Beneath her eyes the golden light of a summer sunset was flooding the temples, the baths, the stately villas1 of ancient "Rome in England"—the city of Sulcastra. Garbed2 as a Priestess of the Temple, she stood upon a plateau, high on the Hill of Sul on the east side of the valley. Behind her rose the Temple of the Goddess, and by her side stood one whom she knew to be the sculptor3 Lucius Flaccus, son of that centurion4 who was charged to carry Paul from Adramythium to Rome. He had been telling her in graphic5 phrases of his association with the great Apostle; how for the first time he had heard him on Mars' Hill at Athens boldly rebuking6 the listening and resentful throng7 who had erected8 there an altar to the unknown God. Then with a gesture of repugnance10 which horrified11 the priestess, the narrator, quoting the Christian12 preacher's words, had turned and pointed13 towards the Temple in which she with other vestals kept ever burning the sacred fire of Sul.
"Forasmuch, then, as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like silver[Pg 67] or gold, graven by art or man's device...." Thus far he had spoken when her own voice interrupted passionately17:
"Do not blaspheme the gods!"
"The gods are dead," he answered sternly, "nay18, rather, they have never lived. Our Roman gods have eyes that see not, ears that hear not, they are but silver, gold, or stone—the work of hands like these." Thus speaking, he held forth19 his hands, delicate and mobile, in one of which was grasped the chisel20 of his ancient art. The priestess stood for a moment looking in his eyes, silent, terror-stricken. "Yet," he went on, bending his gaze upon the city with a sigh, "Sulcastra is beautiful."
He knew and loved each particular feature of artistic21 beauty in the city. Its architecture afforded him a delight that never failed. The symbolic22 work of the chisel was evidenced on every side. The noble columns that supported the terraces; the pavements resembling those of Pompeii; the graceful23 friezes24 and delicate cornices appealed irresistibly25 to every votary26 of art. Indeed, the Therm? of Sulcastra were held by many of the cultured Romans to be not less splendid than the baths at Scipio Africanus, or even those built at Rome by Caracalla and Diocletian. For here, too, the lofty chambers28 were ornamented29 with curious mosaics30, varied31 in rich colours and infinitely32 delicate in design. And here, also, the medicinal waters were poured into vast reservoirs through wide mouths of precious metal and Egyptian granite33, while the green marble of Numidia had been brought from afar to give variety to the native stone from the adjacent quarries34. The fame of the wonderful waters went back for eight centuries before the birth of Christ. Here, according to tradition, Bladud, son of Lud[Pg 68] the British King, father of King Lear, had found a cure for his foul35 leprosy. Yonder had stood the first Temple of Minerva, dedicated36 by that same Bladud to the goddess. Had he not sought by magical aid to soar aloft like the eagle, only to fall and be dashed to pieces on Minerva's altar?
The sculptor shaded his eyes against the slanting37 rays of sunlight, and turned his gaze upon the vast stadium in which at stated intervals38 the people of Sulcastra witnessed the elaborated games of mighty39 Rome. Such an occasion recently had occurred, a scene of splendid pageantry and power which invariably moved the spectators to superstitious40 awe41, and often to wild excesses of fanaticism42. Young and old had implored44 the favour of the gods, and pledged themselves to maintain unbroken the religious observances of the Rome people. In the darkness of night, mystic sacrifices had been offered on the banks of the river; and the whole city, as the sculptor and the priestess now looked down upon it, still seemed to be fermenting45 with the excitement which the great celebration had occasioned.
At that very moment an imposing46 procession was seen to be advancing towards the Temple of Minerva. Trumpet47 note after trumpet note echoed round the hills. Chariots full of garlands and branches of myrtle approached the shrine48. A large black bull was being led to the sacrificial altar, and youths and maidens49, chanting a hymn50 to Minerva, carried in procession costly51 vases full of wine and milk to be poured as libations to the goddess, while others bore cruets of wine, oil, and perfumed essences to anoint the pillars of the sacred monuments within the temple.
