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. 



4" 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 : awta- 

 KXriKivai ra yovara avrov SiKtjv tcafiriXov, Sid to ati Kajiirruv Itt'i yovv irpoa- 



Kwovvra Tip 6e£ Euseb. Hist. Eccles. ii. 23. Hieronym. in Jovin. ii. 24. 



Alban Butler, Lives of the Saints, May 1. 



