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full and located underneath the earth. And the day
became as dark as full night, when it should have
been pure and clear. For this reason, my lord Saint Denis (who is now
eshrined in France, and who at that time was a student
in pagan Greece), good cleric that he was -- for he knew
much about astronomy -- when he perceived this great
darkness, he marvelled mightily at it and found
through astronomy that it could not have happened
naturally nor through reason that an eclipse could have
come at that time. Therefore he said something very cryptic,
thusly: Either the god of nature is suffering great torment
and great wrong, or the whole world is in disharmony and wants
to collapse like something that wants to come to an end.
He thought to himself that it was a great god, one having
power over all others, since he was someone who believed
in many gods according to the law. Therefore he made
an altar in his oratory that was above all the others and off to
one side, where no one would go but himself alone, for
he did not want anyone to consider him an wrong believer.
And when he had seen it he called it the house of the unknown god.
He adored him and held him to be most dear. Not long after,