-
Articles/Ads
Article THE LEVITE. ← Page 5 of 7 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Levite.
child hath spoken wisely ; we thank thee for thy mercy , so farewell . " " Farewell , thou most generous of our enemies , " added the maiden , calmly . " Hear me / ' said Claudius , " go where thou wilt , I ask not to accompany thee ; but fly this fearful doom , and I will , if possible , forget thy very name . " " Thanks , " exclaimed Rebecca , the fire of a holy and enthusiastic purpose flashing proudly from her sunken eye . — " Father , heard you that offer ? thy prayer , thy earnest prayer is heard . " " You
consent then ? " demanded Claudius , " whither would you ? " " To Jerusalem , " replied the Levite , eagerly , " to the beleaguered city of David . " " Jerusalem ! " repeated their preserver , " know you not tomorrow the assault will commence ? " " And , therefore , should I be absent ? " demanded the Levite , proudly , " my daughter and her father would share their nation ' s fall , live or perish with it . " Feeling it useless to argue further with such high resolve , the anxious Roman
conducted them to the entrance of the tower , where according to his orders a guard awaited them ; silently they proceeded through the intricacies of the camp , till the last centinel was passed , and tlie gate of the city lay before them ; here their commander ordered them to halt , saying , that he should proceed a few paces onward , to give the captives the last instructions of the general ; the soldiers , nothing doubting but the whole proceedings relatedto the surrender of the Jewssuffered them to
-, , pro ceed alone . " Here , then , " said Claudius , as soon as they were out of hearing , " we part for ever ; the desert henceforth must be my home , I dare not brave the revenge of Titus ; amid its solitude , Rebecca , thy image shall be my consolation . " " Farewell , " said the Levite , " but that a holy duty calls us , thou shouldst not be the victim of thy
generosity . ' " Roman , " added Rebecca , lingering a moment behind her father , " soon ivill this form be dust . I speak as from the grave ; thy pangs have not been felt alone ; had thy faith been mine we had been happy . " Ere he could reply , the Jewish maiden had rejoined her father . Mournful as the confession was , it carried with it consolation to the heart of Claudius , who remained musing upon her words till the centurion , wondering and impatient of his delay , despatched a messenger
to ascertain the cause . Roused by the soldier ' s approach , he applied the goad to tlie sides of his high-trained steed , and exclaimed , " my last , only friend , thou must bear me to the desert , far from man , far from the wrath of Titus . " Ere the astonished guard could consult what steps best to pursue , the fugitive had vanished from their sight . Fearful was the wrath of Titus when informed of the escape of the Levite and his daughterand the treachery of his favourite Claudius ;
, in the first impulse of his fury he commanded the indiscriminate slaughter of his captives , and gave orders to commence at daybreak the assault , giving up the city , all but the Temple , to the spoil of his licentious soldiery , in order to inflame their resolution and courage . Proudly rose the sun , that fatal day , upon the dwellers and defenders of Jerusalem ; scarcel y had his golden beams illumined the horizon , ere the watchman from the walls sounded the alarmat whose first signal the devoted
, defenders rushed with yet undiminished courage to their posts . Titus , in person , led the attack , and the legions , excited by his presence and bravery , succeeded , amid showers of arrows and stones , in planting their scaling ladders on the last wall ; still the Hebrew warriors quailed not , but from tower to tower disputed Salem ' s bulwarks , till the very ground became slippery with their blood . Instances of individual heroism occurred worthy the brightest days of Israel ' s glory , the very matrons
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Levite.
child hath spoken wisely ; we thank thee for thy mercy , so farewell . " " Farewell , thou most generous of our enemies , " added the maiden , calmly . " Hear me / ' said Claudius , " go where thou wilt , I ask not to accompany thee ; but fly this fearful doom , and I will , if possible , forget thy very name . " " Thanks , " exclaimed Rebecca , the fire of a holy and enthusiastic purpose flashing proudly from her sunken eye . — " Father , heard you that offer ? thy prayer , thy earnest prayer is heard . " " You
consent then ? " demanded Claudius , " whither would you ? " " To Jerusalem , " replied the Levite , eagerly , " to the beleaguered city of David . " " Jerusalem ! " repeated their preserver , " know you not tomorrow the assault will commence ? " " And , therefore , should I be absent ? " demanded the Levite , proudly , " my daughter and her father would share their nation ' s fall , live or perish with it . " Feeling it useless to argue further with such high resolve , the anxious Roman
conducted them to the entrance of the tower , where according to his orders a guard awaited them ; silently they proceeded through the intricacies of the camp , till the last centinel was passed , and tlie gate of the city lay before them ; here their commander ordered them to halt , saying , that he should proceed a few paces onward , to give the captives the last instructions of the general ; the soldiers , nothing doubting but the whole proceedings relatedto the surrender of the Jewssuffered them to
-, , pro ceed alone . " Here , then , " said Claudius , as soon as they were out of hearing , " we part for ever ; the desert henceforth must be my home , I dare not brave the revenge of Titus ; amid its solitude , Rebecca , thy image shall be my consolation . " " Farewell , " said the Levite , " but that a holy duty calls us , thou shouldst not be the victim of thy
generosity . ' " Roman , " added Rebecca , lingering a moment behind her father , " soon ivill this form be dust . I speak as from the grave ; thy pangs have not been felt alone ; had thy faith been mine we had been happy . " Ere he could reply , the Jewish maiden had rejoined her father . Mournful as the confession was , it carried with it consolation to the heart of Claudius , who remained musing upon her words till the centurion , wondering and impatient of his delay , despatched a messenger
to ascertain the cause . Roused by the soldier ' s approach , he applied the goad to tlie sides of his high-trained steed , and exclaimed , " my last , only friend , thou must bear me to the desert , far from man , far from the wrath of Titus . " Ere the astonished guard could consult what steps best to pursue , the fugitive had vanished from their sight . Fearful was the wrath of Titus when informed of the escape of the Levite and his daughterand the treachery of his favourite Claudius ;
, in the first impulse of his fury he commanded the indiscriminate slaughter of his captives , and gave orders to commence at daybreak the assault , giving up the city , all but the Temple , to the spoil of his licentious soldiery , in order to inflame their resolution and courage . Proudly rose the sun , that fatal day , upon the dwellers and defenders of Jerusalem ; scarcel y had his golden beams illumined the horizon , ere the watchman from the walls sounded the alarmat whose first signal the devoted
, defenders rushed with yet undiminished courage to their posts . Titus , in person , led the attack , and the legions , excited by his presence and bravery , succeeded , amid showers of arrows and stones , in planting their scaling ladders on the last wall ; still the Hebrew warriors quailed not , but from tower to tower disputed Salem ' s bulwarks , till the very ground became slippery with their blood . Instances of individual heroism occurred worthy the brightest days of Israel ' s glory , the very matrons