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114 You mean—Miss Faulkner? (Going to lower corner of desk.)

(turning suddenly to ). Watson, she trusted me! She—clung to me! There wero four to one against me! They said "Come here," I said "Stay close to me," and she did! She clung to me. I could feel her heart beating againat mine—and I was playing a game! (lower parenthetical) a dangerous game—but I was playing it!—It will be the same to-night! She'll be there—I'll be here! She'll listen—she'll believe—and she'll trust me and I'll—be playing—a game. No more. I've had enough! It's my last case!

Oh well! what does it matter? Life is small affair at the most—a little while—a few sunrises and sunsets—the warm breath of a few summers—the cold chill of a few winters (Looking down on floor a little way before him in meditation.) And then

And then?

And then.

(going to ). My dear Holmes—I'm afraid that plan of gaining her confidences and regard went a little further than you intended.

(mutters after nodding). A trifle!

For her or for you?

For her (looks up at slowly) and for me.

(astonished. After an instant's pause). But if you both love ench other

(putting hand on to stop him sharply). Sh! Don't say it! (Pause.) You mustn't tempt me with such a thought. That girl! young exquisite just beginning her sweet life I seared, drugged, poisoned, almont at an end! No! no! I must cure her! I must stop it, now—while there's time! (Pause.) She's coming here.

She won't come alone?

No, Térèse will be with her.


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 to him, or remains in abeyance until he has a son. If, however, a Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall dies in his father's the sovereign's lifetime, leaving a son and heir, both dignities cease to exist, because the son, although he is his heir, is neither a King of England nor the first-begotten son of a King of England. The title of " Prince of Wales ", then, is not inherited, but must be received from the sovereign by patent and investiture, or by simple declaration.

Edward the Seventh, as Prince of Wales, directly inherited the title of Duke of Saxony by right of his father, and, by right of his mother, he became Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles (i.e. the Hebrides), and Great Steward of Scotland. A dispute arose concerning the armorial bearings of the Prince. He had been gazetted at once, in honour to Prince Albert, as Duke of Saxony, with precedence for that title over the other inherited titles. The title of Prince of Wales, however, on the issue of the letters patent, took precedence over that of Duke of Saxony, and some British jealousy of German influence was thus allayed. As regards the armorial matter, the Queen and Prince Albert wished that their son should quarter the arms of Saxony along with the Royal arms of Britain. The Heralds of the College, and some others, thought that the Saxony arms ought not to be foisted upon the royal arms. The Queen desired to have the matter settled at once on the next meeting of the Council, but Sir Robert Peel objected to anything but a decision of the Council on the right date. The Earl Marshal thought what the sovereign desired inconsistent with the rules and laws of heraldry. After a lengthy correspondence between the Prime Minister and high functionaries, the Home Secretary (Sir James Graham) took it on himself to order the Earl Marshal to have a coat of arms drawn out, right or wrong, according to the Queen's wishes. It was also settled that, in the Liturgy, the words "His Royal Highness" should not be inserted before "Prince of Wales". In giving some account of the keeping of the Christmas festival at Windsor, the Queen refers to her two children "who, they know not why, are

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 full of happy wonder at the German Christmas tree and its radiant candles". The Christmas tree was then, for this country, a recent importation from Germany, due to Prince Albert. The custom is said to be traceable to the Roman festival known as the Saturnalia, or great festival of Saturn, celebrated on December 17 and 18 as a religious observance, but lasting, in popular usage, for seven days. Among the gifts bestowed on children were wax tapers and clay dolls, which at once remind us of Christmastree decorations. From Italy the festival, in some form, passed with the conquering legions into such parts of Germany as were subdued.

The Queen and Prince Albert had resolved that the ceremony of christening the young Prince of Wales should be performed with great solemnity and splendour. The choice of sponsors required some thought. The difficulty of selecting as godfather one out of many distinguished royal relatives was avoided by an appeal to the sovereign of the chief Protestant nation on the Continent. General approval was accorded to the invitation thus sent to Frederick William IV of Prussia. That monarch, an accomplished, intelligent personage of good intentions, but weak character, consented to come over, and did visit this country, in spite of much intriguing interference from pragmatical politicians in other leading European nations, who persisted in assigning political importance to his presence in England. He was met by Prince Albert on his arrival at Greenwich, and conducted to Windsor, where the Queen received him at the grand entrance of the castle with the usual ceremonial kiss and profound curtsies. He was a stout, middle-aged man, with amiable features and little hair, agreeable and humorous in manners and conversation. The Queen soon made him feel quite at home, and, at the festivities following the ceremony, she persuaded him to resume his dancing, long laid aside, and become her partner in the royal quadrille.

The christening ceremony took place in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. This famous edifice has been the scene of many services in which royalty has played the chief part, gay or grave, festive or solemn, in connection with life or death. There the


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 roof has echoed the sounds of hymns sung on the reception of royal infants into the national Church, of the joyous hymeneal march, and of the slow funereal dirge. The name of the chapel shows at once its intimate connection with our leading order of knighthood, the "Most Noble" Order of the Garter, instituted in an uncertain year, and for an unknown reason, about the middle of the fourteenth century, at a time when the Court of England was, in Hallam's words, "the sun of that system which embraced the valour and nobility of the Christian world", when chivalry was in its zenith, and in all the virtues which adorned the knightly character none were so conspicuous as Edward the Third and the Black Prince". The Order was dedicated to St. George of Cappadocia and St. Edward the Confessor, and its feast or solemn annual convention was kept at Windsor on St. George's Day, April 23, with scarcely a break from the reign of the founder, the third Edward, to that of Queen Elizabeth.

The building is one of the finest examples of Perpendicular architecture in England, surpassing in design, according to some judges, the glorious King's College Chapel at Cambridge, and that of Henry the Seventh at Westminster. The architecture shows the latest style of mediæval art, in which the aspiring lines of earlier days are lost, and lavish and intricate ornament appear. The work of erection was begun by Edward the Fourth, who pulled down, in 1473, almost all the earlier chapel, completed and adorned with stained-glass windows in 1363 by Edward the Third. The nave of the chapel was vaulted about 1490, and the choir groining was finished in 1507. The hanging pendants from the fan-vaulting of the choir show a later development of style, in strong contrast with the simpler lines of the earlier vaulting in the nave. The lantern and rood screen were finished in 1516, and the stalls and other fittings some years later. Much of the later work and decoration are due to the taste and skill of Sir Reginald Bray, who rendered active service in bringing the first Tudor king to the throne, and was also chief architect of Henry the Seventh's chapel at Westminster. He died in 1503, and lies buried in the Windsor chapel. In this edifice, so founded


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 and dedicated, adorned on each side of the choir, the sovereign's and the prince's, with the banners overhanging the stalls of the knights, it was most fitting that another royal Edward should be enrolled in the service of ChristChrist. [sic]

The imposing rite began at 10 o'clock in the morning of St. Paul's Day, January 25, 1842, in presence of the Queen and her consort, ambassadors, high officers of State, Court officials, Knights of the Garter wearing the full insignia of the Order, dignitaries of the Church, and many great ladies gorgeously arrayed. In the Queen's procession, where the victor of Waterloo bore the sword of state before his sovereign and Prince Albert, with the Lord Chamberlain and the Lord Steward on either side, walked the royal dukes, uncles of the Queen, and the princely cousins from Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Weimar. The chief Church officials acting at the grand ceremony were Dr. Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Dr. Edward Vernon Harcourt, Archbishop of York, attended by other prelates. Great preparations, involving the labour of many weeks, had been made inside the chapel. The carved work shone with new polish. A rich purple carpet covered the floor of the choir, from the front stalls of which a platform was laid down to the rails of the communion table. On this platform, for the chief royal personages, stood six ample chairs, covered with purple silk bearing the Garter star. The Bishop of Winchester, Dr. Sumner, Prelate of the Order, and the Dean of Windsor, Registrar, wore their mantles of rich velvet, and the Bishop of Oxford, Dr. Bagot, Chancellor of the Order, was conspicuous in a long crimson cloak. The font, filled, as usual on great occasions, with water from the River Jordan, stood on a purple cushion, and was a composite structure including golden ware used at the baptism of Charles the Second and of the Princess Royal.

The young heir apparent, who is described by the chief reporter present as behaving during the ceremony "with princely decorum", was carried by his nurse from the chapter-house to the chapel, with the Lord Chamberlain and other high officials as escort. The Duchess of Buccleuch, Mistress of the Robes, took


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 him from the nurse and placed him in the arms of the Archbishop of Canterbury, from whom he received, through the good taste of his parents, the simple name "Albert Edward", after his father and maternal grandfather, instead of the long string of appellations often bestowed on royal infants. The chief sponsor was, as we have seen, the King of Prussia, and the other sponsors were the old Duke of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cambridge (as proxy for the Duchess of Saxe-Gotha), the Princess Augusta of Cambridge (representing the Princess Sophia), Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg, and the Duchess of Kent as proxy for the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg. There was a full choral service, and, at Prince Albert's desire, no anthem was sung, although one had been expressly composed for the occasion by Mr. (afterwards Sir George J.) Elvey. The Prince had remarked that, if there were an anthem to end the service, all would go out criticizing the music. He wished to have, instead, "something we all know—something in which we can all join—something devotional". The ceremony accordingly concluded with the "Hallelujah Chorus" and the overture to Handel's oratorio Esther.

