The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Mabinogion, by Lady Charlotte Guest (2024)

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Whilst engaged on the Translations contained in these volumes, and on the Notesappended to the various Tales, I have found myself led unavoidably into a muchmore extensive course of reading than I had originally contemplated, and onewhich in great measure bears directly upon the earlier Mediæval Romance.

Before commencing these labours, I was aware, generally, thatthere existed a connexion between the Welsh Mabinogion and theRomance of the Continent; but as I advanced, I became betteracquainted with the closeness and extent of that connexion, itshistory, and the proofs by which it is supported.

At the same time, indeed, I became aware, and still stronglyfeel, that it is one thing to collect facts, and quite another toclassify and draw from them their legitimate conclusions; andthough I am loth that what has been collected with some pains,should be entirely thrown away, it is unwillingly, and withdiffidence, that I trespass beyond the acknowledged province of atranslator.

In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries there arose intogeneral notoriety in Europe, a body of “Romance,”which in various forms retained its popularity till theReformation. In it the plot, the incidents, the characters,were almost wholly those of Chivalry, that bond which united thewarriors of France, Spain, and Italy, with those of pure Teutonicdescent, and embraced more or less firmly all the nations ofEurope, excepting only the Slavonic races, not yet risen topower, and the Celts, who had fallen from it. It is notdifficult to account for this latter omission. The Celts,driven from the plains into the mountains and islands, preservedtheir liberty, and hated their oppressors with fierce, and notcauseless, hatred. A proud and free people, isolated bothin country and language, were not likely to adopt customs whichimplied brotherhood with their foes.

Such being the case, it is remarkable that when the chiefromances are examined, the name of many of the heroes and theirscenes of action are found to be Celtic, and those of persons andplaces famous in the traditions of Wales and Brittany. Ofthis the romances of Ywaine and Gawaine, Sir Perceval de Galles,Eric and Enide, Mort d’Arthur, Sir Lancelot, Sir Tristan,the Graal, &c., may be cited as examples. In some casesa tendency to triads, and other matters of internal evidence,point in the same direction.

It may seem difficult to account for this. Although theancient dominion of the Celts over Europe is not without enduringevidence in the names of the mountains and streams, the greatfeatures of a country, yet the loss of their prior language bythe great mass of the Celtic nations in Southern Europe (ifindeed their successors in territory be at all of their blood),prevents us from clearly seeing, and makes us wonder, howstories, originally embodied in the Celtic dialects of GreatBritain and France, could so influence the literature of nationsto whom the Celtic languages were utterly unknown. Whencethen came these internal marks, and these proper names of personsand places, the features of a story usually of earliest date andleast likely to change?

These romances were found in England, France, Germany, Norway,Sweden, and even Iceland, as early as the beginning of thethirteenth and end of the twelfth century. The Germans, whopropagated them through the nations of the North, derived themcertainly from France. Robert Wace published hisAnglo-Norman Romance of the Brut d’Angleterre about1155. Sir Tristan was written in French prose in 1170; andThe Chevalier au Lion, Chevalier de l’Epée, and SirLancelot du Lac, in metrical French, by Chrestien de Troyes,before 1200.

From these facts it is to be argued that the further backthese romances are traced, the more clearly does it appear thatthey spread over the Continent from the North-west ofFrance. The older versions, it may be remarked, are farmore simple than the later corruptions. In them there isless allusion to the habits and usages of Chivalry, and the Welshnames and elements stand out in stronger relief. It is agreat step to be able to trace the stocks of these romances backto Wace, or to his country and age. For Wace’s workwas not original. He himself, a native of Jersey, appearsto have derived much of it from the “HistoriaBritonum” of Gruffydd ab Arthur, commonly known as“Geoffrey of Monmouth,” born 1128, who himselfprofesses to have translated from a British original. Itis, however, very possible that Wace may have had access, likeGeoffrey, to independent sources of information.

To the claims set up on behalf of Wace and Geoffrey, to beregarded as the channels by which the Cymric tales passed intothe Continental Romance, may be added those of a third almostcontemporary author. Layamon, a Saxon priest, dwelling,about 1200, upon the banks of the upper Severn, acknowledges forthe source of his British history, the English Bede, theLatin Albin, and the French Wace. Thelast-named however is by very much his chief, and, for Welshmatters, his only avowed authority. His book, nevertheless,contains a number of names and stories relating to Wales, ofwhich no traces appear in Wace, or indeed in Geoffrey, but whichhe was certainly in a very favourable position to obtain forhimself. Layamon, therefore, not only confirms Geoffrey insome points, but it is clear, that, professing to follow Wace, hehad independent access to the great body of Welsh literature thencurrent. Sir F. Madden has put this matter very clearly, inhis recent edition of Layamon. The Abbé de la Rue,also, was of opinion that Gaimar, an Anglo-Norman, in the reignof Stephen, usually regarded as a translator of Geoffrey ofMonmouth, had access to a Welsh independent authority.

In addition to these, is to be mentioned the English versionof Sir Tristrem, which Sir Walter Scott considered to be derivedfrom a distinct Celtic source, and not, like the later Amadis,Palmerin, and Lord Berners’s Canon of Romance, importedinto English literature by translation from the French. Forthe Auntours of Arthur, recently published by the Camden Society,their Editor, Mr. Robson, seems to hint at a similar claim.

Here then are various known channels, by which portions ofWelsh and Armoric fiction crossed the Celtic border, and gaverise to the more ornate, and widely-spread romance of the Age ofChivalry. It is not improbable that there may have existedmany others. It appears then that a large portion of thestocks of Mediæval Romance proceeded from Wales. Wehave next to see in what condition they are still found in thatcountry.

That Wales possessed an ancient literature, containing variouslyric compositions, and certain triads, in which are arrangedhistorical facts or moral aphorisms, has been shown by SharonTurner, who has established the high antiquity of many of thesecompositions.

The more strictly Romantic Literature of Wales has been lessfortunate, though not less deserving of critical attention.Small portions only of it have hitherto appeared in print, theremainder being still hidden in the obscurity of ancientManuscripts: of these the chief is supposed to be the Red Book ofHergest, now in the Library of Jesus College, Oxford, and of thefourteenth century. This contains, besides poems, the proseromances known as Mabinogion. The Black Book ofCaermarthen, preserved at Hengwrt, and considered not to be oflater date than the twelfth century, is said to contain poemsonly. [1]

The Mabinogion, however, though thus early recorded in theWelsh tongue, are in their existing form by no means whollyWelsh. They are of two tolerably distinct classes. Ofthese, the older contains few allusions to Norman customs,manners, arts, arms, and luxuries. The other, and lessancient, are full of such allusions, and of ecclesiasticalterms. Both classes, no doubt, are equally of Welsh root,but the former are not more overlaid or corrupted, than mighthave been expected, from the communication that so early tookplace between the Normans and the Welsh; whereas the latterprobably migrated from Wales, and were brought back andre-translated after an absence of centuries, with a load ofNorman additions. Kilhwch and Olwen, and the dream ofRhonabwy, may be cited as examples of the older and purer class;the Lady of the Fountain, Peredur, and Geraint ab Erbin, of thelater, or decorated.

Besides these, indeed, there are a few tales, as Amlyn andAmic, Sir Bevis of Hamtoun, the Seven Wise Masters, and the storyof Charlemagne, so obviously of foreign extraction, and of lateintroduction into Wales, not presenting even a Welsh name, orallusion, and of such very slender intrinsic merit, that althoughcomprised in the Llyvr Coch, they have not a shadow of claim toform part of the Canon of Welsh Romance. Therefore,although I have translated and examined them, I have given themno place in these volumes.

There is one argument in favour of the high antiquity in Walesof many of the Mabinogion, which deserves to be mentionedhere. This argument is founded on the topography of thecountry. It is found that Saxon names of places are veryfrequently definitions of the nature of the locality to whichthey are attached, as Clifton, Deepden, Bridge-ford, Thorpe, Ham,Wick, and the like; whereas those of Wales are more frequentlycommemorative of some event, real or supposed, said to havehappened on or near the spot, or bearing allusion to some personrenowned in the story of the country or district. Such are“Llyn y Morwynion,” the Lake of the Maidens;“Rhyd y Bedd,” the Ford of the Grave; “BrynCyfergyr,” the Hill of Assault; and so on. But asthese names could not have preceded the events to which theyrefer, the events themselves must be not unfrequently as old asthe early settlement in the country. And as some of theseevents and fictions are the subjects of, and are explained by,existing Welsh legends, it follows that the legends must be, insome shape or other, of very remote antiquity. It will beobserved that this argument supports remote antiquity onlyfor such legends as are connected with the greater topographicalfeatures, as mountains, lakes, rivers, seas, which must have beennamed at an early period in the inhabitation of the country byman. But there exist, also, legends connected with thelesser features, as pools, hills, detached rocks, caves, fords,and the like, places not necessarily named by the earliersettlers, but the names of which are, nevertheless, probably veryold, since the words of which they are composed are in many casesnot retained in the colloquial tongue, in which they must oncehave been included, and are in some instances lost from thelanguage altogether, so much so as to be only partiallyexplicable even by scholars. The argument applies likewise,in their degree, to camps, barrows, and other artificialearth-works.

Conclusions thus drawn, when established, rest upon a veryfirm basis. They depend upon the number and appositeness ofthe facts, and it would be very interesting to pursue this branchof evidence in detail. In following up this idea, the namesto be sought for might thus be classed:—

I. Names of the great features, involving proper namesand actions.

Cadair Idris and Cadair Arthur both involve more than a merename. Idris and Arthur must have been invested with heroicqualifications to have been placed in such“seats.”

II. Names of lesser features, as “Bryn ySaeth,” Hill of the Dart; “Llyn Llyngclys,”Lake of the Engulphed Court; “Ceven y Bedd,” theRidge of the Grave; “Rhyd y Saeson,” theSaxons’ Ford.

III. Names of mixed natural and artificial objects, as“Coeten Arthur,” Arthur’s Coit; “Cerrig yDrudion,” the Crag of the Heroes; which involveactions. And such as embody proper names only, as“Cerrig Howell,” the Crag of Howell; “CaerArianrod,” the Camp of Arianrod; “BronGoronwy,” the Breast (of the Hill) of Goronwy;“Castell mab Wynion,” the Castle of the son ofWynion; “Nant Gwrtheyrn,” the Rill of Vortigern.

The selection of names would demand much care anddiscretion. The translations should be indisputable, and,where known, the connexion of a name with a legend should benoted. Such a name as “Mochdrev,” Swine-town,would be valueless unless accompanied by a legend.

It is always valuable to find a place or work called after anindividual, because it may help to support some tradition of hisexistence or his actions. But it is requisite that care betaken not to push the etymological dissection too far.Thus, “Caer Arianrod” should be taken simply as the“Camp of Arianrod,” and not rendered the “Campof the silver circle,” because the latter, though it mightpossibly have something to do with the reason for which the namewas borne by Arianrod herself, had clearly no reference to itsapplication to her camp.

It appears to me, then, looking back upon what has beenadvanced:—

I. That we have throughout Europe, at an early period, agreat body of literature, known as Mediæval Romance, which,amidst much that is wholly of Teutonic origin and character,includes certain well-marked traces of an older Celticnucleus.

II. Proceeding backwards in time, we find theseromances, their ornaments falling away at each step, existingtowards the twelfth century, of simpler structure, and with lessencumbered Celtic features, in the works of Wace, and other Bardsof the Langue d’Oil.

III. We find that Geoffrey of Monmouth, Layamon, andother early British and Anglo-Saxon historians, and minstrels, onthe one hand, transmitted to Europe the rudiments of its afterromance, much of which, on the other hand, they drew fromWales.

IV. Crossing into Wales we find, in the Mabinogion, theevident counterpart of the Celtic portion of the continentalromance, mixed up, indeed, with various reflex additions frombeyond the border, but still containing ample internal evidenceof a Welsh original.

V. Looking at the connexion between divers of the moreancient Mabinogion, and the topographical nomenclature of part ofthe country, we find evidence of the great, though indefinite,antiquity of these tales, and of an origin, which, if notindigenous, is certainly derived from no European nation.

It was with a general belief in some of these conclusions,that I commenced my labours, and I end them with my impressionsstrongly confirmed. The subject is one not unworthy of thetalents of a Llwyd or a Prichard. It might, I think, beshown, by pursuing the inquiry, that the Cymric nation is notonly, as Dr. Prichard has proved it to be, an early offshoot ofthe Indo-European family, and a people of unmixed descent, butthat when driven out of their conquests by the later nations, thenames and exploits of their heroes, and the compositions of theirbards, spread far and wide among the invaders, and affectedintimately their tastes and literature for many centuries, andthat it has strong claims to be considered the cradle of EuropeanRomance.

C. E. G.

DOWLAIS, August 29th,1848.

THE LADY OF THE FOUNTAIN

King Arthur was at Caerlleon upon Usk; and one day he sat in his chamber; andwith him were Owain the son of Urien, and Kynon the son of Clydno, and Kai theson of Kyner; and Gwenhwyvar and her handmaidens at needlework by the window.And if it should be said that there was a porter at Arthur’s palace,there was none. Glewlwyd Gavaelvawr was there, acting as porter, to welcomeguests and strangers, and to receive them with honour, and to inform them ofthe manners and customs of the Court; and to direct those who came to the Hallor to the presence-chamber, and those who came to take up their lodging.

In the centre of the chamber King Arthur sat upon a seat ofgreen rushes, over which was spread a covering of flame-colouredsatin, and a cushion of red satin was under his elbow.

Then Arthur spoke, “If I thought you would not disparageme,” said he, “I would sleep while I wait for myrepast; and you can entertain one another with relating tales,and can obtain a flagon of mead and some meat fromKai.” And the King went to sleep. And Kynon theson of Clydno asked Kai for that which Arthur had promisedthem. “I, too, will have the good tale which hepromised to me,” said Kai. “Nay,”answered Kynon, “fairer will it be for thee to fulfillArthur’s behest, in the first place, and then we will tellthee the best tale that we know.” So Kai went to thekitchen and to the mead-cellar, and returned bearing a flagon ofmead and a golden goblet, and a handful of skewers, upon whichwere broiled collops of meat. Then they ate the collops andbegan to drink the mead. “Now,” said Kai,“it is time for you to give me my story.”“Kynon,” said Owain, “do thou pay to Kai thetale that is his due.” “Truly,” saidKynon, “thou are older, and art a better teller of tales,and hast seen more marvellous things than I; do thou thereforepay Kai his tale.” “Begin thyself,” quothOwain, “with the best that thou knowest.”“I will do so,” answered Kynon.

“I was the only son of my mother and father, and I wasexceedingly aspiring, and my daring was very great. Ithought there was no enterprise in the world too mighty for me,and after I had achieved all the adventures that were in my owncountry, I equipped myself, and set forth to journey throughdeserts and distant regions. And at length it chanced thatI came to the fairest valley in the world, wherein were trees ofequal growth; and a river ran through the valley, and a path wasby the side of the river. And I followed the path untilmid-day, and continued my journey along the remainder of thevalley until the evening; and at the extremity of a plain I cameto a large and lustrous Castle, at the foot of which was atorrent. And I approached the Castle, and there I beheldtwo youths with yellow curling hair, each with a frontlet of goldupon his head, and clad in a garment of yellow satin, and theyhad gold clasps upon their insteps. In the hand of each ofthem was an ivory bow, strung with the sinews of the stag; andtheir arrows had shafts of the bone of the whale, and were wingedwith peaco*ck’s feathers; the shafts also had goldenheads. And they had daggers with blades of gold, and withhilts of the bone of the whale. And they were shootingtheir daggers.

“And a little way from them I saw a man in the prime oflife, with his beard newly shorn, clad in a robe and a mantle ofyellow satin; and round the top of his mantle was a band of goldlace. On his feet were shoes of variegated leather,fastened by two bosses of gold. When I saw him, I wenttowards him and saluted him, and such was his courtesy that he nosooner received my greeting than he returned it. And hewent with me towards the Castle. Now there were no dwellersin the Castle except those who were in one hall. And thereI saw four-and-twenty damsels, embroidering satin at awindow. And this I tell thee, Kai, that the least fair ofthem was fairer than the fairest maid thou hast ever beheld inthe Island of Britain, and the least lovely of them was morelovely than Gwenhwyvar, the wife of Arthur, when she has appearedloveliest at the Offering, on the day of the Nativity, or at thefeast of Easter. They rose up at my coming, and six of themtook my horse, and divested me of my armour; and six others tookmy arms, and washed them in a vessel until they were perfectlybright. And the third six spread cloths upon the tables andprepared meat. And the fourth six took off my soiledgarments, and placed others upon me; namely, an under-vest and adoublet of fine linen, and a robe, and a surcoat, and a mantle ofyellow satin with a broad gold band upon the mantle. Andthey placed cushions both beneath and around me, with coveringsof red linen; and I sat down. Now the six maidens who hadtaken my horse, unharnessed him, as well as if they had been thebest squires in the Island of Britain. Then, behold, theybrought bowls of silver wherein was water to wash, and towels oflinen, some green and some white; and I washed. And in alittle while the man sat down to the table. And I sat nextto him, and below me sat all the maidens, except those who waitedon us. And the table was of silver, and the cloths upon thetable were of linen; and no vessel was served upon the table thatwas not either of gold or of silver, or of buffalo-horn.And our meat was brought to us. And verily, Kai, I sawthere every sort of meat and every sort of liquor that I haveever seen elsewhere; but the meat and the liquor were betterserved there than I have ever seen them in any other place.

“Until the repast was half over, neither the man nor anyone of the damsels spoke a single word to me; but when the manperceived that it would be more agreeable to me to converse thanto eat any more, he began to inquire of me who I was. Isaid I was glad to find that there was some one who woulddiscourse with me, and that it was not considered so great acrime at that Court for people to hold converse together.‘Chieftain,’ said the man, ‘we would havetalked to thee sooner, but we feared to disturb thee during thyrepast; now, however, we will discourse.’ Then I toldthe man who I was, and what was the cause of my journey; and saidthat I was seeking whether any one was superior to me, or whetherI could gain the mastery over all. The man looked upon me,and he smiled and said, ‘If I did not fear to distress theetoo much, I would show thee that which thou seekest.’Upon this I became anxious and sorrowful, and when the manperceived it, he said, ‘If thou wouldest rather that Ishould show thee thy disadvantage than thine advantage, I will doso. Sleep here to-night, and in the morning arise early,and take the road upwards through the valley until thou reachestthe wood through which thou camest hither. A little waywithin the wood thou wilt meet with a road branching off to theright, by which thou must proceed, until thou comest to a largesheltered glade with a mound in the centre. And thou wiltsee a black man of great stature on the top of the mound.He is not smaller in size than two of the men of thisworld. He has but one foot; and one eye in the middle ofhis forehead. And he has a club of iron, and it is certainthat there are no two men in the world who would not find theirburden in that club. And he is not a comely man, but on thecontrary he is exceedingly ill-favoured; and he is the woodwardof that wood. And thou wilt see a thousand wild animalsgrazing around him. Inquire of him the way out of theglade, and he will reply to thee briefly, and will point out theroad by which thou shalt find that which thou art in questof.’

“And long seemed that night to me. And the nextmorning I arose and equipped myself, and mounted my horse, andproceeded straight through the valley to the wood; and I followedthe cross-road which the man had pointed out to me, till atlength I arrived at the glade. And there was I three timesmore astonished at the number of wild animals that I beheld, thanthe man had said I should be. And the black man was there,sitting upon the top of the mound. Huge of stature as theman had told me that he was, I found him to exceed by far thedescription he had given me of him. As for the iron clubwhich the man had told me was a burden for two men, I am certain,Kai, that it would be a heavy weight for four warriors to lift;and this was in the black man’s hand. And he onlyspoke to me in answer to my questions. Then I asked himwhat power he held over those animals. ‘I will show thee,little man,’ said he. And he took his club in hishand, and with it he struck a stag a great blow so that he brayedvehemently, and at his braying the animals came together, asnumerous as the stars in the sky, so that it was difficult for meto find room in the glade to stand among them. There wereserpents, and dragons, and divers sorts of animals. And helooked at them, and bade them go and feed; and they bowed theirheads, and did him homage as vassals to their lord.

“Then the black man said to me, ‘Seest thou now,little man, what power I hold over these animals?’Then I inquired of him the way, and he became very rough in hismanner to me; however, he asked me whither I would go? Andwhen I told him who I was and what I sought, he directedme. ‘Take,’ said he, ‘that path thatleads towards the head of the glade, and ascend the wooded steepuntil thou comest to its summit; and there thou wilt find an openspace like to a large valley, and in the midst of it a tall tree,whose branches are greener than the greenest pine-trees.Under this tree is a fountain, and by the side of the fountain amarble slab, and on the marble slab a silver bowl, attached by achain of silver, so that it may not be carried away. Takethe bowl and throw a bowlful of water upon the slab, and thouwilt hear a mighty peal of thunder, so that thou wilt think thatheaven and earth are trembling with its fury. With thethunder there will come a shower so severe that it will be scarcepossible for thee to endure it and live. And the showerwill be of hailstones; and after the shower, the weather willbecome fair, but every leaf that was upon the tree will have beencarried away by the shower. Then a flight of birds willcome and alight upon the tree; and in thine own country thoudidst never hear a strain so sweet as that which they willsing. And at the moment thou art most delighted with thesong of the birds, thou wilt hear a murmuring and complainingcoming towards thee along the valley. And thou wilt see aknight upon a coal-black horse, clothed in black velvet, and witha pennon of black linen upon his lance; and he will ride untothee to encounter thee with the utmost speed. If thoufleest from him he will overtake thee, and if thou abidest there,as sure as thou art a mounted knight, he will leave thee onfoot. And if thou dost not find trouble in that adventure,thou needest not seek it during the rest of thy life.’

“So I journeyed on, until I reached the summit of thesteep, and there I found everything as the black man haddescribed it to me. And I went up to the tree, and beneathit I saw the fountain, and by its side the marble slab, and thesilver bowl fastened by the chain. Then I took the bowl,and cast a bowlful of water upon the slab; and thereupon, behold,the thunder came, much more violent than the black man had led meto expect; and after the thunder came the shower; and of a truthI tell thee, Kai, that there is neither man nor beast that canendure that shower and live. For not one of thosehailstones would be stopped, either by the flesh or by the skin,until it had reached the bone. I turned my horse’sflank towards the shower, and placed the beak of my shield overhis head and neck, while I held the upper part of it over my ownhead. And thus I withstood the shower. When I lookedon the tree there was not a single leaf upon it, and then the skybecame clear, and with that, behold the birds lighted upon thetree, and sang. And truly, Kai, I never heard any melodyequal to that, either before or since. And when I was mostcharmed with listening to the birds, lo, a murmuring voice washeard through the valley, approaching me and saying, ‘Oh,Knight, what has brought thee hither? What evil have I doneto thee, that thou shouldst act towards me and my possessions asthou hast this day? Dost thou not know that the showerto-day has left in my dominions neither man nor beast alive thatwas exposed to it?’ And thereupon, behold, a Knighton a black horse appeared, clothed in jet-black velvet, and witha tabard of black linen about him. And we charged eachother, and, as the onset was furious, it was not long before Iwas overthrown. Then the Knight passed the shaft of hislance through the bridle rein of my horse, and rode off with thetwo horses, leaving me where I was. And he did not evenbestow so much notice upon me as to imprison me, nor did hedespoil me of my arms. So I returned along the road bywhich I had come. And when I reached the glade where theblack man was, I confess to thee, Kai, it is a marvel that I didnot melt down into a liquid pool, through the shame that I feltat the black man’s derision. And that night I came tothe same castle where I had spent the night preceding. AndI was more agreeably entertained that night than I had been thenight before; and I was better feasted, and I conversed freelywith the inmates of the castle, and none of them alluded to myexpedition to the fountain, neither did I mention it to any; andI remained there that night. When I arose on the morrow, Ifound, ready saddled, a dark bay palfrey, with nostrils as red asscarlet; and after putting on my armour, and leaving there myblessing, I returned to my own Court. And that horse Istill possess, and he is in the stable yonder. And Ideclare that I would not part with him for the best palfrey inthe Island of Britain.

“Now of a truth, Kai, no man ever before confessed to anadventure so much to his own discredit, and verily it seemsstrange to me, that neither before nor since have I heard of anyperson besides myself who knew of this adventure, and that thesubject of it should exist within King Arthur’s dominions,without any other person lighting upon it.”

“Now,” quoth Owain, “would it not be well togo and endeavour to discover that place?”

“By the hand of my friend,” said Kai, “oftendost thou utter that with thy tongue which thou wouldst not makegood with thy deeds.”

“In very truth,” said Gwenhwyvar, “it werebetter thou wert hanged, Kai, than to use such uncourteous speechtowards a man like Owain.”

“By the hand of my friend, good Lady,” said Kai,“thy praise of Owain is not greater than mine.”

With that Arthur awoke, and asked if he had not been sleepinga little.

“Yes, Lord,” answered Owain, “thou hastslept awhile.”

“Is it time for us to go to meat?”

“It is, Lord,” said Owain.

Then the horn for washing was sounded, and the King and allhis household sat down to eat. And when the meal was ended,Owain withdrew to his lodging, and made ready his horse and hisarms.

On the morrow, with the dawn of day, he put on his armour, andmounted his charger, and travelled through distant lands and overdesert mountains. And at length he arrived at the valleywhich Kynon had described to him; and he was certain that it wasthe same that he sought. And journeying along the valley bythe side of the river, he followed its course till he came to theplain and within sight of the Castle. When he approachedthe Castle, he saw the youths shooting their daggers in the placewhere Kynon had seen them, and the yellow man, to whom the Castlebelonged, standing hard by. And no sooner had Owain salutedthe yellow man than he was saluted by him in return.

And he went forward towards the Castle, and there he saw thechamber, and when he had entered the chamber he beheld themaidens working at satin embroidery, in chairs of gold. Andtheir beauty and their comeliness seemed to Owain far greaterthan Kynon had represented to him. And they rose to waitupon Owain, as they had done to Kynon, and the meal which theyset before him gave more satisfaction to Owain than it had doneto Kynon.

About the middle of the repast, the yellow man asked Owain theobject of his journey. And Owain made it known to him, andsaid, “I am in quest of the Knight who guards thefountain.” Upon this the yellow man smiled, and saidthat he was as loth to point out that adventure to Owain as hehad been to Kynon. However, he described the whole toOwain, and they retired to rest.

The next morning Owain found his horse made ready for him bythe damsels, and he set forward and came to the glade where theblack man was. And the stature of the black man seemed morewonderful to Owain than it had done to Kynon, and Owain asked ofhim his road, and he showed it to him. And Owain followedthe road, as Kynon had done, till he came to the green tree; andhe beheld the fountain, and the slab beside the fountain, withthe bowl upon it. And Owain took the bowl, and threw abowlful of water upon the slab. And, lo, the thunder washeard, and after the thunder came the shower, much more violentthan Kynon had described, and after the shower the sky becamebright. And when Owain looked at the tree, there was notone leaf upon it. And immediately the birds came, andsettled upon the tree, and sang. And when their song wasmost pleasing to Owain, he beheld a Knight coming towards himthrough the valley, and he prepared to receive him; andencountered him violently. Having broken both their lances,they drew their swords, and fought blade to blade. ThenOwain struck the Knight a blow through his helmet, head-piece andvisor, and through the skin, and the flesh, and the bone, untilit wounded the very brain. Then the black Knight felt thathe had received a mortal wound, upon which he turned hishorse’s head, and fled. And Owain pursued him, andfollowed close upon him, although he was not near enough tostrike him with his sword. Thereupon Owain descried a vastand resplendent Castle. And they came to the Castlegate. And the black Knight was allowed to enter, and theportcullis was let fall upon Owain; and it struck his horsebehind the saddle, and cut him in two, and carried away therowels of the spurs that were upon Owain’s heels. Andthe portcullis descended to the floor. And the rowels ofthe spurs and part of the horse were without, and Owain with theother part of the horse remained between the two gates, and theinner gate was closed, so that Owain could not go thence; andOwain was in a perplexing situation. And while he was inthis state, he could see through an aperture in the gate, astreet facing him, with a row of houses on each side. Andhe beheld a maiden, with yellow curling hair, and a frontlet ofgold upon her head; and she was clad in a dress of yellow satin,and on her feet were shoes of variegated leather. And sheapproached the gate, and desired that it should be opened.“Heaven knows, Lady,” said Owain, “it is nomore possible for me to open to thee from hence, than it is forthee to set me free.” “Truly,” said thedamsel, “it is very sad that thou canst not be released,and every woman ought to succour thee, for I never saw one morefaithful in the service of ladies than thou. As a friendthou art the most sincere, and as a lover the most devoted.Therefore,” quoth she, “whatever is in my power to dofor thy release, I will do it. Take this ring and put it onthy finger, with the stone inside thy hand; and close thy handupon the stone. And as long as thou concealest it, it willconceal thee. When they have consulted together, they willcome forth to fetch thee, in order to put thee to death; and theywill be much grieved that they cannot find thee. And I willawait thee on the horseblock yonder; and thou wilt be able to seeme, though I cannot see thee; therefore come and place thy handupon my shoulder, that I may know that thou art near me.And by the way that I go hence, do thou accompany me.”

Then she went away from Owain, and he did all that the maidenhad told him. And the people of the Castle came to seekOwain, to put him to death, and when they found nothing but thehalf of his horse, they were sorely grieved.

And Owain vanished from among them, and went to the maiden,and placed his hand upon her shoulder; whereupon she set off, andOwain followed her, until they came to the door of a large andbeautiful chamber, and the maiden opened it, and they went in,and closed the door. And Owain looked around the chamber,and behold there was not even a single nail in it that was notpainted with gorgeous colours; and there was not a single panelthat had not sundry images in gold portrayed upon it.

The maiden kindled a fire, and took water in a silver bowl,and put a towel of white linen on her shoulder, and gave Owainwater to wash. Then she placed before him a silver table,inlaid with gold; upon which was a cloth of yellow linen; and shebrought him food. And of a truth, Owain had never seen anykind of meat that was not there in abundance, but it was bettercooked there than he had ever found it in any other place.Nor did he ever see so excellent a display of meat and drink, asthere. And there was not one vessel from which he wasserved, that was not of gold or of silver. And Owain ateand drank, until late in the afternoon, when lo, they heard amighty clamour in the Castle; and Owain asked the maiden whatthat outcry was. “They are administering extremeunction,” said she, “to the Nobleman who owns theCastle.” And Owain went to sleep.

The couch which the maiden had prepared for him was meet forArthur himself; it was of scarlet, and fur, and satin, andsendal, and fine linen. In the middle of the night theyheard a woful outcry. “What outcry again isthis?” said Owain. “The Nobleman who owned theCastle is now dead,” said the maiden. And a littleafter daybreak, they heard an exceeding loud clamour andwailing. And Owain asked the maiden what was the cause ofit. “They are bearing to the church the body of theNobleman who owned the Castle.”

And Owain rose up, and clothed himself, and opened a window ofthe chamber, and looked towards the Castle; and he could seeneither the bounds, nor the extent of the hosts that filled thestreets. And they were fully armed; and a vast number ofwomen were with them, both on horseback and on foot; and all theecclesiastics in the city, singing. And it seemed to Owainthat the sky resounded with the vehemence of their cries, andwith the noise of the trumpets, and with the singing of theecclesiastics. In the midst of the throng, he beheld thebier, over which was a veil of white linen; and wax tapers wereburning beside and around it, and none that supported the bierwas lower in rank than a powerful Baron.

Never did Owain see an assemblage so gorgeous with satin, andsilk, and sendal. And following the train, he beheld a ladywith yellow hair falling over her shoulders, and stained withblood; and about her a dress of yellow satin, which wastorn. Upon her feet were shoes of variegated leather.And it was a marvel that the ends of her fingers were notbruised, from the violence with which she smote her handstogether. Truly she would have been the fairest lady Owainever saw, had she been in her usual guise. And her cry waslouder than the shout of the men, or the clamour of thetrumpets. No sooner had he beheld the lady, than he becameinflamed with her love, so that it took entire possession ofhim.

Then he inquired of the maiden who the lady was.“Heaven knows,” replied the maiden, “she may besaid to be the fairest, and the most chaste, and the mostliberal, and the wisest, and the most noble of women. Andshe is my mistress; and she is called the Countess of theFountain, the wife of him whom thou didst slayyesterday.” “Verily,” said Owain,“she is the woman that I love best.”“Verily,” said the maiden, “she shall also lovethee not a little.”

And with that the maid arose, and kindled a fire, and filled apot with water, and placed it to warm; and she brought a towel ofwhite linen, and placed it around Owain’s neck; and shetook a goblet of ivory, and a silver basin, and filled them withwarm water, wherewith she washed Owain’s head. Thenshe opened a wooden casket, and drew forth a razor, whose haftwas of ivory, and upon which were two rivets of gold. Andshe shaved his beard, and she dried his head, and his throat,with the towel. Then she rose up from before Owain, andbrought him to eat. And truly Owain had never so good ameal, nor was he ever so well served.

When he had finished his repast, the maiden arranged hiscouch. “Come here,” said she, “and sleep,and I will go and woo for thee.” And Owain went tosleep, and the maiden shut the door of the chamber after her, andwent towards the Castle. When she came there, she foundnothing but mourning, and sorrow; and the Countess in her chambercould not bear the sight of any one through grief. Lunedcame and saluted her, but the Countess answered her not.And the maiden bent down towards her, and said, “Whataileth thee, that thou answerest no one to-day?”“Luned,” said the Countess, “what change hathbefallen thee, that thou hast not come to visit me in mygrief? It was wrong in thee, and I having made thee rich;it was wrong in thee that thou didst not come to see me in mydistress. That was wrong in thee.”“Truly,” said Luned, “I thought thy good sensewas greater than I find it to be. Is it well for thee tomourn after that good man, or for anything else, that thou canstnot have?” “I declare to heaven,” saidthe Countess, “that in the whole world there is not a manequal to him.” “Not so,” said Luned,“for an ugly man would be as good as, or better thanhe.” “I declare to heaven,” said theCountess, “that were it not repugnant to me to cause to beput to death one whom I have brought up, I would have theeexecuted, for making such a comparison to me. As it is, Iwill banish thee.” “I am glad,” saidLuned, “that thou hast no other cause to do so, than that Iwould have been of service to thee where thou didst not know whatwas to thine advantage. And henceforth evil betidewhichever of us shall make the first advance towardsreconciliation to the other; whether I should seek an invitationfrom thee, or thou of thine own accord shouldst send to inviteme.”

With that Luned went forth: and the Countess arose andfollowed her to the door of the chamber, and began coughingloudly. And when Luned looked back, the Countess beckonedto her; and she returned to the Countess. “Intruth,” said the Countess, “evil is thy disposition;but if thou knowest what is to my advantage, declare it tome.” “I will do so,” quoth she.

“Thou knowest that except by warfare and arms it isimpossible for thee to preserve thy possessions; delay not,therefore, to seek some one who can defend them.”“And how can I do that?” said the Countess.“I will tell thee,” said Luned. “Unlessthou canst defend the fountain, thou canst not maintain thydominions; and no one can defend the fountain, except it be aknight of Arthur’s household; and I will go toArthur’s Court, and ill betide me, if I return thencewithout a warrior who can guard the fountain as well as, or evenbetter than, he who defended it formerly.”“That will be hard to perform,” said theCountess. “Go, however, and make proof of that whichthou hast promised.”

Luned set out, under the pretence of going to Arthur’sCourt; but she went back to the chamber where she had left Owain;and she tarried there with him as long as it might have taken herto have travelled to the Court of King Arthur. And at theend of that time, she apparelled herself and went to visit theCountess. And the Countess was much rejoiced when she sawher, and inquired what news she brought from the Court.“I bring thee the best of news,” said Luned,“for I have compassed the object of my mission. Whenwilt thou, that I should present to thee the chieftain who hascome with me hither?” “Bring him here to visitme to-morrow, at mid-day,” said the Countess, “and Iwill cause the town to be assembled by that time.”

And Luned returned home. And the next day, at noon,Owain arrayed himself in a coat, and a surcoat, and a mantle ofyellow satin, upon which was a broad band of gold lace; and onhis feet were high shoes of variegated leather, which werefastened by golden clasps, in the form of lions. And theyproceeded to the chamber of the Countess.

Right glad was the Countess of their coming, and she gazedsteadfastly upon Owain, and said, “Luned, this knight hasnot the look of a traveller.” “What harm isthere in that, lady?” said Luned. “I amcertain,” said the Countess, “that no other man thanthis chased the soul from the body of my lord.”“So much the better for thee, lady,” said Luned,“for had he not been stronger than thy lord he could nothave deprived him of life. There is no remedy for thatwhich is past, be it as it may.” “Go back tothine abode,” said the Countess, “and I will takecounsel.”

The next day the Countess caused all her subjects to assemble,and showed them that her earldom was left defenceless, and thatit could not be protected but with horse and arms, and militaryskill. “Therefore,” said she, “this iswhat I offer for your choice: either let one of you take me, orgive your consent for me to take a husband from elsewhere todefend my dominions.”

So they came to the determination that it was better that sheshould have permission to marry some one from elsewhere; and,thereupon, she sent for the bishops and archbishops to celebrateher nuptials with Owain. And the men of the earldom didOwain homage.

And Owain defended the Fountain with lance and sword.And this is the manner in which he defended it: Whensoever aknight came there he overthrew him, and sold him for his fullworth, and what he thus gained he divided among his barons andhis knights; and no man in the whole world could be more belovedthan he was by his subjects. And it was thus for the spaceof three years.

It befell that as Gwalchmai went forth one day with KingArthur, he perceived him to be very sad and sorrowful. AndGwalchmai was much grieved to see Arthur in this state; and hequestioned him, saying, “Oh, my lord! what has befallenthee?” “In sooth, Gwalchmai,” saidArthur, “I am grieved concerning Owain, whom I have lostthese three years, and I shall certainly die if the fourth yearpasses without my seeing him. Now I am sure, that it isthrough the tale which Kynon the son of Clydno related, that Ihave lost Owain.” “There is no need forthee,” said Gwalchmai, “to summon to arms thy wholedominions on this account, for thou thyself and the men of thyhousehold will be able to avenge Owain, if he be slain; or to sethim free, if he be in prison; and, if alive, to bring him backwith thee.” And it was settled according to whatGwalchmai had said.

Then Arthur and the men of his household prepared to go andseek Owain, and their number was three thousand, besides theirattendants. And Kynon the son of Clydno acted as theirguide. And Arthur came to the Castle where Kynon had beenbefore, and when he came there the youths were shooting in thesame place, and the yellow man was standing hard by. Whenthe yellow man saw Arthur he greeted him, and invited him to theCastle; and Arthur accepted his invitation, and they entered theCastle together. And great as was the number of hisretinue, their presence was scarcely observed in the Castle, sovast was its extent. And the maidens rose up to wait onthem, and the service of the maidens appeared to them all toexcel any attendance they had ever met with; and even the pageswho had charge of the horses were no worse served, that night,than Arthur himself would have been in his own palace.

The next morning Arthur set out thence, with Kynon for hisguide, and came to the place where the black man was. Andthe stature of the black man was more surprising to Arthur thanit had been represented to him. And they came to the top ofthe wooded steep, and traversed the valley till they reached thegreen tree, where they saw the fountain, and the bowl, and theslab. And upon that, Kai came to Arthur and spoke tohim. “My lord,” said he, “I know themeaning of all this, and my request is, that thou wilt permit meto throw the water on the slab, and to receive the firstadventure that may befall.” And Arthur gave himleave.

Then Kai threw a bowlful of water upon the slab, andimmediately there came the thunder, and after the thunder theshower. And such a thunderstorm they had never knownbefore, and many of the attendants who were in Arthur’strain were killed by the shower. After the shower hadceased the sky became clear; and on looking at the tree theybeheld it completely leafless. Then the birds descendedupon the tree, and the song of the birds was far sweeter than anystrain they had ever heard before. Then they beheld aknight on a coal-black horse, clothed in black satin, comingrapidly towards them. And Kai met him and encountered him,and it was not long before Kai was overthrown. And theknight withdrew, and Arthur and his host encamped for thenight.

And when they arose in the morning, they perceived the signalof combat upon the lance of the Knight. And Kai came toArthur, and spoke to him: “My lord,” said he,“though I was overthrown yesterday, if it seem good tothee, I would gladly meet the Knight again to-day.”“Thou mayst do so,” said Arthur. And Kai wenttowards the Knight. And on the spot he overthrew Kai, andstruck him with the head of his lance in the forehead, so that itbroke his helmet and the head-piece, and pierced the skin and theflesh, the breadth of the spear-head, even to the bone. AndKai returned to his companions.

After this, all the household of Arthur went forth, one afterthe other, to combat the Knight, until there was not one that wasnot overthrown by him, except Arthur and Gwalchmai. AndArthur armed himself to encounter the Knight. “Oh, mylord,” said Gwalchmai, “permit me to fight with himfirst.” And Arthur permitted him. And he wentforth to meet the Knight, having over himself and his horse asatin robe of honour which had been sent him by the daughter ofthe Earl of Rhangyw, and in this dress he was not known by any ofthe host. And they charged each other, and fought all thatday until the evening, and neither of them was able to unhorsethe other.

The next day they fought with strong lances, and neither ofthem could obtain the mastery.

And the third day they fought with exceeding stronglances. And they were incensed with rage, and foughtfuriously, even until noon. And they gave each other such ashock that the girths of their horses were broken, so that theyfell over their horses’ cruppers to the ground. Andthey rose up speedily, and drew their swords, and resumed thecombat; and the multitude that witnessed their encounter feltassured that they had never before seen two men so valiant or sopowerful. And had it been midnight, it would have beenlight from the fire that flashed from their weapons. Andthe Knight gave Gwalchmai a blow that turned his helmet from offhis face, so that the Knight knew that it was Gwalchmai.Then Owain said, “My lord Gwalchmai, I did not know theefor my cousin, owing to the robe of honour that enveloped thee;take my sword and my arms.” Said Gwalchmai,“Thou, Owain, art the victor; take thou mysword.” And with that Arthur saw that they wereconversing, and advanced towards them. “My lordArthur,” said Gwalchmai, “here is Owain, who hasvanquished me, and will not take my arms.” “Mylord,” said Owain, “it is he that has vanquished me,and he will not take my sword.” “Give me yourswords,” said Arthur, “and then neither of you hasvanquished the other.” Then Owain put his arms aroundArthur’s neck, and they embraced. And all the hosthurried forward to see Owain, and to embrace him; and there wasnigh being a loss of life, so great was the press.

And they retired that night, and the next day Arthur preparedto depart. “My lord,” said Owain, “thisis not well of thee; for I have been absent from thee these threeyears, and during all that time, up to this very day, I have beenpreparing a banquet for thee, knowing that thou wouldst come toseek me. Tarry with me, therefore, until thou and thyattendants have recovered the fatigues of the journey, and havebeen anointed.”

And they all proceeded to the Castle of the Countess of theFountain, and the banquet which had been three years preparingwas consumed in three months. Never had they a moredelicious or agreeable banquet. And Arthur prepared todepart. Then he sent an embassy to the Countess, to beseechher to permit Owain to go with him for the space of three months,that he might show him to the nobles and the fair dames of theIsland of Britain. And the Countess gave her consent,although it was very painful to her. So Owain came withArthur to the Island of Britain. And when he was once moreamongst his kindred and friends, he remained three years, insteadof three months, with them.

And as Owain one day sat at meat, in the city of Caerlleonupon Usk, behold a damsel entered upon a bay horse, with acurling mane and covered with foam, and the bridle and so much aswas seen of the saddle were of gold. And the damsel wasarrayed in a dress of yellow satin. And she came up toOwain, and took the ring from off his hand.“Thus,” said she, “shall be treated thedeceiver, the traitor, the faithless, the disgraced, and thebeardless.” And she turned her horse’s head anddeparted.

Then his adventure came to Owain’s remembrance, and hewas sorrowful; and having finished eating he went to his ownabode and made preparations that night. And the next day hearose but did not go to the Court, but wandered to the distantparts of the earth and to uncultivated mountains. And heremained there until all his apparel was worn out, and his bodywas wasted away, and his hair was grown long. And he wentabout with the wild beasts and fed with them, until they becamefamiliar with him; but at length he grew so weak that he could nolonger bear them company. Then he descended from themountains to the valley, and came to a park that was the fairestin the world, and belonged to a widowed Countess.

One day the Countess and her maidens went forth to walk by alake, that was in the middle of the park. And they saw theform of a man. And they were terrified. Neverthelessthey went near him, and touched him, and looked at him. Andthey saw that there was life in him, though he was exhausted bythe heat of the sun. And the Countess returned to theCastle, and took a flask full of precious ointment, and gave itto one of her maidens. “Go with this,” saidshe, “and take with thee yonder horse and clothing, andplace them near the man we saw just now. And anoint himwith this balsam, near his heart; and if there is life in him, hewill arise through the efficacy of this balsam. Then watchwhat he will do.”

And the maiden departed from her, and poured the whole of thebalsam upon Owain, and left the horse and the garments hard by,and went a little way off, and hid herself to watch him. Ina short time she saw him begin to move his arms; and he rose up,and looked at his person, and became ashamed of the unseemlinessof his appearance. Then he perceived the horse and thegarments that were near him. And he crept forward till hewas able to draw the garments to him from off the saddle.And he clothed himself, and with difficulty mounted thehorse. Then the damsel discovered herself to him, andsaluted him. And he was rejoiced when he saw her, andinquired of her, what land and what territory that was.“Truly,” said the maiden, “a widowed Countessowns yonder Castle; at the death of her husband, he left her twoEarldoms, but at this day she has but this one dwelling that hasnot been wrested from her by a young Earl, who is her neighbour,because she refused to become his wife.” “Thatis pity,” said Owain. And he and the maiden proceededto the Castle; and he alighted there, and the maiden conductedhim to a pleasant chamber, and kindled a fire and left him.

And the maiden came to the Countess, and gave the flask intoher hand. “Ha! maiden,” said the Countess,“where is all the balsam?” “Have I notused it all?” said she. “Oh, maiden,”said the Countess, “I cannot easily forgive thee this; itis sad for me to have wasted seven-score pounds’ worth ofprecious ointment upon a stranger whom I know not. However,maiden, wait thou upon him, until he is quiterecovered.”

And the maiden did so, and furnished him with meat and drink,and fire, and lodging, and medicaments, until he was wellagain. And in three months he was restored to his formerguise, and became even more comely than he had ever beenbefore.

One day Owain heard a great tumult, and a sound of arms in theCastle, and he inquired of the maiden the cause thereof.“The Earl,” said she, “whom I mentioned tothee, has come before the Castle, with a numerous army, to subduethe Countess.” And Owain inquired of her whether theCountess had a horse and arms in her possession. “Shehas the best in the world,” said the maiden.“Wilt thou go and request the loan of a horse and arms forme,” said Owain, “that I may go and look at thisarmy?” “I will,” said the maiden.

And she came to the Countess, and told her what Owain hadsaid. And the Countess laughed. “Truly,”said she, “I will even give him a horse and arms for ever;such a horse and such arms had he never yet, and I am glad thatthey should be taken by him to-day, lest my enemies should havethem against my will to-morrow. Yet I know not what hewould do with them.”

The Countess bade them bring out a beautiful black steed, uponwhich was a beechen saddle, and a suit of armour, for man andhorse. And Owain armed himself, and mounted the horse, andwent forth, attended by two pages completely equipped, withhorses and arms. And when they came near to theEarl’s army, they could see neither its extent nor itsextremity. And Owain asked the pages in which troop theEarl was. “In yonder troop,” said they,“in which are four yellow standards. Two of them arebefore, and two behind him.” “Now,” saidOwain, “do you return and await me near the portal of theCastle.” So they returned, and Owain pressed forwarduntil he met the Earl. And Owain drew him completely out ofhis saddle, and turned his horse’s head towards the Castle,and though it was with difficulty, he brought the Earl to theportal, where the pages awaited him. And in theycame. And Owain presented the Earl as a gift to theCountess. And said to her, “Behold a requital to theefor thy blessed balsam.”

The army encamped around the Castle. And the Earlrestored to the Countess the two Earldoms he had taken from her,as a ransom for his life; and for his freedom he gave her thehalf of his own dominions, and all his gold, and his silver, andhis jewels, besides hostages.

And Owain took his departure. And the Countess and allher subjects besought him to remain, but Owain chose rather towander through distant lands and deserts.

And as he journeyed, he heard a loud yelling in a wood.And it was repeated a second and a third time. And Owainwent towards the spot, and beheld a huge craggy mound, in themiddle of the wood; on the side of which was a grey rock.And there was a cleft in the rock, and a serpent was within thecleft. And near the rock stood a black lion, and every timethe lion sought to go thence, the serpent darted towards him toattack him. And Owain unsheathed his sword, and drew nearto the rock; and as the serpent sprang out, he struck him withhis sword, and cut him in two. And he dried his sword, andwent on his way, as before. But behold the lion followedhim, and played about him, as though it had been a greyhound thathe had reared.

They proceeded thus throughout the day, until theevening. And when it was time for Owain to take his rest,he dismounted, and turned his horse loose in a flat and woodedmeadow. And he struck fire, and when the fire was kindled,the lion brought him fuel enough to last for three nights.And the lion disappeared. And presently the lion returned,bearing a fine large roebuck. And he threw it down beforeOwain, who went towards the fire with it.

And Owain took the roebuck, and skinned it, and placed collopsof its flesh upon skewers, around the fire. The rest of thebuck he gave to the lion to devour. While he was doingthis, he heard a deep sigh near him, and a second, and athird. And Owain called out to know whether the sigh heheard proceeded from a mortal; and he received answer that itdid. “Who art thou?” said Owain.“Truly,” said the voice, “I am Luned, thehandmaiden of the Countess of the Fountain.”“And what dost thou here?” said Owain. “Iam imprisoned,” said she, “on account of the knightwho came from Arthur’s Court, and married theCountess. And he stayed a short time with her, but heafterwards departed for the Court of Arthur, and has not returnedsince. And he was the friend I loved best in theworld. And two of the pages in the Countess’s chambertraduced him, and called him a deceiver. And I told themthat they two were not a match for him alone. So theyimprisoned me in the stone vault, and said that I should be putto death, unless he came himself to deliver me, by a certain day;and that is no further off than the day after to-morrow.And I have no one to send to seek him for me. And his nameis Owain the son of Urien.” “And art thoucertain that if that knight knew all this, he would come to thyrescue?” “I am most certain of it,” saidshe.

When the collops were cooked, Owain divided them into twoparts, between himself and the maiden; and after they had eaten,they talked together, until the day dawned. And the nextmorning Owain inquired of the damsel, if there was any placewhere he could get food and entertainment for that night.“There is, Lord,” said she; “cross over yonder,and go along the side of the river, and in a short time thou wiltsee a great Castle, in which are many towers, and the Earl whoowns that Castle is the most hospitable man in the world.There thou mayst spend the night.”

Never did sentinel keep stricter watch over his lord, than thelion that night over Owain.

And Owain accoutred his horse, and passed across by the ford,and came in sight of the Castle. And he entered it, and washonourably received. And his horse was well cared for, andplenty of fodder was placed before him. Then the lion wentand lay down in the horse’s manger; so that none of thepeople of the Castle dared to approach him. The treatmentwhich Owain met with there was such as he had never knownelsewhere, for every one was as sorrowful as though death hadbeen upon him. And they went to meat; and the Earl sat uponone side of Owain, and on the other side his only daughter.And Owain had never seen any more lovely than she. Then thelion came and placed himself between Owain’s feet, and hefed him with every kind of food that he took himself. Andhe never saw anything equal to the sadness of the people.

In the middle of the repast the Earl began to bid Owainwelcome. “Then,” said Owain, “behold, itis time for thee to be cheerful.” “Heavenknows,” said the Earl, “that it is not thy comingthat makes us sorrowful, but we have cause enough for sadness andcare.” “What is that?” said Owain.“I have two sons,” replied the Earl, “andyesterday they went to the mountains to hunt. Now there ison the mountain a monster who kills men and devours them, and heseized my sons; and to-morrow is the time he has fixed to behere, and he threatens that he will then slay my sons before myeyes, unless I will deliver into his hands this mydaughter. He has the form of a man, but in stature he is noless than a giant.”

“Truly,” said Owain, “that islamentable. And which wilt thou do?”“Heaven knows,” said the Earl, “it will bebetter that my sons should be slain against my will, than that Ishould voluntarily give up my daughter to him to ill-treat anddestroy.” Then they talked about other things, andOwain stayed there that night.

The next morning they heard an exceeding great clamour, whichwas caused by the coming of the giant with the two youths.And the Earl was anxious both to protect his Castle and torelease his two sons. Then Owain put on his armour and wentforth to encounter the giant, and the lion followed him.And when the giant saw that Owain was armed, he rushed towardshim and attacked him. And the lion fought with the giantmuch more fiercely than Owain did. “Truly,”said the giant, “I should find no difficulty in fightingwith thee, were it not for the animal that is withthee.” Upon that Owain took the lion back to theCastle and shut the gate upon him, and then he returned to fightthe giant, as before. And the lion roared very loud, for heheard that it went hard with Owain. And he climbed up tillhe reached the top of the Earl’s hall, and thence he got tothe top of the Castle, and he sprang down from the walls and wentand joined Owain. And the lion gave the giant a stroke withhis paw, which tore him from his shoulder to his hip, and hisheart was laid bare, and the giant fell down dead. ThenOwain restored the two youths to their father.

The Earl besought Owain to remain with him, and he would not,but set forward towards the meadow where Luned was. Andwhen he came there he saw a great fire kindled, and two youthswith beautiful curling auburn hair were leading the maiden tocast her into the fire. And Owain asked them what chargethey had against her. And they told him of the compact thatwas between them, as the maiden had done the night before.“And,” said they, “Owain has failed her,therefore we are taking her to be burnt.”“Truly,” said Owain, “he is a good knight, andif he knew that the maiden was in such peril, I marvel that hecame not to her rescue; but if you will accept me in his stead, Iwill do battle with you.” “We will,” saidthe youths, “by him who made us.”

And they attacked Owain, and he was hard beset by them.And with that the lion came to Owain’s assistance, and theytwo got the better of the young men. And they said to him,“Chieftain, it was not agreed that we should fight savewith thyself alone, and it is harder for us to contend withyonder animal than with thee.” And Owain put the lionin the place where the maiden had been imprisoned, and blocked upthe door with stones, and he went to fight with the young men, asbefore. But Owain had not his usual strength, and the twoyouths pressed hard upon him. And the lion roaredincessantly at seeing Owain in trouble; and he burst through thewall until he found a way out, and rushed upon the young men, andinstantly slew them. So Luned was saved from beingburned.

Then Owain returned with Luned to the dominions of theCountess of the Fountain. And when he went thence he tookthe Countess with him to Arthur’s Court, and she was hiswife as long as she lived.

And then he took the road that led to the Court of the savageblack man, and Owain fought with him, and the lion did not quitOwain until he had vanquished him. And when he reached theCourt of the savage black man he entered the hall, and beheldfour-and-twenty ladies, the fairest that could be seen. Andthe garments which they had on were not worth four-and-twentypence, and they were as sorrowful as death. And Owain askedthem the cause of their sadness. And they said, “Weare the daughters of Earls, and we all came here with ourhusbands, whom we dearly loved. And we were received withhonour and rejoicing. And we were thrown into a state ofstupor, and while we were thus, the demon who owns this Castleslew all our husbands, and took from us our horses, and ourraiment, and our gold, and our silver; and the corpses of ourhusbands are still in this house, and many others withthem. And this, Chieftain, is the cause of our grief, andwe are sorry that thou art come hither, lest harm should befallthee.”

And Owain was grieved when he heard this. And he wentforth from the Castle, and he beheld a knight approaching him,who saluted him in a friendly and cheerful manner, as if he hadbeen a brother. And this was the savage black man.“In very sooth,” said Owain, “it is not to seekthy friendship that I am here.” “Insooth,” said he, “thou shalt not find itthen.” And with that they charged each other, andfought furiously. And Owain overcame him, and bound hishands behind his back. Then the black savage besought Owainto spare his life, and spoke thus: “My lord Owain,”said he, “it was foretold that thou shouldst come hitherand vanquish me, and thou hast done so. I was a robberhere, and my house was a house of spoil; but grant me my life,and I will become the keeper of an Hospice, and I will maintainthis house as an Hospice for weak and for strong, as long as Ilive, for the good of thy soul.” And Owain acceptedthis proposal of him, and remained there that night.

And the next day he took the four-and-twenty ladies, and theirhorses, and their raiment, and what they possessed of goods andjewels, and proceeded with them to Arthur’s Court.And if Arthur was rejoiced when he saw him, after he had lost himthe first time, his joy was now much greater. And of thoseladies, such as wished to remain in Arthur’s Court remainedthere, and such as wished to depart departed.

And thenceforward Owain dwelt at Arthur’s Court greatlybeloved, as the head of his household, until he went away withhis followers; and those were the army of three hundred ravenswhich Kenverchyn had left him. And wherever Owain went withthese he was victorious.

And this is the tale of THE LADY OF THE FOUNTAIN.

PEREDUR THE SON OF EVRAWC

Earl Evrawc owned the Earldom of the North. And he had seven sons. And Evrawcmaintained himself not so much by his own possessions as by attendingtournaments, and wars, and combats. And, as it often befalls those who join inencounters and wars, he was slain, and six of his sons likewise. Now the nameof his seventh son was Peredur, and he was the youngest of them. And he was notof an age to go to wars and encounters, otherwise he might have been slain aswell as his father and brothers. His mother was a scheming and thoughtfulwoman, and she was very solicitous concerning this her only son and hispossessions. So she took counsel with herself to leave the inhabited country,and to flee to the deserts and unfrequented wildernesses. And she permittednone to bear her company thither but women and boys, and spiritless men, whowere both unaccustomed and unequal to war and fighting. And none dared to bringeither horses or arms where her son was, lest he should set his mind upon them.And the youth went daily to divert himself in the forest, by flinging sticksand staves. And one day he saw his mother’s flock of goats, and near thegoats two hinds were standing. And he marvelled greatly that these two shouldbe without horns, while the others had them. And he thought they had long runwild, and on that account they had lost their horns. And by activity andswiftness of foot, he drove the hinds and the goats together into the housewhich there was for the goats at the extremity of the forest. Then Peredurreturned to his mother. “Ah, mother,” said he, “a marvellousthing have I seen in the wood; two of thy goats have run wild, and lost theirhorns, through their having been so long missing in the wood. And no man hadever more trouble than I had to drive them in.” Then they all arose andwent to see. And when they beheld the hinds they were greatly astonished.

And one day they saw three knights coming along the horse-roadon the borders of the forest. And the three knights wereGwalchmai the son of Gwyar, and Geneir Gwystyl, and Owain the sonof Urien. And Owain kept on the track of the knight who haddivided the apples in Arthur’s Court, whom they were inpursuit of. “Mother,” said Peredur, “whatare those yonder?” “They are angels, myson,” said she. “By my faith,” saidPeredur, “I will go and become an angel withthem.” And Peredur went to the road, and metthem. “Tell me, good soul,” said Owain,“sawest thou a knight pass this way, either to-day oryesterday?” “I know not,” answered he,“what a knight is.” “Such an one as Iam,” said Owain. “If thou wilt tell me what Iask thee, I will tell thee that which thou askestme.” “Gladly will I do so,” repliedOwain. “What is this?” demanded Peredur,concerning the saddle. “It is a saddle,” saidOwain. Then he asked about all the accoutrements which hesaw upon the men, and the horses, and the arms, and what theywere for, and how they were used. And Owain shewed him allthese things fully, and told him what use was made of them.“Go forward,” said Peredur, “for I saw such anone as thou inquirest for, and I will follow thee.”

Then Peredur returned to his mother and her company, and hesaid to her, “Mother, those were not angels, but honourableknights.” Then his mother swooned away. AndPeredur went to the place where they kept the horses that carriedfirewood, and that brought meat and drink from the inhabitedcountry to the desert. And he took a bony piebald horse,which seemed to him the strongest of them. And he pressed apack into the form of a saddle, and with twisted twigs heimitated the trappings which he had seen upon the horses.And when Peredur came again to his mother, the Countess hadrecovered from her swoon. “My son,” said she,“desirest thou to ride forth?” “Yes, withthy leave,” said he. “Wait, then, that I maycounsel thee before thou goest.”“Willingly,” he answered; “speakquickly.” “Go forward, then,” she said,“to the Court of Arthur, where there are the best, and theboldest, and the most bountiful of men. And wherever thouseest a church, repeat there thy Paternoster unto it. Andif thou see meat and drink, and have need of them, and none havethe kindness or the courtesy to give them to thee, take themthyself. If thou hear an outcry, proceed towards it,especially if it be the outcry of a woman. If thou see afair jewel, possess thyself of it, and give it to another, forthus thou shalt obtain praise. If thou see a fair woman,pay thy court to her, whether she will or no; for thus thou wiltrender thyself a better and more esteemed man than thou wastbefore.”

After this discourse, Peredur mounted the horse, and taking ahandful of sharp-pointed forks in his hand, he rode forth.And he journeyed two days and two nights in the woodywildernesses, and in desert places, without food and withoutdrink. And then he came to a vast wild wood, and far withinthe wood he saw a fair even glade, and in the glade he saw atent, and the tent seeming to him to be a church, he repeated hisPaternoster to it. And he went towards it, and the door ofthe tent was open. And a golden chair was near thedoor. And on the chair sat a lovely auburn-haired maiden,with a golden frontlet on her forehead, and sparkling stones inthe frontlet, and with a large gold ring on her hand. AndPeredur dismounted, and entered the tent. And the maidenwas glad at his coming, and bade him welcome. At theentrance of the tent he saw food, and two flasks full of wine,and two loaves of fine wheaten flour, and collops of the flesh ofthe wild boar. “My mother told me,” saidPeredur, “wheresoever I saw meat and drink, to takeit.” “Take the meat and welcome,chieftain,” said she. So Peredur took half of themeat and of the liquor himself, and left the rest to themaiden. And when Peredur had finished eating, he bent uponhis knee before the maiden. “My mother,” saidhe, “told me, wheresoever I saw a fair jewel, to takeit.” “Do so, my soul,” said she. SoPeredur took the ring. And he mounted his horse, andproceeded on his journey.

After this, behold the knight came to whom the tent belonged;and he was the Lord of the Glade. And he saw the track ofthe horse, and he said to the maiden, “Tell me who has beenhere since I departed.” “A man,” saidshe, “of wonderful demeanour.” And shedescribed to him what Peredur’s appearance and conduct hadbeen. “Tell me,” said he, “did he offerthee any wrong?” “No,” answered themaiden, “by my faith, he harmed me not.”“By my faith, I do not believe thee; and until I can meetwith him, and revenge the insult he has done me, and wreak myvengeance upon him, thou shalt not remain two nights in the samehouse.” And the knight arose, and set forth to seekPeredur.

Meanwhile Peredur journeyed on towards Arthur’sCourt. And before he reached it, another knight had beenthere, who gave a ring of thick gold at the door of the gate forholding his horse, and went into the Hall where Arthur and hishousehold, and Gwenhwyvar and her maidens, were assembled.And the page of the chamber was serving Gwenhwyvar with a goldengoblet. Then the knight dashed the liquor that was thereinupon her face, and upon her stomacher, and gave her a violentblow on the face, and said, “If any have the boldness todispute this goblet with me, and to revenge the insult toGwenhwyvar, let him follow me to the meadow, and there I willawait him.” So the knight took his horse, and rode tothe meadow. And all the household hung down their heads,lest any of them should be requested to go and avenge the insultto Gwenhwyvar. For it seemed to them, that no one wouldhave ventured on so daring an outrage, unless he possessed suchpowers, through magic or charms, that none could be able to takevengeance upon him. Then, behold, Peredur entered the Hall,upon the bony piebald horse, with the uncouth trappings upon it;and in this way he traversed the whole length of the Hall.In the centre of the Hall stood Kai. “Tell me, tallman,” said Peredur, “is that Arthuryonder?” “What wouldest thou withArthur?” asked Kai. “My mother told me to go toArthur, and receive the honour of knighthood.”“By my faith,” said he, “thou art all toomeanly equipped with horse and with arms.” Thereuponhe was perceived by all the household, and they threw sticks athim. Then, behold, a dwarf came forward. He hadalready been a year at Arthur’s Court, both he and a femaledwarf. They had craved harbourage of Arthur, and hadobtained it; and during the whole year, neither of them hadspoken a single word to any one. When the dwarf beheldPeredur, “Haha!” said he, “the welcome ofHeaven be unto thee, goodly Peredur, son of Evrawc, the chief ofwarriors, and flower of knighthood.”“Truly,” said Kai, “thou art ill-taught toremain a year mute at Arthur’s Court, with choice ofsociety; and now, before the face of Arthur and all hishousehold, to call out, and declare such a man as this the chiefof warriors, and the flower of knighthood.” And hegave him such a box on the ear that he fell senseless to theground. Then exclaimed the female dwarf, “Haha!goodly Peredur, son of Evrawc; the welcome of Heaven be untothee, flower of knights, and light of chivalry.”“Of a truth, maiden,” said Kai, “thou artill-bred to remain mute for a year at the Court of Arthur, andthen to speak as thou dost of such a man as this.”And Kai kicked her with his foot, so that she fell to the groundsenseless. “Tall man,” said Peredur,“shew me which is Arthur.” “Hold thypeace,” said Kai, “and go after the knight who wenthence to the meadow, and take from him the goblet, and overthrowhim, and possess thyself of his horse and arms, and then thoushalt receive the order of knighthood.” “I willdo so, tall man,” said Peredur. So he turned hishorse’s head towards the meadow. And when he camethere, the knight was riding up and down, proud of his strength,and valour, and noble mien. “Tell me,” said theknight, “didst thou see any one coming after me from theCourt?” “The tall man that was there,”said he, “desired me to come, and overthrow thee, and totake from thee the goblet, and thy horse and thy armour formyself.” “Silence!” said the knight;“go back to the Court, and tell Arthur, from me, either tocome himself, or to send some other to fight with me; and unlesshe do so quickly, I will not wait for him.” “Bymy faith,” said Peredur, “choose thou whether itshall be willingly or unwillingly, but I will have the horse, andthe arms, and the goblet.” And upon this the knightran at him furiously, and struck him a violent blow with theshaft of his spear, between the neck and the shoulder.“Haha! lad,” said Peredur, “my mother’sservants were not used to play with me in this wise; therefore,thus will I play with thee.” And thereupon he struckhim with a sharp-pointed fork, and it hit him in the eye, andcame out at the back of his neck, so that he instantly fell downlifeless.

“Verily,” said Owain the son of Urien to Kai,“thou wert ill-advised, when thou didst send that madmanafter the knight. For one of two things must befallhim. He must either be overthrown, or slain. If he isoverthrown by the knight, he will be counted by him to be anhonourable person of the Court, and an eternal disgrace will itbe to Arthur and his warriors. And if he is slain, thedisgrace will be the same, and moreover, his sin will be uponhim; therefore will I go to see what has befallenhim.” So Owain went to the meadow, and he foundPeredur dragging the man about. “What art thou doingthus?” said Owain. “This iron coat,” saidPeredur, “will never come from off him; not by my efforts,at any rate.” And Owain unfastened his armour and hisclothes. “Here, my good soul,” said he,“is a horse and armour better than thine. Take themjoyfully, and come with me to Arthur, to receive the order ofknighthood, for thou dost merit it.” “May Inever shew my face again if I go,” said Peredur; “buttake thou the goblet to Gwenhwyvar, and tell Arthur, thatwherever I am, I will be his vassal, and will do him what profitand service I am able. And say that I will not come to hisCourt until I have encountered the tall man that is there, torevenge the injury he did to the dwarf and dwarfess.”And Owain went back to the Court, and related all these things toArthur and Gwenhwyvar, and to all the household.

And Peredur rode forward. And as he proceeded, behold aknight met him. “Whence comest thou?” said theknight. “I come from Arthur’s Court,”said Peredur. “Art thou one of his men?” askedhe. “Yes, by my faith,” he answered.“A good service, truly, is that of Arthur.”“Wherefore sayest thou so?” said Peredur.“I will tell thee,” said he; “I have alwaysbeen Arthur’s enemy, and all such of his men as I have everencountered I have slain.” And without furtherparlance they fought, and it was not long before Peredur broughthim to the ground, over his horse’s crupper. Then theknight besought his mercy. “Mercy thou shalthave,” said Peredur, “if thou wilt make oath to me,that thou wilt go to Arthur’s Court, and tell him that itwas I that overthrew thee, for the honour of his service; andsay, that I will never come to the Court until I have avenged theinsult offered to the dwarf and dwarfess.” The knightpledged him his faith of this, and proceeded to the Court ofArthur, and said as he had promised, and conveyed the threat toKai.

And Peredur rode forward. And within that week heencountered sixteen knights, and overthrew them allshamefully. And they all went to Arthur’s Court,taking with them the same message which the first knight hadconveyed from Peredur, and the same threat which he had sent toKai. And thereupon Kai was reproved by Arthur; and Kai wasgreatly grieved thereat.

And Peredur rode forward. And he came to a vast anddesert wood, on the confines of which was a lake. And onthe other side was a fair castle. And on the border of thelake he saw a venerable, hoary-headed man, sitting upon a velvetcushion, and having a garment of velvet upon him. And hisattendants were fishing in the lake. When the hoary-headedman beheld Peredur approaching, he arose and went towards thecastle. And the old man was lame. Peredur rode to thepalace, and the door was open, and he entered the hall. Andthere was the hoary-headed man sitting on a cushion, and a largeblazing fire burning before him. And the household and thecompany arose to meet Peredur, and disarrayed him. And theman asked the youth to sit on the cushion; and they sat down, andconversed together. When it was time, the tables were laid,and they went to meat. And when they had finished theirmeal, the man inquired of Peredur if he knew well how to fightwith the sword. “I know not,” said Peredur,“but were I to be taught, doubtless I should.”“Whoever can play well with the cudgel and shield, willalso be able to fight with a sword.” And the man hadtwo sons; the one had yellow hair, and the other auburn.“Arise, youths,” said he, “and play with thecudgel and the shield.” And so did they.“Tell me, my soul,” said the man, “which of theyouths thinkest thou plays best.” “Ithink,” said Peredur, “that the yellow-haired youthcould draw blood from the other, if he chose.”“Arise thou, my life, and take the cudgel and the shieldfrom the hand of the youth with the auburn hair, and draw bloodfrom the yellow-haired youth if thou canst.” SoPeredur arose, and went to play with the yellow-haired youth; andhe lifted up his arm, and struck him such a mighty blow, that hisbrow fell over his eye, and the blood flowed forth.“Ah, my life,” said the man, “come now, and sitdown, for thou wilt become the best fighter with the sword of anyin this island; and I am thy uncle, thy mother’sbrother. And with me shalt thou remain a space, in order tolearn the manners and customs of different countries, andcourtesy, and gentleness, and noble bearing. Leave, then,the habits and the discourse of thy mother, and I will be thyteacher; and I will raise thee to the rank of knight from thistime forward. And thus do thou. If thou seest aughtto cause thee wonder, ask not the meaning of it; if no one hasthe courtesy to inform thee, the reproach will not fall uponthee, but upon me that am thy teacher.” And they hadabundance of honour and service. And when it was time theywent to sleep. At the break of day, Peredur arose, and tookhis horse, and with his uncle’s permission he rodeforth. And he came to a vast desert wood, and at thefurther end of the wood was a meadow, and on the other side ofthe meadow he saw a large castle. And thitherward Peredurbent his way, and he found the gate open, and he proceeded to thehall. And he beheld a stately hoary-headed man sitting onone side of the hall, and many pages around him, who arose toreceive and to honour Peredur. And they placed him by theside of the owner of the palace. Then they discoursedtogether; and when it was time to eat, they caused Peredur to sitbeside the nobleman during the repast. And when they hadeaten and drunk as much as they desired, the nobleman askedPeredur whether he could fight with a sword? “Were Ito receive instruction,” said Peredur, “I think Icould.” Now, there was on the floor of the hall ahuge staple, as large as a warrior could grasp. “Takeyonder sword,” said the man to Peredur, “and strikethe iron staple.” So Peredur arose and struck thestaple, so that he cut it in two; and the sword broke into twoparts also. “Place the two parts together, andreunite them,” and Peredur placed them together, and theybecame entire as they were before. And a second time hestruck upon the staple, so that both it and the sword broke intwo, and as before they reunited. And the third time hegave a like blow, and placed the broken parts together, andneither the staple nor the sword would unite as before.“Youth,” said the nobleman, “come now, and sitdown, and my blessing be upon thee. Thou fightest best withthe sword of any man in the kingdom. Thou hast arrived attwo-thirds of thy strength, and the other third thou hast not yetobtained; and when thou attainest to thy full power, none will beable to contend with thee. I am thy uncle, thymother’s brother, and I am brother to the man in whosehouse thou wast last night.” Then Peredur and hisuncle discoursed together, and he beheld two youths enter thehall, and proceed up to the chamber, bearing a spear of mightysize, with three streams of blood flowing from the point to theground. And when all the company saw this, they beganwailing and lamenting. But for all that, the man did notbreak off his discourse with Peredur. And as he did nottell Peredur the meaning of what he saw, he forbore to ask himconcerning it. And when the clamour had a little subsided,behold two maidens entered, with a large salver between them, inwhich was a man’s head, surrounded by a profusion ofblood. And thereupon the company of the court made so greatan outcry, that it was irksome to be in the same hall withthem. But at length they were silent. And when timewas that they should sleep, Peredur was brought into a fairchamber.

And the next day, with his uncle’s permission, he rodeforth. And he came to a wood, and far within the wood heheard a loud cry, and he saw a beautiful woman with auburn hair,and a horse with a saddle upon it, standing near her, and acorpse by her side. And as she strove to place the corpseupon the horse, it fell to the ground, and thereupon she made agreat lamentation. “Tell me, sister,” saidPeredur, “wherefore art thou bewailing?”“Oh! accursed Peredur, little pity has my ill-fortune evermet with from thee.” “Wherefore,” saidPeredur, “am I accursed?” “Because thouwast the cause of thy mother’s death; for when thou didstride forth against her will, anguish seized upon her heart, sothat she died; and therefore art thou accursed. And thedwarf and the dwarfess that thou sawest at Arthur’s Courtwere the dwarfs of thy father and mother; and I am thyfoster-sister, and this was my wedded husband, and he was slainby the knight that is in the glade in the wood; and do not thougo near him, lest thou shouldest be slain by himlikewise.” “My sister, thou dost reproach mewrongfully; through my having so long remained amongst you, Ishall scarcely vanquish him; and had I continued longer, itwould, indeed, be difficult for me to succeed. Cease,therefore, thy lamenting, for it is of no avail, and I will burythe body, and then I will go in quest of the knight, and see if Ican do vengeance upon him.” And when he had buriedthe body, they went to the place where the knight was, and foundhim riding proudly along the glade; and he inquired of Peredurwhence he came. “I come from Arthur’sCourt.” “And art thou one of Arthur’smen?” “Yes, by my faith.” “Aprofitable alliance, truly, is that of Arthur.” Andwithout further parlance, they encountered one another, andimmediately Peredur overthrew the knight, and he besought mercyof Peredur. “Mercy shalt thou have,” said he,“upon these terms, that thou take this woman in marriage,and do her all the honour and reverence in thy power, seeing thouhast, without cause, slain her wedded husband; and that thou goto Arthur’s Court, and shew him that it was I thatoverthrew thee, to do him honour and service; and that thou tellhim that I will never come to his Court again until I have metwith the tall man that is there, to take vengeance upon him forhis insult to the dwarf and dwarfess.” And he tookthe knight’s assurance, that he would perform allthis. Then the knight provided the lady with a horse andgarments that were suitable for her, and took her with him toArthur’s Court. And he told Arthur all that hadoccurred, and gave the defiance to Kai. And Arthur and allhis household reproved Kai, for having driven such a youth asPeredur from his Court.

Said Owain the son of Urien, “This youth will never comeinto the Court until Kai has gone forth from it.”“By my faith,” said Arthur, “I will search allthe deserts in the Island of Britain, until I find Peredur, andthen let him and his adversary do their utmost to eachother.”

Then Peredur rode forward. And he came to a desert wood,where he saw not the track either of men or animals, and wherethere was nothing but bushes and weeds. And at the upperend of the wood he saw a vast castle, wherein were many strongtowers; and when he came near the gate, he found the weeds tallerthan he had seen them elsewhere. And he struck the gatewith the shaft of his lance, and thereupon behold a lean,auburn-haired youth came to an opening in the battlements.“Choose thou, chieftain,” said he, “whethershall I open the gate unto thee, or shall I announce unto thosethat are chief, that thou art at the gateway?”“Say that I am here,” said Peredur, “and if itis desired that I should enter, I will go in.” Andthe youth came back, and opened the gate for Peredur. Andwhen he went into the hall, he beheld eighteen youths, lean andred-headed, of the same height, and of the same aspect, and ofthe same dress, and of the same age as the one who had opened thegate for him. And they were well skilled in courtesy and inservice. And they disarrayed him. Then they sat downto discourse. Thereupon, behold five maidens came from thechamber into the hall. And Peredur was certain that he hadnever seen another of so fair an aspect as the chief of themaidens. And she had an old garment of satin upon her,which had once been handsome, but was then so tattered, that herskin could be seen through it. And whiter was her skin thanthe bloom of crystal, and her hair and her two eyebrows wereblacker than jet, and on her cheeks were two red spots, redderthan whatever is reddest. And the maiden welcomed Peredur,and put her arms about his neck, and made him sit down besideher. Not long after this he saw two nuns enter, and a flaskfull of wine was borne by one, and six loaves of white bread bythe other. “Lady,” said they, “Heaven iswitness, that there is not so much of food and liquor as thisleft in yonder Convent this night.” Then they went tomeat, and Peredur observed that the maiden wished to give more ofthe food and of the liquor to him than to any of theothers. “My sister,” said Peredur, “Iwill share out the food and the liquor.” “Notso, my soul,” said she. “By my faith but Iwill.” So Peredur took the bread, and he gave anequal portion of it to each alike, as well as a cup full of theliquor. And when it was time for them to sleep, a chamberwas prepared for Peredur, and he went to rest.

“Behold, sister,” said the youths to the fairestand most exalted of the maidens, “we have counsel forthee.” “What may it be?” sheinquired. “Go to the youth that is in the upperchamber, and offer to become his wife, or the lady of his love,if it seem well to him.” “That were indeedunfitting,” said she. “Hitherto I have not beenthe lady-love of any knight, and to make him such an offer beforeI am wooed by him, that, truly, can I not do.”“By our confession to Heaven, unless thou actest thus, wewill leave thee here to thy enemies, to do as they will withthee.” And through fear of this, the maiden wentforth; and shedding tears, she proceeded to the chamber.And with the noise of the door opening, Peredur awoke; and themaiden was weeping and lamenting. “Tell me, mysister,” said Peredur, “wherefore dost thouweep?” “I will tell thee, lord,” saidshe. “My father possessed these dominions as theirchief, and this palace was his, and with it he held the bestearldom in the kingdom; then the son of another earl sought me ofmy father, and I was not willing to be given unto him, and myfather would not give me against my will, either to him or anyearl in the world. And my father had no child exceptmyself. And after my father’s death, these dominionscame into my own hands, and then was I less willing to accept himthan before. So he made war upon me, and conquered all mypossessions, except this one house. And through the valourof the men whom thou hast seen, who are my foster-brothers, andthe strength of the house, it can never be taken while food anddrink remain. And now our provisions are exhausted; but, asthou hast seen, we have been fed by the nuns, to whom the countryis free. And at length they also are without supply of foodor liquor. And at no later date than to-morrow, the earlwill come against this place with all his forces; and if I fallinto his power, my fate will be no better than to be given overto the grooms of his horses. Therefore, lord, I am come tooffer to place myself in thy hands, that thou mayest succour me,either by taking me hence, or by defending me here, whichever mayseem best unto thee.” “Go, my sister,”said he, “and sleep; nor will I depart from thee until I dothat which thou requirest, or prove whether I can assist thee ornot.” The maiden went again to rest; and the nextmorning she came to Peredur, and saluted him. “Heavenprosper thee, my soul, and what tidings dost thoubring?” “None other, than that the earl and allhis forces have alighted at the gate, and I never beheld anyplace so covered with tents, and thronged with knightschallenging others to the combat.”“Truly,” said Peredur, “let my horse be madeready.” So his horse was accoutred, and he arose andsallied forth to the meadow. And there was a knight ridingproudly along the meadow, having raised the signal forbattle. And they encountered, and Peredur threw the knightover his horse’s crupper to the ground. And at theclose of the day, one of the chief knights came to fight withhim, and he overthrew him also, so that he besought hismercy. “Who art thou?” said Peredur.“Verily,” said he, “I am Master of theHousehold to the earl.” “And how much of thecountess’s possessions is there in thy power?”“The third part, verily,” answered he.“Then,” said Peredur, “restore to her the thirdof her possessions in full, and all the profit thou hast made bythem, and bring meat and drink for a hundred men, with theirhorses and arms, to her court this night. And thou shaltremain her captive, unless she wish to take thylife.” And this he did forthwith. And thatnight the maiden was right joyful, and they faredplenteously.

And the next day Peredur rode forth to the meadow; and thatday he vanquished a multitude of the host. And at the closeof the day, there came a proud and stately knight, and Pereduroverthrew him, and he besought his mercy. “Who artthou?” said Peredur. “I am Steward of thePalace,” said he. “And how much of themaiden’s possessions are under thy control?”“One-third part,” answered he.“Verily,” said Peredur, “thou shalt fullyrestore to the maiden her possessions, and, moreover, thou shaltgive her meat and drink for two hundred men, and their horses andtheir arms. And for thyself, thou shalt be hercaptive.” And immediately it was so done.

And the third day Peredur rode forth to the meadow; and hevanquished more that day than on either of the preceding.And at the close of the day, an earl came to encounter him, andhe overthrew him, and he besought his mercy. “Who artthou?” said Peredur. “I am the earl,”said he. “I will not conceal it fromthee.” “Verily,” said Peredur,“thou shalt restore the whole of the maiden’searldom, and shalt give her thine own earldom in additionthereto, and meat and drink for three hundred men, and theirhorses and arms, and thou thyself shalt remain in herpower.” And thus it was fulfilled. And Peredurtarried three weeks in the country, causing tribute and obedienceto be paid to the maiden, and the government to be placed in herhands. “With thy leave,” said Peredur, “Iwill go hence.” “Verily, my brother, desirestthou this?” “Yes, by my faith; and had it notbeen for love of thee, I should not have been here thuslong.” “My soul,” said she, “whoart thou?” “I am Peredur the son of Evrawc fromthe North; and if ever thou art in trouble or in danger, acquaintme therewith, and if I can, I will protect thee.”

So Peredur rode forth. And far thence there met him alady, mounted on a horse that was lean, and covered with sweat;and she saluted the youth. “Whence comest thou, mysister?” Then she told him the cause of herjourney. Now she was the wife of the Lord of theGlade. “Behold,” said he, “I am theknight through whom thou art in trouble, and he shall repent it,who has treated thee thus.” Thereupon, behold aknight rode up, and he inquired of Peredur, if he had seen aknight such as he was seeking. “Hold thypeace,” said Peredur, “I am he whom thou seekest; andby my faith, thou deservest ill of thy household for thytreatment of the maiden, for she is innocent concerningme.” So they encountered, and they were not long incombat ere Peredur overthrew the knight, and he besought hismercy. “Mercy thou shalt have,” said Peredur,“so thou wilt return by the way thou camest, and declarethat thou holdest the maiden innocent, and so that thou wiltacknowledge unto her the reverse thou hast sustained at myhands.” And the knight plighted him his faiththereto.

Then Peredur rode forward. And above him he beheld acastle, and thitherward he went. And he struck upon thegate with his lance, and then, behold, a comely auburn-hairedyouth opened the gate, and he had the stature of a warrior, andthe years of a boy. And when Peredur came into the hall,there was a tall and stately lady sitting in a chair, and manyhandmaidens around her; and the lady rejoiced at hiscoming. And when it was time, they went to meat. Andafter their repast was finished, “It were well for thee,chieftain,” said she, “to go elsewhere tosleep.” “Wherefore can I not sleep here?”said Peredur. “Nine sorceresses are here, my soul, ofthe sorceresses of Gloucester, and their father and their motherare with them; and unless we can make our escape before daybreak,we shall be slain; and already they have conquered and laid wasteall the country, except this one dwelling.”“Behold,” said Peredur, “I will remain hereto-night, and if you are in trouble, I will do you what service Ican; but harm shall you not receive from me.” So theywent to rest. And with the break of day, Peredur heard adreadful outcry. And he hastily arose, and went forth inhis vest and his doublet, with his sword about his neck, and hesaw a sorceress overtake one of the watch, who cried outviolently. Peredur attacked the sorceress, and struck herupon the head with his sword, so that he flattened her helmet andher head-piece like a dish upon her head. “Thy mercy,goodly Peredur, son of Evrawc, and the mercy ofHeaven.” “How knowest thou, hag, that I amPeredur?” “By destiny, and the foreknowledgethat I should suffer harm from thee. And thou shalt take ahorse and armour of me; and with me thou shalt go to learnchivalry and the use of thy arms.” Said Peredur,“Thou shalt have mercy, if thou pledge thy faith thou wiltnever more injure the dominions of the Countess.” AndPeredur took surety of this, and with permission of the Countess,he set forth with the sorceress to the palace of thesorceresses. And there he remained for three weeks, andthen he made choice of a horse and arms, and went his way.

And in the evening he entered a valley, and at the head of thevalley he came to a hermit’s cell, and the hermit welcomedhim gladly, and there he spent the night. And in themorning he arose, and when he went forth, behold a shower of snowhad fallen the night before, and a hawk had killed a wild fowl infront of the cell. And the noise of the horse scared thehawk away, and a raven alighted upon the bird. And Peredurstood, and compared the blackness of the raven and the whitenessof the snow, and the redness of the blood, to the hair of thelady that best he loved, which was blacker than jet, and to herskin which was whiter than the snow, and to the two red spotsupon her cheeks, which were redder than the blood upon the snowappeared to be.

Now Arthur and his household were in search of Peredur.“Know ye,” said Arthur, “who is the knight withthe long spear that stands by the brook up yonder?”“Lord,” said one of them, “I will go and learnwho he is.” So the youth came to the place wherePeredur was, and asked him what he did thus, and who hewas. And from the intensity with which he thought upon thelady whom best he loved, he gave him no answer. Then theyouth thrust at Peredur with his lance, and Peredur turned uponhim, and struck him over his horse’s crupper to theground. And after this, four-and-twenty youths came to him,and he did not answer one more than another, but gave the samereception to all, bringing them with one single thrust to theground. And then came Kai, and spoke to Peredur rudely andangrily; and Peredur took him with his lance under the jaw, andcast him from him with a thrust, so that he broke his arm and hisshoulder-blade, and he rode over him one-and-twenty times.And while he lay thus, stunned with the violence of the pain thathe had suffered, his horse returned back at a wild and prancingpace. And when the household saw the horse come backwithout his rider, they rode forth in haste to the place wherethe encounter had been. And when they first came there,they thought that Kai was slain; but they found that if he had askilful physician, he yet might live. And Peredur moved notfrom his meditation, on seeing the concourse that was aroundKai. And Kai was brought to Arthur’s tent, and Arthurcaused skilful physicians to come to him. And Arthur wasgrieved that Kai had met with this reverse, for he loved himgreatly.

“Then,” said Gwalchmai, “it is not fittingthat any should disturb an honourable knight from his thoughtunadvisedly; for either he is pondering some damage that he hassustained, or he is thinking of the lady whom best heloves. And through such ill-advised proceeding, perchancethis misadventure has befallen him who last met with him.And if it seem well to thee, lord, I will go and see if thisknight hath changed from his thought; and if he has, I will askhim courteously to come and visit thee.” Then Kai waswroth, and he spoke angry and spiteful words.“Gwalchmai,” said he, “I know that thou wiltbring him because he is fatigued. Little praise and honour,nevertheless, wilt thou have from vanquishing a weary knight, whois tired with fighting. Yet thus hast thou gained theadvantage over many. And while thy speech and thy softwords last, a coat of thin linen were armour sufficient for thee,and thou wilt not need to break either lance or sword in fightingwith the knight in the state he is in.” Then saidGwalchmai to Kai, “Thou mightest use more pleasant words,wert thou so minded: and it behoves thee not upon me to wreak thywrath and thy displeasure. Methinks I shall bring theknight hither with me without breaking either my arm or myshoulder.” Then said Arthur to Gwalchmai, “Thouspeakest like a wise and prudent man; go, and take enough ofarmour about thee, and choose thy horse.” AndGwalchmai accoutred himself and rode forward hastily to the placewhere Peredur was.

And Peredur was resting on the shaft of his spear, ponderingthe same thought, and Gwalchmai came to him without any signs ofhostility, and said to him, “If I thought that it would beas agreeable to thee as it would be to me, I would converse withthee. I have also a message from Arthur unto thee, to praythee to come and visit him. And two men have been before onthis errand.” “That is true,” saidPeredur, “and uncourteously they came. They attackedme, and I was annoyed thereat, for it was not pleasing to me tobe drawn from the thought that I was in, for I was thinking ofthe lady whom best I love, and thus was she brought to mymind:—I was looking upon the snow, and upon the raven, andupon the drops of the blood of the bird that the hawk had killedupon the snow. And I bethought me that her whiteness waslike that of the snow, and that the blackness of her hair and hereyebrows like that of the raven, and that the two red spots uponher cheeks were like the two drops of blood.” SaidGwalchmai, “This was not an ungentle thought, and I shouldmarvel if it were pleasant to thee to be drawn fromit.” “Tell me,” said Peredur, “isKai in Arthur’s Court?” “He is,”said he, “and behold he is the knight that fought with theelast; and it would have been better for him had he not come, forhis arm and his shoulder-blade were broken with the fall which hehad from thy spear.” “Verily,” saidPeredur, “I am not sorry to have thus begun to avenge theinsult to the dwarf and dwarfess.” Then Gwalchmaimarvelled to hear him speak of the dwarf and the dwarfess; and heapproached him, and threw his arms around his neck, and asked himwhat was his name. “Peredur the son of Evrawc am Icalled,” said he; “and thou, Who artthou?” “I am called Gwalchmai,” hereplied. “I am right glad to meet with thee,”said Peredur, “for in every country where I have been Ihave heard of thy fame for prowess and uprightness, and I solicitthy fellowship.” “Thou shalt have it, by myfaith, and grant me thine,” said he, “Gladly will Ido so,” answered Peredur.

So they rode forth together joyfully towards the place whereArthur was, and when Kai saw them coming, he said, “I knewthat Gwalchmai needed not to fight the knight. And it is nowonder that he should gain fame; more can he do by his fair wordsthan I by the strength of my arm.” And Peredur wentwith Gwalchmai to his tent, and they took off their armour.And Peredur put on garments like those that Gwalchmai wore, andthey went together unto Arthur, and saluted him.“Behold, lord,” said Gwalchmai, “him whom thouhast sought so long.” “Welcome unto thee,chieftain,” said Arthur. “With me thou shaltremain; and had I known thy valour had been such, thou shouldstnot have left me as thou didst; nevertheless, this was predictedof thee by the dwarf and the dwarfess, whom Kai ill-treated andwhom thou hast avenged.” And hereupon, behold therecame the Queen and her handmaidens, and Peredur salutedthem. And they were rejoiced to see him, and bade himwelcome. And Arthur did him great honour and respect, andthey returned towards Caerlleon.

And the first night Peredur came to Caerlleon toArthur’s Court, and as he walked in the city after hisrepast, behold, there met him Angharad Law Eurawc.“By my faith, sister,” said Peredur, “thou arta beauteous and lovely maiden; and, were it pleasing to thee, Icould love thee above all women.” “I pledge myfaith,” said she, “that I do not love thee, nor willI ever do so.” “I also pledge my faith,”said Peredur, “that I will never speak a word to anyChristian again, until thou come to love me above allmen.”

The next day Peredur went forth by the high road, along amountain-ridge, and he saw a valley of a circular form, theconfines of which were rocky and wooded. And the flat partof the valley was in meadows, and there were fields betwixt themeadows and the wood. And in the bosom of the wood he sawlarge black houses of uncouth workmanship. And hedismounted, and led his horse towards the wood. And alittle way within the wood he saw a rocky ledge, along which theroad lay. And upon the ledge was a lion bound by a chain,and sleeping. And beneath the lion he saw a deep pit ofimmense size, full of the bones of men and animals. AndPeredur drew his sword and struck the lion, so that he fell intothe mouth of the pit and hung there by the chain; and with asecond blow he struck the chain and broke it, and the lion fellinto the pit; and Peredur led his horse over the rocky ledge,until he came into the valley. And in the centre of thevalley he saw a fair castle, and he went towards it. And inthe meadow by the castle he beheld a huge grey man sitting, whowas larger than any man he had ever before seen. And twoyoung pages were shooting the hilts of their daggers, of the boneof the sea-horse. And one of the pages had red hair, andthe other auburn. And they went before him to the placewhere the grey man was, and Peredur saluted him. And thegrey man said, “Disgrace to the beard of myporter.” Then Peredur understood that the porter wasthe lion.—And the grey man and the pages went together intothe castle, and Peredur accompanied them; and he found it a fairand noble place. And they proceeded to the hall, and thetables were already laid, and upon them was abundance of food andliquor. And thereupon he saw an aged woman and a youngwoman come from the chamber; and they were the most stately womenhe had ever seen. Then they washed and went to meat, andthe grey man sat in the upper seat at the head of the table, andthe aged woman next to him. And Peredur and the maiden wereplaced together, and the two young pages served them. Andthe maiden gazed sorrowfully upon Peredur, and Peredur asked themaiden wherefore she was sad. “For thee, my soul;for, from when I first beheld thee, I have loved thee above allmen. And it pains me to know that so gentle a youth as thoushould have such a doom as awaits thee to-morrow. Sawestthou the numerous black houses in the bosom of the wood?All these belong to the vassals of the grey man yonder, who is myfather. And they are all giants. And to-morrow theywill rise up against thee, and will slay thee. And theRound Valley is this valley called.” “Listen,fair maiden, wilt thou contrive that my horse and arms be in thesame lodging with me to-night?” “Gladly will Icause it so to be, by Heaven, if I can.”

And when it was time for them to sleep rather than to carouse,they went to rest. And the maiden caused Peredur’shorse and arms to be in the same lodging with him. And thenext morning Peredur heard a great tumult of men and horsesaround the castle. And Peredur arose, and armed himself andhis horse, and went to the meadow. Then the aged woman andthe maiden came to the grey man: “Lord,” said they,“take the word of the youth, that he will never disclosewhat he has seen in this place, and we will be his sureties thathe keep it.” “I will not do so, by myfaith,” said the grey man. So Peredur fought with thehost, and towards evening he had slain the one-third of themwithout receiving any hurt himself. Then said the agedwoman, “Behold, many of thy host have been slain by theyouth; do thou, therefore, grant him mercy.” “Iwill not grant it, by my faith,” said he. And theaged woman and the fair maiden were upon the battlements of thecastle, looking forth. And at that juncture, Peredurencountered the yellow-haired youth and slew him.“Lord,” said the maiden, “grant the young manmercy.” “That will I not do, by Heaven,”he replied; and thereupon Peredur attacked the auburn-hairedyouth, and slew him likewise. “It were better thatthou hadst accorded mercy to the youth before he had slain thytwo sons; for now scarcely wilt thou thyself escape fromhim.” “Go, maiden, and beseech the youth togrant mercy unto us, for we yield ourselves into hishands.” So the maiden came to the place where Peredurwas, and besought mercy for her father, and for all such of hisvassals as had escaped alive. “Thou shalt have it, oncondition that thy father and all that are under him go andrender homage to Arthur, and tell him that it was his vassalPeredur that did him this service.” “This willwe do willingly, by Heaven.” “And you shallalso receive baptism; and I will send to Arthur, and beseech himto bestow this valley upon thee and upon thy heirs after thee forever.” Then they went in, and the grey man and thetall woman saluted Peredur. And the grey man said unto him,“Since I have possessed this valley I have not seen anyChristian depart with his life, save thyself. And we willgo to do homage to Arthur, and to embrace the faith and bebaptized.” Then said Peredur, “To Heaven Irender thanks that I have not broken my vow to the lady that bestI love, which was, that I would not speak one word unto anyChristian.”

That night they tarried there. And the next day, in themorning, the grey man, with his company, set forth toArthur’s Court; and they did homage unto Arthur, and hecaused them to be baptized. And the grey man told Arthurthat it was Peredur that had vanquished them. And Arthurgave the valley to the grey man and his company, to hold it ofhim as Peredur had besought. And with Arthur’spermission, the grey man went back to the Round Valley.

Peredur rode forward next day, and he traversed a vast tractof desert, in which no dwellings were. And at length hecame to a habitation, mean and small. And there he heardthat there was a serpent that lay upon a gold ring, and sufferednone to inhabit the country for seven miles around. AndPeredur came to the place where he heard the serpent was.And angrily, furiously, and desperately fought he with theserpent; and at last he killed it, and took away the ring.And thus he was for a long time without speaking a word to anyChristian. And therefrom he lost his colour and his aspect,through extreme longing after the Court of Arthur, and thesociety of the lady whom best he loved, and of hiscompanions. Then he proceeded forward to Arthur’sCourt, and on the road there met him Arthur’s householdgoing on a particular errand, with Kai at their head. AndPeredur knew them all, but none of the household recognizedhim. “Whence comest thou, chieftain?” saidKai. And this he asked him twice and three times, and heanswered him not. And Kai thrust him through the thigh withhis lance. And lest he should be compelled to speak, and tobreak his vow, he went on without stopping.“Then,” said Gwalchmai, “I declare to Heaven,Kai, that thou hast acted ill in committing such an outrage on ayouth like this, who cannot speak.”

And Gwalchmai returned back to Arthur’s Court.“Lady,” said he to Gwenhwyvar, “seest thou howwicked an outrage Kai has committed upon this youth who cannotspeak; for Heaven’s sake, and for mine, cause him to havemedical care before I come back, and I will repay thee thecharge.”

And before the men returned from their errand, a knight cameto the meadow beside Arthur’s Palace, to dare some one tothe encounter. And his challenge was accepted; and Peredurfought with him, and overthrew him. And for a week heoverthrew one knight every day.

And one day, Arthur and his household were going to Church,and they beheld a knight who had raised the signal forcombat. “Verily,” said Arthur, “by thevalour of men, I will not go hence until I have my horse and myarms to overthrow yonder boor.” Then went theattendants to fetch Arthur’s horse and arms. AndPeredur met the attendants as they were going back, and he tookthe horse and arms from them, and proceeded to the meadow; andall those who saw him arise and go to do battle with the knight,went upon the tops of the houses, and the mounds, and the highplaces, to behold the combat. And Peredur beckoned with hishand to the knight to commence the fight. And the knightthrust at him, but he was not thereby moved from where hestood. And Peredur spurred his horse, and ran at himwrathfully, furiously, fiercely, desperately, and with mightyrage, and he gave him a thrust, deadly-wounding, severe, furious,adroit, and strong, under his jaw, and raised him out of hissaddle, and cast him a long way from him. And Peredur wentback, and left the horse and the arms with the attendant asbefore, and he went on foot to the Palace.

Then Peredur went by the name of the Dumb Youth. Andbehold, Angharad Law Eurawc met him. “I declare toHeaven, chieftain,” said she, “woful is it that thoucanst not speak; for couldst thou speak, I would love thee bestof all men; and by my faith, although thou canst not, I do lovethee above all.” “Heaven reward thee, mysister,” said Peredur, “by my faith I also do lovethee.” Thereupon it was known that he wasPeredur. And then he held fellowship with Gwalchmai, andOwain the son of Urien, and all the household, and he remained inArthur’s Court.

Arthur was in Caerlleon upon Usk; and he went to hunt, andPeredur went with him. And Peredur let loose his dog upon ahart, and the dog killed the hart in a desert place. And ashort space from him he saw signs of a dwelling, and towards thedwelling he went, and he beheld a hall, and at the door of thehall he found bald swarthy youths playing at chess. Andwhen he entered, he beheld three maidens sitting on a bench, andthey were all clothed alike, as became persons of highrank. And he came, and sat by them upon the bench; and oneof the maidens looked steadfastly upon Peredur, and wept.And Peredur asked her wherefore she was weeping.“Through grief, that I should see so fair a youth as thouart, slain.” “Who will slay me?” inquiredPeredur. “If thou art so daring as to remain hereto-night, I will tell thee.” “How great soevermy danger may be from remaining here, I will listen untothee.” “This Palace is owned by him who is myfather,” said the maiden, “and he slays every one whocomes hither without his leave.” “What sort ofa man is thy father, that he is able to slay every onethus?” “A man who does violence and wrong untohis neighbours, and who renders justice unto none.”And hereupon he saw the youths arise and clear the chessmen fromthe board. And he heard a great tumult; and after thetumult there came in a huge black one-eyed man, and the maidensarose to meet him. And they disarrayed him, and he went andsat down; and after he had rested and pondered awhile, he lookedat Peredur, and asked who the knight was.“Lord,” said one of the maidens, “he is thefairest and gentlest youth that ever thou didst see. Andfor the sake of Heaven, and of thine own dignity, have patiencewith him.” “For thy sake I will have patience,and I will grant him his life this night.” ThenPeredur came towards them to the fire, and partook of food andliquor, and entered into discourse with the ladies. Andbeing elated with the liquor, he said to the black man, “Itis a marvel to me, so mighty as thou sayest thou art, who couldhave put out thine eye.” “It is one of myhabits,” said the black man, “that whosoever puts tome the question which thou hast asked, shall not escape with hislife, either as a free gift or for a price.”“Lord,” said the maiden, “whatsoever he may sayto thee in jest, and through the excitement of liquor, make goodthat which thou saidst and didst promise me justnow.” “I will do so, gladly, for thysake,” said he. “Willingly will I grant him hislife this night.” And that night thus theyremained.

And the next day the black man got up, and put on his armour,and said to Peredur, “Arise, man, and sufferdeath.” And Peredur said unto him, “Do one oftwo things, black man; if thou wilt fight with me, either throwoff thy own armour, or give arms to me, that I may encounterthee.” “Ha, man,” said he, “couldstthou fight, if thou hadst arms? Take, then, what arms thoudost choose.” And thereupon the maiden came toPeredur with such arms as pleased him; and he fought with theblack man, and forced him to crave his mercy. “Blackman, thou shalt have mercy, provided thou tell me who thou art,and who put out thine eye.” “Lord, I will tellthee; I lost it in fighting with the Black Serpent of theCarn. There is a mound, which is called the Mound ofMourning; and on the mound there is a carn, and in the carn thereis a serpent, and on the tail of the serpent there is a stone,and the virtues of the stone are such, that whosoever should holdit in one hand, in the other he will have as much gold as he maydesire. And in fighting with this serpent was it that Ilost my eye. And the Black Oppressor am I called. Andfor this reason I am called the Black Oppressor, that there isnot a single man around me whom I have not oppressed, and justicehave I done unto none.” “Tell me,” saidPeredur, “how far is it hence?” “The sameday that thou settest forth, thou wilt come to the Palace of theSons of the King of the Tortures.” “Whereforeare they called thus?” “The Addanc of the Lakeslays them once every day. When thou goest thence, thouwilt come to the Court of the Countess of theAchievements.” “What achievements arethere?” asked Peredur. “Three hundred men thereare in her household, and unto every stranger that comes to theCourt, the achievements of her household are related. Andthis is the manner of it,—the three hundred men of thehousehold sit next unto the Lady; and that not through disrespectunto the guests, but that they may relate the achievements of thehousehold. And the day that thou goest thence, thou wiltreach the Mound of Mourning, and round about the mound there arethe owners of three hundred tents guarding theserpent.” “Since thou hast, indeed, been anoppressor so long,” said Peredur, “I will cause thatthou continue so no longer.” So he slew him.

Then the maiden spoke, and began to converse with him.“If thou wast poor when thou camest here, henceforth thouwilt be rich through the treasure of the black man whom thou hastslain. Thou seest the many lovely maidens that there are inthis Court; thou shalt have her whom thou best likest for thelady of thy love.” “Lady, I came not hitherfrom my country to woo; but match yourselves as it liketh youwith the comely youths I see here; and none of your goods do Idesire, for I need them not.” Then Peredur rodeforward, and he came to the Palace of the Sons of the King of theTortures; and when he entered the Palace, he saw none but women;and they rose up, and were joyful at his coming; and as theybegan to discourse with him, he beheld a charger arrive, with asaddle upon it, and a corpse in the saddle. And one of thewomen arose, and took the corpse from the saddle, and anointed itin a vessel of warm water, which was below the door, and placedprecious balsam upon it; and the man rose up alive, and came tothe place where Peredur was, and greeted him, and was joyful tosee him. And two other men came in upon their saddles, andthe maiden treated these two in the same manner as she had donethe first. Then Peredur asked the chieftain wherefore itwas thus. And they told him, that there was an Addanc in acave, which slew them once every day. And thus theyremained that night.

And next morning the youths arose to sally forth, and Peredurbesought them, for the sake of the ladies of their love, topermit him to go with them; but they refused him, saying,“If thou shouldst be slain there, thou hast none to bringthee back to life again.” And they rode forward, andPeredur followed after them; and, after they had disappeared outof his sight, he came to a mound, whereon sat the fairest lady hehad ever beheld. “I know thy quest,” said she;“thou art going to encounter the Addanc, and he will slaythee, and that not by courage, but by craft. He has a cave,and at the entrance of the cave there is a stone pillar, and hesees every one that enters, and none see him; and from behind thepillar he slays every one with a poisonous dart. And ifthou wouldst pledge me thy faith to love me above all women, Iwould give thee a stone, by which thou shouldst see him when thougoest in, and he should not see thee.” “I will,by my troth,” said Peredur, “for when first I beheldthee I loved thee; and where shall I seek thee?”“When thou seekest me, seek towards India.” Andthe maiden vanished, after placing the stone in Peredur’shand.

And he came towards a valley, through which ran a river; andthe borders of the valley were wooded, and on each side of theriver were level meadows. And on one side of the river hesaw a flock of white sheep, and on the other a flock of blacksheep. And whenever one of the white sheep bleated, one ofthe black sheep would cross over and become white; and when oneof the black sheep bleated, one of the white sheep would crossover and become black. And he saw a tall tree by the sideof the river, one half of which was in flames from the root tothe top, and the other half was green and in full leaf. Andnigh thereto he saw a youth sitting upon a mound, and twogreyhounds, white-breasted and spotted, in leashes, lying by hisside. And certain was he that he had never seen a youth ofso royal a bearing as he. And in the wood opposite he heardhounds raising a herd of deer. And Peredur saluted theyouth, and the youth greeted him in return. And there werethree roads leading from the mound; two of them were wide roads,and the third was more narrow. And Peredur inquired wherethe three roads went. “One of them goes to mypalace,” said the youth; “and one of two things Icounsel thee to do; either to proceed to my palace, which isbefore thee, and where thou wilt find my wife, or else to remainhere to see the hounds chasing the roused deer from the wood tothe plain. And thou shalt see the best greyhounds thoudidst ever behold, and the boldest in the chase, kill them by thewater beside us; and when it is time to go to meat, my page willcome with my horse to meet me, and thou shalt rest in my palaceto-night.” “Heaven reward thee; but I cannottarry, for onward must I go.” “The other roadleads to the town, which is near here, and wherein food andliquor may be bought; and the road which is narrower than theothers goes towards the cave of the Addanc.”“With thy permission, young man, I will go thatway.”

And Peredur went towards the cave. And he took the stonein his left hand, and his lance in his right. And as hewent in he perceived the Addanc, and he pierced him through withhis lance, and cut off his head. And as he came from thecave, behold the three companions were at the entrance; and theysaluted Peredur, and told him that there was a prediction that heshould slay that monster. And Peredur gave the head to theyoung men, and they offered him in marriage whichever of thethree sisters he might choose, and half their kingdom withher. “I came not hither to woo,” said Peredur,“but if peradventure I took a wife, I should prefer yoursister to all others.” And Peredur rode forward, andhe heard a noise behind him. And he looked back, and saw aman upon a red horse, with red armour upon him; and the man rodeup by his side, and saluted him, and wished him the favour ofHeaven and of man. And Peredur greeted the youthkindly. “Lord, I come to make a request untothee.” “What wouldest thou?”“That thou shouldest take me as thineattendant.” “Whom then should I take as myattendant, if I did so?” “I will not concealfrom thee what kindred I am of. Etlym Gleddyv Coch am Icalled, an Earl from the East Country.” “Imarvel that thou shouldest offer to become attendant to a manwhose possessions are no greater than thine own; for I have butan earldom like thyself. But since thou desirest to be myattendant, I will take thee joyfully.”

And they went forward to the Court of the Countess, and allthey of the Court were glad at their coming; and they were toldit was not through disrespect they were placed below thehousehold, but that such was the usage of the Court. For,whoever should overthrow the three hundred men of her household,would sit next the Countess, and she would love him above allmen. And Peredur having overthrown the three hundred men ofher household, sat down beside her, and the Countess said,“I thank Heaven that I have a youth so fair and so valiantas thou, since I have not obtained the man whom best Ilove.” “Who is he whom best thoulovest?” “By my faith, Etlym Gleddyv Coch isthe man whom I love best, and I have never seen him.”“Of a truth, Etlym is my companion; and behold here he is,and for his sake did I come to joust with thy household.And he could have done so better than I, had it pleasedhim. And I do give thee unto him.”“Heaven reward thee, fair youth, and I will take the manwhom I love above all others.” And the Countessbecame Etlym’s bride from that moment.

And the next day Peredur set forth towards the Mound ofMourning. “By thy hand, lord, but I will go withthee,” said Etlym. Then they went forwards till theycame in sight of the mound and the tents. “Go untoyonder men,” said Peredur to Etlym, “and desire themto come and do me homage.” So Etlym went unto them,and said unto them thus,—“Come and do homage to mylord.” “Who is thy lord?” saidthey. “Peredur with the long lance is my lord,”said Etlym. “Were it permitted to slay a messenger,thou shouldest not go back to thy lord alive, for making untoKings, and Earls, and Barons so arrogant a demand as to go and dohim homage.” Peredur desired him to go back to them,and to give them their choice, either to do him homage, or to dobattle with him. And they chose rather to do battle.And that day Peredur overthrew the owners of a hundred tents; andthe next day he overthrew the owners of a hundred more; and thethird day the remaining hundred took counsel to do homage toPeredur. And Peredur inquired of them, wherefore they werethere. And they told him they were guarding the serpentuntil he should die. “For then should we fight forthe stone among ourselves, and whoever should be conqueror amongus would have the stone.” “Await here,”said Peredur, “and I will go to encounter theserpent.” “Not so, lord,” said they;“we will go altogether to encounter theserpent.” “Verily,” said Peredur,“that will I not permit; for if the serpent be slain, Ishall derive no more fame therefrom than one of you.”Then he went to the place where the serpent was, and slew it, andcame back to them, and said, “Reckon up what you have spentsince you have been here, and I will repay you to thefull.” And he paid to each what he said was hisclaim. And he required of them only that they shouldacknowledge themselves his vassals. And he said to Etlym,“Go back unto her whom thou lovest best, and I will goforwards, and I will reward thee for having been myattendant.” And he gave Etlym the stone.“Heaven repay thee and prosper thee,” said Etlym.

And Peredur rode thence, and he came to the fairest valley hehad ever seen, through which ran a river; and there he beheldmany tents of various colours. And he marvelled still moreat the number of water-mills and of wind-mills that he saw.And there rode up with him a tall auburn-haired man, inworkman’s garb, and Peredur inquired of him who hewas. “I am the chief miller,” said he,“of all the mills yonder.” “Wilt thougive me lodging?” said Peredur. “I will,gladly,” he answered. And Peredur came to themiller’s house, and the miller had a fair and pleasantdwelling. And Peredur asked money as a loan from themiller, that he might buy meat and liquor for himself and for thehousehold, and he promised that he would pay him again ere hewent thence. And he inquired of the miller, wherefore sucha multitude was there assembled. Said the miller toPeredur, “One thing is certain: either thou art a man fromafar, or thou art beside thyself. The Empress ofCristinobyl the Great is here; and she will have no one but theman who is most valiant; for riches does she not require.And it was impossible to bring food for so many thousands as arehere, therefore were all these mills constructed.”And that night they took their rest.

And the next day Peredur arose, and he equipped himself andhis horse for the tournament. And among the other tents hebeheld one, which was the fairest he had ever seen. And hesaw a beauteous maiden leaning her head out of a window of thetent, and he had never seen a maiden more lovely than she.And upon her was a garment of satin. And he gazed fixedlyon the maiden, and began to love her greatly. And heremained there, gazing upon the maiden from morning untilmid-day, and from mid-day until evening; and then the tournamentwas ended and he went to his lodging and drew off hisarmour. Then he asked money of the miller as a loan, andthe miller’s wife was wroth with Peredur; nevertheless, themiller lent him the money. And the next day he did in likemanner as he had done the day before. And at night he cameto his lodging, and took money as a loan from the miller.And the third day, as he was in the same place, gazing upon themaiden, he felt a hard blow between the neck and the shoulder,from the edge of an axe. And when he looked behind him, hesaw that it was the miller; and the miller said to him, “Doone of two things: either turn thy head from hence, or go to thetournament.” And Peredur smiled on the miller, andwent to the tournament; and all that encountered him that day heoverthrew. And as many as he vanquished he sent as a giftto the Empress, and their horses and arms he sent as a gift tothe wife of the miller, in payment of the borrowed money.Peredur attended the tournament until all were overthrown, and hesent all the men to the prison of the Empress, and the horses andarms to the wife of the miller, in payment of the borrowedmoney. And the Empress sent to the Knight of the Mill, toask him to come and visit her. And Peredur went not for thefirst nor for the second message. And the third time shesent a hundred knights to bring him against his will, and theywent to him and told him their mission from the Empress.And Peredur fought well with them, and caused them to be boundlike stags, and thrown into the mill-dyke. And the Empresssought advice of a wise man who was in her counsel; and he saidto her, “With thy permission, I will go to himmyself.” So he came to Peredur, and saluted him, andbesought him, for the sake of the lady of his love, to come andvisit the Empress. And they went, together with themiller. And Peredur went and sat down in the outer chamberof the tent, and she came and placed herself by his side.And there was but little discourse between them. AndPeredur took his leave, and went to his lodging.

And the next day he came to visit her, and when he came intothe tent there was no one chamber less decorated than theothers. And they knew not where he would sit. AndPeredur went and sat beside the Empress, and discoursed with hercourteously. And while they were thus, they beheld a blackman enter with a goblet full of wine in his hand. And hedropped upon his knee before the Empress, and besought her togive it to no one who would not fight with him for it. Andshe looked upon Peredur. “Lady,” said he,“bestow on me the goblet.” And Peredur drankthe wine, and gave the goblet to the miller’s wife.And while they were thus, behold there entered a black man oflarger stature than the other, with a wild beast’s claw inhis hand, wrought into the form of a goblet and filled withwine. And he presented it to the Empress, and besought herto give it to no one but the man who would fight with him.“Lady,” said Peredur, “bestow it onme.” And she gave it to him. And Peredur drankthe wine, and sent the goblet to the wife of the miller.And while they were thus, behold a rough-looking, crisp-hairedman, taller than either of the others, came in with a bowl in hishand full of wine; and he bent upon his knee, and gave it intothe hands of the Empress, and he besought her to give it to nonebut him who would fight with him for it; and she gave it toPeredur, and he sent it to the miller’s wife. Andthat night Peredur returned to his lodging; and the next day heaccoutred himself and his horse, and went to the meadow and slewthe three men. Then Peredur proceeded to the tent, and theEmpress said to him, “Goodly Peredur, remember the faiththou didst pledge me when I gave thee the stone, and thou didstkill the Addanc.” “Lady,” answered he,“thou sayest truth, I do remember it.” AndPeredur was entertained by the Empress fourteen years, as thestory relates.

Arthur was at Caerlleon upon Usk, his principal palace; and inthe centre of the floor of the hall were four men sitting on acarpet of velvet, Owain the son of Urien, and Gwalchmai the sonof Gwyar, and Howel the son of Emyr Llydaw, and Peredur of thelong lance. And thereupon they saw a black curly-headedmaiden enter, riding upon a yellow mule, with jagged thongs inher hand to urge it on; and having a rough and hideousaspect. Blacker were her face and her two hands than theblackest iron covered with pitch; and her hue was not morefrightful than her form. High cheeks had she, and a facelengthened downwards, and a short nose with distendednostrils. And one eye was of a piercing mottled grey, andthe other was as black as jet, deep-sunk in her head. Andher teeth were long and yellow, more yellow were they than theflower of the broom. And her stomach rose from thebreast-bone, higher than her chin. And her back was in theshape of a crook, and her legs were large and bony. And herfigure was very thin and spare, except her feet and her legs,which were of huge size. And she greeted Arthur and all hishousehold except Peredur. And to Peredur she spoke harshand angry words. “Peredur, I greet thee not, seeingthat thou dost not merit it. Blind was fate in giving theefame and favour. When thou wast in the Court of the LameKing, and didst see there the youth bearing the streaming spear,from the points of which were drops of blood flowing in streams,even to the hand of the youth, and many other wonders likewise,thou didst not inquire their meaning nor their cause. Hadstthou done so, the King would have been restored to health, andhis dominions to peace. Whereas from henceforth, he willhave to endure battles and conflicts, and his knights willperish, and wives will be widowed, and maidens will be leftportionless, and all this is because of thee.” Thensaid she unto Arthur, “May it please thee, lord, mydwelling is far hence, in the stately castle of which thou hastheard, and therein are five hundred and sixty-six knights of theorder of Chivalry, and the lady whom best he loves with each; andwhoever would acquire fame in arms, and encounters, andconflicts, he will gain it there, if he deserve it. Andwhoso would reach the summit of fame and of honour, I know wherehe may find it. There is a castle on a lofty mountain, andthere is a maiden therein, and she is detained a prisoner there,and whoever shall set her free will attain the summit of the fameof the world.” And thereupon she rode away.

Said Gwalchmai, “By my faith, I will not rest tranquillyuntil I have proved if I can release the maiden.” Andmany of Arthur’s household joined themselves withhim. Then, likewise, said Peredur, “By my faith, Iwill not rest tranquilly until I know the story and the meaningof the lance whereof the black maiden spoke.” Andwhile they were equipping themselves, behold a knight came to thegate. And he had the size and the strength of a warrior,and was equipped with arms and habiliments. And he wentforward, and saluted Arthur and all his household, exceptGwalchmai. And the knight had upon his shoulder a shield,ingrained with gold, with a fesse of azure blue upon it, and hiswhole armour was of the same hue. And he said to Gwalchmai,“Thou didst slay my lord by thy treachery and deceit, andthat will I prove upon thee.” Then Gwalchmai roseup. “Behold,” said he, “here is my gageagainst thee, to maintain, either in this place or wherever elsethou wilt, that I am not a traitor or deceiver.”“Before the King whom I obey, will I that my encounter withthee take place,” said the knight.“Willingly,” said Gwalchmai; “go forward, and Iwill follow thee.” So the knight went forth, andGwalchmai accoutred himself, and there was offered unto himabundance of armour, but he would take none but his own.And when Gwalchmai and Peredur were equipped, they set forth tofollow him, by reason of their fellowship and of the greatfriendship that was between them. And they did not go afterhim in company together, but each went his own way.

At the dawn of day Gwalchmai came to a valley, and in thevalley he saw a fortress, and within the fortress a vast palaceand lofty towers around it. And he beheld a knight comingout to hunt from the other side, mounted on a spirited blacksnorting palfrey, that advanced at a prancing pace, proudlystepping, and nimbly bounding, and sure of foot; and this was theman to whom the palace belonged. And Gwalchmai salutedhim. “Heaven prosper thee, chieftain,” said he,“and whence comest thou?” “I come,”answered Gwalchmai, “from the Court of Arthur.”“And art thou Arthur’s vassal?”“Yes, by my faith,” said Gwalchmai. “Iwill give thee good counsel,” said the knight.“I see that thou art tired and weary; go unto my palace, ifit may please thee, and tarry there to-night.”“Willingly, lord,” said he, “and Heaven rewardthee.” “Take this ring as a token to theporter, and go forward to yonder tower, and therein thou wiltfind my sister.” And Gwalchmai went to the gate, andshowed the ring, and proceeded to the tower. And onentering he beheld a large blazing fire, burning without smokeand with a bright and lofty flame, and a beauteous and statelymaiden was sitting on a chair by the fire. And the maidenwas glad at his coming, and welcomed him, and advanced to meethim. And he went and sat beside the maiden, and they tooktheir repast. And when their repast was over, theydiscoursed pleasantly together. And while they were thus,behold there entered a venerable hoary-headed man.“Ah! base girl,” said he, “if thou didst thinkit was right for thee to entertain and to sit by yonder man, thouwouldest not do so.” And he withdrew his head, andwent forth. “Ah! chieftain,” said the maiden,“if thou wilt do as I counsel thee, thou wilt shut thedoor, lest the man should have a plot against thee.”Upon that Gwalchmai arose, and when he came near unto the door,the man, with sixty others, fully armed, were ascending thetower. And Gwalchmai defended the door with a chessboard,that none might enter until the man should return from thechase. And thereupon, behold the Earl arrived.“What is all this?” asked he. “It is asad thing,” said the hoary-headed man; “the younggirl yonder has been sitting and eating with him who slew yourfather. He is Gwalchmai, the son of Gwyar.”“Hold thy peace, then,” said the Earl, “I willgo in.” And the Earl was joyful concerningGwalchmai. “Ha! chieftain,” said he, “itwas wrong of thee to come to my court, when thou knewest thatthou didst slay my father; and though we cannot avenge him,Heaven will avenge him upon thee.” “Mysoul,” said Gwalchmai, “thus it is: I came not hereeither to acknowledge or to deny having slain thy father; but Iam on a message from Arthur, and therefore do I crave the spaceof a year until I shall return from my embassy, and then, upon myfaith, I will come back unto this palace, and do one of twothings, either acknowledge it, or deny it.” And thetime was granted him willingly; and he remained there thatnight. And the next morning he rode forth. And thestory relates nothing further of Gwalchmai respecting thisadventure.

