THOMAS, aside.
How more than we do? He remaineth ever
Self-confident and boastful as before.
Nothing will cure him.

CHRISTUS.
Simon, son of Jonas,
Lovest thou me?

PETER.
Yea, dearest Lord, I love thee.
Thou knowest that I love thee.

CHRISTUS.
Feed my sheep.

THOMAS, aside.
Again, the selfsame question, and the answer
Repeated with more vehemence. Can the Master
Doubt if we love Him?

CHRISTUS.
Simon, son of Jonas,
Lovest thou me?

PETER, grieved.
Dear Lord, thou knowest all things.
Thou knowest that I love thee.

CHRISTUS.
Feed my sheep.
When thou wast young thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst
Whither thou wouldst; but when thou shalt be old,
Thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and other men
Shall gird and carry thee whither thou wouldst not.
Follow thou me!

JOHN, aside.
It is a prophecy
Of what death he shall die.

PETER, pointing to JOHN.
Tell me, O Lord,
And what shall this man do?

CHRISTUS.
And if I will
He tarry till I come, what is it to thee?
Follow thou me!

PETER.
Yea, I will follow thee, dear Lord and Master!
Will follow thee through fasting and temptation,
Through all thine agony and bloody sweat,
Thy cross and passion, even unto death!

EPILOGUE

SYMBOLUM APOSTOLORUM

PETER.
I believe in God the Father Almighty;

JOHN.
Maker of heaven and Earth;

JAMES.
And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord;

ANDREW.
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary;

PHILIP.
Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried;

THOMAS.
And the third day He rose again from the dead;

BARTHOLOMEW.
He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God,
the Father Almighty;

MATTHEW.
From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

JAMES, THE SON OF ALFHEUS.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholic Church;

SIMON ZELOTES.
The communion of Saints; the forgiveness of sins;

JUDE.
The resurrection of the body;

MATTHIAS.
And the Life Everlasting.

FIRST INTERLUDE

THE ABBOT JOACHIM

A ROOM IN THE CONVENT OF FLORA IN CALABRIA. NIGHT.

JOACHIM.
The wind is rising; it seizes and shakes
The doors and window-blinds and makes
Mysterious moanings in the halls;
The convent-chimneys seem almost
The trumpets of some heavenly host,
Setting its watch