And his ravening heart now gloats at the view
Of her suppliant grief and tears,
And pales on her cheek the fresh Sharon rose hue
As the home of her love disappears.
“But her lily heart is as pure as the chaste
Silver beam of the dawning day;
And no white almond blossom more sweet hath graced
Virtue’s cheek with its tenderest ray;
And the pearl that she bore on her radiant brow
Sheds no halo more pure and bright
Than the virtue that glows round her true heart now
In her ministering angel’s sight.’’
The allusions in these lines being among those commonly adopted by multitudes in Moravia, Bohemia and other surrounding regions by those who desired recognition by the initiated, were at once perfectly understood by his audience; and the captives at once responded in a verse of a well known hymn of the period:
“And no white almond blossom more sweet hath gracedWe wander far, yet our steps shall be
On the rock by our help supplied,
And a pillar of light in the night we see
Before us our constant guide.”
Such response as this Pietro expected, and from that moment the band of captives surrendered themselves to repose, as they well knew that help of some kind would not be wanting. ****** While these events transpired on the road taken by Pietro, others still more momentous occupied Solomon. Hardly had the emperor dispatched his first messenger when a visit from Ladislaus, King of Hungary, was announced. This sovereign had been Rudolph’s chief ally, and well knew the value of his
