e bay, is another
mountain of equal altitude, which if I am not mistaken bears in Welsh the
name of Mynydd Llanfair, or Saint Mary's Mount. It is called Cybi's town
from one Cybi, who about the year 500 built a college here to which
youths noble and ignoble resorted from far and near. He was a native of
Dyfed or Pembrokeshire, and was a friend and for a long time a
fellow-labourer of Saint David. Besides being learned, according to the
standard of the time, he was a great walker, and from bronzing his
countenance by frequent walking in the sun was generally called Cybi
Velin, which means tawny or yellow Cybi.

So much for Cybi, and his town! And now something about one whose memory
haunted me much more than that of Cybi during my stay at Holyhead.

Lewis Morris was born at a place called Tref y Beirdd, in Anglesey, in
the year 1700. Anglesey, or Mona, has given birth to many illustrious
men, but few, upon the whole, entitled to more honourable mention than
himself. From a humble situation in life, for he served an
apprenticeship to a cooper at Holyhead, he raised himself by his industry
and talents to affluence and distinction, became a landed proprietor in
the county of Cardigan, and inspector of the royal domains and mines in
Wales. Perhaps a man more generally accomplished never existed; he was a
first-rate mechanic, an expert navigator, a great musician, both in
theory and practice, and a poet of singular excellence. Of him it was
said, and with truth, that he could build a ship and sail it, frame a
harp and make it speak, write an ode and set it to music. Yet that
saying, eulogistic as it is, is far from expressing all the vast powers
and acquirements of Lewis Morris. Though self-taught, he was confessedly
the best Welsh scholar of his age, and was well-versed in those cognate
dialects of the Welsh--the Cornish, Armoric, Highland Gaelic and Irish.
He was likewise well acquainted with Hebrew, Greek and Latin, had studied
Anglo-Saxon with some success, and was a writer of bold and vigorous
English. He was besides a good general antiquary, and for knowledge of
ancient Welsh customs, traditions, and superstitions, had no equal. Yet
all has not been said which can be uttered in his praise; he had
qualities of mind which entitled him to higher esteem than any
accomplishment connected with intellect or skill. Amongst these were his
noble generosity and sacrifice of self for the benefit of others. Weeks
and