Page:The whole familiar colloquies of Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam.djvu/254

250 FAMILIAR COLLOQUIES. wolf in four colours, fiery and bloody, and in the middle black encompassed with white. If you open the black cyamea you will find a bean in the middle; the dryites represents the trunk of a tree, and burns like wood; the cissites and narcissites represent ivy, the astrapias darts forth rays of lightning out of the midst of white or blue, the phlegontites shews a flame within that does not come out; in the anthracitis you may see certain sparks running to and fro; the crocias represents the colour of saffron, the rhodites that of a rose, the chalcites of brass, the aietites the figure of an eagle with a white tail, the taos represents a peacock, the chelidonia an asp, the mermecites has the image of a creeping pismire growing within it; the cantharias shews a perfect beetle, and the scorpites admirably deciphers a scorpion. But why should I proceed to recount that which is innumerable, when there is no part of nature, either in elements, animals, or plants, which nature, as it were to sport herself, does not give us some resemblance of in stones? And do you then admire that the form of a toad is represented in the bufonites? Me. I wonder -that nature has so much spare time as to divert herself in drawing -the pictures of everything. Og. It has a mind to exercise the curiosity of mankind, and by that means to keep us from being idle. And yet, as though we were at a loss to know how to pass away our time, we run a madding after buffoons, dice, and jugglers. Me. You say true.

Og. And some persons of credit add, that if you put this toadstone into vinegar it will move its legs and swim. Me. But why is this dedicated to the Virgin? Og. Because she has overcome, trampled upon, and extinguished all uncleanness, malice, pride, avarice, and all manner of earthly desires. Me. Woe to us, then, who carry so much of the toad still in our hearts ! Og. But we shall be pure if we worship the Virgin as we ought. Me. How would she have us worship her? Og. You will perform most acceptable service to her if you imitate her. Me. That is soon said, but not so easily performed. Og. It is hard indeed, but then it is very well worth the pains. Me. Come on, go forwards in what you have begun. Og. Afterwards he shewed me statues of gold and silver. This, says he, is solid gold, and this is only silver gilt. He told me the weight of every one, the price, and the name of the donor.

I being full of admiration at everything, and congratulating the Virgin being mistress of so much wealth, says the officer to me, Inasmuch as I perceive you are so pious a spectator, I think I should not do fairly by you if I should conceal anything from you, therefore you shall see the greatest privacies the Virgin has. And presently he takes out of a drawer from under the altar a world of admirable things, the particulars of which, if I should proceed to mention, the day would not be long enough; so that thus far the journey succeeded to my wish. I satisfied my curiosity abundantly with fine sights, and brought home with me this inestimable present,; a pledge of the Virgin’s love, given me by herself.

Me. Did you ever make trial of the virtues of this piece of wood? Og. I have. Three or four days ago I, being in an house of entertainment, found a man stark mad, whom they were just going to put into chains; I put this piece of wood privately under his bolster, and he fell into a sound sleep and slept a long time, and when he rose in