Welsh Journals

How Mr. Walters came to devote himself to the great task of compiling his great work, the Dictionary, may best be learnt from what he tells us of the matter in the preface. Mr. Gambold's labours had been talked of, and much had been hoped from them by Welsh scholars. It seemed almost like a national loss that all this labour upon a work so much desired should be thrown away, and Mr. Walters hoped that if the MS. came into his hands, a little editing, and possibly a few additions would be all that would be required to make them ready for publica- tion. This proved to be but a vain dream. Mr. Gambold had not worked systematically. His MSS had serious blanks in them, and worst of all his scholarship was so defective that much of his prepared work was valueless. In the end Mr. Walters found that the task would have been lighter had he never been burdened with the Gam- bold MSS. at all. The only good effect they had was to turn his attention to that particular study, and to arouse his interest in it. This must have taken place shortly after his settlement in Landough. Towards the end of the year 1769, or very early in 1770, a printing press was set up at Cowbridge by one Rees Thomas. Thomas is entitled to honour, and his name will always be held in remembrance, for he was one of the earliest printers in Wales, and the very first to establish a printing press in Glamorganshire. He had been in business as a printer at Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, and at the time he started at Cowbridge it appears that he was in partnership with his brother, Dan Thomas, who had remained at Llandovery, for on the cover of the first part of the Dictionary, which was issued early in 1770, we find that it was printed by R. and D. Thomas. The conditions upon which the Dictionary was to be published are printed on the cover of Part I., and are as follows The work to be printed in quarto, with the same letter and paper as this number, and to be published in numbers, each of which is to consist of 12 sheets, at two pence per