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296 Oriental Cairo
through more than a hour of it before the chief ceremonies
begin. The high-priest, a fine-looking old man, now comes
out of the heykel^ and walks about among the congregation
swinging a censer, and laying his hand on the head of those
nearest to him—on ours among others.
" Nothing approaching to sincere devotion is to be seen
in any faces but those which bow under his favour ; and,
indeed, what is more worthy of veneration than an old man's
blessing ? Still, not a Kopt quits the church ; for the Lord's
Supper is administered— in a way, indeed, which it is painful
to remember. Instead of wafers, small cakes stamped with
a Koptic cross ^U are distributed, and the priest, after
washing his hands, partakes of the bread and wine both
together, breaking the bread into the wine, and eating the
sop with a spoon. He also offers a spoonful to such of the
laymen as are near the heykel. Finally, that no particle
may be lost of the sacred elements that represent the body
and blood of Christ, the priest fills the cup with water, rinses
it round, and after pouring it over his hands, drinks it up.
Verily, as this unclean fluid is to pure wine, so is Koptic
Christianity to the other creeds of Christendom. Before we
quite the keenecseh alms are collected for the poor, and we
also are expected to give. I took no part in the love-feast,
which closed the ceremony, and which, in the early days
of Christianity, was so full of sacred fellowship and signi-
ficance. I assisted at it once at Luksor, and saw my fellow-
Christians buy fresh bread, hot from the oven, and share it
amid much bargaining and quarrelling. On that occasion a
brawl took place in front of the church, and was particularly
horrible as occuring in such a spot. But alas ! these
com-
munities have retained little of Christianity but the name,
and though their members fast most conscientiously, and
devote more time to the services of the Church than any
other sect, the true spirit of their faith is wholly wanting,
and it is not surprising that, in Upper Egypt particularly, all
the noblest and best elements of the Koptic community have
been diverted and absorbed into other confessions.''
The church itself, with its carved screen black with age