Then when the carolswere ended, the ladies and maidens sat down on the green grass and freshflowers, and the squires set up a game of tilting called quintain upon themeadows and played till even-song; and then Merlin came to the damsel andasked if he had done what he promised for her. "Fair, sweet friend," saidshe, "you have done so much that I am all yours." "Let me teach you," heanswered, "and I will show you many wonders that no woman ever learned somany."Merlin and this young damsel always remained friends, and he taught hermany wonderful arts, one of which was (this we must regret) a spell bywhich she might put her parents to sleep whenever he visited her; whileanother lesson was (this being more unexceptionable) in the use of threewords, by saying which she might at any time keep at a distance any menwho tried to molest her. He stayed eight days near her, and in those daystaught her many of the most "wonderful things that any mortal heart couldthink of, things past and things that were done and said, and a part ofwhat was to come; and she put them in writing, and then Merlin departedfrom her and came to Benoyk, where the king, Arthur, rested, so that gladwere they when they saw Merlin."The relations between Merlin and Arthur are unlike those ever heldtowards a king even by an enchanter in any legend.
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