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THE ANCIENT BRITISH TRIADS OF THE ISLE OF BRITAIN.

fragment therefore is curious, as it gives an idea of the manner in which the Britons commemorated events. The chief object obferved in its construction, is the arrangement of three fimilar incidents, characters, or subjects in each Triad: only those feem to be selected that were deemed the most important of different claffes; and are happily contrived to affift the memory.

Try Eurgryd Ynys Prydain.

Cafwallon mab Beli, pan aeth i geifio Flúr

hyd yn Rhufain;

Manawydan mab Llŷr, pan fu hyd ar Ddyfed;

A Llew Llawfyffes, pan fu ef a Gwdion.
yn ceifio henw, ac Arfau, y gan Riarot y Fram.

Tri Marchog Aurdavodiog yn Llys Arthur.

Gwalchmai mab Gwyar;
Drydwas mab Tryphin ;

Ac Eliwlod mab Madog ab Uthr.
Gwyr doethion oeddynt, ac mor dég a llaryaidd,

The Three golden-robed Heralds of the Island of Britain: Cafwallon fon of Beli*, when he went as far as Rome for Flûr, (his Queen ;)

ac mor hyawdl a hynaws yn ei hymadroddion, ac y byddau anhawdd i nêb ballu iddynt o'r negefau ageifynt.

Tri phif Fardd Ynys Brydain.

Merddyn Emrys;
Merddyn mab Morfryn;

A Thaliefin pen Beirdd.

Tri Gwaywrudd Beirdd Ynys Prydain.

Triftfardd, Bardd Urien;

Dyg ynelw, Bardd Owain;

Ac Afan Ferddig, Bardd Cadwallon ab Cadfan.

Tri Ofer feirdd Ynys Prydain.

Brenhin Arthur ;
Cadwallon mab Cadfan;

A Rhyhawd ail Morgant.

Tair Anfad Fwyellawd Ynys Prydain. *Bwyellawd Eiddyn ym mhen Aneurin ;

A'r Fwyellowd Llawgad trwm bargawd Eiddyn ym mhen Afaon mab Taliefin;

A'r Fwyellawd ym mhen Golyddan Fardd.

Manawydan fon of Llŷr, when he went to Pembrokeshire;

And Llew Llawgyffes, when he went with Gwdion,
to folicit a Name, and Arms, of Rhiarot y Vram;
(a celebrated King at Arms.)

Cafwallon reigned about 55 years before Christ.
The Three golden-tongued Knights, of the Court of
King Arthur:

Gwalchmai §, fon of Gwyar ;

Drydwas son of Tryphin;

And Eliwlod fon of Madog ab Uthr:

These three heroes were fo candid, gentle, and eloquent, poffeffing fuch foftnefs of language, that it feemed impoffible for any one to deny their requests.

Gwalchmai was nephew to Arthur, and lord of Pembrokeshire. The Three principal Bards of the Island of Britain. Merlin Ambrofius

;

Merlin the fon of Morvryn;

And Taliefin, the Chief of Bards.

He acquired this title, from having fung The Silence of the
Bards, in the prefence of 33 of the order, at the Court of
Prince Maelgwn; and that was probably at a Mufical and
Poetical Conteft; after that time, he was called Taliefin, Head
of the Bards.

The Three Bloody fpear Bards of the Isle of Britain.
Triftvardh, Prince Urien's Bard;
Dygynelw, Prince Owen's Bard;
And Aväon Verdhig, King Cadwallon's Bard. -
They flourished about A. D. 590.

The Three unqualified Bards of the Isle of Britain: (that is, who were Poets, but not brought up regularly in the order of Bards ;) or, the Three Trifling Poets: King Arthur † ;

King Cadwallon, fon of Cadvan;

And Rhyhawd fon of Morgan.

+ There ftill remain fome verfes compofed by Arthur, and his nephew Eliwlod.

The Three heinous battle-axe blows of Britain:

The ftroke of Eiddin, on the head of Aneurin the Bard;

The stroke of Llawgad trwm bargawd Eiddyn, on the head of Avaon, fon of Taliefin;

And that on the head of Golydhan the Bard.

