her with it round the neck, and to make a crucial incision on her forehead, The trembling hand of Ursula at first refused the horrible office; but Marguerite aroused her courage by saying, “May God strengthen your arm! now is the moment of victory!-the souls are ransomed ! —Satan is vanquished! I see him plunging into darkness!"

During the operation, she gave no sign of pain, nor uttered the slightest complaint, unless against the irresolution of her executioner; but all was not yet accomplished. She said that she must be crucified. "" What fear you?" said she to those around her, on seeing them hesitate. My hour is come; I am going so resuscitate my sister, and I myself shall come to life in three days. She then had some pieces of timber placed upon the bed, in the form of a cross. Upon these she laid herself, and, at her request, John Moser, Susannah Peter, and Ursula Kundig, commenced nailing her to the cross. Following her reiterated orders, they drove nails into her hands and feet, and into the articulations of her elbows, and through her breasts! Marguerite, in the midst of these hellish operations, never uttered the slightest complaint. She only found fault with the want of vigour of her executioners. From time to time she exclaimed " I feel no pain; be strong, in order that Jesus Christ may conquer."

Thus fixed upon the cross, and so transpierced with nails, that her body was but one wound, she cried in a loud voice, Rejoice you with me, that God may rejoice with you in heaven!" and at another moment, "As the woman in labour cannot retard the hour of her deliverance, so must my death warrant be accomplished, in order that the souls yet in the power of Satan may be saved. To Conrad Moser, who endeavoured repeatedly to persuade her to put an end to her sufferings, she only replied, "Do what I command you."

The crucifixion being completed, Marguerite told them to drive a nail into her heart, or to split her head. Ursula Kundig, who obeyed most implicitly the wishes of her friend, endeavoured to pierce her skull with a knife, but the point turning, she cried out in a frantic transport, and looking at those near her, with a wild and haggard air, "What! must I do every thing myself? will no one come to my aid?" Upon hearing this apostrophe, and after a fresh order from Marguerite, the youngest of the Mosers seized an iron mallet, and,

aided by Ursula Kundig, soon broke to pieces the skull of the victim. A low moan announced to them that the horrid ministry was at an end; then the unfortunate wretch ceased to breathe. When the slaughter was over, and the hellish excitation of the perpetration had subsided a little, some feelings of horror came over them. At the sight of the mutilated bodies they shed tears in abundance, and evinced, if not remorse, at least inquietude. However, they soon re-assured themselves by the conviction, that they had performed the most sacred duties, in obeying the inspired commands of one whose death was to bring salvation to thousands.

All these individuals were taken up, and sent to the prisons of Zurich, whither also the bodies of the victims were also sent, and examined in the presence of several members of the tribunals, physicians, surgeons, and students. Never, probably, was there a more hideous spectacle than that offered upon the occasion, by those mutilated and mangled bodies, streaming with a thousand wounds, black and livid from numberless blows and contusions. Near them were exposed the instruments of death, covered with clotted gore, and portions of flesh, brain, and hair.

Eleven individuals were tried upon this occasion. Each of them addressed the court, and made a public avowal of their monstrous conduct. None of them were condemned to death. The sentence was, that they should be led through the streets in the day-time, the bells ringing, to the town-hall, and there hear the judgment of the court read; from thence they were to be conducted to the principal church, there to listen to a sermon appropriate to the occasion; after which they were to be confined in the house of correction.

The house of Jean Peter was ordered to be rased to the ground, the materials to be sold for the benefit of the poor, with the exception of the furniture of the room in which the murders were committed, which was to be burned. It was moreover expressly forbidden, ever to erect any building upon the site of the house of Jean Peter.

The Cantonal Consistory was charged with looking to the support and condition of a child of Marguerite Peter, the fruit of an adulterous commerce with Jaques Morf, a shoemaker. She seemed to have been devoutly attached to him; a part of one of her letters to him is as follows:

** Ah! why are you more dear to me than my mouth can utter? why have I wished so much to love you? The Friday after your departure I again ascended the hill where we took leave of each other. I kept my eyes fixed for a long time upon the spot where you live. I recognised the chateau of Rybourg. Since that moment I have often fallen into my delicious reverie."

