ing like the billows, which are typified by white horses.

Neptune has, however, lost his name for the multitude, who simply call
him the Biancone, or Great White Man; and this is the legend (given to me
in writing by a witch), by which he is popularly known:

BIANCONE, THE GOD OF THE ARNO.

"Biancone was a great and potent man, held in great respect for his
grandeur and manly presence, a being of tremendous strength, and the true
type of a magician, {152} he being a wizard indeed. In those days there
was much water in the Arno, {153} and Biancone passed over it in his car.

"There was then in the Arno a witch, a beautiful girl, the _vera dea_ or
true goddess of the river, in the form of an eel. And Biancone finding
this fish every day as he drove forth in his chariot, spurned it away
_con cattivo garbo_--with an ill grace. And one day when he had done
this more contemptuously than usual, the eel in a rage declared she would
be revenged, and sent to him a smaller eel. But Biancone crushed its
head (_le stiaccio il chapo_).

"Then the eel appeared with a little branch of olive with berries, and
said:

"'Entro in questa carozza,
Dove si trove l'uomo,
L'uomo il piu potente,
Che da tutti e temuto;
Ed e un uomo grande,
E grande, e ben vero;
Ma il gran dio del Arno,
Il potente Biancone,
Non sara il solo potente;
Vi sara una piccola pesce,
Una piccola anguilla;
Benche piccola la sia;
Fara vedere la sua potenza
Tu Biancone, a mi,
Le magie, e siei mezzo stregone
Io una piccola anguillina,
Sono una vera fata,
E sono la Fata dell Arno,
Tu credevi d'essere
Il solo dio d'Arno,
Ma ci, no, io che sono
La regina, e la vera,
Vera dea qui del Arno.'

"'Lo, I enter in this chariot!
Where I find the man of power,
Who is feared by all before him,
And he is a mighty being,
Great he is, there's no denying;
But the great god of the Arno,
The so powerful Biancone,
Is not all alone in power;
There's a little fish or eel, who,
Though but little, has the power,
Mighty man, to make thee tremble!
Biancone, thou art only
Unto me as half a wizard;
I, a little eel of the Arno,
Am the fairy of the river;
Thou didst deem thyself its ruler;
I deny it--for I only
Am the queen and the true goddess--
The true goddess of the Arno.'

"Havi