itaque Josephus, et assumpta Maria sponsa sua Hierosolymam abiit, venitque Bethlehemum, ut cum familia sua in urbe patria describeretur. Cumque ad speluncam pervenissent, fassa est Maria Josepho, instare sibi temipus pariendi, neque se posse in urbem proficisci; sed hanc, inquit, speluncam intremus. Sol autem præceps in occasum ferebatur. At Josephus propere abiens, ut mulierem, quæ (in partu) ipsi adesset, accerseret, anum Hebræam conspicit, Hierosolymis oriundam; et, Heus benedicta, inquit, huc ades, et speluncam istam ingredere, in qua mulierem partui vicinam invenies.

III. Post solis itaque occasum anus, et cum illa Josephus, ad speluncam pervenit, eamque ambo intraverunt. Et ecce! repleta illa erat luminibus lucernarum et candelarum fulgorem excedentibus, et solari luce majoribus: infans fasciis involutus divæ Mariæ matris suæ ubera sugebat, in præsepi repositus. Hanc lucem cum ambo mirarentur, rogat vetula divam Mariam, Tune hujus prolis es mater? et annuente diva Maria, Nequaquam, ait, similis es filiabus Evæ. Dicebat diva Maria, Sicuti filio meo nemo inter pueros similis existit, ita ipsius genetrix nullam inter mulieres parem habet. Respondente vero anu, et dicente, Hera mea, veni

VOL. II.

taxed in their own country. Joseph therefore arose, and with Mary his spouse he went to Jerusalem, and then came to Bethlehem, that he and his family might be taxed in the city of his fathers. And when they came by the cave, Mary confessed to Joseph, that her time of bringing forth was come, and she could not go on to the city, and said, Let us go into this cave. At that time the sun was very near going down. But Joseph hastened away, that he might fetch her a midwife; and when he saw an old Hebrew woman, who was of Jerusalem, he said to her, Pray come hither, good woman, and go into that cave, and you will there see a woman just ready to bring forth.

III. It was then after sunset, when the old woman and Joseph with her reached the cave, and they both went into it. And behold, it was all filled with lights, greater than the light of lamps and candles, and greater than the light of the sun itself. The infant was then wrapped up in swaddling-clothes, and sucking the breasts of his mother St. Mary. When they both saw this light, they were surprised; the old woman asked St. Mary, Art thou the mother of this child? St. Mary replied, She was. On which the old woman said, Thou art very different from all other women. St. Mary answered, As there is not any child like to my san, so

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ego, ut præmium perpetuo duraturum acquirerem: inquit illi Domina nostra diva Maria, Impone manus tuas infanti: quod cum fecisset, anus extempore munda evasit. Egressa itaque dicebat, Ab hoc tempore famula et ministra ero hujus infantis omnibus diebus vitæ meæ.

IV. Deinde cum advenissent pastores, et succenso igne admodum lætarentur, apparuerunt illis exercitus celestes, laudantes et celebrantes Deum supremum, idemque facientibus pastoribus, spelunca ista tunc temporis augusto templo simillima videbatur, quoniam ora coelestia pariter et terrestria celebrabant et magnificabant Deum, ob nativitatem Domini Christi. Videns vero anus illa Hebræa manifesta illa miracula, gratias Deo agebat, dicens, Gratias tibi ago, O Deus, Deus Israelis, propterea quod viderunt oculi mei nativitatem Servatoris mundi.

V. Cumque adesset tempus circumcisionis, dies scilicet octavus, quo circumcidendum esse puellum lex præcipit, circumciderunt illum in spelunca, sumsitque anus illa Hebræa pelliculam istam (dicunt vero alii ipsam sumsisse præsegmen umbilici), eamque in

neither is there any woman like to his mother. The old woman answered, and said, O my Lady, I am come hither, that I may obtain an everlasting reward. Then our Lady St. Mary said to her, Lay thine hands upon the infant; which when she had done, she became clean (or whole); and as she was going forth, she said, From henceforth all the days of my life I will attend upon, and be a servant of this infant.

IV. After this, when the shepherds came, and had made a fire, and they were exceedingly rejoicing, the heavenly host appeared to them, praising and adoring the supreme God; and as the shepherds were engaged in the same employment, the cave at that time seemed like a glorious temple, because both the tongues of angels and men united to adore and magnify God, on account of the birth of the Lord Christ. But when the old Hebrew woman saw all these evident miracles, she gave praises to God, and said, I thank thee, O God, thou God of Israel, for that mine eyes have seen the birth of the Saviour of the world.

