,transcriber's note3 ,italic font is indicated by underscores4 ,characters' names within italicised stage directions are intended to be read as upright font4 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,a ,play in ,three ,acts ,,by ,,maurice ,,maeterlinck ,translated by ,,alexander ,,teixeira ,,de ,,mattos ,illustration ,,new ,,york ,,dodd1 ,,mead ,,and ,,company #aiaj ,,copyright1 #aiaj1 ,,by ,,maurice ,,maeterlinck ,,author',s ,,note ,i have borrowed from ,mr4 ,paul ,heyse's drama1 ,maria von ,magdala1 the idea of two situations in my play1 namely1 at the end of the first act1 the intervention of ,christ1 who stops the crowd raging against ,mary ,magdalene with these words1 spoken behind the scenes3 8,he that is without sin among you1 let him cast the first stone20 and1 in the third1 the dilemma in which the great sinner finds herself1 of saving or destroying the ,son of ,god1 according as she consents or refuses to give herself to a ,roman4 ,before setting to work1 ,i asked the venerable ,german poet1 whom ,i hold in the highest esteem1 for his permission to develop those two situations1 which1 so to speak1 were merely sketched in his play1 with its incomparably richer plot than mine2 and ,i offered to recognize his rights in whatever manner he thought proper4 ,my respectful request was answered with a refusal1 none too courteous1 ,i regret to say1 and almost threatening4 ,from that moment1 ,i was bound to consider that the words from the ,gospel1 quoted above1 are common property2 and that the dilemma of which ,i speak is one of those which occur pretty frequently in dramatic literature4 ,it seemed to me the more lawful to make use of it inasmuch as ,i had happened to imagine it in the fourth act of ,joyzelle1 in the same year in which ,maria von ,magdala was published and before ,i was able to become acquainted with that play4 ,i will add that1 excepting the principle of these two situations1 in all that concerns the subject of the play1 the conduct of the action1 the persons1 the characters1 the evolution and the atmosphere1 our two works have absolutely nothing in common3 not a phrase1 not a cue of the one will be found in the other4 ,having said this1 ,i am happy to express to the aged master my gratitude for an intellectual benefit which is none the less great for being involuntary4 ,,maurice ,,maeterlinck4 ,,act ,i 7,the gardens of ,,ann,,us ,,silanus at ,bethany4 ,a ,roman terrace4 ,a quincunx4 ,marble benches1 porticoes1 statues4 ,in the centre1 a basin with a fountain4 ,arbours4 ,orange-trees and laurel-trees in stone vases4 ,a balustrade on the right and left1 overlooking the valley4 ,a balustrade at the back1 open at the middle to give access to a walk lined with plane-trees and statues and ending in a thick hedge of laurels which closes the garden47 ,,scene ,i 7,,enter ,,ann,,us ,,silanus and ,,lucius ,,verus7 ,,silanus ,here is the terrace1 the glory of my little domain3 it reminds me of my terrace at ,prneste1 which was the crown of my desires4 ,here are my orange-trees1 my cypresses and my oleanders4 ,here is the fish-pond1 the portico with the images of the gods3 one of them is a statue of ,minerva1 discovered at ,antioch4 7,pointing to the landscape on the left47 ,and here you have the incomparable view over the valley1 where spring already reigns4 ,we hang midway in space4 ,admire the anemones streaming down the slopes of ,bethany4 ,it is as though the earth were ablaze beneath the olive-trees4 ,here ,i relish in peace the advantages of old age1 which knows how to take pleasure in the past2 for youth narrows the enjoyment of good things1 by considering only those which are present4444 ,,verus ,at last6 ,here are trees and water and grass6444 ,i had lost the memory of them since my arrival in this stony desert which men call ,juda4444 ,but how comes it1 ,o my good master1 that you have taken up your abode near that dull and barren city1 where the soil is abominable1 where the men are ugly1 churlish1 crafty and mischievous1 unclean and barbarous8 ,,silanus ,as you know1 ,i came with the ,procurator ,valerius ,gratus to ,csarea2 then ,i returned to ,rome1 where you were for some time my faithful and favourite pupil4 ,but soon ,i became ashamed of teaching a wisdom whose certainties became more doubtful to my mind as the assurance wherewith ,i proclaimed them increased4 ,i was brought back here1 to this barbarous ,juda1 by the strangest curiosity4 ,during my first sojourn1 ,i had begun to study the sacred books of the ,jews4 ,they are crude and bloodthirsty2 but they also contain beautiful myths and the early efforts of an uncivilized but1 at times1 singular wisdom4 ,they have not yet wearied me4 ,,verus ,yes1 our friend ,appius1 whom ,i met at ,antioch1 told me of your studies and of your sudden and inordinate passion for old ,jewish books4444 ,,silanus ,he will be here shortly4444 ,,verus ,who8 ,appius8444 ,is he at ,jerusalem8 ,,silanus ,did you not know8444 ,but how long have you yourself been in this country8444 ,in your letter of two days since1 you did not tell me4444 ,,verus ,nearly a week2 and ,i wished to give my first leisure to you4 ,i left ,antioch to go to ,jerusalem with the ,procurator ,pontius ,pilate4 ,he fears disturbances and will probably need the help of my old legionaries4444 ,,silanus ,the spacious1 ample ,appius1 whose words are as rambling as his habits and bring together the most distant friends1 spoke to me of you1 even as he spoke to you of me4 ,he told me that1 when he had the good fortune to meet you at ,antioch1 you seemed a prey to some great unhappy love4444 ,,verus ,which was that8 ,,silanus ,what6 ,can the handsomest of military tribunes1 in his magnificent array1 know more than one love that is not happy8444 ,it concerned a woman of these regions1 a ,galilean1 if ,i be not mistaken4444 ,,verus ,mary of ,magdala8444 ,did he speak to you of her8444 ,where is she8444 ,i did not see her again2 she left ,antioch suddenly2 and ,i lost trace of her4444 ,,silanus ,but why did she not listen to you8444 ,appius declared to me that she sets the men of this country1 it is true1 at naught1 but shows herself not at all inexorable to the ,roman knights4444 ,,verus ,it is one of those riddles of womankind which our duties as soldiers hardly leave us time to solve4 ,she did not appear to dislike me2 at least1 the dislike which she affected was not without a harsh gentleness4444 ,but there was mingled with it a certain incomprehensible dread1 which made her timidly avoid me4444 ,besides1 she seemed lately to have suffered a great sorrow1 for which she has already1 ,i hear1 consoled herself more than once4444 ,,silanus ,i do not know2 and all this does not seem to me so very discouraging4 ,after all1 why afflict one's self with what the gods created for pleasure8444 ,appius1 therefore1 wished me to cure you1 by my wise counsels1 of an ill that saddens you needlessly4 ,but1 first1 do you love her as much as ,appius declares8 ,his talk is often extravagant and heedless4444 ,,verus ,i desired her1 ,i still desire her1 as ,i have never desired any woman4444 ,,silanus ,you speak wisely in not separating1 from the outset1 desire and love4 ,besides1 ,i understand4 ,she is certainly the loveliest of all the many women whom ,i have admired in my life4 ,,verus ,what6444 ,you have seen her8444 ,is she at ,jerusalem then8 ,,silanus ,she is even nearer to us than ,jerusalem1 which is fifteen stadia from ,bethany4444 7,drawing him a little to the right74 ,come to this portico and look over there1 at the bottom of the valley4444 ,what do you see8444 ,,verus ,i see olive-trees1 paths1 tombs4444 ,then ,i see the pediments of palaces or temples1 columns1 cypresses4444 ,one might think one's self in the outskirts of ,rome4444 ,but ,i do not perceive4444 ,,silanus ,it was ,herod the ,great1 a sort of raving lunatic1 but given to building1 who filled this valley with splendid palaces more ,roman than those of ,rome herself4444 ,but look half-way down the hill1 to the left of those three tall cypresses1 three or four stadia from here4444 ,do you espy one of the most beautiful marble villas8444 ,,verus ,the villa with the wide white steps leading to a semicircular colonnade adorned with statues8444 ,,silanus ,that is where she has retired4444 ,,verus ,mary ,magdalene8444 ,in that solitude1 so far from the city8444 ,,silanus ,she told me that she was fleeing from the fanaticism of the ,jews1 the tumult and the sickening smells1 which increase twofold at ,jerusalem as the ,passover approaches4444 ,,verus ,then you see her8444 ,you have spoken to her8444 ,,silanus ,the good ,appius1 knowing that the sight of a young and beautiful woman delights my eyes without endangering them1 did not dissuade her from coming up to the house of a disarmed and harmless old man4444 ,,verus ,what did she say to you8444 ,what impression did she make upon you8444 ,,silanus ,she was clad in a raiment that seemed woven of pearls and dew1 in a cloak of ,tyrian purple with sapphire ornaments1 and decked with jewels that rendered a little heavier this eastern pomp4 ,as for her hair1 surely1 unloosed1 it would cover the surface of that porphyry vase with an impenetrable veil of gold4444 ,,verus ,i speak of her intelligence1 her character4444 ,do not mistake3 she is no vulgar courtezan4444 ,she has other attractions1 binding love more firmly4444 ,,silanus ,i minded only her beauty1 which is real and contents the eye4444 ,however1 we can judge better presently3 she will soon be coming4444 ,,verus ,she is coming here8444 ,but does she know that she will find me with you8444 ,,silanus ,most certainly4 ,it seemed to me that this meeting would do more to assuage your malady than the wise counsels threatened by ,appius4444 ,,verus ,but she8444 ,what did she say when she learnt that4444 ,,silanus ,she smiled with a quivering and pensive grace4444 ,the other guests will be our indispensable ,appius and ,clius1 your fellow-pupil at ,prneste4444 ,i hope that they will bring our poor friend ,longinus1 who1 three weeks ago1 lost a little daughter two years old4444 ,i will try to console him1 by good and persuasive arguments1 for a sorrow certainly disproportionate to his loss4 ,we shall have1 among other dishes--all excellent1 ,i hope1--two fish from the ,jordan1 new to you1 which1 dressed by ,davus1 my old cook4444 ,but ,i hear the sound of the double flute4444 ,it must be the litter of the queen of ,bethany and ,jerusalem at the threshold of my house4444 ,your eyes will soon behold the soft light which they have missed and mine the smile that pleases them 444 unless the silver mirrors in the ,atrium delay her longer than they should4444 ,,verus ,she is here4444 7,,enter1 on the right1 ,,mary ,,magdalene4 ,she is followed by some slaves1 whom she dismisses with a harsh and imperious gesture47 ,,scene ,,ii ,,the ,,same1 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,,silanus 7going up to receive ,,mary ,,magdalene7 8,who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke1 perfumed with myrrh and frankincense8444 ,who is she that looketh forth as the morning1 fair as the moon1 clear as the sun and terrible as an army with banners10 as your sacred books sing at the approach of the ,shulamite8444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,do not speak to me of my sacred books4 ,i loathe them1 as ,i loathe everything that comes from that deceitful and sordid1 greedy and mischievous nation4444 ,,verus 7coming forward to greet her in his turn7 ,i will say then1 in the ,roman fashion1 8,hail to the eldest daughter of ,aglaia1 youngest and happiest of the ,graces60 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,pity me1 instead of praising me4 ,i was robbed1 last night1 of my ,carthaginian rubies1 besides twelve of my finest pearls2 and1 what ,i feel even more1 my ,babylonian peacock and all the murn in my fish-pond4444 ,,verus ,who dared commit such manifest sacrilege8444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,i do not know4444 ,i have had the slaves in charge of the aviary and the fish-pond beaten with rods and put to the torture3 they have confessed nothing and ,i believe that they know nothing4444 ,,verus ,have you no clue1 no suspicion8 ,,silanus ,the theft amazes me1 for the country is safe4444 ,i have been living here for nigh six years2 and no one has ever tried to rob me of an atom of my wisdom1 which is never under lock and key and is the only precious thing that ,i possess4444 ,the ,jew is crafty1 sly and evil-minded2 he practises cheating and usury as well as most of the cringing virtues and vices2 but he nearly always avoids frank1 straightforward theft1 honest theft1 if one may say so4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,i at first suspected some ,tyrian workmen who are fitting one of the rooms in my villa with those movable panels which are changed at every course1 so that the walls may harmonize with the dishes covering the table4444 ,,verus ,i have seen some like them in the house of our ,governor1 ,pomponius ,flaccus1 at ,antioch2 but ,i did not know that this fashion1 so new to ,rome herself1 had already made its way into this remote country4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,nor will you find it1 except in my house2 and the last palace of the ,tetrarch ,antipas is still without it4444 ,therefore ,i began by suspecting those workmen2 but ,i have proofs that they are innocent4 ,i now feel sure that the thieves must be sought among that band of vagrants and prowlers who have been infesting the country for some time4444 ,,silanus ,the famous band of the ,nazarene4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,even so4 ,their leader1 ,i hear1 is a sort of unwashed brigand who entices the crowds with a rude kind of sorcery and1 on the pretence of preaching some new law or doctrine1 lives by plunder and surrounds himself with fellows capable of everything4444 ,besides1 ,i have other causes to complain of them4444 ,two days ago1 when ,i was walking in my gardens1 under the portico that divides them from the road1 a dozen wretches1 belonging to that band1 insulted me foully and threatened me with stones4444 ,it is becoming intolerable2 and it is time that the countryside were rid of them4444 ,,verus ,i have heard about those people4444 ,i know that the authorities have their eyes upon them4444 ,i will have them watched more closely4 ,for that matter1 if you wish1 it would be easy for me to arrest their leader4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,do so1 ,i pray you1 and as soon as possible4444 ,i should be especially grateful to you4444 ,,silanus ,i believe that you are misled4 ,the robbers1 in my opinion1 must not be looked for there4 ,i am in a fairly good position to know the band1 seeing that1 for five or six days1 it has been gathered near my house4 ,i have even had the pleasure--for everything turns to pleasure at my age--,i have even had the pleasure of attending one of their meetings4 ,it was near the old road to ,jericho4 ,the leader was speaking in the midst of a crowd covered with dust and rags1 among whom ,i observed a large number of rather repulsive cripples and sick4 ,they seem extremely ignorant and exalted4 ,they are poor and dirty1 but ,i believe them to be harmless and incapable of stealing more than a cup of water or an ear of wheat4444 ,they were listening greedily to a more or less silly anecdote1 the story of a son who returns to his father after squandering his patrimony4444 ,i did not hear the end1 for they looked upon me with a certain suspicion4444 ,but the ,galilean1 or the ,nazarene1 as they call him here1 is rather curious2 and his voice is of a penetrating and peculiar sweetness4444 ,he appears to be the son of a carpenter4444 ,i will tell you more of him1 ,i know many interesting things about him2 but permit me first to go to the other side of the house1 which commands the road1 to see if my belated guests are not in sight4444 7,he ,,goes ,,out on the left47 ,,scene ,,iii ,,mary ,,magdalene1 ,,verus ,,verus ,i was not prepared for the joy of seeing you again1 of your own consent1 after your cruel words4 ,they deprived me even of the hope that is sometimes left to those whom one would drive to despair4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,i was stupid and foolish2 but reason has returned2 and ,i now know that the best love is not worth a tear4444 ,,verus ,inasmuch as it is hardly the best1 nor even a good love1 as soon as it causes tears to be shed4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,there is no more best or worst love for me4 ,until lately1 ,i lived among falsehoods by which others profited2 for the past six months1 ,i have lived among truths by which ,i myself profit4 ,,verus ,what do you mean8444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,that ,i sell myself more skilfully and dearer than before4 ,,verus ,magdalene6444 ,you slander yourself6444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,you would see1 if your desire prompted you to try your fortune1 that1 on the contrary1 ,i rate myself very highly4 ,,verus ,you will always rate yourself less highly than ,i do4 ,you will not succeed in degrading yourself in my eyes2 and ,i see in what you say no more than the just rebellion of a deeply wounded soul struggling against pain4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,you are wrong3 it is not a soul struggling1 but one that is finding itself4 ,,verus ,i do not believe a word of it4 ,however1 ,i would rather spite or hatred gave you to me than lose you for the noblest of reasons2 and1 as it is a question only of rating you very highly1 know1 ,magdalene1 that from this moment you are mine4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,may be4444 ,but here is our host returning4 ,we have nothing more to say to each other1 for the moment4444 7,,enter1 on the left1 ,,silanus1 ,,appius and ,c,,lius47 ,,scene ,,iv ,,the ,,same1 ,,silanus1 ,,appius1 ,c,,lius ,,appius 7going to ,,mary ,,magdalene7 8,venus has left ,cyprus and soars above ,jerusalem60 ,or1 rather1 it is the fair ,techmessa1 who already brings back the smile to the lips of the son of ,telamon6444 ,admire1 ,o ,clius1 the magnificent image raised under this portico by ,love and ,beauty6 ,c,,lius ,it is as though the azure sky were spread for them between those two columns4 ,,silanus ,the azure and the light seem happy only when environing youth and love4444 ,but1 to return to less dazzling images1 better-suited to my head burdened with years1 ,i observed that it must have been a sort of presentiment that urged us to speak1 but a moment ago1 of the ,nazarene's band1 for it was that same band which delayed our guests4444 ,,appius ,yes1 imagine1 when we approached the last cross-road down there1 we found the whole country in a stir and the way blocked by a shouting1 gesticulating throng1 which was crowding round a blind man who saw6444 ,,verus ,yes1 that is one of those phenomena which one meets with nowhere except in ,juda4444 ,c,,lius ,it was extraordinary6444 ,the poor man1 crushed against an old wall1 rolled two drunk and virgin eyes1 crying1 8,he is a prophet6 ,he is a prophet6 ,i see men as trees1 walking60 ,and the crowd stamped all around for joy4 ,he seemed dazed with the light4444 ,,appius ,or rather with wine1 for he was plainly staggering4 ,,verus ,and the ,nazarene1 did you see him8444 ,,appius ,no1 he had just gone away1 taking with him the most turbulent part of the crowd2 but for that1 we should never have been able to pass4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,yes1 it appears that1 when those ruffians crowd round their leader1 they would not trouble to make way for ,csar4 ,c,,lius ,where did he go8444 ,i should be curious to see him4444 ,,silanus ,he cannot be very far4444 ,do you see that laurel-hedge1 at the bottom of my garden8444 ,it divides my little domain from the orchard of my neighbour1 known as ,simon the ,leper4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7starting7 ,what1 your next neighbour is a leper8444 ,you should have told us4444 ,,silanus ,be reassured1 lady1 he has no leprosy now4444 ,,appius ,i thought that one became a leper for life1 just as one becomes a senator4444 ,this is another of the surprises of this monstrous ,juda4444 ,,silanus ,the ,nazarene healed him4 ,c,,lius ,is he really healed8444 ,as his next neighbour1 you must know the truth4444 ,,silanus ,i know that he is as healthy in the face as the rose of ,magdala and lily of ,bethany whom you see before you2 but ,i do not know if he was ever sick1 not having seen him before his recovery4444 ,,appius ,i thought so4444 ,besides1 ,i have seen much more extraordinary magicians in ,thrace and ,egypt4444 ,but1 to return to this leper without leprosy1 what happens behind that hedge and in the house of your mysterious neighbour8 ,,silanus ,the ,nazarene has been his guest for the past three days4 ,this ,simon1 his sister1 his wife and1 ,i believe1 his brother-in-law are common people1 who live on the produce of their olive-trees4 ,they were timorous1 peaceable neighbours2 but1 since the arrival of the ,nazarene1 everything is in commotion4 ,it is a perpetual coming and going1 a perpetual tumult4 ,their orchard is filled incessantly with a multitude of sick1 of vagrants1 of cripples1 issuing from all the rocks in ,juda to beseech him whom1 with loud cries1 they call the ,saviour of the ,world1 the ,son of ,david and ,king of the ,jews4 ,there are sometimes so many of them that they overflow into my garden4 ,the hedge1 as you see1 has been trampled1 crushed and even torn in certain places4 ,fortunately1 the ,nazarene's appearances are few and brief4 ,besides1 this picturesque spectacle1 despite its inconveniences1 amuses and puzzles me4 7,,enter1 on the left1 five or six ,,poor ,,folk47 ,c,,lius ,who are those people8 ,,silanus ,what did ,i tell you8444 ,here are half-a-dozen coming to ask for bread4444 ,,appius ,do they belong to this famous band8 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,they are hateful and loathsome6444 ,one of them has his face gnawed with an ulcer1 another is almost naked1 another is starving6444 ,,appius ,they certainly lack shame1 thus to flaunt ugliness and dread4444 ,,silanus ,do not be uneasy3 these will not long mar the pleasing grace of the porticoes that refresh our eyes4 ,my gardener has discovered them2 he is armed with a stout hoe and is driving them back uncivilly4444 ,you see1 they do not insist1 they walk away in silence1 hanging their heads4444 ,and1 now that we have occupied ourselves long enough with these unfortunate people1 with their great leader and their maladies1 let us think a little of ourselves and enjoy the delightful afternoon which spring-time sets before us4444 ,my pleasure at seeing you here would be flawless1 if only our old friend ,longinus had yielded to ,appius' entreaties and consented to accompany you4444 ,,appius ,i never felt more keenly the vanity of the great eloquence which he himself taught me4 ,to all my most convincing and well-stated arguments he replied with a sullen silence1 or shook his head1 repeating that he did not wish to throw a gloom over our happy party with his dismal presence4444 ,c,,lius ,and yet it is quite three weeks since that child died4444 ,i should not have thought that grief could have affected him so much4444 ,,appius ,the more so as it concerned a child of tender years1 whom her father knew less well than did her nurse6444 ,,silanus ,there is something more astonishing yet1 which clearly shows that the greatest wisdom is not so much to know as to conform to what one knows6444 ,when1 more than fifteen years ago1 ,i lost a little boy who must have been of about the same age as the child whom he now mourns1 ,longinus undertook to console me4 ,he wrote me an eloquent letter1 wherein1 relying on the authority of ,metrodorus1 ,pantius and ,hermachus1 he proved that sorrow is not only useless1 but ungrateful4 ,i found and read the letter again this morning2 and so striking are its more important passages that ,i know them almost by heart4444 ,they were the loftiest words that human wisdom could utter against death and sorrow4444 ,they protected me once4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,what were the words8 ,it is well to know anything that can relieve sorrow4444 ,,silanus 8,you expect consolation10 he said2 8you shall receive only reproaches4 ,if you bear the death of a child with so little patience1 what would you do if you had lost a friend8 ,you ought to bring yourself to this frame of mind1 that you were more pleased at having had him than grieved that you had him no longer4 ,but most men reckon past advantages and pleasures as of no account4 ,they bury friendship with their friend44440 ,,appius ,i recognize and hail the mighty wisdom of our venerable master4 ,,silanus ,why does he not remember it1 when misfortune strikes him8 ,but why did ,i forget it myself1 when ,i needed it most8444 8,i assure you10 he added1 8that of those whom we have loved1 much remains to us after death has removed them4 ,the time that is past is ours2 and ,i see nothing of which we are more certain than of that which has been4 ,the hope of the future makes us ungrateful for the benefits which we have received1 as though the favours which we expect were not bound soon to be ranked among things past4 ,death has deprived you of a son so young that he could be of no promise to you yet2 it is only a little time lost4 ,there are instances without end of fathers losing infant children without shedding a single tear and returning to the senate after laying them in the grave4 ,this is not unreasonable2 for1 in the first place1 it is idle to give way to grief when grief can serve no purpose4 ,and then it is unjust to complain of a misfortune that has befallen one person and still threatens all the others4 ,moreover1 it is madness to complain1 when there is so little distance between the one who is dead and the one who mourns him4 ,consider that all mankind1 destined to one and the same end1 is divided only by little intervals1 even when they appear very great4 ,he whom you think lost has only gone before4 ,since we must all travel the same road1 is it not unworthy of a wise man to weep for one who has set out earlier than ourselves8 ,to complain that the friend or the child is dead is to complain that he was ever born4 ,we are all linked to the same fate4 ,he who has come into the world must also leave it4 ,his stay may be longer1 but the end is always alike4 ,the time that elapses between the first day and the last is uncertain and variable4 ,if you consider the wretchedness of life1 it is long1 even for a child2 if you regard the duration1 it is short1 even for an old man40 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,that would not have consoled me4444 ,,silanus ,to console1 lady1 is not to do away with sorrow1 but to teach one how to overcome it4 7,at this moment1 there is heard rising from the roads1 the paths and all the invisible country commanded by the terrace a noise1 at first dull and confused1 which gradually becomes more positive and precise4 ,sounds of a crowd forming and hurrying1 stones rolling1 children crying1 dogs barking2 shouts that grow more and more distinct3 8,this way6 ,this way6444 ,come quickly6444 ,come down6444 ,to the right1 to the right6444 ,he is there6444 ,we saw him6444 ,he is leaving the house6444 ,to ,simon's orchard6444 ,carry the palsied there6444 ,lead the blind6444 ,quick1 quick1 this way6444 ,they say he is going to speak60 etc47 ,,appius ,what is this8 ,what is happening8444 ,,verus ,they are hurrying from every side6444 ,c,,lius ,all the roads are covered with people running like madmen6444 ,,appius ,they seem to spring from the stones6444 ,c,,lius ,but what is happening8444 ,they are disappearing behind those olive-trees4444 ,,verus ,here come two sick men carried on their beds4444 ,c,,lius ,a blind man falling6444 ,,appius ,what is the matter with them8444 ,are they mad8444 ,,verus ,who are those extraordinary creatures leaping among the rocks8444 ,,silanus ,they are the men possessed by devils1 coming out of the tombs4444 ,,appius ,but1 after all1 what is happening8444 ,,silanus ,they have seen the ,nazarene4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,the ,nazarene8444 ,where is he8444 ,,silanus ,he has probably just come out of ,simon's house4 ,they watch all his movements4 ,as soon as he is seen1 they bring the sick2 and the fanatics come rushing up4444 ,he must be walking in the neighbouring orchard4444 7,listening47 ,yes4444 ,do you hear the crowd humming like bees8444 ,it is close to my laurel-hedge4444 ,,appius ,let us go and see4444 ,,silanus ,i do not advise you to4 ,in the first place1 those people are mostly very poor1 extremely dirty and very unpleasant to come into touch with4444 ,then1 you know the ,jewish fanaticism4444 ,in these moments of exaltation1 the most inoffensive become dangerous2 and the sight of the ,roman toga and arms enrages them strangely4444 ,besides1 we shall hear what happens quite well from where we stand4444 ,listen6444 ,the cries are coming nearer still and increasing4444 7,behind the hedge that closes the end of the garden rise cries that sound nearer and nearer3 8,hosannah6 ,hosannah6444 ,son of ,man6444 ,lord1 ,lord1 have pity6 ,lord1 ,son of ,david1 heal the sick man6444 ,master6 ,master6 ,lord6444 ,jesus of ,nazareth1 have pity on me6444 ,make way6444 ,silence1 silence6444 ,he is going to speak60 ,at these words1 the tumult suddenly subsides4 ,an incomparable silence1 in which it seems as though the birds and the leaves of the trees and the very air that is breathed take part1 falls with all its supernatural weight upon the countryside2 and1 in this silence1 which weighs upon people on the terrace also1 there rises1 absolute sovereign of space and the hour1 a wonderful voice1 soft and all-powerful1 intoxicated with ardour1 light and love1 distant and yet near to every heart and present in every soul47 ,,the ,,voice ,blessed are the poor in spirit1 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven6444 ,blessed are they that mourn1 for they shall be comforted6444 ,blessed are the meek1 for they shall inherit the earth6444 ,,appius ,what is he saying8444 ,,silanus ,listen6444 ,it is rather curious4444 ,,the ,,voice ,blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness1 for they shall be filled6444 ,blessed are the merciful1 for they shall obtain mercy6444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,i want to see6444 7,she rises and1 as though irresistibly drawn by the divine voice1 goes as if to descend the steps of the terrace and to make for the bottom of the garden47 ,,silanus 7in a low voice1 trying to hold her back7 ,do not go there6444 ,,the ,,voice ,blessed are the pure in heart1 for they shall see ,god6444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,i will go6444 ,,verus ,i shall go with you4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7fiercely1 imperiously7 ,no6 ,nobody6444 ,let me be6444 7,she goes down towards the hedge1 as though fascinated47 ,,the ,,voice ,blessed are the peacemakers1 for they shall be called the children of ,god6444 ,blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake1 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven6444 ,,verus ,where is she going4444 ,,appius ,what is she doing8444 ,she is mad6444 ,she is trying to pass through the hedge6444 ,,the ,,voice ,blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you6444 ,rejoice and be exceeding glad1 for great is your reward in heaven6444 ,,verus ,she has opened the gate of the garden6444 ,she is in the orchard6444 ,,silanus ,women sometimes have thoughts which wise men do not understand4444 ,,verus ,i shall go and join her2 and1 if ,i have to protect her against those4444 ,,silanus ,do no such thing4444 ,they are listening to the voice and will not perceive her presence1 whereas the sight and sound of your arms4444 ,listen1 listen to what he is saying3 it is rather singular4444 ,,the ,,voice ,but ,i say unto you1 ,love your enemies1 bless them that curse you1 do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you6444 7,at that moment1 cries1 at first scattered1 rise among the invisible crowd behind the hedge4 ,a few words are distinguishable3 8,it ,is the ,roman woman6 ,the ,roman woman6444 ,the adulteress6444 ,shame6444 ,shame6 ,shame6444 ,magdalene6444 ,the strumpet6444 ,drive her away1 drive her away64440 ,immediately afterwards1 these cries are lost in a violent and formidable shout of reprobation1 in which only a few resounding words are1 with difficulty1 perceived3 8,shame6 ,shame6444 ,stone her6 ,stone her6444 ,death6 ,death6444 ,stone her60 etc4 ,all this is accompanied by a noise of flight1 of hurrying footsteps1 of sticks and pebbles clashing1 of broken branches1 etc47 ,,silanus ,they have seen her6444 ,,verus ,but what is happening8444 ,is it she whom they are attacking8444 ,,silanus ,it is what ,i feared4444 ,we must take care4444 ,,verus 7rushing to the bottom of the garden7 ,this way6444 ,follow me6444 ,appius1 ,clius1 your swords6444 7,at the moment when he rushes down1 the laurel-hedge is burst through in every part by the yelling and gesticulating crowd pursuing ,,mary ,,magdalene4 ,she makes a frenzied attempt to reach the terrace4 ,,verus and his two friends run towards her1 to try to protect her against the invading multitude4 ,stones fly4 ,,verus1 standing in front of the others1 brandishes his bare sword4 ,just as the fighting is about to begin1 when already branches are broken1 a statue overturned and so forth1 suddenly a loud call of the supernatural voice rings under the nearer olive-trees4 ,all cease1 struck with stupor4 ,a word of command is passed from mouth to mouth3 8,silence6 ,silence6444 ,listen6 ,listen6444 ,he is speaking6 ,he is going to speak6444 ,the ,master has made a sign6444 ,listen6 ,listen64440 ,then1 in the silence thus suddenly produced1 the divine voice rises1 calm1 august1 profound and irresistible47 ,,the ,,voice ,he that is without sin among you1 let him first cast a stone at her6444 7,the stones are heard to drop to the ground4 ,the crowd sways to and fro1 abashed1 and disappears gradually1 in silence1 through the hedge4 ,,verus comes forward to support ,,mary ,,magdalene1 who has stopped and is standing erect and motionless in the middle of the walk4 ,she rejects the proffered aid1 with a harsh and fierce gesture1 and1 staring in front of her1 alone among the others1 who look at her without understanding1 slowly she climbs the steps of the terrace47 ,,curtain ,,act ,,ii 7,the ,tablinum or large room behind the ,atrium of ,,mary ,,magdalene',s villa at ,bethany4 ,at the back1 leading one into the other1 the ,atrium and a long vestibule with marble columns47 ,,scene ,i ,,mary ,,magdalene1 ,,lucius ,,verus 7,enter ,,lucius ,,verus4 ,,mary ,,magdalene runs up to him and throws herself into his arms47 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,you at last1 my ,verus6444 ,for three days ,i have awaited you1 for three days ,i have called you4 ,men grant me my beauty when its triumph brings me nothing but regret and disgust4 ,and ,i ask myself1 is that beauty really powerless when1 at last1 there is a question of the happiness which every woman has the right to expect in her life8444 ,,verus ,i know not if ,i shall be able to give you the happiness that is your due1 ,magdalene2 but be assured that your beauty never gained a more complete victory4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,what care ,i now for its victory6444 ,it is ,i who am vanquished1 utterly vanquished beforehand1 without daring to confess it to myself1 without being able to hide it from my indifference1 so odiously acquired1 or from my vanity1 which has never been more than the shameful crown of my shame6444 ,but why keep me waiting so long8444 ,i thought that everything was abandoning me1 that all was lost because of the dreadful words which ,i spoke at our good ,silanus' and which were not true1 which were only a profounder lie then my other lies1 because ,i was mad1 because ,i did not know1 because ,i did not wish for an impossible happiness4444 ,,verus ,you well know1 ,magdalene1 that ,i never believed you the woman you depicted4444 ,but now neither do ,i dare believe in the happiness that approaches4444 ,i am quite dazzled1 ,i doubt1 ,i grope in the dark4444 ,i do not recognize the voice that has so often and so harshly repelled me4 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7in ,,verus' arms7 ,it is not the same voice1 it is not the same soul4444 ,,verus ,and yet it is really you whom ,i hold in my arms1 it is every parcel of you whom ,i have implored so long6444 ,i ask myself still if all is indeed real1 if all is indeed possible1 if you are not trifling with a too-credulous happiness which you will fling aside among all those which beauty shatters when testing its power4444 ,but no1 when ,i question1 when ,i follow your eyes that plunge into mine1 ,i see that it is indeed true1 that it was always true4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,yes1 yes1 it is true1 it is true and it was always true4444 ,i did not know it1 ,i searched my heart in vain and ,i was ignorant of all my feelings until these days of anguish4444 ,i refused to see that you were coming towards me and that everything was awaiting you4444 ,and yet ,i ought to have known it4444 ,already1 at ,antioch1 do you remember1 ,verus1 how ,i avoided you8444 ,i received so many others2 and you alone1 the comeliest1 the purest1 ,i tried to ignore1 to blot out1 to destroy4444 ,as soon as you appeared1 ,i withdrew1 like a shy and distrustful animal1 to my lair2 and1 only the other day1 at our good ,silanus'1 ,i felt all the evil1 all the cruelty1 or all the despair that fills my heart rise to my lips4444 ,but1 to-day1 ,i see2 ,i am no longer the same2 ,i no longer know myself1 because ,i am myself once more4444 ,all that used to resist is broken within my soul4444 ,i no longer understand myself and ,i did not know that happiness is so strange a thing4444 ,i1 who never wept in my worst moments of distress1 am sobbing to-day when happiness awaits me4444 ,i am glad and light-hearted and yet more shattered than if all the misfortunes that hover in the skies were about to burst over me4444 7,embracing him more passionately7 ,help me1 my ,verus1 help me1 support me1 you whom nothing threatens1 you who have nothing to fear6444 ,,verus ,but what has happened8 ,can any one have dared1 in my absence4448 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,no1 no1 nobody2 and it is not that2 and ,i myself do not know the danger that surrounds me4444 ,but ,i have no other shelter than your arms2 and ,i feel myself lost if ,i lose you too4444 ,take me1 bear me away on that heart to which ,i am listening1 far from myself1 far from this place and from my anxiety4444 ,you alone can save me and ,i have no life but that which you give me4444 ,but why did you forsake me so long in my tears1 why did you not come until after the third day1 abandoning me thus1 without a word of pity1 without a sign of hope8444 ,,verus ,you are mistaken1 ,magdalene1 or else your slaves did not acquaint you with the truth4444 ,the very day after our meeting at ,silanus'1 ,i came to ,bethany to tell you that1 by order of the ,procurator1 ,i was suddenly sent1 at the head of a cohort1 to suppress a curious riot that had broken out near ,jericho4 ,the slaves who keep your door would not allow me to approach you and replied to me in such a way that ,i dared not well insist4444 ,i understood that they were obeying orders so precise and so stern that ,i must not try to thwart them4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,it is true4444 ,i forgot4444 ,i was mad and worn out1 incapable of seeing1 willing or hearing4444 ,i was not yet awake4444 ,it seemed to me that ,i was still struggling amid the hideous crowd in ,simon's garden1 where ,i called in vain upon him who had delivered me4444 ,he was abandoning me1 he too4444 ,i sent in search of him to no purpose4 ,no one could tell me where he was hiding4444 ,have you not seen him since8444 ,do you not know where he is8444 ,,verus ,who8 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,the ,nazarene4444 ,,verus ,let us not speak of that wretched man3 his hours are numbered4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,his hours are numbered8444 ,what do you mean8444 ,,verus ,no matter3 that does not interest us now and soon we shall know nothing of aught that does not touch our love2 for it is wonderful to see how the thoughts of those who love each other meet and unite in spite of the distance and of the ill-natured speeches that come between them4 ,is it not astonishing that1 after leaving you at ,silanus'1 where ,i had heard words that should have deprived me of all hope1 ,i for the first time felt our young happiness swell and blossom in all its strength and all its certainty8444 ,while you were calling me1 ,i called you