The King of Prussia was afterwards invested, as an extra, foreign knight, with the Order of the Garter by the Queen, at a "chapter" held for the purpose; and he conferred the Prussian Order of the Black Eagle on the Prince of Wales. In 1844 the Emperor of Russia gave the young prince the Grand Cross of St. Andrew. The Queen, in her journal, wrote concerning the christening ceremony: "It is impossible to describe how beautiful and imposing the whole scene was in the fine old chapel, with the banners, the music, and the light shining on the altar."

There was a great banquet, in the evening, in St. George's Hall, with a grand display of gold and silver plate. In the middle of the table was a massive gold or silver-gilt vessel, described as "more like a bath than anything else, holding thirty dozen of wine". This vast receptacle, the sight of which astonished the King of Prussia, was filled with mulled claret. The healths drunk, as proposed in succession by the Lord Steward, were " His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales", "The King of Prussia", "The


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 Queen", and "Prince Albert". The guests moved away after the banquet to the Waterloo Chamber, where the christening cake, eight feet round, was viewed and tasted; and the evening ended with a grand concert in the same apartment.

Of King Edward in his earliest life we have only occasional glimpses through mention by his mother and by some of her intimate friends. No royal personage, save Queen Victoria, has had features more familiar to British subjects in all parts of the Empire than those of King Edward the Seventh in his mature manhood as heir apparent and king. This fact is due to the development, as regards beauty, accuracy, and cheapness of reproduction, of the art of photography, during the later decades of the nineteenth century. For knowledge of his personal appearance in his earlier days we are mainly indebted to engravings of pictures representing him as an infant in his mother's lap; as playing with his toys; as holding the Queen's hand when she received Louis Philippe of France, in 1844, at Windsor Castle; as grouped with some of his brothers and sisters; as seated in a box with his father and mother and the Princess Royal, gazing at the equestrian performances in Astley's famous amphitheatre, near the Surrey-side foot of Westminster Bridge; in sailor's dress at the age of seven; and in Highland costume, seated on a pony's back, in a group composed of the Queen and Prince Albert and their attendants, including "gillies", with slaughtered deer lying on the ground beside a loch among the hills.

One of our earliest notices of the Prince is derived from that remarkable personage, Baron Stockmar, whose name is familiar to all readers of Sir Theodore Martin's excellent Life of the Prince Consort. This gentleman, of Swedish descent, born at Coburg in 1787, became physician there to Prince Leopold, afterwards husband of our Princess Charlotte. His mental abilities and high moral qualities soon made him chief secretary and the most confidential adviser of Leopold, before and after attainment of the new throne of Belgium. In 1834 he quitted the King's service for that of mentor to Prince Albert of Coburg, and he


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 was for many years the trusted friend of the Prince and Queen Victoria, spending much time at the British Court. The Baron writes of the Prince of Wales, at one year old, as "strong upon his legs, with a calm, clear, bright expression of face". In the diary of Lady Bloomfield, who, until her marriage with a gentleman who became distinguished in the Queen's service as a diplomatist, was a "maid-of-honour in waiting" as the Hon. Miss Georgiana Liddell, we read, under date of December 15, 1843, "We had a pleasant interview with the royal children in Lady Lyttelton's room yesterday, and almost a romp with the little Princess Royal and the Prince of Wales. They had got a round ivory counter, which I spun for them, and they went into such fits of laughter it did my heart good to hear them." A few days later she writes of trying a German ballad of Prince Albert's composing and says: 'The Prince of Wales stayed some time in the room while we were practising. He was very attentive, and both he and the Princess Royal seem to have a decided taste for music." We read elsewhere of "Vicky and Bertie" (their home names) coming to the Queen's room, in the early years of her married life, when she had left town for Claremont, in the height of the season, to enjoy a few days of repose with her husband and children, to wish her many happy returns of her birthday. They were dressed, as planned, for a surprise, by Prince Albert and the Duchess of Kent, in Tyrolese fashion, and, as the Queen wrote, "looked such sweet little foreigners that their mother hardly knew them". At six years of age the Prince was a very pretty boy, with his mother's fine blue eyes and beautiful hair, with a shy manner, and yet full of mischief and fun. We read of his having, at eight years old, a bad fall on an iron-barred gate, which caused two black eyes and a badly cut nose.

Sir Charles Lyell, the eminent geologist, when he was visiting at Balmoral, described him as "a pleasing, lively boy", who gave him an animated account of the tricks performed before the Court by "' Professor Anderson", the "Wizard of the North"; of his firing a pistol, and sending several watches through the head of a footman, in regard to which the Prince said: "Papa knows how all


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 less be recollected by men of literature, which are unknown to us; because every man's circle of acquaintance and theatre of observation differ more or less from that of his neighbour. Few individuals, we believe, would have been able by their single effort to have brought together so great a quantity of materials. The true judge will acknowledge the difficulty of our undertaking, and the variety and truth of our information; while the hypercritic will lay his finger on our faults and omissions. To those faults no man can be more conscious than ourselves; because no man can reasonably be supposed, to have thought upon our general subject with constant attention, for so long a time.

Desirous of gratifying the inquisitiveness of the curious, so far as to gratify it was innocent and practicable, we have not made our Catalogue the vehicle of scandal; for we were willing, as much as possible, to avoid


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Rh tion to her—she could have needed no other. Think what a multitude of small souls were crowded into that theatre last night. If the manager could have filled his theatre with Neapolitan souls alone, without the bodies, he could not have cleared less than ninety millions of dollars. What traits of character must a man have to enable him to help three thousand miscreants to hiss, and jeer, and laugh at one friendless old woman, and shamefully humiliate her? He must have all the vile, mean traits there are. My observation persuades me (I do not like to venture beyond my own personal observation,) that the upper classes of Naples possess those traits of character. Otherwise they may be very good people; I can not say.

In this eity of Naples, they believe in and support one of the wretchedest of all the religious impostures one can find in Italy—the miraculous liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius. Twice a year the priests assemble all the people at the Cathedral, and get out this vial of clotted blood and let them see it slowly dissolve and become liquid—and every day for eight days, this dismal farce is repeated, while the priests go among the crowd and collect money for the exhibition. The first day, the blood liquefies in forty-seven minutes—the church is crammed, then, and time must be allowed the collectors to get around: after that it liquefies a little quicker and a little quicker, every day, as the houses grow smaller, till on the eighth day, with only a few dozens present to see the miracle, it liquefies in four minutes.

And here, also, they used to have a grand procession, of priests, citizens, soldiers, sailors, and the high dignitaries of the City Government, once a year, to shave the head of a made-up Madonna—a stuffed and painted image, like a milliner’s dummy—whose hair miraculously grew and restored itself every twelve months. They still kept up this shaving procession as late as four or five years ago. It was a source of great profit to the church that possessed the remarkable effigy, and


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312 the ceremony of the public barbering of her was always carried out with the greatest possible eclat and display—the more the better, because the more excitement there was about it the larger the crowds it drew and the heavier the revenues it produced—but at last a day came when the Pope and his servants were unpopular in Naples, and the City Government stopped the Madonna’s annual show.

There we have two specimens of these Neapolitans—two of the silliest possible frauds, which half the population religiously and faithfully believed, and the other half either believed also or else said nothing about, and thus lent themselves to the support of the imposture. I am very well satisfied to think the whole population believed in those poor, cheap miracles—a people who want two cents every time they bow to you, and who abuse a woman, are capable of it, I think.

These Neapolitans always ask four times as much money as they intend to take, but if you give them what they first demand, they feel ashamed of themselves for aiming so low, and immediately ask more. When money is to be paid and received, there is always some vehement jawing and gesticulating about it. One can not buy and pay for two cents’ worth of clams without trouble and a quarrel. One “course,” in a two-horse carriage, costs a franc—that is law—but the hackman always demands more, on some pretence or other, and if he gets it he makes a new demand. It is said that a stranger took a one-horse carriage for a course—tariff, half a franc. He gave the man five francs, by way of experiment. He demanded more, and received another franc. Again he demanded more, and got a franc—demanded more, and it was refused. He grew vehement—was again refused, and became noisy. The stranger said, “Well, give me the seven francs again, and I will see what I can do”—and when he got them, he handed the hackman half a franc, and he immediately asked for two cents to buy a drink with. It may be thought that I am preju-


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Rh diced. Perhaps I am. I would be ashamed of myself if I were not.

Well, as I was saying, we got our mules and horses, after an hour and a half of bargaining with the population of Annunciation, and started sleepily up the mountain, with a vagrant at each mule’s tail who pretended to be driving the brute along, but was really holding on and getting himself dragged up instead. I made slow headway at first, but I began to get dissatisfied at the idea of paying my minion five francs to hold my


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314 mule back by the tail and keep him from going up the hill, and so I discharged him. I got along faster then.

We had one magnificent picture of Naples from a high point on the mountain side. We saw nothing but the gas lamps, of course—two-thirds of a circle, skirting the great Bay—a necklace of diamonds glinting up through the darkness from the remote distance—less brilliant than the stars overhead, but more softly, richly beautiful—and over all the great city the lights crossed and recrossed each other in many and many a sparkling line and curve. And back of the town, far around and abroad over the miles of level campagna, were scattered rows, and circles, and clusters of lights, all glowing like so many gems, and marking where a score of villages were sleeping. About this time, the fellow who was hanging on to the tail of the horse in front of me and practicing all sorts of unnecessary cruelty upon the animal, got kicked some fourteen rods, and this incident, together with the fairy spectacle of the lights far in the distance, made me serenely happy, and I was glad I started to Vesuvius.

This subject will be excellent matter for a chapter, and to-morrow or next day I will write it.


