tes, Annon audivistis, quid rex dixerit, Eamus et occidamus serpentem? et vos morem ipsi non geritis? et sic ipsis nolentibus, lecticam retro abducebant. Cumque ad nidum illum pervenissent, dicebat Dominus Jesus pueris, Hoccine est latibulum serpentis? Atque illis annuentibus, serpens a Domino Jesu vocatus confestim prodibat, seseque ipsi submittebat. Cui ille, Abi, inquit, et omne venenum, quod huic puero insinuasti, exsuge. Itaque serpens iste, ad puerum adrepens,

omne suum venenum rursus abstulit; et tunc maledixit illi Dominus Jesus, ut extemplo disruptus moreretur : puerumque manu sua tetigit, ut valetudini pristinæ restitueretur; et cum flere inciperet, Reprime fletum, inquit Dominus Jesus; mox enim meus eris discipulus, et hic est Simon Cananites, cujus in evangelio fit mentio.

XLIII. Alio die Josephus filium suum Jacobum lignatum miserat, et comitem se illi Dominus Jesus adjunxerat; cumque pervenissent ad locum, in quo ligna erant, coepissetque Jacobus illa colligere, ecce vipera maligna illum momordit, ita ut flere et vociferari inciperet. Eum igitur in hoc statu cernens Dominus Jesus, accessit ad ipsum, locumque in quo vipera eum momorderat, afflavit, ut extemplo sanaretur.

boys made answer, and said, Did not ye hear what the king said? Let us go and kill the serpent; and will not ye obey him? So they brought the couch back again, whether they would or not. And when they were come to the nest, the Lord Jesus said to the boys, Is this the serpent's lurking-place? They said, It was. Then the Lord Jesus calling the serpent, it presently came forth, and submitted to him: to whom he said, Go and suck out all the poison which thou hast infused into that boy: so the serpent crept to the boy, and took away all its poison again. Then the Lord Jesus cursed the serpent, so that it immediately burst asunder, and died; and he touched the boy with his hand to restore him to his former health; and when he began to cry, the Lord Jesus said, Cease crying, for hereafter thou shalt be my disciple; and this is that Simon the Canaanite, who is mentioned in the Gospel.

XLIII. On another day, Joseph sent his son James to gather wood, and the Lord Jesus went with him; and when they came to the place where the wood was, and James began to gather it, behold, a venomous viper bit him, so that he began to cry, and make a noise. The Lord Jesus seeing him in this condition, came to him, and blowed upon the place where the viper had bit him, and it was instantly well.

XLIV. Quodam etiam die, cum Dominus Jesus versaretur inter pueros, qui in tecto ludebant, quidam puerorum ex alto decidens confestim exspiravit. Diffugientibus vero cæteris pueris, Dominus Jesus solus in tecto remansit; cumque advenissent propinqui istius pueri, dicebant Domino Jesu, Tu filium nostrum ex tecto præcipitem dedisti. Illo autem id negante, vociferabantur, dicentes, Filius noster mortuus est, et hic est, qui illum interfecit. Quibus Dominus Jesus, Ne me, inquit, arguite facinoris, cujus neutiquam me convincere poteritis; sed agite, rogemus puerum ipsum, qui veritatem in lucem producat. Tunc descendens Dominus Jesus stetit super capite mortui, et voce magna, Zeinune, inquit, Zeinune, quis te de tecto præcipitavit? Tunc respondens mortuus, Domine, ait, non tu me dejecisti, sed i deiva me ex illo deturbavit. Et cum præcepisset Dominus adstantibus, ut ad verba ejus attenderent; omnes, qui aderant, Deum pro hoc miraculo laudabant.

