Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1830-03-12


far subsidized, rs TO permit him 10 creep with
safety TO his honest neighbor, TO ontrcat his pnr
don, and to inquire 10y what ART lie had fore,old
this dreadful tempest, in the midst ola perfect
calm. At length, with Some difficulty, during
a pausc of TIE awful blast, lie ccntrved to reach
his door; AMI after apologising 10 him in meek !
and fa,tcrinc tone, he besought him TO explain !
in what manner he could possibly have fcrcseon
such calamity. "'Thcrc is certainly" no con- /,
tnucd, " some superior master in the same art
rs my own, whom YOU must have applied to on
this OCCASION" "1'hat is very true, Mcssec
Ugo," replied tho villuScr al have consulted
him. and he is no other than the pretty animal
upon which you me moun;cd. My own ass
unio!ded the secret 10 NC, as be had done many
others OF The same nature before. lie can tell
fair weather too, as we'll as FOUL and never III
my life was in need of any othor weather glass:
ne takes moro exact survey of the heavens
than tho best glass or compass could possibly
do. ALWAYS remark, tha; when the weather
is going 10 DO extremely rough, he sets up his
back, his hair stands end, and he hides his
toll between his legs, shaking as ii ho were III
an aguc. But If we ale merely going 10 have
moderate hreezo, it i, quite another thing, Tor
then he osly holds his tell between his legs for
few moments lashipg his sides, and Il no
thunder and lightning follow, he will scarcely
do so much But when we are TO be visited
with such farce tempest os we have hau To-
ny, you silo.r' mi ~ what he says to you he
never in all his mS> gave me such an awful
warning before. For lac first directed al! his
ears and eyes, Us il were up into tho sky lie
stopped aud listened aud then he leapcd up
and beat tho earth with his four feet, if oil
the horse flies in the woyId had been dcvourinc
him so l thought would just stop and give
you our opinion on the subject for my noble
beast and ore always perfectly Of ons accord
OH this point. NoI should you, with all your
vast stores oflearning, Messer Cgo, be surpris-
cd at this-for how is it that The cock informs
us exactly Of the hour, as ifhc Had got little
p;-ce Of wa.ch-work i'll his head. How is 1T in
the least more 'strau go than what We hear of the
Dolphins gamboiing before the surface, warn
ing tho poor sailors Of the tempest at hand
Why should not my ASA be supposed TO know
something likewise on tho subject"
AIesser Ugo dc Santa Sofa, had not word 20
utter, in reply /; he bad now fairly the worst of
the argument, and at length candidy confessed
his admiration of The superior tact and foresight
3
that the long cared steed of Carabotto 1.-THE name
ofthe good vil!age-l should he, after all,
greater astrologer than himself, who had grown
grey in tao service Of tlc stars, the tides, ard
the causes Of every thing which happens here
below. He ontreatcd his good noghbcr 30 keep
the matter secret, at least for while, least his
reputation should suffer in the opinion the
world. Tho countrymau very hunbly promis-
ed that no would do !; Int whether lie did
not is uncertain, as the affair quickly took wind
though probably from some Witness whom
have been present at tho controversy previous
TO the storm Certain it IS. that The whole
country was speedily III possession Of the secret.
md of much amusement in consequences, il be-
ing every where said, that tina ass OF Caraboi;o
had turned out at las, to be great7- os:roioger
than the great Messer Ugo do Santa Sofa di
Verona himself The sayin! became a, !a>,
quito proverbiOl an nothing was more c1n.-
mon than to hear inan answer a very pertina-
cious enemy, by observing, YES, dare say,
you think you know more astIo!ogy than Cara
botto's as''-which generally br6rg h, another
reply, much as follows; d" Go, CO. for you know
less than poor Messcr Cgo dl Santa Sofia him.
self"
When OR savan! asroccer LEANED that the
matter was publicly divulsed throughout all
Lombardy, no went into such fit Of passion
that he actually seized, and committed to the
flames, more than two thousand crowns worth
of astrological books and instruments quad
rants, spheres, and nativliies, all fell prey 10
the hery element ) and he used even to work
with his eyes fixed upon tho ground, to avoid
contemplating the heavens, which, after all his
labors, had.so egregiously deceived him.