low the destitute
Jesus, unclothed.

"By such unexpected answers and heroic resolution, he drew tears from
the eyes of all present. But when he was commanded to put his clothes
on again, he soon dressed himself, and declared in strong words, which
he oft repeated, that he withdrew from the Jews on account of their
wicked course of life, and associated himself with Christians to secure
his salvation, because he knew well it was impossible to be blessed
without faith. But when he was asked who had taught him, that faith was
necessary to gain eternal life, he answered seven or eight times: 'God,
God, God alone,' therewith he oft sighed and smote his breast with both
hands. Then he went first to one priest, then to another, kissed their
hands, fell on his knees to them, exclaiming: 'Fathers, abandon me not;
do not reject me, do not send me again among the Jews; instruct me
quickly, quickly and' (as if he had a foreboding, and saw the impending
evil floating before his eyes), 'baptize me quickly.' Now when Simon
received the assurance that he would be reckoned among the scholars in
the Christian faith, he clapped his hands, and jumped for joy. His
whole discourse was as mature and discreet, as ready and free from
hesitation, as if he had long beforehand reflected upon it in his mind,
and learnt it by heart from his tablets, so that one of the four
priests present turned with astonishment to another, and said in Latin:
'This boy has a miraculous understanding, which if not supernatural, is
yet truly beyond his age.'

"Meanwhile, the darkness of night had come on. But as there was not
convenient sleeping room at present for this new little Nicodemus, he
was with much inward striving of my spirit, left again in that
Christian house from whence he had been brought hither, in order to
spend the night in peace with the newly baptized Jew, George Kawka.
This one was called to the door of the college, and the boy was
entrusted to him, with an express order to bring him again to the
college at the earliest hour on the following morning, that they might
provide him with a secure dwelling.

"In the interim, Lazarus became aware of the absence of his son. Not
finding him either with his friends nor among other Jews, and being a
person of sound judgment, it occurred to him that his son must have
gone over to the Christians. Early on Sunday Lazarus betook himself to
the Christian house of the glove-maker Hoffmann, whom he did not find