THE History of the Legend of the Holy Cross which is here reproduced, is somewhat fuller than the Golden Legend of Caxton, there being particulars about Moses, David, and Solomon not to be found therein; but they may be found in other versions of the Legend, some in the Latin of Jacobus de Voragine, others in two MSS. in the British Museum.[M]

The engravings are taken from a very rare book, of which, as far as is known, there are but three copies in existence: one is in the Royal Library at Brussels, another at the Hague, in the collection of Mr. Schinkel, and the third is in the possession of Lord Spencer at Althorp. It is from this book that these fac-similes (made by M. J. Ph. Berjeau) were taken. The book itself has one woodcut on each page, with a verse in Dutch, at the bottom, explanatory of each engraving. It is called indifferently Historia SanctÆ Crucis or Boec van den houte (Book of the wood or tree).

It was printed at Kuilenburg on March 6th, 1483, by John Veldener,[N] who had just removed from Louvain. These sixty-four engravings were originally on thirty-two blocks,[O] and evidently belonged to some much older block book, now lost. These, Veldener cut in half, as he had already treated a Speculum, and brought them out as a fresh book.

The Legend as told by these engravings is as follows:—

Adam, feeling himself about to die, sent Seth to Paradise to beg for some of the oil of mercy,¹ which, however, the Archangel Michael refused to give him, but, instead, presented him with three seeds of the tree of life.² On his return, he found Adam dead, and, being unable to administer these seeds to his father in any other manner, he put them under his tongue, and then buried him.³ Presently these seeds germinated and shot through the ground, and are traditionally said to have been a cedar, a cypress, and a pine.⁴ They grew until Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt, when he found them in the Valley of Hebron, and he recognized them as typifying the Trinity. He removed them, and they were his constant companions.⁵ With them he smote the rock, and the waters gushed out,⁶ and the bitter waters of Marah became sweet.^{7, 8}

He then planted them in the land of Moab,⁹ and there they remained, until an angelic vision appeared unto David, and commanded him to go, and take them up, and bring them to Jerusalem.¹⁰ On his return the three rods worked miracles, healing the sick,¹¹ and the leprous, with a touch;¹² nay, more, on being applied to three black men, they instantly became white.¹³

Arrived at Jerusalem, they wished to plant them, but for the night they left them in a cistern, by the Tower of David,¹⁴ and lo! during the night, they struck root, and, entwining themselves, became but one stem,¹⁵ which, when David saw, he had a wall built round it.¹⁶ And the tree grew for thirty years, David ornamenting it with rings of sapphire and other precious stones, adding one for every year, and under this tree he composed the Psalms, and praised God exceedingly.¹⁷

But Solomon, who must needs have all that was rare and costly to adorn his temple, cast his eyes upon this precious tree, and ordered it to be cut down.¹⁸ It was duly felled, and squared, and trimmed, and it measured thirty cubits in length.¹⁹ But when the carpenters came to put it into a place of that length, it was a cubit too short, and when it was fitted into a place of twenty-nine cubits, lo! it measured thirty, and the carpenters marvelled much, and were greatly astonished, and so, being useless, it was laid aside.²⁰ Yet the people came to see this wonderful tree, and amongst them was a maid named Maximilla, who sat down upon it, and instantly her clothes were in a blaze.²¹ Then she began to lift up her voice, and prophesy, crying, “My God, and my Lord Jesu Christ.”²² Then the Jews took her, and scourged her to death.²³

The Jews, not knowing what to do with this miraculous tree, laid it across a brook,²⁴ and, when the Queen of Sheba came to visit Solomon, she recognized the virtue of the wood; and, refusing to defile it with her feet, she dismounted, and adored it, and waded through the brook.²⁵ Then, when she met Solomon, she reproved him, and told him that on that tree would the Saviour of the world suffer death.²⁶ And Solomon commanded the holy wood to be taken up,²⁷ and caused it to be carried into the Temple, there to be placed over the door, so that all men might bless, and adore it, and he coated it over with gold and silver.²⁸ There it remained until Abias stripped it of its costly coverings,²⁹ and the Jews buried it deep in the earth.³⁰

There it remained for many years, until the Jews wished to make a pool, where the priests might wash the beasts, to purify them, previous to sacrificing them, and, unknowingly, they dug over the burial-place of the Holy Cross.³¹ This imparted such a virtue to the water of that pool, which was called Bethesda, that the sick were healed thereat, and an angel at times descended from heaven, and stirred the waters, and then whoever could get first into the waters was straightway healed of any infirmity he might have.³²

We now come to the Crucifixion, and there was a lack of wood to make Christ’s cross—when, suddenly, from the depths of Bethesda, leaped up the tree of the Cross, and floated gently to land. One ran to the High Priest,³³ and told him of the timely find of suitable wood, and he at once gave orders for it to be fashioned into a Cross.³⁴ Then comes the mournful procession to Calvary, with our Saviour fainting under the weight of the Cross, and Simon the Cyrenean is pressed into the service to help Jesus.³⁵ And then the Crucifixion.³⁶

And whilst the crosses were still standing, the disciples came to them and prayed, and many were healed of their infirmities, and many devils were cast out.³⁷ This so angered the Jews that they took the crosses down, and buried them,³⁸ and there they remained until their invention by St. Helena, A.D. 326. On her arrival at Jerusalem,³⁹ she convened a meeting of the principal Jews, and they denied all knowledge of it, but, on threat of being burnt, they said that one of their number, named Judas, knew where the crosses were buried.⁴⁰ Judas, however, refused to tell, and, to compel him to impart his knowledge, St. Helena had him lowered into a dry well, “and there tormented hym by hongre and evyl reste.”⁴¹ Seven days of this treatment made him submissive, and at the end of that time he capitulated. He was then drawn up,⁴² and prayed to God to direct him to the right spot.⁴³ His prayer was heard, and after some digging, the crosses were discovered.⁴⁴

The news was brought to St. Helena, who visited the spot,⁴⁵ but although there were certainly three crosses, no one knew which was the one upon which Jesus suffered. A test, however, was applied, which proved to be satisfactory. The body of a maid was being borne on a bier for burial, but the funeral procession was stopped, and the body was touched by the different crosses. The two first produced no effect,⁴⁶ but when the third touched the dead maiden, she was at once restored to life.⁴⁷ Here, then, was proof positive; this was the very Cross; and St. Helena, mindful of her son Constantine, divided the sacred wood; part she enclosed in a case of precious metal, and kept at Jerusalem;⁴⁸ and part she sent to her son, at Byzantium, who received it with due reverence,⁴⁹ and deposited it in the church, with great ceremony.⁵⁰

Here it remained, until it was taken away, with other spoil, by Chosroes, the King of Persia, who, aware of the sanctity of the relic, had it placed on the right hand of his throne. He was so puffed up with pride, that he ordered himself to be adored. His people, hitherto, had worshipped the sun, but now he ordained that henceforth he was to be considered the principal Person in the Trinity (the Father), and that the relic of the Cross was to be looked upon as the Son, whilst a golden cock which he had made was to represent the Holy Ghost.⁵¹

Then Heraclius made war against Chosroes, and meeting with a Persian army under one of the sons of that monarch, it was agreed that, in order to prevent a useless effusion of blood, the two commanders should fight it out between them, and whoever was vanquished should submit.⁵² The duel was fought on a bridge over the Danube, and Heraclius vanquished and killed the son of Chosroes.⁵³ The Persian army then made their submission,⁵⁴ and the penance imposed upon them by the conqueror was that they should all be baptized, which was duly done.

Heraclius then went to Chosroes, and told him what he had done, offering him his life if he too would embrace Christianity,⁵⁵ but the Persian monarch refused, and Heraclius smote off his head.⁵⁶ He then crowned a son of Chosroes, and caused him to be baptized,⁵⁷ himself standing sponsor, and buried the slain king with befitting honours.⁵⁸ Then, taking possession of the holy relic,⁵⁹ he set out with it for Jerusalem. But, as he was bearing it in great state, he came to that gate of the City through which Jesus went to His passion, worn, buffeted, scorned, and weary, carrying the heavy burden of His cross. And suddenly the gateway became solid masonry, so that he could not pass through, and an angel appeared in the heavens, and reproved him for his ostentatious display in a place which his Saviour had previously trodden in such deep humility.⁶⁰ Heraclius dismounted from his horse, and, stripping himself of all the trappings of royalty, barefoot, and in his shirt,⁶¹ he meekly bore the Cross to its appointed place,⁶² the masonry disappearing as soon as he had humbled himself.

A piece of the Cross was afterwards sent to Rome, where it duly arrived after a very stormy voyage,⁶³ and it was there preserved for the adoration of the faithful.⁶⁴

JOHNASHTON.

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