Welsh Journals

THE THOMAS STEPHENS MANUSCRIPTS. One of the great books of the nineteenth century in Wales was The Literature of the Kymry, 1849 (second edition, 1876), by Thomas Stephens, an erudite Merthyr Tydfil chemist. This work, parts of which are still valuable, owed its origin to the eisteddfodau organised at Abergavenny by Cymreigyddion y Fenni.' It also attained the distinction of being known to Celtic scholars outside Britain, a German translation being published in 1864. The bulk of Thomas Stephens's manuscripts were bequeathed to the National Library many years ago by his brother-in-law, Mr. R. R. Davis, also of Merthyr Tydfil; they bear the press-marks N.L.W. MSS. 904-966. By the death in March, 1939, of Mrs. Davis, the latter's widow, the Thomas Stephens collection has been enriched by the addition of four volumes, as follows A History of the Origin and Progress of Trial by Jury in the Principality of Wales and also the History of Trial by Jury in England'; 'An Analysis of the Remains of the Welsh Poets from the Earliest Period Biographies of Eminent Welshmen with an Introductory Essay' and an annotated copy of The Literature of the Kymry. W. LL. DAVIES. THE CISTERCIAN ORDER. Among foreign works recently acquired by the Library is one which should make a special appeal to students of Welsh monasticism. This is Statuta Capitulorum Generalium Ordinis Cisterciensis ab anno 1116 ad annum 1786. (Published at Louvain, in the series Bibliotheque de la Revue d'Histoire Ecclesiastique. Six volumes have so far been published, covering the period 1 1 16-1542.) This work provides a record of the growth of the Cistercian Order as a whole and of the multifarious activities of the individual houses. It is also a valuable source-book for medieval church history. As the Cistercians won more success in Wales than any other order of monks, it should be of interest to students of Welsh religious history to turn to this work for authentic documents relating to the various monas- teries in Wales. When the work is completed an index of place-names will be supplied. Meanwhile, footnotes on each page explain the historical and topographical references in the text, and a glance through them shows that the pages are rich in material relating to the Cistercians of Wales. An example taken at random from Volume I, under date 1205, is given here Querula abbatum de Margan et de Neth committitur abbatibus de Fontanis et de Bilduars et de Fordens aucto-