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"Thatisagreatdeal，"saidI，"foragroatIoughttohaveapintofalemadeofthebestmaltandhops。"
"IgiveyouthebestIcanafford。Onemustlivebywhatonesells。Idonotfindthateasywork。"
"Isthishouseyourown？"
"Ohno！Ipayrentforit，andnotacheapone。"
"Haveyouahusband？
"Ihad，butheisdead。"
"Haveyouanychildren？"
"Ihadthree，buttheyaredeadtoo，andburiedwithmyhusbandatthemonastery。"
"Whereisthemonastery？"
"Agoodwayfartheron，atthestrathbeyondRhydFendigaid。"
"Whatisthenameofthelittleriverbythehouse？"
"AvonMarchnad（MarketRiver）。"
"WhyisitcalledAvonMarchnad？"
"Truly，gentleman，Icannottellyou。"
IwentonsippingmyaleandfindingfaultwithitsbitternesstillIhadfinishedit，whengettingupIgavetheoldladyhergroat，badeherfarewell，anddeparted。
CHAPTERXCI
PontyRhydFendigaid—StrataFlorida—TheYew—Tree—Idolatry—
TheTeivi—TheLlostlydan。
ANDnowfortheresting—placeofDafyddAbGwilym！AfterwanderingforsomemilestowardsthesouthoverableakmoorycountryIcametoaplacecalledFairRhos，amiserablevillage，consistingofafewhalf—ruinedcottages，situatedonthetopofahill。FromthehillIlookeddownonawidevalleyofarussetcolour，alongwhichariverrantowardsthesouth。Thewholescenewascheerless。
Sullenhillswereallaround。DescendingthehillIenteredalargevillagedividedintotwobytheriver，whichhererunsfromeasttowest，butpresentlymakesaturn。Therewasmuchmireinthestreet；immenseswinelayinthemire，whoturneduptheirsnoutsatmeasIpassed。WomeninWelshhatsstoodinthemire，alongwithmenwithoutanyhatsatall，butwithshortpipesintheirmouths；theyweretalkingtogether；asIpassed，however，theyheldtheirtongues，thewomenleeringcontemptuouslyatme，themenglaringsullenlyatme，andcausingtobaccosmokecurlinmyface；onmytakingoffmyhat，howeverandinquiringthewaytotheMonachlog，everybodywascivilenough，andtwentyvoicestoldmethewaytheMonastery。Iaskedthenameoftheriver：
"TheTeivi，sir：theTeivi。"
"Thenameofthebridge？"
"PonyyRhydFendigaid—theBridgeoftheBlessedFord，sir。"
IcrossedtheBridgeoftheBlessedFord，andpresentlyleavingthemainroad，Iturnedtotheeastbyadung—hill，upanarrowlaneparallelwiththeriver。Afterproceedingamileupthelane，amidsttreesandcopses，andcrossingalittlebrook，whichrunsintotheTeivi，outofwhichIdrank，Isawbeforemeinthemidstofafield，inwhichweretombstonesandbrokenruins，arustic—
lookingchurch；afarm—housestoodnearit，inthegardenofwhichstoodtheframeworkofalargegateway。Icrossedoverintothechurchyard，ascendedagreenmound，andlookedaboutme。IwasnowintheverymidstoftheMonachlogYstradFlur，thecelebratedmonasteryofStrataFlorida，towhichinoldtimesPopishpilgrimsfromallpartsoftheworldrepaired。Thescenewassolemnandimpressive：onthenorthsideoftheriveralargebulkyhilllookeddownupontheruinsandthechurch，andonthesouthside，somewaybehindthefarm—house，wasanotherwhichdidthesame。
Ruggedmountainsformedthebackgroundofthevalleytotheeast，downfromwhichcamemurmuringthefleetbutshallowTeivi。SuchisthescenerywhichsurroundswhatremainsofStrataFlorida：
