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diff --git a/old/62335-h/62335-h.htm b/old/62335-h/62335-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 387b1ca..0000000 --- a/old/62335-h/62335-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10211 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html - PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<head> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII" /> -<title>The Unpublished Legends of Virgil, by Charles Godfrey Leland</title> - <style type="text/css"> -/*<![CDATA[ XML blockout */ -<!-- - P { margin-top: .75em; - margin-bottom: .75em; - } - P.gutsumm { margin-left: 5%;} - P.poetry {margin-left: 3%; } - .GutSmall { font-size: 0.7em; } - H1, H2 { - text-align: center; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - } - H3, H4, H5 { - text-align: center; - margin-top: 1em; - margin-bottom: 1em; - } - BODY{margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; - } - table { border-collapse: collapse; } -table {margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;} - td { vertical-align: top; border: 1px solid black;} - td p { margin: 0.2em; } - .blkquot {margin-left: 4em; margin-right: 4em;} /* block indent */ - - .smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - - .pagenum {position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: small; - text-align: right; - font-weight: normal; - color: gray; - } - img { border: none; } - img.dc { float: left; width: 50px; height: 50px; } - p.gutindent { margin-left: 2em; } - p.gutlist { margin-top: 0.2em; margin-bottom: 0.2em} - div.gapspace { height: 0.8em; } - div.gapline { height: 0.8em; width: 100%; border-top: 1px solid;} - div.gapmediumline { height: 0.3em; width: 40%; margin-left:30%; - border-top: 1px solid; } - div.gapmediumdoubleline { height: 0.3em; width: 40%; margin-left:30%; - border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} - div.gapshortdoubleline { height: 0.3em; width: 20%; - margin-left: 40%; border-top: 1px solid; - border-bottom: 1px solid; } - div.gapdoubleline { height: 0.3em; width: 50%; - margin-left: 25%; border-top: 1px solid; - border-bottom: 1px solid;} - div.gapshortline { height: 0.3em; width: 20%; margin-left:40%; - border-top: 1px solid; } - .citation {vertical-align: super; - font-size: .5em; - text-decoration: none;} - span.red { color: red; } - body {background-color: #ffffc0; } - img.floatleft { float: left; - margin-right: 1em; - margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - img.floatright { float: right; - margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; - margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - img.clearcenter {display: block; - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0.5em; - margin-bottom: 0.5em} - --> - /* XML end ]]>*/ - </style> -</head> -<body> -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Unpublished Legends of Virgil, by Charles -Godfrey Leland - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: The Unpublished Legends of Virgil - - -Author: Charles Godfrey Leland - - - -Release Date: June 7, 2020 [eBook #62335] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE UNPUBLISHED LEGENDS OF -VIRGIL*** -</pre> -<p>Transcribed from the 1899 Elliot Stock edition by David Price, -email ccx074@pglaf.org</p> -<p style="text-align: center"> -<a href="images/cover.jpg"> -<img alt= -"Book cover" -title= -"Book cover" - src="images/cover.jpg" /> -</a></p> -<h1><span class="GutSmall">THE</span><br /> -UNPUBLISHED LEGENDS<br /> -<span class="GutSmall">OF</span><br /> -VIRGIL.</h1> -<p style="text-align: center"><span class="GutSmall">COLLECTED -BY</span><br /> -CHARLES GODFREY LELAND.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p style="text-align: center">LONDON:<br /> -ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C.<br /> -1899.</p> -<p style="text-align: center"><a name="pagev"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. v</span><span class="GutSmall">TO -THE</span><br /> -SENATOR AND PROFESSOR<br /> -DOMENICO COMPARETTI,</p> -<p style="text-align: center"><span class="GutSmall">AUTHOR -OF</span><br /> -<span class="GutSmall">“VIRGIL IN THE MIDDLE -AGES,”</span></p> -<p style="text-align: center"><span class="GutSmall">THIS WORK IS -DEDICATED</span><br /> -<span class="GutSmall">BY</span><br /> -CHARLES GODFREY LELAND</p> -<p><span class="smcap">Florence</span>, <i>September</i>, -1899.</p> -<h2><a name="pagevii"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -vii</span>PREFACE.</h2> -<p>All classic scholars are familiar with the Legends of Virgil -in the Middle Ages, in which the poet appears as a magician, the -last and best collection of these being that which forms the -second volume of “Virgilio nel Medio Aevo,” by -Senator Professor Domenico Comparetti. But having -conjectured that Dante must have made Virgil familiar to the -people, and that many legends or traditions still remained to be -collected, I applied myself to this task, with the result that in -due time I gathered, or had gathered for me, about one hundred -tales, of which only three or four had a plot in common with the -old Neapolitan Virgilian stories, and even these contained -original and very curious additional lore. One half of -these traditions will be found in this work.</p> -<p>As these were nearly all taken down by a fortune-teller or -witch among her kind—she being singularly well qualified by -years of practice in finding and recording such recondite -lore—they very naturally contain much more that is occult, -strange and heathen, than can be found in the other tales. -Thus, wherever there is opportunity, magical ceremonies are -described and incantations given; in fact, the story is often -only a mere frame, as it were, in which the picture or true -subject is a lesson in sorcery.</p> -<p>But what is most remarkable and interesting in these -traditions, as I have often had occasion to remark, is the <a -name="pageviii"></a><span class="pagenum">p. viii</span>fact that -they embody a vast amount of old Etrusco-Roman minor mythology of -the kind chronicled by Ovid, and incidentally touched on or -quoted here and there by gossiping Latin writers, yet of which no -record was ever made. I am sincerely persuaded that there -was an immense repertory of this fairy, goblin, or witch religion -believed in by the Roman people which was never written down, but -of which a great deal was preserved by sorcerers, who are mostly -at the same time story-tellers among themselves, and of this much -may be found in this work. And I think no critic, however -inclined to doubt he may be, will deny that there is in the old -mythologists collateral evidence to prove what I have -asserted.</p> -<p>It may be observed that in these Northern legends, Virgil is -in most cases spoken of as a poet as well as magician, but that -he is before all, benevolent and genial, a great sage invariably -doing good, while always inspired with humour. Mr. Robinson -Ellis has shrewdly observed that, in reading the Neapolitan tales -of Virgil, “we are painfully struck with the absence, for -the most part, of any imaginative element in them.” I -would, however, suggest, that in these which I have gathered with -no small pains—having devoted a great part of my time for -several years to the task—there is no want of imagination, -romance or humour.</p> -<p>Such are, in brief, the contents of this book. Sincerely -trusting that the press and public may treat it as kindly as they -did the “Etrusco-Roman Remains,” and “The -Legends of Florence,” I await the verdict, which will -probably determine whether I shall publish other Italian -traditions, of which I have still a very large collection.</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span class="smcap">Charles Godfrey -Leland</span>.</p> -<p><span class="smcap">Florence</span>,<br /> - 1899.</p> -<h2><a name="pageix"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -ix</span>CONTENTS.</h2> -<table> -<tr> -<td></td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span -class="GutSmall">PAGE</span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Preface</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#pagevii">vii</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Introduction</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#pagexi">xi</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">The story of Romolo and -Remolo</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page1">1</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">How Virgil was born</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page4">4</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil, the Emperor, and the two -Doves</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page11">11</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and the Rock of -Posilippo</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page14">14</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil, the Emperor, and the -Truffles</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page17">17</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Balsàbo</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page21">21</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil, Minuzzolo, and the -Siren</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page33">33</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Laverna</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page38">38</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and the Ugly Girl</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page43">43</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and the Gem</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page44">44</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p>II. <span class="smcap">The Flies in Rome</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page45">45</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">The Columns of Virgil and his Three -Wonderful Statues</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page49">49</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and Adelone</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page54">54</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and Dorione, or the Magic -Vase</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page58">58</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and the Lady of Ice and -Water</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page63">63</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil the Magician, or the Four -Venuses</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page66">66</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil, the Lady, and the -Chair</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page71">71</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and the Goddess of the -Chase</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page75">75</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and the Spirit of -Mirth</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page80">80</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Nero and Seneca</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page88">88</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and Cicero</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page92">92</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><a name="pagex"></a><span class="pagenum">p. x</span><span -class="smcap">Virgil and the Goddess Vesta</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page97">97</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">The Stone Fish, and how Virgil made it -Eatable</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page103">103</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and the Bronze Horse</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page106">106</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and the Ball-Player</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page108">108</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and the Gentleman who -Brayed</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page111">111</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and the Girl with Golden -Locks</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page113">113</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and the Peasant of -Arezzo</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page117">117</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">The Girl and the Flageolet</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page123">123</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">La Beghina di Arezzo, or Virgil and -the Sorceress</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page128">128</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">The Spirit of the Snow of Colle -Alto</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page134">134</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">The Legend of La Madonna Della -Neve</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page139">139</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">The Magician Virgil: a Legend from the -Sabine</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page140">140</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil, the Wicked Princess, and the -Iron Man</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page152">152</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Giovanni di Bologna and the God -Mercury</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page155">155</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">The Double-Faced Statue, or how Virgil -Conjured Janus</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page161">161</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and his Courtiers</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page163">163</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and the Three -Shepherds</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page164">164</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">The Golden Pine-Cone</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page167">167</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil’s Magic Loom</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page172">172</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and the Priest</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page180">180</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Il Giglio di Firenze, or the Story of -Virgil and the Lilies</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page182">182</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p>II. <span class="smcap">Virgil and the Beautiful -Lady of the Lily</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page185">185</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and the Daughter of the Emperor -of Rome</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page185">185</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Proverb Stories of Virgil</span></p> -</td> -<td></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p>I. <span class="smcap">Virgil and -Pollione</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page190">190</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p>II. <span class="smcap">Virgil and Matteo</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page194">194</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil and the Father of Twelve -Children</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page197">197</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">Virgil as a Physician, or Virgil and -the Mouse</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page199">199</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p><span class="smcap">The Onion of Cettardo</span></p> -</td> -<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a -href="#page203">203</a></span></p> -</td> -</tr> -</table> -<h2><a name="pagexi"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -xi</span>INTRODUCTION.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“C’est bien raison que je vous compte -des histoires de Virgille de Romme lequel en son temps, fis moult -de merveilles.”—<i>Les Faictz Merveilleux de -Virgille</i>. <i>XVIth Century</i>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>The reader is probably aware that during the Middle Ages, -Virgil, who had always retained great fame as a poet, and who was -kindly regarded as almost a Christian from a conjectured pious -prophecy in his works, underwent the process of being made -romantic and converted into a magician. How it all came to -pass is admirably set forth by Professor Domenico Comparetti in -his truly great work on “Virgil in the Middle Ages.” -<a name="citation0a"></a><a href="#footnote0a" -class="citation">[0a]</a></p> -<p>During the twelfth century, and for some time after, many -learned pilgrims or tourists from different parts of Europe, -while in Italy, hearing from the people these tales, which had a -great charm in an age when the marvellous formed the basis of -nearly all literature, gave them to the world in different -forms. And as the fame of Virgil as a poet was almost the -first fact learned by those who studied Latin, legends relating -to him spread far and wide. The Mantuan bard had been -well-nigh deified by the Romans. “Silius Italicus -used to celebrate his birthday every year, visiting his tomb as -if it were a temple, and as a temple the Neapolitan Statius used -to regard it.” <a name="citation0b"></a><a -href="#footnote0b" class="citation">[0b]</a> And this -reverence was preserved by the Christians, who even added to it a -peculiar lore.</p> -<p>“These tales,” says Comparetti, “originated -in Naples, and thence spread into European literature, in the -first <a name="pagexii"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -xii</span>instance, however, outside Italy. Their origin in -Italy was entirely the work of the lower classes, and had nothing -to do with poetry or literature; it was a popular superstition -founded on local records connected with Virgil’s long -residence in Naples, and the celebrity of his tomb in that -city.”</p> -<p>This latter is a shrewd observation, for as the tomb is close -by the mysterious grotto of Posilippo, which was always supposed -to have been made by magic, it was natural that Virgil, who was -famed for wisdom, should have been supposed to have wrought the -miracle, and it may well be that this was really the very first, -or the beginning of all the legends in question. These were -“connected with certain localities, statues and monuments -in the neighbourhood of Naples itself, to which Virgil was -supposed to have given a magic power.” . . . -Foreigners who visited Naples thus learned these legends, and -they passed “even into Latin works of a learned -nature.” So it resulted that from the twelfth century -onward the fame of Virgil as a magician spread all over -Europe. Among those who thus made of him a wonder-worker -were Conrad von Querfurt, Gervase of Tilbury, Alexander Neckham, -and John of Salisbury.</p> -<p>That these marvellous tales were localized in Naples, and -there first applied to Virgil, may be freely admitted, but that -they really originated or were first invented there will be -claimed by no one familiar with older or Oriental legends. -This has not escaped Senator Comparetti, who observes that -wonders attributed long before to Apollonius of Tyana and others -“are practically identical with those attributed in Naples -to Virgil.” The idea of setting up the image of a fly -to drive away flies, as Virgil did in one legend, is Babylonian, -for in Lenormand’s Chaldæan Magic we are told that -demons are driven away by their own images, and Baalzebub, as -chief of flies, was probably the first honoured in this -respect.</p> -<p>That is to say, that little by little and year by year the -tales which had been told of other men in earlier -times—magicians, sorcerers, and wizards wild—were -remade and attributed to Virgil. The very first specimen of -an ancient Italian <i>novella</i>, given by Roscoe, is a -Virgilian legend, though the translator makes no mention of -it. So in the “Pentamerone” of Giambattista -Basile of Naples we find that <a name="pagexiii"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. xiii</span>most of the tales come from the -East, and had been of old attributed to Buddha, or some other -great man.</p> -<p>The Neapolitan stories of Virgil were spread far and wide, -into almost every language in Europe; but they had their day, and -now rank with black-letter literature, being republished still, -but for scholars only. I had read most of them in my youth, -and when the work of Senator Comparetti appeared, I was struck by -the singular fact that there is next to nothing in all the vast -amount of Virgilianæ which he quotes, which appears to have -been gathered of late among the people at large. A great -number of classic and mediæval names and characters are -very familiar to the most ignorant Italians. How came it to -pass that nothing is known of Virgil, who appears in the -“Divina Commedia” as the guide, philosopher, and -friend of Dante, whose works are read by all.</p> -<p>Inspired with this idea, I went to work and soon found that, -as I had conjectured, there were still extant among the people a -really great number of what may be called post-Virgilian legends, -which possibly owe their existence, or popularity, to the Virgil -of Dante. A very few of them are like certain of the old -Neapolitan tales, but even these have been greatly changed in -details. As might have been expected of Northern Italian -narratives, they partake more of the nature of the <i>novella</i> -or short romance, than of the nursery-tale or the mere anecdote, -as given by the earlier writers. That is to say, there was, -after Dante, among the people a kind of renaissance in the fame -of Virgil as a magician. It is by a curious coincidence -that, as Senator Comparetti admits, all the earlier legends of -the bard were gathered and published by foreigners; so have these -of later time been collected by one not to the country born.</p> -<p>One good reason why I obtained so many of these tales so -readily is that they were gathered, like my “Florentine -Legends” and “Etrusco-Roman Remains,” chiefly -among witches or fortune-tellers, who, above all other people, -preserve with very natural interest all that smacks of -sorcery. It is the case in every country—among Red -Indians, Hindus or Italians—that wherever there are -families in which witchcraft is handed down from generation to -generation there will be traditional tales in abundance, and -those not of the common fairy-tale kind, but of a mysterious, -marvellous nature. Now, that the narratives in this book -contain—<a name="pagexiv"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -xiv</span>quite apart from any connection with Virgil—in -almost every instance some curious traces of very ancient -tradition, is perhaps to be admitted by all. Such is the -description of Agamene, the Spirit of the Diamond, which is one -of the oldest of Græco-Roman myths, and Pæonia, who -kills or revives human beings by means of flowers, wherein she is -the very counterpart of Minerva-Pæonia, who taught -Esculapius, as mythology expressly states, “the power of -flowers and herbs,” even as the statue Pæonia teaches -Virgil. These are only two out of scores of instances, and -they are to me, as they will be to every scholar, by far the most -valuable part of my book.</p> -<p>These incidents, which I in many cases did not know, until -after subsequent search in mythologies, were ancient, certainly -could not have been invented by the very ignorant old women from -whom they were gathered. And this brings me to the -important consideration as to whether these stories are really -<i>authentic</i>. A learned Italian professor very lately -asked me how I could be sure that the common people did not palm -off on me their own inventions as legends of Virgil. To -which I replied that I would not be responsible for the antiquity -or origin of a single tale. For, in the first place, any -story of any sorcerer is often attributed to Virgil, so that in -two or three instances which I have specially noted “a -Virgil” means any magician. And very often I have -myself told some story as a hint or suggestion, in order to give -some idea as to what I wanted, or to revive the memory. But -in all cases they have come back to me so changed, and with such -strange fragments of classic lore of the most recondite kind -added, that I had no scruple in giving them just for what they -were worth, leaving it for critics to sift out the ancient from -the modern, even as the eagles described by Sinbad the Sailor, -brought back the legs of mutton with diamonds sticking to -them. “You would not,” I said to the professor -of classical lore, “reject newly-mined gold because it is -encumbered with dross; and that there may be much dross in all -which I have gathered I am sure; but there is gold in it -all.”</p> -<p>The nursery peasant tales collected by Grimm and Crane, and -many more, represent surface-diggings. Those who were first -in the field had an easy time in gathering what thousands -knew. But these finds are becoming exhausted, and the -collector of the future must mine out of the rock, <a -name="pagexv"></a><span class="pagenum">p. xv</span>and seek for -deeper traditions which have been sedulously concealed or kept -secret. There are still many peasants who know this lore, -though their number is very rapidly diminishing, and they are, as -a rule, without exception, extremely averse to communicating it -to anyone whom they know or think is not what I may call a -fellow-heathen, or in true sympathy with them. I may give -in illustration of this an incident which occurred recently as I -write: Miss Roma Lister, who had an old Italian witch-nurse, -still living in Rome (and who has contributed several of these -tales of Virgil), who taught her something of the art -“which none may name,” while walking with a priest -near Calmaldoli, met with a man whom she knew had the reputation -of being a <i>stregone</i>, or wizard. She asked him, -<i>sotto voce</i>, if he knew the name of <i>Tinia</i>, one of -the Etruscan gods, still remembered by a few, and who is -described in the “Etrusco-Roman Remains.” He -hastily replied in a whisper: “Yes, yes; and I know the -incantation to him also—but don’t let the priest hear -us.” At a subsequent meeting they interchanged -confidences freely. Maddalena, whom I have chiefly employed -to make collections among witches and others, has often told me -how unwilling those who knew any witch-lore are to confess it, -especially to ladies or gentlemen. One must literally -conjure it out of them.</p> -<p>These tales of Virgil were collected in Florence, Volterra, -Rocca-Casciano, Arezzo, Siena, and several places near it, and -Rome. I have several not to be published, because they are -so trifling, or so utterly confused and badly written, or -“shocking,” that I could make nothing of them. -In all, however, which I have collected, with one -exception—which is manifestly a mere common fairy-tale -arbitrarily attributed to the subject as a -<i>magus</i>—Virgil appears as a great and very benevolent -man. He aids the poor and suffering, has great sympathy for -the weak and lowly, and is ever ready to reprove arrogance and -defeat the plans of evil sorcerers. But while great and -wise and dignified, he is very fond of a joke. Sometimes he -boldly punishes and reproves the Emperor of Rome—anon he -contrives some merry jest to amuse him. The general -agreement of so many stories drawn from different sources as to -this character is indeed remarkable.</p> -<p>As regards the general “value” of these Virgilian -tales, and a vast number of others which I have collected, all of -<a name="pagexvi"></a><span class="pagenum">p. xvi</span>them -turning on magic or occult motives, it is well worth mentioning -that from one to three centuries ago a great number of tales very -much resembling them were published by Grosius, Prætorius, -and others, as at a later date the “Histoire des -Fantômes et des Demons,” Paris, 1819, which work -unquestionably supplied Washington Irving with the story of the -Spectre Bridegroom, and another tale. <a name="citation0c"></a><a -href="#footnote0c" class="citation">[0c]</a> In Italy, the -writers of <i>novella</i>, such as Boccaccio, Bandello, Cinthio, -and in fact nearly all of them, shook off and ridiculed all that -was associated with barbarous superstitions and incantations, and -yet in the “Metamorphosi” of Lorenzo Selva, Florence, -1591, and here and there in similar obscure works by writers not -so painfully afflicted by “culture” and style as the -leaders, there are witch and fairy-tales which might have come -from very old women, and would be certainly recognised by them as -familiar traditions. That these mysterious stories -contained an immense amount of valuable old Latin classic lore -and minor mythology, or that they were not altogether silly and -useless, does not seem to have entered the head of any one -Italian from Dante downward. Men like Straparola and Basile -made, it is true, collections of merry tales to amuse, but that -there was anything in them of solid traditional value never -occurred to them. I mention the few and far-between -witch-tales which are found in certain writers, because they are -marvellously like those which I have given. Some of these, -especially the later, are so elaborate or dramatic, or inspired -with what seems to be literary culture, that many who are only -familiar with simple fairy-tales might doubt whether the former -are really traditional folklore of the people, or even of -fortune-tellers. There is a curious fact, unnoted now, -which will be deeply dwelt on in a future age when folklore and -phases of culture will be far more broadly and deeply or genially -considered than they are at present. This is, that among -the masses in Italy there exists an extraordinary amount of a -certain kind of culture allied to gross ignorance, as is -amusingly illustrated in the commonest <a -name="pagexvii"></a><span class="pagenum">p. xvii</span>language, -in which, even among the lowest peasants, one hears in every -sentence some transformed or melted Latin word of three or four -syllables, suggesting excess of culture—like unto which is -the universal use of the sonnet and <i>terzarime</i> among the -most ignorant.</p> -<p>If there are any readers who find it strange that in these -legends and traditions there are not only extraordinary but -apparently incredible remains of culture, fragments of mythology -and incantations, which pierce into the most mysterious depths of -archæology, they would do well to remember that the same -apparent paradox struck “Vernon Lee,” who treated it -very fully in her “Euphorion,” in the chapters on the -Outdoor Poetry of Italy. And among other things she thus -remarks:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Nothing can be too artificial or highflown -for the Italian peasantry; its tales are all of kings, -princesses, fairies, knights, winged horses, marvellous jewels . -. . its songs, almost without exception, about love, constancy, -moon, stars, flowers. Such things have not been degraded by -familiarity and parody, as in the town; they retain for the -country-folk the vague charm, like that of music, automatic and -independent of thorough comprehension, of belonging to a sphere -of the marvellous—hence they are repeated with almost -religious servility.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>But it must be remembered that with elaborate poetic forms and -fancies, which would be foreign or unintelligible, and certainly -unsympathetic, even to the fairly well-educated citizen of -England or America, there has been preserved to the very letter, -especially in Tuscany, a mass of literature which, while -resembling the romances of chivalry which Chaucer ridiculed, is -far ruder; it even surpasses the Norse prose sagas in -barbarism. The principal work of this kind is the -“Reali di Francia,” which is reprinted every year, -and which is at least a thousand years old. This work, and -several like it, are the greatest literary curiosities or -anomalies of the age. In them we are hurried from battle to -battle, from carnage to carnage, with rude interludes of love and -magic, as if even the Middle Age had never existed. The -“Nibelungen Lied” and “Heldenbuch” are by -comparison to them refined and modern.</p> -<p>Can the reader imagine this as existing in combination with -the literary relics of the Renaissance and many strangely-refined -forms of speech? Just so among the youngest children in -Florence one sees gestures and glances <a -name="pagexviii"></a><span class="pagenum">p. xviii</span>and -hears phrases which would seem to have been peculiar to grown-up -people in some bygone stage of society. It is really -necessary to bear all this in mind when reading the legends which -I have collected, for they present the contradictions of -barbarism and culture, of old Latin traditions and crass -ignorance, as I have never seen them even imagined by students of -culture.</p> -<p>And here I would remark, as allied to this subject, that -folklore is as yet far from being understood in all its -fulness. In France, for example, no scholar seems to have -got beyond the idea that it consists entirely of <i>traditions -populaires</i>, necessarily ancient. In England we have -advanced further, but we are still far from realizing that with -every day there springs up and grows among the masses that which -in days to come will be deeply interesting, as expressing the -spirit of the age. This accretive folklore is just as -valuable as any—or will be so—and it should be -gathered and studied, no matter what its origin may be. So -of this book of mine, I express the conviction that it contains -many tales which have, since the days of Dante, and many perhaps -very recently, been attached to the name of Virgil, yet do not -consider them less interesting than those collected in the -twelfth century by Gervais of Tilbury, Neckham, and others. -In fact, these here given actually contain far more ancient and -curious traditional matter, because they have not been abridged -or filed down by literary mediæval Latinists into mere -plots or anecdotes as contracted as the “variants” of -a modern folklorist. The older writers, and many of the -modern, regarded as ugly excrescence all that did not belong, -firstly, to scholarship or “style”; secondly, to the -fact or subject in hand. Thus, Lorenzo Selva gives a witch -story with six incantations, which are far more interesting than -all the washy poetry in his book, but is so ashamed of having -done so, that he states in a marginal note that he has only -preserved them to give an idea of “the silliness of all -such iniquitous trash”—the “iniquitous -trash” in question being evidently of Etrusco-Roman origin, -to judge from form and similarity to other ancient spells. -In these later Virgilian tales there has been no scruple, either -as regards literary elegance or piety, to prevent the chronicler -from giving them just as they were told, the “sinful and -silly” incantations, when they occurred, being faithfully -retained, with all that can give an idea of <a -name="pagexix"></a><span class="pagenum">p. xix</span>the true -spirit of the whole. The mean fear of appearing to be -vulgar, or credulous, or not literally “genteel,” has -caused thousands of such writers to suppress traditions worth far -more than all they ever penned.</p> -<p>I write this in the belief that all my critics will admit that -in these, as in my “Florentine Legends” and -“Etrusco-Roman Remains,” I have really recovered and -recorded a great deal of valuable ancient tradition. Also -that what was preserved to us of ancient Etruscan or -Græco-Latin lore regarding the minor gods and sylvan -deities, goblins, etc., by classic writers is very trifling -indeed compared to the <i>immense</i> quantity which existed, and -that a great deal of it may still be found among the peasantry, -especially among wizards and witches, is unquestionable. -That I have secured some of this in my books is, I trust, true; -future critics will winnow it all out, and separate the wheat -from the chaff.</p> -<p>I have entitled this work “The Unpublished Legends of -Virgil,” which may be called a contradiction in terms, -since it is now given in type. But it is the only succinct -title of which I can think which expresses its real nature, and -separates it from the earlier collections of such tales, the -latest of which was issued by Mr. D. Nutt.</p> -<p>And, finally, I would remark with some hesitation in advancing -so strange an idea, that in all the legends which I have -gathered, I find persistence in a very rude and earlier faith, -which the Græco-Roman religion and Christianity itself, -instead of destroying, seem to have simply strengthened. -Indeed, there are remote villages in Italy in which Catholicism -in sober truth has come down to sorcery, or gradually conformed -to it, not only in form, but in spirit; from which I conclude -that, till science <i>pur et simple</i> shall be all-prevalent, -the oldest and lowest cults will exist among those whose minds -are adapted to them. And as Edward Clodd, the President of -the Folklore Society, has clearly shown, <a -name="citation0d"></a><a href="#footnote0d" -class="citation">[0d]</a> there are thousands, even among the -highly-educated in Europe, who really belong to these old -believers.</p> -<p>There will come a day, and that not very far off, when the -last traces of these strange semi-spiritual-romantic or classic -traditions will have vanished from the <i>people</i>, and then -what has been recorded will be sought for and studied <a -name="pagexx"></a><span class="pagenum">p. xx</span>with keenest -interest, and conclusions drawn from it of which we have no -conception. To some of us they are even now only as</p> -<blockquote><p>“Departing sunbeams, loth to stop,<br /> -Still smiling on the mountain-top.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>To the vast majority even of the somewhat educated world, -collecting such lore is like sending frigates to watch eclipses -and North Pole explorations, and the digging up old skulls in -Neanderthals—that is, a mere fond waste of money and study -to no really useful purpose. There is a law of evolution -which is so strictly and persistently carried out, that it would -seem as if the mocking devil, who, according to the Buddhists, is -the real head of the Universe, had it in his mind to jeer mankind -thereby—and it is that the work of man in the past shall -perish rapidly, and those who seek <i>vestigia rerum</i> shall -have as little material as possible, even as dreams flit. -So the strife goes ever on, chiefly aided by the ignorant, who -“take no interest” in the past; and so it will be for -some time to come. I have often observed that in Italy, as -in all countries, children and peasants take pleasure in -destroying old vases and the like, even when they could sell them -at a profit; and there is something of the same spirit among all -people regarding things which they do not understand. -Blessed are they who do something in their generation to teach to -the many the true value of all which conduces to culture or -science! Blessed be they who save up anything for the -future, “and they shall be blest” by wiser men to -come! The primeval savages who heaped up vast <i>koken -middens</i>, or thousands of tons of oyster-shells and bones, did -not know that they were writing history; but they did it. -Perhaps the wisest of us will be as savages to those who are to -come, as they in turn will be to later men.</p> -<h2><a name="page1"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 1</span>THE -STORY OF ROMOLO AND REMOLO.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“In quei buon tempi, ne i primi principii -del Mondo, dicon li Poeti che gli uomini e le Bestie facevano -tutti una medesima vita. . . . E che sia il vero ch’ -eglino s’ impastassino del feroce, como loro, e s’ -incorporassino, leggete di Romolo e Remulo i quali si pascevon di -latte di lupa. Ecco già che divennero in opera lupi -ingordissimi, e voraci.”—<i>La Zucca del Doni -Fiorentino</i>, 1607.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There was of old a King who had a beautiful wife, and also two -children, twins, who were exactly alike. This King was -named Romo and his wife Roma, and the children were called Romolo -and Remolo.</p> -<p>Now, it came to pass that the Queen and her twins, both as yet -sucklings (<i>ancora poppanti</i>), were besieged in a castle -when the King was far away. The enemy had sworn to kill the -whole royal family and to extirpate the kingly race.</p> -<p>Now, when the Queen was in sore distress, seeing death close -upon her, there came to her a wizard, who said:</p> -<p>“There is only one way by which you can save your life -and that of your babes. I can change you all three into -<i>lupi manari</i>, or were-wolves, and thus in the form of -wolves you may escape.”</p> -<p>Then the Queen had the power to become a she-wolf or a human -being at her will, and it was the same with the children. -So they fled away, and lived in the woods for seven years; and -the boys grew up like young giants, as strong as six common -children. And the Queen became more beautiful than ever, -for she lived under a spell.</p> -<p>One day the King was hunting in the forest, when he <a -name="page2"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 2</span>found himself -alone, and surrounded by such a flock of raging wolves that his -life was in great danger, when all at once there came a very -beautiful woman, who seemed to have great power over the beasts, -as if she were their queen, for they obeyed her and -retreated. Then the King recognised in her his lost -wife. So they returned with the twins to their castle, but -the King did not know that his wife and children were themselves -were-wolves.</p> -<p>One day the same enemy who had sought to kill the Queen seven -years before, of which the King knew nothing, came to the castle -pretending to be a friend, and was kindly treated. But when -the Queen and her two sons beheld him, they flew at him as if -they were mad, and tore him to pieces before all the Court, and -began to devour him like raging wolves. Yet still the King -did not know the whole truth.</p> -<p>Then a brother of the King who was thus slain gathered an army -and besieged Romo, who found himself in great danger. One -evening he said:</p> -<blockquote><p>“There is danger within the walls,<br /> -The sound of enemies without,<br /> -The sun set in blood,<br /> -To-morrow it may rise to death.<br /> -Would that I had more warriors to fight!<br /> -Two hundred fierce and bold;<br /> -Two hundred would save us all,<br /> -Three hundred would give us full victory.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>The Queen said nothing, but that night she stole secretly out -of the castle with her sons, and when alone they began to howl, -and soon all the were-wolves in the country assembled. So -the Queen returned with three hundred men, so fierce and wild -that they looked like devils.</p> -<p>They were strange in every way, and talked or howled among -themselves in a horrible language, which, however, the Queen and -her sons seemed to understand. And in the first battle Romo -gained a great victory. And it was observed that the three -hundred men ate the dead. However, the King was well -pleased to conquer.</p> -<p>When Romolo and Remolo were grown up to be men they learned -that in a land not far away were two Princesses named Sabina and -Sabinella, who were the two most beautiful, and also the -strongest, maidens in the world. And it was also made known -that he who would win either must <a name="page3"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 3</span>come and conquer her in fight and -carry her away by main strength.</p> -<p>So Romolo and Remolo went to their city, and on an appointed -day the two Princesses appeared in the public place, ready for -the combat. But Romolo advanced with his brother riding on -his shoulders, pick-back, <i>sulle spalle</i>, as boys do, and, -catching up Sabina with one hand and Sabinella with the other, he -ran away like the wind—so rapidly that he soon distanced -all pursuers. And when Romolo was tired, Remolo took his -place, carrying the sisters and bearing his brother. And -Romolo made a song on it:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Up and down the mountain,<br /> -Over the fields and through the rivulets,<br /> -Over gray rocks and green grass,<br /> -I saw a strange beast run;<br /> -It had three bodies and three heads,<br /> -Six arms and six legs,<br /> -Yet did it never run on more than two.<br /> -Read the riddle rightly, if you can.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>The two brothers wished to build a new and great city of their -own. They went to a certain goddess, who told them:</p> -<blockquote><p>“The city which ye hope to build will be<br -/> -The greatest ever seen in Italy;<br /> -Above all others it will tower sublime,<br /> -And rule the world in a far future time;<br /> -But know that at the first, ere it can rise,<br /> -It calls for blood and human sacrifice.<br /> -I know not where the choice or fate doth lie,<br /> -But of ye two the one must surely die.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Now, men were greatly wanting for this city, because in those -days there were but few in the land. Then the brothers -assembled many wolves, bears, foxes, and all wild beasts, and by -their power changed them into men. And they did it thus: A -sorcerer took an ox and enchanted it, and slew it, and sang over -it a magic song, and left it in an enchanted place. Then -the wolves and other wild beasts came by night to the great stone -of the sacrifice, by a running stream. A god beheld -it. They ate the meat—they became men. These -were the first Romans.</p> -<p>Last of all came a serpent with a gold crown—the Queen -of the Serpents. She ate of the meat and became the most <a -name="page4"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 4</span>beautiful woman -in the world. She was a great magician. Thus she -became the goddess of the city, and dwelt in the tower of the -temple. And her name was Venus. She was like a -star.</p> -<p>Then Romolo and Remolo wished to know which of them was to die -to save the city. And both desired it. Then they -resolved to take an immense stone and cast it one at the -other. So Remolo picked it up and cast it at his brother, -and all who beheld it thought he must be slain. But Romolo -caught it in his hands and threw it back; yet Remolo caught it -easily. But in that instant his foot slipped, and he fell -backward over the Tarpeian Rock, and so he perished. This -is an old story.</p> -<p>And thus it was that Rome was built.</p> -<p>[Now, it was in this city, or near by, that in after-time -Virgil was born, who in his day did such wonders. But the -first wonder of all was the manner of his birth. For Virgil -was the glory of Rome, and the greatest poet and sorcerer ever -known therein.]</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>It did not occur to me to include this tale among the -Virgilian legends, but finding that the compiler of -“Virgilius the Sorcerer” (1893) has begun with a -legend of Romulus and Remus, I have done the same, having one by -me. As the giant said to the storytelling ram, “There -is nothing like beginning at the commencement.”</p> -<h2>HOW VIRGIL WAS BORN.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“And truly this <i>aurum potabile</i>, or -drinkable gold, is a marvellous thing, for it worketh wonders to -sustain human life, removing all disorders, and ’tis said -that it will revive the dead.”—<span -class="smcap">Phil. Ulstadt</span>: <i>Cælum -Philosophorum</i>, <i>seu Liber de Secretis</i>.</p> -<p>“And there be magic mirrors in which we may see the -forms of our enemies, and the like, battalions for battle, and -sieges, and all such things.”—<span -class="smcap">Peter Goldschmid</span>: <i>The Witch and -Wizard’s Advocate overthrown</i> (1705).</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There was once in an old temple in Rome a great man, a very -learned Signore. His name was Virgilio, or Virgil. <a -name="page5"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 5</span>He was a -magician, but very good in all things to all men; he had a kind -heart, and was ever a friend to the poor.</p> -<p>Virgil was as brave and fearless as he was good. And he -was a famous poet—his songs were sung all over Italy. -Some say that he was the son of a fairy (<i>fata</i>), and that -his father was a King of the magicians; others declared that his -mother was the most beautiful woman in the whole world, and that -her name was <i>Elena</i> (Helen), and his father was a -spirit. And how it came about was thus:</p> -<p>When all the great lords and princes were in love with the -beautiful Elena, she replied that she would marry no one, having -a great dread of bearing children. She would not become a -mother. And to avoid further wooing and pursuing she shut -herself up in a tower, and believed herself to be in safety, -because it was far without the walls of Rome. And the door -to it was walled up, so that no one could enter it. But the -god Jove (<i>Giove</i>) entered; he did so by changing himself -into many small pieces of gilded paper (gold-leaf), which came -down into the tower like a shower.</p> -<p>The beautiful Helen held in her hand a cup of wine, and many -of the bits of gold-leaf fell into it.</p> -<p>“How pretty it looks!” said Helen. “It -would be a pity to throw it away. The gold does not change -the wine. If I drink the gold I shall enjoy good health and -ever preserve my beauty.”</p> -<p>But hardly had Helen drunk the wine, before she felt a strange -thrill in all her body, a marvellous rapture, a change of her -whole being, followed by complete exhaustion. And in time -she found herself with child, and cursed the moment when she -drank the wine. And to her in this way was born Virgil, who -had in his forehead a most beautiful star of gold. Three -fairies aided at his birth; the Queen of the Fairies cradled him -in a cradle made of roses. She made a fire of twigs of -laurel; it crackled loudly. To the crackling of twigs of -laurel he was born. His mother felt no pain. The -three each gave him a blessing; the wind as it blew into the -window wished him good fortune; the light of the stars, and the -lamp and the fire, who are all spirits, gave him glory and -song. He was born fair and strong and beautiful; all who -saw him wondered.</p> -<p>Then it happened, when Virgil was fourteen years old, that one -day in summer he went to an old solitary temple, all ruined and -deserted, and therein he laid down to sleep. <a -name="page6"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 6</span>But ere he had -closed his eyes he heard a sound as of a voice lamenting, and it -said:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Alas! I am a prisoner!<br /> -Will no one set me free?<br /> -If any man can do it,<br /> -Full happy shall he be.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then Virgil said:</p> -<p>“Tell me who thou art and where thou art.”</p> -<p>And the voice answered:</p> -<blockquote><p>“I am a spirit,<br /> -Imprisoned in a vase<br /> -Under the stone<br /> -Which is beneath thy head.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then Virgil lifted the stone and found a vase, which was -closed; and he opened it, and there came forth a beautiful -spirit, who told him that there was also in the vase a book of -magic and necromancy (<i>magia e gramanzia</i>).</p> -<blockquote><p>“Therein wilt thou find all secrets<br /> -Which thou desirest to obtain,<br /> -To make what thou wilt into gold,<br /> -To make the dead speak,<br /> -To make them come before thee,<br /> -To go invisibly where thou wilt,<br /> -To become a great poet.<br /> -Thou wilt learn the lost secret<br /> -How to become great and beautiful;<br /> -Thou wilt rediscover the mystery<br /> -Of predicting what is to take place;<br /> -Yea, to win fortune in every game.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>By the vase was a magic wand, the most powerful ever -known. And from that day Virgil, who had been as small as a -dwarf, became a tall, stately, very handsome man.</p> -<p>This was his first great work: he made a mirror wherein one -could see all that was going on in any country in the world, in -any city, as well into any house as anywhere. Keeping the -mirror hidden (beneath his cloak), he went to the Emperor. -And because he was a very handsome man, well dressed, and also by -the aid of the mirror, he was permitted to go into the hall where -the Emperor sat. And, conversing with him, the Emperor was -so pleased that he spoke more familiarly and confidentially than -he was wont to do with his best friends; at which the courtiers -who were present were angry with jealousy.</p> -<p>Turning to Virgil, the Emperor said:</p> -<p><a name="page7"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 7</span>“I -would give a thousand gold crowns to know just what the Turks are -doing now, and if they mean to make war on me.”</p> -<p>Virgil replied:</p> -<p>“If your Highness will go into another room, I can show -in secret what the Turks are now doing.”</p> -<p>“But how you can make me see what the Turks are doing is -more than I can understand,” replied the Emperor. -“However, let us go, if it be only to see what fancy thou -hast in thy head.”</p> -<p>Then the Emperor rose, and giving his arm to Virgil, went to a -room apart, where the magician showed and explained to him -(<i>per filo e per segna</i>) all that the Turks were -about. And the Emperor was amazed at seeing clearly what -Virgil had promised to show. Then he gave to Virgil the -thousand crowns with his own hand, and was ever from that day his -friend. And so Virgil rose in the world.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>In this tale there is as quaint and naïve a mixture of -traditions and ideas as one could desire. The fair Helen, -in her tower of Troy, becomes Danae visited by Jupiter, and as -the narrator had certainly seen Dantzic Golden Water, or some -other cordial with gold-leaf in it, the story of the shower is -changed into aureated wine. It is evident that the one who -recast the legend endeavoured to make this incident -intelligible. All the rest is mediæval. -“Gold,” says Helen, “will preserve my -beauty.” Thus the <i>aurum potabile</i> of the -alchemists was supposed to do the same as Paracelsus -declared.</p> -<p>We all recognise a great idea when put into elaborate form by -a skilled artist, but to perceive it as a diamond in the rough -and recognise its value is apparently given to few. It is -true that those few may themselves be neither poets nor -geniuses—just as the Hottentot who can find or discern -diamonds may be no lapidary or jeweller. What I would say -is, that such ideas or motives abound in this Italian witch-lore -to a strange extent.</p> -<p><a name="page8"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 8</span>Thus, the -making Virgil a son of Jupiter by a Helen-Danae is a flight of -mythologic invention, far surpassing in boldness anything given -in the Neapolitan legends of the poet. Thomas Carlyle and -Vernon Lee have expressed with great skill great admiration of -the idea that Faust begat with the fair Helen the -Renaissance. It was indeed a magnificent conception, but in -very truth this fathering of Virgil, the grand type of poetry and -magic, and of all earthly wisdom, by Jupiter on Helen-Danae is -far superior to it in every way. For Virgil to the -legend-maker represented the Gothic or Middle Ages in all their -beauty and exuberance, their varied learning and splendid -adventure, far more perfectly than did the mere vulgar juggler -and thaumaturgist Faust, as the latter appears in every legend -until Goethe transfigured him. And, strangely enough, the -Virgilian cyclus, as I have given it, is as much of the -Renaissance as it is classic or mediæval. The Medicis -are in it to the life. In very truth it was Virgil, and not -Faust, who was the typical magician <i>par éminence</i> -after Apollonius, some of whose legends he, in fact, -inherited. And Virgil has come to us with a traditional -character as marked and peculiar as any in -Shakespeare—which Faust did not. He has passed -through the ages not only as a magus and poet, but as a -personality, and a very remarkable one.</p> -<p>There is another very curious, and, indeed, great idea lurking -in these witch-Virgilian legends, especially set forth in this of -the birth and continued in all. It is that there is in them -a cryptic, latent heathenism, a sincere, lingering love of the -old gods, and especially of the <i>dii minores</i>, of -<i>fate</i> or fays, and fauns and fairies, of spirits of the air -and of rivers and fountains, an adoration <a -name="page9"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 9</span>of Diana as the -moon-queen of the witches, and a far greater familiarity with -incantations than prayers, or more love of sorceries than -sacraments. Whenever it can be done, even as a -post-scriptum, we have a conjuration or spell, as if the tale had -awakened in the mind of the narrator a feeling of piety towards -“the old religion.” The romances of Mercury, -and Janus, and Vesta, and Apollo, and Diana all inspire the -narrator to pray to them in all sincerity, just as a Catholic, -after telling a legend of a saint, naturally repeats a prayer to -him or a novena. It is the last remains of classic -faith.</p> -<p>Or we may say, as things fell out, that the -Goethean-Helen-Faust-Renaissance poem represents things as they -were, or as they came to pass, as if it were the acme, while the -Virgilian tradition which I here impart indicates things as they -might have happened, had the stream of evolution been allowed to -run on in its natural course, just as Julian the apostate (or -rather apostle of the gospel of letting things be) held that -progress or culture and science might have advanced just as -surely and rapidly on the old heathen lines as any other. -According to Heine, this would have saved us all an immense -amount of trouble in our school-studies, in learning Latin and -mythology, had we kept on as we were.</p> -<p>I mean by this that these traditions of Virgil indicate, as no -other book does, the condition of a naïvely heathen mind, -“suckled in a creed out-worn,” believing in the -classic mythology half turned to fairies, much more sincerely, I -fear, than many of my readers do in the Bible, and from this we -may gather very curious reflection as to whether men may not have -<a name="page10"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 10</span>ideas of -culture, honesty, and mercy in common, whatever their religion -may be.</p> -<p>The marvels of the birth of Virgil of old, as told by Donatus, -probably after the lost work of Suetonius, are that his mother -Maia dreamed, <i>se enixam laureum ramum</i>, that she gave birth -to a branch of laurel; that he did not cry when born, and that -the pine-tree planted according to ancient custom on that -occasion attained in a very short time to a great height, which -thing often happens when plants grow near hot springs, as is the -case on the Margariten Island, by Budapesth, where everything -attains to full-size in one-third of the usual time. The -custom of planting a pine-tree on the birth of a child, in the -belief that its condition will always indicate its -subject’s health and prosperity, is still common among the -Passamaquoddy, and other Red Indians in America, I having had -such a tree pointed out to me by an old grandfather.</p> -<p>In the Aryan or Hindu mythology Buddha, who subsequently -becomes a great <i>magus</i> and healer of all ills, like Christ, -“was born of the mother-tree Maya,” according to J. -F. Hewitt (“L’Histoire et les Migrations de la Croix -et du Su-astika,” Bruxelles, 1898). He was the son of -Kapila Vastu, who was born holding in his hands a medicament, -whence he became “the Child of Medicine,” or of -healing. Buddha appears to be confused with his father.</p> -<p>Now Virgil is clearly stated to be born of Maya or Maia, who -is a mythical tree; his life is involved in that of a mysterious -tree, and in more than one legend he is unquestionably identical -with Esculapius, the god of medicine.</p> -<h2><a name="page11"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -11</span>VIRGIL, THE EMPEROR, AND THE TWO DOVES.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Qualis spelunca subito commota Columba,<br -/> -Cui domus, et dulces latebroso in pumice nidi,<br /> -Fertur in arva volans, plausumque exterrita pennis<br /> -Dat tecto ingentem; mox ære lapsa quieto<br /> -Radit iter liquidum, celeres neque commovet alas.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span -class="smcap">Virgilius</span>: <i>Aen.</i>, V. 213.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>This is another story, telling how Virgil first met the -Emperor.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>It happened on a time that the Emperor of Rome invited many of -his friends to a hunt, and on the appointed day all assembled -with fine horses and hounds, gay attendants, and sounding -horns—<i>tutti allegri e contenti</i>, “all as gay as -larks.”