Est locus Abrini sinuoso littore ponti, Rupe situs media, refluus quem circuit æstus Fulminat hic latè turrito vertice, castrum, Nomine Tindagium veteres dixere Corini. Thus Englished by Mr. Carew, p. 286, Lord Dunstanville’s edition: There is a place within the winding shore of Severne sea, On midst of rock, about whose foot the tides turnkeeping, play; A towry topped castle here, which blazeth over all, Which Corineus’ ancient brood Tindagell Castle call. However, I think, the meaning of the author is rather thus in English prose: “There is a place in the intricate windings of the Severn sea, situate in the middle of a rock, which the waves or billows of the sea compass or flow about, a towering top of a castle, shining or blazing abroad far and near, which the old or ancient Cornish call Dundagell.” Of this place Joseph of Exeter, a priest of that Cathedral, that went with King Richard I. into the Holy Land, and described the wars thereof, in his poem called Antiochesis, written at Antioch 500 years past; a person excellently skilled in the Greek and Latin tongues who after his return from the Holy Land, was made Archbishop of Bourdeaux (see Hooker and Isaac), hath these words (thus Englished) of Dundagell. From this blest place immortal Arthur sprung, Whose wondrous deeds shall be for ever sung, Sweet music to the ear, sweet honey to the tongue. Look back, turn o’er the great records of fame, Proud Alexander boasts a mighty name, The Roman annals Cæsar’s actions load, And conquered monsters rais’d Alcides to a god. But neither shrubs above tall pines appear, Nor Phœbus ever fears a rival star; So would our Arthur in contest o’ercome The mightiest heroes bred in Greece and Rome. The only prince that hears this just applause, Greatest that e’er shall be, and best that ever was. From which words it is evident Joseph had seen Merlin’s prophecy of King Arthur. The History of King Arthur and his progenitors is this: After the death of Ambrosius Aurelius, anno Dom. 497, succeeded to the dominion of Britain, some say his brother, others a Britain named Uter, alias Uter Pen-dragon; that is to say in British the terrible or dreadful head or chief dragon, so called, as our historians tells us, from a direful, bloody, or red dragon, pourtrayed in his banners of war with a golden head, as is to this day borne in our imperial standards of war, in memory doubtless of the red dragon mentioned in Merlin’s Prophecy, by which the British nation is figured. For his paternal coat armour, as Upton saith, was, in a field Vert, a plain cross Argent; in the dexter quarter the image of the blessed Virgin Mary, holding the image of her blessed Son in her right hand, Proper. He likewise gave for his cognizance of Britain, d’Or, deux dragons Verd, coronés de Goules, contrelés, or endorsed.