thosescantybrokenruinscomposeallwhichremainsofthatcelebratedmonastery，inwhichsaintsandmitredabbotswereburied，andinwhich，orinwhoseprecincts，wasburiedDafyddAbGwilym，thegreatestgeniusoftheCimbricraceandoneofthefirstpoetsoftheworld。
AfterstandingforsometimeonthemoundIdescended，andwentuptothechurch。Ifoundthedoorfastened，butobtainedthroughawindowatolerableviewoftheinterior，whichpresentedanappearanceofthegreatestsimplicity。Ithenstrolledaboutthechurchyardlookingatthetombstones，whichwerehumbleenoughandforthemostpartmodern。Iwouldgivesomething，saidI，toknowwhereaboutsinthisneighbourhoodAbGwilymlies。That，however，isasecretthatnoonecanrevealtome。AtlengthIcametoayew—treewhichstoodjustbythenorthernwall，whichisataslightdistancefromtheTeivi。Itwasoneoftwotrees，bothofthesamespecies，whichstoodinthechurchyard，andappearedtobetheoldestofthetwo。Whoknows，saidI，butthisisthetreethatwasplantedoverAbGwilym’sgrave，andtowhichGruffyddGrygwroteanode？Ilookedatitattentively，andthoughtthattherewasjustapossibilityofitsbeingtheidenticaltree。Ifitwas，however，thebenisonofGruffyddGryghadnothadexactlytheeffectwhichheintended，foreitherlightningortheforceofwindhadsplittenoffaconsiderablepartoftheheadandtrunk，sothatthoughonepartofitlookedstrongandblooming，theotherwaswhiteandspectral。Nevertheless，relyingonthepossibilityofitsbeingthesacredtree，IbehavedjustasIshouldhavedonehadIbeenquitecertainofthefact。TakingoffmyhatIkneltdownandkisseditsroot，repeatinglinesfromGruffyddGryg，withwhichIblendedsomeofmyowninordertoaccommodatewhatIsaidtopresentcircumstances：—
"Otreeofyew，whichhereIspy，ByYstradFlur’sblestmonast’ry，Beneaththeelies，bycoldDeathbound，Thetongueforsweetnessoncerenown’d。
Betterfortheethyboughstowave，Thoughscath’d，aboveAbGwilym’sgrave，ThanstandinpristineglorydrestWheresomeignoblerbarddothrest；
I’dratherhearatauntingrhymeFromonewho’lllivethroughendlesstime，ThanhearmypraiseschantedloudBypoetsofthevulgarcrowd。"
Ihadleftthechurchyard，andwasstandingnearakindofgarden，atsomelittledistancefromthefarm—house，gazingaboutmeandmeditating，whenamancameupattendedbyalargedog。Hehadratherayouthfullook，wasofthemiddlesize，anddarkcomplexioned。Hewasrespectablydressed，exceptthatuponhisheadheworeacommonhairycap。
"Goodevening，"saidItohiminWelsh。
"Goodevening，gentleman，"saidheinthesamelanguage。
"HaveyoumuchEnglish？"saidI。
"Verylittle；Icanonlyspeakafewwords。"
"Areyouthefarmer？"
"Yes！IfarmthegreaterpartoftheStrath。"
"Isupposethelandisverygoodhere？"
"Whydoyousupposeso？"
"Becausethemonksbuilttheirhousehereintheoldtime，andthemonksneverbuilttheirhousesexceptongoodland。"
"Well，Imustsaythelandisgood；indeedIdonotthinkthereisanysogoodinShireAberteifi。"
"Isupposeyouaresurprisedtoseemehere；IcametoseetheoldMonachlog。"
"Yes，gentleman；Isawyoulookingaboutit。"
"AmIwelcometoseeit？"
"Croesaw！gwrboneddig，croesaw！many，manywelcomestoyou，gentleman！"
"Domanypeoplecometoseethemonastery？"
FARMER。—Yes！manygentlefolkscometoseeitinthesummertime。
MYSELF。—Itisapoorplacenow。
FARMER。—Verypoor，Iwonderanygentlefolkscometolookatit。
MYSELF。—Itwasawonderfulplaceonce；youmerelyseetheruinsofitnow。I
