The Dream of Rhonabwy

8/10/2019 The Dream of Rhonabwy

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-dream-of-rhonabwy 1/44





And the rider wore a coat of yellow satin sewn with reen silk, and on histhi h was a old#hilted sword, with a scabbard of new leather of )ordo!a,belted with the skin of the deer, and clasped with old. And o!er this was ascarf of yellow satin wrou ht with reen silk, the borders whereof werelikewise reen. And the reen of the caparison of the horse, and of his rider,

was as reen as the lea!es of the 5r#tree, and the yellow was as yellow as theblossom of the broom. /o 5erce was the aspect of the kni ht, that fear sei8edupon them, and they be an to 3ee. And the kni ht pursued them. And whenthe horse breathed forth, the men became distant from him, and when hedrew in his breath, they were drawn near to him, e!en to the horse7s chest.And when he had o!ertaken them, they besou ht his mercy. :ou ha!e itladly, said he, fear nou ht. &a, chieftain, since thou hast

p. *+2

mercy upon me, tell me also who thou art, said -honabwy. I will not concealmy linea e 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 )ordd Prydain *+2a. &a, chieftain,said -honabwy, why art thou called thus; I will tell thee. I was one of themessen ers between Arthur and Medrawd his nephew, at the battle of)amlan *+2b and I was then a reckless youth, and throu h my desire forbattle, I kindled strife between them, and stirred up wrath, when I was sent

by Arthur the <mperor to reason with Medrawd, and to show him, that he washis foster#father and his uncle, and to seek for peace, lest the sons of the1in s of the Island of 'ritain, and of the nobles, should be slain. And whereasArthur char ed me with the fairest sayin s he could think of, I uttered untoMedrawd the harshest I could de!ise. And therefore am I called Iddawc )orddPrydain, for from this did the battle of )amlan ensue. And three ni hts beforethe end of the battle of )amlan I left them, and went to the (lech (as in 0orth'ritain to do penance. And there I remained doin penance se!en years, andafter that I ained pardon.

$hen lo= they heard a mi hty sound which was much louder than that whichthey had heard before, and when they looked round towards the sound, theybeheld a ruddy youth, without beard or whiskers, noble of mien, and mountedon a stately courser. And from the shoulders and the front of the kneesdownwards the horse was bay. And upon the man was a dress of red satinwrou ht with yellow silk, and yellow were the borders of his scarf. And suchparts of his apparel and of the trappin s of his horse as were yellow, as



yellow were they as the blossom of the broom, and such as were red, were asruddy as the ruddiest blood in the world.

$hen, behold the horseman o!ertook them, and he asked of Iddawc a shareof the little men that were with him. $hat which is 5ttin for me to rant I willrant, and thou shalt be a companion to them as I ha!e been. And thehorseman

p. *+*

went away. Iddawc, inquired -honabwy, who was that horseman;

-hu!awn Pebyr the son of Prince >eorthach.

And they "ourneyed o!er the plain of Ar yn roe as far as the ford of -hyd yGroes on the /e!ern. And for a mile around the ford on both sides of the road,they saw tents and encampments, and there was the clamour of a mi htyhost. And they came to the ed e of the ford, and there they beheld Arthursittin on a 3at island below the ford, ha!in 'edwini the 'ishop on one sideof him, and Gwarthe yd the son of 1aw on the other. And a tall, auburn#haired youth stood before him, with his sheathed sword in his hand, and clad

in a coat and cap of "et#black satin. And his face was white as i!ory, and hiseyebrows black as "et, and such part of his wrist as could be seen betweenhis lo!e and his slee!e, was whiter than the lily, and thicker than a warrior7sankle.

$hen came Iddawc and they that were with him, and stood before Arthur andsaluted him. &ea!en rant thee ood, said Arthur. And where, Iddawc,didst thou 5nd these little men; I found them, lord, up yonder on the road.

$hen the <mperor smiled. (ord, said Iddawc, wherefore dost thou lau h;Iddawc, replied Arthur, I lau h not but it pitieth me that men of suchstature as these should ha!e this island in their keepin , after the men thatuarded it of yore. $hen said Iddawc, -honabwy, dost thou see the rin witha stone set in it, that is upon the <mperor7s hand; I see it, he answered. Itis one of the properties of that stone to enable thee to remember that thouseest here to#ni ht, and hadst thou not seen the stone, thou wouldest ne!erha!e been able to remember au ht thereof.



After this they saw a troop comin towards the ford. Iddawc, inquired-honabwy, to whom does yonder troop belon ; $hey are the fellows of-hu!awn Pebyr the son of Prince >eorthach. And these men are honourably

ser!ed with mead and bra et, and are freely belo!ed by the dau hters ofthe kin s of the Island of 'ritain. And this

p. *+?

they merit, for they were e!er in the front and the rear in e!ery peril. And hesaw but one hue upon the men and the horses of this troop, for they were allas red as blood. And when one of the kni hts rode forth from the troop, he

looked like a pillar of 5re lancin athwart the sky. And this troop encampedabo!e the ford.

$hen they beheld another troop comin towards the ford, and these fromtheir horses7 chests upwards were whiter than the lily, and below blacker than

"et. And they saw one of these kni hts o before the rest, and spur his horseinto the ford in such a manner that the water dashed o!er Arthur and the'ishop, and those holdin counsel with them, so that they were as wet as ifthey had been drenched in the ri!er. And as he turned the head of his horse,

the youth who stood before Arthur struck the horse o!er the nostrils with hissheathed sword, so that, had it been with the bare blade, it would ha!e beena mar!el if the bone had not been wounded as well as the 3esh. And thekni ht drew his sword half out of the scabbard, and asked of him, hereforedidst thou strike my horse; hether was it in insult or in counsel unto me;$hou dost indeed lack counsel. hat madness caused thee to ride sofuriously as to dash the water of the ford o!er Arthur, and the consecrated'ishop, and their counsellors, so that they were as wet as if they had beendra ed out of the ri!er; As counsel then will I take it. /o he turned hishorse7s head round towards his army.

Iddawc, said -honabwy, who was yonder kni ht; $he most eloquent andthe wisest youth that is in this island Adaon, the son of $aliesin *+?a. howas the man that struck his horse; A youth of froward nature <lphin *+?b,the son of Gwyddno.





"ourneyed the same road as Arthur. And after they had dismounted he hearda reat tumult and confusion amon st the host, and such as were then at the3anks turned to the centre, and such as had been in the centre mo!ed to the3anks. And then, behold, he saw a kni ht comin , clad, both he and hishorse, in mail, of which the

p. *+B

rin s were whiter than the whitest lily, and the ri!ets redder than the ruddiestblood. And he rode amon st the host.

Iddawc, said -honabwy, will yonder host 3ee; 1in Arthur ne!er 3ed,and if this discourse of thine were heard, thou wert a lost man. 'ut as to thekni ht whom thou seest yonder, it is 1ai. $he fairest horseman is 1ai in allArthur7s )ourt and the men who are at the front of the army hasten to therear to see 1ai ride, and the men who are in the centre 3ee to the side, fromthe shock of his horse. And this is the cause of the confusion of the host.

$hereupon they heard a call made for 1adwr, <arl of )ornwall *+Ba, andbehold he arose with the sword of Arthur in his hand. And the similitude of

two serpents was upon the sword in old. And when the sword was drawnfrom its scabbard, it seemed as if two 3ames of 5re burst forth from the "awsof the serpents, and then, so wonderful was the sword, that it was hard forany one to look upon it. And the host became still, and the tumult ceased,and the <arl returned to the tent.

Iddawc, said -honabwy, who is the man who bore the sword of Arthur;1adwr, the <arl of )ornwall, whose duty it is to arm the 1in on the days ofbattle and warfare.

And they heard a call made for <irynwych Amheibyn, Arthur7s ser!ant, a red,rou h, ill#fa!oured man, ha!in red whiskers with bristly hairs. And behold hecame upon a tall red horse with the mane parted on each side, and hebrou ht with him a lar e and beautiful sumpter pack. And the hu e red youthdismounted before Arthur, and he drew a olden chair out of the pack, and acarpet of diapered satin. And he spread the carpet before Arthur, and there



was an apple of ruddy old at each corner thereof, and he placed the chairupon the carpet. And so lar e was the chair that three armed warriors mi htha!e sat therein. Gwenn was the name of the carpet, and it was one of itsproperties that

p. *+C

whoe!er was upon it no one could see him, and he could see e!ery one. Andit would retain no colour but its own.

And Arthur sat within the carpet, and @wain the son of Drien was standin

before him. @wain, said Arthur, wilt thou play chess; I will, (ord, said@wain. And the red youth brou ht the chess for Arthur and @wain oldenpieces and a board of sil!er. And they be an to play.

And while they were thus, and when they were best amused with their ame,behold they saw a white tent with a red canopy, and the 5 ure of a "et#blackserpent on the top of the tent, and red larin !enomous eyes in the head ofthe serpent, and a red 3amin ton ue. And there came a youn pa e withyellow curlin hair, and blue eyes, and a newly#sprin in beard, wearin a

coat and a surcoat of yellow satin, and hose of thin reenish#yellow clothupon his feet, and o!er his hose shoes of parti#coloured leather, fastened atthe insteps with olden clasps. And he bore a hea!y three#ed ed sword witha olden hilt, in a scabbard of black leather tipped with 5ne old. And hecame to the place where the <mperor and @wain were playin at chess.

And the youth saluted @wain. And @wain mar!elled that the youth shouldsalute him and should not ha!e saluted the <mperor Arthur. And Arthur knewwhat was in @wain7s thou ht. And he said to @wain, Mar!el not that theyouth salutes thee now, for he saluted me erewhile and it is unto thee thathis errand is. $hen said the youth unto @wain, (ord, is it with thy lea!e thatthe youn pa es and attendants of the <mperor harass and torment andworry thy -a!ens; And if it be not with thy lea!e, cause the <mperor to forbidthem. (ord, said @wain, thou hearest what the youth says if it seem oodto thee, forbid them from my -a!ens. Play thy ame, said he. $hen theyouth returned to the tent.



$hat ame did they 5nish, and another they be an, and when they were inthe midst of the ame, behold, a ruddy youn man with auburn curlin hairand lar e eyes, well# rown,

p. *+E

and ha!in his beard new#shorn, came forth from a bri ht yellow tent, uponthe summit of which was the 5 ure of a bri ht red lion. And he was clad in acoat of yellow satin, fallin as low as the small of his le , and embroideredwith threads of red silk. And on his feet were hose of 5ne white buckram, andbuskins of black leather were o!er his hose, whereon were olden clasps. And

in his hand a hu e, hea!y, three#ed ed sword, with a scabbard of red deer#hide, tipped with old. And he came to the place where Arthur and @wainwere playin at chess. And he saluted him. And @wain was troubled at hissalutation, but Arthur minded it no more than before. And the youth said unto@wain, Is it not a ainst thy will that the attendants of the <mperor harassthy -a!ens, killin some and worryin others; If a ainst thy will it be,beseech him to forbid them. (ord, said @wain, forbid thy men, if it seemood to thee. Play thy ame, said the <mperor. And the youth returned tothe tent.

And that ame was ended and another be un. And as they were be inninthe 5rst mo!e of the ame, they beheld at a small distance from them a tentspeckled yellow, the lar est e!er seen, and the 5 ure of an ea le of oldupon it, and a precious stone on the ea le7s head. And comin out of the tent,they saw a youth with thick yellow hair upon his head, fair and comely, and ascarf of blue satin upon him, and a brooch of old in the scarf upon his ri htshoulder as lar e as a warrior7s middle 5n er. And upon his feet were hose of5ne $otness, and shoes of parti#coloured leather, clasped with old, and theyouth was of noble bearin , fair of face, with ruddy cheeks and lar e hawk7seyes. In the hand of the youth was a mi hty lance, speckled yellow, with anewly#sharpened head and upon the lance a banner displayed.

Fiercely an ry, and with rapid pace, came the youth to the place whereArthur was playin at chess with @wain. And they percei!ed that he waswroth. And thereupon he saluted @wain, and told him that his -a!ens hadbeen killed, the



p. *+9

chief part of them, and that such of them as were not slain were so woundedand bruised that not one of them could raise its win s a sin le fathom abo!ethe earth. (ord, said @wain, forbid thy men. Play, said he, if it pleasethee. $hen said @wain to the youth, Go back, and where!er thou 5ndest thestrife at the thickest, there lift up the banner, and let come what pleases&ea!en.

/o the youth returned back to the place where the strife bore hardest uponthe -a!ens, and he lifted up the banner and as he did so they all rose up in

the air, wrathful and 5erce and hi h of spirit, clappin their win s in the wind,and shakin o% the weariness that was upon them. And reco!erin theirener y and coura e, furiously and with e ultation did they, with one sweep,descend upon the heads of the men, who had erewhile caused them an erand pain and dama e, and they sei8ed some by the heads and others by theeyes, and some by the ears, and others by the arms, and carried them upinto the air and in the air there was a mi hty tumult with the 3appin of thewin s of the triumphant -a!ens, and with their croakin and there wasanother mi hty tumult with the roanin of the men, that were bein tornand wounded, and some of whom were slain.

And Arthur and @wain mar!elled at the tumult as they played at chess and,lookin , they percei!ed a kni ht upon a dun#coloured horse comin towardsthem. And mar!ellous was the hue of the dun horse. 'ri ht red was his ri htshoulder, and from the top of his le s to the centre of his hoof was bri htyellow. 'oth the kni ht and his horse were fully equipped with hea!y forei narmour. $he clothin of the horse from the front openin upwards was ofbri ht red sendal, and from thence openin downwards was of bri ht yellowsendal. A lar e old#hilted one#ed ed sword had the youth upon his thi h, ina scabbard of li ht blue, and tipped with /panish laton. $he belt of the swordwas of dark reen leather with olden slides and a clasp of i!ory upon it, anda buckle of "et#black upon the clasp. A helmet of old was on the head of thekni ht, set with precious stones of reat !irtue, and at

p. *6+



the top of the helmet was the ima e of a 3ame#coloured leopard with tworuby#red stones in its head, so that it was astoundin for a warrior, howe!erstout his heart, to look at the face of the leopard, much more at the face of

the kni ht. &e had in his hand a blue#shafted lance, but from the haft to thepoint it was stained crimson#red with the blood of the -a!ens and theirpluma e.

