A Calvinistic-Methodist - Turn for Saxon - Our Congregation - Pont y Cyssyltau - Catherine Lingo.
I HAD inquired of the good woman of the house, in which we lived, whether she could not procure a person to accompany me occasionally in my walks, who was well acquainted with the strange nooks and corners of the country, and who could speak no language but Welsh;as I wished to increase my knowledge of colloquial Welsh by having a companion who would be obliged, in all he had to say to me, to address me in Welsh, and to whom I should perforce have to reply in that tongue. The good lady had told me that there was a tenant of hers who lived in one of the cottages, which looked into the perllan, who, she believed, would be glad to go with me, and was just the kind of man I was in quest of. The day after I had met with the adventures, which I have related in the preceding chapter, she informed me that the person in question was awaiting my orders in the kitchen. I told her to let me see him. He presently made his appearance. He was about forty-five years of age, of middle stature, and had a good-natured open countenance. His dress was poor, but clean.
"Well," said I to him in Welsh, "are you the Cumro who can speak no Saxon?""In truth, sir, I am."
"Are you sure that you know no Saxon?"
"Sir! I may know a few words, but I cannot converse in Saxon, nor understand a conversation in that tongue.""Can you read Cumraeg?"
"In truth, sir, I can."
"What have you read in it?"
"I have read, sir, the Ysgrythyr-lan, till I have it nearly at the ends of my fingers.""Have you read anything else besides the holy Scripture?""I read the newspaper, sir, when kind friends lend it to me.""In Cumraeg?"
"Yes, sir, in Cumraeg. I can read Saxon a little but not sufficient to understand a Saxon newspaper.""What newspaper do you read?"
"I read, sir, Yr Amserau."
"Is that a good newspaper?"
"Very good, sir, it is written by good men.""Who are they?"
"They are our ministers, sir."
"Of what religion are you?"
"A Calvinistic Methodist, sir."
"Why are you of the Methodist religion?"
"Because it is the true religion, sir."
"You should not be bigoted. If I had more Cumraeg than I have, Iwould prove to you that the only true religion is that of the Lloegrian Church.""In truth, sir, you could not do that; had you all the Cumraeg in Cumru you could not do that.""What are you by trade?"
"I am a gwehydd, sir."
"What do you earn by weaving?"
"About five shillings a week, sir."
"Have you a wife?
"I have, sir."
"Does she earn anything?"
"Very seldom, sir; she is a good wife, but is generally sick.""Have you children?"
"I have three, sir."
"Do they earn anything?"
"My eldest son, sir, sometimes earns a few pence, the others are very small.""Will you sometimes walk with me, if I pay you?""I shall be always glad to walk with you, sir, whether you pay me or not.""Do you think it lawful to walk with one of the Lloegrian Church?""Perhaps, sir, I ought to ask the gentleman of the Lloegrian Church whether he thinks it lawful to walk with the poor Methodist weaver.""Well, I think we may venture to walk with one another. What is your name?""John Jones, sir."
"Jones! Jones! I was walking with a man of that name the other night.""The man with whom you walked the other night is my brother, sir, and what he said to me about you made me wish to walk with you also.""But he spoke very good English."
"My brother had a turn for Saxon, sir; I had not. Some people have a turn for the Saxon, others have not. I have no Saxon, sir, my wife has digon iawn - my two youngest children speak good Saxon, sir, my eldest son not a word.""Well; shall we set out?"
"If you please, sir."
"To what place shall we go?"
"Shall we go to the Pont y Cyssylltau, sir?""What is that?"
