,,the ,,epicurean1 ,a ,,tale4 ,,by ,,thomas ,,moore4 99,second ,edition499 ,,london3 ,,printed ,,for ,,longman1 ,,rees1 ,,orme1 ,,brown1 ,,and ,,green1 ,,paternoster,,row4 #ahbg4 ,the ,publishers beg to inform the ,composers of ,music1 and ,music ,sellers1 that ,,mr4 ,,james ,,power1 of the ,strand1 ,music ,seller1 is the only person authorized by them to publish the ,,songs or ,,verses in this ,work connected with ,music4 ,,to ,,lord ,,john ,,russell ,,this ,,volume ,,is ,,inscribed ,,by ,,one ,,who ,,admires ,,his ,,character ,,and ,,talents1 ,,and ,,is ,,proud ,,of ,,his ,,friendship4 ,a ,,letter ,,to ,,the ,,translator1 ,,from ----1 ,,esq4 ,cairo1 ,june #ai4 #ahjj4 ,my dear ,sir1 ,in a visit ,i lately paid to the monastery of ,st4 ,macarius1--which is situated1 as you know1 in the ,valley of the ,lakes of ,natron1--,i was lucky enough to obtain possession of a curious ,greek manuscript1 which1 in the hope that you may be induced to translate it1 ,i herewith send you4 ,observing one of the monks very busily occupied in tearing up1 into a variety of fantastic shapes1 some papers which had the appearance of being the leaves of old books1 ,i enquired of him the meaning of his task1 and received the following explanation3-- ,the ,arabs1 it seems1 who are as fond of pigeons as the ancient ,egyptians1 have a superstitious notion that1 if they place in their pigeonhouses small scraps of paper1 written over with learned characters1 the birds are always sure to thrive the better for the charm2 and the monks1 who are never slow in profiting by superstition1 have1 at all times1 a supply of such amulets for purchasers4 ,in general1 the holy fathers have been in the habit of scribbling these mystic fragments1 themselves2 but a discovery1 which they have lately made1 saves them this trouble4 ,having dug up 7as my informant stated7 a chest of old manuscripts1 which1 being chiefly on the subject of alchemy1 must have been buried in the time of ,dioclesian1 8we thought we could not10 added the monk1 8employ such rubbish more properly1 than in tearing it up1 as you see1 for the pigeonhouses of the ,arabs40 ,on my expressing a wish to rescue some part of these treasures from the fate to which his indolent fraternity had consigned them1 he produced the manuscript which ,i have now the pleasure of sending you1--the only one1 he said1 remaining entire1--and ,i very readily paid him the price he demanded for it4 ,you will find the story1 ,i think1 not altogether uninteresting2 and the coincidence1 in many respects1 of the curious details in ,chap4 ,,vi4 with the description of the same ceremonies in the ,romance of ,sethos7#a71 will1 ,i have no doubt1 strike you4 ,hoping that you may be tempted to give a translation of this ,tale to the world1 ,i am1 my dear ,sir1 ,very truly yours1 ---- ,,the ,,epicurean4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,it was in the fourth year of the reign of the late ,emperor ,valerian1 that the followers of ,epicurus1 who were at that time numerous in ,athens1 proceeded to the election of a person to fill the vacant chair of their sect2--and1 by the unanimous voice of the ,school1 ,i was the individual chosen for their ,chief4 ,i was just then entering on my twentyfourth year1 and no instance had ever before occurred1 of a person so young being selected for that office4 ,youth1 however1 and the personal advantages that adorn it1 were not1 it may be supposed1 among the least valid recommendations1 to a sect that included within its circle all the beauty as well as wit of ,athens1 and which1 though dignifying its pursuits with the name of philosophy1 was little else than a pretext for the more refined cultivation of pleasure4 ,the character of the sect had1 indeed1 much changed1 since the time of its wise and virtuous founder1 who1 while he asserted that ,pleasure is the only ,good1 inculcated also that ,good is the only source of ,pleasure4 ,the purer part of this doctrine had long evaporated1 and the temperate ,epicurus would have as little recognised his own sect in the assemblage of refined voluptuaries who now usurped its name1 as he would have known his own quiet ,garden in the luxurious groves and bowers among which the meetings of the ,school were now held4 ,many causes1 besides the attractiveness of its doctrines1 concurred1 at this period1 to render our school the most popular of any that still survived the glory of ,greece4 ,it may generally be observed1 that the prevalence1 in one half of a community1 of very rigid notions on the subject of religion1 produces the opposite extreme of laxity and infidelity in the other2 and this kind of reaction it was that now mainly contributed to render the doctrines of the ,garden the most fashionable philosophy of the day4 ,the rapid progress of the ,christian faith had alarmed all those1 who1 either from piety or worldliness1 were interested in the continuance of the old established creed--all who believed in the ,deities of ,olympus1 and all who lived by them4 ,the consequence was1 a considerable increase of zeal and activity1 throughout the constituted authorities and priesthood of the whole ,heathen world4 ,what was wanting in sincerity of belief was made up in rigour2--the weakest parts of the ,mythology were those1 of course1 most angrily defended1 and any reflections1 tending to bring ,saturn1 or his wife ,ops1 into contempt1 were punished with the utmost severity of the law4 ,in this state of affairs1 between the alarmed bigotry of the declining ,faith1 and the simple1 sublime austerity of her rival1 it was not wonderful that those lovers of ease and pleasure1 who had no interest1 reversionary or otherwise1 in the old religion1 and were too indolent to enquire into the sanctions of the new1 should take refuge from the severities of both under the shelter of a luxurious philosophy1 which1 leaving to others the task of disputing about the future1 centered all its wisdom in the full enjoyment of the present4 ,the sectaries of the ,garden had1 ever since the death of their founder1 been accustomed to dedicate to his memory the twentieth day of every month4 ,to these monthly rites had1 for some time1 been added a grand annual ,festival1 in commemoration of his birth4 ,the feasts1 given on this occasion by my predecessors in the ,chair1 had been invariably distinguished for their taste and splendour2 and it was my ambition1 not merely to imitate this example1 but even to render the anniversary1 now celebrated under my auspices1 so brilliant1 as to efface the recollection of all that went before it4 ,seldom1 indeed1 had ,athens witnessed such a scene4 ,the grounds that formed the original site of the ,garden had1 from time to time1 received considerable additions2 and the whole extent was laid out with that perfect taste1 which knows how to wed ,nature to ,art1 without sacrificing her simplicity to the alliance4 ,walks1 leading through wildernesses of shade and fragrance--glades1 opening1 as if to afford a playground for the sunshine--temples1 rising on the very spots where imagination herself would have called them up1 and fountains and lakes1 in alternate motion and repose1 either wantonly courting the verdure1 or calmly sleeping in its embrace1--such was the variety of feature that diversified these fair gardens2 and1 animated as they were on this occasion1 by all the living wit and loveliness of ,athens1 it afforded a scene such as my own youthful fancy1 rich as it was then in images of luxury and beauty1 could hardly have anticipated4 ,the ceremonies of the day began with the very dawn1 when1 according to the form of simpler and better times1 those among the disciples who had apartments within the ,garden1 bore the image of our ,founder in procession from chamber to chamber1 chanting verses in praise of--what had long ceased to be objects of our imitation--his frugality and temperance4 ,round a beautiful lake1 in the centre of the garden1 stood four white ,doric temples1 in one of which was collected a library containing all the flowers of ,grecian literature2 while1 in the remaining three1 ,conversation1 the ,song1 and the ,dance1 held1 uninterrupted by each other1 their respective rites4 ,in the ,library stood busts of all the most illustrious ,epicureans1 both of ,rome and ,greece--,horace1 ,atticus1 ,pliny the elder1 the poet ,lucretius1 ,lucian1 and the biographer of the ,philosophers1 lately lost to us1 ,diogenes ,laertius4 ,there were also the portraits1 in marble1 of all the eminent female votaries of the school--,leontium and her fair daughter ,danae1 ,themista1 ,philnis1 and others4 ,it was here that1 in my capacity of ,heresiarch1 on the morning of the ,festival1 ,i received the felicitations of the day from some of the fairest lips of ,athens2 and1 in pronouncing the customary oration to the memory of our ,master 7in which it was usual to dwell on the doctrines he inculcated7 endeavoured to attain that art1 so useful before such an audience1 of diffusing over the gravest subjects a charm1 which secures them listeners even among the simplest and most volatile4 ,though study1 as may easily be supposed1 engrossed but little of the mornings of the ,garden1 yet the lighter part of learning1--that portion of its attic honey1 for which the bee is not obliged to go very deep into the flower--was zealously cultivated4 ,even here1 however1 the student had to encounter distractions1 which are1 of all others1 least favourable to composure of thought2 and1 with more than one of my fair disciples1 there used to occur such scenes as the following1 which a poet of the ,garden1 taking his picture from the life1 described3-- 8,as o'er the lake1 in evening's glow1 ,that temple threw its lengthening shade1 ,upon the marble steps below1 ,there sate a fair ,corinthian maid1 ,gracefully o'er some volume bending2 ,while1 by her side1 the youthful ,sage ,held back her ringlets1 lest1 descending1 ,they should o'ershadow all the page40 ,but it was for the evening of that day1 that the richest of our luxuries were reserved4 ,every part of the ,garden was illuminated1 with the most skilful variety of lustre2 while over the ,lake of the ,temples were scattered wreaths of flowers1 through which boats1 filled with beautiful children1 floated1 as through a liquid parterre4 ,between two of these boats a perpetual combat was maintained2--their respective commanders1 two blooming youths1 being habited to represent ,eros and ,anteros2 the former1 the ,celestial ,love of the ,platonists1 and the latter1 that more earthly spirit1 which usurps the name of ,love among the ,epicureans4 ,throughout the evening their conflict was carried on with various success2 the timid distance at which ,eros kept from his more lively antagonist being his only safeguard against those darts of fire1 with showers of which the other continually assailed him1 but which1 luckily falling short of their mark upon the lake1 only scorched the flowers upon which they fell1 and were extinguished4 ,in another part of the gardens1 on a wide verdant glade1 lighted only by the moon1 an imitation of the torchrace of the ,panathena was performed1 by young boys chosen for their fleetness1 and arrayed with wings1 like ,cupids2 while1 not far off1 a group of seven nymphs1 with each a star on her forehead1 represented the movements of the planetary choir1 and embodied the dream of ,pythagoras into real motion and song4 ,at every turning some new enchantment broke upon the ear or eye4 ,sometimes1 from the depth of a grove1 from which a fountain at the same time issued1 there came a strain of music1 which1 mingling with the murmur of the water1 seemed like the voice of the spirit that presided over its flow2--while sometimes the strain rose breathing from among flowers2 and1 again1 would appear to come suddenly from under ground1 as if the foot had just touched some spring that set it in motion4 ,it seems strange that ,i should now dwell upon these minute descriptions2 but every thing connected with that memorable night--even its longrepented follies--must for ever live sacredly in my memory4 ,the festival concluded with a banquet1 at which ,i1 of course1 presided2 and1 feeling myself to be the ascendant spirit of the whole scene1 gave life to all around me1 and saw my own happiness reflected in that of others4 ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ,the festival was over2--the sounds of the song and dance had ceased1 and ,i was now left in those luxurious gardens1 alone4 ,though so ardent and active a votary of pleasure1 ,i had1 by nature1 a disposition full of melancholy2--an imagination that presented sad thoughts1 even in the midst of mirth and happiness1 and threw the shadow of the future over the gayest illusions of the present4 ,melancholy was1 indeed1 twinborn in my soul with ,passion2 and1 not even in the fullest fervour of the latter1 were they separated4 ,from the first moment that ,i was conscious of thought and feeling1 the same dark thread had run across the web2 and images of death and annihilation mingled themselves with the most smiling scenes through which my career of enjoyment led me4 ,my very passion for pleasure but deepened these gloomy fancies4 ,for1 shut out1 as ,i was by my creed1 from a future life1 and having no hope beyond the narrow horizon of this1 every minute of delight assumed a mournful preciousness in my eyes1 and pleasure1 like the flower of the cemetery1 grew but more luxuriant from the neighbourhood of death4 ,this very night my triumph1 my happiness had seemed complete4 ,i had been the presiding genius of that voluptuous scene4 ,both my ambition and my love of pleasure had drunk deep of the cup for which they thirsted4 ,looked up to by the learned1 and loved by the beautiful and the young1 ,i had seen1 in every eye that met mine1 either the acknowledgment of triumphs already won1 or the promise of others1 still brighter1 that awaited me4 ,yet1 even in the midst of all this1 the same dark thoughts had presented themselves2--the perishableness of myself and all around me every instant recurred to my mind4 ,those hands ,i had prest--those eyes1 in which ,i had seen sparkling1 a spirit of light and life that should never die--those voices1 that had talked of eternal love--all1 all1 ,i felt1 were but a mockery of the moment1 and would leave nothing eternal but the silence of their dust6 ,oh1 were it not for this sad voice1 ,stealing amid our mirth to say1 ,that all1 in which we most rejoice1 ,ere night may be the earthworm's prey2-- ,but for this bitter--only this-- ,full as the world is brimm'd with bliss1 ,and capable as feels my soul ,of draining to its depth the whole1 ,i should turn earth to heaven1 and be1 ,if bliss made gods1 a deity6 ,such was the description ,i gave of my own feelings1 in one of those wild1 passionate songs1 to which this ferment of my spirits1 between mirth and melancholy1 gave birth4 ,seldom had my heart more fully abandoned itself to such vague sadness than at the present moment1 when1 as ,i paced thoughtfully among the fading lights and flowers of the banquet1 the echo of my own step was all that sounded1 where so many gay forms had lately been revelling4 ,the moon was still up1 the morning had not yet glimmered1 and the calm glories of night still rested on all around4 ,unconscious whither my pathway led1 ,i wandered along1 till ,i1 at length1 found myself before that fair statue of ,venus1 with which the chisel of ,alcamenes had embellished our ,garden2--that image of deified woman1 the only idol to which ,i had ever bent the knee4 ,leaning against the pedestal1 ,i raised my eyes to heaven1 and fixing them sadly and intently on the everburning stars1 as if ,i sought to read the mournful secret in their light1 asked1 wherefore was it that ,man alone must perish1 while they1 less wonderful1 less glorious than he1 lived on in light unchangeable and for ever6--8,oh1 that there were some spell1 some talisman10 ,i exclaimed1 8to make the spirit within us deathless as those stars1 and open to its desires a career like theirs1 burning and boundless throughout all time60 ,while ,i gave myself up to this train of thought1 that lassitude which earthly pleasure1 however sweet1 leaves behind1--as if to show how earthly it is1--came drowsily over me1 and ,i sunk at the base of the statue to sleep4 ,even in sleep1 however1 my fancy was still busy2 and a dream1 so vivid as to leave behind it the impression of reality1 thus passed through my mind4 ,i thought myself transported to a wide desert plain1 where nothing seemed to breathe1 or move1 or live4 ,the very sky above it looked pale and extinct1 giving the idea1 not of darkness1 but of light that had died2 and1 had that region been the remains of some older world1 left broken up and sunless1 it could not have looked more dead and desolate4 ,the only thing that bespoke life1 in this melancholy waste1 was a small moving spark1 that at first glimmered in the distance1 but1 at length1 slowly approached the spot where ,i stood4 ,as it drew nearer1 ,i could perceive that its feeble gleam was from a taper in the hand of a pale venerable man1 who now stood1 like a messenger from the grave1 before me4 ,after a few moments of awful silence1 during which he looked at me with a sadness that thrilled my very soul1 he said1--8,thou1 who seekest eternal life1 go unto the shores of the dark ,nile--go unto the shores of the dark ,nile1 and thou wilt find the eternal life thou seekest60 ,no sooner had he said these words than the deathlike hue of his cheek brightened into a smile of more than human promise4 ,the small torch that he held sent forth a radiance1 by which suddenly the whole surface of the desert was illuminated1 even to the far horizon's edge1 along whose line were now seen gardens1 palaces1 and spires1 all bright and golden1 like the architecture of the clouds at sunset4 ,sweet music1 too1 was heard every where1 floating around1 and1 from all sides1 such varieties of splendour poured1 that1 with the excess both of harmony and of light1 ,i woke4 ,that infidels should be superstitious is an anomaly neither unusual nor strange4 ,a belief in superhuman agency seems natural and necessary to the mind2 and1 if not suffered to flow in the obvious channels1 it will find a vent in some other4 ,hence1 many who have doubted the existence of a ,god1 have yet implicitly placed themselves under the patronage of ,fate or the stars4 ,much the same inconsistency ,i was conscious of in my own feelings4 ,though rejecting all belief in a ,divine ,providence1 ,i had yet a faith in dreams1 that all my philosophy could not conquer4 ,nor was experience wanting to confirm me in my delusion2 for1 by some of those accidental coincidences1 which make the fortune of soothsayers and prophets1 dreams1 more than once1 had been to me ,oracles1 truer far than oak1 ,or dove1 or tripod1 ever spoke4 ,it was not wonderful1 therefore1 that the vision of that night1 touching1 as it did1 a chord so ready to vibrate1 should have affected me with more than ordinary power1 and sunk deeper into my memory with every effort ,i made to forget it4 ,in vain did ,i mock at my own weakness2--such self derision is seldom sincere4 ,in vain did ,i pursue my accustomed pleasures4 ,their zest was1 as usual1 for ever new2 but still came the saddening consciousness of mortality1 and1 with it1 the recollection of this visionary promise1 to which my fancy1 in defiance of my reason1 still clung4 ,sometimes indulging in reveries1 that were little else than a continuation of my dream1 ,i even contemplated the possible existence of some secret1 by which youth might be1 if not perpetuated1 at least prolonged1 and that dreadful vicinity of death1 within whose circle love pines and pleasure sickens1 might be for a while averted4 8,who knows10 ,i would ask1 8but that in ,egypt1 that land of wonders1 where ,mystery hath yet unfolded but half her treasures1--where so many dark secrets of the antediluvian world still remain1 undeciphered1 upon the pillars of ,seth--who knows but some charm1 some amulet1 may lie hid1 whose discovery1 as this phantom hath promised1 but waits my coming--some compound of the same pure atoms1 that scintillate in the eternal stars1 and whose infusion into the frame of man might make him1 too1 fadeless and immortal60 ,thus did ,i fondly speculate1 in those rambling moods1 when the life of excitement which ,i led1 acting upon a warm heart and vivid fancy1 produced an intoxication of spirit1 during which ,i was not wholly myself4 ,this bewilderment1 too1 was not a little increased by the constant struggle between my own natural feelings1 and the cold1 mortal creed of my sect1 in endeavouring to escape from whose deadening bondage ,i but broke loose into the realms of romance and fantasy4 ,even1 however1 in my calmest and soberest moments1 that strange vision perpetually haunted me4 ,in vain were all my efforts to chase it from my mind2 and the deliberate conclusion to which ,i came at last1 was1 that without1 at least1 a visit to ,egypt1 ,i could not rest1 nor1 till convinced of my folly by disappointment1 be reasonable4 ,i1 therefore1 announced without delay to my associates of the ,garden1 the intention which ,i had formed to pay a visit to the land of ,pyramids4 ,to none of them did ,i dare to confess the vague1 visionary impulse that actuated me4 ,knowledge was the object that ,i alleged1 while ,pleasure was that for which they gave me credit4 ,the interests of the ,school1 it was apprehended1 would suffer by my absence2 and there were some tenderer ties1 which had still more to fear from separation4 ,but for the former inconvenience a temporary remedy was provided2 while the latter a skilful distribution of vows and sighs alleviated4 ,being furnished with recommendatory letters to all parts of ,egypt1 in the summer of the year #beg1 ,a4,d4 ,i set sail for ,alexandria4 ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ,to one1 who extracted such sweets from every moment on land1 a seavoyage1 however smooth and favourable1 appeared the least agreeable mode of losing time that could be devised4 ,often did my imagination1 in passing some isle of those seas1 people it with fair forms and kind hearts1 to whom most willingly1 if ,i might1 would ,i have paused to pay homage4 ,but the wind blew direct towards the land of ,mystery2 and1 still more1 ,i heard a voice within me1 whispering for ever 8,on40 ,as we approached the coast of ,egypt1 our course became less prosperous2 and we had a specimen of the benevolence of the divinities of the ,nile1 in the shape of a storm1 or rather whirlwind1 which had nearly sunk our vessel1 and which1 the ,egyptians on board said1 was the work of their ,god1 ,typhon4 ,after a day and night of danger1 during which we were driven out of our course to the eastward1 some benigner influence prevailed above2 and1 at length1 as the morning freshly broke1 we saw the beautiful city of ,alexandria rising from the sea1 with its ,palace of ,kings1 its portico of four hundred columns1 and the fair ,pillar of ,pillars1 towering up to heaven in the midst4 ,after passing in review this splendid vision1 we shot rapidly round the ,rock of ,pharos1 and1 in a few minutes1 found ourselves in the harbour of ,eunostus4 ,the sun had risen1 but the light on the ,great ,tower of the ,rock was still burning2 and there was a languor in the first waking movements of that voluptuous city--whose houses and temples lay shining in silence round the harbour--that sufficiently attested the festivities of the preceding night4 ,we were soon landed on the quay2 and1 as ,i walked1 through a line of palaces and shrines1 up the street which leads from the sea to the ,gate of ,canopus1 fresh as ,i was from the contemplation of my own lovely ,athens1 ,i felt a glow of admiration at the scene around me1 which its novelty1 even more than its magnificence1 inspired4 ,nor were the luxuries and delights1 which such a city promised1 among the least of the considerations on which my fancy1 at that moment1 dwelt4 ,on the contrary1 every thing around seemed prophetic of future pleasure4 ,the very forms of the architecture1 to my ,epicurean imagination1 appeared to call up images of living grace2 and even the dim seclusion of the temples and groves spoke only of tender mysteries to my mind4 ,as the whole bright scene grew animated around me1 ,i felt that though ,egypt might not enable me to lengthen life1 she could teach the next best art1--that of multiplying its enjoyments4 ,the population of ,alexandria1 at this period1 consisted of the most motley miscellany of nations1 religions1 and sects1 that had ever been brought together in one city4 ,beside the school of the ,grecian ,platonist was seen the oratory of the cabalistic ,jew2 while the church of the ,christian stood1 undisturbed1 over the crypts of the ,egyptian ,hierophant4 ,here1 the adorer of ,fire1 from the east1 laughed at the superstition of the worshipper of cats1 from the west4 ,here ,christianity1 too1 unluckily1 had learned to emulate the vagaries of ,paganism2 and while1 on one side1 her ,ophite professor was seen kneeling down gravely before his serpent1 on the other1 a ,nicosian was1 as gravely1 contending that there was no chance of salvation out of the pale of the ,greek alphabet4 ,still worse1 the uncharitableness of ,christian schism was already distinguishing itself with equal vigour2 and ,i heard of nothing1 on my arrival1 but the rancour and hate1 with which the ,greek and ,latin churchmen persecuted each other1 because1 forsooth1 the one fasted on the seventh day of the week1 and the others fasted upon the fourth and sixth6 ,to none of those religions or sects1 however1 except for purposes of ridicule1 did ,i pay much attention4 ,i was now in the most luxurious city of the universe1 and gave way1 without reserve1 to the seductions that surrounded me4 ,my reputation1 as a philosopher and a man of pleasure1 had preceded me2 and ,alexandria1 the second ,athens of the world1 welcomed me as her own4 ,my celebrity1 indeed1 was as a talisman1 that opened hearts and doors at my approach4 ,the usual noviciate of acquaintance was dispensed with in my favour1 and not only intimacies1 but loves and friendships1 ripened in my path1 as rapidly as vegetation springs up where the ,nile has flowed4 ,the dark beauty of the ,egyptian women had a novelty in my eyes that enhanced its other charms2 and that hue of the sun on their rounded cheeks was but an earnest of the ardour he had kindled in their hearts-- ,th' imbrowning of the fruit1 that tells ,how rich within the soul of sweetness dwells4 ,some weeks rolled on in such perpetual and everchanging pleasures1 that even the melancholy voice in my heart1 though it still spoke1 was but seldom listened to1 and soon died away in the sound of the siren songs that surrounded me4 ,at length1 however1 as the novelty of these scenes wore off1 the same gloomy bodings began to mingle with all my joys2 and an incident that occurred1 during one of my gayest revels1 conduced still more to deepen their gloom4 ,the celebration of the annual festival of ,serapis took place during my stay1 and ,i was1 more than once1 induced to mingle with the gay multitudes1 that crowded to his shrine at ,canopus on the occasion4 ,day and night1 while this festival lasted1 the canal1 which led from ,alexandria to ,canopus1 was covered with boats full of pilgrims of both sexes1 all hastening to avail themselves of this pious licence1 which lent the zest of a religious sanction to pleasure1 and gave a holiday to the passions of earth1 in honour of heaven4 ,i was returning1 one lovely night1 to ,alexandria4 ,the north wind1 that welcome visitor1 freshened the air1 while the banks1 on either side1 sent forth1 from groves of orange and henna1 the most delicious odours4 ,as ,i had left all the crowd behind me at ,canopus1 there was not a boat to be seen on the canal but my own2 and ,i was just yielding to the thoughts which solitude at such an hour inspires1 when my reveries were broken by the sound of some female voices1 coming1 mingled with laughter and screams1 from the garden of a pavilion1 that stood1 brilliantly illuminated1 upon the bank of the canal4 ,on rowing nearer1 ,i perceived that both the mirth and the alarm had been caused by the efforts of some playful girls to reach a hedge of jasmin which grew near the water1 and in bending towards which they had nearly fallen into the stream4 ,hastening to proffer my assistance1 ,i soon recognised the voice of one of my fair ,alexandrian friends1 and1 springing on the bank1 was surrounded by the whole group1 who insisted on my joining their party in the pavilion1 and flinging the tendrils of jasmin1 which they had just plucked1 around me1 led me1 no unwilling captive1 to the banquetroom4 ,i found here an assemblage of the very flower of ,alexandrian society4 ,the unexpectedness of the meeting gave it an additional zest on both sides2 and seldom had ,i felt more enlivened myself1 or contributed more successfully to circulate life among others4 ,among the company were some ,greek women1 who1 according to the fashion of their country1 wore veils2 but1 as usual1 rather to set off than conceal their beauty1 some gleams of which were continually escaping from under the cloud4 ,there was1 however1 one female1 who particularly attracted my attention1 on whose head was a chaplet of darkcoloured flowers1 and who sat veiled and silent during the whole of the banquet4 ,she took no share1 ,i observed1 in what was passing around3 the viands and the wine went by her untouched1 nor did a word that was spoken seem addressed to her ear4 ,this abstraction from a scene so sparkling with gaiety1 though apparently unnoticed by any one but myself1 struck me as mysterious and strange4 ,i inquired of my fair neighbour the cause of it1 but she looked grave and was silent4 ,in the mean time1 the lyre and the cup went round2 and a young maid from ,athens1 as if inspired by the presence of her countryman1 took her lute1 and sung to it some of the songs of ,greece1 with a feeling that bore me back to the banks of the ,ilissus1 and1 even in the bosom of present pleasure1 drew a sigh from my heart for that which had passed away4 ,it was daybreak ere our delighted party rose1 and unwillingly reembarked to return to the city4 ,scarcely were we afloat1 when it was discovered that the lute of the young ,athenian had been left behind2 and1 with my heart still full of its sweet sounds1 ,i most readily sprung on shore to seek it4 ,i hastened to the banquetroom1 which was now dim and solitary1 except that--there1 to my astonishment1 still sat that silent figure1 which had awakened my curiosity so strongly during the night4 ,a vague feeling of awe came over me1 as ,i now slowly approached it4 ,there was no motion1 no sound of breathing in that form2--not a leaf of the dark chaplet on its brow stirred4 ,by the light of a dying lamp which stood before the figure1 ,i raised1 with a hesitating hand1 the veil1 and saw--what my fancy had already anticipated--that the shape underneath was lifeless1 was a skeleton6 ,startled and shocked1 ,i hurried back with the lute to the boat1 and was almost as silent as that shape for the remainder of the voyage4 ,this custom among the ,egyptians of placing a mummy1 or skeleton1 at the banquettable1 had been for some time disused1 except at particular ceremonies2 and1 even on such occasions1 it had been the practice of the luxurious ,alexandrians to disguise this memorial of mortality in the manner just described4 ,but to me1 who was wholly unprepared for such a spectacle1 it gave a shock from which my imagination did not speedily recover4 ,this silent and ghastly witness of mirth seemed to embody1 as it were1 the shadow in my own heart4 ,the features of the grave were now stamped on the idea that haunted me1 and this picture of what ,i was to be mingled itself with the sunniest aspect of what ,i was4 ,the memory of the dream now recurred to me more livelily than ever4 ,the bright assuring smile of that venerable ,spirit1 and his words1 8,go to the shores of the dark ,nile1 and thou wilt find the eternal life thou seekest10 were for ever before my mind4 ,but as yet1 alas1 ,i had done nothing towards realising this splendid promise4 ,alexandria was not ,egypt2--the very soil on which it stood was not in existence1 when ,thebes and ,memphis already counted ages of glory4 8,it is beneath the ,pyramids of ,memphis10 ,i exclaimed1 8or in the mystic ,halls of the ,labyrinth1 that ,i must seek those holy arcana of science1 of which the antediluvian world has made ,egypt its heir1 and among which--blest thought6--the key to eternal life may lie40 ,having formed my determination1 ,i took leave of my many ,alexandrian friends1 and departed for ,memphis4 ,,chap4 ,,iv4 ,egypt was the country1 of all others1 from that mixture of the melancholy and the voluptuous1 which marked the character of her people1 her religion1 and her scenery1 to affect deeply a temperament and fancy like mine1 and keep tremblingly alive the sensibilities of both4 ,wherever ,i turned1 ,i saw the desert and the garden1 mingling their bloom and desolation together4 ,i saw the lovebower and the tomb standing side by side1 and pleasure and death keeping hourly watch upon each other4 ,in the very luxury of the climate there was the same saddening influence4 ,the monotonous splendour of the days1 the solemn radiance of the nights--all tended to cherish that ardent melancholy1 the offspring of passion and of thought1 which had so long been the inmate of my soul4 ,when ,i sailed from ,alexandria1 the inundation of the ,nile was at its full4 ,the whole valley of ,egypt lay covered by its flood2 and1 as ,i saw around me1 in the light of the setting sun1 shrines1 palaces1 and monuments1 encircled by the waters1 ,i could almost fancy that ,i beheld the sinking island of ,atalantis1 on the last evening its temples were visible above the wave4 ,such varieties1 too1 of animation as presented themselves on every side6-- ,while1 far as sight can reach1 beneath as clear ,and blue a heaven as ever bless'd this sphere1 ,gardens1 and pillar'd streets1 and porphyry domes1 ,and highbuilt temples1 fit to be the homes ,of mighty gods1 and pyramids1 whose hour ,outlasts all time1 above the waters tower6 ,then1 too1 the scenes of pomp and joy1 that make ,one theatre of this vast1 peopled lake1 ,where all that ,love1 ,religion1 ,commerce gives ,of life and motion1 ever moves and lives4 ,here1 up the steps of temples1 from the wave ,ascending1 in procession slow and grave1 ,priests1 in white garments1 go1 with sacred wands ,and silver cymbals gleaming in their hands3 ,while1 there1 rich barks--fresh from those sunny tracts ,far off1 beyond the sounding cataracts-- ,glide with their precious lading to the sea1 ,plumes of bright birds1 rhinoceros' ivory1 ,gems from the isle of ,mere1 and those grains ,of gold1 wash'd down by ,abyssinian rains4 ,here1 where the waters wind into a bay ,shadowy and cool1 some pilgrims1 on their way ,to ,sas or ,bubastus1 among beds ,of lotusflowers1 that close above their heads1 ,push their light barks1 and hid1 as in a bower1 ,sing1 talk1 or sleep away the sultry hour2 ,while haply1 not far off1 beneath a bank ,of blossoming acacias1 many a prank ,is play'd in the cool current by a train ,of laughing nymphs1 lovely as she1 whose chain ,around two conquerors of the world was cast1 ,but1 for a third too feeble1 broke at last6 ,enchanted with the whole scene1 ,i lingered on my voyage1 visiting all those luxurious and venerable places1 whose names have been consecrated by the wonder of ages4 ,at ,sas ,i was present during her ,festival of ,lamps1 and read1 by the blaze of innumerable lights1 those sublime words on the temple of ,neitha3 8,i am all that has been1 that is1 and that will be1 and no man hath ever lifted my veil40 ,i wandered among the prostrate obelisks of ,heliopolis1 and saw1 not without a sigh1 the sun smiling over her ruins1 as if in mockery of the mass of perishable grandeur1 that had once called itself1 in its pride1 8,the ,city of the ,sun40 ,but to the ,isle of the ,golden ,venus was my fondest pilgrimage2--and as ,i explored its shades1 where bowers are the only temples1 ,i felt how far more fit to form the shrine of a ,deity are the everliving stems of the garden and the grove1 than the most precious columns that the inanimate quarry can supply4 ,every where new pleasures1 new interests awaited me2 and though ,melancholy1 as usual1 stood always near1 her shadow fell but halfway over my vagrant path1 and left the rest more welcomely brilliant from the contrast4 ,to relate my various adventures1 during this short voyage1 would only detain me from events1 far1 far more worthy of record4 ,amidst such endless variety of attractions1 the great object of my journey was forgotten2--the mysteries of this land of the sun were1 to me1 as much mysteries as ever1 and ,i had as yet been initiated in nothing but its pleasures4 ,it was not till that evening1 when ,i first stood before the ,pyramids of ,memphis1 and saw them towering aloft1 like the watchtowers of ,time1 from whose summit1 when he expires1 he will look his last1--it was not till this moment that the great secret1 of which ,i had dreamed1 again rose1 in all its inscrutable darkness1 upon my thoughts4 ,there was a solemnity in the sunshine that rested upon those monuments--a stillness1 as of reverence1 in the air around them1 that stole1 like the music of past times1 into my heart4 ,i thought what myriads of the wise1 the beautiful1 and the brave1 had sunk into dust since earth first beheld those wonders2 and1 in the sadness of my soul1 ,i exclaimed1--8,must man alone1 then1 perish8 must minds and hearts be annihilated1 while pyramids endure8 ,death1 ,death1 even on these everlasting tablets1--the only approach to immortality that kings themselves could purchase1--thou hast written our doom1 saying1 awfully and intelligibly1 #8,there is1 for man1 no eternal mansion1 but the tomb6'0 ,my heart sunk at the thought2 and1 for the moment1 ,i yielded to that desolate feeling1 which overspreads the soul that hath no light from the future4 ,but again the buoyancy of my nature prevailed1 and again1 the willing dupe of vain dreams1 ,i deluded myself into the belief of all that ,i most wished1 with that happy facility which makes imagination stand in place of happiness4 8,yes10 ,i cried1 8immortality must be within man's reach2 and1 as wisdom alone is worthy of such a blessing1 to the wise alone must the secret have been revealed4 ,deep1 it is said1 under yonder pyramid1 has for ages lain concealed the ,table of ,emerald1 on which the ,thrice,great ,hermes engraved1 before the flood1 the secret of ,alchemy1 that gives gold at will4 ,why may not the mightier1 the more godlike secret1 that gives life at will1 be recorded there also8 ,it was by the power of gold1 of endless gold1 that the kings1 who repose in those massy structures1 scooped earth to the centre1 and raised quarries into the air1 to provide themselves with tombs that might outstand the world4 ,who can tell but that the gift of immortality was also theirs8 who knows but that they themselves1 triumphant over decay1 still live--those mansions1 which we call tombs1 being rich and everlasting palaces1 within whose depths1 concealed from this withering world1 they still wander1 with the few who are sharers of their gift1 through a sunless1 but illuminated1 elysium of their own8 ,else1 wherefore those structures8 wherefore that subterraneous realm1 by which the whole valley of ,egypt is undermined8 ,why1 else1 those labyrinths1 which