—travel along the side
of Llyn Cawellyn, pass the Snowdon guide’s house, and proceed to the
junction of the Drws y Coed road, near a small Bridge, about a quarter of
a mile beyond Quellyn Lake, and soon after arrive in view of Llynn Cader,
a small round pool on the right, respecting which the Welsh people relate
a ridiculous tale, that a gentleman’s hounds, in former days, started, on
a rock near this Lake, a strange kind of an animal (Aur Frychyn) with
tufts of hair shining like gold, nearly approaching, according to their
representation, to a species of Buffalo, and that he was pursued for some
time and killed, near a place called Nant y lle, and that he bellowed so
loud when taken that the rocks rent. After travelling about two miles,
we begin to descend towards Bethgelert, and observe, on the right, Moel
Hebog, a lofty conical Hill, which Lord Lyttleton ascended from Brynkir,
when he made the Tour of North Wales. Bethgelert is a neat little
village, in a romantic situation, between high mountains; here is a good
Inn, surrounded with thriving plantations, built about eighteen years
ago, by Thomas Jones, Esq. of Bryn Tirion, before mentioned. The Church
is small, and has been Conventual, belonging to a Priory of _Augustines_,
and dedicated to St. Mary. There is reason to suppose, says Mr. Pennant,
they might have been of that class which was called Gilbertines, and
consisted of both men and women, who lived under the same roof, but
strictly separated from each other by a wall; the cause of his suspicion
is a meadow, near the Church, called Dol y Lleian, the Nun’s meadow.
Bethgelert is supposed to be the most ancient foundation in the Country,
except Bardsey. Tanner ascribes it to our last Prince, but it must have
been long before his days, there being a recital of a Charter, for
certain Lands bestowed on it, by Llewelyn the Great, who began his reign
in 1194. It was favored, in the same manner, by other succeeding
Princes; David ap Llewelyn bestowed on it some Lands in Pennant
Gwernogan, belonging to Tudor ap Madoc, to which the Prince had no right;
this occasioned a suit between the sons of Tudor and Philipp, Prior of
the House, before William de Grandison, and R. de Stanedon, at
Caernarvon, when a verdict was given against the Convent. The Prior had
for his support the Grange of Llecheiddior, in Eifionydd, and part of a
mill; the Grange of Fentidillt, and Village of Gwehelyn; the Grange of
Tre’r Beirdd in Anglesey, one Plough Land, and a certain share of the
bees. The esteem which these insects were held in by the Ancient
Britons, on account of their producing the nectareous Mead, was so great,
that they considered them as created in Paradise, that when they quitted
it on the fall of man, they were blessed by God himself, and therefore no
Mass ought to be celebrated but by the light of their wax, as we read in
the laws of Howel Dda. The Prior had, besides, an allowance of fifty
cows and twenty-two sheep; the expences of the house must have been
considerable, for it was on the great road from England and South Wales
to North Wales, and from Ireland to England. In order to enable this
place to keep up its usual hospitality, after it had suffered in 1283, by
a casual fire, Edward 1st most munificently repaired all the damages; and
Bishop Anian, about the year 1286, for the encouragement of other
benefactors, remitted to all such who truly repented of their sins, forty
days of any penance inflicted on them. In 1535 it was bestowed by Henry
VIII. on the Abbey of Chertsey, in Surrey, and in 1537, it was given,
with the last, as an Appurtenance to that of Bisham, in Berkshire. On
the dissolution, the King gave to the family of the _Bodvels_, all the
Lands in Carnarvonshire, which belonged to this Priory, and all those in
Anglesey, to that of the Prydderchs, excepting the Township of Tre’r
Beirdd. The Revenues of Bethgelert were valued, by Dugdale, at Seventy
Pounds, Three Shillings and Eight-pence; by Speed, at Sixty-nine Pounds,
Three Shillings, and Eight-pence. Edward Conway is mentioned as last
Prior. There are no remains at present of the Convent.—Mr. Pennant had
in his possession a drawing of the Seal of the Priory, dated 1531; on it
was the figure of the Virgin and child, but no part of the Legend except
BETHKELE. Lewis Daron, a Bard of the 15th Century, in a Poem, (the
purport of which is to solicit David the Prior to bestow a fine bay
horse, then in his possession, on John Wynne, of Gwydir, Esq.) extols him
on account of his great learning and liberality.—Hence we are led to
suppose that this Monk was very opulent, and a popular character in his
time. The ground on the South side of the Church, seems to have been the
spot, says Mr. Williams, late of Llandegai, in his “Observations on the
Snowdon Mountain,” whereon stood the buildings which the Monks formerly
inhabited, and we may discover two or three arched doors, now closed up
on that side of the Church, through which these religious persons
probably entered, when they went to their devotions; there is likewise an
ancient Mansion House, near the Church, which probably was the habitation
of the Prior. In this house was shewn, some years ago, an old pewter
mug, which will contain two quarts, or more, and was called the
Bethgelert Pint, and any person who could grasp it in one hand, and drink
up the contents, (which was ale) at one draught, was entitled to the
liquor, _gratis_, and the tenant was to charge the value of it to the
Lord of the Manor, as part payment of his rent. At Bethgelert lie buried
two eminent Bards, Rhys Goch Eryri, and Dafydd Nanmor; the former died
about the year 1420, and it may be inferred, from his writings (many of
which are still extant) that he lived to the great age of 120. He was a
man of property, and lived at Hafod Garegog, situated beyond Pont
Aberglaslyn, on the road to Tan y Bwlch, and consequently in the County
of Merioneth, though within the limits of this Parish. The latter
resided at Nanmor, which is also a district of this Parish, on the same
side of the river. He died about A.D. 1460, and appears to have been a
person of some consequence; they were both learned men, (considering the
age they lived in) as their compositions abundantly testify.
To the N.E. of the village, is the entrance into the beautiful little
Vale of Nant Gwynant, which, though narrow at first, expands and unfolds
its beauties, as the traveller advances; this valley may be considered,
however, as consisting of two portions or divisions, separated by a
narrow defile; at the upper end of the lower vale is Llynn Dinas Emrys,
and just above it, commanding a delightful view of that Lake, the River,
the Woods, Mountains, &c. and particularly of Snowdon, is Plâs Gwynant,
the romantic Summer residence of D. Vaudrey, Esq. Just below this small
Lake, and nearly in the centre of the Vale, appears the famous Dinas
Emrys, which is a huge insulated rock, clothed with wood, and precipitous
on three sides; on the summit is a large area, but no remains of a
Castle. On the accessible side are three ramparts of stone, within which
is the ruin of a small stone building, about ten yards long, the walls
without any mortar. This place is from early times celebrated in British
story, for here
Prophetic Merlin sat, when to the British King,
The changes long to come, auspiciously he told.
The legend is thus told: when Vortigern found himself unable to contend
with the treacherous Saxons, whom he had, in the year 449, invited into
Britain, he determined, by the advice of his Magicians, on building an
impregnable fortress in Snowdon. He collected the materials, which all
disappeared in one night.—The Prince, astonished at this, convened again
his wise men, who assured him his building would never stand, unless it
was sprinkled with the blood of a child, born without the help of a
father; the Realm was ransacked,—at length, one of his emissaries
overheard some boys at play reproach another, and call him an unbegotten
knave. The child and his mother were brought before the King,—she
confessed he was the offspring of an Incubus. The boy, whose name was
Merlin, was ordered to be sacrificed, but on confounding all the
Magicians, with his questions, and explaining the cause of the
miscarriage, got his liberty, and