MERLIN THE MAGICIAN

BY TORSTEN SCHWANKE

ACCORDING TO DOROTHEA SCHLEGEL

Let scholars quarrel and squabble,

Let teachers too be prudent and strict!

All the wisest men in all the ages

Nod and smile in agreement with me:

Foolish to wait till fools grow wiser!

Children of Wisdom, simply make fools

Of the fools, as is fit!

Old Merlin from his shining grave,

Where I consulted him in my youth,

Gave me a similar answer too:

Foolish to wait till fools grow wiser!

Children of Wisdom, simply make fools

Of the fools, as is fit!

Goethe

CANTO I

(Of the gathering of the devils and how they drove a family to destruction.)

The evil enemy was full of wrath 

When Jesus Christ descended to hell 

And delivered Adam and Eve from it, 

Together with all who were with them in hell. 

Who is this man, said the devils in fear, 

Who breaks the gates of hell 

And whose power we cannot resist? 

If we had never believed 

That a man born of woman 

Should not belong to us, 

And this one destroys our kingdom. 

How is it that he could be born 

Without our sinning against him, 

As happens to other men? 

Another answered, He was born without sin, 

And not of the seed of man, 

But according to the will of God 

By his Holy Spirit in the womb of a Virgin. 

Therefore it would be good 

If we could find the means 

To form a body in a woman, 

Formed in our image, doing our will, 

And knowing all things that are done 

And all things that are spoken, as we do. 

Such a one could be of great use to us. 

For we must think how to regain 

What the Saviour of the world has robbed us of. 

Then all the devils were unanimous and cried out, 

Yes, let us find means by which one of us 

May produce such a man through the woman. 

Then one of them cried out, 

I have power over a woman, 

So that she obeys me, 

And does many things as I will; 

Also I have power to take the form of a man. 

Now this woman, over whom I have power, 

Will certainly provide me with the means 

To produce a man with a virgin. 

So it was decided among them 

That he should begin to carry out the work; 

But they charged him beforehand 

That he should see to it that the man 

He produced became like them 

And acted according to their will.

The council of Satan departed again; 

But the messenger hastened, 

And missed no time in coming to the woman 

Over whom he had power.

This was the wife of a very rich man, 

Who possessed many goods, much cattle 

And other treasures, of which 

Many a tale might be told; 

He had with this woman three daughters and a son. 

Satan found the woman quite willing 

To do anything he asked. 

He asked if there was any means 

Of deceiving her husband, 

Or of giving him into his power. 

The woman replied that this could only happen 

If he angered and deceived him. 

She therefore advised him to go 

And to kill some of his cattle. 

The devil did so immediately. 

When the shepherds saw half of the flock slain, 

They ran to their master and told him, 

And he was very much frightened. 

When the evil one realised 

That he was already so frightened 

About half of his flocks, 

He went into the stable and killed 

Ten of the best horses in one night. 

When the rich man found out about this, 

He became furious; 

He shouted and raged and cried out: 

Since the devil had already taken so much, 

He would give him the rest in addition.

When Satan heard this, 

He was very pleased and took all the rest. 

The man, who suddenly found himself 

Deprived of all his treasures, 

Was so saddened by this 

That he became quite melancholy, 

Kept himself quite apart from all his own, 

Did not care for them 

And did not like to suffer them to be around him, 

But lived in solitude all the time. 

The devil, who had seen him 

Hate people and flee all company, 

Was now sure that he had all the power over him 

And could do as he pleased in his house. 

He immediately went and strangled 

The good man's only beautiful son. 

The father wanted to die of heartache and sorrow. 

The devil then went to the woman, 

Whom he found all alone, 

And tempted her with the idea of her misfortune 

In such a way that she took a rope 

And hung herself from it. 

Soon afterwards the good man died of grief 

At the terrible death of his wife and son.

After the evil one had accomplished this, 

He thought about how he could get the virgins, 

The young daughters of this rich man, 

Into his power; in order to deceive them, 

He first had to show himself agreeable to them. 

So he fetched a handsome youth, 

Whom he had already had in his power 

For a long time, and brought him to the virgins. 

The youth, with his sweet speeches 

And his going back and forth, got so far 

That one of the virgins fell in love with him, 

Which made Satan very happy. 

Now he would not rest until 

She had become the young man's very own. 

Then he went and revealed it to the whole world, 

So that the virgin should be disgraced; 

For at that time the law was thus: 

If a girl, who was not a public one, 

Was convicted of consorting with a man, 

She had to die. Satan, by treachery, 

Brought her to the knowledge of the judges. 

The young man fled, and the virgin 

Was brought before the court. 

The judges had great compassion on her 

Because of her father, 

Who had been a very good man. 

Wonder! said the judges, how could 

The poor girl have suffered so much, 

For it was not long ago that her father, 

The most pious man in the land, died. 

She was condemned and buried alive, 

But out of respect for her relatives 

It was done at night to avoid a stir.

This is how it is with those 

Who have once surrendered to Satan.

CANTO II

Not far from the place where the virgins lived 

There lived a hermit 

Who led an extremely pious life. 

When he heard the wonderful news 

That one of the virgins had been buried alive, 

He went to the other sisters 

To give them his advice. 

First he asked them how they had lost 

Their father and mother and all their goods. 

The Fates, they said, had willed it so; 

We are hated by God, and he 

Has destined us to such affliction.

God hates no man, said the pious hermit; 

Rather, all that you do evil is very near to him; 

It is through the influence of the devil 

That your sister has been seduced 

Into such disgrace. But since 

You know nothing of this, 

And have hitherto been free from it, 

Beware further of bad company 

And evil inspirations.

The pious man then gave them 

Many more excellent teachings. 

He instructed them in the faith, 

Taught them the divine commandments 

And the virtues of the Saviour. 

The eldest daughter liked these teachings very much 

And took them to heart. 

She also took great pains to learn everything 

And to do everything every day 

That the pious hermit commanded her to do.

If you, he said to her, always follow the advice, 

My daughter, and punctually do as I command you, 

You will come to many honours and great good; 

So follow my advice. Come to me 

Whenever you are in doubt 

Or tempted about anything, 

So that with God's help I may guide you 

Back onto the right path. 

Let nothing make you dismayed, but trust in God. 

After the pious man had thus strengthened 

And instructed the two virgins, 

He went back to his hermitage, 

But before doing so, he once again 

Inculcated in them that they should come to him 

And ask him for advice 

Whenever they encountered something.

Satan did not like the assurance of the pious man, 

He was very much afraid of losing the two virgins; 

He also realised that he would never be able 

To deceive them, except with the help 

Of another woman possessed by him. 

He knew one who had often done his will 

And of whom he was quite powerful. 

He sent her to the virgins; 

She immediately turned to the youngest, 

For she dared not speak to the oldest 

Because she was too pious. 

So the woman took the youngest to her side 

And asked her how she lived 

And what her relationship was with her sister. 

My sister, answered the young girl, 

Has become so thoughtful 

Over the many incidents we have experienced 

In succession that she forgets to eat and drink, 

And shows neither me nor others a friendly face. 

A good, pious man has turned her mind 

Entirely to God; she believes 

And does nothing but what this man tells her.

What a pity, said the woman, 

That such a beautiful girl as you 

Should be under such a guardianship; 

For you will never be able to enjoy your beauty 

With your sister. My sweet little daughter, 

She continued, if you knew what joy 

And what good life the other women enjoy, 

You would regard everything 

You have with your sister as nothing. 

Dry bread in the company of men 

Is more pleasant than all the goods 

Of the world with your sister. 

How can you bear to be so alone; 

A woman who knows no man 

And deals with none does not know what joy is. 

I tell you, beautiful child, 

You will never enjoy the love of a man; 

Your sister will enjoy it sooner than you, 

For she is the eldest and will marry; 

But then she will not care for you at all, 

And you will not know the joys 

Of your beautiful body. 

These words made the young girl quite thoughtful.

How could I possibly do that, she began again, 

They would bury me alive, like my sister. - 

Your sister, said the hag, was a fool, 

And started very badly; if you will follow me, 

You shall enjoy all the pleasure of your body, 

And no man shall harm you. - 

Now I must not speak to you any longer, 

Said the young girl, my sister would perceive it; 

Depart now, and come again another day. 

The woman went away, 

And Satan rejoiced at the good beginning.

When the girl was left alone, 

She constantly thought about the woman's speeches 

And talked about them to herself. 

As a result, the lust that the devil had kindled in her 

Through those speeches grew in her more and more, 

So that when she had taken off her clothes 

In the evening, she looked at her beautiful body 

And rejoiced in it. In truth, she said, 

The wise woman is right, I would be quite lost 

Without the pleasure of a man. 

She soon had that woman called to her again, 

And asked her how she must do to love a man, 

And not be betrayed and killed, like her sister. 

You need only, said she, give yourself 

Publicly to any one. Flee from this house 

As if enraged, and say that you can 

No longer bear to be with your sister; 

Afterwards you may do as you please, 

And no one may call you to trial 

Or condemn you. Then, when once thou art tired 

Of the wild life, thou canst still find 

A man to marry thee, 

For the sake of thy many riches; 

So thou wilt be glad 

Of all the pleasures of this world.

The virgin really followed 

The cursed woman's pernicious advice, 

Fled from her sister's house, 

And publicly exposed herself to everyone.

CANTO III

As much as the evil enemy rejoiced 

To see this plot succeed, 

So much was the girl's sister horrified by it. 

It would have taken little 

To drive her mad with grief, 

And she immediately set out and ran to the hermit. 

When he saw her arrive, he went to meet her 

And said, Make a cross, my daughter, 

And commend yourself to God; 

I see you are very low. - 

I have good cause to be, said she, 

And told him how her sister had escaped, 

And, as she was told, had publicly 

Exposed herself to disgrace. 

The pious man was very grieved at this news, 

And said, The wicked enemy is still about thee, 

And will not soon cease to persecute thee, 

To entrap thee in his snares, 

Unless God take thee into his special care. 

I beseech thee, therefore, and command thee, 

That thou abandon not thyself to anger and sadness, 

For over no one has the evil one more power 

Than over those who give themselves up 

To such passions. Come to me 

As soon as an obstacle or something corruptible 

Is placed in your path. Every day, 

Before you eat or drink anything, 

Make the sign of the cross on yourself; 

Always keep a light burning where you sleep, 

For the evil one shuns the light.

After these teachings of the pious man, 

The virgin went home again. 

Many people from the town visited her 

And advised her to marry, 

So that she would not remain so alone 

And sunk in sadness. 

But she answered them each time, 

God will certainly send me nothing 

But what is good for me. 

For more than two years the virgin stayed 

In her father's house 

And led a very godly and pious life. 

The evil one could not have any power over her, 

Neither in thought nor in deed; 

He constantly sought to enrage her, 

So that in anger she would forget 

The commands of the pious man. 

To this end he brought her runaway sister 

Back to her one night, so that she might be 

Enraged at her; and immediately 

After the sister he sent a bunch of young boys 

Into the house, who ran after her.

When the maiden saw this, 

She was very much frightened, 

And said to her sister, 

As long as you lead such a way of life, 

You should not come to my house, 

For you are to blame for giving me a bad name. 

The latter, when she heard 

That her sister blamed her evil reputation, 

Became angry and heated and spoke 

Like one possessed by the devil; 

She threatened her sister 

And accused her of loving the pious hermit 

With worldly love, 

And that she would be executed if people knew. 

The virgin was very angry at this accusation 

And ordered her to leave the house. 

But she replied that she had as much right 

To the house as she, and would not go out. 

The maiden wanted to push her out 

By the shoulders, but she 

And the young boys who were with her resisted 

And beat the poor, angry maiden. 

At last she escaped from them 

And shut herself up in her room; 

In her clothes she threw herself on the bed, 

Wept very much, and in her sorrow forgot 

To make the sign of the cross over herself, 

As the pious man had commanded her. 

The evil one watched beside her, 

And when he saw that she had forgotten herself, 

He thought: Now it is time for us 

To create man in her, 

For she is not now in God's care.

Then the devil lay with her 

And she conceived, buried in a sound sleep. 

Immediately she awoke, 

And her first thought was of the pious hermit; 

Immediately she made the sign 

Of the cross over herself. 

Holy Virgin Mary, she prayed, 

What has happened to me? 

I feel dishonoured! 

Blessed Mother of God, 

Pray Thy glorious Son for me, 

That He may preserve my soul from damnation, 

My body from torment, 

And protect me against the power of evil. 

After she had prayed like this, 

She got up from her bed 

And looked around at all her acquaintances, 

Trying to guess which person might have done her 

Such good. She ran and examined the door, 

But found it shut tightly, 

Just as she herself had shut it 

Before she lay down; 

She also searched all over her chamber 

Without finding anything. 

Then she realised that she had been tricked 

And dishonoured by the evil enemy; 

She immediately threw herself on her knees 

And prayed long and fervently to God 

To take her into his protection 

And save her from disgrace. 

When day dawned, the wicked enemy 

Led the sister and the young people 

Out of the house again; 

Then she got up from prayer, 

Opened her chamber, and gave herself up 

Entirely to her excessive pain. 

Then she sent for two respectable women 

Through her servant, and accompanied by them 

She went straight to her hermit to confess. 

And when the pious man saw her 

So full of sorrow and questioned her about it, 

She told him everything that had happened 

To her that night; she also admitted 

That in anger she had forgotten his command, 

And how she had then felt dishonoured 

In her sleep, without knowing a man 

Of whom she could suspect this, 

Since her door had been firmly locked 

And no one had found her in the chamber.

The pious man did not believe her at first 

And accused her of lying, 

But as she insisted on everything 

And showed great sorrow, he imposed 

A severe penance on her 

Because she had forgotten his command. 

She accepted it, weeping, 

And promised to keep it for life, namely, 

To do the penance only once a day 

As long as she lived. 

After she had promised to keep this promise, 

He blessed her and prayed over her, 

Telling her to come to him again 

Whenever she needed his comfort. 

She went home and the evil spirit 

Found himself deceived by her purity and piety, 

For although he deceived her in her sleep, 

He could not corrupt her soul 

And had not the least power over her.

CANTO IV

After some time the child grew 

In the Virgin's womb, 

And her pregnancy became visible 

Before the eyes of all men. 

Many people then came to her and asked her, 

Since she could not deny her condition, 

Who the man was. So God give me joy, 

She answered, I do not know 

By whom I have the child. 

Then they mocked her, saying with laughter, 

So you have had dealings 

With so many men 

That you do not know the father of your child? - 

Never, she answered, may I be redeemed 

If I have ever known a man, 

Or if a man of my will or knowledge 

Has had dealings with me!

Then the women present made the sign of the cross. 

This is not possible, they said, 

This happens to no woman. 

Rather, we think you love the man 

Who seduced you more than yourself, 

And do not want to accuse him. 

It is a great pity for you; 

If the judges find out, you must die. 

The maiden repeated again 

That she knew of no man. 

The women departed, declared her mad, 

And said that her father's riches 

Must be a badly acquired possession, 

Because now everything would be lost, 

And it would be punished on the children. 

The virgin was very frightened 

And immediately went back to the hermit 

And told him everything 

That the people had said to her. 

When the pious man saw her pregnant, 

He could not hide his astonishment 

And asked her whether this miracle 

Had happened again since then, 

And whether she had kept her penance 

And the rest of his orders properly. 

The first she denied, but to the last 

She answered in the affirmative.

The pious hermit, astonished at this miracle, 

Wrote down the night and hour 

When she first confessed to him. 

Now, he said, I will know exactly 

Whether you told me lies or not, 

For I trust in God and believe 

That if you speak the truth, 

He will not let you die; 

But you will have to endure the fear of death. 

For they will say that the punishment 

Is yours by right; but in fact 

They will gladly kill you for the sake 

Of your great wealth. But as soon 

As you are put in prison, let me know; 

I will come to your aid when possible.

Soon afterwards the maiden was summoned 

To appear before the judges, 

And immediately she sent for the hermit, 

Who set out to meet her. But when he arrived, 

She was already on trial. As soon 

As the judges saw the pious man, 

They told him about the incident 

And asked him whether he believed 

That a woman could conceive 

Without having relations with a man. 

I know nothing about this, he answered, 

But my advice is that you do not execute her 

While she is pregnant, for it is neither right 

Nor just that the child should be punished, 

Since she has not sinned. 

These words the judges decided to follow. 

He also advised them to take her 

To a locked tower and to give her 

Two women with her to help her 

In the hour of birth; but no other person 

Was to be allowed to see her. 

He further advised them to let the mother live 

Until the child could speak; then, he said, 

You will know the truth and be able 

To judge her according to justice. 

The judges did everything according to the advice 

Of the pious hermit, and gave her 

Two women with her into the tower, 

The most skilful and understanding midwives 

And attendants at the time; 

A window was made at the top of the tower, 

Through which they could hand them 

Everything they needed.

Before the virgin was led in, 

The hermit said to her, My daughter, 

When you have come down, 

Have your child baptised; 

And if they want to execute you, 

Send for me and let me call you.

Now when the time of birth had come, 

She gave birth to a son, 

Who was to have the power and will 

Of the evil enemy, his begetter; 

But Satan had foolishly deceived himself, 

Deceiving the virgin in her sleep, 

But not deceiving her soul, 

Which was all full of the Lord. 

As soon as she woke up, she got up, 

Prayed devoutly and commended herself 

To the Trinity; 

Then she ran as fast as she could 

To the pious man, confessed, 

Called upon God and the holy Church, 

And received repentance and absolution; 

Since then she had also followed 

God's and the Church's commandments 

Most faithfully. Hence it came about 

That the evil enemy lost again 

What he thought he had conquered.

The child of the virgin resembled its creator, 

The devil, in that it knew everything 

That happened and was spoken 

In the present time, but through the piety 

Of its mother and by means of the purification 

Of baptism and the grace of God, 

It received from God the gift of knowing 

The future beforehand; 

So that the child could give itself 

To God or to Satan, 

Or give back to God what it had from Him, 

And to the devil what it had from the devil. 

The devil had only given him the body, 

But God had given him the soul and the mind, 

And this to this child more than to any other, 

Because he was in need of it.

When he was born, the women were afraid of him, 

For he was tall and all hairy, 

And they had never seen such a child 

Come into the world. 

They presented him to his mother, 

Who made a cross when she saw him. 

My son, you frighten me, she said. 

We too, said the women, are so frightened 

At the sight of him that we can hardly hold him. 

The mother ordered him to be lowered 

To the window to be baptised. 

What shall his name be? asked the women. 

Give him the name my father had, she answered, 

He was called Merlin. 

So it happened; the child was let down 

To the window, the people took him, 

Had him baptised, and at the request of the women, 

By order of the mother, 

Gave him the name Merlin, 

Which was the name of his grandfather. 

Then he was taken back to his mother, 

For no other woman would have dared 

To put him to her breast and let him suckle, 

So much were they all afraid of him.

Until he was eighteen months old, 

The women stayed patiently around the mother 

And kept her company, but they had 

To wonder more and more about the child, 

Who at the age of twelve months 

Was already as big and strong 

As if he were more than two years old. 

When he was eighteen months old, 

They said to his mother, Madam, 

We would like to leave here 

And go back to our friends and relatives 

Who have not seen us for so long; 

It seems to us that we have been with you long enough. 

The poor woman began to weep bitterly, 

Oh, she said, if you leave me, 

They will execute me! 

She begged the women, with many tears 

And lamentations, not to leave her just yet, 

And the women entered a window, 

Weeping and regretting their arms. 

Ah, my son, said the mother, 

Looking at her child on her lap, 

Ah, my son, for you I must die, 

And yet I do not deserve to die; 

No one but I know the truth, 

But no one will believe me! 

And when she was thus weeping and wailing 

Over the child, and calling upon our Saviour 

To strengthen her, the child suddenly 

Looked upon her with a smile, and said to her, 

Fear not, mother, thou shalt not die for my sake. 

The mother was so frightened 

When she heard him speak 

That she sank back in a faint 

And dropped the child, who cried out violently 

As it fell to the earth.

The two women hurried over 

And said that she wanted to kill her child 

Out of desperation. Why is the child crying? 

They asked. Did you want to kill it? 

Why is it lying on the ground? - 

I did not think of harming him, said the mother, 

When she awoke again from her faintness, 

But I let him fall, for my heart and arms 

Sank with terror at what he spoke to me. - 

And what, they asked, did he tell you 

That you were so frightened? - 

That I would not die for his sake! - 

If he really said this, he will probably say more, 

The women replied; they took him in their arms, 

Kissed him and hugged him, 

And spoke to him in a friendly way 

To see if he would answer them. 

But he remained completely silent 

And did not speak a word. 

Then the mother, who only wished him to speak 

In the presence of the women, 

Took him in her arms and said,

Threaten me once, say I would be burnt for his sake. - 

You are very pitiful, they said, 

That you should be burned for the sake of the child, 

When you would rather never have been born! - 

You are lying, said the child; 

The mother told you to speak so. 

The women were terrified 

When they heard him speak thus,

This is no ordinary child, they said, 

He is an evil spirit, he knows all 

That we have spoken. Thereupon 

They asked him many things, 

And made many words. Leave me alone, 

Said the child. You are foolish women 

And greater sinners than my mother. - 

This miracle must not be hidden, said the women, 

The judges must know it, and the whole world. 

They then went to the window, 

Called together the people down at the tower, 

And told them all that the child had spoken. 

The people ran to the judges 

And told them about the miracle 

And the strange things the child had spoken, 

Since he was not yet at the age 

When children usually begin to speak. 

It is time, said the judges, 

To have this woman put to death; 

They made it generally known 

That after forty days this woman would be judged.

When she heard this, she was very afraid 

And immediately told the pious man 

That the day of her execution 

Had already been fixed. 

When the thirty-ninth day dawned 

With lamentations and suffering, 

The unhappy woman wept greatly 

And was grieved in her heart; 

But the child looked at her mother, 

Was happy and laughed. 

Child, child, said the women, 

You think little of the sufferings of your poor mother, 

Who is to be burned tomorrow for your sake; 

Curse the hour in which you were born, 

For you are to blame and the cause of her sufferings.

Then the child ran to his mother and said, 

Hear me, dear mother; I promise you 

That as long as I live, no man shall be so bold, 

Nor any court so powerful, as to condemn you to death; 

In God's hand alone is your life. 

The mother and the two women rejoiced 

At these words and had great hope 

In the Wisdom of the child, 

Who was already comforting his mother.

CANTO V

When the day arrived for her execution, 

The judges went to the tower 

And brought the mother 

And the two women down to them. 

The mother carried the child in her arms. 

At that moment, the pious hermit hurried up. 

When the judges noticed him, 

They told the virgin to prepare to die, 

For she must die. Allow me, she said, 

To speak to this pious man in secret. 

The judges allowed her to do so, 

And she went with him into a special room, 

But she left the child outside with the judges. 

They tried all sorts of things to get him to speak, 

But he did not care for them 

And did not speak a word.

When the mother had confessed 

To the pious hermit and prayed with him 

In hot tears, he went out again to the judges; 

But she took off her clothes 

And wrapped herself only in a cloak, 

Because she thought she was being led away to death. 

Then she went out again; when she opened the door, 

The child ran towards her, 

She took him in her arms and went to the judges. 

Good woman, said the judges, now confess 

Who is the father of your child, 

And do not think any longer of denying 

Or trying to hide anything from us. 

To which she replied, Gentlemen, 

I know very well that I am already 

Condemned to the death penalty, 

And so may God not have mercy on me, 

Nor show me mercy, if it is not the truth 

That I have never attended any man, 

Nor lived in any communion with any. - 

You are condemned to death, cried the judges, 

For, according to the testimony 

Of all the other women, this is impossible, 

And there is neither reason 

Nor truth in your statement.

Then the child Merlin sprang from the arm 

Of his frightened mother, and said, 

Fear not, mother, thou shalt not die 

So long as I live. Then he turned to the chief judge. 

You have condemned her to be burned alive, 

But from this I will guard her, 

For she does not deserve such a thing.

If all the men and women here 

Who have secretly sinned 

And lived with others than their husbands 

And their wives were justified, 

They would have to be burned by both parts. 

I know their secret deeds as well 

As they know them; if I wanted to name them, 

They would have to confess themselves guilty 

In your presence of all that 

Of which you accuse my mother, 

Who in truth was never guilty. 

This pious man here is also so convinced of it 

That he brought her guilt upon himself before God.

Yes, said the hermit, it is true, 

She confessed to me, 

And I absolved her of her sin. 

She herself has confessed to you 

How she was deceived in her sleep and without guilt. 

Since no such miracle has ever been heard of before, 

It is very difficult for me to believe it.

You have, said the child to the hermit, written down 

The hour and day on which she came to you 

And confessed her case; 

Now you may only see whether it agrees 

With what she now speaks. - 

You speak the truth, replied the hermit, 

You know more than the rest of us. 

Then the two women who had sat with her 

In the tower told the hour and day 

When she had been deceived, 

As had been pretended, and this coincided exactly 

With that which the hermit had written down. 

All this does not absolve her, said the judge; 

She must name the father of the child, 

That we may punish him.

