rvayles" being: "Howe Virgilius
made a lampe that at all tymes brenned"; "howe Virgilius put out all
the fyer of Rome"; "howe Virgilius made in Rome a metall serpente." In
this story of Virgil occurs a curious instance of the appearance of the
same incident in very different works of fiction. The poet being
enamoured of a certain Roman lady, persuaded her to lower a basket from
her window, in which he should enter and be drawn up to her chamber.
The lady assented, but when the basket had ascended half way, she left
her lover to hang there, exposed the next morning to the ridicule of
the populace, for which treachery Virgil takes terrible revenge. This
story of the basket became very popular; it was introduced into a well
known French fabliau[33]; and Bulwer worked it, with slight changes,
into his novel of "Pelham," where Monsieur Margot experiences the same
sad reflections concerning the deceitfulness of woman, which had long
before passed through the mind of Virgil.

The devil himself, or more properly, one of the many devils who
abounded in the sixteenth century, is the hero of the "Historie of
Frier Rush."

The imagination of the peasantry had peopled the woods and dells with
gay and harmless spirits, fairies and imps. These were sometimes
mischievous, but might always be propitiated, and excited in the rural
mind curiosity and amusement rather than fear. But the clergy, who
shared in the popular superstitions, and gave as ready a belief as the
peasantry to the existence of these supernatural beings, were unable
from the nature of their creed to admit the possibility that these
spirits were harmless. To the monks all supernatural creatures were
either angels or devils, and under their influence the imps and fairies
whom the peasants believed to be dancing and playing pranks about them
were turned into demons bent on the destruction of human souls.[34]
Friar Rush was probably at one time a good natured imp like Robin Good
Fellow, but under the influence, of Christian superstition he became
the typical emissary from Satan, who played tricks among men calculated
to set them by the ears, and who sought by various devices, always
amusing, to fit them for residence in his master's dominions.

In the history before us, which is probably only one of many which
circulated concerning the mischievous friar, he obtains admission into
a convent for the purpose of debauching its inmates. Having received
employment as under-coo