The Vulgate Merlin is the second romance in the completed Arthurian Vulgate Cycle, and apparently the last romance to be added to that cycle. Some manuscripts contain the Story of Merlin alone, preceding the Prose Lancelot, but more often an extended version is found in which the Story of Merlin is followed by a continuation covering the early years of Arthur's reign, from Arthur’s coronation until the birth of Lancelot.