段九：邪惡之驢、倫敦之樹與溫徹斯特三泉

梅林的預言

呢段預言先講「邪惡之驢」（Ass of wickedness）同倫敦大樹被北風吹折，再講塞文河七口、巴斯浴場變冷、倫敦兩萬人遭屠殺，並開啟第四章「溫徹斯特三泉」嘅寓言。以下為公有領域英譯（Sebastian Evans 1904 譯）原文節錄。

原文（公有領域英譯）

Against it shall come the Northwind as an adversary, and an evil blast thereof shall tear away the third branch, but the two that shall remain shall occupy his place until the one shall bring to nought the other by the multitude of his leaves. … The Ass of wickedness shall succeed, swift to fall upon the workers of gold but slow against the ravening of wolves. In those days the oaks of the forest shall burn, and acorns shall grow upon the boughs of the linden tree. The Severn sea shall flow forth by seven mouths, and the river of Usk shall seethe for seven months. The fishes thereof shall die for the heat, and of the fishes shall serpents be engendered. The baths of the city of Bath shall wax cold, and the wholesome waters thereof shall breed death. London shall mourn the slaughter of twenty thousand, and the Thames river shall be turned into blood. They that wear the cowl shall be provoked unto marriage, and their outcry shall be heard in the mountains of the Alps.

CHAPTER IV

'Three fountains shall well forth in the city of Winchester, whereof the streams shall dispart the island into three portions. Whosoever shall drink of the one shall rejoice in the length of his days, neither shall he be overtaken nor afflicted of any malady. He that shall drink of the second shall perish of hunger unappeasable, and wanness and dread shall sit manifest in his face. He that shall drink of the third shall be slain by hazard of sudden death, neither shall his body be a corpse that men may bury.'

白話解說

呢段講咩？ 北風（宿敵）吹斷倫敦大樹嘅第三條樹枝，剩返兩條互鬥。之後「邪惡之驢」繼位——佢快手襲擊「做金嘅人」（即商人／工匠），但面對「掠奪嘅狼」就好慢——即係話，呢個統治者欺善怕惡，針對百姓但對強敵無能。

災難一串： 森林橡樹燃燒、椴樹生橡實（反常，象徵天下大亂）、塞文河（Severn）分七口、烏斯克河（Usk）沸騰七個月、魚死變蛇、巴斯（Bath）浴場變冷、倫敦兩萬人被屠殺、泰晤士河變血。呢啲全部係災難意象，學者多解作一場大戰或大瘟疫嘅縮影。最後話「著修道袍嘅人被引去結婚，哀叫傳到阿爾卑斯山」——即係話連僧侶都守唔到戒律，天下道德崩壞。

「溫徹斯特三泉」： 第四章開頭，預言溫徹斯特城會出三股泉水分開全島：飲第一股泉長命百歲百病不侵；飲第二股會餓死、面青口唇白；飲第三股會突然暴斃、連屍首都冇得埋。呢個係「三種命運」嘅寓言——代表將來嘅人會面對長壽、饑荒、暴死三種截然不同嘅結局。學者多視之為文學象徵（如三種政治命運或三種人物結局），並非實指溫徹斯特有呢三股泉水。

客觀睇： 呢段由王朝興衰（倫敦之樹）過渡到全國性災難（多條河流異常），再引入「三泉」寓言。原文用自然反常現象表達「天下大亂」嘅末世感，屬典型嘅預言修辭。