{93a} As the word “glas,” though primarily signifying _blue_, has also a very general sense, and may mean merely _pale_ or _fresh_, yet as we find decided colours attributed to mead elsewhere in the poem, such as “melyn,” (yellow) and “gwyn” (white) we have thought proper to retain the literal acceptation in this place, as a poetical variety, however inapplicable to the beverage in question it may seem. {93b} “Impia sub dulci melle venena latent.” {93c} The name of the chieftain, who commanded this particular troop, is not mentioned, unless (which is not very probable) we take “Trychant” in the third line as a proper name, and translate thus,— “Trychant marshals his men, armed with the weapons of war.” Or, are we to understand by “trwy beiryant,” that he marshalled his men by means of some instrument or machinery? {93d} I.e. the silence of death. {94a} “Fyryf frwythlawn,” i.e. “_fyrv_ frwythlawn;” the sense of “_furv_ frwythlawn” would seem to be “in vigorous order.” {94b} The followers of the son of Cian (_a little dog_) are evidently called “aergwn,” (_dogs of war_) in allusion to his patronymic, as well as to the name of his residence, “maen gwyngwn,” (_the stone of the white dogs_.) Probably also the figure of a dog was charged on their banner. {94c} The Bernicians, as we have already noticed, were at this time opposed to the British patriots. The Cymry carried a traditional hatred of that people with them into Wales, and applied the term _Bryneich_ to such of their kindred as allied themselves to the enemies of their country, as is abundantly manifest in the works of the mediæval Bards.—See STEPHEN’S Literature of the Kymry, p. 265.) {94d} Or, “Like a deluge, I would not have left a man alive.” {94e} It is very probable that the son of Cian had married a daughter of one of the chiefs of Bryneich, which would thus account for the Bard’s lurking apprehension at first, that he might be induced to barter his allegiance for the dowry to be expected with his wife. His fears however were groundless; for such were the purity and patriotism of our youthful hero, that he even refused the dowry when it was offered to him, and braved his father-in-law’s anger withal. {95a} In Gorchan Maelderw we read of— “The only son of Cian from Trabannawg.” Cian was a Bard, and is mentioned as such by Nennius in the following passage,— “Item Talhaern Talanguen in Poemate claruit, et Nuevin et Taliessin, et Bluchbar, et Cian qui vocatur Gueinchguant (_Cian who is called Gwyngwn_) simul uno tempore in poemate Britannico claruerunt.” Taliesin likewise represents him in that character in a Poem entitled, “Angar Cyvyndawd.” (Myv. Arch. vol. i. p. 34.) “Cian pan ddarvu Lliaws gyvolu.” When Cian sang the praise of many. The circumstance of his being thus a poet, and classed with Aneurin (Nuevin) would account for the intimacy which subsisted between the latter and his son.