me. The Brahmins wore it a few thousands years
ere that. From them it came through the Assyrians to the priests of Isis
in Egypt, and afterwards of Serapis at Athens. The late Pope (the saints
be good to him) once told me the tonsure was forbidden by God to the
Levites in the Pentateuch. If so, this was because of the Egyptian
priests wearing it. I trust to his holiness. I am no biblical scholar.
The Latin of thy namesake Jerome is a barrier I cannot overleap. 'Dixit
ad me Dominus Dens. Dixi ad Dominum Deum.' No, thank you, holy Jerome;
I can stand a good deal, but I cannot stand thy Latin. Nay; give me the
New Testament! 'Tis not the Greek of Xenophon; but 'tis Greek. And there
be heathen sayings in it too. For St. Paul was not so spiteful against
them as thou. When the heathen said a good thing that suited his matter,
by Jupiter he just took it, and mixed it to all eternity with the
inspired text."

"Come forth, Clement, come forth!" said Jerome, rising; "and thou,
profane monk, know that but for the powerful house that upholds thee,
thy accursed heresy should go no farther, for I would have thee burned
at the stake." And he strode out white with indignation.

Colonna's reception of this threat did credit to him as an enthusiast.
He ran and hallooed joyfully after Jerome. "And that is Pagan. Burning
of men's bodies for the opinions of their souls is a purely Pagan
custom--as Pagan as incense, holy water, a hundred altars in one church,
the tonsure, the cardinal's, or flamen's hat, the word Pope, the--"

Here Jerome slammed the door.

But ere they could get clear of the house a jalosy was flung open, and
the Paynim monk came out head and shoulders, and overhung the street
shouting,

"Affecti suppliciis Chrisitiani, genus hominum
Novas superstitionis ac maleficae,'"

And having delivered this parting blow, he felt a great triumphant joy,
and strode exultant to and fro; and not attending with his usual care
to the fair way (for his room could only be threaded by little paths
wriggling among the antiquities), tripped over the beak of an Egyptian
stork, and rolled upon a regiment of Armenian gods, which he found tough
in argument though small in stature.

"You will go no more to that heretical monk," said Jerome to Clement.

Clement sighed. "Shall we leave him and not try to correct him? Make
allowance for heat of discourse! he was nettled, His words are worse
than his acts. Oh 'tis a pure and charitable