Curiosities of Olden Times

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and to rest content with the use that had been made of it as payment for its

subject of satire and epigram. Some of the pieces in verse originated by this singular action are republished

curé of St. Etienne-du-Mont, a M. Coffin, for refusing him the sacrament on account of a gross

portant blan

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TERIO

in the beginning of the eleventh century. Grettir was outlawed for having set fire, accidentally, to a house in Norway, in which were at the time the sons of an Icelandic chief, too drunk to escape from the

as clear; then he ascended the Geitland glacier and struck south-east over the ice, carrying with him a kettle and some firewood. It is supposed that Hallmund (another outlaw) had given him directions, for Hallmund kne

shrubs. There were warm springs there, and he supposed that the vo

full of sheep without number, and they looked in better condition and fatter than any he had seen before. Grettir now set to work, and built himself

ll the sheep hurried away towards the same spot. Grettir used to declare that a Blending,[19] a Thurse named Thorir, possessed the dale, and that it was with his consent that Grettir lived there. Grettir called the dale after him, Thorir's dale. Thorir had two daughters, according to his report, and Grettir entertained himself with their society: they were all glad of his company, as visitors were scarce there. When Lent came on, Grettir determined to eat mutton-fat a

nsuccessful, and another, made in 1654, by Bj?rn and Helgi, two Icelandic clergymen, an account of which is found among the Icelandic MSS. in the British Museum, and which has been kindly communicated to the writer of this paper by a native of the island, now in London

find grass for his horses within a day's ride of the glaciers, and was obliged to relinquish his attempt; had he th

by its explorers, may be understood, it will be necessary briefly

its base steeped in a sea of lava. Due east of Geitlands J?kull is another glacier-crowned dome, called Ok, from which it is cut off by a trench of desolate ruined rock filled with the rubbish brought down by the avalanches on either side-a rift between black walls of trap, crowned with green precipices of ice, which are constantly sliding over the rocky edges and falling with a crash into the valley: this valley is called Kaldidalr, or the cold dale-a title it well deserves. Tho

ead, and is popularly supposed to

alley as winding from opposite Skjaldbreid to this point, but this is

d cake of ice raised on precipitous sides, called E?rek's J?ku

, and of the two clergymen, we may observe that several circumstance

en out of the perpendicular, so that the hole in it does not point to any opening in the glaciers; but a little to the right appears a small ravine between piles of ice, through which runs a small river, which shortly after enters a lake, and, after having fed two other lakes, finally enters the

n outlaw, like Grettir himself, and, indeed, Hallmund, who is alluded to as having given Grettir his direction to the valley, and who was a

ut on a far larger scale, is a valley full of grass and flowers and glistening birch, completely enclosed by glaciers, which sweep d

e most scrupulous accuracy, and thus to procure new intelligence relative to the construction of this wonderful natural edifice. The weather was fine and the sky clear, so that we had reason to expect that we should accomplish our object according to our wish, but it is necessary to state that in a

found that it was much farther to the J?kull than we had imagined, and at length we reached a pile of rocks which, without forming steps and gradation at the point where we ascended, were of considerable height and very steep: these rocks extend to a great distance, and appear to surround the glacier, for we perceived their continuance as far as the eye could reach.[20] Between this pile of rocks and the glacier there is a small plain, about a quarter of a mile i

th another embarrassment, as well in crossing a rivulet discharged from the lake, as in passing the muddy soil, in which our horses ofte

travelled the remainder of the way on foot. We had taken the precaution of providing ourselves with sticks armed with strong points, and with a strong rope in case of either of the party falling into a crevasse, or sinking in the snow. Thus prepared we began to escalade the glacier at two o'clock in the a

r backs, which facilitated our ascent; but we met at the same time with so much loose snow that our progress was but slow. Hopi