</p> -<p>And when they came to the place, they left their horses and -went into the forest, where it befell, as usual, that some got -game, while others returned lame; but on the whole they came to -camp with full bags and many brags of their adventures and -prowess, and supped merrily.</p> -<p>“It is ever so,” said the Emperor to a courtier, -“one stumbles, and another grumbles; then the next minute -something joyful comes, and he smiles.</p> -<blockquote><p>“‘Thus it is true in every land<br /> -Good luck and bad go hand in hand.’”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>“When men speak in that tone,” replied the -courtier, “they often prophesy. Now, there is near by -an ancient grotto, long forgot by men, wherein if you will sleep -you may have significant dreams, even as people had in the olden -time.”</p> -<p>So when night came on some of the courtiers went to a -contadino house to lodge, while others camped out <i>alla -stella</i>, or in the <i>albergo al fresco</i>, while the Emperor -was guided by the courtier to an old ruin, where in a solid rock -there was a door of stone, which Virgil opened by a spell. -(<i>Sic</i> in MS.)</p> -<p>The Emperor was then led through a long passage into a cave, -which was dry and comfortable enough, and where the attendants -made a bed, whereon His Highness lay down, and, being very weary, -was soon asleep.</p> -<p>But he had not slumbered long ere, as it seemed to him, he was -awakened by the loud barking of a dog, and saw <a -name="page12"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 12</span>before him to -his amazement a marvellously beautiful lady clad in white, with a -resplendent star (crescent) on her forehead. In her right -hand she bore a white dove, and in her left another, which was -black.</p> -<p>When the lady, or goddess, saw that the Emperor was awake, she -let both the doves fly. The white one, after circling -several times round his head, alighted on his shoulder. The -black one also flew about him, and then winged its course far -away.</p> -<p>Then the lady disappeared, and the white dove followed her, -and sat on her shoulder as she fled.</p> -<p>The Emperor was so much amazed, or deeply moved, by this -strange sight that he slept no more, but remained all night -meditating on it, nor did he on the morrow give any heed to the -chase, but ever reflected on the lady and her doves.</p> -<p>The courtier asked him what had occurred. And the -Emperor replied:</p> -<p>“I have had a wonderful vision, and I cannot tell the -meaning thereof.”</p> -<p>The gentleman replied:</p> -<p>“There is in Rome a young man, a poet and sage, of whom -I have heard strange things, and I believe that he excels in -unfolding signs and mysteries.”</p> -<p>“It is well,” replied the Emperor. So when -they returned to Rome he sent for the magician, who came, yet he -knew beforehand why he was summoned to Court. And it is -said that this was the first time when the Emperor knew Virgil. -<a name="citation12"></a><a href="#footnote12" -class="citation">[12]</a></p> -<p>Now, Virgil was as yet a young man. And when the Emperor -set forth what he had beheld, he replied:</p> -<p>“It is a marvellously favourable sign for you, oh my -Emperor, for in that lady you have seen your star. There is -a planet allotted to every man, and thine is of the -greatest. Thou hast one—call to her, invoke her ever -when in need of help, and she will never abandon thee. Thou -hast seen thy star. Her greeting to thee (<i>saluto</i>) -means that a year hence a danger will threaten thee. The -black dove signifies that one year hence thou wilt have an enemy -who will make war on thee. When the dove fled afar, it was -not the dove but the enemy, who will be put to <a -name="page13"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 13</span>flight. -And the white dove was not a dove, but your victory announced to -you in that form, and your star has announced it because in one -year you will have, as the proverb says, ‘the enemy at your -heels.’”</p> -<p>And all this came to pass as he had foretold.</p> -<p>Then the poet and magician became his friend, and from that -time the Emperor never moved a leaf (<i>i.e.</i> did nothing) -without taking the advice of Virgil.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>The goddess, or planet, described in this tale is very -evidently Diana, appropriately introduced as the deity of the -chase, but more significantly as the queen of the witches, and -mistress of mysteries and divination. In both forms the dog -has a peculiar adaptation, because a black dog was the common -attendant of a sorcerer, as exampled by that of Henry C. -Agrippa.</p> -<p>The dove is so widely spread in this world, and is everywhere -so naturally recognised as a pretty, innocent creature, that it -is no wonder that very different and distant races should have -formed much the same ideas and traditions regarding it. It -is a curious anomaly that while doves, especially in Roman -Catholic symbolism, are the special symbols of love and peace, -there are in reality no animals or birds which fight and peck so -assiduously among themselves, as I have verified by much -observation. However, herein the pious mythologists -“builded better than they knew,” for the <i>odium -theologicum</i>, either with heretics or among rivals in the -Church, has been the cause of more quarrelling than any other in -the world—woman perhaps excepted.</p> -<p>In the Egyptian symbolism, a widow who, out of love for her -husband, will not wed again was typified by a black dove. <a -name="citation13"></a><a href="#footnote13" -class="citation">[13]</a> The dove who brought the -olive-leaf <a name="page14"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -14</span>to Noah was generally recognised as symbolizing the new -birth of the world, or its regeneration after a divine bath or -lustration, and the same meaning is attached to its appearance at -the baptism of Christ. A German writer named Wernsdorf has -written two books on the dove as a symbol, viz., “De -simulacro columbæ in locis sacris antiquitas -recepto,” Viterbo, 1773; and “De Columba -auriculæ Gregorii adhærente,” Witteberg, -1780.</p> -<p>As Diana always bears the crescent, here confounded or -identified very naturally with a star—both being heavenly -bodies—the representing her as the peculiar planet of the -Emperor is very ingenious. In seeing her he beholds his -star, and, in the mute language of emblems, hears her -voice. Truly there is unto all of us a star, but it is -within and not without, and its name is the Will, which, when -revealed or understood, can work miracles.</p> -<p>“So mote it be!”</p> -<h2>VIRGILIO AND THE ROCK.</h2> -<p>One night, when he was young, Virgil was in Naples; he went to -visit a very beautiful woman. And when he left her at -midnight he found the house surrounded by <i>bravi</i> or -assassins, who had been placed there to kill him by a signore who -was his rival.</p> -<p>Then the magician ran for his life, followed by all the crew, -till he came to a steep rock like a high wall. And here he -paused, and cried aloud during the minute which he had gained, -this incantation:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Apri spirito della rupe,<br /> -Apri il tuo cuore a me.<br /> -Spirito gentile, abbi,<br /> -<a name="page15"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 15</span>Abbi -pietà di me,<br /> -Se tu vuoi che Iddio<br /> -Abbia pietà di te.”</p> -<p>“Mighty spirit of the mountain,<br /> -Ope thy rocky heart to me.<br /> -Gentle sprite, I pray thee<br /> -Have mercy upon me,<br /> -As thou truly hopest<br /> -That God may pity thee.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then the rock opened, and Virgil fled into it and was -saved.</p> -<p>Those who sought his life followed. And Virgil went -forth, but while they were in the passage it closed at both ends, -and they all perished. So was Virgil saved.</p> -<p>It came to pass in time that Virgil, seeing it would be of -great use, opened the grotto, and it is there to this day.</p> -<p>There was no place where Virgil did not leave some great work, -whence it came that his name is known to all the world.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>There is a curious reflection, and one of great value to -folk-lore, to be drawn from this, and in fact from all of these -stories. It is believed—actually believed, and not -merely assumed to make a tale—that the conjurations given -in them have the effect attributed to them when they are uttered -by any wizard or witch or person who is prepared by magic or -faith. Therefore such tales as told by witches are only a -frame, as it were, wherein a lesson-picture is set. This -induces a deeper, hence a more advanced, kind of reflection or -moral than is conveyed by common, popular fairy-tales. The -one condition naturally leads to another. There is very -little trace of it in the “Mährchen” of Grimm, -Crane, Pitré, or Bernoni. In the <i>novelle</i> of -Boccacio, Sachetti, Bandello and others, of which literally -thousands were produced during and after the Renaissance, there -is very often a commonplace <a name="page16"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 16</span>kind of moral, such as follows all -fables, but it is not of the same kind as that which is involved -in witch-stories. Even in this of Virgil the invocation to -the Spirit of the Rock, adjuring it to be merciful as it hopes -for mercy from God, is beyond what is generally found in common -traditions.</p> -<p>All of these conjurations, to have due effect, must be intoned -in a certain manner, which is so peculiar that anyone who is -familiar with it can recognise at a distance, where the words are -not to be distinguished, by the mere sound of the voice, whether -an incantation is being sung. Hence the greatest care and -secresy is observed when teaching or chanting them.</p> -<p>Among the Red Indians of North America this is carried so far -that, as one who took lessons from an Oneida sorcerer informs us, -it required study every day for seven years to learn how to -correctly intone one spell of twelve lines. The same is -told of the old Etruscan-Latin spells in the “<i>Dizionario -Myth. Storico</i>.”</p> -<p>This legend is specially interesting because the tomb of -Virgil is close by the grotto of Posillippo, and it is -conjectured that as it was, according to tradition, made by -magic, Virgil probably made it. Therefore it may have been -the first of these tales. Why the grotto was specially -regarded as mysterious is almost apparent to all who have studied -cave and stone worship. In early times, in the mysteries, -the going through a hole or passage, especially in a rock, -signified the new birth, or illumination, or initiation, hence -the cult of holy or holed stones, great or small, found all over -the world. Such writers as Faber and Bryant have, it is -true, somewhat overdone guess-work symbolism, <a -name="page17"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 17</span>or fanciful -interpretation, but that the passing through the dark tunnel and -coming to light played a part in old rites is unquestionable, and -that this respect for the subject extended to all perforated -stones and even beads.</p> -<p>Incantations or spells are of two kinds—the traditional, -and those which a powerful or gifted magician or witch -improvises. This of Virgil is of the latter kind.</p> -<h2>VIRGIL, THE EMPEROR, AND THE TRUFFLES.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Quo ducit gula?”—<i>Latin -Saying</i>.</p> -<p>“I am passionately fond of truffles, though I never -tasted them.”—<span class="smcap">Xavier de -Montepin</span>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>One day Virgil was at table with the Emperor, and the latter -complained that his cook was a dolt, because he could never find -anything new to tempt his appetite, and that he had to eat the -same kind of dishes over and over again.</p> -<p>“What I would like,” he said, “would be some -kind of new taste or flavour. There must be many a one as -yet unknown to the kitchen.”</p> -<p>Then Virgil, reflecting, said:</p> -<p>“I will see to-morrow if I cannot find something of the -kind which will please your Highness.” Whereupon all -who were present expressed delight, for no one doubted that he -could do whatever he attempted.</p> -<p>So the next day Virgil went into the forests, where there were -many pigs, and considered attentively what the roots might be -which they dug up with such great care; for he had remarked that -whatever men eat pigs also like, above all other animals. -And having obtained some of the roots, which were like dark-brown -or black lumps, he took them to the Emperor’s cook, and -said:</p> -<p><a name="page18"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -18</span>“Wash these well and cut them fine, and I will see -to the cooking.”</p> -<p>That day the Emperor had invited several friends to see what -new dish Virgil would produce; and when they were assembled at -table, Virgilio took the roots, cut fine, put them into a pan -with oil and beaten eggs, and served them up with his own -hands. And the smell thereof was so appetizing that all -cried, “<i>Evviva Virgilio</i>!” even before they had -tasted the dish. But when they had eaten of it, they were -delighted indeed, and one and all wished to know what the roots -were which gave such a delicate flavour; to which Virgil, rising, -replied:</p> -<p>“Truffles!” <a name="citation18"></a><a -href="#footnote18" class="citation">[18]</a></p> -<p>And ever since that time, even at the table of the Pope, or -any other rich man, no one has ever discovered any better flavour -for food than this which was first found out by Virgil.</p> -<p>One day not long after this took place Virgil was in his -study, when, looking at the stone in a ring which he wore, he -exclaimed: “The Emperor wishes to see me!” And -sure enough, a few minutes later a messenger entered, saying that -his imperial master desired to speak to the sage. And, -having obeyed the call, he found the Emperor ill and suffering -from an indigestion.</p> -<p>“<i>Caro Virgilio</i>,” exclaimed the Emperor, -“I have made thee come because I am suffering from -disorder; and as that pig of a cook who caused it can give me -nothing to eat to relieve it, I have recourse to science, for I -know that thou art a great doctor.”</p> -<p>“Truly,” replied Virgil. “Very simple -doctoring is needed here. Just tell the cook to boil -wheat-bran in water, mix it with the yolk of an egg, and drink it -in the morning before you rise.”</p> -<p>“Bran boiled in water!” repeated the Emperor -slowly. “Just what they give to pigs! Truly, it -seems that you have brought me down to a pig’s level, since -you give me ‘hogs’ broth,’ as they call -it.”</p> -<p>“I wonder,” exclaimed Virgil, “since your -Highness is so humble, that you do not put yourself below the -pigs, because you have abused like a pig, and many a time, that -<a name="page19"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 19</span>poor devil -of a cook for not pleasing your palate. It is not long -since I delighted you, and had applause from all, for serving -truffles at your imperial table. Had <i>he</i> done so, you -would have curiously inquired what the roots were and whence they -came; and having learned that they were <i>cibo di maiali</i>, or -pigs’ food, you would have cast him forth, and the truffles -after him. For such is the wisdom of this world, and so is -man deluded! But as for the bran boiled in water, whether -it be pigs’ broth or not, ’tis the specific for your -illness.”</p> -<p>“Ah well, my dear Virgilio,” replied the Emperor, -“in future serve me up as many pigs’ dainties and -give me as much pigs’-doctor stuff as you please, provided -that all be as good as truffles, or the medicine bran -broth. It is foolish to be led by mere fancies: a pig or a -peasant may know as well as a prince what is pleasant for the -palate or good as a cure. <i>Evviva -Virgilio</i>!”</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>In this merry tale I have followed to the letter an undoubted -original, which was in every detail new to me; and this is the -more remarkable since there is in it decidedly the stamp and -expression of a kind of humour and philosophy which seems to be -peculiar to individual or literary genius. The joke of -pigs’ dainties, pigs’ remedies, the calling the cook -a pig, and the final reduction of the Emperor to a degree below -that animal, is carried out with great ingenuity, yet as marked -simplicity.</p> -<p>The best truffles in Italy are sold as coming from -<i>Norcia</i>, and Nortia, who was an old Etruscan goddess, known -to the original Virgil, is in popular tradition in Tuscany the -Spirit of Truffles, to whom those who seek them address a -<i>scongiurazione</i>, or evocation, which may be found in my -“Etrusco-Roman Remains.” In Christian symbolism -the truffle is associated with St. Antony and his pig. When -the saint had resolved to die by hunger, the pig dug up and -brought to him a <a name="page20"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -20</span>number of truffles, the saint seeing in this an -intimation by a miracle that he should eat and live, which thing -would seem to be poetically commemorated in the <i>saucisses aux -truffes</i>, or Gotha sausages, in which pork and truffles are -beautifully combined.</p> -<p>The most remarkable variety of the truffle is one found in the -United States, south of Pennsylvania. It is called -<i>tuckahoe</i>, or Indian bread, and, with most things American, -is remarkable for bigness at least, since it weighs sometimes -fifteen pounds and hides at a depth of fifteen feet -underground. Like California fruit, it is far more -remarkable for size or weight than excellence. An -incredible quantity of so-called truffles, which appear thinly -sliced or in small bits in dishes even in first-class hotels or -restaurants all over Europe, are nothing but burned potatoes, or -similar vegetable carbon, flavoured sometimes with extract of -mushrooms, but much oftener are simply tasteless soft coal. -Very good truffles, equal to the French, for which they are sold, -are found in the South of England. The truffle is, like raw -meat, caviare, and oysters, strongly stimulating food, and as a -<i>purée</i> or paste is beneficial for anæmic -invalids.</p> -<h2><a name="page21"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -21</span>BALSÀBO.</h2> -<p>There once lived in Florence in the days of King Long-Ago or -Queen Formerly a signore who went beyond all the men who ever -sinned, in making evil out of good and turning light into -darkness. For, under cover of being very devout and serving -the saints, he well-nigh outdid many a devil in making all about -him unhappy. He had six children, three boys and three -girls, all as fine young folk as there were in Tuscany. For -he was severe in punishing and slow in rewarding, always -reviling, never giving a kind word. Once when his eldest -son saved him from drowning at the risk of his own life, he -abused and struck the youth for tearing his garment in so -doing. And in his family there was ever the wolf at the -table with such a hunger that one could see it, <a -name="citation21a"></a><a href="#footnote21a" -class="citation">[21a]</a> while all save himself went so sorrily -clad that it was a shame to behold, and if anyone made a jest or -so much as smiled there came abuse and blows. And to offend -and grieve and insult was so deeply in him that it became a -disease.</p> -<p>However, evil weeds must fade as well as flowers; everything -dies except Death, and the longer time he takes to sharpen his -scythe, the more keenly will it cut. So it came to pass -that one day this good man, but very bad parent, came suddenly to -his death-bed, while his children stood round with eyes as dry as -the Arno in August, which, though it may shine here and there, -never runs over. <a name="citation21b"></a><a href="#footnote21b" -class="citation">[21b]</a></p> -<p>Now, by chance there stood by the dying man the great magician -Virgilio, who indeed had much love and pity for these young -people. And at the same minute, but seen only by him, there -came floating in, like a bit of gold-leaf on a light feather, -borne on the current of air, a certain <i>folletto</i>, or devil, -who had been drifting about in the world for a thousand years, -and in all that time had only learned more and more that -everything is naught, or nothing of much consequence, and that -good or evil stand for one <a name="page22"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 22</span>another, according to -circumstances. And as the dying man was one who, above all -people living, made the meanest trifle a thing of vast -importance, so this devil, whose name was Balsàbo, went -beyond all his own kind of <i>diavoli pococuranti</i> in being -unlike the great Signore di Tribaldo (as the dead man was -called), he being a <i>diavolo a dirittura</i>, a devil in a -straight line, or directly forward. And this demon being -invisible to all save Virgil, the master said to him -secretly:</p> -<p>“Art thou willing to enter this man’s body and act -as his soul, and become father of a family?”</p> -<p>“As ready for that as for anything. No doubt I -will find fun in it,” answered Balsàbo.</p> -<p>Then Virgil said:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Spirito di Belsàbo,<br /> -Io ti scongiurò<br /> -Che per comando mio<br /> -Tu lasci una vita sfrenata<br /> -Come ’ai tenuto per il passato<br /> -E dentro il corpo di Tribaldo<br /> -Tu possa entrare e divenire<br /> -Un capo di famiglia<br /> -Fino a ordine mio.<br /> -E tutti quei<br /> -Fanciulli educherai (<i>sic</i>).”</p> -<p>“Spirit of Belsàbo,<br /> -I now conjure thee<br /> -That by my command<br /> -Thou shalt leave the lewd life<br /> -Which thou did’st lead of old,<br /> -And enter into this body<br /> -Of Di Tribaldo, and become<br /> -Head of a family,<br /> -And educate his children.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>So into the body he went, as the spirit of Di Tribaldo went -out, like the toy which shows the weather in which one puppet -pops forth as the other goes in. So there he lay for a -minute, all the children around in silent amazement that he had -departed without cursing them. When all at once up leaped -Balsàbo, as gay as a lark, crying like a -<i>Scaramuccio</i>:</p> -<p>“Whoop, pigs! here we are again!”</p> -<p>Hearing which, the dear children, understanding that he had -come to life again, did indeed weep bitterly, so that <a -name="page23"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 23</span>Di Tribaldo, -had he stopped a little longer, might have been amazed. But -he had no sooner gone out of his body than a great grim devil, a -kind of detective demon, who was on the look-out for souls, -whipped him up, gave him a couple of cuffs to keep him quiet, -and, putting him into a game-bag, drawing the cords tight, and -then rolling them round and tying them, flew off to give the prey -up to the proper authorities, and what disposition they made of -this precious piece of property I know not, nor truly do I much -care. All that can be said is that ’twas a good -riddance of bad rubbish, and that we may all rejoice that he -comes no more into this story.</p> -<p>But what was the amazement of the well-nigh bereaved children -when their solemn parent made a leap half-way to the ceiling, and -then, while imitating with his mouth a <i>zufolo</i>, or -shepherd’s pipe, to perfection, began to dance with grace a -wild <i>coranto</i>, and anon sang:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Chi ben vive, ben muore,<br /> -Io lo credo in mio cuore;<br /> -Oggi vivo, in figura,<br /> -E doman in sepoltura,<br /> -Ho scappato ben il orco,<br /> -Morto io, morto il porco!” <a name="citation23"></a><a -href="#footnote23" class="citation">[23]</a></p> -<p>“He who lives well may well depart,<br /> -As I believe with all my heart.<br /> -To-day alive, and all in bloom,<br /> -To-morrow buried in the tomb;<br /> -But I’ve escaped, and don’t care why! <br /> -If I were dead the pig might die!<br /> -The pig might die, the world be burned!<br /> -And everything to ashes turned!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Which pious song being ended, he asked them why they were all -staring at him like a party of stuck pigs, and bade them scamper -and send out for a good supper, with flowers and wine; and on -their asking what he would have, he replied, still singing:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Everything to please the palate,<br /> -Venison, woodcocks, larks, and sallet,<br /> -Partridges both wild and tame,<br /> -And every other kind of game,<br /> -<a name="page24"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 24</span>Buttered -eggs and macaroni,<br /> -Salmagundi, rice and honey,<br /> -Mince-pies and oyster too,<br /> -Lobster patties, veal ragoût,<br /> -Beef, with mushrooms round the dish,<br /> -And everything that heart could wish.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Whereupon, being told by his eldest daughter, who was of -opinion that he had gone mad, that such a supper would cost -twenty crowns, he replied that it could not be done for the -money, and that he should always expect such a meal every day, -and a much better one when guests should come. Wherein he -kept his word, and amazed them all by urging them to stuff and -cram to their hearts’ desire, but especially by pressing -them to drink; and whereas it had been of yore that they had been -scolded like beasts if they so much as begged for a second glass -of sour, half-watered wine, they were now jeered and jibed as -duffers and sticks for not swigging off their bumpers of the best -and strongest like men.</p> -<p>And they also noted a great change in this, that while the -late Signore Tribaldo had ever been as severe in manner and -conversation as any saint, and grim as an old owl, the Signore -Balsàbo during the meal cracked one joke after the other, -some of them none too seemly, and roared with laughter at their -frightened looks. But as ’tis easy to teach young -cats the way to the dairy, they began to slowly put out one paw -after the other, and be of the opinion that on the whole their -dear papa had been much improved by his death and revival. -And some word having been said of games, he suddenly whipped out -a pack of cards and proposed play. At which his eldest son -replying that it would be but a thin game with them who had -hardly a <i>quattrino</i> apiece, Balsàbo sent for his -strong-box, which was indeed well-lined, and gave them each a -hundred crowns in gold, swearing it was a shame that such a -magnificent family as his should go about like poor beggars, -because handsome youth and beautiful girls needed fine clothes, -and that in future they were all to spend what they -liked—and bless the expense at that!—for as long as -there was twopence in the locker, half of it should be -theirs.</p> -<p>Then they sat down to play, and Gianni, the eldest son, and -Bianca, the eldest daughter, who had aforetime learned to play a -little on the sly, thought they would surely win. <a -name="page25"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 25</span>But -Balsàbo in the end beat them all, and when they marvelled -at his luck roared with laughter, and said ’twas no wonder, -for he had cheated at every turn; and then, sitting down again, -showed them how ’twas done, but bade them keep it all a -family secret. “For thus,” said he, “we -can among us cheat all the gamesters in Florence, and ever be as -rich as so many Cardinals.”</p> -<p>And then he said to them, as in apology: “Ye have no -doubt, my dear children, marvelled that I have this evening been -somewhat strict and austere with you, which is not to be blamed, -considering that I have been dead and am only just now alive -again; but I trust that in future I shall be far more kind and -indulgent, and lend you a helping hand in all your little games, -whatever they be; for the only thing which can grieve me is that -there shall be any fun or devilry going on, and I not have a hand -in it. And as it is becoming that children should obey -their parents, and have no secrets from them, I enjoin it -strictly on you that whatever you may be up to, from swindling at -pitch-and-toss, up to manslaughter or duels, ye do nothing -without first taking counsel with me, because I, being more -experienced in the ways of this wicked world, can best guard you -against its deceptions. And so, my beloved infants, go in -peace, which means go it while you are young, and as peacefully -as you can, and merrily if you must!”</p> -<p>Now, the eldest son, Gianni, had longed well nigh to being -ill, and even to tears, to wear fine clothes (in which Bianca and -the others were well up with him), and have a gallant horse, like -the other youths of his rank in Florence. But kind as -Balsàbo had been to him, he hardly dared to broach the -subject, when all at once his father introduced it by asking him -why he went footing about like a pitiful beggar, instead of -riding like a cavalier; and learning that it was because he had -no steed, Balsàbo gave a long whistle and said:</p> -<p>“Well, you are a fool of forty-five degrees! Why -the devil, if you thought I would not approve it, did you not buy -a horse on post-obit credit, and ride him on the sly? -However, ’tis never too late to mend. But such a -goose as you would be certainly cheated in the buying. Come -with me.”</p> -<p>And Gianni soon found that his saint of a father was well up -to all the tricks of the horse trade, the end being that he had -the best steed in Florence for half of what it would have <a -name="page26"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 26</span>cost -him. And from this accomplished parent he also learned to -ride and fence, and in the latter he taught his son so many sly -passes and subtle tricks, crafty glissades and <i>botte</i>, that -he had not his master in all the land.</p> -<p>And now a strange thing came to pass: that as all these young -people, though willing enough to be gay and well attired, were -good at heart and honest, as they day by day found that their -father, though really bad in nothing, had, on the other hand, no -more conscience or virtue than an old shoe or a rag scarecrow, so -it was they who began to sermonize him, even as the late Signore -Tribaldo had lectured them, the tables being quite turned. -But what was most marvellous was that Signore Balsàbo, far -from taking any offence, seemed to find in this being scolded for -his want of heart, morals, and other crimes, a deep and wondrous -joy, a sweet delight, as of one who has discovered a new pleasure -or great treasure. This was especially the case when he was -brought to book, or hauled over the coals, by his daughter -Bianca, who was gifted with the severe eloquence of her other -father, which she now poured forth in floods on his -successor.</p> -<p>Now, you may well imagine that an old devil-goblin who had -been kicked and footed about the world for a thousand years -between the back-kitchen of hell unto the inner courts of the -Vatican, including all kinds of life, but especially the bad, -thus having a family to support and beloved daughters and sons to -blow him up, and, in fact, the mere having any decent Christian -care enough for him to call him a soulless old blackguard, was -like undreamed-of bliss. He had been in his time exorcised -by priests in Latin through all that grammar and vocabulary could -supply, and cursed in Etruscan, Greek, Lombard, and everything -else; but the Italian of his daughter had in it the exquisite and -novel charm that there was real <i>love</i> mingled with it and -gratitude for his profuse kindness and indulgence, so that -’twas to him like the pecking of an angry and dear canary -bird, the which thing acted on him so strangely that he at times -was fain to look about him for some stray sin to commit, in order -to get a good sound scolding. For he had fallen so much -into decent life and ways by living with his dear children that -it often happened that he did nothing wrong for as much as three -or four days together.</p> -<p>And truly it was a brave sight to see him, when reprimanded, -<a name="page27"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 27</span>cast down -his eyes and sigh: “Yes, yes! ’tis too true: <i>mea -culpa</i>! <i>mea maxima culpa</i>! It was indeed -wicked!” when all the while he hardly knew where the sin -was or wherein he had done wrong or right or anything else. -Now, it may seem a strange thing that so old a sinner should ever -come to grace; but as ye know that in old tombs raspberry or -other seeds, hard and dry, a thousand years old, have been found -which, however, grew when planted, so Balsàbo began to -think and change, and try, even for curiosity’s sake, what -being good meant.</p> -<p>Meanwhile it was a marvel to see how -well—notwithstanding all the expenditure, to which there -was no limit, save the consciences of the -children—Balsàbo kept the treasury supplied. -And this was to him a joke, as all life was, save, indeed, the -children, in whom he began to take interest, or for whom he felt -love; for, what with knowing where many an old treasure lay -hidden, or the true value of many a cheap estate, and a hundred -other devices and tricks, he ever gained so much that in time he -gave great dowers to his daughters, and castles and lands, with -titles, to his sons.</p> -<p>Now, it came to pass—and it was the greatest marvel of -all—that Bianca, by her reproving and reforming -Balsàbo, had her own heart turned to goodness, and gave -herself up to good works and study and prayer; and unto her -studies Balsàbo, curiously interested, gave great -aid. Then she learned marvellously deep secrets of magic -and spirits, but nothing evil; and it came to pass that in her -books she found that there were beings born of the elements, -creatures appointed to live a thousand years or more, and then -pass away into air or fire, and exist no longer. -Furthermore, she discovered that such wandering spirits sometimes -took up their abode in human bodies, and that, being neither good -nor bad, they were always wild and strange, given up of all -things to quaint tricks and strange devices, as ready unto one -thing as another.</p> -<p>And it came to her mind, as she noted how Balsàbo knew -all languages, and spoke of things which took place ages before -as if he had lived in them, and of men long dead as if he had -known them, that he who was her father aforetime was ignorant of -all this as he was of gentleness or kindness or good nature, all -which Balsàbo carried to a fault, not caring to take the -pains to injure his worst enemy or to do a good turn to his best -friend, unless it amused him, in which <a name="page28"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 28</span>case he would kill the one with as -little sorrow as if he were a fly, and give the other a castle or -a thousand crowns, and think no more of it than if he had fed a -hawk or a hound. And all such good deeds he played off in -some droll fashion, like tricks, as if thinking that sport, and -nothing else, was the end and aim of all benevolence. -However, as regarded Bianca and her brothers and sisters, he -seemed to have other ideas, and to her he appeared to be as -another being, in love and awe obeying her as a child and -striving to understand her lessons.</p> -<p>So this went on for years, till at last one day Bianca, full -of strange suspicions, which had become well nigh certainties, -went to Virgilio and said:</p> -<p>“Tell me in truth who is this being whom thou didst send -us as my father, for that he is not the Di Tribaldo of earlier -days, I am sure. Good and kind he hath been, but too -strange to be human; wild hart is he, not to be measured as a -man.”</p> -<p>Virgil replied:</p> -<p>“Thou hast guessed the riddle, and yet not all; for he -is a spirit of the elements, and his appointed time is drawing -near to an end, and, being neither good nor evil, he would have -passed away in peace into the nothing which is the end of all his -kind. But thou hast awakened in him a knowledge of love and -duty, so that he will die in sorrow, for he has learned from thee -what he has lost.”</p> -<p>Then Bianca asked:</p> -<p>“Can he not be saved?”</p> -<p>And Virgil replied:</p> -<p>“If anyone would give his or her life, then by virtue of -that sacrifice, when the thousand years of his existence shall be -at an end, the two lives shall be as one in the world where all -are one in love for ever.”</p> -<p>Bianca replied:</p> -<p>“That which I have begun I will finish. Having -opened the bud, I will not leave the flower; having the flower, I -will bring it to fruit and seed; the egg which I found and saved, -I will hatch. She who hath said ‘A’ must also -say ‘B,’ till all the letters are learned.</p> -<blockquote><p>“‘Who such a course hath once -begun,<br /> -To the very end must run.’</p> -</blockquote> -<p>And so will I give my life to give a soul to this poor spirit, -even as the Lord gave His to save mankind.”</p> -<p><a name="page29"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 29</span>Then -Bianca departed, and many days passed. On a time Virgilio -saw Balsàbo, who greeted him with a sad smile.</p> -<p>“My sand is well-nigh run out, oh master,” said -the spirit. “Yet another day, and the sun which is to -rise no more will go down behind the mountain-range of -life. <i>Il sole tramonta</i>.”</p> -<p>“And art thou pleased to have been for a time a -man?” asked Virgil.</p> -<p>“It was not an ill thing to be loved by the -children,” replied Balsàbo. “There I had -great joy and learned much—yea, far too much for my own -happiness, for I found that I was lost. When I was -ignorant, and only a poor child of air and earth, fire and water, -I knew nothing of good or evil, or of a soul or a better life in -eternity; now I have learned all that by love, and also that it -is not for me.”</p> -<p>“Wait and see,” replied Virgilio. “He -who has learned to love has made the first step to -immortality.”</p> -<p>And after a few days, news was brought to Virgilio that -Balsàbo, whom men called Di Tribaldo, was dying, and that -Bianca also could not live long; and that night the master, -looking from his tower beyond the Arno on the hill, that which is -now called the San Gallo, or the Torre di Galileo, saw afar in -the night a strange vision, the forms of a man and of a young -woman, divinely beautiful, sweetly spiritual, in a golden, rosy -light, ever rising higher and higher, while afar there was a -sound as of harps and voices singing:</p> -<blockquote><p>“They walked in the world as in a dream,<br -/> -For nothing they saw as it now doth seem;<br /> -And all they knew of care and woe<br /> -Is now but a tale of the long ago;<br /> -And they will walk in the land on high<br /> -Where flowers are blooming ever and aye,<br /> -And every flower in its breath and bloom<br /> -Sings in the spirit with song perfume,<br /> -And the song which it sings in the land above,<br /> -In a thousand forms, is eternal love.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>And as they rose Virgilio saw falling from them, as it were, a -rain of rose-leaves and lilies, and every leaf as it fell faded, -yet became a spirit which entered some newborn babe, and the -spirit was its life.</p> -<p>“Sweetly hast thou sung, oh Spirit of God,” said -Virgilio, <a name="page30"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -30</span>as the last note was heard and the sight vanished. -“The poorest devil may be saved by Love.”</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>The idea that a soul or spirit, human or other, can enter into -a dead body and revive it is to be found in the legends of all -lands, from those of ancient Egypt, as appears in that of -“Anpu and Bata,” which has been nine times translated -into English, down to several of these Italian tales. It is -a fancy which need not be traditional or borrowed; it would occur -to man as soon as the Shaman pretended to go out of his body -while in a trance.</p> -<p>After the foregoing was written out, including the allusion to -seeds found in tombs a thousand years old which grew again, and -which were, of course, Roman or Etruscan, as the only kind known -in Italy—I never having read of any such thing save as -regards corn found in Egypt—I met with the following -passage in “The Sagacity and Morality of Plants,” by -Dr. J. E. Taylor:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Seeds have been found in Celtic tumuli . . -. which, after an interval of perhaps two thousand years, have -germinated into plants, and similar successful experiments have -been made with seeds found in ancient Roman tombs.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>As regards the original of this story, it was so imperfect, -brief, and trifling that I have, as it were, well-nigh -reconstructed it, and might as well claim to be its author as -not, as I should have done were I an earlier Italian novelist, -who without scruple appropriated popular stories with as little -conscience as Robert Burns did old ballads. Bishop Percy -amended them, and owned it, and all that he got thereby was much -abuse and ridicule. But it is <a name="page31"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 31</span>of little consequence when the legend -is not offered as a mere tradition, and this is only a scrap of -tradition <i>réchauffé</i>.</p> -<p>The character of Balsàbo belongs closely to the class -which includes Falstaff, Panurge, Punch, Belphegor, and many -other types who are “without conscience or cognition” -of right or wrong, neither adapted to be banned or blessed, -genially selfish, extravagantly generous, good fellows and bad -Christians, yet who have ever been pre-eminently popular. -But I am not aware that it ever entered into a mortal head to -dream of their being reformed, any more than their cousins -Manfred and Don Giovanni, for which reason I consider this tale -of Balsàbo as decidedly original. Sinners we have -had repentant by thousands, but this is really the only history -of the conversion of Nothingarian.</p> -<p>Paracelsus was the first writer, following the Neo-Platonists -and popular traditions, to make a mythology of elementary spirits -and define their nature.</p> -<p>“There dwell,” he says, “under the earth -semi-homines, or half-human beings, who have all temporal things -which can be enjoyed and desired. They are called -‘gnomes,’ though properly the name should be sylphs -or pygmies. They are not spirits, yet may be compared to -them . . . between them and the devil is a great difference, -because he does not die and they do, albeit they are very -long-lived. And they are not <i>spirits</i>, because a -spirit is immortal.”</p> -<p>This gave birth in later days to the -“Entertainments” of the Comte de Gabalis, and the -exquisite “Undine” of La Motte Fouqué. -Of late years exact science, by its investigations into zoology -and botany, <a name="page32"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -32</span>has approached Paracelsus by discovering incredible -developments in <i>instinctive</i> intelligence, as distinguished -from self-conscious reason, in all that exists.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>Since the foregoing tale, with the comment on it, was written, -even to the last word, I met with and read a novel entitled -“Entombed in the Flesh,” by Michael Henry Dziewicki, -<a name="citation32"></a><a href="#footnote32" -class="citation">[32]</a> which, both as regards plot and many -details, bears such an extraordinary, and yet absolutely -accidental, resemblance to the story of -“Balsàbo” that, unless I enter a protest to -the contrary, I can hardly escape the accusation of having -borrowed largely from it. In it a demon, neither angel nor -devil, enters into the body of a man just dead, and has many -marvellous and amusing adventures, being, of course, involved in -the fate of a girl whom Lucifer wishes to destroy. The end -is, however, very different, because in the novel Phantasto, the -spirit, is set free, and the maiden rescued by the latter going -into a Salvation Army meeting and being moved by hearing the name -and teaching of Jesus. In “Balsàbo” the -demon has immortality conferred on him by Bianca’s giving -her own <i>life</i> to effect it. This is, I think, more -ingenious than any other sacrifice could be, because in the tale, -though it be rudely expressed, there is the exquisite conception -that an immortal existence can take in, include with it, and -identify a minor intelligence or raise it to a higher sphere.</p> -<p>That I have somewhat enlarged the original tale or written it -up will be evident to everyone, but I have omitted very little -which is in the text, save an incantation <a -name="page33"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 33</span>at the end -which Virgil addresses to the unborn souls who are to enter into -the bodies of the children born of the rose-leaves. But I -have inadvertently missed one point, to the effect that, after -having been kicked out of hell, Balsàbo got down so low in -morality as to be finally expelled from the Vatican. The -literal translation of the passage is as follows:</p> -<p>“But poor Balsàbo, who had been kicked out of the -kitchen of hell, . . . and even from the Vatican (felt honoured) -. . . when Bianca scolded him like a child, and said: -‘<i>Vergogna</i>!’—‘For -shame!’”</p> -<h2>VIRGIL, MINUZZOLO, AND THE SIREN.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Caperat hic cantus <i>Minyas</i> mulcere, -nec ullus<br /> -Præteriturus erat Sirenum tristia fata<br /> -Iam manibus remi exciderant stetit uncta carina.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span class="smcap">Orpheus</span>: -<i>Argonauticis</i>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>[Virgil had a pupil named Minuzzolo, who was very small -indeed, but a very beautiful youth, and the great master was very -fond of his disciple.]</p> -<p>They undertook a long journey round the world, since Virgil -wished that his little Minuzzolo should learn all the wonders -which are hidden in the earth.</p> -<p>So he said to him one day:</p> -<p>“Know, Minuzzolo, that we are going on a long journey -which may last for years, and thou must be right brave, my boy, -for many are the perils through which we must pass, and dire are -the monsters which we shall meet.”</p> -<p>So they went forth into the world, far and wide, and little -Minuzzolo showed himself as brave as the biggest, and as eager to -learn as a whole school with a holiday before it when it shall -have got its lesson.</p> -<p>All things he learned: how to resist all sorceries and evil -spells; he could call the eagle down from the sky, and the fish -from the sea; but one thing he did not learn from his master.</p> -<p>One day Virgil gave him a book wherein was the charm <a -name="page34"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 34</span>against the -Song of the Siren, the words which protect him who knows them -against the music of the Voice. But two leaves stuck -together like one, so that Minuzzolo skipped two pages, and never -knew it.</p> -<p>Virgil had gone forth, and Minuzzolo, seated in a hut in the -forest where they lived, began to sing. Then he heard in -the wood a girl’s voice, which seemed to come from a -torrent, singing in answer; and it was so sweet that all his soul -and senses were captured, he forgot all duty and desire, his -master and everything, all in a mad yearning to follow the -sound. So he went on and on, led by the song; day and night -were unnoticed by him. The Voice went with the torrent, he -followed it to a river, and the river to the sea, where the waves -rolled high in foam and fog; he followed the song, it went deep -into the sea, but he gave no heed, but went ever on.</p> -<p>Then he found himself in a very beautiful but extremely -strange old city—a city like a dream of an ancient -age. And as eve came on, the youth asked of this and that -person where he could pass the night, and all said that they knew -of no place, for into that city no strangers ever came. -However, at last one said to him: “I know where there -dwells a witch, and she often hath strange guests; perhaps she -will give thee shelter.”</p> -<p>“I will go to her,” replied Minuzzolo.</p> -<p>“Better not,” was the reply. “I did -but jest, and I would be sorry if so fair a youth should be -devoured by some monster.” <a name="citation34"></a><a -href="#footnote34" class="citation">[34]</a></p> -<p>“Little fear of that have I,” replied the young -magician. “He who has harmed no one need fear none, -and in the name of my Master I am safe.”</p> -<p>So he went to the house and knocked, and there came to his -call an old woman of such unearthly ugliness, that Minuzzolo saw -at once that she was a sorceress. So when she asked what he -wanted, he replied:</p> -<blockquote><p>“In the name of him whom all<br /> -Like thee obey, and heed his call,<br /> -And tremble at his lightest word,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Virgil</span>, my master and thy lord,<br /> -I bid thee give me food and rest,<br /> -Whate’er thou canst and of the best!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p><a name="page35"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 35</span>And she -answered:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Whate’er is asked in that dread -name,<br /> -I’m sworn to answer to the same.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>So the youth stayed there and was well served. And in -the morning he thanked the old woman, and asked her where he -could find Virgil. She replied:</p> -<p>“Do not seek him in the forest where thou didst leave -him. Since then thou hast passed over half the world, for -she who called thee was a Siren, whom none can resist unless they -learn the spell which thy master, foreseeing that thou wert in -danger, gave thee, and which thou didst not learn. However, -I will give thee a ring which will be of use, but do not seek its -help until thou shalt be in dire need. And then thou shalt -say to it:</p> -<blockquote><p>“‘In nome del gran Mago,<br /> -In nome di Virgilio,<br /> -A chi sara buono!<br /> -Questo anello sara mia sposa!’”</p> -<p>“In the name of the great magician!<br /> -In the name of Virgil!<br /> -To whom be all good,<br /> -This ring shall be my spouse!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>“Well shall I remember it,” replied -Minuzzolo. So he went on to the land and by the strand ever -on, till he came to a great and fine ship, and pausing as he -looked at it, he thought he would like to be a sailor. -Therefore he asked the captain if a boy was wanted. And the -captain, being much pleased, took him and treated him very -kindly, and for three years Minuzzolo was a mariner.</p> -<p>But one night there was a great storm, and there came in an -instant such a tremendous wave and gale of wind that Minuzzolo -was blown afar into the sea and wafted away a mile ere he was -missed. However, he gained a beach and scrambled ashore, -where he lay for a long time as if asleep. Yet it seemed to -him, while thinking of the captain and his mates, that he were -being borne away and ever on, as if in a dream, and indeed, when -he awoke, he found himself in what he knew must be another -country, in another clime.</p> -<p>And being very hungry, and seeing a fine garden wherein -delicious fruit was growing, he approached a tree to pluck a -pear; when all at once there sprang out a man of terrible <a -name="page36"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 36</span>form, with -eyes like a dragon, who threatened him with death.</p> -<p>But Minuzzolo drew the ring from his pocket and repeated the -charm, and as he did this the sorcerer fell dead. And then -he heard the voice of the Siren singing afar, and it drew nearer -and nearer, till a beautiful girl appeared. And when she -saw the hideous sorcerer lying dead, she exclaimed with joy: -“At last I am free! This the great Master Virgilio -has done; over land and sea and afar off he has put forth his -power. Blessed be his name!”</p> -<p>Then she explained to the youth that she and others had been -enslaved and enchanted, and compelled to become a Siren and -bewitch men. But Virgilio, knowing that she was lurking -near to charm his pupil, had given him the book to read, but that -her master by his power had closed the leaves, so that Minuzzolo -had yielded to her song. But Virgilio had put forth a -greater power, and brought it to pass that the Siren was herself -enchanted with love, and in the end the sorcerer was -defeated.</p> -<p>Then Virgilio appeared and blessed the young couple, who were -wedded and lived ever after happily. Such things did -Virgilio.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>This strange story, in which classic traditions are blended -with the common form of a fairy-tale, was sent to me from Siena, -where it had been taken down from some authority to me -unknown. It begins very abruptly, for which reason I have -supplied the introductory passage in parenthesis.</p> -<p>Minuzzolo, led strangely afar over the sea, drawn by the voice -of the Siren, suggests that the Argonauts were called -<i>Minii</i>, because they were descended, like Jason, from the -daughters of <i>Minia</i>. There may be here some confusion -with Minos, of whom Virgil says that “he holds in his hand -an urn and shakes the destiny of all human beings, citing them to -appear before his tribunal,” “Quæsitor Minos -urnam movet.” In the Italian legend Minuzzolo, or -Minos, has a ring which compels all who hear his charm to -obey.</p> -<p><a name="page37"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -37</span>Minuzzolo wins his Siren by means of a ring, and it is -remarkable that Hesychius derives the name <i>Siren</i> from -<i>σεἰρη</i>, <i>seire</i>, a small -ring. Moreover, the sirens in the old Greek mythology did -not of their own accord or will entice sailors to death. -“The oracle,” says Pozzoli (Dizionario Mit.) -“had predicted that they should perish whenever a single -mortal who had heard their enchanting voices should escape -them.” Therefore they were compelled by a superior -power to act as they did.</p> -<p>Confused and garbled as it all is, it seems almost certain -that in this tale there are relics of old Græco-Latin -mythology.</p> -<p>The names of the three Sirens were Aglaope, Pisinoe, -Thexiopia; according to Cherilus, Thelxiope, Molpe and -Aglaophonos. <i>Clearchus</i>, however, gives one as -Leucosia, another as Ligea, the third as Parthenope. -“Aglaope was sweetest to behold, Aglaophone had the most -enchanting voice.” Therefore we may infer that -Aglaope, or Aglaophone, was the heroine of this tale. It is -remarkable that <i>Aglaia</i>, a daughter of Jupiter, was the -fairest and first of the three Muses, as Aglaope was of the -Sirens.</p> -<p>It would seem evident that Edgar A. Poe had the Siren Ligea in -mind when he wrote:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Ligeia, Ligeia,<br /> -My beautiful one,<br /> -Whose harshest idea<br /> -Will to melody run . . . <br /> -Ligeia! wherever<br /> -Thy image may be,<br /> -No magic shall sever<br /> -Thy music from thee;<br /> -Thou hast bound many eyes<br /> -In a dreamy sleep,<br /> -But the strains still arise<br /> -Which thy vigilance keep.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p><a name="page38"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 38</span>Most -remarkable of all is the fact that the Sirens, who were regarded -as evil witches or enchantresses of old, are in this story, which -was written by a witch, indicated as women compelled by fate to -delude mariners, which has escaped all commentators, and yet was -plainly enough declared by the Oracle.</p> -<h2>LAVERNA.</h2> -<blockquote><p>One day a fox entered a sculptor’s shop,<br -/> -And found a marble head, when thus he spoke:<br /> -‘O Head! there is such feeling shown in thee<br /> -By art—and yet thou canst not feel at all!’</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><i>Æsop’s -Fables</i>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>It happened on a time that Virgil, who knew all things hidden -or magical, he being a magician and poet, having heard an -oration, was asked what he thought of it.</p> -<p>And he replied:</p> -<p>“It seems impossible for me to tell whether it is all -introduction or conclusion. It is like certain fish, of -whom one is in doubt whether they are all head or all tail, or -the goddess Laverna, of whom no one ever knew whether she was all -head or all body, or both.”</p> -<p>Then the Emperor asked him who this deity might be, for he had -never heard of her.</p> -<p>And Virgil answered:</p> -<p>“Among the gods or spirits who were of the ancient times -there was one female, who was the craftiest and most knavish of -all. She was called Laverna; she was a thief, and very -little known to the other deities, who were honest and dignified, -while Laverna was rarely in heaven or in the country of the -fairies. She was almost always on earth among thieves, -pickpockets, and panders; (she lived) in darkness. Once it -happened that she went to a great priest, in the form of a very -beautiful, stately priestess, and said to him:</p> -<p>“‘Sell me your estate. I wish to raise on it -a temple to <a name="page39"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -39</span>(our) god. I swear to you on my body that I will -pay thee within a year.’ <a name="citation39"></a><a -href="#footnote39" class="citation">[39]</a></p> -<p>“Therefore the priest gave her the estate. And -very soon Laverna had sold off all the crops, grain, cattle, and -poultry. There was not left the value of four -farthings. But on the day fixed for payment there was no -Laverna to be seen. The fair goddess was far away, and had -left her creditor in the lurch—<i>in asso</i>.</p> -<p>“At the same time Laverna went to a great lord, and -bought of him a castle, well-furnished, with much land. But -this time she swore <i>on her head</i> to pay in full in six -months. And she did as she had done by the priest; she -stole and sold everything—furniture, cattle, crops; there -was not left wherewith to feed a fly.</p> -<p>“Then the priest and the lord appealed to the gods, -complaining that they had been robbed by a goddess. And it -was soon found that the thief was Laverna. Therefore she -was called to judgment before all the gods. And she was -asked what she had done with the property of the priest, unto -whom she had sworn by her body to make payment at the time -appointed. And she replied by a strange deed, which amazed -them all, for she made her body disappear, so that only her head -remained, and it cried:</p> -<p>“‘Behold me! I swore by my body, but body -have I none.’</p> -<p>“Then all the gods laughed.</p> -<p>“After the priest came the lord, who had also been -tricked, and to whom she had sworn by her head. And in -reply to him Laverna showed to all present her whole body, and it -was one of the greatest beauty, but without a head, and from the -neck there came a voice which said:</p> -<blockquote><p>“‘Behold me, for I am Laverna, who<br -/> -Have come to answer to that lord’s complaint<br /> -Who swears that I contracted debt with him,<br /> -And have not paid, although the time is o’er,<br /> -And that I am a thief because I swore<br /> -Upon my head; but, as you all can see,<br /> -I have no head at all, and therefore I<br /> -Assuredly ne’er swore by such an oath!’</p> -</blockquote> -<p>“Then there was indeed a storm of laughter among the -gods, who made the matter right by ordering the head to <a -name="page40"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 40</span>join the -body, and bidding Laverna pay up her dues, which she did.</p> -<p>“Then Jove spoke and said:</p> -<p>“‘Here is a roguish deity without a duty, while -there are in Rome innumerable thieves, sharpers, cheats, and -rascals—<i>ladri</i>, <i>bindolini</i>, <i>truffatori e -scrocconi</i>—who live by deceit. These good folk -have neither a church nor a god, and it is a great pity, for even -the very devils have their master Satan. Therefore I -command that in future Laverna shall be the goddess of all the -knaves or dishonest tradesmen, and all the rubbish and refuse of -the human race, who have been hitherto without a god or devil, -inasmuch as they have been too despicable for the one or the -other.’</p> -<p>“And so Laverna became the goddess of all dishonest -people. Whenever anyone planned or intended any knavery or -aught wicked, he entered her temple and invoked Laverna, who -appeared to him as a woman’s head. But if he did his -work badly and maladroitly, when he again invoked her he saw only -the body. But if he was clever, then he beheld the whole -goddess, head and body.</p> -<p>“Laverna was not more chaste than she was honest, and -had many lovers and many children. It is said that, not -being bad at heart, she often repented her life and sins; but do -what she might she could not reform, because her passions were so -inveterate. And if a man had got any woman with child, or -any maid found herself <i>incinta</i>, and would hide it from the -world and escape scandal, they would go every day to invoke -Laverna. <a name="citation40"></a><a href="#footnote40" -class="citation">[40]</a> Then, when the time came for the -suppliant to be delivered, Laverna would bear her in sleep during -the night to her temple, and after the birth cast her into -slumber again, and carry her back to her bed. And when she -awoke in the morning she was ever in vigorous health and felt no -weariness, and all seemed to her as a dream.</p> -<p>“But to those who desired in time to reclaim their -children Laverna was indulgent, if they led such lives as pleased -her and faithfully worshipped her. And this is the manner -of the ceremony and the incantation to be offered to Laverna -every night:</p> -<p>“There must be a set place devoted to the goddess, be it -a room, a cellar, or a grove, ever a solitary place. Then -<a name="page41"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 41</span>take a -small table of the size of forty playing-cards set close -together, and this must be hid in the same place, and going there -at night. . . .</p> -<p>“Take the forty cards and spread them on the table, -making of them, as it were, a close carpet on it. Take of -the herbs <i>paura</i> <a name="citation41a"></a><a -href="#footnote41a" class="citation">[41a]</a> and -<i>concordia</i> and boil the two together, repeating -meanwhile:</p> -<blockquote><p>“‘Fo bollire la mano della -concordia,<br /> -Per tenere a me concorde.<br /> -La Laverna, che possa portare a me<br /> -Il mio figlio e che possa<br /> -Guardarmelo da qual un pericolo!</p> -<p>“‘Bollo questa erba ma non bollo l’erba.<br -/> -Bollo la <i>paura</i> <a name="citation41b"></a><a -href="#footnote41b" class="citation">[41b]</a> che possa tenere -lontano<br /> -Qualunque persona, e se le viene,<br /> -L’idea a qualchuno di avvicinarsi,<br /> -Possa essere preso da paura,<br /> -E fuggire lontano!’”</p> -<p>“I boil the cluster of <i>concordia</i><br /> -To keep in concord and at peace with me<br /> -Laverna, that she may restore to me<br /> -My child, and that she, by her favouring care,<br /> -May guard me well from danger all my life!</p> -<p>“I boil this herb, yet ’tis not it which boils;<br -/> -I boil the <i>fear</i> that it may keep afar<br /> -Any intruder, and if such should come<br /> -[To spy upon my rite], may he be struck<br /> -With fear, and in his terror haste away!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>“Having said this, put the boiled herbs in a bottle, and -spread the cards on the table, one by one, saying:</p> -<blockquote><p>“‘Batezzo queste quarante carte<br /> -Ma non batezzo le quarante carte.<br /> -Batezzo quaranta dei superiori<br /> -Alla dea Laverna che le sue<br /> -Persone divengono un vulcano<br /> -Fino che la Laverna non sara<br /> -Venuta da me colla mia creatura.<br /> -E questi dei dal naso dalla bocca,<br /> -E dall’ orecchie possino buttare<br /> -Fiammi di fuoco e cenere,<br /> -E lasciare pace e bene alia dea<br /> -Laverna, che possa anche essa<br /> - Abbracciare i suoi figli,<br /> - A sua volunta!’”</p> -<p><a name="page42"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -42</span>“I spread before me now the forty cards,<br /> -Yet ’tis not forty cards which here I spread,<br /> -But forty of the gods superior<br /> -To the deity Laverna, that their forms<br /> -May each and all become volcanoes hot,<br /> -Until Laverna comes and brings my child.<br /> -And till ’tis done, may they all cast<br /> -Hot flames of fire and coals from their lungs,<br /> -And leave her in all peace and happiness,<br /> -And still embrace her children at her will.”</p> -</blockquote> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>The character of Virgil is here clearly enough only an -introduction by the narrator, in order to make a Virgilian tale -or narrative. But the incantation, which I believe to be -<i>bonâ fide</i> and ancient, is very curious and full of -tradition. The daring to conjure the forty gods that they -may suffer till they compel Laverna to yield is a very bold and -original conception, but something like it is found very often in -Italian witchcraft. It is of classic origin. In the -witchcraft manufactured by the Church, which only dates from the -last decade of the fifteenth century, it never occurs. The -witches of Sprenger and Co. never lay any of the Trinity under a -ban of torture till a desire is accomplished, nor are they ever -even invoked.</p> -<p><i>La femme comme il faut</i>, or “the only good -woman,” is a very ungallant misogamic corner tavern sign -once common in France. It represents a headless -woman. Perhaps she was derived from some story like this of -Laverna. It recalls the inhuman saying: “The only -good (Red) Indian is a dead Indian.”</p> -<p>Laverna is in this tale another form of Diana. There are -also traces of Lucina in the character.</p> -<h2><a name="page43"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 43</span>VIRGIL -AND THE UGLY GIRL.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Though her ugliness may scare,<br /> -Money maketh all things fair.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><i>Proverb</i>.</p> -<p>“<i>Gelt—wie lieb’ich -Dich</i>.”—How truly I love thee! or, -“Money—how I love thee!”—<i>German -Jest</i>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There was once in Rome an ugly young lady; yes, the ugliest on -earth! And, as if this were not enough, she was -ill-tempered and spiteful, and in his whole course the sun did -not shine on a more treacherous being. She was a true -devilkin, being as small as a dwarf. However, devil or not, -she was worth millions, and had the luck to be betrothed to the -handsomest young man in Rome, who was, indeed, poor.</p> -<p>One day a certain Countess said to Virgil:</p> -<p>“I cannot understand how it comes to pass that such a -splendid fellow is allied to such a horrid little -fright—<i>un tal spauracchio</i>!”</p> -<p>Virgil said nothing, but he went home and took two scorpions, -and by his magic art turned them into gold, and of these he made -two ear-rings and sent them to the Countess, who was delighted -with them, and when Virgil asked her if she liked them, answered: -“<i>Tanta</i>, <i>tanta</i>, <i>sono molto -belli</i>”—“Very much, they are so -beautiful!”</p> -<p>“You said to me a little while ago,” replied -Virgil, “that you did not see what the handsomest man in -Rome finds to admire in the ugliest girl. It is gold, -Signora Contessa, which does it all—gold which makes -scorpions so charming that you wear them in your ears, and call -them beautiful!”</p> -<p>The Countess laughed, and said: “Thou speakest -truth—</p> -<blockquote><p>“‘Gold like the sun turns darkness to -night,<br /> -And fear or hatred to love and delight.<br /> -Gold makes raptures out of alarms,<br /> -Gold turns horror to beautiful charms,<br /> -And gives the beauty of youth to the old.<br /> -On earth there’s no magic like that of -gold.’”</p> -</blockquote> -<h2><a name="page44"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 44</span>VIRGIL -AND THE GEM.</h2> -<p style="text-align: center"><span class="GutSmall">SHOWING HOW -VIRGIL BY HIS ART DROVE ALL THE FLIES OUT OF ROME.</span></p> -<blockquote><p>“Cil une mouche d’arain fist,<br /> -Que toutes mouches qui estoient.<br /> -Celle approchier ne povoient.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span class="smcap">Renars -Contrefais</span>, <span class="GutSmall">A.D.</span> 1318.</p> -<p>“Et fist une mousche d’arain,<br /> -De quoi encor le pris et ain.<br /> -A Naples cele mousche mist<br /> -Et de tel maniere la fist,<br /> -Que tant com la mousche fu la<br /> -Mousche dedenz Naples n’entra,<br /> -Mais je ne sai que puis devint,<br /> -La mousche, ne qu’il en avint.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span class="smcap">Adenès li -Rois</span>: <i>Roman de Cleomadès</i>. <i>XIIIth -Century</i>.</p> -<p>“There were at that time near the city many swamps, in -consequence of which were swarms of <i>flies</i>, which caused -death. And <span class="smcap">Virgil</span> . . . made a -fly of gold, as large as a frog, by virtue of which all the flies -left the city.”—<i>La Cronaca di Partenope</i>, -1350.</p> -<p>“Trovasi chi egli fece una moscha di rame, che dove la -posa niuna moscha apariva mai presso a due saettate che -incontanente non morissi.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span class="smcap">Antonio -Pucci</span>, <i>XIVth Century</i>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Once there came to the Emperor a merchant with many gems and -jewels, and begged him to purchase some.</p> -<p>The Emperor asked of Virgil, who was present:</p> -<p>“Which is the very best of all these stones?”</p> -<p>Virgil replied:</p> -<p>“Let them all remain for a time in the light of the sun, -and I will tell you which is the gem of them all.”</p> -<p>This was done, and after a time a fly alighted on one.</p> -<p>“This is the gem of greatest value,” said -Virgil.</p> -<p>“But it is really hardly worth a crown,” replied -the merchant.</p> -<p>“And yet it is worth all the rest put together,” -answered Virgil; “for it increases marvellously the -intellect or understanding, and thereby one can win with it the -love of whom he will.”</p> -<p>“Very well,” said the Emperor, “I will buy -it, and find by experience whether it can increase wit whereby we -gain hearts.”</p> -<p>He did so, and finding that the stone had the virtue which -Virgil ascribed to it, said to the sage one day:</p> -<p><a name="page45"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -45</span>“How was it that thou didst find out and -understand the value of that gem?”</p> -<p>“I knew it, because I saw that there was in the stone a -very small fly (<i>moschettina</i>—gnat), and I knew that -flies are very quick and gay, and have great cleverness, as -anyone can see if he tries to catch them, and they make love all -the time.”</p> -<p>“Truly thou art a devil, oh Virgil,” replied the -Emperor; “and for reward I hereby make thee Emperor or Pope -over all the flies. There are, by the way, far too many of -them, and a perfect plague—they spoil all the meat in the -shops. I would that thou couldst banish all thy subjects -from Rome.”</p> -<p>“I will do it,” answered Virgil.</p> -<p>Then, by his magic, he summoned the Great Fly—Il -Moscone, the King of all the Flies—and said to him:</p> -<p>“Thy subjects are far too many, and a sore plague to all -mankind. I desire that thou wilt drive them all out of -Rome.”</p> -<p>“I will do it,” replied the Moscone, “if -thou wilt make a fly of gold as large as a great frog, and put it -in my honour in the Church of Saint Peter. After which, -there will no more flies be seen in Rome.”</p> -<p>Then Virgil went to the Emperor and told him what Il Moscone -had said, and the Emperor commanded that the fly should be made -of many pounds of gold, and it was placed in the Church of Saint -Peter, and so long as it remained there no fly was ever seen -within the walls of Rome.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>I have another version of what is partially the same story, -but with a curious addition, which is of greater antiquity and -most unconsciously really Virgilian, or the old tale of the -bull’s hide.</p> -<h2>THE FLIES IN ROME.</h2> -<p>It happened one summer in Rome that people were sadly -afflicted with flies. Nothing like it had ever been seen; -they swarmed by millions everywhere, they blackened the walls, -the meat on the butchers’ stands was hidden under masses of -them. And the poor suffered in their <a -name="page46"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 46</span>children, -many of whom died, while all kinds of food was poisoned and -corrupted everywhere. Then the Emperor said to Virgil:</p> -<p>“Truly, if thou hast indeed the art of conjuring, now is -the time to show it, by conjuring away this curse, for I verily -believe that all the flies of Egypt are come here to -Rome.”</p> -<p>Virgil replied:</p> -<p>“If thou wilt give me so much land as I can enclose in -an ox’s hide, I will drive all the flies away from -Rome.”</p> -<p>The Emperor was well pleased to get so much for so small a -price, as it seemed to him, and promised that he should truly -have as much land as could be enclosed or covered <a -name="citation46"></a><a href="#footnote46" -class="citation">[46]</a> in the skin of an ox.</p> -<p>Virgil summoned Il Moscone, the King of the Flies, and said to -him:</p> -<p>“I wish that all flies in Rome leave the city this very -day!”</p> -<p>Il Moscone, the King of the Flies, replied:</p> -<p>“Cause me to become by magic a great fly of gold, and -then put me in the Church of Saint Peter, and after that there -will be no more insects in the city.”</p> -<p>Then Virgil conjured him into the form of a fly of gold, and -it was placed in the church, and at that instant all the flies -left Rome. At which the Emperor was well pleased.</p> -<p>Then the Emperor asked Virgil where the land lay which was to -be taken in the ox-hide.</p> -<p>“Come to-morrow and you shall see,” answered the -sage.</p> -<p>So the Emperor came with all his Court, and found Virgil -mounted on horseback, bearing a great bundle of leather cord, -like shoe-strings, and this had been made from the skin of the -ox. And beginning at one gate and letting fall the cord, he -rode around the city until all Rome was surrounded.</p> -<p>“Your Highness will observe,” said Virgil, -“that I have taken exactly as much land as could be -enclosed in an ox’s hide, and as Rome stands on the ground, -therefore all Rome is mine.”</p> -<p>“And what wilt thou take for this bit of -earth—houses, people and all?” inquired the -Emperor.</p> -<p>“I ask what to me is its full value, oh my Emperor, for -I have long loved your beautiful niece! Give her to me <a -name="page47"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 47</span>with one -hundred thousand crowns in gold, and I will restore to you your -city.”</p> -<p>The Emperor was well pleased to grant this, and so it came to -pass that all Rome was bought and sold in one day for a purse and -a princess, or for a woman and one hundred thousand crowns.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>It will be observed by many readers that in the first tale -here narrated there are combined two of the older Virgilian -legends, one being that of the Gem which has within it a -mysterious power, and which is thus told in “The Wonderful -History of Virgil the Sorcerer.” <a -name="citation47"></a><a href="#footnote47" -class="citation">[47]</a></p> -<blockquote><p>“Soon after, the Emperor having his -crown-jewels laid out before him, sent for Virgilius, and said: -‘Master, you know many things, and few are hid from your -ken. Tell me now, if you be indeed a judge of gems, which -think you is the best of these?’ The Emperor having -pointed out one gem of peculiar brilliancy, Virgilius laid it, -first in the palm of his hand, then to his ear, and said: -‘Sire, in this stone there is a worm.’ -Forthwith the Emperor caused the stone to be sawn asunder, and -lo, in the centre was found a worm concealed! Amazed at the -sagacity of Virgilius, the Emperor, at the charge of the country, -raised his allowance to a whole loaf per diem.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>The story of the fly is told in almost all the -collections. The reader will bear in mind the following -frank and full admission, of which all critics are invited to -make the worst, that in many cases I had already narrated these -Virgilian tales to my collector, as I did here—a course -which it is simply impossible to avoid where one is collecting in -a speciality. If you want fairy-tales, take whatever the -gods may send, but if you require nothing but legends of Red Cap, -you must specify, and show samples of the wares demanded. -But it may here be observed, that after I had communicated <a -name="page48"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 48</span>these tales, -they all returned to me with important changes. In the -older legends the fly made by Virgil is manifestly—like the -leech which he also fabricated—simply an <i>amulet</i> or -talisman formed under the influence of the planets, or by -astrology. In the version which I give there is an -altogether different, far more ancient and mysterious motive -power described. This is the direct aid of <i>Moscone</i>, -the King of the Flies, suggestive of <i>Baal tse Bul</i>, or -Beelzebub himself. The reader may find a chapter on this -mystical being, who is also the god of news, in the -“Legends of Florence,” Part II. According to my -story, the Golden Fly is not a <i>talisman</i> made by planetary -influences, but a tribute of respect to a demon, which he demands -shall be set up in Saint Peter’s. Here the -<i>witch</i>, ever inimical to orthodox faith, appears in black -and white—so true is it, as I have before remarked, that -even where my assistant has been asked to re-tell a tale, it -always returned with darker and stranger colouring, which gave it -an interest far greater than existed in the simple -narrative. The tale of the fly, as a mere amulet, is of -almost no importance whatever, beyond its being an insignificant -variant; but as a legend of the chief of the flies, or Beelzebub, -claiming honour and a place in the great Christian Church, it is -of extraordinary novelty.</p> -<p>Amber, in which insects are often found, especially small -flies or midges, was anciently regarded as a gem, and is classed -as one in the <i>Tesoro delle Goie</i>. <i>Trattato -curioso</i>, Venice, 1676.</p> -<p>It may be observed that something like this story of the gem -with an insect in it occurs not only in the early legends of -Virgil, but also in the oldest <i>novelle</i>, as <a -name="page49"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 49</span>may be seen -in Roscoe’s “Italian Novelists.” In fact, -there is probably not one of the old Neapolitan Virgilian stories -which is not, like this, of Oriental origin.</p> -<h2>THE COLUMNS OF VIRGIL AND HIS THREE WONDERFUL STATUES.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“En sic meum opus ago,<br /> -Ut Romæ fecit imago<br /> -Quam sculpsit Virgilius,<br /> -Quæ manifestare suevit<br /> -Fures, sed cæsa quievit<br /> -Et os clausit digito.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span class="smcap">De Corrupto -Ecclesiæ Statu</span>: <i>XVIth Century</i>. -<i>Virgilius the Sorcerer</i> (1892).</p> -</blockquote> -<p>The reader who is familiar with “The Legends of -Florence” will remember that, in the second series of that -work, <a name="citation49"></a><a href="#footnote49" -class="citation">[49]</a> there are several tales referring to -the Red Pillars of the Baptistery, of which, as Murray’s -“Guide Book” states, “at each side of the -eastern entrance of the Battisterio di San Giovanni there is a -shaft of red porphyry, presented by the Pisans in -1117.” To which I added:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Other accounts state that the Florentines -attached immense value to these columns, and that once when there -was to be a grand division of plunder between Florence and Pisa, -the people of the former city preferred to take them, instead of -a large sum of money, or something which was apparently far more -valuable. And the Pisans parted from them most unwillingly, -and to deprive them of value passed them through a fire. -Which is all unintelligible nonsense, but which becomes clear -when we read further.</p> -<p>“I had spoken of this to Mr. W. de Morgan, the -distinguished scholar, artist, and discoverer in ceramics, when -<a name="page50"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 50</span>he -informed me that he had found, in the ‘Cronaca -Pisana’ of Gardo, a passage which clearly explains the -whole. It is as follows:</p> -<p>“In the year 1016, the Pisans brought the gates of wood -which are in the Duomo, and a small column, which is in the -façade, or above the gate of the Duomo. There are -also at the chief entrance two columns, about two fathoms each in -length, of a reddish colour, and it is said that whoever sees -them is sure in that day not to be betrayed. And these two -columns which were so beautiful had been so enchanted by the -Saracens, <a name="citation50a"></a><a href="#footnote50a" -class="citation">[50a]</a> that when a theft had been committed -the face of the thief could be seen reflected in them. And -when they had scorched them they sent them to Florence, after -which time the pillars lost their power; whence came the saying, -<i>Fiorentini ciechi</i>, or ‘blind Florentines.’ <a -name="citation50b"></a><a href="#footnote50b" -class="citation">[50b]</a></p> -<p>“Unto which was added, <i>Pisani traditori</i>, or -‘treacherous Pisans.’ Those pillars were, in -fact, magic mirrors which had acquired their power by certain -ceremonies performed when they were first polished, and which -were lost.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>A German writer on witchcraft, Peter Goldschmidt, states that -there was once in olden time in Constantinople a certain Peter -Corsa, who, by looking in two polished stones or magic mirrors, -beheld in them proof that his wife, then far away, was unfaithful -to him. It is possible, or probable, that this refers to -the same pillars, before they had been brought to Pisa, even as -the column of the Medicis in the Piazza Annunciata was sent from -the East to Florence.</p> -<p>What renders this the more probable is the following <a -name="page51"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 51</span>passage by -Comparetti, given in his “Virgilio nel Medio -Evo”:</p> -<blockquote><p>“In a History of the Pisans, written in -French in the fifteenth century and existing in manuscript in -Berne, there is mention of two columns made by Virgil, and which -were then in the cathedral of Pisa, on the tops of which one -could see the likeness of anyone who had stolen or -fornicated.” See De Sinner, “Catal. Codicum -MSS. Bibl. Bernensis,” II., p. 129; Du Meril, -“Mélanges,” p. 472.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>It is most unlikely that the Pisans had <i>two</i> pairs of -columns, in each of which appeared the forms or phantoms or -<i>simulacra</i>, of criminals, for which reason we may conclude -that those in the Battisterio of Florence are quite the same as -those which were said to have been made by Virgil. And it -is also probable that the belief that they were made by Virgil -went far to give them the great value which was attached to -them. They should be called the columns of Virgil.</p> -<p>It may be observed that the Berne manuscript cited mentions -that it was on the <i>top</i> of the pillars that the visions -were seen, and that the tops of the columns of the Battisterio -have been knocked away, possibly by the Pisans, in order to -deprive them of their peculiar value.</p> -<p>Virgil is also accredited with having made a statue which, -like Mahomet’s coffin, hung free in mid-air, and was -visible from every part of Rome, or in fact from every door and -window. And it had the property that no woman who had once -beheld it had, after that, any desire to behave improperly, which -thing, according to the plainly-speaking author of “Les -Faicts Merveilleux de Virgille,” was a sad affliction to -the Roman dames, <i>qui aymoyent par amour</i>, since they could -<a name="page52"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 52</span>not put -foot out of doors without seeing “that nasty-image” -which prevented them from having <i>soulas de leurs -amours</i>. So they all complained bitterly to -Virgil’s wife, who promised to aid them. Therefore, -one day when her husband was absent, she went up the bridge or -ladder which led to the statue and threw down the latter. -“So, from that time forth, the <i>dames de Rome firent -à leur volonté et a leur plaisance</i>, <i>et -furent bien ayses de lymage qui fut abbatu</i>.” -Truly the Ibsenite and other novelists of the present day, but -especially the lady realists of our time, have great cause to be -thankful that no such statues are stuck up in the public places -of our cities, for if such were the case their occupation would -be gone for ever—or until they had overturned them.</p> -<p>Virgil would appear, however, to have been somewhat -inconsistent in this matter of statues, or else desirous of -demonstrating to the world that he could go to opposite extremes, -since he made another, which is thus delicately hinted at in a -footnote by Comparetti: <a name="citation52"></a><a -href="#footnote52" class="citation">[52]</a></p> -<blockquote><p>“In contradizione con questo racconto in cui -Virgilio apparisce come protettore del buon costume, trovasi un -altro racconto, secondo il quale . . . egli avrebbe fatto una -donna pubblica artificiale. Cosi Enenkel nel suo -‘Weltbuch’; vede V. J. Hagen, ‘Gesammtten -Abenteuer,’ II., 515; Massmonn, ‘Kaiser -Chronik,’ III., 451. Una leggenda rabbinica parla -anch’ essa di una statua destinata a quell’ uso ed -esistente in Romæ. Vede Praetorius, -‘Anthropodemus Plutonicus,’ I., 150, e Liebrecht -nella ‘Germania di Pfeiffer,’ X., 414.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p><a name="page53"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 53</span>The -passage in Enenkel referred to is given with the rest of the -“Weltbuch” by Comparetti, and is as follows:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Virgilius der selbe man,<br /> -Begunde nu ze Rôme gân,<br /> -Und versuocht ’sain maisterschaft,<br /> -Ob es wær’ wâr der teuvel kraft,<br /> -Er macht’ ze Rôm’ ain stainein Weib<br /> -Von Künste den het ainen Leib<br /> -Swann’ ain Schalk, ain boeser Man<br /> -Wolte ze ainem Weibe gân,<br /> -Daz er gie zu dem Staine,<br /> -Der boese, der unraine,<br /> -Das im was bei des Staines Leib<br /> -Recht als ob er wær im Weib,<br /> -Nicht vür baz ich en sagen sol<br /> -Main mainung ’witzt ihr alle wol.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Bonifacius, in his “Ludicra,” Ravisius Textor -(“Officina”), and Kornmann (“Curiosa”) -have brought together all the instances in special chapters of -men who have fallen in love with statues. I observe that in -a late popular novel this device of the <i>donna artificiale</i> -is described in a manner which leaves actually nothing to be -desired to the lovers of indecency, vileness, blasphemy, or -“realism”—<i>c’est tout un</i>.</p> -<p>It may be observed that in another tale collected by me, -Virgil has for his Egeria a statue called Pæonia, which -comes to life when he would confer with her, and which I regard, -on what is at least startling coincidence if not full proof, a -tradition of Minerva-Pæonia and Esculapius.</p> -<p>The tale in question declares that the magician Virgil, who -had a marked fancy for making statues love, or turning women into -stone—ever petting or petrifying among the -petticoats—had a third favourite, a Pæonia, who was -marble when not specially required <a name="page54"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 54</span>for other purposes than -ornament. These three ladies suggest the Graces:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Aglaia, Euphrosyne que Thaliaque -splendida<br /> -Clara letitiæ matres!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>It is probably by mere coincidence or chance that in -Keats’ “Endymion” the habitual friend and -comforter of the hero is:</p> -<blockquote><p>“<i>Peona</i>, his sweet sister; of all -those<br /> -His friends, the dearest, . . .<br /> -Whose eloquence did breathe away the curse.<br /> -She led him like some midnight spirit-nurse.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>But that Peona, through all the poem, plays the part which -Pæonia has with Virgil is unquestionable. It would -seem as if there is, if not a spiritual, at least an -æsthetic influence in names. <i>Nomen est -omen</i>. “All Bobs are bobbish,” said a -farmer, “and all Dicks dickies.”</p> -<h2>VIRGIL AND ADELONE.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Who would have ever said that amid the -horrors of prison I would find a true friend to console -me?”—<span class="smcap">Boethius</span> <i>to</i> -<span class="smcap">Patricius</span>.</p> -<p>“All by prayer and penitence<br /> -May be at length forgiven.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><i>Ballad of Sir -Tannhäuser</i>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There once lived in Florence a young man who was not really -bad at heart, but utterly selfish, especially to his relations, -and was without heed or feeling as to the sufferings of -others. And, it being in his power, he wasted all the -income of the family on sport, letting his brothers and sisters -endure great privations; nor would he have cared much had they -starved. He was like all such people—frivolous and -capricious. If he met a poor child in the street, he would -give it a gold crown, and then let all at home hunger for -days.</p> -<p>One day his suffering mother went to Virgilio, and, telling <a -name="page55"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 55</span>him all about -her son, begged the master, if it were possible, to reform -him.</p> -<p>Virgilio said to her: “I will indeed do something which -will bring thy son to his senses.”</p> -<p>The young man was named Adelone, and Virgilio, meeting him the -next day, said:</p> -<p>“If thou wouldst fain see a strange thing -indeed—such as thou hast erewhile prayed me to show thee by -my art—then be to-night at twelve in the cloister of Santa -Maria Novella, where thou wilt see and learn that which it is -most needful for thee to know. But to behold and bear the -sight thou muse be bold, for a faint heart will fail before -it.”</p> -<p>Then Adelone, who, to do him justice, was no coward, did not -fail to be in the cloister of Santa Maria Novella at the -appointed hour. And as the last stroke of twelve was heard, -Adelone saw before him the spirit of a young man named Geronio, -who had died one year before, and who had been, as one like him -in all respects, his most intimate friend. They were always -together, and what one did the other joined in; both were -reckless wasters of money, and selfishly indifferent to their -families. And as Adelone looked at Geronio he saw in the -face of the latter such an expression of awful suffering, that it -was a torture to behold him. And Geronio, seeing this, -said:</p> -<p>“Depart now, for it is time; but this night I will come -to thee and remain with thee till morning.” <a -name="citation55"></a><a href="#footnote55" -class="citation">[55]</a></p> -<p>And Adelone was glad to have seen Geronio once more, but -greatly grieved at finding him in such suffering.</p> -<p>That night he was in his room, which was on the ground, and at -the appointed hour the spirit came. And, looking with awe -at his friend, Adelone said:</p> -<p>“I see that thou art in pain beyond all -belief.”</p> -<p>“Yes,” replied Geronio; “I suffer the -greatest agony, such as no mortal could endure. But I pray -you come with me.”</p> -<p>Then the two sunk softly down into the earth, ever deeper and -deeper in silent darkness, until Adelone saw that they were in an -immense cavern, all of gray ice, dimly lighted, with dripping -icicles hanging from the roof, and all the floor was covered with -dirty, half-freezing water, under <a name="page56"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 56</span>which was a bed of stinking mud, and -over all was an air of sadness and wretchedness beyond -description.</p> -<p>“This is my home,” said Geronio; “but it is -as nothing compared to what I suffer in my soul—which is a -thousand times more terrible than anything which mortals can -imagine, for they have no idea of what spiritual torture is like, -because they always think of pain as bodily. But know that -I had rather be beaten or burned in fire for a year than suffer -for an instant the remorse which I endure.”</p> -<p>“Can anything be done to help you?” asked -Adelone.</p> -<p>“Yes, all can be done; and you can save me and not only -give me peace, but do as much for thyself, and thereby escape -what I have suffered. If thou wilt lead a good and loving -life—good and kind to all, especially to thy family and -friends, no longer wasting money and life on selfish follies, no -longer neglecting duty and acting as an egoist—thus thou -canst give me peace, and rescue me from this inferno. But -woe unto thee, shouldst thou promise this and fail to keep thy -word. For when thy time cometh, as come it will, thou wilt -suffer as I do—yea, with redoubled remorse.”</p> -<p>Then Adelone, looking about him, saw many sad shades of men -and women wandering or wading through the icy water; all people -who had lived for themselves alone, all waiting till someone as -yet alive should, by good conduct, save them. And none -spoke, for they were doomed to silence. So they looked at -one another, and passed on, and such looks were the only thing -like comfort allowed them.</p> -<p>Then Adelone fell, as it seemed to him, asleep, and when he -awoke he was in his own room, but he well knew that it was no -dream which he had beheld. And from that hour he was -another man, becoming as good as he had been bad, living to make -all others happy, and devoted in every way to his family. -And thereby he became for the first time truly contented.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>Six months passed, and one night at twelve o’clock, on -awaking, he saw before him Geronio, who no longer seemed to -suffer as before, though there was still in his eyes something -terrible.</p> -<p>“How is it with thee?” asked Adelone.</p> -<p>“Far better. Come with me.”</p> -<p>Then Adelone found himself in a great castle, which <a -name="page57"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 57</span>seemed like a -free prison, which was grim and without comfort. Many souls -were in it, but they were walking about together, or resting and -conversing, apparently in no suffering. It was a joyless -place, but not one of torture, nor was it filthy. <a -name="citation57"></a><a href="#footnote57" -class="citation">[57]</a></p> -<p>“We do not suffer so much here,” said -Geronio. “We have still much remorse, but at least we -have the consolation of being able to converse one with another, -and enjoy sympathy in sorrow.”</p> -<p>“What do you talk about?” asked Adelone.</p> -<p>“Chiefly about the people whom we hope will set us -free. I talk of thee, because all my hope is in thee. -I think of nothing else by day or night.”</p> -<p>Then Adelone returned to his home. After six months he -beheld Geronio again. Again he found himself in a castle, -but the spirits were conversing happily, many were singing hymns, -they had guitars and mandolins, and here and there were vases of -flowers which gave forth delightful perfume.</p> -<p>Geronio said to him:</p> -<p>“Here we are happier still, and, believe me, friend, if -thou canst in this life make others as good as thou art, to love -their relations and friends, and cease to be selfish, thereby -everyone can save another soul, and win great reward for -himself.”</p> -<p>Adelone replied:</p> -<p>“I truly will do all I can to content thee.”</p> -<p>From that day he did all that he could, not only to do good -himself, but to cause others to act like him. Six months -after this Geronio came to him and said:</p> -<p>“Now that I know that thou art truly good, learn that I -am at peace. And as thou hast been the means of giving it -to others, know that in future all good spirits will aid -thee!”</p> -<p>It is not enough not to be a sinner. He who does not -take care and pains and labour earnestly to make others happy -will be punished as an evil-doer. He who does not love (us) -is an enemy.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>It is to be remarked in this, as in all the other tales from -the same sources, when a moral end or plot is to <a -name="page58"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 58</span>be worked -out, it is done without benefit of clergy or aid of priest, or -the Church. For these are legends of the witches and -wizards, who have ever been the foes, and consequently the hated -and afflicted, of the orthodox. It is a curious reflection -that as it has been said that the last savage in America will die -with the last Indian, so the <i>strega</i>, or witch, will remain -to the end a heathen. And I find curious emotion in the -thought that what I have gathered, or am gathering, with such -care, is the last remainder of antique heathenism in -Europe. Superstitions there are everywhere, but in this -kind Italy is alone.</p> -<h2>VIRGIL AND DORIONE, or THE MAGIC VASE.</h2> -<blockquote><p>I have a vase in which I daily throw<br /> -All scraps and useless rubbish—oh that I<br /> -Had one wherein to cast away all thoughts,<br /> -Imaginations, dreams and memories<br /> -Which haunt and vex the soul, to disappear<br /> -For ever, lost in fast forgetfulness!<br /> -That were a vase indeed, and worth far more<br /> -Than that which forms the subject of this tale.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Many centuries ago there was in Naples a young man named -Dorione, who studied magic, and his master was a great sorcerer -named Virgil. One evening Dorione found himself in company -with friends, and there was present another wizard named Belsevo. -<a name="citation58"></a><a href="#footnote58" -class="citation">[58]</a> Now, there was not bread enough -in the house for supper for all.</p> -<p>“Never mind,” remarked Belsevo. “He -who hath art will find his bread in any part. Observe -me.”</p> -<p>Taking a large vase, he turned it upside down and said:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Viene pane!<br /> -Abbiamo fame;<br /> -Dimmi o Cerere del pane!<br /> -Se questa grazia mi farai,<br /> -Sempre fedele a te sarai.”</p> -<p><a name="page59"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -59</span>“Come, bread, to me,<br /> -For hungry are we!<br /> -Oh, Ceres, give us bread!<br /> -Grant me this grace benign,<br /> -And I will be ever thine!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then he removed the vase, and there were on the table eight -small loaves.</p> -<p>Then Belsevo said to Dorione:</p> -<p>“Canst thou not give us wine for the bread, O scholar of -the grand master Virgil?”</p> -<p>But Dorione, being only a beginner in magic, could not effect -such a miracle, and was much ashamed because all laughed at -him.</p> -<p>The next morning Dorione told what had happened to Virgil.</p> -<p>“Well didst thou deserve,” replied the master, -“to be thus scoffed at and jeered, for a young magician -should never play tricks at a table like a juggler to amuse -fools. But thou hast been sufficiently punished, and to -please thee I will give thee a fine present. And if thou -canst not make bread come, thou shalt at least have the power to -make it and other things disappear. I will give thee this -vase of bronze. It is but small, as thou seest, but tell -any object, however large, to disappear in it, then the vase will -swallow it. Thou shalt keep for thyself in secret a house -somewhere, and whatever the vase may swallow thou wilt find it in -the house, however distant thou mayst be from it. Only say, -‘Go into the vase!’ and by the vase it will be -swallowed up. But thou shalt never use it to steal, or for -any dishonest purpose. So long as thou art honest it will -serve, and none shall rob thee of it. And if that should -come to pass, call to it and it will return to thee.”</p> -<p>Then Dorione took the vase, and thanked the grand master -Virgil. After a time the scholar went on a long -journey. Dorione possessed a small castle in a remote place -in the mountains of Tuscany, and in it was a secret vault. -“There,” he said, “I will send all that the -vase may swallow. Many a thing may be come by honestly, if -one knew how to send it away and where to put it.</p> -<blockquote><p>“‘He who hath a cage, I’ve -heard,<br /> -In time will surely get a bird.’”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>It came to pass that he became the secretary of a certain <a -name="page60"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 60</span>lord, who, -like many of the brave gentry of his time, was ever at war with -somebody, plundering or being plundered, every one in his turn, -as fortune favoured.</p> -<blockquote><p>“Up on the top of the hill to-day,<br /> - Down in the dale to-morrow;<br /> -Oft in the morning happy and gay,<br /> - After a night of sorrow;<br /> -For some must fall that others may rise,<br /> - And the swallow goes chirping as she -flies.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>One evening his master heard a trumpet afar, and, looking -forth, seemed suddenly startled, like a man in great alarm. -Pointing to a splendid suit of armour, he said:</p> -<p>“Seest thou that armour, Dorione? It is worth ten -thousand crowns, and I would give ten thousand it were this -instant in hell. I took it in a raid from the Grand Duke, -and he will be here in ten minutes with all his men. If he -finds the armour I shall lose my head. And there, too, is -an iron chest full of gold and jewels—all plunder, and all -in evidence against me.”</p> -<p>“If you will give it to me,” answered Dorione, -“I will make it all vanish in an instant.”</p> -<p>“Yea, I give it with all my heart; but be quick about -it, for the Grand Duke and his soldiers are at the gate, and I -feel the rope round my neck!”</p> -<p>Then Dorione brought his vase in a minute, and uttered the -conjuration:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Vattene via! Vattene via!<br /> -Roba bella, cosa mia!<br /> -Vai nell’ istante al mio castello!<br /> -Apri la bocca, vaso bello!”</p> -<p>“Hasten away! Begone! begone!<br /> -All ye fine things which are now mine own,<br /> -Fly to my castle—never pause;<br /> -Beautiful vase, now open thy jaws.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>And in an instant the armour and chest went flying into the -vase and disappeared.</p> -<p>Just as they vanished the Duke and his men entered, but though -they sought in every cranny they found nothing; and so, having -come for a bargain of wool, went away shorn, <a -name="citation60"></a><a href="#footnote60" -class="citation">[60]</a> as the proverb says.</p> -<p><a name="page61"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -61</span>“Thou hast saved my life,” said the -Signore. “God only knows how you ran away with the -things, but you are welcome to them. Truly I was glad to -get them, but a thousand times better pleased to see them -go.”</p> -<p>One day the Signore and Dorione found themselves in a battle -together, sore beset and separated from all their troop. -They were in extremest danger of being killed. <a -name="citation61"></a><a href="#footnote61" -class="citation">[61]</a> When all at once there came an -idea to Dorione, who had his vase slung to his side like a -canteen. He pronounced the spell, ordering all the arms in -the hands of the enemy to fly through the vase to his -castle. In an instant swords and spears, daggers and -battle-axes, had left their owners, who stood unarmed and -amazed. So the two were saved.</p> -<p>The Signore took a great deal of booty, and rewarded Dorione -very liberally, the more so because he was greatly delighted to -see the gifts disappear in the vase—no matter what, all was -fish to that net, and all the sheep black—and Dorione liked -to please his kind master, especially in this way. Yes, to -amuse him he would often wish away a gold-hilted and jewelled -sword or helm from an enemy, and was pleased to hear the brave -old knight laugh to see the things fly.</p> -<p>The generosity of the lord stopped, however, at a certain -point. He had a beautiful daughter whom Dorione loved, -<i>alla follia</i>, to distraction, but the father would not -consent to bestow her on him. But it came to pass that one -day the castle was besieged by a vast force, which spared neither -man, woman nor child, and it seemed plain that the besieged must -yield. The lord bade Dorione to cause the arms of the enemy -to vanish.</p> -<p>“This time,” replied his secretary, “I -cannot do it. The fame of my vase or of my power has spread -far and wide, and the enemy have had their arms enchanted by a -mighty sorcerer, so that I cannot take them.”</p> -<p>They fought on until of all the garrison only Dorione, with -the lord and his daughter, were left alive. They were in -extremity.</p> -<p>“And now,” thought Dorione, “something must -be done, for there is many a wolf at the door. Let me see -<a name="page62"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 62</span>whether I -cannot make the young lady go into my vase, and then her -father.” So, bringing them together, he said:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Signora bella, signora mia!<br /> -La più bella che su questa terra sia!<br /> -Ti prego—subito, subito,<br /> -Di qua vattene via!<br /> -Vai nell istante al mio castello,<br /> -Vi troverai un vaso bello,<br /> -Che la sua bocca aprira,<br /> -E li dentro ti salvera!”</p> -<p>“Lovely lady, lady mine own,<br /> -The fairest whom earth has ever known;<br /> -Fly in a hurry, oh, fly away!<br /> -Leave the castle—flit while you may,<br /> -And off to my distant shelter flee!<br /> -The beautiful vase is ready for thee,<br /> -Who will open her mouth to take you in.<br /> -Safe you will be when once within!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>In a second, ere the eye could follow, the young lady was -whirled away mysteriously, and, the conjuration being repeated, -then her father. After which Dorione prayed to the spirit -of the vase, who was no other than Saint Virgil himself, <a -name="citation62a"></a><a href="#footnote62a" -class="citation">[62a]</a> to save him also. And in an -instant he felt himself swallowed up like a bean in the mouth of -a horse. And as soon he found himself in the vault of the -castle with the lady and her father. And they were amazed, -in looking about, to see what wealth was there gathered up, for -Dorione had been very industrious in many a battle in sending -arms and booty to his home.</p> -<p>Then all three, joining hands, danced and sang for joy to find -themselves safe, Dorione and the lady doing the most rejoicing, -because the lord had promptly said:</p> -<p>“After this you may get married.” And they -had the wedding that night.</p> -<p>The good lord, as a proof of affection and esteem for Dorione, -pronounced an oration of regret as a penance on himself for not -having sooner consented to the nuptials, ending with these words: -“And now let everyone here present drink a cask of wine, -and get as drunk as a tile, or four fiddlers.” <a -name="citation62b"></a><a href="#footnote62b" -class="citation">[62b]</a></p> -<h2><a name="page63"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 63</span>VIRGIL -AND THE LADY OF ICE AND WATER. <a name="citation63"></a><a -href="#footnote63" class="citation">[63]</a></h2> -<blockquote><p>“And truly at that time it came to pass<br -/> -That Virgil, by the power of sorcery,<br /> -Made a fair lady, who did shine like glass<br /> -Or diamonds with wondrous brilliancy,<br /> -Whom to the Emperor he did present,<br /> -And who therewith, I trow, was well content.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span class="smcap">Virgilo il -Mago</span> (MS.).</p> -</blockquote> -<p>It happened on a time that the Emperor, coming from Rome to -Florence, was guest in the Duke’s palace, and treated so -magnificently and in a manner so much after his own heart, that -he was indeed well content.</p> -<p>Now, in those days there was in Florence no Signore who, when -he gave an entertainment, did not invite Virgil, not only because -he was the greatest poet in Italy, but because he always played -some admirable trick or jest, which made men merry and was always -new.</p> -<p>So at the first great feast the Emperor was greatly delighted -at the endless jokes, as well as by the genius of the -distinguished guest.</p> -<p>Therefore, when the Emperor, before his departure, gave in -turn a great entertainment to all the nobles of Florence, as well -as of Rome, who were in the city, he sent the first invitation to -Virgil, requesting him at the same time to invent for the -occasion a jest of the first magnitude.</p> -<p>So unto this for such occasion the magician gave all his -mind. And that the Emperor should really -“<i>catch</i> the fly,” he resolved that the jest -should be one at the Imperial expense—<i>e lo scherzo -voleva farlo a lui medesimo</i>.</p> -<p>After long meditation he exclaimed, “<i>Ecco</i>, -<i>l’ ho trovato</i>! I’ve got it! I will -give him a girl made of water!”</p> -<p>Forthwith he wrote to the Emperor that he would not fail to be -at the festival, but also begged permission to bring with him a -beautiful young lady—his cousin.</p> -<p>The Emperor, who was very devoted to the fair sex, inferred -from this directly that the jest was to be of a kind which would -please all free gallants—that is to say, the being -introduced to some easy and beautiful conquest—either -wedded or a maid. And, delighted at the thought <a -name="page64"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 64</span>that the -trick would take this turn, he replied to Virgil that he had -<i>carta biancha</i>, or full permission to bring with him -whomever he pleased.</p> -<p>Then the magician made a woman of ice and light and water, -clear as the light of day he made her, and touched her thrice -with his wand, and lo! she became beautiful—but such a -beauty, indeed, that you would not find the like in going round -the world; the sun or moon ne’er shone upon her like, for -she was made of star-rays and ice and dewdrops, so that she -looked like all the stars swimming in a burnished golden sky, and -shining like the sun, so resplendent in her beauty that she -dazzled the eyes.</p> -<p>When Virgilio arrived at the palace, all the guests were there -before him, and they were so overwhelmed with blank amazement at -the sight of the sorcerer with such a beauty, that they, in -silence and awed, drew apart on either side, leaving open space -through which Virgilio passed to the Emperor. And the -latter was himself for a minute stupefied at the sight of such -brilliancy and beauty, when, recovering himself, he gave his arm -to the fair cousin, and asked her name. To which she -replied: “<i>La Donna di Diaccio</i>” (ice).</p> -<p>“<i>Donna di Fuoco</i>! (Our Lady of Fire), <a -name="citation64"></a><a href="#footnote64" -class="citation">[64]</a> rather,” cried the Emperor, -“since all hearts are inflamed at thy beauty. Truly, -I had no idea that the great poet had such a lovely -cousin!”</p> -<p>The dance began, and the Emperor would have no other partner -than this lady, who outshone the rest as the moon the stars, and -yet surpassed them even more by her exquisite grace in every -movement, and by her skill as a dancer, so that one seemed to see -a thousand exquisite statues or studied forms of grace succeeding -to one another as she moved. Nor was she less fascinating -in her language than in her beauty, and no wonder, for Virgilio -had called into the form one of the wittiest and most gifted of -all the fairies to aid the jest.</p> -<p>So the dance swept on, and the Emperor, utterly enchanted, -forgot Virgilio and his promised jest, and the time, and the -court, and all things save the beauty beside him. Finally -he withdrew with her to a side-room, where, <a -name="page65"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 65</span>sending for -refreshment, he sat pouring forth wine into himself and love into -the ears of the lady by turns.</p> -<p>Virgil, indeed, wishing the Emperor to have a fine time of it -for awhile, did nothing to disturb the splendid pair. But -as daybreak would soon appear, he spoke to one and another, -saying that he had promised the Emperor a merry jest to make them -all laugh. Whereupon there was a general cry for the -diversion, and by one consent the gay company invaded the room -where the fond couple sat.</p> -<p>Then Virgil, with the greatest politeness and a laughing air, -said:</p> -<p>“Excuse me, your Highness, but it seems that my fair -cousin here has so engrossed you that you have forgotten that you -laid an absolute command on me that I should prepare and play -some rare jest, the like of which you had never seen, and I fear, -should I forget it, you may ne’er forgive me.”</p> -<p>Then the Emperor, good-natured and grateful to the poet for -his fair cousin’s sake, excused the intrusion, and begged -for the jest, expressing a hope that it would be a thoroughly -good one.</p> -<p>Then Virgil said to the Emperor:</p> -<p>“Take my cousin upon thy lap, and let her arms be round -thy neck!”</p> -<p>“<i>Per Bacco</i>!” cried the Emperor, “the -jest begins well!”</p> -<p>“And now embrace her firmly!” exclaimed -Virgil.</p> -<p>“Better and better!” quoth the Emperor.</p> -<p>Then Virgil spoke solemnly to the lady, and said:</p> -<p>“What is thy name?”</p> -<p>“Donna di Diaccia,” was her reply.</p> -<p>“Then, Lady of Ice,” replied the wondrous man, -“in the name of my magic power, I summon you to return to -the ice from which you sprung, and to the water from which you -were born!”</p> -<p>Then little by little, as she sat in the Emperor’s lap, -the beautiful girl became a brilliant block of ice, and truly the -great man, as his fingers and all his person began to freeze, was -fain to place the image on the sofa, where they saw it presently -thaw—features and feet and all dispersing, and running away -in a stream, till every trace had flown, and the Emperor and the -company understood that they had been admiring a Woman of -Water.</p> -<p><a name="page66"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 66</span>There -was a pause of utter bewilderment, as of awe, at this strange -ending, and then a roar of laughter, in which the Emperor himself -finally joined, crying: “<i>Viva Virgilio</i>! Long -may he flourish with his magic art!” And so the feast -ended with the clattering of cups, laughter, and merry -cheers.</p> -<p>[So the Donna di Diaccio was a spirit? -Certainly—the Spirit of Ice-water. If there is spirit -in vermouth, why should there not be one in the iced water which -you mix with it?]</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>This story may remind the reader of “Our Lady of the -Snow,” or Byron’s “Witch of the Alps,” or -Shelley’s “They all seem to be Sisters,” or -else suggest “Frozen Champagne,” and -“Philadelphia Frozen Oysters.”</p> -<h2>VIRGIL THE MAGICIAN, OR THE FOUR VENUSES.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Maint autres grand clercs ont -estè<br /> -Au monde de grand poesié<br /> -Qui aprisrent tote lor vie,<br /> -Des sept ars et le astronomie,<br /> -Dont aucuns i ot qui a leur tens,<br /> -Firent merveille par lor sens;<br /> -Mais cil qui plus s’en entremist,<br /> -Fu Virgile qui mainte enfist.<br /> -Pour ce si vous en conterons<br /> -Aucune dont oi avons.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><i>L’Image du Monde</i> -(1245).</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Virgilio was as great a magician as he was a distinguished -post. And of the great works which he did when alive many -are yet remembered here in Florence, and among other things his -skill was such that by means of it he made statues sing and -dance.</p> -<p><i>Ecco come avenne</i>—behold how it came to -pass! It chanced one day that when walking alone in the -environs of Florence, he found himself in a place where there -were four <a name="page67"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -67</span>very beautiful Venuses. <a name="citation67"></a><a -href="#footnote67" class="citation">[67]</a> And looking at -them with great admiration, and observing their forms, he -said:</p> -<p>“Truly they all please me well; and if they could -converse I hardly know which I would choose for a -companion. <i>Ebbene</i>! I will make them all talk -and walk, live and move, and can then see if anyone of them will -show any gratitude for the gift of life.”</p> -<p>Then he took human fat, and anointed with it all the statues, -and then of the blood of a wild boar, and rubbed it very -thoroughly over them, and when this was done he waved his magic -wand, and said:</p> -<p>“In the name of my magic art and power I order you to -speak and move and live!”</p> -<p>And with this they all awoke, as it were, from a long dream, -and stepping down from their pedestals, they walked about, -seeming far more beautiful than before. And they gathered -round Virgil, for truly they were enchanted with him as well as -by him, in more ways than one, and embraced and kissed him with a -thousand caresses and endearments, and each and all wished him to -select her as his mate.</p> -<p>Then Virgilio, laughing, said:</p> -<blockquote><p>“I know not which to choose among the -four;<br /> -I cannot make all four into a wife;<br /> -But to determine who shall be the first,<br /> -Do ye go forth and seek each one a gift,<br /> -And come to-morrow evening to my house,<br /> -And she who brings the gift which I prefer<br /> -Shall be the fair one first preferred by me.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>And on the following eve the first who came was the Venus -Agamene; thus was she called who brought the first gift, and this -was a splendid diamond. Virgilio received it with -admiration, but said that he must wait to see what the others -would bring before he could decide.</p> -<p>Then the second was announced, whose name was Enrichetta, and -she presented a marvellous garment, richly embroidered and -adorned. And this too was admired; but to her also Virgilio -said he would await what was to come.</p> -<p>The third, whose name was Veronica, brought such a wonderful -bouquet of flowers that the magician was more <a -name="page68"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 68</span>pleased with -it than he had been by the diamond or the robe.</p> -<p>Then there came the fourth, called Diomira, and she brought a -splendid crown of —. <a name="citation68"></a><a -href="#footnote68" class="citation">[68]</a> And Virgil -preferred this to all, and gave the prize to Diomira. So he -bade them all come the next evening to a grand festival. -And when they came, it was indeed a wonderful assembly, for there -were present, and in life, all the statues from all the -palaces. They came down from their pedestals and danced in -the house of Virgilio—nor did they return until the early -dawn; and so it came to pass that on that night all the statues -spoke and danced.</p> -<blockquote><p>“They danced so merrily all the night,<br /> -Till the sun came in with a rosy light,<br /> -And touched the statues fair,<br /> -When in an instant every one<br /> -Was changed again to marble stone.<br /> -Per Bacco! I was there!”</p> -</blockquote> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>It is not remarkable that there should be so many tales in -Italy of statues speaking or coming to life. They abounded -among the Romans, and are to be found in later literature. -Bonifacius, in his “Ludicra,” as I have said, -collects instances of men who have loved statues, and Zaghi, whom -I shall quote again directly, does the same. But the idea -of images speaking is so natural that we need not have recourse -to tradition to account for its existence.</p> -<p>Among the archaic and very curious traditions in this tale we -are told that Virgil rubbed the statues with human fat and the -blood of a wild boar. Both of these occur not only in -witchcraft, but also in the wild science of the earlier time, as -potent to give or take life. For the blood of a boar that -of a bull is equivalent. In the recipes for preparing the -celebrated poison of the Borgias one or the other is -presented. That of the <a name="page69"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 69</span>boar still exists in the poisoning -common in Germany caused by eating <i>Blutwurst</i>. In the -“Selva di Curiosità,” by Gabriel Zaghi, 1674, -there is a chapter (xx.) devoted to showing that bull’s -blood—<i>sangue di toro</i>—is a deadly poison; to -prove this he cites Plutarch, Pliny, Dioscorides, and others, -from which it appears that the idea is ancient. That it -gives life to statues in the tale is quite in keeping with the -strange and rude homœopathy which is found in Paracelsus, -and all the writers on mystical medicine of his time, from which -Hahnemann drew his system, <i>i.e.</i>, that what will kill can -also cure, or revive.</p> -<p>It is very remarkable that in this tale Agamene brings a -diamond. According to Hyginius (“Astronom.,” -II., 13, <i>vide</i> Friedrich, “Symbolich der -Natur.,” p. 658), Aega (or Aegamene) nursed the youthful -Jupiter. In another legend (No. 1) Virgil is the son of -Jove. “Aega was a daughter of the Sun, and of such -brilliancy that the Titans, dazzled by her splendour, begged -their mother <i>Gäa</i>, or Gea, to hide her in the -earth.” This clearly indicates a diamond. -Jupiter transformed her into a star.</p> -<p>It is simply possible, and only a conjecture of mine, that in -Diomira we find the name of Diomedea, the <i>Diomedea -necessitas</i> of Plato (“De Repub,” lib. 6), who -carried all before her. Diomira conquers all her rivals in -this legend. She is the <i>Venus Victrix</i>.</p> -<p>I cannot help believing when we find such curious instances of -tradition as that of Aega, or Agamene, surviving in these tales, -that there is a possibility that the whole story may, more or -less, be of classic or very ancient origin. We are not as -yet able to <i>prove</i> it, and so there are none who attach -much value to these <a name="page70"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -70</span>fragments. But a day will come when scholars will -think more of them. That there still survives a great deal -of Græco-Latin lore which was not recorded by classic -writers has become to us a certainty. Therefore it is -possible, though not now to be proved, that these statues of -Virgil had a common origin with the image of Selostre, or -<i>Testimonium luminis</i>, described by Pausanius, which spoke -when the sun rose or at the Aurora.