THE MABINOGIONTRANSLATED BY LADY CHARLOTTE GUEST

Contents: Introduction The Lady of the Fountain Peredur the Son of Evrawc Geraint the son of Erbin Kilhwch and Olwen The dream of Rhonabwy Pwyll Prince of Dyved Branwen the daughter of Llyr Manawyddan the son of Llyr Math the son of Mathonwy The dream of Maxen Wledig The story of Lludd and Llevelys Taliesin

INTRODUCTION

Whilst engaged on the Translations contained in these volumes, and onthe Notes appended to the various Tales, I have found myself ledunavoidably into a much more extensive course of reading than I hadoriginally contemplated, and one which in great measure bearsdirectly upon the earlier Mediaeval Romance. 

Before commencing these labours, I was aware, generally, that thereexisted a connexion between the Welsh Mabinogion and the Romance ofthe Continent; but as I advanced, I became better acquainted with thecloseness and extent of that connexion, its history, and the proofsby which it is supported. 

At the same time, indeed, I became aware, and still strongly feel, that it is one thing to collect facts, and quite another to classifyand draw from them their legitimate conclusions; and though I am loththat what has been collected with some pains, should be entirelythrown away, it is unwillingly, and with diffidence, that I trespassbeyond the acknowledged province of a translator. 

In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries there arose into generalnotoriety in Europe, a body of "Romance, " which in various formsretained its popularity till the Reformation. In it the plot, theincidents, the characters, were almost wholly those of Chivalry, thatbond which united the warriors of France, Spain, and Italy, withthose of pure Teutonic descent, and embraced more or less firmly allthe nations of Europe, excepting only the Slavonic races, not yetrisen to power, and the Celts, who had fallen from it. It is notdifficult to account for this latter omission. The Celts, drivenfrom the plains into the mountains and islands, preserved theirliberty, and hated their oppressors with fierce, and not causeless, hatred. A proud and free people, isolated both in country andlanguage, were not likely to adopt customs which implied brotherhoodwith their foes. 

Such being the case, it is remarkable that when the chief romancesare examined, the name of many of the heroes and their scenes ofaction are found to be Celtic, and those of persons and places famousin the traditions of Wales and Brittany. Of this the romances ofYwaine and Gawaine, Sir Perceval de Galles, Eric and Enide, Mortd'Arthur, Sir Lancelot, Sir Tristan, the Graal, &c. , may be cited asexamples. In some cases a tendency to triads, and other matters ofinternal evidence, point in the same direction. 

It may seem difficult to account for this. Although the ancientdominion of the Celts over Europe is not without enduring evidence inthe names of the mountains and streams, the great features of acountry, yet the loss of their prior language by the great mass ofthe Celtic nations in Southern Europe (if indeed their successors interritory be at all of their blood), prevents us from clearly seeing, and makes us wonder, how stories, originally embodied in the Celticdialects of Great Britain and France, could so influence theliterature of nations to whom the Celtic languages were utterlyunknown. Whence then came these internal marks, and these propernames of persons and places, the features of a story usually ofearliest date and least likely to change?

These romances were found in England, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and even Iceland, as early as the beginning of the thirteenthand end of the twelfth century. The Germans, who propagated themthrough the nations of the North, derived them certainly from France. Robert Wace published his Anglo-Norman Romance of the Brutd'Angleterre about 1155. Sir Tristan was written in French prose in1170; and The Chevalier au Lion, Chevalier de l'Epee, and SirLancelot du Lac, in metrical French, by Chrestien de Troyes, before1200. 

From these facts it is to be argued that the further back theseromances are traced, the more clearly does it appear that they spreadover the Continent from the North-west of France. The olderversions, it may be remarked, are far more simple than the latercorruptions. In them there is less allusion to the habits and usagesof Chivalry, and the Welsh names and elements stand out in strongerrelief. It is a great step to be able to trace the stocks of theseromances back to Wace, or to his country and age. For Wace's workwas not original. He himself, a native of Jersey, appears to havederived much of it from the "Historia Britonum" of Gruffydd abArthur, commonly known as "Geoffrey of Monmouth, " born 1128, whohimself professes to have translated from a British original. It is, however, very possible that Wace may have had access, like Geoffrey, to independent sources of information. 

To the claims set up on behalf of Wace and Geoffrey, to be regardedas the channels by which the Cymric tales passed into the ContinentalRomance, may be added those of a third almost contemporary author. Layamon, a Saxon priest, dwelling, about 1200, upon the banks of theupper Severn, acknowledges for the source of his British history, theEnglish Bede, the Latin Albin, and the French Wace. The last-namedhowever is by very much his chief, and, for Welsh matters, his onlyavowed authority. His book, nevertheless, contains a number of namesand stories relating to Wales, of which no traces appear in Wace, orindeed in Geoffrey, but which he was certainly in a very favourableposition to obtain for himself. Layamon, therefore, not onlyconfirms Geoffrey in some points, but it is clear, that, professingto follow Wace, he had independent access to the great body of Welshliterature then current. Sir F. Madden has put this matter veryclearly, in his recent edition of Layamon. The Abbe de la Rue, also, was of opinion that Gaimar, an Anglo-Norman, in the reign of Stephen, usually regarded as a translator of Geoffrey of Monmouth, had accessto a Welsh independent authority. 

In addition to these, is to be mentioned the English version of SirTristrem, which Sir Walter Scott considered to be derived from adistinct Celtic source, and not, like the later Amadis, Palmerin, andLord Berners's Canon of Romance, imported into English literature bytranslation from the French. For the Auntours of Arthur, recentlypublished by the Camden Society, their Editor, Mr. Robson, seems tohint at a similar claim. 

Here then are various known channels, by which portions of Welsh andArmoric fiction crossed the Celtic border, and gave rise to the moreornate, and widely-spread romance of the Age of Chivalry. It is notimprobable that there may have existed many others. It appears thenthat a large portion of the stocks of Mediaeval Romance proceededfrom Wales. We have next to see in what condition they are stillfound in that country. 

That Wales possessed an ancient literature, containing various lyriccompositions, and certain triads, in which are arranged historicalfacts or moral aphorisms, has been shown by Sharon Turner, who hasestablished the high antiquity of many of these compositions. 

The more strictly Romantic Literature of Wales has been lessfortunate, though not less deserving of critical attention. Smallportions only of it have hitherto appeared in print, the remainderbeing still hidden in the obscurity of ancient Manuscripts: of thesethe chief is supposed to be the Red Book of Hergest, now in theLibrary of Jesus College, Oxford, and of the fourteenth century. This contains, besides poems, the prose romances known as Mabinogion. The Black Book of Caermarthen, preserved at Hengwrt, and considerednot to be of later date than the twelfth century, is said to containpoems only. {1}

The Mabinogion, however, though thus early recorded in the Welshtongue, are in their existing form by no means wholly Welsh. Theyare of two tolerably distinct classes. Of these, the older containsfew allusions to Norman customs, manners, arts, arms, and luxuries. The other, and less ancient, are full of such allusions, and ofecclesiastical terms. Both classes, no doubt, are equally of Welshroot, but the former are not more overlaid or corrupted, than mighthave been expected, from the communication that so early took placebetween the Normans and the Welsh; whereas the latter probablymigrated from Wales, and were brought back and re-translated after anabsence of centuries, with a load of Norman additions. Kilhwch andOlwen, and the dream of Rhonabwy, may be cited as examples of theolder and purer class; the Lady of the Fountain, Peredur, and Geraintab Erbin, of the later, or decorated. 

Besides these, indeed, there are a few tales, as Amlyn and Amic, SirBevis of Hamtoun, the Seven Wise Masters, and the story ofCharlemagne, 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 to formpart of the Canon of Welsh Romance. Therefore, although I havetranslated and examined them, I have given them no place in thesevolumes. 

There is one argument in favour of the high antiquity in Wales ofmany of the Mabinogion, which deserves to be mentioned here. Thisargument is founded on the topography of the country. It is foundthat Saxon names of places are very frequently definitions of thenature of the locality to which they are attached, as Clifton, Deepden, Bridge-ford, Thorpe, Ham, Wick, and the like; whereas thoseof Wales are more frequently commemorative of some event, real orsupposed, said to have happened on or near the spot, or bearingallusion to some person renowned in the story of the country ordistrict. Such are "Llyn y Morwynion, " the Lake of the Maidens;"Rhyd y Bedd, " the Ford of the Grave; "Bryn Cyfergyr, " the Hill ofAssault; and so on. But as these names could not have preceded theevents to which they refer, the events themselves must be notunfrequently as old as the early settlement in the country. And assome of these events and fictions are the subjects of, and areexplained by, existing Welsh legends, it follows that the legendsmust be, in some shape or other, of very remote antiquity. It willbe observed that this argument supports REMOTE antiquity only forsuch 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 by man. But there exist, also, legends connected with the lesser features, aspools, hills, detached rocks, caves, fords, and the like, places notnecessarily named by the earlier settlers, but the names of whichare, nevertheless, probably very old, since the words of which theyare composed are in many cases not retained in the colloquial tongue, in which they must once have been included, and are in some instanceslost from the language altogether, so much so as to be only partiallyexplicable even by scholars. The argument applies likewise, in theirdegree, to camps, barrows, and other artificial earth-works. 

Conclusions thus drawn, when established, rest upon a very firmbasis. They depend upon the number and appositeness of the facts, and it would be very interesting to pursue this branch of evidence indetail. In following up this idea, the names to be sought for mightthus be classed:-

I. Names of the great features, involving proper names and actions. 

Cadair Idris and Cadair Arthur both involve more than a mere name. Idris and Arthur must have been invested with heroic qualificationsto have been placed in such "seats. "

II. Names of lesser features, as "Bryn y Saeth, " Hill of the Dart;"Llyn Llyngclys, " Lake of the Engulphed Court; "Ceven y Bedd, " theRidge of the Grave; "Rhyd y Saeson, " the Saxons' Ford. 

III. Names of mixed natural and artificial objects, as "CoetenArthur, " Arthur's Coit; "Cerrig y Drudion, " the Crag of the Heroes;which involve actions. And such as embody proper names only, as"Cerrig Howell, " the Crag of Howell; "Caer Arianrod, " the Camp ofArianrod; "Bron Goronwy, " the Breast (of the Hill) of Goronwy;"Castell mab Wynion, " the Castle of the son of Wynion; "NantGwrtheyrn, " the Rill of Vortigern. 

The selection of names would demand much care and discretion. Thetranslations should be indisputable, and, where known, the connexionof a name with a legend should be noted. 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 be taken notto push the etymological dissection too far. Thus, "Caer Arianrod"should be taken simply as the "Camp of Arianrod, " and not renderedthe "Camp of the silver circle, " because the latter, though it mightpossibly have something to do with the reason for which the name wasborne by Arianrod herself, had clearly no reference to itsapplication to her camp. 

It appears to me, then, looking back upon what has been advanced:-

I. That we have throughout Europe, at an early period, a great bodyof literature, known as Mediaeval Romance, which, amidst much that iswholly of Teutonic origin and character, includes certain well-markedtraces of an older Celtic nucleus. 

II. Proceeding backwards in time, we find these romances, theirornaments falling away at each step, existing towards the twelfthcentury, of simpler structure, and with less encumbered Celticfeatures, in the works of Wace, and other Bards of the Langue d'Oil. 

III. We find that Geoffrey of Monmouth, Layamon, and other earlyBritish and Anglo-Saxon historians, and minstrels, on the one hand, transmitted to Europe the rudiments of its after romance, much ofwhich, on the other hand, they drew from Wales. 

IV. Crossing into Wales we find, in the Mabinogion, the evidentcounterpart of the Celtic portion of the continental romance, mixedup, indeed, with various reflex additions from beyond the border, butstill containing ample internal evidence of a Welsh original. 

V. Looking at the connexion between divers of the more ancientMabinogion, and the topographical nomenclature of part of thecountry, we find evidence of the great, though indefinite, antiquityof these tales, and of an origin, which, if not indigenous, iscertainly derived from no European nation. 

It was with a general belief in some of these conclusions, that Icommenced my labours, and I end them with my impressions stronglyconfirmed. The subject is one not unworthy of the talents of a Llwydor a Prichard. It might, I think, be shown, by pursuing the inquiry, that the Cymric nation is not only, as Dr. Prichard has proved it tobe, an early offshoot of the Indo-European family, and a people ofunmixed descent, but that when driven out of their conquests by thelater nations, the names and exploits of their heroes, and thecompositions of their bards, spread far and wide among the invaders, and affected intimately their tastes and literature for manycenturies, and that it has strong claims to be considered the cradleof European Romance. 

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 hischamber; and with him were Owain the son of Urien, and Kynon the sonof Clydno, and Kai the son of Kyner; and Gwenhwyvar and herhandmaidens at needlework by the window. And if it should be saidthat there was a porter at Arthur's palace, there was none. GlewlwydGavaelvawr was there, acting as porter, to welcome guests andstrangers, and to receive them with honour, and to inform them of themanners and customs of the Court; and to direct those who came to theHall or to the presence-chamber, and those who came to take up theirlodging. 

In the centre of the chamber King Arthur sat upon a seat of greenrushes, over which was spread a covering of flame-coloured satin, anda cushion of red satin was under his elbow. 

Then Arthur spoke, "If I thought you would not disparage me, " saidhe, "I would sleep while I wait for my repast; and you can entertainone another with relating tales, and can obtain a flagon of mead andsome meat from Kai. " And the King went to sleep. And Kynon the sonof Clydno asked Kai for that which Arthur had promised them. "I, too, will have the good tale which he promised 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 tell thee thebest tale that we know. " So Kai went to the kitchen and to the mead-cellar, and returned bearing a flagon of mead and a golden goblet, and a handful of skewers, upon which were broiled collops of meat. Then they ate the collops and began to drink the mead. "Now, " saidKai, "it is time for you to give me my story. " "Kynon, " said Owain, "do thou pay to Kai the tale that is his due. " "Truly, " said Kynon, "thou are older, and art a better teller of tales, and hast seen moremarvellous things than I; do thou therefore pay Kai his tale. ""Begin thyself, " quoth Owain, "with the best that thou knowest. " "Iwill do so, " answered Kynon. 

"I was the only son of my mother and father, and I was exceedinglyaspiring, and my daring was very great. I thought there was noenterprise in the world too mighty for me, and after I had achievedall the adventures that were in my own country, I equipped myself, and set forth to journey through deserts and distant regions. And atlength it chanced that I came to the fairest valley in the world, wherein were trees of equal growth; and a river ran through thevalley, and a path was by the side of the river. And I followed thepath until mid-day, and continued my journey along the remainder ofthe valley until the evening; and at the extremity of a plain I cameto a large and lustrous Castle, at the foot of which was a torrent. And I approached the Castle, and there I beheld two youths withyellow curling hair, each with a frontlet of gold upon his head, andclad in a garment of yellow satin, and they had gold clasps upontheir insteps. In the hand of each of them was an ivory bow, strungwith the sinews of the stag; and their arrows had shafts of the boneof the whale, and were winged with peacock's feathers; the shaftsalso had golden heads. And they had daggers with blades of gold, andwith hilts of the bone of the whale. And they were shooting theirdaggers. 

"And a little way from them I saw a man in the prime of life, withhis beard newly shorn, clad in a robe and a mantle of yellow satin;and round the top of his mantle was a band of gold lace. On his feetwere shoes of variegated leather, fastened by two bosses of gold. When I saw him, I went towards him and saluted him, and such was hiscourtesy that he no sooner received my greeting than he returned it. And he went with me towards the Castle. Now there were no dwellersin the Castle except those who were in one hall. And there I sawfour-and-twenty damsels, embroidering satin at a window. And this Itell thee, Kai, that the least fair of them was fairer than thefairest maid thou hast ever beheld in the Island of Britain, and theleast lovely of them was more lovely than Gwenhwyvar, the wife ofArthur, when she has appeared loveliest at the Offering, on the dayof the Nativity, or at the feast of Easter. They rose up at mycoming, and six of them took my horse, and divested me of my armour;and six others took my arms, and washed them in a vessel until theywere perfectly bright. And the third six spread cloths upon thetables and prepared 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. And they placedcushions both beneath and around me, with coverings of red linen; andI sat down. Now the six maidens who had taken my horse, unharnessedhim, as well as if they had been the best squires in the Island ofBritain. Then, behold, they brought bowls of silver wherein waswater to wash, and towels of linen, some green and some white; and Iwashed. And in a little while the man sat down to the table. And Isat next to him, and below me sat all the maidens, except those whowaited on us. And the table was of silver, and the cloths upon thetable were of linen; and no vessel was served upon the table that wasnot either of gold or of silver, or of buffalo-horn. And our meatwas brought to us. And verily, Kai, I saw there every sort of meatand every sort of liquor that I have ever seen elsewhere; but themeat and the liquor were better served there than I have ever seenthem in any other place. 

"Until the repast was half over, neither the man nor any one of thedamsels spoke a single word to me; but when the man perceived that itwould be more agreeable to me to converse than to eat any more, hebegan to inquire of me who I was. I said I was glad to find thatthere was some one who would discourse with me, and that it was notconsidered so great a crime at that Court for people to hold conversetogether. 'Chieftain, ' said the man, 'we would have talked to theesooner, but we feared to disturb thee during thy repast; now, however, we will discourse. ' Then I told the man who I was, and whatwas the cause of my journey; and said that I was seeking whether anyone was superior to me, or whether I could gain the mastery over all. The man looked upon me, and he smiled and said, 'If I did not fear todistress thee too much, I would show thee that which thou seekest. 'Upon this I became anxious and sorrowful, and when the man perceivedit, he said, 'If thou wouldest rather that I should show thee thydisadvantage than thine advantage, I will do so. Sleep here to-night, and in the morning arise early, and take the road upwardsthrough the valley until thou reachest the wood through which thoucamest hither. A little way within the wood thou wilt meet with aroad branching off to the right, by which thou must proceed, untilthou comest to a large sheltered glade with a mound in the centre. And thou wilt see a black man of great stature on the top of themound. He is not smaller in size than two of the men of this world. He has but one foot; and one eye in the middle of his forehead. Andhe has a club of iron, and it is certain that there are no two men inthe world who would not find their burden in that club. And he isnot a comely man, but on the contrary he is exceedingly ill-favoured;and he is the woodward of that wood. And thou wilt see a thousandwild animals grazing around him. Inquire of him the way out of theglade, and he will reply to thee briefly, and will point out the roadby which thou shalt find that which thou art in quest of. '

"And long seemed that night to me. And the next morning I arose andequipped myself, and mounted my horse, and proceeded straight throughthe valley to the wood; and I followed the cross-road which the manhad pointed out to me, till at length I arrived at the glade. Andthere was I three times more astonished at the number of wild animalsthat I beheld, than the man had said I should be. And the black manwas 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 club which theman had told me was a burden for two men, I am certain, Kai, that itwould be a heavy weight for four warriors to lift; and this was inthe black man's hand. And he only spoke to me in answer to myquestions. Then I asked him what 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, as numerousas the stars in the sky, so that it was difficult for me to find roomin the glade to stand among them. There were serpents, and dragons, and divers sorts of animals. And he looked at them, and bade them goand feed; and they bowed their heads, and did him homage as vassalsto their lord. 

"Then the black man said to me, 'Seest thou now, little man, whatpower I hold over these animals?' Then I inquired of him the way, and he became very rough in his manner to me; however, he asked mewhither I would go? And when I told him who I was and what I sought, he directed me. 'Take, ' said he, 'that path that leads towards thehead of the glade, and ascend the wooded steep until thou comest toits summit; and there thou wilt find an open space like to a largevalley, and in the midst of it a tall tree, whose branches aregreener than the greenest pine-trees. Under this tree is a fountain, and by the side of the fountain a marble slab, and on the marble slaba silver bowl, attached by a chain of silver, so that it may not becarried away. Take the bowl and throw a bowlful of water upon theslab, and thou wilt hear a mighty peal of thunder, so that thou wiltthink that heaven 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 shower will be ofhailstones; and after the shower, the weather will become fair, butevery leaf that was upon the tree will have been carried away by theshower. Then a flight of birds will come and alight upon the tree;and in thine own country thou didst never hear a strain so sweet asthat which they will sing. And at the moment thou art most delightedwith the song of the birds, thou wilt hear a murmuring andcomplaining coming towards thee along the valley. And thou wilt seea knight upon a coal-black horse, clothed in black velvet, and with apennon of black linen upon his lance; and he will ride unto thee toencounter thee with the utmost speed. If thou fleest from him hewill overtake thee, and if thou abidest there, as sure as thou art amounted knight, he will leave thee on foot. And if thou dost notfind trouble in that adventure, thou needest not seek it during therest of thy life. '

"So I journeyed on, until I reached the summit of the steep, andthere I found everything as the black man had described it to me. And I went up to the tree, and beneath it I saw the fountain, and byits side the marble slab, and the silver bowl fastened by the chain. Then I took the bowl, and cast a bowlful of water upon the slab; andthereupon, behold, the thunder came, much more violent than the blackman had led me to expect; and after the thunder came the shower; andof a truth I tell thee, Kai, that there is neither man nor beast thatcan endure that shower and live. For not one of those hailstoneswould be stopped, either by the flesh or by the skin, until it hadreached the bone. I turned my horse's flank towards the shower, andplaced the beak of my shield over his head and neck, while I held theupper part of it over my own head. And thus I withstood the shower. When I looked on the tree there was not a single leaf upon it, andthen the sky became clear, and with that, behold the birds lightedupon the tree, and sang. And truly, Kai, I never heard any melodyequal to that, either before or since. And when I was most charmedwith listening to the birds, lo, a murmuring voice was heard throughthe valley, approaching me and saying, 'Oh, Knight, what has broughtthee hither? What evil have I done to thee, that thou shouldst acttowards me and my possessions as thou hast this day? Dost thou notknow that the shower to-day has left in my dominions neither man norbeast alive that was exposed to it?' And thereupon, behold, a Knighton a black horse appeared, clothed in jet-black velvet, and with atabard of black linen about him. And we charged each other, and, asthe onset was furious, it was not long before I was overthrown. Thenthe Knight passed the shaft of his lance through the bridle rein ofmy horse, and rode off with the two horses, leaving me where I was. And he did not even bestow so much notice upon me as to imprison me, nor did he despoil me of my arms. So I returned along the road bywhich I had come. And when I reached the glade where the black manwas, I confess to thee, Kai, it is a marvel that I did not melt downinto a liquid pool, through the shame that I felt at the black man'sderision. And that night I came to the same castle where I had spentthe night preceding. And I was more agreeably entertained that nightthan I had been the night before; and I was better feasted, and Iconversed freely with the inmates of the castle, and none of themalluded to my expedition to the fountain, neither did I mention it toany; and I 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 I stillpossess, and he is in the stable yonder. And I declare that I wouldnot part with him for the best palfrey in the Island of Britain. 

"Now of a truth, Kai, no man ever before confessed to an adventure somuch to his own discredit, and verily it seems strange to me, thatneither before nor since have I heard of any person besides myselfwho knew of this adventure, and that the subject of it should existwithin King Arthur's dominions, without any other person lightingupon it. "

"Now, " quoth Owain, "would it not be well to go and endeavour todiscover that place?"

"By the hand of my friend, " said Kai, "often dost thou utter thatwith thy tongue which thou wouldst not make good with thy deeds. "

"In very truth, " said Gwenhwyvar, "it were better thou wert hanged, Kai, than to use such uncourteous speech towards a man like Owain. "

"By the hand of my friend, good Lady, " said Kai, "thy praise of Owainis not greater than mine. "

With that Arthur awoke, and asked if he had not been sleeping alittle. 

"Yes, Lord, " answered Owain, "thou hast slept 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 all hishousehold sat down to eat. And when the meal was ended, Owainwithdrew to his lodging, and made ready his horse and his arms. 

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 valley which Kynonhad described to him; and he was certain that it was the same that hesought. And journeying along the valley by the side of the river, hefollowed its course till he came to the plain and within sight of theCastle. When he approached the Castle, he saw the youths shootingtheir daggers in the place where Kynon had seen them, and the yellowman, to whom the Castle belonged, standing hard by. And no soonerhad Owain saluted the yellow man than he was saluted by him inreturn. 

And he went forward towards the Castle, and there he saw the chamber, and when he had entered the chamber he beheld the maidens working atsatin embroidery, in chairs of gold. And their beauty and theircomeliness seemed to Owain far greater than Kynon had represented tohim. And they rose to wait upon Owain, as they had done to Kynon, and the meal which they set before him gave more satisfaction toOwain than it had done to Kynon. 

About the middle of the repast, the yellow man asked Owain the objectof his journey. And Owain made it known to him, and said, "I am inquest of the Knight who guards the fountain. " Upon this the yellowman smiled, and said that he was as loth to point out that adventureto Owain as he had 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 by thedamsels, and he set forward and came to the glade where the black manwas. And the stature of the black man seemed more wonderful to Owainthan it had done to Kynon, and Owain asked of him his road, and heshowed it to him. And Owain followed the road, as Kynon had done, till he came to the green tree; and he beheld the fountain, and theslab beside the fountain, with the bowl upon it. And Owain took thebowl, and threw a bowlful of water upon the slab. And, lo, thethunder was heard, and after the thunder came the shower, much moreviolent than Kynon had described, and after the shower the sky becamebright. And when Owain looked at the tree, there was not one leafupon it. And immediately the birds came, and settled upon the tree, and sang. And when their song was most pleasing to Owain, he behelda Knight coming towards him through the valley, and he prepared toreceive him; and encountered him violently. Having broken both theirlances, 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, until itwounded the very brain. Then the black Knight felt that he hadreceived a mortal wound, upon which he turned his horse's head, andfled. And Owain pursued him, and followed close upon him, althoughhe was not near enough to strike him with his sword. Thereupon Owaindescried a vast and resplendent Castle. And they came to the Castlegate. And the black Knight was allowed to enter, and the portculliswas let fall upon Owain; and it struck his horse behind the saddle, and cut him in two, and carried away the rowels of the spurs thatwere upon Owain's heels. And the portcullis descended to the floor. And the rowels of the spurs and part of the horse were without, andOwain with the other part of the horse remained between the twogates, and the inner gate was closed, so that Owain could not gothence; and Owain was in a perplexing situation. And while he was inthis state, he could see through an aperture in the gate, a streetfacing him, with a row of houses on each side. And he beheld amaiden, with yellow curling hair, and a frontlet of gold upon herhead; and she was clad in a dress of yellow satin, and on her feetwere shoes of variegated leather. And she approached the gate, anddesired that it should be opened. "Heaven knows, Lady, " said Owain, "it is no more possible for me to open to thee from hence, than it isfor thee to set me free. " "Truly, " said the damsel, "it is very sadthat thou canst not be released, and every woman ought to succourthee, for I never saw one more faithful in the service of ladies thanthou. As a friend thou art the most sincere, and as a lover the mostdevoted. Therefore, " quoth she, "whatever is in my power to do forthy release, I will do it. Take this ring and put it on thy finger, with the stone inside thy hand; and close thy hand upon the stone. And as long as thou concealest it, it will conceal thee. When theyhave consulted together, they will come forth to fetch thee, in orderto put thee to death; and they will be much grieved that they cannotfind thee. And I will await thee on the horseblock yonder; and thouwilt be able to see me, though I cannot see thee; therefore come andplace thy hand upon my shoulder, that I may know that thou art nearme. And by the way that I go hence, do thou accompany me. "

Then she went away from Owain, and he did all that the maiden hadtold him. And the people of the Castle came to seek Owain, to puthim to death, and when they found nothing but the half of his horse, they were sorely grieved. 

And Owain vanished from among them, and went to the maiden, andplaced his hand upon her shoulder; whereupon she set off, and Owainfollowed her, until they came to the door of a large and beautifulchamber, and the maiden opened it, and they went in, and closed thedoor. And Owain looked around the chamber, and behold there was noteven a single nail in it that was not painted with gorgeous colours;and there was not a single panel that had not sundry images in goldportrayed upon it. 

The maiden kindled a fire, and took water in a silver bowl, and put atowel of white linen on her shoulder, and gave Owain water to wash. Then she placed before him a silver table, inlaid with gold; uponwhich was a cloth of yellow linen; and she brought him food. And ofa truth, Owain had never seen any kind of meat that was not there inabundance, but it was better cooked there than he had ever found itin any other place. Nor did he ever see so excellent a display ofmeat and drink, as there. And there was not one vessel from which hewas served, that was not of gold or of silver. And Owain ate anddrank, until late in the afternoon, when lo, they heard a mightyclamour in the Castle; and Owain asked the maiden what that outcrywas. "They are administering extreme unction, " said she, "to theNobleman who owns the Castle. " And Owain went to sleep. 

The couch which the maiden had prepared for him was meet for Arthurhimself; it was of scarlet, and fur, and satin, and sendal, and finelinen. In the middle of the night they heard a woful outcry. "Whatoutcry again is this?" said Owain. "The Nobleman who owned theCastle is now dead, " said the maiden. And a little after daybreak, they heard an exceeding loud clamour and wailing. And Owain askedthe maiden what was the cause of it. "They are bearing to the churchthe body of the Nobleman who owned the Castle. "

And Owain rose up, and clothed himself, and opened a window of thechamber, and looked towards the Castle; and he could see neither thebounds, nor the extent of the hosts that filled the streets. Andthey were fully armed; and a vast number of women were with them, both on horseback and on foot; and all the ecclesiastics in the city, singing. And it seemed to Owain that the sky resounded with thevehemence of their cries, and with the noise of the trumpets, andwith the singing of the ecclesiastics. In the midst of the throng, he beheld the bier, over which was a veil of white linen; and waxtapers were burning beside and around it, and none that supported thebier was lower in rank than a powerful Baron. 

Never did Owain see an assemblage so gorgeous with satin, and silk, and sendal. And following the train, he beheld a lady with yellowhair falling over her shoulders, and stained with blood; and abouther a dress of yellow satin, which was torn. Upon her feet wereshoes of variegated leather. And it was a marvel that the ends ofher fingers were not bruised, from the violence with which she smoteher hands together. Truly she would have been the fairest lady Owainever saw, had she been in her usual guise. And her cry was louderthan the shout of the men, or the clamour of the trumpets. No soonerhad he beheld the lady, than he became inflamed with her love, sothat it took entire possession of him. 

Then he inquired of the maiden who the lady was. "Heaven knows, "replied the maiden, "she may be said to be the fairest, and the mostchaste, and the most liberal, and the wisest, and the most noble ofwomen. And she is my mistress; and she is called the Countess of theFountain, the wife of him whom thou didst slay yesterday. " "Verily, "said Owain, "she is the woman that I love best. " "Verily, " said themaiden, "she shall also love thee not a little. "

And with that the maid arose, and kindled a fire, and filled a potwith water, and placed it to warm; and she brought a towel of whitelinen, and placed it around Owain's neck; and she took a goblet ofivory, and a silver basin, and filled them with warm water, wherewithshe washed Owain's head. Then she opened a wooden casket, and drewforth a razor, whose haft was of ivory, and upon which were tworivets of gold. And she shaved his beard, and she dried his head, and his throat, with the towel. Then she rose up from before Owain, and brought him to eat. And truly Owain had never so good a meal, nor was he ever so well served. 

When he had finished his repast, the maiden arranged his couch. "Come here, " said she, "and sleep, and I will go and woo for thee. "And Owain went to sleep, and the maiden shut the door of the chamberafter her, and went towards the Castle. When she came there, shefound nothing but mourning, and sorrow; and the Countess in herchamber could not bear the sight of any one through grief. Lunedcame and saluted her, but the Countess answered her not. And themaiden bent down towards her, and said, "What aileth thee, that thouanswerest no one to-day?" "Luned, " said the Countess, "what changehath befallen thee, that thou hast not come to visit me in my grief?It was wrong in thee, and I having made thee rich; it was wrong inthee that thou didst not come to see me in my distress. That waswrong in thee. " "Truly, " said Luned, "I thought thy good sense wasgreater than I find it to be. Is it well for thee to mourn afterthat good man, or for anything else, that thou canst not have?" "Ideclare to heaven, " said the Countess, "that in the whole world thereis not a man equal to him. " "Not so, " said Luned, "for an ugly manwould be as good as, or better than he. " "I declare to heaven, " saidthe Countess, "that were it not repugnant to me to cause to be put todeath one whom I have brought up, I would have thee executed, formaking such a comparison to me. As it is, I will banish thee. " "Iam glad, " said Luned, "that thou hast no other cause to do so, thanthat I would have been of service to thee where thou didst not knowwhat was to thine advantage. And henceforth evil betide whichever ofus shall make the first advance towards reconciliation to the other;whether I should seek an invitation from thee, or thou of thine ownaccord shouldst send to invite me. "

With that Luned went forth: and the Countess arose and followed herto the door of the chamber, and began coughing loudly. And whenLuned looked back, the Countess beckoned to her; and she returned tothe Countess. "In truth, " said the Countess, "evil is thydisposition; but if thou knowest what is to my advantage, declare itto me. " "I will do so, " quoth she. 

"Thou knowest that except by warfare and arms it is impossible forthee to preserve thy possessions; delay not, therefore, to seek someone who can defend them. " "And how can I do that?" said theCountess. "I will tell thee, " said Luned. "Unless thou canst defendthe fountain, thou canst not maintain thy dominions; and no one candefend the fountain, except it be a knight of Arthur's household; andI will go to Arthur'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 toperform, " said the Countess. "Go, however, and make proof of thatwhich thou hast promised. "

Luned set out, under the pretence of going to Arthur's Court; but shewent back to the chamber where she had left Owain; and she tarriedthere with him as long as it might have taken her to have travelledto the Court of King Arthur. And at the end of that time, sheapparelled herself and went to visit the Countess. And the Countesswas much rejoiced when she saw her, and inquired what news shebrought from the Court. "I bring thee the best of news, " said Luned, "for I have compassed the object of my mission. When wilt thou, thatI should present to thee the chieftain who has come with me hither?""Bring him here to visit me to-morrow, at mid-day, " said theCountess, "and I will cause the town to be assembled by that time. "

And Luned returned home. And the next day, at noon, Owain arrayedhimself in a coat, and a surcoat, and a mantle of yellow satin, uponwhich was a broad band of gold lace; and on his feet were high shoesof variegated leather, which were fastened by golden clasps, in theform of lions. And they proceeded to the chamber of the Countess. 

Right glad was the Countess of their coming, and she gazedsteadfastly upon Owain, and said, "Luned, this knight has not thelook of a traveller. " "What harm is there in that, lady?" saidLuned. "I am certain, " said the Countess, "that no other man thanthis chased the soul from the body of my lord. " "So much the betterfor thee, lady, " said Luned, "for had he not been stronger than thylord he could not have deprived him of life. There is no remedy forthat which is past, be it as it may. " "Go back to thine abode, " saidthe Countess, "and I will take counsel. "

The next day the Countess caused all her subjects to assemble, andshowed them that her earldom was left defenceless, and that it couldnot be protected but with horse and arms, and military skill. "Therefore, " said she, "this is what I offer for your choice: eitherlet one of you take me, or give your consent for me to take a husbandfrom elsewhere to defend my dominions. "

So they came to the determination that it was better that she shouldhave permission to marry some one from elsewhere; and, thereupon, shesent for the bishops and archbishops to celebrate her nuptials withOwain. And the men of the earldom did Owain homage. 

And Owain defended the Fountain with lance and sword. And this isthe manner in which he defended it: Whensoever a knight came therehe overthrew him, and sold him for his full worth, and what he thusgained he divided among his barons and his knights; and no man in thewhole world could be more beloved than he was by his subjects. Andit was thus for the space of three years. 

It befell that as Gwalchmai went forth one day with King Arthur, heperceived him to be very sad and sorrowful. And Gwalchmai was muchgrieved to see Arthur in this state; and he questioned him, saying, "Oh, my lord! what has befallen thee?" "In sooth, Gwalchmai, " saidArthur, "I am grieved concerning Owain, whom I have lost these threeyears, and I shall certainly die if the fourth year passes without myseeing him. Now I am sure, that it is through the tale which Kynonthe son of Clydno related, that I have lost Owain. " "There is noneed for thee, " 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 set himfree, if he be in prison; and, if alive, to bring him back withthee. " And it was settled according to what Gwalchmai had said. 

Then Arthur and the men of his household prepared to go and seekOwain, and their number was three thousand, besides their attendants. And Kynon the son of Clydno acted as their guide. And Arthur came tothe Castle where Kynon had been before, and when he came there theyouths were shooting in the same place, and the yellow man wasstanding hard by. When the yellow man saw Arthur he greeted him, andinvited him to the Castle; and Arthur accepted his invitation, andthey entered the Castle together. And great as was the number of hisretinue, their presence was scarcely observed in the Castle, so vastwas its extent. And the maidens rose up to wait on them, and theservice of the maidens appeared to them all to excel any attendancethey had ever met with; and even the pages who had charge of thehorses were no worse served, that night, than Arthur himself wouldhave been in his own palace. 

The next morning Arthur set out thence, with Kynon for his guide, andcame to the place where the black man was. And the stature of theblack man was more surprising to Arthur than it had been representedto him. And they came to the top of the wooded steep, and traversedthe valley till they reached the green tree, where they saw thefountain, and the bowl, and the slab. And upon that, Kai came toArthur and spoke to him. "My lord, " said he, "I know the meaning ofall this, and my request is, that thou wilt permit me to throw thewater on the slab, and to receive the first adventure that maybefall. " And Arthur gave him leave. 

Then Kai threw a bowlful of water upon the slab, and immediatelythere came the thunder, and after the thunder the shower. And such athunderstorm they had never known before, and many of the attendantswho were in Arthur's train were killed by the shower. After theshower had ceased the sky became clear; and on looking at the treethey beheld it completely leafless. Then the birds descended uponthe tree, and the song of the birds was far sweeter than any strainthey had ever heard before. Then they beheld a knight on a coal-black horse, clothed in black satin, coming rapidly towards them. And Kai met him and encountered him, and it was not long before Kaiwas overthrown. And the knight withdrew, and Arthur and his hostencamped for the night. 

And when they arose in the morning, they perceived the signal ofcombat upon the lance of the Knight. And Kai came to Arthur, andspoke to him: "My lord, " said he, "though I was overthrownyesterday, if it seem good to thee, I would gladly meet the Knightagain to-day. " "Thou mayst do so, " said Arthur. And Kai wenttowards the Knight. And on the spot he overthrew Kai, and struck himwith the head of his lance in the forehead, so that it broke hishelmet and the head-piece, and pierced the skin and the flesh, thebreadth of the spear-head, even to the bone. And Kai returned to hiscompanions. 

After this, all the household of Arthur went forth, one after theother, to combat the Knight, until there was not one that was notoverthrown by him, except Arthur and Gwalchmai. And Arthur armedhimself to encounter the Knight. "Oh, my lord, " said Gwalchmai, "permit me to fight with him first. " And Arthur permitted him. Andhe went forth to meet the Knight, having over himself and his horse asatin robe of honour which had been sent him by the daughter of theEarl of Rhangyw, and in this dress he was not known by any of thehost. And they charged each other, and fought all that day until theevening, and neither of them was able to unhorse the other. 

The next day they fought with strong lances, and neither of themcould obtain the mastery. 

And the third day they fought with exceeding strong lances. And theywere incensed with rage, and fought furiously, even until noon. Andthey gave each other such a shock that the girths of their horseswere broken, so that they fell over their horses' cruppers to theground. And they rose up speedily, and drew their swords, andresumed the combat; and the multitude that witnessed their encounterfelt assured that they had never before seen two men so valiant or sopowerful. And had it been midnight, it would have been light fromthe fire that flashed from their weapons. And the Knight gaveGwalchmai a blow that turned his helmet from off his face, so thatthe Knight knew that it was Gwalchmai. Then Owain said, "My lordGwalchmai, I did not know thee for my cousin, owing to the robe ofhonour that enveloped thee; take my sword and my arms. " SaidGwalchmai, "Thou, Owain, art the victor; take thou my sword. " Andwith that Arthur saw that they were conversing, and advanced towardsthem. "My lord Arthur, " said Gwalchmai, "here is Owain, who hasvanquished me, and will not take my arms. " "My lord, " said Owain, "it is he that has vanquished me, and he will not take my sword. ""Give me your swords, " said Arthur, "and then neither of you hasvanquished the other. " Then Owain put his arms around Arthur's neck, and they embraced. And all the host hurried forward to see Owain, and to embrace him; and there was nigh being a loss of life, so greatwas the press. 

And they retired that night, and the next day Arthur prepared todepart. "My lord, " said Owain, "this is not well of thee; for I havebeen absent from thee these three years, and during all that time, upto this very day, I have been preparing a banquet for thee, knowingthat thou wouldst come to seek me. Tarry with me, therefore, untilthou and thy attendants have recovered the fatigues of the journey, and have been anointed. "

And they all proceeded to the Castle of the Countess of the Fountain, and the banquet which had been three years preparing was consumed inthree months. Never had they a more delicious or agreeable banquet. And Arthur prepared to depart. Then he sent an embassy to theCountess, to beseech her to permit Owain to go with him for the spaceof three months, that he might show him to the nobles and the fairdames of the Island of Britain. And the Countess gave her consent, although it was very painful to her. So Owain came with Arthur tothe Island of Britain. And when he was once more amongst his kindredand friends, he remained three years, instead of three months, withthem. 

And as Owain one day sat at meat, in the city of Caerlleon upon Usk, behold a damsel entered upon a bay horse, with a curling mane andcovered with foam, and the bridle and so much as was seen of thesaddle were of gold. And the damsel was arrayed in a dress of yellowsatin. And she came up to Owain, and took the ring from off hishand. "Thus, " said she, "shall be treated the deceiver, the traitor, the faithless, the disgraced, and the beardless. " And she turned herhorse's head and departed. 

Then his adventure came to Owain's remembrance, and he was sorrowful;and having finished eating he went to his own abode and madepreparations that night. And the next day he arose but did not go tothe Court, but wandered to the distant parts of the earth and touncultivated mountains. And he remained there until all his apparelwas worn out, and his body was wasted away, and his hair was grownlong. And he went about with the wild beasts and fed with them, until they became familiar with him; but at length he grew so weakthat he could no longer bear them company. Then he descended fromthe mountains 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 a lake, that was in the middle of the park. And they saw the form of a man. And they were terrified. Nevertheless they went near him, andtouched him, and looked at him. And they saw that there was life inhim, though he was exhausted by the heat of the sun. And theCountess returned to the Castle, and took a flask full of preciousointment, and gave it to one of her maidens. "Go with this, " saidshe, "and take with thee yonder horse and clothing, and place themnear the man we saw just now. And anoint him with this balsam, nearhis heart; and if there is life in him, he will arise through theefficacy of this balsam. Then watch what he will do. "

And the maiden departed from her, and poured the whole of the balsamupon Owain, and left the horse and the garments hard by, and went alittle way off, and hid herself to watch him. In a short time shesaw him begin to move his arms; and he rose up, and looked at hisperson, and became ashamed of the unseemliness of his appearance. Then he perceived the horse and the garments that were near him. Andhe crept forward till he was able to draw the garments to him fromoff the saddle. And he clothed himself, and with difficulty mountedthe horse. Then the damsel discovered herself to him, and salutedhim. And he was rejoiced when he saw her, and inquired of her, whatland and what territory that was. "Truly, " said the maiden, "awidowed Countess owns yonder Castle; at the death of her husband, heleft her two Earldoms, but at this day she has but this one dwellingthat has not been wrested from her by a young Earl, who is herneighbour, because she refused to become his wife. " "That is pity, "said Owain. And he and the maiden proceeded to the Castle; and healighted there, and the maiden conducted him to a pleasant chamber, and kindled a fire and left him. 

And the maiden came to the Countess, and gave the flask into herhand. "Ha! maiden, " said the Countess, "where is all the balsam?""Have I not used it all?" said she. "Oh, maiden, " said the Countess, "I cannot easily forgive thee this; it is sad for me to have wastedseven-score pounds' worth of precious ointment upon a stranger whom Iknow not. However, maiden, wait thou upon him, until he is quiterecovered. "

And the maiden did so, and furnished him with meat and drink, andfire, and lodging, and medicaments, until he was well again. And inthree months he was restored to his former guise, and became evenmore comely than he had ever been before. 

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 to thee, has come before the Castle, witha numerous army, to subdue the Countess. " And Owain inquired of herwhether the Countess had a horse and arms in her possession. "Shehas the best in the world, " said the maiden. "Wilt thou go andrequest the loan of a horse and arms for me, " said Owain, "that I maygo and look at this army?" "I will, " said the maiden. 

And she came to the Countess, and told her what Owain had said. Andthe Countess laughed. "Truly, " said she, "I will even give him ahorse and arms for ever; such a horse and such arms had he never yet, and I am glad that they should be taken by him to-day, lest myenemies should have them against my will to-morrow. Yet I know notwhat he would do with them. "

The Countess bade them bring out a beautiful black steed, upon whichwas a beechen saddle, and a suit of armour, for man and horse. AndOwain armed himself, and mounted the horse, and went forth, attendedby two pages completely equipped, with horses and arms. And whenthey came near to the Earl's army, they could see neither its extentnor its extremity. And Owain asked the pages in which troop the Earlwas. "In yonder troop, " said they, "in which are four yellowstandards. Two of them are before, and two behind him. " "Now, " saidOwain, "do you return and await me near the portal of the Castle. "So they returned, and Owain pressed forward until he met the Earl. And Owain drew him completely out of his saddle, and turned hishorse's head towards the Castle, and though it was with difficulty, he brought the Earl to the portal, where the pages awaited him. Andin they came. And Owain presented the Earl as a gift to theCountess. And said to her, "Behold a requital to thee for thyblessed balsam. "

The army encamped around the Castle. And the Earl restored to theCountess the two Earldoms he had taken from her, as a ransom for hislife; and for his freedom he gave her the half of his own dominions, and all his gold, and his silver, and his jewels, besides hostages. 

And Owain took his departure. And the Countess and all her subjectsbesought him to remain, but Owain chose rather to wander throughdistant lands and deserts. 

And as he journeyed, he heard a loud yelling in a wood. And it wasrepeated a second and a third time. And Owain went towards the spot, and beheld a huge craggy mound, in the middle of the wood; on theside of which was a grey rock. And there was a cleft in the rock, and a serpent was within the cleft. And near the rock stood a blacklion, and every time the lion sought to go thence, the serpent dartedtowards him to attack him. And Owain unsheathed his sword, and drewnear to the rock; and as the serpent sprang out, he struck him withhis sword, and cut him in two. And he dried his sword, and went onhis way, as before. But behold the lion followed him, and playedabout him, as though it had been a greyhound that he had reared. 

They proceeded thus throughout the day, until the evening. And whenit was time for Owain to take his rest, he dismounted, and turned hishorse loose in a flat and wooded meadow. And he struck fire, andwhen the fire was kindled, the lion brought him fuel enough to lastfor three nights. And the lion disappeared. And presently the lionreturned, 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 collops of itsflesh upon skewers, around the fire. The rest of the buck he gave tothe lion to devour. While he was doing this, he heard a deep sighnear him, and a second, and a third. And Owain called out to knowwhether the sigh he heard proceeded from a mortal; and he receivedanswer that it did. "Who art thou?" said Owain. "Truly, " said thevoice, "I am Luned, the handmaiden of the Countess of the Fountain. ""And what dost thou here?" said Owain. "I am imprisoned, " said she, "on account of the knight who came from Arthur's Court, and marriedthe Countess. And he stayed a short time with her, but he afterwardsdeparted for the Court of Arthur, and has not returned since. And hewas the friend I loved best in the world. And two of the pages inthe Countess's chamber traduced him, and called him a deceiver. AndI told them that they two were not a match for him alone. So theyimprisoned me in the stone vault, and said that I should be put todeath, unless he came himself to deliver me, by a certain day; andthat is no further off than the day after to-morrow. And I have noone to send to seek him for me. And his name is Owain the son ofUrien. " "And art thou certain that if that knight knew all this, hewould come to thy rescue?" "I am most certain of it, " said she. 

When the collops were cooked, Owain divided them into two parts, between himself and the maiden; and after they had eaten, they talkedtogether, until the day dawned. And the next morning Owain inquiredof the damsel, if there was any place where he could get food andentertainment for that night. "There is, Lord, " said she; "crossover yonder, and go along the side of the river, and in a short timethou wilt see a great Castle, in which are many towers, and the Earlwho owns that Castle is the most hospitable man in the world. Therethou mayst spend the night. "

Never did sentinel keep stricter watch over his lord, than the lionthat night over Owain. 

And Owain accoutred his horse, and passed across by the ford, andcame in sight of the Castle. And he entered it, and was honourablyreceived. And his horse was well cared for, and plenty of fodder wasplaced before him. Then the lion went and lay down in the horse'smanger; so that none of the people of the Castle dared to approachhim. The treatment which Owain met with there was such as he hadnever known elsewhere, for every one was as sorrowful as though deathhad been upon him. And they went to meat; and the Earl sat upon oneside of Owain, and on the other side his only daughter. And Owainhad never seen any more lovely than she. Then the lion came andplaced himself between Owain's feet, and he fed him with every kindof food that he took himself. And he never saw anything equal to thesadness of the people. 

In the middle of the repast the Earl began to bid Owain welcome. "Then, " said Owain, "behold, it is time for thee to be cheerful. ""Heaven knows, " said the Earl, "that it is not thy coming that makesus sorrowful, but we have cause enough for sadness and care. " "Whatis that?" said Owain. "I have two sons, " replied the Earl, "andyesterday they went to the mountains to hunt. Now there is on themountain a monster who kills men and devours them, and he seized mysons; and to-morrow is the time he has fixed to be here, and hethreatens that he will then slay my sons before my eyes, unless Iwill deliver into his hands this my daughter. He has the form of aman, but in stature he is no less than a giant. "

"Truly, " said Owain, "that is lamentable. And which wilt thou do?""Heaven knows, " said the Earl, "it will be better that my sons shouldbe slain against my will, than that I should voluntarily give up mydaughter to him to ill-treat and destroy. " Then they talked aboutother things, and Owain stayed there that night. 

The next morning they heard an exceeding great clamour, which wascaused by the coming of the giant with the two youths. And the Earlwas anxious both to protect his Castle and to release his two sons. Then Owain put on his armour and went forth to encounter the giant, and the lion followed him. And when the giant saw that Owain wasarmed, he rushed towards him and attacked him. And the lion foughtwith the giant much more fiercely than Owain did. "Truly, " said thegiant, "I should find no difficulty in fighting with thee, were itnot for the animal that is with thee. " Upon that Owain took the lionback to the Castle and shut the gate upon him, and then he returnedto fight the giant, as before. And the lion roared very loud, for heheard that it went hard with Owain. And he climbed up till hereached the top of the Earl's hall, and thence he got to the top ofthe Castle, and he sprang down from the walls and went and joinedOwain. And the lion gave the giant a stroke with his paw, which torehim from his shoulder to his hip, and his heart was laid bare, andthe giant fell down dead. Then Owain restored the two youths totheir father. 

The Earl besought Owain to remain with him, and he would not, but setforward towards the meadow where Luned was. And when he came therehe saw a great fire kindled, and two youths with beautiful curlingauburn hair were leading the maiden to cast her into the fire. AndOwain asked them what charge they had against her. And they told himof the compact that was between them, as the maiden had done thenight before. "And, " said they, "Owain has failed her, therefore weare taking her to be burnt. " "Truly, " said Owain, "he is a goodknight, and if he knew that the maiden was in such peril, I marvelthat he came not to her rescue; but if you will accept me in hisstead, I will do battle with you. " "We will, " said the youths, "byhim who made us. "

And they attacked Owain, and he was hard beset by them. And withthat the lion came to Owain's assistance, and they two got the betterof the young men. And they said to him, "Chieftain, it was notagreed that we should fight save with thyself alone, and it is harderfor us to contend with yonder animal than with thee. " And Owain putthe lion in the place where the maiden had been imprisoned, andblocked up the door with stones, and he went to fight with the youngmen, as before. But Owain had not his usual strength, and the twoyouths pressed hard upon him. And the lion roared incessantly atseeing Owain in trouble; and he burst through the wall until he founda way out, and rushed upon the young men, and instantly slew them. So Luned was saved from being burned. 

Then Owain returned with Luned to the dominions of the Countess ofthe Fountain. And when he went thence he took the Countess with himto Arthur's Court, and she was his wife as long as she lived. 

And then he took the road that led to the Court of the savage blackman, and Owain fought with him, and the lion did not quit Owain untilhe had vanquished him. And when he reached the Court of the savageblack man he entered the hall, and beheld four-and-twenty ladies, thefairest that could be seen. And the garments which they had on werenot worth four-and twenty pence, and they were as sorrowful as death. And Owain asked them the cause of their sadness. And they said, "Weare the daughters of Earls, and we all came here with our husbands, whom we dearly loved. And we were received with honour andrejoicing. And we were thrown into a state of stupor, and while wewere thus, the demon who owns this Castle slew all our husbands, andtook from us our horses, and our raiment, and our gold, and oursilver; and the corpses of our husbands are still in this house, andmany others with them. And this, Chieftain, is the cause of ourgrief, and we are sorry that thou art come hither, lest harm shouldbefall thee. "

And Owain was grieved when he heard this. And he went forth from theCastle, and he beheld a knight approaching him, who saluted him in afriendly and cheerful manner, as if he had been a brother. And thiswas the savage black man. "In very sooth, " said Owain, "it is not toseek thy friendship that I am here. " "In sooth, " said he, "thoushalt not find it then. " And with that they charged each other, andfought furiously. And Owain overcame him, and bound his hands behindhis back. Then the black savage besought Owain to spare his life, and spoke thus: "My lord Owain, " said he, "it was foretold that thoushouldst come hither and vanquish me, and thou hast done so. I was arobber here, 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 maintain thishouse as an Hospice for weak and for strong, as long as I live, forthe good of thy soul. " And Owain accepted this proposal of him, andremained 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 wasrejoiced when he saw him, after he had lost him the first time, hisjoy was now much greater. And of those ladies, such as wished toremain in Arthur's Court remained there, and such as wished to departdeparted. 

And thenceforward Owain dwelt at Arthur's Court greatly beloved, asthe head of his household, until he went away with his followers; andthose were the army of three hundred ravens which Kenverchyn had lefthim. And wherever Owain went with these 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 Evrawc maintained himself not so much by his own possessions asby attending tournaments, and wars, and combats. And, as it oftenbefalls those who join in encounters and wars, he was slain, and sixof his sons likewise. Now the name of his seventh son was Peredur, and he was the youngest of them. And he was not of an age to go towars and encounters, otherwise he might have been slain as well ashis father and brothers. His mother was a scheming and thoughtfulwoman, and she was very solicitous concerning this her only son andhis possessions. So she took counsel with herself to leave theinhabited country, and to flee to the deserts and unfrequentedwildernesses. And she permitted none to bear her company thither butwomen and boys, and spiritless men, who were both unaccustomed andunequal to war and fighting. And none dared to bring either horsesor 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 flingingsticks and staves. And one day he saw his mother's flock of goats, and near the goats two hinds were standing. And he marvelled greatlythat these two should be without horns, while the others had them. And he thought they had long run wild, and on that account they hadlost their horns. And by activity and swiftness of foot, he drovethe hinds and the goats together into the house which there was forthe goats at the extremity of the forest. Then Peredur returned tohis mother. "Ah, mother, " said he, "a marvellous thing have I seenin the wood; two of thy goats have run wild, and lost their horns, through their having been so long missing in the wood. And no manhad ever more trouble than I had to drive them in. " Then they allarose and went to see. And when they beheld the hinds they weregreatly astonished. 

