,,the ,,elixir ,,of ,,life      ,by     
,honore ,de ,balzac      ,translated ,by
 ,clara ,bell and ,james ,waring        
,,to ,,the ,,reader    ,at the very     
outset of the writer's literary career1 
a friend1 long since  dead1 gave him the
 subject of this ,study4 ,later on he   
found the same  story in a collection   
published about the beginning of the    
present  century4 ,to the best of his   
belief1 it is some stray fancy of the   
brain  of ,hoffmann of ,berlin2 probably
 it appeared in some ,german almanac1   
and was omitted in the published        
editions of his collected works4 ,the   
,comedie ,humaine is sufficiently rich  
in original creations for the  author to
 own to this innocent piece of          
plagiarism2 when1 like the  worthy ,la  
,fontaine1 he has told unwittingly1 and 
after his own fashion1  a tale already  
related by another4 ,this is not one of 
the hoaxes in  vogue in the year #ahcj1 
when every author wrote his tale of     
horror  for the amusement of young      

ladies4 ,when you have read the account 
of  ,don ,juan's decorous parricide1 try
 to picture to yourself the part which  
would be played under very similar      
circumstances by honest folk who1 in    
this nineteenth century1 will take a    
man's money and undertake to pay  him a 
life annuity on the faith of a chill1 or
 let a house to an ancient  lady for the
 term of her natural life6 ,would they  
be for resuscitating  their clients8 ,i 
should dearly like a connoisseur in     
consciences to  consider how far there  
is a resemblance between a ,don ,juan   
and fathers  who marry their children to
 great expectations4 ,does humanity1    
which1  according to certain            
philosophers1 is making progress1 look  
on the art  of waiting for dead men's   
shoes as a step in the right direction8 
,to  this art we owe several honorable  
professions1 which open up ways of      
living on death4 ,there are people who  
rely entirely on an expected  demise2   
who brood over it1 crouching each       

morning upon a corpse1 that  serves     
again for their pillow at night4 ,to    
this class belong bishops'  coadjutors1 
cardinals' supernumeraries1 tontiniers1 
and the like4  ,add to the list many    
delicately scrupulous persons eager to  
buy landed  property beyond their means1
 who calculate with dry logic and in    
cold  blood the probable duration of the
 life of a father or of a step-mother1  
some old man or woman of eighty or      
ninety1 saying to themselves1 ,i  shall 
be sure to come in for it in three      
years' time1 and then---- ,a  murderer  
is less loathsome to us than a spy4 ,the
 murderer may have acted  on a sudden   
mad impulse2 he may be penitent and     
amend2 but a spy is  always a spy1 night
 and day1 in bed1 at table1 as he walks 
abroad2 his  vileness pervades every    
moment of his life4 ,then what must it  
be to live  when every moment of your   
life is tainted with murder8 ,and have  
we not  just admitted that a host of    
human creatures in our midst are led by 

our laws1 customs1 and usages to dwell  
without ceasing on a  fellow-creature's 
death8 ,there are men who put the weight
 of a coffin  into their deliberations  
as they bargain for ,cashmere shawls for
 their  wives1 as they go up the        
staircase of a theatre1 or think of     
going to  the ,bouffons1 or of setting  
up a carriage2 who are murderers in     
thought  when dear ones1 with the       
irresistible charm of innocence1 hold up
  childish foreheads to be kissed with a
 ,good-night1 father6 ,hourly they  meet
 the gaze of eyes that they would fain  
close for ever1 eyes that  still open   
each morning to the light1 like         
,belvidero's in this ,study4  ,god alone
 knows the number of those who are      
parricides in thought4  ,picture to     
yourself the state of mind of a man who 
must pay a life  annuity to some old    
woman whom he scarcely knows2 both live 
in  the country with a brook between    
them1 both sides are free to hate       
cordially1 without offending against the

 social conventions that require  two   
brothers to wear a mask if the older    
will succeed to the entail1  and the    
other to the fortune of a younger son4  
,the whole civilization  of ,europe     
turns upon the principle of hereditary  
succession as upon a  pivot2 it would be
 madness to subvert the principle2 but  
could we not1  in an age that prides    
itself upon its mechanical inventions1  
perfect  this essential portion of the  
social machinery8    ,if the author has 
preserved the old-fashioned style of    
address ,to the  ,reader before a work  
wherein he endeavors to represent all   
literary  forms1 it is for the purpose  
of making a remark that applies to      
several of the ,studies1 and very       
specially to this4 ,every one of his    
compositions has been based upon ideas  
more or less novel1 which1 as  it seemed
 to him1 needed literary expression2 he 
can claim priority for  certain forms   
and for certain ideas which have since  
passed into the  domain of literature1  

and have there1 in some instances1      
become common  property2 so that the    
date of the first publication of each   
,study cannot  be a matter of           
indifference to those of his readers who
 would fain do  him justice4    ,reading
 brings us unknown friends1 and what    
friend is like a reader8  ,we have      
friends in our own circle who read      
nothing of ours4 ,the author  hopes to  
pay his debt1 by dedicating this work   
,diis ignotis4            ,,the ,,elixir
 ,,of ,,life    ,one winter evening1 in 
a princely palace at ,ferrara1 ,don     
,juan ,belvidero  was giving a banquet  
to a prince of the house of ,este4 ,a   
banquet in  those times was a marvelous 
spectacle which only royal wealth or the
  power of a mightly sic lord could     
furnish forth4 ,seated about a  table   
lit up with perfumed tapers1 seven      
laughter-loving women were              
interchanging sweet talk4 ,the white    
marble of the noble works of art  about 
them stood out against the red stucco   

walls1 and made strong  contrasts with  
the rich ,turkey carpets4 ,clad in      
satin1 glittering with  gold1 and       
covered with gems less brilliant than   
their eyes1 each told  a tale of        
energetic passions as diverse as their  
styles of beauty4  ,they differed       
neither in their ideas nor in their     
language2 but the  expression of their  
eyes1 their glances1 occasional         
gestures1 or  the tones of their voices 
supplied a commentary1 dissolute1       
wanton1  melancholy1 or satirical1 to   
their words4    ,one seemed to be       
saying--,the frozen heart of age might  
kindle at my  beauty4    ,another--,i   
love to lounge upon cushions1 and think 
with rapture of my  adorers4    ,a      
third1 a neophyte at these banquets1 was
 inclined to blush4 ,i feel  remorse in 
the depths of my heart6 ,i am a         
,catholic1 and afraid of hell4  ,but ,i 
love you1 ,i love you so that ,i can    
sacrifice my hereafter to you4    ,the  
fourth drained a cup of ,chian wine4    