</p> -<p>If it be possible, and it certainly is conjectural, that -Diomira is the same with Diadumena, we have beyond question a -very remarkable illustration of old tradition surviving in a -popular tale; for Diadumena, or “She who binds her forehead -with a fillet,” or band, was the name of one of the most -beautiful statues of Polycletus. According to Winkelmann -(“Ist. dell Acte,” lib. 6, cap. 2), this statue was -very frequently copied and familiarly known. A statue in -the Villa Farnese is believed to be an imitation of it. -Were this conjecture true, the gift brought by Diomira would be -the fillet which Virgil wears by tradition, as typical of a -poet. An ornament, fillet, or tiara is, effectively, a -crown. Therefore, the meaning of the myth is that a true -poet is such by necessity; he cannot help it—<i>poeta -nascitur</i>, <i>non fit</i>.</p> -<h2>VIRGIL, THE LADY, AND THE CHAIR.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Now the golden chair wherein Juno was -compelled to sit, by the artifice of Vulcan, means that the earth -is the mother of riches, and with it that part of the air which -cannot leave the earth, Juno being air.”—<span -class="smcap">Natalis Comitis</span>: <i>Mythologia</i>, lib. -ii., 79 (1616).</p> -<p>“Thou wolt algates wete how we be shape!<br /> -Thou shalt hereafterward, my brother dere,<br /> -Come wher thee needeth not of me to lere,<br /> -For thou shalt by thine own experience<br /> -Conne in a chaiere rede of this sentence<br /> -Better than Virgile while he was on live<br /> -Or Dante also.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span class="smcap">Chaucer</span>: -<i>The Frere’s Tale</i>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There once lived in Rome a very great, rich, and beautiful -Princess, but she was as bad at heart as could be, and her life -was of the wickedest. However, she kept up a good -appearance, and was really at last in love with a fine young man, -who returned her affections.</p> -<p>But Virgil, knowing all, and pitying the youth, said to him -that the woman would certainly be the cause of his ruin, as she -had been of many others, and told him so many terrible things of -her, that he ceased to visit the Princess.</p> -<p>And she, first suspecting and then learning what Virgil had -done, fell into bitter hatred, and swore that she would be -revenged on him.</p> -<p>So one evening she invited the Emperor and many nobles, among -them Virgil, to a splendid supper.</p> -<p>And being petty and spiteful by nature, the Princess had -devised a mean trick to annoy Virgil. For she had prepared -with great craft a chair, the seat of which was of paper, but -which seemed to be of solid wood. It appeared to be a -handsome seat of great honour.</p> -<p>But when the great man sat on it, there was a great crash, and -he went down, indeed, but with his legs high in the air. So -there was a peal of laughter, in which he joined so heartily and -said so many droll things over it, that one would have thought he -had contrived the jest himself, at which the lady was more angry -than ever, since she had hoped to see him angry and -ashamed. And Virgil, taking all the blame of the accident -on himself, promised to send her in return a chair to pay for -it. And he requested leave <a name="page71"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 71</span>to take the proper measure for it, so -that she might be fitly taken in.</p> -<p>Which she was. For, having returned to his home, Virgil -went to work and had a splendid chair made—<i>con molto -artifizio</i>. With great art he made it, with much gold -inlaid with pearls, studded with gems. It was all -artificial. <a name="citation72"></a><a href="#footnote72" -class="citation">[72]</a></p> -<p>And having finished it, Virgil begged the Emperor to send it -to the Princess as a gift.</p> -<p>The Emperor did so at the proper time, but there was in it a -more cunning trick than in the one which she had devised. -For there were concealed therein several fine nets, or snares, so -that whoever sat in it could not rise.</p> -<p>Then the Princess, overjoyed at this magnificent gift, at once -sent an invitation to her friends to come to a supper where she -could display it; nor did she suspect any trick, having no idea -that she had any enemy.</p> -<p>And all came to pass as Virgil planned. For the lady, -having seated herself in great state, found herself caught, and -could not rise.</p> -<p>Then there was great laughter, and it was proposed that -everyone present should kiss her. And as one beginning -leads to strange ending, the end thereof was that they treated -her <i>senza vergogna</i>, saying that when a bird is once caught -in a snare, everybody who pleases may pluck a feather.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>The classical scholar will find in this tale a probable -reminiscence of the chair made by Vulcan wherein to entrap Juno, -in which he succeeded, so that she was made to appear ridiculous -to all the gods. It is worth noting in this connection that -such chairs are made even to the present day, and that without -invisible nets or any magic. One is mentioned in a book -entitled “The Life of Dr. Jennings the Poisoner” -(Philadelphia, T. B. Peterson, Bros.). If any person sat in -it, he or she fell back, and certain clasps closed over the -victim, holding him or her down perfectly helpless, rendering -robbery or violence easy. Since <a name="page72"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 72</span>writing the foregoing, I have in a -recent French novel read a description of such a chair, with the -additional information that such seats were originally invented -for and used by physicians to confine lunatic patients. A -friend of mine told me that he had seen one in a house of -ill-fame in New York.</p> -<p>The legend of the Lady and the Chair suggests a very curious -subject of investigation. It is very probably known to the -reader that, to make a mesmerized or hypnotized subject remain -seated, whether he or she will or not, is one of the common -experiments of the modern magicians. It is thus described -by M. Debay in his work “Les Mystères du Sommeil et -Magnetisme.”</p> -<blockquote><p>The operator asks the subject, “Are you -asleep?”</p> -<p>“No.”</p> -<p>“Rise from your chair.” (<i>He -rises</i>.) “Tell all present that you are not -asleep.”</p> -<p>“No. I am wide awake.”</p> -<p>The operator takes the subject by the hand, leads him to -different persons present with whom he is acquainted, and asks -him if he knows them. He replies:</p> -<p>“Certainly I know them.”</p> -<p>“Name them.”</p> -<p>He does so.</p> -<p>“All right. Now sit down.” (<i>The -subject obeys</i>.) “And now I forbid you to -rise. It is for you impossible—you cannot -move!”</p> -<p>The subject makes ineffectual efforts to rise, but remains -attached to the chair as if held fast by an invisible power.</p> -<p>The operator then says:</p> -<p>“Now you may rise. I permit you to do so. -Rise—I order it!”</p> -<p>The subject rises from the chair without an effort.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>I have frequently had occasion to observe that, in all of -these legends which I have received from witches, the story, -unlike the common fairy tale or <i>novella</i> of <a -name="page74"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 74</span>any kind, is -only, as it were, a painted casket in which is enclosed the jewel -of some secret in sorcery, generally with an incantation. -Was not this the case with many of the old myths? Do they -not all, in fact, really set forth, so far as their makers -understood them, the mysteries of Nature, and possibly in some -cases those of the wonder-works or miracles of the priests and -magicians? There was a German—I forget his -name—who wrote a book to prove that Jupiter, Juno, and all -the rest, were the elements as known to us now, and all the -wonders told of all the gods, with the -“Metamorphoses” of Ovid, only a marvellous poetic -allegory of chemical combinations and changes. That -hypnotism was known to Egyptians of old is perfectly -established—at least to his own satisfaction—by Louis -Figuier in his “Histoire du Merveilleux dans les Temps -Modernes,” Paris, 1861; and it is extremely possible. -Therefore it may be that Juno in the chair is but the prototype -of a Mademoiselle Adèle, or Angelique Cottin, or Marie -Raynard, or some other of the “little Foxes,” who, by -the way, are alluded to in the Old Testament.</p> -<h2><a name="page75"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 75</span>VIRGIL -AND THE GODDESS OF THE CHASE.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“<i>Images</i>, though made by men, are the -bodies of gods, rendered perceptible to the sight and -touch. In the images are certain spirits brought by -invitation, after which they have the power of doing whatever -they please; either to hurt, or to a certain extent to fulfil the -desires of those persons by whom divine honours and duteous -worship are rendered unto them. . . . Do you not see, O -Asclepias, that <i>statues</i> are animated by sense, and -actually capable of doing such actions?”—<span -class="smcap">Hermes Trismegistus, ap. Augustine</span>, C. D., -viii. 23.</p> -<p>“And there withall Diana gan appere<br /> -With bowe in hand, right as an hunteresse,<br /> -And saydé, ‘Daughter—stint thin heavinesse. . -. .’<br /> -And forth she went and made a vanishing.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span class="smcap">Chaucer</span>: -<i>The Knighte’s Tale</i>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There was in the oldest times in Florence a noble family, but -one so impoverished that their <i>giorni di festa</i>, or -feast-days, were few and far between. However, they dwelt -in their old palace, which was in the street now called the Via -Citadella, which was a fine old building, and so they lived in -style before the world, when many a day they hardly had anything -to eat.</p> -<p>Round this palace was a large garden in which stood an ancient -marble statue of a beautiful woman, running very rapidly, with a -dog by her side. She held in her hand a bow, and on her -forehead was a small moon; it seemed as if, instead of being in a -garden, she was in a forest hunting wild game. And it was -said that by night, when all was still and no one present, and -the moon shone, the statue became like life, and very beautiful, -and then she fled away and did not return till the moon set, or -the sun rose.</p> -<p>The father of the family had two children, a boy and a girl, -of nine or ten years of age, and they were as good as they were -intelligent, and like most clever children, very fond of curious -stories.</p> -<p>One day they came home with a large bunch of flowers which had -been given to them. And while playing in the garden the -little girl said:</p> -<p>“The beautiful lady with the bow ought to have her share -of the flowers.”</p> -<p>“Certainly,” answered her brother, “because -I believe that she is as good as she is beautiful.”</p> -<p><a name="page76"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 76</span>Saying -this, they laid flowers before the statue, and made a wreath, -which the boy placed on her head.</p> -<p>Just then the great poet and magician Virgil, who knew -everything about the gods and <i>folletti</i>, whom people used -to worship, entered the garden, and said, smiling:</p> -<p>“You have made the offering of flowers to the goddess -quite correctly, as they did in old times; all that remains is to -make the prayer properly, and it is this. Listen, and learn -it.” So he sang:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Bella dea dell arco!<br /> -Bella dea delle freccie!<br /> -Delia caccia e dei cani!<br /> -Tu vegli colle stelle<br /> -Quando il sole va dormir,<br /> -Tu colla Luna in fronte,<br /> -Cacci la notte meglio del di<br /> -Colle tue Ninfe al suono<br /> -Di trombe—sei la regina<br /> -Dei cacciatori,<br /> -Regina della notte!<br /> -Tu che siei la cacciatrice<br /> -Più potente di ogni<br /> -Cacciator—ti prego<br /> -Pensa un poco a noi!”</p> -<p>“Lovely Goddess of the bow!<br /> -Lovely Goddess of the arrows!<br /> -Of all hounds and of all hunting;<br /> -Thou who wakest in starry heaven<br /> -When the sun has gone to sleep;<br /> -Thou with moon upon thy forehead<br /> -Who the chase by night preferrest<br /> -Unto hunting by the day,<br /> -With thy nymphs unto the sound<br /> -Of the horn—thou Queen of Hunters!<br /> -Queen of night, thyself the huntress,<br /> -And most powerful, I pray thee,<br /> -Think, although but for an instant,<br /> -Upon us who pray unto thee!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then Virgil taught them the <i>Scongiurazione</i>, or spell to -the goddess Diana:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Bella dea dell’ arco del cielo,<br /> -Delle stelle e della Luna.<br /> -La regina più potente<br /> -Dei cacciatori e della notte;<br /> -A te riccoriamo,<br /> -E chiedamo il tuo aiuto<br /> -<a name="page77"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 77</span>Che tu -possa darci<br /> -Sempre la buona fortuna!”</p> -<p>“Fair goddess of the rainbow!<br /> -Of the stars and of the moon!<br /> -The queen all-powerful<br /> -Of hunters and the night,<br /> -We beg of thee thy aid<br /> -To give good fortune to us!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then he added the conclusion:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Se la nostra scongiurazione,<br /> -Ascolterai,<br /> -E buona fortuna ci darei,<br /> -Un segnale a noi lo darei!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p class="poetry">“If thou heedest our evocation,<br /> -And wilt give good fortune to us,<br /> -Then give us in proof a token.”</p> -<p>And having taught them this, Virgilio departed.</p> -<p>Then the children ran to tell their parents all that had -happened, and the latter impressed it on them to keep it all a -secret, nor breathe a word or hint of it to anyone. But -what was their amazement, when they found early the next morning -before the statue a deer freshly killed, which gave them good -dinners for many a day—nor did they want thereafter at any -time game of all kinds.</p> -<p>There was a neighbour of theirs, a priest, who held in hate -all the idolatry of the olden time, and all which did not belong -to his religion, <a name="citation77"></a><a href="#footnote77" -class="citation">[77]</a> and he, passing the garden one day, -beheld the statue crowned with roses and (other) flowers. -And in a rage, seeing in the street a decaying cabbage, he rolled -it in the mud, and threw it, all dripping, at the face of the -statue, saying:</p> -<p>“Ecco male bestia d’idolo, questo e -l’omaggio che io ti do, gia che il diavolo ti -aiuta!”—(Behold, thou vile beast of an idol, this is -the homage which I render thee, and may the devil help thee!)</p> -<p>Then the priest heard a voice in the gloom where the trees -were thick, which said:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Bene bene—tu mi hai fatto<br /> -L’ offrande—tu avrai<br /> -La tua porzione<br /> -Di caccia. Aspetta!”</p> -<p><a name="page78"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -78</span>“It is well—since thou hast made<br /> -Thy offering, thou’lt get thy portion<br /> -Of the game—but wait till morning!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>All that night the priest suffered from horrible fancies and -fears, and when at last, just before three, he fell asleep, he -soon awoke from a nightmare, in which it seemed as if something -heavy rested on his chest. And something indeed fell from -him and rolled on the ground. And when he rose and picked -it up, and looked at it by the light of the moon, he saw that it -was a human head, half decayed. <a name="citation78a"></a><a -href="#footnote78a" class="citation">[78a]</a></p> -<p>Another priest who, hearing the cry which he had uttered, -entered his room, said:</p> -<p>“I know that head. It is of a man whom I -confessed, and who was beheaded three months ago at -Siena.”</p> -<p>And three days after this the priest who had insulted the -goddess died.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>In a single incident this tale recalls that of Falkenstein, -one of the synonyms of the wild huntsman in Germany, of whom it -is said that as he passed by, a reckless fellow wished him luck, -whereupon he heard the words, “Thou hast wished me luck; -thou shalt share the game;” whereat there was thrown to him -a great piece of carrion. And soon after he died. <a -name="citation78b"></a><a href="#footnote78b" -class="citation">[78b]</a> But the true plot of this -narrative is the conduct of the goddess Diana, who rewards the -children for their worship and punishes the priest for his -sacrilege.</p> -<p>And, noting the sincere spirit of heathenism which inspires -many of these legends, the belief in <i>folletti</i> and -<i>fate</i>, and curiously changed forms of the gods of -Græco-Roman mythology, still existing among the peasants, -it is worth inquiring whether, as the very practical Emperor -Julian believed, a sincerely religious and <a -name="page79"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 79</span>moral spirit, -under any form, could not be adapted to the progress of -humanity? The truth is that as the heathen gods are one and -all, to us, as something theatrical and unreal, we think they -must have been the same to their worshippers. Through all -the Renaissance to the present day the pretended appreciation and -worship of classic deities, and with them of classic art and -mythology, reminds one of the French billiard-player Berger, who, -when desirous of making a very brilliant exhibition of his skill, -declared that he would invoke the god of billiards! They -may seem beautiful, but they are dead relics, and the worst is -that no one realizes now that they ever really lived, moved, and -had a being in the human heart. And yet the Italian witch -still has a spark of the old fire.</p> -<p>Diana Artemis is known to poets and scholars in certain varied -characters thus summed up by Browning:</p> -<blockquote><p>“I am a Goddess of the ambrosial courts,<br -/> -And save by Here, Queen of Pride, surpassed<br /> -By none whose temples whiten this the world.<br /> -Through Heaven I roll my lucid moon along;<br /> -I shed in Hell o’er my pale people peace;<br /> -On Earth, I, caring for the creatures, guard<br /> -Each pregnant yellow wolf and fox-bitch sleep,<br /> -And every feathered mother’s callow brood,<br /> -And all that love green haunts and loneliness<br /> -Of men; the chaste adore me.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>But to her only believers and worshippers now left on -earth—such as Maddalena—Diana is far more than this, -for she is the queen of all witchcraft, magic, sorcery, the -mistress of all the mysteries, of all deep knowledge, and -therefore the greatest of the goddesses—all the rest, in -fact, except Venus and Bacchus, who only exist in oaths, being -now well-nigh forgotten and unknown to them.</p> -<h2><a name="page80"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 80</span>VIRGIL -AND THE SPIRIT OF MIRTH.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“’Tis an ancient tale that a boy for -laughing at Ceres was turned into a stone. For truly too -much merriment hardens us all.”—<i>Comment on L. M. -Brusonii</i> ‘<i>Facetiæ</i>.’</p> -</blockquote> -<p>In ancient times there lived in Florence a young lord who was -very beautiful, and ever merry—and no wonder, because he -was <i>Il Dio della Allegria</i>—the God of -Mirth—himself.</p> -<p>He was greatly beloved, not only by his friends, but by all -the people, because he was always so joyous, kind-hearted, and -very charitable.</p> -<p>Every evening this spirit-lord went with his friends to the -theatre, or to his parties (<i>al circolo</i>), and the name by -which he was known was Eustachio. All awaited with -impatience his arrival, for with it the merriment began, and when -he came there was a joyous shout of “Evviva il Dio -dell’ Allegria!”</p> -<p>It came to pass that in a theatre Eustachio met with a girl, a -singer, of such marvellous beauty and wit, that he fell, like one -lost, in love with her; which love being reciprocated, he took -her to himself, and kept her in a magnificent home, with many -fine attendants, and all that heart could desire. In those -days every signore in Florence thus had an <i>amante</i>, and -there was great rivalry among them as to who should keep his -favourite in the best style—<i>con più di -lusso</i>. And this lady so beloved by Eustachio, was not -only the most beautiful, but the most magnificently entertained -of any or all in the city.</p> -<p>Now, one evening there was a grand festival in a -<i>palazzo</i>, where there was dancing and gay conversation, -Eustachio being as usual present, for all his love for his lady -did not keep him from the world, or making mirth for all. -And as they diverted themselves or sung to music, there entered a -group of young lords, among whom was Virgilio, the great poet. <a -name="citation80"></a><a href="#footnote80" -class="citation">[80]</a></p> -<p>Then Eustachio rose and began to clap his hands and cry, -“<i>Evviva</i>! Long live the great poet!” and -those who were at table ceased to eat, and those who were dancing -<a name="page81"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 81</span>left the -dance with their partners, and all in welcome cried, -“<i>Evviva il gran poeta</i>!”</p> -<p>Then Eustachio begged Virgilio to sing, and the poet did so, -for there was no one who would have refused anything to -Eustachio, so winning were his ways.</p> -<p>So Virgil made him the subject of his song, telling in -pleasing verse how free he was from care, ever laughing like -sunshine, ever keeping himself free from thought, which kills joy -and brings sorrow.</p> -<p>And Eustachio, singing and laughing, said that it was because -he was ever among friends who banished thought, and so kept away -melancholy.</p> -<p>Then Virgil, still softly singing, asked him whether, if he -should lose his lady-love, he would not be melancholy for a time, -despite the consolations of friends and relations.</p> -<p>Eustachio replied that he would indeed regret the loss, and it -would make him sad for a time, but not as a settled grief or -incurable sorrow, for that all things pass away, every night hath -its morning, after every death new life, when the sea has sunk to -its lowest ebb then it rises, and that he who knows this can -never know trouble.</p> -<p>Virgil ended the dialogue of song by saying that he who -believes he can never be sad knows not what sorrow and trials -are, that grief must come some time or other to all, even to the -God of Mirth himself, and offered to make a wager of a banquet -for all present, if he could not within two weeks’ time -cause Eustachio to know what grief, and a melancholy which should -seem incurable, was like.</p> -<p>Eustachio assented, and said he would add a thousand gold -crowns to the bet.</p> -<p>There was a statue named Peonia to whom Virgil had given life; -and going to her, who was now as other women, he said:</p> -<p>“I can give life to a statue, but how to change a human -being to marble is beyond my power; I pray thee, tell me how I -may turn into an image, such as thou wert, this beautiful girl -whom Eustachio adores.”</p> -<p>And Peonia, smiling, replied: “Before thou didst come -hither I knew thy thought and thy purpose. Lo! here I have -prepared a bouquet of flowers of such intense magic perfume that -it will make Eustachio love to madness, as he never did before; -but when his mistress inhales the perfume she will become a -statue.”</p> -<p><a name="page82"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 82</span>And as -she bid he did, and placed the bouquet in the lady’s -chamber, and when she smelt at it she became a statue, and sat -holding the flowers. And Eustachio seeing her sitting there -in the dim twilight, knew not the truth, but also smelt of the -perfume, and became more in love than man can dream, but when he -found that the lady was petrified he was well-nigh mad with -grief, nor could anyone console him. And this passed into -an iron-like melancholy, nor would he leave the room where the -statue sat.</p> -<p>Now, the friends of all, though they well knew that Virgilio -had done this, still remembered that he had mighty and mysterious -power, and then, thinking over the wager, concluded that he had -been in some manner in the affair. So they went to him, -praying that he would do something to keep Eustachio from madness -or death.</p> -<p>Then Virgilio, the great master, went to the room where -Eustachio sat in profound grief by the statue, and said, with a -smile, “<i>Caro giovane</i> (My dear youth), I have won my -wager, and expect to see thee this evening in the hall at the -banquet and dance, bringing the thousand crowns.”</p> -<p>“Dear Virgilio,” answered Eustachio, “go to -my parents or friends, and receive thy gold, and assemble them -all to banquet or to dance; but do not expect me, for from this -room I never more will stir.”</p> -<p>Then Virgilio, gently removing the magic bouquet from the hand -of the statue, stepped to the window and threw it down into the -street—when lo! the lady flushed into life, and with a -laugh asked them what they were all doing there? And then -Eustachio burst out laughing for joy, and they danced in a circle -round Virgilio. Eustachio paid down the thousand crowns, -which Virgil gave as a wedding present to the bride—for of -course there was a wedding, and a grander banquet than -ever. But though he was the God of Mirth himself, Eustachio -never declared after this that he would or could never mourn or -think of grief.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>What is remarkable in this tale is the confusion between the -conception of the hero as a spirit, or the God of Mirth, and his -social condition as a young Italian gentleman about town. -It is this transition from the god to the popular hero, a mere -mortal, which forms the subject of Heine’s “Gods in -Exile.”</p> -<p><a name="page83"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 83</span>There -is another Florentine legend, in which this god appears by the -more appropriate name <i>Momo</i>, evidently <i>Momus</i>, in -which a young lord who had never laughed in his life is made -merry for ever by having presented to him the image of a laughing -goblin, which one of his peasants had dug up in a ruin. -Whenever he looks at it, he bursts into a roar of laughter, which -has the effect of changing his character very much for the -better.</p> -<p>What is perhaps most significant in this tale is the name -<i>Peonia</i>. Pæonia in classic mythology was -Minerva, as a healing goddess. As such, alone, she bears -the serpent. Esculapius is termed by Claudian the -<i>Pæonio</i>—dragon or snake. In reference to -which I find the following in the “Dizionario -Mitologico”:</p> -<blockquote><p>“<i>Peonia</i>, an additional name of -Minerva, worshipped . . . as guardian of health. Therefore -she has for a tribute the serpent, as emblem of the art of -healing. <i>Peonico</i> was a surname of Apollo.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>When medicine was synonymous with magic, Peonia-Minerva would -naturally appear as one familiar with occult arts. The -changing to a statue and being revived from a statue to life is a -very evident symbol of raising from death to life. -Æsculapius, who was the male equivalent of Peonia, revived -corpses. As Minerva and other deities were familiar to the -people as statues, in which there was believed to be a peculiar -spirit or life, we can readily understand how any image of a -goddess was supposed to be at times revived.</p> -<p>Peonia in our story works her miracle by means of -flowers. This, if we are really dealing with an archaically -old Italian tradition, is marvellously significant. <a -name="page84"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 84</span>The -<i>pœonia</i>, or peony, or <i>rose de Nôtre -Dame</i>, was believed in earliest Roman times to be <i>primus -inter magnos</i>, the very first and strongest of all floral -amulets, or to possess the greatest power in magic. This -was due to its extreme redness, this colour alone having great -force to resist the evil eye and sorcery. The most dreaded -of all deities among the earliest Etrusco-Latin races was Picus, -who appeared as a woodpecker, to which bird he had been changed -by Circe. “Nam Picus, etiam rex, ab eadem Circe virga -tactus, in volucrem picum evolavit,” as Tritonius -declares. When people dug for treasure which was guarded by -this dreaded bird, he slew them unless they bore as a protecting -amulet the root of the peony. But there is a mass of -testimony to prove that the <i>pæonia</i>, or peony, was -magical. Many classic writers, cited by Wolf in his work on -amulets, 1692, declare its root drives away phantasms and -demons. It was held, according to the same writer, that the -same root protected ships from storms and houses from -lightning. It is true that this writer evidently confuses -the peony with the poppy, but the former was from earliest times -strong in all sorcery.</p> -<p>It is also curious that, in old tradition, Pygmalion the -sculptor is represented as indifferent to women. Venus -punishes him by making him fall in love with a statue. -Eustachio, the Spirit of Mirth, declares that the death of his -love would not cause him deep grief and for this Pæonia and -Virgil change the lady into a marble image. It is the very -same story, but with the plot reversed.</p> -<p>Peonia, or peony, regarded as the poppy, since the two very -similar plants were beyond question often <a -name="page85"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 85</span>confused, had -a deep significance as lulling to sleep—a synonym for -death, a reviving force—and it was also an emblem of love -and fertility (Pausanias, II., 10). Peonia lulls the lady -to sleep with flowers, that is, into a statue.</p> -<p>I do not regard it as more than <i>probable</i>, but I think -it possible that in this story we have one of the innumerable -<i>novelle</i> or minor myths of the lesser gods, which -circulated like fairy-tales among the Latin people, of which only -a small portion were ever written down. That there were -many of these not recorded by Ovid, and other mythologists, is -very certain, for it is proved by the scraps of such lore which -come to light in many authors and casual inscriptions. It -requires no specially keen imagination, or active faculty of -association, to observe that in this, and many other legends -which I have collected and recorded, there are beyond question -very remarkable relics of old faith and ancient tradition, drawn -from a source which has been strangely neglected, which neglect -will be to future and more enlightened antiquaries or historians -a source of wonder and regret.</p> -<p>A certain Giovanni Maria Turrini, in a collection of odds and -ends entitled “Selva di Curiositá,” Bologna, -1674, declares that “the peony, if patients be touched with -it, cures them of epilepsy, which results from the influence of -the sun, to which this plant is subject, the same effect -resulting from coral.” Here we also have the -restoring to life or reason, as if from death; that is to say, -from a fit or swoon. Truly, the ancients did not know -botany as we do, but there was for them far more poetry and -wonder in flowers.</p> -<p>Some time after all the foregoing was written I <a -name="page86"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -86</span>found—truly to my great astonishment—that in -a novel by Xavier Montepin there is a student named Virgil, who -has a mistress named Pivoine—the title of the -book—which word is in Latin <i>Pæonia</i>. -This, according to the kind of criticism which is now extensively -current, would settle the whole business, and determine -“the undoubted original.” I believe it to be a -mere chance coincidence of names—strange, indeed, but -nothing more. For, in the first place, I am sure that my -collector or her informants are about as likely to have read the -<i>Sohar</i>, or “Book of Light,” or Hegel’s -“Cyclopædia,” as any novel whatever. But -the great part of what is curious in my narrative is not that -Virgil loves Pæonia, but that Pæonia-Minerva -depresses people to, or <i>raises them from</i>, <i>death by -means of flowers</i>. Very clearly in the Italian tale, as -in others, Virgil is a physician, and Pæonia is his -counterpart, of all which there is no hint in the French -novel.</p> -<p>So it once befell that in a very strange Italian tale of -Galatea, the Spirit of the White Pebble, there was a narrative -agreeing in <i>names</i> with one in a romance by Eugene -Sue. But on carefully examining the account of the Virgins -of Sen, given by Pomponius Mela (Edition 1526, p. 34, for which -purpose I expressly purchased the book), I found that the legend, -as known to Maddalena, and also to an old woman whom she did not -know, contained the main element as given by Mela, which is -<i>not</i> to be found in the French story, namely, the -transmigration of the soul or metamorphosis into different -forms. The Latin writer states that such enchantresses are -called Gallicenas. Now, there was at one time a great -infusion of Celtic blood <a name="page87"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 87</span>into Northern Italy, and if it was in -correspondence with the Gauls, it <i>may</i> possibly be that the -story of Sen and Galatea of the White Stone passed all round.</p> -<p>It may be observed, however, that there may linger among -French peasants some legend of Virgil and Pivoine, or -Pæonia, which Montepin had picked up, and should this be -so, doubtless there is some folklorist who can confirm it. -This is far more likely than that my authority took the names -from a French novel.</p> -<p>The Spirit of Mirth in this story has really nothing in common -with Momus, who was, in fact, the God of Sneering, or captious, -petty criticism of the kind which objects to great and grand or -beautiful subjects, because of small defects. The Virgilian -spirit is that of the minor rural gods, or the daughters of the -dawn, who were all smiling sub-forms of the laughing Venus. -These play the principal part in the mythology of the Tuscan -peasantry. This spirit differs from that of Momus as an -angel from a devil.</p> -<p>Psellus held that there was a soul in all statues.</p> -<p>That the God of Mirth, or Laughter, is in this tale also a gay -young cavalier in Florentine society is paralleled or outdone by -Chaucer in the “Manciple’s Tale,” in which -Apollo is described as follows:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Whan Phebus dwelled here in erth adoun,<br -/> -As oldé bookes maken mentioun,<br /> -He was the mosté lusty bacheler<br /> -Of all this world, and eke the best archer. . . .<br /> -Thereto he was the semelieste man<br /> -That is or was sithen the world began.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>That is, this “flour of bachelerie as well in fredom as -in chivalrie” was simply human while here below, having -“a wif which that he loved more than his lif.” -Chaucer wrote this evidently with conscious <a -name="page88"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 88</span>humour of the -naïve paradox by which those of his age could thus confuse -gods and common mortals, even as a Red Indian vaguely confuses -the great beaver or wolf with a human being. It is a -curious reflection that, at the present day in Italy, there are -believers in the old gods who regard the latter in the same way, -as half divine and half like other folk.</p> -<h2>NERO AND SENECA.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“This Seneka, of which that I devise,<br /> -Because Nero had of him swiché drede,<br /> -For he fro vices wold him ay chastise<br /> -Discretely, as by word, and not by dede.<br /> -‘Sire,’ he wold say, ‘an Emperor mote nede<br -/> -Be vertuous, and haten tyrannie.’<br /> -For which he made him in a bathe to blede<br /> -On both his armès till he mustè die.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span class="smcap">Chaucer</span>: -<i>The Monke’s Tale</i>: <i>Nero</i>.</p> -<p>“Già tra le infamie delle regie sale<br /> -Due uomini vedevansi soltanto<br /> -A cui volera orribilmente male,<br /> -Questo amatore delle stragi, e pianto,<br /> -Uno di questi è Seneca, ch’ eguale<br /> -In Roma non aver per nobil vanto<br /> -Nelle dottrine di filosofia,<br /> -E nel fare una bella poesia. . . .<br /> -Nerone che non vuol d’ogni folliá,<br /> -Avere appreso un rigido censore,<br /> -Fece morir, con modi scellerati,<br /> -Tanto costui, che Seneca, svenati!”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><i>Storia di Nerone</i>: <i>A -Florentine Halfpenny Ballad</i>.</p> -<p>“Alteri vivere oportet si vis tibi vivere.”</p> -<p>“Thou must live for others if thou wouldst live for -thyself.”—</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span class="smcap">Seneca</span>: -<i>Epistolæ</i>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There was once in Rome a young Emperor named Nerone. As -a boy, he was by no means badly inclined, and it seemed for a -long time as if he would grow up into a great and good man.</p> -<p>He had a tutor or teacher named Seneco, <a -name="citation88"></a><a href="#footnote88" -class="citation">[88]</a> who was <a name="page89"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 89</span>benevolent and wise beyond all the -men of his time, and he had such influence on the young Nerone, -that for two years the youth behaved well and did no harm to -anyone.</p> -<p>But little by little he was led astray by courtiers who -flattered and corrupted him, and who of course did all they could -to injure Seneco in his esteem, saying that the sage was really -an old knave, and that he was engaged in plots with the design of -becoming Emperor himself. And the end of it all was that -Nerone believed them.</p> -<p>So he sent a letter to Seneco, in which he declared that the -time had come for the old man to die; but that he might choose -his own manner of death by suicide.</p> -<p>Seneco, having read it, said: “What an evil youth is -this, of what a corrupted heart! Well, infamous as the -command is, I will die! But I will leave him a legacy which -shall be his ruin.”</p> -<p>Thus he wrote to Nerone:</p> -<p>“I will die this very day, but I leave you a gift which -is more than a fortune. It is a book of magic and -necromancy. If you wish for anything, be it the love of a -woman or the death of a man, or his disaster, or to destroy all -Rome, you will find in the book spells by which it may be -done.”</p> -<p>And when he knew that Nerone had the book, he went at once -into a hot bath, and said to his surgeon:</p> -<p>“Open my veins, so that I may bleed to death. I -will die, but I know that the Emperor will soon follow -me.”</p> -<p>So he died, and all Rome wept. <a name="citation89a"></a><a -href="#footnote89a" class="citation">[89a]</a></p> -<p>Then Nerone read the book, and it seemed as if it were -poisoned, for while reading it he perceived as it were an -exhalation <a name="citation89b"></a><a href="#footnote89b" -class="citation">[89b]</a> from hell.</p> -<p>He read in the book how to commit all crimes and sins, how to -seize on fortunes, or rob whom he would, and learned from it all -the secrets of licentiousness—<i>tutte cose -voluttiose</i>—and having finished it, he became a -veritable devil.</p> -<p>He collected many lions and tigers, and all kinds of terrible -wild beasts, and then drove among them all the Christians and -saints in Rome, and they were devoured by the beasts. Then -he took the fortunes of all the rich men, <a -name="citation89c"></a><a href="#footnote89c" -class="citation">[89c]</a> and decreed that all the women in the -city were his wives. After which he every day debauched -them in the open streets before their husbands, and likewise -ordained that all <a name="page90"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -90</span>men and women should do the same openly. And he -committed even more infamous deeds in public places, with an -orchestra, saying it was best to make love to the sound or -accompaniment of music.</p> -<p>And one day, to make a scene in an opera, he (set fire to and) -burned all Rome.</p> -<p>Then the people made a revolution, and drove him out of his -palace. It is said that this palace was all gilded. -(<i>Era tutto dorato</i>.)</p> -<p>In a public square was a statue of Seneco, and it was of -marble. So the people in a rage drove Nerone before them -until, utterly weary and exhausted, he fell down at the foot of -the statue of Seneco. And beholding the image of his tutor, -Nerone cried:</p> -<p>“<i>Tu mi vincesti</i>, <i>tu mi -inperasti</i>—Thou hast conquered, O Seneco; thou hast -prevailed over me, and had thy revenge! And accursed be the -day in which thou didst send me the book which gave me the power -to have all which I desired!”</p> -<p>And all who were present were astonished when they heard the -statue reply:</p> -<p>“I am avenged, and thou art punished.”</p> -<p>Then a butcher struck him heavily; he gave him a death-wound -with an axe, and Nerone, dying, said:</p> -<p>“If thou hast no shame for having killed an Emperor, -thou shouldst at least blush at having put to death the best -actor in Rome!”</p> -<p>Then the ground opened, and there came forth the flame and -thunder of hell, with many devils who howled. . . .</p> -<p>And so did Nero die, who was the most infamous king <a -name="citation90"></a><a href="#footnote90" -class="citation">[90]</a> who ever lived in this world since it -was a world.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>Though there are so many authentic traits of the Emperor Nero -in this tradition, the reader is not to infer from them that she -who wrote it has had access to a copy of Suetonius. There -is a “halfpenny dreadful,” or <i>sou</i> shocker, -entitled the “Life of Nero”—<i>Vita di -Nerone</i>—published by Adriano Salani, the Catnach of -Florence, Via Militare, No. 24 (No. 107 on <a -name="page91"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 91</span>his -catalogue), to say nothing of other halfpenny classical works, -such as the “Story of the Proud Emperor,” “The -Empress Flavia,” and the “Tale of Pyramus and -Thisbe,” which, as they are to be found on many open-air -stands, may account for a great deal of such learning in the -popular mind. One may meet daily in Italy with marvellous -proof in many forms of what a strange, curious, confused mass of -old Latin lore still lingers among the people, and the marvellous -contrast which it presents to what the common folk read and -reflect over in other lands. But Nero would be most likely -to be remembered, because he is frequently mentioned or described -in popular Lives of the Saints as a great maker of martyrs, and -caster of them unto lions.</p> -<p>This does not belong to the cycle of Virgilian tales, but it -was sent to me as one from Siena. To my collector it was -all one, so that it referred to a magician, and had the idea -occurred to the writer, the name of Virgilio would have been -substituted for that of Seneca. Doubtless in their time, -since they began life in India, or Egypt, or Arabia, these -legends have borne many names, and been as garments to the memory -of many sages—even as Buddha in his Jatakas was the first -of a line which has ended in the heroes of European -nurseries.</p> -<p>The halfpenny, or <i>soldo</i>, or <i>sou</i> ballad of Nero, -to which I have referred, is too curious as illustrating the -remarkable knowledge of classical antiquity still current among -the Italian people, to be lightly passed by. Its title-page -is as follows:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Storia di Nerone, dove si narrano, le -Stragi, i Delitti, le Persecuzioni e gli Incendi commessi da -questo infame Tiranno in Roma”—“History of -Nero; in which is told <a name="page92"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 92</span>the Murders and Crimes committed by -this Infamous Tyrant in Rome.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>This poem and others of the same stamp are quite as -barbarously classic-mediæval or Romanesque as anything in -any of these stories of Virgilio, and if I cite it, it is to give -a clear idea of the remarkable degree to which strange -traditions, and very ancient legends or “learning,” -have lingered among the people. I really cannot understand -why this marvellous survival of old Latin romance, and this -spirit of the Dark Ages among the people, attracts so little -attention among literary people, and especially Italians. -For it certainly indicates to any thinking mind the survival of a -great deal of classic tradition which has never been -recorded.</p> -<h2>VIRGIL AND CICERO.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Magic is genius most mysterious,<br /> -And poetry is genius passed to form,<br /> -And these allied give birth to Eloquence;<br /> -For never yet was there an orator<br /> -Who did not owe his best to Poetry.”—C. G. L.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There was once a young man named Cicero, who was a student -with Virgil, and who, being poor, served the great magician in -all things.</p> -<p>When Christmas came, with the New Year, Virgil, being well -pleased with his fidelity, resolved to make a handsome gift to -Cicero, and so said:</p> -<p>“<i>Che vuoi</i>? What wilt thou have?”</p> -<p>“I would like,” replied young Cicero, “to be -master of the art of speech”—<i>Il dono di parlar -bene</i>.</p> -<p>“Would you not prefer wealth?” asked Virgil.</p> -<p>“He who hath a ready tongue can have his will mid old or -young,” answered Cicero; “and as the proverb -says:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Chi ha eloquenza,<br /> -Ad ogni cosa ha pretenza.”</p> -<p>“He who hath but eloquence<br /> -Hath unto everything pretence.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p><a name="page93"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -93</span>“But do not forget,” remarked Virgil, -“that amiable speech is courteous and refined. And -remember to always speak well of -women—everywhere.”</p> -<blockquote><p>“If it be false, or if it be true,<br /> -Speak gently of women, whatever you do.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>After a while Cicero, wanting change of life or to try his -fortune, left Virgil and Rome, going first to Florence and then -to Ravenna, where his parents dwelt.</p> -<p>So ever travelling on afoot, he came one night to a solitary -place among rocks in a forest, where he saw at some distance a -ruined castle. And entering, hoping to find a place to -sleep, he was astonished to perceive a light, and going further, -came into a spacious hall, where, seated at a table, were six -gentlemen and a lady, all of them far more beautiful and -magnificent in every respect than ordinary mortals, especially -the lady, who, as Cicero thought, surpassed all women whom he had -ever seen, as the moon outshines the stars.</p> -<p>“<i>Salve Domine</i>!” exclaimed the scholar; -“and excuse my intrusion, since I did not expect to find -company here, though I would have indeed come many a day’s -journey, had I known of it, to behold such handsome and brilliant -cavaliers, and such a marvel of beauty as yon lady, as all the -world would do.”</p> -<p>“Thou hast a smooth tongue and a sweet gift of -speech,” replied the lady, with a smile; “and I not -only thank thee for the whole company, but invite thee to sup -with us, and lodge here, and be most welcome.”</p> -<p>So they supped gaily; and Cicero, who from the company of -Virgil and his friends and the court was familiar with the world, -was amazed, and wondered who these marvellous people could -be. At last he chanced to ask:</p> -<p>“What day of the week is this?”</p> -<p>“Truly you can here take your choice,” replied the -lady, with a laugh. “But of all the days of the week, -which do you prefer?”</p> -<p>“Friday,” replied Cicero; “because it is the -only one which bears a woman’s name or that of Venus. -<i>Evviva Venere</i>, <i>evviva le donne</i>!</p> -<blockquote><p>“Hurrah for Venus, whate’er befall!<br -/> -Long life unto love, and to ladies all!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p><a name="page94"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -94</span>“This youth has a tongue of gold and honey,” -said the lady. “And what do you think of the other -days of the week?”</p> -<p>“Other people do not think much about them in any -way,” replied Cicero. “But that is not the case -with me. To me they are all saints and gods. -<i>Domenica</i> is a holy name, which praises the Lord. -<i>Giovedi</i> (Tuesday) is the day of Jove, and that is a -glorious name. <i>Evviva Giove</i>! So it is with -them all; and were I rich enough, I would build a temple to the -days of the week wherein to worship them.”</p> -<p>“That money shall not be wanting, O thou happy -man!” replied the lady. “Knowest thou who we -are? We are the Seven Days of the Week; and for what thou -hast said of me, every Friday thou shalt find a hundred gold -crowns under thy pillow. And when thou needest any special -favour, then pray to us all.”</p> -<p>And as he heard the last word Cicero fell asleep. When -he awoke he was alone in the ruin, but by him was a purse with -one hundred crowns in gold.</p> -<p>Then in time Cicero built the temple, as he had promised, to -Venus, and in it he placed all the images of the seven -gods. Then whoever wanted a favour invoked those deities, -as indeed did Cicero when he needed aught; and those gods were -the seven youths, and those youths whom he had found in the hall -were the days of the week.</p> -<p>Then for a time Cicero lived in happiness. But something -came to disturb it, for one morning he saw at a window near by a -young lady of such marvellous beauty that he was as if enchanted, -nor was she less pleased with him.</p> -<p>“Tell me, thou splendid star,” said Cicero, -“the very truth now passing in thy mind. Dost thou -love me?”</p> -<p>“In very truth,” she replied, “I do love -thee. O Cicero, but thou lovest only to lose, for this day -I am to leave Rome never to return, unless thou canst by some -miracle so manage it as to prevent the journey, and keep me -here!”</p> -<p>Then Cicero went to the Temple of the Days and conjured them -thus:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Lunedi e Marte! (Martedi.)<br /> -Fai che la stella mia non parta!<br /> -Mercurio e Giove!<br /> -Fai che la stella non mova!”</p> -<p><a name="page95"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -95</span>“Monday and Tuesday,<br /> -I pray you cause my love to remain!<br /> -Wednesday and Thursday,<br /> -Let her not move!<br /> -Venus, thou who art the fairest day,<br /> -The one whom I most adore!<br /> -Thou who hast put me in the way of wealth,<br /> -And unto whom I truly built a temple,<br /> -As I did promise in the bygone time,<br /> -And as thou thyself didst promise,<br /> -That if I needed aught, and came to thee,<br /> -My wishes should be granted, now I pray<br /> -To Venus and to Saturn—Saturday,<br /> -That as I have no peace, and none can know,<br /> -Till I have won the maid, give her to me!<br /> -And thou, O Sunday, when the wedding comes,<br /> -I pray thee give her to me with thy hand!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then a voice from the depth of the temple replied:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Because thou hast spoken so well,<br /> -What thou hast asked is granted;<br /> -She whom thou lovest<br /> -Is not of the race of men;<br /> -She is an enchantress,<br /> -Born of Venus, who loves her,<br /> -Venus, who bent her to love thee;<br /> -The grace is granted:<br /> -Wed and be happy!”</p> -</blockquote> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>This pretty and fanciful, or strange, tale recalls that in the -“Pentamerone” of Gianbattista Basile, the Neapolitan, -in which a young man meets the Twelve Months in human form, and -pleases March by speaking well of him. In this story the -hero is a famed orator, who not only possesses the -<i>gaber</i>—or “gift of the gab”—but of -whom we are told how he came by it, namely, from Virgil, whose -verse has indeed for ages wakened eloquence in many hearts.</p> -<p>The days of the week in English are derived as follows:</p> -<table> -<tr> -<td><p>Sunday</p> -</td> -<td><p>Sun day.</p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p>Monday</p> -</td> -<td><p>Moon day.</p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p>Tuesday</p> -</td> -<td><p>Tuisco’s day.</p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p>Wednesday</p> -</td> -<td><p>Woden or Odin’s day.</p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p>Thursday</p> -</td> -<td><p>Thor’s day.</p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p>Friday</p> -</td> -<td><p>Frey’s day.</p> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><p>Saturday</p> -</td> -<td><p>Seater’s day.</p> -</td> -</tr> -</table> -<p><a name="page96"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -96</span>According to this, Friday is the luckiest day, because -Frey was the god who gave good fortune, and Freya, his female -counterpart, was the Northern Venus. The Italian names with -their gods correspond to ours, as the deities of the North -resembled those of the Latin pantheon. As this is an -interesting subject, I take from the Italian -Historical-Mythological Dictionary the following:</p> -<blockquote><p>“<i>Settimana</i> is a time composed of -seven days. Dion Cassius asserts that the Egyptians were -the first to divide time into periods of seven days, and that it -was suggested by the seven planets. However, the ancients -in this did not follow the rule, since in that case we should -have had Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the -Moon. Saturday, Sabato, is derived from Saturn, who ruled -the first hour.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>It was, in fact, from the disposition of the <i>hours</i> that -the days of the week received their names; hence the -transposition of names, as is very ingeniously worked out by the -author.</p> -<p>It is almost amusing to observe that in this, as in all tales -coming from a witch source, the incantations, though not at all -necessary to the story, are given with scrupulous care.</p> -<p>To the reader who would seriously study Cicero, yet in a -deeply interesting form, I commend “Cicero and his -Friends,” by Gaston Bussier (London: A. D. Innes and Co., -1897). According to this genial and vigorous French writer, -there is a great deal of mystery as to the manner in which the -noble orator acquired the money to purchase estates and villas, -when he was notoriously devoid of income. It is true that a -great deal of public money was passing through his hands just -then, but as he was as incorruptible and pure as an average -American <a name="page97"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -97</span>senator, of course <i>this</i> cannot account for his -acquisitions. Here the legend comes to our aid and meets -the difficulty. Having the Seven Days to draw upon, which -probably means infinite extension of time and renewal of his -notes, the great Roman, borrowing, like his friend Cæsar, -by millions, got along very comfortably. In fact, they -borrowed so much that all Rome was interested in their -prosperity, and helped to make them rich that they might pay.</p> -<h2>VIRGIL AND THE GODDESS VESTA.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Put out the light, and then—put out -the light!”</p> -<p>“Ut inquit Hecateus in Genealogiis: Enim vero cùm -<i>duæ</i> essent Vestæ, per antiquiorem Saturni -matrem; terram; at per juniorem ignem purum ætheris -significarunt.”—<i>Mythologia Natalis Comitis</i>, -<span class="GutSmall">A.D.</span> 1616.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Many centuries have passed since there was (worshipped) in -Florence a goddess who was the great spirit of virtue and -chastity, (yet) when a maid had gone astray she always devoted -herself to worship the beautiful Avesta, as this deity was -called, and the latter never failed in such case to get her -devotee out of the difficulty. Her temple was that building -which is now called the Baptistery of Saint John, and she was the -goddess of light, as of candles, torches, and all that -illuminates. And Avesta was, as I have said, known as the -deity of virtue, albeit many of the people shrugged their -shoulders when they heard this, being evidently strongly inclined -to doubt, but they said nothing for fear of punishment.</p> -<p>For it was rumoured that Avesta had many lovers, and that in -the rites of her religion there were secrets too dark to -discover, and that as everything in her worship was involved in -mystery and carried on occultly, it followed, of course, that it -involved something wrong. And it was observed that once a -month many women who worshipped her met in her temple by night, -and that they were accompanied by their lovers, who with them -adored the goddess in the form of a large lighted lamp. But -that <a name="page98"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 98</span>when -this rite was at an end and the multitude had departed, there -remained unnoted a number, by whom the doors were closed and the -light extinguished, when a general orgy ensued, no one knowing -who the others might be. <a name="citation98a"></a><a -href="#footnote98a" class="citation">[98a]</a> And it was -from this came the saying which is always heard when two lovers -are seated together by a light and it goes out, that Avesta did -it. <a name="citation98b"></a><a href="#footnote98b" -class="citation">[98b]</a></p> -<p>There was in Florence a young lord who loved a lady of great -beauty. But she had a bitter rival, who to cross their love -had recourse to sorcery or witchcraft, and so “bound” -or cast on him a spell which weakened his very life, and made him -impotent and wretched, that his very heart seemed to be turned to -water.</p> -<p>And this spell the witch worked by taking a padlock and -locking it, saying:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Chiudo la catena,<br /> -Ma non chiudo la catena,<br /> -Chiudo il corpo e l’anima<br /> -Di questo bel signor ingrato,<br /> -Chi non ha voluto,<br /> -Corrispondermi in amore, <a name="citation98c"></a><a -href="#footnote98c" class="citation">[98c]</a><br /> -Ha preferito un’ altra a me,<br /> -E questa io l’odio<br /> -Come odio la signorina,<br /> -Pure catena che incateni<br /> -Tanti diavoli tieni!<br /> -Tengo incatenata questo signor<br /> -Fino a mio comando<br /> -Che nessuno la possa disciogliere<br /> -E incatenato possa stare,<br /> -Fino che non si decidera<br /> -Di sposarmi. . . .”</p> -<p>“Now here I close the lock,<br /> -Yet ’tis not a lock which I close;<br /> -I shut the body and soul<br /> -Of this ungrateful lord,<br /> -Who would not meet my love,<br /> -But loves another instead,<br /> -Another whom I hate,<br /> -Whom I here lock and chain<br /> -With devil’s power again.<br /> -<a name="page99"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 99</span>I hold -this man fast bound<br /> -That none shall set him free<br /> -Until I so command,<br /> -And bound he shall remain<br /> -Till he will marry me.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>One day Virgil was passing the Piazza del Duomo, when he met -with the young man who had thus been bound or bewitched, and the -victim was so pale and evidently in terrible suffering, that the -great poet and magician, who was ever pitying and kind, was moved -to the heart, and said:</p> -<p>“Fair youth, what trouble have you, that you seem to be -in such suffering?”</p> -<p>The young man replied that he, being in love unto life and -death, had been bewitched by some malignant sorcery.</p> -<p>“That I can well see,” replied the sage, -“and I am glad that it will be an easy thing for me to cure -you. Go thou into a field which is just beyond Fiesole, in -a place among the rocks. There thou wilt find a flat stone -bearing a mark. Lift it, and beneath thou wilt find a -padlock and chain. Take this golden key: it is enchanted, -for with it thou canst open any lock in the world of door or -chain. <a name="citation99"></a><a href="#footnote99" -class="citation">[99]</a> Keep the lock, open it, and then -go to the Temple of Vesta and return thanks with prayer, and wait -for what will come.”</p> -<p>So the young man did as Virgil had told him, and among the -rocks found the stone and the padlock, and went to the Temple of -Avesta, where he opened the lock and made the prayer to the -goddess, which having done, he fell asleep, and no one beheld -him.</p> -<p>And while he was there the young lady entered the Baptistery -to worship Avesta, to offer her devotions, which being ended, she -sat down and also fell into a deep sleep, and no one observed -her.