also with all the deep and wonderful voices of my heart4 ,i was kept far from you by a duty unworthy of a soldier2 for that expedition to ,jericho1 the last1 ,i trust1 upon which ,i shall be sent1 was almost odious and often ridiculous4 ,i counted with rage the minutes stolen from our new life1 which was already beginning in a soul that feared none of my reasons for fearing4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,it will not really begin until we are far from this land where ,i suffocate1 where everything darkens and threatens happiness1 where ,i can no longer live4444 ,verus1 ,i beseech you1 if you love me as ,i love you1 let us hasten1 let us leave everything2 there is no time to lose4444 ,,verus ,you are right3 a joy so long awaited must not be born among these sinister rocks1 where floats an odour of death and madness4444 ,and yet1 even here1 our thoughts came to an understanding long before our words4444 ,like you1 ,i have resolved to leave this hated city1 where really my obedience is abused4444 ,i am at the orders of the ,procurator1 but not at the venomous service of the ,jewish priests1 nor of the clamorous and perfidious nation whom my old legionaries have conquered4 ,i have had enough of this ambiguous life4 ,before to-night1 ,i shall find a pretext for evading an order which ,i was to execute this very day1 an order of which ,i but too well know the origin4444 ,if the pretext appear insufficient1 let ,caiaphas and ,annas go and complain to ,csar4444 ,nothing counts in the presence of our love2 and the inglorious errand which they claim the right to impose upon me repels me all the more inasmuch as it was to be accomplished1 so to speak1 before your eyes4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,before my eyes8444 ,of what are you speaking8444 ,,verus ,nothing that interests you2 let us think only of our happy escape4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,i know that some danger threatens him4444 ,,verus ,whom do you mean8444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,it is impossible1 after what he has done1 that you should become the instrument of his worst enemies4444 ,you owe him my life and perhaps our happiness4444 ,what do they want with him8 ,what orders have you received8444 ,,verus ,i am charged to arrest him before this evening1 together with the principal leaders of his band4 ,it is a vulgar constabulary measure1 directed against sick men and vagrants1 of a kind that has never yet been exacted of the legionaries4444 ,it shall not take place2 do not let us speak of it4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,but why arrest him8 ,what has he done8 ,what is he accused of8444 ,he is innocent1 ,i know2 besides1 one need but see him to understand4444 ,he brings a happiness that was not known before2 and all those who come near him are happy1 it seems1 like children at their awaking4444 ,i myself1 who only caught a glimpse of him among the olive-trees1 felt that gladness was rising in my soul like a sort of light that overtook my thoughts4444 ,he fixed his eyes for but a moment on mine2 and that will be enough for the rest of my life4444 ,i knew that he recognized me without ever having seen me and ,i knew that he wished to see me again4444 ,he seemed to choose me gravely1 absolutely1 for ever4444 ,,verus ,what does this mean8 ,are you speaking of him8 ,what happened8444 ,have you seen him again8444 ,i was told1 for that matter1 that he is an intriguer1 ready for everything2 but ,i should never have believed that he would have dared4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,he has dared nothing4444 ,i have not seen him again1 ,i shall never see him again1 now that we are about to leave everything1 to be only we two alone4444 ,,verus 7clasping her more closely7 ,to be one alone1 ,magdalene1 in a happier land1 where everything encourages happiness1 smiles upon lovers and blesses beauty4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7bursting into convulsive sobs on ,,verus' breast7 ,i love you4444 ,i know it4444 ,,verus ,come1 ,i know these tears that well at the same moment from our two hearts in our one joy4444 ,but here1 between the columns of the vestibule1 come the greatest ornaments of that beautiful ,rome which we shall soon astonish with our love4444 ,i am right3 it is our good ,silanus1 accompanied by the faithful ,appius2 led by the immortal gods1 they descend the marble steps to hallow with their fraternal presence the first smiles of a happiness born under their eyes4444 ,,scene ,,ii ,,the ,,same1 ,,silanus1 ,,appius ,,silanus ,it was said and it was written that1 on this most propitious day1 ,i should behold two marvels1 not the lesser of which is to see thus promptly reunited two lovers who1 according to love's ancient custom1 should have fled from each other the more obstinately the more they yearned to meet4444 ,,appius ,by ,metrodorus1 ,hermachus and ,zeno1 there are other things on hand than the too-long-expected happiness of two lovers cutting short their quarrels6444 ,tell them at once what has happened2 shout it to them1 with all your throat and all your soul3 death no longer exists6 ,the graves are about to open1 the spirits of the dead to show themselves2 the gods are shaken1 all the laws of life are overturned6444 ,we have just admired an unequalled1 unspeakable1 unheard-of phenomenon1 that has never been seen since light first rose upon the world1 that will not be seen again before the death of the gods6444 ,,silanus ,the more extraordinary it seems to you1 ,appius1 the less should it trouble the perfect composure of your soul1 considering that a phenomenon that will not be seen again could not well shake the laws of the universe nor the stability of the gods6 ,,verus ,but what has happened8 ,appius seems to be the victim of a greater exaltation than usual2 and you yourself1 my worthy master1 despite your even mind4444 ,,appius ,i will tell you what has happened3 he has brought a dead man to life6444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,who8444 ,,silanus ,the ,nazarene1 whose return ,i have come to announce to you1 as ,i promised4 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,he has come back8 ,since when8 ,where is he8444 ,have you seen him8444 ,,silanus ,to reply to your questions in order1 lady1 ,i will tell you that he returned this morning1 that ,i saw him with my eyes and that1 at this moment1 he is with my neighbour ,simon the ,leper4 ,i am surprised1 however1 that the absolute frenzy which has shaken the country for two or three hours has not yet spread as far as here4 ,it is true that your dwelling is separated by a high hill and some olive-woods from the spot where the sepulchre lies hidden4 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,i have heard nothing1 learned nothing4444 ,in spite of my orders1 no one has told me4444 ,but1 after all1 what has happened8444 ,appius is as pale as a ghost4444 ,what is it8 ,what has he said1 what has he done8444 ,,appius ,he has done a thing which no man1 no god1 has done before him2 a thing which ,i would not have believed if ten thousand witnesses had come to swear it in the name of the immortals1 but in which ,i believe as firmly as ,i am bound to believe in my own existence1 having seen it with my eyes1 as ,i see you now1 and almost touched it with my hands1 as ,i touch this vase4 ,he said1 8,rise1 come forth and walk40 ,and the dead man rose1 came forth and began to walk among us6 ,,verus ,it was apparently a dead man whose health left nothing to be wished for8444 ,,silanus ,no1 ,i am convinced that it was really a dead man4 ,,appius ,it was a real1 a terrible dead man6444 ,if not1 my senses can no longer declare that the sun shines in the blue or that human flesh decays6444 ,he had been four days in the grave6444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,but who8 ,how8 ,where8444 ,and the ,nazarene8444 ,i want to know4444 ,speak for him1 ,silanus3 he has not yet recovered his senses4444 ,,silanus ,here1 in a few words1 is what happened4 ,nevertheless1 it is right that ,i should tell you that ,i do not entirely share ,appius' amazement4 ,it should astonish us no more to see a man return to life than to see a child come to life or an old man leave it4 7,,magdalene makes a movement of impatience47 ,but ,i understand your impatience4 ,i spoke to you the other day of my neighbour ,simon4 ,he lives in the little house that touches my property1 with his wife1 his sister-in-law and his brother-in-law1 named ,lazarus4 ,this ,lazarus1 whom ,i saw only two or three times1 for he was often away from home1 had been ailing for some weeks and died four days ago4444 ,,appius ,four days1 do you understand8444 ,that is what nobody would dare deny4444 ,,silanus ,nor does any one think of doing so1 ,appius4 ,they were a very united family2 and the sorrow of those poor people was great4 ,from my terrace1 ,i could hear the lamentations of the women4 ,according to the custom of the ,jews1 ,lazarus was buried on the night that followed after his death4 ,they laid him in a new grave1 dug in the rocks that form the other side of that hill1 and closed the grave with an enormous stone4 ,this morning1 suddenly1 the rumour spread that the ,nazarene had returned and that he was going to restore to life the dead man1 who was his friend4 ,appius1 who was at my house1 persuaded me to go down with him2 and we followed the crowd into the valley of the tombs4 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,i knew that he was to return to-day2 but why did you not send word to me at once1 as you promised8444 ,,silanus ,it seemed to me that the spectacle at hand was not one of those on which the eyes of a woman in the hour of her beauty love to rest4 ,moreover1 there was cause to fear lest your arrival among the excited crowd should cause a repetition of the violence of the other day4 ,for an enormous crowd1 silent1 but quivering like a swarm of bees1 escorted the ,nazarene1 in front of whom walked the two sisters of ,lazarus4 ,we1 ,appius and ,i1 climbed on to a block of stone hidden behind some bushes1 whence we could see and hear everything without arousing the suspicion of the ,jews4 ,they showed the grave to the ,nazarene1 who stopped and lowered his head4 ,,appius ,he wept4 ,they whispered in the crowd1 8,behold how he loved him60 ,but nobody dared approach4 ,they formed a circle at a distance1 as though round a dread being4444 ,,silanus 8,take ye away the stone10 said the ,nazarene2 and two men stepped toward the grave4 ,,appius ,you forget that1 at that moment1 one of the sisters of the dead man1 alarmed and all in tears1 seized the ,nazarene by the arm and said1 8,lord1 by this time he stinketh2 for he hath been dead four days40 ,the ,nazarene answered--,i have not forgotten a single one of his words--8,said ,i not unto thee that1 if thou wouldest believe1 thou shouldest see the glory of ,god8 ,take ye away the stone40 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,who is this sister of ,lazarus8 ,is she ,simon's wife8 ,,silanus ,no1 it is the other one3 her name is ,mary and1 when the ,nazarene stays at ,bethany1 she never leaves him4 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,is she young8 ,,silanus ,she is younger than ,simon's wife4 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,have you seen her8 ,do you know her8444 ,,silanus ,i have spoken to her more than once4 ,but to return to the stone1 which was enormous1 flat and fastened into the walls of the cave3 two men attacked it with levers4 ,it resisted at first and then1 suddenly1 fell down all of a piece4444 ,,appius ,we were quite close1 hanging aslant over the cave4 ,by all the gods who from heaven rule the earth and men1 ,i swear that1 at that moment1 ,i felt the terrible breath of the dead man strike me in the face6444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,did you see the dead man8444 ,,appius ,as ,i see you now1 lady6444 ,,verus ,i do not understand how you can seriously interest yourselves in these things which happen in an incongruous1 mad world1 where all is witchcraft1 coarse illusions and barbarous lies4444 ,,appius ,by ,hades and ,persephone1 what my senses perceived was no illusion1 ,i assure you6444 ,we nearly fell from our rock6444 ,the corpse was there1 in the greedy light that devoured the cave1 lying like a stiff and shapeless statue1 closely bound in grave-clothes1 the face covered with a napkin4 ,the crowd1 heaped up in a semicircle1 irresistibly attracted and repelled1 leaned forward1 stretched its thousand necks1 without daring to approach4 ,the ,nazarene stood alone1 in front4 ,he raised his hand1 spoke a few words which ,i did not catch and then1 addressing the corpse in a voice whose pent-up force ,i shall never forget1 he cried1 8,lazarus1 come forth60 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,did he come forth8444 ,,appius ,we heard only the sound of the wind moving the garments of the multitude and the buzzing of the flies that swarmed into the grave4 ,all eyes were so firmly fixed upon the corpse that ,i saw1 so to speak1 their motionless beams1 as one sees the sunbeams in a dark room4444 ,suddenly1 it became plain1 terrifying1 superhuman6 ,the dead man1 obeying the order1 slowly bent in two2 then1 snapping the bandages that fastened his legs1 he stood up erect1 like a stone1 all white1 with his arms bound and his head veiled4 ,with small1 almost impossible steps1 guided by the light1 he came forth from the grave4 ,the affrighted crowd gradually fell back1 without being able to turn away its gaze4 8,loose him and let him go10 said the ,nazarene4 ,and the two sisters of the dead man1 releasing