Chapter One: Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Preface to Merlin’s Prophecy. #

¹ I had not progressed this far in my History when public discussion happened to turn to Merlin, and I was obliged to publish his prophecies at the request of my acquaintances, but especially of Alexander, bishop of Lincoln, a prelate of the greatest piety and wisdom. No other person, either among the clergy or the laity, was attended by such a company of knights and noblemen, whom his steadfast piety and great generosity had drawn into his service. Therefore, wishing to gratify him, I translated these prophecies and sent them to him with the following letter.

Chapter Two: Geoffrey’s Letter to Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln. #

¹ “The regard I owe to your great worth, most noble prelate, has obliged me to undertake the translation of Merlin’s prophecies from British into Latin before I had completed the History that I had begun concerning the deeds of the British kings. My intention was to finish that first and afterwards undertake this work, lest, by being engaged upon both at once, I should be less capable of attending to either with proper exactness. Nevertheless, since the respect paid to your penetrating judgement will shield me from criticism, I have employed my unrefined pen and, in a plain style, present you with a translation from a language with which you are unfamiliar. At the same time, I cannot help wondering that you should recommend this task to one of such limited ability as myself, when you might have caused so many men of greater learning and richer intellect to undertake it, who, with their sublime compositions, would have entertained you far more agreeably. Besides, without intending any disparagement to all the philosophers in Britain, I must take the liberty of saying that you yourself, were the duties of your high office to grant you the leisure, are capable of providing us with loftier works of this kind than any man living. However, since it was your pleasure that Geoffrey of Monmouth should be employed upon this prophecy, he hopes that you will favourably accept his work and graciously give a finer form to whatever you find unpolished or otherwise faulty in it.”

Chapter Three: The Prophecy of Merlin. #

¹ As Vortegim, king of the Britons, was sitting on the bank of the drained pond, the two dragons, one white and the other red, came forth and, approaching one another, began a terrible fight, casting forth fire with their breath. But the white dragon gained the advantage and drove the other to the end of the lake. The red dragon, distressed by his retreat, renewed his assault upon his pursuer and forced him to withdraw. After this battle of the dragons, the king commanded Ambrose Merlin to tell him what it portended. At this, he burst into tears and delivered what his prophetic spirit suggested to him, as follows:

² “Woe to the red dragon, for his banishment is drawing near. His hiding places shall be seized by the white dragon, which signifies the Saxons whom you invited over; but the red signifies the British nation, which shall be oppressed by the white. Therefore, its mountains shall be levelled like the valleys, and the rivers of the valleys shall run with blood. The practice of religion shall be destroyed, and churches shall be laid open to ruin. At last, the oppressed shall prevail and resist the cruelty of foreigners. For a boar of Cornwall shall come to their aid and trample their necks beneath his feet. The islands of the ocean shall be subject to his power, and he shall possess the forests of Gaul. The house of Romulus shall dread his courage, and his end shall be uncertain. He shall be celebrated in the mouths of the people, and his exploits shall provide material for those who recount them. Six of his descendants shall wield the sceptre, but after them a German worm shall arise. He shall be raised up by a sea-wolf, accompanied by the woods of Africa. Religion shall again be abolished, and the metropolitan sees shall be transferred. The dignity of London shall adorn Dorobemia, and the seventh pastor of York shall be sought in the kingdom of Armorica. Menevia shall assume the pall of the City of Legions, and a preacher of Ireland shall be struck dumb because of an infant growing in the womb. A shower of blood shall rain down, and a raging famine shall afflict mankind. When these things happen, the red one shall grieve; but when his weariness is over, he shall grow strong. Then misfortunes shall descend swiftly upon the white one, and the buildings in his gardens shall be pulled down. Seven who wield the sceptre shall be killed, one of whom shall become a saint. Mothers’ wombs shall be ripped open, and infants shall be born prematurely. Men shall suffer a most grievous punishment, so that the natives may be restored. He who does these things shall put on the brazen man and, mounted upon a brazen horse, shall guard the gates of London for a long time. After this, the red dragon shall return to his proper ways and turn his rage upon himself. Then the vengeance of the Thunderer shall reveal itself, for every field shall disappoint the farmers. Death shall snatch away the people and spread desolation throughout all countries. Those who remain shall leave their native soil and establish settlements in foreign lands. A blessed king shall prepare a fleet and shall be reckoned the twelfth among the saints in the court. There