[Sidenote: _Woodcut No. 1._]
[Sidenote: _No. 2._]
[Sidenote: _No. 3._]
[Sidenote: _No. 4._]
[Sidenote: _No. 5._]
[Sidenote: _No. 6._]
[Sidenote: _Nos. 7, 8._]
Adam, feeling himſelf about to die, ſent Seth to Paradiſe to beg for
ſome of the oil of mercy,[1] which, however, the Archangel Michael
refuſed to give him, but, inſtead, preſented him with three ſeeds of
the tree of life.[2] On his return, he found Adam dead, and, being
unable to adminiſter theſe ſeeds to his father in any other manner,
he put them under his tongue, and then buried him.[3] Preſently theſe
ſeeds germinated and ſhot through the ground, and are traditionally
ſaid to have been a cedar, a cypreſs, and a pine.[4] They grew until
Moſes had led the Israelites out of Egypt, when he found them in the
Valley of Hebron, and he recognized them as typifying the Trinity. He
removed them, and they were his conſtant companions.[5] With them he
ſmote the rock, and the waters guſhed out,[6] and the bitter waters of
Marah became ſweet.[7, 8]
[Sidenote: _Woodcut No. 9._]
[Sidenote: _No. 10._]
[Sidenote: _No. 11._]
[Sidenote: _No. 12._]
[Sidenote: _No. 13._]
He then planted them in the land of Moab,[9] and there they remained,
until an angelic viſion appeared unto David, and commanded him to go,
and take them up, and bring them to Jeruſalem.[10] On his return the
three rods worked miracles, healing the ſick,[11] and the leprous,
with a touch;[12] nay, more, on being applied to three black men, they
inſtantly became white.[13]
[Sidenote: _Woodcut No. 14._]
[Sidenote: _No. 15._]
[Sidenote: _No. 16._]
[Sidenote: _No. 17._]
Arrived at Jeruſalem, they wiſhed to plant them, but for the night
they left them in a ciſtern, by the Tower of David,[14] and lo!
during the night, they ſtruck root, and, entwining themſelves, became
but one ſtem,[15] which, when David ſaw, he had a wall built round
it.[16] And the tree grew for thirty years, David ornamenting it with
rings of ſapphire and other precious ſtones, adding one for every
year, and under this tree he compoſed the Psalms, and praiſed God
exceedingly.[17]
[Sidenote: _Woodcut No. 18._]
[Sidenote: _No. 19._]
[Sidenote: _No. 20._]
[Sidenote: _No. 21._]
[Sidenote: _No. 22._]
[Sidenote: _No. 23._]
But Solomon, who muſt needs have all that was rare and coſtly to adorn
his temple, caſt his eyes upon this precious tree, and ordered it to
be cut down.[18] It was duly felled, and ſquared, and trimmed, and it
meaſured thirty cubits in length.[19] But when the carpenters came
to put it into a place of that length, it was a cubit too ſhort, and
when it was fitted into a place of twenty-nine cubits, lo! it meaſured
thirty, and the carpenters marvelled much, and were greatly aſtoniſhed,
and ſo, being uſeleſs, it was laid aſide.[20] Yet the people came to
ſee this wonderful tree, and amongſt them was a maid named Maximilla,
who ſat down upon it, and inſtantly her clothes were in a blaze.[21]
Then ſhe began to lift up her voice, and propheſy, crying, “My God, and
my Lord Jeſu Chriſt.”[22] Then the Jews took her, and ſcourged her to
death.[23]
[Sidenote: _Woodcut No. 24._]
[Sidenote: _No. 25._]
[Sidenote: _No. 26._]
[Sidenote: _No. 27._]
[Sidenote: _No. 28._]
[Sidenote: _No. 29._]
[Sidenote: _No. 30._]
The Jews, not knowing what to do with this miraculous tree, laid it
acroſs a brook,[24] and, when the Queen of Sheba came to viſit Solomon,
ſhe recognized the virtue of the wood; and, refuſing to defile it
with her feet, ſhe diſmounted, and adored it, and waded through the
brook.[25] Then, when ſhe met Solomon, ſhe reproved him, and told him
that on that tree would the Saviour of the world ſuffer death.[26] And
Solomon commanded the holy wood to be taken up,[27] and cauſed it to
be carried into the Temple, there to be placed over the door, ſo that
all men might bleſs, and adore it, and he coated it over with gold and
ſilver.[28] There it remained until Abias ſtripped it of its coſtly
coverings,[29] and the Jews buried it deep in the earth.[30]
[Sidenote: _Woodcut No. 31._]
[Sidenote: _No. 32._]
There it remained for many years, until the Jews wiſhed to make a pool,
where the prieſts might waſh the beaſts, to purify them, previous to
ſacrificing them, and, unknowingly, they dug over the burial-place of
the Holy Croſs.[31] This imparted ſuch a virtue to the water of that
pool, which was called Betheſda, that the ſick were healed thereat, and
an angel at times deſcended from heaven, and ſtirred the waters, and
then whoever could get firſt into the waters was ſtraightway healed of
any infirmity he might have.[32]
[Sidenote: _Woodcut No. 33._]
[Sidenote: _No. 34._]
[Sidenote: _No. 35._]
[Sidenote: _No. 36._]
We now come to the Crucifixion, and there was a lack of wood to make
Chriſt’s croſs—when, ſuddenly, from the depths of Betheſda, leaped up
the tree of the Croſs, and floated gently to land. One ran to the High
Prieſt,[33] and told him of the timely find of ſuitable wood, and he at
once gave orders for it to be faſhioned into a Croſs.[34] Then comes
