Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 1.djvu/403

389 ST. HILDEGUND 880 tho fatignes of the journey, leaving him by will all his money. Joseph wished to see his sister again, and tiionght of spending the rest of his life with her, but different circumstances led him to delay taking any decisive step. On his arrival he did not make himself known, nor leave off his disguise, but made some visits in the town, calling himself a stranger on his travels. A canon of the cathedral took such a fancy to him that he insisted on his taking up his abode with him for the time. This canon bad a sister, a nun in the Benedictine mon- astery of St. Ursula (afterwards called been chosen abbess by the larger and more trustworthy part of the community, but five nuns endeavoured to defeat her election by voting for the archbishop's niece, who was too young to fill the post. The archbishop nevertheless up- held her claim, and the canon determined to appeal to the holy see in favour of his sister. He begged Joseph to ac- company him, as he was an experienced traveller and spoke several languages. Joseph tried to excuse himself, fearing to tempt providence a second time, but the canon would take no refusal. They passed through Mayence and Swabia, buir determined to avoid Augsburg, as it was then full of the vassals of the Em- peror Frederic I., who was not on good terms with the Pope. They therefore turned out of the direct road, and went and slept at Zusmarhus, about two leagues off. They had only one horse between them, and they rode in turns. On the morning of their departure from Zusmarhus it was the canon's turn to ride, and ho set off, leaving Joseph to follow with the stick, in the hollow of which were the papers relating to their business in Eome. The canon being some little distance in advance, his friend had to pass alone through a wood, where he met a thief escaping from the servants of justice. This man, seeing no chance of carrying off his plunder, resolved to abandon it, and save his life by fiight, so he begged the unsuspecting Joseph to carry his bag a little way for him, and having thus far imposed on his good nature^ he plunged into a thick part of the wood and disappeared. The archers presently arrived, and found Joseph sitting quietly on the stolen property in the middle of the road. They searched him, and not doubting his guilt, beat him within an inch of his life, and took him to the chief magistrate of Zusmarhus, who con- demned him to death on the spot. See- ing no hope of clearing himself from the crime which seemed so well proved against him, he only begged to be allowed to confess and receive the last sacra- ment With some difficulty his request was granted. The priest who heard his confession was so convinced of his inno- cence that he obtained a reprieve for him. By his description of tho man who had left the bag with him, they recognized a man of bad character, who was well known in that country; they caught him when he thought himself out of danger, and brought him face to face with his falsely accused accuser. As he denied every word that Joseph said, and there were no witnesses on either side, the priest advised the ordeal then resorted to in such cases. Both the accused were made to walk over red-hot iron. Joseph sustained the test unhurt, but the thief was burnt, and on that evidence he was hanged, and Joseph resumed his journey. Scarcely, how- ever, had he entered the wood again when he was attacked by the relations of the criminal, who, to avenge the disgrace of their family, hanged the unfortunate Joseph on the nearest tree, and made off with all possible speed. While he hung there he saw the soul of his sister Agnes ascending into heaven, and heard the angels singing for joy. Some shepherds coming by, cut him down, intending to bury him, but perceiving signs of life, they did what they could to recover Him. After thus escaping hanging a second time, he proceeded on his journey, and soon overtook the canon, who had begun to be very uneasy about his absence. They went towards Verona, where they under- stood Pope Lucius III. to be ; but on the way they heard of his death, so they went to Bome to lay their case before his successor, Urban III., and he
 * of the Maccabees"). She had just