Tri

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5 Gildas reports, that Jofeph of Arimathea was fent by Philip the Apoftle to this ifland in the days of Gweirydd, or Arviragus King of Britain, A. D. 60. He inftructed the Britons in the Chriftian faith, in the ifle of Avalonia, or Glastonbury; where he built a church, which was afterwards converted into an abbey, the name is derived from avallon, or apple trees. Giraldus fays, it abounded formerly with apples, and orchards, and was furrounded with water. See Hearne's Glastonbury.

6

The Three irrefiftible Chiefs of the Island of Britain:
Elmur, fon of Cadair ;
Cynhaval, fon of Argad;
And Avaon, fon of Taliefin.

They were Bards, and fons of Bards.

The Three undaunted Chiefs, and knights of battle of King Arthur's Court, that never owned a comptroller over them: and to whom, Arthur fung the following stanza :

These are my three knights of battle,
Mael, and Llúdd clad in armour;
and the pillar of Cambria, Caradoc.

The three perpetual choirs of the Ifland of Britain: One was in the isle of Avalonia, in Somersetshire; the second at Salisbury, in Wiltshire; and the third at Bangor-is-coed', in Flintshire.

In each of these three abbeys there were two thoufand four hundred religious perfons; one hundred being appointed to attend the choir for each hour; so that they chanted in rotation without intermiffion; and, in the course of the day, and night, the whole performed their duty, that the fervice of God might be without ceafing.

The Three Sovereigns of Deira, and Bernicia : Gall, the fon of Dyfgyvedhog;

Dyvedel, the fon of Dyfgyvedhog;

And Yfgwnell, the fon of Dyfgyvedhog :

These were Bards, and fons of a Bard; and flourish. ed about A. D. 550,

The Three Free guefts of King Arthur's Court: Prince Llywarch Hên;

Llumhunig ab Maon;
And Heledd Gyndrwyn:
(They also were Bards.)

Caractacus, who made himself famous abont A. D. 50. The town and monastery of Ambrefbury, near Salisbury, were founded by Aurelius Ambrofius, about A. D. 480; who, in the declenfion of the Roman Empire, affumed the government of Britain, and with the affistance of the valiant Arthur repelled all foreign invaders.

Lucius, fon of Coel, called by the Britons, Llês a'r llever mawr, (Lucius with the great fplendor of light,) who was the This Lucius, for the increase of learning and preservation of the first Christian King of Britain, and reigned about A. D. 180.

coed, near Wrexham, North Wales, which contained a valuable library, and continued 350 years. Having brought up many learned men; at laft, Cynwyl, or Congelus, converted it from an univerfity into an abbey, and was himself the first abbot thereof, about A. D. 530.

Salisbury, or the old Sarbiodunum, was a city of great antiquity in the time of the Britons. But it being the feat of war, rendered it unfit for ftudy and contemplation. The pre-Chriftian faith in his realm, founded the feminary of Bangor-isfent city of Salisbury, called New Sarum, was raised out of the ruins of the old, which ftood upon a bill, and had an epifcopal fee, and cathedral. Most historians derive Sarum from Sarron, the fon of Magus, who reigned over the Celts about the year of the world 2040, and, to reftrain the fiercenefs of his people, inftituted public fchools. Perionius Caius, in his Antiquities of Cambridge, fays, that Sarron, the third king of the Britons and Celts, loved learning, and was the first who founded public ftudies, or feminaries of learning, among the Britons or Celts; whence priefts and philofophers were called Sarronide, which were the fame with the Druids.

Salisbury was afterwards called Caer-Caradoc, from King

It is recorded, that this celebrated monaftery extended near a mile, from Porth Cleis, to Porth Hwygan; names of two of its gates, out of the fix porters orchard of that abbey. The river Dee now runs between where the two diftant gates flood.

Likewife, Cunedda is faid to have built a temple at this Bangor, about 800 years before Chrift. Tyfilios', Brit. Hift. Lewis's Hift. Brit. and Bede.

Tri

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THE ANCIENT BRITISH TRIADS OF THE ISLE OF BRITAIN.

Tri Aerfeddawg Ynys Prydain.

Selyf mab Cynan Garwyn;

Afaon mab Taliefin;

A Gwallawg mab Llëenawg.

Sef achaws y gelwid hwynt yn Aerfeddogion, wrth ddial eu cam oc eu Bedd.

Tri Gogyfurdd Llys Arthur.

Rhyhawd ail Morgant;

A Dalldaf ail Cynon ;

A Thryftan ab Tallwch.

