s, he contrived, by cementing them to two pieces of wood,
to rub them against each other till they were reduced to dust. With
this dust, and a machine which he invented, he cut two facets on
another diamond, which he triumphantly exhibited to the old jeweller.
But a diamond had never previously been cut: men, wise in their
generation, had said that a diamond never could be cut; and
consequently, according to the general mode of treating inventors in
those days, a charge of sorcery was brought against the first
diamond-cutter. Berghen, thrown into prison, had abundant leisure for
deliberation. Two courses were open to him: one was to keep his
secret, and be burned as a sorcerer; the other, to clear himself of
that charge by shewing how he cut the diamond by natural means, and
thus lose the exclusive benefit of his invention, to which he
considered he was so justly entitled. He adopted neither. Fortunately,
Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, the ruler of Flanders, came to
hold his court in the city of Bruges, and was soon informed of the
diabolical art of the young jeweller. Charles was passionately fond of
jewels, and possessed a very large diamond. Like the Spaniard, who, if
the miracle were performed, did not care if Mohammed himself did it,
the Bold duke sent for Berghen, and commanded him to cut and polish
the large diamond, as he best could, either by aid of the Prince of
Darkness, or his own unassisted efforts. In due time the work was
completed; and Charles was so delighted with the brilliant beauty of
the previously dull stone, that he remunerated the young jeweller with
three thousand ducats. We need not inform the reader how Berghen soon
married his lady-love; but we may state that, retaining the secret of
diamond-cutting in his own family, he and his descendants acquired
immense wealth. After the death of his patron Charles, he removed to
Paris, where, for two centuries afterwards, the Berquins, as the name
was Gallicised, were the most famous jewellers of their time.

The after-history of that large diamond, the first ever cut in Europe
at least, is perhaps worthy of narration. Charles constantly carried
it with him on his own person, till at last a soldier found it beside
the duke's dead body, on the fatal battle-field of Nancy. Unconscious
of its value, the finder sold it for a crown to a priest; the priest,
equally ignorant, sold it for three ducats to a pedler; the pedler
sold it for a large sum to the D