Next we entered Wales, and came to Wrexham in Flintshire. Here is a good church, and the finest tower-steeple I ever saw, except Boston: it is adorned with abundance of images. There is a new town-house built like that at Chester. The common people speak the Welsh. The gentry are well-bred, hospitable, generous and open-hearted: the females are generally handsome. I took a great deal of pleasure in hearing the natives talk in their own language, and remarked a great many words among them still retained in our country of Lincolnshire Holland: it is probable enough that our fens and morasses might be a long security to us against the Saxons, as it had been to them against the Romans. I shall give instances of a few words. When we put oatmeal into water-gruel or milk, we call it _lithing_ the pot: the same is signified by the Welsh word _llith_. Davis thinks the English _slide_ comes from the British _llithro_, _labi_: we call it _slither_. A _bull-beggar_, or _boggleboe_, is manifestly the British _bwbach_, with all its synonymes. A top we call a _whirligig_, purely British. We say a _whisking_ fellow, dexterous, ready: British _gwisgi_, To _whyne_; British _gwynio_. Very many such like occur in Dr. Skinner’s _Etymologicum_, which he would fain persuade us the Welsh learnt from the Saxons, but without reason. We passed by the valley upon the river Dee, where was the famous British monastery in early times, whereof Pelagius was abbot, whose British name was Morgan; but no remains discernible. What some talk concerning it, probably the vestiges of the Roman city; for many foundations, coins, and antiquities have been dug up; and not long since two gates of the city were left. We entered Shropshire, passing by Ellsmere and Wem to Newport, where is a noble foundation for a school well endowed by William Adams esq; to the value of 7000l. over the door is this distich, _in fundatorem_: _Scripsisti heredem patriam tibi quæ dedit ortum, Scriberis ergo tuæ, jure, pater patriæ._ he gave 550l. towards building the town-house. [Sidenote: +Royal Oak.+]