his skill at too high a rate. For his
authentic history, see the article in the _Biographie Universelle_ by
Ginguene; for the legendary, Tieck's romantic tale, "Pietro von Abano"
(1825), which has been translated into English.

P. 156. _Alexander the Rat-catcher_.--This story, to whose ground-work
History and Rabelais have equally contributed, was first published in vol.
xii. of _The Yellow Book_, January, 1897.

P. 157. _Cardinal Barbadico_.--This cardinal was actually entrusted by
Alexander VIII. with the commission of suppressing the rats; an occasion
upon which the "sardonic grin" imputed to the Pope by a detractor may be
conjectured to have been particularly apparent. Barbadico was a remarkable
instance of a man "kicked upstairs." As Archbishop of Corfu he had had a
violent dispute with the Venetian governor, and Innocent XI., equally
unwilling to disown the representative of Papal authority or offend the
Republic, recalled him to Rome and made him a Cardinal to keep him there.

P. 177. _The Rewards of Industry._--Appeared originally in _Atalanta for
August_, 1888.

P. 194. _The Talismans._--First published in _Atalanta_ for September,
1890.

P. 202. _The Elixir of Life._--Published July, 1881, in the third number
of a magazine entitled _Our Times_, which blasted the elixir's character by
expiring immediately afterwards.

P. 226. _The Purple Head._--Appeared originally in _Fraser's Magazine_ for
August, 1877.

P. 228. _The purple of the emperor and the matrons appeared ashy grey in
comparison._ "Cineris specie decolorari videbantur caeterae divini
comparatione fulgoris" (Vopiscus, in Vita Aureliani, cap. xxix.).

P. 230. _All these sovereigns._--"Diligentissime et Aurelianus et Probus
et proxime Diocletianus missis diligentissimis confectoribus requisiverunt
tale genus purpurae, nec tamen invenire potuerunt" (Vopiscus, _loc. cit._).

P. 241. _Pan's Wand._--Published originally in a Christmas number of The
_Illustrated London News_.

P. 249. _A Page from the Book of Folly._--Appeared in _Temple Bar_ for
1871.

P. 282. _The Philosopher and the Butterflies._--One of the contributions
by various writers to "The New Amphion," a little book prepared for sale at
the Fancy Fair got up by the students of the University of Edinburgh in
1886.

P. 294. _The Three Palaces._--Published originally on a similar occasion
to the last story, in "A Volunteer Haversack," an extensive repertory of
miscellaneous contribu