And one day they saw three knights coming along the horse-road on theborders of the forest. And the three knights were Gwalchmai the sonof Gwyar, and Geneir Gwystyl, and Owain the son of Urien. And Owainkept on the track of the knight who had divided the apples inArthur's Court, whom they were in pursuit of. "Mother, " saidPeredur, "what are those yonder?" "They are angels, my son, " saidshe. "By my faith, " said Peredur, "I will go and become an angelwith them. " And Peredur went to the road, and met them. "Tell me, good soul, " said Owain, "sawest thou a knight pass this way, eitherto-day or yesterday?" "I know not, " answered he, "what a knight is. ""Such an one as I am, " said Owain. "If thou wilt tell me what I askthee, I will tell thee that which thou askest me. " "Gladly will I doso, " replied Owain. "What is this?" demanded Peredur, concerning thesaddle. "It is a saddle, " said Owain. Then he asked about all theaccoutrements which he saw upon the men, and the horses, and thearms, and what they were for, and how they were used. And Owainshewed him all these things fully, and told him what use was made ofthem. "Go forward, " said Peredur, "for I saw such an one as thouinquirest for, and I will follow thee. "

Then Peredur returned to his mother and her company, and he said toher, "Mother, those were not angels, but honourable knights. " Thenhis mother swooned away. And Peredur went to the place where theykept the horses that carried firewood, and that brought meat anddrink from the inhabited country to the desert. And he took a bonypiebald horse, which seemed to him the strongest of them. And hepressed a pack into the form of a saddle, and with twisted twigs heimitated the trappings which he had seen upon the horses. And whenPeredur came again to his mother, the Countess had recovered from herswoon. "My son, " said she, "desirest thou to ride forth?" "Yes, with thy leave, " said he. "Wait, then, that I may counsel theebefore thou goest. " "Willingly, " he answered; "speak quickly. " "Goforward, then, " she said, "to the Court of Arthur, where there arethe best, and the boldest, and the most bountiful of men. Andwherever thou seest a church, repeat there thy Paternoster unto it. And if thou see meat and drink, and have need of them, and none havethe kindness or the courtesy to give them to thee, take them thyself. If thou hear an outcry, proceed towards it, especially if it be theoutcry of a woman. If thou see a fair jewel, possess thyself of it, and give it to another, for thus thou shalt obtain praise. If thousee a fair woman, pay thy court to her, whether she will or no; forthus thou wilt render thyself a better and more esteemed man thanthou wast before. "

After this discourse, Peredur mounted the horse, and taking a handfulof sharp-pointed forks in his hand, he rode forth. And he journeyedtwo days and two nights in the woody wildernesses, and in desertplaces, without food and without drink. And then he came to a vastwild wood, and far within the wood he saw a fair even glade, and inthe glade he saw a tent, and the tent seeming to him to be a church, he repeated his Paternoster to it. And he went towards it, and thedoor of the tent was open. And a golden chair was near the door. And on the chair sat a lovely auburn-haired maiden, with a goldenfrontlet on her forehead, and sparkling stones in the frontlet, andwith a large gold ring on her hand. And Peredur dismounted, andentered the tent. And the maiden was glad at his coming, and badehim welcome. At the entrance of the tent he saw food, and two flasksfull of wine, and two loaves of fine wheaten flour, and collops ofthe flesh of the wild boar. "My mother told me, " said Peredur, "wheresoever I saw meat and drink, to take it. " "Take the meat andwelcome, chieftain, " said she. So Peredur took half of the meat andof the liquor himself, and left the rest to the maiden. And whenPeredur had finished eating, he bent upon his knee before the maiden. "My mother, " said he, "told me, wheresoever I saw a fair jewel, totake it. " "Do so, my soul, " said she. So Peredur took the ring. And he mounted his horse, and proceeded on his journey. 

After this, behold the knight came to whom the tent belonged; and hewas the Lord of the Glade. And he saw the track of the horse, and hesaid to the maiden, "Tell me who has been here since I departed. " "Aman, " said she, "of wonderful demeanour. " And she described to himwhat Peredur's appearance and conduct had been. "Tell me, " said he, "did he offer thee any wrong?" "No, " answered the maiden, "by myfaith, he harmed me not. " "By my faith, I do not believe thee; anduntil I can meet with him, and revenge the insult he has done me, andwreak my vengeance upon him, thou shalt not remain two nights in thesame house. " And the knight arose, and set forth to seek Peredur. 

Meanwhile Peredur journeyed on towards Arthur's Court. And before hereached it, another knight had been there, who gave a ring of thickgold at the door of the gate for holding his horse, and went into theHall where Arthur and his household, and Gwenhwyvar and her maidens, were assembled. And the page of the chamber was serving Gwenhwyvarwith a golden goblet. Then the knight dashed the liquor that wastherein upon her face, and upon her stomacher, and gave her a violentblow on the face, and said, "If any have the boldness to dispute thisgoblet with me, and to revenge the insult to Gwenhwyvar, let himfollow me to the meadow, and there I will await him. " So the knighttook his horse, and rode to the meadow. And all the household hungdown their heads, lest any of them should be requested to go andavenge the insult to Gwenhwyvar. For it seemed to them, that no onewould have 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 thebony piebald horse, with the uncouth trappings upon it; and in thisway he traversed the whole length of the Hall. In the centre of theHall stood Kai. "Tell me, tall man, " said Peredur, "is that Arthuryonder?" "What wouldest thou with Arthur?" asked Kai. "My mothertold me to go to Arthur, and receive the honour of knighthood. " "Bymy faith, " said he, "thou art all too meanly equipped with horse andwith arms. " Thereupon he was perceived by all the household, andthey threw sticks at him. Then, behold, a dwarf came forward. Hehad already been a year at Arthur's Court, both he and a femaledwarf. They had craved harbourage of Arthur, and had obtained it;and during the whole year, neither of them had spoken a single wordto any one. When the dwarf beheld Peredur, "Haha!" said he, "thewelcome of Heaven be unto thee, goodly Peredur, son of Evrawc, thechief of warriors, and flower of knighthood. " "Truly, " said Kai, "thou art ill-taught to remain a year mute at Arthur's Court, withchoice of society; and now, before the face of Arthur and all hishousehold, to call out, and declare such a man as this the chief ofwarriors, and the flower of knighthood. " And he gave him such a boxon the ear that he fell senseless to the ground. Then exclaimed thefemale dwarf, "Haha! goodly Peredur, son of Evrawc; the welcome ofHeaven be unto thee, flower of knights, and light of chivalry. " "Ofa truth, maiden, " said Kai, "thou art ill-bred to remain mute for ayear at the Court of Arthur, and then to speak as thou dost of such aman as this. " And Kai kicked her with his foot, so that she fell tothe ground senseless. "Tall man, " said Peredur, "shew me which isArthur. " "Hold thy peace, " said Kai, "and go after the knight whowent hence to the meadow, and take from him the goblet, and overthrowhim, and possess thyself of his horse and arms, and then thou shaltreceive the order of knighthood. " "I will do so, tall man, " saidPeredur. So he turned his horse's head towards the meadow. And whenhe came there, the knight was riding up and down, proud of hisstrength, and valour, and noble mien. "Tell me, " said the knight, "didst thou see any one coming after me from the Court?" "The tallman that was there, " said he, "desired me to come, and overthrowthee, and to take from thee the goblet, and thy horse and thy armourfor myself. " "Silence!" said the knight; "go back to the Court, andtell Arthur, from me, either to come himself, or to send some otherto fight with me; and unless he do so quickly, I will not wait forhim. " "By my faith, " said Peredur, "choose thou whether it shall bewillingly or unwillingly, but I will have the horse, and the arms, and the goblet. " And upon this the knight ran at him furiously, andstruck him a violent blow with the shaft of his spear, between theneck and the shoulder. "Haha! lad, " said Peredur, "my mother'sservants were not used to play with me in this wise; therefore, thuswill I play with thee. " And thereupon he struck him with a sharp-pointed fork, and it hit him in the eye, and came out at the back ofhis neck, so that he instantly fell down lifeless. 

"Verily, " said Owain the son of Urien to Kai, "thou wert ill-advised, when thou didst send that madman after the knight. For one of twothings must befall him. He must either be overthrown, or slain. Ifhe is overthrown by the knight, he will be counted by him to be anhonourable person of the Court, and an eternal disgrace will it be toArthur and his warriors. And if he is slain, the disgrace will bethe same, and moreover, his sin will be upon him; therefore will I goto see what has befallen him. " So Owain went to the meadow, and hefound Peredur dragging the man about. "What art thou doing thus?"said Owain. "This iron coat, " said Peredur, "will never come fromoff him; not by my efforts, at any rate. " And Owain unfastened hisarmour and his clothes. "Here, my good soul, " said he, "is a horseand armour better than thine. Take them joyfully, and come with meto Arthur, to receive the order of knighthood, for thou dost meritit. " "May I never shew my face again if I go, " said Peredur; "buttake thou the goblet to Gwenhwyvar, and tell Arthur, that wherever Iam, I will be his vassal, and will do him what profit and service Iam able. And say that I will not come to his Court until I haveencountered the tall man that is there, to revenge the injury he didto the dwarf and dwarfess. " And Owain went back to the Court, andrelated all these things to Arthur and Gwenhwyvar, and to all thehousehold. 

And Peredur rode forward. And as he proceeded, behold a knight methim. "Whence comest thou?" said the knight. "I come from Arthur'sCourt, " said Peredur. "Art thou one of his men?" asked he. "Yes, bymy faith, " he answered. "A good service, truly, is that of Arthur. ""Wherefore sayest thou so?" said Peredur. "I will tell thee, " saidhe; "I have always been Arthur's enemy, and all such of his men as Ihave ever encountered I have slain. " And without further parlancethey fought, and it was not long before Peredur brought him to theground, over his horse's crupper. Then the knight besought hismercy. "Mercy thou shalt have, " said Peredur, "if thou wilt makeoath 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; and say, that I will never come to the Court until I have avenged the insultoffered to the dwarf and dwarfess. " The knight pledged him his faithof this, and proceeded to the Court of Arthur, and said as he hadpromised, and conveyed the threat to Kai. 

And Peredur rode forward. And within that week he encounteredsixteen knights, and overthrew them all shamefully. And they allwent to Arthur's Court, taking with them the same message which thefirst knight had conveyed from Peredur, and the same threat which hehad sent to Kai. And thereupon Kai was reproved by Arthur; and Kaiwas greatly grieved thereat. 

And Peredur rode forward. And he came to a vast and desert wood, onthe confines of which was a lake. And on the other side was a faircastle. And on the border of the lake he saw a venerable, hoary-headed man, sitting upon a velvet cushion, and having a garment ofvelvet upon him. And his attendants were fishing in the lake. Whenthe hoary-headed man beheld Peredur approaching, he arose and wenttowards the castle. And the old man was lame. Peredur rode to thepalace, and the door was open, and he entered the hall. And therewas the hoary-headed man sitting on a cushion, and a large blazingfire burning before him. And the household and the company arose tomeet Peredur, and disarrayed him. And the man asked the youth to siton the cushion; and they sat down, and conversed together. When itwas time, the tables were laid, and they went to meat. And when theyhad finished their meal, the man inquired of Peredur if he knew wellhow to fight with the sword. "I know not, " said Peredur, "but were Ito be taught, doubtless I should. " "Whoever can play well with thecudgel and shield, will also be able to fight with a sword. " And theman had two sons; the one had yellow hair, and the other auburn. "Arise, youths, " said he, "and play with the cudgel and the shield. "And so did they. "Tell me, my soul, " said the man, "which of theyouths thinkest thou plays best. " "I think, " said Peredur, "that theyellow-haired youth could draw blood from the other, if he chose. ""Arise thou, my life, and take the cudgel and the shield from thehand of the youth with the auburn hair, and draw blood from theyellow-haired youth if thou canst. " So Peredur arose, and went toplay with the yellow-haired youth; and he lifted up his arm, andstruck him such a mighty blow, that his brow fell over his eye, andthe blood flowed forth. "Ah, my life, " said the man, "come now, andsit down, for thou wilt become the best fighter with the sword of anyin this island; and I am thy uncle, thy mother's brother. And withme shalt thou remain a space, in order to learn the manners andcustoms of different countries, and courtesy, and gentleness, andnoble bearing. Leave, then, the habits and the discourse of thymother, and I will be thy teacher; and I will raise thee to the rankof knight from this time forward. And thus do thou. If thou seestaught to cause thee wonder, ask not the meaning of it; if no one hasthe courtesy to inform thee, the reproach will not fall upon thee, but upon me that am thy teacher. " And they had abundance of honourand service. And when it was time they went to sleep. At the breakof day, Peredur arose, and took his horse, and with his uncle'spermission he rode forth. And he came to a vast desert wood, and atthe further end of the wood was a meadow, and on the other side ofthe meadow he saw a large castle. And thitherward Peredur bent hisway, and he found the gate open, and he proceeded to the hall. Andhe beheld a stately hoary-headed man sitting on one side of the hall, and many pages around him, who arose to receive and to honourPeredur. And they placed him by the side of the owner of the palace. Then they discoursed together; and when it was time to eat, theycaused Peredur to sit beside the nobleman during the repast. Andwhen they had eaten and drunk as much as they desired, the noblemanasked Peredur whether he could fight with a sword? "Were I toreceive instruction, " said Peredur, "I think I could. " Now, therewas on the floor of the hall a huge staple, as large as a warriorcould grasp. "Take yonder sword, " said the man to Peredur, "andstrike the iron staple. " So Peredur arose and struck the staple, sothat he cut it in two; and the sword broke into two parts also. "Place the two parts together, and reunite them, " and Peredur placedthem together, and they became entire as they were before. And asecond time he struck upon the staple, so that both it and the swordbroke in two, and as before they reunited. And the third time hegave a like blow, and placed the broken parts together, and neitherthe staple nor the sword would unite as before. "Youth, " said thenobleman, "come now, and sit down, and my blessing be upon thee. Thou fightest best with the sword of any man in the kingdom. Thouhast arrived at two-thirds of thy strength, and the other third thouhast not yet obtained; and when thou attainest to thy full power, none will be able to contend with thee. I am thy uncle, thy mother'sbrother, and I am brother to the man in whose house thou wast lastnight. " Then Peredur and his uncle discoursed together, and hebeheld two youths enter the hall, and proceed up to the chamber, bearing a spear of mighty size, with three streams of blood flowingfrom the point to the ground. And when all the company saw this, they began wailing and lamenting. But for all that, the man did notbreak off his discourse with Peredur. And as he did not tell Peredurthe meaning of what he saw, he forbore to ask him concerning it. Andwhen the clamour had a little subsided, behold two maidens entered, with a large salver between them, in which was a man's head, surrounded by a profusion of blood. And thereupon the company of thecourt made so great an outcry, that it was irksome to be in the samehall with them. But at length they were silent. And when time wasthat they should sleep, Peredur was brought into a fair chamber. 

And the next day, with his uncle's permission, he rode forth. And hecame to a wood, and far within the wood he heard a loud cry, and hesaw a beautiful woman with auburn hair, and a horse with a saddleupon it, standing near her, and a corpse by her side. And as shestrove to place the corpse upon the horse, it fell to the ground, andthereupon she made a great lamentation. "Tell me, sister, " saidPeredur, "wherefore art thou bewailing?" "Oh! accursed Peredur, little pity has my ill-fortune ever met with from thee. ""Wherefore, " said Peredur, "am I accursed?" "Because thou wast thecause of thy mother's death; for when thou didst ride forth againsther will, anguish seized upon her heart, so that she died; andtherefore art thou accursed. And the dwarf and the dwarfess thatthou sawest at Arthur's Court were the dwarfs of thy father andmother; and I am thy foster-sister, and this was my wedded husband, and he was slain by the knight that is in the glade in the wood; anddo not thou go near him, lest thou shouldest be slain by himlikewise. " "My sister, thou dost reproach me wrongfully; through myhaving so long remained amongst you, I shall scarcely vanquish him;and had I continued longer, it would, indeed, be difficult for me tosucceed. Cease, therefore, thy lamenting, for it is of no avail, andI will bury the body, and then I will go in quest of the knight, andsee if I can do vengeance upon him. " And when he had buried thebody, they went to the place where the knight was, and found himriding proudly along the glade; and he inquired of Peredur whence hecame. "I come from Arthur's Court. " "And art thou one of Arthur'smen?" "Yes, by my faith. " "A profitable alliance, truly, is that ofArthur. " And without further parlance, they encountered one another, and immediately 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 andreverence in thy power, seeing thou hast, without cause, slain herwedded husband; and that thou go to Arthur's Court, and shew him thatit was I that overthrew thee, to do him honour and service; and thatthou tell him that I will never come to his Court again until I havemet with the tall man that is there, to take vengeance upon him forhis insult to the dwarf and dwarfess. " And he took the knight'sassurance, that he would perform all this. Then the knight providedthe lady with a horse and garments that were suitable for her, andtook her with him to Arthur's Court. And he told Arthur all that hadoccurred, and gave the defiance to Kai. And Arthur and all hishousehold reproved Kai, for having driven such a youth as Peredurfrom his Court. 

Said Owain the son of Urien, "This youth will never come into theCourt until Kai has gone forth from it. " "By my faith, " said Arthur, "I will search all the deserts in the Island of Britain, until I findPeredur, and then let him and his adversary do their utmost to eachother. "

Then Peredur rode forward. And he came to a desert wood, where hesaw not the track either of men or animals, and where there wasnothing but bushes and weeds. And at the upper end of the wood hesaw a vast castle, wherein were many strong towers; and when he camenear the gate, he found the weeds taller than he had seen themelsewhere. And he struck the gate with the shaft of his lance, andthereupon behold a lean, auburn-haired youth came to an opening inthe battlements. "Choose thou, chieftain, " said he, "whether shall Iopen the gate unto thee, or shall I announce unto those that arechief, that thou art at the gateway?" "Say that I am here, " saidPeredur, "and if it is desired that I should enter, I will go in. "And the youth came back, and opened the gate for Peredur. And whenhe went into the hall, he beheld eighteen youths, lean and red-headed, of the same height, and of the same aspect, and of the samedress, and of the same age as the one who had opened the gate forhim. And they were well skilled in courtesy and in service. Andthey disarrayed him. Then they sat down to discourse. Thereupon, behold five maidens came from the chamber into the hall. And Peredurwas certain that he had never seen another of so fair an aspect asthe chief of the maidens. And she had an old garment of satin uponher, which had once been handsome, but was then so tattered, that herskin could be seen through it. And whiter was her skin than thebloom of crystal, and her hair and her two eyebrows were blacker thanjet, and on her cheeks were two red spots, redder than whatever isreddest. And the maiden welcomed Peredur, and put her arms about hisneck, and made him sit down beside her. Not long after this he sawtwo nuns enter, and a flask full of wine was borne by one, and sixloaves of white bread by the other. "Lady, " said they, "Heaven iswitness, that there is not so much of food and liquor as this left inyonder Convent this night. " Then they went to meat, and Peredurobserved that the maiden wished to give more of the food and of theliquor to him than to any of the others. "My sister, " said Peredur, "I will share out the food and the liquor. " "Not so, my soul, " saidshe. "By my faith but I will. " So Peredur took the bread, and hegave an equal portion of it to each alike, as well as a cup full ofthe liquor. And when it was time for them to sleep, a chamber wasprepared for Peredur, and he went to rest. 

"Behold, sister, " said the youths to the fairest and most exalted ofthe maidens, "we have counsel for thee. " "What may it be?" sheinquired. "Go to the youth that is in the upper chamber, and offerto become his wife, or the lady of his love, if it seem well to him. ""That were indeed unfitting, " said she. "Hitherto I have not beenthe lady-love of any knight, and to make him such an offer before Iam wooed by him, that, truly, can I not do. " "By our confession toHeaven, unless thou actest thus, we will leave thee here to thyenemies, to do as they will with thee. " And through fear of this, the maiden went forth; and shedding tears, she proceeded to thechamber. And with the noise of the door opening, Peredur awoke; andthe maiden was weeping and lamenting. "Tell me, my sister, " saidPeredur, "wherefore dost thou weep?" "I will tell thee, lord, " saidshe. "My father possessed these dominions as their chief, and thispalace was his, and with it he held the best earldom in the kingdom;then the son of another earl sought me of my father, and I was notwilling to be given unto him, and my father would not give me againstmy will, either to him or any earl in the world. And my father hadno child except myself. 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 valour of themen whom thou hast seen, who are my foster-brothers, and the strengthof the house, it can never be taken while food and drink remain. Andnow our provisions are exhausted; but, as thou hast seen, we havebeen fed by the nuns, to whom the country is free. And at lengththey also are without supply of food or liquor. And at no later datethan to-morrow, the earl will come against this place with all hisforces; and if I fall into his power, my fate will be no better thanto be given over to the grooms of his horses. Therefore, lord, I amcome to offer to place myself in thy hands, that thou mayest succourme, either by taking me hence, or by defending me here, whichever mayseem best unto thee. " "Go, my sister, " said he, "and sleep; nor willI depart from thee until I do that which thou requirest, or provewhether I can assist thee or not. " The maiden went again to rest;and the next morning she came to Peredur, and saluted him. "Heavenprosper thee, my soul, and what tidings dost thou bring?" "Noneother, than that the earl and all his forces have alighted at thegate, and I never beheld any place so covered with tents, andthronged with knights challenging others to the combat. " "Truly, "said Peredur, "let my horse be made ready. " So his horse wasaccoutred, and he arose and sallied forth to the meadow. And therewas a knight riding proudly along the meadow, having raised thesignal for battle. And they encountered, and Peredur threw theknight over his horse's crupper to the ground. And at the close ofthe day, one of the chief knights came to fight with him, and heoverthrew him also, so that he besought his mercy. "Who art thou?"said Peredur. "Verily, " said he, "I am Master of the Household tothe earl. " "And how much of the countess's possessions is there inthy power?" "The third part, verily, " answered he. "Then, " saidPeredur, "restore to her the third of her possessions in full, andall the profit thou hast made by them, and bring meat and drink for ahundred men, with their horses and arms, to her court this night. And thou shalt remain her captive, unless she wish to take thy life. "And this he did forthwith. And that night the maiden was rightjoyful, and they fared plenteously. 

And the next day Peredur rode forth to the meadow; and that day hevanquished a multitude of the host. And at the close of the day, there came a proud and stately knight, and Peredur overthrew him, andhe besought his mercy. "Who art thou?" said Peredur. "I am Stewardof the Palace, " said he. "And how much of the maiden's possessionsare under thy control?" "One-third part, " answered he. "Verily, "said Peredur, "thou shalt fully restore to the maiden herpossessions, and, moreover, thou shalt give her meat and drink fortwo hundred men, and their horses and their arms. And for thyself, thou shalt be her captive. " And immediately it was so done. 

And the third day Peredur rode forth to the meadow; and he vanquishedmore that day than on either of the preceding. And at the close ofthe day, an earl came to encounter him, and he overthrew him, and hebesought his mercy. "Who art thou?" said Peredur. "I am the earl, "said he. "I will not conceal it from thee. " "Verily, " said Peredur, "thou shalt restore the whole of the maiden's earldom, and shalt giveher thine own earldom in addition thereto, and meat and drink forthree hundred men, and their horses and arms, and thou thyself shaltremain in her power. " And thus it was fulfilled. And Peredurtarried three weeks in the country, causing tribute and obedience tobe paid to the maiden, and the government to be placed in her hands. "With thy leave, " said Peredur, "I will go hence. " "Verily, mybrother, desirest thou this?" "Yes, by my faith; and had it not beenfor love of thee, I should not have been here thus long. " "My soul, "said she, "who art thou?" "I am Peredur the son of Evrawc from theNorth; and if ever thou art in trouble or in danger, acquaint metherewith, and if I can, I will protect thee. "

So Peredur rode forth. And far thence there met him a lady, mountedon a horse that was lean, and covered with sweat; and she saluted theyouth. "Whence comest thou, my sister?" Then she told him the causeof her journey. Now she was the wife of the Lord of the Glade. "Behold, " said he, "I am the knight through whom thou art in trouble, and he shall repent it, who has treated thee thus. " Thereupon, behold a knight rode up, and he inquired of Peredur, if he had seen aknight such as he was seeking. "Hold thy peace, " said Peredur, "I amhe whom thou seekest; and by my faith, thou deservest ill of thyhousehold for thy treatment of the maiden, for she is innocentconcerning me. " So they encountered, and they were not long incombat ere Peredur overthrew the knight, and he besought his mercy. "Mercy thou shalt have, " said Peredur, "so thou wilt return by theway thou camest, and declare that thou holdest the maiden innocent, and so that thou wilt acknowledge unto her the reverse thou hastsustained at my hands. " And the knight plighted him his faiththereto. 

Then Peredur rode forward. And above him he beheld a castle, andthitherward he went. And he struck upon the gate with his lance, andthen, behold, a comely auburn-haired youth opened the gate, and hehad the stature of a warrior, and the years of a boy. And whenPeredur came into the hall, there was a tall and stately lady sittingin a chair, and many handmaidens around her; and the lady rejoiced athis coming. And when it was time, they went to meat. And aftertheir repast was finished, "It were well for thee, chieftain, " saidshe, "to go elsewhere to sleep. " "Wherefore can I not sleep here?"said Peredur. "Nine sorceresses are here, my soul, of thesorceresses of Gloucester, and their father and their mother are withthem; and unless we can make our escape before daybreak, we shall beslain; and already they have conquered and laid waste all thecountry, except this one dwelling. " "Behold, " said Peredur, "I willremain here to-night, and if you are in trouble, I will do you whatservice I can; but harm shall you not receive from me. " So they wentto rest. And with the break of day, Peredur heard a dreadful outcry. And he hastily arose, and went forth in his vest and his doublet, with his sword about his neck, and he saw a sorceress overtake one ofthe watch, who cried out violently. Peredur attacked the sorceress, and struck her upon the head with his sword, so that he flattened herhelmet and her head-piece like a dish upon her head. "Thy mercy, goodly Peredur, son of Evrawc, and the mercy of Heaven. " "Howknowest thou, hag, that I am Peredur?" "By destiny, and theforeknowledge that I should suffer harm from thee. And thou shalttake a horse and armour of me; and with me thou shalt go to learnchivalry and the use of thy arms. " Said Peredur, "Thou shalt havemercy, if thou pledge thy faith thou wilt never more injure thedominions of the Countess. " And Peredur took surety of this, andwith permission of the Countess, he set forth with the sorceress tothe palace of the sorceresses. And there he remained for threeweeks, and then 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 the valleyhe came to a hermit's cell, and the hermit welcomed him gladly, andthere he spent the night. And in the morning he arose, and when hewent forth, behold a shower of snow had fallen the night before, anda hawk had killed a wild fowl in front of the cell. And the noise ofthe horse scared the hawk away, and a raven alighted upon the bird. And Peredur stood, and compared the blackness of the raven and thewhiteness of the snow, and the redness of the blood, to the hair ofthe lady that best he loved, which was blacker than jet, and to herskin which was whiter than the snow, and to the two red spots uponher cheeks, which were redder than the blood upon the snow appearedto be. 

Now Arthur and his household were in search of Peredur. "Know ye, "said Arthur, "who is the knight with the long spear that stands bythe brook up yonder?" "Lord, " said one of them, "I will go and learnwho he is. " So the youth came to the place where Peredur was, andasked him what he did thus, and who he was. And from the intensitywith which he thought upon the lady whom best he loved, he gave himno answer. Then the youth thrust at Peredur with his lance, andPeredur turned upon him, and struck him over his horse's crupper tothe ground. And after this, four-and-twenty youths came to him, andhe did not answer one more than another, but gave the same receptionto all, bringing them with one single thrust to the ground. And thencame Kai, and spoke to Peredur rudely and angrily; and Peredur tookhim with his lance under the jaw, and cast him from him with athrust, so that he broke his arm and his shoulder-blade, and he rodeover him one-and-twenty times. And while he lay thus, stunned withthe violence of the pain that he had suffered, his horse returnedback at a wild and prancing pace. And when the household saw thehorse come back without his rider, they rode forth in haste to theplace where the 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 not from hismeditation, on seeing the concourse that was around Kai. And Kai wasbrought to Arthur's tent, and Arthur caused skilful physicians tocome to him. And Arthur was grieved that Kai had met with thisreverse, for he loved him greatly. 

"Then, " said Gwalchmai, "it is not fitting that any should disturb anhonourable knight from his thought unadvisedly; for either he ispondering some damage that he has sustained, or he is thinking of thelady whom best he loves. And through such ill-advised proceeding, perchance this misadventure has befallen him who last met with him. And if it seem well to thee, lord, I will go and see if this knighthath changed from his thought; and if he has, I will ask himcourteously to come and visit thee. " Then Kai was wroth, and hespoke angry and spiteful words. "Gwalchmai, " said he, "I know thatthou wilt bring him because he is fatigued. Little praise andhonour, nevertheless, wilt thou have from vanquishing a weary knight, who is tired with fighting. Yet thus hast thou gained the advantageover many. And while thy speech and thy soft words last, a coat ofthin linen were armour sufficient for thee, and thou wilt not need tobreak either lance or sword in fighting with the knight in the statehe is in. " Then said Gwalchmai to Kai, "Thou mightest use morepleasant words, wert thou so minded: and it behoves thee not upon meto wreak thy wrath and thy displeasure. Methinks I shall bring theknight hither with me without breaking either my arm or my shoulder. "Then said Arthur to Gwalchmai, "Thou speakest like a wise and prudentman; go, and take enough of armour about thee, and choose thy horse. "And Gwalchmai accoutred himself and rode forward hastily to the placewhere Peredur was. 

And Peredur was resting on the shaft of his spear, pondering the samethought, and Gwalchmai came to him without any signs of hostility, and said to him, "If I thought that it would be as agreeable to theeas it would be to me, I would converse with thee. I have also amessage from Arthur unto thee, to pray thee to come and visit him. And two men have been before on this errand. " "That is true, " saidPeredur, "and uncourteously they came. They attacked me, and I wasannoyed thereat, for it was not pleasing to me to be drawn from thethought that I was in, for I was thinking of the lady whom best Ilove, and thus was she brought to my mind: --I was looking upon thesnow, and upon the raven, and upon the drops of the blood of the birdthat the hawk had killed upon the snow. And I bethought me that herwhiteness was like that of the snow, and that the blackness of herhair and her eyebrows like that of the raven, and that the two redspots upon her cheeks were like the two drops of blood. " SaidGwalchmai, "This was not an ungentle thought, and I should marvel ifit were pleasant to thee to be drawn from it. " "Tell me, " saidPeredur, "is Kai in Arthur's Court?" "He is, " said he, "and beholdhe is the knight that fought with thee last; and it would have beenbetter for him had he not come, for his arm and his shoulder-bladewere broken with the fall which he had from thy spear. " "Verily, "said Peredur, "I am not sorry to have thus begun to avenge the insultto the dwarf and dwarfess. " Then Gwalchmai marvelled to hear himspeak of the dwarf and the dwarfess; and he approached him, and threwhis arms around his neck, and asked him what was his name. "Peredurthe son of Evrawc am I called, " said he; "and thou, Who art thou?""I am called Gwalchmai, " he replied. "I am right glad to meet withthee, " said Peredur, "for in every country where I have been I haveheard of thy fame for prowess and uprightness, and I solicit thyfellowship. " "Thou shalt have it, by my faith, and grant me thine, "said he, "Gladly will I do so, " answered Peredur. 

So they rode forth together joyfully towards the place where Arthurwas, and when Kai saw them coming, he said, "I knew that Gwalchmaineeded not to fight the knight. And it is no wonder that he shouldgain fame; more can he do by his fair words than I by the strength ofmy arm. " And Peredur went with Gwalchmai to his tent, and they tookoff their armour. And Peredur put on garments like those thatGwalchmai wore, and they went together unto Arthur, and saluted him. "Behold, lord, " said Gwalchmai, "him whom thou hast sought so long. ""Welcome unto thee, chieftain, " said Arthur. "With me thou shaltremain; and had I known thy valour had been such, thou shouldst nothave left me as thou didst; nevertheless, this was predicted of theeby the dwarf and the dwarfess, whom Kai ill-treated and whom thouhast avenged. " And hereupon, behold there came the Queen and herhandmaidens, and Peredur saluted them. And they were rejoiced to seehim, and bade him welcome. And Arthur did him great honour andrespect, and they returned towards Caerlleon. 

And the first night Peredur came to Caerlleon to Arthur's Court, andas he walked in the city after his repast, behold, there met himAngharad Law Eurawc. "By my faith, sister, " said Peredur, "thou arta beauteous and lovely maiden; and, were it pleasing to thee, I couldlove thee above all women. " "I pledge my faith, " said she, "that Ido not love thee, nor will I ever do so. " "I also pledge my faith, "said Peredur, "that I will never speak a word to any Christian again, until thou come to love me above all men. "

The next day Peredur went forth by the high road, along a mountain-ridge, and he saw a valley of a circular form, the confines of whichwere rocky and wooded. And the flat part of the valley was inmeadows, and there were fields betwixt the meadows and the wood. Andin the bosom of the wood he saw large black houses of uncouthworkmanship. And he dismounted, and led his horse towards the wood. And a little way within the wood he saw a rocky ledge, along whichthe road lay. And upon the ledge was a lion bound by a chain, andsleeping. And beneath the lion he saw a deep pit of immense size, full of the bones of men and animals. And Peredur drew his sword andstruck the lion, so that he fell into the mouth of the pit and hungthere by the chain; and with a second blow he struck the chain andbroke it, and the lion fell into the pit; and Peredur led his horseover the rocky ledge, until he came into the valley. And in thecentre of the valley he saw a fair castle, and he went towards it. And in the meadow by the castle he beheld a huge grey man sitting, who was larger than any man he had ever before seen. And two youngpages were shooting the hilts of their daggers, of the bone of thesea-horse. And one of the pages had red hair, and the other auburn. And they went before him to the place where the grey man was, andPeredur saluted him. And the grey man said, "Disgrace to the beardof my porter. " Then Peredur understood that the porter was thelion. --And the grey man and the pages went together into the castle, and Peredur accompanied them; and he found it a fair and noble place. And they proceeded to the hall, and the tables were already laid, andupon them was abundance of food and liquor. And thereupon he saw anaged woman and a young woman come from the chamber; and they were themost stately women he had ever seen. Then they washed and went tomeat, and the grey man sat in the upper seat at the head of thetable, and the aged woman next to him. And Peredur and the maidenwere placed together, and the two young pages served them. And themaiden gazed sorrowfully upon Peredur, and Peredur asked the maidenwherefore she was sad. "For thee, my soul; for, from when I firstbeheld thee, I have loved thee above all men. And it pains me toknow that so gentle a youth as thou should have such a doom as awaitsthee to-morrow. Sawest thou the numerous black houses in the bosomof the wood? All these belong to the vassals of the grey man yonder, who is my father. And they are all giants. And to-morrow they willrise up against thee, and will slay thee. And the Round Valley isthis valley called. " "Listen, fair maiden, wilt thou contrive thatmy horse and arms be in the same lodging with me to-night?" "Gladlywill I cause it so to be, by Heaven, if I can. "

And when it was time for them to sleep rather than to carouse, theywent to rest. And the maiden caused Peredur's horse and arms to bein the same lodging with him. And the next morning Peredur heard agreat tumult of men and horses around the castle. And Peredur arose, and armed himself and his horse, and went to the meadow. Then theaged woman and the maiden came to the grey man: "Lord, " said they, "take the word of the youth, that he will never disclose what he hasseen in this place, and we will be his sureties that he keep it. " "Iwill not do so, by my faith, " said the grey man. So Peredur foughtwith the host, and towards evening he had slain the one-third of themwithout receiving any hurt himself. Then said the aged woman, "Behold, many of thy host have been slain by the youth; do thou, therefore, grant him mercy. " "I will not grant it, by my faith, "said he. And the aged woman and the fair maiden were upon thebattlements of the castle, looking forth. And at that juncture, Peredur encountered the yellow-haired youth and slew him. "Lord, "said the maiden, "grant the young man mercy. " "That will I not do, by Heaven, " he replied; and thereupon Peredur attacked the auburn-haired youth, and slew him likewise. "It were better that thou hadstaccorded mercy to the youth before he had slain thy two sons; for nowscarcely wilt thou thyself escape from him. " "Go, maiden, andbeseech the youth to grant mercy unto us, for we yield ourselves intohis hands. " So the maiden came to the place where Peredur was, andbesought mercy for her father, and for all such of his vassals as hadescaped alive. "Thou shalt have it, on condition that thy father andall that are under him go and render homage to Arthur, and tell himthat it was his vassal Peredur that did him this service. " "Thiswill we do willingly, by Heaven. " "And you shall also receivebaptism; and I will send to Arthur, and beseech him to bestow thisvalley upon thee and upon thy heirs after thee for ever. " Then theywent in, and the grey man and the tall woman saluted Peredur. Andthe grey man said unto him, "Since I have possessed this valley Ihave not seen any Christian depart with his life, save thyself. Andwe will go to do homage to Arthur, and to embrace the faith and bebaptized. " Then said Peredur, "To Heaven I render thanks that I havenot broken my vow to the lady that best I love, which was, that Iwould not speak one word unto any Christian. "

That night they tarried there. And the next day, in the morning, thegrey man, with his company, set forth to Arthur's Court; and they didhomage unto Arthur, and he caused them to be baptized. And the greyman told Arthur that it was Peredur that had vanquished them. AndArthur gave the valley to the grey man and his company, to hold it ofhim as Peredur had besought. And with Arthur's permission, the greyman went back to the Round Valley. 

Peredur rode forward next day, and he traversed a vast tract ofdesert, in which no dwellings were. And at length he came to ahabitation, mean and small. And there he heard that there was aserpent that lay upon a gold ring, and suffered none to inhabit thecountry for seven miles around. And Peredur came to the place wherehe heard the serpent was. And angrily, furiously, and desperatelyfought he with the serpent; and at last he killed it, and took awaythe ring. And thus he was for a long time without speaking a word toany Christian. And therefrom he lost his colour and his aspect, through extreme longing after the Court of Arthur, and the society ofthe lady whom best he loved, and of his companions. Then heproceeded forward to Arthur's Court, and on the road there met himArthur's household going on a particular errand, with Kai at theirhead. And Peredur knew them all, but none of the householdrecognized him. "Whence comest thou, chieftain?" said Kai. And thishe asked him twice and three times, and he answered him not. And Kaithrust him through the thigh with his lance. And lest he should becompelled to speak, and to break his vow, he went on withoutstopping. "Then, " said Gwalchmai, "I declare to Heaven, Kai, thatthou hast acted ill in committing such an outrage on a youth likethis, who cannot speak. "

And Gwalchmai returned back to Arthur's Court. "Lady, " said he toGwenhwyvar, "seest thou how wicked an outrage Kai has committed uponthis youth who cannot speak; for Heaven's sake, and for mine, causehim to have medical care before I come back, and I will repay theethe charge. "

And before the men returned from their errand, a knight came to themeadow beside Arthur's Palace, to dare some one to the encounter. And his challenge was accepted; and Peredur fought with him, andoverthrew him. And for a week he overthrew one knight every day. 

And one day, Arthur and his household were going to Church, and theybeheld a knight who had raised the signal for combat. "Verily, " saidArthur, "by the valour of men, I will not go hence until I have myhorse and my arms to overthrow yonder boor. " Then went theattendants to fetch Arthur's horse and arms. And Peredur met theattendants as they were going back, and he took the horse and armsfrom them, and proceeded to the meadow; and all those who saw himarise and go to do battle with the knight, went upon the tops of thehouses, and the mounds, and the high places, to behold the combat. And Peredur beckoned with his hand to the knight to commence thefight. And the knight thrust at him, but he was not thereby movedfrom where he stood. And Peredur spurred his horse, and ran at himwrathfully, furiously, fiercely, desperately, and with mighty rage, and he gave him a thrust, deadly-wounding, severe, furious, adroit, and strong, under his jaw, and raised him out of his saddle, and casthim a long way from him. And Peredur went back, and left the horseand the arms with the attendant as before, and he went on foot to thePalace. 

Then Peredur went by the name of the Dumb Youth. And behold, Angharad Law Eurawc met him. "I declare to Heaven, chieftain, " saidshe, "woful is it that thou canst not speak; for couldst thou speak, I would love thee best of all men; and by my faith, although thoucanst not, I do love thee above all. " "Heaven reward thee, mysister, " said Peredur, "by my faith I also do love thee. " Thereuponit was known that he was Peredur. And then he held fellowship withGwalchmai, and Owain the son of Urien, and all the household, and heremained in Arthur's Court. 

Arthur was in Caerlleon upon Usk; and he went to hunt, and Peredurwent with him. And Peredur let loose his dog upon a hart, and thedog killed the hart in a desert place. And a short space from him hesaw signs of a dwelling, and towards the dwelling he went, and hebeheld a hall, and at the door of the hall he found bald swarthyyouths playing at chess. And when he entered, he beheld threemaidens sitting on a bench, and they were all clothed alike, asbecame persons of high rank. And he came, and sat by them upon thebench; and one of the maidens looked steadfastly upon Peredur, andwept. And Peredur asked her wherefore she was weeping. "Throughgrief, that I should see so fair a youth as thou art, slain. " "Whowill slay me?" inquired Peredur. "If thou art so daring as to remainhere to-night, I will tell thee. " "How great soever my danger may befrom remaining here, I will listen unto thee. " "This Palace is ownedby him who is my father, " said the maiden, "and he slays every onewho comes hither without his leave. " "What sort of a man is thyfather, that he is able to slay every one thus?" "A man who doesviolence and wrong unto his neighbours, and who renders justice untonone. " And hereupon he saw the youths arise and clear the chessmenfrom the board. And he heard a great tumult; and after the tumultthere came in a huge black one-eyed man, and the maidens arose tomeet him. And they disarrayed him, and he went and sat down; andafter he had rested and pondered awhile, he looked at Peredur, andasked who the knight was. "Lord, " said one of the maidens, "he isthe fairest and gentlest youth that ever thou didst see. And for thesake of Heaven, and of thine own dignity, have patience with him. ""For thy sake I will have patience, and I will grant him his lifethis night. " Then Peredur came towards them to the fire, and partookof food and liquor, and entered into discourse with the ladies. Andbeing elated with the liquor, he said to the black man, "It is amarvel to me, so mighty as thou sayest thou art, who could have putout thine eye. " "It is one of my habits, " said the black man, "thatwhosoever puts to me the question which thou hast asked, shall notescape with his life, either as a free gift or for a price. " "Lord, "said the maiden, "whatsoever he may say to thee in jest, and throughthe excitement of liquor, make good that which thou saidst and didstpromise me just now. " "I will do so, gladly, for thy sake, " said he. "Willingly will I grant him his life this night. " And that nightthus they remained. 

And the next day the black man got up, and put on his armour, andsaid to Peredur, "Arise, man, and suffer death. " And Peredur saidunto him, "Do one of two things, black man; if thou wilt fight withme, either throw off thy own armour, or give arms to me, that I mayencounter thee. " "Ha, man, " said he, "couldst thou fight, if thouhadst arms? Take, then, what arms thou dost choose. " And thereuponthe maiden came to Peredur with such arms as pleased him; and hefought with the black man, and forced him to crave his mercy. "Blackman, thou shalt have mercy, provided thou tell me who thou art, andwho put out thine eye. " "Lord, I will tell thee; I lost it infighting with the Black Serpent of the Carn. There is a mound, whichis called the Mound of Mourning; and on the mound there is a carn, and in the carn there is a serpent, and on the tail of the serpentthere is a stone, and the virtues of the stone are such, thatwhosoever should hold it in one hand, in the other he will have asmuch gold as he may desire. And in fighting with this serpent was itthat I lost my eye. And the Black Oppressor am I called. And forthis reason I am called the Black Oppressor, that there is not asingle man around me whom I have not oppressed, and justice have Idone unto none. " "Tell me, " said Peredur, "how far is it hence?""The same day that thou settest forth, thou wilt come to the Palaceof the Sons of the King of the Tortures. " "Wherefore are they calledthus?" "The Addanc of the Lake slays them once every day. When thougoest thence, thou wilt come to the Court of the Countess of theAchievements. " "What achievements are there?" asked Peredur. "Threehundred men there are in her household, and unto every stranger thatcomes to the Court, the achievements of her household are related. And this is the manner of it, --the three hundred men of the householdsit next unto the Lady; and that not through disrespect unto theguests, but that they may relate the achievements of the household. And the day that thou goest thence, thou wilt reach the Mound ofMourning, and round about the mound there are the owners of threehundred tents guarding the serpent. " "Since thou hast, indeed, beenan oppressor so long, " said Peredur, "I will cause that thou continueso no longer. " So he slew him. 

Then the maiden spoke, and began to converse with him. "If thou wastpoor when thou camest here, henceforth thou wilt be rich through thetreasure of the black man whom thou hast slain. Thou seest the manylovely maidens that there are in this Court; thou shalt have her whomthou best likest for the lady of thy love. " "Lady, I came not hitherfrom my country to woo; but match yourselves as it liketh you withthe comely youths I see here; and none of your goods do I desire, forI need them not. " Then Peredur rode forward, and he came to thePalace of the Sons of the King of the Tortures; and when he enteredthe Palace, he saw none but women; and they rose up, and were joyfulat his coming; and as they began to discourse with him, he beheld acharger arrive, with a saddle upon it, and a corpse in the saddle. And one of the women arose, and took the corpse from the saddle, andanointed it in a vessel of warm water, which was below the door, andplaced precious balsam upon it; and the man rose up alive, and cameto the place where Peredur was, and greeted him, and was joyful tosee him. And two other men came in upon their saddles, and themaiden treated these two in the same manner as she had done thefirst. Then Peredur asked the chieftain wherefore it was thus. Andthey told him, that there was an Addanc in a cave, which slew themonce every day. And thus they remained that night. 

And next morning the youths arose to sally forth, and Peredurbesought them, for the sake of the ladies of their love, to permithim to go with them; but they refused him, saying, "If thou shouldstbe slain there, thou hast none to bring thee back to life again. "And they rode forward, and Peredur followed after them; and, afterthey had disappeared out of his sight, he came to a mound, whereonsat the fairest lady he had ever beheld. "I know thy quest, " saidshe; "thou art going to encounter the Addanc, and he will slay thee, and that not by courage, but by craft. He has a cave, and at theentrance of the cave there is a stone pillar, and he sees every onethat enters, and none see him; and from behind the pillar he slaysevery one with a poisonous dart. And if thou wouldst pledge me thyfaith to love me above all women, I would give thee a stone, by whichthou shouldst see him when thou goest in, and he should not seethee. " "I will, by my troth, " said Peredur, "for when first I beheldthee I loved thee; and where shall I seek thee?" "When thou seekestme, seek towards India. " And the maiden vanished, after placing thestone in Peredur's hand. 

And he came towards a valley, through which ran a river; and theborders of the valley were wooded, and on each side of the river werelevel meadows. And on one side of the river he saw a flock of whitesheep, and on the other a flock of black sheep. And whenever one ofthe white sheep bleated, one of the black sheep would cross over andbecome white; and when one of the black sheep bleated, one of thewhite sheep would cross over and become black. And he saw a talltree by the side of the river, one half of which was in flames fromthe root to the top, and the other half was green and in full leaf. And nigh 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 of so royala bearing as he. And in the wood opposite he heard hounds raising aherd of deer. And Peredur saluted the youth, and the youth greetedhim in return. And there were three roads leading from the mound;two of them were wide roads, and the third was more narrow. AndPeredur inquired where the three roads went. "One of them goes to mypalace, " said the youth; "and one of two things I counsel thee to do;either to proceed to my palace, which is before thee, and where thouwilt find my wife, or else to remain here to see the hounds chasingthe roused deer from the wood to the plain. And thou shalt see thebest greyhounds thou didst ever behold, and the boldest in the chase, kill them by the water beside us; and when it is time to go to meat, my page will come with my horse to meet me, and thou shalt rest in mypalace to-night. " "Heaven reward thee; but I cannot tarry, foronward must I go. " "The other road leads to the town, which is nearhere, and wherein food and liquor may be bought; and the road whichis narrower than the others goes towards the cave of the Addanc. ""With thy permission, young man, I will go that way. "

And Peredur went towards the cave. And he took the stone in his lefthand, and his lance in his right. And as he went in he perceived theAddanc, and he pierced him through with his lance, and cut off hishead. And as he came from the cave, behold the three companions wereat the entrance; and they saluted Peredur, and told him that therewas a prediction that he should slay that monster. And Peredur gavethe head to the young men, and they offered him in marriage whicheverof the three sisters he might choose, and half their kingdom withher. "I came not hither to woo, " said Peredur, "but if peradventureI took a wife, I should prefer your sister to all others. " AndPeredur rode forward, and he heard a noise behind him. And he lookedback, and saw a man upon a red horse, with red armour upon him; andthe man rode up by his side, and saluted him, and wished him thefavour of Heaven and of man. And Peredur greeted the youth kindly. "Lord, I come to make a request unto thee. " "What wouldest thou?""That thou shouldest take me as thine attendant. " "Whom then shouldI take as my attendant, if I did so?" "I will not conceal from theewhat kindred I am of. Etlym Gleddyv Coch am I called, an Earl fromthe East Country. " "I marvel that thou shouldest offer to becomeattendant to a man whose possessions are no greater than thine own;for I have but an earldom like thyself. But since thou desirest tobe my attendant, I will take thee joyfully. "

And they went forward to the Court of the Countess, and all they ofthe Court were glad at their coming; and they were told it was notthrough disrespect they were placed below the household, but thatsuch was the usage of the Court. For, whoever should overthrow thethree hundred men of her household, would sit next the Countess, andshe would love him above all men. And Peredur having overthrown thethree hundred men of her household, sat down beside her, and theCountess said, "I thank Heaven that I have a youth so fair and sovaliant as thou, since I have not obtained the man whom best I love. ""Who is he whom best thou lovest?" "By my faith, Etlym Gleddyv Cochis the man whom I love best, and I have never seen him. " "Of atruth, Etlym is my companion; and behold here he is, and for his sakedid I come to joust with thy household. And he could have done sobetter than I, had it pleased him. And I do give thee unto him. ""Heaven reward thee, fair youth, and I will take the man whom I loveabove all others. " And the Countess became Etlym's bride from thatmoment. 

And the next day Peredur set forth towards the Mound of Mourning. "By thy hand, lord, but I will go with thee, " said Etlym. Then theywent forwards till they came in sight of the mound and the tents. "Go unto yonder men, " said Peredur to Etlym, "and desire them to comeand do me homage. " So Etlym went unto them, and said unto themthus, --"Come and do homage to my lord. " "Who is thy lord?" saidthey. "Peredur with the long lance is my lord, " said Etlym. "Wereit permitted to slay a messenger, thou shouldest not go back to thylord alive, for making unto Kings, and Earls, and Barons so arroganta demand as to go and do him homage. " Peredur desired him to go backto them, and to give them their choice, either to do him homage, orto do battle with him. And they chose rather to do battle. And thatday Peredur overthrew the owners of a hundred tents; and the next dayhe overthrew the owners of a hundred more; and the third day theremaining hundred took counsel to do homage to Peredur. And Peredurinquired of them, wherefore they were there. And they told him theywere guarding the serpent until he should die. "For then should wefight for the stone among ourselves, and whoever should be conqueroramong us would have the stone. " "Await here, " said Peredur, "and Iwill go to encounter the serpent. " "Not so, lord, " said they; "wewill go altogether to encounter the serpent. " "Verily, " saidPeredur, "that will I not permit; for if the serpent be slain, Ishall derive no more fame therefrom than one of you. " Then he wentto the place where the serpent was, and slew it, and came back tothem, and said, "Reckon up what you have spent since you have beenhere, and I will repay you to the full. " And he paid to each what hesaid was his claim. And he required of them only that they shouldacknowledge themselves his vassals. And he said to Etlym, "Go backunto her whom thou lovest best, and I will go forwards, and I willreward thee for having been my attendant. " And he gave Etlym thestone. "Heaven repay thee and prosper thee, " said Etlym. 

And Peredur rode thence, and he came to the fairest valley he hadever seen, through which ran a river; and there he beheld many tentsof various colours. And he marvelled still more at the number ofwater-mills and of wind-mills that he saw. And there rode up withhim a tall auburn-haired man, in workman's garb, and Peredur inquiredof him who he was. "I am the chief miller, " said he, "of all themills yonder. " "Wilt thou give me lodging?" said Peredur. "I will, gladly, " he answered. And Peredur came to the miller's house, andthe miller had a fair and pleasant dwelling. And Peredur asked moneyas a loan from the miller, that he might buy meat and liquor forhimself and for the household, and he promised that he would pay himagain ere he went thence. And he inquired of the miller, whereforesuch a multitude was there assembled. Said the miller to Peredur, "One thing is certain: either thou art a man from afar, or thou artbeside thyself. The Empress of Cristinobyl the Great is here; andshe will have no one but the man who is most valiant; for riches doesshe not require. And it was impossible to bring food for so manythousands as are here, therefore were all these mills constructed. "And that night they took their rest. 

And the next day Peredur arose, and he equipped himself and his horsefor the tournament. And among the other tents he beheld one, whichwas the fairest he had ever seen. And he saw a beauteous maidenleaning her head out of a window of the tent, and he had never seen amaiden more lovely than she. And upon her was a garment of satin. And he gazed fixedly on the maiden, and began to love her greatly. And he remained there, gazing upon the maiden from morning until mid-day, and from mid-day until evening; and then the tournament wasended and he went to his lodging and drew off his armour. Then heasked money of the miller as a loan, and the miller's wife was wrothwith Peredur; nevertheless, the miller lent him the money. And thenext day he did in like manner as he had done the day before. And atnight he came to his lodging, and took money as a loan from themiller. And the third day, as he was in the same place, gazing uponthe maiden, he felt a hard blow between the neck and the shoulder, from the edge of an axe. And when he looked behind him, he saw thatit was the miller; and the miller said to him, "Do one of two things:either turn thy head from hence, or go to the tournament. " AndPeredur smiled on the miller, and went to the tournament; and allthat encountered him that day he overthrew. And as many as hevanquished he sent as a gift to the Empress, and their horses andarms he sent as a gift to the wife of the miller, in payment of theborrowed money. Peredur attended the tournament until all wereoverthrown, and he sent all the men to the prison of the Empress, andthe horses and arms to the wife of the miller, in payment of theborrowed money. And the Empress sent to the Knight of the Mill, toask him to come and visit her. And Peredur went not for the firstnor for the second message. And the third time she sent a hundredknights to bring him against his will, and they went to him and toldhim their mission from the Empress. And Peredur fought well withthem, and caused them to be bound like stags, and thrown into themill-dyke. And the Empress sought advice of a wise man who was inher counsel; and he said to her, "With thy permission, I will go tohim myself. " So he came to Peredur, and saluted him, and besoughthim, for the sake of the lady of his love, to come and visit theEmpress. And they went, together with the miller. And Peredur wentand sat down in the outer chamber of the tent, and she came andplaced herself by his side. And there was but little discoursebetween them. And Peredur took his leave, and went to his lodging. 

And the next day he came to visit her, and when he came into the tentthere was no one chamber less decorated than the others. And theyknew not where he would sit. And Peredur went and sat beside theEmpress, and discoursed with her courteously. And while they werethus, they beheld a black man enter with a goblet full of wine in hishand. And he dropped upon his knee before the Empress, and besoughther to give 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 drank the wine, and gave the goblet to the miller's wife. And while they were thus, behold there entered a black man of largerstature than the other, with a wild beast's claw in his hand, wroughtinto the form of a goblet and filled with wine. And he presented itto the Empress, and besought her to give it to no one but the man whowould fight with him. "Lady, " said Peredur, "bestow it on me. " Andshe gave it to him. And Peredur drank the wine, and sent the gobletto the wife of the miller. And while they were thus, behold a rough-looking, crisp-haired man, taller than either of the others, came inwith a bowl in his hand full of wine; and he bent upon his knee, andgave it into the hands of the Empress, and he besought her to give itto none but him who would fight with him for it; and she gave it toPeredur, and he sent it to the miller's wife. And that night Peredurreturned to his lodging; and the next day he accoutred himself andhis horse, and went to the meadow and slew the three men. ThenPeredur proceeded to the tent, and the Empress said to him, "GoodlyPeredur, remember the faith thou didst pledge me when I gave thee thestone, and thou didst kill the Addanc. " "Lady, " answered he, "thousayest truth, I do remember it. " And Peredur was entertained by theEmpress fourteen years, as the story relates. 

Arthur was at Caerlleon upon Usk, his principal palace; and in thecentre of the floor of the hall were four men sitting on a carpet ofvelvet, Owain the son of Urien, and Gwalchmai the son of Gwyar, andHowel the son of Emyr Llydaw, and Peredur of the long lance. Andthereupon they saw a black curly-headed maiden enter, riding upon ayellow mule, with jagged thongs in her hand to urge it on; and havinga rough and hideous aspect. Blacker were her face and her two handsthan the blackest iron covered with pitch; and her hue was not morefrightful than her form. High cheeks had she, and a face lengtheneddownwards, and a short nose with distended nostrils. And one eye wasof a piercing mottled grey, and the other was as black as jet, deep-sunk in her head. And her teeth were long and yellow, more yellowwere they than the flower of the broom. And her stomach rose fromthe breast-bone, higher than her chin. And her back was in the shapeof a crook, and her legs were large and bony. And her figure wasvery thin and spare, except her feet and her legs, which were of hugesize. And she greeted Arthur and all his household except Peredur. And to Peredur she spoke harsh and angry words. "Peredur, I greetthee not, seeing that thou dost not merit it. Blind was fate ingiving thee fame and favour. When thou wast in the Court of the LameKing, and didst see there the youth bearing the streaming spear, fromthe points of which were drops of blood flowing in streams, even tothe hand of the youth, and many other wonders likewise, thou didstnot inquire their meaning nor their cause. Hadst thou done so, theKing would have been restored to health, and his dominions to peace. Whereas from henceforth, he will have to endure battles andconflicts, and his knights will perish, and wives will be widowed, and maidens will be left portionless, and all this is because ofthee. " Then said 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, and conflicts, hewill gain it there, if he deserve it. And whoso would reach thesummit of fame and of honour, I know where he may find it. There isa castle on a lofty mountain, and there is a maiden therein, and sheis detained a prisoner there, and whoever shall set her free willattain the summit of the fame of the world. " And thereupon she rodeaway. 

