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copies; the profits of which would go towards the support of the 
holy society for casting out unclane spirits; to which he himself 
belonged。  Well; the people showed that they were plased by a loud 
shout; and went away longing for the next Sunday when I was to be 
presented to them without a divil in me。  Five times the next week 
did I go to the priest's house; to be read to; and be sprinkled; 
and have cloths put upon me; in order that the work of casting out 
the last divil; which it seems was stronger than all the rest; 
might be made smooth and aisy; and on the Saturday I came to have 
the last divil cast out; and found his riverince in full 
canonicals; seated in his aisy chair。  'Daughter;' said he when he 
saw me; 'the work is nearly over。  Now kneel down before me; and I 
will make the sign of the cross over your forehead; and then you 
will feel the last and strongest of the divils; which have so long 
possessed ye; go out of ye through your eyes; as I expect you will 
say to the people assembled in the chapel to…morrow。'  So I put 
myself on my knees before his reverence; who after muttering 
something to himself; either in Latin or Shanna Gailey … I believe 
it was Latin; said; 'Look me in the face; daughter!'  Well; I 
looked his reverence in the face; and there I saw his nose looking 

so large; red; and inviting that I could not resist the temptation; 
and before his reverence could make the sign of the cross; which 
doubtless would have driven the divil out of me; I made a spring at 
it; and seizing hold of it with forefinger and thumb; pulled hard 
at it。  Hot and inctious did it feel。  Oh; the yell that his 
reverence gave!  However; I did not let go my hold; but kept 
pulling at the nose; till at last to avoid the torment; his 
reverence came tumbling down upon me; causing me by his weight to 
fall back upon the floor。  At the yell which he gave; and at the 
noise of the fall; in came rushing his reverence's housekeeper and 
stable…boy; who seeing us down on the floor; his reverence upon me 
and my hand holding his reverence's nose; for I felt loth to let it 
go; they remained in astonishment and suspense。  When his 
reverence; however; begged them; for the Virgin's sake; to separate 
him from the divil of a woman; they ran forward; and having with 
some difficulty freed his reverence's nose from my hand; they 
helped him up。  The first thing that his reverence did; on being 
placed on his legs; was to make for a horse…whip; which stood in 
one corner of the room; but I guessing how he meant to use it; 
sprang up from the floor; and before he could make a cut at me; ran 
out of the room; and hasted home。  The next day; when all the 
people for twenty miles round met in the chapel; in the expectation 
of seeing me presented to them a purified and holy female; and 
hearing from my mouth the account of the miracle which his 
reverence had performed; his reverence made his appearance in the 
pulpit with a dale of gould bater's leaf on his nose; and from the 
pulpit he told the people how I had used him; showing them the 
gould bater's leaf on his feature; as testimony of the truth of his 
words; finishing by saying that if at first there were seven 
devils; there were now seven times seven within me。  Well; when the 
people heard the story; and saw his nose with the bater's leaf upon 
it; they at first began to laugh; but when he appealed to their 
consciences; and asked them if such was fitting tratement for a 
praist; they said it was not; and that if he would only but curse 
me; they would soon do him justice upon me。  His reverence then 
cursed by book; bell; and candle; and the people; setting off from 
the chapel; came in a crowd to the house where I lived; to wrake 
vengeance upon me。  Overtaking my son by the way; who was coming 
home in a state of intoxication; they bate him within an inch of 
his life; and left him senseless on the ground; and no doubt would 
have served me much worse; only seeing them coming; and guessing 
what they came about; though I was a bit intoxicated myself; I 
escaped by the back of the house out into the bog; where I hid 
myself amidst a copse of hazels。  The people coming to the house; 
and not finding me there; broke and destroyed every bit of 
furniture; and would have pulled the house down; or set fire to it; 
had not an individual among them cried out that doing so would be 
of no use; for that the house did not belong to me; and that 
destroying it would merely be an injury to the next tenant。  So the 
people; after breaking my furniture and ill…trating two or three 
dumb beasts; which happened not to have been made away with; went 
away; and in the dead of night I returned to the house; where I 
found my son; who had just crawled home covered wit bruises。  We 
hadn't; however; a home long; for the agents of the landlord came 
to seize for rent; took all they could find; and turned us out upon 
the wide world。  Myself and son wandered together for an hour or 
two; then; having a quarrel with each other; we parted; he going 
one way and I another。  Some little time after I heard that he was 
transported。  As for myself; I thought I might as well take a leaf 
out of the woman's book who had been the ruin of me。  So I went 
about bidding people give me alms for the glory of God; and 
threatening those who gave me nothing that the mass should never 
comfort them。  It's a dreadful curse that; honey; and I would 
advise people to avoid it even though they give away all they have。  
If you have no comfort in the mass; you will have comfort in 
nothing else。  Look at me:  I have no comfort in the mass; for as 
soon as the priest's bell rings; I shouts and hoorahs; and performs 
tumblings before the blessed corpus; getting myself kicked out of 
chapel; and as little comfort as I have in the mass have I in other 
things; which should be a comfort to me。  I have two sons who ought 
to be the greatest comfort to me; but are they so?  We'll see … one 
is transported; and of course is no comfort to me at all。  The 
other is a sodger。  Is he a comfort to me?  Not a bit。  A month ago 
when I was travelling through the black north; tumbling and 
toppling about; and threatening people with my prayer; unless they 
gave me alms; a woman; who knew me; told me that he was with his 
regiment at Cardiff; here in Wales; whereupon I determined to go 
and see him; and crossing the water got into England; from whence I 
walked to Cardiff asking alms of the English in the common English 
way; and of the Irish; and ye are the first Irish I have met; in 
the way in which I asked them of you。  But when I got to Cardiff 
did I see my son?  I did not; for the day before he had sailed with 
his regiment to a place ten thousand miles away; so I shall never 
see his face again nor derive comfort from him。  Oh; if there's no 
comfort from the mass there's no comfort from anything else; and he 
who has the evil prayer in the Shanna Gailey breathed upon him; 
will have no comfort from the mass。  Now; honey; ye have heard the 
story of Johanna Colgan; the bedivilled woman。  Give her now a 
dacent alms and let her go!〃

