in the
habit of doing. One day he and his friend came to me, who was then
clerk, and desired to see the interior of the church. So I took the key
and went with them into the church. When he came to the altar he took up
the large Welsh Common Prayer-Book, which was lying there, and looked
into it. 'A curious language this Welsh,' said he; 'I should like to
learn it.' 'Many have wished to learn it, without being able,' said I;
'it is no easy language.' 'I should like to try,' he replied; 'I wish I
could find some one who would give me a few lessons.' 'I have
occasionally given instructions in Welsh,' said I, 'and shall be happy to
oblige you.' Well, it was agreed that he should take lessons of me; and
to my house he came every evening, and I gave him what instructions I
could. I was astonished at his progress. He acquired the pronunciation
in a lesson, and within a week was able to construe and converse. By the
time he left Llangollen, and he was not here in all more than two months,
he understood the Welsh Bible as well as I did, and could speak Welsh so
well that the Welsh, who did not know him, took him to be one of
themselves, for he spoke the language with the very tone and manner of a
native. Oh, he was the cleverest man for language that I ever knew; not
a word that he heard did he ever forget."

"Just like Mezzofanti," said I, "the great cardinal philologist. But
whilst learning Welsh, did he not neglect his collegiate studies?"

"Well, I was rather apprehensive on that point," said the old gentleman,
"but mark the event. At the examination he came off most brilliantly in
Latin, Greek, mathematics, and other things too; in fact, a double
first-class man, as I think they call it."

"I have never heard of so extraordinary an individual," said I. "I could
no more have done what you say he did, than I could have taken wings and
flown. Pray, what was his name?"

"His name," said the old gentleman, "was Earl."

I was much delighted with my new acquaintance, and paid him frequent
visits; the more I saw him the more he interested me. He was kind and
benevolent, a good old Church of England Christian, was well versed in
several dialects of the Celtic, and possessed an astonishing deal of
Welsh heraldic and antiquarian lore. Often whilst discoursing with him I
almost fancied that I was with Master Salisburie, Vaughan of Hengwrt, or
some other worthy of old, deeply skilled in everything remarkable
con