Page:Gesta Romanorum - Swan - Wright - 1.djvu/284

110 the utmost astonishment, and all the rhetoricians, and other wise men of every province, were summoned to one place. The question was then proposed to them, and they thus answered: "The Emperor died intoxicated, and through the influence of a latent poison, his heart cannot be consumed." When this was understood, they drew the heart from the fire, and covered it with theriaque (22) and immediately the poison was expelled. The heart, being returned to the flames, was soon reduced to ashes.

My beloved, men are thus in a spiritual sense. The heart is impoisoned, and then the fire of the Holy Ghost will not touch it. The theriaque is repentance, which removes all transgressions.