CORNISH DEDICATIONS. Ill 



offended. The saint finding that he had got into trouble, and 

 assured that it would bring on him discredit if he did not now 

 secure the safety of Ligessauc, despatched his most trusty- 

 disciples to smooth the matter over with Arthur. 



They accordingly went to him, where he was holding a 

 gorsedd or assembly on the Usk. But not venturing to put 

 themselves in his power, they did not cross the river, but 

 conducted the negotiation by shouting across. 



At length it was settled that Cadoc should pay the King a 

 hundred cows as mulct for the men who had been slain. Cadoc 

 had offered three cows per man, nine in all, but Arthur had 

 scouted at the offer. 



The ultimatum of Arthur was accepted with reluctance, and 

 when Cadoc sent the prescribed number, he had raked together 

 the leanest and oldest he could find. The King peremptorily 

 refused to receive them, and they had to be returned, and cows 

 of a better quality sent. 



The next point of dispute was — how were they to be 

 delivered? It was referred to judges, who decided that the 

 cattle should be driven half-way over the ford by Cadoc' s men, 

 then they would be received by the King's men. 



Accordingly, Arthur sent Kai, his steward, into the mud of 

 the Usk, together with the requisite number of men. But they 

 arrived, on their return, beplastered with ooze, rolling before 

 them bundles of russet fern instead of cows. 



Astonished at this miracle, the King gave way, and allowed 

 Cadoc rights of asylum to extend over seven years, seven 

 months, and seven days. It is not difficult to see the truth 

 through the dust of fiction. The biographer of S. Cadoc could 

 not allow his hero to come off badly in a bargain, and he 

 invented the miracle to disguise a somewhat sordid transaction. 

 Cadoc was fined heavily, as he deserved, for he had behaved 

 dishonourably. He paid the enormous fine imposed on him, 

 reluctantly, yet in full ; and then Arthur generously granted 

 him the extension of right of asylum, unless this also be an 

 invention of the Llancarvan hagiographer. 



