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 gray, 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 back was in the shape of a
crook. And her figure was very thin and spare, except her feet, 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 favor. 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 inquire 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 honor, I know where he
may find it. There is a castle on a lofty mountain, and a maiden [is]
therein, and she is a prisoner; 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 the 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 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 armor 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 armor, 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 Gwalchmai, "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 showed 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 did'st think that it was right for
thee to entertain and to sit by yonder man, thou would'st not do so."
And he withdrew his head, and went forth.
"Ah, 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 was 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
after many days, and great deeds of arms and perilous adventures, at
last Peredur met with a certain maiden, and asked her the way to the
Castle of Wonders.] 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 favored
lost the game, 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."
[Illustration: Peredur and the Chessmen.]
"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 doth 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 entreated 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 armor. 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 gray-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-armor 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 honor 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 honor,
and to fare like as himself. But Iorwerth refused this.
And Iorwerth made an inroad into Loegria, 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 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 came 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, 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, with the stems of boughs sticking up there through; 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-colored 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 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 calf-skin 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 chestnut horse,
whereof the legs were gray 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 show 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."
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
clamor 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 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 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 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 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 Badou, 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 ruddiest blood.
And he rode amongst 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 it is to arm the King on the
days of battle and warfare."