d and proud, believing in nothing
at all, not even in their own idol gods; but after a while, won by
Paul's words and life, the soldiers learned to believe also, and became
his converts.

For the first year of his imprisonment Paul wrote little, but he spoke
and thought much; as the second year drew on he sent letters to many of
those he so longed to see again which are as precious to us as they
were to those old-time Christians.

Among these are the Epistles to the Galatians, the Ephesians, the
Philippians, the Colossians, and a touching little appeal to Philemon
concerning a runaway slave who had become one of Paul's converts at
Rome.

We are almost certain that the Apostle was released for a time so that
he was enabled to revisit many of his converts, as he so earnestly
desired to do.

[Illustration: THE OLD ROMAN ROAD, DOWN WHICH ST. PAUL TRAVELLED INTO
ROME, AS IT APPEARS TO-DAY]

Then he was once more taken prisoner and brought again to Rome, where
Nero's wickedness had become repulsive even to the Romans themselves,
cruel and hardened though they were.

To Timothy, who was to him as a son, Paul the prisoner wrote a farewell
letter, just when he was to be brought before Nero the second time.

'_I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept
the faith._' (2 Timothy iv. 7.) So he wrote, and before he closed his
letter he begged Timothy to make a special effort to come to him, and
to bring with him '_the books, but especially the parchments._' (Verse
13.)

These 'books' would most likely be the first copies of two or three of
the books of the New Testament, just the very beginnings. Perhaps the
life of Jesus Christ, written by Mark, and a letter or two of Peter's;
fragile, reed-paper rolls, which would tear and crack unless they were
handled with the greatest care. These would be written just like the
ordinary books of the time, for as yet no one dreamt that they would
one day be bound up with the 'parchments,' and so form the Christians'
Bible. For by the 'parchments' Paul almost certainly meant the Old
Testament written in Greek.

He needed these very 'specially.' He had time to think and study now;
and the old, old Books of the Law and the Prophets spoke from the first
page to the last of his beloved Master, Jesus Christ.

Did he live to receive the parchments? We do not know. How did he
die? The Bible does not tell us. But about the date St. Paul wrote
the last of his wo