none of earth hath ever beheld--which none of heaven1 except that ,god1 with the finger on his hushed lip1 hath trodden60 ,while ,i indulged in these dreams1 the sun1 half sunk beneath the horizon1 was taking1 calmly and gloriously1 his leave of the ,pyramids1--as he had done1 evening after evening1 for ages1 till they had become familiar to him as the earth itself4 ,on the side turned to his ray they now presented a front of dazzling whiteness1 while1 on the other1 their great shadows1 lengthening to the eastward1 looked like the first steps of ,night1 hastening to envelope the hills of ,araby in her shade4 ,no sooner had the last gleam of the sun disappeared1 than1 on every house top in ,memphis1 gay1 gilded banners were seen waving aloft1 to proclaim his setting1--while a full burst of harmony pealed from all the temples along the shores4 ,startled from my musing by these sounds1 ,i at once recollected1 that1 on that very evening1 the great festival of the ,moon was to be celebrated4 ,on a little island1 halfway over between the gardens of ,memphis and the eastern shore1 stood the temple of that goddess1 ,whose beams ,bring the sweet time of nightflowers and dreams4 ,not the cold ,dian of the ,north1 who chains ,in vestal ice the current of young veins2 ,but she1 who haunts the gay1 ,bubastian grove1 ,and owns she sees1 from her bright heav'n above1 ,nothing on earth1 to match that heav'n1 but love6 ,thus did ,i exclaim1 in the words of one of their own ,egyptian poets1 as1 anticipating the various delights of the festival1 ,i cast away from my mind all gloomy thoughts1 and1 hastening to my little bark1 in which ,i now lived1 like a ,nilebird1 on the waters1 steered my course to the island temple of the ,moon4 ,,chap4 ,v4 ,the rising of the ,moon1 slow and majestic1 as if conscious of the honours that awaited her upon earth1 was welcomed with a loud acclaim from every eminence1 where multitudes stood watching for her first light4 ,and seldom had she risen upon a scene more beautiful4 ,memphis1--still grand1 though no longer the unrivalled ,memphis1 that had borne away from ,thebes the crown of supremacy1 and worn it undisputed through so many centuries1--now1 softened by the moonlight that harmonised with her decline1 shone forth among her lakes1 her pyramids1 and her shrines1 like a dream of glory that was soon to pass away4 ,ruin1 even now1 was but too visible around her4 ,the sands of the ,libyan desert gained upon her like a sea2 and1 among solitary columns and sphinxes1 already half sunk from sight1 ,time seemed to stand waiting1 till all1 that now flourished around1 should fall beneath his desolating hand1 like the rest4 ,on the waters all was life and gaiety4 ,as far as eye could reach1 the lights of innumerable boats were seen1 studding1 like rubies1 the surface of the stream4 ,vessels of all kinds1--from the light coracle1 built for shooting down the cataracts1 to the large yacht that glides to the sound of flutes1--all were afloat for this sacred festival1 filled with crowds of the young and the gay1 not only from ,memphis and ,babylon1 but from cities still farther removed from the scene4 ,as ,i approached the island1 ,i could see1 glittering through the trees on the bank1 the lamps of the pilgrims hastening to the ceremony4 ,landing in the direction which those lights pointed out1 ,i soon joined the crowd2 and1 passing through a long alley of sphinxes1 whose spangling marble shone out from the dark sycamores around them1 in a short time reached the grand vestibule of the temple1 where ,i found the ceremonies of the evening already commenced4 ,in this vast hall1 which was surrounded by a double range of columns1 and lay open overhead to the stars of heaven1 ,i saw a group of young maidens1 moving in a sort of measured step1 between walk and dance1 round a small shrine1 upon which stood one of those sacred birds1 that1 on account of the variegated colour of their wings1 are dedicated to the moon4 ,the vestibule was dimly lighted1--there being but one lamp of naptha on each of the great pillars that encircled it4 ,but1 having taken my station beside one of those pillars1 ,i had a distinct view of the young dancers1 as in succession they passed me4 ,their long1 graceful drapery was as white as snow2 and each wore loosely1 beneath the rounded bosom1 a darkblue zone1 or bandelet1 studded1 like the skies at midnight1 with little silver stars4 ,through their dark locks was wreathed the white lily of the ,nile1--that flower being accounted as welcome to the moon1 as the golden blossoms of the beanflower are to the sun4 ,as they passed under the lamp1 a gleam of light flashed from their bosoms1 which1 ,i could perceive1 was the reflection of a small mirror1 that1 in the manner of the women of the ,east1 each wore beneath her left shoulder4 ,there was no music to regulate their steps2 but1 as they gracefully went round the bird on the shrine1 some1 by the beat of the castanet1 some1 by the shrill ring of the sistrum1--which they held uplifted in the attitude of their own divine ,isis1--harmoniously timed the cadence of their feet2 while others1 at every step1 shook a small chain of silver1 whose sound1 mingling with those of the castanets and sistrums1 produced a wild1 but not an unpleasing harmony4 ,they seemed all lovely2 but there was one--whose face the light had not yet reached1 so downcast she held it1--who attracted1 and1 at length1 riveted all my attention4 ,i knew not why1 but there was a something in those half seen features1--a charm in the very shadow1 that hung over their imagined beauty1--which took me more than all the outshining loveliness of her companions4 ,so enchained was my fancy by this coy mystery1 that her alone1 of all the group1 could ,i either see or think of--her alone ,i watched1 as1 with the same downcast brow1 she glided round the altar1 gently and arially1 as if her presence1 like that of a spirit1 was something to be felt1 not seen4 ,suddenly1 while ,i gazed1 the loud crash of a thousand cymbals was heard2--the massy gates of the ,temple flew open1 as if by magic1 and a flood of radiance from the illuminated aisle filled the whole vestibule2 while1 at the same instant1 as if the light and the sounds were born together1 a peal of rich harmony came mingling with the radiance4 ,it was then1--by that light1 which shone full upon the young maiden's features1 as1 starting at the blaze1 she raised her eyes to the portal1 and1 as suddenly1 let fall their lids again1--it was then ,i beheld1 what even my own ardent imagination1 in its most vivid dreams of beauty1 had never pictured4 ,not ,psyche herself1 when pausing on the threshold of heaven1 while its first glories fell on her dazzled lids1 could have looked more beautiful1 or blushed with a more innocent shame4 ,often as ,i had felt the power of looks1 none had ever entered into my soul so far4 ,it was a new feeling--a new sense--coming as suddenly as that radiance into the vestibule1 and1 at once1 filling my whole being2--and had that vision but lingered another moment before my eyes1 ,i should have wholly forgotten who ,i was and where1 and thrown myself1 in prostrate adoration1 at her feet4 ,but scarcely had that gush of harmony been heard1 when the sacred bird1 which had1 till now1 stood motionless as an image1 expanded his wings1 and flew into the ,temple2 while his graceful young worshippers1 with a fleetness like his own1 followed1--and she1 who had left a dream in my heart never to be forgotten1 vanished with the rest4 ,as she went rapidly past the pillar against which ,i leaned1 the ivy that encircled it caught in her drapery1 and disengaged some ornament which fell to the ground4 ,it was the small mirror which ,i had seen shining on her bosom4 ,hastily and tremulously ,i picked it up1 and hurried to restore it2--but she was already lost to my eyes in the crowd4 ,in vain ,i tried to follow2--the aisles were already filled1 and numbers of eager pilgrims pressed towards the portal4 ,but the servants of the ,temple prevented all further entrance1 and still1 as ,i presented myself1 their white wands barred the way4 ,perplexed and irritated amid that crowd of faces1 regarding all as enemies that impeded my progress1 ,i stood on tiptoe1 gazing into the busy aisles1 and with a heart beating as ,i caught1 from time to time1 a glimpse of some spangled zone1 or lotus wreath1 which led me to fancy that ,i had discovered the object of my search4 ,but it was all in vain2--in every direction1 files of sacred nymphs were moving1 but nowhere could ,i see her1 whom alone ,i sought4 ,in this state of breathless agitation did ,i stand for some time1--bewildered with the confusion of faces and lights1 as well as with the clouds of incense that rolled around me1--till1 fevered and impatient1 ,i could endure it no longer4 ,forcing my way out of the vestibule into the cool air1 ,i hurried back through the alley of sphinxes to the shore1 and flung myself into my boat4 ,there is1 to the north of ,memphis1 a solitary lake 7which1 at this season of the year1 mingles with the rest of the waters17 upon whose shores stands the ,necropolis1 or ,city of the ,dead--a place of melancholy grandeur1 covered over with shrines and pyramids1 where many a kingly head1 proud even in death1 has for ages awaited the resurrection of its glories4 ,through a range of sepulchral grots underneath1 the humbler denizens of the tomb are deposited1--looking out on each successive generation that visits them1 with the same face and features they wore centuries ago4 ,every plant and tree1 that is consecrated to death1 from the asphodel flower to the mystic plantain1 lends its sweetness or shadow to this place of tombs2 and the only noise that disturbs its eternal calm1 is the low humming sound of the priests at prayer1 when a new inhabitant is added to the silent city4 ,it was towards this place of death that1 in a mood of mind1 as usual1 half bright1 half gloomy1 ,i now1 almost unconsciously1 directed my bark4 ,the form of the young ,priestess was continually before me4 ,that one bright look of hers1 the very memory of which was worth all the actual smiles of others1 never left my mind4 ,absorbed in such thoughts1 ,i rowed on1 scarce knowing whither ,i went1 till1 startled by finding myself within the shadow of the ,city of the ,dead1 ,i looked up1 and saw1 rising in succession before me1 pyramid beyond pyramid1 each towering more loftily than the other1--while all were outtopped in grandeur by one1 upon whose summit the moon seemed to rest1 as on a pedestal4 ,drawing near to the shore1 which was sufficiently elevated to raise this city of monuments above the level of the inundation1 ,i lifted my oar1 and let the boat rock idly on the water1 while my thoughts1 left equally without direction1 fluctuated as idly4 ,how various and vague were the dreams that then passed through my mind--that bright vision of the temple mingling itself with all6 ,sometimes she stood before me1 like an arial spirit1 as pure as if that element of music and light1 into which ,i had seen her vanish1 was her only dwelling4 ,sometimes1 animated with passion1 and kindling into a creature of earth1 she seemed to lean towards me with looks of tenderness1 which it were worth worlds1 but for one instant1 to inspire2 and again--as the dark fancies1 that ever haunted me1 recurred--,i saw her cold1 parched1 and blackening1 amid the gloom of those eternal sepulchres before me6 ,turning away1 with a shudder1 from the cemetery at this thought1 ,i heard the sound of an oar plying swiftly through the water1 and1 in a few moments1 saw1 shooting past me towards the shore1 a small boat in which sat two female figures1 muffled up and veiled4 ,having landed them not far from the spot where ,i lay1--concealed by the shadow of a monument on the bank1--the boat again departed1 with the same fleetness1 over the flood4 ,never had the prospect of an adventure come more welcome than at this moment1 when my fancy was weaving such chains for my heart1 as threatened a bondage1 of all others1 the most difficult to break4 ,to become enamoured thus of a creature of my own imagination1 was the worst1 because the most lasting1 of follies4 ,reality alone gives a chance of dissolving such spells1 and the idol ,i was now creating to myself must for ever remain ideal4 ,any pursuit1 therefore1 that seemed likely to divert me from such thoughts--to bring back my imagination to earth and reality1 from the vague region in which it was wandering1 was a relief too seasonable not to be welcomed with eagerness4 ,i had watched the course which the two figures took1 and1 having hastily fastened my boat to the bank1 stepped gently on shore1 and1 at a little distance1 followed them4 ,the windings through which they led were intricate2 but1 by the bright light of the moon1 ,i was enabled to keep their forms in view1 as1 with rapid step1 they glided among the monuments4 ,at length1 in the shade of a small pyramid1 whose peak barely surmounted the planetrees that grew nigh1 they vanished from my sight4 ,i hastened to the spot1 but there was not a sign of life around2 and had my creed extended to another world1 ,i might have fancied that these forms were spirits1 sent from thence to mock me1--so instantaneously they disappeared4 ,i searched through the neighbouring grove1 but all there was still as death4 ,at length1 in examining one of the sides of the pyramid1 which1 for a few feet from the ground1 was furnished with steps1 ,i found1 midway between peak and base1 a part of the surface1 which1 though presenting an appearance of smoothness to the eye1 gave to the touch1 ,i thought1 indications of a concealed opening4 ,after a variety of efforts and experiments1 ,i1 at last1 more by accident than skill1 pressed the spring that commanded this mysterious aperture4 ,in an instant the portal slid aside1 and disclosed a narrow stairway within1 the two or three first steps of which were discernible by the moonlight1 while the rest were lost in utter darkness4 ,though it was difficult to conceive that the persons whom ,i had followed would have ventured to pass through this gloomy opening1 yet to account for their disappearance otherwise was still more difficult4 ,at all events1 my curiosity was now too eager in the chase to relinquish it2--the spirit of adventure1 once raised1 could not be so easily laid4 ,accordingly1 having sent up a gay prayer to that blissloving ,queen whose eye alone was upon me1 ,i passed through the portal and descended into the pyramid4 ,,chap4 ,,vi4 ,at the bottom of the stairway ,i found myself in a low1 narrow passage1 through which1 without stooping almost to earth1 it was impossible to proceed4 ,though leading through a multiplicity of dark windings1 this way seemed but little to advance my progress1--its course1 ,i perceived1 being chiefly circular1 and gathering1 at every turn1 but a deeper intensity of darkness4 8,can this10 ,i thought1 8be the sojourn of any thing human80--and had scarcely asked myself the question1 when the path opened into a long gallery1 at the farthest end of which a gleam of light was visible4 ,this welcome glimmer appeared to come from some cell or alcove1 in which the righthand wall of the gallery terminated1 and1 breathless with expectation1 ,i stole gently towards it4 ,arrived at the end of the gallery1 a scene presented itself to my eyes1 for which my fondest expectations of adventure could not have prepared me4 ,the place from which the light proceeded was a small chapel1 of whose interior1 from the dark recess in which ,i stood1 ,i had1 unseen myself1 a full and distinct view4 ,over the walls of this oratory were painted some of those various symbols1 by which the mystic wisdom of the ,egyptians loves to shadow out the ,history of the ,soul--the winged globe with a serpent1--the rays descending from above1 like a glory1 and the ,theban beetle1 as he comes forth1 after the waters have passed away1 and the first sunbeam falls on his regenerated wings4 ,in the middle of the chapel stood a low altar of granite1 on which lay a lifeless female form1 enshrined within a case of crystal1--as they preserve their dead in ,ethiopia1--and looking as freshly beautiful as if the soul had but a few hours departed4 ,among the emblems of death1 on the front of the altar1 were a slender lotusbranch1 broken in two1 and a bird1 just winging its flight from the spray4 ,to these memorials of the dead1 however1 ,i but little attended2 for there was a living object there upon which my eyes were most intently fixed4 ,the lamp1 by which the whole of the chapel was illuminated1 was placed at the head of the pale image in the shrine2 and1 between its light and me1 stood a female form1 bending over the monument1 as if to gaze upon the silent features within4 ,the position in which this figure was placed1 intercepting a strong light1 afforded me1 at first1 but an imperfect and shadowy view of it4 ,yet even at this mere outline my heart beat high1--and memory1 as it proved1 had as much share in this feeling as imagination4 ,for1 on the head changing its position1 so as to let a gleam fall on the features1 ,i saw with a transport1 which had almost led me to betray my lurkingplace1 that it was she--the young worshipper of ,isis--the same1 the very same1 whom ,i had seen1 brightening the holy place where she stood1 and looking like an inhabitant of some purer world4 ,the movement1 by which she had now given me an opportunity of recognising her1 was made in raising from the shrine a small cross7#b7 of silver1 which lay directly over the bosom of the lifeless figure4 ,bringing it close to her lips1 she kissed it with a religious fervour2 then1 turning her eyes mournfully upwards1 held them fixed with an inspired earnestness1 as if1 at that moment1 in direct communion with heaven1 they saw neither roof1 nor any other earthly barrier between them and the skies4 ,what a power hath innocence1 whose very helplessness is its safeguard--in whose presence even ,passion himself stands abashed1 and turns worshipper at the altar which he came to despoil4 ,she1 who1 but a short hour before1 had presented herself to my imagination1 as something ,i could have risked immortality to win--she1 whom gladly1 from the floor of her own lighted temple1 in the very face of its proud ministers1 ,i would have borne away in triumph1 and defied all punishments1 both human and sacred1 to make her mine1--she was now before me1 thrown1 as if by fate itself1 into my power--standing there1 beautiful and alone1 with nothing but her innocence for her guard6 ,yet1 no--so touching was the purity of the whole scene1 so calm and august that protection which the dead seemed to extend over the living1 that every earthlier feeling was forgotten as ,i gazed1 and love itself became exalted into reverence4 ,entranced1 indeed1 as ,i felt in witnessing such a scene1 thus to enjoy it by stealth1 seemed a wrong1 a sacrilege--and1 rather than let her eyes meet the flash of mine1 or disturb1 by a whisper1 that sacred silence1 in which ,youth and ,death held communion through ,love1 ,i would have let my heart break1 without a murmur1 where ,i stood4 ,gently1 as if life depended upon every movement1 ,i stole away from that tranquil and holy scene--leaving it still tranquil and holy as ,i found it--and1 gliding back through the same passages and windings by which ,i had entered1 regained the narrow stair way1 and again ascended into light4 ,the sun had just risen1 and1 from the summit of the ,arabian hills1 was pouring down his beams into that vast valley of waters1--as if proud of the homage that had been paid to his own ,isis1 now fading away in the superior light of her ,lord4 ,my first impulse was to fly from this dangerous spot1 and in new loves and pleasures seek forgetfulness of the scene which ,i had witnessed4 8,once out of the circle of this enchantment10 ,i exclaimed1 8,i know my own susceptibility to new impressions too well1 to doubt that ,i shall soon break the spell that is around me40 ,but vain were my efforts and resolves4 ,even while ,i swore to fly1 my steps were still lingering round the pyramid--my eyes still turned towards the secret portal1 which severed this enchantress from the world of the living4 ,hour after hour did ,i wander through that ,city of ,silence1--till1 already1 it was noon1 and1 under the sun's meridian eye1 the mighty pyramid of pyramids stood1 like a great spirit1 shadowless4 ,again did those wild and passionate feelings1 which had1 for a moment1 been subdued into reverence by her presence1 return to kindle up my imagination and senses4 ,i even reproached myself for the awe1 that had held me spellbound before her4 8,what would my companions of the ,garden say1 did they know that their chief1--he1 whose path ,love had strewed with trophies--was now pining for a simple ,egyptian girl1 in whose presence he had not dared to give utterance to a sigh1 and who had vanquished the victor1 without even knowing her triumph60 ,a blush came over my cheek at the humiliating thought1 and my determination was fixed to await her coming4 ,that she should be an inmate of those gloomy caverns seemed inconceivable2 nor did there appear to be any issue from their depths but by the pyramid4 ,again1 therefore1 like a sentinel of the dead1 did ,i pace up and down among these tombs1 contrasting1 in many a mournful reflection1 the burning fever within my own veins with the cold quiet of those who slept around4 ,at length the fierce glow of the sun over my head1 and1 still more1 that ever restless agitation in my heart1 were too much for even strength like mine to bear4 ,exhausted1 ,i lay down at the base of the pyramid--placing myself directly under the portal1 where1 even should slumber surprise me1 my heart1 if not my ear1 might still be on the watch1 and her footstep1 light as it was1 could not fail to awake me4 ,after many an ineffectual struggle against drowsiness1 ,i at length sunk into sleep--but not into forgetfulness4 ,the same image still haunted me1 in every variety of shape1 with which imagination1 assisted by memory1 could invest it4 ,now1 like ,netha1 upon her throne at ,sas1 she seemed to sit1 with the veil just raised from that brow1 which mortal had never1 till then1 beheld1--and now1 like the beautiful enchantress ,rhodope1 ,i saw her rise out of the pyramid in which she had dwelt for ages1-- 8,fair ,rhodope1 as story tells1 ,the bright1 unearthly nymph1 who dwells ,mid sunless gold and jewels hid1 ,the ,lady of the ,pyramid60 ,so long1 amid that unbroken silence1 did my sleep continue1 that ,i found the moon again shining above the horizon1 when ,i awoke4 ,all around was silent and lifeless as before1 nor did a print upon the herbage betray that any foot had passed it since my own4 ,refreshed by rest1 and with a fancy still more excited by the mystic wonders of which ,i had been dreaming1 ,i now resolved to revisit the chapel in the pyramid1 and put an end1 if possible1 to this illusion that haunted me4 ,having learned from the experience of the preceding night1 the inconvenience of encountering those labyrinths without a light1 ,i now hastened to provide myself with a lamp from my boat4 ,tracking my way back with some difficulty to the shore1 ,i there found1 not only my lamp1 but some dates and dried fruits1 with a store of which1 for my roving life upon the waters1 ,i was always supplied1--and which now1 after so many hours of abstinence1 were a welcome and necessary relief4 ,thus prepared1 ,i again ascended the pyramid1 and was proceeding to search out the secret spring1 when a loud1 dismal noise was heard at a distance1 to which all the echoes of the cemetery answered4 ,it came1 ,i knew1 from the ,great ,temple on the shore of the ,lake1 and was the shriek which its gates--the ,gates of ,oblivion1 as they were called--sent forth from their hinges1 in opening at night1 to receive within their precincts the newly landed dead4 ,i had heard that sound before1 and always with sadness2 but1 at this moment1 it thrilled through me1 like a voice of ill omen1 and ,i almost doubted whether ,i should not abandon my enterprise4 ,the hesitation1 however1 was but momentary2--even while it passed through my mind1 ,i had touched the spring of the portal4 ,in a few seconds more1 ,i was again in the passage beneath the pyramid1 and being enabled by my lamp to follow the windings of the way more rapidly1 soon found myself at the door of the small chapel in the gallery4 ,i entered1 still awed1 though there was now nothing living within4 ,the young ,priestess had fled--had vanished1 like a spirit1 into the darkness4 ,all the rest was as ,i had left it on the preceding night4 ,the lamp still stood burning upon the crystal shrine--the cross lay where the hands of the young mourner had placed it1 and the cold image beneath wore the same tranquil look1 as if resigned to the solitude of death--of all lone things the loneliest4 ,remembering the lips that ,i had seen kiss that cross1 and kindling with the recollection1 ,i raised it passionately to my own2--but1 at the same moment1 ,i fancied the dead eyes met mine1 and1 saddened in the midst of my ardour1 ,i replaced the cross upon the shrine4 ,i had now lost all clue to the object of my pursuit1 and was preparing slowly to retrace my steps to earth1 with that gloomy satisfaction which certainty1 even when unwelcome1 brings1--when1 as ,i held forth my lamp1 on leaving the chapel1 ,i could perceive that the gallery1 instead of terminating here1 took a sudden bend to the left1 which had before eluded my eye1 and which gave a promise of leading still further into those recesses4 ,reanimated by this discovery1 which opened a new source of hope to my heart1 ,i cast but one hesitating look at my lamp1 as if to ask whether it would be faithful through the gloom ,i was about to encounter1 and1 without further thought1 rushed eagerly forward4 ,,chap4 ,,vii4 ,the path led1 for some time1 through the same sort of narrow windings as those which ,i had encountered in descending the stairway2 and at length opened1 in a similar manner1 into a straight and steep gallery1 along each side of which stood1 closely ranged and upright1 a file of lifeless bodies1 whose glassy eyes threw a preternatural glare upon me as ,i passed4 ,arrived at the end of this gallery1 ,i found my hopes a second time vanish4 ,the path1 ,i perceived1 extended no further4 ,the only object that ,i could discern1 by the glimmering of my lamp1 which now1 every minute1 burned fainter and fainter1 was the mouth of a huge well1 that lay gaping before me--a reservoir of darkness1 black and unfathomable4 ,it now crossed my memory that ,i had heard of such wells1 as being used occasionally for passages by the ,priests4 ,leaning down1 therefore1 over the edge1 ,i looked anxiously within1 to discover whether it was possible to descend into the chasm2 but the sides were hard and smooth as glass1 being varnished all over with that dark pitch1 which the ,dead ,sea throws out on its slimy shore4 ,after a more attentive scrutiny1 however1 ,i observed1 at the depth of a few feet1 a sort of iron step1 projecting dimly from the side1 and1 below it1 another1 which1 though hardly perceptible1 was just sufficient to encourage an adventurous foot to the trial4 ,though all hope of tracing the young ,priestess was at an end1--it being impossible that female foot should have dared this descent1--yet1 as ,i had so far engaged in the adventure1 and there was1 at least1 a mystery to be unravelled1 ,i determined1 at all hazards1 to explore the chasm4 ,placing my lamp 7which was hollowed at the bottom1 so as to fit like a helmet7 firmly on my head1 and having thus both hands at liberty for exertion1 ,i set my foot cautiously on the iron step1 and descended into the well4 ,i found the same footing1 at regular intervals1 to a considerable depth2 and had already counted near a hundred of these steps1 when the ladder altogether ceased1 and ,i could descend no farther4 ,in vain did ,i stretch down my foot in search of support--the hard1 slippery sides were all that it encountered4 ,at length1 stooping my head1 so as to let the light fall below1 ,i observed an opening or window directly above the step on which ,i stood1 and1 taking for granted that the way must lie in that direction1 with some little difficulty clambered through the aperture4 ,i now found myself on a rude and narrow stairway1 the steps of which were cut out of the living rock1 and wound spirally downward in the same direction as the well4 ,almost dizzy with the descent1 which seemed as if it would never end1 ,i1 at last1 reached the bottom1 where a pair of massy iron gates closed directly across my path1 as if to forbid any further progress4 ,massy1 however1 and gigantic as they were1 ,i found1 to my surprise1 that the hand of an infant might have opened them with ease--so readily did their great folds give way to my touch1 8,light as a limebush1 that receives ,some wandering bird among its leaves40 ,no sooner1 however1 had ,i passed through1 than the din1 with which the gates clashed together again1 was such as might have awakened death itself4 ,it seemed as if every echo1 throughout that vast1 subterranean world1 from the ,catacombs of ,alexandria to ,thebes's ,valley of ,kings1 had caught up and repeated the thundering sound4 ,startled1 however1 as ,i was1 not even this supernatural clangour could divert my attention from the light that now broke upon me--soft1 warm1 and welcome as are the stars of his own ,south to the mariner who has been wandering through the seas of the north4 ,looking for the source of this splendour1 ,i saw1 through an archway opposite1 a long illuminated alley1 stretching away as far as the eye could reach1 and fenced1 on one side1 with thickets of odoriferous shrubs1 while1 along the other1 extended a line of lofty arcades1 from which the light1 that filled the whole area1 issued4 ,as soon1 too1 as the din of the deep echoes had subsided1 there stole gradually on my ear a strain of choral music1 which appeared to come1 mellowed and sweetened in its passage1 through many a spacious hall within those shining arcades4 ,among the voices ,i could distinguish some female tones1 towering high and clear over all the rest1 and forming the spire1 as it were1 into which the harmony tapered1 as it rose4 ,so excited was my fancy by this sudden enchantment1 that--though never had ,i caught a sound from the young ,egyptian's lips1--,i yet persuaded myself that the voice ,i now heard was hers1 sounding highest and most heavenly of all that choir1 and calling to me1 like a distant spirit out of its sphere4 ,animated by this thought1 ,i flew forward to the archway1 but found1 to my mortification1 that it was guarded by a trelliswork1 whose bars1 though invisible at a distance1 resisted all my efforts to force them4 ,while occupied in these ineffectual struggles1 ,i perceived1 to the left of the archway1 a dark1 cavernous opening1 which seemed to lead in a direction parallel to the lighted arcades4 ,notwithstanding my impatience1 however1 the aspect of this passage1 as ,i looked shudderingly into it1 chilled my very blood4 ,it was not so much darkness1 as a sort of livid and ghastly twilight1 from which a damp1 like that of deathvaults1 exhaled1 and through which1 if my eyes did not deceive me1 pale1 phantomlike shapes were1 at that very moment1 hovering4 ,looking anxiously round1 to discover some less formidable outlet1 ,i saw1 over the vast foldinggates through which ,i had just passed1 a blue1 tremulous flame1 which1 after playing for a few seconds over the dark ground of the pediment1 settled gradually into characters of light1 and formed the following words3-- ,you1 who would try ,yon terrible track1 ,to live1 or to die1 ,but ne'er to look back-- ,you1 who aspire ,to be purified there1 ,by the terrors of ,fire1 ,of ,water1 and ,air1-- ,if danger1 and pain1 ,and death you despise1 ,on--for again ,into light you shall rise2 ,rise into light ,with that ,secret ,divine1 ,now shrouded from sight ,by the ,veils of the ,shrine6 ,but if---- ,here the letters faded away into a dead blank1 more awfully intelligible than the most eloquent words4 ,a new hope now flashed across me4 ,the dream of the ,garden1 which had been for some time almost forgotten1 returned to my mind4 8,am ,i then10 ,i exclaimed1 8in the path to the promised mystery8 and shall the great secret of ,eternal ,life indeed be mine80 8,yes60 seemed to answer1 out of the air1 that spiritvoice1 which still was heard crowning the choir with its single sweetness4 ,i hailed the omen with transport4 ,love and ,immortality1 both beckoning me onward--who could give a thought to fear1 with two such bright hopes in view8 ,having invoked and blessed that unknown enchantress1 whose steps had led me to this abode of mystery and knowledge1 ,i plunged into the chasm4 ,instead of that vague1 spectral twilight which had at first met my eye1 ,i now found1 as ,i entered1 a thick darkness1 which1 though far less horrible1 was1 at this moment1 still more disconcerting1 as my lamp1 which had been1 for some time1 almost useless1 was fast expiring4 ,resolved1 however1 to make the most of its last gleam1 ,i hastened1 with rapid step1 through this gloomy region1 which seemed wider and more open to the air than any that ,i had yet passed4 ,nor was it long before the appearance of a bright blaze in the distance announced to me that my first great ,trial was at hand4 ,as ,i drew nearer1 the flames burst high and wide on all sides2--and the spectacle that now presented itself was such as might have appalled even hearts more habituated to dangers than mine4 ,there lay before me1 extending completely across my path1 a thicket1 or grove of the most combustible trees of ,egypt--tamarind1 pine1 and ,arabian balm4 ,around their stems and branches were coiled serpents of fire1 which1 twisting themselves rapidly from bough to bough1 spread their own wild fire as they went1 and involved tree after tree in one general blaze4 ,it was1 indeed1 rapid as the burning of those reedbeds of ,ethiopia1 whose light brightens1 at night1 the distant cataracts of the ,nile4 ,through the middle of this blazing grove1 ,i perceived1 my only pathway lay4 ,there was not a moment to be lost--the conflagration gained rapidly on either side1 and already the narrowing path between was strewed with fire4 ,casting away my now useless lamp1 and holding my robe as some protection over my head1 with a tremor1 ,i own1 in every limb1 ,i ventured through the blaze4 ,instantly1 as if my presence had given new life to the flames1 a fresh outbreak of combustion arose on all sides4 ,the trees clustered into a bower of fire above my head1 while the serpents1 that hung hissing from the red branches1 shot showers of sparkles down upon me1 as ,i passed4 ,never were decision and activity more serviceable2--one minute later1 and ,i must have perished4 ,the narrow opening1 of which ,i had so promptly availed myself1 closed instantly behind me2 and1 as ,i looked back1 to contemplate the ordeal which ,i had passed1 ,i saw that the whole grove was already one mass of fire4 ,happy at having escaped this first trial1 ,i plucked from one of the pine trees a bough that was but just kindled1 and1 with this for my only guide1 hastened breathlessly forward4 ,i had gone but a few paces1 when the path turned suddenly off1--leading downwards1 as ,i could see by the glimmer of my brand1 into a more confined space1 through which a chilling air1 as if from some neighbouring waters1 blew over my brow4 ,nor had ,i proceeded very far1 when the sound of torrents fell on my ear1--mingled1 as ,i thought1 from time to time1 with shrill wailings1 like the cries of persons in danger or distress4 ,at every step the noise of the dashing waters increased1 and ,i now perceived that ,i had entered an immense rocky cavern1 through the middle of which1 headlong as a wintertorrent1 the flood1 to whose roar ,i had been listening1 rushed4 ,upon its surface1 too1 there floated strange1 spectrelike shapes1 which1 as they went by1 sent forth those dismal shrieks1 as if in fear of some precipice to whose brink they were hurrying4 ,i saw too plainly that my course must be across that torrent4 ,it was fearful2 but in courage lay my only hope4 ,what awaited me on the opposite shore1 ,i knew not2 for all there was wrapped in impenetrable gloom1 nor could the weak light ,i held reach half so far4 ,dismissing1 however1 all thoughts but that of pressing onward1 ,i sprung from the rock on which ,i stood into the flood1--trusting that1 with my right hand1 ,i should be able to buffet the current1 while1 with the other1 ,i might contrive to hold my brand aloft1 as long as a glimmer of it remained1 to guide me to the shore4 ,long and formidable was the struggle ,i had to maintain4 ,more than once1 overpowered by the rush of the waters1 ,i had almost given myself up1 as destined to follow those apparitions1 that still passed me1 hurrying1 with mournful cries1 to their doom in some invisible gulf before them4 ,at length1 just as my strength was nearly exhausted1 and the last remains of the pinebranch were falling from my hand1 ,i saw1 outstretching towards me into the water1 a light double balustrade1 with a flight of steps between1 ascending1 almost perpendicularly1 from the wave1 till they seemed lost in a dense mass of clouds above4 ,this glimpse--for it was no more1 as my light expired in giving it--lent new spring to my courage4 ,having now both hands at liberty1 so desperate were my efforts1 that after a few minutes' struggle1 ,i felt my brow strike against the stairway1 and1 in an instant more1 my feet were on the steps4 ,rejoiced at my rescue from that perilous flood1 though ,i knew not whither the stairway led1 ,i promptly ascended it4 ,but this feeling of confidence was of short duration4 ,i had not mounted far1 when1 to my horror1 ,i perceived1 that each successive step1 as my foot left it1 broke away from beneath me1--leaving me in midair1 with no other alternative than that of mounting still by the same momentary footing1 and with the dreadful doubt whether it would even endure my tread4 ,and thus did ,i1 for a few seconds1 continue to ascend1 with nothing beneath me but that awful river1 in which--so tranquil it had become--,i could hear the plash of the falling fragments1 as every step in succession gave way under my feet4 ,it was a trying moment1 but still worse remained4 ,i now found the balustrade1 by which ,i had held during my ascent1 and which had hitherto seemed firm1 grow tremulous in my hand1--while the step to which ,i was about to trust myself1 tottered under my foot4 ,just then1 a momentary flash1 as if of lightning1 broke around1 and ,i saw1 hanging out of the clouds1 within my reach1 a huge brazen ring4 ,instinctively ,i stretched forth my arm to seize it1 and1 at the same instant1 both balustrade and steps gave way beneath me1 and ,i was left swinging by my hands in the dark void4 ,as if1 too1 this massy ring1 which ,i grasped1 was by some magic power linked with all the winds in heaven1 no sooner had ,i seized it than1 like the touching of a spring1 it seemed to give loose to every variety of gusts and tempests1 that ever strewed the seashore with wrecks or dead2 and1 as ,i swung about1 the sport of this elemental strife1 each new burst of its fury threatened to shiver me1 like a stormsail1 to atoms6 ,nor was even this the worst2--still holding1 ,i know not how1 by the ring1 ,i felt myself caught up1 as if by a thousand whirlwinds1 and round and round1 like a stoneshot in a sling1 whirled in the midst of all this deafening chaos1 