Report of Meetings for 18S6 i By J. Hardy. 377 



they are chiefly mystical, and relate to the ancient British Mythology, we 

 learn that he was patronised by Gwenddolen, the son of Ceidio, prince of 

 a district in North Britain, in the neighbourhood of the Clyde, who was 

 engaged in hostilities against llhydderch Hael, King of the Northern 

 Britons. Merddin says that he was present at the battle of Arderydd * in 

 a.d. 577 (the correct date is 573), where he wore the golden torques. f In 

 this fatal engagement, besides the loss of his patron Gwenddolen, he had 

 the misfortune of undesignedly slaying the son of his sister Gwenddydd, 

 and his afflictions are said to have deranged his intellect, which caused 

 him to avoid the habitations of men, and seclude himself in the forest of 

 Caledonia." (Williams' Biog. Diet, of Eminent Welshmen, Llandovery, 

 1852, p. 326). Giraldus Cambrensis says he was called Merlin 

 Caledonius from the wood in which he prophesied, and Merlin Sylvester, 

 because, falling into madness, he fled to a wood and remained there till he 

 died. This is another name for Ettrick Forest, which stretched across 

 Peeblesshire into Lanarkshire. It was while St Kentigeru or Mungo was 

 proclaiming the gospel among the natives of Strathclyde, that he en- 

 countered Myrddin or Merlin, and this ultimately, without design, con- 

 duced to his melancholy end. 



The correct account is only to bo found in Fordmi, lib. in. c. 81. 

 Goodal's Edit. I. pp. 135-137. With the original before me, I give the 

 version, slightly amended, of Bishop Forbes in his Notes to the Life of St 

 Kentigern (Historians of Scotland, v. pp. 371-373.) Cosmo Innes gives 

 merely an abridgment. " We read that at the time when blessed Kenti- 

 gern was accustomed to betake himself to the desert, it happened on a day 

 that as he prayed earnestly in that wooded solitude, a certain madman. 

 naked anil hairy, destitute as it seemed of all worldly comfort, who was 

 commonly called Lailoken. passed near him like some furious savage. And 

 when St Kentigern had beheld him, it is said he thus addressed him : 

 '1 adjure thee, whatsoever creature of God thou art, by the Father, the 

 Son, and the Holy Spirit, if thou art on the side of God, and if thou 

 believest in Him, to speak to me, telling me who thou art, and wherefore 

 thou wanderest in this wild place, in company with the beasts.' Straight- 

 way the madman slackened his pace, and answered, ' I am a Christian, 

 though unworthy of the name, once the bard of Vortio-ern, and called 

 Merlin, suffering in the desert the dreadful fate to which, among the 

 wild beasts, I am appointed on account of my sins ; seeing that I am not 

 worthy to take vengeance on mine iniquities amoho- men. For 1 was the 



*This battle was fought at Arthuret, between the Liddel and the Esk, by 

 pagan Cymri, under Gwenddolen, and a Christian party headed by Eydderch 

 Hael, and assisted by Aidan, afterwards kino- of Dalriada, and Maelgwn 

 Gwyned. A dreadful slaughter ensued, hut the Christians were the victors, 

 and thus led to the establishment of a Christian Cymric kingdom under 

 Eydderch Hael, that was long afterwards known as Strath-Clyde. Merddin 

 fought contrary to his own convictions on the side of those who upheld Nature 

 worship — '" the sacred fire and brown birds who devoured men." (dragons). 



t " For after Gwenddolen no princes honour me, 



Yet in the battle of Arderydd I wore golden torques." 

 1 V 



