Report of Meetinjs for 188G. By J. Hardy. 370 



stoned and beaten to death, he stumbled at the moment of death over the 

 craggy (or rugged) bank of the Tweed, near the town Dunmeller, upon a 

 very sharp stake, which had been stuck into a little fish stew, and being 

 transfixed through the body, bowing his head as it was prophesied, in a 

 pool, lie breathed forth his soul to God (casum faeeret in mortis articulo 

 ultra oram Tuedae fiuminis prseruptam, propc oppidum Dunmeller, super 

 sudem acutissimam qua; in aliqua sepula piscaria erat inserta, et transfixus 

 per medium corpus, inclinato capite, in stagno spiritum,sicut prophetavcrat , 

 totaliter transmisit). So some one : — 



' Sudecpie perfossus, lapide percussus, et unda ; 

 Ha;c tria Merlini fertur iuire necem.' 



" And when blessed Keutigera arid las clerics knew that the things which 

 the possessed man had predicted of himself were fulfilled, fearing and 

 trembling that without doubt what he had prophesied of the others would 

 come to pass, they all began to fear and to be sad, and to furrow their 

 cheeks with tears, and in all things to praise together the name of the 

 Lord, to whom be honour, etc." [Here the epitome of the book of Paisley 

 subjoins]. And so in the same year died Merlin, St Kentigern, and King 

 Eoderic (Rederech or llydderch Hael). [Morthec was the earl who died 

 also.] 



" Some say, - ' continues Fordun, " that it was not the Merlin who lived in 

 the time of Vortigern, but another wonderful prophet of the Scots, who 

 was called Lailoken ; but because he was a wonderful prophet, he was 

 called the second Merlin." [There were two Merlins, the first is identified 

 with Ambrosius or Embrys Gnletic, " son of a Welsh nun, daughter of a 

 king of Demetia, and born at Caermarthen, who was made king of West 

 Wales by Vortigern." See note to Giraldus Cambrensis, Bonn's Edit., p. 

 452. The second is Merlin Sylvestris or Caledonius of Giraldus, erron- 

 eously placed by Fordun in the time of King Vortigern. There is con- 

 siderable discrepancy about both]. 



From Meldred, the petty prince or chieftain, originates the 

 name Drunmielzier ; or Dunmeller as the reading in Groodal's 

 Fordun gives it. There is another old form Drumedler. 



About the meeting of Tweed and Powsail I must, to avoid 

 second hand authorities, quote Robert Chambers. 



" The rivulet of Powsail falls into the Twesd a little below a spot called 

 Merlin's Grave, near Drummelzier. Whether the prophet or wizard Merlin 

 was buried here or not, Dr. Pennecuik, who notices both the grave and 

 the rhyme, cannot certify. The following popular version of the rhyme 

 is better than that which he has printed, and, I fear, improved : — 

 When Tweed and Powsail meet at Merlin's grave, 

 Scotland and England that day ae king shall have. 



Accordingly, it is said that, on the day of King James VI. 's coronation 

 as monarch of Great Britain, there was such a flood in both the Tweed 

 and the Powsail, that their waters met at Merlin's grave. In reality, 

 there is nothing in the local circumstances to make the meeting of the 



