Title: The Mabinogion Vol. 1 (of 3)
Author: Edwards, Owen Morgan, Sir, 1858-1920 [Editor]
Language: English
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Transcribed from the 1902 T. Fisher Unwin edition by David Price, email
ccx074@pglaf.org



THE MABINOGION


TRANSLATED FROM THE RED BOOK OF HERGEST BY LADY CHARLOTTE GUEST
VOL. I.  LONDON
T. FISHER UNWIN
11 PATERNOSTER
BUILDINGS.  MXCII



INTRODUCTION.


More than half a century ago Lady Charlotte Guest gave _The Mabinogion_
to English readers in the form which, probably, will ever most delight
them.  Her transcript of the Red Book of Hergest was not perfect, she
found the meaning of many a Welsh phrase obscure, but her rendering is
generally very accurate; and the Celtic tales retain in their new dress
much of the charm, which so often evades the translator, of a perfect
style formed by generations of narrating.

The Red Book of Hergest, from which _The Mabinogion_ are taken, is a
collection of tales and poems written during the fourteenth century.  Some
of the Mabinogion in it have been reconstructed in Norman and Crusading
times, but they contain reminiscences of a more distant period, often but
half understood by the later story-teller.  Among these are "The Dream of
Rhonabwy," "The Lady of the Fountain," and "Peredur the son of
Evrawc"--the three which happen to come first in the Red Book.  These are
Christian, but with distant glimpses of Celtic heathenism.  The
adventures are all grouped around Arthur and his knights; and a kind of
connection is given to the three tales by the presence of Owen and his
mysterious ravens.

Others, especially the four Mabinogion properly so called and the Tale of
Lludd and Llevelys, are far older; they are older than Christianity, and
older than Arthur.

In this new edition of Lady Guest's translation I have put, in the form
of footnotes, what appears to me to be a more correct or a more literal
rendering of some of the passages of the Welsh.  This course makes it
unnecessary to tamper with the charming translation that has become a
classic of the English language.

I am very grateful to the Principal and Fellows of Jesus College for
access to the Red Book, to Dr J. Gwenogvryn Evans for permission to use
his edition and to Lord Wimborne (the Ivor of Lady Guest's dedication)
for information kindly given.

OWEN EDWARDS.

LINCOLN COLLEGE,
OXFORD, 1_st_ _March_ 1902.



TO IVOR AND MERTHYR


MY DEAR CHILDREN,

Infants as you yet are, I feel that I cannot dedicate more fitly than to
you these venerable relics of ancient lore, and I do so in the hope of
inciting you to cultivate the Literature of "Gwyllt Walia," in whose
beautiful language you are being initiated, and amongst whose free
mountains you were born.

May you become early imbued with the chivalric and exalted sense of
honour, and the fervent patriotism for which its sons have ever been
celebrated.

May you learn to emulate the noble qualities of Ivor Hael, and the firm
attachment to your Native Country, which distinguished that Ivor Bach,
after whom the elder of you was named.

I am,
Your affectionate Mother,
C. E. GUEST.

DOWLAIS, 29_th_ _August_ 1838.



THE LADY OF THE FOUNTAIN.


King Arthur {15} was at Caerlleon upon Usk; and one day he sat in his
chamber; and with him were Owain the son of Urien, and Kynon the son of
Clydno, and Kai the son of Kyner; and Gwenhwyvar and her hand-maidens at
needlework by the window.  And if it should be said that there was a
porter at Arthur's palace, there was none.  Glewlwyd Gavaelvawr was
there, acting as porter, to welcome guests and strangers, and to receive
them with honour, and to inform them of the manners and customs of the
Court; and to direct those who came to the Hall or to the presence
chamber, and those who came to take up their lodging. {16}

In the centre of the chamber king Arthur sat, upon a seat of green
rushes, over which was spread a covering of flame-coloured satin; and a
cushion of red satin was under his elbow.

Then Arthur spoke, "If I thought you would not disparage me," said he, "I
would sleep while I wait for my repast; and you can entertain one another
with relating tales, and can obtain a flagon of mead and some meat from
Kai."  And the King went to sleep.  And Kynon the son of 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 fulfil Arthur's behest in the first place, and then we
will tell thee the best 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"
said Kai, "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 art older, and are a better teller of tales, and hast seen more
marvellous things than I; do thou therefore pay Kai his tale."  "Begin
thyself," quoth Owain, "with the best that thou knowest."  "I will do
so," answered Kynon.

"I was the only son of my mother and father; and I was exceedingly
aspiring, and my daring was very great.  I thought there was no
enterprise in the world too mighty for me, and after I had achieved all
the adventures that were in my own country, {17a} I equipped myself, and
set forth to journey through deserts, and distant regions.  And at length
it chanced that I came to the fairest valley in the world, wherein were
trees of equal growth; and a river ran through the valley, and a path was
by the side of the river.  And I followed the path until mid-day, and
continued my journey along the remainder of the valley until the evening;
and at the extremity of a plain I came to a large and lustrous Castle, at
the foot of which was a torrent.  And I approached the Castle, and there
I beheld two youths, with yellow curling hair, each with a frontlet of
gold upon his head, and clad in a garment of yellow satin; and they had
gold clasps upon their insteps.  In the hand of each of them was an ivory
bow, strung with the sinews of the stag; and their arrows had their
shafts of the bone of the whale, and were winged with peacock's feathers.
The shafts also had golden heads.  And they had daggers with blades of
gold, and with hilts of the bone of the whale.  And they were shooting
their daggers.

"And a little way from them, I saw a man {17b} in the prime of life, with
his 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 feet were
shoes of variegated leather, fastened by two bosses of gold.  When I saw
him, I went towards him and saluted him; and such was his courtesy, that
he no sooner received my greeting than he returned it. {18a}  And he went
with me towards the Castle.  Now there were no dwellers in the Castle,
except those who were in one hall.  And there I saw four and twenty
damsels, embroidering satin, at a window.  And this I tell thee, Kai,
that {18b} the least fair of them was fairer than the fairest maid thou
didst ever behold, in the Island of Britain; and the least lovely of them
was more lovely than Gwenhwyvar, the wife of Arthur, when she appeared
loveliest at the Offering, on the day of the Nativity, or at the feast of
Easter. {18c}  They rose up at my coming, 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 they were perfectly bright.  And the third six
spread cloths upon the tables, and prepared meat.  And the fourth six
took off my soiled garments, and placed others upon me; namely, an under
vest and a doublet of fine linen, and a robe, and a surcoat, and a mantle
of yellow satin, and a broad gold band upon the mantle.  And they placed
cushions both beneath and around me, with coverings of red linen.  And I
sat down.  Now the six maidens who had taken my horse, unharnessed him,
as well as if they had been the best Squires in the Island of Britain.
Then, behold, they brought bowls of silver wherein was water to wash; and
towels of linen, some green and some white; and I washed.  And in a
little while the man sat down to the table. {19a}  And I sat next to him,
and below me sat all the maidens, except those who waited on us.  And the
table was of silver; and the cloths upon the table were of linen.  And no
vessel was served upon the table that was not either of gold, or of
silver, or of buffalo horn.  And our meat was brought to us.  And verily,
Kai, I saw there every sort of meat, and every sort of liquor, that I
ever saw elsewhere; but the meat and the liquors were better served
there, than I ever saw them in any other place.

"Until the repast was half over, neither the man nor any one of the
damsels spoke a single word to me; but when the man perceived that it
would be more agreeable to me to converse than to eat any more, he began
to enquire of me who I was.  I said I was glad to find that there was
some one who would discourse with me, and that it was not considered so
great a crime at that Court, for people to hold converse together.
'Chieftain,' said the man, 'we would have talked to thee sooner, but we
feared to disturb thee during thy repast.  Now, however, we will
discourse.'  Then I told the man who I was, and what was the cause of my
journey.  And said that I was seeking whether any one 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 to distress thee too much,
{19b} I would shew thee that which thou seekest.'  Upon this I became
anxious and sorrowful; and when the man perceived it, he said, 'If thou
wouldst rather that I should shew thee thy disadvantage, than thine
advantage, I will do so.  Sleep here to-night, and in the morning, arise
early, and take the road upwards through the valley, until thou reachest
the wood, through which thou camest hither.  A little way within the
wood, thou wilt meet with a road, branching off to the right; by which
thou must proceed, until thou 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 the mound; 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.  And he has a club of iron, and it is certain that there are no
two men in the world, who would not find their burden in that club.  And
he is not 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
thousand wild animals, grazing around him.  Enquire of him the way out of
the glade, and he will reply to thee briefly, {20} and will point out the
road, by which thou shalt find that which thou art in quest of.'

"And long seemed the night to me.  And the next morning I arose, and
equipped myself, and mounted my horse, and proceeded straight through the
valley, to the wood, and I followed the crossroad which the man had
pointed out to me, till at length I arrived at the glade.  And there was
I three times more astonished at the number of wild animals that I
beheld, than the man had said I should be.  And the black man was there,
sitting upon the top of the mound.  Huge of stature as the man had told
me that he was, I found him to exceed by far the description he had given
me of him.  As for the iron club, which the man had told me was a burden
for two men, I am certain, Kai, that it would be a heavy weight for four
warriors to lift.  And this was in the black man's hand.  And he only
spoke to me in answer to my questions. {21a}  Then I asked him what power
he held over those animals.  'I will shew thee, little man,' said he.  And
he took his club in his hand, and with it he struck a stag a great blow,
so that he brayed vehemently, and at his braying, the animals came
together, as numerous as the stars in the sky, so that it was difficult
for me to find room in the glade, to stand among them.  There were
serpents, and dragons, and divers sorts of animals.  And he looked at
them, and bade them go and feed.  And they bowed their heads, and did him
homage, as vassals to their lord.

"Then the black man said to me, 'Seest thou now, little man, what power I
hold over these animals?'  Then I enquired of him the way; and he became
very rough in his manner to me; however he asked me whither I would go.
And when I had told him who I was, and what I sought, he directed me.
'Take,' said he, 'that path that leads towards the head of the glade, and
ascend the wooded steep, until thou comest to its summit; and there thou
wilt find an open space, like to a large valley, and in the midst of it a
tall tree, whose branches are greener than the greenest pine trees.  Under
this tree is a fountain, and by the side of the fountain, a marble slab,
and on the marble slab a silver bowl, attached by a chain of silver, so
that it may not be carried away. {21b}  Take the bowl, and throw a
bowlful of water upon the slab, and thou wilt hear a mighty peal of
thunder; so that thou wilt think that heaven and earth are trembling with
its fury.  With the thunder there will come a shower so severe, that it
will be scarcely possible for thee to endure it and live.  And the shower
will be of hailstones.  And after the shower, the weather will become
fair; but every leaf that was upon the tree will have been carried away
by the shower.  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,
as that which they will sing.  And at the moment thou art most delighted
with the song of the birds, thou wilt hear a murmuring and complaining
coming towards thee along the valley.  And thou wilt see a knight upon a
coal black horse, clothed in black velvet, and with a pennon of black
linen upon his lance, and he will ride unto thee to encounter thee, with
the utmost speed.  If thou fleest from him he will overtake thee, and if
thou abidest there, as sure as thou art a mounted knight, he will leave
thee on foot.  And if thou dost not find trouble in that adventure, thou
needst not seek it during the rest of thy life.'

"So I journeyed on, until I reached the summit of the steep.  And there I
found every thing, as the black man had described it to me.  And I went
up to the tree, and beneath it I saw the fountain, and by its 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; and thereupon behold the
thunder came, much more violent than the black man had led me to expect;
and after the thunder came the shower; and of a truth I tell thee, Kai,
that there is neither man nor beast that could endure that shower and
live.  For not one of those hailstones would be stopped either by the
flesh, or by the skin, until it had reached the bone.  I turned my
horse's flanks towards the shower, and placed the beak of my shield over
his head and neck, while I held the upper 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, and then the sky became clear; and with that,
behold the birds lighted upon the tree, and sang.  And truly, Kai, I
never heard any melody equal to that, either before or since.  And when I
was most charmed with listening to the birds, lo, a murmuring voice was
heard through the valley, approaching me, and saying, 'Oh, Knight, what
has brought thee hither?  What evil have I done to thee, that thou
shouldest act towards me and my possessions, as thou hast this day?  Dost
thou not know that the shower to-day has left in my dominions neither man
nor beast alive, that was exposed to it?'  And thereupon, behold a Knight
on a black horse appeared, clothed in jet black velvet, and with a tabard
of black linen about him.  And we charged each other; and as the onset
was furious, it was not long before I was overthrown.  Then the Knight
passed the shaft of his lance through the bridle rein of my 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 by which I had come.  And
when I reached the glade where the black man was, I confess to thee, Kai,
it is a marvel that I did not melt down into a liquid pool, through the
shame that I felt at the black man's derision.  And that night I came to
the same Castle, where I had spent the night preceding.  And I was more
agreeably entertained that night, than I had been the night before; and I
was better feasted, and I conversed freely with the inmates of the
Castle; and none of them alluded to my expedition to the fountain,
neither did I mention it to any.  And I remained there that night.  When
I arose on the morrow, I found ready saddled a dark-bay palfrey, with
nostrils as red as scarlet.  And after putting on my armour, and leaving
there my blessing, I returned to my own Court.  And that horse I still
possess, and he is in the stable yonder.  And I declare that I would not
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 so
much to his own discredit; and verily it seems strange to me, that
neither before nor since have I heard of any person, besides myself, who
knew of this adventure, and that the subject of it should exist within
King Arthur's dominions, without any other person lighting upon it."

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

"By the hand of my friend," said Kai, "often dost thou utter that with
thy tongue, which thou wouldest 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 Owain is
not greater than mine."

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

"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 his household
sat down to eat.  And when the meal was ended, Owain withdrew to his
lodging, and made ready his horse and his arms.

On the morrow, with the dawn of day, he put on his armour, and mounted
his charger, and travelled through distant lands, and over desert
mountains.  And at length he arrived at the valley which Kynon had
described to him; and he was certain that it was the same that he sought.
And journeying along the valley, by the side of the river, he followed
its course till he came to the plain, and within sight of the Castle.
When he approached the Castle, he saw the youths shooting their daggers,
in the place where Kynon had seen them; and the yellow man, to whom the
Castle belonged, standing hard by.  And no sooner had Owain saluted the
yellow man, than he was saluted by him in return.

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 at satin
embroidery, in chairs of gold.  And their beauty, and their comeliness
seemed to Owain far greater than Kynon had represented to him.  And they
arose to wait upon Owain, as they had done to Kynon.  And the meal which
they set before him, gave more satisfaction to Owain than it had done to
Kynon.

About the middle of the repast the yellow man asked Owain the object of
his journey.  And Owain made it known to him, and said, "I am in quest of
the Knight who guards the fountain."  Upon this, the yellow man smiled,
and said that he was as loth to point out that adventure to Owain as he
had been to Kynon.  However he described the whole to Owain, and they
retired to rest.

The next morning Owain found his horse made ready for him by the damsels,
and he set forward and came to the glade where the black man was.  And
the stature of the black man seemed more wonderful to Owain, than it had
done to Kynon, and Owain asked of him his road, and he showed 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 the slab beside the fountain with
the bowl upon it.  And Owain took the bowl, and threw a bowlful of water
upon the slab.  And lo, the thunder was heard, and after the thunder came
the shower, much more violent than Kynon had described, and after the
shower, the sky became bright.  And when Owain looked at the tree, there
was not one leaf upon it.  And immediately the birds came, and settled
upon the tree, and sang.  And when their song was most pleasing to Owain,
he beheld a Knight coming towards him through the valley, and he prepared
to receive him; and encountered him violently.  Having broken both their
lances, they drew their swords, and fought blade to blade.  Then Owain
struck the Knight a blow through his helmet, head piece and visor, and
through the skin, and the flesh, and the bone, until it wounded the very
brain.  Then the black Knight felt that he had received a mortal wound,
upon which he turned his horse's head, and fled.  And Owain pursued him,
and followed close upon him, although he was not near enough to strike
him with his sword.  Thereupon Owain descried a vast and resplendent
Castle.  And they came to the Castle gate.  And the black Knight was
allowed to enter, and the portcullis was 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 that were upon Owain's heels.  And the portcullis
descended to the floor.  And the rowels of the spurs and part of the
horse were without, and Owain, with the other part of the horse remained
between the two gates, and the inner gate was closed, so that Owain could
not go thence; and Owain was in a perplexing situation.  And while he was
in this state, he could see through an aperture in the gate, a street
facing him, with a row of houses on each side.  And he beheld a maiden,
with yellow curling hair, and a frontlet of gold upon her head; and she
was clad in a dress of yellow satin, and on her feet were shoes of
variegated leather.  And she approached the gate, and desired 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 is for thee to set me
free."  "Truly," said the damsel, "it is very sad that thou canst not be
released, and every woman ought to succour thee, for I never saw one more
faithful in the service of ladies than thou.  As a friend thou art the
most sincere, and as a lover the most devoted.  Therefore," quoth she,
"whatever is in my power to do for thy 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 they have consulted together, they will come forth to
fetch thee, in order to put thee to death; {27} and they will be much
grieved that they cannot find thee.  And I will await thee on the
horseblock yonder; and thou wilt be able to see me, though I cannot see
thee; therefore come and place thy hand upon my shoulder, that I may know
that thou art near me.  And by the way that I go hence, do thou accompany
me."