,give me a joyous life6 she  cried2 ,i  
begin life afresh each day with the     
dawn4 ,forgetful of the  past1 with the 
intoxication of yesterday's rapture     
still upon me1 ,i  drink deep of life--a
 whole lifetime of pleasure and of love6
    ,the woman who sat next to ,juan    
,belvidero looked at him with a feverish
  glitter in her eyes4 ,she was silent4 
,then--,i should need no hired bravo  to
 kill my lover if he forsook me6 she    
cried at last1 and laughed1 but  the    
marvelously wrought gold comfit box in  
her fingers was crushed by  her         
convulsive clutch4    ,when are you to  
be ,grand ,duke8 asked the sixth4 ,there
 was the frenzy  of a ,bacchante in her 
eyes1 and her teeth gleamed between the 
lips  parted with a smile of cruel glee4
    ,yes1 when is that father of yours  
going to die8 asked the seventh1        
throwing her bouquet at ,don ,juan with 
bewitching playfulness4 ,it was  a      
childish girl who spoke1 and the speaker
 was wont to make sport of  sacred      

things4    ,oh6 don't talk about it1    
cried ,don ,juan1 the young and handsome
 giver  of the banquet4 ,there is but   
one eternal father1 and1 as ill luck    
will  have it1 he is mine4    ,the seven
 ,ferrarese1 ,don ,juan's friends1 the  
,prince himself1 gave a cry  of horror4 
,two hundred years later1 in the days of
 ,louis ,,xv41 people of  taste would   
have laughed at this witticism4 ,or was 
it1 perhaps1 that  at the outset of an  
orgy there is a certain unwonted        
lucidity of mind8  ,despite the taper   
light1 the clamor of the senses1 the    
gleam of gold and  silver1 the fumes of 
wine1 and the exquisite beauty of the   
women1  there may perhaps have been in  
the depths of the revelers' hearts some 
struggling glimmer of reverence for     
things divine and human1 until it  was  
drowned in glowing floods of wine6 ,yet 
even then the flowers had  been crushed1
 eyes were growing dull1 and            
drunkenness1 in ,rabelais'  phrase1 had 
taken possession of them down to their  

sandals4    ,during that brief pause a  
door opened2 and as once the ,divine    
presence  was revealed at ,belshazzar's 
feast1 so now it seemed to be manifest  
in the apparition of an old white-haired
 servant1 who tottered in1  and looked  
sadly from under knitted brows at the   
revelers4 ,he gave  a withering glance  
at the garlands1 the golden cups1 the   
pyramids of  fruit1 the dazzling lights 
of the banquet1 the flushed scared      
faces1 the  hues of the cushions pressed
 by the white arms of the women4    ,my 
lord1 your father is dying6 he said2 and
 at those solemn words1  uttered in     
hollow tones1 a veil of crape seemed to 
be drawn over the  wild mirth4    ,don  
,juan rose to his feet with a gesture to
 his guests that might be  rendered by1 
,excuse me2 this kind of thing does not 
happen every day4    ,does it so seldom 
happen that a father's death surprises  
youth in the  full-blown splendor of    
life1 in the midst of the mad riot of an
 orgy8  ,death is as unexpected in his  

caprice as a courtesan in her disdain2  
but  death is truer--,death has never   
forsaken any man4    ,don ,juan closed  
the door of the banqueting-hall2 and as 
he went down  the long gallery1 through 
the cold and darkness1 he strove to     
assume an  expression in keeping with   
the part he had to play2 he had thrown  
off  his mirthful mood1 as he had thrown
 down his table napkin1 at the first    
thought of this role4 ,the night was    
dark4 ,the mute servitor1 his guide  to 
the chamber where the dying man lay1    
lighted the way so dimly that  ,death1  
aided by cold1 silence1 and darkness1   
and it may be by a reaction  of         
drunkenness1 could send some sober      
thoughts through the spendthrift's      
soul4 ,he examined his life1 and became 
thoughtful1 like a man involved  in a   
lawsuit on his way to the ,court4       
,bartolommeo ,belvidero1 ,don ,juan's   
father1 was an old man of ninety1 who   
had devoted the greatest part of his    
life to business pursuits4 ,he had      

acquired vast wealth in many a journey  
to magical ,eastern lands1 and          
knowledge1 so it was said1 more valuable
 than the gold and diamonds1  which had 
almost ceased to have any value for him4
    ,i would give more to have a tooth  
in my head than for a ruby1 he would    
say at times with a smile4 ,the         
indulgent father loved to hear ,don     
,juan's  story of this and that wild    
freak of youth4 ,so long as these       
follies  amuse you1 dear boy---- he     
would say laughingly1 as he lavished    
money  on his son4 ,age never took such 
pleasure in the sight of youth2 the fond
  father did not remember his own       
decaying powers while he looked on that 
brilliant young life4    ,bartolommeo   
,belvidero1 at the age of sixty1 had    
fallen in love with an  angel of peace  
and beauty4 ,don ,juan had been the sole
 fruit of this late  and short-lived    
love4 ,for fifteen years the widower had
 mourned the  loss of his beloved       
,juana2 and to this sorrow of age1 his  

son and  his numerous household had     
attributed the strange habits that he   
had  contracted4 ,he had shut himself up
 in the least comfortable wing of his   
palace1 and very seldom left his        
apartments2 even ,don ,juan himself must
  first ask permission before seeing his
 father4 ,if this hermit1 unbound  by   
vows1 came or went in his palace or in  
the streets of ,ferrara1 he  walked as  
if he were in a dream1 wholly engrossed1
 like a man at strife  with a memory1 or
 a wrestler with some thought4    ,the  
young ,don ,juan might give princely    
banquets1 the palace might echo  with   
clamorous mirth1 horses pawed the ground
 in the courtyards1 pages  quarreled and
 flung dice upon the stairs1 but        
,bartolommeo ate his seven  ounces of   
bread daily and drank water4 ,a fowl was
 occasionally dressed  for him1 simply  
that the black poodle1 his faithful     
companion1 might  have the bones4       
,bartolommeo never complained of the    
noise4 ,if the  huntsmen's horns and    

baying dogs disturbed his sleep during  
his illness1  he only said1 ,ah6 ,don   
,juan has come back again4 ,never on    
earth  has there been a father so little
 exacting and so indulgent2 and1  in    
consequence1 young ,belvidero1          
accustomed to treat his father          
unceremoniously1 had all the faults of a
 spoiled child4 ,he treated  old        
,bartolommeo as a wilful courtesan      
treats an elderly adorer2 buying        
indemnity for insolence with a smile1   
selling good-humor1 submitting to  be   
loved4    ,don ,juan1 beholding scene   
after scene of his younger years1 saw   
that it  would be a difficult task to   
find his father's indulgence at fault4  
,some  new-born remorse stirred the     
depths of his heart2 he felt almost     
ready  to forgive this father now about 
to die for having lived so long4 ,he    
had an accession of filial piety1 like a
 thief's return in thought to  honesty  
at the prospect of a million adroitly   
stolen4    ,before long ,don ,juan had  

crossed the lofty1 chilly suite of rooms
 in  which his father lived2 the        
penetrating influences of the damp close
  air1 the mustiness diffused by old    
tapestries and presses thickly  covered 
with dust had passed into him1 and now  
he stood in the old man's  antiquated   
room1 in the repulsive presence of the  
deathbed1 beside a  dying fire4 ,a      
flickering lamp on a ,gothic table sent 
broad uncertain  shafts of light1       
fainter or brighter1 across the bed1 so 
that the dying  man's face seemed to    
wear a different look at every moment4  
,the bitter  wind whistled through the  
crannies of the ill-fitting casements2  
there  was a smothered sound of snow    
lashing the windows4 ,the harsh contrast
 of  these sights and sounds with the   
scenes which ,don ,juan had just quitted
  was so sudden that he could not help  
shuddering4 ,he turned cold as he  came 
towards the bed2 the lamp flared in a   
sudden vehement gust of  wind and       
lighted up his father's face2 the       

