Nothing, except the truth, is what it seems to be.

King Arthur
And in the council it was resolved to ordain Arthyr as king. And he had not age enough to wear the crown, merely fifteen years. And there was no one, as far as heard of, with the same gifts as his. And Arthyr was not possessed of nearly as much wealth as he bestowed. Then the princes of the isle commanded Ddyfric, Arch Bishop of Kaer-llion, to consecrate Arthyr King, and put the crown upon his head, for fear of the pagan ssaesson.

And then without delay Arthyr gathered a mighty host and marched to kaer Efrawc. And when Kolgrin heard this, he gathered a great army—of the ssaesson, and Yssgottiaid, and the ffichdiait—and gave Arthyr battle on the banks of the river Dylas, and fought nobly, and on both sides lilany were kified; but at last Arthyr got the victory, and put Kolgrin to flight. And he escaped from his own army to kaer Efrawc; and there Arthyr surrounded them without food or drink. And when Baldwlff, Kolgrin's brother, heard this, he came with six thousand armed men within ten miles of kaer Efroc. He had been waiting for Kledric a prince from ssermania and his help for the ssaesson. And then they wished to make a night attack on Arthyr and his army. And when Arthyr knew this, he sent Earl of Kerniw, with six hundred horsemen and three thousand footmen to trap him on the way. And when he met them, Kattwr fought with rage and fierceness, and scattered them, killed a multitude, and put them to flight. And then Baldwlff, grieved because he could not free his brother, pondered as to what he should do. Then he had them poll his head, cut his hair and his beard, and in minstrel* guise with a harp in his hand, be passed through the camp of the bryttaniait until he came beneath the city wall. There he sang and shouted, until he was answered from the city, and was drawn in with ropes over the wall. And then he and his brother considered in what way they might get free from there. And while they were doing so, behold, the messengers returned from ssermania with six hundred ships full of armed men, with Kledic as their leader, and landed in the Alban. And when Arthyr heard this, he left kaer Efroc, and went to Llyndam, and called his nobles to him to counsel with them. The decision was to send to Howel, the son of Emyr llydaw, his nephew, his sister’s son, who was king of llydaw, to ask support of him. Howel came with fifteen thousand armed men to Northamtwn in the land of lloegr. And joyful was Arthyr over him. And from there they went together to kaer Lwyttgoed, others call it Kaer Lincol, for there the ssaesson were. And a cruel battle happened there, in which between slaughter and drowning six thousand of the ssaesson were lost. And those who escaped fled to the wood of Kelyddon, with Arthyr chasing them. And there was a hard battle, and on both sides many were killed, for the bryttaniait were harried from the shelter of the oak woods. Then Arthyr ordered the oaks to be felled and crossed together into a high stockade around the ssaesson, and here they were guarded three days and nights without food or drink. And then lest they should die of famine, the ssaesson gave up to Arthyr all their Plunder, and also tribute from ssermania that they might be let go to their country. And they gave hostages for this But when they were on the high seas, they were sorry for their compact with Arthyr, and they turned their sails and landed at the port of Totnais on the shore of lloegr, and ravaged the country as far as the hafren, and from there to kaer Vyddav, and they surrounded and besieged the town. And when Arthyr knew this, without delay he had the hostages hanged. And he left the yssgottiait and ffichdiait, and left Howel his nephew grievously ill at kaer Alklyd amidst his enemies, and came upon the ssaesson at kaer vyddav. And he said to them, “Ye treacherous thieves, you have not kept faith with me, nor will I keep faith with you.” Then came Dyfric, Archbishop of kaer ilion, and from a high hill with uplifted voice cried out, “Ha, nobles,” said he, “such of you as are of Christian faith, remember to avenge this day the blood of your kindred upon the pagan ssaesson. And by God’s strength the efforts ye shall make, and your deaths, will wash you clean of your sins.” And then Arthyr put on a breast-plate worthy of a King; and on his head was a golden helmet with the likeness of a dragon of fire on it, and another image called prydwenn [blessed form], and on its inner side was carved the likeness of Mary. And this Arthyr bore with him when he went into battle-peril. And he took a sword, called kaledvwlch, for it was the best in all ynys Brydain. It was made in ynys afallach And in his hand he took the spear called Rongymyniad And when all were harnessed, with the Arch-Bishop’s blessing, fiercely they fell upon the enemy, and killed them until night. And towards night the ssaesson made for the top of a high hill, thinking they could take shelter there And when the next day came, Arthyr took the mountain from them, m spite of this they fought fiercely And then in a rage, Arthyr