Then she went away from Owain, and he did all that the maiden had told
him.  And the people of the Castle came to seek Owain, to put him 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, and placed
his hand upon her shoulder, whereupon she set off, and Owain followed
her, until they came to the door of a large and beautiful chamber, and
the maiden opened it, and they went in, and closed the door.  And Owain
looked around the chamber, and behold there was not even a single nail in
it, that was not painted with gorgeous colours; and there was not a
single panel, that had not sundry images {28} in gold portrayed upon it.

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

The couch which the maiden had prepared for him was meet for Arthur
himself; it was of scarlet, and fur, and satin, and sendall, and fine
linen.  In the middle of the night they heard a woeful outcry.  "What
outcry again is this?" said Owain.  "The Nobleman who owned the Castle is
now dead," said the maiden.  And a little after daybreak, they heard an
exceeding loud clamour and wailing.  And Owain asked the maiden what was
the cause of it.  "They are bearing to the church, the body of the
Nobleman who owned the Castle."

And Owain rose up, and clothed himself, and opened a window of the
chamber, and looked towards the Castle; and he could see neither the
bounds, nor the extent of the hosts that filled the streets.  And they
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 the vehemence of their
cries, and with the noise of the trumpets, and with the singing of the
ecclesiastics. {29a}  In the midst of the throng, he beheld the bier,
over which was a veil of white linen; and wax tapers were burning beside,
and around it, and none that supported the bier was lower in rank than a
powerful {29b} Baron.

Never did Owain see an assemblage so gorgeous with satin, and silk, and
sendall.  And following the train, he beheld a lady with yellow hair
falling over her shoulders, and stained with blood; and about her a dress
of yellow satin, which was torn.  Upon her feet were shoes of variegated
leather.  And it was a marvel that the ends of her fingers were not
bruised, from the violence with which she smote her hands together.  Truly
she would have been the fairest lady Owain ever saw, had she been in her
usual guise.  And her cry was louder than the shout of the men, or the
clamour of the trumpets. {30}  No sooner had he beheld the lady, than he
became inflamed with her love, so that it took entire possession of him.

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

And with that the maid arose, and kindled a fire, and filled a pot with
water, and placed it to warm; and she brought a towel of white linen, and
placed it around Owain's neck; and she took a goblet of ivory, and a
silver basin, and filled them with warm water, wherewith she washed
Owain's head.  Then she opened a wooden casket, and drew forth a razor,
whose haft was of ivory, and upon which were two rivets 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 chamber after her, and
went towards the Castle.  When she came there, she found nothing but
mourning, and sorrow; and the Countess in her chamber could not bear the
sight of any one through grief.  Luned came and saluted her, but the
Countess answered her not.  And the maiden bent down towards her, and
said, "What aileth thee, that thou answerest no one to-day?"  "Luned,"
said the Countess, "what change hath 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 in thee that thou didst not come to see me in my
distress.  That was wrong in thee."  "Truly," said Luned, "I thought thy
good sense was greater than I find it to be.  Is it well for thee to
mourn after that good man, or for anything else, that thou canst not
have?"  "I declare to heaven," said the Countess, "that in the whole
world there is not a man equal to him."  "Not so," said Luned, "for an
ugly man would be as good as, or better than he." {31}  "I declare to
heaven," said the Countess, "that were it not repugnant to me to cause to
be put to death one whom I have brought up, I would have thee executed,
for making such a comparison to me.  As it is, I will banish thee."  "I
am glad," said Luned, "that thou hast no other cause to do so, than that
I would have been of service to thee when thou didst not know what was to
thine advantage.  And henceforth evil betide whichever of us shall make
the first advance towards reconciliation to the other; whether I should
seek an invitation from thee, or thou of thine own accord shouldest seek
to invite me."

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

"Thou knowest that except by warfare and arms it is impossible for thee
to preserve thy possessions; delay not, therefore, to seek some one who
can defend them."  "And how can I do that?" said the Countess.  "I will
tell thee," said Luned, "unless thou canst defend the fountain, thou
canst not maintain thy dominions; and no one can defend the fountain,
except it be a knight of Arthur's household; and I will go to Arthur's
court, and ill betide me, if I return thence without a warrior who can
guard the fountain, as well as, or even better than, he who defended it
formerly."  "That will be hard to perform," said the Countess.  "Go,
however, and make proof of that which thou hast promised."

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

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

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

The next day, the Countess caused all her subjects to assemble, and
shewed them that her Earldom was left defenceless, and that it could not
be protected but with horse and arms, and military skill.  "Therefore,"
said she, "this is what I offer for your choice: either let one of you
take me, or give your consent for me to take a husband from elsewhere, to
defend my dominions."

So they came to the determination, that it was better that she should
have permission to marry some one from elsewhere; and thereupon she sent
for the Bishops and Archbishops, to celebrate her nuptials with Owain.
And the men of the Earldom did Owain homage.

And Owain defended the Fountain with lance and sword.  And this is the
manner in which he defended it.  Whensoever a knight came there, he
overthrew him, and sold him for his full worth.  And what he thus gained,
he divided among his Barons, and his Knights; and no man in the whole
world could be more beloved than he was by his subjects.  And it was thus
for the space of three years.

It befell that as Gwalchmai went forth one day with King Arthur, he
perceived him to be very sad and sorrowful.  And Gwalchmai was much
grieved to see Arthur in this state; and he questioned him, saying, "Oh
my Lord! what has befallen thee?"  "In sooth, Gwalchmai," said Arthur, "I
am grieved concerning Owain, whom I have lost these three years; and I
shall certainly die, if the fourth year passes without my seeing him.  Now
I am sure, that it is through the tale which Kynon the son of Clydno
related, that I have lost Owain."  "There is no need for thee," said
Gwalchmai, "to summon to arms thy whole dominions, on that account; for
thou thyself, and the men of thy household, will be able to avenge Owain,
if he be slain; or to set him free, if he be in prison; and if alive, to
bring him back with thee."  And it was settled, according to what
Gwalchmai had said.

Then Arthur and the men of his household prepared to go and seek Owain;
and their number was three thousand, beside their attendants.  And Kynon
the son of Clydno acted as their guide.  And Arthur came to the Castle,
where Kynon had been before.  And when he came there the youths were
shooting in the same place, and the yellow man was standing hard by.  When
the yellow man saw Arthur, he greeted him, and invited him to the Castle.
And Arthur accepted his invitation, and they entered the Castle together.
And great as was the number of his retinue, their presence was scarcely
observed in the Castle, so vast was its extent.  And the maidens rose up
to wait on them.  And the service of the maidens appeared to them all to
excel any attendance they had ever met with; and even the pages who had
charge of the horses, were no worse served, that night, than Arthur
himself would have been, in his own Palace.

The next morning, Arthur set out thence, with Kynon for his guide, and
came to the place where the black man was.  And the stature of the black
man was more surprising to Arthur, than it had been represented to him.
And they came to the top of the wooded steep, and traversed the valley,
till they reached the green tree; where they saw the fountain, and the
bowl and the slab.  And upon that, Kai came to Arthur, and spoke to him.
"My Lord," said he, "I know the meaning of all this, and my request is,
that thou wilt permit me to throw the water on the slab, and to receive
the first advantage that may befall."  And Arthur gave him leave.

Then Kai threw a bowlful of water upon the slab, and immediately there
came the thunder, and after the thunder the shower.  And such a
thunderstorm they had never known before.  And many of the attendants who
were in Arthur's train were killed by the shower.  After the shower had
ceased, the sky became clear.  And on looking at the tree, they beheld it
completely leafless.  Then the birds descended upon the tree.  And the
song of the birds was far sweeter than any strain they 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 Kai was overthrown.  And the
Knight withdrew. {36}  And Arthur and his host encamped for the night.

And when they arose in the morning, they perceived the signal of combat
upon the lance of the Knight; and Kai came to Arthur, and spoke to him.
"My Lord," said he, "though I was overthrown yesterday, if it seem good
to thee, I would gladly meet the Knight again to-day."  "Thou mayst do
so," said Arthur.  And Kai went towards the Knight.  And on the spot he
overthrew Kai, {37a} and struck him with the head of his lance in the
forehead, so that it broke his helmet and the headpiece, and pierced the
skin, and the flesh, the breadth of the spearhead, even to the bone.  And
Kai returned to his companions.

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

The next day they fought with strong lances; and neither of them could
obtain the mastery.

And the third day they fought with exceeding strong lances.  And they
were increased with rage, and fought furiously, even until noon.  And
they gave each other such a shock, that the girths of their horses were
broken, so that they fell over their horses' cruppers to the ground.  And
they rose up speedily, and drew their swords, and resumed the combat.
{37b}  And the multitude that witnessed the encounter felt assured that
they had never before seen two men so valiant, or so powerful.  And had
it been midnight, it would have been light from the fire that flashed
from their weapons.  And the Knight gave Gwalchmai a blow that turned his
helmet from off his face, so that the Knight knew that it was Gwalchmai.
Then Owain said, "My lord Gwalchmai, I did not know thee for my cousin,
owing to the robe of honour, that enveloped thee; take my sword and my
arms."  Said Gwalchmai, "Thou, Owain, art the victor; take thou my
sword."  And with that Arthur saw that they were conversing, and advanced
towards them.  "My lord Arthur," said Gwalchmai, "here is Owain, who has
vanquished 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 has vanquished 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 great was the press.

And they retired that night, and the next day Arthur prepared to depart.
"My lord," said Owain, "this is not well of thee.  For I have been absent
from thee these three years, {38} and during all that time, up to this
very day, I have been preparing a banquet for thee, knowing that thou
wouldest come to seek me.  Tarry with me therefore, until thou 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 in three
months.  Never had they a more delicious or agreeable banquet.  And
Arthur prepared to depart.  Then he sent an embassy to the Countess, to
beseech her to permit Owain to go with him, for the space of three
months, that he might shew him to the nobles, and the fair dames of the
Island of Britain.  And the Countess gave her consent, although it was
very painful to her.  So Owain came with Arthur to the Island of Britain.
And when he was once more amongst his kindred and friends, he remained
three years, instead of three months, with them.

* * * * *

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, and
covered with foam; and the bridle, and as much as was seen of the saddle,
were of gold.  And the damsel was arrayed in a dress of yellow satin.  And
she went up to Owain, and took the ring from off his hand.  "Thus," said
she, "shall be treated the deceiver, the traitor, the faithless, the
disgraced, and the beardless." {39}  And she turned her horse'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 made preparations
that night.  And the next day he arose, but did not go to the Court, but
wandered to the distant parts of the earth, and to uncultivated
mountains.  And he remained there until all his apparel was worn out, and
his body was wasted away, and his hair was grown long.  And he went about
with the wild beasts, and fed with them, until they became familiar with
him.  But at length he grew so weak, that he could no longer bear them
company.  Then he descended from the mountains to the valley, and came to
a park, that was the fairest in 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, and touched him, and
looked at him.  And they saw that there was life in him, though he was
exhausted by the heat of the sun.  And the Countess returned to the
Castle, and took a flask full of precious ointment, and gave it to one of
her maidens.  "Go with this," said she, "and take with thee yonder horse,
and clothing, and place them near the man we saw just now.  And anoint
him with this balsam, near his heart; and if there is life in him, he
will arise, through the efficacy of this balsam.  Then watch what he will
do."

And the maiden departed from her, and poured the whole of the balsam upon
Owain, and left the horse and the garments hard by, and went a little way
off, and hid herself, to watch him.  In a short time she saw him begin to
move his arms; and he arose up, and looked at his person, and became
ashamed of the unseemliness of his appearance.  Then he perceived the
horse and the garments, that were near him.  And he crept forward till he
was able to draw the garments to him from off the saddle.  And he clothed
himself, and with difficulty mounted the horse.  Then the damsel
discovered herself to him, and saluted him.  And he was rejoiced when he
saw her, and enquired of her, what land and what territory that was.
"Truly," said the maiden, "a widowed Countess owns yonder Castle; at the
death of her husband, he left her two Earldoms, but at this day she has
but this one dwelling that has not been wrested from her, by a young
Earl, who is her neighbour, because she refused to become his wife."
"That is pity," said Owain.  And he and the maiden proceeded to the
Castle; and he alighted 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 her hand.
"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 wasted seven-score
pounds' worth of precious ointment, upon a stranger whom I know not.
However, maiden, wait thou upon him, until he is quite recovered."

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

One day Owain heard a great tumult, and a sound of arms in the Castle,
and he enquired of the maiden the cause thereof.  "The Earl," said she,
"whom I mentioned to thee, has come before the Castle, with a numerous
army, to subdue the Countess."  And Owain enquired of her whether the
Countess had a horse and arms, in her possession.  "She has the best in
the world," said the maiden.  "Wilt thou go and request the loan of a
horse and arms for me," said Owain, "that I may go and look at this
army?"  "I will," said the maiden.

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

The Countess bade them bring out a beautiful black steed, upon which was
a beechen saddle, and a suit of armour, for man and horse.  And Owain
armed himself, and mounted the horse, and went forth, attended by two
pages completely equipped, with horses and arms.  And when they came near
to the Earl's army, they could see neither its extent, nor its extremity.
And Owain asked the pages in which troop the Earl was.  "In yonder
troop," said they, "in which are four yellow standards.  Two of them are
before, and two behind him."  "Now," said Owain, "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 his horse's head towards the Castle, and, though it
was with difficulty, he brought the Earl to the portal, where the pages
awaited him.  And in they came.  And Owain presented the Earl as a gift
to the Countess.  And said to her, "Behold a requittal to thee for thy
blessed balsam."

The army encamped around the Castle.  And the Earl restored to the
Countess the two Earldoms, he had taken from her, as a ransom for his
life; 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 subjects
besought him to remain, but Owain chose rather to wander through distant
lands and deserts.

And as he journeyed, he heard a loud yelling in a wood.  And it was
repeated a second and a third time.  And Owain went towards the spot, and
behold a huge craggy mound, in the middle of the wood; on the side of
which was a grey rock.  And there was a cleft in the rock, and a serpent
was within the cleft.  And near the rock, stood a black lion, and every
time the lion sought to go thence, the serpent darted towards him to
attack him.  And Owain unsheathed his sword, and drew near to the rock;
and as the serpent sprung out, he struck him with his sword, and cut him
in two.  And he dried his sword, and went on his way, as before.  But
behold the lion followed him, and played about him, as though it had been
a greyhound, that he had reared.

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

And Owain took the roebuck, and skinned it, and placed collops of its
flesh upon skewers, around the fire.  The rest of the buck he gave to the
lion to devour.  While he was doing this, he heard a deep sigh near him,
and a second, and a third.  And Owain called out to know whether the sigh
he heard proceeded from a mortal; and he received answer, that it did.
"Who art thou?" said Owain.  "Truly," said the voice, "I am Luned, the
hand-maiden 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 married the Countess.  And he staid a short
time with her, but he afterwards departed for the Court of Arthur, and he
has not returned since.  And he was the friend I loved best in the world.
And two of the pages of the Countess's chamber, traduced him, and called
him a deceiver.  And I told them that they two were not a match for him
alone.  So they imprisoned me in the stone vault, and said that I should
be put to death, unless he came himself, to deliver me, by a certain day;
and that is no further off, than the day after to-morrow.  And I have no
one to send to seek him for me.  And his name is Owain the son of Urien."
"And art thou certain, that if that knight knew all this, he would 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 talked together
until the day dawned.  And the next morning Owain enquired of the damsel,
if there was any place where he could get food and entertainment for that
night.  "There is, lord," said she; "cross over yonder, and go along the
side of the river, and in a short time, thou wilt see a great Castle, in
which are many towers.  And the Earl who owns that Castle, is the most
hospitable man in the world.  There thou mayest spend the night."

