M:|„C IIS •OWN' IMAGl^ PWMBffiii^, CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY . BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE SAGE END^'WMENT'' FUND GIVEN IN 189I BY HENRY WILLIAMS SAGE Cornell University Library The original of tliis book is in tlie Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924013540905 IN HIS OWN IMAGE By FREDERICK BARON CORVO JOHN LANE: THE BODLEY HEAD LONDON £ff NEW YORK • MDCCCCI Copyright, igoo By John Lane AU Rights Risirvtd UNIVERSITY MESS ■ JOHN WILSON AND SON • CAMBRIDGE, V. 8. A. DIVO AMICO DESIDERATISSIMO D ■ D ■ D • FRIDERICUS Nl DiOy Suo Grazia, mi se mosfra altrove, Pih eke *« alcun leggiadro e mortal velo; E quel sol amo, percke '» quel si specchia. Michelangelo Buonarroti. Sonn. LVJ. Contents spring Page I. About the Fantastical Fra Guilhelmo of THE CAPPUCCINI 3 IJ. About the Holy Duchess and the Wicked King 12 IIJ. About the Cheek of Fra Sebastiano of THE CaPPUCCINI I5 IIIJ. About the Miraculous Fritter of Frat' Agostino of the Cappuccini 19 V. About the Original Fritter of Sangiu- SEPPE 26 VJ. Being an Epick of Sangiorgio, Protector OF THE Kingdom 35 VIJ. Why the Rose is Red 66 VIIJ. About the Witch's Head and Santignazio OF Loyola 82 VIIIJ. About Sodom, Gomorrah, and the Two Admirable Jesuits 97 X. About Some Kings H2 XJ. About Papa Ferretti and The Blest Here- siARCH 119 XIJ. About the Love which is Desire and the Love which is Divine .... . . 122 a. Why Cats and Dogs always Litigate . . 125 p. About Divinamore and the Maiden Anima . 130 X Contents Summer Page XIIJ. About Doing Little, Lavishly . . -145 XIIIJ. About Doubles in General : and Sanve- NANZIO AND SaNTAGAPITO, IN PARTICULAR l68 XV. About the Aforesaid, and Padre Dotto Vagheggino, S. J 187 XVJ. About These Tales, the Key and Purga- tory 207 XVIJ. About Some Friends 228 XVIIJ. About the Penance of Paisalettrio . 252 XVIIIJ. About Our Ladv of Dreams 273 XX. About the Four Things Necessary . . . 295 XXJ. About the Preface of Fra Cherubino . 303 XXIJ. About the Insistence of Sangiuseppe . .311 XXIIJ. About a Vegetable Purgatory 323 XXIIIJ. About What is Due to Contrition . . . 336 TViese Six Tales were printed in The Yellow Book in 1895-6. It has been deemed advisable to include them in this instalment : but it should be remembered that they were related a year before the Spring and Summer Sections. I. About Sampietro and Sampaolo 347 IJ. About the Lilies of Sanluigi 354 IIJ. A Caprice of Some Cherubim 368 IIIJ. About Beata Beatrice and the Mamma of Sampietro 378 V. About the Heresy of Fra Serafico ... 391 VJ. About One Way in which Christians Love One Another 409 Spring ^ Primavera, gioventu delV anno: Gioventu, primavera delta vita. " In His Own Image About the Fantastical Fra Guilhelmo OF the Cappuccini I SAID that, at sunset, Toto would drive me to Rome; for I intended to hear mass at San Giorgio ad Velum Aureum in the morn- ing, being the festival of England's Protector Regni. Toto conveyed the news to my boys in this form, — that la sua eccellenza was going to adore Sangiorgio in Rome, on the morrow, he being the god who looked after my magnificent country; and to Guido and Ercole was given the charge of decorating the breakfast-table with English roses, ready for my return. We started after Ave Maria. This boy fancied himself immensely, when officiating in an English dog-cart; and he looked divinely smart in dark blue, makroskeles, with tan gaiters buttoned. That kind of blue, with Toto's kind of brown, is fine. I learned the blend of him. On the main road I espied a significant cap- puccino trudging along before us. Coming up 3 About the Fantastical Fra to him, I recognised Frat' Agostino, and I asked for the pleasure of giving him a lift. He said he would ride as far as L'Arricia ; so I took the reins, and Toto bundled him into the machine, after- wards climbing up behind, supercilious, and nos- trils quivering. He did not admire cappuccini ; and he loathed this one, whom he held to be a sneak of sneaks for getting him into trouble about a certain baggage called Fiammina. (She was all that !) I don't blame Toto much. I can- not. For, wherever we went, a parcel of hussies buzzed about him, like hornets round honey; and Toto was a human being, — a fact which it is sometimes difficult to believe. But the circum- stances of this particular affair drew from me a flagellation so sound and solemn (all anglican rites being duly observed) as to impress Frat' Agostino, who was present on the occasion in an official capacity, with the notion that we English regarded the function as possessing something of a sacramental nature — indeed, he spoke after- wards of the twig as the outward and visible vehicle of inward invisible grace ! Heptakaide- ketes took the thrashing in his habitual sweet- tempered way, and bore me no malice for shedding his blood. He said that he knew himself to have been wrong; anyone could see that with half an eye : and, if he escaped punish- ment, he would become a sinner of vast dimen- sions as time went on; and then there would be flaming divels to whip him in saecula. It 4 Guilhelmo of the Cappuccini was far better as I made it. Naturally, he pre- ferred to be flayed by me, because I was his patron who wished him well into the bargain, and never disgraced him before the youngsters. But Frat' Agostino — well, he was cappuccino, — antipaticissimo — and that was all about that! This friar was an ansemic little creature, with a black beard, hollow chops, gorgonzola-coloured fangs, a carrion breath, and a voice of brass. After roaring the customary compliments, he began to cover the floor of my dog-cart in a phthisical manner and to give me the news of the day. He said that he had been the round of his patrons with a few salads from his garden; and, producing a green and frowsy crumple from his bosom, he begged my acceptance of it, adding that the larder of his convent was empty. At once, I made the customary offering. There is a part of the road between Velletrj and Rome, where you turn up to Citta Lavinia, which is said to be haunted by the horrible ap- parition of a coach with headless driver and headless steeds. While passing the spot, I in- quired whether Frat' Agostino had ever seen this spectre. He replied that he had not: and, bitten with an itch of inane modernity, he tried to raise himself in the regard of what he called a fashionable young man (meaning me"), by uttering ordinary ignorant scoffs at supernatural exhibitions. 