"(Goliath) One thousand years ago, superstition and the sword ruled." "It was a time of darkness." "It was a world of fear." "It was the age of gargoyles." "Stone by day, warriors by night." "We were betrayed by the humans we had sworn to protect, frozen in stone by a magic spell for a thousand years." "Now, here in Manhattan... the spell is broken, and we live again!" "We are defenders of the night." "We are gargoyles." "Previously on "Gargoyles":" " Hey!" "Now, who are you?" " I'm called Macbeth." "I'd not stoop so low as to attack you while you slept." "But now..." "I defeated you in your home." "Do you think I wouldn't be ready for you in my own?" "(hoots)" "(rocks tumbling)" "(man) I'm through!" "Duane, you must see this!" "Careful, or the whole hillside will come down on us!" "(♪ lyre)" "Shh!" "Listen." "This way." "(♪ lyre continues)" "Ancient Celtic. "The seeker of knowledge need fear nothing here." ""The destroyer, everything."" "(man) The Scrolls of Merlin." ""The Scrolls of Merlin are being taken to the Metropolitan Museum for further study."" "Do you think they were really written by Merlin?" " Wouldn't that be incredible?" " Merlin..." "He was a wizard, right?" " Like the Magus." " A white wizard in the fifth century." "If you're interested, the library downstairs is full of books about him." "Why stare at marks on a page?" "Rent the video." "They aren't marks when you know how to read." "Well, I can't read, and I don't think I'm missing anything." "Uh-huh." "Ignorance is bliss." "Right, Hudson?" "Och, leave me out of this." "It's time for Celebrity Hockey." "Come here, Bronx." "I've gotta go." "Matt and I are assigned to the scrolls escort team." " Do they know what the scrolls contain?" " They're still sealed." "Rumor is they're magic spells." "We didn't think you'd make it." "I wouldn't have missed this if I had to swim!" "The scrolls are sealed in these two canisters." "(bleeping)" "Get down!" "Ohh!" "Mayday!" "Mayday!" "Coastguard, this is HMS Churchill." "We are under attack!" "Repeat, we are under attack!" "You were right, Goliath." "Those machines must belong to Xanatos." "Harrier jets." "They can land and take off like helicopters." "I read about 'em." "When your life is this exciting, who needs books?" "Coastguard, come in!" "Matt!" " Give 'em up." " No!" "These scrolls are priceless." "Oh, man." "What was I thinking?" "(thunderclap)" "(snarls)" "Goliath!" "They have the scrolls!" "Argh!" "Aaaagh!" " Where are Hudson and Broadway?" " Over there." "Hudson's probably on the other one." "(siren)" "No, no one specific." "I mean, who wouldn't want them?" "(rumble of thunder)" "I feared the scrolls would present too great a temptation..." "For Xanatos!" "He made me look like an amateur." " But I've got no proof, and without it..." " Without it, it falls to us." "(splutters)" "Hey, that's not covered by your insurance." "It gets worse." "I lost the canister." "You what?" "!" "The boss'll have you for dinner with a spoon." "We still have yours." "One out of two's not bad." "Oh, man!" "Xanatos." "Hudson, Broadway." " Where are they?" " I suppose they could be anywhere." "No games!" "Take us to them." "You should know I can't do that." "Then we'll find them ourselves." "It didn't just walk outta here." "That's far enough, my friend." "(gasps)" " Macbeth!" " The same." " I'll take that, thank you." " Sure." "You understand I don't get any real pleasure out of this." "Well, you've got courage, beastie, I'll give you that." "What you don't have is a prayer." "(coughing)" "(roars)" "Ah!" "The Scrolls of Merlin." "Sealed by my own hand." ""This second and final compendium..."" ""Second"?" "!" "It would be useless, even dangerous, to read these out of order." "Where's the first scroll?" "(dog panting)" "(man) What is it, Gillie?" "You find yourself another sand crab?" "Who's there?" "Are you all right?" "(sighs)" " I had a little trouble." " This beach isn't safe after dark anymore." " Do you need a doctor?" " No." "Just a place to rest until sunrise." "If I could lean on you..." "Agh!" "Come on, then." "I've got a fire going." "There's little I can offer in return," " except my thanks." " That's payment in full." "My name's Robbins." "Jeffrey Robbins." " And you?" " Hudson." "Like the river." "(bleeping)" " You can't hold me forever." " No." "Just until I find the first scroll." "I blew that old gargoyle away." "The scroll's probably at the bottom of the ocean." "It had better not be..." "or you two will join it." "What is this?" "My Purple Heart... for this." "So busy trying to herd a bunch of green kids through Nam that I didn't watch my step." "Shrapnel." "You never see it coming." " "Nam"?" " Vietnam." "The war?" "Funny." "Something about your voice made me think you were a soldier once." "Aye." "I still am, I suppose." " But what fills your nights now, Robbins?" " I write novels." "Or I did, until they dried up." "You wrote all of these?" "Wouldn't that be something?" "No, but I did have a few modest successes." "Here." "What are