WITCHES, WIZARDS, PROPHECIES, DIVINATION, DREAMS.
WITCHES.
The popular belief in witchcraft, is often alluded to by
Shakespeare. In times gone by witches held dreaded sway over the
affairs of men, perhaps more or less in almost every country; for they
were suspected to have entered into a league with Satan, in order to
obtain power to do evil, and it was thought that they possessed some
uncanny knowledge which was used by them to injure people, especially
those whom they hated. It was also believed that they could cause
thunder and lightning, could travel on broomsticks through the air,
and even transform themselves and others into animals, especially
into hares. A good many other imaginary things were also placed to
the credit of witches.
In the beginning of last century, and even up to the middle of
it, witchcraft was very strongly believed in in many parts of
Pembrokeshire, Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Radnorshire, and
Montgomeryshire. Even at the present time, there are some who believe
that there is in it something more than a mere deception. I have met
several who still believe in it. Many well-known characters were proud
of being looked upon as witches and conjurors; because they were feared
as such and could influence people to be charitable to them. Many
an old woman supposed to be a witch, took advantage of the credulity
of the people, went about the farm houses to request charity in the
way of oat-meal, butter, milk, etc., and could get almost anything,
especially from the women, from fear of being witched; for it was
believed that these witches could bring misfortune on families,
cause sickness, and bring a curse on both men and animals; so that
many used to imagine that they were bewitched whenever anything went
wrong, even a slight mischance. Unfaithful young men would soon fulfil
their promise when they found out that the girl they had slighted
was consulting a witch, so that there was some good even in such a
foolish superstition as witchcraft.
WITCHES SELLING THEMSELVES TO THE DEVIL.
In order to become witches it was believed in Cardiganshire that
some old women sold themselves to the Father of Lies by giving to
His Satanic Majesty the bread of the Communion. The following story
I heard about three years ago, and my informant was Mr. John Davies,
Gogoyan Farm, a, farmer who had heard it from old people:--
Sometime in the beginning of the last century, two old dames attended
the morning service at Llanddewi Brefi Church, and partook of the
Holy Communion; but instead of eating the sacred bread like other
communicants, they kept it in their mouths and went out. Then they
walked round the Church outside nine times, and at the ninth time
the Evil One came out from the Church wall in the form of a frog, to
whom they gave the bread from their mouths, and by doing this wicked
thing they were supposed to be selling themselves to Satan and become
witches. It was also added that after this they were sometimes seen
swimming in the river Teivi in form of hares!
According to Cadrawd, there was an old man in North Pembrokeshire, who
used to say that he obtained the power of bewitching in the following
manner:--The bread of his first Communion he pocketed. He made pretence
at eating it first of all, and then put it in his pocket. When he
went out from the service there was a dog meeting him by the gate,
to which he gave the bread, thus selling his soul to the Devil. Ever
after, he possessed the power to bewitch.
A SERVANT MAID WITCHED IN A CHAPEL.
An old woman of about eighty years of age, named Mrs. Mary Thomas,
Bengal, near Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, informed me about four
years ago, that when she was a young girl, the Gwaun Valley in that
county was full of witches, more especially of the descendants of
one particularly malicious old woman who in her time had proved a
terror to the neighbourhood. On one occasion, a well-known family
who practised the black art and were guilty of witchcraft, wanted to
become members of the Baptist Chapel at Caersalem, and at last they
were admitted; but after being received as members of the chapel, they
were ten times worse than before. One witch during Divine Service,
even on the very day she became a communicant, witched a young woman
who was a fellow servant of my informant at a farm called Gellifor,
near Cilgwyn. The witch was sitting behind, and in the very next
pew to the young woman she witched, which caused the unfortunate
girl to rush out from the chapel, and was seen running about the
road almost wild and mad. After she had been wild and ill for some
time, and every remedy having failed to recover her, her father at
last went to Cwrt-y-Cadno, over forty miles away in Carmarthenshire,
to consult Dr. Harries, a well-known wizard and a medical man. The
conjurer informed the man that his daughter had been witched in chapel
by an old woman who was a witch, and he showed him the whole scene in
a magic mirror! In order to unwitch the girl, and to prevent further
witchcraft, the wizard gave the father some paper with mystic words
written on it, which the young woman was to wear on her breast.
A GIRL WHO WAS BEWITCHED BY THE GYPSIES, NEAR CARMARTHEN.
About fifty years ago there was a young woman very ill in the parish
of Llanllawddog, Carmarthenshire, but no one could tell what was the
matter with her, and the doctor had failed to cure her. At last, her
mother went to consult the local wizard, who at that time kept a school
in the neighbouring parish of Llanpumpsaint, and lived at a place
called Fos-y-Broga. At the woman's request the conjurer accompanied
her home to see her daughter. After seeing the girl he entered into a
private room alone for a few minutes, and wrote something on a sheet
of paper which he folded up and tied it with a thread. This he gave
to the woman and directed her to put the thread round her daughter's
neck, with the folded paper suspending on her breast. He also told
the mother to remember to be at the girl's bedside at twelve o'clock
that night. The young woman was put in bed, and the wizard's folded
paper on her breast. The mother sat down by the fireside till midnight;
and when the clock struck twelve she heard her daughter groaning. She
ran at once to the poor girl's bedside, and found her almost dying
with pain; but very soon she suddenly recovered and felt as well in
health as ever. The conjurer had told the girl's mother that she had
been bewitched by the Gypsies, which caused her illness, and warned
the young woman to keep away from such vagrants in the future. The
Conjurer's paper, which had charmed away her illness was put away
safely in a cupboard amongst other papers and books; and many years
after this when a cousin of the mother was searching for some will
or some other important document, he accidentally opened the wizard's
paper and to his surprise found on it written:
"Abracadabra,
Sickness depart from me."
My informant, whose name is Jones, an old farmer in the parish of
Llanpumpsaint, vouches for the truth of the above story, and that
the young woman was a relation of his.
Another old man, named Benjamin Phillips, who lives in the same
neighbourhood gave me a similar tale of another girl bewitched
by the Gypsies, and recovered by obtaining some wild herbs from
a conjurer. Such stories are common all over the country. Certain
plants, especially Meipen Fair, were supposed to possess the power
of destroying charms.
A CARDIGANSHIRE GIRL WHO HAD BEEN WITCHED.
I obtained the following story from David Pugh, Erwlwyd,
Carmarthenshire, an old farmer who is over 90 years of age:--
A woman from Cardiganshire whose daughter was very ill and thought
to have been bewitched, came to the Wizard of Cwrt-y-Cadno, in
Carmarthenshire to consult him. The wise man wrote some mystic words
on a bit of paper, which he gave to the woman, telling her that if
her daughter was not better when she arrived home to come to him
again. The woman went home with the paper, and to her great joy found
the girl fully recovered from her illness. My informant knew the woman,
as she had called at his house.
ANOTHER CARDIGANSHIRE WOMAN WITCHED.
An old man living in the parish of Llangwyryfon, seven miles from
Aberystwyth, named Jenkin Williams, told me the following story six
years ago when he was 89 years of age, and vouched for the truth of the
account:--A certain woman who lived in that parish was supposed to be
a witch, and it was said she had a brother a wizard: Her husband was
a shoemaker. Another woman who used to go back and fore to the town
of Aberystwyth, with a donkey-cart, refused on one occasion to bring
some leather to the supposed witch and her husband. Soon after this,
the woman was taken ill, and the shoemaker's wife was suspected of
having witched her. The son of the sick woman went to Cwrt-y-Cadno
in Carmarthenshire to consult the "Dyn Hysbys." The conjurer told
the young man to go home as soon as possible, and that he should see
the person who caused his mother's indisposition coming to the house
on his return home. When the son reached home who should enter the
house but the supposed witch, and as soon as she came in she spoke
in Welsh to his mother something as follows:--"Mae'n ddrwg genyf eich
bod mor wael, ond chwi wellwch eto, Betti fach." (I am sorry you are
so unwell, but you will get well again, Betty dear). The sick woman
recovered immediately!
A FARMER'S DAUGHTER AT WALTON EAST, IN PEMBROKESHIRE BEWITCHED FOR
FIFTEEN YEARS FOR REFUSING ALMS TO AN OLD HAG.
Mrs. Mary Williams, Dwrbach, a very old woman, informed me, that about
55 years ago, there was a well-known witch in the neighbourhood of
Walton East, and that on one occasion two young women, daughters of
a farm in that part of the country, were taken ill quite suddenly,
and were supposed to have been witched by this old woman. The mother
of the two young women went to the witch and rebuked the old hag,
saying: "Old woman, why did you witch my daughters? Come and undo thy
wickedness." The old woman replied that she did not do anything to
them. But the mother still believing that she was guilty, compelled
her to come along with her to the farmhouse and undo her mischief. At
last, she came, and when they reached the door of the farmhouse, the
witch pronounced these words in Welsh: "Duw ai bendithio hi." (God
bless her). Any such expression pronounced by a witch freed the
bewitched person or an animal from the spell. One of the two sisters
(both of whom were in bed in another room), overheard these words of
the old woman, but her sister did not hear or at least did not catch
the words. The young woman who heard the supposed witch saying "Duw
a'i bendithio hi," got well at once, but her poor sister who missed
hearing, instead of recovering went worse, if anything, than before,
and continued to keep to her bed for fifteen years. And during all
these years she was so strange, that even when her own mother entered
her room, she would hide under the bed clothes like a rat, and her
food had to be left on her bed for her, for she would not eat in
the presence of anybody. At last, the old woman who was thought to
have witched the young woman, died, and as the the mortal remains of
the witch were decaying in the grave, the girl began to get better,
and she soon fully recovered and became quite herself again after
fifteen years' illness. My informant added that after recovering,
the young woman got married and received £1,500 from her parents on
her wedding-day, and that she is still alive (or was very lately)
and a wife of a well-to-do farmer. My informant also said that she
was well acquainted with the family.
MEN WITCHED BY AN OLD LLEDROD HAG.
About sixty years ago Thomas Lewis, Garthfawr, between Llanilar and
Lledrod, was for some time suffering from almost unbearable bodily
pain, and did not know what to do. The general belief was that he had
been bewitched by an old woman who was a terror to the neighbourhood;
and at last a man went to Llangurig, in Montgomeryshire, to consult a
wise man about it. It was found out soon afterwards that as soon as the
conjurer was consulted, the sick man fully recovered from his illness,
got up from bed, dressed himself, and came down from his bedroom and
felt as well as ever, to the very great surprise and joy of all his
family and friends. My informant, Thomas Jones, of Pontrhydfendigaid,
who knew the man well, vouches for the truth of this story.
Mr. Jones also gave me an account of another man who was witched by
the same old hag. The wife of Rhys Rhys, Pwllclawdd and her sister were
churning all day, but the milk would not turn to butter. Rhys, at last,
went to the old witch and asked her to come and undo her mischief,
as she had witched the milk. She was very unwilling to come, but Rhys
compelled her. When Mrs. Rhys and her sister saw the old witch coming,
they ran to hide themselves in a bedroom. The hag took hold of the
churn's handle for a few seconds, and the milk turned to excellent
butter at once; but poor Rhys who had always been a strong man till
then, never enjoyed a day of good health after; for the old hag witched
the farmer himself in revenge for compelling her to unwitch the milk.
A HORSE WITCHED.
Thomas Jones, an old man who is 85 years of age and lives at
Pontrhydfendigaid, informed me that about sixty years ago, the old
witch was greatly feared by the people of the neighbourhood, as it
was generally believed that the hag cursed or witched those whom she
disliked. On one occasion, when her neighbour's horse broke through
the hedge into her field, she witched the animal for trespassing. The
horse was shivering all over and everything was done in vain to cure
the poor animal; but the very moment John Morgan, the Llangurig
conjurer was consulted, the horse fully recovered, and looked as
well as ever. My informant vouches for the truth of this, and says
he had seen the horse, and that the man who consulted the conjurer
was a friend of his, and, that he even knew the conjurer himself.
CATTLE WITCHED.
At Mathry in Pembrokeshire, there was a celebrated witch, and people
believed that she was often guilty of witching the cattle. On one
occasion when a servant maid of a farm-house in the neighbourhood had
gone out one morning to milk the cows, she found them in a sitting
posture like cats before a fire, and in vain did she try to get them
to move. The farmer suspected the witch of having caused this. He
went to her at once, and compelled the hag to come and undo her evil
trick. She came and told him that there was nothing wrong with the
cows, and she simply put her hand on the back of each animal, and
they immediately got up, and there was no further trouble.
HORSES KILLED BY WITCHCRAFT IN RADNORSHIRE.
Mr. Theophilus, a blacksmith, at Cilcwm, in Carmarthenshire, 80 years
of age, informed me that he well remembered a Radnorshire farmer who
had lost two horses, one after the other, and as he had suspected
that the animals were "killed by witchcraft" he decided to go all
the way to Cwrt-y-cadno to consult the wise man about it. The man
travelled all the way from Radnorshire, and in passing the small
village of Cilcwm, where my informant lived, begged the blacksmith
to accompany him to the conjurer who lived in another parish some
distance off. The wizard told him that it was such a pity he had
not come sooner, "for," said he, "if you had come to me yesterday,
I could have saved your third horse, but now it is too late, as the
animal is dying. But for the future take this paper and keep it safely
and you will have your animals protected."
