Edmwnd Prys
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Edmund (Edmwnd) Prys (1542/3 – 1623) was a Welsh clergyman and poet, best known for Welsh metrical translations of the
Psalms The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of B ...
in his ''Salmau Cân''.


Life

Prys was born in
Llanrwst ; ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It is on the east bank of the River Conwy and the A470 road, and lies within the historic counties of Wales, historic county boundaries of Denbighshire (histori ...
, then
Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, Flintshire to the east, Wrexham to the southeast, Powys to the south, and Gwynedd and Conwy to the west. Rhyl is the largest town, and Ruthi ...
but now
Conwy Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy ...
, in 1542 or 1543, son of Siôn ap Rhys ap Gruffudd ap Rhys and Siân, daughter of Owain ap Llywelyn ab Ieuan. He was a kinsman of the scholar and bible translator
William Salesbury William Salesbury, also Salusbury, (c. 1520 – c. 1584) was the leading Welsh language, Welsh scholar of the Renaissance and the principal translator of the 1567 Welsh New Testament. Early life Salesbury was born some time before 1520 (poss ...
who may have been an early influence. On 16 March 1565 he entered St. John's College, Cambridge, where he was a contemporary of
William Morgan William Morgan may refer to: Arts and entertainment * William De Morgan (1839–1917), pottery and tile designer in Britain * William Morgan (director) (1899–1964), English film director and editor * William Michael Morgan (born 1993), American ...
, the bible translator. He graduated B.A. in 1568, in M.A. 1571, and was a Fellow in 1570. On 14 March 1573 he became rector of Festiniog, with its chapelry of
Maentwrog Maentwrog () is a village and community in the Welsh county of Merionethshire (now part of Gwynedd), lying in the Vale of Ffestiniog just below Blaenau Ffestiniog, within the Snowdonia National Park. The River Dwyryd runs alongside the vil ...
. He became Rector of
Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...
in March 1576 and on 5 November 1576
archdeacon of Merioneth This is a list of the archdeacons of Meirionnydd. The Archdeacon of Meirionydd is the priest in charge of the archdeaconry of Meirionydd, an administrative division of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor. The archdeaconry comprises the five dea ...
. On 16 April 1580 there was added to the livings he already held the rectory of with its chapelry of Llanddwywe, and on 8 October 1602 he was made a canon cursal (a subsidiary
canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...
) of
St Asaph Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saints Asaph and Cyndeyrn, commonly called St Asaph Cathedral (), is a cathedral in St Asaph, Denbighshire, north Wales. It is the episcopal seat of the Bishop of St Asaph. The cathedral dates back 1,400 years, while t ...
. He was twice married: first, to Elin, daughter of John ap Lewis of Pengwern, Ffestiniog, by whom he had two sons, John and Robert, and a daughter Jane; secondly, to Gwen, daughter of Morgan ap Lewis of Fronheulog (his first wife's cousin), by whom he had three sons, Ffoulk (Ffowc), Morgan and Edmund. He died in 1623, and was buried in Maentwrog church. There is a memorial to William Morgan and Edmwnd Prys in St John's College Chapel, Cambridge, where they were students. A primary school in the village of
Gellilydan Gellilydan () is a village in the Wales, Welsh county of Gwynedd, in Maentwrog community. It lies south-south-east of Blaenau Ffestiniog and north of Llyn Trawsfynydd and the disused Trawsfynydd nuclear power station. It is near the junction o ...
is named after him.


Works

Prys composed in the strict Welsh metres, and took an active part in the bardic life of his time. He engaged in duels of satiric verse, crossing swords with his neighbours,
Thomas Price Thomas Price may refer to: *Thomas Price (South Australian politician) (1852–1909), Premier of South Australia *Thomas Price (bishop) (1599–1685), Church of Ireland archbishop of Cashel *Thomas Price (Carnhuanawc) (1787–1848), Welsh literary ...
(
fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...
1586–1632), Siôn Phylip,and of
Ysbyty Ifan Ysbyty Ifan (formerly anglicised as ''Yspytty Ifan'') is a small, historic village and community (Wales), community in the Conwy County Borough of Wales. The population in 2011 was 196 in 76 households (29 household spaces had no usual resident ...
. The last encounter is known for its length (fifty-four poems in total), and the fact that the archdeacon's adversary died while it was proceeding: in view of Prys's advocacy of Renaissance literary fashions it is regarded as a key text of Welsh Renaissance literature. But Prys's reputation rests on his translation of the psalms into free Welsh verse, suitable for congregational singing. At least nineteen editions of the ''Salmau Cân'' appeared, chiefly in editions of the Bible. A rendering of the psalms into the strict metres by Captain William Midleton had been issued in 1603, and a freer translation of thirteen by Edward Kyffin had appeared in the same year. In 1621, however, to a new issue of the Welsh version of the ''
Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the title given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christianity, Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The Book of Common Prayer (1549), fi ...
'' was appended Prys's translation of the whole of the psalter. He rejected the bardic metres in order to adapt his work for popular use. His version of
Psalm 23 Psalm 23 is the 23rd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The Lord is my shepherd". In Latin, it is known by the incipit, "". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and ...
was translated into English, becoming the very popular hymn " The King of Love My Shepherd Is". Prys is mentioned by Dr
William Morgan William Morgan may refer to: Arts and entertainment * William De Morgan (1839–1917), pottery and tile designer in Britain * William Morgan (director) (1899–1964), English film director and editor * William Michael Morgan (born 1993), American ...
as one of three who rendered him assistance in the preparation of his translation of the Bible (1588). Dr
John Davies (Mallwyd) John Davies ( – 1644) was one of the leading scholars of the late Renaissance in Wales. He wrote a Welsh grammar and dictionary. He was also a translator and editor and an ordained minister of the Church of England. His name is tradition ...
addressed the preface to his grammar ''Antiquae Linguae Britannicae...'' (1621) to him.


Notes


References

*


External links


''Welsh Biography Online''


Appearances

Louis L'amour's Novel : To the far blue mountains (The Sacketts n.2) Chapter 9. (Edmund Price) ---- ---- {{DEFAULTSORT:Prys, Edmund 1541 births 1624 deaths 16th-century Welsh poets 17th-century Welsh poets 16th-century translators 17th-century Welsh translators Translators of the Bible into Welsh Archdeacons of Merioneth Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge People from Llanrwst