Lucius Flaccus looked down upon the procession with sad and moody52 eyes. The Vestal's eyes were bent53 no less sadly on the sculptor, as if divining all[Pg 69] his thoughts. They sprang, she doubted not, out of the subject of their conversation, and she turned uneasily towards the pillar-altar on which the sculptor's skilful54 hands had been at work. It stood upon the turf at the entrance to a little grove55 which gave access to the gates of the Temple of Sul, the temple in which she herself ministered as priestess.
A cloth lay over the graceful monument, to the inscription56 upon which the young Roman had but just now put the final touch. His work upon the monument, screened from view, had long excited the interest and curiosity of the Romans and the slaves who passed that way, but reverence57 for the goddess and respect for the sculptor himself had served to arrest all questions. The work of art, it was thought, would be unveiled in time; and doubtless it would prove to be another and a worthy58 tribute to the goddess who presided in a special manner over the fortunes of the city.
Lucius Flaccus had studied in a great and noble school. He had gazed long and often on the famous statue of the Olympian Jove modelled in ivory by the master hand of Phidias. He had marked every curve and feature of the Minerva—standing sixty cubits high—on whose shield the great Athenian sculptor had so marvellously represented the wars of the Amazons. There were those, indeed, familiar with the work of the young Roman who foretold59 for him an imperishable reputation as an exponent60 of the noble art to which he was devoted61.
Lucius Flaccus had been welcomed in Sulcastra as one who was likely to add to the beauty of the city, and the honour of the special goddess of the citizens. The sculptor's art, like the Ten Commandments, was written on tables of stone. It was for all time; nearly five hundred years had passed since the chisel[Pg 70] dropped from the hand of Phidias, but the glory of his work remained. It was indestructible. So also, thought some, might the handiwork of Lucius Flaccus be handed down from century to century.
The cult27 of Sul was scarcely distinguishable from that of Vesta. Like Vesta, she was a home-goddess, a national deity62, whose vestals were solemnly pledged ever to maintain her altar-fire, lest its extinction63 should bring disaster on the people.
Sul, also, was a fire deity. According to the kindred mythology64 of Scandinavia, the goddess was so beautiful a being that she had been placed in heaven to drive the chariot of the Sun from which she took her name—that glorious sun, the rays of which were now illuminating65 the city of Sulcastra. Sul, in the eyes of the Romans, was more exalted67 than Soma, daughter of the Moon, though in the East Soma was held in the highest reverence as the mother of Buddha68. Soma was the sovereign goddess of plants and planets. In the Vedic hymns69 she was identified with the moon-plant which a falcon70 had brought down from heaven. Its juice was an elixir71 of life. To drink it conferred immortality72 on mortals, and even exhilarated the gods themselves. But even greater virtue73 and miraculous74 power did the Romans attribute to the waters of Sul, and with better evidence of their potency75. For here, in Sulcastra, century after century, and ever at the same temperature, the magical, unfathomable well had poured forth its mystic waters for the healing of the people.
The Temple of Sul, like that of Vesta, was circular, to represent the world; and in the centre of the temple stood the altar of the sacred flame, ever burning to symbolise the central fires of Mother Earth, just as the sun was deemed to be the centre of the universe.
[Pg 71]
There were nothing strange or unusual in freedom of conversation between the Priestess and the Sculptor—who, in former years, had added many decorations to the Temple. The virgin76 priestesses were permitted to receive the visits of men by day; by night none but women were suffered to enter their apartments, which adjoined the sacred building in which they ministered. Each priestess was pledged to continence for thirty years. During the first ten they were employed in learning the tenets and rites77 of their religion. During the next ten they engaged in actual ministrations. In the final ten years they were employed in training the younger vestals, and after the age of thirty they might abandon the functions of the temple and marry. Few exercised that option. Custom, when such an age was reached, had become ingrained, the impulses of youth frozen, and the honour paid to their office became more valued than the prospects78 of marriage.
The reverence shown to them was very great, but so also was the punishment that followed a lapse79 from the letter or the spirit of their duties. The least levity80 in conduct, the smallest neglect of ministerial duty, was dealt with by the Pontifex or the Flamens, and visited with great severity. The loss of virginal honour, or the failure to maintain the sacred fire, involved a penalty of inexpressible terror. The condemned81 priestess, placed in a litter, shut up so closely that her loudest cries were scarcely audible, was carried through the city in the order, and with the adjuncts, of a funeral procession, a journey of death in life—its goal the niche82 or narrow vault83 in which the living vestal was to be immured84.
[Pg 72]
THE SCULPTOR'S STORY.
The dreamer knew these things, and still dreamed on. It seemed as if her own voice broke the silence:
"Fain would I know more of this same Paul of whom you speak."
"My father, the centurion Julius, was charged to carry him to Rome, and I had planned to bear him company. We took ship to sail along the coasts of Asia; touched at Sidon and afterwards at Cyprus, the winds being contrary. Later we transhipped at Alexandria, and thus reached Crete. The seas grew dangerous, and the sailors feared. Scarcely had we sailed when there arose that strong, tempestuous85 wind they call Euroclydon. The ship, being caught, could not bear against the wind, and we let her drive. Then, near the island of Clauda, we were like to be driven on the shore; and fearing quicksands, we struck sail, and so were driven again. The tempest tossed us, and the ship was lightened. We cast adrift the tackling; but still the tempest held us; neither sun nor star appeared for many days, and all that time the ship was driven before the storm, until at length the shipmen deemed that we drew near to land. They sounded and found twenty fathoms86. Again they sounded and found five fathoms less. Then, fearing we should be upon the rocks, they made all haste to cast four anchors from the stern, and waited for the day."
"The storm had lasted long?"
"For fourteen days and nights."
"And there were many in the ship?"
"Two hundred, three-score and sixteen souls; and everyone was saved. Land lay before us, though we knew it not. But we discovered close at hand a[Pg 73] creek87. So they took up the anchors, loosed the rudder-bands, hoisted88 the mainsail to the wind, and made for shore. She ran into a place where two seas met, and went aground. The forepart held and seemed immovable, but soon the hinder part was broken by the violence of the waves. The soldiers then would have killed all the prisoners, lest they should escape, but my father stayed their hands. Those who could swim sprang first into the sea. Others on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship, made for the land, and I, with all the rest, came safe ashore89."
"The gods be thanked; the gods be thanked for that." The words came fervently90 from the Vestal's lips.
He turned on her and sighed. "What! still the gods?"
She pressed her hands upon her brow. "Is there no more to tell?"
He paused a moment. "Already I have told too much if told in vain. The island we had reached was Melita, and Publius, the chief man of the place, received us courteously92. Paul healed his father of a grievous sickness, and many others also, ere we departed in a ship of Alexandria. We touched at Syracuse, and then at Rhegium, whence we went towards Rome. There many brethren greeted Paul with joy, and there in reverence and sorrow did I part from him."
"And he—this Paul himself?"
"Remains93 at Rome, having his own hired house, receiving all who come to him, preaching of the Heavenly kingdom, teaching with all confidence, of the coming of the Christ—no man yet forbidding him."
Deep silence fell between them, and the only sound[Pg 74] came from a droning that in Sulcastra never ceased by night or day—the voice of the rushing river as it poured across the weir94.
Now they stood erect9; each was tall and nobly framed; each face had beauty intellectual and physical. Yet in the sculptor's features and his deep-set eyes there was the look that visionaries wear, the stamp of those who nourish great ideals. The gaze the priestess bent upon him told a different tale. The dreamer knew this woman loved this man, while he, as yet, had found no passion in his soul for her. She raised her hand in gesture of adieu, and moved with slow steps towards the temple. Then, as if stirred by sudden impulse, she turned to him again.
"And this Paul—tell me—what teacheth he concerning women?"
"He teacheth that man is the image and the glory of God, and woman the glory of the man. That man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man: neither was man created for the woman, but the woman for the man. He commandeth that women keep silence in the Christian churches, and in all things be subject to their husbands, for the husband is the head of the wife."
"Then he forbiddeth not to marry?"
"Is not Paul the Apostle of Him who blessed the marriage feast of Cana?"
"In whom thou dost believe?"
"In whom I do believe," he answered steadfastly95. "I tell thee that the banner of the Cross shall one day float above the capitol of Rome itself."
The priestess took two swifter steps towards him. "Then why, O Lucius Flaccus, hast thou built here an altar to our Goddess Sul?" She pointed to the pedestal beside them; and he, answering not a word,[Pg 75] stretched forth his hand and drew away the covering that concealed96 the apex97.
"A cross!" she cried, "a cross!"
The sculptor raised his eyes and clasped his hands:
"The Cross of Him who died for all the world!"
THE VESTAL'S FATE.
The spirit of the dream had changed. A sense of horrible foreboding agonized99 the dreamer. No longer did the sculptor and the priestess look down upon Sulcastra. Yet the dreamer knew all that had happened and was happening still.
The city was in tumult100. The baths, the public schools, the temples were deserted101. People thronged102 the streets. There was but one thing spoken of—an outrage103 on the goddess whom they all revered104. Lucius Flaccus, the favoured sculptor of Sulcastra, son of Julius the centurion, had erected on the threshold of her temple an altar to the God-Man of the Nazarenes. Nor was that all. The sacred fire that should have been kept burning in Sul's temple had been suffered to die out, if indeed it had not been deliberately105 extinguished; climax106 of all—Verenia, priestess of Sul, had been found in the broad light of day kneeling with bowed head before the hated emblem that profaned108 the grove. Amazement109 had given place to fury. The cry went up for punishment—a cry redoubled when it became known that the augurs110 foretold dire111 calamity112 for Sulcastra and the citizens, as the inevitable113 consequence of an outrage so profane107. The people feared the vengeance114 of the gods!
[Pg 76]
Yet there were some who kept a grief-stricken silence in the midst of all the raging of the citizens, for each of the offenders115 was well esteemed116, and both belonged to honoured Roman families. The dreadful fate that lay in store alike for the sculptor and the priestess moved many hearts to awe and anguished118 apprehension119. In each case the appalling120 penalty was as certain as the dawn of day. Lucius Flaccus would be carried to the rock of Sul, high on the steepest hill that overlooked the valley, and thence cast headlong on the rocks below. For Verenia, the priestess, a yet more awful punishment was prepared—the slow starvation of a living tomb.
The dreadful preparations were complete. The Vestal's grave was ready—a narrow niche in the massive stone foundations of the Temple—the temple of that goddess whose worship she had mocked. In this tiny cell was placed a pallet, a lamp that when lighted would burn for forty hours, and a small quantity of food. All knew what course the funeral ceremonies would follow. The Pontifex would read some prayers over the doomed122 priestess, but without the lustrations and other expiatory123 ceremonies that were used at the burial of the dead. When the last prayer had been uttered, the lictors would let her down into the vault, the entrance would be filled with slabs124 of stone, then covered up with earth.
The awful hours, the agonizing125 days, would slowly pass. The lamp would flicker126 and the light expire. Deep silence that no shriek127 could pierce would shut the buried vestal from the ken15 of all who loved her. The food would fail; then, slowly, hour by hour, and day by day, the dreadful sentence of the law would be fulfilled. No father, mother, lover, friend, could save the victim, or by one iota128 lessen129 the[Pg 77] torture of starvation, or that still greater torture of the brain to which her judges had condemned her.
Did not the crime of which she was convicted strike at the root of the religion of the people? The maintenance of the sacred fire as a pious130 and propitiatory131 observance was not peculiar132 to the Romans. The Hebrews held it a divine commandment: "The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar, saith the Lord; it shall never go out." Undying fires were maintained in the temples of Ceres at Mantinea; of Apollo at Delphos and at Athens; and in that of Diana at Echatan. A lamp was always burning in the temple of Jupiter Ammon. The ancient custom came from the Egyptians to the Greeks, and from the Greeks to the Romans, who had made it a vital, essential feature of their faith. Like the veil of Astoreth in the temple of the moon-goddess at Carthage; like the sacred shield which, as Numa Pompilius avowed133, had fallen from heaven, the altar-fire of Sul safeguarded the domestic prosperity, the political wisdom, the military supremacy134 of Rome in Britain.
