'So much the better; these clouds of iniquity must burst, that the heavens may be cleared and the eternal sun be resplendent.'
'And if they gnash their teeth on earth before grinding them in eternal fire, these rich, these high priests, these crowned king Pharaoh's, they have brought it on themselves,' exclaimed Banaias; 'they have brought it on themselves.'
'Yes, yes, it's true.'
'Oh!' continued Banaias, 'this is not the first time the prophets have shouted in their ears!
'Amend your lives! be good! be just! be merciful! Look down at your feet instead of admiring yourselves in your pride! What! reptiles that you are, you reject from your plates the most delicate meats!
'You fall down gorged with wine; next your cups filled to the very brims; you ask yourselves, shall I put on to-day my furred robe with the gold embroidery, or my robe of plush, embroidered with silver? And your neighbor, shivering with cold beneath his rags, cannot simply taste from your cup, or lick up the crumbs of your feasts? By the entrails of Jeremiah, can it endure for any length of time?'
'Yes, yes,' cried several voices, 'this has lasted long enough—the most patient weary toward the end!'
'The quietest bullock finishes by turning against the spur!'
'And what spur is there like hunger?'
'Yes,' continued Peter, 'yes, this has endured long enough; yes, it has endured too long; therefore, Jesus, our master, hath said: