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't want; they are a bad set of people.""Did they ever do you any harm?"
"Can't say they did. Indeed I never saw one in the whole of my life.""Then why do you call them bad?"
"Because everybody says they are."
"Not everybody. I don't; I have always found them the salt of the earth.""Then it is salt that has lost its savour. But perhaps you are one of them?""No, I belong to the Church of England."