ance and grief she had since felt. It was painful to look upon
her; she was the very picture of despair, her long dishevelled hair was
partly covered by her torn and wet veil, and her appearance was that of
one completely absorbed by woe and almost beside herself from sorrow.
Many of the inhabitants of Magdalum were standing near, gazing at her
with surprise and curiosity, for they had known her in former days,
first in prosperity and afterwards in degradation and consequent
misery. They pointed, they even cast mud upon her, but she saw nothing,
knew nothing, and felt nothing, save her agonising grief.

CHAPTER XXVI.

The Crowning with Thorns.

No sooner did Sister Emmerich recommence the narrative of her
visions on the Passion than she again became extremely ill, oppressed
with fever, and so tormented by violent thirst that her tongue was
perfectly parched and contracted; and on the Monday after Mid-Lent
Sunday, she was so exhausted that it was not without great difficulty,
and after many intervals of rest, that she narrated all which our Lord
suffered in this crowning with thorns. She was scarcely able to speak,
because she herself felt every sensation which she described in the
following account:

Pilate harangued the populace many times during the time of the
scourging of Jesus, but they interrupted him once, and vociferated, 'He
shall be executed, even if we die for it.' When Jesus was led into the
guardhouse, they all cried out again, 'Crucify him, crucify him!'

After this there was silence for a time. Pilate occupied himself in
giving different orders to the soldiers, and the servants of the High
Priests brought them some refreshments; after which Pilate, whose
superstitious tendencies made him uneasy in mind, went into the inner
part of his palace in order to consult his gods, and to offer them
incense.

When the Blessed Virgin and the holy women had gathered up the blood
of Jesus, with which the pillar and the adjacent parts were saturated,
they left the forum and went into a neighbouring small house, the owner
of which I do not know. John was not, I think, present at the scourging
of Jesus.

A gallery encircled the inner court of the guardhouse where our Lord
was crowned with thorns, and the doors were open. The cowardly
ruffians, who were eagerly waiting to gratify their cruelty by
torturing and insulting our Lord, were about fifty in number, and the
greatest part slaves or servants of the j