replied, "It seems to me to be impossible to tell whether it was all introduction or all conclusion; certainly there was no body in it.It was like certain fish of whom one is in doubt whether they are all heador all tail, or only head and tail; or the goddess Laverna, of whom no oneever know whether she was all head or all body, or neither or both." Then the emperor inquired who this deity might be, for he had never heard of her. And Virgil replied, "Among the gods or spirits who were of ancient times - may they be ever favorable to us! Among them (was) one female whowas the craftiest and most knavish of them all. She was called Laverna. She was a thief, and very little known to the other deities, who were honest and dignified, for she was rarely in heaven or in the country of thefairies. "She was almost always on earth, among thieves, pickpockets, and panders - she lived in darkness. "Once it happened that she went (to a mortal), a great priest in theform and guise of a very beautiful stately priestess (of some goddess), andsaid to him: - " 'You have an estate which I wish to buy. I intend to build on it a temple to (our) God. I swear to you on my body that I will pay thee withina year' "Therefore the priest transferred to her the estate. "And very soon Laverna had sold off all the crops, grain, cattle, wood,and poultry. There was not left the value of four farthings. "But on the day fixed for payment there was no Laverna to be seen. The fair goddess was far away, and had left her creditor in the lurch! "At the same time Laverna went to a great lord and bought of him a castle, well furnished within and broad rich lands without. "But this time she swore on her head to pay in full in six months. "And as she had done by the priest, so she acted to the lord of the castle, and stole and sold every stick, furniture, cattle, men, and mice-there was not left wherewith to feed a fly. "Then...
