confident in their
own numbers, the boldest in the throng seized a piece of timber lying
by the river side, and using it as a battering-ram, assailed the gate.
But they were weakened with famine; they could gain little impetus,
from the necessity of ascending the temple steps to the attack; the
iron quivered as they struck it, but hinge and lock remained firm
alike. They were preparing to renew the attempt, when a tremendous
shock--a crash as if the whole heavy roof of the building had fallen
in--drove them back in terror to the street.

Recalled by the sight of the armed men, the priests and the attendant
crowd of people who were advancing to invade his sanctuary, to the days
when he had defended the great Temple of Serapis at Alexandria, against
enemies similar in appearance, though far superior in numbers;
persuaded in the revival of these, the most sanguinary visions of his
insanity, that he was still resisting the Christian fanatics, supported
by his adherents in his sacred fortress of former years, the Pagan
displayed none of his accustomed cunning and care in moving through the
darkness around him. He hurried hither and thither, encouraging his
imaginary followers, and glorying in his dreams of slaughter and
success, forgetful in his frenzy of all that the temple contained.

As he pursued his wild course round and round the altar of idols, his
robe became entangled, and was torn by the projecting substances at one
corner of it. The whole overhanging mass tottered at the moment, but
did not yet fall. A few of the smaller idols, however, at the outside
dropped to the ground, and with them an image of Serapis, which they
happened partially to support--a heavy monstrous figure, carved
life-size in wood, and studded with gold, silver, and precious
stones--fell at the Pagan's feet. But this was all--the outer
materials of the perilous structure had been detached only at one
point; the pile itself still remained in its place.

The madman seized the image of Serapis in his arms, and passed blindly
onward with it through the passage in the partition into the recess
beyond. At that instant the shock of the first attack on the gates
resounded through the building. Shouting, as he heard it, 'A sally! a
sally! men of the Temple, the gods and the high priest lead you on!'
and still holding the idol before him, he rushed straight forward to
the entrance, and struck in violent collision against the backward part
of t