Amor
Patriae, to ascribe to his Countrymen the honour of having, first
discoved America. The Author of the above paragraph, whoever he
was, affected to look upon the Tradition concerning Madog, and
the Tale of the two green Children, as equally ill founded, and
unworthy of credit. Whereas in Truth, the one is plainly an idle
monkish Tale, the other a simple Narrative of an Event. One is a
Fact supported by numerous authorities, the other evidently is one
of those prodigies, pretended miracles, and priestly Inventions,
which are to be found in most Authors who wrote during the dark
ages of Popery.

We have above seen, that one has been favourably thought of by
several Writers, at home and abroad, and is confirmed by circumstances
and memorials in America: the other I have not seen mentioned by
any Writer, but by William of Newbury, and by a few who have cited
him.[yy]

[Footnote yy: That the ancient Britons were descended from the
Trojans was asserted by several Writers before Jefferey of Monmouth,
who wrote about the Year 1152. It is alluded to by Taliessyn, who
flourished about the middle of the 6th Century. A Welsh Author,
already mentioned, Mr. Theophilus Evans, says, that the first Writer,
who questioned the Fact, was William of Newbury, in welsh called,
Gwilym bach, about the Year 1192, on this occasion. When Jefferey
ab Arthur, (of Monmouth, who was Bishop of St. Asaph) died; William
an English-man applied to David ab Owen to succeed him, and was
refused. The refusal so mortified him, that he immediately set
about composing his Book, in which he abused Jefferey, and the whole
Welsh Nation. There is great reason to believe that resentment,
upon some account, guided the Pen of William.

See Drych y prif Oesoedd, and the Preface to Jefferey's History.]

It is true that in this Century, and about the close of the last,
if not near the beginning of it, many Welsh people settled in
America.[zz] But it is as true, that long before the earliest of
these periods, there were whole Tribes in the inland parts of that
Country, who spoke Welsh, and who consequently, must have been
descended from some Colony or Colonies, who had settled there long
before the Year, 1660.

[Footnote zz: See a performance entitled, Hanes y Bedyddwyr ymhlith
y Cymru. "The History of the Welsh Baptists," by Joshua Thomas.
Carmarthen. 1778.]

Mr. Jones says that they were numerous, in 1660, and Messrs. Beatty
and Stewart, intimate the same,