Tri Chynghoriad Farchog Llys Arthur. Cynon ab Clydno Eiddyn; Arawn ab Cynfarch;

A Llywrach Hên, mab Elidyr Lydanwyn,

Tri Serchog Ynys Prydain.

Cafwallawn mab Beli am Fflur, ferch Fugnach Gòr;

Tryfan mab Tallwch am Effyllt, ferch March

ab Meirchiawn, ei Ewythr;

A Chynon mab Clydno Eiddyn am forfudd, ferch Urien.

Tair ffynon gwybodaeth :

Grebwyll, ystyriaeth; a dysgeidiaeth.

Tair Unbenn Gerdd:

Tw Prydu.

Canu, Telyn;

A Chyfarwyddyd.

Geraint, neu'r Bardd Glâs o'r Gadair, a aeth yn Fardd Telyn i Aelfryd, Brenhin Llundain.

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Galgacus Rex flourished about 50 years before Christ.

The Three Com peers of King Arthur's Court: Rhyhawd, the fonof Morgan; Dalldav, the son of Cynon ;

And Tryftan the fon of Tallwch.

This Trystan was an eminent Bard as well as a Warrior. It appears, by an ancient dialogue poem, which I have in ny poffeflion, that he had absented himself from Arthur's Court three years, on account of fome umbrage which he had conceived. Arthur difpatched twenty-eight of his knights at different times, to fetch him; but none could prevail by fair means, nor by force; 'till Gwalchmai, the Golden-tongued Bardic Hero, foothed him to return.

The Three Knight-counsellors of Arthur's Court: Cynon, the son of Clydno Eiddyn; Aron, the fon of Cynvarch;

And Llywarch Hên, the fon of Elidyr Lydanwyn.

Prince Llywarch Hên, like Cæfar, wrote the History of his Wars: fo did Prince Howel ab Owain Gwynedd describe his own battles, in a very poetic, elegant, and in a modest manner: likewise, Owain Cyfeliog, Prince of Powys, did the fame.

The Three amorous Princes of the Ifle of Britain: Caswallon fon of Beli, in love with Flur, daughter of Mugnach Gor;

Tryftan fon of Tallwch, in love with Effyllt, daughter of March ab Meirchion, his Uncle;

And Cynon, fon of Clydno Eiddyn, (or Clyno of Edinburgh,) in love with Morvudd, daughter of Urien.

The Three fountains of Knowledge: Invention; ftudy; and experience.

The Three Principles of Song;

Is to compofe Poetry;

To play the Harp;

And Erudition.

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10

As

At the commencement of the fixth century, we find the Bards refumed the Harp with unufual boldnefs, to animate their country's last successful struggle with the Saxons: for, judging from the remains preserved, their poetical effufions spread very general about that period. But from the ninth to the eleventh century, their Awen, or muse, seems to have received a check, if we judge from the scarcity of pieces in that period; though to decide from fuch a circumftance may be delufory, when it is confidered what devastation, perfecutions, and wars, brought over their country; involving in the confequence a great destruction of manufcripts. Such a lofs feems very evident; for in the enlightened, and in fome degree the tranquil reign of Howel Dda, poetry must have been highly cherished; yet not a single piece is preserved, to a certainty, of the productions of that reign. The hiatus continues till the time of Prince Gruffudd ab Cynan, when we are charmed with the nervous Mufe of Meilir, who was the father of a noble fucceffion of Bards, that brought the Poetry and Language of Wales to the highest perfection; but that Golden Age of Welsh Poetry experienced an awful clofe in the thirteenth century, on the death of Llewelyn, the last Prince of Wales.

The Names of fome of the most Ancient and Eminent British Bards, and Hiftorians and the Time wherein they flourished.

Plennydd, and Oron*; Bards who flourished before Were renowned for wifdom and benevolence;
Chrift. (Recorded by Bale: and in Lewis's Ancient
Hiftory of Britain, p. 9.) Thefe Bards, and fix others
of the earliest, are mentioned by Edmund Prys,
Archdeacon of Meirionydd, (who wrote about the
year 1580;) in the 26th of the contending Poems
between him and William Cynwal, a cotemporary
Bard, in the following interrogating lines.
"Mae Plennydd, mab hộ lawnwaith?
"Mae Oron, wr mawr Ion Iaith?
"Mae un Rhuvin, mín rhyvedd?
"Mae gwarant Meugant, val mêdd?
Melgin, a Mevin myʊyr,
"Madog, a Chadog iach wŷr;
❝rhain oeddynt rhinweddawl,

Were Primitive Bards, whofe fuperior merits
are univerfally allowed;

All fkilled in the fcience of polished verfe.
Tri Chyntevigion Beirdd Gorfeddog Ynys Prydain ;
Plennydd, Alawn, a Gwron.