$he kni ht came to the place where Arthur and @wain were seated at chess.And they percei!ed that he was harassed and !e ed and weary as he cametowards them. And the youth saluted Arthur, and told him that the -a!ens of@wain were slayin his youn men and attendants. And Arthur looked at@wain and said, Forbid thy -a!ens. (ord, answered @wain, play thyame. And they played. And the kni ht returned back towards the strife, andthe -a!ens were not forbidden any more than before.

And when they had played awhile, they heard a mi hty tumult, and a wailinof men, and a croakin of -a!ens, as they carried the men in their stren thinto the air, and, tearin them betwi t them, let them fall piecemeal to theearth. And durin the tumult they saw a kni ht comin towards them, on ali ht rey horse, and the left forele of the horse was "et#black to the centreof his hoof. And the kni ht and the horse were fully accoutred with hu ehea!y blue armour. And a robe of honour of yellow diapered satin was uponthe kni ht, and the borders of the robe were blue. And the housin s of thehorse were "et#black, with borders of bri ht yellow. And on the thi h of theyouth was a sword, lon , and three#ed ed, and hea!y. And the scabbard wasof red cut leather, and the belt of new red deer#skin, ha!in upon it manyolden slides and a buckle of the bone of the sea#horse, the ton ue of whichwas "et#black. A olden helmet was upon the head of the kni ht, whereinwere set sapphire#stones of reat !irtue. And at the top of the helmet was the5 ure of a 3ame#coloured lion, with a 5ery#red ton ue, issuin abo!e a footfrom his mouth, and with !enomous eyes, crimson#red, in his head. And thekni ht came, bearin in his hand a

p. *66

thick ashen lance, the head whereof, which had been newly steeped in blood,was o!erlaid with sil!er *66a.



And the youth saluted the <mperorH (ord, said he, carest thou not for theslayin of thy pa es, and thy youn men, and the sons of the nobles of theIsland of 'ritain, whereby it will be di4cult to defend this island from

henceforward for e!er; @wain, said Arthur, forbid thy -a!ens *66b. Playthis ame, (ord, said @wain.

/o they 5nished the ame and be an another and as they were 5nishin thatame, lo, they heard a reat tumult and a clamour of armed men, and acroakin of -a!ens, and a 3appin of win s in the air, as they 3un down thearmour entire to the round, and the men and the horses piecemeal. $henthey saw comin a kni ht on a lofty#headed piebald horse. And the leftshoulder of the horse was of bri ht red, and its ri ht le from the chest to thehollow of the hoof was pure white. And the kni ht and horse were equippedwith arms of speckled yellow, !arie ated with /panish laton. And there was arobe of honour upon him, and upon his horse, di!ided in two parts, white andblack, and the borders of the robe of honour were of olden purple. Andabo!e the robe he wore a sword three#ed ed and bri ht, with a olden hilt.And the belt of the sword was of yellow oldwork, ha!in a clasp upon it ofthe eyelid of a black sea#horse, and a ton ue of yellow old to the clasp.Dpon the head of the kni ht was a bri ht helmet of yellow laton, withsparklin stones of crystal in it, and at the crest of the helmet was the 5 ureof a ri4n, with a stone of many !irtues in its head. And he had an ashenspear in his hand, with a round shaft, coloured with a8ure blue. And the headof the spear was newly stained with blood, and was o!erlaid with 5ne sil!er.

rathfully came the kni ht to the place where Arthur was, and he told himthat the -a!ens had slain his household and the sons of the chief men of thisisland, and he besou ht him to cause @wain to forbid his -a!ens. And Arthurbesou ht @wain to forbid them. $hen Arthur took the olden chessmen thatwere upon the board, and crushed them until they

p. *62

became as dust. $hen @wain ordered Gwres the son of -he ed to lower hisbanner. /o it was lowered, and all was peace.



$hen -honabwy inquired of Iddawc who were the 5rst three men that came to@wain, to tell him his -a!ens were bein slain. /aid Iddawc, $hey were menwho rie!ed that @wain should su%er loss, his fellow#chieftains andcompanions, /ely! the son of 1ynan Garwyn *62a of Powys, and Gw awnGleddy!rudd *62b, and Gwres the son of -he ed, he who bears the banner in

the day of battle and strife. ho, said -honabwy, were the last three menwho came to Arthur, and told him that the -a!ens were slau hterin hismen; $he best of men, said Iddawc, and the bra!est, and who wouldrie!e e ceedin ly that Arthur should ha!e dama e in au ht 'lathaon theson of Mawrheth, and -hu!awn Pebyr the son of Prince >eorthach, and&y!eidd Dnllenn.

And with that behold four#and#twenty kni hts came from @sla Gyllell!awr, tocra!e a truce of Arthur for a fortni ht and a month. And Arthur rose and went

to take counsel. And he came to where a tall, auburn, curly#headed man wasa little way o%, and there he assembled his counsellors. 'edwini, the 'ishop,and Gwarthe yd the son of 1aw, and March the son of Meirchawn, and)aradawc reich!ras, and Gwalchmai the son of Gwyar, and <deyrn the sonof 0udd, and -hu!awn Pebyr the son of Prince >eorthach, and -hio an *62cthe son of the 1in of Ireland, and Gwenwynwyn the son of 0a!, &owel theson of <myr (lydaw, Gwilym the son of -hwyf Freinc, and >aned the son ofAth, and Goreu )ustennin, and Mabon the son of Modron, and Peredur Paladyr&ir, and &y!eidd Dnllenn, and $wrch the son of Perif, and 0erth the son of1adarn, and Gobrwy the son of <chel orddwyttwll, Gwair the son of Gwestyl,and Gadwy the son of Geraint, $rystan the son of $allwch *62e, Moryen *62fManawc, Granwen the son of (lyr, and (lacheu the son of Arthur*62 , and(law!rodedd ar!awc, and 1adwr <arl of )ornwall, Mor!ran the son of $e id,and -hyawd the son of Mor ant*62h, and >y!yr the son of Alun >y!ed,Gwrhyr

p. *6*

para raph continuesJ Gwalstawd Ieithoedd, Adaon the son of $aliesin, (larythe son of 1asnar ledi , and F3ewddur F3am, and Greidawl Galldo!ydd,Gilbert the son of 1ad y%ro *6*a, Menw the son of $eir waedd, Gwrthmwlledi *6*b, )awrda! the son of )aradawc reich!ras, Gildas the son of 1aw,1adyriaith the son of /aidi, and many of the men of 0orway and >enmark,and many of the men of Greece, and a crowd of the men of the host came tothat council.



Iddawc, said -honabwy, who was the auburn haired man to whom theycame "ust now; -hun the son of Mael wn Gwynedd, a man whoseprero ati!e it is, that he may "oin in counsel with all. And wherefore did

they admit into counsel with men of such di nity as are yonder a striplin soyoun as 1adyriaith the son of /aidi; 'ecause there is not throu hout'ritain a man better skilled in counsel than he.

