Women's Tragedies (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1895 Excerpt: ... THE LAST PAGAN It was long since the grey priests, voyaging from overseas, had landed in the country. The story of their coming had already become an old, dark tale, and men shuddered for the wickedness of dimly-realised forefathers, who had slain many of the strangers by the altars of the gods they strove to dispossess. Now those gods were dethroned, and their names almost passed out of memory. The altars were cold. The priests, already regarding themselves as members of an order long established in the land, had seized upon the holy places and proclaimed themselves the interpreters of their mysteries: so that if water healed, or a sick child recovered strength when it had been passed at sunrise through the holed stone, the people no longer gave thanks to the old gods, who had been wont to confer their mercies by these means throughout all the centuries which had been before the coming of the priests from overseas. Even the senseless dead might no longer get the purification of flame. There was need that their miserable bodies should be kept whole, and so they were laid in graves digged in the earth, where the unclean worm might prey on them; and the grey priests muttered prayers above, and sprinkled water themselves had sanctified by virtue of their words. For they had waxed strong in the land, taking toll of all who visited the holy places which had been holy long before their coming; and the people dared not speak of the faith which their fathers had held. But there was one man whom the priests had ever hated; for he had made a mock of their teaching, saying he would still worship the gods who revealed themselves in moon and sun, in the green of leaves and grass, and in the abiding silences of hills and moorland. All his life long they had followed him ...