Page:Lives of the apostles of Jesus Christ (1836).djvu/591

 caring naught for the mob, proposed to go in and make a speech to them, but his friends, with far more prudence and cool sense than he,—knowing that an assembly of the people, roaring some popular outcry, is no more a subject of reason than so many raging wild beasts,—prevented him from going into the theater, where he would no doubt have been torn to pieces, before he could have opened his mouth. Some of the great magistrates of Asia, too, who were friendly to him, hearing of his rash intentions, sent to him a very urgent request, that he would not venture himself among the mob. Meanwhile the outcry continued,—the theater being crowded full,—and the whole city constantly pouring out to see what was the matter, and every soul joining in the religious and patriotic shout, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" And so they went on, every one, of course, according to the universal and everlasting practice on such occasions, making all the noise he could, but not one, except the rascally silversmiths, knowing what upon earth they were all bawling there for. Still this ignorance of the object of the assembly kept nobody still; but all, with undiminished fervor, kept plying their lungs to swell the general roar. As it is described in the very graphic and picturesque language of Luke,—"Some cried one thing, and some, another; for the whole assembly was confused;—and the more knew not wherefore they were come together,"—which last circumstance is a very common difficulty in such assemblies, in all ages. At last, searching for some other persons as proper subjects to exercise their religious zeal upon, they looked about upon the Jews, who were always a suspected class among the heathen, and seized one Alexander, who seems to have been one of the Christian converts, for the Jews thrust him forward as a kind of scapegoat for themselves. Alexander made the usual signs soliciting their attention to his words; but as soon as the people understood that he was a Jew, they all drowned his voice with the general cry, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" and this they kept up steadily for two whole hours, as it were with one voice. Matters having come to this pass, the recorder of the city came forward, and having hushed the people,—who had some reverence for the lawful authorities, that fortunately were not responsible to them,—and made them a very sensible speech, reminding them that since no one doubted the reverence of the Ephesians for the goddess Artemis, and for the, there surely was no occasion for all this disturbance to demonstrate a fact that every body knew.