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informs us, he at once founded a Celtic professorship at Paris.* Shall the country, says Mr. Logan, which produced the immortal bard continue without a representative in that literature to which she has contributed so sublime an addition; or, possessing abundant stores of the most curious and attractive description, be satisfied without having any depository for those matters so highly valued by every patriot? And let it be clearly understood that matters of antiquity alone are not alluded to; great men and their deeds, whether belonging to the earlier or more recent annals, are here meant ; and the more useful improvement in science or art in the present day, should ever be preferred to that which has to boast of age alone, however venerable.

The Celtic Quarterly, as we have before stated, will henceforward be devoted to articles of general Celtic interest. We, the conductors of that work, are particularly anxious to acquire the patronage of the Scottish clans; we earnestly solicit their co-operation. We especially address ourselves to the leading men of the Gaël, whose ardent attachment to the primitive manners, the romantic, oral, and poetical lore, the peculiar music, the singularly impressive language; in short, to every thing which distinguishes the natives of Caledonia, (and where is the country more distinguished?) in the history of nations.

To the non-resident Scot nobility and gentry we would respectfully look for support, believing that, as they necessarily feel proud of their descent from the old Gaël, they take a lively interest in all things which relate to that people and country.

We have already entered into correspondence with the ingenious and learned Mr. Logan, author of "the Scottish Gaël," &c. &c. whose knowledge in every thing that appertains to his country will enable us to meet the wishes of our northern friends; next quarter will produce lucubrations from his pen which we feel assured will be fully worthy of him and the country he represents. Other negotiations are in the course of arrangement with several Gaelic and Irish literati. It remains to us inexplicable, that, to the present hour, amidst an unprecedented thirst after knowledge, the different branches of the great Celtic family have remained ignorant, in all that relates to each other, beyond the fact of their mere existence.

* The Welsh are now petitioning for the establishment of a Cambrian professorship at the English Universities.

The fascinating works of Sir W. Scott owe their unbounded popularity to the agreeable admixture of antiquarian and light reading. By this method, he has procured for Scotland a celebrity altogether unprecedented. He has brought pure Celtic historical facts to be universally read, by clothing his data in rich and beautiful language.

It will be our study, on the same plan, in humble imitation of the "great magician of the north," to render the pages of the Celtic Quarterly amusing and instructive. It will form a highly original and entertaining miscellany, containing matter of the most important interest on Celtic affairs in general, and will preserve the curious sgeulachd of Clan n' Albin; legendary lore-floating in oral record, which would otherwise be for ever lost!

In short, the work will embrace every thing calculated to promote the love of country, to bind good men to their native soil, to unite the Gaël, Cymry, Irish, Manx, Bas Breton, Scandinavian, &c. &c. as grand remaining divisions of a wonderful race, and lead our readers to become real lovers of their race.

In conclusion,-impartiality shall be our motto. The different branches of the renowned people who possessed all Europe, and imparted philosophy to both Greeks and Romans, shall be fairly treated. We only desire and expect that which the chivalrous Gaël allowed to every one"cothrom na Feinne."*

Gaelic proverb: "The equal combat of the Fingalians"-i. e. fair play.

ANCIENT PYTHEN YN, OR WOODEN BOOK OF THE WELSH DRUIDS.

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OLION.

To the Editors of the Cambrian Quarterly.

ON THE PRESUMED DIRECTION OF OFFA'S DYKE THROUGH THE
COUNTY OF HEREFORD.

GENTLEMEN,

FROM Knighton, in the county of Radnor, called by the Welsh, Trev y clawdd, or the town on the dyke, the line of Offa's stupendous work has been traced in a very satisfactory manner, but from that point, southward, there are only occasional indications. Strutt assigns the whole county of Hereford to the kingdom of Mercia, but the existence of the dyke, with its proper name, between Upperton and Bridge Solers, on the Wye, shows that this cannot be true of much more than one half.

It strikes me, that those who have endeavoured to trace the bearing of this singular remain of antiquity, have undertaken the matter with the same predilections, as would have guided them in the investigation of a Roman road, forgetting that the Romans, making their lines of communication, did so through a conquered country, and therefore would vary as little as possible from the straight direction. Offa, on the contrary, wished to mark the boundary of his kingdom, which, extending much farther west in some places than in others, he could not avoid giving to his work an irregular appearance. Now, I think we have a most rational guide in the celebrated Denbighshire antiquary, Humphrey Llwyd. He gives us a clue that it is worth while to put to the test, when he tells us that almost all the places on the Mercian side of the dyke "in ton vel ham finientia habent." After taking those spots where this earth work is known, as fixed points, should it be possible to draw a line from one to the other, so that on one side there be Welsh names for places, while on the other they are invariably English, I think the fair inference must be that the original direction is pretty nearly, if not exactly, ascertained.