I was also informed that farmers came all the way from Herefordshire
to consult the wise man of Cwrt-y-Cadno.
SHEEP KILLED BY AN OLD WITCH.
Mrs. Edwards, an old woman who lives at Yspytty Ystwyth, in
Cardiganshire, informed me that she knew an old witch who lived in the
neighbourhood of Ystrad Meurig. One day, this hag saw two shepherds
passing her cottage on their way to the mountain with some sheep. The
old woman espied one particular lamb and begged one of the shepherds
to give the animal to her as a present, but the young man refused
her request. "Very well," said the witch, "thou wilt soon loose both
the lamb and its mother, and thou shalt repent for thus refusing
me." Before reaching the end of the journey to the mountain, the
sheep and her lamb died, and it was all put down to the hag's account,
for it was believed that she had witched them to death in revenge.
A SHIP WITCHED.
On a particular occasion nearly sixty years ago, a large number of
the leading gentry and others from all parts of Pembrokeshire went to
witness the launch of H. M. Ship "Cæsar," at Pembroke Dock. Among the
crowd there was an old woman named "Betty Foggy" who was believed to
possess the power of witching. When Betty noticed a lot of gentry going
up the steps to the grand stand, she followed suit with an independent
air; but she was stopped by the police. She struggled hard to have her
way, but was forced back. She felt very angry that she had to yield,
and shouted out loudly: "All right, the ship will not go off," but
the old hag's threat was only laughed at. The usual formalities were
gone through, and weights dropped, and amidst cheering the ship began
to glide away--but not for long, for the "Cæsar" soon became to stand
and remained so till the next tide when she got off by the assistance
of some ships afloat, and other means. The old witch was delighted,
and people believed that she was the cause of the failure to launch
the ship.
MILK THAT WOULD NOT CHURN AND THE WITCH.
Many believe, and some still believe, especially in Cardiganshire,
that when milk would not churn that witches had cursed it. An old
woman at Ystrad Meurig, who was supposed to be a witch, called one
day at a farm house and begged for butter, but being refused she
went away in a very bad temper. The next time they churned the milk
would not turn to butter, and they had to throw it out as they were
afraid of giving it to the pigs. When they were churning the second
time again the milk would not turn to butter as usual. But instead
of throwing out the milk as before, they went to the old woman and
forced her to come to the farmhouse and undo her spell. She came
and put her hand on the churn, and the milk successfully turned to
butter. My informant was Mrs. Edwards, Ysbytty Ystwyth.
ANOTHER CARDIGANSHIRE STORY OF MILK THAT WOULD NOT TURN TO BUTTER.
The following account was given me by Mr. Jenkin Williams,
Llangwyryfon:--
There was a man and his family living at a cottage called Penlon, a
small place just enough to keep one cow. The name of the man was John
Jones; and on one occasion when he and his wife were trying to churn
they failed to do so, or in other words the milk would not turn into
butter. At last J. Jones went to Cwrt-y-Cadno, in Carmarthenshire to
consult the "Dyn Hysbys." The wizard as he often did, gave the man
a bit of paper with some mystic words on it, and told him not to
show it to anybody, as the charm could not work after showing the
paper to others. As he was passing on his way home through a place
called Cwm Twrch, he met with a woman who accosted him and asked
him where he had been to. The man was rather shy, but at last he
admitted that he had been to Cwrt-y-Cadno to consult the conjurer,
and he told the woman everything. "I well knew," said the woman,
"You had been to Cwrt-y-Cadno, for only those who go to the conjurer
pass this way; show me the paper which he gave to you, for I am a
cousin of the conjurer." And the man showed it to her. "The paper is
alright," said she, "Take it home with you as soon as you can." He
went home with great joy, but unfortunately the churning still proved
a failure. Instead of undertaking another journey himself again,
J. Jones went to his neighbour Jenkin Williams, and begged him to
go to the conjurer to obtain another paper for him, and at last
J. Williams went. The conjurer, however, was not willing to give
another paper without £1 cash for it; but he gave it at last for a
more moderate price, when my informant pleaded the poverty of his
friend. When Williams asked the wise man what was the reason that the
milk would not churn, the reply was that an enemy had cursed it by
wishing evil to his neighbour. When this second paper was taken home
(which was not shown to anybody on the road), the milk was churned
most successfully, and splendid butter was obtained.
In some places a hot smoothing iron thrown into the churn was effective
against the witch's doings.
BURYING THE CHARM.
In some of the stories I have already given a paper obtained from
a conjurer in the way of charm was considered very effective to
undo the witch's evil doings; but from the following story, which
I obtained from David Pugh, Erwlwyd, it seems that it was necessary
in some cases to bury this bit of paper in the ground. It was also
thought a few generations ago, that a letter hidden under a stone
was a good thing to keep away both witches and evil spirits and to
secure good luck to a house.
Many years ago in the neighbourhood of Llandilo, Carmarthenshire,
a young farmer was engaged to be married to a daughter of another
farmer; but a few days before the wedding-day the bride and bridegroom
and their families quarrelled, so that the wedding did not take
place. After this, ill-luck attended the young farmer day after day;
many of his cattle died till he became quite a poor man very depressed
in spirit. The young woman who had been engaged to him was a supposed
witch so she was suspected of having caused all his misfortunes. His
friends advised him to consult a wizard, and he did so, as there
was a "dyn hysbys" close by at Llandilo, in those days, so it was
said. The wizard informed the farmer that he and his friends were
right in their suspicions about the young woman, and that his losses
had been brought about by her who had once been engaged to be married
to him. Then the wizard wrote something on a sheet of paper and handed
it to the young farmer directing him to bury this paper down in the
ground underneath the gate-post at the entrance to his farmyard. The
young man went home and buried the paper as directed by the wizard,
and from that time forth nothing went wrong.
PROTECTIVES AGAINST WITCHCRAFT.
Mrs. Mary Thomas, Bengal, near Fishguard, informed me that it was
customary when she was young to counteract the machinations of witches
by killing a mare and take out the heart and open and burn it, having
first filled it up with pins and nails. This compelled the witch to
undo her work. Mrs. Thomas also added that when the heart was burning
on such occasions the smoke would go right in the direction of the
witch's house.
Another old woman near Fishguard, informed the Rev. J. W. Evans,
a son of the Rector of Jordanston, that she remembered an old woman
who was thought to be guilty of witching poor farmers' cattle. At
last she was forced to leave the district by the people who believed
her to be a witch. But soon after she left a cow died, and even her
calves were ill. People took out the cow's heart and burnt it, which
forced the hag to return to heal the calves.
A FISHGUARD WITCH DISCOMFITED.
Another way of protecting oneself from witchcraft was to keep a nail
on the floor under the foot when a witch came to the door. Mr. David
Rees, baker at Fishguard, told me a few years ago that there was
once a particular witch in that town who was very troublesome, as
she was always begging, and that people always gave to her, as they
were afraid of offending her. She often came to beg from his mother,
who at last, as advised by her friends, procured a big nail from
a blacksmith's shop. She put the nail under her foot on the floor,
the next time the old witch came to the door begging. The old hag
came again as usual to beg and to threaten; but my informant's mother
sent her away empty handed, saying, "Go away from my door old woman,
I am not afraid of you now, for I have my foot on a nail." She kept
her foot on the nail till the witch went out of sight, and by doing
so felt herself safe from the old hag's spells.
Nails or a horseshoe or an old iron were considered preservatives
against witchcraft.
A CILCWM STORY.
Mr. Theophilus, the old blacksmith, at Cilcwm, in Carmarthenshire,
told me that when he was a boy the cattle had been witched by an
enemy. They would not touch the grass in the field of their own
farm; but whenever put in any field of another farm they would
graze splendidly. My informant's mother could not understand this,
and she felt very much distressed about it. At last she took the
advice of friends and went to consult the Wizard of Cwrt-y-Cadno,
who informed her that an enemy with whom she was well acquainted,
had witched her cattle. Then he advised her to go home and buy a
new knife, (one that had never been used before), and go directly
to a particular spot in the field where a solitary "pren cerdinen"
(mountain ash) grew, and cut it with this new knife. This mountain
ash, and some of the cows' hair, as well as some "witch's butter"
she was to tie together and burn in the fire; and that by performing
this ceremony or charm, she should see the person who was guilty of
witching her cows, coming to the door or the window of her house. My
informant told me that his mother carried out these directions, and
that everything happened as the wizard had foretold her. After this,
there was nothing wrong with the cows.
WITCHES AND THE MOUNTAIN ASH.
Of all things to frustrate the evil designs of witches the best was a
piece of mountain ash, or as it is called in Welsh "pren cerdinen." The
belief in mountain ash is very old in Wales, and the tree was held
sacred in ancient times, and some believe that the Cross of our
Lord was made of it. Witches had a particular dread of this wood,
so that a person who carried with him a branch of "pren cerdinen"
was safe from their spells; and it is believed in Wales, as well as
in parts of England, that the witch who was touched with a branch
of it was the victim carried off by the devil when he came next to
claim his tribute--once every seven years.
I was told a few years ago at Talybont, that many in that part of
Cardiganshire grew mountain ash in their gardens, and that a man
carrying home a little pig was seen with a branch of this wood to
protect the animal from witchcraft. In South Pembrokeshire many carry
in their pockets a twig of the mountain ash when going on a journey
late at night; and a woman at Llanddewi Brefi, in Cardiganshire,
Miss Anne Edwards, Penbontgoian, informed me about seven years ago
that when she was a child the neighbourhood was full of witches, but
nothing was so effective against them as the mountain ash; no witch
would come near it. A man travelling on horseback, especially at night,
was very much exposed to the old hags, and the horse was more so than
even the man riding the animal; but a branch or even a twig of the
mountain ash carried in hand and held over the horse's head, protected
both the animal and the rider against all the spells of witches. The
same woman informed me that on one occasion, the servant man and the
servant girl of Llanio Isaf, in that parish, were going to the mill
one night, but all of a sudden they found both themselves and their
horse and cart right on the top of a hedge. This was the work of the
witches. After this, they carried a mountain ash, so as to be safe.
Another old woman in Pembrokeshire, named Mrs. Mary Williams, Dwrbach,
informed me that a notorious old hag who was supposed to be a witch,
was coming home on one occasion from Haverfordwest fair, in a cart with
a farmer who had kindly taken her up. As they were driving along the
road between Haverfordwest and Walton East, they happened to notice
three teams harrowing in a field, and the farmer who was driving the
cart asked the witch whether she could by her spells stop the teams? "I
could stop two of them," said she, "but the third teamster has a piece
of mountain ash fast to his whip, so I cannot do anything to him."
Mrs. Mary Williams also informed me that when she was a little girl
her mother always used to say to her and the other children on the
last day of December: "Now children, go out and fetch a good supply
of mountain ash to keep the witches away on New Year's Day," and
branches of it were stuck into the wall about the door, windows and
other places outside. Then witches coming to beg on New Year's Day
could do no harm to the inmates of the house.
In Carmarthenshire, Cardiganshire, and North Pembrokeshire, the
mountain ash is called "pren cerdinen," but it was once known in the
South of Pembrokeshire, where the people are not of Welsh origin, as
"rontree"; and the name "rowan" is still retained in some parts of
England, which is derived according to Dr. Jameson, from the old Norse
"runa," a secret, or charm, on account of its being supposed to have
the power to avert the evil eye, etc.
DRAWING BLOOD FROM A WITCH.
Drawing blood from a witch by anyone incapacitated the old hag,
from working out her evil designs upon the person who spilt her
blood. Many years ago a farmer from the neighbourhood of Swyddffynon,
in Cardiganshire, was coming home late one night from Tregaron,
on horseback. As he was crossing a bridge called Pont Einon (once
noted for its witches), a witch somehow or other managed to get up
behind him on the horse's back; but he took out his pocket-knife with
which he drew blood from the witch's arm, and he got rid of the old
hag. After this, she was unable to witch people. My informant was
Mr. John Jones, of Pontrhydfendigaid.
THE TRANSFORMATION OF WITCHES.
Witches were supposed to transform themselves into animals, especially
that of an hare. And this belief is a very old one, for Giraldus
Cambrensis seven hundred years ago in his "Topography of Ireland,"
(Bonn's edition) says: "It has also been a frequent complaint, from
old times as well as in the present, that certain hags in Wales, as
well as in Ireland and Scotland, changed themselves into the shape
of hares, that, sucking teats under this counterfeit form, they might
stealthily rob other people's milk." Tales illustrative of this very
old belief are still extant in Wales, and John Griffiths, Maenclochog,
in Pembrokeshire, related to me the story of:
A WITCH WHO APPEARED IN THE FORM OF AN HARE EVERY MORNING TO A SERVANT
MAID AT MILKING TIME.
Griffiths informed me that when his mother was young, she was engaged
as a servant maid at a small gentleman's seat, called Pontfaen, in the
Vale of Gwaun. But whenever she went out early in the morning to milk
the cows, an old witch who lived in the neighbourhood always made her
appearance in the form of an hare, annoying the girl very much. At
last she informed her master of it, and at once the gentleman took
his gun and shot the hare; but somehow, the animal escaped, though
he succeeded in wounding and drawing blood from her. After this, the
young woman went to see the old hag who was supposed to be a witch,
Maggie by name, and found her in bed with a sore leg.
A WITCH IN THE FORM OF AN HARE SHOT BY A FARM SERVANT.
The following tale was told me by a Mrs. Edwards, Ysbytty Ystwyth,
in Cardiganshire:--
An old witch who lived at Tregaron, went to Trecefel, a large farm in
the neighbourhood, to beg for the use of a small corner of a field to
grow some potatoes for herself. The farmer himself was away from home
at the time, but his wife was willing, as she was afraid of offending
the witch. The head servant, however, refused her request, and sent
her away, which naturally made her very angry, and in departing she
used threatening words. One day, soon after this, the same servant
was out in the field, and he noticed a hare in the hedge continually
looking at him, and watching all his movements. It occurred to him at
last that this creature was the old witch he had offended, appearing
in the form of a hare, and somehow or other he had not the least doubt
in his mind about it, so he procured a gun and fired, but the shot
did not inflict any injury on the hare. In the evening, when he met
some of his friends at a house in the village, the man servant told
them everything about the hare and of his suspicion that she was the
witch. One of his friends told him that ordinary shots or bullets were
no good to shoot a witch with, but that it was necessary for him to
load his gun with a bent four-penny silver coin. He tried this, and
the next time he fired the hare rolled over screaming terribly. Soon
after this, people called to see the old woman in her cottage, and
found that she had such a wound in her leg that she could hardly
move. Dr. Rowland was sent for, and when he came and examined her
leg he found a fourpenny silver coin in two pieces in it. "You old
witch," said he, "I am not going to take any trouble with you again:
death is good enough for your sort," and die she did.
The possibility of injuring or marking the witch in her assumed form
so deeply that the bruise remained a mark on her in her natural form
was a common belief.
A WITCH IN THE FORM OF A HARE HUNTED BY A PEMBROKESHIRE SQUIRE'S
HOUNDS.
The following tale was told me by Mrs. Mary Thomas, Bengal, near
Fishguard:--
The Squire of Llanstinan, was a great huntsman, but whenever he
went out with his hounds, a certain hare always baffled and escaped
from the dogs. He followed her for miles and miles, day after day,
but always failed to catch the animal. At last the people began to
suspect that this hare must have been a witch in the shape of a hare,
and the gentleman was advised to get "a horse and a dog of the same
colour," and he did so. So the next time he was hunting he had a
horse and a dog of the same colour, and they were soon gaining ground
on the hare; but when the dog was on the very point of catching the
animal, the hare suddenly disappeared through a hole in the door of a
cottage. The Squire hurried to the spot and instantly opened the door,
but to his great surprise the hare had assumed the form of an old
woman, and he shouted out: "Oh! ti Mari sydd yna." (It is you Mary!)
A WITCH IN THE FORM OF A HARE HUNTED IN CARDIGANSHIRE.
Mr. Rees, Maesymeillion, Llandyssul, told me the following tale which
he had heard from an old woman in the neighbourhood:--
Once there was a Major Brooks living in the parish of Llanarth, who
kept hounds and was fond of hunting. One day, he was hunting a hare
that a little boy of nine years old had started; but the hare not only
managed to elude her pursuers, but even to turn back and attack the
hounds. The hunting of this hare was attempted day after day, but with
the same results; and the general opinion in the neighbourhood was,
that this hare was nothing but an old witch who lived in that part,
with whom the huntsman had quarrelled.
An old man in Carmarthenshire informed me that an old woman known as
Peggy Abercamles, and her brother Will, in the neighbourhood of Cilcwm,
in that county were seen running about at night in the form of hares.
THE FAMILIAR SPIRIT OF A WITCH SHOT IN THE FORM OF A HARE.
From the following story which I heard at Talybont, in North
Cardiganshire, it seems that witches did not always transform
themselves. In some cases it was thought that the hare was not the
witch herself, but the old hag's Familiar Spirit assuming the shape of
a hare in her stead; but the life of the witch was so closely connected
with the Familiar, that when the Familiar was shot, the witch suffered.
The tale is as follows:--
There was an old woman at Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn, who was supposed
to be a witch. One day a man in the neighbourhood shot a hare with
a piece of silver coin. At the very time when the hare was shot,
the old woman who was a witch was at home washing, but fell into
the tub, wounded and bleeding. It was supposed by the people of
the neighbourhood that the hare which was shot was the old hag's
familiar spirit.
MEN CHANGED INTO ANIMALS.
It is said that an old witch near Ystrad Meurig, in Cardiganshire,
turned a servant man of a farm called Dolfawr, into a hare on one
occasion; and into a horse on another occasion and rode him herself.
In the Mabinogion we have the Boar Trwyth, who was once a King, but
God had transformed into a swine for his sins. Nynniaw and Peibaw
also had been turned into oxen. And in the topography of Ireland,
by Giraldus Cambrensis, mention is made of a man and a woman, natives
of Ossory, who through the curse of one Natalis, had been compelled
to assume the form of wolves. And while speaking of witches changing
themselves into hares the same writer adds: "We agree, then, with
Augustine, that neither demons nor wicked men can either create or
really change their nature, but those whom God has created can, to
outward appearance, by His permission, become transformed, so that
they appear to be what they are not."
If learned men, like Augustine and Giraldus Cambrensis and others,
believed such stories, it is no wonder that ignorant people did
so. I am inclined to believe, like the late Rev. Elias Owen, that
the transformation fables that have descended to us would seem to
be fossils of a pagan faith once common to the Celtic and other
cognate races.
The belief in transformation and transmigration has lingered among some
people almost to the present day. Mr. Thomas Evans, Gwaralltyryn, in
the parish of Llandyssul, informed me that he was well-acquainted with
an old Ballad singer, who was known as Daniel Y Baledwr. Daniel lived
near Castle Howel, and sang at Llandyssul fairs, songs composed by
Rees Jones, of Pwllffein. This ballad-singer told my informant that he
was sure to return after death in the form of a pig, or of some other
animal; and that an animal had a soul or spirit as well as a man had.
WIZARDS.
There were many conjurers in Wales in former times, and even at the
present day there are a few who have the reputation of practising
the Black Art; for we still hear occasionally of persons taking long
journeys to consult them, especially in cases of supposed bewitched
cattle, horses, pigs, etc. I have already given stories of conjurers
counteracting the machinations of witches, and delivering both
people and animals from their spell. But they were accredited with
the power to do many other things beside. They could, it was thought,
compel a thief to restore what he had stolen; could also reveal the
future and raise and command spirits.
The possibility of raising spirits, or to cause them to appear, was
once believed in in Wales, even in recent times; and Shakespeare in his
Henry the Fourth, Act III., S. 1., makes the Welshman, Glendower say:--
"I can call Spirits from the vasty deep."
Wizards and others who practised magical arts were supposed to be
able to summon spirits at will; but it seems that some could not
control the demons after summoning them. An old man at Llandovery,
named Mr. Price, who was once a butler at Blaennos, informed me that
an old witch at Cilcwm, named Peggy, found it most difficult to control
the spirits in the house, and sometimes she had to go out into a field,
and stand within a circle of protection with a whip in her hand.
Conjurers possessed books dealing with the black art, which they
had to study most carefully, for it was thought that according to
the directions of magical books the spirits were controlled. It
was considered dangerous for one ignorant of the occult science to
open such books, as demons or familiar spirits came out of them,
and it was not always easy to get rid of such unearthly beings. An
old woman at Caio, in Carmarthenshire, informed me that the great
modern wizard Dr. Harries, of Cwrtycadno, who lived in that parish,
had one particular book kept chained and padlocked. The old woman
also added that people were much afraid of this book, and that even
the wizard himself was afraid of it, for he only ventured to open
it once in twelve months, and that in the presence and with the
assistance of another conjurer, a schoolmaster from Pencader, who
occasionally visited him. On a certain day once every twelve months,
Dr. Harries and his friend went out into a certain wooded spot not far
from the house, and after drawing a circle round them, they opened the
chained book. Whenever this ceremony was performed it caused thunder
and lightning throughout the Vale of Cothi. My informant vouched for
the truth of this, and stated that her husband had been a servant
to Harries.
A wizard in Pembrokeshire, named William Gwyn, of Olmws, Castell Newydd
Bach, with his magic book invoked a familiar spirit. The spirit came
and demanded something to do; William commanded him to bring some
water from the River in a riddle!
In the 18th century a well-known wizard in the same county was
one John Jenkins, a schoolmaster. But the greatest wizard in the
beginning of 19th century was Aby Biddle, of Millindingle, who was
in league with the evil one or at least many of the people in South
Pembrokeshire believed so. Aby Biddle's real name was Harries; but,
of course, he was not the same person as Harries of Cwrtycadno, in
Carmarthenshire. There are still many most curious stories concerning
him in South Pembrokeshire, and as typical of other tales, I give the
following story which appeared a few years ago in "The Welsh Tit Bits"
column of the "Cardiff Times:"--
THE PRIESTS AND THE HORNETS.
In the winter of 1803 there was an evening gathering at the ----
Vicarage, which consisted chiefly of clerics, and Aby Biddle was
of the number of the guests, having been invited as a source of
pastime to help beguile some of the long hours of that forsaken
spot. Seldom did he go beyond the solemn dingle, but he had been
prevailed upon on this occasion. Much merriment was expected, nor was
the expectation misleading, save that it was entirely at the expense
of the clerics. The hours glided along gently on the wings of fairy
tales. The party remained until the small hours of the morning,
singing, merry-making, and tale-telling in turn. The conversation
now furtively drifted in the direction of occult science. Aby Biddle
sat near the window. Every now and again as he listened to the words
magic and witchcraft and various opinions respecting them, he pulled
back a corner of the blind and the pale light of the moon flickered
on his countenance, revealing the lines of a retreating smile.
A loquacious young cleric interposed a caustic remark at this point and
fanned the fire into flame, and the discussion was like to have taken a
somewhat lively turn had not a broad-browed divine on whose head rested
the snow of full three score winters and ten, sternly rebuked the young
priest. This divine denounced sorcery and conjuration in unmeasured
language. Another aged divine of Puritanic air nodded his assent.
Aby Biddle said nothing, though some of the company invited him to
speak, but played carefully with the fringe of the curtain. During a
momentary lull in the conversation, he rose suddenly, paced the room
for a minute or two, and disappeared into the lawn. He was not gone
many seconds before he returned with three small rings in his hands. He
held these up and remarked, "Gentlemen, we'll see whether conjuring
is possible or not." He placed the rings on the floor, at a distance
of about a yard apart, and hurriedly left the room, taking care to
turn the key in the lock on the smooth side of the door. The priests
turned their gaze intently in the direction of the rings. Suddenly
there appeared in one of the rings a fly flitting and buzzing. The fly
grew. In half a minute or less it had grown into a monster hornet. No
sooner had this metamorphosis taken place than it frisked into one
of the other rings, and another fly appeared in its place. This one
also developed into a hornet, giving way, when fully formed, to a
third fly. Each ring was now occupied, and the clerics wondered what
next would happen. Little time had they for musing, for the third
fly quickly accomplished its transformation, when the first one left
the ring and flew through the room. New hornets appeared in quick and
quicker succession. The guests became now thoroughly alarmed. Priestly
amusement gave way to pallid amazement. More and more came the dreaded
hornets, louder and louder their droning hum. They filled the room,
they darkened the whitened ceiling, and insinuated themselves into the
hoary locks of the Puritanic divine so that he yelled hoarsely. It
was utter confusion, and all were rushing wildly here and there for
refuge or escape, when the conjuror reappeared with a merry laugh,
and a loud "Ho! is conjuring possible now, gentlemen?" The Cloth was
soon pacified, the hornets dismissed to their sylvan home, and the
reputation of the Aby Biddle established as a mighty magician in the
minds of some noted parsons of Pembrokeshire.
SIR DAFYDD LLWYD, YSPYTTY YSTWYTH.
About two hundred years ago there lived in the neighbourhood of Ysbytty
Ystwyth, in Cardiganshire, a wizard and a medical man, known as Sir
Dafydd Llwyd, who had been a clergyman before he was turned out by
the Bishop for dealing in the Black Art. According to "A Relation
of Apparitions," by the Rev. Edmund Jones, it was thought that he
had learnt the magic art privately at Oxford in the profane time
of Charles II. Like other wizards Sir Dafydd also had a Magic Book,
for the Rev. Edmund Jones tells us that on one occasion when he had
"gone on a visit towards the Town of Rhaiadr Gwy, in Radnorshire,
and being gone from one house to another, but having forgotten his
Magic Book in the first house, sent his boy to fetch it, charging
him not to open the book on the way; but the boy being very curious
opened the book, and the evil Spirit immediately called for work; the
boy, though surprised and in some perplexity, said, "Tafl gerrig o'r
afon,--(throw stones out of the river) he did so; and after a while
having thrown up many stones out of the river Wye, which ran that way,
he again after the manner of confined Spirits, asking for something
to do; the boy had his senses about him to bid it to throw the stones
back into the river, and he did so. Sir David seeing the boy long in
coming, doubted how it was; came back and chided him for opening the
book, and commanded the familiar Spirit back into the book."