Then the child Merlin cried out 

In anger and vehemence: Sir, 

I know my father better than you know yours; 

You do not know who your father is, 

But your mother knows more exactly 

Who begat you than my mother knows 

Who begat me. Then the judge cried angrily, 

If you know anything about my mother, speak up! - 

Yes, replied the child, if you wish to judge 

Your mother as well, for she deserved death 

Much sooner than my mother! 

If I tell you something about your mother 

Which she admits, will you then absolve my mother? 

For I tell you again, she is innocent 

And does not deserve death; 

She really does not know the one who produced me. 

The judge, full of anger at seeing his mother 

So reviled before all the people, said, 

If you can do what you boast of, 

Your mother shall be free; 

But know that if you say anything about my mother 

That is not the truth, and she does not testify to it, 

You will be burned with your mother. - 

Send, then, and send for thy mother, said Merlin.

The judge sent; mother and child 

Were again led into prison and closely guarded, 

After five days they were to appear again in court; 

The judge himself was among the guards. 

Often during this time the child 

Was questioned by its mother as well as by others, 

And tried to make it speak; but in vain, 

It did not speak a single word until the fifth day, 

When the judge's mother arrived. 

Now here is my mother, said he to the boy Merlin, 

Of whom thou hast said so many things; 

Now come hither and speak; 

She will answer thee all that thou wilt. 

Immediately Merlin answered, It is not wise 

Of you not to speak first to your mother in secret, 

And question her yourself. 

Go and shut yourself up first with her, 

With your most trusted counsellors: 

Even as I will consult my mother's counsellors, 

Who are none other than the all-knowing God 

And the pious hermit.

All present were startled 

When they heard the child speak 

With so much Wisdom, 

And the judge well saw that he had spoken right. 

Then the child asked the judges 

And all present once more, 

If I save my mother this time 

From the threatened punishment and disgrace, 

Will she then also be free for ever, 

And will no one harm her further? - 

She shall go out free, they all answered, 

And remain in peace. Then the judge 

Went away with his mother, 

The councillors and relatives followed him, 

And they remained locked in a special room all night.

The next morning, the judge secretly 

Summoned Merlin. What do you want from me? 

Asked Merlin. Listen, said the judge, 

If you will confess that you know nothing 

To say of my mother, your mother shall be free; 

But to me secretly you must tell all you know. - 

If your mother has done nothing wrong, said Merlin, 

I shall have nothing to say of her, 

For I will not defend my mother 

Or anyone else against right and justice. 

My mother never deserved the punishment 

You have awarded her; I want nothing 

But that justice be done to her. 

Follow me, release her, and let us never speak 

Of this matter again; there shall then be 

No more talk of your mother at all. - 

You will not get away with it, said the judge; 

You must discover to us quite other things, 

If you would set your mother free; 

And we are gathered here to hear them from you. 

Then the child answered and said, I tell you, 

My mother knows not who begat me, 

Yet I know, and know my father very well. 

But you do not know him who begat you, 

Although your mother knows him very well. 

If she would speak the truth, 

She could tell you whose son you really are; 

But my mother cannot tell you who begat me, 

For she does not know.

Dear mother, said the judge, turning to her, 

Am I not the son of your honourable husband 

And lord? - O God, my dear son! replied the mother, 

Whose son could you possibly be 

But that of my dear husband, who has died, 

God rest his soul. Whereupon Merlin said, 

I will surely keep only to the truth; 

If your son will let me and my mother go, 

I will not say a word, but if he will not, 

I will discover all, both what went before 

And what came after. - I will now, cried the judge, 

That thou tell all that thou knowest of this matter. - 

Think well, said Merlin, what thou doest, 

For thy father, whom I will name to thee, 

Is yet alive, and shall bear witness 

To my testimony himself. 

When the councillors heard him thus speak, 

They cried wonders, and made a cross 

Over themselves. Now, lady, said Merlin 

To the judge's mother, confess the truth to your son, 

And tell him who his father is, 

For I know who he is, and where he is to be found.

You Satan, devil from hell, began the lady, 

Have I not told you before? - 

You know it well enough 

That he is not the son of the man 

He has hitherto thought to be his father. - 

Well, whose son is he then? asked the lady 

In great consternation. 

He is your confessor's son, 

And you know that very well, 

For you yourself told him, 

After he had been with you for the first time, 

That you were afraid you were pregnant by him. 

He then said it could not be, 

But wrote down the day and the hour 

In which he had attended you, 

So that you might not deceive him 

And have to do with others, 

For at that time your lord and husband 

Was dissatisfied with you, 

And you lived for a long time at odds with him. 

But when you felt pregnant, 

You hastened to reconcile with him, 

Which the confessor helped you to do. 

Is it not so? say no, if you may; 

For if you will not confess it, 

I will make the confessor confess it himself.

The judge was greatly angered 

When he heard Merlin speak thus to his mother, 

And asked her if it were true. 

The mother was quite frightened, and said, 

O God, will you, my dear son, 

Believe this hereditary enemy? - 

If you will not at once admit the truth, said Merlin, 

I will say other things which are also known to you. 

The lady was silent, and Merlin began again, 

After you had reconciled yourself to your husband 

With the help of the confessor, 

So that he lived with you again 

And could consider your son, 

With whom you were pregnant, as his own,

And really considered him so,

As did all the other persons who knew you, 

You continued your understanding 

With the confessor and your life with him, 

And even now, even daily, 

You live with him in intimacy. 

The very morning before you travelled here, 

He embraced you, accompanied you 

For a good distance, and at your departure 

He said with a laugh, Madam, 

Do everything your son desires of you 

And whatever he wishes. 

For he knows well that he was speaking 

For his own son.

The lady was very frightened 

When the child told her this, 

For she was afraid that she would now be condemned 

Instead of the others. Then the judge 

Spoke to her and said, Beloved mother, 

Whoever my father may be, 

I shall always remain your son 

And treat you as my mother. - 

So have mercy on me for God's sake, 

My dear son, cried the lady, 

For I can no longer hide the truth from you; 

This child knows everything, 

And he has told the plain truth. -

He has told me, said the judge, 

That he knows my father better than I do; 

So I cannot legally condemn his mother, 

Because I do not punish mine. 

I beseech thee, Merlin, he continued, 

In the name of God, and for the honour 

Of thyself and thy mother, 

Tell me thy father, that I may justify 

Thy mother before the people.

I will gladly discover him to you, Merlin answered, 

Much rather voluntarily than forced. 

Know then that I am the son of the devil, 

Who deceived my mother by trickery, 

And, while she slept, overcame her, 

So that she became pregnant with me by him. 

Know also that I possess his power, 

His memory and his spirit, 

Whereby all things that have happened 

And all things that have been spoken 

Are known to me, therefore I also know all 

That your mother has done. 

But because my mother had immediately confessed, 

Repented with body and soul, 

And received absolution of her sin 

From the pious hermit, God, 

For my mother's sake, has given me 

The gift of knowing the future and the present, 

So that I possess more power and higher gifts 

Than men otherwise receive from nature. 

Thou wilt also be convinced 

Beyond a short of all that I have said. - 

How so? asked the judge. 

Then Merlin took him aside 

And said to him secretly, 

Your mother will tell the one who produced you 

Everything that has happened here; 

Then he will flee for fear of you, 

And the evil spirit, which still has 

Much power over him, will drive him to a river, 

Where he will throw himself in and drown himself. 

So thou shalt know if I know not all things to come. - 

If this be truly done, said the judge, 

Thou and thy mother shall be forever free 

From all responsibility.

Then Merlin, the judge, his mother, 

And all his counsellors came out to the people; 

And the judge spoke aloud, and audibly, 

So that every one might understand him, 

Hear me, men and fellow-citizens, 

I had falsely and unjustly condemned 

The mother of the boy Merlin; 

But by his great Wisdom and science 

He has discovered to me the true events 

Of his mother, and has thereby freed her 

From the penalty of death. 

Because of the boy's Wisdom and blamelessness 

I have acquitted his mother; 

Also I hereby command that the mother 

As well as her boy be left in peace for ever, 

And forbid, under severe punishment, 

Any one of you to harm them 

Or to call them to account; 

According to my understanding 

You will never see a wiser man than this. 

The assembled people cried out in unison, 

Praise and thanks be to God! 

For the mother was beloved by all the people, 

And they had greatly lamented her 

For her misfortune.

The judge then sent his mother back again 

And two women to accompany her, 

To whom he secretly gave orders 

To pay close attention to everything 

And to tell him again what would happen 

To his mother. As soon as she had arrived 

At her house, she sent for the confessor 

And told him word for word 

What had happened to her son 

And everything Merlin had said. 

The confessor was horrified 

And could not utter a word. 

Without taking leave of her, 

He immediately went out of the city 

And straight to the river, for he thought, 

Blinded by Satan and despairing, 

That the judge would have him arrested 

And executed in disgrace. 

So he preferred to give himself death, 

Threw himself into the river and drowned.

When the judge heard this from the two women, 

He was astonished and immediately went to Merlin 

And told him that he had told the truth. 

I never lie, Merlin replied to him, 

But I beg you to go to the pious hermit, 

Master Blasius, and tell him this news. 

The judge did so immediately, 

Whereupon Merlin, his mother 

And their confessor Master Blasius 

Went back to their dwelling in peace.

CANTO VI

Master Blasius was a pious and very learned man 

Who served God with all his heart. 

It amazed him to hear the child Merlin 

Prophesying in such a way 

And to perceive such a superhuman spirit in him. 

He was grieved in his heart at this strangeness, 

And sought in all sorts of ways 

To question Merlin about it, 

In order to find out the cause of it. 

Master Blasius, began Merlin at last, I pray thee, 

Take no pains to inquire of me, 

For the more thou shalt hear me speak, 

The more cause thou wilt find to wonder; 

Calm thyself, believe me, and do as I shall bid thee. - 

How shall I believe you, replied Blasius; 

Did you not yourself say that you were 

A child of the devil? If I believe this now, 

As I really believe it, must I not fear that 

Thou dost deceive and betray me? - 

See, said Merlin, it is the power of the habit 

Of all evil minds that they believe 

And embrace evil rather than good. 

The evil one sees nothing but evil, 

Just as the good one sees only good.

He then explained to him the secret 

Of his generation, and how the devil 

Had been deceived by himself, 

By generating him in the womb of a virgin 

Consecrated to God and pure. 

But now, he continued, hear me 

And do what I will tell you. 

Make a book in which you are to write down 

All the things that I will say to you. 

To all men who shall read the book in the future 

It will be a great boon, for it will amend them 

And keep them from sins. - 

Very gladly, said Blasius, will I make 

The book at thy word, and according to thy word; 

But first I swear to thee in the name of God, 

The Trinity, and all the saints, 

That thou wilt not let me write anything 

Contrary to the will and commandments 

Of our Lord Jesus Christ. - 

I swear to you, said Merlin. 

Now then, replied Blasius, I am ready 

With all my heart and soul to write 

What thou commandest me; 

I have also ink and parchment, 

And all that is necessary for such a work.

When he had laid all things ready, 

Merlin began to recite to him; 

First the friendship of Christ and Joseph of Arimathea, 

As also of Adalam and de Perron, 

And the other companions, as it happened with them, 

As also the end of Joseph and all the rest. 

After all this, he recited to him the history 

And cause of his miraculous generation, 

With all the circumstances 

As we have them here before us.

Blasius was more and more astonished 

At the wonderful things he heard from Merlin; 

The words he had to write 

All seemed good and wonderful to him, 

And he wrote diligently on. 

But when they were quite busy with the work, 

Merlin said to him one day, Master, 

There is great trouble ahead for you in your work, 

But even greater for myself. - How is that? 

Asked Blasius. They will come for me, 

Answered Merlin, to the Occident; 

But those who are sent by their lord 

To fetch me have promised him with an oath 

To slay me and deliver him my blood. 

But as soon as they have seen me and heard me speak, 

They will have no desire to do me evil; 

So I will go with them. But you go away from here 

And go to those who possess the vessel 

Of the Holy Grail; 

But always strive to continue writing the book.

These book will always and at all times 

Be gladly read by everyone, 

But they will not be believed 

Because you are not an apostle of Christ; 

For these apostles wrote nothing but what they saw 

With their own eyes and heard with their ears, 

But you only write what I tell you. 

And just as I am now hidden and unknown 

To the people against whom I now 

Have to justify myself, so too will these book remain, 

Only a few people will recognise it 

And thank you for it. Also take the book 

Of Joseph of Arimathea with you. 

When you have completed your work, 

This book of Joseph's must also be part of it; 

These two books together will make 

A beautiful and glorious work. 

Those who read and understand it in the future 

Will bless us for our efforts. 

All the conversations and the actual words 

Between Christ and Joseph of Arimathea 

I do not tell you, they do not belong here.

CANTO VII

At the same time there reigned a king 

Named Constans. We mention nothing of the kings 

Who reigned before him; 

But he who desires to know their number and their history 

Must read the Historia of Bretagna, 

Which is called Brutus; 

Master Martin of Glocester has translated it 

From Latin into the Romance language.

King Constans had three sons, 

Whose names were Moines, Uter and Pendragon. 

There also lived in his country a man 

Named Vortigern, a very valiant and mighty knight 

Of great renown. When King Constans died, 

The people discussed who they should choose 

As successor; the majority of the people, 

As well as most of the nobles, 

Were in favour of choosing Moines, 

The eldest son of the deceased king, 

Even though he was still a child; 

But the kingdom belonged to him 

And to no one else by right; 

Vortigern, as the most powerful and intelligent man 

In the country, was of the same opinion. 

Young Moines was therefore appointed king, 

And Vortigern unanimously his seneschal.

At that time the empire was at war 

With the heathen; they came from Rome 

And from other sides, devastated the country 

And warred against the Christians. 

But Vortigern ruled the kingdom at his own will, 

Without taking care of the young king, 

Who was still too ignorant and too childlike 

To be able to advise himself. 

Now that Vortigern had seized the whole regency, 

So that no one was allowed to oppose him 

And the whole kingdom depended only on him, 

He became arrogant and greedy for money, 

Cared neither for the king nor for the country, 

For he knew well that no one but he 

Could undertake or carry out anything; 

He withdrew from everything 

And lived only for himself. 

The heathen, on receiving this news of the seneschal, 

Immediately gathered a great army 

And invaded the land of the Christians. 

King Moines was greatly dismayed 

That his seneschal had left the regiment 

As well as the army and had withdrawn; 

In his dismay he immediately went to him 

And implored him to lead the army again 

Against the enemy. Vortigern, however, 

Excused himself with his old age, 

Which no longer permitted him to go to war 

Nor to take much charge of the affairs of government. 

Take, said he to the king, another 

To your secret council; your people hate me, 

Because I have always been too anxious 

For your advantage; choose, therefore, one of them, 

And give him my office, for I will 

Have nothing more to do with it. 

Those who were with the king at Vortigern 

Decided, when they heard him speak thus, 

That the king himself should place himself at their head, 

And with him they would march against the enemy. 

So an army was hastily gathered together, 

And they went into the field, 

King Moines at their head; 

But he was much too young 

And too inexperienced in matters of war, 

And besides, the army of the heathen 

Was much stronger than theirs, 

And their leaders also very brave 

And understanding men, so it came to pass 

That King Moines' army was defeated and fled; 

He himself escaped with them. 

Now the people lamented and mourned 

For their seneschal. If Vortigern, they cried, 

Had led the army, never would he have lost the battle, 

Never would the heathen have slain so many Christians! 

Many of the great and noble men of the realm 

Also grumbled against the king; 

He had made enemies of them by careless behaviour 

And by all kinds of impositions. 

So a great indignation arose among the people, 

And the noblest and most powerful among them 

Went to Vortigern and called upon him for help. 

We are without a chief, they said, 

For our king does not do his duty; 

We beseech you, for God's sake, take care of us, 

Be you our king and our lord; 

No man on earth is wiser and braver than you, 

So there is none who could hold this office 

Better than you, and therefore we demand 

None but you. To which Vortigern replied, 

As long as your rightful king lives, 

I cannot and never will be your king. -

Alas, cried the others, we would rather see him 

Dead than alive. - Well, said Vortigern, then kill him, 

For as long as he is alive I cannot be your king. 

With this speech he stayed, whatever they might say. 

So they went away again, consulted, 

And held a meeting, to which they drew 

Their best friends and nearest kinsmen; 

Here they resolved to have King Moines 

Actually murdered, in the hope 

That if Vortigern became king by their treachery, 

He would well reward them for this service, 

And through him they would be the proper rulers 

Of the country. They chose two of the strongest 

And most skilful men among them; 

And these went and murdered young King Moines 

In a shamefully treacherous manner, 

For he was still a weak, defenceless lad, 

And had no man about him to guard or defend him.

After the deed was done, the murderers 

Hurried to Vortigern and told him 

What they had done to raise him to king, 

And that they had slain young King Moines. 

Vortigern turned himself in extremely frightened 

And grieved to death. You have done evil, 

He cried, in slaying your lord, your anointed king; 

You shall also be punished for it; 

If the people learn of your deed, you must die. 

Therefore flee, flee, avoid this land and the kingdom, 

For if they catch you, you must all die! 

Why did you have to come here to me 

To bring me such a message! Woe to you! 

Go, never come before my eyes again! 

The assassins quickly departed, 

Thinking that Vortigern was in earnest 

Very grieved and enraged at their deed.

CANTO VIII

Vortigern was unanimously elected king 

By all the people and by all the nobles, 

With the two younger brothers 

Of the murdered King Moines left out. 

These boys each had a court master, 

Wise men who had both served the old King 

Constans faithfully for a long time; 

The old king had also appointed them 

Court masters to the two princes 

As a reward for their loyalty. 

These two gentlemen were astonished 

That the king's sons were excluded from the crown, 

And foresaw that Vortigern would certainly 

Not refrain from slaying the boys 

As soon as they had reached the age 

To lay claim to the kingdom which was theirs by right. 

They escaped with the two princes 

And went to Bourges in Berry; 

Here they were safe and here 

They brought up the two boys.

As soon as Vortigern had been crowned king 

And anointed, the murderers of King Moines 

Reported to him; but Vortigern acted 

As if he did not know them, 

And as if he had never seen them before, 

Which made them very angry, 

For they had expected a very different reception 

From King Vortigern. How, Lord King, they said, 

Do you not remember us? You know very well 

That you became king only because of us. 

Think, if you please, whether you could have been king 

If we had not killed King Moines for your sake? - 

Hold these murderers, exclaimed the king aloud, 

And lead them to prison; 

Now that you have confessed your murderous deed, 

You shall also pronounce your own sentence. 

You have killed your lord and king, 

Who gave you the right to do so? 

You might as well kill me, 

But you shall not do so now. - 

Sir King, cried these men, quite astonished 

And frightened to hear Vortigern speak thus, 

Sir King, we did it for love of you. - 

Well, said King Vortigern, 

I will show you how to love people.

They were all twelve caught and quartered; 

Each was torn into four parts by four horses, 

So that not one limb of their bodies 

Remained on the other.

But these twelve had many relatives, 

And all were of great descent and family; 

These relatives gathered together, 

Went to the king, and reproached him 

For his cruel ingratitude. You have, said they, 

Put our kinsmen to death in a shameful manner; 

Know, then, that we shall never serve you 

With all our hearts. Then Vortigern was enraged, 

And said, If you speak much more, 

You shall have the same fate as your cousins. - 

Threaten as much as you like, King Vortigern, 

They said angrily, we do not fear you; 

Only know that you will never have peace 

And tranquillity with us as long as you live; 

Everywhere we want to fight you, 

In the open field, in castles and palaces, 

Everywhere you shall find war. 

We do not recognise you as our king, 

For you have usurped the kingdom unlawfully 

And against God and the Holy Church; 

You shall also die the same death 

As you let our relatives die, you may count on it. 

After these words they departed 

Without waiting for his answer. 

King Vortigern was very angry at this, 

But he had to put up with the insult 

Without being able to do anything about it; 

He well saw that it was not time 

To do anything against them.

Thus a great strife arose between the barons 

Of the realm and the king. 

The parties assembled great armies, 

And the war continued for a very long time 

In the country, in which both the king 

And his subjects suffered great harm; 

But at last the king was victorious 

And chased the rebellious barons out of the country. 

When he now had the upper hand 

And no longer had anything to fear from anyone, 

He became so overconfident 

And treated his people so badly 

That they could no longer bear it 

And rebelled against him. 

There was a general uprising against him 

And more than half of the kingdom fell away from him. 

Vortigern then sent them envoys 

And had them make peace proposals, 

With which the rebels were well satisfied. 

One of them, named Hangius, a brave 

And powerful knight, who had always been 

At war with Vortigern, was chosen by the people 

To be their envoy. Hangius was also 

Very kindly received by the king, 

And the peace was made firm and sealed for life.

Hangius remained in the king's service for a long time 

And finally persuaded him to take his daughter 

As his wife; this gave him great power 

And influence over his son-in-law, the king, 

And over the kingdom, 

And he also gradually took over the whole regency. 

The people, however, would not tolerate anything 

From him because he was not a Christian 

But a pagan; they had long been grumbling 

About the fact that their king 

Had not taken a Christian 

But a pagan as his wife. 

It was she who first invented the word rabble 

And so named the people, saying, 

I cannot take the rabble against my father! - 

The people were therefore more than ever 

Dissatisfied with King Vortigern, 

For his wife adhered to the teachings of Mahomet, 

And also drew the king himself 

And many of his courtiers away 

From the religion of Christ.

CANTO IX

King Vortigern, when he considered 

How hated he was by his people 

And how sooner or later the two younger sons 

Of King Constans might come again, 

Who were hiding from him in foreign lands, 

And how he would then certainly be robbed 

Of his kingdom and perhaps of his life, 

Decided to have a tower built for his safety, 

Where he could retreat in an emergency 

If he were attacked.

So he sent for the most excellent builders 

Of his kingdom and told them exactly 

How the tower was to be built and fortified; 

He also provided them with stones, lime, sand 

And all other things necessary for the construction. 

They immediately began with great diligence; 

But when they had finished the foundation, 

And had built about three or four feet out of the earth, 

The whole work began to shake and totter, 

And collapsed so violently 

And with such a strong shaking 

That even the mountain on which the tower 

Had begun threatened to collapse. 

The builders were frightened and confused; 

What is to be done now, one asked the other. 

They agreed that the building had to be started again, 

And even more strongly than the first time. 

But it collapsed the second time, as it had at first, 

And so it did the third time. 

The king was furious and mad 

About this wonderful event and said 

He would never have peace or joy 

Until he saw the work completed. 

He sent word throughout all his lands 

That the wisest and most understanding 

Should come to him and consider the matter with him. 

When they arrived at his house, 

The king showed them the building 

He had begun and told them 

How it had collapsed three times 

When it was three or four feet high. 

The newly arrived wise men were astonished 

At this tale, but even more so 

When they went out and saw the work 

And the strength of the wall. 

Lord King, they said, we will discuss 

This marvellous thing and then tell you 

What we think. After considering the matter together 

For some time, they agreed that they did not know 

And went back to the king to give him their opinion. 

We know not, and understand not, O king, 

Said the eldest and most understanding of them, 

Why your tower will not stand; 

But let the wisest and most learned ecclesiastical men 

Of your country be called together, 

And ask them of it; they will surely give you 

Sufficient knowledge of it, because they are learned 

And know many things; but we have not studied.

The king did so, he summoned all the learned clergy 

And promised a great reward to the one 

Who would explain the matter to him. 

The ecclesiastics came from all over the country 

From all quarters, guessing to and fro, 

Knowing it as little as the first men, 

But advising the king, who became more 

And more heated and furious by this delay, 

To summon his astrologers together, 

Because they should know for certain, 

Reading every thing clearly in the stars. 

It was done according to their advice, 

And the most famous astrologers, seven in number, 

Came to the king and had the matter 

Brought before them; he promised 

Great honour and high reward to the one 

Among them who would bring out the cause.

CANTO X

The seven astrologers studied each 

With much diligence and great effort; 

But they could find nothing that belonged to their purpose. 

There was, of course, something particularly strange 

To be seen in the constellation, 

And each of them found it, 

But this strange thing did not fit 

And did not belong to what they were looking for, 

And they did not know how to connect it 

With it in any way. When they came together 

And shared their discoveries, 

They were not a little shocked 

To find that they had all only seen the same thing 

And had not found out anything 

About the real reason for the thing. 

In addition, the king pressed them very hard 

And demanded to know in a hurry what they had found. 

Oh, Lord King, one of the astrologers answered him, 

We cannot solve such a difficult question for you 

As quickly as you think; we need nine more days 

For our studies. - You shall have them, 

Cried the impatient Vortigern; but beware, 

Where at the end of those nine days 

You have not explained to me 

And traced out the true cause!

Now the astrologers studied again in the stars; 

And when they came together again, 

And asked each other what they perceived, 

Neither of them spoke anything, 

But looked at each other, and were silent. 

Will you, began at last the eldest 

And most understanding of them, 

Rather each tell me particularly and secretly 

Your opinion of the matter, so I, in my fidelity, 

Will not betray you, and none shall know from me 

What the others reveal to me. 

