ARERCONWY. 113 



Seion, which cover a considerable portion ofground, 

 but the citadel was of a triangular form, witli a 

 right angle, its sides are one hundred and thirty- 

 five and one hundred and eighty feet respectively, 

 and the hypothenuse from east to west two hun- 

 dred and fifty feet ; the walls were built of unce- 

 mented stones and the great quantity now lying 

 there prove that it must have been high and thick; 

 the rest of the summit is occupied l)y round cir- 

 cles of stones, above twenty of which remain, their 

 diameters averaging about thirty-three feet; the 

 ground is also intersected by numerous fosses, and 

 the whole defended by a rampart, which may be 

 traced for a great extent around. In the sixth 

 century it was the seat of Gwalch Gorsedd, when 

 MaelgwnGwynedd went fromDyganwy, to decide 

 the dispute for superiority between the poets and 

 musicians ; he caused both parties to swim over the 

 Conwy ; the harps and crwths were spoiled, con- 

 sequently the poets, whose tools could not be da- 

 maged, were victorious. There is a poem extant, 

 written by lorwerth Beli to the bishop of Bangor 

 about the year 1240, which gives an account of this 

 circumstance : it is preserved in the Myvyrian 

 Archaeology of Wales, vol. 1. p. 476. 



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