4 



my examination, but with equal ill success; for neither had I ever be- 

 held any thing similar; nor could I form any opinion respecting 

 them. 



Whilst we were thus engaged, our landlady made her appearance ; 

 and from her we learnt, that this was her collection of curiosities, 

 made in the neighbouring parts of the country. On our requesting 

 some information respecting them, she very readily proceeded to 

 communicate to us, all the knowledge of them which she possessed. 

 Taking up a stone, resembling those which we had seen in the road, 

 but much smaller^ "This," said she, "is a petrified snake, with 

 which this part of the country abounds. These were/' continued 

 she, " fairies, and once the inhabitantsof these parts, who for their 

 crimes were changed, first into snakes, and then into stones. Here," 

 said she, showing us a stone of a conical fnrm 7 " is one of the fairy's 

 night-caps, now also become stone. Do, madam," said she, address- 

 ing Emma, " pray observe ; is it possible that lace-work, so beau- 

 tiful as this, should ever be worked by human hands ? This," said 

 she, " and this, are pieces of the bones of giants ; who came to live 

 here, when the race of fairies was destroyed." These bones, she 

 informed us, were frequently dug up in several parts of the coun- 

 ty ; as well as innumerable thunderbolts : some of which she also 

 showed us ; stating, that these were the very thunderbolts, with 

 which these people were, in their turn, also destroyed. 



We all listened attentively to our hostess's discourse ; but on my 

 smiling, when she withdrew, at the romantic account we had re- 

 ceived, WILTON strenuously defended our good lady's narration ; 

 and declared, that, in his opinion, it was not without a moderate 

 share of probability. On our landlady again entering the room, I 

 did not indeed -venture to offer any doubt of the history she had 

 delivered ; I only requested to know, whether she knew of any larger 

 collection of the same kind ? " To be sure," said she ; " our Uni- 

 Tfersity has aMuseum composed entirely of this- kind of curiosities ;. 