And Peredur rode forward. And he wandered over the wholeisland, seeking tidings of the black maiden, and he could meetwith none. And he came to an unknown land, in the centre ofa valley, watered by a river. And as he traversed thevalley he beheld a horseman coming towards him, and wearing thegarments of a priest; and he besought his blessing.“Wretched man,” said he, “thou meritest noblessing, and thou wouldest not be profited by one, seeing thatthou art clad in armour on such a day as this.”“And what day is to-day?” said Peredur.“To-day is Good Friday,” he answered.“Chide me not that I knew not this, seeing that it is ayear to-day since I journeyed forth from my country.”Then he dismounted, and led his horse in his hand. And hehad not proceeded far along the high road before he came to across road, and the cross road traversed a wood. And on theother side of the wood he saw an unfortified castle, whichappeared to be inhabited. And at the gate of the castlethere met him the priest whom he had seen before, and he askedhis blessing. “The blessing of Heaven be untothee,” said he, “it is more fitting to travel in thypresent guise than as thou wast erewhile; and this night thoushalt tarry with me.” So he remained there thatnight.

And the next day Peredur sought to go forth.“To-day may no one journey. Thou shalt remain with meto-day and to-morrow, and the day following, and I will directthee as best I may to the place which thou artseeking.” And the fourth day Peredur sought to goforth, and he entreated the priest to tell him how he should findthe Castle of Wonders. “What I know thereof I willtell thee,” he replied. “Go over yondermountain, and on the other side of the mountain thou wilt come toa river, and in the valley wherein the river runs is aKing’s palace, wherein the King sojourned duringEaster. And if thou mayest have tidings anywhere of theCastle of Wonders, thou wilt have them there.”

Then Peredur rode forward. And he came to the valley inwhich was the river, and there met him a number of men going tohunt, and in the midst of them was a man of exalted rank, andPeredur saluted him. “Choose, chieftain,” saidthe man, “whether thou wilt go with me to the chase, orwilt proceed to my palace, and I will dispatch one of myhousehold to commend thee to my daughter, who is there, and whowill entertain thee with food and liquor until I return fromhunting; and whatever may be thine errand, such as I can obtainfor thee thou shalt gladly have.” And the King sent alittle yellow page with him as an attendant; and when they cameto the palace the lady had arisen, and was about to wash beforemeat. Peredur went forward, and she saluted him joyfully,and placed him by her side. And they took theirrepast. And whatsoever Peredur said unto her, she laughedloudly, so that all in the palace could hear. Then spokethe yellow page to the lady. “By my faith,”said he, “this youth is already thy husband; or if he benot, thy mind and thy thoughts are set upon him.” Andthe little yellow page went unto the King, and told him that itseemed to him that the youth whom he had met with was hisdaughter’s husband, or if he were not so already that hewould shortly become so unless he were cautious.“What is thy counsel in this matter, youth?” said theKing. “My counsel is,” he replied, “thatthou set strong men upon him, to seize him, until thou hastascertained the truth respecting this.” So he setstrong men upon Peredur, who seized him and cast him intoprison. And the maiden went before her father, and askedhim wherefore he had caused the youth from Arthur’s Courtto be imprisoned. “In truth,” he answered,“he shall not be free to-night, nor to-morrow, nor the dayfollowing, and he shall not come from where he is.”She replied not to what the King had said, but she went to theyouth. “Is it unpleasant to thee to be here?”said she. “I should not care if I were not,” hereplied. “Thy couch and thy treatment shall be in nowise inferior to that of the King himself, and thou shalt havethe best entertainment that the palace affords. And if itwere more pleasing to thee that my couch should be here, that Imight discourse with thee, it should be so,cheerfully.” “This can I not refuse,”said Peredur. And he remained in prison that night.And the maiden provided all that she had promised him.

And the next day Peredur heard a tumult in the town.“Tell me, fair maiden, what is that tumult?” saidPeredur. “All the King’s hosts and his forceshave come to the town to-day.” “And what seekthey here?” he inquired. “There is an Earl nearthis place who possesses two Earldoms, and is as powerful as aKing; and an engagement will take place between themto-day.” “I beseech thee,” said Peredur,“to cause a horse and arms to be brought, that I may viewthe encounter, and I promise to come back to my prisonagain.” “Gladly,” said she, “will Iprovide thee with horse and arms.” So she gave him ahorse and arms, and a bright scarlet robe of honour over hisarmour, and a yellow shield upon his shoulder. And he wentto the combat; and as many of the Earl’s men as encounteredhim that day he overthrew; and he returned to his prison.And the maiden asked tidings of Peredur, and he answered her nota word. And she went and asked tidings of her father, andinquired who had acquitted himself best of the household.And he said that he knew not, but that it was a man with ascarlet robe of honour over his armour, and a yellow shield uponhis shoulder. Then she smiled, and returned to wherePeredur was, and did him great honour that night. And forthree days did Peredur slay the Earl’s men; and before anyone could know who he was, he returned to his prison. Andthe fourth day Peredur slew the Earl himself. And themaiden went unto her father, and inquired of him the news.“I have good news for thee,” said the King;“the Earl is slain, and I am the owner of his twoEarldoms.” “Knowest thou, lord, who slewhim?” “I do not know,” said theKing. “It was the knight with the scarlet robe ofhonour and the yellow shield.” “Lord,”said she, “I know who that is.” “ByHeaven!” he exclaimed, “who is he?”“Lord,” she replied, “he is the knight whomthou hast imprisoned.” Then he went unto Peredur, andsaluted him, and told him that he would reward the service he haddone him, in any way he might desire. And when they went tomeat, Peredur was placed beside the King, and the maiden on theother side of Peredur. “I will give thee,” saidthe King, “my daughter in marriage, and half my kingdomwith her, and the two Earldoms as a gift.”“Heaven reward thee, lord,” said Peredur, “butI came not here to woo.” “What seekest thouthen, chieftain?” “I am seeking tidings of theCastle of Wonders.” “Thy enterprise is greater,chieftain, than thou wilt wish to pursue,” said the maiden,“nevertheless, tidings shalt thou have of the Castle, andthou shalt have a guide through my father’s dominions, anda sufficiency of provisions for thy journey, for thou art, Ochieftain, the man whom best I love.” Then she saidto him, “Go over yonder mountain, and thou wilt find alake, and in the middle of the lake there is a Castle, and thatis the Castle that is called the Castle of Wonders; and we knownot what wonders are therein, but thus is it called.”

And Peredur proceeded towards the Castle, and the gate of theCastle was open. And when he came to the hall, the door wasopen, and he entered. And he beheld a chessboard in thehall, and the chessmen were playing against each other, bythemselves. And the side that he favoured lost the game,and thereupon the others set up a shout, as though they had beenliving men. And Peredur was wroth, and took the chessmen inhis lap, and cast the chessboard into the lake. And when hehad done thus, behold the black maiden came in, and she said tohim, “The welcome of Heaven be not unto thee. Thouhadst rather do evil than good.” “Whatcomplaint hast thou against me, maiden?” saidPeredur. “That thou hast occasioned unto the Empressthe loss of her chessboard, which she would not have lost for allher empire. And the way in which thou mayest recover thechessboard is, to repair to the Castle of Ysbidinongyl, where isa black man, who lays waste the dominions of the Empress; and ifthou canst slay him, thou wilt recover the chessboard. Butif thou goest there, thou wilt not return alive.”“Wilt thou direct me thither?” said Peredur.“I will show thee the way,” she replied. So hewent to the Castle of Ysbidinongyl, and he fought with the blackman. And the black man besought mercy of Peredur.“Mercy will I grant thee,” said he, “oncondition that thou cause the chessboard to be restored to theplace where it was when I entered the hall.” Then themaiden came to him, and said, “The malediction of Heavenattend thee for thy work, since thou hast left that monsteralive, who lays waste all the possessions of theEmpress.” “I granted him his life,” saidPeredur, “that he might cause the chessboard to berestored.” “The chessboard is not in the placewhere thou didst find it; go back, therefore, and slayhim,” answered she. So Peredur went back, and slewthe black man. And when he returned to the palace, he foundthe black maiden there. “Ah! maiden,” saidPeredur, “where is the Empress?” “Ideclare to Heaven that thou wilt not see her now, unless thoudost slay the monster that is in yonder forest.”“What monster is there?” “It is a stagthat is as swift as the swiftest bird; and he has one horn in hisforehead, as long as the shaft of a spear, and as sharp aswhatever is sharpest. And he destroys the branches of thebest trees in the forest, and he kills every animal that he meetswith therein; and those that he doth not slay perish ofhunger. And what is worse than that, he comes every night,and drinks up the fish-pond, and leaves the fishes exposed, sothat for the most part they die before the water returnsagain.” “Maiden,” said Peredur,“wilt thou come and show me this animal?”“Not so,” said the maiden, “for he has notpermitted any mortal to enter the forest for above atwelvemonth. Behold, here is a little dog belonging to theEmpress, which will rouse the stag, and will chase him towardsthee, and the stag will attack thee.” Then the littledog went as a guide to Peredur, and roused the stag, and broughthim towards the place where Peredur was. And the stagattacked Peredur, and he let him pass by him, and as he did so,he smote off his head with his sword. And while he waslooking at the head of the stag, he saw a lady on horsebackcoming towards him. And she took the little dog in thelappet of her cap, and the head and the body of the stag laybefore her. And around the stag’s neck was a goldencollar. “Ha! chieftain,” said she,“uncourteously hast thou acted in slaying the fairest jewelthat was in my dominions.” “I was entreated soto do; and is there any way by which I can obtain thyfriendship?” “There is,” shereplied. “Go thou forward unto yonder mountain, andthere thou wilt find a grove; and in the grove there is acromlech; do thou there challenge a man three times to fight, andthou shalt have my friendship.”

So Peredur proceeded onward, and came to the side of thegrove, and challenged any man to fight. And a black manarose from beneath the cromlech, mounted upon a bony horse, andboth he and his horse were clad in huge rusty armour. Andthey fought. And as often as Peredur cast the black man tothe earth, he would jump again into his saddle. And Peredurdismounted, and drew his sword; and thereupon the black mandisappeared with Peredur’s horse and his own, so that hecould not gain sight of him a second time. And Peredur wentalong the mountain, and on the other side of the mountain hebeheld a castle in the valley, wherein was a river. And hewent to the castle; and as he entered it, he saw a hall, and thedoor of the hall was open, and he went in. And there he sawa lame grey-headed man sitting on one side of the hall, withGwalchmai beside him. And Peredur beheld his horse, whichthe black man had taken, in the same stall with that ofGwalchmai. And they were glad concerning Peredur. Andhe went and seated himself on the other side of the hoary-headedman. Then, behold a yellow-haired youth came, and bent uponthe knee before Peredur, and besought his friendship.“Lord,” said the youth, “it was I that came inthe form of the black maiden to Arthur’s Court, and whenthou didst throw down the chessboard, and when thou didst slaythe black man of Ysbidinongyl, and when thou didst slay the stag,and when thou didst go to fight the black man of thecromlech. And I came with the bloody head in the salver,and with the lance that streamed with blood from the point to thehand, all along the shaft; and the head was thy cousin’s,and he was killed by the sorceresses of Gloucester, who alsolamed thine uncle; and I am thy cousin. And there is aprediction that thou art to avenge these things.”Then Peredur and Gwalchmai took counsel, and sent to Arthur andhis household, to beseech them to come against thesorceresses. And they began to fight with them; and one ofthe sorceresses slew one of Arthur’s men beforePeredur’s face, and Peredur bade her forbear. And thesorceress slew a man before Peredur’s face a second time,and a second time he forbad her. And the third time thesorceress slew a man before the face of Peredur; and then Peredurdrew his sword, and smote the sorceress on the helmet; and allher head-armour was split in two parts. And she set up acry, and desired the other sorceresses to flee, and told themthat this was Peredur, the man who had learnt Chivalry with them,and by whom they were destined to be slain. Then Arthur andhis household fell upon the sorceresses, and slew the sorceressesof Gloucester every one. And thus is it related concerningthe Castle of Wonders.

GERAINT THE SON OF ERBIN

Arthur was accustomed to hold his Court at Caerlleon upon Usk. And there heheld it seven Easters and five Christmases. And once upon a time he held hisCourt there at Whitsuntide. For Caerlleon was the place most easy of access inhis dominions, both by sea and by land. And there were assembled nine crownedkings, who were his tributaries, and likewise earls and barons. For they werehis invited guests at all the high festivals, unless they were prevented by anygreat hindrance. And when he was at Caerlleon, holding his Court, thirteenchurches were set apart for mass. And thus were they appointed: one church forArthur, and his kings, and his guests; and the second for Gwenhwyvar and herladies; and the third for the Steward of the Household and the suitors; and thefourth for the Franks and the other officers; and the other nine churches werefor the nine Masters of the Household and chiefly for Gwalchmai; for he, fromthe eminence of his warlike fame, and from the nobleness of his birth, was themost exalted of the nine. And there was no other arrangement respecting thechurches than that which we have mentioned above.

Glewlwyd Gavaelvawr was the chief porter; but he did nothimself perform the office, except at one of the three highfestivals, for he had seven men to serve him, and they dividedthe year amongst them. They were Grynn, and Pen Pighon, andLlaes Cymyn, and Gogyfwlch, and Gwrdnei with cat’s eyes,who could see as well by night as by day, and Drem the son ofDremhitid, and Clust the son of Clustveinyd; and these wereArthur’s guards. And on Whit-Tuesday, as the King satat the banquet, lo! there entered a tall, fair-headed youth, cladin a coat and a surcoat of diapered satin, and a golden-hiltedsword about his neck, and low shoes of leather upon hisfeet. And he came, and stood before Arthur.“Hail to thee, Lord!” said he. “Heavenprosper thee,” he answered, “and be thouwelcome. Dost thou bring any new tidings?”“I do, Lord,” he said. “I know theenot,” said Arthur. “It is a marvel to me thatthou dost not know me. I am one of thy foresters, Lord, inthe Forest of Dean, and my name is Madawc, the son ofTwrgadarn.” “Tell me thine errand,” saidArthur. “I will do so, Lord,” said he.“In the Forest I saw a stag, the like of which beheld Inever yet.” “What is there about him,”asked Arthur, “that thou never yet didst see hislike?” “He is of pure white, Lord, and he doesnot herd with any other animal through stateliness and pride, soroyal is his bearing. And I come to seek thy counsel, Lord,and to know thy will concerning him.” “It seemsbest to me,” said Arthur, “to go and hunt himto-morrow at break of day; and to cause general notice thereof tobe given to-night in all quarters of the Court.” AndArryfuerys was Arthur’s chief huntsman, and Arelivri washis chief page. And all received notice; and thus it wasarranged. And they sent the youth before them. ThenGwenhwyvar said to Arthur, “Wilt thou permit me,Lord,” said she, “to go to-morrow to see and hear thehunt of the stag of which the young man spoke?”“I will gladly,” said Arthur. “Then willI go,” said she. And Gwalchmai said to Arthur,“Lord, if it seem well to thee, permit that into whose huntsoever the stag shall come, that one, be he a knight, or one onfoot, may cut off his head, and give it to whom he pleases,whether to his own lady-love, or to the lady of hisfriend.” “I grant it gladly,” saidArthur, “and let the Steward of the Household be chastised,if all are not ready to-morrow for the chase.”

And they passed the night with songs, and diversions, anddiscourse, and ample entertainment. And when it was timefor them all to go to sleep, they went. And when the nextday came, they arose; and Arthur called the attendants, whoguarded his couch. And these were four pages, whose nameswere Cadyrnerth the son of Porthawr Gandwy, and Ambreu the son ofBedwor, and Amhar the son of Arthur, and Goreu the son ofCustennin. And these men came to Arthur and saluted him,and arrayed him in his garments. And Arthur wondered thatGwenhwyvar did not awake, and did not move in her bed; and theattendants wished to awaken her. “Disturb hernot,” said Arthur, “for she had rather sleep than goto see the hunting.”

Then Arthur went forth, and he heard two horns sounding, onefrom near the lodging of the chief huntsman, and the other fromnear that of the chief page. And the whole assembly of themultitudes came to Arthur, and they took the road to theForest.

And after Arthur had gone forth from the palace, Gwenhwyvarawoke, and called to her maidens, and apparelled herself.“Maidens,” said she, “I had leave last night togo and see the hunt. Go one of you to the stable, and orderhither a horse such as a woman may ride.” And one ofthem went, and she found but two horses in the stable, andGwenhwyvar and one of her maidens mounted them, and went throughthe Usk, and followed the track of the men and the horses.And as they rode thus, they heard a loud and rushing sound; andthey looked behind them, and beheld a knight upon a hunter foalof mighty size; and the rider was a fair-haired youth,bare-legged, and of princely mien, and a golden-hilted sword wasat his side, and a robe and a surcoat of satin were upon him, andtwo low shoes of leather upon his feet; and around him was ascarf of blue purple, at each corner of which was a goldenapple. And his horse stepped stately, and swift, and proud;and he overtook Gwenhwyvar, and saluted her. “Heavenprosper thee, Geraint,” said she, “I knew thee whenfirst I saw thee just now. And the welcome of Heaven beunto thee. And why didst thou not go with thy lord tohunt?” “Because I knew not when he went,”said he. “I marvel, too,” said she, “howhe could go unknown to me.” “Indeed,lady,” said he. “I was asleep, and knew notwhen he went; but thou, O young man, art the most agreeablecompanion I could have in the whole kingdom; and it may be, thatI shall be more amused with the hunting than they; for we shallhear the horns when they sound, and we shall hear the dogs whenthey are let loose, and begin to cry.” So they wentto the edge of the Forest, and there they stood.“From this place,” said she, “we shall hearwhen the dogs are let loose.” And thereupon, theyheard a loud noise, and they looked towards the spot whence itcame, and they beheld a dwarf riding upon a horse, stately, andfoaming, and prancing, and strong, and spirited. And in thehand of the dwarf was a whip. And near the dwarf they saw alady upon a beautiful white horse, of steady and stately pace;and she was clothed in a garment of gold brocade. And nearher was a knight upon a warhorse of large size, with heavy andbright armour both upon himself and upon his horse. Andtruly they never before saw a knight, or a horse, or armour, ofsuch remarkable size. And they were all near to eachother.

“Geraint,” said Gwenhwyvar, “knowest thouthe name of that tall knight yonder?” “I knowhim not,” said he, “and the strange armour that hewears prevents my either seeing his face or hisfeatures.” “Go, maiden,” said Gwenhwyvar,“and ask the dwarf who that knight is.” Thenthe maiden went up to the dwarf; and the dwarf waited for themaiden, when he saw her coming towards him. And the maideninquired of the dwarf who the knight was. “I will nottell thee,” he answered. “Since thou art sochurlish as not to tell me,” said she, “I will askhim himself.” “Thou shalt not ask him, by myfaith,” said he. “Wherefore?” saidshe. “Because thou art not of honour sufficient tobefit thee to speak to my Lord.” Then the maidenturned her horse’s head towards the knight, upon which thedwarf struck her with the whip that was in his hand across theface and the eyes, until the blood flowed forth. And themaiden, through the hurt she received from the blow, returned toGwenhwyvar, complaining of the pain. “Very rudely hasthe dwarf treated thee,” said Geraint. “I willgo myself to know who the knight is.”“Go,” said Gwenhwyvar. And Geraint went up tothe dwarf. “Who is yonder knight?” saidGeraint. “I will not tell thee,” said thedwarf. “Then will I ask him himself,” saidhe. “That wilt thou not, by my faith,” said thedwarf, “thou art not honourable enough to speak with myLord.” Said Geraint, “I have spoken with men ofequal rank with him.” And he turned his horse’shead towards the knight; but the dwarf overtook him, and struckhim as he had done the maiden, so that the blood coloured thescarf that Geraint wore. Then Geraint put his hand upon thehilt of his sword, but he took counsel with himself, andconsidered that it would be no vengeance for him to slay thedwarf, and to be attacked unarmed by the armed knight, so hereturned to where Gwenhwyvar was.

“Thou hast acted wisely and discreetly,” saidshe. “Lady,” said he, “I will follow himyet, with thy permission; and at last he will come to someinhabited place, where I may have arms either as a loan or for apledge, so that I may encounter the knight.”“Go,” said she, “and do not attack him untilthou hast good arms, and I shall be very anxious concerning thee,until I hear tidings of thee.” “If I amalive,” said he, “thou shalt hear tidings of me byto-morrow afternoon;” and with that he departed.

And the road they took was below the palace of Caerlleon, andacross the ford of the Usk; and they went along a fair, and even,and lofty ridge of ground, until they came to a town, and at theextremity of the town they saw a Fortress and a Castle. Andthey came to the extremity of the town. And as the knightpassed through it, all the people arose, and saluted him, andbade him welcome. And when Geraint came into the town, helooked at every house, to see if he knew any of those whom hesaw. But he knew none, and none knew him to do him thekindness to let him have arms either as a loan or for apledge. And every house he saw was full of men, and arms,and horses. And they were polishing shields, and burnishingswords, and washing armour, and shoeing horses. And theknight, and the lady, and the dwarf rode up to the Castle thatwas in the town, and every one was glad in the Castle. Andfrom the battlements and the gates they risked their necks,through their eagerness to greet them, and to show their joy.

Geraint stood there to see whether the knight would remain inthe Castle; and when he was certain that he would do so, helooked around him; and at a little distance from the town he sawan old palace in ruins, wherein was a hall that was falling todecay. And as he knew not any one in the town, he wenttowards the old palace; and when he came near to the palace, hesaw but one chamber, and a bridge of marble-stone leading toit. And upon the bridge he saw sitting a hoary-headed man,upon whom were tattered garments. And Geraint gazedsteadfastly upon him for a long time. Then the hoary-headedman spoke to him. “Young man,” he said,“wherefore art thou thoughtful?” “I amthoughtful,” said he, “because I know not where to goto-night.” “Wilt thou come forward this way,chieftain?” said he, “and thou shalt have of the bestthat can be procured for thee.” So Geraint wentforward. And the hoary-headed man preceded him into thehall. And in the hall he dismounted, and he left there hishorse. Then he went on to the upper chamber with thehoary-headed man. And in the chamber he beheld an olddecrepit woman, sitting on a cushion, with old, tattered garmentsof satin upon her; and it seemed to him that he had never seen awoman fairer than she must have been, when in the fulness ofyouth. And beside her was a maiden, upon whom were a vestand a veil, that were old, and beginning to be worn out.And truly, he never saw a maiden more full of comeliness, andgrace, and beauty than she. And the hoary-headed man saidto the maiden, “There is no attendant for the horse of thisyouth but thyself.” “I will render the bestservice I am able,” said she, “both to him and to hishorse.” And the maiden disarrayed the youth, and thenshe furnished his horse with straw and with corn. And shewent to the hall as before, and then she returned to thechamber. And the hoary-headed man said to the maiden,“Go to the town,” said he, “and bring hitherthe best that thou canst find both of food and ofliquor.” “I will, gladly, Lord,” saidshe. And to the town went the maiden. And theyconversed together while the maiden was at the town. And,behold! the maiden came back, and a youth with her, bearing onhis back a costrel full of good purchased mead, and a quarter ofa young bullock. And in the hands of the maiden was aquantity of white bread, and she had some manchet bread in herveil, and she came into the chamber. “I could notobtain better than this,” said she, “nor with bettershould I have been trusted.” “It is goodenough,” said Geraint. And they caused the meat to beboiled; and when their food was ready, they sat down. Andit was on this wise; Geraint sat between the hoary-headed man andhis wife, and the maiden served them. And they ate anddrank.

And when they had finished eating, Geraint talked with thehoary-headed man, and he asked him in the first place, to whombelonged the palace that he was in. “Truly,”said he, “it was I that built it, and to me also belongedthe city and the castle which thou sawest.”“Alas!” said Geraint, “how is it that thou hastlost them now?” “I lost a great Earldom as wellas these,” said he; “and this is how I lostthem. I had a nephew, the son of my brother, and I took hispossessions to myself; and when he came to his strength, hedemanded of me his property, but I withheld it from him. Sohe made war upon me, and wrested from me all that Ipossessed.” “Good Sir,” said Geraint,“wilt thou tell me wherefore came the knight, and the lady,and the dwarf, just now into the town, and what is thepreparation which I saw, and the putting of arms inorder?” “I will do so,” said he.“The preparations are for the game that is to be heldto-morrow by the young Earl, which will be on this wise. Inthe midst of a meadow which is here, two forks will be set up,and upon the two forks a silver rod, and upon the silver rod aSparrow-Hawk, and for the Sparrow-Hawk there will be atournament. And to the tournament will go all the arraythou didst see in the city, of men, and of horses, and ofarms. And with each man will go the lady he loves best; andno man can joust for the Sparrow-Hawk, except the lady he lovesbest be with him. And the knight that thou sawest hasgained the Sparrow-Hawk these two years; and if he gains it thethird year, they will, from that time, send it every year to him,and he himself will come here no more. And he will becalled the Knight of the Sparrow-Hawk from that timeforth.” “Sir,” said Geraint, “whatis thy counsel to me concerning this knight, on account of theinsult which I received from the dwarf, and that which wasreceived by the maiden of Gwenhwyvar, the wife ofArthur?” And Geraint told the hoary-headed man whatthe insult was that he had received. “It is not easyto counsel thee, inasmuch as thou hast neither dame nor maidenbelonging to thee, for whom thou canst joust. Yet, I havearms here, which thou couldest have; and there is my horse also,if he seem to thee better than thine own.”“Ah! Sir,” said he, “Heaven rewardthee. But my own horse, to which I am accustomed, togetherwith thy arms, will suffice me. And if, when the appointedtime shall come to-morrow, thou wilt permit me, Sir, to challengefor yonder maiden that is thy daughter, I will engage, if Iescape from the tournament, to love the maiden as long as I live;and if I do not escape, she will remain unsullied asbefore.” “Gladly will I permit thee,”said the hoary-headed man, “and since thou dost thusresolve, it is necessary that thy horse and arms should be readyto-morrow at break of day. For then the Knight of theSparrow-Hawk will make proclamation, and ask the lady he lovesbest to take the Sparrow-Hawk. ‘For,’ will hesay to her, ‘thou art the fairest of women, and thou didstpossess it last year, and the year previous; and if any deny itthee to-day, by force will I defend it for thee.’ Andtherefore,” said the hoary-headed man, “it is needfulfor thee to be there at daybreak; and we three will be withthee.” And thus was it settled.

And at night, lo! they went to sleep; and before the dawn theyarose, and arrayed themselves; and by the time that it was day,they were all four in the meadow. And there was the Knightof the Sparrow-Hawk making the proclamation, and asking hislady-love to fetch the Sparrow-Hawk. “Fetch itnot,” said Geraint, “for there is here a maiden, whois fairer, and more noble, and more comely, and who has a betterclaim to it than thou.” “If thou maintainestthe Sparrow-Hawk to be due to her, come forward, and do battlewith me.” And Geraint went forward to the top of themeadow, having upon himself and upon his horse armour which washeavy, and rusty, and worthless, and of uncouth shape. Thenthey encountered each other, and they broke a set of lances, andthey broke a second set, and a third. And thus they did atevery onset, and they broke as many lances as were brought tothem. And when the Earl and his company saw the Knight ofthe Sparrow-Hawk gaining the mastery, there was shouting, andjoy, and mirth amongst them. And the hoary-headed man, andhis wife, and his daughter were sorrowful. And thehoary-headed man served Geraint lances as often as he broke them,and the dwarf served the Knight of the Sparrow-Hawk. Thenthe hoary-headed man came to Geraint. “Oh!chieftain,” said he, “since no other will hold withthee, behold, here is the lance which was in my hand on the daywhen I received the honour of knighthood; and from that time tothis I never broke it. And it has an excellentpoint.” Then Geraint took the lance, thanking thehoary-headed man. And thereupon the dwarf also brought alance to his lord. “Behold, here is a lance for thee,not less good than his,” said the dwarf. “Andbethink thee, that no knight ever withstood thee before so longas this one has done.” “I declare toHeaven,” said Geraint, “that unless death takes mequickly hence, he shall fare never the better for thyservice.” And Geraint pricked his horse towards himfrom afar, and warning him, he rushed upon him, and gave him ablow so severe, and furious, and fierce, upon the face of hisshield, that he cleft it in two, and broke his armour, and bursthis girths, so that both he and his saddle were borne to theground over the horse’s crupper. And Geraintdismounted quickly. And he was wroth, and he drew hissword, and rushed fiercely upon him. Then the knight alsoarose, and drew his sword against Geraint. And they foughton foot with their swords until their arms struck sparks of firelike stars from one another; and thus they continued fightinguntil the blood and sweat obscured the light from theireyes. And when Geraint prevailed, the hoary-headed man, andhis wife, and his daughter were glad; and when the knightprevailed, it rejoiced the Earl and his party. Then thehoary-headed man saw Geraint receive a severe stroke, and he wentup to him quickly, and said to him, “Oh, chieftain,remember the treatment which thou hadst from the dwarf; and wiltthou not seek vengeance for the insult to thyself, and for theinsult to Gwenhwyvar the wife of Arthur!” And Geraintwas roused by what he said to him, and he called to him all hisstrength, and lifted up his sword, and struck the knight upon thecrown of his head, so that he broke all his head-armour, and cutthrough all the flesh and the skin, even to the skull, until hewounded the bone.

Then the knight fell upon his knees, and cast his sword fromhis hand, and besought mercy of Geraint. “Of atruth,” said he, “I relinquish my overdaring and mypride in craving thy mercy; and unless I have time to commitmyself to Heaven for my sins, and to talk with a priest, thymercy will avail me little.” “I will grant theegrace upon this condition,” said Geraint, “that thouwilt go to Gwenhwyvar the wife of Arthur, to do her satisfactionfor the insult which her maiden received from thy dwarf. Asto myself, for the insult which I received from thee and thydwarf, I am content with that which I have done unto thee.Dismount not from the time thou goest hence until thou comestinto the presence of Gwenhwyvar, to make her what atonement shallbe adjudged at the Court of Arthur.” “This willI do gladly. And who art thou?” said he.“I am Geraint the son of Erbin. And declare thou alsowho thou art.” “I am Edeyrn the son ofNudd.” Then he threw himself upon his horse, and wentforward to Arthur’s Court, and the lady he loved best wentbefore him and the dwarf, with much lamentation. And thusfar this story up to that time.

Then came the little Earl and his hosts to Geraint, andsaluted him, and bade him to his castle. “I may notgo,” said Geraint, “but where I was last night, therewill I be to-night also.” “Since thou wilt noneof my inviting, thou shalt have abundance of all that I cancommand for thee, in the place thou wast last night. And Iwill order ointment for thee, to recover thee from thy fatigues,and from the weariness that is upon thee.”“Heaven reward thee,” said Geraint, “and I willgo to my lodging.” And thus went Geraint, and EarlYnywl, and his wife, and his daughter. And when theyreached the chamber, the household servants and attendants of theyoung Earl had arrived at the Court, and they arranged all thehouses, dressing them with straw and with fire; and in a shorttime the ointment was ready, and Geraint came there, and theywashed his head. Then came the young Earl, with fortyhonourable knights from among his attendants, and those who werebidden to the tournament. And Geraint came from theanointing. And the Earl asked him to go to the hall toeat. “Where is the Earl Ynywl,” said Geraint,“and his wife, and his daughter?” “Theyare in the chamber yonder,” said the Earl’schamberlain, “arraying themselves in garments which theEarl has caused to be brought for them.” “Letnot the damsel array herself,” said he, “except inher vest and her veil, until she come to the Court of Arthur, tobe clad by Gwenhwyvar in such garments as she maychoose.” So the maiden did not array herself.

Then they all entered the hall, and they washed, and went, andsat down to meat. And thus were they seated. On oneside of Geraint sat the young Earl, and Earl Ynywl beyond him;and on the other side of Geraint were the maiden and hermother. And after these all sat according to theirprecedence in honour. And they ate. And they wereserved abundantly, and they received a profusion of divers kindof gifts. Then they conversed together. And the youngEarl invited Geraint to visit him next day. “I willnot, by Heaven,” said Geraint. “To the Court ofArthur will I go with this maiden to-morrow. And it isenough for me, as long as Earl Ynywl is in poverty and trouble;and I go chiefly to seek to add to his maintenance.”“Ah, chieftain,” said the young Earl, “it isnot by my fault that Earl Ynywl is without hispossessions.” “By my faith,” saidGeraint, “he shall not remain without them, unless deathquickly takes me hence.” “Oh, chieftain,”said he, “with regard to the disagreement between me andYnywl, I will gladly abide by thy counsel, and agree to what thoumayest judge right between us.” “I but askthee,” said Geraint, “to restore to him what is his,and what he should have received from the time he lost hispossessions, even until this day.” “That I willdo gladly, for thee,” answered he.“Then,” said Geraint, “whosoever is here whoowes homage to Ynywl, let him come forward, and perform it on thespot.” And all the men did so. And by thattreaty they abided. And his castle, and his town, and allhis possessions were restored to Ynywl. And he receivedback all that he had lost, even to the smallest jewel.

Then spoke Earl Ynywl to Geraint.“Chieftain,” said he, “behold the maiden forwhom thou didst challenge at the tournament, I bestow her uponthee.” “She shall go with me,” saidGeraint, “to the Court of Arthur; and Arthur and Gwenhwyvarthey shall dispose of her as they will.” And the nextday they proceeded to Arthur’s Court. So farconcerning Geraint.

Now, this is how Arthur hunted the stag. The men and thedogs were divided into hunting parties, and the dogs were letloose upon the stag. And the last dog that was let loosewas the favourite dog of Arthur. Cavall was his name.And he left all the other dogs behind him, and turned thestag. And at the second turn, the stag came towards thehunting party of Arthur. And Arthur set upon him. Andbefore he could be slain by any other, Arthur cut off hishead. Then they sounded the death horn for slaying, andthey all gathered round.

Then came Kadyrieith to Arthur, and spoke to him.“Lord,” said he, “behold, yonder is Gwenhwyvar,and none with her save only one maiden.”“Command Gildas the son of Caw, and all the scholars of theCourt,” said Arthur, “to attend Gwenhwyvar to thepalace.” And they did so.

Then they all set forth, holding converse together concerningthe head of the stag, to whom it should be given. Onewished that it should be given to the lady best beloved by him,and another to the lady whom he loved best. And all they ofthe household, and the knights, disputed sharply concerning thehead. And with that they came to the palace. And whenArthur and Gwenhwyvar heard them disputing about the head of thestag, Gwenhwyvar said to Arthur, “My lord, this is mycounsel concerning the stag’s head; let it not be givenaway until Geraint the son of Erbin shall return from the errandhe is upon.” And Gwenhwyvar told Arthur what thaterrand was. “Right gladly shall it be so,” saidArthur. And thus it was settled. And the next dayGwenhwyvar caused a watch to be set upon the ramparts forGeraint’s coming. And after mid-day they beheld anunshapely little man upon a horse, and after him, as theysupposed, a dame or a damsel, also on horseback, and after her aknight of large stature, bowed down, and hanging his head low andsorrowfully, and clad in broken and worthless armour.

And before they came near to the gate, one of the watch wentto Gwenhwyvar, and told her what kind of people they saw, andwhat aspect they bore. “I know not who theyare,” said he. “But I know,” saidGwenhwyvar; “this is the knight whom Geraint pursued, andmethinks that he comes not here by his own free will. ButGeraint has overtaken him, and avenged the insult to the maidento the uttermost.” And thereupon, behold a portercame to the spot where Gwenhwyvar was. “Lady,”said he, “at the gate there is a knight, and I saw never aman of so pitiful an aspect to look upon as he. Miserableand broken is the armour that he wears, and the hue of blood ismore conspicuous upon it than its own colour.”“Knowest thou his name?” said she. “Ido,” said he; “he tells me that he is Edeyrn the sonof Nudd.” Then she replied, “I know himnot.”

So Gwenhwyvar went to the gate to meet him, and heentered. And Gwenhwyvar was sorry when she saw thecondition he was in, even though he was accompanied by thechurlish dwarf. Then Edeyrn saluted Gwenhwyvar.“Heaven protect thee,” said she.“Lady,” said he, “Geraint the son of Erbin, thybest and most valiant servant, greets thee.”“Did he meet thee?” she asked.“Yes,” said he, “and it was not to myadvantage; and that was not his fault, but mine, Lady. AndGeraint greets thee well; and in greeting thee he compelled me tocome hither to do thy pleasure for the insult which thy maidenreceived from the dwarf. He forgives the insult to himself,in consideration of his having put me in peril of my life.And he imposed on me a condition, manly, and honourable, andwarrior-like, which was to do thee justice, Lady.”“Now, where did he overtake thee?” “Atthe place where we were jousting, and contending for theSparrow-Hawk, in the town which is now called Cardiff. Andthere were none with him save three persons, of a mean andtattered condition. And these were an aged, hoary-headedman, and a woman advanced in years, and a fair young maiden, cladin worn-out garments. And it was for the avouchment of thelove of that maiden that Geraint jousted for the Sparrow-Hawk atthe tournament, for he said that that maiden was better entitledto the Sparrow-Hawk than this maiden who was with me. Andthereupon we encountered each other, and he left me, Lady, asthou seest.” “Sir,” said she, “whenthinkest thou that Geraint will be here?”“To-morrow, Lady, I think he will be here with themaiden.”

Then Arthur came to him, and he saluted Arthur; and Arthurgazed a long time upon him, and was amazed to see him thus.And thinking that he knew him, he inquired of him, “Artthou Edeyrn the son of Nudd?” “I am,Lord,” said he, “and I have met with much trouble,and received wounds unsupportable.” Then he toldArthur all his adventure. “Well,” said Arthur,“from what I hear, it behoves Gwenhwyvar to be mercifultowards thee.” “The mercy which thou desirest,Lord,” said she, “will I grant to him, since it is asinsulting to thee that an insult should be offered to me as tothyself.” “Thus will it be best to do,”said Arthur; “let this man have medical care until it beknown whether he may live. And if he live, he shall do suchsatisfaction as shall be judged best by the men of the Court; andtake thou sureties to that effect. And if he die, too muchwill be the death of such a youth as Edeyrn for an insult to amaiden.” “This pleases me,” saidGwenhwyvar. And Arthur became surety for Edeyrn, andCaradawc the son of Llyr, Gwallawg the son of Llenawg, and Owainthe son of Nudd, and Gwalchmai, and many others with them.And Arthur caused Morgan Tud to be called to him. He wasthe chief physician. “Take with thee Edeyrn the sonof Nudd, and cause a chamber to be prepared for him, and let himhave the aid of medicine as thou wouldst do unto myself, if Iwere wounded, and let none into his chamber to molest him, butthyself and thy disciples, to administer to himremedies.” “I will do so gladly, Lord,”said Morgan Tud. Then said the steward of the household,“Whither is it right, Lord, to order themaiden?” “To Gwenhwyvar and herhandmaidens,” said he. And the steward of thehousehold so ordered her. Thus far concerning them.

The next day came Geraint towards the Court; and there was awatch set on the ramparts by Gwenhwyvar, lest he should arriveunawares. And one of the watch came to the place whereGwenhwyvar was. “Lady,” said he,“methinks that I see Geraint, and the maiden withhim. He is on horseback, but he has his walking gear uponhim, and the maiden appears to be in white, seeming to be clad ina garment of linen.” “Assemble all thewomen,” said Gwenhwyvar, “and come to meet Geraint,to welcome him, and wish him joy.” And Gwenhwyvarwent to meet Geraint and the maiden. And when Geraint cameto the place where Gwenhwyvar was, he saluted her.“Heaven prosper thee,” said she, “and welcometo thee. And thy career has been successful, and fortunate,and resistless, and glorious. And Heaven reward thee, thatthou hast so proudly caused me to have retribution.”“Lady,” said he, “I earnestly desired to obtainthee satisfaction according to thy will; and, behold, here is themaiden through whom thou hadst thy revenge.”“Verily,” said Gwenhwyvar, “the welcome ofHeaven be unto her; and it is fitting that we should receive herjoyfully.” Then they went in, and dismounted.And Geraint came to where Arthur was, and saluted him.“Heaven protect thee,” said Arthur, “and thewelcome of Heaven be unto thee. And since Edeyrn the son ofNudd has received his overthrow and wounds from thy hands, thouhast had a prosperous career.” “Not upon me bethe blame,” said Geraint, “it was through thearrogance of Edeyrn the son of Nudd himself that we were notfriends. I would not quit him until I knew who he was, anduntil the one had vanquished the other.”“Now,” said Arthur, “where is the maiden forwhom I heard thou didst give challenge?” “Sheis gone with Gwenhwyvar to her chamber.”

Then went Arthur to see the maiden. And Arthur, and allhis companions, and his whole Court, were glad concerning themaiden. And certain were they all, that had her array beensuitable to her beauty, they had never seen a maid fairer thanshe. And Arthur gave away the maiden to Geraint. Andthe usual bond made between two persons was made between Geraintand the maiden, and the choicest of all Gwenhwyvar’sapparel was given to the maiden; and thus arrayed, she appearedcomely and graceful to all who beheld her. And that day andthat night were spent in abundance of minstrelsy, and ample giftsof liquor, and a multitude of games. And when it was timefor them to go to sleep, they went. And in the chamberwhere the couch of Arthur and Gwenhwyvar was, the couch ofGeraint and Enid was prepared. And from that time shebecame his bride. And the next day Arthur satisfied all theclaimants upon Geraint with bountiful gifts. And the maidentook up her abode in the palace; and she had many companions,both men and women, and there was no maiden more esteemed thanshe in the Island of Britain.

Then spake Gwenhwyvar. “Rightly did Ijudge,” said she, “concerning the head of the stag,that it should not be given to any until Geraint’s return;and, behold, here is a fit occasion for bestowing it. Letit be given to Enid the daughter of Ynywl, the most illustriousmaiden. And I do not believe that any will begrudge it her,for between her and every one here there exists nothing but loveand friendship.” Much applauded was this by them all,and by Arthur also. And the head of the stag was given toEnid. And thereupon her fame increased, and her friendsthenceforward became more in number than before. AndGeraint from that time forth loved the stag, and the tournament,and hard encounters; and he came victorious from them all.And a year, and a second, and a third, he proceeded thus, untilhis fame had flown over the face of the kingdom.

And once upon a time Arthur was holding his Court at Caerlleonupon Usk, at Whitsuntide. And, behold, there came to himambassadors, wise and prudent, full of knowledge, and eloquent ofspeech, and they saluted Arthur. “Heaven prosperyou,” said Arthur, “and the welcome of Heaven be untoyou. And whence do you come?” “We come,Lord,” said they, “from Cornwall; and we areambassadors from Erbin the son of Custennin, thy uncle, and ourmission is unto thee. And he greets thee well, as an uncleshould greet his nephew, and as a vassal should greet hislord. And he represents unto thee that he waxes heavy andfeeble, and is advancing in years. And the neighbouringchiefs, knowing this, grow insolent towards him, and covet hisland and possessions. And he earnestly beseeches thee,Lord, to permit Geraint his son to return to him, to protect hispossessions, and to become acquainted with his boundaries.And unto him he represents that it were better for him to spendthe flower of his youth and the prime of his age in preservinghis own boundaries, than in tournaments, which are productive ofno profit, although he obtains glory in them.”

“Well,” said Arthur, “go, and divestyourselves of your accoutrements, and take food, and refreshyourselves after your fatigues; and before you go forth hence youshall have an answer.” And they went to eat.And Arthur considered that it would go hard with him to letGeraint depart from him and from his Court; neither did he thinkit fair that his cousin should be restrained from going toprotect his dominions and his boundaries, seeing that his fatherwas unable to do so. No less was the grief and regret ofGwenhwyvar, and all her women, and all her damsels, through fearthat the maiden would leave them. And that day and thatnight were spent in abundance of feasting. And Arthurshowed Geraint the cause of the mission, and of the coming of theambassadors to him out of Cornwall. “Truly,”said Geraint, “be it to my advantage or disadvantage, Lord,I will do according to thy will concerning thisembassy.” “Behold,” said Arthur,“though it grieves me to part with thee, it is my counselthat thou go to dwell in thine own dominions, and to defend thyboundaries, and to take with thee to accompany thee as many asthou wilt of those thou lovest best among my faithful ones, andamong thy friends, and among thy companions in arms.”“Heaven reward thee; and this will I do,” saidGeraint. “What discourse,” said Gwenhwyvar,“do I hear between you? Is it of those who are toconduct Geraint to his country?” “It is,”said Arthur. “Then it is needful for me toconsider,” said she, “concerning companions and aprovision for the lady that is with me?” “Thouwilt do well,” said Arthur.

And that night they went to sleep. And the next day theambassadors were permitted to depart, and they were told thatGeraint should follow them. And on the third day Geraintset forth, and many went with him. Gwalchmai the son ofGwyar, and Riogonedd the son of the king of Ireland, and Ondyawthe son of the duke of Burgundy, Gwilim the son of the ruler ofthe Franks, Howel the son of Emyr of Brittany, Elivry, andNawkyrd, Gwynn the son of Tringad, Goreu the son of Custennin,Gweir Gwrhyd Vawr, Garannaw the son of Golithmer, Peredur the sonof Evrawc, Gwynnllogell, Gwyr a judge in the Court of Arthur,Dyvyr the son of Alun of Dyved, Gwrei Gwalstawd Ieithoedd, Bedwyrthe son of Bedrawd, Hadwry the son of Gwryon, Kai the son ofKynyr, Odyar the Frank, the Steward of Arthur’s Court, andEdeyrn the son of Nudd. Said Geraint, “I think that Ishall have enough of knighthood with me.”“Yes,” said Arthur, “but it will not be fittingfor thee to take Edeyrn with thee, although he is well, untilpeace shall be made between him and Gwenhwyvar.”“Gwenhwyvar can permit him to go with me, if he givesureties.” “If she please, she can let him gowithout sureties, for enough of pain and affliction has hesuffered for the insult which the maiden received from thedwarf.” “Truly,” said Gwenhwyvar,“since it seems well to thee and to Geraint, I will do thisgladly, Lord.” Then she permitted Edeyrn freely todepart. And many there were who accompanied Geraint, andthey set forth; and never was there seen a fairer host journeyingtowards the Severn. And on the other side of the Severnwere the nobles of Erbin the son of Custennin, and hisfoster-father at their head, to welcome Geraint with gladness;and many of the women of the Court, with his mother, came toreceive Enid the daughter of Ynywl, his wife. And there wasgreat rejoicing and gladness throughout the whole Court, andthroughout all the country, concerning Geraint, because of thegreatness of their love towards him, and of the greatness of thefame which he had gained since he went from amongst them, andbecause he was come to take possession of his dominions and topreserve his boundaries. And they came to the Court.And in the Court they had ample entertainment, and a multitude ofgifts and abundance of liquor, and a sufficiency of service, anda variety of minstrelsy and of games. And to do honour toGeraint, all the chief men of the country were invited that nightto visit him. And they passed that day and that night inthe utmost enjoyment. And at dawn next day Erbin arose, andsummoned to him Geraint, and the noble persons who had borne himcompany. And he said to Geraint, “I am a feeble andaged man, and whilst I was able to maintain the dominion for theeand for myself, I did so. But thou art young, and in theflower of thy vigour and of thy youth; henceforth do thoupreserve thy possessions.” “Truly,” saidGeraint, “with my consent thou shalt not give the powerover thy dominions at this time into my hands, and thou shalt nottake me from Arthur’s Court.” “Into thyhands will I give them,” said Erbin, “and this dayalso shalt thou receive the homage of thy subjects.”

Then said Gwalchmai, “It were better for thee to satisfythose who have boons to ask, to-day, and to-morrow thou canstreceive the homage of thy dominions.” So all that hadboons to ask were summoned into one place. And Kadyrieithcame to them, to know what were their requests. And everyone asked that which he desired. And the followers ofArthur began to make gifts, and immediately the men of Cornwallcame, and gave also. And they were not long in giving, soeager was every one to bestow gifts. And of those who cameto ask gifts, none departed unsatisfied. And that day andthat night were spent in the utmost enjoyment.

And the next day, at dawn, Erbin desired Geraint to sendmessengers to the men, to ask them whether it was displeasing tothem that he should come to receive their homage, and whetherthey had anything to object to him. Then Geraint sentambassadors to the men of Cornwall, to ask them this. Andthey all said that it would be the fulness of joy and honour tothem for Geraint to come and receive their homage. So hereceived the homage of such as were there. And theyremained with him till the third night. And the day afterthe followers of Arthur intended to go away. “It istoo soon for you to go away yet,” said he, “stay withme until I have finished receiving the homage of my chief men,who have agreed to come to me.” And they remainedwith him until he had done so. Then they set forth towardsthe Court of Arthur; and Geraint went to bear them company, andEnid also, as far as Diganhwy: there they parted. ThenOndyaw the son of the duke of Burgundy said to Geraint, “Gofirst of all and visit the uppermost parts of thy dominions, andsee well to the boundaries of thy territories; and if thou hastany trouble respecting them, send unto thycompanions.” “Heaven reward thee,” saidGeraint, “and this will I do.” And Geraintjourneyed to the uttermost part of his dominions. Andexperienced guides, and the chief men of his country, went withhim. And the furthermost point that they showed him he keptpossession of.

And, as he had been used to do when he was at Arthur’sCourt, he frequented tournaments. And he became acquaintedwith valiant and mighty men, until he had gained as much famethere as he had formerly done elsewhere. And he enrichedhis Court, and his companions, and his nobles, with the besthorses and the best arms, and with the best and most valuablejewels, and he ceased not until his fame had flown over the faceof the whole kingdom. And when he knew that it was thus, hebegan to love ease and pleasure, for there was no one who wasworth his opposing. And he loved his wife, and liked tocontinue in the palace, with minstrelsy and diversions. Andfor a long time he abode at home. And after that he beganto shut himself up in the chamber of his wife, and he took nodelight in anything besides, insomuch that he gave up thefriendship of his nobles, together with his hunting and hisamusem*nts, and lost the hearts of all the host in his Court; andthere was murmuring and scoffing concerning him among theinhabitants of the palace, on account of his relinquishing socompletely their companionship for the love of his wife.And these tidings came to Erbin. And when Erbin had heardthese things, he spoke unto Enid, and inquired of her whether itwas she that had caused Geraint to act thus, and to forsake hispeople and his hosts. “Not I, by my confession untoHeaven,” said she, “there is nothing more hateful tome than this.” And she knew not what she should do,for, although it was hard for her to own this to Geraint, yet wasit not more easy for her to listen to what she heard, withoutwarning Geraint concerning it. And she was verysorrowful.

And one morning in the summer time, they were upon theircouch, and Geraint lay upon the edge of it. And Enid waswithout sleep in the apartment, which had windows of glass.And the sun shone upon the couch. And the clothes hadslipped from off his arms and his breast, and he wasasleep. Then she gazed upon the marvellous beauty of hisappearance, and she said, “Alas, and am I the cause thatthese arms and this breast have lost their glory and the warlikefame which they once so richly enjoyed!” And as shesaid this, the tears dropped from her eyes, and they fell uponhis breast. And the tears she shed, and the words she hadspoken, awoke him; and another thing contributed to awaken him,and that was the idea that it was not in thinking of him that shespoke thus, but that it was because she loved some other man morethan him, and that she wished for other society, and thereuponGeraint was troubled in his mind, and he called his squire; andwhen he came to him, “Go quickly,” said he,“and prepare my horse and my arms, and make themready. And do thou arise,” said he to Enid,“and apparel thyself; and cause thy horse to be accoutred,and clothe thee in the worst riding-dress that thou hast in thypossession. And evil betide me,” said he, “ifthou returnest here until thou knowest whether I have lost mystrength so completely as thou didst say. And if it be so,it will then be easy for thee to seek the society thou didst wishfor of him of whom thou wast thinking.” So she arose,and clothed herself in her meanest garments. “I knownothing, Lord,” said she, “of thymeaning.” “Neither wilt thou know at thistime,” said he.

Then Geraint went to see Erbin. “Sir,” saidhe, “I am going upon a quest, and I am not certain when Imay come back. Take heed, therefore, unto thy possessions,until my return.” “I will do so,” saidhe, “but it is strange to me that thou shouldest go sosuddenly. And who will proceed with thee, since thou artnot strong enough to traverse the land of Lloegyralone?” “But one person only will go withme.” “Heaven counsel thee, my son,” saidErbin, “and may many attach themselves to thee inLloegyr.” Then went Geraint to the place where hishorse was, and it was equipped with foreign armour, heavy andshining. And he desired Enid to mount her horse, and toride forward, and to keep a long way before him. “Andwhatever thou mayest see, and whatever thou mayest hearconcerning me,” said he, “do thou not turnback. And unless I speak unto thee, say not thou one wordeither.” And they set forward. And he did notchoose the pleasantest and most frequented road, but that whichwas the wildest and most beset by thieves, and robbers, andvenomous animals. And they came to a high road, which theyfollowed till they saw a vast forest, and they went towards it,and they saw four armed horsem*n come forth from theforest. When the horsem*n had beheld them, one of them saidto the others, “Behold, here is a good occasion for us tocapture two horses and armour, and a lady likewise; for this weshall have no difficulty in doing against yonder single knight,who hangs his head so pensively and heavily.” AndEnid heard this discourse, and she knew not what she should dothrough fear of Geraint, who had told her to be silent.“The vengeance of Heaven be upon me,” she said,“if I would not rather receive my death from his hand thanfrom the hand of any other; and though he should slay me yet willI speak to him, lest I should have the misery to witness hisdeath.” So she waited for Geraint until he came nearto her. “Lord,” said she, “didst thouhear the words of those men concerning thee?” Then helifted up his eyes, and looked at her angrily. “Thouhadst only,” said he, “to hold thy peace as I badethee. I wish but for silence, and not for warning.And though thou shouldest desire to see my defeat and my death bythe hands of those men, yet do I feel no dread.” Thenthe foremost of them couched his lance, and rushed uponGeraint. And he received him, and that not feebly.But he let the thrust go by him, while he struck the horsemanupon the centre of his shield in such a manner that his shieldwas split, and his armour broken, and so that a cubit’slength of the shaft of Geraint’s lance passed through hisbody, and sent him to the earth, the length of the lance over hishorse’s crupper. Then the second horseman attackedhim furiously, being wroth at the death of his companion.But with one thrust Geraint overthrew him also, and killed him ashe had done the other. Then the third set upon him, and hekilled him in like manner. And thus also he slew thefourth. Sad and sorrowful was the maiden as she saw allthis. Geraint dismounted from his horse, and took the armsof the men he had slain, and placed them upon their saddles, andtied together the reins of their horses, and he mounted his horseagain. “Behold what thou must do,” said he;“take the four horses, and drive them before thee, andproceed forward, as I bade thee just now. And say not oneword unto me, unless I speak first unto thee. And I declareunto Heaven,” said he, “if thou doest not thus, itwill be to thy cost.” “I will do, as far as Ican, Lord,” said she, “according to thydesire.” Then they went forward through the forest;and when they left the forest, they came to a vast plain, in thecentre of which was a group of thickly tangled copse-wood; andfrom out thereof they beheld three horsem*n coming towards them,well equipped with armour, both they and their horses. Thenthe maiden looked steadfastly upon them; and when they had comenear, she heard them say one to another, “Behold, here is agood arrival for us; here are coming for us four horses and foursuits of armour. We shall easily obtain them spite ofyonder dolorous knight, and the maiden also will fall into ourpower.” “This is but too true,” said sheto herself, “for my husband is tired with his formercombat. The vengeance of Heaven will be upon me, unless Iwarn him of this.” So the maiden waited until Geraintcame up to her. “Lord,” said she, “dustthou not hear the discourse of yonder men concerningthee?” “What was it?” asked he.“They say to one another, that they will easily obtain allthis spoil.” “I declare to Heaven,” heanswered, “that their words are less grievous to me thanthat thou wilt not be silent, and abide by mycounsel.” “My Lord,” said she, “Ifeared lest they should surprise thee unawares.”“Hold thy peace, then,” said he, “do not Idesire silence?” And thereupon one of the horsem*ncouched his lance, and attacked Geraint. And he made athrust at him, which he thought would be very effective; butGeraint received it carelessly, and struck it aside, and then herushed upon him, and aimed at the centre of his person, and fromthe shock of man and horse, the quantity of his armour did notavail him, and the head of the lance and part of the shaft passedthrough him, so that he was carried to the ground an arm and aspear’s length over the crupper of his horse. Andboth the other horsem*n came forward in their turn, but theironset was not more successful than that of their companion.And the maiden stood by, looking at all this; and on the one handshe was in trouble lest Geraint should be wounded in hisencounter with the men, and on the other hand she was joyful tosee him victorious. Then Geraint dismounted, and bound thethree suits of armour upon the three saddles, and he fastened thereins of all the horses together, so that he had seven horseswith him. And he mounted his own horse, and commanded themaiden to drive forward the others. “It is no moreuse for me to speak to thee than to refrain, for thou wilt notattend to my advice.” “I will do so, as far asI am able, Lord,” said she; “but I cannot concealfrom thee the fierce and threatening words which I may hearagainst thee, Lord, from such strange people as those that hauntthis wilderness.” “I declare to Heaven,”said he, “that I desire nought but silence; therefore, holdthy peace.” “I will, Lord, while Ican.” And the maiden went on with the horses beforeher, and she pursued her way straight onwards. And from thecopse-wood already mentioned, they journeyed over a vast anddreary open plain. And at a great distance from them theybeheld a wood, and they could see neither end nor boundary to thewood, except on that side that was nearest to them, and they wenttowards it. Then there came from out the wood fivehorsem*n, eager, and bold, and mighty, and strong, mounted uponchargers that were powerful, and large of bone, and high-mettled,and proudly snorting, and both the men and the horses were wellequipped with arms. And when they drew near to them, Enidheard them say, “Behold, here is a fine booty coming to us,which we shall obtain easily and without labour, for we shallhave no trouble in taking all those horses and arms, and the ladyalso, from yonder single knight, so doleful and sad.”

Sorely grieved was the maiden upon hearing this discourse, sothat she knew not in the world what she should do. At last,however, she determined to warn Geraint; so she turned herhorse’s head towards him. “Lord,” saidshe, “if thou hadst heard as I did what yonder horsem*nsaid concerning thee, thy heaviness would be greater than itis.” Angrily and bitterly did Geraint smile upon her,and he said, “Thee do I hear doing everything that Iforbade thee; but it may be that thou will repent thisyet.” And immediately, behold, the men met them, andvictoriously and gallantly did Geraint overcome them allfive. And he placed the five suits of armour upon the fivesaddles, and tied together the reins of the twelve horses, andgave them in charge to Enid. “I know not,” saidhe, “what good it is for me to order thee; but this time Icharge thee in an especial manner.” So the maidenwent forward towards the wood, keeping in advance of Geraint, ashe had desired her; and it grieved him as much as his wrath wouldpermit, to see a maiden so illustrious as she having so muchtrouble with the care of the horses. Then they reached thewood, and it was both deep and vast; and in the wood nightovertook them. “Ah, maiden,” said he, “itis vain to attempt proceeding forward!” “Well,Lord,” said she, “whatsoever thou wishest, we willdo.” “It will be best for us,” heanswered, “to turn out of the wood, and to rest, and waitfor the day, in order to pursue our journey.”“That will we, gladly,” said she. And they didso. Having dismounted himself, he took her down from herhorse. “I cannot, by any means, refrain from sleep,through weariness,” said he. “Do thou,therefore, watch the horses, and sleep not.” “Iwill, Lord,” said she. Then he went to sleep in hisarmour, and thus passed the night, which was not long at thatseason. And when she saw the dawn of day appear, she lookedaround her, to see if he were waking, and thereupon hewoke. “My Lord,” she said, “I havedesired to awake thee for some time.” But he spakenothing to her about fatigue, as he had desired her to besilent. Then he arose, and said unto her, “Take thehorses, and ride on; and keep straight on before thee as thoudidst yesterday.” And early in the day they left thewood, and they came to an open country, with meadows on one hand,and mowers mowing the meadows. And there was a river beforethem, and the horses bent down, and drank the water. Andthey went up out of the river by a lofty steep; and there theymet a slender stripling, with a satchel about his neck, and theysaw that there was something in the satchel, but they knew notwhat it was. And he had a small blue pitcher in his hand,and a bowl on the mouth of the pitcher. And the youthsaluted Geraint. “Heaven prosper thee,” saidGeraint, “and whence dost thou come?” “Icome,” said he, “from the city that lies beforethee. My Lord,” he added, “will it bedispleasing to thee if I ask whence thou comestalso?” “By no means—through yonder wooddid I come.” “Thou camest not through the woodto-day.” “No,” he replied, “we werein the wood last night.” “I warrant,”said the youth, “that thy condition there last night wasnot the most pleasant, and that thou hadst neither meat nordrink.” “No, by my faith,” said he.“Wilt thou follow my counsel,” said the youth,“and take thy meal from me?” “What sortof meal?” he inquired. “The breakfast which issent for yonder mowers, nothing less than bread and meat andwine; and if thou wilt, Sir, they shall have none ofit.” “I will,” said he, “and Heavenreward thee for it.”

