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The Arabic Gospel of the Infancy of the Saviour

Unknown

Section 18

About this work

Author: Unknown

18. When they had given her permission, she

‹ Section 17 Section 19 ›

went

with

them

.

And

afterwards

they

came

to

a

city

,

in

which

was

the

castle

of

a

most

illustrious

prince

,

who

kept

a

house

for

the

entertainment

of

strangers

.

They

turned

into

this

place

;

and

the

girl

went

away

to

the

prince’s

wife

;

and

she

found

her

weeping

and

sorrowful

,

and

she

asked

why

she

was

weeping

.

Do

not

be

surprised

,

said

she

,

at

my

tears

;

for

I

am

overwhelmed

by

a

great

affliction

,

which

as

yet

I

have

not

endured

to

tell

to

any

one

.

Perhaps

,

said

the

girl

,

if

you

reveal

it

and

disclose

it

to

me

,

I

may

have

a

remedy

for

it

.

Hide

this

secret

,

then

,

replied

the

princess

,

and

tell

it

to

no

one

.

I

was

married

to

this

prince

,

who

is

a

king

and

ruler

over

many

cities

,

and

I

lived

long

with

him

,

but

by

me

he

had

no

son

.

And

when

at

length

I

produced

him

a

son

,

he

was

leprous

;

and

as

soon

as

he

saw

him

,

he

turned

away

with

loathing

,

and

said

to

me

:

Either

kill

him

,

or

give

him

to

the

nurse

to

be

brought

up

in

some

place

from

which

we

shall

never

hear

of

him

more

.

After

this

I

can

have

nothing

to

do

with

thee

,

and

I

will

never

see

thee

more

.

On

this

account

I

know

not

what

to

do

,

and

I

am

overwhelmed

with

grief

.

Alas

!

my

son

.

Alas

!

my

husband

.

Did

I

not

say

so

?

said

the

girl

.

I

have

found

a

cure

for

thy

disease

,

and

I

shall

tell

it

thee

.

For

I

too

was

a

leper

;

but

I

was

cleansed

by

God

,

who

is

Jesus

,

the

son

of

the

Lady

Mary

.

And

the

woman

asking

her

where

this

God

was

whom

she

had

spoken

of

,

Here

,

with

thee

,

said

the

girl

;

He

is

living

in

the

same

house

.

But

how

is

this

possible

?

said

she

.

Where

is

he

?

There

,

said

the

girl

,

are

Joseph

and

Mary

;

and

the

child

who

is

with

them

is

called

Jesus

;

and

He

it

is

who

cured

me

of

my

disease

and

my

torment

.

But

by

what

means

,

said

she

,

wast

thou

cured

of

thy

leprosy

?

Wilt

thou

not

tell

me

that

?

Why

not

?

said

the

girl

.

I

got

from

His

mother

the

water

in

which

He

had

been

washed

,

and

poured

it

over

myself

;

and

so

I

was

cleansed

from

my

leprosy

.

Then

the

princess

rose

up

,

and

invited

them

to

avail

themselves

of

her

hospitality

.

And

she

prepared

a

splendid

banquet

for

Joseph

in

a

great

assembly

of

the

men

of

the

place

.

And

on

the

following

day

she

took

scented

water

with

which

to

wash

the

Lord

Jesus

,

and

thereafter

poured

the

same

water

over

her

son

,

whom

she

had

taken

with

her

;

and

immediately

her

son

was

cleansed

from

his

leprosy

.

Therefore

,

singing

thanks

and

praises

to

God

,

she

said

:

Blessed

is

the

mother

who

bore

thee

,

O

Jesus

;

dost

thou

so

cleanse

those

who

share

the

same

nature

with

thee

with

the

water

in

which

thy

body

has

been

washed

?

Besides

,

she

bestowed

great

gifts

upon

the

mistress

the

Lady

Mary

,

and

sent

her

away

with

great

honour

.