Caractacus, who after his defeat by the Romans under Ostorius, A. D. 51. had fled to her for refuge, and was delivered up by her to them in chains. She was queen of the Brigantes, and a woman of depraved character, for, having dishonoured her husband Venutius by falling in love with Velocatus, one of her husband's servants, a civil war ensued, in which at first her husband prevailed. The Romans however, in reward of her having delivered up Caractacus, came to her assistance, and saved her from the just punishment of her infamy.

ARGAD, a bard who flourished in the seventh century, but none of his works are preserved.

ARGAD, one of the sons of Llywarch Hên, honourably mentioned by him in the elegy on his old age; see p. 141 of Owen's Heroic Elegies. "The best three men in their country,

For protecting their habitation,
Eithyr, and Erthyr, and Argad."

ARIANROD, daughter of Don, is recorded in the Triads (Myv. Arch. ii. 73.) as one of the "Tair gwenriain," or three beautiful ladies of the Isle of Britain. The other two were Gwen the daughter of Cywryd ab Crydon, and Creirwy daughter of Ceridwen. In a mystical poem attributed to Taliesin, and printed in the first volume of the Myvyrian Archaiology, p. 66, mention is made of Arianrod; and for her connexion with Welsh mythology, see Davies's Mythology of the Druids, p. 266. Caer Arianrod, literally, the Circle of the silver wheel, according to Dr. Owen Pughe, is the Welsh name of the constellation Corona Borealis.

ARIANROD, was the daughter of Beli, and wife of Lliaws son of Nwyvre. She was sister to Caswallawn, whom her two sons Gwenwynwyn and Gwanar accompanied in his expedition to Gaul to recover his mistress Flur from Murchan, prince of Gascony. (See Triads in Myv. Arch. ii. pp. 3, 10, 13, 16.) Davies however considers her a mythological character; see his remarks thereon in Mythology of the Druids, p. 447, and the connexion with the romance of Sir Tristram.

ARIANWEN, one of the numerous daughters of Brychan. She was married to Iorwerth Hirvlawdd of Powys, son of Tegonwy ab Teon, and she was the mother of Caenawg Mawr, to whom the church of Clog Caenawg in Denbighshire is dedicated. (Bonedd y Saint.) Professor Rees is of opinion that she was a grand-daughter of Brychan. ARON, the son of Cynvarchi, a chieftain among the Northern Britons. He was the brother of Urien and Llew, and they all distinguished themselves in the wars with the Saxons. Aron is recorded in the Triads as one of the three warlike counsellors of Arthur's court; the other two were Cynan the son of Clydno Eiddun, and Llywarch Hên. (Myv. Arch. ii. 18.) He is also said in the Brut Tysilio to have received the kingdom of Prydyn or Scotland from Arthur, when he had defeated the Scots and Picts: and to have been slain in the battle fought against Medrod when Arthur returned from Gaul.

ARONAN, the bard of Selyv, son of Cynan Garwyn, who flourished in the seventh century. None of his works remain. In the Triads he is recorded as one of the three "Gwaywruddion beirdd," or ruddy speared bards of the Isle of Britain: a warlike character being contrary to the principles of Bardism. The other two were Dygynnelw and Avan. (Myv. Arch. ii. 18.)

ARTHAL, called by Geoffrey of Monmouth Arthgallo, was the son of Morudd, and succeeded his brother Gorvyniawn on the throne of Britain. According to the Brut he was at first a prince of indifferent character, for he depressed the nobility, raised the mean to honour, and plundered the wealthy by extortion; so that the men of property rose up against him, and dethroned him, and placed his brother Elidyr surnamed the Compassionate on the throne. After a reign of five years Elidyr restored the sovereignty to his brother Arthal, who had now abandoned his former evil habits, and he continued to reign justly for ten years afterwards until his death. See the story more at large in Myv. Arch. ii. 161.

ARTHANAD, the son of Gwrthmwl Wledig, is recorded in the Triads as being carried with his brother Achlen on a famous horse to avenge the death of his father. (Myv. Arch. ii. 8. 10.)

ARTHEN, a saint, who was one of the sons of Brychan. According to Bonedd y Saint he was buried in Manaw or the Isle of Man. There was once a church dedicated to him in Gwaenllwg, Monmouthshire, which was demolished by the Saxons. His memory is perpetuated in the name of a hill in Breconshire about five miles from Llandovery, called Cevnarthen, which must have been within his father's territories. There is also a place near Aberystwyth called Rhiwarthen, but this might have derived its name from Arthen lord of Ceredigion.

ARTHEN, the son of Sitsyllt ab Clydawg, was king or lord of Ceredigion, now Cardiganshire; he died A. D. 804.

ARTHMAEL, succeeded his brother Blegwryd on the throne of Britain, according to the Brut, and was the 56th king. (Myv. Arch. ii. 165.) He is said to have reigned two years, when he was succeeded by Eidal.

ARTHUR, this celebrated monarch, whose history is so overloaded with fabulous embellishment, that it is no easy matter to arrive at what is authentic, was born at the end of the fifth century. His parentage has been a subject of doubt with several writers: whilst the old chroniclers state that he was the son of Uthyr Pendragon, Dr. Owen Pughe in his Cambrian Biography asserts, that he was the son of Meurig ab Tewdrig, a prince of South Wales; this, however, Professor Rees has satisfactorily shewn to be an error arising from confounding the name of Arthur with Athrwys, or Athruis the son of Meurig, who was quite a distinct personage. The probability is that Arthur was a native of Devonshire or Cornwall, and of royal lineage, being the son of Uthyr, and grandson of Cystennyn Vendigaid, chief

sovereigns of the Britons, although Nennius, who is the oldest writer that is generally cited on the subject, states that Arthur was of inferior rank (multi ipso nobiliores essent;) which however may be accounted for by his being a younger son of one whose claim to the chief sovereignty was perhaps regarded by some of the other princes to be rather of an intrusive character, but who was at the same time of royal blood, being the 5th in descent from Cynan Meiriadog, a prince who ruled in North Wales about the close of the fourth century. It would appear by a comparison of several Welsh pedigrees with other authorities, that Arthur's family was united by marriage with some of the Silurian princes, which affords some clue to the connexion he originally had with South Wales, which probably led to his ultimate settlement at Caerlleon ar Wysg, then the most important place in that district. The abilities displayed by him in his wars with the Saxons, caused him to be entrusted with the chief command of the Britons, an office generally bestowed, in that turbulent age, upon those who possessed the most appropriate talents, rather than upon those whose claim to such distinction rested merely upon hereditary rank, and extent of their territorial boundaries; thus Nennius states that he together with the kings of the Britons fought against the Saxons, but that he was the commander in battle, and it does not appear that his territories were ever of any remarkable extent; even in the Romances which elevate him above all other warriors and kings, the apparent extent of his territories is but small, and his reputation is chiefly grounded upon his prowess and valour as a supreme Leader. The date of his election is variously stated by different writers, it is placed by Dr. Owen Pughe in 517, and by Mr. Whittaker in 508. Nennius asserts that he gained twelve victories over the Saxons: and Whittaker has attempted to determine the locality of eleven of them in Lancashire and the North of England; with what success the reader may judge, by consulting his very ingenious dissertation in the History, of Manchester, vol. ii. Another battle is mentioned by Llywarch Hên, as having been fought at Llongborth, a locality not determined, though by some thought to be Portsmouth, where he himself was present, and where his friend Geraint ab Erbin fell, upon whose death he wrote an elegy still extant. Llywarch Hên also speaks of the battle by the river Llawen, where "Arthur did not flee," which however is considered by some to be the same as the battle fought by the river Glein, the first mentioned by Nennius. Another great battle, the twelfth in the list, mentioned also by Gildas, Bede, and others, was fought on Mount Badon, which is placed by Whittaker at Badby in Wiltshire, by Camden and Turner at Bath, and by Carte in Berkshire. This victory of the Britons for a while checked the progress of the Saxons under Cerdic, and kept him within the bounds of the provinces which he had already subdued. The date of this battle is differently assigned. Whittaker, who follows Matthew of Westminster, states 520, which a passage in Gildas is cited

to confirm. The next battle mentioned was fought on the fatal field of Camlan, on the borders of Devonshire and Cornwall, in 542, which was caused by the rebellion of his nephew Medrod, who, having been foiled in his designs, went over with his men to the Saxons. In this battle Medrod was slain, and Arthur being mortally wounded was said to have been carried to Glastonbury, where he died and was buried. Tradition having assigned this burial place to Arthur, advantage was taken of the circumstance for political purposes by Henry II. who, knowing the popular belief of the Welsh that Arthur was not dead, and would soon return to restore to them the sovereignty of Britain, pretended to have discovered his grave. We are told by Giraldus Cambrensis, who was present when it was opened, that he saw the bones and sword of Arthur, and that a leaden cross was sunk into the tombstone with this inscription in rude Roman letters, "Hic jacet sepultus inclitus Rex Arturius in insula Avalonia." The old antiquaries, among whom is Leland, seem never to have doubted the suspicious evidence. Several of the Triads, printed in the Myvyrian Archaiology, relate to Arthur and his court. From them we learn that he had three wives of the name of Gwenhwyvar; and also that he lightened the burdens of sovereignty with poetical exercises, as he is recorded as one of the three " overveirdd," or irregular bards of the Isle of Britain, and one stanza attributed to him is preserved in the same collection.

