The Journey to Snowdon. 4to. 10s. 6d. boards. White THIS HIS is a continuation of a Tour to Wales by Mr. Pennant, a gentleman well known in the literary world by his account of Scotland, and other ingenious performances. As Wales is a part of the kingdom abounding in the finest profpects, and moft beautiful fcenery, and where nature appears in all her fublimity and magnificence, affording, at the fame time, an ample field for the curiofity of the naturalift, and food fufficient for the antiquary, an accurate defcription of it cannot but be acceptable to the public, especially when given by fo careful an observer as Mr. Pennant, who has omitted nothing which the information of preceding writers, or which oral or traditional knowlege could procure with regard to every place through which he paffed, and every perfon or circumstance which he has occafion to mention. a native of this country, whofe honeft prejudices warmly interest him in every thing that concerns it, the work before us must be doubly agreeable, as the author who is himself, we believe, both a native and inhabitant, takes every opportunity, in his relation of different occurrences, to celebrate the virtues of his countrymen. If the reader, indeed, has not fome knowlege of Welch, he will not fo well relish the beauties of it. A mere Englishman would even fometimes be puzzled to decypher the following formidable letters, BWLCH OER DD RWS, To which, notwithstanding, form the running title of page 16, with feveral others equally illegible. Impartiality obliges us here to remark, that there is not that eafe, terfenefs, and perfpicuity in the ftyle of this performance which we could wish to have met with; the facts and occurrences recounted, and the obfervations made, are not well ranged and digefted; add to this, that the diarymanner in which the narrative of the Journey is continued, has fomething very aukward and uncouth in it. Return along the ridge of the hill-fee beneath me the little church of Gwaen-yfher-defcend to the church and village Llanafa-quit the turnpike road on the left-ford the Wheler, and after croffing the Clwyd, reach Llewinni, &c.' This method of reciting what happened, may be useful in a memorandum book, and of fervice to travellers who are to go the fame road; but a frequent repetition of it in a printed book, is rather tedious and difgufting. We mean *See Crit. Rev. vol. xlv. p. 268. not, not, however, by this remark, to derogate from the general merit and utility of this performance, which is, upon the whole, confidered as part of a history of the country, both inftructive and entertaining, as our readers will perceive by the following extracts, which we have felected as fome of the most ftriking and agreeable. In the year 1572, fays our author, the refiant burgeffes who are voters for a member for the borough of Denbigh, had the courage to with fand the infinuations, the promifes, and the threats, of as unprincipled a lord as this kingdom was ever afflicted with; who had power to inflict, and will to execute, any vengeance that oppofition to his arbitrary inclinations might excite. In that year it was his pleasure that one Henry Dynne fhould reprefent this borough in parlement; the burgeffes were refractory, and chofe another perfon; which gave rife to the following letter, which I print, as a Jans pareille. A 1re fent from the earl of Leicester to the bayliffe, aldermen, and burgeffes, greatlie blaminge them for making choife of the burges of the parliament without his lordship's confente, and commanding them to allter their electione, and to chose Henrie Dynne. I have bene latlie advertised how fmall confideration youé have had of the 1r I wrote unto you, for the nomynafion of yo burgefs, whereat as I cannot but greatlie mervayle (in refpect I am yo' 1. and you my tenaunts, as alfo the manie good tournes and comodities wch I have bene allwayes willinge to procure youe, for the benefitte cf yor whole state) fo do I take the fame in fo---, and vill yte fo unthankfullie, as yf youe do not uppon receite hereof prefentlie revoke the fame, and appointe fuche one as I fhall nominate, namelic, Henrie Dynne, be ye well affured never to loke for any ffriendshipe or favo at my hande, in any yo af: fayres hereafter; not for any great accompt I make of the thinge, but for that I would not it fhou'd be thought that I have so small regard borne me at yo' hands, who are bounden to owe (as yo' L.) thus much dutie as to know myne advice and pleasure; that will haplic be aleadged, that yo' choice was made before the receipt of my les (in relie I would litle have thoughte that you would have bene fo forgetfull, or rather careieffe of me, as before yo elecion not to make me privie therto, or at the leaft to have fome defire of myne advife therein (having tyme ynoughe fo to do) but as you have of yo' felfes thus rafhlie proceded herein, without myne affent, foe have I thought good to fignifie unto youe, that I mean not to take it in any wife at yo' hands, and therefore wyfh you more advisedlie to confider hereof, and to deale with me as maye continue my fav towards you, otherwise loke for no fav at my hands: and fo fare ye well. From the court, this laft day of April, 1572. R. LEYCESTER. • This *This doughty letter had no effect: the burgeffes adhered to their own choice, and Richard Candifhe, gent. stands as member for Denbigh in that year.' This is a curious letter, and may ferve to fhew that the cuftom of peers interfering in elections, has at least the plea of antiquity in its favour. There is fomething droll in the following confeffion of Mr. Pennant, and the little hiftory annexed to it, I hope my countrymen (fays he) will not grow indignant, when I exprefs my fears, that in very early times we were as fierce and favage as the rest of Europe: and they will bear this the better, when they reflect, that they keep pace with it in civilization, and in the progrefs of every fine art. deny but that we were, to the excefs, We cannot Jealous in honor, fudden and quick in quarrel. Two gentlemen of this houfe exemplify the affertion. Meiric ap Bleyddyn, refentful of the injuries which he and his tenants received from the English judges and officers, flew one of the firft, and hanged feveral of the latter on the oaks of his woods; by which he forfeited to the crown the lands, ftill known in these parts by the