BRANWEN, THE DAUGHTER OF
LLYR
BENDIGEID VRAN, the son of
Llyr, was the crowned king of
this island, and he was exalted from the crown of London. And one afternoon he
was at Harlech in Ardudwy, at his Court, and he sat upon the rock of Harlech,
looking over the sea. And with him were his brother Manawyddan the son of Llyr, and his brothers by the mother’s side,
Nissyen and
Evnissyen, and many
nobles likewise, as was fitting to see around a king. His two brothers by the
mother’s side were the sons of Eurosswydd, by his mother, Penardun, the
daughter of Beli son of
Manogan. And one of these youths was a good youth and
of gentle nature, and would make peace between his kindred, and cause his
family to be friends when their wrath was at the highest; and this one was Nissyen; but the other would cause strife between his two brothers when they
were most at peace. And as they sat thus, they beheld thirteen ships coming
from the south of Ireland, and making towards them, and they came with a swift
motion, the wind being behind them, and they neared them rapidly. “I see
ships afar,” said the king, “coming swiftly towards the land. Command the
men of the Court that they equip themselves, and go and learn their intent.”
So the men equipped themselves and went down towards them. And when they saw the ships near, certain were they that they had
never seen ships better furnished. Beautiful flags of satin were upon them.
And behold one of the ships outstripped the others, and they saw a shield
lifted up above the side pf the ship, and the point of the shield was upwards,
in token of peace. And the men drew near that they might hold converse. Then
they put out boats and came towards the land. And they saluted the king. Now
the king could hear them from the place where he was, upon the rock above
their heads. “Heaven prosper you,” said he, “and be ye welcome. To whom
do these ships belong, and who is the chief amongst you?” “Lord,” said
they, “Matholwch, king of Ireland, is here, and these ships belong to
him.” “Wherefore comes he?” asked the king, “and will he come to the
land?” “He is a suitor unto thee, lord,” said they, “and he will not
land unless he have his boon.” “And what may that be?” inquired the
king. “He desires to ally himself with thee, lord,” said they, “and he
comes to ask Branwen the daughter of Llyr, that, if it seem well to thee, the
Island of the Mighty may be leagued with Ireland, and both become more
powerful.” “Verily,” said he, “let him come to land, and we will take
counsel thereupon.” And this answer was brought to Matholwch. “I will go
willingly,” said he. So he landed, and they received him joyfully; and great
was the throng in the palace that night, between his hosts and those of the
Court; and next day they took counsel, and they resolved to bestow Branwen
upon Matholwch. Now she was one of the three chief ladies of this island, and
she was the fairest damsel in the world.
And
they fixed upon Aberffraw as the place where she should become his bride. And
they went thence, and towards Aberffraw the hosts proceeded; Matholwch and his
host in their ships;
BENDIGEID VRAN
and his host by land, until they came to
Aberffraw. And at Aberffraw they began the feast and sat down. And thus sat
they. The King of the Island of the Mighty and Manawyddan the son of Llyr on
one side, and Matholwch on the other side, and Branwen the daughter of Llyr
beside him. And they were not within a house, but under tents. No house could
ever contain
BENDIGEID VRAN. And they began the banquet and caroused and
discoursed. And when it was more pleasing to them to sleep than to carouse,
they went to rest, and that night Branwen became Matholwch's bride.
And
next day they arose, and all they of the Court, and the officers began to
equip and to range the horses and the attendants, and they ranged them in
order as far as the sea. And behold one day, EvNissyen, the quarrelsome man of
whom it is spoken above, came by chance into the ,place, where the horses of
Matholwch were, and asked whose horses they might be. “They are the horses
of Matholwch king of Ireland, who is married to Branwen, thy sister; his
horses are they.” “And is it thus they have done with a maiden such as
she, and moreover my sister, bestowing her without my consent? They could have
offered no greater insult to me than this,” said he. And thereupon he
rushed under the horses and cut off their lips at the teeth, and their ears
close to their heads, and their tails close to their backs, and wherever he
could clutch their eyelids, he cut them to the very bone, and he disfigured
the horses and rendered them useless.