So Geraint alighted, and the youth took the maiden from offher horse. Then they washed, and took their repast.And the youth cut the bread in slices, and gave them drink, andserved them withal. And when they had finished, the youtharose, and said to Geraint, “My Lord, with thy permission,I will now go and fetch some food for the mowers.”“Go, first, to the town,” said Geraint, “andtake a lodging for me in the best place that thou knowest, andthe most commodious one for the horses, and take thou whicheverhorse and arms thou choosest in payment for thy service and thygift.” “Heaven reward thee, Lord,” saidthe youth, “and this would be ample to repay services muchgreater than those I have rendered unto thee.” And tothe town went the youth, and he took the best and the mostpleasant lodgings that he knew; and after that he went to thepalace, having the horse and armour with him, and proceeded tothe place where the Earl was, and told him all hisadventure. “I go now, Lord,” said he, “tomeet the young man, and to conduct him to hislodging.” “Go, gladly,” said the Earl,“and right joyfully shall he be received here, if he socome.” And the youth went to meet Geraint, and toldhim that he would be received gladly by the Earl in his ownpalace; but he would go only to his lodgings. And he had agoodly chamber, in which was plenty of straw, and drapery, and aspacious and commodious place he had for the horses; and theyouth prepared for them plenty of provender. And after theyhad disarrayed themselves, Geraint spoke thus to Enid:“Go,” said he, “to the other side of thechamber, and come not to this side of the house; and thou mayestcall to thee the woman of the house, if thou wilt.”“I will do, Lord,” said she, “as thousayest.” And thereupon the man of the house came toGeraint, and welcomed him. “Oh, chieftain,” hesaid, “hast thou taken thy meal?” “Ihave,” said he. Then the youth spoke to him, andinquired if he would not drink something before he met theEarl. “Truly I will,” said he. So theyouth went into the town, and brought them drink. And theydrank. “I must needs sleep,” saidGeraint. “Well,” said the youth; “andwhilst thou sleepest, I will go to see the Earl.”“Go, gladly,” he said, “and come here againwhen I require thee.” And Geraint went to sleep; andso did Enid also.

And the youth came to the place where the Earl was, and theEarl asked him where the lodgings of the knight were, and he toldhim. “I must go,” said the youth, “towait on him in the evening.” “Go,”answered the Earl, “and greet him well from me, and tellhim that in the evening I will go to see him.”“This will I do,” said the youth. So he camewhen it was time for them to awake. And they arose, andwent forth. And when it was time for them to take theirfood, they took it. And the youth served them. AndGeraint inquired of the man of the house, whether there were anyof his companions that he wished to invite to him, and he saidthat there were. “Bring them hither, and entertainthem at my cost with the best thou canst buy in thetown.”

And the man of the house brought there those whom he chose,and feasted them at Geraint’s expense. Thereupon,behold, the Earl came to visit Geraint, and his twelve honourableknights with him. And Geraint rose up, and welcomedhim. “Heaven preserve thee,” said theEarl. Then they all sat down according to their precedencein honour. And the Earl conversed with Geraint, andinquired of him the object of his journey. “I havenone,” he replied, “but to seek adventures, and tofollow my own inclination.” Then the Earl cast hiseye upon Enid, and he looked at her steadfastly. And hethought he had never seen a maiden fairer or more comely thanshe. And he set all his thoughts and his affections uponher. Then he asked of Geraint, “Have I thy permissionto go and converse with yonder maiden, for I see that she isapart from thee?” “Thou hast it gladly,”said he. So the Earl went to the place where the maidenwas, and spake with her. “Ah, maiden,” said he,“it cannot be pleasant to thee to journey thus with yonderman!” “It is not unpleasant to me,” saidshe, “to journey the same road that hejourneys.” “Thou hast neither youths normaidens to serve thee,” said he. “Truly,”she replied, “it is more pleasant for me to follow yonderman, than to be served by youths and maidens.”“I will give thee good counsel,” said he.“All my Earldom will I place in thy possession, if thouwilt dwell with me.” “That will I not, byHeaven,” she said; “yonder man was the first to whommy faith was ever pledged; and shall I prove inconstant tohim!” “Thou art in the wrong,” said theEarl; “if I slay the man yonder, I can keep thee with me aslong as I choose; and when thou no longer pleasest me I can turnthee away. But if thou goest with me by thine own goodwill, I protest that our union shall continue eternal andundivided as long as I remain alive.” Then shepondered these words of his, and she considered that it wasadvisable to encourage him in his request. “Behold,then, chieftain, this is most expedient for thee to do to save meany needless imputation; come here to-morrow, and take me away asthough I knew nothing thereof.” “I will doso,” said he. So he arose, and took his leave, andwent forth with his attendants. And she told not then toGeraint any of the conversation which she had had with the Earl,lest it should rouse his anger, and cause him uneasiness andcare.

And at the usual hour they went to sleep. And at thebeginning of the night Enid slept a little; and at midnight shearose, and placed all Geraint’s armour together, so that itmight be ready to put on. And although fearful of hererrand, she came to the side of Geraint’s bed; and shespoke to him softly and gently, saying, “My Lord, arise,and clothe thyself, for these were the words of the Earl to me,and his intention concerning me.” So she told Geraintall that had passed. And although he was wroth with her, hetook warning, and clothed himself. And she lighted acandle, that he might have light to do so. “Leavethere the candle,” said he, “and desire the man ofthe house to come here.” Then she went, and the manof the house came to him. “Dost thou know how much Iowe thee?” asked Geraint. “I think thou owestbut little.” “Take the eleven horses and theeleven suits of armour.” “Heaven reward thee,lord,” said he, “but I spent not the value of onesuit of armour upon thee.” “For thatreason,” said he, “thou wilt be the richer. Andnow, wilt thou come to guide me out of the town?”“I will, gladly,” said he, “and in whichdirection dost thou intend to go?” “I wish toleave the town by a different way from that by which I enteredit.” So the man of the lodgings accompanied him asfar as he desired. Then he bade the maiden to go on beforehim; and she did so, and went straight forward, and his hostreturned home. And he had only just reached his house,when, behold, the greatest tumult approached that was everheard. And when he looked out, he saw fourscore knights incomplete armour around the house, with the Earl Dwnn at theirhead. “Where is the knight that was here?” saidthe Earl. “By thy hand,” said he, “hewent hence some time ago.” “Wherefore,villain,” said he, “didst thou let him go withoutinforming me?” “My Lord, thou didst not commandme to do so, else would I not have allowed him todepart.” “What way dost thou think that hetook?” “I know not, except that he went alongthe high road.” And they turned their horses’heads that way, and seeing the tracks of the horses upon the highroad, they followed. And when the maiden beheld the dawningof the day, she looked behind her, and saw vast clouds of dustcoming nearer and nearer to her. And thereupon she becameuneasy, and she thought that it was the Earl and his host comingafter them. And thereupon she beheld a knight appearingthrough the mist. “By my faith,” said she,“though he should slay me, it were better for me to receivemy death at his hands, than to see him killed without warninghim. My Lord,” she said to him, “seest thouyonder man hastening after thee, and many others withhim?” “I do see him,” said he; “andin despite of all my orders, I see that thou wilt never keepsilence.” Then he turned upon the knight, and withthe first thrust he threw him down under his horse’sfeet. And as long as there remained one of the fourscoreknights, he overthrew every one of them at the first onset.And from the weakest to the strongest, they all attacked him oneafter the other, except the Earl: and last of all the Earl cameagainst him also. And he broke his lance, and then he brokea second. But Geraint turned upon him, and struck him withhis lance upon the centre of his shield, so that by that singlethrust the shield was split, and all his armour broken, and hehimself was brought over his horse’s crupper to the ground,and was in peril of his life. And Geraint drew near to him;and at the noise of the trampling of his horse the Earlrevived. “Mercy, Lord,” said he toGeraint. And Geraint granted him mercy. But throughthe hardness of the ground where they had fallen, and theviolence of the stroke which they had received, there was not asingle knight amongst them that escaped without receiving a fall,mortally severe, and grievously painful, and desperatelywounding, from the hand of Geraint.

And Geraint journeyed along the high road that was before him,and the maiden went on first; and near them they beheld a valleywhich was the fairest ever seen, and which had a large riverrunning through it; and there was a bridge over the river, andthe high road led to the bridge. And above the bridge uponthe opposite side of the river, they beheld a fortified town, thefairest ever seen. And as they approached the bridge,Geraint saw coming towards him from a thick copse a man mountedupon a large and lofty steed, even of pace and spirited thoughtractable. “Ah, knight,” said Geraint,“whence comest thou?” “I come,”said he, “from the valley below us.”“Canst thou tell me,” said Geraint, “who is theowner of this fair valley and yonder walled town?”“I will tell thee, willingly,” said he.“Gwiffert Petit he is called by the Franks, but the Cymrycall him the Little King.” “Can I go by yonderbridge,” said Geraint, “and by the lower highway thatis beneath the town?” Said the knight, “Thoucanst not go by his tower on the other side of the bridge, unlessthou dost intend to combat him; because it is his custom toencounter every knight that comes upon his lands.”“I declare to Heaven,” said Geraint, “that Iwill, nevertheless, pursue my journey that way.”“If thou dost so,” said the knight, “thou wiltprobably meet with shame and disgrace in reward for thydaring.” Then Geraint proceeded along the road thatled to the town, and the road brought him to a ground that washard, and rugged, and high, and ridgy. And as he journeyedthus, he beheld a knight following him upon a warhorse, strong,and large, and proudly-stepping, and wide-hoofed, andbroad-chested. And he never saw a man of smaller staturethan he who was upon the horse. And both he and his horsewere completely armed. When he had overtaken Geraint, hesaid to him, “Tell me, chieftain, whether it is throughignorance or through presumption that thou seekest to insult mydignity, and to infringe my rules.”“Nay,” answered Geraint, “I knew not this roadwas forbid to any.” “Thou didst know it,”said the other; “come with me to my Court, to give mesatisfaction.” “That will I not, by myfaith,” said Geraint; “I would not go even to thyLord’s Court, excepting Arthur were thy Lord.”“By the hand of Arthur himself,” said the knight,“I will have satisfaction of thee, or receive my overthrowat thy hands.” And immediately they charged oneanother. And a squire of his came to serve him with lancesas he broke them. And they gave each other such hard andsevere strokes that their shields lost all their colour.But it was very difficult for Geraint to fight with him onaccount of his small size, for he was hardly able to get a fullaim at him with all the efforts he could make. And theyfought thus until their horses were brought down upon theirknees; and at length Geraint threw the knight headlong to theground; and then they fought on foot, and they gave one anotherblows so boldly fierce, so frequent, and so severely powerful,that their helmets were pierced, and their skullcaps were broken,and their arms were shattered, and the light of their eyes wasdarkened by sweat and blood. At the last Geraint becameenraged, and he called to him all his strength; and boldly angry,and swiftly resolute, and furiously determined, he lifted up hissword, and struck him on the crown of his head a blow so mortallypainful, so violent, so fierce, and so penetrating, that it cutthrough all his head armour, and his skin, and his flesh, untilit wounded the very bone, and the sword flew out of the hand ofthe Little King to the furthest end of the plain, and he besoughtGeraint that he would have mercy and compassion upon him.“Though thou hast been neither courteous nor just,”said Geraint, “thou shalt have mercy, upon condition thatthou wilt become my ally, and engage never to fight against meagain, but to come to my assistance whenever thou hearest of mybeing in trouble.” “This will I do, gladly,Lord,” said he. So he pledged him his faiththereof. “And now, Lord, come with me,” saidhe, “to my Court yonder, to recover from thy weariness andfatigue.” “That will I not, by Heaven,”said he.

Then Gwiffert Petit beheld Enid where she stood, and itgrieved him to see one of her noble mien appear so deeplyafflicted. And he said to Geraint, “My Lord, thoudoest wrong not to take repose, and refresh thyself awhile; for,if thou meetest with any difficulty in thy present condition, itwill not be easy for thee to surmount it.” ButGeraint would do no other than proceed on his journey, and hemounted his horse in pain, and all covered with blood. Andthe maiden went on first, and they proceeded towards the woodwhich they saw before them.

And the heat of the sun was very great, and through the bloodand sweat, Geraint’s armour cleaved to his flesh; and whenthey came into the wood, he stood under a tree, to avoid thesun’s heat; and his wounds pained him more than they haddone at the time when he received them. And the maidenstood under another tree. And lo! they heard the sound ofhorns, and a tumultuous noise; and the occasion of it was, thatArthur and his company had come down to the wood. And whileGeraint was considering which way he should go to avoid them,behold, he was espied by a foot-page, who was an attendant on theSteward of the Household; and he went to the Steward, and toldhim what kind of man he had seen in the wood. Then theSteward caused his horse to be saddled, and he took his lance andhis shield, and went to the place where Geraint was.“Ah, knight!” said he, “what dost thouhere?” “I am standing under a shady tree, toavoid the heat and the rays of the sun.”“Wherefore is thy journey, and who art thou?”“I seek adventures, and go where I list.”“Indeed,” said Kai; “then come with me to seeArthur, who is here hard by.” “That will I not,by Heaven,” said Geraint. “Thou must needscome,” said Kai. Then Geraint knew who he was, butKai did not know Geraint. And Kai attacked Geraint as besthe could. And Geraint became wroth, and he struck him withthe shaft of his lance, so that he rolled headlong to theground. But chastisem*nt worse than this would he notinflict on him.

Scared and wildly Kai arose, and he mounted his horse, andwent back to his lodging. And thence he proceeded toGwalchmai’s tent. “Oh, Sir,” said he toGwalchmai, “I was told by one of the attendants, that hesaw in the wood above a wounded knight, having on batteredarmour; and if thou dost right, thou wilt go and see if this betrue.” “I care not if I do so,” saidGwalchmai. “Take, then, thy horse, and some of thyarmour,” said Kai; “for I hear that he is not overcourteous to those who approach him.” So Gwalchmaitook his spear and his shield, and mounted his horse, and came tothe spot where Geraint was. “Sir Knight,” saidhe, “wherefore is thy journey?” “Ijourney for my own pleasure, and to seek the adventures of theworld.” “Wilt thou tell me who thou art; orwilt thou come and visit Arthur, who is near athand?” “I will make no alliance with thee, norwill I go and visit Arthur,” said he. And he knewthat it was Gwalchmai, but Gwalchmai knew him not. “Ipurpose not to leave thee,” said Gwalchmai, “till Iknow who thou art.” And he charged him with hislance, and struck him on his shield, so that the shaft wasshivered into splinters, and their horses were front tofront. Then Gwalchmai gazed fixedly upon him, and he knewhim. “Ah, Geraint,” said he, “is it thouthat art here?” “I am not Geraint,” saidhe. “Geraint thou art, by Heaven,” he replied,“and a wretched and insane expedition is this.”Then he looked around, and beheld Enid, and he welcomed hergladly. “Geraint,” said Gwalchmai, “comethou and see Arthur; he is thy lord and thy cousin.”“I will not,” said he, “for I am not in a fitstate to go and see any one.” Thereupon, behold, oneof the pages came after Gwalchmai to speak to him. So hesent him to apprise Arthur that Geraint was there wounded, andthat he would not go to visit him, and that it was pitiable tosee the plight that he was in. And this he did withoutGeraint’s knowledge, inasmuch as he spoke in a whisper tothe page. “Entreat Arthur,” said he, “tohave his tent brought near to the road, for he will not meet himwillingly, and it is not easy to compel him in the mood he isin.” So the page came to Arthur, and told himthis. And he caused his tent to be removed unto the side ofthe road. And the maiden rejoiced in her heart. AndGwalchmai led Geraint onwards along the road, till they came tothe place where Arthur was encamped, and the pages were pitchinghis tent by the roadside. “Lord,” said Geraint,“all hail unto thee.” “Heaven prosperthee; and who art thou?” said Arthur. “It isGeraint,” said Gwalchmai, “and of his own free willwould he not come to meet thee.”“Verily,” said Arthur, “he is bereft of hisreason.” Then came Enid, and saluted Arthur.“Heaven protect thee,” said he. And thereuponhe caused one of the pages to take her from her horse.“Alas! Enid,” said Arthur, “what expedition isthis?” “I know not, Lord,” said she,“save that it behoves me to journey by the same road thathe journeys.” “My Lord,” said Geraint,“with thy permission we will depart.”“Whither wilt thou go?” said Arthur.“Thou canst not proceed now, unless it be unto thydeath.” “He will not suffer himself to beinvited by me,” said Gwalchmai. “But by me hewill,” said Arthur; “and, moreover, he does not gofrom here until he is healed.” “I had rather,Lord,” said Geraint, “that thou wouldest let me goforth.” “That will I not, I declare toHeaven,” said he. Then he caused a maiden to be sentfor to conduct Enid to the tent where Gwenhwyvar’s chamberwas. And Gwenhwyvar and all her women were joyful at hercoming; and they took off her riding-dress, and placed othergarments upon her. Arthur also called Kadyrieith, andordered him to pitch a tent for Geraint and the physicians; andhe enjoined him to provide him with abundance of all that mightbe requisite for him. And Kadyrieith did as he hadcommanded him. And Morgan Tud and his disciples werebrought to Geraint.

And Arthur and his hosts remained there nearly a month, whilstGeraint was being healed. And when he was fully recovered,Geraint came to Arthur, and asked his permission to depart.“I know not if thou art quite well.” “Intruth I am, Lord,” said Geraint. “I shall notbelieve thee concerning that, but the physicians that were withthee.” So Arthur caused the physicians to be summonedto him, and asked them if it were true. “It is true,Lord,” said Morgan Tud. So the next day Arthurpermitted him to go forth, and he pursued his journey. Andon the same day Arthur removed thence. And Geraint desiredEnid to go on, and to keep before him, as she had formerlydone. And she went forward along the high road. Andas they journeyed thus, they heard an exceeding loud wailing nearto them. “Stay thou here,” said he, “andI will go and see what is the cause of this wailing.”“I will,” said she. Then he went forward untoan open glade that was near the road. And in the glade hesaw two horses, one having a man’s saddle, and the other awoman’s saddle upon it. And, behold, there was aknight lying dead in his armour, and a young damsel in ariding-dress standing over him, lamenting. “Ah!Lady,” said Geraint, “what hath befallenthee?” “Behold,” she answered, “Ijourneyed here with my beloved husband, when, lo! three giantscame upon us, and without any cause in the world, they slewhim.” “Which way went they hence?” saidGeraint. “Yonder by the high road,” shereplied. So he returned to Enid. “Go,”said he, “to the lady that is below yonder, and await methere till I come.” She was sad when he ordered herto do thus, but nevertheless she went to the damsel, whom it wasruth to hear, and she felt certain that Geraint would neverreturn. Meanwhile Geraint followed the giants, and overtookthem. And each of them was greater of stature than threeother men, and a huge club was on the shoulder of each.Then he rushed upon one of them, and thrust his lance through hisbody. And having drawn it forth again, he pierced anotherof them through likewise. But the third turned upon him,and struck him with his club, so that he split his shield, andcrushed his shoulder, and opened his wounds anew, and all hisblood began to flow from him. But Geraint drew his sword,and attacked the giant, and gave him a blow on the crown of hishead so severe, and fierce, and violent, that his head and hisneck were split down to his shoulders, and he fell dead. SoGeraint left him thus, and returned to Enid. And when hesaw her, he fell down lifeless from his horse. Piercing,and loud, and thrilling was the cry that Enid uttered. Andshe came and stood over him where he had fallen. And at thesound of her cries came the Earl of Limours, and the host thatjourneyed with him, whom her lamentations brought out of theirroad. And the Earl said to Enid, “Alas, Lady, whathath befallen thee?” “Ah! good Sir,” saidshe, “the only man I have loved, or ever shall love, isslain.” Then he said to the other, “And what isthe cause of thy grief?” “They have slain mybeloved husband also,” said she. “And who wasit that slew them?” “Some giants,” sheanswered, “slew my best-beloved, and the other knight wentin pursuit of them, and came back in the state thou seest, hisblood flowing excessively; but it appears to me that he did notleave the giants without killing some of them, if notall.” The Earl caused the knight that was dead to beburied, but he thought that there still remained some life inGeraint; and to see if he yet would live, he had him carried withhim in the hollow of his shield, and upon a bier. And thetwo damsels went to the Court; and when they arrived there,Geraint was placed upon a litter-couch in front of the table thatwas in the hall. Then they all took off their travellinggear, and the Earl besought Enid to do the same, and to clotheherself in other garments. “I will not, byHeaven,” said she. “Ah! Lady,” said he,“be not so sorrowful for this matter.”“It were hard to persuade me to be otherwise,” saidshe. “I will act towards thee in such wise, that thouneedest not be sorrowful, whether yonder knight live ordie. Behold, a good Earldom, together with myself, will Ibestow on thee; be, therefore, happy and joyful.”“I declare to Heaven,” said she, “thathenceforth I shall never be joyful while I live.”“Come, then,” said he, “and eat.”“No, by Heaven, I will not,” she answered.“But, by Heaven, thou shalt,” said he. So hetook her with him to the table against her will, and many timesdesired her to eat. “I call Heaven to witness,”said she, “that I will not eat until the man that is uponyonder bier shall eat likewise.” “Thou canstnot fulfil that,” said the Earl, “yonder man is deadalready.” “I will prove that I can,” saidshe. Then he offered her a goblet of liquor.“Drink this goblet,” he said, “and it willcause thee to change thy mind.” “Evil betideme,” she answered, “if I drink aught until he drinkalso.” “Truly,” said the Earl, “itis of no more avail for me to be gentle with thee thanungentle.” And he gave her a box on the ear.Thereupon she raised a loud and piercing shriek, and herlamentations were much greater than they had been before, for sheconsidered in her mind that had Geraint been alive, he durst nothave struck her thus. But, behold, at the sound of her cry,Geraint revived from his swoon, and he sat up on the bier, andfinding his sword in the hollow of his shield, he rushed to theplace where the Earl was, and struck him a fiercely-wounding,severely-venomous, and sternly-smiting blow upon the crown of hishead, so that he clove him in twain, until his sword was stayedby the table. Then all left the board, and fled away.And this was not so much through fear of the living as throughthe dread they felt at seeing the dead man rise up to slaythem. And Geraint looked upon Enid, and he was grieved fortwo causes; one was, to see that Enid had lost her colour and herwonted aspect, and the other, to know that she was in theright. “Lady,” said he, “knowest thouwhere our horses are?” “I know, Lord, where thyhorse is,” she replied, “but I know not where is theother. Thy horse is in the house yonder.” So hewent to the house, and brought forth his horse, and mounted him,and took up Enid from the ground, and placed her upon the horsewith him. And he rode forward. And their road laybetween two hedges. And the night was gaining on theday. And lo! they saw behind them the shafts of spearsbetwixt them and the sky, and they heard the trampling of horses,and the noise of a host approaching. “I hearsomething following us,” said he, “and I will putthee on the other side of the hedge.” And thus hedid. And thereupon, behold, a knight pricked towards him,and couched his lance. When Enid saw this, she cried out,saying, “Oh! chieftain, whoever thou art, what renown wiltthou gain by slaying a dead man?” “Oh!Heaven,” said he, “is it Geraint?”“Yes, in truth,” said she. “And who artthou?” “I am the Little King,” heanswered, “coming to thy assistance, for I heard that thouwast in trouble. And if thou hadst followed my advice, noneof these hardships would have befallen thee.”“Nothing can happen,” said Geraint, “withoutthe will of Heaven, though much good results fromcounsel.” “Yes,” said the Little King,“and I know good counsel for thee now. Come with meto the court of a son-in-law of my sister, which is near here,and thou shalt have the best medical assistance in thekingdom.” “I will do so gladly,” saidGeraint. And Enid was placed upon the horse of one of theLittle King’s squires, and they went forward to theBaron’s palace. And they were received there withgladness, and they met with hospitality and attention. Andthe next morning they went to seek physicians; and it was notlong before they came, and they attended Geraint until he wasperfectly well. And while Geraint was under medical care,the Little King caused his armour to be repaired, until it was asgood as it had ever been. And they remained there afortnight and a month.

Then the Little King said to Geraint, “Now will we gotowards my own Court, to take rest, and amuseourselves.” “Not so,” said Geraint,“we will first journey for one day more, and returnagain.” “With all my heart,” said theLittle King, “do thou go then.” And early inthe day they set forth. And more gladly and more joyfullydid Enid journey with them that day than she had ever done.And they came to the main road. And when they reached aplace where the road divided in two, they beheld a man on footcoming towards them along one of these roads, and Gwiffert askedthe man whence he came. “I come,” said he,“from an errand in the country.” “Tellme,” said Geraint, “which is the best for me tofollow of these two roads?” “That is the bestfor thee to follow,” answered he, “for if thou goestby this one, thou wilt never return. Below us,” saidhe, “there is a hedge of mist, and within it are enchantedgames, and no one who has gone there has ever returned. Andthe Court of the Earl Owain is there, and he permits no one to goto lodge in the town, except he will go to hisCourt.” “I declare to Heaven,” saidGeraint, “that we will take the lower road.”And they went along it until they came to the town. Andthey took the fairest and pleasantest place in the town for theirlodging. And while they were thus, behold, a young man cameto them, and greeted them. “Heaven be propitious tothee,” said they. “Good Sirs,” said he,“what preparations are you making here?”“We are taking up our lodging,” said they, “topass the night.” “It is not the custom with himwho owns the town,” he answered, “to permit any ofgentle birth, unless they come to stay in his Court, to abidehere; therefore, come ye to the Court.” “Wewill come, gladly,” said Geraint. And they went withthe page, and they were joyfully received. And the Earlcame to the hall to meet them, and he commanded the tables to belaid. And they washed, and sat down. And this is theorder in which they sat: Geraint on one side of the Earl, andEnid on the other side, and next to Enid the Little King, andthen the Countess next to Geraint; and all after that as becametheir rank. Then Geraint recollected the games, and thoughtthat he should not go to them; and on that account he did noteat. Then the Earl looked upon Geraint, and considered, andhe bethought him that his not eating was because of the games,and it grieved him that he had ever established those games, wereit only on account of losing such a youth as Geraint. Andif Geraint had asked him to abolish the games, he would gladlyhave done so. Then the Earl said to Geraint, “Whatthought occupies thy mind, that thou dost not eat? If thouhesitatest about going to the games, thou shalt not go, and noother of thy rank shall ever go either.”“Heaven reward thee,” said Geraint, “but I wishnothing better than to go to the games, and to be shown the waythither.” “If that is what thou dost prefer,thou shalt obtain it willingly.” “I do preferit, indeed,” said he. Then they ate, and they wereamply served, and they had a variety of gifts, and abundance ofliquor. And when they had finished eating they arose.And Geraint called for his horse and his armour, and he accoutredboth himself and his horse. And all the hosts went forthuntil they came to the side of the hedge, and the hedge was solofty, that it reached as high as they could see in the air, andupon every stake in the hedge, except two, there was the head ofa man, and the number of stakes throughout the hedge was verygreat. Then said the Little King, “May no one go inwith the chieftain?” “No one may,” saidEarl Owain. “Which way can I enter?” inquiredGeraint. “I know not,” said Owain, “butenter by the way that thou wilt, and that seemeth easiest tothee.”

Then fearlessly and unhesitatingly Geraint dashed forward intothe mist. And on leaving the mist, he came to a largeorchard; and in the orchard he saw an open space, wherein was atent of red satin; and the door of the tent was open, and anapple-tree stood in front of the door of the tent; and on abranch of the apple-tree hung a huge hunting-horn. Then hedismounted, and went into the tent; and there was no one in thetent save one maiden sitting in a golden chair, and another chairwas opposite to her, empty. And Geraint went to the emptychair, and sat down therein. “Ah! chieftain,”said the maiden, “I would not counsel thee to sit in thatchair.” “Wherefore?” said Geraint.“The man to whom that chair belongs has never sufferedanother to sit in it.” “I care not,” saidGeraint, “though it displease him that I sit in thechair.” And thereupon they heard a mighty tumultaround the tent. And Geraint looked to see what was thecause of the tumult. And he beheld without a knight mountedupon a warhorse, proudly snorting, high-mettled, and large ofbone; and a robe of honour in two parts was upon him and upon hishorse, and beneath it was plenty of armour. “Tell me,chieftain,” said he to Geraint, “who it was that badethee sit there?” “Myself,” answeredhe. “It was wrong of thee to do me this shame anddisgrace. Arise, and do me satisfaction for thineinsolence.” Then Geraint arose; and they encounteredimmediately; and they broke a set of lances, and a second set,and a third; and they gave each other fierce and frequentstrokes; and at last Geraint became enraged, and he urged on hishorse, and rushed upon him, and gave him a thrust on the centreof his shield, so that it was split, and so that the head of hislance went through his armour, and his girths were broken, and hehimself was borne headlong to the ground the length ofGeraint’s lance and arm, over his horse’scrupper. “Oh, my Lord!” said he, “thymercy, and thou shalt have what thou wilt.” “Ionly desire,” said Geraint, “that this game shall nolonger exist here, nor the hedge of mist, nor magic, norenchantment.” “Thou shalt have this gladly,Lord,” he replied. “Cause, then, the mist todisappear from this place,” said Geraint.“Sound yonder horn,” said he, “and when thousoundest it, the mist will vanish; but it will not go henceunless the horn be blown by the knight by whom I amvanquished.” And sad and sorrowful was Enid where sheremained, through anxiety concerning Geraint. Then Geraintwent and sounded the horn. And at the first blast he gave,the mist vanished. And all the hosts came together, andthey all became reconciled to each other. And the Earlinvited Geraint and the Little King to stay with him thatnight. And the next morning they separated. AndGeraint went towards his own dominions; and thenceforth hereigned prosperously, and his warlike fame and splendour lastedwith renown and honour both to him and to Enid from that timeforth.

KILHWCH AND OLWEN
OR THE
TWRCH TRWYTH

Kilydd the son of Prince Kelyddon desired a wife as a helpmate, and the wifethat he chose was Goleuddydd, the daughter of Prince Anlawdd. And after theirunion, the people put up prayers that they might have an heir. And they had ason through the prayers of the people. From the time of her pregnancyGoleuddydd became wild, and wandered about, without habitation; but when herdelivery was at hand, her reason came back to her. Then she went to a mountainwhere there was a swineherd, keeping a herd of swine. And through fear of theswine the queen was delivered. And the swineherd took the boy, and brought himto the palace; and he was christened, and they called him Kilhwch, because hehad been found in a swine’s burrow. Nevertheless the boy was of gentlelineage, and cousin unto Arthur; and they put him out to nurse.

After this the boy’s mother, Goleuddydd, the daughter ofPrince Anlawdd, fell sick. Then she called her husband untoher, and said to him, “Of this sickness I shall die, andthou wilt take another wife. Now wives are the gift of theLord, but it would be wrong for thee to harm thy son.Therefore I charge thee that thou take not a wife until thou seea briar with two blossoms upon my grave.” And this hepromised her. Then she besought him to dress her graveevery year, that nothing might grow thereon. So the queendied. Now the king sent an attendant every morning to seeif anything were growing upon the grave. And at the end ofthe seventh year the master neglected that which he had promisedto the queen.

One day the king went to hunt, and he rode to the place ofburial to see the grave, and to know if it were time that heshould take a wife; and the king saw the briar. And when hesaw it, the king took counsel where he should find a wife.Said one of his counsellors, “I know a wife that will suitthee well, and she is the wife of King Doged.” Andthey resolved to go to seek her; and they slew the king, andbrought away his wife and one daughter that she had along withher. And they conquered the king’s lands.

On a certain day, as the lady walked abroad, she came to thehouse of an old crone that dwelt in the town, and that had notooth in her head. And the queen said to her, “Oldwoman, tell me that which I shall ask thee, for the love ofHeaven. Where are the children of the man who has carriedme away by violence?” Said the crone, “He hasnot children.” Said the queen, “Woe is me, thatI should have come to one who is childless!” Thensaid the hag, “Thou needest not lament on account of that,for there is a prediction he shall have an heir by thee, and bynone other. Moreover, be not sorrowful, for he has oneson.”

The lady returned home with joy; and she asked her consort,“Wherefore hast thou concealed thy children fromme?” The king said, “I will do so nolonger.” And he sent messengers for his son, and hewas brought to the Court. His stepmother said unto him,“It were well for thee to have a wife, and I have adaughter who is sought of every man of renown in theworld.” “I am not yet of an age to wed,”answered the youth. Then said she unto him, “Ideclare to thee, that it is thy destiny not to be suited with awife until thou obtain Olwen, the daughter of YspaddadenPenkawr.” And the youth blushed, and the love of themaiden diffused itself through all his frame, although he hadnever seen her. And his father inquired of him, “Whathas come over thee, my son, and what aileth thee?”“My stepmother has declared to me that I shall never have awife until I obtain Olwen, the daughter of YspaddadenPenkawr.” “That will be easy for thee,”answered his father. “Arthur is thy cousin. Go,therefore, unto Arthur, to cut thy hair, and ask this of him as aboon.”

And the youth pricked forth upon a steed with head dappledgrey, of four winters old, firm of limb, with shell-formed hoofs,having a bridle of linked gold on his head, and upon him a saddleof costly gold. And in the youth’s hand were twospears of silver, sharp, well-tempered, headed with steel, threeells in length, of an edge to wound the wind, and cause blood toflow, and swifter than the fall of the dewdrop from the blade ofreed-grass upon the earth when the dew of June is at theheaviest. A gold-hilted sword was upon his thigh, the bladeof which was of gold, bearing a cross of inlaid gold of the hueof the lightning of heaven: his war-horn was of ivory.Before him were two brindled white-breasted greyhounds, havingstrong collars of rubies about their necks, reaching from theshoulder to the ear. And the one that was on the left sidebounded across to the right side, and the one on the right to theleft, and like two sea-swallows sported around him. And hiscourser cast up four sods with his four hoofs, like four swallowsin the air, about his head, now above, now below. About himwas a four-cornered cloth of purple, and an apple of gold was ateach corner, and every one of the apples was of the value of anhundred kine. And there was precious gold of the value ofthree hundred kine upon his shoes, and upon his stirrups, fromhis knee to the tip of his toe. And the blade of grass bentnot beneath him, so light was his courser’s tread as hejourneyed towards the gate of Arthur’s Palace.

Spoke the youth, “Is there a porter?”“There is; and if thou holdest not thy peace, small will bethy welcome. I am Arthur’s porter every first day ofJanuary. And during every other part of the year but this,the office is filled by Huandaw, and Gogigwc, and Llaeskenym, andPennpingyon, who goes upon his head to save his feet, neithertowards the sky nor towards the earth, but like a rolling stoneupon the floor of the court.” “Open theportal.” “I will not open it.”“Wherefore not?” “The knife is in themeat, and the drink is in the horn, and there is revelry inArthur’s Hall, and none may enter therein but the son of aking of a privileged country, or a craftsman bringing hiscraft. But there will be refreshment for thy dogs, and forthy horses; and for thee there will be collops cooked andpeppered, and luscious wine and mirthful songs, and food forfifty men shall be brought unto thee in the guest chamber, wherethe stranger and the sons of other countries eat, who come notunto the precincts of the Palace of Arthur. Thou wilt fareno worse there than thou wouldest with Arthur in the Court.A lady shall smooth thy couch, and shall lull thee with songs;and early to-morrow morning, when the gate is open for themultitude that come hither to-day, for thee shall it be openedfirst, and thou mayest sit in the place that thou shalt choose inArthur’s Hall, from the upper end to thelower.” Said the youth, “That will I notdo. If thou openest the gate, it is well. If thoudost not open it, I will bring disgrace upon thy Lord, and evilreport upon thee. And I will set up three shouts at thisvery gate, than which none were ever more deadly, from the top ofPengwaed in Cornwall to the bottom of Dinsol, in the North, andto Esgair Oervel, in Ireland. And all the women in thisPalace that are pregnant shall lose their offspring; and such asare not pregnant, their hearts shall be turned by illness, sothat they shall never bear children from this dayforward.” “What clamour soever thou mayestmake,” said Glewlwyd Gavaelvawr, “against the laws ofArthur’s Palace shalt thou not enter therein, until I firstgo and speak with Arthur.”

Then Glewlwyd went into the Hall. And Arthur said tohim, “Hast thou news from thegate?”—“Half of my life is past, and half ofthine. I was heretofore in Kaer Se and Asse, in Sach andSalach, in Lotor and Fotor; and I have been heretofore in Indiathe Great and India the Lesser; and I was in the battle of DauYnyr, when the twelve hostages were brought from Llychlyn.And I have also been in Europe, and in Africa, and in the islandsof Corsica, and in Caer Brythwch, and Brythach, and Verthach; andI was present when formerly thou didst slay the family of Clisthe son of Merin, and when thou didst slay Mil Du the son ofDucum, and when thou didst conquer Greece in the East. AndI have been in Caer Oeth and Annoeth, and in Caer Nevenhyr; ninesupreme sovereigns, handsome men, saw we there, but never did Ibehold a man of equal dignity with him who is now at the door ofthe portal.” Then said Arthur, “If walking thoudidst enter in here, return thou running. And every onethat beholds the light, and every one that opens and shuts theeye, let them shew him respect, and serve him, some withgold-mounted drinking-horns, others with collops cooked andpeppered, until food and drink can be prepared for him. Itis unbecoming to keep such a man as thou sayest he is, in thewind and the rain.” Said Kai, “By the hand ofmy friend, if thou wouldest follow my counsel, thou wouldest notbreak through the laws of the Court because of him.”“Not so, blessed Kai. It is an honour to us to beresorted to, and the greater our courtesy the greater will be ourrenown, and our fame, and our glory.”

And Glewlwyd came to the gate, and opened the gate before him;and although all dismounted upon the horseblock at the gate, yetdid he not dismount, but rode in upon his charger. Thensaid Kilhwch, “Greeting be unto thee, Sovereign Ruler ofthis Island; and be this greeting no less unto the lowest thanunto the highest, and be it equally unto thy guests, and thywarriors, and thy chieftains—let all partake of it ascompletely as thyself. And complete be thy favour, and thyfame, and thy glory, throughout all this Island.”“Greeting unto thee also,” said Arthur; “sitthou between two of my warriors, and thou shalt have minstrelsbefore thee, and thou shalt enjoy the privileges of a king bornto a throne, as long as thou remainest here. And when Idispense my presents to the visitors and strangers in this Court,they shall be in thy hand at my commencing.” Said theyouth, “I came not here to consume meat and drink; but if Iobtain the boon that I seek, I will requite it thee, and extolthee; and if I have it not, I will bear forth thy dispraise tothe four quarters of the world, as far as thy renown hasextended.” Then said Arthur, “Since thou wiltnot remain here, chieftain, thou shalt receive the boonwhatsoever thy tongue may name, as far as the wind dries, and therain moistens, and the sun revolves, and the sea encircles, andthe earth extends; save only my ship; and my mantle; andCaledvwlch, my sword; and Rhongomyant, my lance; andWynebgwrthucher, my shield; and Carnwenhau, my dagger; andGwenhwyvar, my wife. By the truth of Heaven, thou shalthave it cheerfully, name what thou wilt.” “Iwould that thou bless my hair.” “That shall begranted thee.”

And Arthur took a golden comb, and scissors, whereof the loopswere of silver, and he combed his hair. And Arthur inquiredof him who he was. “For my heart warms unto thee, andI know that thou art come of my blood. Tell me, therefore,who thou art.” “I will tell thee,” saidthe youth. “I am Kilhwch, the son of Kilydd, the sonof Prince Kelyddon, by Goleuddydd, my mother, the daughter ofPrince Anlawdd.” “That is true,” saidArthur; “thou art my cousin. Whatsoever boon thoumayest ask, thou shalt receive, be it what it may that thy tongueshall name.” “Pledge the truth of Heaven andthe faith of thy kingdom thereof.” “I pledge itthee, gladly.” “I crave of thee then, that thouobtain for me Olwen, the daughter of Yspaddaden Penkawr; and thisboon I likewise seek at the hands of thy warriors. I seekit from Kai, and Bedwyr, and Greidawl Galldonyd, and Gwythyr theson of Greidawl, and Greid the son of Eri, and KynddeligKyvarwydd, and Tathal Twyll Goleu, and Maelwys the son ofBaeddan, and Crychwr the son of Nes, and Cubert the son of Daere,and Percos the son of Poch, and Lluber Beuthach, and CorvilBervach, and Gwynn the son of Nudd, and Edeyrn the son of Nudd,and Gadwy the son of Geraint, and Prince Fflewddur Fflam, andRuawn Pebyr the son of Dorath, and Bradwen the son of MorenMynawc, and Moren Mynawc himself, and Dalldav the son of KiminCôv, and the son of Alun Dyved, and the son of Saidi, andthe son of Gwryon, and Uchtryd Ardywad Kad, and Kynwas Curvagyl,and Gwrhyr Gwarthegvras, and Isperyr Ewingath, and GallcoytGovynynat, and Duach, and Grathach, and Nerthach, the sons ofGwawrddur Kyrvach (these men came forth from the confines ofhell), and Kilydd Canhastyr, and Canastyr Kanllaw, and CorsCant-Ewin, and Esgeir Gulhwch Govynkawn, and Drustwrn Hayarn, andGlewlwyd Gavaelvawr, and Lloch Llawwynnyawc, and AunwasAdeiniawc, and Sinnoch the son of Seithved, and Gwennwynwyn theson of Naw, and Bedyw the son of Seithved, and Gobrwy the son ofEchel Vorddwyttwll, and Echel Vorddwyttwll himself, and Mael theson of Roycol, and Dadweir Dallpenn, and Garwyli the son ofGwythawc Gwyr, and Gwythawc Gwyr himself, and Gormant the son ofRicca, and Menw the son of Teirgwaedd, and Digon the son of Alar,and Selyf the son of Smoit, and Gusg the son of Atheu, and Nerththe son of Kedarn, and Drudwas the son of Tryffin, and Twrch theson of Perif, and Twrch the son of Annwas, and Iona king ofFrance, and Sel the son of Selgi, and Teregud the son of Iaen,and Sulyen the son of Iaen, and Bradwen the son of Iaen, andMoren the son of Iaen, and Siawn the son of Iaen, and Cradawc theson of Iaen. (They were men of Caerdathal, ofArthur’s kindred on his father’s side.) Dirmygthe son of Kaw, and Justic the son of Kaw, and Etmic the son ofKaw, and Anghawd the son of Kaw, and Ovan the son of Kaw, andKelin the son of Kaw, and Connyn the son of Kaw, and Mabsant theson of Kaw, and Gwyngad the son of Kaw, and Llwybyr the son ofKaw, and Coth the son of Kaw, and Meilic the son of Kaw, andKynwas the son of Kaw, and Ardwyad the son of Kaw, and Ergyryadthe son of Kaw, and Neb the son of Kaw, and Gilda the son of Kaw,and Calcas the son of Kaw, and Hueil the son of Kaw (he never yetmade a request at the hand of any Lord). And SamsonVinsych, and Taliesin the chief of the bards, and Manawyddan theson of Llyr, and Llary the son of Prince Kasnar, and Ysperni theson of Fflergant king of Armorica, and Saranhon the son ofGlythwyr, and Llawr Eilerw, and Annyanniawc the son of Menw theson of Teirgwaedd, and Gwynn the son of Nwyvre, and Fflam the sonof Nwyvre, and Geraint the son of Erbin, and Ermid the son ofErbin, and Dyvel the son of Erbin, and Gwynn the son of Ermid,and Kyndrwyn the son of Ermid, and Hyveidd Unllenn, and EiddonVawr Vrydic, and Reidwn Arwy, and Gormant the son of Ricca(Arthur’s brother by his mother’s side; the Penhynevof Cornwall was his father), and Llawnrodded Varvawc, and NodawlVaryf Twrch, and Berth the son of Kado, and Rheidwn the son ofBeli, and Iscovan Hael, and Iscawin the son of Panon, and Morvranthe son of Tegid (no one struck him in the battle of Camlan byreason of his ugliness; all thought he was an auxiliarydevil. Hair had he upon him like the hair of a stag).And Sandde Bryd Angel (no one touched him with a spear in thebattle of Camlan because of his beauty; all thought he was aministering angel). And Kynwyl Sant (the third man thatescaped from the battle of Camlan, and he was the last who partedfrom Arthur on Hengroen his horse). And Uchtryd the son ofErim, and Eus the son of Erim, and Henwas Adeinawg the son ofErim, and Henbedestyr the son of Erim, and Sgilti Yscawndroed theson of Erim. (Unto these three men belonged these threequalities,—With Henbedestyr there was not any one who couldkeep pace, either on horseback or on foot; with Henwas Adeinawg,no four-footed beast could run the distance of an acre, much lesscould it go beyond it; and as to Sgilti Yscawndroed, when heintended to go upon a message for his Lord, he never sought tofind a path, but knowing whither he was to go, if his way laythrough a wood he went along the tops of the trees. Duringhis whole life, a blade of reed grass bent not beneath his feet,much less did one ever break, so lightly did he tread.)Teithi Hên the son of Gwynhan (his dominions were swallowedup by the sea, and he himself hardly escaped, and he came toArthur; and his knife had this peculiarity, that from the timethat he came there no haft would ever remain upon it, and owingto this a sickness came over him, and he pined away during theremainder of his life, and of this he died). And Carneddyrthe son of Govynyon Hên, and Gwenwynwyn the son of NavGyssevin, Arthur’s champion, and Llysgadrudd Emys, andGwrbothu Hên (uncles unto Arthur were they, hismother’s brothers). Kulvanawyd the son of Goryon, andLlenlleawg Wyddel from the headland of Ganion, and Dyvynwal Moel,and Dunard king of the North, Teirnon Twryf Bliant, and TegvanGloff, and Tegyr Talgellawg, Gwrdinal the son of Ebrei, andMorgant Hael, Gwystyl the son of Rhun the son of Nwython, andLlwyddeu the son of Nwython, and Gwydre the son of Llwyddeu(Gwenabwy the daughter of [Kaw] was his mother, Hueil his unclestabbed him, and hatred was between Hueil and Arthur because ofthe wound). Drem the son of Dremidyd (when the gnat arosein the morning with the sun, he could see it from Gelli Wic inCornwall, as far off as Pen Blathaon in North Britain). AndEidyol the son of Ner, and Glwyddyn Saer (who constructedEhangwen, Arthur’s Hall). Kynyr Keinvarvawc (when hewas told he had a son born he said to his wife, ‘Damsel, ifthy son be mine, his heart will be always cold, and there will beno warmth in his hands; and he will have another peculiarity, ifhe is my son he will always be stubborn; and he will have anotherpeculiarity, when he carries a burden, whether it be large orsmall, no one will be able to see it, either before him or at hisback; and he will have another peculiarity, no one will be ableto resist fire and water so well as he will; and he will haveanother peculiarity, there will never be a servant or an officerequal to him’). Henwas, and Henwyneb (an oldcompanion to Arthur). Gwallgoyc (another; when he came to atown, though there were three hundred houses in it, if he wantedanything, he would not let sleep come to the eyes of any onewhilst he remained there). Berwyn the son of Gerenhir, andParis king of France, and Osla Gyllellvawr (who bore a shortbroad dagger. When Arthur and his hosts came before atorrent, they would seek for a narrow place where they might passthe water, and would lay the sheathed dagger across the torrent,and it would form a bridge sufficient for the armies of the threeIslands of Britain, and of the three islands adjacent, with theirspoil). Gwyddawg the son of Menestyr (who slew Kai, andwhom Arthur slew, together with his brothers, to revengeKai). Garanwyn the son of Kai, and Amren the son of Bedwyr,and Ely Amyr, and Rheu Rhwyd Dyrys, and Rhun Rhudwern, and Eli,and Trachmyr (Arthur’s chief huntsmen). And Llwyddeuthe son of Kelcoed, and Hunabwy the son of Gwryon, and GwynnGodyvron, and Gweir Datharwenniddawg, and Gweir the son of Cadellthe son of Talaryant, and Gweir Gwrhyd Ennwir, and Gweir PaladyrHir (the uncles of Arthur, the brothers of his mother). Thesons of Llwch Llawwynnyawg (from beyond the raging sea).Llenlleawg Wyddel, and Ardderchawg Prydain. Cas the son ofSaidi, Gwrvan Gwallt Avwyn, and Gwyllennhin the king of France,and Gwittart the son of Oedd king of Ireland. GarselitWyddel, Panawr Pen Bagad, and Ffleudor the son of Nav, Gwynnhyvarmayor of Cornwall and Devon (the ninth man that rallied thebattle of Camlan). Keli and Kueli, and Gilla Coes Hydd (hewould clear three hundred acres at one bound: the chief leaper ofIreland was he). Sol, and Gwadyn Ossol, and GwadynOdyeith. (Sol could stand all day upon one foot.Gwadyn Ossol, if he stood upon the top of the highest mountain inthe world, it would become a level plain under his feet.Gwadyn Odyeith, the soles of his feet emitted sparks of fire whenthey struck upon things hard, like the heated mass when drawn outof the forge. He cleared the way for Arthur when he came toany stoppage.) Hirerwm and Hiratrwm. (The day theywent on a visit three Cantrevs provided for their entertainment,and they feasted until noon and drank until night, when they wentto sleep. And then they devoured the heads of the verminthrough hunger, as if they had never eaten anything. Whenthey made a visit they left neither the fat nor the lean, neitherthe hot nor the cold, the sour nor the sweet, the fresh nor thesalt, the boiled nor the raw.) Huarwar the son of Aflawn(who asked Arthur such a boon as would satisfy him. It wasthe third great plague of Cornwall when he received it.None could get a smile from him but when he was satisfied).Gware Gwallt Euryn. The two cubs of Gast Rhymi, Gwyddrudand Gwyddneu Astrus. Sugyn the son of Sugnedydd (who wouldsuck up the sea on which were three hundred ships so as to leavenothing but a dry strand. He was broad-chested).Rhacymwri, the attendant of Arthur (whatever barn he was shown,were there the produce of thirty ploughs within it, he wouldstrike it with an iron flail until the rafters, the beams, andthe boards were no better than the small oats in the mow upon thefloor of the barn). Dygyflwng and Anoeth Veidawg. AndHir Eiddyl, and Hir Amreu (they were two attendants ofArthur). And Gwevyl the son of Gwestad (on the day that hewas sad, he would let one of his lips drop below his waist, whilehe turned up the other like a cap upon his head). UchtrydVaryf Draws (who spread his red untrimmed beard over theeight-and-forty rafters which were in Arthur’s Hall).Elidyr Gyvarwydd. Yskyrdav and Yscudydd (two attendants ofGwenhwyvar were they. Their feet were swift as theirthoughts when bearing a message). Brys the son ofBryssethach (from the Hill of the Black Fernbrake in NorthBritain). And Grudlwyn Gorr. Bwlch, and Kyfwlch, andSefwlch, the sons of Cleddyf Kyfwlch, the grandsons of CleddyfDifwlch. (Their three shields were three gleamingglitterers; their three spears were three pointed piercers; theirthree swords were three grinding gashers; Glas, Glessic, andGleisad. Their three dogs, Call, Cuall, and Cavall.Their three horses, Hwyrdyddwd, and Drwgdyddwd, andLlwyrdyddwg. Their three wives, Och, and Garym, andDiaspad. Their three grandchildren, Lluched, and Neved, andEissiwed. Their three daughters, Drwg, and Gwaeth, andGwaethav Oll. Their three hand-maids, Eheubryd the daughterof Kyfwlch, Gorascwrn the daughter of Nerth, Ewaedan the daughterof Kynvelyn Keudawd Pwyll the half-man.) Dwnn DiessicUnbenn, Eiladyr the son of Pen Llarcau, Kynedyr Wyllt the son ofHettwn Talaryant, Sawyl Ben Uchel, Gwalchmai the son of Gwyar,Gwalhaved the son of Gwyar, Gwrhyr Gwastawd Ieithoedd (to whomall tongues were known), and Kethcrwm the Priest. Clust theson of Clustveinad (though he were buried seven cubits beneaththe earth, he would hear the ant fifty miles off rise from hernest in the morning). Medyr the son of Methredydd (fromGelli Wic he could, in a twinkling, shoot the wren through thetwo legs upon Esgeir Oervel in Ireland). Gwiawn Llygad Cath(who could cut a haw from the eye of the gnat without hurtinghim). Ol the son of Olwydd (seven years before he was bornhis father’s swine were carried off, and when he grew up aman he tracked the swine, and brought them back in sevenherds). Bedwini the Bishop (who blessed Arthur’s meatand drink). For the sake of the golden-chained daughters ofthis island. For the sake of Gwenhwyvar its chief lady, andGwennhwyach her sister, and Rathtyeu the only daughter ofClemenhill, and Rhelemon the daughter of Kai, and Tannwen thedaughter of Gweir Datharwenîddawg. Gwenn Alarch thedaughter of Kynwyl Canbwch. Eurneid the daughter of ClydnoEiddin. Eneuawc the daughter of Bedwyr. Enrydreg thedaughter of Tudvathar. Gwennwledyr the daughter of GwaledyrKyrvach. Erddudnid the daughter of Tryffin. Eurolwenthe daughter of Gwdolwyn Gorr. Teleri the daughter ofPeul. Indeg the daughter of Garwy Hir. Morvudd thedaughter of Urien Rheged. Gwenllian Deg the majesticmaiden. Creiddylad the daughter of Lludd Llaw Ereint.(She was the most splendid maiden in the three Islands of themighty, and in the three Islands adjacent, and for her Gwythyrthe son of Greidawl and Gwynn the son of Nudd fight every firstof May until the day of doom.) Ellylw the daughter of NeolKynn-Crog (she lived three ages). Essyllt Vinwen andEssyllt Vingul.” And all these did Kilhwch the son ofKilydd adjure to obtain his boon.

Then said Arthur, “Oh! chieftain, I have never heard ofthe maiden of whom thou speakest, nor of her kindred, but I willgladly send messengers in search of her. Give me time toseek her.” And the youth said, “I willwillingly grant from this night to that at the end of the year todo so.” Then Arthur sent messengers to every landwithin his dominions to seek for the maiden; and at the end ofthe year Arthur’s messengers returned without having gainedany knowledge or intelligence concerning Olwen more than on thefirst day. Then said Kilhwch, “Every one has receivedhis boon, and I yet lack mine. I will depart and bear awaythy honour with me.” Then said Kai, “Rashchieftain! dost thou reproach Arthur? Go with us, and wewill not part until thou dost either confess that the maidenexists not in the world, or until we obtain her.”Thereupon Kai rose up. Kai had this peculiarity, that hisbreath lasted nine nights and nine days under water, and he couldexist nine nights and nine days without sleep. A wound fromKai’s sword no physician could heal. Very subtle wasKai. When it pleased him he could render himself as tall asthe highest tree in the forest. And he had anotherpeculiarity,—so great was the heat of his nature, that,when it rained hardest, whatever he carried remained dry for ahandbreadth above and a handbreadth below his hand; and when hiscompanions were coldest, it was to them as fuel with which tolight their fire.

And Arthur called Bedwyr, who never shrank from any enterpriseupon which Kai was bound. None was equal to him inswiftness throughout this island except Arthur and Drych AilKibddar. And although he was one-handed, three warriorscould not shed blood faster than he on the field of battle.Another property he had; his lance would produce a wound equal tothose of nine opposing lances.

And Arthur called to Kynddelig the Guide, “Go thou uponthis expedition with the chieftain.” For as good aguide was he in a land which he had never seen as he was in hisown.

He called Gwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoedd, because he knew alltongues.

He called Gwalchmai the son of Gwyar, because he neverreturned home without achieving the adventure of which he went inquest. He was the best of footmen and the best ofknights. He was nephew to Arthur, the son of his sister,and his cousin.

And Arthur called Menw the son of Teirgwaedd, in order that ifthey went into a savage country, he might cast a charm and anillusion over them, so that none might see them whilst they couldsee every one.

They journeyed until they came to a vast open plain, whereinthey saw a great castle, which was the fairest of the castles ofthe world. And they journeyed that day until the evening,and when they thought they were nigh to the castle, they were nonearer to it than they had been in the morning. And thesecond and the third day they journeyed, and even then scarcelycould they reach so far. And when they came before thecastle, they beheld a vast flock of sheep, which was boundlessand without an end. And upon the top of a mound there was aherdsman, keeping the sheep. And a rug made of skins wasupon him; and by his side was a shaggy mastiff, larger than asteed nine winters old. Never had he lost even a lamb fromhis flock, much less a large sheep. He let no occasion everpass without doing some hurt and harm. All the dead treesand bushes in the plain he burnt with his breath down to the veryground.

Then said Kai, “Gwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoedd, go thou andsalute yonder man.” “Kai,” said he,“I engaged not to go further than thouthyself.” “Let us go then together,”answered Kai. Said Menw the son of Teirgwaedd, “Fearnot to go thither, for I will cast a spell upon the dog, so thathe shall injure no one.” And they went up to themound whereon the herdsman was, and they said to him, “Howdost thou fare, O herdsman?” “No less fair beit to you than to me.” “Truly, art thou thechief?” “There is no hurt to injure me but myown.” [5] “Whose are the sheep thatthou dost keep, and to whom does yonder castlebelong?” “Stupid are ye, truly! Throughthe whole world is it known that this is the castle of YspaddadenPenkawr.” “And who art thou?”“I am called Custennin the son of Dyfnedig, and my brotherYspaddaden Penkawr oppressed me because of my possessions.And ye also, who are ye?” “We are an embassyfrom Arthur, come to seek Olwen the daughter of YspaddadenPenkawr.” “Oh men! the mercy of Heaven be uponyou, do not that for all the world. None who ever camehither on this quest has returned alive.” And theherdsman rose up. And as he arose, Kilhwch gave unto him aring of gold. And he sought to put on the ring, but it wastoo small for him, so he placed it in the finger of hisglove. And he went home, and gave the glove to his spouseto keep. And she took the ring from the glove when it wasgiven her, and she said, “Whence came this ring, for thouart not wont to have good fortune?” “Iwent,” said he, “to the sea to seek for fish, and lo,I saw a corpse borne by the waves. And a fairer corpse thanit did I never behold. And from its finger did I take thisring.” “O man! does the sea permit its dead towear jewels? Show me then this body.” “Ohwife, him to whom this ring belonged thou shalt see here in theevening.” “And who is he?” asked thewoman, “Kilhwch the son of Kilydd, the son of PrinceKelyddon, by Goleuddydd the daughter of Prince Anlawdd, hismother, who is come to seek Olwen as his wife.” Andwhen she heard that, her feelings were divided between the joythat she had that her nephew, the son of her sister, was comingto her, and sorrow because she had never known any one departalive who had come on that quest.

And they went forward to the gate of Custennin theherdsman’s dwelling. And when she heard theirfootsteps approaching, she ran out with joy to meet them.And Kai snatched a billet out of the pile. And when she metthem she sought to throw her arms about their necks. AndKai placed the log between her two hands, and she squeezed it sothat it became a twisted coil. “Oh woman,” saidKai, “if thou hadst squeezed me thus, none could ever againhave set their affections on me. Evil love werethis.” They entered into the house, and were served;and soon after they all went forth to amuse themselves.Then the woman opened a stone chest that was before thechimney-corner, and out of it arose a youth with yellow curlinghair. Said Gwrhyr, “It is a pity to hide thisyouth. I know that it is not his own crime that is thusvisited upon him.” “This is but aremnant,” said the woman. “Three-and-twenty ofmy sons has Yspaddaden Penkawr slain, and I have no more hope ofthis one than of the others.” Then said Kai,“Let him come and be a companion with me, and he shall notbe slain unless I also am slain with him.” And theyate. And the woman asked them, “Upon what errand comeyou here?” “We come to seek Olwen for thisyouth.” Then said the woman, “In the name ofHeaven, since no one from the castle hath yet seen you, returnagain whence you came.” “Heaven is our witness,that we will not return until we have seen themaiden.” Said Kai, “Does she ever come hither,so that she may be seen?” “She comes here everySaturday to wash her head, and in the vessel where she washes,she leaves all her rings, and she never either comes herself orsends any messengers to fetch them.”

