The World's Greatest Books [Volumes 1-15, 17-20]

77.—Merlin and Vivien

One day Merlin, the most famous man of all his times, Merlin the Wizard, the Bard, who knew the starry heavens and all the arts, Merlin who had built the King his havens, ships, and halls, fell into a great melancholy; and taking a little boat, he crossed the seas, touched the Breton sands, and made for the wild woods of Broceliande followed by the wily Vivien, who pretended to be enamoured of the old man in order that she might obtain from him the knowledge of a famous spell which would put him wholly in her power.

There lay she all her length and kissed his feet, As if in deepest reverence and in love. A twist of gold was round her hair; a robe Of samite without price that more exprest Than hid her, clung about her lissome limbs. And while she kissed them, crying, " Trample me, Dear feet, that I have followed through the world, And I will pay you worship; tread me down And I will kiss you for it;" he was mute, So dark a forethought rolled about his brain. And lissome Vivien holding by his heel, Writhed toward him, sliding up his knee and sat. Behind his ankle twined her hollow feet 266

Together, curved an arm about his neck, Clung like a snake; and letting her left hand Droop from his mighty shoulder, as a leaf, Made with her right a comb of pearl to part The lists of such a beard as youth gone out Had left in ashes: then adding all at once, " And lo, I clothe myself with wisdom " drew The vast and shaggy mantle of his beard Across her neck and bosom to her knee, And called herself a gilded summer fly, Caught in a great old tyrant spider's web, Who meant to eat her up in that wild wood "Without one word.

Gradually by very slow degrees, Merlin was won over half to believe in Vivien's sincerity, till at length she saucily told him that, do what he would to prevent her from finding his book of spells, she would read the charm.

" You read the book, my pretty Vivien! Oh, ay, it is but twenty pages long, But every page having an ample marge, And every marge enclosing in the midst A square of text that looks a little blot, The text no larger than the limbs of fleas; And every square of text an awful charm, Writ in a language that has long gone by: So long, that mountains have arisen since, With cities on their flanks—you read the book! And every margin scribbled, crost, and cramm'd With comment, densest condensation, hard To mind and eye, but the long sleepless nights Of my long life have made it easy to me! And none can read the text, not even I; And none can read the comment but myself; And in the comment did I find the charm."

And he told her that, though she might keep her oath and refrain from practising the charm on him, yet he would not disclose it to her lest she might essay it on some knight of the Round

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Table who she thought gossiped of her. This declaration led yivien to denounce various of the knights for conduct unbefitting their order, but Merlin in every case was able to show that the charge was mere slander, until Vivien touching on the King

Then Merlin to his own heart, loathing, said:

" O true and tender! O my liege and king!

O selfless man and stainless gentleman,

Who wouldst against thine own eyewitness fain

Have all men true and leal, all women pure;

How in the mouths of base interpreters,

From over-fineness not intelligible

To things with every sense as false and foul,

As the poach'd filth that floods the middle street,

Is thy white blamelessness accounted blame! "

But Vivien deeming Merlin overborne

By instance, recommenced, and let her tongue

Rage like a fire among the noblest names,

Defaming and defacing, till she left

Not even Lancelot brave, nor Galahad clean.

Her words had issue other than she will'd.

For Merlin, disgusted at her railing, muttered to himself " wanton," a phrase which brought from her a torrent of reproachful and indignant protest—in the midst of which a storm coming on, Merlin urged her to come and shelter in the oak in which he lay. But Vivien refused to do so until, as a proof of his love, he told her the charm. A deafening crash of thunder soon forced her, however, to rush into Merlin's arms, with this result: