Note 25: — CAP: I.

For the piece that went ryght up from the earth unto the head was of Cipres, and the piece that went overthwart, to the which his handes were nayled, was of Palme, and the stock that stood within the earth in the which they had made a morteys, was of Cedre, and the table aboue his head was a foote and a half long, on which ye tytle was written, yt was of Olyve. Ye Jewes made this crosse of these foure maner of trees for they thought yt our Lord shold have hanged as long as ye crosse might last, therefore they made the foote of Cedre, for Ceder may not in the erth ne25 in water rot; they thought that the body of Christ shold have stonken, they made the piece yt went from the yearth upwarde of Cipres so that the smell of his body shold greve no man that came by, and that overthwart was made of Palme in signification of Victory. And the table of the tytle was made of Olive, for it betokeneth peace, as the story of Noe witnesseth, when ye dove brought ye braunch of Olive that betokened peace made between God and man. And you also shal understande, that the Christen men that dwell over the sea, say that the pece of the Crosse that we call Cipres was of the tree that Adam eate the appell of, and so finde they written, and they say also that their scripture saith, that when Adam was sicke he sayd to his son Seth that he shold go to Paradise and pray that the Aungel that kepeth Paradise, yt he wold send him oyle of the tree of mercy for to anoynte him that he might have health, & Seth went, but the Aungel would not let him com in at the gate, but said unto him that he might not have ye oyle of mercy, but he took him three carnels26 of the same tree that his father eate the appell of, and bad him as sone as his father was dead, that he should put these carnels under his tongue and bury him, and he did so, and of these three carnels sprang a tree, as the Angel sayd and when the tree bare fruite, then shold Adam be made whole. And when Seth came againe and founde his father dead, he did with the carnels as the Aungell commaunded him, of the which came three trees, whereof a crosse was made that bare good fruite, that is to say, our saviour Jesu Christ, through whom Adam and all that came of him should be saved and delivered from everlasting death, but27 if it be their owne defaute.28 This holy crosse had the Jewes hid under the earth in ye rock of the mount of Calvery, & it laye there two hundreth yeares and more, as they say, unto the tyme that Saint Elene found it, the which Saint Elene was daughter of Coel King of Englande, that then was called Britaine, and after maried to Constantius, fyrst Consul and after Emperour of Rome, who had by hir issue Constantine the great, born in England and afterward Emperour of Rome, which Constantine turned the name of Bezansium into Constantinople, he reedified that citie, and made it monarcall seate of all Europa and Asia Minor. Also ye shall understande that the crosse of our Lord was in length viii cubites and that the piece that went overthwart was three cubites29 and a halfe.