crocus, and a handful of fenugreck (another kind of fennel). Let these be boiled in wine, and give them her to drink, and say, 'Arise from thy flux.'" If these do no good, other cures, over ten in number, are prescribed; among them, this―" Let them dig seven ditches, in which let them burn some cuttings of vines, not yet four years old. Let her take in her hand a cup of wine, and let them lead her away from this ditch, and make her sit down over that. And let them remove her from that, and make her sit down over another, saying to her at each remove,- Arise from thy flux.'" ly

But these were only a few of the more harmless prescriptions in vogue. The condition of medical science in the East may be judged from its character at the centre of civilization and progress in the West. Pliny's Natural History gives us some curious glimpses of this. Ashes of burnt wolf's skull, stags' horns, the heads of mice, the eyes of crabs, owls' brains, the livers of frogs, vipers' fat, grasshoppers, bats, etc., supplied the alkalis which were prescribed. Physicians were wont to order doses of the gall of wild swine, of horses' foam, of woman's milk; the laying a piece of serpent's skin on an affected part, mixtures of the urine of cows that had not been sucked, the fat of bears, the juice of boiled bucks' horns, and other similar abominations. For colic, they prescribed the dung of swine or hares, for dysentery powdered horses' teeth, for affections of the bladder the urine of wild swine, or asses' kidneys, or plasters of mice-dung. It was a great assistance in childbirth if the mother, or any of her circle, ate wolf's flesh. Cold in the head was cured by kissing a mule's nose. Sore throat was removed by embrocations of snails' slime, and the inhalation of the fumes of snails slowly burnt. Quinsy was cured with the brain of the marsh owl: 7 diseases of the lungs, with mouse-flesh; 8 disorders of the stomach with boiled snails, of which, however, only an odd number must be taken; weakness of the bowels, with powdered bats; miscarriages were prevented by carrying about with one a living amphisbæna, a small snake which was believed to be able to go either backwards or forwards; frogs' eyes were useful for contusions, if the eyes were taken out at the conjunction of the moon, and kept in an egg-shell. Frogs boiled in vinegar were sovereign for toothache; for cough, the slime of frogs

1 Hor Heb., vol. ii. p. 413.

3 Ibid, 53 ff. xxx. 21.

51bid, xxx. 11.

7 Ibid, xxx. 12.

3

2 Plin. Hist. Nat., xxviii. 48 ff.

4 Ibid, xxvi. 77.

6 Ibid, xxx. 11.
8 Ibid, xxx. 14.

THE WOMAN WHO TOUCHED JESUS.

159

which had been hung up by the feet; for rupture, sea hedgehogs-the echinus-dissolved in asses' milk; for diseases of the glands, scorpions boiled in wine; for ague or intermittent fever, the stone from the head of sea-eels, but it must be taken out at the full moon.1

The poor woman who now determined to seek help from Jesus had endured all the tortures of such medical treatment for twelve years, and, of course, was hurt rather than healed. She could not, however, venture to speak to Jesus; perhaps womanly shame to tell her disease in public kept her back; perhaps reverence for One so mysteriously above other men. Besides, she was unclean, and had to stand aloof from society. Joining the crowd following Him to the house of Jairus, she could only dare to touch the zizith, or tassel, that hung on the corner of his outer garment, as on those of all other Jews,2 The touch at once healed her, but it did not pass unnoticed. To have let it do so, might have seemed to give countenance to a superstitious fancy that His clothes had virtue in themselves. Turning round, He at once asked who touched Him. She could no longer hide her act, and, alarmed lest her boldness should be punished by the renewal of the trouble she now felt to have been healed, fell down before Him, and told Him all the truth. It was enough. "Daughter," said He, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague."

1 Plin. Hist. Nat., xxx. 15; xx. 43, 44; xxxii. 24; xxvi. 29, 32, 34; xxxvii. 1.

2 Num. xv. 38. Sehet Welch ein Mensch, p. 28. Saum, Winer. Godwyn's Aaron and Moses, p. 44. Schürer, p. 496.

CHAPTER XLIII.

DARK AND BRIGHT.

AMONG the crowd that had gathered round the house of

Jairus, the supernatural powers of Jesus found renewed exercise. No sooner had He reappeared than two blind men followed Him to Peter's house, appealing to Him as the longexpected Messiah-"Have mercy upon us, Son of David." It was an invariable condition of His granting His miraculous aid that those who sought it should come with sincere and trustful hearts, for to such alone could any higher good be gained by mere outward relief. The poor men eagerly assured him that they believed He could do what they asked, and with a touch of His hand their eyes were opened. "According to your faith," said He, "be it unto you." The prudent charge not to speak of their restored sight, so necessary after all that had lately passed, was heard only to be forgotten, for, in their joy, they could not refrain from publishing it wherever they went. Another miracle of these days is recorded the casting out a devil from one who was dumb, so that the sufferer, henceforth, spoke freely. The multitudes were greatly moved by such repeated demonstrations of transcendent power, which seemed to surpass all that had ever been seen in Israel, but this popularity embittered His enemies the more. Repeating their old blasphemy, they could only mutter, "He casts out devils by being in league with their prince." 2 That He should thus recognise classes whom they represented as accursed, and from whom they withdrew themselves as unclean, seemed a reflection on their teaching and conduct. The blind, the leper, the poor, and the childless, were alike accounted stricken of God, and dead," by the hard Judaism of the day, and yet He associated freely with all who sought Him. Either He or they must be vitally wrong.