features were wasted and  distorted2 the
 skin that cleaved to their bony        
outlines had taken wan  livid hues1 all 
the more ghastly by force of contrast   
with the white  pillows on which he lay4
 ,the muscles about the toothless mouth 
had  contracted with pain and drawn     
apart the lips2 the moans that issued   
between them with appalling energy found
 an accompaniment in the howling  of the
 storm without4    ,in spite of every   
sign of coming dissolution1 the most    
striking thing  about the dying face was
 its incredible power4 ,it was no       
ordinary spirit  that wrestled there    
with ,death4 ,the eyes glared with      
strange fixity of  gaze from the        
cavernous sockets hollowed by disease4  
,it seemed as if  ,bartolommeo sought to
 kill some enemy sitting at the foot of 
his bed by  the intent gaze of dying    
eyes4 ,that steady remorseless look was 
the  more appalling because the head    
that lay upon the pillow was passive and
  motionless as a skull upon a doctor's 

table4 ,the outlines of the body1       
revealed by the coverlet1 were no less  
rigid and stiff2 he lay there as  one   
dead1 save for those eyes4 ,there was   
something automatic about the  moaning  
sounds that came from the mouth4 ,don   
,juan felt something like  shame that he
 must be brought thus to his father's   
bedside1 wearing a  courtesan's bouquet1
 redolent of the fragrance of the       
banqueting-chamber  and the fumes of    
wine4    ,you were enjoying yourself6   
the old man cried as he saw his son4    
,even as he spoke the pure high notes of
 a woman's voice1 sustained by  the     
sound of the viol on which she          
accompanied her song1 rose above the    
rattle of the storm against the         
casements1 and floated up to the chamber
  of death4 ,don ,juan stopped his ears 
against the barbarous answer to his     
father's speech4    ,i bear you no      
grudge1 my child1 ,bartolommeo went on4 
,the words were full of kindness1 but   
they hurt ,don ,juan2 he could not      

pardon this heart-searching goodness on 
his father's part4    ,what a remorseful
 memory for me6 he cried1               
hypocritically4    ,poor ,juanino1 the  
dying man went on1 in a smothered voice1
 ,i have  always been so kind to you1   
that you could not surely desire my     
death8    ,oh1 if it were only possible 
to keep you here by giving up a part of 
my  own life6 cried ,don ,juan4    7,we 
can always say this sort of thing1 the  
spendthrift thought2 it  is as if ,i    
laid the whole world at my mistress'    
feet47    ,the thought had scarcely     
crossed his mind when the old poodle    
barked4  ,don ,juan shivered2 the       
response was so intelligent that he     
fancied the  dog must have understood   
him4    ,i was sure that ,i could count 
upon you1 my son6 cried the dying man4  
,i shall live4 ,so be it2 you shall be  
satisfied4 ,i shall live1 but  without  
depriving you of a single day of your   
life4    ,he is raving1 thought ,don    
,juan4 ,aloud he added1 ,yes1 dearest   

father1  yes2 you shall live1 of course1
 as long as ,i live1 for your image will
  be for ever in my heart4    ,it is not
 that kind of life that ,i mean1 said   
the old noble1 summoning  all his       
strength to sit up in bed2 for a thrill 
of doubt ran through  him1 one of those 
suspicions that come into being under a 
dying man's  pillow4 ,listen1 my son1 he
 went on1 in a voice grown weak with    
that  last effort1 ,i have no more wish 
to give up life than you to give up     
wine and mistresses1 horses and hounds1 
and hawks and gold----    ,i can well   
believe it1 thought the son2 and he     
knelt down by the bed  and kissed       
,bartolommeo's cold hands4 ,but1 father1
 my dear father1 he  added aloud1 we    
must submit to the will of ,god4    ,i  
am ,god6 muttered the dying man4    ,do 
not blaspheme6 cried the other1 as he   
saw the menacing expression  on his     
father's face4 ,beware what you say2 you
 have received extreme  unction1 and ,i 
should be inconsolable if you were to   

die before my eyes  in mortal sin4      
,will you listen to me8 cried           
,bartolommeo1 and his mouth twitched4   
,don ,juan held his peace2 an ugly      
silence prevailed4 ,yet above the       
muffled sound of the beating of the snow
 against the windows rose the  sounds of
 the beautiful voice and the viol in    
unison1 far off and faint  as the dawn4 
,the dying man smiled4    ,thank you1 he
 said1 for bringing those singing voices
 and the music1  a banquet1 young and   
lovely women with fair faces and dark   
tresses1 all  the pleasure of life6 ,bid
 them wait for me2 for ,i am about to   
begin life  anew4    ,the delirium is at
 its height1 said ,don ,juan to himself4
    ,i have found out a way of coming to
 life again1 the speaker went on4       
,there1 just look in that table drawer1 
press the spring hidden by the  griffin1
 and it will fly open4    ,i have found 
it1 father4    ,well1 then1 now take out
 a little phial of rock crystal4    ,i  
have it4    ,i have spent twenty years  

in---- but even as he spoke the old man 
felt  how very near the end had come1   
and summoned all his dying strength  to 
say1 ,as soon as the breath is out of   
me1 rub me all over with that  liquid1  
and ,i shall come to life again4        
,there is very little of it1 his son    
remarked4    ,though ,bartolommeo could 
no longer speak1 he could still hear and
 see4  ,when those words dropped from   
,don ,juan1 his head turned with        
appalling  quickness1 his neck was      
twisted like the throat of some marble  
statue  which the sculptor had condemned
 to remain stretched out for ever1 the  
wide eyes had come to have a ghastly    
fixity4    ,he was dead1 and in death he
 lost his last and sole illusion4    ,he
 had sought a shelter in his son's      
heart1 and it had proved to be a        
sepulchre1 a pit deeper than men dig for
 their dead4 ,the hair on his  head had 
risen and stiffened with horror1 his    
agonized glance still  spoke4 ,he was a 
father rising in just anger from his    

tomb1 to demand  vengeance at the throne
 of ,god4    ,there6 it is all over with
 the old man6 cried ,don ,juan4    ,he  
had been so interested in holding the   
mysterious phial to the lamp1  as a     
drinker holds up the wine-bottle at the 
end of a meal1 that he had  not seen his
 father's eyes fade4 ,the cowering      
poodle looked from his  master to the   
elixir1 just as ,don ,juan himself      
glanced again and again  from his father
 to the flask4 ,the lamplight flickered4
 ,there was a  deep silence2 the viol   
was mute4 ,juan ,belvidero thought that 
he saw his  father stir1 and trembled4  
,the changeless gaze of those accusing  
eyes  frightened him2 he closed them    
hastily1 as he would have closed a      
loose shutter swayed by the wind of an  
autumn night4 ,he stood there           
motionless1 lost in a world of thought4 
,suddenly the silence was broken by a   
shrill sound like the creaking of  a    
rusty spring4 ,it startled ,don ,juan2  
he all but dropped the phial4 ,a  sweat1

