"At the above story," quoth Dr. Bräuner, "one hardly knows whether to laugh or cry, yet one can hardly read without laughing, what some years ago befel certain love-sick damsels in Krann. Walking one holy Christmas night in a narrow pathway in a wood, they agreed to try their fortune at a certain pool. Now a young bumpkin, unperceived by them, had overheard every word of their confidential conversation, and the name of the particular pool, to which they intended to proceed, he being also well inclined to marry one of them. He slipped away in front of them through the wood unperceived, and came to the designated pool. Here he found a tree growing hard by, which overshadowed it, and which he deemed admirably adapted to his purpose, which was that the two girls should see his reflection in the water. He therefore pitched upon it as the hiding-place whence he should play his tricks upon the two conjuring damsels, and, climbing up into it, perched himself upon a branch which overhung the water, and there impatiently awaited their arrival. He had the more hopes of succeeding in his trick, because he had overheard them say that they must neither speak nor look behind them, as had been specially enjoined them by an old beggar-woman. There was only one

thing rather against him, and that was that it was a fine, clear, moonlight night.

"Now, when these two damsels had reached the pool, they stooped down in hopes of seeing the reflection of their lover in the water, which the country lad perceiving, he craned out his neck as far as possible, in the hopes that they might see his reflection in the water. But the bough on which he was seated was old and rotten, and unable to bear his additional weight, so that it incontinently broke 'ere he had accomplished his object; whereby, instead of producing his reflection in the water, he plumped into it in propria persona. He made such a tremendous splash as he fell in, that the two girls thought that it was no less a personage than Old Nick himself, who had suddenly appeared before them, so that they took to flight, without troubling themselves about their garments, and ran back, as fast as if he were at their heels all the way to the village, where they lay several days very ill with the fright."

We have another story from the Proteus of Erasmus Franciscus, at his 818th page, and which is stated to have occurred in Silesia. Three young ladies of the Court, upon one of these nights, which we have indicated as being those especially devoted to these arts, sat down

to a table laid out for supper, as it were, and opposite their respective places they placed plates and chairs for their expected mysterious guests. After a short time, two cavaliers came in, and took their seats opposite two of the young ladies; but the third was left to sit sad and solitary. Now, such a significant hint that whilst her more fortunate companions were to be provided with husbands, she should be destined to lead apes, was more than human nature could bear, especially as they were witnesses of the scene. She accordingly rose and went to the window to conceal her vexation; but was exceedingly startled to observe, directly opposite her, a coffin containing the exact representation of herself. The consequence was that she sickened and shortly afterwards died. Dr. Bräuner tells us that he has abundant more anecdotes of the same kind, and of this there can be no doubt seeing that he had at his disposal such voluminous authors as Hildebrand and Erasmus Franciscus; but enough has been adduced to show the prevailing characteristic of this particular phase of superstition, and that imagination had generally a large share in working out the result. In fact, the popular belief in Satanic agency being employed in this species of second sight was gradually giving way even

in Dr. Bräuner's time, before the light of the Reformation, and he freely confesses that there were many fables mixed up with the various anecdotes which were current on this head.

CHAPTER IX.

"Cui in manu sit, quem esse dementem velit,
Quem sapere, quem senari, quem in morbum injice,
Quem contree amari, quem accessori, quem expete."
CECIL. AP. TERTUL.

"The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid,
'T will make a man or woman madly doat
Upon the next live creature that it sees."
MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM,
Act ii., Scene 2.

OF LOVE PHILTRES.

It is a notion of very long standing that, by means of philtres, or love potions, and other arts of that nature, it is quite feasible for any individual to inspire another of the opposite sex with a violent passion for the party who has employed these means. These love philtres