300
your blindness, and saved you oft from the unclean
spirits of devils. Ye doomed Him to death who
among a multitude of men roused from death itself
unto their former life a number of your own race. 305
Ye blind of soul, thus have ye confounded false
with sooth, light with darkness, hate with reverence,
and have woven a crime from your evil thoughts.
Therefore doth this curse weigh you down in your
sin--ye judged that pure Power, and until this day 310
ye have lived with clouded thoughts in heresy. Go
ye now quickly, and think upon the men most sage
in wisdom and skilled in speech, who, versed in the
knowledge of your law, hold it foremost in their 315
hearts, and who may declare unto me truly and
devise an answer for each token whereof I may
ask them.'

Then, sorely grieved and saddened, and burdened 320
with fear, the men wise in law went apart, and earnestly
sought the deepest mystic words wherewith
they might answer the queen whatsoever she asked
of them, whether of good or of bad. And they 325
found among their number a thousand of exceeding
wisdom, who most fully knew the traditions of old
among the Jews. In a great crowd they hastened
to where, upon a royal throne in majesty, the kinswoman 330
of the emperor waited, a stately queen of
battle adorned with gold. And Elene spake before
the folk:--'Hearken, ye wise of soul, unto a holy
mystery, the word and the wisdom. Lo! ye had the
teaching of prophets how the Prince of life and Lord 335
of might should be born in the likeness of a child.
Of him sang Moses, leader of the Israelites, and
spake this word:--"Unto you is born a child of
wondrous might in mystery, for his mother conceived 340
him not through the love of man." Of him
king David, father of Solomon, ruler of men, a
prophet with the wisdom of age, chanted a psalm
and spake this word:--"In times afore I beheld the 345
God of creation, the Lord of victories. He was
before my sight upon my right hand, the King of
might and Prince of majesty. Thence will I never
turn my eyes more unto life." Likewise again 350
Isaiah the prophet, deeply moved by the Spirit of
God, spake concerning you before the multitudes in
these words: "I raised up sons and I begat children,
and unto them I gave possessions, and holy balm
for their souls; but they scorned me, lo