1895-96.] WALES AND ITS LITERATURE. 69^ 



MSS. To the patriotism and indefatigable energy of Owen Jones, the 

 honour belongs of preparing and publishing the work in question. 

 Jones was born before the middle of the last century in the vale of 

 Myvyr which has given its name to his Archaeology. He pursued 

 the trade of furrier in London, and was successful in amassing a fortune 

 that he generously expended in the transcription of MSS. which he 

 eventually published with the designation that has been mentioned. 

 His Archaeology is regarded as the great repertory of the literature of his 

 nation. The Myvyrian MSS., which are now in the British Museum 

 amount to forty-seven volumes of poetry, two thousand Englynion, and 

 fifty-three volumes of prose. Skene published the Four Ancient Books 

 of Wales with an English translation. They are: 



(a) The Black Book of Caermarthen. 

 (d) The Book of Aneurin. 



(c) The Book of Taliessin. 



(d) The Book of Hergest. 



A particular importance attaches to the Archaeologia Britannica which 

 was prepared by the famous Edward Lhuyd. The first place has by 

 common consent been assigned to him among Welsh philologists. He 

 broke, as it were, fallow-ground in the Celtic portions of Great Britain 

 and Ireland. He thought so little of danger and fatigue, in those early 

 days of dangerous navigation, as to expend five years in the countries 

 and among the islands where members of the Celtic family were to be 

 found, that he might learn their language and become familiar with their 

 literature. His Archaeologia Britannica was published in 1707. The 

 collection which he made of Celtic material must have been both exten- 

 sive and valuable. Owing to his premature death, the second book 

 which he had in contemplation was never published. Through various 

 causes, his literary treasures were subsequently lost, and thereby Celtic 

 learning was deprived of much useful and rare material. It is clear from 

 the tuneful commendations in Latin and Gaelic verse which are prefixed 

 to his Archaeologia that Lhuyd made a favourable impression on the 

 clergymen with whom he came in contact. Many of them were such 

 elegant scholars as to commit to faultless verses their high appreciation 

 of Lhuyd and his arduous services in behalf of Celtic literature. 



The popularity which MacPherson's translation of the poems of Ossian 

 obtained when it was published after the middle of the last century, must 

 have exerted considerable influence on Welsh scholars, insomuch that, 

 they turned their attention to the oldest portions of the literature of the 

 Principality. Evan Evans, Edward Jones, Edward Williams, Owen 

 Pughe, Sharon Turner, Edward Davies and others made important con- 