The most northern point in Herefordshire, where Offa's dyke is known, is in the parish of Leintwardine, a name of Cambrian origin. This is distant from Knighton about eight miles, almost due east; the dyke therefore must have run parallel to the Wye, or that river served as the boundary of Mercia instead. The next certain point is Grimsditch, rather more than a dozen miles nearly due south from Leintwardine. The corrupted Welsh name of Pembridge, (probably once Penybont,) shows where the

* Chronicle of England.
+ Comment. Brit. Descrip. 42.

tract must have crossed the river Arrow. From Leintwardine, therefore, to Pembridge, the first place would be Walford, or the ford of the Vallum, and thence, parallel with the stream, having on the Welsh side Upper and Lower Pedwardine, and on the Mercian, Letton; thence to Creekmelyn, a mound on which might have stood one of the watch-towers, and so on through Shobden park to Pembridge, which is exactly due south of Leintwardine.

Grimsditch is about two miles s.s.w. of Pembridge. From this direction it went s. s. E. to Upperton, four miles, as from this point it is seen in great perfection crossing Mansel Gamage to Bridge Solers for a similar distance. 'The Wye itself next, in all probability, afforded the boundary for a mile and a quarter, making a slight curve, but still keeping the same direction, and just beyond we meet again with an indication of it under the name of Tond-ditch. Hence it probably took a w. s. w. course towards Gorty common, and so on to Walbrook, between Aconbury and Dewchurch, (Eglwys Dduw) and by Hentlas to Altbach, opposite Aramstone, where it again met the Wye. Here the river acted perhaps instead of the dyke, flowing for about a mile in a s. s. w. direction towards Llanfrothen, or it may have crossed the river by Aramstone, to Penalt, and thence by Pennaxton to Hentland, corrupted from Henllan. From this the direction was towards the river Luke, having on the Welsh side Pengethley and Dafarluke, and on the Mercian, Sellach, Peterstow, and Wilson. Continuing the line of the Luke, it would nearly meet the Wye again at Pencreek, or rather Penrûg. Here I conceive it entered my grounds, and went along what in my oldest title-deeds is called "The Lord's Way," that is, the road used by the owners of Goodrich castle to Pencreek. This road, before I gave a more commodious one in exchange, led from Pencreek, or as it is now called, Pencraig, to the village of the Croose, which has been so named from having been formed about Y Crwys, the Cross-house, still having the remains of the shaft on its roof, where the four gables meet. If this road, which in some parts has more the appearance of a dyke, divided Mercia and Wales, it is not to be wondered at that the farm close on its western side, is still called Bryngwyn. Taking a direction from hence, almost south, either along the road to Huntsholm ferry-house, and allowing the river to be the boundary, to opposite Symond's Yat, or running along Coppet-hill to that point, it here crossed the stream, and having left the county of Hereford, entered through this pass in the rock that of Gloucester. From Symond's Yat, or Gate, the line is nearly due south to Coleford, St. Briavel's,* and Tiddenham, at all which

The Rev. T. D. Fosbrook, of Walford, in this county, has taken some pains to trace it here. See GENT.'s MAG. for last month, et ante.

places Offa's dyke is known, and just beyond the latter place it fell into the Bristol Channel, near the mouth of the Wye.

Should this supposed line induce any of your correspondents, who have the opportunity, to examine whether it be corroborated by traces, names of fields, cottages, or farm-houses, I should be glad to see the result in your pages; and in the mean time remain Most respectfully yours,

Goodrich Court; Feb. 8, 1833.

SAML. R. MEYRICK, K. H.

GODODIN OF ANEURIN.

To the Editors of the Cambrian Quarterly. GENTLEMEN,

I READ the Rev. Mr. Price's answer to my letter with much pleasure and satisfaction, and I should rejoice to see him well supported and encouraged in his laudable proposal of publishing his ancient Ms. according to the plan which he has suggested. I beg leave therefore to say that I will subscribe two guineas, by way of commencement, towards promoting so desirable an object as the publication of the GODODIN, and the other poems contained in the Ms. ; and, if you can prevail on some of our patriotic countrymen in London to form themselves into a committee for the purpose of carrying Mr. Price's proposal into effect, which is the only way that I can suggest as best calculated to give him the support he deserves, I will immediately remit my subscription. If similar committees also were formed in different parts of the Principality, to co-operate with the London committee, the main point, perhaps, would be sooner gained. It is indeed to be hoped that every well-wisher to the ancient literature of Wales will subscribe something towards rescuing from oblivion so ancient a document.

My former letter having been signed PENLLYN, I will now declare my name, by subscribing myself,

Christ Church, Oxford;
Feb. 18, 1833.

Gentlemen,

Your most obedient servant,

JOHN JONES.

P.S.-I cannot well allow this letter to go from my hands without expressing my hearty concurrence in what Sir Samuel MEYRICK has advanced in his letter, which appeared in the last Number of your deservedly popular Magazine, p. 121, in which

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