of St. John Baptist; his shoulders broad, and his arms and
thighs sinewy; his knees were strong and hardened, as is usually the
case with those who have either walked or knelt much, and his legs
long, with very strong muscles; his feet were well formed, and his
hands beautiful, the fingers being long and tapering, and although not
delicate like those of a woman, still not resembling those of a man who
had laboured hard. His neck was rather long, with a well-set and finely
proportioned head; his forehead large and high; his face oval; his
hair, which was far from thick, was of a golden brown colour, parted in
the middle and falling over his shoulders; his beard was not any great
length, but pointed and divided under the chin. When I contemplated him
on the cross, his hair was almost all torn off, and what remained was
matted and clotted with blood; his body was one wound, and every limb
seemed as if dislocated.

The crosses of the two thieves were placed, the one to the right and
the other to the left of Jesus; there was sufficient space left for a
horseman to ride between them. Nothing can be imagined more distressing
than the appearance of the thieves on their crosses; they suffered
terribly, and the one on the left-hand side never ceased cursing and
swearing. The cords with which they were tied were very tight, and
caused great pain; their countenances were livid, and their eyes
enflamed and ready to start from the sockets. The height of the crosses
of the two thieves was much less than that of our Lord.

CHAPTER XLII.

First Word of Jesus on the Cross.

As soon as the executioners had crucified the two thieves and
divided the garment of Jesus between them, they gathered up their
tools, addressed a few more insulting words to our Lord, and went away.
The Pharisees, likewise, rode up to Jesus, looked at him scornfully,
made use of some opprobrious expression, and then left the place. The
Roman soldiers, of whom a hundred had been posted round Calvary, were
marched away, and their places filled by fifty others, the command of
whom was given to Abenadar, an Arab by birth, who afterwards took the
name of Ctesiphon in baptism; and the second in command was Cassius,
who, when he became a Christian, was known by the name of Longinus:
Pilate frequently made use of him as a messenger. Twelve Pharisees,
twelve Sadducees, as many scribes, and a few ancients, accompanied by
those Jews who had been endeavouring to pers