Folk-Lore of West and Mid-WalesDavies, Jonathan Ceredig
History
Folk-Lore of West and Mid-Wales
Davies, Jonathan Ceredig
Folklore -- Wales; Wales -- Social life and customs
There is also a story all over Wales of the Evil One appearing to a
young man as a lovely young lady.
SATAN AND SABBATH BREAKERS; OR THE "OLD GENTLEMAN" APPEARING IN MANY
FORMS TO A MAN WHO TRAVELLED ON SUNDAY.
The late Rev. Elias Owen, "Welsh Folk-Lore," page 152, Vicar of
Llanyblodwel, received the following tale from his deceased friend,
the Rev. J. L. Davies, late Rector of Llangynog, who had obtained it
from William Davies, the man who figures in the story:--
"William Davies, Penrhiw, near Aberystwyth, went to England for
the harvest, and after having worked there about three weeks, he
returned home alone, with all possible haste, as he knew that his
father-in-law's fields were by this time ripe for the sickle. He,
however, failed to accomplish the journey before Sunday; but he
determined to travel on Sunday, and thus reached home on Sunday night
to be ready to commence reaping on Monday morning. His conscience,
though, would not allow him to be at rest, but he endeavoured to
silence its twittings by saying to himself that he had with him no
clothes to go to a place of worship. He stealthily, therefore, walked
on, feeling very guilty every step he took, and dreading to meet
anyone going to Chapel or Church. By Sunday evening he had reached
the hill overlooking Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn, where he was known,
so he determined not to enter the village until after the people had
gone to their respective places of worship; he therefore sat down on
the hill side and contemplated the scene below.
"He saw the people leave their houses for the House of God, he heard
their songs of praise, and now he thinks he could venture to descend
and pass through the village unobserved. Luckily, no one saw him
going through the village, and now he has entered a barley field,
and although still uneasy in mind, he feels somewhat reassured, and
steps on quickly. He had not proceeded far in the barley field before
he found himself surrounded by a large number of small pigs. He was
not much struck by this, though he thought it strange that so many
pigs should be allowed to wander about on the Sabbath Day. The pigs,
however, came up to him, grunted and scampered away. Before he had
traversed the barley field he saw approaching him an innumerable number
of mice, and these, too, surrounded him, only, however, to stare at
him, and then disappear. By this Davies began to be frightened, and
he was almost sorry that he had broken the Sabbath Day by travelling
with his pack on his back instead of keeping the day holy. He was
not now very far from home, and this thought gave him courage and on
he went. He had not proceeded any great distance from the spot where
the mice had appeared when he saw a large grey-hound walking before
him on the pathway. He anxiously watched the dog, but suddenly it
vanished out of sight.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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