The Mabinogion Vol. 1, Sir Owen Morgan Edwards and Lady Charlotte Schreiber [best thriller books to read TXT] 📗

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 p. 106the 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.

p. 107THE 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 p. 108not.  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 p. 109with 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 p. 110after 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 p. 111mercy 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 p. 112of 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; p. 113but 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