</p> -<p>But later in the night, when the doors were closed and the -light extinguished, and the worshippers who remained were calling -“Avesta!” the two sleepers who were side by side were -awakened by a rustling of silk, and this was caused by the dress -of the goddess, who roused them. And the young man found -himself restored to vigorous health and unwonted passion, and -quickly noting that a lady was by him, and carried away by -feelings beyond his control, <a name="page100"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 100</span>embraced and kissed her—nor -did she indeed resist, for the will of Avesta was on them -both. But noting that the lady had a silk handkerchief <a -name="citation100"></a><a href="#footnote100" -class="citation">[100]</a> partly out of her pocket, he adroitly -stole it, putting in its place his own, and so with a kiss he -left her, neither knowing who the other was. But on -awaking, as if it were from a dream or a delirium, the lady was -overcome with shame and grief, and could only think that madness -or magic had overcome her reason, to cause her to yield as she -had done. For this morning she felt more passionately in -love with her betrothed than she had ever done before, and this -was because the spell which had bound her was broken with the -opening of the padlock.</p> -<p>But what was the astonishment of the lover, who was also -restored to all his health and strength, when in the morning he -looked at the handkerchief which he had carried away and found -embroidered on it the arms and name of his love! So he went -to visit her, and his greeting was:</p> -<p>“Signorina, have you lost a handkerchief?”</p> -<p>“Not that I know of,” replied the lady, -amazed.</p> -<p>“Look at the one in your pocket, and then at -<i>this</i>,” was his laughing reply.</p> -<p>She did so, and understanding all in an instant, cried out in -shame and horror, while she became at first like blood and then -milk. Then the gentleman said:</p> -<p>“It seems to me, Signorina, that we must by mistake have -exchanged handkerchiefs last night in the dark, and no wonder, -considering the fervency of our devotions. And since we -have begun to worship and pray so devoutly, and have entered on -such a good path, it were a pity for us to turn back, and -therefore it were well for us to continue to travel on it hand in -hand together. But I propose that instead of changing -pocket-handkerchiefs, we exchange rings before the altar and get -married.”</p> -<p>The lady laughed and replied:</p> -<p>“I accept with great pleasure, Signore, the -handkerchief; just as the women in Turkey do when it is thrown to -them. And you know the proverb:</p> -<blockquote><p>“‘La donna chi prende<br /> -Tosto si rende<br /> -E poi si vende.’”</p> -<p><a name="page101"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -101</span>“She who will take will give herself away,<br /> -And she who gives will sell herself, they say.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>“Even so will I sell mine for thine; but you must take -the bargain on the nail, and the ball on the bound in the game of -love.”</p> -<p>“Yes,” replied the young man; “I do so with -all my heart. But as for our handkerchiefs, I now see that -it is true that the peasant does not always know what it is that -he carries home in his bag from the mill. Thanks be to -Avesta that we found such good flour in our sacks!”</p> -<p>“To Vesta and to Virgil be all praise!” replied -the lady. “But I think that while we continue our -daily worship in the temple, we will go there no longer by -night. <i>Vi sono troppo donne devote nel -buio</i>”—There are too many lady devotees there in -the darkness.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>As a mere story this legend were as well left out, but it is -one of a hundred as regards curious relics of mythologic and -other lore. Firstly, be it observed that a secret doctrine, -or esoteric as opposed to exoteric teaching, was taught in all -the mysteries of the gods. Diana, who is identical with -Vesta, Avesta, or Hestia, as a goddess of light by night and also -of chastity, had her lovers in secret. What further -identifies the two is that in this tale girls who have got into -trouble through love, pray to Vesta, even as Roman maids did -under similar circumstances specially to Diana.</p> -<p>There is no historical proof whatever that the Baptistery was -ever a temple of Vesta, but there is very remarkable -circumstantial evidence to that effect which I have indicated in -detail in an article in the <i>Architectural Review</i>. -Both Vesta and Saint John were each in her or his religion the -special deities or incarnations of Light or Fire, and Purity or -Chastity. The temples of Vesta were like those of Mars, and -Mars alone, either round, hexagonal, or square, to indicate the -form <a name="page102"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -102</span>attributed with variations to the world. The -early tradition of all writers on Florence speaks of the -Baptistery of Saint John as having been a temple of Mars, which -legend the priests naturally endeavoured to deny, thinking it -more devout and “genteel” to attribute its erection -to a Christian Empress.</p> -<p>The binding and rendering impotent by means of a padlock, and -forty other devices, to render married folk miserable, or lovers -languid, was so common two centuries ago, that there is almost a -literature, occult, theological, and legal, on the subject. -The Rabbis say it was invented by Ham, the son of Noah. The -superstition was generally spread in Greece and Rome. It is -still very commonly believed in and practised by witches all over -Europe, and especially by gipsies and the Italian -<i>strege</i>.</p> -<p>What is above all to be remarked in this tale is that it -recognises a double nature in Vesta—one as a chaste goddess -of fire, the other of a voluptuous or generative deity, signified -by extinguishing the lights. And this is precisely what the -oldest writers declared, though it was quite forgotten in later -times. As Natalis Comes declares, “There were -<i>two</i> Vestas, one by the first wife of Saturn, another by -the younger one, meaning the earth, the other fire,” as -Ovid witnesses, “Fastorum,” lib. 6. In fact, -there was a double or second to every one of the Greek or -Etruscan gods. And this belief which was forgotten by the -higher classes remained among the people. And it may be -specially noted that the second Vesta was called the mother of -the gods, as Strabo declares, and she was in fact the Venus of -the primitive or Saturnian mythology.</p> -<h2><a name="page103"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 103</span>THE -STONE FISH, AND HOW VIRGIL MADE IT EATABLE.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Virgille plus fu sapïens<br /> -Plus clerc, plus sage et plus scïens.<br /> -Que nul a son temps vesquist,<br /> -Et plus de grans merveilles fist<br /> -Pour voir il fist de grans merveilles;<br /> -Homs naturels ne fist pareilles.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span class="smcap">Renars -Contrefais</span>, <span class="GutSmall">A.D.</span> 1319.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>In the old times, when things were so different from what they -are now—the blue bluer, the red redder, when the grains of -maize were as big as grapes, and grapes as big as pomegranates, -and pomegranates as big as melons, and the Arno was always full -of water, and the water so full of fine large fish that everybody -had as many as he wanted for nothing, and the sun and moon gave -twice as much light—there was, not far from Via Reggio, a -castle, and the signore who owned it was a great bandit, who -robbed all the country round, as all the gentlemen did in those -times when they could, for it is true that with all the blessings -of those days they had some curses!</p> -<p>One day there passed by a poor fisherman with an ass, and on -it was a very large, wonderfully fine fish, a tunny, which was a -load for the beast, and which was intended for the good monks of -an abbey hard by, to whom the man hoped to sell it, partly for -money and partly for blessings. When lo! he was met by Il -Bandito, as the signore was called, and, as you may suppose, the -gentleman was not slow to seize the prey, which fell as it were -like a roasted lark from heaven into his mouth. And to mock -the poor fellow, the signore gave him a small bottle of wine to -repay him.</p> -<p>Then the fisherman in his despair cursed the Bandito to his -face, saying:</p> -<p>“May God forget and the devil remember thee, and as thou -hast mocked my poverty, mayest thou pass centuries in worse -suffering than ever was known to the poorest man on earth.</p> -<p>“Thou shalt live in groans and lamentations, thou -accursed of God and despised by the devil; thou shalt never have -peace by day or night!</p> -<p><a name="page104"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -104</span>“Thou shalt be in utter wretchedness till thou -shalt see someone eat this fish.</p> -<blockquote><p>“‘In pietra cambiato<br /> -E in pietra sarai confinata.’”</p> -<p>“Thyself a stone, as thou shalt find,<br /> -And in a stone thou’lt be confined,<br /> -And the fish likewise a stone shall be<br /> -Till someone shall eat it and set thee free!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>And as the poor man prophesied, it came to pass: the fish was -changed into a stone, and the signore into a statue. And -the latter stood in a corner of the dining-hall, and every day -the fish was placed at dinner on the table, but no one could eat -it.</p> -<p>So three hundred years passed away, and the lord who had -inherited the castle had a beautiful daughter, who was beloved by -a young signore named Luigi, who was in every way deserving of -her, but whom the father disliked on account of his family. -So when he asked the father for her hand, the latter replied that -he might have it when he should have eaten the stone fish, and -not till then. So the young man went away in grief.</p> -<p>One day, when this young gentleman was returning from the -chase bearing two fine hares, he met Virgilio, who asked him to -sell him one. Whereupon the young man replied: “Oh, -take your pick of them, and welcome; but say nothing about -payment. Perhaps some day you may do as much for -me.”</p> -<p>“Perhaps,” replied Virgilio, “that day may -be nearer than you think. I never make my creditors wait, -nor let my debts run into arrears. What is there on earth -which you most desire?”</p> -<p>“Truly it is something, signore, which I trow that -neither you nor any man can render possible, for it is to eat the -stone fish in the castle up there.”</p> -<p>“I think that it can be managed,” replied Virgil, -with a smile. “Take this silver box full of salt, and -when the fish is before you, sprinkle the salt on it, and it will -grow tender and taste well, and you can eat it. But first -say unto it:</p> -<blockquote><p>“‘Se tu pesce sei fatto<br /> -Da un uomo, pel suo atto,<br /> -Rimane sempre come sei,<br /> -Ma se tu sei scongiurato,<br /> -<a name="page105"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 105</span>O vere -scongiurato,<br /> -Non restare pietra—ritorna come eri.’”</p> -<p>“Fish, if once a man thou wert,<br /> -Then remain e’en as thou art!<br /> -But if a fish, I here ordain<br /> -That thou become a fish again.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then Luigi went to the castle, and was with much laughter -placed before the fish, and the signore asked him if he would -have a hammer to carve it with.</p> -<p>“Nay, I will eat it after my own fashion,” he -replied. “I do but beg permission to use my own salt, -and say my own grace.”</p> -<p>Then he sprinkled the salt and murmured the incantation, when -the fish became soft and savoury, as if well cooked, and Luigi -ate of it, till the signore of the castle was satisfied, and -admitted that he had fulfilled the conditions—when lo! the -fish became whole as before, and a stone again.</p> -<p>Then an old statue which was in the hall, in a corner of the -wall, spoke and said:</p> -<p>“Now I am at peace, since the fish has been eaten.</p> -<blockquote><p>“‘Dacche il pesce ha stato -mangiato,<br /> -Io non sono più confinato.’”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>And saying this, there went forth from the image a -spirit-form, which vanished.</p> -<p>Then Luigi wedded the young lady of the castle, and Virgilio, -who was present, promised the pair a happy life. And he -said:</p> -<p>“Thou wilt be, O Luigi, the beginner of a family or race -which, like the Holy Church, will have been founded on a stone, -and while the Church lasts thy name shall endure.”</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>The concluding paragraph refers to <i>pietra</i>, a stone, and -to the text, well known to the most ignorant Catholic, -“Petrus es et super hanc petram edificabo ecclesiam -meam,” whence it has been said that the Roman Church was -founded on a pun, to which the reply might be, “And what if -it was?” since there was no suspicion in early times that -the pun, as a poetical form, might not be seriously employed in -illustration. Dr. Johnson made the silly assertion <a -name="page106"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 106</span>that a pun -upon a proper name is the lowest kind of wit, in which saying -there is—as in many of his axioms—more sound than -sense; nor is it altogether reverent or respectful, when we -reflect that both Christ and Cicero used the despised figure of -speech. In one of the tales in this collection the Emperor -of Rome speaks of a wheat-bran (<i>tisane</i>) which had been -ordered as “pigs’ broth,” which was exactly the -term by which Cicero alluded to the Verrine law, which also bears -that meaning. As his adversary was a Jew, and the query -was, “What has a Hebrew to do with pig-broth, or -pork-soup?”—<i>i.e.</i>, the law of Verres—the -joke, with all due deference to the law-giver Samuel, may be -fairly called a very good one. <a name="citation106"></a><a -href="#footnote106" class="citation">[106]</a></p> -<h2>VIRGILIO AND THE BRONZE HORSE.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“The horse of brass.”—<span -class="smcap">Milton</span>.</p> -<p>“But evermore their moste wonder was<br /> -About this horsé, since it was of brass.<br /> -It was of faerie as the peple seemed,<br /> -Diversè folk diversely han deemed.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span class="smcap">Chaucer</span>: -<i>The Squiere’s Tale</i>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>One day Virgilio went to visit the Emperor, and not finding -him in his usual good temper, asked what was the matter, adding -that he hoped it would be in his power to do something to relieve -him.</p> -<p>Then the Emperor complained that what troubled him was that -all his horses seemed to be ill or bewitched, behaving like wild -beasts, or as if evil spirits were in them, and that which -grieved him most was that his favourite white horse was most -afflicted of all.</p> -<p>“Do not vex yourself for such a thing,” replied -Virgil. “I will cure your horses and all the others -in the city.”</p> -<p>Then he caused to be made a beautiful horse of bronze, <a -name="page107"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 107</span>and it was -so well made that no one, unless by the will of Virgil (<i>senza -il volere di Virgilio</i>), could have made the like. And -whenever a horse which suffered in any way beheld it, the animal -was at once cured.</p> -<p>All the smiths and horse-doctors in Rome were greatly angered -at this, because after Virgil made the bronze horse they had -nothing to do. So they planned to revenge themselves on -him. And they all assembled in a vile place frequented by -thieves and assassins, and there agreed to kill Virgil. -Going to his house by night, they sought for him, but he escaped; -so they, finding the bronze horse, broke it to pieces, and then -fled.</p> -<p>When Virgil returned and found the horse in fragments he was -greatly grieved, and said:</p> -<p>“The smiths have done this. However, I will yet do -some good with the metal, for I will make from it a bell; and -when the smiths hear it ring, I will give them a peal to remember -me by.”</p> -<p>So the bell was made and given to the Church of San -Martino. And the first time it was tolled it sang:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Io ero un cavallo di bronzo.<br /> -Dai nemici son’ stato spezzato.<br /> -Ma un amico che mi ama,<br /> -In campana, mi ha cambiato<br /> -E la prima volta che faro<br /> -<i>Dindo</i>, <i>dindo</i>! dichiarero<br /> -Chi e becco a caprone.”</p> -<p>“I was a horse of bronze, and tall.<br /> -My enemies broke me to pieces small.<br /> -But a friend who loves me well<br /> -Had me made into a bell.<br /> -Now here on high I proudly ring,<br /> -And as I <i>dindo</i>! <i>dindo</i> sing,<br /> -I tell aloud, as I toll and wave,<br /> -Who is a <i>wittol</i> and a knave.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>And all the smiths who had broken the horse when they heard -the bell became as deaf as posts. Then great remorse came -over them and shame, and they threw themselves down on the ground -before Virgil and begged his pardon.</p> -<p>Virgil replied:</p> -<p>“I pardon you; but for a penance you must have six other -bells made to add to this, to make a peal, and put them all in -the same church.”</p> -<p>This they did, and then regained their hearing.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p><a name="page108"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 108</span>This -same story is told of Virgil in Comparetti’s collection; -but the present tale in the original has about it a smack or tone -of the people which is wanting in the older version. Thus, -the song of the bell is a peculiarly quaint conception, and -probably an adaptation of some popular jest to the effect that -bells proclaim the name and shame of certain persons. I -have found that, with rare exception, the legends which I have -given, as preserved by a class to whom tradition has a special -value, are more complete in every respect than the variants drawn -from other sources.</p> -<h2>VIRGILIO AND THE BALL-PLAYER.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Ima subit, resilit. Ventosi -prælia vento,<br /> -Exagitant juvenes: pellunt dextra atque repellunt,<br /> -Corruit ille iterùm; levisque aere truditur aer;<br /> -Ictibus impatiens obmurmurat; altaque rursus<br /> -Nubila metitur cursu; si forte globosa<br /> -Excipiant miserata globum patiturque repulsam.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right">P. <span class="smcap">Car. de -Luca</span>, 1. 19, <span class="smcap">Ex. J. B. -Gandutio</span>: <i>Harpastum Florentinum</i>; <i>or</i>, <i>On -the Florentine Game of Ball</i> (1603).</p> -<p>“Jamque calent lusorum animi; color ardet in ore<br /> -In vultu sanguis rubet, omnesque occupat artus;<br /> -Præcipites hinc, inde ruunt, cursuque sequaci<br /> -Atque oculis sphæræ volucri vigilantibus -justant.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span class="smcap">Pilæ -Ludus</span>: <i>The Game of Ball</i>. <i>Auctor -Incertus</i>. <i>XVIth Century</i>.</p> -<p>“Now the playing at <i>ball</i> is allowed to -Christians, because, like chess, draughts, billiards, bowls, -<i>trucca</i>, and the like, it is a game of skill and not of -chance, which latter makes illicit the most innocent -play.”—<i>Trattato di Giochi</i>, etc., <i>Rome</i>, -1708.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There was once upon a time a grand signore in Florence who had -a clever servant, a young man, who, whether he had a fairy -god-mother or a witch grandmother is not told; but it is certain -that he had such luck at playing ball as to always win and never -lose. And his master so arranged it with him as to bet and -win immense sums.</p> -<p>One day Virgilio, being present at a match in which this <a -name="page109"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 109</span>young man -played, observed that there sat upon his ball a tiny invisible -goblin, who directed its course as he pleased.</p> -<p>“Beautiful indeed is thy play,” said Virgilio to -the youth, “and thy ball—<i>ha tutta la finezza -dell’ arte</i>—hath all the refinement of its art; -but ’tis a pity that it is not an honest ball.”</p> -<p>“Thou art mistaken,” replied the young man; but he -reddened as he spoke.</p> -<p>“Ah, well,” answered Virgil, “I will show -thee anon whether I have made a mistake or told the truth. -<i>A carne di lupo dente di cane</i>—A dog’s teeth to -a wolf’s hide. My young friend and his old master -need a bite or two to cure them of their evil ways.”</p> -<p>There was in Florence the next day a great fair, or -<i>festa</i>, and Virgil, passing where young people were -diverting themselves, saw a very beautiful, bold-faced girl, who -looked like a gipsy, or as if she belonged to some show, playing -ball. Then Virgil, calling a goblin not bigger than a -babe’s finger, <a name="citation109"></a><a -href="#footnote109" class="citation">[109]</a> bade it go and sit -on the girl’s ball, and inhabit and inspire it to -win. It did so, and the girl won every time. Then -Virgilio said to her:</p> -<p>“Come with me, and I will show you how to win one -hundred crowns. There is a young man who carries all before -him at playing; thou must drive him before thee; <i>e render la -pariglia</i>—pay him back in his own money. Then -shalt thou have one hundred crowns.”</p> -<p>So they went together to the castle, and Virgilio said to the -old signore:</p> -<p>“I have found a young girl who plays ball so well, that -I am anxious to try her game against that of your young -man.”</p> -<p>“What will you bet on her?” asked the old -signore.</p> -<p>“A thousand crowns,” replied Virgilio.</p> -<p>“Done!” was the response.</p> -<p>But when they met on the ground the youth and the girl fell in -love at first sight to the last degree, and not being much -troubled with modesty, told one another so—<i>schiettamente -e senza preamboli</i>—plainly, without prelude, preamble, -or preface, as is the way and wont of professionals or -show-people, wherein they showed their common sense of the value -of time, which is to them as money.</p> -<p><a name="page110"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 110</span>Then -they began to play, and it was in the old fashion, with two balls -at once, each player tossing one to the other with the drum. <a -name="citation110a"></a><a href="#footnote110a" -class="citation">[110a]</a> And it came to pass that in the -instant that the two goblins beheld one another from afar they -also fell in love. And as fairies and <i>folletti</i> do -everything, when they will, a thousand times more rapidly than -human beings, and as neither could or would conquer in the game, -they both cried:</p> -<p>“Let us be for ever united in love.”</p> -<p>So the two balls met with a bump half-way in their course and -fell to the ground as one, while the fays embraced; and at the -same instant the youth and the girl, unable to suppress their -feelings, rushed into one another’s arms and began to kiss, -and Virgilio and the old signore roared with laughter, the latter -having a second attack of merriment when Virgilio explained to -him the entire trick and plot.</p> -<p>Then, as it was a drawn game, the thousand crowns were by -common consent bestowed on the young couple, who were married to -their hearts’ content, having one <i>festa</i> after -another, at which all the guests went from bottle to bottle, even -as the ass of a dealer in pottery goeth from door to door, or as -the pig of Saint Antonio went from house to house. -Amen!</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>Singularly enough, though this story comes from a witch -source, there is in it no incantation addressed to a ball to make -it always win for its owner; and, oddly enough, I recall one for -that purpose, taken from an American burlesque of “Der -Freyschütz,” <a name="citation110b"></a><a -href="#footnote110b" class="citation">[110b]</a> in which the -demon-hunter calls on Zamiel the fiend to give him a magic -ninepin or skittle-ball.</p> -<blockquote><p>“Sammy-hell, a boon I beg!<br /> -By thy well and wooden leg!<br /> -We ask for that ’ere bowling ball<br /> -Wot’ll knock down one and all.<br /> -Give us all the queer ingredients,<br /> -And we’ll remain your most obedients!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p><a name="page111"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 111</span>The -idea of enchanted dice which always throw sixes and the like, -forms the subject of stories possibly wherever dice are thrown or -cards played, inasmuch as all gamblers who live or lose by chance -are naturally led to believe that fortune can be invoked or -propitiated. Hence the majority of them carry charms, -fetishes, or amulets.</p> -<h2>VIRGIL AND THE GENTLEMAN WHO BRAYED.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Braire comme des Asnes en plain -marché.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><i>Cf.</i> <span -class="smcap">Leroux de Luicy</span>: <i>Facetieux -Réveille-matin</i>, pp. 103, 171. <i>XVII. -Siècle</i>.</p> -<p>“Ha, Sire Ane, ohé!<br /> -Belle bouche, rechignez!<br /> -Vous aurez du foin assez<br /> -Et de l’avoine à-plantez!”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><i>Chanson</i>, <i>XII. -Siècle</i>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There were once assembled at the table of the Emperor many -friends of Virgilio, who praised him highly. But there was -also one who abused him bitterly, and called him an ass; and the -word went forth to all the city, and much was said of it, and -there was a great scandal over it.</p> -<p>When Virgil heard of it he smiled, and said that he thought he -would ere long be even with the gentleman who had jackassed him; -and those who knew him were of the same opinion, for certainly -the means of retaliation were not wanting to him.</p> -<p>Now, the Emperor had given to Virgilio an ass to ride, and the -poet said to his patron that, if he would order that the animal -might go or come wherever he pleased, he would show him some time -a merry jest. To which the Emperor right willingly -assented.</p> -<p>So one day there were many lords seated at the imperial table, -and among them were Virgilio and his enemy. But what was -the amazement of all save the magician when the servants, flying -in, said that the ass of the Signore Virgilio had entered the -door, and insisted on coming into the banqueting-hall.</p> -<p><a name="page112"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -112</span>“Admit him instantly,” said the -Emperor.</p> -<p>The ass came in as politely as an ass could. He bowed -down before the Emperor and kissed his hand.</p> -<p>“He has come to visit his dear brother,” remarked -the enemy of Virgil.</p> -<p>“<i>That is true</i>,” replied the ass; and -walking up to the gentleman, he stared him in the face, and said: -“Good brother, good-day!”</p> -<p>The signore, bursting into a rage, tried to utter something, -but only brayed—and such a bray, the King of the Asses -himself could not have equalled it. There was a roar of -laughter long and loud, revived again with each succeeding -roar. At last, when there was silence, Virgil said:</p> -<p>“But tell me, Ciuchino, donkey mine, which of us three -is the <i>real</i> ass? For thy brother there says that I -am one, and thou callest him brother, and yet from thy appearance -I should say that thou art truly ‘the -one.’”</p> -<p>And the ass replied:</p> -<p>“Trust not to looks in this world, for in outward -seeming there is great deceit. By their <i>voice</i> shall -ye know them; by their song, which is the same in all -lands. For many are the languages of mankind, but there is -only one among asses, for we all bray and pray in the same -tongue.”</p> -<p>“Truly,” replied Virgilio, “thou almost -deservest to become a Christian, and I will help thee to -it.” Saying this, he touched the donkey’s nose -with his wand, and his face became as the face of the gentleman, -on whom there now appeared a donkey’s head.</p> -<p>“Now we are indeed beginning to look more like -ourselves,” quoth the ass.</p> - -<p>“<i>Aun-ky—aunky—aunky—ooooh</i>!” -brayed the gentleman.</p> -<p>“That, my lords,” explained the donkey, -“when translated into <i>volgare</i> from our holy tongue, -is my brother’s confession of faith, wherein he declares -that he is the very Ass of Asses—the <i>summa summarum</i>, -and the <i>somaro dei somari</i>.”</p> -<p>“That will do,” exclaimed Virgilio; and touching -the ass and the signore, he restored to each his natural form and -language. And the signore rushed out in a blind rage, but -the ass went with proper dignity, first saluting the company, and -then bowing low before the Emperor ere he departed.</p> -<p><a name="page113"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -113</span>“<i>Per Bacco</i>!” exclaimed the Emperor; -“the ass, it seems to me, hath better manners and a finer -intellect than his brother.”</p> -<p>“’Tis sometimes the case in this world, your -Imperial Highness, that asses appear to advantage—even at -court.”</p> -<h2>VIRGIL AND THE GIRL WITH GOLDEN LOCKS.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“And they had fixed the wedding day,<br /> -The morning that must wed them both,<br /> -For Stephen to another maid<br /> -Had sworn another oath;<br /> -And with this other maid to church<br /> -Unthinking Stephen went—<br /> -Poor Martha, on that woeful day,<br /> -A pang of pitiless dismay<br /> -Into her soul was sent.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span -class="smcap">Wordsworth</span>: <i>Poems of the Imagination</i>: -<i>The Thorn</i>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There was once in Florence a wealthy widow lady of noble -family, who had a son who was all that a parent could have -wished, had he not been somewhat reckless and dissipated, and -selfish withal, which he showed by winning the love of girls and -then leaving them; which thing became such a scandal that it -caused great grief to the mother, who was a truly good -woman. And so the youth, who was really a devoted son, -seeing this, reformed his ways for a long time.</p> -<p>But as the proverb says, he who has once drunk at this -fountain will ever remember the taste, and probably drink -again. So it came to pass that in time the young gentleman -fell again into temptation, and then began to tempt, albeit with -greater care and caution—’tis so that all timid -sinners go, resolving the next step shall be the last—till -finally, under solemn promise of marriage, he led astray into the -very forest of despair a very poor and friendless maid, who was, -however, of exquisite beauty, and known as “the girl of -golden locks,” from her hair. It might be that the -young man might have kept his word, but at an evil time he was -tempted by the charms of a young lady of great wealth and greater -family, who met him more than half-way, giving him to understand -that her hand was to be had <a name="page114"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 114</span>for asking; whereupon he, who never -lost a chance or left a fruit unplucked, asked at once and was -accepted, the wedding-day being at once determined on.</p> -<p>Then the girl with the golden hair, finding herself abandoned, -became well-nigh desperate. Ere long, too, she gave birth -to a child, which was a boy. And it was some months after -this, indeed, ere the wedding of the youth to the heiress was to -take place, when one day, as the young unmarried mother was -passing along the Arno, she met the great poet and sorcerer -Virgil, who saw in her face the signs of such deep suffering, and -of such a refined and noble nature, that he paused and asked her -if she had any cause of affliction. So with little trouble -he induced her to confide in him, saying that she had no hope, -because her betrayer would soon be wedded to another.</p> -<p>“Perhaps not,” replied Virgil. “Many a -tree destined to be felled has escaped the axe and lived till God -blew it down. On the day appointed we three will all go to -the wedding.”</p> -<p>And truly when the time came all Florence was much amazed to -see the great Virgil going into the Church of Santa Maria with -the beautiful girl with the golden hair and bearing her babe in -his arms. So the building was speedily filled with people -waiting eagerly to witness some strange sight.</p> -<p>And they were not disappointed. For when the bride in -all her beauty and the bridegroom in all his glory came to the -altar and paused, ere the priest spoke Virgil stepped forward, -and presenting the girl with golden locks, said:</p> -<p>“This is she whom thou art to wed, having sworn to make -her thy wife, and this is thy child.”</p> -<p>Then the infant, who had never before in his life uttered a -word, exclaimed, in loud, sweet tones:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Thou’rt my father, I’m thy -son;<br /> -Other father I have none.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then there was a great scene, the bride being as one mad, and -all the people crying, “<i>Evviva</i>, Virgilio! If -the Signore Cosino <a name="citation114"></a><a -href="#footnote114" class="citation">[114]</a> does not wed the -girl with golden hair, he shall not escape us!” Which -he did indeed, and that not so unwillingly, for the sight of the -girl and the authority of <a name="page115"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 115</span>Virgil, the cries of the people, his -own conscience, and the marvellous occurrence of the babe’s -speaking, all reconciled him to it.</p> -<p>So the wedding was carried out forthwith, and every soul in -Florence who could make music went with his instrument that night -and serenaded the newly-married pair.</p> -<p>And the mother was not a little astonished when she saw her -son, who had gone forth with one bride, return with -another. However, she was soon persuaded by Virgil that it -was all for the best, and found in time that she had a perfect -daughter-in-law.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>I had rejected this story as not worth translating, since it -presents so few traditional features, when it occurred to me that -it indeed very clearly and rather curiously sets forth Virgil as -a benevolent man and a sympathizer with suffering without regard -to rank or class. This Christian kindness was associated -with his name all through the Middle Ages in literature, and it -is wonderful how the form of it has been preserved unto these our -times among the people.</p> -<p>There is a tale told by one Surius, “In Vita S. -Anselmi,” cited by Kornmann in his work “De Miraculis -Vivorum” in 1614, which bears on this which I have -told. A certain dame in Rome not only had a child, <i>ex -incestu</i>, but magnified her sin by swearing the child on the -Pope, Sergius. The question being referred to Saint Anselm, -he asked the babe, which had never spoken, whether his papa was -the Pope. To which the infant answered, “Certainly -not,” adding that Sergius “<i>nihil cum Venere -commercium habere</i>”—Anselmus, as is evident, being -resolved to make a clean sweep of the whole affair and whitewash -the Holy Father to the utmost while he was about it. -Salverté would, like a sinner, have said that Anselm was -perhaps a ventriloquist—<i>es kann sein</i>!</p> -<p><a name="page116"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 116</span>But -let us not discuss it, and pass on, just mentioning that since I -wrote the above I found another legend of an Abbot Daniel, of -whom Gregory of Tours and Sophronius relate that he, having -prayed that a certain lady might become a mother, and the request -being complied with, some of Daniel’s enemies suggested -that other means as well as prayer, and much more efficacious, -had been resorted to by the saint to obtain the desired -result. But Daniel, inquiring of the babe when it was -twenty-five days of age, was, <i>coram omnibus</i>, fully -acquitted, the <i>bambino</i> pointing to his true father, and -saying, with a nod, “<i>Verbis et -mitibus</i>”—<i>That’s</i> the man! And -the same happened to a Bishop Britius. But Saint Augustine -beats the record by declaring that, “It hath sometimes -happened that infants as yet unborn have cried out <i>ex utero -matris</i>—which is indeed a marvellous thing!” -(“De Civitate Dei,” III., c. 31).</p> -<p>And yet it seems to me that Justinus, Procopius, and several -others, have done as well, if not better; for it is related by -them that a number of orthodox believers who had their tongues -cut out by Socinians, or Unitarians (whom the zealous Dean Hole -declares are all so many little ungodly antichrists, or words to -that effect), went on praying and preaching more volubly than -ever. The same is told by Evagrius of some pious women, but -I do not offer this as a miracle, there being in it nothing -improbable or remarkable.</p> -<p>That the Arians, or Unitarians, or Socinians have set tongues -to wagging—especially the tongues of flame which play round -the pyres of martyrdom—is matter of history—and -breviary. But that they have been the cause of making dead -and tongueless Trinitarians talk, seems doubtful. However, -as the Canadian said <a name="page117"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 117</span>of the ox: “There is no -knowing what the subtlest form of Antichrist <i>may</i> -do.” <i>Passons</i>!</p> -<h2>VIRGIL AND THE PEASANT OF AREZZO.</h2> - -<blockquote><p> “Optuma -tornæ<br /> -Forma bovis, cui turpe caput, cui plurima cervix,<br /> -Et crurum tenus a mento palearia pendent;<br /> -Tum longo nullus lateri modus; omnia magna,<br /> -Pes etiam, et camuris hirtæ sub cornibus aures.<br /> -Nec mihi displiceat maculis insignis, et albo,<br /> -Aut juga detrectans, interdumque aspera cornu,<br /> -Et faciem taurs propior, quæque ardua tota,<br /> -Et gradiens ima verrit vestigia cauda.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span -class="smcap">Virgilius</span>: <i>Georgics</i>, lib. iii.</p> -<p>“Annescis, pinguem carnibus esse bovem?”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><i>Epigrams by</i> <span -class="smcap">Fried. Hofmann</span> (1633).</p> -<p>“<i>Pallium non facit philosophum nec</i><br /> -<i>Cucullus monachum</i>—”</p> -<p>“Dress if you will<br /> -A knave in silk, he will be shabby still.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>This legend, with several others, was gathered in or near -Arezzo.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>In the old times people suffered in many things far more than -they now do, firstly from the signori, who treated them worse -than brutes, and as if this were not enough, they were tormented -by witches and wizards and wicked people who went to the devil or -his angels to revenge them on their enemies. However, there -were good and wise men who had the power to conquer these evil -ones, and who did all they could to untie their knots and turn -back their spells and curses on themselves, and the greatest of -these was named Virgilio, who passed all his life in doing -good.</p> -<p>Now, it is an old custom in Arezzo that when men take cattle -to a fair, be it oxen or cows or calves, the animals are tricked -out or ornamented as much as possible, and there is great -competition as to this among the peasants, for it is a great -triumph for a contadino when all the people <a -name="page118"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 118</span>say that -his beasts made the finest show of any in the place; so that it -is said a man of Arezzo will spend more to bedeck his cattle for -a fair than he will to dress his daughters for a dance.</p> -<p>Now, there was a very worthy, honest man named Gianni, who was -the head or manager under the proprietor of a very fine estate -near Arezzo, and one day he went to the fair to buy a yoke of -oxen. And what he cared for was to get the best, for his -master was rich and generous, and did not much heed the price so -that he really got his money’s worth.</p> -<p>But good as Gianni was, he had to suffer the affliction which -none can escape of being envied and hated. For wicked and -spiteful souls find something to hate in people who have not done -them any wrong, and whom they have not the least motive to -harm—<i>nessunissimo motive</i>.</p> -<p>So the good Gianni found at the fair a pair of oxen which, so -far as ornament was concerned, were a sight to behold. For -they were covered with nets, and adorned with many bands of red -woollen stuff all embroidered with gold, and bearing in gold the -name of their owner, having many cords and tassels and scarfs of -all colours on their heads. And these cords were -elaborately braided, while there hung a mirror on the forehead of -each animal, so that the elegance of their decoration was the -admiration of all who were at the fair.</p> -<p>Then Gianni, seeing the oxen, drew near, but before making an -offer, complimented the owner on their beautiful -appearance. And this done, he said:</p> -<p>“All very fine, but in doing business for my patron I -set aside all personal friendship. Your cattle are finely -dressed up, but how are the beasts themselves? That is all -that I care to know, and I don’t wish to have them turn out -as it happened to a man who married a wife because he admired her -clothes, and found, when she was undressed, that she was a mere -scrap, and looked like a dried cod-fish.”</p> -<p>So they talked till the dealer took off the coverings, when -Gianni found, in fact, that the oxen had many faults.</p> -<p>“I am sorry to say, my friend,” quoth Gianni, -“that I cannot buy them. I have done you more than -one good turn before now, as you well know, but business is -business, and I am buying for my master, so good-day.”</p> -<p>Then the owner was in a great rage, and grated his teeth, and -swore revenge, for there were many round about who <a -name="page119"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 119</span>laughed at -him, and he resolved to do evil to Gianni, who, however, thought -no more of it, but went about the fair till he found a pair of -excellent oxen which were the best for sale, and drove them -home.</p> -<p>But as soon as they were in the stable they fell on the ground -(dead). Gianni was in despair, but the master, who had seen -the cattle and found them fine and in good condition when they -arrived, did not blame him.</p> -<p>So the next day Gianni went to another fair, and bought -another yoke of oxen. But when in the evening they were in -the stable, they fell dead at once, as the others had done. -Still the master had such faith in him, that although he was -greatly vexed at the loss, he bade the man go once more to a fair -and try his luck. So he went, and indeed returned with a -magnificent pair, which were carefully examined; but there was -the same result, for they also fell dead as soon as they were -stabled.</p> -<p>Then the master resolved to go and buy cattle for himself, and -did so. But there was the same result: these fell dead like -the others. And the master, in despair and rage, said to -Gianni:</p> -<p>“Here I give thee some money, and now begone, for I -believe that thou bringest evil to me. I have lost four -yoke of oxen, and will lose no more.”</p> -<p>So Gianni went forth with his wife and children, in great -suffering. And the master took in his place Dorione. -This was the very man who had owned the oxen which Gianni would -not buy, and he was one who was versed in all the sorcery of -cattle, as such people in the mountains always are, and by his -witchcraft he had brought all this to pass.</p> -<p>But under his care all the cattle flourished wonderfully, and -the master was much pleased with him. But Gianni was in -extreme misery, and could see nothing but beggary before him, -because it was reported everywhere that he brought bad luck, and -he could get no employment.</p> -<p>One day, when matters were at their worst with him and there -was not even a piece of bread in his poor home, he met on the -road a troop of cavaliers, at the head of whom were two -magnificently clad gentlemen, and these were the Emperor and -Virgil.</p> -<p>The poor peasant had stepped aside to admire the procession as -it passed, when all at once Virgil looked with a piercing glance -at Gianni, and cried:</p> -<p><a name="page120"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -120</span>“Man, what aileth thee that thou seemest so -wretched? For I read in thy face that thou sufferest -unjustly, well-nigh to death.”</p> -<p>Then Gianni told his story, and Virgil answered:</p> -<p>“For all of this there is a remedy. Now, come with -me to the house of thy late master, where there is work to be -done.”</p> -<p>“But they will drive me out headlong,” replied -Gianni; “I dare not go. And if I do not return to my -family, who are all ill or starving to death, they will think -that some disaster has befallen me.”</p> -<p>“For that too there is also a remedy,” said -Virgil, with a smile. “Have no care. Now to thy -master!”</p> -<p>“Why didst thou send away this honest man?” asked -Virgil of the <i>padrone</i>.</p> -<p>To which the master replied by telling all about the -oxen. “Therefore, because he brought ruin into my -house did I dismiss him.”</p> -<p>“Well,” replied Virgil, “this time thou -didst get rid of an honest man and keep the knave. Now let -us go and see to thy dead oxen.”</p> -<p>So they went apace to the spot where the dead oxen had all -been thrown, where the whole eight lay unchanged, for decay had -not come upon them, they were as sound as ever.</p> -<p>Then Virgil exclaimed, as he waved his wand:</p> -<blockquote><p>“If ye are charmed, retake your breath!<br -/> -If you’re bewitched, then wake from death!<br /> -Speak with a voice, and tell us why,<br /> -And who it was that made ye die!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then all the oxen came to life, and sang in chorus with human -voices:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Dorione slew us for revenge,<br /> -Because Gianni would not buy his oxen,<br /> -Truly they were greatly ornamented,<br /> -Yet withal were wretched, sorry cattle.<br /> -So he swore to be revenged upon him,<br /> -So he was revenged by witching us.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>“You have heard the whole truth,” said Virgil to -the Emperor. “It is for you to condemn the -culprit.”</p> -<p>“I condemn him to be at once put to death,” -replied the Emperor. “Hast thou anything to -add?”</p> -<p><a name="page121"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -121</span>“Yes,” said Virgil; “I condemn him to -immediately become a goat after death.”</p> -<p>Then Dorione was burnt alive for an evil wizard, and he leapt -from the flame in the form of a black goat and vanished.</p> -<p>Gianni returned in favour to his master, and all went well -with him evermore.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>The very singular or unusual name of Dorione intimates a -classical origin, and it is true that one of the Danaides, the -bride of Cerceste, was called thus; but on this hook hangs no -analogy. Dordione was the Roman god of blackguardism <i>pur -et simple</i>, unto whom people made obscene -offerings—which, according to sundry reviewers, might -suggest the Dorian of a certain novel of the ultra -Greek-æsthetic school, which had many admirers in certain -circles, both in America and England. But it is very -remarkable that wherever it occurs, be it in pagan antiquity or -modern times, the name has always had a certain evil smell about -it, a something fish-like and ancient, but not venerable. -It is true that I have already given a legend of another Dorione, -who was a protégé of Virgil; but even this latter -example was sadly given to “rapacious -appropriation.” The Dorians were all a bad lot from a -moral point of view, according to history.</p> -<p>It is remarkable that Dorione, who is a mountain shepherd or -herdsman, is noted as a sorcerer. Owing to their solitary -lives and knowledge of secrets in the medical treatment and -management of cattle, this class in many countries (but -especially in France and Italy) is regarded as consisting -entirely of sorcerers. This is specially the case with -smiths, farriers, and all who exercise the veterinary art.</p> -<p>It may also strike the reader as singular that Dorione <a -name="page122"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 122</span>in the tale -should be moved to such deadly vengeance, simply because Gianni -would not buy his cattle, and preferred others. This is a -very common and marked characteristic of Italians. If you -examine a man’s wares, talk about, and especially if you -touch them, you will often be expected to buy as a matter of -course. I have been seriously cautioned in a fair, by one -who was to the manner born, against examining anything unless I -bought it, or something. A few years ago, in Florence, a -flower-girl asked an Englishman to buy of her ware, which he -declined to do, and then changing his mind, bought a bouquet from -another girl close by. Whereupon the first <i>floriste</i> -stabbed and slew the second—to the great astonishment of -the tourist!</p> -<p>There is an unconscious fitness and propriety in making the -author of the “Georgics” so familiar with cattle that -he is able to raise them from the dead. The chorus of oxen, -accusing the evil-doer, is an idea or motive which also occurs in -the story of Cain, as given in my “Legends of -Florence.”</p> -<p>The black goat is, and ever was in Italy, specially accursed -as a type of evil. Witches are rarely described as riding -brooms—their steed is the goat. Evil spirits, or -souls of men accursed, haunt bridges in this form. The -perverse and mischievous spirit of the animal, as well as his -appearance, is sufficient to explain this.</p> -<h2><a name="page123"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 123</span>THE -GIRL AND THE FLAGEOLET.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Thus playing sweetly on the flageolet,<br -/> -He charmed them all; and playing yet again,<br /> -Led them away, won by the magic sound.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><i>De Pueris Hamleënsibus</i>, -1400.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There is in the Toscana Romagna a place known as La Valle -della Fame, or Valley of Hunger, in which dwelt a family of -peasants, or three brothers and two sisters. The elder -brother had married a wife who was good and beautiful, and she -had given birth to a daughter, but died when the babe was only -one year old. Then, according to the advice of the sisters -and brothers, he married again, that he might have someone to -take care of his child. The second wife was a pretty young -woman, but after she had been wedded a year she gave birth to a -daughter, who was very ugly indeed and evil; but the mother -seemed to love her all the more for this, and began to hate the -elder, who was as good and beautiful as an angel. And as -her hatred grew she beat and abused the poor little girl all day -long.</p> -<p>One morning the latter went into the woods to hide herself -from her stepmother till it should be evening, when she could -return home and be safe with her father and aunts. And -while sitting all alone beneath a tree, she heard a bird above -her singing so sweetly that she felt enchanted. It was a -marvellous sound, at times like the music of a flute played by a -fairy, then like a human voice carolling in soft tones, and then -like a horn echoing far away. The little girl said:</p> -<p>“Oh dear, sweet bird, I wish I could pipe and play like -you!”</p> -<p>As she said this the bird fell from the tree, and when she -picked it up she found that it was a <i>zufolo</i>, or -shepherd’s flageolet, in the form of a bird. And when -she blew on it, it gave forth such sweet sounds—<i>suone -belle da rimanere incantati</i>—as would charm all who -heard them. And as she practised, she found the art to play -it seemed to come of itself, and every now and then she could -hear a fairy voice in the sound speaking to her.</p> -<p>Now, this was a miracle which had been wrought by <a -name="page124"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 124</span>Virgil the -magician, who did so many wonderful things in the olden time.</p> -<p>In the evening she returned home and played on the bird-pipe, -and all were charmed except the stepmother, who alone heard in -the music a voice which said:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Though sweet thy smile, and smooth thy -brow,<br /> -Evil and cold at heart art thou;<br /> -I never yet did harm to thee,<br /> -Yet thou hast beat me cruelly,<br /> -And given me curses fierce and wild<br /> -Because I’m fairer than thy child.<br /> -Unless thou lettest me alone<br /> -Henceforth, all ill shall be thine own,<br /> -With all the suffering I have known.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>But to the girl the pipe sang:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Sing to thy father, gently say<br /> -That thou the morrow goest away,<br /> -And tell him thou hast borne too long<br /> -Great cruelty and cruel wrong;<br /> -For truly he was much to blame<br /> -That he so long allowed the same;<br /> -But now the evil spell is broken,<br /> -The time has come, the word is spoken!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then her father would fain have kept her, but the spell was on -her, and she went out into the wide world playing on her -pipe. And when she was in the woods, the birds and wild -beasts came and listened to her and did as she bade; and when she -was in towns, the people gathered round and were charmed to hear -her play, and gave her money and often jewels, and no one dared -to say an evil word to her, for a spell was on her, and a charm -which kept away evil.</p> -<p>So years passed by, and she was blooming into maidenhood, when -one day a young lord, passing with his mother, who was a woman as -noble of soul and good as her son, paused to hear the girl play -on her pipe and sing, for they thought the marvellous song of the -<i>zufolo</i> was her voice.</p> -<p>Then the lady asked the girl if she would enter a monastery, -where she would be educated and brought up to live in a noble -family in return for her music. The girl replied that she -had already a great deal of money and many jewels, but that she -would be very glad to be better educated and advanced in -life. So she entered the convent, where <a -name="page125"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 125</span>she was -very happy, and the end thereof was that she became betrothed to -the young signore, and great preparations were made for the -wedding.</p> -<p>Now, the stepmother had but one idea in life, which was that -her own daughter should make some great match, and for this -purpose she was glad when the second went away, as she hoped, to -become a mere vagabond, playing the flute for a living. But -when she heard that the girl was very prosperous in a convent in -Florence, and had not only been educated like a princess in the -best society, but would ere long marry a nobleman, she became mad -with rage; and going to a witch, she paid her a great sum to -prepare a powder which, if strewed in the path of the bride, -would cause her prompt and agonizing pain, and after a time death -in the most dreadful suffering. And this was to be laid in -the way of the wedding procession. But on that morning the -pipe sang:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Where’er on earth the wind doth -blow,<br /> -All leaves and dust before it go.<br /> -Evil or good, they fly away<br /> -Before its breath, as if in play;<br /> -And so shall it for thee this day,<br /> -Ashes to ashes and dust to dust,<br /> -And death to the witch, for so it must<br /> -Ever happen as ’twas decreed,<br /> -For death is the pay for an evil deed!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Now, the bridegroom and all friends had begged the bride to -play the flute as she walked in the wedding procession, and she -did so, and it seemed to her that it had never played so -sweetly. The stepmother was looking on anxiously in the -crowd, and when the bride was just coming to the powder in the -way, the wicked woman cried:</p> -<p>“Play louder—<i>louder</i>!”</p> -<p>The bride, to oblige everyone, blew hard, and a wind came from -the pipe which blew all the powder into the stepmother’s -eyes and open mouth, and in an instant she gave a cry of agony, -and then rolled on the ground, screaming:</p> -<p>“<i>Il polvore</i>! I have swallowed the -powder!”</p> -<p>And the flute played:</p> -<blockquote><p>“By thy mother I was slain;<br /> -A fairy gave me life again.<br /> -I was killed for jealousy,<br /> -And all as false as false could be.<br /> -Now thou art dead and I am free.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p><a name="page126"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 126</span>And -from that time the pipe played no more. But the young lady -married the signore, and all went well with them.</p> -<p>And this was done by Virgil, who was ever benevolent.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>The pipe, flute, or whistle, which fascinates all who hear it, -is to be found in the traditions of all races, from the story of -Orpheus onward; it even forms the plot of what is one of the -prettiest tales of the Algonkin Indians, <a -name="citation126"></a><a href="#footnote126" -class="citation">[126]</a> and one which is probably original -with them. What is also common to many is the conception of -the one unjustly put to death turned into a musical instrument, -which by a song betrays the murderer. But what is peculiar -to this story is the power of the pipe to blow away enchantment -and dissipate the witch-dust laid in the path. This is a -very ingenious addition to the conception of the music and -voice.</p> -<p>It is to be observed that sometimes rustic performers on the -pipe, who have chiefly learned their music in the woods from -birds and Nature, sometimes attain to a very fascinating and -singular execution, quite unlike that which is heard from the -most cultivated and artistic musicians. The celebrated Dr. -Justinus Kerner, whom I have heard play, could produce on the -Jew’s-harp such results as would be deemed -incredible. It struck me as an extraordinary expression of -will and character beyond all teaching or imitation.</p> -<p>There are also many learned writers on music who are not aware -that the human throat or voice is capable of producing sounds -which are not, so to speak, <i>vocal</i>, but like those of the -musical-box and several wind-instruments. This -accomplishment is common among the blacks of the Southern States, -and the performances, <a name="page127"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 127</span>as I can bear witness, are most -extraordinary and amazing. I once mistook the playing of -two coloured boys in Nashville for the sound of a somewhat -distant hand-organ. Even the twang of the banjo is thus -rendered with startling accuracy. It is also true that -reed-pipes can be made which, by combining the voice and blowing -(as with the <i>mirliton</i>), give results which are very little -known, but which probably suggested this and other tales in which -the flute or pipe speaks. There are not many people who -know the bull-roarer save as a boy’s toy—that is to -say, a mere flat bit of wood whirled round at the end of a -cord—but by modification and combination, this or several -of them produce sounds like those of an organ; and when heard by -night at a distance, the effect is such as to fairly awe those -who are ignorant of its cause. Finally, there is the -application by a tube of air to the Æolian harp, etc., so -as to produce tunes, which is very remarkable, and as little -known as the rest—albeit, a traveller, who found something -of the kind among the heathen, avowed his belief that something -might be made of it. If people would only find out what -resources they all have within themselves, or in very cheap and -easily-made instruments, there might be far more music or art in -the world than there now is. On which subject the reader -may consult a book, written by me, and entitled “The -Cheapest Musical Instruments,” etc., now being published by -Whittaker and Co., 2, White Hart Street, London.</p> -<h2><a name="page128"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 128</span>LA -BEGHINA DI AREZZO, OR VIRGIL AND THE SORCERESS.</h2> -<blockquote><p>Beauty, when blent with wickedness,<br /> -Ne’er yet did faile to bring distresse,<br /> -A lovely thing that is an evil<br /> -Is the own daughter of the devil;<br /> -And what was wicked from the first<br /> -Unto the ende will be accurst,<br /> -And sow, I trow, full sinfull seede,<br /> -As ye may in this story reade!</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Once upon a time there was in Arezzo a young woman of rare -beauty, though of base condition. This girl showed from her -earliest years a very strong character, great and varied talents -or gifts, and the outward appearance, at least, of great piety -and morality, so that she was always in church or absorbed in -thought, which passed for pious meditation, while she never -missed early Mass on a single morning.</p> -<p>It came to pass that a young gentleman who was rich, handsome, -clever, and of good family, fell in love with her and offered -marriage, but this she refused, to the amazement of all, -especially her parents. But the girl declared that her -disposition to religion made marriage objectionable to her; and -indeed at this time she so devoted herself to devotion that she -hardly found time to eat. Yet as she did not become a nun, -the Aretini, or people of Arezzo, called her the Beghina -(Beguine), or Sister of Charity. Yet in doing all this she -had ideas of her own, or more fish in her net than the world was -aware of, for the peasants for her services and prayers, -regarding her as a saint who could work miracles, because she -indeed effected many strange things which seemed to them to be -Divine, brought her many gifts, including money, all of which she -declared would be devoted in future to the Madonna, regarding all -which she had a great work in view.