The Adventures And Vagaries Of Twm Shon Catti Part 1

The Adventures and Vagaries of Twm Shon Catti.

by T. J. Llewelyn Prichard.

CHAP. I.

The popularity of Twm Shon Catti's name in Wales. The resemblance of his character to that of Robin Hood and others. An exposition of the spurious account of our hero in the "INNKEEPER'S ALb.u.m," and in the drama founded thereon. The honor of his birth claimed by different towns. A true account of his birth and parentage.

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 Catti. But "babes and sucklings" are not the only ones on whom that name has continued to act as a spell; nor are fear and wonder its only attributes, for the knavish exploits and comic feats of the celebrated freebooter Twm Shon Catti, 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 the farm house, or the more limited one of the 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 the twice-told tale.

Although neither the legends, poetry, nor history of the princ.i.p.ality, seems to interest, or accord with the queasy taste of our English brethren, the name of Twm Shon Catti, curiously enough, not only made its way among them, but had the unexpected honor 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 Twm _John_ Catti, or the Welsh Rob Roy. The nationality of the Welsh residents in London, who always bear their country along with them wherever they go or stay, 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 peruse the "Innkeeper'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 author's, 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 the book, actually _sold_ a volume, in other respects well deserving the attention of the public. "It is good to have a friend at court," is an adage no less familiar than true; and Mr. Deacon's success in this instance clearly ill.u.s.trates this new maxim-"it is good to have a friend among the critics," by most of whom his book has been either praised, or allowed quietly to pa.s.s muster, adorned with the insignia of unquestionable merit.

Great was the surprise of the sons of the Cymry to find the robber Twm Shon Catti, who partially resembled Bamfylde Moore Carew, Robin Hood, and the humorous but vulgar footpad, Turpin, elevated to the degree of a high-hearted, injured chieftain;-the stealer of calves, old women's flannels, and three-legged pots, a n.o.ble character, uttering heroic speeches, and ultimately dying for his _Ellen_ {3a} a hero's death!

"This may do for London, but in Wales, where '_Y gwir yn erbyn y byd_'

{3b} is our motto, we know better!" muttered many a testy Cambrian, while he felt doubly indignant at the author's and actors' errors in mis-writing and mis-p.r.o.nouncing their popular outlaw's "sponsorial or baptismal appellation," {4} as Doctor Pangloss would say: and another source of umbrage to them was, that an English author's sacrilegiously dignifying a robber with the qualities of a hero, conveyed the villainous inference that Wales was barren of _real_ heroes-an insinuation that no Welshman could tamely endure or forgive. In an instant recurred the honored names of Rodri Mawr, Owen Gwyneth, Caswallon ab Beli, Owen 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 Catti, 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.

If the misrepresentation of historical characters, re-moulded and amplified, to suit the fascinating details of romance, be a fault generally, it is particularly offensive in the present case, where the being treated of, is so well known to almost every peasant throughout the princ.i.p.ality; so that a real account of our hero, if not exactly useful, may at least prove amusing, in this age of inquiry, to stand by the side of the fict.i.tious tale; and if this detail is found also to partake occasionally of the embellishments of fancy, it will at least be characteristic. Little, it is true, of his life is known, and that little collected princ.i.p.ally from the varying and uncertain source of oral tradition. Some anecdotes and remarks respecting him have of late years been committed to record, in the writings of Theophilus Jones, the Breconshire historian, and in the "Hynafion Cymreig," (Cambrian Popular Antiquities,) which Dr. Meyrick has quoted in his "History of Cardiganshire;" but his rover's exploits and vagaries I met with princ.i.p.ally in a homely Welsh pamphlet of eight pages, printed on tea-paper, and sold at the moderate price of two-pence.

