Part 14 (2/2)

Christopher was of the lineage of the Canaaneans and he was of a right great stature, and had a terrible and fearful cheer and countenance

And he elve cubits of length And, as it is read in so of Canaaneans, it careatest prince that was in the world and him he would serve and obey

And so far he went that he caenerally was that he was the greatest of the world And when the king saw him received him into his service and made hi tofore hi which was a Christian n of the cross in his visage And when Christopher saw that, he had greatwould not say, he said, ”If thou telltold to hi, ”Alhen I hear the devil naarnish rieve not nor annoy me” Then Christopher said to him, ”Thou doubtest the devil that he hurt thee not? Then is the devil reater than thou art I am then deceived of my hope and purpose; for I supposed that I had found the reatest lord of the world

But I coo seek him to be my lord and I his servant”

And then he departed fro and hasted hireat desert he saw a great coht cruel and horrible came to him and demanded whither he went And Christopher answered to hio to seek the devil for to be my master” And he said, ”I alad and bound himself to be his servant perpetual, and took hiether by a co And anon as the devil saw the cross, he was afeard and fled, and left the right way and brought Christopher about by a sharp desert, and after, when they were past the cross, he brought hihway that they had left And when Christopher saw that, he h and fair way and had gone so far about by so hard desert

And the devil would not tell him in no wise Then Christopher said to him, ”If thou wilt not tell me I shall anon depart from thee and shall serve thee no more” Therefore the devil was constrained to tell hied on the cross, and when I see his sign, I am sore afeard and flee from it wheresoreater and n

And I see well that I have laboured in vain since I have not founden the greatest lord of all the earth And I will serve thee no longer

Go thy way then: for I will go seek Jesus Christ”

And when he had long sought and dereat desert to an hermit that dwelled there

And this hermit preached to hiently And he said to hi whom thou desirest to serve, requireth this service that thou must oft fast”

And Christopher said to hi and I shall do it For that which thou requirest I may not do” And the hermit said, ”Thou must then wake and make many prayers” And Christopher said to hi” And then the hermit said unto him, ”Knowest thou such a river in which many be perished and lost?” To whom Christopher said, ”I knoell” Then said the her in thy members, thou shalt be resident by that river and shalt bear over all theht convenable to Our Lord Jesus Christ, whom thou desirest to serve, and I hope He shall shew Himself to thee” Then said Christopher, ”Certes, this service may I well do, and I promise to Him for to do it”

Then went Christopher to this river, and reat pole in his hand instead of a staff, by which he sustained him in the water; and bare over allAnd there he abode, thus doing, e, he heard the voice of a child which called him and said, ”Christopher, come out and bear me over”

Then he awoke and went out; but he found no ain in his house, he heard the same voice, and he ran out and found no body The third time he was called, and cae of the river: which prayed hioodly to bear him over the water And then Christopher lift up the child on his shoulders and took his staff and entered in to the river for to pass

And the water of the river arose and swelled more and more And the child was heavy as lead And always as he went further the water increased and grew more, and the child reat anguish and feared to be drowned

And when he was escaped with great pain and passed the water, and set the child aground, he said to the child, ”Child, thou hast put hest alht bear no greater burden” And the child answered, ”Christopher,For thou hast not only borne all the world upon thee; but thou hast borne Him that created andto whom thou servest in this work And that thou mayest know that I say to thee truth, set thy staff in the earth by the house, and thou shalt see to-morrow that it shall bear flowers and fruit” And anon he vanished from his eyes

And then Christopher set his staff in the earth and when he arose on theflowers, leaves and dates

From THE LEGENDA AUREA TEMPLE CLassICS

ARTHUR IN THE CAVE

Once upon a ti at the traffic and wondering why there were soabout

He had cohwaye of a herd of black Welsh cattle He had sold theold in his pocket he was going about to see the sights of the city

He was carrying a hazel staff in his hand, for you ood staff is as necessary to a drover as teeth are to his dogs He stood still to gaze at soe was shops fro at his stick with a long fixed look The man after a while came to him and asked him where he came from

”I come from my own country,” said the Welshman, rather surlily, for he could not see what business the man had to ask such a question