The Cambrian Sketch-Book Part 21

"Alas! no; I wish we did. When I consider how beautiful our clime and country are,-our friends.h.i.+p, a.s.sociations, consciousness, friends, relations,-I often shudder at the thought of annihilation. Sometimes I am terribly oppressed with the thought of ceasing to be, and the more thoughtful of my race hold similar opinions and feelings."

_Myself_. What do you and your people wors.h.i.+p? Who is the object of your adoration?

"We wors.h.i.+p truth; a thing not a person; an idea, not a reality; a form, beautiful though it be, and not a substance. It is awful to think that the grave is to be the end of our joys, pleasures, and delights. In the matter of wors.h.i.+p, you are right and we are wrong; you are the wise ones, we the fools. But you have, methinks, too much of form in your manner of wors.h.i.+pping your Supreme."

_Myself_. I agree with your last remark; but pray tell me how you have acquired such an intimate knowledge of our affairs.

"By frequent visits to your land, and by mixing with your people."

_Myself_. I never saw a member of your race until I was fortunate enough to meet Prince Tippin.

"Perhaps not; but I have traversed the whole of your country, as well as other countries beyond the sea."

_Myself_. Is that really so? You certainly astonish me.

"Twice every year, in your spring time and autumn, I visit your world on affairs of state."

_Myself_. Then there dwell in other climes a kindred people, a race like your own?

"Certainly; and I have often paid them a friendly visit."

_Myself_. In what parts of the country do they live?

"In several parts. In fair Mona's Isle there dwell the Pobli Bach. In East Anglia is the race of the Plantos. In Germany, living on the banks of the Rhine, are the Pobli Wyn. In France, Spain, Italy, and the East there are different tribes inhabiting a precisely similar country to this. And their habits, customs, mode of life and government, are all identical with ours."

_Myself_. And do you live in peace with each other? Do you never quarrel, and go to war, and kill each other in battle?

"Oh dear no! We live at peace. According to our code of morals, it is very wicked to take away or destroy life. Of all things in our world life is the beautifullest. We are shocked, and pained, and grieved in witnessing the contentions between the peoples of your world. In our view it is awful to use your arts, skill, and wealth, in making instruments, and in training and paying men, to kill and destroy. Yet you call yourselves Christians!"

_Myself_. In my conscience I believe we are wrong.

"You do; do you?"

_Myself_. a.s.suredly I do. I believe war is wrong; is hateful to high heaven; is contrary to the principles of the gospel, which command us to love one another. From G.o.d comes life. He sustains it. He only has a right to take it away. In man we see His image. Of one blood He has made us all. Although we are brothers, yet we act towards each other as if we were the children of the evil one. But a time will come when strife and contention shall cease, when there shall exist universal harmony, a harmony founded on the law of Christ, which is the law of love.

"I am surprised at your confession. The opinion you hold on this question is directly contrary to that held by your teachers. Why, your ministers preach the doctrine that war is in harmony with your faith. Is not that so?"

_Myself_. I must own that that is so. Still I believe them to be in error, and hope they will discover their error before it is too late. I am afraid that a great deal of the scepticism of the times is princ.i.p.ally owing to the want of harmony between the truth and the profession of it.

As a race we don't practically live out the precepts of our faith. Hence the reason why men of the world scorn religious men, and you know contempt usually ends in disbelief.

"If we have not the light you have, still we are a purer and a more virtuous people than yours. We are sober and temperate, but your race is not. We live in peace, never engage in war, but you kill each other with the sword and the bow. Then as our climate is so superior to yours, why not stay with us for ever?"

_Myself_. I could not live without seeing my father and mother; without visiting the upper world in order to bask occasionally on the sylvan banks of Tawe's crystal waters; to gaze on the blue heavens, with their twinkling stars; to wander about the green meads, and listen to the rich melody of the winged songsters of the grove and primeval forest; but I should like to visit you now and then. Before I return I am anxious to see and have converse with your king, the rather that, as the prince informed me, he is a wise and virtuous ruler.

