that veritable Fairyland. He was attended in his Crofton Croker's inimitable book.-There was a wanderings by kind and gentle beings, who anticipated every want, and even invented sports and pastimes to amuse him. In the midst of the gardens there was a well of the most pellucid water, filled with many rainbow-coloured fish. There was but one limitation affixed to his movements and his curiosity; he was forbidden to drink of this well, in pain of having all his happiness blasted. It might be thought that surrounded as he was, with all that he could desire, that there would have been no danger of his violating this command, but the result proved that he had not yet "whipped the offending Adam," or rather Eve, out of him. One day he cautiously advanced towards the forbidden spot, and placing his hand within the well, drew forth some water in his palm, when suddenly a shriek of many voices filled the air; the fishes, the well, the enchanted gardens and palaces disappeared like a dream, and the luckless shepherd found himself on the summit of Brynnan Mawr, with his sheep quietly grazing around in the early dawn, as when he first entered the Fairy ring. It was sometime before he fully recovered his senses; but it was evident that though years had apparently passed away whilst under the influence of the spell, yet that in reality he could not have been many minutes absent from the surface of this lower world.-Some parts of this little tale remind us of several of the stories in the "Arabian Nights."-A popular Carmarthenshire story relates, that two peasants were one night walking amongst the hills, when one of them having lingered behind to listen to some melodious music, separated from his friend, and could not afterwards be found. His friends consulted a Seer, who ascertained that he had fallen amongst the Ellyllon, and directed them to go to a certain place on the first anniversary of the day on which he had disappeared, where they must pull him out of a Fairy-ring. They did so, and advancing boldly, discovered the lost man in the midst of an immense number of little people, about the height of children of four years old, dancing round a circle with their hands joined. They pulled him out, but he died shortly afterwards, having danced without intermission for twelve months, though he was not aware that more than a minute had elapsed.

We have previously alluded to the similarity between the Welsh and Irish legends; and the following little story reminds us of part of the "Wonderful Tune," and "Maurice O'Conner, king, and that's no small word, of all the pipers of Munster," in

certain Cambrian, named Morgan ap Rice, a droughty soul, and like his Hibernian friend, "no ways particular in what he drank, barring raw water." If Morgan went to bed one night in the year sober, it was a thing to talk of. He was a skilful man with his harp, and therefore in great request in mountain and in valley at festive times. One night whilst sitting alone by his turf-fire, musing probably on nothing, but in mighty good humour with himself and all mankind, there came a sudden knock at the door. Bolts and bars he had never heard of, so he sung out that the knockers might enter, and in walked three comical little gentlemen, who made a profound bow to our friend, and told him plump that they were in want of something to eat. Morgan made them welcome to the best he had, namely bread and cheese. The little gentlemen seemed pleased with their hospitable reception, and after stowing away some of this humble fare in a bag that they carried, the tallest of the three asked Morgan what he would at that moment like best to have in the world. Now this was a puzzling question. Morgan scratched his head---his cellar was very low; but then his harp was now on its travels for certain reasons ;—ay, a good harp and a merry tune were the things he liked best in the world. Morgan had scarcely given utterance to this thought, when he jumped up from his chair, for the three little gentlemen had vanished, and in their stead, a goodly harp jostled beside his elbow. But the old harper being rather "oblivious," and his wife and a party of neighbours entering at the moment, the remembrance of his comical friends and their visit passed away like moonshine. Before Mrs. Rhys had time to make any enquiry respecting the addition to their furniture, up strikes Morgan a merry tune on its strings, and a properer tune was never heard from that day to this in Merioneddshire. At the first note all present seemed as if they were set on springs; away rattled Morgan, and now they began to dance like the leaves in an autumnal blast; in short such a jig was never before seen in the whole country-side. The pericranium of one luckless wight came in contact with the beams of the roof; another seized hold of the tables, chairs, and other moveable furniture, which were whisked about the room from dancer to dancer, as if they were so many drunken Bacchanals, indeed there appeared to be some chance that the old cottage itself would join in the fray, for the walls seemed in a reeling condition. All this while old Morgan kept up a

running accompaniment, or roar of laughter, at the unexpected results of his music, which only ceased after the sore delapidation of men and timber, with the discontinuance of that devilish melody. A terrible personage was Morgan after this, when he was elevated; but one night the three comical little Ellyllon carried off their harp again, but not before broken heads and broken bones were as rife as rocks on Cader Idris.