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

And Owain accoutred his horse, and passed across by the ford, and came in
the sight of the Castle.  And he entered it, and was honourably received.
And his horse was well cared for, and plenty of fodder was placed before
him.  Then the lion went and laid down in the horse's manger; so that
none of the people of the Castle dared to approach him.  The treatment
which Owain met with there, was such as he had never known elsewhere, for
every one was as sorrowful, as though death had been upon him. {45}  And
they went to meat.  And the Earl sat upon one side of Owain; and on the
other side his only daughter.  And Owain had never seen any more lovely
than she.  Then the lion came and placed himself between Owain's feet,
and he fed him with every kind of food, that he took himself.  And he
never saw any thing equal to the sadness 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 makes us sorrowful, but we
have cause enough for sadness and care."  "What is that?" said Owain.  "I
have two sons," replied the Earl, "and yesterday they went to the
mountains to hunt.  Now there is on the mountain a monster, who kills men
and devours them.  And he seized my sons.  And to-morrow is the time he
has fixed to be here, and he threatens that he will then slay my sons
before my eyes, unless I will deliver into his hands this my daughter.
{46a}  He has the form of a man, 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 should be
slain, against my will, than I should voluntarily give up my daughter to
him to ill-treat and destroy."  Then they talked about other things, and
Owain staid there that night.

The next morning, they heard an exceeding great clamour, which was caused
by the coming of the giant, with the two youths.  And the Earl was
anxious both to protect his Castle, and to release his two sons. {46b}
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 was armed, he
rushed towards him, and attacked him.  And the lion fought with the
giant, much more fiercely than Owain did.

"Truly," said the giant, "I should find no difficulty in fighting with
thee, were it not for the animal that is with thee."  Upon that Owain
took the lion back to the Castle, and shut the gate upon him.  And then
he returned to fight the giant, as before.  And the lion roared very
loud, for he heard that it went hard with Owain.  And he climbed up, till
he reached the top of the Earl's Hall; and thence he got to the top of
the Castle, and he sprang down from the walls, and went and joined Owain.
And the lion gave the giant a stroke with his paw, which tore him from
his shoulder to his hip, and his heart was laid bare.  And the giant fell
down dead.  Then Owain restored the two youths to their father.

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

And they attacked Owain, and he was hard beset by them.  And with that
the lion came to Owain's assistance; and they two got the better of the
young men.  And they said to him, "Chieftain, it was not agreed that we
should fight, save with thyself alone, and it is harder for us to contend
with yonder animal, than with thee."  And Owain put the lion in the place
where the maiden had been imprisoned, and blocked up the door with
stones.  And he went to fight with the young men as before.  But Owain
had not his usual strength, {48} and the two youths pressed hard upon
him.  And the lion roared incessantly at seeing Owain in trouble.  And he
burst through the wall, until he found a 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 of the
Fountain.  And when he went thence, he took the Countess with him to
Arthur's Court, and she was his wife as long as she lived.

And they took the road that led to the Court of the savage black man.  And
Owain fought with him, and the lion did not quit Owain, until he had
vanquished him.  And when he reached the Court of the savage black man,
he entered the hall: and beheld four and twenty ladies, the fairest that
could be seen.  And the garments which they had on, were not worth four
and twenty pence.  And they were as sorrowful as death.  And Owain asked
them the cause of their sadness.  And they said, "We are the daughters of
Earls, and we all came here, with our husbands, whom we dearly loved.  And
we were received with honour and rejoicing.  And we were thrown into a
state of stupor, and while we were thus, the demon who owns this Castle,
slew all our husbands, and took from us our horses, and our raiment, and
our gold, and our silver.  And the corpses of our husbands are still in
this house, and many others with them.  And this, Chieftain, is the cause
of our grief, and we are sorry that thou art come hither, lest harm
should befall thee."

And Owain was grieved, when he heard this.  And he went forth from the
Castle, and he beheld a Knight approaching him, who saluted him, in a
friendly and cheerful manner, as if he had been a brother.  And this was
the savage black man.  "In very sooth," said Owain, "it is not to seek
thy friendship that I am here."  "In sooth," said he, "thou shalt not
find it then."  And with that they charged each other, and fought
furiously.  And Owain overcame him, and bound his hands behind his back.
Then the black savage besought Owain to spare his life, and spoke thus,
"My lord Owain," said he, "it was foretold, that thou shouldst come
hither and vanquish me, and thou hast done so.  I was a robber 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 this house as an Hospice
for weak and for strong, as long as I live, for the good of thy soul."
And Owain accepted the proposal of him, and remained there that night.

And the next day he took the four and twenty ladies, and their horses,
and their raiment, and what they possessed of goods, and jewels, and
proceeded with them to Arthur's Court.  And if Arthur was rejoiced when
he saw him, after he had lost him the first time, his joy was now much
greater.  And of those ladies, such as wished to remain in Arthur's
Court, remained there; and such as wished to depart, departed.

And thenceforward Owain dwelt at Arthur's Court, greatly beloved as the
head of his household, until he went away with his followers; and those
were the army of three hundred ravens which Kenverchyn had left him.  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 as by
attending tournaments, and wars, and combats.  And, as it often befalls
those who join in encounters and wars, he was slain, and six of 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 to wars and encounters,
otherwise he might have been slain as his father and brothers.  His
mother was a scheming and thoughtful woman, and she was very solicitous
concerning this her only son and his {52} possessions.  So she took
counsel with herself to leave the inhabited country, and to flee to the
deserts and unfrequented wildernesses.  And she permitted none to bear
her company thither but women and boys, and spiritless men, who were both
unaccustomed and unequal to war and fighting.  And none dared to bring
either horses or arms where her son was, lest he should set his mind upon
them.  And the youth went daily to divert himself in the forest, by
flinging sticks and staves.  And one day he saw his mother's flock of
goats, and near the goats two hinds were standing.  And he marvelled
greatly that these two should be without horns, while the others had
them.  And he thought they had long run wild and on that account they had
lost their horns.  And by activity and swiftness of foot, he drove the
hinds and the goats together into the house which there was for the goats
at the extremity of the forest.  Then Peredur returned to his mother.
"Ah, mother," said he, "a marvellous thing have I seen in 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 man had ever more trouble than
I had to drive them in."  Then they all arose and went to see.  And when
they beheld the hinds, they were greatly astonished.

And one day they saw three knights coming along the horse-road on the
borders of the forest.  And the three knights were Gwalchmai the son of
Gwyar, and Geneir Gwystyl, and Owain the son of Urien.  And Owain kept on
the track of the knight who had divided the apples in Arthur's Court,
whom they were in pursuit of.  "Mother," said Peredur, "what are those
yonder?"  "They are angels, my son," said she.  "By my faith," said
Peredur, "I will go and become an angel with them."  And Peredur went to
the road, and met them.  "Tell me, good soul," said Owain, "sawest thou a
knight pass this way, either to-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 ask thee, I will tell thee that which thou
askest me."  "Gladly will I do so," replied Owain.  "What is this?"
demanded Peredur, concerning the saddle.  "It is a saddle," said Owain.
Then he asked about all the accoutrements which he saw upon the men, and
the horses, and the arms, and what they were for, and how they were used.
And Owain shewed him all these things fully, and told him what use was
made of them.  "Go forward," said Peredur, "for I saw such an one as thou
enquirest for, and I will follow thee."

Then Peredur returned to his mother and her company, and he said to her,
"Mother, those were not angels, but honourable knights."  Then his mother
swooned away.  And Peredur went to the place where they kept the horses
that carried firewood, and that brought meat and drink from the inhabited
country to the desert.  And he took a bony piebald horse, which seemed to
him the strongest of them.  And he pressed a pack into the form of a
saddle, and with twisted twigs he imitated the trappings which he had
seen upon the horses.  And when Peredur came again to his mother, the
Countess had recovered from her swoon.  "My son," said she, "desirest
thou to ride forth?"  "Yes, with thy leave," said he.  "Wait then, that I
may counsel thee before thou goest."  "Willingly," he answered, "speak
quickly."  "Go forward," then she said, "to the Court of Arthur, where
there are the best, and the boldest, and the most bountiful of men.  And
wherever thou seest a church, repeat there thy Paternoster unto it.  And
if thou see meat and drink, and hast need of them, and none have the
kindness or the courtesy to give them to thee, take them thyself.  If
thou hear an outcry, proceed towards it, especially if it be the outcry
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 thou see a fair woman,
pay thy court to her, whether she will or no; for thus thou wilt render
thyself a better and more esteemed man than thou wast before."

After this discourse, Peredur mounted the horse, and taking a handful of
sharp pointed forks in his hand, he rode forth.  And he journeyed two
days and two nights in the woody wildernesses, and in desert places,
without food and without drink.  And then he came to a vast wild wood,
and far within the wood he saw a fair even glade, and in the glade he saw
a tent, and seeming to him to be a church, he repeated his Paternoster to
the tent.  And he went towards it, and the door 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 golden frontlet on her forehead, and sparkling
stones in the frontlet, and with a large gold ring on her hand.  And
Peredur dismounted, and entered the tent.  And the maiden was glad at his
coming, and bade him welcome.  At the entrance of the tent he saw food,
and two flasks full of wine, and two loaves of fine wheaten flour, and
collops of the flesh of the wild boar.  "My mother told me," said
Peredur, "wheresoever I saw meat and drink, to take it."  "Take the meat
and welcome, chieftain," said she.  So Peredur took half of the meat and
of the liquor himself, and left the rest to the maiden.  And when Peredur
had finished eating, he bent upon his knee before the maiden.  "My
mother," said he, "told me, wheresoever I saw a fair jewel, to take 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 he was
the Lord of the Glade.  And he saw the track of the horse, and he said to
the maiden, "Tell me who has been here since I departed."  "A man," said
she, "of wonderful demeanour."  And she described to him what Peredur's
appearance and conduct had been.  "Tell me," said he, "did he offer thee
any wrong?"  "No," answered the maiden, "by my faith, he harmed me not."
"By my faith, I do not believe thee; and until I can meet with him, and
revenge the insult he has done me, and wreak my vengeance upon him, thou
shalt not remain two nights in the same house."  And the knight arose,
and set forth to seek Peredur.

Meanwhile Peredur journeyed on towards Arthur's Court.  And before he
reached it, another knight had been there, who gave a ring of thick gold
at the door of the gate for holding his horse, and went into the Hall
where Arthur and his household, and Gwenhwyvar and her maidens, were
assembled.  And the page of the chamber was serving Gwenhwyvar with a
golden goblet.  Then the knight dashed the liquor that was therein upon
her face, and upon her stomacher, and gave her a violent blow on the
face, and said, "If any have the boldness to dispute this goblet with me,
and to avenge the insult to Gwenhwyvar, let him follow me to the meadow,
and there I will await him."  So the knight took his horse, and rode to
the meadow.  And all the household hung down their heads, lest any of
them should be requested to go and avenge the insult to Gwenhwyvar.  For
it seemed to them, that no one would have ventured on so daring an
outrage, unless he possessed such powers, through magic or charms, that
none could be able to take vengeance upon him.  Then, behold Peredur
entered the Hall, upon the bony piebald horse, with the uncouth trappings
upon it; and in this way he traversed the whole length of the Hall. {56}
In the centre of the Hall stood Kai.  "Tell me, tall man," said Peredur,
"is that Arthur, yonder?"  "What wouldest thou with Arthur?" asked Kai.
"My mother told me to go to Arthur, and receive the honour of
knighthood."  "By my faith," said he, "thou art all too meanly equipped
with horse and with arms."  Thereupon he was perceived by all the
household, and they threw sticks at him.  Then, behold, a dwarf came
forward.  He had already been a year at Arthur's Court, both he and a
female dwarf.  They had craved harbourage of Arthur, and had obtained it;
and during the whole year, neither of them had spoken a single word to
any one.  When the dwarf beheld Peredur, "Ha ha!" said he, "the welcome
of Heaven be unto thee, goodly Peredur, son of Evrawc, the chief of
warriors, and flower of knighthood."  "Truly," said Kai, "thou art ill-
taught to remain a year mute at Arthur's Court, with choice of society;
and now, before the face of Arthur and all his household, to call out,
and declare such a man as this the chief of warriors, and the flower of
knighthood."  And he gave him such a box on the ear, that he fell
senseless to the ground.  Then exclaimed the female dwarf, "Ha ha! goodly
Peredur, son of Evrawc; the welcome of Heaven be unto thee, flower of
knights, and light of chivalry."  "Of a truth, maiden," said Kai, "thou
art ill-bred to remain mute for a year at the Court of Arthur and then to
speak as thou dost of such a man as this."  And Kai kicked her with his
foot, so that she fell to the ground senseless.  "Tall man," said
Peredur, "show me which is Arthur."  "Hold thy peace," said Kai, "and go
after the knight who went hence to the meadow, and take from him the
goblet, and overthrow him, and possess thyself of his horse and arms, and
then thou shalt receive the order of knighthood."  "I will do so, tall
man," said Peredur.  So he turned his horse's head towards the meadow.
And when he came there, the knight was riding up and down, proud of his
strength, and valour, and noble mien.  "Tell me," said the knight, "didst
thou see any one coming after me from the Court?"  "The tall man that was
there," said he, "desired me to come, and overthrow thee, and to take
from thee the goblet, and thy horse and thy armour for myself."
"Silence," said the knight; "go back to the Court, and tell Arthur, from
me, either to come himself, or to send some other to fight with me; and
unless he do so quickly, I will not wait for him."  "By my faith," said
Peredur, "choose thou whether it shall be willingly or unwillingly, but I
will have the horse, and the arms, and the goblet."  And upon this the
knight ran at him furiously, and struck him a violent blow {58} with the
shaft of his spear, between the neck and the shoulder.  "Ha ha! lad,"
said Peredur, "my mother's servants were not used to play with me in this
wise; therefore, thus will 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 of his 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 two things
must befall him.  He must either be overthrown, or slain.  If he is
overthrown by the knight, he will be counted by him to be an honourable
person of the Court, and an eternal disgrace will it be to Arthur and his
warriors.  And if he is slain, the disgrace will be the same, and
moreover, his sin will be upon him; therefore will I go to see what has
befallen him."  So Owain went to the meadow, and he found Peredur
dragging the man about.  "What art thou doing thus?" said Owain.  "This
iron coat," said Peredur, "will never come from off him; not by my
efforts, at any rate." {59a}  And Owain unfastened his armour and his
clothes.  "Here, my good soul," said he, "is a horse and armour better
than thine.  Take them joyfully, and come with me to Arthur, to receive
the order of knighthood, for thou dost merit it."  "May I never shew my
face again, if I go," said Peredur, "but take thou the goblet to
Gwenhwyvar, and tell Arthur, that wherever I am, I will be his vassal,
and will do him what profit and service I am able.  And say that I will
not come to his Court, until I have encountered the tall man that is
there, to avenge the injury he did to the dwarf and dwarfess."  And Owain
went back to the Court, and related all these things to Arthur and
Gwenhwyvar, and to all the household. {59b}

And Peredur rode forward.  And as he proceeded, behold a knight met him.
"Whence comest thou?" said the knight.  "I come from Arthur's Court,"
said Peredur.  "Art thou one of his men?" asked he.  "Yes, by my faith,"
he answered.  "A good service, truly, is that of Arthur."  "Wherefore
sayest thou so?" said Peredur.  "I will tell thee," said he, "I have
always been Arthur's enemy, and all such of his men as I have ever
encountered, I have slain."  And without further parlance, they fought,
and it was not long before Peredur brought him to the ground, over his
horse's crupper.  Then the knight besought his mercy.  "Mercy thou shalt
have," said Peredur, "if thou wilt make oath to me, that thou wilt go to
Arthur's Court, and tell him that it was 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 insult offered to the dwarf and dwarfess."  The knight
pledged him his faith of this, and proceeded to the Court of Arthur, and
said as he had promised, and conveyed the threat to Kai.