. The snowflakes now obscured the air so much that we hardly knew how we should get back: we examined the compass, but without observing any change; and we were prevented by our guides from going tow

rable we should doubtless have had the pleasure of investigating it; but we doubt whether we should have found Thorir's dale. As we d

over the mountain tops directly that the evening sun loses its power, and although there is no night, the air is sensibly colder after 6 P.M. They had the fine par

gi in 1654. They allude to the expedition of these clergymen, but give one of the

uence of this conversation, Bj?rn, attended by two men, rode to Húsafell, where lived his sister and brother-in-law, and persuaded Helgi to accompany him on the glacier. Húsafell lies just under Ok. They started at an extremely early hour on St. Olaf's Day (28th July), without mentioning their intention to any one. This was on Thursday. They soon turned from the highway, following the west side of a cleft that enters a trunk-ravine near Húsafell,[22] and then, reaching the north side of Ok glacier, they halted. There was a young man, Bj?rn Jónsson by name, wi

ir horses farther, as on all sides were seracs of ice, and fissures and crevasses of immense depth. Then Bj?rn made a vow that he would take his horse, named Skoli, over the glacier, and not leave the ice-mountain except on the eastern side, provided this was not contrary to the will of God. Then Helgi made a vow that if he met with any human beings, male or female, in Thorir's dale, he would endeavour to Christianise them; and Bj?rn promised to assist him in this to the best of his power. And they agreed to baptize immediately all the people in the valley who might be willing to embrace Christianity. They thought it prudent to leave behind them one of their horses, their baggage and the tent, at a rock near the river. On this rock they piled up three cairns as evidence that they had been there; and there, also, they left the boy in charge of the horse, with strict orders not to stir till their return, which would be in the night or on the following day. They took with them a bottle of corn-brandy, remarking that the men of Aradalr would probably be quite ignorant of its properties. They took no weapons, except small knives, and each had a spiked staff, to assist him in climbing the ice. Both the clergymen and B

ason of this was that the mountains rose on either side, leaving a sort of depression between them, along which they were going as they held on due east. This was not discouraging, as it showed that the mountain peaks caught the mist, and left the lower ground clear. At the same time, t

wards the north-east, whilst some tended towards the east; but right across the glaciers there lay a hollow trough, and in many places along the edge black rocks shot

rance, whilst the other was oblong, stretching from north to south, and full of snowdrifts. From the same height they saw a great valley, long and narrow, running in a semicircle. At the end were heaps of shingle, precipices, and ravines. The valley began about the middle of the glacier, and ran north-east; then bent towards the east, and finally turned south. Towards the east the glacier became lower, and in the same proporti

rs, and strewn the ground with blocks of ice and other débris. The slopes were very uneven. No water or waterfalls were to be seen, except two pools glittering towards the south, where the valley became shallow, and where it spread into gravelly plains, with the glacier sliding almost to the bottom of the vale on both sides. At the north-east bend of the valley were two small bare hills, beneat

sandstone. This was the only block of stone thereabouts. The clergymen found that they were half the height of the cave; so that it must have been from ten to twelve feet high. The window on the east was oblong, and they conjectured that it had been made by the wind and rain, though it had possibly been the work of former inhabitants of the cave. The explorers supposed that the slab opposite the door had been thrown down from abov

window. Bj?rn Jónsson cut his opposite, but Helgi's was the deepest engraved, and will stand longest. When they had finished this, they sat down and took some

hey went up on different sides as the clink-stone rolled away beneath their feet on those behind. Bj?rn, the priest, was the first to attack the peak, but Helgi reached the summit first, and found it so sharp at the top as to afford hardly enough standing-ground for the th

me, and parted in the morning in the middle of Kaldida

visible from Kaldidalr, for we saw no appearance of it. From Skjaldbreid a peak is di

jaldbreid and Hlothufell, and to follow the stream that issues from the glacier ravine into the recesses of the J?kull. A third course, and that which we expect would prove the easiest, though the least interesting, would be to encamp on the grass-land round the lake H

small streams, whereas the Hvitá bursts out of its lake a wide and deep river; and we think that this is accounted for by the presence of a depression towards the interior of the range which gathers the drainage from the surr