And
they came with these tidings unto Matholwch, saying that the horses were
disfigured, and injured so that not one of them could ever be of any use
again. “Verily, lord,” said one, “it was an insult unto thee, and as
such was it meant.” “Of a truth, it is a marvel to me, that if they desire
to insult me, they should have given me a maiden of such high rank and so much
beloved of her kindred, as they have done.” “Lord,” said another,
“thou seest that thus it is, and there is nothing for thee to do but to go
to thy ships.” And thereupon towards his ships he set out.
And
tidings came to BENDIGEID VRAN that Matholwch was quitting the Court without
asking leave, and messengers were sent to inquire of him wherefore he did
so. And the messengers that went were Iddic the son of Anarawd, and
Heveydd Hir. And these overtook him and asked of him what he designed to do,
and wherefore he went forth. “Of a truth,” said he, “if I had known I
had not come hither. I have been altogether insulted, no one had ever worse
treatment than I have had here. But one thing surprises me above all.”
“What is that?” asked they. “That Branwen the daughter of Llyr, one of
the three chief ladies of this island, and the daughter of the King of the
Island of the Mighty, should have been given me as my bride, and that after
that I should have been insulted; and I marvel that the insult was not done me
before they had bestowed upon me a maiden so exalted as she.” “Truly,
lord, it was not the will of any that are of the Court,” said they, “nor
of any that are of the council, that thou shouldst have received this insult;
and as thou hast been insulted, the dishonor is greater unto BENDIGEID
VRAN than unto thee.” “Verily,” said he, “I think so. Nevertheless he
cannot recall the insult.” These men returned with that answer to the place
where BENDIGEID VRAN was, and they told him what reply Matholwch had given
them. “Truly,” said he, “there are no means by which we may prevent his
going away at enmity with us, that we will not take.” “Well, lord,’ said
they, “send after him another embassy.” “I will do so,” said he.
“Arise, Manawyddan son of Llyr, and Heveydd Hir, and Unic Glew Ysgwyd, and
go after him, and tell him that he shall have a sound horse for every one that
has been injured. And beside that, as an atonement for the insult, he shall
have a staff of silver, as large and as tall as himself, and a plate of gold
of the breadth of his face. And show unto him who it was that did this, and
that it was done against my will; but that he who did it is my brother, by the
mother’s side, and therefore it would be hard for me to put him to death.
And let him come and meet me,” said he, “and we will make peace in any way
he may desire.”
The
embassy went after Matholwch, and told him all these sayings in a friendly
manner, and he listened thereunto. “Men,” said he, “I will take
counsel.” So to the council he went. And in the council they considered that
if they should refuse this, they were likely to have more shame rather than to
obtain so great an atonement. They resolved therefore to accept it, and they
returned to the Court in peace.
Then
the pavilions and the tents were set in order after the fashion of a hall; and
they went to meat, and as they had sat at the beginning of the feast, so sat
they there. And Matholwch and BENDIGEID VRAN
began to discourse; and behold it
seemed to BENDIGEID VRAN, while they talked, that Matholwch was not so
cheerful as he had been before. And he thought that the chieftain might be
sad, because of the smallness of the atonement which he had, for the wrong
that had been done him. “Oh, man,” said BENDIGEID
VRAN, “thou dost not
discourse tonight so cheerfully as thou wast wont. And if it be because of
the smallness of the atonement, thou shalt add thereunto whatsoever thou
mayest choose, and to-morrow I will pay thee the horses.” “Lord,” said
he, “Heaven reward thee.” “And I will enhance the atonement,” said BENDIGEID
VRAN, “for I will give unto thee a cauldron, the property of which
is, that if one of thy men be slain to-day, and be cast therein, to-morrow he
will be as well as ever he was at the best, except that be will not regain his speech.”
And thereupon he gave him great thanks, and very joyful was he for that cause.
1, And
the next morning they paid Matholwch the horses as long as the trained horses
lasted. And then they journeyed into another commot, where they paid him with
colts until the whole had been paid, and from thenceforth that commot was
called Talebolyon.
And a second night sat they together. “My lord,” said
Matholwch, “whence hadst thou the cauldron which thou hast given me?”
