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 rather 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 bog. 6 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, 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 spectators, who approached close for that purpose. With the setting of the sun, the whole disappeared.

XVIII. IIOW 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.

One of the birds who saw him, said to his comrades, "Let us take courage.' "Oh," said the oldest, and most experienced among them, "do not look at his eyes, my children,-look at his hands."

XX. THE TESTAMENT OF THE DOG.

A Priest in Tuscany, possessed of some property, had a dog which was a particular favourite with him, and which, when dead, he buried in the church. The Bishop happened to hear of it, and having an eye to the Priest's money, immediately called him before him to answer to the charge of sacrilege. The Priest, who had a tolerable idea of the Bishop's motives, put fifty gold pieces in his pocket, and went to the Bishop, who, after charging him with the funeral of the dog, ordered him to prison. Holy Father," said the Priest, "if you only knew the admirable qualities of the dog, you would not be surprised that I thought him deserving of Christian burial;—for in his life, and still more in his death, he was more excellent than most men." "How so?" said the Bishop. "Why," replied the Priest, "while he was making his will, recollecting your poverty, he has left you fifty pieces of gold, which I have brought with me."The Bishop immediately ratified both the will and the funeral, took the money, and dismissed the Priest.

LUTHER'S COLLOQUIA MENSALIA.

[The singular work from which the following Extracts are taken, contains the record of the familiar conversations of the Reformer with his friends Melanchthon, Cruciger, Jonas, Eberus, and others, on points connected with Theology and Church Government. It is said to have been originally collected from the mouth of Luther himself, by Dr Anthony Lauterbach, and afterwards digested into its present form by Dr John Aurifaber. The main subjects of discussion are Idolatry, Auricular Confession, Mass, Excommunication, Clerical Jurisdiction, General Councils, the Nature of Spiritual Beings and of the Devil in particular, Celibacy of Churchmen, and all the other topics agitated by the reformed Church in those early periods. With these are intermixed many diatribes against Antichrist and Cardinals, and much sarcasm on popish miracles and relics. But the book is principally valuable, not on account of its merits, which, though they appear at one time to have procured for it the title of Divine Discourses, are sufficiently doubtful, but for the singular light which it casts on the character of the great reformer; and the picture of mingled superstition and daring speculation; of abject credulity on some points, and the boldest spirit of investigation on others, which it presents. The short extracts which we have selected from the chapters on angels and the devil, will enable our readers to judge how far Luther was entitled to smile at the superstitious observances of the Romish Church, retaining, as he did, a belief in many opinions more absurd and monstrous than those he rejected. The translation from which these extracts are taken, was executed under circumstances as singular as the character of the book itself; and the account of the matter given by the translator, Captain Henry Bell, is so curious, that we must make use of the words of the gallant captain himself. The work had been nearly suppressed by Rodolph the Second, at the instigation of Gregory XIII., from the extensive effects it had been supposed to produce in the propagation of the

The translation bears the date of 1650.