'WHAT happiness to Ione! what bliss2 to be ever by the side of Glaucus, to hear his voice!—And she too can see him!'
Such was the soliloquy of the blind girl, as she walked alone and at twilight3 to the house of her new mistress, whither Glaucus had already preceded her. Suddenly she was interrupted in her fond thoughts by a female voice.
'Blind flower-girl, whither goest thou? There is no pannier under thine arm; hast thou sold all thy flowers?'
The person thus accosting4 Nydia was a lady of a handsome but a bold and unmaidenly countenance5: it was Julia, the daughter of Diomed. Her veil was half raised as she spoke6; she was accompanied by Diomed himself, and by a slave carrying a lantern before them—the merchant and his daughter were returning home from a supper at one of their neighbors'.
'Dost thou not remember my voice?' continued Julia. 'I am the daughter of Diomed the wealthy.'
'Ah! forgive me; yes, I recall the tones of your voice. No, noble Julia, I have no flowers to sell.'
'I heard that thou wert purchased by the beautiful Greek Glaucus; is that true, pretty slave?' asked Julia.
'I serve the Neapolitan, Ione,' replied Nydia, evasively.
'Ah! and it is true, then...'
'Come, come!' interrupted Diomed, with his cloak up to his mouth, 'the night grows cold; I cannot stay here while you prate7 to that blind girl: come, let her follow you home, if you wish to speak to her.'
'Do, child,' said Julia, with the air of one not accustomed to be refused; 'I have much to ask of thee: come.'
'I cannot this night, it grows late,' answered Nydia. 'I must be at home; I am not free, noble Julia.'
'What, the meek8 Ione will chide9 thee?—Ay, I doubt not she is a second Thalestris. But come, then, to-morrow: do—remember I have been thy friend of old.'
'I will obey thy wishes,' answered Nydia; and Diomed again impatiently summoned his daughter: she was obliged to proceed, with the main question she had desired to put to Nydia unasked.
Meanwhile we return to Ione. The interval10 of time that had elapsed that day between the first and second visit of Glaucus had not been too gaily11 spent: she had received a visit from her brother. Since the night he had assisted in saving her from the Egyptian, she had not before seen him.
Occupied with his own thoughts—thoughts of so serious and intense a nature—the young priest had thought little of his sister; in truth, men, perhaps of that fervent12 order of mind which is ever aspiring13 above earth, are but little prone14 to the earthlier affections; and it had been long since Apaecides had sought those soft and friendly interchanges of thought, those sweet confidences, which in his earlier youth had bound him to Ione, and which are so natural to that endearing connection which existed between them.
Ione, however, had not ceased to regret his estrangement15: she attributed it, at present, to the engrossing16 duties of his severe fraternity. And often, amidst all her bright hopes, and her new attachment17 to her betrothed—often, when she thought of her brother's brow prematurely18 furrowed19, his unsmiling lip, and bended frame, she sighed to think that the service of the gods could throw so deep a shadow over that earth which the gods created.
But this day when he visited her there was a strange calmness on his features, a more quiet and self-possessed expression in his sunken eyes, than she had marked for years. This apparent improvement was but momentary—it was a false calm, which the least breeze could ruffle21.
'May the gods bless thee, my brother!' said she, embracing him.
'My brother!'
'What if the sublime23 faith of the Nazarene be true? What if God be a monarch—One—Invisible—Alone? What if these numerous, countless24 deities25, whose altars fill the earth, be but evil demons26, seeking to wean us from the true creed27? This may be the case, Ione!'
'Alas28! can we believe it? or if we believed, would it not be a melancholy29 faith answered the Neapolitan. 'What! all this beautiful world made only human!—mountain disenchanted of its Oread—the waters of their Nymph—that beautiful prodigality30 of faith, which makes everything divine, consecrating31 the meanest flowers, bearing celestial32 whispers in the faintest breeze—wouldst thou deny this, and make the earth mere33 dust and clay? No, Apaecides: all that is brightest in our hearts is that very credulity which peoples the universe with gods.'
