THEN said Merlin, who was also called Ambrose,* “I entreat your majesty would command your workmen to dig into the ground, and you will find a pond which causes the foundation to sink.”
This accordingly was done, and then presently they found a pond deep under ground, which had made it give way. Merlin after this went again to the magicians, and said, “Tell me, ye false sycophants, what is there under the pond.” But they were silent. Then said he again to the king, “Command the pond to be drained, and at the bottom you will see two hollow stones, and in them two dragons asleep.”*
The king made no scruple of believing him, since he had found true what he said of the pond, and therefore ordered it to be drained: which done, he found as Merlin had said; and now was possessed with the greatest admiration of him. Nor were the rest that were present less amazed at his wisdom, thinking it to be no less than divine inspiration.
Geoffrey combines two distinct figures here. One is Ambrosius Aurelianus (in Welsh, Emrys Wledig) who is attested by the sixth-century chronicler Gildas as the son of a Roman consul and a great warrior; Nennius’s tale of Vortigern’s tower is a tale about Ambrose. The other is a legendary Welsh prophet named Myrddin Wyllt. Geoffrey later stitches the composite Ambrose-Merlin into a quite separate British myth, the tale of King Arthur.
These dragons prove to be symbolic: the Red Dragon stands for the Britons (Celts) and the White Dragon for the Saxons. Merlin, who is presented as a kind of English Daniel, subsequently embarks on an apocalyptic prophecy of the history of England from the withdrawal of the Roman legions in 410, in which the fight between the White Dragon and the Red figures prominently.
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Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Divine. Sprinkle. Sycophant.
2 Lie. Sink. Whose.
3 Again. Then. You.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Confusables Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Adjectives Find in Think and Speak
For each word below, compose sentences to show that it may be used as an adjective. Adjectives provide extra information about a noun, e.g. a black cat, a round table, the early bird etc..
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Bottom. 2 Great. 3 Least. 4 Ignorant. 5 Asleep. 6 Greater. 7 Willing. 8 Restless. 9 Spoken.
Variations: 1.show whether your adjective can also be used as e.g. a noun, verb or adverb. 2.show whether your adjective can be used in comparisons (e.g. good/better/best). 3.show whether your adjective can be used in attributive position (e.g. a dangerous corner) and also in predicate position (this corner is dangerous).
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