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

And Peredur rode forward.  And he came to a vast and desert wood, on the
confines of which was a lake.  And on the other side was a fair castle.
And on the border of the lake he saw a venerable hoary-headed man sitting
upon a velvet cushion, and having a garment of velvet upon him.  And his
attendants were fishing in the lake.  When the hoary-headed man beheld
Peredur approaching, he arose, and went towards the castle.  And the old
man was lame.  Peredur rode to the palace, and the door was open, and he
entered the hall.  And there was the hoary-headed man sitting on a
cushion, and a large blazing fire burning before him.  And the household
and the company arose to meet Peredur, and disarrayed him.  And the man
asked the youth to sit on the cushion; and they sat down, and conversed
together.  When it was time, the tables were laid, and they went to meat.
And when they had finished their meal, the man enquired of Peredur, if he
knew well how to fight with the sword.  "I know not," said Peredur, "but
were I to be taught, doubtless I should."  "Whoever can play well with
the cudgel and shield, will also be able to fight with a sword."  And the
man had two sons; the one had yellow hair, and the other auburn.  "Arise,
youth," said he, "and play with the cudgel and the shield."  And so did
they.  "Tell me, my soul," said the man, "which of the youths thinkest
thou plays best?"  "I think," said Peredur, "that the yellow-haired youth
could draw blood from the other, if he chose."  "Arise thou, my life, and
take the cudgel and the shield from the hand of the youth with the auburn
hair, and draw blood from the yellow-haired youth, if thou canst."  So
Peredur arose, and went to play with the yellow-haired youth; and he
lifted up his arm, and struck him such a mighty blow, that his brow fell
over his eye, and the blood flowed forth.  "Ah, my life," said the man,
"come now, and sit down, for thou wilt become the best fighter with the
sword of any in this island; and I am thy uncle, thy mother's brother.
And with me shalt thou remain a space, in order to learn the manners and
customs of different countries, and courtesy, and gentleness, and noble
bearing.  Leave, then, the habits and the discourse of thy mother, and I
will be thy teacher; and I will raise thee to the rank of knight from
this time forward.  And thus do thou.  If thou seest aught to cause thee
wonder, ask not the meaning of it; if no one has the courtesy to inform
thee, the reproach will not fall upon thee, but upon me that am thy
teacher."  And they had abundance of honour and service.  And when it was
time, they went to sleep.  At the break of day, Peredur arose, and took
his horse, and with his uncle's permission, he rode forth.  And he came
to a vast desert wood, and at the further end of the wood was a meadow,
and on the other side of the meadow he saw a large castle.  And
thitherward Peredur bent his way, and he found the gate open, and he
proceeded to the hall.  And he beheld a stately hoary-headed man sitting
on one side of the hall, and many pages around him, who arose to receive
and to honour Peredur.  And they placed him by the side of the owner of
the palace.  Then they discoursed together; and when it was time to eat,
they caused Peredur to sit beside the nobleman during the repast.  And
when they had eaten and drank as much as they desired, the nobleman asked
Peredur, whether he could fight with a sword?  "Were I to receive
instruction," said Peredur, "I think I could."  Now, there was on the
floor of the hall a huge staple, as large as a warrior could grasp.  "Take
yonder sword," said the man to Peredur, "and strike the iron staple."  So
Peredur arose, and struck the staple, so that he cut it in two; and the
sword broke into two parts also.  "Place the two parts together, and
reunite them," and Peredur placed them together, and they became entire
as they were before.  And a second time he struck upon the staple, so
that both it and the sword broke in two, and as before they reunited.  And
the third time he gave a like blow, and placed the broken parts together,
and neither the staple nor the sword would unite, as before.  "Youth,"
said the nobleman, "come now, and sit down, and my blessing be upon thee.
Thou fightest best with the sword of any man in the kingdom.  Thou hast
arrived at two-thirds of thy strength, and the other third thou hast 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's brother, and I
am brother {62} to the man in whose house thou wast last night."  Then
Peredur and his uncle discoursed together, and he beheld two youths enter
the hall, and proceed up to the chamber, bearing a spear of mighty size,
with three streams of blood flowing from the point to the ground.  And
when all the company saw this, they began wailing and lamenting.  But for
all that, the man did not break off his discourse with Peredur.  And as
he did not tell Peredur the meaning of what he saw, he forebore to ask
him concerning it.  And when 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 the court made so great an outcry, that it was irksome to be
in the same hall with them.  But at length they were silent.  And when
time was that they should sleep, Peredur was brought into a fair chamber.

And the next day, with his uncle's permission, he rode forth.  And he
came to a wood, and far within the wood he heard a loud cry, and he saw a
beautiful woman with auburn hair, and a horse with a saddle upon it,
standing near her, and a corpse by her side.  And as she strove to place
the corpse upon the horse, it fell to the ground, and thereupon she made
a great lamentation.  "Tell me, sister," said Peredur, "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 the cause of thy mother's death; for when thou didst
ride forth against her will, anguish seized upon her heart, so that she
died; and therefore art thou accursed.  And the dwarf and the dwarfess
that thou sawest at Arthur's Court, were the dwarfs of thy father and
mother; 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; and do not
thou go near him, lest thou shouldest be slain by him likewise."  "My
sister, thou dost reproach me wrongfully; through my having so long
remained amongst you, I shall scarcely vanquish him; and had I continued
longer it would, indeed, be difficult for me to succeed.  Cease,
therefore, thy lamenting, for it is of no avail, and I will bury the
body, and then I will go in quest of the knight, and see if I can do
vengeance upon him."  And when he had buried the body, they went to the
place where the knight was, and found him riding proudly along the glade;
and he enquired of Peredur whence he came.  "I come from Arthur's Court."
"And art thou one of Arthur's men?"  "Yes, by my faith."  "A profitable
alliance, truly, is that of Arthur."  And without further parlance, they
encountered one another, and immediately Peredur overthrew the knight,
and he besought mercy of Peredur.  "Mercy shall thou have," said he,
"upon these terms, that thou take this woman in marriage, and do her all
the honour and reverence in thy power, seeing thou hast, without cause,
slain her wedded husband; and that thou go to Arthur's Court, and shew
him that it was I that overthrew thee, to do him honour and service; and
that thou tell him that I will never come to his Court again until I have
met with the tall man that is there, to take vengeance upon him for his
insult to the dwarf and the dwarfess."  And he took the knight's
assurance, that he would perform all this.  Then the knight provided the
lady with a horse and garments that were suitable for her, and took her
with him to Arthur's Court.  And he told Arthur all that had occurred,
and gave the defiance to Kai.  And Arthur and all his household reproved
Kai, for having driven such a youth as Peredur from his Court.

Said Owain the son of Urien, "This youth will never come into the Court
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 find Peredur,
and then let him and his adversary do their utmost to each other."

Then Peredur rode forward.  And he came to a desert wood, where he saw
not the track either of men or animals, and where there was nothing but
bushes and weeds.  And at the upper end of the wood he saw a vast castle,
wherein were many strong towers; and when he came near the gate, he found
the weeds taller than he had done elsewhere.  And he struck the gate with
the shaft of his lance, and thereupon behold a lean auburn-haired youth
came to an opening in the battlements.  "Choose thou, chieftain," said
he.  "Whether shall I open the gate unto thee, or shall I announce unto
those that are chief, that thou art at the gateway?"  "Say that I am
here," said Peredur, "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 when
he went into the hall, he beheld eighteen youths, lean and red-headed, of
the same height and of the same aspect, and of the same dress, and of the
same age as the one who had opened the gate for him.  And they were well
skilled in courtesy and in service.  And they disarrayed him.  Then they
sat down to discourse.  Thereupon, behold five maidens came from the
chamber into the hall.  And Peredur was certain that he had never seen
another of so fair an aspect as the chief of the maidens.  And she had an
old garment of satin upon her, which had once been handsome, but was then
so tattered, that her skin could be seen through it.  And whiter was her
skin than the bloom of crystal, and her hair and her two eyebrows were
blacker than jet, and on her cheeks were two red spots, redder than
whatever is reddest.  And the maiden welcomed Peredur, and put her arms
about his neck, and made him sit down beside her.  Not long after this he
saw two nuns enter and a flask full of wine was borne by one, and six
loaves of white bread by the other.  "Lady," said they, "Heaven is
witness, that there is not so much of food and liquor as this left in
yonder Convent this night."  Then they went to meat, and Peredur observed
that the maiden wished to give more of the food and of the liquor 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," said she.  "By my faith,
but I will."  So Peredur took the bread, and he gave an equal portion of
it to each alike, as well as a cup full of the liquor.  And when it was
time for them to sleep, a chamber was prepared for Peredur, and he went
to rest.

"Behold, sister," said the youths to the fairest and most exalted of the
maidens, "we have counsel for thee."  "What may it be?" she enquired.  "Go
to the youth that is in the upper chamber, and offer to 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 been the lady love of any
knight, and to make him such an offer before I am wooed by him, that,
truly, can I not do."  "By our confession to Heaven, unless thou actest
thus, we will leave thee here to thy enemies, to do as they will with
thee."  And through fear of this, the maiden went forth; and shedding
tears, she proceeded to the chamber.  And with the noise of the door
opening, Peredur awoke; and the maiden was weeping and lamenting.  "Tell
me, my sister," said Peredur, "wherefore dost thou weep?"  "I will tell
thee, lord," said she, "my father possessed these dominions as their
chief, and this palace 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 not willing to be given unto him, and my father would not give me
against my will, either to him or any earl in the world.  And my father
had no child except myself.  And after my father's death, these dominions
came into my own hands, and then was I less willing to accept him than
before.  So he made war upon me, and conquered all my possessions except
this one house.  And through the valour of the men whom thou hast seen,
who are my foster brothers, and the strength of the house, it can never
be taken while food and drink remain.  And now our provisions are
exhausted; but as thou hast seen, we have been fed by the nuns, to whom
the country is free.  And at length they also are without supply of food
or liquor.  And at no later date than to-morrow, the earl will come
against this place with all his forces; and if I fall into his power, my
fate will be no better than to be given over to the grooms of his horses.
Therefore, lord, I am come to offer to place myself in thy hands, that
thou mayest succour me, either by taking me hence, or by defending me
here, whichever may seem best unto thee."  "Go, my sister," said he, "and
sleep; nor will I depart from thee until I do that which thou requirest,
or prove whether I can assist thee or not."  The maiden went again to
rest; and the next morning she came to Peredur, and saluted him.  "Heaven
prosper thee, my soul, and what tidings dost thou bring?"  "None other,
than that the earl and all his forces have alighted at the gate, and I
never beheld any place so covered with tents, and thronged with knights
challenging others to the combat."  "Truly," said Peredur, "let my horse
be made ready."  So his horse was accoutred, and he arose, and sallied
forth to the meadow.  And there was a knight riding proudly along the
meadow, having raised the signal for battle.  And they encountered, and
Peredur threw the knight over his horse's crupper to the ground.  And at
the close of the day, one of the chief knights came to fight with him,
and he overthrew him also, so that he besought his mercy.  "Who art
thou?" said Peredur.  "Verily," said he, "I am Master of the Household to
the earl."  "And how much of the Countess's possessions is there in thy
power?"  "The third part, verily," answered he.  "Then," said Peredur,
"restore to her the third of her possessions in full, and all the profit
thou hast made by them, and bring meat and drink for a hundred 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 right joyful, and they fared
plenteously.

And the next day Peredur rode forth to the meadow; and that day he
vanquished a multitude of the host.  And at the close of the day, there
came a proud and stately knight, and Peredur overthrew him, and he
besought his mercy.  "Who art thou?" said Peredur.  "I am Steward of the
Palace," said he.  "And how much of the maiden's possessions are under
thy control?"  "One third part," answered he.  "Verily," said Peredur,
"thou shalt fully restore to the maiden her possessions, and, moreover,
thou shalt give her meat and drink for two 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 vanquished
more that day than on either of the preceding.  And at the close of the
day, an earl came to encounter him, and he overthrew him, and he besought
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 give her thine own
earldom in addition thereto, and meat and drink for three hundred men,
and their horses and arms, and thou thyself shalt remain in her power."
And thus it was fulfilled.  And Peredur tarried three weeks in the
country, causing tribute and obedience to be paid to the maiden, and the
government to be placed in her hands.  "With thy leave," said Peredur, "I
will go hence."  "Verily, my brother, desirest thou this?"  "Yes, by my
faith; and had it not been for 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 the North; and if ever thou art in trouble or in danger,
acquaint me therewith, and if I can, I will protect thee."

So Peredur rode forth.  And far thence there met him a lady, mounted on a
horse that was lean, and covered with sweat; and she saluted the youth.
"Whence comest thou, my sister?"  Then she told him the cause of 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 enquired of Peredur, if he had seen a knight such as he was
seeking.  "Hold thy peace," said Peredur, "I am he whom thou seekest; and
by my faith, thou deservest ill of thy household for thy treatment of the
maiden, for she is innocent concerning me."  So they encountered, and
they were not long in combat ere Peredur overthrew the knight, and he
besought his mercy.  "Mercy thou shalt have," said Peredur, "so thou wilt
return by the way thou camest, and declare that thou holdest the maiden
innocent, and so that thou wilt acknowledge unto her the reverse thou
hast sustained at my hands."  And the knight plighted him his faith
thereto.

Then Peredur rode forward.  And above him he beheld a castle, and
thitherward he went.  And he struck upon the gate with his lance, and
then, behold a comely auburn-haired youth opened the gate, and he had the
stature of a warrior, and the years of a boy.  And when Peredur came into
the hall, there was a tall and stately lady sitting in a chair, and many
handmaidens around her; and the lady rejoiced at his coming.  And when it
was time, they went to meat.  And after their repast was finished, "It
were well for thee, chieftain," said she, "to go elsewhere to sleep."
"Wherefore can I not sleep here?" said Peredur.  "Nine sorceresses are
here, my soul, of the sorceresses of Gloucester, and their father and
their mother are with them; and unless we can make our escape before
daybreak, we shall be slain; and already they have conquered and laid
waste all the country, except this one dwelling."  "Behold," said
Peredur, "I will remain here to-night, and if you are in trouble, I will
do you what service I can; but harm shall you not receive from me."  So
they went to 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 of the watch, who cried out violently.  Peredur attacked the
sorceress, and struck her upon the head with his sword, so that he
flattened her helmet and her headpiece like a dish upon her head.  "Thy
mercy, goodly Peredur, son of Evrawc, and the mercy of Heaven."  "How
knowest thou, hag, that I am Peredur?"  "By destiny, and the
foreknowledge that I should suffer harm from thee.  And thou shalt take a
horse and armour of me; and with me thou shalt go to learn chivalry and
the use of thy arms."  Said Peredur, "Thou shalt have mercy, if thou
pledge thy faith thou wilt never more injure the dominions of the
Countess."  And Peredur took surety of this, and with permission of the
Countess, he set forth with the sorceress to the palace of the
sorceresses.  And there he remained for three weeks, 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 valley he
came to a hermit's cell, and the hermit welcomed him gladly, and there he
spent the night.  And in the morning he arose, and when he went forth,
behold a shower of snow had fallen the night before, and a hawk had
killed a wild fowl in front of the cell.  And the noise of the horse
scared the hawk away, and a raven alighted upon the bird.  And Peredur
stood, and compared the blackness of the raven, and whiteness of the
snow, and the redness of the blood, to the hair of the lady that best he
loved, which was blacker than jet, and to her skin which was whiter than
the snow, and to the two red spots upon her cheeks, which were redder
than the blood upon the snow appeared to 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 by the brook
{72} up yonder?"  "Lord," said one of them, "I will go and learn who he
is."  So the youth came to the place where Peredur was, and asked him
what he did thus, and who he was.  And from the intensity with which he
thought upon the lady whom best he loved, he gave him no answer.  Then
the youth thrust at Peredur with his lance, and Peredur turned upon him,
and struck him over his horse's crupper to the ground.  And after this,
four and twenty youths came to him, and he did not answer one more than
another, but gave the same reception to all, bringing them with one
single thrust to the ground.  And then came Kai, and spoke to Peredur
rudely and angrily; and Peredur took him with his lance under the jaw,
and cast him from him with a thrust, so that he broke his arm and his
shoulder blade, and he rode over him one and twenty times.  And while he
lay thus, stunned with the violence of the pain that he had suffered, his
horse returned back at a wild and prancing pace.  And when the household
saw the horse come back without his rider, they rode forth in haste to
the place where the encounter had been.  And when they first came there,
they thought that Kai was slain; but they found that if he had a skilful
physician, he yet might live.  And Peredur moved not from his meditation,
on seeing the concourse that was around Kai.  And Kai was brought to
Arthur's tent, and Arthur caused skilful physicians to come to him.  And
Arthur was grieved that Kai had met with this reverse, for he loved him
greatly.

