RELICS.
“What is this?” said a traveller, who entertained reasonable doubts as to the genuineness of certain so-called relics of antiquity, while visiting an old cathedral in the Netherlands: “what is contained in this phial?”
“Sir,” replied the sacristan, “that phial contains one of the frogs picked up when Pharaoh was visited with the plague of frogs.”
“I am sure, then,” rejoined the traveller, “there could have been no epicures in those days.”
“Why so?” said the sacristan.
“Because they would have eaten him, he is so large and fat.”
The traveller took up another phial which was near. “This contains?” said he,—
“That is a most precious relic of the church, which we value very highly.”
“It looks very dark.”
“There is good reason for that.”
“I am somewhat curious. Tell me why.”
“You perceive it is very dark.”
“I own it.”
“That, sir, is some of the darkness which Moses spread over the land of Egypt.”
“Indeed! I presume, what the moderns call darkness made visible.”