l come
with thee to Bury. Maybe my Kingdom shall be there."

'So I sailed with Elias to the darkness and the cruelty of Bury in
England, where there are no learned men. How can a man be wise if he hate?
At Bury I kept his accounts for Elias, and I saw men kill Jews there by
the tower. No--none laid hands on Elias. He lent money to the King, and the
King's favour was about him. A King will not take the life so long as
there is any gold. This King--yes, John--oppressed his people bitterly
because they would not give him money. Yet his land was a good land. If he
had only given it rest he might have cropped it as a Christian crops his
beard. But even _that_ little he did not know; for God had deprived him of
all understanding, and had multiplied pestilence, and famine, and despair
upon the people. Therefore his people turned against us Jews, who are all
people's dogs. Why not? Lastly the Barons and the people rose together
against the King because of his cruelties. Nay--nay--the Barons did not love
the people, but they saw that if the King eat up and destroyed the common
people, he would presently destroy the Barons. They joined then, as cats
and pigs will join to slay a snake. I kept the accounts, and I watched all
these things, for I remembered the Prophecy.

'A great gathering of Barons (to most of whom we had lent money) came to
Bury, and there, after much talk and a thousand runnings-about, they made
a roll of the New Laws that they would force on the King. If he swore to
keep those Laws, they would allow him a little money. That was the King's
God--Money--to waste. They showed us the roll of the New Laws. Why not? We
had lent them money. We knew all their counsels--we Jews shivering behind
our doors in Bury.' He threw out his hands suddenly. 'We did not seek to
be paid _all_ in money. We sought Power--Power--Power! That is _our_ God in
our captivity. Power to use!

'I said to Elias: "These New Laws are good. Lend no more money to the
King: so long as he has money he will lie and slay the people."

'"Nay," said Elias. "I know this people. They are madly cruel. Better one
King than a thousand butchers. I have lent a little money to the Barons,
or they would torture us, but my most I will lend to the King. He hath
promised me a place near him at Court, where my wife and I shall be safe."

'"But if the King be made to keep these New Laws," I said, "the land will
have peace, and our trade will grow. If we lend he will