[Page]heb law bod yn rhydd er oed hyd heddiw wrth gyfreth ddeo / ac weithie wrth anwadal gyfreith y Pap / a bod rhydd ac yn gyfreithlawn yr owrhon wrth gyfreith y Brenhyn / Lhyma heued Text o Grifreith howel da: wrth yr hwn y gellir dyall bod yr offeireit yr amser hynny yn priodi gwrageð / ac nad oeð waherddedic wrth y dywededic gyfreith / yr hon oeð wedy i chonffyrmio ae d [...]rbin yn gymradwy / yn ðedðfol ac yn divei / trwy auturtot yr escop oeð yr amser hynny yn Ruue­in: megis y kewch weled yn eglurach wrth darllein y text o isot.

LYma lyuyr kyfreith a wnaeth hywel da yn y Hwn ywr deunow­uet hyna­if ir b. Ed­ward y chwechet ty gwyn ar daf / kyn bot heuit petheu erill yn daw o gyfreithieu da a wnayth doethion / a chyn no hynny a gwedy hynny.

A hyn a wnaythpwyt yn erbin kyfreith hywel / Ky­freith hywel a deleir i chredu. A chyt del yno o wys Hy­wel / chwegwer doethaf o Gymryf / o bob kymwt yng Gwilia yr hen or­graph Cambereic. kymry o leygyon / a saith vgeint bacloc o Esgyb / ac ar­chescyb / ac athraon da / ac Abadau. Or doethion hyn­ny oll / kymryt a wnaythpuyt y deuddec doethaf ar neilltu y wneuthur y Kyfreith. Ac vn yscolhayl huotlaf o Gymryf olh y yscriuenny y kyfreith. Ac edrych rac gw­neuthur yn erbyn kyfreith eccleis na chifraith yr ame­rawdyr. A llymma henweu y gwyr hynny oll / nyd am­gen.

• Morgeneu enat
• Kyfnerth y vap.
• Gweir vap Rufawn.
• Gronwy vap Moridic.
• Retwyd enat.
• [Page]
• Iddic enat.
• Gwyberi hen o is kenuen.
• Gwrnerth llwyt eu vap. Medwan ail kerist.
• Gwyn vaer / y gwr oeð berchēnawc ar lann tathwn byoed y ty y gwnaythpwyt y kyfreith yndaw.
• Gwgawn dyuet.
• Bledrus vap Bleyðud.

A Blewgwaret archdiagawn Llantaf a oed yr yscolheyc / a doctor yn kyfreith Siuil / ac yn kyfreith eccleis. A gwedy daruot gwnethyr y kefreith oll yn gwbyl. Ef aeth Hywel a theyrnet o Gimryf gyt ac ef a Lābert escop Mynyw: a Mordef escop Bangor / a Chebur es­cop saint Assaph / a Blewgwaret archdiacon Llan­daf at Anastasius Pap hyt yn Ruuein / y darllen y Gyfreith: Ac y edrych a oed dim yn erbyn kyfreith Deo o honai hi. Ac am nad oed dim yn gwrthwyneb i di / hi a de­ilingwyt / ac i gelwyt yn kyfreith howel da hi.

Oet Christ yna ydoeð. ix. C. mlyned a. viiii. Llyma y gwersi a wnaeth Blewgawret yna yn destiolaeth.

¶ Ac ychydic yn ol hynny y darlleir yn yr vn­rhyw gyfreith val hynn.

Tri meip en dri broder vn vam vndat ni dyleant ke­fran o tref eu tat can eu braut vn vam vndat. Vn o na dunt yw map llwyn a pherth: a gwedi caffael y map [Page] hwnnw / kemryt y wraic honno o roð kenedyl: Ny ðyly hwnnw keuran tir ar map a gaffat kyn nog ef yn llwyn ac ymperth.

Eil yw kymret gwreic o escolhayc o rod kenedyl / ac ☜ odenya kemrut vrðeu effeyryadaeth: ac ef yn effeiriat / caffael map: Ny ðyly y map a gaffat kyn yr urdeuf / keuran tir a map a gaffat wedy yr urdeu. Trydid yw mut / can ny ðyly tir ony attepo drostaw: ac ny roddir gwlad y vut.

