levities were at first encouraged by the Church,
but afterwards, seeing the abuse of them, the priests were compelled
to reprimand and restrain the people. And the story told by William of
Malmesbury describes the singular punishment which came upon some
young men and women for disturbing a priest who was performing mass on
the eve of Christmas. "I, Othbert, a sinner," says the story, "have
lived to tell the tale. It was the vigil of the Blessed Virgin, and in
a town where was a church of St. Magnus. And the priest, Rathbertus,
had just begun the mass, and I, with my comrades, fifteen young women
and seventeen young men, were dancing outside the church. And we were
singing so loud that our songs were distinctly heard inside the
building, and interrupted the service of the mass. And the priest came
out and told us to desist; and when we did not, he prayed God and St.
Magnus that we might dance as our punishment for a year to come. A
youth, whose sister was dancing with us, seized her by the arm to drag
her away, but it came off in his hand, and she danced on. For a whole
year we continued. No rain fell on us; cold, nor heat, nor hunger, nor
thirst, nor fatigue affected us; neither our shoes nor our clothes
wore out; but still we went on dancing. We trod the earth down to our
knees, next to our middles, and at last were dancing in a pit. At the
end of the year release came."

Giraldus Cambrensis, amongst many ridiculous Christmas stories of
miracles, visions, and apparitions, tells of one devil who acted a
considerable time as a gentleman's butler with great prudence and
probity; and of another who was a very diligent and learned clergyman,
and a mighty favourite of his archbishop. This last clerical devil
was, it seems, an excellent historian, and used to divert the
Archbishop with telling him old stories, some of which referred to the
incarnation of our Saviour, and were related at the Christmas season.
"Before the incarnation of our Saviour," said the Archbishop's
historian, "the devils had great power over mankind, but after that
event their power was much diminished and they were obliged to fly.
Some of them threw themselves into the sea; some concealed themselves
in hollow trees, or in the clefts of rocks; and I myself plunged into
a certain fountain. As soon as he had said this, finding that he had
discovered his secret, his face was covered with blushes, he went out
of the room, and was no more seen."

The foll