They were all satisfied with this, 

And each one told the elder secretly what he had seen, 

And to his astonishment they all said the same thing, 

Namely, that they had found nothing 

About the matter of the tower; 

But that they had seen another wonderful thing, 

Namely, a child now seven years old, 

Born of a woman, without an earthly father.

You have seen one and the same thing, 

And each of you has discovered the same thing to me, 

Said the old man; but there is one thing 

Which you all conceal from me, 

And which you have seen just as I have, 

Namely, that this child, born of a woman, 

But produced without an earthly father, 

Will be the cause of our ruin 

And the cause of our death. Is it not so? - 

It is indeed so, said the others, astonished and grieved. 

Now hear me, the old man began again, 

We would be of little use in our art 

If we could not remedy what has been made known to us. 

Let us only be united and not contradict each other 

In our speeches when we come before the king. 

Let us say to him in unison, Know, O king, 

That your tower will never stand firm 

And can never be finished unless you wet 

The foundation with the blood of a child 

Born of a woman but not produced by a man. 

There is indeed such a child alive; 

If you, Lord King, can only find it 

And spill its blood on the foundation stone of the tower, 

The tower will stand firm and never fall again. 

We must also forbid the king, the old man continued, 

From asking to see the child himself, 

Nor from hearing him speak. 

Those whom he sends must, as soon as they find him, 

Lead him out and kill him on the foundation stone. 

In this way we shall dispose of the child 

Whom we have seen in the stars 

To be guilty of our death. 

In this way the astrologers agreed on every word, 

So that they would all speak the same words.

When they were called before King Vortigern, 

They each asked his ear, 

Which he immediately granted. 

Is it possible, he cried, after he had heard them all 

And they had all told him the same thing, 

Is it possible that such a miracle should live on earth? 

A child without a father? 

If this is really so, you are very wise and learned men. - 

If it is not so, said the astrologers, 

Let the king do with us as he pleases; 

We are in his hands. - But how can it be possible? 

Asked Vortigern again. Never, answered those, 

Have we heard such a thing before; 

This child is produced without a father, 

Is alive, and is now seven years old. - 

I will have it sought out, said the king again, 

But until it is found you will remain 

In the closest custody. - Let it be done 

As the Lord our King commands, said they; 

But let the King beware of seeing 

Or hearing the lad speak; 

The messengers who seek him 

Must kill him at once when they have found him, 

And pour out the blood 

On the foundation stone of the tower.

The king then dismissed the astrologers 

And kept them in a strong tower, 

Where they were given food and drink 

And everything else they needed to live. 

King Vortigern immediately sent 

Twelve messengers and ordered them 

To search the whole earth for a boy 

Who was seven years old 

And had been born of a woman without a father. 

They were never to return unless they found him. 

He made them take an oath that they would slay him 

As soon as they found him. 

The messengers divided themselves two by two 

And sought the boy Merlin 

According to the rule of King Vortigern. 

Not far from where Merlin was, 

Four messengers met and decided 

To make a half-day's journey together. 

They had not been riding long 

When they saw a bunch of boys playing 

And hitting the ball. Merlin was among them, 

And knew very well that the messengers 

Were coming that day, and also whom 

They were looking for; so when he saw them coming, 

He took the mallet with which he was beating his ball, 

And struck another boy so roughly on the leg with it, 

That he began to scream and cry, and scolded Merlin. 

You son of a bitch, he shouted, 

You don't have a father, 

Your mother gave birth to you without a father! 

When the messengers heard this, they stood still; 

Here he is, they said, now we have found him at last! 

Merlin stood among the other boys and laughed 

When he saw the messengers asking 

The crying boy to show them the one 

Who had beaten him. Here is the one you seek, 

He said, whose blood you swore 

To deliver to King Vortigern. - Who told you this? 

Exclaimed the messengers, full of astonishment. 

I will tell thee also, began Merlin again, 

Why thou shouldst slay me, 

And why the tower will not stand; 

If thou wilt swear not to harm me, 

I will go with thee. Merlin said this 

Only to astonish them more and more, 

For he knew very well beforehand 

That they would not harm him nor kill him. 

This child speaks wondrous things, 

Said the messengers; indeed, 

It would be sinful to kill him. We swear to thee, 

They said to Merlin, not to kill thee, 

Nor to suffer thee to be killed, but go with us. - 

I will, answered Merlin; but first 

Come with me to my mother, 

That I may ask her leave to journey, 

And that she may bless me first; 

Also I must yet speak to the pious man 

That dwelleth with her. 

So he led the messengers to the monastery 

Where his mother lived, 

Had them well entertained, 

And also took care of their horses, 

Then he led them in to Master Blasius.

Master, he addressed him, here are those 

I told you would come to slay me. 

Hear now what I say to them, and write it down. 

Then he turned to the messengers, 

You are down to a king whose name is Vortigern. 

This king Vortigern wants to have a tower built. 

And so he told the messengers everything, 

How it went about it, what the king said, 

And what the wise councillors and astrologers said; 

Also how they four, along with eight others, 

Had been sent to seek him out 

And bring his blood to King Vortigern. 

I myself, he continued, wished to be found by you, 

Therefore I struck the lad against the legs, 

So that he had to cry out 

And scold me for betraying you. 

Merlin then departed, and Master Blasius 

Asked the messengers, Is everything 

As the boy here said? - In truth, they answered, 

It is all exactly as he says, or our soul 

Will never come to God. 

Master Blasius crossed himself and said, 

He will be a very wise man if he remains alive, 

And it would be very sinful and a pity 

If you were to kill him. - Rather, replied the messengers, 

Would we miss our own lives for eternity 

And leave all our possessions to the king. 

He, the boy, who knows so much, 

Will also know for certain that this is truth. - 

You are right, answered Master Blasius, 

I will ask him this in your presence. 

Now when Merlin came to them again, 

Master Blasius said to him, You have said true 

In all things, but now answer me another question: 

Have these messengers the power 

And are they willing to kill you? - 

They have the power, answered Merlin, laughing, 

And were certainly willing to do so; 

But now, thank God, they have lost the desire, 

And I may go with them. But swear to me 

Beforehand that you will not slay me, 

And that you will bring me safe before the king; 

When he has heard me speak, I am sure 

That he will ask no more of my blood.

The messengers took the oath 

That Merlin demanded of them. 

Then said Master Blasius: I see now, Merlin, 

That you must leave me; but tell me first 

What is to become of the book you have begun? - 

As soon as I am gone from here, 

Merlin answered him, set out 

And go to the region and country 

Called Northumberland. This land 

Is full of great forests, so that the inhabitants themselves 

Do not know it well, for there are forests there 

Where no man has ever gone. Stay there, 

I will know how to find you 

And bring you everything that is necessary 

For the completion of our work. 

Know that this work will cause you much trouble 

And work; but be of good courage 

And work with patience, you will reap 

Great rewards in the end. This work 

Will live on from century to century, 

And the reward will be like that 

Which Joseph of Arimathea received 

When he took down the holy body 

Of the Lord from the cross. 

Know also that in the kingdom where I am now going, 

I will bring it about that men and women 

And will work for a man of God-loving descent. 

But this will only be so with the fourth king. 

King Arthur will be his name. 

You only go where I told you, 

I will often come to you and tell you what to write. 

All the biographies of King Arthur, 

And of all those who live at the same time as him, 

I will have you to write, 

As well as everything that happens in his time; 

It will be a wonderful work. 

But you will then attain the same grace 

Which all those from the company 

Of the Holy Grail will share. 

After our death, this book will be found 

And it will be an eternal memorial.

Master Blasius said, I will gladly do 

Whatever you command me. 

Then Merlin, accompanied by the messengers, 

Went to his mother and took leave of her. 

I must depart from you with these foreign messengers, 

He said; it is in the service of the Lord 

That I go with them; Master Blasius also 

Must go to another country to this end. - 

Be commended to God, my son, said the mother, 

I cannot deprive you of your leave, 

For all that you begin is wise 

And according to the will of God. 

But if Master Blasius could remain with me, 

It would be of great use to me 

In my secluded life consecrated to contemplation. - 

It cannot be this time, Mother, replied Merlin, 

Taking leave of her, and setting out 

Accompanied by the messengers. 

Master Blasius, however, went to Northumberland 

As he had been ordered.

CANTO XI

Merlin and his companions 

Were passing through a town 

Where a market was being held; 

When they were beyond the town 

They met a young man who had bought 

A pair of new shoes and a large piece of leather 

At the market because he had vowed 

To make a long pilgrimage. 

Merlin laughed aloud as he passed this man; 

The messengers asked the cause of his loud laughter. 

Ask the man, said Merlin, what he intends 

To do with the leather. He will tell you 

That he intends to mend his new shoes with it 

When they are torn, 

For he has a great journey before him; 

But before he wears his shoes home 

He will be dead. - We will see, 

Said the messengers, if thou speakest the truth; 

Two of us will go with thee, 

And two shall address the man and go with him. 

They did so, but first appointed a place 

Where they would meet again.

When the two approached the young man, 

They asked him what he intended to do 

With the piece of leather, and the man told them 

The same words that Merlin had told them before, 

At which they were greatly astonished; 

But when they had gone some distance with him, 

The man fell down before them and was dead. 

The two were astonished and frightened 

At this occurrence, and immediately set out 

To seek Merlin and the other companions. 

As they rode, they talked of the wonderful child 

And his Wisdom. In truth, they said, 

Those who demanded his death are very foolish; 

We ourselves would much rather die 

Than have him harmed. 

Then they met Merlin again, who, 

As soon as he saw them, thanked them 

For speaking so well of him, 

I know every word you have spoken of me. - 

Tell us when you know. 

Merlin then repeated to them all the words 

They had spoken of him, at which 

They were only more and more astonished.

When they had come about a day's journey 

In the country of King Vortigern, 

They met a funeral procession in a town. 

A child was buried in the ground, 

And men and women followed the corpse 

In great sorrow and dressed in mourning clothes, 

As did the prior and many clergymen, 

Who followed the procession with singing. 

Merlin stood still, 

And when the procession was over, 

He began to laugh again. 

The messengers asked him again 

What he was laughing about. 

I laugh at these strange things, said Merlin; 

See how this good man laments and mourns, 

And how the prior sings so well! 

It should be the other way round, 

The prior should mourn, 

And the good man could sing; 

For the child the man weeps for is not his child, 

As he supposes, but the prior is his father. - 

How, said the messengers, should this be true? - 

Go, replied Merlin, to the man's wife, 

And ask her why the man bears such sorrow? 

She will answer, because a child 

Is being buried for him. 

To this you will say boldly, Lady, 

The child does not belong to the man, 

But to the prior; all the clergy know this very well, 

So do not deny it; the prior wrote down 

The day and hour when he slept with you. 

The messengers arranged everything 

As Merlin had instructed them. 

When they told the woman this so boldly, 

She blushed all over. Have mercy on me, 

She begged; it is as you said, 

But do not tell my master again, or he will kill me. 

The messengers returned to Merlin. 

You are, they cried, still laughing at this incident, 

The most excellent soothsayer. 

But now, Merlin, we are approaching the city 

Where we will meet King Vortigern. 

Now, according to thy Wisdom, instruct us 

How to answer the king; 

For thou knowest well that we have taken 

An oath to slay thee, and to bring him thy blood. - 

You are right, replied Merlin; but follow me, 

And no harm shall come to you on my account. 

Go to the king and tell him faithfully 

What you have heard and seen of me, 

And how you found me. Tell him, too, 

That I will tell him why his tower does not stand firm; 

Only tell him that my opinion is 

That he must do to those whom he keeps in prison 

As they advise him to do to me. 

If you tell him the truth about everything from me, 

Then do what he will command you. 

Two of the messengers went to the king, 

Who was glad when he saw them; 

They asked a secret hearing of him, 

And told him with faithful truth all 

That they had heard and seen of Merlin, 

How he had made himself known to them, 

Though he well knew that they had come to kill him; 

How he had thereupon prophesied so many things, 

And how he would also tell the king 

Why his tower would not stand. 

You must, replied the king, stand with your life 

For the truth of what you tell me! - 

That we will, Lord King, said the messengers. 

Well, then, I will speak to him, said the king. 

The messengers went out to fetch Merlin, 

But the king was so full of eagerness to see him 

That he rode at their heels.

The messengers came to Merlin, 

Who cried out to them, I know already 

What passed between you and the king; 

You have spoken well for me with your life, 

But you shall not have to pay for me. 

He rode with them, and met King Vortigern 

Riding towards them. Merlin saluted him 

As soon as he caught sight of him; 

The king returned his salutation, 

Took him by the hand, and spoke to him 

In the presence of the messengers. 

Thou wouldst capture me, said Merlin, 

To have my blood, that thy tower might stand fast; 

Promise me to deal with them 

That gave thee this counsel 

As they required should be done to me, 

And I will show thee in their presence, 

And tell thee why thy tower cannot stand. - 

By my life, cried the king, I swear to thee, 

If thou wilt show me the matter as thou sayest, 

Let it be done to them 

As they would have it done to thee.

CANTO XII

King Vortigern then went with Merlin 

Straight to the place where the tower was to be built, 

And summoned the captive astrologers before him. 

Merlin had one of the messengers asked

Why the tower kept collapsing. 

The astrologers said, We don't know 

Why it collapses, but we have told the king 

What must be done to make it stand. - 

You have, said Merlin, thought the king a fool, 

That you charged him to seek a man 

Born without a father; 

You lords did it for your own sake, 

And not for the king's sake. 

For so much have you brought out 

By your enchantments that you know 

Such a man would be the cause of your death. 

Therefore you made the king search for this man 

And ordered him to pour his blood 

On the bottom of the tower, so that, 

If he were dead, you might not perish by him.

The astrologers were so startled 

When Merlin discovered their secret intentions 

That they could not utter a single word. 

Now see, my lord king, Merlin continued, 

That these men demanded my blood 

Merely for their own sake, and not at all 

Because it was necessary 

For the building of the tower; 

Your majesty ask them if I speak truly, 

They will not have the impudence to give me the lie. 

The astrologers confessed that Merlin spoke the truth, 

But asked the king to let them live 

Until they saw whether Merlin knew 

Why the tower would not stand. 

You will not die, said Merlin, 

Until you see it with your eyes.

After the astrologers had thanked him for this mercy, 

Merlin turned again to King Vortigern,

Now hear why the tower will not stand, 

And do as I tell you, and you shall see for yourself. 

Not very deep underground, on the spot 

Where the building was begun, is a great river. 

Under the bed of this river lie two dragons 

Which do not see each other, 

One is white, the other red; 

They lie under two very large wonderful rocks. 

Now these dragons felt the weight 

Of the building too heavy on them, 

So they moved and shook off the weight 

That was pressing on them. 

Let the king dig, and if not all is found 

Word for word as I have said, I will die; 

But if it be so, the astrologers must die for me. - 

If it be as thou sayest, replied King Vortigern, 

Thou art the wisest of men; 

But tell me, how must I begin it 

To have the earth taken away? - 

In chariots and with horses, answered Merlin, 

And with the help of many men to carry it far away. 

The king then called together all who would work, 

Whereupon many people gathered, 

All desirous of earning a day's wages, 

And they began to clear away the high mountain 

On which the building of the tower had begun; 

The people thought their king foolish 

To believe the words of a child, 

But they were not allowed to tell the king 

What they thought. After a long time of work 

And the earth had been moved far away, 

The workers discovered the great river 

And immediately reported it to the king. 

The king, very pleased, took Merlin out with him, 

Where they really found the river 

Just as Merlin had said before. 

But how shall we begin, King Vortigern asked him, 

To see under the river? Merlin at once 

Had great ditches and channels made, 

And so directed the river far out into the field. 

While they were working on it, 

Merlin said to the king, You should also know 

That as soon as the dragons come out 

From under the great stones, they will fight 

With each other. Therefore, summon the king 

The most respected and honoured of his country 

To watch this battle, which is of great importance. 

Immediately the king gave orders 

That the noblest lords, the most respectable men 

And citizens, together with the scholars 

And clergy of all orders from his country, 

Should be summoned together. 

They assembled immediately 

And were very surprised and pleased 

When the king told them the reason 

Why they had been summoned. 

This battle will be a very beautiful sight, they said; 

But some inquired of the king 

Whether Merlin had prophesied 

Which of the two dragons would be victorious. 

He did not, answered Vortigern.

When the river was diverted 

And the two rocks under which the dragons lay were seen, 

The king asked Merlin how these enormous stones 

Were to be removed. Merlin said, As soon as the dragons 

Feel the outer air, they will come out by themselves, 

So the king will have the two rocks pierced 

So that the outer air can be added. 

It happened just as Merlin said; 

The rocks were pierced one by one, 

And immediately the dragons came out. 

They were horrible to look at, terribly large 

And of hideous shape, so that all present 

Were terrified and disgusted by them. 

The king himself was terrified at the sight of them 

And asked Merlin which of the two 

Would defeat the other. Merlin said, 

This I will especially trust to the king 

And his secret council; thereupon he went aside with them, 

Where he discovered to them the following, 

The white dragon will defeat the red one 

After a terrible struggle 

And after great toil and effort. 

This victory is of further great importance, 

But you shall not know it until after the battle, 

Before which I can tell you nothing more. 

Now they went back to the place 

Where the nobles and the people were gathered 

To watch the battle. The dragons were blind 

And did not see each other, 

As Merlin had also prophesied; 

But as soon as they smelt each other, 

They fell upon each other, entwined their bodies 

In many rings and knots, and bit each other. 

They also had claws, with which they tugged each other, 

So that it seemed as if they used sharp iron hooks 

And tore each other apart with them. 

Never had lions attacked each other harder 

And more tearing than these two dragons. 

Like ravening beasts, they fought furiously 

Throughout the day and the following night. 

None of those present moved away, 

All watched the mighty fight with great eagerness. 

The white dragon seemed weaker to the people 

Than the red one, for the latter was giving him 

A hard time, and he was suffering a great deal 

From the red one, and the people generally thought, 

Seeing the white one suffering so 

And already very tired, that he would be defeated. 

But suddenly flaming fire poured 

Out of his throat and nostrils, 

So that the red dragon was burnt by it 

And lay dead in the square. 

Then the victorious white dragon lay down 

Beside the red one, and after three days 

He died likewise. Now, said Merlin to Vortigern, 

Thou mayest have thy tower built, 

And be sure that it shall not fall down again, 

If it be otherwise arranged according to science, 

And well executed. King Vortigern summoned 

The most excellent and skilful builders of his country, 

And ordered them to erect the tower 

As firmly and strongly as they were able to do, 

Which the builders also promised to do. 

Then the astrologers were brought to receive 

Their verdict from Merlin, 

As the king had promised him. 

You see now, said Merlin, how badly 

You understood your art, 

You wanted to find the reason why the building collapsed, 

And as you could find nothing but my birth 

And that you yourself were in danger of death through me, 

You falsely stated that my blood must be spilt 

On the foundation stone so that the tower 

Would remain standing. Then, of course, 

Your life would no longer have been in my hands; 

But would the building have stood better? 

So you, instead of considering the good of the king, 

Considered only your own; for this very reason, 

Because you had only this in mind 

And are great sinners, you could not find the truth 

In the stars through science. 

You wanted to shed my blood, 

And for that your life is now in my hand; 

I will give it to you, and you shall go out free, 

If you will promise me but one thing.

The astrologers, when they heard 

That Merlin wished to give them life, 

Promised to do gladly whatever 

He would command them. Now, said Merlin, 

Promise and swear to me 

That you will no longer practise your art, 

Against which you have sinned; 

Go, repent and do penance all your life, 

Reconcile yourselves to God, 

So that the soul may still hope for salvation in you, 

And thus you are released and may go out free. 

The astrologers joyfully swore all 

That Merlin asked of them, and departed. 

When the king and the nobles of the people 

Saw how meekly Merlin had forgiven the astrologers 

And what words of Wisdom he had spoken to them, 

They got an even higher opinion of him. 

He is the wisest, the best man on earth, 

They all said unanimously, honouring Merlin 

And holding him very high.

CANTO XIII

Now, said Merlin, it is time that I reveal to the king 

And his trusted counsellors the meaning 

Of these two dragons, their battle, 

And the victory of the white over the red. 

The king's council and the noble lords 

Were immediately assembled, where Merlin then spoke 

As follows, Know, lord king, 

That the red dragon points to yourself, 

And the white one points to the sons of King Constans. 

Vortigern was very ashamed of this interpretation, 

And Merlin's words caused him great embarrassment. 

Merlin perceived this, and said, Vortigern, 

If thou wilt, I will rather be silent 

Of this matter altogether, lest thou resent me for it, 

And be displeased with me. - Nay, answered Vortigern, 

I will know all; thou shalt by no means spare me, 

For there is not one present here 

Who is not of my secret counsel. - 

Now then, began Merlin again, 

The red colour of the dragon is your evil conscience 

And your foolish mind; 

His greatness signifies your power. 

The children of King Constan, to whom 

Thou didst withhold their inheritance, 

And who were forced to flee for fear of thee, 

That signifies the white dragon; 

But both their struggle signifies 

Their long banishment and thy injustice. 

And the fire with which they burnt the red dragon 

Means that they will burn you in one of their castles; 

And do not think that the tower you are building 

Or anything else can protect you against it, 

For this death is destined for you.

Vortigern was frightened when he heard this, 

And asked, Where are these children now? - 

They are with many people now on the sea, 

Answered Merlin, their ships are all well ordered, 

And they are on their way hither, 

To the land that is theirs; they come 

To execute justice upon thee, 

For they know that thou hast caused 

Their brother to be murdered, 

Though after the deed thou didst disavow thy command, 

And didst execute the murderers. 

From this day three moons hence 

They land in the harbour of Winchester. - 

Is it then in truth as thou sayest? asked Vortigern, 

Full of terror. It will not be otherwise 

Than that thou diest in the fire by Constans' children, 

As the red dragon was burnt by the white.

Merlin then took leave of King Vortigern, 

And went to the forest of Northumberland, 

To his master Blasius, and told him all 

That he had done, and had it written down 

In the book, and remained with him a long time, 

Until the time when the sons 

Of Constans sent for him.

CANTO XIV

But Vortigern, immediately after Merlin 

Had prophesied to him of the coming 

Of the sons of Constan, 

Sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, 

That all men should stand ready with their arms 

For the day of the three moons; 

Then he assembled all the armed men, 

And sent them to the harbour of Winchester 

To defend it; but he did not tell them 

Against whom they should defend that harbour, 

Nor why they were assembled and in arms; 

None knew but those who sat in his council.

King Vortigern himself went with his army 

To the harbour, and on the very day 

That Merlin had foretold him, he saw 

In the sea the flags of the ships 

In which the princes were; he immediately gave orders 

For every man to arm himself and defend the harbour. 

The sons of Constan landed in the harbour, 

Not far from a tower, which they then besieged; 

But when those who were to guard the harbour 

Saw the banners and flags shining in the sun, 

And saw the arms of King Constan on them, 

They were so astonished at this 

That they did not defend themselves, 

And so the first ship, in which the sons of Constan were, 

Ran happily into the harbour.

And when they came ashore from the ships, 

They asked them to whom those ships, 

Those banners and those flags belonged. 

Pendragon and Uter, the sons of King Constans, 

We are, they answered, Aurelius Ambrosius is with us, 

We come to take back this land 

Which really belongs to us 

And which the false traitor Vortigern, 

Who had our brother murdered most unjustly, 

Holds back from us. 

Now we have come to claim our right.

When those in the harbour heard 

That it were Constan's sons, 

They did not want to fight them, thinking 

That it might harm them, for their power 

Was much stronger than theirs; they went 

To Vortigern and told him. When Vortigern saw 

And heard that most of his people had deserted him 

And gone over to the princes, 

He was overcome with fear and ordered 

His most loyal men to occupy the tower, 

Which they did. The rest of the ships 

Entered the harbour, and the knights and others 

On them went ashore. Now when the lords 

Of the land saw that it was their princes 

Against whom they were to fight, they sighed 

In their hearts, nor would they defend 

Themselves against them; most of them 

Went over to them, and were glad to see them again, 

Were also received with joy by Pendragon 

And by Uter his brother; and now 

They all went together to besiege the tower 

In which Vortigern and his faithful followers 

Had entrenched themselves. They defended 

Themselves with all their might against the attackers, 

And did them much harm with frequent lunges 

And brave resistance. When at last Aurelius saw 

That he could not conquer the tower 

With the sword, he set fire to it 

And burnt the tower and all who were in it, 

Including Vortigern, who had to burn 

As Merlin had said before.

Afterwards all came and surrendered 

To Pendragon and his brother Uter, 

As their rightful lords, and also helped them 

To reconquer the whole country, 

For Hangius and his heathen still held 

Most of the cities and strongholds. 

But the people were full of joy 

To see their lawful lords, and from every place 

They came to meet them, and received them 

With great joy and much honour. 

Now Aurelius had Pendragon, 

The eldest son of King Constans, crowned king, 

And all the nobles of the land paid homage to him 

And swore allegiance to him, and thus 

Aurelius had well guided King Pendragon 

And his brother Uter to their goal.

