The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-08-16
The Light Reading Of the middle Ages
CURIOUS TALES AND NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
ol f9E AND ANECDOTES. ts~.ftt

\ ~
CURIOUS TALES AND TRAD1rIoNs-INCIDE
% rsT AND ANECDOTES. 9e'
The Camden Society Of Great Britain
has just published curious little volume,
which, in the manuscript form, once formed
the eight reading" of the pious Monks Of
England in the days of Ivanhoe and Wal
lace. 1t is Latin compilation from vari-
Gus writers, embracing chronicles, legends,
a gazetteer, ard all kinds and samples of a
literary note book, and bears the name of
Eulogium Historiarum, a singularly we'll
chosen title, whether we understand it ac-
cording to the various translations which it
has bore of a"book of recreation" or
"compendium." tits one of that class of
works which William of Wykeham per-
mitted his scholars to read, seated round
the comfortable fire in the college hall on
festival days, after dinner, along with
"marve]s of the world" and "ballads," the
reading being enlivened at certain pauses
with a cheerful song and a merry chorus, or
"other honest solace"
CURIOUS TALES AND TRADITIONS.
The old author has quite store of Curl
GUS tales and traditions-the facts of those
days. Thus be assures US that in Paradise
every tree bore fruit, but omits to give US
the name of the one man who laughed on
his birth day." He, however, mentions the
curious tradition OF the prophecy of Adam,
and that the Evil Spirit tempted Eve with
the form Of serpent walking erect, and
with woman's face, after she had been
only seven hours in Eden. The loves of
the evil angels, and the information that
Semiramis, the Queen of Babylon, was the
inventor of drawers, or trousers, is duly
recorded, which may possibly be the origin
of the sarcasm that certain strong minded
ladies wear pajamas," or portion of
mans dress not used by male persons affect
ing to be Highlanders. Pallas is said to
have been created deity for her credit as a
spinster, and Prometheus to have been
called the man maker when he was only an
ingenious manufacturer of automata. Erech
thonius was the first member of the Four
in aand" Club.
The story OF the witching shirt of Her.
cules is explained away, the giant, in fact,
having been struck by epilepsy and the
magic stones of Deucalion were his hospi
tally to his subjects, who took refuge dur
ing a food upon the peaks of Parnassus.
We meet with an old friend, King Lear ;
but are glad to learn that Shakespeare very
needlessly narrowed our feelings in the last
act, Cordelia having survived her father by
five years, although her ultimate fortune
was to die in prison after all. Darius, the
king, once proposed to his courtiers the diff
cult question, which was the strongest
wine, king, or woman but it was decided
in favor of the latter, because men would
die for woman, and by an argumentum
ad hominena, for one of the chamber had
seen the queen box her husbands royal
cheeks; indeed, we are told that Democri-
tus picked out his beautiful eyes because
the ladies stared at him, and that Leo the
Great cut off his hand, which an admiring
damsel had kissed.
Claudius, We are told, had such short
memory that Immediately after having put
his wife to death be inquired in bis dining
room the reason why the queen did not
come to dinner and Titus was so kindly
tempered that he said no man ought to leave
kings presence with sad heart or an
empty hand; Constantine had such notion
ofthe Importance of a..clergyman's character
that he said il be saw one doing wrong be
would cover him with his imperial mantle.
Ratrordus, King of the Frisians, was about
to be baptized by st. Wolfram, but unhap-
PLY asked the question whether more of
his forefathers were in torment or in Para
disc, and being answered " in the latter"
he turned back, saying that he had much
better go with the majority. The wonder.
full story of the Maid of Corinth is here
related at full length, with more simplicity,
and consequently with more power, than by
Goethe himself.
Several amusing stories are told Of Soc.
rates his explanation OF his tolerence of
the ill-humor of bis wife-that it was good
training for patience and to endure annoy
ance when from home his gooi-humored
remark when man beat him over the head
in the street-that it was difficult to know
when man ought to put on helmet out.
Of doors /; and when one Of his wives in a
passion, emptied q pitcher of dirty water
over him--"after thunder comes RAIN
Plato's gravity and the cynicism Of Diog-
enes find their place, and we forget the phil
osopher in the dr0llery Of their wit. His
simplicity is delightful, for be throws away
his watering when he sees boy drink ont
of the hollow Of his hand: sAhl forgot
Nature understood the art of drinking !"
and his admirable composure, while be
wiped his face when man had spit at him.
saying: II shall contradict those who cav
you have no mouth r. Pope Anicetus. like
q modern Bishop of Rochester, who would
not perhaps thank Us for giving him such
precedent, forbade bis clergy to have hair
on their heads or boards on their chins.--
Robert the Wise, Of France, ofiiciated as
precentor in minister choir.
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES.