here beginneth the second book of the history of king arthur, called the book of three worthies, because it has to do with three very excellent, honorable lords of the court of king arthur.

of these three, the first is merlin the wise, the second is sir pellias, surnamed the gentle knight, and the third is sir gawaine, the son of king lot of orkney and the isles.

so now presently follows the story of the passing of merlin the wise; in the which you shall see how the very wisdom that merlin possessed in such great measure was the cause of his own undoing. wherefore i do hope that you yourselves may take that story unto heart so that you shall see that those gifts of mind or{152} person which god assigns unto you may not be so misused by you or others that they shall become the means of compassing your own downfall.

for it shall not excuse you in any wise that, as you journey forward in your life, you shall find many men who, like merlin, have been endowed by the grace of god with very great gifts of talent which they might very easily use to the great benefit of mankind, but which they so misuse as to bring the greater ruin upon themselves and the greater harm unto other men. for, if you shall prove so weak or so wicked as to misuse your talents in that manner unto the harm of others and of yourself, it shall not make your fault the less that others shall have done greater evil than yourself.

wherefore, let this story of merlin be a warning unto you, i pray you all. for, though i do not believe that merlin intended that his talents of magic should do harm unto others, yet, because of his folly, they did as great harm as though he himself had designed to do evil by means of them. yea; it is hard to tell whether the wickedness or the follies of men do the greater harm in the world; therefore seek to guard yourself well, not only against sin, but against folly and weakness likewise.