s, his
fingers are laden with rings of gold--he joins the tumult, crying with a
rough, hoarse voice: 'Long live Pancratius!' The speaker looks at him
carelessly for a moment, and says: 'Citizen, Baptized, hand me a
handkerchief!'

* * * * *

Meantime the uproar continues; the cries become more and more
tumultuous: 'Bread for us! Bread! bread! Long live Pancratius! Death to
the nobles! to the merchants! to the rich! Bread! bread! Bread and
blood! Hurrah! hurrah!'

* * * * *

A tabernacle. Lamps. An open book lies on a table. Baptized Jews.

THE BAPTIZED. My wretched brethren; my revenge-seeking, beloved
brethren! let us suck nourishment from the pages of the Talmud, as from
the breast of our mother; it is the breast of life from which strength
and honey flow for us, bitterness and poison for our enemies.

CHORUS OF BAPTIZED JEWS. Jehovah is our God, and ours alone; therefore
has He scattered us in every land!

Like the coiled folds of an enormous serpent, He has wreathed us
everywhere round and through the adorers of the cross; our lithe and
subtile rings pass round and through our foolish, proud, unclean
rulers.

Let us thrice spew them forth to destruction! Threefold curses light
upon them!

THE BAPTIZED. Rejoice, my brethren! the Cross of our Great Enemy is
already more than half hewn down; it is rotting to its fall; it is only
standing on a root of blood: if it once plunge into the abyss it will
never rise again. Hitherto the nobles have been its sole defence, but
they are ours! ours!

CHORUS OF BAPTIZED JEWS. Our work, our long, long work of centuries, our
sad, ardent, painful work is almost done!

Death to the nobles--let us thrice spew them forth to destruction!
Threefold curses light upon them!

THE BAPTIZED. The might of Israel shall be built upon a liberty without
law or order, upon a slaughter without end, upon the _pride_ of the
nobility, the _folly_ of the masses. The nobles are almost destroyed; we
must drive the few still left into the abyss of death, and scatter over
their livid corpses the ruins of the shattered cross in which they
trusted!

CHORUS OF BAPTIZED JEWS. The cross is now our holy symbol; the water of
baptism has reunited us with men; the scorning repose upon the love of
the scorned!

The freedom of men is our cry; the welfare of the people our aim; ha!
ha! the eons of Christ trust the sons of Caiaphas!

C