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Following for President from "Rejoined" Naval Person.

Impossible to reach mouth of POTOMAC before 6.30.p.m. E.S.T. which would be too late for plan you have so kindly made for us. Can anchor Hampton Roads Gate 4.15.p.m. E.S.T.

I should like to come on by aircraft to Washington Airfield reaching you in time for dinner.

If weather prevents this could I have a train to Washington from whatever is most convenient starting point in the vicinity of Hampton Roads?

Please on no account come out to meet me either way. Looking forward so much to seeing you at the White House. WINSTON,

REGRADED UNCLASSIFIED


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EE Naples and die.” Well, I do not know that one would necessarily die after merely seeing it, but to attempt to live there might turn out a little differently. To see Naples as we saw it in the early dawn from far up on the side of Vesuvius, is to see a picture of wonderful beauty. At that distance its dingy buildings looked white—and so, rank on rank of balconies, windows and roofs, they piled themselves up from the blue ocean till the colossal castle of St. Elmo topped the grand white pyramid and gave the picture symmetry, emphasis and completeness. And when its lilies turned to roses—when it blushed under the sun’s first kiss—it was beautiful beyond all description. One might well say, then, “See Naples and die.” The frame of the picture was charming, itself. In front, the smooth sea—a vast mosaic of many colors; the lofty islands swimming in a dreamy haze in the distance; at our end of the city the stately double peak of Vesuvius, and its strong black ribs and seams of lava stretching down to the limitless level campagna—a green carpet that enchants the eye and leads it on and on, past clusters of trees, and isolated houses, and snowy villages, until it shreds out in a fringe of mist and general vagueness far away. It is from the Hermitage, there on the side of, Vesuvius, that one should “see Naples and die.”

But do not go within the walls and look at it in detail. That takes away some of the romance of the thing. The


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206 and with the deep roar of the huge elephants, all mingling with the neighing of horses and the clashing of weapons of the variously armed attendants in diversified dresses, there arose a deafening tumult while the king was on his march. And ladies gifted with great beauty, from the terraces of goodly mansions, beheld that heroic monarch the achiever of his own fame. And the ladies saw that he was like unto Sakra, the slayer of his enemies, capable of repulsing the elephants of foes. And they believed that he was the wielder of the thunder-bolt himself. And they said, 'This is that tiger among men who in war is equal unto Vasu in prowess, and in consequence of the might of whose arm there are no foes left.' And saying this, the ladies from affection gratified the monarch by showering flowers on his head. And followed by foremost of Brahmanas uttering blessings all the way, the king in great gladness of heart went towards the forest eager on slaying the deer. And many Brahmanas, Kshatrias, Vaisyas, and Sudras followed the monarch who was like unto the king of the celestials seated on the back of a proud elephant. The citizens and other classes followed the monarch for some distance. And they at last refrained from going further at the command of the king. And the king, then, ascending on his chariot, of winged speed filled the whole earth and even the heavens, with the gharghara of his chariot wheels. And as he went he saw around him a forest like unto Nandana itself (the celestial gardens.) And it was full of Vilwa, Arka, Khadira (catechu) Kopithwa, and Dhava trees. And he saw that the soil was uneven and scattered over with blocks of stone loosened from the neighbouring cliffs. And he saw that it was without water and without human beings and lay extended for many Yojanas around. And it was full of deer and lions and other terrible beasts of prey.

"And king Dushmanta, that tiger among men, assisted by his followers and the warriors in his train, agitated that forest killing numerous animals. And Dushmanta, piercing them with his arrows, felled numerous tigers that were within shooting range. And the king wounded many that were too distant, and killed many that were too near with his heavy sword. And


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316 people are filthy in their habits, and this makes filthy streets and breeds disagreeable sights and smells. There never was a community so prejudiced against the cholera as these Neapolitans are. But they have good reason to be. The cholera generally vanquishes a Neapolitan when it seizes him, because, you understand, before the doctor can dig through the dirt and get at the disease the man dies. The upper classes take a sea-bath every day, and are pretty decent.

The streets are generally about wide enough for one wagon, and how they do swarm with people! It is Broadway repeated in every street, in every court, in every alley! Such masses, such throngs, such multitudes of hurrying, bustling, struggling humanity! We never saw the like of it, hardly even in New York, I think. There are seldom any sidewalks, and when there are, they are not often wide enough to pass a man on without caroming on him. So everybody walks in the street—and where the street is wide enough, carriages are forever dashing along. Why a thousand people are not run over and crippled every day is a mystery that no man can solve.

But if there is an eighth wonder in the world, it must be the dwelling-houses of Naples. I honestly believe a good majority


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Rh of them are a hundred feet high! And the solid brick walls are seven feet through. You go up nine flights of stairs before you get to the “first” floor. No, not nine, but there or thereabouts. There is a little bird-cage of an iron railing in front of every window clear away up, up, up, among the eternal clouds, where the roof is, and there is always somebody looking out of every window—people of ordinary size looking out from the first floor, people a shade smaller from the second, people that look a little smaller yet from the third—and from thence upward they grow smaller and smaller by a regularly graduated diminution, till the folks in the topmost windows seem more like birds in an uncommonly tall martin-box than any thing else. The perspective of one of these narrow cracks of streets, with its rows of tall houses stretching away till they come together in the distance like railway tracks; its clothes-lines crossing over at all altitudes and waving their bannered raggedness over the swarms of people below; and the white-dressed women perched in balcony railings all the way from the pavement up to the heavens—a perspective like that is really worth going into Neapolitan details to see.

Naples, with its immediate suburbs, contains six hundred and twenty-five thousand inhabitants, but I am satisfied it covers no more ground than an American city of one hundred and fifty thousand. It reaches up into the air infinitely higher than three American cities, though, and there is where the secret of it lies. I will observe here, in passing, that the contrasts between opulence and poverty, and magnificence and misery, are more frequent and more striking in Naples than in Paris even. One must go to the Bois de Boulogne to see fashionable dressing, splendid equipages and stunning liveries, and to the Faubourg St. Antoine to see vice, misery, hunger, rags, dirt—but in the thoroughfares of Naples these things are all mixed together. Naked boys of nine years and the fancy-dressed children of luxury; shreds and tatters, and brilliant


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318 uniforms; jackass-carts and state-carriages; beggars, Princes and Bishops, jostle each other in every street. At six o’clock every evening, all Naples turns out to drive on the Riviere di Chiaja, (whatever that may mean;) and for two hours one may stand there and see the motliest and the worst mixed procession go by that ever eyes beheld. Princes (there are more Princes than policemen in Naples—the city is infested with them)—Princes who live up seven flights of stairs and don’t own any principalities, will keep a carriage and go hungry; and clerks, mechanics, milliners and strumpets will go without their dinners and squander the money on a hack-ride in the Chiaja; the rag-tag and rubbish of the city stack themselves up, to the number of twenty or thirty, on a rickety little go-cart hauled by a donkey not much bigger than a cat, and they drive in the Chiaja; Dukes and bankers, in sumptuous carriages and with gorgeous drivers and footmen, turn out, also, and so the furious procession goes. For two hours rank and wealth, and obscurity and poverty clatter along side by side in the wild procession, and then go home serene, happy, covered with glory!

I was looking at a magnificent marble staircase in the King’s palace, the other day, which, it was said, cost five million francs, and I suppose it did cost half a million, may be. I felt as if it must be a fine thing to live in a country where there was such comfort and such luxury as this. And then I stepped out musing, and almost walked over a vagabond who was eating his dinner on the curbstone—a piece of bread and a bunch of grapes. When I found that this mustang was clerking in a fruit establishment (he had the establishment along with him in a basket,) at two cents a day, and that he had no palace at home where he lived, I lost some of my enthusiasm concerning the happiness of living in Italy.

This naturally suggests to me a thought about wages here. Lieutenants in the army get about a dollar a day, and common soldiers a couple of cents. I only know one clerk—he gets four dollars a month. Printers get six dollars and a half a month, but I have heard of a foreman who gets thirteen.


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Rh To be growing suddenly and violently rich, as this man is, naturally makes him a bloated aristocrat. The airs he puts on are insufferable.

And, speaking of wages, reminds me of prices of merchandise. In Paris you pay twelve dollars a dozen for Jouvin’s best kid gloves; gloves of about as good quality sell here at three or four dollars a dozen. You pay five and six dollars apiece for fine linen shirts in Paris; here and in Leghorn you pay two and a half. In Marseilles you pay forty dollars for a first-class dress coat made by a good tailor, but in Leghorn you can get a full dress suit for the same money. Here you get handsome business suits at from ten to twenty dollars, and in Leghorn you can get an overcoat for fifteen dollars that would cost you seventy in New York. Fine kid boots are worth eight dollars in Marseilles and four dollars here. Lyons velvets rank higher in America than those of Genoa. Yet the bulk of Lyons velvets you buy in. the States are made in Genoa and imported into Lyons, where they receive the Lyons stamp and are then exported to America. You can buy enough velvet in Genoa for twenty-five dollars to make a five hundred dollar cloak in New York—so the ladies tell me. Of course these things bring me back, by a natural and easy transition, to the


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320

And thus the wonderful Blue Grotto is suggested tome. It is situated on the Island of Capri, twenty-two miles from Naples. We chartered a little steamer and went out there. Of course, the police boarded us and put us through a health examination, and inquired into our politics, before they would let us land. The airs these little insect Governments put on are in the last degree ridiculous. They even put a policeman on board of our boat to keep an eye on us as long as we were in the Capri dominions. They thought we wanted to steal the grotto, I suppose. It was worth stealing. The entrance to the cave is four feet high and four feet wide, and is in the face of a lofty perpendicular cliff—the sea-wall. You enter in


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Rh that foremost of all wielders of darts killed many by hurling his darts at them. And well conversant with the arts of whirling the mace, the king of immeasurable prowess fearlessly wandered over the forest. And the king roamed about killing the inmates of the wilderness sometimes by his swords and sometimes by fast-descending blows of his mace and heavy short clubs.