$hereupon, behold, bards came and recited !erses before Arthur, and no manunderstood those !erses but 1adyriaith only, sa!e that they were in Arthur7spraise.

And lo, there came four#and#twenty asses with their burdens of old and ofsil!er, and a tired way#worn man with each of them, brin in tribute to Arthurfrom the Islands of Greece. $hen 1adyriaith the son of /aidi besou ht that atruce mi ht be ranted to @sla Gyllell!awr for the space of a fortni ht and amonth, and that the asses and the burdens they carried mi ht be i!en to thebards, to be to them as the reward for their stay and that their !erse mi htbe recompensed durin the time of the truce. And thus it was settled.

-honabwy, said Iddawc, would it not be wron to forbid a youth who can

i!e counsel so liberal as this from comin to the councils of his (ord;

$hen 1ai arose, and he said, hosoe!er will follow Arthur, let him be withhim to#ni ht in )ornwall, and whosoe!er will not, let him be opposed toArthur e!en durin the truce. And throu h the reatness of the tumult thatensued, -honabwy awoke. And when he awoke he was upon the yellow calf#skin, ha!in slept three ni hts and three days.

p. *6?

And this tale is called the >ream of -honabwy. And this is the reason that noone knows the dream without a book, neither bard nor ifted seer because of the !arious colours that were upon the horses, and the many wondrouscolours of the arms and of the panoply, and of the precious scarfs, and of the



!irtue#bearin stones.

0@$</ $@ $&< >-<AM @F -&@0A' :.

299a MA>A ) $&< /@0 @F MA-<>D>>.##Pa e 299.

MA-<>D>> AP '(<>>:0, the father of Madawc, after much contest acquiredpossession of the so!erei nty of the whole principality of Powys. &e married&unydd the dau hter of <unydd, chief of one of the 5fteen tribes of 0orthales, and (ord of >y%ryn )lwyd and Allin ton, and died in 6629 his sonMadawc succeeded him in one#half of his possessions, which thence acquiredthe name of Powys Fadawc. Maredudd had been one of the most strenuousand successful opponents of the 0ormans, celebrated by the national records.It was he who checked the pro ress of &enry I., who, in one of his in!asions of ales, narrowly escaped bein slain by a body of archers that Maredudd haddispatched to meet him an arrow shot by one of their number actuallylanced from the breast#plate of the royal in!ader. 'ut the son of Mareduddwas not distin uished for equal ardour in his country7s cause on the contrary,Madawc combined with &enry II. in the attacks he made

p. *6B

upon ales in 66 E, and durin that monarch7s 5rst and unsuccessfulcampai n, took the command of the <n lish ships, and ra!a ed the shores ofAn lesey. In this e pedition, howe!er, Madawc was defeated with much loss.Powell says of him, that he was euer the kin of <n lands freend, and wasone that feared God, and releeued the poore. 6

&e was a prince of more than common talent, and was hi hly e tolled bycontemporary bards and historians. Amon st others, Gwalchmai composedse!eral poems in his praise. 2

Madawc7s wonted prudence appears to ha!e forsaken him in the decline of



life. $here is an anecdote relatin to him which, as it e ists only in M/., isprobably not enerally known. * It is to the e%ect that in his later years hetook for his second wife an <n lish lady, Matilda erdun by name, uponwhom, and upon any children he mi ht ha!e by her, he settled the (ordshipof @swestry. $his lady in!ei led the prince to inchester, where her party

was powerful. $here, upon some e cuse, he was put in durance, and while inthat state was pre!ailed upon to e ecute another deed, whereby he settledthe said (ordship of @swestry upon Matilda, and any children she mi ht ha!eafter his decease. $he prince died soon after the e ecution of this deed, andhis body was con!eyed from inchester to Mei!od, in Mont omeryshire, theburyin #place of his family, where it was deposited in the church of /t. Mary,which he himself had built some years before. &is widow, Matilda, scarce tooktime to dry her tears before she married Kohn Fit8alan, who thereby became(ord of @swaldstree. ?

'y his 5rst wife, /usanna, dau hter of Gru%ydd ab )onan, Prince of 0orthales, Madawc left se!eral children.

&e built the )astle of @swestry, and a castle at )aer <inion, near elshpool./e!eral places in their nei hbourhood, and in that of Mei!od still bear hisname.

p. *6C

299bP@ :/ I$&I0 I$/ '@D0>A-I</, Lc.##Pa e 299.

$&A$ part of the ancient principality of Powys, which belon ed to Madawc abMaredudd, e tended from the !icinity of )hester to the uplands of Arwystli,now known as the Plinlimmon ran e of mountains. $his is e pressly stated byGwalchmai, in his <le y upon that Prince, in which he boasts that theso!erei nty of his patron reached from the summit of Plinlimmon to the atesof )aerlleon, or )hester.##My!. Arch. I. 2+2.

In more remote times Powys was of much reater e tent. Powell tells us, inhis &istory of ales, that Powys before kin @%as time reached <astward tothe riuers of >ee and /eauerne, with a ri ht line from the end of 'ro en hilles



to /alop, with all the countrie betweene ye and /eauerne, whereof'rochwel yscithroc was possessedH but after the makin of @%as ditch theplaine countrie toward /alop, bein inhabited by /a ons and 0ormans, Powyswas in len th from Pulford brid e 0ortheast, to the con5nes of )aerdi anshire, in the parish of (han uric in the /outhwest and in bredth from the

furthest part of )yuelioc estward, to <lsmere on the <astside. $his countrieor principalitie of Powys was appointed by -oderike the Great for the portionof his third sonne Anarawd, and so continued intierlie !ntill the death of'lethyn ap )on!yn. After whom, althou h the dominion was diminished bylimitin parts in seueraltie amon st his sonnes Meredyth and )ado an, yet atlen th it came wholie to the possession of Meredyth ap 'lethyn, who hadissue two sonnes Madoc and Gru%yth, betweene whom the said dominionwas diuided. 6 Madawc7s share was further di!ided amon st his threechildren, from whose immediate descendants it was ained, by fraud or!iolence, by their 0orman nei hbours. Gru%ydd7s descendants, the 5rst ofwhom was the celebrated @wain )y!eilio , succeeded for three enerations,to an unbroken inheritance, but in the fourth it was distributed amon sisons, and 5nally passed away to se!eral remote heirs. @ne, and apparentlythe most considerable of them, was represented by the )heretons,afterwards Gray, 'arons of Powys, from whom are the ernons of &odnet andother illustrious 0orman families.

$his passa e would lead us to consider the Porfoed mentioned in the $ale, asidentical with Pulford, and the locality of this place, added to the similarity ofnames, fa!ours the supposition. $he situation, howe!er, of Merford, a lordshipin the parish of Gresford, Midway between re ham and )hester, and ofwhich the name

p. *6E

bears at least an equal resemblance to that of Porfoed, renders it doubtfulwhich of the two is alluded to in the te t. Merford contains some interestin

remains of a 'ritish camp, called the -oft, commandin a most e tensi!e!iew of the counties of )hester and /alop.