V. And when the time of his circumcision was come, viz. the eighth day, on which the law commanded the child to be circumcised, they circumcised him in the cave, and the old Hebrew woman took the foreskin, (others say she took the navel-string,)

alabastro olei nardini vetusti recondidit. Erat autem illi filius seplasiarius, cui tradens illud, Cave, inquit, vendas alabastrum hoc unguenti nardini, quamvis trecenti denarii pro illo tibi offerentur. Atque hoc est alabastrum illud, quod Maria peccatrix sibi comparavit, et in caput et pedes Domini nostri Jesu Christi effudit, eosque capillitio capitis sui extersit. Tum decem dierum spatio interjecto Hierosolymas eum detulerunt, et quadragesimo a nativitate die in templo coram facie Domini stiterunt, offerentes pro ipso munera, quod in lege Mosis præscriptum est; scilicet, Omnis mas adaperiens vulvam sanctus Dei vocabitur.

VI. Viditque illum Simeon senex instar columnæ lucis refulgentem, cum diva Maria Virgo, mater ejus, ulnis suis eum gestaret, magnamque ex ipso lætitiam perciperet ; et circumdabant eum angeli instar circuli, celebrantes illum, tanquam satellites regi adstantes. Simeon itaque propere ad divam Mariam accedens, et manus suas versus illam extendens, dicebat Domino Christo; Nunc, O Domine mi, servus tuus in pace dimittitur, juxta verbum tuum; nam viderunt oculi mei misericordiam tuam, quam parasti ad salutem omnium gentium;

and preserved it in an alabasterbox of old oil of spikenard. And she had a son who was a druggist, to whom she said, Take heed thou sell not this alabaster box of spikenard ointment, although thou shouldest be offered three hundred pence for it. Now this is that alabaster-box which Mary the sinner procured, and poured forth the ointment out of it upon the head and the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ, and wiped them off with the hairs of her head. Then after ten days they brought him to Jerusalem, and on the fortieth day from his birth they presented him in the temple before the Lord, making the proper offerings for him, according to the requirement of the law of Moses, viz. that every male which opens the womb shall be called holy unto God.

VI. At that time old Simeon saw him shining as a pillar of light, when St. Mary the Virgin, his mother, carried him in her arms, and was filled with the greatest pleasure at the sight. And the angels stood around him, adoring him, as a king's guards stand around him. Then Simeon going near to St. Mary, and stretching forth his hands towards her, said to the Lord Christ, Now, O my Lord, thy servant shall depart in peace, according to thy word; 'for mine eyes have seen thy mercy, which thou hast prepared for the salvation of all na

lucem omnibus populis, et gloriam populo tuo Israeli. Aderat quoque Hanna prophetissa, et accedens, Deo gratias agebat, dominamque Mariam felicem prædicabat.

VII. Et factum est, cum natus esset Dominus Jesus Bethlehemi urbe Judeæ, tempore Herodis regis; ecce! magi venerunt ex oriente Hierosolymas, quemadmodum prædixerat Zoradascht, (Zoroaster,) erantque cum ipsis munera, aurum, thus, et myrrha, et adoraverunt eum, suaque ipsi munera obtulerunt. Tunc domina Maria sumsit unam ex illis tæniis (quibus involutus erat infans) eamque loco benedictionis illis tradidit; quam ipsi, tanquam munus præclarissimum ab ea acceperunt. Eademque hora apparuit illis angelus in forma stellæ illius, quæ antea dux itineris ipsis fuerat, cujus lucis ductum secuti abierunt, donec in patriam suam

reverterentur.

VIII. Aderant autem reges et principes illorum rogantes, ecquidnam vidissent aut egissent? Quomodo ivissent ac redivissent? Quos tandem itineris comites habuissent? Hi vero protulerunt illis fasciam istam, quam diva Maria ipsis tradiderat ; quapropter celebrarunt festum, ignemque pro more suo succenderunt, eumque adoraverunt, et fasciam istam in illum conjecerunt, corripuitque

tions; a light to all people, and the glory of thy people Israel, Hanna the prophetess was also present, and drawing near, she gave praises to God, and celebrated the happiness of Mary.

VII. And it came to pass, when the Lord Jesus was born at Bethlehem, a city of Judæa, in the time of Herod the king; the wise men came from the east to Jerusalem, according to the prophecy of Zoradascht, (Zoroaster,) and brought with them offerings, viz. gold, frankincense and myrrh, and worshipped him, and offered to him their gifts. Then the Lady Mary took one of his swaddlingclothes, (in which the infant was wrapped,) and gave it to them instead of a blessing, which they received from her as a most noble present. And at the same time there appeared to them an angel in the form of that star which had before been their guide in their journey; the light of which they followed till they returned into their own country.

VIII. On their return their kings and princes came to them, inquiring, What they had seen and done? What sort of journey and return they had? What company they had on the road? But they produced the swaddling-cloth which St. Mary had given to them, on account of which they kept a feast; and having, according to the custom of their country, made a fire, they worshipped it, and