the mournful proceſſion to Calvary, with our Saviour fainting under the
weight of the Croſs, and Simon the Cyrenean is preſſed into the ſervice
to help Jeſus.[35] And then the Crucifixion.[36]
[Sidenote: _Woodcut No. 37._]
[Sidenote: _No. 38._]
[Sidenote: _No. 39._]
[Sidenote: _No. 40._]
[Sidenote: _No. 41._]
[Sidenote: _No. 42._]
[Sidenote: _No. 43._]
[Sidenote: _No. 44._]
And whilſt the croſſes were ſtill ſtanding, the diſciples came to
them and prayed, and many were healed of their infirmities, and many
devils were caſt out.[37] This ſo angered the Jews that they took the
croſſes down, and buried them,[38] and there they remained until their
invention by St. Helena, A.D. 326. On her arrival at Jeruſalem,[39] ſhe
convened a meeting of the principal Jews, and they denied all knowledge
of it, but, on threat of being burnt, they ſaid that one of their
number, named Judas, knew where the croſſes were buried.[40] Judas,
however, refuſed to tell, and, to compel him to impart his knowledge,
St. Helena had him lowered into a dry well, “and there tormented hym
by hongre and evyl reſte.”[41] Seven days of this treatment made him
ſubmiſſive, and at the end of that time he capitulated. He was then
drawn up,[42] and prayed to God to direct him to the right ſpot.[43]
His prayer was heard, and after ſome digging, the croſſes were
diſcovered.[44]
[Sidenote: _Woodcut No. 45._]
[Sidenote: _No. 46._]
[Sidenote: _No. 47._]
[Sidenote: _No. 48._]
[Sidenote: _No. 49._]
[Sidenote: _No. 50._]
The news was brought to St. Helena, who viſited the ſpot,[45] but
although there were certainly three croſſes, no one knew which was the
one upon which Jeſus ſuffered. A teſt, however, was applied, which
proved to be ſatiſfactory. The body of a maid was being borne on a bier
for burial, but the funeral proceſſion was ſtopped, and the body was
touched by the different croſſes. The two firſt produced no effect,[46]
but when the third touched the dead maiden, ſhe was at once reſtored
to life.[47] Here, then, was proof poſitive; this was the very Croſs;
and St. Helena, mindful of her ſon Conſtantine, divided the ſacred
wood; part ſhe encloſed in a caſe of precious metal, and kept at
Jeruſalem;[48] and part ſhe ſent to her ſon, at Byzantium, who received
it with due reverence,[49] and depoſited it in the church, with great
ceremony.[50]
[Sidenote: _Woodcut No. 51._]
Here it remained, until it was taken away, with other ſpoil, by
Choſroes, the King of Perſia, who, aware of the ſanctity of the relic,
had it placed on the right hand of his throne. He was ſo puffed up with
pride, that he ordered himſelf to be adored. His people, hitherto,
had worſhipped the ſun, but now he ordained that henceforth he was to
be conſidered the principal Perſon in the Trinity (the Father), and
that the relic of the Croſs was to be looked upon as the Son, whilſt a
golden cock which he had made was to repreſent the Holy Ghoſt.[51]
[Sidenote: _Woodcut No. 52._]
[Sidenote: _No. 53._]
[Sidenote: _No. 54._]
Then Heraclius made war againſt Choſroes, and meeting with a Perſian
army under one of the ſons of that monarch, it was agreed that, in
order to prevent a uſeleſs effuſion of blood, the two commanders
ſhould fight it out between them, and whoever was vanquiſhed ſhould
ſubmit.[52] The duel was fought on a bridge over the Danube, and
Heraclius vanquiſhed and killed the ſon of Choſroes.[53] The Perſian
army then made their ſubmiſſion,[54] and the penance impoſed upon them
by the conqueror was that they ſhould all be baptized, which was duly
done.
[Sidenote: _Woodcut No. 55._]
[Sidenote: _No. 56._]
[Sidenote: _No. 57._]
[Sidenote: _No. 58._]
[Sidenote: _No. 59._]
[Sidenote: _No. 60._]
[Sidenote: _No. 61._]
[Sidenote: _No. 62._]
Heraclius then went to Choſroes, and told him what he had done,
offering him his life if he too would embrace Chriſtianity,[55] but
the Perſian monarch refuſed, and Heraclius ſmote off his head.[56] He
then crowned a ſon of Choſroes, and cauſed him to be baptized,[57]
himſelf ſtanding ſponſor, and buried the ſlain king with befitting
honours.[58] Then, taking poſſesſion of the holy relic,[59] he ſet out
with it for Jeruſalem. But, as he was bearing it in great ſtate, he
came to that gate of the City through which Jeſus went to His paſſion,
worn, buffeted, ſcorned, and weary, carrying the heavy burden of His
croſs. And ſuddenly the gateway became ſolid maſonry, ſo that he could
not paſs through, and an angel appeared in the heavens, and reproved
him for his oſtentatious diſplay in a place which his Saviour had
previouſly trodden in ſuch deep humility.[60] Heraclius diſmounted
from his horſe, and, ſtripping himſelf of all the trappings of royalty,
barefoot, and in his ſhirt,[61] he meekly bore the Croſs to its
appointed place,[62] the maſonry diſappearing as ſoon as he had humbled
himſelf.
[Sidenote: _Woodcut No. 63._]
[Sidenote: _No. 64._]
A piece of the Croſs was afterwards ſent to Rome, where it duly arrived
after a very ſtormy voyage,[63] and it was there preſerved for the
adoration of the faithful.[64]