drew his sword kaledvwlch, and remembering the name of Mair [Mary], manfully rushed upon his enemies* and whoever met him be killed with a Single stroke, nor did Arthyr rest till he had slain four hundred and seventy of the ssaesson And when the bryttaniait saw their king excelling in warcraft and courage, they took to themselves cheer and strength to keep step with him. And in the end, Kolgrin and Baldwlff his brother, were killed and many thousands with them. And Kiedric fled and abandoned his own army. And then Arthyr ordered Kattwr, Earl of Kerniw, with ten thousand armed men to chase them; but Arthyr took the road to kaer Alklyd, because he heard that the Yssgottiait and ffichdiait were trying [to drive] Howel out of the town. Meanwhile, Kattwr and his army attacked the ships of the ssaesson, and filled them with his own men, and with the remainder he pursued them like a forest lion. And then Kledric, their prince, was slain, and the rest were subdued to perpetual slavery. And after kattwr had Conquered the ssaesson, he went toward kaer Alklyd, where was Arthyr, who had already driven the ffichdiait back to the sea. This was the third rout in which Arthyr and Howel drove them. And then they fled to lake lhmonwy. There come into this lake three hundred and sixty rivers, which rush down from the mountains of Prydain;* and from there in one river they go seaward, and that river is called llefn. And on each of these islands there is a mighty crag and on each crag an Eagle’s nest; and when these all go to the top of a single crag to scream, they know that some disaster comes from overseas upon this island. Then Arthyr had gathered ships and boats, sailed around the lake, and rounded up those people until thousands of them died of famine. And while they were doing so, behold Gilamwri, King of Iwerddon, was coming with a great fleet to support the Yssgottiait, for they were of one language and of one race. And when Arthyr saw that, he left the Yssgottiait and fought the gwyddyl [Irish], and put them to flight as far as to Iwerddon. And as it happened to Arthyr the first time, thus he came upon the Yssgottiaid the second time. And then came the Bishops and consecrated Abbots in their vestments, and fell on their knees before Arthyr and besought peace for that people, [on the terms] that those who had escaped be held as slaves perpetually to him and his descendants. And this Arthyr accepted. And when peace was made Howell went to see the condition of the lake and its surroundings. And then Arthyr said to Howel, “There is not far off a pond more wonderful than this. It is twenty feet wide and twenty feet long and five feet deep, and there are four kinds of fish in it, one kind at each corner of the pond, and yet none of them ever mingles with the others. And there is another lake near the hafren which is called llynn lliawn, and as sea-tide makes, its waters ebb; and however much fresh water gets into it, never does it rise up to its banks. But when the sea ebbs, it fills, like a great mountain, throwing up waves. Whoever meets those waves facing them will scarce escape alive, while if his back is toward the lake he will escape, however near he may stand. And from thence Arthyr went to kaer Efroc to hold his court at christmas. And there was Arthyr sorrowful to see the Churches ruined by the ssaesson and the sons of learning killed. And Arthyr gave to Aron, the son of Kynvarch, Yssgottlont; and to Elw, son of Kynvarch, the Earidom of Lindessi, for he was Arthyr’s brother-in-law, and [brother-in-law] also to Gwyar, mother of Gwalchmai, the Emperor. And to Yrien, the son of Kynvarch, he gave Regeci. And then Arthyr had finished subduing ynys Brydain in a way better than it ever had been. And then Artilyr took to wife Gwenhwyfar, daughter of Gogvran the giant.* Her mother was descended from the aristocracy of Ryfain, and Kattwr, Earl of Kerniw, had brought her up, and she was one of the fairest in ynys Brydain And Arthyr then prepared a fleet against the next summer to go to Iwerddon. And when Arthyr reached there, Gilamwri with his army was ready to fight with him. And he did not prosper, but fled; and in that flight Gilamwri was taken, and he had to do homage to Arthyr, he and his army. And from hence Arthyr went to Isslont* and subdued that country; and when that was heard by many of the other islands and that Arthyr was victorious wherever he went and none could stay him, Doldaf, the king of Yssgottlont, and Gwynnwas, the king of Ork, of their own will came to do homage to Arthyr, and to give him tribute every year. And after the winter was over, Arthyr returned to ynys Brydain. And there for twelve years Arthyr rested and called to him well-tried and famous men from every country, to increase their numbers. And then flew abroad his praise and his warcraft and those of his comrades, and for courage, and generosity of social code and custom, this island had never borne their equals. Nor was there a king at that time who could be compared to Arthyr; so that every king feared him lest he should conquer his country. And when Arthyr heard