Said Gwalchmai, "By my faith, I will not rest tranquilly until I haveproved if I can release the maiden. " And many of Arthur's householdjoined themselves with him. Then, likewise, said Peredur, "By myfaith, I will not rest tranquilly until I know the story and themeaning of the lance whereof the black maiden spoke. " And while theywere equipping themselves, behold a knight came to the gate. And hehad the size and the strength of a warrior, and was equipped witharms and habiliments. And he went forward, and saluted Arthur andall his household, except Gwalchmai. And the knight had upon hisshoulder a shield, ingrained with gold, with a fesse of azure blueupon it, and his whole armour was of the same hue. And he said toGwalchmai, "Thou didst slay my lord by thy treachery and deceit, andthat will I prove upon thee. " Then Gwalchmai rose up. "Behold, "said he, "here is my gage against thee, to maintain, either in thisplace or wherever else thou wilt, that I am not a traitor ordeceiver. " "Before the King whom I obey, will I that my encounterwith thee take place, " said the knight. "Willingly, " said Gwalchmai;"go forward, and I will follow thee. " So the knight went forth, andGwalchmai accoutred himself, and there was offered unto him abundanceof armour, but he would take none but his own. And when Gwalchmaiand Peredur were equipped, they set forth to follow him, by reason oftheir fellowship and of the great friendship that was between them. And they did not go after him in company together, but each went hisown way. 

At the dawn of day Gwalchmai came to a valley, and in the valley hesaw a fortress, and within the fortress a vast palace and loftytowers around it. And he beheld a knight coming out to hunt from theother side, mounted on a spirited black snorting palfrey, thatadvanced at a prancing pace, proudly stepping, and nimbly bounding, and sure of foot; and this was the man to whom the palace belonged. And Gwalchmai saluted him. "Heaven prosper thee, chieftain, " saidhe, "and whence comest thou?" "I come, " answered Gwalchmai, "fromthe Court of Arthur. " "And art thou Arthur's vassal?" "Yes, by myfaith, " said Gwalchmai. "I will give thee good counsel, " said theknight. "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 reward thee. " "Take this ring as a token to theporter, and go forward to yonder tower, and therein thou wilt find mysister. " And Gwalchmai went to the gate, and showed the ring, andproceeded to the tower. And on entering he beheld a large blazingfire, burning without smoke and with a bright and lofty flame, and abeauteous and stately maiden was sitting on a chair by the fire. Andthe maiden was glad at his coming, and welcomed him, and advanced tomeet him. And he went and sat beside the maiden, and they took theirrepast. And when their repast was over, they discoursed pleasantlytogether. And while they were thus, behold there entered a venerablehoary-headed man. "Ah! base girl, " said he, "if thou didst think itwas right for thee to entertain and to sit by yonder man, thouwouldest not do so. " And he withdrew his head, and went forth. "Ah!chieftain, " said the maiden, "if thou wilt do as I counsel thee, thouwilt shut the door, lest the man should have a plot against thee. "Upon that Gwalchmai arose, and when he came near unto the door, theman, with sixty others, fully armed, were ascending the tower. AndGwalchmai defended the door with a chessboard, that none might enteruntil the man should return from the chase. And thereupon, beholdthe Earl arrived. "What is all this?" asked he. "It is a sadthing, " said the hoary-headed man; "the young girl yonder has beensitting and eating with him who slew your father. He is Gwalchmai, the son of Gwyar. " "Hold thy peace, then, " said the Earl, "I will goin. " And the Earl was joyful concerning Gwalchmai. "Ha! chieftain, "said he, "it was wrong of thee to come to my court, when thou knewestthat thou didst slay my father; and though we cannot avenge him, Heaven will avenge him upon thee. " "My soul, " said Gwalchmai, "thusit is: I came not here either to acknowledge or to deny having slainthy father; but I am on a message from Arthur, and therefore do Icrave the space of a year until I shall return from my embassy, andthen, upon my faith, I will come back unto this palace, and do one oftwo things, either acknowledge it, or deny it. " And the time wasgranted him willingly; and he remained there that night. And thenext morning he rode forth. And the story relates nothing further ofGwalchmai respecting this adventure. 

And Peredur rode forward. And he wandered over the whole island, seeking tidings of the black maiden, and he could meet with none. And he came to an unknown land, in the centre of a valley, watered bya river. And as he traversed the valley he beheld a horseman comingtowards him, and wearing the garments of a priest; and he besoughthis blessing. "Wretched man, " said he, "thou meritest no blessing, and thou wouldest not be profited by one, seeing that thou art cladin armour on such a day as this. " "And what day is to-day?" saidPeredur. "To-day is Good Friday, " he answered. "Chide me not that Iknew not this, seeing that it is a year to-day since I journeyedforth from my country. " Then he dismounted, and led his horse in hishand. And he had not proceeded far along the high road before hecame to a cross road, and the cross road traversed a wood. And onthe other side of the wood he saw an unfortified castle, whichappeared to be inhabited. And at the gate of the castle there methim the priest whom he had seen before, and he asked his blessing. "The blessing of Heaven be unto thee, " said he, "it is more fittingto travel in thy present guise than as thou wast erewhile; and thisnight thou shalt tarry with me. " So he remained there that night. 

And the next day Peredur sought to go forth. "To-day may no onejourney. Thou shalt remain with me to-day and to-morrow, and the dayfollowing, and I will direct thee as best I may to the place whichthou art seeking. " And the fourth day Peredur sought to go forth, and he entreated the priest to tell him how he should find the Castleof Wonders. "What I know thereof I will tell thee, " he replied. "Goover yonder mountain, and on the other side of the mountain thou wiltcome to a river, and in the valley wherein the river runs is a King'spalace, wherein the King sojourned during Easter. And if thou mayesthave tidings anywhere of the Castle of Wonders, thou wilt have themthere. "

Then Peredur rode forward. And he came to the valley in which wasthe river, and there met him a number of men going to hunt, and inthe midst of them was a man of exalted rank, and Peredur saluted him. "Choose, chieftain, " said the man, "whether thou wilt go with me tothe chase, or wilt proceed to my palace, and I will dispatch one ofmy household to commend thee to my daughter, who is there, and whowill entertain thee with food and liquor until I return from hunting;and whatever may be thine errand, such as I can obtain for thee thoushalt gladly have. " And the King sent a little yellow page with himas an attendant; and when they came to the palace the lady hadarisen, and was about to wash before meat. Peredur went forward, andshe saluted him joyfully, and placed him by her side. And they tooktheir repast. And whatsoever Peredur said unto her, she laughedloudly, so that all in the palace could hear. Then spoke the yellowpage to the lady. "By my faith, " said he, "this youth is already thyhusband; or if he be not, thy mind and thy thoughts are set uponhim. " And the little yellow page went unto the King, and told himthat it seemed to him that the youth whom he had met with was hisdaughter's husband, or if he were not so already that he wouldshortly become so unless he were cautious. "What is thy counsel inthis matter, youth?" said the King. "My counsel is, " he replied, "that thou set strong men upon him, to seize him, until thou hastascertained the truth respecting this. " So he set strong men uponPeredur, who seized him and cast him into prison. And the maidenwent before her father, and asked him wherefore he had caused theyouth from Arthur's Court to be imprisoned. "In truth, " he answered, "he shall not be free to-night, nor to-morrow, nor the day following, and he shall not come from where he is. " She replied not to what theKing had said, but she went to the youth. "Is it unpleasant to theeto be here?" said she. "I should not care if I were not, " hereplied. "Thy couch and thy treatment shall be in no wise inferiorto that of the King himself, and thou shalt have the bestentertainment that the palace affords. And if it were more pleasingto thee that my couch should be here, that I might discourse withthee, it should be so, cheerfully. " "This can I not refuse, " saidPeredur. And he remained in prison that night. And the maidenprovided all that she had promised him. 

And the next day Peredur heard a tumult in the town. "Tell me, fairmaiden, what is that tumult?" said Peredur. "All the King's hostsand his forces have come to the town to-day. " "And what seek theyhere?" he inquired. "There is an Earl near this place who possessestwo Earldoms, and is as powerful as a King; and an engagement willtake place between them to-day. " "I beseech thee, " said Peredur, "tocause a horse and arms to be brought, that I may view the encounter, and I promise to come back to my prison again. " "Gladly, " said she, "will I provide thee with horse and arms. " So she gave him a horseand arms, and a bright scarlet robe of honour over his armour, and ayellow shield upon his shoulder. And he went to the combat; and asmany of the Earl's men as encountered him that day he overthrew; andhe returned to his prison. And the maiden asked tidings of Peredur, and he answered her not a word. And she went and asked tidings ofher father, and inquired who had acquitted himself best of thehousehold. And he said that he knew not, but that it was a man witha scarlet robe of honour over his armour, and a yellow shield uponhis shoulder. Then she smiled, and returned to where Peredur was, and did him great honour that night. And for three days did Peredurslay the Earl's men; and before any one could know who he was, hereturned to his prison. And the fourth day Peredur slew the Earlhimself. And the maiden went unto her father, and inquired of himthe news. "I have good news for thee, " said the King; "the Earl isslain, and I am the owner of his two Earldoms. " "Knowest thou, lord, who slew him?" "I do not know, " said the King. "It was the knightwith the scarlet robe of honour and the yellow shield. " "Lord, " saidshe, "I know who that is. " "By Heaven!" he exclaimed, "who is he?""Lord, " she replied, "he is the knight whom thou hast imprisoned. "Then he went unto Peredur, and saluted him, and told him that hewould reward the service he had done him, in any way he might desire. And when they went to meat, Peredur was placed beside the King, andthe maiden on the other side of Peredur. "I will give thee, " saidthe King, "my daughter in marriage, and half my kingdom with her, andthe two Earldoms as a gift. " "Heaven reward thee, lord, " saidPeredur, "but I came not here to woo. " "What seekest thou then, chieftain?" "I am seeking tidings of the Castle of Wonders. " "Thyenterprise is greater, chieftain, than thou wilt wish to pursue, "said the maiden, "nevertheless, tidings shalt thou have of theCastle, and thou shalt have a guide through my father's dominions, and a sufficiency of provisions for thy journey, for thou art, Ochieftain, the man whom best I love. " Then she said to him, "Go overyonder mountain, and thou wilt find a lake, and in the middle of thelake there is a Castle, and that is the Castle that is called theCastle of Wonders; and we know not what wonders are therein, but thusis it called. "

And Peredur proceeded towards the Castle, and the gate of the Castlewas open. And when he came to the hall, the door was open, and heentered. And he beheld a chessboard in the hall, and the chessmenwere playing against each other, by themselves. And the side that hefavoured lost the game, and thereupon the others set up a shout, asthough they had been living men. And Peredur was wroth, and took thechessmen in his lap, and cast the chessboard into the lake. And whenhe had done thus, behold the black maiden came in, and she said tohim, "The welcome of Heaven be not unto thee. Thou hadst rather doevil than good. " "What complaint hast thou against me, maiden?" saidPeredur. "That thou hast occasioned unto the Empress the loss of herchessboard, which she would not have lost for all her empire. Andthe way in which thou mayest recover the chessboard is, to repair tothe Castle of Ysbidinongyl, where is a black man, who lays waste thedominions of the Empress; and if thou canst slay him, thou wiltrecover the chessboard. But if thou goest there, thou wilt notreturn alive. " "Wilt thou direct me thither?" said Peredur. "I willshow thee the way, " she replied. So he went to the Castle ofYsbidinongyl, and he fought with the black man. And the black manbesought mercy of Peredur. "Mercy will I grant thee, " said he, "oncondition that thou cause the chessboard to be restored to the placewhere it was when I entered the hall. " Then the maiden came to him, and said, "The malediction of Heaven attend thee for thy work, sincethou hast left that monster alive, who lays waste all the possessionsof the Empress. " "I granted him his life, " said Peredur, "that hemight cause the chessboard to be restored. " "The chessboard is notin the place where thou didst find it; go back, therefore, and slayhim, " answered she. So Peredur went back, and slew the black man. And when he returned to the palace, he found the black maiden there. "Ah! maiden, " said Peredur, "where is the Empress?" "I declare toHeaven that thou wilt not see her now, unless thou dost slay themonster that is in yonder forest. " "What monster is there?" "It isa stag that is as swift as the swiftest bird; and he has one horn inhis forehead, as long as the shaft of a spear, and as sharp aswhatever is sharpest. And he destroys the branches of the best treesin the forest, and he kills every animal that he meets with therein;and those that he doth not slay perish of hunger. And what is worsethan that, he comes every night, and drinks up the fish-pond, andleaves the fishes exposed, so that for the most part they die beforethe water returns again. " "Maiden, " said Peredur, "wilt thou comeand show me this animal?" "Not so, " said the maiden, "for he has notpermitted any mortal to enter the forest for above a twelvemonth. Behold, here is a little dog belonging to the Empress, which willrouse the stag, and will chase him towards thee, and the stag willattack thee. " Then the little dog went as a guide to Peredur, androused the stag, and brought him towards the place where Peredur was. And the stag attacked Peredur, and he let him pass by him, and as hedid so, he smote off his head with his sword. And while he waslooking at the head of the stag, he saw a lady on horseback comingtowards him. And she took the little dog in the lappet of her cap, and the head and the body of the stag lay before her. And around thestag's neck was a golden collar. "Ha! chieftain, " said she, "uncourteously hast thou acted in slaying the fairest jewel that wasin my dominions. " "I was entreated so to do; and is there any way bywhich I can obtain thy friendship?" "There is, " she replied. "Gothou forward unto yonder mountain, and there thou wilt find a grove;and in the grove there is a cromlech; do thou there challenge a manthree times to fight, and thou shalt have my friendship. "

So Peredur proceeded onward, and came to the side of the grove, andchallenged any man to fight. And a black man arose from beneath thecromlech, mounted upon a bony horse, and both he and his horse wereclad in huge rusty armour. And they fought. And as often as Peredurcast the black man to the earth, he would jump again into his saddle. And Peredur dismounted, and drew his sword; and thereupon the blackman disappeared with Peredur's horse and his own, so that he couldnot gain sight of him a second time. And Peredur went along themountain, and on the other side of the mountain he beheld a castle inthe valley, wherein was a river. And he went to the castle; and ashe entered it, he saw a hall, and the door of the hall was open, andhe went in. And there he saw a lame grey-headed man sitting on oneside of the hall, with Gwalchmai beside him. And Peredur beheld hishorse, which the black man had taken, in the same stall with that ofGwalchmai. And they were glad concerning Peredur. And he went andseated himself on the other side of the hoary-headed man. Then, behold a yellow-haired youth came, and bent upon the knee beforePeredur, and besought his friendship. "Lord, " said the youth, "itwas I that came in the form of the black maiden to Arthur's Court, and when thou didst throw down the chessboard, and when thou didstslay the black man of Ysbidinongyl, and when thou didst slay thestag, and when thou didst go to fight the black man of the cromlech. And I came with the bloody head in the salver, and with the lancethat streamed with blood from the point to the hand, all along theshaft; and the head was thy cousin's, and he was killed by thesorceresses of Gloucester, who also lamed thine uncle; and I am thycousin. And there is a prediction that thou art to avenge thesethings. " Then Peredur and Gwalchmai took counsel, and sent to Arthurand his household, to beseech them to come against the sorceresses. And they began to fight with them; and one of the sorceresses slewone of Arthur's men before Peredur's face, and Peredur bade herforbear. And the sorceress slew a man before Peredur's face a secondtime, 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 all herhead-armour was split in two parts. And she set up a cry, anddesired the other sorceresses to flee, and told them that this wasPeredur, the man who had learnt Chivalry with them, and by whom theywere destined to be slain. Then Arthur and his household fell uponthe sorceresses, and slew the sorceresses of Gloucester every one. And thus is it related concerning the Castle of Wonders. 

GERAINT THE SON OF ERBIN

Arthur was accustomed to hold his Court at Caerlleon upon Usk. Andthere he held it seven Easters and five Christmases. And once upon atime he held his Court there at Whitsuntide. For Caerlleon was theplace most easy of access in his dominions, both by sea and by land. And there were assembled nine crowned kings, who were histributaries, and likewise earls and barons. For they were hisinvited guests at all the high festivals, unless they were preventedby any great hindrance. And when he was at Caerlleon, holding hisCourt, thirteen churches were set apart for mass. And thus were theyappointed: one church for Arthur, and his kings, and his guests; andthe second for Gwenhwyvar and her ladies; and the third for theSteward of the Household and the suitors; and the fourth for theFranks and the other officers; and the other nine churches were forthe nine Masters of the Household and chiefly for Cwalchmai; for he, from the eminence of his warlike fame, and from the nobleness of hisbirth, was the most exalted of the nine. And there was no otherarrangement respecting the churches than that which we have mentionedabove. 

Glewlwyd Gavaelvawr was the chief porter; but he did not himselfperform the office, except at one of the three high festivals, for hehad seven men to serve him, and they divided the year amongst them. They were Grynn, and Pen Pighon, and Llaes Cymyn, and Gogyfwlch, andGwrdnei with cat's eyes, who could see as well by night as by day, and Drem the son of Dremhitid, and Clust the son of Clustveinyd; andthese were Arthur's guards. And on Whit-Tuesday, as the King sat atthe banquet, lo! there entered a tall, fair-headed youth, clad in acoat and a surcoat of diapered satin, and a golden-hilted sword abouthis neck, and low shoes of leather upon his feet. And he came, andstood before Arthur. "Hail to thee, Lord!" said he. "Heaven prosperthee, " he answered, "and be thou welcome. Dost thou bring any newtidings?" "I do, Lord, " he said. "I know thee not, " said Arthur. "It is a marvel to me that thou dost not know me. I am one of thyforesters, Lord, in the Forest of Dean, and my name is Madawc, theson of Twrgadarn. " "Tell me thine errand, " said Arthur. "I will doso, Lord, " said he. "In the Forest I saw a stag, the like of whichbeheld I never yet. " "What is there about him, " asked Arthur, "thatthou never yet didst see his like?" "He is of pure white, Lord, andhe does not herd with any other animal through stateliness and pride, so royal is his bearing. And I come to seek thy counsel, Lord, andto know thy will concerning him. " "It seems best to me, " saidArthur, "to go and hunt him to-morrow at break of day; and to causegeneral notice thereof to be given to-night in all quarters of theCourt. " And Arryfuerys was Arthur's chief huntsman, and Arelivri washis chief page. And all received notice; and thus it was arranged. And they sent the youth before them. Then Gwenhwyvar said to Arthur, "Wilt thou permit me, Lord, " said she, "to go to-morrow to see andhear the hunt of the stag of which the young man spoke?" "I willgladly, " said Arthur. "Then will I go, " said she. And Gwalchmaisaid to Arthur, "Lord, if it seem well to thee, permit that intowhose hunt soever the stag shall come, that one, be he a knight, orone on foot, may cut off his head, and give it to whom he pleases, whether to his own lady-love, or to the lady of his friend. " "Igrant it gladly, " said Arthur, "and let the Steward of the Householdbe chastised, if all are not ready to-morrow for the chase. "

And they passed the night with songs, and diversions, and discourse, and ample entertainment. And when it was time for them all to go tosleep, they went. And when the next day came, they arose; and Arthurcalled the attendants, who guarded his couch. And these were fourpages, whose names were Cadyrnerth the son of Porthawr Gandwy, andAmbreu the son of Bedwor, and Amhar the son of Arthur, and Goreu theson of Custennin. And these men came to Arthur and saluted him, andarrayed him in his garments. And Arthur wondered that Gwenhwyvar didnot awake, and did not move in her bed; and the attendants wished toawaken her. "Disturb her not, " said Arthur, "for she had rathersleep than go to see the hunting. "

Then Arthur went forth, and he heard two horns sounding, one fromnear the lodging of the chief huntsman, and the other from near thatof the chief page. And the whole assembly of the multitudes came toArthur, and they took the road to the Forest. 

And after Arthur had gone forth from the palace, Gwenhwyvar awoke, and called to her maidens, and apparelled herself. "Maidens, " saidshe, "I had leave last night to go and see the hunt. Go one of youto the stable, and order hither a horse such as a woman may ride. "And one of them went, and she found but two horses in the stable, andGwenhwyvar and one of her maidens mounted them, and went through theUsk, and followed the track of the men and the horses. And as theyrode thus, they heard a loud and rushing sound; and they lookedbehind them, and beheld a knight upon a hunter foal of mighty size;and the rider was a fair-haired youth, bare-legged, and of princelymien, and a golden-hilted sword was at his side, and a robe and asurcoat of satin were upon him, and two low shoes of leather upon hisfeet; and around him was a scarf of blue purple, at each corner ofwhich was a golden apple. And his horse stepped stately, and swift, and proud; and he overtook Gwenhwyvar, and saluted her. "Heavenprosper thee, Geraint, " said she, "I knew thee when first I saw theejust now. And the welcome of Heaven be unto thee. And why didstthou not go with thy lord to hunt?" "Because I knew not when hewent, " said he. "I marvel, too, " said she, "how he could go unknownto me. " "Indeed, lady, " said he. "I was asleep, and knew not whenhe went; but thou, O young man, art the most agreeable companion Icould have in the whole kingdom; and it may be, that I shall be moreamused with the hunting than they; for we shall hear the horns whenthey sound, and we shall hear the dogs when they are let loose, andbegin to cry. " So they went to the edge of the Forest, and therethey stood. "From this place, " said she, "we shall hear when thedogs are let loose. " And thereupon, they heard a loud noise, andthey looked towards the spot whence it came, and they beheld a dwarfriding upon a horse, stately, and foaming, and prancing, and strong, and spirited. And in the hand of the dwarf was a whip. And near thedwarf they saw a lady upon a beautiful white horse, of steady andstately pace; and she was clothed in a garment of gold brocade. Andnear her was a knight upon a warhorse of large size, with heavy andbright armour both upon himself and upon his horse. And truly theynever before saw a knight, or a horse, or armour, of such remarkablesize. And they were all near to each other. 

"Geraint, " said Gwenhwyvar, "knowest thou the name of that tallknight yonder?" "I know him not, " said he, "and the strange armourthat he wears prevents my either seeing his face or his features. ""Go, maiden, " said Gwenhwyvar, "and ask the dwarf who that knightis. " Then the maiden went up to the dwarf; and the dwarf waited forthe maiden, when he saw her coming towards him. And the maideninquired of the dwarf who the knight was. "I will not tell thee, " heanswered. "Since thou art so churlish as not to tell me, " said she, "I will ask him himself. " "Thou shalt not ask him, by my faith, "said he. "Wherefore?" said she. "Because thou art not of honoursufficient to befit thee to speak to my Lord. " Then the maidenturned her horse's head towards the knight, upon which the dwarfstruck her with the whip that was in his hand across the face and theeyes, until the blood flowed forth. And the maiden, through the hurtshe received from the blow, returned to Gwenhwyvar, complaining ofthe pain. "Very rudely has the dwarf treated thee, " said Geraint. "I will go myself to know who the knight is. " "Go, " said Gwenhwyvar. And Geraint went up to the dwarf. "Who is yonder knight?" saidGeraint. "I will not tell thee, " said the dwarf. "Then will I askhim himself, " said he. "That wilt thou not, by my faith, " said thedwarf, "thou art not honourable enough to speak with my Lord. " SaidGeraint, "I have spoken with men of equal rank with him. " And heturned his horse's head towards the knight; but the dwarf overtookhim, and struck him as he had done the maiden, so that the bloodcoloured the scarf that Geraint wore. Then Geraint put his hand uponthe hilt of his sword, but he took counsel with himself, andconsidered that it would be no vengeance for him to slay the dwarf, and to be attacked unarmed by the armed knight, so he returned towhere Gwenhwyvar was. 

"Thou hast acted wisely and discreetly, " said she. "Lady, " said he, "I will follow him yet, with thy permission; and at last he will cometo some inhabited place, where I may have arms either as a loan orfor a pledge, so that I may encounter the knight. " "Go, " said she, "and do not attack him until thou hast good arms, and I shall be veryanxious concerning thee, until I hear tidings of thee. " "If I amalive, " said he, "thou shalt hear tidings of me by to-morrowafternoon;" and with that he departed. 

And the road they took was below the palace of Caerlleon, and acrossthe ford of the Usk; and they went along a fair, and even, and loftyridge of ground, until they came to a town, and at the extremity ofthe town they saw a Fortress and a Castle. And they came to theextremity of the town. And as the knight passed through it, all thepeople arose, and saluted him, and bade him welcome. And whenGeraint came into the town, he looked at every house, to see if heknew any of those whom he saw. But he knew none, and none knew himto do him the kindness to let him have arms either as a loan or for apledge. And every house he saw was full of men, and arms, andhorses. And they were polishing shields, and burnishing swords, andwashing armour, and shoeing horses. And the knight, and the lady, and the dwarf rode up to the Castle that was in the town, and everyone was glad in the Castle. And from the battlements and the gatesthey risked their necks, through their eagerness to greet them, andto show their joy. 

Geraint stood there to see whether the knight would remain in theCastle; and when he was certain that he would do so, he looked aroundhim; and at a little distance from the town he saw an old palace inruins, wherein was a hall that was falling to decay. And as he knewnot any one in the town, he went towards the old palace; and when hecame near to the palace, he saw but one chamber, and a bridge ofmarble-stone leading to it. And upon the bridge he saw sitting ahoary-headed man, upon whom were tattered garments. And Geraintgazed steadfastly upon him for a long time. Then the hoary-headedman spoke to him. "Young man, " he said, "wherefore art thouthoughtful?" "I am thoughtful, " said he, "because I know not whereto go to-night. " "Wilt thou come forward this way, chieftain?" saidhe, "and thou shalt have of the best that can be procured for thee. "So Geraint went forward. And the hoary-headed man preceded him intothe hall. And in the hall he dismounted, and he left there hishorse. Then he went on to the upper chamber with the hoary-headedman. And in the chamber he beheld an old decrepit woman, sitting ona cushion, with old, tattered garments of satin upon her; and itseemed to him that he had never seen a woman fairer than she musthave been, when in the fulness of youth. And beside her was amaiden, upon whom were a vest and a veil, that were old, andbeginning to be worn out. And truly, he never saw a maiden more fullof comeliness, and grace, and beauty than she. And the hoary-headedman said to the maiden, "There is no attendant for the horse of thisyouth but thyself. " "I will render the best service I am able, " saidshe, "both to him and to his horse. " And the maiden disarrayed theyouth, and then she furnished his horse with straw and with corn. And she went to the hall as before, and then she returned to thechamber. And the hoary-headed man said to the maiden, "Go to thetown, " said he, "and bring hither the best that thou canst find bothof food and of liquor. " "I will, gladly, Lord, " said she. And tothe town went the maiden. And they conversed together while themaiden was at the town. And, behold! the maiden came back, and ayouth with her, bearing on his back a costrel full of good purchasedmead, and a quarter of a young bullock. And in the hands of themaiden was a quantity of white bread, and she had some manchet breadin her veil, and she came into the chamber. "I could not obtainbetter than this, " said she, "nor with better should I have beentrusted. " "It is good enough, " said Geraint. And they caused themeat to be boiled; and when their food was ready, they sat down. Andit was on this wise; Geraint sat between the hoary-headed man and hiswife, and the maiden served them. And they ate and drank. 

And when they had finished eating, Geraint talked with the hoary-headed man, and he asked him in the first place, to whom belonged thepalace that he was in. "Truly, " said he, "it was I that built it, and to me also belonged the city and the castle which thou sawest. ""Alas!" said Geraint, "how is it that thou hast lost them now?" "Ilost a great Earldom as well as these, " said he; "and this is how Ilost them. I had a nephew, the son of my brother, and I took hispossessions to myself; and when he came to his strength, he demandedof me his property, but I withheld it from him. So he made war uponme, and wrested from me all that I possessed. " "Good Sir, " saidGeraint, "wilt thou tell me wherefore came the knight, and the lady, and the dwarf, just now into the town, and what is the preparationwhich I saw, and the putting of arms in order?" "I will do so, " saidhe. "The preparations are for the game that is to be held to-morrowby the young Earl, which will be on this wise. In the midst of ameadow which is here, two forks will be set up, and upon the twoforks a silver rod, and upon the silver rod a Sparrow-Hawk, and forthe Sparrow-Hawk there will be a tournament. And to the tournamentwill go all the array thou didst see in the city, of men, and ofhorses, and of arms. And with each man will go the lady he lovesbest; and no man can joust for the Sparrow-Hawk, except the lady heloves best be with him. And the knight that thou sawest has gainedthe Sparrow-Hawk these two years; and if he gains it the third year, they will, from that time, send it every year to him, and he himselfwill come here no more. And he will be called the Knight of theSparrow-Hawk from that time forth. " "Sir, " said Geraint, "what isthy counsel to me concerning this knight, on account of the insultwhich I received from the dwarf, and that which was received by themaiden of Gwenhwyvar, the wife of Arthur?" And Geraint told thehoary-headed man what the insult was that he had received. "It isnot easy to counsel thee, inasmuch as thou hast neither dame normaiden belonging to thee, for whom thou canst joust. Yet, I havearms here, which thou couldest have; and there is my horse also, ifhe seem to thee better than thine own. " "Ah! Sir, " said he, "Heavenreward thee. But my own horse, to which I am accustomed, togetherwith thy arms, will suffice me. And if, when the appointed timeshall come to-morrow, thou wilt permit me, Sir, to challenge foryonder maiden that is thy daughter, I will engage, if I escape fromthe tournament, to love the maiden as long as I live; and if I do notescape, she will remain unsullied as before. " "Gladly will I permitthee, " said the hoary-headed man, "and since thou dost thus resolve, it is necessary that thy horse and arms should be ready to-morrow atbreak of day. For then the Knight of the Sparrow-Hawk will makeproclamation, and ask the lady he loves best to take the Sparrow-Hawk. 'For, ' will he say to her, 'thou art the fairest of women, andthou didst possess it last year, and the year previous; and if anydeny it thee to-day, by force will I defend it for thee. ' Andtherefore, " said the hoary-headed man, "it is needful for thee to bethere at daybreak; and we three will be with thee. " And thus was itsettled. 

And at night, lo! they went to sleep; and before the dawn they arose, and arrayed themselves; and by the time that it was day, they wereall four in the meadow. And there was the Knight of the Sparrow-Hawkmaking the proclamation, and asking his lady-love to fetch theSparrow-Hawk. "Fetch it not, " said Geraint, "for there is here amaiden, who is fairer, and more noble, and more comely, and who has abetter claim to it than thou. " "If thou maintainest the Sparrow-Hawkto be due to her, come forward, and do battle with me. " And Geraintwent forward to the top of the meadow, having upon himself and uponhis horse armour which was heavy, and rusty, and worthless, and ofuncouth shape. Then they encountered each other, and they broke aset of lances, and they broke a second set, and a third. And thusthey did at every onset, and they broke as many lances as werebrought to them. And when the Earl and his company saw the Knight ofthe Sparrow-Hawk gaining the mastery, there was shouting, and joy, and mirth amongst them. And the hoary-headed man, and his wife, andhis daughter were sorrowful. And the hoary-headed man served Geraintlances as often as he broke them, and the dwarf served the Knight ofthe Sparrow-Hawk. Then the hoary-headed man came to Geraint. "Oh!chieftain, " said he, "since no other will hold with thee, behold, here is the lance which was in my hand on the day when I received thehonour of knighthood; and from that time to this I never broke it. And it has an excellent point. " Then Geraint took the lance, thanking the hoary-headed man. And thereupon the dwarf also broughta lance to his lord. "Behold, here is a lance for thee, not lessgood than his, " said the dwarf. "And bethink thee, that no knightever withstood thee before so long as this one has done. " "I declareto Heaven, " said Geraint, "that unless death takes me quickly hence, he shall fare never the better for thy service. " And Geraint prickedhis horse towards him from afar, and warning him, he rushed upon him, and gave him a blow so severe, and furious, and fierce, upon the faceof his shield, that he cleft it in two, and broke his armour, andburst his girths, so that both he and his saddle were borne to theground over the horse's crupper. And Geraint dismounted quickly. And he was wroth, and he drew his sword, and rushed fiercely uponhim. Then the knight also arose, and drew his sword against Geraint. And they fought on foot with their swords until their arms strucksparks of fire like stars from one another; and thus they continuedfighting until the blood and sweat obscured the light from theireyes. And when Geraint prevailed, the hoary-headed man, and hiswife, and his daughter were glad; and when the knight prevailed, itrejoiced the Earl and his party. Then the hoary-headed man sawGeraint receive a severe stroke, and he went up to him quickly, andsaid to him, "Oh, chieftain, remember the treatment which thou hadstfrom the dwarf; and wilt thou not seek vengeance for the insult tothyself, and for the insult to Gwenhwyvar the wife of Arthur!" AndGeraint was roused by what he said to him, and he called to him allhis strength, 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 from hishand, and besought mercy of Geraint. "Of a truth, " said he, "Irelinquish my overdaring and my pride in craving thy mercy; andunless I have time to commit myself to Heaven for my sins, and totalk with a priest, thy mercy will avail me little. " "I will grantthee grace upon this condition, " said Geraint, "that thou wilt go toGwenhwyvar the wife of Arthur, to do her satisfaction for the insultwhich her maiden received from thy dwarf. As to myself, for theinsult which I received from thee and thy dwarf, I am content withthat which I have done unto thee. Dismount not from the time thougoest hence until thou comest into the presence of Gwenhwyvar, tomake her what atonement shall be adjudged at the Court of Arthur. ""This will I do gladly. And who art thou?" said he. "I am Geraintthe son of Erbin. And declare thou also who thou art. " "I am Edeyrnthe son of Nudd. " Then he threw himself upon his horse, and wentforward to Arthur's Court, and the lady he loved best went before himand the dwarf, with much lamentation. And thus far this story up tothat time. 

Then came the little Earl and his hosts to Geraint, and saluted him, and bade him to his castle. "I may not go, " said Geraint, "but whereI was last night, there will I be to-night also. " "Since thou wiltnone of my inviting, thou shalt have abundance of all that I cancommand for thee, in the place thou wast last night. And I willorder ointment for thee, to recover thee from thy fatigues, and fromthe weariness that is upon thee. " "Heaven reward thee, " saidGeraint, "and I will go to my lodging. " And thus went Geraint, andEarl Ynywl, and his wife, and his daughter. And when they reachedthe chamber, the household servants and attendants of the young Earlhad arrived at the Court, and they arranged all the houses, dressingthem with straw and with fire; and in a short time the ointment wasready, and Geraint came there, and they washed his head. Then camethe young Earl, with forty honourable knights from among hisattendants, and those who were bidden to the tournament. And Geraintcame from the anointing. And the Earl asked him to go to the hall toeat. "Where is the Earl Ynywl, " said Geraint, "and his wife, and hisdaughter?" "They are in the chamber yonder, " said the Earl'schamberlain, "arraying themselves in garments which the Earl hascaused to be brought for them. " "Let not the damsel array herself, "said he, "except in her vest and her veil, until she come to theCourt of Arthur, to be 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, and satdown to meat. And thus were they seated. On one side of Geraint satthe young Earl, and Earl Ynywl beyond him; and on the other side ofGeraint were the maiden and her mother. And after these all sataccording to their precedence in honour. And they ate. And theywere served abundantly, and they received a profusion of divers kindof gifts. Then they conversed together. And the young Earl invitedGeraint to visit him next day. "I will not, by Heaven, " saidGeraint. "To the Court of Arthur will I go with this maiden to-morrow. And it is enough for me, as long as Earl Ynywl is in povertyand trouble; and I go chiefly to seek to add to his maintenance. ""Ah, chieftain, " said the young Earl, "it is not by my fault thatEarl Ynywl is without his possessions. " "By my faith, " said Geraint, "he shall not remain without them, unless death quickly takes mehence. " "Oh, chieftain, " said he, "with regard to the disagreementbetween me and Ynywl, I will gladly abide by thy counsel, and agreeto what thou mayest judge right between us. " "I but ask thee, " saidGeraint, "to restore to him what is his, and what he should havereceived from the time he lost his possessions, even until this day. ""That I will do gladly, for thee, " answered he. "Then, " saidGeraint, "whosoever is here who owes homage to Ynywl, let him comeforward, and perform it on the spot. " And all the men did so. Andby that treaty they abided. And his castle, and his town, and allhis possessions were restored to Ynywl. And he received back allthat he had lost, even to the smallest jewel. 

Then spoke Earl Ynywl to Geraint. "Chieftain, " said he, "behold themaiden for whom thou didst challenge at the tournament, I bestow herupon thee. " "She shall go with me, " said Geraint, "to the Court ofArthur; and Arthur and Gwenhwyvar they shall dispose of her as theywill. " And the next day they proceeded to Arthur's Court. So farconcerning Geraint. 

Now, this is how Arthur hunted the stag. The men and the dogs weredivided into hunting parties, and the dogs were let loose upon thestag. And the last dog that was let loose was the favourite dog ofArthur. Cavall was his name. And he left all the other dogs behindhim, and turned the stag. And at the second turn, the stag cametowards the hunting party of Arthur. And Arthur set upon him. Andbefore he could be slain by any other, Arthur cut off his head. Thenthey sounded the death horn for slaying, and they 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 onemaiden. " "Command Gildas the son of Caw, and all the scholars of theCourt, " said Arthur, "to attend Gwenhwyvar to the palace. " And theydid so. 

Then they all set forth, holding converse together concerning thehead of the stag, to whom it should be given. One wished that itshould be given to the lady best beloved by him, and another to thelady whom he loved best. And all they of the household, and theknights, disputed sharply concerning the head. And with that theycame to the palace. And when Arthur and Gwenhwyvar heard themdisputing about the head of the stag, Gwenhwyvar said to Arthur, "Mylord, this is my counsel concerning the stag's head; let it not begiven away until Geraint the son of Erbin shall return from theerrand he is upon. " And Gwenhwyvar told Arthur what that errand was. "Right gladly shall it be so, " said Arthur. And thus it was settled. And the next day Gwenhwyvar caused a watch to be set upon theramparts for Geraint's coming. And after mid-day they beheld anunshapely little man upon a horse, and after him, as they supposed, adame or a damsel, also on horseback, and after her a knight of largestature, bowed down, and hanging his head low and sorrowfully, andclad in broken and worthless armour. 

And before they came near to the gate, one of the watch went toGwenhwyvar, and told her what kind of people they saw, and whataspect they bore. "I know not who they are, " said he. "But I know, "said Gwenhwyvar; "this is the knight whom Geraint pursued, andmethinks that he comes not here by his own free will. But Gerainthas overtaken him, and avenged the insult to the maiden to theuttermost. " And thereupon, behold a porter came to the spot whereGwenhwyvar was. "Lady, " said he, "at the gate there is a knight, andI saw never a man of so pitiful an aspect to look upon as he. Miserable and broken is the armour that he wears, and the hue ofblood is more conspicuous upon it than its own colour. " "Knowestthou his name?" said she. "I do, " said he; "he tells me that he isEdeyrn the son of Nudd. " Then she replied, "I know him not. "

So Gwenhwyvar went to the gate to meet him, and he entered. AndGwenhwyvar was sorry when she saw the condition he was in, eventhough he was accompanied by the churlish dwarf. Then Edeyrn salutedGwenhwyvar. "Heaven protect thee, " said she. "Lady, " said he, "Geraint the son of Erbin, thy best and most valiant servant, greetsthee. " "Did he meet thee?" she asked. "Yes, " said he, "and it wasnot to my advantage; 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, inconsideration of his having put me in peril of my life. And heimposed on me a condition, manly, and honourable, and warrior-like, which was to do thee justice, Lady. " "Now, where did he overtakethee?" "At the place where we were jousting, and contending for theSparrow-Hawk, in the town which is now called Cardiff. And therewere none with him save three persons, of a mean and tatteredcondition. And these were an aged, hoary-headed man, and a womanadvanced in years, and a fair young maiden, clad in worn-outgarments. And it was for the avouchment of the love of that maidenthat Geraint jousted for the Sparrow-Hawk at the tournament, for hesaid that that maiden was better entitled to the Sparrow-Hawk thanthis maiden who was with me. And thereupon we encountered eachother, and he left me, Lady, as thou seest. " "Sir, " said she, "whenthinkest thou that Geraint will be here?" "To-morrow, Lady, I thinkhe will be here with the maiden. "

Then Arthur came to him, and he saluted Arthur; and Arthur gazed along time upon him, and was amazed to see him thus. And thinkingthat he knew him, he inquired of him, "Art thou Edeyrn the son ofNudd?" "I am, Lord, " said he, "and I have met with much trouble, andreceived wounds unsupportable. " Then he told Arthur all hisadventure. "Well, " said Arthur, "from what I hear, it behovesGwenhwyvar to be merciful towards thee. " "The mercy which thoudesirest, 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 manhave medical care until it be known whether he may live. And if helive, he shall do such satisfaction as shall be judged best by themen of the Court; and take thou sureties to that effect. And if hedie, too much will be the death of such a youth as Edeyrn for aninsult to a maiden. " "This pleases me, " said Gwenhwyvar. And Arthurbecame surety for Edeyrn, and Caradawc the son of Llyr, Gwallawg theson of Llenawg, and Owain the son of Nudd, and Gwalchmai, and manyothers with them. And Arthur caused Morgan Tud to be called to him. He was the chief physician. "Take with thee Edeyrn the son of Nudd, and cause a chamber to be prepared for him, and let him have the aidof medicine as thou wouldst do unto myself, if I were wounded, andlet none into his chamber to molest him, but thyself and thydisciples, to administer to him remedies. " "I will do so gladly, Lord, " said Morgan Tud. Then said the steward of the household, "Whither is it right, Lord, to order the maiden?" "To Gwenhwyvar andher handmaidens, " said he. And the steward of the household soordered her. Thus far concerning them. 

The next day came Geraint towards the Court; and there was a watchset on the ramparts by Gwenhwyvar, lest he should arrive unawares. And one of the watch came to the place where Gwenhwyvar was. "Lady, "said he, "methinks that I see Geraint, and the maiden with him. Heis on horseback, but he has his walking gear upon him, and the maidenappears to be in white, seeming to be clad in a garment of linen. ""Assemble all the women, " said Gwenhwyvar, "and come to meet Geraint, to welcome him, and wish him joy. " And Gwenhwyvar went to meetGeraint and the maiden. And when Geraint came to the place whereGwenhwyvar was, he saluted her. "Heaven prosper thee, " said she, "and welcome to thee. And thy career has been successful, andfortunate, and resistless, and glorious. And Heaven reward thee, that thou hast so proudly caused me to have retribution. " "Lady, "said he, "I earnestly desired to obtain thee satisfaction accordingto thy will; and, behold, here is the maiden through whom thou hadstthy revenge. " "Verily, " said Gwenhwyvar, "the welcome of Heaven beunto her; and it is fitting that we should receive her joyfully. "Then they went in, and dismounted. And Geraint came to where Arthurwas, and saluted him. "Heaven protect thee, " said Arthur, "and thewelcome of Heaven be unto thee. And since Edeyrn the son of Nudd hasreceived his overthrow and wounds from thy hands, thou hast had aprosperous career. " "Not upon me be the blame, " said Geraint, "itwas through the arrogance of Edeyrn the son of Nudd himself that wewere not friends. I would not quit him until I knew who he was, anduntil the one had vanquished the other. " "Now, " said Arthur, "whereis the maiden for whom I heard thou didst give challenge?" "She isgone with Gwenhwyvar to her chamber. "

Then went Arthur to see the maiden. And Arthur, and all hiscompanions, and his whole Court, were glad concerning the maiden. And certain were they all, that had her array been suitable to herbeauty, they had never seen a maid fairer than she. And Arthur gaveaway the maiden to Geraint. And the usual bond made between twopersons was made between Geraint and the maiden, and the choicest ofall Gwenhwyvar's apparel was given to the maiden; and thus arrayed, she appeared comely and graceful to all who beheld her. And that dayand that night were spent in abundance of minstrelsy, and ample giftsof liquor, and a multitude of games. And when it was time for themto go to sleep, they went. And in the chamber where the couch ofArthur and Gwenhwyvar was, the couch of Geraint and Enid wasprepared. And from that time she became his bride. And the next dayArthur satisfied all the claimants upon Geraint with bountiful gifts. And the maiden took up her abode in the palace; and she had manycompanions, both men and women, and there was no maiden more esteemedthan she in the Island of Britain. 

Then spake Gwenhwyvar. "Rightly did I judge, " said she, "concerningthe head of the stag, that it should not be given to any untilGeraint's return; and, behold, here is a fit occasion for bestowingit. Let it be given to Enid the daughter of Ynywl, the mostillustrious maiden. And I do not believe that any will begrudge ither, for between her and every one here there exists nothing but loveand friendship. " Much applauded was this by them all, and by Arthuralso. And the head of the stag was given to Enid. And thereupon herfame increased, and her friends thenceforward became more in numberthan before. And Geraint from that time forth loved the stag, andthe tournament, and hard encounters; and he came victorious from themall. 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 Caerlleon uponUsk, at Whitsuntide. And, behold, there came to him ambassadors, wise and prudent, full of knowledge, and eloquent of speech, and theysaluted Arthur. "Heaven prosper you, " said Arthur, "and the welcomeof Heaven be unto you. And whence do you come?" "We come, Lord, "said they, "from Cornwall; and we are ambassadors from Erbin the sonof Custennin, thy uncle, and our mission is unto thee. And he greetsthee well, as an uncle should greet his nephew, and as a vassalshould greet his lord. And he represents unto thee that he waxesheavy and feeble, and is advancing in years. And the neighbouringchiefs, knowing this, grow insolent towards him, and covet his landand possessions. And he earnestly beseeches thee, Lord, to permitGeraint his son to return to him, to protect his possessions, and tobecome acquainted with his boundaries. And unto him he representsthat it were better for him to spend the flower of his youth and theprime of his age in preserving his own boundaries, than intournaments, which are productive of no profit, although he obtainsglory in them. "

"Well, " said Arthur, "go, and divest yourselves of youraccoutrements, and take food, and refresh yourselves after yourfatigues; and before you go forth hence you shall have an answer. "And they went to eat. And Arthur considered that it would go hardwith him to let Geraint depart from him and from his Court; neitherdid he think it fair that his cousin should be restrained from goingto protect his dominions and his boundaries, seeing that his fatherwas unable to do so. No less was the grief and regret of Gwenhwyvar, and all her women, and all her damsels, through fear that the maidenwould leave them. And that day and that night were spent inabundance of feasting. And Arthur showed Geraint the cause of themission, and of the coming of the ambassadors to him out of Cornwall. "Truly, " said Geraint, "be it to my advantage or disadvantage, Lord, I will do according to thy will concerning this embassy. " "Behold, "said Arthur, "though it grieves me to part with thee, it is mycounsel that thou go to dwell in thine own dominions, and to defendthy boundaries, and to take with thee to accompany thee as many asthou wilt of those thou lovest best among my faithful ones, and amongthy friends, and among thy companions in arms. " "Heaven reward thee;and this will I do, " said Geraint. "What discourse, " saidGwenhwyvar, "do I hear between you? Is it of those who are toconduct Geraint to his country?" "It is, " said Arthur. "Then it isneedful for me to consider, " said she, "concerning companions and aprovision for the lady that is with me?" "Thou wilt do well, " saidArthur. 

And that night they went to sleep. And the next day the ambassadorswere permitted to depart, and they were told that Geraint shouldfollow them. And on the third day Geraint set forth, and many wentwith him. Gwalchmai the son of Gwyar, and Riogonedd the son of theking of Ireland, and Ondyaw the son of the duke of Burgundy, Gwilimthe son of the ruler of the Franks, Howel the son of Emyr ofBrittany, Elivry, and Nawkyrd, Gwynn the son of Tringad, Goreu theson of Custennin, Gweir Gwrhyd Vawr, Garannaw the son of Golithmer, Peredur the son of Evrawc, Gwynnllogell, Gwyr a judge in the Court ofArthur, Dyvyr the son of Alun of Dyved, Gwrei Gwalstawd Ieithoedd, Bedwyr the son of Bedrawd, Hadwry the son of Gwryon, Kai the son ofKynyr, Odyar the Frank, the Steward of Arthur's Court, and Edeyrn theson of Nudd. Said Geraint, "I think that I shall have enough ofknighthood with me. " "Yes, " said Arthur, "but it will not be fittingfor thee to take Edeyrn with thee, although he is well, until peaceshall be made between him and Gwenhwyvar. " "Gwenhwyvar can permithim to go with me, if he give sureties. " "If she please, she can lethim go without sureties, for enough of pain and affliction has hesuffered for the insult which the maiden received from the dwarf. ""Truly, " said Gwenhwyvar, "since it seems well to thee and toGeraint, I will do this gladly, Lord. " Then she permitted Edeyrnfreely to depart. 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 Severn were thenobles of Erbin the son of Custennin, and his foster-father at theirhead, to welcome Geraint with gladness; and many of the women of theCourt, with his mother, came to receive Enid the daughter of Ynywl, his wife. And there was great rejoicing and gladness throughout thewhole Court, and throughout all the country, concerning Geraint, because of the greatness of their love towards him, and of thegreatness of the fame which he had gained since he went from amongstthem, and because he was come to take possession of his dominions andto preserve his boundaries. And they came to the Court. And in theCourt they had ample entertainment, and a multitude of gifts andabundance of liquor, and a sufficiency of service, and a variety ofminstrelsy and of games. And to do honour to Geraint, all the chiefmen of the country were invited that night to visit him. And theypassed that day and that night in the utmost enjoyment. And at dawnnext day Erbin arose, and summoned to him Geraint, and the noblepersons who had borne him company. And he said to Geraint, "I am afeeble and aged man, and whilst I was able to maintain the dominionfor thee and for myself, I did so. But thou art young, and in theflower of thy vigour and of thy youth; henceforth do thou preservethy possessions. " "Truly, " said Geraint, "with my consent thou shaltnot give the power over thy dominions at this time into my hands, andthou shalt not take me from Arthur's Court. " "Into thy hands will Igive them, " said Erbin, "and this day also shalt thou receive thehomage of thy subjects. "

Then said Gwalchmai, "It were better for thee to satisfy those whohave boons to ask, to-day, and to-morrow thou canst receive thehomage of thy dominions. " So all that had boons to ask were summonedinto one place. And Kadyrieith came to them, to know what were theirrequests. And every one asked that which he desired. And thefollowers of Arthur began to make gifts, and immediately the men ofCornwall came, and gave also. And they were not long in giving, soeager was every one to bestow gifts. And of those who came to askgifts, none departed unsatisfied. And that day and that night werespent in the utmost enjoyment. 

And the next day, at dawn, Erbin desired Geraint to send messengersto the men, to ask them whether it was displeasing to them that heshould come to receive their homage, and whether they had anything toobject to him. Then Geraint sent ambassadors to the men of Cornwall, to ask them this. And they all said that it would be the fulness ofjoy and honour to them for Geraint to come and receive their homage. So he received the homage of such as were there. And they remainedwith him till the third night. And the day after the followers ofArthur intended to go away. "It is too soon for you to go away yet, "said he, "stay with me until I have finished receiving the homage ofmy chief men, who have agreed to come to me. " And they remained withhim until he had done so. Then they set forth towards the Court ofArthur; and Geraint went to bear them company, and Enid also, as faras Diganhwy: there they parted. Then Ondyaw the son of the duke ofBurgundy said to Geraint, "Go first of all and visit the uppermostparts of thy dominions, and see well to the boundaries of thyterritories; and if thou hast any trouble respecting them, send untothy companions. " "Heaven reward thee, " said Geraint, "and this willI do. " And Geraint journeyed to the uttermost part of his dominions. And experienced 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's Court, hefrequented tournaments. And he became acquainted with valiant andmighty men, until he had gained as much fame there as he had formerlydone elsewhere. And he enriched his Court, and his companions, andhis nobles, with the best horses and the best arms, and with the bestand most valuable jewels, and he ceased not until his fame had flownover the face of the whole kingdom. And when he knew that it wasthus, he began to love ease and pleasure, for there was no one whowas worth his opposing. And he loved his wife, and liked to continuein the palace, with minstrelsy and diversions. And for a long timehe abode at home. And after that he began to shut himself up in thechamber of his wife, and he took no delight in anything besides, insomuch that he gave up the friendship of his nobles, together withhis hunting and his amusements, and lost the hearts of all the hostin his Court; and there was murmuring and scoffing concerning himamong the inhabitants of the palace, on account of his relinquishingso completely their companionship for the love of his wife. Andthese tidings came to Erbin. And when Erbin had heard these things, he spoke unto Enid, and inquired of her whether it was she that hadcaused Geraint to act thus, and to forsake his people and his hosts. "Not I, by my confession unto Heaven, " said she, "there is nothingmore hateful to me than this. " And she knew not what she should do, for, although it was hard for her to own this to Geraint, yet was itnot more easy for her to listen to what she heard, without warningGeraint concerning it. And she was very sorrowful. 

And one morning in the summer time, they were upon their couch, andGeraint lay upon the edge of it. And Enid was without sleep in theapartment, which had windows of glass. And the sun shone upon thecouch. And the clothes had slipped from off his arms and his breast, and he was asleep. Then she gazed upon the marvellous beauty of hisappearance, and she said, "Alas, and am I the cause that these armsand this breast have lost their glory and the warlike fame which theyonce so richly enjoyed!" And as she said this, the tears droppedfrom her eyes, and they fell upon his breast. And the tears sheshed, and the words she had spoken, awoke him; and another thingcontributed to awaken him, and that was the idea that it was not inthinking of him that she spoke thus, but that it was because sheloved some other man more than him, and that she wished for othersociety, and thereupon Geraint was troubled in his mind, and hecalled his squire; and when he came to him, "Go quickly, " said he, "and prepare my horse and my arms, and make them ready. And do thouarise, " said he to Enid, "and apparel thyself; and cause thy horse tobe accoutred, and clothe thee in the worst riding-dress that thouhast in thy possession. And evil betide me, " said he, "if thoureturnest here until thou knowest whether I have lost my strength socompletely as thou didst say. And if it be so, it will then be easyfor thee to seek the society thou didst wish for of him of whom thouwast thinking. " So she arose, and clothed herself in her meanestgarments. "I know nothing, Lord, " said she, "of thy meaning. ""Neither wilt thou know at this time, " said he. 

