The Celtic Literature Collective

The Quarrel of Rhun and Elidir Mwynfawr

II. Breinniau Arvon.

1. Eman ellas Elidir muhenuaur gur or Kocled ac guedi ylad edoeht guyr e Koclet ema oydial. Sef guir adoedant entehuishocyon vdhunt, Clidno Eydin; a Nud hael vab Senillt a Mordaf hael vab Seruari; a Retherc hael vab Tudaual Tutclit; ac edoetant Aruon: ac vrt lat Elidir en Aber Meuhedus en Aruon elloskasant Aruon en rachor dial. Ac odhena e lluydhaus Rud uab Maelcun aguir Guinet kathau ac edoethant hid eglan Guerit en e Kocled ac ena ebuant en hir en amresson pui aheley en eblaen druy auon Guerit. Ac ena edelleghus Rudn kenat hid Eghuynet yhuybod puy byeufey eblaen: rey adeueyt panyu Maeldaf henaf pendeuic Penart ai barnus yguir Aruon; Yoruert vab Madauc druy audurdaud ekeuarhuidyt ay kadarnaha panyhu Ydno hen yguir epist pendhu. Ac ena ethaethant guir Aruon en eblaen ac ebuant da eno: ac e kant Delyessin

Kikleu odures eu llaueneu Kan Run en rudher bedineu Guir Aruon rudyon euredyeu.

Ac ena rac hid etrikassant en elluyd ekeskus eu guraket can eu gueyssion kaet: ac am henny erodhes Rund vdunt xiiii brein.

i. [yu] rackuys rac gureyc; a sef eu rachor emeyrc dof aiuoch aihuydheu, akar adeu hechen auenlio ar yguarthec alloneyt ekar or dohodreuen auenho.

ii. [Yr] [yu] blaen Guynet en ellueteu.

iii. [yỽ] na talh euaniueil.

iv. eu teruennu ar egladoet ackaruarfoent ac Aruon.

v. eu obit amresson eruc duyuaynaul ornau maynaul essit en Aruon eu diamressoni orseyth eduy heb neb ole arall.

vi. na bo righill endhi.

vii. bod en rid peskodha ar eteyrauon essit endhi en kefredin.

viii. [Ỽythuet]

ix. Nauuet na boent vreuan hechuc.

x. na euoent laudkaut.

xi. nadoes dala ar eu kegheusaet hid etridetgeyr.

xii. na thalher meirch guesteyon na guyr ar kilc.

xiii. [n] adeleant venet ylety arall or neuat.'

xiv. Peduerit ardec puybenac aesteho endi vndit abludyn obyt gur anlloethaucyuod en un breyn a gur or vlad.

2. Ac obyt a amheuho vn or breynheu hene clas Bancor arey Beuno ae keydu.



II. The Privileges of Arvon.

Here Elidyr the courteous, a man from the North, was slain, and after his death the men fo the North came here to avenge him. The chiefs, their leaders, were Clydno Eiddin; Nudd the generous, son of Senyllt; Mordav the generous, son of Servari; and Rydderch the generous, son of Tudwal Tudglyd; and they came to Arvon: and because Elidyr was slain at Aber Mewydus in Arvon, they burned Arvon as further revenge. And then Run, son of Maelgwn, and the men of Gwynedd, assembled in arms, and proceeded to the banks fo the Gweryd in the North; and there they were long disputing who should take the lead throug the river Gweryd. Then Run dispatched a messenger to Gywnedd, to ascertain who were entitled to the lead: some say, tha tMaeldav the elder, the lord of Penardd, adjudged it to be the men of Arvon; Iorwerth, the son of Madog, on the authority of his own infomation, affirms that Idno the aged assigned it ot the men of the black-headed shafts. And thereupon the men of Arvon advanced in the van, and were valorous there: and Taliesin sang--

Behold! from the ardency of their blades,
With Run the reddener of armies,
The men of Arvon with their ruddy lances.

And then on account of the length of time they remained in arms, their wives slept with their bond servants: and on that account Run agranted them fourteen privileges.

1. The first is, precedence of a wife; and the precedence is, as to tame horses, his swine, his geese, and a car, and any two oxen he may please of the herd; and the car full of such furniture as he may please.

2. The second is, the van of Gwynedd in the hosts.

3. The third is, that he pay not for his beast.

4. The fourth is, to settle the limits of the districts bordering upon Arvon.

5. The fifth is, that if there be a dispute between any two maenols of the nine maenols which are in Arvon, that the seven terminate the dispute of the two, without any person from another place.

6. Sixth, that there shall be no apparitor therein.

7. Seventh, common right of fishing on the three rivers therein.

8. Eighth...

9. Ninth, that they be not quern restricted.

10. Tenth, that they drink not estinted measure.

11. Eleventh, that there is no hold on their pleading unto the third word.

12. Twelfth, that there shall be no payment for horses of guests or for men on progress.

13. Thirteenth, that they are 9not to go from the hall to another lodging.

14. Fourteenth, whoever shall reside in Arvon a year and a day, if he be a man of substance, he acquires the same privilege as a man of the country.

2. And if there be who shall doubt one of these privileges, the community at Bangor, and that of Beuno, shall uphold them.

SOURCE
Miscellanous law texts. Ancient Laws and Institutes of Wales, Vol. II. ed. and trans. Aneurin Owen. 1848. pp 104-107