Twm Shon Catti was the natural son of Sir John Wynne, of Gwydir, bart.

author of that quaint and singular work, the "History of the Gwydir Family," by a woman whose name was Catherine. Of her condition little has. .h.i.therto been made known; but as surnames were not then generally adopted in Wales, her son became distinguished only by the appellation of Twm Shon Catti; literally, Thomas John Catherine, though it implied "Thomas the son of John and Catherine." {5}

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 pretensions. 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, {6} 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 1590, at Tregaron-that primitive, yet no longer obscure, Cardiganshire town, but long celebrated throughout the princ.i.p.ality for its pony fair; and above all, as the established birth-place of Twm Shon Catti. 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 Catti, (the mansion of Twm Shon Catti,) the ruins of which are still 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.

CHAP. II.

A glance at Twm's grandfather. Squire Gras.p.a.cre. Sir John Wynne. The adventure that foreran our hero's birth.

CATTI, the mother of Twm, lived in the most unsophisticated manner at Llidiard-y-Fynnon, with an ill-favored, hump-backed sister, who was the general drudge and domestic manager, and who at other times a.s.sisted at her usual daily avocations. 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 freehold property, but provokingly situate 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 accomplishing 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 every body; for after ruining the owners and appropriating to himself half the country, the other half also 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. Twm's maternal grandfather was the last of those who daringly withstood the desires of the squire, but at last, after having triumphantly gained his cause, being unable to pay the costs, he was arrested by his own attorney, and died a prisoner in Cardigan county gaol, as the neighbours said, of a broken heart. The philanthropic improving squire, then, of course, gained his end. The old farm-house, alienated from the land, became the residence of the old farmer's two daughters; not exactly a gift, indeed, as they paid the annual rent of two guineas, which was generally considered about one too much.

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 Wynne, of Gwydir, in North Wales, whose sister our deep-scheming squire had lately married, with the politic view of identifying himself with the Cambrian princ.i.p.ality, and becoming one of the great landed proprietors in the country. One day, after a long ride with his n.o.ble guest, over his far-spreading hills and vales, it was poor Catti'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 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.

"Very!" observed the baronet; "I wonder if she is come-at-able?"

"How can you wonder at any such thing, my dear Sir John?" quoth the improvement-loving squire: "the girl's as poor as a rat, and has lately lost her father. It would really be a charity, my dear Sir John, if you were to call and comfort her. Improvement, Sir John, is my motto, and I fancy this poor girl's state is very capable of _improvement_."

The latter part of this _amiable_ suggestion, given with a significant leer, was perfectly well understood. The amorous baronet amply availed himself of the _honorable_ squire's hint, and called several successive evenings at Llidiard-y-Fynnon; but some doubts may be entertained of the _improvements_ he introduced there. The sequel of the adventure soon grew notorious, and the maiden Catti became the mother of our redoubted hero, thence, with an allusion to his father, named Twm Shon Catti.

CHAP. III.

Early indications of Twm's antiquarian propensities. His mother becomes the very paragon of schoolmistresses. The originality of her system.

Twm becomes her pupil.

AS the period of early infancy rarely contains incidents worthy of the recording pen of history, we shall bring our hero at once to 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 daubings in childhood, with many such instances, not to mention Peter Pindar's waggery on Sir Joseph Banks's spreading spiders on his bread and b.u.t.ter, are cases in point, which are familiar to every reader; 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. Such is the prejudice of these degenerate times that the latter designation has grown unpopular; but according to _Bardolph's_ hint, it might be profitably exchanged, on the score of respectability, to "conveyancer:"-

"Steal! a fico for the phrase!

The wise call it convey."

It is to be hoped that none of our readers will be infidels enough to doubt the fact, when they are a.s.sured, on the indubitable testimony of his mother, that our hero's earliest propensity was to grub up old trash and trumpery from the gutters of Tregaron-"filth," as his parent wisely observed, "which had better have been left alone;" and we may safely appeal to any candid mind, and boldly ask whether this trait did not in the most decided manner bespeak the future antiquary. Not a puddle could be found but its depth and contents were duly examined by the indefatigable Twm; and the curious urchin was always distinguishable from the rest of his playmates by certain crusts of mud that adorned his tiny woollen garb from top to bottom. 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 little 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 shewed his filial piety, in saving his mother the expence 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 treasures of his puddles and gutters. 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."

