Who may say what cloudy dooms are rolling up in the mind of the eldest of the gods? He is no common god like us. Once a shepherd went by him in the mountains and doubted as he went. He sent a doom after that shepherd. CITIZEN Master, we have not doubted. SLAG And the doom found him on the hills at evening. SECOND CITIZEN It shall be a good sacrifice, master. [_Reënter with a dead lamb and fruits. They offer the lamb on an altar where there is fire, and fruits before the altar._ THAHN (_stretching out a hand to a lamb upon an altar_) That leg is not being cooked at all. ILLANAUN It is strange that gods should be thus anxious about the cooking of a leg of lamb. OORANDER It is strange certainly. ILLANAUN Almost I had said that it was a man spoke then. OORANDER (_stroking his beard and regarding the second beggar_) Strange. Strange, certainly. AGMAR Is it then strange that the gods love roasted flesh? For this purpose they keep the lightning. When the lightning flickers about the limbs of men there comes to the gods in Marma a pleasant smell, even a smell of roasting. Sometimes the gods, being pacific, are pleased to have roasted instead the flesh of lamb. It is all one to the gods; let the roasting stop. OORANDER No, no, gods of the mountains! OTHERS No, no. OORANDER Quick, let us offer the flesh to them. If they eat, all is well. [_They offer it; the beggars eat, all but Agmar, who watches._ ILLANAUN One who was ignorant, one who did not know, had almost said that they ate like hungry men. OTHERS Hush! AKMOS Yet they look as though they had not had a meal like this for a long time. OORANDER They have a hungry look. AGMAR (_who has not eaten_) I have not eaten since the world was very new and the flesh of men was tenderer than now. These younger gods have learned the habit of eating from the lions. OORANDER O oldest of divinities, partake, partake. AGMAR It is not fitting that such as I should eat. None eat but beasts and men and the younger gods. The sun and the moon and the nimble lightning and I--we may kill and we may madden, but we do not eat. AKMOS If he but eat of our offering he cannot overwhelm us. ALL Oh, ancient deity, partake, partake. AGMAR Enough. Let it be enough that these have condescended to this bestial and human habit. ILLANAUN (_to Akmos_) And yet he is not unlike a beggar whom I saw no so long since. OORANDER But beggars eat. ILLANAUN Now I never knew a beggar yet who would refuse a bowl of Woldery wine. AKMOS This is no beggar. ILLANAUN Nevertheless let us offer him a bowl of Woldery wine. AKMOS You do wrong to doubt him. ILLANAUN I do but wish to prove his divinity. I will fetch the Woldery wine. (_Exit_) AKMOS He will not drink. Yet if he does, then he will not overwhelm us. Let us offer him the wine. [_Reënter Illanaun with a goblet._ FIRST BEGGAR It is Woldery wine! SECOND BEGGAR It is Woldery! THIRD BEGGAR A goblet of Woldery wine! FOURTH BEGGAR