66
qf Caricature
jjzjlary
Gratefgue
and
forms.
The
old
Norman
hifiorians
tell
their
duke Richard Sanf-
Peur. There was a monk of the abbey of St. Ouen, who alfo held the
oflice of facriftan, but, negleeting the duties of his pofition, entered into
an intrigue with a lady who dwelt in the neighbourhood, and was accull
tomed at night to leave the abbey fecretly, and repair to her. His place
as facriflan enabled him thus to leave the houfe unknown to the other
brethren. On his Way, he had to pafs the little river Robec, by means
of a plank or wooden bridge, and one night the demons, who had been
watching him on his errand of fin, caught him on the bridge, and threw
him over into the water, where he was drowned. One devil feized his
foul, and would have carried it away, but an angel came to claim him on
account of his good actions, and the difpute ran fo high, that duke
Richard, whofe piety was as great as his courage, was called in to decide
it. The fame manufcript from which our lafc out was taken has furnilhed
our cut No. 37, which reprefents two demons tripping up the monk, and
T112 11402115": Dillzjlzn
throwing him very unceremonioufly into the river. The body of one of
the demons here aifnrnes the form of an animal, inflead of taking,
like the other, that of a man, and he is, moreover, furnifhed with a
dragon's wings. There was one veriion of this ftory, in which it found
its place among the legends of the Virgin Mary, inllead of thofe of duke
Richard. The monk, in fpite of his failings, had been a conltant
worlhipper