in the fetter of Arianrod.

It is certain you know not how to understand the song I utter,

nor clearly how to discriminate between the truth and what is false;

puny bards, crows of the district, why do you not take to flight? A bard that will not silence me, silence may he not obtain, till he goes to be covered under gravel and pebbles: such as shall listen to me, may heaven listen to him!

In addition to this, Taliesin sang the prelude inserted here, that is called the Gall of the Bards, in the presence of the bards of Maelgwn collected together.

Minstrels persevere in their false custom,

immoral ditties are their delight;

vain and tasteless praise they recite;

falsehood at all times do they

utter;

innocent persons they ridicule;

married women, by their flattery,

through mischievous intent they deceive;

the pure white virgins of Mary they corrupt; those who believe them they bring to shame;

they cause uneasiness to moral

men,

as they pass their lives away in vanity;

at night they get drunk, they sleep the day;

in idleness without work they feed themselves;

at courts they inquire after feasts; every senseless word they bring forward;

every deadly sin they praise;

every vile course of life they lead;

concerning the days of death

they think not; neither lodging nor charity do they give;

and from no sensuality do they refrain,

indulging in victuals to excess. The birds do fly, the fish do swim,

the bees collect honey, worms do crawl,

every thing travails to obtain its food,

except minstrels and useless idlers.

I deride nor learning, nor minstrelsy;

for they are given by heaven to lighten thought.

Be silent, then, ye unlucky rhyming bards,

for you cannot judge between truth and falsehood.

If you be primary bards formed by heaven,

tell your king what his fate will

be.

After Taliesin had delivered his lord out of prison, and asserted the chastity of his mistress, and silenced the bards, so that not any one of them dared to utter a single word, he requested of Elphin, that he would make a wager with the king of his possessing a horse swifter than all the horses of his majesty; and this was done by Elphin; and the day, the time, and the place were fixed upon;

llysoedd a gwleddoedd ymovynant;

pob geiriau dibwyll á grybwyll

ant;

pob peçawd marwawl á ganmolant,

pob salwedd vuçedd á arwedd

ant;

am ddyddiau angau nis pryderant;

llety a çardawd byth ni rodd

ant;

a phob glythineb nis arbedant,

gormodau o vwydau á vwytaant Adar á hedant, pysgod à noviant,

gwenny á velant, pryved ymlusgant,

pob beth á ymdaith er cael ei borthiant,

ond cler a diogion divwyniant.

Ni çablav na dysg, na çerddoriaeth;

canys nev eu rhoes gloes argyllaeth.

Tewç çwi bosv eirddion anhylwydd,

ni wyddoç varnu gwir a çelwydd.

Od yç briv-veird fydd o waith Dovydd, gwedwę i'ç brenin pa ei dramgwydd.

Yn ol darvod i Daliesin dynu ei arglwydd yn rhydd o garçar, a gwiriaw diweirdeb ei arglwyddes, a gostegu y beirdd, hyd na lyvasai neb o honynt wedyd un gair, eve á erçis i Elfin wneyd cyngwystl ag y brenin, bod iddo ev un març buanaç no troll veirç ei vawrhydi; a hyn á wnelai Elfin; ac y dydd, yr amser, ac y lle

2

and the spot is to this day called Morva Rhianedd, or sea-marsh of the Maidens. So the king and his retinue came there, with twenty-four horses, the swiftest that were in his possession. And on the spot, after a long examination, the course was marked out, and the horses were appointed to run. To that place likewise came Taliesin, bringing with him twenty-four holly rods, made black by charring, and which he ordered the boy who rode the horse of his master to put in his girdle, with giving him directions to let all the horses of the king go before him; and as he could overtake them, each one after the other, he was to take one of the rods, and to give a stroke across the crupper of the horse; and after that he was to take another rod; and thus he did in like manner to all the horses, as he could overtake them, giving a strict command to the rider to watch carefully on what spot the horse might fall, and so put his cap down in that spot. All this was accomplished by the boy, as well in giving a stroke to each one of the king's horses, and of putting his cap down on the spot where the horse fell; and to the place Taliesin brought his master, after his horse had won the ace, and he ordered Elphin to put men at work to dig a pit. In this spot, after they had dug out the earth to a considerable depth, they found a large cauldron, which was full of gold, and at the time Taliesin said,

à noodid; ac y vàn á elwir hyd heddyw Morva Rhianedd. Yno y doynt y brenin ac ei osgordd â phedwar-ár-ugain o veirç, y buanav à oeddynt àr ei helw. Ac yn y vàn, yn ol hir broves, y nodid yr yrva, ac y gosodid y meirç i redeg. Yno hevyd y deuai Taliesin, a çanddo bedair-àr-ugain o wiail celyn, à olosgid yn dduon; rhai á beris eve i'r baçgen à varçogai varç ei arlwydd eu dodi dàn ei wregys, trwy roddi gorçymyn arno àr ollwng holl veirç y brenin o ei vlaen; ac megys y cavai eve eu goddiwes wynt, pob un yn ol ei gilydd, cymerai un o'r gwiail ar hoddai wialenawd àr draws pedrain y març, ac yn ol hyny gollwng y wialen hòno i lawr; ac yna cymerai wialen arall; a gwnai yr un modd am bob un o'r meirç, megys ag y cafai eve eu goddiwes, trwy roddi gorcymyn caeth ar y marcawg o wylied yn ddiesceulus pa vàn y cwym. piai y març, a bwrw ei gap i'r llawr yn y màn hwnw. Hyn oll á gyvlawnai y baçgen, yn gystal am roddi gwialenawd i bob un o veirç y brenin, ac o vwrw ei gap i lawr yn y màn y cwympai y març; ac i'r lle y dygai Taliesin ei arlwydd, yn ol i'w varç ev ennill yr yrva, ac y peris i Elfin osodi gwyr àr waith i gloddiaw pwll. Yn y màn, gwedi iddynt gloddiaw y ddaiar i ddogn o ddyvnder, y cefynt wy bair mawr yn Ilawn o aur; ac yn yr amser y gwedai Taliesin,

