rogante Domino Jefu, Quare metueret? Quoniam, inquit Jofephus, opus, in quo biennium integrum elaboravi, perdidi. Cui Dominus Jefus, Omitte, inquit, timorem, neque animum abjice; tu unum iftius folii latus apprehendes, et ego alterum, ut ad juftam illud menfuram redigamus. Cumque feciffet Jofephus, quemadmodum dixerat Dominus Jefus, et uterque a latere fuo valide traheret, paruit folium, et ad juftam loci illius menfuram redactum fuit. Quod prodigium cum cernerent adftantes, obftupefcebant, et Deum celebrabant. Fabricatum vero erat folium hoc ex ligno illo, quod exftiterat tempore Soleimanis, ligno fcilicet variis formis et figuris infignito.

XL. Alio quodam die Dominus Jefus in plateam egreffus, et pueros, qui ad ludendum convenerant, confpicatus, eorum fe turbæ admifcuit. Qui vifo illo cum fefe occultarent, ipfique inveftigandos præberent, pervenit Dominus Jefus ad portam domus cujufdam, et ftantes ibi mulieres rogavit, Quonam pueri ifti abiiffent? Cumque

eat. Then the Lord Jefus afked him, What he was afraid of? Jofeph replied, Because I have left my labour in the work which I have been about these two years. Jefus said to him, Fear not, neither be caft down; do thou lay hold on one fide of the throne, and I will the other, and we will bring it to its just dimenfions. And when Joseph had done as the Lord Jefus faid, and each of them had with strength drawn his fide, the throne obeyed, and was brought to the proper dimenfions of the place: which miracle when they who ftood by faw, they were aftonished, and praised God. The throne was made of the fame wood, which was in being in Solomon's time, viz. wood adorned with various fhapes and figures.

XL. On another day the Lord Jefus going out into the ftreet, and seeing fome boys who were met to play, joined himself to their company: but when they faw him, they hid themselves, and left him to feek for them; the Lord Jefus came to the gate of a certain house, and asked fome women who were standing there, Where the boys

were

neminem ibi adeffe refponderent, iterum Dominus Jefus, Hi, inquit, quos in fornace videtis, quinam funt? Refpondentibus illis, Hædos effe triennes ; exclamavit Dominus Jefus, dixitque, Huc exite, O hædi, ad Paftorem veftrum et confeftim egrediebantur pueri hædis fimiles, et circa ipfum exfultabant; quod confpicatæ mulieres iftæ obftupuerunt admodum, terrorque ipfas et tremor occupavit. Propere igitur Dominum Jefum adorabant et obfecrabant, dicentes, O Domine nofter Jefu, fili Mariæ, tu revera es Paftor ille bonus Ifraelis miferere ancillarum

tuarum, quæ coram te confiftunt, quæ minime dubitant, quin tu, O Domine nofter, ad fanandum, non vero ad perdendum veneris. Deinde, cum refpondiffet Dominus Jefus, Filios Ifraelis effe inter populos, tanquam Æthiopes; dicebant mulieres, Tu, Domine, omnia nofti, neque te quidquam latet; nunc vero te rogamus, et a pietate tua petimus, ut pueros iftos, fervos tuos, in priftinum ipforum ftatum reftituas. Dicebat ergo Dominus Jefus,

Adefte, O pueri, ut abeamus

et ludamus: et extemplo, ad

were gone? And when they answered, That there was no one there; the Lord Jefus faid, Who are those whom ye fee in the furnace? They anfwered, They were kids of three years old. Then Jefus cried out aloud, and faid, Come out hither, O ye kids, to your Shepherd; and presently the boys came forth like kids, and leaped about him; which when the women faw, they were exceedingly amazed, and trembled. Then they immediately worshipped the Lord Jefus, and befeeched him, saying, O our Lord Jefus, fon of Mary, thou art truly that good Shepherd of Ifrael! have mercy on thy handmaids, who ftand before thee, who do not doubt, but that thou, O Lord, art come to fave, and not to destroy. After that, when the Lord Jefus faid, The children of Ifrael are like Ethiopians among the people; the women faid, Thou, Lord, knoweft all things, nor is any thing concealed from thee: but now we intreat thee, and befeech of thy mercy, that thou wouldeft refore thofe boys to their former late. Then Jefus faid, Come hither, O boys, that we may go and play; and immediate

ly,

ftantibus hifce fœminis, hædi immutati funt, et in formam puerorum redierunt.

XLI. Menfe autem Adar congregavit Jesus pueros, eofque tanquam rex difpofuit; ftraverant enim veftes fuas in terra, ut fuper illas confideret, et coronam e floribus confertam capiti ejus impofuerant, et fatellitum inftar, regi adftantium, a dextris et finiftris coram ipfo confiftebant. Si quis autem per viam illam tranfiret, illum vi abftrahebant pueri, dicentes; Huc ades, et regem adora, ut felix tibi iter contingat.

