roficiscor, ait ille, et Argentoratum quatuor abhinc
hebdomadis revertar.

Bene curasti hoc jumentam? (ait) muli faciem manu demulcens--me,
manticamque meam, plus sexcentis mille passibus portavit.

Longa via est! respondet hospes, nisi plurimum esset negoti.--Enimvero,
ait peregrinus, a Nasorum promontorio redii, et nasum speciosissimum,
egregiosissimumque quem unquam quisquam sortitus est, acquisivi?

Dum peregrinus hanc miram rationem de seipso reddit, hospes et uxor
ejus, oculis intentis, peregrini nasum contemplantur--Per sanctos
sanctasque omnes, ait hospitis uxor, nasis duodecim maximis in toto
Argentorato major est!--estne, ait illa mariti in aurem insusurrans,
nonne est nasus praegrandis?

Dolus inest, anime mi, ait hospes--nasus est falsus.

Verus est, respondit uxor--

Ex abiete factus est, ait ille, terebinthinum olet--

Carbunculus inest, ait uxor.

Mortuus est nasus, respondit hospes.

Vivus est ait illa,--et si ipsa vivam tangam.

Votum feci sancto Nicolao, ait peregrinus, nasum meum intactum fore
usque ad--Quodnam tempus? illico respondit illa.

Minimo tangetur, inquit ille (manibus in pectus compositis) usque ad
illam horam--Quam horam? ait illa--Nullam, respondit peregrinus, donec
pervenio ad--Quem locum,--obsecro? ait illa--Peregrinus nil respondens
mulo conscenso discessit.

Slawkenbergius's Tale

It was one cool refreshing evening, at the close of a very sultry day,
in the latter end of the month of August, when a stranger, mounted upon
a dark mule, with a small cloak-bag behind him, containing a few shirts,
a pair of shoes, and a crimson-sattin pair of breeches, entered the town
of Strasburg.

He told the centinel, who questioned him as he entered the gates, that
he had been at the Promontory of Noses--was going on to Frankfort--and
should be back again at Strasburg that day month, in his way to the
borders of Crim Tartary.

The centinel looked up into the stranger's face--he never saw such a
Nose in his life!

--I have made a very good venture of it, quoth the stranger--so slipping
his wrist out of the loop of a black ribbon, to which a short scymetar
was hung, he put his hand into his pocket, and with great courtesy
touching the fore part of his cap with his left hand, as he extended his
right--he put a florin into the centinel's hand, and passed on.

It grieves, me, said the centinel, speaking to a little dwarfish
bandy-legg'd drummer, that so courteous a soul should ha