Plate =A= repreſents the viſit of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon. Her name was Balkis, and, in her legendary hiſtory, it is reported that Solomon, having heard of her riches and power, ſent her a peremptory meſſage to ſubmit herſelf to his rule. She, dreading war with ſo potent a ſovereign, ſent an embaſſy to try and find out whether Solomon was as wiſe as he was repreſented to be. With this object ſhe dreſſed five hundred boys as girls, and a like number of girls as boys, and, among other preſents, ſent a pearl, a diamond cut through in zigzags, and a cryſtal box; and ſhe ſhould be able to judge of his wiſdom and power, if he could tell the boys from the girls, pierce the pearl, thread the diamond, and fill the goblet with water that came neither from the earth nor the ſky. Needleſs to ſay, Solomon paſſed through the ordeal triumphantly. He ordered ſilver baſins to be brought, ſo that the ambaſſadors’ ſuite might waſh their hands after their long journey, and the boys were eaſily diſtinguiſhed from the girls, for they dipped their hands only in the water, whilſt the girls tucked up their ſleeves and waſhed their arms as well as their hands. Then he opened the box containing the pearl, diamond, and goblet, and, taking out the pearl, he applied his magic ſtone, Samur, or Schamir, which a raven had brought him, and which had the power of cleaving anything, and lo! the pearl was pierced; then he examined the diamond, which was ſo pierced that no thread could be paſſed through it; ſo he took a worm, and having placed a piece of ſilk in its mouth, it wriggled through, and the diamond was threaded. The next taſk was to fill the goblet, which he gave to a negro ſlave, and bade him mount a wild horſe and gallop it till it ſtreamed with ſweat, and then to fill the goblet with it, thus fulfilling the impoſed conditions. He then gave back theſe preſents to the ambaſſadors, who ſpeedily returned to Queen Balkis. She at once ſaw that it would be uſeleſs to oppoſe the powerful will of Solomon, and immediately ſet out on her journey to that monarch. It is here that her connection with the holy Croſs comes in, for its wood, which Solomon had cut down in order to incorporate it into his Temple, and which had the inconvenient property of fitting in nowhere, being either too long or too ſhort for any purpoſe, was in conſequence thrown aſide, and ultimately was uſed as a foot-bridge acroſs a brook. Acroſs this plank the Queen had to paſs, but ſhe, recogniſing its holy virtue, refuſed to walk acroſs it, preferring to wade the brook, which, having done, ſhe expounded its value to Solomon, and propheſied that out of it ſhould be made the Croſs on which Jeſus ſhould ſuffer. She afterwards became one of Solomon’s wives, and bore him a ſon, and then returned to her own land, and from this ſon are deſcended the kings of Abyſſynia.