"'To the lady Miriam, from Marcus the Roman, by the hand of
the Captain Gallus.' What do you say to that, Benoni and brethren?
Why, there are pages of it, but here is the end: 'Farewell, your ever
faithful friend and lover, Marcus.' So, let those read it who have the
time; for my part I am satisfied. This woman is a traitress; I give my
vote for death."
"It was written from Rome two years ago," pleaded Miriam; but no one
seemed to heed her, for all were talking at once.
"I demand that the whole letter be read," shouted Benoni.
"We have no time, we have no time," answered Simeon. "Other prisoners
await their trial, the Romans are battering our gates. Can we waste more
precious minutes over this Nazarene spy? Away with her."
"Away with her," said Simon the son of Gioras, and the others nodded
their heads in assent.
Then they gathered together discussing the manner of her end, while
Benoni stormed at them in vain. Not quite in vain, however, for they
yielded something to his pleading.
"So be it," said their spokesman, Simon the Zealot. "This is our
sentence on the traitress--that she suffer the common fate of traitors
and be taken to the upper gate, called the Gate Nicanor, that divides
the Court of Israel from the Court of Women, and bound with the chain to
the central column that is over the gate, where she may be seen both of
her friends the Romans and of the people of Israel whom she has striven
to betray, there to perish of hunger and of thirst, or in such fashion
as God may appoint, for so shall we be clean of a woman's blood.
Pages:
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305