〃Would you consider sixpence a decent alms?〃

〃I would。  If you give me sixpence; I will not say my prayer over 
ye。〃

〃Would you give me a blessing?〃

〃I would not。  A bedivilled woman has no blessing to give。〃

〃Surely if you are able to ask people to give you alms for the 
glory of God; you are able to give a blessing。〃

〃Bodderation! are ye going to give me sixpence?〃

〃No! here's a shilling for you!  Take it and go in peace。〃

〃There's no pace for me;〃 said Johanna Colgan; taking the money。  
〃What did the monstrous female say to me?  'Biaidh an taifrionn gan 
sholas duit a bhean shalach。' (23)  This is my pace … hoorah! 
hoorah!〃 then giving two or three grotesque topples she hurried 
away in the direction of Merthyr Tydvil。



CHAPTER CVI



Pen y Glas … Salt of the Earth … The Quakers' Yard … The 
Rhugylgroen。


AS I proceeded on my way the scenery to the south on the farther 
side of the river became surprisingly beautiful。  On that side 
noble mountains met the view; green fields and majestic woods; the 
latter brown it is true; for their leaves were gone; but not the 
less majestic for being brown。  Here and there were white farm…
houses:  one of them; which I was told was called Pen y Glas; was a 
truly lovely little place。  It stood on the side of a green hill 
with a noble forest above it; and put me wonderfully in mind of the 
hunting lodge; which Ifor Hael allotted as a retreat to Ab Gwilym 
and Morfydd; when they fled to him from Cardigan to avoid the rage 
of the Bow Bach; and whose charming appearance made him say to his 
love:…


〃More bliss for us our fate propounds
On Taf's green banks than Teivy's bounds。〃


On I wandered。  After some time the valley assumed the form of an 
immense basin; enormous mountains composed its sides。  In the 
middle rose hills of some altitude; but completely overcrowned by 
the mountains around。  These hills exhibited pleasant inclosures; 
and were beautifully dotted with white farm…houses。  Down below 
meandered the Taf; its reaches shining with a silver…like 
splendour。  The whole together formed an exquisite picture; in 
which there was much sublimity; much still quiet life; and not a 
little of fantastic fairy loveliness。

The sun was hastening towards the west as I passed a little cascade 
on the left; the waters of which; after running under the road; 
tumbled down a gully into the river。  Shortly afterwards meeting a 
man I asked him how far it was to Caerfili。

〃When you come to the Quakers' Yard; which is a little way further 
on; you will be seven miles from Caerfili。〃

〃What is the Quakers' Yard?〃

〃A place where the people called Quakers bury their dead。〃

〃Is there a village near it?

〃There is; and the village is called by the same name。〃

〃Are there any Quakers in it?〃

〃Not one; nor in the neighbourhood; but there are some; I believe; 
in Cardiff。〃

〃Why do they bury their dead there?〃

〃You should ask them; not me。  I know nothing about them; and don

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