55 
Black curly hair upon the head of Matthew, 
Without the sign of a tyrant’s beard. 
Curling hair upon reproachless Thaddeus, 
With a full and long flowing beard. 
James of the knees,* of the clear voice, 
The son of Alpheus, who was not merciless; 
All grey was the hair of James, 
With a beard of light yellow. 
~ Thomas,—choicest of faces was his face; 
Brown and curly was his hair without doubt; 
It was no blemish to my companion 
That coarse and short was his clean beard. 
Fair hair had Simon the noble, tall, 
And a pure white and robust body, 
| And a jet black curling beard, 
: A florid face, and a grey blue eye. 
} John the Baptist was not poor, 
. Brown his beard, brown his hair. 
Such were the visages of the slender, tall men, 
And I think they were not despicable. 
*F I know the fate of all-ruling Christ, 
‘ And of his Twelve Apostles; 
To kill them was a deed of madness; 
Many are the authorities that relate it. 
On a cross was crucified the gentle Christ, - 
Shortly before the crucifixion of Peter. 
A sword-girt hand to have slain Paul 
Was a fate both awful and unjust. 
* St. James the Less, so styled in allusion to the ancient tradition : aeo- 
KAnKéva Ta yovara av’rov dikny kapnrov, dia 7d dei kare evi yor" Tp0G- 
kuvoivra Tp G«~.—Euseb. Hist. Eccles. ii, 23. Hieronym. in Jovin. ii. 24. 
Alban Butler, Lives of the Saints, May 1. 