5 About the Fantastical Fra " But, fraticello," I said ; " Fra Guilhelmo of your own convent has seen the grisly thing, and told me of it with his proper lips not two weeks ago. He described it with minutest detail, also his glorious triumph over his tremors; and I always believe everything that a priest tells me, on principle, you know." " Oh ! — Fra Guilhelmo ! " — the cappuccino chuckled ; " but we never believe him ! Why, he 's the most fantastical liar, and the butt of our community ! Haw-haw ! When I leave you, ask Toto to tell you about Fra Guilhelmo and the earthquake. I myself, on that subject, had better hold my peace, lest I sin against charity; but, for Toto, it is another matter. (Sqwawk !) " When we reached the shrine of Madonna, on the right, before entering L'Arricia, Frat' Agos- tino blessed us, and alighted, giving thanks for his ride. Toto offered up the stale salad at the shrine, pushing it through the grating; and he climbed into the cart with the charming reflec- tion that some poor old biddy might be glad to think that Madonna had sent her a supper. As we passed the church on the left, he asked leave to go in, to say five Ave Marias, because he felt as though he really needed them. After leaving Albano, we drove silently for some distance across the still Campagna. The sun had set in a conflagration of yellow and violet and yellow ; and now the moon arose, majestick, magical, a monstrous pearl afloat on an olive and 6 Guilhelmo of the Cappuccini ' primrose sea. It was a moment of romance. I ~Telt that the slow recitative of Toto's admirable counter-tenor would provide a backbone for my emotions. I said, " Break silence, Toto ; " and I rolled a cigarette. I was about to enjoy. The lad looked straight between the ears of Amfitrite. (Amfitrite is the white mare.) " In obedience to the command of Frat' Agos- tino of the Cappuccini, I will recite the history of Fra Guilhelmo of the same convent. " La sua eccellenza will remember the little earthquake which happened here, very early in the morning, a few weeks ago ; and of course you know that earthquakes have sharp edges. I mean, the earth will quake on this side of the road, but not on that. I mean, that they do not happen all over the world at the same time. Here, the ground will shake : there, no. It has an edge I say, this earthquake; and la sua eccellenza will know exactly what is necessary to be understood. Well, then ! This earthquake had a sharp edge : and, as it moved along under the convent of cappuccini, the edge was in the middle ; that is to say, the building, which con- tains the cells of the frati, was shaken very sharply, but the quire of the church, which is at the other end, was not shaken at all. " It was six o'clock in the morning, when the Padre Eterno remembered that Fra Guilhelmo deserved a good shaking; and, at that moment, 7 About the Fantastical Fra the friar sat at the table in his cell, writing the lecture which he was to read before his novices that same day ; for, you know, he is the novice- master, and blessed am I who am not one of his novices. His crucifix hung upon the wall before him; and Fra Guilhelmo, having had his eyes made badly by his parents, pored over his writing with his head close to the Feet of II Santissimo Salvatore. You have seen Fra Guilhelmo, sir? " The other frati were singing office in the quire ; a few novices had been left to sweep the stairs ; and, just as two of these had reached the door of Fra Guilhelmo, suddenly Domeniddio shook the ground. " The crucifix, of which I told you, swang out- ward from the wall : Fra Guilhelmo felt a sort of heave, and took a tap on the forehead at the same time. As he started, and raised his head, again the earth quivered, and the crucifix swang towards him, as before. " Fra Guilhelmo became a jelly. He leaped to his feet. He was mad with terror. But, in an in- stant, he had a tale all ready and complete. He can always explain. No; I do not know who provides his explanations. Not his angel-guar- dian : and of that I am most sure : but never yet has Fra Guilhelmo been caught ignorant of causes. Ah well ! Out he pranced into the cor- ridor, putting on his spectacles, his heart fat with fright; and behold two fearful novices standing 8 Guilhelmo of the Cappuccini close by a window, as any decent person would be standing during an earthquake.^ " Fra Guilhelmo remembered that much is due to the dignity of a novice-master ; and, approach- ing the lads with a majestick air, he said, ' Re- joice, rejoice, my children ; for I have just spat upon and defied Sathanas, who assaulted me, being enraged at the damage which I shall do him with my lecture this forenoon.' Then he made them enter his cell, continuing, ' Mark well, my children, what I say, that you may learn to withstand the fiery darts of the Wicked One, as I have done this day, by the Grace of God, the intercession of La Sua Madre Immacolata, and the assistance of Beato Fra Francesco ' (who has no more to do with cappuccini, sir, than has Amfitrite, except, perhaps, to weep over them). The friar went further. ' I was sitting on my stool, preparing my lecture ; and I had just written down a spiritual maxim which, when exemplified in the spirit of holy obedience, by you, my children, for whose edification it is in- tended, will form an effectual defence against the attacks with which the foul fiend our enemy rav- ages the citadel of your chastity. Enraged at 1 Decent persons, of whom Toto Maidalchini is the chief, argue thus : if the earthquake be severe, the roof, floors, and interior walls, being the weakest parts of a house, will fall first If the earthquake be pernicious, why then all will go. But the outside walls will stand longest, and there may be a foothold there. So decent persons rush to an outside wall, «. e., one with a window in it, as being safest 9 About the Fantastical Fra this impregnable bulwark erected by me, between your young souls and his infernal onset, Sathanas rushed from the bowels of the earth up the inside of my wall; and, amid sparks of fire and the crackle of thunder, he dashed my crucifix into my face, intending to spill my brains over my writing, so spoiling my lecture : and this I have seen him do twice.' " Don't laugh, sir ! Keep it in, till I have told you about the novices. " Those miserables were frightened out of their wits ; for, indeed, Fra Guilhelmo can be most terrifying. One stood speechless, staring at the crucifix. The other took him by the ear, putting him outside the door, still frozen with horror : then, returning, all in a moment, he kneeled down by Fra Guilhelmo ; and, beginning Confiteor Deo Omnipotenti, without any more ado, he made a general confession of all the sins which he had ever committed, from the creation of the world until the end of time. While this went on, the other novice recovered his senses, and made several attempts to enter the cell, wishing also to confess ; and confess he did, as soon as the first was shriven. " Not till then was Fra Guilhelmo free to publish his exploit ; but the other frati, having been in the quire where the earthquake did not pass, and also, having had some experience of Fra Guil- helmo's improvisations, laughed at him, and were inclined to scoff; indeed, the Fra Guardiano Guilhelmo of the Cappuccini talked about giving him a penance for gammon- ing his brethren with childish fables, and called him a cock-brained beast. But when Fra Guil- helmo brought the two novices to swear that they had felt the convent shaken by Sathanas his rage, this Guardiano, who is the hard mean vulgar bit of dirt called