A TOUR ROUND NORTH WALES. 



Bards could reduce it to concord by no 

 other means, than by placing at fuch 

 intervals it's harfher confonants, fo in- 

 termixing them with vowels, and fo 

 adapting, repeating, and dividing the 

 feveral founds, as to produce an agree- 

 able effect from their flruclure. Hence 

 the laws of poetical compofition in this 

 language are fo flridl and rigorous, 

 that, were it not for a particular apti- 

 tude that it has for that kind of allitera- 

 tive melody, which is as efTential as har- 

 mony in mufic, a}id which conflitutes 

 the great beauty of it's poetry, the ge- 

 nius of the Bard mult have been greatly 

 cramped. To the ears of the natives, 

 the Welfh metre is extremely pleafmg, 

 and does not fubjecl the Bard to more 

 reflraint, than the different forts of feet 

 occafioned to the Greek and Roman 

 poets. From the reign of Llewelyn to 

 that of Elizabeth, the laws of allitera- 

 tion 



