he replied, ‘Caswallon would get to hear of it, and his men, and we would be ruined. We will go to another town.’ They came to another town.
‘What craft shall we take up?’ said Manawydan.
‘Whatever craft you want of those we know,’ said Pryderi.
‘Not so,’ he said, ‘we will take up shoemaking. Shoemakers will not have the heart to fight us or forbid us.’
‘I know nothing about that craft,’ said Pryderi.
‘But I do,’ said Manawydan, ‘and I will teach you how to stitch. And we will not bother to tan the leather but buy it already prepared, and work with that.’
Then he began to buy the finest Cordovan leather * he could get in town, and bought no other leather except leather for the soles. He began to make friends with the best goldsmiths in town and had buckles made for the shoes, and had them gilded, and watched the process himself until he knew how to do it. And because of that he was called one of the Three Golden Shoemakers. *
As long as a shoe or boot could be supplied by him, nothing was bought from any shoemaker throughout town. The shoemakers realized that they were losing their profits, for as Manawydan cut out the leather, Pryderi stitched it. The shoemakers came and took counsel; they agreed to kill them.
‘Pryderi,’ said Manawydan, ‘the men want to kill us.’
‘Why should we take that from the thieving churls, rather than kill them all?’ said Pryderi.
‘No,’ said Manawydan, ‘we will not fight them nor will we stay in England any longer. We will set off and go and visit Dyfed.’
Although the road was long, they came at last to Dyfed, and made for Arberth where they kindled a fire, and began to support themselves by hunting, and they spent a month like this; they gathered their hounds about them and hunted, and spent a year there in this way.
One morning Pryderi and Manawydan get up to hunt; they get their dogs ready and leave the court. Some of the dogs run ahead of them and approach a small thicket that is nearby. But as soon as they enter the thicket they come out again quickly, their hair standing on end with fear, and return to the men.
‘Let us get closer to the thicket to see what is inside,’ said Pryderi.
They approached the thicket. As they approached, a gleaming-white wild boar * rose from it. Encouraged by the men, the dogs charged at him. The boar then left the thicket and retreated a little way from the men. And until the men closed in on him, he would keep the dogs at bay without retreating; but when the men closed in he would retreat again and break away. They followed the boar until they saw a huge, towering fort, newly built, in a place where they had never before seen either stone or building. The boar was heading quickly for the fort, with the dogs after him. When the boar and the dogs had gone into the fort, the men marvelled at seeing the fort in a place where they had never before seen any building at all. From the top of the mound they looked and listened for the dogs. Although they waited for a long time, they did not hear the sound of a single dog nor anything at all about them.
‘Lord,’ said Pryderi, ‘I will go into the fort to seek news of the dogs.’
‘God knows,’ replied Manawydan, ‘it’s not a good idea for you to go into the fort. We have never seen it before; if you take my advice, you will not enter. For whoever cast a spell on the land has caused the fort to appear.’
‘God knows,’ said Pryderi, ‘I will not abandon my dogs.’
In spite of the advice he received from Manawydan, Pryderi approached the fort. When he entered, neither man nor beast,neither boar nor dogs, neither house nor dwelling-place could he see in the fort. But he could see in the middle of the floor, as it were, a well with marble-work around it. At the edge of the well there was a golden bowl fastened to four chains, over a marble slab, and the chains reached up to the sky, and he could see no end to them. He was enraptured by the
‘What craft shall we take up?’ said Manawydan.
‘Whatever craft you want of those we know,’ said Pryderi.
‘Not so,’ he said, ‘we will take up shoemaking. Shoemakers will not have the heart to fight us or forbid us.’
‘I know nothing about that craft,’ said Pryderi.
‘But I do,’ said Manawydan, ‘and I will teach you how to stitch. And we will not bother to tan the leather but buy it already prepared, and work with that.’
Then he began to buy the finest Cordovan leather * he could get in town, and bought no other leather except leather for the soles. He began to make friends with the best goldsmiths in town and had buckles made for the shoes, and had them gilded, and watched the process himself until he knew how to do it. And because of that he was called one of the Three Golden Shoemakers. *
As long as a shoe or boot could be supplied by him, nothing was bought from any shoemaker throughout town. The shoemakers realized that they were losing their profits, for as Manawydan cut out the leather, Pryderi stitched it. The shoemakers came and took counsel; they agreed to kill them.
‘Pryderi,’ said Manawydan, ‘the men want to kill us.’
‘Why should we take that from the thieving churls, rather than kill them all?’ said Pryderi.
‘No,’ said Manawydan, ‘we will not fight them nor will we stay in England any longer. We will set off and go and visit Dyfed.’
Although the road was long, they came at last to Dyfed, and made for Arberth where they kindled a fire, and began to support themselves by hunting, and they spent a month like this; they gathered their hounds about them and hunted, and spent a year there in this way.
One morning Pryderi and Manawydan get up to hunt; they get their dogs ready and leave the court. Some of the dogs run ahead of them and approach a small thicket that is nearby. But as soon as they enter the thicket they come out again quickly, their hair standing on end with fear, and return to the men.
‘Let us get closer to the thicket to see what is inside,’ said Pryderi.
They approached the thicket. As they approached, a gleaming-white wild boar * rose from it. Encouraged by the men, the dogs charged at him. The boar then left the thicket and retreated a little way from the men. And until the men closed in on him, he would keep the dogs at bay without retreating; but when the men closed in he would retreat again and break away. They followed the boar until they saw a huge, towering fort, newly built, in a place where they had never before seen either stone or building. The boar was heading quickly for the fort, with the dogs after him. When the boar and the dogs had gone into the fort, the men marvelled at seeing the fort in a place where they had never before seen any building at all. From the top of the mound they looked and listened for the dogs. Although they waited for a long time, they did not hear the sound of a single dog nor anything at all about them.
‘Lord,’ said Pryderi, ‘I will go into the fort to seek news of the dogs.’
‘God knows,’ replied Manawydan, ‘it’s not a good idea for you to go into the fort. We have never seen it before; if you take my advice, you will not enter. For whoever cast a spell on the land has caused the fort to appear.’
‘God knows,’ said Pryderi, ‘I will not abandon my dogs.’
In spite of the advice he received from Manawydan, Pryderi approached the fort. When he entered, neither man nor beast,neither boar nor dogs, neither house nor dwelling-place could he see in the fort. But he could see in the middle of the floor, as it were, a well with marble-work around it. At the edge of the well there was a golden bowl fastened to four chains, over a marble slab, and the chains reached up to the sky, and he could see no end to them. He was enraptured by the
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