THE MAGICIAN
A HARZ STORY.
In a small town which possessed the right of holding criminal courts, there was once a famous Magician caught, the country being at that time infested with such sort of people. He had been forced to make a free confession of his crimes by torture; and therefore the court found itself at full liberty to sentence the wicked wretch to be burned alive.
The day fixed upon for the execution drew nigh; the pile stood already erected before one of the gates, and all the inhabitants of the adjoining country were impatiently awaiting the arrival of the hour of execution, for the little town, had never been so dull and desolate as for some months before. During all that period they had neither drowned a single witch, nor even flogged a pickpocket: so the whole country had been longing for an execution to diversify the monotony of their existence, and now hands and feet got enlivened, and for several days all who could wag their tongues talked of nothing but the burning of the Magician, and all who could move their limbs skipped twice a-day round the pile.
Well, the great day arrived. Long before dawn hundreds of small waggons came pouring into the city from fifty miles of the surrounding country, and swelled the numerous company who had arrived the night before and were spending the time till the hour of execution in various gossip. With daybreak all was crowd and bustle in the town; and in less
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