these tiny bumps?" "Where are the... words?" "Why, it's Braille." "It's how I can read, and write." "Back when I still had something to write about." "Here's a printed version." "This'll make more sense to you." "Bumps..." "Scrawls..." "What's the difference?" "You can't read, can you?" "Perhaps our old friend washed up along the beach." " And if not him, maybe the scroll." " What's this big deal about these scrolls?" "Who was this Merlin?" "Just another stupid magician." "He was a singular spectacle." "A bearded old man who took a ragged boy, and with magic and wisdom turned him into the greatest king this world will ever see." "A king who ruled with justice and compassion, and took the torn remnants of warring tribes and knit them into a country of beauty and civilization, with Merlin always by his side, until it fell." "(thunderclap)" "Merlin's magic was stronger than everything except the human heart." " You were there?" " (laughs)" "I'm old, but I'm not that old." "Obviously I read about it." "But... you describe it like you were there." " (bleeping)" " There!" "Now let's get a closer look." "Goliath, they aren't here." "And the sun's about to come up." "You didn't find them?" "I'm not surprised." "We're running out of time." "You know where they are." "Tell us!" "All of Mr. Xanatos's vertical takeoff and landing craft are in the shop." "But you might try Macbeth." " But I'm too old to learn." " Oh, hogwash." "I had to learn Braille when I was almost 40." "And I'll learn a new way to read when I'm 80, if I have to." "Well, who would teach me?" "I've never told my clan that I can't read." "I can teach you." "But that's not really the point, is it?" "It shames me." "I understand." "But it isn't shameful to be illiterate, Hudson." " It's only a shame to stay that way." " (birdsong)" " I must leave." " I've run you off with my preaching!" "No." "It's nearly dawn." "I have to go." "Wait." "(cracking)" "What's that?" "Hudson?" "Take us down." "(dog barks)" "Hudson?" "Is that you?" "(snarls)" " Who's there?" " My name is Lennox Macduff, sir." "I'm a friend of Hudson's." "I'm, uh... concerned about him." " He isn't here." "You just missed him." " Then I won't trouble you." "Good day." "(growls)" "(snarls/barks)" "It's only me, Hudson." " I'm glad you came back." " I'm afraid I can't stay." "But I think I left something on the terrace this morning." " Have you come across a large canister?" " No." "But a friend of yours was on the terrace - a Lennox Macduff." "Maybe he took it." " I don't know any Lennox Macduff." " I'm not surprised." "The name sounded phony." "Lennox and Macduff were two characters in a play by Shakespeare" " Macbeth." "(gasps)" "Macbeth!" "I've got to go, Robbins." "I..." "I..." "I don't know where he lives." " Who?" " Macbeth..." "Macduff..." "I do know him." " But he's not a friend." " Maybe this will help." "MacAdoo, MacBride, Macduff Cameron, Macduff Leland, Macduff Lennox." "Here's an address, just like that." "Hm!" "Magic book." "Aren't they all?" "(grunting)" " What are you doing?" " Finding the safest way to open the scrolls." "Then I will try out a few of Merlin's spells..." " on you." " (gasps)" "Now what?" " Now we go in." " We were worried." " There you are." " Where's Broadway?" " We thought he was with you." " I've not seen him since the battle." "Up there!" "(hissing)" "(woman) We got trouble." "Then take care of it." " (wailing)" " Broadway!" "Argh!" "It's all over now, Macbeth!" " We can't get past those cannons." " I have an idea." "Where are they?" "Up there!" ""He was a scabby, bony boy when first I saw this once and future king." ""Had I not known what his destiny held, I would have laughed aloud."" "What's this? "Though young and not yet formed, his mind was open and eager..."" "This is a diary!" "Where are the spells?" "You caught me in a foul mood, monster!" " Release Broadway." " Huh!" "Or what?" " Or I'll burn the scrolls." " Go ahead." "They're worthless." "No magic at all." "No!" "They are magic!" "You can't burn them, Goliath." "You can't!" "It's Merlin's life, in his own words." "When you read them, they take you there." "It is magic, Goliath." "Precious magic." "Aye, lad. 'Twould be the greatest shame to lose them." "You're all trespassing." "Now take the scrolls and go." "We'll give the scrolls to Elisa so that she may return them to the museum." "But I can read them to you first, if you'd like." "Och, no, thank you." "We'll read them ourselves..." "as soon as we learn how." "You know, Gillie, all this fuss about the Scrolls of Merlin has got the old juices flowing." "There may be another book in me yet." "(clears throat) The Sword and the Staff:" "A Book of Merlin." "Frontispiece... (clears throat)" "The written word is all that stands between memory and oblivion." "Without books as our anchors, we are cast adrift, neither teaching nor learning." "They are windows on the past, mirrors on the present, and prisms reflecting all possible futures." "Books are lighthouses erected in the dark sea of time."