In the singular book called "A relation of Apparitions of Spirits," previously noticed, we read, "W. E. of Hafodadel, going a journey upon the Brecon mountains very early in the morning, passed by the likeness of a coal race, where really there was none; there he saw many people very busy, some cutting the coal, some carrying it to fill the sacks, some raising the loads upon the horses' backs, &c. This was the agency of the fairies upon his visive faculty, and it was a wonderful extra-natural thing, and made a considerable impression upon his mind. He was of undoubted veracity, a great man in the world, and above telling an untruth. The power of spirits both good and bad is very great, not having the weight of bodies to encumber and hinder their agility."-This passage, written by a clergyman, is a curious exemplification of the superstitious creed which existed until a comparatively recent period.--Many of the peasantry believe that the Tylwyth Teg comb the beards of the goats every Friday night, and that this causes their glossy look on the last day of the week.

Fairies, they hear their enchanting music, and sometimes join in their merry dances. They are also familiar with ghosts and strange noises, behold supernatural lights, and always foretel death by certain signs. I am sorry to add too, that my country folk have frequently communications with the "old gentleman," who visits them in all possible shapes and places. A favourite spot is near a Roman road, on one of the hills behind this house, where it is supposed treasure is hidden. Mama remembers a meeting of twenty preachers assembled on a hill not far from this, to combat the wicked spirit, which had enticed so many to sinful practices, by tempting them with bars of gold, which were dug up near a Roman causeway, called Sarn Helen. A farmer, a tenant of ours, was commonly supposed to have sold himself to the evil one. Many of my friends are highly respectable in their line of life; farmers and farmers' wives, of strict veracity on all other topics save supernatural agencies; and they relate these stories with an earnestness and an air of truth, that is perfectly confounding. Some have actually seen the fairies, and among this number is old Shone of Blaenllanby, in the vale of Neath. She says, "that several years ago, she saw the fairies to the amount of several hundreds. It was almost dusk, and they were not a quarter of a mile from her. They were very diminutive persons, riding four a breast, and mounted upon small white horses, not bigger than dogs. They formed a long cavalcade, and passing on towards the nountain, at a place called Clwydau 'r Bauwen, they disappeared behind the high ground, and seemed to be traversing the Sarn, or ancient Roman road, which crosses that mountain.---An old woman, in the neighbour

saw the fairies on horseback, in the air, on little white horses, but that he never saw them descend. That he heard their music in the air, and that she heard of a man who had been twenty-five years with the fairies, and who when he returned thought that he had only been five minutes away."

In a singularly wild and remote spot on the coast of the western portion of Glamorgan, an aged castle rears its shattered wall, amidst a waste of sand-hills. It looks almost supernatural, and is reputed by the surrounding peasantry to be the haunt of the Ellyl-hood of Aberpergwn, states, that her father often lon; they assert it was never the work of human hands, but raised by the Ysbrydion (spirits), in one night, and he must be a bold man who will venture near it at nightfall. We shall conclude this subject with a few remarks from the pen of the "fair correspondent," of Mr. Croker, to whose intelligent observations we have already referred. They form a valuable and graphic record of the superstitious belief existing in South Wales, at the present day. After stating that the improvements of modern days have almost banished the "Fair family," she adds, "however, I have the good fortune to inhabit a romantic valley in Glamorganshire, and am acquainted with some old secluded mountaineers, who speak no language but their own, and who inherit the superstition of their ancestors. They see the

* In our previous paper we have noticed the fairy-language

given by Giraldus; Roberts thinks it leads to "interesting is a "mixture of Welsh and Irish," builds an ingenious hypohistorical information;" and after proving that the said language thesis upon it, and comes to the conclusion that the belief in fairies must have originated in the real existence of some people in Wales, at a remote period, who were obliged to live in secret. They might have been a remnant of an Irish invading existence of Fairies, as supernatural beings, is accounted for party. He adds, "that the manner in which the supposed here, is not destitute of probability, the following extract. from

In these, it will be observed, the instrument is in-1 which the notes are produced. Of the same conflated by the breath, which being expelled by the struction are the three instruments, represented action of the arm of the performer upon the bag, it below. The first and second are from the English passes through a lower pipe perforated with holes, by | translation of the “ Stultifera Navis," by Barclay.t

The third is from the editio princeps of the original these forms have two long pipes passing over the

of that work.‡ It will be observed, however, that shoulder of the performer,

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