till my brain grew dizzy1 and my recollection confused1 and ,i almost fancied myself on that wheel of the infernal world1 whose rotations1 it is said1 ,eternity alone can number6 ,human strength could no longer sustain such a trial4 ,i was on the point1 at last1 of loosing my hold1 when suddenly the violence of the storm moderated2--my whirl through the air gradually ceased1 and ,i felt the ring slowly descend with me1 till--happy as a shipwrecked mariner at the first touch of land--,i found my feet once more upon firm ground4 ,at the same moment1 a light of the most delicious softness filled the whole air4 ,music1 such as is heard in dreams1 came floating at a distance2 and1 as my eyes gradually recovered their powers of vision1 a scene of glory was revealed to them1 almost too bright for imagination1 and yet living and real4 ,as far as the sight could reach1 enchanting gardens were seen1 opening away through long tracts of light and verdure1 and sparkling every where with fountains1 that circulated1 like streams of life1 among the flowers4 ,not a charm was here wanting1 that the imagination of poet or prophet1 in their pictures of ,elysium1 ever yet dreamed or promised4 ,vistas1 opening into scenes of indistinct grandeur1--streams1 shining out at intervals1 in their shadowy course1--and labyrinths of flowers1 leading1 by mysterious windings1 to green1 spacious glades1 full of splendour and repose4 ,over all this1 too1 there fell a light1 from some unseen source1 resembling nothing that illumines our upper world--a sort of golden moonlight1 mingling the warm radiance of day with the calm and melancholy lustre of night4 ,nor were there wanting inhabitants for this sunless ,paradise4 ,through all the bright gardens were wandering1 with the serene air and step of happy spirits1 groups both of young and old1 of venerable and of lovely forms1 bearing1 most of them1 the ,nile's white flowers on their heads1 and branches of the eternal palm in their hands2 while1 over the verdant turf1 fair children and maidens went dancing to arial music1 whose source was1 like that of the light1 invisible1 but which filled the whole air with its mystic sweetness4 ,exhausted as ,i was by the trials ,i had undergone1 no sooner did ,i perceive those fair groups in the distance1 than my weariness1 both of frame and spirit1 was forgotten4 ,a thought crossed me that she1 whom ,i sought1 might be among them2 and1 notwithstanding the awe1 with which that unearthly scene inspired me1 ,i was about to fly1 on the instant1 to ascertain my hope4 ,but in the act of making the effort1 ,i felt my robe gently pulled1 and turning1 beheld an aged man before me1 whom1 by the sacred hue of his garb1 ,i knew to be a ,hierophant4 ,placing a branch of the consecrated palm in my hand1 he said1 in a solemn voice1 8,aspirant of the ,mysteries1 welcome60--then1 regarding me for a few seconds with grave attention1 added1 in a tone of courteousness and interest1 8,the victory over the body hath been gained6--,follow me1 young ,greek1 to thy resting place40 ,i obeyed in silence1--and the ,priest1 turning away from this scene of splendour1 into a secluded path1 where the light faded away1 as we advanced1 conducted me to a small pavilion1 by the side of a whispering stream1 where the very spirit of slumber seemed to preside1 and1 pointing to a bed of dried poppyleaves within it1 left me to repose4 ,,chap4 ,,viii4 ,though the sight of that splendid scene which opened upon me1 like a momentary glimpse into another world1 had1 for an instant1 reanimated my strength and spirit1 so completely had fatigue overmastered my whole frame1 that1 even had the form of the young ,priestess stood before me1 my limbs would have sunk in the effort to reach her4 ,no sooner had ,i fallen on my leafy couch1 than sleep1 like a sudden death1 came over me2 and ,i lay1 for hours1 in the deep1 and motionless rest1 which not even a shadow of life disturbs4 ,on awaking ,i saw1 beside me1 the same venerable personage1 who had welcomed me to this subterranean world on the preceding night4 ,at the foot of my couch stood a statue1 of ,grecian workmanship1 representing a boy1 with wings1 seated gracefully on a lotusflower1 and having the forefinger of his right hand pressed to his lips4 ,this action1 together with the glory round his brows1 denoted1 as ,i already knew1 the ,god of ,silence and ,light4 ,impatient to know what further trials awaited me1 ,i was about to speak1 when the ,priest exclaimed1 anxiously1 8,hush60--and pointing to this statue at the foot of the couch1 said--8,let the spell of that ,spirit be on thy lips1 young stranger1 till the wisdom of thy instructors shall think fit to remove it4 ,not unaptly doth the same god preside over ,silence and ,light2 since it is only out of the depth of contemplative silence1 that the great light of the soul1 ,truth1 arises60 ,little used to the language of dictation or instruction1 ,i was now preparing to rise1 when the priest again restrained me2 and1 at the same moment1 two boys1 beautiful as the young ,genii of the stars1 entered the pavilion4 ,they were habited in long garments of the purest white1 and bore each a small golden chalice in his hand4 ,advancing towards me1 they stopped on opposite sides of the couch1 and one of them1 presenting to me his chalice of gold1 said1 in a tone between singing and speaking1-- 8,drink of this cup--,osiris sips ,the same in his halls below2 ,and the same he gives1 to cool the lips ,of the ,dead1 who downward go4 8,drink of this cup--the water within ,is fresh from ,lethe's stream2 ',twill make the past with all its sin1 ,and all its pain and sorrows1 seem ,like a longforgotten dream6 8,the pleasure1 whose charms ,are steep'd in woe2 ,the knowledge1 that harms ,the soul to know2 8,the hope1 that1 bright ,as the lake of the waste1 ,allures the sight1 ,but mocks the taste2 8,the love1 that binds ,its innocent wreath1 ,where the serpent winds1 ,in venom1 beneath2-- 8,all that1 of evil or false1 by thee ,hath ever been known or seen1 ,shall melt away in this cup1 and be ,forgot1 as it never had been60 ,unwilling to throw a slight on this strange ceremony1 ,i leaned forward1 with all due gravity1 and tasted the cup2 which ,i had no sooner done than the young cupbearer1 on the other side1 invited my attention1 and1 in his turn1 presenting the chalice which he held1 sung1 with a voice still sweeter than that of his companion1 the following strain3-- 8,drink of this cup--when ,isis led ,her boy1 of old1 to the beaming sky1 ,she mingled a draught divine1 and said-- #8,drink of this cup1 thou'lt never die6' 8,thus do ,i say and sing to thee1 ,heir of that boundless heav'n on high1 ,though frail1 and fall'n1 and lost thou be1 ,drink of this cup1 thou'lt never die60 ,much as ,i had endeavoured to keep my philosophy on its guard1 against the illusions with which1 ,i knew1 this region abounded1 the young cupbearer had here touched a spring of imagination1 over which1 as has been seen1 my philosophy had but little controul4 ,no sooner had the words1 8thou shalt never die10 struck on my ear1 than the dream of the ,garden came fully to my mind1 and1 starting halfway from the couch1 ,i stretched forth my hands to the cup4 ,recollecting myself1 however1 and fearful of having betrayed to others a weakness only fit for my own secret indulgence1 with an affected smile of indifference ,i sunk back again on my couch1--while the young minstrel1 but little interrupted by my movement1 still continued his strain1 of which ,i heard but the concluding words3-- 8,and ,memory1 too1 with her dreams shall come1 ,dreams of a former1 happier day1 ,when ,heaven was still the ,spirit's home1 ,and her wings had not yet fallen away2 8,glimpses of glory1 ne'er forgot1 ,that tell1 like gleams on a sunset sea1 ,what once hath been1 what now is not1 ,but1 oh1 what again shall brightly be60 ,though the assurances of immortality1 contained in these verses1 would1 at any other moment1--vain and visionary as ,i thought them1--have sent my fancy wandering into reveries of the future1 the effort of selfcontrol ,i had just made enabled me to hear them with indifference4 ,having gone through the form of tasting this second cup1 ,i again looked anxiously to the ,hierophant1 to ascertain whether ,i might be permitted to rise4 ,his assent having been given1 the young pages brought to my couch a robe and tunic1 which1 like their own1 were of linen of the purest white2 and having assisted to clothe me in this sacred garb1 they then placed upon my head a chaplet of myrtle1 in which the symbol of ,initiation1 a golden grasshopper1 was seen shining out from among the dark leaves4 ,though sleep had done much to refresh my frame1 something more was still wanting to restore its strength2 and it was not without a smile at my own reveries ,i reflected1 how much more welcome than the young page's cup of immortality was the unpretending1 but real1 repast now set before me1--fresh fruits from the ,isle of ,gardens in the ,nile1 the delicate flesh of the desert antelope1 and wine from the ,vineyard of the ,queens at ,anthylla1 fanned by one of the pages with a palmleaf1 to keep it cool4 ,having done justice to these dainties1 it was with pleasure ,i heard the proposal of the ,priest1 that we should now walk forth together1 and meditate among the scenes without4 ,i had not forgotten the elysium that welcomed me last night1--those enchanted gardens1 that mysterious music1 and light1 and the fair forms ,i saw wandering about1--as if1 in the very midst of happiness1 still seeking it4 ,the hope1 which had then occurred to me1 that1 perhaps1 among those sparkling groups1 might be the maiden ,i sought1 now returned with increased strength4 ,i had little doubt that my guide was about to lead to the same ,elysian scene1 and that the form1 so fit to inhabit it1 would again appear before my eyes4 ,but far different was the region to which he conducted me2 nor could the whole world produce a scene more gloomy1 or more strange4 ,it had the appearance of a small1 solitary valley1 inclosed1 on every side1 by rocks1 which seemed to rise1 almost perpendicularly1 to the very sky2--for it was1 indeed1 the blue sky that ,i saw shining between their summits1 and whose light1 dimmed and half lost1 in its descent thus far1 formed the melancholy daylight of this nether world47#c7 ,down the side of these rocky walls fell a cataract1 whose source was upon earth1 and on whose waters1 as they rolled glassily over the edge above1 a gleam of radiance rested1 that showed how brilliant was the sunshine they left4 ,from thence1 gradually darkening1 and broken1 in its long descent1 by alternate chasms and projections1 the stream fell1 at last1 in a pale and thin mist--the phantom of what it had been on earth--into a small lake that lay at the base of the rock to receive it4 ,nothing could be more bleak and saddening than the appearance of this lake4 ,the usual ornaments of the waters of ,egypt were not wanting3 the lotus here uplifted her silvery flowers1 and the crimson flamingo floated over the tide4 ,but they were1 neither of them1 the same as in the upper world2--the flower had exchanged its whiteness for a livid hue1 and the wings of the bird hung heavy and colourless4 ,every thing wore the same halfliving aspect2 and the only sounds that disturbed the mournful stillness were the wailing cry of a heron among the sedges1 and that din of the waters1 in their midway struggle1 above4 ,there was an unearthly sadness in the whole scene1 of which no heart1 however light1 could resist the influence4 ,perceiving how ,i was affected by it1 8,such scenes10 said the ,priest1 8are best suited to that solemn complexion of mind1 which becomes him who approaches the ,great ,secret of futurity4 ,behold10--and1 in saying thus1 he pointed to the opening over our heads1 through which ,i could perceive a star or two twinkling in the heavens1 though the sun had but a short time passed his meridian1--8as from this gloomy depth we can see those stars1 which are now invisible to the dwellers upon the bright earth1 even so1 to the sad and selfhumbled spirit1 doth many a mystery of heaven reveal itself1 of which they1 who walk in the light of the proud world1 know not60 ,he now led me towards a rustic seat or alcove1 beside which stood an image of that dark ,deity1 that ,god without a smile1 who presides over the kingdom of the ,dead47#d7 ,the same livid and lifeless hue was upon his features1 that hung over every thing in this dim valley2 and1 with his right hand1 he pointed directly downwards1 to denote that his melancholy kingdom lay there4 ,a plantain--that favourite tree of the genii of ,death--stood behind the statue1 and spread its branches over the alcove1 in which the ,priest now1 seating himself1 signified that ,i should take my place by his side4 ,after a long pause1 as if of thought and preparation1--8,nobly10 said he1 8young ,greek1 hast thou sustained the first trials of ,initiation4 ,what remains1 though of vital import to the soul1 brings with it neither pain nor peril to the body4 ,having now proved and chastened thy mortal frame1 by the three ordeals of ,fire1 of ,water1 and of ,air1 the next task to which we are called is the purification of thy spirit1--the cleansing of that inward and immortal part1 so as to render it fit for the reception of the last luminous revealment1 when the ,veils of the ,sanctuary shall be thrown aside1 and the ,great ,secret of ,secrets unfolded to thee6--,towards this object1 the primary and most essential step is1 instruction4 ,what the three purifying elements1 through which thou hast passed1 have done for thy body1 instruction will effect for----0 8,but that lovely maiden60 ,i exclaimed1 bursting from my silence1 having fallen1 during his speech1 into a deep revery1 in which ,i had forgotten him1 myself1 the ,great ,secret1 every thing--but her4 ,startled by this profane interruption1 he cast a look of alarm towards the statue1 as if fearful lest the ,god should have heard my words4 ,then1 turning to me1 in a tone of mild solemnity1 8,it is but too plain10 said he1 8that thoughts of the upper world1 and of its vain delights1 still engross thee too much1 to let the lessons of ,truth sink profitably into thy heart4 ,a few hours of meditation amid this solemn scenery--of that wholesome meditation1 which purifies1 by saddening--may haply dispose thee to receive1 with reverence1 the holy and immortal knowledge that is in store for thee4 ,with this hope1 ,i now leave thee to thy own thoughts1 and to that ,god1 before whose calm and mournful eye the vanities of the world1 from which thou comest1 wither60 ,thus saying1 he turned slowly away1 and passing behind the statue1 towards which he had pointed during the last sentence1 suddenly1 and as if by enchantment1 disappeared from my sight4 ,,chap4 ,,ix4 ,being left to my own solitary thoughts1 ,i had now leisure to reflect1 with coolness1 on the inconveniences1 if not dangers1 of the situation into which my love of adventure had hurried me4 ,however ready my imagination was to kindle1 in its own ideal sphere1 ,i have ever found that1 when brought into contact with reality1 it as suddenly cooled2--like those meteors1 that seem stars in the air1 but1 the moment they touch earth1 are extinguished4 ,such was the disenchantment that now succeeded to the dreams in which ,i had been indulging4 ,as long as ,fancy had the field of the future to herself1 even immortality did not seem too distant a race for her4 ,but when human instruments interposed1 the illusion vanished4 ,from mortal lips the promise of immortality seemed a mockery1 and imagination herself had no wings that could carry beyond the grave4 ,nor was this disappointment the only feeling that occupied me2--the imprudence of the step1 which ,i had taken1 now appeared in its full extent before my eyes4 ,i had thrown myself into the power of the most artful priesthood in the world1 without a chance of being able to escape from their toils1 or to resist any machinations with which they might beset me4 ,it seemed evident1 from the state of preparation in which ,i had found all that wonderful apparatus1 by which the terrors and splendours of ,initiation are produced1 that my descent into the pyramid was not unexpected4 ,numerous1 indeed1 and active as were the spies of the ,sacred ,college of ,memphis1 there could be but little doubt that all my movements1 since my arrival1 had been tracked2 and the many hours ,i had passed in watching and wandering round the pyramid1 betrayed a curiosity which might well inspire these wily priests with the hope of drawing an ,epicurean into their superstitious toils4 ,i well knew their hatred to the sect of which ,i was ,chief2--that they considered the ,epicureans as1 next to the ,christians1 the most formidable enemies of their craft and power4 8,how thoughtless1 then10 ,i exclaimed1 8to have placed myself in a situation1 where ,i am equally helpless against their fraud and violence1 and must either seem to be the dupe of their impostures1 or submit to become the victim of their vengeance40 ,of these alternatives1 bitter as they were1 the latter appeared by far the more welcome4 ,i blushed even to think of the mockeries to which ,i already had yielded2 and the prospect of being put through still further ceremonials1 and of being tutored and preached to by hypocrites ,i despised1 appeared to me1 in my present temper1 a trial of patience1 to which the flames and the whirlwinds ,i had already encountered were pastime4 ,often and impatiently did ,i look up1 between those rocky walls1 to the bright sky that appeared to rest upon their summits1 as1 round and round1 through every part of the valley1 ,i endeavoured to find an outlet from its gloomy precincts4 ,but in vain ,i endeavoured2--that rocky barrier1 which seemed to end but in heaven1 interposed itself every where4 ,neither did the image of the young maiden1 though constantly in my mind1 now bring with it the least consolation or hope4 ,of what avail was it that she1 perhaps1 was an inhabitant of this region1 if ,i could neither see her smile1 nor catch the sound of her voice1--if1 while among preaching priests ,i wasted away my hours1 her presence diffused its enchantment elsewhere4 ,at length exhausted1 ,i lay down by the brink of the lake1 and gave myself up to all the melancholy of my fancy4 ,the pale semblance of daylight1 which had hitherto shone around1 grew1 every moment1 more dim and dismal4 ,even the rich gleam1 at the summit of the cascade1 had faded2 and the sunshine1 like the water1 exhausted in its descent1 had now dwindled into a ghostly glimmer1 far worse than darkness4 ,the birds upon the lake1 as if about to die with the dying light1 sunk down their heads2 and1 as ,i looked to the statue1 the deepening shadows gave an expression to its mournful features that chilled my very soul4 ,the thought of death1 ever ready to present itself to my imagination1 now came1 with a disheartening weight1 such as ,i had never before felt4 ,i almost fancied myself already in the dark vestibule of the grave1--separated1 for ever1 from the world above1 and with nothing but the blank of an eternal sleep before me4 ,it had often1 ,i knew1 happened that the visitants of this mysterious realm were1 after their descent from earth1 never seen or heard of2--being condemned1 for some failure in their initiatory trials1 to pine away their lives in the dark dungeons1 with which1 as well as with altars1 this region abounded4 ,such1 ,i shuddered to think1 might probably be my destiny2 and so appalling was the thought1 that even the spirit of defiance died within me1 and ,i was already giving myself up to helplessness and despair4 ,at length1 after some hours of this gloomy musing1 ,i heard a rustling in the sacred grove behind the statue2 and1 soon after1 the sound of the ,priest's voice--more welcome than ,i had ever thought such voice could be--brought the assurance that ,i was not yet1 at least1 wholly abandoned4 ,finding his way to me through the gloom1 he now led me to the same spot1 on which we had parted so many hours before2 and1 in a voice that retained no trace of displeasure1 bespoke my attention1 while he should reveal to me some of those divine truths1 by whose infusion1 he said1 into the soul of man1 its purification can alone be effected4 ,the valley had now become so wholly dark1 that we could no longer discern each other's faces1 as we sat4 ,there was a melancholy in the voice of my instructor that well accorded with the gloom around us2 and1 saddened and subdued1 ,i now listened with resignation1 if not with interest1 to those sublime1 but1 alas1 ,i thought1 vain tenets1 which1 with the warmth of a believer1 this ,hierophant expounded to me4 ,he spoke of the preexistence of the soul1--of its abode1 from all eternity1 in a place of bliss1 of which all that we have most beautiful in our conceptions here is but a dim transcript1 a clouded remembrance4 ,in the blue depths of ether1 he said1 lay that 8,country of the ,soul10--its boundary alone visible in the line of milky light1 that separates it1 as by a barrier of stars1 from the dark earth4 8,oh1 realm of purity6 ,home of the yet unfallen ,spirit6--where1 in the days of her primal innocence1 she wandered1 ere her beauty was soiled by the touch of earth1 or her resplendent wings had withered away4 ,methinks10 he cried1 8,i see1 at this moment1 those fields of radiance1--,i look back1 through the mists of life1 into that luminous world1 where the souls that have never lost their high1 heavenly rank1 still soar1 without a stain1 above the shadowless stars1 and dwell together in infinite perfection and bliss60 ,as he spoke these words1 a burst of pure1 brilliant light1 like a sudden opening of heaven1 broke through the valley2 and1 as soon as my eyes were able to endure the splendour1 such a vision of loveliness and glory opened upon them1 as took even my sceptical spirit by surprise1 and made it yield1 at once1 to the potency of the spell4 ,suspended1 as ,i thought1 in air1 and occupying the whole of the opposite region of the valley1 there appeared an immense orb of light1 within which1 through a haze of radiance1 ,i could see distinctly groups of young female spirits1 who1 in silent1 but harmonious movement1 like that of the stars1 wound slowly through a variety of fanciful evolutions2 and1 as they linked and unlinked each other's arms1 formed a living labyrinth of beauty and grace4 ,though their feet seemed to tread along a field of light1 they had also wings1 of the richest hue1 which1 like rainbows over waterfalls1 when played with by the breeze1 at every moment reflected a new variety of glory4 ,as ,i stood1 gazing with wonder1 the orb1 with all its ethereal inmates1 gradually receded into the dark void1 lessening1 as it went1 and growing more bright1 as it lessened2--till1 at length1 distant1 apparently1 as a retiring comet1 this little world of ,spirits1 in one small point of intense radiance1 shone its last and vanished4 8,go10 exclaimed the rapt ,priest1 8ye happy souls1 of whose dwelling a glimpse is thus given to our eyes1 go1 wander1 in your orb1 through the boundless heaven1 nor ever let a thought of this perishable world come to mingle its dross with your divine nature1 or tempt you to that earthward fall1 by which spirits1 as bright1 have been ruined60 ,a pause ensued1 during which1 still under the influence of wonder1 ,i sent my fancy wandering after the inhabitants of that orb1--almost wishing myself credulous enough to believe in a heaven1 of which creatures1 so like all that ,i most loved on earth1 were inmates4 ,at length1 the ,priest1 with a sigh at the contrast he was about to draw1 between the happy spirits we had just seen and the fallen ones of earth1 resumed his melancholy ,history of the ,soul4 ,tracing it1 from the first moment of earthward desire1 to its final eclipse in the shadows of this world1 he dwelt upon every stage of its darkening descent1 with a pathos that sent sadness into the very depths of the heart4 ,the first downward look of the ,spirit towards earth--the tremble of her wings on the edge of ,heaven--the giddy slide1 at length1 down that fatal descent1 and the ,lethan cup1 midway in the sky1 of which when she has once tasted1 ,heaven is forgot1--through all these gradations he mournfully traced her fall1 to the last stage of darkness1 when1 wholly immersed in this world1 her celestial nature is changed1 she can no longer rise above earth1 nor remembers her home1 but by glimpses so vague1 that1 mistaking for hope what is only memory1 she believes them to be a light from the ,future1 not the ,past4 8,to retrieve this ruin of the once blessed ,soul--to clear away1 from around her1 the clouds of earth1 and1 restoring her lost wings7#e71 facilitate their return to ,heaven--such10 said the reverend man1 8is the great task of our religion1 and such the triumph of those divine ,mysteries1 in which the life and essence of our religion lie4 ,however sunk and changed and clouded may be the ,spirit1 as long as a single trace of her original light remains1 there is yet hope that----0 ,here his voice was interrupted by a strain of mournful music1 of which the low1 distant breathings had been1 for some minutes1 heard1 but which now gained upon the ear too thrillingly to let it listen to any more earthly sound4 ,a faint light1 too1 at that instant broke through the valley1--and ,i could perceive1 not far from the spot where we sat1 a female figure1 veiled1 and crouching to earth1 as if subdued by sorrow1 or under the influence of shame4 ,the light1 by which ,i saw her1 was from a pale1 moonlike meteor1 which had formed itself in the air as the music approached1 and shed over the rocks and the lake a glimmer as cold as that by which the ,dead1 in their own realm1 gaze on each other4 ,the music1 too1 which appeared to rise directly out of the lake1 and to come full of the breath of its dark waters1 spoke a despondency in every note which no language could express2--and1 as ,i listened to its tones1 and looked upon that fallen ,spirit1 7for such1 the holy man whispered1 was the form before us17 so entirely did the illusion of the scene take possession of me1 that1 with breathless anxiety1 ,i waited the result4 ,nor had ,i gazed long before that form rose slowly from its drooping position2--the air around it grew bright1 and the pale meteor overhead assumed a more cheerful and living light4 ,the veil1 which had before shrouded the face of the figure1 became gradually transparent1 and the features1 one by one1 disclosed themselves through it4 ,having tremblingly watched the progress of the apparition1 ,i now started from my seat1 and half exclaimed1 8,it is she60 ,in another minute1 this veil had1 like a thin mist1 melted away1 and the young ,priestess of the ,moon stood1 for the third time1 revealed before my eyes4 ,to rush instantly towards her was my first impulse--but the arm of the ,priest held me firmly back4 ,the fresh light1 which had begun to flow in from all sides1 collected itself in a glory round the spot where she stood4 ,instead of melancholy music1 strains of the most exalted rapture were heard2 and the young maiden1 buoyant as the inhabitants of the fairy orb1 amid a blaze of light like that which fell upon her in the ,temple1 ascended into the air4 8,stay1 beautiful vision1 stay60 ,i exclaimed1 as1 breaking from the hold of the ,priest1 ,i flung myself prostrate on the ground1--the only mode by which ,i could express the admiration1 even to worship1 with which ,i was filled4 ,but the vanishing spirit heard me not3--receding into the darkness1 like that orb1 whose track she seemed to follow1 her form lessened away1 till she was seen no more4 ,gazing1 till the last luminous speck had disappeared1 ,i suffered myself unconsciously to be led away by my reverend guide1 who1 placing me once more on my bed of poppyleaves1 left me to such repose as it was possible1 after such a scene1 to enjoy4 ,,chap4 ,x4 ,the apparition with which ,i had been blessed in that ,valley of ,visions--as the place where ,i had witnessed these wonders was called--brought back to my heart all the hopes and fancies1 in which ,i had indulged during my descent from earth4 ,i had now seen once more that matchless creature1 who had been my guiding star into this mysterious world2 and that she was1 in some way1 connected with the further revelations that awaited me1 ,i saw no reason to doubt4 ,there was a sublimity1 too1 in the doctrines of my reverend teacher1 and even a hope in the promises of immortality held out by him1 which1 in spite of reason1 won insensibly both upon my fancy and my pride4 ,the ,future1 however1 was now but of secondary consideration2--the ,present1 and that deity of the ,present1 woman1 were the objects that engrossed my whole soul4 ,for the sake1 indeed1 of such beings alone did ,i think immortality desirable1 nor1 without them1 would eternal life have appeared to me worth a prayer4 ,to every further trial of my patience and faith1 ,i now made up my mind to submit without a murmur4 ,some propitious chance1 ,i fondly persuaded myself1 might yet bring me nearer to the object of my adoration1 and enable me to address1 as mortal woman1 her who had hitherto been to me but as a vision1 a shade4 ,the period of my probation1 however1 was nearly at an end4 ,both frame and spirit had now been tried2 and1 as the crowning test of the purification of the latter was that power of seeing into the world of spirits1 with which1 in the ,valley of ,visions1 ,i had proved myself to be endowed1 there remained now1 to perfect my ,initiation1 but this one night more1 when1 in the ,temple of ,isis1 and in the presence of her unveiled image1 the last grand revelation of the ,secret of ,secrets was to open upon me4 ,i passed the morning of this day in company with the same venerable personage1 who had1 from the first1 presided over the ceremonies of my instruction2 and who1 to inspire me with due reverence for the power and magnificence of his religion1 now conducted me through the long range of illuminated galleries and shrines1 that extend under the site upon which ,memphis and the ,pyramids stand1 and form a counterpart under ground to that mighty city of temples upon earth4 ,he then descended with me1 still lower1 into those winding crypts1 where lay the ,seven ,tables of stone1 found by ,hermes in the valley of ,hebron4 8,on these tables10 said he1 8is written all the knowledge of the antediluvian race1--the decrees of the stars from the beginning of time1 the annals of a still earlier world1 and all the marvellous secrets1 both of heaven and earth1 which would have been1 8but for this key1 ,lost in the ,universal ,sea40 ,returning to the region1 from which we had descended1 we next visited1 in succession1 a series of small shrines1 representing the various objects of adoration through ,egypt1 and thus furnishing to the ,priest an occasion for explaining the mysterious nature of animal worship1 and the refined doctrines of theology that lay veiled under its forms4 ,every shrine was consecrated to a particular faith1 and contained a living image of the deity which it adored4 ,beside the goat of ,mendes1 with his refulgent star upon his breast1 ,i saw the crocodile1 as presented to the eyes of its idolaters at ,arsino1 with costly gems in its loathsome ears1 and rich bracelets of gold encircling its feet4 ,here1 floating through a tank in the centre of a temple1 the sacred carp of ,lepidotum exhibited its silvery scales2 while1 there1 the ,isiac serpents trailed languidly over the altar1 with that movement which most inspires the hopes of their votaries4 ,in one of the small chapels we found a beautiful child1 feeding and watching over those golden beetles1 which are adored for their brightness1 as emblems of the sun2 while1 in another1 stood a sacred ibis upon its pedestal1 so like1 in plumage and attitude1 to the bird of the young ,priestess1 that ,i could gladly have knelt down and worshipped it for her sake4 ,after visiting these various shrines1 and listening to the reflections which they suggested1 ,i was next led by my guide to the ,great ,hall of the ,zodiac1 on whose ceiling1 in bright and undying colours1 was delineated the map of the firmament1 as it appeared at the first dawn of time4 ,here1 in pointing out the track of the sun1 among the spheres1 he spoke eloquently of the analogy that exists between moral and physical darkness--of the sympathy with which all spiritual creatures regard the sun1 so as to sadden and droop when he sinks into his wintry hemisphere1 and to rejoice when he resumes his own empire of light4 ,hence1 the festivals and hymns1 with which most of the nations of the earth are wont to welcome the resurrection of his orb in spring1 as an emblem and pledge of the reascent of the soul to heaven4 ,hence1 the songs of sorrow1 the mournful ceremonies1--like those ,mysteries of the ,night1 upon the ,lake of ,sas1--in which they brood over his autumnal descent into the shades1 as a type of the ,spirit's fall into this world of death4 ,in discourses such as these the hours passed away2 and though there was nothing in the light of this sunless region to mark to the eye the decline of day1 my own feelings told me that the night drew near2--nor1 in spite of my incredulity1 could ,i refrain from a flutter of hope1 as that promised moment of revelation approached1 when the ,mystery of ,mysteries was to be made all my own4 ,this consummation1 however1 was less near than ,i expected4 ,my patience had still further trials to encounter4 ,it was necessary1 ,i now found1 that ,i should keep watch1 during the greater part of the night1 in the ,sanctuary of the ,temple1 alone and in darkness1--and thus prepare myself1 by meditation1 for the awful moment1 when the irradiation from behind the sacred ,veils was to burst upon me4 ,at the appointed hour1 we left the ,hall of the ,zodiac1 and proceeded through a line of long marble galleries1 where the lamps were more thinly scattered as we advanced1 till1 at length1 we found ourselves in total darkness4 ,here the ,priest1 taking me by the hand1 and leading me down a flight of steps1 into a place where the same deep gloom prevailed1 said1 with a voice trembling1 as if from excess of awe1--8,thou art now in the ,sanctuary of our goddess1 ,isis1 and the dark veils1 that hang over her image1 are before thee60 ,after exhorting me earnestly to that train of thought1 which best accorded with the spirit of the place where ,i stood1 and1 above all1 to that full and unhesitating faith1 with which alone1 he said1 the manifestation of such mysteries should be approached1 the holy man took leave of me1 and reascended the steps2--while1 so spellbound did ,i feel by that deep darkness1 that the last sound of his footsteps died upon my ear1 before ,i ventured to stir a limb from the position in which he had left me4 ,the prospect of the long watch1 now before me1 was dreadful4 ,even danger itself1 in an active form1 would have been preferable to this sort of safe1 but dull1 probation1 by which patience was the only virtue put to the proof4 ,having ascertained how far the space around me was free from obstacles1 ,i endeavoured to beguile the time by pacing up and down within those limits1 till ,i became tired of the echoes of my own tread4 ,finding my way1 then1 to what ,i felt to be a massive pillar1 and1 leaning wearily against it1 ,i surrendered myself to a train of thoughts and feelings1 far different from those with which the ,hierophant had hoped to inspire me4 8,why10 ,i again asked1 8if these priests possess the secret of life1 why are they themselves the victims of death8 why sink into the grave with the cup of immortality in their hands8 ,but no1 safe boasters1 the eternity they so lavishly promise is reserved for another1 a future world--that ready resource of all priestly promises--that depository of the airy pledges of all creeds4 ,another world6--alas1 where does it lie8 or1 what spirit hath ever come to say that ,life is there80 ,the conclusion1 to which1 half sadly1 half passionately1 ,i arrived1 was that1 life being but a dream of the moment1 never to come again1 every bliss that is promised for hereafter should be secured by the wise man here4 ,and1 as no heaven ,i had ever heard of from these visionary priests opened half such certainty of happiness as that smile which ,i beheld last night1--8,let me10 ,i exclaimed1 impatiently1 striking the massy pillar1 till it rung1 8let me but make that beautiful ,priestess my own1 and ,i here willingly exchange for her every chance of immortality1 that the combined wisdom of ,egypt's ,twelve ,temples can offer me60 ,no sooner had ,i uttered these words1 than a tremendous peal1 like that of thunder1 rolled over the ,sanctuary1 and seemed to shake its walls4 ,on every side1 too1 a succession of blue1 vivid flashes pierced1 like so many lances of light1 through the gloom1 revealing to me1 at intervals1 the mighty dome in which ,i stood--its ceiling of azure1 studded with stars1 its colossal columns1 towering aloft1 and those dark1 mysterious veils1 which hung1 in massy drapery1 from the roof to the floor1 and covered the rich glories of the ,shrine under their folds4 ,so weary had ,i grown of my tedious watch1 that this stormy and fitful illumination1 during which the ,sanctuary seemed to rock to its base1 was by no means an unwelcome interruption of the monotony under which my impatience suffered4 ,after a short interval1 however1 the flashes ceased2--the sounds died away1 like exhausted thunder1 through the abyss1 and darkness and silence1 like that of the grave1 succeeded4 ,resting my back once more against the pillar1 and fixing my eyes upon that side of the ,sanctuary1 from which the promised irradiation was to burst1 ,i now resolved to await the awful moment in patience4 ,resigned and immovable1 ,i had remained thus1 for nearly another hour1 when1 suddenly1 along the edges of the mighty ,veils1 ,i perceived a thin rim of light1 as if from some brilliant object under them2--like that border which encircles a cloud at sunset1 when the radiance1 from behind1 is escaping at its edges4 ,this indication of concealed glories grew every instant more strong2 till1 at last1 vividly marked as it was upon the darkness1 the narrow fringe of lustre almost pained the eye1 giving promise of a splendour too bright to be endured4 ,my expectations were now wound to the highest pitch1 and all the scepticism1 into which ,i had been cooling down my mind1 was forgotten4 ,the wonders that had been presented to me since my descent from earth--that glimpse into ,elysium on the first night of my coming--those visitants from the ,land of ,spirits in the mysterious valley1--all led me to expect1 in this last and brightest revelation1 such visions of glory and knowledge as might transcend even fancy itself1 nor leave a doubt that they belonged less to earth than heaven4 ,while1 with an imagination thus excited1 ,i stood waiting the result1 an increased gush of light still more awakened my attention2 and ,i saw1 with an intenseness of interest1 which made my heart beat aloud1 one of the corners of the mighty ,veil slowly raised up4 ,i now felt that the ,great ,secret--whatever it might be--was at hand4 ,a vague hope even crossed my mind--so wholly had imagination resumed her empire--that the splendid promise of my dream was on the point of being realised6 ,with surprise1 however1 and--for a moment--with disappointment1 ,i perceived1 that the massy corner of the ,veil was but raised sufficiently to allow a female figure to emerge from