“Will she come here if she is sent to?”“Heaven knows that I will not destroy my soul, nor will Ibetray those that trust me; unless you will pledge me your faiththat you will not harm her, I will not send to her.”“We pledge it,” said they. So a message wassent, and she came.

The maiden was clothed in a robe of flame-coloured silk, andabout her neck was a collar of ruddy gold, on which were preciousemeralds and rubies. More yellow was her head than theflower of the broom, and her skin was whiter than the foam of thewave, and fairer were her hands and her fingers than the blossomsof the wood anemone amidst the spray of the meadowfountain. The eye of the trained hawk, the glance of thethree-mewed falcon was not brighter than hers. Her bosomwas more snowy than the breast of the white swan, her cheek wasredder than the reddest roses. Whoso beheld her was filledwith her love. Four white trefoils sprung up wherever shetrod. And therefore was she called Olwen.

She entered the house, and sat beside Kilhwch upon theforemost bench; and as soon as he saw her he knew her. AndKilhwch said unto her, “Ah! maiden, thou art she whom Ihave loved; come away with me, lest they speak evil of thee andof me. Many a day have I loved thee.” “Icannot do this, for I have pledged my faith to my father not togo without his counsel, for his life will last only until thetime of my espousals. Whatever is, must be. But Iwill give thee advice if thou wilt take it. Go, ask me ofmy father, and that which he shall require of thee, grant it, andthou wilt obtain me; but if thou deny him anything, thou wilt notobtain me, and it will be well for thee if thou escape with thylife.” “I promise all this, if occasionoffer,” said he.

She returned to her chamber, and they all rose up and followedher to the castle. And they slew the nine porters that wereat the nine gates in silence. And they slew the ninewatch-dogs without one of them barking. And they wentforward to the hall.

“The greeting of Heaven and of man be unto thee,Yspaddaden Penkawr,” said they. “And you,wherefore come you?” “We come to ask thydaughter Olwen, for Kilhwch the son of Kilydd, the son of PrinceKelyddon.” “Where are my pages and myservants? Raise up the forks beneath my two eyebrows whichhave fallen over my eyes, that I may see the fashion of myson-in-law.” And they did so. “Comehither to-morrow, and you shall have an answer.”

They rose to go forth, and Yspaddaden Penkawr seized one ofthe three poisoned darts that lay beside him, and threw it afterthem. And Bedwyr caught it, and flung it, and piercedYspaddaden Penkawr grievously with it through the knee.Then he said, “A cursed ungentle son-in-law, truly. Ishall ever walk the worse for his rudeness, and shall ever bewithout a cure. This poisoned iron pains me like the biteof a gadfly. Cursed be the smith who forged it, and theanvil whereon it was wrought! So sharp is it!”

That night also they took up their abode in the house ofCustennin the herdsman. The next day with the dawn theyarrayed themselves in haste and proceeded to the castle, andentered the hall, and they said, “Yspaddaden Penkawr, giveus thy daughter in consideration of her dower and her maiden fee,which we will pay to thee and to her two kinswomenlikewise. And unless thou wilt do so, thou shalt meet withthy death on her account.” Then he said, “Herfour great-grandmothers, and her four great-grandsires are yetalive, it is needful that I take counsel of them.”“Be it so,” answered they, “we will go tomeat.” As they rose up, he took the second dart thatwas beside him, and cast it after them. And Menw the son ofGwaedd caught it, and flung it back at him, and wounded him inthe centre of the breast, so that it came out at the small of hisback. “A cursed ungentle son-in-law, truly,”said he, “the hard iron pains me like the bite of ahorse-leech. Cursed be the hearth whereon it was heated,and the smith who formed it! So sharp is it!Henceforth, whenever I go up a hill, I shall have a scant in mybreath, and a pain in my chest, and I shall often loathe myfood.” And they went to meat.

And the third day they returned to the palace. AndYspaddaden Penkawr said to them, “Shoot not at me againunless you desire death. Where are my attendants?Lift up the forks of my eyebrows which have fallen over myeyeballs, that I may see the fashion of myson-in-law.” Then they arose, and, as they did so,Yspaddaden Penkawr took the third poisoned dart and cast it atthem. And Kilhwch caught it and threw it vigorously, andwounded him through the eyeball, so that the dart came out at theback of his head. “A cursed ungentle son-in-law,truly! As long as I remain alive, my eyesight will be theworse. Whenever I go against the wind, my eyes will water;and peradventure my head will burn, and I shall have a giddinessevery new moon. Cursed be the fire in which it wasforged. Like the bite of a mad dog is the stroke of thispoisoned iron.” And they went to meat.

And the next day they came again to the palace, and they said,“Shoot not at us any more, unless thou desirest such hurt,and harm, and torture as thou now hast, and evenmore.” “Give me thy daughter, and if thou wiltnot give her, thou shalt receive thy death because ofher.” “Where is he that seeks mydaughter? Come hither where I may see thee.”And they placed him a chair face to face with him.

Said Yspaddaden Penkawr, “Is it thou that seekest mydaughter?” “It is I,” answeredKilhwch. “I must have thy pledge that thou wilt notdo towards me otherwise than is just, and when I have gotten thatwhich I shall name, my daughter thou shalt have.”“I promise thee that willingly,” said Kilhwch,“name what thou wilt.” “I will doso,” said he.

“Seest thou yonder vast hill?” “I seeit.” “I require that it be rooted up, and thatthe grubbings be burned for manure on the face of the land, andthat it be ploughed and sown in one day, and in one day that thegrain ripen. And of that wheat I intend to make food andliquor fit for the wedding of thee and my daughter. And allthis I require done in one day.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though this be easy for thee, there is yet that whichwill not be so. No husbandman can till or prepare thisland, so wild is it, except Amaethon the son of Don, and he willnot come with thee by his own free will, and thou wilt not beable to compel him.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. Govannon the son of Don to come to the headland torid the iron, he will do no work of his own good will except fora lawful king, and thou wilt not be able to compelhim.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get; the two dun oxen of Gwlwlyd, both yoked together, toplough the wild land yonder stoutly. He will not give themof his own free will, and thou wilt not be able to compelhim.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get; the yellow and the brindled bull yoked together do Irequire.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get; the two horned oxen, one of which is beyond, and theother this side of the peaked mountain, yoked together in thesame plough. And these are Nynniaw and Peibaw whom Godturned into oxen on account of their sins.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. Seest thou yonder red tilled ground?”

“I see it.”

“When first I met the mother of this maiden, ninebushels of flax were sown therein, and none has yet sprung up,neither white nor black; and I have the measure by mestill. I require to have the flax to sow in the new landyonder, that when it grows up it may make a white wimple for mydaughter’s head, on the day of thy wedding.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. Honey that is nine times sweeter than the honey ofthe virgin swarm, without scum and bees, do I require to makebragget for the feast.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“The vessel of Llwyr the son of Llwyryon, which is ofthe utmost value. There is no other vessel in the worldthat can hold this drink. Of his free will thou wilt notget it, and thou canst not compel him.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. The basket of Gwyddneu Garanhir, if the wholeworld should come together, thrice nine men at a time, the meatthat each of them desired would be found within it. Irequire to eat therefrom on the night that my daughter becomesthy bride. He will give it to no one of his own free will,and thou canst not compel him.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. The horn of Gwlgawd Gododin to serve us withliquor that night. He will not give it of his own freewill, and thou wilt not be able to compel him.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. The harp of Teirtu to play to us that night.When a man desires that it should play, it does so of itself, andwhen he desires that it should cease, it ceases. And thishe will not give of his own free will, and thou wilt not be ableto compel him.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. The cauldron of Diwrnach Wyddel, the steward ofOdgar the son of Aedd, king of Ireland, to boil the meat for thymarriage feast.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. It is needful for me to wash my head, and shave mybeard, and I require the tusk of Yskithyrwyn Penbaedd to shavemyself withal, neither shall I profit by its use if it be notplucked alive out of his head.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. There is no one in the world that can pluck it outof his head except Odgar the son of Aedd, king ofIreland.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. I will not trust any one to keep the tusk exceptGado of North Britain. Now the threescore Cantrevs of NorthBritain are under his sway, and of his own free will he will notcome out of his kingdom, and thou wilt not be able to compelhim.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. I must spread out my hair in order to shave it,and it will never be spread out unless I have the blood of thejet-black sorceress, the daughter of the pure white sorceress,from Pen Nant Govid, on the confines of Hell.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. I will not have the blood unless I have it warm,and no vessels will keep warm the liquid that is put thereinexcept the bottles of Gwyddolwyd Gorr, which preserve the heat ofthe liquor that is put into them in the east, until they arriveat the west. And he will not give them of his own freewill, and thou wilt not be able to compel him.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. Some will desire fresh milk, and it will not bepossible to have fresh milk for all, unless we have the bottlesof Rhinnon Rhin Barnawd, wherein no liquor ever turns sour.And he will not give them of his own free will, and thou wilt notbe able to compel him.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. Throughout the world there is not a comb orscissors with which I can arrange my hair, on account of itsrankness, except the comb and scissors that are between the twoears of Twrch Trwyth, the son of Prince Tared. He will notgive them of his own free will, and thou wilt not be able tocompel him.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. It will not be possible to hunt Twrch Trwythwithout Drudwyn the whelp of Greid, the son of Eri.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. Throughout the world there is not a leash that canhold him, except the leash of Cwrs Cant Ewin.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. Throughout the world there is no collar that willhold the leash except the collar of Canhastyr Canllaw.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. The chain of Kilydd Canhastyr to fasten the collarto the leash.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. Throughout the world there is not a huntsman whocan hunt with this dog, except Mabon the son of Modron. Hewas taken from his mother when three nights old, and it is notknown where he now is, nor whether he is living ordead.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. Gwynn Mygdwn, the horse of Gweddw, that is asswift as the wave, to carry Mabon the son of Modron to hunt theboar Trwyth. He will not give him of his own free will, andthou wilt not be able to compel him.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. Thou wilt not get Mabon, for it is not known wherehe is, unless thou find Eidoel, his kinsman in blood, the son ofAer. For it would be useless to seek for him. He ishis cousin.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. Garselit the Gwyddelian is the chief huntsman ofIreland; the Twrch Trwyth can never be hunted withouthim.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. A leash made from the beard of Dillus Varvawc, forthat is the only one that can hold those two cubs. And theleash will be of no avail unless it be plucked from his beardwhile he is alive, and twitched out with wooden tweezers.While he lives he will not suffer this to be done to him, and theleash will be of no use should he be dead, because it will bebrittle.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. Throughout the world there is no huntsman that canhold those two whelps except Kynedyr Wyllt, the son of HettwnGlafyrawc; he is nine times more wild than the wildest beast uponthe mountains. Him wilt thou never get, neither wilt thouever get my daughter.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. It is not possible to hunt the boar Trwyth withoutGwynn the son of Nudd, whom God has placed over the brood ofdevils in Annwvyn, lest they should destroy the presentrace. He will never be spared thence.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. There is not a horse in the world that can carryGwynn to hunt the Twrch Trwyth, except Du, the horse of Mor ofOerveddawg.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. Until Gilennhin the king of France shall come, theTwrch Trwyth cannot be hunted. It will be unseemly for himto leave his kingdom for thy sake, and he will never comehither.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. The Twrch Trwyth can never be hunted without theson of Alun Dyved; he is well skilled in letting loose thedogs.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. The Twrch Trwyth cannot be hunted unless thou getAned and Aethlem. They are as swift as the gale of wind,and they were never let loose upon a beast that they did not killhim.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get; Arthur and his companions to hunt the TwrchTrwyth. He is a mighty man, and he will not come for thee,neither wilt thou be able to compel him.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. The Twrch Trwyth cannot be hunted unless thou getBwlch, and Kyfwlch [and Sefwlch], the grandsons of CleddyfDifwlch. Their three shields are three gleamingglitterers. Their three spears are three pointedpiercers. Their three swords are three griding gashers,Glas, Glessic, and Clersag. Their three dogs, Call, Cuall,and Cavall. Their three horses, Hwyrdydwg, and Drwgdydwg,and Llwyrdydwg. Their three wives, Och, and Garam, andDiaspad. Their three grandchildren, Lluched, and Vyned, andEissiwed. Their three daughters, Drwg, and Gwaeth, andGwaethav Oll. Their three hand-maids [Eheubryd, thedaughter of Kyfwlch; Gorasgwrn, the daughter of Nerth; andGwaedan, the daughter of Kynvelyn]. These three men shallsound the horn, and all the others shall shout, so that all willthink that the sky is falling to the earth.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. The sword of Gwrnach the Giant; he will never beslain except therewith. Of his own free will he will notgive it, either for a price or as a gift, and thou wilt never beable to compel him.”

“It will be easy for me to compass this, although thoumayest think that it will not be easy.”

“Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wiltnot get. Difficulties shalt thou meet with, and nightswithout sleep, in seeking this, and if thou obtain it not,neither shalt thou obtain my daughter.”

“Horses shall I have, and chivalry; and my lord andkinsman Arthur will obtain for me all these things. And Ishall gain thy daughter, and thou shalt lose thy life.”

“Go forward. And thou shalt not be chargeable forfood or raiment for my daughter while thou art seeking thesethings; and when thou hast compassed all these marvels, thoushalt have my daughter for thy wife.”

All that day they journeyed until the evening, and then theybeheld a vast castle, which was the largest in the world.And lo, a black man, huger than three of the men of this world,came out from the castle. And they spoke unto him,“Whence comest thou, O man?” “From thecastle which you see yonder.” “Whose castle isthat?” asked they. “Stupid are ye truly, Omen. There is no one in the world that does not know towhom this castle belongs. It is the castle of Gwrnach theGiant.” “What treatment is there for guests andstrangers that alight in that castle?”“Oh! Chieftain, Heaven protect thee. No guestever returned thence alive, and no one may enter therein unlesshe brings with him his craft.”

Then they proceeded towards the gate. Said GwrhyrGwalstawt Ieithoedd, “Is there a porter?”“There is. And thou, if thy tongue be not mute in thyhead, wherefore dost thou call?” “Open thegate.” “I will not open it.”“Wherefore wilt thou not?” “The knife isin the meat, and the drink is in the horn, and there is revelryin the hall of Gwrnach the Giant, and except for a craftsman whobrings his craft, the gate will not be openedto-night.” “Verily, porter,” then saidKai, “my craft bring I with me.” “What isthy craft?” “The best burnisher of swords am Iin the world.” “I will go and tell this untoGwrnach the Giant, and I will bring thee an answer.”

So the porter went in, and Gwrnach said to him, “Hastthou any news from the gate?” “I have.There is a party at the door of the gate who desire to comein.” “Didst thou inquire of them if theypossessed any art?” “I did inquire,” saidhe, “and one told me that he was well skilled in theburnishing of swords.” “We have need of himthen. For some time have I sought for some one to polish mysword, and could find no one. Let this man enter, since hebrings with him his craft.” The porter thereuponreturned and opened the gate. And Kai went in by himself,and he saluted Gwrnach the Giant. And a chair was placedfor him opposite to Gwrnach. And Gwrnach said to him,“Oh man! is it true that is reported of thee, that thouknowest how to burnish swords?” “I know fullwell how to do so,” answered Kai. Then was the swordof Gwrnach brought to him. And Kai took a blue whetstonefrom under his arm, and asked him whether he would have itburnished white or blue. “Do with it as it seems goodto thee, and as thou wouldest if it were thine own.”Then Kai polished one half of the blade and put it in hishand. “Will this please thee?” asked he.“I would rather than all that is in my dominions that thewhole of it were like unto this. It is a marvel to me thatsuch a man as thou should be without a companion.”“Oh! noble sir, I have a companion, albeit he is notskilled in this art.” “Who may hebe?” “Let the porter go forth, and I will tellhim whereby he may know him. The head of his lance willleave its shaft, and draw blood from the wind, and will descendupon its shaft again.” Then the gate was opened, andBedwyr entered. And Kai said, “Bedwyr is veryskilful, although he knows not this art.”

And there was much discourse among those who were without,because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in. And a young manwho was with them, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, got inalso. And he caused all his companions to keep close to himas he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst ofthe castle. And his companions said unto the son ofCustennin, “Thou hast done this! Thou art the best ofall men.” And thenceforth he was called Goreu, theson of Custennin. Then they dispersed to their lodgings,that they might slay those who lodged therein, unknown to theGiant.

The sword was now polished, and Kai gave it unto the hand ofGwrnach the Giant, to see if he were pleased with his work.And the Giant said, “The work is good, I am contenttherewith.” Said Kai, “It is thy scabbard thathath rusted thy sword, give it to me that I may take out thewooden sides of it and put in new ones.” And he tookthe scabbard from him, and the sword in the other hand. Andhe came and stood over against the Giant, as if he would have putthe sword into the scabbard; and with it he struck at the head ofthe Giant, and cut off his head at one blow. Then theydespoiled the castle, and took from it what goods and jewels theywould. And again on the same day, at the beginning of theyear, they came to Arthur’s Court, bearing with them thesword of Gwrnach the Giant.

Now, when they told Arthur how they had sped, Arthur said,“Which of these marvels will it be best for us to seekfirst?” “It will be best,” said they,“to seek Mabon the son of Modron; and he will not be foundunless we first find Eidoel the son of Aer, hiskinsman.” Then Arthur rose up, and the warriors ofthe Islands of Britain with him, to seek for Eidoel; and theyproceeded until they came before the Castle of Glivi, whereEidoel was imprisoned. Glivi stood on the summit of hiscastle, and he said, “Arthur, what requirest thou of me,since nothing remains to me in this fortress, and I have neitherjoy nor pleasure in it; neither wheat nor oats? Seek nottherefore to do me harm.” Said Arthur, “Not toinjure thee came I hither, but to seek for the prisoner that iswith thee.” “I will give thee my prisoner,though I had not thought to give him up to any one; and therewithshalt thou have my support and my aid.”

His followers said unto Arthur, “Lord, go thou home,thou canst not proceed with thy host in quest of such smalladventures as these.” Then said Arthur, “Itwere well for thee, Gwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoedd, to go upon thisquest, for thou knowest all languages, and art familiar withthose of the birds and the beasts. Thou, Eidoel, oughtestlikewise to go with my men in search of thy cousin. And asfor you, Kai and Bedwyr, I have hope of whatever adventure ye arein quest of, that ye will achieve it. Achieve ye thisadventure for me.”

They went forward until they came to the Ousel ofCilgwri. And Gwrhyr adjured her for the sake of Heaven,saying, “Tell me if thou knowest aught of Mabon the son ofModron, who was taken when three nights old from between hismother and the wall.” And the Ousel answered,“When I first came here, there was a smith’s anvil inthis place, and I was then a young bird; and from that time nowork has been done upon it, save the pecking of my beak everyevening, and now there is not so much as the size of a nutremaining thereof; yet the vengeance of Heaven be upon me, ifduring all that time I have ever heard of the man for whom youinquire. Nevertheless I will do that which is right, andthat which it is fitting that I should do for an embassy fromArthur. There is a race of animals who were formed beforeme, and I will be your guide to them.”

So they proceeded to the place where was the Stag ofRedynvre. “Stag of Redynvre, behold we are come tothee, an embassy from Arthur, for we have not heard of any animalolder than thou. Say, knowest thou aught of Mabon the sonof Modron, who was taken from his mother when three nightsold?” The Stag said, “When first I came hither,there was a plain all around me, without any trees save one oaksapling, which grew up to be an oak with an hundredbranches. And that oak has since perished, so that nownothing remains of it but the withered stump; and from that dayto this I have been here, yet have I never heard of the man forwhom you inquire. Nevertheless, being an embassy fromArthur, I will be your guide to the place where there is ananimal which was formed before I was.”

So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of CwmCawlwyd. “Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, here is an embassy fromArthur; knowest thou aught of Mabon the son of Modron, who wastaken after three nights from his mother?” “IfI knew I would tell you. When first I came hither, the widevalley you see was a wooded glen. And a race of men cameand rooted it up. And there grew there a second wood; andthis wood is the third. My wings, are they not witheredstumps? Yet all this time, even until to-day, I have neverheard of the man for whom you inquire. Nevertheless, I willbe the guide of Arthur’s embassy until you come to theplace where is the oldest animal in this world, and the one thathas travelled most, the Eagle of Gwern Abwy.”

Gwrhyr said, “Eagle of Gwern Abwy, we have come to theean embassy from Arthur, to ask thee if thou knowest aught ofMabon the son of Modron, who was taken from his mother when hewas three nights old.” The Eagle said, “I havebeen here for a great space of time, and when I first came hitherthere was a rock here, from the top of which I pecked at thestars every evening; and now it is not so much as a spanhigh. From that day to this I have been here, and I havenever heard of the man for whom you inquire, except once when Iwent in search of food as far as Llyn Llyw. And when I camethere, I struck my talons into a salmon, thinking he would serveme as food for a long time. But he drew me into the deep,and I was scarcely able to escape from him. After that Iwent with my whole kindred to attack him, and to try to destroyhim, but he sent messengers, and made peace with me; and came andbesought me to take fifty fish spears out of his back.Unless he know something of him whom you seek, I cannot tell whomay. However, I will guide you to the place where heis.”

So they went thither; and the Eagle said, “Salmon ofLlyn Llyw, I have come to thee with an embassy from Arthur, toask thee if thou knowest aught concerning Mabon the son ofModron, who was taken away at three nights old from hismother.” “As much as I know I will tellthee. With every tide I go along the river upwards, until Icome near to the walls of Gloucester, and there have I found suchwrong as I never found elsewhere; and to the end that ye may givecredence thereto, let one of you go thither upon each of my twoshoulders.” So Kai and Gwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoeddwent upon the two shoulders of the salmon, and they proceededuntil they came unto the wall of the prison, and they heard agreat wailing and lamenting from the dungeon. Said Gwrhyr,“Who is it that laments in this house ofstone?” “Alas, there is reason enough forwhoever is here to lament. It is Mabon the son of Modronwho is here imprisoned; and no imprisonment was ever so grievousas mine, neither that of Lludd Llaw Ereint, nor that of Greid theson of Eri.” “Hast thou hope of being releasedfor gold or for silver, or for any gifts of wealth, or throughbattle and fighting?” “By fighting willwhatever I may gain be obtained.”

Then they went thence, and returned to Arthur, and they toldhim where Mabon the son of Modron was imprisoned. AndArthur summoned the warriors of the Island, and they journeyed asfar as Gloucester, to the place where Mabon was in prison.Kai and Bedwyr went upon the shoulders of the fish, whilst thewarriors of Arthur attacked the castle. And Kai brokethrough the wall into the dungeon, and brought away the prisonerupon his back, whilst the fight was going on between thewarriors. And Arthur returned home, and Mabon with him atliberty.

Said Arthur, “Which of the marvels will it be best forus now to seek first?” “It will be best to seekfor the two cubs of Gast Rhymhi.” “Is itknown,” asked Arthur, “where she is?”“She is in Aber Deu Cleddyf,” said one. ThenArthur went to the house of Tringad, in Aber Cleddyf, and heinquired of him whether he had heard of her there.“In what form may she be?” “She is in theform of a she-wolf,” said he; “and with her there aretwo cubs.” “She has often slain my herds, andshe is there below in a cave in Aber Cleddyf.”

So Arthur went in his ship Prydwen by sea, and the others wentby land, to hunt her. And they surrounded her and her twocubs, and God did change them again for Arthur into their ownform. And the host of Arthur dispersed themselves intoparties of one and two.

On a certain day, as Gwythyr the son of Greidawl was walkingover a mountain, he heard a wailing and a grievous cry. Andwhen he heard it, he sprang forward, and went towards it.And when he came there, he drew his sword, and smote off anant-hill close to the earth, whereby it escaped being burned inthe fire. And the ants said to him, “Receive from usthe blessing of Heaven, and that which no man can give we willgive thee.” Then they fetched the nine bushels offlax-seed which Yspaddaden Penkawr had required of Kilhwch, andthey brought the full measure without lacking any, except oneflax-seed, and that the lame pismire brought in before night.

As Kai and Bedwyr sat on a beacon carn on the summit ofPlinlimmon, in the highest wind that ever was in the world, theylooked around them, and saw a great smoke towards the south, afaroff, which did not bend with the wind. Then said Kai,“By the hand of my friend, behold, yonder is the fire of arobber!” Then they hastened towards the smoke, andthey came so near to it, that they could see Dillus Varvawcscorching a wild boar. “Behold, yonder is thegreatest robber that ever fled from Arthur,” said Bedwyrunto Kai. “Dost thou know him?” “Ido know him,” answered Kai, “he is Dillus Varvawc,and no leash in the world will be able to hold Drudwyn, the cubof Greid the son of Eri, save a leash made from the beard of himthou seest yonder. And even that will be useless, unlesshis beard be plucked alive with wooden tweezers; for if dead, itwill be brittle.” “What thinkest thou that weshould do concerning this?” said Bedwyr. “Letus suffer him,” said Kai, “to eat as much as he willof the meat, and after that he will fall asleep.” Andduring that time they employed themselves in making the woodentweezers. And when Kai knew certainly that he was asleep,he made a pit under his feet, the largest in the world, and hestruck him a violent blow, and squeezed him into the pit.And there they twitched out his beard completely with the woodentweezers; and after that they slew him altogether.

And from thence they both went to Gelli Wic, in Cornwall, andtook the leash made of Dillus Varvawc’s beard with them,and they gave it into Arthur’s hand. Then Arthurcomposed this Englyn—

Kai made a leash
Of Dillus son of Eurei’s beard.
Were he alive, thy death he’d be.

And thereupon Kai was wroth, so that the warriors of theIsland could scarcely make peace between Kai and Arthur.And thenceforth, neither in Arthur’s troubles, nor for theslaying of his men, would Kai come forward to his aid for everafter.

Said Arthur, “Which of the marvels is it best for us nowto seek?” “It is best for us to seek Drudwyn,the cub of Greid the son of Eri.”

A little while before this, Creiddylad the daughter of LluddLlaw Ereint, and Gwythyr the son of Greidawl, werebetrothed. And before she had become his bride, Gwyn apNudd came and carried her away by force; and Gwythyr the son ofGreidawl gathered his host together, and went to fight with Gwynap Nudd. But Gwyn overcame him, and captured Greid the sonof Eri, and Glinneu the son of Taran, and Gwrgwst Ledlwm, andDynvarth his son. And he captured Penn the son of Nethawg,and Nwython, and Kyledyr Wyllt his son. And they slewNwython, and took out his heart, and constrained Kyledyr to eatthe heart of his father. And therefrom Kyledyr becamemad. When Arthur heard of this, he went to the North, andsummoned Gwyn ap Nudd before him, and set free the nobles whom hehad put in prison, and made peace between Gwyn ap Nudd andGwythyr the son of Griedawl. And this was the peace thatwas made:—that the maiden should remain in herfather’s house, without advantage to either of them, andthat Gwyn ap Nudd and Gwythyr the son of Greidawl should fightfor her every first of May, from thenceforth until the day ofdoom, and that whichever of them should then be conqueror shouldhave the maiden.

And when Arthur had thus reconciled these chieftains, heobtained Mygdwn, Gweddw’s horse, and the leash of Cwrs CantEwin.

And after that Arthur went into Armorica, and with him Mabonthe son of Mellt, and Gware Gwallt Euryn, to seek the two dogs ofGlythmyr Ledewic. And when he had got them, he went to theWest of Ireland, in search of Gwrgi Seven; and Odgar the son ofAedd king of Ireland went with him. And thence went Arthurinto the North, and captured Kyledyr Wyllt; and he went afterYskithyrwyn Penbaedd. And Mabon the son of Mellt came withthe two dogs of Glythmyr Ledewic in his hand, and Drudwyn, thecub of Greid the son of Eri. And Arthur went himself to thechase, leading his own dog Cavall. And Kaw, of NorthBritain, mounted Arthur’s mare Llamrei, and was first inthe attack. Then Kaw, of North Britain, wielded a mightyaxe, and absolutely daring he came valiantly up to the boar, andclave his head in twain. And Kaw took away the tusk.Now the boar was not slain by the dogs that Yspaddaden hadmentioned, but by Cavall, Arthur’s own dog.

And after Yskithyrwyn Penbaedd was killed, Arthur and his hostdeparted to Gelli Wic in Cornwall. And thence he sent Menwthe son of Teirgwaedd to see if the precious things were betweenthe two ears of Twrch Trwyth, since it were useless to encounterhim if they were not there. Albeit it was certain where hewas, for he had laid waste the third part of Ireland. AndMenw went to seek for him, and he met with him in Ireland, inEsgeir Oervel. And Menw took the form of a bird; and hedescended upon the top of his lair, and strove to snatch away oneof the precious things from him, but he carried away nothing butone of his bristles. And the boar rose up angrily and shookhimself so that some of his venom fell upon Menw, and he wasnever well from that day forward.

After this Arthur sent an embassy to Odgar, the son of Aeddking of Ireland, to ask for the cauldron of Diwrnach Wyddel, hispurveyor. And Odgar commanded him to give it. ButDiwrnach said, “Heaven is my witness, if it would avail himanything even to look at it, he should not do so.”And the embassy of Arthur returned from Ireland with thisdenial. And Arthur set forward with a small retinue, andentered into Prydwen, his ship, and went over to Ireland.And they proceeded into the house of Diwrnach Wyddel. Andthe hosts of Odgar saw their strength. When they had eatenand drunk as much as they desired, Arthur demanded to have thecauldron. And he answered, “If I would have given itto any one, I would have given it at the word of Odgar king ofIreland.”

When he had given them this denial, Bedwyr arose and seizedhold of the cauldron, and placed it upon the back of Hygwyd,Arthur’s servant, who was brother, by the mother’sside, to Arthur’s servant, Cachamwri. His office wasalways to carry Arthur’s cauldron, and to place fire underit. And Llenlleawg Wyddel seized Caledvwlch, and brandishedit. And they slew Diwrnach Wyddel and his company.Then came the Irish and fought with them. And when he hadput them to flight, Arthur with his men went forward to the ship,carrying away the cauldron full of Irish money. And hedisembarked at the house of Llwydden the son of Kelcoed, at PorthKerddin in Dyved. And there is the measure of thecauldron.

Then Arthur summoned unto him all the warriors that were inthe three Islands of Britain, and in the three Islands adjacent,and all that were in France and in Armorica, in Normandy and inthe Summer Country, and all that were chosen footmen and valianthorsem*n. And with all these he went into Ireland.And in Ireland there was great fear and terror concerninghim. And when Arthur had landed in the country, there cameunto him the saints of Ireland and besought his protection.And he granted his protection unto them, and they gave him theirblessing. Then the men of Ireland came unto Arthur, andbrought him provisions. And Arthur went as far as EsgeirOervel in Ireland, to the place where the Boar Trwyth was withhis seven young pigs. And the dogs were let loose upon himfrom all sides. That day until evening the Irish foughtwith him, nevertheless he laid waste the fifth part ofIreland. And on the day following the household of Arthurfought with him, and they were worsted by him, and got noadvantage. And the third day Arthur himself encounteredhim, and he fought with him nine nights and nine days without somuch as killing even one little pig. The warriors inquiredof Arthur what was the origin of that swine; and he told themthat he was once a king, and that God had transformed him into aswine for his sins.

Then Arthur sent Gwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoedd, to endeavour tospeak with him. And Gwrhyr assumed the form of a bird, andalighted upon the top of the lair, where he was with the sevenyoung pigs. And Gwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoedd asked him,“By him who turned you into this form, if you can speak,let some one of you, I beseech you, come and talk withArthur.” Grugyn Gwrych Ereint made answer tohim. (Now his bristles were like silver wire, and whetherhe went through the wood or through the plain, he was to betraced by the glittering of his bristles.) And this was theanswer that Grugyn made: “By him who turned us into thisform, we will not do so, and we will not speak with Arthur.That we have been transformed thus is enough for us to suffer,without your coming here to fight with us.” “Iwill tell you. Arthur comes but to fight for the comb, andthe razor, and the scissors which are between the two ears ofTwrch Trwyth.” Said Grugyn, “Except he firsttake his life, he will never have those precious things.And to-morrow morning we will rise up hence, and we will go intoArthur’s country, and there will we do all the mischiefthat we can.”

So they set forth through the sea towards Wales. AndArthur and his hosts, and his horses and his dogs, enteredPrydwen, that they might encounter them without delay.Twrch Trwyth landed in Porth Cleis in Dyved, and Arthur came toMynyw. The next day it was told to Arthur that they hadgone by, and he overtook them as they were killing the cattle ofKynnwas Kwrr y Vagyl, having slain all that were at Aber Gleddyf,of man and beast, before the coming of Arthur.

Now when Arthur approached, Twrch Trwyth went on as far asPreseleu, and Arthur and his hosts followed him thither, andArthur sent men to hunt him; Eli and Trachmyr, leading Drudwynthe whelp of Greid the son of Eri, and Gwarthegyd the son of Kaw,in another quarter, with the two dogs of Glythmyr Ledewic, andBedwyr leading Cavall, Arthur’s own dog. And all thewarriors ranged themselves around the Nyver. And there camethere the three sons of Cleddyf Divwlch, men who had gained muchfame at the slaying of Yskithyrwyn Penbaedd; and they went onfrom Glyn Nyver, and came to Cwm Kerwyn.

And there Twrch Trwyth made a stand, and slew four ofArthur’s champions, Gwarthegyd the son of Kaw, and Tarawcof Allt Clwyd, and Rheidwn the son of Eli Atver, and IscovanHael. And after he had slain these men, he made a secondstand in the same place. And there he slew Gwydre the sonof Arthur, and Garselit Wyddel, and Glew the son of Ysgawd, andIscawyn the son of Panon; and there he himself was wounded.

And the next morning before it was day, some of the men cameup with him. And he slew Huandaw, and Gogigwr, andPenpingon, three attendants upon Glewlwyd Gavaelvawr, so thatHeaven knows he had not an attendant remaining, excepting onlyLlaesgevyn, a man from whom no one ever derived any good.And together with these he slew many of the men of that country,and Gwlydyn Saer, Arthur’s chief Architect.

Then Arthur overtook him at Pelumyawc, and there he slewMadawc the son of Teithyon, and Gwyn the son of Tringad, the sonof Neved, and Eiryawn Penllorau. Thence he went toAberteivi, where he made another stand, and where he slew Kyflasthe son of Kynan, and Gwilenhin king of France. Then hewent as far as Glyn Ystu, and there the men and the dogs losthim.

Then Arthur summoned unto him Gwyn ab Nudd, and he asked himif he knew aught of Twrch Trwyth. And he said that he didnot.

And all the huntsmen went to hunt the swine as far as DyffrynLlychwr. And Grugyn Gwallt Ereint and Llwydawg Govynnyadclosed with them and killed all the huntsmen, so that thereescaped but one man only. And Arthur and his hosts came tothe place where Grugyn and Llwydawg were. And there he letloose the whole of the dogs upon them, and with the shout andbarking that was set up, Twrch Trwyth came to theirassistance.

And from the time that they came across the Irish sea, Arthurhad never got sight of him until then. So he set men anddogs upon him, and thereupon he started off and went to MynyddAmanw. And there one of his young pigs was killed.Then they set upon him life for life, and Twrch Llawin was slain,and then there was slain another of the swine, Gwys was hisname. After that he went on to Dyffryn Amanw, and thereBanw and Bennwig were killed. Of all his pigs there wentwith him alive from that place none save Grugyn Gwallt Ereint andLlwydawg Govynnyad.

Thence he went on to Llwch Ewin, and Arthur overtook himthere, and he made a stand. And there he slew EchelForddwytwll, and Garwyli the son of Gwyddawg Gwyr, and many menand dogs likewise. And thence they went to LlwchTawy. Grugyn Gwrych Ereint parted from them there, and wentto Din Tywi. And thence he proceeded to Ceredigiawn, andEli and Trachmyr with him, and a multitude likewise. Thenhe came to Garth Gregyn, and there Llwydawg Govynnyad fought inthe midst of them, and slew Rhudvyw Rhys and many others withhim. Then Llwydawg went thence to Ystrad Yw, and there themen of Armorica met him, and there he slew Hirpeissawg the kingof Armorica, and Llygatrudd Emys, and Gwrbothu, Arthur’suncles, his mother’s brothers, and there was he himselfslain.

Twrch Trwyth went from there to between Tawy and Euyas, andArthur summoned all Cornwall and Devon unto him, to the estuaryof the Severn, and he said to the warriors of this Island,“Twrch Trwyth has slain many of my men, but, by the valourof warriors, while I live he shall not go into Cornwall.And I will not follow him any longer, but I will oppose him lifeto life. Do ye as ye will.” And he resolvedthat he would send a body of knights, with the dogs of theIsland, as far as Euyas, who should return thence to the Severn,and that tried warriors should traverse the Island, and force himinto the Severn. And Mabon the son of Modron came up withhim at the Severn, upon Gwynn Mygdwn, the horse of Gweddw, andGoreu the son of Custennin, and Menw the son of Teirgwaedd; thiswas betwixt Llyn Lliwan and Aber Gwy. And Arthur fell uponhim together with the champions of Britain. And OslaKyllellvawr drew near, and Manawyddan the son of Llyr, andKacmwri the servant of Arthur, and Gwyngelli, and they seizedhold of him, catching him first by his feet, and plunged him inthe Severn, so that it overwhelmed him. On the one side,Mabon the son of Modron spurred his steed and snatched his razorfrom him, and Kyledyr Wyllt came up with him on the other side,upon another steed, in the Severn, and took from him thescissors. But before they could obtain the comb, he hadregained the ground with his feet, and from the moment that hereached the shore, neither dog, nor man, nor horse could overtakehim until he came to Cornwall. If they had had trouble ingetting the jewels from him, much more had they in seeking tosave the two men from being drowned. Kacmwri, as they drewhim forth, was dragged by two millstones into the deep. Andas Osla Kyllellvawr was running after the boar, his knife haddropped out of the sheath, and he had lost it, and after that,the sheath became full of water, and its weight drew him downinto the deep, as they were drawing him forth.

Then Arthur and his hosts proceeded until they overtook theboar in Cornwall, and the trouble which they had met with beforewas mere play to what they encountered in seeking the comb.But from one difficulty to another, the comb was at lengthobtained. And then he was hunted from Cornwall, and drivenstraight forward into the deep sea. And thenceforth it wasnever known whither he went; and Aned and Aethlem with him.Then went Arthur to Gelli Wic, in Cornwall, to anoint himself,and to rest from his fatigues.

Said Arthur, “Is there any one of the marvels yetunobtained?” Said one of his men, “Thereis—the blood of the witch Orddu, the daughter of the witchOrwen, of Pen Nant Govid, on the confines of Hell.”Arthur set forth towards the North, and came to the place wherewas the witch’s cave. And Gwyn ab Nudd, and Gwythyrthe son of Greidawl, counselled him to send Kacmwri, and Hygwydhis brother, to fight with the witch. And as they enteredthe cave, the witch seized upon them, and she caught Hygwyd bythe hair of his head, and threw him on the floor beneathher. And Kacmwri caught her by the hair of her head, anddragged her to the earth from off Hygwyd, but she turned againupon them both, and drove them both out with kicks and withcuffs.

And Arthur was wroth at seeing his two attendants almostslain, and he sought to enter the cave; but Gwyn and Gwythyr saidunto him, “It would not be fitting or seemly for us to seethee squabbling with a hag. Let Hiramreu and Hireidil go tothe cave.” So they went. But if great was thetrouble of the first two that went, much greater was that ofthese two. And Heaven knows that not one of the four couldmove from the spot, until they placed them all upon Llamrei,Arthur’s mare. And then Arthur rushed to the door ofthe cave, and at the door he struck at the witch, with Carnwennanhis dagger, and clove her in twain, so that she fell in twoparts. And Kaw, of North Britain, took the blood of thewitch and kept it.

Then Kilhwch set forward, and Goreu the son of Custennin withhim, and as many as wished ill to Yspaddaden Penkawr. Andthey took the marvels with them to his court. And Kaw ofNorth Britain came and shaved his beard, skin, and flesh cleanoff to the very bone from ear to ear. “Art thoushaved, man?” said Kilhwch. “I amshaved,” answered he. “Is thy daughter minenow?” “She is thine,” said he, “buttherefore needest thou not thank me, but Arthur who hathaccomplished this for thee. By my free will thou shouldestnever have had her, for with her I lose my life.”Then Goreu the son of Custennin seized him by the hair of hishead, and dragged him after him to the keep, and cut off his headand placed it on a stake on the citadel. Then they tookpossession of his castle, and of his treasures.

And that night Olwen became Kilhwch’s bride, and shecontinued to be his wife as long as she lived. And thehosts of Arthur dispersed themselves, each man to his owncountry. And thus did Kilhwch obtain Olwen, the daughter ofYspaddaden Penkawr.

THE DREAM OF RHONABWY

Madawc the son of Maredudd possessed Powys within its boundaries, from Porfoedto Gwauan in the uplands of Arwystli. And at that time he had a brother,Iorwerth the son of Maredudd, in rank not equal to himself. And Iorwerth hadgreat sorrow and heaviness because of the honour and power that his brotherenjoyed, which he shared not. And he sought his fellows and hisfoster-brothers, and took counsel with them what he should do in this matter.And they resolved to dispatch some of their number to go and seek a maintenancefor him. Then Madawc offered him to become Master of the Household and to havehorses, and arms, and honour, and to fare like as himself. But Iorwerth refusedthis.

And Iorwerth made an inroad into Loegria, slaying theinhabitants, and burning houses, and carrying awayprisoners. And Madawc took counsel with the men of Powys,and they determined to place an hundred men in each of the threeCommots of Powys to seek for him. And thus did they in theplains of Powys from Aber Ceirawc, and in Allictwn Ver, and inRhyd Wilure, on the Vyrnwy, the three best Commots ofPowys. So he was none the better, he nor his household, inPowys, nor in the plains thereof. And they spread these menover the plains as far as Nillystwn Trevan.

Now one of the men who was upon this quest was calledRhonabwy. And Rhonabwy and Kynwrig Vrychgoch, a man ofMawddwy, and Cadwgan Vras, a man of Moelvre in Kynlleith, cametogether to the house of Heilyn Goch the son of Cadwgan the sonof Iddon. And when they came near to the house, they saw anold hall, very black and having an upright gable, whence issued agreat smoke; and on entering, they found the floor full ofpuddles and mounds; and it was difficult to stand thereon, soslippery was it with the mire of cattle. And where thepuddles were, a man might go up to his ankles in water anddirt. And there were boughs of holly spread over the floor,whereof the cattle had browsed the sprigs. When they cameto the hall of the house, they beheld cells full of dust, andvery gloomy, and on one side an old hag making a fire. Andwhenever she felt cold, she cast a lapful of chaff upon the fire,and raised such a smoke, that it was scarcely to be borne, as itrose up the nostrils. And on the other side was a yellowcalf-skin on the floor; a main privilege was it to any one whoshould get upon that hide.

And when they had sat down, they asked the hag where were thepeople of the house. And the hag spoke not, butmuttered. Thereupon behold the people of the house entered;a ruddy, clownish, curly-headed man, with a burthen of fa*ggots onhis back, and a pale slender woman, also carrying a bundle underher arm. And they barely welcomed the men, and kindled afire with the boughs. And the woman cooked something, andgave them to eat, barley bread, and cheese, and milk andwater.

And there arose a storm of wind and rain, so that it washardly possible to go forth with safety. And being wearywith their journey, they laid themselves down and sought tosleep. And when they looked at the couch, it seemed to bemade but of a little coarse straw full of dust and vermin, withthe stems of boughs sticking up there-through, for the cattle hadeaten all the straw that was placed at the head and thefoot. And upon it was stretched an old russet-coloured rug,threadbare and ragged; and a coarse sheet, full of slits, wasupon the rug, and an ill-stuffed pillow, and a worn-out coverupon the sheet. And after much suffering from the vermin,and from the discomfort of their couch, a heavy sleep fell onRhonabwy’s companions. But Rhonabwy, not being ableeither to sleep or to rest, thought he should suffer less if hewent to lie upon the yellow calf-skin that was stretched out onthe floor. And there he slept.

As soon as sleep had come upon his eyes, it seemed to him thathe was journeying with his companions across the plain ofArgyngroeg, and he thought that he went towards Rhyd y Groes onthe Severn. As he journeyed, he heard a mighty noise, thelike whereof heard he never before; and looking behind him, hebeheld a youth with yellow curling hair, and with his beard newlytrimmed, mounted on a chestnut horse, whereof the legs were greyfrom the top of the forelegs, and from the bend of the hindlegsdownwards. And the rider wore a coat of yellow satin sewnwith green silk, and on his thigh was a gold-hilted sword, with ascabbard of new leather of Cordova, belted with the skin of thedeer, and clasped with gold. And over this was a scarf ofyellow satin wrought with green silk, the borders whereof werelikewise green. And the green of the caparison of thehorse, and of his rider, was as green as the leaves of thefir-tree, and the yellow was as yellow as the blossom of thebroom. So fierce was the aspect of the knight, that fearseized upon them, and they began to flee. And the knightpursued them. And when the horse breathed forth, the menbecame distant from him, and when he drew in his breath, theywere drawn near to him, even to the horse’s chest.And when he had overtaken them, they besought his mercy.“You have it gladly,” said he, “fearnought.” “Ha, chieftain, since thou hast mercyupon me, tell me also who thou art,” said Rhonabwy.“I will not conceal my lineage from thee, I am Iddawc theson of Mynyo, yet not by my name, but by my nickname am I bestknown.” “And wilt thou tell us what thynickname is?” “I will tell you; it is IddawcCordd Prydain.” “Ha, chieftain,” saidRhonabwy, “why art thou called thus?” “Iwill tell thee. I was one of the messengers between Arthurand Medrawd his nephew, at the battle of Camlan; and I was then areckless youth, and through my desire for battle, I kindledstrife between them, and stirred up wrath, when I was sent byArthur the Emperor to reason with Medrawd, and to show him, thathe was his foster-father and his uncle, and to seek for peace,lest the sons of the Kings of the Island of Britain, and of thenobles, should be slain. And whereas Arthur charged me withthe fairest sayings he could think of, I uttered unto Medrawd theharshest I could devise. And therefore am I called IddawcCordd Prydain, for from this did the battle of Camlanensue. And three nights before the end of the battle ofCamlan I left them, and went to the Llech Las in North Britain todo penance. And there I remained doing penance seven years,and after that I gained pardon.”

Then lo! they heard a mighty sound which was much louder thanthat which they had heard before, and when they looked roundtowards the sound, they beheld a ruddy youth, without beard orwhiskers, noble of mien, and mounted on a stately courser.And from the shoulders and the front of the knees downwards thehorse was bay. And upon the man was a dress of red satinwrought with yellow silk, and yellow were the borders of hisscarf. And such parts of his apparel and of the trappingsof his horse as were yellow, as yellow were they as the blossomof the broom, and such as were red, were as ruddy as the ruddiestblood in the world.

Then, behold the horseman overtook them, and he asked ofIddawc a share of the little men that were with him.“That which is fitting for me to grant I will grant, andthou shalt be a companion to them as I have been.”And the horseman went away. “Iddawc,” inquiredRhonabwy, “who was that horseman?”“Rhuvawn Pebyr the son of Prince Deorthach.”

And they journeyed over the plain of Argyngroeg as far as theford of Rhyd y Groes on the Severn. And for a mile aroundthe ford on both sides of the road, they saw tents andencampments, and there was the clamour of a mighty host.And they came to the edge of the ford, and there they beheldArthur sitting on a flat island below the ford, having Bedwinithe Bishop on one side of him, and Gwarthegyd the son of Kaw onthe other. And a tall, auburn-haired youth stood beforehim, with his sheathed sword in his hand, and clad in a coat andcap of jet-black satin. And his face was white as ivory,and his eyebrows black as jet, and such part of his wrist ascould be seen between his glove and his sleeve, was whiter thanthe lily, and thicker than a warrior’s ankle.

Then came Iddawc and they that were with him, and stood beforeArthur and saluted him. “Heaven grant theegood,” said Arthur. “And where, Iddawc, didstthou find these little men?” “I found them,lord, up yonder on the road.” Then the Emperorsmiled. “Lord,” said Iddawc, “whereforedost thou laugh?” “Iddawc,” repliedArthur, “I laugh not; but it pitieth me that men of suchstature as these should have this island in their keeping, afterthe men that guarded it of yore.” Then said Iddawc,“Rhonabwy, dost thou see the ring with a stone set in it,that is upon the Emperor’s hand?” “I seeit,” he answered. “It is one of the propertiesof that stone to enable thee to remember that thou seest hereto-night, and hadst thou not seen the stone, thou wouldest neverhave been able to remember aught thereof.”

After this they saw a troop coming towards the ford.“Iddawc,” inquired Rhonabwy, “to whom doesyonder troop belong?” “They are the fellows ofRhuvawn Pebyr the son of Prince Deorthach. And these menare honourably served with mead and bragget, and are freelybeloved by the daughters of the kings of the Island ofBritain. And this they merit, for they were ever in thefront and the rear in every peril.” And he saw butone hue upon the men and the horses of this troop, for they wereall as red as blood. And when one of the knights rode forthfrom the troop, he looked like a pillar of fire glancing athwartthe sky. And this troop encamped above the ford.

Then they beheld another troop coming towards the ford, andthese from their horses’ chests upwards were whiter thanthe lily, and below blacker than jet. And they saw one ofthese knights go before the rest, and spur his horse into theford in such a manner that the water dashed over Arthur and theBishop, and those holding counsel with them, so that they were aswet as if they had been drenched in the river. And as heturned the head of his horse, the youth who stood before Arthurstruck the horse over the nostrils with his sheathed sword, sothat, had it been with the bare blade, it would have been amarvel if the bone had not been wounded as well as theflesh. And the knight drew his sword half out of thescabbard, and asked of him, “Wherefore didst thou strike myhorse? Whether was it in insult or in counsel untome?” “Thou dost indeed lack counsel. Whatmadness caused thee to ride so furiously as to dash the water ofthe ford over Arthur, and the consecrated Bishop, and theircounsellors, so that they were as wet as if they had been draggedout of the river?” “As counsel then will I takeit.” So he turned his horse’s head roundtowards his army.

“Iddawc,” said Rhonabwy, “who was yonderknight?” “The most eloquent and the wisestyouth that is in this island; Adaon, the son ofTaliesin.” “Who was the man that struck hishorse?” “A youth of froward nature; Elphin, theson of Gwyddno.”

Then spake a tall and stately man, of noble and flowingspeech, saying that it was a marvel that so vast a host should beassembled in so narrow a space, and that it was a still greatermarvel that those should be there at that time who had promisedto be by mid-day in the battle of Badon, fighting with OslaGyllellvawr. “Whether thou mayest choose to proceedor not, I will proceed.” “Thou sayestwell,” said Arthur, “and we will goaltogether.” “Iddawc,” said Rhonabwy,“who was the man who spoke so marvellously unto Arthurerewhile?” “A man who may speak as boldly as helisteth, Caradawc Vreichvras, the son of Llyr Marini, his chiefcounsellor and his cousin.”

Then Iddawc took Rhonabwy behind him on his horse, and thatmighty host moved forward, each troop in its order, towardsCevndigoll. And when they came to the middle of the ford ofthe Severn, Iddawc turned his horse’s head, and Rhonabwylooked along the valley of the Severn. And he beheld twofair troops coming towards the ford. One troop there cameof brilliant white, whereof every one of the men had a scarf ofwhite satin with jet-black borders. And the knees and thetops of the shoulders of their horses were jet-black, though theywere of a pure white in every other part. And their bannerswere pure white, with black points to them all.

“Iddawc,” said Rhonabwy, “who are yonderpure white troop?” “They are the men of Norway,and March the son of Meirchion is their prince. And he iscousin unto Arthur.” And further on he saw a troop,whereof each man wore garments of jet-black, with borders of purewhite to every scarf; and the tops of the shoulders and the kneesof their horses were pure white. And their banners werejet-black with pure white at the point of each.

“Iddawc,” said Rhonabwy, “who are thejet-black troop yonder?” “They are the men ofDenmark, and Edeyrn the son of Nudd is their prince.”

And when they had overtaken the host, Arthur and his army ofmighty ones dismounted below Caer Badou, and he perceived that heand Iddawc journeyed the same road as Arthur. And afterthey had dismounted he heard a great tumult and confusion amongstthe host, and such as were then at the flanks turned to thecentre, and such as had been in the centre moved to theflanks. And then, behold, he saw a knight coming, clad,both he and his horse, in mail, of which the rings were whiterthan the whitest lily, and the rivets redder than the ruddiestblood. And he rode amongst the host.

“Iddawc,” said Rhonabwy, “will yonder hostflee?” “King Arthur never fled, and if thisdiscourse of thine were heard, thou wert a lost man. But asto the knight whom thou seest yonder, it is Kai. Thefairest horseman is Kai in all Arthur’s Court; and the menwho are at the front of the army hasten to the rear to see Kairide, and the men who are in the centre flee to the side, fromthe shock of his horse. And this is the cause of theconfusion of the host.”

Thereupon they heard a call made for Kadwr, Earl of Cornwall,and behold he arose with the sword of Arthur in his hand.And the similitude of two serpents was upon the sword ingold. And when the sword was drawn from its scabbard, itseemed as if two flames of fire burst forth from the jaws of theserpents, and then, so wonderful was the sword, that it was hardfor any one to look upon it. And the host became still, andthe tumult ceased, and the Earl returned to the tent.

“Iddawc,” said Rhonabwy, “who is the man whobore the sword of Arthur?” “Kadwr, the Earl ofCornwall, whose duty it is to arm the King on the days of battleand warfare.”

And they heard a call made for Eirynwych Amheibyn,Arthur’s servant, a red, rough, ill-favoured man, havingred whiskers with bristly hairs. And behold he came upon atall red horse with the mane parted on each side, and he broughtwith him a large and beautiful sumpter pack. And the hugered youth dismounted before Arthur, and he drew a golden chairout of the pack, and a carpet of diapered satin. And hespread the carpet before Arthur, and there was an apple of ruddygold at each corner thereof, and he placed the chair upon thecarpet. And so large was the chair that three armedwarriors might have sat therein. Gwenn was the name of thecarpet, and it was one of its properties that whoever was upon itno one could see him, and he could see every one. And itwould retain no colour but its own.

And Arthur sat within the carpet, and Owain the son of Urienwas standing before him. “Owain,” said Arthur,“wilt thou play chess?” “I will,Lord,” said Owain. And the red youth brought thechess for Arthur and Owain; golden pieces and a board ofsilver. And they began to play.

And while they were thus, and when they were best amused withtheir game, behold they saw a white tent with a red canopy, andthe figure of a jet-black serpent on the top of the tent, and redglaring venomous eyes in the head of the serpent, and a redflaming tongue. And there came a young page with yellowcurling hair, and blue eyes, and a newly-springing beard, wearinga coat and a surcoat of yellow satin, and hose of thingreenish-yellow cloth upon his feet, and over his hose shoes ofparti-coloured leather, fastened at the insteps with goldenclasps. And he bore a heavy three-edged sword with a goldenhilt, in a scabbard of black leather tipped with fine gold.And he came to the place where the Emperor and Owain were playingat chess.

And the youth saluted Owain. And Owain marvelled thatthe youth should salute him and should not have saluted theEmperor Arthur. And Arthur knew what was in Owain’sthought. And he said to Owain, “Marvel not that theyouth salutes thee now, for he saluted me erewhile; and it isunto thee that his errand is.” Then said the youthunto Owain, “Lord, is it with thy leave that the youngpages and attendants of the Emperor harass and torment and worrythy Ravens? And if it be not with thy leave, cause theEmperor to forbid them.” “Lord,” saidOwain, “thou hearest what the youth says; if it seem goodto thee, forbid them from my Ravens.” “Play thygame,” said he. Then the youth returned to thetent.

That game did they finish, and another they began, and whenthey were in the midst of the game, behold, a ruddy young manwith auburn curling hair and large eyes, well-grown, and havinghis beard new-shorn, came forth from a bright yellow tent, uponthe summit of which was the figure of a bright red lion.And he was clad in a coat of yellow satin, falling as low as thesmall of his leg, and embroidered with threads of red silk.And on his feet were hose of fine white buckram, and buskins ofblack leather were over his hose, whereon were goldenclasps. And in his hand a huge, heavy, three-edged sword,with a scabbard of red deer-hide, tipped with gold. And hecame to the place where Arthur and Owain were playing atchess. And he saluted him. And Owain was troubled athis salutation, but Arthur minded it no more than before.And the youth said unto Owain, “Is it not against thy willthat the attendants of the Emperor harass thy Ravens, killingsome and worrying others? If against thy will it be,beseech him to forbid them.” “Lord,” saidOwain, “forbid thy men, if it seem good tothee.” “Play thy game,” said theEmperor. And the youth returned to the tent.

And that game was ended and another begun. And as theywere beginning the first move of the game, they beheld at a smalldistance from them a tent speckled yellow, the largest ever seen,and the figure of an eagle of gold upon it, and a precious stoneon the eagle’s head. And coming out of the tent, theysaw a youth with thick yellow hair upon his head, fair andcomely, and a scarf of blue satin upon him, and a brooch of goldin the scarf upon his right shoulder as large as awarrior’s middle finger. And upon his feet were hoseof fine Totness, and shoes of parti-coloured leather, claspedwith gold, and the youth was of noble bearing, fair of face, withruddy cheeks and large hawk’s eyes. In the hand ofthe youth was a mighty lance, speckled yellow, with anewly-sharpened head; and upon the lance a banner displayed.

Fiercely angry, and with rapid pace, came the youth to theplace where Arthur was playing at chess with Owain. Andthey perceived that he was wroth. And thereupon he salutedOwain, and told him that his Ravens had been killed, the chiefpart of them, and that such of them as were not slain were sowounded and bruised that not one of them could raise its wings asingle fathom above the earth. “Lord,” saidOwain, “forbid thy men.” “Play,”said he, “if it please thee.” Then said Owainto the youth, “Go back, and wherever thou findest thestrife at the thickest, there lift up the banner, and let comewhat pleases Heaven.”

So the youth returned back to the place where the strife borehardest upon the Ravens, and he lifted up the banner; and as hedid so they all rose up in the air, wrathful and fierce and highof spirit, clapping their wings in the wind, and shaking off theweariness that was upon them. And recovering their energyand courage, furiously and with exultation did they, with onesweep, descend upon the heads of the men, who had erewhile causedthem anger and pain and damage, and they seized some by the headsand others by the eyes, and some by the ears, and others by thearms, and carried them up into the air; and in the air there wasa mighty tumult with the flapping of the wings of the triumphantRavens, and with their croaking; and there was another mightytumult with the groaning of the men, that were being torn andwounded, and some of whom were slain.

And Arthur and Owain marvelled at the tumult as they played atchess; and, looking, they perceived a knight upon a dun-colouredhorse coming towards them. And marvellous was the hue ofthe dun horse. Bright red was his right shoulder, and fromthe top of his legs to the centre of his hoof was brightyellow. Both the knight and his horse were fully equippedwith heavy foreign armour. The clothing of the horse fromthe front opening upwards was of bright red sendal, and fromthence opening downwards was of bright yellow sendal. Alarge gold-hilted one-edged sword had the youth upon his thigh,in a scabbard of light blue, and tipped with Spanish laton.The belt of the sword was of dark green leather with goldenslides and a clasp of ivory upon it, and a buckle of jet-blackupon the clasp. A helmet of gold was on the head of theknight, set with precious stones of great virtue, and at the topof the helmet was the image of a flame-coloured leopard with tworuby-red stones in its head, so that it was astounding for awarrior, however stout his heart, to look at the face of theleopard, much more at the face of the knight. He had in hishand a blue-shafted lance, but from the haft to the point it wasstained crimson-red with the blood of the Ravens and theirplumage.

The knight came to the place where Arthur and Owain wereseated at chess. And they perceived that he was harassedand vexed and weary as he came towards them. And the youthsaluted Arthur, and told him that the Ravens of Owain wereslaying his young men and attendants. And Arthur looked atOwain and said, “Forbid thy Ravens.”“Lord,” answered Owain, “play thygame.” And they played. And the knight returnedback towards the strife, and the Ravens were not forbidden anymore than before.

