Ben-Hur; a tale of the Christ

by Lew Wallace

  CHAPTER XI

  A mile and a half, it may be two miles, southeast of Bethlehem,there is a plain separated from the town by an intervening swellof the mountain. Besides being well sheltered from the north winds,the vale was covered with a growth of sycamore, dwarf-oak, and pinetrees, while in the glens and ravines adjoining there were thicketsof olive and mulberry; all at this season of the year invaluablefor the support of sheep, goats, and cattle, of which the wanderingflocks consisted.

  At the side farthest from the town, close under a bluff, there wasan extensive marah, or sheepcot, ages old. In some long-forgottenforay, the building had been unroofed and almost demolished.The enclosure attached to it remained intact, however, and thatwas of more importance to the shepherds who drove their chargesthither than the house itself. The stone wall around the lot washigh as a man's head, yet not so high but that sometimes a pantheror a lion, hungering from the wilderness, leaped boldly in. On theinner side of the wall, and as an additional security againstthe constant danger, a hedge of the rhamnus had been planted,an invention so successful that now a sparrow could hardlypenetrate the overtopping branches, armed as they were withgreat clusters of thorns hard as spikes.

  The day of the occurrences which occupy the preceding chapters,a number of shepherds, seeking fresh walks for their flocks, ledthem up to this plain; and from early morning the groves had beenmade ring with calls, and the blows of axes, the bleating of sheepand goats, the tinkling of bells, the lowing of cattle, and thebarking of dogs. When the sun went down, they led the way to themarah, and by nightfall had everything safe in the field; then theykindled a fire down by the gate, partook of their humble supper,and sat down to rest and talk, leaving one on watch.

  There were six of these men, omitting the watchman; and afterwhilethey assembled in a group near the fire, some sitting, some lyingprone. As they went bareheaded habitually, their hair stood out inthick, coarse, sunburnt shocks; their beard covered their throats,and fell in mats down the breast; mantles of the skin of kidsand lambs, with the fleece on, wrapped them from neck to knee,leaving the arms exposed; broad belts girthed the rude garmentsto their waists; their sandals were of the coarsest quality;from their right shoulders hung scrips containing food andselected stones for slings, with which they were armed; on theground near each one lay his crook, a symbol of his calling anda weapon of offence.

  Such were the shepherds of Judea! In appearance, rough and savageas the gaunt dogs sitting with them around the blaze; in fact,simple-minded, tender-hearted; effects due, in part, to theprimitive life they led, but chiefly to their constant careof things lovable and helpless.

  They rested and talked, and their talk was all about their flocks,a dull theme to the world, yet a theme which was all the world tothem. If in narrative they dwelt long upon affairs of triflingmoment; if one of them omitted nothing of detail in recountingthe loss of a lamb, the relation between him and the unfortunateshould be remembered: at birth it became his charge, his to keepall its days, to help over the floods, to carry down the hollows,to name and train; it was to be his companion, his object of thoughtand interest, the subject of his will; it was to enliven and sharehis wanderings; in its defense he might be called on to face thelion or robber--to die.

  The great events, such as blotted out nations and changed themastery of the world, were trifles to them, if perchance they cameto their knowledge. Of what Herod was doing in this city or that,building palaces and gymnasia, and indulging forbidden practises,they occasionally heard. As was her habit in those days, Rome didnot wait for people slow to inquire about her; she came to them.Over the hills along which he was leading his lagging herd, or inthe fastnesses in which he was hiding them, not unfrequently theshepherd was startled by the blare of trumpets, and, peering out,beheld a cohort, sometimes a legion, in march; and when theglittering crests were gone, and the excitement incident tothe intrusion over, he bent himself to evolve the meaning ofthe eagles and gilded globes of the soldiery, and the charm ofa life so the opposite of his own.

  Yet these men, rude and simple as they were, had a knowledge anda wisdom of their own. On Sabbaths they were accustomed to purifythemselves, and go up into the synagogues, and sit on the benchesfarthest from the ark. When the chazzan bore the Torah round,none kissed it with greater zest; when the sheliach read the text,none listened to the interpreter with more absolute faith; and nonetook away with them more of the elder's sermon, or gave it morethought afterwards. In a verse of the Shema they found all thelearning and all the law of their simple lives--that their Lordwas One God, and that they must love him with all their souls.And they loved him, and such was their wisdom, surpassing thatof kings.

  While they talked, and before the first watch was over, one byone the shepherds went to sleep, each lying where he had sat.

  The night, like most nights of the winter season in the hillcountry, was clear, crisp, and sparkling with stars. There wasno wind. The atmosphere seemed never so pure, and the stillnesswas more than silence; it was a holy hush, a warning that heavenwas stooping low to whisper some good thing to the listening earth.

  By the gate, hugging his mantle close, the watchman walked; at timeshe stopped, attracted by a stir among the sleeping herds, or bya jackal's cry off on the mountain-side. The midnight was slowcoming to him; but at last it came. His task was done; now for thedreamless sleep with which labor blesses its wearied children! Hemoved towards the fire, but paused; a light was breaking aroundhim, soft and white, like the moon's. He waited breathlessly.The light deepened; things before invisible came to view; he sawthe whole field, and all it sheltered. A chill sharper than thatof the frosty air--a chill of fear--smote him. He looked up;the stars were gone; the light was dropping as from a windowin the sky; as he looked, it became a splendor; then, in terror,he cried,

  "Awake, awake!"

  Up sprang the dogs, and, howling, ran away.

  The herds rushed together bewildered.

  The men clambered to their feet, weapons in hand.

  "What is it?" they asked, in one voice.

  "See!" cried the watchman, "the sky is on fire!"

  Suddenly the light became intolerably bright, and they coveredtheir eyes, and dropped upon their knees; then, as their soulsshrank with fear, they fell upon their faces blind and fainting,and would have died had not a voice said to them,

  "Fear not!"

  And they listened.

  "Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,which shall be to all people."

  The voice, in sweetness and soothing more than human, and low andclear, penetrated all their being, and filled them with assurance.They rose upon their knees, and, looking worshipfully, beheld inthe centre of a great glory the appearance of a man, clad in arobe intensely white; above its shoulders towered the tops ofwings shining and folded; a star over its forehead glowed withsteady lustre, brilliant as Hesperus; its hands were stretchedtowards them in blessing; its face was serene and divinely beautiful.

  They had often heard, and, in their simple way, talked, of angels;and they doubted not now, but said, in their hearts, The glory ofGod is about us, and this is he who of old came to the prophet bythe river of Ulai.

  Directly the angel continued:

  "For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior,which is Christ the Lord!"

  Again there was a rest, while the words sank into their minds.

  "And this shall be a sign unto you," the annunciator said next."Ye shall find the babe, wrapped in swaddling-clothes, lying ina manger."

  The herald spoke not again; his good tidings were told; yet hestayed awhile. Suddenly the light, of which he seemed the centre,turned roseate and began to tremble; then up, far as the men couldsee, there was flashing of white wings, and coming and going ofradiant forms, and voices as of a multitude chanting in unison,

  "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will towardsmen!"

  Not once the praise, but many times.

  Then the herald raised his eye
s as seeking approval of one far off;his wings stirred, and spread slowly and majestically, on their upperside white as snow, in the shadow vari-tinted, like mother-of-pearl;when they were expanded many cubits beyond his stature, he aroselightly, and, without effort, floated out of view, taking thelight up with him. Long after he was gone, down from the sky fellthe refrain in measure mellowed by distance, "Glory to God in thehighest, and on earth peace, good-will towards men."

  When the shepherds came fully to their senses, they stared at eachother stupidly, until one of them said, "It was Gabriel, the Lord'smessenger unto men."

  None answered.

  "Christ the Lord is born; said he not so?"

  Then another recovered his voice, and replied, "That is what hesaid."

  "And did he not also say, in the city of David, which is ourBethlehem yonder. And that we should find him a babe inswaddling-clothes?"

  "And lying in a manger."

  The first speaker gazed into the fire thoughtfully, but at lengthsaid, like one possessed of a sudden resolve, "There is but oneplace in Bethlehem where there are mangers; but one, and that isin the cave near the old khan. Brethren, let us go see this thingwhich has come to pass. The priests and doctors have been a longtime looking for the Christ. Now he is born, and the Lord hasgiven us a sign by which to know him. Let us go up and worshiphim."

  "But the flocks!"

  "The Lord will take care of them. Let us make haste."

  Then they all arose and left the marah.

  * * * * * *

  Around the mountain and through the town they passed, and came tothe gate of the khan, where there was a man on watch.

  "What would you have?" he asked.

  "We have seen and heard great things to-night," they replied.

  "Well, we, too, have seen great things, but heard nothing. What didyou hear?"

  "Let us go down to the cave in the enclosure, that we may be sure;then we will tell you all. Come with us, and see for yourself."

  "It is a fool's errand."

  "No, the Christ is born."

  "The Christ! How do you know?"

  "Let us go and see first."

  The man laughed scornfully.

  "The Christ indeed! How are you to know him?"

  "He was born this night, and is now lying in a manger, so wewere told; and there is but one place in Bethlehem with mangers."

  "The cave?"

  "Yes. Come with us."

  They went through the court-yard without notice, although therewere some up even then talking about the wonderful light. The doorof the cavern was open. A lantern was burning within, and theyentered unceremoniously.

  "I give you peace," the watchman said to Joseph and the BethDagonite. "Here are people looking for a child born this night,whom they are to know by finding him in swaddling-clothes andlying in a manger."

  For a moment the face of the stolid Nazarene was moved; turning away,he said, "The child is here."

  They were led to one of the mangers, and there the child was. Thelantern was brought, and the shepherds stood by mute. The littleone made no sign; it was as others just born.

  "Where is the mother?" asked the watchman.

  One of the women took the baby, and went to Mary, lying near,and put it in her arms. Then the bystanders collected aboutthe two.

  "It is the Christ!" said a shepherd, at last.

  "The Christ!" they all repeated, falling upon their knees in worship.One of them repeated several times over,

  "It is the Lord, and his glory is above the earth and heaven."

  And the simple men, never doubting, kissed the hem of the mother'srobe, and with joyful faces departed. In the khan, to all the peoplearoused and pressing about them, they told their story; and throughthe town, and all the way back to the marah, they chanted the refrainof the angels, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,good-will towards men!"

  The story went abroad, confirmed by the light so generally seen;and the next day, and for days thereafter, the cave was visitedby curious crowds, of whom some believed, though the greater partlaughed and mocked.