"Oh, long time ago, more than two hundred year.""And what became of him?" said I; "was he hung?""Hung, no! only stupid thief hung. Twm Shone clever thief; died rich man, justice of the peace and mayor of Brecon.""Very singular," said I, "that they should make a thief mayor of Brecon.""Oh Twm Shone Catti very different from other thieves; funny fellow, and so good-natured that everybody loved him - so they made him magistrate, not, however, before he had become very rich man by marrying great lady who fell in love with him.""Ah, ah," said I; "that's the way of the world. He became rich, so they made him a magistrate; had he remained poor they would have hung him in spite of all his fun and good-nature. Well, can't you tell me some of the things he did?""Oh yes, can tell you plenty. One day in time of fair Tom Shone Catti goes into ironmonger's shop in Llandovery. 'Master,' says he, 'I want to buy a good large iron porridge pot; please to show me some.' So the man brings three or four big iron porridge pots, the very best he has. Tom takes up one and turns it round. 'This look very good porridge pot,' said he; 'I think it will suit me.'
Then he turns it round and round again, and at last lifts it above his head and peeks into it. 'Ha, ha,' says he; 'this won't do; Isee one hole here. What mean you by wanting to sell article like this to stranger?' Says the man, 'There be no hole in it.' 'But there is,' says Tom, holding it up and peeking into it again; 'Isee the hole quite plain. Take it and look into it yourself.' So the man takes the pot, and having held it up and peeked in, 'as Ihope to be saved,' says he, 'I can see no hole.' Says Tom, 'Good man, if you put your head in, you will find that there is a hole.'
So the man tries to put in his head, but having some difficulty, Tom lends him a helping hand by jamming the pot quite down over the man's face, then whisking up the other pots Tom leaves the shop, saying as he goes, 'Friend, I suppose you now see there is a hole in the pot, otherwise how could you have got your head inside?"'
"Very good," said I; "can you tell us something more about Twm Shone Catti?""Oh yes; can tell you plenty about him. The farmer at Newton, just one mile beyond the bridge at Brecon, had one very fine bull, but with a very short tail. Says Tom to himself: 'By God's nails and blood, I will steal the farmer's bull, and then sell it to him for other bull in open market place.' Then Tom makes one fine tail, just for all the world such a tail as the bull ought to have had, then goes by night to the farmer's stall at Newton, steals away the bull, and then sticks to the bull's short stump the fine bull's tail which he himself had made. The next market day he takes the bull to the market-place at Brecon, and calls out; 'Very fine bull this, who will buy my fine bull?' Quoth the farmer who stood nigh at hand, 'That very much like my bull, which thief stole t'other night; I think I can swear to him.' Says Tom, 'What do you mean?
This bull is not your bull, but mine.' Says the farmer, 'I could swear that this is my bull but for the tail. The tail of my bull was short, but the tail of this is long. I would fain know whether the tail of this be real tail or not.' 'You would?' says Tom;'well, so you shall.' Thereupon he whips out big knife and cuts off the bull's tail, some little way above where the false tail was joined on. 'Ha, ha,' said Tom, as the bull's stump of tail bled, and the bit of tail bled too to which the false tail was stuck, and the bull kicked and bellowed. 'What say you now? Is it a true tail or no?' 'By my faith!' says the farmer, 'I see that the tail is a true tail, and that the bull is not mine. I beg pardon for thinking that he was.' 'Begging pardon,' says Tom, 'is all very well; but will you buy the bull?' 'No,' said the farmer; 'I should be loth to buy a bull with tail cut off close to the rump.' 'Ha,'
says Tom; 'who made me cut off the tail but yourself? Did you not force me to do so in order to clear my character? Now as you made me cut off my bull's tail, I will make you buy my bull without his tail.' 'Yes, yes,' cried the mob; 'as he forced you to cut off the tail, do you now force him to buy the bull without the tail.' Says the farmer, 'What do you ask for the bull?' Says Tom: 'I ask for him ten pound.' Says the farmer, 'I will give you eight.' 'No,'
says Tom; 'you shall give me ten, or I will have you up before the justice.' 'That is right,' cried the mob. 'If he won't pay you ten pound, have him up before the justice.' Thereupon the farmer, becoming frightened, pulled out the ten pounds and gave it for his own bull to Tom Shone Catti, who wished him joy of his bargain. As the farmer was driving the bull away he said to Tom: 'Won't you give me the tail?' 'No,' said Tom; 'I shall keep it against the time I steal another bull with a short tail;' and thereupon he runs off.""A clever fellow," said I; "though it was rather cruel in him to cut off the poor bull's tail. Now, perhaps, you will tell me how he came to marry the rich lady?