“The stranger whom he had followed then took a leathern purse, filled it with small round pieces of wood, and gave it to the peasant with these words:  ’So long as thou art in possession of this purse, money will never fail thee.  But if thou shouldst ever see me again, beware of speaking to me; for if thou speak thy luck will depart.’  When the man got home he found the purse filled with dollars; and by virtue of its magical property he became the richest man in the parish.  As soon as he found the purse always full, whatever he took out of it, he began to live in a spendthrift manner, and frequented the alehouse.  One evening as he sat there he beheld the stranger, with a bottle in his hand, going round and gathering the drops which the guests shook from time to time out of their glasses.  The rich peasant was surprised that one who had given him so much did not seem able to buy himself a single dram, but was reduced to this means of getting a drink.  Thereupon he went up to him and said:  ’Thou hast shown me more kindness than any other man ever did, and willingly I will treat thee to a little.’  The words were scarce out of his mouth when he received such a blow on his head that he fell stunned to the ground; and when again he came to himself the stranger and his purse were both gone.  From that day forward he became poorer and poorer, until he was reduced to absolute beggary.”

Among other examples adduced by Mr. Hartland is a Bohemian legend in which “the Frau von Hahnen receives for her services to a water-nix three pieces of gold, with the injunction to take care of them, and never to let them go out of the hands of her own lineage, else the whole family would fall into poverty.  She bequeathed the treasures to her three sons; but the youngest son took a wife who with a light heart gave the fairy gold away.  Misery, of course, resulted from her folly, and the race of Hahnen speedily came to an end.”—­But those who are interested in the study of comparative folk-lore would do well to read for themselves the whole paper, which is assuredly by far the most (if not indeed the only) comprehensive attempt that has yet been made in our language to treat scientifically the subject of fairy gifts to human beings.

RABBINICAL LEGENDS, TALES, FABLES, AND APHORISMS.

I

INTRODUCTORY.

In the Talmud are embodied those rules and institutions—­interpretations of the civil and canonical laws contained in the Old Testament—­which were transmitted orally to succeeding generations of the Jewish priesthood until the general dispersion of the Hebrew race.  According to the Rabbis, Moses received the oral as well as the written law at Mount Sinai, and it was by him communicated to Joshua, from whom it was transmitted through forty successive Receivers.  So long as the Temple stood, it was deemed not only unnecessary,