66

1 Matt. ix. 27-34.

2 Hor. Heb., vol. ii. pp. 203–205. 3 Lightfoot, vol. iii. p. 94.

CHRIST VISITS NAZARETH.

161

It was now late in the year, and the Twelve had not yet gone out on any independent mission. He had taken them with Him on His circuits round Capernaum, to train them for wider fields. They had seen Him scattering the first seed, and caring for it in its growth; preserving what had been won, strengthening the weak, and calling the careless to repentance. Their experience though gained in this narrow sphere had been widely varied. More lately they had seen unbelief in the Gadarenes, weak faith in themselves, and loving trust in the woman who had touched Jesus, and even in the two blind men at Peter's house. Another lesson, however, was needed-that of fierce opposition-which they were destined to meet so often hereafter.

Jesus had never visited Nazareth since His leaving it, and His heart must have yearned to proclaim the New Kingdom to the population among whom He had lived so long. The visit of Mary and of His sisters and brothers, to Capernaum, to take Him away with them, however mistaken, had, doubtless, been prompted by the tenderest motives. Simple country people, they had heard from their holy Rabbis that He whom they so loved had overstrained His mind and body till His reason had failed, and that there was ground to fear that the Evil One had secretly taken advantage of His enthusiasm to work miracles by His hands. What could it be, indeed, but serving the Prince of Darkness, to slight the sacred traditions by acts like mixing with the common people without bathing afterwards, or breaking the Sabbath by healing on it, or by allowing the disciples to pluck corn and rub it in their hands on the holy day, or letting a leper come near Him, or eating with unclean publicans and sinners? He was a revolutionist; He was turning the world upside down; He was questioning the wisdom and authority of the Rabbis, and who but the devil or his emissary could do that?

It was a grave matter, however, to revisit Nazareth. If His nearest relatives had given way to such fears respecting Him, what could He expect from the multitude, who had known Him only in His humble obscurity? He must seem to them, at the least, a dangerous disturber of the religion of the land; a fanatic who was stirring up confusion in Israel. But, where duty called, He never knew fear. In company with His disciples He set out from Capernaum, taking the road along the hills by the lake, to Magdala, turning westward from it, through the Valley of Doves, by Arbela, with

VOL. II.

M

its high cliffs and robber caves, and the Horns of Hattin, past Tabor, south-westerly to Nazareth. It was only a journey of seven hours, and could easily be made in a day. He stayed in Nazareth several days, no doubt in His mother's house.

The sword had already begun to pierce the Virgin's heart.2 Tender, humble, patient, and loving, she had trials we cannot realize. Knowing that her son was the Messiah, her faith was sorely perplexed by His past course, for her ideas were those of her nation, and His were wholly the opposite. Her intimate knowledge of the sacred oracles of her people had shown itself in the Magnificat: her simple trust in God, her happy thankfulness of soul, her musing thoughtfulness, her modest humility, her strength of mind and energy of purpose, had all been seen in earlier days, and, no doubt, as she grew older, the light of a higher world was reflected with ever-increasing glory from her soul. But she was, and must have been, in sore trouble at the position of her Son. 'His first interview with her has been conceived thus:

"Refreshment over, and thanks returned, with covered head, by Jesus, we may fancy how Mary followed Him to His own chamber. When, at last, she thus had Him alone, she fell on His neck; but instead of kissing Him, as she had done a thousand times, secretly, in spirit, she hid her face on His shoulder, and a stream of tears fell from her eyes. She wept without speaking, and would not let Him go.

"At last, Jesus said, 'Mother, be calm, and sit down by me, and tell me why you weep?' She did so, and began -her hand in His, and His eyes fixed on hers-'I rejoice that at last I have you again, and grieve that we shall soon have once more to part.' 'Do you know, then,' asked Jesus, 'how soon or how late I shall leave this world? 'O my child,' replied Mary, does not the deathly whiteness of your face tell me that you are wearing yourself out? and if you do not wear yourself out, though I am a woman, shut in by the four corners of my house, how can I help seeing that the hatred of your enemies increases daily, and that they have long sworn your death?' 'Granted,' broke in Jesus, but has not a great part of the people banded round me, and does not this stand in the way of the plots against me?' 'Indeed,' replied Mary, 'the might of your preaching, your independence towards those in power at Jerusalem, the 2 Luke ii. 35.

1 Mark vi. 2.