De Praestigiis Daemonum_," printed
at Basle in 1577, relates that in his time, 1430, the demon revealed
to a certain priest at Nuremberg some treasures hidden in a cavern
near the town, and enclosed in a crystal vase. The priest took one of
his friends with him as a companion; they began to dig up the ground
in the spot designated, and they discovered in a subterranean cavern a
kind of chest, near which a black dog was lying; the priest eagerly
advanced to seize the treasure, but hardly had he entered the cavern,
than it fell in, crushed the priest, and was filled up with earth as
before.

The following is extracted from a letter, written from Kirchheim,
January 1st, 1747, to M. Schopfflein, Professor of History and
Eloquence at Strasburg. "It is now more than a year ago that M.
Cavallari, first musician of my serene master, and by birth a
Venetian, desired to have the ground dug up at Rothenkirchen, a league
from hence, and which was formerly a renowned abbey, and was destroyed
in the time of the Reformation. The opportunity was afforded him by an
apparition, which showed itself more than once at noonday to the wife
of the Censier of Rothenkirchen, and above all, on the 7th of May for
two succeeding years. She swears, and can make oath, that she has seen
a venerable priest in pontifical garments embroidered with gold, who
threw before her a great heap of stones; and although she is a
Lutheran, and consequently not very credulous in things of that kind,
she thinks nevertheless that if she had had the presence of mind to
put down a handkerchief or an apron, all the stones would have become
money.

"M. Cavallari then asked leave to dig there, which was the more
readily granted, because the tithe or tenth part of the treasure is
due to the sovereign. He was treated as a visionary, and the matter of
treasure was regarded as an unheard-of thing. In the mean time, he
laughed at the anticipated ridicule, and asked me if I would go halves
with him. I did not hesitate a moment to accept this offer; but I was
much surprised to find there were some little earthen pots full of
gold pieces, all these pieces finer than the ducats of the fourteenth
and fifteenth century generally are. I have had for my share 666,
found at three different times. There are some of the Archbishops of
Mayence, Treves, and Cologne, of the towns of Oppenheim, Baccarat,
Bingen, and Coblentz; there are some also of the Palatine Rupert, of
Frederic, Burgrav