"CLYNN

LYNNOG is feated in a small grove near the fhore, on a plain near the foot of the hills. The church is the most magnificent ftructure of its kind in North Wales, built in form of a crofs; the length from east to west is about a hundred and thirty-eight feet, from north to fouth feventy. Near the altar are three neat falls, divided by pillars fupporting Gothic arches, the feats of the officiating priests. The monuments are few: one to William Glynn de Lleiar, with his figure, and thofe of his wife and feven children another to his fon-in law, George Twilleton, efq. of Aula Barrow in Yorkshire, and in right of his wife, of Lleiar. I imagine him to be the fame with colonel Twifleton, an active officer under Cromwell, and the fame who had the honour of beating and making prifoner the gallant fir John Owen.

Adjoining to the church is the chapel of St. Beuno.. The paffage to it is a narrow vault covered with great flat ftones, and of far greater antiquity than either church or chapel; which feem nearly coeval. Leland fpeaks of the first as new work, and the architecture verifies his account. He fpeaks alfo of the old church, where St. Beuno lieth, being near the new. The paffage is the only part left. The chapel was probably built after that traveller had visited the place, in the room of the old church, which might have fallen to ruin. In the midft is the tomb of the faint, plain and altar

fhaped. Votaries were wont to have great faith in him, and did not doubt but that by means of a night's lodging on his tomb, a cure would be found for all difeafes. It was cuftomary to cover it with rufhes, and leave on it till morning fick children, after making them first undergo ablution in the neighbouring holy well; and I myself once faw on it a fcather bed, on which a poor paralytic from Meirionyddfhire had lain the whole night, after undergoing the fame ceremony.

"I have given fome account of St. Beuno in the preceding volume. After he had affumed the monaftic habit, he here founded a convent in 616. Cadvan, king of North Wales, was his great patron, and promifed him much land: his fon Cadwallan performed the promife, and received from the faint a golden fceptre worth fixty cows. The land was claimed in behalf of a little infant, and his title proved good: the king refufes either to give other land in lieu, or to refign the prefent. Beuno curfed him, and went away; but was appeafed by Gwrddeint, first coufin to the king, who overtook him, and gave the town of Celynnog for ever to God and St. Beuno, for his own foul's fake, and that of the wicked Cadwallan. Long after his time, the Carmelites, or white monks, had here an establishment. They were fuppreffed, but I cannot learn the period. At the time of the Lincoln taxation, or the year 1291, the church was collegiate, confifting of

his queen, on April 25th in that year, brought forth within its walls Edward, first prince of Wales of the English line. It was built within the pace of one year, by the labour of the peasants, and at the coft of the chieftains of the country, on whom the conqueror impofed the hateful task. Henry Ellerton, or de Elreton, was appointed mafter mafon of the castle, and perhaps was the architect; and under him must have been numbers of other fkilful workmen for I dare fay that the Welsh peafants were no more than cutters of wood and hewers of ftone. It is probable that many of the materials were brought from Segontium, or the old Caernarvon ; and tradition fays, that much of the lime-ftone, with which it is built, was brought from Twr kelyn in Anglefey; and of the grit-ftone, from Vaenol in this county. Menai greatly facilitated the carriage from both places.

The

The external ftate of the walls and caftle are at prefent exactly as they were in the time of Edward. The walls are defended by numbers of round towers, and have two principal gates; the eaft, facing the mountains; the weft upon the Menai. The entrance into the caftie is very auguft, beneath a great tower, on the front of which appears the ftatue of the founder, with a dagger in his hand, as if menacing his newacquired unwilling fubjects.

The gate had four portcullifes, and every requifite of ftrength. The Court is oblong. The towers are very beautiful; none of them round, but pentagonal, hexagonal, or octagonal two are more lofty than the reft. The Eagle Tower is remarkably fine, and has the addition of three flender angular turrets iffuing from the top. Edward II. was born in a little dark room in this tower, not

twelve feet long, nor eight in breadth; fo little did in thofe days, a royal confort confult either pomp or conveniency. The gate through which the affectionate Eleanor entered to give the Welsh a prince of their own, who could not fpeak a word of English, is at the farthest end, at a vaft height above the outfide ground; fo could only be approached by a draw-bridge. In his fixteenth year, the prince received the homage of his duped fubjects at Chester, invefted, as marks of his dignity, with a chaplet of gold round his head, a golden ring on his finger, and a filver fceptre in his hand.

