Creek Characters, for the Welsh-man could not read them. Those
Characters might be thought Sacred, because in these Characters,
the Gospel was first written. Had they been Roman, as they had
been long in use, the Welsh-man, if he knew any Letters at all,
could not be ignorant of them. Some parts of North Wales, till of
late Years, were far behind other parts, in every kind of Knowledge;
but as Charity-Schools were opened in South Wales, above fifty Years
ago, and in North Wales, above thirty, the Country is very much
improved in this respect.[nn] Or, perhaps, the Book was written
in the Ancient Greek Characters, of the same Form with those of the
Alexandrian Manuscript in the British Museum. In that Case it is
not at all surprizing that neither the Captain, nor the Welsh-man
could read them.

[Footnote nn: A Welsh Gentleman observed to me that there may be
found whole Parishes, in the principality, where there are more
Persons who cannot read, than those who can; and as he very justly
added, there is hardly any one in the whole Number, who can read
a Manuscript of the twelfth Century.]

Though the Art of Printing was not discovered in the Days of Madog,
yet there can be no doubt, but that the Britons had Copies of the
Scriptures in their own Language many Centuries before that period;
for it is almost certain that they were converted to Christianity
about the Year 177. Madog was of a Princely Family: it may therefore
be reasonably thought that he and his Companions had one or more
Copies among them.

The Jewish Customs mentioned by Mr. Beatty seem to establish the
opinion, that some of the Original Inhabitants of the New Continent,