this, he was minded to match with deeds the praise which words ascribed to him; nor was his purpose less than the conquest of all Edropia, that was, a third part of the whole world. And there was neither king, nor powerful Lord, who did not try to school himself according to the modes and manners of the men of Arthyr And then Arthyr fitted out a Fleet to go to Llychlyn, because Assychlym, the King of Prydarn,* was dead, and had committed the kingship to Llew, son of Kynvarch, his nephew The men of llychlyn would not have this, but made Rikwlff their king, and strengthened themselves m the castles seekmg to defend their country And living there was Gwalchmai, the son of Llew, son of Kynvarch, in the service of the bishop of Ryfain, where Arthyr his uncle had sent him to learn manners and usage and horsemanship from the men of Ryfain. And that bishop first gave arms to Gwalchmai. And when Arthyr reached Llychlyn, Rikwlff was there with a great host to oppose Arthyr. And they joined battle, and many on both sides were killed; but in the end Arthyr killed* Rikwlff, and subdued the whole country to himself and Denmark* also, and compelled the people to do homage to him. And he left llew, son of Kynvarch, as King over those two places. And from there Arthyr and his Fleet sailed to ifraink, and began to subdue ffraink. And against him came out ifrolo, the man who held ifraink under Leo, the Emperor of Ryfain. And be fought with Arthyr, but could not make a stand, for Arthyr’s horsemen were more numerous and also better. And ffrolho fled to Paris and called together the largest army be could. For a month Arthyr with his army surrounded the city until many of them died of famine. And then ffrolho was greatly troubled, and proposed that both he and Arthyr should go to an island in the river which is called the ssain,— running through the city of Paris, — the one who should conquer to take the other’s kingdom, but to leave the armies in peace. And Arthyr liked nothing better than that. And to the island went they both, fully armed and mounted, with the two armies looking at them. And without delay ffrolho attacked Arthyr with his spear, but Arthyr dodged that peril. Then Arthyr straightway charged ifroiho so that be fell underneath his horse’s belly and then he drew his sword to try to kill him. Then ifroiho to earth. And when the Bryttaniait saw that, it was bard for them to keep bravely rose up, and killed Arthyr’s horse, and Arthyr and his horse went the compact with the ifraink. Then, full of fury, Arthyr rose up and swung his shield between himself and ffrolho, and engaged with him. And tben were strokes exchanged between them in cruel fashion. And then ffrolho landed a stroke on Arthyr, and struck him on his forehead so that the blood poured to the ground down his face and breast. And then Arthyr became furious and raised aloft Kaledvwlch, and struck ffrolho on the top of his head, and split his body and his armour to the girdle. And there ffrolho fell to the ground, digging up the ground with his heels, until he died. And then all ifraink did homage to Arthyr. And then Arthyr divided his army in two parts, and one part he sent with his nephew Howel to conquer peitio. And with the other he went himself to conquer Gassgwin and Einssio. And there Gwidrad, the prince of Peittio was compelled to do homage to Arthyr; and nine years was Arthyr in subduing those countries. And after this he went to hold his court in Paris, and invited there all the princes of the islands, and the Nobles and the clerks and laymen. And by agreement or the whole multitude there were made good laws for the whole extent of these kingdoms. And then Arthyr gave to Bedwyr, his head butler, the Earldom of Normandi; and to Kei, his head officer, the Earldom of Angiw; and to all his nobles according to their desert. And by his liberality and rove he bound them in unity. And then when he had settled those lands, the following spring Arthyr went back again to ynys Brydain. And in touncil he was advised to hold his court at kaer lion ar wysc, because that was the place most beautiful and wealthy, and most suitable for a king to keep a feast therein. For on one side of the city there is a great river so that ships from the ends of the world can approach it, and on the other side of the city are meadows fair, level, and dry, and around them are lovely high hills, and nearby are fair, far-spreading forests, to hunt animals [in]. And within the town there were buildings of regal beauty, and on this account the city was likened to Ryfain. And also there were in the city two chief churches, and one of them was consecrated in the name of ssiliws the Martyr, and there was a convent of nuns; and another church was there to Aron the Martyr, and that was a monastery of canons. And here also was the third chief Archbishop-house in ynys Brydain, and there were also in the city two hundred schools of clerks in many kinds of learning, — and first of all in the seven arts. For the principal place in the island was Kaer lhon ar Wysc. And there Arthyr decreed a feast marvellously great, and