les to vocal song and a system to recording. From what
these three men effected Bards and Bardism were derived; the dignities
and customs pertaining to which were arranged systematically by the three
original bards, Plenydd, Alon, and Gwbon.' Three ranks or orders
constituted what was called barddas, or bardism; that of bard or poet,
that of ovydd or philosopher, and that of druid or instructor. The motto
of this institution was--'Y Gwir yn erbyn y byd,' or The Truth against
the world; from which it would appear that bardism was instituted for the
purpose of propagating truth. Bardism, or as it is generally though
improperly styled, druidism, was the fount of instruction, moral and
religious, in Britain and in Gaul. The vehicle by which instruction, or,
as it was probably termed, truth, was propagated, was poetry. The bard
wrought the philosophy of the ovydd into song, and the druid or
instructor, who was also minister of such religion as the Celts and Cymry
possessed, whatever that was, communicated to his pupils the result of
the labours of the bard and ovydd. The Druidical verses then probably
constituted the most ancient poetry of Britain. These verses were
communicated orally, and were never written down whilst bardism or
druidism lasted, though the bards and druids at a very early period were
acquainted with the use of letters. Whether any genuine bardic poetry
has been preserved, it is impossible to say; it is the opinion, however,
of Cymric scholars of reputation, that certain ancient strains which the
Welsh possess, which are composed in a measure called Englyn milwr, are
either druidical strains or imitations of such. Each of these
compositions is in three lines; the entire pith however of the triplet,
generally consisting of a moral adage or a piece of wholesome advice,
lies in the third line, the two first being composed of trivial and
unconnected expressions. Many of these stanzas are called the stanzas of
'The Mountain Snow,' from the circumstance of their commencing with 'Eiry
Mynydd,' which has that signification. The three lines rhyme together at
their terminations; and a species of alliteration is observable
throughout. A word or two here on Cymric rhyme and measures.

In Welsh poetry rhyme is found in a twofold shape: there is alliteration,
that is rhyme produced by the same letters following each other at
certain distances in the body of the line, then there is the common
rhyme, produced