SIR DAFYDD DEFEATING A RIVAL WIZARD.
According to the stories still extant in North Cardiganshire, this
Sir Dafydd Llwyd had a most wonderful control over the demons.
The following tale was told me by Mr. D. Jones, Bryntirion, Llanilar:
A rival wizard who lived in the neighbourhood of Lampeter, on one
occasion challenged Sir Dafydd to a contest in the black art, in order
to prove to the world which of the two wizards was the cleverest in
controlling the demons. On the morning of the appointed day for the
contest between the two experts in the black art, Sir Dafydd sent
his boy to an elevated spot to have a look round if he could see a
bull coming from the direction of Lampeter. The boy went, but ran
back immediately to inform his master that a most savage bull was
approaching. Off went Sir Dafydd to Craig Ysguboriau, and stood on
the spot with his open magic book in his hand. The bull, or rather
a demon in the form of a bull, fiercely attempted to rush at him,
but Sir Dafydd compelled him to return whence he came. The animal
returned to Lampeter and rushed at once at the Lampeter wizard,
and killed him. So Sir Dafydd defeated and got rid of his rival.
Another story I heard at Ysbytty Ystwyth was that one Sunday morning
when Sir Dafydd went to Church, he sent his boy to keep away the crows
from the wheat field; but when he came home he found that the boy had
collected all the crows into the barn. Sir Dafydd at once discovered
that the boy had learnt the Black Art.
There is a tradition in the neighbourhood that the body of Sir Dafydd
lays buried under the wall of Yspytty Ystwyth Churchyard, and not
inside in the Churchyard itself, and people still believe that this
is a fact. The story goes that the wizard had sold himself to the
devil. The agreement was that the arch-fiend was to have possession
of Sir Dafydd if his corpse were taken over the side of the bed,
or through a door, or if buried in a churchyard. In order to escape
from becoming a prey to the Evil One, the wizard on his death-bed
had begged his friends to take away his body by the foot, and not
by the side of the bed, and through a hole in the wall of the house,
and not through the door, and to bury him, not in the churchyard nor
outside, but right under the churchyard wall. So that his Satanic
majesty, who had been looking forward for the body of Sir Dafydd,
was disappointed after all.
That it was formerly believed that the devil could be out-witted or
deceived is evident from the fact that in the Middle Ages it was often
customary to bury an ungodly rich man in the garb of a Monk. This
could be done by paying the Monks a certain sum of money.
There is a story very much like the one I have just given, to
be found in the South-Western part of Montgomeryshire. In the
Montgomeryshire version, however, the wizard is not Sir Dafydd Llwyd,
but Dafydd Hiraddug, who had charged his friends, that on his death,
the liver and lights were to be taken out of his body and thrown on
the dunghill. They were then to take notice whether a raven or a dove
got possession of them; if a dove got possession of them, he was to
be buried like any other man in the churchyard; but if a raven, then
he was to be buried under the wall, and under the wall he was buried,
as a raven got possession of the liver and lights.
The devil in disappointment cried out:--
"Dafydd Hiraddug ei ryw,
Ffals yn farw, ffals yn fyw."
(Dafydd Hiraddug, ill-bred
False when living, false when dead.)
The dove and the raven play their part in many of the wizards tales. An
old man from Llandilo, named David Evans, informed me that the wizard
of Cwrtycadno asked his friends to throw his heart on the dunghill. If
a dove came for it first, he had been a good man; but a raven, a sign
that he had been a bad man.
The appearance of a dove at the time of a death or a funeral was
regarded as a sure sign that the deceased had been a good man. The
Rev. Edmund Jones in his "Apparitions," referring to the death of
a certain godly man, says that "Before the body was brought forth,
a white dove came and alighted upon the bier."
WIZARDS RIDING DEMONS THROUGH THE AIR.
In the present day we hear a great deal about airships; but if we are
to believe some of the old folk-stories, magicians travelled through
the air in days long before anyone had ever dreamt of a balloon. In
former times it was believed by the ignorant that a wizard with his
magic book could, and did, summon a demon in the shape of a horse,
and travelled on the back of the fiend through the air. It is said
that Sir Dafydd Llwyd of Ysbytty Ystwyth, employed a demon for that
purpose; and one night when he was riding home from Montgomeryshire
on a demon in the shape of a horse, a boy who rode behind him on the
same horse lost one of his garters on the journey. After this the
boy went to search for his garter, and to his great surprise saw it
on the very top of a tree near the church, which convinced him that
the wizard and himself had been riding home through the air!
There was also at Llanbadarn Fawr, in the same county, about seven
hundred years ago, a Knight named Sir Dafydd Sion Evan, who was
supposed to be taking journeys through the air on a demon-horse. This
Sir Dafydd was at times absent for weeks; and when he returned he was
often wet with foam and covered with seaweed, or his head and shoulders
sprinkled with snow, during the heat of summer. At other times he
was blackened with smoke and smelling strong of sulphureous fire. On
one occasion when Sir Dafydd had mounted this "devil-born" horse,
and had gone up a considerable height into the air, the horse turned
his head and said, "How I have forgotten Sir Davy Sion Evan; I asked
not of the course of thy travel; art thou for steering above wind,
or below wind"? "On Devil-born!" said Sir Davy, "and stint prate."
Such tales of wizards riding through the air on demons are to be
found in Scotland as well as Wales, and Sir Walter Scott in his
Notes to the Lay of the Last Minstrel, gives the following story
concerning Sir Michael Scott, who was chosen, it is said, to go upon
an embassy to obtain from the King of France satisfaction for certain
piracies committed by his subjects upon those of Scotland. Instead
of preparing a new equipage and splendid retinue, the ambassador
retreated to his study, opened his book, and evoked a fiend in the
shape of a huge black horse, mounted upon his back, and forced him
to fly through the air towards France. As they crossed the sea, the
devil insidiously asked his rider what it was that the old women in
Scotland muttered at bedtime? A less experienced wizard might have
answered that it was the Pater Noster, which would have licensed the
devil to precipitate him from his back. But Michael sternly replied,
"What is that to thee? Mount Diabolus, and fly!" When he arrived
at Paris, he tied his horse to the gate of the palace, entered,
and boldly delivered his message. An ambassador with so little of
the pomp and circumstances of diplomacy was not received with much
respect; and the King was about to return a contemptuous refusal to
his demand, when Michael besought him to suspend his resolution till
he had seen his horse stamp three times. The first stamp shook every
steeple in Paris, and caused all the bells to ring; the second threw
down three of the towers of the palace; and the infernal steed had
lifted his hoof to give the third stamp, when the King rather chose
to dismiss Michael with the most ample concessions than to stand to
the probable consequences.
It seems that in Eastern countries also, there are traditions of
magicians riding through the air, for in the "Arabian Nights," we
have the story of the Enchanted Horse.
An old carpenter, named Benjamin Phillips, Bronwydd Arms, Carmarthen,
informed me the Wizard of Fos-y-Broga, often caused a demon to appear
at night in the form of a white bull, on the road near Llanpumpsaint.
THE HARRIESES OF CWRTYCADNO, THE POPULAR MODERN WIZARDS.
The most popular and greatest wizards of modern days were undoubtedly
the Harrieses of Cwrtycadno, in Carmarthenshire.
John Harries lived at Pantcoy, Cwrtycadno, in the Parish of Caio,
and died in the year 1839. His sons were also popular conjurers,
one of whom only died about 45 years ago.
Harries was a medical man, an astrologer, and a wizard, and people
came to enquire of his oracle from all parts of Wales, and from the
English borders, especially Herefordshire, and his name was familiar
through the length and breadth of the land. It is said that he had a
wonderful power over lunatics; could cure diseases; charm away pain;
protect people from witches, and foretell future events, etc. Good many
stories are told of him by old people, and I have already introduced
his name in my account of witches.
I was told by an old man, Mr. David Evans, a millwright from Llandilo,
that the popularity of Harries as a wizard originated as follows:--A
young woman somewhere in that part of the country was lost, and could
not be found after searching for her everywhere; at last her relations
and friends went to Cwrtycadno to consult Dr. Harries. The wizard
informed them that the girl had been murdered by her sweetheart, and
that he had hid her body in the earth, under the shades of a tree,
in the hollow of which they would find a bee's nest. The tree stood
alone near a brook. The searching party at last came across the spot
indicated by the conjurer, and here they found the young woman's body
buried, as the wise man had told them. The young man who had murdered
the girl was found, and confessed the crime. When the authorities of
the law became aware of these facts, the wizard was brought before
the magistrates, at Llandovery, where he was charged with knowing and
abetting of murder, otherwise he could not have known she was murdered,
and where she was buried. He was, however, discharged. According to
the "History of Caio," by F. S. Price, an interesting book presented
to me by Lady Hills-Johnes, the wizard told the magistrates (Lloyd,
Glansevin, and Gwyn, Glanbran), that if they would tell him the hour
they were born, he would tell them the hour they would die!
CWRTYCADNO CONJURER AND SPIRIT RAISING.
I did not hear any stories of Dr. Harries riding demons through the
air like Sir Dafydd Sion Evan and others; but it was believed, and
it is still believed by many, that he could and did summon spirits
to appear. A few years ago when I was allowed to search what is left
of the Library of Harries, which is still to be seen at Pantcoy,
where he lived, I found a large number of medical books, and Greek
and Latin works, I also found several books dealing with astrology,
magic art, charms, etc.; but the much talked of padlocked volume full
of demons was last I was told though amongst other curious things I
found the following "Invocation":--
HOW TO OBTAIN THE FAMILIAR OF THE GENIUS OR GOOD SPIRIT AND CAUSE
HIM TO APPEAR.
"After the manner prescribed by Magicians, the exorcist must inform
himself of the name of his Good Genius, which he may find in the Rules
of the Travins and Philermus; as also, what Chonactes and Pentacle,
or Larim, belongs to every Genius. After this is done, let him compose
an earnest prayer unto the said Genius, which he must repeat thrice
every morning for seven days before the Invocation.... When the day
is come wherein the Magician would invocate his prayer to Genius
he must enter into a private closet, having a little table and silk
carpet, and two waxen candles lighted; as also a chrystal stone shaped
triangularly about the quantity of an apple which stone must be fixed
upon a frame in the centre of the table; and then proceeding with
great devotion to Invocation, he must thrice repeat the former prayer,
concluding the same with Pater Noster, etc., and a missale de Spiritu
Sancto. Then he must begin to consecrate the candles, carpet, table
and chrystal, sprinkling the same with his own blood, and saying:
I do by the power of the holy Names Aglaon, Eloi, Eloi Sabbathon,
Anepheraton, Jah, Agian, Jah, Jehovah; Immanuel, Archon, Archonton,
Sadai, Sadai, Jeovaschah, etc., sanctifie and consecrate these holy
utensils to the performance of this holy work, in the name of the
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. Which done, the Exorcist must say
the following prayer with his face towards the East, and kneeling with
his back to the consecrated table:--O thou blessed Phanael my angel
guardian, vouchsafe to descend with thy holy influence and presence
into this spotless chrystal, that I may behold thy glory, etc. This
prayer being first repeated towards the East, must be afterwards said
towards all the four winds thrice. And next the 70th Psalm repeated
out of a Bible that hath been consecrated in like manner as the rest of
the utensils, which ceremonies being seriously performed, the Magician
must arise from his knees and sit before the chrystal bareheaded with
the consecrated Bible in his hand and the waxen candle newly lighted
waiting patiently and internally for the coming and appearance of
the Genius.... Now about a quarter of an hour before the spirit come,
there will appear great variety of apparitions within the glass; as
first a beaten road or tract, and travellers, men, and women marching
silently along. Next there will be rivers, wells, mountains, and seas
appear, after that, a shepherd upon a pleasant hill feeding a goodly
flock of sheep, and the sun shining brightly at his going down; and
lastly, innumerable flows of birds and beasts, monsters and strange
appearance, and which will all vanish at the appearance of the Genius.
"The Genius will be familiar in the stone at the performance of
the wizard."
The following story of this Welsh wizard's spirit summoning was
related to me a short time ago by a clergyman who is a native of
Carmarthenshire, the Rev. J. Phillips, vicar of Llancynfelyn:
THE FARMER WHO CONSULTED THE CONJUROR; OR THE FAMILIAR SPIRITS AND
THE LOST COWS.
A farmer who lived in the Southern part of Carmarthenshire, lost three
cows. Having searched in vain for them everywhere, he at last went to
Cwrt-y-Cadno, though he had a very long journey to go. When he arrived
there and consulted Dr. Harries, the worthy wizard told him that he
could not give him any information concerning his lost cows till next
day, as he wanted time to consult his magic books. The farmer was a
little disappointed, as he wanted to go home that evening; but under
the circumstances there was nothing to be done but try and get a bed
for the night at some farm in the neighbourhood. So he left the wizard
for the night with the intention of returning to him again in the
morning, when he hoped to hear something of his lost cows. But after
going out of the house, he noticed a barn close by, which he entered,
and found in a corner a heap of straw where he thought he could lie
down and sleep comfortably till next morning. This he did unknown to
the wizard, who took for granted that the farmer had gone to stay for
the night at some house in the neighbourhood. He slept comfortably
in the barn for a while, but about one o'clock in the morning, he was
awakened by the sound of the wizard's footsteps entering the place at
that untimely hour, with a lantern in his hand. The disturbed farmer
could not imagine what he wanted in the barn at this time of the night,
and he was afraid of being discovered. Presently, however, he noticed
the conjurer drawing a circle around himself in the middle of the room;
that is the well-known Wizard's Circle. Then he stood right in the
middle of this circle, and having opened a book, he summoned seven
demons or familiar spirits to appear, and in an instant they came
one after another and stood outside the circle. Then he addressed or
called out to the first spirit something as follows:--"Tell me where
are the farmer's lost cows"? But the demon answered not. He repeated
the question two or three times, but the Familiar was quite dumb. At
last, however, it shouted out, 'A pig in the straw' but this was no
reply to the wizard's question.