themselves from the human hedge1 rushed to their brother4 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,and he8444 ,,appius ,he staggered1 he stumbled at every step4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,but the ,nazarene8444 ,,appius ,he went away without a word and withdrew into ,simon's house4 ,,verus ,and the dead man1 how did he go8444 ,,appius ,the two sisters1 wild-eyed1 mechanically1 blindly fumbled and cut the napkin and the grave-clothes2 then1 supporting the dead man and helping him to walk1 they led him away to the same house4 ,the crowd dared not follow them save with their eyes4 ,no one uttered a word2 even the two women did not yet speak to the dead man4 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,and the ,nazarene8 ,has he been seen again8 ,,silanus ,he has not left ,simon's house4 ,the swaying multitude is waiting for him in the orchard and along the roads2 for1 after the first long minutes of stupor1 reaction set in and a general alacrity followed4444 ,,appius ,which was as extraordinary as the miracle itself6 ,first1 a confused and almost dumb gladness1 made up of whispers that seek and feel for one another1 passed through the crowd4 ,then1 as though the truth had suddenly burst forth under the skies1 an unspeakable gaiety seized upon the mass4 ,the whispers became cries that were not recognizable4 ,the women1 the children and especially the older men exulted frantically4 ,it was as though they were trampling on death1 which a god had just conquered and laid low1 for the first time since man came into existence4 ,at this moment1 an inconceivable and dangerous exaltation still prevails in all the region round about the tombs2 and1 by ,hercules1 though we have escaped unscathed1 ,i would not advise my worst enemy to risk the ,roman toga and arms there6 ,,verus ,is that all8444 ,,appius ,what more would you have8444 ,,verus ,i should like to know what all this proves4 ,,appius ,it proves that this man who has conquered death1 which hitherto had conquered the world1 is greater than we and our gods4 ,it therefore behoves us to hear what he has to tell us and to conform our lives to it4 ,,silanus ,i will conform mine to it1 ,appius1 if what he teaches is better than what ,i have learned4 ,by awaking a dead man1 in the depth of his grave1 he shows us that he possesses a power greater than that of our masters1 but not a greater wisdom4 ,let us await everything with an even mind4 ,it is not difficult1 even for a child1 to discern that which1 in men's words1 augments or decreases the love of virtue4 ,if he can convince me that ,i have acted wrong until to-day1 ,i will amend1 for ,i seek only the truth4 ,but1 if all the dead who people these valleys were to rise from their graves to bear witness1 in his name1 to a truth less high than that which ,i know1 ,i would not believe them4 ,whether the dead sleep or wake1 ,i will not give them a thought unless they teach me to make a better use of my life4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7starting7 ,listen6444 ,,verus ,what is it8444 ,,appius ,i hear stones rolling4444 ,,verus ,it is like the murmur of a crowd4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,he is coming6444 ,,appius 7going to the first columns of the vestibule7 ,from here we overlook the wall of the first court4444 ,i see them6444 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7pale and staggering1 takes a few steps toward the back of the ,atrium and gazes into the distance7 ,yes4444 ,,appius ,they are wrapped in a cloud of dust4444 ,there are two or three thousand of them crowding toward the entrance4444 ,i think it is those who were at the grave4444 ,,verus ,they would not dare6444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,verus6444 ,,verus ,fear nothing1 ,magdalene3 this time1 ,i alone will defend you4 ,,appius ,they are following1 at a distance1 a man clad in white1 who is entering the court4444 ,,verus ,but what is the janitor of the first courtyard doing8444 ,will he not stop him8444 ,,appius ,yes4444 ,he is coming now4444 ,what is he doing8444 ,one would think he was afraid6444 ,he suddenly stops and lets him pass without a word4444 ,,verus ,and the others follow him4444 ,they are entering the second court4444 ,the impudence of those ,jews is really incredible6444 ,in ,rome1 even during the ,saturnalia1 we should not allow the crowd to push its way like that4444 ,what are the slaves doing8444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,is it he8444 ,,silanus ,who8444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,the ,nazarene4444 ,,silanus ,i think not4444 ,it is not his walk4444 ,i believe rather that it is4444 ,,appius ,there he is1 in the plane-tree avenue6 ,,silanus ,he is coming straight in our direction4444 ,,verus ,he is even taking the shortest way4 ,he is coming up the steps under the boxwood arbour4444 ,he seems at home4444 ,fortunately1 the slaves are running from every side to bar his entrance to the vestibule4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,hush1 ,i entreat you6444 ,,verus ,what is the matter8444 ,,appius ,he is coming nearer2 he is terribly pale4444 ,,silanus ,i believe it is4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,who8444 ,,silanus ,the other one4444 ,the one whom he brought forth from the4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,lazarus8444 ,,silanus ,yes1 ,i recognize him4444 ,,verus ,what does he want with us8444 ,ghosts do not walk like that1 in broad daylight4444 ,he is horrible6444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,oh1 hush1 hush6444 ,,silanus ,here he is4444 ,,scene ,,iii ,,the ,,same1 ,,lazarus4 ,at the back of the vestibule1 the ,,slaves4 ,further away1 imagined rather than perceived1 the crowd of ,,jews4 7,a great silence4 ,,lazarus advances slowly from the back of the vestibule4 ,he looks neither to the right nor to the left4 ,the ,,slaves of the villa1 who have hastened up among the last columns1 form a group for a moment as though to block his way4 ,but1 at the approach of the man risen from the dead1 who seems unaware of their presence1 they fall back silently1 one after the other4 ,,lazarus ,,enters by the back of the ,atrium and stops on the threshold1 which is raised by three steps4 ,,mary ,,magdalene moves backwards to one of the columns in the foreground1 against which she crushes herself1 motionless4 ,but ,,verus1 breaking the silence1 with his hand on the hilt of his sword1 goes up to ,,lazarus47 ,,verus 7in a hectoring voice7 ,who are you8444 7,,lazarus does not reply47 ,you do not answer8444 ,it is indeed easier to cover with silence what one dare not confess4 ,but1 if you have nothing to say1 you have no business here4 ,it is well for you that my pity is stronger than my indignation4 ,go6 7,a new and profound silence47 ,,lazarus 7in a voice that does not seem yet to have recovered its human note1 to ,,magdalene7 ,come4 ,the ,master calls you4 7,,magdalene leaves the column against which she is leaning and takes four or five steps towards ,,lazarus1 as though walking in her sleep47 ,,verus 7barring the road7 ,where are you going8444 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7as though recovering consciousness with difficulty1 in a stifled1 hesitating voice1 which she vainly tries to render firmer7 ,wherever he wishes4444 ,,verus ,no1 not while ,i am here6444 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7throwing herself convulsively into ,,verus' arms7 ,verus6444 ,,verus 7clasping her violently7 ,have no fear1 ,magdalene4 ,nothing can touch you in these arms which close round you4 ,the madness of this land seems more contagious than its pestilence and more tenacious than its leprosy2 but ,roman reason does not waver1 like the rest1 at the first foul breath that issues from a tomb4 ,we will cut this matter short4 7,to ,,lazarus7 ,you ,i will not touch with my sword4 ,it shrinks from corpses1 even when they walk and drive the trade which you do4 ,it is for the slaves to show you the road back to the sepulchre4444 ,where are the slaves8444 ,but1 before going1 look at this and tell your master that the woman whom he covets--by the gods1 he lacks neither taste nor daring6--has sought a refuge in these arms1 which will know how to defend her against his barbarous witchcraft and his childish spells4 ,above all1 repeat to him what ,i am about to say3 he will perhaps understand4 ,his life1 which will not be a long one1 after what he has done1 lies wholly in this hand which drives you hence4 ,i have spoken4 ,go4 ,she will not follow you4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7struggling to escape from ,,verus' embrace1 while1 in the effort1 her hair becomes loosened and falls over her shoulders7 ,yes6444 ,,verus 7holding her back by force7 ,what does this mean8444 ,then you wish to4448 7,,magdalene nods her head47 ,i no longer understand4444 ,or rather ,i begin to understand too well4444 ,you were at one4444 ,and it was he whom you were awaiting with that impatience which seemed so sweet to me8444 ,for who could be made to believe that the fairest1 richest and proudest woman in all ,juda would thus1 without a previous understanding1 obey the first word1 the first sign of the grotesque and repulsive messenger sent by one whom she had seen but once in her life6444 ,it is too much4444 ,i see1 ,i know3 go1 since you love him6444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,no1 no6444 ,i love you1 but he4444 ,,verus ,but he8444 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7sinking in sobs at ,,verus' feet7 ,it is a different thing6444 ,,verus ,it is well1 stand up4444 ,i do not keep you by force4 ,but ,i could not have believed that you had come to this4444 ,i have fallen into one of your ,jewish traps4 ,do you see the crowd posted there1 under the portico1 spying upon its hostages8444 ,i will not have ,roman property defiled4444 ,i bear you no grudge1 ,magdalene4 ,love1 in me1 is not extinguished in a moment2 and ,i possess more constancy than woman4444 ,i shall watch over you4 ,i know now that1 by destroying him1 ,i can save her whom he wished to destroy4 ,he does not suspect that he owes his life to me2 for hitherto1 from pity or indifference1 ,i had held back the threats that were gathering over his head4 ,but1 since he himself comes to attack me in my happiness1 ,i add to those threats all the weight of flouted love4444 ,and1 now1 go with your guide from the tombs4444 ,we shall meet again before long4 7,,lazarus ,,goes ,,out slowly through the vestibule4 ,,magdalene1 without a word1 without a movement1 without a look1 ,,goes ,,out after him1 amid the profound1 still silence of all present47 ,,appius 7after a long pause7 ,we have this day seen more than one thing that we had not seen before4444 ,,silanus ,it is true1 ,appius2 and this is as surprising as the resurrection of a dead man4444 ,,curtain ,,act ,,iii 7,in the house of ,,joseph ,,of ,,arimath,a4 ,the ,supper-room in which the ,last ,supper took place4 ,windows at the back4 ,doors to the right and left4 ,judo-,roman architecture4 ,the lamps are lit4 ,it is the end of the night of the sixth of ,april47 ,,scene ,i ,,nicodemus4 ,,levi ,,the ,,publican4 ,,simon ,,the ,,leper4 ,,lazarus1 ,,the ,,man ,,risen ,,from ,,the ,,dead4 ,,cleophas1 ,,zacch,,us4 ,,the ,,man ,,that ,,was ,,born ,,blind4 ,,bartim,,us1 ,,the ,,blind ,,man ,,of ,,jericho4 ,,the ,,man ,,of ,,gerasa ,,possessed ,,by ,a ,,devil4 ,,the ,,impotent ,,man ,,of ,,bethesda4 ,,the ,,man ,,healed ,,of ,a ,,dropsy4 ,,the ,,man ,,whose ,,hand ,,was ,,withered4 ,,simon ,,peter',s ,,mother-,,in-,,law ,,mary ,,cleophas4 ,,salome1 ,,the ,,wife ,,of ,,zebedee4 ,,susanna4 ,several nameless ,,men ,,and ,,women ,,cured ,,by ,,miracles4 ,a few ,,hunchbacked1 ,,halt1 ,,blind1 ,,lepers and ,,palsied waiting to be healed4 ,some ,,beggars1 two or three ,,harlots1 etc4 7,all these people are struck with consternation and alarm at the arrest of ,,jesus and at the bad news that is current4 ,they crowd at the back of the room1 muttering and whispering4 ,,enter ,,martha1 the sister of ,,lazarus47 ,,martha 7affrighted1 looking anxiously around her7 ,i have seen him6 7,sensation4 ,,all gather eagerly round ,,martha47 ,,nicodemus ,where is he8444 ,,mary ,,cleophas ,has he suffered8444 ,,salome ,what does he say8444 ,,martha ,where is my sister8444 ,,mary ,,cleophas ,she is with her mother1 in our host's chamber4444 ,her mother was worn out with sorrow4444 ,,martha 7going to one of the windows7 ,did no one follow me8444 ,no1 the street is empty4444 ,i went a long way round4444 ,,nicodemus ,where did you see him8444 ,,martha ,he was coming out of ,annas' palace4444 ,i followed him to ,caiaphas'4444 ,it seems they are looking for us4444 ,they have a special grudge against ,lazarus1 the man raised from the dead4444 ,where is he8444 ,,nicodemus 7pointing to ,,lazarus1 in the shadow7 ,here1 among us4444 ,,martha ,they mean to arrest all those who went with him4444 ,they mean to stone us according to the law4444 ,they will persecute all those who come from ,galilee4444 ,,cleophas ,we are all ,galileans4444 ,a ,,man ,,cured ,,by ,a ,,miracle ,no1 not ,i4444 ,,another ,nor ,i3 ,i am from ,bethany4 ,,bartim,,us ,and ,i from ,jericho4444 ,a ,,man ,,cured ,,by ,a ,,miracle ,it is not well that we should be found together4444 ,,nicodemus ,where will you go8444 ,a ,,man ,,cured ,,by ,a ,,miracle ,no matter where4444 ,we shall be safer than here4444 ,,another ,they do not know us4444 ,i have never been seen with him4444 ,a ,,woman ,nor ,i either3 he just simply healed me4444 ,i was bowed together and he made me straight4444 ,a ,,man ,i saw him only once3 it was when he said to me1 8,arise