what a misfortune; I have just learned the death of Orlando, the champion of the Christians.'

VII. THE VENETIAN.

Another of Lusco's stories, was that of a Venetian who had gone on horseback to Sienna, and happened to lodge at an inn where a large party of horsemen were assembled. Next morning, when they were about to set out, every one mounted except the Venetian, who sat quietly in his place. Lusco asked him why he kept loitering there, when all the rest were mounted. "Oh!" said the Venetian, "I am quite ready to go; but as I had no chance of finding my horse among so many, I waited till the rest should be mounted, because then the one that is left must be mine."

VIII. THE ORATOR OF PERUGIA.

The town of Perugia having sent deputies to Urban V., who was then at Avignon, they found this pontiff sick in bed. The orator of the embassy made him a long speech, without paying any regard to his indisposition, and without ever coming to the point. When he had done, the Pope asked them whether they had anything else to state. Seeing that he was heartily tired, they said, " Our instructions are, to declare to your Holiness, that if you do not grant us what we ask, our orator will make his speech over again before we go." The Pope granted the demand instantly.

IX. CONSOLATION.

An inhabitant of Perugia, who was much in debt, was walking along the street with a very melancholy air. Some one asked him what was the cause of his melancholy. "I am in debt," said he, " and I have nothing to pay."-" Well," said the other, "let your creditors think of that."

X. A DEXTEROUS KNAVE.

A Florentine notary, who had little employment, bethought himself of the following expedient to raise money. Having called on a young man whose father was lately dead, he asked him whe ther he had received payment of a certain sum which his father had lent to another person who had also died shortly before. The son told him he had not found any such debt among his father's -papers. "I drew the obligation with my own hands," said the notary," and have it in my pos session; you have only to make me a reasonable allowance for it." The young man purchased the forged deed, and cited the son of the alleged debtor. The defendant maintained, that it appeared by his father's books that he had never borrowed a farthing; and immediately called on the notary to tax him with the forgery. Young man," said the notary, you were not born when this sum was borrowed; but your father paid it back at the end of six months, and I am in possession of the discharge. You have nothing to do but to make me a reasonable allowance for it." The young man did so, and thus the notary cheated both plaintiff and defendant.

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XI. THE CORPULENT MONK.

A monk of extreme corpulence, coming very late one evening to the gates of Florence, asked if he could get in. "Oh, yes," said a countryman, to whom he had put the question, "a cart of hay can get in."

XII. HOW TO CURE THE SICK.

The Cardinal de Bar had an hospital at Verceil, where a great number of invalids were maintained. The intendant of his finances seeing that the pro

digious increase of the patients was daily diminishing his master's fortune, determined to get rid of a few of them. He disguised himself as a physician, made the patients be collected, inspected their wounds, and then told them that the only remedy for them was the application of an ointment made of human fat. "I leave it to yourselves," said he, "to decide by lot, who is to be the person that is to be boiled for the benefit of the rest.". At these words the patients, terrified to death, deserted the hospital in a body.

XIII. ANTONIO LUSCO.

Antonio Lusco, the intimate friend of Poggio, was, like himself, secretary to Martin V. This pontiff thought so highly of him, that he employed him in the most important negotiations, as in the embassy to Philip, Duke of Milan, in 1423, to prevail upon him to make peace with the Kerentines. Martin V. having ordered him to compose a letter, and to communicate it to some one in whom the pontiff had great confidence; Antonio found him at table, and happening to be a little heated with wine at the time, he blamed the composition ra ther severely, and told him it must be completely altered. "I shall alter it," said Antonio to a friend, "as John Galeazzo's tailor did his robe-dechambre, The Duke, after a hearty supper, finding his robe-de-chambre rather tight, sent for his tailor to have it altered. The tailor took it away, and brought it back next morning without altering a stitch, and the Duke found it fitted admirably. It will be the same with my letter," said Antonio.

XIV. THE BITER BIT.

There is a small town, near Ancona, where it is the custom to invite the neighbours when a hog

is killed. A countryman, who had a hog to kill, but who was anxious to avoid sharing it with his neighbours, consulted a friend, who advised him to say, that some one had stolen his hog. The person who gave the advice, came at night himself, and carried off the hog. The poor countryman who had been robbed, called next morning in great distress, and told him he had lost his hog. "Excellent," said the other, "that will do. I see you have taken my advice; you have only to put a good face upon it, and you will persuade anybody.";

XV. FACINO CANE.

A poor man complained to the celebrated military chief, Facino Cane, that he had been stripped of a cloak by one of his soldiers. Facino seeing that he had a good coat on, asked him if he was dressed in the same way when his cloak was taken. The man answered that he was. "Then get about your business," said Facino; "the man who robbed you is none of my soldiers; none of them would have left so good a coat upon your back.",

XVI. THE VENETIAN.

A Venetian mounted his horse to go a journey, his servant following him, behind. Upon the journey, the horse having struck the servant with his heel, he took up a stone, and intending to revenge himself upon him, hit his master upon the back. The foolish Venetian thought his horse had done it. When the servant, who had loitered behind on account of his hurt, came up, his master chid him for his laziness. The servant told him the horse had kicked him. "Ah," said he, "he is a wretched brute; he has just kicked me on the back."

XVII. SINGULAR PHENOMENON.

In the month of November, this year, in a cer

tain spot, about a thousand yards beyond Como, a singular phenomenon was witnessed before sunset: an immense multitude of dogs, of a red colour, amounting to about 4000, were seen to pass along the road towards Germany. This, which seemed the advanced guard, was followed by a great number of cattle and sheep: after this, horse and foot, divided into troops and companies, some armed with shields, some apparently without heads

last came a man of gigantic stature, mounted on a lofty horse, and leading with him a large troop of camels of different kinds. The procession lasted nearly three hours, spreading over a very large space, and was witnessed by a great many specta tors, who approached close for that purpose. With the setting of the sun, the whole disappeared.

XVIII. HOW TO PAY FOR A HORSE.

A Florentine wanted a horse; he found a person who was willing to let him have one for 15 ducats. "I will pay you 5 down," said he to the owner, "and I will be your debtor for the rest." The horse-seller consented. Some days afterwards, however, he came to demand his 10 ducats, "No," said the purchaser, "we must stick to our bargain, I told you I should be your debtor for the rest, and I could not be your debtor if I were to pay you."

XIX. WORDS AND WORKS.

A preacher wishing to make his auditors understand, that in order to judge of the conversion of another, it was necessary to look to works and not to words, related this fable. A man who had caught some birds in an aviary, was strangling them with his fingers. He happened to hurt himself by accident, and began to weep with the pain.