</p> -<p>At last her reputation for sanctity spread over all the -country, and it was greatly increased when it was reported that -so poor a girl had refused to marry a rich young gentleman, so -that she was visited by the nobility, among whom she acquired -great influence. And as she declared that it <a -name="page129"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 129</span>was her -ambition to build a small church, and with it a home for herself, -they, hoping that this would bring many pilgrims and greatly -benefit the town, at last offered her thirty thousand crowns -wherewith to carry out her pious purposes, which she with thanks -and tears gratefully accepted.</p> -<p>The first thing which she did, however, was to build for -herself a house, for which there was (secretly) constructed a -long subterranean passage which led out to the river. Then -she left her parents, saying that for the present she must lead a -life of devotion in absolute seclusion. Then it was -observed that from time to time young gentlemen were missing, and -more than once their bodies were found floating in the river -below the house of La Beghina, yet so great was her reputation -for sanctity that no one connected their loss with her name.</p> -<p>So years passed by. But there was one who put no faith -in her piety, and this was the signore whom she had refused, and -with whom love for her had been succeeded by a bitter love of -revenge, and by constant observation and inquiry he found out -several things which greatly confirmed his suspicions. The -first of these was the discovery of the bodies in the river; and -being resolved to find out all the secrets of her house, he -visited the mason who had built it, saying that he wished to -erect a mansion for himself, and as he greatly admired that of La -Beghina, would like to have one exactly like it. To which -the old man replied that he was willing, but as every person who -built a house kept certain details a secret to secure the safety -of persons or property in certain emergencies, he must be excused -if he withheld certain particulars. But the young signore -replied that he had set his heart on having just such a house in -every respect; that he himself wished to conceal all secrets, -and, finally, that he would pay a round sum extra to have his -desire fulfilled. This was an argument which the mason -could not resist, and so explained to his patron every detail of -the building, which made more than one mystery clear to -him. And having learned the secret of the underground -passage which led to the river, he began to watch it by night -with great care; and found that the exit by the river was by a -stone door, which was so artfully concealed in a rock by bushes -that it was hardly perceptible.</p> -<p>One night, when it was very dark, the Signore Primo, <a -name="page130"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 130</span>for such -was his name, being on the watch, heard a noise and saw the door -open. Then there appeared the Beghina, bearing or dragging -a long package or bundle—<i>un involto</i>—which she -let fall into the flood. And at this sight the signore -could not restrain a cry of rage, understanding it all, whereat -La Beghina fled in terror into the passage, leaving the door -unfastened behind her. But the young man, unheeding her, -cast himself headlong into the river after the bundle, which he -succeeded in bringing to land, and on opening it found the body -of a young gentleman of his acquaintance, who was not, however, -quite dead, as he had been merely heavily drugged, and who with -care was restored to life. And truly he had a strange tale -to tell, how he had been inveigled mysteriously and blindfolded, -and introduced to some unknown house where there was a handsome -woman, who, after he had made love with her, drugged and robbed -him, after which he became unconscious.</p> -<p>The Signore Primo conveyed his friend to his own home, and -after caring for his comfort and earnestly recommending him to -keep the whole matter a secret, went back to the stone door, and -finding it open, and having already learned how the house was -built, he entered, and concealed himself where he could watch the -mistress.</p> -<p>Early in the morning there came an elderly lady, who with many -tears and in great emotion told the Beghina that she had a son -gone to the war, and was in great fear lest he should be slain, -and that she had prayed to the Virgin that he might return safe -and sound; and that if the Beghina by her piety would bring this -to pass, she would at once give her fifty gold crowns, and a very -much larger sum in case her son should come to her again soon and -well. To which La Beghina replied that she could go home -with a happy heart, for in a few days she should have her son -with her. So the lady departed.</p> -<p>Then the Beghina went into a secret room [but the Signore -Primo continued to follow and observe her] and taking a pack of -cards and a chain, she threw them against the wall and beat on -the ground, saying:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Diavoli tutti che siete nell’ -inferno!<br /> -Scatenatevi, e damme portatevi,<br /> -Un comando<br /> -Vi voglio dare<br /> -<a name="page131"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 131</span>Fino -alla cittá<br /> -Dov’é la guerra dovete andare,<br /> -E salvare<br /> -Il figlio della signora;<br /> -Che pochanzi damme e venuta<br /> -E portatelo subito a casa sua,<br /> -In carne anima ed ossa,<br /> -Se questa grazia mi farete<br /> -L’anima di quel giovane l’avrete!”</p> -<p>“All ye devils who are in hell,<br /> -Loosen your chains, and come at once to me!<br /> -I give you a command—<br /> -Go to the city where the war is waged,<br /> -And save the life of the son<br /> -Of the lady who came to me of late,<br /> -And bear him quickly to her in her home!<br /> -Bear him in flesh, soul and bones!<br /> -If ye do me this favour,<br /> -Ye shall have the soul of that youth!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>And when this was sung many devils appeared and saluted her as -a queen.</p> -<p>The Signore Primo was indeed amazed and terrified, for now he -realized that the Beghina was worse than he had supposed, or a -witch of the most malignant kind. But he left the place, -and going to the lady, told her all he had witnessed. Then -she in great terror fainted, and when restored to life declared -that, if anyone could save the soul of her son, he should have -all her fortune.</p> -<p>Then the Signore Primo told her that if anyone could defeat -the evil witch it was a great magician who by lucky chance was in -Arezzo, and that she should seek him forthwith. This great -magician was no other than Virgil. And as soon as the lady -appeared, Virgil said:</p> -<p>“I know why thou art come.”</p> -<p>Then he led her to the form of an angel clad in a -rose-coloured garb, and, kneeling before it, said:</p> -<blockquote><p>“O tu angelo del paradiso!<br /> -Ma benche puro e innocente sei stato<br /> -In questa terra confinata<br /> -Per salvare tua madre de suoi peccati,<br /> -Ma anche nel altro mondo<br /> -Ne fa sempre di peggio,<br /> -E per questo sarai liberato te<br /> -E confinata nel tuo posto,<br /> -La compagna e complice<br /> -Di tua madre la Beghina<br /> -La Beghina di Arezzo.<br /> -<a name="page132"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 132</span>Vai tu -angelo beato!<br /> -Da l’angelo custode!<br /> -E dilli che invochi<br /> -Lo spirito che di la ha piu comando,<br /> -E potenza di volere salvare<br /> -L’anima di quel giovane,<br /> -Che la Beghina le ha venduta<br /> -E cosi tu tu sarai in pace!”</p> -<p>“Oh, thou angel of Paradise!<br /> -Yet who, though pure and ever innocent,<br /> -Hast been enchanted on this earth<br /> -(Confined in the form which thou wearest),<br /> -To save thy mother for her sins;<br /> -Yet even in another world<br /> -She will ever be worse.<br /> -Therefore thou shalt now be freed,<br /> -And thy mother and her accomplice<br /> -Be enchanted in thy place.<br /> -The Beghina of Arezzo,<br /> -Go, thou blessed angel,<br /> -To the angel who guards thee!<br /> -Bid him invoke the spirit who has most power<br /> -To save the soul of that youth<br /> -Whom the Beghina has sold;<br /> -Thus shalt thou be in peace.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>At that instant there was heard a clap of thunder, the sound -of a roaring storm, and there fell down before them two human -beings like two corpses, yet not dead, and these were La Beghina -and her companion witch.</p> -<p>Then there entered a grand sun-ray, which flashed in light -upon the angel whom Virgil had summoned. And it said:</p> -<p>“The youth is saved, and whoever doeth good shall find -good even in another world. Farewell; I too am -saved!”</p> -<p>Then the Beghina and her companion began to spit fire and -flame, and they were condemned to wander for ever, without -resting, from one town to another, ever possessed with a mad -desire to do evil, but without the ability, for Virgil had taken -the power from them.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>This story seemed to me in the original, after more than one -reading, so confused and high-flown, that I was on the point of -rejecting it, when a friend who had also perused it persuaded me -that, under all its dialectic mis-spellings, barbarous divisions -of words, <a name="page133"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -133</span>and manifest omissions (as, for instance, what became -of the Sieur Buridan of the Italian Tour de Nesle, who was so -nearly drowned), there was a legend which was manifestly the -mangled version of a far better original. Therefore I have -translated it very faithfully, and would specify that there was -from me no suggestion or hint of any kind, but that it is -entirely of the people.</p> -<p>Firstly, it may be observed that the long-continued, -deliberately-contrived hypocrisy of the Beghina, as well as the -Red Indian-like vindictiveness of the hero, is perfectly Italian -or natural. The construction of secret passages and -hiding-places in buildings is almost common even to-day. -The idea of a holy spirit who undergoes a penance, -<i>confinata</i>, or enchanted and imprisoned in a statue to -redeem her mother, is also finely conceived, as is the final -statement that the Beghina and her mysterious accomplice, who is -so abruptly introduced, are condemned to wander for ever, -tormented with a desire to do evil which they are unable to -satisfy.</p> -<p>The Beghina is an incarnation of hypocrisy, deceit, lust and -treachery. The four symbols for these were the serpent, -wren, chameleon, and goose—the latter because a certain -Athenian named Lampon was wont to swear “by the -goose!” and then break his oath. Possibly the origin -of the saying “He is sound upon the goose” is derived -from this.</p> -<p>But I sometimes think that to decide between tradition or -borrowing and independent creation is beyond the folklore of the -present day.</p> -<h2><a name="page134"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 134</span>THE -SPIRIT OF THE SNOW OF COLLE ALTO. <a name="citation134"></a><a -href="#footnote134" class="citation">[134]</a></h2> -<blockquote><p>“And hence, O virgin mother mild,<br /> -Though plenteous flowers around thee blow,<br /> -Not only from the dreary strife<br /> -Of winter, but the storms of life,<br /> -Thee have thy votaries aptly styled<br /> -Our Lady of the Snow.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span -class="smcap">Wordsworth</span>: <i>Tour on the -Continent</i>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Once in the olden time, in Colle Alto, the snow fell in one -night many yards in depth, and the people were astonished and -frightened when they awoke in the morning at beholding it -spreading far and wide. Many tried to shovel it away, but -were discouraged, because, as they removed it, as much came in -its place, so that at last they all remained at home, for no one -could pass through the snow, and they were afraid of being buried -in it.</p> -<p>But the poor, who had but scant provision in their homes, -suffered from hunger. And among these was a good man to -whom his five children pitifully cried:</p> -<p>“<i>Babbo-il pane</i>!”—Papa, give us -bread!</p> -<p>And he replied:</p> -<p>“My children weep, and I must risk my life to save -them.” And looking out, he cried unthinkingly:</p> -<blockquote><p>“And yet the snow is very beautiful!<br /> -O Spirit of the Snow—no mortal knows<br /> -How beautiful thou art. Be kind to us!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>As he said this there appeared before the window, and then -among them, a lady of marvellous beauty and dazzling brightness, -all clad in white, who said:</p> -<p>“What wilt thou have, since thou hast invoked -me?”</p> -<p>“Lady,” replied the astonished peasant, “I -know not who thou art, nor did I call thee!”</p> -<p>“Yes; in thy speech thou didst pronounce my name in -invocation, and to those who do that, and deserve it, I give my -aid. Follow me!”</p> -<p><a name="page135"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 135</span>The -poor man was surprised and bewildered, but he followed, while -trembling, the lady.</p> -<p>And she spoke in a voice which was heard in every house far -and near in Colle Alto:</p> -<p>“Let him who will come forth without fear, for this good -man hath opened unto you the way. But it is only the poor -who can do this, because, while they have suffered and starved in -their homes, not one of the rich who dwell here have made any -effort to relieve the suffering, therefore none of them shall -come forth till the snow is gone.”</p> -<p>Then all the poor folk found that they could walk upon the -snow, <a name="citation135"></a><a href="#footnote135" -class="citation">[135]</a> which was a pleasure, but the -gentlefolk could not stir a step out of doors till it -melted. And it vexed them sorely to stand at their windows -and see women and children running merrily over the snow, so that -some of them cursed their wealth, and wished that they were of -the poor and free.</p> -<p>For fifteen days not a flake of snow disappeared, and then all -at once it went away, and the poor, on opening their windows in -the morning, found the sun shining, and a warm breeze blowing, -which was scented as with roses, and the streets and roofs all as -clean as if new. Then all the poor gathered every man a -stone, and meeting in one place, they there built a little church -(<i>chiesina</i>), and called it the Chapel of the Goddess of the -Snow, and adored her as if she had been the Madonna or a -saint.</p> -<p>Then for some time, as usually happens, there was great -enthusiasm—<i>vie un gran fanatismo</i>—and then -again all was gradually forgotten. So with the Goddess of -the Snow: as years went by people talked about her less and less, -and she was even ridiculed by those who were of evil hearts and -souls, such as abuse and ill-treat their benefactors—as was -shown by a certain waggoner, who found himself one day many miles -afar from any house, when snow began to fall. And with it -he began to curse, so as to shock even a sinner; whereupon it -drifted round him so deeply that he with his waggon could get no -further. And so he kept on blaspheming. His poor -starved horses looked at him with meaning, as if calling his -attention, and then cast their glances to the wall or a shrine, -whereon was depicted an image of the Goddess of the Snow, as if -begging him to <a name="page136"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -136</span>notice or to appeal to it. And the wretch -beholding it, swore worse than ever, saying that she was an -accursed (witch).</p> -<p>He had not time to pronounce the word ere he sank down (into -the snow), so that only his head remained uncovered. And -his horses also were in the same place, but a warm wind began to -blow. And so the man remained fast, freezing and starving, -for three days, but it did not make him repent, and he swore more -than ever.</p> -<p>Then, on the third day, Virgil, the great magician, passed by, -and was amazed at seeing the horses quietly feeding on grass in -the warm sunshine, while a pleasant breeze was blowing, and close -by them a man buried to his neck in the snow. And being -questioned, the waggoner replied that he was thus buried for -blaspheming the Goddess of the Snow.</p> -<p>Virgil asked him if he repented it.</p> -<p>“I will repent,” replied the waggoner, “when -I see it proved by a miracle—but in miracles I put no -faith.”</p> -<p>“Well,” said Virgil, “pray to the goddess to -pardon you. Pray with me thus:</p> -<blockquote><p>“‘Dea della neve che sei candida,<br -/> -E pura la sera a lume di Luna,<br /> -Un bel lenzuola candida sembra<br /> -Distesa sulla terra e sui tetti:<br /> -Col sol sei splendida e rilucente:<br /> -E vero ti sprezzai, ma non fu io<br /> -Fu il diavolo che mia ha tentato.<br /> -E spero da oggi non mi tentera più,<br /> -Perche amo essere in grazia tua e come,<br /> -Stella tu sei bella, sei bianca,<br /> -Sei candida e pura e sei l’unica<br /> -Che fra le Dee non faccia altro<br /> -Che bene, e mai male, bella dea!<br /> -O dea della Neve tu che sei<br /> -L’unico mio pensiero, unica speme,<br /> -Unica mia speranza—da ora avanti,<br /> -Tutti e tutti miei pensieri<br /> -Saranna a te rivolti—neppur da casa<br /> -Mi partero prima di fare a te<br /> -Una preghiera che possa spiegar<br /> -Il mio pensier al dar farsi<br /> -Partir o restar a te domandero,<br /> -A te domandero che devo far.<br /> -Tutto questo a te rivago<br /> -E sempre rivolgero se tu mi perdonerai<br /> -E questa grazia mi farai<br /> -Che son pentito assai<br /> -Di farmi sortir di qui<br /> -<a name="page137"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 137</span>Che -tanto sofro—farmi sortir—<br /> -Sano e salvo che io posso tornar<br /> -In braccio alla mia famiglia!<br /> -Che da tre sere mi chiamami desidera!’”</p> -<p>“O Goddess of the Snow, who art so white<br /> -And pure that in the evening, in the light<br /> -Of the full moon, thou seem’st to be<br /> -A fair bright sheet spread over earth and roofs<br /> -(That all may sleep beneath it and in peace),<br /> -But who art splendid with a ruddy glow<br /> -In the using sunlight—it is very true<br /> -That I did scorn thee, yet it was not I.<br /> -For ’twas the devil in truth who tempted me,<br /> -And who, I hope, will never tempt me more,<br /> -Because I fain would be in thy good grace!<br /> -O Star, thou art most beautiful and white,<br /> -Candid and pure, because thou truly art<br /> -Among the goddesses the only one<br /> -Who only doest good, and by no chance<br /> -Art sullied with aught evil—O most fair!<br /> -O Goddess of the Snow, who art indeed<br /> -My only thought, my only hope in life,<br /> -My only trust from now till ever on!<br /> -My all and every thought shall turn to thee<br /> -Nor will I ever from my house depart<br /> -Till I have offered thee a fervent prayer,<br /> -In which I’ll lay before thee all my soul,<br /> -And ask of thee what ’tis that I must do,<br /> -And if I must remain or mend my way!<br /> -All this do I repeat to thee again,<br /> -And ever will repeat if thou wilt but<br /> -Pardon my sin and grant to me the grace,<br /> -Having repented from my very heart,<br /> -To draw me from this place of suffering,<br /> -That safe and sound I may return again<br /> -Unto the embraces of my family,<br /> -Who for three nights have called to me in vain!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>He had hardly ended this invocation before a voice -replied:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Alzati e cammina e porta con te<br /> -Anche i tuoi animali ma non bestemmiare<br /> -Mai più, perche questaltra voltra<br /> -Sprafonderesti nell’ abisso dove<br /> -Gnenti (niente) più bastarrebbe per levarti<br /> -Dall’ inferno.” . . .</p> -<p>“Rise and depart, and take away with thee<br /> -Thy beasts in peace, but never more blaspheme,<br /> -Because another time thou’lt sink so deep<br /> -To the abyss that nothing will avail<br /> -To draw thee out, for thou wilt fall to hell!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p><a name="page138"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 138</span>Then -the waggoner took his horses and rode home at double-quick -speed. He related to all what had happened, and the chapel -was again restored with the image of the goddess. But even -among the experienced (<i>conoscenti</i>) none could tell him -[for a long time] who was the one who had taught him what to -do. But it was at last made known to them that it was the -great magician and the great poet Virgil, because the Goddess of -the Snow and Virgil are good spirits. <a -name="citation138"></a><a href="#footnote138" -class="citation">[138]</a></p> -<p>So this waggoner, from being evil became so good that one -could not find his equal.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>Our Lady of the Snow, or Maria vom Schnee, is one of the more -familiar avatars of the Madonna all over Middle and Northern -Italy and Germany, including Austria and Switzerland. One -of the commonest halfpenny or <i>soldo</i> pamphlets sold at -corners in Florence is devoted to her. A very famous -Madonna of the Snow is that of Laveno, to whom there is a special -festival. Wordsworth has devoted a poem to her.</p> -<p>In the legend which I have given the general resemblance of -the whole to the Madonna tales, as in the building a chapel, the -threat of hell, and the punishment for profanity, suggest that it -is borrowed from a Catholic source. This I doubt, for -several reasons. It is of the witch witchy, and heathen, as -shown by calling the lady a goddess, and especially by the long -<i>scongiurazione</i> or evocations in which the sorcerer takes -such delight that for him they form the solid portion of the -whole, possibly because they are, if not actually prohibited, at -least secret things, cryptic or of esoteric lore. Now, be -it noted that wherever, as regards other legends, as in that of -the Madonna del Fuoco, given in my “Etrusco-Roman -Legends,” the witch claims that her tradition has been -borrowed by the priests, <a name="page139"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 139</span>she is probably in the right. -But what gives colour to the opinion that this Madonna is of -heathen origin is the fact that in the Old German mythology, as -Friedrich declares, there is a deity known as Lady Holde, Holle, -or Hilda (who may be again found in the Christian Maria), who is -a kind and friendly being. She was the Goddess of the Snow, -hence it is commonly said when it snows that Lady Holde is making -her bed and shaking out the feathers. As there is no German -supernatural character, especially in the fairy mythology, which -does not exist in Northern Italy, it would be very remarkable -indeed if such a widely known and popular spirit as the Lady of -the Snow had not been known there long before the Christian -Madonna. I would add that this is purely and literally a -legend of the people, not asked for by me, and not the result of -any inquiry or suggestion.</p> -<p>The Madonna della Neve is especially honoured at Laveno, where -there is an annual procession in her honour. I am indebted -to the kindness of the Rev. Arthur Mangles, who knew that I was -interested in the subject, for the following, translated by him -from some small local book there published:</p> -<h2>THE LEGEND OF LA MADONNA DELLA NEVE.</h2> -<p>In the fourth century there lived in Rome two devout people, -husband and wife, who, having no children, prayed to the Virgin -that she would indicate to them the best way in which to leave -their money.</p> -<p>On the night of the fifth of August, <span -class="GutSmall">A.D.</span> 352, the Virgin appeared to them and -told them to build a church upon the summit of the Esquiline -Hill, in Rome, exactly upon the area then covered with snow.</p> -<p>The Pope had the same vision of the Virgin, with the same -communication as that of the husband and wife. <a -name="page140"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 140</span>Therefore -he sent to the place indicated a messenger, accompanied by many -priests, who found the snow.</p> -<p>The husband and wife forthwith built a handsome church upon -the spot.</p> -<p>The church, which is now on the same hill, and on the -foundation of the early edifice, is that of Santa Maria -Maggiore.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>Snow in August is rather a thin miracle whereon to found a -legend, or a church, but it may pass. The one which I have -translated seems to me to have a greater air of antiquity, with -its retribution and beautiful Latin-like invocation to the Spirit -of the Snow.</p> -<h2>THE MAGICIAN VIRGIL; A LEGEND FROM THE SABINE.</h2> -<p>The following tale was obtained by Miss Roma Lister from the -vicinity of Rome, and from an old woman who is learned in sorcery -and incantations. It begins with the note that, on February -8, 1897, it was taken down as given, literally word for word, and -I translate it accordingly verbatim.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>There were a husband, a wizard, and his wife (who was a -witch), who had a beautiful daughter, and a house with a fine -garden which was full of broccoli—oh, the finest broccoli -in the world!</p> -<p>And opposite to this, or overlooking the garden, dwelt two -women, and one of these was <i>incinta</i>, or with child, and -she said to the other woman:</p> -<p>“<i>Comare</i>, <a name="citation140"></a><a -href="#footnote140" class="citation">[140]</a> how I would like -to have two broccoli from the magician’s garden. -They’re so nice!”</p> -<p>“Yes, <i>comare</i>, but how to get them? It would -be dangerous!”</p> -<p><a name="page141"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -141</span>“<i>La cosa si farà</i>—it can be -done, at midnight when the sorcerer is asleep, by stealing a -little.”</p> -<p>And so they did, for at midnight both went with a sack, -climbed over the iron gate, and, having filled their bag, went -away. <a name="citation141a"></a><a href="#footnote141a" -class="citation">[141a]</a></p> -<p>In the morning the magician Virgilio went to his garden and -found that many broccoli were gone. In a rage he ran to his -wife, and said: “What’s to be done?”</p> -<p>She replied: “This night we’ll set the cat on -guard upon the gate.”</p> -<p>Which was done. That evening, <i>fra il lusco e il -brusco</i>, <a name="citation141b"></a><a href="#footnote141b" -class="citation">[141b]</a> the one said:</p> -<p>“Ah, gossip, this night it can’t be -done.”</p> -<p>“And why not, my dear?”</p> -<p>“Why! Because they’ve set a -guard.”</p> -<p>“Guard! An old cat, you mean. Are you afraid -of her?”</p> -<p>“Yes, because she mews when she sees -something.”</p> -<p>“I say, I’ll tell you what to do. Take a bit -of meat, and when she opens her mouth to mew, pitch it in. -That’ll keep her jaws quiet while we pick the -broccoli.”</p> -<p>And so it was done, and they got away with another bagful of -broccoli.</p> -<p>In the morning the <i>mago</i> Virgil found that he had been -robbed again. He complained again to his wife, who -said:</p> -<p>“Well, to-night we will put the dog on.”</p> -<p>Said and done. But the dame at the window was on the -watch. And seeing all, she said:</p> -<p>“No broccoli to-night, gossip. This time -they’ve put the dog to look out.”</p> -<p>“Oh, bother the dog! When he opens <i>his</i> jaws -to bark, I’ll pitch in a good bit of hard cheese. -That’ll keep him quiet.”</p> -<p>Said and done again. The next morning the magician found -a still greater disappearance of broccoli from his garden.</p> -<p>“The thing is becoming serious,” he said. -“To-night I will watch myself.”</p> -<p>With that he went to his gate and remained there, looking -closely at all those who passed by. So he said to the -first:</p> -<p>“What is your trade?”</p> -<p><a name="page142"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -142</span>“I’m a carpenter.”</p> -<p>“Pass on,” replied the magician. -“You’re not the man I want.”</p> -<p>There came another.</p> -<p>“What’s your calling?”</p> -<p>“I’m a tailor.”</p> -<p>“Pass on—<i>non fate per me</i>” (you -won’t do).</p> -<p>There came a baker. He was not wanted. But the -next was a digger of ditches and of graves—a -<i>fossaruolo</i>—and the wizard cried:</p> -<p>“Bravo! You’re my man! Come with me; I -want you to dig a pit in my garden.”</p> -<p>So the poor man went, for he was as much frightened at the -terrible face and stature of the wizard as he was in hope of -being paid. And being directed, he dug a hole nearly as -deep as the magician was tall.</p> -<p>“Now,” said the master, “get some light -sticks and cover over the pit while I stand in it, and then strew -some twigs and leaves over it, with a few leaves to hide the top -of my head.”</p> -<p>It was done, and there he stood covered. The ditcher, or -sexton, hurried away, glad that he had dug this strange grave for -another, and not for himself.</p> -<p>Evening came, and the gossip looked out.</p> -<p>“Good! There is not even a dog on guard. -Come, let us hurry! This time we will take all that remains -of the broccoli.”</p> -<p>Said and done. And when they had gathered the last -plant, the gossip cried:</p> -<p>“See what beautiful mushrooms! Let us pick -them.”</p> -<p>She had seen the two ears of the sorcerer, which peeped out -uncovered. So she took hold of one and pulled.</p> -<p>“It will not come out!” she cried. “Do -thou pull at one, while I draw at this.”</p> -<p>Each pulled, when the magician raised his awful face and -glared at them. <i>E sorte fuori la terribile testa del -mago</i>!</p> -<p>“Now you shall die for robbing me!” he -exclaimed.</p> -<p>They were in a fine fright. At last Virgil said:</p> -<p>“I will spare thy life, if thou wilt give me all thou -bearest—all within thee.”</p> -<p>She consented, and they departed. After a time she -became a mother, and the magician came and demanded the -child. And as she had promised it, she consented to <a -name="page143"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 143</span>give it to -him, but begged that it might be left to her for a time.</p> -<p>“I will give it to thee for seven years,” he -replied. Saying this, he left her in peace for a long -time. So the child, which was a boy, was born, and as he -grew older was sent every day to school.</p> -<p>One morning the magician met him, and said: “Tell thy -mother to remember her promise.” Then he gave the -child some sweets, and left him. When at home the boy -said:</p> -<p>“Mamma, a gentleman met me to-day at the door of the -school, and said to me that I should tell you to remember your -promise. Then he gave me some comfits.”</p> -<p>The poor mother was in a great fright.</p> -<p>“Tell him, when you next meet him,” she answered, -“that you forgot to give his message to me.”</p> -<p>The next day the boy met the magician, and said to him that he -had forgotten all about it, and told his mother nothing.</p> -<p>“Very well, tell her this evening, and be sure to -remember.”</p> -<p>The mother heard this, and bade him tell the sorcerer the same -thing again.</p> -<p>When he met the magician Virgil again and told the same story, -the latter smiled, and said:</p> -<p>“It seems that thou hast a bad memory. This time I -will give thee something by which to remember me. Give me -thy hand.”</p> -<p>The boy gave his hand; the magician bit into one finger, and -as the child screamed, he said: “This time thou wilt -remember.” The boy ran yelling home.</p> -<p>“See what has happened to me, <i>brutta -mammacia</i>—you naughty mamma—because I did what you -bade, and told the gentleman that I forgot.”</p> -<p>The poor woman, hearing herself called <i>brutta mammacia</i>, -<a name="citation143"></a><a href="#footnote143" -class="citation">[143]</a> was overcome with grief and shame, and -said, “<i>Vai bene</i>—I will tell him -myself.” So the next day she took the child and gave -him to the magician, who led him to his home.</p> -<p>But when his wife, the witch, beheld the boy, she cried:</p> -<p>“Kill that child at once, for I read it in his face that -he will be the ruin of our daughter Marietta!”</p> -<p><a name="page144"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 144</span>But -the magician declared that nothing would induce him to harm the -boy, so the little fellow remained, and was treated by the master -like a son. In due time he became a tall and handsome young -man, and he was called Antonuccio. But the witch always -said:</p> -<p>“We should kill and eat him, for he will be the ruin of -our Marietta.”</p> -<p>At last the magician, weary of her complaints, said:</p> -<p>“<i>Bene</i>! I will set him a task, and if he -cannot accomplish it, that same night shall he be -slain.”</p> -<p>Now, Antonuccio, as he slept in the next room, had overheard -all this.</p> -<p>The next morning the magician took the youth to a stable which -was very large and horribly filthy, such as no one had ever seen, -and said:</p> -<p>“Now, Antonuccio, you must clean this stable out and -out—<i>bene e bene</i>—repave it on the ground, and -whitewash all above it; and moreover, when I speak, an echo shall -answer me.” <a name="citation144"></a><a -href="#footnote144" class="citation">[144]</a></p> -<p>The poor youth went to work, but soon found that he could do -next to nothing. So he sat down in despair.</p> -<p>At noon came Marietta, to bring him his lunch, and found him -in tears.</p> -<p>“What’s the matter, Antonuccio?”</p> -<p>“If you knew that I am to be killed this -evening—”</p> -<p>“What for?”</p> -<p>“Your father has said that unless I clean out the -stable, and pave and whitewash it to the echo—”</p> -<p>“Is that all? <i>Sta allegro</i>—be of good -cheer—I’ll attend to that.”</p> -<p>Marietta went home, and stealing in on tip-toe while the -sorcerer slept, softly carried away his magic wand, and with a -few words cleaned out the stable to the echo, and Antonuccio was -delighted.</p> -<p>In the evening the magician came, and finding the stable clean -as a new pin, was much pleased, and kissed him and took him -home. The witch-wife was furious at learning that the -stable had been cleaned, and declared that Marietta had done it, -and ended by screaming for his life. At last the wizard -said:</p> -<p><a name="page145"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -145</span>“To-morrow I will set him another task, and -should he fail in that, he shall surely die.”</p> -<p>The next morning he led the youth into a dense forest of -mighty trees, and said:</p> -<p>“Thou seest this wood? In one day it must be all -cut down and cleared away to a clean field, in which must be -growing all kinds of plants which are to be found in the -world.”</p> -<p>And Antonuccio began to hew with an axe, and worked well, but -soon gave up the task in despair.</p> -<p>At noon came Marietta with her basket.</p> -<p>“What, crying again! What is the trouble -to-day?”</p> -<p>“Only to clear away all this forest, make a clean field, -and plant it with all the herbs in the world.”</p> -<p>“Oh, well, eat your lunch, and I will see about -it. It is lucky that it is not something -difficult!”</p> -<p>She ran home, got a magic wand, and went to work. Down -the trees came crashing—away they flew! ’Twas a -fine sight, upon my word! And then up sprouted all kinds of -herbs and flowers, till there was the finest garden in the -world.</p> -<p>In the evening came the magician, and was well pleased at -finding how well Antonuccio had done the work. But when his -wife heard all, she raged more than ever, declaring that it had -all been done by Marietta, who was destined to be ruined by the -boy.</p> -<p>“Well, well!” exclaimed the wizard. -“If you will give me no peace, I must put an end to this -trouble. I will give the boy nothing to do -to-morrow—he may remain idle—and in the evening I -will chop off his head with this axe.”</p> -<p>Antonuccio heard this speech as he had done the others, and -this time was in despair. In the morning Marietta found him -weeping.</p> -<p>“What is the matter, Antonuccio?”</p> -<p>“I am to do no work to-day, but this evening I am to -have my head chopped off.”</p> -<p>“Is that all? Be of good cheer—<i>sta -allegro</i>—I will see what can be done.”</p> -<p>She put the pot on the fire to boil, and began to make the -macaroni. When she had cooked a great deal, they fed all -the furniture, pots and pans, chairs and tables, to please them, -and induce them to be silent—all except the hearth-brush, -whom by oversight they forgot.</p> -<p><a name="page146"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -146</span>“And now,” said Marietta, “we must be -off and away; it is time for us to go!”</p> -<p>So away they ran. After a while the wizard and his wife -returned and knocked at the door. No answer. They -rapped and called, but got no reply. At last the -hearth-brush cried:</p> -<p>“Who’s there?”</p> -<p>“Marietta, open the door—it is I.”</p> -<p>“I’m not Marietta. She has run away with -Antonuccio. First they fed everybody with ever so much -macaroni, but gave me none.”</p> -<p>Then the witch cried to the wizard:</p> -<p>“Hurry—hasten—catch them if you -can!”</p> -<p>The good man did as he was bid, and began to -travel—travel far and fast.</p> -<p>All at once, while the lovers were on their way, Antonuccio -turned his head and saw afar their pursuer on a mountain-road, -and cried:</p> -<p>“Marietta, I see your father coming.”</p> -<p>“Then, my dear, I will become a fair church and thou -shalt be the fine sexton (<i>sacristano</i>). And he will -ask thee if thou hast seen a girl and youth pass, and thou shalt -reply that he must first repeat the Paternoster and not the Ave -Maria. And if he asks again, tell him to say the Ave Maria -and not the Paternoster. And then, out of patience, he will -depart.”</p> -<p>So it came to pass, and the wizard was deceived. When he -had returned, his wife asked him what he had seen.</p> -<p>“Nothing but a church and a sacristan.”</p> -<p>“Stupid that you are! The church was -Marietta—fly, fly and catch them!”</p> -<p>So he set forth again, and again he was seen from afar by -Antonuccio.</p> -<p>“Marietta, I see your father coming.”</p> -<p>“Good. Now I will become a beautiful garden, and -thou the gardener. And when my father comes and asks if -thou hast seen a couple pass, reply that thou weedest lettuces, -not broccoli. And when he asks again, answer that thou -weedest broccoli, not lettuces.”</p> -<p>So it all came to pass, and the wizard, out of patience, -returned home.</p> -<p>“Well, and what did you see?” inquired his -wife.</p> -<p>“Only a garden and a gardener.”</p> -<p><a name="page147"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -147</span>“<i>Ahi—stupido</i>! Those were the -two. Start! This time I will go with you!”</p> -<p>After a while Antonuccio saw the two following, and gaining on -them rapidly.</p> -<p>“Marietta, here come your father and mother. Now -we are in a nice mess.” <a name="citation147"></a><a -href="#footnote147" class="citation">[147]</a></p> -<p>“Don’t be afraid. Now I will become a -fountain fair and broad, like a small lake, and thou a pretty -pigeon, to whom they will call; but for mercy’s sake -don’t let yourself be taken, for then all will be over with -us.”</p> -<p>The wizard and his wife came to the fountain and saw the dove, -and tried to inveigle and catch it with grain. But it would -not be caught, neither could the witch quench her thirst with the -water. So, finding that both were beyond her power, she -cried in a rage:</p> -<blockquote><p>“When Antonuccio kisses his mother,<br /> -He’ll forget Marietta and every other.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>So, when the parents were gone, the pair set forth again, till -they came to a place not far from where the mother of Antonuccio -lived.</p> -<p>“I will go and see my mother,” he said.</p> -<p>“Do not go, for she will kiss thee, and thou wilt forget -me,” replied Marietta.</p> -<p>“But I will take good care that she does not kiss -me,” answered Antonuccio. “Only wait a -day.”</p> -<p>He went and saw his mother, and both were in great joy at -meeting again, but he implored her not to kiss him. And -being weary, he went to sleep, and his mother, unheeding his -request, kissed him while he slept. And when he awoke, -Marietta was completely forgotten.</p> -<p>So the curse of the witch came to pass. And he lived -with his mother, and in time fell in love with another -girl. Then they appointed a day for their wedding.</p> -<p>Meanwhile, Marietta lived where she had been left, and made a -fairy friend who knew all that was going on far and near. -One day she told Marietta that Antonuccio was to be married.</p> -<p>Marietta begged her to go and steal some dough (from the house -of the bride). The friend did so, and Marietta made of the -dough two cakes in the form of puppets, or children, and one she -called Antonuccio and the other Marietta.</p> -<p><a name="page148"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 148</span>Then, -on the day of the feast, the first day of the wedding, she begged -her friend to go and put the two puppets on the bridal table.</p> -<p>She did so, and when all were assembled, the puppet Marietta -began to speak:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Dost thou remember, Antonuccio,<br /> -How, when my father brought thee to his house,<br /> -My mother wished to take away thy life?<br /> -And how he bade thee sweep the stable clean?”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>And the other replied:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Passing away, passing away,<br /> -Well do I remember the day.” <a name="citation148"></a><a -href="#footnote148" class="citation">[148]</a></p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then Marietta sang:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Dost thou remember, Antonuccio,<br /> -How ’twas I aided thee to clear the field?”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>He replied:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Passing away, passing away,<br /> -Well do I remember the day.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>She sang again:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Dost thou remember how thou hadst no -work<br /> -Upon the day when they would murder thee,<br /> -And how we fled together to escape?”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>He replied:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Passing away, passing away,<br /> -Well do I <span class="GutSomerset">remember</span> the -day.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Meanwhile the true Antonuccio, who was present, began to -remember what had taken place. Then the puppet Marietta -sang again:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Dost thou remember how I was the church,<br -/> -And thou of it becam’st the sacristan?”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>He answered:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Passing away, passing away,<br /> -Well do I remember the day.”</p> -<p>“Dost thou remember how I was a garden,<br /> -And how thou didst become its gardener?”</p> -<p><a name="page149"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -149</span>“Passing away, passing away,<br /> -Well do I now remember the day.”</p> -<p>“Dost thou remember how I was a fountain,<br /> -And thou a pigeon flying over it?”</p> -<p>“Passing away, passing away,<br /> -Well do I now remember the day.”</p> -<p>“Dost thou remember, Antonuccio,<br /> -How ’twas my mother laid a curse on me,<br /> -And how she said before she went away—<br /> -When Antonuccio kisses his mother<br /> -He’ll forget Marietta and every other?’”</p> -<p>“Passing away, passing away,<br /> -Well do I now remember the day.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then Antonuccio himself remembered it all, and rising from the -table, ran from the house to where Marietta dwelt—and -married her.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>This story, adds Miss Lister, is somewhat abbreviated, since -in the original the puppet Marietta, for the edification of all -assembled, repeats the whole story.</p> -<p>It will be at once observed that there is in all this no -special reference to Virgil as a character, as he appears in -other legends, the reason being that the old woman who narrated -it simply understood by the word Virgilio <i>any</i> magician of -any kind. So in another tale a youth exclaims, “Art -thou what is called <i>a</i> Virgil?” This is curious -as indicating that the word has become generic in Italian -folk-lore. But Virgil is even here, as elsewhere on the -whole, a man of kind heart. He has had his garden robbed -and his daughter stolen, but he displays at all times a kindly -feeling to Antonuccio. It is his wife, the witch, who shows -all the spite.</p> -<p>Nor is this, like the rest, a witch-story which belongs -entirely to esoteric, unholy, or secret lore, specially embodying -instruction and an incantation. It is a mere nursery -legend, the commonest of Italian <a name="page150"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 150</span>fairy-tales, to be found in all -collections in whole or in part. It is spread all over -Europe, and has found its way through Canadian-French to the Red -Indians of North America—apropos of which I would remind a -certain very clever reviewer and learned folk-lorist that because -many French tales are found among the Algonkin tribes, it does -not follow, as he really intimates, that the said Redskins have -no other traditions.</p> -<p>But even in this version there are classic traces. The -cleaning out of the Augean stables by Hercules is one, and the -spell of oblivion another.</p> -<p>I do not know what the origin may be of the head of the -sorcerer rising from the surface of the earth with ears like -mushrooms, implying that they were very large; but I find in an -edition of the “Meditations of Saint Augustin,” -Venice, <span class="GutSmall">A.D.</span> 1588, illustrated with -rude, quaint pictures, one in which the holy father is kneeling -before a crucifix, while there rises from the ground before him a -great and terrible head with one very long ear. By it lies -the usual skull, one-fifth its size. Were two women -substituted for the saint, it would be a perfect illustration of -the strange scene described in the story. It is, to say the -least, a singular coincidence.</p> -<p>This story is therefore of some value as indicating that the -general term of sorcerer, magician or wizard, is used as a -synonym for Virgil, or <i>vice versâ</i>. As Lucan -writes in his “Pharsalia”: “Nec sua Virgilio -permisit nomina soli.” <a name="citation150"></a><a -href="#footnote150" class="citation">[150]</a></p> -<p>It is worth noting that there is in the Museum of Florence an -Etruscan mirror on which Mercury and Minerva are represented as -looking at a human head apparently coming from the ground. -It may be that <a name="page151"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -151</span>of Orpheus lying upon it; in any case, it is strangely -suggestive of these tales. I am indebted for a tracing of -this mirror to the Rev. J. Wood Brown, author of the “Life -of Michael Scott, the Magician and Philosopher,” wherein -the latter hath a dual affinity to Virgil, and it is very -remarkable, as I have elsewhere noted, that the splitting a hill -into three is near Rome ascribed to the Roman poet.</p> -<p>A curious book could be written on heads, decapitated, which -have spoken. There is, I believe, a legend to the effect -that the caput of John the Baptist thus conversed, and it may be -that the New Testament only gives a fragment of the original -history. The belief that Herodias was a sorceress, and a -counterpart of Diana as queen of the witches, was generally -established so early as the second century, but is far older, the -original Herodias having been a form of Lilith. <a -name="citation151"></a><a href="#footnote151" -class="citation">[151]</a></p> -<p>It is specially to be noted in connection with this tale that -one of the older legends given in “Virgilius the Sorcerer -of Rome” expressly declares that</p> -<blockquote><p>“Virgilius made an iron head which could not -only speak, but also foretell the future; and, as some say, it -was by misinterpreting the oracle that Virgilius met his death in -this wise. Being about to undertake a journey, he asked the -head if it would come to a good end. The reply was: -‘Yes, if he took care of <i>his head</i>.’ -Taking this to mean the oracle itself, Virgilius took every -measure to secure it, and with light heart went his way, but -while journeying, exposed to sunshine, he was seized with a fever -in the head, of which he died.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>This is again like the death of Michael Scott.</p> -<h2><a name="page152"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -152</span>VIRGIL, THE WICKED PRINCESS, AND THE IRON MAN.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“An iron man who did on her attend,<br /> -His name was Talus, made of yron mould,<br /> -Immoveable, resistlesse—without end.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span class="smcap">Spenser</span>: -<i>Faerie Queene</i>, v. c. i.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There once lived a Princess who was beautiful beyond words, -but wicked beyond belief; her whole soul was given to murder and -licentiousness; yet she was so crafty as to escape all suspicion, -and this pleased her best of all, for deceit was to her as dear -as life itself. And this she managed, as many another did -in those days, by inveigling through her agents handsome young -men into her palace by night, where they were invited to a -banquet and then to a bed, and all went gaily till the next -morning at breakfast, when the Princess gave her victim in wine -or food a terrible and rapid poison, after which the corpse was -carried away secretly by her servants to be thrown into the -river, or hidden in some secret vault; and thus it was the lady -sinned in secret while she kept up a white name before the -world.</p> -<p>Now it came to pass that a young man, who was a great friend -of Virgil, was taken in the snare by this Princess, and put to -death and no more heard of, when the great poet by his magic art -learned the whole truth. Then for revenge or punishment he -made a man of iron with golden locks, very beautiful to behold as -a man, with sympathetic, pleasing air, one who conversed fluently -and in a winning voice; and yet he was all of iron, and the -spirit who was conjured into him was one without pity or -mercy.</p> -<p>Then Virgil bade the Iron Man walk to and fro past the palace -of the Princess, and she, seeing him, was more pleased than she -had ever been before, and at once sent out a messenger, who -invited him to enter by a secret gate, which he did, and was -warmly received, and treated with a great display of love. -And in the morning at breakfast, as the Princess hesitated to -give him the deadly drink, for she had at last fallen madly in -love, he said:</p> -<p>“Well, where is the poison? Don’t keep me -waiting! Quick, that I may drink!”</p> -<p>And when she heard that she was indeed terrified, thinking, <a -name="page153"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 153</span>“This -man knows all my secret.” But as she hesitated, he -took the deadly cup and drained it to the last drop. -“And now,” she thought, “I am -saved.” But the Iron Man said with scorn:</p> -<p>“Do you call <i>that</i> stuff poison? Why, it -would hardly kill a mouse. Give me stronger, I -say—stronger! I live on poison, and the stronger it -is the better I like it.”</p> -<p>Hearing this, the Princess felt from head to foot as if her -blood were all turned to ice, for now she knew that she was lost, -and her punishment at hand.</p> -<p>“And now,” said the Iron Man, “since all the -poisoning and treachery and putting away of young gentlemen is at -an end, you must come with me;” and with this he took her -under his left arm and went forth.</p> -<p>At her screams all her retainers came armed, and after them -twenty soldiers, but all were of no avail against such an enemy, -whom they could neither pierce with steel nor restrain by -strength; and escaping with her, he mounted a black steed, which -a Moor was holding outside, and with his victim flew over the -land till they came to a dark and savage place in the -mountains. And here he bore her into a vast cavern, where -many men were seated round a table, and as she looked she saw -that they were all the lovers whom she had put to death. -Then they all cried:</p> -<p>“<i>Ecco la nostra moglie</i>! Behold our -wife! Behold our Drusiana!”</p> -<p>And another said:</p> -<p>“Let us give her to drink, and let us drink to -her!”</p> -<p>And they gave her a full goblet, which she could not help -swallowing, and the wine was like fire, the fire of hell itself -in all her veins. The men assembled round burst into -laughter at seeing her suffering, and one shouted:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Drink, Princess, drink!<br /> -Thou feelest the same fire,<br /> -Only in greater measure,<br /> -Hotter, wilder and fiercer,<br /> -Which thou didst feel before,<br /> -When thy blood boiled with passion,<br /> -And with love of secret murder;<br /> -Then thou didst feel it a little,<br /> -Now thou shalt feel it greatly;<br /> -Once it ran drop by drop,<br /> -Now in full goblets and frequent.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then another gave her a glass of wine which she could <a -name="page154"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 154</span>not help -swallowing, and it was cold, and her blood again grew cold as -ice, and she shivered in an agony of freezing. And so it -went on, everyone giving her first the scalding hot wine and then -the cold, while all sang in chorus:</p> -<blockquote><p>“We give thee again in thy heart<br /> -What thou didst give to us:<br /> -The heat of love which burned in us,<br /> -Burned in us and in thee,<br /> -And the cold of desire when satisfied.<br /> -Thou hadst no mercy on us:<br /> -We have as little for thee.”</p> -</blockquote> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>The connection of Virgil with the classic Talus, or Iron Man, -and so many other ancient legends, as shown in these which I have -gathered, renders the more striking the assertion that -“after the sixteenth century the Vergilian legends -disappear, and become known only to scholars,” as worded by -E. F. M. Beneche in his translation of Comparetti’s -work. The truth is, that as the age of credulity and mere -marvels passed away among the higher classes, the learned ceased -to collect or take an interest in heaping up “wonders upon -wonders.” But the people went on telling and making -tales about Virgil, just as they had always done. And the -full proof that there was not a soul who for centuries took the -least interest in folklore or popular tradition in Central and -Northern Italy is to be found in the fact that, while such -material <i>abounds</i> in the English, French, and especially -German literature of later ages, there is hardly a trace of it in -a single Roman or Tuscan writer till of late years. Even at -the present day there is small search or seeking in Northern -Italy for the rich treasures of old Roman tradition which still -exist among the people.</p> -<h2><a name="page155"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -155</span>GIOVANNI DI BOLOGNA AND THE GOD MERCURY.</h2> -<p class="gutsumm">“Mercurium omnium Deorum antiquorum -vigilantissimum ac maxime negotiis implicatum, scribit Hesiodus -in Theogonià.”—<span class="smcap">Natalis -Comitis</span>: <i>Mythologia</i>, lib. v., 1616.</p> -<p>In the old times in Florence the Tuscans worshipped the idols -of Jupiter, and Bacchus, and Venus, and Mercury in their -temples. And sometimes those gods when conjured <a -name="citation155a"></a><a href="#footnote155a" -class="citation">[155a]</a> came down to earth.</p> -<p>In those times there was in Florence <a -name="citation155b"></a><a href="#footnote155b" -class="citation">[155b]</a> a sculptor of Bologna named Giovanni, -the same who made the Diavolino in the Mercato Vecchio. He -was tormented by the desire to make a statue of such beauty that -there should not be its like in all the world; and he, moreover, -desired that this statue should be as if living, one not stiff -and fixed, but one like Mercury, all activity, and he was so full -of this thought that he had no rest even by night, for a certain -gentleman had said to him:</p> -<p>“All in vain dost thou intoxicate thyself by studying -statues, saying, ‘This one is beautiful, that still more -so; this sculptor—<i>é bravo</i>—has talent, -that even cleverer;’ but, after all, the best of their work -is motionless, and produces on me the effect of a corpse. I -should call him a clever sculptor who could make a statue -inspired with motion like a living man—<i>che caminasse o -magari saltasse</i>—who runs and hops, but not a piece of -marble merely carved.”</p> -<p>And this moved Giovanni to make a statue which should not have -its equal in the world. And thinking of Mercury, the -liveliest and quickest of all the gods, who is ever flying like a -falcon, he said:</p> -<blockquote><p>“If I could behold him,<br /> -Though ’twere but for once,<br /> -I should have the model<br /> -Of a wondrous statue<br /> -Inspired unto life!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>One evening Giovanni found himself in the Temple of Mercury, -that which is to-day called the Baptistery of Saint <a -name="page156"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 156</span>John [and -there he found Virgilio], to whom he said that he so greatly -longed to see Mercury living and in flight.</p> -<p>Virgilio replied:</p> -<p>“Go at midnight to the hill of Vallombrosa when the moon -is full, and call the fairy Bellaria, who will aid -thee.”</p> -<p>Giovanni went to the hill and called to Bellaria, but she made -no reply. So he returned to Virgilio, who said:</p> -<p>“It is not enough to simply call to her, she must be -<i>scongiurata</i>—called by an incantation.”</p> -<p>Then Giovanni, having learned this, thus conjured her:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Stella lucente,<br /> -Ed aria splendente,<br /> -Col tuo splendor,<br /> -Bell’ Aria infiamma<br /> -Mercurio, e fa lo scendere<br /> -In terra che io posso<br /> -Levarne il modello!<br /> -Tu che siei bella,<br /> -Bella quanto buona,<br /> -Fa mi questa grazia;<br /> -Perche io sono molto,<br /> -Molto infelice,<br /> -Se non faro una statua<br /> -Come il desiderio mio,<br /> -Vedi Bellaria.<br /> -Finquaseù in questo monte,<br /> -Son venuto per potermi<br /> -A te raccomandare;<br /> -Tù prego non indugiare<br /> -A far mi questa grazia,<br /> -Perche sono infelice.”</p> -<p>“Shining star!<br /> -Resplendent glowing air, <a name="citation156"></a><a -href="#footnote156" class="citation">[156]</a><br /> -With thy burning splendour,<br /> -Bell’ Aria, inflame,<br /> -Inspire great Mercury,<br /> -Make him descend to earth<br /> -That he may copied be.<br /> -Thou who art beautiful,<br /> -As beautiful as good,<br /> -Grant me, I pray, this grace,<br /> -For I am lost in grief<br /> -Because I cannot make<br /> -A statue as I wish.<br /> -Behold, Bellaria!<br /> -I’ve come unto this hill<br /> -To beg this thing of thee!<br /> -<a name="page157"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 157</span>I pray -thee grant my prayer,<br /> -For I am suffering.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then Bellaria thus evoked Mercury:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Mercurio mio, bel Mercurio,<br /> -Per quell’ acqua corrente,<br /> -E cel (cielo) splendente,<br /> -E tu risplendi, risplendi amor<br /> -Di bellezza, e come il vento,<br /> -Come il fulmine lesto siei,<br /> -Io sono stata<br /> -Scongiurata,<br /> -Scongiurata pel mio splendor,<br /> -Per infiammarti<br /> -Del mio calor<br /> -Che tu scenda in terra<br /> -Che vié Giovanni<br /> -Gian di Bologna,<br /> -Primo scultore, vuol prendere da te<br /> -Il modello,<br /> -Ti prego di scendere<br /> -Come un baleno<br /> -Perche fino che non sarai sesato,<br /> -Ne pure a me tornerebbe<br /> -La mia pace perche<br /> -Mi hanno scongiurata per te;<br /> -Se questa grazia mi farai<br /> -Non per me, ma per Giovanni,<br /> -Tre segni mi darai—<br /> -Lampo, tuono e fulmine<br /> -Se questa grazi mi farai,<br /> -I tre seguali mi darai!”</p> -<p>“Mercury, beauteous God!<br /> -By the rushing water!<br /> -By the glowing heaven!<br /> -As thou shinest, reflecting again<br /> -Their beauty, and as the wind<br /> -Or the lightning thou art fleet.<br /> -Even so am I<br /> -Conjured and compelled<br /> -Even by mine own splendour<br /> -To inspire, inflame<br /> -Thee by mine own heat!<br /> -That thou descend to earth,<br /> -That Giovanni, born<br /> -In Bologna, may<br /> -As sculptor copy thee!<br /> -I pray thee to descend,<br /> -Even like lightning’s flash,<br /> -Since till thou art measured,<br /> -<a name="page158"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 158</span>I shall -not be in peace,<br /> -Being myself invoked.