BERT OF

It is singular to trace the history of certain favourite tales; they seem to be endowed with an inherent vitality, which cannot be stamped out. Born far back in the early history of man, they have asserted at once a sway over the imagination and feelings; have been translated from their original birth-soil to foreign climes, and have undergone changes and adaptations t

ial power of development and assimilation, it is only waiting for its time to start a fresh career, full of concentrated vigour. Like the ear of wheat in the hand of the mummy,

me at an auction, and that carefully. Even his receipts I read through in order, just as they had been showered into the text, still continuing in the firm expectation that from every line something wonderfully magical might float up to me, and strike the understanding. Single sparks, here and there darting up, con

e precision through its various changes, and tracked to the country where it originated. It is instructive to note how in one form, it d

rm in which it is known to the modern public, by sure stages, to the ultimate atoms out of which it is developed, or we might take the origi

ethod, as the most suitable

te of the compilation of which is uncertain, but that of the tales is

d him to become an inmate of his palace, and, as his court fool, to divert him in his hours of idleness and depression. The king

our with three

king laughi

n idiot, so h

the old and prud

may rise to

h descend

eed with delight, and for a small sum of money acquired power to send his soul from his own body into any

red his head with the pedantry of professors. The king, satisfied with the answer, pronounced the magical words. Down fell his body, senseless, and his soul animating the corpse, the dead Brahmin sat up and opened his eyes. Instantly the crafty hunchback repeated the incantation, and took possession of the carcass of his majesty,

d their way into the queen's mind, and s

our with three

ho shrugged his shoulders, and laughe

may rise to

ory order to be silent

ister to the queen. 'We must find t

ry one whom the vizier addressed

our with three

n

may rise to

in thought, a poor Brahmin clamoured for alms. The minister made no an

our with three

Brahmin promp

n idiot, so h

was arrested by his inter

may rise to

responded with

h descend t

ened to the palace, where he found the queen bathed in tears over a favourite parrot, which lay dead on her lap. The old man concerted with her a plan for the de

, 'if you love me restore

y effected,' an

At the same moment the true Mukunda pronounced the magic words, dropped his adopted body, and darted into that which had ori

r variations of it are common in most ancient Sanscrit collections. Thus in the Katha Sarit Sagara, a work of Soma Deva, written between A.D. 1113-1125, the s

y of Alexander the Great, by the way-to pay it for them, and they visited his capital. They are too late: Nanda is just dead. However, determined to obtain the requisite sum, Indradatta leav

that the heir to the throne was but a child, and that he had powerful enemies. He therefore formed the resolution of keeping the false king on the throne till the heir was of age to govern. To effect his purpose, he issued

founder of the Maurya dynasty, and one of the most renowned of the ancient Indian kings. Bu

sh, and in the version of the ?ukasaptati. It is in the Turkish T?t?nameh. It is in the famous Arabian Nights, as the story of the Prince Fadl-Allah. It is also in the Mongolian Vikramacarita. But, though it w

st like an allusion to the fable. Thus, "The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make t

their belief, which had nothing in common with metempsychosis. And it is exceedingly probable that they derived it from Persi

the naked king from the bath into the streets of Jerusalem. The wretched man wandered about his city scorned by all; then he fled into distant lands, none recognising in him the great and wise monarch. In the meanwhile the evil spirit reigned in his stead, but unable to bear on his finger the ring graven with the Incommunicable Name, he cast it into the s

imilar legend, tak

's seal. The king thoughtlessly lent it, and immediately found himself supplanted by the Jinn. Reduced to beggary, he wandered through the world repeating, 'I, the preacher,

ular. In the Gesta Romanorum, a collection of moral tales made by the monks in the fourtee

ing upon the extent of his dominions, his heart was elated to an extraordinary degree. '

iscovered a sheet of water at no great distance. 'Remain here,' said he to his guard, 'until I have refreshed myself in yonder stream.' Then, spurring his steed, he rode hastily to the edge of the water. Alighting, he divested himself of his apparel, and experienced the greatest pleasure from its invigorating freshness and coolness.

he circumstance, for he was completely naked, he began to reflect upon what course he should pursue. 'There is, I remember, a knight residing close by; I will go to

the cause of the knocking, 'you will soon see who I am.' The gate was opened, and the porter, struck with the strange appearance of the man before him, exclaimed, 'In the name of all

the palace. My lord both went and returned with him. But he shall hear of thy presumption.' And he hurried off t

o promoted thee to

? I have but just returned from the palace, whither I have accompanied him. Flog the

shed away to the castle of a duke whom he had loaded with favours. 'He will r

ill suit both. Carry him to prison, and feed him with bread and water.' The command was no sooner delivered than obeyed; and the following day Jovinian's naked body was submitted to the lash, and again cast into the dungeon

ent, he approached the imperial resid

eved emperor, 'that thou shouldest

porter indignantly; 'I have

I shall tell thee, and by these signs, bid her send the imperial robes, of which some rogue has deprived m

