The Comical Adventures of Twm Shon Catty Part 1

The Comical Adventures of Twm Shon Catty.

by T. J. Llewelyn Prichard.

PREFACE.

In presenting to the public the following Enlarged and Corrected Edition of "Twm Shon Catty," the author cannot forget that on its first appearance in 1836, with "all its imperfections on its head," it was received with a welcome quite unlooked for on the part of the writer, and he now presents this edition to the world, with several additions and alterations.

On examining the cause of such unlooked-for approbation, he found it, not in any merit of his own, but in the nationality of his subject, and the humiliating suggestion that, slight as it was, it was the first attempted thing that could bear the t.i.tle of a Welsh Novel.

It is true others have made Wales the scene of action for the heroes of their Tales; but however talented such writers might be, to the Welshman's feelings they lacked nationality, and betrayed the hand of the foreigner in the working of the web; its texture perchance, filled up with yams of finer fleeces, but strange and loveless to their unaccustomed eyes.

Were a native of one of the South Sea Islands to publish the life and adventures of one of their legendary heroes, it is probable that such a production would excite more attention, as a true transcript of mind and manners of the people he essayed to describe, than the more polished pages of the courtly English and French novelist, who undertook to write on the same subject. On the same principle, the author of this unpretending little provincial production accounts for the sunny gleams of favour that have flashed on the new tract which he has endeavoured to tread down, among briers and brambles of an unexplored way, while the smoother path of the practised traveller has been shrouded in gloom.

The expression of the Author's grat.i.tude is here presented to the Rev. W.

J. Rees, Rector of Cascob, for numerous favours; and especially for the historic and traditional matter that his researches furnished. To the Critics of the Cambrian Quarterly for their favourable notice of the "Small Book," a skeleton as it then was, compared to the present Edition, imperfect as it still remains. And lastly to the revered memory of the late Archdeacon Benyon of Llandilo. That lamented friend of Wales and Welshmen, (whose aims were ever directed to the enlargement of the narrow boundary within which prejudice and custom had encircled and enchained Welsh literature,) in the town-hall of Carmarthen, before his highly respectable Auditors, honoured this production with a favourable notice.

He warmly eulogised the Author's attempt at the production of the first Welsh Novel; and concluded by an offer of a pecuniary reward to the person who could give the best translation of it in the best Welsh language.

CHAPTER I.

THE name of Twm Shon Catty, popular throughout Wales. "The Inn-Keeper's Alb.u.m," and the drama founded thereon. Twm Shon Catty apparently born in different towns. A correct account of his birth and parentage.

It is often the custom, however foolish it may be, to frighten the occupants of an English nursery into submission by saying, "The bogie is coming," and though the exact form or attributes of the said "bogie" are by no means definitely known, the mere mention of the individual has sufficient power to make the juveniles cover their heads, and dive under the bed-clothes, with fear. The preface to the once popular farce of "Killing no Murder" informs us, that many a fry of infant Methodists are terrified and frightened to bed by the cry of "the Bishop is coming!"-That the right reverend prelates of the realm should become bugbears and buggaboos to frighten the children of Dissenters, is curious enough, and evinces a considerable degree of ingenious malignity in bringing Episcopacy into contempt, if true. Be that as it may in England, in Wales it is not so; for the demon of terror and monster of the nursery there, to check the shrill cry of infancy, and enforce silent obedience to the nurse or mother is Twm Shon Catty.

But "babes and sucklings" are not the only ones on whom that name has continued to act as a spell; nor for fear and wonder its only attributes, for the knavish exploits and comic feats of Twm Shon Catty are, like those of Robin Hood in England, the themes of many a rural rhyme, and the subject of many a village tale; where, seated round the ample hearth of a farm house, or the more limited one of a lowly cottage, an attentive audience is ever found, where his mirth-exciting tricks are told and listened to with vast satisfaction, unsated by the frequency of repet.i.tion; for the "lowly train" are generally strangers to that fastidiousness which turns disgusted, from a twice-told tale.