Then Geraint went to see Erbin. "Sir, " said he, "I am going upon aquest, and I am not certain when I may come back. Take heed, therefore, unto thy possessions, until my return. " "I will do so, "said he, "but it is strange to me that thou shouldest go so suddenly. And who will proceed with thee, since thou art not strong enough totraverse the land of Lloegyr alone?" "But one person only will gowith me. " "Heaven counsel thee, my son, " said Erbin, "and may manyattach themselves to thee in Lloegyr. " Then went Geraint to theplace where his horse was, and it was equipped with foreign armour, heavy and shining. And he desired Enid to mount her horse, and toride forward, and to keep a long way before him. "And whatever thoumayest see, and whatever thou mayest hear concerning me, " said he, "do thou not turn back. And unless I speak unto thee, say not thouone word either. " And they set forward. And he did not choose thepleasantest and most frequented road, but that which was the wildestand most beset by thieves, and robbers, and venomous animals. Andthey came to a high road, which they followed till they saw a vastforest, and they went towards it, and they saw four armed horsemencome forth from the forest. When the horsemen had beheld them, oneof them said to the others, "Behold, here is a good occasion for usto capture two horses and armour, and a lady likewise; for this weshall have no difficulty in doing against yonder single knight, whohangs his head so pensively and heavily. " And Enid heard thisdiscourse, and she knew not what she should do through fear ofGeraint, who had told her to be silent. "The vengeance of Heaven beupon me, " she said, "if I would not rather receive my death from hishand than from the hand of any other; and though he should slay meyet will I speak to him, lest I should have the misery to witness hisdeath. " So she waited for Geraint until he came near to her. "Lord, " said she, "didst thou hear the words of those men concerningthee?" Then he lifted up his eyes, and looked at her angrily. "Thouhadst only, " said he, "to hold thy peace as I bade thee. I wish butfor silence, and not for warning. And though thou shouldest desireto see my defeat and my death by the hands of those men, yet do Ifeel no dread. " Then the foremost of them couched his lance, andrushed upon Geraint. And he received him, and that not feebly. Buthe let the thrust go by him, while he struck the horseman upon thecentre of his shield in such a manner that his shield was split, andhis armour broken, and so that a cubit's length of the shaft ofGeraint's lance passed through his body, and sent him to the earth, the length of the lance over his horse's crupper. Then the secondhorseman attacked him furiously, being wroth at the death of hiscompanion. But with one thrust Geraint overthrew him also, andkilled him as he had done the other. Then the third set upon him, and he killed him in like manner. And thus also he slew the fourth. Sad and sorrowful was the maiden as she saw all this. Geraintdismounted from his horse, and took the arms of the men he had slain, and placed them upon their saddles, and tied together the reins oftheir horses, and he mounted his horse again. "Behold what thou mustdo, " said he; "take the four horses, and drive them before thee, andproceed forward, as I bade thee just now. And say not one word untome, unless I speak first unto thee. And I declare unto Heaven, " saidhe, "if thou doest not thus, it will be to thy cost. " "I will do, asfar as I can, Lord, " said she, "according to thy desire. " Then theywent forward through the forest; and when they left the forest, theycame to a vast plain, in the centre of which was a group of thicklytangled copse-wood; and from out thereof they beheld three horsemencoming towards them, well equipped with armour, both they and theirhorses. Then the maiden looked steadfastly upon them; and when theyhad come near, 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 of yonderdolorous knight, and the maiden also will fall into our power. ""This is but too true, " said she to herself, "for my husband is tiredwith his former combat. The vengeance of Heaven will be upon me, unless I warn him of this. " So the maiden waited until Geraint cameup to her. "Lord, " said she, "dust thou not hear the discourse ofyonder men concerning thee?" "What was it?" asked he. "They say toone another, that they will easily obtain all this spoil. " "Ideclare to Heaven, " he answered, "that their words are less grievousto me than that thou wilt not be silent, and abide by my counsel. ""My Lord, " said she, "I feared lest they should surprise theeunawares. " "Hold thy peace, then, " said he, "do not I desiresilence?" And thereupon one of the horsemen couched his lance, andattacked Geraint. And he made a thrust at him, which he thoughtwould be very effective; but Geraint received it carelessly, andstruck it aside, and then he rushed upon him, and aimed at the centreof his person, and from the shock of man and horse, the quantity ofhis armour did not avail him, and the head of the lance and part ofthe shaft passed through him, so that he was carried to the ground anarm and a spear's length over the crupper of his horse. And both theother horsemen came forward in their turn, but their onset was notmore successful than that of their companion. And the maiden stoodby, looking at all this; and on the one hand she was in trouble lestGeraint should be wounded in his encounter with the men, and on theother hand she was joyful to see him victorious. Then Geraintdismounted, and bound the three suits of armour upon the threesaddles, and he fastened the reins of all the horses together, sothat he had seven horses with him. And he mounted his own horse, andcommanded the maiden to drive forward the others. "It is no more usefor me to speak to thee than to refrain, for thou wilt not attend tomy advice. " "I will do so, as far as I am able, Lord, " said she;"but I cannot conceal from thee the fierce and threatening wordswhich I may hear against thee, Lord, from such strange people asthose that haunt this wilderness. " "I declare to Heaven, " said he, "that I desire nought but silence; therefore, hold thy peace. " "Iwill, Lord, while I can. " And the maiden went on with the horsesbefore her, and she pursued her way straight onwards. And from thecopse-wood already mentioned, they journeyed over a vast and drearyopen plain. And at a great distance from them they beheld a wood, and they could see neither end nor boundary to the wood, except onthat side that was nearest to them, and they went towards it. Thenthere came from out the wood five horsemen, eager, and bold, andmighty, and strong, mounted upon chargers that were powerful, andlarge of bone, and high-mettled, and proudly snorting, and both themen and the horses were well equipped with arms. And when they drewnear to them, Enid heard them say, "Behold, here is a fine bootycoming to us, which we shall obtain easily and without labour, for weshall have no trouble in taking all those horses and arms, and thelady also, from yonder single knight, so doleful and sad. "

Sorely grieved was the maiden upon hearing this discourse, so thatshe knew not in the world what she should do. At last, however, shedetermined to warn Geraint; so she turned her horse's head towardshim. "Lord, " said she, "if thou hadst heard as I did what yonderhorsemen said 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 I forbade thee; but it may bethat thou will repent this yet. " And immediately, behold, the menmet them, and victoriously and gallantly did Geraint overcome themall five. And he placed the five suits of armour upon the fivesaddles, and tied together the reins of the twelve horses, and gavethem in charge to Enid. "I know not, " said he, "what good it is forme to order thee; but this time I charge thee in an especial manner. "So the maiden went forward towards the wood, keeping in advance ofGeraint, as he had desired her; and it grieved him as much as hiswrath would permit, to see a maiden so illustrious as she having somuch trouble with the care of the horses. Then they reached thewood, and it was both deep and vast; and in the wood night overtookthem. "Ah, maiden, " said he, "it is vain to attempt proceedingforward!" "Well, Lord, " said she, "whatsoever thou wishest, we willdo. " "It will be best for us, " he answered, "to turn out of thewood, and to rest, and wait for the day, in order to pursue ourjourney. " "That will we, gladly, " said she. And they did so. Having dismounted himself, he took her down from her horse. "Icannot, by any means, refrain from sleep, through weariness, " saidhe. "Do thou, therefore, watch the horses, and sleep not. " "I will, Lord, " said she. Then he went to sleep in his armour, and thuspassed the night, which was not long at that season. And when shesaw the dawn of day appear, she looked around her, to see if he werewaking, and thereupon he woke. "My Lord, " she said, "I have desiredto awake thee for some time. " But he spake nothing to her aboutfatigue, as he had desired her to be silent. Then he arose, and saidunto her, "Take the horses, and ride on; and keep straight on beforethee as thou didst yesterday. " And early in the day they left thewood, and they came to an open country, with meadows on one hand, andmowers mowing the meadows. And there was a river before them, andthe horses bent down, and drank the water. And they went up out ofthe river by a lofty steep; and there they met a slender stripling, with a satchel about his neck, and they saw that there was somethingin the satchel, but they knew not what it was. And he had a smallblue pitcher in his hand, and a bowl on the mouth of the pitcher. And the youth saluted Geraint. "Heaven prosper thee, " said Geraint, "and whence dost thou come?" "I come, " said he, "from the city thatlies before thee. My Lord, " he added, "will it be displeasing tothee if I ask whence thou comest also?" "By no means--through yonderwood did I come. " "Thou camest not through the wood to-day. " "No, "he replied, "we were in the wood last night. " "I warrant, " said theyouth, "that thy condition there last night was not the mostpleasant, and that thou hadst neither meat nor drink. " "No, by myfaith, " said he. "Wilt thou follow my counsel, " said the youth, "andtake thy meal from me?" "What sort of meal?" he inquired. "Thebreakfast which is sent for yonder mowers, nothing less than breadand meat and wine; and if thou wilt, Sir, they shall have none ofit. " "I will, " said he, "and Heaven reward thee for it. "

So Geraint alighted, and the youth took the maiden from off herhorse. Then they washed, and took their repast. And the youth cutthe bread in slices, and gave them drink, and served them withal. And when they had finished, the youth arose, and said to Geraint, "MyLord, with thy permission, I will now go and fetch some food for themowers. " "Go, first, to the town, " said Geraint, "and take a lodgingfor me in the best place that thou knowest, and the most commodiousone for the horses, and take thou whichever horse and arms thouchoosest in payment for thy service and thy gift. " "Heaven rewardthee, Lord, " said the youth, "and this would be ample to repayservices much greater than those I have rendered unto thee. " And tothe town went the youth, and he took the best and the most pleasantlodgings that he knew; and after that he went to the palace, havingthe horse and armour with him, and proceeded to the place where theEarl was, and told him all his adventure. "I go now, Lord, " said he, "to meet the young man, and to conduct him to his lodging. " "Go, gladly, " said the Earl, "and right joyfully shall he be receivedhere, if he so come. " And the youth went to meet Geraint, and toldhim that he would be received gladly by the Earl in his own palace;but he would go only to his lodgings. And he had a goodly chamber, in which was plenty of straw, and drapery, and a spacious andcommodious place he had for the horses; and the youth prepared forthem plenty of provender. And after they had 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 mayest callto thee the woman of the house, if thou wilt. " "I will do, Lord, "said she, "as thou sayest. " And thereupon the man of the house cameto Geraint, and welcomed him. "Oh, chieftain, " he said, "hast thoutaken thy meal?" "I have, " said he. Then the youth spoke to him, and inquired if he would not drink something before he met the Earl. "Truly I will, " said he. So the youth went into the town, andbrought them drink. And they drank. "I must needs sleep, " saidGeraint. "Well, " said the youth; "and whilst thou sleepest, I willgo to see the Earl. " "Go, gladly, " he said, "and come here againwhen I require thee. " And Geraint went to sleep; and so did Enidalso. 

And the youth came to the place where the Earl was, and the Earlasked him where the lodgings of the knight were, and he told him. "Imust go, " said the youth, "to wait on him in the evening. " "Go, "answered the Earl, "and greet him well from me, and tell him that inthe evening I will go to see him. " "This will I do, " said the youth. So he came when it was time for them to awake. And they arose, andwent forth. And when it was time for them to take their food, theytook it. And the youth served them. And Geraint inquired of the manof the house, whether there were any of his companions that he wishedto invite to him, and he said that there were. "Bring them hither, and entertain them at my cost with the best thou canst buy in thetown. "

And the man of the house brought there those whom he chose, andfeasted them at Geraint's expense. Thereupon, behold, the Earl cameto visit Geraint, and his twelve honourable knights with him. AndGeraint rose up, and welcomed him. "Heaven preserve thee, " said theEarl. Then they all sat down according to their precedence inhonour. And the Earl conversed with Geraint, and inquired of him theobject of his journey. "I have none, " he replied, "but to seekadventures, and to follow my own inclination. " Then the Earl casthis eye upon Enid, and he looked at her steadfastly. And he thoughthe had never seen a maiden fairer or more comely than she. And heset all his thoughts and his affections upon her. Then he asked ofGeraint, "Have I thy permission to go and converse with yondermaiden, for I see that she is apart from thee?" "Thou hast itgladly, " said he. So the Earl went to the place where the maidenwas, and spake with her. "Ah, maiden, " said he, "it cannot bepleasant to thee to journey thus with yonder man!" "It is notunpleasant to me, " said she, "to journey the same road that hejourneys. " "Thou hast neither youths nor maidens to serve thee, "said he. "Truly, " she replied, "it is more pleasant for me to followyonder man, than to be served by youths and maidens. " "I will givethee good counsel, " said he. "All my Earldom will I place in thypossession, if thou wilt dwell with me. " "That will I not, byHeaven, " she said; "yonder man was the first to whom my faith wasever pledged; and shall I prove inconstant to him!" "Thou art in thewrong, " said the Earl; "if I slay the man yonder, I can keep theewith me as long as I choose; and when thou no longer pleasest me Ican turn thee away. But if thou goest with me by thine own goodwill, I protest that our union shall continue eternal and undividedas long as I remain alive. " Then she pondered these words of his, and she considered that it was advisable to encourage him in hisrequest. "Behold, then, chieftain, this is most expedient for theeto do to save me any needless imputation; come here to-morrow, andtake me away as though I knew nothing thereof. " "I will do so, " saidhe. So he arose, and took his leave, and went forth with hisattendants. And she told not then to Geraint any of the conversationwhich she had had with the Earl, lest it should rouse his anger, andcause him uneasiness and care. 

And at the usual hour they went to sleep. And at the beginning ofthe night Enid slept a little; and at midnight she arose, and placedall Geraint's armour together, so that it might be ready to put on. And although fearful of her errand, she came to the side of Geraint'sbed; and she spoke to him softly and gently, saying, "My Lord, arise, and clothe thyself, for these were the words of the Earl to me, andhis intention concerning me. " So she told Geraint all that hadpassed. And although he was wroth with her, he took warning, andclothed himself. And she lighted a candle, that he might have lightto do so. "Leave there the candle, " said he, "and desire the man ofthe house to come here. " Then she went, and the man of the housecame to him. "Dost thou know how much I owe thee?" asked Geraint. "I think thou owest but little. " "Take the eleven horses and theeleven suits of armour. " "Heaven reward thee, lord, " said he, "but Ispent not the value of one suit of armour upon thee. " "For thatreason, " said he, "thou wilt be the richer. And now, wilt thou cometo guide me out of the town?" "I will, gladly, " said he, "and inwhich direction dost thou intend to go?" "I wish to leave the townby a different way from that by which I entered it. " So the man ofthe lodgings accompanied him as far as he desired. Then he bade themaiden to go on before him; and she did so, and went straightforward, and his host returned home. And he had only just reachedhis house, when, behold, the greatest tumult approached that was everheard. And when he looked out, he saw fourscore knights in completearmour around the house, with the Earl Dwnn at their head. "Where isthe knight that was here?" said the Earl. "By thy hand, " said he, "he went hence some time ago. " "Wherefore, villain, " said he, "didstthou let him go without informing me?" "My Lord, thou didst notcommand me to do so, else would I not have allowed him to depart. ""What way dost thou think that he took?" "I know not, except that hewent along the high road. " And they turned their horses' heads thatway, and seeing the tracks of the horses upon the high road, theyfollowed. And when the maiden beheld the dawning of the day, shelooked behind her, and saw vast clouds of dust coming nearer andnearer to her. And thereupon she became uneasy, and she thought thatit was the Earl and his host coming after them. And thereupon shebeheld a knight appearing through the mist. "By my faith, " said she, "though he should slay me, it were better for me to receive my deathat his hands, than to see him killed without warning him. My Lord, "she said to him, "seest thou yonder man hastening after thee, andmany others with him?" "I do see him, " said he; "and in despite ofall my orders, I see that thou wilt never keep silence. " Then heturned upon the knight, and with the first thrust he threw him downunder his horse's feet. And as long as there remained one of thefourscore knights, 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 broke asecond. But Geraint turned upon him, and struck him with his lanceupon the centre of his shield, so that by that single thrust theshield was split, and all his armour broken, and he himself wasbrought over his horse's crupper to the ground, and was in peril ofhis life. And Geraint drew near to him; and at the noise of thetrampling of his horse the Earl revived. "Mercy, Lord, " said he toGeraint. And Geraint granted him mercy. But through the hardness ofthe ground where they had fallen, and the violence of the strokewhich they had received, there was not a single knight amongst themthat escaped without receiving a fall, mortally severe, andgrievously painful, and desperately wounding, from the hand ofGeraint. 

And Geraint journeyed along the high road that was before him, andthe maiden went on first; and near them they beheld a valley whichwas the fairest ever seen, and which had a large river runningthrough it; and there was a bridge over the river, and the high roadled to the bridge. And above the bridge upon the opposite side ofthe river, they beheld a fortified town, the fairest ever seen. Andas they approached the bridge, Geraint saw coming towards him from athick copse a man mounted upon a large and lofty steed, even of paceand spirited though tractable. "Ah, knight, " said Geraint, "whencecomest thou?" "I come, " said he, "from the valley below us. " "Canstthou tell me, " said Geraint, "who is the owner of this fair valleyand yonder walled town?" "I will tell thee, willingly, " said he. "Gwiffert Petit he is called by the Franks, but the Cymry call himthe Little King. " "Can I go by yonder bridge, " said Geraint, "and bythe lower highway that is 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 to encounterevery knight that comes upon his lands. " "I declare to Heaven, " saidGeraint, "that I will, nevertheless, pursue my journey that way. ""If thou dost so, " said the knight, "thou wilt probably meet withshame and disgrace in reward for thy daring. " Then Geraint proceededalong the road that led to the town, and the road brought him to aground that was hard, and rugged, and high, and ridgy. And as hejourneyed thus, he beheld a knight following him upon a warhorse, strong, and large, and proudly-stepping, and wide-hoofed, and broad-chested. And he never saw a man of smaller stature than he who wasupon the horse. And both he and his horse were completely armed. When he had overtaken Geraint, he said to him, "Tell me, chieftain, whether it is through ignorance or through presumption that thouseekest to insult my dignity, and to infringe my rules. " "Nay, "answered Geraint, "I knew not this road was forbid to any. " "Thoudidst know it, " said the other; "come with me to my Court, to give mesatisfaction. " "That will I not, by my faith, " said Geraint; "Iwould not go even to thy Lord's Court, excepting Arthur were thyLord. " "By the hand of Arthur himself, " said the knight, "I willhave satisfaction of thee, or receive my overthrow at thy hands. "And immediately they charged one another. And a squire of his cameto serve him with lances as he broke them. And they gave each othersuch hard and severe strokes that their shields lost all theircolour. But it was very difficult for Geraint to fight with him onaccount of his small size, for he was hardly able to get a full aimat him with all the efforts he could make. And they fought thusuntil their horses were brought down upon their knees; and at lengthGeraint threw the knight headlong to the ground; and then they foughton foot, and they gave one another blows so boldly fierce, sofrequent, and so severely powerful, that their helmets were pierced, and their skullcaps were broken, and their arms were shattered, andthe light of their eyes was darkened by sweat and blood. At the lastGeraint became enraged, and he called to him all his strength; andboldly angry, and swiftly resolute, and furiously determined, helifted up his sword, and struck him on the crown of his head a blowso mortally painful, so violent, so fierce, and so penetrating, thatit cut through all his head armour, and his skin, and his flesh, until it 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. "Thoughthou hast been neither courteous nor just, " said Geraint, "thou shalthave mercy, upon condition that thou wilt become my ally, and engagenever to fight against me again, but to come to my assistancewhenever thou hearest of my being in trouble. " "This will I do, gladly, Lord, " said he. So he pledged him his faith thereof. "Andnow, Lord, come with me, " said he, "to my Court yonder, to recoverfrom thy weariness and fatigue. " "That will I not, by Heaven, " saidhe. 

Then Gwiffert Petit beheld Enid where she stood, and it grieved himto see one of her noble mien appear so deeply afflicted. And he saidto Geraint, "My Lord, thou doest wrong not to take repose, andrefresh thyself awhile; for, if thou meetest with any difficulty inthy present condition, it will not be easy for thee to surmount it. "But Geraint would do no other than proceed on his journey, and hemounted his horse in pain, and all covered with blood. And themaiden went on first, and they proceeded towards the wood which theysaw before them. 

And the heat of the sun was very great, and through the blood andsweat, Geraint's armour cleaved to his flesh; and when they came intothe wood, he stood under a tree, to avoid the sun's heat; and hiswounds pained him more than they had done at the time when hereceived them. And the maiden stood under another tree. And lo!they heard the sound of horns, and a tumultuous noise; and theoccasion of it was, that Arthur and his company had come down to thewood. And while Geraint was considering which way he should go toavoid them, behold, he was espied by a foot-page, who was anattendant on the Steward of the Household; and he went to theSteward, and told him what kind of man he had seen in the wood. Thenthe Steward 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 thou here?" "I am standing under a shady tree, to avoid the heat and the rays of the sun. " "Wherefore is thyjourney, and who art thou?" "I seek adventures, and go where Ilist. " "Indeed, " said Kai; "then come with me to see Arthur, who ishere hard by. " "That will I not, by Heaven, " said Geraint. "Thoumust needs come, " said Kai. Then Geraint knew who he was, but Kaidid not know Geraint. And Kai attacked Geraint as best he could. And Geraint became wroth, and he struck him with the shaft of hislance, so that he rolled headlong to the ground. But chastisementworse than this would he not inflict on him. 

Scared and wildly Kai arose, and he mounted his horse, and went backto his lodging. And thence he proceeded to Gwalchmai's tent. "Oh, Sir, " said he to Gwalchmai, "I was told by one of the attendants, that he saw 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, " said Gwalchmai. "Take, then, thyhorse, and some of thy armour, " said Kai; "for I hear that he is notover courteous to those who approach him. " So Gwalchmai took hisspear and his shield, and mounted his horse, and came to the spotwhere Geraint was. "Sir Knight, " said he, "wherefore is thyjourney?" "I journey for my own pleasure, and to seek the adventuresof the world. " "Wilt thou tell me who thou art; or wilt thou comeand visit Arthur, who is near at hand?" "I will make no alliancewith thee, nor will I go and visit Arthur, " said he. And he knewthat it was Gwalchmai, but Gwalchmai knew him not. "I purpose not toleave thee, " said Gwalchmai, "till I know who thou art. " And hecharged him with his lance, and struck him on his shield, so that theshaft was shivered into splinters, and their horses were front tofront. Then Gwalchmai gazed fixedly upon him, and he knew him. "Ah, Geraint, " said he, "is it thou that art here?" "I am not Geraint, "said he. "Geraint thou art, by Heaven, " he replied, "and a wretchedand insane expedition is this. " Then he looked around, and beheldEnid, and he welcomed her gladly. "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 fit state to go and see any one. "Thereupon, behold, one of the pages came after Gwalchmai to speak tohim. So he sent him to apprise Arthur that Geraint was therewounded, and that he would not go to visit him, and that it waspitiable to see the plight that he was in. And this he did withoutGeraint's knowledge, inasmuch as he spoke in a whisper to the page. "Entreat Arthur, " said he, "to have his tent brought near to theroad, for he will not meet him willingly, and it is not easy tocompel him in the mood he is in. " So the page came to Arthur, andtold him this. And he caused his tent to be removed unto the side ofthe road. And the maiden rejoiced in her heart. And Gwalchmai ledGeraint onwards along the road, till they came to the place whereArthur was encamped, and the pages were pitching his tent by theroadside. "Lord, " said Geraint, "all hail unto thee. " "Heavenprosper thee; and who art thou?" said Arthur. "It is Geraint, " saidGwalchmai, "and of his own free will would he not come to meet thee. ""Verily, " said Arthur, "he is bereft of his reason. " 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 is this?" "I know not, Lord, " saidshe, "save that it behoves me to journey by the same road that hejourneys. " "My Lord, " said Geraint, "with thy permission we willdepart. " "Whither wilt thou go?" said Arthur. "Thou canst notproceed now, unless it be unto thy death. " "He will not sufferhimself to be invited by me, " said Gwalchmai. "But by me he will, "said Arthur; "and, moreover, he does not go from here until he ishealed. " "I had rather, Lord, " said Geraint, "that thou wouldest letme go forth. " "That will I not, I declare to Heaven, " said he. Thenhe caused a maiden to be sent for to conduct Enid to the tent whereGwenhwyvar's chamber was. And Gwenhwyvar and all her women werejoyful at her coming; and they took off her riding-dress, and placedother garments upon her. Arthur also called Kadyrieith, and orderedhim to pitch a tent for Geraint and the physicians; and he enjoinedhim to provide him with abundance of all that might be requisite forhim. And Kadyrieith did as he had commanded him. And Morgan Tud andhis disciples were brought to Geraint. 

And Arthur and his hosts remained there nearly a month, whilstGeraint was being healed. And when he was fully recovered, Geraintcame to Arthur, and asked his permission to depart. "I know not ifthou art quite well. " "In truth I am, Lord, " said Geraint. "I shallnot believe thee concerning that, but the physicians that were withthee. " So Arthur caused the physicians to be summoned to him, andasked them if it were true. "It is true, Lord, " said Morgan Tud. Sothe next day Arthur permitted him to go forth, and he pursued hisjourney. And on the same day Arthur removed thence. And Geraintdesired Enid to go on, and to keep before him, as she had formerlydone. And she went forward along the high road. And as theyjourneyed thus, they heard an exceeding loud wailing near to them. "Stay thou here, " said he, "and I will go and see what is the causeof this wailing. " "I will, " said she. Then he went forward unto anopen glade that was near the road. And in the glade he saw twohorses, one having a man's saddle, and the other a woman's saddleupon it. And, behold, there was a knight lying dead in his armour, and a young damsel in a riding-dress standing over him, lamenting. "Ah! Lady, " said Geraint, "what hath befallen thee?" "Behold, " sheanswered, "I journeyed here with my beloved husband, when, lo! threegiants came upon us, and without any cause in the world, they slewhim. " "Which way went they hence?" said Geraint. "Yonder by thehigh road, " she replied. So he returned to Enid. "Go, " said he, "tothe lady that is below yonder, and await me there till I come. " Shewas sad when he ordered her to do thus, but nevertheless she went tothe damsel, whom it was ruth to hear, and she felt certain thatGeraint would never return. Meanwhile Geraint followed the giants, and overtook them. And each of them was greater of stature thanthree other men, and a huge club was on the shoulder of each. Thenhe rushed upon one of them, and thrust his lance through his body. And having drawn it forth again, he pierced another of them throughlikewise. But the third turned upon him, and struck him with hisclub, so that he split his shield, and crushed his shoulder, andopened his wounds anew, and all his blood began to flow from him. But Geraint drew his sword, and attacked the giant, and gave him ablow on the crown of his head so severe, and fierce, and violent, that his head and his neck were split down to his shoulders, and hefell dead. So Geraint left him thus, and returned to Enid. And whenhe saw her, he fell down lifeless from his horse. Piercing, andloud, and thrilling was the cry that Enid uttered. And she came andstood over him where he had fallen. And at the sound of her criescame the Earl of Limours, and the host that journeyed with him, whomher lamentations brought out of their road. And the Earl said toEnid, "Alas, Lady, what hath befallen thee?" "Ah! good Sir, " saidshe, "the only man I have loved, or ever shall love, is slain. " Thenhe said to the other, "And what is the cause of thy grief?" "Theyhave slain my beloved husband also, " said she. "And who was it thatslew them?" "Some giants, " she answered, "slew my best-beloved, andthe other knight went in pursuit of them, and came back in the statethou seest, his blood flowing excessively; but it appears to me thathe did not leave the giants without killing some of them, if notall. " The Earl caused the knight that was dead to be buried, but hethought that there still remained some life in Geraint; and to see ifhe yet would live, he had him carried with him in the hollow of hisshield, and upon a bier. And the two damsels went to the Court; andwhen they arrived there, Geraint was placed upon a litter-couch infront of the table that was in the hall. Then they all took offtheir travelling gear, and the Earl besought Enid to do the same, andto clothe herself in other garments. "I will not, by Heaven, " saidshe. "Ah! Lady, " said he, "be not so sorrowful for this matter. ""It were hard to persuade me to be otherwise, " said she. "I will acttowards thee in such wise, that thou needest not be sorrowful, whether yonder knight live or die. Behold, a good Earldom, togetherwith myself, will I bestow on thee; be, therefore, happy and joyful. ""I declare to Heaven, " said she, "that henceforth I shall never bejoyful while I live. " "Come, then, " said he, "and eat. " "No, byHeaven, I will not, " she answered. "But, by Heaven, thou shalt, "said he. So he took her with him to the table against her will, andmany times desired her to eat. "I call Heaven to witness, " said she, "that I will not eat until the man that is upon yonder bier shall eatlikewise. " "Thou canst not fulfil that, " said the Earl, "yonder manis dead already. " "I will prove that I can, " said she. Then heoffered her a goblet of liquor. "Drink this goblet, " he said, "andit will cause thee to change thy mind. " "Evil betide me, " sheanswered, "if I drink aught until he drink also. " "Truly, " said theEarl, "it is of no more avail for me to be gentle with thee thanungentle. " And he gave her a box on the ear. Thereupon she raised aloud and piercing shriek, and her lamentations were much greater thanthey had been before, for she considered in her mind that had Geraintbeen alive, he durst not have struck her thus. But, behold, at thesound of her cry, Geraint revived from his swoon, and he sat up onthe bier, and finding his sword in the hollow of his shield, herushed to the place where the Earl was, and struck him a fiercely-wounding, severely-venomous, and sternly-smiting blow upon the crownof his head, so that he clove him in twain, until his sword wasstayed by the table. Then all left the board, and fled away. Andthis was not so much through fear of the living as through the dreadthey felt at seeing the dead man rise up to slay them. And Geraintlooked upon Enid, and he was grieved for two causes; one was, to seethat Enid had lost her colour and her wonted aspect, and the other, to know that she was in the right. "Lady, " said he, "knowest thouwhere our horses are?" "I know, Lord, where thy horse is, " shereplied, "but I know not where is the other. Thy horse is in thehouse yonder. " So he went to the house, and brought forth his horse, and mounted him, and took up Enid from the ground, and placed herupon the horse with him. And he rode forward. And their road laybetween two hedges. And the night was gaining on the day. And lo!they saw behind them the shafts of spears betwixt them and the sky, and they heard the trampling of horses, and the noise of a hostapproaching. "I hear something following us, " said he, "and I willput thee on the other side of the hedge. " And thus he did. Andthereupon, behold, a knight pricked towards him, and couched hislance. When Enid saw this, she cried out, saying, "Oh! chieftain, whoever thou art, what renown wilt thou gain by slaying a dead man?""Oh! Heaven, " said he, "is it Geraint?" "Yes, in truth, " said she. "And who art thou?" "I am the Little King, " he answered, "coming tothy assistance, for I heard that thou wast in trouble. And if thouhadst followed my advice, none of these hardships would have befallenthee. " "Nothing can happen, " said Geraint, "without the will ofHeaven, though much good results from counsel. " "Yes, " said theLittle King, "and I know good counsel for thee now. Come with me tothe court of a son-in-law of my sister, which is near here, and thoushalt have the best medical assistance in the kingdom. " "I will doso gladly, " said Geraint. And Enid was placed upon the horse of oneof the Little King's squires, and they went forward to the Baron'spalace. And they were received there with gladness, and they metwith hospitality and attention. And the next morning they went toseek physicians; and it was not long before they came, and theyattended Geraint until he was perfectly well. And while Geraint wasunder medical care, the Little King caused his armour to be repaired, until it was as good as it had ever been. And they remained there afortnight and a month. 

Then the Little King said to Geraint, "Now will we go towards my ownCourt, to take rest, and amuse ourselves. " "Not so, " said Geraint, "we will first journey for one day more, and return again. " "Withall my heart, " said the Little King, "do thou go then. " And early inthe day they set forth. And more gladly and more joyfully did Enidjourney with them that day than she had ever done. And they came tothe main road. And when they reached a place where the road dividedin two, they beheld a man on foot coming towards them along one ofthese roads, and Gwiffert asked the man whence he came. "I come, "said he, "from an errand in the country. " "Tell me, " said Geraint, "which is the best for me to follow of these two roads?" "That isthe best for thee to follow, " answered he, "for if thou goest by thisone, thou wilt never return. Below us, " said he, "there is a hedgeof mist, and within it are enchanted games, and no one who has gonethere has ever returned. And the Court of the Earl Owain is there, and he permits no one to go to lodge in the town, except he will goto his Court. " "I declare to Heaven, " said Geraint, "that we willtake the lower road. " And they went along it until they came to thetown. And they took the fairest and pleasantest place in the townfor their lodging. And while they were thus, behold, a young mancame to them, and greeted them. "Heaven be propitious to thee, " saidthey. "Good Sirs, " said he, "what preparations are you making here?""We are taking up our lodging, " said they, "to pass the night. " "Itis not the custom with him who owns the town, " he answered, "topermit any of gentle birth, unless they come to stay in his Court, toabide here; therefore, come ye to the Court. " "We will come, gladly, " said Geraint. And they went with the page, and they werejoyfully received. And the Earl came to the hall to meet them, andhe commanded the tables to be laid. And they washed, and sat down. And this is the order in which they sat: Geraint on one side of theEarl, and Enid on the other side, and next to Enid the Little King, and then the Countess next to Geraint; and all after that as becametheir rank. Then Geraint recollected the games, and thought that heshould not go to them; and on that account he did not eat. Then theEarl looked upon Geraint, and considered, and he bethought him thathis not eating was because of the games, and it grieved him that hehad ever established those games, were it only on account of losingsuch a youth as Geraint. And if Geraint had asked him to abolish thegames, he would gladly have done so. Then the Earl said to Geraint, "What thought occupies thy mind, that thou dost not eat? If thouhesitatest about going to the games, thou shalt not go, and no otherof thy rank shall ever go either. " "Heaven reward thee, " saidGeraint, "but I wish nothing better than to go to the games, and tobe shown the way thither. " "If that is what thou dost prefer, thoushalt obtain it willingly. " "I do prefer it, indeed, " said he. Thenthey ate, and they were amply served, and they had a variety ofgifts, and abundance of liquor. And when they had finished eatingthey arose. And Geraint called for his horse and his armour, and heaccoutred both himself and his horse. And all the hosts went forthuntil they came to the side of the hedge, and the hedge was so lofty, that it reached as high as they could see in the air, and upon everystake in the hedge, except two, there was the head of a man, and thenumber of stakes throughout the hedge was very great. Then said theLittle King, "May no one go in with the chieftain?" "No one may, "said Earl Owain. "Which way can I enter?" inquired Geraint. "I knownot, " said Owain, "but enter by the way that thou wilt, and thatseemeth easiest to thee. "

Then fearlessly and unhesitatingly Geraint dashed forward into themist. And on leaving the mist, he came to a large orchard; and inthe orchard he saw an open space, wherein was a tent of red satin;and the door of the tent was open, and an apple-tree stood in frontof the door of the tent; and on a branch of the apple-tree hung ahuge hunting-horn. Then he dismounted, and went into the tent; andthere was no one in the tent save one maiden sitting in a goldenchair, and another chair was opposite to her, empty. And Geraintwent to the empty chair, and sat down therein. "Ah! chieftain, " saidthe maiden, "I would not counsel thee to sit in that chair. ""Wherefore?" said Geraint. "The man to whom that chair belongs hasnever suffered another to sit in it. " "I care not, " said Geraint, "though it displease him that I sit in the chair. " And thereuponthey heard a mighty tumult around the tent. And Geraint looked tosee what was the cause of the tumult. And he beheld without a knightmounted upon 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 bade thee sit there?" "Myself, "answered he. "It was wrong of thee to do me this shame and disgrace. Arise, and do me satisfaction for thine insolence. " Then Geraintarose; and they encountered immediately; and they broke a set oflances, and a second set, and a third; and they gave each otherfierce and frequent strokes; and at last Geraint became enraged, andhe urged on his horse, and rushed upon him, and gave him a thrust onthe centre of his shield, so that it was split, and so that the headof his lance went through his armour, and his girths were broken, andhe himself was borne headlong to the ground the length of Geraint'slance and arm, over his horse's crupper. "Oh, my Lord!" said he, "thy mercy, and thou shalt have what thou wilt. " "I only desire, "said Geraint, "that this game shall no longer exist here, nor thehedge of mist, nor magic, nor enchantment. " "Thou shalt have thisgladly, Lord, " he replied. "Cause, then, the mist to disappear fromthis place, " said Geraint. "Sound yonder horn, " said he, "and whenthou soundest it, the mist will vanish; but it will not go henceunless the horn be blown by the knight by whom I am vanquished. " Andsad and sorrowful was Enid where she remained, through anxietyconcerning Geraint. Then Geraint went and sounded the horn. And atthe first blast he gave, the mist vanished. And all the hosts cametogether, and they all became reconciled to each other. And the Earlinvited Geraint and the Little King to stay with him that night. Andthe next morning they separated. And Geraint went towards his owndominions; and thenceforth he reigned prosperously, and his warlikefame and splendour lasted with renown and honour both to him and toEnid from that time forth. 

KILHWCH AND OLWENOR THETWRCH TRWYTH

Kilydd the son of Prince Kelyddon desired a wife as a helpmate, andthe wife that he chose was Goleuddydd, the daughter of PrinceAnlawdd. And after their union, the people put up prayers that theymight have an heir. And they had a son through the prayers of thepeople. From the time of her pregnancy Goleuddydd became wild, andwandered about, without habitation; but when her delivery was athand, her reason came back to her. Then she went to a mountain wherethere was a swineherd, keeping a herd of swine. And through fear ofthe swine the queen was delivered. And the swineherd took the boy, and brought him to the palace; and he was christened, and they calledhim Kilhwch, because he had been found in a swine's burrow. Nevertheless the boy was of gentle lineage, and cousin unto Arthur;and they put him out to nurse. 

After this the boy's mother, Goleuddydd, the daughter of PrinceAnlawdd, fell sick. Then she called her husband unto her, and saidto him, "Of this sickness I shall die, and thou wilt take anotherwife. Now wives are the gift of the Lord, but it would be wrong forthee to harm thy son. Therefore I charge thee that thou take not awife until thou see a briar with two blossoms upon my grave. " Andthis he promised her. Then she besought him to dress her grave everyyear, that nothing might grow thereon. So the queen died. Now theking sent an attendant every morning to see if anything were growingupon the grave. And at the end of the seventh year the masterneglected that which he had promised to the queen. 

One day the king went to hunt, and he rode to the place of burial tosee the grave, and to know if it were time that he should take awife; and the king saw the briar. And when he saw it, the king tookcounsel where he should find a wife. Said one of his counsellors, "Iknow a wife that will suit thee well, and she is the wife of KingDoged. " And they resolved to go to seek her; and they slew the king, and brought 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 the house ofan old crone that dwelt in the town, and that had no tooth in herhead. And the queen said to her, "Old woman, tell me that which Ishall ask thee, for the love of Heaven. Where are the children ofthe man who has carried me away by violence?" Said the crone, "Hehas not children. " Said the queen, "Woe is me, that I should havecome to one who is childless!" Then said the hag, "Thou needest notlament on account of that, for there is a prediction he shall have anheir by thee, and by none other. Moreover, be not sorrowful, for hehas one son. "

The lady returned home with joy; and she asked her consort, "Wherefore hast thou concealed thy children from me?" The king said, "I will do so no longer. " And he sent messengers for his son, and hewas brought to the Court. His stepmother said unto him, "It werewell for thee to have a wife, and I have a daughter who is sought ofevery man of renown in the world. " "I am not yet of an age to wed, "answered the youth. Then said she unto him, "I declare to thee, thatit is thy destiny not to be suited with a wife until thou obtainOlwen, the daughter of Yspaddaden Penkawr. " And the youth blushed, and the love of the maiden diffused itself through all his frame, although he had never seen her. And his father inquired of him, "What has come over thee, my son, and what aileth thee?" "Mystepmother has declared to me that I shall never have a wife until Iobtain Olwen, the daughter of Yspaddaden Penkawr. " "That will beeasy 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 dappled grey, offour winters old, firm of limb, with shell-formed hoofs, having abridle of linked gold on his head, and upon him a saddle of costlygold. And in the youth's hand were two spears of silver, sharp, well-tempered, headed with steel, three ells in length, of an edge towound the wind, and cause blood to flow, and swifter than the fall ofthe dewdrop from the blade of reed-grass upon the earth when the dewof June is at the heaviest. A gold-hilted sword was upon his thigh, the blade of which was of gold, bearing a cross of inlaid gold of thehue of the lightning of heaven: his war-horn was of ivory. Beforehim were two brindled white-breasted greyhounds, having strongcollars of rubies about their necks, reaching from the shoulder tothe ear. And the one that was on the left side bounded across to theright side, and the one on the right to the left, and like two sea-swallows sported around him. And his courser cast up four sods withhis four hoofs, like four swallows in the air, about his head, nowabove, now below. About him was a four-cornered cloth of purple, andan apple of gold was at each corner, and every one of the apples wasof the value of an hundred kine. And there was precious gold of thevalue of three hundred kine upon his shoes, and upon his stirrups, from his knee to the tip of his toe. And the blade of grass bent notbeneath him, so light was his courser's tread as he journeyed towardsthe gate of Arthur's Palace. 

Spoke the youth, "Is there a porter?" "There is; and if thou holdestnot thy peace, small will be thy welcome. I am Arthur's porter everyfirst day of January. And during every other part of the year butthis, the office is filled by Huandaw, and Gogigwc, and Llaeskenym, and Pennpingyon, who goes upon his head to save his feet, neithertowards the sky nor towards the earth, but like a rolling stone uponthe floor of the court. " "Open the portal. " "I will not open it. ""Wherefore not?" "The knife is in the meat, and the drink is in thehorn, and there is revelry in Arthur's Hall, and none may entertherein but the son of a king of a privileged country, or a craftsmanbringing his craft. But there will be refreshment for thy dogs, andfor thy horses; and for thee there will be collops cooked andpeppered, and luscious wine and mirthful songs, and food for fiftymen shall be brought unto thee in the guest chamber, where thestranger and the sons of other countries eat, who come not unto theprecincts of the Palace of Arthur. Thou wilt fare no worse therethan thou wouldest with Arthur in the Court. A lady shall smooth thycouch, and shall lull thee with songs; and early to-morrow morning, when the gate is open for the multitude that come hither to-day, forthee shall it be opened first, and thou mayest sit in the place thatthou shalt choose in Arthur's Hall, from the upper end to the lower. "Said the youth, "That will I not do. If thou openest the gate, it iswell. If thou dost not open it, I will bring disgrace upon thy Lord, and evil report 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, and toEsgair Oervel, in Ireland. And all the women in this Palace that arepregnant shall lose their offspring; and such as are not pregnant, their hearts shall be turned by illness, so that they shall neverbear children from this day forward. " "What clamour soever thoumayest make, " said Glewlwyd Gavaelvawr, "against the laws of Arthur'sPalace shalt thou not enter therein, until I first go and speak withArthur. "

Then Glewlwyd went into the Hall. And Arthur said to him, "Hast thounews from the gate?"--"Half of my life is past, and half of thine. Iwas heretofore in Kaer Se and Asse, in Sach and Salach, in Lotor andFotor; and I have been heretofore in India the Great and India theLesser; and I was in the battle of Dau Ynyr, when the twelve hostageswere brought from Llychlyn. And I have also been in Europe, and inAfrica, and in the islands of Corsica, and in Caer Brythwch, andBrythach, and Verthach; and I was present when formerly thou didstslay the family of Clis the son of Merin, and when thou didst slayMil Du the son of Ducum, and when thou didst conquer Greece in theEast. And I have been in Caer Oeth and Annoeth, and in CaerNevenhyr; nine supreme sovereigns, handsome men, saw we there, butnever did I behold a man of equal dignity with him who is now at thedoor of the portal. " Then said Arthur, "If walking thou didst enterin here, return thou running. And every one that beholds the light, and every one that opens and shuts the eye, let them shew himrespect, and serve him, some with gold-mounted drinking-horns, otherswith collops cooked and peppered, until food and drink can beprepared for him. It is unbecoming to keep such a man as thou sayesthe is, in the wind and the rain. " Said Kai, "By the hand of myfriend, if thou wouldest follow my counsel, thou wouldest not breakthrough the laws of the Court because of him. " "Not so, blessed Kai. It is an honour to us to be resorted to, and the greater our courtesythe greater will be our renown, and our fame, and our glory. "

And Glewlwyd came to the gate, and opened the gate before him; andalthough all dismounted upon the horseblock at the gate, yet did henot dismount, but rode in upon his charger. Then said Kilhwch, "Greeting be unto thee, Sovereign Ruler of this Island; and be thisgreeting no less unto the lowest than unto the highest, and be itequally unto thy guests, and thy warriors, and thy chieftains--letall partake of it as completely as thyself. And complete be thyfavour, and thy fame, and thy glory, throughout all this Island. ""Greeting unto thee also, " said Arthur; "sit thou between two of mywarriors, and thou shalt have minstrels before thee, and thou shaltenjoy the privileges of a king born to a throne, as long as thouremainest here. And when I dispense my presents to the visitors andstrangers in this Court, they shall be in thy hand at my commencing. "Said the youth, "I came not here to consume meat and drink; but if Iobtain the boon that I seek, I will requite it thee, and extol thee;and if I have it not, I will bear forth thy dispraise to the fourquarters of the world, as far as thy renown has extended. " Then saidArthur, "Since thou wilt not remain here, chieftain, thou shaltreceive the boon whatsoever thy tongue may name, as far as the winddries, and the rain moistens, and the sun revolves, and the seaencircles, and the earth extends; save only my ship; and my mantle;and Caledvwlch, my sword; and Rhongomyant, my lance; andWynebgwrthucher, my shield; and Carnwenhau, my dagger; andGwenhwyvar, my wife. By the truth of Heaven, thou shalt have itcheerfully, name what thou wilt. " "I would that thou bless my hair. ""That shall be granted thee. "

And Arthur took a golden comb, and scissors, whereof the loops wereof silver, and he combed his hair. And Arthur inquired of him who hewas. "For my heart warms unto thee, and I know that thou art come ofmy blood. Tell me, therefore, who thou art. " "I will tell thee, "said the youth. "I am Kilhwch, the son of Kilydd, the son of PrinceKelyddon, by Goleuddydd, my mother, the daughter of Prince Anlawdd. ""That is true, " said Arthur; "thou art my cousin. Whatsoever boonthou mayest ask, thou shalt receive, be it what it may that thytongue shall name. " "Pledge the truth of Heaven and the faith of thykingdom thereof. " "I pledge it thee, gladly. " "I crave of theethen, that thou obtain for me Olwen, the daughter of YspaddadenPenkawr; and this boon I likewise seek at the hands of thy warriors. I seek it from Kai, and Bedwyr, and Greidawl Galldonyd, and Gwythyrthe son of Greidawl, and Greid the son of Eri, and KynddeligKyvarwydd, and Tathal Twyll Goleu, and Maelwys the son of Baeddan, and Crychwr the son of Nes, and Cubert the son of Daere, and Percosthe son of Poch, and Lluber Beuthach, and Corvil Bervach, and Gwynnthe son of Nudd, and Edeyrn the son of Nudd, and Gadwy the son ofGeraint, and Prince Fflewddur Fflam, and Ruawn Pebyr the son ofDorath, and Bradwen the son of Moren Mynawc, and Moren Mynawchimself, and Dalldav the son of Kimin Cov, and the son of Alun Dyved, and the son of Saidi, and the son of Gwryon, and Uchtryd Ardywad Kad, and Kynwas Curvagyl, and Gwrhyr Gwarthegvras, and Isperyr Ewingath, and Gallcoyt Govynynat, and Duach, and Grathach, and Nerthach, thesons of Gwawrddur Kyrvach (these men came forth from the confines ofhell), and Kilydd Canhastyr, and Canastyr Kanllaw, and Cors Cant-Ewin, and Esgeir Gulhwch Govynkawn, and Drustwrn Hayarn, and GlewlwydGavaelvawr, and Lloch Llawwynnyawc, and Aunwas Adeiniawc, and Sinnochthe son of Seithved, and Gwennwynwyn the son of Naw, and Bedyw theson of Seithved, and Gobrwy the son of Echel Vorddwyttwll, and EchelVorddwyttwll himself, and Mael the son of Roycol, and DadweirDallpenn, and Garwyli the son of Gwythawc Gwyr, and Gwythawc Gwyrhimself, and Gormant the son of Ricca, and Menw the son ofTeirgwaedd, and Digon the son of Alar, and Selyf the son of Smoit, and Gusg the son of Atheu, and Nerth the son of Kedarn, and Drudwasthe son of Tryffin, and Twrch the son of Perif, and Twrch the son ofAnnwas, and Iona king of France, and Sel the son of Selgi, andTeregud the son of Iaen, and Sulyen the son of Iaen, and Bradwen theson of Iaen, and Moren the son of Iaen, and Siawn the son of Iaen, and Cradawc the son of Iaen. (They were men of Caerdathal, ofArthur's kindred on his father's side. ) Dirmyg the son of Kaw, andJustic the son of Kaw, and Etmic the son of Kaw, and Anghawd the sonof Kaw, and Ovan the son of Kaw, and Kelin the son of Kaw, and Connynthe son of Kaw, and Mabsant the son of Kaw, and Gwyngad the son ofKaw, and Llwybyr the son of Kaw, and Coth the son of Kaw, and Meilicthe son of Kaw, and Kynwas the son of Kaw, and Ardwyad the son ofKaw, and Ergyryad the son of Kaw, and Neb the son of Kaw, and Gildathe son of Kaw, and Calcas the son of Kaw, and Hueil the son of Kaw(he never yet made a request at the hand of any Lord). And SamsonVinsych, and Taliesin the chief of the bards, and Manawyddan the sonof Llyr, and Llary the son of Prince Kasnar, and Ysperni the son ofFflergant king of Armorica, and Saranhon the son of Glythwyr, andLlawr Eilerw, and Annyanniawc the son of Menw the son of Teirgwaedd, and Gwynn the son of Nwyvre, and Fflam the son of Nwyvre, and Geraintthe son of Erbin, and Ermid the son of Erbin, and Dyvel the son ofErbin, and Gwynn the son of Ermid, and Kyndrwyn the son of Ermid, andHyveidd Unllenn, and Eiddon Vawr Vrydic, and Reidwn Arwy, and Gormantthe 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 of Beli, and Iscovan Hael, and Iscawin the son of Panon, and Morvran the sonof Tegid (no one struck him in the battle of Camlan by reason of hisugliness; all thought he was an auxiliary devil. Hair had he uponhim like the hair of a stag). And Sandde Bryd Angel (no one touchedhim with a spear in the battle of Camlan because of his beauty; allthought he was a ministering angel). And Kynwyl Sant (the third manthat escaped from the battle of Camlan, and he was the last whoparted from Arthur on Hengroen his horse). And Uchtryd the son ofErim, and Eus the son of Erim, and Henwas Adeinawg the son of Erim, and Henbedestyr the son of Erim, and Sgilti Yscawndroed the son ofErim. (Unto these three men belonged these three qualities, --WithHenbedestyr there was not any one who could keep pace, either onhorseback or on foot; with Henwas Adeinawg, no four-footed beastcould run the distance of an acre, much less could it go beyond it;and as to Sgilti Yscawndroed, when he intended to go upon a messagefor his Lord, he never sought to find a path, but knowing whither hewas to go, if his way lay through a wood he went along the tops ofthe trees. During his whole life, a blade of reed grass bent notbeneath his feet, much less did one ever break, so lightly did hetread. ) Teithi Hen the son of Gwynhan (his dominions were swallowedup by the sea, and he himself hardly escaped, and he came to Arthur;and his knife had this peculiarity, that from the time that he camethere no haft would ever remain upon it, and owing to this a sicknesscame over him, and he pined away during the remainder of his life, and of this he died). And Carneddyr the son of Govynyon Hen, andGwenwynwyn the son of Nav Gyssevin, Arthur's champion, andLlysgadrudd Emys, and Gwrbothu Hen (uncles unto Arthur were they, hismother's brothers). Kulvanawyd the son of Goryon, and LlenlleawgWyddel from the headland of Ganion, and Dyvynwal Moel, and Dunardking of the North, Teirnon Twryf Bliant, and Tegvan Gloff, and TegyrTalgellawg, Gwrdinal the son of Ebrei, and Morgant Hael, Gwystyl theson of Rhun the son of Nwython, and Llwyddeu the son of Nwython, andGwydre the son of Llwyddeu (Gwenabwy the daughter of [Kaw] was hismother, Hueil his uncle stabbed him, and hatred was between Hueil andArthur because of the wound). Drem the son of Dremidyd (when thegnat arose in the morning with the sun, he could see it from GelliWic in Cornwall, as far off as Pen Blathaon in North Britain). AndEidyol the son of Ner, and Glwyddyn Saer (who constructed Ehangwen, Arthur's Hall). Kynyr Keinvarvawc (when he was told he had a sonborn he said to his wife, 'Damsel, if thy son be mine, his heart willbe always cold, and there will be no warmth in his hands; and he willhave another peculiarity, if he is my son he will always be stubborn;and he will have another peculiarity, when he carries a burden, whether it be large or small, no one will be able to see it, eitherbefore him or at his back; and he will have another peculiarity, noone will be able to resist fire and water so well as he will; and hewill have another peculiarity, there will never be a servant or anofficer equal to him'). Henwas, and Henwyneb (an old companion toArthur). Gwallgoyc (another; when he came to a town, though therewere three hundred houses in it, if he wanted anything, he would notlet sleep come to the eyes of any one whilst he remained there). Berwyn the son of Gerenhir, and Paris king of France, and OslaGyllellvawr (who bore a short broad dagger. When Arthur and hishosts came before a torrent, they would seek for a narrow place wherethey might pass the water, and would lay the sheathed dagger acrossthe torrent, and it would form a bridge sufficient for the armies ofthe three Islands of Britain, and of the three islands adjacent, withtheir spoil). Gwyddawg the son of Menestyr (who slew Kai, and whomArthur slew, together with his brothers, to revenge Kai). Garanwynthe son of Kai, and Amren the son of Bedwyr, and Ely Amyr, and RheuRhwyd Dyrys, and Rhun Rhudwern, and Eli, and Trachmyr (Arthur's chiefhuntsmen). And Llwyddeu the son of Kelcoed, and Hunabwy the son ofGwryon, and Gwynn Godyvron, and Gweir Datharwenniddawg, and Gweir theson of Cadell the son of Talaryant, and Gweir Gwrhyd Ennwir, andGweir Paladyr Hir (the uncles of Arthur, the brothers of his mother). The sons of Llwch Llawwynnyawg (from beyond the raging sea). Llenlleawg Wyddel, and Ardderchawg Prydain. Cas the son of Saidi, Gwrvan Gwallt Avwyn, and Gwyllennhin the king of France, and Gwittartthe son of Oedd king of Ireland. Garselit Wyddel, Panawr Pen Bagad, and Ffleudor the son of Nav, Gwynnhyvar mayor of Cornwall and Devon(the ninth man that rallied the battle of Camlan). Keli and Kueli, and Gilla Coes Hydd (he would clear three hundred acres at one bound:the chief leaper of Ireland was he). Sol, and Gwadyn Ossol, andGwadyn Odyeith. (Sol could stand all day upon one foot. GwadynOssol, if he stood upon the top of the highest mountain in the world, it would become a level plain under his feet. Gwadyn Odyeith, thesoles of his feet emitted sparks of fire when they struck upon thingshard, like the heated mass when drawn out of the forge. He clearedthe way for Arthur when he came to any stoppage. ) Hirerwm andHiratrwm. (The day they went on a visit three Cantrevs provided fortheir entertainment, and they feasted until noon and drank untilnight, when they went to sleep. And then they devoured the heads ofthe vermin through hunger, as if they had never eaten anything. Whenthey made a visit they left neither the fat nor the lean, neither thehot nor the cold, the sour nor the sweet, the fresh nor the salt, theboiled nor the raw. ) Huarwar the son of Aflawn (who asked Arthursuch a boon as would satisfy him. It was the third great plague ofCornwall when he received it. None could get a smile from him butwhen he was satisfied). Gware Gwallt Euryn. The two cubs of GastRhymi, Gwyddrud and Gwyddneu Astrus. Sugyn the son of Sugnedydd (whowould suck up the sea on which were three hundred ships so as toleave nothing but a dry strand. He was broad-chested). Rhacymwri, the attendant of Arthur (whatever barn he was shown, were there theproduce of thirty ploughs within it, he would strike it with an ironflail until the rafters, the beams, and the boards were no betterthan the small oats in the mow upon the floor of the barn). Dygyflwng and Anoeth Veidawg. And Hir Eiddyl, and Hir Amreu (theywere two attendants of Arthur). And Gwevyl the son of Gwestad (onthe day that he was sad, he would let one of his lips drop below hiswaist, while he turned up the other like a cap upon his head). Uchtryd Varyf Draws (who spread his red untrimmed beard over theeight-and-forty rafters which were in Arthur's Hall). ElidyrGyvarwydd. Yskyrdav and Yscudydd (two attendants of Gwenhwyvar werethey. Their feet were swift as their thoughts when bearing amessage). Brys the son of Bryssethach (from the Hill of the BlackFernbrake in North Britain). And Grudlwyn Gorr. Bwlch, and Kyfwlch, and Sefwlch, the sons of Cleddyf Kyfwlch, the grandsons of CleddyfDifwlch. (Their three shields were three gleaming glitterers; theirthree spears were three pointed piercers; their three swords werethree grinding gashers; Glas, Glessic, and Gleisad. Their threedogs, Call, Cuall, and Cavall. Their three horses, Hwyrdyddwd, andDrwgdyddwd, and Llwyrdyddwg. Their three wives, Och, and Garym, andDiaspad. Their three grandchildren, Lluched, and Neved, andEissiwed. Their three daughters, Drwg, and Gwaeth, and Gwaethav Oll. Their three hand-maids, Eheubryd the daughter of Kyfwlch, Gorascwrnthe daughter of Nerth, Ewaedan the daughter of Kynvelyn Keudawd Pwyllthe half-man. ) Dwnn Diessic Unbenn, Eiladyr the son of Pen Llarcau, Kynedyr Wyllt the son of Hettwn Talaryant, Sawyl Ben Uchel, Gwalchmaithe son of Gwyar, Gwalhaved the son of Gwyar, Gwrhyr GwastawdIeithoedd (to whom all tongues were known), and Kethcrwm the Priest. Clust the son of Clustveinad (though he were buried seven cubitsbeneath the earth, he would hear the ant fifty miles off rise fromher nest in the morning). Medyr the son of Methredydd (from GelliWic he could, in a twinkling, shoot the wren through the two legsupon Esgeir Oervel in Ireland). Gwiawn Llygad Cath (who could cut ahaw from the eye of the gnat without hurting him). Ol the son ofOlwydd (seven years before he was born his father's swine werecarried off, and when he grew up a man he tracked the swine, andbrought them back in seven herds). Bedwini the Bishop (who blessedArthur's meat and drink). For the sake of the golden-chaineddaughters of this island. For the sake of Gwenhwyvar its chief lady, and Gwennhwyach her sister, and Rathtyeu the only daughter ofClemenhill, and Rhelemon the daughter of Kai, and Tannwen thedaughter of Gweir Datharweniddawg. Gwenn Alarch the daughter ofKynwyl Canbwch. Eurneid the daughter of Clydno Eiddin. Eneuawc thedaughter of Bedwyr. Enrydreg the daughter of Tudvathar. Gwennwledyrthe daughter of Gwaledyr Kyrvach. Erddudnid the daughter of Tryffin. Eurolwen the daughter of Gwdolwyn Gorr. Teleri the daughter of Peul. Indeg the daughter of Garwy Hir. Morvudd the daughter of UrienRheged. Gwenllian Deg the majestic maiden. Creiddylad the daughterof Lludd Llaw Ereint. (She was the most splendid maiden in the threeIslands of the mighty, and in the three Islands adjacent, and for herGwythyr the son of Greidawl and Gwynn the son of Nudd fight everyfirst of May until the day of doom. ) Ellylw the daughter of NeolKynn-Crog (she lived three ages). Essyllt Vinwen and EssylltVingul. " And all these did Kilhwch the son of Kilydd adjure toobtain his boon. 