And this gross insult to the mighty goddess had been perpetrated in the midst of the festival; on the very eve of the ceremony of the blessed waters used specially135 on that occasion for purifying the temple of Sul. It was a local event of paramount136 importance, for then the statue of Sul was covered with flowers and anointed with perfumed oil. The Salii marched through the city carrying vessels137, richly decorated and of beautiful design, containing water from the sacred spring. The feast lasted for three days, and during that time the Romans undertook no serious or important business. The banquets with which the festival was concluded were magnificent and costly. The edict of Numa Pompilius enjoining[Pg 78] reverence to the gods remain unrepealed. It was obeyed in Sulcastra as in Rome itself. Inscribed138 on tables of stone, it could be read in all the schools and temples:
"Let none appear in the presence of the gods but with a pure heart and sincere piety139. Let none there make a vain show and ostentation140 of their riches but fear lest they should thereby141 bring on themselves the vengeance of heaven.
"Let no one have particular gods of his own, or bring new ones into his house, or receive strange ones unless allowed by edict. Let everyone preserve in his house the oratories142 established by his fathers, and pay his domestic gods the worship that has always been paid to them.
"Let all honour the ancient gods of heaven, and the heroes whose exploits have carried them thither143, such as Bacchus, Hercules, Castor and Pollux. Let altars be erected to the virtues144 which carry us up to heaven; but never to vices145."
The climax was at hand. A strange, loud clangour beat upon the ear, pierced by the wailing146 cry of weeping women. The dreamer heard the tramp of many feet; then saw a long and closely packed procession emerging from the centre of the city. Slowly and solemnly the multitude advanced. The first section of the great procession reached the narrower road which wound amid the trees that beautified the Hill of Sul. High up on the barer slopes of the great hill stood out the jutting147 rock from which the sculptor was to take his last long gaze upon the sunlit world. A band of lictors headed the procession. Behind them, with head erect, walked Lucius Flaccus on the road to death.
The trees swayed gently in the morning breeze,[Pg 79] the birds were singing in the groves148; the glory of the summer decked the land. Yet the tenderness of nature and all the splendour of the world seemed but to mock the tragedy of that slow procession. On every side was life, life, strong, abundant, free; but this one lonely man, bare-headed and white-faced, who climbed the hill, had done with life. With each step of the slow advance he drew nearer and nearer to the gate of death.
The second part of the procession was lead by twelve Salii, each of whom carried a shield on his left arm and a javelin149 in his right hand. They were dressed in habits striped with purple, girded with broad belts, and clasped with buckles150 of brass151. On their heads they wore helmets which terminated in a point. From these men the clangour came. Sometimes they sang in concert a hymn to Sul; sometimes they advanced with dancing step, beating time with their javelins152 on their shields. Next came many mourners, women and children, weeping and wringing153 their hands as in a funeral procession; and then a closely-curtained litter, with priests on either hand followed by the Pontifex, magnificently habited and carrying a staff or sceptre in his hand.
Priestesses, with bowed heads and clasped hands, followed the Pontifex. Then came another body of lictors, followed by a miscellaneous multitude of citizens and their families; and, finally, a tall centurion leading a company of soldiers.
The road grew steeper, narrower, winding154 round the hill; and the first body of lictors, with their prisoner, had passed out of view of the company that followed, when suddenly arose a violent outcry and the clash of arms. The sculptor had turned upon his guard, seized a javelin from one of them, and mounted the steep bank beside the road. The[Pg 80] whole procession halted in confusion. Disconcerted priests whispered and gesticulated; the crowd closed up and filled the narrow way from side to side.
"Romans! hear me!" The appeal, in high-pitched, fervent91 tones, came from Lucius Flaccus, and was not unanswered by the people:
"Hear him! let him speak!"
The lictors at the bidding of the Pontifex half turned, but being few in number were daunted155 by the strenuous156 cries of the excited crowd. The sculptor seized the moment of their irresolution157 and raised his voice again:
"Romans! spare her." He pointed to the litter. "You who have sisters, daughters, restrain your rulers from an act that would disgrace a barbarous nation."
Murmurs158 and conflicting cries were raised. The priests sent messengers to the soldiers at the rear of the procession. But the crowd, closer and closer packed, rendered it difficult for the messengers to pass. Above the tumult, the Pontifex cried in shrill159 excited tones: "The gods demand her death!"
