Arrived at Jeruſalem, they wiſhed to plant them, but for the night they left them in a ciſtern, by the Tower of David,[14] and lo! during the night, they ſtruck root, and, entwining themſelves, became but one ſtem,[15] which, when David ſaw, he had a wall built round it.[16] And the tree grew for thirty years, David ornamenting it with rings of ſapphire and other precious ſtones, adding one for every year, and under this tree he compoſed the Psalms, and praiſed God exceedingly.[17] [Sidenote: _Woodcut No. 18._] [Sidenote: _No. 19._] [Sidenote: _No. 20._] [Sidenote: _No. 21._] [Sidenote: _No. 22._] [Sidenote: _No. 23._] But Solomon, who muſt needs have all that was rare and coſtly to adorn his temple, caſt his eyes upon this precious tree, and ordered it to be cut down.[18] It was duly felled, and ſquared, and trimmed, and it meaſured thirty cubits in length.[19] But when the carpenters came to put it into a place of that length, it was a cubit too ſhort, and when it was fitted into a place of twenty-nine cubits, lo! it meaſured thirty, and the carpenters marvelled much, and were greatly aſtoniſhed, and ſo, being uſeleſs, it was laid aſide.[20] Yet the people came to ſee this wonderful tree, and amongſt them was a maid named Maximilla, who ſat down upon it, and inſtantly her clothes were in a blaze.[21] Then ſhe began to lift up her voice, and propheſy, crying, “My God, and my Lord Jeſu Chriſt.”[22] Then the Jews took her, and ſcourged her to death.[23] [Sidenote: _Woodcut No. 24._] [Sidenote: _No. 25._] [Sidenote: _No. 26._] [Sidenote: _No. 27._] [Sidenote: _No. 28._] [Sidenote: _No. 29._] [Sidenote: _No. 30._] The Jews, not knowing what to do with this miraculous tree, laid it acroſs a brook,[24] and, when the Queen of Sheba came to viſit Solomon, ſhe recognized the virtue of the wood; and, refuſing to defile it with her feet, ſhe diſmounted, and adored it, and waded through the brook.[25] Then, when ſhe met Solomon, ſhe reproved him, and told him that on that tree would the Saviour of the world ſuffer death.[26] And Solomon commanded the holy wood to be taken up,[27] and cauſed it to be carried into the Temple, there to be placed over the door, ſo that all men might bleſs, and adore it, and he coated it over with gold and ſilver.[28] There it remained until Abias ſtripped it of its coſtly coverings,[29] and the Jews buried it deep in the earth.[30] [Sidenote: _Woodcut No. 31._] [Sidenote: _No. 32._] There it remained for many years, until the Jews wiſhed to make a pool, where the prieſts might waſh the beaſts, to purify them, previous to ſacrificing them, and, unknowingly, they dug over the burial-place of the Holy Croſs.[31] This imparted ſuch a virtue to the water of that pool, which was called Betheſda, that the ſick were healed thereat, and an angel at times deſcended from heaven, and ſtirred the waters, and then whoever could get firſt into the waters was ſtraightway healed of any infirmity he might have.[32]