Hangius, however, still held many strong places 

With his heathens and did much harm to the country. 

Then King Pendragon assembled the secret council 

And the nobles of the land, and asked them 

How they might rid themselves of these pagans. 

Some of the councillors remembered Merlin, 

And how he had advised Vortigern with such Wisdom, 

And had said all things beforehand; 

So they told King Pendragon the wonders 

Which they had seen Merlin perform, 

And told him that if he could ask him, 

He would certainly receive the best and wisest answer 

To his question; for Merlin, they said, 

Was certainly the wisest man in the world. 

And where shall I send for him? asked Pendragon. 

He must still be in the country, they said, 

For it is not long since he left Vortigern. 

The king immediately sent messengers 

Throughout the land with orders 

Not to return until they found Merlin. 

Let it be known that Merlin, as soon as the king 

Gave this command, knew it at once, 

And said to Master Blasius, that he must go 

At once to a city not far off. He did not tell him 

The cause of this, but knew very well 

That there he would meet the messengers 

Of King Pendragon, who were going out 

To look for him. On the way he took 

The form of an old shepherd, with a large club 

Round his neck, no shoes on his feet, 

An old, torn dress hanging round him, 

And a long, shaggy beard. So he came 

Into the town and into the inn 

Where the messengers were sitting; 

He found them just at lunch. The messengers, 

When they saw him come in, said, 

Look, this is a wild man. But Merlin looked at them 

And said, You gentlemen envoys 

Are not very anxious to deliver your message; 

You spend your time very well in eating and drinking, 

But do not seek Merlin. If it were my duty to seek him, 

As it is yours, I should know better how to find him.

Then the messengers rose from their seats, 

Addressed him, and asked him 

If he knew where Merlin was, 

And if he had seen him. Yes, indeed I know him, 

And where he is hiding. He himself told me 

That you had come to fetch him, 

But that he would not go with you 

Even if you really found him, but that you 

Should tell the king that he would never take 

The castles so long as Hangius lived. 

Know also that of those who advised the king 

To send for Merlin, only one is still 

In the king's camp. There are only three 

Of the king's great council still alive, 

And you may tell them and the king himself 

That if they want to come themselves 

To seek Merlin, they will find him 

In the field tending the cattle. 

If the king does not come himself, 

He will not be found at all.

The messengers looked at each other in amazement 

And did not know what to say; 

When they looked round again and sought the man 

With their eyes to talk to him further, 

He was no longer there, and they did not know 

Where he had gone. Let us go, they said, 

And tell the king this strange story.

CANTO XV

The messengers returned to the king, 

Told him all that they had encountered, 

And to their great astonishment 

Found all those of the great council dead 

Of whom the old shepherd had foretold this. 

Now all who were present cried out 

That it could be none other than Merlin himself, 

Who had come to them in the guise of an old shepherd.

King Pendragon left his kingdom 

Under the care of his brother Uter, 

Took his retinue with him, and rode 

To Northumberland, where, as the messengers said, 

He should find Merlin. He asked all over 

Northumberland about Merlin, but no one 

Knew anything about him, for he had not revealed 

Himself anywhere. At last the king delved 

Into the woods and sent some of his nobles 

Ahead into the forest. One of them 

Came across a large herd of cattle 

And a very misshapen ugly man tending them. 

The nobleman asked him to whom the cattle belonged. 

It belong, answered he, to a respectable 

Very wise man of Northumberland; 

He told me King Pendragon would come 

And seek him here, can you tell me if it be so? - 

Yea verily, said the nobleman, it is so; 

Canst thou tell me the place 

Where I may find the wise man? - 

To thee I will never tell, but to the king, 

If he were here, I would well discover it. - 

Well, then, go with me to the king. - 

Why, I could ill tend my flock there, 

Nor have I any need to see the king; 

When he comes to me, I will tell him 

Where he will find what he seeks. -

Now, I pray thee, wait for me here, 

And I will bring the king to thee.

When the nobleman told him this, 

The king immediately rode with him 

To the shepherd in the forest. 

It was Merlin himself again, 

Who appeared in the form of a shepherd. 

He said to the king, You want to fetch Merlin, 

But if you knew where he was, 

He would not go with you until it pleased him; 

If you want to follow my advice, 

Go to the next town; as soon as you are there, 

Merlin will be with you. - How shall I know, 

Asked the king, whether what you say is true? - 

If you will not believe me, answered the shepherd, 

Do not do what I tell you; for it would be folly 

To follow advice that is not trusted. - 

I will not mistrust thee, said the king, 

And will follow thy counsel, 

And thereupon rode back again, 

And went into the next town; 

Here he stopped at an inn. 

No sooner had he dismounted than 

A very handsome, well-dressed man 

On a fine horse arrived and asked for the king. 

It was Merlin himself. 

When he came before the king, he said,

Lord King, Merlin sends me to tell you 

That it was he whom you found in the forest 

As a shepherd. He had promised you to come to you, 

But he tells you that you no longer need him. - 

Certainly, my friend, replied the king, 

I shall always need him. - He sends you 

Good tidings through me: namely, 

Hangius is dead, your brother Uter has slain him. - 

Thou sayest astonishing things! 

Exclaimed the king, most astonished; 

Is it then certain as thou sayest? - 

If thou dost doubt, send and inquire the truth.

King Pendragon immediately mounted two of his men 

And sent them to his brother Uter; 

But they had not ridden far 

When they met two messengers from Uter, 

Who went to see King Pendragon to tell him 

That Uter had slain Hangius. 

All four of them now returned to the city, 

Where King Pendragon still awaited Merlin. 

He was astonished to see the death of Hangius 

As it had been foretold to him 

By the transformed Merlin, 

Whom he did not recognise. 

He forbade them, on pain of death, 

To tell anyone how Hangius had been slain; 

He wanted to see whether Merlin 

Would also know this when he came.

At last Merlin showed himself to the king 

In his true form, so that all who had seen him before 

Recognised him. He took the king aside 

And said to him, From now on I am all yours 

And will assist you in whatever you need.

I am Merlin, whom you have been seeking for so long; 

I was the shepherd who spoke to you in the forest;

I was also the same who was here with you as an envoy; 

I also advised your brother to fence with Hangius. 

Among the various guises I have assumed, 

Your councillors who once knew me 

Could not recognise me; for these people 

Know nothing about me but my outside, 

But they will never recognise my inner being. 

As I now stand here before you, I am known to them; 

But I can, if I will, always hide myself from them. 

But to you, Lord King, I am entirely devoted.

The king was as glad to have Merlin 

As if the whole world had been given to him. 

He sent for his counsellors, who immediately 

Recognised Merlin and were astonished 

When they heard that he had already spoken 

To the king in so many different guises. 

Now, Merlin, began Pendragon, tell me, 

How did Hangius die? - As soon as he learned, 

Said Merlin, that the king had gone out of the camp 

To seek me, he resolved in his bold courage 

To arm himself by night, and to penetrate 

Into the tent of your brother Uter. 

I knew his intention at once, so I went 

To your brother and warned him 

That he was on his guard, because Hangius wanted 

To come to his tent in the city to assassinate him; 

I also told him much about Hangius' boldness, 

Strength and bravery. Thanks be to God 

And to his own! he believed my words. 

When night came, Hangius crept into your brother's tent 

With his sword drawn; but he was not in it, 

As I had taught him, which made Hangius very angry. 

As he was going back from the tent, 

Your brother watched him and attacked him; 

They fought until Uter was victorious 

And slew Hangius. - Under what guise 

Did you appear to my brother? asked the king. 

In the guise of a very old man. - 

Did you tell him who you were? - 

No, I did not tell him, nor will he know 

Until you discover it to him. - Will you not go with me? 

For I see what Wisdom you are full of, 

And will always be in need of your advice. - 

The longer I stay with you, the more 

Your councillors are vexed, because 

There is nothing for them to do 

When I give you good advice; 

But for twelve days you shall see me again 

At your brother Uter, in the same guise 

In which I appeared to him; but I pray you, 

Lord King, tell no man of this, 

Or I will never tell you again. - Certainly, 

Said the king, I will not say a word of it to any man.

So they made an agreement that Merlin 

Should come to Pendragon's and Uter's camp 

On the twelfth day, and then they parted. 

Merlin went back into the forest to Master Blasius 

And made him write down all these events 

As we find them here in his book; 

But Pendragon went back to the camp 

To his brother Uter. The two brothers 

Were very happy when they saw each other again. 

Pendragon immediately took his brother 

In particular, and told him with the smallest circumstances 

How he had slain Hangius, among many other things, 

At which Uter was greatly astonished. 

No one, he said, can know this whole affair 

But God, and a brave old man 

Who secretly told me that I should be 

On my guard against Hangius, 

Because he wanted to slay me in the night. 

For God's sake, then, who can have told you 

These things? - Thou seest then, my brother, 

Answered the king, that I know it very well. 

But who was the man that warned thee? 

For had he not warned thee, I think 

Thou wouldst now be slain by Hangius. - 

Upon my life, said Uter, I know him not, 

Neither had I ever seen him before; 

But he seemed to me a righteous respectable man, 

Therefore I trusted his words. - 

Would you, asked Pendragon, recognise the man 

If you saw him before you? - Certainly I think 

I would recognise him. - After eleven days 

He will be here with you, so do not go away 

From me at that time, so that I too may see 

And know him. - Uter promised to wait 

With him the day he wanted to appear. 

Merlin knew very well what the brothers 

Had arranged together, and how Pendragon meant 

To put him to the test in every way; 

He also told Master Blasius everything again 

And had him write it down. 

What are you going to do with them now? 

Asked Master Blasius. Pendragon 

And his brother Uter, answered Merlin, 

Are beautiful, amiable, noble princes; 

I will serve them with love and loyalty, 

With word and deed; I will also make them laugh 

At the odd joke. Uter loves a beautiful lady 

Of high nobility, I will take the form 

Of this lady's little page 

And bring him a letter from her; 

So he will believe what I tell him, 

And since I now know very well all 

That he has secretly spoken to this lady, 

I will tell him, at which he will be very astonished; 

And this shall happen just on the eleventh day 

On which he expects me. - He took leave 

Of Master Blasius and arrived at the king's camp 

On the appointed day. In the guise 

Of the little page he was brought before Uter, 

Who was very glad to receive a message 

From his lady. He took the letter 

Which the page handed to him in her name, 

Vomited it up with a heart trembling with joy, 

And found the loveliest words in it; 

It also said that he might believe everything 

The page told him. Merlin then gave him 

The happiest news, told him things 

Which he knew would give Uter much pleasure, 

And entertained him with such pleasant things 

Until evening. Uter was exceedingly pleased, 

And presented the page with ample gifts. 

Pendragon, who was expecting Merlin's appearance 

That day, was greatly dismayed 

When evening came and he still did not come. 

Uter, too, was waiting for him, 

And while he was talking to the page, 

The latter withdrew for a moment, 

Took the form of the old man 

As he had appeared to him for the first time, 

And showed himself to him in the courtyard 

Of the castle, where he had walked up and down 

With him before. Uter recognised him immediately, 

Went to meet him and said, Friend, I beg you, 

Wait for me here a little while 

Until I have spoken to my brother Pendragon. 

He agreed to wait for him, and Uter went to the king. 

Brother, he cried, the man has arrived. - 

Do you know for certain, asked Pendragon, 

That he is the same who warned you of Hangius? - 

Yes, it is he, I know him well. - 

Go out to him again and see if it is the same man, 

And if you are sure, come and call me.

Uter obeyed his brother and went out again 

Into the courtyard, where he found the man 

Still as he had left him before. It is you, he said, 

Who warned me of Hangius; I know you well, 

And you are very welcome to me. 

But I must wonder that my brother Pendragon 

Knows all things exactly, and told me 

What you told me then, and also knew all things 

Exactly what I did when you were no longer with me; 

So he also knew that you would come here to-day; 

I must wonder who may have revealed all this to him. - 

Go, fetch your brother, said Merlin; 

Let him tell us through whom he learned it. 

Uter went in to Pendragon and said, 

Now come, my brother, for it is indeed the same man.

Pendragon, knowing well that it was Merlin, 

And that he would play various other good tricks 

On his brother, commanded the gatekeepers 

To let no man either out or in, 

And when they both went to where Uter left the man, 

They found none but the little page. 

Now, brother, asked Pendragon, where is the man? 

And Uter stood dismayed, and knew nothing to say, 

At which Pendragon was much amused, 

For he well perceived that Merlin was only jesting. 

He continued to play this game for some time, 

Until at last he showed himself to Uter 

And Pendragon in his true form, 

And explained everything to them, 

At which they both still joked much about it 

And were merry.

See, my brother, said Pendragon, it is he 

Who protected you from Hangius; 

It is he whom I went out to seek; 

It is he who has power to know all that happens 

And all that is said, both in the present 

And in the future. Let us ask him, then, 

To be always with us, and to assist us 

With his counsel and help, 

That we may do nothing without him, 

And that he may guide us in all things. 

So both brothers asked him to remain with them, 

Consulting everything with him, 

And to govern only under his direction. 

Gladly, answered Merlin, I will advise you, 

Only you must believe in me, 

Which both brothers also promised to do, 

Because they still found everything true 

That he had told them; both also repeated again 

Their requests that he should not leave them.

My lords, replied Merlin, you alone shall know about me, 

And you especially shall always recognise my nature; 

But now I must necessarily dispose of myself 

To Great Britain, I am compelled and forced to do so. 

But by God I swear to you 

That wherever I may be, I will always consider 

And attend to your affairs first and foremost. 

Do not be annoyed and do not be offended 

If I leave you, for I can be with you 

At any hour of the day if necessary, 

And wherever you are in embarrassment or danger, 

You will see me with you, my help 

And my advice shall never be lacking 

As soon as you need it. When I now come to you again, 

Your people will report me to you, 

Act before them as if you were seeing me 

For the first time and rejoice in my presence 

As if it came to you quite unexpectedly. 

They will then advise you to ask me 

About all things and will praise me greatly; 

Then you can follow my advice and my suggestions 

In complete safety, 

As if it were the opinion of others.

CANTO XVI

Merlin then took leave of King Pendragon 

And his brother Uter and went to Britain, 

Where he stayed for a long time before returning. 

Meanwhile Pendragon and Uter waged constant war 

Against the heathen, who had multiplied greatly 

In the land, but found no means of driving them out 

Until, after four months, Merlin returned. 

The old counsellors of King Vortigern 

Were very glad of this and reported him 

To King Pendragon; they did not know 

That the latter, like Uter, already knew Merlin.

Merlin, they cried to the king, has come, 

This is the wisest of all living men, 

And what he advises you to do you may safely do, 

For the most hidden things are known to him. 

Pendragon did as Merlin advised, 

Rejoiced at this news, but pretended not yet to know him, 

And said he would go to meet the wise man. 

On the way the counsellors told him all 

That Merlin had prophesied to Vortigern, 

And what he had wrought with him; 

And the king listened to these tales of the dragons 

And all these prophecies with delight, 

Until Merlin met him. 

The councillors presented him to him, 

And he showed him all honour and courtesy, 

As if he were seeing him for the first time, 

And then led him into his palace, 

Where the old councillors secretly said to the king, 

Lord King, now that you have Merlin, 

Only let him advise you how you may end the war 

Happily and carry off victory over your enemies; 

What he tells you, you may safely follow. 

They then left the king, 

And he remained alone with Merlin.

After he had feasted with him for three days, 

And given him all honour and pleasure, 

He called a great council, and went thither 

In Merlin's company. He addressed Merlin, 

And told him all that the old counsellors 

Had told him of his Wisdom, and asked him 

Also to advise him how he might drive 

The heathen out of the land. Know, answered Merlin, 

Since Hangius their leader is dead, 

They desire nothing so much 

As only to be out of the country. 

My opinion is, you send them messengers, 

With orders to desire a truce of three weeks from them. 

They will reply that this kingdom belongs to them, 

That they demand it back from you, 

And will not grant you a truce. Let them know 

That if they do not immediately surrender 

The castles and strongholds, you will kill them all.

The king immediately sent the knight Ulsin, 

A very wise man, together with two other knights 

As envoys to the pagans, with the order 

As Merlin had prescribed for him. 

The envoys came before the chief leaders 

And captains of the heathen, who sat 

In one of the strongest castles in the land. 

They received the king's messengers with honour, 

And the knight Ulsin told them the king's request, 

Namely that they should allow him 

A truce of three weeks. The pagans demanded 

To consult until the next day, whereupon 

The knight Ulsin and his companions departed. 

The pagans now consulted all night and considered: 

First, how they had suffered great loss 

Through Hangius' death, then how they lacked 

All food in their strong castles and palaces 

And how the people of the country 

Did not like to see them; but they also considered again 

That, since the king had asked for a truce, 

He must be in a weak position. 

Although they only wished to save their lives 

And their baggage, because it is not good 

To stay in a country where one has nothing to eat, 

They nevertheless sent the following answer 

To the king, The king will leave us the land, 

The cities and the strong castles in peace, 

And in return we will give him every year 

Thirty well-armed and well-mounted knights, 

Together with ten maidens, ten ladies and ten damsels, 

Together with the servants and attendants 

Belonging to them, as well as a hundred hawks, 

A hundred steeds, and a hundred palfreys. 

The envoys came back to King Pendragon 

With this decision and told him everything 

In the assembled council what had happened to them 

Among the heathens and what decision they had given. 

King Pendragon turned to Merlin and asked him 

What he had to do now.

If you allow them to do this, Merlin replied, 

You will do great harm to the kingdom in the future. 

Let them be told that they shall immediately vacate 

The land without delay, and you shall see 

That they are quite happy to do so, 

For they have no more food and are dying of hunger; 

Give them their lives, they will ask for nothing more. 

It was done as Merlin asked, 

And the king ordered them the next day 

By the same messengers to depart at once. 

The heathen were glad to hear this command, 

They gathered together at once 

And departed all together, the king gave them ships, 

And they all went over the sea out of the country.

Thus, by Merlin's advice, the land 

Was freed from the pagans, 

Which brought him great honour and prestige 

Among the people. King Pendragon reigned in peace 

For a long time, and his people loved 

And honoured him exceedingly. Nor did he oppress 

His people in any way or do them any kind 

Of coercion. Merlin was always with him, 

And he did nothing without Merlin's consent; 

No other advice was valid with him but his own.

CANTO XVII

There lived in the kingdom a very rich noble lord, 

Of high birth and one of the most powerful in the land 

After the king; but he was of a hateful malicious disposition, 

Full of envy and ill will. The latter was envious of Merlin, 

So that he could bear it no longer, and so he went 

To the king and said, O king, I wonder very much 

How you can give Merlin such unlimited credence, 

Since everything he knows comes from the evil enemy 

And he is full of his arts. Will you permit me, 

I will put him to the test in your presence, 

And you shall see that it is all lies and deceit. 

The king gave him permission, on condition 

That he should in no way offend Merlin; 

I promise, said the lord, that I will not harm him, 

Nor come near his body.

Now when Merlin was once conversing with the king, 

That noble lord came, accompanied by twenty others, 

And pretended to be very ill. Behold, said he to the king, 

Here is the wise Merlin, who foretold 

To King Vortigern his manner of death, namely, 

How you would burn him; so it will please you, 

O king, to ask him to tell me what disease I have, 

And what death I shall die. 

Now the king and the noble lord's companions 

Approached Merlin with entreaties that he might do so. 

Merlin knew very well what this man wanted, 

Knew also his hatred and envy quite well. 

Know, my lord, he said, that you are not ill at the moment. 

But you will fall from your horse and break your neck, 

And that will be the end of you. - 

God will save me from that, said the lord, laughing, 

As if to mock Merlin's speech, 

And thereupon said secretly to the king, Remember well, 

My king, Merlin's speech, for I will test him 

In this way under another guise in your presence, 

And thereupon took leave of the king 

And travelled to his estates. After two or three months 

He returned, disguised in such a way 

That he was not recognised, and pretending to be ill; 

He secretly begged the king to let him come to him 

With Merlin, but he was not to tell Merlin that it was he. 

The king let him know that he would bring Merlin to him, 

And through him he should certainly learn nothing.

Will you come with me, asked the king of Merlin, 

To a sick man here in the city? - I am well pleased, 

Answered the latter; the sick man must be 

A very intimate friend of the king, 

Since he will go to visit him? - Yes, replied the king, 

I will go to him alone with you. - It befits no king, 

Said Merlin again, to visit a sick man 

Without a strong retinue of at least thirty men. 

The king chose thirty men for his retinue, 

Whom Merlin chose, and whom he loved, 

And so accompanied they went together to the sick man. 

When the latter saw the king and Merlin, he cried out, 

Sire, I pray you, ask Merlin whether 

I shall be healed again or not. - He will not, said Merlin, 

Die of this disease, nor at all in his bed. - 

Ah Merlin, said the sick man, will you tell me 

What death I shall die. - On the day, said Merlin, 

On which thou shalt die, thou shalt be found hanged.

Thereupon he pretended to be very angry, and went out. 

Now, my lord king, said the sick man, you can see 

How this man lies, for you will remember 

That the first time he prophesied my death 

Quite differently. But if it pleases you, I will put him 

To the test a third time. Tomorrow I will go to an abbey, 

There I will pretend to be ill as a monk 

And send the abbot to fetch you to me; 

He will tell you that I am one of his closest relatives 

And that I am sick to death, 

And he will also ask you to take Merlin with you 

So that he can say whether I will be restored 

Or have to die. But this shall be the last trial. 

The king promised him and went home, 

But the sick man travelled to the abbey 

And sent for him the next day, as they had agreed together. 

The king took Merlin with him 

And they rode together to the abbey, 

Where they first heard mass. After mass 

The abbot came, with about twenty of the nuns, 

And asked the king to take Merlin at once 

To his relative, who had been ill for six months, 

So that he might tell him the cause of his illness and death. 

Will you go with me to the sick man? asked the king. 

Very willingly, said Merlin; but first I wish 

To tell the king and his brother Uter 

Something in secret. - The three went aside, 

And Merlin said to the king and his brother, 

The more I get to know you, the more foolish I find you. 

Do you think then that I do not know what death 

The fool will die who intends to test me? 

I will make him know it once more in your presence, 

So that you may wonder. - How then, asked the king, 

Can it be that he will have two deaths? - 

More than this, answered Merlin, 

And if it come not to pass so, you shall never believe me; 

I give you my word not to depart from you 

Till we see with eyes what I prophesy to him. 

Then they went together 

Into the room to the sick man.

When the abbot showed the sick man to the king 

And asked him to ask Merlin 

Whether he would recover 

And what death he would die, 

Merlin pretended to be very angry 

And said to the abbot, Abbot, your sick man 

May only get up, for he feels no evil. 

Not only are the two kinds of death destined for him, 

Which I have already mentioned to him, 

But a third one as well: on the day of his death 

He will break his neck, he will hang, and he will drown. 

Whoever is then alive will find these three things confirmed. 

My lord, he continued, turning to the sick man, 

My lord, disguise yourself no longer; 

I know your evil disposition, your falsehood, 

And your evil thoughts.

Then the sick man sat upright in bed and said, 

Sire, now you may see his folly, 

How could I possibly break my neck, and hang, and drown? 

That can happen neither to me nor to anyone else. 

Now see how wisely you act, 

To trust such a man. - I cannot decide it sooner, 

Answered the king, until experience teaches it.

Those present were all astonished at Merlin's speeches, 

And very eager to learn how they would prove. 

After some time, this distinguished man, 

Accompanied by many others, rode across a river 

On a wooden bridge. The horse on which he was riding 

Became timid in the middle of the bridge 

And jumped over the railing; the rider fell, 

Broke his neck on the railing and fell over, 

But caught his dress on one of the posts, 

So that his legs were high up, but his head 

And shoulders were under the water. 

Among the companions were two 

Who were present when Merlin prophesied 

To their lord his threefold manner of death; 

These fell into such terror at seeing it fulfilled 

So punctually that they raised a horrible shout. 

The rest also began to shout and scream 

So that it was heard in the nearby village, 

Where the villagers hurried to see 

What was happening on the bridge. 

They immediately pulled the gentleman 

Out of the water and brought him up; 

But the two men of his retinue called out, 

Let us see at once whether his neck is really broken? 

Now that it was so, they were full of terror 

And astonishment at Merlin's power. 

He would be foolish, they said, 

Who would not believe Merlin's words, 

For they are the plain truth. 

Then they took up the corpse and buried it 

In the earth in a manner befitting its dignity.

Merlin went straightway to Uter, 

And told him the man's death, and how it all happened; 

Go, said he, tell it the king your brother. 

Uter obeyed, and when Pendragon heard it from him, 

He said, Go to Merlin and ask him when this happened. -

It is now four days, answered Merlin, 

Since it happened to him, and after six days 

His servants will come to tell the king. 

But because they will ask me many questions, 

And I will answer them to nothing, I will go away. 

Know also that I will no more answer thus at all 

Before the people to all that they ask me; 

But my answers shall be dark, 

So that they understand them no sooner 

Than after they are fulfilled.

