Part 3 (1/2)

Come mother, come daughter, son, father, and brother, And bring all your cousins, and uncles, and aunts, To revel and feast at our jolly courants, Haste, haste to the Bidding ye stingy scrubs!

And out with your purses, and down with your dubs.

Come Gwenny and Griffith, and Roger and Sal, Morgan, Meredith, and Peggy and Pal; Come one, come all, with your best on your back, To see mother married to spoon-making Jack; He's a spoon for his pains! as ye all shall see soon.

But lucky in finding a bowl to his spoon.

Haste, haste, to the bidding! and friends, if ye please, For lack of white money bring good yellow cheese, And b.u.t.ter, but not in your pockets alack, Bring bacon or mutton well dried on the rack; So endeth my story; come, haste we friend Watty, Now G.o.d save the king, and his friend Twm Shon Catti.

Twm's delivery of these lines excited much mirth and laughter, and, added to those of the real _Gwahoddwr_, drew more than ordinary attention to this Bidding. Many of the children of the different houses had been Twm's school-fellows, and the pupils of his mother, which had the effect of influencing them, and became a sort of tie, to claim their presence at her Bidding. As Jack's friends were in Carmarthens.h.i.+re, another _Gwahoddwr_ was appointed by his master to go with him to call on his friends at his own native place; and so liberal was the squire on this occasion, that he sent them both, mounted, on horses of his own.

Jack and his Bidder had no great success, as his friends reproached him for his perverse intention of marrying a strange woman in a far land; and therefore finding but little pleasure in the subject or manner of their lectures, he made a precipitate retreat. Blus.h.i.+ng for his countrymen, and ashamed to own his failure in his own land, he bribed Ianto Gwyn the harper, who was his Bidder, to silence; and brought with him to Tregaron, in a hired cart, the common contribution of a bridegroom-namely, a bedstead, table, stools, and a dresser. These, he feigned to have bought with his Bidding-money, received at Carmarthen. Friday is always allotted to bring home the _Ystavell_, or the woman's furniture; consisting generally of an oaken coffer, or chest; a featherbed and blankets; all the crockery and pewter; wooden bowls, piggins, spoons, and trenchers; with the general furniture of the shelf: but as Catti was already provided with every thing of this kind, she had but little to add to her stock.

The landlord of a public house originally called ”the Lion,” but with a sign resembling a more ign.o.ble animal, causing it to be ultimately known by no other designation than that of ”the Cat,” offered Jack his parlour to receive his Cardigans.h.i.+re friends in. Accordingly, on the Friday before the wedding, he was busily employed in receiving money, cheese, and b.u.t.ter, from them, while Catti was similarly engaged at her residence, with _her_ partizans, which were not a few. This custom in Welsh is called _Pwrs a Gwregys_, or purse and girdle; and is, doubtless, of very remote origin.

At length the long-looked for, the important Sat.u.r.day arrived; a day always fixed upon for the celebration of hymeneal ordinances, in Wales, from the sage persuasion that it is a _lucky day_, as well as for the convenience of the Sabbath intervening between it and a working day-a glorious season of suns.h.i.+ne to the children of labour.

Contrary to Jack's expectations, a considerable number of his Carmarthens.h.i.+re friends, mounted on their ponies, made their appearance this morning, and honorably paid their _Pwython_; that is to say, returned the presents which he and his relatives or friends had made at different weddings. Jack's resentful and sudden disappearance, it seems had a beneficial effect on the feelings of his friends and countrymen; and a jealousy of yielding the palm for liberality to a neighbouring county stirred a spirit of emulous contention among them, which ended in a resolution that a party should attend the wedding, and bear with them the _Pwython_ of the others, who had an aversion to travel such a very distant journey.

After depositing their offerings, and partaking of a little refreshment, twelve of the bridegroom's friends, headed by Ianto Gwyn the harper, mounted their ponies and called at Catti's house, to demand the bride; and Wat the mole-catcher and _Gwahoddwr_, who added to these functions the character of father to Catti, expecting their arrival, at length heard without appearing, the following lines, delivered by the merry harper, from the back of his poney.

Open windows, open doors, And with flowers strew the floors.

Heap the hearth with blazing wood, Load the spit with festal food.

The _chrochon_ {62} on its hook be placed, And tap a barrel of the best!

For this is Catti's wedding day; Now bring the fair one forth I pray.

On which Wat, with the door still closed, made this reply without appearing.

Who are ye all? ye noisy train!

Be ye thieves, or honest men?

Tell us quick what brings ye here, Or this intrusion costs you dear.

Ianto Gwyn then rejoins,

Honest men are we, who seek A dainty dame both fair and meek, Very good, and very pretty, And known to all by name of Catti; We come to claim her for a bride; Come father! let the fair be tied To him who loves her ever well:-

Wat, still within, answers,

So ye say, but time will tell; My daughter's very well at home, So ye may pack and backward roam.

Ianto Gwyn resolutely exclaims,

Your home no more she's doom'd to share, Like every marriageable fair Her father's roof she quits, for one Where she is mistress: woo'd and won.

It now remains to see her wedded, And homeward brought and safely bedded; Unless you give her up we swear The roof from off your house to tear, Burst in the doors, and batter walls, To rescue her whom wedlock calls.

Another of the bridegroom's party then called aloud in a tone of authority,

Peace, in the king's name here! peace!