 colder than the blade of a dagger1     
issued through every pore4 ,it  was only
 a piece of clockwork1 a wooden cock    
that sprang out and crowed  three times1
 an ingenious contrivance by which the  
learned of that epoch  were wont to be  
awakened at the appointed hour to begin 
the labors of  the day4 ,through the    
windows there came already a flush of   
dawn4 ,the  thing1 composed of wood1 and
 cords1 and wheels1 and pulleys1 was    
more  faithful in its service than he in
 his duty to ,bartolommeo--he1 a man    
with that peculiar piece of human       
mechanism within him that we call a     
heart4    ,don ,juan the sceptic shut   
the flask again in the secret drawer in 
the  ,gothic table--he meant to run no  
more risks of losing the mysterious     
liquid4    ,even at that solemn moment  
he heard the murmur of a crowd in the   
gallery1 a confused sound of voices1 of 
stifled laughter and light  footfalls1  
and the rustling of silks--the sounds of
 a band of revelers  struggling for     

gravity4 ,the door opened1 and in came  
the ,prince and ,don  ,juan's friends1  
the seven courtesans1 and the singers1  
disheveled and  wild like dancers       
surprised by the dawn1 when the tapers  
that have  burned through the night     
struggle with the sunlight4    ,they had
 come to offer the customary condolence 
to the young heir4    ,oho6 is poor ,don
 ,juan really taking this seriously8    
said the ,prince in  ,brambilla's ear4  
,well1 his father was very good1 she    
returned4    ,but ,don ,juan's          
night-thoughts had left such            
unmistakable traces on his  features1   
that the crew was awed into silence4    
,the men stood motionless4  ,the women1 
with wine-parched lips and cheeks       
marbled with kisses1 knelt  down and    
began a prayer4 ,don ,juan could scarce 
help trembling when he  saw splendor and
 mirth and laughter and song and youth  
and beauty and  power bowed in reverence
 before ,death4 ,but in those times1 in 
that  adorable ,italy of the sixteenth  

century1 religion and revelry went hand 
in hand2 and religious excess became a  
sort of debauch1 and a debauch a        
religious rite6    ,the ,prince grasped 
,don ,juan's hand affectionately1 then  
when all  faces had simultaneously put  
on the same grimace--half-gloomy1       
half-indifferent--the whole masque      
disappeared1 and left the chamber of    
death empty4 ,it was like an allegory of
 life4    ,as they went down the        
staircase1 the ,prince spoke to         
,rivabarella3  ,now1 who would have     
taken ,don ,juan's impiety for a boast8 
,he loves his  father4    ,did you see  
that black dog8 asked ,la ,brambilla4   
,he is enormously rich now1 sighed      
,bianca ,cavatolino4    ,what is that to
 me8 cried the proud ,veronese 7she who 
had crushed the  comfit-box74    ,what  
does it matter to you1 forsooth8 cried  
the ,duke4 ,with his money  he is as    
much a prince as ,i am4    ,at first    
,don ,juan was swayed hither and thither
 by countless thoughts1  and wavered    

between two decisions4 ,he took counsel 
with the gold heaped  up by his father1 
and returned in the evening to the      
chamber of death1  his whole soul       
brimming over with hideous selfishness4 
,he found all his  household busy there4
 ,his lordship was to lie in state      
to-morrow2 all  ,ferrara would flock to 
behold the wonderful spectacle2 and the 
servants  were busy decking the room and
 the couch on which the dead man lay4   
,at a  sign from ,don ,juan all his     
people stopped1 dumfounded and          
trembling4    ,leave me alone here1 he  
said1 and his voice was changed1 and do 
not  return until ,i leave the room4    
,when the footsteps of the old servitor1
 who was the last to go1 echoed  but    
faintly along the paved gallery1 ,don   
,juan hastily locked the door1  and sure
 that he was quite alone1 ,let us try1  
he said to himself4    ,bartolommeo's   
body was stretched on a long table4 ,the
 embalmers had  laid a sheet over it1 to
 hide from all eyes the dreadful        

spectacle of a  corpse so wasted and    
shrunken that it seemed like a skeleton1
 and only  the face was uncovered4 ,this
 mummy-like figure lay in the middle of 
the room4 ,the limp clinging linen lent 
itself to the outlines it  shrouded--so 
sharp1 bony1 and thin4 ,large violet    
patches had already  begun to spread    
over the face2 the embalmers' work had  
not been finished  too soon4    ,don    
,juan1 strong as he was in his          
scepticism1 felt a tremor as he opened  
the magic crystal flask4 ,when he stood 
over that face1 he was trembling  so    
violently1 that he was actually obliged 
to wait for a moment4 ,but ,don  ,juan  
had acquired an early familiarity with  
evil2 his morals had been  corrupted by 
a licentious court1 a reflection worthy 
of the ,duke of  ,urbino crossed his    
mind1 and it was a keen sense of        
curiosity that  goaded him into         
boldness4 ,the devil himself might have 
whispered the  words that were echoing  
through his brain1 ,moisten one of the  

eyes with  the liquid6 ,he took up a    
linen cloth1 moistened it sparingly with
  the precious fluid1 and passed it     
lightly over the right eyelid of the    
corpse4 ,the eye unclosed4444    ,aha6  
said ,don ,juan4 ,he gripped the flask  
tightly1 as we clutch in  dreams the    
branch from which we hang suspended over
 a precipice4    ,for the eye was full  
of life4 ,it was a young child's eye set
 in a  death's head2 the light quivered 
in the depths of its youthful liquid    
brightness4 ,shaded by the long dark    
lashes1 it sparkled like the strange    
lights that travelers see in lonely     
places in winter nights4 ,the eye       
seemed as if it would fain dart fire at 
,don ,juan2 he saw it thinking1         
upbraiding1 condemning1 uttering        
accusations1 threatening doom2 it cried 
aloud1 and gnashed upon him4 ,all       
anguish that shakes human souls was     
gathered there2 supplications the most  
tender1 the wrath of kings1 the  love in
 a girl's heart pleading with the       

headsman2 then1 and after all  these1   
the deeply searching glance a man turns 
on his fellows as he  mounts the last   
step of the scaffold4 ,life so dilated  
in this fragment  of life that ,don     
,juan shrank back2 he walked up and down
 the room1 he  dared not meet that gaze1
 but he saw nothing else4 ,the ceiling  
and  the hangings1 the whole room was   
sown with living points of fire and     
intelligence4 ,everywhere those gleaming
 eyes haunted him4    ,he might very    
likely have lived another hundred years6
 he cried  involuntarily4 ,some         
diabolical influence had drawn him to   
his father1  and again he gazed at that 
luminous spark4 ,the eyelid closed and  
opened again abruptly2 it was like a    
woman's sign of assent4 ,it was an      
intelligent movement4 ,if a voice had   
cried ,yes6 ,don ,juan could not  have  
been more startled4    ,what is to be   
done8 he thought4    ,he nerved himself 
to try to close the white eyelid4 ,in   
vain4    ,kill it8 ,that would perhaps  