under it1--and then fell again1 over its mystic splendours1 as dark as before4 ,by the strong light1 too1 that issued when the drapery was lifted1 and illuminated the profile of the emerging figure1 ,i either saw1 or fancied that ,i saw1 the same bright features1 that had already mocked me so often with their momentary charm1 and seemed destined to haunt my heart as unavailingly as the fond1 vain dream of ,immortality itself4 ,dazzled as ,i had been by that short gush of splendour1 and distrusting even my senses1 when under the influence of a fancy so excited1 ,i had hardly time to question myself as to the reality of my impression1 when ,i heard the sounds of light footsteps approaching me through the gloom4 ,in a second or two more1 the figure stopped before me1 and1 placing the end of a riband gently in my hand1 said1 in a tremulous whisper1 8,follow1 and be silent40 ,so sudden and strange was the adventure1 that1 for a moment1 ,i hesitated1--fearful lest my eyes should have been deceived as to the object they had seen4 ,casting a look towards the ,veil1 which seemed bursting with its luminous secret1 ,i was almost doubting to which of the two chances ,i should commit myself1 when ,i felt the riband in my hand pulled softly at the other extremity4 ,this movement1 at once1 like a touch of magic1 decided me4 ,without further deliberation1 ,i yielded to the silent summons1 and following my guide1 who was already at some distance before me1 found myself led up the same flight of marble steps1 by which the ,priest had conducted me into the ,sanctuary4 ,arrived at their summit1 ,i felt the pace of my conductress quicken1 and1 giving one more look to the ,veiled ,shrine1 whose glories we left burning ineffectually behind us1 hastened into the gloom1 full of confidence in the belief1 that she1 who now held the other end of that clue1 was one whom ,i could follow devotedly through the world4 ,,chap4 ,,xi4 ,so rapidly was ,i hurried along by my unseen conductress1 full of wonder at the speed with which she ventured through these labyrinths1 that ,i had but little time to reflect upon the strangeness of the adventure to which ,i had committed myself4 ,my knowledge of the character of the priests1 as well as the fearful rumours that had reached me1 of the fate that often attended unbelievers in their hands1 waked a momentary suspicion of treachery in my mind4 ,but1 when ,i recalled the face of my guide1 as ,i had seen it in the chapel1 with that divine look1 the very memory of which brought purity into the heart1 this suspicion all vanished1 and ,i felt shame at having harboured it but an instant4 ,in the mean while1 our course continued uninterrupted1 through windings more capriciously intricate than any that ,i had yet passed1 and whose darkness seemed never to have been disturbed by a single glimmer4 ,my conductress still continued at some distance before me1 and the clue1 to which ,i clung as if it were the thread of ,destiny herself1 was still kept1 by her speed1 at full stretch between us4 ,at length1 suddenly stopping1 she said1 in a breathless whisper1 8,seat thyself here10 and1 at the same moment1 led me by the hand to a sort of low car1 in which ,i lost not a moment in placing myself1 as desired1 while the maiden1 as promptly1 took her seat by my side4 ,a sudden click1 like the touching of a spring1 was then heard1 and the car1--which1 as ,i had felt in entering it1 leaned halfway over a steep descent1--on being loosed from its station1 shot down1 almost perpendicularly1 into the darkness1 with a rapidity which1 at first1 nearly deprived me of breath4 ,the wheels slid smoothly and noiselessly in grooves1 and the impetus1 which the car acquired in descending1 was sufficient1 ,i perceived1 to carry it up an eminence that succeeded1--from the summit of which it again rushed down another declivity1 even still more long and precipitous than the former4 ,in this manner we proceeded1 by alternate falls and rises1 till1 at length1 from the last and steepest elevation1 the car descended upon a level of deep sand1 where1 after running for a few yards1 it by degrees lost its motion and stopped4 ,here1 the maiden alighting1 again placed the riband in my hands1--and again ,i followed her1 though with more slowness and difficulty than before1 as our way led up a flight of damp and timeworn steps1 whose ascent seemed to the weary and insecure foot interminable4 ,perceiving with what languor my guide now advanced1 ,i was on the point of making an effort to assist her progress1 when the creak of an opening door above1 and a faint gleam of light which1 at the same moment1 shone upon her figure1 apprised me that we were arrived within reach of sunshine4 ,joyfully ,i followed through this opening1 and1 by the dim light1 could discern1 that we were now in the sanctuary of a vast1 ruined temple1--having entered by a passage under the lofty pedestal1 upon which an image of the idol of the place once stood4 ,the first movement of the maiden1 after replacing the portal under the pedestal1 was1 without even a look towards me1 to cast herself down on her knees1 with her hands clasped and uplifted1 as if for the purpose of thanksgiving or prayer4 ,but she was unable to sustain herself in this position2--her strength could hold out no longer4 ,overcome by agitation and fatigue1 she sunk senseless upon the pavement4 ,bewildered as ,i was1 myself1 by the events of the night1 ,i stood for some minutes looking upon her in a state of helplessness and alarm4 ,but1 reminded1 by my own feverish sensations1 of the reviving effects of the air1 ,i raised her gently in my arms1 and crossing the corridor that surrounded the sanctuary1 found my way to the outer vestibule of the temple4 ,here1 shading her eyes from the sun1 ,i placed her1 reclining1 upon the steps1 where the cool wind1 then blowing freshly from the north1 might play1 with free draught1 between the pillars over her brow4 ,it was1 indeed1--,i now saw1 with certainty1--the same beautiful and mysterious girl1 who had been the cause of my descent into that subterranean world1 and who now1 under such strange and unaccountable circumstances1 was my guide back again to the realms of day4 ,i looked round1 to discover where we were1 and beheld such a scene of grandeur1 as--could my eyes have wandered to any other object from the pale form reclining at my side--might well have won them to dwell on its splendid beauties4 ,i was now standing1 ,i found1 on the small island in the centre of ,lake ,mris2 and that sanctuary1 where we had emerged from darkness1 formed part of the ruins of a temple1 which 7as ,i have since learned7 was1 in the grander days of ,memphis1 a place of pilgrimage for worshippers from all parts of ,egypt4 ,the fair ,lake1 itself1 out of whose waters once rose pavilions1 palaces1 and even lofty pyramids1 was still1 though divested of many of these wonders1 a scene of interest and splendour such as the whole world could not equal4 ,while the shores still sparkled with mansions and temples1 that bore testimony to the luxury of a living race1 the voice of the ,past1 speaking out of unnumbered ruins1 whose summits1 here and there1 rose blackly above the wave1 told of times long fled and generations long swept away1 before whose giant remains all the glory of the present stood humbled4 ,over the southern bank of the ,lake hung the dark relics of the ,labyrinth2--its twelve ,royal ,palaces1 like the mansions of the ,zodiac1--its thundering portals and constellated halls1 having left nothing behind but a few frowning ruins1 which1 contrasted with the soft groves of olive and acacia around them1 seemed to rebuke the luxuriant smiles of nature1 and threw a melancholy grandeur over the whole scene4 ,the effects of the air1 in reanimating the young ,priestess1 were less speedy than ,i had expected2--her eyes were still closed1 and she remained pale and insensible4 ,alarmed1 ,i now rested her head 7which had been1 for some time1 supported by my arm17 against the base of a column1 with my cloak for its pillow1 while ,i hastened to procure some water from the ,lake4 ,the temple stood high1 and the descent to the shore was precipitous4 ,but1 my ,epicurean habits having but little impaired my activity1 ,i soon descended1 with the lightness of a desert deer1 to the bottom4 ,here1 plucking from a lofty beantree1 whose flowers stood1 shining like gold1 above the water1 one of those large hollowed leaves that serve as cups for the ,hebes of the ,nile1 ,i filled it from the ,lake1 and hurried back with the cool draught to the temple4 ,it was not without some difficulty and delay that ,i succeeded1 in bearing my rustic chalice steadily up the steep2 more than once did an unlucky slip waste its contents1 and as often did ,i impatiently return to refill it4 ,during this time1 the young maiden was fast recovering her animation and consciousness2 and1 at the moment when ,i appeared above the edge of the steep1 was just rising from the steps1 with her hand pressed to her forehead1 as if confusedly recalling the recollection of what had occurred4 ,no sooner did she observe me1 than a short cry of alarm broke from her lips4 ,looking anxiously round1 as though she sought for protection1 and half audibly uttering the words1 8,where is he80 she made an effort1 as ,i approached1 to retreat into the temple4 ,already1 however1 ,i was by her side1 and taking her hand gently1 as she turned away1 8,whom dost thou seek1 fair ,priestess80 ,i asked1--for the first time breaking through the silence she had enjoined1 and in a tone that might have reassured the most timid spirit4 ,but my words had no effect in calming her apprehension4 ,trembling1 and with her eyes still averted towards the ,temple1 she continued in a voice of suppressed alarm1--8,where can he be8--that venerable ,athenian1 that philosopher1 who----0 8,here1 here10 ,i exclaimed1 anxiously interrupting her1--8behold him still by thy side--the same1 the very same who saw thee steal from under the lighted ,veils of the ,sanctuary1 whom thou hast guided by a clue through those labyrinths below1 and who now but waits his command from those lips1 to devote himself through life and death to thy service40 ,as ,i spoke these words1 she turned slowly round1 and looking timidly in my face1 while her own burned with blushes1 said1 in a tone of doubt and wonder1 8,thou60 and hid her eyes in her hands4 ,i knew not how to interpret a reception so unexpected4 ,that some mistake or disappointment had occurred was evident2 but so inexplicable did the whole adventure appear1 that it was in vain to think of unravelling any part of it4 ,weak and agitated1 she now tottered to the steps of the temple1 and there seating herself1 with her forehead against the cold marble1 seemed for some moments absorbed in the most anxious thought1--while silent and watchful ,i waited her decision1 with a prophetic feeling1 however1 that my destiny would be henceforth linked with hers4 ,the inward struggle by which she was agitated1 though violent1 was not of long continuance4 ,starting suddenly from her seat1 with a look of terror towards the temple1 as if the fear of immediate pursuit had alone decided her1 she pointed eagerly towards the ,east1 and exclaimed1 8,to the ,nile1 without delay60--clasping her hands1 when she had spoken1 with the most suppliant fervour1 as if to soften the abruptness of the mandate she had given1 and appealing to me with a look that would have taught ,stoics tenderness4 ,i lost no time in obeying the welcome command4 ,while a thousand wild hopes and wishes crowded upon my fancy1 at the prospect which a voyage1 under such auspices1 presented1 ,i descended rapidly to the shore1 and hailing one of the numerous boats that ply upon the ,lake for hire1 arranged speedily for a passage down the canal to the ,nile4 ,having learned1 too1 from the boatmen1 a more easy path up the rock1 ,i hastened back to the ,temple for my fair charge2 and without a word1 a look1 that could alarm1 even by its kindness1 or disturb that innocent confidence which she now placed in me1 led her down by the winding path to the boat4 ,every thing looked smiling around us as we embarked4 ,the morning was now in its first freshness1 and the path of the breeze might be traced over the ,lake1 wakening up its waters from their sleep of the night4 ,the gay1 goldenwinged birds that haunt these shores1 were1 in every direction1 skimming along the lake2 while1 with a graver consciousness of beauty1 the swan and the pelican were seen dressing their white plumage in the mirror of its wave4 ,to add to the animation of the scene1 a sweet tinkling of musical instruments came1 at intervals1 on the breeze1 from boats at a distance1 employed thus early in pursuing the fish of these waters1 that suffer themselves to be decoyed into the nets by music4 ,the vessel which ,i selected for our voyage was one of those small pleasureboats or yachts1--so much in use among the luxurious navigators of the ,nile1--in the centre of which rises a pavilion of cedar or cypress wood1 gilded gorgeously1 without1 with religious emblems1 and fitted up1 within1 for all the purposes of feasting and repose4 ,to the door of this pavilion ,i now led my companion1 and1 after a few words of kindness--tempered with as much respectful reserve as the deep tenderness which ,i felt would admit of--left her in solitude to court that restoring rest1 which the agitation of her spirits but too much required4 ,for myself1 though repose was hardly less necessary to me1 the ferment in which my thoughts had been kept seemed to render it hopeless4 ,throwing myself upon the deck1 under an awning which the sailors had raised for me1 ,i continued1 for some hours1 in a sort of vague daydream1--sometimes passing in review the scenes of that subterranean drama1 and sometimes1 with my eyes fixed in drowsy vacancy1 receiving passively the impressions of the bright scenery through which we passed4 ,the banks of the canal were then luxuriantly wooded4 ,under the tufts of the light and towering palm were seen the orange and the citron1 interlacing their boughs2 while1 here and there1 huge tamarisks thickened the shade1 and1 at the very edge of the bank1 the willow of ,babylon stood bending its graceful branches into the water4 ,occasionally1 out of the depth of these groves1 there shone a small temple or pleasure house2--while1 now and then1 an opening in their line of foliage allowed the eye to wander over extensive fields1 all covered with beds of those pale1 sweet roses1 for which this district of ,egypt is so celebrated4 ,the activity of the morning hour was visible every where4 ,flights of doves and lapwings were fluttering among the leaves1 and the white heron1 which had roosted all night in some datetree1 now stood sunning its wings upon the green bank1 or floated1 like living silver1 over the flood4 ,the flowers1 too1 both of land and water1 looked freshly awakened2--and1 most of all1 the superb lotus1 which had risen with the sun from the wave1 and was now holding up her chalice for a full draught of his light4 ,such were the scenes that now passed before my eyes1 and mingled with the reveries that floated through my mind1 as our boat1 with its high1 capacious sail1 swept over the flood4 ,though the occurrences of the last few days appeared to me one series of wonders1 yet by far the most miraculous wonder of all was1 that she1 whose first look had sent wild fire into my heart1--whom ,i had thought of ever since with a restlessness of passion1 that would have dared any thing on earth to obtain its object1--was now sleeping sacredly in that small pavilion1 while guarding her1 even from myself1 ,i lay calmly at its threshold4 ,meanwhile1 the sun had reached his meridian4 ,the busy hum of the morning had died gradually away1 and all around was sleeping in the hot stillness of noon4 ,the ,nilegoose1 folding her splendid wings1 was lying motionless on the shadow of the sycamores in the water4 ,even the nimble lizards upon the bank seemed to move more languidly1 as the light fell upon their gold and azure hues4 ,overcome as ,i was with watching1 and weary with thought1 it was not long before ,i yielded to the becalming influence of the hour4 ,looking fixedly at the pavilion1--as if once more to assure my senses1 that ,i was not already in a dream1 but that the young ,egyptian was really there1--,i felt my eyes close as ,i looked1 and in a few minutes sunk into a profound sleep4 ,,chap4 ,,xii4 ,it was by the canal through which we now sailed1 that1 in the more prosperous days of ,memphis1 the commerce of ,upper ,egypt and ,nubia was transported to her magnificent ,lake1 and from thence1 having paid tribute to the queen of cities1 was poured out again1 through the ,nile1 into the ocean4 ,the course of this canal to the river was not direct1 but ascending in a southeasterly direction towards the ,sad2 and in calms1 or with adverse winds1 the passage was tedious4 ,but as the breeze was now blowing freshly from the north1 there was every prospect of our reaching the river before nightfall4 ,rapidly1 too1 as our galley swept along the flood1 its motion was so smooth as to be hardly felt2 and the quiet gurgle of the waters underneath1 and the drowsy song of the boatman at the prow1 alone disturbed the deep silence that prevailed4 ,the sun1 indeed1 had nearly sunk behind the ,libyan hills1 before the sleep1 in which these sounds lulled me1 was broken2 and the first object1 on which my eyes rested1 in waking1 was that fair young ,priestess1--seated under a porch by which the door of the pavilion was shaded1 and bending intently over a small volume that lay unrolled on her lap4 ,her face was but half turned towards me1 and as1 once or twice1 she raised her eyes to the warm sky1 whose light fell1 softened through the trellis1 over her cheek1 ,i found every feeling of reverence1 with which she had inspired me in the chapel1 return4 ,there was even a purer and holier charm around her countenance1 thus seen by the natural light of day1 than in those dim and unhallowed regions below4 ,she could now1 too1 look direct to the glorious sky1 and that heaven and her eyes1 so worthy of each other1 met4 ,after contemplating her for a few moments1 with little less than adoration1 ,i rose gently from my restingplace1 and approached the pavilion4 ,but the mere movement had startled her from her devotion1 and1 blushing and confused1 she covered the volume with the folds of her robe4 ,in the art of winning upon female confidence1 ,i had long been schooled2 and1 now that to the lessons of gallantry the inspiration of love was added1 my ambition to please and to interest could hardly1 it may be supposed1 fail of success4 ,i soon found1 however1 how much less fluent is the heart than the fancy1 and how very distinct are the operations of making love and feeling it4 ,in the few words of greeting now exchanged between us1 it was evident that the gay1 the enterprising ,epicurean was little less embarrassed than the secluded ,priestess2--and1 after one or two ineffectual efforts to bring our voices acquainted with each other1 the eyes of both turned bashfully away1 and we relapsed into silence4 ,from this situation--the result of timidity on one side1 and of a feeling altogether new1 on the other--we were1 at length1 after an interval of estrangement1 relieved1 by the boatmen announcing that the ,nile was in sight4 ,the countenance of the young ,egyptian brightened at this intelligence2 and the smile with which ,i congratulated her on the speed of our voyage was answered by another1 so full of gratitude1 that already an instinctive sympathy seemed established between us4 ,we were now on the point of entering that sacred river1 of whose sweet waters the exile drinks in his dreams1--for a draught of whose flood the daughters of the ,ptolemies1 when wedded to foreign kings1 sighed in the midst of their splendour4 ,as our boat1 with slackened sail1 glided into the current1 an enquiry from the boatmen1 whether they should anchor for the night in the ,nile1 first reminded me of the ignorance1 in which ,i still remained1 with respect to either the motive or destination of our voyage4 ,embarrassed by their question ,i directed my eyes towards the ,priestess1 whom ,i saw waiting for my answer with a look of anxiety1 which this silent reference to her wishes at once dispelled4 ,eagerly unfolding the volume with which ,i had seen her occupied1 she took from its folds a small leaf of papyrus1 on which there appeared to be some faint lines of drawing1 and after thoughtfully looking upon it1 herself1 for a moment1 placed it1 with an agitated hand1 in mine4 ,in the mean time1 the boatmen had taken in their sail1 and the yacht drove slowly down the river with the current1 while1 by a light which had been kindled at sunset on the deck1 ,i stood examining the leaf that the ,priestess had given me1--her dark eyes fixed anxiously on my countenance all the while4 ,the lines traced upon the papyrus were so faint as to be almost invisible1 and ,i was for some time at a loss to divine their import4 ,at length1 ,i could perceive that they were the outlines1 or map--traced slightly and unsteadily with a ,memphian reed--of a part of that mountainous ridge by which ,upper ,egypt is bounded to the east1 together with the names1 or rather emblems1 of the chief towns in the neighbourhood4 ,it was thither1 ,i could not doubt1 that the young ,priestess wished to pursue her course4 ,without a moment's delay1 therefore1 ,i gave orders to the boatmen to set our yacht before the wind and ascend the current4 ,my command was promptly obeyed3 the white sail again rose into the region of the breeze1 and the satisfaction that beamed in every feature of the fair ,egyptian showed that the quickness with which ,i had obeyed her wishes was not unfelt by her4 ,the moon had now risen2 and though the current was against us1 the ,etesian wind of the season blew strongly up the river1 and we were soon floating before it1 through the rich plains and groves of the ,sad4 ,the love1 with which this simple girl had inspired me1 was--possibly from the mystic scenes and situations in which ,i had seen her--not unmingled with a tinge of superstitious awe1 under the influence of which ,i felt the buoyancy of my spirit checked4 ,the few words that had passed between us on the subject of our route had somewhat loosened this spell2 and what ,i wanted of vivacity and confidence was more than made up by the tone of deep sensibility which love had awakened in their place4 ,we had not proceeded far before the glittering of lights at a distance1 and the shooting up of fireworks1 at intervals1 into the air1 apprised us that we were approaching one of those nightfairs1 or marts1 which it is the custom1 at this season1 to hold upon the ,nile4 ,to me the scene was familiar2 but to my young companion it was evidently a new world2 and the mixture of alarm and delight with which she gazed1 from under her veil1 upon the busy scene into which we now sailed1 gave an air of innocence to her beauty1 which still more heightened its every charm4 ,it was one of the widest parts of the river2 and the whole surface1 from one bank to the other1 was covered with boats4 ,along the banks of a green island1 in the middle of the stream1 lay anchored the galleys of the principal traders1--large floating bazaars1 bearing each the name of its owner1 emblazoned in letters of flame1 upon the stern4 ,over their decks were spread out1 in gay confusion1 the products of the loom and needle of ,egypt1--rich carpets of ,memphis1 and those variegated veils1 for which the female embroiderers of the ,nile are so celebrated1 and to which the name of ,cleopatra lends a traditional value4 ,in each of the other galleys was exhibited some branch of ,egyptian workmanship1--vases of the fragrant porcelain of ,on1--cups of that frail crystal1 whose hues change like those of the pigeon's plumage1--enamelled amulets graven with the head of ,anubis1 and necklaces and bracelets of the black beans of ,abyssinia4 ,while ,commerce thus displayed her luxuries in one quarter1 in every other direction ,pleasure1 multiplied into her thousand shapes1 swarmed over the waters4 ,nor was the festivity confined to the river only4 ,all along the banks of the island and on the shores1 lighted up mansions were seen through the trees1 from which sounds of music and merriment came4 ,in some of the boats were bands of minstrels1 who1 from time to time1 answered each other1 like echoes1 across the wave2 and the notes of the lyre1 the flageolet1 and the sweet lotuswood flute1 were heard1 in the pauses of revelry1 dying along the waters4 ,meanwhile1 from other boats stationed in the least lighted places1 the workers of fire sent forth their wonders into the air4 ,bursting out from time to time1 as if in the very exuberance of joy1 these sallies of flame seemed to reach the sky1 and there breaking into a shower of sparkles1 shed such a splendour round1 as brightened even the white ,arabian hills1--making them shine like the brow of ,mount ,atlas at night1 when the fire from his own bosom is playing around its snows4 ,the opportunity which this luxurious mart afforded us1 of providing ourselves with other and less remarkable habiliments than those in which we had escaped from that nether world1 was too seasonable not to be gladly taken advantage of by both4 ,for myself1 the strange mystic garb that ,i wore was sufficiently concealed by my ,grecian mantle1 which ,i had luckily thrown round me on the night of my watch4 ,but the thin veil of my companion was a far less efficient disguise4 ,she had1 indeed1 flung away the golden beetles from her hair2 but the sacred robe of her order was still too visible1 and the stars of the bandelet shone brightly through her veil4 ,most gladly1 therefore1 did she avail herself of this opportunity of a change2 and1 as she took from a casket--which1 with the volume ,i had seen her reading1 appeared to be her only treasure--a small jewel1 to exchange for the simple garments she had chosen1 there fell out1 at the same time1 the very cross of silver1 which ,i had seen her kiss1 as may be remembered1 in the monumental chapel1 and which was afterwards pressed to my own lips4 ,this link 7for such it appeared to my imagination7 between us1 now revived in my heart all the burning feelings of that moment2--and1 had ,i not abruptly turned away1 my agitation would1 but too plainly1 have betrayed itself4 ,the object1 for which we had delayed in this gay scene1 being accomplished1 the sail was again spread1 and we proceeded on our course up the river4 ,the sounds and the lights we left behind died gradually away1 and we now floated along in moonlight and silence once more4 ,sweet dews1 worthy of being called 8the tears of ,isis10 fell through the air1 and every plant and flower sent its fragrance to meet them4 ,the wind1 just strong enough to bear us smoothly against the current1 scarcely stirred the shadow of the tamarisks on the water4 ,as the inhabitants from all quarters were collected at the nightfair1 the ,nile was more than usually still and solitary4 ,such a silence1 indeed1 prevailed1 that1 as we glided near the shore1 we could hear the rustling of the acacias1 as the chameleons ran up their stems4 ,it was1 altogether1 a night such as only the clime of ,egypt can boast1 when every thing lies lulled in that sort of bright tranquillity1 which1 we may imagine1 shines over the sleep of those happy spirits1 who are supposed to rest in the ,valley of the ,moon1 on their way to heaven4 ,by such a light1 and at such an hour1 seated1 side by side1 on the deck of that bark1 did we pursue our course up the lonely ,nile--each a mystery to the other--our thoughts1 our objects1 our very names a secret2--separated1 too1 till now1 by destinies so different1 the one1 a gay voluptuary of the ,garden of ,athens1 the other1 a secluded ,priestess of the ,temples of ,memphis2--and the only relation yet established between us being that dangerous one of love1 passionate love1 on one side1 and the most feminine and confiding dependence on the other4 ,the passing adventure of the nightfair had not only dispelled still more our mutual reserve1 but had supplied us with a subject on which we could converse without embarrassment4 ,from this topic ,i took care to lead on1 without interruption1 to others1--fearful lest our former silence should return1 and the music of her voice again be lost to me4 ,it was1 indeed1 only by thus indirectly unburdening my heart that ,i was enabled to refrain from the full utterance of all ,i thought and felt2 and the restless rapidity with which ,i flew from subject to subject was but an effort to escape from the only one in which my heart was interested4 8,how bright and happy10 said ,i1--pointing up to ,sothis1 the fair ,star of the ,waters1 which was just then sparkling brilliantly over our heads1--8,how bright and happy this world ought to be1 if--as your ,egyptian sages assert--yon pure and beautiful luminary was its birthstar60 ,then1 still leaning back1 and letting my eyes wander over the firmament1 as if seeking to disengage them from the fascination which they dreaded--8,to the study 7,i said71 for ages1 of skies like this1 may the pensive and mystic character of your nation be traced4 ,that mixture of pride and melancholy which naturally arises1 at the sight of those eternal lights shining out of darkness2--that sublime1 but saddened1 anticipation of a ,future1 which comes over the soul in the silence of such an hour1 when1 though ,death seems to reign in the repose of earth1 there are those beacons of ,immortality burning in the sky--0 ,pausing1 as ,i uttered the word 8immortality10 with a sigh to think how little my heart echoed to my lips1 ,i looked in the face of the maiden1 and saw that it had lighted up1 as ,i spoke1 into a glow of holy animation1 such as ,faith alone gives--such as ,hope herself wears1 when she is dreaming of heaven4 ,touched by the contrast1 and gazing upon her with mournful tenderness1 ,i found my arms half opened1 to clasp her to my heart1 while the words died away inaudibly upon my lips1--8thou1 too1 beautiful maiden6 must thou1 too1 die for ever80 ,my selfcommand1 ,i felt1 had nearly deserted me4 ,rising abruptly from my seat1 ,i walked to the middle of the deck1 and stood1 for some moments1 unconsciously gazing upon one of those fires1 which1--as is the custom of all who travel by night upon the ,nile1--our boatmen had just kindled1 to scare away the crocodiles from the vessel4 ,but it was in vain that ,i endeavoured to compose my spirit4 ,every effort ,i made but more deeply convinced me1 that1 till the mystery which hung round that maiden should be solved--till the secret1 with which my own bosom laboured1 should be disclosed--it was fruitless to attempt even a semblance of tranquillity4 ,my resolution was therefore taken2--to lay open1 at least1 my own heart1 as far as such a revelation might be risked1 without startling the timid innocence of my companion4 ,thus resolved1 ,i returned1 with more composure1 to my seat by her side1 and taking from my bosom the small mirror which she had dropped in the ,temple1 and which ,i had ever since worn suspended round my neck1 with a trembling hand presented it to her view4 ,the boatmen had just kindled one of their nightfires near us1 and its light1 as she leaned forward towards the mirror1 fell on her face4 ,the quick blush of surprise with which she recognised it to be hers1 and her look of bashful1 yet eager1 inquiry1 in raising her eyes to mine1 were appeals to which ,i was not1 of course1 slow in answering4 ,beginning with the first moment when ,i saw her in the ,temple1 and passing hastily1 but with words that burned as they went1 over the impression which she had then left upon my heart and fancy1 ,i proceeded to describe the particulars of my descent into the pyramid--my surprise and adoration at the door of the chapel--my encounter with the ,trials of ,initiation1 so mysteriously prepared for me1 and all the various visionary wonders ,i had witnessed in that region1 till the moment when ,i had seen her stealing from under the ,veils to approach me4 ,though1 in detailing these events1 ,i had said but little of the feelings they had awakened in me1--though my lips had sent back many a sentence1 unuttered1 there was still enough that could neither be subdued or disguised1 and which1 like that light from under the veils of her own ,isis1 glowed through every word that ,i spoke4 ,when ,i told of the scene in the chapel1--of the silent interview which ,i had witnessed between the dead and the living1--the maiden leaned down her head and wept1 as from a heart full of tears4 ,it seemed a pleasure to her1 however1 to listen2 and1 when she looked at me again1 there was an earnest and affectionate cordiality in her eyes1 as if the knowledge of my having been present at that mournful scene had opened a new source of sympathy and intelligence between us4 ,so neighbouring are the fountains of ,love and of ,sorrow1 and so imperceptibly do they often mingle their streams4 ,little1 indeed1 as ,i was guided by art or design1 in my manner and conduct to this innocent girl1 not all the most experienced gallantry of the ,garden could have dictated a policy half so seductive as that which my new master1 ,love1 now taught me4 ,the ardour which1 shown at once1 and without reserve1 might have startled a heart so little prepared for it1 thus checked and softened by the timidity of real love1 won its way without alarm1 and1 when most diffident of success1 most triumphed4 ,like one whose sleep is gradually broken by music1 the maiden's heart was awakened without being disturbed4 ,she followed the charm1 unconscious whither it led1 nor was aware of the flame she had lighted in another's bosom1 till she perceived the reflection of it glimmering in her own4 ,impatient as ,i was to appeal to her generosity and sympathy1 for a similar proof of confidence to that which ,i had just given1 the night was now too far advanced for me to impose such a task upon her4 ,after exchanging a few words1 in which1 though little was said1 there was a tone and manner that spoke far more than language1 we took a lingering leave of each other for the night1 with every prospect of still being together in our dreams4 ,,chap4 ,,xiii4 ,it was so near the dawn of day when we parted1 that we again found the sun sinking westward when we rejoined each other4 ,the smile with which she met me1--so frankly cordial1--might have been taken for the greeting of a long mellowed friendship1 did not the blush and the castdown eyelid1 that followed1 give symptoms of a feeling newer and less calm4 ,for myself1 lightened as ,i was1 in some degree1 by the confession which ,i had made1 ,i was yet too conscious of the new aspect thus given to our intercourse1 to feel altogether unembarrassed at the prospect of returning to the theme4 ,it was1 therefore1 willingly we both suffered our attention to be diverted1 by the variety of objects that presented themselves on the way1 from a subject that both equally trembled to approach4 ,the river was now full of life and motion4 ,every moment we met with boats descending the current1 so independent of aid from sail or oar1 that the sailors sat idly upon the deck as they shot along1 singing or playing upon their doublereeded pipes4 ,of these boats1 the greater number came loaded with merchandise from ,coptos1--some with those large emeralds1 from the mine in the desert1 whose colours1 it is said1 are brightest at the full of the moon1 and some laden with frankincense from the acaciagroves near the ,red ,sea4 ,on the decks of others1 that had been to the ,golden ,mountains beyond ,syene1 were heaped blocks and fragments of that sweetsmelling wood1 which the ,green ,nile of ,nubia washes down in the season of the floods4 ,our companions up the stream were far less numerous4 ,occasionally a boat1 returning lightened from the fair of last night1 with those high sails that catch every breeze from over the hills1 shot past us2--while1 now and then1 we overtook one of those barges full of bees1 that at this season of the year1 are sent to colonise the gardens of the south1 and take advantage of the first flowers after the inundation has passed away4 ,by these various objects we were1 for a short time1 enabled to divert the conversation from lighting and settling upon the one subject1 round which it continually hovered4 ,but the effort1 as might be expected1 was not long successful4 ,as evening advanced1 the whole scene became more solitary4 ,we less frequently ventured to look upon each other1 and our intervals of silence grew more long4 ,it was near sunset1 when1 in passing a small temple on the shore1 whose porticoes were now full of the evening light1 we saw1 issuing from a thicket of acanthus near it1 a train of young maids linked together in the dance by lotusstems1 held at arms' length between them4 ,their tresses were also wreathed with this emblem of the season1 and such a profusion of the white flowers were twisted round their waists and arms1 that they might have been taken1 as they gracefully bounded along the bank1 for ,nymphs of the ,nile1 risen freshly from their gardens under the wave4 ,after looking for a few moments at this sacred dance1 the maid turned away her eyes1 with a look of pain1 as if the remembrances it recalled were of no welcome nature4 ,this momentary retrospect1 this glimpse into the past1 seemed to offer a sort of clue to the secret for which ,i panted2--and1 gradually and delicately as my impatience would allow1 ,i availed myself of it4 ,her frankness1 however1 saved me the embarrassment of much questioning4 ,she even seemed to feel that the confidence ,i sought was due to me1 and beyond the natural hesitation of maidenly modesty1 not a shade of reserve or evasion appeared4 ,to attempt to repeat1 in her own touching words1 the simple story which she now related to me1 would be like endeavouring to note down some strain of unpremeditated music1 with those fugitive graces1 those felicities of the moment1 which no art can restore1 as they first met the ear4 ,from a feeling1 too1 of humility1 she had omitted in her narrative some particulars relating to herself1 which ,i afterwards learned2--while others1 not less important1 she but slightly passed over1 from a fear of wounding the prejudices of her heathen hearer4 ,i shall1 therefore1 give her story1 as the outline which she1 herself1 sketched was afterwards filled up by a pious and venerable hand1--far1 far more worthy than mine of being associated with the memory of such purity4 ,,story ,,of ,,al,,the4 8,the mother of this maiden was the beautiful ,theora of ,alexandria1 who1 though a native of that city1 was descended from ,grecian parents4 ,when very young1 ,theora was one of the seven maidens selected1 to note down the discourses of the eloquent ,origen1 who1 at that period1 presided over the ,school of ,alexandria1 and was in all the fulness of his fame1 both among ,pagans and ,christians4 ,endowed richly with the learning of both creeds1 he brought the natural light of philosophy to elucidate the mysteries of faith1 and was only proud of his knowledge of the wisdom of this world1 inasmuch as it ministered to the triumph of divine truth4 8,though he had courted in vain the crown of martyrdom1 it was held1 throughout his life1 suspended over his head1 and in more than one persecution1 he had evinced his readiness to die for that faith which he lived but to testify and adorn4 ,on one of these occasions1 his tormentors1 having habited