"Then," said Gwalchmai, "it is not fitting that any should disturb an
honourable knight from his thought unadvisedly; for either he is
pondering some damage that he has sustained, or he is thinking of the
lady 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 knight has
changed from his thought; and if he has, I will ask him courteously to
come and visit thee."  Then Kai was wrath, and he spoke angry and
spiteful words.  "Gwalchmai," said he, "I know that thou wilt bring him
because he is fatigued.  Little praise and honour, nevertheless, wilt
thou have from vanquishing a weary knight, who is tired with fighting.
Yet, thus hast thou gained the advantage over many.  And while thy speech
and thy soft words last, a coat of thin linen were armour sufficient for
thee, and thou wilt not need to break either lance or sword in fighting
with the knight in the state he is in."  Then said Gwalchmai to Kai,
"Thou mightest use more pleasant words, wert thou so minded; and it
behoves thee not upon me to wreak thy wrath and thy displeasure.  Methinks
I shall bring the knight hither with me without breaking either my arm or
my shoulder."  Then said Arthur to Gwalchmai, "Thou speakest like a wise
and a prudent man; go and take enough of armour about thee, and choose
thy horse."  And Gwalchmai accoutred himself, and rode forward hastily to
the place where Peredur was.

And Peredur was resting on the shaft of his spear, pondering the same
thought, and Gwalchmai came to him without any signs of hostility, and
said to him, "If I thought that it would be as agreeable to thee as it
would be to me, I would converse with thee.  I have also a message from
Arthur unto thee, to pray thee to come and visit him.  And two men have
been before on this errand."  "That is true," said Peredur, "and
uncourteously they came.  They attacked me, and I was annoyed thereat,
for it was not pleasing to me to be drawn from the thought that I was in,
for I was thinking of the lady whom best I love; and thus was she brought
to my mind,--I was looking upon the snow, and upon the raven, and upon
the drops of the blood of the bird that the hawk had killed upon the
snow.  And I bethought me that her whiteness was like that of the snow,
and that the blackness of her hair and her eyebrows was like that of the
raven, and that the two red spots upon her cheeks were like the two drops
of blood."  Said Gwalchmai, "This was not an ungentle thought, and I
should marvel if it were pleasant to thee to be drawn from it."  "Tell
me," said Peredur, "is Kai in Arthur's Court?"  "He is," said he, "and
behold he is the knight that fought with thee last; and it would have
been better for him had he not come, for his arm and his shoulder blade
were broken with the fall which he had from thy spear."  "Verily," said
Peredur, "I am not sorry to have thus begun to avenge the insult to the
dwarf and dwarfess."  Then Gwalchmai marvelled to hear him speak of the
dwarf and the dwarfess; and he approached him, and threw his arms around
his neck, and asked him what was his name.  "Peredur the 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 with thee," said Peredur, "for in
every country where I have been, I have heard of thy fame for prowess and
uprightness, and I solicit thy fellowship."  "Thou shall 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 Arthur was;
and when Kai saw them coming, he said, "I knew that Gwalchmai needed not
to fight the knight.  And it is no wonder that he should gain fame; more
can he do by his fair words, than I by the strength of my arm."  And
Peredur went with Gwalchmai to his tent, and they took off their armour.
And Peredur put on garments like those that Gwalchmai 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 shalt remain; and had I known thy valour {76}
had been such, thou shouldst not have left me as thou didst.
Nevertheless, this was predicted of thee by the dwarf and the dwarfess,
whom Kai ill treated, and whom thou hast avenged."  And hereupon, behold
there came the Queen and her handmaidens, and Peredur saluted them.  And
they were rejoiced to see him, and bade him welcome.  And Arthur did him
great honour and respect, and they returned towards Caerlleon.

And the first night, Peredur came to Caerlleon, to Arthur's Court, and as
he walked in the city after his repast, behold, there met him Angharad
Law Eurawc.  "By my faith, sister," said Peredur, "thou art a beauteous
and lovely maiden; and were it pleasing to thee, I could love thee above
all women."  "I pledge my faith," said she, "that I do 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 which were
rocky and wooded.  And the flat part of the valley was in meadows, and
there were fields betwixt the meadows and the wood.  And in the bosom of
the wood he saw large black houses, of uncouth workmanship.  And he
dismounted, and led his horse towards the wood.  And a little way within
the wood he saw a rocky ledge, along which the road lay.  And upon the
ledge was a lion bound by a chain, and sleeping.  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, and struck the lion, so that he fell into the
mouth of the pit, and hung there by the chain; and with a second blow he
struck the chain, and broke it, and the lion fell into the pit, and
Peredur led his horse over the rocky ledge, until he came into the
valley.  And in the centre 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 young pages were shooting the hilts of their daggers, of the bone of
the sea 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.  And
Peredur saluted him.  And the grey man said, "Disgrace to the beard of my
porter."  Then Peredur understood that the porter was the lion.  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, and upon them
was abundance of food and liquor.  And thereupon he saw an aged woman and
a young woman come from the chamber; and they were the most stately women
he had ever seen.  Then they washed, and went to meat, and the grey man
sat in the upper seat at the head of the table, and the aged woman next
to him.  And Peredur and the maiden were placed together; and the two
young pages served them.  And the maiden gazed sorrowfully upon Peredur,
and Peredur asked the maiden wherefore she was sad.  "For thee, my soul;
for, from when I first beheld thee, I have loved thee above all men.  And
it pains me to know that so gentle a youth as thou should have such a
doom as awaits thee to-morrow.  Sawest thou the numerous black houses in
the bosom of 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
will rise up against thee, and will slay thee.  And the Round Valley is
this valley called."  "Listen, fair maiden, wilt thou contrive that my
horse and arms be in the same lodging with me to-night."  "Gladly will I
cause it so to be, by Heaven, if I can."

And when it was time for them to sleep rather than to carouse, they went
to rest.  And the maiden caused Peredur's horse and arms to be in the
same lodging with him.  And the next morning Peredur heard a great tumult
of men and horses around the Castle.  And Peredur arose, and armed
himself and his horse, and went to the meadow.  Then the aged 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 has seen in this place, and we
will be his sureties that he keep it."  "I will not do so, by my faith,"
said the grey man.  So Peredur fought with the host; and towards evening,
he had slain the one-third of them without 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
the battlements 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 thou hadst accorded mercy
to the youth, before he had slain thy two sons; for now scarcely wilt
thou thyself escape from him."  "Go, maiden, and beseech the youth to
grant mercy unto us, for we yield ourselves into his hands."  So the
maiden came to the place where Peredur was, and besought mercy for her
father, and for all such of his vassals as had escaped alive.  "Thou
shalt have it, on condition that thy father, and all that are under him,
go and render homage to Arthur, and tell him that it was his vassal
Peredur that did him this service."  "This will we do willingly, by
Heaven."  "And you shall also receive baptism; and I will send to Arthur,
and beseech him to bestow this valley upon thee, and upon thy heirs after
thee for ever."  Then they went in, and the grey man and the tall woman
saluted Peredur.  And the grey man said unto him, "Since I have possessed
this valley, I have not seen any Christian depart with his life, save
thyself.  And we will go to do homage to Arthur, and to embrace the
faith, and be baptized."  Then said Peredur, "To Heaven I render thanks
that I have not broken my vow to the lady that best I love, which was,
that I would not speak one word unto any Christian."

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

Peredur rode forward next day, and he traversed a vast tract of desert,
in which no dwellings were.  And at length he came to a habitation, mean
and small.  And there he heard that there was a serpent that lay upon a
gold ring, and suffered none to inhabit the country for seven miles
around.  And Peredur came to the place where he heard the serpent was.
And angrily, furiously, and desperately, fought he with the serpent; and
at the last he killed it, and took away the ring.  And thus he was for a
long time without speaking a word to any Christian.  And therefrom he
lost his colour and his aspect, through extreme longing after the Court
of Arthur, and the society of the lady whom best he loved, and of his
companions.  Then he proceeded forward to Arthur's Court, and on the road
there met him Arthur's household, going on a particular errand, with Kai
at their head.  And Peredur knew them all, but none of the household
recognised him.  "Whence comest thou, chieftain?" said Kai.  And this he
asked him twice, and three times, and he answered him not.  And Kai
thrust him through the thigh with his lance.  And lest he should be
compelled to speak, and to break his vow, he went on without stopping.
"Then," said Gwalchmai, "I declare to Heaven, Kai, that thou hast acted
ill in committing such an outrage on a youth like this, who cannot
speak."  And Gwalchmai returned back to Arthur's Court.  "Lady," said he
to Gwenhwyvar, "seest thou how wicked an outrage Kai has committed upon
this youth who cannot speak; for Heaven's sake, and for mine, cause him
to have medical care before I come back, and I will repay thee the
charge."

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

And one day, Arthur and his household were going to Church, and they
beheld a knight who had raised the signal for combat.  "Verily," said
Arthur, "by the valour of men, I will not go hence until I have my horse
and my arms to overthrow yonder boor."  Then went the attendants to fetch
Arthur's horse and arms.  And Peredur met the attendants as they were
going back, and he took the horse and arms from them, and proceeded to
the meadow; and all those who saw him arise and go to do battle with the
knight, went upon the tops of the houses, and the mounds, and the high
places, to behold the combat.  And Peredur beckoned with his hand to the
knight to commence the fight.  And the knight thrust at him, but he was
not thereby moved from where he stood.  And Peredur spurred his horse,
and ran at him wrathfully, 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
cast him a long way from him.  And Peredur went back, and left the horse
and the arms with the attendant as before, and he went on foot to the
Palace.

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

Arthur was in Caerlleon upon Usk; and he went to hunt, and Peredur went
with him.  And Peredur let loose his dog upon a hart, and the dog killed
the hart in a desert place.  And a short space from him he saw signs of a
dwelling, and towards the dwelling he went, and he beheld a hall, and at
the door of the hall he found bald swarthy youths playing at chess.  And
when he entered, he beheld three maidens sitting on a bench, and they
were all clothed alike, as became persons of high rank.  And he came, and
sat by them upon the bench; and one of the maidens looked steadfastly
upon Peredur, and wept.  And Peredur asked her wherefore she was weeping.
"Through grief, that I should see so fair a youth as thou art, slain."
"Who will slay me?" enquired Peredur.  "If thou art so daring as to
remain here to-night, I will tell thee."  "How great soever my danger may
be from remaining here, I will listen unto thee."  "This Palace is owned
by him who is my father," said the maiden, "and he slays every one who
comes hither without his leave."  "What sort of a man is thy father, that
he is able to slay every one thus?"

"A man who does violence and wrong unto his neighbours, and who renders
justice unto none."  And hereupon he saw the youths arise and clear the
chessmen from the board.  And he heard a great tumult; and after the
tumult there came in a huge black one-eyed man, and the maidens arose to
meet him.  And they disarrayed him, and he went and sat down; and after
he had rested and pondered awhile, he looked at Peredur, and asked who
the knight was.  "Lord," said one of the maidens, "he is the fairest and
gentlest youth that ever thou didst see.  And for the sake of Heaven, and
of thine own dignity, have patience with him."  "For thy sake I will have
patience, and I will grant him his life this night."  Then Peredur came
towards them to the fire, and partook of food and liquor, and entered
into discourse with the ladies.  And being elated with the liquor, he
said to the black man, "It is a marvel to me, so mighty as thou sayest
thou art, who could have put out thine eye?"  "It is one of my habits,"
said the black man, "that whosoever puts to me the question which thou
hast asked, shall not escape 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 through the excitement of liquor, make good that which thou
saidest and didst promise me just now."  "I will do so, gladly, for thy
sake," said he.  "Willingly will I grant him his life this night."  And
that night thus they remained.

And the next day the black man got up, and put on his armour, and said to
Peredur, "Arise, man, and suffer death."  And Peredur said unto him, "Do
one of two things, black man; if thou wilt fight with me, either throw
off thy own armour, or give arms to me, that I may encounter thee."  "Ha!
man," said he, "couldst thou fight, if thou hadst arms?  Take, then, what
arms thou dost choose."  And thereupon the maiden came to Peredur with
such arms as pleased him; and he fought with the black man, and forced
him to crave his mercy.  "Black man, thou shalt have mercy, provided thou
tell me who thou art, and who put out thine eye."  "Lord, I will tell
thee, I lost it in fighting with the Black Serpent of the Carn.  There is
a mound, which is called the Mound of Mourning; and on the mound there is
a earn, and in the earn there is a serpent, and on the tail of the
serpent there is a stone, and the virtues of the stone are such, that
whosoever should hold it in one hand, in the other he will have as much
gold as he may desire.  And in fighting with this serpent was it that I
lost my eye.  And the Black Oppressor am I called.  And for this reason I
am called the Black Oppressor, that there is not a single man around me
whom I have not oppressed, and justice have I done unto none."  "Tell me"
said Peredur, "how far is it hence?"  "The same day that thou settest
forth, thou wilt come to the Palace of the Sons of the King of the
Tortures."  "Wherefore are they called thus?"  "The Addanc of the Lake
slays them once every day.  When thou goest thence, thou wilt come to the
Court of the Countess of the Achievements."  "What achievements are
there?" asked Peredur.  "Three hundred men there are in her household,
and unto every stranger that comes to the Court, the achievements of her
household are related.  And this is the manner of it,--the three hundred
men of the household sit next unto the Lady; and that not through
disrespect unto the guests, but that they may relate the achievements of
the household.  And the day that thou goest thence, thou wilt reach the
Mound of Mourning, and round about the mound there are the owners of
three hundred tents guarding the serpent."  "Since thou hast, indeed,
been an oppressor so long," said Peredur, "I will cause that thou
continue so no longer."  So he slew him.

Then the maiden spoke, and began to converse with him.  "If thou wast
poor when thou camest here, henceforth thou wilt be rich through the
treasure of the black man whom thou hast slain.  Thou seest the many
lovely maidens that there are in this Court, thou shalt have her whom
thou best likest for the lady of thy love."  "Lady, I came not hither
from my country to woo; but match yourselves as it liketh you with the
comely youths I see here; and none of your goods do I desire, for I need
them not."  Then Peredur rode forward, and he came to the Palace of the
Sons of the King of the Tortures; and when he entered the Palace, he saw
none but women; and they rose up, and were joyful at his coming; and as
they began to discourse with him, he beheld a charger 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, and anointed it in a vessel of warm
water, which was below the door, and placed precious balsam upon it; and
the man rose up alive, and came to the place where Peredur was, and
greeted him, and was joyful to see him.  And two other men came in upon
their saddles, and the maiden treated these two in the same manner as she
had done the first.  Then Peredur asked the chieftain wherefore it was
thus.  And they told him, that there was an Addanc in a cave, which slew
them once every day.  And thus they remained that night.

And next morning the youths arose to sally forth, and Peredur besought
them, for the sake of the ladies of their love, to permit him to go with
them; but they refused him, saying, "If thou shouldst be slain there,
thou hast none to bring thee back to life again."  And they rode forward,
and Peredur followed after them; and after they had disappeared out of
his sight, he came to a mound, whereon sat the fairest lady he had ever
beheld.  "I know thy quest," said she, "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 the entrance of the cave there is a stone pillar, and
he sees every one that enters, and none see him; and from behind the
pillar he slays every one with a poisonous dart.  And if thou wouldst
pledge me thy faith, to love me above all women, I would give thee a
stone, by which thou shouldst see him when thou goest in, and he should
not see thee."  "I will, by my troth," said Peredur, "for when first I
beheld thee, I loved thee; and where shall I seek thee?"  "When thou
seekest me, seek towards India."  And the maiden vanished, after placing
the stone in Peredur's hand.

