Valerian a narrative poem : intended, in part, to describe the early persecutions of Christians, and rapidly to illustrate the influence of Christianity on the manners of nations |
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BOOK II.
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BOOK II.
The jocund morning rose: from his high hill
The sun looked down, and gladdened all the plain;
Nature awakened from her still repose,
And, starting, shook the dew-drops from her robe.
The happy inmates of Alcestes' cot
From slumbers broke, and hailed the blush of day:
Assembling round the social board, they joined
In conversation sweet and unrestrained.
Anxious for him whose life he had preserved,
Alcestes asked his guest whence he had come;
To what far region he designed his course,
When he was cast upon these eastern shores.
To whom the youth in accents mild replied:
The sun looked down, and gladdened all the plain;
Nature awakened from her still repose,
And, starting, shook the dew-drops from her robe.
The happy inmates of Alcestes' cot
From slumbers broke, and hailed the blush of day:
Assembling round the social board, they joined
In conversation sweet and unrestrained.
Anxious for him whose life he had preserved,
Alcestes asked his guest whence he had come;
To what far region he designed his course,
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To whom the youth in accents mild replied:
Kind reverend father, nought shall I withhold
From one to whom protection, life are due.
My tale will not detain your patience long;
And nought it has to please or interest,
Unless it meet an interest in your love.
Valerian I am called; I came from Rome;
I left a father in those splendid walls;
I fled from persecution, pain, and death:
For I, of christian faith, was hunted down
By tyrants, thirsting for the blood of those
Who would not own the idol gods they serve,
And on their altars burn their sacrifice.
From one to whom protection, life are due.
My tale will not detain your patience long;
And nought it has to please or interest,
Unless it meet an interest in your love.
Valerian I am called; I came from Rome;
I left a father in those splendid walls;
I fled from persecution, pain, and death:
For I, of christian faith, was hunted down
By tyrants, thirsting for the blood of those
Who would not own the idol gods they serve,
And on their altars burn their sacrifice.
My memory turns in horror from the scenes
Which I have witnessed in the walls of Rome;
My soul is sick when I recal the rage
Which breathed destruction on the friends of Christ;
Which followed them with chains, with sword and fire,
With deaths most exquisite, with glutted shouts.
Which I have witnessed in the walls of Rome;
My soul is sick when I recal the rage
Which breathed destruction on the friends of Christ;
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With deaths most exquisite, with glutted shouts.
O why delayed the thunders of my God?
Why slept the arm of his almighty wrath?
Ah! he, with wise and merciful designs,
Allowed to impious men a short-lived joy,
To show more signally his ruling power!
Ye streets which flowed in torrents with the blood
Of brethren butchered in the public view!
Ye midnight cells which listened to their groans!
Ye flames which lit the horrors of the night,
And gave their tortures to the startled eye!
Ye theatres which saw them torn by beasts,
And oft resounded with the pressing throngs,
Who gazed delighted on the horrid sight!—
Bear witness to the cruel, damning deeds,
Of Rome's fell tyrant and his wretched slaves!
Why slept the arm of his almighty wrath?
Ah! he, with wise and merciful designs,
Allowed to impious men a short-lived joy,
To show more signally his ruling power!
Ye streets which flowed in torrents with the blood
Of brethren butchered in the public view!
Ye midnight cells which listened to their groans!
Ye flames which lit the horrors of the night,
And gave their tortures to the startled eye!
Ye theatres which saw them torn by beasts,
And oft resounded with the pressing throngs,
Who gazed delighted on the horrid sight!—
Bear witness to the cruel, damning deeds,
Of Rome's fell tyrant and his wretched slaves!
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Attentive to his words, Alcestes asked
Who were those Christians? by what faith disjoined
From those relentless men who sought their lives?
Who were those Christians? by what faith disjoined
From those relentless men who sought their lives?
To which the youth continuing thus replied:
The God who made all men, who all preserves,
Beheld in pity our deluded race
Plunged in distress, in error, and in sin;
And, from his throne of glory in the skies,
Sent down a messenger to dwell with men,
To be a light to this sad darkened world,
To show to us the paths of truth and peace,
To suffer and to die that we might live.
This holy being was the Son of God;
By him were made the mighty worlds, which roll
Amidst the regions of unbounded space.
He spake, 'twas done, all nature took its birth,
The heavens were spread, the solid earth stood firm,
And dashed the billows of a thousand seas.
Christ was the name which this Messiah bore:
Equal was he to the paternal God,
In power, in wisdom, and in grace divine.
A few years back, this God most high appeared
On earth, and took the lowly form of man.
In poverty and sorrow he was nursed;
He wandered as an outcast in the world,
Which he had made, which moves at his command.
He bore with patience, and without a murmur,
The persecutions and the scorn of men;
With willing hand he took the cup of woe,
Exhausted to its dregs the bitter draught,
And, in atonement for the sins of men,
To justice rendered satisfaction full.
Beheld in pity our deluded race
Plunged in distress, in error, and in sin;
And, from his throne of glory in the skies,
Sent down a messenger to dwell with men,
To be a light to this sad darkened world,
To show to us the paths of truth and peace,
To suffer and to die that we might live.
This holy being was the Son of God;
By him were made the mighty worlds, which roll
Amidst the regions of unbounded space.
He spake, 'twas done, all nature took its birth,
The heavens were spread, the solid earth stood firm,
And dashed the billows of a thousand seas.
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Equal was he to the paternal God,
In power, in wisdom, and in grace divine.
A few years back, this God most high appeared
On earth, and took the lowly form of man.
In poverty and sorrow he was nursed;
He wandered as an outcast in the world,
Which he had made, which moves at his command.
He bore with patience, and without a murmur,
The persecutions and the scorn of men;
With willing hand he took the cup of woe,
Exhausted to its dregs the bitter draught,
And, in atonement for the sins of men,
To justice rendered satisfaction full.
When thirty years had seen this God on earth,
He then began to publish to the world
His name divine, his messages of grace.
He spake as man before him never spake;
Revealed the will and councils of our God,
By mighty works proclaimed his peerless power,
And bade the world, woe-wearied and benighted,
To follow him, to reverence his commands,
And he would lead them on to better worlds,
Where joy unceasing ever dwells with him.
He then began to publish to the world
His name divine, his messages of grace.
He spake as man before him never spake;
Revealed the will and councils of our God,
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And bade the world, woe-wearied and benighted,
To follow him, to reverence his commands,
And he would lead them on to better worlds,
Where joy unceasing ever dwells with him.
Many who heard this Saviour speak believed,
Nobly renounced the world, and followed him.
From these intrepid followers twelve he chose,
Who should be ever with him, mark his ways,
And when he left the earth record his words,
His actions, and his will, and give to men
The richest boon which heaven itself could give.
Though many heard his supplicating call,
Yet more, indignant, answered him with scoffs:
Against him slander vented all its rage,
And lavished on his head opprobrious names.
Nobly renounced the world, and followed him.
From these intrepid followers twelve he chose,
Who should be ever with him, mark his ways,
And when he left the earth record his words,
His actions, and his will, and give to men
The richest boon which heaven itself could give.
Though many heard his supplicating call,
Yet more, indignant, answered him with scoffs:
Against him slander vented all its rage,
And lavished on his head opprobrious names.
His doctrines were opposed to brutal lusts;
He nursed the spirit for a heavenly world;
He told his followers to be chaste and meek,
To look and live above earth's fleeting joys.
Such holy dictates were in wrath received
By those, who threw on passion's neck the rein.
And plung'd unheedful in the depths of vice.
Betrayed, derided, by his friends forsaken,
This Saviour-God was seized by daring hands,
By Jewish rulers was condemned to die,
And on the hill of Calvary was raised.
And nailed to an accursed cross, and there,
In sight of earth and heaven, he bled and died:
He gave the spirit which he took on earth
Into the arms of God, and closed his work,
On which he entered for the sins of men.
He nursed the spirit for a heavenly world;
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To look and live above earth's fleeting joys.
Such holy dictates were in wrath received
By those, who threw on passion's neck the rein.
And plung'd unheedful in the depths of vice.
Betrayed, derided, by his friends forsaken,
This Saviour-God was seized by daring hands,
By Jewish rulers was condemned to die,
And on the hill of Calvary was raised.
And nailed to an accursed cross, and there,
In sight of earth and heaven, he bled and died:
He gave the spirit which he took on earth
Into the arms of God, and closed his work,
On which he entered for the sins of men.
Nature beheld the awful scene with dread:
The God of life expiring on a cross
Surpassed conception of Almighty love;
The sun grew dim, dark shadows quenched his beam,
And Night's thick mantle fell upon the earth;
An earthquake shook the globe; the rocks were cleft;
The temple's veil was rent in twain; the dead
Awoke, arose, and left their darksome graves.
The God of life expiring on a cross
Surpassed conception of Almighty love;
The sun grew dim, dark shadows quenched his beam,
And Night's thick mantle fell upon the earth;
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The temple's veil was rent in twain; the dead
Awoke, arose, and left their darksome graves.
Laid in the earth, the tomb did not long hold
Him whose dominion over death extends.
Christ broke asunder all the bonds of death;
He triumphed o'er the grave; he lived again on earth;
He called around him his dejected friends;
He blessed them and rekindled all their zeal,
And darting upwards on the wings of wind,
He sought again his own eternal throne,
And left them gazing on the passing clouds.
Him whose dominion over death extends.
Christ broke asunder all the bonds of death;
He triumphed o'er the grave; he lived again on earth;
He called around him his dejected friends;
He blessed them and rekindled all their zeal,
And darting upwards on the wings of wind,
He sought again his own eternal throne,
And left them gazing on the passing clouds.
Commissioned by the heavenly will of him
Who bled and died that rebel man might live,
His bold disciples traversed sea and land,
Preaching the truths which they had heard of him,
And publishing his overtures of peace.
Who bled and died that rebel man might live,
His bold disciples traversed sea and land,
Preaching the truths which they had heard of him,
And publishing his overtures of peace.
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No dangers could intimidate these men;
They braved the frowns, the pleasures of the world:
Love for their God, love for their fellow-men
Impelled them on, and thunder-clothed their tongues.
Some hardy champions of the cross arrived
At Rome; proclaimed aloud the Christian faith,
And planted there an early church of Christ.
This little band, though peaceable and mild,
The foes of strife, and like their master meek,
Were not permitted to remain in peace.
Loud roared the blasts of persecuting zeal;
The heathen raised his unrelenting sword;
The Roman tyrant issued his decree,
And Christian blood in torrents flowed: but still
In Rome religion flourished and increased;
The cause of Christ defied the threat of power,
The arm of malice, and consuming flames.
They braved the frowns, the pleasures of the world:
Love for their God, love for their fellow-men
Impelled them on, and thunder-clothed their tongues.
Some hardy champions of the cross arrived
At Rome; proclaimed aloud the Christian faith,
And planted there an early church of Christ.
This little band, though peaceable and mild,
The foes of strife, and like their master meek,
Were not permitted to remain in peace.
Loud roared the blasts of persecuting zeal;
The heathen raised his unrelenting sword;
The Roman tyrant issued his decree,
And Christian blood in torrents flowed: but still
In Rome religion flourished and increased;
The cause of Christ defied the threat of power,
The arm of malice, and consuming flames.
The Roman empire almost grasps the world,
And o'er that world the tyrant Nero reigns.
He overtops the pinnacle of vice;
Rome never groaned beneath a king so vile.
Ah! I have seen him, dark, relentless man,
In regal robes, in pomp of pride elate;
I marked the scowling of his heavy brow,
His eye which bade defiance to his God.
The church of Christ beneath his reign had grown,
And added to her numbers men of power;
The tyrant saw the Christian cause increase,
But wilful smothered for a time his rage.
At length prepared, and rising in his might,
He hurled his dreadful edicts on their heads:
He bade the sword of persecution rage
Throughout the world, and spare no Christian dog,
But butcher in cold blood all sex, all age, and rank,
And root the name of Christian from the earth.
Nero himself hurled in the domes of Rome
Some brands of fire, and while the kindled flames
Spread devastation and wild ruin round,
Throughout the streets he bade a voice proclaim
These flames were lighted by the hands of Christians,
Surrounded by the deepening shades of night;
Behold, O Romans, what these wretches do!
Then raged the fury of ten thousand fiends,
And hell's dark angels clapped their wings for joy.
The sufferings of the Christians were intense;
Yet do I shudder at the deeds I saw,
And turn with horror from that dreadful night.
And o'er that world the tyrant Nero reigns.
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Rome never groaned beneath a king so vile.
Ah! I have seen him, dark, relentless man,
In regal robes, in pomp of pride elate;
I marked the scowling of his heavy brow,
His eye which bade defiance to his God.
The church of Christ beneath his reign had grown,
And added to her numbers men of power;
The tyrant saw the Christian cause increase,
But wilful smothered for a time his rage.
At length prepared, and rising in his might,
He hurled his dreadful edicts on their heads:
He bade the sword of persecution rage
Throughout the world, and spare no Christian dog,
But butcher in cold blood all sex, all age, and rank,
And root the name of Christian from the earth.
Nero himself hurled in the domes of Rome
Some brands of fire, and while the kindled flames
Spread devastation and wild ruin round,
Throughout the streets he bade a voice proclaim
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Surrounded by the deepening shades of night;
Behold, O Romans, what these wretches do!
Then raged the fury of ten thousand fiends,
And hell's dark angels clapped their wings for joy.
The sufferings of the Christians were intense;
Yet do I shudder at the deeds I saw,
And turn with horror from that dreadful night.
A holy bishop had from Carthage come,
To cheer the courage of his friends at Rome;
His character, his goodness, and his rank,
Made him an object of the heathen rage.
A burst of voices from the frantic crowds
Denounced his death. Around his house
Gathered the fierce and raving multitude,
Tore from his bed the venerable man,
Dragged him exulting through the' affrighted streets,
Dashed him against the earth and craggy walls,
And threw his mangled members to the flames.
A lovely woman, of exalted rank,
Who had renounced the idol gods of Rome,
With a sweet infant clinging to her breast,
With streaming hair, and garments rudely torn,
Was dragged by ruffians in the public view,
Was brutally insulted, scourged, and gashed;
While from her arms her little babe was torn,
And, by the pressure of a dungeon villain,
Strangled, and stamped beneath the spurning foot.
To cheer the courage of his friends at Rome;
His character, his goodness, and his rank,
Made him an object of the heathen rage.
A burst of voices from the frantic crowds
Denounced his death. Around his house
Gathered the fierce and raving multitude,
Tore from his bed the venerable man,
Dragged him exulting through the' affrighted streets,
Dashed him against the earth and craggy walls,
And threw his mangled members to the flames.
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Who had renounced the idol gods of Rome,
With a sweet infant clinging to her breast,
With streaming hair, and garments rudely torn,
Was dragged by ruffians in the public view,
Was brutally insulted, scourged, and gashed;
While from her arms her little babe was torn,
And, by the pressure of a dungeon villain,
Strangled, and stamped beneath the spurning foot.
O pardon, sir, these tears, which still will flow:
I am a soldier, nor disdain to weep;
That holy matron who was thus destroyed
Was my fond mother. Yes, I saw her die;
I tried to save her, but I strove in vain.
I, a late convert to the Christian faith,
Escaped the dangers of that hateful night,
But was reserved for further scenes of woe.
My father still inflexibly remained
Attached to heathen principles and rites.
Whate'er his will might be, he had no power
To shield his wife or son from frantic foes.
Finding no safety in his house I fled;
I refuge sought in unfrequented ways,
In narrow lanes: and at the dead of night
Stole like a felon from my lurking-place,
In search of friends, who roved unhoused like me.
I am a soldier, nor disdain to weep;
That holy matron who was thus destroyed
Was my fond mother. Yes, I saw her die;
I tried to save her, but I strove in vain.
I, a late convert to the Christian faith,
Escaped the dangers of that hateful night,
But was reserved for further scenes of woe.
My father still inflexibly remained
Attached to heathen principles and rites.
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To shield his wife or son from frantic foes.
Finding no safety in his house I fled;
I refuge sought in unfrequented ways,
In narrow lanes: and at the dead of night
Stole like a felon from my lurking-place,
In search of friends, who roved unhoused like me.
In one lone ramble through the silent streets,
A passing soldier marked my hasty steps;
He knew me, and commanded me to stop.
Alarmed, I strove to disappoint his search;
But he rushed on, discovered where I was,
And with his sword unsheathed aimed at my life.
Forced to oppose his wild impetuous rage,
I drew my sword, which in the night I wore,
And in the' encounter beat the brutal wretch,
Bleeding and howling at my feet: his cry
Brought to his aid the nightly guards of Rome.
I swiftly fled, and baffled their pursuit.
The dying man pronounced my name, and bade
His friends remember to revenge his death.
Thus noted and proscribed, and like a beast
Hunted and followed by the hounds of blood,
I could not long escape their eager search.
A passing soldier marked my hasty steps;
He knew me, and commanded me to stop.
Alarmed, I strove to disappoint his search;
But he rushed on, discovered where I was,
And with his sword unsheathed aimed at my life.
Forced to oppose his wild impetuous rage,
I drew my sword, which in the night I wore,
And in the' encounter beat the brutal wretch,
Bleeding and howling at my feet: his cry
Brought to his aid the nightly guards of Rome.
I swiftly fled, and baffled their pursuit.
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His friends remember to revenge his death.
Thus noted and proscribed, and like a beast
Hunted and followed by the hounds of blood,
I could not long escape their eager search.
One night, within a large and vaulted cave,
I and two hundred Christians more had met
To hear explained the scriptures of our God;
To bend before his awful throne in prayer;
To share the joys of sympathetic hearts.
Some happy hours had flown on us engaged
In acts of worship and in counsel there,
When we were startled by the march of feet,
By clashing arms, and voices near our cave.
We had not time to fly, before the mouth
Of our rude cavern was by soldiers closed,
And some fierce bands rushed in with spears and swords,
And then commenced the dreadful work of death.
The small defence which we could make was vain,
And vain our supplications to our foes.
The voice of prayer and praise was now exchanged
For shrieks of torture, and for dying groans;
Late where the broken bread and wine were spread,
The emblems of a bleeding Saviour's love,
Streamed the warm blood, and fell the mangled limb.
I and two hundred Christians more had met
To hear explained the scriptures of our God;
To bend before his awful throne in prayer;
To share the joys of sympathetic hearts.
Some happy hours had flown on us engaged
In acts of worship and in counsel there,
When we were startled by the march of feet,
By clashing arms, and voices near our cave.
We had not time to fly, before the mouth
Of our rude cavern was by soldiers closed,
And some fierce bands rushed in with spears and swords,
And then commenced the dreadful work of death.
The small defence which we could make was vain,
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The voice of prayer and praise was now exchanged
For shrieks of torture, and for dying groans;
Late where the broken bread and wine were spread,
The emblems of a bleeding Saviour's love,
Streamed the warm blood, and fell the mangled limb.
Sometime had slaughter rioted and raged,
When I, contending in the face of death,
In hopes that darkness might afford escape,
Flew to the places where the lamps were hung,
Dashed them to earth, extinguished all their light.
Shrouded in night, and in a cave immured,
The Roman soldiers could not now discern
Their friends from foes: wild uproar now arose;
Confusion fell upon the heathen fiends;
They poured down blows upon each other's heads,
And in mistake they one another slew:
A night more terrible I never saw.
I, purposing escape, in silence crept
Along the walls, until I reached the door:
Then calling to my friends, I bade them seize
The present time of flight, and follow me:
And springing upwards, o'er the flight of stairs,
I gained the street, and saw the moon and stars.
Scarce had I time to breathe and look around,
When I was seized by the patrolling guards,
Was bound with heavy chains, and then was thrown
In a deep dungeon, cold, damp as the grave.
Excluded there from light or human voice,
I lay some weeks, and would have welcomed death;
I had but little food, and that was coarse,
And such as hunger only would receive.
When I, contending in the face of death,
In hopes that darkness might afford escape,
Flew to the places where the lamps were hung,
Dashed them to earth, extinguished all their light.
Shrouded in night, and in a cave immured,
The Roman soldiers could not now discern
Their friends from foes: wild uproar now arose;
Confusion fell upon the heathen fiends;
They poured down blows upon each other's heads,
And in mistake they one another slew:
A night more terrible I never saw.
I, purposing escape, in silence crept
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Then calling to my friends, I bade them seize
The present time of flight, and follow me:
And springing upwards, o'er the flight of stairs,
I gained the street, and saw the moon and stars.
Scarce had I time to breathe and look around,
When I was seized by the patrolling guards,
Was bound with heavy chains, and then was thrown
In a deep dungeon, cold, damp as the grave.
Excluded there from light or human voice,
I lay some weeks, and would have welcomed death;
I had but little food, and that was coarse,
And such as hunger only would receive.
One day I heard my prison doors unbarred,
And hailed it as the sound preceding death;
But was surprised to see my keeper followed
By a patrician magistrate of Rome.
He came, he said, to rescue me from woe,
To lead me forth to liberty and life,
If I would meet compliantly his terms,
And render homage to the Gods of Rome.
Young man, said he, the emperor is kind,
And sends you mercy at your father's prayer.
If you renounce the Christian name and faith,
Honours await you, you shall roll in wealth,
In all the splendours of patrician rank;
But if you still to Christians vile adhere,
And thus forget your father, birth, and king,
Now nearly numbered are your days of life:
Hear, then, and weigh the doom, the foul disgrace,
Which you will bring upon your wretched head,
By persevering in your headlong course:
The king designs to give a splendid feast
To his victorious soldiers and his friends,
And to conclude the pleasures of the day
By exhibitions on the stage at night.
These royal exhibitions shall consist
Of men contending with fierce hungering beasts,
Of gladiators skilled in arts of war.
Hear, then, and tremble: 'tis great Nero's will
That those who meet the lion in his wrath
Should be selected from the Christian herd,
Those enemies of Rome, and of the Gods:
And you, Valerian, if you still refuse
To offer incense to the Gods of Rome,
Shall, in the view of clamorous multitudes,
War with the lion, or the savage boar,
And with your dying pangs feast the dark eye
Of riot and of joy. Think then, O youth,
Before the day of sovereign grace is past;
Renounce the errors of a wretched sect,
And fill with joy an aged father's heart.
And hailed it as the sound preceding death;
But was surprised to see my keeper followed
By a patrician magistrate of Rome.
He came, he said, to rescue me from woe,
To lead me forth to liberty and life,
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And render homage to the Gods of Rome.
Young man, said he, the emperor is kind,
And sends you mercy at your father's prayer.
If you renounce the Christian name and faith,
Honours await you, you shall roll in wealth,
In all the splendours of patrician rank;
But if you still to Christians vile adhere,
And thus forget your father, birth, and king,
Now nearly numbered are your days of life:
Hear, then, and weigh the doom, the foul disgrace,
Which you will bring upon your wretched head,
By persevering in your headlong course:
The king designs to give a splendid feast
To his victorious soldiers and his friends,
And to conclude the pleasures of the day
By exhibitions on the stage at night.
These royal exhibitions shall consist
Of men contending with fierce hungering beasts,
Of gladiators skilled in arts of war.
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That those who meet the lion in his wrath
Should be selected from the Christian herd,
Those enemies of Rome, and of the Gods:
And you, Valerian, if you still refuse
To offer incense to the Gods of Rome,
Shall, in the view of clamorous multitudes,
War with the lion, or the savage boar,
And with your dying pangs feast the dark eye
Of riot and of joy. Think then, O youth,
Before the day of sovereign grace is past;
Renounce the errors of a wretched sect,
And fill with joy an aged father's heart.
I heard his overtures, and thus replied:
Bear back my answer to the king you serve,
And tell it to the priests and slaves of Rome,
That you have seen Valerian in his cell,
Of birth as noble as proud Rome can boast,
Chained to the cold ground, like the vilest wretch,
Buried in filth, in solitude, and night,
Pale and worn down, denied the use of food;
But that you found him rooted in his faith,
Resolved to brave your haughty tyrant's power,
And all the pangs his cruelty can form;
Resolved to die and feast the heathen wolves,
Before he would renounce the truths he holds,
Or worship any being but his God.
Tell also to the sovereign of the world,
That, though I die, I supplicate his favour
For those poor Christians whom I leave behind;
That he would stay the persecuting sword
Which riots in their blood. They never did him harm;
Peaceful are they, and, seeking peace of men,
They follow in the footsteps of their Lord,
And pay to Cæsar what to him is due.
All that they claim is liberty to serve
Their God and Saviour, as they shall think best.
The world holds not a nobler race of men,
A race more faithful to the God they own,
A race more fervent in their country's cause.
Tell to my father that his son forgives
His coldness and neglect, and that he dies
In prayers for blessings on his reverend head.
O tell him that this heart beats high with love
For him who gave me birth, and longs to pour
Its hopes, its cares, its sorrows in his breast.
Bear back my answer to the king you serve,
And tell it to the priests and slaves of Rome,
That you have seen Valerian in his cell,
Of birth as noble as proud Rome can boast,
Chained to the cold ground, like the vilest wretch,
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Pale and worn down, denied the use of food;
But that you found him rooted in his faith,
Resolved to brave your haughty tyrant's power,
And all the pangs his cruelty can form;
Resolved to die and feast the heathen wolves,
Before he would renounce the truths he holds,
Or worship any being but his God.
Tell also to the sovereign of the world,
That, though I die, I supplicate his favour
For those poor Christians whom I leave behind;
That he would stay the persecuting sword
Which riots in their blood. They never did him harm;
Peaceful are they, and, seeking peace of men,
They follow in the footsteps of their Lord,
And pay to Cæsar what to him is due.
All that they claim is liberty to serve
Their God and Saviour, as they shall think best.
The world holds not a nobler race of men,
A race more faithful to the God they own,
50
Tell to my father that his son forgives
His coldness and neglect, and that he dies
In prayers for blessings on his reverend head.
O tell him that this heart beats high with love
For him who gave me birth, and longs to pour
Its hopes, its cares, its sorrows in his breast.
The Roman magistrate withdrew in wrath.
He bade me speedily prepare for death,
To sate the hunger of the beast of prey.
He bade my keeper give me better food,
To nurse my strength against the day of combat,
That I might grapple bravely with my foe.
My father came, in pity to my wish,
To bid his wretched son a last farewell.
He wept, he pressed me to his bursting heart,
Conjured me by the love I bore to him,
By the dear memory of her who died
A sainted victim to the cause of Christ,
To seek not thus a vile and wretched end,
But to renounce the faith I had embraced,
And live again in happiness and peace.
But all his prayers and all his tears were vain;
My resolution nothing could subdue,
Rather to meet ten thousand deaths than blast
The truths I loved, my fervent hopes of heaven.
He bade me speedily prepare for death,
To sate the hunger of the beast of prey.
He bade my keeper give me better food,
To nurse my strength against the day of combat,
That I might grapple bravely with my foe.
My father came, in pity to my wish,
To bid his wretched son a last farewell.
He wept, he pressed me to his bursting heart,
Conjured me by the love I bore to him,
By the dear memory of her who died
A sainted victim to the cause of Christ,
51
But to renounce the faith I had embraced,
And live again in happiness and peace.
But all his prayers and all his tears were vain;
My resolution nothing could subdue,
Rather to meet ten thousand deaths than blast
The truths I loved, my fervent hopes of heaven.
My father went in anguish from my cell,
And I remained more resolute to die.
Next day my prison door, on sullen hinge,
Was opened by a hasty, forceful hand;
I raised my eyes, and saw two Roman guards
Enter my cell; within their arms they bore
The body of a man, from whose pierced side
The dark blood flowed; with rage they dashed him down,
And to the cold ground chained his mangled limbs,
And then with taunts and haughty stride withdrew.
A time insensible the stranger lay,
His pains seemed buried in the sleep of death;
At length a groan broke from him, and declared
That he still lived. Around his cell he cast
A sad, exploring eye, and when he saw
Me, the companion in his house of woe,
He spoke such words as sorrow would employ
Toward one united in a common fate.
I, answering him, in sympathy enquired
By what occurrence he and I were brought,
Strangers before, to meet as friends in grief?
To which he answered: I, O Roman, am
In faith a Christian, and for this I bear
The wrongs and insults of a heathen's rage,
For this I now am thrust in dungeon depths,
And doomed to meet the most opprobrious death.
In childhood, led by some advent'rous men,
I came to Rome, from distant eastern climes,
Whose names, perhaps, have never reached your ear.
Here since I lived, here learned the truths of God,
For which I'm bound in chains, and doomed to die.
Land of my fathers, scenes of infant years!
Ye hills and plains, ye streams and tangled woods,
O'er which I roved, in boyhood's artless days,
O shall Cœlestian never see ye more!
Deceiving visions of the night away!
Hush not the tumults of the soul to rest,
To wake again to keener pangs of woe!
And I remained more resolute to die.
Next day my prison door, on sullen hinge,
Was opened by a hasty, forceful hand;
I raised my eyes, and saw two Roman guards
Enter my cell; within their arms they bore
The body of a man, from whose pierced side
The dark blood flowed; with rage they dashed him down,
And to the cold ground chained his mangled limbs,
And then with taunts and haughty stride withdrew.
A time insensible the stranger lay,
His pains seemed buried in the sleep of death;
52
That he still lived. Around his cell he cast
A sad, exploring eye, and when he saw
Me, the companion in his house of woe,
He spoke such words as sorrow would employ
Toward one united in a common fate.
I, answering him, in sympathy enquired
By what occurrence he and I were brought,
Strangers before, to meet as friends in grief?
To which he answered: I, O Roman, am
In faith a Christian, and for this I bear
The wrongs and insults of a heathen's rage,
For this I now am thrust in dungeon depths,
And doomed to meet the most opprobrious death.
In childhood, led by some advent'rous men,
I came to Rome, from distant eastern climes,
Whose names, perhaps, have never reached your ear.
Here since I lived, here learned the truths of God,
For which I'm bound in chains, and doomed to die.
Land of my fathers, scenes of infant years!
53
O'er which I roved, in boyhood's artless days,
O shall Cœlestian never see ye more!
Deceiving visions of the night away!
Hush not the tumults of the soul to rest,
To wake again to keener pangs of woe!
Cœlestian ceased. I strove to soothe his cares;
I told him mine; I won his honest heart,
And in the interchange of voice and thought,
With happier speed we winged the hours which passed
O'er us immured in solitude and night.
Ye sacred pleasures of congenial hearts!
This heart can feel, but cannot paint your power:
Cheerers of life and of a darkened world,
You came to bless my solitary cell!
You here have met me on this unknown shore!
I told him mine; I won his honest heart,
And in the interchange of voice and thought,
With happier speed we winged the hours which passed
O'er us immured in solitude and night.
Ye sacred pleasures of congenial hearts!
This heart can feel, but cannot paint your power:
Cheerers of life and of a darkened world,
You came to bless my solitary cell!
You here have met me on this unknown shore!
At length the dreadful night of trial came.
Clad in light armour, I by force was dragged
From my loathed dungeon, and compelled to meet
The hateful shouts of eager gazing crowds.
Behold me then upon a public stage,
Mocked and insulted, and expecting death.
Clad in light armour, I by force was dragged
54
The hateful shouts of eager gazing crowds.
Behold me then upon a public stage,
Mocked and insulted, and expecting death.
At signal given, with loud and horrid bound,
A lion leaps before my view: his eyes
Like kindled fires glare frightfully on me;
His hairy sides he lashes with his tail;
And, couching down, he pours his chilling cry
Of hunger and of rage; aroused I start
From my sad trance, and in defence I rush
Against a foe so terrible and fierce.
A lion leaps before my view: his eyes
Like kindled fires glare frightfully on me;
His hairy sides he lashes with his tail;
And, couching down, he pours his chilling cry
Of hunger and of rage; aroused I start
From my sad trance, and in defence I rush
Against a foe so terrible and fierce.
Soon as he feels the edge of my keen sword
His rage redoubles, and his hideous roar
Deafens the ear, and shakes the vaulted walls;
He waves the terrors of his hoary mane.
Collecting all his might, at me he leaps,
And with extended claws threatens to tear
My quivering members piecemeal on the stage.
I start aside and disappoint his rage,
And, aided by the gracious arm of Heaven,
Ere he recovers from his bound mispent,
I plunge my weapon in his panting heart.
The mighty savage falls and rolls in blood,
He gasps and struggles in the pangs of death.
Loud shouts of exultation rend the air,
A thousand voices bid the conqueror live.
His rage redoubles, and his hideous roar
Deafens the ear, and shakes the vaulted walls;
He waves the terrors of his hoary mane.
Collecting all his might, at me he leaps,
And with extended claws threatens to tear
55
I start aside and disappoint his rage,
And, aided by the gracious arm of Heaven,
Ere he recovers from his bound mispent,
I plunge my weapon in his panting heart.
The mighty savage falls and rolls in blood,
He gasps and struggles in the pangs of death.
Loud shouts of exultation rend the air,
A thousand voices bid the conqueror live.
