and the high altar, losing its
central position, seems transferred, with the dove in it, to the
extremity of the church."

"And this semicircle of small burning lamps, arranged in their mystical
trinities on the marble balustrade before it; and this double flight of
stairs," continued Winston, as they approached the altar, and looked
over the balustrade, "leading down to those brazen doors below, before
which other burning lamps are suspended; and that marble figure of the
Pope kneeling before them, kneeling and praying incessantly for the
people--it is altogether admirable!"

"The light of lamps and tapers," said Mildred, "burning in midday, had
upon me at first an incongruous effect; they seemed so superfluous and
out of place. But after a little reflection, or a little habit, they
ceased to make this impression. The lamp and the taper are not here to
_give_ light, but to _be_ light. The light is a mystical and brilliant
ornament--it is here for its own sake--and surely no jewellery and no
burnished gold could surpass it in effect. These brazen lamps round the
altar, each tipped with its steady, unwavering, little globe of light,
are sufficiently justified by their beauty and their brightness. In the
light of the taper, as in the water of the fountain, the ordinary
purposes of utility are forgotten--enough that it is beautiful."

"How admirable the arrangement," said Winston, "of the tombs of the
pontiffs! The sculpture on them seems as much a part of the church as of
the monument. That kneeling figure of Clement XIII., kneeling upon its
exalted tomb--I shall see it whenever I think of St. Peter's. It is
here, and not in the Vatican, that Canova triumphs. That genius of
Death, reclining underneath the pontiff, with his torch reversed--what
could be more expressive, more tender, more melancholy! And Faith, or
Religion, whichever she may be, standing upright on the opposite side,
and leaning her outstretched hand _with force_ upon the marble--is a
noble figure too. But I could willingly have dispensed with those spikes
around her head, signifying rays of light."

"It is a fortunate subject for the artist, that of the Pope," said
Mildred. "Being a temporal prince, a high-priest, and it is to be
supposed, a saint, he can be represented in all attitudes; in the
humility of prayer, or the dignity of empire. Yonder he rises, blessing
the people, and here he sits enthroned, giving out the law, and Religion
is looking up