Retrofpee? of Domeftic Literature.—Hifury. 
nius; by, comparing the advances we have 
made in arts, f{ciences, philofopby, the 
belles lettres, &c. With the opportunities 
we have enjoyed for the cultivation of 
them, we are enabled to eftimate our pro- 
prefs, and are ftimulated to more vigorous 
and perfevering efforis by the comparifon. 
As it is with the individual fo it is with 
the colleéted bady ; when a people explore 
the attainments cf their remote forefathers 
they form a meafure for the appreciation 
of the:r own improvements, and throw 
confiderable lighe upon the hiftery of the 
human mind ; the inquiry is at once in- 
teretting and initructive. 
Mr. Jones on a former occafion had al- 
ready drawn into day, a number of cu- 
rious relics, mufical, poetical, and. hiftoric, 
of the Welth Bards and Druids ; he has 
now continued his refearches through a 
fecond volume with a patriotic ardor which 
does him honor, and with a dégree of fuc- 
cels which his laborious exertions well de- 
ferve. 
The circumftance which led to this col- 
leftion is worthy to be noticed: Mr. 
Jones had obferved with regret the rapid 
decreafe of performers on the harp in 
Wales, with the confequent d:cline of 
that elegant and expreffive inftrument, 
as well as of the national mufic and poe- 
try. ‘* This, (lays he), gave me the 
firft idea of reviving the ancient eifteddtod, 
or congrefs of muficians and poets, fora 
conteft of {kill in their art; for the fake 
of recovering fome of the ancient bar- 
difm and fong ; which meeting I caufed 
to be convened at Corwen, in Merioneth- 
fhire, about the year 1788; where I cave 
a premium to the bett mufician, another 
to the beft vocal fongfter, another to the 
belt poet ; and the following year it was. 
held at Bala: and thefe meetings have fince 
been annually continued, in Jome part or 
other of North Wales, under the’ patro- 
nage of the Gwyneddigion fociety.”” 
Mr. Jones attributes the fudden decline 
of the national minftreify and cuftoms in 
Wales, ina great degree to the fanatic 
impottors, or illiterate plebeian preachers, 
who have too often been fuffered to over- 
run the country, mifleading the greater 
part of the common people from their 
lawful church ; and diffuading them from 
their innccent amufements, {uch as fing- 
ing, dancing, and other rural fports, and 
games, which heretofore they had been 
accuflomed to delight in, from the earlieft 
time. ‘In the courfe of my excurfions 
through the principality, I have met with 
feveral harpers and fonefters, who actually 
had" been prevailed upon by thofe erratic 
Rroilers to relinquith their profeffion, from 
rey oO Wee 11 z 200 AS ih 
609 
the idea that it was finful. ‘The confe- 
quence is, Wales, which was formerly 
one of the merrieft and happieft countries 
in the world, is now become one of the 
dulleft.”? Is it, then, poffible, that a few 
illiterate preachers fhould thus be able to 
alter, as it were, the very national cha- 
racter of the Welch? muft religion be 
decked in {ables in order to gain adorers? 
is fhe more engaging, more fafcinating, 
when her countenance aflumes the gloom 
of fadnefs than when it wears the natural 
{mile of fimplicity and cheerfulnefs? 
Wich refpeé to the fpecimens of early 
poctry which are given in this volume, 
perhaps it requires a knowledge of the 
language and an acquaintance with the 
traditions and lecal particularities of the 
principality to enjoy them with that en- 
thufiafin which Mr. Jones occafionally dif- 
plays: but with reipeét to the national 
mufic of the Aboriginal Britons which 
has been tran{mitted by tradition from time 
immemorial and. is fill the favourite 
amufement of the natives, for the enjoy- 
ment of its fimple, criginal, and varied 
melodies no fuch knowlcdge is required 5 
and this volume, which contains fiity-two 
pages of engraved mufic, will be highly 
prized by thote whofe ears have not been 
fo feduced by the complex harmony of 
modern concertos as to have loft all relith 
for the {weet melting airs of older times, 
Mr. Jones informs us that he commit- 
ted to writing the greateft part of thefe 
melodies, from hearing them {ung by old 
people, and from their being play d by, 
the moft venerable harpers in North 
Walks: he has prefented thefe melodies 
as genuine as poflible, has added new — 
baffles and compofed variations to feveral 
of them. As thefe old airs differ much 
in ftructure trom modern mufic our author 
found itextremely difficult to adupt regu- 
lar baffes to them, according to the ftrié&t 
rule of counter-point: jultly regarding 
harmony, however, as of fecondary im- 
portance, ana melody as the foul of mufic, 
he generally preferred ‘* leering by the 
original melody, and to ad 1t with a cha- 
racteriftic harmony, in its own native 
manner, and the conveniency of the harp, 
in preference to that of a complicated mo- 
dern bafs, too regularly managed; be-_ 
caufe, that uneven tramition, and abrupt. 
fimplicity, feem beft calculated to convey | 
their original bold character.”’ { 
“6 The New Annual Regifler; or, . 
General Repofitory of Huiftory, Politics, 
and Literature, for the Year 1801. To 
which is prefixed, the Hiftory of Know- 
ledge, Learning, and Tajie, in Great Bri- 
tainy during-the Reign of King Charles II. 
Er ae 
