of you is a traitor and accuser?" and led us to think
that the "one of you is a devil" indicated some greater than human
wickedness in Judas; whereas the practical meaning of the entire fact
of Judas' ministry and fall is, that out of any twelve men chosen for
the forwarding of any purpose,--or, much more, out of any twelve men
we meet,--one, probably, is or will be a Judas.

The modern German renderings of all the scenes of Christ's life in
which the traitor is conspicuous are very curious in their vulgar
misunderstanding of the history, and their consequent endeavours to
represent Judas as more diabolic than selfish, treacherous, and
stupid men are in all their generations. They paint him usually
projected against strong effects of light, in lurid
chiaroscuro;--enlarging the whites of his eyes, and making him frown,
grin, and gnash his teeth on all occasions, so as to appear among the
other Apostles invariably in the aspect of a Gorgon.

How much more deeply Giotto has fathomed the fact, I believe all men
will admit who have sufficient purity and abhorrence of falsehood to
recognise it in its daily presence, and who know how the devil's
strongest work is done for him by men who are too bestial to
understand what they betray.

* * * * *

XXXI.

CHRIST BEFORE CAIAPHAS.

Little is to be observed in this design of any distinctive merit; it
is only a somewhat completer version of the ordinary representation
given in illuminated missals and other conventual work, suggesting, as
if they had happened at the same moment, the answer, "If I have spoken
evil, bear witness of the evil," and the accusation of blasphemy which
causes the high-priest to rend his clothes.

Apparently distrustful of his power of obtaining interest of a higher
kind, Giotto has treated the enrichments more carefully than usual,
down even to the steps of the high-priest's seat. The torch and barred
shutters conspicuously indicate its being now dead of night. That the
torch is darker than the chamber, if not an error in the drawing, is
probably the consequence of a darkening alteration in the yellow
colours used for the flame.

* * * * *

XXXII.

THE SCOURGING OF CHRIST.

It is characteristic of Giotto's rational and human view of all
subjects admitting such aspect, that he has insisted here chiefly on
the dejection and humiliation of Christ, making no attempt to suggest
to the s