to writing. Granted
it was so in his time; yet it is manifest from the poems of our
celebrated bard Taliesin, that, in subsequent times, they did not
strictly adhere to this resolution; for many of their pretended mysteries
are divulged in his compositions. It is also evident, that, in these
early ages, the Druids were not the only persons, who were thus cautious
of revealing their secrets to the vulgar; but the Bards also endeavoured
to conceal their poetical rules and metres, from the public; for their
book of prosody, containing the intricacies of the art, is distinguished
by the name of _Cyfrinach y Beirdd_, (i.e. The Secret of the Bards,) and
they were strictly prohibited from explaining these, except to their own
noviciate disciples, which continued to be their practice nearly to our
own times. But, notwithstanding these strict prohibitions, it is well
known, that the poetical compositions of the bards were publicly recited;
and it is evident that, after the commencement of the Christian aera, the
Druids were not so scrupulously cautious with respect to these rules of
secrecy, which may be proved from some stanzas, which I have seen in an
ancient MS., denominated _Englynion Duad_, probably from a bard or druid
of that name. Some few of the lines I shall here subjoin, for the
inspection of the reader.

Bid gogor gan iar,
Bid gan lew drydar,
Bid oval ar a'i car;
Bid ton calon gan alar.

These lines have been introduced into our Welsh proverbs; and the
following remark is made on them at the end of Dr. Davies's MS. copy.

"Gwyl y rhagor y sydd rhwng y rhai hyn ar rhai sydd yn Llyfr Coch, a hen
gopiau eraill; a gwybydd fod y gerdd hon yn hen iawn; gan fod cymmaint o
ymrafael rhwng yr hen gopiau." i.e. Advertat lector quam variant inter
se exemplar Hergestianum et alia exemplaria in hoc cantico, et sciat, hoc
carmen ob differentias praedictas esse vetustissimum.

Those learned men are, therefore, mistaken, who suppose, that the Druids
never committed any of their compositions to writing; when it is evident,
that these and others of their productions have been conveyed down to us.
Taliesin, as I have before hinted, informs us, that he was instructed by
them in many of their mysteries, particularly in that of the [Greek
text], and in many other rudiments of their philosophy. And hence it is,
that his works are more obscure than those of any other of the ancient
bards.

There is also a certai