TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: In the plain text version text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_). A number of words in this book have both hyphenated and non-hyphenated variants. For the words with both variants present the one more used has been kept. Obvious punctuation and other printing errors have been corrected. The modified book cover by the transcriber for this eBook is granted to the public domain. * * * * * MESSIAH THE NOVELS OF GORE VIDAL WILLIWAW 1946 · IN A YELLOW WOOD 1947 · THE CITY AND THE PILLAR 1948 · THE SEASON OF COMFORT 1949 · A SEARCH FOR THE KING 1950 · DARK GREEN, BRIGHT RED 1950 · THE JUDGMENT OF PARIS 1952 · MESSIAH 1954. MESSIAH BY GORE VIDAL E. P. DUTTON & CO., INC. NEW YORK 1954 _Copyright, 1954, by E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A._ FIRST EDITION _No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in magazine or newspaper or radio broadcast._ Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 54-5053 _For_ TENNESSEE WILLIAMS I sometimes think the day will come when all the modern nations will adore a sort of American god, a god who will have been a man that lived on earth and about whom much will have been written in the popular press; and images of this god will be set up in the churches, not as the imagination of each painter may fancy him, not floating on a Veronica kerchief, but established, fixed once and for all by photography. Yes, I foresee a photographed god, wearing spectacles. On that day civilization will have reached its peak and there will be steam-propelled gondolas in Venice. November, 1861: _The Goncourt Journals_ MESSIAH 1