shall be a miserable desolation of the kingdom, and the threshing floors of the harvests shall return to fruitful forests. The white dragon shall rise again and invite over a daughter of Germany. Our gardens shall once more be replenished with foreign seed, and the red one shall waste away at the end of the pond. After that, the German worm shall be crowned and the brazen prince buried. Bounds shall be assigned to him which he shall not be able to cross. For a hundred and fifty years he shall remain in trouble and subjection, but he shall rule for three hundred. Then the North wind shall rise against him and snatch away the flowers produced by the West wind. There shall be gilding in the temples, and the edge of the sword shall not cease. The German dragon shall scarcely reach his hiding places, because vengeance for his treason shall overtake him. At last, he shall flourish for a short time, but the decimation of Neustria shall harm him. For a people clad in wood and coats of iron shall come and take vengeance upon him for his wickedness. They shall restore the ancient inhabitants to their dwellings, and foreigners shall be openly destroyed. The seed of the white dragon shall be swept from our gardens, and the remainder of his generation shall be decimated. They shall bear the yoke of slavery and wound their mother with spades and ploughs. After this, two dragons shall succeed, one of whom shall be killed by the sting of envy, while the other shall return beneath the shadow of a name. Then a lion of justice shall succeed, at whose roar the Galilean towers and the island dragons shall tremble. In those days, gold shall be squeezed from the lily and the nettle, and silver shall flow from the hoofs of bellowing cattle. The frizled shall put on various fleeces, and outward appearance shall reveal the inward parts. The feet of barkers shall be cut off; wild beasts shall enjoy peace; mankind shall grieve at their punishment; the form of commerce shall be divided; the half shall be round. The ravenousness of kites shall be destroyed, and the teeth of wolves shall be blunted. The lion’s cubs shall be transformed into sea-fish, and an eagle shall build her nest upon Mount Aravius. Venedotia shall grow red with the blood of mothers, and the house of Corineus shall kill six brothers. The island shall be wet with night tears, so that everyone shall be provoked to everything. Woe to you, Neustria, because the lion’s brain shall be poured upon you, and he shall be banished from his native soil with shattered limbs. Posterity shall endeavour to fly above the highest places, but the favour of newcomers shall be exalted. Piety shall harm the possessor of things obtained through impiety until he has put on his Father; therefore, armed with the teeth of a boar, he shall ascend above the mountain tops and the shadow of him who wears a helmet. Albania shall be enraged and, assembling her neighbours, shall set about shedding blood. A bridle made on the coast of Armorica shall be placed in her jaws. The eagle of the broken covenant shall gild it and rejoice in her third nest. The roaring whelps shall keep watch and, leaving the woods, shall hunt within the walls of cities. They shall make no small slaughter among those who oppose them and shall cut out the tongues of bulls. They shall load the necks of roaring lions with chains and restore the times of their ancestors. Then, from the first to the fourth, from the fourth to the third, and from the third to the second, the thumb shall roll in oil. The sixth shall overthrow the walls of Ireland turn the woods into a plain. He shall unite several parts into one and be crowned with the head of a lion. His beginning shall lie open to wandering affection, but his end shall carry him up to the blessed who are above. For he shall restore the seats of saints in their countries and establish pastors in suitable places. He shall invest two cities with two palls and bestow virgin-presents upon virgins. By this he shall merit the favour of the Thunderer and shall be placed among the saints. From him shall proceed a lynx who penetrates all things and shall be bent upon the ruin of his own nation; for through him Neustria shall lose both islands and be deprived of its ancient dignity. Then the natives shall return to the island, for dissension shall arise among the foreigners. Also, a hoary old man sitting upon a snow-white horse shall turn the course of the river Periron and measure out a mill upon it with a white rod. Cadwallader shall call upon Conan and take Albania into alliance. Then there shall be a slaughter of foreigners; then the rivers shall run with blood. Then the fountains of Armorica shall burst forth, and they shall be crowned with the diadem of Brutus. Cambria shall be filled with joy, and the oaks of Cornwall shall flourish. The island shall be called by the name of Brutus, and the name given to it by foreigners shall be abolished. From Conan shall proceed a warlike boar, who shall exercise the sharpness of his tusks within the Gallic woods. For he shall cut down all the larger oaks and shall defend the smaller ones. The Arabians and Africans shall dread him, for he shall pursue his furious course to the furthest part of Spain. He shall be succeeded by the goat of the Venereal Castle, having golden horns and a silver beard, who shall breathe such a cloud from his nostrils that it shall darken the whole surface of the island. There