'"Now thou canst understand, my dear son, how merciful is the Lord of all, if we straightway purge ourselves of our evil deeds and cease again from the unrighteous act, though many times we transgress 515 against Him, and wound Him with our sins. Wherefore I, in sooth, and in after times my dear father, believed that the God of all glory, Giver of life, suffered' bitter agony for the surpassing need 520 of mankind. And now I counsel thee in secret, my dear son, that thou never offer scorn, nor blasphemy, nor wrathful opposition to the Son of God. Then 525 shalt thou deserve that unto thee be granted eternal life in heaven, the best reward of victory."'
'Thus in days of yore, while I was still a youth, my father instructed me, and taught me with these true words, a man wise in sorrow--Simon was his 530 name. And now that ye know my heart and mind, ye perceive clearly what ye had best declare if the queen ask us concerning that tree.' 535
And the wisest spake together before the assembly in these words:--'Never heard we any other man save now thee declare thus among this people concerning 540 such a hidden thing. Act as thou thinkest, O thou wise in the lore of old, if thou art questioned among the multitude, for there is need of wisdom, of artful words, and the learning of a seer, that shall give answer to this noble woman before such a 545 throng met together.'
Then words increased: men thought, reflected, and pondered on either side, some this way and some that. And there came a band of thanes to the assembly; and heralds, messengers of Cæsar, 550 trumpeted:--'O ye counselors, the queen doth summon you unto the royal hall, that ye may show forth rightly the judgments of your synod. Ye have need of prudence in the council, of wisdom in mind.' And they, the leaders of the people, grieved 555 in soul, were ready as they were summoned by the bitter edict, and went unto the palace to show forth the power of craft.
Then the queen spake unto the Hebrews and asked them, their hearts sorely burdened, how once the 560 prophets, holy men, sang in the world concerning the Son of God; and where the Lord suffered, true Son of the Creator, for the love of souls. But they were obdurate and mute as stones, nor would they 565 show forth the true secret, nor in the hardness of their hearts would they give any answer to what she sought of them, but, set in purpose, they withstood each word that she asked, and said that never 570 in their lives had they heard, before nor since, one whit of any such thing.