IGNORANCE. If it be true, good vellowe, Alone then will I flee: And passion of his zon, 140 III. THE WANDERING JEW. ་ The story of the Wandering Jew is of considerable antiquity: it had obtained full credit in this part of the world before the year 1228, as we learn from Mat. Paris. For in that year, it seems, there came an Armenian archbishop into England, to visit the shrines and reliques preserved in our churches; who, being entertained at the monastery of St. Albans, was asked several questions relating to his country, &c. Among the rest a monk, who sat near him, inquired if he had ever seen or heard of the famous person named Joseph, that was so much talked of; who was present at our Lord's crucifixion and conversed with him, and who was still alive in confirmation of the Christian faith.' The archbishop answered, That the fact was true. And afterwards one of his train, who was well known to a servant of the abbot's, interpreting his master's words, told them in French, That his lord knew the person they spoke of very well: that he had dined at his table but a little while before he left the East: that he had been Pontius Pilate's porter, by name Cartaphilus; who, when they were dragging Jesus out of the door of the Judgment-hall, struck him with his fist on the back, saying, "Go faster, Jesus, go faster; why dost thou linger?" Upon which Jesus looked at him with a frown and said, "I indeed am going, but thou shalt tarry till I come." Soon after he was converted, and baptized by the name of Joseph. He lives for ever, but at the end of every hundred years falls into an incurable illness, and at length into a fit or ecstasy, out of which when he recovers, he returns to the same state of youth he was in when Jesus suffered, being then about 30 years of age. He remembers all the circumstances of the death and resurrection of Christ, the saints that arose with him, the composing of the Apostles' creed, their preaching, and dispersion; and is himself a very grave and holy person.' This is the substance of Matthew Paris's account, who was himself a monk of St. Albans, and was living at the time when this Armenian archbishop made the above relation. Since his time several impostors have appeared at intervals under the name and character of the Wandering Jew; whose several histories may be seen in Calmet's dictionary of the Bible. See also the Turkish Spy, Vol. II. Book 3, Let. 1. The story that is copied in the following ballad is of one, who appeared at Hamburgh in 1547, and pretended he had been a Jewish shoemaker at the time of Christ's crucifixion. The ballad however seems to be of later date. It is preserved in black-letter in the Pepys collection.1 WHEN as in faire Jerusalem Our Saviour Christ did live, And for the sins of all the worlde His own deare life did give; The wicked Jewes with scoffes and scornes Did dailye him molest, That never till he left his life, Our Saviour could not rest. When they had crown'd his head with thornes, And scourg'd him to disgrace, In scornfull sort they led him forthe Unto his dying place; Where thousand thousands in the streete Beheld him passe along, 5 10 Yet not one gentle heart was there, 15 That pityed this his wrong. Both old and young reviled him, As in the streete he wente, And nought he found but churlish tauntes, By every ones consente: His owne deare crosse he bore himselfe, A burthen far too great, Which made him in the street to fainte, With blood and water sweat. 20 1 We need hardly recount the numerous fictions, or poems, which have since been founded on this story, such as Shelley's 'Ahasuerus;' a novel by John Galt; a tale in an early work of Lord John Russell's, entitled, 'Essays by a Gentleman who had left his Lodgings;' and Croly's splendid romance of 'Salathiel,' which the literary world would like to see completed.—ED. Being weary thus, he sought for rest, To ease his burthened soule, And sayd, 'Awaye, thou king of Jewes, Pass on; thy execution place Thou seest nowe draweth neare.' And thereupon he thrust him thence; 'I sure will rest, but thou shalt walke, Where after he had seene the bloude Without returning backe againe Unto his dwelling place, And wandred up and downe the worlde, No resting could he finde at all, No ease, nor hearts content; No house, nor home, nor biding place: From towne to towne in foreigne landes, Repenting for the heinous guilt Thus after some fewe ages past In wandring up and downe; He much again desired to see Jerusalems renowne, But finding it all quite destroyd, He wandred thence with woe, Our Saviours wordes, which he had spoke, 'I'll rest,' sayd hee, but thou shalt walke,' So doth this wandring Jew From place to place, but cannot rest For seeing countries newe; The world he hath still compast round Their idol gods doe change: To whom he hath told wondrous thinges Of time forepast, and gone, And to the princes of the worlde Declares his cause of moane: Desiring still to be dissolv'd, For neither lookes he old nor young, When Christ did suffer on the crosse He hath past through many a foreigne place, Arabia, Egypt, Africa, Grecia, Syria, and great Thrace, And throughout all Hungaria; Where Paul and Peter preached Christ, Those blest apostles deare; There he hath told our Saviours wordes, In countries far, and neare. And lately in Bohemia, With many a German towne; He wandreth up and downe: Where learned men with him conferre Of those his lingering dayes, And wonder much to heare him tell His journeyes, and his wayes. If people give this Jew an almes, The most that he will take Is not above a groat a time: Of him hath dailye care. He ne'er was seene to laugh nor smile, And dayes forepast and gone: 110 115 120 |