Lady Sybil's Choice: A Tale of the CrusadesHolt, Emily Sarah
History
Lady Sybil's Choice: A Tale of the Crusades
Holt, Emily Sarah
Crusades -- Fiction; Historical fiction
"I should think it was some Paynim," said I. "Why, of course none of the
holy Apostles were Jews. That miscreant Judas Iscariot, and Pontius
Pilatus, and all those wicked people, I suppose, were Jews: but not the
holy Apostles and the saints. It is quite shocking to think of such a
thing!"
"Then what were they, if my Damoiselle pleases?" said Marguerite.
"Oh, they were of some other nation," said I.
For really, I do not know of what nation they were,—only that they could
never have been Jews.
Amaury said that we must first visit the Holy Sepulchre; so, though I
was dying to have news of Guy, I comforted myself with the thought that
I should hereby acquire so much more merit than if I had not cared about
it.
We entered the Holy City by the west gate, just as the dusk was
beginning; and passing in single file along the streets, we descended
the hill of Zion to the Holy Sepulchre.
In this church are kept many holy relics. In the courtyard is the
prison where our Lord was confined after His betrayal, and the pillar to
which He was bound when scourged: and in the portico the lance which
pierced His side. The stone which the Angel rolled away from the
sepulchre is now broken in two. Here our Lady died, and was buried in
the Church of Saint Mary, close by. In this church is kept the cup of
our Lord, out of which He habitually drank: it is of silver, with a
handle on each side, and holds about a quart. Here also is the sponge
which was held to His mouth, and the crown of thorns. (By a miracle of
the good God, one half of the crown is also at Byzantium.) The tomb of
our Lord is seven feet long, and rises three palms from the floor;
fifteen golden lamps burn before it, day and night. I told the whole
Rosary at the holy tomb, or should have done, for I felt that the longer
I waited to see Guy, the more merit I should heap up: but Amaury became
impatient, and insisted on my coming when a Pater and eight Aves were
still to say.
Then we mounted the hill of Zion again, passing the church built in
honour of the Prince of the Apostles, on the spot where he denied our
Lord: and so we reached the King’s Palace at last.
Amaury sprang from his horse, and motioned my postilion to draw up in
front of the chief gate. I heard him say to the porter—
"Is Sir Guy de Lusignan here?"
"My gracious Lord, the Count of Joppa and Ascalon, is here, if it like
you, noble Sir," replied the porter. "He is at this moment in audience
of my Lady the Queen."
I was so glad to hear it. Then Guy had really been created a Count! He
must be in high favour. One half of his prophecy was fulfilled. But
what about the other?
"Pray you," said Amaury to the porter, "do my Lord Count to wit that his
brother, Sir Amaury de Lusignan, and his sister, the Lady Elaine, are
before the gate."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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