We bless Thee, We worship Thee, We glorify Thee, We give thanks to Thee, For Thy great glory, O Lord, Heavenly King, God the Father Almighty, O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, And Holy Ghost: O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy upon us : Thou that takest away the sins of the world, Receive our prayers; Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, Have mercy upon us. For Thou only art holy; To the glory of God the Father. Bishop (turning to the people). O God, great and wonderful, look upon Thy servants, who bow down their necks unto Thee; stretch forth Thy powerful hand, full of blessings, and bless Thy people. Preserve Thine inheritance, that we may continually glorify Thee for ever, the only living and true God: for to Thee, O Father, belongs glory, honour, adoration, and thanksgiving, and to Thy Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever. People. Amen. Deacon (after a short pause). Depart in peace." After these words, the whole assembly rose up, and in silence, like men who felt that they were still in the presence of some mysterious power, they departed as rapidly as they had assembled together. When the people were gone, the deacons took charge of what remained of the consecrated bread and wine, one of them having first shewn the bishop a list of the sick persons to whom they were to dispense them. This done, they too departed; and Rutilius came forth from his hiding-place, with a mingled feeling of satisfaction and uneasiness, uneasiness at the thought, that he had intruded where he ought not, and had perhaps incurred guilt without designing it; yet satisfaction at receiving this accidental confutation of the charges still prevalent against the Christians. "There is nothing, at all events," he said to himself," of that impiety which has been asserted to exist in their secret meetings. If I do not perceive the meaning or significancy of all which they have done, yet the seriousness and reverence of their manner shews that they themselves feel its reality; and what a contrast is it to the gross and debasing pleasures which occupy the majority of mankind!" But besides these general grounds of interest, Rutilius's attention had been powerfully awakened by a circumstance of a personal nature. What that circumstance was will be seen in the next chapter. CHAPTER X. Visit to Pamphilus. The due Use of Antiquity. The Jewish Convert. There the new-born river lies, SOUTHEY. THE light was already beginning to dawn in the east, when Rutilius crept forth through the same opening by which he had entered the church of the Christians. He retraced his steps along the tottering wall which divided the ruins; and hastened to regain Milo's house before the advancing day should discover how he had been employed. A few slaves were issuing forth for their morning labour as he entered the porter's lodge, and, casting a glance at the picture of the great dog, which was just discernible, hurried up to his room. The excitement and fatigue of the scenes through which he had passed began now to take effect upon him; but youth and a robust frame were on his side; and when, with a throbbing head, he hastily threw him self upon his bed, he was asleep in a moment. Still, however, did the events of the preceding day continue to chase one another through his memory. First, he dreamt that he was in Milo's hall;— there were the numerous lamps, the noisy guests, the loaded tables at the head of the feast the host himself, bent solely on display and self-indulgence, striving how he could stimulate his jaded appetite, and find some new refinement of luxurious sensuality. The whole place seemed filled with what ministered to the grossness of appetite, while the sycophants and debauchees around were imitating the example and applauding the conduct of their chief. Women too were there, only more disgusting than the men, because their shameless depravity bespoke the degeneracy and ruin of a purer nature. On a sudden all was changed. The chief figure in the hall was a reverend old man, of meek and self-denying demeanour, whose calmness, the result of habitual indifference to the things of earth, was blended with a lofty but almost enthusiastic ardour, the consequence of an habitual intercourse with things unseen. All in him and around spoke the manner of one disengaged from this world. Rutilius felt that he was in the presence of the Christian bishop. About him stood men whose deep seriousness was produced not by a harsh and unkindly temper towards mankind, but by the conviction that to them was entrusted a secret of which the majority of men were ignorant. There, too, he saw N |