The-papacy-its-history-dogmas-genius-and-prospects-wylie

—CASTLE OF CIIILLON. 451—the little niche of rock on which they were seated oneafter one, and slaughtered for the good of the Church, whichit was feared their heresy might infect. We passed on, andentered the more spacious dungeon of Bonnivard.It lookednot unlike a chapel, with its groined roof and its centralrow of white pillars. The light was that of a deep twilight.We distinctly heard the ripple of the lake against the wall,which was on a level with the floor of the dungeon. At certainseasons of the year it is some feet above it. Two orthree narrow slits, placed high in the wall, admitted the light,which had a greenishhue, from the reflection of the lake.This effect was rather heightened by the light breeze whichkept flappingthe broad leaf of some aquatic plant againstthe opening opposite the Martyr's Pillar. How sweet, wethought, must that ray have been to the Prior of St Victor,and how often, during his imprisonment of six years, musthis eyes have been turned towards it, as it streamed in fromthe waters and the mountains around his dungeon ! Wesaw the iron ring still remaining in the pillar to which hewas chained, and read on that pillar the names of Drydenand Byron, and others who had visited the place. Thelatter name recalled his own beautiful lines, descriptive ofthe place and its martyr :" Chillon ! thy prison is a holy place,And thy sad floor an altar ; for 'twas trodUntil his very steps have left a trace,Worn, as if the cold pavement were a sod.By Bonnivard ! JNIay none those marks efface IFor they appeal from tyranny to God."This dungeon had its one captive, and the image of sufferingit presented stood out definitely before us. The roomsabove had theirthousands, and were suggestive of crowdsof victims, which passed before the mind without order oridentity. Of their names few remain, though the instrumentson which they were torn in pieces are still there.Emerging from the dayless gloom of the vault, we ascendedto these rooms. We entered one spacious apartment, which