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THE SAPPHIRE. 101
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he
solemnly cursed the rascally thief." Eventually, when " the day was
gone ; and night came on, the sacristan saw, on crumpled claw, come
limping a poor little lame Jackdaw ; which feebly gave vent to the
ghost of a ' caw' ; and turn'd his bald head, as much as to say, ' Pray
be so good as to walk this way.' "
" Slower, and slower,
He limped on before, Till they came to the back of the belfry door,
Where the first thing they saw,
Midst the sticks and the straw, Was the ring, in the nest of that little Jackdaw."
This
being happily so, the bird was forgiven ; the terrible curse removed ;
the poor little bird " was so changed in a moment, 'twas really absurd
; he grew sleek, and fat; in addition to that, a fresh crop of feathers
grew thick as a mat " :—
" He hopp'd now about,
With
a gait devout; At Matins, at Vespers he never was out; While many
remarked, as his manners they saw, That they never had known such a
pious Jackdaw !
He long lived the pride
Of that country side ; And, at last, in the odour of sanctity, died."
Francis
Barrett (" Magus," 1801) has said, " A Sapphire, or a stone that is of
a deep blue colour, if it be rubbed on a tumour wherein the plague
discovers itself, (before the party is too far gone ;) and if, by and
by it be removed from the sick, the absent jewel attracts all the
poison, or contagion therefrom." " And thus much is sufficient to be
said concerning its occult natural virtues." The Sapphire frequently becomes dull by candle-light; though a really fine stone will retain its blueness then, as well as by daylight.
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