Matheson Collection > Early Welsh gnomic poems

INTRODUCTION
"Notice the difference between these and those in the
Red Book and other old manuscripts, and understand
that this poem is very, very old, since there is so
much variation between the old copies ; apart from the
authority of Dr Davies himself." Panton 14 has the
same note, with the last phrase expressed "these are
the words of Dr Davies". This shows that Bidiau 11
was known to Dr Davies and believed by him to be
very old; also that Addl. 14873 and Panton 14 were
copying one of his books. No doubt Peniarth 102 is
from the same source.
More than one of the late copies of Bidiau ii were
known to William Owen Pughe and used by him for
variants for Bidiau i. The Myvyrian Archaeology fol-
lows him exactly with the addition of variants from
"LLPP"^ for the verses in Bidiau i. Neither used
Peniarth 27.
§5
The so-called Englynion y Misoedd, "The verses of
the months", are twelve stanzas of (normally) eight
lines of seven syllables rhyming together. They treat
of the twelve months of the year, and consist of an
aggregate of unconnected gnomes, the first few generally
about the nature of the month concerned and the rest
human-gnomes of the usual kind, with a tendency to
a religious tone.
There are twelve MSS. known to me. Llanstephan
117, p. 84, by Jeuan ap William about 1545, is the
earliest, but it is a carelessly written and not propor-
^ See p. 5, note 3.
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