VIII. THE REQUIEM 301

VI. Hosea. (Undeciphered.¹)

VII. Jonah. (Undeciphered.²)

VIII. Zephaniah. “Seek ye the Lord, all in the gentle time” (in mansueti tempore).³

IX. Haggai. “Behold, the desired of all nations shall come.”⁴

X. Zechariah. “Behold a man whose name is the Branch.” (Oriens.)⁵

XI. Malachi. “Behold, I send my messenger,” etc. (angelum meum).⁶

XII. Solomon. “Who is this that ascends as the morning?”⁷

XIII. David. “Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.”⁸

120. The decorative power of the colour in these figures, chiefly blue, purple, and white, on gold, is entirely admirable,-more especially the dark purple of the Virgin’s robe, with lines of gold for its folds; and the figures of David and Solomon, both in Persian tiaras, almost Arab, with falling lappets to the shoulder, for shade; David holding a book with Hebrew letters on it and a cross (a pretty sign for the Psalms); and Solomon with rich orbs of lace like involved ornament on his dark robe, cusped in the short hem of it, over gold underneath. And note in all these mosaics that Byzantine “purple,”-the colour at once meaning Kinghood

¹ [“In die tercia susitabit nos et vivemus” (Hosea vi. 3: “In the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight”).]

² [“Convertatur vir a via sua mala, et ab iniquitate” (Jonah iii. 8: “Let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands”).]

³ [Here Ruskin misread the inscription, and his knowledge of the Bible for once failed. The words are “Quaerite Dominum, omnes mansueti terrae” (Zephaniah ii. 3: “Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth”). Probably he had in his mind the preceding verses calling for repentance before the day of the Lord’s anger.]

⁴ [“Ecce veniet desideratus cunctis gentibus” (Haggai ii. 8: “The desire of all nations shall come”).]

⁵ [“Ecce vir oriens nomen ejus” (Zechariah vi. 12; “Behold the man whose name is The Branch”).]

⁶ [“Ecce mitto angelum meum ante faciem tuam, qui præparabit viam tuam” (Malachi iii. 1: “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me”).]

⁷ [“Quae est ista quæ ascendit sicut aurora consurgens” (Canticles vi. 9: “Who is she that looketh forth as the morning”).]

⁸ [“De fructu ventris tui ponam super sedem meam” (Psalms cxxxii. 11).]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]