and take up thy bed and go thy way into thine house40 ,i am he whom they let down through the roof upon a bed4444 ,now ,i walk like other men4444 7,he turns to the door and ,,goes ,,out1 followed by ,,those ,,cured ,,by ,,miracles who spoke before him47 ,a ,,sick ,,man ,they are right4444 ,we are not known either4444 ,i came to be healed of a dysentery4444 ,i have not had time to touch him4 7,he also makes for the door47 ,,martha ,are you not ashamed8444 ,,the ,,sick ,,man 7stopping on the threshold7 ,of what8444 ,it serves no purpose that those whom he has healed should perish because of him4444 7,he ,,goes ,,out47 ,,another ,,man ,,cured ,,by ,a ,,miracle ,he can do nothing for us1 because he can do nothing for himself2 and we can do nothing for him4444 ,a ,,hunchback ,yes1 why does he not protect us8444 ,he is constantly speaking of his father and the angels4444 ,where are those angels8 ,,nicodemus ,it is because his hour has not yet come4 ,,the ,,hunchback ,when will his hour come8444 ,when it is too late4444 ,i have not the time to wait4444 7,he ,,goes ,,out47 ,,nicodemus ,let those who do not love him go4444 ,the ,son of ,man shall come in such an hour as you think not4444 ,,cleophas ,his kingdom is not of this world4444 ,a ,,blind ,,man ,his kingdom is lost4444 ,,nicodemus ,he said1 8,are not five sparrows sold for two farthings and not one of them is forgotten before ,god80444 ,,cleophas ,he said1 8,live not in careful suspense40444 ,,nicodemus ,he said1 8,if a man keep my saying1 he shall never see death40444 ,,the ,,blind ,,man ,but he also said1 8,let the dead bury their dead40 7,he gropes his way to the door and ,,goes ,,out47 ,a ,,lame ,,man ,i am going away1 not that ,i am afraid1 but to go and look for him4444 ,,another ,i also4444 7,they ,,go ,,out47 ,a ,,leper ,who said that we must wait for him here8444 ,,nicodemus ,simon ,peter4 ,,the ,,leper ,where is ,simon ,peter8444 ,he hardly shows himself4 ,,martha ,he was by the fire1 in the high-priest's hall4444 ,,nicodemus ,and ,john8444 ,,martha ,i heard that he was in ,annas' house4444 ,,nicodemus ,and what was the ,master doing when you saw him8444 ,,martha ,i saw him only for a moment1 while he passed between the columns of the vestibule4444 ,there was a great crowd around him4444 ,,mary ,,cleophas ,did he see you8444 ,,martha ,yes4 ,he looked at me4444 ,,nicodemus ,he was not free8444 ,,martha ,his hands were bound4444 ,the ,roman soldiers were striking him to make him walk faster4444 ,,mary ,,salome ,oh6444 ,,cleophas ,and the others1 the twelve1 where are they8444 ,,martha ,nobody knows4444 ,they were seized with panic4444 ,i have heard that ,thomas and ,jude have fled to ,galilee4444 ,,nicodemus ,and ,mary ,magdalene1 did you see her8444 ,,martha ,no1 but ,james met her4444 ,she is mad with grief1 it seems4444 ,she was crying out1 tearing her garments and dashing her head against the walls in ,annas' palace4444 ,the servants drove her away2 and1 since then1 nobody knows what became of her4444 ,a poor man told me that she was wandering in the ,roman quarter4444 ,,nicodemus ,does she know that we are here8444 ,,martha ,yes1 ,simon ,peter told her4444 ,a ,,sick ,,man ,when she comes1 do not let her go out again4444 ,she will bring misfortune upon us4 ,she is dangerous and does not know what she is doing4444 ,a ,,man ,,cured ,,by ,a ,,miracle ,there are men marching in the street4444 ,i hear the sound of arms4444 ,they are coming to arrest us6444 ,let all escape who can6444 7,to ,,nicodemus1 who is going to a window7 ,do not go to the windows1 you will be recognized6444 ,,bartim,,us ,i will go1 ,i am not known1 ,i am from ,jericho4444 7,he looks cautiously into the street74 ,it is twelve soldiers1 with a centurion4444 ,hush6444 ,do not speak6444 ,,nicodemus ,are they stopping8444 ,,bartim,,us ,no4444 ,they are passing4444 ,there is no one in the street now4444 ,yes6444 ,there is some one coming at the other end4444 ,do not make a noise4444 ,it is a woman and four men4444 ,why1 ,i know them6444 ,it is ,mary ,magdalene1 ,joseph of ,arimatha1 ,james1 ,i believe1 and ,andrew and ,simon ,zelotes4444 ,they are looking around them4444 ,they are knocking4444 ,go down and open the door to them4444 ,,scene ,,ii ,,the ,,same1 ,,mary ,,magdalene1 ,,joseph ,,of ,,arimath,a1 ,,james1 ,,andrew and ,,simon ,,zelotes ,,mary ,,magdalene 7beside herself1 dishevelled1 barefoot1 with torn garments7 ,how many are you8444 ,are you ready8444 ,what have you been doing while waiting for me8444 ,i have come from the ,antonia ,tower4444 ,the military tribune was not in the ,roman quarter4444 ,but ,i have seen his friend ,appius4444 ,he will send him to us as soon as he returns4444 ,verus said that it might be possible to save him4444 ,i do not know how4444 ,he will explain it to us4444 ,but1 if he does not save him1 we must4444 ,james and ,simon have swords under their cloaks4 ,where is ,peter8 ,where is ,john8444 ,,martha ,i saw them in the hall of the high-priest's house4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,they ought to be here4444 ,we must be many4444 ,he is to pass through this street1 under that window1 on his way to ,pilate4444 ,,nicodemus ,when8444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,to-night1 before the second watch4444 ,which of you has arms8 ,where are they hidden8444 ,,nicodemus ,what do you wish to do8444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,to deliver him1 if ,verus does not deliver him4444 ,it is easy1 you shall see4444 ,they will let us do as we please1 ,i know they will4444 ,the ,romans do not want to judge him4444 ,appius told me so1 they are perplexed4444 ,when they took him to ,caiaphas1 there were only two soldiers to guard him and two sergeants from the ,temple1 armed with sticks4444 ,if only there had been five or six men with me6444 ,we would have hidden him1 ,i know where2 and he would have been saved6444 ,but ,i was all alone6444 ,,joseph ,,of ,,arimath,a ,it is not so easy as you think1 ,magdalene4444 ,all the populace was there1 ready to stone him4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,but the populace is on his side and the crowd adores him6444 ,you have forgotten his triumphal entry6444 ,,joseph ,,of ,,arimath,a ,it is different now4444 ,they were all shouting for his death outside ,caiaphas' palace4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,it was a few servants of the ,pharisees and ,sadducees4444 ,,joseph ,,of ,,arimath,a ,a few servants would not have been enough to cover a public place to the very roofs4444 ,it was indeed the same crowd as on the day of the triumph4444 ,no1 believe me1 ,magdalene1 he knows what he wishes4444 ,he is determined to be destroyed4444 ,he has confessed everything4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,what can he have confessed1 when he has done no wrong8444 ,,joseph ,,of ,,arimath,a ,he admitted that he was the ,son of ,god and the ,king of the ,jews4 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,is it not the truth8444 ,,joseph ,,of ,,arimath,a ,no doubt1 but it would have been better not to proclaim it to-night4 ,in the eyes of the priests and ,romans1 it is a crime punishable by law4444 ,,an ,,infirm ,,man ,he must be guilty1 or they would not have arrested him4444 ,,nicodemus ,we cannot do more than he wishes and commands2 and he renounces his defence4 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,but you do not see that he does that to try your faith1 your strength1 your love6444 ,,nicodemus ,he foretold all this many times4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,that was because he knew the cowardice of those who pretended to love him6444 ,ah1 men are great and heroic and proud6444 ,the only men who have not fled1 those who tremble least1 the best of you discuss and argue as though they had to do with a measure of wheat2 and the women are silent and weep6444 ,well1 what do you say1 my sisters8444 ,is not this the moment to show your love8444 ,and those whom he has healed1 where are they1 what are they doing8444 ,you there1 who want to flee1 blind ,bartimus1 the other one from ,jericho1 the other from ,siloam3 those eyes1 which he has opened1 you turn from me1 because ,i have the courage to speak to you of him6444 ,you1 ,simon the ,leper1 you1 the other from ,samaria1 have you forgotten that1 before he came1 you were more hideous than death8444 ,i see nothing around me but miracles in hiding6444 ,the man whose hand was withered1 the man who was healed of a dropsy on the ,sabbath and the man of ,gerasa possessed by a devil1 who dares not lift up his head6444 ,and1 among the palsied1 he of ,bethesda who is running to the door1 using his legs only to forsake the ,god who healed him6444 ,even those whom he raised from the dead are afraid6444 ,why1 look at ,lazarus3 he is more pale than any of you6444 ,and yet you saw death1 you2 you lay touching it for four long days4444 ,is it more terrible than men thought8444 ,you do not answer8444 7,a long pause47 ,,joseph ,,of ,,arimath,a ,listen1 ,magdalene4444 ,i lack neither courage nor loyalty4444 ,notwithstanding the power of the priests1 ,i have thrown open my house to those who followed him4 ,i know the price which ,i shall have to pay4444 ,i am prepared to sacrifice everything and life itself to him4 ,but ,i know his will and ,i cannot disobey him4444 ,peter wished to defend him and drew his sword4444 ,he made him put it up into the sheath4444 ,i was at ,gethsemane4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,since you were there1 why did you not help ,peter8444 ,we save those whom we love2 we listen to them afterwards6444 ,but what will you do when you have destroyed him8444 ,oh1 ,i am delaying too long with those who are afraid6444 ,what am ,i doing here1 among men who will do nothing8444 ,i am wasting his last chances and his last minutes4444 ,i will go to meet ,verus2 after him1 we shall see4444 7,she turns to the door4 ,,joseph ,,of ,,arimath,a and ,,nicodemus block her way47 ,,nicodemus ,do not go out1 ,magdalene3 it means destroying him and destroying us with him4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,ah1 destroying you with him1 that is the trouble6444 ,wait6 7,she takes another step towards the door4 ,,nicodemus stops her resolutely47 ,,nicodemus ,you shall not go out4 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,i shall not go out8444 ,true1 you dare fight against a woman4 ,i had not foreseen this great courage born of terror4 ,you all shake your heads like empty cornspikes2 and the women rejoice in at last discovering the cowardice of the men1 showing itself suddenly more signal than their own6444 ,,joseph ,,of ,,arimath,a ,take counsel1 ,magdalene2 think of him and reflect that1 if he heard you4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,well1 if he heard me1 it would be as on the day when that one among you whom you all resemble reproached me with anointing his feet with too costly an ointment6444 ,have you forgotten what he said8444 ,whom did he declare to be right8444 ,you have understood nothing6444 ,for months and years1 you have lived in his light2 and not one of you has the least idea of what ,i saw because ,i loved him1 ,i who did not come until the eleventh hour1 ,i whom he drew from lower than the lowest slave of the lowest among you all6444 ,,nicodemus 7listening to the sounds outside7 ,hush6444 ,listen6444 ,some one is walking outside the house4444 7,to ,,bartim,,us47 ,go see who it is4444 ,,bartim,,us 7at the window7 ,it is a man wrapped in a cloak4444 ,a ,roman4444 ,he has stopped4444 ,he knocks at the door4444 ,he is coming in4444 ,the door was not closed4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7running to the door of the ,supper-room7 ,it is he1 it is ,lucius ,verus6444 ,open the door to him6 ,open quickly6444 ,i hear him6444 7,they open the door of the ,supper-room4 ,,lucius ,,verus appears in the embrasure4 ,at the sight of the strange assembly of ,,persons ,,cured ,,by ,,miracles1 ,,cripples1 ,,beggars and ,,sick1 he stops and stands dumbfoundered on the threshold47 ,,scene ,,iii ,,the ,,same1 ,,lucius ,,verus ,,mary ,,magdalene 7running to ,,verus with outstretched arms7 ,it is you1 my ,verus1 it is indeed you6444 ,an eye that looks me in the face1 a sword1 shoulders1 hands that do not tremble6444 ,come6 ,come6 ,what are we to do8444 ,have you seen him8444 ,where are we going8444 ,how can we help him8444 ,how many men do you need8444 ,where are yours8 ,he is not only innocent1 as you well know1 he is so pure1 he stands so high that the thoughts of men cannot reach him4444 ,in his goodness he is bearing everything for the sins of the world2 but we will not have him sacrifice himself for us4444 ,a single glance from his eyes1 a single word from his mouth1 are worth all the lives of all other men4444 ,,verus 7icily7 ,is this indeed the place where ,i was to meet you8444 ,who are these 444 these men 444 surrounding you8444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,they can be trusted4444 ,they love him as well as he loved them2 but they want a leader4444 ,they were waiting for you4444 ,they will follow you everywhere4444 ,,verus 7ironically7 ,i have not come to command this 444 foreign 444 troop4444 ,i do not know what you mean4 ,there is some misunderstanding2 and we should not1 ,i think1 explain it here1 before so many witnesses4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,you are right4444 7,to the others7 ,leave us4444 ,i will call you when the time comes for action4444 7,,all ,,go ,,out1 except ,,mary ,,magdalene and ,,lucius ,,verus47 ,,scene ,,iv ,,lucius ,,verus1 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,,verus 7sarcastically7 ,who are those extraordinary persons8444 ,i have never seen so many cripples1 vagrants and evil-smelling sick people gathered together4444 ,what do they want with you8444 ,i was told that you were living in the midst of uncouth creatures1 the oldest1 the ugliest1 the dirtiest and the most pestilential of those ,jews whom you mocked so pleasantly in the house of the wise ,silanus2 but ,i could not have believed that they were so intimate with you as this4444 ,however1 that no longer concerns me4 ,but ,i told you that we should meet again before long4444 ,appius informed me that you had been looking for me in the ,roman quarter4 ,i left everything to hasten at your first summons4 ,i knew what was happening and ,i was biding my time4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,how good and generous you are6444 ,how reassuring and comforting your presence and your smile6444 ,those others 444 if you only knew6444 ,they were trembling like the reeds of which our ,master speaks2 and ,i was helpless and dying with shame4444 ,but ,i knew that you would come back to us2 and now this is you1 your arms1 your breast4444 ,it seems to me that ,rome in her entirety is protecting us and that your arms1 which can do all things1 cannot abandon him4444 ,,verus ,they will not abandon you1 ,magdalene4 ,the rest depends upon yourself alone4444 ,i am good and generous1 perhaps1 but in my own manner2 and we must understand each other4444 ,so they have arrested him in whom you take so lively an interest1 as ,i told you that they would8444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,they have not only arrested him3 all the menials of the ,temple1 the grooms1 the herds1 the meanest scullions in the kitchens rushed at him1 insulted1 flouted and ill-treated him4444 ,and1 as they were afraid1 as they were too cowardly to venture it alone1 they made the ,roman soldiers help them6444 ,,verus ,i know4444 ,but had we not best be brief and to the point8444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,yes1 we have no time to lose4444 ,,verus ,even so4 ,it is not now a question of arrest nor of more or less justifiable ill-usage1 but of imminent death4 ,i have seen the ,procurator ,pontius ,pilate4 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,good4 ,what did he say8444 ,,verus ,i found him anxious1 perplexed1 at a loss4 ,he is a mild1 irresolute man1 an enemy to quarrels and violence4 ,he had to choose between the inevitably bloody revolt of the priests and their sectaries and the sacrifice of an agitator who was unquestionably troublesome and dangerous1 but who has not1 perhaps1 incurred the death penalty in the eyes of ,roman law and justice4 ,i spoke according to my duty and conscience4 ,he did not hesitate4 ,he chose the more humane and wiser course4 ,and1 as ,i am the armed guardian responsible for the ,roman peace1 he gave the fate of your ,nazarene into my hands4 ,however1 ,i must admit that1 before our interview1 ,i had purposely allowed events to take the course they did4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,he is saved6 ,i was sure of it6 ,and how right ,i was to fear nothing and to hope all things in turning to you6444 ,,verus ,do not let us go too fast4 ,there are many things to consider4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,what do you say8444 ,,verus ,i say that there are many things to consider4444 ,had ,i known nothing whatever of your adventure1 my choice would not have been in doubt3 ,i should1 while more or less pitying him1 have sacrificed the wretched man to the public tranquillity2 it is the sovereign law of the empire2 but now4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,but now1 it is different1 you know him1 you know everything4444 ,there is no excuse for a moment's hesitation2 it would be monstrous4444 ,,verus ,indeed1 there is no excuse for a moment's hesitation2 it would be monstrous1 as you say4444 ,shall ,i1 to snatch a favoured rival from a well-merited death1 for the second time lose the only woman whom ,i love or can love8444 ,that certainly is impossible4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,i do not quite understand4444 ,,verus ,yet it is simple enough3 in saving him1 ,i hand you over1 without defence1 to the fellow who will drag you with him1 by fall after fall1 to the bottom of none can tell what pit of folly and wretchedness1 whence no human and reasoning power will be able to extricate you4 ,moreover1 speaking for myself1 ,i lose you irrevocably by thus giving you1 with my own simple1 foolish hands1 to one who robs me of my happiness by methods against which a man who values the name does not try to struggle4 ,whereas1 if ,i abandon him to his fate1 there remains a chance of seeing you return to the light and for me some prospect of finding you in my path2 for our two lives have still1 ,i hope1 a long space to cover2 and many roads1 as you well know1 lead to ,rome4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,i understand4444 ,i understand1 since ,i needs must understand4444 ,but ,i do not yet believe4444 ,no1 it is not possible2 and you1 the man whom ,i know1 have not come to tell me coldly that you wish to destroy him and thus revenge yourself for an injury which he has not done you4444 ,there is1 there must be1 something else4444 ,,verus ,yes1 there is something else4444 ,there remains to us1 if you are absolutely bent upon it1 one means of saving him4 ,but1 at the point to which we have come and to which ,i have driven the adventure1 saving him probably means ruin to myself4 ,besides1 time presses4 ,the sentence is written1 ,i have seen it4 ,he will be put to death at daybreak2 for the hours are numbered because of the ,passover4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,what must ,i do8444 ,quick1 quick1 ,i will do it4444 ,,verus ,the prisoner is guarded by my men2 it is therefore not quite impossible to effect his escape4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,why yes1 why yes1 it is simple2 and that1 of course1 is what we must do6444 ,once free1 he will hide and he will be forgotten4444 ,let us lose no time4444 ,but ,i do not understand why you came to say4444 ,,verus ,you will soon understand4444 ,i answer for the prisoner1 therefore4 ,do you know what ,i am doing1 do you know what ,i risk by restoring him to liberty8444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,you are only doing your duty in freeing an innocent man4444 ,,verus ,it is not for me to enquire into his innocence2 that does not concern me4 ,i am not his judge1 but his keeper4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,your soldiers will hold their tongues and no one will know that4444 ,,verus ,my soldiers will not be able to hold their tongues4 ,they will have to choose between silence and their lives4 ,it will therefore be known that they acted only on my orders4 ,now there is no instance of the high-priests' ever abandoning a prey1 a revenge1 a hatred4 ,they will go and complain1 first1 at ,antioch1 to the ,governor of ,syria1 and1 next1 to ,csar himself1 whose anger is kindled at the very breath of a suspicion4 ,do you know what ,csar is8 ,the greatest1 the most powerful men in ,rome tremble before his shadow4444 ,for me1 it means1 if not death1 at least exile far from ,rome2 and death1 to us ,romans1 seems sweet compared with exile4444 ,that is what ,i give2 that is my stake2 ,i am waiting for yours4 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,you are waiting for mine8444 ,what would you have me give8444 ,i have nothing left4444 ,i distributed all to the poor the other evening4444 ,,verus ,i do not ask for what one gives to the poor4444 ,and1 besides1 ,i have had enough of those evasions which lead to nothing and of those shuffling phrases4444 ,ah1 much ,i care for justice and a vagrant more or less in the world and my own fate and my own exile6444 ,have you not understood that it is you ,i want1 you alone and all of you2 that ,i have wanted you for years2 and that this is my hour8444 ,it is not beautiful1 ,i know1 and it is not as ,i dreamt it6444 ,but it is all ,i have2 and a man takes what he can to make his life6444 ,we stand here face to face1 with our two madnesses1 which are more powerful than ourselves and cannot recede2 we must come to an understanding6444 ,the more you love him1 the more ,i love you1 the more you wish to save him and the more ,i wish to destroy him6 ,we must come to an understanding6444 ,you want his life1 ,i want mine2 and you shall have his life1 but ,i shall have you1 before he escapes his death4444 ,is it understood8444 ,are we agreed8444 ,say no1 if you dare1 and let his blood be upon her who has brought him to this pass and who is destroying him twice over6444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,ah1 so that was it6444 ,yes1 yes1 ,i know1 ,i see4444 ,i was not conscious and ,i no longer thought of it2 but it was bound to be4444 ,ah1 so it was that which caused me just now1 while you were speaking1 to have no confidence despite my confidence6444 ,it is so strange1 so monstrous1 so remote from us6444 ,one needs a little time to understand4444 ,all one's thoughts become deranged and one's soul falls1 falls1 like a stone in a well4444 ,one grasps the meaning of nothing4444 ,one no longer knows where one stands4444 ,,verus ,you and ,i know quite well2 and there is nothing extraordinary in all this4444 ,a few days ago1 you would not have needed so much urging2 and ,i do not understand that to-day1 when the price of love is something quite different1 to-day1 when a life1 dear to you among all lives4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,ah1 you do not understand6444 ,and to think that scarcely any one1 not even those who loved him1 would understand better6444 ,am ,i then the only being that has seen into his soul8444 ,and yet it is not so very difficult6444 ,he has spoken to me only three times in my life1 but ,i know what he thinks4 ,i know all that he wishes1 ,i know all that he is as completely as though ,i were within him1 or as though he were there1 near me1 fixing upon my brow his glance in which the angels come down from heaven1 as on the evening when ,i kissed his feet and wiped them with my hair4444 ,,verus ,i well knew that ,i came too late1 but ,i should never have believed that you had gone so far4444 ,if he has spoken to you only three times1 he has not wasted the minutes and has told you enough to remove my doubts4444 ,but let us be calm4 ,it is a question other than of love2 and your lover himself1 were he consulted1 would judge that a kiss does not weigh much in the presence of death4444 ,since you love him so well1 is his life not worth a slight displeasure1 which but lately would not have inspired you with such horror8444 ,if there were a looking-glass in this room1 ,i would go and gaze at myself with curiosity1 to make out what1 in a few days1 has made me so repulsive that the torture of the one man whom you adore is preferred to the touch of my lips6444 ,but what is the matter8444 ,one would think that ,i was speaking of unimaginable things6444 ,what have ,i said8 ,what have ,i done8444 ,your face is distorted4444 ,there is no need to look at me like that1 with mad and terrified eyes1 as though they beheld the fall of the sun or the violation of a tomb6444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,let me be4444 ,you cannot know4444 ,i am only beginning to understand4444 ,,verus ,a few days since1 you were not so slow in understanding4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7in a soft and distant voice7 ,yes1 yes4444 ,for one sees only little by little4444 7,staring before her7 ,it is unfolded slowly1 like a thing that has no beginning1 no end1 no name4444 ,there are two deaths here1 ,i hold two deaths in my hand2 and that is too heavy a weight for a poor creature born upon this earth4444 ,,verus ,two deaths8444 ,what do you mean8444 ,you do not intend to follow him1 surely8444 ,your death1 since he loves you1 would only add a very useless bitterness to his4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7in the same soft and distant voice7 ,no4444 ,i am not speaking of mine4444 ,it is two other deaths4444 ,i still have my senses4444 ,i can see clearly in the abyss4444 ,let me look1 where you can see nothing4444 ,,verus ,i should not have thought that1 when ,i came to bring you his safety and the great sacrifice which ,i am making to love4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7with a sudden outburst7 ,the sacrifice which you are making to love6444 ,ah1 if you could see the sacrifice which is being accomplished here and which the very angels dare not look upon6444 ,but you cannot know what has happened on earth since he descended upon it6444 ,it is no longer the same earth2 and it is no longer possible6444 ,before he came1 the purest would not have hesitated6444 ,before he came6 ,before he came6444 ,and1 even then1 to-day1 ,i1 who have been born again through him1 if it were not he1 if it were a question of another1 ,i should not have the strength6444 ,i should perhaps sin against all that he loves1 to save what ,i love6444 ,but he gives too much strength to love and to suffer6444 ,i could save him in spite of himself2 but no longer in spite of myself6444 ,if ,i bought his life at the price which you offer1 all that he wished1 all that he loved would be dead6444 ,i cannot plunge the flame into the mire to save the lamp6 ,i cannot give him the only death that could touch him6444 ,but look at me with clearer eyes and you shall perhaps see all that ,i perceive without being able to tell you6444 ,were ,i to yield but for a moment under the weight of love1 all that he has