hile living!
Truly once, but for an instant,
I forgot myself, but deeply
I since then have long repented
That I slew my brother Abel.'

"But God replied: {265}

"A punishment thou shalt have because thou didst slay thy brother from a
desire to become rich. Likewise thou didst meddle with witchcraft and
sorceries, as did thy brother. And Abel made much money and was very
rich, because he did not love God, but sorcerers. Albeit, ever good he
never did evil things, and many good, wherefore God pardoned him. But
thou shalt not be pardoned because thou didst imbrue thy lands in human
blood, and, what is worse, in thy own brother's blood.

"The punishment which I inflict is this:

"The thorns {266} which thou didst put upon thy brother are now for thee.

"Thou shalt be imprisoned in the moon, and from that place shalt behold
the good and the evil of all mankind.

"And the bundle of thorns shall never leave thee, and every time when any
one shall conjure thee, the thorns shall sting thee cruelly; they shall
draw thy blood.

"And thus shalt thou be compelled to do that which shall be required of
thee by the sorcerers or by conjuring, and if they ask of thee that which
thou wilt not give, then the thorns shall goad thee until the sorceries
shall cease."

* * * * *

This is clearly enough no common popular nursery tale, such as make up
collections of Tuscan tales or popular legends, gathered from pious or
picturesque peasants. Through it all runs a deep current of dark heresy,
the deliberate contravention of accepted Scripture, and chiefly the spell
of sorcery and deadly witchcraft. It is a perfect and curious specimen
of a kind of forbidden literature which was common during the Middle
Ages, and which is now extremely rare. This literature or lore was the
predecessor of Protestantism, and was the rock on which it was based.

There have always been in the world since time began certain good people
whose taste or fate it was to be invariably on the wrong side, or in the
opposition; like the Irishman just landed from a ship in America, who,
being asked how he would vote, replied, "Against the Government, of
course, whatever it is," they are always at war with the powers that be.
With Jupiter they would have opposed the Titans; with Prometheus,
Jupiter; as early Christians they would have rebelled against the Pagans,
and as heretics, Orientalised Templars, Vaudois, illu