their
camels. They took one more look at the child in the manger and they
rode away straight over the stony desert. They directed their course
towards the east, towards all the starry constellations, and dreamed of
a new revelation which might enable them henceforth to live rich in
love and ever glad.

Meanwhile King Herod, sleeping or waking, was not at peace. It was not
on account of his wife or his brothers whom he had had murdered from a
suspicion that they might kill him to secure the throne. It was
something else that caused his anxiety. The new-born king! No one
mentioned the news at court, but he heard it from the walls of his
palace, from the flowers of his garden, from the pillows of his couch.
Who had first spoken the word? Whence did it come? A new-born king!
Where? He must forthwith hasten to do him homage, to present him with
a gift tied with a silken string. And one day the decree came to
Bethlehem that every mother who had an infant son should bring it to
the king's palace at Jerusalem for the king desired to see the progeny
of his subjects in order to discover what hope there was for the
delivery of the land of the Jews from bondage: he wished to present
gifts to the boys; yes, he was preparing a great surprise for his
people. No little excitement prevailed among the women, who declared
that the childless king intended to adopt the handsomest boy as his own
son. Since each mother considered her son the handsomest and most
attractive, she took the boy that she had and carried him to Jerusalem
to the palace of King Herod. And those who refused to go were sought
out by the guards.

Unhappy day, O Herod! which bears thy name for all time! The angry
king, desiring to kill the anti-king, commanded the wholesale murder of
the future protectors of his realm! He destroyed the race which had
formerly saved the beautiful city from ruin!

"All hail to our king, long may he live!" shouted the mothers in the
courtyard of the palace. Then knaves rushed out from the doors, tore
the children from their mothers' arms, and slew them. None can
describe, indeed none would attempt to describe, how the unhappy
mothers strove frantically with the tyrants until they fell fainting or
lifeless upon the bodies of their dear ones.

Tremble, O men, before the terrible decree of Herod, murderer of the
innocents, yet despair not. He for whom they spilled their blood by
God's decree will requite it in full measur