Weekly Trinity journal., 1859-03-26
snInthieI and the Lion.


roared and ramped against the bars Of his den at
the sight. The guard put a sword and bucker
into the hands of the Christian, and he was left
alone. He drew the mantle from his face, and
bent slow and firm look around the amphithea-
tire. His fine countenance and lofty bearing raised
a universal shout of admiration He might have
stood for an Apollo encountering the Python.
His eye at last turned on mine. Could believe
my senses? Constantius was before me-
All my rancour vanished. An hour past, !
could have struck the belrayer TO the heart-I
could have called on the seyerest vengeance of
man and heaven to smite the destroyer of my
child. But to see him hopelessy doomed, the
man whom / had honored for his noble qualities.
| whom / had even loved, whose crime was at the
worst, but the crime of giving way to the strong
| est temptation that can bewilder the heart of
man: to the noble creature flung to the savage
/ beast, dying in tortures, torn pecemeal before
my eyes, and his misery wrought by me, would
/ have obtested earth and heaven to save him. But
my tongue cleaved to the roof of my mouth. My
! limbs refused to stir. | would have thrown my
/ self at the feet of Nero; but sat like man Of
1 stone-pale- paraIyZed-the beating of my pulse
stopped-my eyes alone alive.
! The gate of the den was thrown back, and the
lion rushed in with roar and bound that bore
him half across the arena. saw the sword glitter
in the air: when it waved again, il was covered
with blood. A howl told that the blow bad been
driven home. The lion, one Of the largest from
Numidia, and made furious by thirst and hunger,
an animal of prodigious power, crouched for an
instant, as if to make sure of his prey, crept a
few PAGES onward, and sprang at the victims
throat. He was met by second wound, but his
impulse was irresistible. A cry of natural horror
rang round the amphteatre The struggle was
now for an instant, life or death. They rolled
over each other; the lion, reared upon his hind
feet with gnashing teeth and distended talons,
plunged on the man; again they rose together.
Anxiety was now at its widest height The
sword now swung round the champions head in
bloody circles. They fell again, covered with
blood and dust. The hand of Constantius had
grasped the lions name, and the furious bounds
of the monster could not loose its hold; but his
strength was evidently giving way-he still
struck his terrible blows, but each was weaker
than the one before; till, collecting his whole
force for last effort, he darted one mighty blow
into the lions throat and sank. The savage beast
yelled, and, spouting out blood, fled bowling
around the arena. But the hand still grasped
the mane and the conqueror was dragged whirl-
ing through the dust at his heels A universal
oucry now arose to save him, if he were not al
ready dead. But the lion, though bleeding from
every vein, was still too terrible, and all shrank
from the hazard. At last, the grasp gave way,
and the body lay motionless on the ground.
What happened for some moments after, know
not There was n struggle at the portal; fe-
male forced her way through the guards, rushed
in alone, and flung herself upon the victim. The
sight Of a new prey reused the lion; he tore the
ground with his talons; he lashed his streaming
sides with his tail; he lifted up his name and
barred bis fangs. But his approaching was no
longer with bound; he dreaded the sword, and
came snuGing the blood oil the sand, and stealing
ron nd the body in circles still diminishing.
The confusion in the vast assembage was now
Voices nnumerable called for aid.
Women screamed and tainted, men burst into
rff..rs ala
Even the hard hearts Of the popuace accustomed |
as they were to the sacrifice of life, were reused |
to honest curses. The guards grasped their arms, |
and waited but for a sign from the emperor. But |
Nero gave no sign.
looked upon the woman's face; it was Sa-
lone eprang upon my feet. | called on her
name; called on her, by every feeling of nature,
to fly from that place of death, to come to my
arms, to think of the agonies Of all that loved
her.
She had raised the head of Constantius on her
knee, and was wiping the pale visage with her
hair. AT the sound of my voice. she looked up,
and calmly casting back the locks from her fore
head, fixed her eyes upon me. She still knelt;
one hand supported the head--wih the other she
pointed to it as her only answer. | again ad jured
her. There was the silence OF death among the
thousands around me. a fire dashed into her
eye-her check burned-she waved her hand with
an air of superb sorrow.
tone. " This bleeding body was my busband-I
have no father The world contains to me but
this clay in my arms. Yet" and she kissed the
ashy lips GefOre her, "yet, my Constantius, it was
to save that father that your generous heart de- |
fed the peril of this hour. 1t was to redeem him !
from the hand of evil that you abandoned your
quiet home Yes, cruel father here lies the no.
bic being that threw open your dungeon, that led |
you safe through the cOnnagration, that, to the |
last moment of his liberty, only sought how he |
might preserve and protect you" Tears at length
iell in floods from her eyes But" said she, in
tone of wild power, "he was betrayed, and
may the Power whose thunders avenge the cause
of his people, pour down just retribution upon
the head that dared"-
heard my own condemnation about to be
pronounced by the lips of my own child Wonnd
up to the last degree Of suffering, tore my hair,
leaped upon the bars before me, and plunged into
the arena by her side. The height stunned me;
| tottered few PAGES and lell. The lion gave a
roar and sprang upon me- / lay helpless under
him, heard the gnashng of his white fangs
above me.
An exulting shout arose. saw him reel as if
struck-gore filed his jaws. Another mighty
blow was driven to his heart. He sprang high in
the air with howl. He dropped; he was dead
The amphitheatre thundered with accamatons
With Saome clingng to my bosom, CONSTANT
us raised me from the ground:-the roar of the
lion had reused him from his swoon, and two
blows saved me. The falchion had broken in the
heart of the monster. The whole multitude stood
up, supplicating for lives in the name of lial
piety and heroism. Nero, devil as he was, dared
not resist the strength of popular feeling. He
waved a signal to the guards; the portal was
opened, and my children, sustaining my feeble
steps, showered with garands and ornaments from
innumerable hands, slowly led me from the arena.
WHITE LMY.-Up north, in the Forest City
and Downievile region, there is to be found a
.r.ncin. n liz. lnlinnL II