shall be peace in his time, and corn shall abound because of the fruitfulness of the soil. Women shall become like serpents in their gait, and all their movements shall be full of pride. The camp of Venus shall be restored, nor shall the arrows of Cupid cease to wound. The source of a river shall be turned into blood, and two kings shall fight a duel at Stafford for a lioness. Luxury shall spread across the whole land, and fornication shall not cease to corrupt mankind. Three ages shall witness all these things, until the buried kings are exposed to public view in the city of London. Famine shall return once more; mortality shall return; and the inhabitants shall grieve over the destruction of their cities. Then shall come the boar of commerce, who shall recall the scattered flocks to the pasture they had lost. His breast shall be food for the hungry, and his tongue drink for the thirsty. From his mouth shall flow rivers that shall water the parched throats of men. After this, a tree shall grow upon the Tower of London which, having no more than three branches, shall overshadow the surface of the whole island with the breadth of its leaves. Its adversary, the North wind, shall come upon it and, with its harmful blast, shall snatch away the third branch; but the two remaining branches shall occupy its place until they destroy one another through the multitude of their leaves. Then the third branch shall take the place of those two and shall provide sustenance for birds of foreign nations. It shall be considered harmful to native birds, for they shall not be able to fly freely because of fear of its shadow. There shall succeed the ass of wickedness, swift against the goldsmiths but slow against the ravenousness of wolves. In those days, the oaks of the forests shall burn, and acorns shall grow upon the branches of teil trees. The Severn sea shall discharge itself for seven months, and the river Uske shall burn for seven months. Fish shall die from its heat, and serpents shall be born from them. The baths of Badon shall grow cold, and their health-giving waters shall produce death. London shall mourn the deaths of twenty thousand, and the river Thames shall be turned into blood. The monks in their cowls shall be forced to marry, and their cry shall be heard upon the mountains of the Alps.”

Chapter Four: The Continuation of the Prophecy. #

¹ “Three springs shall burst forth in the city of Winchester, and their streams shall divide the island into three parts. Whoever drinks from the first shall enjoy a long life and shall never suffer from sickness. Whoever drinks from the second shall die of hunger, and paleness and horror shall show on his face. Whoever drinks from the third shall be struck by sudden death, and his body shall be incapable of burial. Those who wish to escape so great an affliction shall try to conceal it beneath several coverings; but whatever mass is laid upon it shall take the form of another body. For earth shall be turned into stones; stones into water; wood into ashes; and ashes into water, if cast over it. A damsel shall also be sent from the city of the forest of Canute to administer a cure. After she has practised all her arts, she shall dry up the noxious fountains with her breath alone. Afterwards, as soon as she has refreshed herself with the wholesome liquid, she shall carry in her right hand the wood of Caledon and in her left the forts of the walls of London. Wherever she goes, she shall leave sulphurous footprints, which shall smoke with a double flame. That smoke shall rouse the city of Ruteni and provide food for the inhabitants of the deep. She shall overflow with sorrowful tears and fill the island with her dreadful cry. She shall be killed by a hart with ten branches, four of which shall bear golden diadems; but the other six shall be turned into buffaloes’ horns, whose hideous sound shall astonish the three islands of Britain. The Daneian wood shall be stirred up and, breaking forth in a human voice, shall cry: Come, O Cambria, and join Cornwall to your side, and say to Winchester, the earth shall swallow you up [Numbers 16:30–32]. Move the seat of your pastor to the place where ships come into harbour, and the rest of the members shall follow the head. For the day is approaching when your citizens shall perish because of the guilt of perjury. The whiteness of wool and the variety of its dyes have been harmful to you. Woe to the perjured nation, for whose sake the renowned city shall fall into ruin. The ships shall rejoice at so great an enlargement, and one shall be made from two. It shall be rebuilt by Eric, laden with apples, whose scent shall draw together the birds of several woods. He shall add a vast palace to it and surround it with six hundred towers. London shall therefore envy it and increase her walls threefold. The river Thames shall encircle it, and the fame of the work shall spread beyond the Alps. Eric shall hide his apples within it and make subterranean passages. At that time, the stones shall speak [Habakkuk 2:11; Luke 19:40], and the sea towards the Gallic coast shall be narrowed. On either bank, one man shall hear another, and the land of the island shall be enlarged. The secrets of the deep shall be revealed, and Gaul shall tremble with fear. After these things, a hern shall come forth from the forest of Calaterium and fly around the island for two years. With her nocturnal cry, she shall call together the winged