no common affection, but when any of her fellow-virgins came in, he would suddenly disappear and vanish, by whose many and urgent importunities, being at last overcome, I yielded, saith she, to his pleasure, and was comprest by him, and when my full time of teeming came, I was delivered of this son (now in your presence) whom I caused to be called Merlin. Which words were uttered with such modesty and constancy, considering withal the royalty of her birth, and the strictness of the order (in which she now lived) that the king might the more easily be induced to believe that whatsoever she spoke was truth.

When, casting his eye upon Merlin, he began to appre hend strange promising things in his aspect, as having a quick and piercing eye, an ingenious and gracious countenance, and in his youthful face a kind of austerity and supercilious gravity, which took in him such a deep impresssion, that he thought his blood too noble to be mingled with the dust and rubbish of the earth, and therefore instead of sentencing him to death, and commanding him to be slain, he opened unto him the purpose he had to build this castle, and the strange and prodigious impediments, which hindred the work, then his assembly of the bards and wisards, and what answer they returned him of his demand, but bade him withal be of comfort, for he prized his life (being a christian) above ten such citadels, though erected and perfected with all the cost and magnificence that human art or fancy could devise.

To which words, Merlin (who had all this while stood silent and spoke not a word) thus replied, Royal Sir, blind were your bards, witless your wisards, and silly and simple your soothsayers; who shewed themselves averse to art, and altogether unacquainted with the secrets of nature, as altogether ignorant, that in the breast of this hill lies a vast moat, or deep pool, which hath ingurgitated and swallowed all these materials thrown into the trenches. Therefore command them to be digged deeper, and you shall discover the water in which your squared stones have been washed, and in the bottom of the lake you shall find two hollow rocks of stone, and in them two horrible dragons fast asleep which having uttered, he with a low obeisance made to the king, left speaking.

Who instantly commanded pioneers with pickaxes, mattocks, and shovels, to be sent for; who were presently employed to dig the earth deep, where the pond was found, and all the water drained, so that the bottom thereof was left dry, then were discovered the two hollow rocks, which being opened, out of them issued two fierce and cruel dragons, the one red, the other white, and made betwixt them a violent and terrible conflict: but in the end the white dragon, prevailed over the red. At which sight the king being greatly stupified and amazed, demanded of Merlin what this their combat might portend? Who fetching a great sigh, and tears in abundance issuing from his eyes,' with a prophetical spirit, made him this following answer:

"Woe's me for the red Dragon, for alach,
The time is come, hee hasteth to his mach:
The bloudy Serpent, (yet whose souls are white)
Implys that Nation, on which thy delight
Was late sole-fixt, (the Saxons) who as friends
Came to thee first, but ayming at shrewd ends
They shall have power over the drooping red,
In which the British Nation's figured:

Drive shall he them into caves, holes, and dens,
To barren Mountains, and to moorish fens,
Hills shall remove to where the valleyes stood,
And all the baths and brooks shall flow with blood.
The worship of the holy God shall cease.
For in thilk dayes the Kirke shall have no peace:
The Panims (woe the while) shall get the day,
And with their Idols mawmetry beare
And yet in fine shee that was so opprest,
Shal mount, & in the high rocks build her nest.
For out of Cornwall shall proceed a Bore,
Who shall the Kerk to pristine state restore,
Bow shall all Britaine to his kingly beck,

sway,

And tread he shall on the white Dragon's neck."

Then casting a sad look upon the king, as reading his fate in his forehead, he muttered to himself and said,

"But well-away for thee, to Britaine deere,
For I fore-see thy sad disaster's neere."

Which accordingly happened, and that within a few years after, for Vortigern having builded this castle, and fortified it, making it defensible against any foreign opposition, the two sons of Constantine, whom Vortigern had before caused to be slain, assisted by their near kinsman Pudentius, king of Armorica, or little Britain, (where they had been liberally fostered and cherished) passed the sea with a compleat Army, and landed at Totness, whereof when the Britains who were dispersed in many provinces understood, they crept out of their holes and corners, and drew unto their host, which was no small encouragement to the two brothers, Ambrosius Aurelius and Uter-Pendragon, who now finding their forces to be sufficiently able both in strength and number, made their speedy expedition towards Wales, with purpose to distress Vortigern the

usurper.