Then said Arthur, "Oh! chieftain, I have never heard of the maiden ofwhom thou speakest, nor of her kindred, but I will gladly sendmessengers in search of her. Give me time to seek her. " And theyouth said, "I will willingly grant from this night to that at theend of the year to do so. " Then Arthur sent messengers to every landwithin his dominions to seek for the maiden; and at the end of theyear Arthur's messengers returned without having gained any knowledgeor intelligence concerning Olwen more than on the first day. Thensaid Kilhwch, "Every one has received his boon, and I yet lack mine. I will depart and bear away thy honour with me. " Then said Kai, "Rash chieftain! dost thou reproach Arthur? Go with us, and we willnot part until thou dost either confess that the maiden exists not inthe world, or until we obtain her. " Thereupon Kai rose up. Kai hadthis peculiarity, that his breath lasted nine nights and nine daysunder water, and he could exist nine nights and nine days withoutsleep. A wound from Kai's sword no physician could heal. Verysubtle was Kai. When it pleased him he could render himself as tallas the highest tree in the forest. And he had another peculiarity, --so great was the heat of his nature, that, when it rained hardest, whatever he carried remained dry for a handbreadth above and ahandbreadth below his hand; and when his companions were coldest, itwas to them as fuel with which to light their fire. 

And Arthur called Bedwyr, who never shrank from any enterprise uponwhich Kai was bound. None was equal to him in swiftness throughoutthis island except Arthur and Drych Ail Kibddar. And although he wasone-handed, three warriors could not shed blood faster than he on thefield of battle. Another property he had; his lance would produce awound equal to those of nine opposing lances. 

And Arthur called to Kynddelig the Guide, "Go thou upon thisexpedition with the chieftain. " For as good a guide was he in a landwhich he had never seen as he was in his own. 

He called Gwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoedd, because he knew all tongues. 

He called Gwalchmai the son of Gwyar, because he never returned homewithout achieving the adventure of which he went in quest. He wasthe best of footmen and the best of knights. He was nephew toArthur, the son of his sister, and his cousin. 

And Arthur called Menw the son of Teirgwaedd, in order that if theywent into a savage country, he might cast a charm and an illusionover them, so that none might see them whilst they could see everyone. 

They journeyed until they came to a vast open plain, wherein they sawa great castle, which was the fairest of the castles of the world. And they journeyed that day until the evening, and when they thoughtthey were nigh to the castle, they were no nearer to it than they hadbeen in the morning. And the second and the third day theyjourneyed, and even then scarcely could they reach so far. And whenthey came before the castle, they beheld a vast flock of sheep, whichwas boundless and without an end. And upon the top of a mound therewas a herdsman, keeping the sheep. And a rug made of skins was uponhim; and by his side was a shaggy mastiff, larger than a steed ninewinters old. Never had he lost even a lamb from his flock, much lessa large sheep. He let no occasion ever pass without doing some hurtand harm. All the dead trees and bushes in the plain he burnt withhis breath down to the very ground. 

Then said Kai, "Gwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoedd, go thou and salute yonderman. " "Kai, " said he, "I engaged not to go further than thouthyself. " "Let us go then together, " answered Kai. Said Menw theson of Teirgwaedd, "Fear not to go thither, for I will cast a spellupon the dog, so that he shall injure no one. " And they went up tothe mound whereon the herdsman was, and they said to him, "How dostthou fare, O herdsman?" "No less fair be it to you than to me. ""Truly, art thou the chief?" "There is no hurt to injure me but myown. " {5} "Whose are the sheep that thou dost keep, and to whom doesyonder castle belong?" "Stupid are ye, truly! Through the wholeworld is it known that this is the castle of Yspaddaden Penkawr. ""And who art thou?" "I am called Custennin the son of Dyfnedig, andmy brother Yspaddaden Penkawr oppressed me because of my possessions. And ye also, who are ye?" "We are an embassy from Arthur, come toseek Olwen the daughter of Yspaddaden Penkawr. " "Oh men! the mercyof Heaven be upon you, do not that for all the world. None who evercame hither on this quest has returned alive. " And the herdsman roseup. And as he arose, Kilhwch gave unto him a ring of gold. And hesought to put on the ring, but it was too small for him, so he placedit in the finger of his glove. And he went home, and gave the gloveto his spouse to keep. And she took the ring from the glove when itwas given her, and she said, "Whence came this ring, for thou art notwont to have good fortune?" "I went, " said he, "to the sea to seekfor fish, and lo, I saw a corpse borne by the waves. And a fairercorpse than it did I never behold. And from its finger did I takethis ring. " "O man! does the sea permit its dead to wear jewels?Show me then this body. " "Oh wife, him to whom this ring belongedthou shalt see here in the evening. " "And who is he?" asked thewoman, "Kilhwch the son of Kilydd, the son of Prince Kelyddon, byGoleuddydd the daughter of Prince Anlawdd, his mother, who is come toseek Olwen as his wife. " And when she heard that, her feelings weredivided between the joy that she had that her nephew, the son of hersister, was coming to her, and sorrow because she had never known anyone depart alive who had come on that quest. 

And they went forward to the gate of Custennin the herdsman'sdwelling. And when she heard their footsteps approaching, she ranout with joy to meet them. And Kai snatched a billet out of thepile. And when she met them she sought to throw her arms about theirnecks. And Kai placed the log between her two hands, and shesqueezed it so that it became a twisted coil. "Oh woman, " said Kai, "if thou hadst squeezed me thus, none could ever again have set theiraffections on me. Evil love were this. " They entered into thehouse, and were served; and soon after they all went forth to amusethemselves. Then the woman opened a stone chest that was before thechimney-corner, and out of it arose a youth with yellow curling hair. Said Gwrhyr, "It is a pity to hide this youth. I know that it is nothis own crime that is thus visited upon him. " "This is but aremnant, " said the woman. "Three-and-twenty of my sons hasYspaddaden Penkawr slain, and I have no more hope of this one than ofthe others. " Then said Kai, "Let him come and be a companion withme, and he shall not be slain unless I also am slain with him. " Andthey ate. And the woman asked them, "Upon what errand come youhere?" "We come to seek Olwen for this youth. " Then said the woman, "In the name of Heaven, since no one from the castle hath yet seenyou, return again whence you came. " "Heaven is our witness, that wewill not return until we have seen the maiden. " Said Kai, "Does sheever come hither, so that she may be seen?" "She comes here everySaturday to wash her head, and in the vessel where she washes, sheleaves all her rings, and she never either comes herself or sends anymessengers to fetch them. "

"Will she come here if she is sent to?" "Heaven knows that I willnot destroy my soul, nor will I betray those that trust me; unlessyou will pledge me your faith that you will not harm her, I will notsend to her. " "We pledge it, " said they. So a message was sent, andshe came. 

The maiden was clothed in a robe of flame-coloured silk, and abouther neck was a collar of ruddy gold, on which were precious emeraldsand rubies. More yellow was her head than the flower of the broom, and her skin was whiter than the foam of the wave, and fairer wereher hands and her fingers than the blossoms of the wood anemoneamidst the spray of the meadow fountain. The eye of the trainedhawk, the glance of the three-mewed falcon was not brighter thanhers. Her bosom was more snowy than the breast of the white swan, her cheek was redder than the reddest roses. Whoso beheld her wasfilled with her love. Four white trefoils sprung up wherever shetrod. And therefore was she called Olwen. 

She entered the house, and sat beside Kilhwch upon the foremostbench; and as soon as he saw her he knew her. And Kilhwch said untoher, "Ah! maiden, thou art she whom I have loved; come away with me, lest they speak evil of thee and of me. Many a day have I lovedthee. " "I cannot do this, for I have pledged my faith to my fathernot to go without his counsel, for his life will last only until thetime of my espousals. Whatever is, must be. But I will give theeadvice if thou wilt take it. Go, ask me of my father, and that whichhe shall require of thee, grant it, and thou wilt obtain me; but ifthou deny him anything, thou wilt not obtain me, and it will be wellfor thee if thou escape with thy life. " "I promise all this, ifoccasion offer, " said he. 

She returned to her chamber, and they all rose up and followed her tothe castle. And they slew the nine porters that were at the ninegates in silence. And they slew the nine watch-dogs without one ofthem barking. And they went forward 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 my servants? Raise up the forksbeneath my two eyebrows which have fallen over my eyes, that I maysee the fashion of my son-in-law. " And they did so. "Come hitherto-morrow, and you shall have an answer. "

They rose to go forth, and Yspaddaden Penkawr seized one of the threepoisoned darts that lay beside him, and threw it after them. AndBedwyr caught it, and flung it, and pierced Yspaddaden Penkawrgrievously with it through the knee. Then he said, "A cursedungentle son-in-law, truly. I shall ever walk the worse for hisrudeness, and shall ever be without a cure. This poisoned iron painsme like the bite of a gadfly. Cursed be the smith who forged it, andthe anvil whereon it was wrought! So sharp is it!"

That night also they took up their abode in the house of Custenninthe herdsman. The next day with the dawn they arrayed themselves inhaste and proceeded to the castle, and entered the hall, and theysaid, "Yspaddaden Penkawr, give us thy daughter in consideration ofher dower and her maiden fee, which we will pay to thee and to hertwo kinswomen likewise. And unless thou wilt do so, thou shalt meetwith thy death on her account. " Then he said, "Her four great-grandmothers, and her four great-grandsires are yet alive, it isneedful that I take counsel of them. " "Be it so, " answered they, "wewill go to meat. " As they rose up, he took the second dart that wasbeside him, and cast it after them. And Menw the son of Gwaeddcaught it, and flung it back at him, and wounded him in the centre ofthe breast, so that it came out at the small of his back. "A cursedungentle son-in-law, truly, " said he, "the hard iron pains me likethe bite of a horse-leech. Cursed be the hearth whereon it washeated, and the smith who formed it! So sharp is it! Henceforth, whenever I go up a hill, I shall have a scant in my breath, and apain in my chest, and I shall often loathe my food. " And they wentto meat. 

And the third day they returned to the palace. And YspaddadenPenkawr said to them, "Shoot not at me again unless you desire death. Where are my attendants? Lift up the forks of my eyebrows which havefallen over my eyeballs, that I may see the fashion of my son-in-law. " Then they arose, and, as they did so, Yspaddaden Penkawr tookthe third poisoned dart and cast it at them. And Kilhwch caught itand threw it vigorously, and wounded him through the eyeball, so thatthe dart came out at the back 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; andperadventure my head will burn, and I shall have a giddiness everynew moon. Cursed be the fire in which it was forged. Like the biteof a mad dog is the stroke of this poisoned iron. " And they went tomeat. 

And the next day they came again to the palace, and they said, "Shootnot at us any more, unless thou desirest such hurt, and harm, andtorture as thou now hast, and even more. " "Give me thy daughter, andif thou wilt not give her, thou shalt receive thy death because ofher. " "Where is he that seeks my daughter? Come hither where I maysee thee. " And they placed him a chair face to face with him. 

Said Yspaddaden Penkawr, "Is it thou that seekest my daughter?" "Itis I, " answered Kilhwch. "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 theethat willingly, " said Kilhwch, "name what thou wilt. " "I will doso, " said he. 

"Seest thou yonder vast hill?" "I see it. " "I require that it berooted up, and that the grubbings be burned for manure on the face ofthe land, and that it be ploughed and sown in one day, and in one daythat the grain ripen. And of that wheat I intend to make food andliquor fit for the wedding of thee and my daughter. And all this Irequire done in one day. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though this be easy for thee, there is yet that which will not beso. No husbandman can till or prepare this land, so wild is it, except Amaethon the son of Don, and he will not come with thee by hisown free will, and thou wilt not be able to compel him. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Govannon the son of Don to come to the headland to rid the iron, hewill do no work of his own good will except for a lawful king, andthou wilt not be able to compel him. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get; thetwo dun oxen of Gwlwlyd, both yoked together, to plough the wild landyonder stoutly. He will not give them of his own free will, and thouwilt not be able to compel him. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get; theyellow and the brindled bull yoked together do I require. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get; thetwo horned oxen, one of which is beyond, and the other this side ofthe peaked mountain, yoked together in the same plough. And theseare Nynniaw and Peibaw whom God turned into oxen on account of theirsins. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Seest thou yonder red tilled ground?"

"I see it. "

"When first I met the mother of this maiden, nine bushels of flaxwere sown therein, and none has yet sprung up, neither white norblack; and I have the measure by me still. I require to have theflax to sow in the new land yonder, that when it grows up it may makea white wimple for my daughter's head, on the day of thy wedding. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Honey that is nine times sweeter than the honey of the virgin swarm, without scum and bees, do I require to make bragget for the feast. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"The vessel of Llwyr the son of Llwyryon, which is of the utmostvalue. There is no other vessel in the world that can hold thisdrink. Of his free will thou wilt not get it, and thou canst notcompel him. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. The basket of Gwyddneu Garanhir, if the whole world should cometogether, thrice nine men at a time, the meat that each of themdesired would be found within it. I require to eat therefrom on thenight that my daughter becomes thy bride. He will give it to no oneof his own free will, and thou canst not compel him. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. The horn of Gwlgawd Gododin to serve us with liquor that night. Hewill not give it of his own free will, and thou wilt not be able tocompel him. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. The harp of Teirtu to play to us that night. When a man desires thatit should play, it does so of itself, and when he desires that itshould cease, it ceases. And this he will not give of his own freewill, and thou wilt not be able to compel him. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. The cauldron of Diwrnach Wyddel, the steward of Odgar the son ofAedd, king of Ireland, to boil the meat for thy marriage feast. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Itis needful for me to wash my head, and shave my beard, and I requirethe tusk of Yskithyrwyn Penbaedd to shave myself withal, neithershall I profit by its use if it be not plucked alive out of hishead. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. There is no one in the world that can pluck it out of his head exceptOdgar the son of Aedd, king of Ireland. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Iwill not trust any one to keep the tusk except Gado of North Britain. Now the threescore Cantrevs of North Britain are under his sway, andof his own free will he will not come out of his kingdom, and thouwilt not be able to compel him. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Imust spread out my hair in order to shave it, and it will never bespread out unless I have the blood of the jet-black sorceress, thedaughter of the pure white sorceress, from Pen Nant Govid, on theconfines of Hell. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Iwill not have the blood unless I have it warm, and no vessels willkeep warm the liquid that is put therein except the bottles ofGwyddolwyd Gorr, which preserve the heat of the liquor that is putinto them in the east, until they arrive at the west. And he willnot give them of his own free will, and thou wilt not be able tocompel him. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Some will desire fresh milk, and it will not be possible to havefresh milk for all, unless we have the bottles of Rhinnon RhinBarnawd, wherein no liquor ever turns sour. And he will not givethem of his own free will, and thou wilt not be able to compel him. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Throughout the world there is not a comb or scissors with which I canarrange my hair, on account of its rankness, except the comb andscissors that are between the two ears of Twrch Trwyth, the son ofPrince Tared. He will not give them of his own free will, and thouwilt not be able to compel him. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Itwill not be possible to hunt Twrch Trwyth without Drudwyn the whelpof Greid, the son of Eri. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Throughout the world there is not a leash that can hold him, exceptthe leash of Cwrs Cant Ewin. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Throughout the world there is no collar that will hold the leashexcept the collar of Canhastyr Canllaw. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. The chain of Kilydd Canhastyr to fasten the collar to the leash. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Throughout the world there is not a huntsman who can hunt with thisdog, except Mabon the son of Modron. He was taken from his motherwhen three nights old, and it is not known where he now is, norwhether he is living or dead. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Gwynn Mygdwn, the horse of Gweddw, that is as swift as the wave, tocarry Mabon the son of Modron to hunt the boar Trwyth. He will notgive him of his own free will, and thou wilt not be able to compelhim. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Thou wilt not get Mabon, for it is not known where he is, unless thoufind Eidoel, his kinsman in blood, the son of Aer. For it would beuseless to seek for him. He is his cousin. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Garselit the Gwyddelian is the chief huntsman of Ireland; the TwrchTrwyth can never be hunted without him. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Aleash made from the beard of Dillus Varvawc, for that is the only onethat can hold those two cubs. And the leash will be of no availunless it be plucked from his beard while he is alive, and twitchedout with wooden tweezers. While he lives he will not suffer this tobe done to him, and the leash will be of no use should he be dead, because it will be brittle. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Throughout the world there is no huntsman that can hold those twowhelps except Kynedyr Wyllt, the son of Hettwn Glafyrawc; he is ninetimes more wild than the wildest beast upon the mountains. Him wiltthou never get, neither wilt thou ever get my daughter. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Itis not possible to hunt the boar Trwyth without Gwynn the son ofNudd, whom God has placed over the brood of devils in Annwvyn, lestthey should destroy the present race. He will never be sparedthence. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. There is not a horse in the world that can carry Gwynn to hunt theTwrch Trwyth, except Du, the horse of Mor of Oerveddawg. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Until Gilennhin the king of France shall come, the Twrch Trwythcannot be hunted. It will be unseemly for him to leave his kingdomfor thy sake, and he will never come hither. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. The Twrch Trwyth can never be hunted without the son of Alun Dyved;he is well skilled in letting loose the dogs. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. The Twrch Trwyth cannot be hunted unless thou get Aned and Aethlem. They are as swift as the gale of wind, and they were never let looseupon a beast that they did not kill him. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get;Arthur and his companions to hunt the Twrch Trwyth. He is a mightyman, and he will not come for thee, neither wilt thou be able tocompel him. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. The Twrch Trwyth cannot be hunted unless thou get Bwlch, and Kyfwlch[and Sefwlch], the grandsons of Cleddyf Difwlch. Their three shieldsare three gleaming glitterers. 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. Theirthree wives, Och, and Garam, and Diaspad. Their three grandchildren, Lluched, and Vyned, and Eissiwed. Their three daughters, Drwg, andGwaeth, and Gwaethav Oll. Their three hand-maids [Eheubryd, thedaughter of Kyfwlch; Gorasgwrn, the daughter of Nerth; and Gwaedan, the daughter of Kynvelyn]. These three men shall sound the horn, andall the others shall shout, so that all will think that the sky isfalling to the earth. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. The sword of Gwrnach the Giant; he will never be slain excepttherewith. Of his own free will he will not give it, either for aprice or as a gift, and thou wilt never be able to compel him. "

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest thinkthat it will not be easy. "

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Difficulties shalt thou meet with, and nights without sleep, inseeking this, and if thou obtain it not, neither shalt thou obtain mydaughter. "

"Horses shall I have, and chivalry; and my lord and kinsman Arthurwill obtain for me all these things. And I shall gain thy daughter, and thou shalt lose thy life. "

"Go forward. And thou shalt not be chargeable for food or raimentfor my daughter while thou art seeking these things; and when thouhast compassed all these marvels, thou shalt have my daughter for thywife. "

All that day they journeyed until the evening, and then they beheld avast castle, which was the largest in the world. And lo, a blackman, huger than three of the men of this world, came out from thecastle. And they spoke unto him, "Whence comest thou, O man?" "Fromthe castle which you see yonder. " "Whose castle is that?" askedthey. "Stupid are ye truly, O men. There is no one in the worldthat does not know to whom this castle belongs. It is the castle ofGwrnach the Giant. " "What treatment is there for guests andstrangers that alight in that castle?" "Oh! Chieftain, Heavenprotect thee. No guest ever returned thence alive, and no one mayenter therein unless he brings with him his craft. "

Then they proceeded towards the gate. Said Gwrhyr GwalstawtIeithoedd, "Is there a porter?" "There is. And thou, if thy tonguebe not mute in thy head, wherefore dost thou call?" "Open the gate. ""I will not open it. " "Wherefore wilt thou not?" "The knife is inthe meat, and the drink is in the horn, and there is revelry in thehall of Gwrnach the Giant, and except for a craftsman who brings hiscraft, the gate will not be opened to-night. " "Verily, porter, " thensaid Kai, "my craft bring I with me. " "What is thy craft?" "Thebest burnisher of swords am I in the world. " "I will go and tellthis unto Gwrnach the Giant, and I will bring thee an answer. "

So the porter went in, and Gwrnach said to him, "Hast thou any newsfrom the gate?" "I have. There is a party at the door of the gatewho desire to come in. " "Didst thou inquire of them if theypossessed any art?" "I did inquire, " said he, "and one told me thathe was well skilled in the burnishing of swords. " "We have need ofhim then. For some time have I sought for some one to polish mysword, and could find no one. Let this man enter, since he bringswith him his craft. " The porter thereupon returned and opened thegate. And Kai went in by himself, and he saluted Gwrnach the Giant. And a chair was placed for him opposite to Gwrnach. And Gwrnach saidto him, "Oh man! is it true that is reported of thee, that thouknowest how to burnish swords?" "I know full well how to do so, "answered Kai. Then was the sword of Gwrnach brought to him. And Kaitook a blue whetstone from under his arm, and asked him whether hewould have it burnished white or blue. "Do with it as it seems goodto thee, and as thou wouldest if it were thine own. " Then Kaipolished one half of the blade and put it in his hand. "Will thisplease thee?" asked he. "I would rather than all that is in mydominions that the whole of it were like unto this. It is a marvelto me that such a man as thou should be without a companion. " "Oh!noble sir, I have a companion, albeit he is not skilled in this art. ""Who may he be?" "Let the porter go forth, and I will tell himwhereby he may know him. The head of his lance will leave its shaft, and draw blood from the wind, and will descend upon its shaft again. "Then the gate was opened, and Bedwyr entered. And Kai said, "Bedwyris very skilful, although he knows not this art. "

And there was much discourse among those who were without, becausethat Kai and Bedwyr had gone in. And a young man who was with them, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, got in also. And he causedall his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle. And his companionssaid unto the son of Custennin, "Thou hast done this! Thou art thebest of all men. " And thenceforth he was called Goreu, the son ofCustennin. Then they dispersed to their lodgings, that they mightslay those who lodged therein, unknown to the Giant. 

The sword was now polished, and Kai gave it unto the hand of Gwrnachthe Giant, to see if he were pleased with his work. And the Giantsaid, "The work is good, I am content therewith. " Said Kai, "It isthy scabbard that hath rusted thy sword, give it to me that I maytake out the wooden sides of it and put in new ones. " And he tookthe scabbard from him, and the sword in the other hand. And he cameand stood over against the Giant, as if he would have put the swordinto the scabbard; and with it he struck at the head of the Giant, and cut off his head at one blow. Then they despoiled the castle, and took from it what goods and jewels they would. And again on thesame day, at the beginning of the year, they came to Arthur's Court, bearing with them the sword of Gwrnach the Giant. 

Now, when they told Arthur how they had sped, Arthur said, "Which ofthese marvels will it be best for us to seek first?" "It will bebest, " said they, "to seek Mabon the son of Modron; and he will notbe found unless we first find Eidoel the son of Aer, his kinsman. "Then Arthur rose up, and the warriors of the Islands of Britain withhim, to seek for Eidoel; and they proceeded until they came beforethe Castle of Glivi, where Eidoel was imprisoned. Glivi stood on thesummit of his castle, and he said, "Arthur, what requirest thou ofme, since nothing remains to me in this fortress, and I have neitherjoy nor pleasure in it; neither wheat nor oats? Seek not thereforeto do me harm. " Said Arthur, "Not to injure thee came I hither, butto seek for the prisoner that is with thee. " "I will give thee myprisoner, though I had not thought to give him up to any one; andtherewith shalt thou have my support and my aid. "

His followers said unto Arthur, "Lord, go thou home, thou canst notproceed with thy host in quest of such small adventures as these. "Then said Arthur, "It were well for thee, Gwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoedd, to go upon this quest, for thou knowest all languages, and artfamiliar with those of the birds and the beasts. Thou, Eidoel, oughtest likewise to go with my men in search of thy cousin. And asfor you, Kai and Bedwyr, I have hope of whatever adventure ye are inquest of, that ye will achieve it. Achieve ye this adventure forme. "

They went forward until they came to the Ousel of Cilgwri. AndGwrhyr adjured her for the sake of Heaven, saying, "Tell me if thouknowest aught of Mabon the son of Modron, who was taken when threenights old from between his mother and the wall. " And the Ouselanswered, "When I first came here, there was a smith's anvil in thisplace, and I was then a young bird; and from that time no work hasbeen done upon it, save the pecking of my beak every evening, and nowthere is not so much as the size of a nut remaining thereof; yet thevengeance of Heaven be upon me, if during all that time I have everheard of the man for whom you inquire. Nevertheless I will do thatwhich is right, and that which it is fitting that I should do for anembassy from Arthur. There is a race of animals who were formedbefore me, and I will be your guide to them. "

So they proceeded to the place where was the Stag of Redynvre. "Stagof Redynvre, behold we are come to thee, an embassy from Arthur, forwe have not heard of any animal older than thou. Say, knowest thouaught of Mabon the son of Modron, who was taken from his mother whenthree nights old?" The Stag said, "When first I came hither, therewas a plain all around me, without any trees save one oak sapling, which grew up to be an oak with an hundred branches. And that oakhas since perished, so that now nothing remains of it but thewithered stump; and from that day to this I have been here, yet haveI never heard of the man for whom you inquire. Nevertheless, beingan embassy from Arthur, I will be your guide to the place where thereis an animal which was formed before I was. "

So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd. "Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, here is an embassy from Arthur; knowest thouaught of Mabon the son of Modron, who was taken after three nightsfrom his mother?" "If I knew I would tell you. When first I camehither, the wide valley you see was a wooded glen. And a race of mencame and rooted it up. And there grew there a second wood; and thiswood is the third. My wings, are they not withered stumps? Yet allthis time, even until to-day, I have never heard of the man for whomyou inquire. Nevertheless, I will be the guide of Arthur's embassyuntil you come to the place where is the oldest animal in this world, and the one that has travelled most, the Eagle of Gwern Abwy. "

Gwrhyr said, "Eagle of Gwern Abwy, we have come to thee an embassyfrom Arthur, to ask thee if thou knowest aught of Mabon the son ofModron, who was taken from his mother when he was three nights old. "The Eagle said, "I have been here for a great space of time, and whenI first came hither there was a rock here, from the top of which Ipecked at the stars every evening; and now it is not so much as aspan high. From that day to this I have been here, and I have neverheard of the man for whom you inquire, except once when I went insearch of food as far as Llyn Llyw. And when I came there, I struckmy talons into a salmon, thinking he would serve me as food for along time. But he drew me into the deep, and I was scarcely able toescape from him. After that I went with my whole kindred to attackhim, and to try to destroy him, but he sent messengers, and madepeace with me; and came and besought me to take fifty fish spears outof his back. Unless he know something of him whom you seek, I cannottell who may. However, I will guide you to the place where he is. "

So they went thither; and the Eagle said, "Salmon of Llyn Llyw, Ihave come to thee with an embassy from Arthur, to ask thee if thouknowest aught concerning Mabon the son of Modron, who was taken awayat three nights old from his mother. " "As much as I know I will tellthee. With every tide I go along the river upwards, until I comenear to the walls of Gloucester, and there have I found such wrong asI never found elsewhere; and to the end that ye may give credencethereto, let one of you go thither upon each of my two shoulders. "So Kai and Gwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoedd went upon the two shoulders ofthe salmon, and they proceeded until they came unto the wall of theprison, and they heard a great wailing and lamenting from thedungeon. Said Gwrhyr, "Who is it that laments in this house ofstone?" "Alas, there is reason enough for whoever is here to lament. It is Mabon the son of Modron who is here imprisoned; and noimprisonment was ever so grievous as mine, neither that of Llud LlawEreint, nor that of Greid the son of Eri. " "Hast thou hope of beingreleased for gold or for silver, or for any gifts of wealth, orthrough battle and fighting?" "By fighting will whatever I may gainbe obtained. "

Then they went thence, and returned to Arthur, and they told himwhere Mabon the son of Modron was imprisoned. And Arthur summonedthe warriors of the Island, and they journeyed as far as Gloucester, to the place where Mabon was in prison. Kai and Bedwyr went upon theshoulders of the fish, whilst the warriors of Arthur attacked thecastle. And Kai broke through the wall into the dungeon, and broughtaway the prisoner upon his back, whilst the fight was going onbetween the warriors. And Arthur returned home, and Mabon with himat liberty. 

Said Arthur, "Which of the marvels will it be best for us now to seekfirst?" "It will be best to seek for the two cubs of Gast Rhymhi. ""Is it known, " asked Arthur, "where she is?" "She is in Aber DeuCleddyf, " said one. Then Arthur went to the house of Tringad, inAber Cleddyf, and he inquired of him whether he had heard of herthere. "In what form may she be?" "She is in the form of a she-wolf, " said he; "and with her there are two cubs. " "She has oftenslain my herds, and she is there below in a cave in Aber Cleddyf. "

So Arthur went in his ship Prydwen by sea, and the others went byland, to hunt her. And they surrounded her and her two cubs, and Goddid change them again for Arthur into their own form. And the hostof Arthur dispersed themselves into parties of one and two. 

On a certain day, as Gwythyr the son of Greidawl was walking over amountain, he heard a wailing and a grievous cry. And when he heardit, he sprang forward, and went towards it. And when he came there, he drew his sword, and smote off an ant-hill close to the earth, whereby it escaped being burned in the fire. And the ants said tohim, "Receive from us the blessing of Heaven, and that which no mancan give we will give thee. " Then they fetched the nine bushels offlax-seed which Yspaddaden Penkawr had required of Kilhwch, and theybrought the full measure without lacking any, except one flax-seed, and that the lame pismire brought in before night. 

As Kai and Bedwyr sat on a beacon carn on the summit of Plinlimmon, in the highest wind that ever was in the world, they looked aroundthem, and saw a great smoke towards the south, afar off, which didnot bend with the wind. Then said Kai, "By the hand of my friend, behold, yonder is the fire of a robber!" Then they hastened towardsthe smoke, and they came so near to it, that they could see DillusVarvawc scorching a wild boar. "Behold, yonder is the greatestrobber that ever fled from Arthur, " said Bedwyr unto Kai. "Dost thouknow him?" "I do know him, " answered Kai, "he is Dillus Varvawc, andno leash in the world will be able to hold Drudwyn, the cub of Greidthe son of Eri, save a leash made from the beard of him thou seestyonder. And even that will be useless, unless his beard be pluckedalive with wooden tweezers; for if dead, it will be brittle. " "Whatthinkest thou that we should do concerning this?" said Bedwyr. "Letus suffer him, " said Kai, "to eat as much as he will of the meat, andafter that he will fall asleep. " And during that time they employedthemselves in making the wooden tweezers. And when Kai knewcertainly that he was asleep, he made a pit under his feet, thelargest in the world, and he struck him a violent blow, and squeezedhim into the pit. And there they twitched out his beard completelywith the wooden tweezers; and after that they slew him altogether. 

And from thence they both went to Gelli Wic, in Cornwall, and tookthe leash made of Dillus Varvawc's beard with them, and they gave itinto Arthur's hand. Then Arthur composed this Englyn -

Kai made a leashOf Dillus son of Eurei's beard. Were he alive, thy death he'd be. 

And thereupon Kai was wroth, so that the warriors of the Island couldscarcely make peace between Kai and Arthur. And thenceforth, neitherin Arthur's troubles, nor for the slaying of his men, would Kai comeforward to his aid for ever after. 

Said Arthur, "Which of the marvels is it best for us now to 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 Lludd LlawEreint, and Gwythyr the son of Greidawl, were betrothed. And beforeshe had become his bride, Gwyn ap Nudd came and carried her away byforce; and Gwythyr the son of Greidawl gathered his host together, and went to fight with Gwyn ap Nudd. But Gwyn overcame him, andcaptured Greid the son of Eri, and Glinneu the son of Taran, andGwrgwst Ledlwm, and Dynvarth his son. And he captured Penn the sonof Nethawg, and Nwython, and Kyledyr Wyllt his son. And they slewNwython, and took out his heart, and constrained Kyledyr to eat theheart of his father. And therefrom Kyledyr became mad. When Arthurheard of this, he went to the North, and summoned Gwyn ap Nudd beforehim, and set free the nobles whom he had put in prison, and madepeace between Gwyn ap Nudd and Gwythyr the son of Griedawl. And thiswas the peace that was made: --that the maiden should remain in herfather's house, without advantage to either of them, and that Gwyn apNudd and Gwythyr the son of Greidawl should fight for her every firstof May, from thenceforth until the day of doom, and that whichever ofthem should then be conqueror should have the maiden. 

And when Arthur had thus reconciled these chieftains, he obtainedMygdwn, Gweddw's horse, and the leash of Cwrs Cant Ewin. 

And after that Arthur went into Armorica, and with him Mabon the sonof Mellt, and Gware Gwallt Euryn, to seek the two dogs of GlythmyrLedewic. And when he had got them, he went to the West of Ireland, in search of Gwrgi Seven; and Odgar the son of Aedd king of Irelandwent with him. And thence went Arthur into the North, and capturedKyledyr Wyllt; and he went after Yskithyrwyn Penbaedd. And Mabon theson of Mellt came with the two dogs of Glythmyr Ledewic in his hand, and Drudwyn, the cub of Greid the son of Eri. And Arthur wenthimself to the chase, leading his own dog Cavall. And Kaw, of NorthBritain, mounted Arthur's mare Llamrei, and was first in the attack. Then Kaw, of North Britain, wielded a mighty axe, and absolutelydaring he came valiantly up to the boar, and clave his head in twain. And Kaw took away the tusk. Now the boar was not slain by the dogsthat Yspaddaden had mentioned, 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 Menw the sonof Teirgwaedd to see if the precious things were between the two earsof Twrch Trwyth, since it were useless to encounter him if they werenot there. Albeit it was certain where he was, for he had laid wastethe third part of Ireland. And Menw went to seek for him, and he metwith him in Ireland, in Esgeir Oervel. And Menw took the form of abird; and he descended upon the top of his lair, and strove to snatchaway one of the precious things from him, but he carried away nothingbut one of his bristles. And the boar rose up angrily and shookhimself so that some of his venom fell upon Menw, and he was neverwell from that day forward. 

After this Arthur sent an embassy to Odgar, the son of Aedd king ofIreland, to ask for the cauldron of Diwrnach Wyddel, his purveyor. And Odgar commanded him to give it. But Diwrnach said, "Heaven is mywitness, if it would avail him anything even to look at it, he shouldnot do so. " And the embassy of Arthur returned from Ireland withthis denial. And Arthur set forward with a small retinue, andentered into Prydwen, his ship, and went over to Ireland. And theyproceeded into the house of Diwrnach Wyddel. And the hosts of Odgarsaw their strength. When they had eaten and drunk as much as theydesired, Arthur demanded to have the cauldron. And he answered, "IfI would have given it to any one, I would have given it at the wordof Odgar king of Ireland. "

When he had given them this denial, Bedwyr arose and seized hold ofthe cauldron, and placed it upon the back of Hygwyd, Arthur'sservant, who was brother, by the mother's side, to Arthur's servant, Cachamwri. His office was always to carry Arthur's cauldron, and toplace fire under it. And Llenlleawg Wyddel seized Caledvwlch, andbrandished it. And they slew Diwrnach Wyddel and his company. Thencame the Irish and fought with them. And when he had put them toflight, Arthur with his men went forward to the ship, carrying awaythe cauldron full of Irish money. And he disembarked at the house ofLlwydden the son of Kelcoed, at Porth Kerddin in Dyved. And there isthe measure of the cauldron. 

Then Arthur summoned unto him all the warriors that were in the threeIslands of Britain, and in the three Islands adjacent, and all thatwere in France and in Armorica, in Normandy and in the SummerCountry, and all that were chosen footmen and valiant horsemen. Andwith all these he went into Ireland. And in Ireland there was greatfear and terror concerning him. And when Arthur had landed in thecountry, there came unto him the saints of Ireland and besought hisprotection. And he granted his protection unto them, and they gavehim their blessing. Then the men of Ireland came unto Arthur, andbrought him provisions. And Arthur went as far as Esgeir Oervel inIreland, to the place where the Boar Trwyth was with his seven youngpigs. And the dogs were let loose upon him from all sides. That dayuntil evening the Irish fought with him, nevertheless he laid wastethe fifth part of Ireland. And on the day following the household ofArthur fought with him, and they were worsted by him, and got noadvantage. And the third day Arthur himself encountered him, and hefought with him nine nights and nine days without so much as killingeven one little pig. The warriors inquired of Arthur what was theorigin of that swine; and he told them that he was once a king, andthat God had transformed him into a swine for his sins. 

Then Arthur sent Gwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoedd, to endeavour to speakwith him. And Gwrhyr assumed the form of a bird, and alighted uponthe top of the lair, where he was with the seven young pigs. AndGwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoedd asked him, "By him who turned you intothis form, if you can speak, let some one of you, I beseech you, comeand talk with Arthur. " Grugyn Gwrych Ereint made answer to him. (Now his bristles were like silver wire, and whether he went throughthe wood or through the plain, he was to be traced by the glitteringof his bristles. ) And this was the answer that Grugyn made: "By himwho turned us into this form, we will not do so, and we will notspeak with Arthur. That we have been transformed thus is enough forus to suffer, without your coming here to fight with us. " "I willtell you. Arthur comes but to fight for the comb, and the razor, andthe scissors which are between the two ears of Twrch Trwyth. " SaidGrugyn, "Except he first take his life, he will never have thoseprecious things. And to-morrow morning we will rise up hence, and wewill go into Arthur's country, and there will we do all the mischiefthat we can. "

So they set forth through the sea towards Wales. And Arthur and hishosts, and his horses and his dogs, entered Prydwen, that they mightencounter them without delay. Twrch Trwyth landed in Porth Cleis inDyved, and Arthur came to Mynyw. The next day it was told to Arthurthat they had gone by, and he overtook them as they were killing thecattle of Kynnwas Kwrr y Vagyl, having slain all that were at AberGleddyf, of man and beast, before the coming of Arthur. 

Now when Arthur approached, Twrch Trwyth went on as far as Preseleu, and Arthur and his hosts followed him thither, and Arthur sent men tohunt him; Eli and Trachmyr, leading Drudwyn the whelp of Greid theson of Eri, and Gwarthegyd the son of Kaw, in another quarter, withthe two dogs of Glythmyr Ledewic, and Bedwyr leading Cavall, Arthur'sown dog. And all the warriors ranged themselves around the Nyver. And there came there the three sons of Cleddyf Divwlch, men who hadgained much fame at the slaying of Yskithyrwyn Penbaedd; and theywent on from Glyn Nyver, and came to Cwm Kerwyn. 

And there Twrch Trwyth made a stand, and slew four of Arthur'schampions, Gwarthegyd the son of Kaw, and Tarawc of Allt Clwyd, andRheidwn the son of Eli Atver, and Iscovan Hael. And after he hadslain these men, he made a second stand in the same place. And therehe slew Gwydre the son of Arthur, and Garselit Wyddel, and Glew theson of Ysgawd, and Iscawyn the son of Panon; and there he himself waswounded. 

And the next morning before it was day, some of the men came up withhim. And he slew Huandaw, and Gogigwr, and Penpingon, threeattendants upon Glewlwyd Gavaelvawr, so that Heaven knows he had notan attendant remaining, excepting only Llaesgevyn, a man from whom noone ever derived any good. And together with these he slew many ofthe men of that country, and Gwlydyn Saer, Arthur's chief Architect. 

Then Arthur overtook him at Pelumyawc, and there he slew Madawc theson of Teithyon, and Gwyn the son of Tringad, the son of Neved, andEiryawn Penllorau. Thence he went to Aberteivi, where he madeanother stand, and where he slew Kyflas the son of Kynan, andGwilenhin king of France. Then he went as far as Glyn Ystu, andthere the men and the dogs lost him. 

Then Arthur summoned unto him Gwyn ab Nudd, and he asked him if heknew aught of Twrch Trwyth. And he said that he did not. 

And all the huntsmen went to hunt the swine as far as DyffrynLlychwr. And Grugyn Gwallt Ereint and Llwydawg Govynnyad closed withthem and killed all the huntsmen, so that there escaped but one manonly. And Arthur and his hosts came to the place where Grugyn andLlwydawg were. And there he let loose the whole of the dogs uponthem, and with the shout and barking that was set up, Twrch Trwythcame to their assistance. 

And from the time that they came across the Irish sea, Arthur hadnever got sight of him until then. So he set men and dogs upon him, and thereupon he started off and went to Mynydd Amanw. And there oneof 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 theswine, Gwys was his name. After that he went on to Dyffryn Amanw, and there Banw 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 him there, andhe made a stand. And there he slew Echel Forddwytwll, and Garwylithe son of Gwyddawg Gwyr, and many men and dogs likewise. And thencethey went to Llwch Tawy. Grugyn Gwrych Ereint parted from themthere, and went to Din Tywi. And thence he proceeded to Ceredigiawn, and Eli and Trachmyr with him, and a multitude likewise. Then hecame to Garth Gregyn, and there Llwydawg Govynnyad fought in themidst of them, and slew Rhudvyw Rhys and many others with him. ThenLlwydawg went thence to Ystrad Yw, and there the men of Armorica methim, and there he slew Hirpeissawg the king of Armorica, andLlygatrudd Emys, and Gwrbothu, Arthur's uncles, his mother'sbrothers, and there was he himself slain. 

Twrch Trwyth went from there to between Tawy and Euyas, and Arthursummoned all Cornwall and Devon unto him, to the estuary of theSevern, and he said to the warriors of this Island, "Twrch Trwyth hasslain many of my men, but, by the valour of warriors, while I live heshall not go into Cornwall. And I will not follow him any longer, but I will oppose him life to life. Do ye as ye will. " And heresolved that he would send a body of knights, with the dogs of theIsland, as far as Euyas, who should return thence to the Severn, andthat tried warriors should traverse the Island, and force him intothe Severn. And Mabon the son of Modron came up with him at theSevern, upon Gwynn Mygdwn, the horse of Gweddw, and Goreu the son ofCustennin, and Menw the son of Teirgwaedd; this was betwixt LlynLliwan and Aber Gwy. And Arthur fell upon him together with thechampions of Britain. And Osla Kyllellvawr drew near, and Manawyddanthe son of Llyr, and Kacmwri the servant of Arthur, and Gwyngelli, and they seized hold of him, catching him first by his feet, andplunged him in the Severn, so that it overwhelmed him. On the oneside, Mabon the son of Modron spurred his steed and snatched hisrazor from him, and Kyledyr Wyllt came up with him on the other side, upon another steed, in the Severn, and took from him the scissors. But before they could obtain the comb, he had regained the groundwith his feet, and from the moment that he reached the shore, neitherdog, nor man, nor horse could overtake him until he came to Cornwall. If they had had trouble in getting the jewels from him, much more hadthey in seeking to save the two men from being drowned. Kacmwri, asthey drew him forth, was dragged by two millstones into the deep. And as Osla Kyllellvawr was running after the boar, his knife haddropped out of the sheath, and he had lost it, and after that, thesheath became full of water, and its weight drew him down into thedeep, as they were drawing him forth. 

Then Arthur and his hosts proceeded until they overtook the boar inCornwall, and the trouble which they had met with before was mereplay to what they encountered in seeking the comb. But from onedifficulty to another, the comb was at length obtained. And then hewas hunted from Cornwall, and driven straight forward into the deepsea. And thenceforth it was never known whither he went; and Anedand Aethlem with him. Then went Arthur to Gelli Wic, in Cornwall, toanoint himself, and to rest from his fatigues. 

Said Arthur, "Is there any one of the marvels yet unobtained?" Saidone of his men, "There is--the blood of the witch Orddu, the daughterof the witch Orwen, of Pen Nant Govid, on the confines of Hell. "Arthur set forth towards the North, and came to the place where wasthe witch's cave. And Gwyn ab Nudd, and Gwythyr the son of Greidawl, counselled him to send Kacmwri, and Hygwyd his brother, to fight withthe witch. And as they entered the cave, the witch seized upon them, and she caught Hygwyd by the hair of his head, and threw him on thefloor beneath her. And Kacmwri caught her by the hair of her head, and dragged her to the earth from off Hygwyd, but she turned againupon them both, and drove them both out with kicks and with cuffs. 

And Arthur was wroth at seeing his two attendants almost slain, andhe sought to enter the cave; but Gwyn and Gwythyr said unto him, "Itwould not be fitting or seemly for us to see thee squabbling with ahag. Let Hiramreu and Hireidil go to the cave. " So they went. Butif great was the trouble of the first two that went, much greater wasthat of these two. And Heaven knows that not one of the four couldmove from the spot, until they placed them all upon Llamrei, Arthur'smare. And then Arthur rushed to the door of the cave, and at thedoor he struck at the witch, with Carnwennan his dagger, and cloveher in twain, so that she fell in two parts. And Kaw, of NorthBritain, took the blood of the witch and kept it. 

Then Kilhwch set forward, and Goreu the son of Custennin with him, and as many as wished ill to Yspaddaden Penkawr. And they took themarvels with them to his court. And Kaw of North Britain came andshaved his beard, skin, and flesh clean off to the very bone from earto ear. "Art thou shaved, man?" said Kilhwch. "I am shaved, "answered he. "Is thy daughter mine now?" "She is thine, " said he, "but therefore needest thou not thank me, but Arthur who hathaccomplished this for thee. By my free will thou shouldest neverhave had her, for with her I lose my life. " Then Goreu the son ofCustennin seized him by the hair of his head, and dragged him afterhim to the keep, and cut off his head and placed it on a stake on thecitadel. Then they took possession of his castle, and of histreasures. 

And that night Olwen became Kilhwch's bride, and she continued to behis wife as long as she lived. And the hosts of Arthur dispersedthemselves, each man to his own country. And thus did Kilhwch obtainOlwen, the daughter of Yspaddaden Penkawr. 

THE DREAM OF RHONABWY

Madawc the son of Maredudd possessed Powys within its boundaries, from Porfoed to Gwauan in the uplands of Arwystli. And at that timehe had a brother, Iorwerth the son of Maredudd, in rank not equal tohimself. And Iorwerth had great sorrow and heaviness because of thehonour and power that his brother enjoyed, which he shared not. Andhe sought his fellows and his foster-brothers, and took counsel withthem what he should do in this matter. And they resolved to dispatchsome of their number to go and seek a maintenance for him. ThenMadawc offered him to become Master of the Household and to havehorses, and arms, and honour, and to fare like as himself. ButIorwerth refused this. 

And Iorwerth made an inroad into Loegria, slaying the inhabitants, and burning houses, and carrying away prisoners. And Madawc tookcounsel with the men of Powys, and they determined to place anhundred men in each of the three Commots of Powys to seek for him. And thus did they in the plains of Powys from Aber Ceirawc, and inAllictwn Ver, and in Rhyd Wilure, on the Vyrnwy, the three bestCommots of Powys. So he was none the better, he nor his household, in Powys, nor in the plains thereof. And they spread these men overthe plains as far as Nillystwn Trevan. 

Now one of the men who was upon this quest was called Rhonabwy. AndRhonabwy and Kynwrig Vrychgoch, a man of Mawddwy, and Cadwgan Vras, aman of Moelvre in Kynlleith, came together to the house of HeilynGoch the son of Cadwgan the son of Iddon. And when they came near tothe house, they saw an old hall, very black and having an uprightgable, whence issued a great smoke; and on entering, they found thefloor full of puddles and mounds; and it was difficult to standthereon, so slippery was it with the mire of cattle. And where thepuddles were, a man might go up to his ankles in water and dirt. Andthere were boughs of holly spread over the floor, whereof the cattlehad browsed the sprigs. When they came to the hall of the house, they beheld cells full of dust, and very gloomy, and on one side anold hag making a fire. And whenever she felt cold, she cast a lapfulof chaff upon the fire, and raised such a smoke, that it was scarcelyto be borne, as it rose up the nostrils. And on the other side was ayellow calf-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 the peopleof the house. And the hag spoke not, but muttered. Thereupon beholdthe people of the house entered; a ruddy, clownish, curly-headed man, with a burthen of faggots on his back, and a pale slender woman, alsocarrying a bundle under her arm. And they barely welcomed the men, and kindled a fire with the boughs. And the woman cooked something, and gave them to eat, barley bread, and cheese, and milk and water. 

And there arose a storm of wind and rain, so that it was hardlypossible to go forth with safety. And being weary with theirjourney, they laid themselves down and sought to sleep. And whenthey looked at the couch, it seemed to be made but of a little coarsestraw full of dust and vermin, with the stems of boughs sticking upthere-through, for the cattle had eaten all the straw that was placedat the head and the foot. And upon it was stretched an old russet-coloured rug, threadbare and ragged; and a coarse sheet, full ofslits, was upon the rug, and an ill-stuffed pillow, and a worn-outcover upon the sheet. And after much suffering from the vermin, andfrom the discomfort of their couch, a heavy sleep fell on Rhonabwy'scompanions. But Rhonabwy, not being able either to sleep or to rest, thought he should suffer less if he went to lie upon the yellow calf-skin that was stretched out on the floor. And there he slept. 

As soon as sleep had come upon his eyes, it seemed to him that he wasjourneying with his companions across the plain of Argyngroeg, and hethought that he went towards Rhyd y Groes on the Severn. As hejourneyed, he heard a mighty noise, the like whereof heard he neverbefore; and looking behind him, he beheld a youth with yellow curlinghair, and with his beard newly trimmed, mounted on a chestnut horse, whereof the legs were grey from the top of the forelegs, and from thebend of the hindlegs downwards. And the rider wore a coat of yellowsatin sewn with green silk, and on his thigh was a gold-hilted sword, with a scabbard of new leather of Cordova, belted with the skin ofthe deer, and clasped with gold. And over this was a scarf of yellowsatin wrought with green silk, the borders whereof were likewisegreen. And the green of the caparison of the horse, and of hisrider, was as green as the leaves of the fir-tree, and the yellow wasas yellow as the blossom of the broom. So fierce was the aspect ofthe knight, that fear seized upon them, and they began to flee. Andthe knight pursued them. And when the horse breathed forth, the menbecame distant from him, and when he drew in his breath, they weredrawn near to him, even to the horse's chest. And when he hadovertaken them, they besought his mercy. "You have it gladly, " saidhe, "fear nought. " "Ha, chieftain, since thou hast mercy upon me, tell me also who thou art, " said Rhonabwy. "I will not conceal mylineage from thee, I am Iddawc the son of Mynyo, yet not by my name, but by my nickname am I best known. " "And wilt thou tell us what thynickname is?" "I will tell you; it is Iddawc Cordd Prydain. " "Ha, chieftain, " said Rhonabwy, "why art thou called thus?" "I will tellthee. I was one of the messengers between Arthur and Medrawd hisnephew, at the battle of Camlan; and I was then a reckless youth, andthrough my desire for battle, I kindled strife between them, andstirred up wrath, when I was sent by Arthur the Emperor to reasonwith Medrawd, and to show him, that he was his foster-father and hisuncle, and to seek for peace, lest the sons of the Kings of theIsland of Britain, and of the nobles, should be slain. And whereasArthur charged me with the fairest sayings he could think of, Iuttered unto Medrawd the harshest I could devise. And therefore am Icalled Iddawc Cordd Prydain, for from this did the battle of Camlanensue. And three nights before the end of the battle of Camlan Ileft them, and went to the Llech Las in North Britain to do penance. And there I remained doing penance seven years, and after that Igained pardon. "

Then lo! they heard a mighty sound which was much louder than thatwhich they had heard before, and when they looked round towards thesound, they beheld a ruddy youth, without beard or whiskers, noble ofmien, and mounted on a stately courser. And from the shoulders andthe front of the knees downwards the horse was bay. And upon the manwas a dress of red satin wrought with yellow silk, and yellow werethe borders of his scarf. And such parts of his apparel and of thetrappings of his horse as were yellow, as yellow were they as theblossom of the broom, and such as were red, were as ruddy as theruddiest blood in the world. 

Then, behold the horseman overtook them, and he asked of Iddawc ashare of the little men that were with him. "That which is fittingfor me to grant I will grant, and thou shalt be a companion to themas I have been. " And the horseman went away. "Iddawc, " inquiredRhonabwy, "who was that horseman?" "Rhuvawn Pebyr the son of PrinceDeorthach. "

And they journeyed over the plain of Argyngroeg as far as the ford ofRhyd y Groes on the Severn. And for a mile around the ford on bothsides of the road, they saw tents and encampments, and there was theclamour of a mighty host. And they came to the edge of the ford, andthere they beheld Arthur sitting on a flat island below the ford, having Bedwini the Bishop on one side of him, and Gwarthegyd the sonof Kaw on the other. And a tall, auburn-haired youth stood beforehim, with his sheathed sword in his hand, and clad in a coat and capof jet-black satin. And his face was white as ivory, and hiseyebrows black as jet, and such part of his wrist as could be seenbetween his glove and his sleeve, was whiter than the lily, andthicker than a warrior's ankle. 

Then came Iddawc and they that were with him, and stood before Arthurand saluted him. "Heaven grant thee good, " said Arthur. "And where, Iddawc, didst thou find these little men?" "I found them, lord, upyonder on the road. " Then the Emperor smiled. "Lord, " said Iddawc, "wherefore dost thou laugh?" "Iddawc, " replied Arthur, "I laugh not;but it pitieth me that men of such stature as these should have thisisland in their keeping, after the men that guarded it of yore. "Then said Iddawc, "Rhonabwy, dost thou see the ring with a stone setin it, that is upon the Emperor's hand?" "I see it, " he answered. "It is one of the properties of that stone to enable thee to rememberthat thou seest here to-night, and hadst thou not seen the stone, thou wouldest never have been able to remember aught thereof. "

After this they saw a troop coming towards the ford. "Iddawc, "inquired Rhonabwy, "to whom does yonder troop belong?" "They are thefellows of Rhuvawn Pebyr the son of Prince Deorthach. And these menare honourably served with mead and bragget, and are freely belovedby the daughters of the kings of the Island of Britain. And thisthey merit, for they were ever in the front and the rear in everyperil. " And he saw but one hue upon the men and the horses of thistroop, for they were all as red as blood. And when one of theknights rode forth from the troop, he looked like a pillar of fireglancing athwart the sky. And this troop encamped above the ford. 

Then they beheld another troop coming towards the ford, and thesefrom their horses' chests upwards were whiter than the lily, andbelow blacker than jet. And they saw one of these knights go beforethe rest, and spur his horse into the ford in such a manner that thewater dashed over Arthur and the Bishop, and those holding counselwith them, so that they were as wet as if they had been drenched inthe river. And as he turned the head of his horse, the youth whostood before Arthur struck the horse over the nostrils with hissheathed sword, so that, had it been with the bare blade, it wouldhave been a marvel if the bone had not been wounded as well as theflesh. And the knight drew his sword half out of the scabbard, andasked of him, "Wherefore didst thou strike my horse? Whether was itin insult or in counsel unto me?" "Thou dost indeed lack counsel. What madness 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 dragged outof the river?" "As counsel then will I take it. " So he turned hishorse's head round towards his army. 

"Iddawc, " said Rhonabwy, "who was yonder knight?" "The most eloquentand the wisest youth that is in this island; Adaon, the son ofTaliesin. " "Who was the man that struck his horse?" "A youth offroward nature; Elphin, the son of Gwyddno. "

Then spake a tall and stately man, of noble and flowing speech, saying that it was a marvel that so vast a host should be assembledin so narrow a space, and that it was a still greater marvel thatthose should be there at that time who had promised to be by mid-dayin the battle of Badon, fighting with Osla Gyllellvawr. "Whetherthou mayest choose to proceed or not, I will proceed. " "Thou sayestwell, " said Arthur, "and we will go altogether. " "Iddawc, " saidRhonabwy, "who was the man who spoke so marvellously unto Arthurerewhile?" "A man who may speak as boldly as he listeth, CaradawcVreichvras, the son of Llyr Marini, his chief counsellor and hiscousin. "

Then Iddawc took Rhonabwy behind him on his horse, and that mightyhost moved forward, each troop in its order, towards Cevndigoll. Andwhen they came to the middle of the ford of the Severn, Iddawc turnedhis horse's head, and Rhonabwy looked along the valley of the Severn. And he beheld two fair troops coming towards the ford. One troopthere came of brilliant white, whereof every one of the men had ascarf of white 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 banners werepure white, with black points to them all. 

"Iddawc, " said Rhonabwy, "who are yonder pure white troop?" "Theyare the men of Norway, and March the son of Meirchion is theirprince. And he is cousin unto Arthur. " And further on he saw atroop, whereof each man wore garments of jet-black, with borders ofpure white to every scarf; and the tops of the shoulders and theknees of their horses were pure white. And their banners were jet-black with pure white at the point of each. 

"Iddawc, " said Rhonabwy, "who are the jet-black troop yonder?" "Theyare the men of Denmark, and Edeyrn the son of Nudd is their prince. "

And when they had overtaken the host, Arthur and his army of mightyones dismounted below Caer Badou, and he perceived that he and Iddawcjourneyed the same road as Arthur. And after they had dismounted heheard a great tumult and confusion amongst the host, and such as werethen at the flanks turned to the centre, and such as had been in thecentre moved to the flanks. And then, behold, he saw a knightcoming, clad, both he and his horse, in mail, of which the rings werewhiter than the whitest lily, and the rivets redder than the ruddiestblood. And he rode amongst the host. 