Merlin departed, and Uter told his brother 

All that he had said. The king thought 

Merlin was angry against him, 

And was much distressed at his going away. 

Where has he gone? he asked Uter. 

That I know not, answered the latter; 

But he said he would now stay here no longer.

After six days the servants of that lord came 

And solemnly announced to the king 

The whole incident of how their lord had met his death. 

The king, and all who lived at that time, 

Said that there had never been a wiser man 

Than Merlin, and honoured him greatly. 

The king, his brother Uter, 

And Ambrosius Aurelius also decided, 

Out of great reverence for Merlin, 

To write down everything they would hear him say.

This is the origin of Merlin's prophecies, 

Namely, what he prophesied 

Of the kings of England, 

And of many other things about which he spoke. 

In this book of prophecies 

There is no mention of what or who Merlin was, 

But only of the things he said. 

Merlin, knowing that Pendragon 

Had his speeches written down, 

Told Master Blasius. Will they, asked the latter, 

Make a book similar to mine? - Not that, 

Replied Merlin, they can only have written down

What they see and hear, for they know nothing else.

He then took leave of Master Blasius 

And went back to Pendragon's court. 

The joy and honours were very great 

When they saw him arrive, and the king 

Was very glad of his arrival.

CANTO XVIII

Because the people heard his speeches all over again, 

And every man thought to put him to the test, 

Merlin resolved not to speak so openly now; 

All his sayings and words now became darker, 

And they were understood only after they had come to pass. 

So one day Merlin came to Pendragon and Uter, 

With a very downcast face, You will remember, 

He said, the Hangius who met his death at Uter's hands. 

This Hangius was of the noblest and greatest family 

Of the heathen country; his numerous kinsmen 

Have sworn to avenge his death, 

And not to hold their peace 

Till they have conquered this land. 

They have gathered their people from all sides, 

And many dukes and princes of their country 

Have joined them with their men. 

They will not now stay away long, 

But will come in mighty multitudes, 

And will not let up until they have subjugated 

The whole land.

King Pendragon and Uter, his brother, 

Were startled at these words of Merlin. 

Are then, they asked, the kinsmen of Hangius 

So powerful that we should not be able to resist them? - 

For one contending man whom you provide, 

They have two; and unless you use great prudence, 

They will conquer and destroy your kingdom. - 

We do nothing without your consent, Merlin; 

Only tell us when will they arrive? - 

In the month of June they will be on the river 

By the flats of Salisbury. You must now 

Have as many armed men as possible 

To defend your country. - How, cried the king, 

I should let them come into the country? - 

Yes, you must, if you believe me. 

Let them first be far from the river 

Before you strike against them with all your might, 

And you must arrange it so that one of you 

With a strong force cuts them off from the river, 

That they may lack provisions for their mouths 

And all the necessaries of war. 

Thus you must press them for two days, 

And only on the third must you let it come to battle; 

If you will follow my instruction exactly, 

The victory will be yours. - Tell us in the name of God, 

Said the two brothers, if it please thee, 

Whether any of us shall fall in this battle? 

Merlin answered and said, All earthly things 

Have taken a beginning, must therefore also take an end. 

Let no man be dismayed at another's death, 

For he too must die; let each therefore accept his death, 

For no man is immortal.

Merlin, Pendragon began, when thou didst so certainly 

Foretell the manner of death to him 

That would try thee, thou saidst to me 

That thou knewest my death as well as his; 

Therefore I beseech thee, discover it to me. 

Merlin said, Let the holy relics be brought, 

And swear both of you that you will do 

What I command you for your advantage 

And your honour. Afterwards I can more surely 

Discover to you what I want. 

The relics were brought, and the king and his brother 

Swore to each other, according to Merlin's precept, 

Allegiance and mutual aid in battle, even unto death. 

Now, said Merlin, you have taken an oath 

To support each other bravely, and to help each other 

Faithfully in battle, even unto death; 

So if you are faithful one to another, 

You are faithful against God. Confess, 

And receive the body of our Saviour, 

And call upon the Lord for help, 

And pray to him for strength in the battle 

Against your enemies. For you are to protect 

Christendom against the heathen, 

Therefore God will bless your work. 

He who falls in the battle for the faith is blessed; 

So do not fear death in this battle, 

Which will be greater and bloodier than ever before. 

One of you will find death in it, 

So both of you do your duty as you have sworn. 

Whichever of you remains will fight a battle 

And build a burial place by my help, 

Richer and more beautiful than ever was one. 

All Christendom will talk of the things I will do there. 

Now put on your garments of honour, 

Go to confession, and receive the Lord's Supper, 

Then be of good cheer, and rejoice before your peoples, 

That they may keep themselves valiant 

To the glory of God.

So Merlin ended his speech, 

And the brothers did everything as he commanded them. 

When all their men of war were assembled, 

The king distributed among them much gold and gifts, 

As well as many horses, and made a speech to them, 

How he expected them to defend the country 

With all their might and strength. 

They all promised him their help, 

Assembled in great multitude, and, as soon 

As the king commanded them, 

Were on the banks of the Thames 

In the last week of June. On the feast of Pentecost 

The king held open court on the banks of the Thames, 

And gave great presents to each of his men of war, 

That they might do their duty in defence of the country 

The more willingly. They thereupon divided themselves 

Into two camps, the one, which Uter led, 

Encamped on the site of Salisbury, and the other, 

Pendragon at its head, drew off about two miles.

The pagans arrived on the appointed day, 

And Uter sent out a proclamation throughout his camp 

That each one should go to confession, 

And that one might forgive the other for any offence. 

And so it was done. The pagans went ashore 

And rested for eight days, during which time Uter 

Sent to Pendragon to let him know 

That they had arrived and that their number 

Could not be counted. Pendragon asked Merlin 

What he must do now. Let Uter know, 

Replied the latter, that he is hiding, and let them pass, 

Deeper into the land; then he must follow them 

With all his might, until they are shut in 

And surrounded between thee and him.

Uter did punctually what Pendragon commanded him, 

And let the heathen pass, and followed them 

Hard on their heels with such power 

And with such swift horses that the heathen, 

Suspecting no ambush, stopped in fright; 

Now Pendragon drew nearer to them from his side, 

So that at once they found themselves surrounded. 

Two days stand thus, said Merlin to Pendragon; 

On the third day, which shall rise fair and bright, 

Thou shalt see a dragon flying in the air; 

By this emblem, which refers to thy name, 

Thou mayest fight safely, and thine also, 

And the victory shall be yours. 

Of this sign of the dragon no one in the camp knew 

Save Merlin and the king; who sent word to his brother 

Uter, who was very glad. 

Now Merlin said to the king, I must leave you now, 

I beseech you, remember all that I have told you, 

Be brave and courageous, as befits a noble knight. 

Then he took leave of him and went to Uter in the camp. 

Merlin told him the same thing he had told Pendragon, 

Hold thyself brave and chivalrous, 

In this battle thou shalt not fall. 

Uter was glad at heart when he heard this; 

Then Merlin took leave of him 

And went to Northumberland to Master Blasius 

To have all this written down.

On the third day, rising bright and clear, 

Pendragon ordered his army into battle array. 

The pagans, who were terrified to find themselves 

Surrounded by both armies and realised their predicament, 

Also put themselves in order, because they 

Could not help but defend themselves 

As long as possible. Now the dragon appeared in the air, 

Which Merlin had prophesied to the king. 

He was marvellous to behold, 

And fire poured out of his nose and mouth, 

So that all who saw him were terrified. 

The king immediately sounded the trumpets 

And called for the enemy to be attacked 

And for everything to be cut down without mercy. 

Uter had the same thing done in his camp, 

And so they both fell at the same time 

With their armies upon the enemy. 

Uter and his men fought so bravely 

That at last the heathen were defeated. 

King Pendragon, however, was slain, 

Along with many other lords of the realm. 

No one could say which of the two was more valiant, 

Uter or Pendragon; but we find that Uter 

And his army slew all the heathen, 

That he kept the field, and that day 

Won the most complete victory.

CANTO XIX

After the battle was over 

And King Pendragon died, 

The kingdom rightly fell to his brother Uter. 

He had all the Christians 

Who remained on the battlefield 

Gathered together in one place 

And laid out a burial ground there; 

A tomb was erected on each one 

With the name of the one who lay beneath it. 

He had his brother Pendragon laid in the midst of them 

And had a higher tomb erected for him 

Than for the rest, but he did not have 

His name written on it, for, said he, 

He would have to be very foolish 

Who did not see at once by the size of the tomb 

That here is buried the lord of all the rest. 

After each had buried his kinsman or friend, 

Uter went to London, where the bishops 

And prelates anointed him, 

And put the crown upon his head; 

After which he accepted the fealty 

And homage of all his subjects.

Sixteen days later Merlin came to Uter's court, 

And he received him with joy and great honour. 

Some time later Merlin told the king 

That the dragon on the day of the battle 

Had meant Pendragon's death 

And Uter's preservation, and asked the king 

That he might henceforth call himself Uterpendragon 

In memory of this event and for the sake of his brother. 

The king agreed and was henceforth called Uterpendragon. 

Merlin had a dragon's banner made for him, 

Which emitted fire, and demanded of the king 

That he carry it before him in all future battles.

After Uter had long reigned in peace 

And lived with Merlin in one of his cities, 

Merlin once asked him if he would have nothing more 

Done at the burial place where his brother was resting? 

What do you want me to have done? 

Say it, and it shall be done. - 

Send ten or twelve of thy ships to Ireland, 

And let some of the stones there be shipped to Salisbury, 

And I will fulfil what I promised thy brother, 

And so build the sepulchre; 

I will also go thither with thy men, 

And show them the stones which they shall take. 

The ships were prepared and Merlin was sent 

With the people to show them the stones 

They were to take. When the people saw 

The great stones they were to take away, 

They looked at each other in wonder. 

All the world, they said, does not bring such a stone 

From the place; Merlin must be mad 

To ask us to take these stones on ship. 

They then returned with their ships, 

And left Merlin in Ireland.

When the ships came again to King Uterpendragon, 

And they told him why they had brought 

Neither the stones nor Merlin back again, 

The king sent another ship to Ireland 

And sent for him. Thy people, said Merlin, 

When he came before the king, 

Have not done what thou didst bid them; 

But I will keep my word, 

And get the stones to Salisbury. 

Then by his art he brought it about 

That in the morning the whole graveyard 

Lay full of the dreadfully large stones, 

That it was to be seen like a tremendous mountain.

When the king and his people saw these stones, 

They were all filled with the greatest astonishment, 

For everyone had to realise 

That all the men in the world would not be able 

To move one of these stones from its place; 

Nor did anyone know how Merlin had begun 

To bring them together. Merlin said to the king, 

Sire, as the stones lie here, they serve no purpose; 

They must be arranged and set one above the other. - 

Sire, who shall do this, replied the king; 

God alone can accomplish such a work. - 

Well, then, depart, said Merlin, and I will finish this work 

As I have undertaken it. Merlin now began the work 

That will never be forgotten. These stones are still 

As Merlin arranged them, and they will remain so 

Ss long as the world will stand. 

It was an excellent work of art, 

Which astonished the whole world.

Uterpendragon loved Merlin for this work 

Even more than usual, kept him at his court 

For a long time and did nothing without his advice.

CANTO XX

One day Merlin came to the king and said, 

My king, know that after the crucifixion of our Saviour, 

A pious knight, named Joseph of Arimathea, came 

And bought the body of Christ from Pilate 

And had it buried. This knight loved Christ 

So much that the Jews persecuted him for it 

And did him much harm. After Christ was resurrected, 

Joseph of Arimathea went to a desert, 

Together with most of his family 

And several other people. 

There they suffered much famine, 

So that many of them died of hunger. 

Then they grumbled against the knight 

Who was their master. The knight saw 

The distress of his people and prayed fervently 

To our Lord Christ that it might please him 

To put an end to this famine. 

Our Lord then commanded him to set up a table 

Like the one at which he partook of the Lord's Supper 

With the apostles. He was to decorate this table 

And cover it with fine white cloths; 

On it he was to place a golden chalice 

Which he himself had sent him; 

And he was to cover this vessel well 

And take care of it. Know also, my king, 

That this cup, sent by God, 

Signifies the communion of the good and the bad; 

But the good who were admitted to this table 

Received the fulfilment of all their desires. 

One place always remained empty at this table, 

Which signified Judas, who betrayed our Lord 

And sat down to supper with the apostles. 

And when our Saviour said, Verily I say unto you, 

One of you shall betray me; 

He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, 

The same shall betray me, 

Judas arose from the table, 

Was ashamed, and went out. 

And the place at the table remained empty 

Until Christ had another seated, named Matthias. 

So also a place was left empty 

At Joseph of Arimathea's table.

This table was held in great honour 

By all those who were allowed to sit at it, 

And they called it the Grail. 

After it another similar tablet was erected; 

If thou wilt follow me, my king, 

Erect the third in the name of the Trinity. 

I will help thee in this work; 

It will be a work for which thou wilt obtain 

The grace of God, 

And all those who sit at the table 

Thou wilt make part of it. 

But that vessel and its guardians 

Have gone towards the Occident; 

But the guardians themselves now no longer know 

Where it has actually gone, they have only followed it 

Into that region. But you do as I said, 

You will enjoy it one day.

Uterpendragon replied, I will gladly do 

What you advise me, for your words are Wisdom; 

But I myself am not able to arrange such work, 

But to you, Merlin, I entrust the matter, 

Arrange everything in my name as it must be. - 

And where, asked Merlin, do you command 

That this third table be erected? - 

Where it pleases thee, and where the Lord God wills 

That it should be set up. - Now then, I will set it up 

At Carduel in Wales. Let your people assemble there 

For the feast of Pentecost 

And then hold open court there, 

But I will go ahead and erect the table beforehand. 

Give me people to do what I tell them, 

And if you ask, I will give place 

To those who are to sit at it.

On the feast of Pentecost, 

When the king and all his barons 

And the noble ladies and damsels 

Of his kingdom came to Cardueil, 

They found Merlin's table already erected. 

The king held open court for all the nobles and knights 

And all his people, then he asked Merlin 

Who should now sit at this table. 

Tomorrow, Merlin replied, I will choose 

Fifty knights to sit at it; they will never 

Want to go back to their land or their house.

The next day fifty knights were chosen 

And Merlin asked them to sit at the table, 

To eat and drink and be merry, which they gladly did. 

One place was left empty, 

But no one but Merlin knew why. 

After they had sat at this table for eight days, 

And had been merry and of good cheer 

With food and drink, and the king had given 

Rich presents to the noble ambassadors, 

Together with all the ladies and damsels, 

He asked the worthy knights of the table 

How they were, and how they felt. 

Sire, they said, we can never leave this place, 

And this table shall never be without at least three of us. 

We will send for our wives and children, 

And live here according to the Lord's will. - 

Is this the will of you all? asked the king; 

And they answered in the affirmative. 

We are, they added, all ourselves astonished 

How this may come to pass, for never before 

Have we seen or known each other, 

And yet now we love each other 

As father and son love each other; 

Never can we part from each other 

Unless death do us part.

The king and all who were present and heard this 

Were filled with astonishment at this miracle; 

The king also then commanded 

That all honour be done to them, 

And that they be obeyed 

And served as the king himself.

So this table was set up by Uterpendragon 

According to the will and advice of Merlin.

You have told me the truth, said the king to Merlin, 

And I now see that it is God's will 

To erect this tablet. But now I ask thee 

To tell me who shall come to the empty place? - 

I tell you that it will not be filled in your lifetime, 

Replied Merlin, but he is not yet born 

Who will sit in that place. In the time of the king 

Who will reign after thee it shall be filled; 

As yet his maker knows nothing 

Of having produced him. Now I beseech thee, 

As long as thou livest, to celebrate 

All thy great festivals in this place, 

And also to hold open court here three times a year. 

When the king swore to him to keep this, 

Merlin said, Now I must leave thee, 

Thou wilt not see me again for a long time. - 

And why are you going away? asked the king, 

Where will you go? will you not be here 

Every time I hold court? - No, I shall not be present, 

For I want the people to believe in what they shall see, 

And not that I shall do the things that are to happen.

Merlin commended himself to the king 

And went to Master Blasius in Northumberland, 

To whom he told all that had happened, 

Who then wrote it down in this book. 

Merlin stayed with Master Blasius for two years 

Without Uterpendragon hearing anything from him.

CANTO XXI

Once, when the king and his court were at Cardueil, 

And the knights were sitting at the table, 

One of the great men of the realm, 

Who in his heart wished Merlin ill, 

Came to the king. Sire, he began, 

I am justly surprised that you do not let 

The empty place at the table be filled, 

That it may be complete. - Merlin told me, 

Answered the king, that this place cannot be filled 

During my lifetime, but that he shall yet be born 

Who shall sit upon it. - Then the false treacherous man 

Began to laugh, and said, Sire, do you think 

There will be people after you 

Who are worth more than you? - I know not, 

Said the king; but Merlin hath told me this. - 

Sire, never will a man be worth more 

Than what he is worth; you are bold enough to try. - 

Nay, I will certainly not try it; 

I fear Merlin will be enraged at it. - 

Sire, then, if you think Merlin knows all, 

He certainly knows what we speak of him now, 

And then he will surely come, if he lives, 

To the future feast. But if he does not come, 

Then I ask you, sire, for permission 

To occupy the place, in order to convince you 

Of the lie he has told you. You will then see 

That I fill that place as well as another. - 

I would gladly allow you to do so, 

If I were not afraid of angering Merlin. - 

If Merlin lives, he will surely come 

Before I attempt it; but if he does not come, 

I pray you give me leave to do so. 

The king gave it to him, and the knight thought 

He had achieved something great with this permission.

When the feast of Pentecost came, 

The king went again to Cardueil 

With all the nobles, knights and people. 

Merlin knew very well what was going on 

And told Master Blasius, I will not go to the court, 

He said, but let them try what they will, 

That they may themselves realise 

The importance and dignity 

Of the empty place and of my words. 

For what they do not see, they do not believe, 

And if I come there, they think they are 

Disturbed by me and believe that I am to blame 

For what will happen. But fifteen days 

After the feast of Pentecost I will go to the king.

The knight, who wanted to try to sit down 

On the empty seat, started a rumour 

That Merlin was dead, 

That a peasant had slain him in the forest 

Because he thought he was a savage. 

At last the king believed the rumour 

Because Merlin had been absent for so long; 

The others also thought that he must be dead 

Because otherwise such tests should not be made.

The fifty knights were now seated round the table, 

In the presence of a great multitude of lords, 

Ladies, and damsels, 

When the knight came to sit down on the empty seat, 

And cried with boldness, Gentlemen, 

I come to keep you company! 

The knights at the table did not answer him, 

But humbly and silently each looked down before him; 

Nor did the king say anything to him, 

But all were expectant of what would happen. 

The knight sat down and stretched out both legs 

Under the table; at that moment he sank 

Under the earth, like a piece of lead 

That falls into the water and does not come up again. 

The king and all the people were horrified 

To see this miracle! They searched every spot 

Under the table, but not the slightest trace was found, 

Neither of the knight nor of the way he sank. 

The court and all the people were terrified, 

And the king in particular was sunk in grief 

That he had admitted such a trial 

And had allowed himself to be seduced into it, 

When Merlin had told him 

That he had not yet been born 

To whom this place had been appointed.

On the fifteenth day after Pentecost 

Merlin came to court, 

And the king went to meet him. 

Merlin reproached him for what he had let happen. 

He has deceived me, the king replied. 

Many people are like that, Merlin replied, 

They think they have deceived others, 

And most of all they deceive themselves. 

Now you see that you are deceived 

Because you see it; but why did you believe him? 

For that you were justly punished. 

Beware of making this attempt again, 

Or having it made, for I tell you, 

Much evil would result from it. 

For this place at the table is of great importance; 

It is a worthy place and a high good 

For the whole kingdom.

The king asked him afterwards 

If he could tell him what had become 

Of the knight and where he had gone. 

Don't worry about that, Merlin replied, 

It's none of your business, 

And you won't be any better if you know. 

Let it only be thy care to honour 

And uphold those who sit at the table, 

As well as to celebrate the four feasts there yearly, 

And to keep everything as I have appointed, 

And change nothing. - The king promised him 

That from now on everything would remain unchanged 

Until his death. Then Merlin took leave of him again 

And went back to Master Blasius.

CANTO XXII

The king had many beautiful houses 

Built around Cardueil, then let it be known 

Throughout his kingdom how he would always be 

In Cardueil with his court for the four festivals, 

Namely Christmas, Easter, Whitsun and All Saints' Day. 

Everyone was also to be there at that time, 

And for his sake every baron and every lord 

Was to bring his wife and his ladies to Cardueil, 

Where the king would give them feasts every time.

On the next Christmas, the wives, ladies and damsels 

Came with the knights and barons. 

Those who came without their wives 

Were not well respected, and so those 

Who were not married 

Brought their sweethearts with them. 

There were so many of them that it is impossible to say 

How great their number was; and we can only speak 

Preferably of those who stood out the most. 

This was a duke of Tintagel and his wife, 

Named Igerne. After the Blessed Virgin Mary, 

No Christian woman was ever born 

Bore blessed and beautiful than Igerne. 

When the king first saw her, 

He was so enraptured by her beauty 

That he lost all composure; 

The lady noticed this, but pretended not to see it. 

But when she became aware that the king 

Was always looking at her 

And did not take his eyes off her, 

She withdrew and avoided the king's presence, 

For she was a very virtuous and honourable lady 

And also preserved her husband's honour 

And was faithful to him. 

The king sent all the ladies present 

Beautiful rich gifts of jewels and jewels, 

And did it for Igerne's sake,

Sso as to be able to send her a sign 

That she should not refuse, 

Because all the ladies had been given gifts by him. 

He gave her a jewel, of which he knew well 

That she desired it; she was obliged to accept it, 

Though she well understood 

That this was done only for her sake; 

But she did not let this be known. 

When the court was about to leave Cardueil again 

And the Christmas feast was over, 

The king asked his barons and princes 

Of the country to bring their ladies to the next feast, 

Which they all agreed to do. 

He was so enraptured with love for the Lady Igerne 

That he was hardly capable of his senses any more; 

When she came to take leave of him with her husband, 

The Duke of Tintayol, he gave them an escort 

And showed them both much honour. 

He took a moment to say to her softly, 

Dame Igerne, you take my heart with you, 

If I were to carry yours in mine! 

Dame Igerne, however, did not pretend to have heard this, 

And left with her husband, without replying, 

For the Duke's country.

The king endured great torment in his heart 

Until the Easter feast approached, 

When all gathered again at Cardueil, 

And he saw her again. God knows 

How great his delight was then; 

He let her and the duke, her husband, eat at his table 

And sat between them; but to all the words 

He whispered to her, and however much 

He swore his love to her, she never gave him 

An answer, although she understood 

All his words very well, but went away 

Again with her husband.

At last the king could no longer 

Conceal his anguish of love, 

But discovered it to two of his favourites, 

And asked their advice how he should begin 

To enjoy Igerne and lament his love to her, 

For otherwise he must perish with grief. 

The king, they said, was giving a great feast 

At Cardueil, and was letting it be known 

That everyone should go there, 

Because it was a great feast 

And the king would wear his crown 

And sit on the throne; also that everyone 

Should provide himself with all the necessities 

For a month or six weeks, because the feast 

Was to last so long: In this way you will have time 

To be with the beautiful Igerne 

As much as you please. 

The advice pleased the king well, and he did so. 

On the appointed day all came together in Cardueil, 

And each of the lords came with his ladies 

And retinue, also the Duke of Tintayol 

With Lady Igerne, at which the king rejoiced 

In his heart, became merry again, ate and drank. 

After some days he became sad again, 

And at last said to one of his confidants, named Ulsius,

Love kills me, I die for Igerne, 

It is no life for me if I see her not; 

And if she hears me not, I must die. - 

Sire, replied Ulsius, will you give up life 

For the sake of a woman? I never heard 

That a woman could resist gifts; 

I am but a poor nobleman, yet I do not think 

I must die for love of a woman. 

And you, so powerful a king, 

How can you have so pusillanimous a heart, 

And not dare to woo a lady? - 

I suppose you are very right, said the king; 

You know better than I how to behave; 

Help me, I beseech you, and do in my stead 

All that is to be done. Take from my treasury 

All that thou wilt, make her presents, 

Give also to all her people that surround her, 

Seek to please every one, 

Only make that I may speak with her. - 

I will do so, said Ulsius.

The court had now lasted eight days 

In great joy and beautiful delight. 

The Duke of Tintayol had to be always with the king, 

And he gave him and his companions 

Beautiful and rich presents. Meanwhile Ulsius 

Sought to speak to the Lady Igerne, 

To flatter her with sweet words of love, 

And brought her gifts, one always richer 

And more splendid than the other; 

But she refused all, and accepted none of them.

One day, when he was still more to her, 

And offered her an exceedingly splendid jewel, 

She took him aside, and said, Ulsius, 

Why and to what end dost thou offer me 

All these rich jewels? - Lady, for the sake 

Of your great beauty and high qualities! 

