emand of a shopkeeper at Marseilles, of whom he had
taken a coat he had not paid for. On being asked why he made so much
noise, he replied that it was not himself, but a bad spirit who wished
to appear instead of him, and prevent him from declaring the cause of
his torment.

I have been told by two canons of St. Diez, in our neighborhood, that
three months after the death of M. Henri, canon of St. Diez, of their
brotherhood, the canon to whom the house devolved, going with one of
his brethren, at two o'clock in the afternoon, to look at the said
house, and see what alterations it might suit him to make in it, they
went into the kitchen, and both of them saw in the next room, which
was large and very light, a tall ecclesiastic of the same height and
figure as the defunct canon, who, turning towards them, looked them in
the face for two minutes, then crossed the said room, and went up a
little dark staircase which led to the garret.

These two gentlemen, being much frightened, left the house instantly,
and related the adventure to some of the brotherhood, who were of
opinion that they ought to return and see if there was not some one
hidden in the house; they went, they sought, they looked everywhere,
without finding any one.

We read in the History of the Bishops of Mans,[365] that in the time
of Bishop Hugh, who lived in 1135, they heard, in the house of Provost
Nicholas, a spirit who alarmed the neighbors and those who lived in
the house, by uproar and frightful noises, as if he had thrown
enormous stones against the walls, with a force which shook the roof,
walls, and ceilings; he transported the dishes and the plates from one
place to another, without their seeing the hand which moved them. This
genius lighted a candle, though very far from the fire. Sometimes,
when the meat was placed on the table, he would scatter bran, ashes,
or soot, to prevent them from touching any of it. Amica, the wife of
the Provost Nicholas, having prepared some thread to be made into
cloth, the spirit twisted and raveled it in such a way that all who
saw it could not sufficiently admire the manner in which it was done.

Priests were called in, who sprinkled holy water everywhere, and
desired all those who were there to make the sign of the cross.
Towards the first and second night, they heard as it were the voice of
a young girl, who, with sighs that seemed drawn from the bottom of her
heart, said, in a lamentable and sobbing voice, th