hed by him, flew at his throat, and but for timely intervention would have killed him. A falcon also, seated on her perch, no sooner saw him than she broke her jesses, and fl

man, 'are very strange. You know I am

tood by, continued, 'Tell me, on your a

eply, and asked leave to pun

my lady, on the faith you have sworn, do you know

estion? Have I not known thee more than t

he exclaimed. 'My friends shun me; my wife and children will not acknowledge me. I will seek my c

ere?' asked

may speak with thee.' The window was opened; but no sooner had

creature! Thou art not the emp

ersecuted man. 'Woe is me,' he cried,

e of his heart he had uttered, crossed his recollection.

ere?' asked

,' answered

eturned to the palace. The soldiers presented arms to him, the porter opened immediately, the dog fawned on him, the falcon flew to him, and his wife rushed to embrace him. Then the feigned emperor spoke:-'My friends, hearken! That man is

Sicily. An old poem or metrical romance on the subject is

ily, brother

, Emperor o

in magnific

of many a kni

eve, at vesper

priests chant

stened, o'er

ike a burde

words: 'Depo

t exaltavi

f these words; and, having heard the

such seditious

ts, and in th

ests and peop

er can push me

ck, he yawned,

chant monoto

into the palace as court fool. At the end of three years there arrived an embassy from Valmond, the emperor, requesting Robert to join him on Maundy Thursday, at Rome, whither he proposed to go on a visit to his brother Urban. The a

En

Robert

n loathly

ails riven

im knowen i

de of his

rode nev

gfe

the menials,

steed, with s

ox-tails flapp

e demurely pe

ode, making h

ry towns through

terly reproached them for thus joining in an unnatural conspiracy with an usurper. This violent sally, however, was received by his brothers, and by the whole papal court, as an und

s, Robert being still accoutred in his fox-tails, and accompanied by his ape, whom he now ceased to consider

more within

the throne in

gelus from the

r world conve

King Robert t

sture, bade th

were alone,

ng?' Then, bowin

ssed both hands

wered him: 'Th

arlet are; le

oister's schoo

ones that pave

till my guilty

ed, and from h

illumined a

e open window,

monks chant in

r and tumult

wn the mighty

ted them of

the chant a

throbbing of a

l, and thou a

o was standing

yes, and lo!

relled as in

antle, and wit

rtiers came they

floor, absorbed

nature of Christianity, than to observe the course pursued by this story. Among Buddhists the false king is vivified

ES S

o seek a solution to their difficulties in their Bibles, opening the book at random an

es from his knees and consults the family Bible in the way described. Whether such a manner of dealing with the Word of God be under any circumstances justifiable, I

which he resorted to the tomb of St. Martin, and taking any book of Scripture which he chose, he opened it, and took as answ

er of a life. The manner of consulting it is simple; it is but to look for the verse answering to the day of t

us?us for reference, and who was driven out of Athens by Hipparchus, son of Pisistratus, because he had been detected inserting in the verses of Mus?us an oracle predicting the disappearance

hated him; and the line of Virgil he read told him that "if he could surmount opposing fates, he would be Marcellus." The Emperor Heraclius, when deliberating where to fix his winter quarters, wa

he verse of the Psalm (lxviii. 14), "When the Almighty scattered kings for their sake, then were they as white as snow in Sa

customary to open the volume and gather from the verse at the head of the page an augury of the prelate's reign. This is illustrated

to mention several prognostications given in

hough this oracle is not infallibly true. The bishop of Nic?a, noticing that he had lighted on the words, 'Prepared for the devil and his angels,' groaned in the depth of his heart, and putting up his hand to hide the words, turned over the leaves of the book, and disclosed the other words, 'The birds of the air come, and lodge in the branches': words which see

ugh thine own soul also.'" After many crimes he was assassinated. He was succeeded by the Dean of Orleans, whose name is not known. "The new prelate having presented himself for consecration, people looked to see what the

ot in pages, but in columns. The monk's eyes rested on the middle of the second column, where he read the following passage, 'The light of the body is the eye.' Then he bade the deacon, who was to present the Gospel to me, to take care, after I had kissed the cross on the cover, to hold his hand on the passage he indicated to him, and then attentively to observe, as soon as he had opened the book before me, on what part of the pages my eyes rested. The deacon accordingly opened the book, after I had,

