swept the ground, a mask equipped with 66 eyes that glow and fangs that grin," and a huge pair of horns starting from the forehead. All his struggles availed nothing with his frightful partner he was dragged into the circle, compelled to perform numerous pirouettes, which were more remarkable for velocity than grace, and if he relaxed for a moment in his exertions, a swinge of his partner's tail, a kick of his cloven foot, or a blow with his horns, set him prancing again with pain and terror till his strength was exhausted, and he fell to the ground. At this moment the cook was seen entering the hall, attended by the lay-brothers groaning under the heavy dishes they bore, and shouting in unison the monastic chorus-- Caput apri defero, Reddens laudes Domino; Plaudite cum cantico. The revellers instantly surrounded the tables, covered with delicious fare, and flaggons of the choicest wines; and down sat pagan gods; Christian martyrs, devils and angels, promiscuously. Susanna pledged the elders, while they could undergo her challenge-Queen Dido did reason to St. Dennis for France, in potations deeper than those Virgil describes her indulging in when she feasted Æneas-the three children in the furnace prayed to sit near Niobe-and Moses and Satan, observing they were the only persons of the drama who were accommodated with horns, agreed to sit together, and, to the vast amusement of the group, instead of carving, tore up a pasty that was before them with their horns. "Fast and furious" waxed their mirth, till in a pause of laughter that had threatened to be inextinguishable, one of the party demanded whence that groan had issued? "It is a sigh breathed from a hole in a vessel of clay," quoth the disconsolate deacon, who sat panting on the floor after his involuntary exercise, and wistfully gazing on the feasters.—" Yea, and a lame broken vessel," said Rusbriquis“And an empty vessel, I trow," rejoined the abbot," how sayest thou, heretic ?"—" It is 66 even so," said the deacon; " and I pray you, since I am become a by-word and mock, let me eat a morsel of savoury meat, and drink a cup of wine, lest I become like them that go down to the pit."-"By the mass, well prayed and in good season," said the mock abbot: "thou hast been as Daniel in the den of lions, but now thou shalt be as Daniel in the palace of the king of Babylon, and shalt think scorn of the water and pulse thou feddest on in thy peevish mood, and raw perverse nonage." The deacon hesitated not to accept the permission, and in a moment the humour of tormenting their prisoner was exchanged for one of feasting him: his trencher was filled with the choicest morsels, and his cup oft and mischievously replenished with wines, of whose power he was as ignorant as of their flavour. The persecution thus disguised had its full effect; the good wine "did its good office soon," and the revellers with triumph perceived the increasing intoxication of the sullen heretic, who, preaching between every mouthful, and hiccuping between every word, presented a spectacle of maudlin gravity, uncouth hilarity, zeal truly without knowledge, and eloquence without the power of speech."Thou wilt chant a roundelay, or a hymn to the Lady Venus now?" asked Rusbriquis.-"Yea, that I will, to be conformable," quoth the deacon: "any thing in conformity, and to do reason."" And thou wilt dance a round with us, if need be?" asked the abbot. 66 Surely I will dance," said Mephibosheth, "that is, in the way of comfort to the weak; I will dance, yea, dance very exceedingly-so that it shall be said hereafter, his dancing is as the dancing of Mephibosheth the deacon, for he danceth furiously;-but only in the way of comfort, mark ye me otherwise not a grice, though fat bulls of Basan closed me in on every side." "And thou wilt whisper a love-tale in a fair leman's ear?" said another 66 Why, there it is," said the deacon, with an ineffable leer, "I yield it that thou hast me there; I was always the lovingest soul, and could skill of music in my youth; but away with these vanities!--Hold, fellow! I meant not the trencher and cupfull of new wine--Tell not me of fair women: if thou wilt pledge me in a cup of wine, so,---if not, would all the women in the land kept their own counsel and were sober-As for me, tears have been my meat day and night"---and he burst into a violent fit of drunken grief, which was drowned in the shouts of laughter that rose on every side. All gathered round him assailing him with invitations to eat, to drink, to dance, to sing, in the same moment, while others called as loudly on him to preach, that they might be converted by his doctrine: then their passions changing, they began to revile him; curses and foul terms were heard on every side, and those who were distant began to throw fragments of the feast at him. This moment completed the distraction of the unfortunate deacon !---his senses reeled, his perceptions became confused, he saw false colours, and mistook one object for another--he answered the curses with a vacant laugh, and reviled those who still jested with him. |