“I had it of a man who had been in thy land,” said he, “and I would not
give it except to one from there.” “Who was it?” asked he. “Llassar
Llaesgyvnewid; he came here from Ireland with Kymideu Kymeinvoll, his wife,
who escaped from the Iron House in Ireland, when it was made red hot around
them, and fled hither. And it is a marvel to me that thou shouldst know
nothing concerning the matter.” "Something I do know,” said he, “and as much as I
know I will tell thee. One day I was hunting in Ireland, and I came to the
mound at the head of the lake, which is called the Lake of the Cauldron. And I
beheld a huge yellow-haired man coming from the lake with a cauldron upon his
back. And he was a man of vast size, and of horrid aspect, and a woman
followed after him. And if the man was tall, twice as large as he was the
Woman, and they came towards me and greeted me. ‘Verily,’ asked I,
‘wherefore are you journeying?’ ‘Behold, this,’ said he to me, ‘is
the cause that we journey. At the end of a month and a fortnight this woman
will have a son; and the child that will be born at the end of the month and
the fortnight will be a warrior fully armed.’ So I took them with me and
maintained them. And they were with me for a year. And that year I had them
with me not grudgingly. But thenceforth was there murmuring, because that they
were with me. For, from the beginning of the fourth month they had begun to
make themselves hated and to be disorderly in the land; committing outrages,
and molesting and harassing the nobles and ladies; and thence-forward my
people rose up and besought me to part with them, and they bade me to choose
between them and my dominions. And I applied to the council of my country to
know what should be done concerning them; for of their own free will they
would not go, neither could they be compelled against their will, through
fighting. And [the people of the country] being in this strait, they caused a
chamber to be made all of iron. Now when the chamber was ready, there came
there every smith that was in Ireland, and every one who owned tongs and
hammer. And they caused coals to be piled up as high as the top of the
chamber. And they had the man, and the woman, and the children, served with
plenty of meat and drink; but when it was known that they were drunk, they
began to put fire to the coals about the chamber, and they blew it with
bellows until the house was red hot all around them. Then was there a council
held in the centre of the floor of the chamber. And the man tarried until the
plates of iron were all of a white heat; and then, by reason of the great
heat, the man dashed against the plates with his shoulder and struck them out,
and his wife followed him; but except him and his wife none escaped thence.
And then I suppose, lord,” said Matholwch unto BENDIGEID
VRAN, “that he
came over unto thee.” “Doubtless he came here,” said he, “and gave
unto me the cauldron.” “In what manner didst thou receive them?” “I
dispersed them through every part of my dominions, and they have become numerous and are prospering
everywhere, and they fortify the places where they are with men and arms, of
the best that were ever seen.”
That
night they continued to discourse as much as they would, and had minstrelsy and
carousing, and when it was more pleasant to them to sleep than to sit longer,
they went to rest. And thus was the banquet carried on with joyousness; and
when it was finished, Matholwch journeyed towards Ireland, and Branwen with
him, and they went from Aber Menei with thirteen ships, and çame to Ireland. And in Ireland
was there great joy because of their coming. And not one great man or noble
lady visited Branwen unto whom she gave not either a clasp, or a ring, or a
royal jewel to keep, such as it was honorable to be seen departing with. And in these things she spent that year in much
renown, and she passed her time pleasantly, enjoying honour and friendship.
And in the meanwhile it chanced that she became pregnant, and in due time a
son was born unto her, and the name that they gave him was Gwern the son of
Matholwch, and they put the boy out to be foster-nursed, in a place where were
the best men of Ireland.
And
behold in the second year a tumult arose in Ireland, on account of the insult
which Matholwch had received in Cambria, and the payment made him for his
horses. And his foster-brothers, and such as were nearest unto him, blamed him
openly for that matter. And he
might have no peace by reason of the tumult until they should revenge upon him
this disgrace. And the vengeance which they took was to drive away Branwen
from the same chamber with him, and to make her cook for the Court; and they
caused the butcher after he had cut up the meat to come to her
and give her every day a blow on the ear, and such they made her punishment.
“Verily,
lord,” said his men to Matholwch, “forbid flow the ships and the ferry
boats and the coracles, that they go not into Cambria, and such as come over
from Cambria hither, imprison them that they go not back for
this
thing to be known there.” And he did so; and it was thus for not less than
three years.
And
Branwen reared a starling in the cover of the kneading trough, and she taught
it to speak and she taught the bird what manner of man her brother
was. And she wrote a letter of her woes, and the despite with which she was
treated, and she bound the letter to the root of the bird’s wing, and sent
it towards Britain. And the bird came to this island, and one day it found
BENDIGEID
VRAN
at Caer Seiont in Arvon, conferring there, and it alighted upon
his shoulder and ruffled its feathers, so that the letter was seen, and they
knew that the bird had been reared in a domestic manner.