ch had lately entered the city. He hesitated as to their having been legitimately constituted, and questioned their value. Whereupon he betook himself to prayer; and then g

other that he had. Having asked the opinion of certain persons of authority, he was recommended, after the most sacred service, to open the Missal and to take note of what should first arrest his attention. He followed this advice, and lo! the fir

ding, "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me." I have been told of another man in somewhat parallel circumstances, having lately awakened to religious convictions aft

t daughter into a marriage with a wealthy but dissipated youth, the son of their employer, towards whom the girl felt great repugnance, by manipulating the Sortes Sacr? so as to make the girl read, "Behold,

nd the Evangelists. In like manner, according to Gregory, Merovius, flying from the wrath of his father Chilperic, and Fredigunda, placed on the tomb of St. Martin three books, to wit, the Psalter, the Kings, and the Gospels, and kept vigil through the night, praying the blessed c

nsecration, and ordained him himself. It was urged by his friends in his favour, that on the opening of the book above his head, during the ceremony, these words stood out at the head

e volume had been sprinkled by the dean with holy water, and the paragraph at the head of the page was transcribed in the letters patent of the new can

to the Holy Land or not, was decided by opening his Bible at the passage in Isaiah, "Et erit sepulc

ilian? in the library at Oxford. The lines they met with and which were so singularly v

lian? when he makes Panurge consult

"and," as he tells us himself, "full of trouble, I took up the Psalms of David, in hopes of finding, when I opened the book, some verse which mi

d maybe, in the holy temple you will find some presage of victory." After having given them presents for the sacred place, he added: "O Lord God! if Thou art on my side, if Thou art determined to deliver into my h

on: "Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou shalt throw down mine enemies under me. Thou hast

esented their offerings, and returned wit

acr?. This prohibition was extended to the laity by the forty-second canon of the Council of Agde, in 506. "Aliquanti clerici sive laici student auguriis, et sub nomine fict? religionis, per eas, quas sanctorum sortes vocant, diviniationis scientiam profiten

cripture. These are not, however, to be regarded in the light of superstition, and it is quite possible, and indeed probable, t

nd, he heard a voice say, "Tolle, lege"; whereupon he took up the sacred Scriptures and read, "Not in chambering and wantonness, not in stri

ing-"If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, an

isposition to pardon the man; but his resolution to let justice take her course w

ct, which asks that we may read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest its glorious lessons,

A CHO

jections which medical men of the seventeenth century made to its use, derived its name from att

s well known. Cacao, sugar, long-pepper, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, almonds, mace, aniseed, are the main constituents, and the

hich may be ascertained from any encyclop?dia, for our business is wi

r during the Great Rebellion. Whilst still young, Thomas had been sent to Spain for education, and had entered the Dominican order, and having been, like so many Spanish ecclesiastics, fired wi

xpedition indefinitely. But Gage had no intention of spending his life in ease: he hurried over the different districts of Mexico and Guatemala,

e is interesting, his treatise on its medical properties-conceived in the tast

tic; Creole ladies eat it to deepen their skin tint, just on the same principle, observ

e period. At that time it was a small cathedral town, containing 4

ious requirements of the diocesan city. No Jesuits there! quoth Gage, with a little rancour. Those good men seldom leave rich and opulent towns; and when yo

lived by cattle-jobbing and by pasturing droves of mules on their farms, and who gave themselves the airs of dukes, and were as ignorant and not so well behaved as the donkeys they reared; who ate a dinner of sa

le trouble. These Creoles particularly disliked and resented any allusion to their dut

a little wee bit too fond of the good things of this present life, but otherwise most exempla

henever he heard of a misfortune, at once asked, "Who was she?" knowing that some woman ha

e of contest with the ladies of his flock, and the subject of dispute

stical armoury; the ladies, on their side, made use of all the devices

hout drinking cups of steaming chocolate, and eating preserves, brought in on trays by servants, during the performance of divine service; so that the voice of the preacher, or the chant of th

f delicacies? How could a preacher warm with his subject whilst h

The priests entreated in vain. "Very well," said the bishop, "then I shall preach about it." And so he did. At first his discourse was tender and persuasive, but his voice was drowned in the clicker of cups and saucers. Then he waxed indignant. "What! have ye not house