XIX.

C C

and reward for bringing me out of the wear, and for nursing me from that time to this day."

On the spot where what is spoken of above was performed there is a pool of water, which is called to this day, the pool cauldron.

After that the king ordered Taliesin to be brought before him: and of him he asked for information concerning the beginning of the human race; and thereupon Taliesin composed the prelude, which at this day is called one of the four canons of song, and it begins thus: The Almighty made, down the Hebron vale, with his plastic hands,

Adam's fair form;
And five hundred years,
void of any help,
there remained and lay
without a soul.
He again did form,
in calm paradise,
from a left-side rib,
bliss-throbbing Eve.
Seven hours they were
the orchard keeping,
till Satan brought strife,
With wiles from hell.
Thence they were driven,
cold and shivering,
to gain their living,

into this world.

To bring forth with pain
their sons and daughters,
to have possession

of Asia's land.
To Adam and his mate
was given a spade,
to break up the soil,

thus to get bread,

a gobrwy am vy nwyn allan o'r gored, ac am vy magu er hyny hyd heddyw.

Yn y vàn y gwnelid hyny à vynegir amdano uçod y mae llyn o ddwvr, à elwir er hyny hyd heddyw, y pyllbair.

Ar ol hyny y perai y brenin ddwyn Taliesin ger ei vron: ac iddo y govynai eve gyvarwyddyd am ddecreuad cenedl dyn; ac yna y gwnai Taliesin yr osteg à ddilyna yma, yr hon á elwir heddyw un o bedair colovn cerdd, ac a ddecreua vàl hyn:

E wnelai Panton,
ar lawr glyn Ebron,
a'i ddwylaw gwynion,
gwiw-lun Adda;
A phump cant mlynedd,
yn ddi amgeledd,
bu ev yn gorwedd,
heb anima.

E a wnai eilwys,
yn llys paradwys,
o asen aswys,
iesin Eva.
Seithawr y buan'
yn cadw y berllan,
cyn cyvrdan Satan,

sut tartara.

Oddiyno gyrwyd,
trwy ryn ac anwyd,
i ennill bywyd,

i'r byd yma.
I ddwyn drwy ludded
veibion a merced,
i gael govuned

ar dir Asia.

I Adda a'i gymhar

y

rhoid rhaw balar,

i dòri daiar,

er cael bara.

An angelic hand, from the High Father, brought seed for growing That Eve might sow; The wheat pure and white, summer tilth to sow, every man to feed,

till great yule feast. But she then did hide of the gift a tenth, and all did not sow

of what was dug.

In the place thus sown
filched was the seed,
as Daniel the seer

doth prophesy.

Black rye then was found, and not pure wheat grain, to show the mischief

thus of thieving The wheat rich in grain and red flowing wine Christ's pure body make, Son of Alpha. The wafer is flesh, the wine is spilt blood, the Trinity's words, sanctify them.

The concealed books from Emmanuel's hand were brought by Raphael

as Adam's gift, When in his old age, to his chin immersed in Jordan's water,

keeping a fast. Twice five, ten and eight, she was self-bearing, the mixed burden

of man-woman. And once, not hidden, she brought forth Abel, and Cain the forlorn,

the homicide.

Engylawl gènad,
gan yr Uçeldad,
a ddug had tyviad
hyd at Eva;

Y gwenith claerwyn,
er hau havaryn,
i borthi pob dyn,
hyd wyl magna.
Hithau darguddiodd
ddegved rån y rhodd
hyd na lwyr hauodd
yr holl balva.

Yn màn yr hauwyd, yr had á gelcwyd, medd Daniel brofwyd, a brofwyda.

Rhyg du á gafad, yn lle gwenithad, er dangaws avrad

ar ladrata.

O wenith gwiw-vaint
a gwin rhudd rwydd-vraint
y gwnair corf cywraint,
Crist vab Alpha.

Yr avrllad yw cnawd,
y gwin yw gwaedrawd,
a geiriau'r Drindawd
eu cysegra.
Y llyvrau dirgel
o law Emmanuel
a ddygai Raphael,
rhodd i Adda,
Pan ydoedd yn hen,
hyd tros ei ddwyen
yn nwvr lorddonen,
yn dirwesta,

Dau bump, deg ac wyth,
bu hi yn ymlwyth
yn arwain mysg-lwyth
mascl-fœmina.

Ac unwaith, heb gel,
ymddygai Abel,
a Çain ddiymwel,
homicida.