The above account is all that can be depended upon for the true history of Arthur. So singular has been his fate, that every writer, when treating of him, has thought it incumbent on him to add a chaplet to his already overloaded brow. Even Nennius must contribute; for he asserts that Arthur slew 840 of his enemies with his own hand at the battle of Mount Badon. It is necessary now that we should take a short view of Arthur in his romantic character. He is there stated to be the son of Uther Pendragon, by Eigr or Igerna, wife of Gorlais, Duke of Cornwall, and his birth was brought about by the magical contrivance of Merddin or Merlin. When fifteen years old, in the year 516, he succeeded to the throne on the death of his father, and was crowned at Caerlleon by Dubricius, the archbishop of that see. He immediately proceeded against the Saxons under Colgrin, who had been joined by the Scots and Picts, and defeated them on the banks of the Dulas in the North of England. He again prevailed against them at Lincoln, then called Caer lwydcoed, where six thousand of the enemy perished; the consequence of this victory was, that they were obliged to leave England, and give up all that they possessed, also binding themselves to send him tribute from Germany, for which they gave hostages. The Saxons however broke this engagement, and sailed round the island to Devonshire, where they landed at Totness. Arthur then hastened by forced marches to repel them, and at the battle of Mount Badon, he again defeated them with great slaughter, killing 470 of the enemy with his good sword Caledvwlch, or Caliburn,

and his spear Ron-cymmyniad. He next hastened to North Britain, to relieve Alcluyd, now Dumbarton, the capital of the Northern Britons, which was besieged by the Scots and Picts. Having defeated them, he pursued them into the fastnesses of the Lake of Llumonwy, or Loch Lomond, where he fitted out a fleet, and having blockaded them, compelled them by famine to yield. He then returned southwards, and kept his Christmas at York, destroying the temples of the pagan Saxons, and restoring the Christian churches. In the following summer he conquered Ireland, and Iceland, and then returned to Britain, where he spent twelve years in peace. Nine years more were spent in the conquest of Norway and Gaul. He then returned home, and held a great festival at Caerlleon, where he was surrounded by a multitude of tributary kings. Soon afterwards the Romans wanted tribute, on which he collected an immense army, and crossed over into Gaul. There he defeated the Romans, and was preparing to cross the Alps, when he heard of the rebellion of his nephew Medrod, who had joined the Saxons, Picts, Scots, and Irish, against him. He thereupon returned to Britain, and gained two victories, one on the coast of Kent, and another near Winchester, and forced Medrod to flee to Cornwall, where a third battle fatal to both was fought on the river Camlan. Such is the account given us in the Welsh Bruts of Tysilio and Gruffydd ab Arthur, or Geoffrey of Monmouth, printed in the Myvyrian Archaiology, but the details are very copious and circumstantial. Other romances relate that Arthur, when at the point of death, delivered his sword Caliburn to one of his knights, with a request that he would cast it into a certain lake. As the sword reached the water, a hand and arm came out of the lake, and seizing it by the hilt, brandished it three times, and disappeared with it under the water. When this was told to Arthur, he desired to be carried to the lake, where a boat was found, into which he was placed, and borne away into fairyland. That the grave of Arthur was unknown was long the current tradition of Wales. There are several of the Mabinogion, which are now in the course of publication under the able superintendence of Lady Charlotte Guest, which relate to Arthur and his court, and these highly interesting remains describe him as being possessed of every virtue that can adorn a crown, being a kind-hearted and dignified prince, and an accomplished and dauntless warrior. Dr. Owen Pughe, and Davies in his Mythology of the Druids, have treated of another Arthur, a mythological character, who was perfectly distinct from the celebrated king; but for their reasonings the reader is referred to their works. Memorials of Arthur are numerous in many parts of Britain, but in Wales they abound. The Roman amphitheatre at Caerlleon, is called Arthur's round table, which name was also given to a flat-topped hill in Llansannan, Denbighshire. Cadair Arthur is the summit of a mountain in Brecknockshire. On a mountain near Penrice in Glamorgan, is a cromlech called Arthur's stone; and Coeten Arthur is the name of a cromlech near