deprived of his dominions for a time,
probably through the usurpation of the "steel-clad commander," but at
length succeeded in recovering them. Who Erthai was we know not;
Llywarch Hen had a son, whose name bore some resemblance to the word: he
is mentioned in the following triplet;--

"The best three men in their country,
For protecting their habitation,
Eithyr and _Erthyr_ and Argad." (Elegy on Old Age.)

{102a} Al. "Erthgi," which is obviously the same as "Arthgi," a
_bear-dog_. The rhythmical run of the line seems, however, to point to
the other as the proper word.

{102b} "Erthychei;" there is here evidently an allusion to the name of
the hero, (that is, supposing the name adopted in the translation to be
the right one) which consideration induces us to prefer it to the other
reading, viz. "erthrychei." "With the latter word, however, we should
translate the passage as follows;--

"In the front Erthai would mangle an army."

{102c} Al. "dychurant," _will be afflicted_.

{102d} Probably Edeyrn may have been the hero of this stanza, and that a
play upon the word is intended in the expression "edyrn diedyrn." Edyrn
the kingdom will remain, but Edyrn the king is gone.

{102e} "Gowyssawr," the furrower of battle: the designation of a
warrior.

"Wyr i Vleddyn arv leiddiad
A oedd draw yn _cwysaw cad_." (Hywel Cilan.)

A grandson of Bleddyn with the weapon of slaughter,
Was yonder furrowing the battle.

Al. "lynwyssawr," "the plague;" or "the pool maker," in reference to the
effusion of blood which he caused on the field of battle.

As just observed, this individual may have been Edeyrn, the son of Nudd
ab Beli ab Rhun ab Maelgwn ab Caswallon Lawhir ab Einiawn Yrth ab Cunedda
ab Edeyrn ab Padarn Beisrudd by Gwawl daughter of COEL GODEBOG, who would
be removed from the field of battle by his own clan.

{103a} "Bu truan," just as in line 107.

{103b} The names of both these persons, as we have already seen, occur
together in a Poem attributed to Aneurin, and printed in Davies's
Mythology of the Druids. The latter, moreover, appears in the Tale of
"Kilhwch and Olwen," where a daughter of his is likewise mentioned by the
name of Eheubryd. Cyvwlch is there stated to have been one of the three
grandsons of Cleddyv Divwlch, the other two being Bwlch and Sevwich.
"Their three shields are three gleaming glitterers. Their three spears
are three pointed piercers. Thei