That morrow, Peter with his brethren all, Apostle preachers of the Gospel, felt The heavy hand Gamaliel shadowed fall Indeed upon them into dungeon thrown. But thence by night the angel of the Lord, Opening the doors, delivered them, and bade Boldly into the temple take their way And there preach Christ to all the worshippers. With the first flush of morning, their swift feet Shod with the sandals of obedience, They hasten to fulfil the angelic word. Meanwhile the Sanhedrim for counsel met Concerning those their prisoners, and the state, The vexed state, of the Hebrew commonwealth, Sent pursuivants to fetch them from their cells And station them in presence to be judged. But those despatched to bring them came and said, "We found, indeed, the prison safely shut And all the keepers keeping watch and ward Without before the doors; but entering in To find our prisoners, prisoner found we none." The captain of the temple, the high-priest, And all that council mused in maze and doubt-- Gamaliel most, guessing the finger of God. But now comes one who brings a fresh report, "Behold," said he, "the men ye put in bond Are standing in the temple teaching there." Forthwith the captain of the temple goes, His band attending, and, no violence shown-- For fear was on them of the people, lest They stone them--leads the Galilæans in. Robed venerably each in rich array Of purple, and fine linen, glistering white And broidered fair, their flowing garments fringed With large expanse of border and with cords Of blue adorned, broad their phylacteries, The council of the seventy sat severe Within their council-hall in solemn state. A semi-orb they sat, or crescent-wise, And in the midst, between the horns, were placed, Under their beetling frown, the prisoners. Awful these felt the presence of the place, And, while the high-priest of their nation, throned Middle and chief among the councillors, Denouncing asked: "Did we not straitly bid Forbear to teach in this accurséd name? And, lo, ye fill Jerusalem with bruit, And seek to bring on us this person's blood!"-- While thus, sternly, he spoke, those simple men Felt the heart fail within them and the tongue Cleave to the mouth's dry roof. He ceasing, back Their spirit came, and Spirit not their own, The Holy Ghost of God, flooded their souls, As when into a bay the ocean pours. Then Peter and his brethren boldly spoke: "Fathers and brethren, hearken to our words: God needs must we, rather than men, obey. That Jesus whom ye crucified and slew, Him did the Lord God of our sires raise up, And at His own right hand exalt to be Both prince and saviour, to bestow on us Repentance and forgiveness of our sins. Of these things all we stand here witnesses;