And when they had played awhile, they heard a mighty tumult,and a wailing of men, and a croaking of Ravens, as they carriedthe men in their strength into the air, and, tearing them betwixtthem, let them fall piecemeal to the earth. And during thetumult they saw a knight coming towards them, on a light greyhorse, and the left foreleg of the horse was jet-black to thecentre of his hoof. And the knight and the horse were fullyaccoutred with huge heavy blue armour. And a robe of honourof yellow diapered satin was upon the knight, and the borders ofthe robe were blue. And the housings of the horse werejet-black, with borders of bright yellow. And on the thighof the youth was a sword, long, and three-edged, and heavy.And the scabbard was of red cut leather, and the belt of new reddeer-skin, having upon it many golden slides and a buckle of thebone of the sea-horse, the tongue of which was jet-black. Agolden helmet was upon the head of the knight, wherein were setsapphire-stones of great virtue. And at the top of thehelmet was the figure of a flame-coloured lion, with a fiery-redtongue, issuing above a foot from his mouth, and with venomouseyes, crimson-red, in his head. And the knight came,bearing in his hand a thick ashen lance, the head whereof, whichhad been newly steeped in blood, was overlaid with silver.

And the youth saluted the Emperor: “Lord,” saidhe, “carest thou not for the slaying of thy pages, and thyyoung men, and the sons of the nobles of the Island of Britain,whereby it will be difficult to defend this island fromhenceforward for ever?” “Owain,” saidArthur, “forbid thy Ravens.” “Play thisgame, Lord,” said Owain.

So they finished the game and began another; and as they werefinishing that game, lo, they heard a great tumult and a clamourof armed men, and a croaking of Ravens, and a flapping of wingsin the air, as they flung down the armour entire to the ground,and the men and the horses piecemeal. Then they saw cominga knight on a lofty-headed piebald horse. And the leftshoulder of the horse was of bright red, and its right leg fromthe chest to the hollow of the hoof was pure white. And theknight and horse were equipped with arms of speckled yellow,variegated with Spanish laton. And there was a robe ofhonour upon him, and upon his horse, divided in two parts, whiteand black, and the borders of the robe of honour were of goldenpurple. And above the robe he wore a sword three-edged andbright, with a golden hilt. And the belt of the sword wasof yellow goldwork, having a clasp upon it of the eyelid of ablack sea-horse, and a tongue of yellow gold to the clasp.Upon the head of the knight was a bright helmet of yellow laton,with sparkling stones of crystal in it, and at the crest of thehelmet was the figure of a griffin, with a stone of many virtuesin its head. And he had an ashen spear in his hand, with around shaft, coloured with azure blue. And the head of thespear was newly stained with blood, and was overlaid with finesilver.

Wrathfully came the knight to the place where Arthur was, andhe told him that the Ravens had slain his household and the sonsof the chief men of this island, and he besought him to causeOwain to forbid his Ravens. And Arthur besought Owain toforbid them. Then Arthur took the golden chessmen that wereupon the board, and crushed them until they became as dust.Then Owain ordered Gwres the son of Rheged to lower hisbanner. So it was lowered, and all was peace.

Then Rhonabwy inquired of Iddawc who were the first three menthat came to Owain, to tell him his Ravens were beingslain. Said Iddawc, “They were men who grieved thatOwain should suffer loss, his fellow-chieftains and companions,Selyv the son of Kynan Garwyn of Powys, and Gwgawn Gleddyvrudd,and Gwres the son of Rheged, he who bears the banner in the dayof battle and strife.” “Who,” saidRhonabwy, “were the last three men who came to Arthur, andtold him that the Ravens were slaughtering his men?”“The best of men,” said Iddawc, “and thebravest, and who would grieve exceedingly that Arthur should havedamage in aught; Blathaon the son of Mawrheth, and Rhuvawn Pebyrthe son of Prince Deorthach, and Hyveidd Unllenn.”

And with that behold four-and-twenty knights came from OslaGyllellvawr, to crave a truce of Arthur for a fortnight and amonth. And Arthur rose and went to take counsel. Andhe came to where a tall, auburn, curly-headed man was a littleway off, and there he assembled his counsellors. Bedwini,the Bishop, and Gwarthegyd the son of Kaw, and March the son ofMeirchawn, and Caradawc Vreichvras, and Gwalchmai the son ofGwyar, and Edeyrn the son of Nudd, and Rhuvawn Pebyr the son ofPrince Deorthach, and Rhiogan the son of the King of Ireland, andGwenwynwyn the son of Nav, Howel the son of Emyr Llydaw, Gwilymthe son of Rhwyf Freinc, and Daned the son of Ath, and GoreuCustennin, and Mabon the son of Modron, and Peredur Paladyr Hir,and Hyveidd Unllenn, and Twrch the son of Perif, and Nerth theson of Kadarn, and Gobrwy the son of Echel Vorddwyttwll, Gwairthe son of Gwestyl, and Gadwy the son of Geraint, Trystan the sonof Tallwch, Moryen Manawc, Granwen the son of Llyr, and Llacheuthe son of Arthur, and Llawvrodedd Varvawc, and Kadwr Earl ofCornwall, Morvran the son of Tegid, and Rhyawd the son ofMorgant, and Dyvyr the son of Alun Dyved, Gwrhyr GwalstawdIeithoedd, Adaon the son of Taliesin, Llary the son of KasnarWledig, and Fflewddur Fflam, and Greidawl Galldovydd, Gilbert theson of Kadgyffro, Menw the son of Teirgwaedd, Gwrthmwl Wledig,Cawrdav the son of Caradawc Vreichvras, Gildas the son of Kaw,Kadyriaith the son of Saidi, and many of the men of Norway andDenmark, and many of the men of Greece, and a crowd of the men ofthe host came to that council.

“Iddawc,” said Rhonabwy, “who was the auburnhaired man to whom they came just now?” “Rhunthe son of Maelgwn Gwynedd, a man whose prerogative it is, thathe may join in counsel with all.” “Andwherefore did they admit into counsel with men of such dignity asare yonder a stripling so young as Kadyriaith the son ofSaidi?” “Because there is not throughoutBritain a man better skilled in counsel than he.”

Thereupon, behold, bards came and recited verses beforeArthur, and no man understood those verses but Kadyriaith only,save that they were in Arthur’s praise.

And lo, there came four-and-twenty asses with their burdens ofgold and of silver, and a tired way-worn man with each of them,bringing tribute to Arthur from the Islands of Greece. ThenKadyriaith the son of Saidi besought that a truce might begranted to Osla Gyllellvawr for the space of a fortnight and amonth, and that the asses and the burdens they carried might begiven to the bards, to be to them as the reward for their stayand that their verse might be recompensed during the time of thetruce. And thus it was settled.

“Rhonabwy,” said Iddawc, “would it not bewrong to forbid a youth who can give counsel so liberal as thisfrom coming to the councils of his Lord?”

Then Kai arose, and he said, “Whosoever will followArthur, let him be with him to-night in Cornwall, and whosoeverwill not, let him be opposed to Arthur even during thetruce.” And through the greatness of the tumult thatensued, Rhonabwy awoke. And when he awoke he was upon theyellow calf-skin, having slept three nights and three days.

And this tale is called the Dream of Rhonabwy. And thisis the reason that no one knows the dream without a book, neitherbard nor gifted seer; because of the various colours that wereupon the horses, and the many wondrous colours of the arms and ofthe panoply, and of the precious scarfs, and of thevirtue-bearing stones.

PWYLL PRINCE OF DYVED

Pwyll Prince of Dyved was lord of the seven Cantrevs of Dyved; and once upon atime he was at Narberth his chief palace, and he was minded to go and hunt, andthe part of his dominions in which it pleased him to hunt was Glyn Cuch. So heset forth from Narberth that night, and went as far as Llwyn Diarwyd. And thatnight he tarried there, and early on the morrow he rose and came to Glyn Cuch,when he let loose the dogs in the wood, and sounded the horn, and began thechase. And as he followed the dogs, he lost his companions; and whilst helistened to the hounds, he heard the cry of other hounds, a cry different fromhis own, and coming in the opposite direction.

And he beheld a glade in the wood forming a level plain, andas his dogs came to the edge of the glade, he saw a stag beforethe other dogs. And lo, as it reached the middle of theglade, the dogs that followed the stag overtook it and brought itdown. Then looked he at the colour of the dogs, staying notto look at the stag, and of all the hounds that he had seen inthe world, he had never seen any that were like unto these.For their hair was of a brilliant shining white, and their earswere red; and as the whiteness of their bodies shone, so did theredness of their ears glisten. And he came towards thedogs, and drove away those that had brought down the stag, andset his own dogs upon it.

And as he was setting on his dogs he saw a horseman comingtowards him upon a large light-grey steed, with a hunting hornround his neck, and clad in garments of grey woollen in thefashion of a hunting garb. And the horseman drew near andspoke unto him thus. “Chieftain,” said he,“I know who thou art, and I greet thee not.”“Peradventure,” said Pwyll, “thou art of suchdignity that thou shouldest not do so.”“Verily,” answered he, “it is not my dignitythat prevents me.” “What is it then, OChieftain?” asked he. “By Heaven, it is byreason of thine own ignorance and want of courtesy.”“What discourtesy, Chieftain, hast thou seen inme?” “Greater discourtesy saw I never inman,” said he, “than to drive away the dogs that werekilling the stag and to set upon it thine own. This wasdiscourteous, and though I may not be revenged upon thee, yet Ideclare to Heaven that I will do thee more dishonour than thevalue of an hundred stags.” “OChieftain,” he replied, “if I have done ill I willredeem thy friendship.” “How wilt thou redeemit?” “According as thy dignity may be, but Iknow not who thou art?” “A crowned king am I inthe land whence I come.” “Lord,” said he,“may the day prosper with thee, and from what land comestthou?” “From Annwvyn,” [2] answered he; “Arawn, a King ofAnnwvyn, am I.” “Lord,” said he,“how may I gain thy friendship?” “Afterthis manner mayest thou,” he said. “There is aman whose dominions are opposite to mine, who is ever warringagainst me, and he is Havgan, a King of Annwvyn, and by riddingme of this oppression, which thou canst easily do, shalt thougain my friendship.” “Gladly will I dothis,” said he. “Show me how Imay.” “I will show thee. Behold thus itis thou mayest. I will make firm friendship with thee; andthis will I do. I will send thee to Annwvyn in my stead,and I will give thee the fairest lady thou didst ever behold tobe thy companion, and I will put my form and semblance upon thee,so that not a page of the chamber, nor an officer, nor any otherman that has always followed me shall know that it is notI. And this shall be for the space of a year fromto-morrow, and then we will meet in this place.”“Yes,” said he; “but when I shall have beenthere for the space of a year, by what means shall I discover himof whom thou speakest?” “One year from thisnight,” he answered, “is the time fixed between himand me that we should meet at the Ford; be thou there in mylikeness, and with one stroke that thou givest him, he shall nolonger live. And if he ask thee to give him another, giveit not, how much soever he may entreat thee, for when I did so,he fought with me next day as well as ever before.”“Verily,” said Pwyll, “what shall I doconcerning my kingdom?” Said Arawn, “I willcause that no one in all thy dominions, neither man nor woman,shall know that I am not thou, and I will go there in thystead.” “Gladly then,” said Pwyll,“will I set forward.” “Clear shall be thypath, and nothing shall detain thee, until thou come into mydominions, and I myself will be thy guide!”

So he conducted him until he came in sight of the palace andits dwellings. “Behold,” said he, “theCourt and the kingdom in thy power. Enter the Court, thereis no one there who will know thee, and when thou seest whatservice is done there, thou wilt know the customs of theCourt.”

So he went forward to the Court, and when he came there, hebeheld sleeping-rooms, and halls, and chambers, and the mostbeautiful buildings ever seen. And he went into the hall todisarray, and there came youths and pages and disarrayed him, andall as they entered saluted him. And two knights came anddrew his hunting-dress from about him, and clothed him in avesture of silk and gold. And the hall was prepared, andbehold he saw the household and the host enter in, and the hostwas the most comely and the best equipped that he had everseen. And with them came in likewise the Queen, who was thefairest woman that he had ever yet beheld. And she had on ayellow robe of shining satin; and they washed and went to thetable, and sat, the Queen upon one side of him, and one whoseemed to be an Earl on the other side.

And he began to speak with the Queen, and he thought, from herspeech, that she was the seemliest and most noble lady ofconverse and of cheer that ever was. And they partook ofmeat, and drink, with songs and with feasting; and of all theCourts upon the earth, behold this was the best supplied withfood and drink, and vessels of gold and royal jewels.

And the year he spent in hunting, and minstrelsy, andfeasting, and diversions, and discourse with his companions untilthe night that was fixed for the conflict. And when thatnight came, it was remembered even by those who lived in thefurthest part of his dominions, and he went to the meeting, andthe nobles of the kingdom with him. And when he came to theFord, a knight arose and spake thus. “Lords,”said he, “listen well. It is between two kings thatthis meeting is, and between them only. Each claimeth ofthe other his land and territory, and do all of you stand asideand leave the fight to be between them.”

Thereupon the two kings approached each other in the middle ofthe Ford, and encountered, and at the first thrust, the man whowas in the stead of Arawn struck Havgan on the centre of the bossof his shield, so that it was cloven in twain, and his armour wasbroken, and Havgan himself was borne to the ground an arm’sand a spear’s length over the crupper of his horse, and hereceived a deadly blow. “O Chieftain,” saidHavgan, “what right hast thou to cause my death? Iwas not injuring thee in anything, and I know not wherefore thouwouldest slay me. But, for the love of Heaven, since thouhast begun to slay me, complete thy work.” “Ah,Chieftain,” he replied, “I may yet repent doing thatunto thee, slay thee who may, I will not do so.”“My trusty Lords,” said Havgan, “bear mehence. My death has come. I shall be no more able touphold you.” “My Nobles,” also said hewho was in the semblance of Arawn, “take counsel and knowwho ought to be my subjects.” “Lord,”said the Nobles, “all should be, for there is no king overthe whole of Annwvyn but thee.” “Yes,” hereplied, “it is right that he who comes humbly should bereceived graciously, but he that doth not come with obedience,shall be compelled by the force of swords.” Andthereupon he received the homage of the men, and he began toconquer the country; and the next day by noon the two kingdomswere in his power. And thereupon he went to keep his tryst,and came to Glyn Cuch.

And when he came there, the King of Annwvyn was there to meethim, and each of them was rejoiced to see the other.“Verily,” said Arawn, “may Heaven reward theefor thy friendship towards me. I have heard of it.When thou comest thyself to thy dominions,” said he,“thou wilt see that which I have done forthee.” “Whatever thou hast done for me, mayHeaven repay it thee.”

Then Arawn gave to Pwyll Prince of Dyved his proper form andsemblance, and he himself took his own; and Arawn set forthtowards the Court of Annwvyn; and he was rejoiced when he beheldhis hosts, and his household, whom he had not seen so long; butthey had not known of his absence, and wondered no more at hiscoming than usual. And that day was spent in joy andmerriment; and he sat and conversed with his wife and hisnobles. And when it was time for them rather to sleep thanto carouse, they went to rest.

Pwyll Prince of Dyved came likewise to his country anddominions, and began to inquire of the nobles of the land, howhis rule had been during the past year, compared with what it hadbeen before. “Lord,” said they, “thywisdom was never so great, and thou wast never so kind or so freein bestowing thy gifts, and thy justice was never more worthilyseen than in this year.” “By Heaven,”said he, “for all the good you have enjoyed, you shouldthank him who hath been with you; for behold, thus hath thismatter been.” And thereupon Pwyll related the wholeunto them. “Verily, Lord,” said they,“render thanks unto Heaven that thou hast such afellowship, and withhold not from us the rule which we haveenjoyed for this year past.” “I take Heaven towitness that I will not withhold it,” answered Pwyll.

And thenceforth they made strong the friendship that wasbetween them, and each sent unto the other horses, andgreyhounds, and hawks, and all such jewels as they thought wouldbe pleasing to each other. And by reason of his havingdwelt that year in Annwvyn, and having ruled there soprosperously, and united the two kingdoms in one day by hisvalour and prowess, he lost the name of Pwyll Prince of Dyved,and was called Pwyll Chief of Annwvyn from that time forward.

Once upon a time, Pwyll was at Narberth his chief palace,where a feast had been prepared for him, and with him was a greathost of men. And after the first meal, Pwyll arose to walk,and he went to the top of a mound that was above the palace, andwas called Gorsedd Arberth. “Lord,” said one ofthe Court, “it is peculiar to the mound that whosoever sitsupon it cannot go thence, without either receiving wounds orblows, or else seeing a wonder.” “I fear not toreceive wounds and blows in the midst of such a host as this, butas to the wonder, gladly would I see it. I will gotherefore and sit upon the mound.”

And upon the mound he sat. And while he sat there, theysaw a lady, on a pure white horse of large size, with a garmentof shining gold around her, coming along the highway that ledfrom the mound; and the horse seemed to move at a slow and evenpace, and to be coming up towards the mound. “Mymen,” said Pwyll, “is there any among you who knowsyonder lady?” “There is not, Lord,” saidthey. “Go one of you and meet her, that we may knowwho she is.” And one of them arose, and as he cameupon the road to meet her, she passed by, and he followed as fastas he could, being on foot; and the greater was his speed, thefurther was she from him. And when he saw that it profitedhim nothing to follow her, he returned to Pwyll, and said untohim, “Lord, it is idle for any one in the world to followher on foot.” “Verily,” said Pwyll,“go unto the palace, and take the fleetest horse that thouseest, and go after her.”

And he took a horse and went forward. And he came to anopen level plain, and put spurs to his horse; and the more heurged his horse, the further was she from him. Yet she heldthe same pace as at first. And his horse began to fail; andwhen his horse’s feet failed him, he returned to the placewhere Pwyll was. “Lord,” said he, “itwill avail nothing for any one to follow yonder lady. Iknow of no horse in these realms swifter than this, and itavailed me not to pursue her.” “Of atruth,” said Pwyll, “there must be some illusionhere. Let us go towards the palace.” So to thepalace they went, and they spent that day. And the next daythey arose, and that also they spent until it was time to go tomeat. And after the first meal, “Verily,” saidPwyll, “we will go the same party as yesterday to the topof the mound. And do thou,” said he to one of hisyoung men, “take the swiftest horse that thou knowest inthe field.” And thus did the young man. Andthey went towards the mound, taking the horse with them.And as they were sitting down they beheld the lady on the samehorse, and in the same apparel, coming along the same road.“Behold,” said Pwyll, “here is the lady ofyesterday. Make ready, youth, to learn who sheis.” “My lord,” said he, “that willI gladly do.” And thereupon the lady came opposite tothem. So the youth mounted his horse; and before he hadsettled himself in his saddle, she passed by, and there was aclear space between them. But her speed was no greater thanit had been the day before. Then he put his horse into anamble, and thought that notwithstanding the gentle pace at whichhis horse went, he should soon overtake her. But thisavailed him not; so he gave his horse the reins. And stillhe came no nearer to her than when he went at a foot’space. And the more he urged his horse, the further was shefrom him. Yet she rode not faster than before. Whenhe saw that it availed not to follow her, he returned to theplace where Pwyll was. “Lord,” said he,“the horse can no more than thou hast seen.”“I see indeed that it avails not that any one should followher. And by Heaven,” said he, “she must needshave an errand to some one in this plain, if her haste wouldallow her to declare it. Let us go back to thepalace.” And to the palace they went, and they spentthat night in songs and feasting, as it pleased them.

And the next day they amused themselves until it was time togo to meat. And when meat was ended, Pwyll said,“Where are the hosts that went yesterday and the day beforeto the top of the mound?” “Behold, Lord, we arehere,” said they. “Let us go,” said he,“to the mound, to sit there. And do thou,” saidhe to the page who tended his horse, “saddle my horse well,and hasten with him to the road, and bring also my spurs withthee.” And the youth did thus. And they wentand sat upon the mound; and ere they had been there but a shorttime, they beheld the lady coming by the same road, and in thesame manner, and at the same pace. “Young man,”said Pwyll, “I see the lady coming; give me myhorse.” And no sooner had he mounted his horse thanshe passed him. And he turned after her and followedher. And he let his horse go bounding playfully, andthought that at the second step or the third he should come upwith her. But he came no nearer to her than at first.Then he urged his horse to his utmost speed, yet he found that itavailed nothing to follow her. Then said Pwyll, “Omaiden, for the sake of him whom thou best lovest, stay forme.” “I will stay gladly,” said she,“and it were better for thy horse hadst thou asked it longsince.” So the maiden stopped, and she threw backthat part of her headdress which covered her face. And shefixed her eyes upon him, and began to talk with him.“Lady,” asked he, “whence comest thou, andwhereunto dost thou journey?” “I journey onmine own errand,” said she, “and right glad am I tosee thee.” “My greeting be unto thee,”said he. Then he thought that the beauty of all themaidens, and all the ladies that he had ever seen, was as nothingcompared to her beauty. “Lady,” he said,“wilt thou tell me aught concerning thypurpose?” “I will tell thee,” saidshe. “My chief quest was to seek thee.”“Behold,” said Pwyll, “this is to me the mostpleasing quest on which thou couldst have come; and wilt thoutell me who thou art?” “I will tell thee,Lord,” said she. “I am Rhiannon, the daughterof Heveydd Hên, and they sought to give me to a husbandagainst my will. But no husband would I have, and thatbecause of my love for thee, neither will I yet have one unlessthou reject me. And hither have I come to hear thyanswer.” “By Heaven,” said Pwyll,“behold this is my answer. If I might choose amongall the ladies and damsels in the world, thee would Ichoose.” “Verily,” said she, “ifthou art thus minded, make a pledge to meet me ere I am given toanother.” “The sooner I may do so, the morepleasing will it be unto me,” said Pwyll, “andwheresoever thou wilt, there will I meet with thee.”“I will that thou meet me this day twelvemonth at thepalace of Heveydd. And I will cause a feast to be prepared,so that it be ready against thou come.”“Gladly,” said he, “will I keep thistryst.” “Lord,” said she, “remainin health, and be mindful that thou keep thy promise; and now Iwill go hence.” So they parted, and he went back tohis hosts and to them of his household. And whatsoeverquestions they asked him respecting the damsel, he always turnedthe discourse upon other matters. And when a year from thattime was gone, he caused a hundred knights to equip themselvesand to go with him to the palace of Heveydd Hên. Andhe came to the palace, and there was great joy concerning him,with much concourse of people and great rejoicing, and vastpreparations for his coming. And the whole Court was placedunder his orders.

And the hall was garnished and they went to meat, and thus didthey sit; Heveydd Hên was on one side of Pwyll, andRhiannon on the other. And all the rest according to theirrank. And they ate and feasted and talked one with another,and at the beginning of the carousal after the meat, thereentered a tall auburn-haired youth, of royal bearing, clothed ina garment of satin. And when he came into the hall, hesaluted Pwyll and his companions. “The greeting ofHeaven be unto thee, my soul,” said Pwyll, “come thouand sit down.” “Nay,” said he, “asuitor am I, and I will do mine errand.” “Do sowillingly,” said Pwyll. “Lord,” said he,“my errand is unto thee, and it is to crave a boon of theethat I come.” “What boon soever thou mayest askof me, as far as I am able, thou shalt have.”“Ah,” said Rhiannon, “wherefore didst thou givethat answer?” “Has he not given it before thepresence of these nobles?” asked the youth. “Mysoul,” said Pwyll, “what is the boon thouaskest?” “The lady whom best I love is to bethy bride this night; I come to ask her of thee, with the feastand the banquet that are in this place.” And Pwyllwas silent because of the answer which he had given.“Be silent as long as thou wilt,” saidRhiannon. “Never did man make worse use of his witsthan thou hast done.” “Lady,” said he,“I knew not who he was.” “Behold this isthe man to whom they would have given me against my will,”said she. “And he is Gwawl the son of Clud, a man ofgreat power and wealth, and because of the word thou hast spoken,bestow me upon him lest shame befall thee.”“Lady,” said he, “I understand not thineanswer. Never can I do as thou sayest.”“Bestow me upon him,” said she, “and I willcause that I shall never be his.” “By whatmeans will that be?” asked Pwyll. “In thy handwill I give thee a small bag,” said she. “Seethat thou keep it well, and he will ask of thee the banquet, andthe feast, and the preparations which are not in thy power.Unto the hosts and the household will I give the feast. Andsuch will be thy answer respecting this. And as concernsmyself, I will engage to become his bride this nighttwelvemonth. And at the end of the year be thouhere,” said she, “and bring this bag with thee, andlet thy hundred knights be in the orchard up yonder. Andwhen he is in the midst of joy and feasting, come thou in bythyself, clad in ragged garments, and holding thy bag in thyhand, and ask nothing but a bagful of food, and I will cause thatif all the meat and liquor that are in these seven Cantrevs wereput into it, it would be no fuller than before. And after agreat deal has been put therein, he will ask thee whether thy bagwill ever be full. Say thou then that it never will, untila man of noble birth and of great wealth arise and press the foodin the bag with both his feet, saying, ‘Enough has been puttherein;’ and I will cause him to go and tread down thefood in the bag, and when he does so, turn thou the bag, so thathe shall be up over his head in it, and then slip a knot upon thethongs of the bag. Let there be also a good bugle hornabout thy neck, and as soon as thou hast bound him in the bag,wind thy horn, and let it be a signal between thee and thyknights. And when they hear the sound of the horn, let themcome down upon the palace.” “Lord,” saidGwawl, “it is meet that I have an answer to myrequest.” “As much of that thou hast asked asit is in my power to give, thou shalt have,” repliedPwyll. “My soul,” said Rhiannon unto him,“as for the feast and the banquet that are here, I havebestowed them upon the men of Dyved, and the household, and thewarriors that are with us. These can I not suffer to begiven to any. In a year from to-night a banquet shall beprepared for thee in this palace, that I may become thybride.”

So Gwawl went forth to his possessions, and Pwyll went alsoback to Dyved. And they both spent that year until it wasthe time for the feast at the palace of Heveydd Hên.Then Gwawl the son of Clud set out to the feast that was preparedfor him, and he came to the palace, and was received there withrejoicing. Pwyll, also, the Chief of Annwvyn, came to theorchard with his hundred knights, as Rhiannon had commanded him,having the bag with him. And Pwyll was clad in coarse andragged garments, and wore large clumsy old shoes upon hisfeet. And when he knew that the carousal after the meat hadbegun, he went towards the hall, and when he came into the hall,he saluted Gwawl the son of Clud, and his company, both men andwomen. “Heaven prosper thee,” said Gwawl,“and the greeting of Heaven be unto thee.”“Lord,” said he, “may Heaven reward thee, Ihave an errand unto thee.” “Welcome be thineerrand, and if thou ask of me that which is just, thou shalt haveit gladly.” “It is fitting,” answeredhe. “I crave but from want, and the boon that I askis to have this small bag that thou seest filled withmeat.” “A request within reason is this,”said he, “and gladly shalt thou have it. Bring himfood.” A great number of attendants arose and beganto fill the bag, but for all that they put into it, it was nofuller than at first. “My soul,” said Gwawl,“will thy bag be ever full?” “It willnot, I declare to Heaven,” said he, “for all that maybe put into it, unless one possessed of lands, and domains, andtreasure, shall arise and tread down with both his feet the foodthat is within the bag, and shall say, ‘Enough has been puttherein.’” Then said Rhiannon unto Gwawl theson of Clud, “Rise up quickly.” “I willwillingly arise,” said he. So he rose up, and put histwo feet into the bag. And Pwyll turned up the sides of thebag, so that Gwawl was over his head in it. And he shut itup quickly and slipped a knot upon the thongs, and blew hishorn. And thereupon behold his household came down upon thepalace. And they seized all the host that had come withGwawl, and cast them into his own prison. And Pwyll threwoff his rags, and his old shoes, and his tattered array; and asthey came in, every one of Pwyll’s knights struck a blowupon the bag, and asked, “What is here?”“A Badger,” said they. And in this manner theyplayed, each of them striking the bag, either with his foot orwith a staff. And thus played they with the bag.Every one as he came in asked, “What game are you playingat thus?” “The game of Badger in theBag,” said they. And then was the game of Badger inthe Bag first played.

“Lord,” said the man in the bag, “if thouwouldest but hear me, I merit not to be slain in abag.” Said Heveydd Hên, “Lord, he speakstruth. It were fitting that thou listen to him, for hedeserves not this.” “Verily,” said Pwyll,“I will do thy counsel concerning him.”“Behold this is my counsel then,” said Rhiannon;“thou art now in a position in which it behoves thee tosatisfy suitors and minstrels; let him give unto them in thystead, and take a pledge from him that he will never seek torevenge that which has been done to him. And this will bepunishment enough.” “I will do thisgladly,” said the man in the bag. “And gladlywill I accept it,” said Pwyll, “since it is thecounsel of Heveydd and Rhiannon.” “Such then isour counsel,” answered they. “I acceptit,” said Pwyll. “Seek thyselfsureties.” “We will be for him,” saidHeveydd, “until his men be free to answer forhim.” And upon this he was let out of the bag, andhis liegemen were liberated. “Demand now of Gwawl hissureties,” said Heveydd, “we know which should betaken for him.” And Heveydd numbered thesureties. Said Gwawl, “Do thou thyself draw up thecovenant.” “It will suffice me that it be asRhiannon said,” answered Pwyll. So unto that covenantwere the sureties pledged. “Verily, Lord,” saidGwawl, “I am greatly hurt, and I have many bruises. Ihave need to be anointed; with thy leave I will go forth. Iwill leave nobles in my stead, to answer for me in all that thoushalt require.” “Willingly,” said Pwyll,“mayest thou do thus.” So Gwawl went towardshis own possessions.

And the hall was set in order for Pwyll and the men of hishost, and for them also of the palace, and they went to thetables and sat down. And as they had sat that timetwelvemonth, so sat they that night. And they ate, andfeasted, and spent the night in mirth and tranquillity. Andthe time came that they should sleep, and Pwyll and Rhiannon wentto their chamber.

And next morning at the break of day, “My Lord,”said Rhiannon, “arise and begin to give thy gifts unto theminstrels. Refuse no one to-day that may claim thybounty.” “Thus shall it be gladly,” saidPwyll, “both to-day and every day while the feast shalllast.” So Pwyll arose, and he caused silence to beproclaimed, and desired all the suitors and the minstrels to showand to point out what gifts were to their wish and desire.And this being done, the feast went on, and he denied no onewhile it lasted. And when the feast was ended, Pwyll saidunto Heveydd, “My Lord, with thy permission I will set outfor Dyved to-morrow.” “Certainly,” saidHeveydd, “may Heaven prosper thee. Fix also a timewhen Rhiannon may follow thee.” “ByHeaven,” said Pwyll, “we will go hencetogether.” “Willest thou this, Lord?”said Heveydd. “Yes, by Heaven,” answeredPwyll.

And the next day, they set forward towards Dyved, andjourneyed to the palace of Narberth, where a feast was made readyfor them. And there came to them great numbers of the chiefmen and the most noble ladies of the land, and of these there wasnone to whom Rhiannon did not give some rich gift, either abracelet, or a ring, or a precious stone. And they ruledthe land prosperously both that year and the next.

And in the third year the nobles of the land began to besorrowful at seeing a man whom they loved so much, and who wasmoreover their lord and their foster-brother, without anheir. And they came to him. And the place where theymet was Preseleu, in Dyved. “Lord,” said they,“we know that thou art not so young as some of the men ofthis country, and we fear that thou mayest not have an heir ofthe wife whom thou hast taken. Take therefore another wifeof whom thou mayest have heirs. Thou canst not alwayscontinue with us, and though thou desire to remain as thou art,we will not suffer thee.” “Truly,” saidPwyll, “we have not long been joined together, and manythings may yet befall. Grant me a year from this time, andfor the space of a year we will abide together, and after that Iwill do according to your wishes.” So they grantedit. And before the end of a year a son was born untohim. And in Narberth was he born; and on the night that hewas born, women were brought to watch the mother and theboy. And the women slept, as did also Rhiannon, the motherof the boy. And the number of the women that were broughtinto the chamber was six. And they watched for a goodportion of the night, and before midnight every one of them fellasleep, and towards break of day they awoke; and when they awoke,they looked where they had put the boy, and behold he was notthere. “Oh,” said one of the women, “theboy is lost?” “Yes,” said another,“and it will be small vengeance if we are burnt or put todeath because of the child.” Said one of the women,“Is there any counsel for us in the world in thismatter?” “There is,” answered another,“I offer you good counsel.” “What isthat?” asked they. “There is here a stag-houndbitch, and she has a litter of whelps. Let us kill some ofthe cubs, and rub the blood on the face and hands of Rhiannon,and lay the bones before her, and assert that she herself hathdevoured her son, and she alone will not be able to gainsay ussix.” And according to this counsel it wassettled. And towards morning Rhiannon awoke, and she said,“Women, where is my son?” “Lady,”said they, “ask us not concerning thy son, we have noughtbut the blows and the bruises we got by struggling with thee, andof a truth we never saw any woman so violent as thou, for it wasof no avail to contend with thee. Hast thou not thyselfdevoured thy son? Claim him not therefore ofus.” “For pity’s sake,” saidRhiannon; “the Lord God knows all things. Charge menot falsely. If you tell me this from fear, I assert beforeHeaven that I will defend you.” “Truly,”said they, “we would not bring evil on ourselves for anyone in the world.” “For pity’ssake,” said Rhiannon, “you will receive no evil bytelling the truth.” But for all her words, whetherfair or harsh, she received but the same answer from thewomen.

And Pwyll the chief of Annwvyn arose, and his household, andhis hosts. And this occurrence could not be concealed, butthe story went forth throughout the land, and all the noblesheard it. Then the nobles came to Pwyll, and besought himto put away his wife, because of the great crime which she haddone. But Pwyll answered them, that they had no causewherefore they might ask him to put away his wife, save for herhaving no children. “But children has she now had,therefore will I not put her away; if she has done wrong, let herdo penance for it.”

So Rhiannon sent for the teachers and the wise men, and as shepreferred doing penance to contending with the women, she tookupon her a penance. And the penance that was imposed uponher was, that she should remain in that palace of Narberth untilthe end of seven years, and that she should sit every day nearunto a horseblock that was without the gate. And that sheshould relate the story to all who should come there, whom shemight suppose not to know it already; and that she should offerthe guests and strangers, if they would permit her, to carry themupon her back into the palace. But it rarely happened thatany would permit. And thus did she spend part of theyear.

Now at that time Teirnyon Twryv Vliant was Lord of Gwent IsCoed, and he was the best man in the world. And unto hishouse there belonged a mare, than which neither mare nor horse inthe kingdom was more beautiful. And on the night of everyfirst of May she foaled, and no one ever knew what became of thecolt. And one night Teirnyon talked with his wife:“Wife,” said he, “it is very simple of us thatour mare should foal every year, and that we should have none ofher colts.” “What can be done in thematter?” said she. “This is the night of thefirst of May,” said he. “The vengeance ofHeaven be upon me, if I learn not what it is that takes away thecolts.” So he caused the mare to be brought into ahouse, and he armed himself, and began to watch that night.And in the beginning of the night, the mare foaled a large andbeautiful colt. And it was standing up in the place.And Teirnyon rose up and looked at the size of the colt, and ashe did so he heard a great tumult, and after the tumult behold aclaw came through the window into the house, and it seized thecolt by the mane. Then Teirnyon drew his sword, and struckoff the arm at the elbow, so that portion of the arm togetherwith the colt was in the house with him. And then did hehear a tumult and wailing, both at once. And he opened thedoor, and rushed out in the direction of the noise, and he couldnot see the cause of the tumult because of the darkness of thenight, but he rushed after it and followed it. Then heremembered that he had left the door open, and he returned.And at the door behold there was an infant boy inswaddling-clothes, wrapped around in a mantle of satin. Andhe took up the boy, and behold he was very strong for the agethat he was of.

Then he shut the door, and went into the chamber where hiswife was. “Lady,” said he, “art thousleeping?” “No, lord,” said she, “Iwas asleep, but as thou camest in I did awake.”“Behold, here is a boy for thee if thou wilt,” saidhe, “since thou hast never had one.” “Mylord,” said she, “what adventure isthis?” “It was thus,” said Teirnyon; andhe told her how it all befell. “Verily, lord,”said she, “what sort of garments are there upon theboy?” “A mantle of satin,” said he.“He is then a boy of gentle lineage,” shereplied. “My lord,” she said, “if thouwilt, I shall have great diversion and mirth. I will callmy women unto me, and tell them that I have beenpregnant.” “I will readily grant thee to dothis,” he answered. And thus did they, and theycaused the boy to be baptized, and the ceremony was performedthere; and the name which they gave unto him was Gwri WalltEuryn, because what hair was upon his head was as yellow asgold. And they had the boy nursed in the Court until he wasa year old. And before the year was over he could walkstoutly. And he was larger than a boy of three years old,even one of great growth and size. And the boy was nursedthe second year, and then he was as large as a child six yearsold. And before the end of the fourth year, he would bribethe grooms to allow him to take the horses to water.“My lord,” said his wife unto Teirnyon, “whereis the colt which thou didst save on the night that thou didstfind the boy?” “I have commanded the grooms ofthe horses,” said he, “that they take care ofhim.” “Would it not be well, lord,” saidshe, “if thou wert to cause him to be broken in, and givento the boy, seeing that on the same night that thou didst findthe boy, the colt was foaled and thou didst savehim?” “I will not oppose thee in thismatter,” said Teirnyon. “I will allow thee togive him the colt.” “Lord,” said she,“may Heaven reward thee; I will give it him.”So the horse was given to the boy. Then she went to thegrooms and those who tended the horses, and commanded them to becareful of the horse, so that he might be broken in by the timethat the boy could ride him.

And while these things were going forward, they heard tidingsof Rhiannon and her punishment. And Teirnyon Twryv Vliant,by reason of the pity that he felt on hearing this story ofRhiannon and her punishment, inquired closely concerning it,until he had heard from many of those who came to hiscourt. Then did Teirnyon, often lamenting the sad history,ponder within himself, and he looked steadfastly on the boy, andas he looked upon him, it seemed to him that he had never beheldso great a likeness between father and son, as between the boyand Pwyll the Chief of Annwvyn. Now the semblance of Pwyllwas well known to him, for he had of yore been one of hisfollowers. And thereupon he became grieved for the wrongthat he did, in keeping with him a boy whom he knew to be the sonof another man. And the first time that he was alone withhis wife, he told her that it was not right that they should keepthe boy with them, and suffer so excellent a lady as Rhiannon tobe punished so greatly on his account, whereas the boy was theson of Pwyll the Chief of Annwvyn. And Teirnyon’swife agreed with him, that they should send the boy toPwyll. “And three things, lord,” said she,“shall we gain thereby. Thanks and gifts forreleasing Rhiannon from her punishment; and thanks from Pwyll fornursing his son and restoring him unto him; and thirdly, if theboy is of gentle nature, he will be our foster-son, and he willdo for us all the good in his power.” So it wassettled according to this counsel.

And no later than the next day was Teirnyon equipped, and twoother knights with him. And the boy, as a fourth in theircompany, went with them upon the horse which Teirnyon had givenhim. And they journeyed towards Narberth, and it was notlong before they reached that place. And as they drew nearto the palace, they beheld Rhiannon sitting beside thehorseblock. And when they were opposite to her,“Chieftain,” said she, “go not further thus, Iwill bear every one of you into the palace, and this is mypenance for slaying my own son and devouring him.”“Oh, fair lady,” said Teirnyon, “think not thatI will be one to be carried upon thy back.”“Neither will I,” said the boy. “Truly,my soul,” said Teirnyon, “we will notgo.” So they went forward to the palace, and therewas great joy at their coming. And at the palace a feastwas prepared, because Pywll was come back from the confines ofDyved. And they went into the hall and washed, and Pwyllrejoiced to see Teirnyon. And in this order they sat.Teirnyon between Pwyll and Rhiannon, and Teirnyon’s twocompanions on the other side of Pwyll, with the boy betweenthem. And after meat they began to carouse and todiscourse. And Teirnyon’s discourse was concerningthe adventure of the mare and the boy, and how he and his wifehad nursed and reared the child as their own. “Andbehold here is thy son, lady,” said Teirnyon.“And whosoever told that lie concerning thee, has donewrong. And when I heard of thy sorrow, I was troubled andgrieved. And I believe that there is none of this host whowill not perceive that the boy is the son of Pwyll,” saidTeirnyon. “There is none,” said they all,“who is not certain thereof.” “I declareto Heaven,” said Rhiannon, “that if this be true,there is indeed an end to my trouble.”“Lady,” said Pendaran Dyved, “well hast thounamed thy son Pryderi, [3] and well becomes himthe name of Pryderi son of Pwyll Chief of Annwvyn.”“Look you,” said Rhiannon, “will not his ownname become him better?” “What name hashe?” asked Pendaran Dyved. “Gwri Wallt Euryn isthe name that we gave him.” “Pryderi,”said Pendaran, “shall his name be.” “Itwere more proper,” said Pwyll, “that the boy shouldtake his name from the word his mother spoke when she receivedthe joyful tidings of him.” And thus was itarranged.

“Teirnyon,” said Pwyll, “Heaven reward theethat thou hast reared the boy up to this time, and, being ofgentle lineage, it were fitting that he repay thee forit.” “My lord,” said Teirnyon, “itwas my wife who nursed him, and there is no one in the world soafflicted as she at parting with him. It were well that heshould bear in mind what I and my wife have done forhim.” “I call Heaven to witness,” saidPwyll, “that while I live I will support thee and thypossessions, as long as I am able to preserve my own. Andwhen he shall have power, he will more fitly maintain them thanI. And if this counsel be pleasing unto thee, and to mynobles, it shall be that, as thou hast reared him up to thepresent time, I will give him to be brought up by Pendaran Dyved,from henceforth. And you shall be companions, and shallboth be foster-fathers unto him.” “This is goodcounsel,” said they all. So the boy was given toPendaran Dyved, and the nobles of the land were sent withhim. And Teirnyon Twryv Vliant, and his companions, set outfor his country, and his possessions, with love andgladness. And he went not without being offered the fairestjewels and the fairest horses, and the choicest dogs; but hewould take none of them.

Thereupon they all remained in their own dominions. AndPryderi, the son of Pwyll the Chief of Annwvyn, was brought upcarefully as was fit, so that he became the fairest youth, andthe most comely, and the best skilled in all good games, of anyin the kingdom. And thus passed years and years, until theend of Pwyll the Chief of Annwvyn’s life came, and hedied.

And Pryderi ruled the seven Cantrevs of Dyved prosperously,and he was beloved by his people, and by all around him.And at length he added unto them the three Cantrevs of YstradTywi, and the four Cantrevs of Cardigan; and these were calledthe Seven Cantrevs of Seissyllwch. And when he made thisaddition, Pryderi the son of Pwyll the Chief of Annwvyn desiredto take a wife. And the wife he chose was Kicva, thedaughter of Gwynn Gohoyw, the son of Gloyw Wallt Lydan, the sonof Prince Casnar, one of the nobles of this Island.

And thus ends this portion of the Mabinogion.

BRANWEN THE DAUGHTER OF LLYR
HERE IS THE SECOND PORTION OF THE MABINOGI

Bendigeid Vran, the son of Llyr, was the crowned king of this island, and hewas exalted from the crown of London. And one afternoon he was at Harlech inArdudwy, at his Court, and he sat upon the rock of Harlech, looking over thesea. And with him were his brother Manawyddan the son of Llyr, and his brothersby the mother’s side, Nissyen and Evnissyen, and many nobles likewise, aswas fitting to see around a king. His two brothers by the mother’s sidewere the sons of Eurosswydd, by his mother, Penardun, the daughter of Beli sonof Manogan. And one of these youths was a good youth and of gentle nature, andwould make peace between his kindred, and cause his family to be friends whentheir wrath was at the highest; and this one was Nissyen; but the other wouldcause strife between his two brothers when they were most at peace. And as theysat thus, they beheld thirteen ships coming from the south of Ireland, andmaking towards them, and they came with a swift motion, the wind being behindthem, and they neared them rapidly. “I see ships afar,” said theking, “coming swiftly towards the land. Command the men of the Court thatthey equip themselves, and go and learn their intent.” So the menequipped themselves and went down towards them. And when they saw the shipsnear, certain were they that they had never seen ships better furnished.Beautiful flags of satin were upon them. And behold one of the shipsoutstripped the others, and they saw a shield lifted up above the side of theship, and the point of the shield was upwards, in token of peace. And the mendrew near that they might hold converse. Then they put out boats and cametowards the land. And they saluted the king. Now the king could hear them fromthe place where he was, upon the rock above their heads. “Heaven prosperyou,” said he, “and be ye welcome. To whom do these ships belong,and who is the chief amongst you?” “Lord,” said they,“Matholwch, king of Ireland, is here, and these ships belong tohim.” “Wherefore comes he?” asked the king, “and willhe come to the land?” “He is a suitor unto thee, lord,” saidthey, “and he will not land unless he have his boon.” “Andwhat may that be?” inquired the king. “He desires to ally himselfwith thee, lord,” said they, “and he comes to ask Branwen thedaughter of Llyr, that, if it seem well to thee, the Island of the Mighty maybe leagued with Ireland, and both become more powerful.”“Verily,” said he, “let him come to land, and we will takecounsel thereupon.” And this answer was brought to Matholwch. “Iwill go willingly,” said he. So he landed, and they received himjoyfully; and great was the throng in the palace that night, between his hostsand those of the Court; and next day they took counsel, and they resolved tobestow Branwen upon Matholwch. Now she was one of the three chief ladies ofthis island, and she was the fairest damsel in the world.

And they fixed upon Aberffraw as the place where she shouldbecome his bride. And they went thence, and towardsAberffraw the hosts proceeded; Matholwch and his host in theirships; Bendigeid Vran and his host by land, until they came toAberffraw. And at Aberffraw they began the feast and satdown. And thus sat they. The King of the Island ofthe Mighty and Manawyddan the son of Llyr on one side, andMatholwch on the other side, and Branwen the daughter of Llyrbeside him. And they were not within a house, but undertents. No house could ever contain Bendigeid Vran.And they began the banquet and caroused and discoursed. Andwhen it was more pleasing to them to sleep than to carouse, theywent to rest, and that night Branwen became Matholwch’sbride.

And next day they arose, and all they of the Court, and theofficers began to equip and to range the horses and theattendants, and they ranged them in order as far as the sea.

And behold one day, Evnissyen, the quarrelsome man of whom itis spoken above, came by chance into the place, where the horsesof Matholwch were, and asked whose horses they might be.“They are the horses of Matholwch king of Ireland, who ismarried to Branwen, thy sister; his horses are they.”“And is it thus they have done with a maiden such as she,and moreover my sister, bestowing her without my consent?They could have offered no greater insult to me than this,”said he. And thereupon he rushed under the horses and cutoff their lips at the teeth, and their ears close to their heads,and their tails close to their backs, and wherever he couldclutch their eyelids, he cut them to the very bone, and hedisfigured the horses and rendered them useless.

And they came with these tidings unto Matholwch, saying thatthe horses were disfigured, and injured so that not one of themcould ever be of any use again. “Verily, lord,”said one, “it was an insult unto thee, and as such was itmeant.” “Of a truth, it is a marvel to me, thatif they desire to insult me, they should have given me a maidenof such high rank and so much beloved of her kindred, as theyhave done.” “Lord,” said another,“thou seest that thus it is, and there is nothing for theeto do but to go to thy ships.” And thereupon towardshis ships he set out.

And tidings came to Bendigeid Vran that Matholwch was quittingthe Court without asking leave, and messengers were sent toinquire of him wherefore he did so. And the messengers thatwent were Iddic the son of Anarawd, and Heveydd Hir. Andthese overtook him and asked of him what he designed to do, andwherefore he went forth. “Of a truth,” said he,“if I had known I had not come hither. I have beenaltogether insulted, no one had ever worse treatment than I havehad here. But one thing surprises me aboveall.” “What is that?” asked they.“That Branwen the daughter of Llyr, one of the three chiefladies of this island, and the daughter of the King of the Islandof the Mighty, should have been given me as my bride, and thatafter that I should have been insulted; and I marvel that theinsult was not done me before they had bestowed upon me a maidenso exalted as she.” “Truly, lord, it was notthe will of any that are of the Court,” said they,“nor of any that are of the council, that thou shouldesthave received this insult; and as thou hast been insulted, thedishonour is greater unto Bendigeid Vran than untothee.” “Verily,” said he, “I thinkso. Nevertheless he cannot recall the insult.”These men returned with that answer to the place where BendigeidVran was, and they told him what reply Matholwch had giventhem. “Truly,” said he, “there are nomeans by which we may prevent his going away at enmity with us,that we will not take.” “Well, lord,”said they, “send after him another embassy.”“I will do so,” said he. “Arise,Manawyddan son of Llyr, and Heveydd Hir, and Unic Glew Ysgwyd,and go after him, and tell him that he shall have a sound horsefor every one that has been injured. And beside that, as anatonement for the insult, he shall have a staff of silver, aslarge and as tall as himself, and a plate of gold of the breadthof his face. And show unto him who it was that did this,and that it was done against my will; but that he who did it ismy brother, by the mother’s side, and therefore it would behard for me to put him to death. And let him come and meetme,” said he, “and we will make peace in any way hemay desire.”

The embassy went after Matholwch, and told him all thesesayings in a friendly manner, and he listened thereunto.“Men,” said he, “I will takecounsel.” So to the council he went. And in thecouncil they considered that if they should refuse this, theywere likely to have more shame rather than to obtain so great anatonement. They resolved therefore to accept it, and theyreturned to the Court in peace.

Then the pavilions and the tents were set in order after thefashion of a hall; and they went to meat, and as they had sat atthe beginning of the feast, so sat they there. AndMatholwch and Bendigeid Vran began to discourse; and behold itseemed to Bendigeid Vran, while they talked, that Matholwch wasnot so cheerful as he had been before. And he thought thatthe chieftain might be sad, because of the smallness of theatonement which he had, for the wrong that had been donehim. “Oh, man,” said Bendigeid Vran,“thou dost not discourse to-night so cheerfully as thouwast wont. And if it be because of the smallness of theatonement, thou shalt add thereunto whatsoever thou mayestchoose, and to-morrow I will pay thee the horses.”“Lord,” said he, “Heaven rewardthee.” “And I will enhance theatonement,” said Bendigeid Vran, “for I will giveunto thee a cauldron, the property of which is, that if one ofthy men be slain to-day, and be cast therein, to-morrow he willbe as well as ever he was at the best, except that he will notregain his speech.” And thereupon he gave him greatthanks, and very joyful was he for that cause.

And the next morning they paid Matholwch the horses as long asthe trained horses lasted. And then they journeyed intoanother commot, where they paid him with colts until the wholehad been paid, and from thenceforth that commot was calledTalebolion.

And a second night sat they together. “Mylord,” said Matholwch, “whence hadst thou thecauldron which thou hast given me?” “I had itof a man who had been in thy land,” said he, “and Iwould not give it except to one from there.”“Who was it?” asked he. “LlassarLlaesgyvnewid; he came here from Ireland with Kymideu Kymeinvoll,his wife, who escaped from the Iron House in Ireland, when it wasmade red hot around them, and fled hither. And it is amarvel to me that thou shouldst know nothing concerning thematter.” “Something I do know,” said he,“and as much as I know I will tell thee. One day Iwas hunting in Ireland, and I came to the mound at the head ofthe lake, which is called the Lake of the Cauldron. And Ibeheld a huge yellow-haired man coming from the lake with acauldron upon his back. And he was a man of vast size, andof horrid aspect, and a woman followed after him. And ifthe man was tall, twice as large as he was the woman, and theycame towards me and greeted me. ‘Verily,’ askedI, ‘wherefore are you journeying?’‘Behold, this,’ said he to me, ‘is the causethat we journey. At the end of a month and a fortnight thiswoman will have a son; and the child that will be born at the endof the month and the fortnight will be a warrior fullyarmed.’ So I took them with me and maintainedthem. And they were with me for a year. And that yearI had them with me not grudgingly. But thenceforth wasthere murmuring, because that they were with me. For, fromthe beginning of the fourth month they had begun to makethemselves hated and to be disorderly in the land; committingoutrages, and molesting and harassing the nobles and ladies; andthenceforward my people rose up and besought me to part withthem, and they bade me to choose between them and mydominions. And I applied to the council of my country toknow what should be done concerning them; for of their own freewill they would not go, neither could they be compelled againsttheir will, through fighting. And [the people of thecountry] being in this strait, they caused a chamber to be madeall of iron. Now when the chamber was ready, there camethere every smith that was in Ireland, and every one who ownedtongs and hammer. And they caused coals to be piled up ashigh as the top of the chamber. And they had the man, andthe woman, and the children, served with plenty of meat anddrink; but when it was known that they were drunk, they began toput fire to the coals about the chamber, and they blew it withbellows until the house was red hot all around them. Thenwas there a council held in the centre of the floor of thechamber. And the man tarried until the plates of iron wereall of a white heat; and then, by reason of the great heat, theman dashed against the plates with his shoulder and struck themout, and his wife followed him; but except him and his wife noneescaped thence. And then I suppose, lord,” saidMatholwch unto Bendigeid Vran, “that he came over untothee.” “Doubtless he came here,” said he,“and gave unto me the cauldron.” “In whatmanner didst thou receive them?” “I dispersedthem through every part of my dominions, and they have becomenumerous and are prospering everywhere, and they fortify theplaces where they are with men and arms, of the best that wereever seen.”

That night they continued to discourse as much as they would,and had minstrelsy and carousing, and when it was more pleasantto them to sleep than to sit longer, they went to rest. Andthus was the banquet carried on with joyousness; and when it wasfinished, Matholwch journeyed towards Ireland, and Branwen withhim, and they went from Aber Menei with thirteen ships, and cameto Ireland. And in Ireland was there great joy because oftheir coming. And not one great man or noble lady visitedBranwen unto whom she gave not either a clasp, or a ring, or aroyal jewel to keep, such as it was honourable to be seendeparting with. And in these things she spent that year inmuch renown, and she passed her time pleasantly, enjoying honourand friendship. And in the meanwhile it chanced that shebecame pregnant, and in due time a son was born unto her, and thename that they gave him was Gwern the son of Matholwch, and theyput the boy out to be foster-nursed, in a place where were thebest men of Ireland.

And behold in the second year a tumult arose in Ireland, onaccount of the insult which Matholwch had received in Cambria,and the payment made him for his horses. And hisfoster-brothers, and such as were nearest unto him, blamed himopenly for that matter. And he might have no peace byreason of the tumult until they should revenge upon him thisdisgrace. And the vengeance which they took was to driveaway Branwen from the same chamber with him, and to make her cookfor the Court; and they caused the butcher after he had cut upthe meat to come to her and give her every day a blow on the ear,and such they made her punishment.

“Verily, lord,” said his men to Matholwch,“forbid now the ships and the ferry boats and the coracles,that they go not into Cambria, and such as come over from Cambriahither, imprison them that they go not back for this thing to beknown there.” And he did so; and it was thus for notless than three years.

And Branwen reared a starling in the cover of the kneadingtrough, and she taught it to speak, and she taught the bird whatmanner of man her brother was. And she wrote a letter ofher woes, and the despite with which she was treated, and shebound the letter to the root of the bird’s wing, and sentit towards Britain. And the bird came to this island, andone day it found Bendigeid Vran at Caer Seiont in Arvon,conferring there, and it alighted upon his shoulder and ruffledits feathers, so that the letter was seen, and they knew that thebird had been reared in a domestic manner.

Then Bendigeid Vran took the letter and looked upon it.And when he had read the letter he grieved exceedingly at thetidings of Branwen’s woes. And immediately he begansending messengers to summon the island together. And hecaused sevenscore and four countries to come unto him, and hecomplained to them himself of the grief that his sisterendured. So they took counsel. And in the councilthey resolved to go to Ireland, and to leave seven men as princeshere, and Caradawc, the son of Bran, as the chief of them, andtheir seven knights. In Edeyrnion were these menleft. And for this reason were the seven knights placed inthe town. Now the names of these seven men were, Caradawcthe son of Bran, and Heveydd Hir, and Unic Glew Ysgwyd, and Iddicthe son of Anarawc Gwalltgrwn, and Fodor the son of Ervyll, andGwlch Minascwrn, and Llassar the son of Llaesar Llaesgygwyd, andPendaran Dyved as a young page with them. And these abodeas seven ministers to take charge of this island; and Caradawcthe son of Bran was the chief amongst them.

Bendigeid Vran, with the host of which we spoke, sailedtowards Ireland, and it was not far across the sea, and he cameto shoal water. It was caused by two rivers; the Lli andthe Archan were they called; and the nations covered thesea. Then he proceeded with what provisions he had on hisown back, and approached the shore of Ireland.

Now the swineherds of Matholwch were upon the seashore, andthey came to Matholwch. “Lord,” said they,“greeting be unto thee.” “Heaven protectyou,” said he, “have you any news?”“Lord,” said they, “we have marvellous news, awood have we seen upon the sea, in a place where we never yet sawa single tree.” “This is indeed amarvel,” said he; “saw you aught else?”“We saw, lord,” said they, “a vast mountainbeside the wood, which moved, and there was a lofty ridge on thetop of the mountain, and a lake on each side of the ridge.And the wood, and the mountain, and all these thingsmoved.” “Verily,” said he, “thereis none who can know aught concerning this, unless it beBranwen.”

Messengers then went unto Branwen. “Lady,”said they, “what thinkest thou that this is?”“The men of the Island of the Mighty, who have come hitheron hearing of my ill-treatment and my woes.”“What is the forest that is seen upon the sea?” askedthey. “The yards and the masts of ships,” sheanswered. “Alas,” said they, “what is themountain that is seen by the side of the ships?”“Bendigeid Vran, my brother,” she replied,“coming to shoal water; there is no ship that can containhim in it.” “What is the lofty ridge with thelake on each side thereof?” “On looking towardsthis island he is wroth, and his two eyes, one on each side ofhis nose, are the two lakes beside the ridge.”

The warriors and the chief men of Ireland were broughttogether in haste, and they took counsel.“Lord,” said the nobles unto Matholwch, “thereis no other counsel than to retreat over the Linon (a river whichis in Ireland), and to keep the river between thee and him, andto break down the bridge that is across the river, for there is aloadstone at the bottom of the river that neither ship nor vesselcan pass over.” So they retreated across the river,and broke down the bridge.

Bendigeid Vran came to land, and the fleet with him by thebank of the river. “Lord,” said his chieftains,“knowest thou the nature of this river, that nothing can goacross it, and there is no bridge over it?”“What,” said they, “is thy counsel concerning abridge?” “There is none,” said he,“except that he who will be chief, let him be abridge. I will be so,” said he. And then wasthat saying first uttered, and it is still used as aproverb. And when he had lain down across the river,hurdles were placed upon him, and the host passed overthereby.

And as he rose up, behold the messengers of Matholwch came tohim, and saluted him, and gave him greeting in the name ofMatholwch, his kinsman, and showed how that of his goodwill hehad merited of him nothing but good. “For Matholwchhas given the kingdom of Ireland to Gwern the son of Matholwch,thy nephew and thy sister’s son. And this he placesbefore thee, as a compensation for the wrong and despite that hasbeen done unto Branwen. And Matholwch shall be maintainedwheresoever thou wilt, either here or in the Island of theMighty.” Said Bendigeid Vran, “Shall not Imyself have the kingdom? Then peradventure I may takecounsel concerning your message. From this time until thenno other answer will you get from me.”“Verily,” said they, “the best message that wereceive for thee, we will convey it unto thee, and do thou awaitour message unto him.” “I will wait,”answered he, “and do you return quickly.”

The messengers set forth and came to Matholwch.“Lord,” said they, “prepare a better messagefor Bendigeid Vran. He would not listen at all to themessage that we bore him.” “My friends,”said Matholwch, “what may be your counsel?”“Lord,” said they, “there is no other counselthan this alone. He was never known to be within a house,make therefore a house that will contain him and the men of theIsland of the Mighty on the one side, and thyself and thy host onthe other; and give over thy kingdom to his will, and do himhomage. So by reason of the honour thou doest him in makinghim a house, whereas he never before had a house to contain him,he will make peace with thee.” So the messengers wentback to Bendigeid Vran, bearing him this message.

And he took counsel, and in the council it was resolved thathe should accept this, and this was all done by the advice ofBranwen, and lest the country should be destroyed. And thispeace was made, and the house was built both vast andstrong. But the Irish planned a crafty device, and thecraft was that they should put brackets on each side of thehundred pillars that were in the house, and should place aleathern bag on each bracket, and an armed man in every one ofthem. Then Evnissyen came in before the host of the Islandof the Mighty, and scanned the house with fierce and savagelooks, and descried the leathern bags which were around thepillars. “What is in this bag?” asked he of oneof the Irish. “Meal, good soul,” said he.And Evnissyen felt about it until he came to the man’shead, and he squeezed the head until he felt his fingers meettogether in the brain through the bone. And he left thatone and put his hand upon another, and asked what wastherein. “Meal,” said the Irishman. So hedid the like unto every one of them, until he had not left alive,of all the two hundred men, save one only; and when he came tohim, he asked what was there. “Meal, goodsoul,” said the Irishman. And he felt about until hefelt the head, and he squeezed that head as he had done theothers. And, albeit he found that the head of this one wasarmed, he left him not until he had killed him. And then hesang an Englyn:—

“There is in this bag a different sort ofmeal,
The ready combatant, when the assault is made
By his fellow-warriors, prepared for battle.”