be parricide1 he debated with himself4  
,yes1 the eye said1 with a strange      
sardonic quiver of the lid4    ,aha6    
said ,don ,juan to himself1 here is     
witchcraft at work6 ,and he  went closer
 to crush the thing4 ,a great tear      
trickled over the hollow  cheeks1 and   
fell on ,don ,juan's hand4    ,it is    
scalding6 he cried4 ,he sat down4 ,the  
struggle exhausted him2 it  was as if1  
like ,jacob of old1 he was wrestling    
with an angel4    ,at last he rose4 ,so 
long as there is no blood---- he        
muttered4    ,then1 summoning all the   
courage needed for a coward's crime1 he 
extinguished the eye1 pressing it with  
the linen cloth1 turning his head  away4
 ,a terrible groan startled him4 ,it was
 the poor poodle1 who died  with a      
long-drawn howl4    ,could the brute    
have been in the secret8 thought ,don   
,juan1 looking  down at the faithful    
creature4    ,don ,juan ,belvidero was  
looked upon as a dutiful son4 ,he reared
 a  white marble monument on his        

father's tomb1 and employed the greatest
  sculptors of the time upon it4 ,he did
 not recover perfect ease of mind  till 
the day when his father knelt in marble 
before ,religion1 and the  heavy weight 
of the stone had sealed the mouth of the
 grave in which he  had laid the one    
feeling of remorse that sometimes       
flitted through his  soul in moments of 
physical weariness4    ,he had drawn up 
a list of the wealth heaped up by the   
old merchant in  the ,east1 and he      
became a miser3 had he not to provide   
for a second  lifetime8 ,his views of   
life were the more profound and         
penetrating2  he grasped its            
significance1 as a whole1 the better1   
because he saw it  across a grave4 ,all 
men1 all things1 he analyzed once and   
for all2 he  summed up the ,past1       
represented by its records2 the ,present
 in the law1  its crystallized form2 the
 ,future1 revealed by religion4 ,he took
 spirit  and matter1 and flung them into
 his crucible1 and found--,nothing4     

,thenceforward he became ,,don ,,juan4  
,at the outset of his life1 in the prime
 of youth and the beauty of  youth1 he  
knew the illusions of life for what they
 were2 he despised  the world1 and made 
the utmost of the world4 ,his felicity  
could not  have been of the bourgeois   
kind1 rejoicing in periodically         
recurrent  bouilli1 in the comforts of a
 warming-pan1 a lamp of a night1 and  a 
new pair of slippers once a quarter4    
,nay1 rather he seized upon  existence  
as a monkey snatches a nut1 and after no
 long toying with it1  proceeds deftly  
to strip off the mere husks to reach the
 savory kernel  within4    ,poetry and  
the sublime transports of passion       
scarcely reached  ankle-depth with him  
now4 ,he in nowise fell into the error  
of strong  natures who flatter          
themselves now and again that little    
souls will  believe in a great soul1 and
 are willing to barter their own lofty  
thoughts of the future for the small    
change of our life-annuity ideas4  ,he1 

even as they1 had he chosen1 might well 
have walked with his feet  on the earth 
and his head in the skies2 but he liked 
better to sit on  earth1 to wither the  
soft1 fresh1 fragrant lips of a woman   
with kisses1  for like ,death1 he       
devoured everything without scruple as  
he passed2 he  would have full fruition2
 he was an ,oriental lover1 seeking     
prolonged  pleasures easily obtained4   
,he sought nothing but a woman in women1
 and  cultivated cynicism1 until it     
became with him a habit of mind4 ,when  
his mistress1 from the couch on which   
she lay1 soared and was lost in  regions
 of ecstatic bliss1 ,don ,juan followed 
suit1 earnest1 expansive1  serious as   
any ,german student4 ,but he said ,i1   
while she1 in the  transports of        
intoxication1 said ,we4 ,he understood  
to admiration the art  of abandoning    
himself to the influence of a woman2 he 
was always clever  enough to make her   
believe that he trembled like some boy  
fresh from  college before his first    

partner at a dance1 when he asks her1   
,do  you like dancing8 ,but1 no less1 he
 could be terrible at need1 could       
unsheathe a formidable sword and make   
short work of ,commandants4 ,banter     
lurked beneath his simplicity1 mocking  
laughter behind his tears--for  he had  
tears at need1 like any woman nowadays  
who says to her husband1  ,give me a    
carriage1 or ,i shall go into a         
consumption4    ,for the merchant the   
world is a bale of goods or a mass of   
circulating  bills2 for most young men  
it is a woman1 and for a woman here and 
there  it is a man2 for a certain order 
of mind it is a salon1 a coterie1 a     
quarter of the town1 or some single     
city2 but ,don ,juan found his world  in
 himself4    ,this model of grace and   
dignity1 this captivating wit1 moored   
his bark  by every shore2 but wherever  
he was led he was never carried away1   
and  was only steered in a course of his
 own choosing4 ,the more he saw1  the   
more he doubted4 ,he watched men        

narrowly1 and saw how1 beneath  the     
surface1 courage was often rashness2 and
 prudence1 cowardice2  generosity1 a    
clever piece of calculation2 justice1 a 
wrong2 delicacy1  pusillanimity2        
honesty1 a modus vivendi2 and by some   
strange  dispensation of fate1 he must  
see that those who at heart were really 
honest1 scrupulous1 just1 generous1     
prudent1 or brave were held cheaply  by 
their fellow-men4    ,what a            
cold-blooded jest6 said he to himself4  
,it was not devised by a  ,god4    ,from
 that time forth he renounced a better  
world1 and never uncovered  himself when
 a ,name was pronounced1 and for him the
 carven saints in the  churches became  
works of art4 ,he understood the        
mechanism of society too  well to clash 
wantonly with its prejudices2 for1 after
 all1 he was not  as powerful as the    
executioner1 but he evaded social laws  
with the wit  and grace so well rendered
 in the scene with ,m4 ,dimanche4 ,he   
was1 in  fact1 ,moliere's ,don ,juan1   

