Page:The Mabinogion.djvu/157

130 disencumber the dead knight of his armour, betakes himself to rather a curious expedient for effecting his object:—

He sayd my moder bad me,

When my dart soldo broken be,

Owte of ye Tren bren ye tree:

Now es me fyre ynede.

Now he getis hȳ flynt,

His fyre Iren he hent.

And yen wt owtten any stynt.

He kyndilt a glede."

—Page 86.

should seem that this was a favourite point of attack in the energetic encounters of those days; for in the Morte d'Arthur we meet with a similar expression to the above. It is stated, that when Arthur first assumed the government of Britain, several kings and knights would not acknowledge his authority, and assembled in order to oppose him. Believing their visit to have a friendly object, he sent them many valuable presents, which they refused to accept, rebuking "the messagers shamefully," and sending Arthur "word, they wold none of his yeftes. But that they were come to gyue hym yeftes with hard swerdys betwixt the neck and the sholders."—B. I. c. 8.

—Page 89.

was, probably, a staple for fastening horses to, as it is well known that the horses were often brought into the hall among the guests. In the account of the thirteen rarities of the Island of Britain, as enumerated in an unpublished MS. in the possession of Mr. Justice Bosanquet, it is said that one chieftain had the staple for holding his horse at the foot of his bed.

"The halter of Clydno Eiddyn, which was in a staple below the feet of his bed; and whatever horse he wished for in it, he would find there."

—Page 90.

the French version of this tale, the spear here alluded to is said to have been the Holy Lance, and with it is brought in the celebrated Sangreal. The latter was the great object of research with the Knights of the Round Table, and its recovery was