Pioners or diggers for mettal, do affirme, that in many mines, there appeare straunge shapes and spirites, who are apparrelled like vnto other labourers in the pit. These wander vp and down in caues and vnderminings, and séem to besturre themselues in all kinde of labour, as to dig after the veine, to carry togither oare, to put it into baskets, and to turne the winding whéele to drawe it vp, when in very déed they do nothing lesse. They very sildome hurt the labourers (as they say) except they prouoke them by laughing and rayling at them: for then they threw grauel stones at them, or hurt them by some other means. These are especially haunting in pittes, where mettall moste aboundeth. A certain godly and learned man wrote once vnto me, of a siluer mine at =Douosium= in the _Alpes_, vpon the which =Peter Buol= a noble man, the Schultish of the same place, (whom they call =Landammanus=,) had bestowed great cost a fewe yeres before, and had gathered therby good store of riches. In the same myne was a spirite or Diuell of the mountaine, who when the laborers filled the stuffe they had digged into their vessels, he seemed, for the most parte, euery Fridaye, to be very busie, pouring the mettals of his owne accord out of one basket into an other. Wherewith the Schultish was not offended: and when he would eyther descende into the pit, or come vp againe, blessing himselfe with the signe of the Crosse, he neuer receiued hurt. It chaunced on a time that while the saide spirit was too busie intermedling himselfe with euery thing, one of the miners being offended therewith, began to raile at him very bitterly, and with terrible cursing words, bid him get him thence in the diuels name. But the spirit caught him by the pate, and so writhed his necke about, that his face stoode behinde his backe, yet notwithstanding he was not slaine, but liued a long time after, well knowne vnto diuers of his familiar friends, which yet liue at this day, howbeit he died within a fewe yeares after. [Sidenote: Agricola.] =Georgius Agricola=, whose learned workes which he wrote of mettalles, be yet extant in the end of his booke of creatures liuing vnder the earth, he maketh two kindes of Diuels haunting in certayne Mynes abroade. For hée saith, there are some cruell and terrible to behold: which for the moste parte, doo very much annoy and hurt the labourers digging for mettall. Suche a one was hée which was called =Annebergius=, who only with his breath, destroyed aboue 12. labourers at once, in the Caue called =Corona Rosacea=. The wind wherwith he slewe them, he let flée out of his mouth: for he appeared in the similitude and likenesse of an horse. Such an other was =Snebergius=, who wearing a blacke roll about his necke, tooke vp a labourer aloft from the ground, and set him in the brinke of a certaine exceeding déepe place, where had sometime bene great store of siluer, not without gréeuous brusing of his bodie.