Thereupon came the hosts unto the house. The men of theIsland of Ireland entered the house on the one side, and the menof the Island of the Mighty on the other. And as soon asthey had sat down there was concord between them; and thesovereignty was conferred upon the boy. When the peace wasconcluded, Bendigeid Vran called the boy unto him, and fromBendigeid Vran the boy went unto Manawyddan, and he was belovedby all that beheld him. And from Manawyddan the boy wascalled by Nissyen the son of Eurosswydd, and the boy went untohim lovingly. “Wherefore,” said Evnissyen,“comes not my nephew the son of my sister unto me?Though he were not king of Ireland, yet willingly would I fondlethe boy.” “Cheerfully let him go tothee,” said Bendigeid Vran, and the boy went unto himcheerfully. “By my confession to Heaven,” saidEvnissyen in his heart, “unthought of by the household isthe slaughter that I will this instant commit.”

Then he arose and took up the boy by the feet, and before anyone in the house could seize hold of him, he thrust the boyheadlong into the blazing fire. And when Branwen saw herson burning in the fire, she strove to leap into the fire also,from the place where she sat between her two brothers. ButBendigeid Vran grasped her with one hand, and his shield with theother. Then they all hurried about the house, and never wasthere made so great a tumult by any host in one house as was madeby them, as each man armed himself. Then saidMorddwydtyllyon, “The gadflies of Morddwydtyllyon’sCow!” And while they all sought their arms, BendigeidVran supported Branwen between his shield and his shoulder.

Then the Irish kindled a fire under the cauldron ofrenovation, and they cast the dead bodies into the cauldron untilit was full, and the next day they came forth fighting-men asgood as before, except that they were not able to speak.Then when Evnissyen saw the dead bodies of the men of the Islandof the Mighty nowhere resuscitated, he said in his heart,“Alas! woe is me, that I should have been the cause ofbringing the men of the Island of the Mighty into so great astrait. Evil betide me if I find not a deliverancetherefrom.” And he cast himself among the dead bodiesof the Irish, and two unshod Irishmen came to him, and, takinghim to be one of the Irish, flung him into the cauldron.And he stretched himself out in the cauldron, so that he rent thecauldron into four pieces, and burst his own heart also.

In consequence of that the men of the Island of the Mightyobtained such success as they had; but they were not victorious,for only seven men of them all escaped, and Bendigeid Vranhimself was wounded in the foot with a poisoned dart. Nowthe seven men that escaped were Pryderi, Manawyddan, Gluneu EilTaran, Taliesin, Ynawc, Grudyen the son of Muryel, and Heilyn theson of Gwynn Hen.

And Bendigeid Vran commanded them that they should cut off hishead. “And take you my head,” said he,“and bear it even unto the White Mount, in London, and buryit there, with the face towards France. And a long timewill you be upon the road. In Harlech you will be feastingseven years, the birds of Rhiannon singing unto you thewhile. And all that time the head will be to you aspleasant company as it ever was when on my body. And atGwales in Penvro you will be fourscore years, and you may remainthere, and the head with you uncorrupted, until you open the doorthat looks towards Aber Henvelen, and towards Cornwall. Andafter you have opened that door, there you may no longer tarry,set forth then to London to bury the head, and go straightforward.”

So they cut off his head, and these seven went forwardtherewith. And Branwen was the eighth with them, and theycame to land at Aber Alaw, in Talebolyon, and they sat down torest. And Branwen looked towards Ireland and towards theIsland of the Mighty, to see if she could descry them.“Alas,” said she, “woe is me that I was everborn; two islands have been destroyed because of me!”Then she uttered a loud groan, and there broke her heart.And they made her a four-sided grave, and buried her upon thebanks of the Alaw.

Then the seven men journeyed forward towards Harlech, bearingthe head with them; and as they went, behold there met them amultitude of men and of women. “Have you anytidings?” asked Manawyddan. “We havenone,” said they, “save that Caswallawn the son ofBeli has conquered the Island of the Mighty, and is crowned kingin London.” “What has become,” said they,“of Caradawc the son of Bran, and the seven men who wereleft with him in this island?” “Caswallawn cameupon them, and slew six of the men, and Caradawc’s heartbroke for grief thereof; for he could see the sword that slew themen, but knew not who it was that wielded it. Caswallawnhad flung upon him the Veil of Illusion, so that no one could seehim slay the men, but the sword only could they see. And itliked him not to slay Caradawc, because he was his nephew, theson of his cousin. And now he was the third whose heart hadbroke through grief. Pendaran Dyved, who had remained as ayoung page with these men, escaped into the wood,” saidthey.

Then they went on to Harlech, and there stopped to rest, andthey provided meat and liquor, and sat down to eat and todrink. And there came three birds, and began singing untothem a certain song, and all the songs they had ever heard wereunpleasant compared thereto; and the birds seemed to them to beat a great distance from them over the sea, yet they appeared asdistinct as if they were close by, and at this repast theycontinued seven years.

And at the close of the seventh year they went forth to Gwalesin Penvro. And there they found a fair and regal spotoverlooking the ocean; and a spacious hall was therein. Andthey went into the hall, and two of its doors were open, but thethird door was closed, that which looked towards Cornwall.“See, yonder,” said Manawyddan, “is the doorthat we may not open.” And that night they regaledthemselves and were joyful. And of all they had seen offood laid before them, and of all they had heard of, theyremembered nothing; neither of that, nor of any sorrowwhatsoever. And there they remained fourscore years,unconscious of having ever spent a time more joyous andmirthful. And they were not more weary than when first theycame, neither did they, any of them, know the time they had beenthere. And it was not more irksome to them having the headwith them, than if Bendigeid Vran had been with themhimself. And because of these fourscore years, it wascalled “the Entertaining of the noble Head.”The entertaining of Branwen and Matholwch was in the time thatthey went to Ireland.

One day said Heilyn the son of Gwynn, “Evil betide me,if I do not open the door to know if that is true which is saidconcerning it.” So he opened the door and lookedtowards Cornwall and Aber Henvelen. And when they hadlooked, they were as conscious of all the evils they had eversustained, and of all the friends and companions they had lost,and of all the misery that had befallen them, as if all hadhappened in that very spot; and especially of the fate of theirlord. And because of their perturbation they could notrest, but journeyed forth with the head towards London. Andthey buried the head in the White Mount, and when it was buried,this was the third goodly concealment; and it was the thirdill-fated disclosure when it was disinterred, inasmuch as noinvasion from across the sea came to this island while the headwas in that concealment.

And thus is the story related of those who journeyed over fromIreland.

In Ireland none were left alive, except five pregnant women ina cave in the Irish wilderness; and to these five women in thesame night were born five sons, whom they nursed until theybecame grown-up youths. And they thought about wives, andthey at the same time desired to possess them, and each took awife of the mothers of their companions, and they governed thecountry and peopled it.

And these five divided it amongst them, and because of thispartition are the five divisions of Ireland still sotermed. And they examined the land where the battles hadtaken place, and they found gold and silver until they becamewealthy.

And thus ends this portion of the Mabinogi, concerning theblow given to Branwen, which was the third unhappy blow of thisisland; and concerning the entertainment of Bran, when the hostsof sevenscore countries and ten went over to Ireland to revengethe blow given to Branwen; and concerning the seven years’banquet in Harlech, and the singing of the birds of Rhiannon, andthe sojourning of the head for the space of fourscore years.

MANAWYDDAN THE SON OF LLYR
HERE IS THE THIRD PORTION OF THE MABINOGI

When the seven men of whom we spoke above had buried the head of BendigeidVran, in the White Mount in London, with its face towards France; Manawyddangazed upon the town of London, and upon his companions, and heaved a greatsigh; and much grief and heaviness came upon him. “Alas, Almighty Heaven,woe is me,” he exclaimed, “there is none save myself without aresting-place this night.” “Lord,” said Pryderi, “benot so sorrowful. Thy cousin is king of the Island of the Mighty, and though heshould do thee wrong, thou hast never been a claimant of land or possessions.Thou art the third disinherited prince.” “Yea,” answered he,“but although this man is my cousin, it grieveth me to see any one in theplace of my brother Bendigeid Vran, neither can I be happy in the same dwellingwith him.” “Wilt thou follow the counsel of another?” saidPryderi. “I stand in need of counsel,” he answered, “and whatmay that counsel be?” “Seven Cantrevs remain unto me,” saidPryderi, “wherein Rhiannon my mother dwells. I will bestow her upon theeand the seven Cantrevs with her, and though thou hadst no possessions but thoseCantrevs only, thou couldst not have seven Cantrevs fairer than they. Kicva,the daughter of Gwynn Gloyw, is my wife, and since the inheritance of theCantrevs belongs to me, do thou and Rhiannon enjoy them, and if thou everdesire any possessions thou wilt take these.” “I do not,Chieftain,” said he; “Heaven reward thee for thy friendship.”“I would show thee the best friendship in the world if thou wouldst letme.” “I will, my friend,” said he, “and Heaven rewardthee. I will go with thee to seek Rhiannon and to look at thypossessions.” “Thou wilt do well,” he answered. “And Ibelieve that thou didst never hear a lady discourse better than she, and whenshe was in her prime none was ever fairer. Even now her aspect is notuncomely.”

They set forth, and, however long the journey, they came atlength to Dyved, and a feast was prepared for them against theircoming to Narberth, which Rhiannon and Kicva had provided.Then began Manawyddan and Rhiannon to sit and to talk together,and from their discourse his mind and his thoughts became warmedtowards her, and he thought in his heart he had never beheld anylady more fulfilled of grace and beauty than she.“Pryderi,” said he, “I will that it be as thoudidst say.” “What saying was that?” askedRhiannon. “Lady,” said Pryderi, “I didoffer thee as a wife to Manawyddan the son of Llyr.”“By that will I gladly abide,” said Rhiannon.“Right glad am I also,” said Manawyddan; “mayHeaven reward him who hath shown unto me friendship so perfect asthis.”

And before the feast was over she became his bride. SaidPryderi, “Tarry ye here the rest of the feast, and I willgo into Lloegyr to tender my homage unto Caswallawn the son ofBeli.” “Lord,” said Rhiannon,“Caswallawn is in Kent, thou mayest therefore tarry at thefeast, and wait until he shall be nearer.” “Wewill wait,” he answered. So they finished thefeast. And they began to make the circuit of Dyved, and tohunt, and to take their pleasure. And as they went throughthe country, they had never seen lands more pleasant to live in,nor better hunting grounds, nor greater plenty of honey andfish. And such was the friendship between those four, thatthey would not be parted from each other by night nor by day.

And in the midst of all this he went to Caswallawn at Oxford,and tendered his homage; and honourable was his reception there,and highly was he praised for offering his homage.

And after his return, Pryderi and Manawyddan feasted and tooktheir ease and pleasure. And they began a feast atNarberth, for it was the chief palace; and there originated allhonour. And when they had ended the first meal that night,while those who served them ate, they arose and went forth, andproceeded all four to the Gorsedd of Narberth, and their retinuewith them. And as they sat thus, behold, a peal of thunder,and with the violence of the thunderstorm, lo there came a fallof mist, so thick that not one of them could see the other.And after the mist it became light all around. And whenthey looked towards the place where they were wont to see cattle,and herds, and dwellings, they saw nothing now, neither house,nor beast, nor smoke, nor fire, nor man, nor dwelling; but thehouses of the Court empty, and desert, and uninhabited, withouteither man or beast within them. And truly all theircompanions were lost to them, without their knowing aught of whathad befallen them, save those four only.

“In the name of Heaven,” cried Manawyddan,“where are they of the Court, and all my host besidethese? Let us go and see.” So they came intothe hall, and there was no man; and they went on to the castleand to the sleeping-place, and they saw none; and in themead-cellar and in the kitchen there was nought butdesolation. So they four feasted, and hunted, and tooktheir pleasure. Then they began to go through the land andall the possessions that they had, and they visited the housesand dwellings, and found nothing but wild beasts. And whenthey had consumed their feast and all their provisions, they fedupon the prey they killed in hunting, and the honey of the wildswarms. And thus they passed the first year pleasantly, andthe second; but at the last they began to be weary.

“Verily,” said Manawyddan, “we must not bidethus. Let us go into Lloegyr, and seek some craft wherebywe may gain our support.” So they went into Lloegyr,and came as far as Hereford. And they betook themselves tomaking saddles. And Manawyddan began to make housings, andhe gilded and coloured them with blue enamel, in the manner thathe had seen it done by Llasar Llaesgywydd. And he made theblue enamel as it was made by the other man. And thereforeis it still called Calch Lasar [blue enamel], because LlasarLlaesgywydd had wrought it.

And as long as that workmanship could be had of Manawyddan,neither saddle nor housing was bought of a saddler throughout allHereford; till at length every one of the saddlers perceived thatthey were losing much of their gain, and that no man bought ofthem, but him who could not get what he sought fromManawyddan. Then they assembled together, and agreed toslay him and his companions.

Now they received warning of this, and took counsel whetherthey should leave the city. “By Heaven,” saidPryderi, “it is not my counsel that we should quit thetown, but that we should slay these boors.”“Not so,” said Manawyddan, “for if we fightwith them, we shall have evil fame, and shall be put inprison. It were better for us to go to another town tomaintain ourselves.” So they four went to anothercity.

“What craft shall we take?” said Pryderi.“We will make shields,” said Manawyddan.“Do we know anything about that craft?” saidPryderi. “We will try,” answered he.There they began to make shields, and fashioned them after theshape of the good shields they had seen; and they enamelled they,as them had done the saddles. And they prospered in thatplace, so that not a shield was asked for in the whole town, butsuch as was had of them. Rapid therefore was their work,and numberless were the shields they made. But at last theywere marked by the craftsmen, who came together in haste, andtheir fellow-townsmen with them, and agreed that they should seekto slay them. But they received warning, and heard how themen had resolved on their destruction.“Pryderi,” said Manawyddan, “these men desireto slay us.” “Let us not endure this from theseboors, but let us rather fall upon them and slaythem.” “Not so,” he answered;“Caswallawn and his men will hear of it, and we shall beundone. Let us go to another town.” So toanother town they went.

“What craft shall we take?” said Manawyddan.“Whatsoever thou wilt that we know,” saidPryderi. “Not so,” he replied, “but letus take to making shoes, for there is not courage enough amongcordwainers either to fight with us or to molest us.”“I know nothing thereof,” said Pryderi.“But I know,” answered Manawyddan; “and I willteach thee to stitch. We will not attempt to dress theleather, but we will buy it ready dressed and will make the shoesfrom it.”

So he began by buying the best cordwal that could be had inthe town, and none other would he buy except the leather for thesoles; and he associated himself with the best goldsmith in thetown, and caused him to make clasps for the shoes, and to gildthe clasps, and he marked how it was done until he learnt themethod. And therefore was he called one of the three makersof Gold Shoes; and, when they could be had from him, not a shoenor hose was bought of any of the cordwainers in the town.But when the cordwainers perceived that their gains were failing(for as Manawyddan shaped the work, so Pryderi stitched it), theycame together and took counsel, and agreed that they would slaythem.

“Pryderi,” said Manawyddan, “these men areminded to slay us.” “Wherefore should we bearthis from the boorish thieves?” said Pryderi.“Rather let us slay them all.” “Notso,” said Manawyddan, “we will not slay them, neitherwill we remain in Lloegyr any longer. Let us set forth toDyved and go to see it.”

So they journeyed along until they came to Dyved, and theywent forward to Narberth. And there they kindled fire andsupported themselves by hunting. And thus they spent amonth. And they gathered their dogs around them, andtarried there one year.

And one morning Pryderi and Manawyddan rose up to hunt, andthey ranged their dogs and went forth from the palace. Andsome of the dogs ran before them and came to a small bush whichwas near at hand; but as soon as they were come to the bush, theyhastily drew back and returned to the men, their hair bristlingup greatly. “Let us go near to the bush,” saidPryderi, “and see what is in it.” And as theycame near, behold, a wild boar of a pure white colour rose upfrom the bush. Then the dogs, being set on by the men,rushed towards him; but he left the bush and fell back a littleway from the men, and made a stand against the dogs withoutretreating from them, until the men had come near. And whenthe men came up, he fell back a second time, and betook him toflight. Then they pursued the boar until they beheld a vastand lofty castle, all newly built, in a place where they hadnever before seen either stone or building. And the boarran swiftly into the castle and the dogs after him. Nowwhen the boar and the dogs had gone into the castle, they beganto wonder at finding a castle in a place where they had neverbefore seen any building whatsoever. And from the top ofthe Gorsedd they looked and listened for the dogs. But solong as they were there they heard not one of the dogs nor aughtconcerning them.

“Lord,” said Pryderi, “I will go into thecastle to get tidings of the dogs.”“Truly,” he replied, “thou wouldst be unwise togo into this castle, which thou hast never seen till now.If thou wouldst follow my counsel, thou wouldst not entertherein. Whosoever has cast a spell over this land hascaused this castle to be here.” “Of atruth,” answered Pryderi, “I cannot thus give up mydogs.” And for all the counsel that Manawyddan gavehim, yet to the castle he went.

When he came within the castle, neither man nor beast, norboar nor dogs, nor house nor dwelling saw he within it. Butin the centre of the castle floor he beheld a fountain withmarble work around it, and on the margin of the fountain a goldenbowl upon a marble slab, and chains hanging from the air, towhich he saw no end.

And he was greatly pleased with the beauty of the gold, andwith the rich workmanship of the bowl, and he went up to the bowland laid hold of it. And when he had taken hold of it hishands stuck to the bowl, and his feet to the slab on which thehowl was placed, and all his joyousness forsook him, so that hecould not utter a word. And thus he stood.

And Manawyddan waited for him till near the close of theday. And late in the evening, being certain that he shouldhave no tidings of Pryderi or of the dogs, he went back to thepalace. And as he entered, Rhiannon looked at him.“Where,” said she, “are thy companion and thydogs?” “Behold,” he answered, “theadventure that has befallen me.” And he related itall unto her. “An evil companion hast thoubeen,” said Rhiannon, “and a good companion hast thoulost.” And with that word she went out, and proceededtowards the castle according to the direction which he gaveher. The gate of the castle she found open. She wasnothing daunted, and she went in. And as she went in, sheperceived Pryderi laying hold of the bowl, and she went towardshim. “Oh, my lord,” said she, “what dostthou do here?” And she took hold of the bowl withhim; and as she did so her hands became fast to the bowl, and herfeet to the slab, and she was not able to utter a word. Andwith that, as it became night, lo, there came thunder upon them,and a fall of mist, and thereupon the castle vanished, and theywith it.

When Kicva the daughter of Gwynn Gloyw saw that there was noone in the palace but herself and Manawyddan, she sorrowed sothat she cared not whether she lived or died. AndManawyddan saw this. “Thou art in the wrong,”said he, “if through fear of me thou grievest thus. Icall Heaven to witness that thou hast never seen friendship merepure than that which I will bear thee, as long as Heaven willthat thou shouldst be thus. I declare to thee that were Iin the dawn of youth I would keep my faith unto Pryderi, and untothee also will I keep it. Be there no fear upon thee,therefore,” said he, “for Heaven is my witness thatthou shalt meet with all the friendship thou canst wish, and thatit is in my power to show thee, as long as it shall please Heavento continue us in this grief and woe.” “Heavenreward thee,” she said, “and that is what I deemed ofthee.” And the damsel thereupon took courage and wasglad.

“Truly, lady,” said Manawyddan, “it is notfitting for us to stay here, we have lost our dogs, and we cannotget food. Let us go into Lloegyr; it is easiest for us tofind support there.” “Gladly, lord,” saidshe, “we will do so.” And they set forthtogether to Lloegyr.

“Lord,” said she, “what craft wilt thoufollow? Take up one that is seemly.”“None other will I take,” answered he, “savethat of making shoes, as I did formerly.”“Lord,” said she, “such a craft becomes not aman so nobly born as thou.” “By that howeverwill I abide,” said he.

So he began his craft, and he made all his work of the finestleather he could get in the town, and, as he had done at theother place, he caused gilded clasps to be made for theshoes. And except himself all the cordwainers in the townwere idle, and without work. For as long as they could behad from him, neither shoes nor hose were bought elsewhere.And thus they tarried there a year, until the cordwainers becameenvious, and took counsel concerning him. And he hadwarning thereof, and it was told him how the cordwainers hadagreed together to slay him.

“Lord,” said Kicva, “wherefore should thisbe borne from these boors?” “Nay,” saidhe, “we will go back unto Dyved.” So towardsDyved they set forth.

Now Manawyddan, when he set out to return to Dyved, took withhim a burden of wheat. And he proceeded towards Narberth,and there he dwelt. And never was he better pleased thanwhen he saw Narberth again, and the lands where he had been wontto hunt with Pryderi and with Rhiannon. And he accustomedhimself to fish, and to hunt the deer in their covert. Andthen he began to prepare some ground, and he sowed a croft, and asecond, and a third. And no wheat in the world ever sprungup better. And the three crofts prospered with perfectgrowth, and no man ever saw fairer wheat than it.

And thus passed the seasons of the year until the harvestcame. And he went to look at one of his crofts, and beholdit was ripe. “I will reap this to-morrow,” saidhe. And that night he went back to Narberth, and on themorrow in the grey dawn he went to reap the croft, and when hecame there he found nothing but the bare straw. Every oneof the ears of the wheat was cut from off the stalk, and all theears carried entirely away, and nothing but the straw left.And at this he marvelled greatly.

Then he went to look at another croft, and behold that alsowas ripe. “Verily,” said he, “this will Ireap to-morrow.” And on the morrow he came with theintent to reap it, and when he came there he found nothing butthe bare straw. “Oh, gracious Heaven,” heexclaimed, “I know that whosoever has begun my ruin iscompleting it, and has also destroyed the country withme.”

Then he went to look at the third croft, and when he camethere, finer wheat had there never been seen, and this also wasripe. “Evil betide me,” said he, “if Iwatch not here to-night. Whoever carried off the other cornwill come in like manner to take this. And I will know whoit is.” So he took his arms, and began to watch thecroft. And he told Kicva all that had befallen.“Verily,” said she, “what thinkest thou todo?” “I will watch the croft to-night,”said he.

And he went to watch the croft. And at midnight, lo,there arose the loudest tumult in the world. And he looked,and behold the mightiest host of mice in the world, which couldneither be numbered nor measured. And he knew not what itwas until the mice had made their way into the croft, and each ofthem climbing up the straw and bending it down with its weight,had cut off one of the ears of wheat, and had carried it away,leaving there the stalk, and he saw not a single stalk there thathad not a mouse to it. And they all took their way,carrying the ears with them.

In wrath and anger did he rush upon the mice, but he could nomore come up with them than if they had been gnats, or birds inthe air, except one only, which though it was but sluggish, wentso fast that a man on foot could scarce overtake it. Andafter this one he went, and he caught it and put it in his glove,and tied up the opening of the glove with a string, and kept itwith him, and returned to the palace. Then he came to thehall where Kicva was, and he lighted a fire, and hung the gloveby the string upon a peg. “What hast thou there,lord?” said Kicva. “A thief,” said he,“that I found robbing me.” “What kind ofthief may it be, lord, that thou couldst put into thyglove?” said she. “Behold I will tellthee,” he answered. Then he showed her how his fieldshad been wasted and destroyed, and how the mice came to the lastof the fields in his sight. “And one of them was lessnimble than the rest, and is now in my glove; to-morrow I willhang it, and before Heaven, if I had them, I would hang themall.” “My lord,” said she, “this ismarvellous; but yet it would be unseemly for a man of dignitylike thee to be hanging such a reptile as this. And if thoudoest right, thou wilt not meddle with the creature, but wilt letit go.” “Woe betide me,” said he,“if I would not hang them all could I catch them, and suchas I have I will hang.” “Verily, lord,”said she, “there is no reason that I should succour thisreptile, except to prevent discredit unto thee. Dotherefore, lord, as thou wilt.” “If I knew ofany cause in the world wherefore thou shouldst succour it, Iwould take thy counsel concerning it,” said Manawyddan,“but as I know of none, lady, I am minded to destroyit.” “Do so willingly then,” saidshe.

And then he went to the Gorsedd of Narberth, taking the mousewith him. And he set up two forks on the highest part ofthe Gorsedd. And while he was doing this, behold he saw ascholar coming towards him, in old and poor and tatteredgarments. And it was now seven years since he had seen inthat place either man or beast, except those four persons who hadremained together until two of them were lost.

“My lord,” said the scholar, “good day tothee.” “Heaven prosper thee, and my greeting beunto thee. And whence dost thou come, scholar?” askedhe. “I come, lord, from singing in Lloegyr; andwherefore dost thou inquire?” “Because for thelast seven years,” answered he, “I have seen no manhere save four secluded persons, and thyself thismoment.” “Truly, lord,” said he, “Igo through this land unto mine own. And what work art thouupon, lord?” “I am hanging a thief that Icaught robbing me,” said he. “What manner ofthief is that?” asked the scholar. “I see acreature in thy hand like unto a mouse, and ill does it become aman of rank equal to thine to touch a reptile such as this.Let it go forth free.” “I will not let it gofree, by Heaven,” said he; “I caught it robbing me,and the doom of a thief will I inflict upon it, and I will hangit.” “Lord,” said he, “rather thansee a man of rank equal to thine at such a work as this, I wouldgive thee a pound which I have received as alms, to let thereptile go forth free.” “I will not let it gofree,” said he, “by Heaven, neither will I sellit.” “As thou wilt, lord,” he answered;“except that I would not see a man of rank equal to thinetouching such a reptile, I care nought.” And thescholar went his way.

And as he was placing the crossbeam upon the two forks, beholda priest came towards him upon a horse covered withtrappings. “Good day to thee, lord,” saidhe. “Heaven prosper thee,” said Manawyddan;“thy blessing.” “The blessing of Heavenbe upon thee. And what, lord, art thou doing?”“I am hanging a thief that I caught robbing me,” saidhe. “What manner of thief, lord?” askedhe. “A creature,” he answered, “in formof a mouse. It has been robbing me, and I am inflictingupon it the doom of a thief.” “Lord,”said he, “rather than see thee touch this reptile, I wouldpurchase its freedom.” “By my confession toHeaven, neither will I sell it nor set it free.”“It is true, lord, that it is worth nothing to buy; butrather than see thee defile thyself by touching such a reptile asthis, I will give thee three pounds to let it go.”“I will not, by Heaven,” said he, “take anyprice for at. As it ought, so shall it behanged.” “Willingly, lord, do thy goodpleasure.” And the priest went his way.

Then he noosed the string around the mouse’s neck, andas he was about to draw it up, behold, he saw a bishop’sretinue with his sumpter-horses, and his attendants. Andthe bishop himself came towards him. And he stayed hiswork. “Lord bishop,” said he, “thyblessing.” “Heaven’s blessing be untothee,” said he; “what work art thouupon?” “Hanging a thief that I caught robbingme,” said he. “Is not that a mouse that I seein thy hand?” “Yes,” answered he.“And she has robbed me.” “Aye,”said he, “since I have come at the doom of this reptile, Iwill ransom it of thee. I will give thee seven pounds forit, and that rather than see a man of rank equal to thinedestroying so vile a reptile as this. Let it loose and thoushalt have the money.” “I declare to Heaventhat I will not set it loose.” “If thou wiltnot loose it for this, I will give thee four-and-twenty pounds ofready money to set it free.” “I will not set itfree, by Heaven, for as much again,” said he.“If thou wilt not set it free for this, I will give theeall the horses that thou seest in this plain, and the seven loadsof baggage, and the seven horses that they are upon.”“By Heaven, I will not,” he replied.“Since for this thou wilt not, do so at what price soeverthou wilt.” “I will do so,” saidhe. “I will that Rhiannon and Pryderi be free,”said he. “That thou shalt have,” heanswered. “Not yet will I loose the mouse, byHeaven.” “What then wouldst thou?”“That the charm and the illusion be removed from the sevenCantrevs of Dyved.” “This shalt thou have also;set therefore the mouse free.” “I will not setit free, by Heaven,” said he. “I will know whothe mouse may be.” “She is mywife.” “Even though she be, I will not set herfree. Wherefore came she to me?” “Todespoil thee,” he answered. “I am Llwyd the sonof Kilcoed, and I cast the charm over the seven Cantrevs ofDyved. And it was to avenge Gwawl the son of Clud, from thefriendship I had towards him, that I cast the charm. Andupon Pryderi did I revenge Gwawl the son of Clud, for the game ofBadger in the Bag, that Pwyll Pen Annwvyn played upon him, whichhe did unadvisedly in the Court of Heveydd Hên. Andwhen it was known that thou wast come to dwell in the land, myhousehold came and besought me to transform them into mice, thatthey might destroy thy corn. And it was my own householdthat went the first night. And the second night also theywent, and they destroyed thy two crofts. And the thirdnight came unto me my wife and the ladies of the Court, andbesought me to transform them. And I transformedthem. Now she is pregnant. And had she not beenpregnant thou wouldst not have been able to overtake her; butsince this has taken place, and she has been caught, I willrestore thee Pryderi and Rhiannon; and I will take the charm andillusion from off Dyved. I have now told thee who sheis. Set her therefore free.” “I will notset her free, by Heaven,” said he. “What wiltthou more?” he asked. “I will that there be nomore charm upon the seven Cantrevs of Dyved, and that none shallbe put upon it henceforth.” “This thou shalthave,” said he. “Now set her free.”“I will not, by my faith,” he answered.“What wilt thou furthermore?” asked he.“Behold,” said he, “this will I have; thatvengeance be never taken for this, either upon Pryderi orRhiannon, or upon me.” “All this shalt thouhave. And truly thou hast done wisely in asking this.Upon thy head would have lighted all this trouble.”“Yea,” said he, “for fear thereof was it, thatI required this.” “Set now my wife atliberty.” “I will not, by Heaven,” saidhe, “until I see Pryderi and Rhiannon with mefree.” “Behold, here they come,” heanswered.

And thereupon behold Pryderi and Rhiannon. And he roseup to meet them, and greeted them, and sat down besidethem. “Ah, Chieftain, set now my wife atliberty,” said the bishop. “Hast thou notreceived all thou didst ask?” “I will releaseher gladly,” said he. And thereupon he set herfree.

Then Llwyd struck her with a magic wand, and she was changedback into a young woman, the fairest ever seen.

“Look around upon thy land,” said he, “andthen thou wilt see it all tilled and peopled, as it was in itsbest state.” And he rose up and looked forth.And when he looked he saw all the lands tilled, and full of herdsand dwellings. “What bondage,” he inquired,“has there been upon Pryderi and Rhiannon?”“Pryderi has had the knockers of the gate of my palaceabout his neck, and Rhiannon has had the collars of the asses,after they have been carrying hay, about her neck.”

And such had been their bondage.

And by reason of this bondage is this story called theMabinogi of Mynnweir and Mynord.

And thus ends this portion of the Mabinogi.

MATH THE SON OF MATHONWY
THIS IS THE FOURTH PORTION OF THE MABINOGI

Math the son of Mathonwy was lord over Gwynedd, and Pryderi the son of Pwyllwas lord over the one-and-twenty Cantrevs of the South; and these were theseven Cantrevs of Dyved, and the seven Cantrevs of Morganwc, the four Cantrevsof Ceredigiawn, and the three of Ystrad Tywi.

At that time, Math the son of Mathonwy could not exist unlesshis feet were in the lap of a maiden, except only when he wasprevented by the tumult of war. Now the maiden who was withhim was Goewin, the daughter of Pebin of Dôl Pebin, inArvon, and she was the fairest maiden of her time who was knownthere.

And Math dwelt always at Caer Dathyl, in Arvon, and was notable to go the circuit of the land, but Gilvaethwy the son ofDon, and Eneyd the son of Don, his nephews, the sons of hissisters, with his household, went the circuit of the land in hisstead.

Now the maiden was with Math continually, and Gilvaethwy theson of Don set his affections upon her, and loved her so that heknew not what he should do because of her, and therefrom beholdhis hue, and his aspect, and his spirits changed for love of her,so that it was not easy to know him.

One day his brother Gwydion gazed steadfastly upon him.“Youth,” said he, “what aileththee?” “Why,” replied he, “whatseest thou in me?” “I see,” said he,“that thou hast lost thy aspect and thy hue; what,therefore, aileth thee?” “My lordbrother,” he answered, “that which aileth me, it willnot profit me that I should own to any.” “Whatmay it be, my soul?” said he. “Thouknowest,” he said, “that Math the son of Mathonwy hasthis property, that if men whisper together, in a tone how lowsoever, if the wind meet it, it becomes known untohim.” “Yes,” said Gwydion, “holdnow thy peace, I know thy intent, thou lovest Goewin.”

When he found that his brother knew his intent, he gave theheaviest sigh in the world. “Be silent, my soul, andsigh not,” he said. “It is not thereby thatthou wilt succeed. I will cause,” said he, “ifit cannot be otherwise, the rising of Gwynedd, and Powys, andDeheubarth, to seek the maiden. Be thou of glad cheertherefore, and I will compass it.”

So they went unto Math the son of Mathonwy.“Lord,” said Gwydion, “I have heard that therehave come to the South some beasts, such as were never known inthis island before.” “What are theycalled?” he asked. “Pigs, lord.”“And what kind of animals are they?”“They are small animals, and their flesh is better than theflesh of oxen.” “They are small,then?” “And they change their names.Swine are they now called.” “Who owneththem?” “Pryderi the son of Pwyll; they weresent him from Annwvyn, by Arawn the king of Annwvyn, and stillthey keep that name, half hog, half pig.”“Verily,” asked he, “and by what means may theybe obtained from him?” “I will go, lord, as oneof twelve, in the guise of bards, to seek the swine.”“But it may be that he will refuse you,” saidhe. “My journey will not be evil, lord,” saidhe; “I will not come back without the swine.”“Gladly,” said he, “go thou forward.”

So he and Gilvaethwy went, and ten other men with them.And they came into Ceredigiawn, to the place that is now calledRhuddlan Teivi, where the palace of Pryderi was. In theguise of bards they came in, and they were received joyfully, andGwydion was placed beside Pryderi that night.

“Of a truth,” said Pryderi, “gladly would Ihave a tale from some of your men yonder.”“Lord,” said Gwydion, “we have a custom thatthe first night that we come to the Court of a great man, thechief of song recites. Gladly will I relate atale.” Now Gwydion was the best teller of tales inthe world, and he diverted all the Court that night with pleasantdiscourse and with tales, so that he charmed every one in theCourt, and it pleased Pryderi to talk with him.

And after this, “Lord,” said he unto Pryderi,“were it more pleasing to thee, that another shoulddischarge my errand unto thee, than that I should tell theemyself what it is?” “No,” he answered,“ample speech hast thou.” “Behold then,lord,” said he, “my errand. It is to crave fromthee the animals that were sent thee from Annwvyn.”“Verily,” he replied, “that were the easiestthing in the world to grant, were there not a covenant between meand my land concerning them. And the covenant is that theyshall not go from me, until they have produced double theirnumber in the land.” “Lord,” said he,“I can set thee free from those words, and this is the wayI can do so; give me not the swine to-night, neither refuse themunto me, and to-morrow I will show thee an exchange forthem.”

And that night he and his fellows went unto their lodging, andthey took counsel. “Ah, my men,” said he,“we shall not have the swine for the asking.”“Well,” said they, “how may they beobtained?” “I will cause them to beobtained,” said Gwydion.

Then he betook himself to his arts, and began to work acharm. And he caused twelve chargers to appear, and twelveblack greyhounds, each of them white-breasted, and having uponthem twelve collars and twelve leashes, such as no one that sawthem could know to be other than gold. And upon the horsestwelve saddles, and every part which should have been of iron wasentirely of gold, and the bridles were of the sameworkmanship. And with the horses and the dogs he came toPryderi.

“Good day unto thee, lord,” said he.“Heaven prosper thee,” said the other, “andgreetings be unto thee.” “Lord,” said he,“behold here is a release for thee from the word which thouspakest last evening concerning the swine; that thou wouldstneither give nor sell them. Thou mayest exchange them forthat which is better. And I will give these twelve horses,all caparisoned as they are, with their saddles and theirbridles, and these twelve greyhounds, with their collars andtheir leashes as thou seest, and the twelve gilded shields thatthou beholdest yonder.” Now these he had formed offungus. “Well,” said he, “we will takecounsel.” And they consulted together, and determinedto give the swine to Gwydion, and to take his horses and his dogsand his shields.

Then Gwydion and his men took their leave, and began tojourney forth with the pigs. “Ah, my comrades,”said Gwydion, “it is needful that we journey withspeed. The illusion will not last but from the one hour tothe same to-morrow.”

And that night they journeyed as far as the upper part ofCeredigiawn, to the place which, from that cause, is calledMochdrev still. And the next day they took their coursethrough Melenydd, and came that night to the town which islikewise for that reason called Mochdrev between Keri andArwystli. And thence they journeyed forward; and that nightthey came as far as that Commot in Powys, which also upon accountthereof is called Mochnant, and there tarried they thatnight. And they journeyed thence to the Cantrev of Rhos,and the place where they were that night is still calledMochdrev.

“My men,” said Gwydion, “we must pushforward to the fastnesses of Gwynedd with these animals, forthere is a gathering of hosts in pursuit of us.” Sothey journeyed on to the highest town of Arllechwedd, and therethey made a sty for the swine, and therefore was the name ofCreuwyryon given to that town. And after they had made thesty for the swine, they proceeded to Math the son of Mathonwy, atCaer Dathyl. And when they came there, the country wasrising. “What news is there here?” askedGwydion. “Pryderi is assembling one-and-twentyCantrevs to pursue after you,” answered they.“It is marvellous that you should have journeyed soslowly.” “Where are the animals whereof youwent in quest?” said Math. “They have had a stymade for them in the other Cantrev below,” saidGwydion.

Thereupon, lo, they heard the trumpets and the host in theland, and they arrayed themselves and set forward and came toPenardd in Arvon.

And at night Gwydion the son of Don, and Gilvaethwy hisbrother, returned to Caer Dathyl; and Gilvaethwy took Math theson of Mathonwy’s couch. And while he turned out theother damsels from the room discourteously, he made Goewinunwillingly remain.

And when they saw the day on the morrow, they went back untothe place where Math the son of Mathonwy was with his host; andwhen they came there, the warriors were taking counsel in whatdistrict they should await the coming of Pryderi, and the men ofthe South. So they went in to the council. And it wasresolved to wait in the strongholds of Gwynedd, in Arvon.So within the two Maenors they took their stand, Maenor Penarddand Maenor Coed Alun. And there Pryderi attacked them, andthere the combat took place. And great was the slaughter onboth sides; but the men of the South were forced to flee.And they fled unto the place which is still calledNantcall. And thither did they follow them, and they made avast slaughter of them there, so that they fled again as far asthe place called Dol Pen Maen, and there they halted and soughtto make peace.

And that he might have peace, Pryderi gave hostages, GwrgiGwastra gave he and three-and-twenty others, sons ofnobles. And after this they journeyed in peace even untoTraeth Mawr; but as they went on together towards Melenryd, themen on foot could not be restrained from shooting. Pryderidispatched unto Math an embassy to pray him to forbid his people,and to leave it between him and Gwydion the son of Don, for thathe had caused all this. And the messengers came toMath. “Of a truth,” said Math, “I callHeaven to witness, if it be pleasing unto Gwydion the son of Don,I will so leave it gladly. Never will I compel any to go tofight, but that we ourselves should do our utmost.”

“Verily,” said the messengers, “Pryderisaith that it were more fair that the man who did him this wrongshould oppose his own body to his, and let his people remainunscathed.” “I declare to Heaven, I will notask the men of Gwynedd to fight because of me. If I amallowed to fight Pryderi myself, gladly will I oppose my body tohis.” And this answer they took back toPryderi. “Truly,” said Pryderi, “I shallrequire no one to demand my rights but myself.”

Then these two came forth and armed themselves, and theyfought. And by force of strength, and fierceness, and bythe magic and charms of Gwydion, Pryderi was slain. And atMaen Tyriawc, above Melenryd, was he buried, and there is hisgrave.

And the men of the South set forth in sorrow towards their ownland; nor is it a marvel that they should grieve, seeing thatthey had lost their lord, and many of their best warriors, andfor the most part their horses and their arms.

The men of Gwynedd went back joyful and in triumph.“Lord,” said Gwydion unto Math, “would it notbe right for us to release the hostages of the men of the South,which they pledged unto us for peace? for we ought not to putthem in prison.” “Let them then be setfree,” saith Math. So that youth, and the otherhostages that were with him, were set free to follow the men ofthe South.

Math himself went forward to Caer Dathyl. Gilvaethwy theson of Don, and they of the household that were with him, went tomake the circuit of Gwynedd as they were wont, without coming tothe Court. Math went into his chamber, and caused a placeto be prepared for him whereon to recline, so that he might puthis feet in the maiden’s lap. “Lord,”said Goewin, “seek now another to hold thy feet, for I amnow a wife.” “What meaneth this?” saidhe. “An attack, lord, was made unawares upon me; butI held not my peace, and there was no one in the Court who knewnot of it. Now the attack was made by thy nephews, lord,the sons of thy sister, Gwydion the son of Don, and Gilvaethwythe son of Don; unto me they did wrong, and unto theedishonour.” “Verily,” he exclaimed,“I will do to the utmost of my power concerning thismatter. But first I will cause thee to have compensation,and then will I have amends made unto myself. As for thee,I will take thee to be my wife, and the possession of mydominions will I give unto thy hands.”

And Gwydion and Gilvaethwy came not near the Court, but stayedin the confines of the land until it was forbidden to give themmeat and drink. At first they came not near unto Math, butat the last they came. “Lord,” said they,“good day to thee.” “Well,” saidhe, “is it to make me compensation that ye arecome?” “Lord,” they said, “we areat thy will.” “By my will I would not have lostmy warriors, and so many arms as I have done. You cannotcompensate me my shame, setting aside the death of Pryderi.But since ye come hither to be at my will, I shall begin yourpunishment forthwith.”

Then he took his magic wand, and struck Gilvaethwy, so that hebecame a deer, and he seized upon the other hastily lest heshould escape from him. And he struck him with the samemagic wand, and he became a deer also. “Since now yeare in bonds, I will that ye go forth together and be companions,and possess the nature of the animals whose form ye bear.And this day twelvemonth come hither unto me.”

At the end of a year from that day, lo there was a loud noiseunder the chamber wall, and the barking of the dogs of the palacetogether with the noise. “Look,” said he,“what is without.” “Lord,” saidone, “I have looked; there are there two deer, and a fawnwith them.” Then he arose and went out. Andwhen he came he beheld the three animals. And he lifted uphis wand. “As ye were deer last year, be ye wild hogseach and either of you, for the year that is tocome.” And thereupon he struck them with the magicwand. “The young one will I take and cause to bebaptized.” Now the name that he gave him wasHydwn. “Go ye and be wild swine, each and either ofyou, and be ye of the nature of wild swine. And this daytwelvemonth be ye here under the wall.”

At the end of the year the barking of dogs was heard under thewall of the chamber. And the Court assembled, and thereuponhe arose and went forth, and when he came forth he beheld threebeasts. Now these were the beasts that he saw; two wildhogs of the woods, and a well-grown young one with them.And he was very large for his age. “Truly,”said Math, “this one will I take and cause to bebaptized.” And he struck him with his magic wand, andhe become a fine fair auburn-haired youth, and the name that hegave him was Hychdwn. “Now as for you, as ye werewild hogs last year, be ye wolves each and either of you for theyear that is to come.” Thereupon he struck them withhis magic wand, and they became wolves. “And be ye oflike nature with the animals whose semblance ye bear, and returnhere this day twelvemonth beneath this wall.”

And at the same day at the end of the year, he heard a clamourand a barking of dogs under the wall of the chamber. And herose and went forth. And when he came, behold, he saw twowolves, and a strong cub with them. “This one will Itake,” said Math, “and I will cause him to bebaptized; there is a name prepared for him, and that isBleiddwn. Now these three, such are they:—

The three sons of Gilvaethwy the false,
The three faithful combatants,
Bleiddwn, Hydwn, and Hychdwn the Tall.”

Then he struck the two with his magic wand, and they resumedtheir own nature. “Oh men,” said he, “forthe wrong that ye did unto me sufficient has been your punishmentand your dishonour. Prepare now precious ointment for thesem*n, and wash their heads, and equip them.” And thiswas done.

And after they were equipped, they came unto him.“Oh men,” said he, “you have obtained peace,and you shall likewise have friendship. Give your counselunto me, what maiden I shall seek.”“Lord,” said Gwydion the son of Don, “it iseasy to give thee counsel; seek Arianrod, the daughter of Don,thy niece, thy sister’s daughter.”

And they brought her unto him, and the maiden came in.“Ha, damsel,” said he, “art thou themaiden?” “I know not, lord, other than that Iam.” Then he took up his magic wand, and bentit. “Step over this,” said he, “and Ishall know if thou art the maiden.” Then stepped sheover the magic wand, and there appeared forthwith a fine chubbyyellow-haired boy. And at the crying out of the boy, shewent towards the door. And thereupon some small form wasseen; but before any one could get a second glimpse of it,Gwydion had taken it, and had flung a scarf of velvet around itand hidden it. Now the place where he hid it was the bottomof a chest at the foot of his bed.

“Verily,” said Math the son of Mathonwy,concerning the fine yellow-haired boy, “I will cause thisone to be baptized, and Dylan is the name I will givehim.”

So they had the boy baptized, and as they baptized him heplunged into the sea. And immediately when he was in thesea, he took its nature, and swam as well as the best fish thatwas therein. And for that reason was he called Dylan, theson of the Wave. Beneath him no wave ever broke. Andthe blow whereby he came to his death, was struck by his uncleGovannon. The third fatal blow was it called.

As Gwydion lay one morning on his bed awake, he heard a cry inthe chest at his feet; and though it was not loud, it was suchthat he could hear it. Then he arose in haste, and openedthe chest: and when he opened it, he beheld an infant boystretching out his arms from the folds of the scarf, and castingit aside. And he took up the boy in his arms, and carriedhim to a place where he knew there was a woman that could nursehim. And he agreed with the woman that she should takecharge of the boy. And that year he was nursed.

And at the end of the year he seemed by his size as though hewere two years old. And the second year he was a big child,and able to go to the Court by himself. And when he came tothe Court, Gwydion noticed him, and the boy became familiar withhim, and loved him better than any one else. Then was theboy reared at the Court until he was four years old, when he wasas big as though he had been eight.

And one day Gwydion walked forth, and the boy followed him,and he went to the Castle of Arianrod, having the boy with him;and when he came into the Court, Arianrod arose to meet him, andgreeted him and bade him welcome. “Heaven prosperthee,” said he. “Who is the boy that followeththee?” she asked. “This youth, he is thyson,” he answered. “Alas,” said she,“what has come unto thee that thou shouldst shame me thus?wherefore dost thou seek my dishonour, and retain it so long asthis?” “Unless thou suffer dishonour greaterthan that of my bringing up such a boy as this, small will be thydisgrace.” “What is the name of the boy?”said she. “Verily,” he replied, “he hasnot yet a name.” “Well,” she said,“I lay this destiny upon him, that he shall never have aname until he receives one from me.” “Heavenbears me witness,” answered he, “that thou art awicked woman. But the boy shall have a name how displeasingsoever it may be unto thee. As for thee, that whichafflicts thee is that thou art no longer called adamsel.” And thereupon he went forth in wrath, andreturned to Caer Dathyl and there he tarried that night.

And the next day he arose and took the boy with him, and wentto walk on the seashore between that place and Aber Menei.And there he saw some sedges and seaweed, and he turned them intoa boat. And out of dry sticks and sedges he made someCordovan leather, and a great deal thereof, and he coloured it insuch a manner that no one ever saw leather more beautiful thanit. Then he made a sail to the boat, and he and the boywent in it to the port of the castle of Arianrod. And hebegan forming shoes and stitching them, until he was observedfrom the castle. And when he knew that they of the castlewere observing him, he disguised his aspect, and put anothersemblance upon himself, and upon the boy, so that they might notbe known. “What men are those in yonder boat?”said Arianrod. “They are cordwainers,” answeredthey. “Go and see what kind of leather they have, andwhat kind of work they can do.”

So they came unto them. And when they came he wascolouring some Cordovan leather, and gilding it. And themessengers came and told her this. “Well,” saidshe, “take the measure of my foot, and desire thecordwainer to make shoes for me.” So he made theshoes for her, yet not according to the measure, butlarger. The shoes then were brought unto her, and beholdthey were too large. “These are too large,”said she, “but he shall receive their value. Let himalso make some that are smaller than they.” Then hemade her others that were much smaller than her foot, and sentthem unto her. “Tell him that these will not go on myfeet,” said she. And they told him this.“Verily,” said he, “I will not make her anyshoes, unless I see her foot.” And this was told untoher. “Truly,” she answered, “I will gounto him.”

So she went down to the boat, and when she came there, he wasshaping shoes and the boy stitching them. “Ah,lady,” said he, “good day to thee.”“Heaven prosper thee,” said she. “Imarvel that thou canst not manage to make shoes according to ameasure.” “I could not,” he replied,“but now I shall be able.”

Thereupon behold a wren stood upon the deck of the boat, andthe boy shot at it, and hit it in the leg between the sinew andthe bone. Then she smiled. “Verily,” saidshe, “with a steady hand did the lion aim atit.” “Heaven reward thee not, but now has hegot a name. And a good enough name it is. Llew LlawGyffes be he called henceforth.”

Then the work disappeared in seaweed and sedges, and he wenton with it no further. And for that reason was he calledthe third Gold-shoemaker. “Of a truth,” saidshe, “thou wilt not thrive the better for doing evil untome.” “I have done thee no evil yet,” saidhe. Then he restored the boy to his own form.“Well,” said she, “I will lay a destiny uponthis boy, that he shall never have arms and armour until I investhim with them.” “By Heaven,” said he,“let thy malice be what it may, he shall havearms.”

Then they went towards Dinas Dinllev, and there he brought upLlew Llaw Gyffes, until he could manage any horse, and he wasperfect in features, and strength, and stature. And thenGwydion saw that he languished through the want of horses andarms. And he called him unto him. “Ah,youth,” said he, “we will go to-morrow on an errandtogether. Be therefore more cheerful than thouart.” “That I will,” said the youth.

Next morning, at the dawn of day, they arose. And theytook way along the sea coast, up towards Bryn Aryen. And atthe top of Cevn Clydno they equipped themselves with horses, andwent towards the Castle of Arianrod. And they changed theirform, and pricked towards the gate in the semblance of twoyouths, but the aspect of Gwydion was more staid than that of theother. “Porter,” said he, “go thou in andsay that there are here bards from Glamorgan.” Andthe porter went in. “The welcome of Heaven be untothem, let them in,” said Arianrod.

With great joy were they greeted. And the hall wasarranged, and they went to meat. When meat was ended,Arianrod discoursed with Gwydion of tales and stories. NowGwydion was an excellent teller of tales. And when it wastime to leave off feasting, a chamber was prepared for them, andthey went to rest.

In the early twilight Gwydion arose, and he called unto himhis magic and his power. And by the time that the daydawned, there resounded through the land uproar, and trumpets andshouts. When it was now day, they heard a knocking at thedoor of the chamber, and therewith Arianrod asking that it mightbe opened. Up rose the youth and opened unto her, and sheentered and a maiden with her. “Ah, good men,”she said, “in evil plight are we.” “Yes,truly,” said Gwydion, “we have heard trumpets andshouts; what thinkest thou that they may mean?”“Verily,” said she, “we cannot see the colourof the ocean by reason of all the ships, side by side. Andthey are making for the land with all the speed they can.And what can we do?” said she. “Lady,”said Gwydion, “there is none other counsel than to closethe castle upon us, and to defend it as best we may.”“Truly,” said she, “may Heaven rewardyou. And do you defend it. And here may you haveplenty of arms.”

And thereupon went she forth for the arms, and behold shereturned, and two maidens, and suits of armour for two men, withher. “Lady,” said he, “do you accoutrethis stripling, and I will arm myself with the help of thymaidens. Lo, I hear the tumult of the menapproaching.” “I will do so,gladly.” So she armed him fully, and that rightcheerfully. “Hast thou finished arming theyouth?” said he. “I have finished,” sheanswered. “I likewise have finished,” saidGwydion. “Let us now take off our arms, we have noneed of them.” “Wherefore?” saidshe. “Here is the army around the house.”“Oh, lady, there is here no army.”“Oh,” cried she, “whence then was thistumult?” “The tumult was but to break thyprophecy and to obtain arms for thy son. And now has he gotarms without any thanks unto thee.” “ByHeaven,” said Arianrod, “thou art a wicked man.Many a youth might have lost his life through the uproar thouhast caused in this Cantrev to-day. Now will I lay adestiny upon this youth,” she said, “that he shallnever have a wife of the race that now inhabits thisearth.” “Verily,” said he, “thouwast ever a malicious woman, and no one ought to supportthee. A wife shall he have notwithstanding.”

They went thereupon unto Math the son of Mathonwy, andcomplained unto him most bitterly of Arianrod. Gwydionshowed him also how he had procured arms for the youth.“Well,” said Math, “we will seek, I and thou,by charms and illusion, to form a wife for him out offlowers. He has now come to man’s stature, and he isthe comeliest youth that was ever beheld.” So theytook the blossoms of the oak, and the blossoms of the broom, andthe blossoms of the meadow-sweet, and produced from them amaiden, the fairest and most graceful that man ever saw.And they baptized her, and gave her the name of Blodeuwedd.

After she had become his bride, and they had feasted, saidGwydion, “It is not easy for a man to maintain himselfwithout possessions.” “Of a truth,” saidMath, “I will give the young man the best Cantrev tohold.” “Lord,” said he, “whatCantrev is that?” “The Cantrev ofDinodig,” he answered. Now it is called at this dayEivionydd and Ardudwy. And the place in the Cantrev wherehe dwelt, was a palace of his in a spot called Mur y Castell, onthe confines of Ardudwy. There dwelt he and reigned, andboth he and his sway were beloved by all.

One day he went forth to Caer Dathyl, to visit Math the son ofMathonwy. And on the day that he set out for Caer Dathyl,Blodeuwedd walked in the Court. And she heard the sound ofa horn. And after the sound of the horn, behold a tiredstag went by, with dogs and huntsmen following it. Andafter the dogs and the huntsmen there came a crowd of men onfoot. “Send a youth,” said she, “to askwho yonder host may be.” So a youth went, andinquired who they were. “Gronw Pebyr is this, thelord of Penllyn,” said they. And thus the youth toldher.

Gronw Pebyr pursued the stag, and by the river Cynvael heovertook the stag and killed it. And what with flaying thestag and baiting his dogs, he was there until the night began toclose in upon him. And as the day departed and the nightdrew near, he came to the gate of the Court.“Verily,” said Blodeuwedd, “the Chieftain willspeak ill of us if we let him at this hour depart to another landwithout inviting him in.” “Yes, truly,lady,” said they, “it will be most fitting to invitehim.”

Then went messengers to meet him and bid him in. And heaccepted her bidding gladly, and came to the Court, andBlodeuwedd went to meet him, and greeted him, and bade himwelcome. “Lady,” said he, “Heaven repaythee thy kindness.”

When they had disaccoutred themselves, they went to sitdown. And Blodeuwedd looked upon him, and from the momentthat she looked on him she became filled with his love. Andhe gazed on her, and the same thought came unto him as unto her,so that he could not conceal from her that he loved her, but hedeclared unto her that he did so. Thereupon she was veryjoyful. And all their discourse that night was concerningthe affection and love which they felt one for the other, andwhich in no longer space than one evening had arisen. Andthat evening passed they in each other’s company.

The next day he sought to depart. But she said, “Ipray thee go not from me to-day.” And that night hetarried also. And that night they consulted by what meansthey might always be together. “There is none othercounsel,” said he, “but that thou strive to learnfrom Llew Llaw Gyffes in what manner he will meet hisdeath. And this must thou do under the semblance ofsolicitude concerning him.”

The next day Gronw sought to depart.“Verily,” said she, “I will counsel thee not togo from me to-day.” “At thy instance will I notgo,” said he, “albeit, I must say, there is dangerthat the chief who owns the palace may return home.”“To-morrow,” answered she, “will I indeedpermit thee to go forth.”

The next day he sought to go, and she hindered him not.“Be mindful,” said Gronw, “of what I have saidunto thee, and converse with him fully, and that under the guiseof the dalliance of love, and find out by what means he may cometo his death.”

That night Llew Llaw Gyffes returned to his home. Andthe day they spent in discourse, and minstrelsy, andfeasting. And at night they went to rest, and he spoke toBlodeuwedd once, and he spoke to her a second time. But,for all this, he could not get from her one word.“What aileth thee?” said he, “art thouwell?” “I was thinking,” said she,“of that which thou didst never think of concerning me; forI was sorrowful as to thy death, lest thou shouldst go soonerthan I.” “Heaven reward thy care for me,”said he, “but until Heaven take me I shall not easily beslain.” “For the sake of Heaven, and for mine,show me how thou mightest be slain. My memory in guardingis better than thine.” “I will tell theegladly,” said he. “Not easily can I be slain,except by a wound. And the spear wherewith I am struck mustbe a year in the forming. And nothing must be done towardsit except during the sacrifice on Sundays.” “Isthis certain?” asked she. “It is intruth,” he answered. “And I cannot be slainwithin a house, nor without. I cannot be slain on horsebacknor on foot.” “Verily,” said she,“in what manner then canst thou be slain?”“I will tell thee,” said he. “By making abath for me by the side of a river, and by putting a roof overthe cauldron, and thatching it well and tightly, and bringing abuck, and putting it beside the cauldron. Then if I placeone foot on the buck’s back, and the other on the edge ofthe cauldron, whosoever strikes me thus will cause mydeath.” “Well,” said she, “I thankHeaven that it will be easy to avoid this.”

No sooner had she held this discourse than she sent to GronwPebyr. Gronw toiled at making the spear, and that daytwelvemonth it was ready. And that very day he caused herto be informed thereof.

“Lord,” said Blodeuwedd unto Llew, “I havebeen thinking how it is possible that what thou didst tell meformerly can be true; wilt thou show me in what manner thoucouldst stand at once upon the edge of a cauldron and upon abuck, if I prepare the bath for thee?” “I willshow thee,” said he.

Then she sent unto Gronw, and bade him be in ambush on thehill which is now called Bryn Kyvergyr, on the bank of the riverCynvael. She caused also to be collected all the goats thatwere in the Cantrev, and had them brought to the other side ofthe river, opposite Bryn Kyvergyr.

And the next day she spoke thus. “Lord,”said she, “I have caused the roof and the bath to beprepared, and lo! they are ready.”“Well,” said Llew, “we will go gladly to lookat them.”

The day after they came and looked at the bath.“Wilt thou go into the bath, lord?” said she.“Willingly will I go in,” he answered. So intothe bath he went, and he anointed himself.“Lord,” said she, “behold the animals whichthou didst speak of as being called bucks.”“Well,” said he, “cause one of them to becaught and brought here.” And the buck wasbrought. Then Llew rose out of the bath, and put on histrowsers, and he placed one foot on the edge of the bath and theother on the buck’s back.

Thereupon Gronw rose up from the bill which is called BrynKyvergyr, and he rested on one knee, and flung the poisoned dartand struck him on the side, so that the shaft started out, butthe head of the dart remained in. Then he flew up in theform of an eagle and gave a fearful scream. And thenceforthwas he no more seen.

As soon as he departed Gronw and Blodeuwedd went together untothe palace that night. And the next day Gronw arose andtook possession of Ardudwy. And after he had overcome theland, he ruled over it, so that Ardudwy and Penllyn were bothunder his sway.

Then these tidings reached Math the son of Mathonwy. Andheaviness and grief came upon Math, and much more upon Gwydionthan upon him. “Lord,” said Gwydion, “Ishall never rest until I have tidings of my nephew.”“Verily,” said Math, “may Heaven be thystrength.” Then Gwydion set forth and began to goforward. And he went through Gwynedd and Powys to theconfines. And when he had done so, he went into Arvon, andcame to the house of a vassal, in Maenawr Penardd. And healighted at the house, and stayed there that night. The manof the house and his house-hold came in, and last of all camethere the swineherd. Said the man of the house to theswineherd, “Well, youth, hath thy sow come into-night?” “She hath,” said he,“and is this instant returned to the pigs.”“Where doth this sow go to?” said Gwydion.“Every day, when the sty is opened, she goeth forth andnone can catch sight of her, neither is it known whither shegoeth more than if she sank into the earth.”“Wilt thou grant unto me,” said Gwydion, “notto open the sty until I am beside the sty with thee?”“This will I do, right gladly,” he answered.