$he Gwauan, in Arwystli, spoken of as bein at the other e tremity of Powys,may possibly be one of the se!eral spots now bearin the name of aun inthe Plinlimmon ran e.



$he )ambrian uarterly i!es some ancient lines on the con5nes of Powys.

From )e!n yr Ais, and from )hester to <istedd!a Guri , and from GarnGynnull on the ri!er )onwy to -hyd &ely on the ri!er ye. 6

299c I@- <-$& $&< /@0 @F MA-<>D>>.##Pa e 299.

I@- <-$& was the son of Maredudd ap 'leddyn, by his second wife <!a,dau hter of 'ledrws ab <dnowain 'endew, chief of one of the 5fteen nobletribes. &is father bestowed upon him the (ordship of Mochnant, near@swestry, and be went by the name of Iorwerth Goch of Mochnant. (ike mostprinces of his a e, Iorwerth was a warrior, and in 66 B he sided with &enry II.a ainst his nei hbour @wain Gwynedd, Prince of 0orth ales, and durin thecontest that ensued between the <n lish and the elsh, he took and ra8ed tothe round the castle of Ial or :ale, which @wain had built only ten yearspre!iously. $he site of this fortress is still to be seen on a tumulus called

$omen -hodwydd, by the roadside about halfway between (lan ollen and-huthin. $he partiality e!inced by Iorwerth to the <n lish interest, caused hisnephews, @wain )y!eilio and @wain ychan, to unite their forces a ainsthim, and they, succeeded in e pellin him from his patrimony of Mochnant,which they di!ided between them, the former takin possession of Dwch-haiadr, and the latter of Is -haiadr. Iorwerth married Maude, the dau hter of -o er de Manley of )heshire.

It is supposed by some, that the tribe NGwely orddO of Iorwerth is celebratedby )ynddelw, in his poem called Gwely orddeu Powys, under the title of

:orwerthyawn.##My!. Arch. I. 2 B.

It is also thou ht that Iorwerth, after his e pulsion from Mochnant, settled onthe <n lish side of @%a7s dyke, for we 5nd his randson Nsome say his sonO,/ir Gru%ydd ychan, 2 called by the







It is not impossible that 1ynwri 7s desi nation of rych och may ha!e beeni!en in allusion to the characteristic comple ion of the men of Mawddwy.

*++c M@<( -< I0 1:0((<I$&.##Pa e *++.

1:0((<I$& is a di!ision of the hundred of )hirk in >enbi hshire, and takes itsname from the ri!er 1ynlleith. @ne of the most remarkable natural features of this district is the isolated mountain Moel!re, the summit of which, called)yrn y Moel!re, is more than se!enteen hundred feet abo!e the le!el of the

sea, and rises precipitously from (lyn Moel!re, a lake about a mile incircumference, situate on the western side of the mountain. @ne of thedescendants of Madawc ab Maredudd erected a residence at a place calledMoeliwrch, at a considerable ele!ation on the southern side of Moel!re itcontinued for many centuries in the possession of his family.

1ynlleith is noticed in )ynddelw7s Marwnad Fadaw fab Maredudd. ##My!. Arc.I. 26*.

p. *26

*+6a A-G:0G-@<G.##Pa e *+6.

I0 followin -honabwy on his !isionary "ourney, it may be allowable tosuppose him crossin the yrnwy at -hyd y orle NMel!erleyO, and thenpursuin his course throu h the >euddwr between that ri!er and the /e!ern,till we come to the plains of Ar yn roe . $he district tra!ersed is remarkablyfertile. $he )ambrian pedestrian, >a!id $homas, in his metrical description of the $hirteen )ounties of ales, san its praise about the year 6C2+. Afternamin two places e cellin in lu uriance, he e claims >au le hyfryd, butabo!e all, the >olydd &afren. Dpon the >olydd &a!ren it was thatGwalchmai composed his Gorho%et, in the twelfth century, while he and histroop of 0orth# allians were uardin the opposite fords of the /e!ern





e!ident -oman encampment. $he intersection of these two roads appears toha!e occurred at no reat distance from the ford, which doubtless deri!ed itsdistincti!e appellation of : Groes, either from this circumstance, or from the-ood or )ross often set up both in crossways and upon the mar ins of fords.

$he name -hyd y Groes, no lon er borne by the ford or ferry, is nowpreser!ed in that of a farm about two miles and a half distant, in the parish of Fordun near Mont omery, the property of Mr. Price, of Gunley.

Dpon the farm itself no remains ha!e been disco!ered, but se!eral tumuli arefound in its nei hbourhood, the principal of which, & n >omen Nformerly

$re7 'aldwynO, is of considerable si8e. $here are also 'ritish encampments inthe ad"acent parishes of )hurchstoke and )herbury. 6

-hyd y Groes is mentioned in the elsh )hronicles, as the scene of se!eralcon3icts between the elsh and the /a ons in allusion to which are thoselines of >rayton.

&ere could I else recount the slau hter7d /a on7s ore,

@ur swords at )rossford spilt on /e!ern7s wand7rin shore.

/on i .

(ines in which >rayton may probably ha!e had in mind the !ictory won o!erthe /a ons, in the early part of the ele!enth century, by Gru%ydd ab(lewelyn, called by way of eminence, : tywyso dewr.

$he Ford near Mont omery, was named as the place of meetin betweenPrince (lewelyn ab Gru%ydd, and the commissioners of <dward I.

p. *2*



*+2a I>>A ) )@->> P-:>AI0.##Pa e *+2.

$&< treachery of Iddawc or <iddili )ordd Prydain, 6 is the sub"ect of morethan one of the $riads, 2 where he is said to ha!e betrayed Arthur bydi!ul in his plans. $he meetin between him and Medrawd, with their menat 0anhwynain before the battle of )amlan, is spoken of as one of the threetraitorous meetin s of the Island, for there they plotted the betrayal ofArthur, which occasioned the stren th of the /a ons. In another place theirascendancy is attributed to Iddawc7s ma ical arts, which there were notwarriors in the Island capable of withstandin , so that the /a ons pre!ailed.

$his ma ic, for which he is also reatly celebrated, was tau ht him by-huddlwm Gawr.

$he $riad which ranks Iddawc )ordd Prydain amon st the enchanters isprettily !ersi5ed by >a!ydd ap Gwilym, * who speaks of him as an Irishman.

Iddawc was also, with $rystan and Gweirwerydd awr, one of the threestubborn ones, whom none could di!ert from their purpose he is supposed toha!e afterwards embraced a reli ious life, probably when he did penance at(lechlas Npossibly Glas owO, in 0orth 'ritain, as mentioned in the $ale. &isname is found in the )atalo ue of the elsh /aints. Professor -ees, howe!er,considers this an error for Iddew ab )awrda ab )aradawc reich!ras, arisinfrom the similarity of their names. ?

*+2b )AM(A0.##Pa e *+2.

$&< battle of )amlan was the last of Arthur7s battles, and that in which helost his life. &is opponents were headed by Medrawd, his nephew, the son ofhis sister Anna and (lew ap )yn!arch.

