The Children of Diana,

All things were made by Diana, the great spirits of the stars, men in their time and place, the giants which were of old, and the dwarfs who dwell in the rocks, and once a month worship her with cakes.

There was once a young man who was poor, with out parents, yet was he good.

One night he sat in a lonely place, yet it was very beautiful, and there he saw a thousand little fairies, shining white, dancing in the light of the full moon. “Gladly would I be like you, O fairies!” said the youth, “free from care, needing no food. But what are ye?”

“We are moon-rays, the children of Diana,” replied one: —

“We are children of the Moon;
We are born of shining light;
When the Moon shoots forth a ray,
Then it takes a fairy’s form.

“And thou art one of us because thou wert born when the Moon, our mother Diana, was full; yes, our brother, kin to us, belonging to our band.

“And if thou art hungry and poor … and wilt have money in thy pocket, then think upon the Moon, on Diana, unto who thou wert born; then repeat these words: —

“And then, if thou has money in thy pocket, thou wilt have it doubled.

“For the children who are born in a full moon are sons or daughters of the Moon, especially when they are born of a Sunday when there is a high tide.

Then the young man, who had only a paolo¹ in his purse, touched it, saying: —

[1. Fivepence Roman money.]

And so the young man, wishing to make money, bought and sold and made money, which he doubled every month.

But it came to pass that after a time, during one month he could sell nothing, so made nothing. So by night he said to the Moon —

Then there appeared to him a little shining elf, who said: —

Then added: —

Then the youth understood that the Moon, like God and Fortune, does the most for those who do the most for themselves.

To be born in a full moon means to have an enlightened mind, and a high tide signifies an exalted intellect and full of thought. It is not enough to have a fine boat of Fortune.

And, as it is said —