Gray’s Inn, Nov. 14, 1744.
Mr. Lewis Morris to the Rev. Evan Evans.
Dear Bard,
I received your’s last post, without date, with a Cowydd Merch, for which I am very much obliged to you. I cannot see why you should be afraid of that subject being the favourite of your Awen. It is the most copious subject under heaven, and takes in all others; and, for a fruitful fancy, is certainly the best field to play in, during the poet’s tender years. Descriptions of wars, strife, and the blustering part of man’s life, require the greatest ripeness of understanding, and knowledge of the world; and is not to be undertaken but by strong and solid heads, after all the experience they can come at.
Is it not odd, that you will find no mention made of Venus and Cupid amongst our Britons, though they were very well acquainted with the Roman and Greek writers? That god and his mother are implements that modern poets can hardly write a love-poem without them: but the Britons scorned such poor machines. They have their Essyllt, Nyf, Enid, Bronwen, Dwynwen, of their own nation, which excelled all the Roman and Greek goddesses.—I am now, at my leisure hours, collecting the names of these famous men and women, mentioned by our poets, (as Mr. Edward Llwyd once intended,) with a short history of them; as we have in our common Latin dictionaries, of those of the Romans and Grecians. And I find great pleasure in comparing the Triades, Beddau, Milwyr Ynys Prydain, and other old records, with the poets of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; which is the time when our Britons wrote most and best.
Let me have a short Cowydd from you now and then; and I will send you my observations upon them, which may be of no disservice to you. That sent in your last letter, I here return to you; with a few corrections. It doth not want many: use them, or throw them in the fire, which you please. Do not swallow them without examination. The authority of good poets must determine all.
Y forwyn gynt, fawr iawn gais,
Deg aruthr erioed a gerais.
The word Aruthr, though much used, in the sense you take it, seems not proper here; yet Dr. Davies translates it Mirus. I cannot think but the original import of the word is terrible; and they cannot say in English of a woman, she is terribly fair. Rhuthr, from whence Aruthr is compounded, I dare say had that sense, at least:—
“Y cythraul accw ruthrwas.”
W. Lleyn.
Deg wawr erioed a gerais,
may do as well, and sounds better.