"Iddawc, " said Rhonabwy, "will yonder host flee?" "King Arthur neverfled, and if this discourse of thine were heard, thou wert a lostman. But as to the knight whom thou seest yonder, it is Kai. Thefairest horseman is Kai in all Arthur's Court; and the men who are atthe front of the army hasten to the rear to see Kai ride, and the menwho are in the centre flee to the side, from the shock of his horse. And this is the cause of the confusion of the host. "

Thereupon they heard a call made for Kadwr, Earl of Cornwall, andbehold he arose with the sword of Arthur in his hand. And thesimilitude of two serpents was upon the sword in gold. And when thesword was drawn from its scabbard, it seemed as if two flames of fireburst forth from the jaws of the serpents, and then, so wonderful wasthe sword, that it was hard for any one to look upon it. And thehost became still, and the tumult ceased, and the Earl returned tothe tent. 

"Iddawc, " said Rhonabwy, "who is the man who bore the sword ofArthur?" "Kadwr, the Earl of Cornwall, whose duty it is to arm theKing on the days of battle and warfare. "

And they heard a call made for Eirynwych Amheibyn, Arthur's servant, a red, rough, ill-favoured man, having red whiskers with bristlyhairs. And behold he came upon a tall red horse with the mane partedon each side, and he brought with him a large and beautiful sumpterpack. And the huge red youth dismounted before Arthur, and he drew agolden chair out of the pack, and a carpet of diapered satin. And hespread the carpet before Arthur, and there was an apple of ruddy goldat each corner thereof, and he placed the chair upon the carpet. Andso large was the chair that three armed warriors might have sattherein. Gwenn was the name of the carpet, and it was one of itsproperties that whoever was upon it no one could see him, and hecould see every one. And it would retain no colour but its own. 

And Arthur sat within the carpet, and Owain the son of Urien wasstanding before him. "Owain, " said Arthur, "wilt thou play chess?""I will, Lord, " said Owain. And the red youth brought the chess forArthur and Owain; golden pieces and a board of silver. And theybegan to play. 

And while they were thus, and when they were best amused with theirgame, behold they saw a white tent with a red canopy, and the figureof a jet-black serpent on the top of the tent, and red glaringvenomous eyes in the head of the serpent, and a red flaming tongue. And there came a young page with yellow curling hair, and blue eyes, and a newly-springing beard, wearing a coat and a surcoat of yellowsatin, and hose of thin greenish-yellow cloth upon his feet, and overhis hose shoes of parti-coloured leather, fastened at the instepswith golden clasps. And he bore a heavy three-edged sword with agolden hilt, in a scabbard of black leather tipped with fine gold. And he came to the place where the Emperor and Owain were playing atchess. 

And the youth saluted Owain. And Owain marvelled that the youthshould salute him and should not have saluted the Emperor Arthur. And Arthur knew what was in Owain's thought. And he said to Owain, "Marvel not that the youth salutes thee now, for he saluted meerewhile; and it is unto thee that his errand is. " Then said theyouth unto Owain, "Lord, is it with thy leave that the young pagesand attendants of the Emperor harass and torment and worry thyRavens? And if it be not with thy leave, cause the Emperor to forbidthem. " "Lord, " said Owain, "thou hearest what the youth says; if itseem good to thee, forbid them from my Ravens. " "Play thy game, "said he. Then the youth returned to the tent. 

That game did they finish, and another they began, and when they werein the midst of the game, behold, a ruddy young man with auburncurling hair and large eyes, well-grown, and having his beard new-shorn, came forth from a bright yellow tent, upon the summit of whichwas the figure of a bright red lion. And he was clad in a coat ofyellow satin, falling as low as the small of his leg, and embroideredwith threads of red silk. And on his feet were hose of fine whitebuckram, and buskins of black leather were over his hose, whereonwere golden clasps. And in his hand a huge, heavy, three-edgedsword, with a scabbard of red deer-hide, tipped with gold. And hecame to the place where Arthur and Owain were playing at chess. Andhe saluted him. And Owain was troubled at his salutation, but Arthurminded it no more than before. And the youth said unto Owain, "Is itnot against thy will that the attendants of the Emperor harass thyRavens, killing some and worrying others? If against thy will it be, beseech him to forbid them. " "Lord, " said Owain, "forbid thy men, ifit seem good to thee. " "Play thy game, " said the Emperor. And theyouth returned to the tent. 

And that game was ended and another begun. And as they werebeginning the first move of the game, they beheld at a small distancefrom them a tent speckled yellow, the largest ever seen, and thefigure of an eagle of gold upon it, and a precious stone on theeagle's head. And coming out of the tent, they saw a youth withthick yellow hair upon his head, fair and comely, and a scarf of bluesatin upon him, and a brooch of gold in the scarf upon his rightshoulder as large as a warrior's middle finger. And upon his feetwere hose of fine Totness, and shoes of parti-coloured leather, clasped with gold, and the youth was of noble bearing, fair of face, with ruddy cheeks and large hawk's eyes. In the hand of the youthwas a mighty lance, speckled yellow, with a newly-sharpened head; andupon the lance a banner displayed. 

Fiercely angry, and with rapid pace, came the youth to the placewhere Arthur was playing at chess with Owain. And they perceivedthat he was wroth. And thereupon he saluted Owain, and told him thathis Ravens had been killed, the chief part of them, and that such ofthem as were not slain were so wounded and bruised that not one ofthem could raise its wings a single fathom above the earth. "Lord, "said Owain, "forbid thy men. " "Play, " said he, "if it please thee. "Then said Owain to the youth, "Go back, and wherever thou findest thestrife at the thickest, there lift up the banner, and let come whatpleases Heaven. "

So the youth returned back to the place where the strife bore hardestupon the Ravens, and he lifted up the banner; and as he did so theyall rose up in the air, wrathful and fierce and high of spirit, clapping their wings in the wind, and shaking off the weariness thatwas upon them. And recovering their energy and courage, furiouslyand with exultation did they, with one sweep, descend upon the headsof the men, who had erewhile caused them anger and pain and damage, and they seized some by the heads and others by the eyes, and some bythe ears, and others by the arms, and carried them up into the air;and in the air there was a mighty tumult with the flapping of thewings of the triumphant Ravens, and with their croaking; and therewas another mighty tumult with the groaning of the men, that werebeing torn and wounded, and some of whom were slain. 

And Arthur and Owain marvelled at the tumult as they played at chess;and, looking, they perceived a knight upon a dun-coloured horsecoming towards them. And marvellous was the hue of the dun horse. Bright red was his right shoulder, and from the top of his legs tothe centre of his hoof was bright yellow. Both the knight and hishorse were fully equipped with heavy foreign armour. The clothing ofthe horse from the front opening upwards was of bright red sendal, and from thence opening downwards was of bright yellow sendal. Alarge gold-hilted one-edged sword had the youth upon his thigh, in ascabbard of light blue, and tipped with Spanish laton. The belt ofthe sword was of dark green leather with golden slides and a clasp ofivory upon it, and a buckle of jet-black upon the clasp. A helmet ofgold was on the head of the knight, set with precious stones of greatvirtue, and at the top of the helmet was the image of a flame-coloured leopard with two ruby-red stones in its head, so that it wasastounding for a warrior, however stout his heart, to look at theface of the leopard, much more at the face of the knight. He had inhis hand a blue-shafted lance, but from the haft to the point it wasstained crimson-red with the blood of the Ravens and their plumage. 

The knight came to the place where Arthur and Owain were seated atchess. And they perceived that he was harassed and vexed and wearyas he came towards them. And the youth saluted Arthur, and told himthat the Ravens of Owain were slaying his young men and attendants. And Arthur looked at Owain and said, "Forbid thy Ravens. " "Lord, "answered Owain, "play thy game. " And they played. And the knightreturned back towards the strife, and the Ravens were not forbiddenany more than before. 

And when they had played awhile, they heard a mighty tumult, and awailing of men, and a croaking of Ravens, as they carried the men intheir strength into the air, and, tearing them betwixt them, let themfall piecemeal to the earth. And during the tumult they saw a knightcoming towards them, on a light grey horse, and the left foreleg ofthe horse was jet-black to the centre of his hoof. And the knightand the horse were fully accoutred with huge heavy blue armour. Anda robe of honour of yellow diapered satin was upon the knight, andthe borders of the robe were blue. And the housings of the horsewere jet-black, with borders of bright yellow. And on the thigh ofthe youth was a sword, long, and three-edged, and heavy. And thescabbard was of red cut leather, and the belt of new red deer-skin, having upon it many golden slides and a buckle of the bone of thesea-horse, the tongue of which was jet-black. A golden helmet wasupon the head of the knight, wherein were set sapphire-stones ofgreat virtue. And at the top of the helmet was the figure of aflame-coloured lion, with a fiery-red tongue, issuing above a footfrom his mouth, and with venomous eyes, crimson-red, in his head. And the knight came, bearing in his hand a thick ashen lance, thehead whereof, which had been newly steeped in blood, was overlaidwith silver. 

And the youth saluted the Emperor: "Lord, " said he, "carest thou notfor the slaying of thy pages, and thy young men, and the sons of thenobles of the Island of Britain, whereby it will be difficult todefend this island from henceforward for ever?" "Owain, " saidArthur, "forbid thy Ravens. " "Play this game, 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 clamour ofarmed men, and a croaking of Ravens, and a flapping of wings in theair, as they flung down the armour entire to the ground, and the menand the horses piecemeal. Then they saw coming a knight on a lofty-headed piebald horse. And the left shoulder of the horse was ofbright red, and its right leg from the chest to the hollow of thehoof was pure white. And the knight and horse were equipped witharms of speckled yellow, variegated with Spanish laton. And therewas a robe of honour upon him, and upon his horse, divided in twoparts, white and black, and the borders of the robe of honour were ofgolden purple. And above the robe he wore a sword three-edged andbright, with a golden hilt. And the belt of the sword was of yellowgoldwork, having a clasp upon it of the eyelid of a black sea-horse, and a tongue of yellow gold to the clasp. Upon the head of theknight was a bright helmet of yellow laton, with sparkling stones ofcrystal in it, and at the crest of the helmet was the figure of agriffin, with a stone of many virtues in its head. And he had anashen spear in his hand, with a round shaft, coloured with azureblue. And the head of the spear was newly stained with blood, andwas overlaid with fine silver. 

Wrathfully came the knight to the place where Arthur was, and he toldhim that the Ravens had slain his household and the sons of the chiefmen of this island, and he besought him to cause Owain to forbid hisRavens. And Arthur besought Owain to forbid them. Then Arthur tookthe golden chessmen that were upon the board, and crushed them untilthey became as dust. Then Owain ordered Gwres the son of Rheged tolower his banner. So it was lowered, and all was peace. 

Then Rhonabwy inquired of Iddawc who were the first three men thatcame to Owain, to tell him his Ravens were being slain. Said Iddawc, "They were men who grieved that Owain 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 thebanner in the day of battle and strife. " "Who, " said Rhonabwy, "werethe last three men who came to Arthur, and told him that the Ravenswere 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 Pebyr theson 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 a month. And Arthur rose and went to take counsel. And he came to where atall, auburn, curly-headed man was a little way off, and there heassembled his counsellors. Bedwini, the Bishop, and Gwarthegyd theson of Kaw, and March the son of Meirchawn, and Caradawc Vreichvras, and Gwalchmai the son of Gwyar, and Edeyrn the son of Nudd, andRhuvawn Pebyr the son of Prince Deorthach, and Rhiogan the son of theKing of Ireland, and Gwenwynwyn the son of Nav, Howel the son of EmyrLlydaw, Gwilym the son of Rhwyf Freinc, and Daned the son of Ath, andGoreu Custennin, and Mabon the son of Modron, and Peredur PaladyrHir, and Hyveidd Unllenn, and Twrch the son of Perif, and Nerth theson of Kadarn, and Gobrwy the son of Echel Vorddwyttwll, Gwair theson of Gwestyl, and Gadwy the son of Geraint, Trystan the son ofTallwch, Moryen Manawc, Granwen the son of Llyr, and Llacheu the sonof Arthur, and Llawvrodedd Varvawc, and Kadwr Earl of Cornwall, Morvran the son of Tegid, and Rhyawd the son of Morgant, and Dyvyrthe son of Alun Dyved, Gwrhyr Gwalstawd Ieithoedd, Adaon the son ofTaliesin, Llary the son of Kasnar Wledig, and Fflewddur Fflam, andGreidawl Galldovydd, Gilbert the son of Kadgyffro, Menw the son ofTeirgwaedd, Gwrthmwl Wledig, Cawrdav the son of Caradawc Vreichvras, Gildas the son of Kaw, Kadyriaith the son of Saidi, and many of themen of Norway and Denmark, and many of the men of Greece, and a crowdof the men of the host came to that council. 

"Iddawc, " said Rhonabwy, "who was the auburn haired man to whom theycame just now?" "Rhun the son of Maelgwn Gwynedd, a man whoseprerogative it is, that he may join in counsel with all. " "Andwherefore did they admit into counsel with men of such dignity as areyonder a stripling so young as Kadyriaith the son of Saidi?""Because there is not throughout Britain a man better skilled incounsel than he. "

Thereupon, behold, bards came and recited verses before Arthur, andno man understood those verses but Kadyriaith only, save that theywere in Arthur's praise. 

And lo, there came four-and-twenty asses with their burdens of goldand of silver, and a tired way-worn man with each of them, bringingtribute to Arthur from the Islands of Greece. Then Kadyriaith theson of Saidi besought that a truce might be granted to OslaGyllellvawr for the space of a fortnight and a month, and that theasses and the burdens they carried might be given to the bards, to beto them as the reward for their stay and that their verse might berecompensed during the time of the truce. And thus it was settled. 

"Rhonabwy, " said Iddawc, "would it not be wrong to forbid a youth whocan give counsel so liberal as this from coming to the councils ofhis Lord?"

Then Kai arose, and he said, "Whosoever will follow Arthur, let himbe with him to-night in Cornwall, and whosoever will not, let him beopposed to Arthur even during the truce. " And through the greatnessof the tumult that ensued, Rhonabwy awoke. And when he awoke he wasupon the yellow calf-skin, having slept three nights and three days. 

And this tale is called the Dream of Rhonabwy. And this is thereason that no one knows the dream without a book, neither bard norgifted seer; because of the various colours that were upon thehorses, and the many wondrous colours of the arms and of the panoply, and of the precious scarfs, and of the virtue-bearing stones. 

PWYLL PRINCE OF DYVED

Pwyll Prince of Dyved was lord of the seven Cantrevs of Dyved; andonce upon a time he was at Narberth his chief palace, and he wasminded to go and hunt, and the part of his dominions in which itpleased him to hunt was Glyn Cuch. So he set forth from Narbeth thatnight, and went as far as Llwyn Diarwyd. And that night he tarriedthere, and early on the morrow he rose and came to Glyn Cuch, when helet loose the dogs in the wood, and sounded the horn, and began thechase. And as he followed the dogs, he lost his companions; andwhilst he listened to the hounds, he heard the cry of other hounds, acry different from his own, and coming in the opposite direction. 

And he beheld a glade in the wood forming a level plain, and as hisdogs came to the edge of the glade, he saw a stag before the otherdogs. And lo, as it reached the middle of the glade, the dogs thatfollowed the stag overtook it and brought it down. Then looked he atthe colour of the dogs, staying not to look at the stag, and of allthe hounds that he had seen in the world, he had never seen any thatwere like unto these. For their hair was of a brilliant shiningwhite, and their ears were red; and as the whiteness of their bodiesshone, so did the redness of their ears glisten. And he came towardsthe dogs, 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 coming towardshim upon a large light-grey steed, with a hunting horn round hisneck, and clad in garments of grey woollen in the fashion of ahunting garb. And the horseman drew near and spoke unto him thus. "Chieftain, " said he, "I know who thou art, and I greet thee not. ""Peradventure, " said Pwyll, "thou art of such dignity that thoushouldest not do so. " "Verily, " answered he, "it is not my dignitythat prevents me. " "What is it then, O Chieftain?" asked he. "ByHeaven, it is by reason of thine own ignorance and want of courtesy. ""What discourtesy, Chieftain, hast thou seen in me?" "Greaterdiscourtesy saw I never in man, " said he, "than to drive away thedogs that were killing the stag and to set upon it thine own. Thiswas discourteous, and though I may not be revenged upon thee, yet Ideclare to Heaven that I will do thee more dishonour than the valueof an hundred stags. " "O Chieftain, " he replied, "if I have done illI will redeem thy friendship. " "How wilt thou redeem it?""According as thy dignity may be, but I know not who thou art?" "Acrowned king am I in the land whence I come. " "Lord, " said he, "maythe day prosper with thee, and from what land comest thou?" "FromAnnwvyn, " {2} answered he; "Arawn, a King of Annwvyn, am I. " "Lord, "said he, "how may I gain thy friendship?" "After this manner mayestthou, " he said. "There is a man whose dominions are opposite tomine, who is ever warring against me, and he is Havgan, a King ofAnnwvyn, and by ridding me of this oppression, which thou cansteasily do, shalt thou gain my friendship. " "Gladly will I do this, "said he. "Show me how I may. " "I will show thee. Behold thus it isthou mayest. I will make firm friendship with thee; and this will Ido. I will send thee to Annwvyn in my stead, and I will give theethe fairest lady thou didst ever behold to be thy companion, and Iwill put my form and semblance upon thee, so that not a page of thechamber, nor an officer, nor any other man that has always followedme shall know that it is not I. And this shall be for the space of ayear from to-morrow, and then we will meet in this place. " "Yes, "said he; "but when I shall have been there for the space of a year, by what means shall I discover him of whom thou speakest?" "One yearfrom this night, " he answered, "is the time fixed between him and methat we should meet at the Ford; be thou there in my likeness, andwith one stroke that thou givest him, he shall no longer live. Andif he ask thee to give him another, give it not, how much soever hemay entreat thee, for when I did so, he fought with me next day aswell as ever before. " "Verily, " said Pwyll, "what shall I doconcerning my kingdom?" Said Arawn, "I will cause that no one in allthy dominions, neither man nor woman, shall know that I am not thou, and I will go there in thy stead. " "Gladly then, " said Pwyll, "willI set forward. " "Clear shall be thy path, and nothing shall detainthee, until thou come into my dominions, and I myself will be thyguide!"

So he conducted him until he came in sight of the palace and itsdwellings. "Behold, " said he, "the Court and the kingdom in thypower. Enter the Court, there is no one there who will know thee, and when thou seest what service is done there, thou wilt know thecustoms of the Court. "

So he went forward to the Court, and when he came there, he beheldsleeping-rooms, and halls, and chambers, and the most beautifulbuildings ever seen. And he went into the hall to disarray, andthere came youths and pages and disarrayed him, and all as theyentered saluted him. And two knights came and drew his hunting-dressfrom about him, and clothed him in a vesture of silk and gold. Andthe hall was prepared, and behold he saw the household and the hostenter in, and the host was the most comely and the best equipped thathe had ever seen. And with them came in likewise the Queen, who wasthe fairest woman that he had ever yet beheld. And she had on ayellow robe of shining satin; and they washed and went to the table, and sat, the Queen upon one side of him, and one who seemed to be anEarl 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 of converseand of cheer that ever was. And they partook of meat, and drink, with songs and with feasting; and of all the Courts upon the earth, behold this was the best supplied with food and drink, and vessels ofgold and royal jewels. 

And the year he spent in hunting, and minstrelsy, and feasting, anddiversions, and discourse with his companions until the night thatwas fixed for the conflict. And when that night came, it wasremembered even by those who lived in the furthest part of hisdominions, and he went to the meeting, and the nobles of the kingdomwith him. And when he came to the Ford, a knight arose and spakethus. "Lords, " said he, "listen well. It is between two kings thatthis meeting is, and between them only. Each claimeth of the otherhis land and territory, and do all of you stand aside and leave thefight to be between them. "

Thereupon the two kings approached each other in the middle of theFord, and encountered, and at the first thrust, the man who was inthe stead of Arawn struck Havgan on the centre of the boss of hisshield, so that it was cloven in twain, and his armour was broken, and Havgan himself was borne to the ground an arm's and a spear'slength over the crupper of his horse, and he received a deadly blow. "O Chieftain, " said Havgan, "what right hast thou to cause my death?I was not injuring thee in anything, and I know not wherefore thouwouldest slay me. But, for the love of Heaven, since thou hast begunto slay me, complete thy work. " "Ah, Chieftain, " he replied, "I mayyet repent doing that unto thee, slay thee who may, I will not doso. " "My trusty Lords, " said Havgan, "bear me hence. My death hascome. I shall be no more able to uphold you. " "My Nobles, " alsosaid he who was in the semblance of Arawn, "take counsel and know whoought to be my subjects. " "Lord, " said the Nobles, "all should be, for there is no king over the whole of Annwvyn but thee. " "Yes, " hereplied, "it is right that he who comes humbly should be receivedgraciously, but he that doth not come with obedience, shall becompelled by the force of swords. " And thereupon he received thehomage of the men, and he began to conquer the country; and the nextday by noon the two kingdoms were in his power. And thereupon hewent to keep his tryst, and came to Glyn Cuch. 

And when he came there, the King of Annwvyn was there to meet him, and each of them was rejoiced to see the other. "Verily, " saidArawn, "may Heaven reward thee for thy friendship towards me. I haveheard of it. When thou comest thyself to thy dominions, " said he, "thou wilt see that which I have done for thee. " "Whatever thou hastdone for me, may Heaven repay it thee. "

Then Arawn gave to Pwyll Prince of Dyved his proper form andsemblance, and he himself took his own; and Arawn set forth towardsthe Court of Annwvyn; and he was rejoiced when he beheld his hosts, and his household, whom he had not seen so long; but they had notknown of his absence, and wondered no more at his coming than usual. And that day was spent in joy and merriment; and he sat and conversedwith his wife and his nobles. And when it was time for them ratherto sleep than to carouse, they went to rest. 

Pwyll Prince of Dyved came likewise to his country and dominions, andbegan to inquire of the nobles of the land, how his rule had beenduring the past year, compared with what it had been before. "Lord, "said they, "thy wisdom was never so great, and thou wast never sokind or so free in bestowing thy gifts, and thy justice was nevermore worthily seen than in this year. " "By Heaven, " said he, "forall the good you have enjoyed, you should thank him who hath beenwith you; for behold, thus hath this matter been. " And thereuponPwyll related the whole unto them. "Verily, Lord, " said they, "render thanks unto Heaven that thou hast such a fellowship, andwithhold not from us the rule which we have enjoyed for this yearpast. " "I take Heaven to witness that I will not withhold it, "answered Pwyll. 

And thenceforth they made strong the friendship that was betweenthem, and each sent unto the other horses, and greyhounds, and hawks, and all such jewels as they thought would be pleasing to each other. And by reason of his having dwelt that year in Annwvyn, and havingruled there so prosperously, and united the two kingdoms in one dayby his valour 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 afeast had been prepared for him, and with him was a great host ofmen. And after the first meal, Pwyll arose to walk, and he went tothe top of a mound that was above the palace, and was called GorseddArberth. "Lord, " said one of the Court, "it is peculiar to the moundthat whosoever sits upon it cannot go thence, without eitherreceiving wounds or blows, or else seeing a wonder. " "I fear not toreceive wounds and blows in the midst of such a host as this, but asto the wonder, gladly would I see it. I will go therefore and situpon the mound. "

And upon the mound he sat. And while he sat there, they saw a lady, on a pure white horse of large size, with a garment of shining goldaround her, coming along the highway that led from the mound; and thehorse seemed to move at a slow and even pace, and to be coming uptowards the mound. "My men, " said Pwyll, "is there any among you whoknows yonder lady?" "There is not, Lord, " said they. "Go one of youand meet her, that we may know who she is. " And one of them arose, and as he came upon the road to meet her, she passed by, and hefollowed as fast as he could, being on foot; and the greater was hisspeed, the further was she from him. And when he saw that itprofited him nothing to follow her, he returned to Pwyll, and saidunto him, "Lord, it is idle for any one in the world to follow her onfoot. " "Verily, " said Pwyll, "go unto the palace, and take thefleetest horse that thou seest, and go after her. "

And he took a horse and went forward. And he came to an open levelplain, and put spurs to his horse; and the more he urged his horse, the further was she from him. Yet she held the same pace as atfirst. And his horse began to fail; and when his horse's feet failedhim, he returned to the place where Pwyll was. "Lord, " said he, "itwill avail nothing for any one to follow yonder lady. I know of nohorse in these realms swifter than this, and it availed me not topursue her. " "Of a truth, " said Pwyll, "there must be some illusionhere. Let us go towards the palace. " So to the palace they went, and they spent that day. And the next day they arose, and that alsothey spent until it was time to go to meat. And after the firstmeal, "Verily, " said Pwyll, "we will go the same party as yesterdayto the top of the mound. And do thou, " said he to one of his youngmen, "take the swiftest horse that thou knowest in the field. " Andthus did the young man. And they went towards the mound, taking thehorse with them. And as they were sitting down they beheld the ladyon the same horse, and in the same apparel, coming along the sameroad. "Behold, " said Pwyll, "here is the lady of yesterday. Makeready, youth, to learn who she is. " "My lord, " said he, "that will Igladly do. " And thereupon the lady came opposite to them. So theyouth mounted his horse; and before he had settled himself in hissaddle, she passed by, and there was a clear space between them. Buther speed was no greater than it had been the day before. Then heput his horse into an amble, and thought that notwithstanding thegentle pace at which his horse went, he should soon overtake her. But this availed him not; so he gave his horse the reins. And stillhe came no nearer to her than when he went at a foot's pace. And themore he urged his horse, the further was she from him. Yet she rodenot faster than before. When he saw that it availed not to followher, he returned to the place where Pwyll was. "Lord, " said he, "thehorse can no more than thou hast seen. " "I see indeed that it availsnot that any one should follow her. And by Heaven, " said he, "shemust needs have an errand to some one in this plain, if her hastewould allow her to declare it. Let us go back to the palace. " Andto the palace they went, and they spent that night in songs andfeasting, as it pleased them. 

And the next day they amused themselves until it was time to go tomeat. And when meat was ended, Pwyll said, "Where are the hosts thatwent yesterday and the day before to the top of the mound?" "Behold, Lord, we are here, " said they. "Let us go, " said he, "to the mound, to sit there. And do thou, " said he to the page who tended hishorse, "saddle my horse well, and hasten with him to the road, andbring also my spurs with thee. " And the youth did thus. And theywent and sat upon the mound; and ere they had been there but a shorttime, they beheld the lady coming by the same road, and in the samemanner, and at the same pace. "Young man, " said Pwyll, "I see thelady coming; give me my horse. " And no sooner had he mounted hishorse than she passed him. And he turned after her and followed her. And he let his horse go bounding playfully, and thought that at thesecond step or the third he should come up with her. But he came nonearer to her than at first. Then he urged his horse to his utmostspeed, yet he found that it availed nothing to follow her. Then saidPwyll, "O maiden, for the sake of him whom thou best lovest, stay forme. " "I will stay gladly, " said she, "and it were better for thyhorse hadst thou asked it long since. " So the maiden stopped, andshe threw back that part of her headdress which covered her face. And she fixed her eyes upon him, and began to talk with him. "Lady, "asked he, "whence comest thou, and whereunto dost thou journey?" "Ijourney on mine own errand, " said she, "and right glad am I to seethee. " "My greeting be unto thee, " said he. Then he thought thatthe beauty of all the maidens, and all the ladies that he had everseen, was as nothing compared to her beauty. "Lady, " he said, "wiltthou tell me aught concerning thy purpose?" "I will tell thee, " saidshe. "My chief quest was to seek thee. " "Behold, " said Pwyll, "thisis to me the most pleasing quest on which thou couldst have come; andwilt thou tell me who thou art?" "I will tell thee, Lord, " said she. "I am Rhiannon, the daughter of Heveydd Hen, and they sought to giveme to a husband against my will. But no husband would I have, andthat because of my love for thee, neither will I yet have one unlessthou reject me. And hither have I come to hear thy answer. " "ByHeaven, " said Pwyll, "behold this is my answer. If I might chooseamong all the ladies and damsels in the world, thee would I choose. ""Verily, " said she, "if thou art thus minded, make a pledge to meetme ere I am given to another. " "The sooner I may do so, the morepleasing will it be unto me, " said Pwyll, "and wheresoever thou wilt, there will I meet with thee. " "I will that thou meet me this daytwelvemonth at the palace of Heveydd. And I will cause a feast to beprepared, so that it be ready against thou come. " "Gladly, " said he, "will I keep this tryst. " "Lord, " said she, "remain in health, andbe mindful that thou keep thy promise; and now I will go hence. " Sothey parted, and he went back to his hosts and to them of hishousehold. And whatsoever questions they asked him respecting thedamsel, he always turned the discourse upon other matters. And whena year from that time was gone, he caused a hundred knights to equipthemselves and to go with him to the palace of Heveydd Hen. And hecame to the palace, and there was great joy concerning him, with muchconcourse of people and great rejoicing, and vast preparations forhis coming. And the whole Court was placed under his orders. 

And the hall was garnished and they went to meat, and thus did theysit; Heveydd Hen was on one side of Pwyll, and Rhiannon on the other. And all the rest according to their rank. And they ate and feastedand talked one with another, and at the beginning of the carousalafter the meat, there entered a tall auburn-haired youth, of royalbearing, clothed in a garment of satin. And when he came into thehall, he saluted Pwyll and his companions. "The greeting of Heavenbe unto thee, my soul, " said Pwyll, "come thou and sit down. " "Nay, "said he, "a suitor 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 thee that I come. " "What boon soeverthou mayest ask of me, as far as I am able, thou shalt have. " "Ah, "said Rhiannon, "wherefore didst thou give that answer?" "Has he notgiven it before the presence of these nobles?" asked the youth. "Mysoul, " said Pwyll, "what is the boon thou askest?" "The lady whombest I love is to be thy bride this night; I come to ask her of thee, with the feast and the banquet that are in this place. " And Pwyllwas silent because of the answer which he had given. "Be silent aslong as thou wilt, " said Rhiannon. "Never did man make worse use ofhis wits than thou hast done. " "Lady, " said he, "I knew not who hewas. " "Behold this is the man to whom they would have given meagainst my will, " said she. "And he is Gwawl the son of Clud, a manof great power and wealth, and because of the word thou hast spoken, bestow me upon him lest shame befall thee. " "Lady, " said he, "Iunderstand not thine answer. Never can I do as thou sayest. ""Bestow me upon him, " said she, "and I will cause that I shall neverbe his. " "By what means will that be?" asked Pwyll. "In thy handwill I give thee a small bag, " said she. "See that thou keep itwell, and he will ask of thee the banquet, and the feast, and thepreparations which are not in thy power. Unto the hosts and thehousehold will I give the feast. And such will be thy answerrespecting this. And as concerns myself, I will engage to become hisbride this night twelvemonth. And at the end of the year be thouhere, " said she, "and bring this bag with thee, and let thy hundredknights be in the orchard up yonder. And when he is in the midst ofjoy and feasting, come thou in by thyself, clad in ragged garments, and holding thy bag in thy hand, and ask nothing but a bagful offood, and I will cause that if all the meat and liquor that are inthese seven Cantrevs were put into it, it would be no fuller thanbefore. And after a great deal has been put therein, he will askthee whether thy bag will ever be full. Say thou then that it neverwill, until a man of noble birth and of great wealth arise and pressthe food in the bag with both his feet, saying, 'Enough has been puttherein;' and I will cause him to go and tread down the food in thebag, and when he does so, turn thou the bag, so that he shall be upover his head in it, and then slip a knot upon the thongs of the bag. Let there be also a good bugle horn about thy neck, and as soon asthou hast bound him in the bag, wind thy horn, and let it be a signalbetween thee and thy knights. And when they hear the sound of thehorn, let them come down upon the palace. " "Lord, " said Gwawl, "itis meet that I have an answer to my request. " "As much of that thouhast asked as it is in my power to give, thou shalt have, " repliedPwyll. "My soul, " said Rhiannon unto him, "as for the feast and thebanquet that are here, I have bestowed them upon the men of Dyved, and the household, and the warriors that are with us. These can Inot suffer to be given to any. In a year from to-night a banquetshall be prepared for thee in this palace, that I may become thybride. "

So Gwawl went forth to his possessions, and Pwyll went also back toDyved. And they both spent that year until it was the time for thefeast at the palace of Heveydd Hen. Then Gwawl the son of Clud setout to the feast that was prepared for him, and he came to thepalace, and was received there with rejoicing. Pwyll, also, theChief of Annwvyn, came to the orchard with his hundred knights, asRhiannon had commanded him, having the bag with him. And Pwyll wasclad in coarse and ragged garments, and wore large clumsy old shoesupon his feet. And when he knew that the carousal after the meat hadbegun, he went towards the hall, and when he came into the hall, hesaluted Gwawl the son of Clud, and his company, both men and women. "Heaven prosper thee, " said Gwawl, "and the greeting of Heaven beunto thee. " "Lord, " said he, "may Heaven reward thee, I have anerrand unto thee. " "Welcome be thine errand, and if thou ask of methat which is just, thou shalt have it gladly. " "It is fitting, "answered he. "I crave but from want, and the boon that I ask is tohave this small bag that thou seest filled with meat. " "A requestwithin reason is this, " said he, "and gladly shalt thou have it. Bring him food. " A great number of attendants arose and began tofill the bag, but for all that they put into it, it was no fullerthan at first. "My soul, " said Gwawl, "will thy bag be ever full?""It will not, I declare to Heaven, " said he, "for all that may be putinto it, unless one possessed of lands, and domains, and treasure, shall arise and tread down with both his feet the food that is withinthe bag, and shall say, 'Enough has been put therein. '" Then saidRhiannon unto Gwawl the son of Clud, "Rise up quickly. " "I willwillingly arise, " said he. So he rose up, and put his two feet intothe bag. And Pwyll turned up the sides of the bag, so that Gwawl wasover his head in it. And he shut it up quickly and slipped a knotupon the thongs, and blew his horn. And thereupon behold hishousehold came down upon the palace. And they seized all the hostthat had come with Gwawl, and cast them into his own prison. AndPwyll threw off his rags, and his old shoes, and his tattered array;and as they came in, every one of Pwyll's knights struck a blow uponthe bag, and asked, "What is here?" "A Badger, " said they. And inthis manner they played, each of them striking the bag, either withhis foot or with a staff. And thus played they with the bag. Everyone as he came in asked, "What game are you playing at thus?" "Thegame of Badger in the Bag, " said they. And then was the game ofBadger in the Bag first played. 

"Lord, " said the man in the bag, "if thou wouldest but hear me, Imerit not to be slain in a bag. " Said Heveydd Hen, "Lord, he speakstruth. It were fitting that thou listen to him, for he deserves notthis. " "Verily, " said Pwyll, "I will do thy counsel concerning him. ""Behold this is my counsel then, " said Rhiannon; "thou art now in aposition in which it behoves thee to satisfy suitors and minstrels;let him give unto them in thy stead, and take a pledge from him thathe will never seek to revenge that which has been done to him. Andthis will be punishment enough. " "I will do this gladly, " said theman in the bag. "And gladly will I accept it, " said Pwyll, "since itis the counsel of Heveydd and Rhiannon. " "Such then is our counsel, "answered they. "I accept it, " said Pwyll. "Seek thyself sureties. ""We will be for him, " said Heveydd, "until his men be free to answerfor him. " And upon this he was let out of the bag, and his liegemenwere liberated. "Demand now of Gwawl his sureties, " said Heveydd, "we know which should be taken for him. " And Heveydd numbered thesureties. Said Gwawl, "Do thou thyself draw up the covenant. " "Itwill suffice me that it be as Rhiannon said, " answered Pwyll. Sounto that covenant were the sureties pledged. "Verily, Lord, " saidGwawl, "I am greatly hurt, and I have many bruises. I have need tobe anointed; with thy leave I will go forth. I will leave nobles inmy stead, to answer for me in all that thou shalt require. ""Willingly, " said Pwyll, "mayest thou do thus. " So Gwawl wenttowards his own possessions. 

And the hall was set in order for Pwyll and the men of his host, andfor them also of the palace, and they went to the tables and satdown. And as they had sat that time twelvemonth, so sat they thatnight. And they ate, and feasted, and spent the night in mirth andtranquillity. And the time came that they should sleep, and Pwylland Rhiannon went to their chamber. 

And next morning at the break of day, "My Lord, " said Rhiannon, "arise and begin to give thy gifts unto the minstrels. Refuse no oneto-day that may claim thy bounty. " "Thus shall it be gladly, " saidPwyll, "both to-day and every day while the feast shall last. " SoPwyll arose, and he caused silence to be proclaimed, and desired allthe suitors and the minstrels to show and to point out what giftswere to their wish and desire. And this being done, the feast wenton, and he denied no one while it lasted. And when the feast wasended, Pwyll said unto Heveydd, "My Lord, with thy permission I willset out for Dyved to-morrow. " "Certainly, " said Heveydd, "may Heavenprosper thee. Fix also a time when Rhiannon may follow thee. " "ByHeaven, " said Pwyll, "we will go hence together. " "Willest thouthis, Lord?" said Heveydd. "Yes, by Heaven, " answered Pwyll. 

And the next day, they set forward towards Dyved, and journeyed tothe palace of Narberth, where a feast was made ready for them. Andthere came to them great numbers of the chief men and the most nobleladies of the land, and of these there was none to whom Rhiannon didnot give some rich gift, either a bracelet, or a ring, or a preciousstone. And they ruled the land prosperously both that year and thenext. 

And in the third year the nobles of the land began to be sorrowful atseeing a man whom they loved so much, and who was moreover their lordand their foster-brother, without an heir. And they came to him. And the place where they met was Preseleu, in Dyved. "Lord, " saidthey, "we know that thou art not so young as some of the men of thiscountry, and we fear that thou mayest not have an heir of the wifewhom thou hast taken. Take therefore another wife of whom thoumayest have heirs. Thou canst not always continue with us, andthough thou desire to remain as thou art, we will not suffer thee. ""Truly, " said Pwyll, "we have not long been joined together, and manythings may yet befall. Grant me a year from this time, and for thespace of a year we will abide together, and after that I will doaccording to your wishes. So they granted it. And before the end ofa year a son was born unto him. And in Narberth was he born; and onthe night that he was born, women were brought to watch the motherand the boy. And the women slept, as did also Rhiannon, the motherof the boy. And the number of the women that were brought into thechamber was six. And they watched for a good portion of the night, and before midnight every one of them fell asleep, and towards breakof day they awoke; and when they awoke, they looked where they hadput the boy, and behold he was not there. "Oh, " said one of thewomen, "the boy is lost?" "Yes, " said another, "and it will be smallvengeance if we are burnt or put to death because of the child. "Said one of the women, "Is there any counsel for us in the world inthis matter?" "There is, " answered another, "I offer you goodcounsel. " "What is that?" asked they. "There is here a stag-houndbitch, and she has a litter of whelps. Let us kill some of the cubs, and rub the blood on the face and hands of Rhiannon, and lay thebones before her, and assert that she herself hath devoured her son, and she alone will not be able to gainsay us six. " And according tothis counsel it was settled. And towards morning Rhiannon awoke, andshe said, "Women, where is my son?" "Lady, " said they, "ask us notconcerning thy son, we have nought but the blows and the bruises wegot by struggling with thee, and of a truth we never saw any woman soviolent as thou, for it was of no avail to contend with thee. Hastthou not thyself devoured thy son? Claim him not therefore of us. ""For pity's sake, " said Rhiannon; "the Lord God knows all things. Charge me not falsely. If you tell me this from fear, I assertbefore Heaven that I will defend you. " "Truly, " said they, "we wouldnot bring evil on ourselves for any one in the world. " "For pity'ssake, " said Rhiannon, "you will receive no evil by telling thetruth. " But for all her words, whether fair or harsh, she receivedbut the same answer from the women. 

And Pwyll the chief of Annwvyn arose, and his household, and hishosts. And this occurrence could not be concealed, but the storywent forth throughout the land, and all the nobles heard it. Thenthe nobles came to Pwyll, and besought him to put away his wife, because of the great crime which she had done. But Pwyll answeredthem, that they had no cause wherefore they might ask him to put awayhis wife, save for her having no children. "But children has she nowhad, therefore will I not put her away; if she has done wrong, lether do penance for it. "

So Rhiannon sent for the teachers and the wise men, and as shepreferred doing penance to contending with the women, she took uponher a penance. And the penance that was imposed upon her was, thatshe should remain in that palace of Narberth until the end of sevenyears, and that she should sit every day near unto a horseblock thatwas without the gate. And that she should relate the story to allwho should come there, whom she might suppose not to know it already;and that she should offer the guests and strangers, if they wouldpermit her, to carry them upon her back into the palace. But itrarely happened that any would permit. And thus did she spend partof the year. 

Now at that time Teirnyon Twryv Vliant was Lord of Gwent Is Coed, andhe was the best man in the world. And unto his house there belongeda mare, than which neither mare nor horse in the kingdom was morebeautiful. And on the night of every first of May she foaled, and noone ever knew what became of the colt. And one night Teirnyon talkedwith his wife: "Wife, " said he, "it is very simple of us that ourmare should foal every year, and that we should have none of hercolts. " "What can be done in the matter?" said she. "This is thenight of the first of May, " said he. "The vengeance of Heaven beupon me, if I learn not what it is that takes away the colts. " So hecaused the mare to be brought into a house, and he armed himself, andbegan to watch that night. And in the beginning of the night, themare foaled a large and beautiful colt. And it was standing up inthe place. And Teirnyon rose up and looked at the size of the colt, and as he did so he heard a great tumult, and after the tumult beholda claw came through the window into the house, and it seized the coltby the mane. Then Teirnyon drew his sword, and struck off the arm atthe elbow, so that portion of the arm together with the colt was inthe house with him. And then did he hear a tumult and wailing, bothat once. And he opened the door, and rushed out in the direction ofthe noise, and he could not see the cause of the tumult because ofthe darkness of the night, but he rushed after it and followed it. Then he remembered that he had left the door open, and he returned. And at the door behold there was an infant boy in swaddling-clothes, wrapped around in a mantle of satin. And he took up the boy, andbehold he was very strong for the age that he was of. 

Then he shut the door, and went into the chamber where his wife was. "Lady, " said he, "art thou sleeping?" "No, lord, " said she, "I wasasleep, but as thou camest in I did awake. " "Behold, here is a boyfor thee if thou wilt, " said he, "since thou hast never had one. ""My lord, " said she, "what adventure is this?" "It was thus, " saidTeirnyon; and he told her how it all befell. "Verily, lord, " saidshe, "what sort of garments are there upon the boy?" "A mantle ofsatin, " said he. "He is then a boy of gentle lineage, " she replied. "My lord, " she said, "if thou wilt, I shall have great diversion andmirth. I will call my women unto me, and tell them that I have beenpregnant. " "I will readily grant thee to do this, " he answered. Andthus did they, and they caused the boy to be baptized, and theceremony was performed there; and the name which they gave unto himwas Gwri Wallt Euryn, because what hair was upon his head was asyellow as gold. And they had the boy nursed in the Court until hewas a year old. And before the year was over he could walk stoutly. And he was larger than a boy of three years old, even one of greatgrowth and size. And the boy was nursed the second year, and then hewas as large as a child six years old. And before the end of thefourth year, he would bribe the grooms to allow him to take thehorses to water. "My lord, " said his wife unto Teirnyon, "where isthe colt which thou didst save on the night that thou didst find theboy?" "I have commanded the grooms of the horses, " said he, "thatthey take care of him. " "Would it not be well, lord, " said she, "ifthou wert to cause him to be broken in, and given to the boy, seeingthat on the same night that thou didst find the boy, the colt wasfoaled and thou didst save him?" "I will not oppose thee in thismatter, " said Teirnyon. "I will allow thee to give him the colt. ""Lord, " said she, "may Heaven reward thee; I will give it him. " Sothe horse was given to the boy. Then she went to the grooms andthose who tended the horses, and commanded them to be careful of thehorse, so that he might be broken in by the time that the boy couldride him. 

And while these things were going forward, they heard tidings ofRhiannon and her punishment. And Teirnyon Twryv Vliant, by reason ofthe pity that he felt on hearing this story of Rhiannon and herpunishment, inquired closely concerning it, until he had heard frommany of those who came to his court. Then did Teirnyon, oftenlamenting the sad history, ponder within himself, and he lookedsteadfastly on the boy, and as he looked upon him, it seemed to himthat he had never beheld so great a likeness between father and son, as between the boy and Pwyll the Chief of Annwvyn. Now the semblanceof Pwyll was well known to him, for he had of yore been one of hisfollowers. And thereupon he became grieved for the wrong that hedid, in keeping with him a boy whom he knew to be the son of anotherman. And the first time that he was alone with his wife, he told herthat it was not right that they should keep the boy with them, andsuffer so excellent a lady as Rhiannon to be punished so greatly onhis account, whereas the boy was the son of Pwyll the Chief ofAnnwvyn. And Teirnyon's wife agreed with him, that they should sendthe boy to Pwyll. "And three things, lord, " said she, "shall we gainthereby. Thanks and gifts for releasing Rhiannon from herpunishment; and thanks from Pwyll for nursing his son and restoringhim unto him; and thirdly, if the boy is of gentle nature, he will beour foster-son, and he will do for us all the good in his power. " Soit was settled according to this counsel. 

And no later than the next day was Teirnyon equipped, and two otherknights with him. And the boy, as a fourth in their company, wentwith them upon the horse which Teirnyon had given him. And theyjourneyed towards Narberth, and it was not long before they reachedthat place. And as they drew near to the palace, they beheldRhiannon sitting beside the horseblock. And when they were oppositeto her, "Chieftain, " said she, "go not further thus, I will bearevery one of you into the palace, and this is my penance for slayingmy own son and devouring him. " "Oh, fair lady, " said Teirnyon, "think not that I will be one to be carried upon thy back. " "Neitherwill I, " said the boy. "Truly, my soul, " said Teirnyon, "we will notgo. " So they went forward to the palace, and there was great joy attheir coming. And at the palace a feast was prepared, because Pywllwas come back from the confines of Dyved. And they went into thehall and washed, and Pwyll rejoiced to see Teirnyon. And in thisorder they sat. Teirnyon between Pwyll and Rhiannon, and Teirnyon'stwo companions on the other side of Pwyll, with the boy between them. And after meat they began to carouse and to discourse. AndTeirnyon's discourse was concerning the adventure of the mare and theboy, and how he and his wife had nursed and reared the child as theirown. "And behold here is thy son, lady, " said Teirnyon. "Andwhosoever told that lie concerning thee, has done wrong. And when Iheard of thy sorrow, I was troubled and grieved. And I believe thatthere is none of this host who will not perceive that the boy is theson of Pwyll, " said Teirnyon. "There is none, " said they all, "whois not certain thereof. " "I declare to Heaven, " said Rhiannon, "thatif this be true, there is indeed an end to my trouble. " "Lady, " saidPendaran Dyved, "well hast thou named thy son Pryderi, {3} and wellbecomes him the name of Pryderi son of Pwyll Chief of Annwvyn. ""Look you, " said Rhiannon, "will not his own name become him better?""What name has he?" asked Pendaran Dyved. "Gwri Wallt Euryn is thename that we gave him. " "Pryderi, " said Pendaran, "shall his namebe. " "It were more proper, " said Pwyll, "that the boy should takehis name from the word his mother spoke when she received the joyfultidings of him. " And thus was it arranged. 

"Teirnyon, " said Pwyll, "Heaven reward thee that thou hast reared theboy up to this time, and, being of gentle lineage, it were fittingthat he repay thee for it. " "My lord, " said Teirnyon, "it was mywife who nursed him, and there is no one in the world so afflicted asshe at parting with him. It were well that he should bear in mindwhat I and my wife have done for him. " "I call Heaven to witness, "said Pwyll, "that while I live I will support thee and thypossessions, as long as I am able to preserve my own. And when heshall have power, he will more fitly maintain them than I. And ifthis counsel be pleasing unto thee, and to my nobles, it shall bethat, as thou hast reared him up to the present time, I will give himto be brought up by Pendaran Dyved, from henceforth. And you shallbe companions, and shall both be foster-fathers unto him. " "This isgood counsel, " said they all. So the boy was given to PendaranDyved, and the nobles of the land were sent with him. And TeirnyonTwryv Vliant, and his companions, set out for his country, and hispossessions, with love and gladness. And he went not without beingoffered the fairest jewels and the fairest horses, and the choicestdogs; but he would take none of them. 

Thereupon they all remained in their own dominions. And Pryderi, theson of Pwyll the Chief of Annwvyn, was brought up carefully as wasfit, so that he became the fairest youth, and the most comely, andthe best skilled in all good games, of any in the kingdom. And thuspassed years and years, until the end of Pwyll the Chief of Annwvyn'slife came, and he died. 

And Pryderi ruled the seven Cantrevs of Dyved prosperously, and hewas beloved by his people, and by all around him. And at length headded unto them the three Cantrevs of Ystrad Tywi, and the fourCantrevs of Cardigan; and these were called the Seven Cantrevs ofSeissyllwch. And when he made this addition, Pryderi the son ofPwyll the Chief of Annwvyn desired to take a wife. And the wife hechose was Kicva, the daughter of Gwynn Gohoyw, the son of Gloyw WalltLydan, the son of Prince Casnar, one of the nobles of this Island. 

And thus ends this portion of the Mabinogion. 

BRANWEN THE DAUGHTER OF LLYRHERE IS THE SECOND PORTION OF THE MABINOGI

Bendigeid Vran, the son of Llyr, was the crowned king of this island, and he was exalted from the crown of London. And one afternoon hewas at Harlech in Ardudwy, at his Court, and he sat upon the rock ofHarlech, looking over the sea. And with him were his brotherManawyddan the son of Llyr, and his brothers by the mother's side, Nissyen and Evnissyen, and many nobles likewise, as was fitting tosee around a king. His two brothers by the mother's side were thesons of Eurosswydd, by his mother, Penardun, the daughter of Beli sonof Manogan. And one of these youths was a good youth and of gentlenature, and would make peace between his kindred, and cause hisfamily to be friends when their wrath was at the highest; and thisone was Nissyen; but the other would cause strife between his twobrothers when they were most at peace. And as they sat thus, theybeheld thirteen ships coming from the south of Ireland, and makingtowards them, and they came with a swift motion, the wind beingbehind them, and they neared them rapidly. "I see ships afar, " saidthe king, "coming swiftly towards the land. Command the men of theCourt that they equip themselves, and go and learn their intent. " Sothe men equipped themselves and went down towards them. And whenthey saw the ships near, certain were they that they had never seenships better furnished. Beautiful flags of satin were upon them. And behold one of the ships outstripped the others, and they saw ashield lifted up above the side of the ship, and the point of theshield was upwards, in token of peace. And the men drew near thatthey might hold converse. Then they put out boats and came towardsthe land. And they saluted the king. Now the king could hear themfrom the place where he was, upon the rock above their heads. "Heaven prosper you, " said he, "and be ye welcome. To whom do theseships belong, and who is the chief amongst you?" "Lord, " said they, "Matholwch, king of Ireland, is here, and these ships belong to him. ""Wherefore comes he?' asked the king, "and will he come to the land?""He is a suitor unto thee, lord, " said they, "and he will not landunless he have his boon. " "And what may that be?" inquired the king. "He desires to ally himself with thee, lord, " said they, "and hecomes to ask Branwen the daughter of Llyr, that, if it seem well tothee, the Island of the Mighty may be leagued with Ireland, and bothbecome more powerful. " "Verily, " said he, "let him come to land, andwe will take counsel thereupon. " And this answer was brought toMatholwch. "I will go willingly, " said he. So he landed, and theyreceived him joyfully; and great was the throng in the palace thatnight, between his hosts and those of the Court; and next day theytook counsel, and they resolved to bestow Branwen upon Matholwch. Now she was one of the three chief ladies of this island, and she wasthe fairest damsel in the world. 

And they fixed upon Aberffraw as the place where she should becomehis bride. And they went thence, and towards Aberffraw the hostsproceeded; Matholwch and his host in their ships; Bendigeid Vran andhis host by land, until they came to Aberffraw. And at Aberffrawthey began the feast and sat down. And thus sat they. The King ofthe Island of the Mighty and Manawyddan the son of Llyr on one side, and Matholwch on the other side, and Branwen the daughter of Llyrbeside him. And they were not within a house, but under tents. Nohouse could ever contain Bendigeid Vran. And they began the banquetand caroused and discoursed. And when it was more pleasing to themto sleep than to carouse, they went to rest, and that night Branwenbecame Matholwch's bride. 

And next day they arose, and all they of the Court, and the officersbegan to equip and to range the horses and the attendants, and theyranged them in order as far as the sea. 

And behold one day, Evnissyen, the quarrelsome man of whom it isspoken above, came by chance into the place, where the horses ofMatholwch were, and asked whose horses they might be. "They are thehorses of Matholwch king of Ireland, who is married to Branwen, thysister; his horses are they. " "And is it thus they have done with amaiden such as she, and moreover my sister, bestowing her without myconsent? They could have offered no greater insult to me than this, "said he. And thereupon he rushed under the horses and cut off theirlips at the teeth, and their ears close to their heads, and theirtails close to their backs, and wherever he could clutch theireyelids, he cut them to the very bone, and he disfigured the horsesand rendered them useless. 

And they came with these tidings unto Matholwch, saying that thehorses were disfigured, and injured so that not one of them couldever be of any use again. "Verily, lord, " said one, "it was aninsult unto thee, and as such was it meant. " "Of a truth, it is amarvel to me, that if they desire to insult me, they should havegiven me a maiden of such high rank and so much beloved of herkindred, as they have done. " "Lord, " said another, "thou seest thatthus it is, and there is nothing for thee to do but to go to thyships. " And thereupon towards his ships he set out. 

And tidings came to Bendigeid Vran that Matholwch was quitting theCourt without asking leave, and messengers were sent to inquire ofhim wherefore he did so. And the messengers that went were Iddic theson of Anarawd, and Heveydd Hir. And these overtook him and asked ofhim what he designed to do, and wherefore he went forth. "Of atruth, " said he, "if I had known I had not come hither. I have beenaltogether insulted, no one had ever worse treatment than I have hadhere. But one thing surprises me above all. " "What is that?" askedthey. "That Branwen the daughter of Llyr, one of the three chiefladies of this island, and the daughter of the King of the Island ofthe Mighty, should have been given me as my bride, and that afterthat I should have been insulted; and I marvel that the insult wasnot done me before they had bestowed upon me a maiden so exalted asshe. " "Truly, lord, it was not the will of any that are of theCourt, " said they, "nor of any that are of the council, that thoushouldest have received this insult; and as thou hast been insulted, the dishonour is greater unto Bendigeid Vran than unto thee. ""Verily, " said he, "I think so. Nevertheless he cannot recall theinsult. " These men returned with that answer to the place whereBendigeid Vran was, and they told him what reply Matholwch had giventhem. "Truly, " said he, "there are no means by which we may preventhis 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 UnicGlew Ysgwyd, and go after him, and tell him that he shall have asound horse for every one that has been injured. And beside that, asan atonement for the insult, he shall have a staff of silver, aslarge and as tall as himself, and a plate of gold of the breadth ofhis face. And show unto him who it was that did this, and that itwas done against my will; but that he who did it is my brother, bythe mother's side, and therefore it would be hard for me to put himto death. And let him come and meet me, " said he, "and we will makepeace in any way he may desire. "

The embassy went after Matholwch, and told him all these sayings in afriendly manner, and he listened thereunto. "Men, " said he, "I willtake counsel. " So to the council he went. And in the council theyconsidered that if they should refuse this, they were likely to havemore shame rather than to obtain so great an atonement. Theyresolved therefore to accept it, and they returned to the Court inpeace. 

Then the pavilions and the tents were set in order after the fashionof a hall; and they went to meat, and as they had sat at thebeginning of the feast, so sat they there. And Matholwch andBendigeid Vran began to discourse; and behold it seemed to BendigeidVran, while they talked, that Matholwch was not so cheerful as he hadbeen before. And he thought that the chieftain might be sad, becauseof the smallness of the atonement which he had, for the wrong thathad been done him. "Oh, man, " said Bendigeid Vran, "thou dost notdiscourse to-night so cheerfully as thou wast wont. And if it bebecause of the smallness of the atonement, thou shalt add thereuntowhatsoever thou mayest choose, and to-morrow I will pay thee thehorses. " "Lord, " said he, "Heaven reward thee. " "And I will enhancethe atonement, " said Bendigeid Vran, "for I will give unto thee acauldron, the property of which is, that if one of thy men be slainto-day, and be cast therein, to-morrow he will be as well as ever hewas at the best, except that he will not regain his speech. " Andthereupon he gave him great thanks, and very joyful was he for thatcause. 

And the next morning they paid Matholwch the horses as long as thetrained horses lasted. And then they journeyed into another commot, where they paid him with colts until the whole had been paid, andfrom thenceforth that commot was called Talebolion. 

