The Song of the Minster 21

the strains of joyous worship changed into a
wail of supplication ; and as he caught the
words, Thomas too raised his voice in wild
entreaty :

Miserere nostri, Domine, miserere nostri.

O Lord, have mercy upon us: have mercy upon us.

And then his senses failed him, and he sank
to the ground in a long swoon.

When he came to himself all was still, and
all was dark save for the little yellow flower
of light in the sanctuary lamp.

As he crept back to his cell he saw with
unsealed eyes how churlishly he had grudged
God the glory of man’s genius and the
service of His dumb creatures, the metal of
the hills, and the stone of the quarry, and
the timber of the forest ; for now he knew
that at all seasons, and whether men heard
the music or not, the ear of God was filled by
day and by night with an everlasting song
from each stone of the vast Minster :

We magnify Thee,

And we worship Thy name: ever world without end.