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He lavished various gifts upon her, among others that of a diadem of beryl and sapphire. Then he put on her finger a diamond ring worth what was a very great sum a king's ransom. In the Middle Ages, monarchs as well as nobles were taken prisoners in battle and large amounts of money had to be paid to get them back again. So a king's ransom is what Benlli paid for his wife's diamond ring.
I then mounted the cairn, exclaiming: "Who lies 'neath the cairn on the headland hoar, His hand yet holding his broad claymore, Is it Beli, the son of Benlli Gawr?" There stood I on the cairn of the Grey Giant, looking around me.
The table in the great banqueting hall was spread with the most delicious viands, the lights were magnificent, and the music gay. But Wyland, the monk, was a man of magic and could see through things. He noticed that some secret grief was preying upon the Prince's mind. He discerned that, amidst all this splendor, he, Benlli, the lord of the castle, was the most miserable person within its walls.
Leaving the cave's mouth, in order to be at the cross, before day should dawn, the first thing he met was a hideous ogress, grinning and rolling her bleared red eyes at him. On her head seemed what was more like moss, than hair. She stretched out a long bony finger at him. On it, flashed the splendid diamond, which Benlli had given his bride, the beautiful Maid of the Green Forest.
"Prince Benlli," said he, "if you will bestow upon the monks of the White Minster, one tenth of all the flocks that feed within your domain, and one tenth of all that flows into the vaults of your palace, and hand over the Maiden of the Green Forest to me, I shall warrant that your soul will be at peace and your troubles end." To all this, Prince Benlli agreed, making solemn promise.
All that a man need say, to the girl to whom he took a fancy, was this: "Come along with me, and be my bride," and then she would say, "Thank you, I'll come," and the two would trot off together. This was the man's notion. Now Benlli was a wicked old fellow. He was already married, but wrinkles had gathered on his wife's face. She had a faded, washed-out look, and her hair was thinning out.
So Wyland went home, resolved to call again and find out what was the trouble. When they met, some days later, Wyland's greeting was this: "Christ save thee, Benlli! What secret sorrow clouds thy brow? Why so gloomy?" Benlli at once burst out with the story of how he met the Maid of the Green Forest, and how she became his wife on three conditions. "Think of it," said Benlli, groaning aloud.
In fact, the fairies in Cymric land are among the most exacting of any known. A prince named Benlli, of the Powys region, found this out to his grief, for he had always supposed that wives could be had simply for the asking.
Of the various miracles which God enabled him to perform, I shall here mention only a few: I shall first advert to that concerning an iniquitous and tyrannical king, named Benlli.* The holy man, informed of his wicked conduct, hastened to visit him, for the purpose of remonstrating him.
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