name of Têr Meiric Llwyd, or the eftate of Meiric Llwyd. As to his perfon, he fecured it within the fanctuary at Hulfton ; and marrying, founded in that neighbourhood the house of Llwyd y Maen. Bleyddyn Vychan, another of this race, fell out with his tenants, and in a fit of fury chased them from his estate, and turned it into a forest; a pretty picture of the manners of the times! The place lies in the parish of Llanfanan, and bears the name of Foreft to this day.' From the ftory, as above related, we have reafon to suppose that Mr. Pennant's countrymen are apt to be a little quarrelfome. From an infcription which we meet with a little after, a fufpicion arifes, that they are liable to another weakness alfo. Mr. Pennant indeed infinuates as much, where he tells us that In Llenrhaider, a village near Denbigh caftle, in the churchyard is a common altar-tomb of a gentleman, who chose to build his fame on the long feries of ancestors which distinguished his from vulgar clay. It tells us, that HEARE LYETH THE BODY OF GRIFFITH, AP MEREDITH, AP JERWORTH, AP LLEWELYN, ALAWGWA, ALAWGWA, AP CADELL, THE HIS AGE XCV. For the infertion of this epitaph our author's countrymen have perhaps more reafon to be indignant, than for the quotation before given. When our traveller gets to a place called Bar-mouth, in Meirionydfhire, he tells us a very extraordinary ftory, which he attefts, of a fafting woman, and which, for its fingularity, we shall infert. My curiofity (fays he) was excited to examine into the truth of a furprizing relation of a woman in the parish of Cylynin, who had fafted a most fupernatural length of time. I took boat, had a most pleasant paffage up the harbour, charmed with the beauty of the fhores, intermixed with woods, verdant paftures, and corn fields. I landed, and, after a short walk, found in a farm called Tydden Bach, the object of my excur fion, Mary Thomas, who was boarded here, and kept with great humanity and neatness. She was of the age of forty-feven, of a good countenance, very pale, thin, but not fo much emaciated as might be expected, from the strangeness of the circumftances I am going to relate; her eyes weak, her voice low, deprived of the ufe of her lower extremities, and quite bed ridden; her pulfe rather strong, her intellects clear and fenfible. On examining her, fhe informed me, that at the age of feven, fhe had fome eruptions like the meafles, which grew confluent and univerfal; and fhe became fo fore, that she could not bear the left touch: fhe received fome cafe by the application of a fheep's fkin, juft taken from the animal, After this, fhe was feized, at fpring and fall, with fwellings and inflammations, during which time the was confined to her bed; but in the intervals could walk about; and once went to Holy-well, in hopes of cure. • When the was about twenty-feven years of age, she was attacked with the fame complaint, but in a more violent manner; and during two years and a half, remained infenfible, and took no manner of nourishment, notwithstanding her friends forced open her mouth with a fpoon to get fomething down; but the moment the fpoon was taken away, her teeth met, and clofed with vaft fnapping and violence: during that time, fhe flung up vast quantities of blood. She well remembers the return of her fenfes, and her knowledge of every body about her. She thought the had slept but a night, a night, and asked her mother whether he had given her any thing the day before, for fhe found herfelf very hungry. Meat was brought to her; but fo far from being able to take any thing folid, fhe could fcarcely fwallow a fpoonful of thin whey. From this, the continued feven years and a half without any food or liquid, excepting fufficient of the latter to moisten her lips. At the end of this period, the again fancied herself hungry, and defired an egg; of which she got down the quantity of a nut kernel. About this time, the requested to receive the facrament; which she did, by having a crum of bread fteeped in the wine. After this, fhe takes for her daily fub fiftence a bit of bread, weighing about two penny-weights feven grains, and drinks a wine glafs of water: fometimes a fpoonful of wine, but frequently abftains whole days from food and liquids She fleeps very indifferently: the ordinary functions of nature are very fmall, and very feldom performed. Her attendant told me, that her difpofition of mind was mild ; her temper even; that fhe was very religious, and very fervent in prayer: the natural effect of the ftate of her body, long unembarrassed with the groffness of food, and a conftant alienation of thought from all worldly affairs.' Snowdon, the great object of curiofity, for a view of which the journey was undertaken, is thus defcribed. The top of Snowdon, which by way of pre-eminence is tyled Y WYDDEA or the Confpicuous, rifes almoft to a point, the mountain from hence feems propped by four vaft buttreffes; between which are four deep Cwms, or hollows: each, excepting one, had one or more lakes, lodged in its diftant bottom. The nearest was Ffynnon Lâs, or The Green Well, lying immediately below us. One of the company had the curiofity to defcend a very bad way to a jutting rock, that impended over the monftrous precipice; and he seemed like Mercury ready to take his flight from the fummit of Atlas. The waters of Ffynnon Lâs, from this height, appeared black and unfathomable, and the edges quite green. From thence is a fucceffion of bottoms, furrounded by the moft lofty and rugged hills, the greatest part of whose fides are quite mural, and form the most magnificent amphitheatre in nature. The Wyddfa is on one fide; Crib y Diftill, with its ferrated tops, on another; Crib Coch, a ridge of fiery redness, appears beneath the preceding; and oppofite to it is the boundary called the Lliwedd. Another very fingular fupport to this mountain is Y Clawdd Coch, rifing into a fharp ridge, fo narrow, as not to afford breadth even for a path. The view from this exalted fituation is unbounded. In a former tour, I faw from it the county of Chefter, the high hills of Yorkshire, part of the north of England, Scotland, and Ireland: : a plain view of the Ifle of Man ; and that of Anglesea lay extended like a map beneath us, with every rill visible. I took much pains to fee this profpect to advantage; fat up at a farm on VOL. LII. Aug. 1781. H the |