usion, and confusion.
Manuscripts, pictures, carvings in wood and ivory, musical instruments;
and in this glorious chaos sat the friar, poring intently over an
Arabian manuscript.

He looked up a little peevishly at the interruption. Onesta whispered in
his ear.

"Very well," said he. "Let him be seated. Stay; young man, show me how
you write?" And he threw Gerard a piece of paper, and pointed to an
inkhorn.

"So please you, reverend father," said Gerard, "my hand it trembleth too
much at this moment; but last night I wrote a vellum page of Greek, and
the Latin version by its side, to show the various character."

"Show it me?"

Gerard brought the work to him in fear and trembling; then stood
heart-sick, awaiting his verdict.

When it came it staggered him. For the verdict was, a Dominican falling
on his neck.

The next day an event took place in Holland, the effect of which on
Gerard's destiny, no mortal at the time, nor even my intelligent reader
now, could, I think, foresee.

Marched up to Eli's door a pageant brave to the eye of sense, and to the
vulgar judgment noble, but to the philosophic, pitiable more or less.

It looked one animal, a centaur; but on severe analysis proved two. The
human half were sadly bedizened with those two metals, to clothe his
carcass with which and line his pouch, man has now and then disposed of
his soul: still the horse was the vainer brute of the two; he was far
worse beflounced, bebonneted, and bemantled, than any fair lady regnante
crinolina. For the man, under the colour of a warming-pan, retained
Nature's outline. But it was subaudi equum! Scarce a pennyweight of
honest horse-flesh to be seen. Our crinoline spares the noble parts of
women, and makes but the baser parts gigantic (why this preference?);
but this poor animal from stem to stern was swamped in finery. His ears
were hid in great sheaths of white linen tipped with silver and blue.
His body swaddled in stiff gorgeous cloths descending to the ground,
except just in front, where they left him room to mince. His tail,
though dear to memory, no doubt, was lost to sight, being tucked in
heaven knows how. Only his eyes shone out like goggles, through two
holes pierced in the wall of haberdashery, and his little front hoofs
peeped in and out like rats.

Yet did this compound, gorgeous and irrational, represent power;
absolute power: it came straight from a tournament at the Duke's court,
which being on a progress,