Mown doethder, mwynder a mawl : " Briveirdd heb waravun ; "Ar Naddwawd barawd bôb un.

A LITERAL TRANSLATION.

The Three primitive Legiflative Bards of the Island of
Britain; were Plennydd, Alawn, and Gwron :
They flourished about 430 years before Chrift; See
the 2d Vol. of this work, the Bardic Museum, p. 3, 5, 6.

Gildas Cambrius, Bard to Arviragus, King of Britain, who flourished about A. D. 60; he is commended for his Poetry, and Learning, by John Bale, in his Scriptores Anglici; and by Lillius Giraldus, who fays he wrote the annals of the British History, and tranflated Dyvnwal Edmuud Prys. Moelmud's Laws into Latin; which were afterwards tranflated into Saxon by King Alfred.

Where is Plenydd, whofe verfe was bold and rich?
Where is Oron, that great Prince of our Language?
Where is Rhuvin, of the wonderful lip?

Where is the authoritative Meugant, whofe fong was
like the fparkling mead?

A. D.

Gwdion ab Dôn, Lord of Arvon; an eminent Philofopher and Aftronomer, about the year 450 "Gwdion mab Don, ar Gonwy, "Hudlath ni bu o'i fath fwy.” Caer-gwdion, (the milky-way in the Heavens,)

Where is Melgin? Where is Mevin the ftudious t?is fo called from him.
With Madog, and Cadog; celebrated names?

These were famed for their virtues;

Plenydd, ag Oron plannant

O'u play ddyfgeidiaeth i'w plant.

Sir W. Glyn. + Mevin, a Pet and Prophet, who flourished in the time of Gwrtheyrn, or Vortigern, King of Britain, about A.D. 450.

I

St. Patrick, the Apoftle of Ireland, who was born in the Vale of Rhôs, in Pembrokeshire, about the year 373, is faid to be the fon of Calphurnius and Concha. But according to his pedigree, which I have got in an old manufcript, and another I have feen in the British Museum, which runs thus: "Patrig St. ab Alvryd, ab Gronwy, o Wareddawg yn Arvon;, that is, St. Patrick, fon of Alvryd, fon of Gronwy, of Wareddawg, in Carnarvonfhire. Another thing corroborates this genealogy: there is a place by the fea-fide in Meiriony ddfhire, called Sarn

D. Gwilym.

Bacharius, a learned Briton, and disciple of St. Patric; (called by Bale, Meigan Vates.) He

ftudied

Badrig, or Patrick's Caufeway: alfo he built a Church in Anglefey, called Llanbadrig; and there are meadows called Rhos Badrig. His original Welsh name was Maenwyn, and his ecclefiaftical name of Patricius was given him by Pope Celeftine, when he confecrated him a Bishop, and fent him a miffioner into Ireland, to convert the Irifh, in the year 433. When Patrick landed near Wicklow, the inhabitants were ready to ftone him, for attempting an innovation in the religion of their ancestors." He requested to be heard; and explained unto them, that God is an omnipotent, facred Spirit, who created Heaven, and Earth; and that the Trinity is contained in the Unity; but they were reluctant to give credit to his words. St Patrick therefore plucked a Trefoil from the ground, and expoftulated with the

Hibernian

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470

480

500

Gwion Bâch, mab Gwreang o Lanvair y'Nghaereinion, yn Mhowys; a Bard, about, 470 Cywryd, Bard to Dunawd, the son of Pabo poft Prydain, Gwyddno Garanhir, a Bard, and a Prince of Cantre'r Gwaelod, in Meirionyddfhire, which was fwallowed up by the sea, about A. D. Coll, fon of Collvrewy, principal King at Arms, in Arthur's reign; about A. D. for it appears in the Triads, that Coll gave the Eagle to Brynach, the Gwyddelian (or Irishman;) and the Wolf to Menwaed of Arllechwedd. This fhews the great antiquity of armorial bearings among the Britons.

