Welsh Journals

probable that Borrow's motive sprang not from either of these sources, but from his implacable prejudice against the Roman Catholic Church. Although Borrow says that Henry's "De Septem Sacramentis" was "the most powerful book ever written in defence of Papish nonsense," he must have felt great joy at the monarch's subse- quent flouting of the Pope's authority and his desecration of the monasteries in 1536-39 (which is, perhaps, the most indefensible action in the whole of Henry's stormy career). That, no doubt, would appeal strongly to Borrow, and possibly when his sympathy had thus been aroused, he decided to revise History's estimate of the King. At all events, the essay is interest- ing as an example of history written from a point of view­-and particularly such a decided and individual point of view as Borrow's. Perhaps the most interesting of the manu- scripts is that dealing with Rhys ap Tomos, for it abounds in the little personal touches with which Borrow was wont to adorn his writings and which add so much to their charm. His references to the men of Cornwall and Norfolk- Borrow, be it remembered, was of Cornish descent and was born in Norfolk-and his narantheticnl philosophising*, all help to present a more complete view of the personality of the writer-and what a fascinating personality it .was The narrative is written throughout in Borrow's happiest and most vigorous style, and the ironv of his treatment of Rhvs's vacillation between his allegiance to the King and his oath to Richmond is delicious. Once again we see the man Borrow, with all his hatred of casuistry Apres La Guerre. By Zero. DISNIISS!! And so they left the great adventure; an adventure from which many were never to return; an adventure which had taught men new standards of values; an adventure in which they had seen the thin veneer known as civilisation stripped ruthlessly from mankind revealing the fundamentals which underlie the whole of life. They had seen the realities of life and death. Drawn from all walks of life, drawn from wealth and poverty, drawn from happiness and despair, they had come in response to the call. The conditions imposed by the civilisation under which they lived had made the outlook of each on life very different. To some life meant much, to the majority life meant a grim existence. Why had they come? Maybe it was in their blood. For the Welsh people at least it was no and double-dealing, his admiration of straight- forwardness even if it does come from a cut- throat thief of the Marches of Wales. This essay displays also the romantic bent of Borrow's mind, his power of re-vitalising the past, and the gusto with which he enters into the minutiae of the happenings of byegone times. The last essay, dealing with the Welsh bards, is, it is plain to see, the fruit of Borrow's en- thusiastic and indiscriminating reading of Welsh books, for he jumbles up bards who are justly famed with bards who are scarcely remembered even by name; bards who wrote fine poetry with bards whose productions show little merit; bards of all kinds and all times. As an essay on the history of Welsh poetry it is of small account, for the author says nothing of Taliesin, nothing of Llywarch Hen, or Dafydd Benfras, or Einion ab Gwrgan, or Gwalchmai, Gruffydd ab yr Ynad Soch, Tomos Prys, Huw Morris; nothing even of Goronwy Owen (although we have other evidence that Borrow was acquainted with his work perhaps he intended to treat of this poet in a separate essay). At any rate, complete or not, the essay is an excellent piece of writing, and Borrow was quick to seize upon the characteristics of the men he wrote about. His fragmentary translations are straightforward, literal pieces of work like Borrow's other trans- lations. But his knowledge of Welsh was not what he would have us believe it to have been (did not Edward Thomas once say that his Welsh was "atrocious"?) and this, no doubt, accounts for his failure always to grasp the full meaning of the poet he was dealing with. new call. Through the centuries their race had responded to the call as invader after invader had threatened their land and kind. Many genera- tions of their race had perished in response to the call-perished for freedom, home country. And when after a long interval the call was again heard they instantly responded. Maybe they did it because it was the thing to do-it was the fine thing. They came because they felt that a day of crisis had come in the his- tory of man, that some great interest was at stake; some might cause had to be decided; some issue whose consequences would reach to generations yet to be had to be settled-and being men they came to strive for man. Their task was done. The disaster which threatened their nation had been averted and a few of the many were returning. Returning with what hopes ? Since their return five years have passed. What years The farmer pulled up his horses on the head- land. Outwardly, he was as of old-before he