"His kingdom," thought Genevieve, "is no doubt, in unknown worlds, where, according to our druidical faith, we shall rejoin those we have loved here. How will they dare condemn Jesus as a rebel against the Emperor? He who has so often repeated:
"Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar"s, and unto G.o.d that which is G.o.d"s!"
But, alas! Genevieve forgot that the hatred of the pharisees was implacable.
The Seigneurs Baruch, Jonas, and Caiphus, having again spoken in an under tone with Pilate, the latter said to Jesus:
"Are you, yes or no, the son of G.o.d?"
"Yes," replied Jesus, in his mild but firm voice; "yes, I am."
At these words, the priests, doctors and senators uttered exclamations which were repeated by the crowd.
"He has blasphemed! he has said he is the son of G.o.d!"
"And he who says he is the son of G.o.d also calls himself King of the Jews!"
"He is an enemy of the Emperor!"
"To death; to death with the Nazarene; crucify him!"
Pontius Pilate, a strange compound of cowardly weakness and equity, wishing no doubt to make a last effort to save Jesus, whom he did not think guilty, said to the crowd that it was customary on this feast day to set at liberty a criminal, and that the people had to choose for this act of clemency between a prisoner named Barabbas and Jesus, who had already been beaten with rods, he then added:
"Which of the two would you that I should release to you, Jesus or Barabbas?"
Genevieve saw the emissaries of the pharisees run from group to group, saying:
"Demand the release of Barabbas, let them give up Barabbas."
And presently the crowd cried from all parts:
"Deliver Barabbas! and guard Jesus!"
"But," said Pontius Pilate, "what shall I do with Jesus?"
"Crucify him!" replied a thousand voices.
"Crucify him!"
"But," again inquired Pilate, "what harm has he done?"
"Crucify him!" replied the crowd, more furious than ever.
"Crucify him!"
"Death to the Nazarene!"
Pontius Pilate, not having the courage to defend Jesus, whom he found innocent, made a sign to one of his servants, the latter entered the governor"s house, whilst the crowd shouted with increased fury:
"Crucify the Nazarene! crucify him!"
Jesus, still calm, mournful and pensive, seemed a perfect stranger to what was pa.s.sing around him.
"No doubt," said Genevieve to herself, "his thoughts are already in that mysterious world where we are born and live again after quitting this one."
The servant of Pontius Pilate returned, carrying a silver jug in one hand, and a basin in the other; a second servant took the basin whilst the first poured the water into it. Pontius Pilate dipped his hands in the water, saying in a loud voice: "I am innocent of the death of this righteous man; "tis for you to look to it. As for me, I wash my hands of it."
"Let the blood of the Nazarene be upon us and our children."
"Take Jesus then, and crucify him yourselves," replied Pontius.
"As you demand it, Barabbas shall be released to you."
And Pilate re-entered his house to the acclamation of the crowd, whilst Caiphus, Doctor Baruch, Jonas the banker, and the other pharisees, triumphantly raised their fists in Jesus" face.
The officer who had commanded the escort of militia charged to arrest Mary"s son in the garden of Olives, approaching Caiphus, said to him: "Seigneur, to conduct the Nazarene to Golgotha, the place of execution for criminals, we shall have to traverse the populous quarter of the Judicial gate; the calmness of the partizans of this rebel may be only apparent, and once arrived in the quarter of this vile populace, they may rise to release Jesus. I can answer for the courage of my brave soldiers; they have, already, this morning, after a deadly combat, put to flight an immense troop of determined vagabonds, commanded by a bandit named Banaias, who would have forced us to deliver up Jesus. Not one of those wretches escaped, despite their furious resistance."
"The base liar!" said Genevieve to herself on hearing this bragging officer of militia, who continued:
"Still, Seigneur Caiphus, despite the proved courage of our militia, it would be prudent, perhaps, to confide the escort of the Nazarene to the place of execution, to the Roman guard."
"I am of your opinion," replied the high priest: "I will go and ask one of the officers of Pilate to keep the Nazarene a prisoner in the guard room of the Roman cohorts until the hour of execution."
Genevieve then saw, whilst the high priest went to converse with Pilate"s officer, the chief of the militia approach Jesus; presently she heard this officer, replying probably to some words of the young man, say to him in a cruel and jesting tone: "You are in a great hurry to stretch yourself on the cross. They must first make it, and it is not made in the twinkling of an eye. You ought to know this better than any one, in your quality of a former journeyman carpenter."
One of the officers of Pontius Pilate, to whom the high priest had spoken, then came to Jesus and said to him: "I am come to conduct you to the guard-room of our soldiers: when the cross is ready, they will bring it, and under our escort you shall start for Calvary! follow us!"
And Jesus, still bound, was conducted to a short distance off, by the militia, to the court where the Roman soldiers lodged; the door, before which paced a sentinel, being open, several persons who had, like Genevieve, followed the Nazarene remained outside to see what was about to happen.
When the young man was brought to the court of the guard-house (or praetorium), the Roman soldiers were scattered in different groups: some were cleaning their arms; others were playing at different games; some were practising with the lance under the inspection of an officer; others, extended on benches in the sun, were singing or conversing amongst themselves. She recognized, from their faces bronzed by the sun, from their martial and ferocious air, and the military order of their arms and clothes, those courageous, warlike, and merciless soldiers who had conquered the world, leaving behind them, as in Gaul, ma.s.sacre, spoliation and slavery. The moment the soldiers heard the name of Jesus of Nazareth, and saw him brought in by one of their officers, they all left their occupations and hastened round him. Genevieve antic.i.p.ated, on remarking the coa.r.s.e and brutal manner of these soldiers, that Mary"s son was about to suffer fresh outrages.
The slave remembered having read in the narratives left by the ancestors of her husband, Fergan, of the horrors committed by Caesar"s soldiers, the scourge of the Gauls, she did not doubt that these by whom the young man was surrounded, were equally as cruel as those of the past times.
There was, in the middle of the court of the praetorium, a stone bench, on which the soldiers made Jesus sit down, still bound; then approaching him, they commenced insulting and railing at him.
"This, then, is the famous prophet!" said one.
"This, then, is he who announced that the time will come when the sword will be exchanged for a reaping hook, and when there will be no more war! no more battles!"
"No more wars! By the valiant gold G.o.d Mars! no more war!" exclaimed other soldiers with indignation.
"Ah! these are your prophecies, thou prophet of evil!"
"No more war! That is, no more clarions, no more floating standards, no more brilliant cuira.s.ses, no more plumed helmets, which attract the eyes of the women!"
"No more war! that is, no more conquests."
"What! no more try our iron boots on the heads of the conquered people!"