"And when the forest was so agitated by the king possessed of wonderful energy and by the warriors in his train delighting in warlike sports, the lions began thereupon to desert it in numbers. And herds of animals deprived of their leaders, from fear and anxiety began to utter loud cries as they fled in all directions. And fatigued with flight they began to fall down on all sides, unable to slake their thirst having reached river-beds that were perfectly dry. And many so falling were eaten up by the hungry warriors. While others were eaten up after having been duly quartered and roasted in fires lit up by the warriors. And many strong elephants maddened with the wounds they received and alarmed also beyond measure fled with trunks upraised on high. And those wild elephants betraying the usual symptoms of alarm by urinating and ejecting the contents of their stomach and vomitting blood in large quantities trampled, as they ran, many warriors to death. And that forest which had been full of animals was by the king with his masses of followers and sharp weapons soon made bereft of lions and tigers and other monarchs of the wilderness."

And thus endeth the sixty-ninth Section in the Sambhava of the Adi Parva.

( Sambhava Parva continued. )

Vaisampayana said, "Then the king with his followers having killed thousands of animals entered another forest for purposes of hunting. And attended by a single follower and fatigued with hunger and thirst he came upon a large desert on the frontiers of the forest. And having crossed this herb-


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138 firmer, his step more resolute. But he went on his way as before, living simply and laboring incessantly, unmoved by the thunders of applause, unaffected by the feebler echoes of calumny. He corresponded with his brethren far and near, answered questions as Rabbi, explained passages in his Commentary on the Mishnah or his other writings, entered heartily into the controversies of the day, discussed the claims of a new aspirant to the dignity of Messiah, encouraged the weaker brethren who fell under disfavor because they had been compelled to become pretended converts to Islam, showed common-sense and strong intellectual grasp in every line he wrote, and combined in his dealings with all questions the rarely associated qualities, toleration and devotion to the truth.

Yet he felt that his life’s work was still incomplete. He loved truth, but truth for him had two aspects: there was truth as revealed by God, there was truth which


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122 superseded all previous works of its kind.

Solomon, the son of Isaac, best known as Rabbi Shelomo Izchaki (Rashi), was born in 1040, and died in 1105, in Troyes, in Champagne. From his mother, who came of a family of poets, he inherited his warm humanity, his love for Judaism. From his father, he drew his Talmudical knowledge, his keen intellect. His youth was a hard one. In accordance with medieval custom, he was married as a boy, and then left his home in search of knowledge rather than of bread. Of bread he had little, but, starved and straitened in circumstances though he was, he became an eager student at the Jewish schools which then were dotted along the Rhine, residing now at Mainz, now at Speyer, now at Worms. In 1064 he settled finally in Troyes. Here he was at once hailed as a new light in Israel. His spotless character and his unique reputation as a teacher attracted a vast number of eager students.


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This chapter describes the physical, biological, cultural, and socioeconomic resources of the WTCA that could be affected by the no-action alternative (alternative A) and the proposed action (alternative B). The WTCA consists of 43,200 acres within the Laramie Plains of southeastern Wyoming, which is part of the Wyoming Basin ecoregion (Bailey 1995) and the Great Northern LCC (USFWS 2012a).

Below are descriptions of the climate and land features of the project area.

The Laramie Plains is a high, cold desert basin located at approximately 8,000 feet elevation between two mountain ranges, the Snowy Range and the Laramie Range. The average annual precipitation is 11 inches, most of which falls as snow in winter. Temperature extremes range from a record high of 97 °F in summer to a record low of −43 °F in winter (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2002). The area is known for persistent windy conditions and a short growing season that typically occurs between late May and early September.


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Rh Of Rashi’s Commentary on the Talmud something has already been said. As to his exposition of the Bible, it soon acquired the widest popularity. It was inferior to his work on the Talmud, for, as he himself admitted in later life, he had relied too much on the Midrash, and had attended too little to evolving the literal meaning of the text of Scripture. But this is the charm of his book, and it is fortunate that he did not actually attempt to recast his commentary. There is a quaintness and fascination about it which are lacking in the pedantic sobriety of Ibn Ezra and the grammatical exactness of Kimchi. But he did himself less than justice when he asserted that he had given insufficient heed to the Peshat (literal meaning). Rashi often quotes the grammatical works of Menachem and Dunash. He often translates the Hebrew into French, showing a very exact knowledge of both languages. Besides, when he cites


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Rh ginner finds Rashi useful, and the specialist turns to him for help. His immediate disciples rarely quote him by name; to them he is “the Commentator.”

Rashi was not the first to subject the Talmud to critical analysis. The Gaonim had begun the task, and Nathan, the son of Yechiel of Rome, compiled, in about the year 1000, a dictionary (Aruch) which is still the standard work of reference. But Rashi’s nearest predecessor, Alfassi, was not an expounder of the Talmud: he extracted, with much skill, the practical results from the logical mazes in which they were enveloped. Isaac, the son of Jacob Alfassi, derived his name from Fez, where he was born in 1013. He gave his intellect entirely to the Talmud, but he acquired from the Moorish culture of his day a sense of order and system. He dealt exclusively with the Halachah, or practical contents of the Rabbinic law, and the guide which he compiled to the Talmud soon


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 BRITISH EMBASSY,

WASHINGTON, D.C.

December 18th, 1941.

Dear Mr. President,

I have just received a message from the Prime Minister asking me to thank you for your most kind invitation to stay at the White House, which he is delighted to accept. He proposes that his party at the White House should consist of only himself, his personal assistant Commander Thompson, his secretary Mr. Martin, his valet, and his two detectives. Accommodation for the remainder of the Prime Minister's party is being obtained at the Mayflower Hotel, where Lord Beaverbrook's party and Mr. Harriman are also to stay.

Believe me,

Yours very sincerely,

Halifax.

The Honourable

Franklin D. Roosevelt,

President of the United States

of America,

Washington, D. C.


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208 less plain the king came upon another forest full of the retreats of ascetics, beautiful to look at, delighting the heart, and of cool, agreeable breezes. And it was full of trees covered with blossoms, the soil overgrown with the softest and greenest grass, extending for many miles around, and echoing with the sweet notes of winged warblers. And it resounded also with the notes of the male Kokila and of the shrill cicala. And it abounded with magnificent trees with outstretched branches forming a shady canopy overhead. And the bees hovered over flowery creepers all around. And there were beautiful bowers in every place. And there was no tree without flowers, none without fruits, or none that had prickles on it, or none that had no bees swarming around it. And the whole forest resounded with the melody of winged choristers. And it was decked with various flowers. And there were refreshing shades of blossoming trees.

"Such was the delicious and excellent forest that the great bowman entered. And trees with branches beautified with clusters of flowers began to gently wave at the soft breeze and rain their flowers over the monarch's head. And the trees clad in their flowery attire of all colors, with sweet-throated warblers perching on them, stood there in rows with heads touching the very heavens. And around their branches hanging down with the weight of flowers the bees tempted by the honey hummed in sweet chorus. And the king endued with great energy beholding innumerable spots covered with bowers of creepers decked with thick clusters of flowers, from excess of gladness became very much charmed. And the forest was exceedingly beautiful in consequence of those trees ranged around with flowery branches twining with each other and looking like so many rain-bow for gaudiness and variety of colors. And it was the resort of bands of ascetics crowned with success, of the Charanas, of tribes of Gandharvas and Apsaras, of monkeys and Kinnaras drunk with joy. Delicious, cool, and fragrant breezes conveying the effluvia of fresh flowers blew in all directions as if they had come there to sport with the trees. And the king saw that charming forest gifted with such beauties. And it was situate in a delta of


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The physiography of the Laramie Plains has been influenced by shallow, warm sea water; a crustal uplift that affected Colorado and southeastern Wyoming; the Laramie Orogeny Mountain building episode; volcanic activity in the Yellowstone area; and ice ages. Most of the stable landforms in the area were created within the last 100,000 years by glacial outwash waters. Many of the valley soils are rather deep and alluvial in nature, having been derived from the surrounding granitic mountains (USDA 1998). Soil texture near the mountains tends to be coarse, but it becomes progressively finer toward the basin center. The alluvial overburden is too thick to allow profitable petroleum development in most of the basin, although limited opportunities for such development do occur. The high, flat nature of much of eastern Wyoming is conducive to the development of strong winds, and several features on the land suggest that wind has played an important role in past geological development as well.

Sand and gravel are the major mineral commodities in the Laramie Plains. Sand and gravel mines are scattered throughout the basin, with the biggest concentration near the southern part. Other minerals that are mined in the area include shale, gold, gypsum, and limestone. The potential for oil and gas exploration within the basin is rated as moderate, with scattered high potential areas outside the project area to the north. There are no active coal mining permits in the Laramie Plains at this time (Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality 2014).

Over 82 miles of the Laramie River and a 41-milelong reach of the Little Laramie River flow through the proposed WTCA. The Laramie River’s headwaters are in the Rawah Mountain Range in Colorado (figure LPP-2), and the river itself ultimately empties into the North Platte River near Wheatland, Wyoming (USDA 1998). Smaller tributaries feed into the Laramie River from the Laramie Mountains to the east and the Medicine Bow Mountains to the west. The river is the primary source of water in the Laramie Plains. Because the open plains receive little precipitation, most surface and ground water is a result of snowpack runoff from the surrounding mountains. Historically, many of the natural wetlands were associated with riparian corridors and playa lakebeds. However, the number and area of natural wetlands in Wyoming have continued to decline, whereas the acreages of ponds and other human-created waterbodies have increased (Wyoming Joint Venture Steering Committee 2010). This holds true for the Laramie Plains as well. The Casper aquifer is an important water-bearing geological formation that underlies the entire Laramie Plains and supplies most of the drinking water for the city of Laramie and Albany County.

This section describes the plant communities in the project area and the animals that they support. Table LPP-2 shows the habitat types in the proposed WTCA.

Vegetation communities within the proposed project area vary with topography and range from wetlands (which are often alkaline or saline) and riparian areas to wide expanses of shortgrass prairie and shrubland (see figure LPP-3). This section also


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Rh the river, and the cluster of high trees standing together made the place look like a gaudy flatstaff.

"And in that forest which was the resort of ever-cheerful birds, the monarch saw a delightful and charming retreat of ascetics. And there were many trees around it. And the sacred fire was burning within it. And the king worshipped that unrivalled retreat. And he saw sitting in it numerous Yotis, Valakhillyas, and other Munis. And it was adorned with many chambers containing the sacrificial fire. And the flowers dropping from the trees had formed a thick carpet spread over the ground. And the spot looked exceedingly beautiful with those tall trees of large trunks. And by it flowed, O king, the sacred and transparent Malini with every species of water-fowl playing on its bosom. And that stream infused gladness into the hearts of the ascetics who resorted to it for purposes of ablutions. And the king beheld on its banks many innocent animals of the deer species and was exceedingly delighted with all he saw.

"And the monarch, the course of whose chariot no foe could obstruct, then entered that asylum which was like unto the region of the celestials, being exceedingly beautiful all over. And the king saw that it was on the margent of the sacred stream which was like the mother of all the living creatures residing in its vicinage. And on its beach sported the , and waves of milk-white foam. And there stood also the habitation of Kinnaras. And monkeys and bears too disported in numbers. And there lived also holy ascetics engaged in study and meditation. And there could be seen also elephants and tigers and snakes. And it was on the banks of that stream that the excellent asylum of the illustrious Kasyapa stood offering a home to numerous Rishis of great ascetic merit. And beholding that river, and the asylum also washed by that river which was studded with many islands and which possessed banks of so much beauty,—an asylum like unto that of Nara and Narayana laved by the waters of the Ganges,—the king then resolved to enter into that sacred abode. And that bull among men, desirous of beholding the great Rishi of ascetic wealth, the illustrious Kanwa of the race of Kasyapa 27


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{|style="width:100%; border-bottom:2px solid black; text-align:right" '''Figure LPP-2. Hydrologic units in the Laramie Plains in Wyoming and Colorado.'''
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{|style="width:100%; border-bottom:2px solid black" '''Figure LPP-3. Land cover within the Laramie Plains in Wyoming.'''
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210 one who possessed every virtue and who for his splendour could with difficulty be gazed at, then approached that forest resounding with the notes of maddened peacocks and like unto the gardens of the great Gandharva himself. And halting his army, consisting of flags, cavalry, infantry, and elephants, at the entrance of the forest, the monarch spoke as follows:—'I shall go to behold the mighty ascetic of Kasyapa's race, he who is without darkness. Stay ye here until my return!'

"And the king having entered that forest which was like unto Indra's garden, soon forgot his hunger and thirst. And he was pleased beyond measure. And the monarch, laying aside all signs of royalty, entered that excellent asylum with but his minister and his priest, desirous of beholding that Rishi who was an indestructible mass of ascetic merit. And the king saw that the aylumasylum [sic] was like unto the region of Brahma. There were bees sweetly humming here and winged warblers of various species pouring forth their melodies there. At particular places that tiger among men heard the chaunting of the Rig hymns by first-rate Brahmanas according to the just rules of intonation. Other places again were decked with rules of intonation. Other places again were decked with Brahmanas acquainted with the ordinances of sacrifices, of the Angas, and the hymns of the Yayurveda. Other places again were filled with the harmonious strains of Sama hymns sung by vow-observing Rishis. At other places the asylum was decked with Brahmanas learned in the Atharva Veda. At other places again Brahmanas learned in the Atharva Veda and those capable of chaunting the sacrificial hymns of the Sama were reciting the Sanhitas according to the just rules of voice. At other places again other Brahmanas well-acquainted with the science of {ortho-epy were reciting mantras of other kinds. In fact, that sacred retreat resounding with these holy notes was like unto a second region of Brahma himself. And there were many Brahmanas skilled in the art of making sacrificial platforms and in the rules of Krama in sacrifices, conversant with logic and the mental sciences, and possessing a complete knowledge of the Vedas. There were those also who were fully acquainted with the meanings of all kinds of


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Rh expressions, those that were conversant with all especial rites, those also that were followers of ; those again that were well-skilled in establishing propositions, rejecting superfluous causes, and drawing right conclusions. There were those having a knowledge of the science of words (grammar), or prosody, of Nirukta; those again who were conversant with astrology and learned in the properties of matter and the fruits of sacrificial rites, possessing a knowledge of causes and effects, capable of understanding the cries of birds and monkies, well-read in large treatises, and skilled in various sciences. And the king, as he proceeded, heard their voices. And the retreat resounded also with the voices of men capable of charming human hearts. And the slayer of hostile heroes also saw around him learned Brahmanas of rigid vows engaged in Japa and homa. And the king wondered much on beholding the beautiful carpets which those Brahmanas offered to him respectfully. And that excellent of monarchs, at sight of the rites with which those Brahmanas worshipped the gods and great Rishis, thought within himself that he was in the region of Brahma. And the more the king saw that auspicious and sacred asylum of Kasyapa protected by that Rishi's ascetic virtues and possessing all the requisites of a holy retreat, the more he desired to see it. In fact, he was not satisfied with his short survey. And the slayer of heroes at last, accompanied by his minister and his priest, entered that charming and sacred retreat of Kasyapa peopled all around with Rishis of great ascetic wealth and exalted vows."

And thus ends the seventieth Section in the Sambhava of the Adi Parva.

( Sambhava Parva continued. )

Vaisampayana said, "The monarch then, as he proceeded, left even his reduced attendants at the entrance of the asylum. And entering quite alone, he saw not the Rishi (Kanwa) of rigid vows. And not seeing the Rishi and finding that the abode was empty, he hailed loudly, saying, 'What ho, who is


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212 here?' And the sound of his voice was echoed back, loud as it was. And hearing the sound of his voice, there came out of the Rishi's abode a maiden beautiful as Sree herself but dressed as an ascetic's daughter. And the black-eyed fair one, as soon as she saw king Dushmanta, bade him welcome and worshipped him duly. And showing him due respect by the offer of a seat, Padya and Arghya, enquired after, O king, about the monarch's health and peace. And having worshipped the king and asked him about his health and peace, the maiden, reverentially asked, 'What must be done, O king! I await your commands.' The king duly worshipped by her, then said unto that maiden of faultless features and sweet speech, 'I have come to worship the greatly fortunate Rishi Kanwa. Tell me, O amiable and beautiful one, where has the illustrious Rishi gone?'

"Sakuntala then answered, 'My illustrious father hath gone away from the asylum to fetch fruits. Wait but a moment and thou wilt see him when he arrives.

Vaisampayana continued, "The king not seeing the Rishi, and addressed thus by her, beheld that the maiden was exceedingly beautiful and endued with perfect symmetry of shape. And he saw that she was of sweet smiles. And she stood decked in beauty for her faultless features, for ascetic penances, and for humility. And he saw that she was in the bloom of youth. She therefore asked her, 'Who art thou? And whose daughter, O beautiful one! Why hast thou come into the woods also? O handsome one, gifted with so much beauty and such virtues, whence hast thou come? O charming one, at the very first glace hast thou stolen my heart!' And thus addressed by the monarch in the asylum, the maiden smilingly replied in these sweet words:—'O Dushmanta, I am the daughter of the virtuous, wise, high-souled, and illustrious ascetic Kanwa!'

Dushmanta, hearing this replied, "The universally worshipped and greatly fortunate Rishi is one whose seed hath been drawn up. Even Dharma himself might fall off from his course, but ascetics of rigid vows can never fall off so. Therefore, O thou of the fairest complexion, how hast thou been


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Rh born his daughter? This great doubt of mine it behoveth thee to dispel!'

Sakutala then replied, 'Hear, O king, what I have learnt regarding all that befell me of old and how I am the daughter of the Muni! Once on a time, a Rishi came here and asked about my birth. All that the illustrious one (Kanwa) told him hear now of me, O king!

