A Legend of the Crosse

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 44, 13 May 1875, Page 7

A Legend of the Crosse

A writer in * CornhuT tells the story of the life of Piero delta Francesca, an Italian painter of the 'fifteehtn 7 century, we extract the following legend, regarding the origin of the true Cross : — "When Adani lay in his';deathsickness, he sent-Seth to Paradise to beg for some of the oil ofthe tree of mercy. The -archangel; Mictafel, implied that the oil of the tree of mercy could not be given to men for the spaceof six thousand years; but instead, he gave to Setb a. wand which he was ;to plant upon the grave of Adam after his death ; or, a's sbnie say, a seed which he was to lay under his tongue. And presently Adam died, and Seth fulfilled the commands ofthe angel. From, the wand planted upon the grave of Adam, or, as some say, the seed set Under his tongue^ there grew , a goodly tree. And by-and-by King "Solomon, seeing its goodlihess, bade. them cut it down and fashion it for a summer bouse t*sy Were building for bim. - But the bnilders could not fit nor fashion it; first it was too large, for ; its place, then too small,, so they threw it, aside, and cast it for a bridge across a stream in - Solomon's garden. The Queen of' Sheba coming to visit -Solomon, was aware in the spirit- of the miraculous^ .virtue of thisi tree, -and; would not tread upon but Jell down and worshipped it. ' And after she was gone f she sent messengers to Solomon, bidding 7 him beware: o£ tbat tree,', for. on; it should be hanged; one- witta whose death the kingdom of the Jews should' pass away. So Solomon caused the tree :to be buried : deep in ; th'6 groundi And, later, the Jews unawares dug a well: in the same place ; this was the pool of Bethesda, and — notr-only from the descent ofthe angel, but from the- tree* which was at* .therbott^m^ of the well,, the water drew healing virtues. About the time when Christ's ministry drew to an end, the vtree' of its own accord ■floated to the surface of the water^ and the Jews finding it ready tbi tkeir hand used it for a cross on wbioh torcrucifv Christ.".. ."...- . '