$78 
colleétions, remaining in old de- 
serted maasjons ; I can certify that 
such a date hath befallen some col- 
lections, from my own knowledge ; 
and am sorry to be able to point 
out three aacient houses, now in 
the hands of tenants, in each of 
which there are large chests of old 
writings, which have been locked 
up for many years. It is lameat- 
able to think how many valuable 
manuscripts haye been lost in this 
manner; so that it may be safely 
ayerred, that a number equal to 
what now remains, hath perished 
through neglest, within the last two 
bundred years; that js to say, since 
the higher ranks of Welshmen have 
Withdrawn their patronage from the 
cultivation of the literature of their 
natiye country. 
Before that time the bards were 
patronized, not only by the natives, 
but by the lords of the marches, and 
other strangers of distinction, who 
obtained possessions in Wales, whose 
policy it was to ingratiate themselves 
with the people, hy encouraging 
their ancient Jearning. 
_ Seyeral of these strangers eyen 
surpassed most of the natives im 
their zeal in this respect ; for among 
the most distinguished patrons of 
the bards, we cam» boast of the fol- 
lowing illustrious names: Jasper 
and William Herbert, earls‘of Pem- 
broke 5s Richard Nevill, lord of 
Glamorgan ;,and sir Richard Bas- 
set, of Bewpyr Castle. To the three 
personages Jast named, and sir Kd- 
ward Lewis, of Van, we owe a 
grateful remembrance, for being the 
meaps of preserving to us one of 
* In the years 1467, 1612, and 1681. 
ANNUAL BEGISTER, 1803. 
the mast curious treasures of ancient 
times, that any nation can produce ; 
i mean the system containing the 
institutes and discipline of the bards 
of the isle of Britain, as they always 
styled it themselves, but which was 
more generally known by the name 
of Druidism. For such a person 
the above noblemen caused several 
congresses to be held* for the bards 
to bring together whatever had been 
handed down. to them from their 
predecessors; all of which was care- 
fully entered into books, by persons 
appointed to pertorm that office; + this 
was the state of things in South 
Wales; a similar spirit preyailed 
in the north distriéi of that princi- 
pality, and of the foreign families 
who settled there, the names of se- 
veral of the Salesburies, the Mid- 
dletons, and the Buikeley’s, stand 
distinguished as patrons and writers, 
whose memories are still revered. by 
the natives. 
To such a spirit then is to be at- 
tributed the many colle¢tions of va- 
luable manuscripts, which kave been 
formed: in different pants of Wales ; 
and seyeral of which stil] (nemain 5 
and detached yolumes also are 
commonly to be met with, in the 
hands of obscure individuals. There- 
fore, according to the nearest cal- 
culation that can be made, we 
haye still preserved upwards of two 
thousand manuscript books, of va- 
rious ages, from the beginning of 
the ninth, to the close of the six- 
teenth century. 
The most yaluable of those col- 
lections are in the possession of 
some of the leading families in the 
principality 5 
+ And if ought not to be forgotten, that the royal sanction was obtained from 
Ifenry Vilth, for holdig such’ meetings, of the bards, as it is. stated in the 
preface to the 
belies. 
papers whicli contained the transactions of one of those assem 
