Our Fathers Have Told Us Part 11

34. Lastly, and above all, set under the feet of the statue of Christ Himself, are the lion and dragon; the images of Carnal sin, or _Human sin_, as distinguished from the Spiritual and Intellectual sin of Pride, by which the angels also fell.

To desire kings.h.i.+p rather than servants.h.i.+p--the c.o.c.katrice's sin, or deaf Death rather than hearkening Life--the Adder's sin,--these are both possible to all the intelligences of the universe. But the distinctively Human sins, anger and l.u.s.t, seeds in our race of their perpetual sorrow--Christ in His own humanity, conquered; and conquers in His disciples. Therefore His foot is on the heads of these; and the prophecy, "Inculcabis super Leonem et Aspidem," is recognized always as fulfilled in Him, and in all His true servants, according to the height of their authority, and the truth of their power.

35. In this mystic sense, Alexander III. used the words, in restoring peace to Italy, and giving forgiveness to her deadliest enemy, under the porch of St. Mark's.[56] But the meaning of every act, as of every art, of the Christian ages, lost now for three hundred years, cannot but be in our own times read reversed, if at all, through the counter-spirit which we now have reached; glorifying Pride and Avarice as the virtues by which all things move and have their being--walking after our own l.u.s.ts as our sole guides to salvation, and foaming out our own shame for the sole earthly product of our hands and lips.

[Footnote 56: See my abstract of the history of Barbarossa and Alexander, in 'Fiction, Fair and Foul,' '_Nineteenth Century_,'

November, 1880, pp. 752 _seq._]

36. Of the statue of Christ, itself, I will not speak here at any length, as no sculpture would satisfy, or ought to satisfy, the hope of any loving soul that has learned to trust in Him; but at the time, it was beyond what till then had been reached in sculptured tenderness; and was known far and near as the "Beau Dieu d'Amiens."[57] Yet understood, observe, just as clearly to be no more than a symbol of the Heavenly Presence, as the poor coiling worms below were no more than symbols of the demoniac ones. No _idol_, in our sense of the word--only a letter, or sign of the Living Spirit,--which, however, was indeed conceived by every wors.h.i.+pper as here meeting him at the temple gate: the Word of Life, the King of Glory, and the Lord of Hosts.

[Footnote 57: See account, and careful drawing of it, in Viollet le Duc--article "Christ," Dict. of Architecture, iii. 245.]

"Dominus Virtutum," "Lord of Virtues,"[58] is the best single rendering of the idea conveyed to a well-taught disciple in the thirteenth century by the words of the twenty-fourth Psalm.

[Footnote 58: See the circle of the Powers of the Heavens in the Byzantine rendering. I. Wisdom; II. Thrones; III. Dominations; IV.

Angels; V. Archangels; VI. Virtues; VII. Potentates; VIII. Princes; IX. Seraphim. In the Gregorian order, (Dante, Par. xxviii., Cary's note,) the Angels and Archangels are separated, giving altogether nine orders, but not ranks. Note that in the Byzantine circle the cherubim are first, and that it is the strength of the Virtues which calls on the dead to rise ('St. Mark's Rest,' p. 97, and pp. 158-159).]

37. Under the feet of His apostles, therefore, in the quatrefoil medallions of the foundation, are represented the virtues which each Apostle taught, or in his life manifested;--it may have been, sore tried, and failing in the very strength of the character which he afterwards perfected. Thus St. Peter, denying in fear, is afterwards the Apostle of courage; and St. John, who, with his brother, would have burnt the inhospitable village, is afterwards the Apostle of love. Understanding this, you see that in the sides of the porch, the apostles with their special virtues stand thus in opposite ranks.

Now you see how these virtues answer to each other in their opposite ranks. Remember the left-hand side is always the first, and see how the left-hand virtues lead to the right hand:--

Courage to Faith.

Patience to Hope.

Gentillesse to Charity.

Love to Chast.i.ty.

Obedience to Wisdom.

Perseverance to Humility.

38. Note farther that the Apostles are all tranquil, nearly all with books, some with crosses, but all with the same message,--"Peace be to this house. And if the Son of Peace be there," etc.[59]

[Footnote 59: The modern slang name for a priest, among the mob of France, is a 'Pax Vobisc.u.m,' or shortly, a Vobisc.u.m.]

ST. PAUL, Faith. Courage, ST. PETER.

ST. JAMES THE BISHOP, Hope. Patience, ST. ANDREW.

ST. PHILIP, Charity. Gentillesse, ST. JAMES.

ST. BARTHOLOMEW, Chast.i.ty. Love, ST. JOHN.

ST. THOMAS, Wisdom. Obedience, ST. MATTHEW.

ST. JUDE, Humility. Perseverance, ST. SIMON.

But the Prophets--all seeking, or wistful, or tormented, or wondering, or praying, except only Daniel. The _most_ tormented is Isaiah; spiritually sawn asunder. No scene of his martyrdom below, but his seeing the Lord in His temple, and yet feeling he had unclean lips.

Jeremiah also carries his cross--but more serenely.

39. And now, I give in clear succession, the order of the statues of the whole front, with the subjects of the quatrefoils beneath each of them, marking the upper quatrefoil A, the lower B. The six prophets who stand at the angles of the porches, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, and Haggai, have each of them four quatrefoils, marked, A and C the upper ones, B and D the lower.

Beginning, then, on the left-hand side of the central porch, and reading outwards, you have--

1. ST. PETER.

A. Courage.

B. Cowardice.

2. ST. ANDREW.

A. Patience.

B. Anger.

3. ST. JAMES.

A. Gentillesse.

B. Churlishness.

4. ST. JOHN.

A. Love.

B. Discord.

5. ST. MATTHEW.

A. Obedience.

B. Rebellion.

6. ST. SIMON.

A. Perseverance.

B. Atheism.

Now, right-hand side of porch, reading outwards:

7. ST. PAUL.

A. Faith.

B. Idolatry.

8. ST. JAMES, BISHOP.

A. Hope.

B. Despair.

9. ST. PHILIP.

A. Charity.

B. Avarice.