Series 1 > History of Greater Britain, as well England as Scotland

80 JOHN MAJOR’S HISTORY [book n.
ever the philosophers may say, I can see no cause in nature
why such a portent should rather occur in the case of the
death of kings than of their subjects; and yet such things we
read, and in our own day we have seen comets at the death of
many kings, discerned even over the countries of kings at the
point of death. The meaning therefore of comets I leave to
the divine pleasure and free will. Yet by means of comets
does God very often reveal to princes their approaching death,
that, abandoning their sins, they may quickly betake them to
repentance. Of certain comets, however, the causes are purely
natural; yet even so there is no absurdity in opening up some
meaning that they may contain for us. For from eternity
God has seen with clearness the whole future contingent, and
has given signs of certain effects, and the natural causes of
these signs productive of such effects, as we can see in the case
of the rainbow, treated in the book concerning Meteors1, and
A dragon seen in the book of Genesis2. Near to this comet was a dragon,
near the comet, sent forth rays eastward. Uther, Merlin, and many
more, saw this comet, and Merlin declared to Uther its hidden
signification. Through this comet he knew Aurelius Ambrosius,
though the two were far distant from one another, to be dead.
By the ray to the east, he declared that Uther should have a
son, who should gain possession of both Gauls and many king¬
doms in the east, and who should far excel in renown all the
Britons.
After the death of Aurelius Ambrosius, therefore, Uther
begins to reign, and in memory of the portent he ordered
that two dragons should be painted, the one of which he ever
carried before him in battle, while the other he left behind him
in Winchester, and for this reason he was called by the Britons
Gouran. Uther Pendragon. With Gouran the Scot, son of Dongard,
after the manner of his ancestors, he made a treaty of peace.
The deeds of But this Gouran fell by the treachery of his nephew, the son
dragonf6”" °f bis brother. Ochta and Ossa, the sons of Engist, soon
rebelled against Uther Pendragon, and in a pitched battle he
defeated them, and had them imprisoned at London. Uther
thereafter, being enraged against the Earl of Cornwall, laid
1 Arist. Meteorologicorum lib. m. c. iv.
2 Gen. ix. 13.