My father Kanwa, in answer to that Rishi's enquiries said, Viswamitra of old having been engaged in the most austere of penances alarmed Indra the chief of the celestials who thought that the mighty ascetic of blazing energy would, by his penances, hurl him down from his high seat in the heavens. And Indra thus alarmed, summoned Menaka, and told her, "Thou, O Menaka, art the first of all the celestial Apsaras! Therefore, O amiable one, do me this service. Hear what I say. This great ascetic Viswamitra, like unto the Sun himself in splendour, is engaged in the most severe of penances. My heart is trembling with fear. Indeed, O slender-waisted Menaka, this is thy business! Thou must see that Viswamittra, of soul rapt in contemplation and engaged in the most austere of penances, who might hurl me from my seat. Go and tempt him, and frustrating his continued austerities accomplish my good! Win him away from his penances, O beautiful one, by tempting him with thy beauty, youth, agreeableness, arts, smiles and speech." Hearing all this, Menaka replied, "The illustrious Viswamitra is endued with great energy and is a mighty ascetic. He is very wrathful also as is known to thee. The energy, penances, and wrath of the high-souled one have made even thee anxious. Why should not I also be anxious? He it was who made even the illustrious Vasishta bear the pangs of witnessing the premature death of his children. He it was who though at first was born a Kshatria subsequently became a Brahmana by strength of his ascetic penances. He it was who for purposes of his ablutions created a deep river that can with difficulty be forded, and which sacred stream is known by the name of the Kausiki. It was Viswamitra whose wife in a season of distress was maintained by the royal sage Matanga (Trisaku) who was then


text: Author:Augustus Peabody Gardner

title: Author:Augustus Peabody Gardner


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214 living under a father's curse as a hunter. It was Viswamitra who, returning after the famine was over, changed the name of the stream laving his asylum from Kausiki into Pãrã [sic]. It was Viswamitra who, in return for the services of Matanga, himself became the latter's priest for purposes of a sacrifice. The lord of the celestials himself went from fear to that sacrifice for drinking the Soma juice. It was Viswamitra who in anger created a second world and numerous stars beginning with Sravana. He it was who granted protection to Trisanku under a superior's curse. I am frightened to approach him whose deeds are such! Tell me, O Indra, the means that should be adopted so that I may not be burnt by his wrath. He can burn the three worlds by his splendour, can, by a stamp, cause the earth to quake. He can sever the great Meru from the earth and hurl it at any distance. He can go round the ten points of the earth in a moment. How can a woman like us even touch such a one full of ascetic virtue, like unto blazing fire, and having his passions under complete control! His mouth is like unto the blazing fire, the pupile [sic] of his eye are like the Sun and the Moon, his tongue is like unto Yama himself. How shall, O chief of the celestials, a woman like us even touch him? At the thought of his prowess, Yama, Shoma, the great Rishis, the Saddhyas, the Viswas, the Valakhillyas, are terrified! How can a woman like me refrain from gazing at him in alarm? Commanded, however, by thee, O king of the celestials, I shall somehow approach that Rishi. But, O chief of the gods, devise thou some plan whereby, protected by thee, I may safely move about that Rishi! I think that when I begin to play before the Rishi, Maruta (the god of wind) had better go there and rob me of my dress, and Manmatha (the god of love) had also, at thy command, better help me then. And let also Maruta on that occasion bear thither fragrance from the woods to tempt the Rishi." Saying this, and all she said having been duly provided, Menaka then went to the retreat of the great Kaushika.

And thus endeth the seventy-first Section in the Sambhava of the Adi Parva.


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 SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. 145

speculative astronomy adverted to.—Destruction, contrary to the character of God, who is not only the Creator but the Preserver.— Passages from the Scripture which declare the perpetuity of creation.—Destruction not conformable with the Divine Providence.— The earth must abide for ever.

} it be true that there is a region in the spiritual world between heaven and hell, and that the souls of all enter into it on the dissolution of their natural bodies; if it be further true that the world of spirits is the scene of judgment, and that no resurrection of the material body will be effected, then the doctrine that contemplates the end of the world, which event is commonly associated with such a resurrection and judgment, can have no foundation in necessity, or in the teachings of the true Christian religion. The object of this chapter will be to show that "the earth abideth for ever;" and to reconcile this Divine statement with those passages of the Word from which an opposite conclusion has been drawn.

The idea of the destruction of the world has fixed itself upon the mind of the populace with remarkable firmness; it is a sort of floating thought, somewhat curiously mixed up with the notion of a physical resurrection. The cause of this may be traced to the poetry of men rather than to the revelation of God. It is certainly no part of His divine teaching; it contravenes a variety of express statements to be found in His word, and is utterly inconsistent with His character as the Creator, and His purpose in creation. Those who assign to Him the performance of so terrible an event, should be enabled to show some reasonable cause for its execution. God does not act from caprice, but from wisdom. Now, is the criminality of men to be regarded as a reasonable cause for the destruction of the world? Those who


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16 the Truths in Mind and in Deed under thirteen heads, namely: —

1. Impartiality,

2. Self-control,

3. Forgiveness,

4. Modesty,

5. Freedom from Envy,

6. Endurance,

7. Goodness,

8. Renunciation,

9. Contemplation,

10. Dignity,

11. Fortitude,

12. Compassion

and

13. Abstention from Injury.

This division of truth includes only truths in mind and in deed. It clearly appears from Bhishma's explanation of truth that one should strictly observe the principles of truth even in observing these thirteen virtues.

I am afraid that strict truth does not prevail in general mercantile business. This absence of truth is a sin, because it causes loss to other people. In practice people sometimes speak untruths to children and sick persons only for their


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 think so cannot have any very elevated views of the Divine character: they must regard Him as being revengeful, and forget that He is infinitely merciful and wise. Will He resent the moral rebellion of men upon the insensible part of His creation, on that part to which no moral responsibility has been attached, and which has undeviatingly obeyed the laws implanted in it since the first hour it was ushered into existence? Is it not enough for the purposes of Divine wisdom to remove men from the earth? Why then destroy all animated nature? Why bring ruin upon "the world," which the Lord said "is mine and the fulness thereof"? For God to put a torch to the universe, because some who inhabit a mere speck of it have offended against His laws, would be something like the conduct of a king who would sink an island in the sea because some of his subjects had set his authority at defiance. Surely, in such a case, it would answer all the purposes of a reasonable man to remove the rebels, for no advantage could result from the destruction of the island. It cannot then be said that the transgression of men affords a reasonable cause for God to set fire to the universe. We will, therefore, look upon another side of this question. If such a catastrophe is to occur, is it to be preceded by the millennium, when, as it is supposed, pure religion will have reached its highest intelligence and virtue? Where would be the reasonableness of such a course? It supposes God to undertake the destruction of the world at the very moment when its inhabitants had attained the regenerated purpose for which they were redeemed, and, consequently, to bring upon them a terrible disaster at the very time they were obeying and enjoying the fulness of His religion! It seems impossible to defend such an idea and at the same time maintain the


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17 sake, in the one case to check pruriency, in the other to give hope. In society it is considered polite to say 'not at home' even when a lady or a gentleman is at home, but this is always clearly understood to mean that the lady or gentleman cannot see the visitor, though at home when he calls.

Therefore one who keeps the above principles in mind, in deed, and in word is called a truthful person and he will be beloved by the Almighty.


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20 you do, it should have its allotted time. I know many Zamindars and other men of wealth who devote their time entirely to one or two pursuits and unconcernedly neglect the business of their estates. Some devote their time entirely to sports or to music, or to prayers. I don't in the least object to their devotion to the above recreations; but a man should attend to the several particulars of duty which he has to perform for the benefit of himself as well as for others. First of all we must consider and do all that lies in our power to keep our body in good health; because if our health fails, we cannot do anything at all. To keep our body in health, we require regular bodily exercise. For bodily exercise mornings and evenings are the proper times in India. Therefore rise early in the morning, anyhow before sunrise; take a cup of tea or coffee or some other light refreshment, and go out for


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21 exercise, walking, riding, playing, hunting, or shooting. You may be out doing one of these till 9 o'clock or so. Then take your bath, pray to God, or worship your family God if there is one in the house, and take your breakfast. After breakfast and before noon, attend to your urgent work, open your letter bag, receive visitors and spend your time in the company of Pandits, your relatives and friends. It is always a very good thing to spend some time with learned Pandits. Even when they speak on common topics, they give them a religious and moral turn.

Then retire for a while. Though Europeans object much to sleeping in the day-time, yet I think that a short nap for an hour or so does not do any harm in this country. If you do not like to sleep in the day, spend that time in the company of the members of your family. After your short retirement, attend to your office


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22 work from 2 or 2-30 p.m., to 4-30 or 5 p.m. Three hours are not quite necessary for office work every day, but at intervals you can read any books or write letters to friends. In the evening go out again riding or driving, or play at tennis, rackets, golf, or any other game. Return home before it gets dark, and take your dinner at an early hour. After meals or before, you can devote your time to music and such other pleasant pursuits and then retire. You must go to bed before 11 o'clock at the latest. A good unbroken sleep is always good for the body and the mind. You will be quite fresh again by the early morning.

Punctuality is one of the best moral and social principles that a person should acquire. If you have children, see them and enquire about them both morning and evening just before you go out.


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24 poor ordinary visitors who go to see the Zamindar must wait till midnight. I hope such Zamindars will think over the matter and change their habits so as to fit them for modern times,

In consideration of the vast demands that modern civilisation makes on our energies and thoughts, I need hardly say that no man should have more than one wife at the same time. But some of our present-day Zamindars, I regret to say, marry more than one, generally two wives. I knew a Zamindar (who died lately), who had seven married wives at the same time. But that is an extraordinary case. They marry more than one simply because their fathers did so. But they never think of the circumstances which led their fathers to marry more than one. It might be that the first wife was found to be barren or a sickly woman; or that some other Zamin-


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 merciful character of God. To us it appears plain that the whole idea respecting the dissolution of the universe is founded in error and mistake. God has established the earth; He formed it to be inhabited, and created man for His glory.