XLII. Interea dum hæc gerebantur, accedebant viri, qui puerum lectica geftabant. Hic enim puer ligna petiturus cum æqualibus fuis in montem difcefferat; ibi vero cum perdicis nidum inveniffet, et manum fuam, ut ova exinde tolleret, extendiffet, ferpens eum malignus ex medio nidi prorepens pupugit, ita ut fodalium fuorum auxilium imploraret: qui, cum propere acceffiffent, invenerunt illum in terra jacentem, mortui in

VOL. II.

P

ly, in the prefence of these women, the kids were changed, and returned into the fhape. of boys.

XLI. In the month Adar Jefus gathered together the boys, and ranked them as though he had been a king; for they fpread their garments on the ground for him to fit on; and having made a crown of flowers, put it upon his head, and ftood on his right and left as the guards of a king; and if any one happened to pafs by, they took him by force, and faid; Come hither, and worship the king, that you may have a profperous journey.

XLII. In the mean time, while these things were doing, there came certain men, carrying a boy upon a couch; for this boy having gone with his companions to the mountain to gather wood, and having found there a partridge's neft and put his hand in to take out the eggs, was stung by a poisonous ferpent, which leaped out of the neft; so that he was forced to cry out for the help of his companions: who, when they came, found him lying upon the earth like a dead

ejus, et fublatum in urbem referebant. Poftquam vero pervenerant ad locum illum, in quo Dominus Jefus more regis refidebat, cæterique pueri miniftrorum inftar circumftabant, pueri propere obviam procedebant ei, qui a ferpente morfus erat, et dicebant propinquis ejus, Accedite, et falutate regem; fed cum propter mororem in quo verfabantur, accedere nollent, pueri illos invitos vi abftrahebant. Et cum ad Dominum Jefum perveniffent, rogabat ille, Quare hunc puerum geftarent? Atque illis refpondentibus, Quod ferpens ipfum momordiffet; dicebat Dominus Jefus pueris, Ite nobifcum, ut ferpentem iftum interficiamus. Rogantibus vero parentibus pueri, ut dimitterentur, quod filius ipforum in agone mortis verfaretur; refpondebant pueri, dicentes, Annon audiviftis, quid rex dixerit, Eamus et occidamus ferpentem? et vos morem ipfi non geritis? et fic ipfis nolentibus, lecticam retro abducebant.

Cumque

ad nidum illum perveniffent, dicebat Dominus Jefus pueris, Hoccine eft latibulum

And

his neighbours came, and carried him back into the city. But when they came to the place where the Lord Jefus was fitting like a king, and the other boys stood around him like his minifters, the boys made hafte to meet him, who was bitten by the serpent, and faid to his neighbours, Come and pay your respects to the king; but when, by reafon of their forrow, they refused to come, the boys drew them and forced them against their wills to come. when they came to the Lord Jefus, he enquired, On what account they carried that boy? and when they answered, that a ferpent had bitten him, the Lord Jefus faid to the boys, Let us go and kill that ferpent. But when the parents of the boy defired to be excufed, because their fon lay at the point of death: the boys made anfwer, and said, Did not ye hear what the king faid? Let us go and kill the ferpent; and will not ye obey him? So they brought the couch back again, whether they would or not. And when they were come to the neft, the Lord Jefus faid to the boys, Is this the Serpent's lurking

XLIII. Alio die Jofephus filium fuum Jacobum lignatum miferat, et comitem fe illi Dominus Jefus adjunxerat; cumque perveniffent ad locum, in quo ligna erant, cœpiffetque Jacobus illa colligere, ecce vipera maligna illum momordit, ita ut flere et vociferari inciperet. Eum igitur in hoc ftatu cernens Dominus Jefus, acceffit ad ipfum, locumque in quo vivipera eum momorderat, afflavit, ut extemplo fanaretur.

lurking place? They faid, It was. Then the Lord Jefus calling the ferpent, it presently came forth, and fubmitted to him to whom he said, Go and fuck out all the poifon which thou haft infufed into that boy: fo the ferpent crept to the boy, and took away all its poifon again. Then the Lord Jefus curfed the ferpent, fo that it immediately burst afunder, and died; and he touched the boy with his hand to restore him to his former health; and when he began to cry, the Lord Jefus faid, Ceafe crying, for hereafter thou halt be my difciple; and this is that Simon the Canaanite, who is mentioned in the Gofpel.

XLIII. On another day, Jofeph fent his fon James to gather wood, and the Lord Jefus went with him; and when they came to the place where the wood was, and James began to gather it, behold, a venemous viper bit him, fo that he began to cry, and make a noife. The Lord Jesus seeing him in this condition, came to him, and. blowed blowed upon the place where the viper had bit him, and it was inftantly well.

XLIV.