Who having notice of their coming, and not able in regard of the paucity of his followers to give them battle, he made what provision he could for the strengthening of his castle, to endure a long siege, and to oppose the rage of any violent battery, till he might send for supply elsewhere. But such was the fury of the assailants, that after many fierce and dangerous attemps finding the walls and gates to be impregnable; casting into the castle balls of wild fire, with other incendiaries, they burnt him and his people alive, amongst whom not one escaped. Of him it is reported, that he should have carnal society with his own daughter, in hope that kings should issue from them; thus died he most miserably when he had reigned, since his last inauguration, nine years and some odd months: The explanation of the rest of his prophecy, I will leave to the chapter following,

CONTENTS OF CHAPTER FOURTH.

Merlin's former prophecy explained; with sundry prodigious acts done by him to delight the king-His pro

YOU

phecy of the king's death, and bringing Stonehenge from Ireland.

7OU have heard what the red and white dragons figured, namely, the British and Saxon people, we will now punctually examine the truth of his predictions in the rest. The caverns, corners, mountains, and moorish places, express into what sundry distresses the natives were driven into, by the merciless cruelty of the strangers; by the hills and valleys, shifting places, that there was no difference amongst the poor Britains, between the courtier and the cottager, the peer and the peasant; by the rivers flowing with blood, the many battles fought between the two nations; and that in those days religion and the true worship of God was supprest, happened under Hengist and Horsus, and their posterity. Octa the son of Hengist, who succeeded his father in the kingdom of Kent, Tosa, Pascentius, and Colgrinus, all pagans and princes of the Saxons. For when the Britains, from the time of Eleutherius, whom the Romists write was the fourteenth pope after the blessed St. Peter had received the Christian faith under king Lucius, of glorious memory, and had continued it for many years unto that time.

The Saxons, after coming into the land, being then miscreants, laboured by all means to suppress the same, and in the stead thereof, to plant their pagan idolatry, which they accomplished even to the coming of St. Augustine, sent hither by pope Gregory; in whose time again it began to flourish and get the upper hand, in the reign of Aurelius Ambrose, and his brother Uter-pendragon, (which is by interpretation the head of the dragon) whe

succeeded him. By the boar, which should come out of Cornwall, and tread upon the neck of the white dragon, is meant the invincible king Arthur, who vanquished the Saxons, and subdued them in many battles, and was at great maintainer and exalter of the true Christian religion. Of whose begetting and birth, in this our History of Merlin, we shall have occasion to speak hereafter.

As Merlin was plentifully endued with the spirit of di vination; so, by some authors, it is affirmed of him, that he was skilful in dark and hidden arts, as magic, necromancy, and the like; and relate of him, that when king Vortigern lived solitary in his late erected castle, forsaken of the greatest part of his followers and friends, and quite sequestered from all kingly honours, he grew into a deep and dumpish melancholy, delighting only (if any delight can be taken therein) in solitude and want of company. To expel which sad fits from him, which might be dangerous to impair his health, he would devise for his recreation and disport, many pleasant fancies to beget mirth, and sometimes laughter, by solacing his ear with several strains of music, both courtly and rural; the sound heard, but the persons not seen, as with the harp, bagpipes, cymbal, and tabret; and sometimes again with the lute, orphorian, viol, sackbut, cornet and organs. Then, to recreate his eyes, he would present him with stately masks and anti-masks; and again, for variety sake, with rustick dances, presented by swines and shepherdesses. And when these grew stale or tedious to his eye or ear, he would take him up into the top of one of his turrets, whereon he should see eagles and hawks fly after sundry games, and what fowl the king liked, they would strike it into his lap, to add to his slender provision for dinner and supper, which gave the king no small contentment.

Sometimes he would have an hare or hart, hunted and chased by a pack of dogs in the air, the game flying, the hounds, with open and audible mouths, pursuing, with huntsmen winding their horns, and following the chase with all the indents and turnings, losses and recoveries; the champaign plains, the woods, and coverts, appearing as visible and natural as if the sport had been upon the firm and solid earth.