Fra Sebastiano, began to think that he might be doing an injustice to Fra Guilhelmo. But several masses were waiting to be said, and there was no time for many words just then. " However, when that Fra Guardiano had finished his duty at the altar of Santantonio, the widow of the son of Ricardo stopped him to inquire whether any damage had been done to the convent by the earthquake which, she said, had tossed her out of her bed just in time for mass. " And so the mystery of the conflicts between Sathanas and Fra Guilhelmo was laid bare, to the amusement of the peoples, the nations, and the tongues." II About the Holy Duchess IJ About the Holy Duchess and the Wicked King HERE Toto drew up at a lonely place where the road was rather narrow. The sky was of that dark luciferous blue, cold, vast, profound, spangled with pale stars, which you can only get on the Roman Campagna, late in spring. It was chilly, and I asked Toto why he stayed. " But, sir, don't you know that this is the place where la santa signora duchessa, iji requiescat in pace, refused a salutation to the Wicked King. " Bomba was his name, a fiend from hell, stained red with women's blood and gangrened with the salt of tortured murdered children's tears. Yet he was the friend of Papa Ferretti, and it is hard to understand why the Santo Padre should have a were-wolf for His friend. " In the war-time my father often drove la santa signora duchessa along this very road, for there was no iron road then ; and often they met that king coming to his camp from Rome. " When my father saw the royal outriders he would draw up the carriage at the roadside and and the Wicked King bare his head; and if there were any gentlemen in the carriage with la santa donna, her hus- band, or her sons, they would alight, and stand, holding their hats in their hands until that king had passed. But la santa signora du- chessa was proud and brave, and she never let it be supposed that she was aware of any kings passing along that road, for she glanced high, and her face was as hard as though it were cut in cameo. " That fiend marked her beauty and her haughtiness, and one day, at this very place, he stopped his chariot, and he bowed to la santa donna, looking straight in her face. She did not move an eyelash. " Then that king stood up in his chariot, and bowed to her a second time, holding his hat in his hand. " Sir, then, la santa signora duchessa, looking disdainfully into his very eyes, put up her para- sol, and held it between her holy face and the face of the wicked king. " And Bomba went green with rage. He cursed his coachman for stopping, though he himself had ordered so. And he flung back on his cushions and was driven away. " My father always stopped here, after that, to say his Gloria Patrj twelve times in honour of a brave and noble lady who disdained a wicked king. But she was English, as you know, sir, therefore she had no fear. 13 Holy Duchess and Wicked King "ijl May our Lord grant her that cool place for which she always yearned. " And, sir, I have said my Gloria Patrj twelve times while you were looking at the stars." He chirruped to the mare, and on we flew. The Cheek of Fra Sebastiano iij About the Cheek of Fra Sebastiano of THE CaPPUCCINI " "^ T"OU do not love cappuccini, Toto?" I Y said. JL " Well, sir, to tell the blind and naked truth, I prefer other Religions. Of course there must be some good cappuccini, for there are always some good people everywhere. I am sorry for them for being cappuccini ; but it is not their fault ; for, more often than enough, one cannot help oneself. But it does surprise me that there should be so many unenlightened per- sons collected together in this one convent." I asked why he had called the Guardiano a hard mean vulgar bit of dirt? " For an exquisite reason, sir. Listen? Last summer, behold an artigiano who came seeking work. You know that these cappuccini have a little hill behind their convent, with the Via Crucis along a winding path ; and at the summit, a large Calvary of bronze, which, they pretend, can be seen from a distance of fifteen miles. "The artigiano discovered this bronze to be rotting away, the surface having been left with- out protection; and the damp air had bitten 15 About the Cheek of Fra it with a kind of rust, grey-green, — a very serious matter. "To the Fra Guardiano, he explained the damage, saying, that, for preserving the piece, it would be necessary to clean off all the rust, using a very virtuose lotion ; and next, to polish the bronze till it shone like the nimbus of San Michelc Arcangiolo. Also, to keep it like that, he said it must be well rubbed with an oily rag once a week until the consummation of the world. Lastly, he offered to do the work with his own hands, asking, in return, for food and lodging and spiritual direction as long as he should be employed by the convent; but for no money, for he despised it; and, moreover, the work was a pious one which would gain him the good graces of his angel-guardian ; and, at the time, he had the humour to amuse himself in that way. "The Fra Guardiano smelt advantage in the acceptance of this offer. He jumped at it, and closed a bargain, telling the Signor Caio to collect his tools; also, to come to tlie convent at Ave Maria of the next day, when he should be lodged in the guest-house. " Early on the morning after, Fra Sebastiano came with impudence to this artigiano, saying that he had been thinking, and he had remem- bered that there were several strong novices in his convent who could do the work, supposing that they knew the way : and this cappuccino 16 Sebastiano of the Cappuccini with his face of brass was not ashamed to ask the Signor Caio for the secrets of his handicraft as a free gift, that is to say, of the sovereign lotion which would clear the bronze Calvary of decay. It was a case of a rich man — rich by beggary — robbing a poor man who earned a living with his hands and brain." Toto snorted, and cracked the whip viciously. " Well," I said, " and what did Signor Caio do?" " Do, sir? Why he did what you would ex- pect of a man of uona gente. He laughed with open scorn in the face of that wretched cappuccino; and then he wrote down for Fra Sebastiano, very carefully, instructions for the making of that very virtuose lotion; also he wrote full and exact direction for completing the whole work, so that not even a clumsy boor of a novice could make a mistake by any chance. Yes, to that Guardiano asking, he freely gave the means of breaking his bargain; and then he shook off the dust of his feet at him, and retired to seek work in another place, and of honest men." " But do you mean to tell me that your cap- puccino used the knowledge gained in this dis- graceful manner?" I asked. " Of course he did, sir. He has not a fine conscience, he knows nothing of honour ; he will buy, sell, bargain, and cheat, like any Hebrew 2 17 The Cheek of Fra Sebastiano grocer: he is cappuccino, priest of God, and I call him a hard mean vulgar bit of dirt. Luckily- all cappuccini are