第30章

NotfarfromherewasanichewheretheyusedtopreserveapieceoftheTrueCross，butitisgone，now。Thispieceofthecrosswasdiscoveredinthesixteenthcentury。TheLatinpriestssayitwasstolenaway，longago，bypriestsofanothersect。Thatseemslikeahardstatementtomake，butweknowverywellthatitwasstolen，becausewehaveseenitourselvesinseveralofthecathedralsofItalyandFrance。

ButtherelicthattouchedusmostwastheplainoldswordofthatstoutCrusader，GodfreyofBulloigne——KingGodfreyofJerusalem。NobladeinChristendomwieldssuchenchantmentasthis——nobladeofallthatrustintheancestralhallsofEuropeisabletoinvokesuchvisionsofromanceinthebrainofhimwholooksuponit——nonethatcanprateofsuchchivalricdeedsortellsuchbravetalesofthewarriordaysofold。ItstirswithinamaneverymemoryoftheHolyWarsthathasbeensleepinginhisbrainforyears，andpeopleshisthoughtswithmail—cladimages，withmarchingarmies，withbattlesandwithsieges。ItspeakstohimofBaldwin，andTancred，theprincelySaladin，andgreatRichardoftheLionHeart。Itwaswithjustsuchbladesasthesethatthesesplendidheroesofromanceusedtosegregateaman，sotospeak，andleavethehalfofhimtofallonewayandtheotherhalftheother。ThisveryswordhasclovenhundredsofSaracenKnightsfromcrowntochininthoseoldtimeswhenGodfreywieldedit。Itwasenchanted，then，byageniusthatwasunderthecommandofKingSolomon。Whendangerapproacheditsmaster\'stentitalwaysstrucktheshieldandclangedoutafiercealarmuponthestartledearofnight。Intimesofdonbt，orinfogordarkness，ifitweredrawnfromitssheathitwonldpointinstantlytowardthefoe，andthusrevealtheway——anditwouldalsoattempttostartafterthemofitsownaccord。AChristiancouldnotbesodisguisedthatitwouldnotknowhimandrefusetohurthim——noraMoslemsodisguisedthatitwouldnotleapfromitsscabbardandtakehislife。ThesestatementsareallwellauthenticatedinmanylegendsthatareamongthemosttrustworthylegendsthegoodoldCatholicmonkspreserve。IcanneverforgetoldGodfrey\'ssword，now。ItrieditonaMoslem，andclovehimintwainlikeadoughnut。ThespiritofGrimeswasuponme，andifIhadhadagraveyardIwouldhavedestroyedalltheinfidelsinJerusalem。Iwipedthebloodofftheoldswordandhandeditbacktothepriest——IdidnotwantthefreshgoretoobliteratethosesacredspotsthatcrimsoneditsbrightnessonedaysixhundredyearsagoandthusgaveGodfreywarningthatbeforethesunwentdownhisjourneyoflifewouldend。

StillmovingthroughthegloomoftheChurchoftheHolySepulchrewecametoasmallchapel，hewnoutoftherock——aplacewhichhasbeenknownas"ThePrisonofOurLord"formanycenturies。TraditionsaysthatheretheSaviourwasconfinedjustpreviouslytothecrucifixion。Underanaltarbythedoorwasapairofstonestocksforhumanlegs。Thesethingsarecalledthe"BondsofChrist，"andtheusetheywereonceputtohasgiventhemthenametheynowbear。

TheGreekChapelisthemostroomy，therichestandtheshowiestchapelintheChurchoftheHolySepulchre。Itsaltar，likethatofalltheGreekchurches，isaloftyscreenthatextendsclearacrossthechapel，andisgorgeouswithgildingandpictures。Thenumerouslampsthathangbeforeitareofgoldandsilver，andcostgreatsums。

Butthefeatureoftheplaceisashortcolumnthatrisesfromthemiddleofthemarblepavementofthechapel，andmarkstheexactcentreoftheearth。Themostreliabletraditionstellusthatthiswasknowntobetheearth\'scentre，agesago，andthatwhenChristwasuponearthhesetalldoubtsuponthesubjectatrestforever，bystatingwithhisownlipsthatthetraditionwascorrect。Remember，Hesaidthatthatparticularcolumnstooduponthecentreoftheworld。Ifthecentreoftheworldchanges，thecolumnchangesitspositionaccord—ingly。Thiscolumnhasmovedthreedifferenttimesofitsownaccord。Thisisbecause，ingreatconvulsionsofnature，atthreedifferenttimes，massesoftheearth——wholerangesofmountains，probably——haveflownoffintospace，thuslesseningthediameteroftheearth，andchangingtheexactlocalityofitscentrebyapointortwo。Thisisaverycuriousandinterestingcircumstance，andisawitheringrebuketothosephilosopherswhowouldmakeusbelievethatitisnotpossibleforanyportionoftheearthtoflyoffintospace。

Tosatisfyhimselfthatthisspotwasreallythecentreoftheearth，ascepticoncepaidwellfortheprivilegeofascendingtothedomeofthechurchtoseeifthesungavehimashadowatnoon。Hecamedownperfectlyconvinced。Thedaywasveryclondyandthesunthrewnoshadowsatall;

butthemanwassatisfiedthatifthesunhadcomeoutandmadeshadowsitcouldnothavemadeanyforhim。Proofslikethesearenottobesetasidebytheidletonguesofcavilers。Tosuchasarenotbigoted，andarewillingtobeconvinced，theycarryaconvictionthatnothingcanevershake。