creatures and gather all kinds of birds to herself. They shall invade the farmers’ cultivated fields and devour all the grain of the harvests. Then famine shall fall upon the people, followed by a grievous mortality. But when this calamity is over, a detestable bird shall go to the valley of Galabes and raise it into a high mountain. Upon its summit, she shall plant an oak and build her nest among its branches. Three eggs shall be produced in the nest, from which a fox, a wolf and a bear shall emerge. The fox shall devour her mother and bear the head of an ass. In this monstrous form, she shall frighten her brothers and drive them into Neustria. But they shall stir up the tusked boar and, returning with a fleet, shall encounter the fox. At the beginning of the fight, she shall pretend to be dead and move the boar to compassion. Then the boar shall approach her carcass and, standing over her, shall breathe upon her face and eyes. But she, not forgetting her cunning, shall bite his left foot and tear it from his body. Then she shall leap upon him, snatch away his right ear and tail, and hide herself in the caverns of the mountains. The deceived boar shall therefore require the wolf and the bear to restore his limbs. As soon as they take up the matter, they shall promise him two feet of the fox, together with the ear and tail, and from these they shall reconstruct the limbs of a hog. He shall be satisfied with this and await the promised restoration. Meanwhile, the fox shall descend from the mountains, transform herself into a wolf and, under the pretence of holding a conference with the boar, go to him and craftily devour him. After that, she shall transform herself into a boar and, pretending to have lost some limbs, shall wait for her brothers; but as soon as they arrive, she shall suddenly kill them with her tusks and shall be crowned with the head of a lion. In her days, a serpent shall be brought forth which shall destroy mankind. With its length, it shall encircle London and devour all who pass by it. The mountain ox shall assume the head of a wolf and whiten his teeth in the Severn. He shall gather to himself the flocks of Albania and Cambria, which shall drink the river Thames dry. The ass shall summon the goat with the long beard and borrow his form. The mountain ox shall therefore become enraged and, having summoned the wolf, shall become a horned bull against them. In the exercise of his cruelty, he shall devour their flesh and bones, but shall be burned upon the summit of Urian. The ashes of his funeral pyre shall be transformed into swans, which shall swim upon dry ground as though upon a river. They shall devour fish within fish and swallow up men within men. But when old age comes upon them, they shall become sea-wolves and practise their deceptions in the deep. They shall sink ships and gather no small quantity of silver. The Thames shall flow again and, gathering the rivers together, shall pass beyond the bounds of its channel. It shall cover the neighbouring cities and overthrow the mountains that obstruct its course. Being full of deceit and wickedness, it shall make use of the fountain Galabes. From this, factions shall arise, provoking the Venedotians to war. The oaks of the forest shall come together and encounter the rocks of the Gewisseans. A raven shall attend with the kites and devour the carcasses of the slain. An owl shall build her nest upon the walls of Gloucester, and an ass shall be born in her nest. The serpent of Malvemia shall raise him and instruct him in many fraudulent practices. Having taken the crown, he shall ascend on high and frighten the people of the country with his hideous braying. In his days, the Pachaian mountains shall tremble, and the provinces shall be stripped of their woods. For a worm with fiery breath shall come, and the vapour it sends forth shall burn up the trees. From it shall proceed seven lions deformed by the heads of goats. With the stench of their nostrils, they shall corrupt women and turn wives into common prostitutes. Fathers shall not know their own sons, because they shall grow wanton like brute beasts. Then the giant of wickedness shall come and terrify everyone with the sharpness of his gaze. The dragon of Worcester shall rise against him and attempt to banish him. But in the battle, the dragon shall be defeated and overcome by the wickedness of the victor. For he shall mount the dragon, remove his garment and sit naked upon him. The dragon shall carry him up on high and strike his naked rider with his raised tail. At this, the giant shall summon all his strength and break the dragon’s jaws with his sword. At last, the dragon shall coil itself beneath its tail and die from poison. After him shall succeed the boar of Totness, who shall oppress the people with grievous tyranny. Gloucester shall send forth a lion, who shall challenge his cruelty in several battles. He shall trample him beneath his feet and terrify him with his open jaws. At last, the lion shall quarrel with the kingdom and climb upon the backs of the nobility. A bull shall enter the quarrel and strike the lion with his right foot. He shall drive him through all the inns of the kingdom, but shall break his horns against the walls of Oxford. The fox of Kaerdubalem shall take revenge upon the lion and utterly destroy him with her teeth. She shall be surrounded by the adder of Lincoln, who shall announce his presence to a multitude of