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 building; for they were very white.

57 When he who was chief in dignity, and lord of the whole tower saw this, he called to him the shepherd that was with me, and gave him the stones that were rejected and laid about the tower, and said unto him; cleanse these stones with all care, and fit them into the building of the tower, that they may agree with the rest; but those that will not suit with the rest, cast away afar off from the tower.

58 When he had thus commanded him, he departed, with all those that came with him to the tower but those virgins still stood about the tower to keep it.

59 And I said unto that shepherd; How can these stones, seeing they have been rejected, return into the building of this tower? He replied; I will cut off the greatest part from these stones, and will add them to the building, and they will agree with the rest.

60 And I said, Sir, how will they be able to fill the same place, when they shall be so much cut away? He answered; They that shall be found too little shall be put into the middle of the building, and the greater shall be placed without, and keep them in.

61 When he had said thus unto me, he added; Let us go, and after three days we will return, and I will put these stones, being cleansed, into the tower.

62 For all these that are about the tower must be cleansed, lest the master of the house chance to come upon the sudden, and find those which are about the tower unclean; and be so exasperated that these stones should never be put into the building of this tower, and I shall be looked upon to have been unmindful of my master's commands.

63 When therefore we came after three days to the tower, he said unto me; Let us examine all these stones, and let us see which of them may go into the building. I answered, Sir, let us see.

64 And first of all we began to consider those which had been black; for they were found just such as they were when they were pulled out of the tower: wherefore he commanded them to be removed from the tower and put by themselves.

65 Then he examined those which had been rough; and commanded many of those to be cut round, and to be fitted by the virgins into the building of the tower; so they took them, and fitted them into the middle of the building and he commanded the rest to be laid by with the black ones, for they also were become black.

66 Next he considered those which were full of cracks, and many of those also he ordered to be pared away, and so to be added to the rest of the building, by the came virgins.

67 These were placed without because they were found entire; but the residue through the multitude of their cracks could not be reformed, and therefore were cast away from the building of the tower.

68 Then he considered those that had been maimed; many of these had cracks, and were become black; others had large clefts; these he commanded to be placed with those that were reected;

69 But the rest being cleansed and reformed, he commanded to be put into the building. These therefore those virgins took up, and fitted into the middle of the building, because they were but weak.

70 After these he examined those which were found half white and half black, and many of those