Thus incited160, many in the crowd shouted in assent162, while others cried again: "Hear Lucius Flaccus, hear him!"
For a moment indescribable tumult prevailed. The centurion sought in vain to force a way through the dense164, now struggling, mass of people.
Again the sculptor made a passionate16 appeal: "I implore43 the aid of the Roman people. I call upon my fellow citizens to save a woman. To what purpose do we expose our lives in war? Why do we defend our wives and sisters from a foreign enemy if Rome has tyrants165 who incite161 the people to violent[Pg 81] and vindictive166 acts? Soldiers in arms, do not endure these things! Free citizens, exalt66 yourselves by being merciful."
The frantic167 appeal now met with no response. Lucius Flaccus looked wildly round, despair and desperation in his face.
He raised the javelin, and for the last time his voice was heard:
"Then thus, and thus only, can I save her from a crueller fate!"
In an instant he sprang upon the lictors who confronted him, and, striking left and right, actually reached the curtains of the litter. A shudder168 of horror ran through all the crowd. The women shrieked169. The people swayed and struggled, and the next moment it was seen that the sculptor had been beaten back, though not yet secured. He sprang upon a rock beside the road and raised the javelin high in air.
"Then, Romans, if infernal gods there be, let them accept another sacrifice!"
Down flashed the steel, the sharp point plunged170 into his heart; and, throwing out his hands, he swayed into the lictors' arms.
A dreadful silence fell upon the people.
Then from within the thickly-curtained litter came a despairing and half-stifled shriek.
With that wild, agonizing cry Zenobia awoke. The cry from the litter was her cry. It was her own voice that died away, and what was this mysterious sound—rising from the valley with the mists that melted at the break of day? The sound was the same that the sculptor and the priestess had heard nearly two thousand years ago; the voice of many waters as they swept across the weir, insistent171, unceasing—the monotone of doom121.
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villas
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| 别墅，公馆( villa的名词复数 )； （城郊）住宅 | |
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garbed
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| v.（尤指某类人穿的特定）服装，衣服，制服( garb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sculptor
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| n.雕刻家，雕刻家 | |
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centurion
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| n.古罗马的百人队长 | |
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graphic
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| adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的 | |
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rebuking
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| 责难或指责( rebuke的现在分词 ) | |
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throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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repugnance
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| n.嫌恶 | |
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horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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ken
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| n.视野，知识领域 | |
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passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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chisel
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| n.凿子；v.用凿子刻，雕，凿 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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symbolic
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| adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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friezes
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| n.（柱顶过梁和挑檐间的）雕带，（墙顶的）饰带( frieze的名词复数 ) | |
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irresistibly
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| adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地 | |
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votary
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| n.崇拜者；爱好者；adj.誓约的，立誓任圣职的 | |
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cult
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| n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
mosaics
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| n.马赛克( mosaic的名词复数 )；镶嵌；镶嵌工艺；镶嵌图案 | |
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31
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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32
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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33
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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34
quarries
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| n.（采）石场( quarry的名词复数 )；猎物（指鸟，兽等）；方形石；（格窗等的）方形玻璃v.从采石场采得( quarry的第三人称单数 )；从（书本等中）努力发掘（资料等）；在采石场采石 | |
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35
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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36
dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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37
slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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38
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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39
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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40
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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41
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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42
fanaticism
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| n.狂热，盲信 | |
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43
implore
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| vt.乞求，恳求，哀求 | |
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44
implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45
fermenting
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| v.（使）发酵( ferment的现在分词 )；（使）激动；骚动；骚扰 | |
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46
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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47
trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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48
shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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49
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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50
hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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51
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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52
moody
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| adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的 | |
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53
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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54
skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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55
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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56
inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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57
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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58
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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59
foretold
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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60
exponent
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| n.倡导者，拥护者；代表人物；指数，幂 | |
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61
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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62
deity
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| n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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63
extinction
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| n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种 | |
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64
mythology
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| n.神话，神话学，神话集 | |
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65
illuminating
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| a.富于启发性的，有助阐明的 | |
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66
exalt
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| v.赞扬，歌颂，晋升，提升 | |
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67
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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68
Buddha
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| n.佛；佛像；佛陀 | |
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69
hymns
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 ) | |
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70
falcon
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| n.隼，猎鹰 | |
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71
elixir
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| n.长生不老药，万能药 | |
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72
immortality
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| n.不死，不朽 | |
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73
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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74
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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75
potency
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| n. 效力，潜能 | |
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76
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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77
rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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78
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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79
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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80
levity
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| n.轻率，轻浮，不稳定，多变 | |
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81
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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82
niche
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| n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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83
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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84
immured
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| v.禁闭，监禁( immure的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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85
tempestuous
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| adj.狂暴的 | |
