OF THE WELSH. 269 



and foollfli people. In England, mod of the pea- 

 fantry fwallow with credulous avidity any ridiculous 

 ftories of ghofts, hobgoblins, and fairies. There is, 

 however, in the Welfh, certainly a greater inclina-^ 

 tion to credulity than what at leafl an Englifhman 

 can difcover among our own people. There are 

 few, indeed, of the mountaineers of Wales, who 

 have not by heart a firing of legendary flories of 

 thofe difembodied beings. — The cavern in Llanymy- 

 nech hill, not far from Ofweftry, has been long 

 noted as the refidence of a clan of fairies, of whom 

 the neighbouring villagers relate many furprizing 

 and mifchievous pranks. Whilft they have flopped 

 to liften at the mouth of the cave, they have fome- 

 times even heard the little elves in converfation, but 

 this v/as always in fuch low whifpers, that (with re- 

 verberation along the fides and roof of the cavern) 

 the words were rendered indiftinguifhable. The 

 ftream that runs acrofs a diftant part of this cavern, 

 is celebrated as the place where the fairy waflier- 

 women and labourers have been heard frequently at 

 work. 



Confiderably allied to the fairies is another fpe- 

 cies of fuppofed aerial beings, called by the Welfh 

 knockers, Thefe, the Welfli miners fay, are heard 

 underground, in or near mines, and by their noifes 

 generally point out to the workmen a rich vein of ore. 

 The following are extracts from two letters on this 

 extraordinary fubjecl, written by Pvlr. Lewis Morris, 

 a man eminent for his learning and good fenfe. 



Being 