The emperor listens to the general wish:
At his command the guards conduct me back
To my dark cell, there to remain and wait
The will and pleasure of my vengeful foes.
I met again Cœlestian, my kind friend,
Whose life till now his enemies had spared:
He welcomed me as risen from the tomb,
And come to haunt his solitude: he scarce
Would listen to my tale, or grant belief
To my escape from danger and from death.
At his command the guards conduct me back
To my dark cell, there to remain and wait
The will and pleasure of my vengeful foes.
I met again Cœlestian, my kind friend,
Whose life till now his enemies had spared:
He welcomed me as risen from the tomb,
And come to haunt his solitude: he scarce
Would listen to my tale, or grant belief
To my escape from danger and from death.
56
Excuse me, friends, if I should draw the veil
O'er the new sufferings of my prison-house.
With heavy wing the long and tardy days
Passed o'er my dungeon; still I cherished hope:
At length arose the dawn of better days,
And freedom came to bless my weary eyes.
My father's bribe seduced the keeper's heart,
And he consented to unlock the doors,
And let Cœlestian and myself depart,
While slept the guards, and night had hushed the world.
O'er the new sufferings of my prison-house.
With heavy wing the long and tardy days
Passed o'er my dungeon; still I cherished hope:
At length arose the dawn of better days,
And freedom came to bless my weary eyes.
My father's bribe seduced the keeper's heart,
And he consented to unlock the doors,
And let Cœlestian and myself depart,
While slept the guards, and night had hushed the world.
Escaped from prison, I and my new friend
Resolved to fly for ever from those shores
Where liberty of conscience was denied,
Where God was worshipped midst the fears of death.
Disguised, by night to Ostia's port we came,
And meeting there with several Christian friends,
Who there had gathered with the same design,
A vessel we obtained, in which we all
Embarked, and left the walls of haughty Rome,
Our fields, our country, and our friends behind,
And guided by Cœlestian on our way,
We turned our sails toward these far-eastern climes,
The most remote from Roman rage and power.
Resolved to fly for ever from those shores
Where liberty of conscience was denied,
Where God was worshipped midst the fears of death.
Disguised, by night to Ostia's port we came,
And meeting there with several Christian friends,
Who there had gathered with the same design,
A vessel we obtained, in which we all
Embarked, and left the walls of haughty Rome,
57
And guided by Cœlestian on our way,
We turned our sails toward these far-eastern climes,
The most remote from Roman rage and power.
Through different countries, many woes we passed,
In quest of these auspicious scenes of rest:
Through Scylla and Charybdis safe we came,
Through the rough Hellespont we ploughed our way,
O'er the dark Euxine then with prosperous winds,
With hearts made lighter with success, we flew.
At length we reached the Caspian ocean's mouth,
And hailed with joy its ever-rolling wave.
But ah! this transport was too soon o'ercast;
A storm arose, the billows beat the skies,
The vessel reeled beneath the sweeping blast,
The helm refused the guidance of the hand,
The sails were split in pieces, and we drove,
Left to the fury of the winds and waves.
In quest of these auspicious scenes of rest:
Through Scylla and Charybdis safe we came,
Through the rough Hellespont we ploughed our way,
O'er the dark Euxine then with prosperous winds,
With hearts made lighter with success, we flew.
At length we reached the Caspian ocean's mouth,
And hailed with joy its ever-rolling wave.
But ah! this transport was too soon o'ercast;
A storm arose, the billows beat the skies,
The vessel reeled beneath the sweeping blast,
The helm refused the guidance of the hand,
The sails were split in pieces, and we drove,
Left to the fury of the winds and waves.
58
Long we sustained this elemental war,
Till on a rock the unrelenting winds
The gallant vessel dashed: ah! then arose
Loud shrieks which mingled with the thundering storm;
The shivered timbers floated on the sea,
And o'er the sinking hulk the waters rolled.
My noble friends and all the crew were lost;
They perished struggling with the flood; me, me
Alone the raging billows safely bore,
And cast me on these friendly shores of peace.
You found me, father, you have brought me here,
And, thanks to you and to this generous maid,
I live. I feel again the glow of health;
I live to bend in gratitude and praise
To that high Power who guides the course of worlds,
And who in love the sparrow's life sustains.
Till on a rock the unrelenting winds
The gallant vessel dashed: ah! then arose
Loud shrieks which mingled with the thundering storm;
The shivered timbers floated on the sea,
And o'er the sinking hulk the waters rolled.
My noble friends and all the crew were lost;
They perished struggling with the flood; me, me
Alone the raging billows safely bore,
And cast me on these friendly shores of peace.
You found me, father, you have brought me here,
And, thanks to you and to this generous maid,
I live. I feel again the glow of health;
I live to bend in gratitude and praise
To that high Power who guides the course of worlds,
And who in love the sparrow's life sustains.
END OF BOOK II.
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