And a second night sat they together. "My lord, " said Matholwch, "whence hadst thou the cauldron which thou hast given me?" "I had itof a man who had been in thy land, " said he, "and I would not give itexcept to one from there. " "Who was it?" asked he. "LlassarLlaesgyvnewid; he came here from Ireland with Kymideu Kymeinvoll, hiswife, who escaped from the Iron House in Ireland, when it was madered hot around them, and fled hither. And it is a marvel to me thatthou shouldst know nothing concerning the matter. " "Something I doknow, " 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 of thelake, which is called the Lake of the Cauldron. And I beheld a hugeyellow-haired man coming from the lake with a cauldron upon his back. And he was a man of vast size, and of horrid aspect, and a womanfollowed after him. And if the man was tall, twice as large as hewas the woman, and they came towards me and greeted me. 'Verily, 'asked I, 'wherefore are you journeying?' 'Behold, this, ' said he tome, 'is the cause that we journey. At the end of a month and afortnight this woman will have a son; and the child that will be bornat the end of the month and the fortnight will be a warrior fullyarmed. ' So I took them with me and maintained them. And they werewith me for a year. And that year I had them with me not grudgingly. But thenceforth was there murmuring, because that they were with me. For, from the 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 with them, and they bade me to choose between them and my dominions. And Iapplied to the council of my country to know what should be doneconcerning them; for of their own free will they would not go, neither could they be compelled against their will, through fighting. And [the people of the country] being in this strait, they caused achamber to be made all of iron. Now when the chamber was ready, there came there every smith that was in Ireland, and every one whoowned tongs and hammer. And they caused coals to be piled up as highas the top of the chamber. And they had the man, and the woman, andthe children, served with plenty of meat and drink; but when it wasknown that they were drunk, they began to put fire to the coals aboutthe chamber, and they blew it with bellows until the house was redhot all around them. Then was there a council held in the centre ofthe floor of the chamber. And the man tarried until the plates ofiron were all of a white heat; and then, by reason of the great heat, the man 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, " said Matholwch untoBendigeid Vran, "that he came over unto thee. " "Doubtless he camehere, " said he, "and gave unto me the cauldron. " "In what mannerdidst thou receive them?" "I dispersed them through every part of mydominions, and they have become numerous and are prosperingeverywhere, and they fortify the places where they are with men andarms, of the best that were ever seen. "

That night they continued to discourse as much as they would, and hadminstrelsy and carousing, and when it was more pleasant to them tosleep than to sit longer, they went to rest. And thus was thebanquet carried on with joyousness; and when it was finished, Matholwch journeyed towards Ireland, and Branwen with him, and theywent from Aber Menei with thirteen ships, and came to Ireland. Andin Ireland was there great joy because of their coming. And not onegreat man or noble lady visited Branwen unto whom she gave not eithera clasp, or a ring, or a royal jewel to keep, such as it washonourable to be seen departing with. And in these things she spentthat year in much renown, and she passed her time pleasantly, enjoying honour and friendship. And in the meanwhile it chanced thatshe became pregnant, and in due time a son was born unto her, and thename that they gave him was Gwern the son of Matholwch, and they putthe boy out to be foster-nursed, in a place where were the best menof Ireland. 

And behold in the second year a tumult arose in Ireland, on accountof the insult which Matholwch had received in Cambria, and thepayment made him for his horses. And his foster-brothers, and suchas were nearest unto him, blamed him openly for that matter. And hemight have no peace by reason of the tumult until they should revengeupon him this disgrace. And the vengeance which they took was todrive away Branwen from the same chamber with him, and to make hercook for 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, andsuch they made her punishment. 

"Verily, lord, " said his men to Matholwch, "forbid now the ships andthe ferry boats and the coracles, that they go not into Cambria, andsuch as come over from Cambria hither, imprison them that they go notback for this thing to be known there. " And he did so; and it wasthus for not less than three years. 

And Branwen reared a starling in the cover of the kneading trough, and she taught it to speak, and she taught the bird what manner ofman her brother was. And she wrote a letter of her woes, and thedespite with which she was treated, and she bound the letter to theroot of the bird's wing, and sent it towards Britain. And the birdcame to this island, and one day it found Bendigeid Vran at CaerSeiont in Arvon, conferring there, and it alighted upon his shoulderand ruffled its feathers, so that the letter was seen, and they knewthat the bird had been reared in a domestic manner. 

Then Bendigeid Vran took the letter and looked upon it. And when hehad read the letter he grieved exceedingly at the tidings ofBranwen's woes. And immediately he began sending messengers tosummon the island together. And he caused sevenscore and fourcountries to come unto him, and he complained to them himself of thegrief that his sister endured. So they took counsel. And in thecouncil they resolved to go to Ireland, and to leave seven men asprinces here, and Caradawc, the son of Bran, as the chief of them, and their seven knights. In Edeyrnion were these men left. And forthis reason were the seven knights placed in the town. Now the namesof these seven men were, Caradawc the son of Bran, and Heveydd Hir, and Unic Glew Ysgwyd, and Iddic the son of Anarawc Gwalltgrwn, andFodor the son of Ervyll, and Gwlch Minascwrn, and Llassar the son ofLlaesar Llaesgygwyd, and Pendaran Dyved as a young page with them. And these abode as seven ministers to take charge of this island; andCaradawc the son of Bran was the chief amongst them. 

Bendigeid Vran, with the host of which we spoke, sailed towardsIreland, and it was not far across the sea, and he came to shoalwater. It was caused by two rivers; the Lli and the Archan were theycalled; and the nations covered the sea. Then he proceeded with whatprovisions he had on his own back, and approached the shore ofIreland. 

Now the swineherds of Matholwch were upon the seashore, and they cameto Matholwch. "Lord, " said they, "greeting be unto thee. " "Heavenprotect you, " said he, "have you any news?" "Lord, " said they, "wehave marvellous news, a wood have we seen upon the sea, in a placewhere we never yet saw a single tree. " "This is indeed a marvel, "said he; "saw you aught else?" "We saw, lord, " said they, "a vastmountain beside the wood, which moved, and there was a lofty ridge onthe top of the mountain, and a lake on each side of the ridge. Andthe wood, and the mountain, and all these things moved. " "Verily, "said he, "there is none who can know aught concerning this, unless itbe Branwen. "

Messengers then went unto Branwen. "Lady, " said they, "what thinkestthou that this is?" "The men of the Island of the Mighty, who havecome hither on hearing of my ill-treatment and my woes. " "What isthe forest that is seen upon the sea?" asked they. "The yards andthe masts of ships, " she answered. "Alas, " said they, "what is themountain that is seen by the side of the ships?" "Bendigeid Vran, mybrother, " she replied, "coming to shoal water; there is no ship thatcan contain him in it. " "What is the lofty ridge with the lake oneach side thereof?" "On looking towards this island he is wroth, andhis two eyes, one on each side of his nose, are the two lakes besidethe ridge. "

The warriors and the chief men of Ireland were brought together inhaste, and they took counsel. "Lord, " said the nobles untoMatholwch, "there is no other counsel than to retreat over the Linon(a river which is in Ireland), and to keep the river between thee andhim, and to break down the bridge that is across the river, for thereis a loadstone at the bottom of the river that neither ship norvessel can pass over. " So they retreated across the river, and brokedown the bridge. 

Bendigeid Vran came to land, and the fleet with him by the bank ofthe river. "Lord, " said his chieftains, "knowest thou the nature ofthis river, that nothing can go across it, and there is no bridgeover it?" "What, " said they, "is thy counsel concerning a bridge?""There is none, " said he, "except that he who will be chief, let himbe a bridge. I will be so, " said he. And then was that saying firstuttered, and it is still used as a proverb. And when he had laindown across the river, hurdles were placed upon him, and the hostpassed over thereby. 

And as he rose up, behold the messengers of Matholwch came to him, and saluted him, and gave him greeting in the name of Matholwch, hiskinsman, and showed how that of his goodwill he had merited of himnothing but good. "For Matholwch has given the kingdom of Ireland toGwern the son of Matholwch, thy nephew and thy sister's son. Andthis he places before thee, as a compensation for the wrong anddespite that has been done unto Branwen. And Matholwch shall bemaintained wheresoever thou wilt, either here or in the Island of theMighty. " Said Bendigeid Vran, "Shall not I myself have the kingdom?Then peradventure I may take counsel concerning your message. Fromthis time until then no other answer will you get from me. ""Verily, " said they, "the best message that we receive for thee, wewill convey it unto thee, and do thou await our 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 message for Bendigeid Vran. He would not listen atall to the message that we bore him. " "My friends, " said Matholwch, "what may be your counsel?" "Lord, " said they, "there is no othercounsel than 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 on theother; and give over thy kingdom to his will, and do him homage. Soby reason of the honour thou doest him in making him a house, whereashe never before had a house to contain him, he will make peace withthee. " So the messengers went back to Bendigeid Vran, bearing himthis message. 

And he took counsel, and in the council it was resolved that heshould accept this, and this was all done by the advice of Branwen, and lest the country should be destroyed. And this peace was made, and the house was built both vast and strong. But the Irish planneda crafty device, and the craft was that they should put brackets oneach side of the hundred pillars that were in the house, and shouldplace a leathern bag on each bracket, and an armed man in every oneof them. Then Evnissyen came in before the host of the Island of theMighty, and scanned the house with fierce and savage looks, anddescried the leathern bags which were around the pillars. "What isin this bag?" asked he of one of the Irish. "Meal, good soul, " saidhe. And Evnissyen felt about it until he came to the man's head, andhe squeezed the head until he felt his fingers meet together in thebrain through the bone. And he left that one and put his hand uponanother, and asked what was therein. "Meal, " said the Irishman. Sohe did 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 to him, he asked what was there. "Meal, good soul, " said the Irishman. Andhe felt about until he felt the head, and he squeezed that head as hehad done the others. And, albeit he found that the head of this onewas armed, he left him not until he had killed him. And then he sangan Englyn:-

"There is in this bag a different sort of meal, The ready combatant, when the assault is madeBy his fellow-warriors, prepared for battle. "

Thereupon came the hosts unto the house. The men of the Island ofIreland entered the house on the one side, and the men of the Islandof the Mighty on the other. And as soon as they had sat down therewas concord between them; and the sovereignty was conferred upon theboy. When the peace was concluded, Bendigeid Vran called the boyunto him, and from Bendigeid Vran the boy went unto Manawyddan, andhe was beloved by all that beheld him. And from Manawyddan the boywas called by Nissyen the son of Eurosswydd, and the boy went untohim lovingly. "Wherefore, " said Evnissyen, "comes not my nephew theson of my sister unto me? Though he were not king of Ireland, yetwillingly would I fondle the boy. " "Cheerfully let him go to thee, "said Bendigeid Vran, and the boy went unto him cheerfully. "By myconfession to Heaven, " said Evnissyen in his heart, "unthought of bythe household is the slaughter that I will this instant commit. "

Then he arose and took up the boy by the feet, and before any one inthe house could seize hold of him, he thrust the boy headlong intothe blazing fire. And when Branwen saw her son burning in the fire, she strove to leap into the fire also, from the place where she satbetween her two brothers. But Bendigeid Vran grasped her with onehand, and his shield with the other. Then they all hurried about thehouse, and never was there made so great a tumult by any host in onehouse as was made by them, as each man armed himself. Then saidMorddwydtyllyon, "The gadflies of Morddwydtyllyon's Cow!" And whilethey all sought their arms, Bendigeid Vran supported Branwen betweenhis shield and his shoulder. 

Then the Irish kindled a fire under the cauldron of renovation, andthey cast the dead bodies into the cauldron until it was full, andthe next day they came forth fighting-men as good as before, exceptthat they were not able to speak. Then when Evnissyen saw the deadbodies of the men of the Island of the Mighty nowhere resuscitated, he said in his heart, "Alas! woe is me, that I should have been thecause of bringing the men of the Island of the Mighty into so great astrait. Evil betide me if I find not a deliverance therefrom. " Andhe cast himself among the dead bodies of the Irish, and two unshodIrishmen came to him, and, taking him to be one of the Irish, flunghim into the cauldron. And he stretched himself out in the cauldron, so that he rent the cauldron into four pieces, and burst his ownheart also. 

In consequence of that the men of the Island of the Mighty obtainedsuch success as they had; but they were not victorious, for onlyseven men of them all escaped, and Bendigeid Vran himself was woundedin the foot with a poisoned dart. Now the seven men that escapedwere Pryderi, Manawyddan, Gluneu Eil Taran, Taliesin, Ynawc, Grudyenthe son of Muryel, and Heilyn the son of Gwynn Hen. 

And Bendigeid Vran commanded them that they should cut off his head. "And take you my head, " said he, "and bear it even unto the WhiteMount, in London, and bury it there, with the face towards France. And a long time will you be upon the road. In Harlech you will befeasting seven years, the birds of Rhiannon singing unto you thewhile. And all that time the head will be to you as pleasant companyas it ever was when on my body. And at Gwales in Penvro you will befourscore years, and you may remain there, and the head with youuncorrupted, until you open the door that looks towards AberHenvelen, and towards Cornwall. And after you have opened that door, there you may no longer tarry, set forth then to London to bury thehead, and go straight forward. "

So they cut off his head, and these seven went forward therewith. And Branwen was the eighth with them, and they came to land at AberAlaw, in Talebolyon, and they sat down to rest. And Branwen lookedtowards Ireland and towards the Island of the Mighty, to see if shecould descry them. "Alas, " said she, "woe is me that I was everborn; two islands have been destroyed because of me!" Then sheuttered a loud groan, and there broke her heart. And they made her afour-sided grave, and buried her upon the banks of the Alaw. 

Then the seven men journeyed forward towards Harlech, bearing thehead with them; and as they went, behold there met them a multitudeof men and of women. "Have you any tidings?" asked Manawyddan. "Wehave none, " said they, "save that Caswallawn the son of Beli hasconquered the Island of the Mighty, and is crowned king in London. ""What has become, " said they, "of Caradawc the son of Bran, and theseven men who were left with him in this island?" "Caswallawn cameupon them, and slew six of the men, and Caradawc's heart broke forgrief thereof; for he could see the sword that slew the men, but knewnot who it was that wielded it. Caswallawn had flung upon him theVeil of Illusion, so that no one could see him slay the men, but thesword only could they see. And it liked him not to slay Caradawc, because he was his nephew, the son of his cousin. And now he was thethird whose heart had broke through grief. Pendaran Dyved, who hadremained as a young page with these men, escaped into the wood, " saidthey. 

Then they went on to Harlech, and there stopped to rest, and theyprovided meat and liquor, and sat down to eat and to drink. Andthere came three birds, and began singing unto them a certain song, and all the songs they had ever heard were unpleasant comparedthereto; and the birds seemed to them to be at a great distance fromthem over the sea, yet they appeared as distinct as if they wereclose by, and at this repast they continued seven years. 

And at the close of the seventh year they went forth to Gwales inPenvro. And there they found a fair and regal spot overlooking theocean; and a spacious hall was therein. And they went into the hall, and two of its doors were open, but the third door was closed, thatwhich looked towards Cornwall. "See, yonder, " said Manawyddan, "isthe door that we may not open. " And that night they regaledthemselves and were joyful. And of all they had seen of food laidbefore them, and of all they had heard of, they remembered nothing;neither of that, nor of any sorrow whatsoever. And there theyremained fourscore years, unconscious of having ever spent a timemore joyous and mirthful. And they were not more weary than whenfirst they came, neither did they, any of them, know the time theyhad been there. And it was not more irksome to them having the headwith them, than if Bendigeid Vran had been with them himself. Andbecause of these fourscore years, it was called "the Entertaining ofthe noble Head. " The entertaining of Branwen and Matholwch was inthe time that they went to Ireland. 

One day said Heilyn the son of Gwynn, "Evil betide me, if I do notopen the door to know if that is true which is said concerning it. "So he opened the door and looked towards Cornwall and Aber Henvelen. And when they had looked, they were as conscious of all the evilsthey had ever sustained, and of all the friends and companions theyhad lost, and of all the misery that had befallen them, as if all hadhappened in that very spot; and especially of the fate of their lord. And because of their perturbation they could not rest, but journeyedforth with the head towards London. And they buried the head in theWhite Mount, and when it was buried, this was the third goodlyconcealment; and it was the third ill-fated disclosure when it wasdisinterred, inasmuch as no invasion from across the sea came to thisisland while the head was 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 in a cavein the Irish wilderness; and to these five women in the same nightwere born five sons, whom they nursed until they became grown-upyouths. And they thought about wives, and they at the same timedesired to possess them, and each took a wife of the mothers of theircompanions, and they governed the country and peopled it. 

And these five divided it amongst them, and because of this partitionare the five divisions of Ireland still so termed. And they examinedthe land where the battles had taken place, and they found gold andsilver until they became wealthy. 

And thus ends this portion of the Mabinogi, concerning the blow givento Branwen, which was the third unhappy blow of this island; andconcerning the entertainment of Bran, when the hosts of sevenscorecountries and ten went over to Ireland to revenge the blow given toBranwen; and concerning the seven years' banquet in Harlech, and thesinging of the birds of Rhiannon, and the sojourning of the head forthe space of fourscore years. 

MANAWYDDAN THE SON OF LLYRHERE IS THE THIRD PORTION OF THE MABINOGI

When the seven men of whom we spoke above had buried the head ofBendigeid Vran, in the White Mount an London, with its face towardsFrance; Manawyddan gazed upon the town of London, and upon hiscompanions, and heaved a great sigh; and much grief and heavinesscame upon him. "Alas, Almighty Heaven, woe is me, " he exclaimed, "there is none save myself without a resting-place this night. ""Lord, " said Pryderi, "be not so sorrowful. Thy cousin is king ofthe Island of the Mighty, and though he should do thee wrong, thouhast never been a claimant of land or possessions. Thou art thethird disinherited prince. " "Yea, " answered he, "but although thisman is my cousin, it grieveth me to see any one in the place of mybrother Bendigeid Vran, neither can I be happy in the same dwellingwith him. " "Wilt thou follow the counsel of another?" said Pryderi. "I stand in need of counsel, " he answered, "and what may that counselbe?" "Seven Cantrevs remain unto me, " said Pryderi, "whereinRhiannon my mother dwells. I will bestow her upon thee and the sevenCantrevs 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 theinheritance of the Cantrevs belongs to me, do thou and Rhiannon enjoythem, and if thou ever desire any possessions thou wilt take these. ""I do not, Chieftain, " said he; "Heaven reward thee for thyfriendship. " "I would show thee the best friendship in the world ifthou wouldst let me. " "I will, my friend, " said he, "and Heavenreward thee. I will go with thee to seek Rhiannon and to look at thypossessions. " "Thou wilt do well, " he answered. "And I believe thatthou didst never hear a lady discourse better than she, and when shewas in her prime none was ever fairer. Even now her aspect is notuncomely. "

They set forth, and, however long the journey, they came at length toDyved, and a feast was prepared for them against their coming toNarberth, which Rhiannon and Kicva had provided. Then beganManawyddan and Rhiannon to sit and to talk together, and from theirdiscourse his mind and his thoughts became warmed towards her, and hethought in his heart he had never beheld any lady more fulfilled ofgrace and beauty than she. "Pryderi, " said he, "I will that it be asthou didst say. " "What saying was that?" asked Rhiannon. "Lady, "said Pryderi, "I did offer thee as a wife to Manawyddan the son ofLlyr. " "By that will I gladly abide, " said Rhiannon. "Right glad amI also, " said Manawyddan; "may Heaven reward him who hath shown untome friendship so perfect as this. "

And before the feast was over she became his bride. Said Pryderi, "Tarry ye here the rest of the feast, and I will go into Lloegyr totender my homage unto Caswallawn the son of Beli. " "Lord, " saidRhiannon, "Caswallawn is in Kent, thou mayest therefore tarry at thefeast, and wait until he shall be nearer. " "We will wait, " heanswered. So they finished the feast. And they began to make thecircuit of Dyved, and to hunt, and to take their pleasure. And asthey went through the country, they had never seen lands morepleasant to live in, nor better hunting grounds, nor greater plentyof honey and fish. And such was the friendship between those four, that they 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, andtendered his homage; and honourable was his reception there, andhighly was he praised for offering his homage. 

And after his return, Pryderi and Manawyddan feasted and took theirease and pleasure. And they began a feast at Narberth, for it wasthe chief palace; and there originated all honour. And when they hadended the first meal that night, while those who served them ate, they arose and went forth, and proceeded all four to the Gorsedd ofNarberth, and their retinue with them. And as they sat thus, behold, a peal of thunder, and with the violence of the thunderstorm, lothere came a fall of mist, so thick that not one of them could seethe other. And after the mist it became light all around. And whenthey looked towards the place where they were wont to see cattle, andherds, and dwellings, they saw nothing now, neither house, nor beast, nor smoke, nor fire, nor man, nor dwelling; but the houses of theCourt empty, and desert, and uninhabited, without either man or beastwithin them. And truly all their companions were lost to them, without their knowing aught of what had befallen them, save thosefour only. 

"In the name of Heaven, " cried Manawyddan, "where are they of theCourt, and all my host beside these? Let us go and see. " So theycame into the hall, and there was no man; and they went on to thecastle and to the sleeping-place, and they saw none; and in the mead-cellar and in the kitchen there was nought but desolation. So theyfour feasted, and hunted, and took their pleasure. Then they beganto go through the land and all the possessions that they had, andthey visited the houses and dwellings, and found nothing but wildbeasts. And when they had consumed their feast and all theirprovisions, they fed upon the prey they killed in hunting, and thehoney of the wild swarms. And thus they passed the first yearpleasantly, and the second; but at the last they began to be weary. 

"Verily, " said Manawyddan, "we must not bide thus. Let us go intoLloegyr, and seek some craft whereby we may gain our support. " Sothey went into Lloegyr, and came as far as Hereford. And they betookthemselves to making saddles. And Manawyddan began to make housings, and he gilded and coloured them with blue enamel, in the manner thathe had seen it done by Llasar Llaesgywydd. And he made the blueenamel as it was made by the other man. And therefore is it stillcalled Calch Lasar [blue enamel], because Llasar Llaesgywydd hadwrought it. 

And as long as that workmanship could be had of Manawyddan, neithersaddle nor housing was bought of a saddler throughout all Hereford;till at length every one of the saddlers perceived that they werelosing much of their gain, and that no man bought of them, but himwho could not get what he sought from Manawyddan. Then theyassembled together, and agreed to slay him and his companions. 

Now they received warning of this, and took counsel whether theyshould leave the city. "By Heaven, " said Pryderi, "it is not mycounsel that we should quit the town, but that we should slay theseboors. " "Not so, " said Manawyddan, "for if we fight with them, weshall have evil fame, and shall be put in prison. It were better forus to go to another town to maintain ourselves. " So they four wentto another city. 

"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 makeshields, and fashioned them after the shape of the good shields theyhad seen; and they enamelled they, as them had done the saddles. Andthey prospered in that place, so that not a shield was asked for inthe whole town, but such as was had of them. Rapid therefore wastheir work, and numberless were the shields they made. But at lastthey were marked by the craftsmen, who came together in haste, andtheir fellow-townsmen with them, and agreed that they should seek toslay them. But they received warning, and heard how the men hadresolved on their destruction. "Pryderi, " said Manawyddan, "thesemen desire to slay us. " "Let us not endure this from these boors, but let us rather fall upon them and slay them. " "Not so, " heanswered; "Caswallawn and his men will hear of it, and we shall beundone. Let us go to another town. " So to another town they went. 

"What craft shall we take?" said Manawyddan. "Whatsoever thou wiltthat we know, " said Pryderi. "Not so, " he replied, "but let us taketo making shoes, for there is not courage enough among cordwainerseither to fight with us or to molest us. " "I know nothing thereof, "said Pryderi. "But I know, " answered Manawyddan; "and I will teachthee to stitch. We will not attempt to dress the leather, but wewill buy it ready dressed and will make the shoes from it. "

So he began by buying the best cordwal that could be had in the town, and none other would he buy except the leather for the soles; and heassociated himself with the best goldsmith in the town, and causedhim to make clasps for the shoes, and to gild the clasps, and hemarked how it was done until he learnt the method. And therefore washe called one of the three makers of Gold Shoes; and, when they couldbe had from him, not a shoe nor hose was bought of any of thecordwainers in the town. But when the cordwainers perceived thattheir gains were failing (for as Manawyddan shaped the work, soPryderi stitched it), they came together and took counsel, and agreedthat they would slay them. 

"Pryderi, " said Manawyddan, "these men are minded to slay us. ""Wherefore should we bear this from the boorish thieves?" saidPryderi. "Rather let us slay them all. " "Not so, " said Manawyddan, "we will not slay them, neither will we remain in Lloegyr any longer. Let us set forth to Dyved and go to see it. "

So they journeyed along until they came to Dyved, and they wentforward to Narberth. And there they kindled fire and supportedthemselves by hunting. And thus they spent a month. And theygathered their dogs around them, and tarried there one year. 

And one morning Pryderi and Manawyddan rose up to hunt, and theyranged their dogs and went forth from the palace. And some of thedogs ran before them and came to a small bush which was near at hand;but as soon as they were come to the bush, they hastily drew back andreturned to the men, their hair bristling up greatly. "Let us gonear to the bush, " said Pryderi, "and see what is in it. " And asthey came near, behold, a wild boar of a pure white colour rose upfrom the bush. Then the dogs, being set on by the men, rushedtowards him; but he left the bush and fell back a little way from themen, and made a stand against the dogs without retreating from them, until the men had come near. And when the men came up, he fell backa second time, and betook him to flight. Then they pursued the boaruntil they beheld a vast and lofty castle, all newly built, in aplace where they had never before seen either stone or building. Andthe boar ran swiftly into the castle and the dogs after him. Nowwhen the boar and the dogs had gone into the castle, they began towonder at finding a castle in a place where they had never beforeseen any building whatsoever. And from the top of the Gorsedd theylooked and listened for the dogs. But so long as they were therethey heard not one of the dogs nor aught concerning them. 

"Lord, " said Pryderi, "I will go into the castle to get tidings ofthe dogs. " "Truly, " he replied, "thou wouldst be unwise to go intothis castle, which thou hast never seen till now. If thou wouldstfollow my counsel, thou wouldst not enter therein. Whosoever hascast a spell over this land has caused this castle to be here. " "Ofa truth, " answered Pryderi, "I cannot thus give up my dogs. " And forall the counsel that Manawyddan gave him, yet to the castle he went. 

When he came within the castle, neither man nor beast, nor boar nordogs, nor house nor dwelling saw he within it. But in the centre ofthe castle floor he beheld a fountain with marble work around it, andon the margin of the fountain a golden bowl upon a marble slab, andchains hanging from the air, to which he saw no end. 

And he was greatly pleased with the beauty of the gold, and with therich workmanship of the bowl, and he went up to the bowl and laidhold of it. And when he had taken hold of it his hands stuck to thebowl, and his feet to the slab on which the howl was placed, and allhis joyousness forsook him, so that he could not utter a word. Andthus he stood. 

And Manawyddan waited for him till near the close of the day. Andlate in the evening, being certain that he should have no tidings ofPryderi or of the dogs, he went back to the palace. And as heentered, Rhiannon looked at him. "Where, " said she, "are thycompanion and thy dogs?" "Behold, " he answered, "the adventure thathas befallen me. " And he related it all unto her. "An evilcompanion hast thou been, " said Rhiannon, "and a good companion hastthou lost. " And with that word she went out, and proceeded towardsthe castle according to the direction which he gave her. The gate ofthe castle she found open. She was nothing daunted, and she went in. And as she went in, she perceived Pryderi laying hold of the bowl, and she went towards him. "Oh, my lord, " said she, "what dust thoudo here?" And she took hold of the bowl with him; and as she did soher hands became fast to the bowl, and her feet to the slab, and shewas not able to utter a word. And with that, as it became night, lo, there came thunder upon them, and a fall of mist, and thereupon thecastle vanished, and they with it. 

When Kicva the daughter of Gwynn Gloyw saw that there was no one inthe palace but herself and Manawyddan, she sorrowed so that she carednot whether she lived or died. And Manawyddan saw this. "Thou artin the wrong, " said he, "if through fear of me thou grievest thus. Icall Heaven to witness that thou hast never seen friendship mere purethan that which I will bear thee, as long as Heaven will that thoushouldst be thus. I declare to thee that were I in the dawn of youthI would keep my faith unto Pryderi, and unto thee also will I keepit. Be there no fear upon thee, therefore, " said he, "for Heaven ismy witness that thou shalt meet with all the friendship thou canstwish, and that it is in my power to show thee, as long as it shallplease Heaven to continue us in this grief and woe. " "Heaven rewardthee, " she said, "and that is what I deemed of thee. " And the damselthereupon took courage and was glad. 

"Truly, lady, " said Manawyddan, "it is not fitting for us to stayhere, we have lost our dogs, and we cannot get food. Let us go intoLloegyr; it is easiest for us to find support there. " "Gladly, lord, " said she, "we will do so. " And they set forth together toLloegyr. 

"Lord, " said she, "what craft wilt thou follow? Take up one that isseemly. " "None other will I take, " answered he, "save that of makingshoes, as I did formerly. " "Lord, " said she, "such a craft becomesnot a man so nobly born as thou. " "By that however will I abide, "said he. 

So he began his craft, and he made all his work of the finest leatherhe could get in the town, and, as he had done at the other place, hecaused gilded clasps to be made for the shoes. And except himselfall the cordwainers in the town were idle, and without work. For aslong as they could be had from him, neither shoes nor hose werebought elsewhere. And thus they tarried there a year, until thecordwainers became envious, and took counsel concerning him. And hehad warning thereof, and it was told him how the cordwainers hadagreed together to slay him. 

"Lord, " said Kicva, "wherefore should this be borne from theseboors?" "Nay, " said he, "we will go back unto Dyved. " So towardsDyved they set forth. 

Now Manawyddan, when he set out to return to Dyved, took with him aburden of wheat. And he proceeded towards Narberth, and there hedwelt. And never was he better pleased than when he saw Narberthagain, and the lands where he had been wont to hunt with Pryderi andwith Rhiannon. And he accustomed himself to fish, and to hunt thedeer in their covert. And then he began to prepare some ground, andhe sowed a croft, and a second, and a third. And no wheat in theworld ever sprung up better. And the three crofts prospered withperfect growth, and no man ever saw fairer wheat than it. 

And thus passed the seasons of the year until the harvest came. Andhe went to look at one of his crofts, and behold it was ripe. "Iwill reap this to-morrow, " said he. And that night he went back toNarberth, and on the morrow in the grey dawn he went to reap thecroft, and when he came there he found nothing but the bare straw. Every one of the ears of the wheat was cut from off the stalk, andall the ears 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 also was ripe. "Verily, " said he, "this will I reap to-morrow. And on the morrow hecame with the intent to reap it, and when he came there he foundnothing but the bare straw. "Oh, gracious Heaven, " he exclaimed, "Iknow that whosoever has begun my ruin is completing it, and has alsodestroyed the country with me. "

Then he went to look at the third croft, and when he came there, finer wheat had there never been seen, and this also was ripe. "Evilbetide me, " said he, "if I watch not here to-night. Whoever carriedoff the other corn will come in like manner to take this. And I willknow who it is. " So he took his arms, and began to watch the croft. And he told Kicva all that had befallen. "Verily, " said she, "whatthinkest thou to do?" "I will watch the croft to-night, " said he. 

And he went to watch the croft. And at midnight, lo, there arose theloudest tumult in the world. And he looked, and behold the mightiesthost of mice in the world, which could neither be numbered normeasured. And he knew not what it was until the mice had made theirway into the croft, and each of them climbing up the straw andbending it down with its weight, had cut off one of the ears ofwheat, and had carried it away, leaving there the stalk, and he sawnot a single stalk there that had not a mouse to it. And they alltook their way, carrying the ears with them. 

In wrath and anger did he rush upon the mice, but he could no morecome up with them than if they had been gnats, or birds in the air, except one only, which though it was but sluggish, went so fast thata man on foot could scarce overtake it. And after this one he went, and he caught it and put it in his glove, and tied up the opening ofthe glove with a string, and kept it with him, and returned to thepalace. Then he came to the hall where Kicva was, and he lighted afire, and hung the glove by the string upon a peg. "What hast thouthere, lord?" said Kicva. "A thief, " said he, "that I found robbingme. " "What kind of thief may it be, lord, that thou couldst put intothy glove?" said she. "Behold I will tell thee, " he answered. Thenhe showed her how his fields had been wasted and destroyed, and howthe mice came to the last of the fields in his sight. "And one ofthem was less nimble than the rest, and is now in my glove; to-morrowI will hang it, and before Heaven, if I had them, I would hang themall. " "My lord, " said she, "this is marvellous; but yet it would beunseemly for a man of dignity like thee to be hanging such a reptileas this. And if thou doest right, thou wilt not meddle with thecreature, but wilt let it go. " "Woe betide me, " said he, "if I wouldnot hang them all could I catch them, and such as I have I willhang. " "Verily, lord, " said she, "there is no reason that I shouldsuccour this reptile, except to prevent discredit unto thee. Dotherefore, lord, as thou wilt. " "If I knew of any cause in the worldwherefore thou shouldst succour it, I would take thy counselconcerning it, " said Manawyddan, "but as I know of none, lady, I amminded to destroy it. " "Do so willingly then, " said she. 

And then he went to the Gorsedd of Narberth, taking the mouse withhim. And he set up two forks on the highest part of the Gorsedd. And while he was doing this, behold he saw a scholar coming towardshim, in old and poor and tattered garments. And it was now sevenyears since he had seen in that place either man or beast, exceptthose four persons who had remained together until two of them werelost. 

"My lord, " said the scholar, "good day to thee. " "Heaven prosperthee, and my greeting be unto thee. And whence dost thou come, scholar?" asked he. "I come, lord, from singing in Lloegyr; andwherefore dost thou inquire?" "Because for the last seven years, "answered he, "I have seen no man here save four secluded persons, andthyself this moment. " "Truly, lord, " said he, "I go through thisland unto mine own. And what work art thou upon, lord?" "I amhanging a thief that I caught robbing me, " said he. "What manner ofthief is that?" asked the scholar. "I see a creature in thy handlike unto a mouse, and ill does it become a man of rank equal tothine to touch a reptile such as this. Let it go forth free. " "Iwill not let it go free, by Heaven, " said he; "I caught it robbingme, and the doom of a thief will I inflict upon it, and I will hangit. " "Lord, " said he, "rather than see a man of rank equal to thineat such a work as this, I would give thee a pound which I havereceived as alms, to let the reptile go forth free. " "I will not letit go free, " said he, "by Heaven, neither will I sell it. " "As thouwilt, lord, " he answered; "except that I would not see a man of rankequal to thine touching such a reptile, I care nought. " And thescholar went his way. 

And as he was placing the crossbeam upon the two forks, behold apriest came towards him upon a horse covered with trappings. "Goodday to thee, lord, " said he. "Heaven prosper thee, " said Manawyddan;"thy blessing. " "The blessing of Heaven be upon thee. And what, lord, art thou doing?" "I am hanging a thief that I caught robbingme, " said he. "What manner of thief, lord?" asked he. "A creature, "he answered, "in form of a mouse. It has been robbing me, and I aminflicting upon it the doom of a thief. " "Lord, " said he, "ratherthan see thee touch this reptile, I would purchase its freedom. " "Bymy confession to Heaven, neither will I sell it nor set it free. ""It is true, lord, that it is worth nothing to buy; but rather thansee thee defile thyself by touching such a reptile as this, I willgive thee three pounds to let it go. " "I will not, by Heaven, " saidhe, "take any price for at. As it ought, so shall it be hanged. ""Willingly, lord, do thy good pleasure. " And the priest went hisway. 

Then he noosed the string around the mouse's neck, and as he wasabout to draw it up, behold, he saw a bishop's retinue with hissumpter-horses, and his attendants. And the bishop himself cametowards him. And he stayed his work. "Lord bishop, " said he, "thyblessing. " "Heaven's blessing be unto thee, " said he; "what work artthou upon?" "Hanging a thief that I caught robbing me, " said he. "Is not that a mouse that I see in thy hand?" "Yes, " answered he. "And she has robbed me. " "Aye, " said he, "since I have come at thedoom of this reptile, I will ransom it of thee. I will give theeseven pounds for it, and that rather than see a man of rank equal tothine destroying so vile a reptile as this. Let it loose and thoushalt have the money. " "I declare to Heaven that I will not set itloose. " "If thou wilt not loose it for this, I will give thee four-and-twenty pounds of ready money to set it free. " "I will not set itfree, by Heaven, for as much again, " said he. "If thou wilt not setit free for this, I will give thee all the horses that thou seest inthis plain, and the seven loads of baggage, and the seven horses thatthey are upon. " "By Heaven, I will not, " he replied. "Since forthis thou wilt not, do so at what price soever thou wilt. " "I willdo so, " said he. "I will that Rhiannon and Pryderi be free, " saidhe. "That thou shalt have, " he answered. "Not yet will I loose themouse, by Heaven. " "What then wouldst thou?" "That the charm andthe illusion be removed from the seven Cantrevs of Dyved. " "Thisshalt thou have also; set therefore the mouse free. " "I will not setit free, by Heaven, " said he. "I will know who the mouse may be. ""She is my wife. " "Even though she be, I will not set her free. Wherefore came she to me?" "To despoil thee, " he answered. "I amLlwyd the son of Kilcoed, and I cast the charm over the sevenCantrevs of Dyved. And it was to avenge Gwawl the son of Clud, fromthe friendship I had towards him, that I cast the charm. And uponPryderi did I revenge Gwawl the son of Clud, for the game of Badgerin the Bag, that Pwyll Pen Annwvyn played upon him, which he didunadvisedly in the Court of Heveydd Hen. And when it was known thatthou wast come to dwell in the land, my household came and besoughtme to transform them into mice, that they might destroy thy corn. And it was my own household that went the first night. And thesecond night also they went, and they destroyed thy two crofts. Andthe third night came unto me my wife and the ladies of the Court, andbesought me to transform them. And I transformed them. Now she ispregnant. And had she not been pregnant thou wouldst not have beenable to overtake her; but since this has taken place, and she hasbeen caught, I will restore thee Pryderi and Rhiannon; and I willtake the charm and illusion from off Dyved. I have now told thee whoshe is. Set her therefore free. " "I will not set her free, byHeaven, " said he. "What wilt thou more?" he asked. "I will thatthere be no more charm upon the seven Cantrevs of Dyved, and thatnone shall be put upon it henceforth. " "This thou shalt have, " saidhe. "Now set her free. " "I will not, by my faith, " he answered. "What wilt thou furthermore?" asked he. "Behold, " said he, "thiswill I have; that vengeance be never taken for this, either uponPryderi or Rhiannon, or upon me. " "All this shalt thou have. Andtruly thou hast done wisely in asking this. Upon thy head would havelighted all this trouble. " "Yea, " said he, "for fear thereof was it, that I required this. " "Set now my wife at liberty. " "I will not, by Heaven, " said he, "until I see Pryderi and Rhiannon with me free. ""Behold, here they come, " he answered. 

And thereupon behold Pryderi and Rhiannon. And he rose up to meetthem, and greeted them, and sat down beside them. "Ah, Chieftain, set now my wife at liberty, " said the bishop. "Hast thou notreceived all thou didst ask?" "I will release her gladly, " said he. And thereupon he set her free. 

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

"Look around upon thy land, " said he, "and then thou wilt see it alltilled and peopled, as it was in its best state. " And he rose up andlooked forth. And when he looked he saw all the lands tilled, andfull of herds and dwellings. "What bondage, " he inquired, "has therebeen upon Pryderi and Rhiannon?" "Pryderi has had the knockers ofthe gate of my palace about his neck, and Rhiannon has had thecollars of the asses, after they have been carrying hay, about herneck. "

And such had been their bondage. 

And by reason of this bondage is this story called the Mabinogi ofMynnweir and Mynord. 

And thus ends this portion of the Mabinogi. 

MATH THE SON OF MATHONWYTHIS IS THE FOURTH PORTION OF THE MABINOGI

Math the son of Mathonwy was lord over Gwynedd, and Pryderi the sonof Pwyll was lord over the one-and-twenty Cantrevs of the South; andthese were the seven Cantrevs of Dyved, and the seven Cantrevs ofMorganwc, the four Cantrevs of Ceredigiawn, and the three of YstradTywi. 

At that time, Math the son of Mathonwy could not exist unless hisfeet were in the lap of a maiden, except only when he was preventedby the tumult of war. Now the maiden who was with him was Goewin, the daughter of Pebin of Dol Pebin, in Arvon, and she was the fairestmaiden of her time who was known there. 

And Math dwelt always at Caer Dathyl, in Arvon, and was not able togo the circuit of the land, but Gilvaethwy the son of Don, and Eneydthe son of Don, his nephews, the sons of his sisters, with hishousehold, went the circuit of the land in his stead. 

Now the maiden was with Math continually, and Gilvaethwy the son ofDon set his affections upon her, and loved her so that he knew notwhat he should do because of her, and therefrom behold his hue, andhis aspect, and his spirits changed for love of her, so that it wasnot easy to know him. 

One day his brother Gwydion gazed steadfastly upon him. "Youth, "said he, "what aileth thee?" "Why, " replied he, "what seest thou inme?" "I see, " said he, "that thou hast lost thy aspect and thy hue;what, therefore, aileth thee?" "My lord brother, " he answered, "thatwhich aileth me, it will not profit me that I should own to any. ""What may it be, my soul?" said he. "Thou knowest, " he said, "thatMath the son of Mathonwy has this property, that if men whispertogether, in a tone how low soever, if the wind meet it, it becomesknown unto him. " "Yes, " said Gwydion, "hold now thy peace, I knowthy intent, thou lovest Goewin. "

When he found that his brother knew his intent, he gave the heaviestsigh in the world. "Be silent, my soul, and sigh not, " he said. "Itis not thereby that thou 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 cheer therefore, andI will compass it. "

So they went unto Math the son of Mathonwy. "Lord, " said Gwydion, "Ihave heard that there have come to the South some beasts, such aswere never known in this island before. " "What are they called?" heasked. "Pigs, lord. " "And what kind of animals are they?" "Theyare small animals, and their flesh is better than the flesh of oxen. ""They are small, then?" "And they change their names. Swine arethey now called. " "Who owneth them?" "Pryderi the son of Pwyll;they were sent him from Annwvyn, by Arawn the king of Annwvyn, andstill they keep that name, half hog, half pig. " "Verily, " asked he, "and by what means may they be obtained from him?" "I will go, lord, as one of twelve, in the guise of bards, to seek the swine. " "But itmay be that he will refuse you, " said he. "My journey will not beevil, lord, " said he; "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 theycame into Ceredigiawn, to the place that is now called RhuddlanTeivi, where the palace of Pryderi was. In the guise of bards theycame in, and they were received joyfully, and Gwydion was placedbeside Pryderi that night. 

"Of a truth, " said Pryderi, "gladly would I have a tale from some ofyour men yonder. " "Lord, " said Gwydion, "we have a custom that thefirst night that we come to the Court of a great man, the chief ofsong recites. Gladly will I relate a tale. " Now Gwydion was thebest teller of tales in the world, and he diverted all the Court thatnight with pleasant discourse and with tales, so that he charmedevery one in the Court, and it pleased Pryderi to talk with him. 

And after this, "Lord, " said he unto Pryderi, "were it more pleasingto thee, that another should discharge my errand unto thee, than thatI should tell thee myself what it is?" "No, " he answered, "amplespeech hast thou. " "Behold then, lord, " said he, "my errand. It isto crave from thee the animals that were sent thee from Annwvyn. ""Verily, " he replied, "that were the easiest thing in the world togrant, were there not a covenant between me and my land concerningthem. And the covenant is that they shall not go from me, until theyhave produced double their number in the land. " "Lord, " said he, "Ican set thee free from those words, and this is the way I can do so;give me not the swine to-night, neither refuse them unto me, and to-morrow I will show thee an exchange for them. "

And that night he and his fellows went unto their lodging, and theytook counsel. "Ah, my men, " said he, "we shall not have the swinefor the asking. " "Well, " said they, "how may they be obtained?" "Iwill cause them to be obtained, " said Gwydion. 

Then he betook himself to his arts, and began to work a charm. Andhe caused twelve chargers to appear, and twelve black greyhounds, each of them white-breasted, and having upon them twelve collars andtwelve leashes, such as no one that saw them could know to be otherthan gold. And upon the horses twelve saddles, and every part whichshould have been of iron was entirely of gold, and the bridles wereof the same workmanship. And with the horses and the dogs he came toPryderi. 

"Good day unto thee, lord, " said he. "Heaven prosper thee, " said theother, "and greetings be unto thee. " "Lord, " said he, "behold hereis a release for thee from the word which thou spakest last eveningconcerning the swine; that thou wouldst neither give nor sell them. Thou mayest exchange them for that which is better. And I will givethese twelve horses, all caparisoned as they are, with their saddlesand their bridles, and these twelve greyhounds, with their collarsand their leashes as thou seest, and the twelve gilded shields thatthou beholdest yonder. " Now these he had formed of fungus. "Well, "said he, "we will take counsel. " And they consulted together, anddetermined to give the swine to Gwydion, and to take his horses andhis dogs and his shields. 

Then Gwydion and his men took their leave, and began to journey forthwith the pigs. "Ah, my comrades, " said Gwydion, "it is needful thatwe journey with speed. The illusion will not last but from the onehour to the same to-morrow. "

And that night they journeyed as far as the upper part ofCeredigiawn, to the place which, from that cause, is called Mochdrevstill. And the next day they took their course through Melenydd, andcame that night to the town which is likewise for that reason calledMochdrev between Keri and Arwystli. And thence they journeyedforward; and that night they came as far as that Commot in Powys, which also upon account thereof is called Mochnant, and there tarriedthey that night. And they journeyed thence to the Cantrev of Rhos, and the place where they were that night is still called Mochdrev. 

"My men, " said Gwydion, "we must push forward to the fastnesses ofGwynedd with these animals, for there is a gathering of hosts inpursuit of us. " So they journeyed on to the highest town ofArllechwedd, and there they made a sty for the swine, and thereforewas the name of Creuwyryon given to that town. And after they hadmade the sty for the swine, they proceeded to Math the son ofMathonwy, at Caer Dathyl. And when they came there, the country wasrising. "What news is there here?" asked Gwydion. "Pryderi isassembling one-and-twenty Cantrevs to pursue after you, " answeredthey. "It is marvellous that you should have journeyed so slowly. ""Where are the animals whereof you went in quest?" said Math. "Theyhave had a sty made for them in the other Cantrev below, " saidGwydion. 

Thereupon, lo, they heard the trumpets and the host in the land, andthey arrayed themselves and set forward and came to Penardd in Arvon. 

And at night Gwydion the son of Don, and Gilvaethwy his brother, returned to Caer Dathyl; and Gilvaethwy took Math the son ofMathonwy's couch. And while he turned out the other damsels from theroom discourteously, he made Goewin unwillingly remain. 

And when they saw the day on the morrow, they went back unto theplace where Math the son of Mathonwy was with his host; and when theycame there, the warriors were taking counsel in what district theyshould await the coming of Pryderi, and the men of the South. Sothey went in to the council. And it was resolved to wait in thestrongholds of Gwynedd, in Arvon. So within the two Maenors theytook their stand, Maenor Penardd and Maenor Coed Alun. And therePryderi attacked them, and there the combat took place. And greatwas the slaughter on both sides; but the men of the South were forcedto flee. And they fled unto the place which is still calledNantcall. And thither did they follow them, and they made a vastslaughter of them there, so that they fled again as far as the placecalled Dol Pen Maen, and there they halted and sought to make peace. 

And that he might have peace, Pryderi gave hostages, Gwrgi Gwastragave he and three-and-twenty others, sons of nobles. And after thisthey journeyed in peace even unto Traeth Mawr; but as they went ontogether towards Melenryd, the men on foot could not be restrainedfrom shooting. Pryderi dispatched unto Math an embassy to pray himto forbid his people, and to leave it between him and Gwydion the sonof Don, for that he had caused all this. And the messengers came toMath. "Of a truth, " said Math, "I call Heaven to witness, if it bepleasing unto Gwydion the son of Don, I will so leave it gladly. Never will I compel any to go to fight, but that we ourselves shoulddo our utmost. "

"Verily, " said the messengers, "Pryderi saith that it were more fairthat the man who did him this wrong should oppose his own body tohis, and let his people remain unscathed. " "I declare to Heaven, Iwill not ask 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 to Pryderi. "Truly, " saidPryderi, "I shall require no one to demand my rights but myself. "

Then these two came forth and armed themselves, and they fought. Andby force of strength, and fierceness, and by the magic and charms ofGwydion, Pryderi was slain. And at Maen Tyriawc, above Melenryd, washe buried, and there is his grave. 

And the men of the South set forth in sorrow towards their own land;nor is it a marvel that they should grieve, seeing that they had losttheir lord, and many of their best warriors, and for the most parttheir horses and their arms. 

The men of Gwynedd went back joyful and in triumph. "Lord, " saidGwydion unto Math, "would it not be right for us to release thehostages of the men of the South, which they pledged unto us forpeace? for we ought not to put them in prison. " "Let them then beset free, " saith Math. So that youth, and the other hostages thatwere with him, were set free to follow the men of the South. 

Math himself went forward to Caer Dathyl. Gilvaethwy the son of Don, and they of the household that were with him, went to make thecircuit of Gwynedd as they were wont, without coming to the Court. Math went into his chamber, and caused a place to be prepared for himwhereon to recline, so that he might put his feet in the maiden'slap. "Lord, " said Goewin, "seek now another to hold thy feet, for Iam now a wife. " "What meaneth this?" said he. "An attack, lord, wasmade unawares upon me; but I held not my peace, and there was no onein the Court who knew not of it. Now the attack was made by thynephews, lord, the sons of thy sister, Gwydion the son of Don, andGilvaethwy the son of Don; unto me they did wrong, and unto theedishonour. " "Verily, " he exclaimed, "I will do to the utmost of mypower concerning this matter. But first I will cause thee to havecompensation, and then will I have amends made unto myself. As forthee, 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 stayed in theconfines of the land until it was forbidden to give them meat anddrink. At first they came not near unto Math, but at the last theycame. "Lord, " said they, "good day to thee. " "Well, " said he, "isit to make me compensation that ye are come?" "Lord, " they said, "weare at thy will. " "By my will I would not have lost my warriors, andso many arms as I have done. You cannot compensate me my shame, setting aside the death of Pryderi. But since ye come hither to beat my will, I shall begin your punishment forthwith. "

Then he took his magic wand, and struck Gilvaethwy, so that he becamea deer, and he seized upon the other hastily lest he should escapefrom him. And he struck him with the same magic wand, and he becamea deer also. "Since now ye are in bonds, I will that ye go forthtogether and be companions, and possess the nature of the animalswhose 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 noise underthe chamber wall, and the barking of the dogs of the palace togetherwith the noise. "Look, " said he, "what is without. " "Lord, " saidone, "I have looked; there are there two deer, and a fawn with them. "Then he arose and went out. And when he came he beheld the threeanimals. And he lifted up his wand. "As ye were deer last year, beye wild hogs each and either of you, for the year that is to come. "And thereupon he struck them with the magic wand. "The young onewill I take and cause to be baptized. " Now the name that he gave himwas Hydwn. "Go ye and be wild swine, each and either of you, and beye of the nature of wild swine. And this day twelvemonth be ye hereunder the wall. "

At the end of the year the barking of dogs was heard under the wallof the chamber. And the Court assembled, and thereupon he arose andwent forth, and when he came forth he beheld three beasts. Now thesewere the beasts that he saw; two wild hogs 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 be baptized. "And he struck him with his magic wand, and he become a fine fairauburn-haired youth, and the name that he gave him was Hychdwn. "Nowas for you, as ye were wild hogs last year, be ye wolves each andeither of you for the year that is to come. " Thereupon he struckthem with his magic wand, and they became wolves. "And be ye of likenature with the animals whose semblance ye bear, and return here thisday twelvemonth beneath this wall. "

And at the same day at the end of the year, he heard a clamour and abarking of dogs under the wall of the chamber. And he rose and wentforth. And when he came, behold, he saw two wolves, and a strong cubwith them. "This one will I take, " said Math, "and I will cause himto be baptized; 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 resumed theirown nature. "Oh men, " said he, "for the wrong that ye did unto mesufficient has been your punishment and your dishonour. Prepare nowprecious ointment for these men, and wash their heads, and equipthem. " And this was 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 counsel unto me, what maiden I shall seek. " "Lord, " saidGwydion the son of Don, "it is easy to give thee counsel; seekArianrod, 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 the maiden?" "I know not, lord, other than that Iam. " Then he took up his magic wand, and bent it. "Step over this, "said he, "and I shall 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, she wenttowards the door. And thereupon some small form was seen; but beforeany one could get a second glimpse of it, Gwydion had taken it, andhad flung a scarf of velvet around it and hidden it. Now the placewhere he hid it was the bottom of a chest at the foot of his bed. 

"Verily, " said Math the son of Mathonwy, concerning the fine yellow-haired boy, "I will cause this one to be baptized, and Dylan is thename I will give him. "

So they had the boy baptized, and as they baptized him he plungedinto the sea. And immediately when he was in the sea, he took itsnature, and swam as well as the best fish that was therein. And forthat reason was he called Dylan, the son of the Wave. Beneath him nowave ever broke. And the blow whereby he came to his death, wasstruck by his uncle Govannon. The third fatal blow was it called. 

As Gwydion lay one morning on his bed awake, he heard a cry in thechest at his feet; and though it was not loud, it was such that hecould hear it. Then he arose in haste, and opened the chest: andwhen he opened it, he beheld an infant boy stretching out his armsfrom the folds of the scarf, and casting it aside. And he took upthe boy in his arms, and carried him to a place where he knew therewas a woman that could nurse him. And he agreed with the woman thatshe should take charge of the boy. And that year he was nursed. 

And at the end of the year he seemed by his size as though he weretwo years old. And the second year he was a big child, and able togo to the Court by himself. And when he came to the Court, Gwydionnoticed him, and the boy became familiar with him, and loved himbetter than any one else. Then was the boy reared at the Court untilhe was four years old, when he was as big as though he had beeneight. 

And one day Gwydion walked forth, and the boy followed him, and hewent to the Castle of Arianrod, having the boy with him; and when hecame into the Court, Arianrod arose to meet him, and greeted him andbade him welcome. "Heaven prosper thee, " said he. "Who is the boythat followeth thee?" she asked. "This youth, he is thy son, " heanswered. "Alas, " said she, "what has come unto thee that thoushouldst shame me thus? wherefore dost thou seek my dishonour, andretain it so long as this?" "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, " hereplied, "he has not yet a name. " "Well, " she said, "I lay thisdestiny upon him, that he shall never have a name until he receivesone from me. " "Heaven bears me witness, " answered he, "that thou arta wicked woman. But the boy shall have a name how displeasing soeverit may be unto thee. As for thee, that which afflicts thee is thatthou art no longer called a damsel. " And thereupon he went forth inwrath, and returned to Caer Dathyl and there he tarried that night. 

And the next day he arose and took the boy with him, and went to walkon the seashore between that place and Aber Menei. And there he sawsome sedges and seaweed, and he turned them into a boat. And out ofdry sticks and sedges he made some Cordovan leather, and a great dealthereof, and he coloured it in such a manner that no one ever sawleather more beautiful than it. Then he made a sail to the boat, andhe and the boy went in it to the port of the castle of Arianrod. Andhe began forming shoes and stitching them, until he was observed fromthe castle. And when he knew that they of the castle were observinghim, he disguised his aspect, and put another semblance upon himself, and upon the boy, so that they might not be known. "What men arethose in yonder boat?" said Arianrod. "They are cordwainers, "answered they. "Go and see what kind of leather they have, and whatkind of work they can do. "

So they came unto them. And when they came he was colouring someCordovan leather, and gilding it. And the messengers came and toldher this. "Well, " said she, "take the measure of my foot, and desirethe cordwainer to make shoes for me. " So he made the shoes for her, yet not according to the measure, but larger. The shoes then werebrought unto her, and behold they were too large. "These are toolarge, " said she, "but he shall receive their value. Let him alsomake some that are smaller than they. " Then he made her others thatwere much smaller than her foot, and sent them unto her. "Tell himthat these will not go on my feet, " said she. And they told himthis. "Verily, " said he, "I will not make her any shoes, unless Isee her foot. " And this was told unto her. "Truly, " she answered, "I will go unto him. "

So she went down to the boat, and when she came there, he was shapingshoes and the boy stitching them. "Ah, lady, " said he, "good day tothee. " "Heaven prosper thee, " said she. "I marvel that thou canstnot manage to make shoes according to a measure. " "I could not, " hereplied, "but now I shall be able. "

Thereupon behold a wren stood upon the deck of the boat, and the boyshot at it, and hit it in the leg between the sinew and the bone. Then she smiled. "Verily, " said she, "with a steady hand did thelion aim at it. " "Heaven reward thee not, but now has he got a name. And a good enough name it is. Llew Llaw Gyffes be he calledhenceforth. "

Then the work disappeared in seaweed and sedges, and he went on withit no further. And for that reason was he called the third Gold-shoemaker. "Of a truth, " said she, "thou wilt not thrive the betterfor doing evil unto me. " "I have done thee no evil yet, " said he. Then he restored the boy to his own form. "Well, " said she, "I willlay a destiny upon this boy, that he shall never have arms and armouruntil I invest him with them. " "By Heaven, " said he, "let thy malicebe what it may, he shall have arms. "

Then they went towards Dinas Dinllev, and there he brought up LlewLlaw Gyffes, until he could manage any horse, and he was perfect infeatures, and strength, and stature. And then Gwydion saw that helanguished through the want of horses and arms. And he called himunto him. "Ah, youth, " said he, "we will go to-morrow on an errandtogether. Be therefore more cheerful than thou art. " "That I will, "said the youth. 