Ione answered as a believer in the poesy of the old mythology34 would answer. We may judge by that reply how obstinate35 and hard the contest which Christianity had to endure among the heathens. The Graceful36 Superstition37 was never silent; every, the most household, action of their lives was entwined with it—it was a portion of life itself, as the flowers are a part of the thyrsus. At every incident they recurred38 to a god, every cup of wine was prefaced by a libation; the very garlands on their thresholds were dedicated39 to some divinity; their ancestors themselves, made holy, presided as Lares over their hearth40 and hall. So abundant was belief with them, that in their own climes, at this hour, idolatry has never thoroughly41 been outrooted: it changes but its objects of worship; it appeals to innumerable saints where once it resorted to divinities; and it pours its crowds, in listening reverence42, to oracles43 at the shrines44 of St. Januarius or St. Stephen, instead of to those of Isis or Apollo.
But these superstitions45 were not to the early Christians46 the object of contempt so much as of horror. They did not believe, with the quiet scepticism of the heathen philosopher, that the gods were inventions of the priests; nor even, with the vulgar, that, according to the dim light of history, they had been mortals like themselves. They imagined the heathen divinities to be evil spirits—they transplanted to Italy and to Greece the gloomy demons of India and the East; and in Jupiter or in Mars they shuddered47 at the representative of Moloch or of Satan.
Apaecides had not yet adopted formally the Christian1 faith, but he was already on the brink49 of it. He already participated the doctrines51 of Olinthus—he already imagined that the lively imaginations of the heathen were the suggestions of the arch-enemy of mankind. The innocent and natural answer of Ione made him shudder48. He hastened to reply vehemently52, and yet so confusedly, that Ione feared for his reason more than she dreaded53 his violence.
'Ah, my brother!' said she, 'these hard duties of thine have shattered thy very sense. Come to me, Apaecides, my brother, my own brother; give me thy hand, let me wipe the dew from thy brow—chide me not now, I understand thee not; think only that Ione could not offend thee!'
'Ione,' said Apaecides, drawing her towards him, and regarding her tenderly, 'can I think that this beautiful form, this kind heart, may be destined54 to an eternity55 of torment56?'
'Dii meliora! the gods forbid!' said Ione, in the customary form of words by which her contemporaries thought an omen20 might be averted57.
The words, and still more the superstition they implied, wounded the ear of Apaecides. He rose, muttering to himself, turned from the chamber58, then, stopping, half way, gazed wistfully on Ione, and extended his arms.
Ione flew to them in joy; he kissed her earnestly, and then he said:
'Farewell, my sister! when we next meet, thou mayst be to me as nothing; take thou, then, this embrace—full yet of all the tender reminiscences of childhood, when faith and hope, creeds59, customs, interests, objects, were the same to us. Now, the tie is to be broken!'
With these strange words he left the house.
The great and severest trial of the primitive60 Christians was indeed this; their conversion61 separated them from their dearest bonds. They could not associate with beings whose commonest actions, whose commonest forms of speech, were impregnated with idolatry. They shuddered at the blessing62 of love, to their ears it was uttered in a demon's name. This, their misfortune, was their strength; if it divided them from the rest of the world, it was to unite them proportionally to each other. They were men of iron who wrought63 forth64 the Word of God, and verily the bonds that bound them were of iron also!
Glaucus found Ione in tears; he had already assumed the sweet privilege to console. He drew from her a recital65 of her interview with her brother; but in her confused account of language, itself so confused to one not prepared for it, he was equally at a loss with Ione to conceive the intentions or the meaning of Apaecides.
'Hast thou ever heard much,' asked she, 'of this new sect66 of the Nazarenes, of which my brother spoke?'
'I have often heard enough of the votaries,' returned Glaucus, 'but of their exact tenets know I naught67, save that in their doctrine50 there seemeth something preternaturally chilling and morose68. They live apart from their kind; they affect to be shocked even at our simple uses of garlands; they have no sympathies with the cheerful amusements of life; they utter awful threats of the coming destruction of the world; they appear, in one word, to have brought their unsmiling and gloomy creed out of the cave of Trophonius. Yet,' continued Glaucus, after a slight pause, 'they have not wanted men of great power and genius, nor converts, even among the Areopagites of Athens. Well do I remember to have heard my father speak of one strange guest at Athens, many years ago; methinks his name was PAUL. My father was amongst a mighty69 crowd that gathered on one of our immemorial hills to hear this sage70 of the East expound71: through the wide throng72 there rang not a single murmur73!—the jest and the roar, with which our native orators74 are received, were hushed for him—and when on the loftiest summit of that hill, raised above the breathless crowd below, stood this mysterious visitor, his mien75 and his countenance awed76 every heart, even before a sound left his lips. He was a man, I have heard my father say, of no tall stature77, but of noble and impressive mien; his robes were dark and ample; the declining sun, for it was evening, shone aslant78 upon his form as it rose aloft, motionless, and commanding; his countenance was much worn and marked, as of one who had braved alike misfortune and the sternest vicissitude79 of many climes; but his eyes were bright with an almost unearthly fire; and when he raised his arm to speak, it was with the majesty80 of a man into whom the Spirit of a God hath rushed!