$he $riads assi n two di%erent causes for this battle. $he one, the blow i!enby Gwenhwy!ar, Arthur7s wife, to Gwenhwy!ach the other, the blow i!en to



Medrawd by Arthur himself. $he e!ents immediately precedin it, to etherwith the account of the battle itself as related in the $riads, and by Gru%yddab Arthur, are brie3y as follows,

(les, emperor of -ome, demanded from Arthur the tribute that

p. *2?

his ancestors had paid, from the time of )aswallawn the son of 'eli to that of)ystennin, Arthur7s randsire. $he -oman Ambassador, proceeded to)aerlleon upon Dsk, when Arthur not only denied their claim, but on the

round of the 'ritish ori in of 'rQn and )onstantine, both -oman emperors,determined by a counterclaim to retaliate, Medrawd was appointed -e ent ofthe kin dom, whilst Arthur and his 'ritons crossed the sea, and fou ht abattle in the )isalpine territory, in which the -oman emperor was slain, andboth parties sustained se!ere loss. $he result of this encounter encoura edMedrawd to attempt his uncle7s throne. &e sei8ed upon the royal residence of Gelliwi , dra ed the queen Gwenhwy!ar from her throne Nor, accordin tosome !ersions, appropriated her as his wifeO, and stren thenin himself bymakin treaties with the /a ons, /cots, and Picts, collected a force of ei htythousand men to oppose his uncle7s landin . Arthur, howe!er, disembarked atPorth &amwnt, and put his rebellious nephew to 3i ht after a hard fou hten a ement. Medrawd retreated to inchester, whither Arthur, afterremainin three days on the 5eld of battle to bury the dead, followed him,and ained a second !ictory upon this Medrawd 3ed into )ornwall, but waso!ertaken on the banks of the )amlan, supposed to be the ri!er )amel, inthat county. $he celebrated battle of )amlan ensued. Arthur there ained the!ictory, but recei!ed a mortal wound at the hand of Medrawd, whom,howe!er, he slew upon the 5eld he did not himself die on the spot, but wascon!eyed to A!allach or A!alon, and the crown descended to )ystennin theson of 1adwr, his kinsman. A mystery han s o!er the 5nal fate of Arthur.

@ne of the $riads 6 admits that Arthur died, and was buried at A!alon, nowGlastonbury, in /omersetshire, where we learn from other authorities that&enry the II. many years afterwards disco!ered what were said to be hisremains, with the inscription, 2





as one of the ra!e#slau hterin ones, so called from their ha!in a!en edtheir wron s from their ra!es.

0one of his poetry is known to be preser!ed, e cept the followin which isi!en in the <n lynion y )lyweid.##My!. Arch. I. 6C*.

&ast thou heard what A!aon san ,

$he son of $aliesin, of the recordin !erse;

$he cheek will not conceal the an uish of the heart.

*+?b <(P&I0.##Pa e *+?.

<(P&I0 was the son of Gwyddno Garanhir, the unfortunate kin whosepossessions were submer ed throu h the intemperance of /eithenin, theperson employed to attend to the sea#banks. /ome further particularsconcernin him will be mentioned in a subsequent Mabino i.

p. *2B

*+?c 'A$$(< @F 'A>@0.##Pa e *+?.

$&< battle of 'adon or 'adon Mount, was one of the later,##0ennius says the

twelfth,##and most successful of the battles fou ht by Arthur and the 'ritishelders, a ainst the /a ons under )erdic. $he 'ritons not only ained the!ictory, but were by it enabled for some time to hold the /a ons in check.

$he date of the battle has been the sub"ect of dispute. From the personsen a ed in it, it must be placed in the si th century. A passa e in the -ed



'ook of &er est, 5 es its chronolo y 62E years after the a e of orti ern. $helater Gildas, named 'adonicus, from his birth ha!in taken place in the yearof the battle, has left a passa e on the sub"ect, which 'ede appears to ha!emisinterpreted, and from which Mr. /te!enson, the last editor of Gildas,places the birth of his author, and therefore the date of the battle, in the year

2+.

$he site of this con3ict is also doubtful. Dsher, followin )amden, 5 es it at'ath, and )amden, led probably by the similarity of names, i!es his opinionin fa!our of 'anner >own, near that city, upon which, in common, howe!er,with most of the nei hbourin hei hts, are remains of entrenchments more orless perfect. )arte prefers what he calls Mount 'adon, in 'erkshire. It isremarkable that the latter Gildas speaks of the battle as obsessio, a sie e.&e also places Mons 'adonicus near to the mouth of the /e!ern prope

/abrinR ostium but this latter passa e has been considered aninterpolation. Mr. Freeman, whose historical and antiquarian learnin entitleshis opinion to respect, su ests that 'adon way be identical with 'adbury-in s, near imborne in >orsetshire.

$o quote more poetical authority, the feats performed by the hero Arthur, atthe battle of 'adon Mount, are thus prettily celebrated in >rayton7s !erse.

$hey sun how he himself at 'adon bore that day,

hen at the lorious ole his 'ritish scepter lay

$wo daies to ether how the battel stron lie stoodH

Pendra on7s worthie son, who waded there in blood,

$hree hundred /a ons slew with his owne !aliant hand.

/on i!.

)ynddelw, and others of the elsh 'ards, speak of this 5 ht with becominadmiration.

p. *2C





&is prowess at the battle of )attraeth, is also stin in the !erse of hiscontemporary Aneurin, 6 who calls se!eral of his fellow#warriors in e!idenceof his assertion.

hen )aradawc rushed into battle,

It was like the tearin onset of the woodland boar,

$he bull of combat in the 5eld of slau hter,

&e attracted the wild do s by the action of his hand.

My witnesses are @wain the son of <ulat,

And Gwrien, and Gwynn, and Gwriat.

From )attraeth and its carna e,

From the hostile encounter,

After the clear bri ht mead was ser!ed,

&e saw no more the dwellin of his father.

From the latter part of this passa e, it appears that )aradawc fell in thisbattle, and the same is a ain repeated a few lines further on in the passa e

already quoted in the notes to Peredur ab <!rawc. /ee p. 62 .

/e!eral elsh families trace their pedi ree to )aradawc.

)aradawc7s horse (lua or is recorded as one of the three battle horses of theIsland. 2

$e au <ur!ron, the beautiful wife of )aradawc, was no less renowned for her!irtue than for her charms. In the $riads she is spoken of as one of the threefair ladies, and one of the three chaste damsels of Arthur7s )ourt. * /hepossessed three precious thin s of which she alone was worthy her mantle,her oblet of old, and her knife. /he is frequently alluded to by the bards.