Know, all the wealth of the kingdom is your property, 

And men are only there to obey your commands! - 

Yea, how may this be? - Yes, for you possess 

The heart of him to whom the kingdom belongs, 

The heart of the king. - So the king's heart 

Is a treacherous and false heart, 

Because it shows so much love and friendship 

To my lord and husband, while it seeks 

To corrupt and dishonour me! I tell you, 

Ulsius, beware, as dear as your life is to you, 

Of ever saying another word to me 

About these things, if I am not to bring it all back 

To the Duke my husband. You will know well 

That he would not let you live 

If he knew such things; but be sure 

That this is the last time 

I shall conceal such things from him.

If I died for the king, replied Ulsius, 

It would do me great honour! 

Have mercy on the king, Dame Igerne, 

Why would you not have him be your friend, 

Since he loves you more than his life itself; 

Be kind to him, or he dies for love of you. - 

You mock me, Ulsius. - For God's sake, 

Have pity on the king and on yourself; 

If you are not favourable to him, 

You have yourself to blame for all the misfortune 

That will come of it, for neither you 

Nor your spouse can resist his will. - 

I would well resist him, she said, weeping painfully; 

For never, when this feast is ended, 

Will I find myself again at the king's court, 

Nor go into his presence; 

Though he may give orders as he pleases, 

I shall certainly come no more.

With these words she left Ulsius standing there 

And moved away. Ulsius went to the king 

And told him all her words. I knew, said the king, 

That she would answer thee thus, 

For thus must every virtuous, decent woman speak; 

Yet, Ulsius, do not leave it yet, 

But bring her my entreaties again and again, 

For no lady is so easily conquered. 

One day the king sat at the table, 

And the Duke of Tintayol beside him; 

Before the king stood his rich golden cup, 

From which he drank; then Ulsius 

Knelt down before him, and said to him softly, 

So that the duke could not hear, Sire, 

Tell the duke that he will drink from the cup 

For your love, and then send it to his wife, 

That she too may drink from it in your honour, 

And keep it. - The king took the cup, 

Drank from it to the duke's health, 

Then handed it to the duke and said, 

Drink, sire, to the health of your wive, 

Lady Igerne, and then send it to her for my love. - 

I thank you, sire, said the duke, 

Who thought no evil of it, she will accept it 

With pleasure. - Then calling one of his knights, 

Whom he loved, he gave him the cup, 

That he might bring it to his wife Igerne, 

And that he might tell her, as he did so, 

That the king sent her the cup, 

And that she should drink of it for his love. 

When Lady Igerne heard this, she blushed for shame, 

But could not refuse the cup, 

Because her husband drank from it to her. 

So she drank, and when she wanted to send it back, 

The Duke said, Dame Igerne, it is the King's will 

That you keep it. - So she had to keep the cup. 

The knight went back and saluted the king 

On her behalf, but she had not told him to do so. 

After the meal the king said to Ulsius, 

Go to the Lady Igerne in the room 

And hear what she speaks. 

Ulsius found her grieving and thoughtful, 

And when she saw him coming she said, 

Your king hath sent me his cup 

In a treacherous way, and I was forced 

To accept it; but of that he shall have no profit, 

For to his shame I will tell my husband 

The duke with what treachery you 

And your king do me. - You will not be so foolish, 

Said Ulsius, as to tell him such things. - 

Let her die a shameful death, cried Igerne, 

Who refuses to do so.

Ulsius went away, but when the duke returned 

From the king to his wife in the evening, 

He found her weeping and in great distress. 

He was frightened, took her in his arms, 

And affectionately asked her what was wrong. 

I wish I were dead, cried Igerne tearfully. 

Why this, my beloved spouse? -

Because the king has me pursued with love by Ulsius. 

All these festivities, he said, 

And these court entertainments, 

To which he had the ladies of the land invited, 

Were only for my sake, that I might have to come, 

And that he might have me in his power. 

But I would rather die than be unfaithful to you, 

My husband, for I love you, 

Although you have angered me by forcing me 

To accept his golden cup. 

Until then I had resisted all his gifts 

And accepted nothing, but at your command 

I now had to accept the cup, 

And this makes my life bitter. 

This cannot last any longer, another misfortune 

Will surely come of it; therefore I beg you, 

My lord and husband, let me go back to Tintayol, 

For I cannot possibly endure it here any longer.

The duke was frightened when he heard his wife, 

Whom he loved above all things, speak in this way; 

For a long time he could not utter a word, 

For anger and sorrow. 

When he had finally recovered, 

He summoned all his knights 

Who were with him in the city. 

When they gathered around him, 

He told them that they should immediately 

And quietly get ready to follow him, 

Because he wanted to leave; 

But no one in the city should know anything about it,

Leave your baggage and box behind, 

The servants can lead them after us tomorrow, 

Take nothing but your weapons 

And follow me quietly. 

Thereupon he had his horse brought forward, 

Mounted, Dame Igerne sat behind him, 

And so he rode with her out of the city to Tintayol; 

The knights followed him singly, 

And so that same evening the king 

Heard nothing of their departure.

CANTO XXIII

The next morning there was no other talk 

Of anything else in the whole city; 

At last the rumour of this flight reached the king. 

The king was furious when he heard 

That the duke had left without taking leave, 

But he was even more offended 

That he had taken the Lady Igerne with him. 

He summoned his councillors and told them 

Of the Duke's injustice in leaving him so suddenly, 

Without cause and without taking leave, 

In a disgraceful manner, since he 

Had always been so kind to him, 

And had also honoured him so much 

With beautiful gifts of jewels. 

The councillors were astonished 

At the Duke's behaviour; 

It seemed to them to be quite foolish 

And not at all excusable. 

But they did not know the true cause of his departure; 

Because the king had shown him honour 

And friendship above all others, 

They believed that he could all the less 

Make amends for his offence, 

And that it was a crime of insulted majesty.

They decided and advised the king 

That he must send two ambassadors to Tintayol 

And have them tell the duke 

That he must give the king satisfaction 

For the insult he had caused him by leaving court 

Without the king's consent 

And without taking leave of him. 

The king therefore demanded 

That he return to court just as he had left it, 

In order to beg the king's mercy.

The king was immediately satisfied with this 

And sent two brave knights as envoys to Tintayol. 

When these came before the duke 

And he had heard their order from the king 

And that he was to bring his wife back to court with him, 

Because the order was that he must return there 

Just as he had ridden away, then he became very angry 

And said to the envoys, I will by no means 

Go back to his court, for he has transgressed 

So much against me and against my own 

That I can no longer love him 

Or be obedient to him. 

That is all I will say to you now.

When the envoys could obtain no other answer 

Than this from the duke, they departed again 

And rode to Cardueil. But the duke 

Summoned all his knights and the wise counsellors 

Of his country and told them what treachery 

The king had committed against him 

And how badly he had treated him; 

Therefore, he added, I suddenly rode away from Cardueil 

Without taking leave of him; 

But now he had sent me word 

That I was guilty of the crime of insulted majesty, 

And must therefore come again to his court 

To ask his pardon for it; just as I had to come again 

As I left the court: that is, I must not come 

Without my wife Igerne. - You have done well, 

Said his knights and councillors, that you have not done so, 

For it is your duty to take care of your honour. 

Evil hath the king done to commit 

Such treason against his liege. - Now, answered the duke, 

I beseech and entreat you, for my honour's sake and yours, 

To give me your assistance and lend me help 

Against the king when he begins war and strife with me; 

That you will help protect my country 

And come to my aid in all things. 

The knights and councillors promised him 

And swore that they would help and serve him, 

Even if it cost their lives; 

For which the duke thanked them very much. 

After hearing the report of the returning ambassadors, 

The king was greatly enraged, 

And offered all his barons and princes 

To help avenge him on the Duke of Tintayol, 

And they all pledged their aid to him. 

Before doing so, he had the peace 

Recited to the duke, as in lawful war, 

And proclaimed to him that if he did not 

Do honourable satisfaction to the king, 

He must stand ready to defend himself 

After forty days, because the king 

Would award him in full arms. 

When the duke heard this summons, 

He answered the messengers that he intended 

To defend himself wherever possible; 

And thereupon he also ordered his knights 

And men-at-arms to be sent and prepared 

For the defence of the country. 

I possess only two strong castles, he told his knights, 

Which are capable of holding out against the king, 

But he shall certainly not have these two 

As long as I live. My wife shall remain here at Tintayol, 

Together with ten of the bravest and boldest knights 

For her protection, who are well able to defend the castle; 

But I will go with the rest to the other castle.

CANTO XXIV

The king went with his army into the country 

Of the duke of Tintayol, and took all the towns, 

villages, and castles where he passed through 

Without resistance. Here he learned 

That Dame Igerne had remained at Tintayol, 

But that the Duke had gone away 

To defend another castle; 

So he assembled his council and asked 

Whether it would be better for him 

First to conquer Tintayol and then the other castle, 

Or whether he should first besiege the Duke there. 

His councillors were all of the opinion 

That he should first besiege the duke 

In his stronghold; once he had him in his power, 

Everything else would come of itself. 

The king had to give in to these reasons, 

Marched with his army to the fortress 

And besieged the duke. Now, as he lay 

Before the castle, he said secretly to Ulsius, 

What will become of me if I do not see Igerne? -

Sire, replied Ulsius, you must now have patience: 

Think of conquering the duke, 

And then all your wishes will be fulfilled. 

You would have betrayed your sentiments too soon 

If you had gone first to Tintayol 

Without first besieging the duke; 

So take hold, and be of good cheer.

The siege was carried on with great heat, 

And many an assault was made on the strong castle; 

But the duke defended himself bravely, 

So that the siege lasted a very long time, 

At which the king was very displeased, 

For he was quite sick with longing for Igerne.

One day, as he sat sadly in his tent, 

He was overcome with such melancholy 

That he began to weep violently; 

And when his people saw him weeping thus, 

They went away from his tent, frightened, 

And left him alone with Ulsius. 

Why is my king weeping? the latter asked him 

Compassionately. Ah! Ulsius, said the king, 

I am dying of longing for Igerne! 

Yes, death is certain for me, 

I have already lost my appetite for food and drink, 

And at night I find no more rest, 

Because sleep flees me; and no remedy do I see 

How I may be cured! - Take courage, my king, 

You will not die for love of a woman! 

If only you could have Merlin, he continued, 

Let him see you, perhaps he will give you good advice. - 

Merlin certainly knows what I suffer, said the king, 

But I angered him when I tried the empty place 

At the round table, and now he will not hear of it; 

Also I think he thinks it is well done of me 

That I have fallen in love with Dame Igerne, 

For I ought not to covet the wife 

Of my subject, my liegeman. It is sin, 

I know it well; and yet I must desire her, 

I am not to blame for it, yet I cannot help it.

I am sure, said Ulsius, Merlin loves you so well 

That he will not fail to come, 

If he knows your sorrow and your grief, 

But will surely come and bring comfort to you. 

Take courage, my king, have patience, 

Be a little more cheerful, try to fortify yourself 

With good food and drink, let your barons 

Be around you often and pass the time 

In their company in a pleasurable way, 

So that you may forget your sorrow! - 

I will gladly do what you tell me, the king replied, 

But I will not be able to forget 

My love or my suffering.

CANTO XXV

When the king came to his tent after mass 

A few days later, he found Merlin there. 

His joy was great when he saw him, 

He rushed towards him with open arms, 

Clasped him to his heart and kissed him. 

Merlin, he began, I tell thee nothing of my affairs, 

Thou knowest them better than I do myself; 

But I beseech thee, for God's sake, 

Help me from my heartache, 

Which is so well known to thee. - 

Let Ulsius come first, said Merlin, 

And then I will answer thee.

Ulsius was immediately summoned, 

And when he came and the king said to him, 

Behold, here is Merlin! he became merry, 

Greeted him, and said to the king, 

Now you must weep no more, 

For surely he will bring you comfort and help. - 

Ah, said the king, if he could procure Igerne's favour for me, 

There is nothing I would not do for him, 

If it were but in my power. - If thou dare, said Merlin, 

To promise me what I shall ask of thee, 

I will seek to procure Igerne for thee, 

That thou mayest sleep with her 

In her chamber and in her bed.

Ulsius laughed when he heard this, and said, 

Now we shall see what a king's heart is worth. - 

Demand what you will, cried the king, 

There is nothing I would not give you in return, 

Only demand! - I will be sure of it, replied Merlin; 

You and Ulsius must both swear an oath to me 

Upon the holy relics, that I shall get from you 

What I shall demand of you the morning 

After you have spent the night with Igerne. 

Will you swear with the king, Ulsius? - 

It will be a long time before I swear, he replied. 

Then the king had the most holy relics 

Brought before him, and he and Ulsius 

Laid their hands on them, and so both swore 

That the king must give to Merlin 

What Merlin would require of him 

On the morrow after the night he had spent with Igerne.

Afterwards Merlin opened to them the way 

In which he would procure Igerne's favour for the king. 

You, he said to the king, must do this with much wisdom 

And very wisely, for Igerne is a very virtuous lady 

Who has always been faithful to God 

And her husband. But I will give you by my art 

The form of the duke, so that she must take you 

For her husband. The Duke also has two knights, 

His and Lady Igerne's trusted friends, 

Named Bretiaux and Jourdains. 

I will take the form of the first, 

You, Ulsius, shall have that of Jourdains. 

When darkness falls, we will ride in this transformation 

To the castle of Tintayol; the guards 

Will not deny us entrance, since they regard us 

As their own. Only in the morning 

We must leave early again, for we will hear 

Wonderful things. In the meantime, 

Let your camp be well guarded, 

And that your people tell no one where you have gone. 

Forget nothing of all that I tell you here, 

And be ready between here and tomorrow, 

When I come for you.

The king awaited Merlin with the greatest impatience; 

At last he came again and said, Now all is ready, 

Now to horse. - They rode to a little half mile 

From Tintayol; here we must tarry a little, said Merlin, 

Dismount from your horses and wait for me here. 

They all dismounted, Merlin went down a little way, 

Picked off some herbs, rubbed the king's face 

And hands with them, then Ulsius' and himself, 

And immediately they all three changed; 

The king looked perfectly like the Duke of Tintayol, 

As Merlin and Ulsius resembled Bretiaux and Jourdains, 

So that they looked at each other 

And really thought they did for a long time. 

As night fell, they arrived at the castle gate of Tintayol, 

Were admitted without difficulty, 

And gave orders to the guard 

Not to let anyone know that the Duke was at Tintayol. 

The duchess was already in bed 

When the three entered her bedroom, 

The knights helped their lord to undress 

And climb into bed with the Lady Igerne, 

And then departed. That night she became pregnant 

With a son, who was afterwards called 

The good King Arthur. 

The king enjoyed great joy and love all night from Igerne, 

For she embraced him and met him with warm kindness 

As she embraced her faithful husband.

At daybreak Merlin and Ulsius, 

Who had already risen, 

Heard the rumour in the city that the duke 

Had been slain and his seneschals captured. 

So they ran straight to their master's bedroom 

And shouted, Duke, get up 

And go to your other castle, 

For news has come that your people 

Believe you to be dead. 

Her lord rose at once, took tender leave 

Of the Lady Igerne, entrusted her 

To the protection of God, 

Kissed her and rode off with the two companions. 

No one in the castle knew that the Duke 

Had spent the night with his wife, 

Except her chambermaids and the gatekeepers.

When they had happily come out again, 

Rejoiced at the successful plot, 

And talked merrily, Merlin began 

And said to the king, I have, I think, 

Kept my word to thee, now think thou also 

To keep thine oath. - Thou hast given me, 

Answered the king, more joy 

And done a far greater service than ever man 

Did to another, and I am ready to keep thee 

My promise; now declare what thou askest. - 

Know, said Merlin, that Igerne hath this night 

Conceived with a child of the male sex; 

This child I demand of thee.

The king was horrified, 

But could not go back on his word. 

I have taken an oath, said he, 

To give thee what thou wouldst require; 

Let it therefore be given thee at thy pleasure.

CANTO XXVI

Then all three of them washed in a river, 

Where they had to cross, 

And regained their natural shape. 

When they reached the camp, 

They all came to meet them with the news 

That the duke had been slain. 

The king was much grieved at this news, 

For he had not sought his death. 

And how did this happen? he asked his people. 

Now he heard that the duke, 

Noticing that the king was not in camp, 

Had quietly armed his men in the night, 

And had made a charge upon the besiegers. 

The latter, awakened by the noise, 

Quickly armed themselves 

And drove them back into their castle; 

But when they tried to force their way 

Into the gate with them, the duke 

Was overpowered and killed by the infantry, 

Who did not know him. Those in the castle 

Did not defend themselves any longer 

When they learned of the death of their lord, 

But immediately surrendered with the castle.

The king summoned his councillors 

And laid the matter before them, 

That they might advise him 

How to make satisfaction for the duke's death, 

For he was greatly grieved at this accident. 

He had not hated the duke, 

And had not desired his death; 

Therefore, said he, I will sufficiently 

Make satisfaction to his relations, 

As you shall advise me.

Ulsius sat with them in the king's council, 

And as the councillors demanded 

That he should speak first, he said to them, 

He who would advise the king 

And the realm for the best, let him demand 

That the king should tell the friends 

And kinsmen of the Duchess Igerne 

How they are all to assemble at Tintayol, 

There to deliberate on their matter, 

And then all together to go to Cardueil, 

Where the king would give them satisfaction 

And make peace with them.

While Ulsius was saying this 

To the king's counsellors, and they 

Understood his opinion, and relied upon him, 

Because he was the king's most intimate friend, 

And must well know what was most agreeable 

To the king to hear, they also promised Ulsius 

Not to tell the king that this counsel 

Came from him alone, but that they all 

Resolved such things.

Merlin came into the king's tent 

And said to him, Ulsius speaketh and thinketh well 

Wnd wisely concerning thy matter, 

Also he is faithful unto thee; 

Thou mayest therefore safely trust him, 

And do exactly all that he shall ask of thee; 

For it is for thy good what he shall ask, 

And all shall stand well by his counsel. 

Follow, therefore, the faithful 

And understanding Ulsius, 

I must now part from thee; 

When Igerne, to whom thou shalt now betroth thyself, 

Hath born the babe with which she hath been 

Pregnant by thee, then will I come again 

And fetch it, for thou knowest it is mine 

According to thy oath. Nor will I speak 

To thee then, but only to Ulsius, 

To whom I will tell in what manner 

He must deliver me the child. 

The king was extremely grieved 

That Merlin wished to go from him, 

But he was glad again when Merlin 

Gave him the assurance 

That he could rely on Ulsius; 

And that Igerne was to be his wife 

Filled his heart with great delight.

Beware, however, added Merlin, 

By the life of the lady Igerne, 

That you never discover to her the secret, 

How the child she bears under her heart 

Is not of her husband the duke, but of you, 

And that you slept with her 

Before she was married to you; 

For she is of great virtue and piety, 

And if you should thus shame her, 

You might well lose her love. 

He then took leave of the king 

And went to Master Blasius, 

Where he had him write down 

Everything as we read it here.

CANTO XXVII

The king's ambassadors came to Tintayol, 

Where they found Dame Igerne 

And all her relatives and friends assembled. 

They greeted the Duchess 

When they were let before her, 

And presented to her that the Duke 

Had been slain by his own fault 

And by his insult done to the King. 

The king, they said, is greatly grieved by his death, 

And bids you make peace with him 

According to your own desire. 

He is quite willing to give you 

And your friends and the duke's kinsmen 

Any satisfaction you may together 

Desire of him. - We will, answered the lady 

And her kinsmen to the ambassadors, 

We will confer about it.

After they had pondered and consulted 

Among themselves, they told the Lady Igerne 

That their opinion was that peace 

Should be made with the King. 

Since the duke was killed by his own fault, 

They said, the king cannot help it, 

Also is he very sorry; let us also consider 

That we are but weak against him, 

And will not be able to defend ourselves 

Well against him. So we think 

We will listen to the proposals he lets us make; 

They may be such as we cannot refuse, 

And so one must choose the least of two evils. 

The lady gave her friends authority 

To do anything they pleased; 

She would consent to anything 

They might decide among themselves.

The ambassadors were again called before her 

And asked what satisfaction 

The king intended to give them. 

We know no further of the king's will, 

They answered, than that he has resolved 

To proceed in this matter entirely 

According to the will of his barons 

And his councillors. - Thereupon they agreed 

That after fifteen days the Duchess 

Would go to Cardueil with all her relatives 

And friends, for which purpose 

The King must send them a safe escort; 

That also, if his offers of satisfaction 

Were not agreeable to the Duchess 

And her party, the King must send them 

All back to Tintayol at his own expense. 

After this arrangement, the ambassadors 

Recommended themselves to the lady, 

As well as to the rest, and rode back 

To the king in Cardueil. He was very eager 

To hear what answer they would bring him 

From the lady, and full of joy 

When he heard how they intended 

To come to Cardueil.

After a fortnight he sent a safe escort 

To meet the Lady Igerne, 

Who arrived at Cardueil in deep mourning, 

As did her friends and relatives. 

Immediately the king sent his councillors 

To her assembly, and they were asked by them 

In the king's name what satisfaction 

They demanded for the duke's death. 

The counsellors of the lady answered, 

The duchess has not come here to demand, 

But to hear what the king is willing to do for her. 

The king thought the lady's counsellors 

Were very understanding men, 

Because of this answer. Ulsius now went 

Into the assembly of barons and lords 

To confer with them, because the king 

Had given them all authority to do 

And advise what seemed best 

To them according to their wisdom, 

And most advisable for the good 

Of the realm and its subjects. I go, 

Said Ulsius to the king, as he took leave of him, 

To do what you command me; but remember, 

My king, that a prince cannot treat his people 

Well enough, nor humble himself enough before them.

Ulsius and the other councillors immediately 

Went to Dame Igerne, introduced themselves to her 

As those to whom the king had given authority 

To dispense justice in this matter, 

And asked her if she was satisfied with this 

And would submit to their verdict. 

Dame Igerne answered them, 

The king could offer her nothing greater 

Than that he would have his barons judge for him; 

Whereupon the king's departed again, 

And assembled specially to finish the matter.

After consulting among themselves 

What was best to be done, they all 

Summoned Ulsius to speak his mind first. 

You know well, began Ulsius, that the duke 

Perished through the king's fault, 

And that he did not deserve to die; 

His wife's children remained a burden, 

And the king devastated her country by war. 

The duke's relatives and friends have also 

Lost a great deal through his death; 

It is therefore fair and right 

That they should be reimbursed 

According to their dignities 

For what they have lost, 

So that the king may remain certain 

Of their loyalty and love. 

On the other hand, the king is unmarried, 

And it is time that he chose a wife; 

Since, as you know, Dame Igerne 

Is one of the most virtuous women in the world, 

I think the king could not give a more fitting 

Satisfaction than by choosing her as his wife. 

Methinks this would be a great boon 

To the whole country as well as to you, 

And every one will find this kind 

Of satisfaction praiseworthy. 

I also advise that he give the Duke's 

Eldest daughter to the King of Orcania, 

Who is here present, as his wife; 

And so do to all the rest that they love 

And honour him for their gracious 

And magnanimous King.

The story goes that when Ulsius had thus 

Spoken his mind, he called upon 

The other councillors to speak theirs likewise. 

Ulsius, they answered him altogether, 

You have given the best advice, 

And the very loftiest that ever man dared to think; 

If you repeat the same, as you now did before us, 

Before the king, and we see that he consents, 

We will gladly consent also. - That is not enough,

Said Ulsius, you must yet give your consent to it 

Before the king; here presently is 

King Loth of Orcania, on whom the peace 

Now partly depends, he may first give his opinion. 

And the King of Orcania answered, 

I would not for the world 

That the peace should fail for my sake.

When the others heard this, they all agreed 

With Ulius' opinion, and all went to the king, 

Where Dame Igerne and hers were also present. 

The whole assembly sat down, except Ulsius, 

Who stood before them and recited 

The advice of the barons and princes, 

And then asked the king if he agreed 

With the advice of these men. 

I assent to it, answered the king, if Dame Igerne 

And her party consent otherwise, 

And if King Loth of Orcania will marry 

Dhe duke's eldest daughter. - Sire, said King Loth, 

There is nothing I am not resolved 

To do for love of you, and for the sake of peace. 

Ulsius now turned to the lady's party 

And asked them how they were satisfied, 

And whether they wished 

To make peace on these terms.

When he thus addressed them, expecting 

That he who had been commissioned 

To speak in the name of the Duchess 

Would now answer, they all began to weep 

With great emotion, so that tears 

As big as peas fell from their eyes; 

So too did he who had been commissioned to speak 

Weep with joy and emotion, 

So that he could not utter a word. 

At last he said, No, I never heard such speeches, 

Nor saw such honourable satisfaction 

As that which the king now gives 

To one of his lieges! and then asked the lady 

And the rest of the relatives 

If they were satisfied with these conditions. 

Dame Igerne wept, but could not speak; 

The others spoke for her, and were unanimous 

In the opinion that they could not ask 

For a more honourable satisfaction, 

Nor make a more beautiful peace.

