Fecerat autem avium passerumque figuras, quæ, cum volare ipsas juberet, volabant, et cum stare juberentur, consistebant; quod si cibum et potum illis porrigeret, edebant et bibebant. Cum deinde abiissent pueri et parentibus ista suis retulissent, dicebant illis patres ipsorum: Cavete in posterum, O filii, a consortio ejus, quoniam veneficus est; fugite illum et vitate, neque ab hoc momento unquam cum ipso colludite.

XXXVII. Quodam etiam die Dominus Jesus, cum pueris ludens et discurrens, officinam tinctoris præteribat, cujus nomen erat Salem; erantque in officina ejus panni plurimi civium illius urbis, quos variis coloribus imbuere parabant. Ingressus vero Dominus Jesus officinam tinctoris, pannos hosce universos sustulit, et in cortinam tinctoriam conjecit. Rediens Salem pannosque perditos cernens, voce maxima exclamare cœpit, et Dominum Jesum objurgare, dicens; Quid fecisti mihi, O fili Mariæ et me et cives meos injuria affecisti ; quilibet enim commodum sibi colorem expetit, tu vero adveniens omnia perdidisti. Respondebat Dominus Jesus, Cujuscunque panni colorem mutare volueris, hunc ego tibi immutabo; statimque pannos ex cortina producere cœpit, singulos illo colore imbutos, quem tinctor desiderabat, donec omnes eduxisset. Hoc

made the figures of birds and sparrows, which, when he commanded to fly, did fly, and when he commanded to stand still, did stand still; and if he gave them meat and drink, they did eat and drink. When at length the boys went away, and related these things to their parents, their fathers said to them, Take heed, children, for the future of his company, for he is a sorcerer ; shun and avoid him, and from henceforth never play with him.

XXXVII. On a certain day also, when the Lord Jesus was playing with the boys, and running about, he passed by a dyer's shop, whose name was Salem; and there were in his shop many pieces of cloth belonging to the people of that city, which they designed to dye of several colours. Then the Lord Jesus going into the dyer's shop, took all the cloths, and threw them into the furnace. When Salem came home, and saw the cloths spoiled, he began to make a great noise, and to chide the Lord Jesus, saying, What hast thou done to me, Q thou son of Mary? Thou hast injured both me and my neighbours ; they all desired their cloths of a proper colour; but thou hast come and spoiled them all. The Lord Jesus replied, I will change the colour of every cloth to what colour thou desirest; and then he presently began to take the cloths out of the furnace, and they were

prodigium atque miraculum videntes Judæi Deum celebrabant.

XXXVIII. Josephus autem, per totam urbem circumiens, Dominum Jesum secum ducebat, cum propter artificium ejus homines illum accerserent, ut portas ipsis, aut mulctralia, aut cribra, aut arcas conficeret; eratque cum ipso Dominus Jesus, quocunque proficisceretur. Quotiescunque ergo Josepho aliquid operis sui, longius aut brevius, latius sive angustius faciendum esset, Dominus Jesus manum suam versus illud extendebat, ac statim, prout vellet Josephus, res succedebat; ita ut opus non esset ipsi quidquam manu sua perficere, quia nec admodum peritus erat artis fabrilis.

XXXIX. Quodam vero die accersivit illum rex Hierosolymæ, et, Volo, inquit, Josephe, ut solium mihi construas ad mensuram loci illius, in quo sedere consuevi. Paruit Josephus, ac statim operi manum admovens, biennium in regia mansit, donec fabricam istius solii absolvisset. Cum itaque illud in sede sua collocaret, ab unoquoque latere duas illud spithamas a præfinita mensura deficere advertit. Quo viso rex Josepho admodum irascebatur, et Josephus iram regis metuens incœnatus dormiebat, cum nihil omnino gustasset. Tunc rogante Domino Jesu, Quare me

all dyed of those same colours which the dyer desired; and when the Jews saw this surprising miracle, they praised God.