ostle in his godly indignation. Crash!-down went a tray at the cathe

of their apprentices every Sunday for the next mon

ecration, the bishop found that the ladie

her of Mass (high or low), litanies, benediction, or vespers, should be ipso facto excommunicate, be deprived of participation in the sacraments of the Church, and should be denied the rite of burial, if dying in a state of impenitence. This was felt to be a severe stroke, and the ladies sent a

took the delicate office

is head-that their digestions were delicate, and required that they should continually be imbibing nourishment; that they had taken a violent prejudice against him, which could only be overcome by his y

to learn or to pray. Learn they will not, for they have forgotten how to pray: prayer they are unused to, for the highest act of adoration the Church can offer is only regarded by them as an opportunity for the gratification of their appetites. You recommend me to yield to their vagaries. A strange shepherd would he be, who let his sheep lead him; a wondrous captain, who was dictated to by his soldiers! As for the cause of true religion being endangered, I

with the greatest contempt, scoffing at it publicly, and imbibing chocolate in church, "on p

e drinking and eating vessels, and suffer the servants to come empty-handed to church. A violent struggle ensued in the porch, and all the ladies within rushed in a body to the doors

ers drawn up outside, ready to barricade the way against any inroad of chocolate; a stern determination was depicted

would set foot within the cathedral precincts: a busy whisper circulated, then a hush ensued, and with one a

ney-offerings, and they blinked at the chocolate cups for-a consideration. This was allowed to continue a few Sundays only. Our friend the bishop was not going to b

nth and more, not one of them went to church at all. The prelate was in sore trouble: he hoped that his f

ht tell how the ladies yielded at length, how that rejoicings were held and a general reconcilia

or he knew that no one would be there but a few poor Mexicans. Sick at heart, he all but wished that he had yielded for peace sake, but conscience told him that such a course would have been

l of late." He spoke these words as his eyes caught his page, chattering at the door with a dark-eyed Creole serv

, the old man greeted

I could not think of breaking off that long tête-à-

from the Donna de Solis; the lady sends her humble respects to your Holiness,

aid the bishop; "did you expr

s b

re me a cup of this chocola

de Solis's

my son

the old man clasped his hands wi

This is a sign that they a

ith ladies. The service proceeded as

another, with conscious glances; till the query reac

e answered. "He has retired t

he matter

g from severe p

seen a

s have bee

od old prelate linger

y feebly; "tell me trul

been poisoned," rep

pered that he was dead, when he had been thus for som

on them." Then, after a pause: "I forgive them for

he d

verb prevalent in Mexico: "Bewa

olate in that town unless quite certain of the friendship of those who offered it to him; and when he di

fore; the prelate had laboured in vain, and

LOSOPHE

osopher's Stone was before all their eyes to be enjoyed by all alike, but to be appropriated by none. This precious stone, which went by various names, the "Universal Elixir," the "Elixir of Life," the "Water of the Sun," was thought to procure to its happy discoverer and possessor riches innumerable, perpetual health, a life exempt from all maladies and cares and pains, and even in the opinion of some-immortality. It transmuted lead into gold, glass i

n. All these ingredients, or rather most of them-the cock's egg and the dove's spittle only excepted-a

n just the place where it was not to be found, in their crucibles. Medals were struck on which were inscribed "Per Sal, Sulphur, Mercurium, Fit Lapis Philosophorum," which was a simplification of the receipt. On the reverse stood, "Thou Alpha and Omega of Life, Hope and Resurrection after Death." It was identified with Solomon's seal; it was called Or

l writers upon alchemy triumphantly cite the story of the golden calf in the thirty-second chapter of Exodus, to prove that Moses was an adept, and could make or unmake gold at his pleasure. It is recorded that Moses was so wroth with the Israelites for their idolatry, "that he took the calf which they had made

The notion of the Greek writers seems to have been that all metals were composed of two ingredients, the one metallic matter, the other a red inflammable matter which they called sulphur. The pure union of these substances formed gold; but ot

fter another wreck his genius and time on this rock, nor see what use was made of the belief in it by impostors to enrich themselves at the expense of the credulous-we will follow the superstition upwards, and track the stone to the spring of the beli

in their own delightful vernacular. I forewarn the reader that the golden ball

-eh! but he had brass. He had a golden ball in each hand.[24] He gave a ball to each lass, and she was to keep it, and if she lost it, she was to be hanged. One o' t' lasses, 'twas t' youngest, lost her ball. She was by a park-paling,

nged by t' neck till she were d

shut; so he climbed hedge, and when he got to t' top of hedge, an old woman rose up out o' t' dyke