Then
BENDIGEID VRAN took the letter and looked upon
it. And when he had read the letter he grieved exceedingly at the tidings
of Branwen’s woes. And immediately he began sending messengers to summon the
island together. And he caused seven score and four countries to come unto him,
and he complained to them himself of the grief that his sister endured. So
they took counsel. And in the council they resolved to go to Ireland, and to
leave seven men as princes here, and Caradawc, the son of Bran, as the chief
of them, and their seven knights. In Edeyrnion were these men left. And for
this reason were the seven knights placed in the town. Now the names of these
seven men were, Caradawc the son of Bran, and Heveydd Hir, and Unic Glew
Ysgwyd, and Iddic the son of Anarawc Gwalltgrwn, and Fodor the son of Ervyll,
and Gwlch Minascwrn, and Llassar the son of Llaesar Llaesgygwyd, and Pendaran
Dyved as a young page with them. And these abode as seven ministers to take
charge of this island; and Caradawc the son of Bran was the chief amongst
them.
BENDIGEID VRAN, with the host of which we spoke, sailed towards Ireland, and it was not
far across the sea, and he came to shoal water. It was caused by two rivers;
the Lli and the Archan were they called; and the nations covered the sea. Then
he proceeded with what provisions he had on his own back, and approached the
shore of Ireland.
Now
the swineherds of Matholwch were upon the seashore, and they came to Matholwch. “Lord,” said they "greeting be unto thee.”
“Heaven protect you,” said he “ have you any news?”
“Lord,” said they, “we have marvelous news, a wood have we seen upon the sea, in a place where we never yet saw a single tree.”
"This is indeed
a marvel,” said he; “saw you aught else?” “We
saw, lord,” said they, “a vast mountain beside the wood, which moved, and
there was a lofty ridge on the top of the mountain, and a lake on each side of
the ridge. And the wood, and the mountain, and all
these things moved.” “Verily,” said he, “there is none who can know aught concerning this,
unless it be Branwen.”
Messengers
then went unto Branwen. “Lady,” said they, “what thinkest thou that this
is?” “The men of the Island of the Mighty, who have come hither on hearing
of my ill-treatment and my woes.” “What is the forest that is seen upon
the sea?” asked they. “The ‘ards and the masts of ships,” she
answered. “Alas,” said they, “what is the mountain that is seen by the
side of the ships?” “BENDIGEID VRAN, my brother,” she replied, “coming
to shoal water; there is no ship that can contain him in it.” “What is the
lofty ridge with the lake on each side thereof?” “On looking towards this island he is wroth, and his
two eyes, one on each aide of
his nose, are the two lakes beside the ridge.”
The
warriors and the chief men of Ireland were brought together in haste, and they took
counsel "Lord,” said the nobles unto Matholwch, “there is no other counsel than to
retreat over the Linon (a river which is in Ireland), and to keep the river
between thee and him,
and to break down the bridge that is across the river, for there is a
loadstone at the bottom of the river that neither
ship nor vessel can pass over.” So they retreated across the river, and
broke down the bridge.
BENDIGEID VRAN came to land,
and the fleet with him by the bank of the river. “Lord,” said his
chieftains, “knowest thou the nature of this river, that nothing can go across it, and there is
no bridge over it?” “What,” said
they, “is thy counsel concerning a bridge?” “There is none,” said he,
“except that he who will be chief, let him be a bridge. I will
be so,” said he. And then
was that saying first uttered, and it is still used as a proverb. And when he
had lain down across the river, hurdles were placed upon him, and the host
passed over thereby.
And
as he rose up, behold the messengers of Matholwch came to him, and saluted
him, and gave him greeting in the name of Matholwch, his kinsman, and showed
how that of his goodwill he had merited of him nothing but good. “For
Matholwch has given the kingdom of Ireland to Gwern the son of Matholwch, thy
nephew and thy sister’s son. And this he places before thee, as a
compensation for the wrong and despite that has been done unto Branwen. And
Matholwch shall be maintained wheresoever thou wilt, either here or in the
Island of the Mighty.” Said
BENDIGEID VRAN, “Shall not I myself have the
kingdom? Then peradventure I may take counsel concerning your message. From
this time until then no other answer will you get from me.” “Verily,”
said they, “the best message that we receive for thee, we will convey it
unto thee, and do thou await our message unto him.” “I will wait,~’
answered he, “and do you return quickly.”
