—Mr. Bowles, in the introduction to his Life of Bishop Ken, vol. i. p. xi. (Lond. 1830), expresses his thanks to the late Bishop of Bath and Wells "for the information contained in the MS. life of Ken's successor, Bishop Kidder;" and adds:
"This work, never printed, is a very curious and valuable document, preserved in the episcopal palace of Wells."
J. C. R.
Which are the Shadows? (Vol. v., p. 196.).
—The story is told as of Wilkie at the Escurial by Southey in The Doctor, vol. iii. p. 235.; also, with a fine compliment to the "British Painter," by Wordsworth, in one of the pieces published with Yarrow Revisited (1835, pp. 305-6.). The coincidence with the note by Mr. Rogers—to whom, by the way, Wordsworth's volume is dedicated—has long perplexed me. One is unwilling to suppose that the touching words ascribed to the two monks were a stock speech common to aged monks who have such pictures to show; but what better explanation is there? I believe that the first edition of Italy appeared, not in 1830, as your correspondent supposes, but in 1822. Is the story to be found in that edition?
J. C. R.
Welsh Names "Blaen" (Vol. v., p. 128.).
—Although my acquaintance with the language of the Cymri is very limited, I think that a knowledge of the cognate Erse or Gaelic enables me to make a shrewd guess at the meaning of the word Blaen, prefixed to the names of so many farms in Wales. The Gaelic word Baile, pronounced Ballé, signifies a town—the Scotch toun—or farm, and, with the preposition an or na—Anglicè of—is written Baile'n, pronounced Ballen: this, I think, is probably the same word as Blaen, and means, being interpreted, "the farm of." In the examples given by your correspondent α, the words affixed to Blaen are descriptive; many of them scarcely differ in sound from their Gaelic synonyms e.g. Blaen-awen is the Gaelic Baile'n abhuinn, pronounced Ballen avine, Ang. "the farm on, or of the river;" Blaen-argy—Gaelic, Baile'n airgiod, "the silver farm," or perhaps 'n arguin, of strife; Blaen-angell—Gaelic, Baile'n aingeal, "angel farm"; Blaen-y-foss—Gaelic, Baile-na-fois, pronounced f[=o]sh, and synonymous with the Dutch lust, "leisure or pleasure farm;" and Blaen-nefern—Gaelic, Baile-na-fearn, "alder farm." In England these farms or towns would have been called respectively, Riverton, Silverton, Alderston, and so on. The same word, generally spelt Bally, forms part of the name of a very large proportion of the small towns and farms in Ireland.
W. A. C.
Ormsary.