Page:Readings in European History Vol 1.djvu/138

 IO2 Readings in Ruropean History careful to serve them. It follows, therefore, that if upon examination you find those new doctrines which are now preached to us better and more efficacious, we should imme- diately receive them without any delay." Another of the king's chief men, approving of Coin's words and exhortations, presently added : " The present life of man, O king, seems to me, in comparison with that time which is unknown to us, like to the swift flight of a sparrow through the room wherein you sit at supper in winter amid your officers and ministers, with a good fire in the midst, whilst the storms of rain and snow prevail abroad; the spar- row, I say, flying in at one door and immediately out at another, whilst he is within is safe from the wintry storm ; but after a short space of fair weather he immediately van- ishes out of your sight into the dark winter from which he has emerged. So this life of man appears for a short space, but of what went before or what is to follow we are utterly ignorant. If, therefore, this new doctrine contains some- thing more certain, it seems justly to deserve to be followed." The other elders and king's counselors, by divine inspira- tion, spoke to the same effect. But Coifi added that he wished more attentively to hear Paulinus discourse concern-, ing the God whom he preached. So the bishop having spoken by the king's command at greater length, Coifi, hear- ing his words, cried out : " I have long since been sensible that there was nothing in that which we worshiped, because the more diligently I sought after truth in that worship, the less I found it. But now I freely confess that such evident truth appears in this preaching as can confer on us the gifts of life, of salvation, and of eternal happiness. For which reason I advise, O king, that we instantly abjure and set fire to those temples and altars which we have consecrated with- out reaping any benefits from them." In short, the king publicly gave his permission to Paulinus to preach the gospel, and, renouncing idolatry, declared that he received the faith of Christ : and when he inquired of the high priest who should first profane the altars and temples of their idols, with the inclosures that were about them, the