A SPANISH LEGEND.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 430, 21 December 1889, Page 3

A SPANISH LEGEND.

A CKRTAJX young Spanish friar, a skilful painter, especially delighted in devising new aspects of blessedness and beauty for the Virgin and in setting forth the devil in the most repulsive and extravagant ugliness. Satan bore this as beat he could for some time, but at last ho determined to be revenged. He assumed the disguise of a most lovely maiden, and the unhappy friar, being of an amorous disposition, fell into the trap. She smiled sweetly on her shaven wooer, but would not surrender her beauty at a le3S price than the rich reliquaries and jewels of the treasury of the monastery. In an evil hour the poor painter admitted her at midnight within the convent walls, and she took from the antique cabinet the precious things she desired. Then, as they wound thoir way through the moonlit cloister, the sinful friar clutched his booty with one arm and his beauty with the other, and the demon lady suddenly cried out ' Thieves !' with diabolical energy. Up started all the snoring monks, and rushed in disorder from their cells, detecting the unlucky brother making off with the plate. Him they tie . safe to a pillar», leaving him there till the next .day ehould determine his punishment, while the brethren went back to their pillows or their prayers ; and then the cruel devil appeared in his real shape to the poor painter, taunting and twitting him and making unmerciful mockery of his amorous overtures and his prayers — advising him now to appeal to the beauty he had so loved to ielineate in his canvases ! The penitent monk took the advice ; and lo ! the radiant mother of mercy descended in all her heavenly loveliness, unbound his cords, bade him fasten the evil one in his place to the column, and appear among* the monks the next morning at matins, which he did, to the great surprbe of the brethren. He voted for his own condemnation ; but when they went to the sacristy and found everything marvellously correct in ita place, and when they went to the column and found the devil fast bound, they forgave fche erring brother, and administered a tremendous flogging to the devil. The monk became not only ' a wiser and better man, but a better artist : he was now able to paint the Virgin more serenely beautiful, the arch enemy more appallingly ugly than ever. — 'London Globe. 1

An Irishman closed his eyoa in front of a looking glaas to see how Ue looked when asleep,