III.

THE WANDERING JEW.

The story of the Wandering Jew is of considerable antiquity: it had obtained full credit in this part of the world before the year 1228, as we learn from Mat. Paris. For in that year, it seems, there came an Armenian archbishop into England, to visit the shrines and reliques preserved in our churches; who, being entertained at the monastery of St. Albans, was asked several questions relating to his country, &c. Among the rest a monk, who sat near him, inquired, "if he had ever seen or heard of the famous person named Joseph, that was so much talked of; who was present at our Lord's crucifixion and conversed with him, and who was still alive in confirmation of the Christian faith." The archbishop answered, That the fact was true. And afterwards one of his train, who was well known to a servant of the abbot's, interpreting his master's words, told them in French, "That his lord knew the person they spoke of very well: that he had dined at his table but a little while before he left the East: that he had been Pontius Pilate's porter, by name Cartaphilus; who, when they were dragging Jesus out of the door of the Judgment-hall, struck him with his fist on the back, saying, 'Go faster, Jesus, go faster: why dost thou linger?' Upon which Jesus looked at him with a frown and said, 'I indeed am going, but thou shall tarry till I come.' Soon after he was converted, and baptized by the name of Joseph. He lives for ever, but at the end of every hundred years falls into an incurable illness, and at length into a fit or ecstacy, out of which when he recovers, he returns to the same state of youth he was in when Jesus suffered, being then about thirty years of age. He remembers all the circumstances of the death and resurrection of Christ, the saints that arose with him, the composing of the apostles' creed, their preaching, and dispersion; and is himself a very grave and holy person." This is the substance of Matthew Paris's account, who was himself a monk of St. Albans, and was living at the time when this Armenian archbishop made the above relation.

Since his time several impostors have appeared at intervals under the name and character of the _Wandering Jew_; whose several histories may be seen in Calmet's _Dictionary of the Bible_. See also the _Turkish Spy_, vol. ii. book 3, let. 1. The story that is copied in the following ballad is of one, who appeared at Hamburgh in 1547, and pretended he had been a Jewish shoemaker at the time of Christ's crucifixion.--The ballad however seems to be of later date. It is preserved in black-letter in the Pepys collection.

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[This wondrous myth has found its way into many literatures, and numerous theories have been brought forward to account for its universality; but the only foundation for it appears to be in Christ's words--"tarry till I come." Mons. Paul Lacroix, however, suggests that it took its rise in a grand and beautiful allegory in which the Hebrew race were personified under the figure of the Everlasting Wanderer. Professor Child makes the following pertinent remark in his _English and Scottish Ballads_ (vol. viii. p. 78). "It will be noticed that in the second form of the legend, the punishment of perpetual existence, which gives rise to the old names, _Judæus non mortalis_, _Ewiger Jude_, is aggravated by a condemnation to incessant change of place, which is indicated by a corresponding name, _Wandering Jew_, _Juif Errant_, &c."

In the Middle Ages it was supposed by some that Cain was the Wandering Jew, but the Mahometan belief was fixed upon Samiri, who, during the absence of Moses, enticed the people to worship the golden calf. In G. Weil's _The Bible, the Koran, and the Talmud_, 1846 (p. 127), we read, "Moses then summoned Samiri, and would have put him to death instantly, but Allah directed that he should be sent into banishment. Ever since that time he roams like a wild beast throughout the world; everyone shuns him and purifies the ground on which his feet have stood; and he himself, whenever he approaches men, exclaims, 'Touch me not.'" (Quoted in Buckle's _Common Place Book_. _Works_, vol. ii. p. 502, 1872.)

The legend has been localized in various parts of the world and connected with other myths. According to Mr. Baring Gould, a similar curse to that under which the Wandering Jew is living is supposed to have been inflicted upon the gipsies, on account of their refusal to shelter the Virgin and Child in the flight into Egypt.

The last recorded appearance of the Wandering Jew was at Brussels in April, 1774, and the wanderer's name was Isaac Laquedem. The name of the Hamburgh impostor, mentioned above by Percy, was Ahasuerus.]

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When as in faire Jerusalem Our Saviour Christ did live, And for the sins of all the worlde His own deare life did give; The wicked Jewes with scoffes and scornes 5 Did dailye him molest, That never till he left his life, Our Saviour could not rest.

When they had crown'd his head with thornes, And scourg'd him to disgrace, 10 In scornfull sort they led him forthe Unto his dying place; Where thousand thousands in the streete Beheld him passe along, Yet not one gentle heart was there, 15 That pityed this his wrong.

Both old and young reviled him, As in the streete he wente, And nought he found but churlish tauntes, By every ones consente: 20 His owne deare crosse he bore himselfe, A burthen far too great, Which made him in the street to fainte, With blood and water sweat.

Being weary thus, he sought for rest, 25 To ease his burthened soule, Upon a stone; the which a wretch Did churlishly controule; And sayd, Awaye, thou king of Jewes, Thou shalt not rest thee here; 30 Pass on; thy execution place Thou seest nowe draweth neare.

And thereupon he thrust him thence; At which our Saviour sayd, I sure will rest, but thou shalt walke, 35 And have no journey stayed. With that this cursed shoemaker, For offering Christ this wrong, Left wife and children, house and all, And went from thence along. 40

Where after he had seene the bloude Of Jesus Christ thus shed, And to the crosse his bodye nail'd, Awaye with speed he fled Without returning backe againe 45 Unto his dwelling place, And wandred up and downe the worlde, A runnagate most base.

No resting could he finde at all, No ease, nor hearts content; 50 No house, nor home, nor biding place: But wandring forth he went From towne to towne in foreigne landes, With grieved conscience still, Repenting for the heinous guilt 55 Of his fore-passed ill.

Thus after some fewe ages past In wandring up and downe; He much again desired to see Jerusalems renowne, 60 But finding it all quite destroyd, He wandred thence with woe, Our Saviours wordes, which he had spoke, To verifie and showe.

"I'll rest, sayd hee, but thou shalt walke," 65 So doth this wandring Jew From place to place, but cannot rest For seeing countries newe; Declaring still the power of him, Whereas he comes or goes, 70 And of all things done in the east, Since Christ his death, he showes.

The world he hath still compast round And seene those nations strange, That hearing of the name of Christ, 75 Their idol gods doe change: To whom he hath told wondrous thinges Of time forepast, and gone, And to the princes of the worlde Declares his cause of moane: 80

Desiring still to be dissolv'd, And yeild his mortal breath; But, if the Lord hath thus decreed, He shall not yet see death. For neither lookes he old nor young, 85 But as he did those times, When Christ did suffer on the crosse For mortall sinners crimes.

He hath past through many a foreigne place, Arabia, Egypt, Africa, 90 Grecia, Syria, and great Thrace, And throughout all Hungaria. Where Paul and Peter preached Christ, Those blest apostles deare; There he hath told our Saviours wordes, 95 In countries far, and neare.

And lately in Bohemia, With many a German towne; And now in Flanders, as tis thought, He wandreth up and downe: 100 Where learned men with him conferre Of those his lingering dayes, And wonder much to heare him tell His journeyes, and his wayes.

If people give this Jew an almes, 105 The most that he will take Is not above a groat a time: Which he, for Jesus' sake, Will kindlye give unto the poore, And thereof make no spare, 110 Affirming still that Jesus Christ Of him hath dailye care.

He ne'er was seene to laugh nor smile, But weepe and make great moane; Lamenting still his miseries, 115 And dayes forepast and gone: If he heare any one blaspheme, Or take God's name in vaine, He telles them that they crucifie Their Saviour Christe againe. 120

If you had seene his death, saith he, As these mine eyes have done, Ten thousand thousand times would yee His torments think upon: And suffer for his sake all paine 125 Of torments, and all woes. These are his wordes and eke his life Whereas he comes or goes.

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