addressed himself to his task. He managed to accomplish two-thirds of it, but, on the third round, was exhausted when he came opposite the castle of the Seven Oaks, at which juncture, a large fish, resembling a salmon, sprung out of the water immediately in front of him, struck him down along with it into the water, and he miserably perished. The whole constabulary was turned out to search for the body, which was at length found below the bridge, covered over with pinches and bites from which the blood flowed, so that all people could observe the vicious pinches which the water nixey had inflicted on him. Vide page 460 in his Treasury of History, extracted from the Hellish Proteus of Franciscus, page 114. See what a tale a Romanist can manufacture out of a lad sinking from cramp, and being nibbled by pikes.

Baron Valvasor, in his Historic-Topographical Account of the Principality of Krain, mentions, amongst other things, that, a spirit dwelt near the river Laybach, near the town of the same name, which the people called a nixy, or riverThis spirit had become so well known to the sailors and fishermen, at night time as well as by day, that everybody could identify him, as he used to come out of the water and show himself in human form. More especially

inan.

upon one occasion did this water demon make his appearance in the year 1547, at a merrymaking in the town of Laybach, at which the whole neighbourhood had assembled to amuse themselves around a linden tree. After supper was over, and dancing had begun, a beautiful and richly-dressed young man made his appearance, and greeted the whole company right courteously, shaking hands with all present in a most friendly manner; but people remarked that his hand felt flabby and cold, and imparted strange sensations to whoever touched it, which was to be expected, considering the fishey life he led. This person, who appears to have been a sort of" young Lochinvar" at length led out a very handsome lass, but bold and forward in her manners withal, named Ursula Schafferin, and they footed it together with great grace and drollery, until they danced clean out of the assembly down to the Laybach, plunged into the stream, and were never again

seen.

The same author relates that, when he was a student at Laybach about thirty-four years previously, he himself saw a citizen, named Schmiedler, who, was returning one clear and bright night from a wedding. As he was passing all alone by a bakery, a man, habited in a long,

C

black cloak, came out of the water, seized the unfortunate convivialist, and pitched him into the river, wherein, as it was very deep, he would infallibly have been drowned, had he not previously managed to secure one of the small wooden bowls, in which the baker was wont to bake his rolls, which kept him afloat, until the watch passed by, and dragged him out, somewhat sobered, doubtless, on which the discomfited nixy plunged into the water.

Hildebrand in his Sorcery laid bare mentions a great number of sinful practices of these water nixies, which we do not intend to refer to. If we are met by a denial that this Saint of the Romish Church deals in speculations just as impure as those of the renowned Peter Dens, all we can say is that we can produce chapter and verse to the point.

CHAPTER V.

"Your vessels and your spells provide-
Your charms, and everything beside :

I am for the air."

MACBETH, ACT iii., SCENE 5.

OF THE DANCES OF WITCHES.

One reason, doubtless, why witches were so common in Germany, is, that they have a particular penchant for mountains, and that country abounds in them, the most famous one being

that of Blocksburg, which can be seen for about sixteen miles from every direction. Here on the 1st May, (which is the witches' Sabbath,) we have the authority of Johannes Prætorius, for asserting that the witches hold their Sabbath. But, as they require some sort of conveyance to take them thither, all sorts of animals and inanimate things are pressed into the service, such as rams, he-goats, swine, calves, wolves, cats, dogs, &c, and bakers' rakes, distaffs, bakers' pitch and dung forks, shovels, broomsticks, &c. This is confirmed by Bodinus, in his 2nd book on Demons, chap. 4; and Hildebrand, in his Theurgia, fol. p. 117.

But the great abomination of these witches is, not that they thus imitate the Christian Sabbath, but that they carry their impiety so far as to ape the sacrament of extreme unction in the Romish Church, by anointing their bodies with an ointment given them by the Devil, although their enemies acknowledge that this ointment is absolutely necessary to supple their bodie, as they have to whisk through keyholes, besides enabling them to endure the fatigues of their journey through the air. Baldinnus, in his Cases of Conscience, book 3d, chap. 5, case 7, writes:"It cannot be denied that the Devil can at times bring the bodies of his slaves into other