10.The former sighed deeply，and murmured，“And yet you are a Teuton.But you were just reading a little case of strange，and yet most interesting figures；was it a manu？”“No，it was a printed book.”“Printed？What is printing？I never heard but of writing.”“It is an art by which one man can give to the world，in one day，as much as three hundred could give by writing，and in a character of superior clearness，correctness，and beauty；one by which books are made universal，and literature eternal.”“Admirable，glorious art！”said the inquirer，“who was its illustrious inventor？”“A GERMAN.”
11.“But another question.I saw you look at a most curious instrument，traced with figures；it sparkled with diamonds；but its greatest wonder was its sound.It gave the hour with miraculous exactness，and the strokes were followed by tones superior to the sweetest music of my day.”“That was a repeater.”“How？When I had the luxuries of the earth at my command，I had nothing to tell the hour better than the clepsydra①and the sun-dial.But this must be incomparable，from its facility of being carried about，from its suitableness to all hours，and from its exactness.It must be an admirable guide even to a higher knowledge.All depends upon the exactness of time.It may assist navigation and astronomy.What an①Clepsydra；a contrivance used by the ancients for measuring time by the running of water.
12.“What，still a barbarian？I remember his nation.I once saw an auxiliary legion of them marching toward Rome.They were a bold，and brave，blue-eyed troop.The whole city poured out to see those northern warriors，but we looked on them only as savages.I have one more question，the most interesting of all.I saw you raise your hand with a small truncheon in it；in a moment，something rushed out that seemed a portion of the fire of the clouds.Were they thunder and lightning that I saw？Did they obey your command？Was that truncheon a talisman？And are you a mighty magician？Was that truncheon a scepter commanding the elements？Are you a god？”
13.The strange inquirer had drawn back gradually as his feelings rose.Curiosity was now solemn wonder，and he stood gazing in an attitude that mingled awe with devotion.The German felt the sensation of a superior presence growing on himself，as he looked on the fixed countenance of this mysterious being.It was in that misty blending of light and darkness which the moon leaves as it sinks just before morn.There was a single hue of pale gray in the east，that touched its visage with a chill light；the moon，resting broadly on the horizon，was setting behind；the figure seemed as if it were standing in the orb.Its arms were lifted toward heaven，and the light came through its drapery with the mild splendor of a vision；but the German，habituated to the vicissitudes of “perils by flood and field，”shook off his brief alarm，and proceeded calmly to explain the source of this miracle.He gave a slight detail of the machinery of the pistol，and alluded to the history of gunpowder.
14.“It must be an effective instrument in the hands of man for either good or ill，”said the former.“How much it must change the nature of war！How much it must influence the fate of nations！Bywhom was this wondrous secret revealed to the inhabitants of earth？”“A GERMAN.”
15.The form seemed suddenly to enlarge；its feebleness of voice was gone；its attitude was irresistibly noble.Before it uttered a word，it looked as if it were made to persuade and command.Its outer robe had been flung away；it stood with an antique dress of brilliant white，gathered in many folds，and edged with a deep border of purple，a slight wreath of laurel，of dazzling green，was on its brow.It looked like the genius of eloquence.“Stranger，”it said，pointing to the Apennines，which were then beginning to be marked by the twilight，“eighteen hundred years have passed，since I was the glory of all beyond those mountains.Eighteen hundred years have passed into the great flood of eternity，since I entered Rome in triumph，and was honored as the leading mind of the great intellectual empire of the world.But I knew nothing of those things.I was a child to you；we were all children to the discoverers of those glorious potencies.But has Italy not been still the mistress of mind？She was then the first of the first；has she not kept her superiority？Show me her noble inventions.I must soon sink from the earth：let me learn still to love my country.”
16.The listener started back：“Who，what are you？”“I am a spirit；I was Cicero.Show me，by the love of a patriot，what Italy now sends out to enlighten mankind！”The German looked embarrassed；but in a moment after，he heard the sound of a pipe and a tabor.He pointed in silence to the narrow street from which the interruption came.A ragged figure tottered out with a barrel organ at his back，a frame of puppets in his hand，a hurdy-gurdy round his neck，and a string of dancing dogs in his train.Cicero uttered but one sigh；“Is this Italy？”The German bowed his head.
