The Knickerbocker, Vol. 10, No. 3, September 1837Various
History
The Knickerbocker, Vol. 10, No. 3, September 1837
Various
Periodicals
'St. John, the angel of the apocalypse, tells us, in his description
of the heavenly Jerusalem, how he saw in his trance, that this
metropolis of God was built four-square, and each side garnished with
three doors; whence we can safely conclude, as St. Dionysius hath it,
that from all quarters and parts of the world, there is access to
heaven.
'St. Athanasius wisely observeth of the people of Israel, that when
they entered on a campaign, the ark of the covenant, wherein were
stored the laws of Moses and the ten commandments, was carried before
the host, that the warriors might have God's law continually before
their eyes. Hear this, ye Christian soldiers! The ten commandments
were the avant-guard of the army of Israel; with you, God help us!
they too commonly are sent to the rear.'
* * * * *
'Who's there?' 'No friend!' 'Who is no friend?' 'I,' says Death.
'Holla there! Guard, turn out!' 'My loving friends,' replieth Death,
'I cannot laugh in my sleeve, for I have none; but I can't help
grinning, at finding you think to frighten my scythe with your pikes
and halberts. That would be a joke! How many of the Jews have I not
destroyed? The sum total, as Holy Writ testifieth, 854,002,067! And
now shall I be afraid of _you_? No, no! Order arms! Albeit your
leader, _Mars_, and I, _Mors_, are kinsmen in name, I cannot abide
neutral, but declare open war on you! Let him who doubts my power,
go to Vienna, and ask of the first sentinel he meets!' Inasmuch as
Vienna is a rampart of all Germany against the Turk, it is girt
with thick walls, and strong towers. The heavenly city, Jerusalem,
is described by the chronicle as having twelve great gates; now as
Vienna hath six, it may justly be called half a heaven. It hath
always been the wont of the soldiery at Vienna to keep their main
force in the city, and a guard at St. Peter's church-yard; but this
time, Death, against the officers' will, changed their ordering,
and almost all the troops were bidden to _lie at ease_ in the
church-yard, while Death went the rounds, from post to post, on the
walls.'
Let us quote the conclusion of this branch of his address:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account