not of his species. Generally they are lumps of clown, hke Fra Guilhelmo and Frat' Agostino ? " " Hallo," I said, " Fra Guilhelmo I can under- stand, but why do you bring in Frat' Agostino ? " 18 Frat' Agostino of the Cappuccini iiij About the Miraculous Fritter of Frat' Agostino of the Cappuccini " "W "^ "TELL, sir, they are as like as two little %/% / drops of water, those two. Let me T ▼ offer another story to la sua eccel- lenza, that it may be seen whether I err in say- ing ' lumps of clown,' or no. " On the festa of Sangiuseppe, they were to have fritters for dinner in Frat' Agostino's con- vent, where there is a custom for all to go kitchen-wards when the brother cook begins to fry the batter ; and, when one side of the fritter has been gilded, each friar takes the pan, and flings its contents into the air to turn it, and catches it deftly on the other side. If they are clumsy or knotty-fingered, the fritter falls to the floor, and then they have to eat it all gritty and slimy. Oh, it is good sport to see them, I do assure you, sir ! " Well, and soon it came to Frat' Agostino's turn; and, because his sleeves were tight, not being Franciscan sleeves, you know, or perhaps for another reason, — while the frati all stood round, Frat' Agostino made a mess of his fritter. 19 About the Miraculous Fritter of " These shrimps of men always wish to do gigantic things; and Frat' Agostino wanted to hurl his fritter higher than any other friar, so he seized the pan which held the half-fried batter, and gave a tremendous heave. Everybody saw the batter in the pan ; and then all eyes flashed upward to the vaulted roof to see it fly. Cer- tainly, the fritter left the pan, and Frat' Agostino gripped the handle, and waited. " Well, he waited, and everybody waited ; but the fritter went neither up nor down. It only went. "There was no longer any fritter. " After an interval, the frati lowered their eyes from the roof; and there stood Frat' Agostino staring upward, resembling a grotesk. But there was no fritter. They turned the kitchen topsy-turvy. Such a garbuglio was never seen. The fritter of Frat' Agostino had disappeared. " Oh, it was a miracle, without a doubt ; and, what was more, that precious Fra Guilhelmo had seen it done. " ' My brethren,' he exclaimed ; ' give thanks unto the Signor Iddio, to the Stella del Mattino, and to Beato Fra Francesco ; for this community has merited a vision of the gods ; and to me, most wretched and yet most favoured sinner that I am, is it given to unfold the marvel. You all have seen what a perfect fritter had fallen to the lot of Frat' Agostino; the one side creamy, white, and luscious, the other delicate, crisp, 20 Frat' Agostino of the Cappuccini golden, and dripping with fat oil ! Far too fine a fritter for a miserable mortal man dwelling in a vale of sin and sorrow ! Such ambrosial food is fitted only for the gods on high ! Therefore, when Frat' Agostino tossed it to the stars, as an oblation having a sweet savour, the eyes of my soul were opened, and I saw the Direttore della Sacra Famiglia, the Scudo Potentissimo per i difensori della Chiesa di Cristo, the Gran Pa- triarca Sangiuseppe, sitting in sadness on his throne, without a fritter for his festa, — he, the original inventor of fritters, too ! ' " " Stop, Toto ! " I cried. " Do you say that Sangiuseppe invented fritters? " " Patience, sir ; and presently I will make the statement good. But now Fra Guilhelmo con- tinues, ' With one wink of his august eyelid, Sangiuseppe invited the attention of San Gabriele Arcangiolo to that paragon of fritters. And, as it soared aloft from Frat' Agostino's pan, the tremendous Archangel of the Annunciation swooped, and seized, and bore it triumphantly to Sangiuseppe in paradise. O fortunate fritter ! How blissful is your lot ! Snatched from all the miseries of this wicked world, to rest, for end- less ages, immutable, inviolate, unutterably serene, upon the bosom of Sangiuseppe ! ' " " This beats all," I said. " Fancy making out that Sangiuseppe is dyspeptick ! " " Ah, I do not know what dyspeptick is, unless it means uncertain in the temper; and every one About the Miraculous Fritter of knows how difficult it is to do business with Sangiuseppe. "Well; then the Fra Guardiano called Fra Guilhelmo a bubbolone, and put an eight days' silence on him: but the fact remained that the fritter was gone, no one knew where; so they cooked another, and went to dinner in the refec- tory. " I need not say that Frat' Agostino felt very much elation, giving himself the airs of a grocer's wife on a holiday of obligation. It was not every friar who could do such a trick with a fritter as he had done, and before a whole convent, too ! So, though he was absolutely ignorantly innocent, nor believed the rubbish vomited by Fra Guil- helmo, still, all the same, he looked upon himself as being something of a marvel ; and he did not omit to let the other frati know it. " When these cappuccini had devoured their food, they went to make their Visit to II San- tissimo in the church. While leaving the refec- tory, Frat' Agostino had the misfortune to break a plate, walking with his nose cocked high, and sweeping the end table with his cord. He wears boots, you know ; not sandals like a real friar : and so he stamped the' plate to pieces. He had to pick them up again, which made him late in church. After Visit, Chapter; and, when all were seated, Frat' Agostino went on his knees in the middle of the room, and confessed in pub- lick his disgrazia, exhibiting the broken plate. Frat' Agostino of the Cappuccini " Fra Sebastiano was very pleased to have the opportunity of taking this friar down a peg or two, especially at a time when he was so puffed with pride; and, after condemning him, in the usual way, to wear the sherds of broken pottery on a string around his neck for four and twenty hours, and to beg his next three meals from his brethren, — from each plate a scrap of egg, or fish-skin, or stalks of green, or cheese-rind, — he added the command, on holy obedience, that Frat' Agostino should lie prostrate on his face, while the community enjoyed its half-hour of recreation. " Frat' Agostino stretched out his arms and legs, flung himself forward on the floor, flat ; — and howled. " It was an awful howl. " Next, he wriggled his legs, and twitched his arms, and scrabbled with his fingers in the dust. " You could not see his face ; for the big stiff capperuccio of his habit, which generally hangs down the back, had flopped up and covered his head. But, from under the brown hood, there came continually, a moan, a squeak, and a howl, a moan, a squeak, and a howl ; and always the arms and legs kept squirming. " Fra Guardiano, thinking this to be a display of naughty temper, began to speak severely, bid- ding Frat' Agostino to behave himself. But, seeing that that abased friar continued to emit unearthly noises, and to welter in the folds of his 23 About the Miraculous Fritter of gown, somebody suggested that it might be a fit which troubled him. Then