IfevengreaterproofsthanthoseIhavementionedarewanted，tosatisfytheheadstrongandthefoolishthatthisisthegenuinecentreoftheearth，theyarehere。ThegreatestofthemliesinthefactthatfromunderthisverycolumnwastakenthedustfromwhichAdamwasmade。Thiscansurelyberegardedinthelightofasettler。Itisnotlikelythattheoriginalfirstmanwouldhavebeenmadefromaninferiorqualityofearthwhenitwasentirelyconvenienttogetfirstqualityfromtheworld\'scentre。

Thiswillstrikeanyreflectingmindforcibly。ThatAdamwasformedofdirtprocuredinthisveryspotisamplyprovenbythefactthatinsixthousandyearsnomanhaseverbeenabletoprovethatthedirtwasnotprocuredherewhereofhewasmade。

Itisasingularcircumstancethatrightundertheroofofthissamegreatchurch，andnotfarawayfromthatillustriouscolumn，Adamhimself，thefatherofthehumanrace，liesburied。Thereisnoquestionthatheisactuallyburiedinthegravewhichispointedoutashis——therecanbenone——becauseithasneveryetbeenproventhatthatgraveisnotthegraveinwhichheisburied。

ThetombofAdam！Howtouchingitwas，hereinalandofstrangers，farawayfromhome，andfriends，andallwhocaredforme，thustodiscoverthegraveofabloodrelation。True，adistantone，butstillarelation。

Theunerringinstinctofnaturethrilleditsrecognition。Thefountainofmyfilialaflfectionwasstirredtoitsprofoundestdepths，andIgavewaytotumultuousemotion。Ileaneduponapillarandburstintotears。

Ideemitnoshametohaveweptoverthegraveofmypoordeadrelative。

Lethimwhowouldsneeratmyemotionclosethisvolumehere，forhewillfindlittletohistasteinmyjourneyingsthroughHolyLand。Nobleoldman——hedidnotlivetoseeme——hedidnotlivetoseehischild。AndI——I——alas，Ididnotlivetoseehim。Weigheddownbysorrowanddisappointment，hediedbeforeIwasborn——sixthousandbriefsummersbeforeIwasborn。Butletustrytobearitwithfortitude。Letustrustthatheisbetteroffwhereheis。Letustakecomfortinthethoughtthathislossisoureternalgain。

ThenextplacetheguidetookustointheholychurchwasanaltardedicatedtotheRomansoldierwhowasofthemilitaryguardthatattendedattheCrucifixiontokeeporder，andwho——whenthevailoftheTemplewasrentintheawfuldarknessthatfollowed;whentherockofGolgothawassplitasunderbyanearthquake;whentheartilleryofheaventhundered，andinthebalefulglareofthelightningstheshroudeddeadflittedaboutthestreetsofJerusalem——shookwithfearandsaid，"SurelythiswastheSonofGod！"Wherethisaltarstandsnow，thatRomansoldierstoodthen，infullviewofthecrucifiedSaviour——infullsightandhearingofallthemarvelsthatweretranspiringfarandwideaboutthecircumferenceoftheHillofCalvary。Andinthisself—samespotthepriestsoftheTemplebeheadedhimforthoseblasphemouswordshehadspoken。

Inthisaltartheyusedtokeeponeofthemostcuriousrelicsthathumaneyeseverlookedupon——athingthathadpowertofascinatethebeholderinsomemysteriouswayandkeephimgazingforhourstogether。

ItwasnothinglessthanthecopperplatePilateputupontheSaviour\'scross，anduponwhichhewrote，"THISISTHEKINGOFTHEJEWS。"IthinkSt。Helena，themotherofConstantine，foundthiswonderfulmementowhenshewashereinthethirdcentury。ShetraveledalloverPalestine，andwasalwaysfortunate。WheneverthegoodoldenthusiastfoundathingmentionedinherBible，OldorNew，shewouldgoandsearchforthatthing，andneverstopuntilshefoundit。IfitwasAdam，shewouldfindAdam;ifitwastheArk，shewouldfindtheArk;ifitwasGoliath，orJoshua，shewouldfindthem。ShefoundtheinscriptionherethatIwasspeakingof，Ithink。Shefounditinthisveryspot，closetowherethemartyredRomansoldierstood。ThatcopperplateisinoneofthechurchesinRome，now。

Anyonecanseeitthere。Theinscriptionisverydistinct。

WepassedalongafewstepsandsawthealtarbuiltovertheveryspotwherethegoodCatholicpriestssaythesoldiersdividedtheraimentoftheSaviour。

Thenwewentdownintoacavernwhichcavilerssaywasonceacistern。

Itisachapel，now，however——theChapelofSt。Helena。Itisfifty—onefeetlongbyforty—threewide。InitisamarblechairwhichHelenausedtositinwhileshesuperintendedherworkmenwhentheyweredigginganddelvingfortheTrueCross。InthisplaceisanaltardedicatedtoSt。

Dimas，thepenitentthief。Anewbronzestatueishere——astatueofSt。

Helena。ItremindedusofpoorMaximilian，solatelyshot。HepresentedittothischapelwhenhewasabouttoleaveforhisthroneinMexico。

Fromthecisternwedescendedtwelvestepsintoalargeroughly—shapedgrotto，carvedwhollyoutofthelivingrock。HelenablasteditoutwhenshewassearchingforthetrueCross。Shehadalaboriouspieceofwork，here，butitwasrichlyrewarded。Outofthisplaceshegotthecrownofthorns，thenailsofthecross，thetrueCrossitself，andthecrossofthepenitentthief。Whenshethoughtshehadfoundeverythingandwasabouttostop，shewastoldinadreamtocontinueadaylonger。Itwasveryfortunate。Shedidso，andfoundthecrossoftheotherthief。

ThewallsandroofofthisgrottostillweepbittertearsinmemoryoftheeventthattranspiredonCalvary，anddevoutpil