<br /> -If thou wilt grant this grace,<br /> -Yet not for me but <i>Gian</i>,<br /> -Accord to me three signs:<br /> -The flash, the crash and bolt;<br /> -Even as lightning comes,<br /> -I pray thee grant me this!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>And in an instant there came all together in one the flash and -roar and thunderbolt, and Giovanni di Bologna beheld Mercury -flying in the heaven, and said:</p> -<blockquote><p>“E troppo leggiadro, troppo bello!<br /> -Non posso dipingere una Stella<br /> -Ne il vento, ne un balén,<br /> -E finito la mia speranza. Amen!”</p> -<p>“Thou art too little and light, by far!<br /> -I cannot paint a shining star,<br /> -Nor the wild wind or lightning—then<br /> -All hope is lost, ah me! Amen!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then the beautiful Bellaria said:</p> -<p>“If thou canst not depict Mercury flying through the -air, it may be that thou canst make him passing over the waves, -for then his speed is not so great.” [So she invoked -Mercury again, and he was seen flitting over the ocean.] <a -name="citation158"></a><a href="#footnote158" -class="citation">[158]</a></p> -<p>But when Giovanni di Bologna beheld Mercury leaping from wave -to wave like a dolphin, he cried:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Bel Mercurio, sempre <i>vale</i>!<br /> -Io non sono che un mortale,<br /> -Io non posso tanto fare,<br /> -Ne le tue grazzie combinare.”</p> -<p>“Farewell, fair Mercury, all is o’er,<br /> -I’m but a mortal and no more,<br /> -I cannot give again thy face,<br /> -And least of all thy wondrous grace.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Bellaria said to him:</p> -<p>“Thou hast asked too much; it is not possible for thee -to make fire and water to the life. Yet be at ease, for -what may not be done in water or in air may come to pass with -ease upon the earth.”</p> -<p>Bellaria again invoked Mercury, who descended like the wind in -a leap, even as a man leaps down and alights on earth.</p> -<p><a name="page159"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 159</span>Then -Giovanni cried:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Grazia à Dio!<br /> -Io ho l’ ideà!”</p> -<p>“Thanks to God divine!<br /> -The <i>idea</i> is mine!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>And so Giovanni made the beautiful statue of Mercury in -bronze; and so long as the Tuscans worshipped their idols it was -wont to dance, but after they ceased this worship, it danced no -more. [At present, the beautiful statue of Mercury in -bronze is in the Bargello.]</p> -<p>It is said that Bellaria is the sister of Mercury, and that -both fly in the air. When the <i>Fate</i> or fairies, or -good witches die, Bellaria descends, and then bears their souls -to heaven.</p> -<p>Mercury is the god of all people who are in haste, who have -occasion to go rapidly—as, for instance, those who wish to -send a letter quickly and receive a speedy reply. To do -this, you must have an image of Mercury cast in bronze, and it -must be made to shine like silver, with a bright colour like a -looking-glass; <a name="citation159"></a><a href="#footnote159" -class="citation">[159]</a> and this should be worshipped before -going to bed, and on rising in the morning adore it again. -And to invoke Mercury, this is the manner: You must have a basin -full of water, taken from a stream when agitated (<i>i.e.</i>, -running water), and in the evening, as in the morning, take that -basin and make a cross on the earth where you kneel down, and -then say:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Acqua corrente<br /> -E vento furente,<br /> -Avanti la statua di Mercurio<br /> -Mi inghinnocchio, perche Mercurio,<br /> -E il mio idole, Mercurio!<br /> -E il mio dio;<br /> -Acqua corrente<br /> -E vento furente,<br /> -Infuriate Mercurio<br /> -A farmi questa grazia!”</p> -<p>“Running water, raging wind!<br /> -Before the form of Mercury I kneel,<br /> -For Mercury is my idol and my god!<br /> -Running water, raging wind,<br /> -Inspire great Mercury<br /> -To do what I desire!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p><a name="page160"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 160</span>Then -you shall pause and sing again:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Mercurio, Mercurio!<br /> -Tu che siei il mio Dio!<br /> -Fammi questa grazia<br /> -Che io ti chiedo,<br /> -Se questa grazia a me concedi<br /> -Tre cose fammi vedere;<br /> -Tuono, lampo e vento infuriato!”</p> -<p>“Mercury, Mercury divine!<br /> -Who ever art a god of mine!<br /> -Grant me that which I do need,<br /> -And if’t be given me indeed,<br /> -Cause me then three things to see—<br /> - The lightning’s flash,<br /> - The thunder crash,<br /> -And the wind roaring furiously!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>And where the water from the running stream has been poured it -must be carefully covered over, so that no one can tread thereon, -or else from that time the favour of Mercury will cease.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>It would seem as if this story were originally intended to -imply that the sculptor, unable to give a higher conception of -vivacity or motion, represented the mobile god as in the moment -of descending on earth, still preserving the attitude of -flight. This conception was probably too subtle for the -narrator, who describes the image as having been a kind of -marionette, or dancing Jack. “Whate’er it be, -it is a curious tale.”</p> -<p>The connection of Mercury with moving water is also -remarkable. He bears serpents on his <i>caduceus</i> or -wand; and among other ancient myth-fancies, a rushing river, from -its shape or windings and its apparent life, was a symbol of a -serpent.</p> -<p>It is hardly worth while to note that Giovanni di Bologna was -really a Frenchman—Jean de Boulogne. The bronze -Mercury by him described in this story, and <a -name="page161"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 161</span>now in the -Bargello Museum, is supposed to have suggested the allusion to -the god as</p> -<blockquote><p> “just -alighted<br /> -On a heaven-kissing hill,”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>and the probability is indeed of the strongest. Many -judges good and true are of the opinion that, as regards motive -or conception, this is the best statue ever made by any save a -Greek, as there is assuredly none in which the lightness of -motion is so perfectly expressed in matter. I believe, -however, that Giovanni di Bologna was indebted for this figure to -some earlier type or motive. There is something not unlike -it among the old Etruscan small bronze <i>figurini</i>.</p> -<h2>THE DOUBLE-FACED STATUE, OR HOW VIRGILIO CONJURED JANUS.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Now by two-headed Janus!<br /> -Nature hath formed strange fellows in her time!”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span -class="smcap">Shakespeare</span>.</p> -<p>“There were in Rome many temples of Janus, some unto him -as <i>bifrons</i>, or double-faced. Caylus has published -pictures of Greek vases on which are seen two heads thus united, -the one of an elderly man, the other of a young -woman.”—<i>Dizionario Mitologico</i>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There was once in Florence, in the Tower della Zeccha, a -statue of great antiquity, and it had only one body, or bust, but -two heads; and one of these was of a man and the other of a -woman, a thing marvellous to behold.</p> -<p>And Virgil, seeing this when it was first found in digging -amid old ruins, had it placed upright and said:</p> -<p>“Behold two beings who form but a single person! I -will conjure the image; it shall be a charm to do good; it shall -teach a lesson to all.”</p> -<p>Thus he conjured:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Statua da due faccie<br /> -Due, e un corpo solo,<br /> -Due faccie ed avete<br /> -Un sol cervello. Siete<br /> -<a name="page162"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 162</span>Due -esseri l’ uno per altro,<br /> -Dovete essere marito e moglie,<br /> -Dovete peccare con un sol pensiero.</p> -<p>“Avete bene quattro occhi<br /> -Ma una sol vista,<br /> -Come tutti i mariti,<br /> -E moglie dorebbere essere,<br /> -E dovete fare la buona fortuna<br /> -Di tutti gli inamorati.”</p> -<p>“Statue gifted with two faces,<br /> -Two and yet a single body!<br /> -Two and but one brain—then art thou<br /> -Two intended for each other—<br /> -Two who should be wife and husband,<br /> -Acting by the same reflection.</p> -<p>“Unto you four eyes are given,<br /> -And but a single sight—ye are then<br /> -What indeed all wives and husbands<br /> -Ought to be if they’d be happy;<br /> -Therefore shalt thou bring good fortune<br /> -Unto all devoted lovers!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then Virgil touched the statue with his rod, and it -replied:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Tutti quelli che mi pregherano.<br /> -Di cuore sincera, amanti o sposi,<br /> -Tutti quelli saranno felice!”</p> -<p>“All of those who’ll come here to adore me,<br /> -Be they lovers, be they married couples,<br /> -I will ever make them truly happy.”</p> -</blockquote> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>The conception of a head with two faces, one male and the -other female, is still very common in Italy. In the -cloister of Santa Maria Novella in Florence the portraits of a -husband and wife are thus united on a marble monumental -tablet. And in Baveno, among the many <i>graffiti</i> or -sketches and scrawls made by children on the walls on or near the -church, there is one which is evidently traditional, representing -Janus. This double-headed deity was continued in the -Baphomet of the Knights Templars.</p> -<p>In the older legends are two tales declaring that Virgil made -and enchanted two statues. This appears to be a variation -of the story of Janus.</p> -<h2><a name="page163"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -163</span>VIRGIL AND HIS COURTIERS.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Virgilius also made a -belfry.”—<i>The Wonderful History of Virgilius the -Sorcerer of Rome</i>.</p> -<p>“To be a crow and seem a swan,<br /> -To look all truth, possessing none,<br /> -To appear a saint by every act,<br /> -And be a devil meanwhile at heart,<br /> -To prove that black is white, in sooth,<br /> -And cover up the false with truth;<br /> -And be a living lie, in short—<br /> -Such are the lives men lead at court.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><i>Old Italian saying cited by</i> -<span class="smcap">Francesco Panico</span> <i>in his</i> -“<i>Poetiche Dicerie</i>” (1643); article, -Courtiers.</p> -<p>“Above all lying is the lie as practised by evil -<i>courtiers</i>, it being falsehood <i>par excellence</i>. -For they are the arch architects, the cleverest of artists at -forming lies, pre-eminent in cooking, seasoning, serving them -with the honey of flattery or the vinegar of -reproof.”—<span class="smcap">Francesco Panico</span> -(1643).</p> -</blockquote> -<p>On a time Virgilio remained for many weeks alone at home, and -never went to court. And during this retirement he made -seven bells of gold, and on every one there was engraved a name -or word.</p> -<p>On the first there was “Bugiardo” (or lying), on -the second “Chiacchiera” (or tattling gossip), on the -third “Malignità” (or evil spite), on the -fourth “Chalugna” (or calumny), on the fifth -“Maldicenza” (or vituperation), on the sixth -“Invidia” (or envy), and on the seventh -“Bassezza” (or vileness).</p> -<p>And these he hung up in a draught of air, so that as they -swung in the breeze they rang and tinkled, first one alone, and -then all.</p> -<p>One day the Emperor sent a messenger to Virgilio, asking him -why he never came to court as of old. And Virgilio wrote in -reply:</p> -<blockquote><p>“<span class="smcap">My dear -Emperor</span>,</p> -<p>“It is no longer necessary that I should come to court -to learn all that is said there. For where I am at home I -hear all day long the voices of Falsehood, Tattling, Evil Spite, -Calumny, Vituperation, Envy, and Vileness.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>And then he showed the bells to the messenger. The <a -name="page164"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 164</span>Emperor, -when he had read the letter and heard all, laughed heartily, and -said:</p> -<p>“So Virgilio keeps a court of his own! Yes, and a -finer one than mine, for all his courtiers are clad in -gold.”</p> -<h2>VIRGIL AND THE THREE SHEPHERDS.<br /> -<span class="smcap">A Legend of the Monte Sybilla</span>, <span -class="smcap">near Rome</span>.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“And, warrior, I could tell to thee<br /> -The words which split Eildon Hill in three,<br /> -And bridled the Tweed with a curb of stone;<br /> -But to speak them were a deadly sin,<br /> -And for having but thought them my heart within<br /> -A treble penance must be done.”—<span -class="smcap">Scott</span>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Miss Roma Lister, when residing in Florence, having written to -her old nurse Maria, in Rome, asking her if she knew, or could -find, any tales of Virgil, received after a while the following -letter, written out by her son, who has evidently been well -educated, to judge by his style and admirable handwriting:</p> -<p style="text-align: right">“<span -class="smcap">Rome</span>, <i>January</i> 28, 1897.</p> -<blockquote><p>“<span class="smcap">Mia buona -Signorina</span>,</p> -<p>“I have been seeking for some old person, a native of -the Castelli Romani, who knew something relative to the magician -Virgil, and I found in a street of the new quarters of Rome an -old acquaintance, a man who is more than eighty years of age; and -on asking him for what I wanted, he, after some reflection, -recalled the following story:</p> -<p>“‘I was a small boy when my parents told me that -in the Montagna della Sibilla there was once an old man who was -indeed so very old that the most ancient people had ever known -him as appearing of the same age, and he was called the magician -Virgilio.</p> -<p>“‘One day three shepherds were in a cabin at the -foot of the mountain, when the magician entered, and they were at -<a name="page165"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 165</span>first -afraid of him, knowing his reputation. But he calmed them -by saying that he never did harm to anyone, and that he had come -down from the mountain to beg a favour from them.</p> -<p>“‘“There is,” he continued, -“half-way up the mountain, a grotto, in which there is a -great serpent which keeps me from entering. Therefore I beg -you do me the kindness to capture it.”</p> -<p>“‘The shepherds replied that they would do so, -thinking that he wanted them to kill the snake, but he explained -to them that he wished to have it taken in a very large bottle -(<i>grandissimo boccione</i>) <a name="citation165"></a><a -href="#footnote165" class="citation">[165]</a> by means of -certain herbs which he had provided.</p> -<p>“‘And the next day he came with the bottle and -certain herbs which were strange to them, and certainly not grown -in the country. And he said:</p> -<p>“‘“Go to the grotto, and lay the bottle down -with its mouth towards the cavern, and when the serpent shall -smell the herbs he will enter the bottle. Then do ye close -it quickly and bring it to me. And all of this must be done -without a word being spoken, else ye will meet with -disaster.”</p> -<p>“‘So the three shepherds went their way, and after -a time came to the grotto, which they entered, and did as the -magician had ordered. Then, after a quarter of an hour, the -serpent, smelling the herbs, came forth and entered the -bottle. No sooner was he in it than one of the shepherds -adroitly closed it, and cried unthinkingly:</p> -<p>“‘“Now you’re caught!”</p> -<p>“‘When all at once they felt the whole mountain -shake, and heard an awful roar, and crashing timber round on -every side, so that they fell on the ground half dead with -fear. When they came to their senses each one found himself -on the summit of a mountain, and the three peaks were far -apart. It took them several days to return to their cabin, -and all of them died a few days after.</p> -<p>“‘From that time the magician Virgil was no more -seen in the land.’</p> -<p>“This is all which I could learn; should I hear more I -will write at once to you.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p><a name="page166"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 166</span>This -is beyond question an imperfectly-told tale. What the -sorcerer intended and effected was to divide a mountain into -three peaks, as did Michael Scott, of whom legends are still left -in Italy, as the reader may find by consulting the interesting -work by the Rev. J. Wood Brown. <a name="citation166"></a><a -href="#footnote166" class="citation">[166]</a> In the -Italian tale the three shepherds who were together find -themselves suddenly apart on the tops of three peaks, which -clearly indicates the real aim of the narrative.</p> -<p>An old Indian woman, widow of an Indian governor, told me, as -a thing unknown, that the three hills of Boston had been thus -split by Glusgábe or Glooscap, the great Algonkin -god. As this deity introduced culture to North America, it -will be at once perceived that there was something truly -<i>weirdly</i>, or strangely prophetic, in this act. As -Glooscap was the first to lay out Boston—<i>à la -Trinité</i>—he certainly ought to be regarded as the -patron saint of that cultured city, and have at least a library, -a lyceum, or a hotel named after him in the American -Athens. The coincidence is very singular—Rome and -Boston!</p> -<p>Eildon Hill, by which, as I have heard, Andrew Lang was born, -is one of the picturesque places which attract legends and -masters in folk-lore. Of it I have a strange -souvenir. While in its vicinity I for three nights saw in a -dream the Fairy Queen, and the “vision” was -remarkably vivid, or so much so as to leave a strong or haunting -impression on my waking hours. It was like a glimpse into -elf-land. Of course it was simply the result of my -recalling and thinking deeply on the legend of “True -Thomas,” but the dream was very pleasant and -sympathetic.</p> -<h2><a name="page167"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 167</span>THE -GOLDEN PINE-CONE.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Quid sibi vult, illa <i>Pinus</i>, -quàm semper statis diebus in deum matris intromittis -sanctuarium?”—<span class="smcap">Arnobius</span>, i. -5.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There was once a young man named Constanzo, who was blessed, -as they say, in form and fortune, he being both fair in face and -rich. Now, whether it was that what he had seen and learned -of ladies at court had displeased him, is not recorded or -remembered, but one thing is certain, that he had made up his -mind to marry a poor girl, and so began to look about among -humble folk at the maids, which indeed pleased many of them -beyond belief, though it was taken ill by their parents, who had -but small faith in such attentions.</p> -<p>But the one whom it displeased most of all was the mother of -Constanzo, who, when he said that he would marry a poor girl, -declared in a rage that he should do nothing of the kind, because -she would allow no such person to come in the house. To -which he replied that as he was of age, and the master, he would -do as he pleased. Then there were ill words, for the mother -had a bad temper and worse will, and had gone the worst way to -work, because of all things her son could least endure being -governed. And she was the more enraged because her son had -hitherto always been docile and quiet, but she now found that she -had driven him up to a height which he had not before dreamed of -occupying and where he would now remain. But she vowed -vengeance in her heart, saying: “Marry or not—this -shall cost thee dear. <i>Te lo farò -pagare</i>!”</p> -<p>Many months passed, and no more was said, when one day the -young gentleman went to the chase with his friends, and impelled -by some strange influence, took a road and went afar into a part -of the country which was unknown to him. At noon they -dismounted to rest, when, being very thirsty, Constanzo expressed -a desire for water.</p> -<p>And just as he said it there came by a <i>contadina</i>, -carrying two jars of water, cold and dripping, fresh from a -fountain. And the young signor having drunk, observed that -the girl was of enchanting or dazzling beauty, with a charming -expression of innocence, which went to his heart.</p> -<p><a name="page168"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -168</span>“What is thy name?” he asked.</p> -<p>“Constanza,” the girl replied.</p> -<p>“And I am Constanzo,” he cried; “and as our -names so our hearts shall be—one made for the -other!”</p> -<p>“But you are a rich lord, and I am a poor girl,” -she slowly answered, “so it can never be.”</p> -<p>But as both had loved at sight, and sincerely, it was soon -arranged, and the end was that the pair were married, and -Constanza became a signora and went to live in the castle with -her lord. His mother, who was more his enemy than ever, and -ten times that of his wife, made no sign of anger, but professed -love and devotion, expressing delight every day and oftener that -her son had chosen so fair a wife, and one so worthy of him.</p> -<p>It came to pass that Constanza was about to become a mother, -and at this time her husband was called to the wars, and that so -far away that many days must pass before he could send a letter -to his home. But his mother showed herself so kind, though -she had death and revenge at her heart, that Constanzo was -greatly relieved, and departed almost light of heart, for he was -a brave man, as well as good, and such people borrow no trouble -ere it is due.</p> -<p>But the old signora looked after him with bitterness, saying, -“Thou shalt pay me, and the hour is not far -off.” And when she saw his wife she murmured:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Now revenge shall take its shape;<br /> -Truly thou canst not escape;<br /> -Be it death or be it dole,<br /> -I will sting thee to the soul.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Then when the hour came that the countess was to be confined, -the old woman told her that she herself alone would serve and -attend to all—<i>e che avrebbe fatto tutto da se</i>. -But going forth, she found a pine-tree and took from it a cone, -which she in secret set to boil in water, singing to it:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Bolli, bolli!<br /> -Senza posa.<br /> -Che nel letto<br /> -Vi é la sposa,<br /> -Un fanciullo<br /> -Alla luce mi dara,<br /> -E una pina diventera!</p> -<p><a name="page169"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -169</span>“Bolli, bolli!<br /> -Mio decotto<br /> -Bolli, bolli!<br /> -Senza posa!<br /> -Il profumo<br /> -Che tu spandi,<br /> -Si spanda<br /> -In corpo alla<br /> -Alla sposa e il figlio,<br /> -Il figlio che fara<br /> -Pina d’ oro diventera!”</p> -<p>“Boil and boil,<br /> -Rest defying!<br /> -In the bed<br /> -The wife is lying;<br /> -Soon her babe<br /> -The light will see,<br /> -But a pine-cone<br /> -It shall be!</p> -<p>“Boil and boil,<br /> -And well digest!<br /> -Boil and boil,<br /> -And never rest!<br /> -May the perfume<br /> -Which you spread<br /> -Thrill the body<br /> -To the head,<br /> -And the child<br /> -Which we shall see,<br /> -A golden pine-cone<br /> -Let it be!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>And soon the countess gave birth to a beautiful daughter with -golden hair, but the old woman promptly took the little one and -bathed it in the water in which she had boiled the pine-cone, -whereupon it became a golden pine-cone, and the poor mother was -made to believe that this was her first-born; and the same was -written to the father, who replied to his wife that, whatever -might happen, he would ever remain as he had been.</p> -<p>The mother-in-law took the pine-cone and placed it on a -mantelpiece, as such curious or odd things are generally disposed -of. And when her son returned she contrived in so many ways -and with craft to calumniate his wife that the poor lady was ere -long imprisoned in a tower.</p> -<p>But a strange thing now happened, for every night the -pine-cone, unseen by all, left like a living thing its place on -the chimney-piece and wandered over the castle, returning <a -name="page170"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 170</span>at five -o’clock to its place, but ever going just below the -lady’s window, where it sang:</p> -<blockquote><p>“O cara madre mia!<br /> -Luce degli occhi miei!<br /> -Cessa quel pianto,<br /> -E non farmi più soffrir!”</p> -<p>“O mother, darling mother,<br /> -Light of my eyes, I pray<br /> -That thou wilt cease thy weeping,<br /> -So mine may pass away.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Yet, after he had shut his wife up in the tower, Constanzo had -not an instant’s peace of mind. Therefore, to be -assured, he one day went to consult the great magician -Virgil. And having told all that had happened, the wise man -said:</p> -<p>“Thou hast imprisoned thy wife, she who is pure and -true, in a tower, and all on the lying words and slanders of that -vile witch your mother. And thou hast suffered bitterly, -and well deserved it, as all do who are weak enough to believe -evil reports of a single witness; for who is there who may not -lie, especially among women, when they are jealous and full of -revenge? Now do thou set free thy wife (and bid her come to -me and I will teach her what to do).”</p> -<p>So the count obeyed.</p> -<p>Then the mother took the pine-cone and threw it up three times -into the air, singing:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Pina, mia bella pina!<br /> -Dei pini tu sei regina!<br /> -Dei pini sei prottetrice,<br /> -D’ un pino pianta la radice!<br /> -E torna una fanciulla bella<br /> - Come un occhio<br /> - Di sole in braccio<br /> - A tuo padre<br /> - Ed a tua madre!</p> -<p>“Pine, the fairest ever seen,<br /> -Of all cones thou art the queen!<br /> -Guarding them in sun or shade,<br /> -And ’tis granted that, when planted,<br /> -Thou shalt be a charming maid,<br /> -Ever sweet and ever true<br /> -To thy sire and mother too.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p><a name="page171"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 171</span>And -this was done, and the cone forthwith grew up a fair maid, who -was the joy of her parents’ life. But the people in a -rage seized on the old witch, who was covered with a coat of -pitch and burned alive in the public square.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>This legend was gathered in and sent to me from Siena. -As a narrative it is a fairy-tale of the most commonplace -description, its incidents being found in many others. But -so far as the pine-cone is concerned it is of great originality, -and retains remarkable relics of old Latin lore. The -pine-tree was a favourite of Cybele, and it was consecrated to -Silvanus, who is still known and has a cult in the mountains of -the Romagna Toscana. This rural deity often bore a -pine-cone in his hand. Propertius also assigns the pine to -Pan. The cone was pre-eminently a phallic emblem, therefore -specially holy; in this sense it was placed on the staff borne by -the specially initiated to Bacchus. It was incredibly -popular as an amulet, on account of its supposed magical virtues, -therefore no one object is more frequently produced in ancient -art. A modern writer, observing this, and not being able to -account for it, very feebly attributes it to the fact that the -object is so common that it is naturally used for a model. -“Artists,” he says, “in fact prefer to use what -comes ready to hand, and to copy such plants as are ever under -their eye.” So writes the great dilettante Caylus, -forgetting that a thousand objects quite as suitable to -decoration as the pine-cone, and quite as common, were not used -at all.</p> -<p>The pine typified a new birth, according to Friedrich; this -was because it was evergreen, and therefore sacred as immortal to -Cybele. Thus Ovid (“Metamorphoses,” x. 103) -writes, “<i>Pinus grata deum matri</i>.” The -French Layard, in the new “Annales de l’Institut <a -name="page172"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -172</span>Archæologique,” vol. xix., has emphatically -indicated the connection of the pine-cone with the cult of Venus, -and as a reproductive symbol. It is in this sense clearly -set forth in the Italian or Sienese legend, where the pine-cone -planted in the earth grows up as the girl with golden -locks. This is very probably indeed the relic of an old -Roman mythical tale or poem.</p> -<p>The golden pine-cone appears in other tales. Wolf -(“Zeitschrift für deutsche Mythologie,” vol. i., -p. 297) says that in Franconia there were once three travelling -<i>Handwerksburschen</i>, or craftsmen, who met with a beautiful -lady, who when asked for alms gave to each a pine-cone from a -tree. Two of them threw the gifts away, but the third found -his changed to solid gold. In order to make an amulet which -is kept in the house, pine-cones are often gilded in Italy. -I have seen them here in Florence, and very pretty ornaments they -make.</p> -<h2>VIRGIL’S MAGIC LOOM.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“I heard a loom at work, and thus it -spoke,<br /> -As though its clatter like a metre woke,<br /> -And echoed in my mind like an old song,<br /> -Rising while growing dimmer e’en like smoke.</p> -<p>“And thus it spoke, ‘God is a loom like me,<br /> -His chiefest weaving is Humanity,<br /> -And man and woman are the warp and woof,<br /> -Which make a mingling light of mystery.’”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><i>The Loom</i>: C. G. L.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Gega was a girl of fifteen years of age, and without parents -or friends, with nothing in the world but eyes to weep and arms -to work. Yet she had this luck, that an old woman who was a -fellow-lodger in the place where she lived, <a -name="citation172"></a><a href="#footnote172" -class="citation">[172]</a> moved by compassion, took the girl to -live with her, <a name="page173"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -173</span>though all she had was a very small room, in which was -a poor bed and a little loom, so crazy-looking and old that it -seemed impossible to work with it.</p> -<p>Nunzia, <a name="citation173"></a><a href="#footnote173" -class="citation">[173]</a> for such was the old woman’s -name, took Gega indeed as a daughter, and taught her to weave, -which was a good trade in those days, and in that place where few -practised it. So it came to pass that they made money, -which was laid by. [This was no great wonder, for the old -loom had a strange enchantment in it, by which marvellous work -could be produced.]</p> -<p>The old woman very often bade Gega take great care of the -loom, and the girl could not understand why Nunzia thought so -much of it, since it seemed to her to be like any other. -[For it never appeared strange to her that when she wove the -cloth seemed to almost come of itself—a great deal for a -little thread—and that its quality or kind improved as she -applied herself to work, for in her ignorance she believed that -this was the way with all weaving.]</p> -<p>At last the old Mamma Nunzia died, and Gega, left alone, began -to make acquaintances and friends with other girls who came to -visit her. Among these was one named Ermelinda, who was at -heart as treacherous and rapacious as she was shrewd, yet one -withal who, what with her beauty and deceitful airs, knew how to -flatter and persuade to perfection, so that she could make a -simple girl like Gega believe that the moon was a pewter plate, -or a black fly white.</p> -<p>Now, the first time that she and several others, who were all -weavers, saw Gega at work, they were greatly amazed, for the -cloth seemed to come of itself from a wretched old loom which -appeared to be incapable of making anything, and it was so fine -and even, and had such a gloss that it looked like silk.</p> -<p>“How wonderful! One would say it was silk!” -cried a girl.</p> -<p>“Oh, I can make silk when I try,” answered Gega; -and applying her will to it, she presently spun from -cotton-thread a yard of what was certainly real silk stuff.</p> -<p>And seeing this, all present declared that Gega must be a -witch.</p> -<p>“Nonsense,” she replied; “you could all do -it if you tried as I do. As for being a witch, it is -Ermelinda and <a name="page174"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -174</span>not I who should be so, for she first said it was like -silk, and made it so.”</p> -<p>Then Ermelinda saw that there was magic in the loom, of which -Gega knew nothing, so she resolved to do all in her power to -obtain it. And this she effected firstly by flattery, and -giving the innocent girl extravagant ideas of her beauty, -assuring her that she had an attractiveness which could not fail -to win her a noble husband, and that, having laid by a large sum -of money, she should live on it in style till married, and that -in any case she could go back to her weaving. But that on -which she laid most stress was that Gega should leave her old -lodging and get rid of her dirty old furniture, and especially of -that horrible, crazy old loom, persuading her that, if she ever -should have occasion to weave again, she, with her talent, could -do far better with a new loom, and probably gain thrice as much, -all of which the simple girl believed, and so let her false -friend dispose of everything, in doing which Ermelinda did not -fail to keep the loom herself, declaring that nobody would buy -it.</p> -<p>“Now,” said the latter, “I am content. -Thou art very beautiful; all that thou needest is to be elegantly -dressed, and have fine things about thee, to soon catch a fine -husband.”</p> -<p>Gega assented to this, but was loth to part with her old loom, -which she had promised Nunzia should never be neglected; but -Ermelinda promised so faithfully to keep it carefully for her, -that she was persuaded to let her have it. Then the young -girl took a fine apartment, well furnished, and bought herself -beautiful clothes, and, guided by her false friend, began to go -to entertainments and make fashionable friends, and live as if -she were rich.</p> -<p>Then Ermelinda, having obtained the old loom, went to work -with it, in full hope that she too could spin silk out of cotton, -but found out to her amazement and rage that she could do nothing -of the kind—nay, she could not so much as weave common -cloth from it; all that she got after hours of fruitless effort -was a headache, and the conviction that she had thrown away all -her time and trouble, which made her hate Gega all the more.</p> -<p>Meanwhile the latter for a time enjoyed life as she had never -done before; but though she looked anxiously to the right and the -left for a husband, found none, the well-to-do young men being -quite as anxious to wed wealth as she was, <a -name="page175"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 175</span>and all of -them soon discovered on inquiry that she had little or nothing, -despite her style of living, and her money rapidly melted away, -till at last she found that to live she must work—there was -no help for it. With what remained she bought a fine loom -and thread, and sat down to weave; but though she succeeded in -making common stuff like others, it was not silk, nor anything -like it, nor was there anyone who would buy what she made. -In despair she remembered what Mamma Nunzia had solemnly said to -her, that she must never part from the old loom, so she went to -Ermelinda to reclaim it. But her false friend, although she -could do nothing with the loom herself, was not willing that -Gega, whom she hated with all her heart, should in any way -profit, and declared that her mother had broken up and burned the -rubbishy old thing, and to this story she adhered, and when Gega -insisted on proof of it, drove her in a rage out of the -house.</p> -<p>While Mamma Nunzia was living she, being a very wise woman, -had taught Gega with care the properties and nature of plants, -roots, herbs, and flowers, saying that some day it might be of -value to her, as it is to everyone. So whenever they had a -holiday they had gone into the fields and woods, where the girl -became so expert that she could have taught many a doctor very -strange secrets; and withal, the Mamma also made her learn the -charms and incantations which increase the power of the -plants. So now, having come to her last coin, and finding -there was some profit in it, she began to gather herbs for -medicine, which she sold to chemists and others in the -towns. And finding a deserted old tower in a wild and rocky -place, she was allowed to make it her home; and indeed, after all -she had gone through, and her disappointment both as to friends -and lovers, she found herself far happier when alone than when in -a town, where she was ashamed to meet people who had known her -when she lived in style.</p> -<p>One evening as she was returning home she heard a groaning in -the woods as of someone in great suffering, and, guided by the -sound, found a poor old woman seated on a stone, who told her -that she had hurt her leg by slipping from a rock. And -Gega, who was as strong as she was kind and compassionate, -carried the poor soul in her arms to the tower, where she bound -an application of healing herbs to the wound, and bade her remain -and welcome.</p> -<p><a name="page176"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -176</span>“I have nothing to give you for it all,” -said the old woman on the following day.</p> -<p>“Nor did I do it in the hope of aught,” replied -Gega.</p> -<p>“And yet,” said the sufferer, “I might be of -use to you. If, for example, you have lost anything, I can -tell you how to recover it or where it is.”</p> -<p>“Ah!” cried Gega, “if thou canst do that, -thou wilt be a friend indeed, for I have lost my fortune—it -was a loom which was left to me by Mamma Nunzia. I did not -regard her advice never to part with it, and I have bitterly -repented my folly. I trusted it to a friend, who betrayed -me, for she burned it.”</p> -<p>“No, my dear, she did nothing of the kind,” -replied the old woman; “she has it yet, and I will make it -return to thee.”</p> -<p>Then she repeated this invocation:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Telaio! Telaio! Telaio!<br /> -Che per opera e virtú<br /> -Del gran mago Virgilio<br /> -Fosti fabricato,<br /> -E di tante virtù adornato<br /> -Ti prego per opera e virtu<br /> -Del gran mago Virgilio<br /> -Tu possa di una tela<br /> -Di oro di argento<br /> -Essere ordito.<br /> -E come il vento,<br /> -Dalla casa di Ermelinda,<br /> -Tu possa sortire,<br /> -Sortire e tornare<br /> -Nella vecchia sofitta<br /> -Della figlia mia<br /> -Per opera e virtú<br /> -Dal gran mago Virgilio!”</p> -<p>“Loom! Loom! O loom!<br /> -Who by the labour and skill<br /> -Of the great magician Virgil<br /> -Wert made so long ago,<br /> -And gifted with such power!<br /> -I pray thee by that skill<br /> -And labour given by<br /> -Virgil, the great magician,<br /> -As thou canst spin a web<br /> -Of silver or of gold,<br /> -Fly like the wind away<br /> -From Ermelinda’s house<br /> -<a name="page177"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 177</span>Into the -small old room<br /> -Where once my daughter dwelt,<br /> -All by the skill and power<br /> -Of great Virgilius!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>When in an instant they were borne away on a mighty wind and -found themselves in the old room, and there also they found the -loom, from which Gega could now weave at will cloth of gold or -silver as well as silk.</p> -<p>Then the old woman looked steadily at Gega, and the girl saw -the features of the former change to those of Nunzia, and as she -embraced her, the old woman said:</p> -<p>“Yes, I am Mamma Nunzia, and I came from afar to restore -to thee thy loom; but guard it well now, for if lost thou canst -never recover it again. But if thou shouldst ever need -aught, then invoke the grand magician Virgil, because he has -always been my god.” <a name="citation177"></a><a -href="#footnote177" class="citation">[177]</a></p> -<p>Having said this, she departed, and Gega knew now that Nunzia -was a white witch or a fairy. So, becoming rich, she was a -lady, and ever after took good care of her loom and distrusted -flattering friends.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>This legend exists as a fairy-tale in many forms, and may be -found in many countries; perhaps its beginning was in that of the -princess who could spin straw into gold. To have some -object which produces food or money <i>ad libitum</i> when called -on, to be cheated out of it, and finally be revenged on the -cheater, is known to all.</p> -<p>Virgil is in one of these tales naïvely called a saint, -and in this he is seriously addressed as a god, by which we, of -course, understand a classical heathen deity, or any spirit -powerful enough to answer prayer with personal favours. But -Virgil as the maker of a magic loom which yields gold and silk, -and as a <i>god</i> at the same time, indicates a very possible -derivation from a very grand ancient myth. The reader is -probably familiar with the address of the Time Spirit in -Goethe’s “Faust”:</p> -<blockquote><p><a name="page178"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -178</span>“In Being’s flood, in action’s -storm,<br /> -I work and weave, above, beneath—<br /> -Work and weave in endless motion<br /> -Birth and Death—an infinite ocean,<br /> - A-seizing and giving<br /> - The fire of the Living.<br /> -’Tis thus at the roaring loom of Time I ply,<br /> -And weave for God the garment thou see’st Him -by.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Thomas Carlyle informs us, in “Sartor Resartus,” -that of the thousands who have spouted this really very -intelligible formula of pantheism, none have understood -it—implying thereby that to him it was no mystery. -But Carlyle apparently did not know, else he would surely have -told the reader, that the idea was derived from the Sanskrit myth -that Maya (delusion or appearance), “the feminine half of -the divine primitive creator (Urwesen), was represented as -weaving the palpable universe from herself, for which reason she -was typified as a spider.” <a name="citation178"></a><a -href="#footnote178" class="citation">[178]</a> Hence Maia -of the Greeks; and it is a curious coincidence that Maia in the -Neapolitan legends is the mother of Virgil, all of which is -confused, and may be accidental, but there may also be in it the -remains of some curious and very ancient tradition. The -spider was, however, certainly the emblem of domestic, -stay-at-home, steady industry, as Friedrich illustrates, -therefore of prosperity, hence it is believed to bring luck to -those on whom it crawls, as set forth in the novel of “The -Red Spider.” And it is evident that the moral of this -tale of Virgil’s loom is to the effect that the heroine -gained her good fortune by hard work at home, and came to grief -by gadding abroad and playing the belle.</p> -<p>That Maia, or Illusion or Glamour, should, according to our -tradition, be the mother of the greatest thaumaturgist, -wonder-worker, poet, and sorcerer of <a name="page179"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 179</span>yore is curious. That the -original Maya of India should be the living loom from which the -universe is spun, and that in another tale the <i>same</i> -magician, her son, is a god who makes a magic loom which spins -gold, silver, and silk, may be all mere chance coincidence, but, -if so, it is strange enough to rank as a miracle <i>per -se</i>.</p> -<p>The name Gega, with <i>g</i> the second soft, is very nearly -<i>Gaia</i>, the Goddess of the Earth, who was one with Maia, as -a type of the Universe.</p> -<p>As I regard this as a tradition of some importance, I would -state that it owes nothing whatever to any inquiry, hint, or -suggestion from me; that it was gathered from witch authority by -Maddalena, near Prato; and, finally, that it is very faithfully -translated, with the exception of the passages indicated by -brackets, which were inserted by me to make the text -clearer—a very necessary thing in most of these tales, -where much is often palpably omitted. I have seldom had a -story so badly written as this was; it appears to have been taken -down without correction from some illiterate old woman, who -hardly understood what she was narrating.</p> -<p>It is to be observed that in a number of these tales the -proper names are strangely antique and significant. They -are not such as are in use among the people, they would not even -be known to most who are tolerably well read. I have only -found several after special search in mythologies, etc.; and yet -they are, I sincerely believe, in all cases appropriate to the -tradition as in this case.</p> -<h2><a name="page180"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -180</span>VIRGIL AND THE PRIEST.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Beware, beware of the Black Friar,<br /> -Who sitteth by Norman stone.”—<span -class="smcap">Byron</span>.</p> -<p>“Seven times shall he be accursed who returns evil for -good, and seven times seven he who lives for himself alone, but -seventy times seven the one who wrongs the orphan, the weak, the -helpless, the widow or the young!”—<i>The Ladder of -Sin</i>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There is in Arezzo a lonely old lane or silent street where -few people care to go after dark, nor do they love it much even -by daylight, the reason being that it is haunted, for many have -seen walking up and down in it after midnight the form of a -ghostly friar, who is ever muttering to himself. So he -wanders, speaking to none, but now and then he seems to be in -great distress, and screams as if in agony, when light dim flames -fly from his mouth and nostrils, and then he suddenly -vanishes.</p> -<p>It is said that long, long ago there lived in or near Arezzo a -poor young orphan girl who had no relations, and had been taken -in charity as a servant in a farmer’s family, where she was -not unkindly treated, but where everything was in harsh contrast -to the life which she had led at home, for her parents, though -poor, were gentle folk, and had brought her up tenderly.</p> -<p>So it happened that when at Easter she was ordered to kill for -the usual feast a pet lamb, because all the rest were too busy to -attend to it, she could not bring herself to do it, and wept -bitterly when the lamb looked at her, which the master and -mistress could not understand, and thought her very silly. -And being deeply grieved at all this, she could eat nothing, and -so went along weeping, wishing that her life were at an -end. And while walking she met a priest, who was indeed a -black sheep of the flock, or rather a wolf, for he was a hardened -villain at heart, and ready for any knavery; and he, seeing that -the girl, whose name was Ortenzia, was in distress, drew from her -all her sad story, and was very much interested at learning that -she had some small store of money and a few jewels and clothes, -which her mother had charged her not to part with, but to keep -till she should be married or for dire need.</p> -<p><a name="page181"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 181</span>Then -the priest, pretending great sympathy and pity, said that the -farm was no place for her, and that he himself was in great need -of a maid-servant, and if she would come and live with him she -should be to him as a daughter, and treated like a lady, with -much more honeyed talk of the kind, till at last she assented to -his request, at which he greatly rejoiced, and bade her be -careful to bring with her all her property; whereupon he lost no -time in inducing her to sign a paper transferring it all to him, -which she in her ignorance very willingly did.</p> -<p>The poor child found very soon indeed that she had only -changed the frying-pan for the fire, for the same night the -priest made proposals to her, which she rejected in anger, when -he attempted force, which she resisted, being strong and -resolute, and declared that she would leave his house at -once. But when she asked for her money and small property -he jeered at her, saying that she had <i>given</i> it to him, and -all the law in the land could not take it away. And more -than this, he declared she was possessed by a devil, and would -certainly be damned for resisting him, and that he would -excommunicate and curse her. Hearing all this, the girl -became mad in fact, and rushed forth. For a long time she -went roaming about the roads, in woods, and living on what people -gave her in pity; but no one knew what it was that had turned her -brain, and the priest, of course, said all that was ill and false -of her.</p> -<p>One day, as the poor lunatic sat in a lonely place singing and -making bouquets of wild-flowers, the priest passed, and he, -seeing her still young and beautiful, was again inspired by -passion, and threw his arms about her. She, seized with -horror, again resisted, when all at once a voice was heard, and -there stood before them a tall and dignified man, who said to the -priest:</p> -<p>“Leave untouched that poor girl, who is all purity and -goodness, thou who art all that is vile and foul!”</p> -<p>Then the priest, in great terror and white as death, -replied:</p> -<p>“Pardon me, Signore Virgilio!”</p> -<p>“What thou hast deserved, thou must endure,” -replied Virgil, “and long and bitter must thy penance be; -but first of all restore to this poor creature all that of which -thou hast robbed her, and make a public avowal of her innocence -and of all thy crimes.”</p> -<p>And this he did; when Virgil said:</p> -<p><a name="page182"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -182</span>“Now from this hour thy spirit shall haunt the -street where thou hast lived, and thou shalt never leave it, but -wander up and down, thinking of all the evil thou hast -wrought. And when thou wouldst curse or rage, it shall come -forth from thy mouth in flames, and therewith thou shalt have -some short relief.”</p> -<p>As for the girl, she was restored to health, and Virgil made -for her a happy life, and she married well, and after a long and -prosperous life passed away, having founded a great family in the -land.</p> -<p>But the goblin friar still haunts the street in Arezzo, for he -has not yet fully and truly repented, and a life as evil as his -leaves its stain long after death.</p> -<h2>IL GIGLIO DI FIRENZE, OR THE STORY OF VIRGIL AND THE -LILIES.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“The lily is the symbol of beauty and -love. By the Greeks it was called -Χαρμα -Αφροδιτης, the -joy of Venus, and according to Alciatus, Venus Urania was -represented with a lily in her hand.”—J. B. <span -class="smcap">Friedrich</span>: <i>Die Symbolik der -Natur</i>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>This story is of the lily, or the <i>stemma</i>, or crest of -Florence. One day Virgilio went forth to walk when he met -with a Florentine, who saluted him, saying:</p> -<p>“Thou truly shouldst be a Florentine, since thou art by -name a <i>vero giglio</i>”—a true lily -(<i>Ver</i>’-<i>giglio</i>).</p> -<p>Then the poet replied:</p> -<p>“Truly I am entitled to the name, since our first -ancestors were as the lilies of the field, who toiled not, -neither did they spin, hence it came that they left me -nothing.”</p> -<p>“But thou wilt leave a lordly heritage,” replied -the nobleman, smiling; “the glory of a great name which -shall honour all thy fellow-citizens, and which will ever remain -in the shield as the flower of Florence.” <a -name="citation182"></a><a href="#footnote182" -class="citation">[182]</a></p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>This is a pretty tale, though it turns on a pun, and has -nothing more than that in it. Much has been <a -name="page183"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 183</span>written to -prove that the lilies in the shields of France and Florence and -on the ends of sceptres are not lilies, but there can be no -reasonable doubt of its Latin symbolical origin. Among the -Romans the lily was the emblem of public hope, of patriotic -expectation, hence we see Roman coins with lilies bearing the -mottoes: <i>Spes Publica</i>, <i>Spes Augusta</i>, <i>Spes Populi -Romani</i>, and Virgil himself, in referring to Marcellus, the -presumed heir to the throne of Augustus, makes Anchises cry: -“Bring handfuls of lilies!”</p> -<p>This did not occur to me till after translating the foregoing -little tradition, and it is appropriate enough to suggest that it -may have had some connection with the tale. The idea of its -being attached to power, probably in reference to the community -governed, was ancient and widely spread. Not only was the -garment of the Olympian Jupiter adorned with lilies, <a -name="citation183a"></a><a href="#footnote183a" -class="citation">[183a]</a> but the old German Thor held in one -hand the lightning and in the other a lily sceptre <a -name="citation183b"></a><a href="#footnote183b" -class="citation">[183b]</a> indicating peace and purity, or the -welfare of the people. The lily was also the type of purity -from its whiteness, the origin of which came from Susanna the -Chaste, who during the Babylonian captivity remained the only -virgin. Susan is in Hebrew <i>Shusam</i>, which means a -lily. “This was transferred to the Virgin -Mary.” Hence the legend that Saint Ægidius, -when the immaculateness of the Virgin was questioned, wrote in -sand the query as to whether she was a maid before, during, and -after the Conception, whereupon a lily at once grew forth out of -the sand, as is set forth in a poem by the German Smetz—of -which lily-legends of many kinds there are enough to make a book -as large as this of mine.</p> -<p><a name="page184"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 184</span>The -cult of the lily in a poetical sense was carried to a great -extent at one time. The Dominican P. Tommaso Caraffa, in -his “Poetiche Dicerie,” or avowed efforts at fine -writing, devotes a page of affected and certainly florid Italian -to the “Giglio,” and there are Latin poems or -passages on it by Bisselius, P. Laurent le Brun, P. Alb. Ines, -given by Gandutius (“Descriptiones Poeticæ”), -Leo Sanctius and A. Chanutius. There is also a passage in -Martial eulogizing the flower in comparing to it the white tunic -given to him by Parthenio:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Lilia tu vincis, nec adhuc dilapsa -ligustra,<br /> -Et Tiburtino monte quod albet ebur.<br /> -Spartanus tibi cedit color, Paphiæque columna<br /> -Cedit Erithræis eruta gemma vadis.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>I saw once upon a time in Venice a magnificent snow-white -carpet covered with lilies—a present from the Sultan to the -well-known English diplomat and scholar, Layard—to which it -seems to me that those lines of the Latin poet would be far more -applicable than they could have been to what was in reality about -the same as an ordinary clean shirt or blouse—for such was -in fact the Roman tunic. It must, however, be candidly -admitted that he does good service to humanity who in any way -renders romantic, poetic, or popular, clean linen or personal -purity of any kind.</p> -<h2><a name="page185"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -185</span>VIRGIL AND THE BEAUTIFUL LADY OF THE LILY.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Ecce tibi viridi se <i>Lilia</i> candice -tollunt,<br /> -Atque humiles alto despactant vertice flores<br /> -Virginea ridente coma.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right">P. <span class="smcap">Laurence le -Brun</span>, <i>El.</i> 50, 1. 7.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Once the Emperor went hunting, when he heard a marvellously -sweet voice as of a lady singing, and all his dogs, as if called, -ran into the forest.</p> -<p>The Emperor followed and was amazed at seeing a lady, -beautiful beyond any he had ever beheld, holding in one hand a -lily and wearing a broad girdle as of steel and gold, which shone -like diamonds. The dogs fawned round her when the Emperor -addressed her, but as he spoke she sank into the ground, and left -no trace.</p> -<p>The Emperor came the second day also, alone, and beheld her -again, when she disappeared as before.</p> -<p>The third day he told the whole to Virgil, and took the sage -with him. And when the lady appeared Virgil touched her -with his wand, and she stood still as a statue.</p> -<p>Then Virgil said:</p> -<p>“Oh, my lord, consider well this Lady of the Lily, and -especially her girdle; for in the time when that lady shall lose -that girdle Florence will gain more in one year than it now -increases in ten.”</p> -<p>And with this the lady vanished as before, and they returned -home.</p> -<h2>VIRGIL AND THE DAUGHTER OF THE EMPEROR OF ROME.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“As the lily dies away<br /> -In the garden, in the plain,<br /> -Then as beautiful and gay<br /> -In the summer comes again;<br /> -So may life, when love is o’er,<br /> -In a child appear once more.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>The following strange legend, which was taken down by -Maddalena from some authority to me unknown, near Arezzo, is so -imperfectly told in the original, and <a name="page186"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 186</span>is, moreover, so evidently repieced -and botched by an ignorant narrator, that I at first rejected it -altogether; but finding on consideration that it had some curious -relations with other tales, I determined to give it for what it -may be worth.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>Once the Emperor of Rome was in his palace very melancholy, -nor could he rally (<i>ralegrarla</i>), do what he might. -Then he went forth into the groves to hear the birds sing, for -this generally cheered him, but now it was of no avail.</p> -<p>Then he sent a courier to Florence, and bade him call Virgil -with all haste.</p> -<p>Virgil followed the messenger at full speed.</p> -<p>“What wilt thou of me?” asked the sorcerer of the -Emperor.</p> -<p>“I wish to be relieved from the melancholy which -oppresses me. I want joy.”</p> -<p>“Do like me, and thou wilt always have a peaceful -mind:</p> -<blockquote><p>“‘I work no evil to any man;<br /> -I ever do what good I can.<br /> -He who acts thus has ever the power<br /> -To turn to peace the darkest hour!’”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>“Nor do I recall that I ever did anything to -regret,” replied the Emperor.</p> -<p>“Well, then, come with me, for I think that a little -journey will be the best means of distracting your mind and -relieving you from melancholy.”</p> -<p>“Very well,” replied the Emperor. -“Lead where you will; anything for a change.”</p> -<p>“We will take a look at all the small districts of -Tuscany,” answered Virgil.</p> -<blockquote><p>“Going from the Florentino,<br /> -Through Valdarno to Casentino;<br /> -Where’er we see the olives bloom,<br /> -And smell the lily’s rich perfume,<br /> -And mountains rise and rivulets flow,<br /> -Thither, my lord, we two will go.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>To which the Emperor replied:</p> -<blockquote><p><a name="page187"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -187</span>“Where’er you will, all things to see,<br -/> -High or low—’tis all one to me,<br /> -If I can only happy be.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>So they travelled on through many places, but the Emperor was -ever dull and sad; but when in Cortona he said that he felt a -little better, and went forth with Virgil to look about the -town.</p> -<p>[And it was unto this place and to a certain end that Virgil -led his lord.]</p> -<p>Passing along a street, they saw at a window a girl of -extraordinary beauty, who was knitting. . . . <a -name="citation187a"></a><a href="#footnote187a" -class="citation">[187a]</a></p> -<p>The girl instead of being angered, laughed, showing two rows -of beautiful teeth, and said:</p> -<p>“Thou mayst become gold, and the skein a twist of -gold.”</p> -<p>The girl was utterly surprised and confused at this, and knew -not whether to accept or refuse (the gift offered).</p> -<p>The Emperor said to Virgil:</p> -<p>“Just see how beautiful she is. I would like to -win her love, and make her mine.”</p> -<p>“Always the same song,” replied Virgil. -“You never so much as say, ‘I wish she were my -daughter.’”</p> -<p>“She can never be my daughter,” answered the -Emperor; “but as she is as poor as she is beautiful, she -may very easily become my love. Honour is of no value to a -poor person.”