Having failed with the first spirit, the wizard addressed the second
one, and then the third, and so on till he had given the question
to each one of the familiars except one, without any result; the
spirits seemed very stupid on this occasion, and would not give the
information required. Fortunately, however, when the question was given
to the seventh and last of the demons, it shouted out, 'The farmer's
cows will be on Carmarthen Bridge at 12 o'clock to-morrow.' Then the
wizard left the barn and went to bed well pleased.
The farmer who was hiding in the straw heard everything, and made
up his mind to travel to Carmarthen at once, so as to be there in
time to find his cows on the Bridge. So off he went to Carmarthen,
and reached the Bridge just at 12 o'clock, and to his great joy the
cows were there. Then he drove them home, but when he had gone about
half-a-mile from the Bridge, the cows fell down as if half dead on
the roadside, and in vain did he try to get them to move forward any
further. So he had to go all the way to Cwrt-y-Cadno again, so as to
consult what to do. When he arrived there "Serve thee right," said
the wizard to him, "I have cast a spell on thy cattle for running
away secretly last night from the barn without paying me for the
information obtained from the spirits."
Then the farmer gave the wizard a certain sum of money and returned
to his three cows which he had left on the road half-a-mile from
Carmarthen Bridge; and to his great joy the cows went home without
any further trouble.
A FAMILIAR SPIRIT IN THE SHAPE OF A DOG AND THE LONELY NIGHT TRAVELLER.
On one occasion a certain man from Cilcwm, was on a visit in the
neighbourhood of Cwrtycadno. When he started to return home it was
getting rather late, and he had a long journey to go through a lonely
mountainous country. The wizard, Dr. Harries, asked him if he was
afraid of such a journey over the mountain in the depth of night. The
man confessed that he did not like such a journey at that late hour
without a single soul to accompany him, but that he was obliged to
go home that night without fail; and so he proceeded on his way. As
he journeyed along, the darkness of night overtook him on his way
over the mountain, but to his great surprise, when he looked around
him, he noticed a black dog following him, or rather walking by his
side. The dog was very friendly, and the lonely traveller felt glad
of the animal's company. So on they went together; but when they
were nearing his home the dog vanished suddenly into nothing. The man
was quite convinced that the dog was nothing but a familiar Spirit,
in the shape of a dog, sent by the wizard to bear him company in his
lonely night journey.
The above story was related to me by the Rev. J. Phillips, vicar
of Llancynfelyn.
CONJURERS AND LUNATICS.
About one hundred years ago there lived in the neighbourhood of
Pencader, a wizard, named Phillips, who was very successful in curing
lunatics. On one occasion, an old woman from Tregroes, near Llandyssul,
took her son to him who had been insane from his birth. The wise man
blew into the young man's face, and informed his mother that he would
be sane for twenty years, and so it happened; but after twenty years
he became insane again as the wizard had predicted.
My informant was Mr. Rees, Maesymeillion, in the parish of Llandyssul,
whose father's uncle remembered the lunatic.
The wizard of Cwrt-y-Cadno was also very successful in curing
lunatics. He would take the insane to the brink of the river and
fire an old flint revolver which would frighten his patient to such
a degree that he fell into the pool.
WIZARDS REVEALING THE FUTURE.
It was believed that conjurers could tell fortunes, or reveal the
hidden future, and a good many, especially young people, consulted
them.
The following is a copy of a card which Harries of Cwrt-y-cadno
distributed:--
"NATIVITY CALCULATED."
In which are given the general transactions of the Native through life,
viz:--Description (without seeing the person), temper, disposition,
fortunate, or unfortunate in their general pursuits; honour, riches,
journeys, and voyages (success therein, and what places best to travel
to, or reside in); friends, and enemies, trade, or profession best
to follow; whether fortunate in speculation, viz: Lottery, dealing
in Foreign Markets, etc., etc., etc. Of marriage, if to marry.--The
description, temper, and disposition of the person, from whence,
rich or poor, happy or unhappy in marriage, etc., etc. Of children,
whether fortunate or not, etc., etc., deduced from the influence of
the Sun and Moon, with the Planetary Orbs at the time of birth. Also,
judgment and general issue in sickness and diseases, etc.
By Henry Harries.
"All letters addressed to him or his father, Mr. John Harries,
Cwrtycadno, must be post paid, or will not be received."
A CONJURER SHOWING A YOUNG MAN HIS FUTURE WIFE.
Harries, Cwrtycadno, had a magic glass, so it is said, into which
a person looked when he wished to know or see the woman he was to
marry. A young man named Phillips, once had gone from the parish of
Llanllawddog, to Cwrtycadno, to show Dr. Harries some of his father's
urine, which he took with him in a small bottle, as the old man was
very ill. Harries examined it, and told the young man that his father
would never get well again. The young man now decided to return home as
soon as he could through Abergorlech, and Brechfa, where he intended
staying for the night, as the journey was a long one. Just before
he departed, however, Harries asked him, "By the way young man,
would you like me to tell your fortune? I'll do it for 2s. 6d.";
and so it was agreed. The conjurer had a large looking glass, the
Magician's Glass, which was covered with a large board. He took off
this covering, and told the young man to look into the glass. so as
to see his future wife. He did look stedfastly as he was directed,
and saw in the glass the form of a young woman passing by. Meanwhile,
the wizard himself had entered alone into a little side room, where
he was speaking loudly to a familiar Spirit, or something; but he
soon returned to the young man and asked him, "Did you see anything
in the glass?" "Yes, I saw a young woman." "Did you know her?" "No. I
had never seen her before: she was a perfect stranger to me." "Well,"
said the conjurer, "whether you have met her or not, that young woman
you saw in the glass is to be your future wife."
Sometime after this, the young man and his brother, both being
carpenters, were one day working on the roof of a house which had
been damaged by a storm, and it so happened that some woman and
her daughter, who were passing by, came to speak to them. When the
women had gone away out of hearing, the young man, who had been to
Cwrtycadno, said to his brother in surprise: "That young girl was
the very one I saw in the Wizard's Magic Glass." This was their first
acquaintance, and by and by they were married. My informant was their
own son who is a carpenter, and lives about a mile from Bronwydd Arms
Station, in Carmarthenshire. His name is Benjamin Phillips.
ANOTHER SIMILAR TALE.
About sixty years ago, Isaac Isaac, Tyllain, Llanarth, in
Cardiganshire, went to Harries, Cwrtycadno, to consult him about
something. The wise man was at the time busy with his harvest,
and he asked Isaac to be as kind as to help him a little for
telling his fortune, and he did so. As they were working together
on the field. Harries asked the young man if he intended going to
London? Isaac said, no, but that he had a letter in his pocket he
wanted to forward to London. Then Harries took the young man to the
house and showed him his future wife in a magic glass. He recognised
her at once as the young woman to whom he was already engaged,
and whom he finally married, though much against the wishes of the
young lady's parents. My informant was Mr. Watkin Evans, Blaenpark,
an old man who lives in the parish of Llanarth.
THE WIZARD OF CWRTYCADNO FORETELLING THE FUTURE DESTINY OF A NEW
BORN CHILD.
Owen Evans, Maesydderwen, near Llansawel, Carmarthenshire, an old
man of 90 years of age, informed me about four years ago that on
one occasion, long ago, when a baby, a girl, was born to him and
his wife, he went to Dr. Harries, Cwrtycadno, to consult him about
the future destiny of the child. The conjurer spoke to him something
as follows:--"I hope you will not be distressed when you hear what
is going to happen to your dear child; but the truth of it is, she
will have a very narrow escape from drowning at the age of four,
and death awaits her at the age of twenty!" My informant then went
on to tell me with tears in his eyes, that everything took place
exactly as Harries told him. His dear girl at the age of four one
day, whilst playing and running along the river side (River Cothy),
fell over the banks into the water and nearly got drowned. After this,
she never enjoyed good health, and at the age of twenty she died!
Owen Evans informed me that when he went to Cwrtycadno, several other
men accompanied him there, and one of them was named John Lloyd, who
was a perfect stranger to Dr. Harries. But the wise man through his
knowledge of the occult science, was able to tell this stranger that
he had a mole on his head, and had met with an accident on his leg,
which was true. My informant also added that the wizard "set great
importance on the Planet under which a man was born."
Mr. Thomas Davies, Penybont, Llanddewi Brefi, over 90 years of age,
vouched for the truth of the following account:--Many years ago,
Wiliam Davies, Pistill Gwyn Bach, Llanddewi Brefi, in Cardiganshire,
had lost some money, and could not find it, so he went to Cwrtycadno,
to consult Dr. Harries about it. The Conjurer told him where to find
the money, and warned him to keep away from fairs, lest some accident
should befall him. Wiliam was very careful for a time, but at last a
son of his got married, and persuaded him to accompany him to a fair
at Lampeter. He went, and was thrown down by a horse, and died in a
few days.
It is said in the neighbourhood of Caio that Dr. Harries had foretold
the death of the Late Lamented Judge Johnes, of Dolaucothy, about
thirty years before it took place. Mr. Johnes, who was highly
respected, was cowardly murdered by a native of Ireland in 1876.
Mr. D. Owen (Brutus), in his book "Brutusiana" which was published
in 1840, condemns the wizard for his fortune telling:
"The first day of winter.
Severe is the weather,
Unlike the first Summer,
None but God can foresee what is to come."
Druidical "Warrior Song."
PREDICTION CONCERNING THE DEATH OF HIS LATE MAJESTY KING EDWARD.
According to Mr. Arthur Mee, Cardiff, in the "Western Mail," May,
1910, astrologers who make a study of national forecasts, had predicted
the death of the late King.
SIR RHYS AP THOMAS CONSULTING A WIZARD CONCERNING KING HENRY VII.
When the Earl of Richmond (afterwards Henry VII.) was about to land
in Wales from France on his way to Bosworth, Sir Rhys Ap Thomas,
consulted a well-known wizard and prophet, who dwelt at Dale, as to
whether the Earl would be successful to dethrone Richard III. After
much hesitation, and at the urgent demand of Sir Rhys, the Conjurer
on the next day prophesied in rhyme as follows:--
"Full well I wend, that in the end
Richmond, sprung from British race.
From out this land the boare shall chase."
The "Boare" meant Richard III. See "Life of Sir Rhys Ap Thomas,"
by M. E. James, page 49.
THE CONJURER AND THE LOST OX.
Mr. Thomas Jones, Brunant Arms, Caio, gave me the following account of
what took place about 55 years ago, when his father lived at Penlifau,
in the parish of Cilcwm, on the mountain side, and near the road which
leads over the mountain from Cilcwm to Cwmcothi. A young farmer who
lived at a place called Foshwyaid, Cwm Du, near Talley, has taken some
cattle to Caio fair, in the month of August. Somehow or other, one of
his oxen went astray from the Fair, and could not be seen anywhere
in the neighbourhood. The young farmer and others went in every
direction in search of the animal, but returned disappointed. At last,
the man went to Cwrtycadno, to consult the "Dyn Hysbys." The wise man
informed him that his ox had wandered away from the Fair, at first in
a northernly, and afterwards in an easterly direction, "and" said he,
"if you take the road leading from here over the mountain to Cilcwm,
you will meet a man (the conjurer gave a description of the man)
who is likely to know something, or at least give you some clue to
your lost animal."
The young farmer then went on his way, and after proceeding for some
distance, he did meet a man as the conjurer had told him, and he told
him all his troubles. Now this very man happened to be my informant's
father who lived close by. Mr. Jones sympathised very much with the
young farmer, and though a stranger, invited him home with him to
get something to eat, and he accordingly went, and at the house,
they talked together for some time. At last, the young farmer had
to proceed again on his journey, rather disappointed, as his new
friend who had showed every kindness, could give him no information
about his lost ox. Jones went with him for a short distance, just to
show him a path (a short cut) leading from the house to the road; and
after bidding each other farewell, they parted. But before the young
farmer had gone far, Jones called him back, and informed him that he
had just recollected hearing some men, when coming home from Cilcwm
Church last Sunday, talking together about some new ox which they had
not noticed before in the field or yard of Tim. Davies, Gweungreuddyn
(a path from the Church went close by T. D.'s farm). When he heard
this bit of news from Jones, off he went at once as fast as he could
go to Mr. Timothy Davies; and to his great joy, when he arrived
there, found his stray animal quite safe in the "ffald." The local
authorities had discovered the ox wandering about the country; but
before the young farmer was allowed to take his animal home with him,
the sum of seven shillings was to be paid for faldage. The young man
went back to Jones, obtained the loan of seven shillings which he
repaid honestly after arriving home with his ox.
