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Article A DREAM. ← Page 3 of 3 Article CHARLEMAGNE AND THE DEVIL. Page 1 of 1
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A Dream.
terior of a chapel , and in the centre ofthe middle aisle stood the appalling figure of the monk . His eyes were fixed , as before , upon the face of my friend ; there was no expression in the face ;• the features were immoveable and frigid . This apparition remained for a few moments , and then all became dark again . Grown desperate with this second visitation of the monk , who , he was more than ever convincedwas an impostorM— lunged forward in the
, , p direction of the chapel . I heard his receding steps—a pause ensued , and presently a hollow sound echoed through the vaults like the fall of some heavy weight upon the ground—I pressed forward in the direction he had taken , calling his name , which was reiterated through the labyrinth by countless echoes . At last I stumbled over something in my path and fell—it was the body of a man ! I carried it into the moonlight—it was my friend ! Upon his throat the deep impression of a
finger and thumb was visible , and there the symptoms of decay had alread y began to show themselves . His face , too , had assumed the greenish tint I before noticed upon the monk ' s . A feeling of suffocation overpowered me—my form appeared to swell from the violent suppression of my breathing—my eyes started from their sockets—my tongue became parched—my blood rushed to my heart , which , like a ball of fire , consumed my entrails —a wild shriek pierced my brain—it proceeded
from the wife of my friend . Hideous faces thronged around me , my hands were bound with fetters , chains rattled in my ears , and a thousand voices exclaimed , "Behold the murderer ! " I started from the bed , and the visions of my sleep departed ; but I could not again give myself up to slumber ; so , hastily dressing , I walked to enjoy the fresh morning breeze upon the sand y beach , and saw the sun rise—the fairest sight in the world to dissipate unwelcome reminiscences . G . J . B .
Charlemagne And The Devil.
CHARLEMAGNE AND THE DEVIL .
RICHARD SKIPPON who , in the seventeenth century , made a tour " through part of the Low Countries , Germany , Italy , and France , " narrates the folloiving anecdote , by ivhich , we have further evidence of the complacency ivith wliich the devil views the erection of playhouses : —The traveller is describing " Our Lady ' s Church" at Liege . He proceeds— " At the south side is a great pair of brass gates , and one of them hath a crack in the brass , occasioned , as the legend says , thus :
— "W hen Charlemagne began the building of this church , the devil came and asked him what he intended ? The emperor told him he designed a playhouse , ivhich the devil being well satisfied with , he departs , and the emperor sets up some altar tables , and then the devil comes again to him , and inquired what those meant ; Charlemagne replied , they were only for gamesters to play on , which encouraged the devil to give his assistance towards the buildingand to bring a great
, pair of brass gates on his shoulders , ivhich he lets fall , and runs away at the sight of the crucifix , and in that fall one of the gates cracked . " Nigh these gates stands a pillar , with a gaping wolf on it , and a hole in the middle of his breast , and it is reported that the devil went in at the wolf ' s mouth and came out at the hole .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Dream.
terior of a chapel , and in the centre ofthe middle aisle stood the appalling figure of the monk . His eyes were fixed , as before , upon the face of my friend ; there was no expression in the face ;• the features were immoveable and frigid . This apparition remained for a few moments , and then all became dark again . Grown desperate with this second visitation of the monk , who , he was more than ever convincedwas an impostorM— lunged forward in the
, , p direction of the chapel . I heard his receding steps—a pause ensued , and presently a hollow sound echoed through the vaults like the fall of some heavy weight upon the ground—I pressed forward in the direction he had taken , calling his name , which was reiterated through the labyrinth by countless echoes . At last I stumbled over something in my path and fell—it was the body of a man ! I carried it into the moonlight—it was my friend ! Upon his throat the deep impression of a
finger and thumb was visible , and there the symptoms of decay had alread y began to show themselves . His face , too , had assumed the greenish tint I before noticed upon the monk ' s . A feeling of suffocation overpowered me—my form appeared to swell from the violent suppression of my breathing—my eyes started from their sockets—my tongue became parched—my blood rushed to my heart , which , like a ball of fire , consumed my entrails —a wild shriek pierced my brain—it proceeded
from the wife of my friend . Hideous faces thronged around me , my hands were bound with fetters , chains rattled in my ears , and a thousand voices exclaimed , "Behold the murderer ! " I started from the bed , and the visions of my sleep departed ; but I could not again give myself up to slumber ; so , hastily dressing , I walked to enjoy the fresh morning breeze upon the sand y beach , and saw the sun rise—the fairest sight in the world to dissipate unwelcome reminiscences . G . J . B .
Charlemagne And The Devil.
CHARLEMAGNE AND THE DEVIL .
RICHARD SKIPPON who , in the seventeenth century , made a tour " through part of the Low Countries , Germany , Italy , and France , " narrates the folloiving anecdote , by ivhich , we have further evidence of the complacency ivith wliich the devil views the erection of playhouses : —The traveller is describing " Our Lady ' s Church" at Liege . He proceeds— " At the south side is a great pair of brass gates , and one of them hath a crack in the brass , occasioned , as the legend says , thus :
— "W hen Charlemagne began the building of this church , the devil came and asked him what he intended ? The emperor told him he designed a playhouse , ivhich the devil being well satisfied with , he departs , and the emperor sets up some altar tables , and then the devil comes again to him , and inquired what those meant ; Charlemagne replied , they were only for gamesters to play on , which encouraged the devil to give his assistance towards the buildingand to bring a great
, pair of brass gates on his shoulders , ivhich he lets fall , and runs away at the sight of the crucifix , and in that fall one of the gates cracked . " Nigh these gates stands a pillar , with a gaping wolf on it , and a hole in the middle of his breast , and it is reported that the devil went in at the wolf ' s mouth and came out at the hole .