X. THE SHRINE OF THE SLAVES 351

-types, throughout, of the supreme commonplace alike in action and expression, except those quiet ones in purple on the right, and the grand old man on crutches, come to see this sight.

But St. Jerome himself in the midst of them, the eager heart of him quiet, to such uttermost quietness,-the body lying-look-absolutely flat like clay, as if it had been beat down, and clung, clogged, all along to the marble. Earth to earth indeed. Level clay and inlaid rock now all one-and the noble head senseless as a stone, with a stone for its pillow.

There they gather and kneel about it-wondering, I think, more than pitying. To see what was yesterday the great Life in the midst of them, laid thus! But, so far as they do not wonder, they pity only, and grieve. There is no looking for his soul in the clouds,-no worship of relics here, implied even in the kneeling figures. All look down, woefully, wistfully, as into a grave. “And so Death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”¹

183. This is Carpaccio’s message to us. And lest you should not read it, and carelessly think that he meant only the usual commonplace of the sacredness and blessedness of the death of the righteous,-look into the narrow shadow in the corner of the house at the left-hand side, where, on the strange forked and leafless tree that occupies it, are set the cross and little vessel of holy water beneath, and above, the skull, which are always the signs of St. Jerome’s place of prayer in the desert.

The lower jaw has fallen from the skull into the vessel of holy water.

It is but a little sign,-but you will soon know how much this painter indicates by such things, and that here he means indeed that for the greatest, as the meanest, of the sons of Adam, death is still the sign of their sin; and that though in Christ all shall be made alive,

¹ [Romans v. 12.]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]