him like an ,egyptian priest1 placed him upon the steps of the ,temple of ,serapis1 and commanded that he should1 in the manner of the ,pagan ministers1 present palmbranches to the multitude who went up to the shrine4 ,but the courageous ,christian disappointed their views4 ,holding forth the branches with an unshrinking hand1 he cried aloud1 #8,come hither and take the branch1 not of an ,idol ,temple1 but of ,christ4' 8,so indefatigable was this learned ,father in his studies1 that1 while composing his ,commentary on the ,scriptures1 he was attended by seven scribes or notaries1 who relieved each other in taking down the dictates of his eloquent tongue2 while the same number of young females1 selected for the beauty of their penmanship1 were employed in arranging and transcribing the precious leaves4 8,among the scribes so selected1 was the fair young ,theora1 whose parents1 though attached to the ,pagan worship1 were not unwilling to profit by the accomplishments of their daughter1 thus devoted to a task which they considered purely mechanical4 ,to the maid herself1 however1 her task brought far other feelings and consequences4 ,she read anxiously as she wrote1 and the divine truths1 so eloquently illustrated1 found their way1 by degrees1 from the page to her heart4 ,deeply1 too1 as the written words affected her1 the discourses from the lips of the great teacher himself1 which she had frequent opportunities of hearing1 sunk still more deeply into her mind4 ,there was1 at once1 a sublimity and gentleness in his views of religion1 which1 to the tender hearts and lively imaginations of women1 never failed to appeal with convincing power4 ,accordingly1 the list of his female pupils was numerous2 and the names of ,barbara1 ,juliana1 ,heras1 and others1 bear honourable testimony to his influence over that sex4 8,to ,theora the feeling1 with which his discourses inspired her1 was like a new soul1--a consciousness of spiritual existence1 unfelt before4 ,by the eloquence of the comment she was awakened into admiration of the text2 and when1 by the kindness of a ,catechumen of the school1 who had been struck by her innocent zeal1 she1 for the first time1 became possessor of a copy of the ,scriptures1 she could not sleep for thinking of her sacred treasure4 ,with a mixture of pleasure and fear she hid it from all eyes1 and was like one who had received a divine guest under her roof1 and felt fearful of betraying its divinity to the world4 8,a heart so awake would have been easily secured to the faith1 had her opportunities of hearing the sacred word continued4 ,but circumstances arose to deprive her of this advantage4 ,the mild ,origen1 long harassed and thwarted in his labours by the tyranny of the ,bishop of ,alexandria1 ,demetrius1 was obliged to relinquish his school and fly from ,egypt4 ,the occupation of the fair scribe was1 therefore1 at an end3 her intercourse with the followers of the new faith ceased2 and the growing enthusiasm of her heart gave way to more worldly impressions4 8,love1 among the rest1 had its share in alienating her thoughts from religion4 ,while still very young1 she became the wife of a ,greek adventurer1 who had come to ,egypt as a purchaser of that rich tapestry1 in which the needles of ,persia are rivalled by the looms of the ,nile4 ,having taken his young bride to ,memphis1 which was still the great mart of this merchandise1 he there1 in the midst of his speculations1 died1--leaving his widow on the point of becoming a mother1 while1 as yet1 but in her nineteenth year4 8,for single and unprotected females1 it has been1 at all times1 a favourite resource1 to seek admission into the service of some of those great temples1 which absorb so much of the wealth and power of ,egypt4 ,in most of these institutions there exists an order of ,priestesses1 which1 though not hereditary1 like that of the ,priests1 is provided for by ample endowments1 and confers that rank and station1 with which1 in a government so theocratic1 ,religion is sure to invest even her humblest handmaids4 ,from the general policy of the ,sacred ,college of ,memphis1 it may be concluded1 that an accomplished female1 like ,theora1 found but little difficulty in being chosen one of the ,priestesses of ,isis2 and it was in the service of the subterranean shrines that her ministry chiefly lay4 8,here1 a month or two after her admission1 she gave birth to ,alethe1 who first opened her eyes among the unholy pomps and specious miracles of this mysterious region4 ,though ,theora1 as we have seen1 had been diverted by other feelings from her first enthusiasm for the ,christian faith1 she had never wholly forgot the impression then made upon her4 ,the sacred volume1 which the pious ,catechumen had given her1 was still treasured with care2 and1 though she seldom opened its pages1 there was an idea of sanctity associated with it in her memory1 and often would she sit to look upon it with reverential pleasure1 recalling the happiness she felt when it was first made her own4 8,the leisure of her new retreat1 and the lone melancholy of widowhood1 led her still more frequently to indulge in such thoughts1 and to recur to those consoling truths which she had heard in the school of ,alexandria4 ,she now began to peruse eagerly the sacred book1 drinking deep of the fountain of which she before but tasted1 and feeling--what thousands of mourners1 since her1 have felt--that ,christianity is the true religion of the sorrowful4 8,this study of her secret hours became still more dear to her1 from the peril with which1 at that period1 it was attended1 and the necessity she was under of concealing from those around her the precious light that had been kindled in her heart4 ,too timid to encounter the fierce persecution1 which awaited all who were suspected of a leaning to ,christianity1 she continued to officiate in the pomps and ceremonies of the ,temple2--though1 often1 with such remorse of soul1 that she would pause1 in the midst of the rites1 and pray inwardly to ,god1 that he would forgive this profanation of his ,spirit4 8,in the mean time her daughter1 the young ,alethe1 grew up still lovelier than herself1 and added1 every hour1 to her happiness and her fears4 ,when arrived at a sufficient age1 she was taught1 like the other children of the priestesses1 to take a share in the service and ceremonies of the shrines4 ,the duty of some of these young servitors was to look after the flowers for the altar2--of others1 to take care that the sacred vases were filled every day with fresh water from the ,nile4 ,the task of some was to preserve1 in perfect polish1 those silver images of the moon which the priests carried in processions2 while others were1 as we have seen1 employed in feeding the consecrated animals1 and in keeping their plumes and scales bright1 for the admiring eyes of their worshippers4 8,the office allotted to ,alethe--the most honourable of these minor ministries--was to wait upon the sacred birds of the ,moon1 to feed them with those eggs from the ,nile which they loved1 and provide for their use that purest water1 which alone these delicate birds will touch4 ,this employment was the delight of her childish hours2 and that ibis1 which ,alciphron 7the ,epicurean7 saw her dance round in the ,temple1 was her favourite1 of all the sacred flock1 and had been daily fondled and fed by her from infancy4 8,music1 as being one of the chief spells of this enchanted region1 was an accomplishment required of all its ministrants2 and the harp1 the lyre1 and the sacred flute1 sounded nowhere so sweetly as that through these subterranean gardens4 ,the chief object1 indeed1 in the education of the youth of the ,temple1 was to fit them1 by every grace of art and nature1 to give effect to the illusion of those shows and phantasms1 in which the whole charm and secret of ,initiation lay4 8,among the means employed to support the old system of superstition1 against the infidelity and1 still more1 the new ,faith that menaced it1 was an increased display of splendour and marvels in those ,mysteries for which ,egypt has so long been celebrated4 ,of these ceremonies so many imitations had1 under various names1 been multiplied through ,europe1 that the parent superstition ran a risk of being eclipsed by its progeny2 and1 in order still to retain their rank of the first ,priesthood in the world1 those of ,egypt found it necessary to continue still the best impostors4 8,accordingly1 every contrivance that art could devise1 or labour execute--every resource that the wonderful knowledge of the ,priests1 in pyrotechny1 mechanics1 and dioptrics1 could command1 was brought into action to heighten the effect of their ,mysteries1 and give an air of enchantment to every thing connected with them4 8,the final scene of beatification--the ,elysium1 into which the ,initiate was received1--formed1 of course1 the leading attraction of these ceremonies2 and to render it captivating alike to the senses of the man of pleasure1 and the imagination of the spiritualist1 was the object to which the whole skill and attention of the ,sacred ,college were devoted4 ,by the influence of the ,priests of ,memphis over those of the other ,temples they had succeeded in extending their subterranean frontier1 both to the north and south1 so as to include1 within their everlighted ,paradise1 some of the gardens excavated for the use of the other ,twelve ,shrines4 8,the beauty of the young ,alethe1 the touching sweetness of her voice1 and the sensibility that breathed throughout her every look and movement1 rendered her a powerful auxiliary in such appeals to the imagination4 ,she was1 accordingly1 from her childhood1 selected from among her fair companions1 as the most worthy representative of spiritual loveliness1 in those pictures of ,elysium--those scenes of another world--by which not only the fancy1 but the reason1 of the excited ,aspirants was dazzled4 8,to the innocent child herself these shows were pastime4 ,but to ,theora1 who knew too well the imposition to which they were subservient1 this profanation of all that she loved was a perpetual source of horror and remorse4 ,often would she--when ,alethe stood smiling before her1 arrayed1 perhaps1 as a spirit of the ,elysian world1--turn away1 with a shudder1 from the happy child1 almost fancying that she already saw the shadows of sin descending over that innocent brow1 as she gazed on it4 8,as the intellect of the young maid became more active and inquiring1 the apprehensions and difficulties of the mother increased4 ,afraid to communicate her own precious secret1 lest she should involve her child in the dangers that encompassed it1 she yet felt it to be no less a cruelty than a crime to leave her wholly immersed in the darkness of ,paganism4 ,in this dilemma1 the only resource that remained to her was to select1 and disengage from the dross that surrounded them1 those pure particles of truth which lie at the bottom of all religions2--those feelings1 rather than doctrines1 which ,god has never left his creatures without1 and which1 in all ages1 have furnished1 to those who sought it1 some clue to his glory4 8,the unity and perfect goodness of the ,creator2 the fall of the human soul into corruption2 its struggles with the darkness of this world1 and its final redemption and reascent to the source of all spirit2--these natural solutions of the problem of our existence1 these elementary grounds of all religion and virtue1 which ,theora had heard illustrated by her ,christian teacher1 lay also1 she knew1 veiled under the theology of ,egypt2 and to impress them1 in all their abstract purity1 upon the mind of her susceptible pupil1 was1 in default of more heavenly lights1 her sole ambition and care4 8,it was their habit1 after devoting their mornings to the service of the ,temple1 to pass their evenings and nights in one of those small mansions above ground1 allotted to some of the most favoured ,priestesses1 in the precincts of the ,sacred ,college4 ,here1 out of the reach of those gross superstitions1 which pursued them1 at every step1 below1 she endeavoured to inform1 as far as she might1 the mind of her beloved girl2 and found it lean as naturally and instinctively to truth1 as plants that have been long shut up in darkness will1 when light is let in1 incline themselves to its ray4 8,frequently1 as they sat together on the terrace at night1 contemplating that assembly of glorious stars1 whose beauty first misled mankind into idolatry1 she would explain to the young listener by what gradations it was that the worship1 thus transferred from the ,creator to the creature1 sunk lower and lower in the scale of being1 till man1 at length1 presumed to deify man1 and by the most monstrous of inversions1 heaven was made the mirror of earth1 reflecting all its most earthly features4 8,even in the ,temple itself1 the anxious mother would endeavour to interpose her purer lessons among the idolatrous ceremonies in which they were engaged4 ,when the favourite ibis of ,alethe took its station on the shrine1 and the young maiden was seen approaching1 with all the gravity of worship1 the very bird which she had played with but an hour before1--when the acaciabough1 which she herself had plucked1 seemed to acquire a sudden sacredness in her eyes1 as soon as the priest had breathed on it1--on all such occasions ,theora1 though with fear and trembling1 would venture to suggest to the youthful worshipper the distinction that should be drawn between the sensible object of adoration1 and that spiritual1 unseen ,deity1 of which it was but the remembrancer or type4 8,with sorrow1 however1 she soon discovered that1 in thus but partially enlightening a mind too ardent to be satisfied with such glimmerings1 she only bewildered the heart that she meant to guide1 and cut down the hope round which its faith twined1 without substituting any other support in its place4 ,as the beauty1 too1 of ,alethe began to attract all eyes1 new fears crowded upon the mother's heart2--fears1 in which she was but too much justified by the characters of some of those around her4 8,in this sacred abode1 as may easily be conceived1 morality did not always go hand in hand with religion4 ,the hypocritical and ambitious ,orcus1 who was1 at this period1 ,high ,priest of ,memphis1 was a man1 in every respect1 qualified to preside over a system of such splendid fraud4 ,he had reached that effective time of life1 when enough of the warmth of youth remains to give animation to the counsels of age4 ,but1 in his instance1 youth had only the baser passions to bequeath1 while age but contributed a more refined maturity of mischief4 ,the advantages of a faith appealing so wholly to the senses1 were well understood by him2 nor was he ignorant that the only way of making religion subservient to his own interests was by shaping it adroitly to the passions of others4 8,the state of misery and remorse in which the mind of ,theora was kept by the scenes1 however veiled by hypocrisy1 which she witnessed around her1 became at length intolerable4 ,no perils that the cause of truth could bring with it would be half so dreadful as this endurance of sinfulness and deceit4 ,her child was1 as yet1 pure and innocent2--but1 without that sentinel of the soul1 ,religion1 how long might she continue so8 8,this thought at once decided her2--all other fears vanished before it4 ,she resolved instantly to lay open to ,alethe the whole secret of her soul2 to make her1 who was her only hope on earth1 the sharer of all her hopes in heaven1 and then fly with her1 as soon as possible1 from this unhallowed place1 to the desert--to the mountains--to any place1 however desolate1 where ,god and the consciousness of innocence might be with them4 8,the promptitude with which her young pupil caught from her the divine truths1 was even beyond what she expected4 ,it was like the lighting of one torch at another1--so prepared was ,alethe's mind for the illumination4 ,amply was the mother now repaid for all her misery1 by this perfect communion of love and faith1 and by the delight with which she saw her beloved child--like the young antelope1 when first led by her dam to the well1--drink thirstily by her side1 at the source of all life and truth4 8,but such happiness was not long to last4 ,the anxieties that ,theora had suffered preyed upon her health4 ,she felt her strength daily decline2 and the thoughts of leaving1 alone and unguarded in the world1 that treasure which she had just devoted to heaven1 gave her a feeling of despair which but hastened the ebb of life4 ,had she put in practice her resolution of flying from this place1 her child might have been now beyond the reach of all she dreaded1 and in the solitude of the wilderness would have found at least safety from wrong4 ,but the very happiness she had felt in her new task diverted her from this project2--and it was now too late1 for she was already dying4 8,she concealed1 however1 her state from the tender and sanguine girl1 who1 though she saw the traces of disease on her mother's cheek1 little knew that they were the hastening footsteps of death1 nor thought even of the possibility of losing what was so dear to her4 ,too soon1 however1 the moment of separation arrived2 and while the anguish and dismay of ,alethe were in proportion to the security in which she had indulged1 ,theora1 too1 felt1 with bitter regret1 that she had sacrificed to her fond consideration much precious time1 and that there now remained but a few brief and painful moments1 for the communication of all those wishes and instructions1 on which the future destiny of the young orphan depended4 8,she had1 indeed1 time for little more than to place the sacred volume solemnly in her hands1 to implore that she would1 at all risks1 fly from this unholy place1 and1 pointing in the direction of the mountains of the ,sad1 to name1 with her last breath1 the holy man1 to whom1 under heaven1 she trusted for the protection and salvation of her child4 8,the first violence of feeling to which ,alethe gave way was succeeded by a fixed and tearless grief1 which rendered her insensible1 for some time1 to the dangers of her situation4 ,her only comfort was in visiting that monumental chapel1 where the beautiful remains of ,theora lay4 ,there1 night after night1 in contemplation of those placid features1 and in prayers for the peace of the departed spirit1 did she pass her lonely1 and--sad as they were--happiest hours4 ,though the mystic emblems that decorated that chapel were but ill suited to the slumber of a ,christian saint1 there was one among them1 the ,cross1 which1 by a remarkable coincidence1 is an emblem common alike to the ,gentile and the ,christian1--being1 to the former1 a shadowy type of that immortality1 of which1 to the latter1 it is a substantial and assuring pledge4 8,nightly1 upon this cross1 which she had often seen her lost mother kiss1 did she breathe forth a solemn and heartfelt vow1 never to abandon the faith which that departed spirit had bequeathed to her4 ,to such enthusiasm1 indeed1 did her heart at such moments rise1 that1 but for the last injunctions from those pallid lips1 she would1 at once1 have avowed her perilous secret1 and spoken out the words1 #8,i am a ,christian1' among those benighted shrines6 8,but the will of her1 to whom she owed more than life1 was to be obeyed4 ,to escape from this haunt of superstition must now1 she felt1 be her first object2 and1 in devising the means of effecting it1 her mind1 day and night1 was employed4 ,it was with a loathing not to be concealed she now found herself compelled to resume her idolatrous services at the shrine4 ,to some of the offices of ,theora she succeeded1 as is the custom1 by inheritance2 and in the performance of these--sanctified as they were in her eyes by the pure spirit she had seen engaged in them--there was a sort of melancholy pleasure in which her sorrow found relief4 ,but the part she was again forced to take1 in the scenic shows of the ,mysteries1 brought with it a sense of wrong and degradation which she could no longer bear4 8,she had already formed1 in her own mind1 a plan of escape1 in which her knowledge of all the windings of this subterranean realm gave her confidence1 when the reception of ,alciphron1 as an ,initiate1 took place4 8,from the first moment of the landing of that philosopher at ,alexandria1 he had become an object of suspicion and watchfulness to the inquisitorial ,orcus1 whom philosophy1 in any shape1 naturally alarmed1 but to whom the sect over which the young ,athenian presided was particularly obnoxious4 ,the accomplishments of ,alciphron1 his popularity1 wherever he went1 and the freedom with which he indulged his wit at the expense of religion1 was all faithfully reported to the ,high ,priest by his spies1 and stirred up within him no kindly feelings towards the stranger4 ,in dealing with an infidel1 such a personage as ,orcus could know no alternative but that of either converting or destroying him2 and though his spite1 as a man1 would have been more gratified by the latter proceeding1 his pride1 as a priest1 led him to prefer the triumph of the former4 8,the first descent of the ,epicurean into the pyramid was speedily known1 and the alarm immediately given to the ,priests below4 ,as soon as it was discovered that the young philosopher of ,athens was the intruder1 and that he still continued to linger round the pyramid1 looking often and wistfully towards the portal1 it was concluded that his curiosity would impel him to try a second descent2 and ,orcus1 blessing the good chance which had thus brought the wild bird to his net1 determined not to allow an opportunity so precious to be wasted4 8,instantly1 the whole of that wonderful machinery1 by which the phantasms and illusions of ,initiation are produced1 were put in active preparation throughout that subterranean realm2 and the increased stir and watchfulness excited among its inmates1 by this more than ordinary display of all the resources of priestcraft1 rendered the accomplishment of ,alethe's design1 at such a moment1 peculiarly difficult4 ,wholly ignorant of the share which had fallen to herself in attracting the young philosopher down to this region1 she but heard of him vaguely1 as the ,chief of a great ,grecian sect1 who had been led1 by either curiosity or accident1 to expose himself to the first trials of ,initiation1 and whom the priests1 she saw1 were endeavouring to ensnare in their toils1 by every art and skill with which their science of darkness had gifted them4 8,to her mind1 the image of a philosopher1 such as ,alciphron had been represented to her1 came associated with ideas of age and reverence2 and1 more than once1 the possibility of his being made instrumental to her deliverance flashed a hope across her heart in which she could not help indulging4 ,often had she been told by ,theora of the many ,gentile sages1 who had laid their wisdom down humbly at the foot of the ,cross2 and though this ,initiate1 she feared1 could hardly be among the number1 yet the rumours which she had gathered from the servants of the ,temple1 of his undisguised contempt for the errors of heathenism1 led her to hope she might find tolerance1 if not sympathy1 in her appeal to him4 8,nor was it solely with a view to her own chance of deliverance that she thus connected him in her thoughts with the plan which she meditated4 ,the look of proud and selfgratulating malice1 with which the ,high ,priest had mentioned this #8infidel1' as he styled him1 when instructing her in the scene she was to enact before the philosopher in the valley1 but too plainly informed her of the destiny that hung over him4 ,she knew how many were the hapless candidates for ,initiation1 who had been doomed to a durance worse than that of the grave1 for but a word1 a whisper breathed against the sacred absurdities which they witnessed2 and it was evident to her that the venerable ,greek 7for such her fancy represented ,alciphron7 was no less interested in escaping from this region than herself4 8,her own resolution was1 at all events1 fixed4 ,that visionary scene1 in which she had appeared before ,alciphron1--little knowing how ardent were the heart and imagination1 over which her beauty1 at that moment1 shed its whole influence1--was1 she solemnly resolved1 the very last unholy service1 that superstition or imposture should ever command of her4 8,on the following night the ,aspirant was to watch in the ,great ,temple of ,isis4 ,such an opportunity of approaching and addressing him might never come again4 ,should he1 from compassion for her situation1 or a sense of the danger of his own1 consent to lend his aid to her flight1 most gladly would she accept it1--assured that no danger or treachery she might risk could be half so dreadful as those she left behind4 ,should he1 on the contrary1 refuse1 her determination was equally fixed--to trust to that ,god1 who watches over the innocent1 and go forth alone4 8,to reach the island in ,lake ,mris was her first object1 and there occurred luckily1 at this time1 a mode of accomplishing it1 by which the difficulty and dangers of the attempt would be1 in a great degree1 diminished4 ,the day of the annual visitation of the ,high ,priest to the ,place of ,weeping--as that island in the centre of the lake is called--was now fast approaching2 and ,alethe well knew that the selfmoving car1 by which the ,high ,priest and one of the ,hierophants are conveyed to the chambers under the lake1 stood waiting in readiness4 ,by availing herself of this expedient1 she would gain the double advantage both of facilitating her own flight and retarding the speed of her pursuers4 8,having paid a last visit to the tomb of her beloved mother1 and wept there1 long and passionately1 till her heart almost failed in the struggle1--having paused1 too1 to give a kiss to her favourite ibis1 which1 though too much a ,christian to worship1 she was still child enough to love1--with a trembling step she went early to the ,sanctuary1 and hid herself in one of the recesses of the ,shrine4 ,her intention was to steal out from thence to ,alciphron1 while it was yet dark1 and before the illumination of the great ,statue behind the ,veils had begun4 ,but her fears delayed her till it was almost too late2--already was the image lighted up1 and still she remained trembling in her hiding place4 8,in a few minutes more the mighty ,veils would have been withdrawn1 and the glories of that scene of enchantment laid open1--when1 at length1 summoning up courage1 and taking advantage of a momentary absence of those employed in the preparations of this splendid mockery1 she stole from under the ,veil and found her way1 through the gloom1 to the ,epicurean4 ,there was then no time for explanation2--she had but to trust to the simple words1 #8,follow1 and be silent2' and the implicit readiness with which she found them obeyed filled her with no less surprise than the philosopher himself felt in hearing them4 8,in a second or two they were on their way through the subterranean windings1 leaving the ministers of ,isis to waste their splendours on vacancy1 through a long series of miracles and visions which they now exhibited1--unconscious that he1 whom they took such pains to dazzle1 was already1 under the guidance of the young ,christian1 removed beyond the reach of their spells40 ,,chap4 ,,xiv4 ,such was the story1 of which this innocent girl gave me1 in her own touching language1 the outline4 ,the sun was just rising as she finished her narrative4 ,fearful of encountering the expression of those feelings with which1 she could not but observe1 ,i was affected by her recital1 scarcely had she concluded the last sentence1 when1 rising abruptly from her seat1 she hurried into the pavilion1 leaving me with the words already crowding for utterance to my lips4 ,oppressed by the various emotions1 thus sent back upon my heart1 ,i lay down on the deck in a state of agitation1 that defied even the most distant approaches of sleep4 ,while every word she had uttered1 every feeling she expressed1 but ministered new fuel to that flame within me1 to describe which1 passion is too weak a word1 there was also much of her recital that disheartened1 that alarmed me4 ,to find a ,christian thus under the garb of a ,memphian ,priestess1 was a discovery that1 had my heart been less deeply interested1 would but have more powerfully stimulated my imagination and pride4 ,but1 when ,i recollected the austerity of the faith she had embraced1--the tender and sacred tie1 associated with it in her memory1 and the devotion of woman's heart to objects thus consecrated1--her very perfections but widened the distance between us1 and all that most kindled my passion at the same time chilled my hopes4 ,were we left to each other1 as on this silent river1 in this undisturbed communion of thoughts and feelings1 ,i knew too well1 ,i thought1 both her sex's nature and my own1 to feel a doubt that love would ultimately triumph4 ,but the severity of the guardianship to which ,i must resign her1--some monk of the desert1 some stern ,solitary1--the influence such a monitor would gain over her mind1 and the horror with which1 ere long1 she would be taught to regard the reprobate infidel on whom she now smiled1--in all this prospect ,i saw nothing but despair4 ,after a few short hours1 my happiness would be at an end1 and such a dark chasm open between our fates1 as must sever them1 far as earth is from heaven1 asunder4 ,it was true1 she was now wholly in my power4 ,i feared no witnesses but those of earth1 and the solitude of the desert was at hand4 ,but though ,i acknowledged not a heaven1 ,i worshipped her who was1 to me1 its type and substitute4 ,if1 at any moment1 a single thought of wrong or deceit1 towards a creature so sacred1 arose in my mind1 one look from her innocent eyes averted the sacrilege4 ,even passion itself felt a holy fear in her presence1--like the flame trembling in the breeze of the sanctuary1--and ,love1 pure ,love1 stood in place of ,religion4 ,as long as ,i knew not her story1 ,i might indulge1 at least1 in dreams of the future4 ,but1 now--what hope1 what prospect remained8 ,my sole chance of happiness lay in the feeble hope of beguiling away her thoughts from the plan which she meditated2 of weaning her1 by persuasion1 from that austere faith1 which ,i had before hated and now feared1 and of--attaching her1 perhaps1 alone and unlinked as she was in the world1 to my own fortunes for ever6 ,in the agitation of these thoughts1 ,i had started from my restingplace1 and continued to pace up and down1 under a burning sun1 till1 exhausted both by thought and feeling1 ,i sunk down1 amid its blaze1 into a sleep1 which1 to my fevered brain1 seemed a sleep of fire4 ,on awaking1 ,i found the veil of ,alethe laid carefully over my brow1 while she1 herself1 sat near me1 under the shadow of the sail1 looking anxiously at that leaf1 which her mother had given her1 and apparently employed in comparing its outlines with the course of the river and the forms of the rocky hills by which we passed4 ,she looked pale and troubled1 and rose eagerly to meet me1 as if she had long and impatiently waited for my waking4 ,her heart1 it was plain1 had been disturbed from its security1 and was beginning to take alarm at its own feelings4 ,but1 though vaguely conscious of the peril to which she was exposed1 her reliance1 as is usually the case1 increased with her danger1 and on me1 far more than on herself1 did she depend for saving her from it4 ,to reach1 as soon as possible1 her asylum in the desert1 was now the urgent object of her entreaties and wishes2 and the selfreproach she expressed at having permitted her thoughts to be diverted1 for a single moment1 from this sacred purpose1 not only revealed the truth1 that she had forgotten it1 but betrayed even a glimmering consciousness of the cause4 ,her sleep1 she said1 had been broken by illomened dreams4 ,every moment the shade of her mother had stood before her1 rebuking her1 with mournful looks1 for her delay1 and pointing1 as she had done in death1 to the eastern hills4 ,bursting into tears at this accusing recollection1 she hastily placed the leaf1 which she had been examining1 in my hands1 and implored that ,i would ascertain1 without a moment's delay1 what portion of our voyage was still unperformed1 and in what space of time we might hope to accomplish it4 ,i had1 still less than herself1 taken note of either place or distance2 and1 had we been left to glide on in this dream of happiness1 should never have thought of pausing to ask where it would end4 ,but such confidence1 ,i felt1 was too sacred to be deceived4 ,reluctant as ,i was1 naturally1 to enter on an inquiry1 which might so soon dissipate even my last hope1 her wish was sufficient to supersede even the selfishness of love1 and on the instant ,i proceeded to obey her will4 ,there is1 on the eastern bank of the ,nile1 to the north of ,antine1 a high and steep rock1 impending over the flood1 which for ages1 from a prodigy connected with it1 has borne the name of the ,mountain of the ,birds4 ,yearly1 it is said1 at a certain season and hour1 large flocks of birds assemble in the ravine1 of which this rocky mountain forms one of the sides1 and are there observed to go through the mysterious ceremony of inserting each its beak into a particular cleft of the rock1 till the cleft closes upon one of their number1 when the rest1 taking wing1 leave the selected victim to die4 ,through the ravine where this charm--for such the multitude consider it--is worked1 there ran1 in ancient times1 a canal from the ,nile1 to some great and forgotten city that now lies buried in the desert4 ,to a short distance from the river this canal still exists1 but1 soon after having passed through the defile1 its scanty waters disappear altogether1 and are lost under the sands4 ,it was in the neighbourhood of this place1 as ,i could collect from the delineations on the leaf1--where a flight of birds represented the name of the mountain1--that the dwelling of the ,solitary1 to whom ,alethe was bequeathed1 lay4 ,imperfect as was my knowledge of the geography of ,egypt1 it at once struck me1 that we had long since left this mountain behind2 and1 on inquiring of our boatmen1 ,i found my conjecture confirmed4 ,we had1 indeed1 passed it1 as appeared1 on the preceding night2 and1 as the wind had1 ever since1 blown strongly from the north1 and the sun was already declining towards the horizon1 we must now be1 at least1 an ordinary day's sail to the southward of the spot4 ,at this discovery1 ,i own1 my heart felt a joy which ,i could with difficulty conceal4 ,it seemed to me as if fortune was conspiring with love1 and1 by thus delaying the moment of our separation1 afforded me at least a chance of happiness4 ,her look1 too1 and manner1 when informed of our mistake1 rather encouraged than chilled this secret hope4 ,in the first moment of astonishment1 her eyes opened upon me with a suddenness of splendour1 under which ,i felt my own wink1 as if lightning had crossed them4 ,but she again1 as suddenly1 let their lids fall1 and1 after a quiver of her lip1 which showed the conflict of feeling within1 crossed her arms upon her bosom1 and looked silently down upon the deck2--her whole countenance sinking into an expression1 sad1 but resigned1 as if she felt1 with me1 that fate was on the side of wrong1 and saw ,love already stealing between her soul and heaven4 ,i was not slow in availing myself of what ,i fancied to be the irresolution of her mind4 ,but1 fearful of exciting alarm by any appeal to tenderer feelings1 ,i but addressed myself to her imagination1 and to that love of novelty1 which is for ever fresh in the youthful breast4 ,we were now approaching that region of wonders1 ,thebes4 8,in a day or two10 said ,i1 8we shall see1 towering above the waters1 the colossal ,avenue of ,sphinxes1 and the bright ,obelisks of the ,sun4 ,we shall visit the plain of ,memnon1 and those mighty statues1 that fling their shadows at sunrise over the ,libyan hills4 ,we shall hear the image of the ,son of the ,morning answering to the first touch of light4 ,from thence1 in a few hours1 a breeze like this will transport us to those sunny islands near the cataracts2 there1 to wander1 among the sacred palmgroves of ,phil1 or sit1 at noontide hour1 in those cool alcoves1 which the waterfall of ,syene shadows under its arch4 ,oh1 who1 with such scenes of loveliness within reach1 would turn coldly away to the bleak desert1 and leave this fair world1 with all its enchantments1 shining behind them1 unseen and unenjoyed8 ,at least10--,i added1 tenderly taking her by the hand1--8at least1 let a few more days be stolen from the dreary fate to which thou hast devoted thyself1 and then----0 ,she had heard but the last few words2--the rest had been lost upon her4 ,startled by the tone of tenderness1 into which1 in spite of all my resolves1 my voice had softened1 she looked for an instant in my face1 with passionate earnestness2--then1 dropping upon her knees with her clasped hands upraised1 exclaimed--8,tempt me not1 in the name of ,god ,i implore thee1 tempt me not to swerve from my sacred duty4 ,oh1 take me instantly to that desert mountain1 and ,i will bless thee for ever40 ,this appeal1 ,i felt1 could not be resisted1--though my heart were to break for it4 ,having silently expressed my assent to her prayer1 by a pressure of her hand as ,i raised her from the deck1 ,i hastened1 as we were still in full career for the south1 to give orders that our sail should be instantly lowered1 and not a moment lost in retracing our course4 ,in proceeding1 however1 to give these directions1 it1 for the first time1 occurred to me1 that1 as ,i had hired this yacht in the neighbourhood of ,memphis1 where it was probable that the flight of the young fugitive would be most vigilantly tracked1 we should act imprudently in betraying to the boatmen the place of her retreat2--and the present seemed the most favourable opportunity of evading such a danger4 ,desiring1 therefore1 that we should be landed at a small village on the shore1 under pretence of paying a visit to some shrine in the neighbourhood1 ,i there dismissed our barge1 and was relieved from fear of further observation1 by seeing it again set sail1 and resume its course fleetly up the current4 ,from the boats of all descriptions that lay idle beside the bank1 ,i now selected one1 which1 in every respect1 suited my purpose1--being1 in its shape and accommodations1 a miniature of our former vessel1 but so small and light as to be manageable by myself alone1 and1 with the advantage of the current1 requiring little more than a hand to steer it4 ,this boat ,i succeeded1 without much difficulty1 in purchasing1 and1 after a short delay1 we were again afloat down the current2--the sun just then sinking1 in conscious glory1 over his own golden shrines in the ,libyan waste4 ,the evening was more calm and lovely than any that yet had smiled upon our voyage2 and1 as we left the bank1 there came soothingly over our ears a strain of sweet1 rustic melody from the shore4 ,it was the voice of a young ,nubian girl1 whom we saw kneeling on the bank before an acacia1 and singing1 while her companions stood round1 the wild song of invocation1 which1 in her country1 they address to that enchanted tree3-- 8,oh6 ,abyssinian tree1 ,we pray1 we pray1 to thee2 ,by the glow of thy golden fruit1 ,and the violet hue of thy flower1 ,and the greeting mute ,of thy bough's salute ,to the stranger who seeks thy bower47#f7 ,,ii4 8,oh6 ,abyssinian tree1 ,how the traveller blesses thee1 ,when the night no moon allows1 ,and the sunset hour is near1 ,and thou bend'st thy boughs ,to kiss his brows1 ,saying1 #8,come rest thee here4' ,oh6 ,abyssinian tree1 ,thus bow thy head to me60 ,in the burden of this song the companions of the young ,nubian joined2 and we heard the words1 8,oh6 ,abyssinian tree10 dying away on the breeze1 long after the whole group had been lost to our eyes4 ,whether1 in this new arrangement which ,i had made for our voyage1 any motive1 besides those which ,i professed1 had a share1 ,i can scarcely1 even myself1 so bewildered were my feelings1 determine4 ,but no sooner had the current borne us away from all human dwellings1 and we were alone on the waters1 with not a soul near1 than ,i felt how closely such solitude draws hearts together1 and how much more we seemed to belong to each other1 than when there were eyes around4 ,the same feeling1 but without the same sense of its danger1 was manifest in every look and word of ,alethe4 ,the consciousness of the one great effort she had made appeared to have satisfied her heart on the score of duty1--while the devotedness with which she saw ,i attended to her every wish1 was felt with all that gratitude which1 in woman1 is the dayspring of love4 ,she was1 therefore1 happy1 innocently happy2 and the confiding1 and even affectionate1 unreserve of her manner1 while it rendered my trust more sacred1 made it also far more difficult4 ,it was only1 however1 on subjects unconnected with our situation or fate1 that she yielded to such interchange of thought1 or that her voice ventured to answer mine4 ,the moment ,i alluded to the destiny that awaited us1 all her cheerfulness fled1 and she became saddened and silent4 ,when ,i described to her the beauty of my own native land--its founts of inspiration and fields of glory--her eyes sparkled with sympathy1 and sometimes even softened into fondness4 ,but when ,i ventured to whisper1 that1 in that glorious country1 a life full of love and liberty awaited her2 when ,i proceeded to contrast the adoration and bliss she might command1 with the gloomy austerities of the life to which she was hastening1--it was like the coming of a sudden cloud over a summer sky4 ,her head sunk1 as she listened2--,i waited in vain for an answer2 and when1 half playfully reproaching her for this silence1 ,i stooped to take her hand1 ,i could feel the warm tears fast falling over it4 ,but even this--little hope as it held out--was happiness4 ,though it foreboded that ,i should lose her1 it also whispered that ,i was loved4 ,like that lake1 in the ,land of ,roses7#g71 whose waters are half sweet1 half bitter1 ,i felt my fate to be a compound of bliss and pain1--but the very pain well worth all ordinary bliss4 ,and thus did the hours of that night pass along2 while every moment shortened our happy dream1 and the current seemed to flow with a swifter pace than any that ever yet hurried to the sea4 ,not a feature of the whole scene but is1 at this moment1 freshly in my memory2--the broken starlight on the water2--the rippling sound of the boat1 as1 without oar or sail1 it went1 like a thing of enchantment1 down the stream2--the scented fire1 burning beside us on the deck1 and1 oh1 that face1 on which its light fell1 still revealing1 as it turned1 some new charm1 some blush or look1 more beautiful than the last4 ,often1 while ,i sat gazing1 forgetful of all else in this world1 our boat1 left wholly to itself1 would drive from its course1 and1 bearing us to the bank1 get entangled in the waterflowers1 or be caught in some eddy1 ere ,i perceived where we were4 ,once1 too1 when the rustling of my oar among the flowers had startled away from the bank some wild antelopes1 that had stolen1 at that still hour1 to drink of the ,nile1 what an emblem ,i thought it of the young heart beside me1--tasting1 for the first time1 of hope and love1 and so soon1 alas1 to be scared from their sweetness for ever6 ,,chap4 ,,xv4 ,the night was now far advanced2--the bend of our course towards the left1 and the closing in of the eastern hills upon the river1 gave warning of our approach to the hermit's dwelling4 ,every minute now seemed like the last of existence2 and ,i felt a sinking of despair at my heart1 which would have been intolerable1 had not a resolution that suddenly1 and as if by inspiration1 occurred to me1 presented a glimpse of hope which1 in some degree1 calmed my feelings4 ,much as ,i had1 all my life1 despised hypocrisy1--the very sect ,i had embraced being chiefly recommended to me by the war which they waged on the cant of all others1--it was1 nevertheless1 in hypocrisy that ,i now scrupled not to take refuge from1 what ,i dreaded more than shame or death1 my separation from ,alethe4 ,in my despair1 ,i adopted the humiliating plan--deeply humiliating as ,i felt it to be1 even amid the joy with which ,i welcomed it--of offering myself to this hermit1 as a convert to his faith1 and thus becoming the fellowdisciple of ,alethe under his care6 ,from the moment ,i resolved upon this plan1 my spirit felt lightened4 ,though having fully before my eyes the labyrinth of imposture into which it would lead me1 ,i thought of nothing but the chance of our being still together2--in this hope1 all pride1 all philosophy was forgotten1 and every thing seemed tolerable1 but the prospect of losing her4 ,thus resolved1 it was with somewhat less reluctant feelings1 that ,i now undertook1 at the anxious desire of ,alethe1 to ascertain the site of that wellknown mountain1 in the neighbourhood of which the dwelling of the anchoret lay4 ,we had already passed one or two stupendous rocks1 which stood1 detached1 like fortresses1 over the river's brink1 and which1 in some degree1 corresponded with the description on the leaf4 ,so little was there of life now stirring along the shores1 that ,i had begun almost to despair of any assistance from inquiry1 when1 on looking to the western bank1 ,i saw a boatman among the sedges1 towing his small boat1 with some difficulty1 up the current4 ,hailing him1 as we passed1 ,i asked1 8,where stands the ,mountain of the ,birds80--and he had hardly time to answer1 pointing above our heads1 8,there10 when we perceived that we were just then entering into the shadow1 which this mighty rock flings across the whole of the flood4 ,in a few moments we had reached the mouth of the ravine1 of which the ,mountain of the ,birds forms one of the sides1 and through which the scanty canal from the ,nile flows4 ,at the sight of this chasm1 in some of whose gloomy recesses--if we had rightly interpreted the leaf--the dwelling of the ,solitary lay1 our voices1 at once1 sunk into a low whisper1 while ,alethe looked round upon me with a superstitious fearfulness1 as if doubtful whether ,i had not already disappeared from her side4 ,a quick movement1 however1 of her hand towards the ravine1 told too plainly that her purpose was still unchanged4 ,with my oars1 therefore1 checking the career of our boat1 ,i succeeded1 after no small exertion1 in turning it out of the current of the river1 and steering into this bleak and stagnant canal4 ,our transition from life and bloom to the very depth of desolation1 was immediate4 ,while the water and one side of the ravine lay buried in shadow1 the white1 skeletonlike crags of the other stood aloft in the pale glare of moonlight4 ,the sluggish stream through which we moved1 yielded sullenly to the oar1 and the shriek of a few waterbirds1 which we had roused from their fastnesses1 was succeeded by a silence1 so dead and awful1 that our lips seemed afraid to disturb it by a breath2 and half whispered exclamations1 8,how dreary60--8,how dismal60--were almost the only words exchanged between us4 ,we had proceeded for some time through this gloomy defile1 when1 at a distance before us1 among the rocks on which the moonlight fell1 we perceived1 upon a ledge but little elevated above the canal1 a small hut or cave1 which1 from a tree or two planted around it1 had some appearance of being the abode of a human being4 8,this1 then10 thought ,i1 8is the home to which ,alethe is destined60--,a chill of despair came again over my heart1 and the oars1 as ,i gazed1 lay motionless in my hands4 ,i found ,alethe1 too1 whose eyes had caught the same object1 drawing closer to my side than she had yet ventured4 ,laying her hand agitatedly upon mine1 8,we must here10 she said1 8part for ever40 ,i turned to her1 as she spoke3 there was a tenderness1 a despondency in her countenance1 that at once saddened and inflamed my soul4 8,part60 ,i exclaimed passionately1--8,no6--the same ,god shall receive us both4 ,thy faith1 ,alethe1 shall1 from this hour1 be mine1 and ,i will live and die in this desert with thee60 ,her surprise1 her delight1 at these words1 was like a momentary delirium4 ,the wild1 anxious smile1 with which she looked into my face1 as if to ascertain whether she had1 indeed1 heard my words aright1 bespoke a happiness too much for reason to bear4 ,at length the fulness of her heart found relief in tears2 and1 murmuring forth an incoherent blessing on my name1 she let her head fall languidly and powerlessly on my arm4 ,the light from our boatfire shone upon her face4 ,i saw her eyes1 which she had closed for a moment1 again opening upon me with the same tenderness1 and--merciful ,providence1 how ,i remember that moment6--was on the point of bending down my lips towards hers1 when1 suddenly1 in the air above our heads1 as if it came from heaven1 there burst forth a strain from a choir of voices1 that with its solemn sweetness filled the whole valley4 ,breaking away from my caress at these supernatural sounds1 the maiden threw herself trembling upon her knees1 and1 not daring to look up1 exclaimed wildly1 8,my mother1 oh my mother60 ,it was the ,christian's morning hymn that we heard2--the same1 as ,i learned afterwards1 that1 on their high terrace at ,memphis1 ,alethe had been often taught by her mother to sing to the rising sun4 ,scarcely less startled than my companion1 ,i looked up1 and1 at the very summit of the rock above us1 saw a light1 appearing to come from a small opening or window1 through which also the sounds1 that had appeared so supernatural1 issued4 ,there could be no doubt1 that we had now found--if not the dwelling of the anchoret--at least1 the haunt of some of the ,christian brotherhood of these rocks1 by whose assistance we could not fail to find the place of his retreat4 ,the agitation1 into which ,alethe had been thrown by the first burst of that psalmody1 soon yielded to the softening recollections which it brought back2 and a calm came over her brow1 such as it had never before worn1 since our meeting4 ,she seemed to feel that she had now reached her destined haven1 and to hail1 as the voice of heaven itself1 those sounds by which she was welcomed to it4 ,in her tranquillity1 however1 ,i could not now sympathize4 ,impatient to know all that awaited her and myself1 ,i pushed our boat close to the base of the rock1--directly under that lighted window on the summit1 to find my way up to which was my first object4 ,having hastily received my instructions from ,alethe1 and made her repeat again the name of the ,christian whom we sought1 ,i sprang upon the bank1 and was not long in discovering a sort of rude stairway1 cut out of the rock1 but leading1 ,i found1 by easy windings1 up the steep4 ,after ascending for some time1 ,i arrived at a level space or ledge1 which the hand of labour had succeeded in converting into a garden1 and which was planted1 here and there1 with figtrees and palms4 ,around it1 too1 ,i could perceive1 through the glimmering light1 a number of small caves or grottos1 into some of which1 human beings might find entrance1 while others appeared no larger than the tombs of the ,sacred ,birds round ,lake ,mris4 ,i was still1 ,i found1 but halfway up the ascent to the summit1 nor could perceive any further means of continuing my course1 as the mountain from hence rose1 almost perpendicularly1 like a wall4 ,at length1 however1 on exploring around1 ,i discovered behind the shade of a sycamore a large ladder of wood1 resting firmly against the rock1 and affording an easy and secure ascent up the steep4 ,having ascertained thus far1 ,i again descended to the boat for ,alethe1--whom ,i found trembling already at her short solitude1--and having led her up the steps to this quiet garden1 left her safely lodged1 amid its holy silence1 while ,i pursued my way upward to the light on the rock4 ,at the top of the long ladder ,i found myself on another ledge or platform1 somewhat smaller than the first1 but planted in the same manner1 with trees1 and1 as ,i could perceive by the mingled light of morning and the moon1 embellished with flowers4 ,i was now near the summit2--there remained but another short ascent1 and1 as a ladder against the rock1 as before1 supplied the means of scaling it1 ,i was in a few minutes at the opening from which the light issued4 ,i had ascended gently1 as well from a feeling of awe at the whole scene1 as from an unwillingness to disturb too rudely the rites on which ,i intruded4 ,my approach was1 therefore1 unheard1 and an opportunity1 during some moments1 afforded me of observing the group within1 before my appearance at the window was discovered4 ,in the middle of the apartment1 which seemed once to have been a ,pagan oratory1 there was an assembly of seven or eight persons1 some male1 some female1 kneeling in silence round a small altar2--while1 among them1 as if presiding over their ceremony1 stood an aged man1 who1 at the moment of my arrival1 was presenting to one of the female worshippers an alabaster cup1 which she applied1 with much reverence1 to her lips4 ,on the countenance of the venerable minister1 as he pronounced a short prayer over her head1 there was an expression of profound feeling that showed how wholly he was absorbed in that rite2 and when she had drank of the cup1--which ,i saw had engraven on its side the image of a head1 with a glory round it1--the holy man bent down and kissed her forehead4 ,after this parting salutation1 the whole group rose silently from their knees2 and it was then1 for the first time1 that1 by a cry of terror from one of the women1 the appearance of a stranger at the window was discovered4 ,the whole assembly seemed startled and alarmed1 except him1 that superior person1 who1 advancing from the altar1 with an unmoved look1 raised the latch of the door1 which was adjoining to the window1 and admitted me4 ,there was1 in this old man's features1 a mixture of elevation and sweetness1 of simplicity and energy1 which commanded at once attachment and homage2 and half hoping1 half fearing to find in him the destined guardian of ,alethe1 ,i looked anxiously in his face1 as ,i entered1 and pronounced the name 8,melanius60 8,melanius is my name1 young stranger10 he answered2 8and whether in friendship or in enmity thou comest1 ,melanius blesses thee40 ,thus saying1 he made a sign with his right hand above my head1 while1 with involuntary respect1 ,i bowed beneath the benediction4 8,let this volume10 ,i replied1 8answer for the peacefulness of my mission10--at the same time1 placing in his hands the copy of the ,scriptures1 which had been his own gift to the mother of ,alethe1 and which her child now brought as the credential of her claims on his protection4 ,at the sight of this sacred pledge1 which he recognized instantly1 the solemnity that had marked his first reception of me softened into tenderness4 ,thoughts of other times seemed to pass through his mind1 and as1 with a sigh of recollection1 he took the book from my hands1 some words on the outer leaf caught his eye4 ,they were few1--but contained1 perhaps1 the last wishes of the dying ,theora1 for as he eagerly read them over1 ,i saw the tears in his aged eyes4 8,the trust10 he said1 with a faltering voice1 8is sacred1 and ,god will1 ,i hope1 enable his servant to guard it faithfully40 ,during this short dialogue1 the other persons of the assembly had departed--being1 as ,i afterwards learned1 brethren from the neighbouring bank of the ,nile1 who came thus secretly before daybreak1 to join in worshipping ,god4 ,fearful lest their descent down the rock might alarm ,alethe1 ,i hurried briefly over the few words of explanation that remained1 and1 leaving the venerable ,christian to follow at his leisure1 hastened anxiously down to rejoin the maiden4 ,,chap4 ,,xvi4 ,melanius was among the first of those ,christians of ,egypt1 who1 after the recent example of the hermit1 ,paul1 renouncing all the comforts of social existence1 betook themselves to a life of contemplation in the desert4 ,less selfish1 however1 in his piety1 than most of these ascetics1 ,melanius forgot not the world1 in leaving it4 ,he knew that man was not born to live wholly for himself2 that his relation to human kind was that of the link to the chain1 and that even his solitude should be turned to the advantage of others4 ,in flying1 therefore1 from the din and disturbance of life1 he sought not to place himself beyond the reach of its sympathies1 but selected a retreat1 where he could combine the advantage of solitude with those opportunities of serving his fellowmen1 which a neighbourhood to their haunts would afford4 ,that taste for the gloom of subterranean recesses1 which the race of ,misraim inherit from their ,ethiopian ancestors1 had1 by hollowing out all ,egypt into caverns and crypts1 furnished these ,christian anchorets with a choice of retreats4 ,accordingly1 some found a shelter in the grottos of ,elethya2--others1 among the royal tombs of the ,thebad4 ,in the middle of the ,seven ,valleys1 where the sun rarely shines1 a few have fixed their dim and melancholy retreat1 while others have sought the neighbourhood of the red ,lakes of ,nitria1 and there1--like those ,pagan solitaries of old1 who dwelt among the palmtrees near the ,dead ,sea1--muse amid the sterility of nature1 and seem to find1 in her desolation1 peace4 ,it was on one of the mountains of the ,sad1 to the east of the river1 that ,melanius1 as we have seen1 chose his place of seclusion1--between the life and fertility of the ,nile on the one side1 and the lone1 dismal barrenness of the desert on the other4 ,halfway down this mountain1 where it impends over the ravine1 he found a series of caves or grottos dug out of the rock1 which had1 in other times1 ministered to some purpose of mystery1 but whose use had been long forgotten1 and their recesses abandoned4 ,to this place1 after the banishment of his great master1 ,origen1 ,melanius1 with a few faithful followers1 retired1 and1 by the example of his innocent life1 no less than by his fervid eloquence1 succeeded in winning crowds of converts to his faith4 ,placed1 as he was1 in the neighbourhood of the rich city1 ,antino1 though he mingled not with its multitude1 his name and his fame were among them1 and1 to all who sought instruction or consolation1 the cell of the hermit was ever open4 ,notwithstanding the rigid abstinence of his own habits1 he was yet careful to provide for the comforts of others4 ,contented with a rude bed of straw1 himself1 for the stranger he had always a less homely restingplace4 ,from his grotto1 the wayfaring and the indigent never went unrefreshed2 and1 with the assistance of some of his brethren1 he had formed gardens along the ledges of the mountain1 which gave an air of cheerfulness to his rocky dwelling1 and supplied him with the chief necessaries of such a climate1 fruit and shade4 ,though the acquaintance which he had formed with the mother of ,alethe1 during the short period of her attendance at the school of ,origen1 was soon interrupted1 and never afterwards renewed1 the interest which he had then taken in her fate was too lively to be forgotten4 ,he had seen the zeal with which her young heart welcomed instruction2 and the thought that such a candidate for heaven should have relapsed into idolatry1 came often1 with disquieting apprehension1 over his mind4 ,it was1 therefore1 with true pleasure1 that1 but a year or two before her death1 he had learned1 by a private communication from ,theora1 transmitted through a ,christian embalmer of ,memphis1 that 8not only her own heart had taken root in the faith1 but that a new bud had flowered with the same divine hope1 and that1 ere long1 he might see them both transplanted to the desert40 ,the coming1 therefore1 of ,alethe was far less a surprise to him1 than her coming thus alone was a shock and a sorrow2 and the silence of their meeting showed how deeply each remembered that the tie which had brought them together was no longer of this world1--that the hand1 which should have been joined with theirs1 was in the tomb4 ,i now saw that not even religion was proof against the sadness of mortality4 ,for1 as the old man put the ringlets aside from her forehead1 and contemplated in that clear countenance the reflection of what her mother had been1 there was a mournfulness mingled with his piety1 as he said1 8,heaven rest her soul60 which showed how little even the certainty of a heaven for those we love can subdue our regret for having lost them on earth4 ,the full light of day had now risen upon the desert1 and our host1 reminded1 by the faint looks of ,alethe1 of the many anxious hours we had passed without sleep1 proposed that we should seek1 in the chambers of the rock1 such rest as the dwelling of a hermit could offer4 ,pointing to one of the largest openings1 as he addressed me1--8,thou wilt find10 he said1 8in that grotto a bed of fresh doum leaves1 and may the consciousness of having protected the orphan sweeten thy sleep60 ,i felt how dearly this praise had been earned1 and already almost repented of having deserved it4 ,there was a sadness in the countenance of ,alethe1 as ,i took leave of her1 to which the forebodings of my own heart but too faithfully responded2 nor could ,i help fearing1 as her hand parted lingeringly from mine1 that ,i had1 by this sacrifice1 placed her beyond my reach for ever4 ,having lighted me a lamp1 which1 in these recesses1 even at noon1 is necessary1 the holy man led me to the entrance of the grotto2--and here1 ,i blush to say1 my career of hypocrisy began4 ,with the sole view of obtaining another glance at ,alethe1 ,i turned humbly to solicit the benediction of the ,christian1 and1 having conveyed to her1 as ,i bent reverently down1 as much of the deep feeling of my soul as looks could express1 with a desponding spirit ,i hurried into the cavern4 ,a short passage led me to the chamber within1--the walls of which ,i found covered1 like those of the grottos of ,lycopolis1 with paintings1 which1 though executed long ages ago1 looked fresh as if their colours were but laid on yesterday4 ,they were1 all of them1 representations of rural and domestic scenes2 and1 in the greater number1 the melancholy imagination of the artist had called ,death in1 as usual1 to throw his shadow over the picture4 ,my attention was particularly drawn to one series of subjects1 throughout the whole of which the same group--a youth1 a maiden1 and two aged persons1 who appeared to be the father and mother of the girl1--were represented in all the details of their daily life4 ,the looks and attitudes of the young people denoted that they were lovers2 and1 sometimes1 they were seen sitting under a canopy of flowers1 with their eyes fixed on each other's faces1 as though they could never look away2 sometimes1 they appeared walking along the banks of the ,nile1 ----on one of those sweet nights ,when ,isis1 the pure star of lovers1 lights ,her bridal crescent o'er the holy stream1-- ,when wandering youths and maidens watch her beam1 ,and number o'er the nights she hath to run1 ,ere she again embrace her bridegroom sun4 ,through all these scenes of endearment the two elder persons stood by2--their calm countenances touched with a share of that bliss1 in whose perfect light the young lovers were basking4 ,thus far1 all was happiness1--but the sad lesson of mortality was to come4 ,in the last picture of the series1 one of the figures was missing4 ,it was that of the young maiden1 who had disappeared from among them4 ,on the brink of a dark lake stood the three who remained2 while a boat1 just departing for the ,city of the ,dead1 told too plainly the end of their dream of happiness4 ,this memorial of a sorrow of other times--of a sorrow1 ancient as death itself1--was not wanting to deepen the melancholy of my mind1 or to add to the weight of the many bodings that pressed on it4 ,after a night1 as it seemed1 of anxious and unsleeping thought1 ,i rose from my bed and returned to the garden4 ,i found the ,christian alone1--seated1 under the shade of one of his trees1 at a small table1 with a volume unrolled before him1 while a beautiful antelope lay sleeping at his feet4 ,struck forcibly by the contrast which he presented to those haughty priests1 whom ,i had seen surrounded by the pomp and gorgeousness of temples1 8,is this1 then10 thought ,i1 8the faith1 before which the world trembles--its temple the desert1 its treasury a book1 and its ,high ,priest the solitary dweller of the rock60 ,he had prepared for me a simple1 but hospitable1 repast1 of which fruits from his own garden1 the white bread of ,olyra1 and the juice of the honey cane were the most costly luxuries4 ,his manner to me was even more cordial than before2 but the absence of ,alethe1 and1 still more1 the ominous reserve1 with which he not only1 himself1 refrained from all mention of her name1 but eluded the few inquiries1 by which ,i sought to lead to it1 seemed to confirm all the fears ,i had felt in parting from her4 ,she had acquainted him1 it was evident1 with the whole history of our flight4 ,my reputation as a philosopher--my desire to become a ,christian--all was already known to the zealous ,anchoret1 and the subject of my conversion was the very first on which he entered4 ,o pride of philosophy1 how wert thou then humbled1 and with what shame did ,i stand1 casting down my eyes1 before that venerable man1 as1 with ingenuous trust in the sincerity of my intention1 he welcomed me to a participation of his holy hope1 and imprinted the ,kiss of ,charity on my infidel brow6 ,embarrassed as ,i felt by the consciousness of hypocrisy1 ,i was even still more perplexed by my total ignorance of the real tenets of the faith to which ,i professed myself a convert4 ,abashed and confused1 and with a heart sick at its own deceit1 ,i heard the animated and eloquent gratulations of the ,christian1 as though they were words in a dream1 without link or meaning2 nor could disguise but by the mockery of a reverential bow1 at every pause1 the entire want of selfpossession1 and even of speech1 under which ,i laboured4 ,a few minutes more of such trial1 and ,i must have avowed my imposture4 ,but the holy man saw my embarrassment2--and1 whether mistaking it for awe1 or knowing it to be ignorance1 relieved me from my perplexity by1 at once1 changing the theme4 ,having gently awakened his antelope from its sleep1 8,you have heard10 he said1 8,i doubt not1 of my brotheranchoret1 ,paul1 who1 from his cave in the marble mountains1 near the ,red ,sea1 sends hourly #8the sacrifice of thanksgiving' to heaven4 ,of his walks1 they tell me1 a lion is the companion2 but1 for me10 he added1 with a playful and significant smile1 8who try my powers of taming but on the gentler animals1 this feeble child of the desert is a far fitter playmate40 ,then1 taking his staff1 and putting the timeworn volume which he had been reading into a large goatskin pouch1 that hung by his side1 8,i will now10 said he1 8lead thee over my rocky kingdom1--that thou mayst see in what drear and barren places1 that #8fruit of the spirit1' ,peace1 may be gathered40 ,to speak of peace to a heart like mine1 at that moment1 was like talking of some distant harbour to the mariner sinking at sea4 ,in vain did ,i look round for some sign of ,alethe2--in vain make an effort even to utter her name4 ,consciousness of my own deceit1 as well as a fear of awakening in ,melanius any suspicion that might frustrate my only hope1 threw a fetter over my spirit and checked my tongue4 ,in silence1 therefore1 ,i followed1 while the cheerful old man1 with slow1 but firm1 step1 ascended the rock1 by the same ladders which ,i had mounted on the preceding night4 ,during the time when the ,decian ,persecution was raging1 many ,christians of this neighbourhood1 he informed me1 had taken refuge under his protection1 in these grottos2 and the chapel on the summit1 where ,i had found them at prayer1 was1 in those times of danger1 their place of retreat1 where1 by drawing up these ladders1 they were enabled to secure themselves from pursuit4 ,from the top of the rock1 the view1 on either side1 embraced the two extremes of fertility and desolation2 nor could the ,epicurean and the ,anchoret1 who now gazed from that height1 be at any loss to indulge their respective tastes1 between the living luxuriance of the world on one side1 and the dead repose of the desert on the other4 ,when we turned to the river1 what a picture of animation presented itself6 ,near us1 to the south1 were the graceful colonnades of ,antino1 its proud1 populous streets1 and triumphal monuments4 ,on the opposite shore1 rich plains1 teeming with cultivation to the water's edge1 offered up1 as from verdant altars1 their fruits to the sun2 while1 beneath us1 the ,nile1 ----the glorious stream1 ,that late between its banks was seen to glide1-- ,with shrines and marble cities1 on each side1 ,glittering1 like jewels strung along a chain1-- ,had now sent forth its waters1 and o'er plain ,and valley1 like a giant from his bed ,rising with outstretch'd limbs1 superbly spread4 ,from this scene1 on one side of the mountain1 we had but to turn round our eyes1 and it was as if nature herself had become suddenly extinct2--a wide waste of sands1 bleak and interminable1 wearying out the sun with its sameness of desolation2--black1 burntup rocks1 that stood as barriers1 at which life stopped2--while the only signs of animation1 past or present1 were the footprints1 here and there1 of an antelope or ostrich1 or the bones of dead camels1 as they lay whitening at a distance1 marking out the track of the caravans over the waste4 ,after listening1 while he contrasted1 in a few eloquent words1 the two regions of life and death on whose confines we stood1 ,i again descended with my guide to the garden we had left4 ,from thence1 turning into a path along the mountainside1 he conducted me to another row of grottos1 facing the desert1 which had once1 he said1 been the abode of those brethren in ,christ1 who had fled with him to this solitude from the crowded world1--but which death had1 within a few months1 rendered tenantless4 ,a cross of red stone1 and a few faded trees1 were the only traces these solitaries had left behind4 ,a silence of some minutes succeeded1 while we descended to the edge of the canal2 and ,i saw opposite1 among the rocks1 that solitary cave1 which had so chilled me with its aspect on the preceding night4 ,by the bank we found one of those rustic boats1 which the ,egyptians construct of planks of wild thorn1 bound rudely together with bands of papyrus4 ,placing ourselves in this boat1 and rather impelling than rowing it across1 we made our way through the foul and shallow flood1 and landed directly under the site of the cave4 ,this dwelling1 as ,i have already mentioned1 was situated upon a ledge of the rock2 and1 being provided with a sort of window or aperture to admit the light of heaven1 was accounted1 ,i found1 more cheerful than the grottos on the other side of the ravine4 ,but there was a dreariness in the whole region around1 to which light only lent more horror4 ,the dead whiteness of the rocks1 as they stood1 like ghosts1 in the sunshine2--that melancholy pool1 half lost in the sands2--all gave me the idea of a wasting world4 ,to dwell in such a place seemed to me like a living death2 and when the ,christian1 as we entered the cave1 said1 8,here is to be thy home10 prepared as ,i was for the worst1 my resolution gave way2--every feeling of disappointed passion and humbled pride1 which had been gathering round my heart for the last few hours1 found a vent at once1 and ,i burst into tears6 ,well accustomed to human weakness1 and perhaps guessing at some of the sources of mine1 the good ,hermit1 without appearing to notice this emotion1 expatiated1 with a cheerful air1 on1 what he called1 the many comforts of my dwelling4 ,sheltered1 he said1 from the dry1 burning wind of the south1 my porch would inhale the fresh breeze of the ,dogstar4 ,fruits from his own mountaingarden should furnish my repast4 ,the well of the neighbouring rock would supply my beverage2 and1 8here10 he continued1--lowering his voice into a more solemn tone1 as he placed upon the table the volume which he had brought1--8here1 my son1 is that #8well of living waters1' in which alone thou wilt find lasting refreshment or peace60 ,thus saying1 he descended the rock to his boat1 and after a few plashes of his oar had died upon my ear1 the solitude and silence around me was complete4 ,,chap4 ,,xvii4 ,what a fate was mine6--but a few weeks since1 presiding over that splendid ,festival of the ,garden1 with all the luxuries of existence tributary in my train2 and now1--selfhumbled into a solitary outcast1--the hypocritical pupil of a ,christian anchoret1--without even the excuse of fanaticism1 or of any other madness1 but that of love1 wild love1 to extenuate my fall6 ,were there a hope that1 by this humiliating waste of existence1 ,i might purchase but a glimpse1 now and then1 of ,alethe1 even the depths of the desert1 with such a chance1 would be welcome4 ,but to live--and live thus--without her1 was a misery which ,i neither foresaw nor could endure4 ,hating even to look upon the den to which ,i was doomed1 ,i hurried out into the air1 and found my way1 along the rocks1 to the desert4 ,the sun was going down1 with that bloodred hue1 which he so frequently wears1 in this clime1 at his setting4 ,i saw the sands1 stretching out1 like a sea1 to the horizon1 as if their waste extended to the very verge of the world1--and1 in the bitterness of my feelings1 rejoiced to see so much of creation rescued1 even by this barren liberty1 from the grasp of man4 ,the thought seemed to relieve my wounded pride1 and1 as ,i wandered over the dim and boundless solitude1 to be thus free1 even amid blight and desolation1 appeared a blessing4 ,the only living thing ,i saw was a restless swallow1 whose wings were of the hue of the grey sands over which he fluttered4 8,why may not the mind1 like this bird1 take the colour of the desert1 and sympathise in its austerity1 its freedom1 and its calm80--thus1 between despondence and defiance1 did ,i ask myself1 endeavouring to face with fortitude what yet my heart sickened to contemplate4 ,but the effort was unavailing4 ,overcome by that vast solitude1 whose repose was not the slumber of peace1 but the sullen and burning silence of hate1 ,i felt my spirit give way1 and even love itself yield to despair4 ,seating myself on a fragment of a rock1 and covering my eyes with my hands1 ,i made an effort to shut out the overwhelming prospect4 ,but in vain--it was still before me1 deepened by all that fancy could add2 and when1 again looking up1 ,i saw the last red ray of the sun1 shooting across that melancholy and lifeless waste1 it seemed to me like the light of the comet that once desolated this world1 shining out luridly over the ruin that it had made6 ,appalled by my own gloomy imaginations1 ,i turned towards the ravine2 and1 notwithstanding the disgust with which ,i had left my dwelling1 was not ill pleased to find my way1 over the rocks1 to it again4 ,on approaching the cave1 to my astonishment1 ,i saw a light within4 ,at such a moment1 any vestige of life was welcome1 and ,i hailed the unexpected appearance with pleasure4 ,on entering1 however1 ,i found the chamber as lonely as ,i had left it4 ,the light came from a lamp that burned brightly on the table2 beside it was unfolded the volume which ,melanius had brought1 and upon the leaves--oh1 joy and surprise--lay the wellknown cross of ,alethe6 ,what hand1 but her own1 could have prepared this reception for me8--,the very thought sent a hope into my heart1 before which all despondency fled4 ,even the gloom of the desert was forgotten1 and my cave at once brightened into a bower4 ,she had here reminded me1 herself1 by this sacred memorial1 of the vow which ,i had pledged to her under the ,hermit's rock2 and ,i now scrupled not to reiterate the same daring promise1 though conscious that through hypocrisy alone ,i could fulfil it4 ,eager to prepare myself for my task of imposture1 ,i sat down to the volume1 which ,i now found to be the ,hebrew ,scriptures2 and the first sentence1 on which my eyes fell1 was--8,the ,lord hath commanded the blessing1 even ,life for evermore60 ,startled by these words1 in which the ,spirit of my dream seemed again to pronounce his assuring prediction1 ,i raised my eyes from the page1 and repeated the sentence over and over1 as if to try whether the sounds had any charm or spell1 to reawaken that faded illusion in my soul4 ,but1 no--the rank frauds of the ,memphian priesthood had dispelled all my trust in the promises of religion4 ,my heart had again relapsed into its gloom of scepticism1 and1 to the word of 8,life10 the only answer it sent back was1 8,death60 ,impatient1 however1 to possess myself of the elements of a faith1 on which1--whatever it might promise for hereafter1--,i felt that my happiness here depended1 ,i turned over the pages with an earnestness and avidity1 such as never even the most favourite of my studies had awakened in me4 ,though1 like all1 who seek but the surface of learning1 ,i flew desultorily over the leaves1 lighting only on the more prominent and shining points1 ,i yet found myself1 even in this undisciplined career1 arrested1 at every page1 by the awful1 the supernatural sublimity1 the alternate melancholy and grandeur of the images that crowded upon me4 ,i had1 till now1 known the ,hebrew theology but through the platonising refinements of ,philo2--as1 in like manner1 for my knowledge of the ,christian doctrine ,i was indebted to my brother ,epicureans1 ,lucian and ,celsus4 ,little1 therefore1 was ,i prepared for the simple majesty1 the high tone of inspiration1--the poetry1 in short1 of heaven that breathed throughout these oracles4 ,could admiration have kindled faith1 ,i should1 that night1 have been a believer2 so elevated1 so awed was my imagination by that wonderful book1--its warnings of woe1 its announcements of glory1 and its unrivalled strains of adoration and sorrow4 ,hour after hour1 with the same eager and desultory curiosity1 did ,i turn over the leaves2--and when1 at length1 ,i lay down to rest1 my fancy was still haunted by the impressions it had received4 ,i went again through the various scenes of which ,i had read2 again called up1 in sleep1 the bright images that had charmed me1 and1 when wakened at daybreak by the ,hymn from the chapel1 fancied myself still listening to the sound of the winds1 sighing mournfully through the harps of ,israel on the willows4 ,starting from my bed1 ,i hurried out upon the rock1 with a hope that1 among the tones of that morning choir1 ,i might be able to distinguish the sweet voice of ,alethe4 ,but the strain had ceased2--,i caught only the last notes of the ,hymn1 as1 echoing up that lonely valley1 they died away into the silence of the desert4 ,with