And he came towards a valley, through which ran a river; and the borders
of the valley were wooded, and on each side of the river were level
meadows.  And on one side of the river he saw a flock of white sheep, and
on the other a flock of black sheep.  And whenever one of the white sheep
bleated, one of the black sheep would cross over, and become white; and
when one of the black sheep bleated, one of the white sheep would cross
over, and become black.  And he saw a tall tree by the side of the river,
one half of which was in flames from the 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 two greyhounds, white-breasted, and spotted, in
leashes, lying by his side.  And certain was he, that he had never seen a
youth of so royal a bearing as he.  And in the wood opposite he heard
hounds raising a herd of deer.  And Peredur saluted the youth, and the
youth greeted him in return.  And there were three roads leading from the
mound; two of them were wide roads, and the third was more narrow.  And
Peredur enquired where the three roads went.  "One of them goes to my
palace," 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 thou wilt
find my wife, or else to remain here to see the hounds chasing the roused
deer from the wood to the plain.  And thou shall see the best 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 my palace to-night."
"Heaven reward thee; but I cannot tarry, for onward must I go."  "The
other road leads to the town, which is near here, and wherein food and
liquor may be bought; and the road which is 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 left
hand, and his lance in his right.  And as he went in, he perceived the
Addanc, and he pierced him through with his lance, and cut off his head.
And as he came from the cave, behold the three companions were at the
entrance; and they saluted Peredur, and told him that there was a
prediction that he should slay that monster.  And Peredur gave the head
to the young men, and they offered him in marriage whichever of the three
sisters he might choose, and half their kingdom with her.  "I came not
hither to woo," said Peredur, "but if peradventure I took a wife, I
should prefer your sister to all others."  And Peredur rode forward, and
he heard a noise behind him.  And he looked back, and saw a man upon a
red horse, with red armour upon him; and the man rode up by his side, and
saluted him, and wished him the favour 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."
"Who then should I take as my attendant, if I did so?"  "I will not
conceal from thee what kindred I am of.  Etlym Gleddyv Coch am I called,
an Earl from the East Country."  "I marvel that thou shouldest offer to
become attendant to a man whose possessions are no greater than thine
own; for I have but an earldom like thyself.  But since thou desirest to
be my attendant, I will take thee joyfully."

And they went forward to the Court of the Countess, and all they of the
Court were glad at their coming; and they were told it was not through
disrespect they were placed below the household, but that such was the
usage of the Court.  For, whoever should overthrow the three hundred men
of her household, would sit next the Countess, and she would love him
above all men.  And Peredur having overthrown the three hundred men of
her household, sat down beside her, and the Countess said, "I thank
Heaven that I have a youth so fair and so valiant 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 Coch is the man whom I love best,
and I have never seen him."  "Of a truth, Etlym is my companion; and
behold here he is, and for his sake did I come to joust with thy
household.  And he could have done so better than I, had it pleased him.
And I do give thee unto him."  "Heaven reward thee, fair youth, and I
will take the man whom I love above all others."  And the Countess became
Etlym's bride from that moment.

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 they went
forwards till they came in sight of the mound and the tents.  "Go unto
yonder men," said Peredur to Etlym, "and desire them to come and do me
homage."  So Etlym went unto them, and said unto them thus--"Come and do
homage to my lord."  "Who is thy lord?" said they.  "Peredur with the
long lance is my lord," said Etlym.  "Were it permitted to slay a
messenger, thou shouldest not go back to thy lord alive, for making unto
Kings, and Earls, and Barons, so arrogant a demand as to go and do him
homage."  Peredur desired him to go back to them, and to give them their
choice, either to do him homage or to do battle with him.  And they chose
rather to do battle.  And that day Peredur overthrew the owners of a
hundred tents.  And the next day he overthrew the owners of a hundred
more; and the third day the remaining hundred took counsel to do homage
to Peredur.  And Peredur enquired of them, wherefore they were there.  And
they told him they were guarding the serpent until he should die.  "For
then should we fight for the stone among ourselves, and whoever should be
conqueror among us would have the stone."  "Await here," said Peredur,
"and I will go to encounter the serpent."  "Not so, lord," said they, "we
will go altogether to encounter the serpent."

"Verily," said Peredur, "that will I not permit; for if the serpent be
slain, I shall derive no more fame therefrom than one of you."  Then he
went to the place where the serpent was, and slew it, and came back to
them, and said, "Reckon up what you have spent since you have been here,
and I will repay you to the full."  And he paid to each what he said was
his claim.  And he required of them only that they should acknowledge
themselves his vassals.  And he said to Etlym, "Go back unto her whom
thou lovest best, and I will go forwards, and I will reward thee for
having been my attendant."  And he gave Etlym the stone.  "Heaven repay
thee and prosper thee," said Etlym.

And Peredur rode thence, and he came to the fairest valley he had ever
seen, through which ran a river; and there he beheld many tents of
various colours.  And he marvelled still more at the number of
water-mills and of wind-mills that he saw.  And there rode up with him a
tall auburn-haired man, in a workman's garb, and Peredur enquired of him
who he was.  "I am the chief miller," said he, "of all the mills yonder."
"Wilt thou give me lodging?" said Peredur.  "I will, gladly," he
answered.  And Peredur came to the miller's house, and the miller had a
fair and pleasant dwelling.  And Peredur asked money as a loan from the
miller, that he might buy meat and liquor for himself, and for the
household, and he promised that he would pay him again ere he went
thence.  And he enquired of the miller, wherefore such a multitude were
there assembled.  Said the miller to Peredur, "One thing is certain;
either thou art a man from afar, or thou art beside thyself.  The Empress
of Cristinobyl the Great is here; and she will have no one but the man
who is most valiant; for riches does she not require.  And it was
impossible to bring food for so many thousands 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 horse for
the tournament.  And among the other tents, he beheld one, which was the
fairest he had ever seen.  And he saw a beauteous maiden leaning her head
out of a window of the tent, and he had never seen a maiden 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 was ended; and he went to his lodging,
and drew off his armour.  Then he asked money of the miller as a loan,
and the miller's wife was wroth with Peredur; nevertheless, the miller
lent him the money.  And the next day he did in like manner as he had
done the day before.  And at night he came to his lodging, and took money
as a loan from the miller.  And the third day, as he was in the same
place, gazing upon the 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 that it 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."  And
Peredur smiled on the miller, and went to the tournament; and all that
encountered him that day, he overthrew.  And as many as he vanquished, he
sent as a gift to the Empress, and their horses and arms he sent as a
gift to the wife of the miller, in payment of the borrowed money.  Peredur
attended the tournament until all were overthrown, and he sent all the
men to the prison of the Empress, and the horses and arms to the wife of
the miller, in payment of the borrowed money.  And the Empress sent to
the Knight of the Mill, to ask him to come and visit her.  And Peredur
went not for the first nor for the second message.  And the third time
she sent an hundred knights to bring him against his will, and they went
to him, and told him their mission from the Empress.  And Peredur fought
well with them, and caused them to be bound like stags, and thrown into
the mill dyke.  And the Empress sought advice of a wise man, who was in
her counsel; and he said to her, "With thy permission, I will go to him
myself."  So he came to Peredur, and saluted him, and besought him, for
the sake of the lady of his love, to come and visit the Empress.  And
they went, together with the miller.  And Peredur went and sat down in
the outer chamber of the tent, and she came and placed herself by his
side.  And there was but little discourse between 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 tent, there was no one chamber less
decorated than the others.  And they knew not where he would sit.  And
Peredur went and sat beside the Empress, and discoursed with her
courteously.  And while they were thus, they beheld a black man enter
with a goblet full of wine in his hand.  And he dropped upon his knee
before the Empress, and besought her to give it to no one who would not
fight with him for it.  And she 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 larger stature than the other, with a wild
beast's claw in his hand, wrought into the form of a goblet, and filled
with wine.  And he presented it to the Empress, and besought her to give
it to no one but the man who would fight with him.  "Lady," said Peredur,
"bestow it on me."  And she gave it to him.  And Peredur drank the wine,
and sent the goblet to the wife of the miller.  And while they were thus,
behold a rough-looking crisp-haired man, taller than either of the
others, came in with a bowl in his hand full of wine; and he bent upon
his knee, and gave it into the hands of the Empress, and he besought her
to give it to none but him who would fight with him for it; and she gave
it to Peredur, and he sent it to the miller's wife.  And that night
Peredur returned to his lodging; and the next day he accoutred himself
and his horse, and went to the meadow, and slew the three men.  Then
Peredur proceeded to the tent, and the Empress said to him, "Goodly
Peredur, remember the faith thou didst pledge me when I gave thee the
stone, and thou didst kill the Addanc."  "Lady," answered he, "thou
sayest truth, I do remember it."  And Peredur was entertained by the
Empress fourteen years, as the story relates.

* * * * *

Arthur was at Caerlleon upon Usk, his principal palace; and in the centre
of the floor of the hall were four men sitting on a carpet of velvet,
Owain the son of Urien, and Gwalchmai the son of Gwyar, and Howel the son
of Emyr Llydaw, and Peredur of the long lance.  And thereupon they saw a
black curly-headed maiden enter, riding upon a yellow mule, with jagged
thongs in her hand, to urge it on; and having a rough and hideous aspect.
Blacker were her face and her two hands than the blackest iron covered
with pitch; and her hue was not more frightful than her form.  High
cheeks had she, and a face lengthened downwards, and a short nose with
distended nostrils.  And one eye was of 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 yellow were they than the flower of the broom.  And
her stomach rose from the breast bone, higher than her chin.  And her
back was in the shape of a crook, and her legs were large and bony.  And
her figure was very thin and spare, except her feet and her legs, which
were of huge size.  And she greeted Arthur and all his household, except
Peredur.  And to Peredur she spoke harsh and angry words.  "Peredur, I
greet thee not, seeing that thou dost not merit it.  Blind was fate in
giving thee fame and favour.  When thou wast in the Court of the Lame
King, and didst see there the youth bearing the streaming spear, from the
points of which were drops of blood flowing in streams, even to the hand
of the youth, and many other wonders likewise, thou didst not enquire
their meaning nor their cause.  Hadst thou done so, the King would have
been restored to health, and his dominions to peace.  Whereas, from
henceforth, he will have to endure battles and conflicts, and his knights
will perish, and wives will be widowed, and maidens will be left
portionless, and all this is because of thee."  Then said she unto
Arthur, "May it please thee, lord, my dwelling is far hence, in the
stately castle of which thou hast heard, and therein are five hundred and
sixty-six knights of the order of Chivalry, and the lady whom best he
loves with each; and whoever would acquire fame in arms, and encounters,
and conflicts, he will gain it there, if he deserve it.  And whoso would
reach the summit of fame and of honour, I know where he may find it.
There is a Castle on a lofty mountain, and there is a maiden therein, and
she is detained a prisoner there, and whoever shall set her free will
attain the summit of the fame of the world."  And thereupon she rode
away.

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

At the dawn of day, Gwalchmai came to a valley, and in the valley he saw
a fortress, and within the fortress a vast palace, and lofty towers
around it.  And he beheld a knight coming out to hunt from the other
side, mounted on a spirited black snorting palfrey, that advanced 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," said he, "and whence comest thou?"
"I come," answered he, "from the Court of Arthur."  "And art thou
Arthur's vassal?"  "Yes, by my faith," said Gwalchmai.  "I will give thee
good counsel," said the knight.  "I see that thou art tired and weary, go
unto my palace, if it may please thee, and tarry there to-night."
"Willingly, lord," said he, "and Heaven reward thee."  "Take this ring as
a token to the porter, and go forward to yonder tower, and therein thou
wilt find my sister."  And Gwalchmai went to the gate, and shewed the
ring, and proceeded to the tower.  And on entering, he beheld a large
blazing fire, burning without smoke, and with a bright and lofty flame,
and a beauteous and stately maiden was sitting on a chair by the fire.
And the maiden was glad at his coming, and welcomed him, and advanced to
meet him.  And he went and sat beside the maiden, and they took their
repast.  And when their repast was over, they discoursed pleasantly
together.  And while they were thus, behold there entered a venerable
hoary-headed man.  "Ah! base girl," said he, "if thou didst think that it
was right for thee to entertain and to sit by yonder man; thou wouldest
not do so."  And he withdrew his head, and went forth, "Ha! chieftain,"
said the maiden, "if thou wilt do as I counsel thee, thou wilt shut the
door, lest the man should have a plot against thee."  Upon that Gwalchmai
arose, and when he came near unto the door, the man, with sixty others,
fully armed, were ascending the tower.  And Gwalchmai defended the door
with a chessboard, that none might enter until the man should return from
the chase.  And thereupon, behold the earl arrived.  "What is all this?"
asked he.  "It is a sad thing," said the hoary-headed man, "the young
girl yonder has been sitting and eating with him who slew your father.  He
is Gwalchmai the son of Gwyar."  "Hold thy peace, then," said the earl,
"I will go in."  And the earl was joyful concerning Gwalchmai.  "Ha!
chieftain," said he, "it was wrong of thee to come to my Court, when thou
knewest that thou didst slay my father; and though we cannot avenge him,
Heaven will avenge him upon thee."  "My soul," said Gwalchmai, "thus it
is; I came not here either to acknowledge or to deny having slain thy
father; but I am on a message from Arthur, and therefore do I crave the
space of a year until I shall return from my embassy, and then, upon my
faith, I will come back unto this palace, and do one of two things,
either acknowledge it, or deny it."  And the time was granted him
willingly; and he remained there that night.  And the next morning he
rode forth.  And the story relates nothing further of Gwalchmai
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 by a river.  And as
he traversed the valley, he beheld a horseman coming towards him, and
wearing the garments of a priest, and he besought his blessing.  "Wretched
man," said he, "thou meritest no blessing, and thou wouldst not be
profited by one, seeing that thou art clad in armour on such a day as
this."  "And what day is to-day?" said Peredur.  "To-day is Good Friday,"
he answered.  "Chide me not, that I knew not this, seeing that it is a
year to-day since I journeyed forth from my country."  Then he
dismounted, and led his horse in his hand.  And he had not proceeded far
along the high road before he came to a cross road, and the cross road
traversed a wood.  And on the other side of the wood he saw an
unfortified castle, which appeared to be inhabited.  And at the gate of
the castle there met him the priest whom he had seen before, and he asked
his blessing.  "The blessing of Heaven be unto thee," said he, "it is
more fitting to travel in thy present guise, than as thou wast erewhile;
and this night thou shalt tarry with me."  So he remained there that
night.

And the next day Peredur sought to go forth.  "To-day may no one journey.
Thou shalt remain with me to-day and to-morrow, and the day following,
and I will direct thee as best I may to the place which thou art
seeking."  And the fourth day Peredur sought to go forth, and he
entreated the priest to tell him how he should find the Castle of
Wonders.  "What I know thereof, I will tell thee," he replied.  "Go over
yonder mountain, and on the other side of the mountain thou wilt come to
a river, and in the valley wherein the river runs is a King's Palace,
wherein the King sojourned during Easter.  And if thou mayest have
tidings anywhere of the Castle of Wonders, thou wilt have them there."

Then Peredur rode forward.  And he came to the valley in which was the
river, and there met him a number of men going to hunt, and in the midst
of them was a man of exalted rank, and Peredur saluted him.  "Choose,
chieftain," said the man, "whether thou wilt go with me to the chase, or
wilt proceed to my Palace, and I will despatch one of my household to
commend thee to my daughter, who is there, and who will entertain thee
with food and liquor until I return from hunting; and whatever may be
thine errand, such as I can obtain for thee, thou shalt gladly have."  And
the King sent a little yellow page with him as an attendant; and when
they came to the palace, the lady had arisen, and was about to wash
before meat.  Peredur went forward, and she saluted him joyfully, and
placed him by her side.  And they took their repast.  And whatsoever
Peredur said unto her, she laughed loudly, so that all in the palace
could hear.  Then spoke the yellow page to the lady.  "By my faith," said
he, "this youth is already thy husband; or if he be not, thy mind and thy
thoughts are set upon him."  And the little yellow page went unto the
King, and told him that it seemed to him that the youth whom he had met
with was his daughter's husband, or if he were not so already, that he
would shortly become so, unless he were cautious.  "What is thy counsel
in this matter, youth?" said the King.  "My counsel is," he replied,
"that thou set strong men upon him, to seize him, until thou hast
ascertained the truth respecting this."  So he set strong men upon
Peredur, who seized him, and cast him into prison.  And the maiden went
before her father, and asked him, wherefore he had caused the youth 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 the king had said, but
she went to the youth.  "Is it unpleasant to thee to be here?" said she.
"I should not care, if I were not," he replied.  "Thy couch and thy
treatment shall be in no wise inferior to that of the King himself, and
thou shalt have the best entertainment that the palace affords.  And if
it were more pleasing to thee that my couch should be here, that I might
discourse with thee, it should be so, cheerfully."  "This can I not
refuse," said Peredur.  And he remained in prison that night.  And the
maiden provided all that she had promised him.

