h him a crystal gem, of a round form, wrapped
up in a piece of silk, which he told him he had received from a stranger,
who encountering him several years before in the market-place, had asked
his hospitality, and whom he had brought home with him and lodged for the
space of three days; and that when the stranger was departing, he had left
him the crystal as a present, in token of his obligation, and had taught
him the use of it; thus, that if there was any thing he particularly
wished to be informed of, he should take out this crystal and desire a
pure male child to look into it and say what he should see there; and that
it would come to pass that whatever he desired to be informed of, would be
indicated by appearances seen by the boy. And he affirmed that he never
was deceived in any instance, and that he learned matters of a wonderful
kind from the representations of those boys, although no one else, by the
closest inspection, could see any thing except the clear and shining gem.
At a certain time, however, when his wife was pregnant of a male child,
appearances were visible to her also in the crystal. First of all, there
used to appear the form of a man clad in the ordinary habit of the times,
and then would open the representation of whatever was inquired after; and
when all was explained, the same figure of the man would depart and
disappear; but in his departure would often appear to perambulate the town
and enter the churches. But the report of these appearances having spread
in all directions, they began to be threatened by the populace. It also
appeared, that certain men of learning had read in the crystal some
statements respecting doubts entertained by them in their studies; and
moved by these and other reasons, Spengler stated that the owner of the
crystal came to him, representing that he thought the time was come when
he ought to cease making such a use of it; for that he was now persuaded
he had sinned in no light degree in doing so, and had for a long time
suffered grievous pangs of a disturbed conscience on that account, and had
come to the determination of having nothing further to do with experiments
of that kind, and had accordingly brought the crystal to him to do with it
whatever he pleased. Then Spengler, highly approving his resolution,
states that he took the crystal, and having pounded it into minute
fragments, threw them, together with the silk wrapper, into a draw-well."
So far Delrio.

Anoth