dragons with a horrible hiss. Then the dragons shall meet in battle and tear one another to pieces. The winged dragon shall overcome the wingless one and fasten its claws into its poisonous cheeks. Others shall enter the conflict and kill one another. A fifth shall succeed those who are slain and, by various stratagems, shall destroy the rest. He shall climb upon the back of one with his sword and sever his head from his body. Then, casting off his garment, he shall climb upon another and place his right and left hands upon his tail. Thus naked, he shall overcome the one whom he could not contend with while clothed. He shall harass the rest as they flee and drive them around the kingdom. Then a roaring lion shall come, dreadful for his monstrous cruelty. He shall reduce fifteen parts to one and shall possess the people alone. The giant of snow-white colour shall shine and cause the white people to flourish. Pleasures shall make the princes effeminate, and they shall suddenly be transformed into beasts. Among them shall arise a lion swollen with human blood. Beneath him, a reaper shall be placed among the standing corn and, while he is reaping, shall be oppressed by him. A charioteer of York shall appease them and, having banished his lord, shall mount the chariot and drive it. With his sword unsheathed, he shall threaten the East and fill the tracks of his wheels with blood. Afterwards, he shall become a sea-fish who, aroused by the hissing of a serpent, shall mate with him. From this shall be produced three thundering bulls who, after consuming their pastures, shall be transformed into trees. The first shall carry a whip of vipers and turn his back upon the next. The next shall attempt to snatch away the whip but shall be seized by the last. They shall turn their faces away from one another until they have thrown away the poisoned cup. He shall be succeeded by a husbandman of Albania, with a serpent at his back. He shall be occupied in ploughing the ground so that the country may become white with corn. The serpent shall attempt to spread his poison in order to destroy the harvest. A grievous mortality shall sweep away the people, and the walls of the cities shall be left desolate. As a remedy, the city of Claudius shall be given, which shall bring forward the nurse of the scourger. For she shall carry a dose of medicine, and within a short time the island shall be restored. Then two shall successively wield the sceptre, and a horned dragon shall serve them. One shall come in armour and ride upon a flying serpent. He shall sit naked upon its back and cast his right hand upon its tail. At his cry, the seas shall be stirred, and he shall strike terror into the second. The second shall therefore enter into an alliance with the lion; but when a quarrel arises, they shall confront one another. They shall distress one another, but the courage of the beast shall gain the advantage. Then one shall come with a drum and appease the lion’s rage. The people of the kingdom shall therefore be at peace and induce the lion to take a dose of medicine. In his established seat, he shall adjust the weights, but shall stretch out his hands into Albania. For this reason, the northern provinces shall grieve and open the gates of the temples. The sign-bearing wolf shall lead his troops and encircle Cornwall with his tail. He shall be opposed by a soldier in a chariot, who shall transform that people into a boar. The boar shall therefore ravage the provinces, but shall hide his head in the depths of the Severn. A man shall embrace a lion in wine, and the dazzling brightness of gold shall blind the eyes of those who see it. Silver shall gleam around it and torment several winepresses. Men shall become drunk with wine and, heedless of heaven, shall fix their attention upon the earth. The stars shall turn their faces away from them and disturb their usual courses. Corn shall wither beneath their malign influence, and no dew shall fall from heaven. Roots and branches shall exchange places, and the novelty of the event shall be regarded as a miracle. The brightness of the sun shall fade at the amber of Mercury, and horror shall seize those who see it. Stilbon of Arcadia shall change his shield; the helmet of Mars shall summon Venus. The helmet of Mars shall cast a shadow, and the rage of Mercury shall pass beyond its bounds. Iron Orion shall unsheathe his sword; the marine Phoebus shall torment the clouds; Jupiter shall depart from his lawful paths; and Venus shall forsake her appointed courses. The malign influence of the star Saturn shall fall as rain and slay mankind with a crooked sickle. The twelve houses of the stars shall lament the irregular wanderings of their guests; Gemini shall abandon their usual embraces and call the urn to the fountains. The scales of Libra shall hang unevenly until Aries places his crooked horns beneath them. The tail of Scorpio shall produce lightning, and Cancer shall quarrel with the Sun. Virgo shall mount upon the back of Sagittarius and darken her virgin flowers. The chariot of the Moon shall throw the zodiac into disorder, and the Pleiades shall burst into tears. None of the offices of Janus shall ever return, but his gate, being shut, shall lie hidden in the clefts of Ariadne. The seas shall rise in the twinkling of an eye, and the dust of the ancients shall be restored. The winds shall fight together with a dreadful blast, and their sound shall reach the stars.