Night came on, and he heard spirits move i' t' courtyard; so he looked o

ooked round, but did not see t' lad, so he went to t' window and bowed to look out; and as he bowed on his elbows to see spirits i' t' yard, t' lad stepped b

alf t' giant tumbling down to them, and they called ou

t window, so go join thy brother'; and he cast the bottom part of t' giant

he came in, t' lad cut him in twain; but the legs walked on to t' chimney and went up it.

rd spirits stirring under t' bed; and they had t

his arm out at t' other side of t' bed, and t' lad cuts that off. So at last he had maimed them all, and they all went crying

out on t' scaffold, and t' hangman said, 'Now, lass, tha' m

think I see m

st brought m

to set

r brought th

to set

come to s

s gallow

, lass, say thy prayers, for

think I see m

st brought m

to set

r brought th

to set

come to s

s gallow

thee done thy prayers? Now, la

ming, and her uncle, then her aunt, then her cousin, each of which was related in full; after which the hangman said, 'I wee-nt stop no longer,

I see my swee

ast brought m

to set

brought th

to set

come to s

s gallow

eed a widely-spread tale. The verses are like others found in Essex in connection with the child's game of "Mary Brown," and those of the Swedish "Fair Gundela." But these points we must pass over. Our interest attaches specially to the golden ball. The story is almost certainly

nd here at the outset we tell our secret: the sun is the true Philosophe

in the heavenly vault, and that the sun was a luminous stone, a carbuncle; and the moon a pearl or silver disk. Even the classic writers had not shaken off this notion. Anaxagoras, Democritus, Metrodorus, all speak of the su

glo-Saxon and Scandinavian forefathers knew of the cosmogony of the conquered race, and came to suppose that they inhabited another world to them, a world of which the vault that overarched it was set with precious stones; and as the aboriginal inhabitants were driven to live in caves, or in huts heaped over with turf so as to be like mounds, they regarded them as a subterranean people, and their world to be underground. In a multitude of stories the trolls or dwarfs a

he boy soon died. The girl survived, and was married to a man of Lynn. At first they could speak no English; but when they were able to do so they said that they belonged to the land of St. Martin, an unknown country, where, as they were once watching their father's sheep, they heard a loud noise, like the ringing of the bells of St. Edmund's Monastery. And then, all at once, they found themselves among the reapers at Woolpi

n the "Grail Story," which is from beginning to end a Christianised Keltic myth. In it the Grail is originally not invariably a basin or goblet, but a stone. It is so

arth produces, w

d, and sweet, i

precious stone,

as climbing to the golden halls of heaven, and when he comes t

is her

re hol

s powe

s and glor

s Stone,[34] that is, the sun. She is the holder of the su

not injure him. By chance a charcoal-burner came that way and heard the lamentations of those in the pit. Moved with pity, he fetched a rope and ladder and released all three. The lion, full of gratitude, brought the collier meat. The serpent brought him a precious stone. The Venetian thanked him and promised him a reward if he would come to his house. The poor man did so, w

ions in Venetian territory. Moreover the story is incomplete.

him ten laden asses, and he had them and the treasure they bore. Next day, as he was collecting wood and had no axe, the ape brought him boughs with which to lade his ass. On the third day the serpent brought him a stone of three colours, by the virtue of which he w

pe, and is found in most collections of household tales. It occurs in Grimm's Kinder

to Europe by the Crusaders. The story occurs in vario

is put in a wooden box and thrown into the sea. The mouse comes and nibbles a hole in the box, through which he can breathe, the ape raises the lid, and the bear tears it off. Then the ape gives him a wondrous stone, which gives to him who has it power to do and have all he wishes. With this he wishes himself on land, then builds a palace, and surrounds himself with servants. A caravan passes and the leader is amazed to see the new palace, buys the stone of the man, and at once with it goes all the luck and splendour, and the Brahmin is where he was at first. Again the thankful beasts come to his aid. The mouse creeps into the palace of the new owner of the stone and discovers where he hides it, and with the aid of the bear and ape it is again recovered. Here we have the serpent omitted, which is the principal animal to be considered, for really the serpent is the owner of the stone that grows in i