said1 all that he has done1 all that he has given would sink back into the darkness1 the earth would be more deserted than if he had not been born and heaven would be closed to mankind for ever6444 ,i should be destroying him altogether1 destroying more than himself1 to gain for him days which would destroy everything4444 ,,verus ,it is not so much a question of gaining days for him as of sparing him tortures1 the mere thought of which should make you reflect4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,i know6 ,i know6444 ,because ,i love him thus1 as none has ever loved upon this earth where heaven had not yet poured forth its love1 must ,i not sacrifice to him what no human soul has possessed before me8444 ,but you come to ask for all that he has given2 and what he has given is much more than his life and lives more in our hearts than it lives in himself6444 ,if ,i destroy him in myself1 ,i destroy him in us6444 ,i know no more1 ,i see no more1 ,i understand no more4444 ,i would do it1 perhaps1 if my soul were alone2 but it is no longer possible and ,god would not have it6444 ,,verus ,the gods always will what men will4444 ,be sure that1 if he whom you are about to deliver to the torture could make his voice heard at this moment1 he would not hesitate4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,ah1 ,i know that he would not hesitate6 ,and that is why ,i am struggling thus1 like a blind beast1 between two sacrifices6444 ,it is my past shame that overwhelms me and prevents me from rising to the level of his will6444 ,,verus ,man has but one will in the presence of death4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,my ,god6 ,my ,god6444 ,i am nothing1 ,i am defiled with every defilement3 what matters this one1 which brings thee life8444 ,but am ,i in question8444 ,is it not thou alone whom ,i defile to-day in defiling thy salvation1 thou1 the very source whence the source of all purity and of every happiness and of every life will spring8444 ,i no longer know where to thrust back my soul6444 ,nothing remains to me1 if ,i lose it2 nothing remains to us1 if ,i save it6444 ,,verus ,nothing is lost so long as life endures4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,hush1 ,i beseech you6444 ,leave me alone in his silence and his will4444 ,let me contemplate1 let me listen to other things4444 ,i do not yet love him as he would be loved6444 ,in vain ,i raise my eyes to his heaven of light3 ,i see only his death1 his sorrows1 his suffering 444 his steadfast face1 his eyes that lit up all he looked upon1 his mouth that spoke unceasingly of happiness 444 his feet which ,i have kissed1 lifeless and icy cold6444 ,verus1 ,verus1 have pity6444 ,i cannot bear it1 ,i cannot bear it6 ,i am falling6444 ,do with me what you will6444 ,,verus 7catching her in his arms7 ,magdalene1 ,magdalene6444 ,i knew4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7springing back at his touch7 ,no1 you did not know6 ,and it is not that6444 ,there is something else6444 ,there is another outlet6444 ,verus1 ,verus1 come1 you are not without feeling1 you are not a monster1 you will understand also4444 ,it depends on you4444 ,for me it is impossible4444 ,there is a wall there defended by his angels4444 ,i cannot pass it4444 ,i must not think of it4444 ,but you1 you can do everything6444 ,to think that you hold there1 in that human hand of yours1 the life of the ,god of ,gods descended upon earth6444 ,i know1 ,i know1 you do not believe it4444 ,but you must at least believe in his innocence2 and you know that he has done no evil4444 ,he does not even know what evil is1 since he is all goodness4444 ,he has done nothing but heal1 console and pray4444 ,he has done nothing but breathe over men's souls and flood them with happiness4444 ,if only you knew him1 if he had spoken to you1 were it but once6444 ,because he is innocent and because you are just1 because you have strength and because you are brave1 you cannot deliver him defenceless to the executioners4444 ,it would not be ,roman1 it would not even be manly4444 ,,verus ,enough of this2 and1 as everything is useless1 let him be treated as you have decided4444 ,it is not ,i who am leading him to the torture4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7clinging to the garments of ,,verus1 who takes a step to the door7 ,verus6 ,verus6444 ,i implore you6444 ,that is not all6444 ,all is not said6444 ,it cannot be decided like this6444 ,but do not ask the one impossible thing4444 ,i will be your slave1 ,i will live at your feet1 serve you on my knees for the rest of my days2 but give me his life without destroying in my soul and throughout the earth that which is the very life of our new life6444 ,,verus ,enough6444 ,besides1 there is no time4 ,my patience in saving a rival whom ,i hate is as ridiculous as your persistent attempt to save your lover by singing his praises6444 ,when you see him dead1 in less than three hours hence1 do not weep over him1 lest your tears should be flung back in your own face6444 7,perceiving ,,joseph ,,of ,,arimath,a1 who discreetly opens the door1 to the left1 of the ,supper-room47 ,who goes there8444 ,come in1 come in1 this is the very thing6444 ,we need witnesses4 ,where are the mountebanks1 the monsters1 the lepers8 ,i want to tell them4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene ,what8444 ,,verus ,they shall know who has betrayed their god6444 ,we shall then see if you have the heart to despatch him before their eyes and how they will take the news6444 ,repugnant though they be1 ,i want to see their ugly faces again6444 7,he reaches the door and throws it open wide47 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7hurrying to stop his action7 ,verus6 ,verus6444 ,this is not worthy of you6444 ,,verus ,i know6 ,i know6444 ,i am not worthy of anything1 it appears6 ,not even of you1 harlot6444 7,calling in a loud voice7 ,hi6 ,hi6 ,the rest of you6444 ,where are you8444 ,hasten this way1 you halt and lame1 you club-feet1 you cripples1 you beggars1 vagrants1 lepers1 paralytics6444 ,i have something of importance to tell you6444 7,startled faces appear in the embrasures of the two doors47 ,,scene ,v ,,verus1 ,,mary ,,magdalene and nearly ,,all ,,the ,,characters of ,,scene ,,iii ,,verus ,come in1 come in1 you have nothing to fear6444 7,they ,,enter1 timidly47 ,are you all there8444 ,there seem to be fewer of you4444 ,where are the others gone8444 ,,joseph ,,of ,,arimath,a ,sir1 some of them fear lest the night4444 ,,verus ,i understand2 they were afraid4444 ,their love and their faith do not take any risk of blows4444 ,however1 these will do4444 ,do you see that woman8444 ,i came to offer to save your master4 ,she had only to say yes4 ,she has said no4 ,she orders his death4 ,he will therefore die at sunrise4 7,sensation in the crowd47 ,,nicodemus ,what is he saying1 ,magdalene8444 7,,mary ,,magdalene does not reply47 ,,verus ,ask her1 you will learn4444 ,,nicodemus ,magdalene1 is it true8444 7,,mary ,,magdalene remains silent47 ,,joseph ,,of ,,arimath,a ,but come1 answer6444 ,what is the matter with you8444 ,,verus ,she is at the same time betraying and destroying all those who followed the tempter4 ,i have spoken4 ,farewell4 ,look to yourselves4 7,he turns to the door47 ,,joseph ,,of ,,arimath,a 7stopping him and beseeching him7 ,sir1 ,i beg of you1 do not go away like this4444 ,she is mistaken1 you will see4444 ,there is some terrible misunderstanding4444 ,magdalene1 come1 what is he saying1 what do you say8444 ,why1 it is impossible6444 ,what has happened8444 ,,several ,,sick ,,men and ,,beggars 7surrounding ,,magdalene1 who remains motionless1 gazing blindly into the distance7 ,magdalene6 ,magdalene4444 ,a ,,hunchback ,she also has sold him6444 ,she was with the ,iscariot6444 ,,martha 7putting her arms around ,,magdalene',s neck7 ,magdalene6444 ,listen to me6444 ,you used to love me4444 ,what has come to you8444 ,tell me it is not true4444 ,you have not heard4444 ,,mary ,,cleophas 7putting her hand on ,,magdalene',s shoulder7 ,magdalene1 ,magdalene6444 ,no1 it is impossible4444 ,you cannot have forgotten4444 ,a ,,poor ,,man ,how much did you receive8444 ,a ,,man ,,cured ,,by ,a ,,miracle ,yes1 how much8444 ,where is the money8444 ,,another ,give back the gold6 ,give back the gold6444 ,search her6444 ,,mary ,,salome ,magdalene6 ,magdalene6444 ,she is mad6444 ,a ,,vagrant ,harlot6444 ,soldiers' wench6444 ,,another ,strumpet6 ,strumpet6 ,strumpet6 ,a ,,man ,,cured ,,by ,a ,,miracle ,the seven devils whom he cast out have entered her body again6444 ,,another ,she has sold us like a herd of oxen6444 ,a ,,sick ,,man ,we shall all have to suffer6444 ,,another ,yes1 but not before she does6444 ,,the ,,man ,,whose ,,hand ,,was ,,withered ,she shall not go from here until4444 ,a ,,palsied ,,man ,in any case1 she shall not go hence alive1 take my word for it6444 7,almost ,,all1 shouting1 gesticulating1 threatening1 with clenched fists1 crowd round ,,magdalene1 who remains motionless and dumb47 ,,joseph ,,of ,,arimath,a 7intervening7 ,come1 come1 do not forget who you are1 where you are nor in whose name you are speaking4 7,to ,,verus7 ,sir1 ,i beg of you1 a little patience4444 ,i am a just and reasonable man2 and everything will be explained4444 ,listen1 ,magdalene1 ,i am speaking to you in his name4444 ,there is still time to say yes4444 ,i am speaking as a father4444 7,,magdalene maintains her motionless silence47 ,,the ,,hunchback ,you see6444 ,she has received the price6444 7,an explosion of hatred4 ,,all surround her more closely4 ,the cries1 the threats1 the imprecations1 the entreaties1 the moans are redoubled4 ,suddenly1 in the street1 rises a tumult which drowns that in the ,supper-room4 ,it is the shouting of an angry crowd approaching swiftly1 the sound of arms and horses4 ,the uproar in the room is at once lulled4 ,,all listen1 anxiously47 ,a ,,man ,,cured ,,by ,a ,,miracle ,the ,romans6444 ,the soldiers6444 ,they are coming to arrest us6444 ,she has betrayed us6444 ,let us fly6444 ,this way1 this way6444 7,,all lose their heads4 ,some run wildly round the room1 seeking for an outlet47 ,a ,,vagrant ,no1 no6444 ,do not go out6444 ,there is only one door6444 ,we cannot escape6444 ,they would discover us6444 ,a ,,man ,,cured ,,by ,a ,,miracle ,be silent6444 ,hide yourselves6444 ,a ,,cripple ,why do you not put out the lamps8444 ,they will see the lights6444 ,quick6 ,quick6 ,put out the lamps6444 7,the lamps are put out47 ,,another ,do not go to the windows6444 ,do not show yourselves at the windows6444 ,lie down along the walls6444 ,,verus ,it is a noble spectacle and ,i long to see it out4444 ,,joseph ,,of ,,arimath,a 7going up to ,,verus7 ,sir1 do not ruin them4444 ,they are weak and poor4444 ,almost all of them are sick4444 ,they know not what they do4444 ,have pity on men and do not judge them4444 7,the shouts--8,crucify him6 ,crucify him6444 ,tempter6 ,tempter6444 ,galilean6 ,nazarene6444 ,he would destroy the ,temple6444 ,he would destroy the ,law6444 ,blasphemer6444 ,crucify him6 ,crucify him6 ,crucify him60--are redoubled in the street and are now heard outside the house itself4 ,the red light of the torches is cast into the room4 ,,the ,,blind ,,man ,,of ,,jericho steals up to one of the windows and looks out47 ,a ,,panic-,,stricken ,,voice ,do not go to the windows6444 ,a ,,lame ,,man 7going to another window7 ,what is happening8444 ,,the ,,blind ,,man ,,of ,,jericho ,it is he6444 7,several ,,persons1 irresistibly attracted1 climb up to the windows and look into the street1 with infinite caution4 ,occasionally ,,one of them turns to those who remain at the back of the room1 to tell them what he sees47 ,,one ,,of ,,those ,,at ,,the ,,windows ,there are soldiers all around him6444 ,there is a crowd of them6444 ,,another ,he is coming6 ,he is coming this way6444 ,his hands are bound6444 ,they are striking him6444 ,,another ,he is weeping6444 ,his eyes are bleeding6444 ,,another ,they are taking him to ,pilate6444 ,there are ,peter and ,john1 hiding themselves6444 ,,another ,the blood is dripping on his feet6444 ,,another ,he cannot walk any farther6444 ,he staggers6 ,he staggers6444 ,,verus 7to ,,magdalene1 who has not moved and who stands against a column1 in the middle of the room1 staring before her1 without turning towards the windows7 ,magdalene6444 7,in the street1 suddenly1 the tumult falls1 as a huge1 heavy object might fall4 ,a wonderful silence47 ,a ,,voice 7in the room7 ,what is it8444 ,,the ,,blind ,,man ,,of ,,jericho 7at the window7 ,he falls6444 ,he has fallen6444 ,he is looking at the house6444 ,,verus ,magdalene1 ,i still promise you4444 ,,mary ,,magdalene 7without stirring1 without looking at ,,verus1 without anger1 simply1 in a voice from another life1 full of peace1 full of divine clarity and certainty7 ,go6444 ,,the ,,blind ,,man ,,of ,,jericho 7at the window7 ,he rises to his feet6444 ,they drag him along6444 7,the tumult1 the shouts of 8,crucify him60 are resumed and redoubled in the street4 ,,verus ,,goes ,,out slowly1 with his eyes on ,,magdalene1 who remains motionless1 as though in ecstasy and all illumined with the light of the departing torches47 ,,curtain ,transcriber's ,notes ,the following changes have been made to the text as printed3 #a4 ,a close-bracket 7 has been inserted after to receive ,,mary ,,magdalene on ,page #ag4 #b4 ,two instances of punctuation after the speaker's name ,,magdalene have been removed 7,page #dh1 ,page #ei74 #c4 ,,the ,,same 7below ,,scene ,,ii on ,page #gd7 has been placed in upright capitals rather than italics4 #d4 ,judea 7,page #ajd7 has been changed to ,juda4 #e4 ,indentation and justification of stage directions have been made more consistent4