Jews, and earnestly longed for the death of Jesus, the
Converter of souls, the holy Teacher, the Just Man, who was so
abhorrent to him; but at the same time he felt an extraordinary
interior fear of the death of the innocent Victim, who would not
conceal himself from his persecutors. I saw him then, on the one hand,
stimulate the hatred and fury of the enemies of Jesus, and on the
other, insinuate to some of their number that Judas was a wicked;
despicable character, and that the sentence could not be pronounced
before the festival, or a sufficient number of witnesses against Jesus
be gathered together.

Everyone proposed something different, and some questioned Judas,
saying: 'Shall we be able to take him? Has he not armed men with him?' And
the traitor replied: 'No, he is alone with eleven disciples; he is
greatly depressed, and the eleven are timid men.' He told them that now
or never was the time to get possession of the person of Jesus, that
later he might no longer have it in his power to give our Lord up into
their hands, and that perhaps he should never return to him again,
because for several days past it had been very clear that the other
disciples and Jesus himself suspected and would certainly kill him if
he returned to them. He told them likewise that if they did not at once
seize the person of Jesus, he would make his escape, and return with an
army of his partisans, to have himself proclaimed King. These threats
of Judas produced some effect, his proposals were acceded to, and he
received the price of this treason--thirty pieces of silver. These pieces
were oblong, with holes in their sides, strung together by means of
rings in a kind of chain, and bearing certain impressions.

Judas could not help being conscious that they regarded him with
contempt and distrust, for their language and gestures betrayed their
feelings, and pride suggested to him to give back the money as an
offering for the Temple, in order to make them suppose his intentions
to have been just and disinterested. But they rejected his proposal,
because the price of blood could not be offered in the Temple. Judas
saw how much they despised him, and his rage was excessive. He had not
expected to reap the bitter fruits of his treason even before it was
accomplished, but he had gone so far with these men that he was in
their power, and escape was no longer possible. They watched him
carefully, and would not let him leave their presence, unt