And the next day Peredur heard a tumult in the town.  "Tell me, fair
maiden, what is that tumult?" said Peredur.  "All the King's hosts and
his forces have come to the town to-day."  "And what seek they here?" he
enquired.  "There is an Earl near this place, who possesses two Earldoms,
and is as powerful as a king; and an engagement will take place between
them to-day."  "I beseech thee," said Peredur, "to cause 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 horse and arms, and a bright scarlet robe
of honour over his armour, and a yellow shield upon his shoulder.  And he
went to the combat; and as many of the Earl's men as encountered him that
day, he overthrew; and he returned to his prison.  And the maiden asked
tidings of Peredur, and he answered her not a word.  And she went and
asked tidings of her father, and enquired who had acquitted himself best
of the household.  And he said that he knew not, but that it was a man
with a scarlet robe of honour over his armour, and a yellow shield upon
his shoulder.  Then she smiled, and returned to where Peredur was, and
did him great honour that night.  And for three days did Peredur slay the
Earl's men; and before any one could know who he was, he returned to his
prison.  And the fourth day Peredur slew the Earl himself.  And the
maiden went unto her father, and enquired of him the news.  "I have good
news for thee," said the King, "the Earl is slain, 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 knight with the scarlet robe of honour, and
the yellow shield."  "Lord," said she, "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 he would 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, and the maiden on the other side of Peredur, "I
will give thee," said the King, "my daughter in marriage, and half my
kingdom with her, and the two Earldoms as a gift."  "Heaven reward thee,
lord," said Peredur, "but I came not here to woo."  "What seekest thou,
then, chieftain?"  "I am seeking tidings of the Castle of Wonders."  "Thy
enterprise is greater, chieftain, than thou wilt wish to pursue," said
the maiden, "nevertheless, tidings shalt thou have of the Castle, and
thou shalt have a guide through my father's dominions, and a sufficiency
of provisions for thy journey, for thou art, O chieftain, the man whom
best I love."  Then she said to him, "Go over yonder mountain, and thou
wilt find a Lake, and in the middle of the Lake there is a Castle, and
that is the Castle that is called the Castle of Wonders; and we know not
what wonders are therein, but thus is it called."

And Peredur proceeded towards the Castle, and the gate of the Castle was
open.  And when he came to the hall, the door was open, and he entered.
And he beheld a chessboard in the hall, and the chessmen were playing
against each other, by themselves.  And the side that he favoured lost
the game, {102} and thereupon the others set up a shout, as though they
had been living men.  And Peredur was wroth, and took the chessmen in his
lap, and cast the chessboard into the lake.  And when he had done thus,
behold the black maiden came in, and she said to him, "The welcome of
Heaven be not unto thee.  Thou hadst rather do evil than good."  "What
complaint hast thou against me, maiden?" said Peredur.  "That thou hast
occasioned unto the Empress the loss of her chessboard, which she would
not have lost for all her empire.  And the way in which thou mayest
recover the chessboard is, to repair to the Castle of Ysbidinongyl, where
is a black man, who lays waste the dominions of the Empress; and if thou
canst slay him, thou wilt recover the chessboard.  But if thou goest
there, thou wilt not return alive."  "Wilt thou direct me thither?" said
Peredur.  "I will show thee the way," she replied.  So he went to the
Castle of Ysbidinongyl, and he fought with the black man.  And the black
man besought mercy of Peredur.  "Mercy will I grant thee," said he, "on
condition that thou cause the chessboard to be restored to the place
where it was when I entered the hall."  Then the maiden came to him and
said, "The malediction of Heaven attend thee for thy work, since thou
hast left that monster alive, who lays waste all the possessions of the
Empress."  "I granted him his life," said Peredur, "that he might cause
the chessboard to be restored."  "The chessboard is not in the place
where thou didst find it; go back, therefore, and slay him," 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 to Heaven that thou wilt not
see her now, unless thou dost slay the monster that is in yonder forest."
"What monster is there?"  "It is a stag that is as swift as the swiftest
bird; and he has one horn in his forehead, as long as the shaft of a
spear and as sharp as whatever is sharpest.  And he destroys the branches
of the best trees in the forest and he kills every animal that he meets
with therein; and those that he does not slay perish of hunger.  And what
is worse than that, he comes every night, and drinks up the fish pond,
and leaves the fishes exposed, so that for the most part they die before
the water returns again."  "Maiden," said Peredur, "wilt thou come and
show me this animal?"  "Not so," said the maiden, "for he has not
permitted any mortal to enter the forest for above a twelvemonth.  Behold,
here is a little dog belonging to the Empress, which will rouse the stag,
and will chase him towards thee, and the stag will attack thee."  Then
the little dog went as a guide to Peredur, and roused 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 he did so, he smote off his
head with his sword.  And while he was looking at the head of the stag,
he saw a lady on horseback coming towards 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 the stag's neck was a golden collar.  "Ha!
chieftain," said she, "uncourteously hast thou acted in slaying the
fairest jewel that was in my dominions."  "I was intreated so to do; and
is there any way by which I can obtain thy friendship?"  "There is," she
replied.  "Go thou forward unto yonder mountain, and there thou wilt find
a grove; and in the grove there is a cromlech, do thou there challenge a
man three times to fight, and thou shalt have my friendship."

So Peredur proceeded onward, and came to the side of the grove, and
challenged any man to fight.  And a black man arose from beneath the
cromlech, mounted upon a bony horse, and both he and his horse were clad
in huge rusty armour.  And they fought.  And as often as Peredur cast the
black man to the earth, he would jump again into his saddle.  And Peredur
dismounted, and drew his sword; and thereupon the black man disappeared
with Peredur's horse and his own, so that he could not gain sight of him
a second time.  And Peredur went along the mountain, and on the other
side of the mountain he beheld a castle in the valley, wherein was a
river.  And he went to the castle; and as he entered it, he saw a hall,
and the door of the hall was open, and he went in.  And there he saw a
lame grey-headed man, sitting on one side of the hall, with Gwalchmai
beside him.  And Peredur beheld his horse, which the black man had taken,
in the same stall with that of Gwalchmai.  And they were glad concerning
Peredur.  And he went and seated himself on the other side of the hoary-
headed man.  Then, behold a yellow-haired youth came, and bent upon the
knee before Peredur, and besought his friendship.  "Lord," said the
youth, "it was 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 didst
slay the black man of Ysbidinongyl, and when thou didst slay the stag,
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 lance that streamed
with blood from the point to the hand, all along the shaft; and the head
was thy cousin's, and he was killed by the sorceresses of Gloucester, who
also lamed thine uncle; and I am thy cousin.  And there is a prediction
that thou art to avenge these things."  Then Peredur and Gwalchmai took
counsel, and sent to Arthur and his household, to beseech them to come
against the sorceresses.  And they began to fight with them, and one of
the sorceresses slew one of Arthur's men before Peredur's face, and
Peredur bade her forbear.  And the sorceress slew a man before Peredur's
face a second time, and a second time he forbade her.  And the third time
the sorceress slew a man before the face of Peredur, and then Peredur
drew his sword, and smote the sorceress on the helmet, and all her head
armour was split in two parts.  And she set up a cry, and desired the
other sorceresses to flee, and told them that this was Peredur, the man
who had learnt Chivalry with them, and by whom they were destined to be
slain.  Then Arthur and his household fell upon the sorceresses, and slew
the sorceresses of Gloucester every one And thus is it related concerning
the Castle of Wonders.



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 time he had a
brother, Iorwerth the son of Maredudd, in rank not equal to himself.  And
Iorwerth had great sorrow and heaviness because of the honour and power
that his brother enjoyed, which he shared not.  And he sought his fellows
and his foster-brothers, and took counsel with them what he should do in
this matter.  And they resolved to despatch some of their number to go
and seek a maintenance for him.  Then Madawc offered him to become Master
of the Household and to have horses, and arms, and honour, and to fare
like as himself.  But Iorwerth refused this.

And Iorwerth made an inroad into England, slaying the inhabitants, and
burning houses, and carrying away prisoners.  And Madawc took counsel
with the men of Powys, and they determined to place an hundred 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 in Allictwn Ver, and in Rhyd
Wilure, on the Vyrnwy, the three best Commots of Powys.  So he was none
the better, he nor his household, in Powys, nor in the plains thereof.
{108}  And they spread these men over the plains as far as Nillystwn
Trevan.

Now one of the men who was upon this quest was called Rhonabwy.  And
Rhonabwy and Kynwrig Vrychgoch, a man of Mawddwy, and Cadwgan Vras, a man
of Moelvre in Kynlleith, came together to the house of Heilyn Goch the
son of Cadwgan the son of Iddon.  And when they near to the house, they
saw an old hall, very black and having an upright gable, whence issued a
great smoke; and on entering, they found the floor full of puddles and
mounds; and it was difficult to stand thereon, so slippery was it with
the mire of cattle.  And where the puddles were a man might go up to his
ankles in water and dirt.  And there were boughs of holly spread over the
floor whereof the cattle had browsed the sprigs.  When they came to the
hall of the house, they beheld cells full of dust, and very gloomy, {109}
and on one side an old hag making a fire.  And whenever she felt cold,
she cast a lapful of chaff upon the fire, and raised such a smoke, that
it was scarcely to be borne, as it rose up the nostrils.  And on the
other side was a yellow calf skin on the floor, a main privilege was it
to any one who should get upon that hide.

And when they had sat down, they asked the hag where were the people of
the house.  And the hag spoke not but muttered.  Thereupon behold the
people of the house entered; a ruddy, clownish curly-headed man, with a
burthen of fagots on his back, and a pale slender woman, also carrying 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 hardly possible
to go forth with safety.  And being weary with their journey, they laid
themselves down and sought to sleep.  And when they looked at the couch,
it seemed to be made but of a little coarse straw full of dust and
vermin, with the stems of boughs sticking up therethrough, for the cattle
had eaten all the straw that was placed at the head and the foot.  And
upon it was stretched an old russet-coloured rug, threadbare and ragged;
and a coarse sheet, full of slits was upon the rug, and an ill-stuffed
pillow, and a worn-out cover upon the sheet.  And after much suffering
from the vermin, and from the discomfort of their couch, a heavy sleep
fell on Rhonabwy's companions.  But Rhonabwy, not being able either to
sleep or to rest, thought he should suffer less if he went to lie upon
the yellow calfskin 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 was
journeying with his companions across the plain of Argyngroeg, and he
thought that he went towards Rhyd y Groes on the Severn.  As he
journeyed, he heard a mighty noise, the like whereof heard he never
before; and looking behind him, he beheld a youth with yellow curling
hair, and with his beard newly trimmed, mounted on a chesnut horse,
whereof the legs were grey from the top of the forelegs, and from the
bend of the hindlegs downwards.  And the rider wore a coat of yellow
satin 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 of the
deer, and clasped with gold.  And over this was a scarf of yellow satin
wrought with green silk, the borders whereof were likewise green.  And
the green of the caparison of the horse, and of his rider, was as green
as the leaves of the fir tree, and the yellow was as yellow as the
blossom of the broom.  So fierce was the aspect of the knight, that fear
seized upon them, and they began to flee.  And the knight pursued them.
And when the horse breathed forth, the men became distant from him, and
when he drew in his breath, they were drawn near to him, even to the
horse's chest.  And when he had overtaken them, they besought his mercy.
"You have it gladly!" said he, "fear nought."  "Ha, chieftain, since thou
hast mercy upon me, tell me also who thou art," said Rhonabwy.  "I will
not conceal my lineage 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 thy nickname is?"  "I will tell you; it is Iddawc Cordd Prydain."
"Ha, chieftain," said Rhonabwy, "why art thou called thus?"  "I will tell
thee.  I was one of the messengers between Arthur and Medrawd his nephew,
at the battle of Camlan; and I was then a reckless youth, and through my
desire for battle, I kindled strife between them, and stirred up wrath,
when I was sent by Arthur the Emperor to reason with Medrawd, and to shew
him, that he was his foster-father and his uncle, and to seek for peace,
lest the sons of the Kings of the Island of Britain, and of the nobles,
should be slain.  And whereas Arthur charged me with the fairest sayings
he could think of, I uttered unto Medrawd the harshest I could devise.
And therefore am I called Iddawc Cordd Prydain, for from this did the
battle of Camlan ensue.  And three nights before the end of the battle of
Camlan I left them, and went to the Llech Las in North Britain to do
penance.  And there I remained doing penance seven years, and after that
I gained pardon."

Then lo! they heard a mighty sound which was much louder than that which
they had heard before, and when they looked round towards the sound;
behold a ruddy youth, without beard or whiskers, {111} noble of mien, and
mounted on a stately courser.  And from the shoulders and the front of
the knees downwards the horse was bay.  And upon the man was a dress of
red satin wrought with yellow silk, and yellow were the borders of his
scarf.  And such parts of his apparel and of the trappings of his horse
as were yellow, as yellow were they as the blossom of the broom, and such
as were red, were as ruddy as the ruddiest blood in the world.

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

And they journeyed over the plain of Argyngroeg as far as the ford of
Rhyd y Groes on the Severn.  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 mighty host.  And they came to the edge of the ford, and there they
beheld Arthur sitting on a flat island below the ford, having Bedwini
{112} the Bishop on one side of him, and Gwarthegyd the son of Kaw 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 a cap of jet black
satin.  And his face was white as ivory, and his eyebrows black as jet,
and such part of his wrist as could be seen between his glove and his
sleeve was whiter than the lily, and thicker than a warrior's ankle.

Then came Iddawc and they that were with him, and stood before Arthur,
and saluted him.  "Heaven grant thee good," said Arthur.  "And where,
Iddawc, didst thou find these little men?"  "I found them, lord, up
yonder on the road."  Then the Emperor smiled.  "Lord," said Iddawc,
"wherefore dost thou laugh?"  "Iddawc," replied Arthur, "I laugh nor; but
it pitieth me that men of such stature as these should have this Island
in their keeping, after the men that guarded it of yore."  Then said
Iddawc, "Rhonabwy, dost thou see the ring with a stone set in it, that is
upon the Emperor's hand?"  "I see it," he answered.  "It is one of the
properties of that stone, to enable thee to remember that 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," enquired
Rhonabwy, "to whom does yonder troop belong?"  "They are the fellows of
Rhuvawn Pebyr the son of Prince Deorthach.  And these men are honourably
served with mead and bragget, and are freely beloved by the daughters of
the kings of the Island of Britain.  And this they merit, for they were
ever in the front and the rear in every peril."  And he saw but one hue
upon the men and the horses of this troop, for they were all as red as
blood.  And when one of the knights rode forth from the troop, he looked
like a pillar of fire glancing athwart the sky.  And this troop encamped
above the ford.

Then they beheld another troop coming towards the ford, and these from
their horses' chests upwards were whiter than the lily, and below blacker
than jet.  And they saw one of these knights go before the rest, and spur
his horse into the ford in such a manner that the water dashed over
Arthur and the Bishop, and those holding counsel with them, so that they
were as wet as if they had been drenched in the river.  And as he turned
the head of his horse, the youth who stood before Arthur struck the horse
over the nostrils with his sheathed sword, so that had it been with the
bare blade it would have been a marvel if the bone had not been wounded
as well as the flesh.  And the knight drew his sword half out of the
scabbard, and asked of him, "Wherefore didst thou strike my horse?
Whether was it in insult or in counsel unto me?"  "Thou dost indeed lack
counsel.  What madness caused thee to ride so furiously as to dash the
water of the ford over Arthur, and the consecrated Bishop, and their
counsellors, so that they were as wet as if they had been dragged out of
the river?"  "As counsel then will I take it."  So he turned his horse's
head round towards his army.

"Iddawc," said Rhonabwy, "who was yonder knight?"  "The most eloquent and
the wisest youth that is in this Island; Adaon the son of Taliesin."  "Who
was the man that struck his horse?"  "A youth of froward 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 assembled in so narrow
a space, and that it was a still greater marvel that those should be
there at that time who had promised to be by mid-day in the battle of
Badon, fighting with Osla Gyllellvawr.  "Whether thou mayest choose to
proceed or not, I will proceed."  "Thou sayest well," said Arthur, "and
we will go all together."  "Iddawc," said Rhonabwy, "who was the man who
spoke so marvellously unto Arthur erewhile?"  "A man who may speak as
boldly as he listeth, Caradawc Vreichvras, the son of Llyr Marini, his
chief counsellor and his cousin."

Then Iddawc took Rhonabwy behind him on his horse, and that mighty host
moved forward, each troop in its order, towards Cevndigoll.  And when
they came to the middle of the ford of the Severn, Iddawc turned his
horse's head, and Rhonabwy looked along the valley of the Severn.  And he
beheld two fair troops coming towards the ford.  One troop there came of
brilliant white, whereof every one of the men had a scarf of white satin
with jet black borders.  And the knees and the tops of the shoulders of
their horses were jet black, though they were of a pure white in every
other part.  And their banners were pure white, with black points to them
all.

