The Welsh and Their Literature / from The London Quarterly Review, January 1861, American Edition

The essay surveys traditional Welsh origins, recounting a migration into the western island and the deeds of a culture-hero who brought agriculture, settlement, and bardic arts. It outlines periods of social collapse and attempts at political consolidation, including the establishment of laws and magistrates by notable leaders, and describes interaction with Rome—initial resistance, eventual conquest, and partial Christianization—followed by Roman withdrawal. Subsequent raids and the invitation then betrayal of foreign auxiliaries opened the way for Germanic settlement, leaving the native population largely confined to the western highlands, where their language and literary customs persisted.