Page:Apocryphal Gospels and Other Documents Relating to the History of Christ.djvu/553

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REVENGING OF THE SAVIOUR.
437

Now when they had taken counsel they departed from the city of Libia, which is called Burgidalla,[1] and they went into a ship and proceeded to Jerusalem, and surrounded the kingdom of the Jews, and began to send them to destruction. When the kings of the Jews had heard of their deeds, and the ruin of the land, fear fell upon them, and they were greatly troubled. Then Archelaus was troubled in his words, and said to his son, Son, take my kingdom and judge it, and take counsel with the other kings who are in the land of Judæa, that ye may be able to escape from our enemies. And when he had said this, he drew his sword and fell upon it, and he directed his very sharp sword and thrust it into his breast and he died. Now his son joined himself with the other kings who were under him, and they took counsel among themselves, and went into Jerusalem with their chief men who were in their counsel, and abode there seven years. And Titus and Vespasian took counsel in order to surround their city. And they did so. Now when seven years were accomplished, the famine became very grievous, and for lack of bread they began to eat earth.

Then all who were the soldiers of the four kings took counsel among themselves, and said, We are going to die, what will God do with us? or what

  1. The mention of Burgidalla is also omitted here by the Cottonian Anglo-Saxon MS.