It is true that there are some passages in the Word in which the destruction of heaven and earth is spoken of; but what are the "heaven" and the "earth" of which they speak? Dovthey mean the physical things of nature, or the spiritual things of the Church? We think it is the latter idea to which they are intended to refer. But let us turn our attention to the passages themselves. The strongest, perhaps, will be found in Isaiah and the Revelation. Isaiah says, "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner." All who will carefully look at these statements will readily see that they were not intended to speak of natural phenomena; the context forbids such an interpretation; indeed, the very terms "vanish away like smoke," "the earth shall wax old like a garment," show that it is the spiritual things of the Church which are treated of; hence the verse closes with these remarkable words, "My salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished." The heavens mean the internal life of the Church which then existed, and the earth its external observances; when these are perverted they perish; still the Church of the Lord, in which there are salvation and righteousness, will remain. Hence, in another place it is written, "Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered, or come into mind." How clear is it that


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 ( Sambhava Parva continued. )

Kanwa continued,—And Sakra, thus adressed by her, then commanded him who could [sic]aproach every place (the god of wind) to be present with Menaka at the time the latter would be before the Rishi. And the timid and beautiful Menaka then entered the retreat and saw there Viswamitra who had burnt, by his penances, all his sins, and was engaged yet in ascetic penances. And saluting the Riski, she then began to sport before him. And just at this time Maruta robbed her of her garments that were white as the moon. And she thereupon ran, as if in great bashfulness, to catch her attire, and as if she was exceedingly annoyed with Maruta. And she did all this in the very sight of Viswamitra who was endued with energy like that of fire. And Viswamitra saw her in that attitude. And beholding her divested of her robes, he saw that she was of faultless features. And the best of Munis saw that she was exceedingly handsome, with no marks of age on her person. And beholding her beauty and accomplishments, that bull amongst Rishis was possessed with desire, and made a sign that he desired her companionship. And he invited her accordingly and she of faultless features expressed also her acceptance of the invitation. And they then passed a long time there in each other's company. And sporting with each other just as they pleased, for a long time as if it were only a day, the Rishi begat in Menaka a daughter named Sakuntala. And Menaka (as her conception advanced) went to the banks of the river Malini coursing along a valley of the charming mountains of Himvat. And there she gave birth to that daughter. And she cast the new-born infant lying in that forest destitute of human beings but abounding with lions and tigers, a number of vultures sat around to protect it from harm. No Rakshasas or carnivorous animals took its life. Those vultures protected the daughter of Menaka. I had gomegone [sic] there to per-


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4 a king, with Marie Antoinette immured in the convent of the Feuillans, the first of their prisons on the way to the guillotine.

On August 9, 1902, the King and Queen of England went forth from their palace to be crowned, amid the acclamations of their subjects, doubly joyful because the shadow of a great disaster had hovered over the royal house and had passed away. They, too, represented a monarchy more than eight centuries old. But instead of a people chafing to be rid of sovereignty and its symbols, the throng which they saw on the road to Westminster cheered not only a popular prince who had valiantly overcome a plague of sickness, but a monarch whose crown, about to be assumed, had become an emblem of Empire wider than Darius or the early Cæsars had ever dreamed of. Hence it was that the population of the capital was reinforced not merely by provincial sightseers, such as had repaired to previous coronations from the counties of Great Britain, but by British subjects from the farthest ends of the earth. Hence it was that the troops lining the streets were not simply soldiers of the standing army. The loyal press of a London crowd was contained by British citizens from Canada, from Australia, from New Zealand, wearing the khaki which, whatever its fate as a warlike uniform, will ever be associated with the help nobly given by the colonies to the mother-country struggling for supremacy in South Africa. In guarding the capital on Coronation-day these gallant white settlers of our distant possessions were peacefully aided by dark warriors from our Indian Empire, of military tradition more ancient than that of their conquerors. Wren's steeples at Westminster rocked with the clanging of bells, while the Tower of London, more aged


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Rh than the throne, exchanged convivial cannonades with the modern greenswards of Hyde Park. The streets re-echoed with the national hymn, pacific in its melody, compared with the defiant Marseillaise. Its refrain was handed down from the foundation of a monarchy, five hundred years old when the Tarquins ruled in Rome, and possibly coeval with the reign of Theseus at Athens or of Priam at Troy —first formulated at the anointing of a Syrian herdsman, when "All the people shouted and said, God save the King."

It would be a pastime unworthy of a historian to strain a comparison between two events long distant from one another, merely because of a coincidence of days of the month. But there is a connection between the downfall of the ancient regime in France and the consecration of the British Empire in the person of the King of England which is manifest to all who have studied the intervening history of Europe. At vespers on the Sunday before the sack of the Tuileries, when the doomed king and queen attended divine service for the last time, in the Chapel Royal of the palace, it was observed that the choir-men sang with insolent loudness the words of the Magnificat: Deposuit potentes de sede. The general terms in which is couched that revolutionary verse, ascribed by Saint Luke to the Blessed Virgin, well indicated the mental attitude of the French population


text: Index:A Descriptive Account Of Asam (IA in.ernet.dli.2015.279285).pdf


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OW Sigi grew old, and had many to envy him, so that at last those turned against him whom he trusted most; yea, even the brothers of his wife; for these fell on him at his unwariest, when there were few with him to withstand them, and brought so many against him, that they prevailed against him, and there fell Sigi and all his folk with him. But Rerir, his son, was not in this trouble, and he brought together so mighty a strength of his friends and the great men of the land, that he got to himself both the lands and kingdom of Sigi his father; and so now, when he deems that the feet under him stand firm in his rule, then he calls to mind that which he had against his mother’s brothers, who had slain his father. So the king gathers together a mighty army, and therewith falls on his kinsmen, deeming that if he made their kinship of small account, yet none the less they had first wrought evil against him. So he wrought his will herein, in that he departed not from strife before he had slain all his father’s banesmen, though dreadful the deed seemed in every wise. So now he gets land, lordship, and fee, and is become a mightier man than his father before him.

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 Much wealth won in war gat Rerir to himself, and wedded a wife withal, such as he deemed meet for him, and long they lived together, but had no child to take the heritage after them; and ill-content they both were with that, and prayed the Gods with heart and soul that they might get them a child. And so it is said that Odin hears their prayer, and Freyia no less hearkens wherewith they prayed unto her: so she, never lacking for all good counsel, calls to her her casket-bearing may, the daughter of Hrimnir the giant, and sets an apple in her hand, and bids her bring it to the king. She took the apple, and did on her the gear of a crow, and went flying till she came whereas the king sat on a mound, and there she let the apple fall into the lap of the king; but he took the apple, and deemed he knew whereto it would avail; so he goes home from the mound to his own folk, and came to the queen, and some deal of that apple she ate.

So, as the tale tells, the queen soon knew that she was big with child, but a long time wore or ever she might give birth to the child: so it befell that the king must needs go to the wars, after the custom of kings, that he may keep his own land in peace: and in this journey it came to pass that Rerir fell sick and got his death, being minded to go home to Odin, a thing much desired of many folk in those days.

Now no otherwise it goes with the queen’s sickness than heretofore, nor may she be the lighter of her child, and six winters wore away with the sickness still heavy on her; so that at the last she feels that she may not live long; wherefore now she bade cut the child from out of her; and it was done even as she bade; a man-child was it, and great of growth from his birth, as might well be; and they

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 say that the youngling kissed his mother or ever she died; but to him is a name given, and he is called Volsung; and he was king over Hunland in the room of his father. From his early years he was big and strong, and full of daring in all manly deeds and trials, and he became the greatest of warriors, and of good hap in all the battles of his warfaring.

Now when he was fully come to man’s estate, Hrimnir the giant sends to him Ljod his daughter; she of whom the tale told, that she brought the apple to Rerir, Volsung’s father. So Volsung weds her withal; and long they abode together with good hap and great love. They had ten sons and one daughter, and their eldest son was hight Sigmund, and their daughter Signy; and these two were twins, and in all wise the foremost and the fairest of the children of Volsung the king, and mighty, as all his seed was; even as has been long told from ancient days, and in tales of long ago, with the greatest fame of all men, how that the Volsungs have been great men and high-minded and far above the most of men both in cunning and in prowess and all things high and mighty.

So says the story that king Volsung let build a noble hall in such a wise, that a big oak-tree stood therein, and that the limbs of the tree blossomed fair out over the roof of the hall, while below stood the trunk within it, and the said trunk did men call Branstock.

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HERE was a king called Siggeir, who ruled over Gothland, a mighty king and of many folk; he went to meet Volsung, the king, and prayed him for Signy his daughter to wife; and the king took his talk well, and his sons withal, but she was loth thereto, yet she bade her father rule in this as in all other things that concerned her; so the king took such rede that he gave her to him, and she was betrothed to King Siggeir; and for the fulfilling of the feast and the wedding, was King Siggeir to come to the house of King Volsung. The king got ready the feast according to his best might, and when all things were ready, came the king’s guests and King Siggeir withal at the day appointed, and many a man of great account had Siggeir with him.

The tale tells that great fires were made endlong the hall, and the great tree aforesaid stood midmost thereof; withal folk say that, whenas men sat by the fires in the evening, a certain man came into the hall unknown of aspect to all men; and suchlike array he had, that over him was a spotted cloak, and he was bare-foot, and had linen

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 breeches knit tight even unto the bone, and he had a sword in his hand as he went up to the Branstock, and a slouched hat upon his head: huge he was, and seeming-ancient, and one-eyed. So he drew his sword and smote it into the tree-trunk so that it sank in up to the hilts; and all held back from greeting the man. Then he took up the word, and said—

“Whoso draweth this sword from this stock, shall have the same as a gift from me, and shall find in good sooth that never bare he better sword in hand than is this.”