'"Men of Athens!" he is reported to have said, "I find amongst ye an altar with this inscription81:
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.
To you unknown till now, to you be it now revealed."
'Then declared that solemn man how this great Maker83 of all things, who had appointed unto man his several tribes and his various homes—the Lord of earth and the universal heaven, dwelt not in temples made with hands; that His presence, His spirit, were in the air we breathed—our life and our being were with Him. "Think you," he cried, "that the Invisible is like your statues of gold and marble? Think you that He needeth sacrifice from you: He who made heaven and earth?" Then spoke he of fearful and coming times, of the end of the world, of a second rising of the dead, whereof an assurance had been given to man in the resurrection of the mighty Being whose religion he came to preach.
'When he thus spoke, the long-pent murmur went forth, and the philosophers that were mingled84 with the people, muttered their sage contempt; there might you have seen the chilling frown of the Stoic85, and the Cynic's sneer86; and the Epicurean, who believeth not even in our own Elysium, muttered a pleasant jest, and swept laughing through the crowd: but the deep heart of the people was touched and thrilled; and they trembled, though they knew not why, for verily the stranger had the voice and majesty of a man to whom "The Unknown God" had committed the preaching of His faith.'
Ione listened with wrapt attention, and the serious and earnest manner of the narrator betrayed the impression that he himself had received from one who had been amongst the audience that on the hill of the heathen Mars had heard the first tidings of the word of Christ!
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1
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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accosting
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| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的现在分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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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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prate
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| v.瞎扯，胡说 | |
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meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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chide
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| v.叱责；谴责 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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aspiring
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| adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求 | |
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prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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estrangement
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| n.疏远，失和，不和 | |
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engrossing
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| adj.使人全神贯注的，引人入胜的v.使全神贯注( engross的现在分词 ) | |
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attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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prematurely
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| adv.过早地，贸然地 | |
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furrowed
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| v.犁田，开沟( furrow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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omen
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| n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示 | |
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ruffle
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| v.弄皱，弄乱；激怒，扰乱；n.褶裥饰边 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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deities
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| n.神，女神( deity的名词复数 )；神祗；神灵；神明 | |
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demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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creed
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| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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prodigality
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| n.浪费，挥霍 | |
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consecrating
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| v.把…奉为神圣，给…祝圣( consecrate的现在分词 )；奉献 | |
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celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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mythology
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| n.神话，神话学，神话集 | |
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obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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recurred
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| 再发生，复发( recur的过去式和过去分词 )； 治愈 | |
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dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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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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oracles
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| 神示所( oracle的名词复数 )； 神谕； 圣贤； 哲人 | |
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shrines
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| 圣地，圣坛，神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 ) | |
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superstitions
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| 迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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47
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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50
doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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51
doctrines
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| n.教条( doctrine的名词复数 )；教义；学说；（政府政策的）正式声明 | |
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52
vehemently
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| adv. 热烈地 | |
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53
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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torment
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| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
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averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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creeds
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| （尤指宗教）信条，教条( creed的名词复数 ) | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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conversion
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| n.转化，转换，转变 | |
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blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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sect
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| n.派别，宗教，学派，派系 | |
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naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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morose
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| adj.脾气坏的，不高兴的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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expound
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| v.详述；解释；阐述 | |
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throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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orators
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| n.演说者，演讲家( orator的名词复数 ) | |
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mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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aslant
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| adv.倾斜地；adj.斜的 | |
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vicissitude
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| n.变化，变迁，荣枯，盛衰 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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82
deity
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| n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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83
maker
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| n.制造者，制造商 | |
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84
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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85
stoic
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| n.坚忍克己之人，禁欲主义者 | |
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86
sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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