Of softest silk and costliest mohair;
And forced to brook, by rulers harsh and proud,
Th’ obsequious service of a servile crowd;
Crowding my halls, my cruel gaolers see
Waiting my orders upon bended knee!
And last, not least—for the severest blow—
My visitors are free to come and go,
To crave my blessing, and to kiss my toe!
THE BRONZE STATUE OF ST. PETER.
In “Pen-Pictures of Europe,” Elizabeth Peake says, speaking of St. Peter’s Church at Rome: