uddenly snatched it up, and struck him with it.
Feeling the force of the charm, he rushed out of the house; but as it
had conferred on him the external appearance of a hare, his servant, who
waited without, halloo'd upon the discomfited Wizard his own hounds, and
pursued him so close, that in order to obtain a moment's breathing to
reverse the charm, Michael, after a very fatiguing course, was fain to
take refuge in his own jaw-hole, Anglice, common sewer. In order to
revenge himself of the witch of Falsehope, Michael, one morning in the
ensuing harvest, went to the hill above the house with his dogs, and
sent down his servant to ask a bit of bread from the goodwife for his
greyhounds, with instructions what to do if he met with a denial.
Accordingly, when the witch had refused the boon with contumely, the
servant, as his master had directed, laid above the door a paper which
he had given him, containing, amongst many cabalistical words, the
well-known rhyme,

"Maister Michael Scott's man
Sought meat, and gat nane."

[8] Merlini Coccaii Macaronica, xviii, p. 273.

Immediately the good old woman, instead of pursuing her domestic
occupation, which was baking bread for the reapers, began to dance round
the fire, repeating the rhyme, and continued this exercise, till her
husband sent the reapers to the house, one after another, to see what
had delayed their provision, but the charm caught each as they entered,
and, losing all idea of returning, they joined in the dance and the
chorus. At length the old man himself went to the house, but as his
wife's frolic with Mr. Michael, whom he had seen on the hill, made him a
little cautious, he contented himself with looking in at the window, and
saw the reapers at their involuntary exercise, dragging his wife, now
completely exhausted, sometimes round, and sometimes through the fire,
which was, as usual, in the midst of the house. Instead of entering, he
saddled a horse, and rode up the hill, to humble himself before Michael,
and beg a cessation of the spell, which the good-natured warlock
immediately granted, directing him to enter the house backwards, and
with his left hand take the spell from above the door, which accordingly
ended the supernatural dance. * * * Michael Scott," continues the same
author, "once upon a time was much embarrassed by a spirit, for whom he
was under the necessity of finding constant employment. He commanded him
to build a cauld, or dam-head,