Two days later, the marriage of the king 

To Igerne was celebrated, 

And at the same time that of King Loth of Orcania 

To the duke's eldest daughter. 

Dame Igerne had another daughter, 

Called Morgante, who was sent to a convent 

To be educated there. She attained so far 

In all sciences that it was a miracle; 

She also understood astronomy 

To such a high degree 

That no one was allowed to be seen 

Beside her in this art; she was afterwards 

Called Morgante, the Fairy. 

The other daughter, who was married 

To the King of Orcania, gave birth to three sons, 

All three of them very brave knights, 

Who later sat at the Round Table. 

The other children of the duchess 

Were also well cared for by the king, 

And he loved their friends and relatives 

And held them in high esteem.

CANTO XXVIII

On the day when the king married 

The beautiful Igerne, 

It was just twenty days since he had slept with her 

In the guise of the duke 

And she had become pregnant by him. 

The wedding was celebrated very happily 

And in great splendour; 

The festivities lasted for fifteen days, 

Where everyone who came was entertained 

In the most splendid manner. 

The king was full of joy 

At having attained what he so longed for, 

And for a long time he wanted to hear of nothing 

But celebrations and displays of joy. 

One night, as he lay with his wife, 

And she was heavily pregnant, 

He asked her by whom she was pregnant, 

For he did not believe that it could be his, 

Nor could it be the Duke's, 

Since he had not been with her 

For a long time before his death.

Queen Igerne began to weep 

When she heard these words of the king, 

And said with many tears, My king, 

I cannot in any way tell you an untruth; 

It is only too true that I cannot be pregnant by you, 

But for God's mercy have mercy on me! 

What I want to tell you is very wonderful, 

But it is no less the truth for that; 

I therefore beg you to promise me 

Before I speak that you will not repudiate me, 

Nor will you reproach me. - 

You may freely tell me all, answered the king, 

For I promise you, whatever it may be, 

I will not change my conduct 

Towards you on that account.

Then Igerne was reassured, and told the king faithfully 

All that had happened to her that night, 

When she had thought to see the duke her husband 

With his two trusted knights, how she had then 

Spent the night with her supposed husband, 

But the next day, when he had already 

Parted from her again, had received the news 

That he had perished on the battlefield 

The night before, instead of being with her; 

And so, she added, I do not know to whom 

The child belongs. - Sweet friend, 

Answered the king hereupon, I beseech you 

Give this child to him that shall come to fetch it, 

Or to whom I may give it, 

That we may never hear of him spoken of. - 

Sire, replied Igerne, with me, as with all that is mine, 

Do as you please.

The next morning the king told Ulsius 

What had been said between him 

And his wife during the night. 

Now you may be sure, said Ulsius, that the queen 

Is a very pious, wise, and faithful lady, 

Because she told you no untruth 

In this matter of such importance, 

But dared to speak quite the truth.

After six months Merlin came to Ulsius, 

Showed him his satisfaction 

With all that had happened; 

Then sent him to the king, who came at once, 

And was very glad to see Merlin again. 

Then Merlin said to the king, Not far from here 

Lives a noble gentleman, named Anthor, 

Whose wife is the most sensible 

And God-fearing woman in the whole country; 

She is of irreproachable manners, 

Very well instructed in all good things 

And of excellent disposition. 

This woman has recently come to live with a son, 

But the honest Anthor is not one of the richest. 

I advise you to send to him, call him to you, 

And give him money and goods sufficient 

For him to live decently; but ask him afterwards 

To bring up a child which would be brought to him 

At his wife's breast, and let him feed on her milk; 

Then let him take a sacred oath 

That he will keep this sure, 

To give his son to another to bring up, 

And in his stead to bring up and keep the son 

Which would be brought to him as his own. - 

I will, said the king, perform everything punctually 

As you have prescribed.

Merlin went back to Master Blasius, 

And the king summoned the good Anthor to him. 

Anthor came at once, and was not a little surprised 

When the king received him with special kindness 

And showed him much honour, 

But could not understand why this should happen. 

My friend, began the king, I will discover 

A secret to you, but beware for your life 

That you tell no one; you are my subject 

And my liegeman; you owe it therefore to God 

And to me to keep my secret firmly, 

And to help me to carry out what I shall tell you. - 

Sire, answered Anthor, you can command me 

Nothing that I am not willing to do with pleasure; 

but should I be unable to do it, 

Your secret is at all events safely kept with me.

Hear, then, my friend, what a vision

Appeared to me the other day as I slept. 

I saw a man before me who told me that you, 

Anthor, were one of the most upright 

And honourable men in the world; you, 

He continued, have produced a child, 

Whom your wife is at this hour 

Feeding with her milk. This man bade me 

Tell you that for my sake you will give this child 

Of yours to another to feed and bring up, 

And in return you will let your wife 

Drink a child at her breast, 

Which a strange man will deliver to you, 

And that you will bring up 

And keep this strange child as your own. - 

Sire, resumed Anthor, it is a great thing 

That you ask of me, that I should give my own child 

To suckle to a strange woman, 

And adopt a strange one for it; 

Yet, as for me, I will obey you, 

In case it please my wife; 

But I promise you that I will entreat her 

To consent to it. Tell me now, my king, 

If the child be yet born, 

And when I am to receive it. - I know not, 

Answered the king; but he gave him 

A great sum of gold, and many riches and goods, 

Whereat the honest Anthor was much pleased. 

Then he went home to his wife 

And told her what had happened 

Between him and the king, 

But it seemed very strange to her.

How can I, she said, give away my own child 

To nurse another's? - There is nothing, said Anthor, 

That we do not owe to our sovereign. 

Thou seest that he hath already given me much, 

And hath promised to do still more, 

So that we shall never have to fear poverty; 

We must therefore also do all that he requires of us. 

My will, if it please thee, is 

That thou shouldst nurse and bring up the child 

That is brought to us, like ours. - 

I belong to you, said the woman, and my child 

Also belongs to you; do to us as you please. 

The brave Anthor was very pleased 

With his wife's answer.

CANTO XXIX

The day before the queen's birth 

Merlin came to Ulsius and said, I am pleased 

With the arrangements the king has made. 

Go, tell him to prepare the queen, 

She would be delivered tomorrow after midnight; 

And how immediately after her delivery 

She must give the child to the man 

Whom she would see going out of her room. 

Ulsius asked him if he would not speak 

To the king himself, but he said, No, not at this hour.

Ulsius ordered the king to do all 

That Merlin bade him do, 

And the king went straightway to the queen. 

Tomorrow after midnight, he told her, 

Thou shalt be delivered; but I beseech thee, 

And expressly require it, that immediately 

After the birth thou shalt give the child 

To thy most trusted chambermaid, 

With express orders to give it to the man 

Who will demand it from her 

As she goes out of the room. 

You must also forbid all those who will be present 

At the birth, on their lives, to tell anyone 

That you have come down, because 

Many might believe that the child is not mine; 

Nor can it in truth be mine. - I told you, 

Replied the queen, that I do not know 

Who is the father of this child; I will do with him 

As you ask. - But she was so ashamed 

That she could not look at the king, 

But cast down her eyes.

At the appointed hour she came down, 

And was greatly astonished that the king 

Had foretold the hour of her delivery. 

Everything happened as the king had ordered. 

My dear friend, she said to the chambermaid, 

Take the child and give it to the man 

Who will demand it of you at the door of the room; 

But be very careful who that man is.

The chambermaid wrapped the child 

In rich swaddling clothes and carried it out; 

When she opened the door, a very old, feeble man 

Came to meet her. What are you waiting for here? 

She asked. For what you bring, replied the old man. - 

Who are you? what shall I tell my mistress 

To whom I have given it? - Do not worry about it, 

Do what you are ordered to do and what you must do. 

Then she handed him the child, he took it, 

And at the same moment he disappeared with it, 

So that the chambermaid did not know 

Where he had gone. When she came back 

Into the queen's room and told her 

How she had had to give the child 

To a strange, very old man, 

Who had disappeared with it the moment 

He received it, the queen began to weep bitterly.

The old man went out with the child 

To take it to the pious Anthor, 

But met him in the alley 

Just as he was about to go to mass. 

Anthor, he said to him, I have brought you a child, 

Which you are to bring up and feed like your own. 

If you do this faithfully, the good 

That will come to you and yours 

Will be immeasurable and hardly believable to you. 

The King, as well as every noble man and woman, 

Ask you to keep it good. I, too, ask you to do so; 

My request must be as much to you 

As that of the richest man. - Anthor took the child, 

Looked at it, and found it well-built 

And of great beauty. Is it baptised? 

He asked the old man. No, said the old man, 

You may have it baptised at once in the church 

Where you intended to go to mass. - 

What name shall I give it? - Call it Arthur. 

You will soon realise what a great good 

You are getting with him, for you and your wife, 

You will love this boy very much 

And will not know him from your own. 

And hereby commended to God.

They parted from each other; 

Anthor had the child baptised, 

Gave it the name Arthur, 

And afterwards brought it to his wife, 

Who welcomed it kindly, kissed it, 

Put it to her breast and watered it with her milk, 

While she gave her own son to feed 

To a strange woman whom she had previously adopted.

CANTO XXX

After Uterpendragon had ruled his kingdom 

In peace for a long time, 

He fell into a serious illness; 

For he had gout in his hands, 

So that he could not use them. 

The pagans invaded his kingdom again 

And devastated it during his illness; 

The princes and barons went into battle 

Against them on various occasions, 

But were always defeated, while the pagans 

Became more and more powerful in the land. 

Merlin came to Uterpendragon and told him 

That with his help he would drive out 

The enemies again, but that he would not live 

Long afterwards; Queen Igerne 

Had already died before. 

Merlin therefore advised him, 

As soon as he was victorious, 

To distribute all his treasures and riches 

Among the poor; he should do as much good 

As possible during his lifetime, 

Because he would have to leave the kingdom 

Without heirs. The king asked him 

About the child he had given him. 

You have no care for him, he replied, 

But I may tell you that he is handsome, 

Tall and well-bred. When Merlin then took leave 

Of the king, reminding him once more 

That he had not long to live, the king asked him, 

Weeping: Ah woe, Merlin, shall I never see thee again? - 

Once more shalt thou see me, replied Merlin, 

But no more often.

Uterpendragon gathered his army, 

Had himself carried before him in a litter, 

And gave the orders to attack with such sagacity 

And with such great courage 

That he thereby raised the courage of the army 

And of the other leaders, defeated the enemies, 

And drove them completely out of the country. 

He then returned to London, 

And distributed all his treasures, 

All that he possessed, between the poor 

And the churches, so that he now more than ever 

Won the love of all the people; but afterwards 

Fell again into his sickness, 

So that the physicians gave up his life. 

When he was now worse and worse, 

And at last lost his speech, 

So that in three days he did not speak a single word, 

Merlin arrived again in London. 

The lords of the court and the people, 

When they saw him coming, 

Went to meet him weeping, and crying, 

Our king is dead! - He is not yet dead, 

Answered Merlin; lead me to him, 

You shall hear him speak once more.

When he was led into the room 

Where the king lay ill on his bed, 

Merlin had all the windows opened and came in. 

The courtiers approached the king 

And said to him, Here is Merlin, 

Whom the king loved at all times. 

Then the king turned to him, 

And straightway recognised him, 

And it was perceived by his countenance 

How glad he was to see him. 

Merlin bowed and said softly in his ear, 

Know that your son Arthur will be king after you, 

And will make complete the Round Table 

Which you have founded! 

Then the king raised his voice, Tell him to pray 

For me to Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Now Merlin turned to those around and said, 

These were the king's last words; 

No one will hear him speak any more.

Then Merlin departed, 

And the others were left in amazement, 

Both at the fact that the king was still talking to him, 

And at the words he spoke, 

Of which they could not find the meaning, 

For they had not heard what Merlin spoke 

In the king's ear. The same night 

Uterpendragon died, and the kingdom was left 

Without a successor. The lords and barons 

Gathered to elect a king from among themselves, 

But they could not agree. At last 

They decided to ask Merlin, 

The wisest of men, for advice.

Merlin was called into the council 

And the question was put to him 

In the name of all the princes 

As to whom they should choose as king 

In place of Uterpendragon. Then Merlin stood up 

And said, I have always loved this kingdom, 

As well as its inhabitants; so if you will follow 

My opinion, let it depend on God's decree 

Who shall be king.

All cried in unison, Say what we shall do; 

We believe thee, and will do all 

That thou thinkest right. - Fourteen days it is, 

Began Merlin, since the king died, 

It was on St. Martin's Day; 

Wait yet till Christmas night, which is not far off. 

Our Saviour, the King of kings, 

Was born on that day. I am sure of you all, 

That if you spend this day in devout prayer 

To our Lord, he will give you a sign 

According to which you may choose a king. 

All of you, princes and people, 

And you bishops and clergy, pray to him 

That he may enlighten you 

And make his will known to you by a sign 

And show you the one who will be found worthy 

To rule this kingdom. I tell you in truth, 

If you pray to him with fervour and true devotion, 

The sign will appear to you 

By which you shall know the king, 

And so you will then be sure to have chosen 

According to the will of God our Lord. 

The whole assembly was well satisfied 

With this advice of Merlin, 

And it was unanimously resolved to act accordingly. 

Merlin now took leave of the princes. 

When they asked him to come back at Christmas 

To see if everything was happening 

As he had advised them, he said 

He would not return until everything was complete, 

And left the council to go to his master Blasius 

And tell him what had happened, 

Which is how we now know it. 

The barons, for their part, summoned 

All the princes, lords and knights of the land 

To London at Christmas, to unite in prayer, 

And to see by what miracle God would choose 

One of them to be king. So it came to pass, 

And there was not one who did not present himself 

In London at Christmas. The good knight Anthor 

Also came, together with his foster-son Arthur, 

Who was a boy of wonderful beauty, 

And in all things very good and well-bred; 

Anthor also brought his own son with him 

To London; he was a year older than Arthur, 

And became a knight on All Saints' Day. 

Anthor, however, did not love his own son 

More than the foster son.

On the eve of Christmas, 

All the princes and knights and many of the people 

Gathered in the church, prayed 

And listened to the midnight mass with great devotion; 

But when the midnight mass was over 

And no sign was yet to be seen, 

Many began to doubt and thought 

That they were right fools to wait for such a sign. 

Then a very learned spiritual gentleman 

Ascended the pulpit and gave them 

An excellent sermon, in which he rebuked them 

For their unbelief and impatience 

And exhorted them not to let their zeal in prayer slacken 

And to trust firmly in God; 

He also reminded them of their duty, 

That they were not gathered together 

In the church at this present hour 

For the sole purpose of choosing a king 

From among themselves, but also 

For the salvation of their souls, 

And to pray to the King of kings, 

Who was born to them this night. 

The sermon was so powerful and excellent 

That the princes, moved by it, 

Renewed their devotion and waited in fervent prayer 

For the early mass. But when this too had been heard 

And the bright day began to shine into the church, 

Many of them went out; and behold, 

In the square before the church door 

Rose three broad steps of a strange peculiar stone, 

Some said it was marble. An iron anvil 

Stood at the top of the steps, and in this anvil 

Was fixed a sword, so that it stood upright on the anvil.

Those who had come out of the church ran back, 

Astonished and frightened, and announced 

The miracle to Archbishop Brice, 

Who was saying mass. When he had finished, 

He went out and all the people and princes followed him; 

The archbishop went up the steps, 

Looked at the sword and read aloud to the people 

The inscription which was engraved on both sides 

Of the sword in gold letters. It read, 

He among you who draws this sword from the anvil 

Shall be king of this land 

By the admonition of Jesus Christ.

All the people were astonished at this miraculous sign; 

The raised anvil and the sword were handed over 

To ten brave men of understanding to guard; 

Five of them were secular, but five were spiritual. 

Then they all went back into the church 

And sang prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord 

For this sign which he had graciously sent them, 

And solemnly sang a Te Deum. 

Afterwards the experiments with the sword began; 

First came the princes, the barons, 

All the great lords and knights, 

Each tried to pull the sword out of the anvil, 

But none was able to do it. 

The archbishop gave orders to the ten men 

Who guarded the sword to let anyone approach 

Who wanted to make the attempt, 

Regardless of his rank; but if anyone should pull it out, 

They would have to be careful 

Who it was in order to recognise him. 

During the eight days until New Year's Day, 

Everyone in the whole country tried, 

For they came from far and wide to make the attempt; 

But no one could pull the sword out of the anvil, 

Although many hundreds of the bravest knights tried.

CANTO XXXI

On New Year's Day, after the meal, 

The lords and barons held fine jousting and races 

In a beautiful square outside the town. 

When the knights and the other people 

In the town heard this, everyone got ready 

To go out too to be at the games. 

When the men who were guarding the sword 

Saw that everyone in the town was running out, 

They went with them, thus leaving the sword unguarded. 

The good knight Anthor was just outside the city 

When the games began, with his son, 

Who had become a knight on All Saints' Day 

And was called Lreux; with Arthur, his foster son, 

Who believed as everyone did 

That he was Lreux's real brother, 

And also loved and honoured him as his elder brother. 

When the games began, Lreux ordered his brother Arthur 

To hurry home and fetch his sword, 

Which he had left there. Arthur rode off in haste 

To carry out his brother's order, 

But when he arrived at the inn 

Where they were staying, he found everything locked 

And no one to open the door, 

Because all the household had also gone out 

To watch the games. Arthur rode back quickly, 

Full of annoyance and weeping with anger, 

And when he crossed the square in front of the church 

And looked around everywhere to see 

If he could spot anyone from the house, 

He saw the anvil on the marble steps; 

He had never heard of this miracle 

And now saw it for the first time. 

Full of joy, he saw the sword on it, 

Which no one was guarding, rode out on it, 

Pulled it out of the anvil with such ease 

As if it had not been fastened at all, 

And rode out to Lreux as fast as his horse would run, 

Gave him the sword, and told him why 

He did not bring him his own, and where he had got it.

Lreux immediately recognised the sword, 

Hurriedly sought his father, the knight Anthor, 

Showed it to him, and said, I am to be king, 

I have drawn out the sword. 

Knight Anthor was most astonished, 

But did not believe his son; 

You lie, he cried, come with me at once to the anvil. 

He rode thither with him, 

Arthur and the servants accompanying them. 

When they came to the square, 

And the knight saw that the sword 

Was really no longer in the anvil, 

He turned to the Lreux, Beloved son, said he, 

I beseech thee, speak the truth, 

How comest thou to this sword? 

Never could I love thee as my son 

If thou wouldst lie to me, 

And I shall know very well whether 

What thou speakest is truth or not.

Lreux was ashamed to hear his father speak thus, 

And said, My father, I lie not; 

My brother Arthur brought me this sword 

Instead of mine, but I know not how he came by it. - 

Give it me, said Anthor; thou hast no right to it, 

But he from whom thou hast received it. 

Lreux gave him the sword, 

And as Anthor looked round, 

He saw Arthur afar off among the servants, 

And called him hither. Dear son, he said to him, 

Take this sword and put it back where you took it from. 

Arthur did so immediately, 

And it was as firmly fixed in the anvil as before, 

So that no one was able to pull it out except Arthur.

Then the old man went into the church 

With the two sons; here he said to Lreux, 

I knew well that you could not have drawn the sword 

From the anvil; but Arthur he took in his arms 

And said to him, Dear, beloved lord, 

If I were to help you to become king, 

What favour would you show me? - 

How could I, replied Arthur, acquire this estate, 

Or any other, over which you would not have charge 

As my lord and father? - I am only your foster-father, 

But I know not your father, who begat you. 

When Arthur heard this, he was almost beside himself 

With grief and sadness, for he had loved 

And honoured Anthor as his father, 

And it was very painful and extremely sad for him 

Not to have a father. All disconsolate he cried out, 

O my God, what good is this estate 

Or any other to me, since I have no father! - 

You must have had a father, said Anthor, 

But now, dear Sir, tell me what favour 

You will assure me, in case this great estate 

Is destined for you by the Lord, 

And I help you to it. - Oh, anything you will, 

Cried Arthur, weeping.

Now Anthor told him all that he had done for him, 

How his wife had given her own son 

To strangers to bring up, 

And how she had adopted him in her son's stead, 

And watered him with her milk, 

And how in this way he owed him, 

As well as his wife and his son Lreux, 

The greatest gratitude, for never was a child brought up 

With more love than he was by them all. 

Father, replied Arthur, keep me as your son hence, 

Though I be not your child, 

For how shall I take a step, or the grace 

Which God may bestow upon me, 

And which you will help me to obtain, 

How shall I prove worthy of it 

Without your counsel and fatherly assistance; 

Be sure, then, that I am ready to do all 

That you shall command me. - Now then, I beseech you, 

Resumed Anthor, when you shall be king, 

Make my son Lreux your seneschal, 

And in such a manner that he can never lose 

His seneschalship as long as he lives, 

Even if he should be guilty of any crime 

Against your person or against any other 

In your kingdom. If he should be a traitor, 

Or speak evil, I beseech you, suffer a little of him; 

For to bring you up better, the mother 

Gave him into strange hands, 

So that he is quite degenerate thereby, 

So you must also put up with more from him 

Than from any other; I beseech you, therefore, 

Grant me this request. - Now when Arthur assured him 

Of the grant, Anthor took him by the hand 

And led him to the altar, 

Before the image of the holy glorious Virgin Mary, 

And here he made him swear upon the holy relics 

That he would keep his promise against Lreux. 

After this they went out of the church, 

Where they met the princes, barons, and knights, 

Who were returning from the games, 

And now wished to go to vespers. 

Anthor called those among them who were his friends, 

And went with them and his sons to the archbishop, 

And said, Lord archbishop, my son here, 

Who is not yet a knight, requires to try the sword, 

And asks your permission to do so.

The archbishop immediately went out 

With all those present, and they stood round the steps. 

My son, said Anthor, go up, take the sword, 

And bring it to the Lord Archbishop. 

Arthur did without delay as his father commanded him, 

Climbed the steps bravely, drew the sword from the anvil 

Without any effort, and handed it to the Archbishop; 

He embraced the lad, and sang Te Deum Laudamus 

In a loud voice. The princes and the lords went back 

Into the church with Arthur. One of them said to the other, 

How can it be that such a boy will become our king 

And rule over us? When the archbishop heard 

These speeches, he was enraged; 

He and Anthor were on Arthur's side; 

Nut the barons and also the people were against Arthur.

Then the archbishop spoke the bold word, 

And if the whole world were against this choice, 

And the Lord God has decreed it, he shall be king! 

Go, Arthur, he continued, put the sword 

Where you took it. Arthur obeyed, 

And the sword was as firm as before. 

Now go, the Archbishop began again, 

You princes, you dukes, you rich and powerful, 

Now go and see if there is one among you 

Who will pull it out. - They all tried again, 

One after the other, but none of them succeeded. 

Ye fools, cried the archbishop, will ye contend 

Against the will of God? - We will not, said the princes, 

But should it not grieve us and hurt us 

That such a fellow should rule over us? - 

He who chose him, said the Archbishop, 

Knows him better than you know him. - 

We beseech you, Lord Archbishop, said the princes, 

Let the sword remain in place until Candlemas, 

That others may make the attempt.

This was granted them, 

And now princes, dukes, nobles and knights 

Came from all lands, and from far and wide, 

Every day new ones came, went to the anvil, 

Drew the sword with all their strength; 

But none of them could pull it out. 

On the day of the Mass of Light all assembled again; 

Then Arthur, at the command of the Archbishop, 

Ascended the steps, drew the sword with ease 

From the anvil, and presented it to the Archbishop; 

Who, as well as all the clergy present, 

Wept for joy and melancholy 

When they saw this miracle.

Is there any among you, cried the archbishop, 

Who doubts the divine election? - 

Nevertheless, Archbishop, said the princes, 

Let it wait until Easter, 

And if there is no one able to do it before then, 

We will be subject to him. - Will you, 

Asked the Archbishop, gladly be obedient 

If I wait until Easter? - Yes, Archbishop, we will. - 

Now then, go, Arthur, put the sword back in its place; 

If it please God, it will yet remain yours. 

Arthur obeyed, the sword stuck fast again as before, 

And ten men guarded it.

On the feast of Easter, after mass, 

Arthur was led up the steps, 

Where he again drew the sword from the anvil. 

Then the princes arose and saluted him as their lord; 

But asked him that he might once more 

Put the sword on the anvil, 

And first speak a little to them. 

Very willingly, answered Arthur politely, 

As anything that pleases you I do. 

Thereupon they went all together into the church 

To converse with Arthur, and to put him to the test; 

For the archbishop had before made much praise 

To the princes of Arthur's understanding 

And good decency; so now they wished 

To test whether it was so.

Sire, they said to him, we now see that it is God's will 

That you should reign over us; 

What God wills must be done; 

We therefore recognise you as our king and lord 

And now wish to receive from you our fiefs and gifts; 

But we ask you most obediently 

To leave your coronation until the feast of Pentecost, 

You shall nevertheless remain our king and lord. 