sent messengers to all the lands he had subdued to invite to it all the kings, chiefs, and laymen, so many that they could not be counted, to come to the feast at Kaer llion, and [he decreed] to give dignities to all as they deserved because of their rank and lineage. And so from Alban came Aron, son of Kynvarch, the king of Prydyn; and Yrien, son of Kynvarch, Lord of Reged; and Kasswallawn Lawhir, lord of Gwynedd, and Meyric, King of Dyfed, and Kattwr, Earl of Kerniw; and the three Archbishops of ynys Brydam,—and chief among them was the Archbishop of Kaer lliawn, for his was the rank of Legate, and a saintly man was he. And thither also came Morydd, Earl of Kaerloyw; and Mor, Earl of Kaer-rangon and Anarawd, Lord of amwythic; and Madoc of kaer Wair; and Owain of kaer Vallawc, called also by another name, of ssalstbri; and Gwrssalen of kaer Kynnvarch and Yrien of kaer Vaddon; and Bosso, Earl of Rydychen. And with them many nobles whom it would be too tiresome to name. And from other islands* came Gilamwri, King of iwerddon; and another Gilamwri, King of Alawnt; and Doldaf, King of Yssgottlont; and Gwynnwas, King of Ork ilew son of Kynvarch, King of llychlyn; and Achel, King of Denmark. And from the islands* of ifraink came Oldynn, prince of Rwytton; and Bwttel, prince of Kenonia; Leodegar of Bolwyn; and Bedwyr, prince of Normandi; Kei, prince of Angyw; and Gwidard, prince of Paittio; and the twelve peers; and geraint of Carwys in Yssbaen; and Howel, son of Emyr Llydaw, and many to tell of whom would be too long In short, there never came to any festival so many noblemen and noblewomen, and fine horses, and hawks, and dogs, and precious jewels, golden vessels, and splendid garments of satin and purple, such as came there. For there was not a man this side of yssbaen, who wished to benefit, who did not come there to receive gifts innumerable of whatever kind each one wished. And also many came there unbidden to look upon the feast. And when all had come, the three Archbishops were called to dress the king in royal robes, and to put the crown upon his head. And Dyfric sang the mass. And when they went into the Church, two Archbishops led Arthyr, in his kmgly garments. And before him went four men bearing four naked swords, for that was the high dignity of an Emperor, —namely, Aron, son of Kynvarch, king of Alban; Casswallaon llawhir, king of Gwynedd; and Mayric, king of dyfed; and Kattwr, Earl of Kerniw. And on each side of them the convent choirs sang, to organs, various hymns, the best and sweetest that ever music hymned. And from the other side the queen went to the Church in queenly adornments, and her crown on her head, and bishops and nuns with her; and the four wives of the four kings just now [mentioned], — —each one of them with a white pigeon in her hand. And when she was within the church, the service was begun by the best clerks in the sweetest numbers that man ever sang. And then was seen much rushing from one church to the other to listen to the wondrous songs. And so after the mass, they went to the palace, and laid aside their robes of dignity, and put on others, and went to the hail to eat. And in another part was Gwenhwyfar and her noble ladies with her, as was the custom of the Queen And so when he had seated all according to rank, Kai arose, with a thousand men to serve from the kitchen, with a robe of yellow ermine about him, — and such wore each one of them; and then arose Bedwyr, Arthyr’s chief butler, with a thousand men adorned with the like garments, to pass the yellow mead m mnumerable gold and silver cups. And neither the multitude nor the adornment of the Queen’s servitors was less than that of the servitors of the emperor Arthyr and his men. And so there was no realm that could corn-pare with ynys Brydain in prosperity, manners, and customs For one usage had all the men of Arthyr’s court, and the wives of those men had but one use of custom and dress, nor would matron or maid accept as husband or as lover any but a well-proved, skilful warrior. Thus were the men more valorous, and more chaste the women. And after dinner, all went outside the city to look on at various sports, chiefly at lance play, but there were no games lacking that could be imagined. From the battlements of the city the women watched this, each one showing which man she loved the most; and for this the men did the bravest deeds they couid. And whoever was victorious in the sports received reward for his efforts, — and that at the cost of the emperor and his treasury. And when they had kept that festival three days and nights, on the fourth day behold it was seen that those who had served it were rewarded for their efforts. For to some of them were given cities, and to others castles, and to others Bishoprics, where any were vacant. And then Dyfric, Archbishop of Kaer ilion, became a Hermit and gave up the Archbishopric because he saw how great had been the provision for that feast, and the multitude, and its ending in three days. And therefore he meditated that all things in this world come to an end, and then he sought eternal things, looking toward the kingdom of the land of heaven. And in his place Dewi, son of ssanck, was made Archbishop, for a man of a godly conversation was he, and the uncle of Arthyr. And instead of ssamsson, Archbishop of Kaer Efroc, was placed Tailo, bishop of llandaf. And this was at the prayer of Howel, son of Emyr Llydaw, for a holy man was Taiio. And then when all things were finished, behold they saw twelve high placed nobles approaching, each one with an Olive branch in his hand, as sign that they were ambassadors. And then they courteously saluted Arthyr and greeted him from Lles, the Emperor of Ryfain, and they put a letter into his hands with these words in it:

