Can Rhyddid - first recorded 28 April 1797 - by John Davies of Llanfihangel Ystrad nr Lampeter : further info - p102 Footsteps of Liberty & Revolt edit

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0708325904

Footsteps of Liberty and Revolt: Essays on Wales and the French Revolution (University of Wales Press - Wales and the French Revolution) - Mary-Ann Contantine, Dafydd Johnston

His public performance of this song was recorded 1801 in a cwrw bach in Brechfa & used in the trial - but Tomos Glyn Cothi was found guilty for singing " Carmagnole " - the English judge George Hardinge was unsure of the Welsh words - he was sentenced to seven years bound over to keep the peace, two years in prison and twice in the stocks - rumours persisted that what he was actually singing which upset people was Iolo Morgannwg's " Breiniau Dyn " - " The Rights of Man " - of which he had copied out the lyrics in his " Cell Gymysg." ... The cause of the upset and need for a culprit was the French invasion at Fishguard - but apparently he had written a poem / song about the Welsh going out to fight them ... Iolo Morganwg had been uncomfortably close to those tried for treason in London in 1794 and had written " Trial By Jury " in triumphant defiance afterwards. I have just been copying the following out from photocopies of a Unitarian magazine of 1848 - those involved were mostly Unitarians.

Tachwedd 1848 – Yr Ymorfynydd

CAN RHYDDID

GAN Y DIWEDDAR BARCH. T.E., GLYN COTHI

A gyfansoddwyd tua diwedd y cannrif diweddaf - [ 1797 ]

Ar y don MARSEILLAISE

O Rhyddid ! Pwy mor ffol a'th wrthod

'Nol unwaith deimlo'th nefol dan ?

A gaiff creulonder mwy di-orfod

Rwystro'th fuddugoliaeth lan ?

O ! Lleda'th faner dros yr hollfyd !

Llwyr waredigaeth dwg wrth raid,

Yn gadarn aros byth o'u plaid,

Er rhoddi llwyddiant, hedd a gwynfyd.

~

Hawl dyn – trwy'r byd,

Llwyr deg ennillo'r dydd ;

Heb fraw – drwy unol fryd,

O'n rhwymau awn yn rhydd.

~

Ein gwragedd, meibion, merched siriol,

Sy'n gwaeddu amdddiffynwch ni ;

A gwaed ein brodyr, dewrion, gwrol,

Sy'n llefain dial uchel gri,

Ar ein hanrheithwyr llwyr erlidgar,

Sy'n gwasgar llid a rhyfel llawn,

Gan ddiffodd pob rhyw ddynol ddawn

Er peri gofid trwm a galar.

~

Hawl dyn – trwy'r byd,

Llwyr dg ennillo'r dydd ;

Heb fraw – drwyr unol fryd,

O'n rhwymau awn yn rhydd.

~

DaiSaw (talk) 17:18, 15 September 2015 (UTC)Reply