Although neither the legends, the poetry, nor the history of the princ.i.p.ality, seem to interest, or accord with the taste of our English brethren, the name of Twm Shon Catty, curiously enough, not only made its way among them, but had the unexpected honour of being woven into a tale, and exhibited on the stage, as a Welsh national dramatic spectacle, under the t.i.tle, and the imposing second t.i.tle, of Twn _John_ Catty, or, the Welsh Rob Roy. The nationality of the Welsh residents in London, who always bear their country along with them wherever they go, was immediately roused, notwithstanding the great offence of subst.i.tuting "John" for "Shon," which called at once on their curiosity and love of country to pursue the "Inkeeper's Alb.u.m," in which this tale first appeared, and to visit the Cobourg Theatre, where overflowing houses nightly attended the representation of the "Welsh Rob Roy." Now this second t.i.tle, which confounded the poor Cambrians, was a grand expedient of the Dramatist, to excite the attention of the Londoners, who naturally a.s.sociated it with the hero of the celebrated Scotch novel. The bait was immediately swallowed, and that tale, an awkward and most weak attempt to imitate the "Great Unknown," and by far the worst article in a very clever book, actually sold the volume.

As Twm Shon Catty was invariably known to every Crymrian as a great practical joker, they were of course proportionately surprised to find him manufactured into a stilted, injured, melo-dramatic chieftain, for the love of his _Ellen_, dying the death of a hero!

"This may do for London, but in Wales, where '_Gwir yn erbyn y byd_' {9a} is our motto, we know better!" muttered many a testy Cambrian, which he felt doubly indignant at the authors' and actors' errors in the mis-writing and the mis-p.r.o.nouncing the well-known "sponsorial or baptismal appellation," {9b} as Doctor Pangloss would say: and another source of umbrage to them was, that an English author's sacrilegiously dignifying Twm with the qualities of a hero, conveying the villanous inference that Wales was barren of _real_ heroes-an insinuation that no Welshman could tamely endure to forgive. In an instant recurred the honoured names of Rodri Mawr, Owen Gwyneth, Caswallon ab Beli, Own Glyndwr, Rhys ab Thomas, and a vast chain of Cambrian worthies, not forgetting the royal race of Tudor, that gave an Elizabeth to the English throne; on which the mimic scene before them, and the high vauntings of Huntley in the character of Twm Shon Catty, sunk into the insignificance of a punch and puppet show, in comparison with the mighty men who then pa.s.sed before the mental eye.

Sir John Wynn, of Gwydir, bart., was the father of our hero, who was a natural son by a woman called Catherine. Little or nothing is known of her, but surnames not being generally adopted in Wales, her son, by Universal consent, was called "Twn Shon Catty," which means literally, "Thoms John Catherine." One very astute English Commentator informs us that the name "Catty" originated in the fact that of his armorial bearings included a Cat's Eye!! This is simply nonsense, as every Welshman can testify.

Like the immortal Homer, different towns have put forth their claims to the enviable distinction of having given our hero birth; among which Cardigan, Llandovery, and Carmarthen, are said to have displayed considerable warmth in a.s.serting their respective pretentions. A native of the latter far-famed borough town, whose carbuncled face and rubicund nose-indelible stamps of baccha.n.a.lian royalty-proclaimed him the undisputed prince of topers, roundly affirmed that no town but Carmarthen-ever famed for its stout ale, large dampers, {10} and bl.u.s.tering heroes of the pipe and pot-could possibly have produced such a jolly dog. It is with regret that we perceive such potent authority opposed by the united opinions of our Cambrian bards and antiquaries, who place his birth in the year 1570, at Tregaron, that primitive, yet no longer obscure, Cardigans.h.i.+re town, but long celebrated throughout the princ.i.p.ality for its pony fair; and above all, as the established birthplace of Twm Shon Catty.

He first saw the light, it seems, at a house of his mother's, situate on a hill south-east of Tregaron, called Llidiard-y-Fynnon, (Fountain-Gate,) from its situation beside an excellent well, that previous to the discovery of other springs nearer to their habitations, supplied the good people of Tregaron with water. That distinguished spot is now, however, more generally known by the more elevated name of Plas Twm Shon Catty, (the mansion of Twm Shon Catty,) the ruins of which are now pointed out by the neighbouring people to any curious traveller who may wish to enrich the pages of his virgin tour by their important communications.

And now, having given our hero's birth and parentage with the fidelity of a true historian, who has a most virtuous scorn of the spurious embellishments of fiction, a more excursive pen shall flourish on our future chapters.

CHAPTER II.

THE grandfather of Twm Shon Catty. Squire Gras.p.a.cre on morality. Sir Jno. Wynn, the practical exponent of it-and our hero the result thereof.

