26fi WILLIAM KDNVARDS, BHIDiiK BUILDER. I'AKT IV. 



CHAPTER III. 



WILLIAM EDWARDS, BRIDGE BUILDER. 



THE difficulties encountered by the early bridge builders 

 cannot be better illustrated than by a brief account of 

 the life of William Edwards, the architect of Pont-y- 

 Prydd, a remarkable work erected at Newbridge, in 

 South Wales, about the middle of last century. 



Edwards was born in 1 719, in a small farm-house in the 

 parish of Eglwysilan, in Glamorganshire. His father died 

 when William was only two years old ; but his mother, 

 who was an industrious, well-doing woman, kept on the 

 farm, and piously and virtuously brought up her family. 

 William's literary culture was confined to Welsh, which 

 he could read and write from his early youth ; but as he 

 grew older he also learnt to read and write English, 

 though more imperfectly. He had the character of being 

 a very obstinate, stubborn, and self-willed boy qualities 

 which, under the guidance of rectitude and integrity, 

 became developed into inflexible courage and resolution 

 in his manhood. Until eighteen years of age he was 

 regarded as a wild, headstrong fellow, with little promise 

 of good in him ; but he was gradually tamed and disci- 

 plined by hard work, and as he grew older he became 

 thoughtful and sedate even beyond his years. 



Edwards' s ordinary employment was common farm- 

 work ; but at the same time he was a diligent self-edu- 

 cator, taking lessons in arithmetic from a neighbour in 

 the evenings. It happened that, in the ordinary course 

 of affairs, he had occasion to repair the dry stone walls 

 about the farm. He took particular pleasure in this kind 

 of work, and very soon became remarkably handy at it ; 



