of Gloucester, who was charged with the reconquest of the vale of Towy.  On June 17 as the earl’s soldiers were returning, laden with plunder, to their headquarters at Dynevor, they were suddenly attacked by the Welsh at Llandilo, and were driven back on their base.  Gloucester hastily retreated to Carmarthen.  He was superseded by William of Valence, whose activity against the Welsh had been quickened by the loss of his son at Llandilo.  Llewelyn then came south, and pressed the English so hard that for several weeks nothing of moment was accomplished.

The advance against Gwynedd was delayed until the late summer.  Edward still tarried at Rhuddlan, with a host constantly varying in numbers, for his soldiers had long overpassed the period of feudal service.  Every effort was made to bring fresh troops to the field, and Luke de Tany, seneschal of Gascony, came upon the scene with a small levy of the chivalry of Aquitaine.  To Tany was assigned the task of conquering Anglesey, but it was not until September that he was able to occupy the island.  In the same month a strenuous effort was made to dislodge the hostile Welsh in the vale of Clwyd; the Earl of Lincoln at last took Denbigh from David; Reginald Grey, justice of Chester, captured Ruthin, higher up the valley, and Earl Warenne seized Bromfield and Yale.  Each noble fought for his own hand, and Edward was forced to reward their services by immediately granting to them their conquests, and thus created a new marcher interest which, later on, stood in the way of an effective settlement.  But things were getting desperate, and it was well for Edward that the security of his left flank at last enabled him to advance to the Conway.  Thereupon Llewelyn returned to Snowdon, where he was joined by the homeless David.  Meanwhile Tany, then master of Anglesey, opened up communications with the coast of Arvon by a bridge of boats over the Menai Straits.  Winter was already at hand when Llewelyn and his brother were at last shut up amidst the fastnesses of Snowdon.

Late in October Archbishop Peckham appeared on the scene.  He had excommunicated Llewelyn at the beginning of the war, but was still anxious to negotiate a peace.  Edward did his best to put him off, but Peckham’s importunity extorted from him a short truce, during which the primate visited Snowdon, taking with him an offer of an ample estate in England if the prince would surrender his patrimony.  Llewelyn furnished Peckham with long catalogues of grievances.  He was quite willing to gain time by discussing his wrongs.

Edward’s army shared his irritation at Peckham’s interference, and, while the archbishop was still in Snowdon, a breach of the truce destroyed any hopes of peace.  On November 6 Tany led his troops over the bridge of boats at low water and marched inland.  But his operations were ill-planned, and the Welsh came down from the hills and easily put him to flight.  Meanwhile the tide had risen and the flood cut off