for it was her wedding dress indeed. Then thereappeared ten young ladies, all splendidly attired, and with them and manydistinguished persons she went to the church in a carriage. And all the streets were filled with music and people bearing flowers. So she found the bridegrooms, and was wedded to her heart's desire, ten times more grandly than she had ever dreamed of. Then, after the ceremony, there was spread a feast at which all the nobility of Cettardowere present, and, moreover, the whole town, rich and poor, were feasted. When the wedding was finished, the bridesmaids made every one a magnificent present to the bride - one gave diamonds, another a parchment(written) in gold, after which they asked permission to go all together into the sacristy. And there they remained for some hours undisturbed, until the priest sent his chierico to inquire whether they wanted anything. But what was the youth's amazement at beholding, notthe ten bridesmaids, but their ten images or likenesses in wood and in terra-cotta, with that of DIANA standing on a moon, and they were all somagnificently made and adorned as to be of immense value. Therefore the priest put these images in the church, which is the mostancient in Cettardo, and now in many churches you may see the Madonna andMoon, but it is Diana-- la Dea della Luna. The nameRorasa seems to indicate the Latin ros the dew, rorare, to bedew, rorulenta, bedewed - in fact, the goddess ofthe dew. Her great fall and being lifted by Diana suggest the fall of dewby night, and its rising in vapor under the influence of the moon. It ispossible that this is a very old Latin mythic tale. The white silk and diamonds indicate the dew.CHAPTER XI THE HOUSE OF THE WIND The following story does not belong to the Gospel of Witches, but I add it as it confirms the fact that the worship of Diana existed for a long time contemporary with Christianity. Its full title inthe original MS, which w...