“Lles, Emperor of Ryfain, to Arthyr, king of the Bryttaniaid, sends greeting according to his deserving. For thy fierceness and folly, nay, thy folly out of all reason, Arthyr, are amazing to me; thou hast insulted the empire of Ryfain and thou art too slow in giving Ryfain her due, although the kings of the whole world bow down to her except thyself. For thou art holding back the tribute due to Ryfain from ynys Brydain, the which ilkassar got, and other emperors after him. For all other islands pay tribute to Ryfain. But thou hast subjected ynys Brydain to thyself, destroying the prestige of the men of Ryfain. And on this account the senate of Ryfain hath adjudged thee to come by next August to Ryfain, to suffer the judgment that may be passed upon thee. And to summon thee there did we come, and if thou come not at the set time, then be it known to thee that they will come here to seek redress from thee for thy insults to Ryfain, as the sword shall judge between thee and her.” And when Arthyr grasped the meaning of the letter, he went into council as to giving answer to the men of Ryfain. Then first of all Kattwr, Earl of Kerniw, made answer to Arthyr.

“Lord King,” said he, “I fear that worthlessness and idleness have got the better of us b[r]yttaniait, for so long have we been idle, giving ourselves up to feasting and chattering with women — and that now for five years — and this has robbed us of our valour and our capacity, so that we ought to thank the men of Ryfain for awakening us.” And then said Arthyr, “Ha, nobles,” said he, “my Fellow-warriors, you have always before this given me good and fruitful counsels, and this hour I am in need of them. Let each one of us therefore, do powerful thinking. And if our decision be good, we shall triumph over the men of Ryfain. For though they got tribute from this island for coming with their armies to defend us against the alien nations, at this hour they profit us nothing. And so since they ask us for something we do not owe them, we will ask of them what they do owe us, and let the strongest of us take tribute from the other. For our ancestors conquered them, namely, Beli and Bran, the sons of Dyfnwal Moel Myd, for they brought twenty nobles of Ryfain as hostages from there to ynys Brydain. And after that were Kastenin, the son of Elen, and Maxen Wiedic, nobles of ynys Brydain, — and they conquered even unto Ryfain, and Ryfain also, and were emperors, one after the other. For this reason let us give no answer to them, save to demand our right from them.” And then said Howel, son of Emyr llydaw, “Between myself and god, if each of us were to speak his mind one after another, there would be nothing said as well as what the Emperor himself has said concerning this. Therefore, Lord, let us go forth to defend the kingdom’s dignity, for since the men of Ryfain have begun by asking unrightful things, it belongs to you, Lord, to demand rightful things of them. For the wise ssibli prophesied that there would be three emperors from kymry in Ryfain. There have been two already, and thou shalt be the third. And, therefore, let us hasten there, for of one mind with thee are all thy men, and I myself will give thee in support ten thousand armed horsemen.” And then said Aron, son of Kynvarch, “My Lord, between myself and god, I cannot say how great is my delight with what you have said concerning Ryfain And therefore we are happy to take blows from the men of Ryfain in exchange for those that we shall deal to them, to avenge our grandfathers and more ancient ancestors. And to maintain thy dignity, Lord King, I will give thee fo go there two thousand armed horsemen, and footmen also” And when all had finished speaking and telling how many soldiers each one would give to go to Ryfain, Arthyr thanked all of them one after another for their gifts. And then was accounted to Arthyr the greatness of the number given to him, as follows. He got from ynys Brydain, aside from those given him by Howel, sixty thousand armed horsemen well proved in battle, and footmen beyond all number. It was counted that he would get from the six islands,* of foot folk one hundred and twenty thousand. And the names of those islands were Iwerddon, isslont, Yssgotlont, Ork, llychlyn, Dennmark. And from all of ifraink be got eighty thousand armed horsemen. And with the twelve Peers and Geraint of Kaerwys, came one thousand two hundred armed men. The whole