Today's Stichomancy for Benito Juarez

the age of Theodosius, and again in that of Justinian, the Roman armies had fallen into the same state; when the Italian legions required to be led by Stilicho the Vandal, and the Byzantine by Belisar the Sclav and Narses the Persian, the end of all things was at hand, and came; as it will come soon to Turkey.

But if Turkey deserves to fall, and must fall, it must not fall by our treachery. Its sins will surely be avenged upon it: but wrong must not avenge wrong, or the penalty is only passed on from one sinner to another. Whatsoever element of good is left in the Turk, to that we must appeal as our only means, if not of saving him, still of helping him to a quiet euthanasia, and absorption into a worthier race of

phantoms, ghosts of ideas, ghosts of traditions, neither things nor persons, but thoughts, to give the philosopher each something or other, according to the nature of each. Not that he very clearly defines what each is to give him; but still he feels himself in want of all manner of things, and it is as well to have as many friends at court as possible-- Noetic Gods, Noeric Gods, rulers, angels, daemons, heroes--to enable him to do what? To understand Plato's most mystical and far-seeing speculations. The Eternal Nous, the Intellectual Teacher has vanished further and further off; further off still some dim vision of a supreme Goodness. Infinite spaces above that looms through the mist of the abyss a Primaeval One. But even that has a predicate, for it is one; it

had a friend who shared my life, a charming lady, and every time I took her in my arms she was thinking what I would allow her a month for housekeeping and what was the price of beef a pound. In the same way, when we are in love we are never tired of asking ourselves questi ons: whether it is honourable or dishonourable, sensible or stupid, what this love is leading up to, and so on. Whether it is a good thing or not I don't know, but that it is in the way, unsatisfactory, and irritating, I do know."

It looked as though he wanted to tell some story. People who lead a solitary existence always have something in their hearts which they are eager to talk about. In town bachelors visit the baths

Psalms 74: 19 O deliver not the soul of Thy turtle-dove unto the wild beast; forget not the life of Thy poor for ever.

Psalms 74: 20 Look upon the covenant; for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.

Psalms 74: 21 O let not the oppressed turn back in confusion; let the poor and needy praise Thy name.

Psalms 74: 22 Arise, O God, plead Thine own cause; remember Thy reproach all the day at the hand of the base man.

Psalms 74: 23 Forget not the voice of Thine adversaries, the tumult of those that rise up against Thee which ascendeth continually.

Psalms 75: 1 (75:1) For the Leader; Al-tashheth. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song. (75:2) We give thanks unto Thee, O God, we give thanks, and Thy name is near; men tell of Thy wondrous works.

Psalms 75: 2 (75:3) 'When I take the appointed time, I Myself will judge with equity.

Psalms 75: 3 (75:4) When the earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved, I Myself establish the pillars of it.' Selah

Psalms 75: 4 (75:5) I say unto the arrogant: 'Deal not arrogantly'; and to the wicked: 'Lift not up the horn.'

Psalms 75: 5 (75:6) Lift not up your horn on high; speak not insolence with a haughty neck.

Psalms 75: 6 (75:7) For neither from the east, nor from the west, nor yet from the wilderness, cometh lifting up.

The Tanach