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Wells, H. G. (Herbert George), 1866-1946

"Soul of a Bishop"

He repeated the words:
"Epitelesei. Epiphausei."
He took his little Testament to verify them. After some slight trouble
he located the two texts. The first, from Philippians, ran in the old
version, "He that hath begun a good work in you will perform it";
the second was expressed thus: "Christ shall give thee light." He was
dissatisfied with these renderings and resorted to the revised version,
which gave "perfect" instead of "perform," and "shall shine upon you"
for "give thee light." He reflected profoundly for a time.
Then suddenly his addresses began to take shape in his mind, and these
little points lost any significance. He began to write rapidly, and as
he wrote he felt the Angel stood by his right hand and read and approved
what he was writing. There were moments when his mind seemed to be
working entirely beyond his control. He had a transitory questioning
whether this curious intellectual automatism was not perhaps what people
meant by "inspiration."
(11)

The bishop had always been sensitive to the secret fount of pathos that
is hidden in the spectacle of youth. Long years ago when he and Lady
Ella had been in Florence he had been moved to tears by the beauty
of the fresh-faced eager Tobit who runs beside the great angel in the
picture of Botticelli.


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