Next morning, at the dawn of day, they arose. And they took wayalong the sea coast, up towards Bryn Aryen. And at the top of CevnClydno they equipped themselves with horses, and went towards theCastle of Arianrod. And they changed their form, and pricked towardsthe gate in the semblance of two youths, but the aspect of Gwydionwas more staid than that of the other. "Porter, " said he, "go thouin and say that there are here bards from Glamorgan. " And the porterwent in. "The welcome of Heaven be unto them, let them in, " saidArianrod. 

With great joy were they greeted. And the hall was arranged, andthey went to meat. When meat was ended, Arianrod discoursed withGwydion of tales and stories. Now Gwydion was an excellent teller oftales. And when it was time to leave off feasting, a chamber wasprepared for them, and they went to rest. 

In the early twilight Gwydion arose, and he called unto him his magicand his power. And by the time that the day dawned, there resoundedthrough the land uproar, and trumpets and shouts. When it was nowday, they heard a knocking at the door of the chamber, and therewithArianrod asking that it might be opened. Up rose the youth andopened unto her, and she entered and a maiden with her. "Ah, goodmen, " she said, "in evil plight are we. " "Yes, truly, " said Gwydion, "we have heard trumpets and shouts; what thinkest thou that they maymean?" "Verily, " said she, "we cannot see the colour of the ocean byreason of all the ships, side by side. And they are making for theland with all the speed they can. And what can we do?" said she. "Lady, " said Gwydion, "there is none other counsel than to close thecastle upon us, and to defend it as best we may. " "Truly, " said she, "may Heaven reward you. And do you defend it. And here may you haveplenty of arms. "

And thereupon went she forth for the arms, and behold she returned, and two maidens, and suits of armour for two men, with her. "Lady, "said he, "do you accoutre this stripling, and I will arm myself withthe help of thy maidens. Lo, I hear the tumult of the menapproaching. " "I will do so, gladly. " So she armed him fully, andthat right cheerfully. "Hast thou finished arming the youth?" saidhe. "I have finished, " she answered. "I likewise have finished, "said Gwydion. "Let us now take off our arms, we have no need ofthem. " "Wherefore?" said she. "Here is the army around the house. ""Oh, lady, there is here no army. " "Oh, " cried she, "whence then wasthis tumult?" "The tumult was but to break thy prophecy and toobtain arms for thy son. And now has he got arms without any thanksunto thee. " "By Heaven, " said Arianrod, "thou art a wicked man. Many a youth might have lost his life through the uproar thou hastcaused in this Cantrev to-day. Now will I lay a destiny upon thisyouth, " she said, "that he shall never have a wife of the race thatnow inhabits this earth. " "Verily, " said he, "thou wast ever amalicious woman, and no one ought to support thee. A wife shall hehave notwithstanding. "

They went thereupon unto Math the son of Mathonwy, and complainedunto him most bitterly of Arianrod. Gwydion showed him also how hehad procured arms for the youth. "Well, " said Math, "we will seek, Iand thou, by charms and illusion, to form a wife for him out offlowers. He has now come to man's stature, and he is the comeliestyouth that was ever beheld. " So they took the blossoms of the oak, and the blossoms of the broom, and the blossoms of the meadow-sweet, and produced from them a maiden, the fairest and most graceful thatman ever saw. And they baptized her, and gave her the name ofBlodeuwedd. 

After she had become his bride, and they had feasted, said Gwydion, "It is not easy for a man to maintain himself without possessions. ""Of a truth, " said Math, "I will give the young man the best Cantrevto hold. " "Lord, " said he, "what Cantrev is that?" "The Cantrev ofDinodig, " he answered. Now it is called at this day Eivionydd andArdudwy. And the place in the Cantrev where he dwelt, was a palaceof his in a spot called Mur y Castell, on the confines of Ardudwy. There dwelt he and reigned, and both he and his sway were beloved byall. 

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, Blodeuweddwalked in the Court. And she heard the sound of a horn. And afterthe sound of the horn, behold a tired stag went by, with dogs andhuntsmen following it. And after the dogs and the huntsmen therecame a crowd of men on foot. "Send a youth, " said she, "to ask whoyonder host may be. " So a youth went, and inquired who they were. "Gronw Pebyr is this, the lord of Penllyn, " said they. And thus theyouth told her. 

Gronw Pebyr pursued the stag, and by the river Cynvael he overtookthe stag and killed it. And what with flaying the stag and baitinghis dogs, he was there until the night began to close in upon him. And as the day departed and the night drew near, he came to the gateof the Court. "Verily, " said Blodeuwedd, "the Chieftain will speakill of us if we let him at this hour depart to another land withoutinviting him in. " "Yes, truly, lady, " said they, "it will be mostfitting to invite him. "

Then went messengers to meet him and bid him in. And he accepted herbidding gladly, and came to the Court, and Blodeuwedd went to meethim, and greeted him, and bade him welcome. "Lady, " said he, "Heavenrepay thee thy kindness. "

When they had disaccoutred themselves, they went to sit down. AndBlodeuwedd looked upon him, and from the moment that she looked onhim she became filled with his love. And he gazed on her, and thesame thought came unto him as unto her, so that he could not concealfrom her that he loved her, but he declared unto her that he did so. Thereupon she was very joyful. And all their discourse that nightwas concerning the affection and love which they felt one for theother, and which 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, "I pray thee go notfrom me to-day. " And that night he tarried also. And that nightthey consulted by what means they might always be together. "Thereis none other counsel, " said he, "but that thou strive to learn fromLlew Llaw Gyffes in what manner he will meet his death. And thismust thou do under the semblance of solicitude concerning him. "

The next day Gronw sought to depart. "Verily, " said she, "I willcounsel thee not to go from me to-day. " "At thy instance will I notgo, " said he, "albeit, I must say, there is danger that the chief whoowns the palace may return home. " "To-morrow, " answered she, "will Iindeed permit thee to go forth. "

The next day he sought to go, and she hindered him not. "Bemindful, " said Gronw, "of what I have said unto thee, and conversewith him fully, and that under the guise of the dalliance of love, and find out by what means he may come to his death. "

That night Llew Llaw Gyffes returned to his home. And the day theyspent in discourse, and minstrelsy, and feasting. And at night theywent to rest, and he spoke to Blodeuwedd once, and he spoke to her asecond time. But, for all this, he could not get from her one word. "What aileth thee?" said he, "art thou well?" "I was thinking, " saidshe, "of that which thou didst never think of concerning me; for Iwas sorrowful as to thy death, lest thou shouldst go sooner than I. ""Heaven reward thy care for me, " said he, "but until Heaven take me Ishall not easily be slain" "For the sake of Heaven, and for mine, show me how thou mightest be slain. My memory in guarding is betterthan thine. " "I will tell thee gladly, " said he. "Not easily can Ibe slain, except by a wound. And the spear wherewith I am struckmust be a year in the forming. And nothing must be done towards itexcept during the sacrifice on Sundays. " "Is this certain?" askedshe. "It is in truth, " he answered. "And I cannot be slain within ahouse, nor without. I cannot be slain on horseback nor on foot. ""Verily, " said she, "in what manner then canst thou be slain?" "Iwill tell thee, " said he. "By making a bath for me by the side of ariver, and by putting a roof over the cauldron, and thatching it welland tightly, and bringing a buck, and putting it beside the cauldron. Then if I place one foot on the buck's back, and the other on theedge of the cauldron, whosoever strikes me thus will cause my death. ""Well, " said she, "I thank Heaven that it will be easy to avoidthis. "

No sooner had she held this discourse than she sent to Gronw Pebyr. Gronw toiled at making the spear, and that day twelvemonth it wasready. And that very day he caused her to be informed thereof. 

"Lord, " said Blodeuwedd unto Llew, "I have been thinking how it ispossible that what thou didst tell me formerly can be true; wilt thoushow me in what manner thou couldst stand at once upon the edge of acauldron and upon a buck, if I prepare the bath for thee?" "I willshow thee, " said he. 

Then she sent unto Gronw, and bade him be in ambush on the hill whichis now called Bryn Kyvergyr, on the bank of the river Cynvael. Shecaused also to be collected all the goats that were in the Cantrev, and had them brought to the other side of the river, opposite BrynKyvergyr. 

And the next day she spoke thus. "Lord, " said she, "I have causedthe roof and the bath to be prepared, and lo! they are ready. ""Well, " said Llew, "we will go gladly to look at them. "

The day after they came and looked at the bath. "Wilt thou go intothe bath, lord?" said she. "Willingly will I go in, " he answered. So into the bath he went, and he anointed himself. "Lord, " said she, "behold the animals which thou didst speak of as being called bucks. ""Well, " said he, "cause one of them to be caught and brought here. "And the buck was brought. Then Llew rose out of the bath, and put onhis trowsers, 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 Bryn Kyvergyr, and he rested on one knee, and flung the poisoned dart and struck himon the side, so that the shaft started out, but the head of the dartremained in. Then he flew up in the form of an eagle and gave afearful scream. And thenceforth was he no more seen. 

As soon as he departed Gronw and Blodeuwedd went together unto thepalace that night. And the next day Gronw arose and took possessionof Ardudwy. And after he had overcome the land, he ruled over it, sothat Ardudwy and Penllyn were both under his sway. 

Then these tidings reached Math the son of Mathonwy. And heavinessand grief came upon Math, and much more upon Gwydion than upon him. "Lord, " said Gwydion, "I shall never rest until I have tidings of mynephew. " "Verily, " said Math, "may Heaven be thy strength. " ThenGwydion set forth and began to go forward. And he went throughGwynedd and Powys to the confines. And when he had done so, he wentinto Arvon, and came to the house of a vassal, in Maenawr Penardd. And he alighted at the house, and stayed there that night. The manof the house and his house-hold came in, and last of all came therethe swineherd. Said the man of the house to the swineherd, "Well, youth, hath thy sow come in to-night?" "She hath, " said he, "and isthis instant returned to the pigs. " "Where doth this sow go to?"said Gwydion. "Every day, when the sty is opened, she goeth forthand none can catch sight of her, neither is it known whither shegoeth more than if she sank into the earth. " "Wilt thou grant untome, " said Gwydion, "not to open the sty until I am beside the stywith thee?" "This will I do, right gladly, " he answered. 

That night they went to rest; and as soon as the swineherd saw thelight of day, he awoke Gwydion. And Gwydion arose and dressedhimself, and went with the swineherd, and stood beside the sty. Thenthe swineherd opened the sty. And as soon as he opened it, beholdshe leaped forth, and set off with great speed. And Gwydion followedher, and she went against the course of a river, and made for abrook, which is now called Nant y Llew. And there she halted andbegan feeding. And Gwydion came under the tree, and looked what itmight be that the sow was feeding on. And he saw that she was eatingputrid flesh and vermin. Then looked he up to the top of the tree, and as he looked he beheld on the top of the tree an eagle, and whenthe eagle shook itself, there fell vermin and putrid flesh from offit, and these the sow devoured. And it seemed to him that the eaglewas Llew. And he sang an Englyn:-

"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 of thetree. And Gwydion sang another Englyn:-

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

Then the eagle came down until he was on the lowest branch of thetree, 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. And Gwydion struck himwith his magic wand, so that he returned to his own form. No oneever saw a more piteous sight, for he was nothing but skin and bone. 

Then he went unto Caer Dathyl, and there were brought unto him goodphysicians that were in Gwynedd, and before the end of the year hewas quite healed. 

"Lord, " said he unto Math the son of Mathonwy, "it is full time nowthat I have retribution of him by whom I have suffered all this woe. ""Truly, " said Math, "he will never be able to maintain himself in thepossession of that which is thy right. " "Well, " said Llew, "thesooner I have my right, the better shall I be pleased. "

Then they called together the whole of Gwynedd, and set forth toArdudwy. And Gwydion went on before and proceeded to Mur y Castell. And when Blodeuwedd heard that he was coming, she took her maidenswith her, and fled to the mountain. And they passed through theriver Cynvael, and went towards a court that there was upon themountain, and through fear they could not proceed except with theirfaces looking backwards, so that unawares they fell into the lake. And they were all drowned except Blodeuwedd herself, and her Gwydionovertook. And he said unto her, "I will not slay thee, but I will dounto thee worse than that. For I will turn thee into a bird; andbecause of the shame thou hast done unto Llew Llaw Gyffes, thou shaltnever show thy face in the light of day henceforth; and that throughfear of all the other birds. For it shall be their nature to attackthee, and to chase thee from wheresoever they may find thee. Andthou shalt not lose thy name, but shalt be always called Blodeuwedd. "Now Blodeuwedd is an owl in the language of this present time, andfor this reason is the owl hateful unto all birds. And even now theowl is called Blodeuwedd. 

Then Gronw Pebyr withdrew unto Penllyn, and he dispatched thence anembassy. And the messengers he sent asked Llew Llaw Gyffes if hewould take land, or domain, or gold, or silver, for the injury he hadreceived. "I will not, by my confession to Heaven, " said he. "Behold this is the least that I will accept from him; that he cometo the spot where I was when he wounded me with the dart, and that Istand where he did, and that with a dart I take my aim at him. Andthis is the very least that I will accept. "

And this was told unto Gronw Pebyr. "Verily, " said he, "is itneedful for me to do thus? My faithful warriors, and my household, and my foster-brothers, is there not one among you who will stand theblow in my stead?" "There is not, verily, " answered they. Andbecause of their refusal to suffer one stroke for their lord, theyare called the third disloyal tribe even unto this day. "Well, " saidhe, "I will meet it. "

Then they two went forth to the banks of the river Cynvael, and Gronwstood in the place where Llew Llaw Gyffes was when he struck him, andLlew in the place where Gronw was. Then said Gronw Pebyr unto Llew, "Since it was through the wiles of a woman that I did unto thee as Ihave done, I adjure thee by Heaven to let me place between me and theblow, the slab thou seest yonder on the river's bank. " "Verily, "said Llew, "I will not refuse thee this. " "Ah, " said he, "may Heavenreward thee. " So Gronw took the slab and placed it between him andthe blow. 

Then Llew flung the dart at him, and it pierced the slab and wentthrough Gronw likewise, so that it pierced through his back. Andthus was Gronw Pebyr slain. And there is still the slab on the bankof the river Cynvael, in Ardudwy, having the hole through it. Andtherefore is it even now called Llech Gronw. 

A second time did Llew Llaw Gyffes take possession of the land, andprosperously did he govern it. And, as the story relates, he waslord after this over Gwynedd. And thus ends this portion of theMabinogi. 

THE DREAM OF MAXEN WLEDIG

Maxen Wledig was emperor of Rome, and he was a comelier man, and abetter and a wiser than any emperor that had been before him. Andone day he held a council of kings, and he said to his friends, "Idesire to go to-morrow to hunt. " And the next day in the morning heset forth with his retinue, and came to the valley of the river thatflowed towards Rome. And he hunted through the valley until mid-day. And with him also were two-and-thirty crowned kings, that were hisvassals; not for the delight of hunting went the emperor with them, but to put himself on equal terms with those kings. 

And the sun was high in the sky over their heads and the heat wasgreat. And sleep came upon Maxen Wledig. And his attendants stoodand set up their shields around him upon the shafts of their spearsto protect him from the sun, and they placed a gold enamelled shieldunder his head; and so Maxen slept. 

And he saw a dream. And this is the dream that he saw. He wasjourneying along the valley of the river towards its source; and hecame to the highest mountain in the world. And he thought that themountain was as high as the sky; and when he came over the mountain, it seemed to him that he went through the fairest and most levelregions that man ever yet beheld, on the other side of the mountain. And he saw large and mighty rivers descending from the mountain tothe sea, and towards the mouths of the rivers he proceeded. And ashe journeyed thus, he came to the mouth of the largest river everseen. And he beheld a great city at the entrance of the river, and avast castle in the city, and he saw many high towers of variouscolours in the castle. And he saw a fleet at the mouth of the river, the largest ever seen. And he saw one ship among the fleet; largerwas it by far, and fairer than all the others. Of such part of theship as he could see above the water, one plank was gilded and theother silvered over. He saw a bridge of the bone of a whale from theship to the land, and he thought that he went along the bridge, andcame into the ship. And a sail was hoisted on the ship, and alongthe sea and the ocean was it borne. Then it seemed that he came tothe fairest island in the whole world, and he traversed the islandfrom sea to sea, even to the furthest shore of the island. Valleyshe saw, and steeps, and rocks of wondrous height, and ruggedprecipices. Never yet saw he the like. And thence he beheld anisland in the sea, facing this rugged land. And between him and thisisland was a country of which the plain was as large as the sea, themountain as vast as the wood. And from the mountain he saw a riverthat flowed through the land and fell into the sea. And at the mouthof the river he beheld a castle, the fairest that man ever saw, andthe gate of the castle was open, and he went into the castle. And inthe castle he saw a fair hall, of which the roof seemed to be allgold, the walls of the hall seemed to be entirely of glitteringprecious gems, the doors all seemed to be of gold. Golden seats hesaw in the hall, and silver tables. And on a seat opposite to him hebeheld two auburn-haired youths playing at chess. He saw a silverboard for the chess, and golden pieces thereon. The garments of theyouths were of jet-black satin, and chaplets of ruddy gold boundtheir hair, whereon were sparkling jewels of great price, rubies, andgems, alternately with imperial stones. Buskins of new Cordovanleather on their feet, fastened by slides of red gold. 

And beside a pillar in the hall he saw a hoary-headed man, in a chairof ivory, with the figures of two eagles of ruddy gold thereon. Bracelets of gold were upon his arms, and many rings were on hishands, and a golden torque about his neck; and his hair was boundwith a golden diadem. He was of powerful aspect. A chessboard ofgold was before him, and a rod of gold, and a steel file in his hand. And he was carving out chessmen. 

And he saw a maiden sitting before him in a chair of ruddy gold. Notmore easy than to gaze upon the sun when brightest, was it to lookupon her by reason of her beauty. A vest of white silk was upon themaiden, with clasps of red gold at the breast; and a surcoat of goldtissue upon her, and a frontlet of red gold upon her head, and rubiesand gems were in the frontlet, alternating with pearls and imperialstones. 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 his armsabout the neck of the maiden, and they two sat down together in thechair of gold: and the chair was not less roomy for them both, thanfor the maiden alone. And as he had his arms about the maiden'sneck, and his cheek by her cheek, behold, through the chafing of thedogs at their leashing, and the clashing of the shields as theystruck against each other, and the beating together of the shafts ofthe spears, and the neighing of the horses and their prancing, theemperor awoke. 

And when he awoke, nor spirit nor existence was left him, because ofthe maiden whom he had seen in his sleep, for the love of the maidenpervaded his whole frame. Then his household spake unto him. "Lord, " said they, "is it not past the time for thee to take thyfood?" Thereupon the emperor mounted his palfrey, the saddest manthat mortal ever saw, and went forth towards Rome. 

And thus he was during the space of a week. When they of thehousehold went to drink wine and mead out of golden vessels, he wentnot with any of them. When they went to listen to songs and tales, he went not with them there; neither could he be persuaded to doanything but sleep. And as often as he slept, he beheld in hisdreams the maiden he loved best; but except when he slept he sawnothing of her, for he knew not where in the world she was. 

One day the page of the chamber spake unto him; now, although he waspage of the chamber, he was king of the Romans. "Lord, " said he, "all the people revile thee. " "Wherefore do they revile me?" askedthe emperor. "Because they can get neither message nor answer fromthee as men should have from their lord. This is the cause why thouart spoken evil of. " "Youth, " said the emperor, "do thou bring untome the wise men of Rome, and I will tell them wherefore I amsorrowful. "

Then the wise men of Rome were brought to the emperor, and he spaketo them. "Sages of Rome, " said he, "I have seen a dream. And in thedream I beheld a maiden, and because of the maiden is there neitherlife, nor spirit, nor existence within me. " "Lord, " they answered, "since thou judgest us worthy to counsel thee, we will give theecounsel. And this is our counsel; that thou send messengers forthree years to the three parts of the world to seek for thy dream. And as thou knowest not what day or what night good news may come tothee, the hope thereof will support thee. "

So the messengers journeyed for the space of a year, wandering aboutthe world, and seeking tidings concerning his dream. But when theycame back at the end of the year, they knew not one word more thanthey did the day they set forth. And then was the emperor exceedingsorrowful, for he thought that he should never have tidings of herwhom best he loved. 

Then spoke the king of the Romans unto the emperor. "Lord, " said he, "go forth to hunt by the way thou didst seem to go, whether it wereto the east, or to the west. " So the emperor went forth to the hunt, and he came to the bank of the river. "Behold, " said he, "this iswhere I was when I saw the dream, and I went towards the source ofthe river westward. "

And thereupon thirteen messengers of the emperor's set forth, andbefore them they saw a high mountain, which seemed to them to touchthe sky. Now this was the guise in which the messengers journeyed;one sleeve was on the cap of each of them in front, as a sign thatthey were messengers, in order that through what hostile land soeverthey might pass no harm might be done them. And when they were comeover this mountain, they beheld vast plains, and large rivers flowingthere through. 

"Behold, " said they, "the land which our master saw. "

And they went along the mouths of the rivers, until they came to themighty river which they saw flowing to the sea, and the vast city, and the many-coloured high towers in the castle. They saw thelargest fleet in the world, in the harbour of the river, and one shipthat was larger than any of the others. "Behold again, " said they, "the dream that our master saw. " And in the great ship they crossedthe sea, and came to the Island of Britain. And they traversed theisland until they came to Snowdon. "Behold, " said they, "the ruggedland that our master saw. " And they went forward until they sawAnglesey before them, and until they saw Arvon likewise. "Behold, "said they, "the land our master saw in his sleep. " And they saw AberSain, and a castle at the mouth of the river. The portal of thecastle saw they open, and into the castle they went, and they saw ahall in the castle. Then said they, "Behold, the hall which he sawin his sleep. " They went into the hall, and they beheld two youthsplaying at chess on the golden bench. And they beheld the hoary-headed man beside the pillar, in the ivory chair, carving chessmen. And they beheld the maiden sitting on a chair of ruddy gold. 

The messengers bent down upon their knees. "Empress of Rome, allhail!" "Ha, gentles, " said the maiden, "ye bear the seeming ofhonourable men, and the badge of envoys, what mockery is this ye doto me?" "We mock thee not, lady; but the Emperor of Rome hath seenthee in his sleep, and he has neither life nor spirit left because ofthee. Thou shalt have of us therefore the choice, lady, whether thouwilt go with us and be made empress of Rome, or that the emperor comehither and take thee for his wife?" "Ha, lords, " said the maiden, "Iwill not deny what ye say, neither will I believe it too well. Ifthe emperor love me, let him come here to seek me. "

And by day and night the messengers hied them back. And when theirhorses failed, they bought other fresh ones. And when they came toRome, they saluted the emperor, and asked their boon, which was givento them according as they named it. "We will be thy guides, lord, "said they, "over sea and over land, to the place where is the womanwhom best thou lovest, for we know her name, and her kindred, and herrace. "

And immediately the emperor set forth with his army. And these menwere his guides. Towards the Island of Britain they went over thesea and the deep. And he conquered the Island from Beli the son ofManogan, and his sons, and drove them to the sea, and went forwardeven unto Arvon. And the emperor knew the land when he saw it. Andwhen he beheld the castle of Aber Sain, "Look yonder, " said he, "there is the castle wherein I saw the damsel whom I best love. " Andhe went forward into the castle and into the hall, and there he sawKynan the son of Eudav, and Adeon the son of Eudav, playing at chess. And he saw Eudav the son of Caradawc, sitting on a chair of ivorycarving chessmen. And the maiden whom he had beheld in his sleep, hesaw sitting on a chair of gold. "Empress of Rome, " said he, "allhail!" And the emperor threw his arms about her neck; and that nightshe became his bride. 

And the next day in the morning, the damsel asked her maiden portion. And he told her to name what she would. And she asked to have theIsland of Britain for her father, from the Channel to the Irish Sea, together with the three adjacent Islands, to hold under the empressof Rome; and to have three chief castles made for her, an whateverplaces she might choose in the Island of Britain. And she chose tohave the highest castle made at Arvon. And they brought thitherearth from Rome that it might be more healthful for the emperor tosleep, and sit, and walk upon. After that the two other castles weremade for her, which were Caerlleon and Caermarthen. 

And one day the emperor went to hunt at Caermarthen, and he came sofar as the top of Brevi Vawr, and there the emperor pitched his tent. And that encamping place is called Cadeir Maxen, even to this day. And because that he built the castle with a myriad of men, he calledit Caervyrddin. Then Helen bethought her to make high roads from onecastle to another throughout the Island of Britain. And the roadswere made. And for this cause are they called the roads of HelenLuyddawc, that she was sprung from a native of this island, and themen of the Island of Britain would not have made these great roadsfor 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 whatsoever emperor should remainin other lands more than seven years should remain to his ownoverthrow, and should never return to Rome again. 

So they made a new emperor. And this one wrote a letter of threat toMaxen. There was nought in the letter but only this. "If thoucomest, and if thou ever comest to Rome. " And even unto Caerlleoncame this letter to Maxen, and these tidings. Then sent he a letterto the man who 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 nearer takingit than the first day. And after him there came the brothers ofHelen Luyddawc from the Island of Britain, and a small host withthem, and better warriors were in that small host than twice as manyRomans. And the emperor was told that a host was seen, halting closeto his army and encamping, and no man ever saw a fairer or betterappointed host for its size, nor more handsome standards. 

And Helen went to see the hosts, and she knew the standards of herbrothers. Then came Kynan the son of Eudav, and Adeon the son ofEudav, to meet the emperor. And the emperor was glad because ofthem, and embraced them. 

Then they looked at the Romans as they attacked the city. Said Kynanto his brother, "We will try to attack the city more expertly thanthis. " So they measured by night the height of the wall, and theysent their carpenters to the wood, and a ladder was made for everyfour men of their number. Now when these were ready, every day atmid-day the emperors went to meat, and they ceased to fight on bothsides till all had finished eating. And in the morning the men ofBritain took their food and they drank until they were invigorated. And while the two emperors were at meat, the Britons came to thecity, and placed their ladders against it, and forthwith they came inthrough the city. 

The new emperor had no time to arm himself when they fell upon him, and slew him, and many others with him. And three nights and threedays were they subduing the men that were in the city and taking thecastle. And others of them kept the city, lest any of the host ofMaxen should come therein, until they had subjected all to theirwill. 

Then spake Maxen to Helen Luyddawc. "I marvel, lady, " said he, "thatthy brothers have not conquered this city for me. " "Lord, emperor, "she answered, "the wisest youths in the world are my brothers. Gothou thither and ask the city of them, and if it be in theirpossession thou shalt have it gladly. " So the emperor and Helen wentand demanded the city. And they told the emperor that none had takenthe city, and that none could give it him, but the men of the Islandof Britain. Then the gates of the city of Rome were opened, and theemperor sat on the throne, and all the men of Rome submitted themselves unto him. 

The emperor then said unto Kynan and Adeon, "Lords, " said he, "I havenow had possession of the whole of my empire. This host give I untoyou to vanquish whatever region ye may desire in the world. "

So they set forth and conquered lands, and castles, and cities. Andthey slew all the men, but the women they kept alive. And thus theycontinued until the young men that had come with them were growngrey-headed, from the length of time they were upon this conquest. 

Then spoke Kynan unto Adeon his brother, "Whether wilt thou rather, "said he, "tarry in this land, or go back into the land whence thoudidst come forth?" Now he chose to go back to his own land, and manywith him. But Kynan tarried there with the other part and dweltthere. 

And they took counsel and cut out the tongues of the women, lest theyshould corrupt their speech. And because of the silence of the womenfrom their own speech, the men of Armorica are called Britons. Fromthat time there came frequently, and still comes, that language fromthe Island of Britain. 

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

HERE IS THE STORY OF LLUDD AND LLEVELYS

Beli the Great, the son of Manogan, had three sons, Lludd, andCaswallawn, and Nynyaw; and according to the story he had a fourthson called Llevelys. And after the death of Beli, the kingdom of theIsland of Britain fell into the hands of Llud his eldest son; andLludd ruled prosperously, and rebuilt the walls of London, andencompassed it about with numberless towers. And after that he badethe citizens build houses therein, such as no houses in the kingdomscould equal. And moreover he was a mighty warrior, and generous andliberal in giving meat and drink to all that sought them. And thoughhe had many castles and cities this one loved he more than any. Andhe dwelt therein most part of the year, and therefore was it calledCaer Lludd, and at last Caer London. And after the stranger-racecame there, it was called London, or Lwndrys. 

Lludd loved Llevelys best of all his brothers, because he was a wiseand discreet man. Having heard that the king of France had died, leaving no heir except a daughter, and that he had left all hispossessions in her hands, he came to Lludd his brother, to beseechhis counsel and aid. And that not so much for his own welfare, as toseek to add to the glory and honour and dignity of his kindred, if hemight go to France to woo the maiden for his wife. And forthwith hisbrother conferred with him, and this counsel was pleasing unto him. 

So he prepared ships and filled them with armed knights, and setforth towards France. And as soon as they had landed, they sentmessengers to show the nobles of France the cause of the embassy. And by the joint counsel of the nobles of France and of the princes, the maiden was given to Llevelys, and the crown of the kingdom withher. And thenceforth he ruled the land discreetly, and wisely, andhappily, as long as his life lasted. 

After a space of time had passed, three plagues fell on the Island ofBritain, such as none in the islands had ever seen the like of. Thefirst was a certain race that came, and was called the Coranians; andso great was their knowledge, that there was no discourse upon theface of the Island, however low it might be spoken, but what, if thewind met it, it was known to them. And through this they could notbe injured. {4}

The second plague was a shriek which came on every May-eve, overevery hearth in the Island of Britain. And this went throughpeople's hearts, and so scared them, that the men lost their hue andtheir strength, and the women their children, and the young men andthe maidens lost their senses, and all the animals and trees and theearth and the waters, were left barren. 

The third plague was, that however much of provisions and food mightbe prepared in the king's courts, were there even so much as a year'sprovision of meat and drink, none of it could ever be found, exceptwhat was consumed in the first night. And two of these plagues, noone ever knew their cause, therefore was there better hope of beingfreed from the first than from the second and third. 

And thereupon King Lludd felt great sorrow and care, because that heknew not how he might be freed from these plagues. And he called tohim all the nobles of his kingdom, and asked counsel of them whatthey should do against these afflictions. And by the common counselof the nobles, Lludd the son of Beli went to Llevelys his brother, king of France, for he was a man great of counsel and wisdom, to seekhis advice. 

And they made ready a fleet, and that in secret and in silence, lestthat race should know the cause of their errand, or any besides theking and his counsellors. And when they were made ready, they wentinto their ships, Lludd and those whom he chose with him. And theybegan to cleave the seas towards France. 

And when these tidings came to Llevelys, seeing that he knew not thecause of his brother's ships, he came on the other side to meet him, and with him was a fleet vast of size. And when Lludd saw this, heleft all the ships out upon the sea except one only; and in that onehe came to meet his brother, and he likewise with a single ship cameto meet him. And when they were come together, each put his armsabout the other's neck, and they welcomed each other with brotherlylove. 

After that Lludd had shown his brother the cause of his errand, Llevelys said that he himself knew the cause of the coming to thoselands. And they took counsel together to discourse on the matterotherwise than thus, in order that the wind might not catch theirwords, nor the Coranians know what they might say. Then Llevelyscaused a long horn to be made of brass, and through this horn theydiscoursed. But whatsoever words they spoke through this horn, oneto the other, neither of them could hear any other but harsh andhostile words. And when Llevelys saw this, and that there was ademon thwarting them and disturbing through this horn, he caused wineto be put therein to wash it. And through the virtue of the wine thedemon was driven out of the horn. And when their discourse wasunobstructed, Llevelys told his brother that he would give him someinsects whereof he should keep some to breed, lest by chance the likeaffliction might come a second time. And other of these insects heshould take and bruise in water. And he assured him that it wouldhave power to destroy the race of the Coranians. That is to say, that when he came home to his kingdom he should call together all thepeople both of his own race and of the race of the Coranians for aconference, as though with the intent of making peace between them;and that when they were all together, he should take this charmedwater, and cast it over all alike. And he assured him that the waterwould poison the race of the Coranians, but that it would not slay orharm those of his own race. 

"And the second plague, " said he, "that is in thy dominion, behold itis a dragon. And another dragon of a foreign race is fighting withit, and striving to overcome it. And therefore does your dragon makea fearful outcry. And on this wise mayest thou come to know this. After thou hast returned home, cause the Island to be measured in itslength and breadth, and in the place where thou dost find the exactcentral point, there cause a pit to be dug, and cause a cauldron fullof the best mead that can be made to be put in the pit, with acovering of satin over the face of the cauldron. And then, in thineown person do thou remain there watching, and thou wilt see thedragon fighting in the form of terrific animals. And at length theywill take the form of dragons in the air. And last of all, afterwearying themselves with fierce and furious fighting, they will fallin the form of two pigs upon the covering, and they will sink in, andthe covering with them, and they will draw it down to the very bottomof the cauldron. And they will drink up the whole of the mead; andafter that they will sleep. Thereupon do thou immediately fold thecovering around them, and bury them in a kistvaen, in the strongestplace thou hast in thy dominions, and hide them in the earth. And aslong as they shall bide in that strong place no plague shall come tothe Island of Britain from elsewhere. 

"The cause of the third plague, " said he, "is a mighty man of magic, who take thy meat and thy drink and thy store. And he throughillusions and charms causes every one to sleep. Therefore it isneedful for thee in thy own person to watch thy food and thyprovisions. And lest he should overcome thee with sleep, be there acauldron of cold water by thy side, and when thou art oppressed withsleep, plunge into the cauldron. "

Then Lludd returned back unto his land. And immediately he summonedto him the whole of his own race and of the Coranians. And asLlevelys had taught him, he bruised the insects in water, the whichhe cast over them all together, and forthwith it destroyed the wholetribe of the Coranians, without hurt to any of the Britons. 

And some time after this, Lludd caused the Island to be measured inits length and in its breadth. And in Oxford he found the centralpoint, and in that place he caused the earth to be dug, and in thatpit a cauldron to be set, full of the best mead that could be made, and a covering of satin over the face of it. And he himself watchedthat night. And while he was there, he beheld the dragons fighting. And when they were weary they fell, and came down upon the top of thesatin, and drew it with them to the bottom of the cauldron. And whenthey had drunk the mead they slept. And in their sleep, Lludd foldedthe covering around them, and in the securest place he had inSnowdon, he hid them in a kistvaen. Now after that this spot wascalled Dinas Emreis, but before that, Dinas Ffaraon. And thus thefierce outcry ceased in his dominions. 

And when this was ended, King Lludd caused an exceeding great banquetto be prepared. And when it was ready, he placed a vessel of coldwater by his side, and he in his own proper person watched it. Andas he abode thus clad with arms, about the third watch of the night, lo, he heard many surpassing fascinations and various songs. Anddrowsiness urged him to sleep. Upon this, lest he should be hinderedfrom his purpose and be overcome by sleep, he went often into thewater. And at last, behold, a man of vast size, clad in strong, heavy armour, came in, bearing a hamper. And, as he was wont, he putall the food and provisions of meat and drink into the hamper, andproceeded to go with it forth. And nothing was ever more wonderfulto Lludd, than that the hamper should hold so much. 

And thereupon King Lludd went after him and spoke unto him thus. "Stop, stop, " said he, "though thou hast done many insults and muchspoil erewhile, thou shalt not do so any more, unless thy skill inarms and thy prowess be greater than mine. "

Then he instantly put down the hamper on the floor, and awaited him. And a fierce encounter was between them, so that the glittering fireflew out from their arms. And at the last Lludd grappled with him, and fate bestowed the victory on Lludd. And he threw the plague tothe earth. And after he had overcome him by strength and might, hebesought his mercy. "How can I grant thee mercy, " said the king, "after all the many injuries and wrongs that thou hast done me?""All the losses that ever I have caused thee, " said he, "I will makethee atonement for, equal to what I have taken. And I will never dothe like from this time forth. But thy faithful vassal will I be. "And the king accepted this from him. 

And thus Lludd freed the Island of Britain from the three plagues. And from thenceforth until the end of his life, in prosperous peacedid Lludd the son of Beli rule the Island of Britain. And this Taleis called the Story of Lludd and Llevelys. And thus it ends. 

TALIESIN

In times past there lived in Penllyn a man of gentle lineage, namedTegid Voel, and his dwelling was in the midst of the lake Tegid, andhis wife was called Caridwen. And there was born to him of his wifea son named Morvran ab Tegid, and also a daughter named Creirwy, thefairest maiden in the world was she; and they had a brother, the mostill-favoured man in the world, Avagddu. Now Caridwen his motherthought that he was not likely to be admitted among men of noblebirth, by reason of his ugliness, unless he had some exalted meritsor knowledge. For it was in the beginning of Arthur's time and ofthe Round Table. 

So she resolved, according to the arts of the books of the Fferyllt, to boil a cauldron of Inspiration and Science for her son, that hisreception might be honourable because of his knowledge of themysteries of the future state of the world. 

Then she began to boil the cauldron, which from the beginning of itsboiling might not cease to boil for a year and a day, until threeblessed drops were obtained of the grace of Inspiration. 

And she put Gwion Bach the son of Gwreang of Llanfair in Caereinion, in Powys, to stir the cauldron, and a blind man named Morda to kindlethe fire beneath it, and she charged them that they should not sufferit to cease boiling for the space of a year and a day. And sheherself, according to the books of the astronomers, and in planetaryhours, gathered every day of all charm-bearing herbs. And one day, towards the end of the year, as Caridwen was culling plants andmaking incantations, it chanced that three drops of the charmedliquor flew out of the cauldron and fell upon the finger of GwionBach. And by reason of their great heat he put his finger to hismouth, and the instant he put those marvel-working drops into hismouth, he foresaw everything that was to come, and perceived that hischief care must be to guard against the wiles of Caridwen, for vastwas her skill. And in very great fear he fled towards his own land. And the cauldron burst in two, because all the liquor within itexcept the three charm-bearing drops was poisonous, so that thehorses of Gwyddno Garanhir were poisoned by the water of the streaminto which the liquor of the cauldron ran, and the confluence of thatstream was called the Poison of the Horses of Gwyddno from that timeforth. 

Thereupon came in Caridwen and saw all the toil of the whole yearlost. And she seized a billet of wood and struck the blind Morda onthe head until one of his eyes fell out upon his cheek. And he said, "Wrongfully hast thou disfigured me, for I am innocent. Thy loss wasnot because of me. " "Thou speakest truth, " said Caridwen, "it wasGwion Bach who robbed me. "

And she went forth after him, running. And he saw her, and changedhimself into a hare and fled. But she changed herself into agreyhound and turned him. And he ran towards a river, and became afish. And she in the form of an otter-bitch chased him under thewater, until he was fain to turn himself into a bird of the air. She, as a hawk, followed him and gave him no rest in the sky. Andjust as she was about to stoop upon him, and he was in fear of death, he espied a heap of winnowed wheat on the floor of a barn, and hedropped among the wheat, and turned himself into one of the grains. Then she transformed herself into a high-crested black hen, and wentto the wheat and scratched it with her feet, and found him out andswallowed him. And, as the story says, she bore him nine months, andwhen she was delivered of him, she could not find it in her heart tokill him, by reason of his beauty. So she wrapped him in a leathernbag, and cast him into the sea to the mercy of God, on the twenty-ninth day of April. 

And at that time the weir of Gwyddno was on the strand between Dyviand Aberystwyth, near to his own castle, and the value of an hundredpounds was taken in that weir every May eve. And in those daysGwyddno had an only son named Elphin, the most hapless of youths, andthe most needy. And it grieved his father sore, for he thought thathe was born in an evil hour. And by the advice of his council, hisfather had granted him the drawing of the weir that year, to see ifgood luck would ever befall him, and to give him something wherewithto begin the world. 

And the next day when Elphin went to look, there was nothing in theweir. But as he turned back he perceived the leathern bag upon apole of the weir. Then said one of the weir-ward unto Elphin, "Thouwast never unlucky until to-night, and now thou hast destroyed thevirtues of the weir, which always yielded the value of an hundredpounds every May eve, and to-night there is nothing but this leathernskin within it. " "How now, " said Elphin, "there may be therein thevalue of an hundred pounds. " Well, they took up the leathern bag, and he who opened it saw the forehead of the boy, and said to Elphin, "Behold a radiant brow!" {6} "Taliesin be he called, " said Elphin. And he lifted the boy in his arms, and lamenting his mischance, heplaced him sorrowfully behind him. And he made his horse amblegently, that before had been trotting, and he carried him as softlyas if he had been sitting in the easiest chair in the world. Andpresently the boy made a Consolation and praise to Elphin, andforetold honour to Elphin; and the Consolation was as you may see:-

"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 weirWas 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 beOf 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 protectorThou 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 to consoleElphin in his grief for that the produce of the weir was lost, and, what was worse, that all the world would consider that it was throughhis fault and ill-luck. And then Gwyddno Garanhir {7} asked him whathe was, whether man or spirit. Whereupon he sang this tale, andsaid:-

"First, I have been formed a comely person, 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 liberatedBy a smiling black old hag, when irritatedDreadful 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 a wilderness, 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 for it;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, andTaliesin with him. And Gwyddno asked him if he had had a good haulat the weir, and he told him that he had got that which was betterthan fish. "What was that?" said Gwyddno. "A Bard, " answeredElphin. Then said Gwyddno, "Alas, what will he profit thee?" AndTaliesin himself replied and said, "He will profit him more than theweir ever profited thee. " Asked Gwyddno, "Art thou able to speak, and thou so little?" And Taliesin answered him, "I am better able tospeak than thou to question me. " "Let me hear what thou canst say, "quoth Gwyddno. Then Taliesin sang:-

"In water there is a quality endowed with a 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 obtainAll the sciences of the world, collected together in my breast, 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 nursed himtenderly and lovingly. Thenceforward Elphin increased in riches moreand more day after day, and in love and favour with the king, andthere abode Taliesin until he was thirteen years old, when Elphin sonof Gwyddno went by a Christmas invitation to his uncle, MaelgwnGwynedd, who some time after this held open court at Christmastide inthe castle of Dyganwy, for all the number of his lords of bothdegrees, both spiritual and temporal, with a vast and thronged hostof knights and squires. 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 onwhom Heaven has bestowed so many spiritual gifts as upon him? First, form, and beauty, and meekness, and strength, besides all the powersof the soul!" And together with these they said that Heaven hadgiven one gift that exceeded all the others, which was the beauty, and comeliness, and grace, and wisdom, and modesty of his queen;whose virtues surpassed those of all the ladies and noble maidensthroughout the whole kingdom. And with this they put questions oneto another amongst themselves: Who had braver men? Who had faireror swifter horses or greyhounds? Who had more skilful or wiserbards--than Maelgwn?

Now at that time the bards were in great favour with the exalted ofthe kingdom; and then none performed the office of those who are nowcalled heralds, unless they were learned men, not only expert in theservice of kings and princes, but studious and well versed in thelineage, and arms, and exploits of princes and kings, and indiscussions concerning foreign kingdoms, and the ancient things ofthis kingdom, and chiefly in the annals of the first nobles; and alsowere prepared always with their answers in various languages, Latin, French, Welsh, and English. And together with this they were greatchroniclers, and recorders, and skilful in framing verses, and readyin making englyns in every one of those languages. Now of thesethere were at that feast within the palace of Maelgwn as many asfour-and-twenty, and chief of them all was one named Heinin Vardd. 

When they had all made an end of thus praising the king and hisgifts, it befell that Elphin spoke in this wise. "Of a truth nonebut a king may vie with a king; but were he not a king, I would saythat my wife was as virtuous as any lady in the kingdom, and alsothat I have a bard who is more skilful than all the king's bards. "In a short space some of his fellows showed the king all theboastings of Elphin; and the king ordered him to be thrown into astrong prison, 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 a thickchain about his feet (it is said that it was a silver chain, becausehe was of royal blood), the king, as the story relates, sent his sonRhun to inquire into the demeanour of Elphin's wife. Now Rhun wasthe most graceless man in the world, and there was neither wife normaiden with whom he had held converse, but was evil spoken of. WhileRhun went in haste towards Elphin's dwelling, being fully minded tobring disgrace upon his wife, Taliesin told his mistress how that theking had placed his master in durance in prison, and how that Rhunwas coming in haste to strive to bring disgrace upon her. Whereforehe caused his mistress to array one of the maids of her kitchen inher apparel; which the noble lady gladly did; and she loaded herhands with the best rings that she and her husband possessed. 

In this guise Taliesin caused his mistress to put the maiden to sitat the board in her room at supper, and he made her to seem as hermistress, and the mistress to seem as the maid. And when they werein due time seated at their supper in the manner that has been said, Rhun suddenly arrived at Elphin's dwelling, and was received withjoy, for all the servants knew him plainly; and they brought him inhaste to the room of their mistress, in the semblance of whom themaid rose up from supper and welcomed him gladly. And afterwards shesat down to supper again the second time, and Rhun with her. ThenRhun began jesting with the maid, who still kept the semblance of hermistress. And verily this story shows that the maiden became sointoxicated, that she fell asleep; and the story relates that it wasa powder that Rhun put into the drink, that made her sleep so soundlythat she never felt it when he cut from off her hand her littlefinger, whereupon was the signet ring of Elphin, which he had sent tohis wife as a token, a short time before. And Rhun returned to theking with the finger and the ring as a proof, to show that he had cutit from off her hand, without her awaking from her sleep ofintemperance. 

The king rejoiced greatly at these tidings, and he sent for hiscouncillors, to whom he told the whole story from the beginning. Andhe caused Elphin to be brought out of his prison, and he chided himbecause of his boast. And he spake unto Elphin on this wise. "Elphin, be it known to thee beyond a doubt that it is but folly fora man to trust in the virtues of his wife further than he can seeher; and that thou mayest be certain of thy wife's vileness, beholdher finger, with thy signet ring upon it, which was cut from her handlast night, while she slept the sleep of intoxication. " Then thusspake Elphin. "With thy leave, mighty king, I cannot deny my ring, for it is known of many; but verily I assert strongly that the fingeraround which it is, was never attached to the hand of my wife, for intruth and certainty there are three notable things pertaining to it, none of which ever belonged to any of my wife's fingers. The firstof the three is, that it is certain, by your grace's leave, thatwheresoever my wife is at this present hour, whether sitting, orstanding, or lying down, this ring would never remain upon her thumb, whereas you can plainly see that it was hard to draw it over thejoint of the little finger of the hand whence this was cut; thesecond thing is, that my wife has never let pass one Saturday since Ihave known her without paring her nails before going to bed, and youcan see fully that the nail of this little finger has not been paredfor a month. The third is, truly, that the hand whence this fingercame was kneading rye dough within three days before the finger wascut therefrom, and I can assure your goodness that my wife has neverkneaded rye dough since my wife she has been. "

Then the king was mightily wroth with Elphin for so stoutlywithstanding him, respecting the goodness of his wife, wherefore heordered him to his prison a second time, saying that he should not beloosed thence until he had proved the truth of his boast, as wellconcerning the wisdom of his bard as the virtues of his wife. 

In the meantime his wife and Taliesin remained joyful at Elphin'sdwelling. And Taliesin showed his mistress how that Elphin was inprison because of them, but he bade her be glad, for that he would goto Maelgwn's court to free his master. Then she asked him in whatmanner he would set him free. 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 pronounceTo silence royal bards, In presence of their chief, I will greet to deride, Upon them I will breakAnd 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 loreAnd wisdom of Druids, In the court of the sons of the DistributorSome are who did appearIntent on wily schemes, By craft and tricking means, In pangs of afflictionTo wrong the innocent, Let the fools be silent, As erst in Badon's fight, -With Arthur of liberal onesThe 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 freeFrom 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 healthBe to Maelgwn Gwynedd, For this force and this wrong;And be extremes of illsAnd an avenged endTo Rhun and all his race:Short be his course of life, Be all his lands laid waste;And long exile be assignedTo Maelgwn Gwynedd!"

After this he took leave of his mistress, and came at last to theCourt of Maelgwn, who was going to sit in his hall and dine in hisroyal state, as it was the custom in those days for kings and princesto do at every chief feast. And as soon as Taliesin entered thehall, he placed himself in a quiet corner, near the place where thebards and the minstrels were wont to come in doing their service andduty to the king, as is the custom at the high festivals when thebounty is proclaimed. And so, when the bards and the heralds came tocry largess, and to proclaim the power of the king and his strength, at the moment that they passed by the corner wherein he wascrouching, Taliesin pouted out his lips after them, and played"Blerwm, blerwm, " with his finger upon his lips. Neither took theymuch notice of him as they went by, but proceeded forward till theycame before the king, unto whom they made their obeisance with theirbodies, as they were wont, without speaking a single word, butpouting out their lips, and making mouths at the king, playing"Blerwm, blerwm, " upon their lips with their fingers, as they hadseen the boy do elsewhere. This sight caused the king to wonder andto deem within himself that they were drunk with many liquors. Wherefore he commanded one of his lords, who served at the board, togo to them and desire them to collect their wits, and to considerwhere they stood, and what it was fitting for them to do. And thislord did so gladly. But they ceased not from their folly any morethan before. Whereupon he sent to them a second time, and a third, desiring them to go forth from the hall. At the last the kingordered one of his squires to give a blow to the chief of them namedHeinin Vardd; and the squire took a broom and struck him on the head, so that he fell back in his seat. Then he arose and went on hisknees, and besought leave of the king's grace to show that this theirfault was not through want of knowledge, neither through drunkenness, but by the influence of some spirit that was in the hall. And afterthis Heinin spoke on this wise. "Oh, honourable king, be it known toyour grace, that not from the strength of drink, or of too muchliquor, are we dumb, without power of speech like drunken men, butthrough the influence of a spirit that sits in the corner yonder inthe form of a child. " Forthwith the king commanded the squire tofetch him; and he went to the nook where Taliesin sat, and broughthim before the king, who asked him what he was, and whence 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 hellI 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 of Hebron;I was in the court of Don before the birth of Gwdion. 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 of God;I have been three periods in the prison of Arianrod;I have been the chief director of the work of the tower of Nimrod;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 the ass: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, they wonderedmuch, for they had never heard the like from a boy so young as he. And when the king knew that he was the bard of Elphin, he badeHeinin, his first and wisest bard, to answer Taliesin and to strivewith him. But when he came, he could do no other but play "blerwm"on his lips; and when he sent for the others of the four-and-twentybards they all did likewise, and could do no other. And Maelgwnasked the boy Taliesin what was his errand, and he answered him insong. 

"Puny bards, I am tryingTo secure the prize, if I can;By a gentle prophetic strainI am endeavouring to retrieveThe loss I may have suffered;Complete the attempt I hope, Since Elphin endures troubleIn the fortress of Teganwy, On him may there not be laidToo many chains and fetters;The Chair of the fortress of TeganwyWill I again seek;Strengthened by my muse I am powerful;Mighty on my part is what I seek, For three hundred songs and moreAre combined in the spell I sing. There ought not to stand where I amNeither stone, neither ring;And there ought not to be about meAny bard who may not knowThat Elphin the son of GwyddnoIs 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 ElphinOut of a golden fetter. "

* * * * *

"If you be primary bardsTo the master of sciences, Declare ye mysteriesThat relate to the inhabitants of the world;There is a noxious creature, From the rampart of Satanas, Which has overcome allBetween the deep and the shallow;Equally wide are his jawsAs the mountains of the Alps;Him death will not subdue, Nor hand or blades;There is the load of nine hundred wagonsIn the hair of his two paws;There is in his head an eyeGreen as the limpid sheet of icicle;Three springs ariseIn the nape of his neck;Sea-roughs thereonSwim through it;There was the dissolution of the oxenOf Deivrdonwy the water-gifted. The names of the three springsFrom the midst of the ocean;One generated brineWhich is from the Corina, To replenish the floodOver seas disappearing;The second, without injuryIt will fall on us, When there is rain abroad, Through the whelming sky;The third will appearThrough the mountain veins, Like a flinty banquet, The work of the King of kings, You are blundering bards, In too much solicitude;You cannot celebrateThe kingdom of the Britons;And I am Taliesin, Chief of the bards of the west, Who will loosen ElphinOut of the golden fetter. "

* * * * *

"Be silent, then, ye unlucky rhyming bards, 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 of RhianeddAs 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 isThe strong creature from before the flood, Without flesh, without bone, Without vein, without blood, Without head, without feet, It will neither be older nor youngerThan at the beginning;For fear of a denial, There are no rude wantsWith creatures. Great God! how the sea whitensWhen first it comes!Great are its gustsWhen it comes from the south;Great are its evaporationsWhen 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-aevalWith the five ages or periodsAnd older still, Though they be numberless years. It is also so wideAs the surface of the earth;And it was not born, Nor was it seen. It will cause consternationWherever 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 journeyAbove 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 noisyOn 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 vengeanceOn Maelgwn Gwynedd. "

And while he was thus singing his verse near the door, there arose amighty storm of wind, so that the king and all his nobles thoughtthat the castle would fall on their heads. And the king caused themto fetch Elphin in haste from his dungeon, and placed him beforeTaliesin. And it is said, that immediately he sang a verse, so thatthe chains opened from about his feet. 

"I adore the Supreme, Lord of all animation, -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 supplies us, From his foaming meadhorns, with the choicest pure liquor. Since bees collect, and do not enjoy, We have sparkling distilled mead, which is universally praised. The multitude of creatures which the earth nourishesGod 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 of tranquillity. Elphin, knight of mead, late be thy dissolution!"

And afterwards he sang the ode which is called "The Excellence of theBards. "

"What was the first manMade by the God of heaven;What the fairest flattering speechThat was prepared by leuav;What meat, what drink, What roof his shelter;What the first impressionOf 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 speechRather 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 "The Reproof ofthe Bards. "

"If thou art a bard completely imbuedWith genius not to be controlled, Be thou not untractableWithin 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 grandsirePrior 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 AriansodIt is certain you know notHow to understand the song I utter, Nor clearly how to discriminateBetween 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 coveredUnder gravel and pebbles;Such as shall listen to me, May God listen to him. "

Then sang he the piece called "The Spite of the Bards. "

"Minstrels persevere in their false custom, 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 having protectedthe innocence of his wife, and silenced the Bards, so that not one ofthem dared to say a word, now brought Elphin's wife before them, andshowed that she had not one finger wanting. Right glad was Elphin, right glad was Taliesin. 

Then he bade Elphin wager the king, that he had a horse both betterand swifter than the king's horses. And this Elphin did, and theday, and the time, and the place were fixed, and the place was thatwhich at this day is called Morva Rhiannedd: and thither the kingwent with all his people, and four-and-twenty of the swiftest horseshe possessed. And after a long process the course was marked, andthe horses were placed for running. Then came Taliesin with four-and-twenty twigs of holly, which he had burnt black, and he causedthe youth who was to ride his master's horse to place them in hisbelt, and he gave him orders to let all the king's horses get beforehim, and as he should overtake one horse after the other, to take oneof the twigs and strike the horse with it over the crupper, and thenlet that twig fall; and after that to take another twig, and do inlike manner to every one of the horses, as he should overtake them, enjoining the horseman strictly to watch when his own horse shouldstumble, and to throw down his cap on the spot. All these things didthe youth fulfil, giving a blow to every one of the king's horses, and throwing down his cap on the spot where his horse stumbled. Andto this spot Taliesin brought his master after his horse had won therace. And he caused Elphin to put workmen to dig a hole there; andwhen they had dug the ground deep enough, they found a large cauldronfull of gold. And then said Taliesin, "Elphin, behold a payment andreward unto thee, for having taken me out of the weir, and for havingreared me from that time until now. " And on this spot stands a poolof water, which is to this time called Pwllbair. 

After all this, the king caused Taliesin to be brought before him, and he asked him to recite concerning the creation of man from thebeginning; and thereupon he made the poem which is now called "One ofthe 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 wereThe 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 painTheir 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 mateWas 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 handFrom the high Father, Brought seed for growing That Eve might sow;

But she then did hideOf 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 grainAnd red flowing wineChrist's pure body make, Son of Alpha. 

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

The concealed booksFrom Emmanuel's handWere brought by Raphael As Adam's gift, When in his old age, To his chin immersedIn Jordan's water, Keeping a fast, Moses did obtainIn Jordan's water, The aid of the three Most special rods. 

Solomon did obtainIn 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 serpentProud and merciless, On her golden wings, From Germany. 

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

Then will the BrythonBe 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 haveTheir 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 that should bein the world, in songs, as follows. 

Footnotes:

{1} It is also stated, that there is in the Hengwrt Library, a MS. Containing the Graal in Welsh, as early as the time of Henry I. Ihad hoped to have added this to the present collection; but the deathof Col. Vaughan, to whom I applied, and other subsequentcircumstances, have prevented 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 pieces offungus, &c. 

{5} This dialogue consists of a series of repartees with a play uponwords, which it is impossible to follow in the translation. 

{6} Taliesin. 

{7} The mention of Gwyddno Garanhir instead of Elphin ab Gwyddno inthis place is evidently an error of some transcriber of the MS.