on the rough purple of the sea of Marmara, the old Propontis, a wide and magnificent sea-chamber, shut in by the Hellespont below and the Bosphorus above, a fitting antechamber to imperial Constantinople, once the gorgeous capital of the civilized world. Night was on it. A hundred and eight miles of the sea of Marmara were before us, between us and the glories of Constantinople; and we looked through the darkness with eager hope and a disturbed impatience to see the first sunbeam strike the highest crescent upon St. Sophia's.

In the cabin were some men in earnest discussion. They spoke in Italian, and I could not understand them. But now and then I caught a sentence ending with the words, "four several consistories;" and again the argument was taken up, and again it dwelt upon "four several consistories." I listened in mere vacancy of mind. And still the argument went on, and still the "four consistories" were mentioned, and as I crept into my cabin, I said to myself mechanically, "the four consistories."

The sea of Marmara was an uneasy pillow, and my sleep was full of disturbed dreams; and as in the argument of the Italians, so in my dreams, "the four consistories" came uppermost.

I dreamed that I was on an island, in shape like Icolmkill, and that it rested on pillars of rock which rose out of the sea, and among which the waves foamed and roared: and methought I was placed

no women.

upon a promontory so that I could see the surface of the island, and also the marine pillars, with the waves weltering amongst them; and some one said to me, "Behold the four consistories!" And methought I saw in a green hollow an assembly of men of all ages, arranged as in the pictures of the Council of Trent in the title-pages of Paolo Sarpi. There were men and children sitting in the consistory; but On one side was a dark cloud of murky folds resting on the bosom of the earth, as if it had risen like an exhalation from it; and on the front of the cloud in luminous streaks was written, "This is the West, the symbol of the secular power." And methought there was a great uproar in the consistory, and presently some guards brought in a majestic lady as a prisoner, and the members of the consistory hid their faces from her queenly gaze, and cowered when her thrilling voice was lifted up; and then it seemed they could bear it no longer, and they motioned to the guards, and the royal lady was led away. Now there was a whispering in the consistory, and presently four men in grave apparel, but with very coarse features, rose from the front seats, and entered the murky cloud. And the consistory sat in silence, waiting. Soon, however, the men returned with hurried steps, and they smiled, and threw down in the middle a Writing of Divorce; and the consistory rose, and rushed to it, and raised a frantic shout. And then it all disappeared: and

methought my eye happened to rest upon the pillars which bore the island up, and the waves were fretting them through very quickly, and I was in great fear; but a voice said to me, "Not yet." Still I could not take my eyes from the pillars. Oh how rapidly the waves were fretting them! But I perceived, on a sudden, that the sea grew calm, and ceased to harm the pillars, and the pillars too grew thicker and more solid.

The consistory sat again in the green hollow; the members were of wilder aspect than before, but their behavior was more decorous and their de

meanor more solemn. Then two prisoners were brought before them; the one, a stern cruel-looking man with marvellous eyebrows, and the other had a face of beautiful sadness, and the long brown hair fell over his shoulders. They were tried with great solemnity, for there were no children in the consistory. Then they were removed, and eight men followed them into the cloud. And the consistory sat waiting. When they returned, they looked very grave, and their rugged features were as pale as ashes, and the luminous streaks on the cloud were extinguished, and they threw into the middle a Bleeding Axe, and the consistory prayed a prayer and dispersed. But meanwhile the waves had fretted some of the pillars nearly through, and some it had broken and cast down, and the island began to vibrate, and in my foolish fear I meditated casting

myself into the sea; but a voice said to me, "Not yet." Still I could not take my eyes from the pillars. Oh how rapidly the waves were fretting them! But by degrees the fury of the waters was assuaged, and though the pillars which had been cast down could not be raised up, those which were fretted began to thicken, and the island vibrated no longer.

A consistory sat again in the green hollow. There was no prisoner brought before them; but the seal of an accused person was shown them and examined. Methought they sat only for a brief season, when sixteen men rose up and went into the cloud, where the luminous streaks were now very bright, and presently they returned, and threw down in the middle an Unjewelled Crown. As soon as they had thrown it down, the luminous streaks on the cloud were extinguished. And the members of the consistory took up the Crown, and each of them put it on, one after the other, and smiled. Then methought a fire was lighted in the middle, and eight bruised mitres of gold were brought in and melted down, and they filled up the holes in the crown where the jewels had been with the gold of the eight mitres. And, when it was mended, they danced round it, and uncovered themselves before it, and sang songs and fired cannon. Then they took it up, and carried it away. And I looked at the pillars, and the waves were roaring amongst them: and again I was afraid; but the voice said to me, "Not yet." "Not yet." Still I could

not take my eyes from the pillars. Oh how rapidly the waves were fretting them! And I thought it strange that they held no consistories when the pillars were being fretted, but that when the pillars began to thicken again, then they held a consistory, and further, that as soon as ever the consistory was held, then the waves began to fret the pillars again. And so it was now. The pillars began to thicken more rapidly than ever, and some of those which had been cast down after the second consistory were now raised up.

A consistory sat again in the green hollow. A very aged prisoner was brought before them. He must have been a hundred years old; and he had written a great many books, and all his books were brought with him. This was the most decorous of all the consistories. The members were all in fine robes, and extremely courteous towards each other, and though somewhat bitter towards the prisoner, they did not treat the old man with rudeness. But there was one respect in which this consistory differed from all the others: it was that women sat in it, and great deference was paid to what they said. This was the most polite of all the consistories, but the second seemed the most religious. They addressed the prisoner in a very long speech, which he answered, and his voice was so feminine and so mellifluous, that it startled me when he first began to speak. When he had finished, there arose a dispute

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