The king was in York, good it seemed to him; he took his messengers, and sent over all his land, and ordered his bishops, his book-learned men, earls and thanes, to come towards him, to Aurelie the king, to a great husting.  It soon came to pass, that they came together.  The king greeted his folk with his fair words, he welcomed earls, he welcomed barons, and the bishops, and the book-learned men.—­“I will say to you with sooth words, why I sent after you, and for what thing.  Here I give to each knight his land and his right, and to every earl and every baron, what he may win, to possess it with joy; and each man I order to love peace, on his life.  And I bid you all to work and build the churches that are fallen, to let the bells ring, to sing God’s praise, and each with our might to worship our dear Lord; each man by his might to hold peace and amity, and cause the land to be tilled, now it is all in my hand.”  When this doom was all said, they all praised this counsel.  The king gave them leave to depart thence; each fared homeward, as to them it best seemed.

Full seven nights the king lay there still, and then he gan proceed into London, to gladden the burgh-folk, who oft were busy.  He caused walls to be strengthened, he caused halls to be built, and all the works to be righted that ere were broken; and gave them all the laws that stood in their elders’ days; and he made there reves, to rule the folk.  And thence he gan proceed right to Winchester; and there he caused to be worked halls and churches;—­there it seemed to him most pleasant;—­and afterwards he went to Ambresbury, to the burial-place of his dear friends, whom Hergest with knives had murdered there.  He caused men anon to be inquired for, who could hew stone, and eke good wrights, who could work with axe, he thought to work there a work wondrously fair, that ever should last, the while men lived!  Then was in Caerleon a bishop, that hight Tremoriun; he was a man exceeding wise in the worlds-realm; with the king he was, over the weald.  And thus Tremoriun, God’s servant, spake there with the king, of a good thing:  “Listen now to me, Aurelie, what I will make known to thee, and I will say to thee the best of all counsel, if thou wilt it approve, eft it will like to thee.  We have a prophet, who is Merlin named; if any man might him find, upon this weald, and bring him to thee, through any kind of thing, and if thou his will wouldest perform, he would say to thee best of all counsel, how thou mightest this work make strong and stark, that ever might last, the while that men lived.”  Then answered the king—­these words were to him agreeable:—­ “Dear friend Tremoriun, all this I will do.”  The king in haste sent his messengers over all his kingdom, and bade every man to ask after Merlin; and if men might him find, to bring him to the king, he would give him land, both silver and gold, and in the worlds-realm perform his will.  The messengers gan to ride wide and far; some they went right north,