Page:Lazarus, a tale of the world's great miracle.djvu/21

Rh a den of thieves.' And mindest thou, Lazarus, how the prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah do so say?"

Like one awaking from a dream, Lazarus gazed at Nicodemus. "Surely I mind it, Nicodemus; 'tis truly a wonderful thing. And what said the people?"

"The children cried out: 'Hosanna to the Son of David'; and some even say the elders raised their voices saying: 'Verily He is the Son of God!' But the chief priests and scribes who were in the Temple were very wroth, and they came round this Jesus and protested: 'Hearest Thou what these say? They call Thee Christ and Lord and the Son of God, and Thou contradictest them not? Verily Thou blasphemest by Thy silence.' But He looked with wondrous mien upon them and answered only: 'Have ye never read, "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise"?' Which, if thou callest to memory, is so written in the Psalms; for the marvel of this Man is that He speaketh never a word but that which is written already in the Scriptures. And while they would have answered Him, yet could not, and sought for words to say, there came round Him such crowds of lame and blind and sick, that surely there was no room any longer for priest or scribe; and when he healed one after the other, and they left the Temple whole and with sight restored, the dumb singing aloud in praise to God, the priests did fly forth from the Temple with fear and fury, and hasted to tell Caiaphas the marvels they had seen and heard. And they say that Caiaphas is so wroth that he can neither eat nor drink; nor can he write, but sendeth message after message to Pilate to give order that they lay hands