Of this now tell us your opinion, 

Whether you are so content? 

King Arthur replied on the spot, 

That I should grant you gifts and fiefs 

Cannot happen until I first receive mine, 

I cannot grant anyone what I do not possess myself; 

So I cannot be called and considered your king 

Until I have been anointed and crowned king 

And the kingdom has been handed over to me. 

But the respite which you ask of me I gladly give you; 

For I am far from asking for the coronation 

Or the kingdom, nor pursuing it, 

Unless it be God's will and yours.

The princes were well pleased with his answer, 

And all who were present said, This lad, 

If he remained alive, would become very understanding. 

Then the princes turned again on Arthur, and said, 

Sire, methinks it good that you should not be crowned 

With the royal crown until the feast of Pentecost; 

But until then we will obey you 

By the archbishop's command.

When this had been decided, and the princes at last 

Resolved to regard Arthur as their king, 

Every one brought him rich gifts; 

Some brought costly armour, others excellent steeds, 

Still others golden necklaces and precious gems; 

And so every one brought him what they thought 

Arthur would desire. Arthur received these gifts 

Very honourably, and was very obliging to them 

In return, but distributed them all again 

Among those who were nearest to him, 

And whom he held in honour. 

To each he gave what must please him most, 

According to his rank, merit, office and temper. 

To the knights he gave horses and armour; 

To the vain he gave gold and silk; 

To the lovers he gave gold and silver 

To give to their beloved, 

And to the wise he gave what might please them; 

Just as he honoured the wise men 

Who came from foreign lands 

With that which was most esteemed in their country, 

So he spent much time in their company, 

And listened to their admonitions and their advice. 

Thus he gave away all that was given him, 

And won the love of all those who dealt with him. 

The lords and barons also said to one another, 

He must truly be of high birth, 

For there is no covetousness in him.

Since they could find no fault with him, 

No matter how many times they examined him, 

All the princes, great men, nobles and knights 

From all over England gathered in London 

On the day before the feast of Pentecost. 

Here every one tried once more to draw out the sword, 

But it was in vain. The Archbishop, 

Who had put everything in readiness 

For the coronation on the following day, 

Knighted Arthur at the request of all the princes, 

And he kept watch all night in the church 

By his weapons. The next morning 

The archbishop gave a fine speech to the princes 

And at the end of it asked if anyone 

Had any objection to this election 

And the coronation of the king, let him say so now. 

But all of them shouted unanimously 

That he should be crowned. 

Then they all knelt down before Arthur 

And begged his pardon for having been 

So against him at the beginning, 

And for having so often delayed his coronation; 

On their knees they begged him for mercy. 

Arthur also kneeled down against them, 

And cried, I forgive you, and so God forgive you! 

Then they arose, took Arthur, and carried him 

In their arms to where the royal garments lay, 

And clothed him therewith.

Then the archbishop said to Arthur 

That he must now go and fetch 

The sword of righteousness, 

Wherewith he should protect the church 

And Christendom as soon as it should be in need of him, 

For our Saviour, when he brought righteousness 

Upon earth, had put it in a sword. 

Then all of them, the archbishop, the whole clergy, 

Arthur, the princes, dukes, barons and the noble knights 

Went in procession to the anvil with the sword.

But before Arthur went up, the archbishop said 

He must first take the oath. All that you command, 

Replied Arthur. Swear, then, the Archbishop began again, 

By God the Almighty Creator, by the Virgin Mary, 

By St. Peter, and by all the saints, 

That you will be faithful to our holy Mother Church, 

Uphold her in all things, and assist her in distresses, 

Show her constant due reverence, and keep her peace; 

That Thou wilt protect and shield Thy people, 

And defend them against all; that Thou wilt, 

As long as Thou livest, keep faithfulness 

And probity to every one, as to all together; 

That Thou wilt interfere with no one in his right, 

And preserve peace and liberty; 

Also that Thou wilt, according to Thy power, 

Maintain justice, as is due to every one. 

When the young king heard this solemn address, 

He had to weep, and all the bystanders wept with him; 

Then he regained his composure 

And said in a composed voice, 

As truly as I believe in God, the Lord of heaven and earth, 

And the Father of us all, I swear 

That to the best of my ability I will do everything 

You put before me. - Now, then, take the sword! 

Said the Archbishop. Arthur knelt down, 

Seized the sword, drew it out with great ease, 

As the former times, and, followed by all 

Who were with him, carried it to the great altar 

In the church; here he laid it down. 

Now he was anointed 

And the royal crown was put on him, 

Observing all the usual customs. 

Now the archbishop said mass, 

And when they went out of the church 

They found neither the steps nor the anvil any more, 

At which all were in the greatest astonishment.

Thus Arthur became king in London, 

Where he lived in peace for a very long time, 

Until the princes revolted against him.

CANTO XXXII

The story goes that after a long time 

King Arthur once wanted to hold court. 

He summoned the lords and barons of the land, 

Who also arrived with great company. 

First came King Loth of Orcania, 

Which had the land of Leonnois, 

With five hundred knights, all in good armour 

And well mounted; then came King Urien 

Of the land of Gorre, a young knight 

Well skilled in arms, accompanied 

By four hundred knights of great worth. 

Then King Uter of Gallot, who had a sister 

Of King Arthur for his wife, 

With seven hundred knights; 

Then King Lrarados of Brebas, 

A very great and strong lord, 

He ruled Estrangegore, 

And was one of the knights of the Round Table. 

Then came the fair young King Aguiseaulx of Scotland, 

With five hundred knights; lastly King Idiers, 

With four hundred young knights, 

Valiant and well trained in arms.

King Arthur was most pleased to see 

Such an excellent and noble knighthood 

Assembled with him in London, 

And received them all with many honours 

And great festivity. Meanwhile King Arthur 

Had also become a very handsome lord 

And excellent knight, so that it was a pleasure 

To look at him, and he was very generous 

With his goods. He presented each of the princes 

And each knight with precious jewels 

And with all kinds of rich gifts, 

And with such noble liberal decency, 

As one who does not lack such treasures 

And who is accustomed to give them away. 

Some of the princes accepted the gifts with joy, 

And thought very well of their king because of them; 

But others were full of envy, 

And from that time the greatest and noblest 

Bore a deadly hatred against the king in their hearts. 

Is it not folly, they said among themselves, 

That we have left such power and the best kingdom 

To a fellow of such lowly birth, 

That he can gather such treasures 

And give them away with pride? 

Henceforth we will no longer admit it.

So they rejected the king's gifts 

And sent them back to him, telling him 

That he should know that they no longer regarded him 

As their king, that he should therefore leave his kingdom 

And the whole country as quickly as possible, 

And that he should be careful not to be seen there again, 

Or they would try to kill him in every way.

King Arthur was very angry at these threats, 

But as he did not expect anything good from them, 

He went away in silence and locked himself 

In a strong tower in the city of London, 

Where he hid himself for fifteen days, 

Because he already knew the treachery of the princes. 

Then Merlin arrived and showed himself publicly 

To all the people. When they recognised Merlin, 

Their joy was so great, and the demonstrations of joy 

And the tumult so loud around him, 

That one would probably not have heard the thunder, 

So much did they clamour. Merlin has come! 

Merlin is here! So they shouted to each other 

In all the streets. The princes also went to meet him, 

Paid him much homage, and led him into the palace, 

Into a hall, the windows of which looked out over the city 

On to an airy green meadow; through this meadow 

A beautiful bright river could be seen flowing, 

Which one could follow very far 

Until it surrounded the walls of the strong castle 

Of Clarion. Here the princes sat down with Merlin 

And called him to account, asking him 

What he thought of the new king 

Whom Archbishop Brice had crowned 

Without their permission and against their will, 

As well as against the will of the people.

He has done well, replied Merlin, 

You may know that he could not have chosen 

Another more skilful to do it. - How so, Merlin? 

Explain yourself; for methinks there are many 

Among us who, both by valour and birth, 

Would have deserved this honour more 

Than such a fellow, of whom it is not known who he is? - 

He is of higher birth than one of you, said Merlin, 

For he is neither Anthor's son nor Lreux's brother! - 

Merlin, you make us more and more confused; 

Who is he then? what are we to think? - 

Send for King Arthur, that he may appear here before us, 

And promise him safety; let his foster-father Anthor 

Also come at the same time, and Ulsius, 

King Uterpendragon's counsellor, 

With the archbishops Brice of London, 

In whose presence you shall hear who Arthur is, 

And your doubts shall be solved.

Immediately one was sent from among them 

To summon King Arthur in the name of Merlin 

And the assembled princes, so also the archbishop, 

And the other two. When they heard 

That Merlin was present, they were of good cheer, 

And went straightway; but Arthur put on a coat of mail 

Under his skirt, for he never trusted 

The treacherous princes. When they came 

Into the hall before the assembled lords, 

Where there was also a great multitude of people 

To hear the matter, they all sat down, 

But Merlin stood up, and told the whole course 

Of King Arthur's birth with all the circumstances 

And with great clearness, whereupon Ulsius 

And Anthor took the oath before the bishops 

That all had happened as Merlin told it. 

You see, Merlin continued, that King Uterpendragon, 

His father, did not want to declare him 

As his son and heir, out of great conscientiousness, 

Because he had handed over his son to me 

Even before he knew that he would produce him, 

So he did not want to break his oath in any way. 

But the Lord God, seeing his piety 

And the virtue of his wife Igerne, decided 

That for the sake of the parents the son 

Should nevertheless come to his rightful inheritance, 

And sent the miracle with the sword, 

So that you may all know how God himself chose him, 

And that he should be your king.

All the people wept for joy 

When they heard this marvellous story, 

And that Arthur was a son of the much beloved 

King Uterpendragon, and cursed in their hearts those 

Who began this destruction and would not 

That Arthur should be king.

But the princes declared aloud 

That they would not have a king 

That was not begotten in lawful wedlock, 

And thereupon uttered very foul speeches, 

Which I will not set down; among other things, 

They said he was a bastard, and a bastard 

They had no need to keep the peace, 

Or to let him reign in a realm like London. 

Thereupon they all went away in great wrath and fury; 

But the archbishops, the clergy, and all the people 

Were on Arthur's side. The knights armed themselves 

In their inns, and had peace recited to King Arthur. 

He went back to his strong tower 

And prepared to defend himself 

With as many men as he could get hold of. 

When his whole party was assembled, 

It was found that he had about seven thousand men, 

Counting the clergy. But he had only a very small number 

Of knights, about three hundred and fifty in number; 

The king gave them arms and horses, 

And they promised to remain faithful to him 

Even unto death, and to help him.

Merlin went to the princes, who were preparing 

To attack the king, and made representations to them 

On account of their wicked enterprise. 

But the princes mocked Merlin, 

Called him black artist, 

And bade him be silent. 

Merlin said that they would regret this behaviour 

Soon enough, went away from them 

And went to King Arthur in his strong castle.

Be not dismayed, Sire, said he, 

Thou must not fear thine enemies, 

For I will help thee against them; 

There is not one of them so bold 

That he should not wish to be at home, 

Though quite naked, before nightfall. 

Arthur thereupon besought him in very gentle 

And humble words that he would not leave him, 

And that he would love him as he loved 

His father Uterpendragon; that he would, 

Like the latter, obey him in all things, 

And do his will punctually. Be of good cheer, 

King Arthur, replied Merlin, you must fear nothing; 

But listen carefully to what I am about to tell you. 

As soon as you have got rid of these barons, 

Which should not take long at all, 

Do what I advise you to do here. 

As you know, after the death of your pious father, 

Whose soul is now with God, 

The knights of the Round Table, when they saw 

What deceit and falsehood had arisen here in the land, 

Departed from here and left the Table. 

Now you must know, there reigns a king 

Named Leodagan in Thamelide, 

His wife is dead, 

He is already fifty years old 

And has only one daughter, named Genevra, 

Who is the only heiress of his kingdom. 

This King Leodagan is engaged in a severe war 

Against Rion, King of the Giant Country 

And the Shepherd Country, which no one can inhabit, 

For there are such wonderful and strange things 

Going on there that no man can find rest 

Either by day or by night. King Rion is very powerful, 

Both in land and in bold, brave men; 

Yet he is a very cruel man. He has already conquered 

About twenty crowned kings 

And cruelly cut off their beards, 

From which he had a mantle made; 

One of his knights must always present 

This mantle to him at his court; 

Since something is still missing from this mantle, 

He has sworn not to rest until he has conquered 

Thirty kings and completed his mantle 

With their beards. Now he is making war 

On King Leodagan, and has already done 

Infinite harm to his country.

But you must know that when he has conquered 

His country, you will also lose yours against him; 

And if King Leodagan were not supported 

By the knights of the Round Table, 

Who have all gathered with him, 

He would already have lost his kingdom, 

For he is already old. So go to this King Leodagan 

And serve him for a time; he will give you 

His daughter Genevra in marriage, 

And you will become heir to his kingdom. 

His daughter is a young and very beautiful lady, 

And one of the most intelligent in the world. 

Do not worry about your country, 

Nothing will happen to it, for the barons 

Who now want to make war with you 

Will have so much to do that they cannot think 

Of making war on your country, 

Except that they will attack you in passing 

When you are on your way to the mainland; 

But even there they shall find no advantage. 

But before thou goest, provide thy capitals 

And strongholds with food, with men of war, 

And with all that is necessary for resistance. 

And charge the archbishop Brice 

That he excommunicate all those 

Who harm the country in any way 

Or are enemies, and that he begin 

This very evening to impose this excommunication 

On the princes and barons, and so the clergy 

Must repeat it in every city and in every place, 

Every day. You shall see that even 

The most insolent of your enemies 

Will be frightened by this and deterred from war. 

Also, I will be at your aid at all times 

And on all occasions, and will never leave you 

Wherever you may be.

King Arthur thanked Merlin very much 

After he had listened attentively to all the words. 

Merlin then presented him with a flag 

Of great significance; it contained a dragon 

Of iron that seemed to spit out bright fire; 

Its tail, also of brass, was immensely long 

And thick and curved in many bends. 

No one knew where Merlin had got this flag. 

Arthur accepted the kite and presented it to Lreux, 

His seneschal, that he might present it to him himself, 

With the understanding that he would be 

Standard-bearer in the kingdom of London for life.

Lreux was a brave knight, and well honoured by all, 

And kept himself brave and valiant 

In all feuds and battles, except that he had the fault 

Of speaking very peevishly and dull; 

And because of this fault all the knights 

Fled his company, and mocked him. 

Those who knew him did not mind his foolish speeches, 

Because in his heart he really meant no one 

Any harm or sought to do harm, but he spoke 

Foolishly merely out of habit; 

So that when he began to speak, 

He did not quite know what he really wanted to say, 

But spoke all sorts of things 

Until some wrong word escaped him, 

They laughed at him, and left him standing. 

Except for this strange fault, 

He was of the best manners; 

He certainly did not get it from his mother, 

The kindest and most sensible woman in the world, 

But from the nurse to whom he was left in order 

To educate Arthur the better. 

Since from here on Merlin is of no further importance 

Than that he constantly helps Arthur 

To victory in all battles, we shall pass over 

The greater part of the original all the more, 

Since all this takes place better 

And in greater detail in the novel of King Arthur.

CANTO XXXIII

In a valley surrounded by mountains, 

Near the forest of Briogne, 

There was a beautiful house built with great splendour; 

This house was inhabited by a maiden of great beauty; 

She was the daughter of a noble lord, 

An feudal man of very high birth, 

Whose name was Dionas. 

He received this name from the Syrene of Sicily, 

Diana, who was his godmother, 

And so he was called Dionas 

Because of her name Diana. 

Before she parted from her godchild, 

She endowed him with many goods and riches 

And with many happy gifts, for she was 

The GODDESS of the sea 

And was very powerful, 

Also keeping to Dionas all the days of his life 

All that she promised him. At her request, 

The gods decreed that his first child, 

A daughter, should be endowed with all grace 

And beauty and be loved by the wisest 

Of men in her time; that he should live 

In the time of Vortigern, king of Lower Brittany, 

And that this man's love for her should be eternal 

And never end; wherever he might be, 

The memory of this maiden 

Should always accompany him. 

He should also learn her the art of magic 

And many other secret sciences, 

For he could never deny her any request or desire: 

What she asked of him, that he would do.

When Dionas grew up 

And was of marvellous beauty, 

And also a brave knight, well trained in arms, 

He went into the service of the Duchess of Burgundy. 

She was so pleased with his conduct 

And honoured him so highly for his deeds 

And his noble manners that she gave him 

One of her nieces as a wife; a young, 

Very beautiful and very well-bred lady. 

He also received, along with many beautiful 

And rich estates, half of the forest of Briogne 

From the Duke of Burgundy. 

The other half of the forest belonged 

To King Ban of Benoic, who, 

In addition to King Beors, accompanied King Arthur 

On his march to King Leodagan 

And assisted him in all battles and wars. 

Of all the lands and possessions, 

This forest of Briogne pleased Dionas most of all, 

For he loved exceedingly the hunt 

And the pleasure in the forest, 

As well as the fishing and the amusement 

On the water. Now in the forest 

There was an abundance of all kinds of game, 

Deer, stags and hares, there was also no lack 

Of wild pigs; likewise there was a large lake 

In this forest, in which there were a lot 

Of the most beautiful fish. At this lake, 

Right in the middle of the forest, 

Dionas had a very beautiful, rich 

And comfortable house built and lived there 

With his beautiful wife, surrounded 

By all his favourite delicacies. 

But he also often went to the court of King Ban 

And was always ready to serve him, 

Together with ten armed knights 

Who were honourably in his retinue. 

King Ban as well as King Beors held Dionas 

In high esteem and honoured him 

For his bravery and chivalrous conduct, 

And also because he had already done them 

Good service and stood by them very bravely 

In their feud against King Klaudas 

As well as in other feuds. To prove 

Their gratitude to him, King Ban gave him 

The other half of the beloved forest; 

King Beors also gave him rich gifts of lands, 

Good towns, strong castles and villages; 

Gave him gifts in general and loved him so much 

That he became one of the most powerful 

In the kingdom and, as long as he lived, 

Lacked nothing that a man could wish 

For his pleasure and enjoyment.

His wife came down with a daughter 

Who received the name Nynianne in baptism. 

This is a Chaldean name, which in our language 

Means something like: I do not do that. 

The meaning of this name went to Merlin, 

As we will learn in the course of this story, 

For she was so wise and understanding 

That she knew well how to guard against deceit.

Nynianne was twenty-two years old 

When Merlin came through the forest of Briogne; 

He had on that way the form 

Of a young handsome nobleman. 

Now, as he passed through the forest, 

He came to a very beautiful spring, 

Which trickled so clear over the fine white sand, 

That it seemed as if the bottom were 

Of the finest silver. Every day Nynianne came 

To this beautiful clear spring, 

For her amusement and pleasant pastime. 

Merlin found her sitting at the edge of the spring, 

And she seemed to him to be of such divine beauty 

That he stood quite affected and could not go on; 

He looked at her steadfastly, and it was always 

As if he had something to say to her. 

He thought to himself that he should not lose his senses 

For the sake of a woman's beauty 

And that he should not desire any pleasure 

Of this kind, nor should he have any desire 

For a woman's body, lest he incur the wrath of God; 

He told himself all this, but he could not refrain 

From greeting her politely. The lady greeted him 

Again in a well-mannered fine way, and said, 

You have long been mindful of something 

I do not know, but God grant you the will 

To do everything for your good. 

Now when Merlin heard her speak so kindly, 

He could not help it; he had to sit down by her 

At the edge of the spring and ask her name. 

I am the daughter of a nobleman near here, she said; 

But who are you? - I am a travelling nobleman, 

Answered Merlin; I seek my master, 

Who taught me a very estimable art. - 

What art is this? asked the maiden. 

Ah, he taught me, where it pleased me, 

To make a castle rise at once, 

With many men-at-arms within, 

And such from without besieging it. 

Also I can walk on water without wetting my soles; 

Can make a river arise, in a place where never was one. - 

Well sure, said the maiden, I would give much of mine 

To understand a part of these games. - Several more, 

Far more beautiful ones I know, very delightful 

To any noble person. You would think of no one 

Whose form I could not at once assume. - 

I pray you, sir, if it please you not to let me see 

Some of these games, in return I will be your friend 

And confidant as long as I live, 

In all breeding and honour, and without evil thoughts. - 

You are, replied Merlin, so gentle, 

And of such good heart, that to win your love 

I will gladly teach you some of the beautiful games, 

But you must give me your love, 

For I ask no other reward. - But in all honour, 

Said the maiden, and think no evil of it, 

And nothing that will do me harm. 

Then Merlin stood up, moved about 

A bow-shot away from her, broke off a rod, 

And made a circle around himself with it. 

Then he went back and sat down beside the maiden.

After a little while she caught sight of the place 

Where he had made the circle, and behold, 

Ladies, knights, damsels and noblewomen 

Came walking along, holding each other by the hands 

And singing in such sweet voices 

And such beautiful melodies 

As one had never heard before. 

They were preceded by minstrels 

With various instruments, 

Who made such wonderful music together 

With the singing that one thought 

One could hear the harmony of the angels in heaven. 

In the circle that Merlin had drawn, they stood still, 

And now some began to dance with lovely gestures 

And graceful movements, while the others 

Continued the wonderful music.

No man's or woman's heart was ever so awake 

That it did not fall asleep at the sound 

Of this wondrous music. Nor must it be asked 

Whether they were as beautiful to look at 

As they were lovely to hear; 

They were all of rare beauty of form 

And blooming face, and were all adorned 

With splendid garments and exquisite jewellery, 

Of pearls, precious stones, gold and silver, 

So richly and in such a new strange way 

That the eyes were dazzled by it 

When one looked at them. No mouth can tell 

But the fourth part of their glorious form, 

And of the wondrous sweet music, and of the dance; 

One could not weary of watching and listening to them.

The place where Merlin drew the circle 

Was without shade, and a mere piece of land; 

But as the sun rose higher, a thick leafy copse 

Sprang up above and around the singers, 

And so many flowers and fragrant herbs sprang up 

Under their feet that the air far around 

Was scented with them. Nynianne never tired 

Of listening to the music and forgot to eat and drink, 

But she could not understand what they were singing, 

Although she listened very attentively, 

She only understood the refrain, which was, 

Love begins with sweet joys, 

But ends in bitter suffering.

The song was so loud that it was heard 

In Diona's house, whereupon all the people 

Gathered there and were not a little surprised 

To see this beautiful company 

And the sweet-smelling bushes, 

The dancing and the music, 

Where nothing of the kind had ever been seen before. 

When they were tired, they all sat down together 

In the fresh green grass, picked sweet-smelling flowers, 

Made wreaths and bouquets, and joked 

With lovely gestures and smiles, 

So that it was a delight to watch them.

Merlin took Nynianne by the hand. 

What do you think of this? he began. 

You have done so much that I am all yours, she said. 

Now, fair lady, you must also keep the contract. - 

Truly I will, but you must teach me to play your games. - 

I am content, I will teach them to you, 

That you may know something else 

Besides reading and writing. - How? You know 

That I can read and write? - Yes, fair lady, 

For my master taught me to know all things 

That have happened. - This is the most beautiful 

Of all your games, and I would like to understand it. 

But do you also know the things 

That are to happen in the future? - Yes, my lady 

And beloved friend, for the most part 

I know them, thank God. - 

Well, why do you wish to learn anything further, 

With these high sciences methinks, 

Might well be enough for you, 

And you need explore no further.

While Merlin and the maiden were thus engaged 

In gentle, tender conversation, 

The singers and dancers went into the woods 

Whence they had first been seen coming, 

Disappearing one by one, and vanishing 

Into thin air towards the woods, 

So that it was not known where they went. 

But the beautiful bush and the lovely flowers 

On the fresh lawn remained standing, 

Because the young lady begged Merlin very much 

That it should remain standing, 

And she called the place: Delight and comfort.

When they had talked for some time, Merlin said, 

Fair maiden, I must go now, my presence 

Is needed elsewhere. - How? Will you not teach me 

Your games first? - Do not be in such a hurry, maiden, 

You will learn them all too soon. But I must go away, 

And you have not yet given me any proof of your love. - 

What proof shall I give you? Say what you wish, 

And I will do it. - Now then, pledge me your love 

And your person that you are my own. 

The maiden considered for a while, then she said, 

Well, I trust you and am all yours, 

And my love is all for you, 

But on condition that you teach me 

Some of the arts at once.

After Merlin had received her fidelity, 

Her love and herself, 

And she had pledged herself to him 

And given herself completely to him, 

He taught her all kinds of arts for her delight, 

Which she also practised very much afterwards, 

Such as the art of making a river come out 

And then let it disappear again at will, 

And other beautiful arts more, 

Which she wrote down very neatly 

On parchment and kept. Then Merlin took 

Very tender leave of Nynianne. 

When will I see you again? she asked him. 

Merlin promised to be with her 

On the eve of St John's Day. 

Then he went away, and turned to Tharoaise in Thamelide, 

Where King Arthur and the kings Ban and Beors 

Wwaited him and received him joyfully.

Here the story ceases to speak of Merlin.