Ben-Hur; a tale of the Christ by Lewis Wallace
page 44 of 816 (05%)
page 44 of 816 (05%)
|
the Greek. "Thou art a worshiper of Aphrodite, and so am I, as the
myrtle I wear proves; therefore I tell thee their voices have the chill of a Caspian wind. Seest thou this girdle?--a gift of the mighty Salome--" "The king's sister!" exclaims the Cypriote, with another salaam. "And of royal taste and divine judgment. And why not? She is more Greek than the king. But--my breakfast! Here is thy money--red coppers of Cyprus. Give me grapes, and--" "Wilt thou not take the dates also?" "No, I am not an Arab." "Nor figs?" "That would be to make me a Jew. No, nothing but the grapes. Never waters mixed so sweetly as the blood of the Greek and the blood of the grape." The singer in the grimed and seething market, with all his airs of the court, is a vision not easily shut out of mind by such as see him; as if for the purpose, however, a person follows him challenging all our wonder. He comes up the road slowly, his face towards the ground; at intervals he stops, crosses his hands upon his breast, lengthens his countenance, and turns his eyes towards heaven, as if about to break into prayer. Nowhere, except in Jerusalem, can such a character be found. On his forehead, attached to the band which keeps the mantle in place, projects a |
|