The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-11-27
STORY OF THE WANDERING JEW.

There are probably persons in every coun
, try in Europe, although no complete ma
ton or sect, who still believe in the Wan
, dering Jew, the Undying One, who wan
ders century after century over the earth's
, surface, yearning for death that never
, comes. Myths live long in the rustic mind
after they have been discarded by men OF
, the world and steady thinkers. This is
, one of them; and, like most of the others,
its origin is lost in obscurity, although
traceable with much probability to relig-
, ious feeling, or to mistaken apprehension
of Scriptural passages.
Rich collections of manuscripts have been
carefully examined by competent men, to
ascertain the most distant to which these
legends or myths can be traced. The old,
est document at present known on the sub
ject was written about six hundred and
fifty years ago, in the reign of Henry l III.
The Book of the Chronicle of St. Adams
Abbey contains the following narrative, as
of contemporary event. One day the
Patriarch or Archbishop of Armenia ar
rived at the abbey with a small retinue,
including an interpreter who could make the
Patriarch and the abbot ineligible to each
other. He had visited most of the cele-
brated shrines and holy places in England,
.nd had now come to see the shrine of St.
Alban. Hospitality entertained for many
days, the Patriarch held much converse
ton with the abbots and the monks. He
was asked, amongst other things whether
he had seen or heard ought of Joseph, a
mysterious being who was reputed to have
lived ever since the early days of Chris
tianity. The Patriarch replied that he had
not only heard of this Undying One, but
he had been visited by him in Armenia.
The story told by the wanderer was SOL
emn one. On the day of the Crucifixion,
Castaphilus another name borne by JOS
; eph), a porter in Pentius Pilates house,
struck Jesus on the back with his hand.
and bade him mockingly to move on more
quickly. A severe but mysterious reproof
was administered to him in reply: 81 am
going, and you will wait to my RETURN
Castaphilus lived on century after CEN
fury, apparently no older than at first. He
became holy and religious man, narrat-
ing to bishops and divines events which he
had witnessed in the apostolic days. He
was always serious, accepted nothing but
food and raiment from his entertainers, and
looked ont anxiously for the Last Day.
Search appears to have been made in
vain for any mention of the Wanderer dur
ing the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries;
but quite early in the sixteenth we hear of
named kokot, to discover in Bohemia a
treasure which an ancestor of the weaver
was reported to have hidden. The Jew is
: described as appearing like man seventy
years Of age.
A few years afterwards the scene shifts, and
according to another legend the Stranger
makes his appearance in Arabia When
the city of Elvan was captured, Fadhilah
and three hundred horsemen pitched their
tents in the evening between the noun
tains. When repeating his prayer to Allah
and Mohammed, Fadhilah heard all his
words echoed. Demanding who was doing
this, Fadhiah saw approaching him a ven
cradle man like dervish, with staff in
hand. The Stranger stated that he came
by command of Jesus, who had left him to
live upon earth till the second advent. So
far the legend; why the apparition appeared
to follower of Islam is not made clear.
About the middle of the same century
the Wandering jew cropped up in Ham
burg. Bishop Eitzen narrated that, when
a young man, he saw at a church in that
city tall, barefoot pilgrim, with hair
j hanging over his shoulders, standing oppo-
site to the pulpit, listening intently to the
sermon, sorrowfully and signing, and often
shifting his breast. A rumor spread that
he was the same mysterious person that
had recently been in England, Italy, Hun
gary, France, Persia, Spain, Poland, Mus
covy, Lapland, Sweden, Denmark, and
Scotland Bishop Eitzen sought him out
and asked him many questions. The
Stranger replied that he was Jew, Alias
uerus by name, a shoemaker at Jerusalem
that he had been present at the crucifxion
that he had lived ever since, travelling in
various parts of the world. Questioned
further, he declared that he had regarded
Jesus as deoeiver and hereto, whom he
helped to bring to justice; that Jesus, on
passing to the place of crucfixion stood a
moment to rest at the shoemaker's door,
borne down by the weight of the cross
that the repIoof came to him: 81 shall
stand and rest, but thou shalt go to the
Last Day." that after witnessing the cruel
fixion, he was struck with foreboding
that he would never see his home again,
but would wander from country to country
as mournful pilgrim. Returning to Jeru.
salem many ages afterwards he found it.
buildings RACED to the ground. insomuct
that he could recognize none of the looai
ties again; and he regarded this as a ,iudg
, ment on him for his misconduct. The
bishop, to test him, questioned him con
corning historical events which had occurred
in Europe during fifteen centuries, and 1--WE
are assured received satisfactory answers
: He was abstemious and humble, silen
! luoStlOuttl, duu NEVER lOUE
in one place. He spoke the languages o
: all the countries he visited, and-so end
; Bishop Eitzen's narrative.
The papal ENJOYS, sent to Spain abou
: the time of the Spani.L Armada, declared
, on tLeir return that they had seen tn,
! Wandering Jew at Madrid, and that h,
. spoke as good Spanish as he had before
spoken good German at Hamburg. An
other flying rumor located him for tim
> at Vienna.
France was not likely to be without some
y thing to say concerning this inexplicabl
= being. At the beginning of the seven
). teenth century annalists and chronicler
often made mention of him. We mex
. hear of the Undying Ons at Naumburg
listening intently to sermon in church