ch, however, we are probably to understand an army of men
with those birds emblazoned on their standard, even as his descendants
still bear them in their coats of arms. Not only do the Welsh Romances
and Bards of the middle ages allude to these ravens, but even Taliesin
and Llywarch Hen, seem pointedly to connect them with Urien or his son.
Thus the former in an Ode on the battle of Argoed Llwyvaen, (Myv. Arch.
vol. i. p. 53) in which Owain commanded the Cumbrian forces, under his
father against Ida, says,--

"A rhag gwaith Argoed Llwyfain
Bu llawer celain
Rhuddei frain rhag rhyfel gwyr."

Because of the battle of Argoed Llwyvain,
There happened many a dead carcase,
And the ravens were coloured with the war of men.

And Llywarch Hen in his "Elegy on Urien Rheged" has the following
expressions;--

"Pen a borthav ar vy nhu; Pen Urien,
Llary, llyw ei lu;
Ac ar ei vron wen vran ddu.

Pen a borthav mywn vy nghrys; pen Urien,
Llary llywiai lys:
Ac ar ei vron wen vran ai hys."

I bear by my side a head; the head of Urien,
The mild leader of his army;
And on his white bosom the sable raven is perched.

I bear in my shirt a head; the head of Urien,
That governed a court with mildness;
And on his white bosom the sable raven doth glut. (Owen's Ll. Hen.
p. 24.)

This supposition would considerably enhance the point and beauty of the
passage in the text; for a sad or unbecoming thing, indeed, ("cwl," _a
fault_) would it be that one who fought by the aid of ravens should
himself be eventually devoured by them.

Moreover, a tradition prevails, that Owain the son of Urien was actually
engaged in the battle of Cattraeth. Thus Lewis Glyn Cothi, a poet of the
fifteenth century, observes;--

"Bwriodd Owain ab Urien
Y tri thwr yn Nghattraeth hen.
Ovnodd Arthur val goddaith
Owain, ei vrain a'i fon vraith." (I. 140.)

Owain son of Urien overthrew
The three towers of Cattraeth of old;
Arthur dreaded, as the flames,
Owain, his ravens, and his parti-coloured staff.

But to the view which would identify our hero with the son of Urien there
is this objection, that the poem describes the former as the son of Marro
or Marco; nor can the difficulty be got over, without supposing that this
was another name of Urien. Or if that be inadmissible, the line, in
which Owain's name occurs, may be translated,--

Alas, t