</p> -<p>“Nay,” replied Virgil, “when the poor know -its value, it is worth as much to them as gold to you who are -wealthy. <a name="citation187b"></a><a href="#footnote187b" -class="citation">[187b]</a> And it is from your neglecting -this that you have so long suffered, you knew not why [but an -evil deed will burn, though you see no light and know not what it -is]. For thus didst thou once betray a poor maid, and then -cast her away without a further thought, not even bestowing aught -upon her. And thou hadst a daughter, and her mother now -lies ill and is well nigh to death. And it is this which -afflicted thee [for every deed sends its light or shadow at some -time unto the doer]. And now, if thou dost not repair this -wrong, thou wilt never more know peace, and shalt ever sit in the -chair of penitence.”</p> -<p><a name="page188"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -188</span>“And where is my daughter and her mother?” -asked the Emperor.</p> -<p>“That girl is the daughter, and if you would see her -mother, follow me,” replied Virgil.</p> -<p>When they entered the room where the dying woman lay, the -Emperor recognised in her one whom he had loved.</p> -<p>“Truly,” he said, “she was the most -beautiful to me of all.”</p> -<p>And he embraced and kissed her; she was of marvellous beauty; -she asked him if he recognised their daughter.</p> -<p>“I recognise and acknowledge her,” he -replied. “Wilt thou live?”</p> -<p>“No,” she replied; “for I have lived to the -end, and return to life. [I am a fairy (<i>fata</i>) who -came to earth to teach thee that fortune and power are given to -the great not to oppress the weak and poor, but to -benefit.”]</p> -<p>Saying this she died, and there remained a great bouquet of -flowers.</p> -<p>The Emperor took his daughter to the palace, where she passed -for his niece, and with her the flowers in which he ever beheld -his old fairy love, and thus he lived happy and contented.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>To supply a very important omission in this legend, I would -add that the bouquet was certainly of lilies, as occurs in other -legends, and the real meaning of the whole is a very significant -illustration of the history and meaning of the flower. Old -writers and mythic symbolism, as Friedrich and many more have -shown, believed that Nature taught, not vaguely and -metaphorically, but directly, many moral lessons, and that of the -lily was purity and truth. By comparing this with the other -stories relating to this flower which I have given, it will -hardly be denied that my conjectural emendations formed part of -the original, which the narrator had not remembered or -understood.</p> -<p>There is something beautifully poetical in the fancy that -spirits, <i>fata</i>, assume human form, that they by their -influence on great men, princes or kaisars, may <a -name="page189"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 189</span>change -their lives, and teach them lessons by means of love or -flowers. This makes of the tale an allegory. It was -in this light that Dante saw all the poems of Virgil, as appears -by passages in the “Convito,” in which curious book -(p. 36, ed. 1490) there is a passage declaring that the world is -round and hath a North and South Pole, in the former of which -there is a city named Maria, and on the other one called Lucia, -and that Rome is 2,600 miles from the one, “more or -less,” and 7,500 miles from the other.</p> -<blockquote><p>“And thus do men, each in his different -way,<br /> -From fancies unto wilder fancies stray.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Or as the same great poet expresses it in the same curious -book: “Man is like unto a weary pilgrim upon a road which -he hath never before travelled, who every time that he sees from -afar a house, deems that it is the lodging which he seeks, and -finding his mistake, believes it is the next, and so he erreth on -from place to place until he finds the tavern which he -seeks. And ’tis the same, be it with boys seeking -apples or birds, or their elders taking fancies to garments, or a -horse, or a woman, or wealth, ever wanting something else or more -and so ever on.”</p> -<p>The lily in Italian tales is the flower of happy, saintly -deaths; it fills the beds of the departing, it sprouts from the -graves of the holy and the good. In one legend it is the -white flower of the departing soul which changes into a white -bird. But in this story it has a doubly significant -meaning, as the crest of Florence and as conveying a significant -meaning to its ruler.</p> -<p>The “Convito” of Dante is not nearly so well known -as the “Commedia,” but it deserves study. The -only <a name="page190"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -190</span>copy which I have ever read is the editio princeps of -1490, which I bought of an itinerant street-vendor for 4 soldi, -or twopence.</p> -<h2>VIRGIL AND POLLIONE, OR THE SPIRIT OF THE PROVERB.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“A Proverb is a relic or remain of ancient -philosophy, preserved among many ruins by its brevity and -fitness.”—<span class="smcap">Aristotle ap. -Synesius</span>.</p> -<p>“I Proverbi e la sapienza dell uomo<br /> -El Proverbio no fale.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><i>Proverbi Veneti</i>, <i>da</i> -<span class="smcap">Pasqualigo</span>.</p> -<p>“He who leaves money leaves what may be lost,<br /> -But he who leaves a <i>Proverb</i> keen and true<br /> -Leaves that wherein his soul will never die.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right">C. G. <span -class="smcap">Leland</span>.</p> -<p>“Tremendo leone, destriero animoso<br /> -Che in lungo riposo giaceste al suo pié.<br /> -Mostrate agli audaci cui grato e l’ errore<br /> -Che ’l vostro vigore scemato non è.”</p> -<p style="text-align: right"><span class="smcap">Gabriel -Rossetti</span> (1832).</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There was once a young man of genius, and honest; he was a -true gentleman (<i>vero galantuomo</i>), with a good heart.</p> -<p>At that time there was also in Rome a great magician who was -called the Poet, but his real name was Virgilio. And the -honest youth, whose name was Pollione, was a student with -Virgilio, and also his servant.</p> -<p>Everybody may have heard who Virgilio was, and how he was a -sorcerer above all others. He had a custom of giving to his -friends sayings and proverbs, or sentences <a -name="citation190a"></a><a href="#footnote190a" -class="citation">[190a]</a> wherein there was always wisdom or a -moral. His friends did not know it, but with every one of -these sayings there went a spirit, and if they gave heed to the -saying <a name="citation190b"></a><a href="#footnote190b" -class="citation">[190b]</a> the spirit took care that from it -some good resulted to them.</p> -<p>One day when Virgil gave sayings to his friends, he said to -Pollione:</p> -<p>“When a man speaks to you, hear to the end all that he -has to say before answering.”</p> -<p><a name="page191"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 191</span>After -a while Pollione left Rome, and went to Florence. While -wandering, he found himself not far from Lucca, in a solitary -forest. And while resting he observed a stone, almost -hidden under the grass, on which stone were letters, and, -clearing it away, he read the word “Lift.” So -he raised the stone, and found under it a small ancient vase, in -which was a gold ring. Then he took the ring, and went his -way.</p> -<p>And after weary wandering he found a small house, empty, into -which he entered. It was one of the cabins in which -peasants store chestnuts or grain or their implements for -work. Therein was a partition of boards, and the youth lay -down behind it and went to sleep.</p> -<p>After a little time there entered two friars, who never -suspected there was anybody behind the screen, so they began to -talk freely. And Pollione, awaking, listened to them.</p> -<p>One friar said to the other:</p> -<p>“It is now a year since old Father Girolamo died, who on -his deathbed left to us both, to wear by turns, the gold ring -which is hid somewhere in this wood in a vase under a stone on -which is the word ‘Lift.’ Pity that he died -before he could tell us just where it is. So we have sought -and sought in vain, and so we must seek on, seek ever.”</p> -<p>When Pollione heard that, in the honesty of his heart, he was -about to show himself and cry out, “Here is your -ring!” when all at once he recalled the proverb of Virgilio -to always hear all that a man has to say before answering. -So he kept quiet, while the other friar said:</p> -<p>“Thou knowest that with that ring one can turn any man -or woman into any kind of an animal. What wouldst thou do -with it if it were thine?”</p> -<p>“I,” replied the other, “would at once -change our Abbot into an ass, and beat him half to death ten -times a day, because he put me <i>in penitenza</i> and in prison -because I got drunk.”</p> -<p>“And I,” answered the second friar, “would -change the proud, beautiful daughter of the count who lives in -the castle yonder into a female dog, and keep her in that form -till she should consent to be my mistress. Truly, I would -give her a good lesson, and make her repent having scorned -me.”</p> -<p>When Pollione heard such talk as this he reflected:</p> -<p><a name="page192"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -192</span>“I think I would do well to keep the ring -myself.”</p> -<p>Then he took a piece of paper and wrote on it:</p> -<blockquote><p>“L’ anello non avrai,<br /> -Ma asinello tu sarai,<br /> -Tu asinello diventerai<br /> -E non l’Abate,<br /> -Cosi dicono le Fate.”</p> -<p>“The ring of gold is not for thee,<br /> -For thou thyself an ass shalt be;<br /> -Not the Abbot, but thou in truth,<br /> -This the Fairies say in sooth.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>This poem he placed on the stone which had covered the -ring. And when the two friars found and read it, and -discovered that the ring was gone, they verily believed that the -fairies had overheard them and taken away the ring, and so, full -of sorrow, returned to their convent.</p> -<p>Then Pollione, ever travelling on, one day met in Verona a -clever, bold-looking young man, who was playing marvellous -juggler’s tricks in a public place. And, looking -closely at one another, each recognised in his observer the -wizard who knew hidden things.</p> -<p>“Let us go together,” said Pollione. -“We shall do better by mutual aid.”</p> -<p>So they went into partnership.</p> -<p>One evening they found themselves in a castle, where the -signore treated them very kindly; and this lord had a beautiful -daughter, who looked at Pollione with long glances, nor were his -at her one whit shorter.</p> -<p>But the father seemed to be dying with some great sorrow; and -at last he said to Pollione:</p> -<p>“Thou art a gentleman, and a man who is learned in books -and wise. It may be that thou canst give me good advice and -save me. If thou canst, there is nothing of mine which I -will not give thee. And this is the story:</p> -<p>“A year ago I was sent on State affairs to -Constantinople, where the Sultan promised me that within a -certain time he would send me a lion as a gift for our Grand -Duke.</p> -<p>“And after I had returned to Italy I told the Duke of -this, at which he was greatly pleased. But when the time -had come to an end the lion did not arrive. Then several of -the courtiers who were my envious enemies made the Duke believe -that the tale of the lion was all a lie, and a mere boast of -mine.</p> -<p><a name="page193"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -193</span>“Then the Duke said to me that if the lion did -not arrive within six months I should lose my head, and the -allotted time is nearly past.”</p> -<p>“I believe that I can save you,” replied -Pollione. “I will do it, if only to please your -daughter.”</p> -<p>“Do it, and she shall be thine,” answered the -father.</p> -<p>And the daughter smiled.</p> -<p>So the signore wrote to the Grand Duke that on a certain day -the lion would be his, and invited him with all the court to his -castle to see it.</p> -<p>Then there was at the time appointed a grand pavilion, in -which was the Grand Duke, with all the courtiers and music.</p> -<p>The sorcerer Jannes, who was the companion of Pollione, had -formed a deep attachment to the signore, as the latter had to -him. Then the magician asked the lord to point out -carefully to him all those who were his enemies.</p> -<p>And then from a tent there came forth a great lion. It -was the magician, who had been touched by the ring.</p> -<p>The music sounded, and the people cried, “<i>Evviva il -lione</i>!” Hurrah for the lion!</p> -<p>But when the lion, running round the course, came to the -courtiers, he roared and became like a raging devil. He -leaped over the barrier, and, attacking the courtiers, tore them -limb from limb, and did terrible things. Nor could the Duke -say anything, for it was his own fault.</p> -<p>Then the lion bounded away and was seen no more.</p> -<p>So the signore was saved, and Pollione wedded his daughter, -and became very wealthy and a great lord.</p> -<p>And it is a true thing that there are wizards’ sayings -or proverbs which cause good luck—<i>buona fortuna</i>; and -if such a proverb remains always in the memory the spirit of the -proverb will aid him who knows it. And to secure his aid -one should repeat this spell:</p> -<blockquote><p> “Spirito del proverbio!<br -/> - Ti prego di stampare<br /> -Questo proverbio corretamente<br /> -Per sempre nella mia mente,<br /> - Ti prego di aiutarlo,<br /> - Sempre cosi la detta sara<br /> - Cagione della felicità.”</p> -<p>“Spirit of the proverb,<br /> -I pray thee to impress<br /> -<a name="page194"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 194</span>This -proverb exactly<br /> -And for ever in my mind,<br /> -So that it may ever be<br /> -A blessing and a joy to me.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>And this done, the proverb or poem will become a living -spirit, which will aid you to become learned and wise. <a -name="citation194"></a><a href="#footnote194" -class="citation">[194]</a></p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>As the <i>Jatakas</i> of Buddha, which perhaps give the origin -of the fable, were all intended to set forth the great doctrine -of the immortality of the soul in transmigrations, so most -stories like the preceding have for an aim or object the teaching -of a spell. That which is here explained is very singular, -yet the idea is one which would naturally occur to a student of -magic. It is that in a deep meaning or moral there is a -<i>charm</i>, and every charm implies a spirit. Hence a -spirit may go with a proverb, which in its form is like a -spell. It is simply a perception of the similarity of a -saying or proverb to a charm. As the Pythagoreans and -Neo-Platonists believed there were spirits in numbers and ideas, -so a believer might even more rationally conceive of a soul in a -wise saying.</p> -<h2>VIRGIL AND MATTEO, OR ANOTHER PROVERB OF VIRGILIO.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Proverbi, noti spontaneamente, e quasi -inconsciamente sulle labbre del popolo, oltre contenere una -profonda sapienza . . . manifestano la prontezza, il -brio.”—<span class="smcap">Da Augusto Alfani</span>: -<i>Proverbi e Modi Proverbiali</i> (1882).</p> -</blockquote> -<p>The following story is translated from the Romognola, or -mountain dialect, also called Bolognesa, which is a rude, strange -patois, believed to be very <a name="page195"></a><span -class="pagenum">p. 195</span>ancient. It was written by a -native of Rocca Casciano, near Forli. The beginning of it -in the original is as follows:</p> -<p>“<i>Un Eter proverbi di Virgilio</i>.—Ho iera una -volta un om co des a Verzeglie che un su usen lera un ledre e -vieva rube quaicosa, e é bon om ed nom Matei, e pregheva -Verzeglie ed ulei de un det, ho proverbi, incontre a e le -der.”</p> -<p>There was once a man who said to Virgil that one of his -neighbours was a thief, who had stolen something from him, and -the man, whose name was Matteo, begged Virgil to give him a -saying or a proverb against the thief.</p> -<p>Virgil replied: “Truly thou hast been robbed; but be of -good cheer, and thou mayst regain thine own again if thou wilt -remember this saying:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Se un dievele ti disprezza,<br /> -Tu guent un dievele e mezza,<br /> -E quan e lup la e tu agnel,<br /> -L’ e temp et tolá su pel.”</p> -<p>“If a devil should injure thee,<br /> -Doubly a devil thou shouldst be;<br /> -And if a wolf thy lamb should win,<br /> -’Tis time for thee to take his skin.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Matteo had learned that the thief, whose name was Bandelone, -was in the habit of sitting by a pool or pond, and whenever any -traveller came by he would cry that he had let fall a bag of gold -into the water, and, being very lame and ill, could not dive for -it. So he would promise a great reward to him who would -recover it.</p> -<p>Then the traveller, deluded by the tale, would strip himself -and dive into the pool, which was very deep, with steep -banks. And while he was under water the crafty thief would -seize on his clothes, arms, and money, mount his horse, and ride -away.</p> -<p>Matteo reflected on this. Then he got a small bag and -filled it with nails, so that it seemed to be heavy, as if with -money. So he went to the pool, where Bandelone was waiting -like a spider for flies, and seeing Matteo, whom he did not -recognise, because the latter was disguised, he began to cry:</p> -<p>“Oh, kind sir, have pity on a poor man who has lost his -whole fortune!” And so he went on to tell how he had -<a name="page196"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 196</span>dropped -his bag full of gold in the water, and was too weak to dive for -it, with all the rest of the tale.</p> -<p>Then Matteo consented to dive for the purse; but first of all -put his horse, with all his arms and clothes, on the opposite -bank, where they would be in safety.</p> -<p>Bandelone was angry enough at this, and cried:</p> -<p>“Why do you do that? Do you think I am a -thief?”</p> -<p>“No, friend,” answered Matteo. “But if -a thief should come to take my things thou wouldst be too weak to -defend them, and he might do thee harm. It is all for thy -good that I take such care.”</p> -<p>Bandelone wished all this kind care to the devil, but he had -to submit. Then Matteo dived twice or thrice, and then came -out of the water as if overjoyed, crying, as he held his bag of -nails <a name="citation196"></a><a href="#footnote196" -class="citation">[196]</a> on high:</p> -<p>“Ech! Ho alo trovè e sac d’ -oro! Com le grand!”—Behold, I have found the -bag of gold! How large it is!</p> -<p>Bandelone was indeed surprised at this; but, believing that -Matteo had by chance really found a treasure, he cried:</p> -<p>“Yes, that is mine! Give it to me!”</p> -<p>“<i>Zentiment</i>! Fair and softly, friend,” -replied Matteo. “Give me half, or I will keep it -all.”</p> -<p>Bandelone would by no means consent to this. At last -Matteo said:</p> -<p>“Well, as I do not know what is in the bag, I will take -a risk. Give me your horse and sword and cloak for the -bag. That is my last word, and if you utter another I will -ride away with the bag and keep all.”</p> -<p>So Bandelone gave him his horse and cloak and a fine -sword. And Matteo, when mounted, pitched him the bag, and -rode away singing merrily:</p> -<blockquote><p>“If a devil should injure thee,<br /> -Doubly a devil thou must be;<br /> -And if a wolf thy lamb should win,<br /> -’Tis time for thee to take his skin.”</p> -</blockquote> -<h2><a name="page197"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -197</span>VIRGILIO AND THE FATHER OF TWELVE CHILDREN.<br /> -A <span class="smcap">Legend from Colle di Val d’Elsa, -Tuscany</span>.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“In the earliest form of the legend, Virgil -appears not only as doing no harm, but also as a great -benefactor.”—<span class="smcap">Comparetti</span>: -<i>Virgil in the Middle Ages</i>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Once when Virgil was in Colle di Val d’Elsa, he found -that the utmost poverty and wretchedness prevailed among the -people. Everywhere were men and women wailing and weeping -because they could not get food for their children.</p> -<p>Virgil began by giving alms right and left, but was obliged to -cease, finding that all his means would be but a trifle towards -relieving such suffering. Therefore he resolved to go to -the Emperor and beg him to use his authority in the matter. -But while in the first furlong of his journey he met a man -wailing bitterly, and on asking the cause, the one who wept -replied:</p> -<p>“<i>Caro Signore</i>, I weep in despair not for myself, -but for my twelve children, who, starving, lie on the bare -ground. And this day we are to be turned out of the house -because I owe for the rent. And I have gone hither and -thither to seek work and found none, and now thou knowest -all.”</p> -<p>Then Virgil, who was kind of heart, replied:</p> -<p>“Be not afraid of the future. Holy Providence -which takes care of the birds of the air will also provide for -you.”</p> -<p>“My dear lord,” replied the poor man, “I -trust it is true what you tell me, but I have waited a long time -now for Holy Providence without seeing it.”</p> -<p>“Hope yet a little longer,” answered Virgil. -“Just now I will go with you to your house and see how I -can aid you.”</p> -<p>“Thank you, my lord,” replied the poor man, whose -doubts in a Holy Providence began to weaken. So they went -together, and truly found twelve children with their mother, -well-nigh dying from cold, hunger, and exposure.</p> -<p>Then Virgil, having relieved them, thought deeply what could -be done to help all this wretchedness, and invoked a certain -spirit in whom he trusted—<i>un spirito di sua -fiducia</i>—asking how he could aid the suffering -<i>Colligiani</i>.</p> -<p>And the spirit replied:</p> -<blockquote><p><a name="page198"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -198</span>“Sorti da quella casa,<br /> -E passa disotto a una torre,<br /> -E nel passare<br /> -Si senti a chiamare<br /> -A nome, alze il capo,<br /> -Ma non videte nessuno,<br /> -Soltanto senti una voce,<br /> -Una voce che le disse<br /> -‘Sali su questa torre!’”</p> -<p>“Leave this house, in going,<br /> -Thou’lt pass beneath a tower,<br /> -And hear a voice which calls thee,<br /> -Yet looking, thou’lt see nothing,<br /> -Yet still will hear it crying,<br /> -‘Virgil, ascend the tower!’”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Virgil did this, and heard the Voice call him, when he -ascended the tower and there beheld a small red goblin, who was -visible to him alone, because Virgil had invoked him. And -the Spirit said to him:</p> -<p>“Behold this little dog. Return with it to the -house whence thou hast come, and go forth with the poor man, and -take the dog with you. And where the dog stops there -dig!”</p> -<p>And they did so. And they went away, and at last the dog -stopped at a place, and the poor man began to dig. And lo! -ere long the earth became red, and he came to iron ore. And -from this discovery resulted the iron factory of Colle, and by it -that of glass; wherever the dog led they found minerals. So -from that time there was no more suffering because there was work -for all.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>This legend is a full confirmation of what I have elsewhere -remarked, that these “witch-stories” have almost -invariably a deeper meaning or moral than is to be found in the -“popular tales” generally prevalent among peasants -and children. Thus, while we find in this the magician -Virgil, his invocation to a familiar spirit, the apparition of -the Red Goblin of the Tower and the mystical dog of the Kobold, -or goblins of the mines, there is with it a noble reflection that -the best way to relieve suffering is to provide work. In an -<a name="page199"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 199</span>ordinary -fairy-tale the magician would have simply conjured up a treasure -and have given it to the poor.</p> -<p>Apropos of the word <i>goblin</i>, which is generally supposed -to be from the German <i>Kobold</i>, I would observe that the -Greek κοβαλι or -<i>cobali</i> are defined in a curious old French work as -<i>lutins</i>, “household spirits, or domestic -fairies.”</p> -<h2>VIRGILIO AS A PHYSICIAN, OR VIRGIL AND THE MOUSE.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“Now to signify destruction and death they -paint a <i>mouse</i>. For it gnaweth all things, and works -ruin.”—<span class="smcap">Hori Apolli</span>: -<i>Hieroglyphica</i>; <i>Rome</i>, 1606.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>There once lived in Florence a young gentleman—<i>un -gran signore</i>—who wedded a beautiful young lady to whom -he was passionately attached, as she indeed was for a time to -him. But “fickle and fair is nothing rare,” and -it came to pass that before long she gave her love again to an -intimate friend of her husband. And the latter did not -indeed perceive the cause, but he was much grieved at the -indifference to him which his wife began to show.</p> -<p>Then the wife began to tell her lover how her husband had -scolded her for her neglect, and how much afraid she was lest -their intrigue would be discovered, and that she was so uneasy -that she was ready to poison her spouse “if she could only -get rid of him!”</p> -<p>The lover replied that there were many ways to get rid of a -man without really killing him, for that a violent death would -lead to suspicion, inquiry, scandal, and perhaps legal -punishment. And then he hinted that a better method would -be to consult a witch.</p> -<p>The lady lost no time in running to one, to whom she told her -whole story, and what she wanted, and as she began by paying a -large fee, the sorceress promised she should have her wish.</p> -<p>Then the witch prepared with magic skill a flask of water, <a -name="page200"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 200</span>and a -powder. The water she gave to the wife, and bade her -sprinkle it over her husband’s clothes. But she -changed herself into a mouse, and having been carried to the -bedroom which the married couple occupied, she gnawed a hole in -the mattress, and crawling in, dragged after her the bag, and so -remained hidden.</p> -<p>When the husband went to bed, there came over him an utter -weakness and sickness, so that he lay in pain as if dead, and -this grew worse day by day. His parents in vain called in -the first physicians, and every remedy was resorted to without -result.</p> -<p>Then Virgilio, who knew much and suspected all the rest of -this affair, was angry that so vile a woman and her gallant -should inflict such torture on an excellent and innocent man, and -resolved to have a hand in the affair.</p> -<p>Therewith he dressed himself as a <i>medico</i>, or doctor, -from some distant land, saying that he had heard of this -extraordinary case of illness, and would like to see the -sufferer. To which the parents replied that he was welcome -to do so, since all the professors of medicine in Florence could -make nothing of it.</p> -<p>The doctor looked steadily for some time at the patient, who -appeared to be in such utter prostration and misery as might have -moved the hardest heart. By him sat his wife, pretending to -weep, but counting to herself with pleasure the time which would -pass before her husband should die—giving now and then a -suspicious glance at the new-comer.</p> -<p>Then Virgilio said to the wife:</p> -<p>“Signora, I beg you to leave the room for a while. -I must be alone with this man!”</p> -<p>Whereupon she, with a great show of tears and passion, -declared she would not leave the room, because her husband might -die at any minute, and she could never forgive herself were she -to be absent, and so on. To which Virgilio angrily replied, -that she might depart in peace, with the assurance that her -husband would be cured. So she went out, cursing him in her -heart, if there was a chance that he could do as he declared.</p> -<p>Then Virgilio took a mirror which he had brought with him, and -placing it before the eyes of the invalid, bade him look at it as -steadily and as long as he could. The young man did so, and -then said, as if in despair:</p> -<p><a name="page201"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -201</span>“For me there is no remedy, O doctor, for what -you show me is worse than my disorder, as I supposed it to -be. Truly I see death, and not myself.”</p> -<p>“Courage!” replied Virgilio. “You -shall be cured.”</p> -<p>“Cure me,” he answered, “and you shall have -all that I possess.”</p> -<p>“Nay, I will cure you first,” said Virgilio, -“and then settle on easier terms.”</p> -<p>The patient looked steadily at the mirror. Virgilio -rapped thrice with a wand, when there suddenly leaped from the -bed a mouse, which uttered three horrible, piercing -screams. The doctor bade the invalid continue to look -steadily at himself in the mirror, and for his life not to cease -doing so. Without turning round, the doctor ordered the -mouse to enter the bed and lick up and bring away with her on her -tongue all the water which the wife had sprinkled on the -clothes. And this done, he bade her bring again out of the -bed all the powder which she had placed there. Which being -effected, he ordered the mouse to make of it a pellet, and devour -it; but here she resisted, for to do that meant death to her and -a cure to the invalid.</p> -<p>But the doctor was inflexible, and she had to obey. Nor -had she begun to eat it before he bade the husband rise, which he -did, feeling perfectly recovered, though much confused at such a -sudden change.</p> -<p>Then Virgilio ordered the mouse to mount the bed, and lo! she -changed to a woman, for she was, of course, the witch who had -done all this devil’s work. And the sorceress bade -them call parents and wife and all. And when they came the -witch said:</p> -<p>“Evil my life has been, and evil will be the death which -in a few minutes will come to me; yet am I not so evil as this -woman, who would have killed by the worst suffering the husband -who loved her. For hell hath many who are bad, but the -worst are they who return evil for good. And he who hath -ended this thing by his power is the great Virgilio, who is the -lord of magic in all this land.”</p> -<p>Then she told, step by step, how the wife had turned her heart -from her husband, almost as soon as she was married, and wished -to kill him, and had paid her to bewitch him. Then Virgilio -opened the window and the witch indeed died, or it was the last -seen of her, for with a horrible howl she vanished in the night, -flying away.</p> -<p><a name="page202"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 202</span>The -husband recovered, and would have given Virgilio all his wealth, -but he would accept nothing but the young man’s -friendship. And the guilty wife was imprisoned for life in -a castle, far away in the mountains and alone.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>Virgil appears as a <i>physician</i> so distinctly in this and -other tales as to induce the question whether he had not, quite -apart from his reputation as poet and magician, some fame as -professor of the healing art. And in fact, as I have shown -in the legend of Virgil and the Spirit of Mirth, he on one -occasion at least is, by Pæonia, identified with -Esculapius. The latter is described as having “a -countenance bright with joy and serenity,” and being very -benevolent and genial—wherein he agrees with the -poet. The God of Medicine, it is expressly stated, used -“sweet incantations,” or poetical spells, which is -also significant. He was also associated with Apollo and -the Muses, as in the temple of Messina. The author of the -great “Dizionario Storico Mitologico” (1824) plainly -declares that “Esculapius is another form of Apollo, in -whom poetry and medicine were combined. In the temple -devoted to him in Sycione, Esculapius is associated with -Diana. In a Roman bas-relief he appears with the Three -Graces; in one of these legends Virgil is associated with four -Venuses.” Making every allowance, it must be admitted -that, comparing all that is known of the God of Medicine with -what appears in these legends of the Mantuan bard, there is a -remarkable general likeness between the two. Virgil is -also, here and there, curiously identified with the serpent and -the staff, which were the symbols of Esculapius; and, as I have -before noted, Buddha, who had so much in common with Virgil, was -in his first incarnation a physician.</p> -<h2><a name="page203"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 203</span>THE -ONION OF CETTARDO.</h2> -<blockquote><p>“On, Stanley, on!”—<span -class="smcap">Marmion</span>.</p> -<p>“Were I in noble Stanley’s place,<br /> -When Marmion urged him to the chase,<br /> -The word which you would then descry<br /> -Might bring a tear to every eye.”—<span -class="smcap">Anonymous</span>.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Virgil is introduced, I may say, almost incidentally in the -following tale, not by any means as <i>coryphæus</i> or -hero, as is indeed the case in several other stories, which fact, -on due reflection, is of importance, because it indicates -unmistakably that he is so well known in popular tradition as to -be recognisable even in a minor rôle. It is as when -one swears by a saint, or Bacchus—in Florence one hears the -latter invoked forty times where a Christian deity is -apostrophized once—’tis not to form a portion of the -sentence, but to give it force, as Chinese artillerymen, when -they fire a ball at an enemy, sometimes grease the mouth of a -gun, to increase the loudness of the report and thereby frighten -the foe. Which figure of a saint is not that of Saint -Malapropos, because, as the reader may note in another tale, -Virgil is very seriously described as a santo.</p> -<p>Now to the narrative. <i>Sancte Virgile</i>, <i>ora pro -nobis</i>!</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>In very ancient times there were few families in Cettardo, and -these were all perfectly equal, there being among them neither -rich nor poor. They all worked hard in fields or forests -for a living, and were like a company of friends or brothers.</p> -<p>And of evenings, when they were not too weary, they met many -together in some house, all in love and harmony, to talk about -the crops, and their children, or repeat the <i>rosario</i>, <a -name="citation203"></a><a href="#footnote203" -class="citation">[203]</a> or discuss their clothing, or cattle, -or whatever interested them.</p> -<p><a name="page204"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 204</span>These -people were all as one, and had no head or chief. <a -name="citation204a"></a><a href="#footnote204a" -class="citation">[204a]</a> But one evening a very little -girl came out with a thing (<i>sorti con una cosa</i>) which -astonished all who were present, because the child had received -no instruction, and did not know what a school meant. And -what she said was this:</p> -<p>“<i>Babbo</i>—papa—I wish to tell thee -something in presence of all who are here assembled, with all due -respect to them, since there are certainly so many here who could -with greater propriety set it forth. <a -name="citation204b"></a><a href="#footnote204b" -class="citation">[204b]</a> Therefore, I trust you will -pardon and bear with me, because I am but an infant.”</p> -<p>Then all exclaimed in chorus: “Speak, and we will listen -to thee!”</p> -<p>And then the infant, in this fashion, spoke:</p> -<p>“Know that this night I have spoken with a spirit, the -<i>bel Folettino col beretta rossa</i>—the beautiful fairy -with the red cap—and it told me that for this our land we -have no name or coat of arms. But the time has come to have -that which shall represent the country, and therefore we should -choose a chief who will open commerce for us, and found a school -so that our young people shall escape from ignorance.”</p> -<p>“Truly, thou hast spoken well!” cried all -present. “<i>Evviva il capo</i>—hurrah for a -chief!—and that chief shall be thy father, dear -child!”</p> -<p>“Moreover,” added the good girl, “I will, to -show my gratitude, give you the design for the armorial bearings, -and in due time tell you all that is needful to be done. -All of that will I find out, and also a name for the -country.”</p> -<p>“Do so, and deserve our gratitude.”</p> -<p>“I thank you again,” said the girl, “and I -will pay attention to the subject, since you show such -sympathy.”</p> -<p>The next day she went to herd a flock of sheep, as was her -custom; and then, lying down on the ground as wild boars are wont -to do, <a name="citation204c"></a><a href="#footnote204c" -class="citation">[204c]</a> said:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Spirito, capo di tutti i spiriti!<br /> -Re dei ré dei Maghi!<br /> -<a name="page205"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 205</span>Portami -qui presenti un hoggetto<br /> -Che possa servirmi per rappresentare<br /> -Un arme.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>“Una voce le rispose:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Chiama e chiama più forte.<br /> -E chiama ancora per tre volte<br /> -E chiama il tuo prottetore,<br /> -Chi é con te a tutte le ore<br /> -E mai non ti lascera se sempre<br /> -Lui invochera.”</p> -<p>“Spirit, who art the chief of all the spirits!<br /> -Who art the king of all the sorcerers!<br /> -Bring unto me some object which may serve<br /> -To represent our land, and be its crest.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>“To which a voice replied:</p> -<blockquote><p>“Call out aloud, then more forcibly,<br /> -And yet again three times, and unto him<br /> -Who is thy guardian and ever with thee,<br /> -And who will never leave thee—call to him!”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>“And who art thou who speakest to me?” asked the -girl.</p> -<p>“I am the Spirit of the Red Cap.”</p> -<p>“And who is my protector?”</p> -<p>“The magician Virgil,” replied the Voice.</p> -<p>Then she invoked Virgil, who appeared in person, and asked -what she would have.</p> -<p>She replied that she had been charged to find a name and -object to represent the land.</p> -<p>“It is well,” answered Virgil. “I have -already written the name on a leaf; now take this thing in thy -hand”—here he gave her an onion—“and cast -it into yonder cavern, from which there is an underground -way.”</p> -<p>The girl obeyed; the onion spun round and rolled away; she -followed it afar, till at last it stopped at a leaf on which was -written “Cettardo.” And it was in this spot -where the onion stopped that the town in after time was built, -and where the girl found the leaf is now the municipal -palace. And so, one by one, great buildings rose. -Thus came the name and arms of Cettardo.</p> -<p>In due time the maid had a lover, and it was said that these -two were the only ones who could go through the subterranean -passage.</p> -<p>And it hath been, and may be still, proved that any <a -name="page206"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 206</span>person -attempting this passage will after a few steps be suffocated, and -can go no further.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p>If we compare this legend with other traditions, there can be -little doubt that it is at least of Roman origin. The great -veneration for the onion among the Egyptians—“Happy -people,” wrote Juvenal, “to have gods growing in -their gardens!”—which passed to the Romans, probably, -in later days through the priests of Serapis and Isis, <a -name="citation206"></a><a href="#footnote206" -class="citation">[206]</a> and the many mysteries connected with -it, fully account for its being chosen as the symbol of a -city. Its traditions were greatly mingled and confused with -those of the garlic and the leek, but it was above all other -plants a protector against sorcery; that is, against <i>all</i> -evil influence. Where onions could not help, nothing -availed, or as it was expressed, <i>bulbus nihil -profuerit</i>. It would appear from the conjectures of Nork -(<i>Andeutung eines Systemes der Mythologie</i>, p. 125) that the -onion was the sign or crest of the pyramid of Cheops, as it is of -Cettardo.</p> -<p>It is, however, in the mention of a subterranean passage full -of mephitic vapour, which seems to have no connection with the -tale whatever, that the clue to the whole tradition may be -found. The people wanting a name and a site for a city, -receive them from a pythoness or sibyl, the two being identified -in many legends. The grotto of the Sybil near Naples is -approached by a long subterranean road, over which I have myself -passed—being carried on the back of a strong -peasant-guide. Just in the middle of the wet, winding -cavern, I said: “You are a good horse.”</p> -<p><a name="page207"></a><span class="pagenum">p. -207</span>“I am particularly good at eating -macaroni,” he replied, and stopped. This was -equivalent to begging.</p> -<p>“Horses who talk need the spur,” I replied, giving -him a gentle reminder with my heel. He laughed, and trotted -on. However, he got his “macaroni.”</p> -<p>That the pythoness, or female oracle, was first intoxicated -with the vapour of carbonic acid gas in a cavern, and that her -utterances were recorded on leaves which blew about loosely and -were then gathered and put together, is well known, and it is -this, apparently, which is meant in this tale by the flying leaf -bearing the name of Cettardo. Plutarch, in his -“Treatise on Abandoned Oracles,” declares that -“the terrestrial effluvium was the conductor of the god -into the body of the Pythia.” As the vapours -disappeared, the oracle became dumb, or, as Cicero expresses -it:</p> -<blockquote><p>“They ceased because this terrestrial -virtue, which moved the soul of the Pythia by divine inspiration, -disappeared in time, as we have seen rivers dried up or turned -away into other beds.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>The onion was a symbol of fertility and increase of -population, therefore it was well adapted to serve as a fetish -for a new city. It was also among the Egyptians <i>par -eminence</i> typical of the resurrection, so that no woman was -buried without one. <a name="citation207"></a><a -href="#footnote207" class="citation">[207]</a></p> -<p>It may be observed that in this legend Virgil appears as a -guardian spirit or god, certainly not as a mortal.</p> -<p>It would almost seem as if there were an undercurrent of -genial satire or mockery in the part where <a -name="page208"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 208</span>the young -Pythia graciously assures the simple peasants that, out of sheer -gratitude and to oblige them, she will consult with—of all -the gods—the Robin Good-fellow, or goblin of the red-cap! -who in all tales, Italian as well as English, is ever a tricksy -sprite, more given to teasing and kissing servant-girls, and -playing with children and cats, than aught more dignified. -When we remember that the object of this gracious benevolence is -to make her father chief or king, it verily appears as if the -whole were a “put-up job” between parent and -child.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p style="text-align: center"><span class="GutSmall">THE -END</span>.</p> - -<div class="gapspace"> </div> -<p style="text-align: center"><i>Elliot Stock</i>, 62, -<i>Paternoster Row</i>, <i>London</i>.</p> -<h2>FOOTNOTES.</h2> -<p><a name="footnote0a"></a><a href="#citation0a" -class="footnote">[0a]</a> Of which there is an English -translation by E. F. M. Benecke entitled “Virgil in the -Middle Ages.” London, Swan Sonnenschein and Co.</p> -<p><a name="footnote0b"></a><a href="#citation0b" -class="footnote">[0b]</a> Comparetti.</p> -<p><a name="footnote0c"></a><a href="#citation0c" -class="footnote">[0c]</a> Alexandra Dumas also used this -book very freely for his “Mille et Une -Fantômes”—in fact, the latter work may be said -to be based on it. The “Histoire des -Fantômes” was the first and principal source from -which French lovers of the supernatural derived the interest in -were-wolves and vampires which manifested itself during the time -of Napoleon and more recently.</p> -<p><a name="footnote0d"></a><a href="#citation0d" -class="footnote">[0d]</a> “Pioneers of -Evolution.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote12"></a><a href="#citation12" -class="footnote">[12]</a> Possibly meaning that it was the -first time when he recognised his power as a sage or -sorcerer.</p> -<p><a name="footnote13"></a><a href="#citation13" -class="footnote">[13]</a> Horus Apollo, -“Hieroglyph.,” II. 32.</p> -<p><a name="footnote18"></a><a href="#citation18" -class="footnote">[18]</a> Simply an <i>omelette aux -truffes</i>, the common fashion of eating truffles among the -peasants. It is possibly an old Roman dish, and may be in -Apicius.</p> -<p><a name="footnote21a"></a><a href="#citation21a" -class="footnote">[21a]</a> “Egli ha la lupa” -(<i>i.e.</i>, fame); also “Ho una fame ch’io la -veggio.”—“Proverbi Italiani da Orlando,” -Pescetti, 1618.</p> -<p><a name="footnote21b"></a><a href="#citation21b" -class="footnote">[21b]</a> In the Italian MS.: “I -figlii erano al letto del padre che sapevano alla fine, ma non -una lacrima sortiva dal loro ciglio.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote23"></a><a href="#citation23" -class="footnote">[23]</a> “Morto io, morto il -porco.” Latin: “Me mortuo terra misceatur -incendio” (Suetonius in “Vitâ -Neronis”)—“When I shall be dead, the devil may -take everything!”</p> -<p><a name="footnote32"></a><a href="#citation32" -class="footnote">[32]</a> Published by William Blackwood -and Sons, Edinburgh, 1897.</p> -<p><a name="footnote34"></a><a href="#citation34" -class="footnote">[34]</a> <i>Male a far ti mangiare da -qualche orco</i>—<i>Orco</i> is from <i>Orcus</i>, the -Spirit of Hell.</p> -<p><a name="footnote39"></a><a href="#citation39" -class="footnote">[39]</a> Swearing by the body or any part -thereof implied the destruction or forfeiture of it, <i>i.e.</i>, -death or slavery in case the oath should be broken.</p> -<p><a name="footnote40"></a><a href="#citation40" -class="footnote">[40]</a> The same was believed of -Diana. I have omitted here much needless verbiage and -repetition, and abbreviated what follows.</p> -<p><a name="footnote41a"></a><a href="#citation41a" -class="footnote">[41a]</a> I conjecture that this is wild -poppy.</p> -<p><a name="footnote41b"></a><a href="#citation41b" -class="footnote">[41b]</a> A play on <i>paura</i> (fear) -and the name of the plant.</p> -<p><a name="footnote46"></a><a href="#citation46" -class="footnote">[46]</a> Quaintly spelled <i>quo prire</i> -in the original MS.</p> -<p><a name="footnote47"></a><a href="#citation47" -class="footnote">[47]</a> London, D. Nutt, 1844, price 1s., -Mediæval Legends, No. II.</p> -<p><a name="footnote49"></a><a href="#citation49" -class="footnote">[49]</a> “Legends of -Florence,” collected from the people, etc., by Charles -Godfrey Leland. London, David Nutt, 1896.</p> -<p><a name="footnote50a"></a><a href="#citation50a" -class="footnote">[50a]</a> This is certain proof that the -columns had been brought from the East.</p> -<p><a name="footnote50b"></a><a href="#citation50b" -class="footnote">[50b]</a> This is mentioned by many -writers. I read it last in a very curious old manuscript -History of Florence, written apparently about 1650, -which—though it was in good condition, and well bound in -parchment—I purchased for four <i>soldi</i>, or twopence, -from an itinerant dealer. Finding by a note that the work -belonged to the library of the Liceo Dante, I restored it to that -institution. I also found in this manuscript an account of -the miracle of the blooming of the elm-tree of San Zenobio.</p> -<p><a name="footnote52"></a><a href="#citation52" -class="footnote">[52]</a> It is worth noting <i>en -passant</i> that, according to Max Nordau, one of the Ibsenites, -modern Illuminati or Naturalists—I forget to which division -of the great body of reformers he belongs—has seriously -proposed this creation of <i>donne artificiale</i>. -<i>Vide</i> Nordau, “Degeneration.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote55"></a><a href="#citation55" -class="footnote">[55]</a> This is finely conceived to give -an idea of the great effect of the agony expressed in the face of -the spectre. Adelone would naturally be so deeply impressed -by it as to be unable to maintain the interview.</p> -<p><a name="footnote57"></a><a href="#citation57" -class="footnote">[57]</a> E ne un luogo sporco.</p> -<p><a name="footnote58"></a><a href="#citation58" -class="footnote">[58]</a> Evidently the Belsàbo of a -preceding tale.</p> -<p><a name="footnote60"></a><a href="#citation60" -class="footnote">[60]</a> In the MS.: “‘Many -are deluded, or get a thumb at the nose,’ says the -proverb.” “Maxima sero delusi, ho sia con un -palma di’ naso cosi, dice il proverbio.” This -expressive sign of the thumb is represented in an Irish Gospel of -St. Mark of the sixth century.</p> -<p><a name="footnote61"></a><a href="#citation61" -class="footnote">[61]</a> This superlative is rendered in -the original manuscript by the very original expression: -“They were so near being killed, that they were almost at -the point of death.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote62a"></a><a href="#citation62a" -class="footnote">[62a]</a> “Lo spirito del vaso che -era quel santo Virgilio.” Here Virgil is for once -fairly sainted or canonized.</p> -<p><a name="footnote62b"></a><a href="#citation62b" -class="footnote">[62b]</a> “Bevve un barile pieno di -vino, e divenne ubbriaco come un tegolo o quattro suonatori di -violini.” This recalls “tight as a brick” -(Manuscript).</p> -<p><a name="footnote63"></a><a href="#citation63" -class="footnote">[63]</a> “Virgiglio e la Donna di -Diaccio” (Title in MS.).</p> -<p><a name="footnote64"></a><a href="#citation64" -class="footnote">[64]</a> In allusion, probably, to the -“Madonna del Fuoco,” whose festival is annually -celebrated at Forli, in the Toscana Romagna. The writer of -this story was from the neighbourhood of Forli. “The -Madonna del Fuoco is probably Vesta” (<i>vide</i> -“Etrusco-Roman Legends,” by C. G. Leland).</p> -<p><a name="footnote67"></a><a href="#citation67" -class="footnote">[67]</a> Four antique marble statues of -women. Any ancient female statue is commonly called a -<i>Venus</i> by the people at large in Italy.</p> -<p><a name="footnote68"></a><a href="#citation68" -class="footnote">[68]</a> Here there is a hiatus, or blank -in the manuscript. By crown is here meant a fillet or -tiara, as will be shown anon.</p> -<p><a name="footnote72"></a><a href="#citation72" -class="footnote">[72]</a> “Tutto era -artificiale,” meaning very artistic or æsthetic.</p> -<p><a name="footnote77"></a><a href="#citation77" -class="footnote">[77]</a> “Alla <i>sua</i> -religione.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote78a"></a><a href="#citation78a" -class="footnote">[78a]</a> “La testa d’un uomo -piena di vermi e puzzolente,” a parody of the decayed -cabbage.</p> -<p><a name="footnote78b"></a><a href="#citation78b" -class="footnote">[78b]</a> I may here note that the ruined -castle of the dreaded Falkenstein is in sight of the rooms where -I am now writing in Homburg-les-Bains.</p> -<p><a name="footnote80"></a><a href="#citation80" -class="footnote">[80]</a> Singer or minstrel, one who sings -his poems, and not merely a writer of poems, is understood by -<i>poeta</i> in all these legends.</p> -<p><a name="footnote88"></a><a href="#citation88" -class="footnote">[88]</a> So given in the text for -Seneca.</p> -<p><a name="footnote89a"></a><a href="#citation89a" -class="footnote">[89a]</a> “Cosi moriva e tutta Roma -piangeva.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote89b"></a><a href="#citation89b" -class="footnote">[89b]</a> <i>Vampa</i>.</p> -<p><a name="footnote89c"></a><a href="#citation89c" -class="footnote">[89c]</a> <i>Capitalisti</i>, bankers.</p> -<p><a name="footnote90"></a><a href="#citation90" -class="footnote">[90]</a> “Il più grande -birbone.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote98a"></a><a href="#citation98a" -class="footnote">[98a]</a> “E cosi tutti facevano -l’amore nel buio, senza sapere chi era quello che facevano. -. . .”</p> -<p><a name="footnote98b"></a><a href="#citation98b" -class="footnote">[98b]</a> <i>Vide</i> “Etrusco-Roman -Remains.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote98c"></a><a href="#citation98c" -class="footnote">[98c]</a> By inadvertence or a blunder in -the original manuscript, the wizard or witch is made male and -female, and the victim alternately the young lady and the -lover. It would make no difference as regards the plot.</p> -<p><a name="footnote99"></a><a href="#citation99" -class="footnote">[99]</a> “Serratura o -luchetta.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote100"></a><a href="#citation100" -class="footnote">[100]</a> Florentine <i>folar</i>, or -<i>follo</i>, from <i>foglio</i>, a leaf. I conjecture that -this is the original of the English slang <i>vogel</i>, a silk -handerchief, and not the German <i>vogel</i>, a bird.</p> -<p><a name="footnote106"></a><a href="#citation106" -class="footnote">[106]</a> It may be noted that any clever -modern juggler could perform the miracle of the fish as here -described.</p> -<p><a name="footnote109"></a><a href="#citation109" -class="footnote">[109]</a> The original reduces this to a -minimum—“Non più grande del dito mignole di -un’ bimbo di nascita.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote110a"></a><a href="#citation110a" -class="footnote">[110a]</a> This is exactly like a small -tambourine, but more strongly made.</p> -<p><a name="footnote110b"></a><a href="#citation110b" -class="footnote">[110b]</a> <i>The Boston Comic Annual</i>, -1828.</p> -<p><a name="footnote114"></a><a href="#citation114" -class="footnote">[114]</a> Signore Cosino, or Cosimo. -This name appears here for the first time in the story.</p> -<p><a name="footnote126"></a><a href="#citation126" -class="footnote">[126]</a> <i>Vide</i> “Algonkin -Tales of New England,” by Charles G. Leland.</p> -<p><a name="footnote134"></a><a href="#citation134" -class="footnote">[134]</a> In the original “La Dea -della Neve.” In Italy the word “goddess” -is more familiarly and frequently used than it is by peasants in -England, but rather with application to great and good spirits of -any kind than to deities.</p> -<p><a name="footnote135"></a><a href="#citation135" -class="footnote">[135]</a> This was probably due to the -very rapid formation of a frozen crust. <i>Vide</i> -Nansen’s work.</p> -<p><a name="footnote138"></a><a href="#citation138" -class="footnote">[138]</a> Anime.</p> -<p><a name="footnote140"></a><a href="#citation140" -class="footnote">[140]</a> <i>Comare</i>, godmother, -gossip, a familiar form of address. In French -<i>commère</i>; Scotch, <i>cummer</i>.</p> -<p><a name="footnote141a"></a><a href="#citation141a" -class="footnote">[141a]</a> “Andiede -bene”—Cut their lucky.</p> -<p><a name="footnote141b"></a><a href="#citation141b" -class="footnote">[141b]</a> “I find this is a -peasant’s expression for the ‘gloaming.’ -<i>Verso sera</i> was the explanation” (Roma Lister). -Literally “between the dim and the dark.” -“Entre chien et loup”—the owl’s -light.</p> -<p><a name="footnote143"></a><a href="#citation143" -class="footnote">[143]</a> Literally “ugly -mammy.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote144"></a><a href="#citation144" -class="footnote">[144]</a> This conveys the idea of -complete cleanliness, as well-scoured bare walls and floors are -most easily vibrated by currents of air, and consequently most -echoing.</p> -<p><a name="footnote147"></a><a href="#citation147" -class="footnote">[147]</a> “Ora siamo belli -fritti.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote148"></a><a href="#citation148" -class="footnote">[148]</a> “Passegiando, -passegiando,<br /> -Me ne vengo, ricordando,”</p> -<p>or “walking away.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote150"></a><a href="#citation150" -class="footnote">[150]</a> M. Annæi Lucani, “De -Bello Civili, vel Pharsaliæ,” Liber X., 225.</p> -<p><a name="footnote151"></a><a href="#citation151" -class="footnote">[151]</a> The reader will find this -Herodias-Lilith fully described in a little work entitled -“Aradia; or, The Gospel of the Witches,” by Charles -Godfrey Leland. London: D. Nutt.</p> -<p><a name="footnote155a"></a><a href="#citation155a" -class="footnote">[155a]</a> -“Scongiurati”—evoked.</p> -<p><a name="footnote155b"></a><a href="#citation155b" -class="footnote">[155b]</a> The sentence is twice repeated -in the original.</p> -<p><a name="footnote156"></a><a href="#citation156" -class="footnote">[156]</a> “Ed aria -resplendente,” a play on the name Bell’ Aria.</p> -<p><a name="footnote158"></a><a href="#citation158" -class="footnote">[158]</a> This I have supplied to fill a -blank.</p> -<p><a name="footnote159"></a><a href="#citation159" -class="footnote">[159]</a> Evidently with quicksilver or -mercury—<i>similia similibus</i>.</p> -<p><a name="footnote165"></a><a href="#citation165" -class="footnote">[165]</a> Bottles for wine are sometimes -made to contain several gallons.</p> -<p><a name="footnote166"></a><a href="#citation166" -class="footnote">[166]</a> “An Enquiry into the Life -and Legend of Michael Scott,” by the Rev. J. Wood Brown, -M.A. Edinburgh, David Douglas, 1897.</p> -<p><a name="footnote172"></a><a href="#citation172" -class="footnote">[172]</a> “Pigionale come si dei -ebbe volgarmente” (original text).</p> -<p><a name="footnote173"></a><a href="#citation173" -class="footnote">[173]</a> Annunziata.</p> -<p><a name="footnote177"></a><a href="#citation177" -class="footnote">[177]</a> “Perche e stato sempre il -mio dio.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote178"></a><a href="#citation178" -class="footnote">[178]</a> Vollmer, “Wörterbuch -der gesammten Mythologie,” p. 1162.</p> -<p><a name="footnote182"></a><a href="#citation182" -class="footnote">[182]</a> “Anche dopo morte rimarrai -la stemma di Firenze, ovunque si trovera il Giglio.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote183a"></a><a href="#citation183a" -class="footnote">[183a]</a> Pausanias, v. ii.</p> -<p><a name="footnote183b"></a><a href="#citation183b" -class="footnote">[183b]</a> “Christliche -Kunstsymbolik,” p. 28; Frankfort, 1839, <i>apud</i> -Friedrich.</p> -<p><a name="footnote187a"></a><a href="#citation187a" -class="footnote">[187a]</a> Here there is a manifest -omission. It would appear that the Emperor made love to the -girl, and that the first speech which follows was by him and not -by her.</p> -<p><a name="footnote187b"></a><a href="#citation187b" -class="footnote">[187b]</a> Here the remark and answer are -run together in absurd confusion, but I believe that I have -correctly restored the original.</p> -<p><a name="footnote190a"></a><a href="#citation190a" -class="footnote">[190a]</a> “Sentenze,” as -defined by D’Ambra, “Apothegms.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote190b"></a><a href="#citation190b" -class="footnote">[190b]</a> Avviso, “Quando l’ -amico guardara (o), ricordava bene l’ avviso, cosi lo -spirito lo guardava, e cosi quella persona diveniva -buona.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote194"></a><a href="#citation194" -class="footnote">[194]</a> “Il proverbio o poema -divena<br /> -Uno spirito vivente,<br /> -Che ti aiutera<br /> -A divenire savio e sapiente.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote196"></a><a href="#citation196" -class="footnote">[196]</a> The Bag of Nails was once a -tavern sign in England. It was conjectured to be a -corruption of <i>Bacchanals</i>—a very unlikely -derivation.</p> -<p><a name="footnote203"></a><a href="#citation203" -class="footnote">[203]</a> This means here the recitation -of five prayers, after which stories are told or traditions -imparted and discussed. An immense amount of folklore can -be gathered on such occasions.</p> -<p><a name="footnote204a"></a><a href="#citation204a" -class="footnote">[204a]</a> “Ne avevano un capo e ne -gnente”—No head and no nothing—in the -original.</p> -<p><a name="footnote204b"></a><a href="#citation204b" -class="footnote">[204b]</a> The speech as given by the -precocious maiden in the original text is an amusing effort at -fine talk or elevated language by an illiterate person, its -object being to strengthen the marvel of the child’s -inspiration.</p> -<p><a name="footnote204c"></a><a href="#citation204c" -class="footnote">[204c]</a> That is, on her face. To -do this in a pig-sty was a special means of invoking dreams or -inspirations, as described in Norse sagas. It is fully -illustrated in my “Etrusco-Roman Remains.”</p> -<p><a name="footnote206"></a><a href="#citation206" -class="footnote">[206]</a> Their temples were the last -which were abandoned in Rome, as Wilkie Collins has minutely -described in a novel.</p> -<p><a name="footnote207"></a><a href="#citation207" -class="footnote">[207]</a> “Wegen ihrer erregenden -Eigenschaft wurde die Zwiebel ein erotisches Symbol; deshalb -<i>salaces</i> genannt; daher in die Schamtheile weiblicher -Mumien als Sinnbilder der Auferstehung gelegt -wurden.”—Friedrich, “Symbolik.”</p> -<pre> - - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE UNPUBLISHED LEGENDS OF VIRGIL*** - - -***** This file should be named 62335-h.htm or 62335-h.zip****** - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/2/3/3/62335 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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