And conquered monsters rais’d Alcides to a god.
But neither shrubs above tall pines appear,
Nor Phœbus ever fears a rival star;
So would our Arthur in contest o’ercome
The mightiest heroes bred in Greece and Rome.
The only prince that hears this just applause,
Greatest that e’er shall be, and best that ever was.
From which words it is evident Joseph had seen Merlin’s prophecy of King Arthur.
The History of King Arthur and his progenitors is this:
After the death of Ambrosius Aurelius, anno Dom. 497, succeeded to the dominion of Britain, some say his brother, others a Britain named Uter, alias Uter Pen-dragon; that is to say in British the terrible or dreadful head or chief dragon, so called, as our historians tells us, from a direful, bloody, or red dragon, pourtrayed in his banners of war with a golden head, as is to this day borne in our imperial standards of war, in memory doubtless of the red dragon mentioned in Merlin’s Prophecy, by which the British nation is figured. For his paternal coat armour, as Upton saith, was, in a field Vert, a plain cross Argent; in the dexter quarter the image of the blessed Virgin Mary, holding the image of her blessed Son in her right hand, Proper. He likewise gave for his cognizance of Britain, d’Or, deux dragons Verd, coronés de Goules, contrelés, or endorsed.