g able to explain
how or wherefrom, a man appeared.

This was an old man of medium height, dark complected and thin,
whose white beard was a contrast to his glittering vivacious eyes,
which gave his face extreme animation. Over his shoulder he wore a
long cape; a mitre on his head and a crosier in his hand gave him
the aspect of a Bishop.

At sight of him, Friar Rodriguez yawning, murmured:

"Dreams of my fertile imagin--!"

The vision did not permit him to finish the exclamation, but gave
him a whack between the shoulders.

"Eh! This is no joke!" exclaimed Friar Rodriguez, stroking with one
hand the afflicted part while with the other he rubbed his eyes.

"I see! It is no dream! But partner!"

Incensed at such familiarity, the strange personage began poking
Friar Rodriguez severely with his crosier on the stomach. The latter,
satisfied by this time that the thrashing was in earnest, exclaimed:

"Here! Here! Friar Pedro (Peter)--Is that the way you cancel
indulgencies? That was not the agreement."

The strange Bishop, aroused to a high pitch of anger, stopped his
poking and started to knock Friar Rodriguez on the head, believing
it to be a more sensitive part. Unfortunately, Friar Rodriguez's
head was too hard for anything, and the crosier fell, broken in two
pieces. At last! said the poor friar, who, pale and deadly frightened,
had fallen on his knees and was trying to creep away on all fours.

At sight of his pitiful condition, the stranger seeded satisfied,
and, placing on a table the broken crosier, said with contempt:

"Homo sine homine, membra sine spiritu! Et iste appellatur filius
meus!"

At the sound of that potent voice and language, unknown to him, Friar
Rodriguez appeared confounded. The stranger could not be Friar Pedro
(Peter) nor any brother in disguise! Impossible!

"Et tamen (the stranger continued), tanta est vanita vestra, ut ante
me Patrem vestrum--sed video, loguor et non audis!"

And shaking in disgust his head, the vision continued speaking in
Castillian, but with a foreign accent.

"And are you they who call themselves my sons? Has your haughtiness
reached such a degree that you not only pretend to be feared and
worshiped by governors and governed, but neither recognize nor respect
me, whose name you dishonor, and whose condignity you abuse? How do
I find you? Insolent with the unfortunate and cowardly towards those
who do not fear you! Surge et audi!"

His voice was so imper