The
messengers set forth and came to Matholwch. “Lord,” said they, “prepare
a better message for
BENDIGEID VRAN. He would not listen at all to the message
that we bore him.” “My friends,” said Matholwch, “what may be your
counsel ?“ “Lord,”
said they, “there is no other counsel than this alone. He was never known to
be within a house, make therefore a house that will contain him and the men
of the Island of the Mighty on the one side, and thyself and thy host on the
other; and give over thy kingdom to his will, and do him homage. So by reason
of the honour thou doest him in making him a house, whereas he never before
had a house to contain him, he will make peace with thee.” So the messengers
went back to
BENDIGEID VRAN, bearing him this message.
And
he took counsel, and in the council it was resolved
that he
should accept this, and this
was all done by the advice of Branwen, and lest the country should be destroyed. And this peace 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 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 until 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 thisbag a
different sort of meal,
The
ready combatant, when the assault is made
By his
fellow-warriors, prepared for battle.”
Thereupon came the hosts unto the house. The men of the Island of
Ireland entered the house on the one side, and the
men of the Island of the Mighty on the other. And as soon as they had sat down
there was concord
between them; and the sovereignty was conferred upon the
boy. When the peace was concluded, BENDIGEID
VRAN called the boy unto him, and
from BENDIGEID VRAN the boy
went unto Manawyddan, and he was beloved by all that beheld bun. And from Manawyddan the boy
was called by
Nissyen
the son of Eurosswydd, and the
boy went unto him lovingly. “Wherefore,” said EvNissyen, “comes not my
nephew the son of my sister unto me? Though he were not king of Ireland, yet
willingly would I fondle the boy.” “Cheerfully let him go to thee,” said
BENDIGEID VRAN, and the boy went unto him cheerfully. “By my confession to
Heaven,” said EvNissyen in his heart, “unthought of by the household is the slaughter
that I will this instant commit.”
Then
he arose and took
up the boy by
the feet, and before any one in the house could seize hold of him, he thrust
the boy headlong into the blazing fire. And when Branwen saw her son burning in the fire, she
strove to leap into the fire also, from the place where she sat between her two brothers. But
BENDIGEID VRAN grasped her with one hand, and his shield with the other. Then they all hurried about the house,
and never was there made so great a tumult by any host in one house as was made by
them, as each man armed
himself. Then said Morddwydtyllyon, “The gadflies of Morddwydtyllyon’s
Cow I” And while
they all sought
their arms, BENDIGEID VRAN supported Branwen between his shield and his shoulder.
Then
the Irish kindled a fire under the cauldron of renovation, and they cast the dead bodies into the cauldron until it was full,
and the next day they came forth fighting-men as good as before, except that
they were not able to speak. Then when EvNissyen saw the dead bodies of the men
of the Island of the Mighty nowhere resuscitated, he said in his heart, “Alas woe is me, that I should have been the cause
of bringing the men of the Island of the Mighty into so great a strait. Evil betide me if I find not a deliverance
therefrom.” And he cast himself
among the dead bodies of the Irish, and two unshod Irishmen came to him, and,
taking him to be one of the Irish, flung him into the cauldron. And he
stretched himself out in the cauldron, so that he rent the cauldron into four
pieces, and burst his own heart also.
In
consequence of that the men of the Island of the Mighty
obtained such success as they had; but they were not victorious, for only
seven men of them all escaped,
and
BENDIGEID VRAN
himself was wounded in the foot with a poisoned dart. Now
the seven men that escaped were Pryderi, Manawyddan,
Gluneu Eil Taran, Taliesin, Ynawc, Grudyen the son of Muryel, and
Heilyn
the
son of Gwynn Hen.
