The Martyr of the Catacombs / A Tale of Ancient Rome

your faith wor

s of a single lamp but faintly illuminated the scene. They were silent and sad. A deeper melancholy than u

Marcellus entered. The occupants of t

io?" cried Cae

seen him," s

Caecilia, and she fe

he beyond

ned six hours ago, and

e can take care of himself." He tried to pass it off

now too well what new dangers there are

, Marcellus? We had b

owd followed, but I jumped into the river and swam across. There I took a circuitous route among t

escape. A price

you he

are making to crush us. All through the day tidings of sorrow have been

em still," said M

rincipal entrance

ew ones. The openin

rewards for all the

ard those brethren mor

iving are gradu

? There will never cease to be a supply of food so long as we live in the Catacombs. If we

n the Catacombs be afraid of death? It is but a momentary gloom and it will pass. But

onths ago and there were fifty Christian churches within this city where the light of truth shone, and the sound of praye

in a low and plaintive voice he repeated

be angry against the

hem with the b

tears to drink i

a strife unto

es laugh amon

ain, O God

thy face

shall b

ought a vine

out the heathen

redst room

use it to ta

filled

covered with th

thereof were li

t her bough

anches unt

u broken dow

pass by the wa

of the wood d

ast of the fiel

seech thee, O

ven, and behold, a

d which thy rig

ich thou madest s

with fire, it

the rebuke of t

gs, it is true, increase upon us; but we can be more t

to eat of the tree of life which is

ive thee a crown of life. He that overcome

na, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new n

o the end, to him will I give power over the

t; and I will not blot his name out of the Book of Life, but I

, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is Ne

with me on my throne, even as I also overcame,

, and as one by one these glorious promises fell upon their ears they forgot for a while their sorrows in the thought of their approaching blessedness. The N

rethren, lay aside your cares. The youngest born into the kingdom puts our faith to shame. Let us look to the joy set before

enemies encircle us, and the circle gro

ellus. "Is death nearer to us than it was

not hear

ha

eath of C

! dead! No-

a hasty alarm and fled. But the venerable Chrysippus, either through extreme old age or else through desire for martyrdom, refused to fly. He threw himself upon his knees and raised his voice in prayer. Two fai

yrs. They have been faithful unto death, and w

lt without. Instantly every one started

from the world above. Pale and trembling, he flung himself upon th

s! a

back against the wall trembling from head to foot, her hands clenched each other, her

Tell us all,"

gasped the

?" said Marc

sted--he is

arfully amid the surrounding horrors. It came from the Lad

ere they applied the customary restoratives and she revived. But the blow had struc

had recovered strength a

h you, was he?"

e was

hat e

Pollio was stopped and questioned. I did not hear what passed, but I saw their threatening gestures, and at length saw them seize him. I could do nothing.

Marcellus. "Do yo

t was L

cellus, and he fell in