a second marriage; and affirmed upon oath, "for the ease of
her conscience and the maintenance of her honour," that he was her
real husband, that he had been married to her in 1685, and that he had
cohabited with her till 1699; therefore she demanded that the second
marriage should be declared void. The judges, zealous of their own
honour, and provoked that their decision should be called in question,
gave immediate orders to cast her into prison, which was accordingly
done.

The authorities at Berne meantime, believing that the decision of the
Provencal Court, which had paid no attention to the documents which
they had forwarded from Lausanne and Vevay, to prove the residence and
death of the son of the Sieur de Caille in Switzerland was insulting,
addressed a letter to the King, and the whole affair was considered by
his Majesty in council at Fontainebleau. After the commissioners, to
whom the matter was referred, had sat nearly forty times, they
pronounced judgment. The decision of the court below was upset; the
soldier was deprived of his ill-acquired wealth, was ordered to pay
damages, was handed over to the criminal authorities for punishment,
while the former holders were restored to possession of the property.

MICHAEL FEYDY--THE SHAM CLAUDE DE VERRE.

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, a French gentleman, named
Guy de Verre, lived with his wife and two sons at Saumur. Claude, the
elder of these children, who had a peculiar scar on his brow (which
had been left by a burn), at an early age expressed a strong desire to
become a soldier, and his father accordingly procured an ensigncy for
him in the regiment of Clanleu. In 1638 Claude de Verre left the
paternal mansion to join his regiment; and from that date till 1651
nothing was heard of him. In the latter year, however, one of the
officers of a regiment which had been ordered to Saumur presented
himself at the chateau of Chauvigny, which was occupied by Madame de
Verre, now a widow; and no sooner had he appeared than Jacques, the
second son, observed his perfect resemblance to his missing brother.
He communicated his suspicions to his mother, who was overwhelmed with
delight, and without consulting more than her emotions, addressed the
stranger as her son. At first the officer feebly protested that he did
not enjoy that relationship, but, seeing the lady's anxiety, he at
last admitted that he was Claude de Verre, and that he had hesitated
t