Jobn jEvelEtt 299 



most venerable relics in Sainte Chapelle at 

 Paris, as is pretended by the devotees, etc., 

 and hence has the tree (for it sometimes 

 exceeds a shrub) the name of Chris? s thorn. 

 Thus might barberries now and then be also 

 inserted among our hedges, which with the 

 hips, haws, and cornel-berries, do well in 

 light lands, and should rather be planted to 

 the south than north of west, as usually we 

 observe them. 



Some, as we noted, mingle their very hedges 

 with oaklings, ash, and fruit-trees, sown or 

 planted, and it is a laudable improvement ; 

 though others do rather recommend to us sets of 



in and about Jerusalem. I find nothing 1 in the New 

 Testament said concerning- this crown which Pilate's 

 soldiers put upon the head of Jesus, to incline one 

 to think that it was made of thorns, and intended (as is 

 usually supposed) to put him to pain. The reed put into 

 his hand, and the scarlet robe on his back, were only 

 meant as marks of mockery and contempt. One may 

 also reasonably judge by the soldiers being said to plait 

 this crown, that it was not composed of such twigs and 

 leaves as were of a thorny nature. I do not find that it is 

 mentioned by any of the primitive Christian writers as 

 an instance of the cruelty used towards our Saviour be- 

 fore he was led to his crucifixion, till the time of Tertul- 

 lian, who lived after Jesus' death at the distance of 

 about one hundred and sixty years. He indeed seems to 

 have understood aKavQuv in the sense of thorns, and says, 

 De Coron. Milit., sect. xiv. (Edit. Pomel. Franck. 1597), 

 guale, oro te, Jesus Christus sertum pro utraquesexu subtit ? 

 Ex spinis, opinor, et tribulis. The total silence of Poly- 

 carp, Barnabas, Clem. Romanus, and all the other 

 Christian writers whose works are now extant and who 

 wrote before Tertullian, in this particular, will give 

 some weight to incline one to think that this crown was 

 not plaited with thorns." Vol. 1, p. 196. Ed, 1777. 