Besides that it was thought honeste, laudable, and lawfull by the law of God, and sometyme by the inconstant and vnstedfast lawe of the Pope: and now established by the kynges lawe also. Here is yet an o­ther text (worthy to be noted for the antiquitie) of the aūcient lawe of Hoel da, than kynge of Wales, by the whych ye maie easely gather that priests at that time had maried wyues, neither was it prohibited or for­bidden by the lawe: whyche lawe was accepted, con­firmed, & auctorized by the byshop of Rome than, as ye may more euidently perceyue by readyng of the texte vnder wrytten.

THys is the boke of the law which Thys was the eightenth auncester frō kinge Edward the syxtt. Hoel da made at Tuy gwyn ar daf: who dyd abro­gat, repeale, and disanull all the lawes that were made before hym, and stablished thys Lawe in all hys dominions.

[Page]And thoughe since and before there were diuerse lawes and estatutes constituted and ordeined, yet the lawe of Hoel da ought rather to be preferred. For at the parliamente holden of the same Hoel at the sayde place, there were. vi. of the moste prudeut and wysest men of the laye fee of euery Commote in wales. And of the cleargye to the numbre of an. cxl. Byshoppes archebishops, greate doctours and Abbots. And of all thys numbre. xii. of the best learned and moste pru­dent were selected & chosen, y ^t after consultation had they might make the law. And the most notable lear­ned man in all the contrie was commaunded to endite this lawe, and to forse and diligently marcke that no sentence or clause therof should be repngnant or con­trary to the ecclesiasticall or ciuill lawe.

And these be the names of the lawe makers.

• Morgenewe the iudge
• Kyfnerth hys sonne
• Gweir vap Rufaun.
• Gronoy vap Moridic.
• Retwyd the iudge.
• Idic the iudge.
• Gwybery the olde, of lowe kenyn.
• Gurthnerth Lhoyt hys sonne.
• Gwyn Uaer, he that was owner of Llantathun and of the house where they sate than in parliament.
• Gogaune Diuet.
• Bledrus vap Bleydud.

And Bleguaret doctour of both the lawes, & archdeacon of Llandaphe was appointed to be pregnota­rie. And immediatlye after that the lawe was fullye [Page] made and perfeicted, Hoel thā brynging w ^h him a roy­al rewarde oute of Wales and beynge accompanied wyth Lamberte byshop of saynt Dauies, Mordefe byshop of Bangor, and Chebure bishop of. S Assaph and Bleyguaret archdeaken of Landaph: toke hys iorney to Rome to haue the said lawe perused and ex­amined bi Anastasius thā bishop there. Which thing aduisedly done, and euerye parte thereof founde to be consonant and agreable wyth gods law, was ratifi­ed, confirmed, and published by the bishop, and called the law of Hoel da. And thys was done in the yere of our Lorde. ixc. xiiii. In wytnes wherof, here be olde verses which were made at that time.

And it foloweth a litle after in the text of the said law where certayne cases are resolued by these wordes.

There be thre sondry cases, where the brother (the father beynge tenaunt in Gauel kynd) shal not be per­ceuer wyth his brother of one venter and one father. The first is, whā a man hath issue two sonnes by one wyfe, one before the espousels solemnised, and the o­ther after▪ He that is borne before the espousels, shall not be partener wyth him that is borne after. The se­conde ☜ is, whan a Clarke beynge maried hathe issue a sonne, and after that he receyueth the ordre of prieste­hode, hath issue an other sonne: the sonne that is begoten after the orders ought not to part lands with his brother that was begotten before the orders.

[Page]The thyrde is whan a man hath issue two sonnes, whereof the one is mute or dombe: He that is mute shall haue no parte of the land wyth hys brother. For that he is not a man personable in the lawe to enioye lande, accordynge to the olde saide lawe.

Raro terra datur, homini cui sermo negatur.