16 HISTORY OF 



went to bed despairing of accomplishing it. The 

 next morning awaking, to his great surprise he 

 found the task fairly written out, and finished in 

 his own hand-writing. He was at first, as the ac- 

 count has it, induced to ascribe this strange pro- 

 duction to the operation of an infernal agent ; 

 but his tutor, willing to examine the affair to the 

 bottom, set him another exercise, still more severe 

 than the former, and took precautions to observe 

 his conduct the whole night. The young gentle- 

 man, upon being so severely tasked, felt the same 

 inquietude that he had done on the former occa- 

 sion ; went to bed gloomy and pensive, pondering 

 on the next day's duty, and after some time fell 

 asleep. But shortly after, his tutor, who conti- 

 nued to observe him from a place that was con- 

 cealed, was surprised to see him get up, and very 

 deliberately go to the table ; where he took out 

 pen, ink, and paper, drew himself a chair, and 

 sat very methodically to thinking : it seems that 

 his being asleep only served to strengthen the 

 powers of his imagination ; for he very quickly 

 and easily went through the task assigned him, 

 put his chair aside, and then returned to bed to 

 take out the rest of his nap. What credit we are 

 to give to this account, I will not pretend to de- 

 termine ; but this may be said, that the book 

 from whence it is taken has some good marks of 

 veracity ; for it is very learned and very dull, and 

 is written in a country noted, if not for truth, at 

 least for want of invention. 



The ridiculous history of Arlotto is well known, 

 who has had a volume written, containing a nar- 



