And swift-footed Achilles answered him and said:—­

“Why, dearest and best-beloved, hast thou come hither to lay upon me these thy several behests?  Of a truth I will accomplish all, and bow to thy command.  But stand nearer, I pray; for a little space let us cast our arms about each other, and take our fill of dire sorrow.”

With these words he stretched forth his hands to clasp him, but could not; for, like a smoke, the spirit vanished earthward with a wailing cry.  Amazed, Achilles sprang up, and smote his hands together, and spake a piteous word:—­

“O ye heavens! surely, even among the dead, the soul and wraith are something (yet is there no life therein at all).  For all night long the soul of poor Patroklos stood beside me, crying and making lamentation, and bade me do his will; it was the perfect image of himself.”

So he spake, and in the hearts of them all roused desire for lamentation; and while they yet were mourning about the pitiful corpse appeared rosy-fingered dawn.

FOOTNOTES: 

[Footnote 13:  George Bell & Sons.]

XXXIX

VISION OF CROMWELL

By “ARISE EVANS”

A vision that I had presently after the king’s death—­I thought that I was in a great hall, like the king’s hall, or the castle in Winchester, and there was none there but a judge that sat upon the bench and myself; and as I turned to a window in the north-westward, and looking into the palm of my hand, there appeared to me a face, head and shoulders like the Lord Fairfax’s, and presently it vanished.  Again, there arose the Lord Cromwell, and he vanished likewise; then arose a young face and he had a crown upon his head, and he vanished also; and another young face arose with a crown upon his head, and he vanished also; and another young face arose with a crown upon his head, and vanished in like manner; and as I turned the palm of my hand back again to me and looked, there did appear no more in it.  Then I turned to the judge and said to him, there arose in my hand seven, and five of them had crowns; but when I turned my hand, the blood turned to its veins, and these appeared no more:  so I awoke.  The interpretation of this vision is, that after the Lord Cromwell, there shall be kings again in England, which thing is signified unto us by those that arose after him, who were all crowned, but the generations to come may look for a change of the blood, and of the name in the royal seat, after five kings once passed, 2 Kings x. 30.  (The words referred to in this text are these:) “And the Lord said unto Jehu, because thou hast done well, etc., thy children of the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel.”

XL

LORD STRAFFORD’S WARNING

By the Rev. JOHN MASTIN