ailer said they were like to hang us for what
we had done. In the court-house our business was soon over, because there
were many to speak against us, but none to plead our cause; and all being
done in the Dutch language I understood nothing of it, except what
Elzevir told me afterwards.

There was Mr. Aldobrand in his black gown and buckled shoes with
tip-tilted heels, standing at a table and giving evidence: How that one
afternoon in August came two evil-looking English sailors to his house
under pretence of selling a diamond, which turned out to be but a lump of
glass: and that having taken observation of all his dwelling, and more
particularly the approaches to his business-room, they went their ways.
But later in the same day, or rather night, as he sat matching together
certain diamonds for a coronet ordered by the most illustrious the Holy
Roman Emperor, these same ill-favoured English sailors burst suddenly
through shutters and window, and made forcible entry into his
business-room. There they furiously attacked him, wrenched the diamond
from his hand, and beat him within an ace of his life. But by the good
Providence of God, and his own foresight, the window was fitted with a
certain alarm, which rang bells in other parts of the house. Thus his
trusty servants were summoned, and after being themselves attacked and
nearly overborne, succeeded at last in mastering these scurvy ruffians
and handing them over to the law, from which Mr. Aldobrand claimed
sovereign justice.

Thus much Elzevir explained to me afterwards, but at that time when
that pretender spoke of the diamond as being his own, Elzevir cut in
and said in open court that 'twas a lie, and that this precious stone
was none other than the one that we had offered in the afternoon, when
Aldobrand had said 'twas glass. Then the diamond merchant laughed, and
took from his purse our great diamond, which seemed to fill the place
with light and dazzled half the court. He turned it over in his hand,
poising it in his palm like a great flourishing lamp of light, and
asked if 'twas likely that two common sailor-men should hawk a stone
like that. Nay more, that the court might know what daring rogues they
had to deal with, he pulled out from his pocket the quittance given him
by Shalamof the Jew of Petersburg, for this same jewel, and showed it
to the judge. Whether 'twas a forged quittance or one for some other
stone we knew not, but Elzevir spoke again, saying t