He therefore rushed back into the house, and placed him in a fitter garment for to see a king, and having embraced Amahnah and the children, went straight forth.

Looking back, he saw his children.

And this was the last that ever he did see them till his dying day. For behold, a great change was about to pass on the face of the whole world, in especial on the fortunes of Simon-Solomon of Cyrenaica.

CHAPTER XXV

THE TWO CROSS-BEARERS

FOLLOWING the multitude, Simon of Cyrene passed out through the Temple, across Jehosaphat, and up the crowded western side of the Olivet Mount.

And all that were of the multitude brake them off branches of palm-trees (and Simon also) crying, "Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord!" And Ophidion was among them, and shouted with a very loud voice.

And Simon, recollecting all the mighty works of Jesus whereof he had heard, said in his heart: "Surely, at length, there is come our very Lord and King. Even Ophidion, the monster, doth follow Him. And the Nations shall fall before Him. Even as wheat before a sickle, so shall the Gentiles fall; and Jerusalem shall be glorified and exalted utterly."

They met King Jesus, riding on an ass's colt, so that Simon remembered the saying of Jehovah-Jireh. Again the multitude shouted, "Hosanna! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord." Ophidion was among them, and shouted with a very loud voice.

Then companied they Jesus back down Olivet and into the Temple. And Jesus, having turned His eyes on Simon (but unto Ophidion He gave not notice) spake. And the heart of the giant was filled with a holy fire. He thought: "It is He! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord! It is Shiloh, Adonai. At last I have seen Him in the flesh."

Then he would have gone and kissed Adonai's hand, and laid himself before Him in the dust, but he was full of a too great fear.

And the blind and the lame came before Jesus, and were healed. And all glorified God, and the Temple rang with the praise of Jesus-Jesus, the mighty; Jesus, the Son of God; Jesus, the conqueror of the heathen; Jesus, Savior of His people, even Israel.

But Jesus went over to where they were that sold and bought

in the Temple, and cast them out, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves. And said unto them, "It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves."

And Simon saw Parush and others of the Pharisees. And he began to murmur with them, because Jesus had cast out from the Temple one that was a friend to Parush, and also for this that there were certain men which said unto Simon: "He hath spoken against the Law, and is a blasphemer of the Law. Can this man be Christ?"

Went Parush and the other Pharisees, and took counsel, how they might entangle Jesus in His talk-for these were determined Jesus should be put an end to.

But Simon passed down to Jericho, which is on the Jordan. There an aged priest lived which owed him moneys. Said he to the priest, "I will have that thou owest me. For I have talked with Parush, greatest of the teachers of the Law, and he saith thou shalt pay me, yea, to the uttermost. For I am Pharisee and Scribe, thou merely an am-ha-aret, which is dust beneath a rabbi's feet."

Said the priest, "I will sell the little I have that I may pay thee. Abide in the city a day.'

All that he had the man sold, and Simon, having taken the moneys, returned to Jerusalem.

And when he had called together many beggars, he declared with a loud voice: "I that am Simon of Cyrene, I am very holy and give alms."

Then all the moneys which the aged man had paid him, that cast he forth to the beggars.

But while he yet cast, he heard multitudes shouting: "King Jesus! King Jesus again!"

And he betook him to the Temple, and stood in the court of the Gentiles, where Jesus looked once more upon him, so that in his heart Simon was ashamed because of the moneys which he had taken from the priest. And for this, that he was ashamed, he began again to hate Jesus.

And many of the other Scribes and Pharisees were in the Temple also. Jesus spake unto the multitude and saith: "The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat; all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say and do not.

"For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

"But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

"But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

"And call no man your father upon the earth; for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

"Neither be ye called Masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. "But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

"But woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

"Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

"Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

"Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.

"Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

"And, whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

"Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

"Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

"And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

"And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

"Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

"Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

"Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

"Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

"Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

"Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

"Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous, and say If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.

"Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

"Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

:

"Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city.

"That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

"Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

"Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

"For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."

Then rent Simon his inner garment, and cast dust upon his head, and sware with all his mind and heart and soul and strength that never would he say these words at any time unto Jesus. "Is Jesus Adonai?" he asked. "Nay, by God, not so."

He ran forth of the Temple, and went down unto Cæsarea, where a Gentile lived which owed him moneys. Saith the Gentile unto him, "I will sell the little I have, that I may pay thee that I owe."

Simon abode in the city for a day, and receiving his moneys, returned to Jerusalem, being minded to seek out his own house.

Now, it was his duty, and it should have been his pleasure, to eat the passover with Amahnah and the children, together with certain of the neighbors, but his heart was set on the purchase of a piece of ground. Thought he, "I will find the owner of that ground, that I may bargain with him." And all the while his heart was hot and bitter against Jesus. He kept repeating, "Never will I say unto thee, 'Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.'

Arrived he therefore not unto his own house, but, by the way of the roofs, unto Bezetha, the portion of the city where the owner of the land lived. But the man was not in his house, having departed for another place with his whole family, there to eat of the passover.

Then spake Simon with one called Betsa, whose name, being interpreted, meaneth "Covetousness." Betsa saith unto him, "Down in the lower city dwelleth such and such a one who hath yet a far better piece of ground, the which he will sell for less, for he hath great need of moneys. But get thee from the way of the roofs, and go thou down by the lower passages, for so thou mayest discover the man, or ere thou reachest his house."

And Simon was fain to get down from the house-tops (whereon were the many paschal booths) and into the streets and alleys of the city. From many a house the festal lamp shone forth, and poured the sounds of joy and merry-making, and all the streets were filled with rush and hurry and glad preparation for the passover. But Simon of Cyrene kept on and on, and would soon have met the man which had sore need of moneys.

But behold, came wild shoutings, clangor of cymbals, trampling and alarms. Then the proud voice of a trumpet.

And the people cried as with a single tongue, "Pilate! The Procurator!"

Then some did curse, but others shouted: "Bow the knee! Bow the knee! All hail! In the name of Cæsar!"

So Simon was fain to take yet another way about, and when he had come to the house of the man he sought, there was one that said: "Such an one? He hath gone even now to the Temple. Thou wilt surely find him at the great wall-gate, which there is by the Temple at the north.”

And Simon went and stood by the wall-gate of the Temple, and his heart was hungry and covetous, hot and bitter also concerning Jesus.