nclined to
speak Welsh. I suppose, in a little time, thou wilt entirely have
forgotten it; hast thou taught it to any of thy children?' 'The two
eldest understand a few words,' said the woman, 'but my husband does not
wish them to learn it; he says sometimes, jocularly, that though it
pleased him to marry a Welsh wife, it does not please him to have Welsh
children. Who, I have heard him say, would be a Welshman, if he could be
an Englishman?' 'I for one,' said the preacher, somewhat hastily; 'not
to be king of all England would I give up my birthright as a Welshman.
Your husband is an excellent person, Mary, but I am afraid he is somewhat
prejudiced.' 'You do him justice, Peter, in saying that he is an
excellent person,' said the woman; 'as to being prejudiced, I scarcely
know what to say, but he thinks that two languages in the same kingdom
are almost as bad as two kings.' 'That's no bad observation,' said the
preacher, 'and it is generally the case; yet, thank God, the Welsh and
English go on very well, side by side, and I hope will do so till the
Almighty calls all men to their long account.' 'They jog on very well
now,' said the woman; 'but I have heard my husband say that it was not
always so, and that the Welsh, in old times, were a violent and ferocious
people, for that once they hanged the mayor of Chester.' 'Ha, ha!' said
the preacher, and his eyes flashed in the moonlight; 'he told you that,
did he?' 'Yes,' said Mary; 'once, when the mayor of Chester, with some
of his people, was present at one of the fairs over the border, a quarrel
arose between the Welsh and the English, and the Welsh beat the English,
and hanged the mayor.' 'Your husband is a clever man,' said Peter, 'and
knows a great deal; did he tell you the name of the leader of the Welsh?
No! then I will: the leader of the Welsh on that occasion was --- ---.
He was a powerful chieftain, and there was an old feud between him and
the men of Chester. Afterwards, when two hundred of the men of Chester
invaded his country to take revenge for their mayor, he enticed them into
a tower, set fire to it, and burnt them all. That --- was a very fine,
noble--God forgive me, what was I about to say!--a very bad, violent man;
but, Mary, this is very carnal and unprofitable conversation, and in
holding it we set a very bad example to the young man here--let us change
the subject.'

They then began to talk on religious matters. At length Mary departed to