Welsh Journals

170 MABINOGION. The Mabinogion were mythological tales for the instruction of youth in the principles of Bardism. They contain traditions of remote times, when Druidism had many private and some avowed friends; and they are found to coincide with the most authentic documents which we have upon the subject of British superstition, and with the researches of our best antiquaries. From this source may be traced those romantic narratives, which, for a series of ages, constituted the favorite reading of Europe. THE MABINOGi; Or, Romance of Math* ab Mathonwy. Literally translated by Idkison. Math, the son of Mathonwy, was sovereign over Gwynedd when Pryderi, the son of Pwyll, governed the twenty-one can- trevs of the south, which were the seven cantrevs of Dy ved, the seven cantrevs of Morganwg, the four cantrevs of Ceredigion, and the three cantrevs of the vale of Ty wi. It was inherent in Math, the son of Mathonwy, that he could only live by having both his feet in the bend of a damsel's lap, unless the tumult of war called him forth.f The damsel who thus attended him was Goewin, the daughter of Pebin, of the dale of Pebin, in Arvon; and she was the fairest damsel of all that were known there in her time. It was at Caer Dathl, in Arvon, that Math had his residence. He was not able to go the cir¬ cuit of his country; therefore mabinogi ; Math ab Mathonwy. Math vab Mathonwy oedd arglwydd ar Wynedd ; a Phry- deri vab Pwyll oedd arglwydd ar un-cantrev-arugaintyn y Deheu: sev oedd y rhai hyny, saith can- trev Dyved, a saith cantrev Morganwg, pedwar cantrev Ce¬ redigion, a thri chantrev Ystrad Tywi. Cynneddv oedd i Vath vab Mathonwy na byddai vyw, na- myn tra byddai ei ddeudroed yn mhlyg croth morwyn, anid cynn- hwrv rhyval ei llesteiriai. Jev ydd oedd yn vorwyn ygyd ag ev Goewin verch Pebin, o Ddol Pebin yn Arvon: a h6no tecav morwyn oedd yn ei hoes or k wyddiadyno. s Yntau Math, yn nghaer Dathl yn Arvon ydd oedd ei wastad- rwydd. Ac ni allai gylchu ei wlad; namyn Gilvathwy vab • Math i3 a mighty operator with the magic wand. The time he is made to flourish in this romance appears to be about the end of the fifth century. But we refrain from being diffuse in explanations here, as the Mabinogion are to be shortly published. t In the court of the Welsh princes there was an officer called a footholder, whose duty at banquets was similar to this.