"Iddawc," said Rhonabwy, "who are yonder pure white troop?"  "They are
the men of Norway, and March the son of Meirchion is their prince.  And
he is cousin unto Arthur."  And further on he saw a troop, whereof each
man wore garments of jet black, with borders of pure white to every
scarf; and the tops of the shoulders and the knees 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?"  "They are
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 mighty ones
dismounted below Caer Badon, and he perceived that he and Iddawc
journeyed the same road as Arthur.  And after they had dismounted he
heard a great tumult and confusion amongst the host, and such as were
then at the flanks, turned to the centre, and such as had been in the
centre moved to the flanks.  And then, behold, he saw a knight coming,
clad, both he and his horse, in mail, of which the rings were whiter than
the whitest lily, and the rivets redder than the ruddies blood.  And he
rode amongst the host.

"Iddawc," said Rhonabwy, "will yonder host flee?"  "King Arthur never
fled, and if this discourse of thine were heard, thou wert a lost man.
But as to the knight whom thou seest yonder, it is Kai.  The fairest
horseman is Kai in all Arthur's Court; and the men who are at the front
of the army hasten to the rear to see Kai ride, and the men who are in
the centre, flee to the side from the shock of his horse. {116a}  And
this is the cause of the confusion of the host."

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

"Iddawc," said Rhonabwy, "who is the man who bore the sword of Arthur?"
"Kadwr, the Earl of Cornwall, whose duty is to arm the King 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 {116b} with bristly
hairs.  And behold he came upon a tall red horse, with the mane parted on
each side, and he brought with him a large and beautiful sumpter pack.
And the huge red youth dismounted before Arthur, and he drew a golden
chair out of the pack, and a carpet of diapered satin.  And he spread the
carpet before Arthur, and there was an apple of ruddy gold at each corner
thereof, and he placed the chair upon the carpet.  And so large was the
chair that three armed warriors might have sat therein.  Gwenn was the
name of the carpet, and it was one of its properties, that whoever was
upon it no one could see him, and he could see every one.  And it would
retain no colour but its own.

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

And while they were thus, and when they were best amused with their game,
behold they saw a white tent with a red canopy, and the figure of a jet
black serpent on the top of the tent, and red glaring venomous 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 yellow satin, and hose of thin
greenish yellow cloth upon his feet, and over his hose shoes of parti-
coloured leather, fastened at the insteps with golden clasps.  And he
bore a heavy three-edged sword with a golden hilt, in a scabbard of black
leather tipped with fine gold.  And he came to the place where the
Emperor and Owain were playing at chess.

And the youth saluted Owain.  And Owain marvelled that the youth should
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 me erewhile; and it is unto
thee that his errand is."  Then said the youth unto Owain, "Lord, is it
with thy leave that the young pages and attendants of the Emperor harass
and torment and worry the Ravens?  And if it be not with thy leave, cause
the Emperor to forbid them."  "Lord," said Owain, "thou hearest what the
youth says; if it seem 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 were in
the midst of the game, behold, a ruddy young man with auburn curling
hair, and large eyes, well grown, and having his beard new shorn, came
forth from a bright yellow tent, upon the summit of which was the figure
of a bright red lion.  And he was clad in a coat of yellow satin, falling
as low as the small of his leg, and embroidered with threads of red silk.
And on his feet were hose of fine white buckram, and buskins of black
leather were over his hose, whereon were golden clasps.  And in his hand
a huge, heavy, three-edged sword, with a scabbard of red-deer hide,
tipped with gold.  And he came to the place where Arthur and Owain were
playing at chess.  And he saluted him.  And Owain was troubled at his
salutation, but Arthur minded it no more than before.  And the youth said
unto Owain, "Is it not against thy will that the attendants of the
Emperor harass thy Ravens, killing some and worrying others?  If against
thy will it be, beseech him to forbid them."  "Lord," said Owain, "forbid
thy men if it seem good to thee."  "Play thy game," said the Emperor.  And
the youth returned to the tent.

And that game was ended, and another begun.  And as they were beginning
the first move of the game, they beheld at a small distance from them a
tent speckled yellow, the largest ever seen, and the figure of an eagle
of gold upon it, and a precious stone on the eagle's head.  And coming
out of the tent, they saw a youth with thick yellow hair upon his head,
fair and comely, and a scarf of blue satin upon him, and a brooch of gold
in the scarf upon his right shoulder as large as a warrior's middle
finger.  And upon his feet were 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 youth was a mighty lance, speckled yellow, with a newly sharpened
head; and upon the lance a banner displayed.

Fiercely angry, and with rapid pace, came the youth to the place where
Arthur was playing at chess with Owain.  And they perceived that he was
wroth.  And thereupon he saluted Owain, and told him that his Ravens had
been killed, the chief part of them, and that such of them as were not
slain were so wounded and bruised that not one of them 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 the strife at the thickest,
there lift up the banner, and let come what pleases Heaven."  So the
youth returned back to the place where the strife bore hardest upon the
Ravens, and he lifted up the banner; and as he did so they all rose up in
the air, wrathful and fierce and high of spirit, clapping their wings in
the wind, and shaking off the weariness that was upon them.  And
recovering their energy and courage, furiously and with exultation did
they, with one sweep, descend upon the heads of 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 by the 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 the wings of the triumphant Ravens, and with their
croaking; and there was another mighty tumult with the groaning of the
men, that were being 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 horse coming
towards them.  And marvellous was the hue of the dun horse.  Bright red
was his right shoulder, and from the top of his legs to the centre of his
hoof was bright yellow.  Both the knight and his horse were fully
equipped with heavy foreign armour.  The clothing of the horse from the
front opening upwards was of bright red sendal, and from thence opening
downwards was of bright yellow sendal.  A large gold-hilted one-edged
sword had the youth upon his thigh, in a scabbard of light blue, and
tipped with Spanish laton.  The belt of the sword was of dark green
leather with golden slides and a clasp of ivory upon it, and a buckle of
jet black upon the clasp.  A helmet of gold was on the head of the
knight, set with precious stones of great virtue, 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 was astounding for a warrior, however stout his
heart, to look at the face of the leopard, much more at the face of the
knight.  He had in his hand a blue-shafted lance, but from the haft to
the point it was stained crimson-red, with the blood of the Ravens and
their plumage.

The knight came to the place where Arthur and Owain were seated at chess.
And they perceived that he was harassed and vexed and weary as he came
towards them.  And the youth saluted Arthur, and told him, that 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 knight returned back towards
the strife, and the Ravens were not forbade any more than before.

And when they had played awhile, they heard a mighty tumult, and a
wailing of men, and a croaking of Ravens, as they carried the men in
their strength into the air, and, tearing them betwixt them, let them
fall piecemeal to the earth.  And during the tumult they saw a knight
coming towards them on a light grey horse, and the left foreleg of the
horse was jet black to the centre of his hoof.  And the knight and the
horse were fully accoutred with huge heavy blue armour.  And a robe of
honour of yellow diapered satin was upon the knight, and the borders of
the robe were blue.  And the housings of the horse were jet black, with
borders of bright yellow.  And on the thigh of the youth was a sword,
long, and three-edged, and heavy.  And the scabbard was of red cut
leather, and the belt of new red deerskin, having upon it many golden
slides and a buckle of the bone of the sea horse, the tongue of which was
jet black.  A golden helmet was upon the head of the knight, wherein were
set sapphire stones of great virtue.  And at the top of the helmet was
the figure of a flame-coloured lion, with a fiery-red tongue, issuing
above a foot from his mouth, and with venomous eyes, crimson-red, in his
head.  And the knight came, bearing in his hand a thick ashen lance, the
head whereof, which had been newly steeped in blood, was overlaid with
silver.

And the youth saluted the Emperor: "Lord," said he, "carest thou not for
the slaying of thy pages, and thy young men, and the sons of the nobles
of the Island of Britain, whereby it will be difficult to defend this
Island from henceforward for ever?"  "Owain," said Arthur, "forbid thy
Ravens."  "Play this game, Lord," said Owain.

So they finished the game, and began another; and as they were finishing
that game, lo, they heard a great tumult and a clamour of armed men, and
a croaking of Ravens, and a flapping of wings in the air, as they flung
down the armour entire to the ground, and the men and the horses
piecemeal.  Then they saw coming a knight on a lofty-headed piebald
horse.  And the left shoulder of the horse was of bright red, and its
right leg from the chest to the hollow of the hoof was pure white.  And
the knight and horse were equipped with arms of speckled yellow,
variegated with Spanish laton.  And there was a robe of honour upon him,
and upon his horse, divided in two parts, white and black, and the
borders of the robe of honour were of golden purple.  And above the robe
he wore a sword three-edged and bright, with a golden hilt.  And the belt
of the sword was of yellow goldwork, 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 the knight was a bright helmet of yellow laton, with sparkling
stones of crystal in it, and at the crest of the helmet was the figure of
a griffin, with a stone of many virtues in its head.  And he had an ashen
spear in his hand, with a round shaft, coloured with azure blue.  And the
head of the spear was newly stained with blood, and was overlaid with
fine silver.

Wrathfully came the knight to the place where Arthur was, and he told him
that the Ravens had slain his household and the sons of the chief men of
this Island, and he besought him to cause Owain to forbid his Ravens.  And
Arthur besought Owain to forbid them.  Then Arthur took the golden
chessmen that were upon the board, and crushed them until they became as
dust.  Then Owain ordered Gwres the son of Rheged to lower his banner.  So
it was lowered, and all was peace.

Then Rhonabwy enquired of Iddawc, who were the first three men that came
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 the banner in the
day of battle and strife."  "Who," said Rhonabwy, "were the last three
men who came to Arthur, and told him that the Ravens were slaughtering
his men?"  "The best of men," said Iddawc, "and the bravest, and who
would grieve exceedingly that Arthur should have damage in aught;
Blathaon, the son of Mawrheth, {124a} and Rhuvawn Pebyr the son of Prince
Deorthach, and Hyveidd Unllenn."

And with that behold four and twenty knights came from Osla Gyllellvawr,
to crave a truce of Arthur for a fortnight and a month.  And Arthur arose
and went to take counsel.  And he came to where a tall auburn
curly-headed man was a little way off, and there he assembled his
counsellors.  Bedwini, {124b} the Bishop, and Gwarthegyd the son of Kaw,
and March the son of Meirchawn, and Caradawc Vreichvras, and Gwalchmai
the son of Gwyar, and Edeyrn the son of Nudd, and Rhuvawn Pebyr the son
of Prince Deorthach, and Rhiogan the son of the King of Ireland, and
Gwenwynwyn the son of Nav, Howel the son of Emyr Llydaw, Gwilym the son
of Rhwyf Freinc, and Daned the son of Ath, {124c} and Goreu Custennin,
and Mabon the son of Modron, and Peredur Paladyr Hir, and Hyveidd {125a}
Unllenn, and Twrch the son of Perif, and Nerth the son of Kadarn, and
Gobrwy the son of Echel Vorddwyttwll, Gwair the son of Gwestyl, and Gadwy
{125b} the son of Geraint, Trystan {125c} the son of Tallwch, Moryen
Manawc, Granwen the son of Llyr, and Llacheu the son of Arthur, and
Llawvrodedd Varvawc, and Kadwr Earl of Cornwall, Morvran the son of
Tegid, and Rhyawd the son of Morgant, and Dyvyr the son of Alun Dyved,
Gwrhyr Gwalstawd Ieithoedd, Adaon the son of Taliesin, Llary {125d} the
son of Kasnar {125e} Wledig, and Fflewddur Fflam, and Greidawl
Galldovydd, Gilbert the son of Kadgyffro, Menw the son of Teirgwaedd,
Gwrthmwl Wledig, Cawrdav the son of Caradawc Vreichvras, Gildas the son
of Kaw, Kadyriaith the son of Saidi, and many of the men of Norway, and
Denmark, and many of the men of Greece, and a crowd of the men of the
host came to that counsel.

"Iddawc," said Rhonabwy, "who was the auburn haired man to whom they came
just now?"  "Rhun the son of Maelgwn Gwynedd, a man of whose prerogative
it is, that he may join in counsel with all." {125f}  "And wherefore did
they admit into counsel with men of such dignity as are yonder a
stripling so young as Kadyriaith the son of Saidi?"  "Because there is
not throughout Britain a man better skilled in counsel than he."

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

And, lo, there came four and twenty asses with their burdens of gold and
of silver, and a tired wayworn man with each of them, bringing tribute to
Arthur from the Islands of Greece.  Then Kadyriaith the son of Saidi
besought that a truce might be granted to Osla Gyllellvawr for the space
of a fortnight and a month, and that the asses and the burdens they
carried might be given to the bards, to be to them as the reward for
their stay and that their verse might be recompensed, during the time of
the truce.  And thus it was settled.

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

Then Kai arose, and he said, "Whosoever will follow Arthur, let him be
with him to-night in Cornwall, and whosoever will not, let him be opposed
to Arthur even during the truce."  And through the greatness of the
tumult that ensued, Rhonabwy awoke.  And when he awoke he was upon the
yellow calfskin, having slept three nights and three days.

And this tale is called The Dream of Rhonabwy.  And this is the reason
that no one knows the dream without a book, neither bard nor gifted seer;
because of the various colours that were upon the horses, and the many
wondrous colours of the arms and of the panoply, and of the precious
scarfs, and of the virtue-bearing stones.



Footnotes:


{15}  "The Emperor Arthur" all through the tale.

{16}  To begin to honour them, to inform them of the manners and the
customs of the Court, those he was told were to go to the hall or the
presence chamber, and those he was told were to get lodging.

{17a}  And I did not think there was in the world a wrong too mighty for
me to set right.  And when I had set right all the wrongs that were in my
own country.

{17b}  Add "with fair curly hair."

{18a}  And such was his courtesy that he greeted me before I could greet
him.

{18b}  Add, "I ween that."

{18c}  When she was ever loveliest, at Christmas, or at Easter tide mass.

{19a}  And the man I had seen erstwhile sat down to the table.

{19b}  Did I not think that too much trouble would befall thee.

{20}  With querulous roughness.

{21a}  And he would but bandy words with me.

{21b}  So that they cannot be separated.

{27}  Add "On account of the knight."

{28}  An image of a different kind.

{29a}  Monks.

{29b}  Land-owning.

{30}  Louder was her cry than any trumpet blast that arose from among the
multitude.

{31}  "Truly," said Luned, "I thought thy good sense was greater than I
find it to be.  Is it better to grieve because thou canst not get _that_
good man, than it is to grieve for anything else thou canst never get?"
"I declare to heaven," said the Countess, "that I could never get my lord
in any other man, be he the best in the world."  "Oh yes," said Luned,
"thou couldst marry a husband that would be as good as he, or better than
he."

{36}  Encamped.

{37a}  Add "and looked at him."

{37b}  And belaboured each other.

{38}  Add "and this is my abode."

{39}  To the disgrace of thy beard.

{45}  Owen was certain he had never seen better service, but every one
was as sorrowful as if death had been upon him.

{46a}  And to-morrow is the appointed day for me to meet him, to deliver
to him yonder maiden, otherwise he will kill my sons before my eyes.

{46b}  And the Earl determined to hold the castle against him, abandoning
his two sons to their fate.

{47}  And they told him their tale.

{48}  But Owen's strength had not yet returned.

{52}  Her.

{56}  And very unmeet for so honourable a Court.

{58}  Add "causing a grievous wound."

{59a}  "This iron coat will never come off him," said Peredur.  "I doubt
whether it is not part of himself, born with him."

{59b}  Add "and the threat against Kai."

{62}  We are brother and sister.

{72}  In the dingle.

{76}  Progress.

{102}  And the side that he would favour would lose the game.

{108}  And they reckoned that the corn land of Powys, from Aber Ceirawc
in Allictun Ver to Rhyd Wilure on the Vyrnwy, was as good as the three
best commots in Powys; and that, if there was not sustenance for him and
his followers in that corn land, there would be none in Powys.

{109}  Scantly draped, poverty-stricken.

{111}  Moustache.

{112}  Bedwin.

{116a}  For fear of being crushed by his horse.

{116b}  A red moustache.

{124a}  Murheth.

{124b}  Bedwin.

{124c}  Oth.

{125a}  Heneidd.

{125b}  Adwy.

{125c}  Dyrstan.

{125d}  Llara.

{125e}  Kasnat.

{125f}  It is his privilege that everyone should come to have counsel
with him.

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