"The walls of this fortress are about feven feet nine inches thick ; and have within their thickness a moft convenient gallery, with nar row flips, for the difcharge of arrows. The walls of the Eagle Tower are near two feet thicker. The view from its fummit is very fine, of the Menai, Anglefey, and the nearer parts of the British Alps.

"The first whom I find appointed by Edward to be govenor of the caftle, was John de Havering, with a falary of two hundred marks; for which he was obliged to maintain conftantly, befides his own family, fourfcore men, of which fifteen were to be cross-bowmen, one chaplain, one furgeon, and one fmith; the reft were to do the duty of keepers of the gates, centinels, and other ne ceffary offices.

"In 1289. I find that the king had appointed Adam de Wetenhall to the fame important office.

"The establishment for the town and castle was as follows:

"The constable of the castle had fometimes fixty pounds, at others only forty.

"The captain of the town had 121. 38, 4d. for his annual fee; but

“I

SHALL here bring into one point of view the feveral religious cuftoms ufed among us in former times which have been gradually dropped, in proportion as the age grew enlightened. Several were local, feveral extended through the whole country: perhaps fome, which were expreffive of their hatred of vice, or which had a charitable end, might as well have been retained, notwithstanding the fmack of folly that was often to be perceived in them.

"In church, at the name of the Devil, an univerfal fpitting feized the congregation, as if in contempt of that evil fpirit; and when ever Judas was mentioned, they expreffed their abhorrence of him by fmiting their breafts.

If there be a Fynnon Vair, the well of our Lady, or any other faint, the water for baptifm was always brought from thence; and after the ceremony was over, old women were very fond of wafhing their eyes in

the water of the font.

"Previous to a funeral, it was cuftomary, when the corpfe was brought out of the houfe and laid upon the bier, for the next of kin, be it widow, mother, fifter, or daughter (for it must be a female) to give, over the coffin, a quantity

of white loaves, in a great difh, and fometimes a cheese, with a piece of money ftuck in it, to certain poor perfons. After that they prefent, in the fame manner, a cup of drink, and require the perfon to drink a little of it immediately. When that is done, all prefent kneel down; and the minifter, if prefent, fays the Lord's Prayer: after which, they proceed with the corpfe; and at every crofs-way, between the house and the church, they lay down the bier, kneel, and again repeat the Lord's Prayer; and do the fame when they first enter the churchyard. It is alfo cuftomary, in many places, to fing pfalms on the way; by which the ftilluefs of rural life is often broken into, in a manner finely productive of religious reflections.

"To this hour, the bier is carried by the next of kin; a custom confidered as the highest respect that filial piety can pay to the deceased. This was a ufage frequent among the Romans of high rank; and it was thought a great continuance of the good fortune which had attended Metellus Macedonicus through his whole being, that when he had, in the fulnefs of years, paffed out of life by a gentle decay, amidit the kiffes and embraces of his nearest connections, he was carried to the

funeral

funeral pile on the fhoulders of his four fons; and, let me add, that each one of them had enjoyed the greatest offices of the cominonwealth.

"Among the Welsh it was reckoned fortunate for the deceased if it fhould rain while they were carrying him to church, that his bier might be wet with the dew of heaven.

"In fome places it was cuftomary for the friends of the dead to knel, and fay the Lord's Prayer over the grave, for feveral Sundays after the interment; and then to drefs the grave with flowers.

Manibus date lilia plenis. Purpureos fpargam flores; animamque nepotis

His faltem accumulem donis, et fungar inani

Munere.

Bring fragrant flowers, the fairest lilies bring,

With all the purple beauties of the foring. Thefe gifts at leaft, thefe honours I'll beft w On the dear youth, to please his fhade below.

WARTON.

"It is ftill ufual to flick, on the eve of St. John the Baptift, over the doors, fprigs of St. John's wort, or in lieu of it the common Mug wort. The intent was to purify the house from evil fpirits; in the fame manner as the Druids were wont to do with vervaine, which ftill bears with the Welsh the fignificant title of Cas gan Gythral, or the Damon's averfion.

"Upon Chriftinas day, about three o'clock in the morning, most of the parishioners affembled in church, and after prayers and a fermon, continued there finging pfalms and hymns with great devotion till broad day; and if, through age or infirmity, any were difabled from attending, they never failed having prayers at home, and carols on our Saviour's nativity. The former part of the custom is ftill preferved; but too often perverted into intemperance. This act of devotion is called Plugan, or the Crowing of the Cock. It has been a general belief among the fuperftitious, that inftantly,

at his warning, Whether in fea or fire, in earth or air, Th' extravagant and erring fpirit hies To his confine.