the first glimpse of light ,i was again at my study1 and1 notwithstanding the distraction both of my thoughts and looks towards the halfseen grottos of the ,anchoret1 pursued it perseveringly through the day4 ,still alive1 however1 but to the eloquence1 the poetry of what ,i read1 of its connection or authenticity1 as a history1 ,i never paused to consider4 ,my fancy being alone interested by it1 to fancy ,i referred all it contained2 and1 passing rapidly from annals to prophecy1 from narration to song1 regarded the whole but as a tissue of splendid allegories1 in which the melancholy of ,egyptian associations was interwoven with the rich imagery of the ,east4 ,towards sunset ,i saw the boat of ,melanius on its way1 across the canal1 to my cave4 ,though he had no other companion than his graceful antelope1 that stood snuffing the wild air of the desert1 as if scenting its home1 ,i felt his visit1 even thus1 to be a most welcome relief4 ,it was the hour1 he said1 of his evening ramble up the mountain1--of his accustomed visit to those cisterns of the rock1 from which he nightly drew his most precious beverage4 ,while he spoke1 ,i observed in his hand one of those earthen cups1 in which the inhabitants of the wilderness are accustomed to collect the fresh dew among the rocks4 ,having proposed that ,i should accompany him in his walk1 he led me1 in the direction of the desert1 up the side of the mountain that rose above my dwelling1 and which formed the southern wall or screen of the defile4 ,near the summit we found a seat1 where the old man paused to rest4 ,it commanded a full view over the desert1 and was by the side of one of those hollows in the rock1 those natural reservoirs1 in which the dews of night are treasured up for the refreshment of the dwellers in the wilderness4 ,having learned from me how far ,i had proceeded in my study1 8,in that light10 said he1 pointing to a small cloud in the east1 which had been formed on the horizon by the haze of the desert1 and was now faintly reflecting the splendours of sunset1--8in that light stands ,mount ,sinai1 of whose glory thou hast read2 on whose summit was the scene of one of those awful revelations1 in which the ,almighty has1 from time to time1 renewed his communication with ,man1 and kept alive the remembrance of his own ,providence in this world40 ,after a pause1 as if absorbed in the immensity of the subject1 the holy man continued his sublime theme4 ,looking back to the earliest annals of time1 he showed how constantly every relapse of the human race into idolatry has been followed by some manifestation of divine power1 chastening the proud by punishment1 and winning back the humble by love4 ,it was to preserve1 he said1 unextinguished upon earth1 that vital truth1--the ,creation of the world by one ,supreme ,being1--that ,god chose1 from among the nations1 an humble and enslaved race2--that he brought them out of their captivity 8on eagles' wings10 and1 surrounding every step of their course with miracles1 placed them before the eyes of all succeeding generations1 as the depositaries of his will1 and the everduring memorials of his power4 ,passing1 then1 in review the long train of inspired interpreters1 whose pens and whose tongues were made the echoes of the ,divine voice1 he traced7#h71 through the events of successive ages1 the gradual unfolding of the dark scheme of ,providence--darkness without1 but all light and glory within4 ,the glimpses of a coming redemption1 visible even through the wrath of heaven2--the long series of prophecy1 through which this hope runs1 burning and alive1 like a spark through a chain2--the merciful preparation of the hearts of mankind for the great trial of their faith and obedience that was at hand1 not only by miracles that appealed to the living1 but by predictions launched into futurity to carry conviction to the yet unborn2--8through all these glorious and beneficent gradations we may track10 said he1 8the manifest footsteps of a ,creator1 advancing to his grand1 ultimate end1 the salvation of his creatures40 ,after some hours devoted to these holy instructions1 we returned to the ravine1 and ,melanius left me at my cave2 praying1 as he parted from me1--with a benevolence ,i but ill1 alas6 deserved1--that my soul1 under these lessons1 might be 8as a watered garden10 and1 ere long1 bear 8fruit unto life eternal40 ,next morning1 ,i was again at my study1 and even more eager in the task than before4 ,with the commentary of the ,hermit freshly in my memory1 ,i again read through1 with attention1 the ,book of the ,law4 ,but in vain did ,i seek the promise of immortality in its pages4 8,it tells me10 said ,i1 8of a ,god coming down to earth1 but of the ascent of ,man to heaven it speaks not4 ,the rewards1 the punishments it announces1 lie all on this side of the grave2 nor did even the ,omnipotent offer to his own chosen servants a hope beyond the impassable limits of this world4 ,where1 then1 is the salvation of which the ,christian spoke8 or1 if ,death be at the root of the faith1 can ,life spring out of it60 ,again1 in the bitterness of disappointment1 did ,i mock at my own willing selfdelusion1--again rail at the arts of that traitress1 ,fancy1 ever ready1 like the ,delilah of this book1 to steal upon the slumbers of ,reason1 and deliver him up1 shorn and powerless1 to his foes4 ,if deception--thought ,i1 with a sigh--be necessary1 at least let me not practise it on myself2--in the desperate alternative before me1 let me rather be even hypocrite than dupe4 ,these selfaccusing reflections1 cheerless as they rendered my task1 did not abate1 for a single moment1 my industry in pursuing it4 ,i read on and on1 with a sort of sullen apathy1 neither charmed by style1 nor transported by imagery1--that fatal blight in my heart having communicated itself to my fancy and taste4 ,the curses and the blessings1 the glory and the ruin1 which the historian recorded and the prophet predicted1 seemed all of this world1--all1 temporal and earthly4 ,that mortality1 of which the fountainhead had tasted1 tinged the whole stream2 and when ,i read the words1 8all are of the dust1 and all turn to dust again10 a feeling1 like the wind of the desert1 came witheringly over me4 ,love1 ,beauty1 ,glory1 every thing most bright upon earth1 appeared sinking before my eyes1 under this dreadful doom1 into one general mass of corruption and silence4 ,possessed by the image of desolation ,i had called up1 ,i laid my head on the book1 in a paroxysm of despair4 ,death1 in all his most ghastly varieties1 passed before me2 and ,i had continued thus for some time1 as under the influence of a fearful vision1 when the touch of a hand upon my shoulder roused me4 ,looking up1 ,i saw the ,anchoret standing by my side2--his countenance beaming with that sublime tranquillity1 which a hope1 beyond this earth1 alone can bestow4 ,how ,i envied him6 ,we again took our way to the seat upon the mountain1--the gloom in my own mind making every thing around me more gloomy4 ,forgetting my hypocrisy in my feelings1 ,i1 at once1 avowed to him all the doubts and fears which my study of the morning had awakened4 8,thou art yet1 my son10 he answered1 8but on the threshold of our faith4 ,thou hast seen but the first rudiments of the ,divine plan2--its full and consummate perfection hath not yet opened upon thee4 ,however glorious that manifestation of ,divinity on ,mount ,sinai1 it was but the forerunner of another1 still more glorious1 that1 in the fulness of time1 was to burst upon the world2 when all1 that had seemed dim and incomplete1 was to be perfected1 and the promises1 shadowed out by the #8spirit of prophecy1' realized2--when the silence1 that lay1 as a seal1 on the future1 was to be broken1 and the glad tidings of life and immortality proclaimed to the world60 ,observing my features brighten at these words1 the pious man continued4 ,anticipating some of the holy knowledge that was in store for me1 he traced1 through all its wonders and mercies1 the great work of ,redemption1 dwelling on every miraculous circumstance connected with it2--the exalted nature of the ,being1 by whose ministry it was accomplished1 the noblest and first created of the ,sons of ,god1 inferior only to the one1 self existent ,father2--the mysterious incarnation of this heavenly messenger2--the miracles that authenticated his divine mission2--the example of obedience to ,god and love to man1 which he set1 as a shining light1 before the world for ever2--and1 lastly and chiefly1 his death and resurrection1 by which the covenant of mercy was sealed1 and 8life and immortality brought to light40 8,such10 continued the ,hermit1 8was the ,mediator1 promised through all time1 to #8make reconciliation for iniquity1' to change death into life1 and bring #8healing on his wings' to a darkened world4 ,such was the last crowning dispensation of that ,god of benevolence1 in whose hands sin and death are but instruments of everlasting good1 and who1 through apparent evil and temporary retribution1 bringing all things #8out of darkness into his marvellous light1' proceeds watchfully and unchangingly to the great1 final object of his providence1--the restoration of the whole human race to purity and happiness60 ,with a mind astonished1 if not touched1 by these discourses1 ,i returned to my cave2 and found the lamp1 as before1 ready lighted to receive me4 ,the volume which ,i had been reading was replaced by another1 which lay open upon the table1 with a branch of fresh palm between its leaves4 ,though ,i could not have a doubt to whose gentle hand ,i was indebted for this invisible superintendence over my studies1 there was yet a something in it1 so like spiritual interposition1 that it awed me2--and never more than at this moment1 when1 on approaching the volume1 ,i saw1 as the light glistened over its silver letters1 that it was the very ,book of ,life of which the ,hermit had spoken6 ,the orison of the ,christians had sounded through the valley1 before ,i raised my eyes from that sacred volume2 and the second hour of the sun found me again over its pages4 ,,chap4 ,,xviii4 ,in this mode of existence did ,i pass some days2--my mornings devoted to reading1 my nights to listening1 under the canopy of heaven1 to the holy eloquence of ,melanius4 ,the perseverance with which ,i enquired1 and the quickness with which ,i learned1 soon succeeded in deceiving my benevolent instructor1 who mistook curiosity for zeal and knowledge for belief4 ,alas6 cold1 and barren1 and earthly was that knowledge1--the word1 without the spirit1 the shape1 without the life4 ,even when1 as a relief from hypocrisy1 ,i persuaded myself that ,i believed1 it was but a brief delusion1 a faith1 whose hope crumbled at the touch1--like the fruit of the desertshrub1 shining and empty6 ,but1 though my soul was still dark1 the good ,hermit saw not into its depths4 ,the very facility of my belief1 which might have suggested some doubt of its sincerity1 was but regarded by his innocent zeal1 as a more signal triumph of the truth4 ,his own ingenuousness led him to a ready trust in others2 and the examples of such conversion as that of the philosopher1 ,justin1 who received the light into his soul during a walk by the seashore1 had prepared him for illuminations of the spirit1 even more rapid than mine4 ,during this time1 ,i neither saw nor heard of ,alethe2--nor could my patience have endured so long a privation1 had not those mute vestiges of her presence1 that welcomed me every night on my return1 made me feel that ,i was still living under her gentle influence1 and that her sympathy hung round every step of my progress4 ,once1 too1 when ,i ventured to speak her name to ,melanius1 though he answered not my enquiry1 there was a smile1 ,i thought1 of promise upon his countenance1 which love1 more alive than faith1 interpreted as it wished4 ,at length1--it was on the sixth or seventh evening of my solitude1 when ,i lay resting at the door of my cave1 alter the study of the day1--,i was startled by hearing my name called loudly from the opposite rocks1 and looking up1 saw1 on the cliff near the deserted grottos1 ,melanius and--oh1 ,i could not doubt--my ,alethe by his side6 ,though ,i had never ceased1 since the first night of my return from the desert1 to flatter myself with the fancy that ,i was still living in her presence1 the actual sight of her again made me feel what an age we had been separated4 ,she was clothed all in white1 and1 as she stood in the last remains of the sunshine1 appeared to my too prophetic fancy like a parting spirit1 whose last footsteps on earth that glory encircled4 ,with a delight only to be imagined1 ,i saw them descend the rocks1 and placing themselves in the boat1 proceed towards my cave4 ,to disguise from ,melanius the feelings with which we met was impossible2--nor did ,alethe even attempt to make a secret of her innocent joy4 ,though blushing at her own happiness1 she could as little conceal it1 as the clear waters of ,ethiopia can hide their gold4 ,every look1 too1 every word1 spoke a fulness of affection1 to which1 doubtful as ,i was of our tenure of happiness1 ,i knew not how to answer4 ,i was not long1 however1 left ignorant of the bright fate that awaited me2 but1 as we wandered or rested among the rocks1 learned every thing that had been arranged since our parting4 ,she had made the ,hermit1 ,i found1 acquainted with all that had passed between us2 had told him1 without reserve1 every incident of our voyage1--the avowals1 the demonstrations of affection on one side1 and the deep sentiment that gratitude had awakened on the other4 ,too wise to regard feelings1 so natural1 with severity1--knowing that they were of heaven1 and but made evil by man1--the good ,hermit had heard of our attachment with pleasure2 and1 proved as he thought the purity of my views had been1 by the fidelity with which ,i had delivered up my trust into his hands1 saw1 in my affection for the young orphan1 but a providential resource against that friendless solitude in which his death must soon leave her4 ,as ,i collected these particulars from their discourse1 ,i could hardly trust my ears4 ,it seemed too much happiness to be real2 nor can words give an idea of the joy--the shame--the wonder with which ,i listened1 while the holy man himself declared1 that he awaited but the moment1 when he should find me worthy of becoming a member of the ,christian ,church1 to give me also the hand of ,alethe in that sacred union1 which alone sanctifies love1 and makes the faith1 which it pledges1 heavenly4 ,it was but yesterday1 he added1 that his young charge1 herself1 after a preparation of prayer and repentance1 such as even her pure spirit required1 had been admitted1 by the sacred ordinance of baptism1 into the bosom of the faith2--and the white garment she wore1 and the ring of gold on her finger1 8were symbols10 he said1 8of that ,new ,life into which she had been initiated40 ,i raised my eyes to her as he spoke1 but withdrew them again1 dazzled and confused4 ,even her beauty1 to my imagination1 seemed to have undergone some brightening change2 and the contrast between that open and happy countenance1 and the unblest brow of the infidel that stood before her1 abashed me into a sense of unworthiness1 and almost checked my rapture4 ,to that night1 however1 ,i look back1 as an epoch in my existence4 ,it proved that sorrow is not the only awakener of devotion1 but that joy may sometimes call the holy spark into life4 ,returning to my cave1 with a heart full1 even to oppression1 of its happiness1 ,i knew no other relief to my overcharged feelings than that of throwing myself on my knees1 and1 for the first time in my life1 uttering a prayer1 that if1 indeed1 there were a ,being who watched over mankind1 he would send down one ray of his truth into my soul1 and make it worthy of the blessings1 both here and hereafter1 proffered to me6 ,my days now rolled on in a perfect dream of happiness4 ,every hour of the morning was welcomed as bringing nearer and nearer the blest time of sunset1 when the ,hermit and ,alethe never failed to pay their visit to my now charmed cave1 where her smile left a light1 at each parting1 that lasted till her return4 ,then1 our rambles1 by starlight1 over the mountain2--our pauses1 on the way1 to contemplate the bright wonders of that heaven above us2--our repose by the cistern of the rock1 and our silent listening1 through hours that seemed minutes1 to the holy eloquence of our teacher2--all1 all was happiness of the most heartfelt kind1 and such as even the doubts1 the cold1 lingering doubts1 that still hung1 like a mist1 around my heart1 could neither cloud nor chill4 ,when the moonlight nights returned1 we used to venture into the desert2 and those sands1 which but lately had appeared to me so desolate1 now wore even a cheerful and smiling aspect4 ,to the light1 innocent heart of ,alethe every thing was a source of enjoyment4 ,for her1 even the desert had its jewels and flowers2 and1 sometimes1 her delight was to search among the sands for those beautiful pebbles of jasper that abound in them2--sometimes1 her eyes sparkled on finding1 perhaps1 a stunted marigold1 or one of those bitter1 scarlet flowers1 that lend their mockery of ornament to the desert4 ,in all these pursuits and pleasures the good ,hermit took a share1--mingling with them occasionally the reflections of a benevolent piety1 that lent its own cheerful hue to all the works of creation1 and saw the consoling truth 8,god is ,love10 written legibly every where4 ,such was1 for a few weeks1 my blissful life4 ,oh mornings of hope1 oh nights of happiness1 with what mournful pleasure do ,i retrace your flight1 and how reluctantly pass to the sad events that followed6 ,during this time1 in compliance with the wishes of ,melanius1 who seemed unwilling that ,i should become wholly estranged from the world1 ,i occasionally paid a visit to the neighbouring city1 ,antino1 which1 as the capital of the ,thebaid1 is the centre of all the luxury of ,upper ,egypt4 ,here1--so changed was my every feeling by the alltransforming passion that possessed me1--,i wandered1 unamused and uninterested by either the scenes or the people that surrounded me1 and1 sighing for that rocky solitude where ,alethe breathed1 felt this to be the wilderness1 and that1 the world4 ,even the thoughts of my own native ,athens1 that were called up1 at every step1 by the light1 ,grecian architecture of this imperial city1 did not awaken one single regret in my heart--one wish to exchange even an hour of my desert for the best luxuries and honours that awaited me in the ,garden4 ,i saw the arches of triumph2--,i walked under the superb portico1 which encircles the whole city with its marble shade2--,i stood in the ,circus of the ,sun1 by whose rosecoloured pillars the mysterious movements of the ,nile are measured2--all these bright ornaments of glory and art1 as well as the gay multitude that enlivened them1 ,i saw with an unheeding eye4 ,if they awakened in me any thought1 it was the mournful idea1 that1 one day1 like ,thebes and ,heliopolis1 this pageant would pass away1 leaving nothing behind but a few mouldering ruins1--like the seashells found where the ocean has been1--to tell that the great tide of ,life was once there6 ,but1 though indifferent thus to all that had formerly attracted me1 there were subjects1 once alien to my heart1 on which it was now most tremblingly alive2 and some rumours which had reached me1 in one of my visits to the city1 of an expected change in the policy of the ,emperor towards the ,christians1 filled me with apprehensions as new as they were dreadful to me4 ,the peace and even favour which the ,christians enjoyed1 during the first four years of the reign of ,valerian1 had removed from them all fear of a renewal of those horrors1 which they had experienced under the rule of his predecessor1 ,decius4 ,of late1 however1 some less friendly dispositions had manifested themselves4 ,the bigots of the court1 taking alarm at the spread of the new faith1 had succeeded in filling the mind of the monarch with that religious jealousy1 which is the everready parent of cruelty and injustice4 ,among these counsellors of evil was ,macrianus1 the ,prtorian ,prefect1 who was1 by birth1 an ,egyptian1 and--so akin is superstition to intolerance--had long made himself notorious by his addiction to the dark practices of demonworship and magic4 ,from this minister1 who was now high in the favour of ,valerian1 the expected measures of severity against the ,christians1 it was supposed1 would emanate4 ,all tongues1 in all quarters1 were busy with the news4 ,in the streets1 in the public gardens1 on the steps of the temples1 ,i saw1 every where1 groups of enquirers collected1 and heard the name of ,macrianus upon every tongue4 ,it was dreadful1 too1 to observe1 in the countenances of those who spoke1 the variety of feeling with which the rumour was discussed1 according as they desired or dreaded its truth1--according as they were likely to be among the torturers or the victims4 ,alarmed1 though still ignorant of the whole extent of the danger1 ,i hurried back to the ravine1 and1 going at once to the grotto of ,melanius1 detailed to him every particular of the intelligence ,i had collected4 ,he heard me with a composure1 which ,i mistook1 alas1 for confidence in his security2 and1 naming the hour for our evening walk1 retired into his grotto4 ,at the accustomed time ,alethe and he were at my cave4 ,it was evident that he had not communicated to her the intelligence which ,i had brought1 for never did brow wear such a happiness as that which now played round hers2--it was1 alas1 not of this earth6 ,melanius1 himself1 though composed1 was thoughtful2 and the solemnity1 almost approaching to melancholy1 with which he placed the hand of ,alethe in mine--in the performance1 too1 of a ceremony that ought to have filled my heart with joy--saddened and alarmed me4 ,this ceremony was our betrothment1--the plighting of our faith to each other1--which we now solemnized on the rock before the door of my cave1 in the face of that sunset heaven1 with its one star standing as witness4 ,after a blessing from the ,hermit on our spousal pledge1 ,i placed the ring1--the earnest of our future union--on her finger1 and1 in the blush1 with which she surrendered her whole heart to me at that instant1 forgot every thing but my happiness1 and felt secure1 even against fate6 ,we took our accustomed walk over the rocks and on the desert4 ,the moon was so bright1--like the daylight1 indeed1 of other climes--that we could see plainly the tracks of the wild antelopes in the sand2 and it was not without a slight tremble of feeling in his voice1 as if some melancholy analogy occurred to him as he spoke1 that the good ,hermit said1 8,i have observed in my walks1 that whereever the track of that gentle animal is seen1 there is1 almost always1 the footprint of a beast of prey near it40 ,he regained1 however1 his usual cheerfulness before we parted1 and fixed the following evening for an excursion1 on the other side of the ravine1 to a point1 looking1 he said1 8towards that northern region of the desert1 where the hosts of the ,lord encamped in their departure out of bondage40 ,though1 in the presence of ,alethe1 my fears1 even for herself1 were forgotten in that perpetual element of happiness1 which encircled her like the air that she breathed1 no sooner was ,i alone than vague terrors and bodings crowded upon me4 ,in vain did ,i try to reason myself out of my fears by dwelling on the most cheering circumstances1--the reverence with which ,melanius was regarded1 even by the ,pagans1 and the inviolate security with which he had lived through the most perilous periods1 not only safe himself1 but affording sanctuary in his grottos to others4 ,when1 somewhat calmed by these considerations1 ,i sunk off to sleep1 dark1 horrible dreams took possession of my mind4 ,scenes of death and of torment passed confusedly before me1 and1 when ,i awoke1 it was with the fearful impression that all these horrors were real4 ,,chap4 ,,xix4 ,at length1 the day dawned1--that dreadful day4 ,impatient to be relieved from my suspense1 ,i threw myself into my boat1--the same in which we had performed our happy voyage1--and1 as fast as oars could speed me1 hurried away to the city4 ,i found the suburbs silent and solitary1 but1 as ,i approached the ,forum1 loud yells1 like those of barbarians in combat1 struck on my ear1 and1 when ,i entered it1--great ,god1 what a spectacle presented itself6 ,the imperial edict against the ,christians had arrived during the night1 and already the wild fury of bigotry was let loose4 ,under a canopy1 in the middle of the ,forum1 was the tribunal of the ,governor4 ,two statues1 one of ,apollo1 the other of ,osiris1 stood at the bottom of the steps that led up to his judgmentseat4 ,before these idols were shrines1 to which the devoted ,christians were dragged from all quarters by the soldiers and mob1 and there compelled to recant1 by throwing incense into the flame1 or1 on their refusal1 hurried away to torture and death4 ,it was an appalling scene2--the consternation1 the cries of some of the victims1--the pale1 silent resolution of others2--the fierce shouts of laughter that broke from the multitude1 when the frankincense1 dropped on the altar1 proclaimed some denier of ,christ2 and the fiendlike triumph with which the courageous ,confessors1 who avowed their faith1 were led away to the flames2--never could ,i have conceived such an assemblage of horrors6 ,though ,i gazed but for a few minutes1 in those minutes ,i felt enough for years4 ,already did the form of ,alethe flit before me through that tumult2--,i heard them shout her name2--her shriek fell on my ear2 and the very thought so palsied me with terror1 that ,i stood fixed and statuelike on the spot4 ,recollecting1 however1 the fearful preciousness of every moment1 and that--perhaps1 at this very instant--some emissaries of blood might be on their way to the grottos1 ,i rushed wildly out of the ,forum1 and made my way to the quay4 ,the streets were now crowded2 but ,i ran headlong through the multitude1 and was already under the portico leading down to the river1--already saw the boat that was to bear me to ,alethe1--when a ,centurion stood sternly in my path1 and ,i was surrounded and arrested by soldiers6 ,it was in vain that ,i implored1 that ,i struggled with them as for life1 assuring them that ,i was a stranger1--that ,i was an ,athenian1--that ,i was--not a ,christian4 ,the precipitation of my flight was sufficient evidence against me1 and unrelentingly1 and by force1 they bore me away to the quarters of their ,chief4 ,it was enough to drive me to madness6 ,two hours1 two frightful hours1 was ,i kept waiting the arrival of the ,tribune of their ,legion7#i71--my brain burning with a thousand fears and imaginations1 which every passing minute made more likely to be realised4 ,every thing1 too1 that ,i could collect from the conversations around me but added to the agonising apprehensions with which ,i was racked4 ,troops1 it was said1 had been sent in all directions through the neighbourhood1 to bring in the rebellious ,christians1 and make them bow before the ,gods of the ,empire4 ,with horror1 too1 ,i heard of ,orcus1--,orcus1 the ,high ,priest of ,memphis1--as one of the principal instigators of this sanguinary edict1 and as here present in ,antino1 animating and directing its execution4 ,in this state of torture ,i remained till the arrival of the ,tribune4 ,absorbed in my own thoughts1 ,i had not perceived his entrance2--till1 hearing a voice1 in a tone of friendly surprise1 exclaim1 8,alciphron60 ,i looked up1 and in this legionary ,chief recognised a young ,roman of rank1 who had held a military command1 the year before1 at ,athens1 and was one of the most distinguished visitors of the ,garden4 ,it was no time1 however1 for courtesies2--he was proceeding with cordiality to greet me1 but1 having heard him order my instant release1 ,i could wait for no more4 ,acknowledging his kindness but by a grasp of the hand1 ,i flew off1 like one frantic1 through the streets1 and1 in a few minutes1 was on the river4 ,my sole hope had been to reach the grottos before any of the detached parties should arrive1 and1 by a timely flight across the desert1 rescue1 at least1 ,alethe from their fury4 ,the illfated delay that had occurred rendered this hope almost desperate2 but the tranquillity ,i found every where as ,i proceeded down the river1 and the fond confidence ,i still cherished in the sacredness of the ,hermit's retreat1 kept my heart from giving way altogether under its terrors4 ,between the current and my oars1 the boat flew1 like wind1 along the waters2 and ,i was already near the rocks of the ravine1 when ,i saw1 turning out of the canal into the river1 a barge crowded with people1 and glittering with arms6 ,how did ,i ever survive the shock of that sight8 ,the oars dropped1 as if struck out of my hands1 into the water1 and ,i sat1 helplessly gazing1 as that terrific vision approached4 ,in a few minutes1 the current brought us together2--and ,i saw1 on the deck of the barge1 ,alethe and the ,hermit surrounded by soldiers6 ,we were already passing each other when1 with a desperate effort1 ,i sprang from my boat and lighted upon the edge of their vessel4 ,i knew not what ,i did1 for despair was my only prompter4 ,snatching at the sword of one of the soldiers1 as ,i stood tottering on the edge1 ,i had succeeded in wresting it out of his hands1 when1 at the same moment1 ,i received a thrust of a lance from one of his comrades1 and fell backward into the river4 ,i can just remember rising again and making a grasp at the side of the vessel2--but the shock1 the faintness from my wound1 deprived me of all consciousness1 and a shriek from ,alethe1 as ,i sunk1 is all ,i can recollect of what followed4 ,would ,i had then died6--,yet1 no1 ,almighty ,being1--,i should have died in darkness1 and ,i have lived to know ,thee6 ,on returning to my senses1 ,i found myself reclined on a couch1 in a splendid apartment1 the whole appearance of which being ,grecian1 ,i1 for a moment1 forgot all that had passed1 and imagined myself in my own home at ,athens4 ,but too soon the whole dreadful certainty flashed upon me2 and1 starting wildly--disabled as ,i was--from my couch1 ,i called loudly1 and with the shriek of a maniac1 on ,alethe4 ,i was in the house1 ,i found1 of my friend and disciple1 the young ,tribune1 who had made the ,governor acquainted with my name and condition1 and had received me under his roof1 when brought1 bleeding and insensible1 to ,antino4 ,from him ,i now learned at once1--for ,i could not wait for details1--the sum of all that had happened in that dreadful interval4 ,melanius was no more1--,alethe1 still alive1 but in prison6 8,take me to her0--,i had but time to say--8take me to her instantly1 and let me die by her side10--when1 nature again failing under such shocks1 ,i relapsed into insensibility4 ,in this state ,i continued for near an hour1 and1 on recovering1 found the ,tribune by my side4 ,the horrors1 he said1 of the ,forum were1 for that day1 over1--but what the morrow might bring1 he shuddered to contemplate4 ,his nature1 it was plain1 revolted from the inhuman duties in which he was engaged4 ,touched by the agonies he saw me suffer1 he1 in some degree1 relieved them1 by promising that ,i should1 at nightfall1 be conveyed to the prison1 and1 if possible1 through his influence1 gain access to ,alethe4 ,she might yet1 he added1 be saved1 could ,i succeed in persuading her to comply with the terms of the edict1 and make sacrifice to the ,gods4--8,otherwise10 said he1 8there is no hope2--the vindictive ,orcus1 who has resisted even this short respite of mercy1 will1 tomorrow1 inexorably demand his prey40 ,he then related to me1 at my own request1--though every word was torture1--all the harrowing details of the proceeding before the ,tribunal4 8,i have seen courage10 said he1 8in its noblest forms1 in the field2 but the calm intrepidity with which that aged ,hermit endured torments--which it was hardly less torment to witness--surpassed all that ,i could have conceived of human fortitude60 ,my poor ,alethe1 too1--in describing to me her conduct1 the brave man wept like a child4 ,overwhelmed1 he said1 at first by her apprehensions for my safety1 she had given way to a full burst of womanly weakness4 ,but no sooner was she brought before the ,tribunal1 and the declaration of her faith was demanded of her1 than a spirit almost supernatural seemed to animate her whole form4 8,she raised her eyes10 said he1 8calmly1 but with fervour1 to heaven1 while a blush was the only sign of mortal feeling on her features2--and the clear1 sweet1 and untrembling voice1 with which she pronounced her dooming words1 #8,i am a ,christian6' sent a thrill of admiration and pity throughout the multitude4 ,her youth1 her loveliness1 affected all hearts1 and a cry of #8,save the young maiden6' was heard in all directions40 ,the implacable ,orcus1 however1 would not hear of mercy4 ,resenting1 as it appeared1 with all his deadliest rancour1 not only her own escape from his toils1 but the aid with which1 so fatally to his views1 she had assisted mine1 he demanded loudly1 and in the name of the insulted sanctuary of ,isis1 her instant death4 ,it was but by the firm intervention of the ,governor1 who shared the general sympathy in her fate1 that the delay of another day was accorded1 to give a chance to the young maiden of yet recalling her confession1 and thus affording some pretext for saving her4 ,even in yielding reluctantly to this brief respite1 the inhuman ,priest would accompany it with some mark of his vengeance4 ,whether for the pleasure 7observed the ,tribune7 of mingling mockery with his cruelty1 or as a warning to her of the doom she must ultimately expect1 he gave orders that there should be tied round her brow one of those chaplets of coral7#aj71 with which it is the custom of young ,christian maidens to array themselves on the day of their martyrdom2--8and1 thus fearfully adorned10 said he1 8she was led away1 amid the gaze of the pitying multitude1 to prison40 ,with these details the short interval till nightfall1--every minute of which seemed an age1--was occupied4 ,as soon as it grew dark1 ,i was placed upon a litter1--my wound1 though not dangerous1 requiring such a conveyance1--and conducted1 under the guidance of my friend1 to the prison4 ,through his interest with the guard1 we were without difficulty admitted1 and ,i was borne into the chamber where the maiden lay immured4 ,even the veteran guardian of the place seemed touched with compassion for his prisoner1 and supposing her to be asleep1 had the litter placed gently near her4 ,she was half reclining1 with her face hid in her hands1 upon a couch1--at the foot of which stood an idol1 over whose hideous features a lamp of naptha1 hanging from the ceiling1 shed a wild and ghastly glare4 ,on a table before the image stood a censer1 with a small vessel of incense beside it1--one grain of which1 thrown voluntarily into the flame1 would1 even now1 save that precious life4 ,so strange1 so fearful was the whole scene1 that ,i almost doubted its reality4 ,alethe6 my own1 happy ,alethe6 can it1 ,i thought1 be thou that ,i look upon8 ,she now1 slowly and with difficulty1 raised her head from the couch2 on observing which1 the kind ,tribune withdrew1 and we were left alone4 ,there was a paleness1 as of death1 over her features2 and those eyes1 which when last ,i saw them1 were but too bright1 too happy for this world1 looked dim and sunken4 ,in raising herself up1 she put her hand1 as if from pain1 to her forehead1 whose marble hue but appeared more deathlike from those red bands that lay so awfully across it4 ,after wandering vaguely for a minute1 her eyes rested upon me1--and1 with a shriek1 half terror1 half joy1 she sprung from the couch1 and sunk upon her knees by my side4 ,she had believed me dead2 and1 even now1 scarcely trusted her senses4 8,my husband6 my love60 she exclaimed2 8oh1 if thou comest to call me from this world1 behold ,i am ready60 ,in saying thus1 she pointed wildly to that ominous wreath1 and then dropped her head down upon my knee1 as if an arrow had pierced it4 8,alethe60--,i cried1 terrified to the very soul by that mysterious pang1--and the sound of my voice seemed to reanimate her2--she looked up1 with a faint smile1 in my face4 ,her thoughts1 which had evidently been wandering1 became collected2 and in her joy at my safety1 her sorrow at my suffering1 she forgot wholly the fate that impended over herself4 ,love1 innocent love1 alone occupied all her thoughts2 and the tenderness with which she spoke1--oh1 at any other moment1 how ,i would have listened1 have lingered upon1 have blessed every word6 ,but the time flew fast--the dreadful morrow was approaching4 ,already ,i saw her writhing in the hands of the torturer1--the flames1 the racks1 the wheels were before my eyes6 ,half frantic with the fear that her resolution was fixed1 ,i flung myself from the litter1 in an agony of weeping1 and supplicated her1 by the love she bore me1 by the happiness that awaited us1 by her own merciful ,god1 who was too good to require such a sacrifice1--by all that the most passionate anxiety could dictate1 ,i implored that she would avert from us the doom that was coming1 and--but for once--comply with the vain ceremony demanded of her4 ,shrinking from me1 as ,i spoke1--but with a look more of sorrow than reproach1--8,what1 thou1 too60 she said mournfully1--8thou1 into whose spirit ,i had fondly hoped the same heavenly truth had descended as into my own6 ,oh1 be not thou leagued with those who would tempt me to #8make shipwreck of my faith6' ,thou1 who couldst alone bind me to life1 use not thy power2 but let me die1 as ,he ,i serve hath commanded1--die for the ,truth4 ,remember the holy lessons we heard on those nights1 those happy nights1 when both the ,present and ,future smiled upon us1--when even the gift of eternal life came more welcome to my soul1 from the blessed conviction that thou wert to be a sharer in it2--shall ,i forfeit now that divine privilege8 shall ,i deny the true ,god1 whom we then learned to love8 8,no1 my own betrothed10 she continued1--pointing to the two rings on her finger1--8behold these pledges1--they are both sacred4 ,i should have been as true to thee as ,i am now to heaven1--nor in that life to which ,i am hastening shall our love be forgotten4 ,should the baptism of fire1 through which ,i shall pass tomorrow1 make me worthy to be heard before the ,throne of ,grace1 ,i will intercede for thy soul--,i will pray that it may yet share with mine that #8inheritance1 immortal and undefiled1' which ,mercy offers1 and that thou1--my dear mother1--and ,i--0 ,she here dropped her voice2 the momentary animation1 with which devotion and affection had inspired her1 vanished2--and a darkness overspread all her features1 a livid darkness1--like the coming of death--that made me shudder through every limb4 ,seizing my hand convulsively1 and looking at me with a fearful eagerness1 as if anxious to hear some consoling assurance from my own lips1--8,believe me10 she continued1 8not all the torments they are preparing for me1--not even this deep1 burning pain in my brow1 which they will hardly equal1--could be half so dreadful to me1 as the thought that ,i leave thee--0 ,here1 her voice again failed2 her head sunk upon my arm1 and--merciful ,god1 let me forget what ,i then felt1--,i saw that she was dying6 ,whether ,i uttered any cry1 ,i know not2--but the ,tribune came rushing into the chamber1 and1 looking on the maiden1 said1 with a face full of horror1 8,it is but too true60 ,he then told me in a low voice1 what he had just learned from the guardian of the prison1 that the band round the young ,christian's brow was--oh horrible cruelty6--a compound of the most deadly poison1--the hellish invention of ,orcus1 to satiate his vengeance1 and make the fate of his poor victim secure4 ,my first movement was to untie that fatal wreath1--but it would not come away--it would not come away6 ,roused by the pain1 she again looked in my face2 but1 unable to speak1 took hastily from her bosom the small silver cross which she had brought with her from my cave4 ,having prest it to her own lips1 she held it anxiously to mine1 and seeing me kiss the holy symbol with fervour1 looked happy1 and smiled4 ,the agony of death seemed to have passed away2--there came suddenly over her features a heavenly light1 some share of which ,i felt descending into my own soul1 and1 in a few minutes more1 she expired in my arms4 ,here ends the ,manuscript2 but1 on the outer cover there is1 in the hand writing of a much later period1 the following ,notice1 extracted1 as it appears1 from some ,egyptian martyrology3-- 8,alciphron1--an ,epicurean philosopher1 converted to ,christianity ,a4 ,d4 #beg1 by a young ,egyptian maiden1 who suffered martyrdom in that year4 ,immediately upon her death he betook himself to the desert1 and lived a life1 it is said1 of much holiness and penitence4 ,during the persecution under ,dioclesian1 his sufferings for the faith were most exemplary2 and1 being at length1 at an advanced age1 condemned to hard labour1 for refusing to comply with an ,imperial edict1 he died at the brass mines of ,palestine1 ,a4 ,d4 #big4-- 8,as ,alciphron held the opinions maintained since by ,arius1 his memory has not been spared by ,athanasian writers1 who1 among other charges1 accuse him of having been addicted to the superstitions of ,egypt4 ,for this calumny1 however1 there appears to be no better foundation than a circumstance1 recorded by one of his brother monks1 that there was found1 after his death1 a small metal mirror1 like those used in the ceremonies of ,isis1 suspended round his neck40 ,,notes4 ,page #ag4--;,for the importance attached to dreams by the ancients1 see ,jortin1 ,remarks on ,ecclesiastical ,history1 vol4 #a4 p4 #ij4 ,page #bb4--8,the ,pillar of ,pillars0--more properly1 perhaps1 8the column of the pillars40 v4 ,abdallatif1 ,relation de l',egypte1 and the notes of ,m4 de ,sacy4 ,the great portico round this column 7formerly designated ,pompey's1 but now known to have been erected in honour of ,dioclesian7 was still standing1 ,m4 de ,sacy says1 in the time of ,saladin4 v4 ,lord ,valentia's ,travels4 ,page #bc4--;,ammianus thus speaks of the state of ,alexandria in his time1 which was1 ,i believe1 as late as the end of the fourth century3--8,ne nunc quidem in eadem urbe ,doctrin vari silent1 non apud nos exaruit ,musica nec ,harmonia conticuit40 ,lib4 #bb4 ,page #be4--;,from the character of the features of the ,sphinx1 and a passage in ,herodotus1 describing the ,egyptians as 1 ,volney1 ,bruce1 and a few others1 have concluded that the ancient inhabitants of ,egypt were negroes4 ,but this opinion is contradicted by a host of authorities4 ,see ,castera's notes upon ,browne's ,travels1 for the result of ,blumenbach's dissection of a variety of mummies4 ,denon1 speaking of the character of the heads represented in the ancient sculpture and painting of ,egypt1 says1 8,celle des femmes ressemble encore la figure des jolies femmes d'aujourd'hui3 de la rondeur1 de la volupt1 le nez petit1 les yeux longs1 peu ouverts10 c4 c4 ,he could judge1 too1 he says1 from the female mummies1 8que leurs cheveux toient longs et lisses1 que le caractre de tte de la plupart tenoit du beau style0--8,je raportai10 he adds1 8une tte de vieille femme qui toit aussi belle que celles de ,michel ,ange1 et leur ressembloit beaucoup40 ,in a 8,description gnrale de ,thbes0 by ,messrs4 ,jollois et ,desvilliers1 they say1 8,toutes les sculptures ,egyptiennes1 depuis les plus grands colosses de ,thbes jusqu'aux plus petites idoles1 ne rappellent en aucune manire les traits de la figure des ngres2 outre que les ttes des momies des catacombs de ,thbes presentent des profils droits40 ,see also ,m4 ,jomard's 8,description of ,syene and the ,cataracts10 ,baron ,larrey1 on the 8conformation physique0 of the ,egyptians1 c4 ,de ,pauw1 the great depreciator of every thing ,egyptian1 has1 on the authority of a passage in lian1 presumed to affix to the countrywomen of ,cleopatra the stigma of complete and unredeemed ugliness4 ,the following line of ,euripides1 however1 is an answer to such charges3-- 4 ,in addition to the celebrated instances of ,cleopatra1 ,rhodope1 c4 we are told1 on the authority of ,manetho 7as given by ,zoega from ,georgius ,syncellus71 of a beautiful queen of ,memphis1 ,nitocris1 of the sixth dynasty1 who1 in addition to other charms and perfections1 was 7rather inconsistently with the negro hypothesis7 4 ,see1 for a tribute to the beauty of the ,egyptian women1 ,montesquieu's ,temple de ,gnide4 ,page #ce4--8;,among beds of lotus flowers40--v4 ,strabo4 ,page #cf4--8;,isle of the golden ,venus40--8,on trouve une le appele ,venus ,dore1 ou le champ d'or1 avant de remonter jusqu' ,memphis40 ,voyages de ,pythagore4 ,page #ci4--;,for an account of the ,table of ,emerald1 v4 ,lettres sur l',origine des ,dieux d',egypte4 ,de ,pauw supposes it to be a modern fiction of the ,arabs4 ,many writers have fancied that the art of making gold was the great secret that lay hid under the forms of ,egyptian theology4 8,la science ,hermtique10 says the ,benedictine1 ,pernetz1 8l'art sacerdotal toit la source de toutes les richesses des ,rois d',egypte1 et l'objet de ces mystres si cachs sous le voile du leur pretendu ,religion40 ,fables ,egyptiennes4 ,the hieroglyphs1 that formerly covered the ,pyramids1 are supposed by some of these writers to relate to the same art4 ,see ,mutus liber1 ,rupell4 ,page #dj4--8;,by reflecting the sun's rays10 says ,clarke1 speaking of the ,pyramids1 8they appeared white as snow40 ,page #da4--;,for ,bubastis1 the ,diana of the ,egyptians1 v4 ,jablonski1 lib4 #c4 c4 #d4 ,page #dc4--8,the light coracle10 c4--v4 ,amuilhon1 8,histoire de la ,navigation et du ,commerce des ,egyptiens sous les ,ptolemes40 ,see also1 for a description of the various kinds of boats used on the ,nile1 ,maillet1 tom4 i4 p4 #ih4 ,page #dd4--v4 ,maurice1 ,appendix to 8,ruins of ,babylon40 ,another reason1 he says1 for their worship of the ,ibis1 8founded on their love of geometry1 was 7according to ,plutarch7 that the space between its legs1 when parted asunder1 as it walks1 together with its beak1 forms a complete equilateral triangle40 ,from the examination of the embalmed birds1 found in the ,catacombs of ,saccara1 there seems to be no doubt that the ,ibis was the same kind of bird as that described by ,bruce1 under the ,arabian name of ,abou ,hannes4 ,ib4--8,the sistrum10 c4--8,isis est genius10 says ,servius1 8gypti1 qui per sistri motum1 quod gerit in dextra1 ,nili accessus recessusque significat40 ,page #dh4--8,the ivy encircled it10 c4--,the ivy was consecrated to ,osiris4 v4 ,diodor4 ,sic4 #a4 #aj4 ,ib4--8,the small mirror40--8,quelques unes10 says ,dupuis1 describing the processions of ,isis1 8portoient des miroirs attachs leurs paules1 afin de multiplier et de porter dans tous les sens les images de la ,desse40 ,origine des ,cultes1 tom4 #h4 p4 #hdg4 ,a mirror1 it appears1 was also one of the emblems in the mysteries of ,bacchus4 ,page #di4--8,there is1 to the north of ,memphis10 c4--8,tout prouve que la territoire de ,sakkarah toit la ,necropolis au sud de ,memphis1 et le faubourg oppos celuici1 o sont les pyramides de ,gizeh1 une autre ,ville des ,morts1 qui terminoit ,memphis au nord40 ,denon4 ,there is nothing known with certainty as to the site of ,memphis1 but it will be perceived that the description of its position given by the ,epicurean corresponds1 in almost every particular1 with that which ,m4 ,maillet 7the ,french consul1 for many years1 at ,cairo7 has left us4 ,it must be always borne in mind1 too1 that of the distances between the respective places here mentioned1 we have no longer any accurate means of judging4 ,page #di4--8,pyramid beyond pyramid40--8,multas olim pyramidas fuisse e ruinis arguitur40 ,zoega4--,vansleb1 who visited more than ten of the small pyramids1 is of opinion that there must have originally been a hundred in this place4 ,see1 for the lake to the northward of ,memphis1 ,shaw's ,travels1 p4 #cjb4 ,page #eg4--8,the ,theban beetle40--8,on voit en ,egypte1 aprs la retraite du ,nil et la fcondation des terres1 le limon couvert d'une multitude de scarabes4 ,un pareil phnomne a d sembler aux ,egyptiens le plus propre peindre une nouvelle existence40 ,m4 ,jomard4--,partly for the same reason1 and partly for another1 still more fanciful1 the early ,christians used to apply this emblem to ,christ4 8,bonus ille scarabus meus10 says ,st4 ,augustine 8non e tantum de caus quod unigenitus1 quod ipsemet sui auctor mortalium speciem induerit1 sed quod in hac nostr fce sese volutaverit et ex hac ipsa nasci voluerit40 ,ib4--8,enshrined within a case of crystal40--8,les ,egyptiens ont fait aussi1 pour conserver leurs morts1 des caisses de verre40 ,de ,pauw4--,he mentions1 in another place1 a sort of transparent substance1 which the ,ethiopians used for the same purpose1 and which was frequently mistaken by the ,greeks for glass4 ,page #eh4--8;,among the emblems of death40--8,un prtre1 qui brise la tige d'une fleur1 des oiseaux qui s'envolent sont les emblemes de la morte et de l'me qui se spare du corps40 ,denon4 ,theseus employs the same image in the ,phdra3-- ' 4 ,page #ei4--8,the singular appearance of a ,cross so frequently recurring among the hieroglyphics of ,egypt1 had excited the curiosity of the ,christians at a very early period of ecclesiastical history2 and as some of the ,priests1 who were acquainted with the meaning of the hieroglyphics1 became converted to ,christianity the secret transpired4 #8,the converted heathens1' says ,socrates ,scholasticus1 #8explained the symbol1 and declared that it signified ,life to ,come4'0 ,clarke4 ,lipsius1 therefore1 erroneously supposes the ,cross to have been an emblem peculiar to the ,christians4 ,see1 on this subject1 ,l',histoire des ,juifs1 liv4 #i4 c4 #af4 ,it is singular enough that while the ,cross was held sacred among the ,egyptians1 not only the custom of marking the forehead with the sign of the ,cross1 but ,baptism and the consecration of the bread in the ,eucharist were imitated in the mysterious ceremonies of ,mithra4 ,tertull4 de ,proscriptione ,hereticorum4 ,zoega is of opinion that the ,cross found 7for the first time1 it is said7 on the destruction of the temple of ,serapis1 by the ,christians1 could have not been the crux ansata2 as nothing is more common than this emblem on all the ,egyptian monuments4 ,page #fb4--8,stood shadowless40--,it was an idea entertained among the ancients that the ,pyramids were so constructed 78mecanic constructione10 says ,ammianus ,marcellinus7 as never to cast any shadow4 ,page #fd4--8,rhodope40--,from the story of ,rhodope1 ,zoega thinks1 8videntur ,arabes ansam arripuisse ut in una ex pyramidibus1 genii loco1 habitare dicerent mulierem nudam insignis pulchritudinis qu aspectu suo homines insanire faciat40 ,de ,usu ,obeliscorum4 ,see also ,l',egypte de ,murtadi par ,vattier4 ,page #ff4--8,the ,gates of ,oblivion40--8,apud ,memphim neas quasdam portas1 qu ,lethes et ,cocyti 7hoc est oblivionis et lamentationis7 appellenter aperiri1 gravem asperumque edentes sonum40 ,zoega4 ,page #fi4--8;,a pile of lifeless bodies40--,see1 for the custom of burying the dead upright 78post funus stantia busto corpora10 as ,statius describes it71 ,dr4 ,clarke's preface to the #b;d section of his fifth volume4 ,they used to insert precious stones in the place of the eyes4 8,les yeux toient forms d'meraudes1 de turquoises10 c4--v4 ,masoudy1 quoted by ,quatremere4 ,page #gb4--8;,it seemed as if every echo40--,see1 for the echoes in the pyramids1 ,plutarch1 de ,placitis ,philosoph4 ,page #gd4--8,pale phantomlike shapes40--8,ce moment heureux 7de l',autopsie7 toit prepar par des scnes effrayantes1 par des alternatives de crainte et de joie1 de lumire et des tnbres1 par la lueur des clairs1 par le bruit terrible de la foudre1 qu'on imitoit1 et par des apparitions de spectres1 des illusions magiques1 qui frappoient les yeux et les oreilles tout ensemble40 ,dupuis4 ,page #gg4--8,serpents of fire40--8,ces considrations me portent penser que1 dans les mystres1 ces phnomnes toient beaucoup mieux excutes et sans comparison plus terribles l'aide de quelque composition pyrique1 qui est reste cache1 comme celle du feu ,grgeois40 ,de ,pauw4 ,page #gh4--8,the burning of the reedbeds of ,ethiopia40--8,il n'y a point d'autre moyen que de porter le feu dans ces forts de roseaux1 qui rpandent alors dans tout le pas une lumire aussi considrable que celle du jour mme40 ,maillet1 tom4 #a4 p4 #fc4 ,page #gi4--8,the sound of torrents40--,the ,nile1 ,pliny tells us1 was admitted into the ,pyramid4 ,page #ha4--8;,i had almost given myself up40--8,on exeroit10 says ,dupuis1 8les recipiendaires1 pendant plusieurs jours1 traverser1 la nage1 une grande tendue d'eau4 ,on les y jettoit et ce n'toit que avec peine qu' ils s'en retiroient4 ,on appliquoit le fer et le feu sur leurs membres4 ,on les faisoit passer travers les flammes40 ,the aspirants were often in considerable danger1 and ,pythagoras1 we are told1 nearly lost his life in the trials4 v4 ,recherches sur les ,initiations1 par ,robin4 ,page #ij4--;,for the two cups used in the mysteries1 see ,l',histoire des ,juifs1 liv4 #i4 c4 #af4 ,ib4--8,osiris40--,osiris1 under the name of ,serapis1 was supposed to rule over the subterranean world2 and performed the office of ,pluto1 in the mythology of the ,egyptians4 8,they believed10 says ,dr4 ,pritchard1 8that ,serapis presided over the region of departed souls1 during the period of their absence1 when languishing without bodies1 and that the dead were deposited in his palace40 ,analysis of the ,egyptian ,mythology4 ,ib4--8,to cool the lips of the dead40--8,frigidam illam aquam post mortem1 tanquam ,hebes poculum1 expetitam40 ,zoega4--,the ,lethe of the ,egyptians was called ,ameles4 ,see ,dupuis1 tom4 #h4 p4 #fea4 ,page #ij4--8;,a draught divine40--,diodor4 ,sicul4 ,page #ic4--8;,grasshopper1 symbol of initiation40--,hor4 ,apoll4--,the grasshopper was also consecrated to the sun as being musical4 ,page #id4--8;,isle of gardens40--,the isle ,antirrhodus near ,alexandria4 ,maillet4 ,ib4--8,vineyard at ,anthylla40--,see ,athen4 ,deipnos4 ,page #ig4--8,we can see those stars40--8,on voyoit en plein jour par ces ouvertures les toiles1 et mme quelques plantes en leur plus grande latitude septentrionale2 et les prtres avoient bientt profit de ce phnomne pour observer diverses heures la passage des toiles40 ,sthos4--,strabo mentions certain caves or pits1 constructed for the purpose of astronomical observations1 which lay in the ,zelopolitan prefecture1 beyond ,heliopolis4 ,page #ih4--8;,a plantain40--,this tree was dedicated to the ,genii of the ,shades1 from its being an emblem of repose and cooling airs4 8,cui imminet mus folium1 quod ab ,iside infera geniisque ei addictis manu geri solitum1 umbram requiemque et auras frigidas subindigitare videtur40 ,zoega4 ,page #ajg4--8;,he spoke of the preexistence of the soul10 c4--,for a full account of the doctrines which are here represented as having been taught to the initiated in the ,egyptian mysteries1 the reader may consult ,dupuis1 ,pritchard's ,analysis of the ,egyptian ,mythology1 c4 c4 8,l'on dcouvroit l'origine de l'ame1 sa chute sur la terre1 travers les sphres et les lmens1 et son retour au lieu de sa origine 444 c'toit ici la partie la plus mtaphysique1 et que ne pourroit gure entendre le commun des ,initis1 mais dont on lui donnoit le spectacle par des figures et des spectres allgoriques40 ,dupuis4 ,page #ajh4--8,those fields of radiance40--,see ,beausobre1 liv4 #c4 c4 #d4 for the 8terre bienheureuse et lumineuse0 which the ,manicheans supposed ,god to inhabit4 ,plato1 too1 speaks 7in ,phd47 of a 8pure land lying in the pure sky 7 71 the abode of divinity1 of innocence1 and of life40 ,page #aaj4--8,tracing it from the first moment of earthward desire40--,in the original construction of this work1 there was an episode introduced here1 7which ,i have since published in another form17 illustrating the doctrine of the fall of the soul by the ,oriental fable of the ,loves of the ,angels4 ,page #aaa4--8,restoring her lost wings40--,damascius in his ,life of ,isidorus1 says1 8,ex antiquissimis ,philosophis ,pythagoram et ,platonem ,isidorus ut ,deos coluit1 et eorum animas alatas esse dixit quas in locum superclestem inque campum veritatis et pratum elevatas1 divinis putavit ideis pasci40 ,apud ,phot4 ,bibliothec4 ,page #aab4--8;,a pale1 moonlike meteor40--,apuleius1 in describing the miraculous appearances exhibited in the mysteries1 says1 8,nocte medi vidi solem candido coruscantem lumine40 ,metamorphos4 lib4 #aa4 ,page #aac4--8,so entirely did the illusion of the scene10 c4--,in tracing the early connection of spectacles with the ceremonies of religion1 ,voltaire says1 8,il y a bien plus2 les vritables grandes tragdies1 les representations imposantes et terribles1 toient les mystres sacrs1 qu'on clbroit dans les plus vastes temples du monde1 en prsence des seuls ,initis2 c'toit l que les habits1 les dcorations1 les machines toient propres au sujet2 et le sujet toit la vie prsente et la vie future40 ,des divers changemens arrivs l'art tragique4 ,to these scenic representations in the ,egyptian mysteries1 there is evidently an allusion in the vision of ,ezekiel1 where the spirit shows him the abominations which the ,israelites learned in ,egypt3--8,then said he unto me1 #8,son of man1 hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of ,israel do in the dark1 every man in the chambers of his imagery4'0 ,chap4 #h4 ,page #aah4--8,the seven tables of stone40--8,bernard1 ,comte de la ,marche ,trvisane1 instruit par la lecture des livres anciens1 dit qu' ,hermes trouva sept tables dans la valle d',hebron1 sur lesquelles toient gravs les principes des arts liberaux40 ,fables ,egyptiennes4 ,see ,jablonski de stelis ,herm4 ,page #aai4--8;,beside the goat of ,mendes40--,for an account of the animal worship of the ,egyptians1 see ,de ,pauw1 tom4 #b4 ,ib4--8,the ,isiac serpents40--8,on auguroit bien des serpens ,isiaques1 lorsqu'ils goutoient l'offrande et se trainoient lentement autour de l'autel40 ,de ,pauw4 ,page #aba4--8;,hence the festivals and hymns10 c4--,for an account of the various festivals at the different periods of the sun's progress1 in the spring1 and in the autumn1 see ,dupuis and ,pritchard4 ,ib4--8,the mysteries of the night40--v4 ,athenag4 ,leg4 pro ,christ4 p4 #acc4 ,page #abe4--8;,a peal like that of thunder40--,see1 for some curious remarks on the mode of imitating thunder and lightning in the ancient mysteries1 ,de ,pauw1 tom4 #a4 p4 #cbc4 ,the machine with which these effects were produced on the stage was called a ceraunoscope4 ,page #aca4--8,windings1 capriciously intricate40--,in addition to the accounts which the ancients have left us of the prodigious excavations in all parts of ,egypt1--the fifteen hundred chambers under the ,labyrinth--the subterranean stables of the ,thebad1 containing a thousand horses--the crypts of ,upper ,egypt passing under the bed of the ,nile1 c4 c4--the stories and traditions current among the ,arabs still preserve the memory of those wonderful substructions4 8,un ,arabe10 says ,paul ,lucas1 8qui toit avec nous1 m'assura qu'tant entr autrefois dans le ,labyrinthe1 il avoit march dans les chambres souterraines jusqu'en un lieu o il y avoit une grande place environne de plusieurs niches qui ressembloit de petites boutiques1 d'o l'on entroit dans d'autres alles et dans des chambres1 sans pouvoir en trouver la fin40 ,in speaking1 too1 of the arcades along the ,nile1 near ,cosseir1 8,ils me dirent mme que ces souterrains toient si profondes qu'il y en avoient qui alloient trois journes de l1 et qu'ils conduisoient dans un pays o l'on voyoit de beaux jardins1 qu'on y trouvoit de belles maisons10 c4 c4 ,see also in ,m4 ,quatremere's ,memoires sur l',egypte1 tom4 #a4 p4 #adb41 an account of a subterranean reservoir1 said to have been discovered at ,kas1 and of the expedition undertaken by a party of persons1 in a long narrow boat1 for the purpose of exploring it4 8,leur voyage avoit t de six jours1 dont les quatre premiers furent employs pntrer les bords2 les deux autres revenir au lieu d'o ils toient partis3 ,pendant tout cet intervalle ils ne purent atteindre l'extrmit du bassin4 ,l'mir ,ala eddin,tamboga1 gouverneur de ,behnesa1 crivit ces dtails au sultan1 qui en fut extrmement surpris40 ,page #acf4--8;,a small island in the centre of ,lake ,mris40--,the position here given to ,lake ,mris1 in making it the immediate boundary of the city of ,memphis to the south1 corresponds exactly with the site assigned to it by ,maillet3--8,memphis avoit encore son midi un vaste reservoir1 par o tout ce qui peut servir la commodit et l'agrment de la vie lui toit voitur abondamment de toutes les parties de l',egypte4 ,ce lac qui la terminoit de ce ctl10 c4 c4 ,tom4 #b4 p4 #g4 ,ib4--8,ruins rising blackly above the wave40--8,on voit sur la rive orientale des antiquits qui sont presque entirement sous les eaux40 ,belzoni4 ,page #acg4--8;,its thundering portals40--8,quorundam autem domorum 7in ,labyrintho7 talis est situs1 ut adaperientibus foris tonitru intus terribile existat40 ,pliny4 ,page #ach4--8,leaves that serve as cups40--,strabo4 ,according to the ,french translator of ,strabo1 it was the fruit of the faba gyptiaca1 not the leaf1 that was used for this purpose4 8,le 10 he says1 8devoit s'entendre de la capsule ou fruit de cette plante1 dont les ,egyptiens se servoient comme d'un vase1 imaginant que l'eau du ,nil y devenoit delicieuse40 ,page #adb4--8,the fish of these waters10 c4--lian1 lib4 #f4 #cb4 ,ib4--8,pleasure boats or yachts40--,called ,thalamages1 from the pavilion on the deck4 v4 ,strabo4 ,page #add4--8;,covered with beds of those pale1 sweet roses40--,as ,april is the season for gathering these roses 7,see ,maltebrun's ,economical ,calendar71 the ,epicurean could not1 of course1 mean to say that he saw them actually in flower4 ,page #adf4--8,the lizards upon the bank40--8,l'or et l'azur brillent en bandes longitudinales sur leur corps entier1 et leur queue est du plus beau bleu celeste40 ,sonnini4 ,page #adg4--8,the canal through which we now sailed40--8,un canal10 says ,maillet1 8trs profond et trs large y voituroit les eaux du ,nil40 ,page #aej4--8;,for a draught of whose flood10 c4--8,anciennement on portoit les eaux du ,nil jusqu'au des contres fort loignes1 et surtout chez les princesses du sang des ,ptolomes1 maries dans des families trangres40 ,de ,pauw4 ,page #aed4--8;,bearing each the name of its owner40--8,le nom du matre y toit crit1 pendant la nuit en lettres de feu40 ,maillet4 ,page #aee4--8;,cups of that frail crystal0--called ,alassontes4 ,for their brittleness ,martial is an authority3-- ,tolle1 puer1 calices1 tepidique toreumata ,nili1 ,et mihi secur pocula trade manu4 ,ib4--8,bracelets of the black beans of ,abyssinia40--,the bean of the ,glycyne1 which is so beautiful as to be strung into necklaces and bracelets1 is generally known by the name of the black bean of ,abyssinia4 ,niebhur4 ,ib4--8,sweet lotuswood flute40--,see ,m4 ,villoteau on the musical instruments of the ,egyptians4 ,page #aef4--8,shine like the brow of ,mount ,atlas at night40--,solinus speaks of the snowy summit of ,mount ,atlas glittering with flames at night4 ,in the account of the ,periplus of ,hanno1 as well as in that of ,eudoxus1 we read that as those navigators were coasting this part of ,africa1 torrents of light were seen to fall on the sea4 ,page #aeh4--8,the tears of ,isis40--8,per lacrymas1 vero1 ,isidis intelligo effluvia qudam ,lun1 quibus tantam vim videntur tribuisse gypti40 ,jablonski4--,he is of opinion that the superstition of the ,nucta1 or miraculous drop1 is of a relic of the veneration paid to the dews1 as the tears of ,isis4 ,page #aeh4--8,the rustling of the acacias10 c4--,travels of ,captain ,mangles4 ,ib4--8,supposed to rest in the valley of the moon40--,plutarch4 ,dupuis1 tom4 #aj4 ,the ,manicheans held the same belief4 ,see ,beausobre1 p4 #efe4 ,page #afj4--8,sothis1 the fair star of the waters40-- is the epithet applied to this star by ,plutarch1 de ,isid4 ,ib4--8,was its birthstar40-- 4 ,porphyr4 de ,antro ,nymph4 ,page #afh4--8;,golden ,mountains40--v4 ,wilford on ,egypt and the ,nile1 ,asiatic ,researches4 ,ib4--8,sweetsmelling wood40--8',a l'poque de la crue le ,nil ,vert charie les planches d'un bois qui a une odeur semblable celle de l'encens40 ,quatremere4 ,page #afi4--8;,barges full of bees40--,maillet4 ,page #agj4--8,such a profusion of the white flowers10 c4--8,on les voit comme jadis cueillir dans les champs des tiges du lotus1 signes du dbordement et prsages de l'abondance2 ils s'enveloppent les bras et le corps avec les longues tiges fleuries1 et parcourent les rues10 c4 ,description des ,tombeaux des ,rois1 par ,m4 ,costaz4 ,page #agc4--8,while composing his commentary on the scriptures40--,it was during the composition of his great critical work1 the ,hexapla1 that ,origen employed these female scribes4 ,page #agf4--8,that rich tapestry10 c4 ,non ego prtulerim ,babylonica picta superb ,texta1 ,semirami qu variantur acu4 ,martial4 ,page #bjj4--8,the ,place of ,weeping40--v4 ,wilford1 ,asiatic ,researches1 vol4 #c4 p4 #cdj4 ,page #baj4--8,we had long since left this mountain behind40--,the voyages on the ,nile are1 under favourable circumstances1 performed with considerable rapidity4 8,en cinq ou six jours10 says ,maillet1 8on pourroit aisment remonter de l'embouchure du ,nil ses cataractes1 ou descendre des cataractes jusqu' la mer40 ,the great uncertainty of the navigation is proved by what ,belzoni tells us3--8,nous ne mmes cette fois que deux jours et demi pour faire le trajet du ,caire ,melawi1 auquel1 dans notre second voyage1 nous avions employs dixhuit jours40 ,page #bab4--8,those mighty statues1 that fling their shadows40--8,elles out prs de vingt mtres 7#fa pieds7 d'lvation2 et au lever du soleil1 leurs ombres immenses s'tendent au loin sur la chaine ,libyen40 ,description gnrale de ,thbes1 par ,messrs4 ,jollois et ,desvilliers4 ,ib4--8,those cool alcoves40--,paul ,lucas4 ,page #bai4--8,whose waters are half sweet1 half bitter40--,paul ,lucas4 ,page #bbd4--8,the ,mountain of the ,birds40--,there has been much controversy among the ,arabian writers1 with respect to the site of this mountain1 for which see ,quatremere1 tom4 #a4 art4 ,amoun4 ,page #bcj4--8,the hand of labour had succeeded10 c4--,the monks of ,mount ,sinai 7,shaw says7 have covered over near four acres of the naked rocks with fruitful gardens and orchards4 ,page #bcc4--8,the image of a head40--,there was usually1 ,tertullian tells us1 the image of ,christ on the communioncups4 ,ib4--8,kissed her forehead40--8,we are rather disposed to infer10 says the present ,bishop of ,lincoln1 in his very sensible work on ,tertullian1 8that1 at the conclusion of all their meetings for the purpose of devotion1 the early ,christians were accustomed to give the kiss of peace1 in token of the brotherly love subsisting between them40 ,page #bcg4--8;,in the middle of the seven valleys40--,see ,macrizy's account of these valleys1 given by ,quatremere1 tom4 #a4 p4 #dej4 ,ib4--8,red lakes of ,nitria40--,for a striking description of this region1 see 8,rameses10--a work which1 though1 in general1 too technical and elaborate1 shows1 in many passages1 to what picturesque effects the scenery and mythology of ,egypt may be made subservient4 ,page #bch4--8;,in the neighbourhood of ,antino40--,from the position assigned to ,antino in this work1 we should conclude that it extended much farther to the north1 than these few ruins of it that remain would seem to indicate2 so as to render the distance between the city and the ,mountain of the ,birds considerably less than what it appears to be at present4 ,page #bdc4--8,when ,isis1 the pure star of lovers40--v4 ,plutarch de ,isid4 ,ib4--8,ere she again embrace her bridegroom sun40--8,conjunctio solis cum luna1 quod est veluti utriusque connubium40 ,jablonski4 ,page #bdg4--8,of his walks a lion is the companion40--,m4 ,chateaubriand has introduced ,paul and his lion into the 8,martyrs10 liv4 #aa4 ,page #bce4--8;,come thus secretly before daybreak40--,it was among the accusations of ,celsus against the ,christians1 that they held their assemblies privately and contrary to law2 and one of the speakers in the curious work of ,minucius ,felix calls the ,christians 8latebrosa et lucifugax natio40 ,page #bef4--8;,a swallow10 c4--8,je vis dans le desert des hirondelles d'un gris clair comme le sable sur lequel elles volent40--,denon4 ,page #beg4--8,the comet that once desolated this world40--,in alluding to ,whiston's idea of a comet having caused the deluge1 ,m4 ,girard1 having remarked that the word ,typhon means a deluge1 adds1 8,on ne peut entendre par le tems du rgne de ,typhon que celui pendant lequel le dluge inonda la terre1 tems pendant lequel on dt observer la comte qui l'occasionna1 et dont l'apparition fut1 non seulement pour les peuples de l',egypte1 et de l',ethiopie1 mais encore pour tous les peuples le prsage funeste de leur destruction presque totale40 ,description de la ,valle de l',e'garement4 ,page #bei4--8;,in which the spirit of my dream10 c4--8,many people10 said ,origen1 8have been brought over to ,christianity by the ,spirit of ,god giving a sudden turn to their minds1 and offering visions to them either by day or night40 ,on this ,jortin remarks3--8,why should it be thought improbable that ,pagans of good dispositions1 but not free from prejudices1 should have been called by divine admonitions1 by dreams or visions1 which might be a support to ,christianity in those days of distress40 ,page #bfc4--8,one of those earthen cups40--,palladius1 who lived some time in ,egypt1 describes the monk ,ptolemus1 who inhabited the desert of ,scete1 as collecting in earthen cups the abundant dew from the rocks4--,bibliothec4 ,pat4 tom4 #ac4 ,page #bfd4--8;,it was to preserve1 he said10 c4--,the brief sketch here given of the ,jewish dispensation agrees very much with the view taken of it by ,dr4 ,sumner1 the present ,bishop of ,llandaff1 in the first chapters of his eloquent and luminous work1 the 8,records of the ,creation40 ,page #bff4--8;,in vain did ,i seek the promise of immortality40--8,it is impossible to deny10 says the ,bishop of ,llandaff1 8that the sanctions of the ,mosaic ,law are altogether temporal4444 ,it is1 indeed1 one of the facts that can only be explained by acknowledging that he really acted under a divine commission1 promulgating a temporary law for a peculiar purpose10--a much more candid and sensible way of treating this very difficult point1 than by either endeavouring1 like ,warburton1 to escape from it into a paradox1 or still worse1 contriving1 like ,dr4 ,graves1 to increase its difficulty by explanation4 v4 8,on the ,pentateuch40 ,see also ,horne's ,introduction1 c4 vol4 ,i4 p4 #bbf4 ,page #bfh4--8;,all are of the dust10 c4--,while ,voltaire1 ,volney1 c4 refer to the ,ecclesiastes1 as abounding with tenets of materialism and ,epicurism1 ,mr4 ,des ,voeux and others find in it strong proofs of belief in a future state4 ,the chief difficulty lies in the chapter from which this text is quoted2 and the mode of construction by which some writers attempt to get rid of it1--namely1 by putting these texts into the mouth of a foolish reasoner1--appears forced and gratuitous4 v4 ,dr4 ,hales's ,analysis4 ,page #bgj4--8,the noblest and firstcreated10 c4--,this opinion of the ,hermit may be supposed to have been derived from his master1 ,origen2 but it is not easy to ascertain the exact doctrine of ,origen on this subject4 ,in the ,treatise on ,prayer attributed to him1 he asserts that ,god the ,father alone should be invoked1--which1 says ,bayle1 is 8encherir sur les ,hrsies des ,sociniens40 ,notwithstanding this1 however1 and some other indications of1 what was afterwards called1 ,arianism1 7such as the opinion of the divinity being received by communication1 which ,milner asserts to have been held by this ,father17 ,origen was one of the authorities quoted by ,athanasius in support of his high doctrines of coeternity and coessentiality4 ,what ,priestley says is1 perhaps1 the best solution of these inconsistencies2--8,origen1 as well as ,clemens ,alexandrinus1 has been thought to favour the ,arian principle2 but he did it only in words and not in ideas40 ,early ,opinions1 c4 ,whatever uncertainty1 however1 there may exist with respect to the opinion of ,origen himself on this subject1 there is no doubt that the doctrines of his immediate followers were1 at least1 ,anti,athanasian4 8,so many ,bishops of ,africa10 says ,priestley1 8were1 at this period 7between the years #bee and #beh71 ,unitarians1 that ,athanasius says1 #8,the ,son of ,god1'--meaning his divinity1--#8was scarcely any longer preached in the churches4'0 ,page #bga4--8,the restoration of the whole human race to purity and happiness40--,this benevolent doctrine1--which not only goes far to solve the great problem of moral and physical evil1 but which would1 if received more generally1 tend to soften the spirit of uncharitableness1 so fatally prevalent among ,christian sects1--was maintained by that great light of the early ,church1 ,origen1 and has not wanted supporters among more modern ,theologians4 ,that ,tillotson was inclined to the opinion appears from his sermon preached before the queen4 ,paley is supposed to have held the same amiable doctrine2 and ,newton 7the author of the work on the ,prophecies7 is also among the supporters of it4 ,for a full account of the arguments in favour of this opinion1 derived both from reason and the express language of ,scripture1 see ,dr4 ,southwood ,smith's very interesting work1 8,on the ,divine ,government40 ,see also ,magee on the ,atonement1 where the doctrine of the advocates of ,universal ,restoration is thus briefly and fairly explained3--8,beginning with the existence of an infinitely powerful1 wise1 and good ,being1 as the first and fundamental principle of rational religion1 they pronounce the essence of this ,being to be love1 and from this infer1 as a demonstrable consequence1 that none of the creatures formed by such a ,being will ever be made eternally miserable4444 ,since ,god 7they say7 would act unjustly in inflicting eternal misery for temporary crimes1 the sufferings of the wicked can be but remedial1 and will terminate in a complete purification from moral disorder1 and in their ultimate restoration to virtue and happiness40 ,page #bgc4--8;,fruit of the desert shrub40--v4 ,hamilton's gyptiaca4 ,page #bgh4--8,the white garment she wore1 and the ring of gold on her finger40--,see1 for the custom among the early ,christians of wearing white for a few days after baptism1 ,ambros4 de ,myst4--,with respect to the ring1 the ,bishop of ,lincoln says1 in his work on ,tertullian1 8,the natural inference from these words 7,tertull4 de ,pudiciti7 appears to be that a ring used to be given in baptism2 but ,i have found no other trace of such a custom40 ,page #bhj4--8,pebbles of jasper40--v4 ,clarke4 ,ib4--8,stunted marigold10 c4--8,les ,mesembryanthemum nodiflorum et ,zygophyllum coccineum1 plantes grasses des dserts1 rejetes cause de leur cret par les chameaux1 les chvres1 et les gazelles40 ,m4 ,delile upon the plants of ,egypt4 ,page #bha4--8;,antino40--v4 ,savary and ,quatremere4 ,page #bhf4--8;,i have observed in my walks40--8,je remarquai avec une rflexion triste1 qu'un animal de proie accompagne presque toujours les pas de ce joli et frle individu40 ,page #bgb4--8;,glistened over its silver letters40--,the ,codex ,cottonianus of the ,new ,testament is written in silver letters on a purple ground4 ,the ,codex ,cottonianus of the ,septuagint version of the ,old ,testament is supposed to be the identical copy that belonged to ,origen4 ,page #bhi4--8,some denier of ,christ40--,those ,christians who sacrificed to idols to save themselves were called by various names1 ,thurificati1 ,sacrificati1 ,mittentes1 ,negatores1 c4 ,baronius mentions a bishop of this period 7#bec71 ,marcellinus1 who1 yielding to the threats of the ,gentiles1 threw incense upon the altar4 v4 ,arnob4 contra ,gent4 lib4 #g4 ,page #big4--8,the clear voice with which10 c4--,the merit of the confession 8,christianus sum10 or 8,christiana sum10 was considerably enhanced by the clearness and distinctness with which it was pronounced4 ,eusebius mentions the martyr ,vetius as making it 4 ,page #cjd4--8,the band round the young ,christian's brow40--,we find poisonous crowns mentioned by ,pliny1 under the designation of 8coron ferales40 ,paschalius1 too1 gives the following account of these 8deadly garlands10 as he calls them3--8,sed mirum est tam salutare inventum humanam nequitiam reperisse1 quomodo ad nefarios usus traducent4 ,nempe1 repert sunt nefand coron harum1 quas dixi1 tam salubrium per nomen quidem et speciem imitatrices1 at re et effectu ferales1 atque adeo capitis1 cui imponuntur1 interfectrices40 ,de ,coronis4 ,,the ,,end4 ,,london3 ,printed by ,a4 ,r4 ,spottiswoode1 ,new,street,square4 ,,footnotes #a ,the description1 here alluded to1 may also be found1 copied verbatim from ,sethos1 in the 8,voyages d',antnor40--8,in that philosophical romance1 called #8,la ,vie de ,sthos1'0 says ,warburton1 8we find a much juster account of old ,egyptian wisdom1 than in all the pretended #8,histoire du ,ciel4'0 ,div4 ,leg4 book #d4 sect4 #ad4 #b ,a cross was1 among the ,egyptians1 the emblem of a future life4 #c 8,on s'toit mme avis1 depuis la premire construction de ces demeures1 de percer en plusieurs endroits jusq'au haut les terres qui les couvroient2 non pas1 la vrit1 pour tirer un jour qui n'auroit jamais t suffisant1 mais pour recevoir un air salutaire1 c40--,sethos4 #d ,osiris4 #e ,in the language of ,plato1 ,hierocles1 c4 to 8restore to the soul its wings10 is the main object both of religion and philosophy4 #f ,see an account of this sensitive tree1 which bends down its branches to those who approach it1 in ,m4 ,jomard's ,description of ,syene and the ,cataracts4 #g ,the province of ,arsino1 now ,fioum4 #h ,in the original the discourses of the ,hermit are given much more at length4 #i ,a rank1 resembling that of ,colonel4 #aj 8,une de ces couronnes de grain de corail1 dont les vierges martyres ornoient leurs cheveaux en allant la mort40 ,les ,martyrs4 ,,transcriber',s ,,note ,variations in hyphenation 7e4g4 8daybreak01 8daybreak01 8overhead01 8overhead07 have not been changed4 ,in the notes1 some references are to the wrong pages or out of sequence4 ,other changes1 which have been made to the text3 page #cb1 8alrea d0 changed to 8already0 page #ha1 8stirke0 changed to 8strike0 page #ic1 8grashopper0 changed to 8grasshopper0 page #ahh1 quote mark added before 8,the state of misery0 page #aid1 8decome0 changed to 8become0 page #cab1 quote mark added before 8,there is1 to the north of ,memphis0