Fra Guardiano went to him, and stirred him with his foot, saying sharply, ' Frat' Agostino, — Frat' Agostino ! ' " Instantly the noises ceased ; and Frat' Agostino tempestuously stuttered, ' ConfiteorDeoomnipotent- ibeataeMariaesempervirginibeatoMichaeliarchang- elobeatojoha nniBaptistae-e-e-e-e-e-sa n ctisapostolis- PetroetPauloomnibussanctisettibipaterquiapeccavi- nimiscogitationeverboetoperemeaculpameaculpamea maximaculpa-a-a-a-a-a — oh, yes — and since my last confession, father, I have fallen into the sin of pride — u-p6p6pd — I 'm damned, I am, — yes I'm damned if I'm not — I was proud because San Gabriele Arcangiolo took my fritter — it was mine — mine — mine — iiiiiaf ! — I '11 never look at another till I 'm dead — I wish with all my heart I 'd never seen one — o-dododododoi — But I was proud, father — yes, proud as Lucifer — aaah ! And I 'm found, out — found out. O Dio mio — Dio mio — and I 'm punished — yes, I 'm punished — with an accursed incubus who is sent to clutch my flesh — ahi-ahi-ahi ! — O father, behold me damned forever — a-u — a-u — a-u — a-u — a-u — and here's a dead devil — err^ err6 errd — oh, like ice — a-riding on my neck — ' ' "The frati sat aghast, and sweat poured down their faces till their beards dripped, — dripped upon the floor, sir ; for surely the idea of a dead devil is altogether horrid ! 24 Frat' Agostino of the Cappuccini " The Fra Guardiano, also, had much fear ; but when he had blessed himself very fervently indeed with an entirely opulent sign of the cross, he took hold of Frat' Agostino, and pulled him up from the ground. " And, lo ! a nasty — cold — flabby — fritter — sticking to the nape of his neck. " Then it was seen how, in endeavouring to fling his fritter higher than any other friar, Frat' Agos- tino had only tossed it over his head, into his own gaping capperuccio, where, of course, no one had ever thought of searching for it." 25 About the Original Fritter About the Original Fritter of San Giuseppe I LAUGHED heartily. It is a curious thing that the very funniest tales in all the world should be those which concern holy per- sons and holy things, — the clergy, for example. The humour of seculars has a narrow range. It can be, and has been, reduced to a handful of simple formulae. But there is a spontaneity, an illimitable variety in ecclesiastical stories, to which I respectfully direct the attention of my unknown colleagues of the quill. I rigidly ex- clude, however, narratives of a certain brand, which are invented by the class of clergy techni- cally designated " holy men," and recited, with the nuts, at clerical dinner-tables. The mind of the clerick is — and thanks be to all gods for that same — a cramped and un- cultured one. Its operations are concentrated upon one sole point, viz., the salvation of souls in general, and of its own in particular. Hence the gyrations of clergy of the calibre of Fra Guilhelmo and of Frat' Agostino (who represent a proportion of their profession, and who, ap- parently (but, I am sure, ignorantly), take delight 26 of Sangiuseppe in bringing ridicule and disrepute upon the most respectable traditions) are as amusing to the English connoisseur (I do not say British, be- cause I want to exclude Kelts, and to include my English cousins of America) as the anticks of any other foreigner. Yes ! There you have it ! The clergy (of whom I am, in private life, the least) are for- eigners. They belong to a kingdom not of this world. And, as foreigners, I find them ex- tremely diverting. But I reminded Toto of his assertion that Sangiuseppe was the inventor of fritters. "Yes, sir; and indeed he was. " Now there was Madonnina, — oh, but beauti- ful beyond my power to tell, just like an evening lily, with truthful, peacock-purple eyes, and shin- ing hair coloured like a field of rye at harvest- time, and being but fourteen years and three months old. Her parents, Sangioacchino and Santanna, had betrothed her to Sangiuseppe, who was grave and in his prime; because his staff had bloomed with almond-blossoms, showing that the Padre Eterno looked on him with favour. " On a night in spring, but earlier in the year than this, Madonnina went to the well in the lily-garden ; and, as she went, the flowers bowed down to break their hearts in perfume, and to kiss her little feet. "Stars gleamed in the water. All was very still. 27 About the Original Fritter " Madonnina was seated on the marble steps. She was making her meditation. " Presently, a gentle breath stirred. Roses and violets offered odours in their rustling petals. " Greatest angels came into the garden ; and they kneeled before their queen. " There was San Gabriele Arcangiolo like an arcidiacono, all in silver; huge, and white, and young with silver hair. "There was San Rafaele Arcangiolo like a pilgrim, with his staff and fish. "There was San Michele Arcangiolo like a warrior; and his armour was all gold. " The first of these archangels held a sceptre, like a lily of blue gems. The others bore a cushion, with a lily-diadem of pearls. " You can see that cloudy whiteness like milk across the sky? Well, sir; that is the army of angels, far away. But, on this night of which I speak, it reached right down to the earth as well, millions upon millions, all in white ; some carrying the stars in lanthorns; and some with arciliuti and quinterne for a serenade. They kneeled, from earth to heaven, behind the Santi Arcangioli, Gabriele, Rafaele, and Michele. " And, to the first, Madonnina said, ' O arch- angel, what is your name ? ' " He answered, ' Gabriele is my name ; and I come on the part of the Padre Eterno.' Then, 28 of Sangiuseppe San Gabriele Arcangiolo said, 'Ave, Maria gratia plena, Dominus tecum, benedicta tii in mulicribus, ct bened'ictus Fructus ventris tui, JhesHs : ' as the Santo Spirito had taught him in paradise. " And the angels sang in chorus, very, very low, ' Ave — Ave — Ave — ' " Madonnina trembled, being only a little girl; but she was wise — so wise; and nothing did she say. " San Gabriele Arcangiolo whispered, ' O Virgo virginum, have no fear; for the Padre Eterno loves you well. And I am to tell you that, if you will, you shall be made the Mother of Cristo Liberatore. His name will be Gesu: He is the Son of the Padre Altissimo : and He is King in ssecula s^eculorum : amen.' " Madonnina desired to do the Will of the Padre Eterno above all things: but she was a girl : and she wanted to know. She said to San Gabriele Arcangiolo, ' But I am a maid ; and Sangiuseppe has but now betrothed me.' " San Gabriele Arcangiolo answered, ' Ma- donna, the Santo Spirito will embrace you with His Power, and you shall be Madre di Dio e sempre Vergine. O Maria Santissima, think of the Might of the Padre Onnipotente, Who built the world, and of Whose wonders there is no end. In proof of this, know that your cousin, .Santelisabetta, has conceived in her old age; and, in three months' time, she will bear San- 29 About the Original Fritter giambattista, to be the prophet of that Son Whom my Sovereign wills to have of