LLUDD AND LLEVELYS

HOW KING LLUDD FOUNDED CAER LLudd, or the CITY OF LONDON

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FTER the death of King Beli, the kingdom of the Island of Britain fell into the hands of Lludd, and Lludd rebuilt the walls of London, and encompassed it about with numberless towers. And after that he bade the citizens build houses therein, such as no houses in the country could equal. And moreover he was a mighty warrior, and generous and liberal in giving meat and drink to all that sought them. And though he had many castles and cities, this one loved he more than any. And he dwelt therein most part of the year, and therefore it was called Caer Lludd, and at last Caer London. And after the stranger race came, it was called London, or Lwyndrys.

How LLUDD FOUND OXFORD TO BE THE CENTRE OF THE ISLAND OF BRITAIN, AND HOW HE TOOK THE TWO DRAGONS IN A CALDRON AND King Lludd caused the Isle of Britain to be measured; and in Oxford he found the central point. And in that place he caused the earth to be dug, and in the pit a caldron to be set, full of the best mead that could be made; with a covering of satin over the face of it. And he himself watched that night; and while he watched, he beheld the dragons fighting. And when they were weary, they fell down upon the satin covering, and drew it with them to the bottom of the caldron. And they drank up the mead in the caldron, and then they slept. And thereupon Lludd folded the satin covering around them, and in the safest place in all Snowdon he hid them in a kistvaen. And after this the place was called Dinas Emrys. And thus the fierce outcry ceased in his dominions.

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KILHWCH AND OLWEN

THE RIDE OF KILHWCH

ND Kilhwch pricked forth on a steed with head dappled gray, of four winters old, firm of limb, with shell-formed hoofs, having a bridle of linked gold on his head, and upon him a saddle of costly gold. And in the youth's hand were two spears of silver, sharp, headed with well-tempered steel, three ells

in length, of an edge to wound the wind, and cause blood to flow, and swifter than the fall of the dew-drop from the blade of reed grass upon the earth, when the dew of June is at the heaviest. A gold-hilted sword was upon his thigh, the blade of which was of gold, bearing a cross of inlaid gold of the hue of the lightning of heaven; his war-horn was of ivory. Before him were two brindled white-breasted greyhounds, having strong collars of rubies about their necks, reaching from the shoulder to the ear. And the one that was on the left side bounded across to the right side, and the one on the right to the left, and like two seaswallows sported around him. And his courser cast up four sods with his four hoofs, like four swallows in the air, about his head, now above, now below. About him was a four-cornered cloth of purple, and an apple of gold was at each corner, and every one of the apples was of the value of an hundred kine. And there was precious gold of the value of three hundred kine upon his shoes, and upon his stirrups, from his knee to the tip of his toe. And the blade of grass bent not beneath him, so light was his courser's tread as he journeyed towards the gate of Arthur's palace.

DESCRIPTION OF OLWEN

THE maiden was clothed in a robe of flame-colored silk, and about her neck was a collar of ruddy gold, on which were precious emeralds and rubies. More yellow was her head than the flower of the broom, and her skin was whiter than the foam of the wave, and fairer were her hands and her fingers than the blossoms of the wood-anemone amidst the spray of the meadow fountain. The eye of the trained hawk, the glance of the threemewed falcon, was not brighter than hers. Her bosom was more snowy than the breast of the white swan; her cheek was redder than the reddest roses. Those who beheld her were filled with her love. Four white trefoils sprang up wherever she trod.

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FROM BRANWEN THE DAUGHTER OF LLYR'

EACE was made, and the house was built both vast and strong. But the Irish planned a crafty device; and the craft was that they should put brackets on each side of the hundred pillars that were in the house, and should place a leathern bag on each bracket, and an armed man in every one of them. Then

Evnissyen [Branwen's brother, the perpetual mischief-maker] came in before the host of the Island of the Mighty, and scanned the house with fierce and savage looks, and descried the leathern bags which were around the pillars. "What is in this bag?" asked he of one of the Irish. "Meal, good soul," said he. And Evnissyen felt about it till he came to the man's head, and he squeezed the head until he felt his fingers meet together in the brain through the bone. And he left that one and put his hand upon another, and asked what was therein? "Meal," said the Irishman. So he did the like unto every one of them, until he had not left alive of all the two hundred men save one only. and when he came to him, he asked what was there? “Meal, good soul," said the Irishman. And he felt about until he felt the head, and he squeezed that head as he had done the others. And albeit he found that the head of this one was armed, he left him not until he had killed him. And then he sang an Englyn:

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

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FROM THE DREAM OF MAXEN WLEDIG'

ND he saw a maiden sitting before him in a chair of ruddy gold. Not more easy to gaze upon than the sun when brightest, was it to look upon her by reason of her beauty. A vest of white silk was upon the maiden, with clasps of red gold at the breast; and a surcoat of gold tissue was upon her, and a frontlet of red gold upon her head, and rubies and gems were in the frontlet, alternating with pearls and imperial stones. And a girdle of ruddy gold was around her. She was the fairest sight that man ever beheld.

The maiden arose from her chair before him, and he threw his arms about the neck of the maiden, and they two sat down together in the chair of gold; and the chair was not less roomy for them both than for the maiden alone. And as he had his arms about the maiden's neck, and his cheek by her cheek, behold, through the chafing of the dogs at their leashing, and the clashing of the shields as they struck against each other, and the beating together of the shafts of the spears, and the neighing of the horses and their prancing, the Emperor awoke.