autumn walk through Sussex and Hampshire while his
wife was at Bognor. In the next year his wife died, after being
afflicted for some time by troubles connected with her property, by
dropsy, valvular disease of the heart, and "hysteria." Borrow was
melancholy and irritable, but apparently did not go for another walk in
Scotland as was suggested for a cure; nor ever again did he get far
afield on foot.

CHAPTER XXIX--"WILD WALES"

In 1862, between Borrow's two visits to Ireland, his "Wild Wales" was
published. It had been heralded by an advertisement in 1857, by the
publication of the "Sleeping Bard" in 1860, and by an article on "The
Welsh and their Literature" in the "Quarterly" for January, 1861. This
article quotes "an unpublished work called 'Wild Wales'" and "Mr.
Borrow's unpublished work, 'Celtic Bards, Chiefs and Kings.'" It opened
with a vivid story of the coming of Hu Gadarn and his Cymry to Britain:

"Hu and his people took possession of the best parts of the island,
either driving the few Gaels to other districts or admitting them to
their confederacy. As the country was in a very wild state, much
overgrown with forests in which bears and wolves wandered, and abounding
with deep stagnant pools, which were the haunts of the avanc or
crocodile, Hu forthwith set about clearing it of some of its horrors, and
making it more fit to be the abiding place of civilised beings. He made
his people cut down woods and forests, and destroy, as far as was
possible, wild beasts and crocodiles. He himself went to a gloomy pool,
the haunt of the king of the efync, baited a huge hook attached to a
cable, flung it into the pool, and when the monster had gorged the snare
drew him out by means of certain gigantic oxen, which he had tamed to the
plough, and burnt his horrid, wet, scaly carcass on a fire. He then
caused enclosures to be made, fields to be ploughed and sown, pleasant
wooden houses to be built, bees to be sheltered and encouraged, and
schools to be erected where song and music were taught. O a truly great
man was Hu Gadarn! though a warrior, he preferred the sickle and pruning
hook to the sword, and the sound of the song and lute to the hoarse blast
of the buffalo's horn:

"The mighty Hu with mead would pay
The bard for his melodious lay;
The Emperor of land and sea
And of all living things was he."

This probably represents Borrow's view of early history, simple, heroical
and clea