And

XXXVIII. And Joseph, wheresoever he went in the city, took the Lord Jesus with him, where he was sent for to work, to make gates or milk-pails, or sieves, or boxes; the Lord Jesus was with him wheresoever he went. as often as Joseph had any thing in his work, to make longer or shorter, or wider or narrower, the Lord Jesus would stretch his hand towards it, and presently it became as Joseph would have it; so that he had no need to finish any thing with his own hands, for he was not very skilful at his carpenter's trade.

XXXIX. On a certain time the king of Jerusalem sent for him, and said, I would have thee make me a throne of the same dimensions with that place in which I commonly sit. Joseph obeyed, and forthwith began the work, and continued two years in the king's palace before he finished it. And when he came to fix it in its place, he found it wanted two spans on each side of the appointed measure. Which when the king saw, he was very angry with Joseph; and Joseph, afraid of the king's anger, went to bed without his supper, taking not any thing to eat. Then the Lord

tueret? Quoniam, inquit Josephus, opus, in quo biennium integrum elaboravi, perdidi. Cui Dominus Jesus, Omitte, inquit, timorem, neque animum abjice; tu unum istius solii latus apprehendes, et ego alterum, ut ad justam illud mensuram redigamus. Cumque fecisset Josephus, quemadmodum dixerat Dominus Jesus, et uterque a latere suo valide traheret, paruit solium, et ad justam loci illius mensuram redactum fuit. Quod prodigium cum cernerent adstantes, obstupescebant, et Deum celebrabant. Fabricatum vero erat solium hoc ex ligno illo, quod exstiterat tempore Soleimanis, ligno scilicet variis formis et figuris insignito.

XL. Alio quodam die Dominus Jesus in plateam egressus, et pueros, qui ad ludendum convenerant, conspicatus, eorum se turbæ admiscuit.

Qui viso illo cum sese occultarent, ipsique investigandos præberent, pervenit Dominus Jesus ad portam domus cujusdam, et stantes ibi mulieres rogavit, Quonam pueri isti abiissent? Cumque neminem ibi adesse responderent, iterum Dominus Jesus, Hi, inquit, quos in fornace videtis, quinam sunt? Respondentibus illis, Hædos esse triennes; exclamavit Dominus Jesus, dixitque, Huc exite, O hædi, ad pastorem vestrum : et con

Jesus asked him, What he was afraid of? Joseph replied, Because I have lost my labour in the work which I have been about these two years. Jesus said to

him, Fear not, neither be cast down; do thou lay hold on one side of the throne, and I will the other, and we will bring it to its just dimensions. And when Joseph had done as the Lord Jesus said, and each of them had with strength drawn his side, the throne obeyed, and was brought to the proper dimensions of the place: which miracle when they who stood by saw, they were astonished, and praised God. The throne was made of the same wood, which was in being in Solomon's time, viz. wood adorned with various shapes and figure's.

XL. On another day the Lord Jesus going out into the street, and seeing some boys who were met to play, joined himself to their company: but when they saw him, they hid themselves, and left him to seek for them; the Lord Jesus came to the gate of a certain house, and asked some women who were standing there, Where the boys were gone? And when they answered, That there was no one there; the Lord Jesus said, Who are those whom ye see in the furnace? They answered, They were kids of three years old. Then Jesus cried out aloud, and said, Come out hither,

festim egrediebantur pueri hædis similes, et circa ipsum exsultabant; quod conspicatæ mulieres istæ obstupuerunt admodum, terrorque ipsas et tremor occupavit. Propere igitur Dominum Jesum adorabant et obsecrabant, dicentes, O Domine noster Jesu, fili Mariæ, tu revera es Pastor ille bonus Israelis! miserere ancillarum tuarum, quæ coram te consistunt, quæ minime dubitant, quin tu, O Domine noster, ad sanandum, non vero ad perdendum veneris. Deinde, cum respondisset Dominus Jesus, Filios Israelis esse inter populos, tanquam Æthiopes; dicebant mulieres, Tu, Domine, omnia nosti, neque te quidquam latet; nunc vero te rogamus, et a pietate tua petimus, ut pueros istos, servos tuos, in pristinum ipsorum statum restituas. Dicebat ergo Dominus Jesus, Adeste, O pueri, ut abeamus et ludamus: et extemplo, adstantibus hisce foeminis, hædi immutati sunt, et in formam puerorum redierunt.

