He broke off suddenly, and raising his eyes to the deep blue sky above him, seemed for a moment as though he were caught up in the cloud of some wondrous dream.  Still the enormous throng of people stood hushed and motionless,—­not a word, not a sound escaped them,—­there was something positively appalling in such absolute immobility,—­at least it appeared so to Theos, who could not understand this dispassionate behavior on the part of so large and lately excited a multitude.  All at once a voice marvellously tender, clear, and pathetic trembled on the silence,—­was it, could it be the voice of Khosrul?  Yes! but so changed, so solemn, so infinitely sweet, that it might have been some gentle angel speaking: 

“Like a fountain of sweet water in the desert, or the rising of the moon in a gloomy midnight,” he said slowly,—­“Even so is the hope and promise of the Supremely Beloved!  Through the veiling darkness of the coming ages His Light already shines upon my soul!  O blessed Advent! ...  O happy Future! ...  O days when privileged Humanity shall bridge by Love the gulf between this world and Heaven!  What shall be said of Him who cometh to redeem us, O my foreseeing spirit!  What shall be told concerning His most marvellous Beauty?  Even as a dove that for pity of its helpless younglings doth battle soft-breasted with a storm, even so shall He descend from out His glory sempiternal, and teach us how to conquer Sin and Death,—­aye, even with the meekness of a little child He shall approach, and choose His dwelling here among us.  O heavenly Child!  O wisdom of God contained in innocence! ... happy the learning that shall learn from Thee!—­noble the pride that shall humble itself before Thy gentleness! [Footnote:  The idea of a Saviour who should be born as Man to redeem the world was prevalent among all nations and dates from the remotest ages.  Coming down to what must be termed quite a modern period compared to that in which the city of Al-Kyris had its existence, we find that the Romans under Octavius Caesar were wont to exclaim at their sacred meetings, “The times foretold by the Sybil are arrived; may a new age soon restore that Saturn?  Soon may the child be born who shall banish the age of iron?” Tacitus and Suetonius both mention the prophecies “in the sacred books of the priests” which declare that the “East shall be in commotion,” and that “Men from Judea” shall subject “everything to their dominion.”] O Prince of Manhood and Divinity entwined!  Thou shalt acquaint Thyself with human griefs, and patiently unravel the perplexities of human longings!—­to prove Thy sacred sympathy with suffering, Thou shalt be content to suffer,—­to explain the mystery of Death, Thou shalt even be content to die.  O people of Al-Kyris, hear ye all the words that tell of this Wonderful, Inestimable King of Peace,—­mine