He found much the same party as before; for though some of them absented themselves for a while, they could not resist Mr. Gryll's earnest entreaties to return. He was cordially welcomed by all, and with a gracious smile from Morgana.

N the evening Miss Gryll said to the
Doctor,

'We have passed Christmas with

out a ghost story. This is not as it should be. One evening at least of Christmas ought to be devoted to merveilleuses histoires racontées autour du foyer; which Chateaubriand enumerates among the peculiar enjoyments of those qui n'ont pas quitté leur pays natal. You must have plenty of ghosts in Greek and Latin, Doctor.'

THE REVEREND DOCTOR OPIMIAN.

No doubt. All literature abounds with ghosts. But there are not many classical ghosts that would make a Christmas tale, according to the received notion of a ghost story. The ghost of Patroclus in Homer, of Darius in Eschylus, of Polydorus in Euripides, are

fine poetical ghosts: but none of them would make a ghost story. I can only call to mind one such story in Greek but even that, as it has been turned into ballads by Goethe in the Bride of Corinth, and by Lewis in the Gay Gold Ring,* would not be new to any one here. There are some classical tales of wonder,

* Lewis says, in a note on the Gay Gold Ring :-'I once read in some Grecian author, whose name I have forgotten, the story which suggested to me the outline of the foregoing ballad. It was as follows: a young man arriving at the house of a friend, to whose daughter he was betrothed, was informed that some weeks had passed since death had deprived him of his intended bride. Never having seen her, he soon reconciled himself to her loss, especially as, during his stay at his friend's house, a young lady was kind enough to visit him every night in his chamber, whence she retired at daybreak, always carrying with her some valuable present from her lover. This intercourse continued till accident showed the young man the picture of his deceased bride, and he recognised, with horror, the features of his nocturnal visitor. The young lady's tomb being opened, he found in it the various presents which his liberality had bestowed on his unknown innamorata.-M. G. LEWIS: Tales of Wonder, v. i. p. 99.

The Greek author here alluded to was Phlegon, whom some assign to the age of Augustus, and others, more correctly, to that of Hadrian. He wrote a treatise, Пepì Javμaoìwv: On Wonderful Things. The first, in what remains of the treatise, is the story in question, and the beginning of the story is lost. There is no picture in the case. The lover and his nocturnal visitor had interchanged presents, and the parents recognised those which had belonged to their daughter: a gold ring, and a neckerchief. They surprised their daughter on her third nightly visit, and she said to them :-'Oh, mother and father! how unjustly have you envied me the passing three days with your guest under my paternal roof. Now deeply will you lament your curiosity. I return to my destined place: for not without divine will came I hither.' Having spoken thus, she fell immediately dead. The tomb was opened, and they found an iron ring and a gilt cup, which she had received from her lover: who, in grief and horror, put an end to his life. It appears to be implied, that, if the third night had passed like the two preceding, she would have regained her life, and been restored to her parents and bridegroom.

not ghost stories, but suitable Christmas tales. There are two in Petronius, which I once amused myself by translating as closely as possible to the originals, and, if you please, I will relate them as I remember them. For I hold with Chaucer:

Whoso shall telle a tale after a man,

He moste reherse, as nigh as ever he can,
Everich word, if it be in his charge,

All speke he never so rudely and so large:
Or elles he moste tellen his tale untrewe,
Or feinen things, or finden wordes newe. *

This proposal being received with an unanimous By all means, Doctor,' the Doctor went

on:

These stories are told at the feast of Trimalchio: the first by Niceros, a freedman, one of the guests:

'While I was yet serving, we lived in a narrow street where now is the house of Gavilla. There, as it pleased the gods, I fell in love with the wife of Terentius, the tavern-keeper-Melissa Tarentiana-many of you knew her, a most beautiful kiss-thrower.'

MISS GRYLL.

That is an odd term, Doctor.

THE REVEREND DOCTOR OPIMIAN.

It relates, I imagine, to some graceful gesture of pantomimic dancing: for beautiful hostesses were often accomplished dancers. Virgil's Copa, which, by the way, is only half panegyrical, gives us, nevertheless, a pleasant picture in this kind. It seems to have been one of the great attractions of a Roman tavern: and

*Canterbury Tales, vv. 733-738.

the host, in looking out for a wife, was probably much influenced by her possession of this accomplishment. The dancing, probably, was of that kind which the moderns call demi-caractère, and was performed in picturesque costume.

.

The Doctor would have gone off in a dissertation on dancing hostesses; but Miss Gryll recalled him to the story, which he continued, in the words of Niceros:

He

'But, by Hercules, mine was pure love; her manners charmed me, and her friendliness. If I wanted money, if she had earned an as, she gave me a semis. If I had money, I gave it into her keeping. Never was woman more trustworthy. Her husband died at a farm, which they possessed in the country. I left no means untried to visit her in her distress; for friends are shown in adversity. It so happened, that my master had gone to Capua, to dispose of some cast-off finery. Seizing the opportunity, I persuaded a guest of ours to accompany me to the fifth milestone. was a soldier, strong as Pluto. We set off before cockcrow; the moon shone like day; we passed through a line of tombs. My man began some ceremonies before the pillars. I sate down, singing, and counting the stars. Then, as I looked round to my comrade, he stripped himself, and laid his clothes by the wayside. My heart was in my nose: I could no more move than a dead man. But he walked three times round his clothes, and was suddenly changed into a wolf. Do not think I am jesting. No man's patrimony would tempt me to lie. But, as I had begun to say, as soon as he was changed into a wolf, he set up a long howl, and fled into the woods. I remained a while bewil