‘Verily,’ said she, ‘there is no reason I should succour this reptile, except to prevent discredit unto thee.’ ‘If I knew any cause that I should succour it, I would take thy counsel,’ answered Manawyddan, ‘but as I know of none, I am minded to destroy it.’ ‘Do so then,’ said Kieva. So he went up a hill and set up two forks on the top, and while he was doing this he saw a scholar coming towards him, whose clothes were tattered. Now it was seven years since Manawyddan had seen man or beast in that place, and the sight amazed him. ‘Good day to thee, my lord,’ said the scholar. ‘Good greeting to thee, scholar. Whence dost thou come?’ ‘From singing in England; but wherefore dost thou ask?’ ‘Because for seven years no man hath visited this place.’ ‘I wander where I will,’ answered the scholar. ‘And what work art thou upon?’ ‘I am about to hang a thief that I caught robbing me!’ ‘What manner of thief is that?’ inquired the scholar. ‘I see a creature in thy hand like upon a mouse, and ill does it become a man of thy rank to touch a reptile like this. Let it go free.’ ‘I will not let it go free,’ cried Manawyddan. ‘I caught it robbing me, and it shall suffer the doom of a thief.’ ‘Lord!’ said the scholar, ‘sooner than see a man like thee at such a work, I would give thee a pound which I have received as alms to let it go free.’ ‘I will not let it go free, neither will I sell it.’ ‘As thou wilt, lord,’ answered the scholar, and he went his way. Manawyddan was placing the cross-beam on the two forked sticks, where the mouse was to hang, when a priest rode past. ‘Good-day to thee, lord; and what art thou doing?’ ‘I am hanging a thief that I caught robbing me.’ ‘What manner of thief, lord?’ ‘A creature in the form of a mouse. It has been robbing me, and it shall suffer the doom of a thief.’ ‘Lord,’ said the priest, ‘sooner than see thee touch this reptile, I would purchase its freedom.’ ‘I will neither sell it nor set it free.’ ‘It is true that a mouse is worth nothing, but rather than see thee defile thyself with touching such a reptile as this, I will give thee three pounds for it.’ ‘I will not take any price for it. It shall be hanged as it deserves.’ ‘Willingly, my lord, if it is thy pleasure.’ And the priest went his way. Then Manawyddan noosed the string about the mouse’s neck, and was about to draw it tight when a bishop, with a great following and horses bearing huge packs, came by. ‘What work art thou upon?’ asked the bishop, drawing rein. ‘Hanging a thief that I caught robbing me.’ ‘But is not that a mouse that I see in thine hand?’ asked the bishop. ‘Yes; that is the thief,’ answered Manawyddan. ‘Well, since I have come at the doom of this reptile, I will ransom it of thee for seven pounds, rather than see a man of thy rank touch it. Loose it, and let it go.’ ‘I will not let it loose.’ ‘I will give thee four and twenty pounds to set it free,’ said the bishop. ‘I will not set it free for as much again.’