by which he was
drawn to suffering that cruel death which his companions had before
undergone, and he so justly deserved.

There was, it seems, a young country fellow in the neighbourhood where
Masson lived, who was just married, and according to a silly notion
which prevails not only among the peasants of France but also among the
clowns of all other nations in Europe, fancied himself bewitched by some
charm or other, which rendered him incapable of performing the rites of
his marriage bed. Masson thereupon offered, if he would give him a
reasonable gratuity, to free him from this insupportable malady, and a
bargain was accordingly struck for four crowns, two of which the fellow
gave him in his hand, and two more were to be paid on the accomplishment
of the cure, when there were no more complaints of insufficiency. Upon
this he immediately demanded the other two crowns, which the other
refused, and our infatuated thief brought the cause before the
magistrates, where, when it came to be examined, it appeared plainly
that Masson had bragged to his companions that he had wrought the
charm, for the undoing of which he now claimed a reward. And as the
Justice of the Court required, he was sentenced to be banished as a
sorcerer, after being first whipped at all the cross-streets in town.

But behold the marvellous conduct of Divine Justice. He appealed from
this sentence to the parliament at Paris, whither he was no sooner
conducted under a strong guard, but he was immediately known to be one
of that gang of assassins which had been executed for the murder of
Perrier's master and family. Immediately he was charged with this fact,
and the heirs of that unfortunate gentleman prosecuted their charge with
such vigour that he received the like judgment, to be broken alive upon
the wheel at the same place where his associates had suffered death;
which sentence was rigorously executed five years after the perpetration
of that execrable fact.

There remained nobody but Jacques Perrier, the author and contriver of
this horrid villainy, who had not suffered according to their deserts.
He, after hiding himself for a while, until he saw what became of his
companions, hastily betook himself to flight, and endeavoured to fly
into England, where, if he once arrived, he knew he should remain in
safety. But in this attempt he was disappointed (although nobody pursued
him), for being arrived at Calais, the same covetous and wicked
disposit