A TOUR ROUND NORTH WALES. 369 



c upon this event in Dinas Emrys, he 

 " began thofe prophecies to Vortigern, 

 " which are, to this day, common in the 

 " Britifh ftorie."* 



The more probable account is, that 

 Myrddin Emrys, or Merlin Ambrofius, 

 fo called from his being afterwards pa- 

 tronized by Ambrofius, Vortigern's fuc- 

 cefTor to the Britifh crown, was employed, 

 by this prince, to fearch out for him a 

 fecure retreat from the juft revenge of his 

 injured people ; and that being a fkilful 

 architect and mechanic, he felected for 

 him this place, where he fuperintended 

 the building of the fortrefs. There was an- 

 other Merlin, frequently taken for this, a 

 native of Caledonia, called Myrddin ap 



* Selden's Notes on Dray ton's Polyolbion. Matt, 

 of Weftminfter, p. 161 170, gives a long account 

 of the latter part of Vortigern's life, and a full de- 

 tail of all Merlin's prophecies. 



VOL. I. B b Morvryn, 



