oV THE WELSH. 28^ 



The glafs going round — no— the mug I would fay, 

 The lads and the lafles began to look gay, 

 To fmile on each other, to toy and to joke; 

 I ivas an obferver, but not a word fpoke. 



The bard, m a rapture, his harp handled foon. 

 And twang'd with his fingers, to try if in tunc; 

 The people felefted and pairing began, 

 Each lafs was indulg'd with the choice of her man ; 

 Than jimazons more than like fairies were fecn. 

 Full thirty gay couple to dance on the green. 

 Joy held his firm (lation till morning was come ; 

 When each fwain had the plcafure to lead his nymph home. 



In South Wales, previous to the weddings of the 

 peafantry, a herald with a crook or wand, adorned 

 with ribands, fometimes makes th-e circuit of the 

 neighbourhood, and proclaims his bidding, or invita- 

 tion, in a prefcribed form ; but the knight-errant 

 cavalcade on horfeback, — the carrying off the bride, 

 — the refcue,— the wordy war in rhyme between 

 th^^-pia^cdes, which once formed a fuigukr fpe^tacle 

 of mock conteft at the celebration of nuptials, is now 

 almoft, if not altogether laid afide, throughouf'^'ery 

 part of the principality *. 



The funerals are attended by greater crowds of 

 people than even their weddings. In the funeral 

 that I attended at Llanberis) which has been de- 

 icribed in the preceding volume f, there were at 

 leaft a hundred attendants. — A cuflom prevails in 



' Cam. Reg. vol. ii. f See page 241. 



this 



