OF THE CROSS AND CROWN OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
At Constantinople is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and his coat
without seams, and the sponge and the reed with which the Jews gave our
Lord vinegar and gall on the cross; and there is one of the nails with
which Christ was nailed on the cross. And some men believe that half the
cross of our Lord is in Cyprus, in an abbey of monks called the Hill of
the Holy Cross. But it is not so; for the cross which is in Cyprus is
that on which Dismas[286], the good thief, was crucified. But all men
know not that, and it is an evil act; because, for profit of the
offering, they say that it is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. And
you shall understand that the cross of our Lord was made of four kinds
of trees, as is contained in this verse—
"In cruce fit palma, cedrus, cypressus, oliva."
For the piece that went upright from the earth to the head was of
cypress; and the piece that went across, to which his hands were nailed,
was of palm; and the stock, that stood within the earth, in which was
made the mortise, was of cedar; and the tablet above his head, which was
a foot and a half long, on which the title was written in Hebrew, Greek,
and Latin, was of olive. And the Jews made the cross of these four kinds
of trees, because they believed that our Lord Jesus Christ should have
hanged on the cross as long as the cross might last; and therefore they
made the foot of the cross of cedar, because cedar may not rot in earth
or water; and they thought that it should have lasted long. And because
they believed that the body of Christ should have stunk, therefore they
made the piece that went from the earth upwards of cypress, for it is
well smelling, so that the smell of his body should not grieve men that
passed by. And the cross piece was of palm, because in the Old Testament
it was ordained that when any one conquered, he should be crowned with
palm; and because they believed that they had the victory of Christ
Jesus, therefore made they the cross-piece of palm. And the tablet of
the title they made of olive, because olive betokens peace; and the
story of Noah witnesseth that when the dove brought the branch of olive,
it betokened peace made between God and man; and so the Jews expected to
have peace when Christ was dead; for they said that he made discord and
strife amongst them. And you shall understand that our Lord was nailed
on the cross in a recumbent position, and therefore he suffered the more
pain. And the Christians that dwell beyond the sea, in Greece, say that
the tree of the cross that we call cypress was of that tree of which
Adam ate the apple, and that they find written. And they say also, that
their Scripture saith[287] that Adam was sick, and told his son Seth to
go to the angel that kept Paradise, to pray that he would send him oil
of mercy to anoint his members with, that he might have health. And Seth
went, but the angel would not let him come in, telling him that he might
not have of the oil of mercy; but he gave him three grains of the same
tree of which his father ate the apple, and bade him, as soon as his
father was dead, that he should put these three grains under his tongue,
and bury him so: and he did. And of these three grains sprung a tree, as
the angel said that it should, and bore a fruit, through which fruit
Adam should be saved. And when Seth came again, he found his father near
dead. And when he was dead, he did with the grains as the angel bade
him; of which sprung three trees, whereof the cross was made, that bare
good fruit and blessed, namely, our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom
Adam, and all that come of him, should be saved and delivered from dread
of death without end, unless it be by their own fault. The Jews had
concealed this holy cross in the earth, under a rock of Mount Calvary;
and it lay there two hundred years and more, till the time of St.
Helena, the mother of Constantine, emperor of Rome. She was the daughter
of king Coel, born in Colchester, who was king of England, which was
then called Britain the Greater; the emperor Constantius took her to
wife for her beauty, and had by her Constantine, who was afterwards
emperor of Rome.
And you shall understand that the cross of our Lord was eight cubits
long, and the cross-piece was three cubits and a half in length. And
one part of the crown of our Lord, wherewith he was crowned, and one of
the nails, and the spear-head, and many other relics, are in France, in
the king's chapel[288], the crown being placed in a vessel of crystal
richly worked. For a king of France bought these relics of the Jews, to
whom the emperor had given them in pledge for a great sum of silver. And
if it be so, as men say, that this crown is of thorns, you shall
understand that it was of rushes of the sea, which prick as sharply as
thorns; for I have seen and beheld many times that of Paris and that of
Constantinople; for they were both one, made of rushes of the sea. But
men had divided them in two parts; of which one part is at Paris, and
the other part is at Constantinople. And I have one of these precious
thorns, which seems like a white thorn; and it was given to me as a
great favour; for there are many of them broken and fallen into the
vessel that the crown lieth in; they break for dryness, when men move
it, to show it to great lords that come thither.
And you shall understand that our Lord Jesus, on the night he was taken,
was led into a garden, where he was first examined very sharply; and
there the Jews scorned him, and made him a crown of the branches of
aubespine, or white thorn, which grew in the same garden, and set it on
his head, so fast and so sore, that the blood ran down on many parts of
his face, neck, and shoulders. And therefore hath white thorn many
virtues; for he that beareth a branch thereof upon him, no thunder nor
tempest may hurt him; and no evil spirit may enter in the house in which
it is, or come to the place that it is in. And in that same garden St.
Peter denied our Lord thrice. Afterward our Lord was led forth before
the bishops and the masters of the law, into another garden belonging to
Annas; and there also he was examined, reproved, and scorned, and
crowned again with a white thorn, which is called barbarines, which grew
in that garden, and which hath also many virtues. And afterward he was
led into a garden of Caiphas, and there he was crowned with eglantine.
And after he was led into the chamber of Pilate, and there he was
examined and crowned. And the Jews set him in a chair, and clad him in a
mantle; and there they made the crown of rushes of the sea; and there
they knelt to him, and scorned him, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!"
Half of this crown is at Paris, and the other half at Constantinople.
And Christ had this crown on his head when he was placed on the cross;
and therefore ought men to worship it, and hold it more worthy than any
of the others. And the emperor of Almaine possesses the spear-shaft, but
the head of the spear is at Paris. Yet the emperor of Constantinople
saith that he hath the spear-head, and I have often seen it; but it is
greater than that at Paris.