Therewith out went the old man from the hall, and none knew who he was or whither he went.

Now men stand up, and none would fain be the last to lay hand to the sword, for they deemed that he would have the best of it who might first touch it; so all the noblest went thereto first, and then the others, one after other; but none who came thereto might avail to pull it out, for in nowise would it come away howsoever they tugged at it; but now up comes Sigmund, King Volsung’s son, and sets hand to the sword, and pulls it from the stock, even as if it lay loose before him; so good that weapon seemed to all, that none thought he had seen such a sword before, and Siggeir would fain buy it of him at thrice its weight of gold, but Sigmund said—

“Thou mightest have taken the sword no less than I from there whereas it stood, if it had been thy lot to bear it; but now, since it has first of all fallen into my hand, never shalt thou have it, though thou biddest therefor all the gold thou hast.”

King Siggeir grew wroth at these words, and deemed

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216 form my ablutions and beheld the infant lying in the solitude of the wilderness surrounded by vultures. Bringing her hither I have made her my daughter. Indeed, the maker of the body, the protector of life, the giver of food, are all three, in their order, fathers according to the Dharma shastras. And because she was surrounded, in the solitude of the wilderness, by Sakuntas (birds), therefore hath she been named by me Sakuntala (bird-protected.) O Brahmana, know that it is thus that Sakuntala hath been my daughter. And the faultless Sakuntala also regards me as her father.—

"This is what my father had said unto the Rishi having been asked by him. And, O king of men, it is thus that thou must know I am the daughter of Kanwa. And not knowing my real father, I regard Kanwa as my father. Thus have I told thee, O king, all that hath been heard by me regarding my birth.

And thus ends the seventy-second Section in the Sambhava of the Adi Parva.

( Sambhava Parva continued. )

Vaisampayana continued, "King Dushmanta hearing all this said, 'Well-spoken by thee, O princess, all that, O blessed one, thou hast said! Be my wife, O beautiful one! What shall I do for thee? Golden garlands, robes, ear-rings of gold, whitest and handsomest pearls from various countries, golden coins, finest carpets, I shall present thee this very day. Let the whole of my kingdom be thine to-day, O beautiful one! Come to me, O timid one, wedding me, O beautiful one, according to the Gandharva form! O thou of tapering thighs, of all modes of marriage, the Gandharva is regarded as the first.'

"And Sakuntala, hearing this, said, 'O king, my father hath gone from this asylum for fetching fruits. Wait but a moment, he will bestow me on thee!'

"And Dushmanta replied, 'O thou beautiful and faultless one, I desire that thou shouldst be my companion. Know thou that I exist for thee and my heart is in thee. One is


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OW it is to be told that Siggeir goes to bed by Signy that night, and the next morning the weather was fair; then says King Siggeir that he will not bide, lest the wind should wax, or the sea grow impassable; nor is it said that Volsung or his sons letted him herein, and that the less, because they saw that he was fain to get him gone from the feast. But now says Signy to her father—

“I have no will to go away with Siggeir, neither does my heart smile upon him; and I wot, by my fore-knowledge, and from the fetch of our kin, that from this counsel will great evil fall on us if this wedding be not speedily undone.”

“Speak in no such wise, daughter!” said he; “for great shame will it be to him, yea, and to us also, to break troth with him, he being sackless; and in naught may we trust him, and no friendship shall we have of him, if these matters are broken off; but he will pay us back in as evil wise as he may; for that alone is seemly, to hold truly to troth given.”

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 So King Siggeir got ready for home, and before he went from the feast he bade King Volsung, his father-in-law, come see him in Gothland, and all his sons with him, whenas three months should be overpast, and to bring such following with him, as he would have, and as he deemed meet for his honour; and thereby will Siggeir the king pay back for the shortcomings of the wedding-feast, in that he would abide thereat but one night only, a thing not according to the wont of men. So King Volsung gave his word to come on the day named, and the kinsmen-in-law parted, and Siggeir went home with his wife.

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Press Reference Library

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Press reference library - Vol. 2 (1915) (Transcription)

Press Reference Library: Notables of the West (unsourced)

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OW tells the tale of King Volsung and his sons that they go at the time appointed to Gothland at the bidding of King Siggeir, and put off from the land in three ships, all well manned, and have a fair voyage, and made Gothland late of an evening tide.

But that same night came Signy and called her father and brothers to a privy talk, and told them what she deemed King Siggeir was minded to do, and how that he had drawn together an army no man may meet. “And,” says she, “he is minded to do guilefully by you; wherefore I bid you get ye gone back again to your own land, and gather together the mightiest power ye may, and then come back hither and avenge you; neither go ye now to your undoing, for ye shall surely fail not to fall by his wiles if ye turn not on him even as I bid you.”

Then spake Volsung the king, “All people and nations shall tell of the word I spake, yet being unborn, wherein I vowed a vow that I would flee in fear from neither fire nor the sword; even so have I done hitherto, and shall I depart therefrom now I am old? Yea withal never shall the maidens mock these my sons at the games, and cry out at them that they fear death; once alone must all men need

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 die, and from that season shall none escape; so my rede it is that we flee nowhither, but do the work of our hands in as manly wise as we may; a hundred fights have I fought and whiles I had more, and whiles I had less, and yet ever had I the victory, nor shall it ever be heard tell of me that I fled away or prayed for peace.”

Then Signy wept right sore, and prayed that she might not go back to King Siggeir, but King Volsung answered—

“Thou shalt surely go back to thine husband, and abide with him, howsoever it fares with us.”

So Signy went home, and they abode there that night; but in the morning, as soon as it was day, Volsung bade his men arise and go aland and make them ready for battle; so they went aland, all of them all-armed, and had not long to wait before Siggeir fell on them with all his army, and the fiercest fight there was betwixt them; and Siggeir cried on his men to the onset all he might; and so the tale tells that King Volsung and his sons went eight times right through Siggeir’s folk that day, smiting and hewing on either hand, but when they would do so even once again, King Volsung fell amidst his folk and all his men withal, saving his ten sons, for mightier was the power against them than they might withstand.

But now are all his sons taken, and laid in bonds and led away; and Signy was ware withal that her father was slain, and her brothers taken and doomed to death; that she called King Siggeir apart to talk with her, and said—

“This will I pray of thee, that thou let not slay my brothers hastily, but let them be set awhile in the stocks, for home to me comes the saw that says, Sweet to eye while seen: but longer life I pray not for them, because I wot well that my prayer will not avail me.”

Then answered Siggeir—

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 “Surely thou art mad and witless, praying thus for more bale for thy brothers than their present slaying; yet this will I grant thee, for the better it likes me the more they must bear, and the longer their pain is or ever death come to them.”

Now he let it be done even as she prayed, and a mighty beam was brought and set on the feet of those ten brethren in a certain place of the wild-wood, and there they sit day-long until night; but at midnight, as they sat in the stocks, there came on them a she-wolf from out the wood; old she was, and both great and evil of aspect; and the first thing she did was to bite one of those brethren till he died, and then she ate him up withal, and went on her way.

But the next morning Signy sent a man to the brethren, even one whom she most trusted, to wot of the tidings; and when he came back he told her that one of them was dead, and great and grievous she deemed it, if they should all fare in like wise, and yet naught might she avail them.

Soon is the tale told thereof: nine nights together came the she-wolf at midnight, and each night slew and ate up one of the brethren, until all were dead, save Sigmund only; so now, before the tenth night came, Signy sent that trusty man to Sigmund, her brother, and gave honey into his hand, bidding him do it over Sigmund’s face, and set a little deal of it in his mouth; so he went to Sigmund and did as he was bidden, and then came home again; and so the next night came the she-wolf according to her wont, and would slay him and eat him even as his brothers; but now she sniffs the breeze from him, whereas he was anointed with the honey, and licks his face all over with her tongue, and then thrusts her tongue into the mouth of him. No fear he had thereof, but caught the she-wolf’s tongue betwixt his teeth, and so hard she started back thereat, and pulled

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 herself away so mightily, setting her feet against the stocks, that all was riven asunder; but he ever held so fast that the tongue came away by the roots, and thereof she had her bane.

But some men say that this same she-wolf was the mother of King Siggeir, who had turned herself into this likeness by troll’s lore and witchcraft.

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OW whenas Sigmund is loosed and the stocks are broken, he dwells in the woods and holds himself there; but Signy sends yet again to wot of the tidings, whether Sigmund were alive or no; but when those who were sent came to him, he told them all as it had betid, and how things had gone betwixt him and the wolf; so they went home and tell Signy the tidings; but she goes and finds her brother, and they take counsel in such wise as to make a house underground in the wild-wood; and so things go on a while, Signy hiding him there, and sending him such things as he needed; but King Siggeir deemed that all the Volsungs were dead.

Now Siggeir had two sons by his wife, whereof it is told that when the eldest was ten winters old, Signy sends him to Sigmund, so that he might give him help, if he would in any wise strive to avenge his father; so the youngling goes to the wood, and comes late in evening-tide to Sigmund’s earth-house; and Sigmund welcomed: him in seemly fashion, and said that he should make ready their bread; “but I,” said he, “will go seek firewood.”

Therewith he gives the meal-bag into his hands while he

title: Page:Völsunga Saga (1888).djvu/73