longer; but
although he said so little, every word uttered by Joseph increased his
dismay and remorse. He instantly gave Joseph an order, by which he was
authorised to take down the body of the King of the Jews from the
Cross, and to perform the rites of sepulture at once. Pilate appeared
to endeavour, by his readiness in granting this request, to wish to
make up, in a degree, for his previous cruel and unjust conduct, and he
was likewise very glad to do what he was certain would annoy the
priests extremely, as he knew their wish was to have Jesus buried
ignominiously between the two thieves. He dispatched a messenger to
Calvary to see his orders executed. I believe the messenger was
Abenadar, for I saw him assisting in taking Jesus down from the Cross.

When Joseph of Arimathea left Pilate's palace, he instantly rejoined
Nicodemus, who was waiting for him at the house of a pious woman, which
stood opposite to a large street, and was not far from that alley where
Jesus was so shamefully ill-treated when he first commenced carrying
his Cross. The woman was a vendor of aromatic herbs, and Nicodemus had
purchased many perfumes which were necessary for embalming the body of
Jesus from her. She procured the more precious kinds from other places,
and Joseph went away to procure a fine winding-sheet. His servants then
fetched ladders, hammers, pegs, jars of water, and sponges, from a
neighbouring shed, and placed them in a hand-barrow similar to that on
which the disciples of John the Baptist put his body when they carried
it off from the castle of Macherus.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

The Opening of the Side of Jesus.

Death of the two thieves.

Whilst these events were taking place in Jerusalem, silence reigned
around Calvary. The crowd which had been for a time so noisy and
tumultuous, was dispersed; all were panicstricken; in some that panic
had produced sincere repentance, but on others it had had no beneficial
effects. Mary, John, Magdalen, Mary of Cleophas, and Salome had
remained, either standing or sitting before the Cross, closely veiled
and weeping silently. A few soldiers were leaning over the terrace
which enclosed the platform; Cassius rode up and down; the sky was
lowering, and all nature wore a garb of mourning. Six archers soon
after made their appearance, bringing with them ladders, spades, ropes,
and large iron staves for the purpose of breaking the legs of the
criminals, in order to hasten their deaths