Then he had two large ditches made in the earth, one beside each of the trees. When they were made, he took one of the magicians, just as he sat in his chair, and put him inside one of the ditches. When he had done this with the first, he did just the same with the other. When he had put them each in his ditch this way, he took a great deal of sulfur and lit it and then threw it into the ditches, so that the enchanters were dead in a little while, for the heat and fumes of the sulfur, which were great, soon killed them.

Then Merlin asked those near him, “What is your opinion of this vengeance? Is it heavy enough for the crime?”

‘Yes, indeed,” they all said, “and never. Merlin, will a good man hear of it who won’t bless you for it. For you have done a great act of charity by freeing this road of these two devils who would yet have done considerable evil, had they lived long enough.”

“Indeed,” said Merlin, “I won’t be satisfied until this vengeance is so apparent that those who come after me will
see it a long time after my death.”

Then he himself went to take three of the stones that were over the tombs of the good men whom the enchanters had killed, and he put two of them, one over each ditch, so that there was one stone between the two stones over the middle of the ditches, and one could clearly see the fire in the ditches. When he had done this, he showed it to Ninianne and the men of her company.

Then he said to them, “Do you believe this fire can last long?”

“My lord,” they said, “we don’t know, but you, who know, tell us, if you please.”

“I’ll tell you,” he said, “so that you may know the wonder of it. I tell you that it will last without going out as long as King Arthur reigns, and that will be no short time. The very day that he dies from this world, this fire will go out, but it won’t fail before then. And a still greater marvel will come to pass here, for the bodies of the enchanters will remain as whole as they are now, and they will neither burn nor rot as long as King Arthur lives, but will always be as much intact as they are now, nor will the very thrones be able to burn or decay until King Arthur dies. And I will do it so that the good men who live after my death may be my witnesses, when they see this marvel, that I have been the wisest in necromancy of all who have ever been in the kingdom of Logres. Indeed, if I expected to live long, I would never meddle with such a thing, for I have demonstrated my wisdom enough in my lifetime. But I know well that I must die soon, and therefore I’ve made such a great marvel, for I want it to be witness and demonstration of my great knowledge after my death."

Post-Vulgate Merlin