XLV. Jusserat aliquando diva Domina Maria Dominum Jesum abire, et aquam ipsi ex puteo afferre. Cum ergo petitum aquam abiisset, hydria, jam impleta, cum sursum attolleretur, fracta est: expandens vero Dominus Jesus mantile suum, illo collectam aquam ad matrem suam defere

XLIV. On a certain day the Lord Jesus was with some boys, who were playing on the housetop, and one of the boys fell down, and presently died. Upon which the other boys all running away, the Lord Jesus was left alone on the house-top. And the boy's relations came to him and said to the Lord Jesus, Thou didst throw our son down from the house-top. But he denying it, they cried out, Our son is dead, and this is he who killed him. The Lord Jesus replied to them, Do not charge me with a crime, of which you are not able to convict me, but let us go ask the boy himself, who will bring the truth to light. Then the Lord Jesus going down stood over the head of the dead boy, and said with a loud voice, Zeinunus, Zeinunus, who threw thee down from the house-top? Then the dead boy answered, Thou didst not throw me down, but such a one did. And when the Lord Jesus bade those who stood by take notice of his words, all who were present praised God on account of that miracle.

XLV. On a certain time the Lady St. Mary had commanded the Lord Jesus to fetch her some water out of the well; and when he had gone to fetch the water, the pitcher, when it was brought up full, brake; but Jesus spreading his mantle gathered up the water again, and brought it in

bat; quæ stupens rem totam miram, omnia tamen quæ viderat recondebat, et conservabat in corde suo.

XLVI. Rursus alio die Dominus Jesus ad rivum aquæ versabatur cum pueris, eduxerantque per sulcos aquam ex rivo illo, piscinulas sibi construentes; feceratque Dominus Jesus duodecim passeres, eosque circa piscinam suam, ad singula latera ternos, instruxerat. Erat autem dies sabbathi, et accedens filius Hanani Judæi, eosque conspiciens talia molientes, Itane, inquit, die sabbathi figuras ex luto fingitis? Et propere accurrens piscinas eorum destruebat. Cum vero Dominus Jesus manus suas super passeres, quos finxerat, complosisset, avolabant illi pipientes. Deinde filio Hanani ad Jesu quoque piscinam accedente, ut illam destrueret, evanuit aqua ejus, dixitque illi Dominus Jesus: Quemadmodum evanuit aqua ista, sic tua quoque vita evanescet, et extemplo puer iste exaruit.

XLVII. Alio tempore, cum vesperi Dominus Jesus cum Josepho domum reverteretur, obviam habuit puerum, qui cursu rapido concitatus, impellebat ipsum, ut caderet. Cui Dominus Jesus; Quemadmodum me impulisti, ita cades, neque surges; eademque hora corruit puer et exspiravit.

that to his mother; who, being astonished at this wonderful thing, laid up this, and all the other things which she had seen, in her memory.

XLVI. Again on another day the Lord Jesus was with some boys by a river, and they drew water out of the river by little channels, and made little fishpools. But the Lord Jesus had made twelve sparrows, and placed them about his pool on each side, three on a side. But it was the sabbath day, and the son of Hanani a Jew came by, and saw them making these things, and said, Do ye thus make figures of clay on the sabbath? And he ran to them, and broke down their fish-pools. But when the Lord Jesus clapped his hands over the sparrows which he had made, they fled away chirping. At length the son of Hanani coming to the fish-pool of Jesus to destroy it, the water vanished away, and the Lord Jesus said to him, In like manner as this water has vanished, so shall thy life vanish; and presently the boy died.

XLVII. Another time, when the Lord Jesus was coming home in the evening with Joseph, he met a boy, who ran so hard against him, that he threw him down; to whom the Lord Jesus said, As thou hast thrown me down, so shalt thou fall, nor ever rise. And that moment the boy fell down, and died.

XLVIII. Erat porro Hierosolymis quidam Zaccheus nomine, qui juventutem erudiebat. Dicebat hic Josepho, Quare, O Josephe, non mittis ad me Jesum, ut literas discat? Annuebat illi Josephus, et ad divam Mariam hoc referebat. Ad magistrum itaque illum deducebant; qui simulatque eum conspexerat, alphabetum ipsi conscripsit, utque Aleph diceret præcepit; et cum dixisset Aleph, magister ipsum Beth pronunciare jubebat. Cui Dominus Jesus; Dic mihi prius significationem literæ Aleph, et tum Beth pronunciabo. Cumque magister verbera ipsi intentaret, exponebat illi Dominus Jesus significationes literarum Aleph et Beth; item quænam literarum figuræ essent rectæ, quænam obliquæ, quænam duplicatæ ; quæ punctis insignitæ, quæ iisdem carentes; quare una litera aliam præcederet; aliaque plurima enarrare cœpit, et elucidare, quæ magister ipse nec unquam audiverat, nec in libro ullo legerat. Dixit porro magistro Dominus Jesus, Attende, ut dicam tibi; cœpitque clare et distincte recitare, Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth, usque ad finem alphabeti. Quod miratus magister, Hunc, inquit, puerum ante Noachum natum esse existimo; conversusque ad Josephum, Adduxisti, ait, ad me erudiendum puerum, magistris

XLVIII. There was also at Jerusalem one named Zacchæus, who was a schoolmaster; he said to Joseph, Joseph, why dost thou not send Jesus to me, that he may learn his letters? Joseph agreed, and told St. Mary: so they brought him to that master; who, as soon as he saw him, wrote out an alphabet for him, and he bade him say Aleph; and when he had said Aleph, the master bade him pronounce Beth. Then the Lord Jesus said to him, Tell me first the meaning of the letter Aleph, and then I will pronounce Beth. And when the master threatened to whip him, the Lord Jesus explained to him the meaning of the letters Aleph and Beth; also which were the straight figures of the letters, which the oblique, and what letters had double figures; which had points, and which had none; why one letter went before another; and many other things he began to tell him, and explain; of which the master himself had never heard, nor read in any book. The Lord Jesus further said to the master, Take notice how I say to thee; then he began clearly and distinctly to say, Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth, and so on to the end of the alphabet. At this the master was so surprised, that he said, I believe this boy was born before Noah ; and turning to Joseph, he said,

omnibus doctiorem. Divæ quoque Mariæ inquit, Filio huic tuo nulla doctrina opus est.

XLIX. Ad alium deinde magistrum doctiorem eum deduxerunt, qui ut eum conspexit, Dic Aleph, inquit. Cumque dixisset Aleph, magister ipsum Beth pronunciare jubebat. Cui respondens Dominus Jesus, Dic mihi, inquit, prius significationem literæ Aleph, et tunc Beth pronunciabo. Hic cum sublata manu eum verberaret magister, confestim manus ipsius exaruit, et mortuus est. Tunc dicebat Josephus divæ Mariæ, Ab hoc tempore non sinemus eum domo exire; quoniam quisquis ipsi adversatur, morte plectitur.

L. Et cum factus esset annorum duodecim, duxerunt eum Hierosolymas ad festum; finito autem festo, ipsi quidem revertebantur, sed Dominus Jesus retro manebat in templo inter doctores et seniores, et eruditos ex filiis Israelis; quos de scientiis varia interrogabat, et vicissim eis respondebat. Dicebat enim illis, Messias cujus est filius? Respondebant illi, Filius Davidis. Quare ergo, inquit, in spiritu vocat illum Dominum suum? quando dicit, Dixit Dominus Domino meo, Sede ad dextram meam, ut hostes tuos vestigiis pedum tuorum subjiciam. Tum interrogabat eum princeps quidam magistrorum, Legistine libros ? Et

than any master. He said also to St. Mary, This your son has no need of any learning.

XLIX. They brought him then to a more learned master, who, when he saw him, said, Say Aleph; and when he had said Aleph, the master bade him pronounce Beth; to which the Lord Jesus replied, Tell me first the meaning of the letter Aleph, and then I will pronounce Beth. But this master, when he lift up his hand to whip him, had his hand presently withered, and he died. Then said Joseph to St. Mary, Henceforth we will not allow him to go out of the house; for every one who displeases him is killed.

L. And when he was twelve years old, they brought him to Jerusalem to the feast; and when the feast was over, they returned, but the Lord Jesus continued behind in the temple among the doctors and elders, and learned men of Israel; to whom he proposed several questions of learning, and also gave them answers: for he said to them, Whose son is the Messiah? They answered, The son of David: Why then, said he, does he in the spirit call him Lord? when he saith, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, till I have made thine enemies thy footstool. Then a certain principal rabbi asked him, Hast thou read books? Je