XLI. Mense autem Adar congregavit Jesus pueros, eosque tanquam rex disposuit; straverant enim vestes suas in terra, ut super illas consideret, et coronam e floribus consertam capiti ejus imposuerant, et satellitum instar, regi adstantium, a dextris et sinistris coram ipso consistebant. Si quis autem per viam illam transiret, illum vi abstrahebant pueri, dicentes; Huc ades, et

VOL. II.

O ye kids, to your shepherd; and presently the boys came forth like kids, and leaped about him ; which when the women saw, they were exceedingly amazed, and trembled. Then they immediately worshipped the Lord Jesus, and beseeched him, saying, O our Lord Jesus, son of Mary, thou art truly that good shepherd of Israel! have mercy on thy handmaids, who stand before thee, who do not doubt, but that thou, O Lord, art come to save, and not to destroy. After that, when the Lord Jesus said, The children of Israel are like Ethiopians among the people; the women said, Thou, Lord, knowest all things, nor is any thing concealed from thee: but now we entreat thee, and beseech of thy mercy, that thou wouldest restore those boys to their former state. Then Jesus said, Come hither, O boys, that we may go and play; and immediately, in the presence of these women, the kids were changed, and returned into the shape of boys.

XLI. In the month Adar Jesus gathered together the boys, and ranked them as though he had been a king; for they spread their garments on the ground for him to sit on; and having made a crown of flowers, put it upon his head, and stood on his right and left as the guards of a king; and if any one happened to pass by, they took him by force, and said; Come hither, and worship

N

regem adora, ut felix tibi iter contingat.

XLII. Interea dum hæc gerebantur, accedebant viri, qui puerum lectica gestabant. Hic enim puer ligna petiturus cum æqualibus suis in montem discesserat; ibi vero cum perdicis nidum invenisset, et manum suam, ut ova exinde tolleret, extendisset, serpens eum malignus ex medio nidi prorepens pupugit, ita ut sodalium suorum auxilium imploraret: qui, cum propere accessissent, invenerunt illum in terra jacentem, mortui instar; venerantque propinqui ejus, et sublatum in urbem referebant. Postquam vero pervenerant ad locum illum, in quo Dominus Jesus more regis residebat, cæterique pueri ministrorum instar circumstabant, pueri propere obviam procedebant ei, qui a serpente morsus erat, et dicebant propinquis ejus, Accedite, et salutate regem; sed cum propter moerorem in quo versabantur, accedere nollent, pueri illos invitos vi abstrahebant. Et cum ad Dominum Jesum pervenissent, rogabat ille, Quare hunc puerum gestarent? Atque illis respondentibus, Quod serpens ipsum momordisset; dicebat Dominus Jesus pueris, Ite nobiscum, ut serpentem istum interficiamus. Rogantibus vero parentibus pueri, ut dimitterentur, quod filius ipsorum in agone mortis versaretur; respondebant pueri, dicen

the king, that you may have a prosperous journey.

XLII. In the mean time, while these things were doing, there came certain men, carrying a boy upon a couch; for this boy having gone with his companions to the mountain to gather wood, and having found there a partridge's nest, and put his hand in to take out the eggs, was stung by a poisonous serpent, which leaped out of the nest; so that he was forced to cry out for the help of his companions: who, when they came, found him lying upon the earth like a dead person. After which, his neighbours came, and carried him back into the city. But when they came to the place where the Lord Jesus was sitting like a king, and the other boys stood around him like his ministers, the boys made haste to meet him, who was bitten by the serpent, and said to his neighbours, Come and pay your respects to the king; but when, by reason of their sorrow, they refused to come, the boys drew them and forced them against their wills to come. And when they came to the Lord Jesus, he inquired, On what account they carried that boy? and when they answered, that a serpent had bitten him, the Lord Jesus said to the boys, Let us go and kill that serpent. But when the parents of the boy desired to be excused, because their son lay at the point of death: the