number that was promised was about ninety-two thousand two hundred horsemen, and no one knew the number of the footmen. And so, after Arthyr had seen the willingness of all, he sent his messengers home to prepare for August. And he told that to the envoys of the men of Ryfain, and not that he would pay them tribute. And then the envoys went away. And when Lles, the Emperor of Ryfain, heard this, he went into council, he and the senate of Ryfain. And their decision was to send to the Kings of the east to ask for aid from them against Arthyr. The number of the war men that lies, Emperor of Ryfain, got was a hundred and forty and four hundred thousand of thousands. And when they had finished preparing everything, toward August they set out towards ynys Brydain. And when Arthyr heard it, he marshalled his army, and commended to Medrod, his nephew, son of his sister, the governance of his kingdom and also Gwenhwyfar [to holdi well and carefully until he should come home. And then Arthyr and his hosts went to the port of Northhamtwn; and when he got a fair wind he sailed for ifraink. And when he had reached the middle of the ocean, a sleep as of the dead held him much of the night, and he saw a dream. He saw flying from the south a sort of monster, with a terrible voice, alighting on the shore of ffraink; and he saw a dragon coming from the west, and by the glare of its eyes the sea was lighted up. And he saw the dragon and the Bear [Arth] engaging; and when they had fought for a long time, he saw the dragon spitting out gleaming flames of fire upon the Bear, and burning him up completely. And perplexing was the dream to Arthyr. And then he awoke and told his comrades of the vision; and thus did they make interpretation: “Thou, Lord, shalt fight some monster of a giant and conquer him, for the dragon signifies thyself.” But Arthyr put no trust in this, for he believed that it should be between the emperor and himself. And by the next day, Arthyr and his Fleet were in the port of Barilio in normandi. And there he waited for all the men from the other islands that had promised him support. And then it was told to Arthyr that lles, emperor of Ryfain, was encamped with an immense host on the opposite side of the river called Gwenn. And that night Arthyr encamped on the other side of the river. And Arthyr sent messengers to the emperor telling him that he must leave ifraink and its frontiers or give Arthyr battle in the field the next day. The messengers who went there were Gwalchmai, son of Gwyar; and Bosso, Earl of Rhydychen; and Geraint of KarwyS, a prince of ifraink. And well pleased was Arthyr’s army with Gwalchmai’S going there, thinking that he would put some affront upon the men of Ryfain to compel them to fight them. And then the coming of the messengers was told to LLles, and the purpose of their message. And he answered that it was far more meet for him tO rule ifraink than to go away; and then said GI(eiws, nephew of the emperor: “Much longer are the tongues of you bryttaniait than your swords.” Then quickly Gwalchmai drew his sword and killed °Keiws. And then all three nimbly mounted their horses with the men of Ryfain chasing them, seeking to revenge their man upon them. Then Geraint, for he was the hindermost, wounded and killed the foremost of their pursuers. And then Markinigys came up seeking to avenge Keiws, and Gwalchmai awaited him, and struck him with his sword on his head, and split him to the breast; — and told him to tell his comrades in Hell that the Swords of the Bryttafliait are longer than their tongues. And by Gwalchmai’s counsel they held together, and each one killed a man of the foremost of their pursuers. And when they were near a forest, behold six thousand of the bryttaniait raised their battle cry against the men of Ryfain, and killed them cruelly, and captured others, and in the end put them to flight. And when Pentaraink, a Senator of Ryfain, heard this, he came forthwith with ten thousand armed men with him to protect the men of Ryfain. And at the first rush he drove the bryttaniait back into the wood, where they had been before. And there many on both sides were killed. And thereupon, behold, Edyrn, son of Nydd, with five thousand armed men, came up in support of the bryttaniait, and anew did they [the Romans] manfully oppose them, and maintained their fame and pride. And pedraink urged his men to attack fiercely. And when Bosso, Earl of Rhydychen, saw this, he rallied to him a goodly number, and went against them, and called out to gwalchmai, who was near by, “Beware lest we yet be worsted and be rebuked by the king. And therefore let us all try to get the better of Pettraink himself by killing or capturing him.” And without delay they broke through the armies of the men of Ryfain, dragged Pettraink from his horse, and bound him fast. Then hard fought was the battle on all sides; but in the end the bryttaniait won and took Pettraink with them to their own army, and then anew went to fight the men of Ryfain, and in the end put them to flight. And nothing was as pleasing as to capture, kill, and plunder. And