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rome’s holy child
ii
II
rome’S holy child
On Capitolium Hill a monastery had been erected
which was occupied by Franciscan monks. Yet it
could hardly be regarded as a monastery, but rather
as a fortress, or as a watch-tower by the seashore
where one spies and watches for an approaching
enemy.
Beside the monastery stood the splendid basilica
of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, built in commemoration
of Him the sibyl had here permitted Augustus to
see, Christ. But the monastery was built because of
the fear of the fulfilment of the sibyl’s prediction,
that Antichrist would be worshiped on Capitolium.
And the monks felt like soldiers. When they
went to church to sing and pray, they fancied
themselves walking on ramparts and sending showers of
arrows down upon the assaulting Antichrist, of whom
they lived in continual fear; all their service being
but a struggle to keep him away from Capitolium.
Drawing their cowls forward so as to shade their
faces, they sat spying out into the world.
Their eyes became feverish from staring, and they
constantly imagined they discovered Antichrist.
" He is here, he is here! " they cried. And up they
flapped in their brown gowns, raising themselves in
combat, like crows, on the top of a crag, at the
sight of an eagle.
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