IX. SANCTUS, SANCTUS, SANCTUS 321

Madonna, holding the infant Christ. Joseph walks behind, carrying a staff and cloak. The fact of the journey being sudden and hasty is shown by the very few things which the fugitives have taken with them-only a cloak and a gourd; they have left the presents of the three kings behind.

IV. The Holy Innocents.

X TUNC. HERODE’ VIDE’ Q’M ILVSV’ EET A MAGI’ IRATV’E. RE.

DE. a. MIT

TES OCCIDIT. OMS PUERO’ QVI. ERANT. BETHLEEM OM. OBIUS

FINIBUS. EIVS*

“Tunc Herodes videns quoniam illusus esset a magis iratus est valde, et mittens occidit omnes pueros qui erant in Bethlehem et in omnibus finibus ejus.”

“Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof” (Matt. ii. 16).

Three Roman soldiers are killing the children, some of whom already lie dead and bleeding on the rocky ground. To the right is a mother with her child in her arms, and near her another woman is holding up her hands in grief.

146. (III.) ST. NICHOLAS.

Just below the mosaic of the Holy Innocents is one of S. NICOLAU’-St. Nicholas-with one hand raised in benediction whilst the other holds a book. He is here, close to the small door that opens on to the Piazzetta, the nearest to the sea of all the saints in St. Mark’s, because he is the sea saint, the patron of all ports, and especially of Venice. He was, it is well known, with St. George and St. Mark, one of the three saints who saved Venice from the demon ship in the storm when St. Mark gave to the fisherman the famous ring.

There now remain for the traveller’s examination the three vaults of the Baptistery, the arches leading from one

* The letters underlined are unitelligible, as otherwise the legend follows the Vulgate. Possibly the words have been retouched, and the letters incorrectly restored.

XXIV. X

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