removing the bit of wood, but the others would do nothing of the sort,
and continued to vociferate, 'He will not stretch himself out, but we
will help him;' they accompanied these words with the most fearful oaths
and imprecations, and having fastened a rope to his right leg, dragged
it violently until it reached the wood, and then tied it down as
tightly as possible. The agony which Jesus suffered from this violent
tension was indescribable; the words 'My God, my God,' escaped his lips,
and the executioners increased his pain by tying his chest and arms to
the cross, lest the hands should be torn from the nails. They then
fastened his left foot on to his right foot, having first bored a hole
through them with a species of piercer, because they could not be
placed in such a position as to be nailed together at once. Next they
took a very long nail and drove it completely through both feet into
the cross below, which operation was more than usually painful, on
account of his body being so unnaturally stretched out; I counted at
least six and thirty blows of the hammer. During the whole time of the
crucifixion our Lord never ceased praying, and repeating those passages
in the Psalms which he was then accompanying, although from time to
time a feeble moan caused by excess of suffering might be heard. In
this manner he had prayed when carrying his cross, and thus he
continued to pray until his death. I heard him repeat all these
prophecies; I repeated them after him, and I have often since noted the
different passages when reading the Psalms, but I now feel so exhausted
with grief that I cannot at all connect them.

When the crucifixion of Jesus was finished, the commander of the
Roman soldiers ordered Pilate's inscription to be nailed on the top of
the cross. The Pharisees were much incensed at this, and their anger
was increased by the jeers of the Roman soldiers, who pointed at their
crucified king; they therefore hastened back to Jerusalem, determined
to use their best endeavours to persuade the governor to allow them to
substitute another inscription.

It was about a quarter past twelve when Jesus was crucified, and at
the moment the cross was lifted up, the Temple resounded with the blast
of trumpets, which were always blown to announce the sacrifice of the
Paschal Lamb.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

Raising of the Cross.

When the executioners had finished the crucifixion of our Lord, they
tied ropes to the trunk of