In An lo#0orman -omance, )aradawc7s co nomen of reich!ras with thebrawny arm, becomes 'rise 'ras and he himself takes his place as aprincipal hero of the -ound $able. &is wife preser!es her 'ritish character andattributes under a 0orman arb, and is well known as faithful amon thefaithless of Arthur7s )ourt, the heroine of the mantle, o!er her decent

shoulders drawn. /ir )aradawc7s well#founded con5dence in his wife7s !irtue,enabled him to empty the mar!ellous &orn, and car!e the tou h 'oar7s head,ad!entures in which his compeers failed. In token of the latter of them, the'oar7s head, in some form or other, appears as the armorial bearin of all ofhis name.

p. *29

$he $rou!Sres ha!e a pretty story 6 in reference to the appellation of 'rise'ras which they rendered the wasted arm. $hey tell of an enchanter who5 ed a serpent upon )aradawc7s arm, from whose wastin tooth he couldne!er be relie!ed, until she whom he lo!ed best should consent to under othe torture in his stead. &is betrothed on learnin this, was not to be deterredfrom i!in him this proof of her de!otion. As, howe!er, the serpent was inthe act of sprin in from the wasted arm of the kni ht to the fair neck of thelady, her brother, 1adwr, earl of )ornwall, struck o% its head with his sword,and thus dispelled the enchantment. )aradawc7s arm, howe!er, ne!erreco!ered its pristine stren th and si8e, and hence, accordin to some

authorities, the name of 'rise 'ras.

In the life of /t. )ollen, two persons of the name are mentioned, one of whomwas the ancestor of /t, )ollen himself, and was called reich!ras, because hebroke his arm in the battle of &iraddi , from which in"ury that arm becamelar er than the other. &e is e pressly distin uished from the other )aradawcreich!ras the son of (lyr Merini.##/ee Greal, **C.

*+ b )< 0 >IG@((.###Pa e *+ .

@0 the eastern boundary of Mont omeryshire, we 5nd situated )e!n >i oll,



called also &ir ynydd, or the (on Mountain. From its natural position, itseems to ha!e been considered as a military post of some importance, and iscelebrated as the scene of se!eral remarkable e!ents. $here is a $riadrelatin to the con3icts that took place between )adwallawn, and <dwin, kinof 0orthumbria, on )e!n >i oll, in the early part of the se!enth century, and

which is said to ha!e occasioned one of the three discolourin s of the /e!ern,when that ri!er was discoloured from its source to its estuary. 2

$hese en a ements are thus alluded to in an <le y upon )adwallawn ab)ad!an.##My!. Arch. I. 626.

It was on )e!n >i oll that the elsh maintained their last stru le a ainst<dward I. when Madawc, the son of (lywellyn ab Gru%ydd was defeated andtaken prisoner by the (ords Marchers. It was also said that &enry II.encamped on this mountain, on his March from ales to 'osworth 5eld. @nthe summit of )e!n >i oll is a circular encampment, called the 'eacon -in .It is se!eral acres in e tent, but there is no water within its limits.

p. **+

*+ c MA-)& $&< /@0 @F M<I-)&I@0.##Pa e *+ .

$&I/ prince, whose territory is said to ha!e been in )ornwall, was particularlyunfortunate in ha!in such a nephew as $rystan, and such a wife as <ssyllt,the :seult (a 'elle of the $rou!Sres.

As a possessor of ships he has been already noticed, the $riad whichrepresents him as such ha!in been cited at p. 69*. &is ra!e is mentioned

by the <n lynion y 'eddau, My!. Arch. II. p. E6.

*+Ba 1A> -, <A-( @F )@-0 A((.##Pa e *+B.



I0 the wars of Arthur, as recounted by Gru%ydd ab Arthur, 1adwr bore aconspicuous part. &e shared the dan ers of the e pedition a ainst the-omans, and was present at the battle in which the emperor of -ome was

slain. &e assisted at the coronation of his so!erei n at )aerlleon upon Dsk.1adwr is mentioned in the $riads as one of the three battle kni hts, who 3edneither for spear, nor arrow, nor sword, and who ne!er shamed their leader inthe day of con3ict. 6

&is son )ystennin succeeded Arthur in his kin dom. $e au <ur!ron, the!irtuous wife of )aradawc reich!ras, and the heroine of the Mantel maltaillT, appears to ha!e been the sister of 1adwr.

$aliesin alludes to him in his poem entitled the Glaswawd##

&e will spare no kindred,

0either cousin nor brother

At the sound of 1adwr7s horn

0ine hundred are stunned.

My!. Arch. I. p. B?.

*66a @ <-(AI> I$& FI0< /I( <-.##Pa e *66.

$&< words in the ori inal are Gwedy latteinu ac aryant coeth, beinlattened o!er with re5ned sil!er. (atten, or laton, was a mi ed metal of thecolour of brass, and was much employed in the fourteenth century formonumental e4 ies. For this and many other purposes it was prepared in theform of plate, and hence its name seems occasionally to ha!e been used toe press a plate or coatin of metal enerally, as in this particular instance ofsil!er.



p. **6

It may be remarked, that the term latten is still technically applied to thethinnest manufactured iron plate.

*66b -A <0/.##Pa e *66.

$&< -a!ens of @wain ha!e already appeared in the Mabino i of Iarlles yFfynawn, where they are said to ha!e been three hundred in number, and toha!e descended to their master from )yn!arch, his paternal randsire. Itseems from passa es in the writin s of !arious bards, that the tradition ofthis sin ular army was familiarly current in the middle a es. It is alluded to by'leddynt ardd, in an <le y on >a!ydd, the son of Gru%ydd Nand brother to(lewelyn, the last of the elsh PrincesO, who was imprisoned and put to deathby <dward I. about 62E*.

A man he was with a battered shield and a darin lance, in the 5eld of battle

A man proud to seek the furious tramplin

A man whose warriors were proud of their stately array

A man of the clea!in stroke and broken spear, lo!in the 5 ht

A man who caused the birds to 3y upon the hosts of slainJ

(ike the ra!ens of @wain ea er for prey.

My!. Arch. I. p. *B .

(ewis Glyn )othi e!en mentions the particular sta% or shaft, by the upliftinof which the -a!ens were inspirited to destroy Arthur7s pa es and attendants,as related in the te t.



@wain son of Drien o!erthrew

$he three towers of )attraeth of old,

Arthur dreaded, as the 3ames,

@wain, his ra!ens, and his parti#coloured sta%. ## orks, I. 6?+.

Another poem of his has also an allusion to the ran a7r !aner raith. ##I. C2.

*62a /<(: $&< /@0 @F 1:0A0 GA- :0.##Pa e *62.

&< has been already noticed as one of the ra!e#slau hterin warriors ofthe Island of 'ritain, who a!en ed their wron s from their /epulchres. Asatire upon his father, 1ynan Garwyn, is printed in the My!yrian Archaiolo y,I. p. 6BE, amon the Poems of $aliesin, to whom it is assi ned.

p. **2

*62b G GA 0 G(<>>: -D>>.##Pa e *62.

< 5nd the name of this chieftain twice occurrin in the $riads. &e is 5rstnoticed as one of the three stayers of slau hter 6 Nys ymmydd aereuO, andafterwards, as one of the sentinels in the battle of 'an or @rchard.##$r. l !i.

&is ra!e is alluded to in the <n lynion y 'eddau. $he passa e has beenalready quoted Np. **O.

$he name of his horse, which was 'uchestom, is preser!ed in the $rioedd y



Meirch.

*62c -&I@GA0.##Pa e *62.

$&I/ prince is mentioned in the ra!es of the warriors.

hose is the ra!e on the banks of the -hydnant;

-hun was his name, of the steady pro ress,&e was a kin -hio an slew him. ##My!. Arch. I. p. E2.