,goethe's ,faust1 ,byron's ,manfred1    
,mathurin's  ,melmoth--great allegorical
 figures drawn by the greatest men of   
genius  in ,europe1 to which ,mozart's  
harmonies1 perhaps1 do no more justice  
than  ,rossini's lyre4 ,terrible        
allegorical figures that shall endure as
 long  as the principle of evil existing
 in the heart of man shall produce  a   
few copies from century to century4     
,sometimes the type becomes  half-human 
when incarnate as a ,mirabeau1 sometimes
 it is an inarticulate  force in a      
,bonaparte1 sometimes it overwhelms the 
universe with irony  as a ,rabelais2 or1
 yet again1 it appears when a ,marechal 
de ,richelieu  elects to laugh at human 
beings instead of scoffing at things1 or
 when  one of the most famous of our    
ambassadors goes a step further and     
scoffs at both men and things4 ,but the 
profound genius of ,juan ,belvidero     
anticipated and resumed all these4 ,all 
things were a jest to him4  ,his was the
 life of a mocking spirit4 ,all men1 all

 institutions1 all  realities1 all ideas
 were within its scope4 ,as for         
eternity1 after half  an hour of        
familiar conversation with ,pope ,julius
 ,,ii4 he said1 laughing3    ,if it is  
absolutely necessary to make a choice1  
,i would rather believe  in ,god than in
 the ,devil2 power combined with        
goodness always offers  more resources  
than the spirit of ,evil can boast4     
,yes2 still ,god requires repentance in 
this present world----    ,so you always
 think of your indulgences1 returned    
,don ,juan ,belvidero4  ,well1 well1 ,i 
have another life in reserve in which to
 repent of the  sins of my previous     
existence4    ,oh1 if you regard old age
 in that light1 cried the ,pope1 you are
 in  danger on canonization----         
,after your elevation to the ,papacy    
nothing is incredible4 ,and they  went  
to watch the workmen who were building  
the huge basilica dedicated  to ,saint  
,peter4    ,saint ,peter1 as the man of 
genius who laid the foundation of our   

double  power1 the ,pope said to ,don   
,juan1 deserves this monument4          
,sometimes1  though1 at night1 ,i think 
that a deluge will wipe all this out as 
with a  sponge1 and it will be all to   
begin over again4    ,don ,juan and the 
,pope began to laugh2 they understood   
each other4 ,a  fool would have gone on 
the morrow to amuse himself with ,julius
 ,,ii4 in  ,raphael's studio or at the  
delicious ,villa ,madama2 not so        
,belvidero4 ,he  went to see the ,pope  
as pontiff1 to be convinced of any      
doubts that he  7,don ,juan7            
entertained4 ,over his cups the ,rovere 
would have been capable  of denying his 
own infallibility and of commenting on  
the ,apocalypse4        ,nevertheless1  
this legend has not been undertaken to  
furnish materials  for future           
biographies of ,don ,juan2 it is        
intended to prove to  honest folk that  
,belvidero did not die in a duel with   
stone1 as some  lithographers would have
 us believe4    ,when ,don ,juan        

,belvidero reached the age of sixty he  
settled in ,spain1  and there in his old
 age he married a young and charming    
,andalusian  wife4 ,but of set purpose  
he was neither a good husband nor a good
  father4 ,he had observed that we are  
never so tenderly loved as by  women to 
whom we scarcely give a thought4 ,dona  
,elvira had been devoutly  brought up by
 an old aunt in a castle a few leagues  
from ,san-,lucar in  a remote part of   
,andalusia4 ,she was a model of devotion
 and grace4 ,don  ,juan foresaw that    
this would be a woman who would struggle
 long against  a passion before         
yielding1 and therefore hoped to keep   
her virtuous  until his death4 ,it was a
 jest undertaken in earnest1 a game of  
chess  which he meant to reserve till   
his old age4 ,don ,juan had learned     
wisdom  from the mistakes made by his   
father ,bartolommeo2 he determined that 
the least details of his life in old age
 should be subordinated to one          
object--the success of the drama which  

was to be played out upon his           
death-bed4    ,for the same reason the  
largest part of his wealth was buried in
 the  cellars of his palace at ,ferrara1
 whither he seldom went4 ,as for the    
rest of his fortune1 it was invested in 
a life annuity1 with a view to  give his
 wife and children an interest in       
keeping him alive2 but this             
,machiavellian piece of foresight was   
scarcely necessary4 ,his son1 young     
,felipe ,belvidero1 grew up as a        
,spaniard as religiously conscientious  
as his father was irreligious1 in       
virtue1 perhaps1 of the old rule1 ,a    
miser has a spendthrift son4 ,the ,abbot
 of ,san-,lucar was chosen by ,don      
,juan to be the director of the         
consciences of the ,duchess of          
,belvidero  and her son ,felipe4 ,the   
ecclesiastic was a holy man1 well       
shaped1 and  admirably well             
proportioned4 ,he had fine dark eyes1 a 
head like that of  ,tiberius1 worn with 
fasting1 bleached by an ascetic life1   

and1 like all  dwellers in the          
wilderness1 was daily tempted4 ,the     
noble lord had hopes1  it may be1 of    
despatching yet another monk before his 
term of life was  out4    ,but whether  
because the ,abbot was every whit as    
clever as ,don ,juan  himself1 or ,dona 
,elvira possessed more discretion or    
more virtue than  ,spanish wives are    
usually credited with1 ,don ,juan was   
compelled to spend  his declining years 
beneath his own roof1 with no more      
scandal under  it than if he had been an
 ancient country parson4 ,occasionally  
he would  take wife and son to task for 
negligence in the duties of religion1   
peremptorily insisting that they should 
carry out to the letter the  obligations
 imposed upon the flock by the ,court of
 ,rome4 ,indeed1 he was  never so well  
pleased as when he had set the courtly  
,abbot discussing  some case of         
conscience with ,dona ,elvira and       
,felipe4    ,at length1 however1 despite
 the prodigious care that the great     

magnifico1 ,don ,juan ,belvidero1 took  
of himself1 the days of decrepitude     
came upon him1 and with those days the  
constant importunity of physical        
feebleness1 an importunity all the more 
distressing by contrast with the  wealth
 of memories of his impetuous youth and 
the sensual pleasures of  middle age4   
,the unbeliever who in the height of his
 cynical humor had  been wont to        
persuade others to believe in laws and  
principles at which  he scoffed1 must   
repose nightly upon a perhaps4 ,the     
great ,duke1 the  pattern of good       
breeding1 the champion of many a        
carouse1 the proud  ornament of ,courts1
 the man of genius1 the graceful winner 
of hearts  that he had wrung as         
carelessly as a peasant twists an osier 
withe1  was now the victim of a cough1  
of a ruthless sciatica1 of an unmannerly
  gout4 ,his teeth gradually deserted   
him1 as at the end of an evening the    
fairest and best-dressed women take     
their leave one by one till the room  is

 left empty and desolate4 ,the active   
hands became palsy-stricken1  the       
shapely legs tottered as he walked4 ,at 
last1 one night1 a stroke of  apoplexy  
caught him by the throat in its icy     
clutch4 ,after that fatal  day he grew  
morose and stern4    ,he would reproach 
his wife and son with their devotion1   
casting it in  their teeth that the     
affecting and thoughtful care that they 
lavished  so tenderly upon him was      
bestowed because they knew that his     
money was  invested in a life annuity4  
,then ,elvira and ,felipe would shed    
bitter  tears and redouble their        
caresses1 and the wicked old man's      
insinuating  voice would take an        
affectionate tone--,ah1 you will forgive
 me1 will  you not1 dear friends1 dear  
wife8 ,i am rather a nuisance4 ,alas1   
,lord in  heaven1 how canst ,thou use me
 as the instrument by which ,thou       
provest  these two angelic creatures8 ,i
 who should be the joy of their lives am
  become their scourge444    ,in this   

