Cylchgronau Cymru

the writings of one of its founder members. Early in 1821 W. J. Rees writes that Cyfrinach y Beirdd, the shortened title, was in the press and that "Old Iolo" had gone to his son Taliesin in Merthyr Tydfil to super- intend the printing. By the end of the year Rees was shown a proof- sheet of the work. Angharad Llwyd was busy in the north appealing for subscribers among her neighbours. She collected an imposing list, which she passed on to John Jenkins with the comment, "I feel confident (and sorry to feel it) that they gave more to oblige me than to support the cause of their country." Whether from lack of subscribers or owing to the ill-health of the ageing poet, Cyfrinach y Beirdd did not appear until 1829, thiee years after lolo's death. In September 1827 W. J. Rees visited Taliesin ab Iolo, who was a school-master in Merthyr, and was told by him that the book was printed ready for publication, all except the prefaces which he could not find anywhere among his father's papers. He did not even know whether Iolo had written any prefaces. But he intended to write a short preface himself. Angharad Llwyd complained much of the delay, "Cyfrinach y Beirdd has been a sad drawback upon my influence to gain subscribers to other works she wrote to John Jenkins. But still she persevered. John Jenkins prevailed upon John Howell, a Llandovery school-master and a native of Abergwili, to compile an anthology of the poetry of the Bards of Dyfed. This important work, Blodau Dyfed, which contains some of the Dyfed eisteddfodic poetry, was published in Carmarthen in 1824. John Howell, a self-educated man, was a bard and a musician, and had taken a great interest in the Cambrian Society in Dyfed. W. J. Rees suggested to John Jenkins that he should invite him to Kerry to one of his January gatherings, not that he will be likely to accept the invi- tation owing to the length of the journey, but that I expect he will be pleased on the occasion." Another publication which W. J. Rees supported was The Memoirs of Owen Glyndwr, by the Rev. Thomas Thomas, Rector of Aberporth, Cardiganshire. Having received a prospectus of the book from a friend, he sent a notice to the Cambro-Briton, and at Archdeacon Beynon's request, he endeavoured to find subscribers in North Wales, Subsequently Mr. Thomas sent W. J. Rees a parcel containing fifty prospectuses, all he had by him, when Rees wished for many more. He urged Jenkins to call on the Rector of Aberporth when he visited his native county to Thomas himself he suggested that he should attend the eisteddfod at Caernarvon in 1821 in order to find more subscribers. Thomas Thomas was not known to W. J. Rees before this, yet he exerted himself in helping him and aiding the publication of his book purely from a desire to promote the study of Welsh history. But when Jenkins wrote to tell him that he had persuaded Gwallter Mechain to write the History of Powys, he had reservations, I should have been better pleased to hear of his having previously completed The Celtic Remains To leave loose ends untied irritated W. J. Rees. An author more agreeable to Rees was his old friend Edward Davies, rector of Bishopston, and author of Celtic Researches (1804). He had written a number of books and pamphlets and had had most of them published. A Radnorshire man, he had spent most of his early adult life in Gloucester- shire as a schoolmaster and curate. It was in England that he began to study the Welsh language and its history, and it is interesting to note that he was among the first to suspect the forgeries of Iolo Morganwg. His