"You fool," I cried, "do you think that thus you will circumvent me? Know that I am the great doctor, Joannes Burnetus of Lugdunum, skilled in all arts of earth and heaven, able to tell divinations and prophecies, learned in all magic and witchery. I know all that thou hast done since thy birth, and thy father and grandsire before thee, all the wickedness which shall entitle thee to eternal damnation in that place which the Devil is even now preparing for thee. Yea, I can tell thee the very death which thou shalt die——" "Stop, stop," cried the fellow, "O most learned sir, spare me. I know thou knowest all things. I confess my sins, and oh, I promise you I shall mend my ways. Stop, I pray." "There is still one ray of hope for thee," said I, "but I cannot give my word that thou shalt ever gain it, for thou hast advanced too far in sin already. But yet thou mayest escape, and there is but one way to set about it—namely, to tell me of all thy wickedness. I adjure thee, by the sacred sign _Tekel_, which the Chaldaeans used of old; by _Men_, which was the sign of the Egyptians; by the _Eikon_ of the Greeks; by the _Lar_ of the Romans. I summon thee by the holy names of God, _Tetragrammaton, Adonay, Algramay, Saday, Sabaoth, Planaboth, Pantbon, Craton, Neupmaton, Deus, Homo, Omnipotens_; by _Asmath_, the name of the Evil One, who is lord over thee and my slave—I summon thee to tell me all thy deeds." The man was frightened past all telling. He tried to crawl to my knees, and began a recital of all manner of crimes and peccadilloes, from his boyhood till the present hour. I listened without interest. "Had any Scot a part with thee in this night’s work?" I asked. "No, there was none. There were but Bol and Delvaux beside myself, both Dutch born and bred." My mind was lightened. I never really believed my cousin to have had any part in such a matter, but I was glad to know it for truth. "You may go now," I said, "go and repent, and may God blast thee with all his fire if thou turnest thy hand to evil again. By the bye, thy name? I must have it from thy own lips." "Jan Hamman, your lordship," said he. "Well, God pity thee, Jan Hamman, if ever I lay my hand on thee again. Be off now." He was off in a twinkling, running for his very life. Nicol and I remounted, and rode onward, coming to Leyden at the hour of one on the Sabbath morning—a thing which I much regretted. CHAPTER V THE FIRST SUNDAY OF MARCH I slept late on the next morning, so that it was near nine o’clock ere I was up and dressed. By the time that I broke my fast I had had some leisure to reflect upon the events of the preceding night and the consequences which should ensue. Nicol came to me as soon as the meal was over, and together we sat down to consult. "This is the Sabbath, your honour," said Nicol, "so ye may consider yoursel’ free for the day at ony rate."