As we moved among the great piers and pillars of another part of the church，we came upon a party of black-robed，animal-looking Italian monks，with candles in their hands，who were chanting something in Latin，and going through some kind of religious performance around a disk of white marble let into the floor．It was there that the risen Saviour appeared to Mary Magdalen in to likeness of a gardener．Near by was a similar stone，shaped like a star--here the Magdalen herself stood at the same time．Monks were performing in this place also．They perform everywhere--all over the vast building，and at all hours．Their candles are always flitting about in the gloom，and making the dim old church moredismal than there is any necessity that it should be，even though it is atomb． We were shown the place where our Lord appeared to His motherafter the Resurrection．Here，also，a marble slab marks the place whereSt．Helena，the mother of the Emperor Constantine，found the crossesabout three hundred years after the Crucifixion．According to the legend，this great discovery elicited extravagant demonstrations of joy．But theywere of short duration．The question intruded itself：“Which bore theblessed Saviour，and which the thieves?”To be in doubt，in SO mightya matter as this——tO be uncertain which one to adore-was a grievousmisfortune．It turned the public joy to sorrow．But when lived there aholy priest who could not set SO simple a trouble as this at rest?One ofthese SOON hit upon a plan that would be a certain test．A noble lady layvery ill in Jerusalem．The wise priests ordered that the three crosses betaken tO her bedside one at a time．It was done．When her eyes fell uponthe first one，she uttered a scream that was heard beyond the DamascusGate，and even upon the Mount of Olives，it was said，and then fell backin a deadly swoon．They recovered her and brought the second cross．Instantly she went into fearful convulsions，and it was with the greatest difficulty that six strong men could hold her．They were afraid，now，tObring in the third cross．They began to fear that possibly they had fallen upon the wrong crosses，and that the true cross was not with this number at a11．However．as the woman seemed likely to die with the convulsionsthat were tearing her，they concluded that the third could do no more than put her out of her misery with a happy dispatch．So they brought it，and behold，a miracle!The woman sprang from her bed，smiling and joyful，and perfectly restored to health．When we listen to evidence like this．we can not but believe．We would be ashamed to doubt，and properly，too．Even the very part of Jerusalem where this all occurred is there yet．So there is really no room for doubt．
The priests tried to show US，through a small screen，a fragment of the genuine Pillar of Flagellation，to which Christ was bound when they scourged him．But we could not see it．because it was dark inside the screen．However，a baton is kept here，which the pilgrim thrusts through a hole in the screen，and then he no longer doubts that the true Pillar of Flagellation is in there．He can not have any excuse to doubt it，for he can feel it with the stick．He can feel it as distinctly as he could feel any thing．
Not far from here was a niche where they used to preserve a piece of the True Cross，but it is gone，now．This piece of the cross was discovered in the sixteenth century．The Latin priests say it was stolen away，long ago，by priests of another sect．That seems like a hard statement to make，but we know very well that it was stolen，because we have seen it ourselves in several of the cathedrals of Italy and France．
But the relic that touched US most was the plain old sword of that stout Crusader，Godfrey of Bulloigne--King Godfrey of Jerusalem．No blade in Christendom wields such enchantment as this—nO blade of all that rust in the ancestral halls of Europe iS able to invoke such visions of romance in the brain of him who looks upon i卜none that can prate of such chivalric deeds or tell such brave tales of the warrior days of old．It stirs within a man every memory of the Holy Wars that has been sleeping in his brain for years，and peoples his thoughts with mail—clad images， with marching armies，with battles and with sieges．It speaks to him of Baldwin，and Tancred，the princely Saladin，and great Richard of the Lion Heart．It was with iust such blades as these that these splendid heroes of romance used to segregate a man，so to speak，and leave the half of him to fall one way and the other half the other．This very sword has cloven hundreds of Saracen Knights from crown to chin in those old times when Godfrey wielded it．It was enchanted，then，by a genius that was under thecommand of King Solomon．When danger approached its master’S tentit always struck the shield and clanged out a fierce alarm upon the startledcar of night．In times of doubt，or in fog or darkness，if it were drawnfrom its sheath it would point instantly toward the foe，and thus reveal theway—and it would also attempt to start after them of its own accord．AChristian could not be SO disguised that it would not know him and refusetO hurt him——nor a Moslem SO disguised that it would not leap from itsscabbard and take his life．These statements are all well authenticatedin many legends that are among the most trustworthy legends the goodold Catholic monks preserve．I can never forget old Godfrey’S sword，now．I tried it on a Moslem，and clove him in twain like a doughnut．The spirit of Grimes was upon me，and ifI had had a graveyard 1 would have destroyed all the infidels in Jerusalem．1 wiped the blood off the old sword and handed it back to the priest-I did not want the flesh gore to obliterate whose sacred spots that crimsoned its brightness one day six hundred years ago and thus gave Godfrey warning that before the sun went down his joumey of life would end．