My informant also added that the conjurer had addressed the same young
farmer as follows:--"My poor fellow, you are in great sorrow," "No"
said the farmer, "Yes" said the conjurer again, "you have buried your
mother a few weeks ago." The man then confessed that this was quite
true. The wise man added, "A more melancholy event still awaits you
at the end of twelve months." And at the end of twelve months the
young farmer himself died!
Watkin Evans, Blaenpark, informed me that a farmer in the parish of
Dihewyd, Cardiganshire, found a harrow which he had lost by consulting
a conjurer.
One John Evans, of Llanddarog, in Carmarthenshire, 85 years ago, lost
a bull, but he found the animal at Morfa, Kidwelly, by consulting
a conjurer.
THE CONJURER AND THE LOST HORSE.
An old farmer, Mr. David Pugh, Erwlwyd, near Caio, Carmarthenshire,
told me the following story a few years ago, and vouched for the
truth of it:--
A friend of Mr. Pugh had lost a horse, and after searching in
vain for the animal for a whole fortnight, he was at last advised
to go to consult the "Dyn Hysbys." He rather hesitated at first,
but he, however, went. The man was a farmer in the neighbourhood of
Llandovery, but my informant did not wish to mention his name. The
Wizard, Harries, of Cwrtycadno, consulted his oracles, but did not
know what reply to give to the farmer at first about his animal. "Do
tell me" said the farmer most earnestly, "what has become of my horse,
or who has taken away the animal? It is such a loss to me to lose such
a fine steed." Presently, the wizard informed him that a certain man
(whom he described) had found the horse on the road, and caught the
animal and tied him to a tree which was close by. After a while, this
stranger took him home quietly and closed him in his own stable, fully
making up his mind to sell the horse at the first opportunity. "And
I am almost certain he'll succeed in doing so," added the conjurer,
"I am afraid you'll never see your horse again." "Can you do something
to prevent the thief selling my horse"? asked the farmer. "Yes,"
replied the wizard. The wise man then took some paper or parchment
on which he inscribed some magic word, or words, and gave it to the
farmer, telling him that so long as the parchment was kept safely
in his pocket, the thief could not succeed in selling the horse at
the fair. "But what can I do to find my stolen horse"? "Watch on the
road next Friday, near Glanbran, and I feel almost certain that you
will And your horse before the day is over, grazing on the roadside
somewhere in that neighbourhood."
The farmer then departed with the magic paper safely in his pocket,
and when Friday came, he watched on the road, and to his great joy
and surprise, he found the horse near Glanbran. Just as he mounted the
animal to go home, a young man who passed by, told him that a few days
ago, he had seen this very horse offered on sale at Rhayader fair,
but that the man who was trying to sell him failed to do so!
A LLANFAIR CLYDOGAU WIZARD.
Mr. Walter Evans (Pentre-Richard), in the Parish of Llanddewi Brefi,
informed me a few years ago, before he died, that some years ago,
when he lost some sheep, a conjurer who lived on Llanfair mountain,
directed or pointed out to him where to find them, and that they were
found two days afterwards in some water nearly drowning as the wise
man had said. This Llanfair Clydogau conjurer only died about nine
years ago, and until he died people consulted him from the surrounding
districts of Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire.
The best service rendered by conjurers to society was to help people
to discover thieves, and the superstitious often restored what they
had stolen through fear.
On one occasion a man who was often losing potatoes from the field went
to Harries, Cwrtycadno, who was a terror to thieves. The conjurer
showed him the thief in a magic glass, which enabled the man to
discover who the culprit was. In another potato tale, the wise man,
by means of his magic art forced the thief to appear at his house
and confess his guilt.
THE WIZARD OF LLANPUMPSAINT AND THE DUCKS OF ALLTYFERIN.
Mr. Griffiths, of 'Rhenallt, an old farmer near Carmarthen, informed me
about six years ago that long ago when he was a young man, he was once
a servant at Alltyferin. Ducks were continually lost at the farm, and
his master who suspected a neighbour as the thief, sent Griffiths with
a letter to a conjurer who lived at Fosybroga. The wise man sent a note
in reply giving a full description of the thief, and he was caught.
A woman in Pembrokeshire, who had lost a most valuable picture,
consulted a well-known wizard, who showed her a picture of the thief
in a magic glass. She recognised the culprit at once as one of her
intimate friends. The wizard then wrote the name of the thief on a
piece of paper, and pierced it with a needle, and informed his client
that if the picture was not restored to her within half an hour the
thief would be eaten up of a strange disease.
WIZARD MARKING THE CULPRITS.
It was believed in Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire, that Harries,
Cwrtycadno, could mark out thieves, and also persons who had an
"Evil Eye," by causing a horn to grow out of their foreheads. A man in
Tregaron had witched a woman, but the conjurer marked the mischievous
person by putting a horn on his head.
A farmer from the parish of Llangwyryfon, in Cardiganshire, whose
cattle had been witched by a neighbour who had an evil eye, went to
Llangurig in Montgomeryshire, to consult, a well-known conjurer who
only died a few years ago. The Wizard for the payment of 10s. showed
a picture of the offender in a magic mirror, and offered to cause
him to die of a strange disease. The farmer begged the conjurer not
to do that; that he did not desire to kill his enemy, only to punish
him, and he was punished. My informant was a farmer who lives near
Talybont, Cardiganshire.
This Llangurig wizard was continually consulted by clients from
Montgomeryshire, Cardiganshire, Radnorshire, and other counties. Not
long ago, there was also a conjurer at Llanidloes, in the same county
(Montgomeryshire), who was consulted on all cases of cursed fields,
bewitched cattle, horses, pigs, churns, backward lovers, bewitched
women, etc.
A WIZARD AND THE YOUNG MAN WHO HAD BEEN CURSED.
An old man named Evan Morris, who lives at Goginan, near Aberystwyth,
informed me that about 60 years ago, a young man in that neighbourhood
was struck dumb all of a sudden, that he could not utter a word. As he
had neither been ill nor met with an accident it was suspected that
he had been witched by some neighbour. So his father at last went
over the mountain to Llangurig, about twenty miles off, to consult a
well-known wizard named "Savage." The wizard opened his magic book,
from which out came a big fly, buzzing or making a humming noise,
boom, boom, boom, near the conjurer's face, who exclaimed, "What is
the matter with this old fly?" The wise man then struck the insect
with his hand and commanded it back into the book, and closed the
volume; but he opened it again at another page, and out came another
fly of a different colour. This fly again was buzzing till the wizard
commanded it back into the book, which he now closed altogether; and
addressing the man who had come to consult him, said to him: "You have
suspected a certain man in your neighbourhood of having witched your
son; but you are wrong; another man whom you do not suspect is the
guilty. But your son has not been witched at all; he is under a curse."
Welsh conjurers made a distinction between witchcraft and a
curse. Thomas Jones, of Pontrhydfendigaid, informed me that a conjurer
at Llangurig, named Morgans, told him once, that some men who were
born under certain planets, possessed an inherent power of cursing,
"and their curse," said he, "is worse than witchcraft itself."
When the man returned home from the conjurer, to his great joy and
surprise, he found his son able to speak. My informant vouches for
the truth of the story, and added that this conjurer was so deep in
the Black Art that he could do almost anything.
MERLIN.
I have in the preceding pages given some instances of modern and
mediæval magicians or wizards; but divination astrology and magic
in this country are of very ancient date. The names of Idris Gawr,
Gwyddion, the Diviner by Trees, and Gwyn, the son of Nud, have come
down to us from prehistoric times. So great was these three's knowledge
of the stars, that they could foretell whatever might be desired to
know until the day of doom. In Welsh Mythology, several even of the
kingly families are represented as playing the role of magicians,
especially Rhiannon, the daughter of Heveydd Hen. Math Ap Mathonwy,
King of Gwynedd, could form a maiden out of flowers, and transform
men into deers and wolves, etc. But, perhaps, the greatest of all the
wizards was Myrddin, or Merlin as he is known among English readers,
who lived about the beginning of the sixth century. Myrddin was born
in the neighbourhood of Carmarthen, or at least so it is believed;
and it is also believed that the meaning of Carmarthen is Myrddin's
town, and the people of Carmarthen to this day feel proud of such
a famous prophet who was born in their town. Merlin (or Myrddin)'s
fame spread throughout all the Western parts of Europe, if not to
other parts of the world, and his mighty magic adorned the tales
of romance, and in the tenth century one eminent scholar on the
Continent, went as far as to write, a commentary on his prophecies
or prognostications. But to confine ourselves to Welsh writers,
we have some account of Merlin by Nennius in the eighth century,
and by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the twelfth.
Geoffrey says:--"Vortigern, after the infamous treachery of the long
knives, retreated to Mount Erir--which is Eryri, or snowden--and here
he ordered the building of a great tower of defence, whose foundations,
however, were swallowed up by the earth as fast as they were filled
in." The Magicians, on hearing this, said he must procure the blood of
"a youth that never had a father," and sprinkle it on the stones and
mortar. Vortigern, accordingly, sent messengers to different parts of
the country in search of such a youth; and "in their travels they came
to a city, called, afterwards, Caermerdin, where they saw some young
men playing before the gate, and went up to them; but being weary
with their journey, they sat them down there.... Towards evening,
there happened on a sudden a quarrel between two of the young men,
whose names were Merlin and Dalbutius. In the dispute, Dalbutius said
to Merlin, 'As for you, nobody knows what you are, for you never had
a father.' At that word the messengers looked earnestly upon Merlin,
and asked who he was. They learnt it was not known who was his father,
but that his mother was daughter to the King of Dimetia, and that
she lived in St. Peter's Church, among the nuns of the city."
Merlin and his mother at the request of the messengers accompanied
them from Carmarthen to Snowdon to the presence of King Vortigern;
and when the boy was asked who was his father, his mother in reply
gave a very peculiar account of the birth of her son, whose father she
declared was a supernatural being, and so had no human father. Then
the King said to Merlin, "I must have thy blood." And when the youth
asked the King what good could his blood be more than the blood of
any other man, he was informed in reply that the twelve wise men
or bards had suggested the blood of a youth in order to make the
building stand. Then Merlin asked the bards or magicians what was
the real cause that the building of the tower was not a success? But
they could give no answer. Young Merlin now upraided them for their
ignorance and the cruelty of their suggestion. He then gave orders to
dig the ground, and when this was done a lake was discovered. Merlin
drained this lake, and at the bottom, as he had predicted, a stone
chest was discovered in which there were two sleeping dragons. These,
whenever they awoke, fought with each other, and their violence shook
the ground, thus causing "the work to fall." When the King commanded
the stone chest to be opened the two dragons came out and began a
fierce battle. One of these dragons was white and the other red. At
first the white dragon drove the red one to the middle of the pool,
then the red one, provoked to rage, drove the white one thither in
turn. When the King asked what this should signify, Merlin exclaimed
as follows:--"Woe to the red dragon for her calamity draws nigh,
and the white dragon shall seize on her cells. By the white dragon
the Saxons are signified, and the Britons by the red one, which the
white shall overcome. Then shall the mountains be made plains, and
the glens and rivers flow with blood. The Saxons shall possess almost
all the island from sea to sea, and afterwards our nation shall arise,
and bravely drive the Saxons beyond the sea." Nennius, chap. 43.
The old King Vortigern then left the neighbourhood of Snowdon, and
removed to South Wales, and built a fort or a Castle on a spot known
to this day as Craig Gwrtheyrn, or Vortigern's Rock, near Llandyssul
and Pencader.
The white and the red dragons respectively symbolised the Celtic and
Saxon races, and Merlin's prophecy concerning the final overthrow of
the Saxons by the Britons made a deep and lasting impression on the
minds of the Welsh people for ages, and even nearly nine hundred
years after Merlin's time. Owen Glyndwr found these prophecies
highly instrumental in his favour when fighting against the
English. According to a little book which I have in my possession
entitled, "Prophwydoliaeth Myrddin Wyllt," (Merlin's prophecy), one
Owen Lawgoch, who is tarrying in a foreign land, is to drive out the
Saxons, and become King under the title of Henry the ninth. Welshmen of
the present day, however, believe that Merlin's prophecy was fulfilled
in the year 1485, when Henry VII., a Welshman leading a Welsh army
to Bosworth Field, became King of England.
There are also many prophecies here and there attributed to Merlin;
some of which have been fulfilled, and others to be fulfilled in the
future. He had foretold even of the railway train running along the
Vale of Towy, which prediction has proved true:
"Fe ddaw y gath a'r wenci ar hyd Glan Towi i lawr;
Fe ddaw y milgi a'r llwynog i Aberhonddu fawr."
"The cat and the weasel shall come down along the banks of Towy;
The greyhound and the fox shall come into the town of Aber honddu,"
(Brecon).
It is believed that the train has fulfilled these sayings.
In the Vale of Towy, near Abergwili, there is a large stone in a
field belonging to Tyllwyd farm. I went to see it myself, and several
people in the neighbourhood informed me that a young man was killed
when digging under this stone in search of hidden treasure, and that
Merlin had prophesied about this.
