1821 



Excursion through North Ifales. 



421 



of every comfort aud couvenieuce. Not- 

 withstanding all this, however, it ap- 

 pears populous, and the little urchins, 

 whom we saw gamboling in the streets, 

 looked healthy and happy. 



A little way beyond Dinas Mowddwg 

 thecountry becomes rugged aud gloomy. 

 A thick wood on the left, bounded by a 

 chain of dark heather hills, is a con- 

 spicuous feature in the landscape, and 

 of some importance in the traditionary 

 auuals of Merionethshire. In this dis- 

 mal district many a daring deed of 

 crim(! and cruelty has been perpe- 

 trated. About the middle of the six- 

 teenth century, this neighbourhood, 

 and more especially this wood, was in- 

 fested by a gang of desperate and fear- 

 less outlaws. The extent and auda- 

 city of their depredations are almost 

 incredible in the present day, but in 

 this wild and retired jiart of the king- 

 dom they had many opportunities of 

 carrying into execution acts of violence 

 and plunder. They were, indeed, a 

 bold and lawless set, bidding defiance 

 to all power, both constituted aud per- 

 sonal, aud no one was secure from 

 ifaeir audacious rapacity. Yet their 

 conduct, will, perhaps, admit of some 

 trifling extemiatiou. The chief of this 

 licentious clan was originally a re- 

 spectable and wealtliy landholder, pos- 

 sessed of considerable property, and. 

 leading a quiet and unostentatious life 

 amid the secluded glens of his native 

 mountains. His sister, a female of 

 great beauty, attracted the attention of 

 an individual of rank and power, whose 

 name is now lost in oblivion. He 

 sought her in marriage, but her heart 

 aud hand were already engaged to a 

 more youthful and a more favoured 

 lover. Her noble suitor (for noble tra- 

 dition says he M'as) could not brook 

 her denial, and not long afterwards, 

 the sister of the chieftain of the Black 

 Wood (so was her brother commonly 

 called) was missing in the halls of her 

 fathers. It was soon discovered tiiat 

 the ot\eu<led M'0<jer had borne her by 

 force to his own residence, and her 

 brother and his kinsmen lost no time 

 in delivering her out of his power. In 

 this they easily succeeded, but they 

 wore too late to prevent the perpetra- 

 tion of H base and ungenerous crime ; 

 and the lady, unable to survive the 

 loss of her virtue, stink into the grave 

 in the bloom of youtli and loveliness. 

 Her brother and Ills partisans, burning 

 to revenge this dishonour on the family, 

 took signal aud summary vengeance 

 MONTIILV A^Ali. Nu 354. 



on this rash aggressor ; hi? house was 

 destroyed, his lands laid waste, and his 

 life eagerly sought after by theeni-aged 

 and choleric Welshmen. A petty war- 

 fare was thus carried on between the 

 two families or rather clans, in which 

 the greater number of the neighbouring 

 inhabitants took part on onesideor the 

 other, and after the deatii of the ra- 

 visher, the chieftain of the Black 

 Wood, chafed, ashe had been, into guilt, 

 and incited by the deadly wronghe had 

 sustained, waged unsparing warjagainst 

 all his species, his own followers alone 

 excepted, strengthened his cause by 

 seeking the adherence of all the turbu- 

 lent spirits in the country, and became 

 so formidable that the public roads in 

 the vicinity of its haunts were deserted, 

 aud its immediate neighbourhood con- 

 verted into a dismal scene of waste and 

 desolation. The Banditti of the Black 

 Wood, as they were called, followed 

 their nefarious practices for many 

 years, and almost with impunity. It 

 happened, however, that two members 

 of this licentious fraternity were appre- 

 hended, and brought to Dinas Mowddwg 

 for trial, the assizes for Merionethshire 

 being then held there. They vvere ac- 

 cused of robbery, found guilty andcon- 

 demned. The judge, Lewis Owen, one 

 of the Welsh Exchequer Barous, order- 

 ed their immediate execution, but was 

 earnestly implored by their mother 

 (they Avere brothers) to extend some 

 little mercj'' towards her imhappy sons. 

 She prayed for a short respite, and 

 brought forward their extreme youth 

 in extennation of their guiltiness. But 

 the Baron was inflexi])le, and would 

 not hearken to her importunate entrea- 

 ties. The old woman, enraged at his 

 unbending decision, and in an agon)' of 

 despair, bared her neck, and exposing 

 her wrinkled bosom, told the stern 

 judge, that " Her yellow breasts had 

 given suck to those who would surely 

 revenge the death of their comrades, 

 and,'' continued the beldame, " there 

 are yet enough left to M-ash their hands 

 in thy heart's best blood!" And she 

 did not predict erroneously. The fol- 

 lowing year, as Baron Owen was pass- 

 ing that way, he m as assailed by some 

 of the banditti, dragged into the wood, 

 and mercilessly dispatched. As the 

 robbei-s were returning from the mur- 

 der, it occurred to one of them, that 

 they hiul not fulfilled the whole of the 

 old woman's denunciation. It was 

 therefore proposed that they should 

 return and do so ; and two or three of 

 3 G ths. 



