Welsh Journals

BARDD Y BRENIN, IOLO MORGANWG A DERWYDDIAETH IV NI ROES Edward Jones lawer o le i hanes y derwyddon yn Relicks 1784, ac nid oedd y gair 'Druids' ar y deitl-ddalen. Defnyddiodd 'orders of Druids' a 'Druidical Bards' yn unol a chyfundrefn Henry Rowlands. Cyfatebai'r ail derm i 'Derwyddfeirdd', sef term Lewis Morris yn Celtic Remains. Sylwer fod yr enw 'Bardus Druydius' gan John Bale yn ei Scriptorum Illustrium Majoris Brytannie Catalogus (Basilea, 1557) t. 4- Gellir sylwi wrth fynd heibio ar y modd y defnyddiodd Edward Jones ei awdurdodau o blith awduron clasurol. Nodir hwy yn gydwybodol ganddo. Gwir fod tinc o feirniadaeth ar eu tystiolaeth yn ei gyfrol gyntaf: 'Such was the new but imperfectly discovered scene which the great Caesar's ambition opened in Britain. Nor are these accounts only imperfect; they are also partially delivered, as some bold spirits, even among the Romans, have hinted.'1 Bodlonwyd adolygydd Relicks 1794 gan yr awdurdodau a nodwyd yn y gyfrol honno: 'it would be unjust not to allow, in this edition, the author's diligence in seeking and success in finding, props for many of his assertions in very respectable authors, particularly with regard to the Druidical Bards.'2 Ni ellid dweud hyn am gynheiliaid yr Orsedd yn eu gweithiau cyhoedd- edig. Gwelir eu hagwedd hwy at dystiolaeth awduron clasurol yn amlwg yng ngeiriau Dafydd Samwel: 'Druidism which the Welsh rightly call Bardism, has been sought for in vain by Historians, in Greek, Roman, and other foreign authors. They are now informed, if they will attend to it, that any regular Welsh Bard can in a few minutes give them a much better account of it than all the Books in the World.'3 Ni nododd William Owen ei awdurdodau o gwbl yn ei draethawd yn Heroic Elegies (1792), a dyma'i esgus: 'With respect to the traditions themselves, as one of the order I feel a propensity (a pardonable one I hope) in common with a few remaining members, to preserve amongst ourselves undisclosed, except at a Gorsedd, those very curious remains, as an incitement to preserve the system.'4 Condemniodd D. W. Nash y ffordd hon o gamarwain pan aeth ati yn ei lyfr Taliesin; or the Bards and Druids of Britain (London, 1848) i ddinoethi Iolo a William Owen yn ddiarbed.5 Gwyddai lolo mor werthfawr a phwysig oedd awdurdodau, ac am hynny aeth ati i'w llunio er mwyn cynnal ei honiadau, neu i honni bod