Welsh Journals

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one and he seems to have confined himself to the type of books which would be necessary to the pursuit of the history of Welsh thought. He always carried about with him a thick note-book in which he had entered up the short titles of all his Welsh books in chronological order, together with certain data about each book such as its size and number of pages. By this means he was able to know at a glance whether he had some insignificant book or pamphlet in his collection. Mr. Jones's knowledge of Welsh Bibliography was very extensive, and he was always willing to place it at the dis- posal of any enquirer. It is a great pity that he did not write anything on the subject, or preserve in some form or other the information which he had so laboriously gleaned. Fortunately however his Welsh Library has been preserved intact, and it now forms part of the great collection which is being brought together at Aberystwyth. All those who came into contact with Mr Jones, can give testimony to the charm of his character, his modesty arrd courtesy, and to the unfailing humour which made a conversation with him on Welsh books a treat as rare and delightful as the acquisi- tion of some long sought for bibliographical treasure. J.H.D. Welsh Consonants and English Ears. A notable and not unimportant feature of the English satirical tracts of the Civil War period, dealing with Wales and Welshmen, is the treatment of the voiced consonants, particularly d and g. The same practice is found in Shakespere, and has by many been regarded merely as a somewhat humorous exaggeration. That it is exagger- ated, or more properly, that it is indiscriminately done, there can be no doubt but that in many cases it represents the actual Welsh pronunciation of English is nevertheless certain. Shakespere makes his Welsh characters harden initial b into p, with the result that Fluellen, for instance, speaks of Alexander the Pig when he does not quite mean it.