That night they went to rest; and as soon as the swineherd sawthe light of day, he awoke Gwydion. And Gwydion arose anddressed himself, and went with the swineherd, and stood besidethe sty. Then the swineherd opened the sty. And assoon as he opened it, behold she leaped forth, and set off withgreat speed. And Gwydion followed her, and she went againstthe course of a river, and made for a brook, which is now calledNant y Llew. And there she halted and began feeding.And Gwydion came under the tree, and looked what it might be thatthe sow was feeding on. And he saw that she was eatingputrid flesh and vermin. Then looked he up to the top ofthe tree, and as he looked he beheld on the top of the tree aneagle, and when the eagle shook itself, there fell vermin andputrid flesh from off it, and these the sow devoured. Andit seemed to him that the eagle was Llew. And he sang anEnglyn:—

“Oak that grows between the two banks;
Darkened is the sky and hill!
Shall I not tell him by his wounds,
That this is Llew?”

Upon this the eagle came down until he reached the centre ofthe tree. And Gwydion sang another Englyn:—

“Oak that grows in upland ground,
Is it not wetted by the rain? Has it not been drenched
By nine score tempests?
It bears in its branches Llew Llaw Gyffes!”

Then the eagle came down until he was on the lowest branch ofthe tree, and thereupon this Englyn did Gwydion sing:—

“Oak that grows beneath the steep;
Stately and majestic is its aspect!
Shall I not speak it?
That Llew will come to my lap?”

And the eagle came down upon Gwydion’s knee. AndGwydion struck him with his magic wand, so that he returned tohis own form. No one ever saw a more piteous sight, for hewas nothing but skin and bone.

Then he went unto Caer Dathyl, and there were brought unto himgood physicians that were in Gwynedd, and before the end of theyear he was quite healed.

“Lord,” said he unto Math the son of Mathonwy,“it is full time now that I have retribution of him by whomI have suffered all this woe.” “Truly,”said Math, “he will never be able to maintain himself inthe possession of that which is thy right.”“Well,” said Llew, “the sooner I have my right,the better shall I be pleased.”

Then they called together the whole of Gwynedd, and set forthto Ardudwy. And Gwydion went on before and proceeded to Mury Castell. And when Blodeuwedd heard that he was coming,she took her maidens with her, and fled to the mountain.And they passed through the river Cynvael, and went towards acourt that there was upon the mountain, and through fear theycould not proceed except with their faces looking backwards, sothat unawares they fell into the lake. And they were alldrowned except Blodeuwedd herself, and her Gwydionovertook. And he said unto her, “I will not slaythee, but I will do unto thee worse than that. For I willturn thee into a bird; and because of the shame thou hast doneunto Llew Llaw Gyffes, thou shalt never show thy face in thelight of day henceforth; and that through fear of all the otherbirds. For it shall be their nature to attack thee, and tochase thee from wheresoever they may find thee. And thoushalt not lose thy name, but shalt be always calledBlodeuwedd.” Now Blodeuwedd is an owl in the languageof this present time, and for this reason is the owl hateful untoall birds. And even now the owl is called Blodeuwedd.

Then Gronw Pebyr withdrew unto Penllyn, and he dispatchedthence an embassy. And the messengers he sent asked LlewLlaw Gyffes if he would take land, or domain, or gold, or silver,for the injury he had received. “I will not, by myconfession to Heaven,” said he. “Behold this isthe least that I will accept from him; that he come to the spotwhere I was when he wounded me with the dart, and that I standwhere he did, and that with a dart I take my aim at him.And this is the very least that I will accept.”

And this was told unto Gronw Pebyr.“Verily,” said he, “is it needful for me to dothus? My faithful warriors, and my household, and myfoster-brothers, is there not one among you who will stand theblow in my stead?” “There is not,verily,” answered they. And because of their refusalto suffer one stroke for their lord, they are called the thirddisloyal tribe even unto this day. “Well,” saidhe, “I will meet it.”

Then they two went forth to the banks of the river Cynvael,and Gronw stood in the place where Llew Llaw Gyffes was when hestruck him, and Llew in the place where Gronw was. Thensaid Gronw Pebyr unto Llew, “Since it was through the wilesof a woman that I did unto thee as I have done, I adjure thee byHeaven to let me place between me and the blow, the slab thouseest yonder on the river’s bank.”“Verily,” said Llew, “I will not refuse theethis.” “Ah,” said he, “may Heavenreward thee.” So Gronw took the slab and placed itbetween him and the blow.

Then Llew flung the dart at him, and it pierced the slab andwent through Gronw likewise, so that it pierced through hisback. And thus was Gronw Pebyr slain. And there isstill the slab on the bank of the river Cynvael, in Ardudwy,having the hole through it. And therefore is it even nowcalled Llech Gronw.

A second time did Llew Llaw Gyffes take possession of theland, and prosperously did he govern it. And, as the storyrelates, he was lord after this over Gwynedd. And thus endsthis portion of the Mabinogi.

THE DREAM OF MAXEN WLEDIG

Maxen Wledig was emperor of Rome, and he was a comelier man, and a better and awiser than any emperor that had been before him. And one day he held a councilof kings, and he said to his friends, “I desire to go to-morrow tohunt.” And the next day in the morning he set forth with his retinue, andcame to the valley of the river that flowed towards Rome. And he hunted throughthe valley until mid-day. And with him also were two-and-thirty crowned kings,that were his vassals; not for the delight of hunting went the emperor withthem, but to put himself on equal terms with those kings.

And the sun was high in the sky over their heads and the heatwas great. And sleep came upon Maxen Wledig. And hisattendants stood and set up their shields around him upon theshafts of their spears to protect him from the sun, and theyplaced a gold enamelled shield under his head; and so Maxenslept.

And he saw a dream. And this is the dream that hesaw. He was journeying along the valley of the rivertowards its source; and he came to the highest mountain in theworld. And he thought that the mountain was as high as thesky; and when he came over the mountain, it seemed to him that hewent through the fairest and most level regions that man ever yetbeheld, on the other side of the mountain. And he saw largeand mighty rivers descending from the mountain to the sea, andtowards the mouths of the rivers he proceeded. And as hejourneyed thus, he came to the mouth of the largest river everseen. And he beheld a great city at the entrance of theriver, and a vast castle in the city, and he saw many high towersof various colours in the castle. And he saw a fleet at themouth of the river, the largest ever seen. And he saw oneship among the fleet; larger was it by far, and fairer than allthe others. Of such part of the ship as he could see abovethe water, one plank was gilded and the other silveredover. He saw a bridge of the bone of a whale from the shipto the land, and he thought that he went along the bridge, andcame into the ship. And a sail was hoisted on the ship, andalong the sea and the ocean was it borne. Then it seemedthat he came to the fairest island in the whole world, and hetraversed the island from sea to sea, even to the furthest shoreof the island. Valleys he saw, and steeps, and rocks ofwondrous height, and rugged precipices. Never yet saw hethe like. And thence he beheld an island in the sea, facingthis rugged land. And between him and this island was acountry of which the plain was as large as the sea, the mountainas vast as the wood. And from the mountain he saw a riverthat flowed through the land and fell into the sea. And atthe mouth of the river he beheld a castle, the fairest that manever saw, and the gate of the castle was open, and he went intothe castle. And in the castle he saw a fair hall, of whichthe roof seemed to be all gold, the walls of the hall seemed tobe entirely of glittering precious gems, the doors all seemed tobe of gold. Golden seats he saw in the hall, and silvertables. And on a seat opposite to him he beheld twoauburn-haired youths playing at chess. He saw a silverboard for the chess, and golden pieces thereon. Thegarments of the youths were of jet-black satin, and chaplets ofruddy gold bound their hair, whereon were sparkling jewels ofgreat price, rubies, and gems, alternately with imperialstones. Buskins of new Cordovan leather on their feet,fastened by slides of red gold.

And beside a pillar in the hall he saw a hoary-headed man, ina chair of ivory, with the figures of two eagles of ruddy goldthereon. Bracelets of gold were upon his arms, and manyrings were on his hands, and a golden torque about his neck; andhis hair was bound with a golden diadem. He was of powerfulaspect. A chessboard of gold was before him, and a rod ofgold, and a steel file in his hand. And he was carving outchessmen.

And he saw a maiden sitting before him in a chair of ruddygold. Not more easy than to gaze upon the sun whenbrightest, was it to look upon her by reason of her beauty.A vest of white silk was upon the maiden, with clasps of red goldat the breast; and a surcoat of gold tissue upon her, and afrontlet of red gold upon her head, and rubies and gems were inthe frontlet, alternating with pearls and imperial stones.And a girdle of ruddy gold was around her. She was thefairest sight that man ever beheld.

The maiden arose from her chair before him, and he threw hisarms about the neck of the maiden, and they two sat down togetherin the chair of gold: and the chair was not less roomy for themboth, than for the maiden alone. And as he had his armsabout the maiden’s neck, and his cheek by her cheek,behold, through the chafing of the dogs at their leashing, andthe clashing of the shields as they struck against each other,and the beating together of the shafts of the spears, and theneighing of the horses and their prancing, the emperor awoke.

And when he awoke, nor spirit nor existence was left him,because of the maiden whom he had seen in his sleep, for the loveof the maiden pervaded his whole frame. Then his householdspake unto him. “Lord,” said they, “is itnot past the time for thee to take thy food?”Thereupon the emperor mounted his palfrey, the saddest man thatmortal ever saw, and went forth towards Rome.

And thus he was during the space of a week. When they ofthe household went to drink wine and mead out of golden vessels,he went not with any of them. When they went to listen tosongs and tales, he went not with them there; neither could he bepersuaded to do anything but sleep. And as often as heslept, he beheld in his dreams the maiden he loved best; butexcept when he slept he saw nothing of her, for he knew not wherein the world she was.

One day the page of the chamber spake unto him; now, althoughhe was page of the chamber, he was king of the Romans.“Lord,” said he, “all the people revilethee.” “Wherefore do they revile me?”asked the emperor. “Because they can get neithermessage nor answer from thee as men should have from theirlord. This is the cause why thou art spoken evilof.” “Youth,” said the emperor, “dothou bring unto me the wise men of Rome, and I will tell themwherefore I am sorrowful.”

Then the wise men of Rome were brought to the emperor, and hespake to them. “Sages of Rome,” said he,“I have seen a dream. And in the dream I beheld amaiden, and because of the maiden is there neither life, norspirit, nor existence within me.” “Lord,”they answered, “since thou judgest us worthy to counselthee, we will give thee counsel. And this is our counsel;that thou send messengers for three years to the three parts ofthe world to seek for thy dream. And as thou knowest notwhat day or what night good news may come to thee, the hopethereof will support thee.”

So the messengers journeyed for the space of a year, wanderingabout the world, and seeking tidings concerning his dream.But when they came back at the end of the year, they knew not oneword more than they did the day they set forth. And thenwas the emperor exceeding sorrowful, for he thought that heshould never have tidings of her whom best he loved.

Then spoke the king of the Romans unto the emperor.“Lord,” said he, “go forth to hunt by the waythou didst seem to go, whether it were to the east, or to thewest.” So the emperor went forth to the hunt, and hecame to the bank of the river. “Behold,” saidhe, “this is where I was when I saw the dream, and I wenttowards the source of the river westward.”

And thereupon thirteen messengers of the emperor’s setforth, and before them they saw a high mountain, which seemed tothem to touch the sky. Now this was the guise in which themessengers journeyed; one sleeve was on the cap of each of themin front, as a sign that they were messengers, in order thatthrough what hostile land soever they might pass no harm might bedone them. And when they were come over this mountain, theybeheld vast plains, and large rivers flowing there through.

“Behold,” said they, “the land which ourmaster saw.”

And they went along the mouths of the rivers, until they cameto the mighty river which they saw flowing to the sea, and thevast city, and the many-coloured high towers in the castle.They saw the largest fleet in the world, in the harbour of theriver, and one ship that was larger than any of the others.“Behold again,” said they, “the dream that ourmaster saw.” And in the great ship they crossed thesea, and came to the Island of Britain. And they traversedthe island until they came to Snowdon.“Behold,” said they, “the rugged land that ourmaster saw.” And they went forward until they sawAnglesey before them, and until they saw Arvon likewise.“Behold,” said they, “the land our master sawin his sleep.” And they saw Aber Sain, and a castleat the mouth of the river. The portal of the castle sawthey open, and into the castle they went, and they saw a hall inthe castle. Then said they, “Behold, the hall whichhe saw in his sleep.” They went into the hall, andthey beheld two youths playing at chess on the goldenbench. And they beheld the hoary-headed man beside thepillar, in the ivory chair, carving chessmen. And theybeheld the maiden sitting on a chair of ruddy gold.

The messengers bent down upon their knees.“Empress of Rome, all hail!” “Ha,gentles,” said the maiden, “ye bear the seeming ofhonourable men, and the badge of envoys, what mockery is this yedo to me?” “We mock thee not, lady; but theEmperor of Rome hath seen thee in his sleep, and he has neitherlife nor spirit left because of thee. Thou shalt have of ustherefore the choice, lady, whether thou wilt go with us and bemade empress of Rome, or that the emperor come hither and takethee for his wife?” “Ha, lords,” said themaiden, “I will not deny what ye say, neither will Ibelieve it too well. If the emperor love me, let him comehere to seek me.”

And by day and night the messengers hied them back. Andwhen their horses failed, they bought other fresh ones. Andwhen they came to Rome, they saluted the emperor, and asked theirboon, which was given to them according as they named it.“We will be thy guides, lord,” said they, “oversea and over land, to the place where is the woman whom best thoulovest, for we know her name, and her kindred, and herrace.”

And immediately the emperor set forth with his army. Andthese men were his guides. Towards the Island of Britainthey went over the sea and the deep. And he conquered theIsland from Beli the son of Manogan, and his sons, and drove themto the sea, and went forward even unto Arvon. And theemperor knew the land when he saw it. And when he beheldthe castle of Aber Sain, “Look yonder,” said he,“there is the castle wherein I saw the damsel whom I bestlove.” And he went forward into the castle and intothe hall, and there he saw Kynan the son of Eudav, and Adeon theson of Eudav, playing at chess. And he saw Eudav the son ofCaradawc, sitting on a chair of ivory carving chessmen. Andthe maiden whom he had beheld in his sleep, he saw sitting on achair of gold. “Empress of Rome,” said he,“all hail!” And the emperor threw his armsabout her neck; and that night she became his bride.

And the next day in the morning, the damsel asked her maidenportion. And he told her to name what she would. Andshe asked to have the Island of Britain for her father, from theChannel to the Irish Sea, together with the three adjacentIslands, to hold under the empress of Rome; and to have threechief castles made for her, in whatever places she might choosein the Island of Britain. And she chose to have the highestcastle made at Arvon. And they brought thither earth fromRome that it might be more healthful for the emperor to sleep,and sit, and walk upon. After that the two other castleswere made for her, which were Caerlleon and Caermarthen.

And one day the emperor went to hunt at Caermarthen, and hecame so far as the top of Brevi Vawr, and there the emperorpitched his tent. And that encamping place is called CadeirMaxen, even to this day. And because that he built thecastle with a myriad of men, he called it Caervyrddin. ThenHelen bethought her to make high roads from one castle to anotherthroughout the Island of Britain. And the roads weremade. And for this cause are they called the roads of HelenLuyddawc, that she was sprung from a native of this island, andthe men of the Island of Britain would not have made these greatroads for any save for her.

Seven years did the emperor tarry in this Island. Now,at that time, the men of Rome had a custom, that whatsoeveremperor should remain in other lands more than seven years shouldremain to his own overthrow, and should never return to Romeagain.

So they made a new emperor. And this one wrote a letterof threat to Maxen. There was nought in the letter but onlythis. “If thou comest, and if thou ever comest toRome.” And even unto Caerlleon came this letter toMaxen, and these tidings. Then sent he a letter to the manwho styled himself emperor in Rome. There was nought inthat letter also but only this. “If I come to Rome,and if I come.”

And thereupon Maxen set forth towards Rome with his army, andvanquished France and Bugundy, and every land on the way, and satdown before the city of Rome.

A year was the emperor before the city, and he was no nearertaking it than the first day. And after him there came thebrothers of Helen Luyddawc from the Island of Britain, and asmall host with them, and better warriors were in that small hostthan twice as many Romans. And the emperor was told that ahost was seen, halting close to his army and encamping, and noman ever saw a fairer or better appointed host for its size, normore handsome standards.

And Helen went to see the hosts, and she knew the standards ofher brothers. Then came Kynan the son of Eudav, and Adeonthe son of Eudav, to meet the emperor. And the emperor wasglad because of them, and embraced them.

Then they looked at the Romans as they attacked thecity. Said Kynan to his brother, “We will try toattack the city more expertly than this.” So theymeasured by night the height of the wall, and they sent theircarpenters to the wood, and a ladder was made for every four menof their number. Now when these were ready, every day atmid-day the emperors went to meat, and they ceased to fight onboth sides till all had finished eating. And in the morningthe men of Britain took their food and they drank until they wereinvigorated. And while the two emperors were at meat, theBritons came to the city, and placed their ladders against it,and forthwith they came in through the city.

The new emperor had no time to arm himself when they fell uponhim, and slew him, and many others with him. And threenights and three days were they subduing the men that were in thecity and taking the castle. And others of them kept thecity, lest any of the host of Maxen should come therein, untilthey had subjected all to their will.

Then spake Maxen to Helen Luyddawc. “I marvel,lady,” said he, “that thy brothers have not conqueredthis city for me.” “Lord, emperor,” sheanswered, “the wisest youths in the world are mybrothers. Go thou thither and ask the city of them, and ifit be in their possession thou shalt have it gladly.”So the emperor and Helen went and demanded the city. Andthey told the emperor that none had taken the city, and that nonecould give it him, but the men of the Island of Britain.Then the gates of the city of Rome were opened, and the emperorsat on the throne, and all the men of Rome submitted them selvesunto him.

The emperor then said unto Kynan and Adeon,“Lords,” said he, “I have now had possession ofthe whole of my empire. This host give I unto you tovanquish whatever region ye may desire in the world.”

So they set forth and conquered lands, and castles, andcities. And they slew all the men, but the women they keptalive. And thus they continued until the young men that hadcome with them were grown grey-headed, from the length of timethey were upon this conquest.

Then spoke Kynan unto Adeon his brother, “Whether wiltthou rather,” said he, “tarry in this land, or goback into the land whence thou didst come forth?” Nowhe chose to go back to his own land, and many with him. ButKynan tarried there with the other part and dwelt there.

And they took counsel and cut out the tongues of the women,lest they should corrupt their speech. And because of thesilence of the women from their own speech, the men of Armoricaare called Britons. From that time there came frequently,and still comes, that language from the Island of Britain.

And this dream is called the Dream of Maxen Wledig, emperor ofRome. And here it ends.

HERE IS THE STORY OF LLUDD AND LLEVELYS

Beli the Great, the son of Manogan, had three sons, Lludd, and Caswallawn, andNynyaw; and according to the story he had a fourth son called Llevelys. Andafter the death of Beli, the kingdom of the Island of Britain fell into thehands of Lludd his eldest son; and Lludd ruled prosperously, and rebuilt thewalls of London, and encompassed it about with numberless towers. And afterthat he bade the citizens build houses therein, such as no houses in thekingdoms could equal. And moreover he was a mighty warrior, and generous andliberal in giving meat and drink to all that sought them. And though he hadmany castles and cities this one loved he more than any. And he dwelt thereinmost part of the year, and therefore was it called Caer Lludd, and at last CaerLondon. And after the stranger-race came there, it was called London, orLwndrys.

Lludd loved Llevelys best of all his brothers, because he wasa wise and discreet man. Having heard that the king ofFrance had died, leaving no heir except a daughter, and that hehad left all his possessions in her hands, he came to Lludd hisbrother, to beseech his counsel and aid. And that not somuch for his own welfare, as to seek to add to the glory andhonour and dignity of his kindred, if he might go to France towoo the maiden for his wife. And forthwith his brotherconferred with him, and this counsel was pleasing unto him.

So he prepared ships and filled them with armed knights, andset forth towards France. And as soon as they had landed,they sent messengers to show the nobles of France the cause ofthe embassy. And by the joint counsel of the nobles ofFrance and of the princes, the maiden was given to Llevelys, andthe crown of the kingdom with her. And thenceforth he ruledthe land discreetly, and wisely, and happily, as long as his lifelasted.

After a space of time had passed, three plagues fell on theIsland of Britain, such as none in the islands had ever seen thelike of. The first was a certain race that came, and wascalled the Coranians; and so great was their knowledge, thatthere was no discourse upon the face of the Island, however lowit might be spoken, but what, if the wind met it, it was known tothem. And through this they could not be injured. [4]

The second plague was a shriek which came on every May-eve,over every hearth in the Island of Britain. And this wentthrough people’s hearts, and so scared them, that the menlost their hue and their strength, and the women their children,and the young men and the maidens lost their senses, and all theanimals and trees and the earth and the waters, were leftbarren.

The third plague was, that however much of provisions and foodmight be prepared in the king’s courts, were there even somuch as a year’s provision of meat and drink, none of itcould ever be found, except what was consumed in the firstnight. And two of these plagues, no one ever knew theircause, therefore was there better hope of being freed from thefirst than from the second and third.

And thereupon King Lludd felt great sorrow and care, becausethat he knew not how he might be freed from these plagues.And he called to him all the nobles of his kingdom, and askedcounsel of them what they should do against theseafflictions. And by the common counsel of the nobles, Lluddthe son of Beli went to Llevelys his brother, king of France, forhe was a man great of counsel and wisdom, to seek his advice.

And they made ready a fleet, and that in secret and insilence, lest that race should know the cause of their errand, orany besides the king and his counsellors. And when theywere made ready, they went into their ships, Lludd and those whomhe chose with him. And they began to cleave the seastowards France.

And when these tidings came to Llevelys, seeing that he knewnot the cause of his brother’s ships, he came on the otherside to meet him, and with him was a fleet vast of size.And when Lludd saw this, he left all the ships out upon the seaexcept one only; and in that one he came to meet his brother, andhe likewise with a single ship came to meet him. And whenthey were come together, each put his arms about theother’s neck, and they welcomed each other with brotherlylove.

After that Lludd had shown his brother the cause of hiserrand, Llevelys said that he himself knew the cause of thecoming to those lands. And they took counsel together todiscourse on the matter otherwise than thus, in order that thewind might not catch their words, nor the Coranians know whatthey might say. Then Llevelys caused a long horn to be madeof brass, and through this horn they discoursed. Butwhatsoever words they spoke through this horn, one to the other,neither of them could hear any other but harsh and hostilewords. And when Llevelys saw this, and that there was ademon thwarting them and disturbing through this horn, he causedwine to be put therein to wash it. And through the virtueof the wine the demon was driven out of the horn. And whentheir discourse was unobstructed, Llevelys told his brother thathe would give him some insects whereof he should keep some tobreed, lest by chance the like affliction might come a secondtime. And other of these insects he should take and bruisein water. And he assured him that it would have power todestroy the race of the Coranians. That is to say, thatwhen he came home to his kingdom he should call together all thepeople both of his own race and of the race of the Coranians fora conference, as though with the intent of making peace betweenthem; and that when they were all together, he should take thischarmed water, and cast it over all alike. And he assuredhim that the water would poison the race of the Coranians, butthat it would not slay or harm those of his own race.

“And the second plague,” said he, “that isin thy dominion, behold it is a dragon. And another dragonof a foreign race is fighting with it, and striving to overcomeit. And therefore does your dragon make a fearfuloutcry. And on this wise mayest thou come to knowthis. After thou hast returned home, cause the Island to bemeasured in its length and breadth, and in the place where thoudost find the exact central point, there cause a pit to be dug,and cause a cauldron full of the best mead that can be made to beput in the pit, with a covering of satin over the face of thecauldron. And then, in thine own person do thou remainthere watching, and thou wilt see the dragon fighting in the formof terrific animals. And at length they will take the formof dragons in the air. And last of all, after wearyingthemselves with fierce and furious fighting, they will fall inthe form of two pigs upon the covering, and they will sink in,and the covering with them, and they will draw it down to thevery bottom of the cauldron. And they will drink up thewhole of the mead; and after that they will sleep.Thereupon do thou immediately fold the covering around them, andbury them in a kistvaen, in the strongest place thou hast in thydominions, and hide them in the earth. And as long as theyshall bide in that strong place no plague shall come to theIsland of Britain from elsewhere.

“The cause of the third plague,” said he,“is a mighty man of magic, who take thy meat and thy drinkand thy store. And he through illusions and charms causesevery one to sleep. Therefore it is needful for thee in thyown person to watch thy food and thy provisions. And lesthe should overcome thee with sleep, be there a cauldron of coldwater by thy side, and when thou art oppressed with sleep, plungeinto the cauldron.”

Then Lludd returned back unto his land. And immediatelyhe summoned to him the whole of his own race and of theCoranians. And as Llevelys had taught him, he bruised theinsects in water, the which he cast over them all together, andforthwith it destroyed the whole tribe of the Coranians, withouthurt to any of the Britons.

And some time after this, Lludd caused the Island to bemeasured in its length and in its breadth. And in Oxford hefound the central point, and in that place he caused the earth tobe dug, and in that pit a cauldron to be set, full of the bestmead that could be made, and a covering of satin over the face ofit. And he himself watched that night. And while hewas there, he beheld the dragons fighting. And when theywere weary they fell, and came down upon the top of the satin,and drew it with them to the bottom of the cauldron. Andwhen they had drunk the mead they slept. And in theirsleep, Lludd folded the covering around them, and in the securestplace he had in Snowdon, he hid them in a kistvaen. Nowafter that this spot was called Dinas Emreis, but before that,Dinas Ffaraon. And thus the fierce outcry ceased in hisdominions.

And when this was ended, King Lludd caused an exceeding greatbanquet to be prepared. And when it was ready, he placed avessel of cold water by his side, and he in his own proper personwatched it. And as he abode thus clad with arms, about thethird watch of the night, lo, he heard many surpassingfascinations and various songs. And drowsiness urged him tosleep. Upon this, lest he should be hindered from hispurpose and be overcome by sleep, he went often into thewater. And at last, behold, a man of vast size, clad instrong, heavy armour, came in, bearing a hamper. And, as hewas wont, he put all the food and provisions of meat and drinkinto the hamper, and proceeded to go with it forth. Andnothing was ever more wonderful to Lludd, than that the hampershould hold so much.

And thereupon King Lludd went after him and spoke unto himthus. “Stop, stop,” said he, “though thouhast done many insults and much spoil erewhile, thou shalt not doso any more, unless thy skill in arms and thy prowess be greaterthan mine.”

Then he instantly put down the hamper on the floor, andawaited him. And a fierce encounter was between them, sothat the glittering fire flew out from their arms. And atthe last Lludd grappled with him, and fate bestowed the victoryon Lludd. And he threw the plague to the earth. Andafter he had overcome him by strength and might, he besought hismercy. “How can I grant thee mercy,” said theking, “after all the many injuries and wrongs that thouhast done me?” “All the losses that ever I havecaused thee,” said he, “I will make thee atonementfor, equal to what I have taken. And I will never do thelike from this time forth. But thy faithful vassal will Ibe.” And the king accepted this from him.

And thus Lludd freed the Island of Britain from the threeplagues. And from thenceforth until the end of his life, inprosperous peace did Lludd the son of Beli rule the Island ofBritain. And this Tale is called the Story of Lludd andLlevelys. And thus it ends.

TALIESIN

In times past there lived in Penllyn a man of gentle lineage, named Tegid Voel,and his dwelling was in the midst of the lake Tegid, and his wife was calledCaridwen. And there was born to him of his wife a son named Morvran ab Tegid,and also a daughter named Creirwy, the fairest maiden in the world was she; andthey had a brother, the most ill-favoured man in the world, Avagddu. NowCaridwen his mother thought that he was not likely to be admitted among men ofnoble birth, by reason of his ugliness, unless he had some exalted merits orknowledge. For it was in the beginning of Arthur’s time and of the RoundTable.

So she resolved, according to the arts of the books of theFferyllt, to boil a cauldron of Inspiration and Science for herson, that his reception might be honourable because of hisknowledge of the mysteries of the future state of the world.

Then she began to boil the cauldron, which from the beginningof its boiling might not cease to boil for a year and a day,until three blessed drops were obtained of the grace ofInspiration.

And she put Gwion Bach the son of Gwreang of Llanfair inCaereinion, in Powys, to stir the cauldron, and a blind man namedMorda to kindle the fire beneath it, and she charged them thatthey should not suffer it to cease boiling for the space of ayear and a day. And she herself, according to the books ofthe astronomers, and in planetary hours, gathered every day ofall charm-bearing herbs. And one day, towards the end ofthe year, as Caridwen was culling plants and making incantations,it chanced that three drops of the charmed liquor flew out of thecauldron and fell upon the finger of Gwion Bach. And byreason of their great heat he put his finger to his mouth, andthe instant he put those marvel-working drops into his mouth, heforesaw everything that was to come, and perceived that his chiefcare must be to guard against the wiles of Caridwen, for vast washer skill. And in very great fear he fled towards his ownland. And the cauldron burst in two, because all the liquorwithin it except the three charm-bearing drops was poisonous, sothat the horses of Gwyddno Garanhir were poisoned by the water ofthe stream into which the liquor of the cauldron ran, and theconfluence of that stream was called the Poison of the Horses ofGwyddno from that time forth.

Thereupon came in Caridwen and saw all the toil of the wholeyear lost. And she seized a billet of wood and struck theblind Morda on the head until one of his eyes fell out upon hischeek. And he said, “Wrongfully hast thou disfiguredme, for I am innocent. Thy loss was not because ofme.” “Thou speakest truth,” saidCaridwen, “it was Gwion Bach who robbed me.”

And she went forth after him, running. And he saw her,and changed himself into a hare and fled. But she changedherself into a greyhound and turned him. And he ran towardsa river, and became a fish. And she in the form of anotter-bitch chased him under the water, until he was fain to turnhimself into a bird of the air. She, as a hawk, followedhim and gave him no rest in the sky. And just as she wasabout to stoop upon him, and he was in fear of death, he espied aheap of winnowed wheat on the floor of a barn, and he droppedamong the wheat, and turned himself into one of the grains.Then she transformed herself into a high-crested black hen, andwent to the wheat and scratched it with her feet, and found himout and swallowed him. And, as the story says, she bore himnine months, and when she was delivered of him, she could notfind it in her heart to kill him, by reason of his beauty.So she wrapped him in a leathern bag, and cast him into the seato the mercy of God, on the twenty-ninth day of April.

And at that time the weir of Gwyddno was on the strand betweenDyvi and Aberystwyth, near to his own castle, and the value of anhundred pounds was taken in that weir every May eve. And inthose days Gwyddno had an only son named Elphin, the most haplessof youths, and the most needy. And it grieved his fathersore, for he thought that he was born in an evil hour. Andby the advice of his council, his father had granted him thedrawing of the weir that year, to see if good luck would everbefall him, and to give him something wherewith to begin theworld.

And the next day when Elphin went to look, there was nothingin the weir. But as he turned back he perceived theleathern bag upon a pole of the weir. Then said one of theweir-ward unto Elphin, “Thou wast never unlucky untilto-night, and now thou hast destroyed the virtues of the weir,which always yielded the value of an hundred pounds every Mayeve, and to-night there is nothing but this leathern skin withinit.” “How now,” said Elphin, “theremay be therein the value of an hundred pounds.” Well,they took up the leathern bag, and he who opened it saw theforehead of the boy, and said to Elphin, “Behold a radiantbrow!” [6] “Taliesin be hecalled,” said Elphin. And he lifted the boy in hisarms, and lamenting his mischance, he placed him sorrowfullybehind him. And he made his horse amble gently, that beforehad been trotting, and he carried him as softly as if he had beensitting in the easiest chair in the world. And presentlythe boy made a Consolation and praise to Elphin, and foretoldhonour to Elphin; and the Consolation was as you maysee:—

“Fair Elphin, cease to lament!
Let no one be dissatisfied with his own,
To despair will bring no advantage.
No man sees what supports him;
The prayer of Cynllo will not be in vain;
God will not violate his promise.
Never in Gwyddno’s weir
Was there such good luck as this night.
Fair Elphin, dry thy cheeks!
Being too sad will not avail.
Although thou thinkest thou hast no gain,
Too much grief will bring thee no good;
Nor doubt the miracles of the Almighty:
Although I am but little, I am highly gifted.
From seas, and from mountains,
And from the depths of rivers,
God brings wealth to the fortunate man.
Elphin of lively qualities,
Thy resolution is unmanly;
Thou must not be over sorrowful:
Better to trust in God than to forbode ill.
Weak and small as I am,
On the foaming beach of the ocean,
In the day of trouble I shall be
Of more service to thee than three hundred salmon.
Elphin of notable qualities,
Be not displeased at thy misfortune;
Although reclined thus weak in my bag,
There lies a virtue in my tongue.
While I continue thy protector
Thou hast not much to fear;
Remembering the names of the Trinity,
None shall be able to harm thee.”

And this was the first poem that Taliesin ever sang, being toconsole Elphin in his grief for that the produce of the weir waslost, and, what was worse, that all the world would consider thatit was through his fault and ill-luck. And then GwyddnoGaranhir [7] asked him what he was, whether man orspirit. Whereupon he sang this tale, and said:—

“First, I have been formed a comelyperson,
In the court of Caridwen I have done penance;
Though little I was seen, placidly received,
I was great on the floor of the place to where I was led;
I have been a prized defence, the sweet muse the cause,
And by law without speech I have been liberated
By a smiling black old hag, when irritated
Dreadful her claim when pursued:
I have fled with vigour, I have fled as a frog,
I have fled in the semblance of a crow, scarcely finding rest;
I have fled vehemently, I have fled as a chain,
I have fled as a roe into an entangled thicket;
I have fled as a wolf cub, I have fled as a wolf in awilderness,
I have fled as a thrush of portending language;
I have fled as a fox, used to concurrent bounds of quirks;
I have fled as a martin, which did not avail;
I have fled as a squirrel, that vainly hides,
I have fled as a stag’s antler, of ruddy course,
I have fled as iron in a glowing fire,
I have fled as a spear-head, of woe to such as has a wish forit;
I have fled as a fierce hull bitterly fighting,
I have fled as a bristly boar seen in a ravine,
I have fled as a white grain of pure wheat,
On the skirt of a hempen sheet entangled,
That seemed of the size of a mare’s foal,
That is filling like a ship on the waters;
Into a dark leathern bag I was thrown,
And on a boundless sea I was sent adrift;
Which was to me an omen of being tenderly nursed,
And the Lord God then set me at liberty.”

Then came Elphin to the house or court of Gwyddno his father,and Taliesin with him. And Gwyddno asked him if he had hada good haul at the weir, and he told him that he had got thatwhich was better than fish. “What was that?”said Gwyddno. “A Bard,” answered Elphin.Then said Gwyddno, “Alas, what will he profitthee?” And Taliesin himself replied and said,“He will profit him more than the weir ever profitedthee.” Asked Gwyddno, “Art thou able to speak,and thou so little?” And Taliesin answered him,“I am better able to speak than thou to questionme.” “Let me hear what thou canst say,”quoth Gwyddno. Then Taliesin sang:—

“In water there is a quality endowed witha blessing;
On God it is most just to meditate aright;
To God it is proper to supplicate with seriousness,
Since no obstacle can there be to obtain a reward from him.
Three times have I been born, I know by meditation;
It were miserable for a person not to come and obtain
All the sciences of the world, collected together in mybreast,
For I know what has been, what in future will occur.
I will supplicate my Lord that I get refuge in him,
A regard I may obtain in his grace;
The Son of Mary is my trust, great in him is my delight,
For in him is the world continually upholden.
God has been to instruct me and to raise my expectation,
The true Creator of heaven, who affords me protection;
It is rightly intended that the saints should daily pray,
For God, the renovator, will bring them to him.”

And forthwith Elphin gave his haul to his wife, and she nursedhim tenderly and lovingly. Thenceforward Elphin increasedin riches more and more day after day, and in love and favourwith the king, and there abode Taliesin until he was thirteenyears old, when Elphin son of Gwyddno went by a Christmasinvitation to his uncle, Maelgwn Gwynedd, who some time afterthis held open court at Christmastide in the castle of Dyganwy,for all the number of his lords of both degrees, both spiritualand temporal, with a vast and thronged host of knights andsquires. And amongst them there arose a discourse anddiscussion. And thus was it said.

“Is there in the whole world a king so great as Maelgwn,or one on whom Heaven has bestowed so many spiritual gifts asupon him? First, form, and beauty, and meekness, andstrength, besides all the powers of the soul!” Andtogether with these they said that Heaven had given one gift thatexceeded all the others, which was the beauty, and comeliness,and grace, and wisdom, and modesty of his queen; whose virtuessurpassed those of all the ladies and noble maidens throughoutthe whole kingdom. And with this they put questions one toanother amongst themselves: Who had braver men? Who hadfairer or swifter horses or greyhounds? Who had moreskilful or wiser bards—than Maelgwn?

Now at that time the bards were in great favour with theexalted of the kingdom; and then none performed the office ofthose who are now called heralds, unless they were learned men,not only expert in the service of kings and princes, but studiousand well versed in the lineage, and arms, and exploits of princesand kings, and in discussions concerning foreign kingdoms, andthe ancient things of this kingdom, and chiefly in the annals ofthe first nobles; and also were prepared always with theiranswers in various languages, Latin, French, Welsh, andEnglish. And together with this they were greatchroniclers, and recorders, and skilful in framing verses, andready in making englyns in every one of those languages.Now of these there were at that feast within the palace ofMaelgwn as many as four-and-twenty, and chief of them all was onenamed Heinin Vardd.

When they had all made an end of thus praising the king andhis gifts, it befell that Elphin spoke in this wise.“Of a truth none but a king may vie with a king; but werehe not a king, I would say that my wife was as virtuous as anylady in the kingdom, and also that I have a bard who is moreskilful than all the king’s bards.” In a shortspace some of his fellows showed the king all the boastings ofElphin; and the king ordered him to be thrown into a strongprison, until he might know the truth as to the virtues of hiswife, and the wisdom of his bard.

Now when Elphin had been put in a tower of the castle, with athick chain about his feet (it is said that it was a silverchain, because he was of royal blood), the king, as the storyrelates, sent his son Rhun to inquire into the demeanour ofElphin’s wife. Now Rhun was the most graceless man inthe world, and there was neither wife nor maiden with whom he hadheld converse, but was evil spoken of. While Rhun went inhaste towards Elphin’s dwelling, being fully minded tobring disgrace upon his wife, Taliesin told his mistress how thatthe king had placed his master in durance in prison, and how thatRhun was coming in haste to strive to bring disgrace uponher. Wherefore he caused his mistress to array one of themaids of her kitchen in her apparel; which the noble lady gladlydid; and she loaded her hands with the best rings that she andher husband possessed.

In this guise Taliesin caused his mistress to put the maidento sit at the board in her room at supper, and he made her toseem as her mistress, and the mistress to seem as the maid.And when they were in due time seated at their supper in themanner that has been said, Rhun suddenly arrived atElphin’s dwelling, and was received with joy, for all theservants knew him plainly; and they brought him in haste to theroom of their mistress, in the semblance of whom the maid rose upfrom supper and welcomed him gladly. And afterwards she satdown to supper again the second time, and Rhun with her.Then Rhun began jesting with the maid, who still kept thesemblance of her mistress. And verily this story shows thatthe maiden became so intoxicated, that she fell asleep; and thestory relates that it was a powder that Rhun put into the drink,that made her sleep so soundly that she never felt it when he cutfrom off her hand her little finger, whereupon was the signetring of Elphin, which he had sent to his wife as a token, a shorttime before. And Rhun returned to the king with the fingerand the ring as a proof, to show that he had cut it from off herhand, without her awaking from her sleep of intemperance.

The king rejoiced greatly at these tidings, and he sent forhis councillors, to whom he told the whole story from thebeginning. And he caused Elphin to be brought out of hisprison, and he chided him because of his boast. And hespake unto Elphin on this wise. “Elphin, be it knownto thee beyond a doubt that it is but folly for a man to trust inthe virtues of his wife further than he can see her; and thatthou mayest be certain of thy wife’s vileness, behold herfinger, with thy signet ring upon it, which was cut from her handlast night, while she slept the sleep ofintoxication.” Then thus spake Elphin.“With thy leave, mighty king, I cannot deny my ring, for itis known of many; but verily I assert strongly that the fingeraround which it is, was never attached to the hand of my wife,for in truth and certainty there are three notable thingspertaining to it, none of which ever belonged to any of mywife’s fingers. The first of the three is, that it iscertain, by your grace’s leave, that wheresoever my wife isat this present hour, whether sitting, or standing, or lyingdown, this ring would never remain upon her thumb, whereas youcan plainly see that it was hard to draw it over the joint of thelittle finger of the hand whence this was cut; the second thingis, that my wife has never let pass one Saturday since I haveknown her without paring her nails before going to bed, and youcan see fully that the nail of this little finger has not beenpared for a month. The third is, truly, that the handwhence this finger came was kneading rye dough within three daysbefore the finger was cut therefrom, and I can assure yourgoodness that my wife has never kneaded rye dough since my wifeshe has been.”

Then the king was mightily wroth with Elphin for so stoutlywithstanding him, respecting the goodness of his wife, whereforehe ordered him to his prison a second time, saying that he shouldnot be loosed thence until he had proved the truth of his boast,as well concerning the wisdom of his bard as the virtues of hiswife.

In the meantime his wife and Taliesin remained joyful atElphin’s dwelling. And Taliesin showed his mistresshow that Elphin was in prison because of them, but he bade her beglad, for that he would go to Maelgwn’s court to free hismaster. Then she asked him in what manner he would set himfree. And he answered her:—

“A journey will I perform,
And to the gate I will come;
The hall I will enter,
And my song I will sing;
My speech I will pronounce
To silence royal bards,
In presence of their chief,
I will greet to deride,
Upon them I will break
And Elphin I will free.
Should contention arise,
In presence of the prince,
With summons to the bards,
For the sweet flowing song,
And wizards’ posing lore
And wisdom of Druids,
In the court of the sons of the Distributor
Some are who did appear
Intent on wily schemes,
By craft and tricking means,
In pangs of affliction
To wrong the innocent,
Let the fools be silent,
As erst in Badon’s fight,—
With Arthur of liberal ones
The head, with long red blades;
Through feats of testy men,
And a chief with his foes.
Woe be to them, the fools,
When revenge comes on them.
I Taliesin, chief of bards,
With a sapient Druid’s words,
Will set kind Elphin free
From haughty tyrant’s bonds.
To their fell and chilling cry,
By the act of a surprising steed,
From the far distant North,
There soon shall be an end.
Let neither grace nor health
Be to Maelgwn Gwynedd,
For this force and this wrong;
And be extremes of ills
And an avenged end
To Rhun and all his race:
Short be his course of life,
Be all his lands laid waste;
And long exile be assigned
To Maelgwn Gwynedd!”

After this he took leave of his mistress, and came at last tothe Court of Maelgwn, who was going to sit in his hall and dinein his royal state, as it was the custom in those days for kingsand princes to do at every chief feast. And as soon asTaliesin entered the hall, he placed himself in a quiet corner,near the place where the bards and the minstrels were wont tocome in doing their service and duty to the king, as is thecustom at the high festivals when the bounty is proclaimed.And so, when the bards and the heralds came to cry largess, andto proclaim the power of the king and his strength, at the momentthat they passed by the corner wherein he was crouching, Taliesinpouted out his lips after them, and played “Blerwm,blerwm,” with his finger upon his lips. Neither tookthey much notice of him as they went by, but proceeded forwardtill they came before the king, unto whom they made theirobeisance with their bodies, as they were wont, without speakinga single word, but pouting out their lips, and making mouths atthe king, playing “Blerwm, blerwm,” upon their lipswith their fingers, as they had seen the boy do elsewhere.This sight caused the king to wonder and to deem within himselfthat they were drunk with many liquors. Wherefore hecommanded one of his lords, who served at the board, to go tothem and desire them to collect their wits, and to consider wherethey stood, and what it was fitting for them to do. Andthis lord did so gladly. But they ceased not from theirfolly any more than before. Whereupon he sent to them asecond time, and a third, desiring them to go forth from thehall. At the last the king ordered one of his squires togive a blow to the chief of them named Heinin Vardd; and thesquire took a broom and struck him on the head, so that he fellback in his seat. Then he arose and went on his knees, andbesought leave of the king’s grace to show that this theirfault was not through want of knowledge, neither throughdrunkenness, but by the influence of some spirit that was in thehall. And after this Heinin spoke on this wise.“Oh, honourable king, be it known to your grace, that notfrom the strength of drink, or of too much liquor, are we dumb,without power of speech like drunken men, but through theinfluence of a spirit that sits in the corner yonder in the formof a child.” Forthwith the king commanded the squireto fetch him; and he went to the nook where Taliesin sat, andbrought him before the king, who asked him what he was, andwhence he came. And he answered the king in verse.

“Primary chief bard am I to Elphin,
And my original country is the region of the summer stars;
Idno and Heinin called me Merddin,
At length every king will call me Taliesin.

I was with my Lord in the highest sphere,
On the fall of Lucifer into the depth of hell
I have borne a banner before Alexander;
I know the names of the stars from north to south;
I have been on the galaxy at the throne of the Distributor;
I was in Canaan when Absalom was slain;
I conveyed the Divine Spirit to the level of the vale ofHebron;
I was in the court of Don before the birth of Gwydion.
I was instructor to Eli and Enoc;
I have been winged by the genius of the splendid crosier;
I have been loquacious prior to being gifted with speech;
I was at the place of the crucifixion of the merciful Son ofGod;
I have been three periods in the prison of Arianrod;
I have been the chief director of the work of the tower ofNimrod;
I am a wonder whose origin is not known.
I have been in Asia with Noah in the ark,
I have seen the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra;
I have been in India when Roma was built,
I am now come here to the remnant of Troia.

I have been with my Lord in the manger of theass:
I strengthened Moses through the water of Jordan;
I have been in the firmament with Mary Magdalene;
I have obtained the muse from the cauldron of Caridwen;
I have been bard of the harp to Lleon of Lochlin.
I have been on the White Hill, in the court of Cynvelyn,
For a day and a year in stocks and fetters,
I have suffered hunger for the Son of the Virgin,
I have been fostered in the land of the Deity,
I have been teacher to all intelligences,
I am able to instruct the whole universe.
I shall be until the day of doom on the face of the earth;
And it is not known whether my body is flesh or fish.

Then I was for nine months
In the womb of the hag Caridwen;
I was originally little Gwion,
And at length I am Taliesin.”

And when the king and his nobles had heard the song, theywondered much, for they had never heard the like from a boy soyoung as he. And when the king knew that he was the bard ofElphin, he bade Heinin, his first and wisest bard, to answerTaliesin and to strive with him. But when he came, he coulddo no other but play “blerwm” on his lips; and whenhe sent for the others of the four-and-twenty bards they all didlikewise, and could do no other. And Maelgwn asked the boyTaliesin what was his errand, and he answered him in song.

“Puny bards, I am trying
To secure the prize, if I can;
By a gentle prophetic strain
I am endeavouring to retrieve
The loss I may have suffered;
Complete the attempt I hope,
Since Elphin endures trouble
In the fortress of Teganwy,
On him may there not be laid
Too many chains and fetters;
The Chair of the fortress of Teganwy
Will I again seek;
Strengthened by my muse I am powerful;
Mighty on my part is what I seek,
For three hundred songs and more
Are combined in the spell I sing.
There ought not to stand where I am
Neither stone, neither ring;
And there ought not to be about me
Any bard who may not know
That Elphin the son of Gwyddno
Is in the land of Artro,
Secured by thirteen locks,
For praising his instructor;
And then I Taliesin,
Chief of the bards of the west,
Shall loosen Elphin
Out of a golden fetter.”

* * * * *

“If you be primary bards
To the master of sciences,
Declare ye mysteries
That relate to the inhabitants of the world;
There is a noxious creature,
From the rampart of Satanas,
Which has overcome all
Between the deep and the shallow;
Equally wide are his jaws
As the mountains of the Alps;
Him death will not subdue,
Nor hand or blades;
There is the load of nine hundred wagons
In the hair of his two paws;
There is in his head an eye
Green as the limpid sheet of icicle;
Three springs arise
In the nape of his neck;
Sea-roughs thereon
Swim through it;
There was the dissolution of the oxen
Of Deivrdonwy the water-gifted.
The names of the three springs
From the midst of the ocean;
One generated brine
Which is from the Corina,
To replenish the flood
Over seas disappearing;
The second, without injury
It will fall on us,
When there is rain abroad,
Through the whelming sky;
The third will appear
Through the mountain veins,
Like a flinty banquet,
The work of the King of kings,
You are blundering bards,
In too much solicitude;
You cannot celebrate
The kingdom of the Britons;
And I am Taliesin,
Chief of the bards of the west,
Who will loosen Elphin
Out of the golden fetter.”

* * * * *

“Be silent, then, ye unlucky rhymingbards,
For you cannot judge between truth and falsehood.
If you be primary bards formed by heaven,
Tell your king what his fate will be.
It is I who am a diviner and a leading bard,
And know every passage in the country of your king;
I shall liberate Elphin from the belly of the stony tower;
And will tell your king what will befall him.
A most strange creature will come from the sea marsh ofRhianedd
As a punishment of iniquity on Maelgwn Gwynedd;
His hair, his teeth, and his eyes being as gold,
And this will bring destruction upon Maelgwn Gwynedd.”

* * * * *

“Discover thou what is
The strong creature from before the flood,
Without flesh, without bone,
Without vein, without blood,
Without head, without feet,
It will neither be older nor younger
Than at the beginning;
For fear of a denial,
There are no rude wants
With creatures.
Great God! how the sea whitens
When first it comes!
Great are its gusts
When it comes from the south;
Great are its evaporations
When it strikes on coasts.
It is in the field, it is in the wood,
Without hand, and without foot,
Without signs of old age,
Though it be co-æval
With the five ages or periods
And older still,
Though they be numberless years.
It is also so wide
As the surface of the earth;
And it was not born,
Nor was it seen.
It will cause consternation
Wherever God willeth.
On sea, and on land,
It neither sees, nor is seen.
Its course is devious,
And will not come when desired;
On land and on sea,
It is indispensable.
It is without an equal,
It is four-sided;
It is not confined,
It is incomparable;
It comes from four quarters;
It will not be advised,
It will not be without advice.
It commences its journey
Above the marble rock,
It is sonorous, it is dumb,
It is mild,
It is strong, it is bold,
When it glances over the land,
It is silent, it is vocal,
It is clamorous,
It is the most noisy
On the face of the earth.
It is good, it is bad,
It is extremely injurious.
It is concealed,
Because sight cannot perceive it.
It is noxious, it is beneficial;
It is yonder, it is here;
It will discompose,
But will not repair the injury;
It will not suffer for its doings,
Seeing it is blameless.
It is wet, it is dry,
It frequently comes,
Proceeding from the heat of the sun,
And the coldness of the moon.
The moon is less beneficial,
Inasmuch as her heat is less.
One Being has prepared it,
Out of all creatures,
By a tremendous blast,
To wreak vengeance
On Maelgwn Gwynedd.”

And while he was thus singing his verse near the door, therearose a mighty storm of wind, so that the king and all his noblesthought that the castle would fall on their heads. And theking caused them to fetch Elphin in haste from his dungeon, andplaced him before Taliesin. And it is said, thatimmediately he sang a verse, so that the chains opened from abouthis feet.

“I adore the Supreme, Lord of allanimation,—
Him that supports the heavens, Ruler of every extreme,
Him that made the water good for all,
Him who has bestowed each gift, and blesses it;—
May abundance of mead be given Maelgwn of Anglesey, who suppliesus,
From his foaming meadhorns, with the choicest pure liquor.
Since bees collect, and do not enjoy,
We have sparkling distilled mead, which is universallypraised.
The multitude of creatures which the earth nourishes
God made for man, with a view to enrich him;—
Some are violent, some are mute, he enjoys them,
Some are wild, some are tame; the Lord makes them;—
Part of their produce becomes clothing;
For food and beverage till doom will they continue.
I entreat the Supreme, Sovereign of the region of peace,
To liberate Elphin from banishment,
The man who gave me wine, and ale, and mead,
With large princely steeds, of beautiful appearance;
May he yet give me; and at the end,
May God of his good will grant me, in honour,
A succession of numberless ages, in the retreat oftranquillity.
Elphin, knight of mead, late be thy dissolution!”

And afterwards he sang the ode which is called “TheExcellence of the Bards.”

“What was the first man
Made by the God of heaven;
What the fairest flattering speech
That was prepared by leuav;
What meat, what drink,
What roof his shelter;
What the first impression
Of his primary thinking;
What became his clothing;
Who carried on a disguise,
Owing to the wilds of the country,
In the beginning?
Wherefore should a stone be hard;
Why should a thorn be sharp-pointed?
Who is hard like a flint;
Who is salt like brine;
Who sweet like honey;
Who rides on the gale;
Why ridged should be the nose;
Why should a wheel be round;
Why should the tongue be gifted with speech
Rather than another member?
If thy bards, Heinin, be competent,
Let them reply to me, Taliesin.”

And after that he sang the address which is called “TheReproof of the Bards.”

“If thou art a bard completely imbued
With genius not to be controlled,
Be thou not untractable
Within the court of thy king;
Until thy rigmarole shall be known,
Be thou silent, Heinin,
As to the name of thy verse,
And the name of thy vaunting;
And as to the name of thy grandsire
Prior to his being baptized.
And the name of the sphere,
And the name of the element,
And the name of thy language,
And the name of thy region.
Avaunt, ye bards above,
Avaunt, ye bards below!
My beloved is below,
In the fetter of Arianrod
It is certain you know not
How to understand the song I utter,
Nor clearly how to discriminate
Between the truth and what is false;
Puny bards, crows of the district,
Why do you not take to flight?
A bard that will not silence me,
Silence may he not obtain,
Till he goes to be covered
Under gravel and pebbles;
Such as shall listen to me,
May God listen to him.”

Then sang he the piece called “The Spite of theBards.”

“Minstrels persevere in their falsecustom,
Immoral ditties are their delight;
Vain and tasteless praise they recite;
Falsehood at all times do they utter;
The innocent persons they ridicule;
Married women they destroy,
Innocent virgins of Mary they corrupt;
As they pass their lives away in vanity,
Poor innocent persons they ridicule;
At night they get drunk, they sleep the day;
In idleness without work they feed themselves;
The Church they hate, and the tavern they frequent;
With thieves and perjured fellows they associate;
At courts they inquire after feasts;
Every senseless word they bring forward;
Every deadly sin they praise;
Every vile course of life they lead;
Through every village, town, and country they stroll;
Concerning the gripe of death they think not;
Neither lodging nor charity do they give;
Indulging in victuals to excess.
Psalms or prayers they do not use,
Tithes or offerings to God they do not pay,
On holidays or Sundays they do not worship;
Vigils or festivals they do not heed.
The birds do fly, the fish do swim,
The bees collect honey, worms do crawl,
Every thing travails to obtain its food,
Except minstrels and lazy useless thieves.

I deride neither song nor minstrelsy,
For they are given by God to lighten thought;
But him who abuses them,
For blaspheming Jesus and his service.”

Taliesin having set his master free from prison, and havingprotected the innocence of his wife, and silenced the Bards, sothat not one of them dared to say a word, now broughtElphin’s wife before them, and showed that she had not onefinger wanting. Right glad was Elphin, right glad wasTaliesin.

Then he bade Elphin wager the king, that he had a horse bothbetter and swifter than the king’s horses. And thisElphin did, and the day, and the time, and the place were fixed,and the place was that which at this day is called MorvaRhiannedd: and thither the king went with all his people, andfour-and-twenty of the swiftest horses he possessed. Andafter a long process the course was marked, and the horses wereplaced for running. Then came Taliesin with four-and-twentytwigs of holly, which he had burnt black, and he caused the youthwho was to ride his master’s horse to place them in hisbelt, and he gave him orders to let all the king’s horsesget before him, and as he should overtake one horse after theother, to take one of the twigs and strike the horse with it overthe crupper, and then let that twig fall; and after that to takeanother twig, and do in like manner to every one of the horses,as he should overtake them, enjoining the horseman strictly towatch when his own horse should stumble, and to throw down hiscap on the spot. All these things did the youth fulfil,giving a blow to every one of the king’s horses, andthrowing down his cap on the spot where his horse stumbled.And to this spot Taliesin brought his master after his horse hadwon the race. And he caused Elphin to put workmen to dig ahole there; and when they had dug the ground deep enough, theyfound a large cauldron full of gold. And then saidTaliesin, “Elphin, behold a payment and reward unto thee,for having taken me out of the weir, and for having reared mefrom that time until now.” And on this spot stands apool of water, which is to this time called Pwllbair.

After all this, the king caused Taliesin to be brought beforehim, and he asked him to recite concerning the creation of manfrom the beginning; and thereupon he made the poem which is nowcalled “One of the Four Pillars of Song.”

“The Almighty made,
Down the Hebron vale,
With his plastic hands,
Adam’s fair form:

And five hundred years,
Void of any help,
There he remained and lay
Without a soul.

He again did form,
In calm paradise,
From a left-side rib,
Bliss-throbbing Eve.

Seven hours they were
The orchard keeping,
Till Satan brought strife,
With wiles from hell.

Thence were they driven,
Cold and shivering,
To gain their living,
Into this world.

To bring forth with pain
Their sons and daughters,
To have possession
Of Asia’s land.

Twice five, ten and eight,
She was self-bearing,
The mixed burden
Of man-woman.

And once, not hidden,
She brought forth Abel,
And Cain the forlorn,
The homicide.

To him and his mate
Was given a spade,
To break up the soil,
Thus to get bread.

The wheat pure and white,
Summer tilth to sow,
Every man to feed,
Till great yule feast.

An angelic hand
From the high Father,
Brought seed for growing
That Eve might sow;

But she then did hide
Of the gift a tenth,
And all did not sow
Of what was dug.

Black rye then was found,
And not pure wheat grain,
To show the mischief
Thus of thieving.

For this thievish act,
It is requisite,
That all men should pay
Tithe unto God.

Of the ruddy wine,
Planted on sunny days,
And on new-moon nights;
And the white wine.

The wheat rich in grain
And red flowing wine
Christ’s pure body make,
Son of Alpha.

The wafer is flesh,
The wine is spilt blood,
The Trinity’s words
Sanctify them.

The concealed books
From Emmanuel’s hand
Were brought by Raphael
As Adam’s gift,

When in his old age,
To his chin immersed
In Jordan’s water,
Keeping a fast,

Moses did obtain
In Jordan’s water,
The aid of the three
Most special rods.

Solomon did obtain
In Babel’s tower,
All the sciences
In Asia land.

So did I obtain,
In my bardic books,
All the sciences
Of Europe and Africa.

Their course, their bearing,
Their permitted way,
And their fate I know,
Unto the end.

Oh! what misery,
Through extreme of woe,
Prophecy will show
On Troia’s race!

A coiling serpent
Proud and merciless,
On her golden wings,
From Germany.

She will overrun
England and Scotland,
From Lychlyn sea-shore
To the Severn.

Then will the Brython
Be as prisoners,
By strangers swayed,
From Saxony.

Their Lord they will praise,
Their speech they will keep,
Their land they will lose,
Except wild Walia.

Till some change shall come,
After long penance,
When equally rife
The two crimes come.

Britons then shall have
Their land and their crown,
And the stranger swarm
Shall disappear.

All the angel’s words,
As to peace and war,
Will be fulfilled
To Britain’s race.”

He further told the king various prophecies of things thatshould be in the world, in songs, as follows.

* * * * *

FOOTNOTES

[1] It is also stated, that there isin the Hengwrt Library, a MS. containing the Graal in Welsh, asearly as the time of Henry I. I had hoped to have addedthis to the present collection; but the death of Col. Vaughan, towhom I applied, and other subsequent circ*mstances, haveprevented me from obtaining access to it.

[2] Hades.

[3] The word “Pryder” or“Pryderi” means anxiety.

[4] The version in the Greal adds,“And their coin was fairy money;” literally,dwarf’s money: that is, money which, when received,appeared to be good coin, but which, if kept, turned into piecesof fungus, &c.

[5] This dialogue consists of a seriesof repartees with a play upon words, which it is impossible tofollow in the translation.

[6] Taliesin.

[7] The mention of Gwyddno Garanhirinstead of Elphin ab Gwyddno in this place is evidently an errorof some transcriber of the MS.

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