The magistrates took the wise precaution of exposing the bodies to public view, which prevented their promised resurrection being spread through the country, and credited by the ignorant. Thus closed this melancholy instance of fatal fa

naticism.

LINES

Supposed to have been written by SIR WALTER RALEIGH, in prison, on a friend bidding him to look forward to better times.

Naye, telle mee not of blisse,

But fortune and herre failinge :
Howe fickle friendshippe iss

And tongues howe apte to railinge.

Boaste not of beauties lippes,

Those buddes are soonest blastede :
Nor howe shorte tyme love keepes
His sweetnesse when once tasted.

Howe fleetinge pleasure iss,

Whiche dies in its owne motione,
Howe heartes are tuned amisse,
And cold as priestes devotione.

What pride in greatnesse lies,
Humilitie's pretension :
While honestie in sighs

Gives lawe its reprehensione.

See worthe in weedes of woe,
But happie by exceptione !
While Tymes are orderred soe,
That fooles have the electione.

And truth goes masked in lyes,

Or, seene, is persecuted; While honor quicklie flyes, Iff fortune bee not suitede.

All this I daylie see,

That seeme not to admyre it;
For courtes in noughte agree,
Save winke at sinne, to hyre it.

Where churchmen praye for grace,
To sit in the highe places;
And statesmen statesmen chase,
Tille teares doe veile our faces.

To see the deedes men dare,

To give greate kinges permissione ;
To shame the heavens, and sweare
It is their holie missione.

While villages bee thinne,
To yielde extent of measure,
For parkes where fine deere be'en,
For kinges' and ladies' pleasure.

The people bee caste downe,

For favourites graspeing spirit, That strives to please the crowne, That theirs may soe inherit.

The fatnesse of the earthe,

Though wrung from orphan's portione,

To gilde the armes of birthe,'

And warme our priestes' devotione.

[A stanza wanting.]

I goe, thou fair free land,

But some briefe hours before thee;

Now comes the tyrant's hande,

And others must deplore thee.

WALTER RALEIGH.

JAN SCHALKEN'S THREE WISHES.

A DUTCH LEGEND.

At a small fishing village in Dutch Flanders, there is still shown the site of a hut which was an object of much attention whilst it stood, on account of a singular legend that relates to its first inhabitant, a kind-hearted fellow, who depended on his boat for subsistence, and his own happy disposition for cheerfulness, during every hardship and privation. Thus the story goes:

One dark and stormy night in winter, as Jan Schalken was sitting with his good-natured buxom wife by the fire, he was awakened from a transient dose by a knocking at the door of his hut. He started up, drew back the bolt, and a stranger entered, He was a tall man; but little could be distinguished either of his face or figure, as he wore a large dark cloak, which he had contrived to pull over his head, after the fashion of a cowl. "I am a poor traveller," said the stranger, " and want a night's lodging. Will you grant it 'Aye, to be sure," replied Schalken, "but I fear your cheer will be but sorry. Had you come sooner, you might have fared better. Sit down, however, and eat of what is left." The traveller took him at his word, and in a short time afterwards retired to his humble sleeping-place.

to me?"

In the morning, as he was about to depart, he advanced towards Schalken, and giving him his hand, thus addressed him: "It is needless for you, my good friend, to know who I am; but of this be assured, that I can and will be grateful; for when the rich and the powerful turned me last night from their inhospitable gates, you welcomed me as man should welcome man, and looked with an eye of pity on the desolate traveller in the storm. I grant you three wishes. Be they what they may, your wishes shall be gratified."

Now Schalken certainly did not put much faith in these promises, but still he thought it the safest plan to make trial of them; and, accordingly, began to consider how he should fix his wishes. Jan was a man who had few or no ambitious views; and was contented with the way of life in which he had been brought up. In fact, he was so well satisfied with his situation, that he had not the least inclination to lose a single day of his laborious existence; but, on the contrary,