Barddoniaeth, achau, etc.,

A composite manuscript lettered 'BARDDONIAETH &c.' on the spine. The volume, which contains 'englynion', 'carolau' and pedigrees, is written for the most part (ff. 1-52 verso and 75 verso-101 verso) by Wiliam Dafydd Llywelyn of Llangynidr (c. 1520-1606) (cf. NLW MS 15542B). Another hand is responsible for ff. 53- 75, but Wiliam Dafydd Llywelyn appears to have annotated this middle section. Folio 6 verso carries an eighteenth century list of payments, and folio 7 verso is blank. The contents are: ff. 1-2 verso, part of the story of 'Trystan ac Esyllt' (cf. 'englynion' 9 to 28 in Ifor Williams, 'Trystan ac Esyllt', The Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies V, pp. 118-21); ff- 3-5v, a religious carol beginning 'hanpych well y gaua[. . .] . . .', with each stanza ending 'ora tu pro nobys'; f. 6 recto-verso, 'englynion': one by Huw Arwestl beginning 'medru tewi weithie yes medria[d] [sic] gydwedd . . .', as well as three written in praise of the song-thrush by Dauydd llwyd Mathe, 1581, Dafudd Benwyn, and Wm Mydleton; f. 8 recto-verso, a short extract of religious prose beginning 'Jessv grist yn keidwad y godoedd o feirw y fyw . . .'; f. 8 verso, an 'englyn' 'pen ddarffo rifo y ryfic, ymgais . . .'; ff. 9-46, 'Dyma englyn[ion ] . . .', a series of 226 'englynion' based on proverbs and epigrams, the first beginning '[D]auparth gwaith ganwaith rag wynebdychryn . . .', 'per Tho[mas] ap Hughe de Ewyas', the epigram or proverb is rubricated oftener than not; ff. 46 verso-48, '[ ] englynion y datts', beginning 'dau .cc. a v. mil digwyn / ont dayfis . . .'; f. 48 recto-verso, five 'englynion' beginning 'Un sir ar bymtheg medd sain / lliwgalch . . .'; ff. 49-51, a series of nineteen 'englynion' recording the accession dates of the kings and queens of England between Henry II and Elizabeth I, beginning 'pymp deg pedwar teg myn tain / ywch ka[nt] . . .'; ff. 51 verso-52, eight stanzas beginning 'hawdd o beth y[w] nabod cwilsen . . .'; f. 52, two 'englynion' beginning 'mi a gaf y geisaf fal negeswr / dof . . .'; f. 52, a 'hir a thoddaid' beginning 'Rag Kythrel anfwin . . .'; f. 53, the six last lines of a carol ending 'am y fordd [sic] y gorfydd myned'; ff- 53-73, a long carol based on biblical and historical events, entitled 'Iacob 4 Glanhewch ych dwylaw bechadurieit a phurwch ych calonaw [sic] dauddyblug feddwl', beginning ' fal iroeddwn i n effrv . . .'; f. 73 verso, five stanzas beginning 'Dues wyn diwad . . .', with the following note accompanying the text 'ymofynnrvch am ddiwedd hyn yma yn well o rhyw goppi arall oscat vidd nid oedd ef yn cesio oddli ne ni fedrei Amendiwch y dywaetha fal hyn i odli os mwnwch'; f. 74 recto-verso, lines in the 'cywydd' metre beginning 'Rhown moliant gan tant bob didd . . .'; f. 74 verso, an 'englyn' based on Mat. [xxiv, 35.], beginning 'Nef a daear wfir o wall / a dderfydd . . .'; f. 75, an 'englyn' by Simwnt Vychan beginning 'Pumptheccant gwyddant y gost / a decwyth . . .'; f 75, two 'englynion' by Da[vid] Johns beginning 'Mil a hanner noder yn wiwdec cynnwys . . .'; f. 75 verso, three 'englynion' beginning 'pwy ywr mares garw a gyrydd myrain . . .'; ff. 76-80, a description of arms of Welsh nobles entitled 'Dysgrifiad arfey y bryttan[ied] o vryttys hyd heddiw'; ff. 80 verso- 82, 'Disgliriad [sic] pob gwlad yn neilltyedic o waith Einion ap gwawdrydd mewn englynion', beginning 'Gnawd yngwynedd fokyssedd eirey . . .', [ usually attributed to Aneurin Gwawdrydd]; f. 82 recto-verso, seven 'englynion' of a prophetic nature beginning 'pan welych yr ych mawr ychod / antyrys . . .'; f. 83, a short English prophecy beginning 'Take hyd of Seuen . . .'; f. 83, a list of characteristics attributed to twelve areas of Wales and the Marches in which they surpass others, beginning 'Pen Bonedd Gwynedd'; and ff. 83 verso-101 verso, a list of pedigrees of noble Welsh families entitled 'llyma Betigriw y bryttanied' beginning 'llywelyn ab Gryffydd ap ll ap lorwerth drwyndwn ap Owain gwynedd . . .', continuing f. 84 'llyma Iach bryttys', f. 85 'Rodri Mawr ap merfyn frych . . .', f. 85 verso 'Plant Owein Gwynedd', f. 93 'llyma Wahelyth Deheybarth', f. 94 'kedewen', f. 99 'Dyma arfav Rys ab Morys goch . . .', f. 100 verso 'llyma Iach bleddyn ab kynfyn;, f. 101 'llyma bedwar post prydain', f. 101 'llyma Iach yr arglwydd Rys', and f. 101 verso 'llyma Iach Gryffydd ab kynan' (incomplete).

Title based on contents.

Formerly known as Mysevin 30.

Preferred citation: NLW MS 13250A.

The description is also available in the Handlist of Manuscripts in the National Library of Wales, Volume IV (Aberystwyth, 1971).

F. 7 bears the inscription 'John Jones His Book 1731'.

Published