sought out the ocean path.
Line followed after line of the tall brine-ploughs.
Forth went the water-steeds o'er the sea-serpent's road
Bright shields on the bulwarks oft broke the foaming surge.
Ne'er saw I lady lead such a fair following!"

_Elene._

She Comes to Judaea

Queen Elene had a prosperous voyage, and, after touching at the land
of the Greeks, reached in due time the country of Judaea, and so, with
good hope came to Jerusalem. There, in the emperor's name, she
summoned to an assembly all the oldest and wisest Jews, a congregation
of a thousand venerable rabbis, learned in all the books of the Law
and the Prophets and proud that they were the Chosen People in a world
of heathens, aliens from the True God. These she addressed at first
with a blending of flattery and reproach--flattery for the Chosen
People, reproach for their perversity of wickedness--and, finally,
peremptorily demanded an answer to any question she might ask of them.
The Jews withdrew and deliberated sadly whether they durst refuse the
request of so mighty a person as the emperor's mother, and, deciding
that they durst not, returned to the hall where Elene sat in splendour
on her throne and announced their readiness to reply to all her
questions. Elene, however, bade them first lessen their numbers. They
chose five hundred to reply for them, and on these she poured such
bitter reproaches that they at last exclaimed:

"Lady, we learnt of yore laws of the Hebrew folk
Which all our fathers learnt from the true ark of God.
Lady, we know not now why thou thus blamest us;
How has the Jewish race done grievous wrong to thee?"

_Elene._

She Cross-questions the Rabbis

Elene only replied: "Go ye away, and choose out from among these five
hundred those whose wisdom is great enough to show them without delay
the answer to all things I require"; and again they left her presence.
When they were alone, one of them, named Judas, said "I know what
this queen requires: she will demand to know from us where the Cross
is concealed on which the Lord of the Christians was crucified; but if
we tell this secret I know well that the Jews will cease to bear rule
on the earth, and our holy scriptures will be forgotten. For my
grandfather Zacchaeus, as he lay dying, bade me confess the truth if
ever man should inquire concerning the Holy Tree; and when I asked how
our nation had failed to recognise the Holy and Just