| The Red Book of Hergest
Written on vellum, 13 3/8" x 8 1/4", 362 folios. Bicolumnar, numbered 1--1442. Mostly written between 1375-1425, it is the work of on Hywel Fychan fab Hywel Goch of Fuellt, for his employer, Hopcyn ap Tomas ap Einion of Ynys Tawe. So called for the red leather binding, rebound in moroccan leather added in 1851, and for the house of Hergest, Herfordshire, where it was compiled. Presented in 1701 to Jesus College, Oxford, by a Rev. T. Wilkins, of Llanbleithain, Glamorgan in Wales. It is best known as the source of the Mabinogion, as well as having much of its poetry reproduced in The Four Ancient Books of Wales.
- Folios iii-iv: beginning of Dares Phrygia in a later hand.
- Folios v: blank
- Folio vi: a brief index in a late hand
- Folios vii-ix: blank.
The contents of the book are thus:
COLUMNS:
1-30 1.12: Dares Phrygius--On the Fall of Troy
31-230 1.11: Ystorya Brenhined y Brytanyeit--the History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth
230 1.20--367 1.8: Brut y Tywyssogion--the Brut of the Princes, a continuation of Geoffrey's History.
367 1.10--377 1.18: "Gyldas hen broffwyt y brytanyeit a dyweit yn hen hstoryaeu y brytanyeit..." About St. Gildas
377 1.19--380: Dechreu Cantreuoed Gwyned Ae Chymydeu
381-497: De Carolo Magno
502 1.19--516 1.26: "Y llyuyrhwnn aelwir ymago mundi."
516 128--518 1.14: "A brief Chronicle" Blwydyn cysseu o deucant a phum mil auu or amser y gwnaethpwyt adaf yny doeth crisi.
520--527 1.39: "The Advice of the wise man to his son..."
527 1.10--556 1.9: "The Seven wise men of Rome."
555 1.10--571 1.23: Breudwyt Ronabwy
571 1.1--577 1.6: Proffwydolyaeth Sibli doeth: "Prophesies of the Sybil"
577 1.7--583 1.38: "Kyuoessi myrdin agwendyd ychwaer": "Dialogue Between Myrddin and His sister Gwenddydd"
584: Gwasgargerd vyrdin yny bed: "Lament of Myrddin in his Grave"
585 1.24: Hynn adywawt seint awstin am dewder y dayar
585 1.32: Hynn adywawt yr eneit
585 1.39: Llyma Broffwydolyaeth yr eryr ygkaer septon
588 1.27: tri dynyon a gawssant gampeu {pryt, a deothineb} adaf
588 1.41: Pann aeth llu y lychlyn: The Host of Iceland
590 1.34: dechreu y trioedd y rei hynn: triad of the three prisoners
592: Trioedd yw y rei hynn: Tair pryf riein arthur--Triad on Arthur's three wives
596: Trioedd y meirch: Triad of the horses
598: Trioed heuyt yw yn yrei hyn: Triad that either is this or that?
600: Enweu ynys prydein ae rach ynyssed ae anryuedodeu--Names of the Isle of Britain
605: The Expedition of Charlemange to Jerusalem and Constantiople, or his adventures with Hu Gadarn
627: Owain and Lunet
655: Peredur
697: Breuddwyd Macsen
705: Lludd ac Llefelys
710: Pwyll Pendeuc Dyfed
726: Branwen uerch Llyr
739: Manawyddan fab Llyr
751: Math fab Mathonwy
769: Gereint
810: Culhwch ac Olwen
845: Romance of Bown of Hampton (Bevis)
928: The Physicians of Myddfai
964: Welsh Proverbs
975: Imago Mundi
998: A chyt traetho athrawon gerd or sygneu yssyd yn Zodiacus
999: Llyma weithyon dechreu brut y saesson ac mal y gwledychassant--Saxon Chronicals
1020: O oes gwrtheyrn gwrtheneu hyt weith badwn yd ymladawd Arthur ae hyneif ar saesson...
1022 1.9--1025: blank
Poems translated in The Four Ancient Books of Wales
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