DOWNLOAD: LHUYD, Edward. 1706.Archaeologia Britannica Giving Some Account Additional to what Has Been Hitherto Publish’d, of the Languages, histories and customs of the original inhabitants of Great Britain (Oxford: the Theater for the author) p. 262. Middle Welsh, Latin. See ‘Mabinogi L.K.H. 710’ centre col. [Source: Archive.org]
Translation (Mine, literal) DOWNLOAD
Mabinogi. L. K. H. 710.
Mabinogi. [Llyfr Koch Hergest] 710
Hoc vocabulum quid filii velit, hodie non constat.
‘This name which comes from ‘son’ is not clear.’
Libellus autèm sic inscriptus fabulosas quasdam Historiolas tradit de Optimatibus aliquot Britannis antiquioribus.
‘The book records fabulous stories which report on the leaders of the ancient Britons.’
Quod vidimus exemplar in quatuor partet distributum est, quas totidem Mabinogii sui Ramos appellat author velexscriptor.
‘What we see demonstrated is divided in four parts, which the author calls or copies as Mabinogi Branches.’
Pars prima sic incipit:
‘Part One begins thus:’
Puylh pendevig Dyved, ocdh yn Argluydh ar faith gantrev Dyued:
Puilius Dimetarum Satrapas fe-ptem Dimetiae Centuriis prafuit Fin
‘Pwyll Satrap/ Prince of Dyfed begins with seven Dimetian hundreds.’
Vab Kafnar uledig o Dhyle-dogion yr ynys hon:
Filii Kafna-ris Bellicofi, è principibus hujus In-fulae Nobilibus.
‘Son of warlike Kasnar, and of the princes of this Noble Island.’
M. Par II. Init
[Mabinogi Part] II [i.e. Second Branch] [Begins thus]
Bendigeidvran vab Lhŷr a oedh vrenhin koronog aryr ynys hon.
Bendigeidvran filius Leri, hujus infulie fuitrex Coronatus. Fin
‘Bendigeidfran son of Lyr, was crowned in his youth. End’
Ag ar yipydhaud ben peduar ygeint mlynedh;
Et octoginta annorum hofpitium.
‘And eighty years of hospitality.’
P. III. Init.
[Mabinogi Part] III [i.e. Third Branch] [Begins thus]
Guedy darvod ir faith uyra dhyucdaffom ni yaeod, gladhy pen Bendigeid-vran.
Septem autem praefati viri, poftiquam caput Bendigeidvran. fe-pelieriut. Fin.
‘The Seven other previously mentioned men. Self destruction.
Ag o achos y Karriar hunnu y geluyd y Kyvaruy-dhydhun Mabinogi a Mynueir a myno dh:
& propter istiufmodi carcerem, haec hiftoria Mabinogi-um Helciorum appellatur.
And because of this kind of prison, this story is called the Mabinogi-um of the Helci.
P. IV. Init.
[Mabinogi Part] IV [i.e. Fourth Branch] [Begins thus]
Mâth vab Mathonuy oedh Argluydh ar Uynedh:
Matius Mathonovii filius, Venedotiae Do-minus exftitit. Fin.
Math son of Mathonwy, Lord of Gwynedd existed earlier
A heruydh y dy-ueid Kyvaruydhyd, ev a vy argl-uydh uedy hynny ar Uynedh:
& ficut narrant hifluriae, poft haec Venedotiam gubernavit. Conft pag 24.
and as the stories tell later governed Gwynedd.
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My translation, literal style: Lhuyd, Archaeologia Britannica, p. 262.
The occasionally quoted ‘fabulosas‘ transkated as a noun ‘fables, fantasies’, is incorrect; it is an adjective so means ‘fabulous stories’. This is squarely within the Welsh Renaissance tradition of the prose tales as Romances, a technical term for fiction about adventure, enchantment and love. It is also clear from the comments Lhuyd gives that his interest is the aparently historical rulers.
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