"I rejoice that the prince has spoken so well of his master. I am the king, and I thank you for speaking so freely of your country and its people. Whenever you choose to pay us a visit, be a.s.sured you shall be heartily welcome."

_Myself_. May it please your majesty, your majesty has treated me as if I were a prince instead of a poor fisherman's son. Your majesty's kindness and hospitality I shall ever remember with grat.i.tude. I accept your invitation, and I will certainly pay another visit to your beautiful country.

_The King_. At all times you shall be heartily received.

_Myself_. Thanks; a thousand thanks. Were I not a Welshman, I would dwell in your beautiful land.

_The King_. You have spoken handsomely of my dominions. But here comes the prince; he shall conduct you to the sylvan banks of your beautiful river, a river you so much love.

Before setting out on my homeward journey, I briefly inspected the royal carriage. I now discovered, what had previously escaped my notice, that underneath, and attached to the side of the carriage, were inflated skins filled with natural gas. These gave a buoyancy to the machine. Indeed, it was only by the use of strong ropes made of gra.s.s that it was kept on the earth. On stepping into the carriage, these ropes were unhooked; it then began to ascend, and on reaching an alt.i.tude of forty yards we got into what the prince called node currents, which carried us along at the rate of 300 miles an hour. We soon reached the public buildings referred to in a previous part of my story, and from thence he conducted me through the subterranean pa.s.sage until we reached fair Tawe's sh.o.r.e.

I urged the prince to accompany me to my parents' cottage, which he declined. He said that he had a special engagement with the fairies of East Anglia-having arranged to spend the night with them at their annual dance on the verdant fields below Derwent Fawr. I subsequently learnt, that Prince Tippin was engaged to a princess of the above tribe, of the name of t.i.tania; and that they frequently met on Derwent's green fields "to dance the nights to the whistling wind."

On entering my home I found my parents mourning for me as one who was dead. At first they would not believe me to be their son, but thought it was their son's spirit which had come to visit them. I soon convinced them of being still in the flesh,-that I was no ghost, no spirit. I had then to give them a history of my travels, to tell them of the strange sights I had seen, the singular people I had met, the character of the kingdom I had visited; but on my telling them of the gold and precious stones with which the land abounded, my mother upbraided me for coming away without a large lump of gold. I told her that I did not covet other people's property, and that I should have acted extremely wrong had I taken away the gold of a people from whom I had received so much kindness.

I remained at home for several weeks, and occasionally went to school. I found my old enemy as cruel as ever, and I came to the conclusion that on the very first opportunity I would return to the fairy kingdom beneath the bay.

On wandering along the strand one fine morning, I was hailed by a voice I could never forget. The prince informed me that having just returned from visiting his fair t.i.tania, he was about to return to Dinas Aur, and urged me to return with him. I readily yielded to his wishes, and sending a message to my parents where I had gone, we started off, and returned by means of the aerial carriage.

As I antic.i.p.ated, my return to Dinas Aur, was hailed with extreme delight by the few persons I had come in contact with on my previous visit. His majesty the king gave me a hearty welcome, and expressed a hope that I would continue to sojourn in his dominions at least for a season. I expressed my grat.i.tude to his majesty for his extreme kindness, and informed him that as my parents were acquainted with the place of my abode, I was the less anxious to return home than if that knowledge was not in their possession.

The king replied, that I had shown, by sending the message I had, that I was a dutiful son, fond of my mother and father, that I had shown I did not want to give them a moment's uneasiness and pain. His majesty then dismissed me, and placed me under the special protection of his chancellor, Prince Tippin. This arrangement afforded me inexpressible satisfaction and delight, as on all occasions I had received from him every consideration and courtesy.