500

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520

Truftan mab Tallwch, a difciple of Merddin, and one of the chief warriors of King Arthur's Court, Gwron ab Cynvarch a Bard, and King bef. Christ, 450 Dewi Sant, a Bard. Giraldus wrote his life, 530 Llywarch Hên, a Cumbrian Prince, and Bard, 530 Talhaiarn Tâd Awen, or Talhaiarn, Father of the Muse, and domestic chaplain to Ambrofius, 540 Hibernians: Is it not as feasible for the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, as for these three leaves, thus to grow upon a fingle ftalk. Then the Irish were immediately convinced of their error, and were folemnly baptized by St. Patrick.

This British Saint built feveral Churches and feminaries in Ireland; that of Saball-Padhrig, or Patrick's Grange Domnach-mor Patrick, or Patrick's great Church; and the Monaftery of Armagh, owed its foundation to him, and was the principal school of Ireland in fhort he taught the Irish letters. Nennius's Hiftory fays: "Patrick, the Apostle of the Irifh, wrote 365 books of A, B, and C's; founded 365 Churches; confecrated 365 Bifhops; ordained 3c00 Prefbyters; converted and baptized 12,000 men, in the region of Connaught; and baptized feven Kings, the fons of Amolgith. He fafted 40 days on the top of Mount Eli, and obtained three petitions from Heaven for the believing Irifh." (One of thofe petitions was, that no venomous creatures fhould ever infeft Ireland: another probably was, that they, who believed in his doctrine, should be

ΙΟ

Taliefin Pen Beirdd, Bard to Prince Elphin,
to King Maelgwyn, and to Prince Urien Reged, 540
Cian, o Vaen Gwyngwn, a Bard,

Y Bardd Llwyd, Bard to Urien Reged,
Triftvardd, Bard to Urien Reged,

Ugnach ab Mydno, a Bard,

520

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540

540

545

Gildas ab Câw, or Gildas Badonius, a Bard, and Author of the Epistle, (a Hiftory of Britain,) 550.

Myrddin ab Morvryn, or Merlin of Caledonia; a difciple of Taliefin, and Bard to Lord Gwenddolau ab Ceidiaw,

550

Dygynnelw, Bard to Prince Owain ab Urien, 570 Avaon or Avagddu, fon of Taliefin. His father, in one of his poems, fays, he poffeffed greater abilities than himself,

Culvardd, or Heinyn Vardd,

Afaph, a British Hiftorian, and Bihop,
Dyvedel mab Dyfgyveddog, a Bard,
Elaeth, a Bard,

Niniaw, or Nennius, Abbot of Bangor is y
Coed, in Flintshire; and a difciple of Elvod.
He wrote the History and Antiquities of Britain
in Latin,

Twrog, the writer of Tiboeth, a monaftic record belonging to St. Beuno, which was formerly at Clynog Church, in Caernarvonshire.' Alfo, Twrog is faid to have written a British Chronicle 3,

Elvod, who wrote a Latin History of the Britons, and was a Bishop of North Wales in the reign of Cadvan,

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Llywarch Hir, Bard to Brochwel Yfgithrog, Prince of Powis,

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Tyfilio, a Bishop, and Author of Brut y Brenhinoedd, or The Hiftory of the British Kings,

560

590

590

560 600

608

610

710

617

620

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faved from purgatory: for the third, I must leave to the Irish to find out.) St. Patrick is faid to have lived to the age of 120; His life was written by Trychanus; by Evin; And Ninian.

Bonedd Seint, or the Noble Defcent of British Saints, the Founders of Churches and Religious Houfes, would be an inestimable work, if tranflated and publifhed; as it would throw much light on ancient history, as well as on British writers.

Alfo, Faftidius Prifcus, Bishop of London, was a learned Hiftorian, A. D. 420.

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Ifanus, and Atroclius, (as Vicentius fays) were British writers. and abbots, about the time of Arthur, A. D. 480. Congellus, Abbot of Bangor Ifycoed (as Bale fays,) wrote feveral works, and flourished about 530.

Machutus, or Maelgonius, Samfon, Echbinus, and Vignalocus, (as Antonius fays,) were British writers, about A. D. 560. 3 Keating's Hiftory of Ireland mentions Leavr Drum Sneachda, The Book of Snowdon; faid to have been written before the time of St. Patrick.

Arovan

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