Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1875-04-29
Curious Legends.
Scribner's.l

| ScrlDner :.
The Festival of the Asses. which
has been for long ages in Verona,
grew out of the following circum-
| stances:
According to the legend, the young
ass on which our Savior entered .Ie-
rusalem was set ut liberty immedi-
ately after. and, profting by his OPP
portunitv, took to travelling in PaIeS-
tine, from whence he made the tour of
Egypt, visiting every place of inter
est or note, and nobody appears to
have caught him! Crossing the
Mediterranean dry-shod, without the
aid of any ship or bark whatsoever,
he went to Cyprus, Rhodes, Gambia,
Malta and Sicily; he then walked up
the Adriatic to Venice, which city,
by the way, was not then in exist
ence; but he seems not to have liked
the little island. for soon he passed
on to Verona, where he fixed his res
dence, and where he died at a very
ripe age. The pious and hospitablc
Veronese placed his remains in re-
liquary of the same shape, and they
kept it in the church, dedicated TO
"Saint Mary Of the Organs Every
year this interesting and valuable
donkey was carried III solemn pro
cession through the town of Verona;
at the present date, the Festival Of
the Asses has become mere name.
The GenOese were fortunate
enough to obtain the tail Of the
above mentioned ass. and they kept
it with great picty in the Church of
Saint DOminick, which stood where
the Theater Carlo Filice was after
ward built.
In the city of Constance, on the
lake of the same name, among the
relies may he seen the spider swal-
lowed by Saint Conrad, when taking
the wine at the Mass. The spider
seems to have made good his claim
to mumilicahOn by making his exit
through the thigh of the saint, with
out having done any harm during
his residence within.
Two lambs belonging to Saint
Francis of Assist distinguished
themselves immensely by pious acts.
One of them went early to wake Il
lady whom he alterward conducted
TO Mass, and the other lamb attended
Mass every day, remaining on his
l.. IL, In cnrtylanf
In the curious legend of Saint Ju-
lian encountering deer in the wood,
there is Il trace of the Eastern belief
in transmigration. The Saint went
hunting deer in forest, when sud
denly the animal he was following
stood at hay and spoke thus: "Do
not kill me, for in so doing. thou
wOuldst kill thine ancestors.
Saint Roach, or Rogue, is always
portrayed with II dog in close COM
pany. to commemorate the story
that, being struck down with the
plague when far from all human aid
in a wood, he was discovered by
this dog, who brought him food until
he was entirely restored to health.
The crab of Saint Xavier has been
rendered more notorious by some old
frescoes in Sienna, than by the print
ed histories which relate that the
Saint being desirons to calm sud
den squall, reached his hand out be-
yond the bulwark of the ship, in
tending to show the crucifiX in his
hands to the waves, but his hold re-
laxed and the crucilix fellinto the sea,
whercupon u "saintly crab" as the
legend calls him, FASTENED after the
vessel, politely oferingthe recovered
crucilix to Saint Francis. and the
fresco shows this courtly crustaeean
holding up the recovered treasure IN
his claw.
The Cock Of Saint Peter is said to
have been carried into Spain by the
Anostle James; feathers were sold at
Great prices to the pilgrims who visi-
fed Compostella. The poet Southey
oives the story with some unimpor-
taut variations in his numerous 'Pil-
grimage to Compostclla." The name
Of the city is said to be merely cor