then the Bryttaniait with their prisoners came to the place where Arthyr was, and told him all that had chanced. And much pleased was Arthyr that they had so prospered while he himself was not with them. And then Arthyr ordered Bedwyr and Kattwr, Earl of Kerniw, and two other princes to take the prisoners to paris. And when the men of Ryfain heard this, they chose fifteen thousand armed men, and sent them by night to intercept the prisoners to try to free them. And at the head of that force was a SenatOr from Ryfain called Achwintys, and Ofander, king of ssiria, and ssertorys of Lybia. And so they waited in a concealed place. And the next day when the men of Arthyr and the prisoners came to the woody glen where the men of Ryfain were waiting, they rose upon them, and scattered them badly. Then, the Bryttaniait divided into two parts, to wit, under Bedwyr and Rissiart of Paldwn, to guard the Prisoners. And at the head of the army fought Kattwr, Earl of Kerniw, and Borel the prince. And the men of Ryfain attacked them. And then came Gwidart, prince of Paittio, with three thousand men to help the Bryttaniait. And there they opposed them manfully and punished their deception and treachery. And there was killed Borel the prince, for Ofander, king of ssiria, wounded him with a spear so that he died. Four others of Arthyr’s nobles were killed: Hirlas of eliawn and Mayric, son of Kattwr; and Halidyc of Tindagol and Kei, son of Ithel. But for all that ill fortune, the Bryttaniait lost not one of their prisoners, but routed the men of Ryfain and in that flight efander, King of ssiria, was killed, as was also Vyltanys, a Senator from Ryfain. And then after winning, the Bryttaniait took their prisoners to Paris, including also those taken that day. And then joyfully they went home to Arthyr and told him what had happened. And then lles was greatly distressed so evil was the fate of his men, and went into council to decide what he should do, Whether to go home for reinforcements from Leo, the Emperor of Ryfain, or himself to fight with Arthyr. In the council it was decided to make for Nafarn, to the place called Leigrys, and there they passed that night. And when Arthyr heard this, he went to a place called the glen of Assnessia, for there LLles, the Emperor, would come the next day. And there Arthyr awaited them;’ and posted his horsemen on either side, with Morydd, prince of Kaer Loyw, leading them. And he marshalled his host in eight armies. And in each army were three thousand five hundred well tried fighting men. And so when he had skillfully prepared them, Arthyr taught them to attack and also to await their opportunity. And at the head of each army were two nobles, famous and experienced; for at the head of the first was Aron, son* of Kynvarch, and chKattwr, Earl of Kerniw. And that army was posted on the right hand. And at the head of the other on the left hand was Bosso of Ryd-ychen, and geraint of Kaerwys. Before the third army was Achle, king of Dennmark, and llew, son of Kynnvarch, king of prydyn. Before the fourth was Howel, son of Emyr llydaw, and Gwalchmai, son of Gwyar. In behind these four were the four others, and two leaders over teach of them. Before the first was Kei hir [the tall], and Bedwyr, son of Bedrod, before the second was Holdms, prince of Ryttain, and Gwidart, prince of Peittio; before the third army was Owain of Kaer llion and Gwynnwas of kaer gaint; and before the fourth army was Yrien of Kaer Baddon, and Gwrssalem of Dorssiestr. And behind them was Arthyr, and a legion of nobles with him And before him was the image of a golden dragon, the sign of refuge for all wounded men Arthyr’s Own division was about six thousand three hundred and six. And then Arthyr exhorted his army like this “O nobles,” said he, “it is well known that by your strength and counsels it was that ynys Brydain became head over thirty kingdoms, and by your power we shall again triumph over Ryfain and take vengeance on them for trying to enslave us in place of our freedom. Remember this hour the slothful ease in which we lived for a long time bandying words with women. Remember further to rekindle* your bravery and warcraft. Let us be united when we meet the men of Ryfain, and drive them like animals because they do not think that we shall dare give them open battle And, nobles, if you will obey my orders, I shall honour you as you may wish, with everything that may be in my possession.” And all of them promised to follow Arthyr’s commands. And when Lles heard that Arthyr was exhorting his host, he also exhorted his host and said that the whole world ought to be obedient to Ryfain, and “Remember that your fathers kept Ryfain in the head place of all the world in bravery, warlike skill, and prosperity. And for this shrink ye not from death to uphold the dignity of Ryfain. Fight hard, so that we can ask tribute from other islands. And for this remember, nobles, that we came not here to flee, but unitedly to fight our enemies, and though they are brave at the beginning, let us stand together, and we shall conquer them.” And when he had ended, he arrayed his host in twelve armies, and with each army a legion of horse, and at the head of each army he placed two famous chiefs as leaders And also Lles taught his men wherein he saw most need, and in the army’s midst he ordered to be set up a golden eagle on a standard as a sign of refuge for any one who was in peril. And then they engaged, and, first, the army of the king of Yssbaen met the army of Aron, son of Kynvarch, and kattwr, Earl of Kerniw, and began to fight hard. And then, behold, Geraint of Kaerwys, and Bosso of Rydychen came up and pierced the armies of the men of Ryfain. And from that time on so fiercely and confusedly came they together that the crash shook the earth and the sky with the noise of the soldiers’ feet stamping the ground, and there there was fierce fighting on both sides, too tiresome to tell about. And there Bokys, King of Med, pierced Bedwyr with a spear, so that he died. And Kei was wounded mortally. In spite of that, his army bore his body until they met the army of Libia, and that army scattered them, but in spite of this they bore his lody to the place where was the golden dragon Then Hirlas, Bedwyr’s nephew took with him three hundred mighty veteran horsemen, and like a forest boar among a pack of dogs, he rushed among them until he met with Bokys, and he brought him along with them on his horse’s back, near to Bedwyr’s body, and there he was hacked in pieces. And then Hirlas went to his own army, and exhorted them to fight manfully. And many were there lost on both sides. And of the men of Ryfain were killed Aliffantys, and Milinys, a Senator from Ryfain. And of Arthyr’s men were killed Holdins, duke* of Ryttain, and Leodegar of Bolwn, and three princes of ynys Brydain, namely, Gwrissalem of kaer gaint, Gwalhoc of amwythic, and Yrien of kaer Baddon. And there Kai died of the wound he had got earlier. And then the foremost armies divided and fell back upon the army of Howel, son of Emyr llydaw, and Gwalchmai. And there they were strengthened, and manfully attacked their enemies anew, and whoever met Gwalchmai, he killed him with a single blow; nor did Gwalchmai rest till he reached the army of the emperor of Ryfain. But there the Bryttaniait were Weakened by the killing of Kynnvarch, prince of Teyger, and two thousand with him And there were killed three nobles whose heroism was no less than that of princes. Howel and Gwalchmai kept together and upheld their honour, killing whoever met them, giving and taking blows. And in the end Gwalchmai got what he longed for, namely, to meet iles, Emperor of Ryfain. And there was nothing the Emperor liked better than to meet Gwalchmai, and they exchanged strokes. And when they were most fiercely dealing them, a multitude of the men of Ryfain came upon Howe1 and Gwalchmai, so that they had to fall back to Arthyr and his army. And when Arthyr saw it, greatly enraged, he rushed upon the men of Ryfain, menacing them with Kaledvwlch, and calling loudly to his men, “Do not delay, nobles, to avenge the wrong of your ancestors on these vain men. Deal them blows in fierce fashion, and summon to you all your might, as you have always done, and we shall not withdraw from them a single step.” And then at the head of his men Arthyr attacked his enemies like a fierce lion, and whoever met him, with one stroke he killed him. And therefore all fled before him, as weak animals before a hungry lion; for no one’s armour profited him against his blows. And then Arthyr met two kings, Sertorius, King of Libia, and poltetes, Kmg of Bettania, and killed them with two strokes And then when all saw their Lord thus sufficing, inflamed with wrath and hatred, from that time they fought manfully according to their lord’s example. And thus also did the men of Ryfain, encouraging and ordering their men. And so the number of those killed there on both sides could not be counted. Then, behold, Morydd, Earl of kaer-loyw, came up with a legion of nobles and pressed the men of Ryfain anew. And then came one of the bryttaniaid and stabbed lles, the Emperor of Ryfain, with a spear so that he fell dead upon the ground; it was not known who killed him. And then the bryttaniait triumphed and put to flight the men, killing and hacking them for seeking to compel Free nobles to pay them tribute. And then Arthyr gave orders to separate the bodies of his men from the bodies of the men of Ryfain, and to bury them honourably in the nearest Monasteries. And then Arthyr ordered that the bodies of the nobles of Ryfain should be tent to be buried with their friends.* And the body of Bedwyr was carried to normandi to the city he himself had built; and there he was buried. And the body of Kei was taken to Peittio, and there in a church of the hermits it was buried. And Holdin, prince of Ryttain, was borne to ifiawndyrs. And all the other nobles were carried to the nearest churches. And then Arthyr ordered the body of the emperor of Ryfain to be laid before the Senate of Ryfain,* warning them to come not a second time to ynys brydain to get tribute. And there Arthyr dwelt that winter subduing Byrgwin.