Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1868-02-20
The Seven Sleepers.
BY MARK TWAIN.

Everybody has heard Of the seven Chris
tian martyrs of Ephesus. who were enclos-
ed in cave in the third CENTURY, and dis
covered two centuries after. The legend
says they slept all this time. and so did a
dog they had with them, and all walked up
and came out after their great slumber.- =
Mark Twain, who has recently visited
Ephesus. gives as. in letter to the Alta
Ca1atmnia, the following, as his version
A IF the legend
In the Mount Of Pion, yonder, is the
Cave Of the Seven Sleepcrs. Once upon a
time, about fifteen hundred years ago, sew
en- young men lived near each other in
Ephesus, who belonged to the despised sect
of-the Christians. It came to pass that the
| good King Maxamilianus q an telling
this story for nice little boys and girls it
came to pass. [ say that the good King
Maxiniliauus got to per cutting the Chris
tians, and as time rolied on he made it
very warm for them. So the seven young
men said. one to the other, ''Let US 60 up
and dust And they got up and busted .
They tarried not to bid their fathers and
mothers goodbye, or any friends they
knew. They only took certain moneys
which their parents had, and garments
that belonged unto their friends. whereby
they might remember them when fa' yav,
and they took also the dog Ketmehr
which was the property Of their neighbor
Malchus, because the beast did run his
head into a moose which one of the young
men was carrying carcless'y and they bad
not time to release him and they took al
SO certain chickens that seemed lonely in
the ncighboring coops, and likewise some
bottles of curious liquors that stood near
the erocers window; and then they
dep arted from tie city. BY and by they
came to marvellous cave in the Hill of
Pion, and entered into it and Toasted, and
presently they hurried on again. But
they forgot the bottles Of curious liquors,
and left them behind.
They travelled in many lands, and had
many strange adventures. They were
virtuous Yong men, and lost no opportu-
nifty that fell in their way to make a iveli-
hood. Their motto was in these words ::
Demonstration is the thief of time. -
And so, whenever they did come upon a
man who was alone they said: Behold
this person has the wherewithal- US go
through him." And they went through
him. At the end Of five years they had
waxed tired of travel and adventure, and
longed to revisit their Old home again and
hear the voices and see the faces that were
dear unto their youth. Therefore they
went through such parties as fell in their
way where they sojourned at that time,
and journoyed toward Ephcsus again. For
The good King Maximilianus was become
converted unto the new faith, and the
Christians rejoiced because they were no
longer persccuted. One day as the sun
went down, they came to the cave in the
Mount of Pion, and they said each to his
fellow 'IIet us sleep here, and go and
feast and make merry with our friends
when the morning cometh." And each of
the seven lifted up his voice and said, 1t
is whiz " So they went in, and 10 !.
where they had put them, there lay the
bottles Of curious liquo@s, and they judged
that a &c had not impaired their excellence
Wherein the wanderers were right, and
the heads of the same were level So
each of the young men drank six bottles,
and behold thew felt very tired, then and
lay down and slept very soundly.
When they awoke, ore of Item, johann
mes Smithianus said, 1--WE are naked. :"
And it was so. Their raiment was all
gone, and the money which they had got
ten from stranger whom they had pro-
ceeded through as they approached the
city, was lying upon the ground, corroded
and busted and defaced Likewise the
dog Ketmehr was gone, and nothing save
the brass that was upon his collar remained
They wondered much at these things
But they took the money, and they wrap
ped about their bodies some leaves, and
came up to the top of the hill Then they
were perplexed. The wonderful temple of
Dina was gone; many grand edifices they
| had never seen before stood in the city !;
men in strange grabs moved about the
streets. and every thing was changed.
johannes said: 1T hardly seems like
Ephesus. Yet here is the great gymnasi-
! um here is the mighty theatre, wherein
have seen 70, GOO men assembled here is
the Agora; there is the font where the
santed John the Baptist immersed the
converts yonder is the prison of the good
St. Paul, where we all did use to 60 and
touch the ancient chains that bound him,
and be cured Of our diStempers: | see the
tomb of the disciple Luke, and afar off is
the church wherin repose the ashes of the
holy John where the Christians of Ephe-
sus 60 twice year to gather the dust from
the tomb, which is able to make bodies
whole again that are corrupted by disease,
and cleanse the soul from sin /; but see how
the wharves encroach upon the sea, and
what multitudes of ships are anchored in
the bay see also, how the city hath stretch
ed abroad, far over the valley beyond Pr
on. and even unto the walls of Ayassa,
look, and 10, all the hills are white with
palaces and ribbed with colonnadcs of mar
Bile. How mighty is Ephesus become"
And wondering at what their eyes h ad
seen. they went down in the city and pur-
chased garments and clothed shemselves
And when they had passed on, the Jner-