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86
fathoms
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| 英寻( fathom的名词复数 ) | |
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87
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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88
hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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89
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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90
fervently
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| adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地 | |
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91
fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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92
courteously
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| adv.有礼貌地，亲切地 | |
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93
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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94
weir
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| n.堰堤，拦河坝 | |
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95
steadfastly
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| adv.踏实地，不变地；岿然；坚定不渝 | |
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96
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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97
apex
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| n.顶点，最高点 | |
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98
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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99
agonized
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| v.使（极度）痛苦，折磨( agonize的过去式和过去分词 )；苦斗；苦苦思索；感到极度痛苦 | |
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100
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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101
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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102
thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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103
outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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104
revered
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| v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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105
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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106
climax
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| n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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107
profane
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| adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污 | |
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108
profaned
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| v.不敬( profane的过去式和过去分词 )；亵渎，玷污 | |
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109
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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110
augurs
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| n.（古罗马的）占兆官( augur的名词复数 )；占卜师，预言者v.预示，预兆，预言( augur的第三人称单数 )；成为预兆；占卜 | |
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111
dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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112
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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113
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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114
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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115
offenders
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| n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物） | |
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116
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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117
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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118
anguished
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| adj.极其痛苦的v.使极度痛苦(anguish的过去式) | |
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119
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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120
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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121
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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122
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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123
expiatory
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| adj.赎罪的，补偿的 | |
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124
slabs
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| n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片 | |
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125
agonizing
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| adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式) | |
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126
flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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127
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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128
iota
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| n.些微，一点儿 | |
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129
lessen
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| vt.减少，减轻；缩小 | |
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130
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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131
propitiatory
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| adj.劝解的；抚慰的；谋求好感的；哄人息怒的 | |
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132
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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133
avowed
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| adj.公开声明的，承认的v.公开声明，承认( avow的过去式和过去分词) | |
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134
supremacy
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| n.至上；至高权力 | |
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135
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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136
paramount
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| a.最重要的，最高权力的 | |
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137
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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138
inscribed
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| v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接 | |
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139
piety
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| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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140
ostentation
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| n.夸耀，卖弄 | |
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141
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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142
oratories
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| n.演讲术( oratory的名词复数 )；（用长词或正式词语的）词藻华丽的言辞 | |
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143
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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144
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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145
vices
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| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
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146
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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147
jutting
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| v.（使）突出( jut的现在分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
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148
groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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149
javelin
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| n.标枪，投枪 | |
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150
buckles
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| 搭扣，扣环( buckle的名词复数 ) | |
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151
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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152
javelins
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| n.标枪( javelin的名词复数 ) | |
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153
wringing
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| 淋湿的，湿透的 | |
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154
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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155
daunted
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| 使（某人）气馁，威吓( daunt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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156
strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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157
irresolution
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| n.不决断，优柔寡断，犹豫不定 | |
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158
murmurs
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| n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 )；低语声；怨言；嘀咕 | |
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159
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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160
incited
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| 刺激，激励，煽动( incite的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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161
incite
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| v.引起，激动，煽动 | |
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162
assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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163
conjure
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| v.恳求，祈求；变魔术，变戏法 | |
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164
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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165
tyrants
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| 专制统治者( tyrant的名词复数 )； 暴君似的人； （古希腊的）僭主； 严酷的事物 | |
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166
vindictive
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| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
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167
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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168
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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169
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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170
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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171
insistent
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| adj.迫切的，坚持的 | |
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