Now the story tells that when Merlin approached them, he stopped and said to those who came with him, “Do you see those two men who sit there in those thrones and hold those harps in their hands?”

‘Yes, my lord, we see them clearly. ”

“Do you know what purpose they serve?”

“No, my lord, unless you tell us.”

“I’ll tell you,” he said, “and you have not in a long time heard a greater wonder than this will seem to you. Know that the voice and sound of these harps have such efficacy that no man or woman, except those who play them, can hear them without being so completely enchanted that they immediately lose the use of all their limbs, so that they fall as if dead and lie on the ground as long as the harpers wish. Many have already come to evil from this spell. When any good man was passing by here, if he had with him his lover or his wife, provided she was beautiful, the enchanter lay with her in the sight of her escort and then killed whoever it was so he couldn’t speak of it. These two enchanters have followed this profession a long time, and they have killed many a good man and dishonored many a good and beautiful lady. But if I ever knew anything of enchantment, never again will a good man be saddened by them or a maiden grieved.”

Then he stopped up his ears as best he could, so he would not hear the sound of the harps, and did as a serpent does who lives in Egypt, the one called the asp, who stops up one of her ears with her tail and presses the other to the ground so she may not hear the conjuring of the enchanter.

Post-Vulgate Merlin