it, set in a ring, to his wife Fastrada. It had the power to attract love. Thenceforth he was inseparable from Fastrada, and when she died he would not leave her body, but carried it about with hi

d with this stone, lies at the bottom of the Tiber, as one asleep, and is not drowned. In Barlaam and Josaphat the hermit underta

and bites off the serpent's head and the sea is made red with its blood. A dragon catches the falling stone and touches the dead serpent with it; it revives and again attacks the ship. Then anot

a wondrous stone of which strange stories had been told, and which possessed the most surprising powers, and they made use of the idea to illustrate their doctrine-the stone was no other tha

ed to strike at the door with a diamond bat. Then five hundred goddesses will come forth, each bearing a precious stone, but only one of these is the Wishing-stone. He must select the stone without speaking. He does so, and chooses the right one. On his way home, on board s

red and twenty voices could be heard calling, the one catching and repeating to another; and by this li

emains, its original significance absolutely lost, and is given a new

y, except in the Grail myth, but it haunts men's minds; they believe in it, they suppo

hed, was the sun shining above their heads. The conception of the sun as a stone was so old, so rolled and rubbed down, that they had no not

wearing out the nights in fruitless experiment; but, like all history, that of the alchemists teaches us a lesson-to look up instead

s, and perhaps my reader will feel a like objection to having a moral appended to this essay. That I may dismiss him with a smile instead of a frown, I will close with a copy of verses extracted by me some thirty and more years ago, from-

ve years old,

little pr

mother said

a strange-

it was length

ed with yell

a glass top

, a hole to

what's this?'

my pencil

it hard thoug

it? what c

if you only l

th your face

(that's just

see a remar

iful!' cried

ach fantas

agments now c

ng apart

d, and new years

day, no lo

hat their turn

of my grand

is world, wit

s so bright

the pleasur

he same piec

hat the earth w

ever been a

s, the same thin

urs have pall

l that is old

in this samen

are the wise

rns must alwa

that our days

and sorrow

ures and joys

ms that van

e are some d

transparent

ely, the beau

th your face

res for which

now succee

es, just hid i

me to the su

nd teaching fresh truths. Perhaps in the consideration of these ancient myths, and seeing their progressive modifications, t

E

R. Clark, Limi

tno

American Indians (

1743. A second edition much enlarged, under the title Hermippus Redivivus, or the Sage's Triumph over Old Age and th

er's fault, the L in the last inscript

τ? ταβλ?α τ?ν

? φουσ

? Συμε?ν, ε?? τ?ν

ε, ?δε, ο?κ ε?μ?

ν μι? κοιμωμ?νη? τ?? γυναικ?? α?το? μ?νη?, κ?κε?νου προβ?λλοντο? ο?νον, ?π?βη

τ? ?σεμνα γ?ναια ε?? τ?ν κ?λπον α?το?,κα? ?σ

μ?α προ?σταμεν?, κα

"Ο Σαλ?? Συμε?ν ?βι??ατ? με." The maid's mistress indignantly scolded Symeon, who r

ιρ?ν σα

α? ?ψ?ρια, κα? ο?ν?ρια δι?φορα, ψαθ?ρια, κα?

?? μ?αν τ?ν ?ταιρ?δων· θ?λει? ?χο σε

nctorum for June, T.I., pp. 237-260, w

xa, corpore nudus, capillis canus." This old mo

graviter ac dure c?dens, de ecclesi? trullo descende

dolphin must have bitten hi

angeling, or one who is

rm a huge an

utiful Marjelen Sea, familiar

this portion of the ground,

at fell is meant. Possibly it may

this story to Mr. Henderson, and it is included in the first edition

he first version was incomplete; the girls had forgotten how the bal

sson, Legends of Ice

noph. Memor

pocryphal

peciem sideris in orbem fulgentes spar

mm, D. M

lbury, cxlv., for an account of the subterranean

in. Cam

m-lighted underworld, Mannhard

lingu? Sept. Men = monile

t., s.a. 1196. The story is an addition

Anecdota Palic

tschatantra (18

nfy, op. ci

babathr

e complex, made up of many metals. We know now that the germ idea of the stone is the sun, and the spectroscope allow