The bard, thus aggravating Llywelyn’s cruelty, shewed him to her hanging on a tree, on the side of the hill, at a place called Wern Grogedig. Upon a mountain, about a mile south of Llywelyn’s castle, in a field called Cae Gwlyn du, is a cave where William de Breos was interred, still called Tyddyn Gwilyn.
Aber is much resorted to during the summer season, the sands at high water affording excellent bathing: the inn likewise affords good accommodation. It chiefly belongs to Lord Bulkeley, and exhibits numerous proofs of his lordship’s benevolence; amongst the rest, a new steeple to the church, with a ring of bells.
From hence, after passing Gosddinog (Mrs. Crawley’s) we soon reached the dark lowering promontory of Pen-mawn-mawr, about eight miles from Bangor, rising perpendicularly, in a massy wall, to the height of one thousand four hundred feet: huge fragments of shattered rock are scattered by the side of the road; and a wall, scarcely five feet high, alone protects a carriage from the steep precipice; which from the slightness of the foundation, has even fallen down in many parts. In this awfully sublime situation we remained for some time, astonished at the bold protuberance of the rocks, which seemed to project their dark sides to augment the idle roar of the waves.
The difference between looking up and looking down a precipice is well marked by Mr. Jefferson, in the account he furnished the Marquis de Chastellux, of the Virginian bridge of rocks. “Though the sides of the bridge,” says he, “are provided, in some parts, with a parapet of fixed rocks, yet few men have resolution to walk to them, and look over into the abyss. You voluntarily fall on your hands and feet, creep to the parapet, and look over it. Looking from the height about a minute gave me a violent head-ache. If the view from the top be painful and intolerable, that from below is delightful in the extreme. It is impossible for the emotions, arising from the sublime, to be felt beyond what they are on the sight of so beautiful an arch; so elevated and so light, springing up, as it were, to heaven. The rapture of the spectator is indescribable.”
In keeping the direct line of road the traveller leaves behind him many antiquities worthy of attention; Mr. Williams’s account of which, from his being a resident near the spot, appearing to be the best, as well as containing a most full and interesting description of the ancient Welsh or British games, I shall transcribe: at the same time, strongly recommending the work to such as wish to take a minute survey of this county.—His route is reversed, “but as most strangers will, no doubt, proceed from Conway to Bangor, it shall be my endeavour to act as their guide, and mention some particulars which are worth their attention along this road. For the first two miles he will proceed up hill, until he comes to an opening between two rocks, near a place called Sychnant, when all of a sudden a most magnificent scene presents itself. From hence, he commands a full view of Beaumaris Bay, generally covered with a number of small vessels; the Puffin, or Priestholm island, the village of Llangoed, the town of Beaumaris, Baron-hill, and the Friars; the former, the beautiful seat of the Lord Viscount Bulkeley, and the latter, that of his brother, Sir Robert Williams, Bart. M.P., all on the Anglesea shore. On the Caernarvonshire side, Bangor and Penrhyn Castle; and last, though not least, the huge Penmaen-mawr, protruding its rocky front into the sea, forming a natural barrier in such manner (to all appearance) as to cut off every communication this way, and render any farther progress impracticable. The art of man has, however, at length conquered these difficulties, and surmounted every obstacle, for about the year 1772, an excellent road was formed along the edge of this once tremendous and dangerous precipice, under the direction of the ingenious Mr. Sylvester, parliament having generously voted a grant for this purpose. Prior to this event several fatal accidents had happened here; and one or two nearly miraculous escapes are recorded in Pennant’s tour through North Wales. At that time, no carriage passed this way, and consequently, all the travelling was either on foot or on horseback. Dean Swift was generally a pedestrian, and in one of his rambles he left these lines, written on a pane of glass, at the old inn, (now a farm-house) near this mountain:—
Before you venture here to pass,
Take a good refreshing glass;
And when you are over, take another,
Your fainting spirits to recover.
“Before the traveller descends from the top of Sychnant, just mentioned, to the little vale Dwygyfylchi, he should deviate a little to the left, in order to examine some antiquities, near a place called Gwddw Glâs, in that parish. Here are several circles of stones, of various diameters, and large Carneddau, viz. barrows, or tumuli; supposed to have been memorials of those heroes who fell in the field of battle, as cistfaens, or stone coffins, are frequently discovered in some of these circular heaps or collection of stones. The principal circle now consists of ten upright stones, at unequal distances: the largest is eight feet three inches high; on the ground is another, eleven feet two inches; the diameter of this circle is eighty feet.
“Near this are four other smaller circles; in the centre of one is a flat stone, the remains of a cromlech, from which it may be conjectured, that it was a Druidical or bardic circle. About a quarter of a mile from these is a large circle, composed of small stones, and near it another of large stones; and not far from these another circle, composed of smaller stones.
“Near the last is a huge upright stone, called Maen y Campiau, or the stone of games; and nearly contiguous is a carnedd, and a small circle of twelve stones; adjoining to these are also a great number of what are now called in this country, Cyttiau Gwyddelod, (woodmen or Irishmen’s huts) being the foundations of small buildings, made of round stones; and the vestige of a road is still visible in a direction from hence towards the Conway. Some of these last, might probably have been the summer habitations or encampment of a small detachment of the Roman legion, stationed at Caer Rhun, or Conovium, for the purpose of protecting their cattle.
“Having mentioned Maen y Campiau, it may not perhaps be considered a digression to enumerate the twenty-four Welsh or British games, of which there were ten Gurolgampau, or manly games; viz. 1. to lift up great weights; 2. running; 3. leaping; 4. swimming; 5. wrestling; 6. riding. These six were styled Tadogion, viz. pertaining to fathers, or grown up persons, and required only bodily strength and activity; this last, Marchogaeth, is supposed to have included charioteering, or the skilful driving and management of different kinds of carriages. The other four were, 1. archery; 2. playing with the sword and buckler; 3. playing with the Cledda deuddwrn, or two-handed sword; 4. Chwarau ffoun ddwybig, or playing with the two-end staff or spear. Next to these were the ten Mabolgampau, or those more peculiarly adapted to young men; viz. 1. coursing; 2. fishing; 3. fowling; the remaining seven were of the domestic kind; 1. Barddoniaeth, or poetical composition; 2. Chwareu’r, Delyn, or playing upon the harp; 3. reading Welsh; 4. singing with the harp; 5. singing between three or four, most probably in alternate stanzas, or Pennillion; 6. drawing or painting, particularly coats of arms; 7. heraldry. After these were four Gogampiau, or minor games; viz. 1. Chwarau Gwydd-bwyll, a game similar to that of draughts; 2. Chwarau Tawl-Bwrdd, probably back-gammon, as this word is supposed to be derived from the Welsh language; viz. Back, little, and Cammawn, or Gammon, Battle; and Tawl-Burdd, means the toss on the table; 3. Chwarau Ffristeal, or the game of the dice-box; in what manner it was played is not known at present; 4. Cyweiriaw Telyn, or the tuning of the harp.