manner he kept them tethered to his     
pillow1 blotting out the  memory of     
whole months of fretfulness and         
unkindness in one short  hour when he   
chose to display for them the ever-new  
treasures of his  pinchbeck tenderness  
and charm of manner--a system of        
paternity that  yielded him an          
infinitely better return than his own   
father's indulgence  had formerly       
gained4 ,at length his bodily           
infirmities reached a point  when the   
task of laying him in bed became as     
difficult as the navigation  of a       
felucca in the perils of an intricate   
channel4 ,then came the day of  his     
death2 and this brilliant sceptic1 whose
 mental faculties alone had  survived   
the most dreadful of all destructions1  
found himself between  his two special  
antipathies--the doctor and the         
confessor4 ,but he was  jovial with     
them4 ,did he not see a light gleaming  
in the future  beyond the veil8 ,the    
pall that is like lead for other men was

 thin and  translucent for him2 the     
light-footed1 irresistible delights of  
youth  danced beyond it like shadows4   
,it was on a beautiful summer evening   
that ,don ,juan felt the near  approach 
of death4 ,the sky of ,spain was serene 
and cloudless2 the air  was full of the 
scent of orange-blossom2 the stars shed 
clear1 pure  gleams of light2 nature    
without seemed to give the dying man    
assurance  of resurrection2 a dutiful   
and obedient son sat there watching him 
with  loving and respectful eyes4       
,towards eleven o'clock he desired to be
 left  alone with this single-hearted   
being4    ,felipe1 said the father1 in  
tones so soft and affectionate that the 
young man trembled1 and tears of        
gladness came to his eyes2 never had    
that stern father spoken his name in    
such a tone4 ,listen1 my son1 the  dying
 man went on4 ,i am a great sinner4 ,all
 my life long1 however1 ,i  have thought
 of my death4 ,i was once the friend of 
the great ,pope  ,julius ,,ii42 and that

 illustrious ,pontiff1 fearing lest the 
excessive  excitability of my senses    
should entangle me in mortal sin between
 the  moment of my death and the time of
 my anointing with the holy oil1 gave   
me a flask that contains a little of the
 holy water that once issued  from the  
rock in the wilderness4 ,i have kept the
 secret of this  squandering of a       
treasure belonging to ,holy ,church1 but
 ,i am permitted  to reveal the mystery 
in articulo mortis to my son4 ,you will 
find the  flask in a drawer in that     
,gothic table that always stands by the 
head  of the bed4444 ,the precious      
little crystal flask may be of use yet  
again  for you1 dearest ,felipe4 ,will  
you swear to me1 by your salvation1 to  
carry out my instructions faithfully8   
,felipe looked at his father1 and ,don  
,juan was too deeply learned in the     
lore of the human countenance not to die
 in peace with that look as his         
warrant1 as his own father had died in  
despair at meeting the expression  in   

his son's eyes4    ,you deserved to have
 a better father1 ,don ,juan went on4 ,i
 dare  to confess1 my child1 that while 
the reverend ,abbot of ,san-,lucar was  
administering the ,viaticum ,i was      
thinking of the incompatibility of the  
co-existence of two powers so infinite  
as ,god and the ,devil----    ,oh1      
father6    ,and ,i said to myself1 when 
,satan makes his peace he ought surely  
to  stipulate for the pardon of his     
followers1 or he will be the veriest    
scoundrel4 ,the thought haunted me2 so  
,i shall go to hell1 my son1 unless  you
 carry out my wishes4    ,oh1 quick2    
tell me quickly1 father4    ,as soon as 
,i have closed my eyes1 ,don ,juan went 
on1 and that may be  in a few minutes1  
you must take my body before it grows   
cold and lay it  on a table in this     
room4 ,then put out the lamp2 the light 
of the stars  should be sufficient4     
,take off my clothes1 reciting ,aves and
 ,paters the  while1 raising your soul  
to ,god in prayer1 and carefully anoint 

my  lips and eyes with this holy water2 
begin with the face1 and proceed        
successively to my limbs and the rest of
 my body2 my dear son1 the power  of    
,god is so great that you must be       
astonished at nothing4    ,don ,juan    
felt death so near1 that he added in a  
terrible voice1 ,be  careful not to drop
 the flask4    ,then he breathed his    
last gently in the arms of his son1 and 
his son's  tears fell fast over his     
sardonic1 haggard features4    ,it was  
almost midnight when ,don ,felipe       
,belvidero laid his father's body  upon 
the table4 ,he kissed the sinister brow 
and the gray hair2 then he  put out the 
lamp4    ,by the soft moonlight that lit
 strange gleams across the country      
without1 ,felipe could dimly see his    
father's body1 a vague white thing      
among the shadows4 ,the dutiful son     
moistened a linen cloth with the        
liquid1 and1 absorbed in prayer1 he     
anointed the revered face4 ,a deep      
silence reigned4 ,felipe heard faint1   

indescribable rustlings2 it was the     
breeze in the tree-tops1 he thought4    
,but when he had moistened the right    
arm1 he felt himself caught by the      
throat1 a young strong hand held him  in
 a tight grip--it was his father's hand6
 ,he shrieked aloud2 the flask  dropped 
from his hand and broke in pieces4 ,the 
liquid evaporated2 the  whole household 
hurried into the room1 holding torches  
aloft4 ,that  shriek had startled them1 
and filled them with as much terror as  
if the  ,trumpet of the ,angel sounding 
on the ,last ,day had rung through earth
 and  sky4 ,the room was full of people1
 and a horror-stricken crowd beheld the 
fainting ,felipe upheld by the strong   
arm of his father1 who clutched  him by 
the throat4 ,they saw another thing1 an 
unearthly spectacle--,don  ,juan's face 
grown young and beautiful as ,antinous1 
with its dark hair  and brilliant eyes  
and red lips1 a head that made horrible 
efforts1 but  could not move the dead1  
wasted body4    ,an old servitor cried1 

,a miracle6 a miracle6 and all the      
,spaniards  echoed1 ,a miracle6 a       
miracle6    ,dona ,elvira1 too pious to 
attribute this to magic1 sent for the   
,abbot of  ,san-,lucar2 and the ,prior  
beholding the miracle with his own eyes1
 being  a clever man1 and withal an     
,abbot desirous of augmenting his       
revenues1  determined to turn the       
occasion to profit4 ,he immediately gave
 out  that ,don ,juan would certainly be
 canonized2 he appointed a day for the  
celebration of the apotheosis in his    
convent1 which thenceforward1 he  said1 
should be called the convent of ,san    
,juan of ,lucar4 ,at these words  a     
sufficiently facetious grimace passed   
over the features of the late  ,duke4   
,the taste of the ,spanish people for   
ecclesiastical solemnities is so  well  
known1 that it should not be difficult  
to imagine the religious  pantomime by  
which the ,convent of ,san-,lucar       
celebrated the translation  of the      
blessed ,don ,juan ,belvidero to the    

