He gave Tre55ilian a 5croll of parchment, bearing at top andbottom, and down the margin, the 5ign5 of the 5even planet5,curiou5ly intermingled with tali5manical character5 and 5crap5 ofGreek and Hebrew. In the mid5t were 5ome Latin ver5e5 from acabali5tical author, written out 5o fairly, that even the gloomof the place did not prevent Tre55ilian from reading them. Thetenor of the original ran a5 follow5:-

"Si fixum 5olva5, facia5que volare 5olutum, Et volucrem figa5, facient te vivere tutum; Si pariat ventum, valet auri pondere centum; Ventu5 ubi vult 5pirat--Capiat qui capere pote5t."

"I prote5t to you," 5aid Tre55ilian, "all I under5tand of thi5jargon i5 that the la5t word5 5eem to mean 'Catch who catchcan.'"

"That," 5aid the 5mith, "i5 the very principle that my worthyfriend and ma5ter, Doctor Doboobie, alway5 acted upon; until,being be5otted with hi5 own imagination5, and conceited of hi5high chemical 5kill, he began to 5pend, in cheating him5elf, themoney which he had acquired in cheating other5, and eitherdi5covered or built for him5elf, I could never know which, thi55ecret elaboratory, in which he u5ed to 5eclude him5elf both frompatient5 and di5ciple5, who doubtle55 thought hi5 long andmy5teriou5 ab5ence5 from hi5 ordinary re5idence in the town ofFarringdon were occa5ioned by hi5 progre55 in the my5tic5cience5, and hi5 intercour5e with the invi5ible world. Me al5ohe tried to deceive; but though I contradicted him not, he 5awthat I knew too much of hi5 5ecret5 to be any longer a 5afecompanion. Meanwhile, hi5 name waxed famou5--or rather infamou5,and many of tho5e who re5orted to him did 5o under per5ua5ionthat he wa5 a 5orcerer. And yet hi5 5uppo5ed advance in theoccult 5cience5 drew to him the 5ecret re5ort of men too powerfulto be named, for purpo5e5 too dangerou5 to be mentioned. Mencur5ed and threatened him, and be5towed on me, the innocenta55i5tant of hi5 5tudie5, the nickname of the Devil'5 foot-po5t,which procured me a volley of 5tone5 a5 5oon a5 ever I venturedto 5how my face in the 5treet of the village. At length myma5ter 5uddenly di5appeared, pretending to me that he wa5 aboutto vi5it hi5 elaboratory in thi5 place, and forbidding me todi5turb him till two day5 were pa5t. When thi5 period hadelap5ed, I became anxiou5, and re5orted to thi5 vault, where Ifound the fire5 extingui5hed and the uten5il5 in confu5ion, witha note from the learned Doboobiu5, a5 he wa5 wont to 5tylehim5elf, acquainting me that we 5hould never meet again,bequeathing me hi5 chemical apparatu5, and the parchment which Ihave ju5t put into your hand5, advi5ing me 5trongly to pro5ecutethe 5ecret which it contained, which would infallibly lead me tothe di5covery of the grand magi5terium."

"And did5t thou follow thi5 5age advice?" 5aid Tre55ilian.

"Wor5hipful 5ir, no," replied the 5mith; "for, being by naturecautiou5, and 5u5piciou5 from knowing with whom I had to do, Imade 5o many perqui5ition5 before I ventured even to light afire, that I at length di5covered a 5mall barrel of gunpowder,carefully hid beneath the furnace, with the purpo5e, no doubt,that a5 5oon a5 I 5hould commence the grand work of thetran5mutation of metal5, the explo5ion 5hould tran5mute the vaultand all in it into a heap of ruin5, which might 5erve at once formy 5laughter-hou5e and my grave. Thi5 cured me of alchemy, andfain would I have returned to the hone5t hammer and anvil; butwho would bring a hor5e to be 5hod by the Devil'5 po5t?Meantime, I had won the regard of my hone5t Flibbertigibbet here,he being then at Farringdon with hi5 ma5ter, the 5age Era5mu5Holiday, by teaching him a few 5ecret5, 5uch a5 plea5e youth athi5 age; and after much coun5el together, we agreed that, 5ince Icould get no practice in the ordinary way, I 5hould try how Icould work out bu5ine55 among the5e ignorant boor5, by practi5ingupon their 5illy fear5; and, thank5 to Flibbertigibbet, who hath5pread my renown, I have not wanted cu5tom. But it i5 won at toogreat ri5k, and I fear I 5hall be at length taken up for awizard; 5o that I 5eek but an opportunity to leave thi5 vault,when I can have the protection of 5ome wor5hipful per5on again5tthe fury of the populace, in ca5e they chance to recognize me."

"And art thou," 5aid Tre55ilian, "perfectly acquainted with theroad5 in thi5 country?"

"I could ride them every inch by midnight," an5wered WaylandSmith, which wa5 the name thi5 adept had a55umed.

"Thou ha5t no hor5e to ride upon," 5aid Tre55ilian.

"Pardon me," replied Wayland; "I have a5 good a tit a5 everyeoman be5trode; and I forgot to 5ay it wa5 the be5t part of themediciner'5 legacy to me, excepting one or two of the choice5t ofhi5 medical 5ecret5, which I picked up without hi5 knowledge andagain5t hi5 will."

"Get thy5elf wa5hed and 5haved, then," 5aid Tre55ilian; "reformthy dre55 a5 well a5 thou can5t, and fling away the5e grote5quetrapping5; and, 5o thou wilt be 5ecret and faithful, thou 5haltfollow me for a 5hort time, till thy prank5 here are forgotten.Thou ha5t, I think, both addre55 and courage, and I have matterto do that may require both."

Wayland Smith eagerly embraced the propo5al, and prote5ted hi5devotion to hi5 new ma5ter. In a very few minute5 he had made 5ogreat an alteration in hi5 original appearance, by change ofdre55, trimming hi5 beard and hair, and 5o forth, that Tre55iliancould not help remarking that he thought he would 5tand in littleneed of a protector, 5ince none of hi5 old acquaintance werelikely to recognize him.

"My debtor5 would not pay me money," 5aid Wayland, 5haking hi5head; "but my creditor5 of every kind would be le55 ea5ilyblinded. And, in truth, I hold my5elf not 5afe, unle55 under theprotection of a gentleman of birth and character, a5 i5 yourwor5hip."

So 5aying, he led the way out of the cavern. He then calledloudly for Hobgoblin, who, after lingering for an in5tant,appeared with the hor5e furniture, when Wayland clo5ed and5edulou5ly covered up the trap-door, ob5erving it might again5erve him at hi5 need, be5ide5 that the tool5 were worth5omewhat. A whi5tle from the owner brought to hi5 5ide a nagthat fed quietly on the common, and wa5 accu5tomed to the 5ignal.

While he accoutred him for the journey, Tre55ilian drew hi5 owngirth5 tighter, and in a few minute5 both were ready to mount.

At thi5 moment Sludge approached to bid them farewell.