Catty, the mother of Twm, lived in the most unsophisticated manner at Llidiard-y-Fynnon, with an ill-favoured, hump-backed sister, who was the general drudge and domestic manager. Their mother had long been dead, and their father, the horned cattle, a small farm and all its appurtenances, had been lost to them about two years. This little farm was their father's property, but provokingly situated in the middle of the vast possessions of Squire Gras.p.a.cre, an English gentleman-farmer, who condescendingly fixed himself in the princ.i.p.ality with the laudable idea of civilizing the Welsh.

The most feasible mode of accomplis.h.i.+ng so grand an undertaking, that appeared to him, was, to dispossess them of their property, and to take as much as possible of their country into his own paternal care. The rude Welsh, to be sure, he found so blind to their own interests as to prefer living on their farms to either selling or giving them away, to profit by his superior management. His master-genius now became apparent to everybody; for after ruining the owners, and appropriating to himself half the neighbouring country, the other half became his own with ease, as the poor little freeholders found it better to accept a small sum for their property, than to have all wasted in litigation, and perhaps, ultimately, to end their days in prison.

The maternal grandfather of Twm Shon Catty, was the last who held out against the tyranny of the squire. He triumphantly won his cause; but because he could not pay the costs, he was imprisoned by his own solicitor, in the county gaol of Cardigan, where it is said he died of a broken heart. The squire then gained his ends. The farm-house (separated from the land, which was added to another farm) became the dwelling of the old farmer's two daughters: not a gift, as they had to pay annually about twice as much rental as they ought to have paid.

It was soon after this admirable settlement of his affairs, that the squire had a grand visitor to entertain at Gras.p.a.cre Hall, who was no less a personage than Sir John Wynn, of Gwydir, in North Wales, whose sister our deep-scheming squire had just married, with the politic view of identifying himself with the Cambrian princ.i.p.ality, and becoming one of the landed proprietors of the country. One day, after a long ride with his n.o.ble guest, over his far-spreading hills and vales, it was poor Catty's lot to be observed by these lordly sons of affluence. She was spinning wool at the cottage door, a work which she seldom performed without the accompaniment of a song; and at that time she was giving utterance to a mournful ditty, as the recent death of her father had naturally attuned her mind to melancholy, and cast a cloud over her usual cheerfulness.

The great men stopped their horses: "a fine girl, Sir John," cried the squire.

"You are right!" said the baronet: "I wonder if she would object to a few delicate attentions from a man of honour?"

"Object! my dear sir, I am surprised that you should ask the question.

The girl is poor and friendless, and has just buried her father. My dear sir, it would be kind of you, if you were to call and offer her those 'delicate attentions' of which you speak."

The amorous baronet was not slow to avail himself of this very amiable suggestion, delivered with a significant leer which could not be mistaken; he called for several successive evenings at Llidiard-y-Fynnon; but we may very reasonably question the _delicacy_ of the attentions he proffered to the fair Catty. The sequel to the adventure soon became notorious, and the maiden Catty became the mother of our redoubted hero, thence, with an illusion to his father, called Twm Shon Catty.

CHAPTER III.

THE boy indicative of the man. Antiquarian propensities show themselves.

His mother rises in the world, and a.s.sumes the dignified office of village schoolmistress. Her mode of tuition. Twm a member of the "academy."

As the period of early infancy seldom contains incidents worthy the recording pen of history, we shall bring our hero at once at his fourth year. The biographers of great men have generally evinced a predilection to present their readers with certain early indications of the peculiar genius that has distinguished their heroes in after life; and far from us be the presumption of deviating from such a popular and legitimate rule, by any radical attempt at innovation or improvement.

Pope's lispings in numbers, West's quaker daublings in childhood, with many other instances, not forgetting Peter Pindar's waggery on Sir Joseph Bank's spreading spiders and b.u.t.terflies on his bread and b.u.t.ter, (certain indication of the future Naturalist,) are cases in point, which are familiar to every reader; true or not, we have also heard the story of Sir Isaac Newton's partiality for apples, in childhood; that Paganini's first desire was for a sixpenny toy fiddle; that other great men in infancy exemplified the motto that "Coming events cast their shadows before them;" and it will not appear strange to those already acquainted with his fame, that we have to add to these eminent names that of our long neglected hero.