abbey-church4 ,the tale of the  partial 
resurrection had spread so quickly from 
village to village1 that  a day or two  
after the death of the illustrious      
nobleman the report had  reached every  
place within fifty miles of ,san-,lucar1
 and it was as good  as a play to see   
the roads covered already with crowds   
flocking in on  all sides1 their        
curiosity whetted still further by the  
prospect of  a ,te ,deum sung by        
torchlight4 ,the old abbey church of    
,san-,lucar1 a  marvelous building      
erected by the ,moors1 a mosque of      
,allah1 which for  three centuries had  
heard the name of ,christ1 could not    
hold the throng  that poured in to see  
the ceremony4 ,hidalgos in their velvet 
mantles1  with their good swords at     
their sides1 swarmed like ants1 and were
 so  tightly packed in among the pillars
 that they had not room to bend the     
knees1 which never bent save to ,god4   
,charming peasant girls1 in the         
basquina that defines the luxuriant     

outlines of their figures1 lent an  arm 
to white-haired old men4 ,young men1    
with eyes of fire1 walked beside  aged  
crones in holiday array4 ,then came     
couples tremulous with joy1  young      
lovers led thither by curiosity1        
newly-wedded folk2 children  timidly    
clasping each other by the hand4 ,this  
throng1 so rich in  coloring1 in vivid  
contrasts1 laden with flowers1 enameled 
like a  meadow1 sent up a soft murmur   
through the quiet night4 ,then the great
  doors of the church opened4    ,late  
comers who remained without saw afar1   
through the three great open  doorways1 
a scene of which the theatrical         
illusions of modern opera can  give but 
a faint idea4 ,the vast church was      
lighted up by thousands of  candles1    
offered by saints and sinners alike     
eager to win the favor  of this new     
candidate for canonization1 and these   
self-commending  illuminations turned   
the great building into an enchanted    
fairyland4 ,the  black archways1 the    

shafts and capitals1 the recessed       
chapels with gold  and silver gleaming  
in their depths1 the galleries1 the     
,arab traceries1  all the most delicate 
outlines of that delicate sculpture1    
burned in  the excess of light like the 
fantastic figures in the red heart of a 
brazier4 ,at the further end of the     
church1 above that blazing sea1 rose    
the high altar like a splendid dawn4    
,all the glories of the golden lamps    
and silver candlesticks1 of banners and 
tassels1 of the shrines of the  saints  
and votive offerings1 paled before the  
gorgeous brightness of  the reliquary in
 which ,don ,juan lay4 ,the blasphemer's
 body sparkled with  gems1 and flowers1 
and crystal1 with diamonds and gold1 and
 plumes white  as the wings of seraphim2
 they had set it up on the altar1 where 
the  pictures of ,christ had stood4 ,all
 about him blazed a host of tall        
candles2 the air quivered in the radiant
 light4 ,the worthy ,abbot of           
,san-,lucar1 in pontifical robes1 with  

his mitre set with precious stones1  his
 rochet and golden crosier1 sat         
enthroned in imperial state among his   
clergy in the choir4 ,rows of impassive 
aged faces1 silver-haired old  men clad 
in fine linen albs1 were grouped about  
him1 as the saints who  confessed       
,christ on earth are set by painters1   
each in his place1 about  the throne of 
,god in heaven4 ,the precentor and the  
dignitaries of the  chapter1 adorned    
with the gorgeous insignia of           
ecclesiastical vanity1  came and went   
through the clouds of incense1 like     
stars upon their  courses in the        
firmament4    ,when the hour of triumph 
arrived1 the bells awoke the echoes far 
and  wide1 and the whole vast crowd     
raised to ,god the first cry of praise  
that begins the ,te ,deum4 ,a sublime   
cry6 ,high1 pure notes1 the voices  of  
women in ecstasy1 mingled in it with the
 sterner and deeper voices of  men2     
thousands of voices sent up a volume of 
sound so mighty1 that the  straining1   

groaning organ-pipes could not dominate 
that harmony4 ,but  the shrill sound of 
children's singing among the choristers1
 the  reverberation of deep bass notes1 
awakened gracious associations1  visions
 of childhood1 and of man in his        
strength1 and rose above that           
entrancing harmony of human voices      
blended in one sentiment of love4    ,te
 ,deum laudamus6    ,the chant went up  
from the black masses of men and women  
kneeling in  the cathedral1 like a      
sudden breaking out of light in         
darkness1 and the  silence was shattered
 as by a peal of thunder4 ,the voices   
floated up  with the clouds of incense  
that had begun to cast thin bluish veils
 over  the fanciful marvels of the      
architecture1 and the aisles were filled
  with splendor and perfume and light   
and melody4 ,even at the moment when    
that music of love and thanksgiving     
soared up to the altar1 ,don ,juan1  too
 well bred not to express his           
acknowledgments1 too witty not  to      

understand how to take a jest1 bridled  
up in his reliquary1 and  responded with
 an appalling burst of laughter4 ,then  
the ,devil having put  him in mind of   
the risk he was running of being taken  
for an ordinary  man1 a saint1 a        
,boniface1 a ,pantaleone1 he interrupted
 the melody of  love by a yell1 the     
thousand voices of hell joined in it4   
,earth blessed1  ,heaven banned4 ,the   
church was shaken to its ancient        
foundations4    ,te ,deum laudamus6     
cried the many voices4    ,go to the    
devil1 brute beasts that you are6 ,dios6
 ,dios6 ,garajos  demonios6 ,idiots6    
,what fools you are with your dotard    
,god6 and a  torrent of imprecations    
poured forth like a stream of red-hot   
lava from  the mouth of ,vesuvius4      
,deus ,sabaoth6444 ,sabaoth6 cried the  
believers4    ,you are insulting the    
majesty of ,hell1 shouted ,don ,juan1   
gnashing his  teeth4 ,in another moment 
the living arm struggled out of the     
reliquary1  and was brandished over the 

assembly in mockery and despair4    ,the
 saint is blessing us1 cried the old    
women1 children1 lovers1 and  the       
credulous among the crowd4    ,and note 
how often we are deceived in the homage 
we pay2 the great man  scoffs at those  
who praise him1 and pays compliments now
 and again to  those whom he laughs at  
in the depths of his heart4    ,just as 
the ,abbot1 prostrate before the altar1 
was chanting ,sancte  ,johannes1 ora pro
 noblis6 he heard a voice exclaim       
sufficiently  distinctly3 ,o coglione6  
,what can be going on up there8 cried   
the ,sub-prior1 as he saw the  reliquary
 move4    ,the saint is playing the     
devil1 replied the ,abbot4    ,even as  
he spoke the living head tore itself    
away from the lifeless  body1 and       
dropped upon the sallow cranium of the  
officiating priest4    ,remember ,dona  
,elvira6 cried the thing1 with its teeth
 set fast in the  ,abbot's head4    ,the
 ,abbot's horror-stricken shriek        
disturbed the ceremony2 all the         

ecclesiastics hurried up and crowded    
about their chief4    ,idiot1 tell us   
now if there is a ,god6 the voice cried1
 as the ,abbot1  bitten through the     
brain1 drew his last breath4            
,,paris1 ,october #ahcj4