you.' " At this, the gracious Madonnina gave con- sent ; and a gentle Dove, gold-feathered and hav- ing silver wings, flew down from paradise, and nestled in her snow-pure breast. "Then, San Rafaele Arcangiolo and San Michele Arcangiolo crowned her Regina Angel- orum, with the lily diadem of pearls. " San Gabriele Arcangiolo invested her with the sceptre resembling a lily of blue gems. "The marble steps of the well became her throne. " The rose-bush was her baldaquin. " And angels kissed the violets before her little feet. " When this embassage had returned to para- dise, Madonnina gave thanks to the Padre Eterno for His Grace, and made an oblation of herself, lifting up holy hands. Then she went to visit her cousin, Santelisabetta ; for she wished to talk, as ladies do, concerning the admirable words of San Gabriele Arcangiolo. " Santelisabetta lived next to the church, in a little town on the hills ; and, when Madonnina, bearing her Divine Burthen, entered the house, the six-months child, which Santelisabetta had within her, kneeled down and adored II Santis- simo Salvatore. So Santelisabetta knew, in that moment, that the Madre di Dio and II Santis- 30 of Sangiuseppe simo Bambino were there ; therefore she did not salute Madonnina in the fashion of cousins, but she kneeled upon the threshold, saying her ' Ave Maria — and what honour — and what conde- scension to a poor sinner like I am ! ' " Madonnina had no pride. She could not have. Tota pulchra es, arnica mea, et macula non est in te. She sang Magnificat Anima Mea Dominum ; and the two mothers, the old and the young, each wept in the other's arms for joy." Toto was silent for some minutes. I saw the lights of Rome along the road. "What about the fritters?" I said. "Yes, sir; the fritters. Well, Santelisabetta's baby was born at midsummer, and they called him Sangiambattista. And, six months after, it was Christmas; and then Cristo Liberatore deigned to descend into the world. " Soon, Santelisabetta brought her son to wor- ship the Son of the Santissima Vergine, at the house of Sangiuseppe, who was the Protector of the Madonnina and of II Santissimo Bambino, he being a joiner by trade. " Santelisabetta and Sangiambattista arrived at about nine of the clock, and worshipped until ten ; and, afterwards, the babies played, and the two mothers engaged in holy conversation. " Now you know, sir, that ladies talk unceas- ingly, without feeling tired, or thinking how the 31 About the Original Fritter hours slip by. So when eleven o'clock came, and the Madonnina did not call Sangiuseppe to his dinner, he remembered that she had her cousin with her, and perhaps that would make her a little late. Ther.efore he went on with his work. " When twelve o'clock came, the church-bell rang; and he said his Ave Maria; and then he took the liberty of peeping into the house. " There sat Madonnina and Santelisabetta, talk- ing — talking. " ' Ah well,' Sangiuseppe thought ; ' she does n't see her cousin every day, and it will be a change for her.' And the good man returned to his bench. " At one o'clock, he was faint with hunger ; also, ready for his siesta ; and he took another peep. There was no sign of dinner; and con- tinually the ladies talked. " Sangiuseppe would not intrude upon Madonna for all the world. His business was to take care of her, not to worry her. So he hunted about the kitchen to see whether he could find anything to eat ; and the first thing to catch his eye was a pudding, incomplete, but evidently meant for him, in honour of his festa. Madonnina had whipped eggs, and put them in a bowl with flour, and salt, and cream; and there they stood. " Sangiuseppe carried that bowl into his work- shop, and began to sup the pudding with a spoon. 32 of Sangiuseppe But there was something wrong with it. To begin with, it was icy cold, never having seen the fire ; and Sangiuseppe knew not how to cook it. " A buon cavalier non manca lancia, and a god is not the person to despair when in a difficulty. Sangiuseppe at once put on his thinking cap. Here he was, in his workshop, with a mess that cried to be cooked. He could not go back into the house with it, in case the creaking of his new shoes might disturb Madonnina and her guest. He looked about him for a little while ; and, at last, he saw what he would do. " There was a fine wide shovel belonging to the stove where he heated his glue. He cleaned it very carefully with fresh shavings. Then he took the shavings and some chips, and made a bright little fire between some stones, outside the door of his workshop.. He crept round to the oil-cask, and filled his shovel with fresh oil; and, then, he sat down on a block of wood before his fire, having the shovel in his left hand, and the bowl of batter in his right. " First, he held the shovel on the fire, till the oil bubbled and boiled ; next, he poured the batter into the shovel; and, when it was gilded on one side, he turned it over with a clean splinter. Last of all, he held the world's first fritter in the pan with another clean splinter, drained off the oil into the grass, stamped out the fire with care, and, lo, a delicious fritter, gold, and crisp, and succulent, to reward his pains ! 3 33 Original Fritter of Sanguiseppe " That is why I say that Sangiuseppe invented fritters ; and, also, that is why all the world honours him by eating fritters on his festa." We swept up to the Gate of St. John. Here, I took the reins. I never could get that boy to learn short cuts through the city. We talked through Merulana; but when I branched to the left before Santa Maria Maggiore, there was silence, until we reached my lair on Banchi Vecchi. After supper, and writing up my notes, I tried a new huqa, a lovely thing sent from Smyrna by Biasio C ■. It was sweet, so long as I eyed it ; but when I began to read the papers, Toto had to squat by the bowl, with a scaldino, to keep it lighted. 34 Being an Epick of Sangiorgio vj Being an Epick of Sangiorgio, Protector OF THE Kingdom THE next morning, at nine, we were at San Giorgio ad Velum Aureiim. Among the herbs on the floor, there was an unusual quantity of rosemary and thyme ; and the scent was dehcious. I brought an arm- full of pure primroses, to scatter round the altar of Sangiorgio. I showed to Toto the bulla, tied on the baldaquin of the basilican altar, without which no priest, save the Santo Padre, may offi- ciate there. The eunuchs of the papal quire misbehaved, as usual, in a box on the epistle- side. What an annoying mass it was! Just a series of florid soli, during which the disengaged singers sat and chatted at the back of their tribune, took snuff", and apparently made up their betting books, while the conductor smacked time with a roll of music. At the beginning of Gloria in excelsis Deo, a priest came from the sacristy to say a low mass at the altar of Sangiorgio : and, in his wake, we promptly skipped. Here, we worshipped the relicks, — most admirable relicks, — the head of the lance of Sangiorgio, a large piece of red silk from the cross of his pennon, 