And
BENDIGEID VRAN
commanded
them that they should cut off his
head. “And take you
my head,” said he, “and bear it even unto
the White Mount, in
London, and bury
it there, with the face towards France. And a long
time will you be upon the road. In Harlech you will be
feasting seven years, the birds of Rhiannon singing unto you the while. And
all that time
the head
will be to you as pleasant company as it ever was when on my body. And at
Gwales in Penvro you will be fourscore years, and you may remain there, and
the head
with you uncorrupted, until you open the door that looks towards
Aber
Henvelen, and towards Cornwall And after you have opened
that door, there you may no longer tarry, set forth then to
London
to bury
the head, and go straight forward.”
So
they cut off his
head, and these seven went forward therewith. And Branwen was
the eighth with them, and they came to land at Aber Alaw, in Talebolyon, and
they sat down to rest. And Branwen looked towards Ireland and towards the
Island of the Mighty, to see if she could descry them. “Alas,” said she,
“woe is me that I was ever born; two islands have been destroyed because of
me!” Then she uttered a loud groan, and there broke her heart. And they
made her
a four-sided grave, and buried her upon the banks of the
Alaw.
Then
the seven men journeyed forward towards Harlech, bearing the head with them;
and as they went, behold there met them a multitude of men and of women.
‘Have you any tidings?” asked Manawyddan. “We have none,” said they,
“save that Caswallawn the son of Beli
has conquered the Island of the
Mighty, and is Crowned king in London.” “What has become,” said they,
“of Caradawc the son of Bran, and the seven men
who
were left with him in this island?” “Caswallawn came upon them, and slew
six of the men, and Caradawc’s heart broke for grief thereof; for he could
see the sword that slew the men, but knew not who it was that wielded
it. Caswallawn had flung upon him the Veil of Illusion, so that no one
could see him slay the men, but the sword only could they see. And it liked
him not to slay Caradawc, because he was his nephew, the son of his cousin.
And now he was the third whose heart had broke through grief. Pendaran
Dyved,who had remained as a young page with these men, escaped into the
wood,” said they.
Then
they went on to Harlech, and there stopped to rest, and
they provided meat and liquor, and sat down to eat and to drink. And there
came three birds, and began singing unto them a certain song, and all the
songs they had ever heard were unpleasant compared thereto; and the birds
seemed to them to be at a great distance from them over the sea, yet they
appeared as distinct as if they were close by, and at this repast they
continued seven years.
And
at the close of the seventh year they went forth to Gwales in Penvro. And
there they found a fair and regal spot overlooking the ocean; and a spacious
hall was therein. And they went into the hail, and two of its doors were open,
but the third door was closed, that which looked towards Cornwall. “See,
yonder,” said Manawyddan, “is the door that we may not open.” And that
night they regaled themselves and were joyful. And of all they had seen of food
laid before them, and of all they had heard of, they
remembered nothing; neither of that, nor of any sorrow whatsoever. And there
they remained fourscore years, unconscious of having ever spent a time more
joyous and mirthful. And they were not more weary than when first they came,
neither did they, any of them, know the time they had been there. And it was
not more irksome to them having the head with them, than if BENDIGEID
VRAN had
been with them himself. And because of these fourscore years, it was called
“the Entertaining of the noble Head.’ The
entertaining
of Branwen and Matholwch was in the time that they went to Ireland.
One
day said
Heilyn
the son of Gwynn, “Evil betide me, if I do not open the door
to know if that is true which is said concerning it.” So he opened the door
and looked towards Cornwall and
Aber Henvelen. And when they had looked, they
were as conscious of all the evils they had ever sustained, and of all the
friends and companions they had lost, and of all the misery that had befallen
them, as if all had happened In that very spot; and especially of the fate of
their lord. And because of their perturbation they could not rest, but journeyed forth with the
head towards
London.
And they buried the head in the White
Mount, and when it
was buried, this was the third goodly concealment; and it was the third
ill-fated disclosure when it was disinterred, inasmuch as no invasion from
across the sea came to this island while the head was in that concealment.
And thus is the story related of
those who journeyed over from Ireland.
In
Ireland none were left alive, except five pregnant women in a cave in the Irish wilderness; and to these five
women in the same night were born five sons, whom they nursed
until they became grown-up youths. And they thought about wives, and they at the
same time desired to possess them, and each took a wife of the mothers of their
companions, and they governed the country and peopled it.
And
these five divided it amongst them, and because of this partition are the five
divisions of Ireland still so termed. And they examined the land where the
battles had taken place, and they found gold and silver until they became
wealthy.
