NotfarfromherewasanichewheretheyusedtopreserveapieceoftheTrueCross，butitisgone，now。Thispieceofthecrosswasdiscoveredinthesixteenthcentury。TheLatinpriestssayitwasstolenaway，longago，bypriestsofanothersect。Thatseemslikeahardstatementtomake，butweknowverywellthatitwasstolen，becausewehaveseenitourselvesinseveralofthecathedralsofItalyandFrance。
ButtherelicthattouchedusmostwastheplainoldswordofthatstoutCrusader，GodfreyofBulloigne——KingGodfreyofJerusalem。NobladeinChristendomwieldssuchenchantmentasthis——nobladeofallthatrustintheancestralhallsofEuropeisabletoinvokesuchvisionsofromanceinthebrainofhimwholooksuponit——nonethatcanprateofsuchchivalricdeedsortellsuchbravetalesofthewarriordaysofold。ItstirswithinamaneverymemoryoftheHolyWarsthathasbeensleepinginhisbrainforyears，andpeopleshisthoughtswithmail—cladimages，withmarchingarmies，withbattlesandwithsieges。ItspeakstohimofBaldwin，andTancred，theprincelySaladin，andgreatRichardoftheLionHeart。Itwaswithjustsuchbladesasthesethatthesesplendidheroesofromanceusedtosegregateaman，sotospeak，andleavethehalfofhimtofallonewayandtheotherhalftheother。ThisveryswordhasclovenhundredsofSaracenKnightsfromcrowntochininthoseoldtimeswhenGodfreywieldedit。Itwasenchanted，then，byageniusthatwasunderthecommandofKingSolomon。Whendangerapproacheditsmaster\'stentitalwaysstrucktheshieldandclangedoutafiercealarmuponthestartledearofnight。Intimesofdonbt，orinfogordarkness，ifitweredrawnfromitssheathitwonldpointinstantlytowardthefoe，andthusrevealtheway——anditwouldalsoattempttostartafterthemofitsownaccord。AChristiancouldnotbesodisguisedthatitwouldnotknowhimandrefusetohurthim——noraMoslemsodisguisedthatitwouldnotleapfromitsscabbardandtakehislife。ThesestatementsareallwellauthenticatedinmanylegendsthatareamongthemosttrustworthylegendsthegoodoldCatholicmonkspreserve。IcanneverforgetoldGodfrey\'ssword，now。ItrieditonaMoslem，andclovehimintwainlikeadoughnut。ThespiritofGrimeswasuponme，andifIhadhadagraveyardIwouldhavedestroyedalltheinfidelsinJerusalem。Iwipedthebloodofftheoldswordandhandeditbacktothepriest——IdidnotwantthefreshgoretoobliteratethosesacredspotsthatcrimsoneditsbrightnessonedaysixhundredyearsagoandthusgaveGodfreywarningthatbeforethesunwentdownhisjourneyoflifewouldend。
StillmovingthroughthegloomoftheChurchoftheHolySepulchrewecametoasmallchapel，hewnoutoftherock——aplacewhichhasbeenknownas\"ThePrisonofOurLord\"formanycenturies。TraditionsaysthatheretheSaviourwasconfinedjustpreviouslytothecrucifixion。Underanaltarbythedoorwasapairofstonestocksforhumanlegs。Thesethingsarecalledthe\"BondsofChrist，\"andtheusetheywereonceputtohasgiventhemthenametheynowbear。
TheGreekChapelisthemostroomy，therichestandtheshowiestchapelintheChurchoftheHolySepulchre。Itsaltar，likethatofalltheGreekchurches，isaloftyscreenthatextendsclearacrossthechapel，andisgorgeouswithgildingandpictures。Thenumerouslampsthathangbeforeitareofgoldandsilver，andcostgreatsums。
Butthefeatureoftheplaceisashortcolumnthatrisesfromthemiddleofthemarblepavementofthechapel，andmarkstheexactcentreoftheearth。Themostreliabletraditionstellusthatthiswasknowntobetheearth\'scentre，agesago，andthatwhenChristwasuponearthhesetalldoubtsuponthesubjectatrestforever，bystatingwithhisownlipsthatthetraditionwascorrect。Remember，Hesaidthatthatparticularcolumnstooduponthecentreoftheworld。Ifthecentreoftheworldchanges，thecolumnchangesitspositionaccord—ingly。Thiscolumnhasmovedthreedifferenttimesofitsownaccord。Thisisbecause，ingreatconvulsionsofnature，atthreedifferenttimes，massesoftheearth——wholerangesofmountains，probably——haveflownoffintospace，thuslesseningthediameteroftheearth，andchangingtheexactlocalityofitscentrebyapointortwo。Thisisaverycuriousandinterestingcircumstance，andisawitheringrebuketothosephilosopherswhowouldmakeusbelievethatitisnotpossibleforanyportionoftheearthtoflyoffintospace。