Here we must return again to our hero's mother. On learning the event of his amour, Sir John Wynne bought of the squire, and gave to Catti as her own for ever, her paternal cottage of Llidiard-y-Fynnon. This fortunate circ.u.mstance gave her no small importance in her neighbourhood. 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 Catti for its mistress, and inst.i.tuted her governess, to rule their tender progeny. Catti, with a 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 ill-favored sister clouded her brow, and elevated her hump on the occasion, and asked very indignantly, who was going to clean the house every day after such a grubby fry. Catti 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 pathetically declared they had rather that their dear babes should be brought up like the 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. Catti immediately quieted their fears, by protesting that she entertained the utmost abhorrence of the flagellation system, and that the bunch of birch was cut and bound together for a very different purpose, namely, to be suspended as a sign over her door. After a debate of some hours among the amiable matrons, however, it was decided that the birch should not be exalted even as an external symbol, over the door of the school, as the very sight of it might strike a terror into the little lubberly loves, and frighten them into fits. As Catti 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 very pink and paragon of schoolmistresses. 'Tis true, the noise and uproar in her school was so great, that 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 Catti's; people should break in their horses properly, and curates' wives should learn to ride and keep their seats better. Besides, the alledged uproar was the greatest evidence in her favor, 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 possibly be subst.i.tuted; and in their appreciation of this prime desideratum, they omitted to enquire too minutely into her other qualifications for a governess. Fastidious parents, to be sure, might have insisted that she could read, at least; while others more lenient, would have suggested the necessity of being able to spell, or at any rate, to know her letters: but poor Catti could not have pa.s.sed such a rigid ordeal in either instance, had she been put to it. Yet that very deficiency which might have troubled a weaker mind, was to her a great source of satisfaction, as she always hugged herself warmly in the gratifying recollection that no person could accuse her, in the words of Festus to Paul, "Too much learning has made thee mad:" and with unexampled liberality she determined that the rising generation entrusted to her care, should partic.i.p.ate to the utmost in these her negative felicitous attainments.

Many of Catti's pupils had been taken by their wise and considerate mothers out of the curate's school, fearful that his severity would break their hearts; and having there learnt their letters and a little spelling, they kept possession at least of what they had acquired, by teaching other children, which flattered their childish vanity, while it served their mistress, who, like a sage general that stands aloof from the broil of battle, takes to himself the credit of success, while the real operators are forgotten. Thus, in time, with the powerful support of the matrons of Tregaron, who took the lead of their spouses, and directed the taste and opinions of the clod-hopping community, Catti's school became an alarming rival to the curate's.

Teachers, like all other scientific persons, must have their own systems; and as our heroine's was very original, though perhaps not entirely peculiar to herself, with a view of communicating a benefit to others less enlightened, who follow her avocations, we shall treat the reader, once for all, with a solitary specimen of her method.

"Come here, little Gwenny Cadwgan," said Catti one day, "Come here, my little pretty b.u.t.tercup, and say your lesson, if you can, but if you can't never mind, I won't beat or scold you." Gwenny came forward, bobbed a curtsey, and, while her mistress broomed the mud from little Twm's breeches, and combed his head on the back of the bellows, began her lesson.

_Gwenny_.-a, b, hab.

_Catti_.-There's a good maaid!

_Gwenny_.-e, b, heb.

_Catti_.-There's a good maaid!

_Gwenny_.-o, b, hob.

_Catti_.-There's a good maaid!

_Gwenny_.-i, b,-I can't tell.

_Catti_.-Skipe it, child, skipe it-(meaning "skip it.")

_Gwenny_.-u, b, cub.

_Catti_.-There's a good maaid! Twm, you little wicked dog, don't kick the child. Go on, Gwenny vach.

_Twm_.-(who had been struggling for some time to get from under his mother's combs,) I want to go a fishing.

_Catti_.-Lord love the darling child! You'll fall into the river and be drowned.

_Twm_.-Oh! no, mother; I always fish in the gutters.