According to another prophecy of Merlin a fearful catastrophe awaits
the town of Carmarthen:--
"Llanllwch a fu,
Caerfyrddin a sudd,
Abergwili a saif."
(Llanllwch has been,
Carmarthen shall sink,
Abergwili shall stand).
"Caerfyrddin, cei oer fore,
Daear a'th lwnc, dwr i'th le."
(Carmarthen, thou shalt have a cold morning,
Earth shall swallow thee, water into thy place).
The people of the neighbourhood even to this very day, more than
half believe that Carmarthen is to sink. At the end of a long street
in that town there is an old tree known as Merlin's Tree, in a very
withered condition. Every care is taken to protect it from falling,
as Merlin had prophesied that when this tree shall tumble down,
the town of Carmarthen shall sink.
"When Merlin's Tree shall tumble down.
Then shall fall Carmarthen town!"
(A Prophecy of Merlin).
According to another prophecy attributed to the same ancient wizard,
Carmarthen is to sink when Llyn Eiddwen, a lake in Cardiganshire,
dries up.
It is said that Merlin had predicted that a bull would go right to
the top of the tower of St. Peter's Church, Carmarthen, and that a
calf fulfilled this prophecy.
My cousin, the Rev. Joseph Evans, the Rector of Jordanston, in
Pembrokeshire, informed me a few years ago that one mile from the
town of Fishguard, there is a farm called Tregroes, respecting which
Merlin prophesied that it would be in the middle of the town some
day. There are now signs that this ancient prophecy is likely to be
fulfilled. September 4th, 1909, the Royal Mail Ship, Mauretania, the
finest and fastest liner afloat, inaugurated the new Transatlantic
Service from New York to Fishguard, so that there is a great future
before the place as indicated by Merlin of old. It is also interesting
to note that the captain of the Mauretania was a Welshman (Pritchard),
and the first passenger to land was also a Welshman, named Mr. Jenkin
Evans, brother to the Rector of Jordanston.
I have been informed that a relation of the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, lives at this very house respecting which Merlin had
prophesied.
General Gwynne, a fine old gentleman I met a short time ago at the
house of my genial friend, Col. Gwynne-Hughes, of Glancothy, wrote
to me as follows respecting another remarkable prophecy of Merlin
and its fulfilment:--
"Glancothy, Carmarthenshire, Oct. 12, 1909.
Dear Mr. Davies,--
I have heard you are writing a book on the Folk-Lore of
Wales. Perhaps the following may be of use to you.
Some time in the forties, when I was at the College at Llandovery,
my sister, Madam ---- speaking of our old property Glanbran,
at that time mortgaged, said, there is an old Welsh saying
attributed to Merlin to the effect that the Gwynnes should be at
Glanbran until a man standing at Dover could speak to another at
Calais. Years after, when I was in India, about the year when the
telephone or telegraph was perfected between France and England,
a document was sent out to me for my signature, which was my
final release to the Glanbran Estate as the youngest son of the
late Col. Sackville Gwynne of Glanbran Park.
Yours sincerely,
NADOLIG GWYNNE.
According to Giraldus Cambrensis, Merlin had prophesied that a
King of England and Conqueror of Ireland, should die in crossing
"Llechllafar," a stone of great size which was placed across the
stream dividing the cemetery of St. David's from the north side of
the Church to form a bridge. When Henry II. passed over it on his
return from Ireland a frantic woman called upon Llechllafar to kill
him according to Merlin's prophecy.
"The King, who had heard the prophecy, approaching tie stone, stopped
for a short time at the foot of it, and, looking earnestly at it,
boldly passed over; then, turning round, and looking towards the stone,
thus indignantly inveighed against the prophet: 'Who will hereafter
give credit to the lying Merlin?' A person standing by, and observing
what had passed, in order to vindicate the injury done to the prophet,
replied, with a loud voice, 'Thou art not that King of whom Ireland
is to be conquered, or of whom Merlin prophesied!'"
According to an ancient tradition, this stone spoke or groaned once
when a corpse was carried over it.
I was informed by many persons who live in the neighbourhood of
Abergwili, near Carmarthen, that Merlin was such a giant that he
could jump over the Vale of Towy.
MERLIN'S FATE.
The end or final fate of Merlin is surrounded by mysteries. A few years
ago when I was staying in the neighbourhood of Carmarthen, Merlin's
Hill (Bryn Myrddin) was pointed out to me where the great magician
still lives (so they say) in a cave in that hill, and held there in
imprisonment by an artful woman who contrived his disappearance from
among human beings. Moreover, it is added, that if you listen in the
twilight, you will hear his groans, and also the clanking of the iron
chains which hold him bound. Others say he is heard working in this
underground prison.
It seems from Spenser's "Faerie Queen," however, that according to
another ancient tradition, Merlin's place of confinement is, or was,
a cave near Dynevor, in the neighbourhood of Llandilo:
"And if you ever happen that same way to traveill, go to see that
dreadful place. It is an hideous hollow cave (they say) under a
rock that lyes a little apace emongst the woody hilles of Dynevowre
(Dynevor), etc."
Some stories describe Merlin as being held spellbound in a bush
of white thorns in the woods of Bresilien in Brittany. Others say
that he died, and was buried at Bardsey Island. But according to the
Triads he went to sea and sailed in a house of glass, and was never
heard of any more. In this voyage, Merlin took with him the thirteen
curiosities of Britain, which were:--
1. Llen Arthur (the veil of Arthur), which made the person who put
it on invisible.
2. Dyrnwyn.
3. Corn Brangaled (the horn of Brangaled), which furnished any
liquor desired.
4. Cadair, neu car Morgan mwynfawr (the chair or car of Morgan
Mwynfawr), which would carry a person seated in it wherever he wished
to go.
5. Mwys Gwyddno (the hamper of Gwyddno), meat for one being put into
it, would become meat for a hundred.
6. Hogalen Tudno (the whetstone of Tudno), which would sharpen none
but the weapon of a brave man.
7. Pais Padarn (the cloak of Padarn).
8. Pair Drynog (the caldron of Drynog), none but the meat of a brave
man would boil in it.
9. Dysgyl a gren Rhydderch (the dish and platter of Rhydderch),
any meat desired would appear on it.
10. Tawlbwrdd (a chess board, or, rather backgammon board), the ground
gold, and the men silver, and the men would play themselves.
11. Mantell (a robe).
12. Modrwy Eluned (the ring of Eluned), whoever put it on his finger
could make himself invisible.
13. Cyllell Llawfrodedd,--which was a kind of knife with which the
Druids killed their victims for sacrifices.
"The story of Merlin and Vivian as told in Brittany," translated from
the French-Breton magazine "L'Hermine," edited by M. Tiercelin, is
given in Part X. of the Transactions of the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian
Society, from which I give the following short extract--Viviane,
the love-making temptress, had enchanted the enchanter (Merlin). He
sleeps, says the legend, in the forest of Broceliande, vaulted
by an impenetrable hedge, on the bank of the fountain of love,
his head resting on the knees of Viviane; the enchanter enchanted;
and nobody has yet awakened the Celtic Orpheus from his eternal
slumber. "Ne onques puis Merlin ne issit de ceste tour, où sa mie,
Viviane l'avait mis."
PEMBROKESHIRE WOMAN'S PROPHECY FULFILLED.
The following appeared in the "Pembrokeshire County Guardian":--
"About one hundred and sixty years ago, there lived on a farm near
Spittal in Pembrokeshire, a man of the name of David Evans. He
had a family of five children: Thomas, the eldest, was born
on November 3, 1756, and married Sarah Bevan, of Martel Mill,
on Sunday, November 14, 17--, and they lived on a small farm
near Trefgarn Rocks, called Penyfeidr. This Sarah Bevan, or
Mrs. Evans was, like her husband, noted for her piety, and among
her neighbours was possibly more noted for her visions and her
ability to foresee and foretell coming events, of which there
are many reliable records still existing and talked of in the
district to this day. Entering the house one day, she told those
present that she had just seen a most remarkable sight below the
house in Trefgarn Valley, and described it as a large number of
heavily laden carts or waggons going very fast one after the other,
and no bullock or horses drawing them, but the first one appeared
from the smoke she saw, to be on fire. George Stephenson was the
first to introduce steam locomotive power into practical use in
the year 1825. So we may state with certainty that the rustics
of Pembrokeshire had no idea or knowledge whatever of the railway
train at the time that Mrs. Evans saw the vision. About 54 years
ago the railway was brought into Pembrokeshire, and the scheme
of the great engineer, Brunel, was to extend it to the sea shore
near Fishguard. With this in view, much work was accomplished in
cuttings and embankments in Trefgarn Valley, which are now to be
seen there. The country people were jubilant, expecting soon to
realise the prophetic vision. But strong influence was brought to
bear on Brunel, and finally he abandoned that route and took the
line to New Milford instead. And the vision and prophecy came to
nought. Afterwards the old people looked forward to the joining
of Fishguard and Goodwick with the main line, and believed the
truth of the story. But, alas! when the branch line was made,
it was many miles to the North of Trefgarn, and the old lady and
her vision were once more ridiculed, and apparently, there were
no further grounds for hoping that the prophecy would be fulfilled.
"When the project of the G. W. Ry. Co. got matured, it was found
that the old loop line via Letterston was not suitable for a fast
and direct service from Goodwick to London. So it was decided
to make a new line from Goodwick through Trefgarn Valley,--thus
re-adopting Brunel's original scheme. And last week I actually saw
'a large number of heavily laden carts or waggons going very fast,
one after the other, and no bullocks or horses pulling them, but
the first one appeared from the smoke I saw, to be on fire.' Just
as described, and in the very spot indicated by Mrs. Evans about
100 years ago.
"H.W.E.
"Solva, December 26th, 1905."
The people of Pembrokeshire have been remarkable for their insight
into the future; navvies were heard making railway cuttings many years
before the introduction of steam locomotive power into practical use.
I have been informed that the sound of a railway engine, whistling,
was heard at Llanilar, in Cardiganshire, fifty years before a railway
was constructed through the neighbourhood; and it is also said that
the sound of blasting was heard at Tyngraig, between Ystrad Meurig
and Llanafan, where afterwards a tunnel was made. My informants were
Mrs. Lloyd, the Vicarage, Llanilar, and Mr. Jones, Tyncoed.
THE CRIMEAN WAR SEEN IN THE SKIES.
About six months before the outbreak of the Crimean War, in 1853, John
Meyler, Cilciffeth, saw a strange mirage in the sky. He was returning
home late from Morville, and when nearing Penterwin he saw the image
of armies in the skies. There were several battalions at first,
and they increased in number till they spanned the heavens. There
were two opposing forces, and he could distinctly see the image of
men falling and of horses galloping across the firmament, and the
clashing of great masses of men. He was so terrified that he called
at Penbank and called the attention of Mr. James Morris, who lived
at that place at that time, and he saw the same thing. This strange
phenomenon appeared for about two hours.
The above account of this strange vision in the skies appeared
in the "Cardiff Times," a few years ago, sent to that paper by
Cadrawd. Pembrokeshire has always been known as the land of phantasm.
A REMARKABLE FULFILMENT OF A CONDEMNED MAN'S PREDICTION.
In the Churchyard of Montgomery is a grave where the grass refuses
to grow, though it is in the midst of luxurious vegetation. The
unfortunate man named John Newton, who was buried there in the year
1821, had predicted this as a proof that he was innocent of the charge
brought against him at the Assizes, when he was condemned to die on
the evidence of two men named Thomas Pearce, and Robert Parker, who
charged him with highway robbery. On being asked at the trial why
judgment should not be passed upon him, he said before the judge:
"I venture to assert that as I am innocent of the crime for which
I suffer, the grass, for one generation at least, will not cover my
grave." The poor man's prediction proved true, for the grave to this
day remains a bare spot.
One of the condemned man's accusers became a drunkard, and the other
"wasted away from the earth," and a curse seems to follow every one
who attempts to get anything to grow on the spot. At the head of the
grave is the stem of a rose tree, and it is said that the man who put
it there soon fell sick and died. I had heard of this grave even when
I was a boy, and some account of the story respecting it has appeared
in the papers from time to time.
SHOULDER-BLADE DIVINATION.
Giraldus Cambrensis, seven hundred years ago, speaking of the Flemings
of South Pembrokeshire, in his "Itinerary through Wales," says:--"It
is worthy of remark, that these people, from the inspection of the
right shoulder of rams which have been stripped of their flesh,
and not roasted, but boiled, can discover future events, or those
which have passed and remained long unknown. They know, also, what is
transpiring at a distant place, by a wonderful art, and a prophetic
kind of spirit. They declare also undoubted symptoms of approaching
peace and war, murders and fires, domestic adulteries, the state of
the King, his life and death. It happened in our time, that a man
of those parts, whose name was William Mangunel, a person of high
rank, and excelling all others in the aforesaid art, had a wife big
with child by her own husband's grandson. Well aware of the fact, he
ordered a ram from his own flock to be sent to his wife as a present
from her neighbour; which was carried to the cook and dressed. At
dinner the husband purposely gave the shoulder bone of the ram,
properly cleaned, to his wife, who was also well skilled in this
art, for her examination; when, having for a short time examined the
secret marks, she smiled, and threw the oracle down on the table. Her
husband dissembling, earnestly demanded the cause of her smiling
and the explanation of the matter; overcome by his entreaties, she
answered, 'The man to whose flock this ram belongs has an adulterous
wife, at this time pregnant by the commission of incest with his own
grandson.' The husband, with a sorrowful and dejected countenance,
replied, 'You deliver indeed an oracle supported by too much truth,
which I have so much more reason to lament, as the ignominy you
have published redounds to my own injury.' The woman thus detected,
was unable to dissemble her confusion, betrayed the inward feelings
of her mind by external signs; shame and sorrow urging her by turns,
and manifesting themselves, now by blushes, now by paleness, and lastly
(according to the custom of women), by tears.
