they must be won. The book may be open at the words of one of those
old Hebrew prophets who longed for the coming of the Redeemer. There
is a verse in the prophecy of Isaiah, which speaks of a child upon
whose shoulders the government shall rest.[4] The writer tells some of
the many names by which he shall be called, and we may imagine this
mother and child going over together these strange titles: "Wonderful,
Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace."

[Footnote 4: Isaiah, chapter ix. verse 6.]

Our illustration is from a bas-relief by Michelangelo, and as we
examine it closely we discover that the sculptor's work was left
unfinished. The rough marks of the chisel are still seen on the
surface of the marble. A child's figure in the background is quite
indistinct. Probably it was intended for the boy St. John the Baptist,
the cousin of Jesus. The child Jesus himself is by no means completed;
his right arm is only faintly indicated.

As we shall learn from other examples of sculpture in this book,[5]
Michelangelo often neglected to carry his work to completion. He was
so possessed with his ideas that he could not work fast enough in
sketching them on the marble, but after this, it did not matter so
much to him about the finishing. He had done enough to show his
meaning.

[Footnote 5: Note particularly the Cupid on page 15, and the tomb of
Giuliano de' Medici on page 81.]

There are reasons for liking such work all the better for being