In my subsequent intercourse with the prince, I found him to be a man without prejudice, wholly free from bigotry, and in all circ.u.mstances never showing the least indication of pa.s.sion. He loved purity and goodness wherever he found those virtues. He abominated cant, and loathed low tricks which no one who wished to be regarded as honourable would resort to in order to gain a special end. In his own beautiful language, which I soon learned, he would use a string of adjectives to characterize that cla.s.s of men, who are mean, selfish, unprincipled; men who have no claim to be admitted into the society of pure and n.o.ble and unselfish individuals. "Look," he said one day to me, "at your public men, from the highest to the lowest; they are influenced by the love of power and fame, and you find that when a particular end is to be secured they are indifferent as to the means to be employed. In appointing persons to fill important posts, the claims of your best men are wholly ignored. You sadly want men at the head of your affairs who are just, magnanimous, and patriotic, men who are simply ambitious to secure the welfare and weal of the people."

_Myself_. I must own, your excellency, that there is too much truth in your strictures and censures. But we are improving, and shall ultimately become a pure and perfect race. Are there no persons of the cla.s.s you have described in your country? Is your race perfectly free from selfishness and faction?

"Certainly; we are all equal. As citizens and subjects we occupy the same position. Our best men occupy all posts in the civil government of the country. Here again, all people readily obey the law: delinquents are banished the kingdom."

_Myself_. Have you not frequent occasion to put the law in force?

"By no means. There is only one case on record for one hundred years in which the law has been rigorously carried out."

_Myself_. You must be a law-observing people. I wish from my heart that our race were as pure as yours.

"They would be were your rulers as wise as ours."

_Myself_. Then you think that our leading men are inferior to yours?

"Think! I know they are. The history of your country proves this. But we must drop the subject now. I have an engagement with my royal master at this hour, and I must hasten to the council chamber, for I fear his majesty has already gone there."

After supper, and just as I was about to retire to my chamber, I received a visit from the Princess Mervyna and her two little sisters. They were attended by their maid, who, though she was smaller in stature than her mistress, was evidently many years her senior. The Princess Mervyna introduced herself, and said that she had come to command me to join them at their sports the next day. I expressed regret to the princess at being unable to comply with her wish, having previously arranged to accompany the chancellor to a distant part of the kingdom. I told her that I should regard it as a high honour to join them at their games the day after. She acquiesced in this, though she was evidently a little vexed as well as disappointed with the arrangement. However, she gave me a gracious bow, and on retiring, said, "Don't forget your promise." I again a.s.sured her I would not.

It was nearly noon before Prince Tippin and I started off from the city on the following day. We had the same carriage as the one we had used on previous occasions, and we proceeded at an equally rapid pace.

After a flight of 140 miles, we descended to the earth on the top of a high mountain, which in their language was called Wyddfa, or Conspicuous, from which position we had a magnificent prospect of the country. In the distance we beheld seas like gla.s.s, on which apparently were myriads of little people, some of whom were engaged in skating, others in bowling b.a.l.l.s along the ice, others were playing cricket, while not a few were dancing to the music of the wind. We observed a great number of the little folks playing with golden b.a.l.l.s, which they propelled along the ice by means of a crook.

Though the players went along the ice at a fearful pace, yet I did not observe a single person fall.

Between us and the players there was a beautiful undulating country, which abounded with streamlets and sylvan dells, and the peculiar soft light of the region brought out the deep green of the foliage to a degree I had not previously beheld. The scene was exquisitely lovely, so rich in tint and colour as to leave an indelible impression upon the mind.

Indeed and in truth this was a fairyland, an enchanted ground, though to my vision it was real, palpable, and actual. I became rooted to the spot, for never had I beheld a scene so full of beauty. I was awakened from my reverie by the familiar voice of the prince, who called out, "Elidorus! Elidorus! our time is up; we must haste over other mountains and valleys, over streamlets and rivers, for we have a long distance yet to go, and but a short time to travel it in."

On taking our seat in the aerial carriage, the prince informed me that we should not stop again until arriving at our journey's end, and that on pa.s.sing a rocky headland we could see in the distance, we should have a capital view of the city of the plain. When we pa.s.sed the place alluded to, the city appeared in sight, but the houses and palaces were buried in the rich green foliage of trees, which grew in every street. As we were proceeding at a fearful pace, we had only a glance at the city as we pa.s.sed over it.