urges him away, and Sévère hears all. A private spot in the midst of rocks and trees Polyeucte becomes a Christian. Act 3 In a hall of the palace Polyeucte, Félix, Sévère, and Albin, High Priest of Jupiter, are present. They begin to talk about the Christians, upon whom Félix calls for vengeance; but Sévère protests. On this Félix bids all to repair to the temple of Jupiter, but Sévère warns him that noble heads may have to fall; and when Félix answers that the believers are the dregs of the people, reveals that he himself has witnessed the baptism of one equal to any then present. The Governor demands the convert's name, and, not obtaining it, declares that he will condemn the whole family to death, should they turn from the orthodox creed. Sévère urges Polyeucte to guard his own life for the sake of those he loved, but the convert professes himself willing to die. Act 4 Polyeucte is seen in prison, still adhering to his faith. Act 5 Polyeucte and Pauline appear in the arena, where we see the lion's den opened by an official. The opera ends. References Notes Sources Alexander, Louis (1881). The Opera-Glass: or, A Clear View of 100 Popular Operas. London: David Bogue. View at Google Books. Harding, James (1973). Gounod. New York: Stein & Day. . Huebner, Steven (1990). The Operas of Gounod Oxford: Oxford University Press. (hardcover); (paperback). Kutsch, K. J. and Riemens, Leo (2003). Großes Sängerlexikon (fourth edition, in German). Munich: K. G. Saur. . Wolff, Stéphane (1962). L'Opéra au Palais Garnier (1875–1962). Paris: Deposé au journal L'Entr'acte . Paris: Slatkine (1983 reprint). . External links Polyeucte: Visual documentation of the premiere on Gallica Comprehensive synopsis at Charles-Gounod.com Operas French-language operas Operas by Charles Gounod 1878 operas Opera world premieres at the Paris Opera Operas based on plays Libretti by Jules Barbier Libretti by Michel Carré Operas based on works by Pierre Corneille