Page:The collected works of Henrik Ibsen (Volume 5).djvu/39

 CAESAR'S APOSTASY.

PLAY IN FIVE ACTS.

ACT FIRST.

''Easter night in Constantinople. The scene is an open place, with trees, bushes, and overthrown statues, in the vicinity of the Imperial Palace. In the background, fully illuminated, stands the Imperial Chapel. To the right a marble balustrade, from which a staircase leads down to the water. Between the pines and cypresses appear glimpses of the Bosphorus and the Asiatic coast.''

''Service in the church. Soldiers of the Imperial Guard stand on the church steps. Great crowds of worshippers stream in. Beggars, cripples, and blind men at the doors. Heathen onlookers, fruit-sellers, and water-carriers fill up the place.''

[Inside the church.]

Never-ending adoration To the Cross of our salvation! The Serpent is hurled To the deepest abyss; The Lamb rules the world; All is peace, all is bliss.