Page:StJosephsManual1877.pdf/753

 neck; they gave  thee  in  derision  a reed  for  thy  sceptre, and,  kneeling  down  before  thee  in  scorn,  saluted thee, saying,  "Hail,  king  of  the  Jews;” then  took they  the  reed  out  of  thy  hand,  and  with  it  struck  thy sacred  head,  and  again  spat  upon  thy  sacred  face.

11. O good  and  gracious  Jesus,  who  wast  brought forth from  Pilate  to  the  Jews  to  be  gazed  on,  wearing the crown  of  thorns  and  purple  garment,  Pilate  showing thee  to  the  people,  and  saying,  “Behold  the man;” but they  cried  out  with  a loud  voice  and  insatiable malice,  “Crucify  him, crucify  him!”

12. O good  and  gracious  Jesus,  thou  wast  delivered up to  the  will  and  pleasure  of  the  Jews,  who  immediately led  thee  to  be  crucified,  laying  thy  heavy cross upon  thy  sore  and  bloody  shoulders; thus  didst thou humbly  bear  thy  own  cross,  whose  weight  pained thee excessively,  and  coming  to  the  place  all  weary and breathless,  thou  refusedst  not  to  taste  wine  mingled with  gall  and  myrrh,  which  was  the  only  relief there  given  thee.

13. O good  and  gracious  Jesus,  being  come  to  Mount Calvary, thou  wast  again  stripped  naked,  when  thy wounds were  renewed  by  the  violent  pulling  off  of thy  clothes. What bitter  pains  didst  thou  suffer, when thou  wast  fastened  to  the  cross  with  rough nails, and  the  joints  of  thy  limbs  stretched  as  on  a rack! O, with  what  love  and  sweetness  of  charity didst thou  suffer  thy  hands  and  feet  to  be  pierced through, whence,  as  from  a fountain,  thy  precious blood gushed  out!

14. O good  and  gracious  Jesus,  who,  hanging  on the  cross  between  two  thieves,  wast  assailed  with blasphemies, and  after  so  long  a continuance  of  thy tortures, prayedst  to  thy  Father  to  forgive  them; and even when  their  fury  was  at  the  highest,  didst  exercise the  greatest  bounty,  promising  paradise  to  the repenting thief,  and  bequeathing  thy  dearly-beloved