The shoulder of a goat was also once brought to a certain person
instead of a ram's, both being alike when cleaned, who, observing
for a short time the lines and marks, exclaimed 'Unhappy cattle
that never was multiplied! Unhappy likewise the owner of the cattle,
who never had more than three or four in one flock!'
Many persons, a year and a half before the event, foresaw by
the means of the shoulder bones the destruction of their country
after the decease of King Henry the First, and selling all their
possessions, left their homes, and escaped the impending ruin. In
our time, a soothsayer, on the inspection of a bone, discovered not
only a theft, and the manner of it, but the thief himself, and all
the attendant circumstances; he heard also the striking of a bell,
and the sound of a trumpet, as if those things which were past were
still performing. It is wonderful, therefore, that these bones,
like all unlawful conjurations, should represent by a counterfeit
similitude to the eyes and ears, things which are past as well as
those which are now going on."
It is evident that the Celts, as well as the Flemings, knew something
of Shoulder-bone Reading, for J. G. Campbell, in his "Superstitions
of the Scottish Highlands," an interesting book presented to me by
Countess Amherst, states that this mode of divination was practised,
like the augury of the ancients, as a profession or trade; and Pennant,
in his "Tours in Scotland," 150 years ago, says that when Lord Loudon
was obliged to retreat before the Rebels to the Isle of Skye, a
common soldier, on the very moment the battle of Culloden was decided,
proclaimed the victory at a distance, pretending to have discovered
the event by looking through the bone; and Sir S. R. Meyrick, in his
"History of Cardiganshire," writing one hundred years ago, says that
the remains of this custom still existed in Cardiganshire in his time;
"but the principal use made of the bone is in the case of pregnant
women. The shoulder bone of a ram being scraped quite clean, a hole
is burnt in it, and it is then placed over the door of the apartment
in which the pregnant woman is, and she is told that the sex of her
offspring will be precisely the same as that of the first person who
shall enter the room."
DREAMS.
A dream was a common way of making known the will of God to the
prophets of old. We know from the Bible that important dreams took
place in the early ages of the world, and Welsh people, like other
nations, believe in the importance of these mysterious night visions,
and of their power of forecasting the future, and there are both
men and women all over the country who can give instances of dreams
which came true. There are, undoubtedly, some persons whose dreams,
as a rule, are reliable; whilst the dreams of others are not to be
depended on. It is also said that morning twilight dreams are more
reliable than other dreams; and it is believed that a dream which is
repeated is more to be relied on than that which occurs only once. I
have had most striking dreams myself; indeed almost everything that
happens to me has been presaged by a dream. About nine years ago
I dreamed that I was delivering a lecture to a large audience, and
speaking most fluently. On awaking, I had a distinct recollection of
every word I had uttered; and I am now very sorry that I did not write
down next morning the lecture which I had delivered in my dream. The
most remarkable fact is this: Previous to my dream I had no knowledge
whatever of the subject on which I lectured, as I had never studied
the subject in my life, and as a psychological curiosity I may mention
that by means of my dream I had become possessed of knowledge on a
particular subject which would have taken me at least a whole month's
hard study to acquire. (I am, of course, used to public speaking).
I have taken notes of few of my latest dreams, and perhaps it would
not be out of place to record here a remarkable dream which I dreamt
just before this book was going to press:
One night in January, 1910, I dreamed that I was walking near
St. Bride's, the country seat of Lord Kensington, in Pembrokeshire,
and I met Lord Kensington himself, who spoke to me thus: "Go into
the house, Lady Kensington is home, and I'll be with you in a few
minutes." Then I went to the door and rang the bell, and the butler
took me into the drawing-room. After waiting in the room alone for
some time without seeing anyone, all the household servants came
to me in a group, dressed in their holiday attire, and informed me
that Lady Kensington was not home after all, but that her Ladyship
had gone away and had got lost somewhere in going about, and that
Lord Kensington was seeking in vain for her everywhere, but failing
to find her anywhere. When I awoke from my dream I felt certain that
something had happened to one of the Kensingtons. A day or two after
my dream I was surprised to read in the papers that a cable-gram was
received in London from Calcutta, announcing the death of Dowager
Lady Kensington in India. I discovered that her death took place
on the very date of my dream, and that a few days previously Lord
Kensington had hurriedly left for India, having received news of the
Dowager's serious condition.
In order to add to the interest of the dream, I may state that the very
day before I dreamt, I expected every moment to hear of the Dowager's
return to England, as her Ladyship knew one or two interesting
"traditions of Bridget of Ireland, known as St. Bride," which she
intended to write down for me in order to record them in this book,
to which she was looking forward, as she was greatly interested in
Welsh traditions, especially those of Pembrokeshire.
One night, about seventeen years ago, when I was spending a few days at
Penmachno, in North Wales, where I had delivered a lecture, I dreamt
that I was receiving a letter; and when I looked at the envelope,
I recognised the handwriting at once as that of Lady Hills-Johnes,
of Dolaucothy. I then opened the letter and read it all through, and
found it was from her Ladyship; and when I awoke up from my sleep I
remembered every word of its contents. In the morning as soon as I went
down for breakfast, the landlady of the house delivered me a letter
which had come by post. I looked at the envelope as I had done in my
dream; it was from Lady Hills-Johnes; and when I read it, I discovered
that I knew every word of its contents beforehand from my dream.
When I was in Australia ten years ago, I had another remarkable dream
about Dolaucothy, just when Sir James Hills-Johnes was leaving home
for South Africa, to see his friend Lord Roberts, during the War;
but I have been asked by Lady Hill-Johnes not to publish the dream.
A remarkable fulfilment of a dream was reported in the "Aberystwyth
Observer" in the year 1888, in relation to the sudden death of the
late Colonel Pryse, an uncle of Viscountess Parker, and Great-uncle
of Sir Edward Webley-Parry-Pryse, Bart., of the ancient Family of
Gogerddan:--"It was not considered safe to break to Viscountess
Parker the news of her uncle's death for some days, and Mr. Fryer
went up to London to convey to her the information. On his arrival at
her residence, in Montague Square, a maid announced to her Ladyship
his arrival. 'Mr. Fryer!' she said, 'I know what it is. My uncle is
dead. He died on a lane leading from Rhiwarthen to Penwern. I have
dreamt four times in four years that this would happen, and the last
time was the night before baby was born. I have tried many times to
keep him from going that way. Ask Mr. Fryer to come up.' She afterwards
said that she meant the road leading to Penuwch which is in the same
direction, and that she would know the spot."
The editor of "Blackwood" gives authenticity to the following
dream:--A young man, engaged in a china manufactory at Swansea,
about the beginning of the last century, dreamed that he saw a man
drowning in one of their pools; he dreamed the same a second time,
and a third time, and then could not resist making an effort to rise
and satisfy himself that it was not so. He did rise, went to the spot,
and found the man drowned. A man in the neighbourhood of Newcastle
Emlyn, dreamed a similar dream in the 18th century.
The late Rev. J. E. Jenkins, Rector of Vaynor, in Breconshire, in
his interesting book on that parish gives the following account of
a girl saved by a dream:--
"The Rev. Williams Jones, afterwards Canon Jones, was curate in sole
charge here in 1822, and for many years afterwards. The Old Rectory
House and the Glebe land was at that time occupied by a man named Enos
Davies and his family. The Rev. W. Jones also had rooms at the Rectory.
"One morning at the end of May in that year, about two o'clock Enos
had a remarkable dream. He dreamt the Church was on fire. He suddenly
awoke, and in great excitement jumped out of bed and knocked at the
bedroom door of Mr. Jones, and cried:--'Master! Master! come down
at once, I have dreamt the Church is on fire.' The worthy divine
laughed at him, and told him to go back to bed, and not to give heed
to foolish dreams and nightly visions. Enos obeyed, but could not
sleep. During the day Mr. Jones walked down to the Church, and found
everything in the usual order, safe and uninjured. The following
morning, at the same hour, strange to say, Enos had the same dream,
and again disturbed the peaceful slumbers of his good master. 'Come
down to Church, Master,' said he, 'there must be something wrong,
I have again dreamt the Church is on fire.' 'All right Enos,' said
Mr. Jones; 'I will come with you, it is a fine morning.' By the time
they reached the Church it was half-past three. Coming-down the Lych
Gate, which was close by the little brook--the old entrance--they
were struck with a great awe and a terrified feeling came over them,
for they heard a peculiar sound coming, as it were, from the direction
of the Church. They stood, listened, and looked at each other in mute
astonishment, and Enos's hair stood on end. The sound became plainer:
it was like the sound of a sexton digging or opening a grave inside
the Church, as was often the custom in those days. Enos trembled,
and became as pale as death; whilst the clergyman, who was a tall
strongly built man, entered the churchyard, and stealthily went to
listen at the west door. He could distinctly hear a man digging a
grave. Mr. Jones soon found that an entrance had been made into the
Church through one of the north side windows. Re-tracing his steps to
Enos, who was still standing on the road by the brook, his attention
was directed to a young girl coming down the steep pathway over Cae
Burdudd--'the field of carnage'--the field where the mound is. She came
running down merrily, and in a pleasant manner, said--'good morning,
Mr. Jones, you are here before me.' 'Yes, my girl,' said the curate,
'where are you going so early?' 'Coming to be married, to be sure;'
was her joyous reply. The curate took in the situation in a moment and
told her:--'You have made a mistake as to the time. You must wait till
eight o'clock; I cannot marry you before eight. Go up to the Rectory
to Mrs. Davies and get some breakfast; we shall come after you in
a short time. We will wait here until John comes, and will bring
him up.' The innocent girl departed as requested, but had not gone
far when the south door of the church was opened from within by her
treacherous lover. He was at once apprehended by the courageous curate
and Enos, and was made to stand over the grave he had prepared for the
girl he had shamefully deceived and ruined, and whom he had intended
murdering. He pleaded hard for mercy, and, ultimately, in order to
avoid public scandal, on his promising to leave the neighbourhood
immediately, and never again to return to Vaynor, he was allowed to
depart. He was a native of Herefordshire, and was at this time in a
service at a well-known farm in the parish. He left at once, and was
never heard of afterwards by anyone from this parish. The curate, in
a calm, gentle way, partly detailed to the maid the evil intentions
of her base lover, and stated how God, in his good providence by the
means of a dream, had preserved her from an untimely death.
"The young girl was terribly shocked, and fell unconscious into the
arms of the curate. She lost her health, and after a time was taken
home to the neighbourhood of Knighton, and in a few months later
news reached Vaynor that the poor girl had died of a broken heart,
and the curate was asked to go up to bury her, but failed to go. The
above account was given me by my predecessor, the Rev. Rees Williams,
and was confirmed by the testimony of the late Mrs. Thomas, formerly
of Cwm and others. Mrs. Evans, late of Pengellifach, however, added
that the would-be murderer was handed over by Mr. Jones to the charge
of the Parish Constable, and was afterwards released. It should be
remembered that there were but few, if any, fixed pews in the Old
Church, only movable benches. Neither was the floor paved or boarded."
CONVERSING WITH THE DEPARTED IN A DREAM.
The following appeared in the "Weekly Mail," Cardiff, for June 18,
1910:--"The Rev. Hugh Roberts, Rhydymain, Dolgelly, discoursed on
"The Intermediate State" on a recent Sunday, and in the course of the
sermon related the substance of a conversation which he had had with
departed friends. "Recently in a dream," he said, "I conversed with an
old deacon friend who has been in the intermediate state for some time,
and was assured by him that he was not in a state of inertia by any
means. It is a 'country' where everybody has something to do--where
one and all contribute to make each other happy. However, they pine
even in the intermediate state--some are longing for the circles
which they left on earth, others pining for their bodies. But all
longing will cease when the Spirit has completed the heavenly bodies."
Welshpeople believe that if a young girl dreams that she has a long
hair, that she will marry a very wise man.
To dream of being well-dressed is a sign of wealth and prosperity,
especially if you are dressed in silks.
If a person dreams that he is going to get married, it foretells
sickness.
If a man dreams that he is surrounded by pigs, some one will come to
him to ask him for some money.
To dream of a horseshoe is a sign of good news.
Welshpeople generally believe that it is not good for any one to dream
that he is losing his teeth, and that it means either a death or the
loss of friends.
To dream of bacon is also considered bad.
If a young man dreams of a full barn, it means that he will marry a
wealthy young woman.
Those who are interested in the interpretation of dreams must consult
dream-books, as I am not expected to enter fully into such subject
here.