*62d G AI- $&< /@0 @F G </$:(.##Pa e *62.

I$ would seem that this persona e was distin uished as bein of a peculiarlydismal disposition, for we 5nd him referred to as such by (lywarch ap(lewelyn, 2 in an <le y on &ywel ap Gru%ydd, Nwho died in 626B,O where hetells us, that throu h rief for his loss, his friends are become like Gwair ahGwestyl.##My!. Arch. I. p. 29?.

And <inion an, in his <le y on Madawc ab Gru%ydd Maelor, a few yearslater, has the same e pression in allusion to Madawc.

$he man who has become like Gwair ab Gwestyl.

My!. Arch. I. p. ***.







$&< $riads celebrate him as one of the three irre ular 'ards of the Island of'ritain, the other two bein Arthur himself, and )adwallawn the son of)ad!an. &e also ranked with $rystan, and >allda! mab 1ynin )U!, as one of

the three compeers of Arthur7s court. -huddfrych was the name of his horse.6

*6*a GI('<-$ $&< /@0 @F 1A>G:FF-@.##Pa e *6*.

GI('<-$ the son of 1ad y%ro, has already been cited Np. **2O with Gw anGleddy!rudd and Mor!ran <il $e id, as one of the three stayers of slau hter.&is name occurs a ain in the $rioedd y Meirch *, where his horse is said toha!e been one of the chief steeds of the Island of 'ritain, and to ha!e beenknown by the desi nation of -huddfreon $uth3eidd.

*6*b G -$&M ( (<>IG.##Pa e *6*.

G -$&M (, a prince of 0orth 'ritain, was the chief elder of Penrhyn-hionydd, one of the three tribe#thrones or royal cities of the Island. $hecelebrated /t. 1enti ern was chief 'ishop of Penrhyn -hionydd, durinGwrthmwl7s eldership.##$r. !ii.

Gwrthmwl7s history is brief. It may be inferred that be was slain by Maelwr of-hiw or Allt Faelwr, in )ardi anshire, since there are notices in the triads ofhis sons, Gwair and )lais, and Arthaual, 2 ridin a ainst Maelwr, upon <rchtheir horse, to a!en e their father7s fate. It was one of Maelwr7s customsne!er to close his ates a ainst a sin le horse#load, and thus they ainedentrance, and slew him. $his was one of the three reat horse#loads of theIsland of 'ritain. $he 5rst of the three was a burthen of se!en persons and ahalf, borne by >u y Moroedd, the horse of <lidyr Mwyn!awr, from (lech <lidyr



in the 0orth, to (lech <lidyr in An lesey. $he se!en were <lidyr himself, and<ur ain the dau hter of Mael wn Gwynedd, his wife, and Gwynda Gyned, andGwynda -heimad, and Mynach 0awmon the counsellor, and Petryleuenestyr the butler, and Arian!a yl his ser!ant, and Gellfeinesin his "ester,who held on with his two

p. **

hands at the horse7s crupper and so was the half person. It does not appearwhat was the reason of their tra!ellin in so sin ular a manner.

Gwrthmwl ledi , was also the possessor of one of the spectre bulls of theIsland of 'ritain, or as another !ersion has it, one of the spectre sta s )arwand $arw, ha!in been e!idently confounded by the copyists. 6 hat thesesprites were is not e plained. Accordin to 'eddau y Milwyr, his ra!e was inthe wood of 'ria!ael. 2

Footnotes

*6BH6 Pa e 26+.

*6BH2 My!yrian Archaiolo y, I. p. 2++.

*6BH* For this anecdote, as well as for much of the topo raphical informationcontained in the notes to the $ale of -honabwy, I am indebted to the kindnessof the -e!. alter >a!ies NGwallter MechainO.



*6BH? Kohn7s randson, -ichard Fit8alan, was the 5rst <arl of Arundel of thatname. In the time of <dward III. another -ichard Fit8alan, fourth in descentfrom the abo!e#mentioned Matilda erdun, was at the same time <arl ofArundel, and in ri ht of his mother, <arl arren and /urrey. &e was also (ordof )lun and @swaldstree, in /hropshire, and (ord of 'rom5eld, :ale, )hirkland,

and >inus 'ran, in 0orth ales.

*6CH6 Pa e 266.

*6EH6 )ambr. uarterly, III. ?+*.

*6EH2 /ir Gru%ydd ychan was one of the earliest kni hts of the militaryorder of /t. Kohn of Kerusalem.

*22H6 Acknowled ment should a ain be made in this place to the -e!. alter>a!ies, for the curious local information contained in this note.

*2*H6 Possibly Gordd Prydain, the hammer of 'ritain.

*2*H2 $riads 22, 2+, +, 9+, CE.

*2*H* >a!ydd ab Gwilym7s Poems, 2+C. )y%elybiad rhwn Morfudd a7r >elyn.

*2*H? elsh /aints, p. 2E+.

*2?H6 My!. Arch. II. p. ?.

*2?H2 Giraldus )ambrensis, who says he saw the inscription, i!es it thu H&ic "acet sepultus inclytus -e Arthurus in insula A!allonia.



*2?H* It may be here permitted to quote old (yd ate7s !er es upon Arthur7sdisappearance and e pected returnH##

&e is a 1in crouned in Fairie,

ith scepter and sword and with his re ally

/hall resort as (ord and /o!erai ne

@ut of Fairie and rei ne in 'ritaine

And repaire a ain the -ound $able.p. *2

'y prophesy Merlin set the date,

Amon Princes 1in incomparable,

&is seate a aine to )aerlion to translate,

$he Parchas sustren sponne so his fate,

&is <pitaph recordeth so certaine

&ere lieth 1. Arthur that shall rai ne a aine.

*2 H6 $riad 66E.

*2CH6 $riad 2+.##Gru%ydd ab Arthur. My!. Arch. II. 2 ?.

*2CH2 <idiol is associated for his stren th with Gwrnerth <r ydlym, who slowthe lar est bear that e!er was seen, with an arrow of straw and Gw an(aw adarn, who rolled the stone of Maenarch from the !alley to the top of

the hill, which not less than thirty o en could ha!e drawn.##$r. B+.

*2CH* $riad B?.

*2CH? Kones7s &istory of 'recknockshire, I. p. *.



*2CH $riad 29.

*2EH6 My!. Arch. 6. p. .

*2EH2 $rioedd y Meirch, My!. Arch. II. p. 2+.

*2EH* $riads 6+*, 6+E.

*29H6 /ee Metrical and Prose !ersions of Perce!al le Gallois.

*29H2 $riad l !.

**+H6 My!. Arch. II. p. E+

**2H6 $he others were Mor!ran eil $e id, and Gilbert mab )ad y%ro.##$r. i .

**2H2 )ommonly called Prydydd y Moch.

***H6 $r. iii. My!. Arch. II., p. 62.

***H2 $riads 66*, *2, B9, 6E, 6+2. /ee also the dialo ue between him and

Gwalchmai Np. CO.

***H* My!. Arch. I. p. 6BB.

**?H6 $riads l i . 66*, and $rioedd y Meirch, .



Documents

The Dream of Rhonabwy