35 Being an Epick of Sangiorgio and his veritable skull; the last having a facial angle as undoubtedly as Greek as that of the Her- mes of the Heraion. Toto had not seen these treasures before. His gorgeous eyes dilated, and he was ardently appreciative. The Gloria of the basilican altar ended at the moment when we finished hearing our low mass, — say twenty-two minutes. By waiting for the Ite of the high mass, we should be detained till noon-day: so we left the basilica before ten, considering our- selves in luck for a change ; and in a few minutes we were driving fast along the Appian Way. I asked Toto whether he had anything to say in honour of Sangiorgio. " Oh, yes, sir ; but many chapters ! Why, my beloved Frat' Innocente-of-the-Nine-Quires would speak of nothing else, unless I made it necessary ! And he told his history to me so many times that I can sing it to you in his proper words ; only, he made me promise that, whenever I should so sing, I should first say that I will not swear that it is true. For one cannot say, for certain, of Sangiorgio more than this, that he was a brave young knight who slew a daemon- dragon in the sea, and, afterward, was robbed of the breath of his breast, by the sword of a wicked king, who wished him to renye his Chris- tian Faith. "Also, the said Frat' Innocente-of-the-Nine- Quires told me that people of antick times had so much veneration for this megalomartyr, — 36 Protector of the Kingdom that is to say, for the grandeur of this god, Sangiorgio, — that they went further than Holy Mother Church allows ; for they invented splen- did histories about him, and added these to his veritable Acts ; until, at last, no one knew how much was really true, or how much false. Then the Santo Padre feared lest the soul of Sangiorgio should take a damage from insidious flattery; and so He ordered him to think of nothing but the eternal welfare of the illustrious English Race, which is as powerful on the sea as was Sangiorgio in those antick times. (Did you not let me see the mighty ships of England at Civita Vecchia? Have I not seen Sangiorgio's rose-red cross upon them? Yes, sir. Therefore I am not ignorant of those things.) Well then, and th6 Santo Padre, called Gelasio, said, also, that every writing about Sangiorgio must be burned ; and that no more was to be known of him, for sure, except what I have said ; — brave — young — knight — invincible on the sea — slayer of the dragon — megalomartyr — protector of the English Race. But yet, though you may burn books, you can- not burn the memories and mouths of men ; and, therefore, many histories of Sangiorgio remain ; and perhaps they are true, perhaps false : but, as to that, said Frat' Innocente-of-the-Nine-Quires, there is no knowing. " Now that is clear to la sua eccellenza ; and this is the history of Sangiorgio which Frat' Innocente-of-the-Nine-Quires sang to me : — 37 Being an Epick of Sangiorgio "4* Scuto Bonae Voluntatis Tuae : alleluia : Coronasti eum Domine : alleluia : " I cannot tell you to what race Ser Giorgio be- longed; but, if you journey southward to the Three-Tongued Island, at length you shall attain a maritime port upon the sea-shore, called Catania. And, there, you take a ship ; and, alway facing the right side of the rising sun, you sail across the sea, until you reach a foreign kingdom where many islands are ; and, there, the Isle of the Sera- phim, is where Ser Giorgio lived and died. "No one knew whence he came; for, when he was a little tiny babe, a sailor of those islands found him, with his girl-mother, in a drifting boat, and brought him to the king as treasure trove. And the king gave him to a priest who served the chapel of Madonnina, called Sedes Sapientise, that he might be well bred in holy works and ways. " His hair was like an orange in the light of noon ; he had a skin of cream ; and eyes — but, Eyes ! When you saw them first, they were cool, and half-shut ; but they looked you through and through. When you saw them longer, you found yourself to be as foolish as a jay. But, when you knew them well, they opened, large, and wide, and clear ; and, in their shining depth you saw the spark which no man dare to strike. And their colour resembled a brown almond bright with morning dew. 38 Protector of the Kingdom " Ser Giorgio spent his boyhood by the sea, where pure salt air gave grace, and hardihood, and courage. Nor was the genius of his generous soul untrained in the hidden wisdom which the high gods have, and give to few. For, often at night, Ser Giorgio would lie alone, upon the summit of the giant headland riding on the sea, and listen to great angels, whispering, each to other in the winds, those mysteries which no man can learn from written books. At day-dawn, plunging from the height, he saw the waving weeds, and shells of the sea-floor, and all the marvel of the deep. Returning to the shore, he wrang the salt sea from his hair, and went to say his Ave Maria at Madonnina's shrine ; which same sweet Mother often left her Son, and stepped down from her picture painted on the chapel-wall, and called the Sedes Sapientiae, who deigned to teach the young Ser Giorgio holy things. "So the stripling lived, until he came to seven- teen years of age: and, then, the king grew jealous; for, already, people looked upon Ser Giorgio as a god, seeing his strength, his fear- lessness, his youth, his goodness, and his ma- jestick gait. And there was something more. The king had cast his eye on that girl-mother, whose white arms had borne the little tiny baby in the drifting boat : but never had he dared to harm her for he feared, as all men feared, the blinding splendour of Ser Giorgio's eyes. 39 Being an Epick of Sangiorgio " Not many years before, a witch had sold her soul to Sathanas for gold: also, she had bar- gained with that arch-daemon that he should arm her with the evil eye, so that all who looked on her should turn to stone. Thus she was safe from robbers who might try to steal her gold. She was the eldest of five sisters, witches all. Two lived in the desert. The other two lived with her, in a secret cave, far away across the sea; from whence she cast spells, and sent hot fevers floating through the world, blighted the vines, blasted growing corn, and poisoned wells and water-springs. " So the wicked king armed this hardy, valorous youth, Ser Giorgio, with antient arms, — a bat- tered helmet, a broken sword, a rusty shield, and nothing more, — and sent him on a quest, to find, and slay, the horrid witch ; for he thought to rid himself, by this means, and without shame, of the only champion who stood between the mother of Ser Giorgio and his desire. " But, before the young knight started on his quest, he went and called on heaven to be his aid, laying his antient arms before the altar, in the chapel of the Madonnina by the sea. All night he kept vigil, and prayed ; and, when day dawned, the Madonnina, called Sedes Sapientiae, stepped down from her picture painted on the wall. Mighty angels and archangels came in her 40 Protector of the Kingdom train ; and she said, ' O knight of mine, you go to battle against Sathanas. Have you no fear? ' " Ser Giorgio answered, ' No, Madonnina ; sup- posing that you wish me well.' "The Madonnina said, most certainly she wished him well ; and, as a proof of her good- will, she bade the archangel-prince, who stood at her right hand, to doff his golden helmet. This, she placed upon Ser Giorgio's head; and gave him news that, all the time he lived unstained by mortal sin, and wore the helm of San Michele Arcangiolo, all mortal eyes and daemon's eyes were blind to him. Then, at his queen's com- mand, the archangel-prince standing at her left hand, whose name was San Gabriele Arcangiolo, stooped down, and bound upon the stripling's eager feet gold shoes with wings, that, bird-like, he might walk the high air over land and sea. Then, her hand moved above the antient rusty shield ; and, underneath her hand, there sprang a rose-red cross, while the shield shone silver white as crystal over snow, for joy because the Madonnina blessed it. San Michele Arcangiolo gave Ser Giorgio a sword, also a lance which had a pennon white as the soul of a boy who wears his chrismal robe ; and, on the pennon, the rose- red cross was signed, the same as on the shield. And, last of all, the Madonnina took off her own white mantle, broidered blue ; and, with her holy hands, she clasped it on the breast of her young knight. 41 Being an Epick of Sangiorgio " But Ser Giorgio cried, ' O Madonnina, will not your favour grant me one thing more? It is true, Maesta, and my lords these princes, that you have given me a lance, a sword, a golden helmet with curved crest, winged shoes, the rose- red cross upon my shining shield, and your own mantle, which, surely, angel-hands have woven on the looms of heaven, in spring-time, from petals of forget-me-nots and lilies ; — all these, O Madonnina, and my lords these princes, you have given freely : yet I lack mail to shield my breast, and I crave of you a knightly belt and spurs of gold.' Ser Giorgio spoke so, boldly, to the queen. He knew that he had but to ask, — and have. " The Madonnina answered, ' O knight of mine, in all my armoury, there is no breast-plate better than that which shields your brave heart now.' " ' But, Madonnina, now, my breast is bare ! ' Ser Giorgio cried. " The Madonnina answered him again. She said, ' O knight of mine. Innocence is the breast- plate that you wear; and, not the fieriest dart forged by the arch-daemon, can pierce the fence of youthful and inviolate innocence. Yet, — mark me well, — it must be worn unceasingly ; for, once put off, it cannot be put on again on this side of the grave. And the belt and spurs of gold will be the guerdon which I give to my true knight — when he has won them.' " With these words, the Madonnina blessed Ser 42 Protector of the Kingdom Giorgio again, smiling upon him, and giving him a white rose of paradise; and, at her smile, the bordures of the silver-shining shield blossomed with roses carved in gold. "The vision faded; and the Madonnina, called the Sedes Sapientise, went back into her picture painted on the wall: angels and archangels re- turned to their own place, where San Michele Arcangiolo set Santeligio, armourer and gold- smith of the gods, to work on a helmet, lance, and sword, in place of those lent to Ser Giorgio. The chariot of the sun rode high above the pure salt sea, upon whose shore Ser Giorgio stood, with hair most beautiful to see, and shining with the purple light of youth, equipped with arms, and ready for his knightly quest. " Angels clustered along the golden ramparts of the Citti di Dio, to watch this stalwart champion considering his plans. Ser Giorgio was wise, as well as young and brave. He always marked the seven, to cut off one. And presently, he mounted up the giant headland riding on the sea ; and, striding to its summit, he raised his head, and cried, ' Hola ! San Rafaele Arcangiolo ! Hola 1 Hola!" " The archangel-comrade heard Ser Giorgio's voice, and spread his wings, and floated down, as feathers flit upon the breeze. He said, ' You do me honour, O Ser Giorgio; for you have gained the good will of my queen; and, when 43 Being an Epick of Sangiorgio the favoured of the queen of angels needs my aid, in all things I am bound to serve him, saving the Will of Domeniddio.' " The stripling answered, ' My knightly quest lies on a dangerous road ; and my enemy is hidden from me. Show me the horrid witch whom I am sworn to slay. Be my companion in my journey; that, in peace, and health, and joy, I may return again. Kurie eleeson. Christe eleeson.' " San Rafaele Arcangiolo said, ' O fearless knight, I will go with you all the way along your dangerous road, most willingly, and bring you home at length, in peace, and health, and joy : but I may not tell you where the witch lies hid- den, for all the glory of the quest is yours.' And, saying this, the huge archangel put off the radi- ance of his princely state, and took the shape of a slender squire, having rose-red hose and a tab- ard, white as snow, whose blazon was a rose-red cross, that he might serve Ser Giorgio, as, form- erly, he served the young Tobia. " A hundred miles away there stood a solitary tree, seared and riven by thunderbolts, a hollow, withered tree, upon a desert waste, all scorching sand and flinty rock. Within this tree, there lived a pair of sisters of the horrid witch, wrinkled, and grey, and horrible. One of these hags had a single eye, shrivelled and watery; the other none. But this one had a tusk, a single tusk : 44 Protector of the Kingdom the first was toothless. One hag depended on the other ; for the first, with her one eye would sight a prey, and make the second tear it with her tusk. To these the noble knight Ser Giorgio came, having no fear; and from one hag, he snatched the horrid tusk ; and from the other hag, he snatched the evil eye : and so he had them at his mercy. " Then, while they shrieked and champed their gums with rage, he spoke, and offered restoration of the eye and tusk; but on condition that they should first reveal to him the secret cave wherein the hell-cat of a deathly witch, their sister, could be found. " Base curs will alway sell their friends, turning traitor to avoid affliction. They wish to be on the safe side, — the side which pays the best, and gives no pain. Therefore these hags hastened to betray their sister's hiding-place, saying that Sathanas, the arch-daemon, kept her far away, in Africa, where he had given her a secret cave, with many black daemons and hobgoblins for her servitors, who burrowed long tunnels in the ground, and, by those roads, conveyed her poisons through the world. "When he heard this, Ser Giorgio stooped down, giving back the eye and the tusk ; then he mounted in the air, borne upward on the wings of gold which San Gabriele Arcangiolo had bound upon his eager feet; and, ere the hags had time to see him with the eye, or grip or tear 45 Being an Epick of Sangiorgio him with the venomous tusk, the l