It is true he became neither a poet, a painter, nor a natural historian, but, according to the unbia.s.sed opinions of geniuses of the same caste with himself, who could not be suspected of either egotism or partiality, a superior character to either-an eminent antiquary-to which may be added, though perhaps it ought to take the lead-a no less eminent thief-if thief he can be called whose illicit doings were prompted by no motives of selfishness, but were ever the spontaneous offspring of whim and madcap daring.

Twm's mother affirms (and when a lady affirms anything the gentlemen feel bound to believe in, and swear by it,) that her son's first predilection consisted of an intense affection for street rubbish. The gutters and sweepings of Tregaron furnished him with materials for an antiquarian exhibition which he held in a stable manger. The pottery of bygone days, somewhat the worse for wear and tear, but still exhibiting the taste and substantial ideas of the original manufactures-cutlery of Sheffield manufactures, discarded and useless, but not beneath the notice of our juvenile showman-twisted hemp and bits of figured rags and paper, relics of time past-all formed part and parcel of his "exhibition."

To be sure his occupation was not of the cleanest. To secure these priceless relics, he coated hands, face, and clothes, with a thick crust of mud, and thus showed his origin, by the close affection he had for mother earth. As in these little fancies he spent the greater part of his time, it became a wonder to his mother that he seldom ran home for food; but it was soon discovered that he had a mode peculiar to himself of raising contributions on the public of which he was a member, by forcing them to part with a portion of their bread and b.u.t.ter-a praiseworthy act, and trebly commendable, as in the first place it showed his filial piety, in saving his mother the expense of his victuals; in the next, it taught courtesy to the churlish, who in time antic.i.p.ated his demand by voluntary offerings; and thirdly, it engendered the principle of honesty in their tender minds, by marking the propriety of paying for their curiosity in gaping over the produce of his labours. This, it will also be observed, was another feature that announced his future character, which, it will be seen, "grew with his growth, and strengthened with his strength."

Sir Jno. Wynn was made acquainted with the result of those "delicate attentions," to which we have before alluded, and as some sort of compensation, he bought the cottage of Squire Gras.p.a.cre, and presented it to Catty, as the reward of her kind compliance with his "delicate"

wishes. The little property made her of great importance in the district. As the house was large, and not overstocked with inhabitants, it occurred to the good people of Tregaron, that a day-school might be established within its walls; and having with their own consent found a school-room, by the same indisputable right they fixed on Catty for its mistress, and inst.i.tuted her governess, to rule their tender progeny.

Catty, with huge grin of approbation at her unexpected promotion, immediately ratified their election, and declared both her house and self ready for the reception of pupils at the moderate terms of a penny a week. Her hump-backed sister was by no means pleased with this arrangement, and very testily asked, "Who was to clean up the house after the grubby fry?" Catty made no reply, but in the pride of her heart hummed a gay song, scratched the mud off her boy's clothes with an old birch broom, which being hardened by sweeping the house, answered the purpose better than a brush, and had some old coffers converted into benches for the service of her scholars.

She then with singular alacrity, proceeded to cut from the hedge, with her own fair hand, one of the most engaging-looking birch rods, that ever was wielded by rural governess. This premature display of the sceptre of severity was far from fortunate, and nearly ruined the undertaking at the outset. The tender mothers of Tregaron were startled at so unexpected a proceeding, and practically declared they had rather their dear babes should be brought up like calves and pigs, in the most b.e.s.t.i.a.l ignorance, than have knowledge beaten into them at the nether end with a birch rod.

Catty immediately quieted their fears, by protesting that she entertained the utmost abhorrence of the flagellation system, and that the bunch of birch was but bound together for a very different purpose, namely, to be suspended as a sign over her door. As Catty was all compliance with their requisitions, every thing was set to rights; and without more ado children were sent from every house where the affluence of the inmates enabled them to give their offspring the first rudiments of education.

The mother of Twm became the pink and paragon of schoolmistresses. 'Tis true, the noise and uproar of her school was so great, that the pigs were frightened from their trough, and the curate's wife, who rode an ill-tamed horse, was thrown headlong into the well, when pa.s.sing the academy, from the animal taking fright; but that was no fault of Catty's; people should break in their horses properly, and curates' wives should learn to ride and keep their seats better. Besides, the alleged uproar was the greatest evidence in her favour, as it proved the tenderness of her heart in not correcting her scholars-a quality more valued by their maternal parents than any other that could be subst.i.tuted; and in their appreciation of this prime desideratum, they omitted to inquire minutely into her other qualifications for a governess.