The king went to his house, and led Merlin with him, and said to him with much love:  “Merlin, thou art welcome, and I will give thee all that thou desirest, of my land, of silver and of gold.”  He weened through Merlin to win all the land, but it happened all otherwise ere the day’s end came.  The king thus asked his dear friend Merlin, “Say me now, Merlin, man to me dearest, what betoken the dragons that made the din, and the stone, and the water, and the wondrous fight?  Say me, if thy will is, what betokeneth all this?  And afterwards thou must counsel me how I shall guide me, and how I may win my kingdom from Hengest, my wife’s father, who hath harmed me greatly.”  Then answered Merlin to the king that spake with him:  “King, thou art unwise, and foolish in counsel, thou askest of the dragons that made the din, and what betokened their fight, and their fierce assaults?  They betoken kings that yet are to come, and their fight, and their adventure, and their fated folk!  But if thou wert so wise a man, and so prudent in thought, that thou haddest inquired of me of thy many sorrows, thy great care, that is to come to thee, I would say to thee of thy sorrow.”  Then quoth Vortiger the king:  “Dear friend Merlin, say me of the things that are to come to me.”  “Blithely,” quoth Merlin, with bold voice, “I will say to thee; but ever it will thee rue.  King, king, be-see thee (see to thyself), sorrow is to thee given of Constantine’s kin!—­his son thou killedest; thou causedest Constance to be slain, who was king in this land; thou causedst thy Peohtes to betray (or destroy) him basely; therefore thou shalt suffer sorrows most of all!  Afterwards thou drewest upon thee foreign people, the Saxons to this land, therefore thou shalt be destroyed!  Now are the barons of Britain arrived; it is, Aurelie and Uther—­now thou art thereof aware;—­they shall come to-morrow, full truly, in this land at Totnes, I do thee well to wit, with seven hundred ships; and now they sail speedily in the sea.  Thou hast much evil done to them, and now thou must the harm receive; thou hast on both sides bane that to thee shall seem; for now thy foes are before thee, and thy enemies behind.  But flee, flee thy way, and save thy life—­and flee whither that thou fleest, they will pursue after thee!  Ambrosie Aurelie he shall have first this kingdom; but he through draught of poison shall suffer death.  And afterwards shall Uther Pendragon have this kingdom; but thy kin shall kill him with poison; but ere he suffer death, he shall din (contest) make.  Uther shall have a son, out of Cornwall he shall come, that shall be a wild boar, bristled with steel; the boar shall consume the noble burghs; he shall destroy (or devour) all the traitors with authority; he shall kill with death all thy rich kindred; he shall be man most brave, and noble in thought; hence into Rome this same shall rule; all his foes he shall fell to the ground.  Sooth I have said to thee, but it is not to thee the softer;—­but flee with thine host, thy foes come to thee to thy court!” Then Merlin the wise ceased his words, and the king caused thirteen trumpets to be blown, and marched forth with his army exceeding quickly.  There was not forth-right but space of one night, that the brothers came, both together, to the sea-strand full truly, at Dartmouth in Totnes.