THE

PHYSICIANS OF MYDDVAI;

Meddygon Syddfai,

OR THE MEDICAL PRACTICE OF THE CELEBRATED RHIWALLON AND HIS SONS,
OF MYDDVAT, IN CAERMARTHENSHIRE, PHYSICIANS TO RHYS GRYG, LORD OF
DYNEVOR AND YSTRAD TOWY, ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF THE THIRTEENTH
CENTURY. FROM ANCIENT MH, IN THE LIBRARIES OF
JESUS COLLEGE, OXFORD, LLANOVER, AND TONN ;
WITH AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION ; AND

THE LEGEND OF THE
LADY OF LLYN Y

VAN,

TRANSLATED BY

JOHN PUGHE, ESQ. F.R.C.S. OF PENHELYG, ABERDOVEY,

AND EDITED BY

THE REV. JOHN WILLIAMS AB ITHEL, M.A.

RECTOR OF LLANYMOWDDWY.

PIBLISTED FOR

Che Welsh Mā. Society,

LLANDOVERY,
PUBLISHED BY D. J. RODERIC: LONDON, LONGMAN & (0.

MDCCCLXI.

15-

PRE FACE.

a

MEDDYGINIAETH, or medicine, numbers as one of “the nine rural arts, known and practised by the ancient Cymry before they became possessed of cities and a sovereignty;"* that is, before the time of Prydain ab Aedd Mawr, which is generally dated about a thousand years anterior to the Christian era. In that remote period the priests and teachers of the people were the GWYDDONIAID, or men of knowledge, obviously so called from their being looked upon as the chief sources and channels of wisdom in the land. It is to these men that the art of healing is attributed, which they seem to have practised mainly, if not wholly, by means of herbs. Indeed Botanology, or a knowledge of the nature and properties of plants, is enumerated as one of the three sciences, which primarily engaged their attention—the other two being Theology and Astronomy, as appears from the following Triad :